#blackbatpurplecat

[beautifulwhensarcastic]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

WSZYSTKIEGO NAJLEPSZEGO!!!

I hope you have a wonderful, fantastic, super pleasant day! 🥳🥰❤️

Aww, Ani, thank you so much! ❤️ and for the sweet Polish addition 💖 My day has been truly fantastic do far 😊

[dickfuckk]

Is that the cravat??

Edit: i have come to the conclusion that it most likely isnt. Both due to @blackbatpurplecat’s reply but also the fabric doesnt seem to be the same? Im still very curious about what it could be though lmao

[agentmintea]

Hey! I LOVE your doodles, they're too adorable! Could I maybe request one too? ^_^ Steggy recreating the spaghetti kiss from Lady and the Tramp would be lovely if you have time for it. Thank you for sharing your art with us!

Hey thank you so much!!! I'm super happy to fulfill this for @steggyfanevents Steggy Week Day 3: Favourite AU! :)

[cblgblog]

To be perfectly honest, those anti messages sound so delusional and stupid, I'm beginning to think it's satire. XD

Fucking mood. April Fool’s joke?

Has to be, right?

Right?

[captainjimothycarter]

Freeze! You’re under arrest for being so lovely. Copy this message to 10 other blogs that you think are beautiful and deserve it. Keep the game going and make others feel beautiful! 💕

i always fail to send these to people but they make me smile so much!!

[youkaiyume]

Your art is so gorgeous, I can't even describe it. And I LOOOVE that you have a special thing for human/not-human relationships like Goliath/Elisa or Charlie/Bumblebee. Have you ever watched the animated movie "A Monster in Paris"? I think the Lucille/Francoeur ship might interest you... ;) Thank you so much for sharing your incredible art with us!!

Thank you for your kind words! And yes I am weak for this trope. I HAVE seen A Monster in Paris when it first came out. Lured in by previews of their sing and dance routine like I’m sure everyone else was. But ultimately I think I was disappointed in the squandered monsterfucking potential. But it’s still a super cute movie, and that “La Seine” scene is still *chef’s kiss*

[sagesiren]

Please please PLEASE write more about that Steggy AU with Peg pretending to be a "dumb blonde" - your addition to beautifulwhensarcastic's gifset gives me LIFE!!!

Omg I’m so glad you like it!!! I have a few more blurb ideas for it, but nothing enough to put it on ao3 just yet, so here’s a bit with how the story begins :) (and if anyone’s seeing this, the original bit I wrote was on this gifset by the wonderful @beautifulwhensarcastic!)

The transfer from her team at MI6 to the New York City task force was a demotion in all but name. She knew it, her last team knew it, and her new handler did as well.

“You don’t have to like the job, but you damn well better be good at it,” he said, handing the dossier to Peggy. Phillips was on the older side for their profession. Ex-military if she had to guess, and she had a knack for guessing right. 

“A Brooklyn mobster with a penchant for dramatics?” she said as she scanned the top sheet. “Why hasn’t he gotten caught yet?”

Phillips tapped the heavy file in her hands. “He’s smart. Keep reading. I want you ready for deep cover in three days.”

She nodded, fingering through the document to get a quick feel for what to expect. “I’ll be ready in two.”

He waved a hand as he started walking away. “Take three. You’ll be there longer than you think.”

“I doubt it,” Peggy mumbled. 

“Doubt it all you want,” he called back. “Doesn’t change the fact that he’s been avoiding a conviction for at least a decade’s worth of crimes.”

There would be something that she could use as an in, though. There always was. An insecurity, an employee with loose lips; all she needed to do was solve the puzzle of Steven Rogers, and she’d be back to her anti-terrorism team - and her office with glass walls and a view of the Thames - in no time. 

She was confident through her debrief that it would only take a few months. By the time she’d gotten her hair and wardrobe readied she’d knocked her timeline down to three weeks at most.

The cover, Betty Carver, had a shoebox sized apartment in Brooklyn that was two blocks from where Steven Rogers seemed to be residing now, and she made sure to be at the bodega by his building during his weekly shop. It would be good to establish her presence early on, become familiar, trusted as a background character to his daily life.

That was the plan, anyway.

“That’s a lot of pasta for one person,” Rogers said, coming up next to her and picking up a box to look it over. He was standing a little too close, she noted. Clearly he was confident. Cocky. She could work with that.

