Zatanna Zatara

Zatanna Zatara (Scenesys ID: 154)
Quote
"First rule of magic, babe. 'Nothing is what it seems."
Profile
Full Name:	Zatanna Zatara
Gender:	Female
Species:	Magician
Theme:	DC (FC)
Occupation:	Magician
Citizenship:	American
Residence:	Atlantic City
Education:	Atlantic City High School / Eldritch tomes
Status:	Dropped
Groups:	Mystic Arts, Justice League
Other Information
Apparent Age:	28	Actual Age:	28
Date of Birth	20 May 1998	Actor:	Ksenia Solo
Height:	171 cm	Weight:	58 kg
Hair Color:	Black	Eye Color:	Blue
Theme Song:	"New Orleans" by Brockhampton

Profile

Zatanna Zatara is the daughter of Giovanni Zatara (better known as just plain 'Zatara') and has followed in his footsteps in the field of illusion and prestidigitation, working a regular weekly show in Atlantic City as well as participating in television specials, occasional stints in Las Vegas, and excursions into bringing stage magic to online video. ("Live(?) From Shadowcrest" is on Netflix. Watch it!) Less well known is her career as an occult adventurer, combining her father's accumulated knowledge and lore with actual, for-real magical power to keep the world safe.

Sheet

Description

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Zatanna Zatara stands about 5'7" and is of Italian heritage, generally speaking, with long black hair and blue eyes. Her face is expressive and she tends to wear a lot of black, but not exactly in a gothic or depressed way. There is about a fifty percent chance she's wearing black tie from the waist up and fishnets and high heels from the waist down, especially if she's been working lately.

History

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Zatanna Zatara grew up as the daughter of a single father, Giovanni (John) Zatara, famed magician. Most of her early and middle childhood was spent in Atlantic City in the stately if rickety manor of "Shadowcrest." Zatara travelled and drank heavily, and so she was in large part raised by his ill but caring old companion, Tong. Eventually, Tong died, and other connections made Zatara give up the sauce, and so things got better.

For a while. When she turned 18, Zatara vanished completely and abruptly. Breaking into his old books, Zatanna found out what had been kept from her, and over the course of several years and with fumbling self-tutoring based upon Zatara's notes and ancient diaries, managed to make contact with him - find out that a curse had been levied - and found a way to dispel that curse. These occult wanderings brought her to many revelations and left her permanently ensnared in the lures of the occult. Oh well!

With Zatara actually back, several happy years ensued in which she participated in the act as well as receiving tutelage in the occult. She befriended an Englishman at a tantra class and unfortunately for Zatara that Englishman led to his death. Unfortunately for Zatanna, this threw a cloud of despair over her life for several years more, where she continued Zatara's old tour dates and tried to climb back out of her hole of interior confidence that left her barely able to draw a rabbit from a hat.

But all things heal. Now she mingles show business with the occult - to the point of incorporating several short and wholly beneficial catch-phrases in the act of her Netflix specials and finally getting out of the spooky old house more often. Out, about, and probably into trouble.

Personality

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Zatanna's exterior demeanor is effusive, friendly, and comfortable with everyone and just about any situation. This is not entirely false either, though it lays on top of anxiety over personal failure and tension over attachment issues along with fear of abandonment. Occult exercises and discipline keep these rabbits in their respective hats for the most part, but they've certainly not stopped hopping.

Abilities

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DIVINATION
Zatanna does divination through tarot. It is only a focus; she can use any deck of cards or even read other sorts of omens to get insight in to the future. This does not require any sort of incantation on Zatanna's part.

ELEMENTAL CONJURING
Zatanna can create, command, and dismiss the four traditional elements of hermetic mysticism (air, earth, water and fire) as well as light and shadow. These are relatively simple for her to do, although really large manifestations (a big fireball as opposed to a cigarette-lighter flame) take focus and are quite harder.

HEALING
Zatanna can heal injuries on living things with great speed. This can't repair really complicated or involved matters, or diseases which can't be summarized as "remove the affected organ." (It does work very well on poisoning.) It IS very good at repairing traumatic injuries or - ew - reattaching severed limbs. However, it can't resurrect the dead (though it might save those on the VERGE of actually for-real dying). It is also real hard, especially if the injuries are complex.

