Profile
- flowers
- chubby animals
- being included
- trying new things
- cowardice
- being compared to Wonder Woman
- greedy people
- garlic
An ex-Amazon that must repay a life debt to the primordial goddess of night, Ptolema wields the Scourge of Nemesis and Sword of Alala and has spent centuries in a sort of miserable celestial indentured servitude. What was once a swell deal (serve the gods, get cool stuff, travel for work) has become a nightmare (gods are fickle, egotistical assholes that punish for minor offenses, rip you away from allies, and keep you in the depths of Hades for hundreds of years at a time) that Ptolema longs to escape from and live somewhat of a normal life. But, at the same time, she has no concept of what it means to be normal.
Too archaic for the modern world and too sullied by the outside world to return to Themyscira, Ptolema exists not only in the literal purgatory that is Hades, but in a sort of personal limbo, too. After reconnecting with one of her sisters, Diana, Ptolema was offered a place in the ranks of the Justice League. Spinning it in such a way that the League would be a way to "spread her influence in the mortal realm", Ptolema was allowed by her goddess to join, and has eagerly taken every opportunity to participate in mortal affairs.
Still, Ptolema has her reservations. She is too prideful to tell anyone of her situation, and knows deep down that at any moment her goddess can rip her away and back to the miserable depths of Tartarus. Doing everything she can to keep people at a distance (lest the gods worry she's getting too attached to someone else), Ptolema has still managed to make a few friends that saw through her scary armor and spooky shadow magic. She enjoys every moment with the League and is using it as an opportunity to catch up on world affairs, learn how to use modern tech, and learn new combat techniques. However, no amount of fun and adventure can distract her from a lingering, inescapable sense of dread.
Especially when the night comes.
Creation: The Amazons
“Around the year 1200 B.C., a small group of female Olympian gods desired to create a nation of warrior women that would help to spread their ideals to the world. Met with disinterest or opposition by most of their male counterparts, the goddesses Hestia, Aphrodite, Demeter, Athena and Artemis convened in the land of the Underworld. There, in the Cavern of Souls, were kept the spirits of all women who had unjustly died at the hands of a man. The five goddesses combined their powers to grant life to all of the souls -- with the exception of one, whom they decided would have a special future purpose.
Through their magics, the goddesses formed thousands of super-humanly strong, adult female bodies from the clay bed of a lake in Greece, and imbued them with the spirits from the Well of Souls. The first such creature to emerge from the lake was dubbed Hippolyta by the goddesses, and she was crowned queen of these women, to be henceforth known as Amazons. The Amazons were to serve the Olympian gods in proselytical manner, spreading their principles and devotion to a largely barbarian world."- Earth-Two
On Themyscira
A well-regarded Amazon warrior and general on Themyscira, Ptolema strongly wished to have the divine powers that her friend and rival, Diana of Themyscira, possessed. Feeling it was necessary to become strong and defend Paradise Island properly, Ptolema sought to leave Themyscira to petition the gods of Olympus for their blessing, and in exchange, she would serve as their champion. Knowing full well that leaving the island meant that Hippolyta would banish her, Ptolema did so anyway, arrogantly assuming that her future godly gifts would cause her queen to make an exception. Travelling across Earth, Ptolema assimilated into various warrior cultures and trained with great armies such as the Spartans. Honing her skills over the years, she felt that she was ready to travel to Mt. Olympus and petition the gods for the power she felt she was ready for. The gods, however, were not convinced.
Infuriated by her hubris, Nemesis, the goddess of divine retribution, struck her down as punishment for her pride. Nemesis, enraged, said she would receive nothing, and Thanatos would claim her body and chuck it into the pits of hades where it belonged. Angered that she was not worthy, and confused as to why, Ptolema lay dying until she heard a voice call her name. The voice said it would grant her the power she sought, and give her a chance at a new life. Refusing to die and angry at the gods, Ptolema agreed. A choice she would regret for eons.
The Hand of Eris
Ptolema was indeed granted divine power from Olympus, though it was not in the way she had hoped. The voice was that of Eris, goddess of discord and bringer of strife. In exchange for life, Eris carved out Ptolema’s mangled heart and replaced it with one made of her cursed gold. She became a champion of Eris, and was imbued with ghastly weapons and abilities that would wreak havoc on battlefields for centuries. Through the bindings of Eris' cursed gold, she was forced to become an Agent of Discord, leading the charges of whatever conflict Eris and her friend Ares devised to fuel their power.
The Amazon spent centuries in servitude until she could take the abuse and atrocities no longer, turning against her masters. Fighting them off with their own power, she was defeated by Eris and Ares and was cast aside to die once again. Cursing the gods, she closed her eyes and accepted her fate. An eternity burning in Hades sounded like a walk in the park compared to serving Eris.
Champion of Nyx
Ptolema awoke, to her surprise, in a dark citadel instead of a lake of fire and flames. She was in the throne room of Nyx, the great and terrible primordial goddess of night that even Zeus was afraid of. Assuming she was in for a world of pain, as not just anyone appears before Nyx, Ptolema fell to her knees and asked for mercy. Nyx, instead, draped her in a cloth as black as the night and embedded with stars. Philotes, goddess of friendship, appeared at Nyx’s side and said that her mother saw potential in the Amazon. Not just anyone could endure centuries of Eris’s power and survive. Nyx was impressed, and wanted to take advantage of what her daughter, Eris, had carelessly tossed aside like a broken toy.
