#when hes scarecrow sometimes he talks in nursery rhymes

[sp00ky-scary]

Cranes turn, he's so baby girl coded <3

Design rant time !!

Jonathan Cranes backstory is the one where he lived with his great grandma and she terrorised the shit out of him, especially with birds. And he got bullied and all that too, and it all just kinda fucked him up. Eventually he ended up killing both his bullies and his grandmother, the events leading him to pursue psychology and study fear. Also he's from the south, I still dunno if that's ever been canon but I know it's a popular headcanon if it isn't. So yeah he's southern, although he tries to hide his accent (don't ask what state I don't know enough about American States to pick one).

So blah blah blah he moved to Gotham after university and he eventually became a Professor of Psychology, he then used his position to run experiments on "consenting" university students (he tried to argue they agreed to it, he failed to argue his point but he still made an attempt). Over time he developed his fear toxin (he didn't actually use fear toxin for a good few years) and developed the Scarecrow persona. During this time he also got fired from the University but managed to become a psychologist at Arkham Asylum which gave him ample opportunity to run his experiments. Eventually he expanded his experiments, using fear gas on a crowd at a currently undecided event to test it at a larger scale and a diverse range of people instead of just uni students and the mentally ill. However he got caught by Batman and became a patient at Arkham which obviously also got him fired. Nevertheless he continued his experiments although over the years a variety of factors have resulted in the Scarecrow persona almost becoming a second personality (he doesn't have DID just to clarify, this bit is more of a made up disorder on my part that's unique to him because his fear gas/toxin had a big part in its development, he's not immune to his fear stuff and whilst he tries to limit his exposure it's just not possible to avoid it). The best way to describe it is basically as Scarecrow his personality becomes harsher and under extreme circumstances and/or over exposure to his fear gas/toxin, he'll often disassociate and act more violent, mostly just attempting to do what he thinks is best in order to protect himself, it's similar in a way to a fight or flight response type thing I guess. It's basically just his brain attempting to protect him, it's really hard to explain what I'm thinking.

As Jonathan Crane he's reclusive with very few personal connections to other people. he can be cold and lacks empathy (not totally he still experiences a little), and often doesn't display much emotion, despite this he's still somewhat considerate of others. He's skilled in psychology and chemistry, and lacks fighting skills. He's persuasive and his knowledge of psychology makes it quite easy for him to get in other's heads. As Scarecrow very little is different, although he appears to completely lack empathy, has more violent impulses, and is generally more sadistic. Depending on the circumstances he'll either be more controlled and calm (when he chooses to slip into the persona), or he'll be impulsive and reckless, his actions reminiscent of someone doing what they can to survive (when he's forced into the persona, or further into them intended). Anyway at Arkham he gets the straight jacket treatment, also the mask whatever, he's never actually bitten someone they're just scared of him, he doesn't always wear the mask. When he's brought into Arkham he will often be more violent before calming down after a few days, usually they put him in solitary confinement for the first few days.

He began his crimes in his 30s and continues them into his 50s so he's like middle aged. He's aroace, also he's autistic, why? Because I say so, his special interest is fear lmao. Anyway he's close friends with Jervis Tetch and friends with Poison Ivy, friendly with Riddler (they have their issues), other than that he's mostly neutral with the other rogues. Also a note his body is covered in scars from the whole Grandmother terrorizing him with birds thing, the worst of the scars are on his arms and his back. Also he knits as a hobby, I just think that suits him. One more thing, he's 6'6" I just thought y'all should know that, he's stupidly tall. And that is all I have to say about him.

[theparanormalperiodical]

The Real Story Behind The Babadook (2014), And 17 Weirdest Bogeymen From Around The World That Might Be Hiding Under Your Bed Right Now

Strange times we live in.

It’s a Saturday night, and I’m hauled up at home eating a vegetarian lasagne whilst my mother asks me for the 37th time why I’ve decided to give up meat, when really, if there was no global pandemic, I’d be hauled up at home eating a vegetarian lasagne whilst my mother asks me for the 37th time why I’ve decided to give up meat.

It really is a strange time we live in.

But, in my attempt to protect the vulnerable groups in society and halt the spread of the latest Twitter hashtag in its tracks, I decided to catch up on the horror films hadn’t found the time to press play on just yet.

