BABE WITH THE POWER

"the only way out of here is through me. i hope you're stupid enough to try."

[canaryofprcy-blog]

@oftorch

Dinah is pretty sure that most of her team has gone home for the night when she steps out of her office in full Canary uniform, which is why it’s surprising to see a light still on the main garage, the stereo switched from the generic top forty that it’s usually playing during the day to something else. It’s even more surprising for her to see that Johnny is the one still there, on his back underneath a sleek black Camaro that had looked a hell of a lot worse for wear a couple of days ago--she’s pretty sure that he has a beautiful girlfriend he should be getting home to, or a sister he could be seeing. She debates just sneaking out of the back door and leaving him to his late night--the last thing she would do is begrudge him the peace of figuring out whatever is weighing on him with his hands in an engine--but she likes the kid a lot, and even though she’s not the most caring person in the world, it can be nice to have someone solid to just talk at. 

She smiles warmly and folds her legs underneath her, the cement floor through her fishnets. “Feel free to tell me to shut the hell up and mind my own, but don’t you have better things to be doing, hot stuff?” She raises an eyebrow when he rolls out from underneath the car, a streak of grease across one of his cheekbones. “And if you tell me that you’re still here on my account, I’ll kick your ass so hard. So make it good, better be fixing this bad boy up to take out onto the streets or something, I wouldn’t judge, even though I have never even thought about doing such a thing ever because I’m a responsible business owner.” She grins and shakes her head, exhales. “And I’ve never won any money street racing with stolen property because that’s wrong. Not what the Black Canary stands for, of course.” 

[canaryofprcy-blog]

There was a time when Dinah would have felt confident in saying that she knew Barbara Gordon better than she knew anyone on the face of the earth--but the Joker and everything that followed created a distance. Dinah can’t pretend to know everything that Babs has been through in her healing--it’s something that she’s had to do mostly on her own, and Dinah’s tried to give her the space to put the pieces back together, been something solid to lean against during all of it. Now that Babs has been seeking out her training, tentatively getting back into the business of being Batgirl again, it feels like some of that distance is disappearing--she may not know all of the new ways that her best friend stitched herself back together, but she’s sure as hell excited at the prospect of learning. “I told her about keeping a knife in her boot, if she gets laid because some dumbass with money thinks she’s sexy and dangerous I’m going to riot.” She huffs out a laugh and rolls her eyes--the truth of course is that being a mob princess means that Helena probably learned to arm herself to the teeth as soon as she was old enough to understand what it meant. 

She would never allow her face to melt the way it does at that moment around anyone else, but Babs has seen her a hell of a lot worse than soft. There’s something about having Batgirl at her back that Dinah can’t really explain--that’s how they started, when the Birds of Prey were just an idea that they had, and she has yet to find anyone that can anticipate her like Babs can, someone that she trusts to follow her into the worst situations and bring her back out of it at the end. “Barbara my dear, we aren’t like other girls.” She smirks and shrugs her shoulders, folds her arms across her chest. “You won’t rest until you know that everyone is in safe for the night, and I’m not about to roll my eyes all the way through some romantic comedy and talk about boys and girls.” Her expression turns slightly more gentle, and she nudges Babs with a socked foot. “Unless that’s what you have your heart set on, I’d only do it for you.” 

[canaryofprcy-blog]

She can’t help but stop a chuckle from escaping her lips at her purple savior’s enthusiasm--most wannabe heroes that go through the effort of seeking her out want to prove that they are better in some way, or want a free lesson in the moment and can barely hold their own in a fight. This woman seems to have neither problem, if the way that she swings that baton around and lands a punch on the next one is any indication. “I think he’s going to regret a lot of things, namely the day he was born if I have anything to say about it.” She drawls and clocks the leader across the face for a second time, which elicits a growl from him and a wild haymaker thrown in her general direction. It’s a pathetic attempt from someone who can hardly see through the blood coming out of his nose, and she rolls her eyes before opening her mouth and letting out a scream.

