Cat-Tales 58: Demon's in the Details

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Chris Dee	Cat-Tales 58: Demon's in the Details		Lead	[-]
Posts: 774 04/07/09 13:20	Tags : None Ra's al Ghul. Atlantis. Batman... What could possibly go wrong? The most illustrious Demon's Head, light of the east, terror of the west, apex of the age of Oneness through One rule, is quite certain your unworthy selves will be thrilled beyond your feeble powers to express your joy at this unequaled opportunity to informed before all men of his latest, and certainly his greatest, effort. Oh for god sake, just give them the link. --Chris Dee Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Superpowers corrupts - superbly. --Identity Element
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Coralskipper.dubthistheforum		#1	[url]	[-]
Posts: 138 04/07/09 14:17	God I love your version of Ra's Al Ghul. It's really nice to have a fun story after the stress that Arm Chair Detective put on everyone. Damon Runyon once said, "Ninety-five percent of sports tradition is fiction. Lies, if you like. But harmless. Who the hell cares if the facts get twisted?"
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Random Equinox		#2	[url]	[-]
Posts: 279 04/08/09 01:05	Oof. It's good to be back (even if it only proves to be a little while). And it's good to read the beginning of another Cat-Tales. I see Ra's is still his pompous and arrogant self. Honestly, saying that your "planning was so intricate and [his] understanding so vast", and then following that up with "even he could not pinpoint the exact moment when a plot suggested itself". I'd say Ra's is being hypocritical if I didn't know better. Still, his plan to deal with the Detective sounds interesting. It remains to be seen whether it's actually a "new" plan, or just some re-hashed done-to-death nonsense. I've only watched one episode of "Jeeves and Wooster", but the dynamics at play in the horoscope scenes just smacks of that. Spoiler [+] Ra's, for whatever reason, wants an honest horoscope. Or, at least, the Master "thinks" he wants an honest horoscope. The servants, of course, "know better", and alter his commands accordingly. Having said that, I'm delighted to see Ubu get fleshed out a bit. He's not just some "head flunky", but someone who has some concern for the welfare of others. Someone whose awareness of actions and their consequences, however innocuous, is reminiscent of Alfred's relationship with Bruce. Granted, the analogy is extremely tenuous, at best. Still, the fact that that thought even popped up suggests that Ubu might graduate from "glorified red-shirt" to "three-dimensional character". Not to mention all the crazy hijinks that are going on. And to think, this might be "all in the day of the life of a servant of Ra's Al Ghul". I also wonder what's the deal with this Dika, and whether anything will ever come out of it. Finally, Batman's thoughts on the benefits of a non-sidekick partner was beautiful. Simply beautiful. I just loved the rationale behind Catwoman's choice of days to patrol with Batman. Date nights, indeed! Ha!
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BenRG	Re.: Demon in the Details, chapter 1	#3	[url]	[-]
Posts: 294 04/08/09 12:46	Well, that was a nice start. I've said this before Chris, but it bears repeating. The real strength of your writing is in the characterisation. You feel that you are there, talking to Catwoman, Batman or whoever. In this chapter, we get an interesting trip into the heads of some of the people assocated with the death cult known as DEMON. Ra's is having one of the signiture problems of an absolute monarch: He cannot be sure if his advisers are telling him what is happening or what they think he wants to be happening. Oh, his idea to get a 'second opinion' is, on the first gaze, a good one. However, note that he is asking the very minions whose honesty is suspect to arrange the same. Like Selina says, a hairdo. Oh, he can be deadly and dangerous, but, ultimately, Ra's al Ghul will always be crippled by the fact that he believes his own PR materials. And now, some advice for the DEMON Head [+] Never, ever, ever doubt the power of Vendetta when dealing with the Roma. Like I have said above, it is a bad idea to assume that everyone is as impressed with you as you are. It is also a bad idea to get on the bad side of the race with the current European record for long memories and magical skill and then to want them to provide a service that would leave you vulnerable to any treachery. Ra's is going to put his trust in someone that has every reason to want to betray him. Unless he is a lot smarter than he has been behaving to date, it is going to cripple his scheme from the start. Like 'Plan 9...', I suspect that the Bat Clan will only be able to stand and look on in amazement as it all comes down. That said, I did also like Bruce's little cameo. Only Selina would turn the Mission into a romantic date. You know, meet up, get some nibbles on a rooftop somewhere, beat up some jerks who dare to claim to be thieves in Catwoman's town and then sharpen the ol' claws and batarangs on a few dumb Rogues who don't know their betters when they see them, just to loosen up. Finally, spend the balance of the time with sweet, sweet lovemaking. I don't know what is funnier, Bruce's resigned attitude (I notice he isn't trying to dissuade Selina from doing things this way ) or the fact that Selina is now at least a peacekeeper if not a fully-fledged crime-fighter and that she is dealing with this in the time-honoured feline tradition of not thinking about it. BenRG's Rating: 8.5/10 - Great start! ~~~~ They call me BenRG* But... I don't know why... ~~~*~
