From bela@gate.net Sat Dec 14 12:24:49 1996 Return-Path: bela@gate.net Received: from osceola.gate.net (osceola.gate.net [199.227.0.18]) by tau.lpl.arizona.edu (8.6.11/8.6.9) with ESMTP id MAA19207 for ; Sat, 14 Dec 1996 12:24:48 -0700 Received: from dakota.gate.net (bela@dakota.gate.net [199.227.0.13]) by osceola.gate.net (8.8.4/8.6.12) with ESMTP id OAA14668 for ; Sat, 14 Dec 1996 14:28:43 -0500 Received: from localhost (bela@localhost) by dakota.gate.net (8.8.4/8.7.3) with SMTP id OAA43568 for ; Sat, 14 Dec 1996 14:28:41 -0500 X-Authentication-Warning: dakota.gate.net: bela owned process doing -bs Date: Sat, 14 Dec 1996 14:28:41 -0500 (EST) From: Angela Hawkes To: corleyj@tau.lpl.arizona.edu Subject: ZERO HOUR FC APP: Joker (fwd) Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Status: RO X-Status: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 11 Dec 1996 10:18:09 -0700 (MST) From: Jason Corley To: bela@gate.net Subject: ZERO HOUR FC APP: Joker The rain came down. It was always raining when it was time to leave Arkham. Why, oh, why couldn't whatever god or CEO that was in charge of this sort of thing ever even once arrange things properly so that on the day when the gates would spring wide and the world beyond would roll out the red carpet, the sun would be shining, the flowers would be blooming, and the grass would be green and well-trimmed. No such luck, and isn't that just always the way? The grass is grey and stunted, the rain is hard and black and tastes strange, like that vat of chemicals so long ago, and there is no more a reason that the day is not balmy than there was a reason that the railing above the vat did not hold or than there was a reason that the last foolproof, always foolproof, crime did not go as planned, or the second-to-last, or the third-to-last, or the first. "When life gives you cyan," the Joker mused as the car of that color slithered to a halt before his bedraggled, soaked form, "make cyanide." The door opened. The Joker folded himself down into the back seat, and looked at the dull, blank faces of his hired men. "Smiles, everybody!" he said. "Smiles!" They grinned. The car's windshield wipers beat a thumping rhythm as the car turned and disappeared down the road. The radio played a staticky tune from the nineteen fifties. It was two days before his escape was noted, and by then, of course, it was too late. ********************************************************************* 1. Your RL Name: Jason Corley *-------------------------------------------------------------------* 2. Your E-mail Address: corleyj@tau.lpl.arizona.edu *-------------------------------------------------------------------* 3. Character Name : The Joker Alias...well, hell, rather than fill up the rest of the page, I'll talk about how he generally adopts aliases that are in some way connected to his dementia: "Mr. Gensius" (Gensius is the patron saint of comedians), any number of cheesy anagrams, and, of course "the Red Mask". More on the Red Mask soon. *-------------------------------------------------------------------* 4. Give a physical description of your character [Between 6-15 lines]: Physically, the Joker is a tall, thin man, probably about six foot three. His skin is chalk-white, his hair and fingernails a dark green, his lips blood-red, his eyes (which are quite expressive, ranging from wide-eyed hilarity to the narrow slits of the predator) a dark purple. This condition came about as a result of his attempt, (as the Red Mask) to rob the Monarch Playing Card Company. (See 'background') It is clear from all indications that the grotesque grin he usually wears is a product of his dementia, and is not, repeat _not_ a part of his mutilation. In fact, the Joker's _physical_ condition is quite curable, as we saw in "Going Sane" (more on this below). In terms of clothing, when not in disguise, the Joker tends to the flamboyant and "theme"-d clothing. Purple is a favorite, with long tails and long coats (to hide all those marvelous little toys, dontcha know?) are extensively used, as are colorful vests, shirts, trousers and shoes. The Joker is not a man who, in his private life, ascribes to what the rest of the world jokingly (of course) refers to as "taste". *-------------------------------------------------------------------* 5. List the character's background/history [Minimum 40 lines]: According to "The Killing Joke", which I think is the perfect expression of both the Joker's personality and background, he was a failed comedian, who turned to crime as a part of the "Red Mask Gang" to pay his bills and support his pregnant wife "Jeannie". Unfortunately, on the day he was to wear