LOGOMANCER
Zatanna has great natural talent with magic and has followed in her father's footsteps, expressing her magic through the carefully chosen form of reversed phrasing. (She can, in dire extremis, gain additional power by writing spells in her own blood instead. For obvious reasons, she does not do this often.) She is capable of a wide variety of effects, limited in large part by her self confidence and the inner reserves of strength that she has. Each of these other entries has a general estimate of how 'hard' these effects are. Simpler magic like telepathy, cosmetic changes to her appearance, and small illusions can be done with thoughts and gestures, but her magic is far more potent if she speaks her spells.

MENTALISM
Zatanna can read surface thoughts relatively easily and can explore, alter and review memories with more difficulty and effort. Memory alteration is explicitly and specifically only going to be done with consent when it involves PCs or "named" NPCs - it is also not very easy to do, especially if she is doing more than "Oh, no, you didn't see Batman's cowl fall off just now" or "forget this extremely traumatic and horrible thing which just happened, dear victim."

OCCULT SENSE
Zatanna can sense the flow of magic and occult energies around her - which in practice mostly lets her spot enchantments, get conveniently timed ominous feelings about imminent doom, and tell who's faking.

TELEKINESIS
Zatanna can move objects around with the power... OF MAGIC! Her spells don't have sufficient fine control to do advanced tricks such as rending the interior of a person, although she can do these effects in other ways. She can also use it to levitate herself, others, or objects - even fly, although rapid controlled flight is extremely fatiguing for her. (A quick levitation over a gap in the floor or to the roof of a six-story building isn't so much of a problem.)

TELEPORTATION
Zatanna can use her spells to take her, and often some friends as well, to other locations. This is usually rather hard, if easier on her than flying (after all, teleporting only has to work once, while flying is an ongoing effort) - especially if she's crossing dimensions, not just zooping a wounded person across town. It is much easier if it is very short range, such as swapping places with someone.

TIME TRICKERY
Zatanna can, with immense difficulty, reverse time (a little) or speed time up (this is easier) in an area. This tends to cause problems and messes so she does it with a light touch, but sometimes you REALLY NEED to rewind the last two seconds for, say, the glass vial full of deadly poison.

TRADITIONAL MAGICY STUFF
Zatanna can conjure various ethereal, demonic, celestial etc. entities, although this is an extended effort and she knows very well that it is often way, WAY more trouble than it is worth. However, sometimes you can need the advice. She also knows how to levy bindings or banishments, which are significantly more swift.

TRANSFORMATION

Zatanna can change the form of physical matter with relative ease - much more ease than creating things completely from scratch! This works best on inanimate objects, and can even give them some degree of animation - doors that swing open and shut - but a more common sort of use is changing clothes or transforming incoming bullets into paper airplanes. It can also apply to living things, although the traditional "turn someone into a newt" trick is actually very difficult and would require active effort on her part to maintain it for more than a short, if illustrative, interval.

Skills

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ESCAPE ARTIST
Zatanna knows how to worm her way out of most tied-up situations, although this doesn't mean she can neccessarily do so in a great big hurry. This is helped greatly by magic when it's not a performance thing. Of course, sometimes you don't have magic.

FIGHTING
"When magic fails, resort to fists," Zatara always said. Zatanna has had solid basic training in how to throw a punch, throw a throw, and roll away when being thrown or punched, although she is not going to win any advanced martial arts tournaments anytime soon.

LANGUAGES
Zatanna speaks fluent Italian and passable Spanish, along with Latin and ancient Greek (though the latter two, mostly from reading ancient tomes.)

OCCULTISM
Zatanna has made a thorough study of the notes and tomes her father collected, who in turn benefitted from the inheritance of his own forebears, including luminaries like Nicholas Flamel and Leonardo da Vinci. (Stylish!) As a result, she knows a heck of a lot about occult theory and lore, although her awareness is biased towards European sources and may not include some of the deeper, more recondite sources.

PERFORMANCE
Zatanna knows the ins and outs of how to work an audience and read a crowd's mood. While this is connected to her traditional magic act, it can also just as easily work for spoken word, managing a group, drawing and managing attention, and similar factors.

PRESTIDIGITATION

Zatanna is a professional stage magician and is, irrespective of her occult and sorcerous talents, able to present convincing and compelling illusions. Her own particular emerging talent is the modification of chamber and cabaret illusions for online viewers, although, of course, the fixed camera makes a lot of things WAY easier.

Resources

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CASH FLOW
Zatanna has the equivalent of a small dentist's practice in terms of day to day cash flow between her performances, royalties, and occasional other activities. Also, her expenses are low, because her house has somehow escaped the notice of the local tax board. Anyway, it's not eternally generous income, but she isn't going hungry and has some to share around. This may step up if she ever gets around to finishing 'Hex Appeal,' a planned book project.

