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 Kessie.gothampm |
#101 | |||
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Posts: 176 01/15/08 09:26 PuddyCat Detective (PCD) |
You're making my head spin, stephensmat!
I know I have not been posting much, but, by the time I get to the board, what I wanted to say has already been said far more elegantly. Waiting for the next chapter, Chris. 
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 Chris Dee |
#102 | |||
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Posts: 792 01/15/08 09:45 |
Hi gang,
Since Kessie brought it up, I may as well tell you that I'm behind on the chapter. Big job came in last week, and when I finally reach that free time to write, I'm in no condition to anything but pour a glass of Balvanie and pet the cat. But we're almost there, writing will resume soon. IN THE MEANTIME, there is something floating around out there to keep all you cat-loving Gotham lovers busy.
--Chris Dee
Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Superpowers corrupts - superbly. --Identity Element |
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Chris Dee |
#103 | |||
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Posts: 792 01/22/08 12:34 |
Chapter 7: Misdirection
Now up on the Cat-Tales Website and should be readable any minute now on FanFiction.net
--Chris Dee
Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Superpowers corrupts - superbly. --Identity Element |
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SteelBlaidd |
Misdirection | #104 | ||
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Posts: 64 01/22/08 17:04 |
Luthor was not such an egotist that he refused to consider that infinitesimal possibility that he himself had made an error, but he would eliminate the far more likely options first. *sniker* HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA Nother Difference between Lex and Bruce. Even if Bruce tends to think he is right in solving any problem he looks for his own errors first not last. Cassie is sooooo cute and needs a hug bad. Poor Tim, he misses his girlfriend.
"If ever you find yor self looking down the wong end of an arrow. Hope that it's an evil man. a good man will kill you with hardly a word."
- Sam Vimes |
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Random Equinox |
Re: Misdirection | #105 | ||
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Posts: 289 01/22/08 17:29 |
Even though there wasn't that much space alloted, I really liked the interaction between Bruce and Selina in this chapter. Not only did it showcase
Bruce's step-by-step planning, it also demonstrated that while Selina might indulge in some feline protesting, she won't do so if it will compromise a
"mission" that she wants to succeed. The implementation of the next couple phases seem to have gone off successfully.
Nice to see some smaller plots getting a little fresh air, too. Pammy's plan seems to warn Dr. B seems perfectly in character: it's borne out of selfish desires and it's crafted such that she can "seduce" and manipulate an icky, grubby man. Aw! It's been so long since we've seen Cassie. I agree with SteelBlaidd, a hug is definitely in order...as long as she doesn't misinterpret it as an attack. It's a good thing Batman's currently preoccupied. Wrapping things up with Lex...on the one hand, I'm impressed with his foresight in saving papers and whatnot. And the multiple possibilities that he thought up once he grasped what the plans Catwoman stole were for were fairly impressive. On the other hand, the systematic methodology that helped him "crack" the data seems to be lacking during his test run. More importantly, his decision to skip the possibility that was easiest to investigate (he goofed up) and jump straight to the possibility that would be more complicated (logistically, if nothing else) is, well, pretty much what you'd expect. Certainly, it was what Batman expected. Which means things are going to conclude quite spectacularly in the final chapter. All right. Enough fun with spoilers. Can't wait to see how things wrap up! |
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Fett One.gothampm |
#106 | |||
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Posts: 48 01/22/08 22:52 |
The revalation concerning Bartholomew was one that I didn't see coming. I wonder how long it will last before someone wises up to what he is doing. Of
course, in the mean time it will be interesting to see what kind of progress (if any) he is making with the rogues.
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stephensmat2 |
#107 | |||
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Posts: 1178 01/22/08 23:08 |
I will take this brief opportunity to step away from commentary about Cassie, and about Batman, and about Lex, and speak to the subject of Arkhan right now.