So, a bucket of popcorn and some mild trauma later, I could finally join in the conversation about The Babadook.

6 years too late.

Nevertheless! Once I’d emotionally recovered, I finally had my Sex And The City moment. No, not the ones with feminism that would make Emilline Pankhurst perform the equivalent of a Viennese Waltz in her grave - the one where Carrie sits in her NYC apartment and thinks about men at her computer.

“I couldn’t help but wonder: could the Babadook be based on a true story? ”

Unfortunately, I discovered that the Babadook is based on the concept of the boogeyman, an urban legend that has a greater global reach than Covid-19. 

So, to distract you from the global pandemic with the threat of a creature lurking under your bed and waiting to snatch an ankle, I thought I’d let you in on the reality behind this queer icon.

First, let’s talk ‘bout The Babadook.

It was one of the biggest hits of the 2010s, combining the classic trope of creepy children with the classic colour palette of depression. Our story follows a single mother and her son who begins to be visited by an imaginary creature fresh from the pages of a children’s book.

With spiky talon-like hands, a cloaked figure, a jaw crammed full of teeth, a face paler than that time you bought that foundation on a whim in TK Maxx - all crowned with a dusty hat - the Babadook the child was seeing certainly had a sense of style.

The child, Sam, begins to create intricate traps and weapons designed to stop the Babadook, all the while the book predicts the mother’s rather dark future. It becomes clear that the Bababook is preying on the mother and essentially possessing her, a diagnosis that is confirmed when the mother attempts to kill Sam.

She then regurgitates a black inky substance evocative of ectoplasm, and is released from its grip. 

The film ends on the happy family feeding the Babadook as it lives in their basement.

This indie horror - once it had finished polishing the 5 awards on it’s mantelpiece - might have woven a intricate plot deviating from the simple basis of international man of mystery James Bond The Boogeyman, but the basis still sticks out more than that wardrobe in the corner of your bedroom you’re now highly conscious of.

Simply put, the Babadook matches the basic concept of the boogeyman:

There’s some weird, dark creature that knicks kids and eats ‘em if they wander alone or don’t go to bed or misbehave. Just like Krampus, the bogeyman is a legend propagated by parents to convince kids to stay in line.

That being said, the mythical creature isn’t the only inspo behind this cinema-hit.

Specifically, the brains behind the film, Jennifer Kent, claimed it was about a deep-rooted fear we all have: that of going mad. On top of this, it seeks to show parenting from a real perspective.

The film focuses on a single mother as she faces one of the most difficult challenges in life: she loses her husband whilst going to give birth to her son, and then has to raise him alone. But that is not all.

Kent also spoke of a real encounter with the bogeyman. 

Basics, her bestie’s son was being plagued by an imaginary monster, so she pretended to talk to it to calm his concerns. Sure, this tale might not have kickstarted the real terror engaged with in this movie, but it invited us into the reality behind the bogeyman.

But beyond this, the movie also detracts from the Babadook, and instead looks for the primal instincts in the mother - it looks for the bogeyman within us all.

That’s right - the real horror that was inside us all along.

Yawn.

But the thing is, it also brings up hell of a lot of paranormal activity that is remarkably accurate to theories of the supernatural.

      Let’s start with the introduction of the Babadook.

He arrives in the form of a creepy children’s book no one’s seen or heard of. Armed with a chilling nursery rhyme and an aesthetic last seen in 2007, the Babadook follows the basic principles of a basic haunting: ghost does spooky stuff, ghost spooks humans, humans invite it in following the consent laws of the universe by interacting with it, ghost spooky powers intensify.

This begins with the book itself. Although the film doesn’t consider if he is a paranormal being aligning with the concept of demons and spirits (etc.), this book follows the concept of haunted objects.

By opening the book and reading it - or, interacting with it - they invite in the Babadook. And when she tries to destroy it, it crops up again, fully intact and conveniently lying on her doorstep.

No ‘sorry we missed you card’ needed.

This closely follows the theory of the haunted object, something more on-trend than tutting at empty shelves in the grocery store. Haunted objects have a habit of failing to be destroyed, and by engaging with them, such as not asking permission for taking a picture of a haunted doll, you enter communication with them.

From there, you’ve basically consented to a full possession. The object is a vessel for a spirit or a demon until a new, better, breathing vessel can be found.

