Stories from the Bat Family

[Xtreme]

ATTENTION: FOR THE SAKE OF STORYTELLING, THIS RP IS SET IN A SOMEWHAT ALTERNATE UNIVERSE

The Story So far:

We all know the story but do you know this one?; When Bruce Wayne was a young boy, he was forced to watch helplessly as a mugger named Joe Chill mercilessly gunned down his mother Martha Wayne in cold blood. This single act propelled her husband Thomas to pursue a career in crime fighting. Taking inspiration from his wife’s favourite animal and with the help of best friend and war veteran Alfred Pennyworth he became the first vigilante of Gotham, the first Batman. After the deaths of his father and Alfred in a blaze at Wayne Manor, a now adult Bruce decided that the most effective means of avenging the death of his family, was by becoming a fearsome creature of the night and following in the steps of his father, and thus the true Batman was born.

For the first few years of his career, Batman operated alone, prowling the rooftops of Gotham City, but on one fateful evening, he watched history repeat itself. A gangster named Boss Zucco murdered John and Mary Grayson, leaving their young son, Dick, an orphan. Bruce Wayne took Dick in, and trained him in the ways of crime-fighting. Dick became the flamboyant Boy Wonder known as Robin. In the intervening years, history continued to repeat and Batman and Robin were joined by others from Gotham who had gone through various tragedy and had been stained with a mark of dark justice.

Through the urban decay of Gotham City, the once solitary Batman had now built a solid family of surrogate sons and daughters, a family with the goal of protecting innocent lives from the evil that seems entrenched in the gothic city ground.

Today is a noteworthy day in Gotham City history as its favourite son, a now 46 year old Bruce Wayne, head of Wayne Enterprises marries on/off girlfriend local businesswoman Selina Kyle in a lavish ceremony at the majestic Wayne Manor. Join us for live coverage at 5pm won’t you?

The Short of it:

Don’t let the title fool you, this is sandbox style story of set in modern Gotham. This rpg is about building a universe. THIS IS NOT A SUPERHERO RP. Although the Batman family is the focal point of this rpg, we are not here for smash, bang, kapow beat em up stuff. We are here to become emotionally invested in this new take on the Batman mythos. Of course there will be battles with everyone’s favourite villains but not all the time.

Imagine the setting as something akin to Arrow/The Flash or Gotham. I really like what DC is doing on tv right now by making it a believable world of heroes and villains. Superpowers exist, the Justice League and Young Justice exists (more on that later) but they aren’t all that common in Gotham City.

This rp is about a fresh take on set characters, so don’t feel like you need to stay true to every little bit of canon stuff from the comics. After all this is an alternate universe (although some things are set in stone so make sure you check the timeline below!)

There is no overarching plot, that said this rp will have an episodic feature. Meaning that there will be periods in the rp where characters will follow a certain story path rather than the individual and interlocking stories that will relevant through the run of the rp. If you have idea’s for a story then pm them to me and we can discuss how it will work or won’t work and when the time comes, you can take point and GM for that particular arc…That makes sense right?

The list below is of the preferred family members you can use but I am open if there is another character you want to use as long as you can fit them into the story in a suitable fashion. OC’s are a bit of a tender subject so I’ll allow maybe two again as long as they can fit in. Below is also a timeline to give you an idea of where we are on ages and such.

Still with me? Great so let’s see those CS!

Timeline
(Everything below is fixed. Anything significant that appears in your CS or happens in the rp will be added as we progress)

