#›› talia . ❝ born from dark water: daughter of the rain and snow. ❞

[cinnamunspice]

THE STATS:

physical appearance

Very dark brown hair, in certain lighting, it may look black. She is Arabic and Chinese. 5'8'', curvy and has a very sweet and soothing voice (honeysuckle like!) despite her very stiff and formal choice of words. Clothes? Designer, or handmade. Makeup? Always flawless.

gender / sexuality/ birthday /age

female. demisexual. may 15th. she is played around fourty years old as a default, physically, on this blog-- unless we are writing pre-damian and in 70s/80s detective comics world. then i'll have her physically around 32.

the link to the talia!tag

ON THE RECORD:

THIS IS A TESTING MUSE ! STILL UNDER DEVELOPMENT !

I am still reading through her storyline, but as of right now her interpretation is pre-m*rrison personality/design and excluding of death of the maidens. P.S. as I am continuing to tweak damian's introduction that honors his past, but is reconciled with talia's previous history and personality-- please be patient with me! the MOST IMPORTANT thing is that we are following the Son Of the Demon and his conception was 1000000000000000% consensual. Ras's Al Ghul had intercepted the adoption attempt, and began to raise Damian in secret- on his own. By the time Talia had realized what had happened, she decided to return to her father and try to mitigate/lessen the damage and trauma that young Damian would endure. This would better align with memories of talia via tomasi's son of batman series, where she played a more sympathetic and active role as she tried to plan an escape for both of them.

if you want some resources talking about the very unfortunate r*cist turn talia's character has been taken to post 9/11 comics, and how her character's original origin should be taken (cw: mentions of SA): here are a few things.

I'm super open to her interacting with literally anyone, but I ask that no one treat her as a mustache twirling kind of villain. It can be easy to, because a LOT of more recent comics has portrayed her as such-- so if you want to base something off their previous interactions lmk, and we can work something out

SHORT BIO:

Talia Al Ghul is the Daughter of Ra's Al Ghul (Aka The Demon's Head), and a high ranking member of the League of Assassins. He is an ecoterrorist and dedicated to saving the planet at the very cost of the humans that live within it. He is also in possession of the famed Lazarus Pits.

She has operated as both an anti-hero/anti-villain who is consistently torn between her loyalty to her father, and her love of her life: Bruce Wayne. She believes in the mission of a more natural world, but has also shown to value life, and it often puts her at odds with many people.

She's gone to college in Egypt to study medicine. She's operated as a 'right-hand' woman to Ra's operations in the League of Assassins, she's been CEO of Lex-Corp, she was the one to dunk Jason into the pits and train him into the Red Hood, she is the biological mother of Damian Wayne, she has blown up infinity island….. She's like barbie, to me.

ABOUT THE LAZARUS PITS:

I understand that depending on the writer, on the 'plot holes' needing to be solved, or just the series-- the Lazarus pits origin and means has changed a bit. By default, I will be resorting to artificial pits that have been made from various poisonous chemicals that have the ability to prolong life expectancy/stop fatal wounds and to 'bring back the recently parted'). This is not a fix-all. If you want more details and comic recs on where I'm basing this off, feel free to DM me!

[cinnamunspice]

ok let's do this. tap this like for a short starter from my talia al ghul test muse !!

[cinnamunspice]

-> For Talia;

"HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!" Joker cheered as she kicked down the door. A bright smile on her face, carrying flowers in one hand and in the other a box of chocolate. The lower half of her pants stained in blood. But she didn't seem to care much about it as she confidently strode up to Talia. Placing the gifts on Talia's lap, she made an attempt to peck her cheek. "From one mother to another, darling. Only we understand how difficult it is to raise kids related to the Bat... HeheheHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

games // always accepting ! (PRETEND THIS IS A MONTH AGO)

The moment the clown gets close enough, to lean over for a kiss, a big mistake was made. There is a gun pressed directly to her heart, to her chest, cocked and ready to fire. Talia's expression was cool, and there is very little emotion that pressed forward.

"au contraire, I do not share my children." There's a dangerous emphasis on 'my'. She believes the implication is very clear.

"Nor..." She exhales,

"Do I share my ex-husband's... sensitivities."

[cinnamunspice]

interactions that make me laugh every time

[cinnamunspice]

"My wife can stab me a little bit I don't care." @ talia lol

games // always accepting !

"Only a little..." A soft sigh, almost disappointed by it.

