[center][h1][color=4682B4][b]NIGHTWING[/b][/color][/h1][color=7e6e75]20[color=4682B4] ♦[/color] Richard John Grayson / Nightwing [color=4682B4]♦[/color] Chaotic Good

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[INDENT]Born on the first day of spring during one of Gotham's rare sunny days, Richard John Grayson was handed into the hands of his loving parents who looked down on their son overwhelmed with pride. Upon first looking at her newborn baby boy, Mary called the boy her 'Little Robin', relating to his birth on the Spring Solstice. This term of endearment would imprint on the young Grayson for his entire life. 

Like his father, Richard comes from a line of Romani descent. The Graysons were the ancestors of a roaming gypsy family who had been part of the circus for longer than any written record could tell. However unbeknownst to them, the Graysons were also the descendant of one of Gotham's most deadly legends, a man by the name of William Cobb. Cobb lived most of his life as a Talon, a highly feared enforcer for a group that has been all but long forgotten save for the haunting rhymes told to children who disobey their parents. As such the history of William Cobb fell into obscurity, lost in a history of circus performers and Romanies. 

As his parents had, Richard or as he preferred to go by, Dick lived his whole life travelling from city to city in Haly's Circus. Trained by his parents, Mary and John Grayson, Dick was taught to be an acrobat and began performing at an early age, wowing crowds with his natural prowess on the trapeze. Together with his parents who were both world renowned acrobats, Dick would begin his introduction to performing at a young age and essentially from birth was trained to be a performer in the circus. His mother's nickname for him only became further enforced as Dick learned to perform on the trapeze, as Mary would constantly comment how he reminded her of a Robin while flying through the air in his red leotard. Together they were collectively known as the 'Flying Graysons' and were recognized as being one of the biggest shows in the circus business. In fact the circus' owner Jack Haley often remarked that the Grayson's were the biggest asset to the circus' business. Known for performing without a net, the 'Flying Graysons' true trade mark was their signature quadruple somersault, a move that only the three Graysons were known to be capable of performing. Growing up in the circus, Dick made several friends with the children of the other performers such as Jimmy, Zane and his childhood crush Raya Vestri.

Travelling the world with the circus, Dick became very cultured and outgoing though his education did suffer as he was only taught what those around him knew. None the less, his quick mind grasped onto most concepts quickly and Dick was recognized among the other performers as being a very sharp kid. At the age of twelve, Dick found himself in Gotham City as the circus rolled into town for its annual performance. Dick had only ever performed in Gotham a few times previously, but that said having heard of Gotham's reputation for crime he had always been understandably nervous about leaving the circus grounds to explore the city like he had in Paris, New York, and numerous other locations. However, staying at the circus gave the boy a unique opportunity as he was able to meet a young fan of his by the name of Timothy Drake. At the time, Timothy was only about four years old, but none the less he remembered seeing Grayson's performances in previous years, wanting nothing more than to soar through the air like the older boy did. Having his picture taken with Tim and his parents, Dick wandered off through the circus to kill time before his family's show that evening.

Dick's world suddenly changed that fateful night. It was one of the biggest shows of the year as Haly's Circus had once again returned to Gotham City to help ring in the New Year. But Gotham wasn't the same place it was twelve years ago, not that it was some shiny metropolis then either, yet the city had managed to become worse. Stumbling across an argument between the circus' owner Mr. Haly and a well-known and feared crime lord by the name of "Boss" Tony Zucco. Dick hide in the shadows as he heard Zucco threaten Mr. Haly unless the circus's owner paid protection money. Being an honest and moral man, Haly refused not knowing the horrors he had released. That night Dick watched in horror as his parents' high wire snapped, sending his parents hurtling to their deaths, all while many of Gotham's elite watched on. A burden of guilt came over Dick as he stood there, the realization that he could have warned his parents washing over him, downing him in anguish as he collapsed into bitter sobs.[/indent]
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[indent]Shortly after the tragedy of his parent's death, Dick was placed in an uncaring juvenile services system, reportedly on the grounds that social services was full. While in the juvenile systems, Dick found himself dragged into numerous brawls where he was beaten up by a number of the inmates. He was eventually passed onto a Catholic orphanage where he stayed for a couple miserable months. Though life seemed to have taken a permanent turn for the worse for the young boy, seemingly out of nowhere, infamous billionaire Bruce Wayne rescued Dick by adopting him. 

Dick insisted on only being adopted as his ward, because he did not want to replace his deceased father with the billionaire who he only knew from the tabloids. In fact, Dick originally believed that Bruce only adopted him for the good press and this was further supported by the amount of time that Dick found himself spending alone in the near empty mansion. Living with the billionaire at first felt like Dick had won the lottery, but after several weeks of growing loneliness, Dick's bitterness began to resurface. Growing frustrated by the lack of attention from his new guardian and the mystery still surrounding his parents' death, Dick snuck out of Wayne Manor one evening to solve the crime on his own - only to stumble upon Gotham's mysterious Batman, who was also investigating the murder. Feeling it would be cathartic for Dick to apprehend Zucco, the Batman allowed Dick to work with him, acknowledging their similar parallels in life. 

