If you look me in the eye and ask me who I think the greatest character in all of Batman is, I would immediately respond with the Scarecrow aka Jonathan Crane. There is some unspoken understanding between myself and Crane’s character. I understand him, why he does what he does, and that is what makes him so special to me personally. It’s hard to place exactly where this miniature obsession began, although it probably started when Christopher Nolan decided to cast Cillian Murphy as Crane and then give him the sexiest, sluttiest pair of glasses to ever exist. This infatuation with Murphy led me to do lots of research on Jonathan Crane, which has changed my life in a myriad of ways (one of them resulted in me being initially exposed to Gotham, another led to a flirtation with Psychology). Crane is cold, calculated, and focused on his work. He does what he does not for the enjoyment (although it can be inferred that that naturally bloomed over time), but to experiment. What lengths wouldn’t one driven scientist take to prove that he’s right? Crane assumes the identity of the Scarecrow for his crimes to get back at the people who tormented him, which directly interferes with any preconceptions of him not having emotions in his work. He is a walking enigma (pun sort of intended) and an oxymoron of himself. He’s a trauma victim who uses his stereotypical identity of a calculated strategist and scientist to make decisions that he tries to convince himself are for science, but are really a way that he’s fighting back at everyone who has wronged him in the past. He’s a brilliant character, and one that I cannot recommend researching enough.
Because there are so many versions of these characters, I also decided to tell you my favorite version of them. For Jonathan Crane, Vincent Kartheiser’s portrayal in Titans is my favorite. I feel like not many incarnations of Crane focus on how emotional he truly is, except for Titans. In the show, he is painfully aware of his own situation due to his previous work as a psychiatrist, and yet seeks out other people (his mother and Batman) to diagnose him in a feeble attempt to convince himself that he is not ultimately flawed himself. He is surprisingly charming, and is not treated like a joke when he walks into a room (cough, Arkham Asylum, cough, the Animated Series, cough, most Batman media) all while being ultimately likeable to the audience (sorry, that might be just me). I just think he is the star of the third season because of how unassumingly complex he is under the surface. Have you ever paused to look at his cell in Arkham? Probably not, but the guy has cat photos above his desk. What does that say about him? More importantly, what does that say about him that previous incarnations of his character have been unable to come close to saying about him? All in all, Kartheiser’s Jonathan Crane is spectacular and he’s my favorite version of Jonathan Crane because he actually feels like a person instead of a facsimile of some kind of calculated scientist.
I like the Riddler mostly because of how much variation different versions of his characters can have. If you had a line-up of Frank Gorshin, Jim Carrey, Cory Michael Smith, Paul Dano, and Wally Wingert’s Riddlers, they are all almost completely different from each other. Each one has different beliefs in themselves, the world around them, and how they occupy their specific world.
For my favorite versions of the Riddler, I want to talk about both Paul Dano’s Riddler and Wally Wingert’s Riddlers from the Arkham games because they are incredibly stark contrasts to each other. Also, shout out to Paul Dano for writing Riddler Year One, which provides loads of insight and is the basis for most of my opinions on his character. To separate them, I’m going to be calling them Nashton for Paul Dano’s Riddler and Nigma for Wally Wingert’s Riddler. Let’s start with Nashton, who is a shy accountant working a dead end job. He doesn’t have the confidence to talk to his boss, never mind the confidence to become the Riddler. He sees puzzles as a solace to escape the trauma and shitty world view bestowed upon him through the torment he received as a child. In addition, he has a very specifically good view of Batman, who he initially believes is “hope incarnate” and going to save Gotham from the hellhole he believes it has become. However, the heinous actions Nashton uncovers leads him to assume the role of jury, judge, and executioner himself, and leads to him becoming the Riddler to help Batman. Inversely, Nigma is extremely confident in himself, despite a similar traumatic upbringing. He initially worked at Gotham PD in the Cybercrimes division and learned about the wrongdoings of government officials there. Surprisingly, Nigma takes a similar approach to Nashton through hoping that Batman would agree with his methods of curing evil (blackmail), but ends up finding the Dark Knight incredibly flawed compared to him. Opposed to Nashton, whose world view and view of himself shatters when Batman doesn’t agree with him (leading to an ingenious scene acted by Dano, the infamous “NO NO NO NO” and the screaming, which I will defend until I die), Nigma uses that anger to finally become the Riddler and assume the name Edward Nigma.
