hina_mun

Zatanna is petite, with developing curves and sharp facial features. Her skin is lightly tanned, a result of her Italian heritage, and her eyes, bright blue. Black hair falls down past her shoulders. In her multiple Young Justice appearances, she is seen in several outfits:


• A dark navy blue and white private school uniform
  
• Purple spaghetti-strap top with white pants
  
• Her signature battle outfit, consisting of a white shirt; gloves and bowtie; yellow vest; black
• jacket and mini shorts; grey stockings; and black boots. Alas, no tophat or fishnets in this universe
  
• White Snow jacket with fur hood, matching pants, & boots
  
• Dark Red spaghetti-strap top with denim capris

(Zatanna at the Young Justice Wiki)

Earth-16 (Not the "Super-Sons" Earth-16, but a different one) exists in one of the several DC parallel universes, similar to our world with one major exception: the cohabitation of humans, metahumans, and aliens.

Humans are the most familiar. They are members of the homo sapiens species and possess no extraordinary powers beyond individual physical limitations. Most are civilians, making up the majority of Earth's population, though there are an exceptional few who have since risen above through hard work and intensive training. These Humans have gone on to fight alongside Metahumans and Aliens in the never-ending civil war between Good and Evil.

Metahumans divide into two main categories. There are those born with their powers: homo magi, such as Zatanna Zatara, carry the genetically inherited ability to perform true sorcery; Atlantans, such as Kaldur'ahm, live underwater and also have some minor sorcery abilities; Amazonians are a matriarchal warrior race trained from birth and blessed with gifts from the Greek gods. Then there are those who later received their extraordinary gifts through some sort of life-changing incident, such as Wally West, who gained the ability to move at incredibly high-speeds after a chemical accident. Regardless of origin story, Metahumans comprise the majority of heroes and villains of Earth-16. It is currently unknown just how many are in existence, as some of them assume secret identities, go into hiding, or simply never have their powers manifest in any telling way.

Aliens could be best equated to Metahumans who originate from planets other than Earth. The closest neighbors would be the Martians, such as M'gann M'orzz and J'onn J'onzz. Their abilities include shape-shifting, flight, telepathy, telekinesis, and deceptive strength. Then, there are the Kryptonians, endangered species of a lost planet, capable of absorbing yellow Solar rays in exchange for incredible strength, flight, near-invulnerability, and more. In fact, almost all aliens of Earth possess extraordinary gifts of some kind, whether it be the Thanagarian wings giving them flight and Nth metal technology that allows them to repel magic forces, or the Oan craftsmanship that grants any and all Green Lanterns the ability to create powerful constructs as weapons. Most have taken to the side of hero, though not all.

It is because of this perpetual divide that Earth 16 is often home to a seemingly never-ending battle.

On the side of Evil, there are two main factions that have been identified. The first briefly called themselves the Injustice League and consisted of Atomic Skull, Black Adam, Count Vertigo, Joker, Poison Ivy, Ultra-Humanite, and Woton. They were all quickly captured and revealed to be scapegoats of a much larger organization known only as The Light. Currently, not much is known about this corporation of SuperVillains. Not even their full list of members, though names such as Lex Luthor, Klarion, Sportsmaster, Cheshire, Queen Bee, and others have been either confirmed or identified as known associates.

Interestingly enough, it is just the opposite in terms of publicity for the evil factions than those of Good. The lesser Injustice League were the public faces, while the Light continues to hide in the shadows (because villains do so love their irony).

Leading the public battle for the side of Good are the members of the Justice League--a collective group of Superheroes formed back in the early 90s and currently comprised of members The Atom, Aquaman, Batman, Black Canary, Captain Atom, Captain Marvel, The Flash, Green Arrow, Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and John Stewart, Hawkman, Hawkwoman, Martian Manhunter, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Giovanni Zatara. Their faces are know throughout the world, to the point where their ground "secret base" is more like a museum for fans and paparazzi alike to visit. While this allows them to interact directly with the people they serve, it also makes covert missions that much more difficult to enact.

However, a number of members adopted younger proteges over the years: Robin (partner to Batman), Kid Flash (partner to Flash), Aqualad (partner to Aquaman), and Speedy (partner to Green Arrow). After Speedy quit for personal reasons, the remaining three boys proved themselves by taking on an unsanctioned mission that resulted in the rescue of the Superboy, a clone of Kryptonian Superman and Human Lex Luthor. Miss Martian, niece of the Martian Manhunter, and Artemis, second protege of Green Arrow, would eventually join their ranks as well. Unlike the Justice League, this Team of teens operates in secret. Few even know of their existence, let alone their full roster. They take on the missions the Justice League cannot.