Timeline

- February 12th 1968 – Bruce Wayne is born.
- April 1st 1968 – Selina Kyle is born.
- October 31st 1977 – Thomas Wayne stops a mugging on his way back from a costume party dressed as a bat.
- November 7th 1977 – Martha Wayne meets Joe the Drifter aka Jor-El of Krypton at a train station and convinces him that not everyone on Earth is a bad guy.
- December 2nd 1977 – Martha Wayne is gunned down by Joe Chill who is soon beaten death by Thomas and his friend Alfred Pennyworth. Bruce witnesses all of this as does eleven year old runaway Selina Kyle.
- January 1st 1978 – Thomas becomes the first Batman and year one begins.
- March 4th 1984 – Thomas and Alfred are killed in a fire at Wayne Manor.
- March 7th 1985 – Lucius Fox becomes Bruce’s legal guardian and the two head off on a journey around the world.
- September 1st 1986 – Lucius returns to Gotham and claims Bruce is studying abroad.
- March 21st 1987 – John and Mary Grayson welcome their son Richard into the world.
- August 3rd 1987 – James Gordon moves to Gotham City from Chicago with his wife and new born daughter Barbara
- June 27th 1990 – Jason Todd is born, his mother dies and his father runs away.
- December 2nd 1992 – Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham.
- January 1st 1993 – The first recorded sighting of the Batman since 1984.
- July 19th 1993 – Batman meets Catwoman for the first time and Timothy Drake is born.
- September 5th 1997 – Boss Zucco slaughters the entire Grayson family except youngest son Dick. Bruce Wayne, Selina Kyle and four year old Tim Drake are in attendance.
- September 10th 1997 – Bruce Wayne adopts Dick Grayson.
- September 18th 1997 – Superman appears in front of the world.
- January 4th 1998 – Dick becomes the first Robin.
- May 2nd 1998 – Bruce meets Talia al Ghul.
- February 28th 2000 – Barbara Gordon makes her debut as Batgirl.
- June 30th 2000 – Batman teams with Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash and Green Lantern to battle Darkseid and the Justice League is born.
- December 2nd 2002- Talia gives birth to a boy named Damian.
- June 30th 2004 – Dick discards the mantle of Robin and becomes Nightwing, leaving Bruce and heading off to school in Bludhaven.
- July 4th 2004 – Bruce finds Jason Todd and formerly adopts him.
- October 14th 2005 – Jason is sent off for school abroad or at least that’s what the public thinks.
- November 29th 2005 – Tim Drake infiltrates the Batcave and becomes the third Robin. His parents die shortly after and he is adopted by Bruce.
- August 6th 2007 – Tim befriends other young heroes, Connor Kent, Cassandra Sandsmark and Bart Allen, they form Young Justice and head off on their own adventures. In the meantime he abandons the Robin mantle and becomes Red Robin.
- June 9th 2010 – Jason returns and becomes the new Red Hood.
- August 1st 2010 – Dick and Barbara return to Gotham and move in together. Both have discarded their hero persona’s.
- January 1st 2013 – Damian Wayne arrives at Wayne Manor and soon becomes the next Robin.
- May 23rd 2014 – Bruce proposes to Selina and they set plans for a Christmas wedding.
- December 20th 2014 – Bruce and Selina welcome the Bat Family home for Christmas and a White Wedding
- December 25th 2014 – Wedding Day for The Bat and the Cat

Family Members:

Family Members

Bruce Wayne/Batman – NPC
Selina Wayne/Catwoman – NPC
Richard Grayson/ - Xtreme
Jason Todd/Red Hood – Open
Timothy Drake/Red Robin – Open
Damian Wayne/Robin – Open
Barbara Gordon/Batgirl/Oracle – Open (Identity up to player)
Katherine Kane/Batwoman – Open
Stephanie Brown/Batgirl/Spoiler – Open (Identity up to player)
Cassandra Cain/Black Bat – Open
Lucas Fox/Batwing – Open
Helena Bartinelli/Huntress – Open
Calvin Rose/Talon – Open

Character Sheet
- Appearance
- Quote
- Name
- Alias
- Age
- Occupation
- Skills & Abilities
- Equipment
- Personality & History
- Story Arc (Here I want you to give me a brief summary of a story you wish to do within the context of the rp)
- In Costume Appearance

[Xtreme]

Here's an idea of a CS:



“There was always one thing I could never teach my brothers. They just never understood. None of us became Robin because we wanted to. We did it because HE needed us to” – Dick Grayson

Name:
- Richard John “Dick” Grayson

Alias:
- None
Robin and Nightwing (Formerly)

Age
- 27

Occupation:
- Detective (GCPD, Gangs and Narcotics Division)

Skills & Abilities

- Martial Arts:
◾Espionage:
◾ Acrobatics
◾Weaponry
◾Throwing:
◾Genius Level Intellect
◾ Tactical Analysis
◾Disguise
◾Investigation
◾Leadership
◾Tracking
◾Escapology
◾Intimidation
◾Stealth

Equipment
- Standard GCPD Issued Sidearm
- Formerly the Nightwing Suit and Utility Belt

Personality & History:

My Little Robin
Young Dick Grayson was born on the first day of spring, March 21st. His mother nicknamed him "little Robin." Little did she know how prophetic this term of endearment would be in her son's life. The Flying Graysons were a Romany family whose act was based around an unrivalled mastery of acrobatics. Dick had been trained from birth to join them and was the star if the show by age ten. Before a very significant appearance in Gotham City, in which The Flying Graysons were the main attraction of Haly’s Circus, they were asked to pose for a photo opportunity with Jack Drake and his family, including their young son, Tim Drake. On that evening, he overheard "Boss" Tony Zucco, a well-known and feared crime lord, threaten the performers unless the circus's owner paid protection money. The owner refused, and 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. Young Dick felt responsible, because he failed to warn his parents in time. Shortly after, billionaire Bruce Wayne sensing a kindred spirit, approaches the boy and offers to adopt him. Thus a lifelong friendship is born.