While working with Batman, Dick began to get a familiar sense about the mysterious man. An expert in reading body language, a skill inherited from the circus and playing up to crowds it didn't take Dick long to deduce that Bruce Wayne and Batman were actually the same individual. Exploring the mansion for further clues, Dick eventually found himself stumbling upon the Batcave where Batman himself was awaiting his arrival. Bruce offered to train Dick, turn Dick into a crime fighter in his own right and pass along each and every skill he himself possessed. Wanting to honor his parents, Dick wholeheartedly agreed and was put through a rigorous training regime. Exercise after grueling exercise nearly brought Dick to his knees, but the young acrobat managed to excel through all combat and physical based training. Where Dick struggled however was the more academic departments although he eventually overcame these obstacles once he was able to put his own perspective on them. 

Continuing their hunt, the pair succeeded in tracking down Zucco, and confronted John and Mary's murderer. However, Batman and Dick were unable to apprehend Zucco as the mobster died of a heart attack seconds before his arrest. But the night was hardly over as the nature of its events had allowed Batman to see a reflection of himself in Dick. A thirst for justice he could temper into an unstoppable force, Batman made the young boy the offer of a lifetime; the chance to stay on as his crime-fighting partner. Accepting wholeheartedly, Dick chose the name Robin, after the nickname his mother gave him, and his training began.

Bruce taught Dick fighting techniques and detective skills for a grueling six months. Despite the intensive training, Dick had still not been allowed in the field since the night the death of Boss Zucco. But fate had a different idea as Batman's found himself caught in the trap set by one of his many rogues. Stubborn still, Bruce refused Alfred's suggestion to send Dick into the field, but fearing for Bruce's safety and having complete confidence in Dick, Alfred made the decision to disobey Bruce and presented Dick with his first costume. Leaping into action, Robin managed to rescue Batman proving his competence once and for all.

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With the rescue of Batman, Dick was finally deemed worthy to hit the streets. However Bruce had one final test for Dick to pass - "the Gauntlet". Dick had to elude the Dark Knight on the streets of Gotham for one night - from sundown to sunrise - without any outside help. Dick succeeded while simultaneously bringing Gotham gangster Joe Minette to justice. From that point on the two would patrol Gotham together and the name Robin became simultaneous to that of Batman. Just as the dynamic duo were becoming well known, rumors of a female Batman began to circulate Gotham however neither paid them much attention at the time despite the rumors becoming more persistent as time went on.

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Enjoying his first few years as Robin, Dick regarded the role as much as a job as he did it an adventure until a confrontation with Two-Face served as a rude awakening for the young hero. The former District Attory Harvey Dent turned supervillain had captured the new District Attorney along with Batman. Suspending both from a hangman's noose in a 'double gallows death-trap', the rescue of the pair fell squarely on Robin's shoulders. However in trying to save the D.A., Robin used a batarang to cut the rope of the noose failing to account for Dent's obsession with the number two. To Robin's dismay it was a two-fold trap as he watched the floor give way, dropping the D.A. to his death. Devastated at his own failure, Robin was taken by surprise by Two-Face. Savagely beaten while Batman was forced to watch, Robin was left defenseless while Two-Face took no mercy on the young boy. Freeing himself, Batman jumped to Dick's aid, quickly putting an end to Two-Face's assualt.. This event, however, scarred the young crime-fighter, haunting him for years to come. Rather than see Dick be further endangered, Batman chose to "fire" his partner and sidelined the Boy Wonder.

The widening gyre between the two only became worse as Dick was shot and injured during a confrontation with the Scarecrow. Subjected to a near lethal dose of fear gas, Batman put Dick on 'Cave Arrest' out of fear of seeing him further injured. However left alone in the cave, Dick discovered that Bruce had been training Jason Todd in secret which he assumed was meant to replace him. Bruce tried to explain that they were at war and Jason was a soldier for their crusade, some much needed back but Dick refused to hear any of it. The conversation got heated as Dick began to run down Bruce's crusade calling him a 'Scared Boy hiding up a blanket' and saying that 'Bruce Wayne could do ten times more for Gotham than Batman ever could.' After a final sucker punch and a dramatic exit, Dick Grayson left the Batcave. 

Without Bruce, Dick was out on his own but at the age of 19 he was more than capable for looking at himself. Alfred had been kind enough over the years to teach Dick the domestic side of life and revealed to the young man that Bruce had been given control of a trust fund that Dick's parents had created for him. This trust fund had been left in the hands of financial expert Lucius Fox who had grown it into a modest fortune for Dick. Thanking Alfred for everything, Dick embarked on a soul searching trip.

Spending nearly a year backpacking through Europe, Dick took it upon himself to return to his Romani roots and explore the world as they had, living as a nomad and travelling from town to town. The experience was wholly enriching and exactly what Dick had needed on his trip of self discovery. Returning to North America, Dick avoided Gotham and instead went to New York. It was here that Dick met and enjoyed a whirlwind romance with fashionista Cheyenne Fremont. Though their romance came to an end, the two parted on friendly terms and Dick continued his journey eventually coming into contact with a Tamaranian named Koriand'r. Kori, as she preferred to be called opened Dick's eyes to the further wonders of the world as he was able to live vicariously through her optimistic and naive point of view about Earth.

