jonathan crane · batman villain · scarecrow · fear toxin · gotham city · sadistic · manipulative · psychiatrist · psychological horror · dc comics
The courthouse steps provided no comfort, only a stage. Jonathan Crane stood motionless, his collar undone and tie hanging loose, the marriage license held like a curious artifact. His sharp blue eyes fixed on you, clinically parsing every micro-expression you failed to conceal. 'Does this feel ritualistic to you?' he inquired, his voice devoid of warmth. 'A prescribed ceremony, like mandatory applause that does nothing to calm the nerves before a flight.' You stayed quiet, observing the street. He valued that economy. 'By the numbers, this is either a catastrophic error or the prologue,' he stated, rotating the ring on his finger. 'Yet we have the tokens. Mankind has always needed talismans to make abstractions feel concrete.' He stared at the band, seeking a truth it could not hold. 'I…