Three Rogues and counting, (Penguin, Ivy, Harley, and maybe to a lesser extent Joker,) have now begun the long game, of manipulating Dr B. And all of them, in their way. Penguin, a business transaction. (I give him this about my father, he give me a get out of Padded Cell card.) Harley, her whole life gets thrown into it. (First her obsession with Mr J and now working at Arkahm on the side, like she'd never said goodbye.) And now, Ivy: (Seduce him, but a different Kind of seduction.) I'm trying to decide if this is simply the way they are, or if this is a new development. because given that Dr B actually fell for someone in the Rogue's set, (who may or may not be out of a job since the iceberg is now the Vault) he'd be open to personal connections. he has to be. he sees these people more than he sees his kids if he has any. Thing is, it's only partially working about twice as well as it should, and twice as well and half of them intended. Penguin still cant figure out why they think his bird fetish is obsessive. (I cried about my dad! What more does he want? Let ME OUT!) Ivy is troubled by conflicting loyalties. (Clown Bad! Why cant Harley get that? I need the Doc's help.) And Harley is starting to get caught up in the act. (The girls are going out for drinks later Doc, can I get a day-pass?) (Harley is the one I'm keeping my eye on. She's Gone Native before. ("Patient J? I'm Dr Harleen Quinzel, please, have a seat.") In which case, this is rapidly becoming the story about a con, who's being conned, while thinking they're playing the long con game. Cant wait to see where that leads. |
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Penny for Thoughts |
#108 | |||
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Posts: 40 01/23/08 00:32 |
Ditto on what everyone else said. Plus, gotta love this quote: "Begin to underand this 'Bad day at office. Boy do I need a drink.'"
Kinda makes you wonder...what would she drink? |
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Star Ranger4 |
#109 | |||
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Posts: 1316 01/23/08 05:05 Adrift in Space |
I seem to recall that Cassie is rather fond of milkshakes of all sorts for some reason.
"I was an Otaku before those kids came along and changed the meaning of the word."
-- HM "Howling Mad" Wilson to more than one team-mate. |
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BenRG |
Chapter 7 - Misdirection | #110 | ||
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Posts: 303 01/23/08 05:14 |
Okay, what I really loved in this chapter was the Lex-introspection. I've said before that Chris is a mistress of characterisation. In this
story, she has shown that she understands the psychology and personality of the only man who could make me prefer Dubya as President of the USofA. We
see Luthor the scientist (let us not forget that he is an accomplished researcher and inventor), Luthor the politician and Luthor the egotistical
megalomaniac. It is somehow so very him that he is ruling out that he made a mistake so early in the game, despite the fact that he admitted to himself that
this was a technology that he previously had failed to create himself and was, presumably, therefore somewhat new territory for him.
I feel sorry for that little monkey. Luthor is likely to do something intemperate to it in his rage. The rest of the chapter had some neat little moments. Ivy's thoughts on how to warn Dr. Bartholemew is interesting is that it reminds us that, to the truly insane, it is we who are the pitiful, twisted and insane ones, not they. So, we are left with a puzzle to wonder over. Is Harley pranking Doc Bart (and he is misreading Ivy's actions) or has Harley gone straight and is using a kind of weird confidence trick on Pammy to try to cure her? I think that the answer may yet surprise us all as I think that there may be a third option hiding in there somewhere. Cassie's thoughts were oddly poetic. I wonder if it is a result of her upbringing (a lot of oriental martial arts have a strong element of what we would regard as the more peaceful arts - stuff like calligraphy and poetry - as part of their diciplines). Alternately, it might be simply a reflection of the fact that she is still not entirely used to even thinking in words. Poor kid. Is it me, or does Clayface have a crush on Selina?  It
would certainly explain why he is such a loyal bodyguard. I think that Batman is going to be adding a few new routines to Zogger to help the Bat Clan
practice against liquid-based foes (chorus of groans from Tim, Dick and Helena. Even Cassie's body language reflects dismay).
