(no subject)

the demon's daughter.

❖ personality

Talia al Ghul is, in many ways, a woman of contradictions: split loyalties, divided intentions, divided heart. That said, the puzzle of where she will land in a given conflict or disagreement can often be unlocked by looking to where her heart leads her. Because if there is one thing about Talia that cannot be denied, it is that she prioritizes love above all else. It is for the sake of love that she followed Ra's al Ghul for the majority of her life, though her perspective differs significantly from his, and it has always been for the sake of love that she betrayed him in order to support Batman. This doesn't mean that there aren't things Talia feels inherently strongly about - things she believes in on a personal level. It simply means that the thing for which she carries the greatest passion is... passion.

But let's look at those other things.

As the favored child of Ra's al Ghul, Talia was raised to believe that she was superior not only to the other people of the world but even to her own siblings. She was, in many ways, spoiled, raised as royalty and with the belief that the world itself must accommodate her demands. As such, she is exceptionally entitled and spoiled in many ways. When it comes to people she doesn't feel match her (and those are few and far between) she doesn't hesitate to show her disdain, or demonstrate her relative dearth of respect for their desires and needs. Similarly, she does not appear to have any fear of beings such as Superman who could easily destroy her - she treats them no differently, for better or worse, than she would any other person.

All of that said, there is another side to her as well. Because while she was raised to consider herself better than, in many ways she was also raised to consider herself insufficient. She would forever be not enough for her father, because of her gender, because of her soft heart, because of her comparatively strict moral limitations. Ra's did not believe his role could be filled by a woman, and while he valued her views above all others, he also never made a secret of the fact that he would dismiss them in favor of a son's - whether that son was his own, hers, or even a son-in-law.

Which is the other thing. Ra's also regarded Talia in many ways as a bargaining chip - a possession to be traded. His most beloved possession, yes, but a possession nonetheless. He therefore valued more for her beauty, sexual appeal and fertility than her mind or her skills... regardless of how impressive those things might be. In short, while he loved her, he saw her in terms of her ability to attract an impressive mate and bear impressive children. Raised with this attitude as a constant, Talia herself came to accept that, and accept that her body and her life would be given away to whomever suited her father's needs, rather than remaining within her own power.

The result is a woman who is, on a surface level (and somewhat beyond the surface, to boot) somewhat narcissistic while also regarding herself as fundamentally powerless and expendable. She does know, for example, that she is Ra's' favorite... but she has also seen her siblings fall from favor and be abandoned, if not actively punished through the weight of his organization bearing down on them. Talia, therefore, has fallen into the habit of pleasing Ra's, and later Bruce, and burying her own needs in favor of theirs. So, as powerful and self-possessed as she is when dealing with others, in the face of those she loves, she crumbles. And the thing is, as long as they reciprocate, as long as they love and value her in return, she will not resent her instinct to martyr herself. However, if she feels spurned or devalued, her love begins to grow claws and turn into rage.

Though raised in what amounts to a cult, Talia is more than capable of fitting in with the "mundane" world, of course - she has three masters degrees in the fields of Biology, engineering and business management, so she has certainly spent time in the world at large. When she wishes to "get along" with others she is charming, seductive, and just a little bit fiesty. Talia is very aware of her extraordinary beauty and the power it holds over others, and she is not shy about using it as an advantage. She also enjoys shocking others, so she is occasionally very sexually suggestive both with her words and her behaviors. Generally speaking, she is willing to follow up on her flirtations, assuming she is not in some kind of committed relationship at the time.

When she does commit, however -- to anything -- that commitment is absolute. She is all in from top to toe.

In many ways, Talia's desires are rather normal: she wishes to have a strong relationship with her father, as well as someone to love and share her life with. She also shares many people's concern for the environment! She is an environmentalist! And she wants children, a legacy, a future. These things are, however, somewhat complicated by the abnormality of her life. She is, after all, a terrorist and an assassin, with a criminal mastermind for a father, and Batman for a lover.

Finally, Talia is incredibly self-indulgent with extremely expensive tastes. She loves her wine, and loves lounging on giant pillows. Like you do.