You can find out more about this here.

I can’t find anything about haunted books specifically online, but as a variety of haunted objects exist, from bunk beds to boxes, I’m sure there’s potential for it.

     Next is the eventual possession of the mother.

One of the most dramatic moments we witness is when the mother coughs up this black bile which represents the removal of the Babadook. This bears a striking resemblance to ectoplasm, a white liquid often released by those experiencing intense paranormal activity.

When mediums experience a trance-like state, they supposedly release a fabric-like or thick substance that darkens as physic energy is intensified. It allows those in the supernatural realm to interact with the physical realm, and for spirits to represent themselves to the audience of a seance.

This film was one of the first to explore the potential paranormal explanations behind the bogeyman, and give some basis to a beast that has haunted communities since the beginning of time.

Speaking of the beast…

Who is the bogeyman?

It’s sometime in the 1500s.

We are in the middle of a small country called England, struggling to make ends meet between the near constant famine, the anxiety of being cursed by a witch, or some war with [insert european nation that may or may not exist anymore].

Either way, when we aren’t trying to spell everything with an ‘e’ at the end, we are being taunted by hobgoblins.

These pesky beasts made their name in tormenting Englishmen, playing pranks on them or simply just being foul.

Hobgoblins are the OG bogeymen, or are the first we can trace back to recorded sources. But they were no means the last. And they were by no means the only ones in the world.

As a simple definition, the bogeyman is a mythical creature that makes sure kids are staying in line, and was made up by parents. The thing is, the bogeyman features in every culture that has ever been created.

And given the realm of the paranormal explored so far on this blog, perhaps your local Babadook isn’t so out of the question.

The bogeyman has always claimed a rather vague existence, representing a non-specific terror that has even extended to just ‘being the devil’ in some cases. The origins of the name are no different: ‘bogge’ comes from middle english, meaning ‘something frightening’ or ‘scarecrow’.

It has even been interpreted to mean ‘goat’ which can be traced to relations to the devil.

Appearance wise, the bogeyman has several broad features that stretch across cultures. Standard features include sharp teeth, talon or claw-like hands, hooves for feet, and even bug-like features. The Babadook might have shared in a few of these #basic-bogeyman traits, but it’s not all about looks.

How does his personality fair?

The bogeyman can pick between three personality types: something that punishes misbehaving children; one that is just violent for the hell of it which includes stealing kids, and eating them and/or taking them back to hell; or one that protects the innocent.

“So what you’re saying is, this is a vague looking creature with a vague personality with vague ambitions that is made up by parents who are tired of their kids interrupting their vague post-marital sex?”

Okay, fine, the bogeyman bears little resemblance to the basic concept of the bogeyman. But this is what makes him the international man of mystery. It’s the regional divergences between each nation’s own Babadook that makes this creature quite so peculiar.

You see, I assumed the bogeyman would be a universal concept draped in more black clothes than a kid that was in the throes of that scene where Edward leaves Bella. 

Turns out that there’s actually a band of bogeymen which can be specified by their not-so-casual racism and genitalia.

But as the 195 countries dotted across the globe have fostered their own child-eating monster, I thought I’d cut to the chase and fill you in on the world’s weirdest bogeymen.

*Rolls up sleeves of Team Edward hoodie*

     The Sack Man

Making his cinematic debut in The Nightmare Before Christmas, the Sack Man is the international symbol for the bogeyman. Whether he himself is draped in sack-like materials, or is lugging one around with him, Hombre Del Saco uses his luggage to capture and carry naughty children away to, uh, somewhere.

Most popular in Latin countries and Eastern Europe, the Sack Man is the most well travelled bogeyman on this list.

     Babaroga

The original inspiration behind the Babadook - note the similar name - Babaroga is a resident of Serbia and its neighbouring countries. However, the mood board for the Babadook’s inspiration stopped there.

Babaroga literally translates to “old woman with horns”.

And this pensioner spends her time finding children, putting them in a sack (how original), bringing them to her cave, and eating them. Or, to shake things up, she pulls childrens through small holes in the ceiling.

     El Coco

When he’s not featuring in lovable Disney hits, El Coco is snatching kids that don’t get to sleep when they should. With nursery rhymes detailing the legend - a chilling similarity to the Babadook - spanish-language countries across the globe are versed in reportedly seeing a coconut-like face hiding under their beds.