The nuances of each of these characters does not separate them, but bind them together to make a wholly interesting villain who is hellbent on convincing Batman that he is right and Batman (and everyone else) is wrong. And, to be even more cool, this separation of me vs them results in the isolation of Nashton and the god complex of Nigma throughout their respective media. Nashton, despite every attempt to do something with himself and every attempt to connect with someone he views very highly, will always be alone, whether that be in his little dingy apartment or in a cell at Arkham. Nigma, despite every attempt to prove Batman was wrong about him and prove that he is better than Batman, will always see himself as alone because no one could ever reach the level of intellect that he has. Both characters, while different and similar in their own ways, show how amazingly complex the character of the Riddler is. Above all of the minutiae, the Riddler is a character who will always be alone and will continue to be alone until he eventually becomes -ironically- smart enough to admit his wrongdoings.
Thomas Elliot is a renowned surgeon who has based his entire existence off of the Waynes. He grew up alongside Bruce and they remained friends despite both of them losing parents. The only difference is that they both have starkly contrasting opinions of wealth, family, and themselves. Thomas Elliot is really awesome. He uses his training as a surgeon to physically change his appearance to match Bruce’s. I only wish that his face was slightly different from Bruce’s to show that no matter how talented an individual is, they can never replicate another human being. This is where Tommy’s real intrigue comes in: he can never be truly perfect.
In Batman: Hush, it’s revealed that Tommy tried to kill both of his parents in order to receive their money and failed. Meanwhile, Bruce’s parents get gunned down in an alleyway and Bruce is “lucky” to inherit his fortune at a very young age. Already, Tommy is flawed in comparison to Bruce. No matter how much he will try to reach Bruce’s level of influence, fortune, renown, he will always be upstaged. That is the terrifying aspect of Hush: the fact that he will stop at nothing to reach perfection. Unfortunately for Bruce, he is perfection in Tommy’s eyes and becomes this idol for Tommy to base his personality on. We can break this down through social psychology and the concept of human mimicry to increase their competence in the eyes of others. When you want to connect with someone, you can’t help but replicate speech patterns and body language. Tommy does this on an absurd level, focusing on becoming Bruce Wayne entirely.
It is said that Tommy’s anger towards Bruce is because of Thomas Wayne saving his mother after Tommy attempted to kill him, but I think there is so much more to him than that. I really dislike when comics attempt to squish down complex characters in order to make it more palatable to an audience in general. In my opinion, Tommy’s anger towards Bruce is because of this perfection that Bruce has so nonchalantly achieved. While Bruce and the reader see him as a flawed individual who fights the same criminals every single night in some vain attempt to redeem his parents, Tommy sees the pinnacle of perfection. That is what makes him so interesting, is his core belief that he is lesser than Bruce Wayne and therefore needs to kill him in order to assert some kind of dominance.
Now to get to the rumors of Thomas Elliot being the main villain of the Batman Part 2. I hope with every fiber of my being that they hold off on Tommy. In my opinion, Batman: Hush needs the other characters like Clayface, Nightwing, Oracle, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, and Poison Ivy to be central to the story. The reader is supposed to feel like this is an epic part of Bruce’s life that includes all kinds of people from his past, and I don’t think that Matt Reeves’s universe has been set up to be that vast yet. In addition, the Riddler is a huge part of the original Hush story, with his knowledge of Batman’s identity being the central twist of the story. Personally, I don’t see Dano’s Riddler being at the center of a scheme this vast. In the Riddler: Year One, Edward is depicted as a shy person who only became the Riddler out of necessity and anger towards the systematic oppression that affected people like himself. He does harbor resentment towards Bruce Wayne that could translate over towards a Hush storyline, but it’s a stretch.
