Maison de Portes Application
Player's Name: Kit
Contact info:
AIM: joyful poison
Email: madscientific@gmail.com
LJ: poisontea
Character: Edward Nigma/The Riddler
Canon: The Batman
Version: The Batman is its own cartoon, not officially a part of the DCAU, and took place when Bruce Wayne was in his third year as Batman and just starting to really establish himself in Gotham.
Canon Point: After "Rumors" (season 4, episode 11).
Age: Probably in his late twenties; it's hard to say exactly, but somewhere between 27 and 29.
Gender: Male
History: There is information on his The Batman history here (though it's the second-to-last television entry and there's no direct link to it, so scrolling down is needed). If anything more is needed, just let me know and I'll gladly provide.
Personality: Edward Nigma is not a very good person. The human mind has always been more important to him than the body, and at this point, his own mind is more important to him than anything. Other people's intelligence (or lack thereof) matters to him, yes, but mostly in relation to his own -- they're a danger, a challenge, or something to mock. Or some mix of the three. Or all three. He's an egotist, he's smug, he's arrogant, and he doesn't seem to care a thing for anyone else. He will hurt and kill others for being in the way, as part of a crime, or just as part of a game to prove his own genius.
It's no surprise to hear, then, that he's become bitter at this point in his life. His own ego, his own intelligence, matter more than anyone and anything else. He'll go to extreme ends to acheive his goals. He's incredibly vindictive, trying to kill more than one person who he felt was responsible for ruining his life. He may not be disloyal, per se -- it's hard to tell -- but truces don't seem to mean much to him and he'll go so far as to "eliminate the competition" if it will let him win a challenge. He's even gone so far as to sneak-attack and try to kill Batman directly after the Bat formed a temporary (if very unofficial) truce with him and helped save his life. He's easy to anger, accidentally or on purpose, if you know what buttons to press (see below, under "Weaknesses"). And he can be ridiculously childish, not only with his occasional quick temper, but also his displeasure if someone tries to cheat at his games (or even if they win them when he doesn't want them to), his own willingness to cheat when it comes down to it, and his obvious alarm and near panic when something might "ruin" his game (ie, someone else telling him the answer before he can deduce it on his own).
He wasn't always this way. Before he was the Riddler, he may not have been the best of men -- he cheated people out of their money, then progressed to safe cracking and stealing -- but after some time he seemed interested in testing his skills in more legal ways, working for a university laboratory trying to invent a prototype that could actually really help people, and even falling in love with his lab partner and trying his best to reach out to her and get her to understand and accept him. When he was betrayed, it all fell apart, and while he may not have been the most stable before then, that event is at the core of his identity now: in his own words, it was his last chance to "not be the Riddler," and he truly seems to believe that there's no going back. This obviously hit him hard, and it may help to explain his outlook and many of his choices and interactions with others.
Fears: Edward has a few vague fears that he tends to dismiss as much as he can -- part of him probably still fears his father, he likely fears that he will never be accepted or acknowledged but tries to deal with this by taking it as if it were already fact and insisting that he doesn't need it. Like many egoists, deep down, that ego is fueled by deep-seated insecurities. He seems to fear other people beating him to the punch when he's trying to prove his own intelligence. He also, to some extent, seems to fear (or at least be uncomfortable with) the idea of the Riddler's identity eclipsing that of Edward Nigma completely.
Much more than anything else, however, the Riddler fears one thing: losing his mind. This means losing his intelligence, losing his sanity, or just having his mind messed with. His mind is the most important thing to him, and any of these things would be far worse than death to him.
Weaknesses: Physically, Edward is not an imposing figure. He's tall but visibly underweight and not very muscular; he can both dish out and take a few good hits, but tends to go down fast when he actually has to fight personally. He's decent at strategy, but when all other methods of attack have been exhausted, he seems to lose his temper and lash out, his "fight or flight" defaulting somewhat unfortunately to "fight."
