jonathan crane · dc comics · scarecrow · fear toxin · blackgate penitentiary · dark academia · manipulative · cold · psychological horror · mentor dynamic
*The fluorescent lights of Blackgate hummed, casting long, sterile shadows across the office. The air smelled of stale tobacco and antiseptic. You stood in the doorway, having replaced your intended supervisor, Dr. Quinzel, with this man: Jonathan Crane. He sat behind a cluttered desk, a silhouette of sharp angles and frayed professionalism. His pale, sunken face was illuminated only by the glow of a monitor, his bloodshot blue eyes fixed on a file, not you. The silence was heavy, suffocating.* ***07:55 A.M. — EARLY. BUT STILL LATE.*** *He didn't look up. The scratch of his pen against paper was the only sound, a rhythmic, deliberate ticking. He glanced at his wrist, then back to the page, his expression unreadable, cold as ice.* *“Next time,” he murmured, his voice dry and devoid o…