#❮❮ * lilith ate the bones of her own enemies. (headcanon.)

[luscinai]

[ META ] + kate. :3<

so let's preface this by saying, first of all—kate's her mother. but this does run a lot deeper than that.

before lucille was picked up by batwoman, her only mother figure was the matron that handles her and the rest of the children. she was one of many, a nameless kid with a barcode who just so happens to earn the golden child spot for her natural disposition to be an assassin. every crumb of affection she's ever had in her life up to that point was earned with pain and terror everywhere else.

which is why she ends up so shocked when kate gives her a nickname.

it's the first thing of many. she's already 6 or 7 at that point, programmed to the bone that she has to fight and stay loyal to be loved. kate's unreserved care for her confuses her—while kate's not good at showing her affection, it's the first real bit of love she's had without earning it.

being kate's daughter also opens a lot other doors—from deprogramming her to training her to introducing her to bruce and jason, the street rat turned newest robin, they were all opportunities to help her establish her self. in a way, it could be said that while the bat didn't give birth to her, she did make lucille as a person.

there's no real way to describe the depth of lu's love and gratefulness for her mother. kate taught her that not everything has to be earned with blood, and that in spite of what she was cultivated to be, it doesn't have to stay that way—she could be a bat like the rest of them. an icon of justice and vengeance.

lucille elizabeth kane is a woman raised with love, with a heart that loves unabashedly and a strong sense of justice, and it all starts thanks to kate. she'll do anything to make sure kate lives a long and happy life without remorse.

[ META ] + ANYTHING | accepting !

[luscinai]

powers &. abilities: a long overdue post. gonna put this under read more ! i'll try to make it as short as possible, but it's basically what it says on the tin—an explanation of lu as a metahuman and her limits, as well as what the lazarus pit did to these powers after her resurrection.

— regeneration: defined as the renewal or restoration of a body, bodily part, or biological system after injury or as a normal process. placed first because this was cadmus' original goal with her particular lab—to make assassins with better durability and survivability. her regeneration allows her to mend any injury or bodily loss so long as she's alive. however, it isn't an instant process; for example, it takes ten days for her to regrow a lost leg. she's still very much vulnerable like any other human otherwise, and can die with enough fatal wounds.

— superhuman durability: what it says on the tin. note that this is only durability and not strength, and it's as much trained as it is part of her regeneration. she won't be able to measure up with other metas in this regard.

— fortikinesis: also called physical force manipulation, or, by definition, the ability to create, shape and manipulate physical forces, including gravity, kinetic energy, tension, pressure, friction, etc. you get the idea. manifested when she's 3 as an unintended side effect, woven into her combat later on. primarily used to enhance her forces in her current combat even with her capacity to influence external forces: more strength to her punches, more speed to her step, and a constant state of low gravity that allows for leaping long distances or landing from skyscraper heights without a grappling hook. her max speed on ground is 40 mph ( ~65km/h ), topping at 85 mph airborne ( ~137km/h ). in theory, this power has infinite growth potential, kneecapped by needing to divide half of it into reinforcing her body lest it falls apart due to her own force enhancement.

— presence concealment: the power to hide and conceal oneself. due to her inability to control this power as a child, kate had to equip her with an anklet with bells ( lovingly called cat bells ) in order to perceive her. manifests when she's 8. note that she's not invisible so much as she can't be perceived even when she's standing and moving in plain sight, and can still be seen should others use devices to look at her such as cameras.

— detection: the ability to sense the presence of anything, in lu's case, living beings. limited, and does require touch. example: for her to sense living beings in a building, she needs to be at least touching part of it, or the ground near it. granted, it's not skin contact, and it does enhance her sixth sense to an inhuman degree, but it's not something she uses often as there's rarely much need for it.

now. with all the definitions and limitations out of the way, we get to the fun part: the lazarus pit's effects.

piggybacking off of micki's own description of the lazarus pit because i think it fits—"the lazarus pits are equal parts magic and science". the resurrection is one thing, definitely the magic part, but the science part comes in where bodies are unwound and then remade, enhancing her powers in the same turn.

— fortikinesis: much better output. lets her control forces to a larger degree, thereby allowing her to weave her powers into people and dispatch them by way of cardiac arrest and similar. does require some body contact with them, and is her primary method of killing after her return.

— superhuman strength &. durability: a touch. a tad. once again most of her superhuman strength still comes from her fortikinesis enhancing her forces, but there are improvements to it, with the pit pushing her genes to their best limits.

