CT 37: Strange Bedfellows in Cat-Tales Forum

0 Points

CT 37: Strange Bedfellows

Author	Comment
Chris Dee.gothampm	CT 37: Strange Bedfellows		Lead	[-]
Posts: 3929 05/19/04 15:47 Gothamite	Cat-Tales 37: Strange Bedfellows begins... Developments in Washington are about to impact Gotham. Chapter 1: Dateline Washington at FanFiction.net and the Cat-Tales Website “I felt drops of icy sweat dripping up my back. I am aware that icy and sweat are contradictory by their very nature and should not be able to coexist in the same freakish bead of ICK WHAT IS THAT falling up my back. I am also aware things are not supposed to fall up. For that matter criminals aren’t supposed to get it on with crime-fighters. Yet here we were: Catwoman, Batman, Icy, Sweat, Dripping, Up. Sometimes life is like that."
My Recent Posts
Kimberly T.gothampm	re: Strange Bedfellows chapter 1	#1	[url]	[-]
Posts: 647 05/19/04 17:27 Gothamite	No doubt about it, the Clueless Princess is back! I predict Selina will be making a trip to Kittlemeier's shortly to get a new set of claws, after the current ones are, ahem, well used... Though I have no doubt that they won't be used in a simple catfight with the Hellspawn. She's much more creative than that. I must admit, I'm curious about exactly how Azreal will fit into the scheme. He may have received lessons in "how to handle women" from Green Arrow, but (a) Horndog Ollie is known best for his ability to take a possibly great relationship and screw it up one way or another, and (b) the Hellspawn just isn't your average girl. The average woman has far fewer delusions, for one thing... Kimberly T. "Everyone who believes in telekinesis, raise my hand!"
My Recent Posts
BenRG	Re: Cat-Tales 37: Strange Bedfellows	#2	[url]	[-]
Posts: 428 05/19/04 19:10	Just to start it off... The image will live with me for some time: *Quote:* Lex flying around Metropolis hopped up on Venom in a dayglow spacesuit? Ah, thank you Gotham Post for making a grey day a little more worth living! By any chance, is this a reference to super-Lex in the "Son of Superman" graphic novel? Yeah, and it makes sense that Luthor would be, ultimately, the architect of his own downfall. I know that Bruce and Clark probably still feel a bit bad about this. Dealing with corrupt politicos isn't normally a Superhero's job, especially when said politico was freely elected. However, Luthor is a bad man, and bad men cannot be left in charge of nuclear superpowers. And LexCorp is in trouble? Wow! Bruce has been busy! This could mean war! Literally! After all, Lex is going to be looking to put his house back in order now and getting his assets back from WayneCorp (by hook or by crook) is the obvious first move. *Quote:* Ah, I see. You told Bruce. But Bruce already knew. He’s annoying that way, isn’t he. Preach it, Brutha Nightwing... O... kay. Now I have a serious worry here. What if Talia is telling what she thinks is the truth? Could it be that, in retrospect, that she is now convinced that this was all part of a wonderful plan on Bruce and her's part to take down Lex? That is dangerous. If she has that little touch with reality, she could easily be a threat to anyone who doesn't fit in with her preconceived notions of the world. She is a sad girl, but that doesn't mean that she can't become a threat, at least of the 'continual irritation' kind. Leave her to the understudies, I say. Dick and Jean-Paul need some D-list Rogue to work together against to help them work out this pitiful little feud of theirs. I'm more worried about Eddie. He is a smart cookie when he gets around to really thinking about stuff. He could easily cause a lot of damage before Bruce finally decrypts his latest scheme. BenRG's Rating: 8/10 ~ Great start! Can't wait for more! ~~~~ They call me BenRG* But... I don't know why... ~~~*~
My Recent Posts
Kimberly T.gothampm	re: BenRG's Q, latest Post drivel	#3	[url]	[-]