In order to make it work in any sense, the entire movie would have to heavily focus on Bruce Wayne and his relationship with society now that he’s established his relationship with being Batman. To reduce the redundancy of the Riddler, simply eradicate him from the story and make Tommy the main villain. I personally think that the magic of Batman: Hush lies in the fact that Bruce is forced to confront this later in his life as Batman, but I do think that it could be a changing point for him in the earlier years. While Tommy Elliot is the main villain, I would personally partner him with the Scarecrow (shocker!) as the B villain. I hate when Jonathan is shelved and given the lesser treatment like he had in Batman Begins, but I think if we’re going to delve into the psyche of Bruce, let’s get in there. We can also hypothesize Harvey Dent being a massive part of Part 2 (as of writing this, Sebastian Stan is highly expected for the role). As a man who can do what Batman does in the light almost as successfully, Batman sort of becomes irrelevant. This could lead to the emphasis on Bruce Wayne throughout the movie and could set up Tommy as a formidable final villain. Obviously I’m rooting for a Hush-Harvey-Scarecrow trio for this hypothetical Part 2, but who knows where the road will lead us.
Tommy Elliot fails at every turn, and his perseverance and intensification of his methods are what make him so interesting. His fruitless pursuit of perfection can be seen through his common mimicry of Bruce Wayne and his rampant jealousy that affects him long after cut brakes and shattering pearl necklaces. While I think he would be an interesting addition to the Batman: Part 2, he needs to be partnered with other villains and characters that can reflect the original Batman: Hush storyline without all the necessary background characters. All in all, Tommy Elliot is awesome, and a great addition to Batman’s rogues gallery.
UGH Gravity Falls, it is so good to be back. Did you miss me? Admit it... you missed me. That fresh Oregon air, mysteries around every corner... all amalgamating together to make one of the greatest animated TV shows ever. You know, I started watching Gravity Falls at an extremely late age. It's actually what made me want to pursue a career in animated television in the first place. So anyways, thank you Gravity Falls and thank you Alex Hirsch for "And lucky Stan- the roll's on black. He got his life and family back."
Stan Pines is my favorite character, possibly ever. You know, dear reader, I used to be a Stanford Pines truther. No matter what anyone would try and tell me, I was always Team Ford. Until I opened my eyes and realized that Stanley Pines is the single greatest character ever written. I don't care what anyone has to say, and I'm certainly not going to change my mind. Stan is the epitome of what Gravity Falls represents: the importance of family, strength in the face of adversity, and the pertinence of sticking to your guns. This is my extremely short love letter to Stan Pines, and everything he's given this show and to me.
No one is surprised. I love backstories, and I love backstories that provide some extra payoff through making a character more believable, which Tale of Two Stans does extremely well. The entire episode is just immaculate and, while I got spoiled about Ford before I started watching the show, I couldn't imagine how watching it live would have felt. The only complaint I have is when the woman goes on the PA at their school and says "Pines Twins to the Principal's Office," when she could have just said "Stan Pines to the Principal's Office." Just an extraordinary episode all around that is completely rewatchable, unlike the next episode on the list.
Another entry where I cannot even fathom how it would have felt watching it live. "Not What He Seems" is a definite turn from what the other episodes of Gravity Falls are like, especially with the tone of the episode feeling like the ultimate mystery compared everything else Dipper and Mabel have faced. As the audience, we are caught between our love of Grunkle Stan and the growing list of grievances drawn up against him. Just like the differences between Dipper utilizing logic and Mabel using her emotions to make decisions, the audience is inevitably split on whether or not they trust this character we've been taught to trust for a season and a half. It all cumulates to a finale worthy of being the episode that reveals the ultimate twist of the series. Unfortunately, the emotional brevity of this episode is -in my opinion- best experienced the first time. It loses some of its magic on rewatch, which is the tiniest thing that puts it at second.
