[center][img]http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/14/148344/4565215-1147198-mia_2.jpg[/img]
[hr][color=gold][h2]SPEEDY[/h2][/color] [hr]
[/center]

[color=gold][B]| Identity |[/B][/color]
[indent][list]
[*][color=#FFF7CC]Mia Dearden[/color]
[*][color=#FFF7CC]Speedy[/color]
[/list]
[/indent]

[color=gold][B]| Origin & Backstory |[/B][/color]
[color=#FFF7CC][indent]A teenage runaway, [color=gold][u][b]Mia Dearden[/b][/u][/color] had, to put it lightly, a rough childhood. Frequently abused by her father, she escaped from home, opting to live on the streets as opposed to suffering through even more pain at his hands. It became clear early on, however, that surviving alone in the harsh [b][color=gold]Star City[/color][/b] streets would not see her last very long, and so, upon meeting a young man by the name of [color=gold][b]Richard[/b][/color], she moved in with him, mistaking his generosity with understanding, and his lust with love. In exchange for shelter and food, Richard explored ways to exploit her for his own gain, often acting as her pimp, selling her body to the likes of crooked cops and local politicians. 

It was from one such politician that she was saved by the man who would become her mentor: the [color=gold][b]Green Arrow[/b][/color]. Having confronted the councilman, the Battling Bowman told her that the life she was leading was not one someone her age, let alone anyone, should have to live; with this advice, he also gave her a business card – belonging to [color=gold][b]Oliver Queen[/b][/color]’s [b][color=gold]Papp Street Mission[/color][/b], a non-profit shelter for the homeless and recreational centre for the youth.

Returning home to Richard, a denial of his advances quickly escalated into a standoff as he held a knife to her throat, telling her that he can’t have what happened that night lead back to him. With quick thinking and a realisation that this life was not something she wanted, Mia managed to turn the tables on Richard, asking him not to follow her and cutting his hand for good measure. With nowhere else to go, she left Richard’s home, making her way to the Papp Street Mission.

It was there that she met Oliver Queen, who she almost instantly figured out was Green Arrow – all it took was a look at his beard. Feeling like she was meant for more than volunteer work, she took it upon herself to learn archery, all while nagging Oliver and his son, [color=gold][b]Connor[/b][/color], to teach her themselves. Eventually, Oliver folded, and so began Mia’s archery lessons.

While Mia had gotten what she wanted, she was not yet done with her requests – Oliver was forced to endure a persistent barrage of badgering when she asked to be his sidekick. Time and time again he refused, not wishing to put her at risk. But then the unthinkable happened; Mia had tested positive for HIV, the product of her time as Richard’s fille de joie. Oliver, feeling as if he owed her a chance, gave her a more intensive training regimen, and, after believing that she was ready, allowed her to debut by his side. Taking his first sidekick’s, [color=gold][b]Roy Harper[/b][/color]’s, alias, Mia began her career as [color=gold][u][b]Speedy[/b][/u][/color], taking to the streets alongside the two Green Arrows.

Oliver soon had her enrolled amongst the [color=gold][b]Teen Titans[/b][/color], working alongside the likes of [b][color=gold]Robin[/color][/b], [color=gold][b]Wonder Girl[/b][/color] and [b][color=gold]Beast Boy[/color][/b]. Initially reluctant to join the team, Mia slowly found herself warming up to them, finding friends for life in a team of legacies trying desperately to live up to their mentors’ reputations. For the first time in her life, Mia felt important.

But any illusion of relevance was shattered on the tragic day of Christmas Eve; for it was then, in 2015, that [color=gold][b]Superman[/b][/color] was killed. Unable to believe that such a great man, the perfect hero, was dead, Mia watched as the world dealt with its sorrow, unable to come to terms with her own. Her morals were conflicting. If Superman, a man that had made such a difference in the world, could have his life taken from him by a monster such as [b][color=gold]Doomsday[/color][/b], then who was she to call herself a hero? Who was she, or Oliver, or Connor or Roy, to don their costumes and masks, and tell themselves that the world was better off for it? Everything she had built her life upon was brought crumbling down the moment the Man of Steel died, and she was lost. She didn’t know who she was anymore.