With a brown hairy face and body, and glowing red eyes to match, this famous humanoid might be closer than you think.

“Que viene el Coco y te comerá” 

 - A line from the traditional Spanish nursery rhyme.

     The Mamma

Pakistan gets its fair share of attention on the news cycle, but aside from the war going on, no one has ever noted the rather peculiar beast haunting the nation’s young women.

The Mamma isn’t the mothering being the name suggests, but is a large ape that lives in the mountains and only comes to the civilised world when in need of a young girl. Once he’s kidnapped ‘em and taken ‘em back to his cave, he licks their hands and feet so they can’t escape.

I have a strong feeling that what happens next to these innocent women isn’t as silly as someone licking your feet.

     La Tulievieja

Bringing together the award-winning aesthetic of The Ring and the naseau-inducing aesthetic of Cats, La Tulievieja is Panama’s warning for naughty children. Legend has it she is a spirit cursed by God for drowning her child.

The thing is, God’s curse was, uh, confused. Her monstrous form consists of acne scarring, long hair, claws for hands, a cat’s body and a farmyard animal’s hooved feet. On top of that, she also looks like the child she drowned.

Yep, confused.

     The Jersey Devil

Most countries suffer from multiple bogeymen - here in the UK, for example, we have 12 varieties - and America is no different. The Jersey Devil is actually one of 4 variants, and, like La Tulievieja, is also confused.

Fresh from the jaws of New Jersey, this beast has a horse’s head, bat wings, hooves, and a snake’s tail. First spotted in the 18th century and then again in 1909, it is believed that this legend was actually manufactured as a real estate hoax to coax residents into lowering their selling prices.

You might be able to deny the existence of this beast, but the Cipelahq (a large owl), the Long Black Being that makes a habit of slithering round like a snake, and Bloody Bones (a dancing skeleton and a separate skull) have yet to be disproven.

     The Copperpenis Owl

Hungary has 3 different bogeyman, and most fit the description of the international beast: there’s one with a sack, there’s one which is just a-bit-beasty, and then there’s the giant owl with a penis made of copper.

I personally feel a Babadook with rose gold genitalia circa 2013 might have detracted from the overall feel of the film.

     Ijiraq and the Qalupalik

Iniut communities also follow beliefs in the bogeyman, and probably focus on them more than others because if you wander off in the Arctic you will either get mauled by a bear and die, or freeze.

And then you’ll die.

They actually have 2 resident bogeymen. There’s the Ijiraq, a shapeshifter that kidnaps kids. You know, pretty basic bitch stuff. And then there’s the Qalupalik who is slightly more spooky.

This is a mermaid laden with green skin, long fingernails, and ratty hair that carry babies away in amauti (pouches or sacks for carrying kids) and bring them to live in their underwater world.

     Butzemann

Remember when I mentioned that thing about casual racism? It’s a bit of grey area, ironically.

Germany’s very own bogeyman is known as The Black Man.

(You can see my point.)

That being said, this probably doesn’t actually refer to the colour of his skin as most Germans during the Middle Ages hadn’t actually seen anyone from the African continent. Instead, his outdated nickname was actually down to his preference for dark corners.

The closet, under the bed, in forests during the early hours... If it’s spooky, you’ll find him here.

     Babau

Germany isn’t the only country with politically incorrect bogeyman. Italy has its very own Black Man, a mysterious figure which often features as a black man (gasp) or a black ghost. Only this entity has no legs.

The Marabbecca on the other hand is specific to Sicily, and mirrors the mythology of the Inuits.

Don’t play too close to the water, kids, or a Marabbecca will swim up and drag you to your watery grave!

     The Kropeman

Our final iconic bogeyman isn’t like the other girls, even if his fellow Luxembourgian monsters are. There’s yet another Black Man, and there’s something about an uncle, but it's the Kropeman which has me sleeping with the lights on.

Under the streets of this small country roams a man with a long hook.

When he’s not busy dodging rats in the sewers, he’s grabbing kids by their nose via the hook, and dragging ‘em down into the storm drains.

So - which one is hiding in your closet?

(Aside from the queerness your inner 14 year old hasn’t fully unleashed yet like a big bisexual dragon spewing flames of gender-neutralness.)

(Don’t worry, I’m fine.)