— other details: her lifespan shortcomings are rewritten, but it does mean she ends up with a head full of white hair for the rest of her life and a pair of vaguely ominous cat eyes. part of the charm, really.

[luscinai]

Irina doesn't care about the Jedi.

Not anymore, anyway.

She was no stranger to the tales of the Jedi growing up. Her parents were staunch admirers, the both of them—nothing but praise towards these so-called peacekeepers of the galaxy. A shame, they told her, that she didn't have the potential. Then maybe she'd have become this lightsaber-wielding, Force-controlling warrior who contributes to the good of the galaxy. For a time, she too thought it was a damn shame.

Of course, lofty childhood dreams like that don't often come to fruition. She grows up a capable woman, gifted with beauty aplenty and a brilliant mind adept in weaponry dealing. Finds herself deeply intertwined with a man—a doctor, with eyes so blue she could drown—in all manners beyond friendship.

Irina was with child, and she was happy. So she thought.

She laments years later that she'd been too complacent. So much so that when she finds that man, this gentle man she thought he was, with another man on their marital bed, she could only stare in shock. He cooed at his lover the same way he did she during their nights, hands on him as lovingly the way he caressed their unborn child.

The following days, Irina remembers spending with a terrible combination of love and grief. She found no solace even when she chased who she thought was her forever out of her home. No peace of mind even as she wrecked every picture frame, every trinket, every sign of him in her life. And what would become of the child?

The child. Not her child. Just the child. She couldn't handle addressing them any other way—this supposed proof of love between them—when everything had been nothing but a lie. The child's existence, what they stood for, was all for naught. Ripped from them as violently as reality did her.

Tremor overtakes her hands as they gingerly brush the growing bump of her belly. She finds herself bitten with guilt, addressing an innocent child this way, but it is the crossroads she's finding herself at. For as long as this baby is in her life, she will always be reminded of that man who claimed her heart and trampled it so easily.

She'd brushed the thought aside as soon as it appeared. It needs not be a crossroads, she thought. She'd still love the child all the same. What she didn't realize is the way it festered at the depths of her mind as her belly grows rounder every passing day, eating away the guilt and leaving behind it nothing but the shells of the adoration she once held for her lover.

When Irina finally holds that little girl, her eyes as deep as oceans blue, all that remains is hate.

She barely recalls listening to the conversation after. Someone whose face she doesn't remember talking about the child—her supposed daughter—and her gifts. Fit to be Jedi, they said. The agreement comes out of her mouth before she could think twice.

That baby leaves Irina's life as soon as she'd entered it, nameless and with only the faint memory of her tiny hand trying to grasp her mother's finger. With her departure, the end of Irina's care for the Jedi.

It takes Irina nearly twenty-something years to rebuild her life back to the way it was. Her partner, a different man whose eyes reflect the color of warm amber, whose hands cradled her preciously the same way he cradles their son and daughter. The hurt her first lover have long since dulled with time, buried along with the rest of the history she no longer wishes to recall.

Life moves on. The Clone Wars end up bringing her company untold riches. She hears news of the Jedi every now and then, active participants commandeering the clone army in hopes of defending peace, without batting an eye. Her husband remains unaware of her firstborn's bright eyes haunting her in her sleep, blurry like fading smoke.

The Republic falls. The Empire rises. Her company continues operating without much trouble—they weren't affiliated with Jedi even in the past, even less so now. Emperor Palpatine isn't too keen on disrupting Coruscant's economy more than it already is, anyway.

The Jedi temples on Coruscant have long since gone up in flames. Her son asks her during breakfast if it's true whether the Jedi have turned against the people they were meant to defend, and Irina could only but bite her tongue before the objection slips out of her. Her husband scoffs; good riddance, he'd said. So much for peacekeepers.

Troops continue to march back and forth across markets, across the streets, meticulous in their search for any remaining survivors. Her family had been nothing less than stalwart towards that cause, even managed to catch one or two in the run to turn in. The woman doesn't stop them: why, when it earns them more money and fame? It'll keep them safe. Keep them in the Empire's favor. Less likely to be suspected of doing anything that may get them killed.

Irina frowns impatiently as she tries to move through the markets. That much of Coruscant doesn't seem to change, the hustle and bustle of people attempting to make a living, to make something out of themselves. A melting pot of people in varying shapes and sizes. She doesn't really enjoy being in crowded places like this unless time calls, but one of her underlings had messed up, so she's here to rectify it before it becomes worse. A grumble—she's sure to chew out the person later.

