Etraya: App

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⌈ PLAYER ⌉

Name: Lisa
Age: 18+
Contact: Plurk or Discord





⌈ CANON INFO ⌉

Name: Jonathan Crane
Canon: The Dark Knight Trilogy
Canon Point: Batman Begins: Before Imprisonment



Background:

Once a Gotham University professor, Jonathan Crane was deposed because of unethical experimentation on his subjects. The loss of status left him facing disgrace, but his work had caught the attention of administrators at Arkham Asylum, who promoted him to chief of psychiatry. Crane cultivated a strong reputation and his professional opinion became valued by the police and courts. This made him attractive to Carmine Falcone and the two negotiated a deal. Falcone would smuggle drugs into Gotham while Crane offered expert testimony to keep his men out of prison.

Crane was later called to evaluate Falcone's mental condition. He suspected the gangster of snitching on their arrangement and after a brief exchange was blackmailed. The act confirmed his suspicions, leading him to open his briefcase and reveal a mask. Knowing his benefactor refused to trust a criminal, Crane subjected Falcone to a powerful hallucinogen that drove him psychotic. The risk of exposure sent him to the Narrows to burn the evidence but he soon realised he was being watched. Batman had flushed out his drug stash. Crane concealed himself amongst shadows, where he pulled out a mask and ambushed the vigilante with his neurotoxin, soaking him in gasoline before lighting him on fire.

Falcone soon became a problem. Rachel Dawes questioned his psychotic breakdown, and when Crane convinced a judge to move Falcone to Arkham, she threatened him with an independent toxicology report. Crane drew her to the basement with the promise of something she should see: his contamination of the public water supply. He then dosed her with toxin to force her silence. Batman, realising her life was in danger, terminated his wiretap and broke into the asylum, prepared for their second encounter. Crane became unhinged by his own medicine and was institutionalised in his own hospital.

Forced to advance his plans, Ra’s al Ghul deployed the League of Shadows to infiltrate Arkham and unleash the inmates on Gotham. Crane was personally relieved of his constraints and granted his mask. He disappeared among the flood of escapees, ventured into the mayhem and commandeered a police horse. He became a terrifying sight to those he hunted through chaotic streets and narrow alleys. Rachel crossed his path and fled, before shocking him in the face with her taser, protecting a terrified child. The weapon incapacitated him and he was spirited into the night by his horse.




Personality:



Describe an important event in your character's life and how it impacted them.

Crane experiences a number of events that shape his worldview but arguably the most important is his employment at Arkham Asylum. Batman uncovers breakdowns in the provision of primary care: a lack of professional oversight, poor security and infrastructure and negligence. Staff members are criminally incompetent or indifferent, treating patients with anything but empathy and kindness. Crane secretly experiments on patients without consent and subjects them to psychological manipulation and torture. The corruption he holds responsibility for impacts deeply on his psyche and contributes to his transformation into a villain.



Does your character have a moral code or other set of standards they try to live by?

Crane follows no guiding principles beyond what matters for his research. Arkham under his leadership is a stark environment that mirrors his moral indifference. Troublesome patients are intimidated into submission while others are medicated into obedience. He imposes order and coerces his subjects into manning his laboratory. Rules are followed until they become problematic. Crane observes dealings and favours and lacks ethical boundaries. He secretly assists terrorists and assassins and operates in criminal circles.

The terrorism and chaos Crane plans to unleash on Gotham is the biggest indication he is a pragmatist. Unable to fund his research through legitimate means, he resorts to crime. He thinks the plan is to hold Gotham to ransom. He understands there are other intentions but ignores them. Being manipulated is irrelevant when Gotham offers an amazing opportunity; a greater scope for his research than all his patients combined.

Crane hides behind his reputation and seeks protection when necessary. He recognizes there is strength in numbers and associates with powerful figures to further his research. This code of preservation drives him to abandon allies who endanger his safety. Falcone threatens him with blackmail and psychologically tortures and terrorizes him into psychosis. The crime lord exposes his pretense regarding his moral position. Crane denies wanting to know what will happen to the attorney they plan to kill. Falcone suggests he does and reveals that Crane is hypocritical and depraved. He maintains a moral high ground in their business while engaging in ruthless and unethical behavior.



What quality or qualities do they admire most?