Are you a whore for horror? Passionate about the paranormal? Do you want to see a new real ghost story every day? Then you have to follow this blog.

Read this post next!

[codenamed-queenie]

Bohemian Rhapsody

No one knows who started it. Stephanie will claim credit whenever the topic’s brought up, but no one can really be sure. Because, really, when you and your caped family all spread out to the far reaches of the city at night, with no way to talk to each other except a group comm link...

Singing over said comms is inevitable. 

It started out innocently, enough. Dick and Barbara would hum radio tunes on boring stakeouts, and Bruce would pretend that it bothered him. Then, the two sidekicks got older--and bolder--and started expanding their musical range. By the time the others came around, it wasn’t uncommon on slow nights to hear a quick burst of song lyrics on someone else’s line. Anything ranging from nursery rhymes to hard rock classics. Dick’s Discowing phase scarred everyone, because with the frills and the mullet came an inexplicable obsession with ABBA. Jason fought back with overly loud rounds of ACDC as Tim frantically tried to hum Tchaikovsky to tune out his brothers. The others could only roll their eyes and listen passively to the cacophony. 

So really, the night when someone started out with a soft “Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?” came as no surprise. This particular number had made appearances before.

No. The real surprise was when someone else picked it up. “Caught in a landslide, no escape from re-al-i-teeee...”

And where they left off, yet another Bat started up. “Open your eyes...”

Maybe it was boredom. Maybe there was just a collective frustration stemming from a case involving Victor Fries where the trail had literally gone cold. Maybe the fancy just struck all of the Family members at once. Whatever the reason, that night everyone sang, as they ironically pointed up at the lit batsignal in the cloudy Gotham sky, no matter where they were. “Look up to the skies, and seeeeee....”

And that was the first time they all sang Bohemian Rhapsody together. Bruce included, though to this day, no one really knows why. 

After that, it became something of an unspoken tradition. Boring nights were Bohemian Rhapsody nights. The rules were simple. Someone would start it up with the opening lines, and if no one else joined in, everyone would carry out the rest of patrol in silence (or with different musical selections). But the second someone--anyone--else picked up those next few words, the game was afoot. The rules dictated that once two people were singing on the line, everyone had to join in. No choice. No back-outs. If the others don’t hear your voice chime in, you’ll probably wake up the next morning with a Sharpie mustache. Maybe find something with too many legs in your breakfast cereal, or fall victim to a far more sinister prank. (It’s collectively assumed that this was how Bruce and Damian agreed to play along.)

But the kicker? Every Bat can hear the others perfectly, and the collective result actually isn’t half bad. On the comms, 

But to everyone else? The only thing they can hear is the Bat in front of them...

For instance:

Poison Ivy is still reeling from the time she was fighting off Batgirl and Spoiler, when suddenly, the purple girl skidded to a halt. She threw her arms out to the sides, tipped back her head and belted, “I’m just a poor boy, I need no sympathy!” Then immediately recovered and punched Ivy in the face.

Commissioner Gordon was getting a debrief on a case from Nightwing when suddenly the masked man held up a finger, cocked his head, then grinned as wide as a cheshire cat. It was unnerving. It was unsettling. But what followed was even more so.

“Is everything alright?” Gordon asked cautiously. Nightwing’s only response was to bellow out a loud, “~Easy come~!” 

Gordon took a step back, stuttering, “Um. S-son? What’s--” 

“~Little high~!” 

“I-I...don’t doubt that.”

If only the Commissioner knew that on the other side of the city, his daughter was perched behind her computer system singing softly, “Easy go...little low...” Softly, since she’s on the Birds of Prey group line as well.  It isn’t the first time this has happened, but her girls still don’t understand why their leader will randomly start singing in the middle of conversations. 

Bullock once called Batman in a panic. “Your boy’s danglin’ off the edge of a roof, Bats! And the stuff he’s sayin’--” 

Bruce could only sigh, “I’m sure it’s alright, Harvey.”

“Not hard to hear, he’s practically screamin;...uh, somethin’ about ‘his time has come’ and a shiverin’ spine...and ‘leavin’ you all behind to face the truth’. Aw, geez, Bats. Now he’s on about how he wishes he’d never been born at all.”

“Red Robin’s fine, Bullock.”