That 'incident' aside, it is interesting to see how the Rogue rumour mill works. First Batman comes around the Vault looking for Catwoman. Then Matches turns up, bearing Bat-bruises and having very obviously squealed like a baby pig. Then, finally, Selina turns up, a little worse for the wear in a way that suggests that Batman and Superman have been 'enthusiastically' interrogating her. The (wrong) conclusion? That Selina is moving up in the world to the point where she is now on the JLA's radar rather than just the Bat's. The result? Her reputation benefits and Selina's cover remains solid. I have to think that Bruce planned it this way. A great chapter, well worth the wait. BenRG's Rating: 8.5/10 P.S.: People often wonder why my ratings for these stories don't vary much. The simple answer is that Chris' writing is so good that I rarely see a chapter that I can rate at below 8/10 (which leaves me with very little wriggle room). You will notice that I am going to be using fractional ratings a bit more often as I try to fine-tune the process a bit. 
~*~*~*~
They call me BenRG But... I don't know why... ~*~*~*~ |
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Chris Dee |
#111 | |||
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Posts: 792 01/23/08 10:32 |
Good morning, all!
I always hate chiming in here too soon. I want to join in the fun, not squelch it. So let me see what I can toss out with the morning coffee. I think Cass would probably drink something sweet. A transition from the soda fountain to the bar, as Paul Fussel says. Frozen daiquiris or rum and coke or maybe something just as sweet that is made with milk or cream. As for Luthor, I don't believe I am about to defend Lex Luthor. I'm not going to defend him, I'm just going to mention that while he is a raging egotist, and while it is pure hubris leading him to say his making an error is the "least likely" of his 3 hypotheses, it isn't the easy one to eliminate. Think about it, you're balancing your checkbook and come up $1.35 short, or you're setting up a new computer and even though there is no logical reason for it, you can't get the printer and the webcam to work at the same time. You can have either one, but not both. The one time you had both, it lasted for 5 minutes and when it came back, the system crashed and you lost all your desktop settings. Come on, we've all been there. Of course we didn't have a monkey. Which brings me to the last tidbit… I don't think I've ever written a Cat-Tale that most cried out for PANELS. Meet Bonzo.
That's it for now... Oh, except for Ben. You can say what you want, but I know quite well that the decimals are just a way to entice me to share my chocolate bribes from other quarters. Meow.
--Chris Dee
Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Superpowers corrupts - superbly. --Identity Element |
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Letomo |
#112 | |||
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Posts: 23 01/26/08 14:31 |
After having my own computer crash, I finally got to catch up. I enjoyed this story, but found the Lex part distracting, more than interesting. The Bat//Cat
interactions and movements were very good as usual, but the most interesting part was the inside of Cassie's mind. She is starting to grow, and that is
good. In this area, I find that Chris has so much better a grasp of the character than the comics seem to. Cassie is funny, but at the same time, she is also
very real - she has problems, she makes excuses [even if only in her own head], she is a real person.
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Chris Dee |
#113 | |||
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Posts: 792 01/30/08 17:18 |
The Tale concludes in Chapter 8: A Pose by Any Other Name
on the Cat-Tales website and Fanfiction.net Have fun
--Chris Dee
Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Superpowers corrupts - superbly. --Identity Element |
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Fett One.gothampm |
#114 | |||
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Posts: 48 01/30/08 21:11 |
You can't help but feel bad for Bartholomew. With everything that he has to put up with (especially from Joker) it's amazing he hasn't snapped yet.
The Luthor/Selina interaction in this chapter was good. Lex's seriousness compared to Selina's casualness really contrasted in this chapter, which is what made their interaction good. After seeing that conversation between Bruce and Clark at the end, I really want to know what the big secret is. |
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stephensmat2 |
#115 | |||
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Posts: 1178 01/30/08 22:47 |
So do I, but the last chapters of these things seem to be the set up for the next story.