FAME (MODERATE)
Between being a really good stage magician and being an attractive woman who likes to wear fishnet stockings, Zatanna has subcultural fandom. This will not neccessarily come up all the time, but magic nerds and frequent casino-goers will recognize her.

SHADOWCREST

The family house of the Zatara line, which is currently Zatanna's property. This building is mystically shielded from scryers and outsiders, ranging from hostile mages to the county tax assessor, and cannot be found by those without occult talent unless they can think of some kind of way around this - for instance, following Zatanna in, or tricking their way into an invitation. Shadowcrest holds her father's library (which has works dating back to the 14th century) and her magic is easier there, making it an excellent site for ritual workings... sometimes.

Weaknesses

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A MATTER OF IDENTITY
Zatanna cannot simply say "Dnif eht tolp's dab yug" or "ekat em ot Namtab" and get anywhere. While her spoken cues are often allusionary ("taht yug htiw eht ecaf") she has to have a good handle on the identity of who or what she's 'aiming' at if the spell has any sort of a target. An example: "Ekat em ot Namrepus's emoh" would not take her to Krypton or the Kent family home. It might take her to the Fortress of Solitude if she was aware of it, or else to Metropolis. It also might not work at all.

IT'S FINE. THIS IS FINE
Zatanna tends to deal with problems by forging ahead and doing things that may be ill advised in order to avoid succumbing to a fear and anxiety about failures. This is something like hubris, but it's more driven by a desire to avoid tension about failure than to challenge the gods themselves.

IMAGE OF ONESELF
Self-Esteem and confidence are at the core of Zatanna's magic. She has some deep-rooted image issues which cause her to seek the approval of others to bolster herself. It's part of why she wears revealing clothes and how she motivates herself. She's largely overcome her willingness to be manipulated for approval but she still acts out to get it. If she is unsure of her ability it will often fail her.

MY SEVEN EVIL EXES
Maybe not literally seven, but Zatanna has had a complicated love life and at least one ex-lover with whom she is really on the outs. People who she has dated may plague her at almost any time. Most of them would be a social conflict. Worse, she might be tempted to take some of them back.

ORDINARY AT THE CORE
Other than her magic (and that is a huge caveat) Zatanna is essentially a completely normal human woman. Her magic can raise many potent defenses, but she has to raise them; she can move quickly, but not with lightning speed; she can stanch her wounds, but she has to stanch them herself.

THE STRENGTH OF THE SOUL
Zatanna's magical effectiveness is limited by how much metaphysical 'oomph' she has; if she runs out, bad things happen, although she's more likely to swoon than to do anything else. While other trickery can make her feel better, nothing but good old fashioned rest can truly restore her. Or to be a little more explicit, her magic is limited by this - she can do a whole lot of things, but she can't do them all the live-long day.

WORDS ARE POWER

Zatanna's magical arts require her to speak - or, in extremis, write the words in her own blood - and as such, if she is silenced, gagged, muffled, or otherwise restrained, she's got nothing.

