Tsaritsa/Queen of Fables

Subject Facts

Full Name: Tsaritsa
Codename: Queen of Fables
Age: Ancient
Gender: Female
Archetype: Meta Villain
Aliases: The Evil Queen, Laney Kirswell, The Wicked Stepmother, The Black Empress, The Dowager of Sorrow, The Wellspring of All Villainesses
Marital Status: Widowed
Affiliation: N/A

Subject Attributes

Meta-Human Abilities:
Tsaritsa is an immensely powerful sorceress who draws her power and strength from fiction, creativity, and belief. She has the power to alter reality to suit her current fancy, summoning enchanted forests or exotic lands from fairy tales told anywhere in the universe with little more than a thought. Along with reshaping reality she has the power to manifest any and every creature that visits dreams or haunts the nightmares of children and adults alike and can pull them into reality to do her bidding.

She possesses a form of teleportation and is able to manifest herself anywhere.

She is a shapeshifter and can take the form of any creature she wants inherently acquiring their attributes and traits while in that shape. She can also change the garb of those around her or alter their appearance even changing them into different creatures or materials(such as wooden puppets or gingerbread) at will.

Though she generally allows her manifestations to do her fighting for her, Tsaritsa has great physical strength and is able to hold her own against even the strongest Amazonian warriors.

She is very adept at manipulation.

Tsaritsa is immortal. It is believed that Tsaritsa can never truly be destroyed or killed as she seems to embody fiction and as long as people can dream, she will be there to haunt their nightmares.

Standard Abilities: N/A

Paraphernalia:
Book of Fables: It previously (and perhaps can again) served as her prison. Within it lies the storybook lands of our imagination. Once real, they were made fantasy by the magical tome and now only exist within the book. Tsaritsa still rules there though she is no longer bound there.

Subject Weaknesses:
Though gifted with the vast power of creation and the ability to remake reality, she cannot actually create new things. She can only manifest fantastical worlds and creatures from what already exists.

She cannot duplicate magical artifacts. While she could recreate one, it would not retain its abilities and powers.

Tsaritsa is vulnerable to the truth and therefore Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth is quite effective. As she is now fiction, she cannot stand to see the truth of her existence.

Though she is skilled at manipulation she can't actually control anyone.

Tsaritsa is immortal but can still be physically hurt. It will take her some time to heal and regroup.

Her actions and emotions are exaggerated much like characters in fiction.

Like many fae, Tsaritsa follows a code of honor to a point. For example if she catches you in a trap she might give you a quest or mission and if you can complete it she will set you free.

Though she cannot be killed, she can be imprisoned. She was contained for centuries in the Book of Fables, her life transformed to fiction by the magical tome as wielded by Snow White.

Subject History

"The Queen of Fables is a living embodiment of all the evil and ruthlessness ever imagined in the world's folklore. The archetype for every wicked witch or cruel stepmother conceived in myth, the Queen of Fables was in truth a vile other-dimensional sorceress long ago exiled to Earth. Here she reigned maliciously until her jealousy of the fair princess Snow White ignited a bloody war climaxing in the Queen's imprisonment inside the Book of Fables. This enchanted tome was used by Snow White to magically transform fact into fiction, thereby undoing the Queen and all her terrible acts. Unfortunately Snow White and her world was also reduced to the stuff of fairy tales, passed down through countless generations until an unwary young mother released the Queen from her moldering paper prison."
- JLA Secret Files 003

Released from her confinement, Tsaritsa's attentions fell on Wonder Woman who she recognized in her own mind as her nemesis Snow White. She asserted her will over the island of Manhattan and transformed it into a veritable enchanted forest filled with dangers and monstrous creatures. Tsaritsa sent her "Huntsman" to capture "Snow White" and brought her to the middle of the forest. When Diana cut herself on a briar she fell into a sleep and was placed in a glass casket. The rest of the Justice League were left to fumble their way through Tsaritsa's traps and enchantments. While the Justice League struggled, Tsaritsa took it upon herself to travel to Wonder Woman's home on Paradise Island to claim it as her own. She also claimed the embassy Diana had set up, transforming it into a palace she felt befitted her station. The Justice League eventually confronted her and weakened her with the Lasso of Truth before trapping her in a Tax Code Manuel.
- JLA Vol 1 47-49

