A.N I'd like to thank Jimmy Candlestick for inspiring this from her fic Hit Me. Here's some explanation part one it the Joker talking to his captive.
I don't own it!
From the Mind of a Madman Part 1: Captive
The rules of the game are changing, always changing. The rules always change so I always win. If you win I win. If you loose I win. If I win I win. If I loose, well then I still win. Isn't that funny? I think it's funny, it's funny isn't it? It's so funny so why aren't you laughing?
You should be laughing, so why aren't you laughing? You should be laughing. I'm laughing and the entire world is laughing, or screaming, they could be screaming, but I think they're laughing. Life's no fun if they're not laughing, so they're laughing, but you aren't. You're screaming. Why are you screaming? Why do they always scream when they should be laughing? They always scream when they should be laughing. You should be laughing, why aren't you laughing.
It's funny so why aren't you laughing, or smiling, you could be smiling. I'm always smiling see. I can make you like me so you'll always be smiling too. Why don't I do that? Would you like that? And there goes the screaming again. Why do they always scream? Why so serious?
Come on smile a little, laugh a little, live a little, or not. You don't have to I can always make it so that your not living. Great now you're crying. I hate it when people cry that's why I'm always laughing. By the way did I ever tell you how I got my scars? It all started with my mother…or was it my father, maybe it was my wife. Who knows, and why would it matter if they're all dead? Yep, they're all dead gone with a scream then a smile. A permanent smile. Just. Like. ME.
From the Mind of a Madman Part Two: Opposites and Parallels
The smile is a constant it needs to be. In a world where everything is the opposite of what it should be he needs the smile. He can't explain to himself how he came to his conclusion, but in a world where he is considered insane he figured that the world would overlook his one bout of sanity. To him and to all citizens of Gotham (whether they realize it or not) the world has been reversed. Up is down and dark is light.
They; the citizens… the good people of Gotham look up to The Bat. A figure of darkness, a man who is more like a myth, a man who practically personifies everything that goes bump in the night. They look up to the darkness and they embrace it, him as a hero. And here is where his logic makes sense, if the darkness is good. If the darkness is the hero, then what or rather who would be the villain.
To him the answer is clear. Every match up, every epic pairing since the beginning of time have been complete opposites. Sun and moon, up and down, sadness and happiness, black and white, and now Batman and The Joker. That's right he's decided that to combat the good darkness he'd become the evil light. The chemical accident (or was it even an accident) bleached his skin and colored his lips. He had the classic clown look so why not use it. Only one thing from all that bothers him. If everything is opposite of how it's supposed to be then what does it say about him.
He's always smiling and laughing… so what does it mean. Dark is light and light is dark. So does all this mean that laughing is screaming? If he's always laughing, constantly laughing is he always screaming. If he's always having fun does this mean he is constantly living his life in complete terror and unmaskable fear? That perpetual laugh of his suddenly sounds even more hallow to his own ears. He wont admit it, but it completely scares him. The idea that the emotions he has worked so hard to mask and cover with meaningless laughter might be clear as day on his face. At that he forced the thoughts of this out of his mind and went back to his games.
From the Mind of a Madman Part 3: Hit Me!
Hit me! The words fly from his mouth as though they are not his own. He knows he doesn't want to be hit, but he needs proof, needs to show them. He needs their "savior" to hit him while he's down. If that happens he'll show him… show them all that their hero has fallen. That he has become a part of the very same darkness that he has tried to eradicate. They had to know that their "hero" their so called "Dark Knight" is nothing more than the darkness he shrouds himself in.
The way he sees it they are two sides of the same coin. (Speaking of coins he must go see how Harvey is doing). The only problem is that the people don't see it. (He doubts that The Big Bat himself sees it). They, the people only see in black and white. None of them can see all the delicious shades of grey in between. If anyone bothered to look closer, beneath the delicately crafted surface then they'd see it.
How else would they work so well together? They think alike, they move alike, and on occasions (no matter how rare) they even act alike. Yet, no one sees it because the so called "Dark Knight" refuses to drop down to his level. If only the people of Gotham could see that their "hero" is only one step, one push from becoming like him. If they could see that, then maybe, just maybe they might run away when they see him too.
Maybe that's why he said it. It's perfectly logical or illogical depending on your views and yet it might not be the truth. Is it possible that he wanted to be hit? That after all this, after all he's done that he feels remorse, that he wants punishment? It's one of those fun facts brought out by an intense brooding session. If he and the bat were truly alike, truly a part of the same coin, then isn't it plausible that they would share some morals.
It reminds him of his earlier thoughts, the ones about how The Bat is like him. If all that is true then based on the facts that he'd already presented to himself earlier then they share more then a few characteristics. That means that somewhere deep inside himself some part of him feels humanity, feels remorse. Maybe his words were that hidden part of him was coming out and showing his face to the world. Even that thought made his smile slip. Showing his face, his true face would mean to be open to the rest of the world. That would mean that all of them would see all of him. First they would see what they expect the laughter, the glee, and the insanity. Then they would see beneath it. They would see the sadness, the loneliness, the compassion, the fear, and the pure humanity. All of those thoughts coming together caused him to falter just long enough for the bat to catch him. That's right the bat caught him instead of hit him.
In a move not caught by the Dark Knight he closes his eyes and clears his mind, pushing all those facts to the corner of his mind for later thought. The perpetual smile was once again back at full volume. He quickly hops away from The Bat and the everlasting game begins again. His last thought as chaos fell on the road around them and he became surrounded was, "The only way to prove it is through testing, and plenty of it!" At that thought he let out a gleeful laugh that no longer sounded hallow and dead. The sedatives eventually kicked and the world around him dimmed before finally disappearing as he slipped into the black haze of his mind. And in his mind he and the Dark Knight kept playing their games.