Logs

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Title	Date	Scene Summary
The Definition of Sanity	April 8th, 2024	Zee encounters Satana after a performance and after a very stressful wave of personal setbacks. A unique conversation leads to a most unconventional solution.
Ringing In The New Year	January 3rd, 2024	Something super clever goes here.
Tis the Season	December 3rd, 2023	Bruce, Harley and Zatanna enjoy a little Christmas Cheer at the Manor.
Gone Clubbin'	November 15th, 2023	Bruce and Zatanna meet up for drinks. Harley crashes things and makes it a real party.
Log 15747	October 28th, 2023	Batman and Zatanna.
But It's Not Halloween Yet!	September 18th, 2023	In the wake of a dimensional incursion of demons in Gotham's streets, Wanda Maximoff and Zatanna Zatara bond over banishing those demons to somewhere worse than Gotham. Also, one of Gotham's streets winds up in far better condition than the rest. Take that, Gotham Public Works!
i'll make this log title magically disappear	August 25th, 2023	Kate and Zatanna.
THE MARY JANES: Club Evolution	August 11th, 2023	The Mary Janes play live at Club Evolution in Mutant Town and nothing blows up except their name recognition!! Lots of socializing and fangirling. Gwen scares off Cain and Harley knocks out a bouncer.
Never Read Randoms Spells Aloud	July 19th, 2023	Zatanna and Wonder Girl clean up after someone learned that you should never read spells aloud if you don't know what they do. Mindless One Violence ensued. The cat survived.
A Little Cheating	July 5th, 2023	Trying to solve a crime with no logical answer, Batwoman turns to the only good source for puzzling out the illogical: the Princess of Prestidigitation herself, Zatanna Zatara! In casual momjeans mode!
Telling stories and asking favors.	May 8th, 2023	Summary needed
There's No Place Like (a Mage's) Home	May 8th, 2023	Harry stops by Shadowcrest and ends up staying longer than expected
Meeting the prettier model...or something.	May 7th, 2023	Harry weas trying to do paperwork, got visited by Faith, Zatanna, and Thomas.
Inaugural Meeting of the Gotham Fashion Police	May 2nd, 2023	Dick gets a haircut.
The Casting of a Spell	April 26th, 2023	Dick comes to Zatanna and asks her for a small favor, then the two catch up.
Trading Notes	April 25th, 2023	Harry and Zatanna had an evening of talking shop with someone that actually understood the talk.
Warlocks and Magicians	April 25th, 2023	Summary needed
Cricket in Times Square	April 25th, 2023	At the unveiling of a controversial exhibit, the artist Randall Q. Bara is attacked and murdered in front of the attending audience by a white haired tween-aged boy.
Sorcerer's Apprentice	April 24th, 2023	Sabrina has a little trouble with her teleportation and ends up at Shadowcrest. Zatanna tries imparting some advice.
Reflecting in the Watchtower	April 12th, 2023	Diana and Zatanna take time to enjoy the view of Earth from the Watchtower and catching up with each other.
A Lucky Find	April 8th, 2023	Clark Kent asked Harry to be on the look out for Zatanna. Fortune favored him with a chance meeting at The Magic Box.
Center of Magical Activity!	April 8th, 2023	Summary needed
Unmasked!	March 24th, 2023	An elegant masquerade turns to chaos as masked thugs steal a powerful,gemstone, using a bomb tied Selina as a decoy!
One Night Only	March 18th, 2023	Zatanna does a magic show. People are ... entertained?
50 shades of cat	March 5th, 2023	Zee meets a magical cat person and agrees to get them on stage!
Is This Austere	March 5th, 2023	O
Power Girl needs magic!	March 4th, 2023	Demon box taken care of and Zee not a popcicle
Humble Hearth	May 9th, 2022	Summary needed
Two Cappuccinos, Extra Magic	May 9th, 2022	Summary needed
A triumphant Return	May 7th, 2022	Summary needed
Looking for someone (to annoy	May 4th, 2021	Spike meets Zatanna and steals a present.
The Shield and the Box	April 20th, 2021	The shield is finally found and brought to the Magic Box.
The Shield: Hellboy gets briefed	April 19th, 2021	Justice League Dark is heading to New Jersey.
The Cursed Shield - Batman brings in a big gun	April 17th, 2021	Batman recruits Zatanna to investigate the origins of the magical shield he came into possession of.
After the Show	March 30th, 2021	Emma catches one of Zatanna's shows. Makes an offer she can't refuse.
Abracadiknapped	March 28th, 2021	Blackout learns that Zatanna has real magic.
Auld Lang Syne 2027	January 1st, 2020	Zatanna and Venom ring in the new year
The Greatest Street	December 13th, 2019	Buffy and Brian enjoy a walk through, or would that be on, Danny the Street OOC Note: Zatanna did not appear in the scene. She was present to emit Danny the Street
Coventry Murders: Clean-Up	November 27th, 2019	Zatanna comes to be certain all the demons are gone. Information is shared and Lucifer has some explaining to do.