the mask and raid the Monarch Playing Card Company, his wife and unborn child were killed. The ruthless criminals in the gang insisted that the job go on despite his loss: when it turned sour, and they were gunned down by security guards, he fled. Nearly blind and by now completely in the grip of hysterics, when he faced Batman for the first time, he chose to fling himself over a railing into a vat of chemicals (the chemical plant was adjacent to the company in "TKJ", which is a nice way of covering up the continuity errors in the other Joker background stories given) and swim to safety. But Fate had yet again dealt him a terrible hand: his face and body were horribly distorted. Completely cut off from his past life, and now hopelessly insane, the Joker turned to a life of crime, staging several daring jewel thefts before being captured by Batman. The Joker is the perfect example of how close ordinary people are to going over the edge, at least in this telling of his story. One horrible day, a confused struggle, and he is maimed for life, physically, mentally and morally. The second most perfect example is, of course, Batman: they have a unique relationship. (See below.) The above part of his background is unknown to practically everyone. The "Red Mask Gang" died in the crossfire of the raid. Even Batman, who knows the Joker was wearing the red mask that night, doesn't know what sort of person the Joker was before the accident. The Joker _himself_ chooses not to know from time to time. "If I'm to have a past," he indicates with great sagacity, "I'd rather have it be multiple-choice." There are a _lot_ of episodes in the Joker's career that deserve mention. But rather than list each event, I'm going to talk about "threads" in his background that remain common throughout the "Joker Canon." THE JOKER AND BATMAN "Take off his mask. I want to see his real face." "You idiot! That _is_ his real face." ----anon. inmate and the Joker, "Arkham Asylum" When people talk about comic book "archenemies", they don't mention Captain America and the Red Skull. They don't mention Superman and Lex Luthor. They don't mention Charles Xavier and Magneto. They immediately say "Batman and the Joker." This is because there is certainly a great deal of similarity betwene the two: even putting the spurious questions of background aside. Both have a view of the world as essentially arbitrary, but both see the individual as a force to be reckoned with. Both see the proper response to the world as essentially violent, to fight the forces in the world that oppose you and the way you think the world should be. But (as should be strenuously pointed out), there is an important difference: the Joker's condition can only be said to be (initially anyway, remember, his physical condition is curable) an act of fate (In particular, the "It's Batman's fault!" accusation seems whiny and pointless to the Joker) and so he strikes back at the world as indiscriminately as the world struck at him. Batman's vendetta is against a particular mindset: the criminal thought processes that killed his family. The Joker's crimes are his message: his victims are his medium. The papers call him the Clown Prince, but he sees himself as an artist and a performer. The Joker's world is one where bad things happen not only to good people, but to bad people and indifferent people as well. He is a dealer in tragedy, a merchant of high drama. It was, of course, inevitable, that when DC decided to kill Robin, the Joker was the one that did it. And when the retired Batgirl needed to be crippled, it was the Joker on the other end of the gun. If the Joker keeps seeing Batman on the other end of his "mirror darkly", the same must be true for Batman, who can see the vicious and depraved hand of the Joker any time he likes, just by visiting Barbar Gordon in her wheelchair or Jason Todd in his grave. THE JOKER AND MASS MURDER Does the Joker kill for no reason? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. THE JOKER AND INSANITY "Some of us feel he may be beyond treatment. In fact, we're not even sure if he can be properly defined as insane...We're beginning to think it may be a neurological disorder, similar to Tourette's Syndrome. It's quite possible we may actually be looking at some sort of super-sanity here. A brilliant new modification of human perception, more suited to urban life at the end of the twentieth century." "Tell that to his victims." -----Dr. Ruth Adams and Batman, "Arkham Asylum" Many times, the Joker has said that his most valuable ability is his insanity. This is emphatically not the case. In fact, the Joker's insanity is far more subtle than