She grins when the young woman asks if she ever gets bored of being awesome, and she shrugs her shoulders before advancing on one that’s coming after her savior’s purple caped back. “It’s taxing when you can hardly get a decent fight in return. You’re not so bad yourself, I like the style of someone who jumps into a fight that isn’t hers and can back up the talk.” She grabs the guy by the collar and throws him down onto the pavement, screams directly into his face before punching him. She keeps a boot on his chest and folds her arms, raises an eyebrow. “Next one is all yours, purple. I think he’s got a beef with that baton of yours specifically, if that nice bruise is anything to go by.” She tells herself that it’s not a test--but she’s weak, especially when it comes to a seemingly capable young woman who wants to do good. And who saved her ass in a major way, but that’s secondary for the moment. 

[waffleaficionado]

@canaryofprcy

Finding a good trainer was like finding a needle in a haystack. Or, in Steph’s case, a canary in the Big Apple.

Black Canary was one of the best fighters that Gotham had to offer. People talked about her skills all the time, whether it be in fear or in envy or in admiration. Steph was a keyed-up combination of the latter two, and jumped to positively thrilled when the rumors started to circle about her presence in New York City. There was nobody better to train Steph (nobody else seemed willing). Steph had to find her, and fast.

It took a lot of strong-arming, baton walloping, and plain old threats to learn even a passing mention of Black Canary’s usual spots, though Steph was persistent (but not in a creepy way). Finally, she managed to track down that familiar screech and just as significant roar of a motorcycle, and just in time, too—it looked like a gang was trying to close in on Canary.

“Watch out,” Steph told the nearest goon, whacking him upside the head with her baton. “She brought a friend!”

That set off a lot of grumbling. Oops. What was the protocol when a guy that looked like a linebacker advanced on you? “One more step, and I start swinging,” Steph warned.

[canaryofprcy-blog]

As far as Dinah was concerned, her experience in training other people began and ended with Roy Harper. That kid had been her mercurial, absurdly brave heart and soul--eager to absorb anything she could think to throw at him, instinctual in a way that didn’t need to be taught. In the end none of it had really mattered, he had fallen prey to things she could never save him from and that he didn’t want to be saved from, and that had been that. She didn’t need to open herself up to that again, and there were few better teachers than pure experience--kids who could hold their own on the streets would do it, and those that couldn’t would find something better to do with their time. It was out of her hands.

It’s not something she thinks about, and anyone who actually tracks her down to ask her in person she usually does the courtesy of referring to Wildcat--after all, Ted was the one who taught the Black Canary everything she knows. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t get wind of noise occasionally, and in the past few weeks she’s been picking up on a few rumors here and there--a young woman who knew her way around a baton was the most common star in them. It’s almost tempting--almost. She has bigger things on her plate at the moment, namely, a gang of thugs that have been terrorizing a poor neighborhood for months now.

She manages to lure them away from the more populated areas on the back of her bike, but somewhere during the chase they seem to have accrued reinforcements--she has no doubt her in ability to handle it, but she can practically feel the bruises from taking on this many people forming preemptively. She’s about to open her mouth and scream, when a young woman clad in purple starts waving around a baton starts making threats on her behalf. “Y’know what they say about girls,” She smirks and advances on the one making steps towards her savior, clocks him across the face with ease. “We travel in packs.” She turns her head quickly to look at the other woman, grins wolfishly. “I’d cover your ears if I were you. Whoever’s left standing is free game as far as bodily harm goes.”

[justiceleaguedaily]

green arrow & black canary in green arrow rebirth

[canaryofprcy-blog]

💔

💔: Have they ever had their heart broken? If so, why or how did it happen?

For a long time Dinah saw vulnerability as a sign of weakness--but she has had her heart broken before. She nearly married a GCPD detective named Craig Windrow, but she discovered that he had ties to the mob and the relationship fell apart. She and Ollie also broke each other’s hearts repeatedly, even though they loved each other and it was arguably the healthiest relationship she’s been in. 

[canaryofprcy-blog]

✨: What motivates them? Is it a deep rooted passion/motivation, or is it something they struggle with from time to time? this is alicia who ran out of asks!