Coventry Murder: A Trail	November 7th, 2019	The search for Gaulichu continues. Jason, Zachary, Zatanna, and Lucifer make headway.
Knightfall: Not a Magic Trick	November 6th, 2019	Batman (Dick) seeks out Zatanna to help with several problems.
Age of Darkness: Rao Ascendent	October 29th, 2019	The Heroes come to the last resting place of Superman to find answers, and after a pitched battle with villains, instead find only more questions! Where is Superman?
Age of Darkness: Aftermath	October 18th, 2019	Green Lantern and Zatanna meet at Superman's Memorial and discuss recent events. Zatanna puts up a protection spell to protect Superman's Memorial, and the two discuss happenings.
Age of Darkness: Tim is continuing research on Superman.	October 18th, 2019	And the plot thickens.
Age of Darkness: Celebration of Life	October 12th, 2019	It was the Memorial Celebration for Superman, and it was a sombre event for everyone to be a part of.
Following the Magic	October 9th, 2019	Lucifer and Zatanna make inquiries at the Sanctum in New York.
House Where Nobody Lives	September 24th, 2019	The Zatara cousins talk for the first time in a long time.
Prelude to Age of Darkness	September 23rd, 2019	Superman gets taken over by Yuga Khan in an attempt to control the Man of Steel, and it is only through the heroic efforts of Zatanna, Flash, and Ghost Rider that they stave off the Apokolips...this time.
Looking For Talent	August 28th, 2019	Zatanna is hired to do the grand opening for a nightclub, unaware of it's true owner.
Afterparty	July 29th, 2019	Summary needed
The Entertainment Budget	July 11th, 2019	Silver and Zatanna enjoy a night out at Club Mjolnir wherein they discuss fame, family, fascinations.
Have You Considered Some Hedgerows	July 10th, 2019	Silver Sablinova provides security consultation for Zatanna Zatara's Shadowcrest Manor.
Mystic is just english for made up	July 9th, 2019	Illyana is unintentionally summoned by nefarious means. Then sits with Zatanna over wine to discuss magic, preformance, and limbo.
Type Text here	June 9th, 2019	Summary needed
A buzz in central park!	June 4th, 2019	Summary needed
City Fall: Coin Consultation.	March 13th, 2019	Zatanna divines one of the coin's functions, and provides the Shadow with a means of tracking its creator.
Bubble and Squeak	February 23rd, 2019	All hail the hypno-toad?
Really..This Place	February 16th, 2019	Summary needed
Dream A Little Dream Of Me	January 25th, 2019	Summary needed
All The Time In The World	January 23rd, 2019	Summary needed
A Scanner Darkly	January 22nd, 2019	Summary needed
It's Coffee, But Magical	January 14th, 2019	Summary needed
Knock Knock	January 10th, 2019	Summary needed
Astral Flux: A Fistful of Dollars	September 15th, 2018	Emma hosts a card game at the Hellfire Club to determine the winner of her bet with John. Everyone but Zatanna cheats. Emma wins.. because Illyana lets her?
I Create As I Speak...	August 21st, 2018	Summary needed
Germination: I've Got News for You	July 21st, 2018	John Constantine visits the Hall of Justice. He drops some knowledge and doesn't loot the trophy room... this time.
Gotham City - Murder Circles	July 12th, 2018	Summary needed
Hello!	July 10th, 2018	Diana and Zatanna talk about recent events, as well as letting Zatanna stay in a room at the Embassy for a spell (pun intended).
Meanwhile, back in Sunnydale...	July 9th, 2018	Summary needed
Counting Chicken Eggs	June 14th, 2018	Summary needed
What Happens at Shadowcrest Stays at Shadowcrest	May 24th, 2018	Summary needed
Opps...did I do that	January 17th, 2018	Summary needed
Log 3092	November 7th, 2017	Summary needed
The Problem of Caroline	October 29th, 2017	Summary needed
The Arboretum	October 9th, 2017	Summary needed
Two mages walk into a house	September 18th, 2017	Summary needed
A Wolf's Clothing	September 17th, 2017	Summary needed
The place to go - for the Magic!	September 5th, 2017	Summary needed
That one time on the Watchtower...	August 27th, 2017	Summary needed
Playing Catch (Up)	August 3rd, 2017	Summary needed
That's a powerful staff you have there..	July 24th, 2017	Zatanna tracks down Nico in a cafe. The two get re-acquainted as Zee sits down to get to know Nico, mainly because of the staff Nico bears
The Magician and the Wielder	July 23rd, 2017	Summary needed
The things people leave in books these days..	July 18th, 2017	Summary needed
I Didn't Just Come Here For The Fishnets	July 4th, 2017	Summary needed
Meeting at the Watch Tower	June 29th, 2017	Summary needed
A Mystical, Magical, Evening	June 27th, 2017	Summary needed
Fear of a Bat Planet	April 30th, 2017	Summary needed
LexCorp Launchpad 2025	April 29th, 2017	Summary needed
Ravens and Fishnets	April 25th, 2017	Summary needed.
What Was Left Behind	April 23rd, 2017	Summary needed.
Bust a Move....or rather a burger	April 20th, 2017	Summary needed.

Cutscenes

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Gallery

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