Several months later, a series of (unfortunate) events would lead to the addition of Zatanna Zatara, 14-year-old daughter of Giovanni Zatara.

Born in 1996, Zatanna spent much of her life raised by her single father as his only child.  As such, the two formed an incredibly close bond, despite her ever-rebellious nature (in fact, a spirit she had inherited from her father's younger days.).  Giovanni wished nothing more than to keep her safe, having lost her mother years before, and tried to keep her out of the spotlight for as long as he could.  The general public was hardly aware that Zatara even had a daughter.

As such, the one person who was most adamant about her not joining the Team was, ironically, the very person to introduce her: Giovanni, himself.  He had hoped to bring Zatanna to Mount Justice for some personal self-defense training at the hands of their hand-to-hand combat expert. What he wasn’t expecting was for the six of them to immediately “kidnap” her (at her own suggestion) for an unsanctioned mission that would ultimately put her directly in the line of fire. Voluntarily, of course; Aqualad had politely suggested that she stay behind, but the young sorceress wasn’t having any of that. Zatanna proved herself, both on the field and amongst her peers, and by the time they returned so her father could ground her for life, a solid bond between them all had formed.

Around Halloween, nearly a month into her presumed Life Sentence, Zatanna was allowed to attend a Halloween Party at the local High School. She would've been attending with Kid Flash, Miss Martian, Superboy, and Artemis...until something happened: Artemis found out that Superboy and Miss Martian were dating, by means of Zatanna making a casual observation regarding their behavior towards one another. Needless to say, Artemis didn't take the news well, and almost skipped out on the whole night as a result. Zatanna had a better idea: not wanting to see her new friend leave so upset, she instead magically changed their clothes and suggested a Girls' Night Out. Together, the two "borrowed" a couple of motorcycles and headed into the City for a bit of vigilantism. Their original targets were mere petty thieves...until a far more dangerous criminal calling himself Harm decided to blow up their bikes. The resulting battles between them, for a time, had the girls nearly running for their lives. At one point, they were even captured, having to literally blow up Harm's kitchen in order to create enough of a distraction to escape.

In fact, it was only through meeting the ghost of Harm's sister that they were able to discover his weakness and ultimately defeat him. Learning a lesson about how destructive keeping things buried inside could potentially be. Of course, neither of them had much time to really dwell on said lesson before the sound of sirens could be heard in the distance. Because, you know, they blew up a kitchen. Their bad.

It would be just a few short days later that Zatanna would get a second chance to fight alongside the entire team once more, against a self-proclaimed Lord of Chaos and his partners in sorcery. Klarion and his cohorts split the world in two: one with adults, and one with children below the age of 18. There was no Zatara around to tell her ‘no’, and no way Zatanna wouldn’t do everything she could to help. Even if it ultimately meant her donning the Helmet of Fate, a mystic relic possessed by the spirit Nabu, one of the most powerful magic users to ever exist.

By the time the others realized what she was about to do, it was too late.  The Helmet had been put on, transforming her into Doctor Fate.  Her soul was trapped, allowing Nabu to take over completely.  Almost: because the worlds were split so was the Helemet.  Nabu was definitely over eighteen, which should have banished him to the realm of adults, and yet Zatanna's body was that of a fourteen-year-old girl, meant to reside in the world of children.  This duel nature conflicted greatly with the nature of Klarion's spell and nearly killed her; for a time, her form began to flicker in and out.  A struggle which Nabu fought with his magic energy until they could do what needed to be done.

With the help of Captain Marvel--a ten year old boy who could transform himself into a mythological adult hero at command--communication between the Team and the adults was established enough that, together, Doctor Fate and Giovanni Zatara were able to attack from both realm sides, ultimately defeating the spell and re-joining the worlds together.

However...when all was said and done, Nabu refused to relinquish Zatanna.  Her youth and natural affinity for magic made her a near-ideal host.  Nothing the others said or argued would allow him to change his mind.  The world needed Doctor Fate; the fact that she was the third host in so many months to don the Helmet was proof.  It was then that, left without options, Giovanni made a bargain.  He would take Zatanna's place.  His magic was even stronger than hers, and he was in ideal physical shape.  Strong.  Even more ideal.  A gentleman's oath was struck, one that he would not be able to back out of, and only then did Doctor Fate allow Zatanna to remove the Helmet...

...just long enough to allow her father to say his goodbyes, have Batman promise to take care of his only daughter, and put the Helmet on himself before flying away.