Dinah is motivated by the desire to do good, to protect vulnerable people from situations that they wouldn’t otherwise have any control over--it’s what her mother and her father taught her to do, it’s the only thing that’s ever really made sense to her. She’s also motivated by the fact that she wants to be strong--to not let fear have any power over her and put her in a position of weakness. 

[canaryofprcy-blog]

💧, 💣, ✪

💧: Are there any places they avoid? If so, why?

For the time being, Dinah is steering clear of Star City. There’s just so much wrapped up there in Ollie and Roy and she needs some time away--but it’s also where she really came into her own as the Black Canary, and she’s always going to love the two of them, so it’s not permanent by any stretch of the imagination. She also avoids Gotham if she can, because it’s the place where her mother was based and it’s where her father died. 

💣: Did they ever get caught in a situation because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Only every day of her life? It happens quite a bit as a hero, but a memorable one was when her mentor, Wildcat, got caught up in an underground fighting ring and she tried to convince him to get out--only to be enlisted to fight against him. Luckily it was the shock that he needed to convince him to leave, so that she didn’t have to hurt him. 

✪: Have they ever let a rare opportunity slip them by?

Dinah is very discerning, and it’s rare that she would simply let something slip by her--she’s very aware of the benefits and costs of every choice that she makes. She was offered a chance to join the GCPD as a detective at one point, and that’s usually the choice that she returns to when she thinks about the ways that her life could have gone. 

[canaryofprcy-blog]

@batgirlsback

Dinah doesn’t even know where to begin with this whole body switching thing--it’s practically doubled the chaos on the street with people trying to get a handle on brand new powers, including the people most capable of coming up with viable solutions to it. At the moment that includes Babs, who isn't so much Babs currently as she is a tall and lanky young man who apparently possesses the ability to shoot some sort of energy out of his literal chest. She seems surprisingly calm about that particular fact, which Dinah suspects is actually key to not triggering that particular ability. “C’mon Babs,” She says as she watches her friend tuck a lock of dark brown hair behind her ear for what must be the one hundredth time in the last ten minutes that she’s been focused on her computer screens. “I wanna see what he can do, and I know that your brain wants to know too. You could help him or something, study his powers!” 

It’s a fight she’s probably not going to win--Babs is far too logical to try something that could be so potentially dangerous, especially when there’s work to be done. People trained under Batman tend to be quick to fire off that they don’t need superpowers, but Dinah knows well enough that that doesn’t mean that they haven’t wanted them--or at least to know what they were like. “It could be worse, at least he’s kinda handsome in that quiet and brooding sort of way.” She feels her face soften, her voice become a hitch more quiet. “He reminds me of the way Roy used to look kind of, after he started living with Ollie for a while.” Life had since hollowed him out in a vicious way, stripped away the boy and replaced it with something else, but she pushes that thought away, schools her features back into something lighter. “What if we got his permission to try it out? You said he seemed like a cool guy.” 

[canaryofprcy-blog]

Dinah likes to think that being the daughter of a detective and working alongside the daughter of one of the best detectives in the world has made her a pretty good judge of character--and the man in front of her doesn't really throw up any of her red flags. She thinks that she recognizes someone looking for a place to land, and even though she puts up a tough front--she’s never been able to really deny someone that. “I have to ask, I get enough gross dudes  who had one too many hot rod calendars when they were growing up. Not that I can’t handle myself, but I prefer to grab the bull by the horns before it can really get going. You don't strike me as the type.” She rolls her eyes and shrugs her shoulders. His confidence seems to falter for a half second when he mentions gaps in his resume, but she shakes her head and gives him a small smile. “You don't have to explain, I have my own--gaps. All I really care about is how good you are with cars--and that you’re not a serial killer or anything.” 