Posts: 647 05/19/04 20:15 Gothamite	This is quite a moment for me; usually, I'm the one asking questions of everybody else about current DC comics/Post references! But this time: *Quote:* "Lex flying around Metropolis hopped up on Venom in a dayglow spacesuit?" Ah, thank you Gotham Post for making a grey day a little more worth living! By any chance, is this a reference to super-Lex in the "Son of Superman" graphic novel? I've never seen this "Son of Superman" graphic novel, but I HAVE seen the comic referred to in this instance: From the current "Superman/Batman" series (or is it "Batman/Superman"?) Anyway, in a very recent issue (#6, I believe) they had the current Luthor donning the same sort of battle-suit the pre-Crisis Luthor wore, so he could duke it out with Superman "mano a alieno". Five or six pages of fight scene, with Luthor spilling his guts about involvement with Darkseid and etc. while throwing punches, and near the end of the fight Superman letting him know that Batman's been recording and broadcasting the whole thing; Luthor is through as President. Then Supes knocks Luthor down into the sewers so he can get away and plot another day. And yes, the comic was just about as bad as the way I described it just now. I read it and shook my head and thought, "Yep, they're trying to aim for a younger audience now, because anyone over 14 years old would be going, 'That's IT?!' DC spent at least a year setting up the premise of Luthor running for President and getting elected, and they've spent who knows how many issues since then of Luthor crafting all these plots with that cunning genius criminal mind of his and Superman foiling only about two out of three of the ones he even knew about (or so I'm told; as I said before, I don't follow the comics regularly), and they end it all with a fight that's so far out of character for the current incarnation of Luthor that Dave the Barbarian could have stood in for him? And not even one full panel of how the world's reacting to the whole thing? Pathetic. Just... pathetic." Anyone out there disagree with me? Kimberly T. "Everyone who believes in telekinesis, raise my hand!"
My Recent Posts
Allaine	Re: re: BenRG's Q, latest Post drivel	#4	[url]	[-]
Posts: 1789 05/19/04 21:05	*Quote:* What if Talia is telling what she thinks is the truth? Could it be that, in retrospect, that she is now convinced . . . It could even be that . . . No, I don't think I'm going to touch that one. On second thought, I am going to raise this. What if she doesn't think it's true? What if it is? While the possibility of an intentional financial collapse is less appealing to the "Talia-is-an-idiot" people than one due to incompetence, in some ways it's actually worse. "I'm going to destroy LexCorp from within, as a sign of my everlasting devotion to Beloved." "And if that means risking the jobs of tens of thousands of decent, hardworking LexCorp employees, it's a small price to pay for the sake of our love, isn't it?" . . . Now she's not incompetent. She's just so self-absorbed, so insensitive to others, so completely convinced that she's at the center of the universe that the lives of the many are nowhere near as important as the life of the one. (Have any comics, Batman or otherwise, offered more details on LexCorp's collapse beyond what was said in S&B 6?) Sincerely, Allaine
My Recent Posts
ichigenka.gothampm	HUZZAH!	#5	[url]	[-]
Posts: 330 05/19/04 21:28	YAY! bust out the champgin the crimson Knight has returned from this long sojorn ( battling drug dealing film crews no less ) That makes me uber happy. Cause obviously Bruce can't convice Talia that he doesn't love her, but maybe if you bring someone in on the same IQ level as her, she'll get the message (ok so Az isn't that stupid but fun to pretend) The only thing that would have been funnier would be if it was Ollie that was gonna "take care" of Talia
My Recent Posts
Chris Dee.gothampm	Re: HUZZAH!	#6	[url]	[-]
Posts: 3929 05/19/04 21:44 Gothamite	First, let me say that I love Uncle Jeph. But the words "There are many dramatists who, after a good Complication, fail in the Denouement" could have been written with him in mind (if they didn't predate him by about 3,000 years). Anyway, behold the wonder that is the Gotham Post ...Edward R. Murrow would be so proud.
