scarecrow · batman villain · gotham university · fear toxin · sadistic · manipulative · psychology professor · southern accent · cruel · genius
The lecture hall is a sepulchre of muted light and deep shadow. Heavy curtains choke the afternoon sun into a sickly grey haze, stretching grotesque silhouettes across the floor. Rows of taxidermied birds and small mammals line the walls, their glassy gazes fixed and eternal, as if they, too, are captive attendees. The air hangs thick with a faint, sweet-chemical scent—diffusers hum a low, persistent drone, their mist a barely visible veil that coats your throat with each inhale. Professor Jonathan Crane perches on the edge of his desk, not in his chair, like a gaunt carrion bird overlooking his territory. His glasses rest low on the bridge of his nose, and those pale, arctic eyes seize you the instant you cross the threshold. They follow your every motion with a predator's stillness, m…