Psychologically? Yeah, he has a lot. The Riddler is pretty much made of psychological mess. He's arrogant, egotistical, and downright egocentric. He's bitter, and it isn't difficult to tell. He's willing to kill people carelessly, just to prove a point, or as collateral in one of his games. He has intense daddy issues and an unfortunate habit of projecting them on other people; his father was a bully and didn't have any respect for his intelligence or mental pursuits, and he quickly came to believe that the world was full of close-minded people like his father who wanted to stand in his way. Due to experiences with his father, sports metaphors and the nickname "champ" strike a very unpleasant chord with him, making him angry, unreasonable, and varying degrees of violent depending on the circumstances. Given all of that, his most recent experiences with Julie have probably made him even less trusting of people as a whole.
The Riddler also leaves riddles. Unfortunately, riddles and games are a compulsion for him. Even when trying to lie and conceal his real plans, he can't help leaving clues that will lead anyone observant enough to actually find and puzzle them out directly to him. When presented a choice between an easy option and the opportunity to prove his own intelligence by taking a harder route, he'll always go for attempting to show off his own genius. And when someone tries to ruin his games, he freaks out; this response has varied between panic, when nothing was at stake besides having his fun ruined, and rage, when the situation was more personal.
It may also bear mentioning that, while not suicidal, when put in a position where he thought that he would die if he didn't work with Batman, Edward chose to sit and wait for death rather than assist him in even the simplest of ways. This was under very specific circumstances, however, and he stated that at least part of his reasoning was that he believed he'd just gotten the revenge he started his career trying to get, "and that's as good a note to go out on as any." Still, there seemed to be some measure of fatalism there, and a disinclination to work with his enemy even if it would save both of their lives.
Mundane Strengths/Abilities: Edward is pretty legitimately a genius. It took him a few years (with a partner and university support but no real outside funding) to develop a flash drive for the human mind, allowing a person to absorb information quickly and recall it with perfect accuracy. He may not have been able to outsmart Batman (yet), but he's managed to distract him away from his real target for hours on end. He's good at planning and wonderful at wordplay, riddles, and puzzles, and seems to be a master hacker. He seems equally capable at explosives and bluffing, and while he isn't incredibly physically capable, he's calculating (or just wary) enough to know when to hang back, and he can be pretty quick.
Sensitivity/Magical Ability: N/A
Supply List: Besides his costume, which he's wearing, he apparently has two things on him by the end of canon: the question mark cane/staff thing he's had in every appearance, and the two question mark shaped sickles he pulled out of goddamn nowhere in Riddler's Revenge. The sickles are self-explanatory; the cane is a little more complex, but will be mostly useless in the house, as he mostly uses it to remote control different things he's hacked into or (had) built. The most useful thing about his cane is that he can spray a small cloud of sleeping gas into someone's face with it, though that's most likely limited in amount.
(I do also request that he still has his lipstick on him, as his costume would look odd and incomplete without it.)
Game Transfers: N/A
Sample RP post:
It was almost time.
The Riddler turned away, walking the paths of his new hideout as his Riddlemen headed out. He knew they weren't very happy about working overtime, but they didn't complain -- at least not where he could hear it -- and they followed orders.
That was good. He didn't expect them to understand; they still thought of Gotham P.D. as a threat, for God's sake, though not enough of one to set up this wild goose chase for.
No... This, he explained, was for the Batman.
It was only practical, really. They'd met once before, though he doubted his opponent would remember this. It was back when he had just been Edward Nigma, before the Riddler had come into being. He almost had to thank him, really; the experience had been very inspiring. The Batman truly had made an enemy, that day.
But he knew from that experience that the Batman was smart. Smart enough to solve his riddles. Certainly smarter than any of those ridiculous cops, who he knew he could throw off his trail with the simplest of ruses. But this... This trail of riddles was complex enough to keep a Bat busy all night, he was sure. And if he was able to rise above and exceed the Riddler's expectations, to see the real clues behind all his tricks...
Well. He had a few tricks up his own sleeve, now, didn't he? And he knew exactly what he would do, if circumstances lead his enemy into his hands.
Batman had been there at the beginning. And he would be there, at the Batman's end.
"I sleep by day, I fly by night. I have no feathers to aid my flight," he mused aloud, to no one in particular, and smiled a cold smile.