My Recent Posts
Unregistered(d)	Re: HUZZAH!	#7	[url]	[-]
Posts: 0 05/19/04 21:50	So Talia is back at Bruce’s doorsteps. The funny thing is I can actually see Talia twisting what Bruce said about moving on to get him to dump Selina and be with her. What I see her doing is trying to date Az thinking that if she can’t have the real thing than she will go for the cheap copy. This in turn will make Bruce jealous because she chose to be with a cheap imitation of him and thus will dump Selina to be with Talia. As dumb as this plan sounds the sad thing is that from Talia’s point of view this is probably the smartest thing she ever came up with. Now that Luthor is no longer president I’m assuming he will try to rebuild his empire. This can’t be good for Wayne Enterprises since Luthor will probably try to steal back or sabotage everything they brought.
My Recent Posts
Catwoman Meow	Re: HUZZAH!	#8	[url]	[-]
Posts: 6454 05/19/04 22:00 Feline Fatale	>> I know that Bruce and Clark probably still feel a bit bad about this. Clark does. The downfall of a loathed enemy should be cause to rejoice, but the scene at the Planet offices is making it impossible for him not to feel guilty. Perry White doing that "Raise the roof" thing, Lois up on the desks dancing to Boogie Shoes... it's embarrassing. >> What if Talia is telling what she thinks is the truth? She usually is. When not actively lying for Daddy, most of that blither that comes out of her mouth she does believe. It isn't really uncommon, we all do it to a lesser extent. Down deep, we know the truth, and that part that knows is usually busy keeping the rest of us from having to face it. Case in point: why do you think Talia called on Bruce at the WE offices instead of the manor? Because Selina lives there now. That's a reality T knows, but prefers to tune out as much as possible. By not going there, she doesn't have to see it, and that makes her fantasy version of the situation easier to maintain. >> maybe if you bring someone in on the same IQ level as her... You know that's funny. After one of Az's first appearances in the Tales somebody mentioned him in conjunction with Talia. I believe their phrase was "my god, if those two got together they could alphabetize a spice rack"... Nah, I don't think Az is that stupid either.
My Recent Posts
The Thundering Monkey	Re: HUZZAH!	#9	[url]	[-]
Posts: 845 05/19/04 22:05	Just a few thoughts.. For some reason this is reminding me of the Simpsons episode where Mr. Burns lost his fortune and had to rebuild from the ground up. Starting with collecting cans for recyclng, then plastic six-pack rings which he turned into giant nets to dredge the oceans of sea-life which he processed into a nitrogen rich explosive slurry which he sold to the military. You go Lex! Work the ladder. Having absorbed LexCorp Bruce, could be moving into the Microsoft area, meaning he can expect AntiTrust proceedings. Looking forwards to seeing What Azreal has got for us.