Her head jerks back when she hears the yell of an unsuspecting, well-dressed shopper, almost drowned out by the activity around him. A thief, he said, his alien countenance a picture of aghast. Of course, nowhere to be found at this point. Only natural when everybody else is too keen of minding their own business.

She clicks her tongue and looks away.

Her shoulder brushes against someone else before she could move, force strong enough to drop the crate in her hands with a resounding clang to the ground. Irina's expression contorts into a scowl as she crouches to pick up her items—her mood's already foul enough that she's going to blow up in the face of this stranger, apology or not.

She looks up, ready to lecture, and all she knows is blue.

The young woman's lips are pressed into a thin line looking down at her, mouthing an apology that Irina is sure she's too shocked to hear. All Irina hears is the sound of her heartbeat thumping by her ears, eyes wide, taking in this girl's face without thought.

Her eyes, a clear blue. Like the sea. White strands of hair peeking out of her cloak. A girl, gifted with beauty aplenty, with irises so deep Irina could drown.

If she'd spotted Irina's irregularity, she didn't voice it—the crate securely returned into Irina's arms before she's moving away again, her silhouette disappearing into the crowd as easily as she appeared.

Irina imagines she could just scream loud enough for patrolling soldiers to hear. Then they'd be out to catch her—this lightsaber-wielding, Force-controlling survivor—and Irina will earn yet some more merit she could always benefit from. Just another Jedi to be eliminated.

She doesn't. Only silently marches on.

————— JUL 25, 24: a drowning blue.

[luscinai]

meta + justice.

i'll make a new post to elaborate further on lucille's childhood later, but to understand her brand of justice, it's important to keep in mind that she's first and foremost a victim. her entire life was decided to be bereft of normalcy the second she was taken away as a newborn straight into the labs.

her first experience with justice wasn't actually justice, but vengeance. she's been raised to be a weapon by her lab, from power to skill, and it's also with those skills that she killed most of the researchers involved. she didn't know what she was doing. all she knew is all her fellow girls are all dead, whether from the sexual abuse or the experimentation or straight up killed. their anger became her anger, and with that anger, she made a choice.

under kate's tutelage, she learned what the bats' justice means. to save good people and punish the bad. put them in jail, make them hurt, but they're not here to kill them.

lucille wasn't sure if she fully agrees. she does believe in second chances, but what about those who didn't value that second chance ? those who got away with harming children, of harming the innocent, leaving scars and dead bodies in their path ?

what about girls like her ?

make no mistake, lucille isn't one to kill needlessly. she doesn't enjoy taking lives nor is she anywhere near arrogant enough to think she could play judge and jury.

she is, however, an executioner.

at the end of the day, she's still a bat as much as the rest of the clan, yes. she also understands the consequences if she's ever found with blood on her hands. but this is her justice—hers is a blade to be offered to victims like her, to allow them a chance to fight back. hers is a chance for them to be set free and never be afraid of being hurt the same way again.

[ META ] + ANYTHING | accepting !

[luscinai]

oh please 25.     five most recent in google search history. 

not in order, the five of luce's most recent searches include:

d&d reddit what to expect from a dungeon grind campaign

chinese takeout near me

what are efficient builds for healers in d&d

fantasy names generator

gotham news today

this is very, very, very specific, mainly because it's the day before the bats' biweekly d&d session and tim promised to give their lives hell.

A PEEK AT WHAT'S IN THEIR .... | accepting !

[luscinai]

okay well. might as well. usfw headcanons for local birdie in lieu of it being a nice, clear sunday !

has had flings. has had a lot of flings, actually. one night stands, fwb, she's all game. she's got needs !

bottom-leaning switch with a high sex drive. however, in order for anyone to top/dom her, she needs to be able to trust that person with her life. mad control issues on that front.

down to game with toys, tools, etc. but again, for her to be recipient, trust is required. she will have her way with whoever ends up bedding her though :3c

serial flirt. flirts with everyone and anyone she finds attractive. doesn't mean she'd go into a relationship with you or fuck you, though. that entirely depends on how interesting she finds the individual. attention span of a cat.

either way you gotta be attractive !!! three exclamation marks for extra emphasis. well-built, good-looking face.

that's the basics but i'll add more as i remember it.