Becoming the Boy Wonder
Shortly after moving into Wayne Manor, Dick became suspicious of his new friend when he noted that he never saw Bruce after 7pm every night. One evening he used his acrobatic skills to follow Bruce undetected…or so he thought. Eventually, tailing the philanthropist brought Dick to the Batcave where Bruce discovered the young boy and decided to share his secret. Bruce then offered to help Dick in bringing Tony Zucco. The orphan accepted and Bruce trained him for months. After initially having trouble accepting a name, he finally settled on his moniker being Robin, the name his mother had given him. The Boy Wonder had arrived and a legacy was born. Forming a secondary team and a long standing bond with a girl calling herself Batgirl, Dick protects Gotham alongside Bruce for six years.

College – Enter Nightwing
At age sixteen, Dick finally began to feel the strain of being Robin. He began to realise that he never actually wanted to be a hero, he only became one because he realised that it was something Bruce needed. Bruce needed someone to stop him from crossing the line. After more and more conflicts, the dynamic duo finally went their separate ways. Dick dropped the Robin mantle and headed off to college in Bludhaven. Once there, he signed up for veterinarian classes and roomed with a kid from Keystone called Wally West (who would become his life long friend) he even tried to put Barbara out of his mind by dating Helena Bertinelli (another person who would play a vital part in his future). Eventually the call for justice became too strong and Dick dropped out of college to enrol in the police academy. Knowing full well he could no longer use the Robin name (especially since Bruce had given it to Jason and then Tim in the intervening years) Dick took up a new name; Nightwing. Barbara soon joined him in Bludhaven and helped him protect the city as best they could whilst also rekindling their on/off romance.

A Normal Life?
After graduating the police academy, Dick began is dual life as cop and vigilante. For over a year, the two fought tooth and nail to clean up its streets and corrupt police force until eventually they had done it. Of course there was still crime but they had made a serious dent and we’re more or less happy with their work. Resolving that they had done all they could, the couple hung up their cowls and for the first time in twelve years they simply were Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon. The two moved back to Gotham and Barbara asked her father to give Dick a job with the GCPD. Commissioner Gordon, aware of his daughters and her boyfriend’s identities, allowed him to join up. Four years on, Dick and Babs are still a happy, normal couple living a normal life. At least they were until an invitation to a certain wedding comes in the mail…

Story Arc:

The Gray Son of Gotham:
For the first time in nearly twenty years, Haly’s Circus returns to Gotham City. Dick is torn whether to return, at least to see if any of the old faces are still there. Barbara on the other hand thinks it a great idea for the entire extended Wayne family to head off for a night at the circus in order to reconnect. Upon their arrival, they are greeted by CC Haly who takes Dick off to the side for a private word. Haly says nothing other than an old nursery rhyme he used to tell Dick as a boy before disappearing into the shadows. Unnerved, he returns to the others with horrible feeling that history is going to repeat.
"Beware The Court of Owls, that watches all the time,
Ruling Gotham from a shadow perch, behind granite and lime.
They watch you at your hearth, they watch you in your bed,
Speak not a whispered word of them or they'll send The Talon for your head."

[Metronome]

[Open chat interface]
Tuesday, December 21, 2014
09:00
T2: LOL

09:12
T1: What is 'lol'?

09:13
T2: It means I am laughing out loud.
T1: But I am looking at you. You are not loling.

========================================================

Name: T1 and T2
Alias: TANDEM
Age: Unknown
Gender: Both male

Occupation: Killbots

Skills & Abilities: TANDEM can be programmed to do just about anything. On default, they only know their own basic maintenance.

Equipment: They both have tons of built in features, such as EMP devices, night vision, electroshocks, build in chat interface, ect. Their bodies are almost as much machine as they are flesh and blood. A lot of their suits is removable. The plating and armor can be taken off to perform maintenance and such.

Aside from what's built into them, they have a plethora of weapons that they are given, depending on the assignment. They don't actually own any of them.