Tsaritsa escaped the tax tome she had been imprisoned in. "No one is more adept at spinning romantic fantasia than a man with debt and no way to pay it." She went into hiding near the bottom of the ocean, attacking and sinking vessels in hopes of luring her "Prince Charming" out to sea. Setting her sights on Superman, she learned that he resided in Metropolis and traveled there to find him and steal him away from Snow White. She pulled him into a fantasy world along with those around him. She threatened his companions with a century of sleep if he didn't agree to leave Snow White and marry her. She further sent enemies after his "squire" Jimmy but she could not frighten "Charming" into submission. She attempted a different tactic. She sent her new "huntsman" after Lois and offered Superman a way to save her. Tsaritsa sent him into a Kryptonian fairy tale telling him that if he could retrieve the shawl from tower, she would grant him his freedom and allow him to go after Lois. When he succeeded in retrieving the shawl, Superman finally convinced Tsaritsa that he loved Lois and could never make her happy and she sent him away.
- Action Comics Vol 1 #833 & #834

Tsaritsa once again came at Wonder Woman when she killed and replaced Laney Kirswell, the film executive in charge of a slanderous Wonder Woman biography. Through the scenes in the film, she forced Diana to witness various distorted events and happenings in her life. Eventually Diana had enough and directly challenged Tsaritsa who transformed into a dragon and attacked Wonder Woman. Diana fought back and managed to blind Tsaritsa and the queen was forced to retreat.
- Wonder Woman Vol 3 #24 & #25

Subject Interview

"Mirror Mirror on the wall, show me the fairest one of all."

Tsaritsa felt anger boiling inside as her regal visage faded until it was no longer reflected in the surface of the mirror. Instead the image began to churn and twist like Charybdis preparing to devour a ship. Perhaps she should be used to it by now. It had been more than centuries since the mirror had answered her properly. There was always some fool upstart seeking to take what rightfully belonged to Tsaritsa.

When the swirling colors and lights finally settled, Tsaritsa was faced once again with Snow White. Or was it Wonder Woman. Diana Prince. Whatever this replica of her old nemesis called herself. Perhaps it was she reincarnated. It didn't matter. This woman was just as much a thorn in her side as that young wench ever was.

The visage of Wonder Woman sat hunched over a desk filling out paperwork. She was dressed in some kind of civilian uniform and her hair was pulled into a knot behind her head. A state hardly befitting a princess or someone who was supposed to wield the title of the fairest in the land. An angry sound resonated deep in her throat as she stared at the woman.

"Why? Why have you turned on me, mirror! You once loved me! You told me I was the most beautiful!" Tsaritsa growled, "Very well, mirror. If you will not show me the truth then you shall make sure that nothing looks right again to anyone in this forsaken land ever again!" With a strangled cry she raised an arm and slammed the side of her fist and arm directly into the center of the mirror.

Slowly spiderweb cracks appeared. She thought of how her Prince Charming had rejected her for love of another and she slammed her other arm into the mirror sending more cracks through the once smooth surface. "Freeze their hearts! If I cannot have love, then no one shall!" She continued to strike the mirror over and over again tears falling from her eyes as anger and loneliness consumed her.

When she was done, there was nothing left but a pile of broken glass slivers, some no larger than grains of sand. As Tsaritsa stared at the glittering pile, a strong wind picked up very suddenly. It scooped up the shattered mirror piece by piece until there was nothing left, spiriting the pieces off to seek the eyes and hearts of unsuspecting mortals and carry out the queen's will.

Author's Notes

Player Alias: Yvaine

Other Characters: Frances Kane/Magenta, Zatanna Zatara

How did you find ARFD?: I live in the walls.