“Pardon?” Peggy asked, putting on the out-of-towner, slightly southern drawl.

“Three boxes, and jarred tomato sauce?” He grinned. She could see why he’d been described as ‘charming’ by the last agent who tried to get close to him. That was in the last report he’d made before washing up on the banks of the east river. Rogers motioned to her basket. “You must live alone, huh?”

Peggy smiled demurely and bumped his shoulder with hers gently. He was warm, clearly well-toned under his misleading cardigan. “Isn’t that the kind of thing a respectable lady doesn’t answer?" 

"I’m not in the business of knowing too many respectable ladies,” Rogers replied, and gave her a wink. He nudged her arm to get her attention as he turned toward the cashier. “Hey, Jimmy, put her groceries on my tab, eh?" 

The man behind the counter lifted a hand but didn’t move from where he sat on a stool, flipping through a catalog.

"Oh, you don’t have to do that,” she said, making herself a little flustered.

“Seems like I do. You’re in that crappy apartment on Dekalb, right?”

“Aren’t there a lot of those?” Peggy said with an easy laugh, keeping her voice calm despite the inherent threat of him knowing where she lived. 

“Not too many, now,” Steve said, his distaste at the idea of it evident in the way he lowered his voice. She’d read that in his file, that they suspected part of his motivation was anger at the gentrification of his home. He shook himself, stuck out his hand. “I’m Steve, by the way. Steve Rogers.”

“Betty,” she said, taking his hand and giving it a gentle shake.

“Betty,” he repeated, his voice all warmth. The name sounded dirty on his tongue. “You know, I don’t think it’s a coincidence we met today, Betty.”

“Oh?” Peggy asked, a pulse of adrenaline shooting through her. She smiled politely. “Why’s that?”

He put a few tomatoes in her basket, switching out the jars of sauce. “You gotta learn how to cook for yourself, now that you’re in Brooklyn. I’ll come by.” He inspected a head of garlic and dropped it next to the tomatoes. “Consider it your welcome to my neighborhood.”

She laughed lightly. “It can’t be all yours.”

He grinned back. “You’re new here. But you’ll learn.” He turned to go, waving to the man behind the counter and heading out with his groceries. 

She watched him leave, feeling herself settle into Betty, the blonde who was going to flirt her way into Steven Rogers’ organization; it might take more than a few weeks after all.

[fyeahbatcat]

Just finished Batman: Hush the animated movie. What are your thoughts on it?

Alright, everyone. Here we go:

Batman: Hush Movie Full review

To begin, as I’ve stated here previously, Batman: Hush is a very important story to me. It was the first Batman comic that I ever read many years ago. In the sixteen years since its original publication it has undergone at least nine different editions and is still one of the most recommended and critically praised Batman stories of the modern era. It was the starting point for many people in the Batman fandom, and I still believe that it is the most pinnacle story regarding Batman and Catwoman’s relationship. The fact that it’s still so influential, nearly twenty years later, in indicative of its importance and merit.

When DC Comics announced last summer that they were officially making Hush into an animated movie I was happy, but I cannot say that I was excited. This was due to unrelated factors that were happening simultaneous to its announcement that obliterated my faith in DC Comics as a whole. You can imagine my dismay when I learned that instead of creating a direct adaptation, in the same vein as Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns and Year One, they would be changing the story to fit in with their current New 52 inspired animated universe.

As anyone whose been following me for a while may have observed; I’m highly critical. I can usually find the good and bad in something and when I’m giving my take on things from my perspective it’s pretty fair and balanced. I was fully aware that the Hush movie made changes to the story and knew going in that I would have to temper my expectations, but I still gave it a chance.

Many will say that the film should be viewed on its own merit, and I generally tend to agree. If not held up to the book the movie is watchable and very easy to enjoy. But it’s an adaptation. An adaptation of one of the best and most popular Batman stories of all time. An ambitious and operatic year long event from Jeph Loeb, and one that I personally hold in the highest regards. Completely divorcing the movie from its source material is unfeasible.

With that said; as I review this movie I will be critiquing as loosely inspiredimagination of the Batman: Hush comic, and only making comparisons to demonstrate potential compromises of the story or the characters.