Power is admirable in the right hands. Crane ridicules those without the intelligence to master it and scorns those without the cunning to use it. Falcone pressures him with blackmail but is traumatised. Dawes threatens an inquiry but is terrorised. Batman opposes him intellectually and becomes his obsession. Ra's al Ghul respects and understands fear. Crane admires his methods and learns from his example.

Power. Intelligence. Cunning. Crane respects individuals who use them to further their objectives, even should those objectives oppose his own. He admires people who challenge and better themselves, preferring those who stand their ground.



Do they have a part of themselves they dislike?

Crane loathes his human need for connection; opening up is a game full of risks of hurt, betrayal and rejection. People enjoy inflicting pain and hiding their motives. He trusts the predictability of behaviour and allows nobody inside his circle. His docile manner is designed to provide space between himself and society. He is professional and speaks on that level. His clothing is tailored but bland and unremarkable with no identifying patterns or features. Plain glasses stress intelligence; he is logical and respectable. People respect his achievements and seek his expert opinion. He speaks in a courteous manner that often seems charming to those in positions of power and authority.

Unfortunately, this conceals an inferiority complex marked by belligerent and disturbing behaviour. Past trauma shaped beliefs about a disordered world dominated by fear. Crane endured severe bullying and the experience followed him to Arkham: a place where he found the power to exercise dominance and gain control of his life. He views inmates as nothing but thugs and lowlifes and fixates on controlling every aspect of their lives. He manipulates their minds for personal gain and breaks them for personal satisfaction. Rachel noticed he enjoys the reversal and he clearly relished bringing her under control.

Crane presents as a polite and professional man who graciously helps others. There is barely any hostility or aggression in his demeanour unless he feels challenged or threatened. He is skilled in maintaining his composure. There is little indication he despises himself and those who see otherwise are opposed and controlled. Crane has a background in psychiatry and his expertise in psychology suggests deep levels of introspection. This implies he has grappled with his mental health for years. Crane is aware of who he is but is hesitant to express it. The image he presents is the mask he hides behind. The mask he wears is the man behind it.





⌈ GAME INFO ⌉


Powers:

None. Crane is a psychological manipulator but should he develop a variant of his gas I would check with the mods. He is a brilliant scientist and psychiatrist who is skilled at reading individuals.

Rachel Dawes is identified as an idealist who would be problematic. They spoke only briefly but Crane demonstrated a good understanding of her motives and intentions when talking to Falcone.

Crane can metaphorically understand societal structures and groups in order to mentally dissect individuals. He rebuilt his reputation after losing it academically and demonstrates a solid grasp of mob mentality and hierarchy in his interactions with Falcone.

Falcone threatened blackmail but Crane had foreseen the threat and smuggled his toxin in his briefcase.

This demonstrates Crane's intelligence and adaptability. His ability to execute and manage projects that call for efficiency and innovation compliments his analytical skills. The best example of this is his work with the League of Shadows. That he commandeered a police horse also suggests some level of equestrianism.

Notably, Crane has canisters of fear toxin and a delivery mechanism. Both are strapped to his person, evidenced when he confronts Batman in the Narrows and later at Arkham. This is relevent since it is mentioned in the FAQ.



⌈ HEADCANON ⌉



Childhood:

Jonathan Crane was born to Karen and Gerald Crane in Gotham. He knows little about their lives or whether he was cherished or detested. Gerald abandoned his family at birth, following which Karen struggled with motherhood and palmed her son off on his grandmother: a socialite who resided downtown.

The relationship between Marion and Jonathan was extremely grim. She impressed her peers as kind and loving by adopting him, but in truth she was a narcissist. He was moulded and shaped by her lie that his parents had died when he was a child. He became an accessory to her reputable image; an object stripped of rights who was punished for expressing his identity. She dominated his public and private life, deciding everything from appearance to education. Outstanding grades drew admiration from her peers but became an excuse to humiliate and belittle his pride. He became the family scapegoat, the reason for her disgrace, unloved and abandoned by his parents.

Jonathan was paraded around her friends but denied his own companions and isolated from society. By her hand he grew gentle and fair; distinguished by sharp features and striking blue eyes. Marion supported public recognition of his beauty but ridiculed him behind closed doors. She scorned his elegance and branded him an untrustworthy demon who leads good people astray. Her female friends complimented him at prayer, prompting her to usher him home where he was reprimanded for his ego. She kept him close, unable to act without permission so she could keep a watchful eye on him. Though she acted of her own volition, she claimed she did nothing except see the wickedness in his soul and believe God would punish him.