❖ appearance

Approximately 5'9" tall, athletic and voluptuous at once, god only knows how. Long, heavy, straight brown hair. Talia is half chinese and half-arabic, which is reflected in her almond eyes, olive skin and long, deep brown hair. Her eyes are hazel, but lean to brown. She is exceptionally graceful and sensual in her presentation. Indeed, one might say she is a well-studied seductress, and one who carries herself with absolute confidence, giving her an aura of majesty.

Her style of clothing is glamourous - she loves her plunging necklines, her bare backs, her high slit skirts and flowing gowns, dramatic trains. If appearing in a formal party, she would be pretty likely to shop for a wedding gown rather than an evening dress, and a couture one at that. She favors white, but also enjoys green, black, gold and red. She favors gold jewelry over silver and warm tones over cool, aside from white and black.

Talia is almost always wearing spiked high heels. Even when she fights.

❖ abilities

• Peak Human Condition:Talia is considered to be in ideal physical shape with peak strength, speed, agility, flexibility, reflexes and endurance for a woman of her physical age and build.
• Olympic Level Acrobat: While not on par with say, Bruce, Dick Grayson or Catwoman in acrobatics, she is well-trained and on par with a typical Olympic level gymnast/acrobat.
• Martial Arts: Though often underestimated due to her tendency to sit out brawls, Talia is a top-notch martial artist, trained by the League of Assassins and her own father practically since birth. Indeed, she has even bested Deathstroke, a low-level metahuman and expert combatant, despite having no superhuman abilities, herself.
• Swordsman: Despite being rather young, Talia has been shown to be Ra's al Ghul's -- and Batman's -- equal with swords.
• Marksman: Talia is an expert with most ranged weapons including all guns, bows, crossbows and projectile blades or darts.
• Stealth/Infiltration: Trained as an assassin and ninja, Talia is exceptionally stealthy and skilled in both sneaking and breaking into things!
• Genius-level Intellect: Talia has been shown to equal Ra's and Batman in intelligence, capacity for learning and strategic thinking. This isn't always as evident as it is with them, as she has often allowed herself to be silenced by the men in her life.
• Genius in the fields of tactics and strategy: As a former general in the Demon's empire, Talia is an experienced and truly brilliant combat tactician and strategist. She is also able to fluidly apply those skills to social warfare, so to speak.
• The Art of Seduction: Physically yes, but also emotionally and mentally. Talia is able to get into people's heads and turn their hearts inside out. There is a reason so many powerful men have fallen to their knees for her.
• Multilinguist: Fluent in too many languages to count. Most notably, fluent in a language that no longer exists, as Ra's al Ghul wiped it off the planet centuries ago. This language is known only to her family members.
• Vehicles: She can drive, pilot or otherwise operate just about any vehicle including all land, air and water vehicles.
• Education: Talia is trained in medicine, though she does not have an MD. She does, however, have Masters degrees in the fields of biology, engineering and business management.
• Alchemy: While not an expert as Ra's is, Talia is able to recreate a number of Ra's' alchemical creations such as healing salves, truth serums, amnesia-inducing serums, poisons and of course the Lazarus Pit itself.

❖ iterations

Trinityverse PSL: Talia is one of the primary characters in this Gotham-centric PSL which also features Superman and Wonder Woman and their universes as a side dish. Here, she is the young daughter of Ra's al Ghul, and until recently his second in command. However, she has recently agreed to leave her father's service to be with her beloved, Bruce Wayne, after circumstances wore down his resistance to letting her into his life. Veers toward a personality reminiscent of early canon but with later canon elements such as her aborted affair with Bane. [ roster ]

"You should know, more than any other reason, I have done this for love."

Name Talia al Ghul
AKA Talia Miranda Tate
Canon DC Comics/Batman
Age Unknown
Relatives Ra's al Ghul (Father), Melisande (Mother, deceased), Dusan (Brother), Siblings forever (Siblings), Sensei (Grandfather), Bruce Wayne (~Beloved~)