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ichigenka.gothampm		#4	[url]	[-]
Posts: 260 04/08/09 15:40	The "lets attract the detective by giving him a mystery so he can be my heir" smacks of "fresh dip" symptoms. Funny thing Spoiler [+] if the fortuneteller does her job and Ra's thinks it's the truth... well it could be a bad end for her in that, he'll order the execution of his fortune teller and if he is somewhat impressed with her will maker her his official fortune teller. How's that for cosmic irony. I forsee this "date night" coming to a screeching halt if Tim ever mentions it as such. "Yeah I guess I can cover the south end on "date night"." Oh I'm looking forward to Arthur's cameo, you can't talk about Atlantis without having the King Fish around.
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DorothyTRose		#5	[url]	[-]
Posts: 212 04/08/09 23:47	Great start, Chris! Kra's entrance made me laugh. I couldn't help but notice how bored with his own dictated ceremonies Ra's seems to be. Those long oaths of loyalty must really get in the way of progress sometimes. laughs at ichigenka Yah, I can totally see Tim slipping up like that, too. Totally unintentional, of course! "Always the detective." "Ever the boy scout." Last Edited By: DorothyTRose 04/08/09 23:50. Edited 1 time.
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Star Ranger4		#6	[url]	[-]
Posts: 1316 04/09/09 13:04 Adrift in Space	Indeed, the demon is in the details in this one, eh? Most of what I can think of to comment on in this early going has already been covered, but I just HAVE to throw in yet another chuckle over the "Date Night" bit.... Hear that thunder rolling till it seems to split the sky? That's every ship in Grayson's Navy taking up the cry- NO QUARTER!!! -- "No Quarter", by Echo's Children
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SteelBlaidd		#7	[url]	[-]
Posts: 60 04/09/09 19:20	Ahh The Rashomon. I've read In A Groveits very good. A thought, even though Ra's is a a hairdo now at one point he must have been sufficiently competent to set up the infrastructure that supports his lavish life style and over inflated ego ( its left to the reader to determine which is bigger ;) ). One wonders what happened in the intervening centuries >_>. Also loving the continuing signs of domestication int the Bat and Cat. RE said domestication Bruce's favorite Recipie Site Enjoy :D "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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BenRG	One Dip Too Many!	#8	[url]	[-]
Posts: 294 04/10/09 06:05	SteelBlaidd wrote: A thought, even though Ra's is a a hairdo now at one point he must have been sufficiently competent to set up the infrastructure that supports his lavish life style and over inflated ego ( its left to the reader to determine which is bigger ;) ). One wonders what happened in the intervening centuries >_>. At a guess, I'd say that it was the Lazarus Pit. Given that it apparently generates madness whenever he takes a dip, it is possible that it is steadily destroying his mind. Some forms of degenerative brain disorders usually start with paranoia and problems with memory leading to rather... odd perceptions of reality. We've discussed the problems that this apparent cellular regeneration therapy seems to be inflicting on Ra's for "Napoleon's Plan". Basically, I suspect that, whilst it regenerates his DNA, it does not do anything for synaptic degeneration, rather, like a photocopy of a flawed image, it perpetuates the flaws. Hence, Ra's has not only gone senile some time over the centuries, but his very life-extending methods have not healed the damage to his synaptic patterns so that they are able to spread further and further over time. ~~~~ They call me BenRG* But... I don't know why... ~~~*~
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stephensmat2		#9	[url]	[-]
Posts: 1166 04/10/09 06:33	SteelBlaidd wrote: One wonders what happened in the intervening centuries >_>. Exactly. Centuries passed. Technology changed, cultures changed, values changed, Ra's didn't. Our fathers all say 'in my day' a lot, and there's only twenty-thirty years difference there. It's a little hard to impress an Ipod on the man who walked out of Bach's first show.