“You sure? He could be on another one’a his coffee benders or somethin’. The kid’s always worried me, Bats. This time he could be--”

“He’s fine.”

And Hugo Strange was almost tempted to check himself into his own facility when he saw Robin leaping amidst a hoard of angry Arkham inmates, all the while groaning out in staccato monotone, “I’m just a poor boy, no-bod-y loves me.” The girl calling herself Bluebird, who was fighting nearby, dropped everything to point at the small boy and bellow, “He’s just a poor boy, from a poor family! Spare him his life from this monstrosity!” Little did he know that every other Bat in the city was belting out the same line, scaring pedestrians and police officers alike. 

During an interrogation, a mob boss couldn’t believe his eyes when the Red Hood--leering above him with a fist full of his shirt--suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. Tilted his head as if listening to a thousand voices in that crazy head of his. Then he lowered the gun pressed to the man’s temple and groaned. 

“Seriously? Now? You guys!”

Then, with a sigh, he added in haunting falsetto, “Easy come, easy go, will you let me go?” The mobster’s jaw dropped as he proceeded to watch the schizo in front of him bark out several ‘let him go’s and ‘let me go’s successively, as if singing along with the demons in his head. (The poor man didn’t know the half of it.) 

And Jonathan Crane still has nightmares about the night he was squaring off against the Dark Knight himself. The Batman’s fist was poised over Scarecrow’s face when there was a pause, and annoyed huff from the man above him, then, a softly hesitant,

“Scaramouch, Scaramouch, will you do the fandango?” 

The mere thought has haunted Crane ever since. 

Not to mention Bane’s confusion at seeing the Batwoman and the Signal lobby back and forth as they got in hits and kicks, 

“Galileo!” “Galileo!” “Galileo!” “Galileo! “Galileo FIGARO!” Signal took the high notes. Batwoman’s voice dropped very low for the rest. 

Sometimes, a family member will have to whisper the words, instead of singing. This was declared ‘allowed’ after the incident where Tim was hiding in an air duct above a gang meeting. His turn came and all that could be heard on the line was,

“Thunderbolts and lightning! Very very fright-ning m-AAGGGHHH!” Followed by the barrage of gushots as a dozen gang members whipped out their pistols and began shooting at the ceiling.

He was lucky. Only a few small scrapes. But after that, whispering was permitted. As was saying ‘not clear’ if one was in a dangerous situation. 

The only other rule is that every Bat must chime in together at certain points. But everyone’s favorite part is just after Jason, Dick and Bruce go on their back-and-forth ‘we will not let you go’ ‘let him go’ tirade. 

Namely? The guitar solo. 

Years of acapella over the comms have trained the Batfamily well. Some of them really get into it, pretending to strum air guitars, others only make the noises, (much to the confusion and terror of any non-Bat in the vicinity). Tim and Stephanie pick up the next few words, before finally, the mass rendition sobers a little. Things calm down. Usually, Nightwing or Red Hood can be found doing dramatic poses on rooftops as they pretend to be all angsty and brooding. (They’re not doing their best Bruce and Tim impressions...not at all...)

When the song ends with Cass gently singing out the last few words, Gotham City breathes a collective sigh of relief, and the Bats continue on their patrol as if nothing ever happened. As if nothing really matters...

(Feel free to add on!)

[lawful-evil-novelist]

scarecrow and riddler

Pick a character I’ve written and I will explain the top ~three to five ideas/concepts/etc I keep in mind while writing that character that I believe are essential to accurately depicting them.

Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow

The first thing I always keep in mind when writing Jon is that he has a background in psychology, specifically that he’s a psychiatrist.  I know it sounds odd to keep that in mind first considering that there are hundreds of other concepts that I could think of or consider but there is a very good reason: Jon’s background in psychology is why he’s so observant and so unnerving.  When writing, my two best judges of character are Ivy and Jon, and in Jon it is largely because he is good at reading people, too good.  Though I scrapped the idea I had a fanfic where Ivy remarked that Jon looks at people like he knows all of the secrets they don’t want him to know, and that, not the fear gas, not his demented mind, is what’s so terrifying.

The second thing I keep in mind is related to his appearance.  Jon grew up in an environment where he was overtly repressed.  He wasn’t allowed to make his own decisions, choose his own clothes or hair, and had almost no bodily autonomy.  This is a large portion of the reason I think he favors comfortable, grunge-style clothes, keeps his hair in such an untamed state, and tattoos his skin, he has the choice to do what he wants after years of not being allowed, so he’s going to do it.