It all happened in the span of a single minute.  Barely enough time to process.  Her entire world had been flipped upside-down thanks to a single, spontaneous decision she had made, and now she was alone.  No mother.  Her father was gone.  She had the Team, yes, but it wasn't the same.  Even when Artemis and M'gann and Robin (who, unbeknownst to her, understood more about what it meant to lose your only family better than any of them) helped her move into Mount Justice so she could stay with M'gann and Conner...she waited until they had all left the room before allowing herself to sit and cry.  Not wanting any of them to see the tears.

Time passed, and while the pain of losing her father just weeks before Thanksgiving remained fresh, she settled in.  Began training with the Team.  Going on missions, and fighting with a surprising degree of efficiency on the battlefield for one who was supposedly so new to the world.  Even in a fight against Grundy, she and Robin managed to work alongside one another with few words spoken between them.  Relying on body language and trust.

Good thing, too, because all too soon, the Team was faced with their greatest challenge: the Justice League themselves.  Batman.  Superman.  Wonder Woman.  Hawkwoman.  Flash.  Martian Manhunter.  Green Lantern John Stewart.  Six core members of the League who had vanished without a trace for Sixteen Hours, only to reappear acting...strange.   It was Robin who first suspected something was amiss when Batman referred to the Team as kids, but it was Zatanna who confirmed that there was a strange mystical presence surrounding him and several of the others.  A presence due to alien mind control, courtesy of Vandal Savage and Klarion.

The final battle, in which control of both the Watchtower and the League were on the line, pit Team members against many of their mentors.  A series of highly emotional battles that, at one point, brought Zatanna face to face with Doctor Fate--who had been indoctrinated into the Justice League as an ally not too long prior--once more.  She was able to free Doctor Fate from Vandal's mind control, but her attempts to remove the Helmet resulted in a series of magical backlash waves that did little more than repel her away.  Her greatest fears were confirmed: there was no way for her to free her Father.  Not like that.

All was not lost, though, and the battle was ultimately won.  Robin and Superboy teaming up to take on Batman and Superman, the last two to fall.  Vandal and Klarion managed to escape, but...victory was theirs.  Just in time to witness the Watchtower clock strike midnight and bring in the 2011 New Year.

The entire Team proceeded to celebrate in the...traditional way.  Including Zatanna, who took advantage of the moment to literally grab Robin and pull him in for a New Years kiss.

Zatanna is young, fun-loving, and adventurous, with a rebellious streak and outwardly confident presence. She often puts up an innocent front at first, only to say and do things that instantly destroy said front as casually as possible...such as (proudly) admitting to having used her magic to sneak out of the house, or not-so-subtly indicating that she couldn't tell on her new friends if they took her along on their unsanctioned mission. Impulsive and new to the world of crime-fighting (by the end of episode 26, she will have three months' field experience), she is prone to making the occasional wrong decision, if for the right reasons. Usually.

There is a degree of flirtatiousness in her demeanor as well, as evident in the several exchanges she shares with Robin from their very first meeting. No matter how obvious or lame his advances come off, she takes it all in stride and does absolutely nothing to discourage him. Quite the opposite, in fact: when he attempts to apologize for a particular line about her "moves", she smirks right back and simply says, "I don't mind." (This attitude/behavior resurfaces at a later time when she unabashedly refers to Red Tornado's human android alter-ego as "cute.") Interestingly enough, she also seems to share his fondness for toying with the English language; when Robin tells her he's trying to act nonchalant, she tells him to be as "chalant" as he likes. This is one of the first hints we get to her more trollish side, and her shameless sense of humor.

At the same time, however, she does have her priorities in order. When the joke is over and it's time to step up, she's ready and willing. It was one thing go follow along when the Team interrogated a suspect. But even when the Team Leader politely suggested she should stay behind at the first sign of battle, Zatanna cast a spell to transform herself into what would become her signature battle look, as her way of declaring there was no way they were leaving her behind. She stood alongside the others, even collaborating with Kid Flash on an attack.

Though she gets along well with the team as a whole, the two people closest to her--by far--are Artemis and Robin. The former was one of the first to openly declare that Zatanna would "fit in" with the others just fine, and later went with her on an impromptu Girls Night Out. Their adventures led them to battle a villain calling himself Harm, and the (explosive) experience brought them closer together. By episode 19, the two girls were almost like sisters. Meanwhile, Zatanna's relationship with Robin started off with witty banter and slightly awkward flirting. The longer they spent together, however, the more genuine the feelings became. This trust and growing sense of affection accumulated until New Years', when she finally took matters into her own hands--literally--by grabbing him for a traditional kiss at Midnight. One which he was more than happy to reciprocate. During the ordeal with the split worlds, she confided her uncertainties in him, and he responded by offering the words of encouragement she needed to hear. In front of most everyone else, she puts up a mask made of smiles and sass. But Robin? He may be the only person on the Team who knows how much she doubts herself.  Especially when it comes to her powers.