Her grin is hidden behind a well-timed glass of iced tea.

"He doesn't care when it's a 'little bit': he likes it, however, when it's a lot."

[cinnamunspice]

"I hope you're comfortable." @ talia

games // always accepting !

TICK, TICK. The grandfather clock continued to groan on in silence. The chains and bindings that held Bruce to the chair were laughable - everyone knew he'd find a way out. And despite the curt comment, her demeanor, leaning back on her own chair, pistol caressing her thigh-- she looked very comfortable staring down her... savior. Turned captor.

Talia didn't find the assumption of her 'dangerous', as hurtful as it could have been.

"I've been more comfortable, darling."

She is quite dangerous. To those who underestimated. The Detective's walk, the raspy, dark growl of his voice, the sounds reverberated against concrete walls. Brown eyes shimmered as her lips tugged up into a knowing smirk. This was a game of waiting. Her father's orders were strict. Do not let the Detective go. Do not allow my daughter within the same room -- already one rule had been broken. She would be aiding in the second. The remaining guards would soon be knocked out before they could say 'Lady Ta-'

She sweeps forward, a wet handkerchief in hand, to blot at his forehead. Even with minor bleeding, scrapes, and the leather of his suit peeling away, the little light that escaped into the room made him look so rugged, so beautiful.

"You should not have come."

It's simple, succinctly to the point.

Dab, dab.

Talia's manicured french tip nails gently caress his jaw, next, pistol still in her other hand. The bravado from her expression dropped, leaving only a small bit of vulnerability, biting at her lip as she assessed the damage.

"Not for me."

[cinnamunspice]

"If a demon tried to possess me I'd just be like: ok take it from here, good luck man." -batfambitches [Jason] (again, for whoever strikes your fancy)

games // always accepting ! @batfambitches

"Those are not matters to joke about." Talia snaps. She can't help it. Her body is tense, her shoulders slightly raised by a millimeter. The thought of anyone possessing his body like this: She's seen it. The good. The bad. And the absolute nasty.

Guess how many times it ever went 'good'? She can't help but peer curiously at this alternate version of her Jason Todd, to wonder what horrors he's experienced, what kind of hope buds inside of him like a soft flower. She remembers planting those seeds in his hand, watering them.

She cleared her throat, regained her composure. "I pray that you do not find yourself in a position, at the whims of the supernatural, or other forces similar."

[cinnamunspice]

❤️ from @brucieboy297's bruce!

The computer light continued to flick on in the dark room. Talia stared, her work currently unraveling in a set of zeroes and ones. This shouldn't be a big deal.

But this mysterious coding was quite literally unraveling a plot that had been put into place for weeks now. To an untrained ear, to an ordinary person, no one would have noticed the sudden body slipping into the room.

But, Talia Al Ghul was not even remotely ordinary. Her voice speaks in a demanding tone,

"Not you, too. Stand up and face me, honorably."

[cinnamunspice]

❤️ from @bruz3r's bruce!

Relaxation was both of the upmost importance to the daughter of demon, and a rarity to be found. Her work often laid self-care to the side, and her own pursuits and passions led to many nights not sleeping as well as she could. Nightmares plagued her dreams. Living ghosts haunted her days. Skeletons in her closet only continued to grow, and she wasn't sure how much longer she could keep those doors shut.

Today was not one of those days. The silk pillows beneath her were like a personal heaven. Talia's eyes closed with a dreamy sigh. Deep breath. In. And out. Her shoulders untensed.

Until she realized who was in the room with her. Sleepy eyes cracked open, dedicated to at least giving her ex-husband a look, even if it was half-hearted,

"If you stand like that for much longer, your body will freeze into that position, forever." She turns to face Bruce, making a rather bold claim,

"Gawking is a bad look on you, Beloved."

[cinnamunspice]

❤️ from @nrth-wind's bruce!

There was a flurry of activity in the small hotel room. And not the kind Talia enjoyed partaking in. Instead, there was a brisk pace to her walk. Back and forth, back and forth. Practically burning holes into the carpet. Her hair was down, freshly blown out and ready for the plane trip back to Gotham.

In her hand, she waved a small stack of papers,

"Do not seriously tell me...." She began to hiss, waving the papers up in the air,

"You were planning on actually doing work at our return to your home? What kind of non-.... non-ruse was this? Did you genuinely not expect to see me, here? Is paperwork truly that impressive of an idea?"