he can recognize. The Joker is a psychotic murderer, who takes great pleasure in his sociopathic crimes. However, it is clear that he thinks his insanity is something different, something that merely helps those crimes along, not the motivating factor for them (see the 'tough decision' question below. He believes himself to be fully in control of his actions, which is not at all true. The Joker's sociopathic tendencies combined with his fervent (it has to be fervent, or else he's in serious emotional trouble) belief that he is both in control and insane, make him a very problematic patient for the doctors of Arkham, who regularly report that even drugging, ECT and other treatments have little to no effect on him. (Though they often do have serious side effects on the doctors giving them.) *-------------------------------------------------------------------* 6. Now list their para-human powers and explain [Minimum 25 lines]: Nada. (See 'resources' for important notes.) However, the Joker is extremely insane, giving him almost total immunity to mind-based paranormal abilities. (Including the Scarecrow's fear dust. See "Knightfall".) ********************************************************************* FOR THE FOLLOWING ATTRIBUTES, IF YOU FALL UNDER 'AVERAGE' OR 'NORMAL' HUMAN CAPACITY, SIMPLY STATE: Average. ********************************************************************* 7. Strength [Character's lifting capacity in lbs or tons. 1-3 lines]: The Joker's strength is often described as "manic" in intensity. Many psychotics seem to possess superhuman strength: this illusion comes from two sources. First, their adrenal reaction may begin unexpectedly and with great force, giving them temporarily increased speed and strength, but of course by definition well within the human body's capabilities. More importantly, a psychotic generally comes at his victim with great ferocity, directness and unflinchingness: this gives them a psychological edge and makes them a frightening figure. So he's got wiry strength of a well-conditioned man, combined with an overwhelming psychological presence that often makes his strength 'surprising' in the most literal sense of the word. *-------------------------------------------------------------------* 8. Agility [Normal, Gymnast etc. Give examples if needed. 1-5 lines]: Again, it isn't so much that the Joker is particularly agile beyond that of a well-conditioned man, especially when you compare him to his archenemy Batman, it's just that he'll surprise you every time. A perfect example happened back in the 60s: Batman and Robin had the Joker trussed up in a sawmill (a long story): so he threw himself down a chute into the water. They thought he was trying to drown himself, but really he was just slithering onto the water wheel and getting hoisted to safety and freedom. He isn't faster or more agile than either of them. He's just quicker-thinking. *-------------------------------------------------------------------* 9. Stamina [Toughness, endurance etc. 1-5 lines]: The Joker is about as tough as a person can be. He's been hit by lightning, drowned innumerable times, blown up, set on fire, and even electrocuted, and like a bad penny, he just keeps coming back. This doesn't mean he can go toe-to-toe with Batman, though. Such matchups are destined for a quick return trip to Arkham. The Joker's stamina is most directly expressed in extended chase scenes and miraculous escapes from death. *-------------------------------------------------------------------* 10. Speed [Include flight speed or reflexes if applicable. 1-5 lines]: See Agility. *-------------------------------------------------------------------* 11. Skills [Computers, knitting, lockpicking--list 'em and levels]: The Joker has an incisive, creative mind of incredible flexibility. He has taken it upon himself to learn a wide variety of skills, from the biochemistry that twisted his face and those of his victims, to juggling, to firearms, to disguise, to engineering and explosives. When he needs to know something, he goes and learns it --- like all villains in all comic books, no skill is beyond him except for reasons of plot. For example, he is not a world-class computer hacker, so in "Knightfall", he is forced to kidnap and drug one in order to screw up Gotham's computer system. But he is quite capable of putting together the designer drug necessary for the job, planning the kidnapping, acquiring the manpower and the resources to pull it off, and executing the plan without a hitch. *-------------------------------------------------------------------* 12. COMBAT ABILITY [Training, Experience, Skill. 