He dresses up as a bat and swoops through Gotham. You're going to need to argue your case more strongly.

Was it Chuck Dixon that said Bats was stuck in his childhood trauma? That putting on a suit so you are scarier than the bad guys is a child's solution to having the bad guys kill your parents. The thing that's impressive about Batman is that he had the will to actually carry out that solution, and actually did become scarier, and is effective at what he does. What's fucked up about him is that he holds onto that original trauma without ever moving past it. It's like a hard knot that will never loosen, that will always define him.

He's got some kind of personality disorder (probably more than one) - but he's not psychotic.

any of several major mental illnesses that can cause delusions, hallucinations, serious defects in judgment and insight, defects in the thinking process, and the inability to objectively evaluate reality.

I've always thought of him as being as far from that as it was possible to get.

Another vote for Nightwing as discriminate man-ho (you want indiscriminate? Roy.)

And a vote for Bruce knowing from reality. Just doesn't live all that comfortably there, much of the time.

Also, very very very bored by this particular section of Zope training. Psychosis may not be accurate wrt bats, but as a bunny it's looking more and more daydreamy.

you probably mostly do flirt without even realizing that most people don't act like that all the time.

Also, raised among circus folk, which somehow -- for me -- connotes a very bohemian free-love atmosphere.

And I'm suddenly wondering how old Dick was when his parents died, and do we know from canon when/with whom his first sexual experience was, and if not, could someone please write me pre-Batman circus-sex Dick fic?

I've always thought of him as being as far from that as it was possible to get.

The decision that it is a good or necessary idea to dress up as a bat and scare the shit out of criminals but never use lethal force on them, as well as train a passel of kids to do the same ... I think a case can be made that "serious defect in judgment" or "inability to objectively evaluate reality" may be applied.

Don't get me wrong. I love him. But I don't love him if he's some guy that perfectly healthily said "Hey! Good idea! Bat, you say?" and went out into the night. Not plausible to me, nor interesting. To be both, he has to be at odds with generally accepted reality.

Not to mention my conviction that Bruce is the disguise and Bats the man.

And I'm suddenly wondering how old Dick was when his parents died,

10-ish, with the usual funky DC timeline impossible to date things for sure handwave.

and do we know from canon when/with whom his first sexual experience was,

(trying very hard not to think of the birthday spanking page from Batman 10 right now)

and if not, could someone please write me pre-Batman circus-sex Dick fic?

(Oh, god, brain bleach now please.)

Okay, then 10-ish -- no circus sex. Ick.

Damn. I really liked that idea, too.

Not to mention my conviction that Bruce is the disguise and Bats the man.

That's canon.

That's canon.

Is it sane? Is it compliant with our reality?

Not to mention my conviction that Bruce is the disguise and Bats the man.

I'm of the same mind on that.

Is it sane? Is it compliant with our reality?

But it's not our reality. It's a comic world with aliens who are the last of their race, ex-goddesses, intergalactic cops and so forth. Batman still always seemed to be the most normal and sane in the face of all that.