I really, really hate the “Batman is just a man in a costume who enjoys beating up the mentally ill” proclamation that emerges from time to time here on Tumblr. While it is true that some adaptions of the character are particularly violent and at times may come across as more of a projection of the writer’s uninformed views regarding mental health than accurate characterization, at his core Batman’s definitive trait is his unwavering desire to help, not to harm.

There is undeniable anger behind his actions when dealing with certain villains; for example, he has no qualms about dragging an unrepentant and laughing Joker into Arkham by the scruff of his purple suit, his mouth bleeding and missing a few teeth, after Joker has committed mass murder for the sake of his own entertainment and left Batman equally bloodied. A scene like that is meant to inspire a sense of justice–Joker has done something terrible and is not the least bit sorry about it (and will most certainly do it again once given the opportunity), battled the hero and lost, and is now being taken to a place where he cannot inflict pain onto others with the same ease as he could while free. 

But Batman–when written properly–does not exhibit sadism towards his villains by subjecting them to torture, does not dismiss their respective past traumas and expresses understanding even when he is repulsed by their actions, and does not seek to humiliate them through degradation on a level beyond ego-bruising when they are captured. In the Batman: The Animated Series episode “Lock-Up” Batman is horrified upon witnessing an Arkham security guard become abusive towards a terrified patient and (as Bruce) both initiates and attends an investigation that concludes with the guard being stripped of his power and unable to further torment defenseless asylum patients in secrecy. Bruce did not become Batman in order to perpetuate the same sort of indifferent brutality that led to the murder of his parents: he became Batman to end it. He does this not solely through physical force, but by examining the societal and psychological factors that directly created many of his rogues and by working to remedy them in order to prevent future suffering. He created Wayne Gardens, an apartment complex that houses former Arkham patients who have recently completed their sentences, and provides some tenants with jobs at his company so that they may earn a stable income without needing to return to past criminal habits and becoming trapped in a cycle detrimental to their rehabilitation. 

When a newly-released Harley Quinn found herself in Arkham Asylum again after a mishap while buying a dress resulted in a very bad day, Batman brought the dress to her and told her he’d had a bad day once too. When Ventriloquist completed his treatment at Arkham and began a new life outside of crime, Batman warned off the henchmen who attempted to gaslight him into believing the Scarface puppet had returned. When Baby-Doll wept over her tragic condition and all she had been deprived of in life, Batman comforted her. When Two-Face tried to kill Batman over and over again, Bruce Wayne stood by Harvey Dent and told him that he would never give up on his old friend. 

To claim that Batman is indisputably a character who seeks to punish others for having mental illness is to ignore his advocacy for patient autonomy, his funding of many resources and treatment options, his protection of former patients when they are at their most vulnerable, his recognition that recovery is not linear or seamless, and–above all–his dedication to preserving the lives of Gotham’s citizens, including those who have occupied cells in Arkham.

That is who Batman is, not a rich boy bully who wears a cape because it gives him a free pass to terrorize anyone who can’t afford to attend therapy. 

F*ck it. Silkie raptor.

I liked Cruella just fine as a movie. As an origin story, could've done better.

Just wanted to say I really love your art, especially your Cruellanita AU! I was wondering if you've seen the Cruella movie last year. If so, what were your thoughts?

honestly i enjoyed it as a film, like it was dramatic, fun to watch tho i was sad the fashions werent quite Anthony Powell level, it just really failed as a backstory for cruella imo.

like part of her villainy is her background, her inherited wealth, her attitude that she deserves whatever she so desires for the right price. i think she works best as someone who comes from that privilege her wealth means her cruelty is seen more like an eccentricity. Trying to do like "oh she grew up in poverty so she's a scrappy upstart and oop now she has all that cash she she can be cruella again and the only reason she's actually mean is because she has a mean side called cruella who comes out." LIKE??? HUH?? completely muddles what a villain like her represents.

i like her 1996 backstory with her fashion work and i do think she build her fashion house from nothing AND that she has talent but she used her inherited wealth to fund that. Making her a designer who ends up accidentally following her mother's career is like... :/ idk feels out of line. i feel a better fit would be she was supposed to get married off but didnt care for that (shes gay) decided to use her wealth when she had control of her trust fund to do something "crazy" like start a fashion house, SHE feels like a rebel but no-one from outside her world thinks that shes had some kind of hard road to follow.

im not touching the dalmations pushing her mum off a cliff plot point thats for sure. she should want the dogs bc shes likes the fur, thats it, its not revenge on whole ass breed of dogs.

there are villains than can have backstories that are great ""d*sney"" material, like, hell i saw maleficent 6 times in cinemas, i thought it worked well with the original text, but a cruella backstory that fits in with the original text would be far less sympathetic, fuck i'd love to watch it bc shes a cunt and a big lesbian but that doesnt make a d*sney movie.

sidenote: thought anita's inclusion into the plot was fun even if i was 100% expecting her not to be there, loved the childhood friends inclusion too, loved that she had a job/role outside of cruella and or rodger, just kind of wished she had more to do, like she helped cruella get in the papers and cruella gave her the inside scoop but it felt like it was leading to something else we didnt really get in the film.

ALSO IF SHE GAVE ANITA AND RODGER PUPPIES FROM THE SAME LITTER SHE JUST GAVE THEM BROTHER AND SISTER AND IM?? GIRL THEY GONNA INBREED?? pedigree dogs are bad as they are man!!!

WAIT and another thing, her hair being naturally split like that was so stupid, she 1000000% would bleach it in half because its "fashion" and shes creating a "brand" like it is a STYLE CHOICE that she can make because she has the time and money to pay someone to touch that up for her every 3 weeks.

Some more doodles I made, featuring Fox/Crowley and Bunny/Aziraphale.

I also realized I can't draw middle aged men if my life depended on it.

INK

印象畫

“edward nashton is gay” i say into the mic. the crowd boos, i begin to walk off in shame. a voice breaks through: “no, he’s right.” i turn around and there he is. paul dano himself

Aziraphale: you're such a drama queen, deary.

Some sketches of the ineffable critters I made yesterday.

"Every king needs a jester".

I recently watched the Batman a a couple days ago.

I must say, it's probably one of the best things to come out of DC these past couple of years, along with Joker.

I won't go too into spoilers but here's a basic review:

The acting was amazing, the soundtrack was phenomenal, and I loved the aesthetic they chose for Gotham.

Overall, I'd give it an 8.5/10

Here's some poster fanart I made a couple weeks before the premiere.

Good Omens AU where Crowley's a fox and Aziraphale's a sheep.

Growing up is realizing Batman and Joker were actually lovers

another reason batman is really funny to me is because he's one of the big three of the justice league, can stand toe-to-toe with demigods, is among the top 5 smartest people in his universe, arguably the best martial artist, has fist fought literally everyone from his own children to superman to darkseid, but his arch nemesis is just. A clown. with no superpowers. that's in love with him.

This is actually my second time on Tumblr, though I kinda lost my first account. Instagram's been quite unbearable lately, so I might share some of my stuff here from time to time.