5-15 lines]: This is difficult to gauge. He can use a gun well. In fact, he can use it sufficiently well that he can use a bizarre gun of his own design. Physically, he can get in a few good shots at Batman, generally considered by most to be the absolute pinnacle of "normal" human combat ability. He can use melee weapons well. The key to understanding the Joker in combat is that he will never voluntarily enter it without some kind of edge that makes his skill (or lack thereof) irrelevant. He shoots Barbara Gordon not because he's good with guns, but because she opens the door and there he stands with the gun pointed at her stomach and a big grin on his face. He knocks out Batman because he gets the drop on him sometimes. He pushes his thug successfully in front of a truck because who would _expect_ that? *-------------------------------------------------------------------* 13. MENTAL APTITUDE [Cunning, Education, Fortitude. 5-15 lines]: This is mostly described elsewhere in the app. Joker's education is mostly practical and experience-based, with the exception of some science training, long ago in the dear dim past. His cunning cannot be overstated. His mental fortitude is either nil or infinite, depending on how you look at it. *-------------------------------------------------------------------* 14. Character contacts [List 'em if you got 'em]: THE JOKER AND ORGANIZED CRIME "These are Messeurs...er...well, their names escape me, I'm sure it's not important." ----the Joker, introducing his thugs, BtAS The Joker never seems to lack for thugs or resources: he is often portrayed as one of the great crimelords of Gotham. This is an appealing idea on several levels, and is only partly illusory. He has the extravagant style and the cavalierly cruel modus operandi that would put him in good stead among those men. (Or women: one of the more exciting Joker/underworld interactions was between him and the beautiful Sparrow, a blonde with a disturbing resemblance, years before the cartoon series, to Harley Quinn...) He also tends to attract the most dangerous and desperate criminals to his gang: chiefly because he treats them with equal cruelty (on one occasion, he pushes one under the wheels of a passing truck just for asking about the details of a plan, on another, when he is captured, he simply escapes and murders each of them one by one.) But he pays well, is funnier than most crime bosses, and his capers, when they work (generally they all do, except the last one) are exciting and extremely profitable. So the Joker is a crime boss of a sort: just not one of those that hide behind a "respectable" facade. JOKER AND OTHER GOTHAM CRIMINALS "Please, Miss! Two-Face has pissed himself again!" ----The Joker, "Arkham Asylum" The main appeal to Gotham criminals is, for the most part, their lunacy: this makes any truce or plot between them bizarre and short-lived at best, and they usually disintegrate murderously. The Joker is no exception to this. In fact, among the various "multi-villain" plots, he is usually the one asked to join, not the asker. Unlike others (like, for instance, Two-Face), he treats his allies just the same way he treats his enemies, and takes pride in annoying and playing jokes on them as well as cheerfully double and triple crossing them. *-------------------------------------------------------------------* 15. Character resources [Occupation, funding, gadgets, gizmos, etc]: "Boring. Lame. Not funny. Been done. Too 'Riddler'. Nope." ----The Joker, "Mad Love", rejecting plans for his next caper As has been noted in 'Contacts', above, the Joker has the financial resources of any crime kingpin. Unlike the crime kingpins, though, he is more than willing to blow the entire wad on a single grand scheme, with twofold effect: 1. His money is extremely volatile. He may get an idea in his head and go buy twenty thousand jack-in-the-boxes for no good reason. 2. It's hard to track him by money: it's here today and gone tomorrow. The Joker also has access to some useful lab equipment somewhere, at which he can mix up versions of his famed and oft-modified "Joker toxin". The!toxin can take anywhere from 30 seconds to a full minute to kill, and can be put in gas, on darts, and in two pieces to be administered separately. It can be time-delayed (in the Joker's first appearance, he injects someone with the toxin 24 hours before it would kill him), mixed with a laughing agent (if someone you're talking to starts laughing for no reason, hope you have some of Batman's antidote on hand), and even made nonlethal, just twisting up the face. He also can make gadgetry that is easily the equal of Batman's little cache of