Feeling an impossible urge to help fill the void Superman left, Mia resolved to leave Star City and the Titans, moving to new grounds: [color=gold][b]Metropolis[/b][/color]. Whether she’ll succeed, she has no idea – but you can be damned sure that she’ll try.  [/indent]

[color=gold][B]| Attributes |[/B][/color]
[indent][b]Acrobatics:[/b] Mia is a proficient acrobat, incorporating her agility into her fighting style.
[b]Archery:[/b] Trained by both Green Arrows, Mia is a very skilled archer, her marksmanship nearly matching that of her mentors.
[indent][b]Trick Arrows:[/b] Along with her normal arrows, Mia also boasts an arsenal of trick arrows – namely explosive and grappling arrows, among others.[/indent][b]Martial Arts:[/b] Receiving training from both Connor and Oliver, along with further training of her own, Mia is a very skilled martial artist, able to hold her own against multiple opponents.
[/indent]

[color=gold][B]| Character Notes |[/B][/color]
[indent][sub][i]To be updated as the story progresses.[/i][/sub]
[hider=Allies & Friends]
[b][u]Team Arrow:[/u][/b]
[indent][b]Oliver Queen/Green Arrow:[/b] Mia’s former mentor and saviour, Oliver was the one who, alongside his son, trained her to become the person she is today. While Mia has distanced herself since Superman’s death, she makes sure to keep in regular contact with him.

[b]Connor Hawke/Green Arrow:[/b] Oliver’s son, Connor helped his father train Mia, forming a strong friendship with her in the process. Having refused his offer to come with her to Metropolis, Mia instead maintains regular contact with him.

[b]Roy Harper/Arsenal:[/b] The original Speedy, Roy occasionally joined Team Arrow on missions following Mia’s induction. While not as close to him as she is to Oliver and Connor, Mia’s on friendly terms with Roy, who shares Oliver and Connor’s concern about her.[/indent]

[b][u]Civilians:[/u][/b]
[indent][b]Bibbo Bibbowski:[/b] A former boxing champion, Bibbo was Superman’s self-proclaimed biggest fan, trying his hardest to influence the Suicide Slums for good following his hero’s death. The owner of Mia’s apartment, he rents it out for a relatively cheap price, all while managing the Ace O’Clubs bar.[/indent]

[b][u]Metropolis Police Department:[/u][/b]
The Metropolis Police Department, or as Mia calls it, the MetPo, holds many potential allies for Speedy, including:

[indent][b]Captain Margaret Sawyer:[/b] Captain of the MetPo’s Major Crimes Unit, Maggie is a potential ally for Speedy, having had ties to Superman prior to his death.

[b]Dan Turpin:[/b] A no-nonsense cop, Dan Turpin is a close colleague of Maggie Sawyer’s, and previous ally to Superman. 
[/indent]  
[/hider]
[hider=Enemies]
[b][u]John King:[/u][/b] A billionaire philanthropist with a tainted past, taking advantage of Superman's death to shape the Suicide Slums into a kingdom of his design.

[b]Fenton Quigley/The Archer:[/b] A hunter of former wealth, Quigley was cut off from his family fortune by his father. Having turned to crime, he uses his skills in archery to threaten the millionaires of Metropolis, stealing their riches for himself.

[b]Rhosyn “Rose” Forrest/Thorn:[/b] A murderous vigilante with a split personality, the criminals who populate Metropolis’ Suicide Slums often meet a violent end at her hands.

[b]Onomatopoeia:[/b] An assassin targeting non-powered vigilantes, Onomatopoeia is ruthless in his methods.    
[/hider]
[hider=Stomping Grounds]
[center][img] http://orig06.deviantart.net/8f67/f/2011/070/9/a/slums_by_atomhawk-d3bdzz5.jpg[/img]

[b][u]Suicide Slums[/u][/b][/center]

Metropolis’ most notorious neighbourhood, the Suicide Slums, officially named Southside, is a downtrodden area overrun by poverty and crime. With corruption and sin rooted so deep within the district, it’s as good a place as any for Mia to establish her base of operations. 
[hr][b]Mia’s Apartment:[/b] Located in the “nicer” part of the Slums, Mia’s apartment is owned by Bibbo Bibbowski, owner of the Ace O’Clubs bar, who rents the apartment out for a relatively cheap sum. While not the nicest of accommodations, Mia makes the most of it, using it as both her home and Speedy’s headquarters.

