Master Bruce

Teen Titans: Secret Origins - A Re-Imagined DC Canon RP

_{Interaction(s): @Sep, @Simple Unicycle, @Hillan}

Roy made his way to the kitchen, only to find that Robin was there along with Wally. The two were exchanging banter, Robin scolding Wally for the speedster's slothfulness while Wally laughed it off as always. Roy just sighed at the two, piping up, "C'mon Dick, let the guy eat. He's a growing boy."

@Simple Unicycle

With a sigh, Robin began to massage the bridge of his nose as Arsenal swept in from the other side to backup Wally's lack of mobilization. Inherently, Dick knew that supposed "fastest kid alive" could be counted on in the midst of battle, and that was all that was important - but he still lacked a sense of discipline, and it had often come across as apathy for what they were doing. It wasn't that Dick was judging him for it, not at all - Wally was ultimately his best friend in the Tower, with their exploits going back to when they were both shy of fifteen, instructed to wait in the Batcave while their mentors handled a crisis in some faraway city. They didn't listen on Wally's insistence, of course, and wound up breaking apart some gang activity that needed addressing. Even managed to stop Mr. Freeze from taking a television station hostage. Those were fun times and proof positive that for all their lectures, both of their father figures didn't always know what was right.

He just wanted Wally to act like he was taking things seriously. Not just for his sake, but for team morale. Dick wouldn't outright say it, but he often worried about whether or not he was a good fit for a larger team. He didn't exactly know how to handle the dynamic, coming off of just being paired up with one other person for the last seven years. So when it came to how to operate as a wider unit, Robin had been actively trying to pay attention to what worked and steer away from what didn't. That included what might become a problem in the future, and to the former Boy Wonder, this was a small problem waiting to become a bigger one.

"I know. Enhanced metabolism. But we have a fully supplied cupboard with protein bars, he can eat on the way. Lives are at stake.", he calmly argued. "And could you both cool it with the, er, name calling? Anyone could be listening."

Almost as if on cue, Kyle Rayner appeared from behind them, having consumed his lunch already in the corner. Robin acknowledged him with a quiet nod, mindful of not wanting to come across as too closely tied to Kid Flash and Arsenal. Everyone knew the three were friends from well before this Titans business started, but he didn't want to play favorites. Though truthfully, he hadn't made up his mind on how he felt about the rest of the team.

Troia was an exceptionally disciplined warrior, and she was still learning all that she could about Patriarch's World. Dick could relate to that, having spent a ton of time isolated from others in one way or another - whether it was in a roaming Circus or studying martial arts with one of the world's greatest crimefighters. Troia even seemed to have at least a passing grasp on popular culture now, thanks to Rayner, an area Dick very much wasn't at home with. M'Gann was similarly trying to figure things out, but on an entirely different species level. And while Dick couldn't relate as well, he sympathized and was ready to offer her any help she needed. Despite her level of power, Robin saw Martian as the least experienced member of the team - even considering Superboy and Stitch, who were both coming in under unique circumstances. But with guidance from the others, he figured she'd be a natural in no time.

"Race you to get dressed, Kid Flash."

And then there was Kyle. Nice enough guy, and there hadn't been any real reason for the two to butt heads. But he was so loud, if not in his choice of playlist then in personality. It was something that threw Dick off considerably, given that he had only ever been used to a elderly statesman of a butler and a man who's idea of a good time was upgrading his equipment or running drills. Rayner had often offered to bring Dick in on whatever he and Wally were up to, whether it was a card game - Magic something - or an impromptu movie night. Every time, Dick had politely declined in favor of the gym or solitude in his quarters.

Even thinking that, Robin realized that maybe Kyle wasn't the problem. Maybe he was starting to transfer too many characteristics of his unusual upbringing to this new setting. Dick knew that he had time to adapt, but it was going way too slowly for his liking. The four of them moved hastily from the kitchen area to the bridge, with Wally still stuffing the last of his pancakes down in a frenzy. Even assembled alongside the waiting Wonder Girl and Martian, Grayson couldn't help but feel slightly out of place. And not just because he was one of only two without certain abilities.

"Cinderblock has escaped custody. He's in the downtown shouting for the Titans. It appears he wants a rematch."

Hitting someone like Cinderblock, though? That was very much his speed.

"Then, by Thor's hammer, let us not disappoint."

Guess we have our first recurring member of a rogue's gallery...

"Is this a regular thing for Earth criminals? Show up, get punched into the ground, then reappear like nothing happened?"

"You'd be surprised. Remind me to tell you about Arkham."

Robin narrowed his eyes as Rayner, now fully adorned in his luminescent Green Lantern uniform, took the lead.