[cinnamunspice]

[ BACK ]: sender places a protective and gentle hand on the receiver's back, preparing to guide them away from the threat. @ talia

games // always accepting !

Who exactly was the threat, here? The man standing in front of them, or the daughter of the demon's head.

"I would watch your words much more carefully,"

The irony did not escape Talia Al Ghul, curved dagger in hand, pistol in the other, and her expression darkening by the second. It was only by the detective's gloved hand, warmth seeping past layers and layers of protective gear, that she spit out,

"less you find your tongue sliced off and fed back to you."

There's another threat bubbling, but Bruce had successfully wrangled her away. When did she become so pliable? Easy to move? Only around him. She can't stand it. She's still gripping her weapons tight, but the entire action might as well be moot point. Furthermore, she can't exactly discern Bruce's response, but she imagined it was disapproving and yet, unsurprised. The extreme measures she has, and will always take, in the face of her loved ones being threatened, would not suffice.

And here she was, like a misbehaving kitten, having been removed from the situation, entirely. Talia huffs, hissing in his ear.

"I will allow you thirty seconds to deal with this, before I do. Act quickly, love."

[cinnamunspice]

009,an empty cemetery at night. @ talia??

games // always accepting !

Her mother never got a proper burial. Hundreds of years have passed, and she still remembered the way the acid tore at her skin, gasping to fight to stay alive as her murderer had pushed her to her death. What little remained, was burned. The columbarium was small, and dedicated to a very small few. Elite. Ra's had acted infuriatingly calm over the whole ordeal, but little to no expense was spared for his daughter's grief.

Talia stared at the marble engraving on the wall: Melisande. Bowing, she settled on her knees to push forward letters collected over a year, and her favorite meal. She lit the ornate candles already left, and a few of her own. The woman's face was obscured. Her head hung low as her hands clasped together in a silent prayer to the universe.

Talia al Ghul. A mother herself, now. And yet, in the face of her family, she still felt like a child. Powerless as the moment she was unable to stop her mother's retched fate.

There's the sound of footsteps, quiet and small, behind her. Her head snaps up, brown waves flying as she calls out, too hopeful,

"Damian?"

[cinnamunspice]

Tim waits until she's alone in the manor before approaching Talia. And hand to god, he doesn't have any sinister motives.

He does, however, want to understand why exactly Dick acts the way he does around her.

So...

He clears his throat to get her attention, and when he has it, Tim smiles, like someone who really wants to endear people to him, but is visibly trying too hard in doing so.

"Hi. How's it hanging? Can I talk to you, or... are you busy...?"

games // always accepting !

The scratch of a ballpoint pen against paper isn't the quite same sensorial experience that she would find with an old-fashioned quill and parchment... But times had changed, and she'd rather the convenience of technology over a silly nostalgic whim. She's enjoying the rare sunlight in the parlor, dutifully writing away notes in her lap from another book opened midway to her side.

Talia had heard the sound of pitfalls, but it wasn't until he decided to garner her attention that she lifted her head, curious. It was the boy. The third Robin, current Red Robin. Timothy Drake. She had read up on him, of course, during his extended tenure at Bruce's side, and to the kinds of games her father had played with him. He was uneasy. Reputation soured these halls she currently occupied, for the time being.

She did not blame the boy. Warm brown eyes blinked, calculating, before Talia nodded-- both books snapping shut to make room for the child on the couch, busying her hands with the cooled chai that was waiting for her on the coffee table.

"Certainly," Her posture is stiff, but genuine, "What would you like to speak about?"

[cinnamunspice]

❤️ from @sanguine-salvation's victor!

There's a neutral sort of expression, as she tosses her hair back and pressed the folder previously abandoned on the table, towards her. It wasn't that she wasn't used to working with all kinds of people, she was.... quite adept at handling different personalities.

But this? Them?

A person unknown to her, at least, personally. There were red flags that flickered across her face before they're swallowed down with a soft, melodic like response,

"Is there something on my face? Or did I shock you with my words?"

[cinnamunspice]

❤️ from @volucerrubidus's tim!

Her neat french tipped nails tapped against the ceramic, mildly amused by the young adult's antics. She feigned ignorance on the topic of his name, loyalty settling deep in her chest and seeped through bone.

Stubbornness.

But her smile stayed polite, and she didn't stir up too much of a fuss. Talia lifted the mug to sip at the freshly brewed tea.

"Well. Speak now. I assume this isn't a social call, and has to do with your mentor, detective."