***Obvious spoilers ahead***

THE GOOD AND THE BAD

After many years of begging, pleading, rumors, and teasing the Batman: Hush animated film was finally released during SDCC weekend. The basic plot remained intact: a mysterious new villain named Hush targets Batman’s crime fighting career as well as his personal life, which is further complicated by his burgeoning romance with Catwoman. While making concessions that range from minor to pivotal the movie manages to be different while maintaining a degree of familiarity. All the most iconic scenes are there in one aspect or another, with only one notable exception; the Jason Todd graveyard scene.

There’s not much to say about the general plot. It for the most part, stays true to the essence of the story, while being different in execution. Most changes were traversable, while others were pointless and baffling. The first questionable change occurs early in the movie, when Catwoman delivers the stolen money to Poison Ivy; Ivy kisses Catwoman, which she does not reciprocate. In the original script for the book, I believe, that Ivy did kiss Catwoman, but Jeph Loeb was told by editorial to remove it, because it was “too much.”

It was clear in the comic book that Ivy was using her powers to mind-control Catwoman. In that context kissing her would have made more sense. In the movie the extent of her influence over Catwoman is unclear. It appears that she is blackmailing Catwoman. Catwoman’s coldness and irritation afterwards implies that she has maintained some degree of self-awareness. Her use of coercion rather than force renders the kiss pointless, and its intention to merely be salacious.

Other needless changes involve swapping out characters. Bane, for some reason, has taken the place of Killer Croc. Damian Wayne has taken the place of Tim Drake, and Amanda Waller makes a token appearance, but both proceed to only have one scene.

As Rick Austin from FortressofSolitude put it:

Some changes to the original story are surface-level questionable, making you wonder why they changed them at all – like substituting Killer Croc for Bane, for instance. Presumably it was done for recognition and name value, and barely has any relevance to the story. Huntress is replaced by Batgirl, probably for the similar reasons, but that’s more important and naturally means Oracle’s role in the story is gone. Slowly but surely, the small tweaks begin to have a big knock-on effect. Important lines of dialogue have been jettisoned, some elements have been removed and some characters replace others just to make this fit with other recent DC animated films.

The movie takes a more action/adventure route rather than a character driven mystery, chugging along at breakneck pace making several plot concessions along the way. What it does manage to improve from the book, as far as a Batman and Catwoman shipper can see, is it beefs up Batman and Catwoman’s ill-fated romance, by way of a montage depicting adorable, if at times out-of-character, domesticity that even involves matching his and hers robes. Its inclusion was more fan-servicey than plot driven, but the ship isn’t doing well right now so I’m not about to complain about that.

What I will complain about isn’t what was added to the romance, but what was excluded from it. The film cuts out all the most important scenes that demonstrate why the dynamics of Batman and Catwoman’s relationship works for them. Yes, we get the rooftop kiss that has graced a thousand screensavers and Batman ultimately making the decision to reveal his identity to Catwoman, but everything in service of Catwoman’s perspective are removed entirely.

The scene from the book when Catwoman admonishes Batman for saving her instead of going after the Joker after she is shot at the opera, is changed to Catwoman merely telling Batman to go after Harley Quinn.

If you ever choose to rescue…me again over catching the bad guy…I swear I’ll scratch your eyes out. I’m not some kid you took in and trained.

This scene is important because this is where Catwoman affirms how she sees herself in this relationship: she is Batman’s equal and she expects– demands– that he treat her as such. These changes seem benign at first, until it becomes clear later why they were made. More on that in a bit.

The original script for Hush also included a tasteful post-coital scene that was ultimately cut by editorial. The scene makes its way back into the movie in lieu of some of the more emotionally intimate moments, like Selina dialoguing with Alfred in the bat-cave. The dialogue also fails to compensate for this. Batman and Catwoman’s pillow talk topic include how Batman used to think Catwoman was a kleptomaniac.

“You were beautiful, intelligent, and brilliant,” he tells her. “I assumed if you were stealing it was because you couldn’t control it.” I see this come up in fandom every now and again, and Catwoman cannot be a kleptomaniac because kleptomania is an impulse control disorder. Catwoman steals for profit and executes elaborate premeditated heists. I can see why other people would make that mistake, but the world’s greatest detective should have more cognizance.

Most of the changes to film are surface-level and trivial, but where the movie majorly fails is when they attempt to fix things that weren’t broken to begin with.