[luscinai]

anyway i'll. try to reword lucille's reasons for murder and all that later but the tldr is 1) she keeps it from everyone (in the clan, at least). even bruce doesn't know about it because she doesn't wanna end up losing her connection to the batfamily. 2) only kills who she feels deserve it. in this case any people who hurt children in any form (abusers, traffickers, kidnappers, etc.) and any sort of human experimentation. what happened to her will not happen to anyone else as long as she could help it. 3) very, very, very subtle with it. she's an executioner, not here to make a point. kills by deliberate brain or heart damage (think sudden cardiac arrests) using her ability to manipulate force. excellent in fine control to make up for the lack of vast output. 4) a bat through and through at heart, but doesn't classify herself as one because of her killing.

[luscinai]

Also. Because I can. Meta on luci + gymnastics + thievery skills she’s acquired. That’s too fun. @clawsextended

so it goes pretty much without saying that, as a bat, lucille's gymnastics are top-notch, olympic medalist standard, along with the parkour required to perform. she's fast and slippery and her dancer build enables her to move with grace and fluidity without thought. however, as a metahuman with the capacity to manipulate force, she's also well-practiced to adapt to movement changes on the fly—regardless of whether she changes the forces on her or on anyone / anything else.

in terms of thievery: being personally taught by selina ever since she was a young girl, it's safe to say that she's mastered most—if not all—of catwoman's tricks on the field, from basic card tricks to hacking the most guarded security systems. that, and she's got quite a keen eye for examining anything of relative monetary worth.

still, if you ask, her favorite is sleight of hand.

the skillset she's earned from selina usually isn't used on thievery. usually. it's also a lesser known thing about lucille because her primary job remains kicking ass and fighting crime rather than stealing the most auction-worthy thing at the louvre. but if you need something stolen, she's as good a replacement to catwoman as any. she's also a big fan of stealing or putting trinkets into her loved ones' inventory from time to time.

[ META ] + ANYTHING | accepting ! @clawsextended

[luscinai]

Did you reblog it? No but TALK ABOUT SELINA AND HOLLY. @clawsextended

it's like looking into a mirror.

lucille's first encounter with selina, that is. she was still a little girl, a far cry from what she grows to be, with blue eyes too wide and too blank examining the cat like she's examining a predator.

it's a particularly bizarre experience to encounter a kindred spirit. she's only all too aware of how unique her predicament is—a child too small already subjected to the hells on earth—but to see that child reflected in somebody else's eyes is a form of catharsis she never knew she needed.

selina loves lucille with great intensity and patience that the latter responds in kind. for every day that one doesn't feel like talking, the other would sign. for every panic attack, there's comfort in knowing the other would understand. selina takes her time to teach lucille every trick and tip catwoman uses in her trade, and lucille holds her head high the day she holds selina's phone like the most precious diamond, knowing the protege has finally exceeded her mentor. knowing selina would be proud of her.

cat and small bat in tandem, bonding in a way only hurt girls like them could really understand. it's a healing thing.

and then there's holly. hollyanne kyle, the sweet piece of sunshine, with bubbly smiles and bouncy golden curls and her endless energy. it shocked lucille just how different she is from her mother.

but holly took lucille's tiny hands into her own, and lucille understood immediately why holly and selina are mother and child.

where selina understands, holly makes lucille remember she's also only a child. holly's so very eager to share the small things in life that make it worth living. it's so incredibly precious a thing, to see someone still capable of looking at life in such an optimistic way, and lucille would do anything to preserve that.

holly's her big sister ! her airheaded, cheerful, bubbly big sister, who loves every and all strays that walk into the kyle household like her own. who, in spite of not understanding lucille's hell, decided she's going to love the little girl for the rest of her life.

it's important to understand that there wouldn't be the lucille at present without selina and holly. they're not bats, yes, but they've been a large part of her life, and even when she calls selina "lina" rather than any form of mother, she's aware they understand she loves them both all the same.

[ META ] + ANYTHING | accepting ! @clawsextended

[luscinai]

04. car glovebox?

aside from the regular like insurance and car registration and all that ? at minimum, a knife, a loaded gun, an emergency flashlight and some candy. granted she can't show she's too good at combat as a civilian, but she lives in gotham ! one can never be too prepared, no ?

A PEEK AT WHAT'S IN THEIR .... | accepting !

