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Application for Haven!
Name: Steve
Contact Info: darkspineshadow on AIM | Abnormacus on Plurk
Character Name: Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel | Harley Quinn
Canon: DC Comics
Canon Point: Prior to the New 52, circa Gotham City Sirens #7
Background/History: Wikipedia | DC Comics Database
Personality: "Harley Quin-zel. Rework it a bit and you get Harley Quinn, like the classic clown character, Harlequin… the very spirit of fun and frivolity!"
Sounds about right, doesn’t it? Well, mostly right. For while Harley Quinn has spirit, and while she’s certainly no stranger to fun or frivolity, this clown isn’t all smiles.
Consider her childhood. Life can’t have been easy for a sweet young Brooklyn girl like Harleen: daughter to a con-man father who always knew how to sweet-talk his way out of anything and a poor mother who, above all else, wanted her children raised right (as in, completely unlike their father), to say nothing of her unmotivated brother, apathetic and unwilling to even try to work, despite the mounting responsibilities he undoubtedly faced. She must have had a lot of pressure riding on her as she pursued an education at Gotham State University, and understandably so. To have been accepted thanks to a gymnastics scholarship, to then pursue a degree in psychiatry? Even so, she was still able to pass with flying colors and get her psychiatric degree.
She didn’t crack under pressure. Not yet, anyway.
That wouldn’t come until later down the road, when she first entered the halls of Arkham Asylum. Not as an inpatient, but as an intern. And the more she learned of the Asylum and its patients, the more fascinated she found herself by one of its most infamous attendees: The Joker.
Harley Quinn and the Joker. Perhaps one of the most complex, twisted relationships ever explored within the vast reaches of the DC Universe. In the foreword for Mad Love, creator Paul Dini describes Harleen’s fall for the Joker not as “a victim’s tale,” but “a cautionary one about what happens when someone loves recklessly, obsessively, and for too long.” In many ways, the Joker is responsible for helping shape her into the woman she is today, for whispering countless promises and sweet-nothings into her ear, for convincing her to follow his chaotic teachings and wildest ambitions. But the true tragedy of Harley’s fall for the Joker is that in the end, the path to insanity is a choice that she, herself, made.
As a couple, they’ve had their ups and downs, albeit far more violently than most other couples in the world. Despite the Joker’s undeniable cruelty, Harley almost always finds herself coming back to him. But her devotion isn’t always placed in the wrong hands; in recent times, Harley’s been pursuing more of an independent lifestyle along Selina Kyle (a.k.a. “Catwoman”) and Dr. Pamela Lillian Isley (a.k.a. “Poison Ivy”), fellow supercriminals in a transitionary movement towards reform. And no matter who she finds herself allied with, be it the abusive Joker, her fellow Gotham City Sirens, or even somebody as weaselly as the Riddler, Harley won’t hesitate to defend her friends and knock whoever’s threatening them right back down on their butts, smiling as she does so.
Always smiling. In spite of her difficulties in life and the downwards spiral she may never recover from, Harley’s always quick to bounce back from anything, putting others at ease (or giving them grief) with a bubbly disposition. She’ll smile, she’ll laugh, maybe she’ll crack a dumb joke or two. But is this who she truly is? Or, like the white grease paint she applies daily, is it just a mask she wears to protect herself from the pain that surely eats away at her?
Yeah. Not so funny anymore, huh?
At first glance, one might assume Harley’s just stepped out of a cartoon. Which, to an extent, is true, given her jump from the beloved DC Animated Universe into comic book canon. Really, though, seeing her in action? She practically is a cartoon character. She most frequently speaks in a thick, exaggerated Joisey accent, only really dropping it when she’s truly serious about something. But very rarely does she allow herself an opportunity to be serious. Or mature, for that matter.
For a woman her age, she can be incredibly childish, still sleeping among a mountain of stuffed animals and toys. Among her fellow Gotham City Sirens, she’s content to be the kid of the group, lounging around at home and playing video games as Selina trains with Wildcat and Pam interviews for a high-profile position with S.T.A.R. Labs. Though there are plenty of hobbies she enjoys as an adult as well: shopping sprees, fancy dates and nights on the town, as well as taking care of her babies. Well, she’ll call them “babies” and treat them like puppies, but they are, in fact, two wild, dangerous hyenas (affectionately named “Bud” and “Lou,” like the comedic greats).