She gestures to the open hood behind her with a tilt of her head, a sleek black number with a white racing stripe meant to linger in a garage and be shown off at dinner parties. A status symbol with a beautiful racing engine being (in Dinah’s professional opinion) completely wasted. “I don’t have a lot of mechanics who can handle real heavy duty engines like this--you show me you can, I think you’ll fit in well here. That sound like a deal hotshot?” She raises an eyebrow in a kind of challenge, leans up against one of the tail lights. “You can call me Dinah, by the way. Start by telling me what I should call you, and--I dunno, why someone who looks like they should be modeling Abercrombie board shorts would prefer to get his hands dirty?” 

[batgirlsback]

@canaryofprcy

Barbara wasn’t on the clock, technically, tonight but she was never exactly off the clock either. Her Batgirl suit was tucked in the closet of what was once the master bedroom of her apartment but now functioned as the home for all of her computers and monitors. If she needed it, she could get dressed in under five minutes. Not that she timed it but…yes, she had timed it. Today she was doing basic upkeep: cleaning her software and organizing various missions and updating location information. Kid stuff, really. Her headset was on in case somebody needed her in a pinch, but the volume was turned down and the mic was muted. She was possibly going to say some things that she didn’t want everyone with Oracle-ware to overhear. Especially not any of the other Bats.

Although it would typically be considered rude to work or type while a friend was speaking, this was kind of how it went. And Babs had the mental capacity to listen to Dinah and carry on a meaningful conversation without looking away from her monitor. Which she sometimes did, often glancing away to shoot her best friend a look or a frown. Barbara finally stopped typing, satisfied for now with the work she had done, and swiveled her chair to face the one Dinah was seated in beside her. “Okay, that should do it. For the rest of the night, anyhow. Hopefully none of our friends will find themselves in a near death experience for the next few hours. But if they do, would you want to go out into the field, just the two of us? Thankfully I’ve had a good teacher in the assisting-via-butt-kicking department.” Babs smiled at her friend, because next to physical therapy, Dinah was the biggest help she’d gotten on her road back to Batgirl. “It’d be nice to have a night off, too. I haven’t watched any terrible movies lately.”

[canaryofprcy-blog]

Dinah works hard to project the idea that she’s always ready for the fight--that she’s always holding herself tense and at the ready. It’s effective for intimidating enemies and people that she doesn’t want to bother making small talk with, and if there’s anyone who knows that it’s a front more often than not it’s Babs. Sometimes even the all dangerous Black Canary needs a night sprawled out with a cold beer and her best friend instead of the scum of the earth--even if said best friend is currently more focused on what’s happening on her computer screen, than on Dinah’s riveting stories about soccer moms running into poles for the sole purpose of checking out her new mechanic, and how she broke some wannabe gangster’s nose in three places two days ago. It’s a time honored song and dance, and truth be told she’d do anything if it made Barbara happy--even if it means Dinah doesn’t exactly have her full attention. 

“Helena’s on a date with a state senator or something, does that count as a near death experience?” She smirks and raises an eyebrow, takes a pull from her beer. “Y’know what, it actually might. Does she still carry her crossbow in her purse?” She puts her feet on Barbara’s chair with a grin, starts twisting it back and forth idly--a way to not betray just how happy she is to even be sitting here right now, to even have the option of hitting the streets with Batgirl by her side. She’s been fighting by her best friend’s side for so long--not being able to fight this particular fight with her has been pretty much the hardest thing Dinah has ever had to do--she’s just--incredibly grateful that she’s getting the chance to help here and now. 

“Aw, it’s been so long since you took me out dancing just the two of us, you know I’d like nothing more.” She leans back in the chair, smirks again. “You should tell me more about this teacher though, they sound really sexy and smart and powerful.” 

[slavicshcdow]

@canaryofprcy​

The Birds of Prey was a team that Natasha had always been interested in. To her, there was nothing more appealing than a group of powerful women banding together, protecting their world. Dinah Lance, the Black Canary, was a large part of the reason why. There wasn’t a day that went by where Natasha wasn’t admiring Dinah’s impeccable form in combat and drive to continue fighting for the betterment of Earth as a whole. Similarly, Oracle was endlessly impressive, and as a result, Natasha surrounded herself with the Birds of Prey whenever and wherever possible.

