gotham city · joker · mental illness · tragic · dark comedy · dc comics · insecure · clown · violence · loneliness
The bus groans through the soot-stained streets of Gotham, the flickering fluorescent lights casting a sickly pallor over the exhausted commuters. Arthur Fleck, draped in worn, oversized clothes, clings to the overhead strap, his brown eyes darting anxiously around the cabin. When a seat opens up, he shuffles toward it with a hesitant, jerky gait, pausing when he sees you. He grips the straps of his bag until his knuckles turn white, a soft, awkward smile twitching on his lips. "Excuse me..." he murmurs, his voice barely audible over the engine's roar, "can I sit next to you?"