Barbara Gordon (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
bodilesswarrior) wrote2014-08-18 01:05 pm
bodilesswarrior) wrote2014-08-18 01:05 pm
Entry tags:
28 - Video
[Barbara hasn't reached out much, since the Joker's takeover. She's kept an eye on the network, made sure the people she loved came through, responded here and there.
But she's been busy.
She took a break for the port - all work and no play tends to make shoddy work - but after that, she focused on little else.
Now, finally, she's finished everything she needed to. She's ready to make her proposal.
She's set the device opposite her control centre. She sits in the middle of it all, bathed in ghostly light.]
For anyone who doesn't know - I'm Barbara Gordon. I've been a Warden here for over two years. Before that, I lived in Gotham city, and I worked with vigilantes.
[She snaps her fingers, and various projections appear - weapons, combat suits, protective gear.
Look, sometimes she just wants to show off.]
Obviously, the priorities are different here - but not entirely. We need to protect ourselves, and each other.
[Her lips twist with a dark, wry humour.] The Joker's takeover - it reminded me that we can't trust anyone, even if they deserve it. Any one of us could be twisted by outside factors. I'm not saying we get paranoid, or distance ourselves. I'm just saying "be prepared".
[With a wave of her hand, several images come to the forefront. They look like typical clothes - thick sweaters, long jackets, dark trousers.]
These are made with bullet-resistant material. It's the kind of stuff we use on our costumes, back home.
[Another wave, and they're replaced with tasers, pepper spray, smoke grenades. Everything is labelled and described.]
Lethal force - even serious damage - isn't always needed. Extensive training isn't always necessary, either. I'd suggest keeping something on you as often as you can, just to help you get away if you need to.
Of course, training doesn't hurt. We've got a lot of fighters, here, with different perspectives and styles. I know some of us are teaching people already - made we can make it an organised effort.
[Another gesture, another rotation. These are harsher weapons, blades and firearms and crossbows.]
I don't want to encourage rampant bloodshed, here, but we all know violence can be necessary. I'd rather people knew what they were doing.
[A slight shrug.] This isn't a foolproof solution. We can end up in port without any gear. We can face people impervious to everything I - or anyone else - can give you. We can be too slow, too distracted, too hesitant. [She doesn't want to make false promises, doesn't want anyone to get too complacent.] And I understand if you don't take me up on this. But I believe it will help.
[She's quiet, for a moment. She's tried to make this all business, but she knows that only reaches so far. She allows the grim, aching frustration into her words.]
I'm tired of just waiting for the next catastrophe, and I'm tired of being hurt by people I care about, and I'm tired of watching people I love die. I'm sure I'm not the only one.
[Private to Iris, Cassandra, and Stephanie]
[No, it doesn't actually end there.]
Which leads me to my next point. [She taps her headset.] My transceivers still work here, it turns out. I've been making transmitters. [Almost unconsciously, her hand brushes the golden canary at her neck.]
I'm still figuring out who I want to give them too - and I'm open to suggestions - but you three are first on the list, if you want them. [They know how she works, and in ideal circumstances, she trusts them more than anyone else.]
Cass - you should talk to your Warden, if you want to. And, relatedly - how would you feel about teaching people to defend themselves?
But she's been busy.
She took a break for the port - all work and no play tends to make shoddy work - but after that, she focused on little else.
Now, finally, she's finished everything she needed to. She's ready to make her proposal.
She's set the device opposite her control centre. She sits in the middle of it all, bathed in ghostly light.]
For anyone who doesn't know - I'm Barbara Gordon. I've been a Warden here for over two years. Before that, I lived in Gotham city, and I worked with vigilantes.
[She snaps her fingers, and various projections appear - weapons, combat suits, protective gear.
Look, sometimes she just wants to show off.]
Obviously, the priorities are different here - but not entirely. We need to protect ourselves, and each other.
[Her lips twist with a dark, wry humour.] The Joker's takeover - it reminded me that we can't trust anyone, even if they deserve it. Any one of us could be twisted by outside factors. I'm not saying we get paranoid, or distance ourselves. I'm just saying "be prepared".
[With a wave of her hand, several images come to the forefront. They look like typical clothes - thick sweaters, long jackets, dark trousers.]
These are made with bullet-resistant material. It's the kind of stuff we use on our costumes, back home.
[Another wave, and they're replaced with tasers, pepper spray, smoke grenades. Everything is labelled and described.]
Lethal force - even serious damage - isn't always needed. Extensive training isn't always necessary, either. I'd suggest keeping something on you as often as you can, just to help you get away if you need to.
Of course, training doesn't hurt. We've got a lot of fighters, here, with different perspectives and styles. I know some of us are teaching people already - made we can make it an organised effort.
[Another gesture, another rotation. These are harsher weapons, blades and firearms and crossbows.]
I don't want to encourage rampant bloodshed, here, but we all know violence can be necessary. I'd rather people knew what they were doing.
[A slight shrug.] This isn't a foolproof solution. We can end up in port without any gear. We can face people impervious to everything I - or anyone else - can give you. We can be too slow, too distracted, too hesitant. [She doesn't want to make false promises, doesn't want anyone to get too complacent.] And I understand if you don't take me up on this. But I believe it will help.
[She's quiet, for a moment. She's tried to make this all business, but she knows that only reaches so far. She allows the grim, aching frustration into her words.]
I'm tired of just waiting for the next catastrophe, and I'm tired of being hurt by people I care about, and I'm tired of watching people I love die. I'm sure I'm not the only one.
[Private to Iris, Cassandra, and Stephanie]
[No, it doesn't actually end there.]
Which leads me to my next point. [She taps her headset.] My transceivers still work here, it turns out. I've been making transmitters. [Almost unconsciously, her hand brushes the golden canary at her neck.]