Unfortunately, Natasha’s evening with Dinah wasn’t going exactly as she had planned. The alert she had received, warning her about an invisible Kree had lead them to the middle of the forest outside of New York City with no signs of the alien anywhere. “Well, this is unfortunate,” Natasha said, turning towards Dinah. “It’s also reminiscent of the beginning of a horror movie. Do you think we have any chance of finding its location?” As Natasha spoke, she removed a tool that allowed her to track heat and scanned the area. “I’m not picking anything up,” she added.

[canaryofprcy-blog]

“You telling me I should be worried that you’re gonna take me out at some point, in a bid to take the final girl title for yourself?” Dinah chuckles as she follows Natasha through the trees, behind the power of whatever gadget she was holding in her hand. She hadn’t even hesitated before saying oh hell yes to hunting down some invisible alien--Dinah rarely gets to fight next to someone who can not only keep up with her, but match her move for move. Not to mention the fact that even though they’ve been friends for a while now, willingly being sought out by the Black Widow always feels like an ego boost. Like she’s worth her salt as a woman and a hero. “Cause I can hold my own, some freak in a hockey mask can’t come after you with a rusty ax if he’s nursing a couple of blown out eardrums.” 

“My scream is sonic, think that might flush out something?” She shrugs her shoulders, tucks her hands into the pockets of her jacket. “I have some training in tracking, but I’m guessing it kind of pales in comparison to yours.” Dinah has never cared much for the kind of stealth Natasha is practically draped in, it’s hard to blend in when her one special skill pretty much involves screaming at the top of her lungs in someone’s face--but thanks to people like Shiva and much to her chagrin, Helena--she’s not as loud and obnoxious as she could be. She knows the value of a quiet approach. She plants her feel firmly and concentrates on the muscles in her throat, lets out several quiet sonic waves. 

[oftorch]

@canaryofprcy

Before the Negative Zone, Johnny’d had a pretty good gig going. The mechanic shop he’d worked for had been private, the kind of place where he could easily lose himself working on a car and not have to worry about maintaining his image for any Fantastic Four fanatic who just “happened” to be in the neighborhood. The boss had been nice enough but, as it turned out, he hadn’t seen much of a reason to keep Johnny’s position open when he disappeared into an alternate dimension and was presumed dead.

It was fair, Johnny guessed, but it did sort of leave him out of a job. A new gig had been proving tough to find, especially given all the distractions that came with being a fairly superhero. He’d go to look for something and then, like clockwork, the next crisis would hit, leaving him distracted for weeks at a time. It was an endless cycle, but he was working to get passed it. Today, that meant making some rounds to some local mechanics’ shops to see if anyone was interested. Not the most twenty-first century way to find a job, but Johnny had always performed better in person! Stepping off the street and into a garage, he approached the woman working with a smile. “Hi,” he greeted, leaning back on his heels to watch her work for a minute. “Sorry if this is too forward, but are you hiring? I could use the job.”

[canaryofprcy-blog]

For a while, when she had first gotten her mother to agree to let Dinah become the new Black Canary, it had been comfortable to lose herself in her mother’s life--she wore the same leather jacket, trained with the same person who had taught her mother, signed the lease to her mother’s floral shop in Gotham City. It was easier not to think about any of it--it was the kind of safety her mother had wanted for her all along. But she's never been good at playing it safe, and trying to please Dinah Drake was never going to be an easy game to win, so she decided to stop playing. She hauled her ass to Star City, she fell in love with a blonde bombshell with a bow and arrow and a kid who never knew when to back away from a fight--but even that had felt like it was meant for someone else. 

The shop is the one thing that truly belongs to her, she built it up with her own two hands when it was just the hollow shell of a racing shop from the 60′s. Most of the time it feels like a physical representation of her asserting herself and her independence, and because of that she’s protective of it--especially when she gets hot shots like this walking through her door, all charm and grin. “That depends,” She says and straightens her spine after bending over the engine she’s working on. She wipes her hands on a rag tossed over her shoulder, folds her arms across her chest. “I own this place, you got any problems working for a woman? And what kind of experience are we talking about?”