[luscinai]

14. computer home screen?

frankly speaking, lucille's home screen is the most basic bitch thing anyone's ever seen. flat colored pattern or gradient for background and some desktop icons for apps she uses often, like design apps for her architectural work and firefox. no chrome. god forbid she uses chrome. there's a few games she plays as part of her bonding with some of the bats like league and all, but those she doesn't leave shortcuts on her home screen.

A PEEK AT WHAT'S IN THEIR .... | accepting !

[luscinai]

ROMANCE HEADCANONS

NAME: lucille elizabeth kane. ALIAS: nightingale, scarlett santiago. GENDER: cis female. ORIENTATION: bi? 99% prefers men though. PREFERRED PET NAMES: shrug. RELATIONSHIP STATUS: single.

FAVORITE CANON SHIP( S ): ???? she's an original character what the fuck do i put here. she also has exactly 1.5 ships in dc ? i don't think i have a lot of options here lmao. FAVORITE NON-CANON SHIP( S ): see above.

OPINION ON TRUE LOVE: she supposes it exists. has she experienced it ? can't say. OPINION ON LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT: absolutely not. she can appreciate a good looking person, but not love at first sight. HOW ‘ROMANTIC’ ARE THEY: pretty romantic i would say ? she can go the whole nine yards, just not typically one to be sappy. dependent on partner.

IDEAL PHYSICAL TRAITS: preferably equal height or taller than her if it's a man. well-built people overall, and an at least decently attractive countenance. also being able to keep up with her sexual needs. woman's a picky little bitch. IDEAL PERSONALITY TRAITS: self-confidence is attractive as hell and goes a long way. UNATTRACTIVE PHYSICAL TRAITS: if you can't at least fight side by side with her you're out of her league. UNATTRACTIVE PERSONALITY TRAITS: arrogance. different from confidence. arrogance with condescension and nothing to back said arrogance up. all talk and no substance.

IDEAL DATE: anything she can do with her partner at home, really. cuddling, dinner date, she doesn't particularly care, she's just enjoying her partner's company. either that or kicking ass with them. DO THEY HAVE A TYPE: embarrassingly yes lol. attractive daredevils with some semblance of morals. AVERAGE RELATIONSHIP LENGTH: in an actual, healthy, not-a-fling relationship ? she'll stay until it falls apart somehow.

PREFERRED NON-SEXUAL INTIMACY: cuddling. girlie is such a huge cuddler. otherwise, just existing with partner. physical affection in general ! COMMITMENT LEVEL: very committed in an "actual" relationship. otherwise, flaky as hell due to her lack of emotional attachment. OPINION OF PUBLIC AFFECTION: not too much. she prefers to practice subtlety on this part -- not the cheesy stuff, no making out, etc. but she does enjoy sneaky pecks here and there. PAST RELATIONSHIPS: many, and incredibly varied. most of them are flings when she feels like it so they don't last. she also has more one night stands than she does actual dating relationships lmao.

TAGGED: i stole it. TAGGING: steal it <3 you can pretend i tagged you

[luscinai]

about lucille's touch starvation.

sometimes lucille's limbs don't quite feel like her own.

she could move them fine. fingers flex under her will, legs moving with ease, and the faint chill on her skin is real. she fights well and strong without any hindrance. still, it doesn't always feel like her own, and it leaves her in a state of quiet disarray.

( they're not her original limbs, those she were born with. those were gone since she was ... how old ? she doesn't remember. )

the power of regeneration is by no means a curse. it keeps her an able-bodied fighter; the concept of permanent bodily loss is something she couldn't experience, and that's a good thing. means regardless of the wounds she have, as long as she lives, she will bounce back with patience and time. she doesn't even have to think about going into the hospital as long as she's sure she won't die during recovery.

they just ... don't always feel like hers. some days, she vividly feels that her arms and legs are more like prosthetics than her own flesh, and the urge to move, to hold onto something grows strong— the coldness always on her skin a painful reminder that without her cultivated power, she'd be little more than dead. perhaps already gone.

it's those days when she desperately craves skin-to-skin contact — nothing quite grounds her the same way the feeling of another person does, when she could feel their warmth against her much colder body. sometimes, she finds this comfort in nightly companions, changing between one person to another, never staying with a particular person just to quell the disquiet. sometimes, it's the touch of close persons where allowed. she's much more comfortable with this; because even when things go unspoken, she trusts them to let her exist until the discomfort goes away.

[luscinai]

high priestess and the lovers for the major arcana prompt list

THE MAJOR ARCANA, REVERSED | accepting !