"I think it's time to call the Bat out to play."
Contact info:
AIM: joyful poison
Email: madscientific@gmail.com
LJ: poisontea
Character: Edward Nigma/The Riddler
Canon: The Batman
Version: The Batman is its own cartoon, not officially a part of the DCAU, and took place when Bruce Wayne was in his third year as Batman and just starting to really establish himself in Gotham.
Canon Point: After "Rumors" (season 4, episode 11).
Age: Probably in his late twenties; it's hard to say exactly, but somewhere between 27 and 29.
Gender: Male
History: There is information on his The Batman history here (though it's the second-to-last television entry and there's no direct link to it, so scrolling down is needed). If anything more is needed, just let me know and I'll gladly provide.
Personality: Edward Nigma is not a very good person. The human mind has always been more important to him than the body, and at this point, his own mind is more important to him than anything. Other people's intelligence (or lack thereof) matters to him, yes, but mostly in relation to his own -- they're a danger, a challenge, or something to mock. Or some mix of the three. Or all three. He's an egotist, he's smug, he's arrogant, and he doesn't seem to care a thing for anyone else. He will hurt and kill others for being in the way, as part of a crime, or just as part of a game to prove his own genius.
It's no surprise to hear, then, that he's become bitter at this point in his life. His own ego, his own intelligence, matter more than anyone and anything else. He'll go to extreme ends to acheive his goals. He's incredibly vindictive, trying to kill more than one person who he felt was responsible for ruining his life. He may not be disloyal, per se -- it's hard to tell -- but truces don't seem to mean much to him and he'll go so far as to "eliminate the competition" if it will let him win a challenge. He's even gone so far as to sneak-attack and try to kill Batman directly after the Bat formed a temporary (if very unofficial) truce with him and helped save his life. He's easy to anger, accidentally or on purpose, if you know what buttons to press (see below, under "Weaknesses"). And he can be ridiculously childish, not only with his occasional quick temper, but also his displeasure if someone tries to cheat at his games (or even if they win them when he doesn't want them to), his own willingness to cheat when it comes down to it, and his obvious alarm and near panic when something might "ruin" his game (ie, someone else telling him the answer before he can deduce it on his own).
He wasn't always this way. Before he was the Riddler, he may not have been the best of men -- he cheated people out of their money, then progressed to safe cracking and stealing -- but after some time he seemed interested in testing his skills in more legal ways, working for a university laboratory trying to invent a prototype that could actually really help people, and even falling in love with his lab partner and trying his best to reach out to her and get her to understand and accept him. When he was betrayed, it all fell apart, and while he may not have been the most stable before then, that event is at the core of his identity now: in his own words, it was his last chance to "not be the Riddler," and he truly seems to believe that there's no going back. This obviously hit him hard, and it may help to explain his outlook and many of his choices and interactions with others.
Fears: Edward has a few vague fears that he tends to dismiss as much as he can -- part of him probably still fears his father, he likely fears that he will never be accepted or acknowledged but tries to deal with this by taking it as if it were already fact and insisting that he doesn't need it. Like many egoists, deep down, that ego is fueled by deep-seated insecurities. He seems to fear other people beating him to the punch when he's trying to prove his own intelligence. He also, to some extent, seems to fear (or at least be uncomfortable with) the idea of the Riddler's identity eclipsing that of Edward Nigma completely.
Much more than anything else, however, the Riddler fears one thing: losing his mind. This means losing his intelligence, losing his sanity, or just having his mind messed with. His mind is the most important thing to him, and any of these things would be far worse than death to him.
Weaknesses: Physically, Edward is not an imposing figure. He's tall but visibly underweight and not very muscular; he can both dish out and take a few good hits, but tends to go down fast when he actually has to fight personally. He's decent at strategy, but when all other methods of attack have been exhausted, he seems to lose his temper and lash out, his "fight or flight" defaulting somewhat unfortunately to "fight."