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ichigenka.gothampm		#10	[url]	[-]
Posts: 260 04/10/09 17:23	I like this mental distortion talk, in the chap the difference between what Ra's said to "Carl" and what he heard was pretty significant. That being said, what about Talia? She's had a quite a few dips herself. Hell I wonder how she's going to take having a "birthday". Poor Greg will probably think it's a fun thing to celebrate but for Talia it's a massive reminder that she can grow old and die now.
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BenRG		#11	[url]	[-]
Posts: 294 04/11/09 09:48	ichigenka wrote: what about Talia? She's had a quite a few dips herself. Hell I wonder how she's going to take having a "birthday". Poor Greg will probably think it's a fun thing to celebrate but for Talia it's a massive reminder that she can grow old and die now. It will be odd for her, I think. However, assuming that there isn't some kind of 'time catching up with you' effect (which occasionally occurs in fiction when youth treatments wear off), it is possible that she will be too happy and having too much fun being Mrs. Greg Brady to notice for a decade. ~~~~ They call me BenRG* But... I don't know why... ~~~*~
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katfairy		#12	[url]	[-]
Posts: 769 04/13/09 00:32 Ballistic Soprano	Oh, I daresay there will be a true Demonspawn hissy when she spots the first grey hair... Maybe it's because I've been hanging out with too many fellow anime geeks, but my immediate reaction to Hairdo's "secret identity" was facepalm. Such a very Ra's thing to do- so impressed with his own cleverness that he doesn't notice how screamingly obvious his plans are. I half expect Blackadder to pop up and tell him he wouldn't recognize a cunning plan if it stripped naked, painted itself blue and danced atop the spinet singing "I'm a subtle plan." *********************************** You always wanted advice from the 5000 year man, so here it is. Never get caught unexpectedly with a goat. They're fantastically difficult animals to explain, and people are so rarely ready to listen to your reasons for having the animal in your bedroom. Then it all gets rather unpleasant, in my experience. - Methos: "Bodypaint, Bartabs, And Beer" by Andie P.
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Chris Dee		#13	[url]	[-]
Posts: 774 04/13/09 07:50	katfairy wrote: I half expect Blackadder to pop up and tell him he wouldn't recognize a cunning plan if it stripped naked, painted itself blue and danced atop the spinet singing "I'm a subtle plan." Hey kat, good to see you. You realize I'm going to spend the next hour trying to rework the whole story so Joker could do just that. --Chris Dee Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Superpowers corrupts - superbly. --Identity Element
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Star Ranger4		#14	[url]	[-]
Posts: 1316 04/13/09 10:21 Adrift in Space	cough Sputter shatter excuse me, but this post has been prempted by the need to clean my morning mocha off my monitor.... Hear that thunder rolling till it seems to split the sky? That's every ship in Grayson's Navy taking up the cry- NO QUARTER!!! -- "No Quarter", by Echo's Children
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katfairy		#15	[url]	[-]
Posts: 769 04/13/09 22:46 Ballistic Soprano	bows My work here is done. Of course, that doesn't mean I won't be sticking around to watch the mayhem. Especially if the Joker really is going to strip naked, paint himself blue, etc. ...Did that sentence sound as wrong to you as it did to me? *********************************** You always wanted advice from the 5000 year man, so here it is. Never get caught unexpectedly with a goat. They're fantastically difficult animals to explain, and people are so rarely ready to listen to your reasons for having the animal in your bedroom. Then it all gets rather unpleasant, in my experience. - Methos: "Bodypaint, Bartabs, And Beer" by Andie P.
