Knock 'em in the Teeth Now; Never Let Your Guard Down

Name: Oswald Cobblepot / The Penguin
Canon: Gotham
Game: duplicitynet
Canon Point: S4EP1 - A Dark Knight: Pax Penguina, before opening The Iceberg Lounge
History: ☂
Gender: Male
Orientation: Gay
Age: Early 30s
Height: 5'5" / 171cm
Build: Trim
Hair: Black
Eyes: Blue
Features: Birdish facial structure, distinctive limp from an injured right leg, scar on the back of his left hand, bullet wound scars through his left shoulder and abdomen
Voice: ☂
Major Negative Trait: Narcissistic
Designation: Submissive
Dominant: Vrenille
Housing: The Manor at Forest Sauvage, The Up
Assets: Here
Inventory: Penguin cane (plus hidden knife), a newspaper, an origami penguin, Edward Nygma's switchblade, and a handgun
PB: Robin Lord Taylor

People from Gotham know there are actually two versions of the city: the one that belongs to the Have Its of the elites of society, and the Have Nots who make do in the dog-eat-dog shadows of a corrupt metropolis underpinned by corruption and organised crime. Oswald Cobblepot began life in the latter of the two raised alone by his immigrant mother after her love affair with her wealthy employer's son when she was a young woman. Bullied horribly and ridiculed as a child, Oswald was shaped into a resentful man with a strong survivalist streak, willing to do whatever was necessary to make ends meet in order to provide for himself and his mother.

A highly ambitious and resourceful person, Oswald is shown time and time again that he is willing and able to go to extreme lengths to get what he wants. When he enters Gotham's underworld he sets his sights on climbing the ranks and ascends from from lowly umbrella boy to of one of the city's top gangsters, to middle crime manager, to crime lord in rapid succession.

He has plotted, schemed and betrayed his way to the top after negotiating his way into various more favourable positions of power and earning the trust of many high profile crime lords and city officials. His rise in power was assisted by his cunning, patience and intelligence. Oswald is a shewed business man and a highly capable schemer with the uncanny ability to spin even the most dire situations to his favour with his opportunistic nature, leveraging his knowledge and various positions--no matter how high or low in the power chain--to his advantage.

Despite being emotionally volatile, prone to violent outbursts and having a well-earned reputation for being cruel, ruthless and bloodthirsty, when he needs to be Oswald can be surprisingly charming and charismatic with a magnetic presence that enables him to legitimately win a public election to become Mayor of Gotham from the will of its citizens.

Bold, ostentatious and arrogant, Oswald has an overall grandiose sense of self accentuated by the fact that his rise to power is proof of his worth and ability. He frequently speaks down to others--especially those he views as under his station--dismissively and in a condescending matter, opting for sarcastic and biting humour that is emblematic of how the world has treated him earlier in life. Social mobility for Oswald, therefore, has not been a vessel for him to help change the lives of those in the class he was born to and instead his selfish tendencies mean he is prone to pulling up the ladder behind him once he has climbed it without looking back.

A dearth of true friendship and kind treatment over the years from anyone other than his mother has fashioned Oswald into a highly paranoid person, however on very rare occasion he has been known to have a softer, more sensitive side. He very open and honest with his emotions, believes in the old codes of the crime world and in honouring favours made. To the limited few that he cares for, Oswald is highly protective, will ensure they are provided for without question, and will defend to the hilt. For those scant few, he will make any sacrifice necessary to ensure their safety, including himself and all he's worked for. Woe be onto anyone who does threaten what is his though, as Oswald is wrathful and vengeful, always willing to take one step further to come out on top with his strong belief in the philosophy eye for an eye.

While Oswald has no superhuman powers, he has several skills and abilities that have helped him climb the organised crime ladder, take up positions of high political power in office, and ascend in Gotham's elite social rank.

High-level Intellect, Master Tactician, Leadership Skills
As mentioned above, Oswald has shown on numerous occasions that he is a highly calculating person with tremendous foresight and planning. He tends to think several steps ahead, anticipating his opponents' possible reactions and accounting for them in his thinking. Once, when an enemy thought they had the upper hand and surrounded Oswald with armed guards in a restaurant, Oswald simply responded with "--always one step ahead, never three" before revealing that every other diner in the joint was armed and working for him, outnumbering his enemy's guns three to one. This ability to come out on top and anticipate the outcomes of high stakes situations lend credibility to his position as a leader as he is able to maintain his position of power and influence and, despite his methods, has proven to be a solid leader of Gotham, bringing gangs and police under thumb and in line with his goals.

Master of Deception
Oswald is a master manipulator, often presenting himself as less of a threat than he actually is or positioning himself in a conflict so that he can misdirect and plant seeds of doubt in others in order to turn them against one another.

Indomitable Will
Oswald is incredibly dogged when it comes to his focus and getting what he wants. He has a very high tolerance for pain and torture, enduring a tremendous amount of discomfort in order to survive and fight another day, or seek out revenge against those who have wronged him.