Psychologically? Yeah, he has a lot. The Riddler is pretty much made of psychological mess. He's arrogant, egotistical, and downright egocentric. He's bitter, and it isn't difficult to tell. He's willing to kill people carelessly, just to prove a point, or as collateral in one of his games. He has intense daddy issues and an unfortunate habit of projecting them on other people; his father was a bully and didn't have any respect for his intelligence or mental pursuits, and he quickly came to believe that the world was full of close-minded people like his father who wanted to stand in his way. Due to experiences with his father, sports metaphors and the nickname "champ" strike a very unpleasant chord with him, making him angry, unreasonable, and varying degrees of violent depending on the circumstances. Given all of that, his most recent experiences with Julie have probably made him even less trusting of people as a whole.
The Riddler also leaves riddles. Unfortunately, riddles and games are a compulsion for him. Even when trying to lie and conceal his real plans, he can't help leaving clues that will lead anyone observant enough to actually find and puzzle them out directly to him. When presented a choice between an easy option and the opportunity to prove his own intelligence by taking a harder route, he'll always go for attempting to show off his own genius. And when someone tries to ruin his games, he freaks out; this response has varied between panic, when nothing was at stake besides having his fun ruined, and rage, when the situation was more personal.
It may also bear mentioning that, while not suicidal, when put in a position where he thought that he would die if he didn't work with Batman, Edward chose to sit and wait for death rather than assist him in even the simplest of ways. This was under very specific circumstances, however, and he stated that at least part of his reasoning was that he believed he'd just gotten the revenge he started his career trying to get, "and that's as good a note to go out on as any." Still, there seemed to be some measure of fatalism there, and a disinclination to work with his enemy even if it would save both of their lives.
Mundane Strengths/Abilities: Edward is pretty legitimately a genius. It took him a few years (with a partner and university support but no real outside funding) to develop a flash drive for the human mind, allowing a person to absorb information quickly and recall it with perfect accuracy. He may not have been able to outsmart Batman (yet), but he's managed to distract him away from his real target for hours on end. He's good at planning and wonderful at wordplay, riddles, and puzzles, and seems to be a master hacker. He seems equally capable at explosives and bluffing, and while he isn't incredibly physically capable, he's calculating (or just wary) enough to know when to hang back, and he can be pretty quick.
Sensitivity/Magical Ability: N/A
Supply List: Besides his costume, which he's wearing, he apparently has two things on him by the end of canon: the question mark cane/staff thing he's had in every appearance, and the two question mark shaped sickles he pulled out of goddamn nowhere in Riddler's Revenge. The sickles are self-explanatory; the cane is a little more complex, but will be mostly useless in the house, as he mostly uses it to remote control different things he's hacked into or (had) built. The most useful thing about his cane is that he can spray a small cloud of sleeping gas into someone's face with it, though that's most likely limited in amount.
(I do also request that he still has his lipstick on him, as his costume would look odd and incomplete without it.)
Game Transfers: N/A
Sample RP post:
It was almost time.
The Riddler turned away, walking the paths of his new hideout as his Riddlemen headed out. He knew they weren't very happy about working overtime, but they didn't complain -- at least not where he could hear it -- and they followed orders.
That was good. He didn't expect them to understand; they still thought of Gotham P.D. as a threat, for God's sake, though not enough of one to set up this wild goose chase for.
No... This, he explained, was for the Batman.
It was only practical, really. They'd met once before, though he doubted his opponent would remember this. It was back when he had just been Edward Nigma, before the Riddler had come into being. He almost had to thank him, really; the experience had been very inspiring. The Batman truly had made an enemy, that day.
But he knew from that experience that the Batman was smart. Smart enough to solve his riddles. Certainly smarter than any of those ridiculous cops, who he knew he could throw off his trail with the simplest of ruses. But this... This trail of riddles was complex enough to keep a Bat busy all night, he was sure. And if he was able to rise above and exceed the Riddler's expectations, to see the real clues behind all his tricks...
Well. He had a few tricks up his own sleeve, now, didn't he? And he knew exactly what he would do, if circumstances lead his enemy into his hands.
Batman had been there at the beginning. And he would be there, at the Batman's end.
"I sleep by day, I fly by night. I have no feathers to aid my flight," he mused aloud, to no one in particular, and smiled a cold smile.
"I think it's time to call the Bat out to play."