gear: walking sticks with rockets in them to lift him to safety, pellets which explode into realistic-looking hissing snakes when he throws them, acid-squirting flowers and police badges, etc. and repeat. (In one of the Marvel/DC crossover books, he even sports a Penguin-style parachute umbrella.) *-------------------------------------------------------------------* 16. Limitations [Everyone has them, try to list 2, and explain them. This includes both physical AND mental limitations]: 1. Insanity. Out of control-ness. As I mentioned above (and go into more detail on below), the Joker is just plain not in control of his actions. He can no more stop committing terrible (and terribly funny) crimes than Batman can stop putting on that stupid outfit and fighting crime. The Joker belongs in an asylum, not a prison, and he needs treatment, not rehabilitation. This limitation is all the more powerful since the Joker doesn't believe it is one. Rather, he thinks that it frees him from all limitations. 2. Obsession with Batman. This is an on-again off-again limitation: many capers have gone awry because of the Joker's need to put in a deathtrap to kill Batman in every single one. This is a more practical matter, though, and doesn't always happen. *-------------------------------------------------------------------* 17. In your opinion, what would be the toughest decision your character would ever have to make? Why? What do you think the outcome would be? [Minimum 10 lines]. The toughest decision would have to be whether to admit to himself, with overwhelming evidence before him, that there really was something terribly wrong with him. The Joker is in so deep that should he ever even start to feel one-one-thousandth of the remorse for the acts that he's done, (no human mind could conceivably feel it all) no option but suicide would remain. This decision, in a more diluted form, has been presented to him twice: 1. In an ancillary Batman title (I don't remember the name of it), the Joker is presented with a series of crimes that bear his trademarks, that he remembers planning, but which he does not remember executing. He experiences blackouts and "lost time", and, alone in a squalid hotel room, really starts to realize exactly how out of control he is. He considers returning to using the red mask, but doesn't. He considers suicide, but doesn't. In the nick of time, he is "saved" by the realization that he isn't committing the crimes after all, but has merely been drugged. (The criminals were trying to pin the crimes on him, in order to get away scot free.) He does not make a decision, but puts it away, puts his smile back on and heads back out to face the world. 2. In "Going Sane", the Joker believes he has finally succeeded in killing Batman. He (quite logically) decides that the "show is over", that he has won, and that it is time to stop being crazy and get on with life. He gets plastic surgery, sets himself up in an apartment and starts looking for a regular job. He falls in love with a woman upstairs (she likes his smile, of course), and his blood-soaked criminal career fades in his memory. But in his dreams, he continually fights Batman and continually loses. Batman of course is merely recuperating, and he gets back on the trail of the Joker, who's pretense at normalcy is slowly collapsing: he sees a psychiatrist (who pronounces him curable...why not, he fixed his face...), and eventually when Batman finds him and won't let him go, he eventually re-injects himself with toxin to regain his face and heads back out. The sad fact is that he can't even beat Batman by quitting the game, and this tragic series of events is probably one of the most disturbing memories the Joker has semi-repressed in his mind. ********************************************************************* 18. If you're not a newbie, please list any MU*s you have played on. Have you ever had any OOC conflicts with wizcorps or players? How were these usually resolved?: I was Arcade at Uncanny X-MUSH for a while...if I receive this character, I will resign him (having, so to speak, moved up to the big leagues). I am Crouse@Dreaming, Jules@Paris and Page@Manhattan. I have never had OOC conflicts with staffers except on questions of style. OOC conflicts with players I generally resolve through staff. I have staffed on two MU*s, Verboden (now defunct) and Dublin. *-------------------------------------------------------------------* 19. What attracted you to Zero Hour MUX? I was invited by Tommy, who plays Stryfe@UXM. I liked what I saw. *-------------------------------------------------------------------* EMAIL ALL APPLICATIONS TO: BELA@GATE.NET