I'm still figuring out who I want to give them too - and I'm open to suggestions - but you three are first on the list, if you want them. [They know how she works, and in ideal circumstances, she trusts them more than anyone else.]
Cass - you should talk to your Warden, if you want to. And, relatedly - how would you feel about teaching people to defend themselves?
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[Because Allison is thinking about something she can shoot in, and long sleeves make it hard? But not impossible. The right fit, full range of motion...it could be perfect.
...and yes, maybe she wants to both be prepared and look cute. She's a soldier, but she's still seventeen, and now her boyfriend is on board.]
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...maybe some grey accents? Or purple? Or can it maybe have some embellishments? Like...studs or something?
[Because she can be adorable and hardcore at the same time. That's just how she rolls.]
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Thank you, Barbara...oh! Um...could I think of some designs, too? I mean, if I do. [Already, she's thinking of recruiting Lydia to help her with her hoodie, and she wants to see if the rest of her friends will let her help them with protective gear of their own.
Yep, this is the perfect pseudo-shopping trip for a teenage werewolf hunter.]
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Maybe you guys can make matching ones.
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...either there's some static on the feed, or Allison just made a very, very high-pitched noise. Quietly, but still: she may have possibly squealed.]
I'm going to talk to my friends about it. See maybe me and my friends can work something out.
Barbara? You're totally awesome.
[She reaches out to switch off her comm, then freezes...because she also saw weapons. And Allison has weapons. She has plenty of weapons...but here on the Barge, she doesn't have her father's manufacturing connections anymore, so when her favorite titanium arrowheads are gone, they're gone.]
...just out of curiosity...and I'm not being greedy, honest...if I maybe wanted some custom weapons stuff, is that something you could do? Nothing huge, I swear! Just...maybe some custom arrowheads.
[And if she didn't have the happy teenager at the mall look before, she certainly has it now. Or, at the very least, the hopeful look of a teenager asking her parents if she can have money for the new prom dress she wants.]
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Even as a mother.
But seeing her so gleeful, well, it makes Barbara's day a little.
And then Allison's eyes catch on the weapons, and a girl being so excited about them probably shouldn't be this adorable.]
That is easily something I can do. Best arrowheads you ever saw.
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Really? Military grade titanium? Low level explosives with a flash charge? Maybe some with sonic emitters built in?
[Allison's folding her hands in front of her now so she doesn't rub them together with eager delight. She feels like a kid in a candy store, and she doesn't care if it's weird. She might, in fact, have a lot more ideas.
Like a custom bow. Or more arrowheads she's considered having made. Or even custom daggers, something that can self-heat in case Scott or Isaac are ever infected with wolfsbane and need it burned out on the spot...
...Barbara may have unleashed a monster.]
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Sure, but I draw the line at boxing glove arrows.
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Scout's Honor, Mom. [Said with love, Barbara, Allison loves you right now.] I'll make a Christmas list, 'cause you're like...my Santa today.
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Have at it. But you'd better treat this equipment right, or you're grounded.
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[Now she's actually clapping her hands, and BOUNCY TEENAGE GIRL is bouncy.]
I'm gonna go through my arsenal to see what I need. And my closet, to see what kind of camo body armor would go with my shoes.
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...You know - if you're that experienced already, maybe you should share your knowledge.
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[After all, she hasn't really graduated. Not officially. She's not...there yet, not really. She's not in a position to really teach.]
I mean...I could maybe help a few people, just if they need it, but...like, be a teacher? I don't think I'm ready.
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In the meantime, you can help your fellow students. We'll be working with all different levels, here.
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I'm thinking knee-high boots and skirts. I can make some sketches. And of course, we will need something for the boys, too. And don't you guys usually have symbols for your teams, too?
I'm Lydia. I don't think we've met before.
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Skirts work fine if they're not too constraining, though I'd suggest some shorts underneath.
[She's quiet, for a moment.] Symbols - they work well to unite and influence people. I don't think they'd work as well on the Barge as they would in a city, but they can't hurt.
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Speaking of top, a full one, not a tank top. The chest and stomach have to be protected. [That's where all vital organs are, after all. She will do an intense study on this and make sure all of the more important points are very well protected.]
Well, it might make people feel more like they are part of something. Although we certainly don't want to make anyone feel excluded. [And for Miss Popularity to say that? She's come a long way.]
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No, we don't. Maybe we should divide into different - sects. [Not teams, exactly.] Different symbols for different groups, people who've already worked together, and trust each other.
And of course, if you don't want one, you don't need to get on.
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Of course if we make it more about a personal symbol and everyone has their own (even if some of us decide to adopt the same, like the symbol of the pack, for example) we can reinforce that the idea behind it is just to make the uniforms more personalized and we should all still work together. [The last thing they need is to start some kind of in-barge war or competition, after all.]
How does it work where you're from?
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It...works, for the most part. There's drama and violence - I think at least half of us have fought each other at some point - but we end up doing more good than harm overall.
Of course, we're spread out over a far wider space.
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The logos don't have to be very obvious either, I suppose. Doesn't Batman have a suit where the logo is the same color as the suit only sort of engraved? Maybe if we make it more of a part of the design it won't be a big issue.
And, if we're honest, not everyone is going to get along all the time, right?
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But damn if it doesn't save time.]
Subtlety is always good, in my opinion. [Never mind that her costume had a ton of yellow in it.]
And that's...always something to consider, yeah. I'd say it's important to teach people how to work together regardless of their feelings.
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[Well, for the most part, anyway. Even if most people don't know what she is, Lydia has no problems telling everyone she's part of Scott's pack. She's pretty proud of being a part of it, actually. It's the best 'clique' she's ever gotten herself into.]
How are you planning on doing that? We all come from very different places.
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