#crane-posting

[crane-posting]

How susceptible are animals to fear toxin?

I suspect you are all soon to find out. The Gotham zoo appears to have had a little bit of a break-out, and those animals seem to have been relatively heavily dosed. Funny how many of those animals have fight reflexes.

[bellchimesringing]

And what, pray tell, is this?

You will have to elaborate on what you mean, Crane

[crane-posting]

Oh wow, would you look at that. A few barrels of fear toxin right next to the diamond district appears to have been leaking. Into the water supply.

Oh no. Whatever shall I do. I sure hope that the airborne variant doesn't explode in the Diamond District.

[crane-posting]

Oh.

Oh, that is incredible.

A slight surge of almost adrenaline to the fingertips. A shiver to the back of the spine. A faint almost cold feeling to the inside of my chest.

Breathing erratic. Attention focused- details to sharp. It has been years.

Fear and terror, ladies and gentlemen. Phobos and Deimos. I have finally created a toxin that causes me fear.

I can feel it fading already, of course. But if I keep on adding on substances- maybe a steady drip of chemicals, electrocute myself a little bit, can't sleep, of course- who knows how long it will last.

Let's find out how long it takes for me to overdose.

[crane-posting]

One of the biggest questions faced to the academic world today is the role of professional ethics in research.

Yesterday, a joint scientific conference in Gotham on the future of cryogenic technology was unceremoniously interrupted by the presence of Dr. Fries, a man who first robbed everyone present then, in doing so, proved the operating theory the lecturer had spent five years of their life trying to prove.

Two weeks before, three luxury cars belonging to a visiting oil tycoon were thrown through the wall of the Gotham Police Department by one Dr. Isley. If the power of what she can do could be harnessed appropriately the hole in the ozone layer could be patched within the century.

The best neurosurgeon on the eastern seaboard (and possibly farther if not for the limited access he has to modern medical developments) currently sits in Arkham Asylum where he could be perfecting new life-saving techniques.

What do all these have in common? They can't get published. Since the rise of masked villainy many decades ago, as it is called in certain circles, universities have been quick to reject the academic degrees and qualifications of anyone deemed likely to use their proficiencies for less moral experiments. Our fields of study have become academic black marks on anyone who would look upon them, whilst the more toothless of our findings are quickly taken by those who would claim credit.

Most will likely die with the vast majority of their research hidden from the world. This is nothing short of a travesty.

The best thing to do here, then, is a platform to document my areas of research. Luckily, as I cannot get published anyway, the burden of actual proof is lower and I do not have to go searching for research papers to cite. A little unfortunate as I actually did enjoy writing my (now removed) thesis, but I do not have much time to go searching anyway.

Some of the dictation will be less than formal, due to time constraints and personal preference.

[crane-posting]

Fear toxin, or fear gas, as it is more commonly known in the current day, is in its purest form an extremely potent neurotoxin. It affected the subject through the standard ways- inhalation, ingestion, injection, skin contact, the whole nine yards.

(Purest is a little bit of a colloquialism here- I refer to what I consider to be the most effective combination, not the least diffused.)

I needed a full-on hazmat suit just to be close enough to the chemicals to experiment with them in liquid form. Effective? Yes. The subjects also all invariably died.

Aerosol sprays could be used for more limited exposure, whilst overall fog can be utilized for something rather more wide-spread.

At a rough estimate, being able to go through gas masks would necessitate possibly a 30% mortality rate amongst unprotected children under the age of twelve previously unexposed to the combination. With the frequency of formula changes (different approaches to different areas of the brain, varying formulas and purities from the equipment I can afford, disparate mixtures in order to spread the toxin in distinct environments, etc.) that is not a risk I am willing to take.

It would wreak havoc with the data.

[crane-posting]

hey just wondering if that whole Scarebeast fiasco happened or if I'm in the wrong world. (It was pre-crisis on infinite earths so it's not really talked about)

also remember that time you fought superman and almost won?

Ah, the custom of genetic instability within Gotham. It was quite the proficient mixing of fear toxin, venom, and several other chemicals I would prefer not to mention for others to copy- that was not my cocktail, and therefore not my equation to share. The event did occur, though perhaps not in the way most would remember.

I found the event unprofessional, and rather rude- though the biological implications were fascinating (During the fact I temporarily had a greatly reduced tolerance to fear toxin due to its altered form and my altered brain chemistry). The death toll, however, was unacceptable for experimental purposes given that my biological systems had been hijacked into a fear toxin-producing system. Overall, I would qualify most people too high off the combination to give an accurate recounting of events.

I will say something personal here, however- I detest lack of control.

As for Superman, well, it was an extremely strange experience. To this day I have no idea what Darkseid was thinking and I do not care to find out. I am sure that in some metrics (instability once can lead to more later, roots left in my skin and blood, a particularly potent chemical combination, ideal brain chemistry, etc.)

Personally, I do not care to punch Superman in the face. Anyone could do it if they had a sufficiently green rock, and I would much prefer other people do it themselves- Superman, much like Darkseid, is none of my business.

[crane-posting]

Historically, many scientists and doctors have tested their creations on themselves when they have encountered a lack of official backup and therefore were unable to proceed with their research without knowing how it could affect people. Self-experimentation has a long and storied career, though of course in more recent years it has run into some more difficult roadblocks.

Which brings me to the main point of all this: The phenomenon of the experimental group of one, or a few. The motions we do and the responses we give in Gotham City are aberrant, as are many of the large cities more overrun with masked crime- Metropolis and Star City among them, with Blüdhaven promising to do similar in some years.

Aliens. Radiation. Toxins. Virus. Poison. Gas. We have entered an age where sometimes, the forefront of science and medicine is actually deeply entwined with anecdotal evidence and rife with side-effects.

Anyway, this is brought on by seeing a group of teens burning clover by the river. What is interesting about it is that the clover, seemingly harvested from some soil that was irradiated last year, appears to exhibit mild hallucinogenic qualities not in accordance to any of the biochemicals I have filed. I do wonder if this is a new strain someone else made or just a simple combination of events.