15-04.09.77 in Book Two: The Fifteenth Year of the Third Millennium of the Common Era

The One in Which I Explain Why I am BatVillains

My absolute earliest e-mail address ever starts with “BatVillains.” Because at 13… I knew I wanted something that protected my anonymity but reflected my personality. I thought… TwoFace? Harvey Dent? Joker? Edward Nygma? Edward Nashton? Riddler? Clay Face? Basil Karlo? Matt Hagan? Lonnie Machin? Anarky? Oswald Cobblepot? Penguin? Jervis Tetch? The Mad Hatter? Jon Crane? Scarecrow? The list kept going. For a long time. Because, yes, I’ve always been big into Batman… and I’ve always seen a lot of the villains reflected in me in one way or another. So I ultimately settled on BatVillains… because just about all of them are in me.

Last Christmas I received “Arkham Origins” from one of my wife’s relatives. What with everything going on… I put off playing it. So… knowing I would be immersed in Mortal Kombat next week (and either agonizing over Bar Failure or celebrating success)… I decided to get the game started and finished this week. The game… is especially reminding me of the BatVillains aspects of myself.

The Riddler: First and foremost… always The Riddler. Hell, that is who this diary is named for. Edward Nashton AKA Edward Nygma AKA The Riddler AKA Arthur Wynn, etc. Why always The Riddler? Because I wish I was that smart, that clever, that capable mentally. I don’t care what happens to my body… it is my brain that is of the utmost importance to me. And if I were capable of such intellect? I can’t say I wouldn’t use it the same way.
In Arkham Origins, Enigma (as he is called) has collected Blackmail Data on Gotham’s powerful and elite and is planning to release it all to the public. Essentially, I agree with this. IF you want power over people, use that power wisely… if not, we’ll destroy you. Yeah… I can get behind that use of brains.

Anarky: Though in reality only a child (his true age differs depending on story; but he is never depicted as being over 17 years old); Lonnie Machin may be suffering from schizophrenia or he may be one of the few people paying close enough attention. Through various methods, he dons the alter ego ANARKY in an attempt to bring down the corruption he sees throughout Gotham. Machin is frustrated and angry that those in power and those with money are disproportionately held accountable for the evils they commit but worst of all… he is angry that the citizens of Gotham have grown complacent and accepting of the cesspool the city has become. Seriously… I have to share most of what this kid says in the game because… yeah.

(1) Oppressed citizens of Gotham, your cries for help have been heard! I am Anarky - voice of the people - here to save you from the plague of corruption that now infests this once proud city! Those hired and elected to keep us free and safe won’t lift a finger! And why would they? They’ve been bought and paid for; encouraged to turn a blind eye. If they won’t act, I will. At dawn’s first light - the sources of Gotham’s ruin WILL. BE. DESTROYED. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming of propaganda and consumerist garbage.

(2) They say money makes the world go round. But it also makes for excellent shackles. You’re tied to your job. Your mortgage. Your need to buy the next shiny thing your overpriced television seduces you with. Imagine what we could accomplish, if only someone would set us free!

(3) Gotham is a prison and the police its wardens. To protect and serve, their motto goes. And they do. Protect and serve THEMSELVES. We live in fear of their gaze. Their billy clubs and guns. When they walk down the streets, we avert our eyes. We tremble when they speak. Who are these people, really? What drives them? Is it justice? Honor? No. They want power and the badge that gives it to them. And so those we look to for protection - instead inspire fear.

(4) You ever wonder how things got to be so bad here? I do. All the time. You see- I don’t think men like Roman Sionis or Oswald Cobblepot are responsible. They’re just a reflection of our apathy. Our greed. Our fear. We look the other way when things turn sour. Bury ourselves in our jobs. Consume propaganda masquerading as entertainment. The message is always the same: Don’t think. Don’t question. And what becomes of a society that’s given up? It rots. Fills up with liars, cheaters, and thugs. Uptown and downtown. The suit in the penthouse is no better than the guy selling drugs on the corner. They’re both doing whatever it takes to get ahead - nevermind the cost.

(5) Fidelity. Once upon a time that’s what defined society. People coming together in pursuit of common cause. To care for each other. To protect and provide. We took shelter from the darkness - and the things that roamed it. Community meant progress. But now… It’s all backwards. We worship at the altar of competition. We build fortresses around ourselves. We fight. We betray. We have become the things we feared.

(6) You keep cleaning up after everyone Batman, and no one’s going to learn to take care of themselves. The ones that don’t hate you - they’ll start to rely on you. Depend on you. And if something happens to you? If you get old? Or bored? Or die? Then what? Or do you not consider the world that revolves around you? You’re a hypocrite. Running around ‘dispensing justice’. Telling people what they can and can’t do. You’re ensuring Gotham’s freedom - provided it conforms to your twisted view. Whatever pleases the Bat. That it? You’re not a hero. You’re a despot. You don’t enforce justice. You suppress it.

(7) There’s a way to make this work. To show you that we share the same goals. Maybe I took things too far with the bombs and the threats. I can learn from that. I mean, you could be a mentor to me. And maybe, well, maybe I can teach you something too. Because I think you’re so busy playing hero you’ve forgotten what it’s like for the rest of us. We’re not all as strong as you. We don’t have the fancy gadgets. The strength. The skill. But maybe that’s the problem. You’ve gotten so used to the power, you think you’re better than everyone. Above reproach. Is that it, then? We’re not as good as you? You know what - I take it back. I don’t want to work with you. You don’t have anything to offer.