Zatanna is a member of the homo magi species, and thus inherited innate magical powers from both her mother and father.  Her ability to sense mystical energies is still emerging, but present; able to sense even the alien mind control influencing Batman at the time.  She can cast most any spell within her limits by reciting incantations in 'sdrawkcab hceeps' (a style unique to her family, in part, because of her lineage being traced all the way back to the great Leonardo Da Vinci, who was known to write his notes backwards). Some of her noted spells include creating temporary clones of herself and her teammates, converting flora into ropes (and gags) for restraining villains, encasing a large area in a giant dome of blizzard-level weather conditions, flight, getting a detainee trained in resisting telepathy to blurt out a truthful reply, changing her and Artemis' clothing, summoning objects, and otherwise manipulating the elements around her to bend to her will.

However, if her ability to speak were hindered in any way, she would be essentially left powerless. Spells also require extreme focus and (in terms of more challenging spells) time to prepare. Most telling is her own admission of her power coming from within, meaning any spell beyond her current capabilities would not work. If she uses too much of her own energy, it could drain her to the point of physical exhaustion. At worst, it would backfire on her in unpredictable ways.

Her spells are generally cast in backwards English, though she is also fluent in Italian (as her father immigrated to the States from Italy before she was born) and speaks basic High School-level French.

Her uniform, consisting of:

• white button-up shirt
• yellow vest
• custom black dinner jacket with extra long coattails
• grey leggings
• black boots
• bowtie & matching gloves

ACTIONSPAM SAMPLE:  


Synodiporia November Test Drive Thread with Robin (20+ tags)



PROSE SAMPLE (based on Prompt #22):


Gotham City.

Of course it was.

At least, that's what it resembled.  Partially.  One moment, she would glance to the side and see a dark alleyway reminiscent of the familiar streets...the next, she would look the other way, and the dingy skyscrapers would appear to be warped.  Melting.  As if under an intense heat that she, herself, appeared to be immune from.  Every step was a test in how solid the ground held beneath her boots.  There should have been an echo against concrete.  There was no sound.

Her head hurt.  A dull ache she got each an every time she was around a strong enough mystical presence.  Like she needed any more clues that something was--

"Zatanna."

That voice.  

Those voices.  Two in one, both painfully familiar in different ways.

Face pale, she slowly turned to find...Doctor Fate.  No, her father.  Giovanni Zatara.   No--another flicker, and he was the Spirit of Nabu once more.  Two souls within a single body.  Neither bearing any emotion in his single expression.  Eyes, cold.  Posture, still.  Cape, fluttering in a nonexistent wind as he hovered mere inches above the ground.  Effortless.  Powerful.  Looming.  Judging.  A finger pointed her way.

Your fault.  This is your fault.

Tears brimmed at the corner of her eyes.  Words never had the chance to catch in her throat, because there were none.  Because he was right.  It was her fault.  Each and every day since it had happened, she'd remind herself of that fact over and over again.  Her fault.  Her decision.  A single moment of spontaneity that had cost her the only father she had left.

"Dad..."

She closed her eyes shut tight, inhaling sharply.  Counting to ten.  Forward, then backwards.  When she opened them again, there was nobody to be seen.  She was alone.

Doctor Fate--her father--was gone.  Again.

hina_mun

Personality:

Zatanna is young, fun-loving, and adventurous, with a rebellious streak and outwardly confident presence. She often puts up an innocent front at first, only to say and do things that instantly destroy said front as casually as possible...such as (proudly) admitting to having used her magic to sneak out of the house, or not-so-subtly indicating that she couldn't tell on her new friends if they took her along on their unsanctioned mission. Impulsive and new to the world of crime-fighting (by the end of episode 26, she will have three months' field experience), she is prone to making the occasional wrong decision, if for the right reasons. Usually.

• Top Hat - Zatanna will come into possession of a magic top-hat (keeping in mind that she did not have a tophat in canon) that allows her to store anything indefinitely inside, regardless of size. When not in "use", it is worn on her head. The catch is that items stored within must be able to last at room temperature. Hot foods will not be kept nor, nor cold foods cold, without accompanied insulation.