Adolescence:

Life as a teenager was rough. Jonathan became an outcast and endured severe bullying from his peers; they labelled him a scarecrow and made him the subject of their jokes. Back home he was subject to hunger as punishment to prevent him from rebelling. He was locked outside at winter and banished to his room during summer. He studied indoors while Marion entertained guests outdoors. Marion never loosened his leash and maintained face with her housekeeper, who praised her for supporting this boy who needed all the help she could get. She utelised her relationships as a psychological weapon to attack any comfort Jonathan might possess in others and to further isolate him from society.

Jonathan survived by learning how to be manipulative and pragmatic, breaking rules when necessary while masking himself with the exterior of an introvert. The housekeeper would flatter him in a blatant manner to earn favour. Her misunderstanding of social cues suggested life was a game and he found insight. Marion had held him back when his teachers noted his intelligence and favoured skipping grades. In retaliation, he began manipulating her narcissistic need for validation. It proved simple to influence her peers into suggesting she enrol him in a local prestigious university to study medicine and psychiatry. He delighted in preparing everything and once departed never looked back.



Education:

Encouraged to shine, Jonathan became the star of his class; mentored and nurtured by a professor who recognised his intelligence. His appearance attracted peers like moths to a flame but their attention triggered a bitterness that led him to reject their affection. He debated his mentor about human motivation and found enjoyment in regular games of chess. He was drawn into conversation and encouraged to see human beings as kinder and more complex emotionally than what he believed.

During his undergraduate, he volunteered for work in university laboratories. He struggled to accept new ideas that contradicted his early experiences and came to believe his mentor was foolish for downplaying the power of fear and control. He nurtured the seed of thought that his guide was gullible: a disappointment whose head was stuffed with the same nonsense as everyone else. Their meetings continued but he withdrew, falling victim to negative thoughts and obsessions as he focused on his studies. He finished his BCH in four years and began studying his MD-PhD.

Jonathan undertook six years of intensive research and specialised in psychopharmacology. Clinical training filled the remainder of his years with residency required on completion. He chose forensic psychiatry and during his internship began forming the idea of using patients in his experiments. His dissertation committee called his thesis brilliant and groundbreaking, feeding his intellectual ego. He graduated and was immediately hired by the university. They ensconced him in their psychiatry department where many predicted he would have a long and distinguished career.

Before the next academic year, Jonathan scheduled an appointment with Marion for coffee and conversation. He disregarded her as she twisted her actions towards him, claiming her methods made him a success, and apologised for obliging her to make excuses. Her lessons had been sound. His only problem was her method; her falsification of data and misinterpretation of results. He remarked amicably on her tendency to misplace notes and advised treatment for her symptoms. Ignoring her objections, he sipped coffee before supposing her doctor had prescribed it already.



Employment:

Jonathan returned to work and approached his class in methodical fashion; withholding approval while reminding students they were here to learn. He established high standards by punishing mistakes and correcting poor behaviour. His reserved manner enhanced his mystique; a display of smoke and mirrors woven from his reluctance to speak about himself. Colleagues sought his opinions and treated him with courtesy and kindness. Jonathan viewed their benevolence as transactional. He attended work gatherings but found solace in his research.

This included the development of treatments for psychiatric illness. Jonathan led graduates in exploring patient responses to cutting edge medication. He rejected ethics and treated his subjects as tools requiring maintenance and care. Some he manipulated into consent and others he forwarded into withdrawal; even those experiencing delusions that should have seen them disqualified. More were permitted to relapse in order to assess their symptoms. Families were uninformed as their loved ones were abused by research that placed scientific advancement over compassionate treatment.

The professor who had nursed his development discovered his experiments and reported his behaviour to the board. Jonathan retreated into emotional indifference during their altercations, staring impassively as his mentor recognised patterns of abuse and neglect. He chuckled and admitted everyone finds life hard sometimes. There was no need to make life difficult, he advised. The implicit threat cowed his mentor but he was still released from his position; his alma mater distributing a press release stating he was reluctantly leaving his post to pursue other opportunities.