The most major change doesn’t occur until the final act of the movie when it is revealed that Hush is actually the Riddler. At first, I thought this was a misdirect, but no. The Riddler is really Hush and Tommy Elliot was just a plot device, and he is really dead. Like in the book, Riddler gained knowledge of Batman’s identity while in the Lazarus Pit, and decides to take revenge by going after Bruce Wayne’s friends and loved ones.

This change is nonsensical and renders Tommy Elliot’s role in the movie essential meaningless. He is a mere plot device, a shamefully underdeveloped plot device, intended to provide Batman with angst. Villains targeting Batman’s loved ones is all too familiar occurrence, but audiences barely get to know Tommy long enough understand the depths of Batman’s grief and mourning.

As I’m sure all of you are aware at this point that in the book it is revealed that Hush is Tommy Elliot. Substituting Tommy for Riddler diminishes the impact of the reveal and Hush’s motivations. Tommy, Bruce’s close childhood friend, has a personal vendetta against Bruce. He uses his friendship, familiarity, and access to Bruce Wayne to attack him both personally and as Batman. It also complicates Batman’s relationship with Hush as a villain. The Riddler being Hush is just a theatrical Gotham villain pretending to be a different theatrical Gotham villain for no reason whatsoever.  

Towards the end of the movie Riddler kidnaps Catwoman and tries to kill her in an elaborate trap. Since Bruce was damseled early in the movie, I didn’t so much mind that they did the same to Catwoman. I like that Batman and Catwoman can depend on each other, and it demonstrates a degree of equality in their relationship. However, while Batman was only incidentally damseled for maybe 60 seconds, Catwoman was subtly threatened with rape for intervening on his behalf and later got the full-on woman-tied-to-railroad-tracks-treatment. Predictably Batman shows up and saves the day.

THE UGLY

Batman: Hush made several missteps that I was willing to overlook, and almost got through its entire 82-minute run time before doing the only thing that I considered truly egregious.

After the ensuing fight the building begins to collapse and Catwoman leaves Riddler to die, after Batman attempts to save him. Batman argues that they could’ve saved Riddler instead of letting him die. Catwoman becomes angry. “You’re crazy! You’re absolutely insane,” she exclaims melodramatically. Batman and Catwoman decide that their moral differences are too stark and break up, but leave the door open for the future.

This is where the movie took an unexpected turn for the worse. This is where the reason why so many changes to Catwoman’s character becomes clear.

Batman goes out as the voice of morality and looks like the hero, and Catwoman is completely thrown under the bus to make it happen.

Early in the movie during the famous battle of Metropolis when Superman is under the influence of Poison Ivy, Catwoman throws Lois Lane off a building to snap him out of the spell. Later when Superman is out of earshot Batman tells Catwoman that throwing Lois off the building was not part of the plan and that he did not approve of her methods. In the book it was Batman’s idea to throw Lois from the building. This moment frequently makes appearances on Worst-Things-Batman-Has-Ever-Done lists on comic sites.

During the opera scene Catwoman attempting to stop Batman from killing the Joker in a fit of rage was also cut. Here it was Batman who was acting morally questionable, and Catwoman was the reasonable and morally righteous one, so to speak.

These, along with Catwoman allowing Riddler to die, are intended to make Catwoman seem like she has a cursory attitude towards killing, when that couldn’t be further from the truth. All of this inevitably shifts all the blame for the relationship not working out on Catwoman. Catwoman’s flaws are irreconcilable while Batman is the blameless voice of reason. This is abominable at best, and sexist at worst.  

The book ends similarly and yet profoundly different. Upon the announcement of the film some people were hoping for the ending to be changed to something presumably happier for Bruce and Selina. In the book Batman and Catwoman break up, but under much different circumstances.

I personally feel that the ending to the original was appropriate for the story. Batman sabotages their relationship pushes Catwoman away because he realized was not ready for the vulnerability required in that type of relationship, It ends  on a bittersweet note. Batman and Catwoman can have a relationship “someday.” All they need is a little more time, and it’s Batman who need to be a little bit different.

Even as things end Loeb simply and perfectly sums up why Batman and Catwoman work:

We are who we are. That’s why this works.

The film makes fundamental differences, that can only be remedied by Catwoman changing herself, are the root of Batman and Catwoman’s relationship dysfunction.