Harley once admitted that she finds herself drawn to the appeal of “extreme” personalities, and she herself is no exception. Nearly every action she takes, every reaction she makes, can be pretty extreme. She’s just as prone to laughing fits as she is to explosive outbursts when provoked. And when she really finds herself pushed to her limit? She can be pretty damned terrifying, as we discover towards the end of Gotham City Sirens’ all-too-brief run when she finally decides to do something about the Joker once and for all.
Honestly, despite the loud personality she proudly boasts of, she’s still very much a damaged and emotionally compromised person inside. Her on-again, off-again relationship with the Joker is a troubling example of both her vulnerability and her codependent nature, which tend to either get her into trouble or alienate her quickly from her peers (probably both) as soon as that relationship status changes. As one of Poison Ivy’s closest friends, Harley’s relationship with the Joker is a pretty tricky subject. Harley still cares deeply for “Red,” as she refers to Ivy, but has the potential to manipulate Ivy’s trust to her own advantage, as we unfortunately learn in the climax of Gotham City Sirens. Though she’s a devoted friend to Ivy, her love for the Joker is stronger, and it can twist Harley into doing some pretty horrible things.
“So maybe I’m crazy,” she’s sure to say, “but aren’t we all a little crazy in love?”
Abilities/Powers: Harley's an olympic-level gymnast and acrobat, capable of moving pretty fast on her feet and packing a powerful punch. After receiving a shot from her gal-pal Poison Ivy, Harley not only gained an immunity to most toxins and poisons, but her agility and above-average skills in martial arts were given a pretty hefty boost as well.
Lastly, though it's often easy for her fellow rogues or her enemies to gloss over, beneath Harley's childish and aloof exterior lies the intellect of a genius. Before her corruption and fall into criminal activity, Harley graduated from Gotham State University with top honors in the field of psychoanalysis.
Items/Weapons: One oversized wooden mallet, one novelty popgun, and a framed picture of her ex-boyfriend, the Joker.
Contact Info: darkspineshadow on AIM | Abnormacus on Plurk
Character Name: Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel | Harley Quinn
Canon: DC Comics
Canon Point: Prior to the New 52, circa Gotham City Sirens #7
Background/History: Wikipedia | DC Comics Database
Personality: "Harley Quin-zel. Rework it a bit and you get Harley Quinn, like the classic clown character, Harlequin… the very spirit of fun and frivolity!"
Sounds about right, doesn’t it? Well, mostly right. For while Harley Quinn has spirit, and while she’s certainly no stranger to fun or frivolity, this clown isn’t all smiles.
Consider her childhood. Life can’t have been easy for a sweet young Brooklyn girl like Harleen: daughter to a con-man father who always knew how to sweet-talk his way out of anything and a poor mother who, above all else, wanted her children raised right (as in, completely unlike their father), to say nothing of her unmotivated brother, apathetic and unwilling to even try to work, despite the mounting responsibilities he undoubtedly faced. She must have had a lot of pressure riding on her as she pursued an education at Gotham State University, and understandably so. To have been accepted thanks to a gymnastics scholarship, to then pursue a degree in psychiatry? Even so, she was still able to pass with flying colors and get her psychiatric degree.
She didn’t crack under pressure. Not yet, anyway.
That wouldn’t come until later down the road, when she first entered the halls of Arkham Asylum. Not as an inpatient, but as an intern. And the more she learned of the Asylum and its patients, the more fascinated she found herself by one of its most infamous attendees: The Joker.
Harley Quinn and the Joker. Perhaps one of the most complex, twisted relationships ever explored within the vast reaches of the DC Universe. In the foreword for Mad Love, creator Paul Dini describes Harleen’s fall for the Joker not as “a victim’s tale,” but “a cautionary one about what happens when someone loves recklessly, obsessively, and for too long.” In many ways, the Joker is responsible for helping shape her into the woman she is today, for whispering countless promises and sweet-nothings into her ear, for convincing her to follow his chaotic teachings and wildest ambitions. But the true tragedy of Harley’s fall for the Joker is that in the end, the path to insanity is a choice that she, herself, made.
