D. E.

Headcanons A-Z

D - Director - How much do they feel the need to have control over their life? Do they spend a lot of time telling others what to do or and they more likely to be more obedient to others?

Immensely. Roman might not show it openly but not being in control of a situation can prove rather distressing for him as it reminds him of how powerless he was back when he was a child. His parents were incredibly controlling, not even allowing Roman the freedom to speak his own mind unless he said exactly what they wanted him to say. Living under the thumb of such repressive socialites who, when safe and sound behind closed doors, were such hypocrites who didn’t even believe the falsehoods they spouted, it confused and upset him so much Roman refused to be anything like them once he grew up. Unfortunately by then his parents had done their damage, dictating everything he said and did to the point that when Roman is no longer in control over his life, he does NOT take it well. Arkham is an especially difficult place for him to be for this reason, the man no longer able to find joy in something as simple as dressing however he pleases on top of being subjected to ‘treatment’ he neither wants nor believes he needs. Outside of Arkham, losing control over a situation can fluster Roman if not send him into an outright panic attack. Upon becoming one of Gotham’s Rogues, Roman spends plenty of time telling people what to do. Ordering underlings around, forcing rivals to submit to his rule, threatening his enemies - he’ll tell everyone what to do and enjoy every second of it, especially as he rises through the ranks of crime lords before reaching the top. The satisfaction of ordering politicians around and even members of the wealthy elite is so gratifying, it pleases Roman like nothing else. The only people Roman is remotely ‘obedient’ towards is either those he has to (under threat of duress) or a partner he’s particularly keen on pleasing. He’ll resent the former deeply, hating them with every fibre in his heart but the latter situation takes time before he’s comfortable doing so. Only when he’s developed enough trust in somebody else does he willingly cede control over to them.

E - Entrepreneur - How do they make money? Are they willing to take financial risks? How do they approach making deals with others?

Crime, and lots of it. Once Janus Cosmetics had been bought out by Bruce Wayne to help contend with hundreds of lawsuits resulting from the company injuring hundreds of people through hazardous chemicals, there remained very little of the grand wealth Roman had grown accustomed to enjoying. Taking what little remained, he sought to procure wealth from illegal activities instead, investing in and selling drugs on the black market before delving into the weapons industry and arms trade. Roman is decidedly more cautious about his deals since his experience of getting burned by the toxic chemicals he’d invested in during his time as a CEO but he’ll invest in anything at least once to see how it turns out, then continue conducting business should doing so turn out to be a profitable endeavour. He has few qualms about making his wealth, loaning to the desperate with punishing rates of interest he expects to be paid back, selling highly addictive drugs to anybody who has the money to purchase them and encroaching on the territory of rival groups, sweeping them into his fold before forcing them to work for him instead so he gains more control over an area and the resources within. His deals are harsh but fair since Roman knows being too oppressive to even be considered as a last resort is unlikely to bring him customers. For other criminals, few people are better at obtaining weapons as quickly and discreetly as Black Mask and Roman will gladly sell his wares to both sides, not caring about the damage done so long as he profits from the conflict.