Yuku free message boards

(Before I begin, did anyone else come across that info-tidbit that said there are now more Chinese restaurants in the U.S. than high schools?)

Thank you. Truly, thank you for writing this first scene, Chris. Cassie hasn’t been seen much at all lately; in fact, I don’t think she’s received any “screen time” since “Polishing Silver” and the death of Spoiler. And for all that she’s not only the newest but the most silent of Batman’s odd family, I’m very fond of her character and have been wondering what she’s been doing—and how she’s been doing.

And I was right; she’s still hurting. Even more than Tim, I think. Tim regarded Stephanie as his girlfriend, but she wasn’t his only friend, and he’s always had a pretty large support base to help him out when he asks; not just the rest of the BatClan but Young Justice, some of the Titans who’ve gotten to know him, and let’s not forget his own family the Drakes. But Cassie only knows the BatClan, and most of them have grieved and moved on, not realizing that she hasn’t; that she’s still mired in grief and loss. But then, all the others have lost a loved one before; that doesn’t necessarily make Stephanie’s death (the second/third/fourth loss, depending on who you ask) easier for them, but they slowly developed coping mechanisms for dealing with such loss. Since Cassie only knew her father Cain while growing up, this is really the first personal loss she’d had to deal with… it’s a shame that only Jean Paul was able to recognize that.

Humph. Just remembered a remark someone made over in DC Discuss, can't remember which thread, that said it looked like DC was killing off Cassie. Not hard for this most cynical feminist to figure out why; titles with a female in the starring role generally don't sell well in the long run unless there's plenty of T&A for the boys to ogle over. Cassie didn't have that in body or attitude, and her novelty and membership in the BatClan couldn't carry the title forever, so it's not surprising that sales dropped enough for the PTB to decide to just kill her off, rather than keep her lingering in Gotham as another element they had to keep track of. So yet another strong heroine bites the dust (and at the hands of a suitably sadistic male villain, am I right?), thanks to the Patriarchy and the fact that comics are still primarily targeted at teenage boys.

Pardon the rant, but I've had the unwritten rules of the Patriarchy shoved in my face pretty hard recently, while preparing to transition from military to civilian life. Male Chauvinism is far from dead, it's just donned better camouflage... Anyway, there are still good reasons as to why Cassie and Jean Paul should not form a romantic relationship, beside his being so much older and her still being 'jailbait'. But I have to admit that it would be strangely appropriate; two lost souls(titles) clinging to each other, so to speak.

The depressing scene with Cassie is immediately contrasted by Harley having some fun, and finally dealing--in true Gotham Rogue style--with her breakup with Joker. …Is it just friendship with Clayface, or do we have a rebound romance brewing here? I know how Allaine envisions Matt Hagen’s, um, ability to have fun with the ladies. And I’m pretty sure Chris reads Allaine’s fics…

…If there is indeed a merciful deity watching over us, may I be spared ever having to personally deal with such a person as Gladys Ashton-Larraby. I almost have sympathy for her husband. …Almost.

Dick about Dinah… Ouch. Yeah, Dick has good reason to be angry. That was *his father* that Dinah let get violated, and then kept quiet about for several years. If I found out that someone had molested my big sister when she was a girl, then someone else _knew about it_ but did nothing to stop it, nor did anything to help Kathy afterwards, I would first go after the molester with a chainsaw… then drop the ‘accessory after the fact’ down an outhouse hole and tell her to get used to the stench, it was what her soul smelled like. But that fortune cookie really was intended for Dick; he needs to make a peace of some sort with Dinah. Maybe he’ll never fully trust her again, but keeping her in the doghouse and effectively making his wife choose between them is going to cause even more trouble someday.

Cute scene with Kittlemeier and Scarecrow. I’m thinking this new costume for Scarecrow is Chris’s way of lampooning the… what was it called again? This Hyde-like straw-covered beastie that I saw on a couple of Gotham Post covers several months back, implying that the Scarecrow had been turned into a monster in body as well as mind. Someone who’s actually read the titles, help me out here; what was the new monicker? (And is he still that way, or has he been quietly reverted to ‘normal’ since then?)

And lastly, Jervis and Eddie… Eddie, I really do feel a smidgen of sympathy for. He’d rather have back the old purely-adversarial, masks-on relationship with Batman, but he can’t, and he’s finally beginning to realize the consequences. I think that this is Eddie grasping at straws; he probably wanted Jervis in on the deal so he could pretend, if/when Batman showed up, that Jervis had been the one with the idea in the first place and Eddie wasn’t really trying to make life difficult for his friend Selina’s Most Significant Other, just going along with somebody else’s escapade. But Jervis won’t play, so now he’s stuck…

Great chapter; looking forward to the next one!

The version I've heard most often is "between the sheets." And I just about did a spit-take at my monitor when reading what Jean-Paul and his friends used to use! *snicker* Now that's uber-geekdom for you.

So there's a possible romance brewing between Jean-Paul and Helena, instead of Cassie. Good! I said in my last post that while a romance between Cassie and Jean-Paul would be ironic, it wouldn't be the right thing for either of them. Helena and Jean-Paul... tricky, but it could work; they're two very different people but I think that their personalities could compliment each other. But as Jaime said, it all depends on how well Helena handles learning about the devout soldier of St. Dumas that's living inside Jean-Paul's head.

Interesting scene in the Iceberg. Are Clayface and Harley trying to hide their relationship from the rest of the gossip-loving Rogues, or is this just Harley indulging Hagen's love of acting out roles? I'm inclined to think it's the latter, but given that I've never been able to accurately predict what's going on inside Harley's head...

Interesting perspective on Dinah. Seen in that light, it would seem that even if Dick had reluctantly agreed to extend an olive branch a few inches in her direction, Dinah would have "accidentally" broken it off. So what will happen to the Birds of Prey team in the Cat-Tales 'verse?

Looking forward to seeing more of Cassie, interacting not only with Alfred but with Bruce when he returns home.