Board Thread:The Last Sovereign Discussion/@comment-39332473-20190808194309/@comment-45244906-20200319154429

I found something like a checklist for a sociopath, according to which Batman fulfils 2 of the conditions. There are 8, and 3 is enough to be considered, legally and medically, a sociopath. Going down the list!

Failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviour - Inapplicable. There ARE no 'social norms' when it comes to Incubus Kings. When he wasn't an IK, he was a dutiful member of the church army. Hard NO.

Deceitfullness - Hard YES. He lies to enemies and to allies, and is very good at it.

Impulsivity, or failure to plan ahead - NO. He has stated that he tends to, on his own, get stuck in a rut, but that doesn't change the fact that when he does plan ahead, it pays off.

Irritability and Aggressiveness - Hard NO. He prefers realpolitik and negotiation.

Reckless disregard for safety of self or others - The word 'reckless' gives pause, but it's been pointed out that his plans often put himself and his immediate friends at considerable risk. Calculated risk, though. Soft 'NO'.

Consistend Irresponsibility - NO. Just... no.

Lack of Remorse - Another soft NO. Remember, the ability to rationalize it is part of what makes a sociopath - if you often discover that the 'right' course of action is to kill thousands of people, it might be you that's the problem! But this one has some context, and he does often display remorse (such as the graveyard scene).

Insensitivity to Pain - YES? He doesn't object to his own pain or humiliation (Esthera's prisoner), and doesn't really stop a good plan that will hurt people.

So there we have it! Not a sociopath! Not quite, anyway. Enough tendencies to make a normal person wonder, and enough soft NO answers that a shrink might keep an eye on him anyway. But not a sociopath! If he starts another war, regardless of the reasons, I'm revisiting this list.

On trait that I'm VERY worried about is the Deceit part. In short, he's good enough at lying that I really worry that he is also lying to part members, and to the audience (us). I consider this pretty unlikely, but likely enough that I'll watch for it.