I know I just talked about two of the most defining episodes of the entire series (save for the finale), and that there are many other options that can fill this third slot that have more relevance to the overarching plot of the story, but Sock Opera is the perfect episode of television. From someone who is no stranger to the gentle art of sock puppets, Sock Opera is daunting, hilarious, and heartfelt. Everything about this episode (save for the lack of Stan) makes it one of the most seamless "every day" episodes of Gravity Falls. The best part about this episode is how Bill Cipher is utilized so incredibly well. Dipper finding the computer in the bunker feels like an extremely big opportunity to both Dipper and the audience, and to have Bill Cipher subvert that almost immediately shows how utterly powerful he is. Sock Opera reminds the audience of Bill Cipher's power as well as providing a hilarious, seamless story that is so incredibly rewatchable.
This experiment was about challenging views of self through playing RE2.
I hate jumpscares so much I don't watch horror movies or play any horror games. I remember when one of my friends asked me whether I wanted to play Dead by Daylight with him and I profusely said no. I can also recall refusing to watch another old friend play Five Nights at Freddy's in front of me in fear of getting jumpscared. So, naturally, I bought the Resident Evil 2, 3, and 4 Remakes.
Since my month had been so terrible, I figured that this would just be a purchase that I would make and then never touch until I was ready. However, as soon as I opened Instagram I was greeted with a Leon Kennedy edit and decided that there is no time like the present. I booted up RE2 and grimaced as the creepy music started playing. I hate when the music is scary as well. In fact, I hated everything that happened in the first ten minutes of playing the game. I was horribly jumpscared by a zombie in the grocery store and almost started crying. I immediately regretted purchasing the game and shut it off.
In psychology there is probably a name for the phenomena when you repeatedly tell yourself something and it eventually comes true. Spending my entire life telling myself that I can't do horror was finally coming to bite me in the ass. Or, more specifically, Leon Kennedy's neck. Once again, my therapist told me to write down a list of adjectives that describe who I am rather than who others think I am. In a perpetual state of fear would probably be at the very top for me. So, in a brave act of saving money in therapy copays, I decided to tackle that negative view of myself by playing RE2.
It was rough at first, especially since I get engrossed in any media I consume. I gasped a lot with the Tyrant jumpscaring me, and I even gasped so loudly one time that my dog woke up from her sleep. But over time (when I reached Ada's part in the sewers), I started to get a handle on things. I stopped being scared and I started being logical in the way I was thinking in the game and about myself. I wasn't "in a perpetual state of fear" but I was worried about messing up. It was putting up a wall of perfection that was keeping me from enjoying horror movies, not my actual fear of them. There's nothing more embarrassing to me than getting jumpscared in front of others. I need to laugh it off or cover it up or pretend that it was a mock gasp. But, in actuality, it's not embarrassing at all. In fact, I should be glad I react to jumpscares because it means that I'm focused on what I'm doing.
Resident Evil 2 was kind of exposure therapy to me in the world of jumpscares. A game that I would never have played a year ago is slowly becoming one of my favorites. I learned that my perfection is actually deeper than I thought, but I also learned that my power actually lies in authentically reacting to the jumpscare rather than trying to act like I wasn't surprised or scared.
Raphael is my favorite character in the whole game, and I never hesitate to giggle when I see him. He is just the pinnacle of a character: he is involved in everyone's business, he's intimidating, and he's present over the course of the whole story. While he affects some characters more than others, his actions still hold weight over everyone. And he's super hot. Fight me.
Moaning and groaning, Gort is definitely the hottest out of all the NPCs. Sorry! I also think he's a handsome young man! The moment when I realized I liked Gortash's character was when I came across his parent's shop to learn that he inserted tadpoles into their heads so that they would appear to actually be proud of him. And they sold him to Raphael? Peak, truly peak. Is he an awful person? Absolutely. Is he my second favorite character in the whole game? Absolutely.
JK Simmons takes the third spot as the crux of the most emotional act: Act 2. Ketheric is so intimidating and yet you feel so bad for the guy. He just let grief consume him past the point of no return. What I love most about Ketheric (other than his overall presence) is his juxtaposition with Shadowheart. While Ketheric turned to Lady Shar out of a need to forget, Shadowheart was too young to make a decision on forgetting. While Ketheric's family dying made him turn to Lady Shar, Shadowheart's family had to die in order for her to break the chain. It's just such good storytelling!!