As a couple, they’ve had their ups and downs, albeit far more violently than most other couples in the world. Despite the Joker’s undeniable cruelty, Harley almost always finds herself coming back to him. But her devotion isn’t always placed in the wrong hands; in recent times, Harley’s been pursuing more of an independent lifestyle along Selina Kyle (a.k.a. “Catwoman”) and Dr. Pamela Lillian Isley (a.k.a. “Poison Ivy”), fellow supercriminals in a transitionary movement towards reform. And no matter who she finds herself allied with, be it the abusive Joker, her fellow Gotham City Sirens, or even somebody as weaselly as the Riddler, Harley won’t hesitate to defend her friends and knock whoever’s threatening them right back down on their butts, smiling as she does so.
Always smiling. In spite of her difficulties in life and the downwards spiral she may never recover from, Harley’s always quick to bounce back from anything, putting others at ease (or giving them grief) with a bubbly disposition. She’ll smile, she’ll laugh, maybe she’ll crack a dumb joke or two. But is this who she truly is? Or, like the white grease paint she applies daily, is it just a mask she wears to protect herself from the pain that surely eats away at her?
Yeah. Not so funny anymore, huh?
At first glance, one might assume Harley’s just stepped out of a cartoon. Which, to an extent, is true, given her jump from the beloved DC Animated Universe into comic book canon. Really, though, seeing her in action? She practically is a cartoon character. She most frequently speaks in a thick, exaggerated Joisey accent, only really dropping it when she’s truly serious about something. But very rarely does she allow herself an opportunity to be serious. Or mature, for that matter.
For a woman her age, she can be incredibly childish, still sleeping among a mountain of stuffed animals and toys. Among her fellow Gotham City Sirens, she’s content to be the kid of the group, lounging around at home and playing video games as Selina trains with Wildcat and Pam interviews for a high-profile position with S.T.A.R. Labs. Though there are plenty of hobbies she enjoys as an adult as well: shopping sprees, fancy dates and nights on the town, as well as taking care of her babies. Well, she’ll call them “babies” and treat them like puppies, but they are, in fact, two wild, dangerous hyenas (affectionately named “Bud” and “Lou,” like the comedic greats).
Harley once admitted that she finds herself drawn to the appeal of “extreme” personalities, and she herself is no exception. Nearly every action she takes, every reaction she makes, can be pretty extreme. She’s just as prone to laughing fits as she is to explosive outbursts when provoked. And when she really finds herself pushed to her limit? She can be pretty damned terrifying, as we discover towards the end of Gotham City Sirens’ all-too-brief run when she finally decides to do something about the Joker once and for all.
Honestly, despite the loud personality she proudly boasts of, she’s still very much a damaged and emotionally compromised person inside. Her on-again, off-again relationship with the Joker is a troubling example of both her vulnerability and her codependent nature, which tend to either get her into trouble or alienate her quickly from her peers (probably both) as soon as that relationship status changes. As one of Poison Ivy’s closest friends, Harley’s relationship with the Joker is a pretty tricky subject. Harley still cares deeply for “Red,” as she refers to Ivy, but has the potential to manipulate Ivy’s trust to her own advantage, as we unfortunately learn in the climax of Gotham City Sirens. Though she’s a devoted friend to Ivy, her love for the Joker is stronger, and it can twist Harley into doing some pretty horrible things.
“So maybe I’m crazy,” she’s sure to say, “but aren’t we all a little crazy in love?”
Abilities/Powers: Harley's an olympic-level gymnast and acrobat, capable of moving pretty fast on her feet and packing a powerful punch. After receiving a shot from her gal-pal Poison Ivy, Harley not only gained an immunity to most toxins and poisons, but her agility and above-average skills in martial arts were given a pretty hefty boost as well.
Lastly, though it's often easy for her fellow rogues or her enemies to gloss over, beneath Harley's childish and aloof exterior lies the intellect of a genius. Before her corruption and fall into criminal activity, Harley graduated from Gotham State University with top honors in the field of psychoanalysis.
Items/Weapons: One oversized wooden mallet, one novelty popgun, and a framed picture of her ex-boyfriend, the Joker.