[b]Ace O’Clubs:[/b] A bar owned by Bibbo Bibbowski, the Ace O’Clubs is no stranger to violence, often attracting shady individuals despite Bibbo’s best efforts. 
[/hider][/indent]

[color=gold][b]| Character Goals |[/b][/color]
[indent]In the simplest terms, I want Mia to spread her wings. Following the death of Superman, she’s going to be hurting, right alongside the rest of the US, and the world. She’s going to be hurting, and she’s going to be thinking, [i]‘Now that he’s gone, who could possibly take his place?’[/i] And in order to cope with this, maybe in an attempt to get an answer, she’s going to leave Star City – the Arrow family – and she’s going to try to become her own hero. While she’s on this journey, she’s going to make both enemies and friends, and she will run into her fair share of difficulties and troubles. But eventually, she’s going to come out on top – and she will have figured out who she really is in the process. In short, I want to tell a Bildungsroman, coming-of-age story, with Superman’s death as the catalyst.[/indent]

[color=gold][b]| Sample Post |[/b][/color]
[indent]
[hider=Goodbye]
Her bags were packed. Her clothes, her toiletries, all her essentials, crammed into one duffel bag, her bow, quiver and suit packed into another, both resting on what would soon no longer be her bed. She’d made her decision. After days and nights spent debating what she should do, trying to deal with her countless emotions, her feeling of uselessness, she resolved to make a change. Today marked the day that Mia Dearden left for Metropolis.

Checking that she had everything she needed, Mia let out a huff, running a hand through her blond hair, tucking a lock behind her ear. This was it. She was ready to go.

“You really are leaving, eh, kiddo?” asked a voice from behind her, leaning against the doorway to her room. Oliver. Under normal circumstances, Mia would have said something snarky, probably to do with how ridiculous his beard looked. But these weren’t normal circumstances. This was goodbye.

Fighting past the lump in her throat, she answered, “Yeah. Yeah, I guess so.” 

With difficulty, her eyes met his. Where she expected to see pain or anger, resentment for her abandonment, she only saw affection and sympathy; understanding. The lump in her throat only growing, she thought back to when she first met Oliver. He’d saved her from that sick pervert, Councilman Dreyfus – and ever since then, he’s had her back. From the moment she arrived at the Papp Street Mission, he treated her like nothing less than a daughter, always looking out for her, always willing to help – and now, she was leaving. Just like that. She knew that he knew how grateful she was, how much she cherished him and Connor for what they’ve done for her, but despite it all, she couldn’t help but feel that he didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve her walking out like this.

But through her doubt and her guilt, she knew that this – a new start – was what she needed. Oliver had given her one in the years gone by, and now it was time that she found one herself. She took a shaky breath, desperately trying to hold back the tears that threatened to break free, her voice trembling.  “Why does saying goodbye have to be so hard?”

“Hey,” said Oliver, walking to her, laying his hands on her shoulders, “It always is. But you don’t have to this time, kiddo. I won’t let you.”

“Ollie,” she began, embracing him in a hug, “Thank you. For understanding.”

He returned her hug with a smile. “Always.”

Finding comfort in his arms, she stayed there awhile, content to just close her eyes and enjoy the moment. After a few seconds she pulled away, biting her lip. “I… I should probably get going. The cab’ll be here any minute now.”

She turned to pick up her bags, one in each hand. Any other person would have offered to take them for her, but not Ollie. No, he knew better. And she loved him for it. 

“Okay. But you keep in touch, okay? Don’t be a stranger,” he said, warmth in his smile. 

“Never,” she smiled back, rising onto her tiptoes, pecking him on the cheek. “Bye, Ollie.”

“See ya, Speedy.”

And then she walked out of the room, down the stairs and onto the street outside, patiently awaiting the cab she’d booked. Ever since Superman had died, she’d been battling with a single question: just who was she to think that she could come close to what he was? And now, as she stood on the sidewalk in the city she called home, she knew one thing. In a few short hours, she could finally start to figure it out.
[/hider]
[/indent]
[/color]