"Cinderblock's tearing up the town? We know how he escaped the transport? I'll fly us there."

Immediately, Robin tensed up. He'd just assumed that they would use the T-Jet that Jupiter had provided them with. Or if he had his way, he'd be allowed to leave on the Redbird and utilize the Bat-Drones to survey the situation from a safe distance to strategize a plan of attack. However, Kyle's initiative was at least helpful in moving the situation along, and Robin rationalized to himself that since this was Cinderblock, they knew how to beat him already. And this time it was as a fully formed team, rather than whatever the Titans were when they first battled him.

"Good call. If we arrive at once, there's a chance we can minimize the damage in progress. An air drop could surprise him."

Who said he couldn't be a team player?

Teen Titans: Secret Origins - A Re-Imagined DC Canon RP

He was raised in a circus and then a cave, you expect him to know what lesbianism is?

Teen Titans: Secret Origins - A Re-Imagined DC Canon RP

Can't have a throuple without Dick...

Teen Titans: Secret Origins - A Re-Imagined DC Canon RP

Before anyone says it, yes, I know that logo is generally associated with Tim Drake.

But A) Batman Forever was fine with co-opting it for Dick, so I am too.

And B) mine has a fancy red circle in it. Totally different.

Teen Titans: Secret Origins - A Re-Imagined DC Canon RP

Fly Like An Eagle - The Steve Miller Band

"I can't trust you in the field anymore. You're done."

The memory of his former mentor's rejection echoed through his mind every minute of the day. Coloring his every action, permeating any decisions that were made whether crucial or casual. But then as far back as he could remember, the one thing that Dick Grayson had never particularly excelled at was the ability to let go. Which he quickly realized was exactly what he had to do if he ever wanted to make it off of the high bar currently in his grasp. With a deep breath and a moment's pause, Dick rapidly swung his body forward and curled up into a double somersault, sailing past the adjacent balance beam and making it to the uneven bars that stood a couple of feet away. Grabbing onto them as easily as he could think, Grayson vaulted over the first bar, flipped, and grabbed onto the second before wrapping his legs onto them. Suspended upside down, he outstretched his arms and unclenched his thighs, allowing himself to fall - with just enough space between himself and the mat to twist his stance into an upright position. By the time that his heels touched the firm cushioning below, Dick felt the breath he had been saving finally give out. Allowing himself to feel the sweat beading down his brow, he closed his eyes and relaxed his posture. He had been working at this routine for three hours and truth be told, it still felt like little more than a warm-up. His heart pounding in his ears, the one-time Boy Wonder couldn't help but bow to no one in particular before turning towards his waiting gear in the corner of the Towers' gym. Sure, he was as far away from the Circus as he had ever been, but a little bit of showmanship never hurt anyone.

Grabbing his stopwatch, he pressed pause and mentally checked off his time before stuffing it into the massive black duffel bag. Looking into the mirror, Dick was greeted by a face that should have been familiar to him but, truthfully, still wasn't: the E.M.P. mask that he was wearing did a brilliant job of obscuring his actual features with believable alternatives. The bridge of his nose appeared slightly wider, his eyes were a different shape and color, his brow was a little more pronounced, and his hair was a duller shade of brown when compared to his natural black. He'd considered changing the jaw and mouth a bit, but it didn't make sense. After all, his mask in the field only covered the top half of his face. "Robin" would only arouse suspicion if anything beyond that looked different - the hair was the exception, with the excuse being that in the field, he wore a black wig.

Dick would be amused by the subterfuge if it hadn't been weighing on him lately. Truth be told, he wanted to open up to the rest of the team - the ones that didn't know, anyway. They all had no problem walking around the Tower without any disguises, regularly using eachother's names in conversation - acting normal. But given his secondary upbringing, the paranoia couldn't help but rear it's head whenever he'd applied to become a member of the Titans. So he did what any adopted son of the most secretive man in the world would do: forged his documents, came up with an alias and backstory, and had Lucius Fox create a digital imaging mask that he could wear all day if needed. It was almost the perfect plan if it didn't ring so false. But Dick knew he had to protect himself, because as good as Loren Jupiter and Lillith Clay had been to him and seemingly everyone else, there was still a healthy bit to be skeptical about. This whole setup had been way outside of his comfort zone from the start, but he owed it to himself to see what it was like to give himself over to a team. Or at least a much different team, one that wasn't dictated by someone who spent so much of his life in darkness that his home was a literal cave.

