Dr. Chrome Ballanche
Dr. Ballanche was born Chrome Eiz Fates Balance XI in J.C. 2460. The son of a wealthy meight family from Delta Belune, Chrome seemed to follow in the footsteps of his mother, Arsenic Balance, a well-known and successful fatima meight. Having graduated with honors, Chrome went on to begin a career as an up-and-coming fatima meight, which was expected of the grandson of none other than the inventor of fatima Fatis, Lithium Balance.
After having attained some notoriety within the meight profession, Chrome managed to purchase a castle and a particularly large estate on Addler, promptly changed his name from Balance to Ballanche and began work on a series of Masterpiece quality fatima that have yet to be surpassed.
Ballanche was dissatisfied with the status quo; he believed that fatima could very well be the next stage of human evolution, or at the very least, could help usher in that stage and the harsh and unyielding rules forced upon fatima by society at large only served to hold them back from attaining their true potential. His goals were to prove those theories sound.
His first masterpiece was Fatima Queen. The proto-typical Ballanche fatima, Queen was not only built without mind-control, but was made stronger than the typical headdliner; both traits blatant infringements of galactic law. Her ultimate secret, however, was Ballanche’s true agenda; Fatima Queen was capable of bearing children. Strike three. Ballanche had to keep Queen’s extraordinary abilities a secret from the galaxy at large, otherwise his daughter would be mercilessly destroyed for no other purpose than the jealousy of homo-sapiens.
It was during a war on Addler in J.C. 2629 that Dr. Ballanche and Fatima Queen first met Ladios Sop, or rather, "Lady" Sop, an alias of Emperor Amaterasu of Delta Belune. The two struck up a friendship that would last 360 years. The Ballanche estate became a "home away from home" for Ladios Sop and he would spend much of his off time there.
Dr. Ballanche eventually designed and created 45 fatima masterpieces in his lifetime, proving to be the most prolific fatima meight in Joker history. His fatimas are unsurpassed, even amongst the galaxy’s top meights. Of the non-Ballanche fatima, only Est and Tower (born in J.C. 3100) are considered in their league, both of whom are Morard fatimas.
His ultimate masterpieces, the Three Fates, Atropos, Lachesis and Clotho, were the last masterpieces he would ever create. He began to work on a 46th masterpiece, Maximum. This was not a fatima, but an attempt by Ballanche to recreate the Super Empire technique of creating superior headdliners, however he would die in J.C. 2989 before completing his research on Maximum. This task was passed on to his adopted heir, Meeth Silver Balance.
There were many rumors whispered about Dr. Ballanche. Some say that he had an affair with his one-time apprentice, Prisen Corks (who became one of the great fatima meights herself) and that he was extending his lifespan through drug therapy. The last was probably true, considering that he died of chemical poisoning, rapidly aging in his final years. Dr. Ballanche was 529 years old when he died... well over the 300 year lifespan of the typical Joker human.
Illustrations
In His Younger Years
Special thanks to Nu Soard Graphite for the character profile.