[THE HIGH PRIESTESS] - Do they easily trust others, or do they listen to their gut more? Are they distrusting?

neither. lucille is a hyper-vigilant person, and her trust has to be earned with time, not with just her gut. even then, it varies from person to person — some people she'd trust her life with but not necessarily her emotions and vice versa, for example. there are exceptions to this rule when the situation calls for it, like temporary alliances towards a common goal, but those are also few and far in between.

[THE LOVERS] - Are they a good communicator, or do they tend to crack under pressure?

overall yes! when it comes to interpersonal conflicts, she absolutely despises letting them fester (a trait less commonly found in the batfamily, funnily enough). she has shit with you, you'd definitely know about it. fight it off. yell about it. whatever. just not her style to let it sit. in terms of literally everything else, she has no issues expressing her thoughts and ideas. whether she's being truthful to you would be another matter altogether.

[luscinai]

in battle, your muse :

bold what applies - italicise sometimes. repost, don’t reblog.

- fights honorably / fights dirty - prefers close-quarters / prefers range - chats during / goes silent - low pain tolerance / high pain tolerance - attacks in bursts / attacks steadily - goes for the kill / aims to disarm / fights defensively / strikes first - is provoked easily / provokes their opponent / teases - gets visibly frustrated / shouts while attacking - uses strategy / focuses on the battle / experiences conflicting thoughts during battle - rushes in recklessly / tries to read their opponent before engaging / fights wildly / fights calmly / fights apathetically / fights with anger / fights with excitement - fights because they have to / fights because they want to - fights without regard to wounds / runs away when wounded / hides wounds / takes a blow to protect another - prefers a blade / prefers a gun / prefers hand-to-hand combat / prefers a bow / prefers a shield / prefers a personalized weapon / prefers magic alchemy or spells - their greatest weakness is physical / their greatest weakness is mental / their greatest weakness is emotional - transforms for battle / fights as they appear - relies on strength / doubts their strength / relies on speed - uses everything they have / proceeds with caution / hides their full potential - exhausts quickly / has high stamina - behaves arrogantly / brags after landing a hit / belittles their abilities - uses psychological tactics / uses brute strength - avoids civilians / strikes down civilians - damages surroundings / avoids damaging surroundings - signature fighting style / makes it up as they go - mastered skill-set / learning their skill-set - messy fighter / elegant fighter - accepts defeat / refuses defeat / begs for mercy - compliments their opponent / insults their opponent - uses unnecessary movements / moves efficiently / barely moves - prefers to dodge / prefers to block - uses all available advantages / strictly uses one main method - defends their blindside / has no blindside / leaves blindsides vulnerable - plays around / holds back / fights ruthlessly / shows mercy - waits for an opponent to be ready / strikes when opponent isn't ready - fears death / fears pain / fears killing - has ptsd / avoids fighting - has lost a fight / has won a fight - has killed / refuses to kill / will kill again - wants to die standing / would succumb slowly

TAGGED BY: i stole it <3 TAGGING: anyone who wants to do this!

[luscinai]

the magician, the hierophant.

THE MAJOR ARCANA, REVERSED | accepting !

[THE MAGICIAN] - Do they self-sabotage, or do they sabotage others in their lives? If so, how?

in terms of herself, i wanna say it's mainly emotionally/relationship wise ? lucille is a capable woman who knows what she can and can't do, but she has a really hard time trying to process the idea of people accepting her beyond being a vigilante and socialite. her default response is to ignore the elephant in the room, mainly (even with the knowledge that she cares for certain people in painful amounts). in terms of other people ... she doesn't go out of her way to sabotage others unless she really doesn't like them. woman is a spiteful little brat.

[THE HIEROPHANT] - Do they often abide by social norms, or do they reject institutional values in favor of flexibility/independence?

yesn't. as lucille kane, heiress of the kane family, there's certain societal norms she has to uphold when she's dealing with the general public just like any other businessperson with sense. as batgirl (and batwoman in her 30s), she has to stay with the expected standards of those directly representing the batfamily (don't kill, be good to people, etc.). but as nightingale ? it's free real estate. she has no problems doing things like performing executions on criminals she deems better dead than alive. of course, her more questionable actions are generally kept a secret due to bruce's overall attitude when it comes to committing crimes as a vigilante, but she's less burdened doing things like that when her identity isn't associated with anyone else but her primarily.