The Big Secret? If We'll see it ever, it'll be a while. Cassie sees Selina as the Sensei? Well, sure if the art of the moment is dodging Team Bat. Still waiting to find out where things stand between her and Robin though. Hey, I'm a Tim?Cass shipper, I don't deny it. Bart snapping? Eh, soon enough. My guess is, if anything shoves him off the deep end, it'll be Harvey being put back on his schedule. Thing is, the last time Bart left Arkham, Joker personally came to his apartment to get him back. That's what screwed things up with Raven. I Believe in Harvey Dent. Yeah, I was wondering how long you were waiting before using that one Chris. I read the last line, and actually said "Oh No." out loud. Harv has been absent for far too long. He's a Neutral. Except Harvey Cant be a Neutral, because we love him so, and love seeing him tortured so. Times up, he's had his break, Harv and his Devil have been paid their due. Which means of course, that he'll be resuming his old position soon enough. Good news for Eddie, not so much for Monsieur Dent. And he just bought that new suit too. Now he's gonna have to buy a completely different one and start chopping it down the middle. After all, with Magic there's always a price. |
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Random Equinox |
#116 | |||
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Posts: 289 01/30/08 23:39 |
So The Big Secret will stay safe for another day...to the frustration of curious Cat-Tales readers.
Well, I'm impressed with Harley: she managed to stay focused and fool Dr. B long enough to set up an elaborate "Gotcha!", even going so far as to figure out how to brief Joker on his role. As for Dr. B being disappointed, well, at least things are "back to normal" at Arkham, as contradictory as that sounds, Dr. B knows that Joker and Harley are still nuts, and the worst Joker did was crack a really bad pun. The contrast between Lex and Catwoman was priceless. The former was consistently hellbent on maintaining secrecy and figuring out why the hell the damn teleporters wouldn't work. The latter's moods were perfectly feline in the way that they shifted from pissed at her "partner's" ridiculous protocols, to tickled pink at supposedly wreaking havoc in the Batcave during her first trip, to being supposedly pissed off at getting caught during her second trip. Having "By the way, Lex, you really should be running now" go in parallel with Lex's "Oh shit, I really should be running now" and Superman's "Nice try, Lex" was a very nice way to bring everything crashing down. And Selina's payback for the "leash" brought back some wonderfully nostalgic memories of World's Finest: Red Cape, Big City. Of course, as thrilling as that conclusion was, it pretty much pales in comparison to the foreshadowing at the end. Harvey seems so happy. He's maintaining a pretty normal life, he's out of the Flick Theatre, and he hasn't been freaking out over all the flowers. And yet, his subconscious sent him to the 2nd floor, and we're left with the title for the next Cat-Tales: I Believe in Harvey Dent. Think of all that brings to mind: 1) The ongoing marketing for The Dark Knight that's coming out this summer, 2) The game that Chris pointed us all to this month, and 3) Most importantly, The Long Halloween. The words "Oh shit" went through my mind as soon as I registered that. However, I believe that people can endure all sorts of trials, many of their own making, and come out stronger. I believe in Chris, her ability to make the next Cat-Tales a stunning and riveting literary adventure, her complete and utter respect for the characters and their essence, and her outright refusal to arbitrarily retcon Cat-Tales back to square one. Most importantly, I believe in Harvey Dent. Hang in there, Harvey. It's gonna the mother of all bumpy rides, but I'm rooting for you. |
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MamaCat07 |
#117 | |||
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Posts: 6 01/31/08 13:01 |
Secret? Secret?! I can't wait to see what that could be...
I love the Cassie/Selina bit. Selina certainly didn't ask for the job of sensei and their personalities are so incredibly different...but somehow Selina makes sense to her. I wonder how Selina will act if Cassie continues to seek her out. I can't help but giggle at the image of Cassie purring seductive things into Tim's ear... Speaking of Cassie and Tim...I love it! Tim's well thought out plan that oft goes awry...and Cassie's priceless reactions. :D As for reactions...Poor, poor Dr. Bart. I suspect he'll be losing it soon...but what about Harley? She was able to pull it together for her joke...is a seed taking root like Ivy suspects? Lois and Selina on a shopping trip in Rome? Hmmm...are we going to get a seperate adventure there or just a quick trip there and back? Those two could handle their own without help from their respective mates. I love seeing how Harvey is adapting to "real life"...for him, I hope it lasts. But I have a feeling that he won't be so lucky... |
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Letomo |
#118 | |||
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Posts: 23 01/31/08 16:41 |
I wonder if Bart will manage to make something of Harl's notes. Would she think the joke was on her, if he was able to use those notes to help some of that
long list of inmates? How would Joker take it?