Personality:
Although neither cyborg has very much in the way of personality, they each have their little quirks that set them apart. Both are almost void of emotion and humanity. Whatever personality the two subjects had before being experimented on has been saved on a hard drive and locked away somewhere. They are little more than blank interfaces now.
T1 is the risk taker. He's more willing to take a chance in the field, risk injury for the sake of their mission.
T2 is the strategist. He doesn't like taking chances, because he's probably already got a plan that eliminates the need to risk anything.

Subject information:

TANDEM - Cyborgs

Once humans, TANDEM has bridged the gap between man and machine. Working perfectly as one unit, TANDEM are the soldiers of the future. Their design would no doubt brings a good load of money into the lab if sold, but right now, there's too much red tape over their creation being 'inhumane'. Its arguable that, since they were dead when they were found, that they no longer had human rights.

TANDEM communicates with others via The Interface. Users with access to the interface can type in commands, which then read out across the cyborgs' enhanced retinas. They use this same interface to communicate with each other, speak with one another like users in a chat room. They don't talk at all. The cyborgs are punished if they are found to be using their interface to talk about anything not work-related. However, TANDEM is clever. Together, they have created a separate channel, apart from the one made for them, where they are free to communicate without their handlers' prying eyes. Their conversations on this secret channel are usually more relaxed than those viewable by their creators.

The physical enhancements done to the cyborgs are advanced. Both have super strength, with a limit of lifting 2 tons. However, the unfortunate thing about machines is that, when they hit limits, they cannot push further. The cyborgs will never be able to lift more than 2 tons, and trying will result in damage.

They can reach up to 50 MPH on foot, and maintain that speed for 10 minutes before they will begin to overheat. That is their upper limit, and like said before, it can't be pushed.

Both have enhanced reflexes. Their reaction time depends on how much they were paying attention.

Both are very intelligent. Able to store up to 100 terabytes of information on their hard drives, which is said to be the limit of the human brain. The difference is that TANDEM never forgets. The information they store is constantly available to them. However, their hard drives are usually kept pretty vacant, to prevent them from developing their own opinions, preferences, and other human needs. That's the drawback. While TANDEM is unique because of their ability to mix the intelligence of a machine with the instinct of a man, they are still technically human. If left unchecked, they will slowly become more human.

Appearance:

TANDEM

TANDEM share the same design. It's not clear just how much is left of either of their human bodies, but it's obvious that some heavy modifications have been made. The cyborgs' eyes have been replaced with high tech machines. Their retinas contain screens that allow them to interact and receive commands via an interface that is programed into them. They are both 6 feet even.

T1 has brown hair, shaved with only the top of his left left with hair, exactly like T2. He is the smaller of the two, with his shoulders being less broad and his build less bulky. His skin is pallor, as if the blood has been drained from his face. He has a constant, blank expression when interacting with others. However, he is much better at conveying himself via facial expressions than T2. He only uses these facial expressions with T2, often able to communicate through them alone.

T2 has blond hair in the same style as T1. He has broad shoulders. It's clear that, when he was still human, he was the bigger man out of the two. He was probably taller at one time, too. His skin, too, is pallor. He usually wears a blank and stony expression, except when communicating with T1.

History:
Names long forgotten, James Fuller and Robert Vans were once decorated war heroes. They were an unstoppable team, trained in black ops for missions that most men would call a suicide run. Even as real people, they worked together flawlessly. The two soldiers finally met their demise while running an op. Their bodies were recovered by a villainous tech genuis, and the experiments began.

Having only been dead for mere minutes, most of their brain tissue was still recoverable. Whatever had received damage could be replaced. It took years for the two cyborgs to become what they today. Neither of them remember their past life.

Story Arc: TANDEM will hopefully be reformed into good guys. Maybe even people.

[Xtreme]

Damn, was really hoping this would get some traction

[Metronome]

Maybe you should re-try this now that the site is a little more stable :3

[Ruby]

I'm not totally sure I understand it?

[Ultimate Spidey]

I like this and wanna play... I'm just worried if my work schedule will allow me to commit....

[Xtreme]

Ruby said
I'm not totally sure I understand it?

Hey Ruby! Long time no see!

Anyway, to clarify. This is kind if like the old Gotham City Stories rp I had on the old site. Do you remember? We all played characters from the Batman mythos and set about building the world of Gotham City. There was no big major plot and we all contributed with our own ideas and connecting our characters in unique ways. Essentially making it a slice of life with a comic book twist.

This would be more or less the same thing except we wouldn't be using villains this time around,

Ultimate Spidey said
I like this and wanna play... I'm just worried if my work schedule will allow me to commit....

I have a pretty hectic schedule myself so I'm not really a slave driver for posts. As long as you post one or twice a week or failing that remain a presence in the OOC then its fine.