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Chris Dee		#16	[url]	[-]
Posts: 774 04/14/09 08:12	Speaking of Ra's, here's another winner someone just sent me from Shortpacked: http://www.shortpacked.com/d/20061020.html --Chris Dee Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Superpowers corrupts - superbly. --Identity Element
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Chris Dee		#17	[url]	[-]
Posts: 774 04/20/09 11:53	Despite a few technical difficulties, Chapter 2 is ready... And it's Date Night! Enjoy. --Chris Dee Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Superpowers corrupts - superbly. --Identity Element
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Star Ranger4		#18	[url]	[-]
Posts: 1316 04/20/09 14:25 Adrift in Space	Heh... Well, while its still early, I seem to be reading in a subtext that may or may not be there... Knowing, as a reader that DEAMON is in these details, I cant help but keep drawing comparisons to the "gods, thats old tech", etc, to the Hairdo, who we know tends to keep repeating the same actions over and over expecting a different result. And I have a very sneaky susupicion that said Madagascaran Portugese vanilla planter is just a front. Hear that thunder rolling till it seems to split the sky? That's every ship in Grayson's Navy taking up the cry- NO QUARTER!!! -- "No Quarter", by Echo's Children
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BenRG	Re.: Chapter 2 - Date Night	#19	[url]	[-]
Posts: 294 04/20/09 14:49	Okay, we start well by recalling the Cat's greatest attribute - it can adapt to changing circumstances and still keep that arrogant self-assured sense of style. Once again, this is a great little look into an unexplored character's thought processes and life. Ubu is the ultimate disposable figure. Basically, he is the last anonymous minion Batman knocks silly before facing the smirking Hairdo sitting on the jade throne. To see the man beneath the mask and to learn of some of his troubles. It appears that, currently, these troubles include a certain Hairdo with a particularly crazy whim involving his most isolated and difficult-to-operate bases. Who knew that being a 'chessmaster' villain's aide de camp requires that one have the skills of a military bureaucrat? The question is: Did the gypsy give him good news or bad? Ah! So... someone is after Bruce! It could be Ra's, I suppose (or, rather, he could be manipulating events to get Batman within his reach). Spoiler [+] It is conceivable that he has pointed Senior Pequena at the chess set so as to draw Bruce and Selina close to his current base. It would explain the sudden move to such an out-of-the-way place; The quartermaster's comment to Ubu about goats being brought by Portuguese sailors suggests the new DEMON headquarters may be near to Madagascar. It's good to see Bruce and Selina on the job together. Selina is a natural at diagnosing security problems and seems to have a mental "who's who" of security equipment (and security breaking equipment) manufacturers and suppliers. Combined with Bruce's detective training, they make a formidable team. This chapter stands out for this 'Batman and Catwoman Team-up' sequence. We are, at last, seeing them achieve their full potential. What really amazes me is how good Selina is at coincidental salient point recall. She actually seems to have that rare skill (vital in detective sidek... ah... partn... no... more intelligent halves) of mentioning vital clues or new ways of looking at the clues whilst discussing something completely unrelated. Hastings in the Poirot stories had that skill. Heh... Yeah, I know exactly what was going through Alfred's mind the next morning. If he'd asked Bruce whether he wanted some juice, the response (in full Batman) would be: "No. Catwoman and I are working. We don't want to be disturbed." Followed a few moments later by a slightly abashed: "Thank you." He may despair that Selina has worsened Bruce's antisocial hours, but at least she is a sure-fire way of legitimately getting food to Bruce when he goes all super-mission focused. Oh... that untold adventure from Selina's past? I wonder if, at the time, Batman realised that the show would be a catworthy target? Selina's completely easy-going view of her old criminal lifestyle and how that spikes Bruce's blood pressure always makes me grin. He can't exactly complain about the results this time, can he? BenRG's Rating: 8.5/10 One Closing Thought [+] If it turns out that this is a Hairdo scheme - either Ra's manipulating Paquena or, alternately Paquena being a pseudonym or front operation - I wonder who will be most mad at him? Will it be Bruce, for daring to target Selina as a way at getting at him for the second time or Selina for daring to threaten one of Catwoman's friends. Either way, being far from a Lazarus Pit may put Ra's in serious danger. ~~~~ They call me BenRG* But... I don't know why... ~~~*~ Last Edited By: BenRG 04/20/09 14:55. Edited 2 times.
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SteelBlaidd		#20	[url]	[-]
Posts: 60 04/20/09 20:19	I don't know about anyone else but I predict that whatever scheme Ra's is plotting ( I peg him as the Lender of the Chess Board of Ancient Date) that it will be foiled with out B even noticing the Hairdo was involved. Selina with 'up all night' wild hair is just toooo Cute. "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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Cat-Tales 58: Demon's in the Details

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