No surprise to anyone, but I usually play as a new character rather than an origin character. I'm usually a Paladin because I have an unhealthy relationship with Divine Smite. As for the race of my character, I usually choose half-elf although I really don't care about my race in the game because I think the story differences are really cool.
I know, hilarious of me to say my second favorite character in this game is Gortash and then follow it up with Karlach always being in my party. I am just a huge fan of melee fighting and Karlach always knows how to kick ass. Although, having her in my Dark Urge playthrough has proven to be really difficult for me.
A very new addition to the party, I usually swept Lae'zel to the side because I found her extremely annoying and I hated her personality. Then I learned that she is a beast on the battlefield and decided to keep her on the team. She has more than proved her worth, and I find her extremely funny.
This is kind of the extra spot I have. I usually default to Gale, but if the story needs it to be Shadowheart or Astarion, I'll change it. Gale is actually my favorite PC and I genuinely enjoy romancing him (I'm in the minority, I fear). I think out of everyone, he's the funniest character and some of the things he says are so ridiculous. I implore you to try having both Gale and Astarion in your party at the same time. Whenever they talk, it is so funny.
Current arc: Water 7/Enies Lobby
Today I want to talk about One Piece.
Back in 2020 when anime was at its most popular, I was scared of One Piece. Currently standing at 1155 episodes, it was one of the longest anime I had ever known. I remember I had a friend tell me she was completely caught up in watching it and I was so impressed. When everything started to go downhill in March, Steel Ball Run's first episode came out and I told my friend that it added ten years onto my life. For the first time in a while, I felt really truly happy. I remembered how anime used to make me feel like anything was possible and like I did not care what others thought of me. So, in an act of courage, I decided to watch the live action adaptation of One Piece. Now, I do not know how I can ever go back.
All I knew about One Piece was that it was long, there were pirates, and Sanji existed. But hidden beneath the surface, One Piece is about chasing your dreams and keeping your promises. Luffy is, at first glance, your typical anime protagonist. He is overly happy all of the time until you realize that this is happening while his entire worldview is shattered again and again. Luffy thought that pirates were the good guys and that all of them were like Shanks, but he repeatedly runs into these horrible monsters who sail under the same name that he does. How can he call himself a pirate and be compared to the scum of the Earth? I was perplexed watching the show and watching Luffy count himself among the worst. The worst thing was that I wanted to be a pirate watching the show. The camaraderie, the neverending adventures, the community... I felt jealous of it all. Meanwhile all I could do was watch behind a screen while my goldfish brain tried to keep itself from wandering. I watched with tears in my eyes as Luffy understood the struggles of his crewmates and the people he ran into. I wondered if others thought I did the same, if I was the glue that could hold people together.
My therapist asked me whether I knew who I was. I thought it was a stupid question, because I am who those around me think I am. We are no better than what those around us think we are. Luffy will forever be seen as a horrible pirate first before being seen as a kind and understanding person. But watching One Piece, no matter how fictional or exaggerated it became, my mind started to be changed. I started thinking less about how others view me and more how I want to be. I wanted to be like this fictional character, I wanted to sail around the sea with friends I made. I always thought I was more of an Usopp. I am scared of everything despite trying to tell myself that I am strong, and I let that hold me back from doing a lot of things. I am scared of taking on too much and breaking, I am scared that I will let others down no matter what I do, and I am scared that I will never achieve my dream of being able to tell stories that really touch people. However, the beauty of One Piece lies in that no one is perfect. Luffy is not perfect, Usopp is not perfect, and I am not perfect either.
The live action adaptation of One Piece really made me think hard about myself and my life. I want adventures, I want to explore even when I am scared, and I want change more than anything. I want to be able to put my foot on a barrel and proudly explain that I am going to tell stories that help lots of people. Until then, I will watch through my screen and read chapter after chapter of One Piece and live vicariously through them.
Up to Date!
Deltarune
CHARACTER SPOTLIGHT! Karl Heisenberg is in the spotlight! I've been playing Village (very scared), and I've become obsessed with his character. As a villain he is so interesting!! I get really parasocial with RE games, so I'm super nervous for Beneviento but if it means I get more Heisenberg, I gotta.