Intimidation
While many have underestimated Oswald as a funny little man with a hobble, he is dangerous and serious about his threats, whether that involves blackmail, extortion, or physical violence. He can be really quite scary when he wants to be and the fact that so many people are scared of his ruthlessness is what allows him to hold onto his positions of power for long in Gotham.

Networking
In order to work his way up the ranks and maintain his position, Oswald has become very skilled at networking and searching whose good graces he needs to appeal to. He'll do extensive research on competitors and potential business partners alike, making sure to stay up to date and relevant even as the political winds of society change direction.

Combatant, Marksman, Skilled Knife-wielder
While Oswald is neither a formally trained fighter or the most physically capable, he does have intuitive skill when it comes to brawling and combat and is not opposed to being in the thick of things if he absolutely has to. He is a decent shot with a gun and has experience of a wide range of firearms including pistols, shotguns and semi-automatic rifles. He is also skilled with a knife, showing awareness of effective use in combat and quick reflexes.

Torturer
Oswald is known to be brutal and callous when torturing his enemies and traitors and shows that there isn't a squeamish bone in his body. He is not afraid to get his hands dirty in this area of work either, ensuring that the techniques he utilises are personalised and effective while showing zero mercy.

Toxicology
Having laced various foods and drinks with poisons in the past, it's evident that Oswald has some knowledge of creating lethal substances that can be consumed by his victims without easy detection.

DUPLICITY
☂ The Arena, The Down
☂ MARKED, The Down

INSINCERITY
☂ The Clockhouse — PERMANENTLY CLOSED AS PAR PLAYER PLOT

ORGANISED CRIME
☂ The Cobblepot Crime Family
Actively recruiting new members and affiliations (contact via the link above, player PM or IC inbox if interested!)

Backtagging: Yes, my standard form of RP
Threadhopping: Within reason yes, but best to check in
Fourthwalling: For characters who do it canonically for comedic effect (eg. Deadpool), yes. For DC/Gotham characters from arms of the franchise to recognise/acknowledge him as Penguin, also yes! For characters to be like "hey, you're from the Batman comics!" then maybe, let's talk!
Romance: Possible, but highly unlikely
Mindreading: Yes, but let's talk!
Manipulation: Yes! Let's plot!
Injury: Yes! For anything super serious, let's talk!
Fighting: Yes!
Killing: Yes! Let's plot!
OOC Limits: I don't have many squicks or areas I want to avoid except teeth/mouth/gum trauma and torture. I'm fine as a fleeting references to mouth-related torture coming up, but I don't want to write a full scene of either my character receiving or dealing it out.

CONTENT WARNINGS
As part of of DC universe, Oswald is very much a product of the gritty, pseudo-noir city of Gotham.

Suffice to say, the world of Gotham is a troubling and problematic one which is characterised by overblown suffering and touchy subjects.

Oswald, as a a crime lord and a villain, comes with a whole list of warnings including tendencies toward extreme violence, torture, abuse, extortion, drug involvement, mafia dealings, violent mood swings, gas lighting, murder, betrayal, manipulation, coercion, etc.

In addition, Oswald is also committed to Arkham Asylum on several occasions with is an area which houses many poor and crude stereotypes about mental health, insanity, and horrifying methods of treatment.

If there are any themes you'd like me to avoid in threads, or if you just want to opt out of interacting with Oswald in general, just drop me a comment here.

TDM - Top Level


Vrenille - In a panic, Oswald contacts Vrenille seeking refuge after his scare with Zsasz

Ed Nygma - Ed checks in with Oswald

The Arena - Top Level


Victor Zsasz (BoP) - Oswald observes the public discussions taking place on Zsasz's network post

Ed Nygma - Oswald takes exception to Ed's use of the phrase "Former residents of Gotham" on the network

The Rubies' Party

Vrenille - Oswald asks Vrenille to meet him in Insincerity to investigate possible business locations

June Dom/sub Finder - Top Level


Vrenille - Vrenille takes Oswald on a date where Oswald speaks about his conflict with Ed before they go to Vrenille's place for the night

Ed Nygma - After steeling himself with Vrenille, Oswald contacts Ed, demanding they meet

Roman Sionis - Oswald congratulates Roman on his announcement that he's opening a club

Harley Quinn - Oswald gives Harley some unsolicited advice on marketing materials over the network

Victor Zsasz (Gotham) - Victor announces over the network that Ed and Oswald are listed on The Arena's lease

Ed Nygma - Ed prepares dinner for himself and Oswald for an intimate evening together

Tim Drake - Oswald commends Tim and his recent work on the Community Center in the Down

Vrenille - Oswald contacts Vrenille to discuss their contract

Jyn Erso - Jyn's network post about her courier service catches Oswald's attention

John Doe - Oswald expresses concern for the state of John following his concerning network post

The Erathlimos Games


Network Post - Oswald announces the opening of The Clockhouse club in Insincerity over the network


The Clockhouse Open Mingle - Top level


Proinsias Cassidy - Oswald addresses some of Cassidy's grievances on the network

Fibber - Top Level