Otherwise, as good as usual, and a nice thing to find ready on the comp! Thanks as always, Chris! |
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BenRG |
Re.: Chapter 8 - A Pose By Any Other Name | #119 | ||
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Posts: 303 02/01/08 05:19 |
A bit of a late review from me. Sorry about that - Technical problems actually.
And so we are off to a flying start. I love how Chris writes Selina. You really wouldn't think that this was all part of a her and Bruce's plan and that, everything happening here had been planned down to the last inch. The prank with the faked images was one thing but... kitty transformation? Now I know that Bruce has been spending far too much time alone with Selina.
She turned up NAKED?!? Lex is definately on Bruce's Christmas card list after that. Yes, I know that she didn't really. It was all part of the cover story that will make Lex believe that Selina wasn't actually on the heroes' side. However, as I'm sure Tim will tell you, it's a nice thought. Harley is frankly having a bit too much fun with her plan right now. She needs to be careful that she doesn't have so much fun with the plot that she forgets the point of what she is doing (of course, if I'm right and the whole idea was to get him a bunch of roses... does Jack even like red roses? I would have thought white lilies were more his thing  ). On the other hand, it is pretty clear that Bruce is right to be concerned with the attitude of the authorities in Arkham. For any
inmate, even one supposedly 'on the mend', to be allowed unescorted access to staff areas is never a good idea.
I just loved the climax of the subplot, by the way. I'm glad that Jack came out of this feeling happy (even if his 'jokes' have not improved even slightly). Isn't it just him to go tamely back to his cell once the punchline is delivered? Sometimes I think that psychiatrists ignore the fact that, psychopath or no, Jack is first and foremost an entertainer. Once the set has been performed, it is time to go home. I bet that Harley is in for an interesting week of intensive electroshock and drug therapy when she isn't in a padded cell in a do-up-the-back special. Thou shalt not play a prank on your shrink whilst committed. I think that Bruce can take Selina's 'punishment'. As he pointed out to Clark, the cost of that luxury goods spluge won't even touch the profits from a small part of his business empire. Overall an interesting story with lots of wonderful character moments. I particularly liked the Lex inner monologue. I'm presuming that Harley's prank will have more long-lasting consequences. A stand-alone one-off prank would more likely have its own mini-story. BenRG's Rating: 8/10 PS: So, Harvey is running for DA again? Or is it even mayor now? I think that it is the best sign possible that he could accidentally press '2' and not have a nervous breakdown. PPS: A thought - I don't know if I have mentioned this before, but I think that Selina's old 'slit skirt and cape' costume may be her 'formal' look for when she arrives at the Vault to do her 'Queen of the Underworld' thing. It certainly is completely impractical for any kind of prowling, although I bet she enjoys the effect it has on men. ~*~*~*~
They call me BenRG But... I don't know why... ~*~*~*~ |
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The Wilder |
#120 | |||
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Posts: 261 02/03/08 02:09 Gothamite |
I'm also wondering about the fallout of Harley's prank. There is sure to be some repercussions after all of that. As for Harvey, I haven't
completely lost faith in him. He just needs to sort through his own hellmouth closet before he can really have peace of mind. And how long will Vault be
around before Penguin finally bounces back? Bruce and Selina seems to have made peace with Catwoman being Queen of the Underworld, but I don't think Ozzy
will be okay with that.
I think Harvey is in a place where he'll be able to face the past and deal with his personal demons. I believe in Harvey Dent. Also, is a chat still planned for this story? I didn't expect one for Short Tales, but I think it would be fun to discuss War of the Poses. |
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