Offering her shroud and other divine gifts, Nyx maintained that Ptolema must atone for her many crimes against mankind by taking a portion of her power and spreading the influence of the primordial goddess, and after enough good deeds, Ptolema’s mangled heart would be repaired and she would be released from a sort of godly indentured servitude.
Having no other choice, as that sounded a lot better than burning in Hades, Ptolema accepted. Motioning to a magical hourglass, Nyx said that each grain of sand was a good deed. Once she earned enough to fill the glass, her heart would be returned and she would be freed. She was given new divine equipment, and sent on her way as a newfound champion of Nyx.
Once devoutly loyal to Nyx, that sentiment eventually faded as Ptolema found her second helping of servitude to be just as miserable as her first, albeit for different reasons. Nyx was an incredibly scary and fickle goddess, and often spoke through Nemesis or Philotes, her two favorite daughters. Dealing with the three’s demands meant dedicating her entire life to answering their every call, whether it be for an extremely important godly mission or simply to help Philotes pick a new toga. She began to long for a simple life. Making a few friends over the centuries, Ptolema only wanted to take a break. Or at the very least live a life not dictated by someone else. But, she supposed it was what she deserved.
Mortal Affairs
Reconnecting with Diana of Themyscira in the 21st century during a mission to help one of Nyx’s other dozens of godly children, Ptolema entertained the thought of joining Diana’s “Justice League” in order to do a lot more good a lot more quickly. Hesitant, as Ptolema wasn’t exactly the League’s “type”, Diana extended an invitation to join the reserves and assist whenever the League needed help with affairs that were godly in nature. Eagerly accepting, after consulting her goddess of course, Ptolema now spends her days split between serving the League and serving Nyx, excitedly meeting new heroes and using the League as an escape from the reality of being under a god’s thumb.
**All characters are for the DCAU unless otherwise stated!**
Ptolema's closest friend in the Justice League. An extroverted flirt with few inhibitions, Farrah is Ptol's opposite in nearly every way, but she pushes Ptol to get out of her comfort zone and strives to help her experience the "normal" things she's missed out on for so many centuries. She really wants to take Ptol out to get a milkshake or some smiley face pancakes, but things keep getting in the way!
Aeneas (yes, the one from legend) is Ptolema's only consistent contact in the mortal realm. Spending their eternities crossing paths and fighting together (sometimes on opposite factions), the Greco-Roman hero now acts as Ptolema's salacious and lazy roomate on the rare occasions that she's allowed a day or two of rest on Earth. He takes good care of her finances and most personal belongings, keeping them out of he hands of any bitter gods that may wish to destroy them as punishment. Aeneas, a frat boy at his core, may get on her nerves at times, but he is her most loyal and only long-lasting friend.
Too prideful to let her former friend know just how far she has fallen and too worried that Diana might make things worse through intervention, Ptolema has not told Diana of anything that happened since she left Themyscira and tends to avoid her when possible. Diana is no fool, though, and knows that something is "off" about Ptolema, but can't seem to get her friend to open up.
Encountering the Dog of War on a separate mission before ever joining the League, Ptolema is completely enamored by his warrior spirit, otherworldly origins, and poetic language. The two became fast friends after she enlisted, finding kinship in their loneliness, love of battle, and "heavy-handed" means of exacting justice. Never tiring of hearing him talk of New Genesis, Ptolema secretly yearns to leave Earth behind and join the utopia that resides in the Fourth World. Most of the gods there seem a lot less terrible than what she has to put up with...
*AN: I'm a dirty ocxcanon shipper. They're together in the DCAU*
Seeing him as one would see a "toxic ex", Ptolema finds Ares to be completely reprehensible. Her debt to Nyx means that, more often than not, she winds up in his circles. She may not work for him anymore, but Ptol has to work with him, and she finds his presence to be nauseating. Still, he did give her the Sword of Alala and has yet to ask for it back, so she assumes her level of complete and utter disgust isn't mutual. That, or he's just waiting to take it when she needs it most.
Both being relics of the past, Ptolema and Shining Knight became fast friends after recognizing their paladin-like nature, and she quickly fosters a deep respect for his dedication and his cute little horse. Eventually, the two become comfortable enough to discuss their more personal similarities, and they find mutual solace in their status as LGBT+ heroes. Although it is not a subject she understands, Ptolema fully encourages Sir Justin's exporation of his gender identity and eagerly supports him in all of his endeavors.
Ptolema would typically despise the sort of little man Wally West is, and yet she can't help but see him as a small, cute little thing to be protected and coddled. Maybe it's her weakness for redheads? Either way, Ptolema genuinely enjoys his company and thinks his abilities should be feared and respected much more than they are. She doesn't mind his flirtyness or his jokes. Hell, she loves that he treats her like a regular person and not like a scary 10-foot-tall greek statue.
Finding his cold nature, flat tone, and dismissal of others to be highly patronizing, Ptolema finds herself at odds with the Batman. She finds his methods of dealing with criminals to be ineffective, and strongly dislikes being ordered around by a puny mortal man. It is Batman, not Wonder Woman, that discovers her past with Eris and Ares thanks to historical documents. And she despises him for it.
HTML by Eggy
Comments