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Dick continued on his trip, reunited with Kori as the two traveled to Metropolis where he came across Superman who much to Dick's surprise recognized the former Boy Wonder.

Showing Dick and Kori the city, Kal and Dick eventually sat down for a meal where the two heroes had a heart to heart, sharing their frustrations about Bruce and ended the night with Superman sharing a story he heard about two Kandorian heroes not unlike Batman and Robin, Flamebird and Nightwing. The story stuck with Dick and he took up the mantle of Nightwing stopping crime on the road alongside Kori before breaking up their partnership and returning to Gotham upon hearing that Tony Zucco had managed to evade death. In the weeks that followed, Dick was able to track Zucco and his activities to Blüdhaven, a city possibly worse than Gotham. Finding himself in a familiar pit of criminal activity, Nightwing realized that Blüdhaven could use a protector. Setting up shop, Dick had finally found a purpose. He was out of the shadow of the Bat, he was his own hero. Using a web of allies formed through his career as Robin, Dick and Kori intend to take back Blüdhaven from the criminal empire that is slowly suffocating the life out of the dying city.[/indent][/color][/indent]

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[center][h1][color=9966CC][b]STARFIRE[/b][/color][/h1][color=7e6e75]21[color=9966CC] ♦[/color] Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran / Starfire [color=9966CC]♦[/color] Neutral Good

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[color=9966CC][sub][INDENT][ ߜ ] O R I G I N[/INDENT][/sub][/color][hr][indent][color=7e6e75]Koriand'r was the second of three children born to King Myand'r and Queen Luand'r of the planet Tamaran, whose inhabitants have the ability to absorb solar energy through their skin and convert it into the power of flight. Her elder sister Komand'r  was the victim of a rare childhood disease that rendered her unable to fly. Komand'r developed a bitter and unpleasant personality as a result, and due to her disability and unpopularity, she was deemed unworthy of ascension to the throne. Komand'r was deemed not worthy to be queen and the succession fell to her more attractive younger sister Koriand'r, who had no abnormalities and was well-liked by her people.

Koriand'r received all of the privileges, honors, and dignity of royalty and grew to be the first princess of Tamaran in a hundred years, while Komand'r was largely shunned and forgotten. This set the stage for a sibling rivalry of epic proportions as Komand'r continually sought revenge against Koriand'r. When both sisters were sent to train with the legendary Warlords of Okaara, the bitter Komand'r ran off, allying herself with the Citadel. They used Komand'r's information to successfully invade the planet Tamaran. King Myand'r turned Koriand'r over to the Citadel to ensure peace. Part of the arrangement was that Koriand'r could never return to her home planet or the Citadel would destroy it. The captive princess endured six years of servitude and horrific torture at the hands of her own vengeful sister, who had now become a high ranking warrior of the Citadel. At one point, Koriand'r was raped by members of the Citadel that were under the command of Komand'r. In retaliation, Koriand'r fought back and killed the rapists, but was then subdued and sentenced to death.

Komand'r ordered her own sister's execution but before it could be carried out, the Citadel was attacked and both sisters were captured by the Psions , an advanced race of sadistic scientists. The Psions performed a deadly experiment on both of the sisters to see just how much energy their Tamaranean bodies could absorb before exploding from the overload. During the procedure, Komand'r's forces attacked the Psion ship to rescue her and while the Psions were distracted, Kori broke free with the starbolts, destructive blasts of solar energy, a result of the experimentation. Against her better judgment, she decided to free Komand'r who was still absorbing energy. However, far from grateful, Komand'r struck her sister down with the same-much stronger- power, enabling her to strike down her sister and escape. Koriand'r was recaptured, but later escaped again by seducing one of the guards and fleeing on one of the Psion's own vessels. Finding herself in a familiar sector of space, Kori made her way to the closest habitable world before finding herself in Knowhere.

Starfire has an outgoing and vivacious personality that epitomizes the joy-seeking aspects of Tamaranean culture. She wears her emotions on her sleeve, loves to have fun, and often expresses herself in flamboyant ways. Tamaraneans tend to wear very little clothing compared to humans, both as a reflection of their uninhibited culture and in order to absorb more solar energy through their skin and convert that energy into the power of flight. Starfire is no exception to this, and she finds the human mode of dress to be unnecessarily prudish and restrictive. She prefers wearing outfits that cover as little of her curvaceous figure as is possible to get away with, and enjoys the obvious attention that this creates. She can be openly flirtatious with men, even taken ones, and is seemingly oblivious to the jealousy she generates in other women. Starfire can instantly assimilate other languages simply through physical contact with the other person, and if that other person is male, she will usually kiss them (often without any warning) since it is more fun for her that way.

However, Starfire is also a born warrior, and her sweet and frivolous personality evaporates whenever a combat situation arises. She is a fierce and no-nonsense fighter and extremely aggressive in battle. When fully provoked she can fly into a berserker rage, increasing her already impressive strength level.[/color][/indent]

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