The changes to Catwoman’s character occur only to justify the ending. The filmmakers went to great lengths to villainize Catwoman to make it seem like it was all her personal shortcomings that ended things instead of Batman’s to make him seem more heroic. It relegates Batman and Catwoman’s relationship  to a tool to demonstrate Batman’s inflexible moral code.

To add insult to injury, as Batman and Catwoman’s relationship comes to an end, Selina tells Bruce bitterly that she changed herself to be with him and was willing to continue changing. This robs Selina the agency of having reformed on her own, in a film that has already diminished much of her voice and independence.

It’s almost laughable that Selina once told Huntress that reforming was worthwhile, “as long as you’re doing it for yourself, and not for what someone else thinks of you,” in the same book the movie was based on.

Some dude (and it’s a dude; I checked) read the book, saw this panel, then decided to have her say literally the opposite. I wish I was making this up.

On its own the Batman: Hush movie is watchable. The casual viewer and batcat shippers alike can easily find something to enjoy. But watchable is a low bar to pass when based on one of the most popular Batman stories of our era. What should have been an exceptionally easy recipe for success did not exceed the bare minimum. It’s drab, bland, and dark animation style does not hold up to Jim Lee’s iconic penciling or Scott Williams’ colorful fills. The changes to the story are generally acceptable, until the final act of the movie when things go off the rails.

Ultimately the movie exceptionally fails at capturing the dynamics of Batman and Catwoman’s relationship, trading in much of the depth and intimacy for shower sex and pet names. On its own Batman: Hush stands as a mindlessly entertaining adaptation, loosely inspired by a Batman story of mystery and intrigue. Held up to the source material, it’s a pale and grotesque imitation.  

[sersi]

OMG THAT LATEST STEGGY EDIT!!! YOU ARE A FUCKING ARTIST AND OUTDO YOURSELF OVER AND OVER

thank you so much!! this is so, so nice 🥺💗. Making the edit was an ordeal (and a showdown between the fact that i knew, generally, that what i wanted to do should be possible and my actual level of photoshop skills 😅) and it’s so nice to get so much positive feedback on it!

[indiefic]

6, 15, 23, 32, 98

6. pastel, boho, tomboy, preppy, goth, grunge, formal or sportswear?Grunge?  but even that feels like I'd be overthinking it.  Mostly it's t-shirts and jeans.  always clean, usually unkempt.

15. favorite book you read as a school assignment?1984

23. strange habits?So many.  I'm very specific about the way I like things to be.

32. top five favorite vines?I'm a thousand years old.  I've never seen a vine.

98. favorite historical era?today?  I am not particularly crazy about any point in history before today (though I'm not particularly crazy about today either).  If I have to choose one, I'll say the 1970s.  So fucked.

from the weird asks that say a lot

[beautifulwhensarcastic]

Peggy/Steve + Batman AU for @blackbatpurplecat

Peggy Carter lost her parents as a child. Anger and confusion pushed her onto a dangerous path away from home. Years later, equipped in lethal skills and determination, Peggy becomes a vigilante. She works alone, often taking unnecessary risks. Until one night she crosses paths with a cheeky art thief with penchant for parkour and punching bullies. 

[meant-to-be-a-hero]

blackbatpurplecat replied to your post “Random Gargoyles question I’m gunna ask because I don’t want to google...”

it's timing. in one episode, a gargoyle turns to stone without being outside or being touched by sunlight

Cool, I thought it’d be too easy otherwise. Cheers.

[founderofshield]

💞💖💕 copy this to 10 other bloggers that you think are wonderful. keep the game going and make others feel beautiful❤️💜 💕💞💗 ilysm ❤️

Thank you!

[bo-kryzze]

🏆 This is the Amazing Person Award 🏆 ✨💛 Once you are given this award you are supposed to paste it in the ask of eight different people, who, in your opinion, deserve it. If you break the chain nothing will happen, but it is sweet to know someone thinks you're amazing inside and out 💛✨

Thank you so much! 

[peggysrogers]

blackbatpurplecat replied to your post: Welcome home, soldier. Oh Claire. Those words GUT...

imagine peggy saying that to steve while she starts happy crying

That would be cute! :)

[youre-late]

💞💖💕 copy this to 10 other bloggers that you think are wonderful. keep the game going and make others feel beautiful❤️💜 💕💞💗 ilysm ❤️

Thank you soooo much!!!! You're amazing! 🥰