My Recent Posts
stephensmat2	Re: Cat-Tales 37: Strange Bedfellows	#10	[url]	[-]
Posts: 1321 05/20/04 01:57	Oh come on! What happened? How'd they do it? I WANNA KNOW! Two vigilantes, technically criminals, just got the President of the United States to resign. Whatever it was, it had to be specific to him and not his administration or Luthor would have just fired his Vice President and been done with it. Cant wait to find that one out. Let's see...what else. Wow. So much fodder here. Quote: Lex flying around Metropolis hopped up on Venom in a dayglow spacesuit? EndQuote. You laugh but have you seen the script reviews for the future Superman movie? Quote: Selina shook her head with an expression at once affectionate, amused, and sad. "You really do believe that, don't you?" EndQuote. Talia's in town. Smart money says that we'll be hearing that phrase again real soon. Quote: Luthor's hubris was legendary. That he would try to kill Clark was perfectly in character. That he wouldn't really try to hide it was also, shockingly, in character. EndQuote. Yeah. He even had recorder always running in the Oval Office. Sooner or later you'd think that Heads of State would realise they arent untouchable. Quote. This way there would be some, however few, that still saw him as a good man and a good president who was smeared. EndQuote. Yeah. People still think that about President #Coughcough#...dusty in here, Chris. Okay, moving on! Quote: Whether that would be enough to ever rebuild his legacy remained to be seen. EndQuote. I think it will be. I think Lex can pull that off. I think he's been sitting in the White House watching the Demonspawn take everything he's worked, sweated and bled for, and systematically drive it into the dirt. He hates her, maybe more than Selina does, and he wants it all back. Luthor strikes me as the type to get it all back too. Azreal's back? Az and Twitterhead in the same day. Bruce and Dick were having such a good morning. Till Bruce got to work and Dick woke up that is. Quote. That had been his theory every time he deliberately screwed up scanning the card. EndQuote. Heh. Habit forming isnt it? Playing the fool. Come on Bruce! You dont do anything halfway and you live with a Shakesperean actor. You dont play the part! You BE the part! Quote: "You want the one that is worse? You looking to give blood the hard way?" EndQuote. Yeah, I'm with the birdman here Eddie. Selina's gonna find out aout this one, and she's going to be pissed. In fact, I'd bet good money that she'll see a Gotham Post photo of her with a Riddler question mark drawn over it while she's pacing angrilly looking for something to shred in her...well what could only be described as 'Demonspawn induced homicidal rage.' That's when she'll see it, and once she's done, Killer Croc, Scarecrow, Two-Face, Poison Ivy and Mad Hatter will be lining up behind her to take their turn. And after them will be Black Canary, Batman, Robin, Batgirl...you are playing with angry fire here Nygma. Quote: Bruce sighed. There it was, only four words in, "Beloved." EndQuote. NOW I get it! You didnt eliminate the Wolfsbanme by having Talia nullify it, you did it by ruining her to the point where her expectations could be safely lowered enough that it's meaningless. 'Cept for one small problem. She's back now. Makes me sorry I used my Demonspawn rant about that twit last story. This is gonna be good. And yet it cant end well.
My Recent Posts
katfairy	Re: Cat-Tales 37: Strange Bedfellows	#11	[url]	[-]
Posts: 769 05/20/04 02:38 Ballistic Soprano	I had a mental image of Bruce in his office banging his head against his desk the second Talia was out of sight. I can see poor JP having a similar reaction if Talia ever did go after him. Azrael may be clueless about women (less so than he used to be, but still...), but this is the Demonspawn we're talking about and I'm not sure he'd consider her a woman. Good gods, I just imagined that attempted seduction scene. My brain hurts... ************************************ Laura! A penguin grabbed Karl Rove's loins!
My Recent Posts
Kimberly T.gothampm	re: Talia	#12	[url]	[-]
Posts: 647 05/20/04 02:41 Gothamite	The more I think about it, the more I think Allaine just might be right on this point: *Quote:* "I'm going to destroy LexCorp from within, as a sign of my everlasting devotion to Beloved. And if that means risking the jobs of tens of thousands of decent, hardworking LexCorp employees, it's a small price to pay for the sake of our love, isn't it?"… Now she's not incompetent. She's just so self-absorbed, so insensitive to others, so completely convinced that she's at the center of the universe that the lives of the many are nowhere near as important as the life of the one. That really, really fits in with Talia's background. Daughter of Ra's, a guy who thinks most of humanity is a blight on the landscape that should be removed immediately; treated as a princess by her father's followers... Hell's breath, she'd figure that she was being merciful by just undermining the company and costing thousands of workers their jobs. Hey, they're still alive; that's more than her father would have had in store for them... Unfortunately, that doesn't quite fit with what's already been established in Cat-Tales. Between her giving in to Selina's blackmail back in "Splitzville" and, earlier than that, the stories (forgetting which ones) that featured her in her CEO capacity, it appears she really did care about that CEO job. She's just now telling Bruce (and herself) that she never did, that she deliberately tanked LexCorp to help her beloved, because over the years she's become very, very good at lying to herself. Kimberly T. "Everyone who believes in telekinesis, raise my hand!"