Sighing to himself, Dick pulled out his phone and scrolled past the relevant news items. He hadn't recieved any messages today, which marked the fourth day in a row that Barbara hadn't texted. He tried to hide the pang of remorse over that, with the last words that they exchanged being entirely brief and full of hidden tension, but Dick couldn't help but feel like it was his fault. She had been pulling away from him before he'd left Gotham, so he just started to wonder if he should let himself move on. As much as they had argued over the last few months, Barbara was the best thing that had ever happened to him - no matter what Wally had told him in an effort to prop him up, he knew that she deserved better.

Maybe it's time to fly solo. I mean...

Before Grayson could finish that painful thought, an alarm suddenly went off. Whipping his head back towards the glass door leading into the gym to see rushed movement heading for the Briefing Room, Dick slung the duffel bag over his shoulder and quickly shut his mind down to any personal issues. There was evidently an emergency and the Titans were needed. Grabbing the side-zipper of the bag, Dick slid it open to reveal a crimson breastplate waiting for him underneath. A small smile crept upon the side of his mouth as he opened the door and entered the dimly lit hallway. Before he even made it halfway across, Grayson was already slipping on the form-fitting attire within the bag. The body armor clicked into place. The belt clasped together just below his torso. The boots and gloves practically wrapped themselves around him. His E.M.P. mask was discarded, revealing his actual features before he slapped the black eyemask over them. By the time that he made it to the kitchen, the cape billowed out from behind him and his bag had been stuffed in an open locker.

A fully-suited Robin entered the kitchen, determined to meet the call to action.

What he found in the kitchen, however, was the visible antithesis to his readiness. He immediately wanted to groan.

Punctuality's greatest enemy was named Wally West.

"Hey, twinkle-toes."

Robin raised an eyebrow as West looked up, mid-bite of his quickly shrinking stack of pancakes.

"Alarm? Emergency? Me, others, ready? Any of this computing to you?"

Teen Titans: Secret Origins - A Re-Imagined DC Canon RP

Nah, that's just to explain the toys. If you're insane enough, you can put on an outfit and punch criminals.

Teen Titans: Secret Origins - A Re-Imagined DC Canon RP

Still waiting for a Bruce Wayne who canonically went to see Antonio Banderas' The Mask of Zorro the night his parents are murdered.

@Lord Wraith

It'd be the most accurate-to-my-age version of Batman, given I saw Mask Of Zorro in theaters when I was 8. Parents are still alive, though. Such a bummer.

Teen Titans: Secret Origins - A Re-Imagined DC Canon RP

#TeamFishoutofWater for Superboy and Troia with Miss Martian knowing more about current culture than both of them lol

@Lord Wraith

Robin over here just liking old movies and music because his Circus parents were into the old stuff while Bruce was very clearly a sheltered rich kid with no taste.

Thank goodness for Alfred showing him at least a few movies in color...

Teen Titans: Secret Origins - A Re-Imagined DC Canon RP

R O B I N
R O B I N

^{"Hey, no one can be a Boy Wonder forever."}

C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y _________________________________________________________ Richard John 'Dick' Grayson _________________________________________________________ 20 | It's Complicated _________________________________________________________ The Gotham Knights | American N O T A B L E A B I L I T I E S & T O O L S N O T A B L E A B I L I T I E S & T O O L S _________________________________________________________ [+] - A B I L I T I E S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ MASTER ACROBAT: Grayson is exceptionally skilled at aerial movement and has achieved peak agility through rigorous training from early childhood. With exceptional coordination and balance, he's also able to suspend himself from a variety of surfaces and freerun when needed. If there's a height he hasn't soared from, it's not for lack of trying.- T O O L (S) ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ BIRD-A-RANGS: Like the weapons developed by his mentor, Grayson has adopted a variety of shuriken forged in the shape of a non-descript bird insignia. He also alternates in a design shaped after the letter 'R'. ◼ GRAPPLE GUN: A lightweight, gas powered, magnetic grapnel that launches a retractable steel cable with attached stress-tested titanium hook. Can be altered to fire a two-pronged projectile that acts as a zipline, particularly useful for a gifted trapeze artist. ◼ BO-STAFF: A collapseable weapon designed for close combat, the staff can split into escrima sticks and become electrified. ◼ TASERS Hidden throughout his uniform, Grayson is able to incapacitate enemies in close-range with several thousand volts that can spring from his gloves, boots, utility belt, and even the R on his breastplate. ◼ BAT-PELLETS Miniature capsules that contain a variety of irritants, from thick smoke to tear gas, pepper spray, explosive gel, and chemicals that produce extreme brightness. ◼ REBREATHER For use in underwater or similarly oxygen compromised scenerios. Electromagnetically ttaches to the face-mask. ◼ BULLETPROOF ARMOR Developed by WayneTech, the plates are made of a tri-weave compound that can withstand most weapons from a medium-to-long range. Grayson's was specifically modified to allow for verstile movement, making his suit vulnerable in certain low-abrasion areas. ◼ REDBIRD MOTORCYCLE A state-of-the-art all-terrain vehicle custom built for speeds exceeding 140 MPH. Features retractable armor plating, onboard artificial intelligence systems, autopilot, non-lethal offensive capabilities, and self-repairing tires. - N O T A B L E S K I L L S & T A L E N T S _________________________________________________________ [+] - S K I L L (S) ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ ADVANCED COMBAT TRAINING Trained by The Batman in a variety of extreme scenerios, Dick is said to be a master of at least 29 different martial arts, ranging from Taekwondo to Subak. When combined with his acrobatic prowess, his skills as Robin take speed into account over brute strength. ◼ SKILLED DETECTIVE Though nowhere near the level of his mentor, Dick is able to run a crime scene with ease and perform forensics that would leave most of the GCPD in the dust. With a keen eye honed in his time with the circus, he's also able to pick up on details in the open. ◼ DISGUISE PROFENCIENCY Trained by Alfred Pennyworth in the art of deception and appearance alteration, Grayson is able to blend into any environment that requires a delicate touch with a series of simple methods and a variety of clothes, prosthetics, and acting techniques such as pitch control and body language.- T A L E N T (S) ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ HACKER Trained to be able to crack into any high-level government systems, Grayson is able to systematically break down criminal activity on the web aswell as track heavily encoded data back to it's source. With the help of WayneTech satellites, he's also able to hack into drones and monitor potentially dangerous areas from any angle. -

