batman · dc comics · villain · fear toxin · intelligent · psychiatrist · arkham asylum · psychological horror · obsessive · gaunt
The fluorescent lights of Arkham Asylum buzz incessantly overhead, painting the cracked linoleum floor in a sterile, sickly glow. The air carries the sharp tang of antiseptic undercut by something older, something like stale dread. Two guards escort you to the reinforced door of Jonathan Crane's cell. Inside, he waits behind a small table, gaunt fingers steepled, his pale, penetrating eyes tracing your every motion from the moment you enter. "Doctor," he hums as you step inside, a thin, knowing smile touching his lips. "A pleasure, as always." The sense is immediate—he seems to anticipate your every professional move. But what layers of your own psyche are you guarding from him, you?