My Recent Posts
Unregistered(d)	Strange Bedfellows	#13	[url]	[-]
Posts: 0 05/20/04 04:55	This was a nice gossipy chapter. It gives everyone a chance to catch their breath after all the larger than life battles in the park. I always love seeing Bruce trying unsuccessfully to hide a smile. Now let's see. Who's going to end up on Catwoman's nerves first? Eddie's being remarkably foolish for such a smart guy. More proof that intelligence and wisdom are two different things. Azrael's back after a low key but useful roadtrip. After watching the physical price Bruce pays re-enacted before her eyes, Az doesn't really need to do anything wrong to get on Selina's nerves. His presence brings back bad memories. But then, of course, we see the Queen of De-nial back in Gotham City! Yep, Talia gets my vote for the most deserving recipient of the Cat's ire. This sounds like it's going to be good.
My Recent Posts
Star Ranger4	Re: Strange Bedfellows	#14	[url]	[-]
Posts: 1384 05/20/04 08:07 Adrift in Space	All great points, but I still loved Selina's teasing of Bruce about the way he was trying not to smile about it. Ok, Maybe he didn't find it funny, but people smile in satisfaction at seeing plans come to fruition too. Close second HAS to be "She's... In my office," tho. "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.
My Recent Posts
Unregistered(d)	Re: Strange Bedfellows	#15	[url]	[-]
Posts: 0 05/20/04 16:58	Woah... woah...woah...Just a brief comment. I don't like the drift of these comments. Talia is getting way too much credit around here and that just must be nipped in the bud. I thought it was pretty clear from the conversation between Bruce and Lucius that bringing down LexCorp was totally and completely Bruce's doing. He was just taking advantage of Talia's incompetence and had been doing so for MONTHS (a job made easier, I'd guess, by the defection of Moira to WE). He did it in so gradual and sneaky a fashion that Lex never knew what hit him 'til it was all over so it's doubtful he was upset to see Talia wasting away his empire. He might be a bit annoyed with her now but he didn't see it coming. This might bring Luther down a couple of notches in the Evil Mastermind rankings. Talia's working this around in any other fashion is completely delusional but she figured the story worked with the Post (see page 3 for sidebar article including former LexCorp CEO quotes. It's in the same issue with DayGlo Luthor on the front page.) so why not give it a shot with B. Chris, I did love that '"you won't have Lex Luthor to kick round any more" line with the picture. Too funny.
My Recent Posts
Catwoman Meow	Re: Strange Bedfellows	#16	[url]	[-]
Posts: 6454 05/20/04 19:28 Feline Fatale	Thanks Hecate. I don't recall the Post's version being very explicit about just what happened. Only that she'd basically stripped the company clean (selling stuff off basically, similar to what is described here). Now, clarifying the massive confusion on the fall of LexCorp (don't feel bad, folks, the Wallstreet Journal and Harvard Business School are still working on it too...) Nobody, not even Bruce "brought LexCorp down." They folded, as hundreds of companies have before them, by mismanagement that followed one bad decision with another and then another. The liquidity problems Bruce describes to Lucius that led to the eating of the tail is taken from PanAm - classic case study for seeing the Flow of Funds turn before the Income Statements or Balance Sheets, right down to selling the building that was their pride and joy, much like the LexCorp towers were to Lex. For the pattern of bad decisions that created the fatal cash crunches, we turn to Bruce's conversation not with Lucius but with Talia. That is also taken from a corporate model which one beta-reader and one IM-buddy have already identified. Sorry Talia fans, she bungled it. But don't feel bad, this isn't her worst screwup by far. Plenty of SANE executives who have actually graduated Harvard, Wharton, and other fine business schools have made exactly the same blunders.