T H E S T O R Y S O F A R... T H E S T O R Y S O F A R... ________________________________________________________________________________________ Born into a world-class trapeze act dubbed The Flying Graysons for Haly's Circus, Dick Grayson's life was taken on an abrupt detour during a performance in Gotham City. Having stiffed the local mob boss Anthony Zucco from protection money, the Circus was made a victim of Zucco's retribution when John and Mary Grayson's line was severed with slow-acting sulfuric acid, plunging the couple to their deaths. While Dick was able to identify Zucco's thugs with ease, the corrupt GCPD didn't want to act against a man with direct ties to them, leaving the case to be marked unsolved. It wasn't until Zucco decided that the boy had to be silenced that Grayson crossed paths with the masked vigilante The Batman, saving his life during an attempted hit. Offering the chance to bring Zucco to justice himself by The Caped Crusader, Dick readily accepted the hero's training and guidance. Eventually, after taking down Zucco as a team, Grayson was formally adopted by billionaire Bruce Wayne and sworn in as Batman's partner: Robin, The Boy Wonder. For seven years, Dick dutifully stood at The Dark Knight's side and absorbed as many skills as possible. But while the latter was still heavily burdened by his own childhood loss, Dick remained undaunted and regularly charged into battle with a grin and one-liners that mocked his enemies. It was this difference in approach that began to seed cracks in the relationship between mentor and apprentice, as Batman descended further against the madness of Gotham's criminal underworld with a jaded spirit. While Robin was able to make his own path as he matured, regularly teaming up with fellow vigilante Batgirl, his need to appease his adoptive father eventually created a rift when Two-Face nearly killed him during a mission. The shock of nearly losing his ward prompted Bruce to become increasingly overprotective, barring Robin from operating with him in a shrewd attempt to lead Dick away from his volatile line of work. Instead of tempting Dick to give up the life, it just forced him to leave the nest. Setting himself up in the city of Blüdhaven, the former Boy Wonder has found it to be a difficult transition - after a month on his own, Robin has only realized that the city is as hopelessly corrupt as Gotham, if not worse. While he pines for a return to the streets he's begun to consider a second home, he knows that living in the Shadow of the Bat makes turning back an impossibility. For the first time in his young life, it truly feels as if the acrobat is flying without a net. P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S ) P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S ) ________________________________________________________________________________________ If Batman is one of the most iconic heroes DC has to offer, then Robin is the reason that the character has longevity. He's the heart and soul of the DCU to me in alot of ways, taking the idea of Bruce Wayne and throwing aside all the torment that holds him back. And my very first RP character was Nightwing many moons ago, so getting to play a version of Dick on the verge of embracing that mantle is an appealing prospect. What I hope to do is explore the character as he exists at this crossroads, feeling particularly unsure about his future and not quite ready to give up certain aspects of his past, even if they reveal him to be more like Batman than he'd care to admit.

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Teen Titans: Secret Origins - A Re-Imagined DC Canon RP

If we don't make it in, @Sep, Robin and Kid Flash can start their own team.

The Justice Friends.