The third thing is something I think is extremely important when considering any Rogue: Jon is mentally ill.  He is not a monster, which is one of those things I rag on the comics for demonizing or ignoring outright, he is a mentally ill person.  This is a hard factor to portray and despite my own experiences with mental illness I still have trouble with writing Jon’s mental illness, and regularly fret that I’m not portraying it accurately, but I’m always keeping it in mind when I write.

A fourth important concept I keep in mind is a personal aesthetic and style choice.  When I write Jon, I’m most often concerned with keeping his appearance unnerving, while still granting that he is not that outlandish-looking.  This is why, as I’ve mentioned several times, Jon in my works doesn’t look like he does in most other books.  Because of how my aesthetic for unnerving things developed, I tend to find porcelain dolls a lot creepier than most things, and thus largely based Jon’s general appearance on the concept of resembling one.  This is also a large contributor to Jon’s use of nursery rhymes and lullabies as a general theme, it merges the concept of a creepy possessed doll with the usual innocence dolls are supposed to reflect: childhood.  I keep this in mind because it’s a large portion of how people react to Jon in this universe,  He is not strange or bizarre in that he looks weird, in fact, he doesn’t look weird at all, but the fact that he looks like a porcelain doll is unnerving because it almost looks fake.  Also I dare you to imagine any porcelain doll making Jon’s exaggerated expressions and tell me it doesn’t freak you the fuck out.

The fourth most important is where I’m going to be totally honest and say that writing Jon makes me uncomfortable sometimes because of this: Jon is an abuse survivor, and I keep this in mind because childhood abuse is not something you walk away from, no abuse is something you walk away from, it’s with you your entire life and having to convince yourself that you are worthy of love and respect after going through something like what Jon went through is not easy, and I hold onto that when I write Jon because this is why his calm is so easily tipped, but it’s not because he has a short temper, it’s because he’s afraid.  When he’s threatened, he panics, he freezes, he talks tough about being the master of fear and not fearing anything, but in reality he’s afraid of not being worth the time or effort to help, to be shown a shred of compassion, and thinks he isn’t because it has been beaten into him that he isn’t, his fears are right, he’s worthless.  So when someone comes forwards and treats him with the compassion he’s been told he doesn’t deserve, he’s afraid and confused and becomes hostile because he doesn’t want to be wrong, because that means he’s still afraid.

Edward Nygma/The Riddler

I’ll be honest, the first thing I turn to when writing Ed is that he’s a showoff, because he is, but it’s always with purpose.  Ed is a showoff, but his narcissism and smugness are a front, he’s overcompensating.  Ed and Jon have in common the fact that they have been told all their lives that they aren’t worth anything, that they aren’t deserving of love or kindness.  Jon’s response is to accept this and by proxy gets upset when people tear apart this worldview.  Ed rejects the notion of not being worth love or compassion and seeks to prove himself right by acting like he’s worthy of everyone’s love and respect without really giving any of his own.

The second thing I keep in mind is that Ed is fixated on riddles and puzzles.  I consider this an important aspect because it should be the first thing Ed thinks of when he can’t think of anything else.  When panicked, uneasy, nervous, or flustered, Ed will repeat riddles like a mantra.  I’ve been using this to work on the use of Ed’s OCD, which I will admit I do not portray very well because I don’t want to do it incorrectly or offensively.

The third thing I consider when writing Ed is a personal preference, and that is that Ed is conventionally handsome.  This is a common thread in a lot of Edward’s stories, which is part of the reason I like using it so much.  This is in small part because I enjoy the concept of someone so smart and so, dare I say it, dorky being conventionally attractive.  It also serves as a fair contrast between Ed and his two closest friends: Jon and Jervis.  Jon is unsettling while Jervis is childlike, and Ed, as a contrast, is conventionally handsome.

The fourth consideration I keep in mind is also a personal preference, and that is that Ed is smart, but primarily book smart, socially and emotionally, he is a child.  I do this in small part because while Bruce has openly admitted that Ed is one of the smartest rogues in the gallery, Ed is still an abrasive, disrespectful jerk.  I’m sure he wants to make friends, but ends up annoying most people.