My Recent Posts
Allaine	Re: Strange Bedfellows	#17	[url]	[-]
Posts: 1789 05/20/04 19:42	I don't think either possibility is exactly a flattering alternative for Talia. The one suggests that Talia doesn't have the ability to run a major company. She's clueless. In other words, her mind. The other suggests that Talia doesn't have the ability to care about other people. She's thoughtless. In other words, her "soul". Neither POV is much of a defense. Sincerely, Allaine P.S. I wouldn't argue that Talia really intended to do this in CT. Previous stories have shown what she was trying to accomplish, and frankly she would have told him quite speedily what she was doing "for" him. Lacking more details, however, either possibility would have to remain open in DC, IMHO.
My Recent Posts
ichigenka.gothampm	Talia and Martha cellmates?	#18	[url]	[-]
Posts: 330 05/20/04 22:15	Speaking of corporate bungels i wouldn't be surprised to see the SEC go after Talia for some sort of leaching of corprate funds. Don't have to be a genius to shift funds around. If anything else the other VPs in LexCorp knew that it was a shinking ship and cashed out early a la Enron and knowing her capacity "or lack there of" of business accumen would try to peg the blame on her. or well that's my conspricy of the day
My Recent Posts
Hitman Tommy Monaghan	Re: Talia and Martha cellmates?	#19	[url]	[-]
Posts: 455 05/21/04 15:29	Ok, I'm going to chime in with a few questions and comments here rather than via review since they seem more suited to open discussion. 1. I'm a huge Lex fan. What DC did was out of character and well... asinine. However we must accept that which we cannot change so the fallout begins. What I find interesting is that Talia is a)still alive and b)unconcerned with the wrath of Luthor. He was beaten and isn't President anymore. Fine. Does anyone seriously believe that is the end of Luthor? In my mind he's probably sitting somewhere in the Alps right now with a secret pile of gold buillion and stockpiled doomsday devices making plans. I would think that just below Superman and Batman, Talia is a definite target. Oh and how convenient, she's in Gotham with Bruce Wayne the man who is now stealing Lexcorp and where Batman who helped bring Luthor down bases himself. Talia may be either stupid or arrogant enough to dismiss Luthor but Bruce wouldn't and I'd think he'd be alarmed or whatever the emotion is that Batman feels when he sees a huge glowing neon danger sign on the horizon. 2.Luthor resigns. Pete Ross, President. Ok this is more a DC directed complaint but it should be considered. Let me get this straight though Clark Kent's BEST FRIEND is President and he's relegated to the Crime Beat in Metropolis? Oh and since we are dealing with Gotham here: Clark Kent's CLUELESS best friend is President and Bruce isn't doing something? Clark Kent's first love Lana Lang-Ross is now First Lady and knows Clark's secret and Batman isn't doing something? Just some thoughts to throw out and see what sticks I guess. 3.As an Azrael fan I just wanted to mention that Ra's already tried to "hook Talia up" with Az back in the now defunct Azrael title. Fairly early in its run too. It was disasterous. first off Talia was having none of it and hated Az from the get go. Second it was through this event that Az finds out his incubator was a Gorilla which sent him into a state that alternated between catatonia and animalistic rage for several issues and gave Ra's apoplexy that he almost hitched his daughter to a "sub-human." Just points to consider in any Talia/Az dealings but fairly significant ones whether Ollie has worked his "magic" on Az or not. Ok I'm done now but I'm intrigued by the story especially with its Metropolis tie-in. Keep on writing and I'll keep reading the excellent work.
My Recent Posts
Allaine	Re: Talia and Martha cellmates?	#20	[url]	[-]
Posts: 1789 05/21/04 15:40	*Quote:* It was disasterous. first off Talia was having none of it and hated Az from the get go. My God. Talia and Selina have something in common other than two X-chromosomes. Sincerely, Allaine
My Recent Posts

Yuku free message boards

CT 37: Strange Bedfellows

CT 37: Strange Bedfellows