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Post by chris on Nov 8, 2006 19:29:15 GMT -5
Please tell us what you think.
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Post by chris on Nov 8, 2006 20:16:02 GMT -5
Loved it! I have seen some of where this is going and all I wil say is it is awesome bound!
I really like d the bit with Batman and the Penguin. Oswald selling out his thug was brilliant and Dick is doing a great job here as Batman with his own style.
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Post by chris on Nov 8, 2006 20:22:32 GMT -5
Oh, and great cover Ramon.
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Post by dragonbat on Nov 8, 2006 20:40:28 GMT -5
Thanks, Chris!
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Post by arcalian on Nov 8, 2006 22:34:07 GMT -5
Dick as Batman=Awesomeness. Paticularly the bit with the Penguin.
Dr Arkham...eh...don't piss Bruce off. Nonono. Bad juju for you.
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Post by dragonbat on Nov 8, 2006 23:22:48 GMT -5
Thanks! Penguin's got a lot to do in this fic. As for Bruce... well, he's not in a happy place right now, physically or mentally. Arkham's relatively safe. For now. [VBEG]
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Post by starlord on Nov 9, 2006 7:13:24 GMT -5
I've been waiting anxiously for this title ever since you announced it all those months ago, and it did not disappoint! SPOILERS!!!! The opening scene with The Penguin was terrific. Although I am now loath to use the character again in Tec. You accomplished in one scene what I tried to do in an entire issue. LoL. Dick and Babs *sigh*. Perhaps in the Elseworld tale, they may live happily every after? Yes?  The Bruce and Dick stuff was top notch. And my favorite scene was Dick driving back from Arkham. That is what great writing is all about! In a few short sentences you showed us exactly what was in Dick's heart, and where he is at this point in his life. I couldn't help but want to reach out to the poor guy. Brilliant! Favorite line had to have been Bruce's internal monologue, when he mentions not being able to keep Joker for more then 11 months in Arkham! Laughed out loud. Thanks Ellen, for bringing us another exciting chapter in this tale. I'm just as hooked now as I was a year ago with the first book.  |
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Post by dragonbat on Nov 9, 2006 7:22:48 GMT -5
I've been waiting anxiously for this title ever since you announced it all those months ago, and it did not disappoint! SPOILERS!!!! The opening scene with The Penguin was terrific. Although I am now loath to use the character again in Tec. You accomplished in one scene what I tried to do in an entire issue. LoL. Please! This is Elseworlds, remember? Out of DC2 continuity? Go ahead and use him! The romantic in me says yes. The realist quotes Shakespeare: "The course of true love n'eer did run smooth..." They're back together. Let's just leave it at that.  (Blush!) Thanks! You know... every one of my betas said the same thing! I guess my muse was on to something. (Or on something. Same difference. ;D ) Well, thank-you! And you're welcome! |
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Post by HoM on Nov 9, 2006 11:07:48 GMT -5
I've told you what I thought of this #1, and Ellen... You out do every single Bat-writer I've ever read. Seriously. Your grasp of the characters is... Simply amazing. Now if you added Starman into the cast of characters, THEN we'd get somewhere.
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Post by dragonbat on Nov 9, 2006 11:40:11 GMT -5
Thanks, Charlie! I mean that. However, Starman doesn't sound like he'll fit in. Sowwy...
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Post by HoM on Nov 9, 2006 11:50:23 GMT -5
W-What? Really? Woe is me...  ... Thanks for considering it  |
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Post by dragonbat on Nov 12, 2006 15:09:47 GMT -5
Weell, I wasn't reeeeally... |
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Post by HoM on Nov 12, 2006 15:20:10 GMT -5
I guessed that... But like I always say... A guy can dream... Or if I was trying to be awkwardly punny... I'll keep looking at that stars |
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Susan Hillwig
Staff 
I'm not crazy, my mother had me tested.
Posts: 1,612
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Post by Susan Hillwig on Nov 16, 2006 19:45:33 GMT -5
Brilliant as always. Of all the things I expected to see in this story, Bruce sinking into total apathy was not one of them. At the end of LITF, he seemed to be perking up just a bit...was that just one last glimmer before he sank even lower? I'm with Dick, I wanna pull over to the side of the road and cry!  Whatever happens, I'll be there for the best thing to spin out of IC since...well, this was the ONLY good thing to spin out of IC, and it's not even official! |
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Post by dragonbat on Nov 16, 2006 20:58:18 GMT -5
Hey, Susie!
Well, to be fair, at the end of "Locked," Bruce was virtually catatonic. The only thing he was doing was walking. And he's still walking.
Don't worry. I'm not one to let my heroes wallow in angst for months on end. You've just seen Bruce about as low as I'm going to take him. See ya next month!
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Susan Hillwig
Staff
I'm not crazy, my mother had me tested.
Posts: 1,612
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Post by Susan Hillwig on Nov 19, 2006 18:48:38 GMT -5
Ah, I read the end of LITF differently: I figured since he'd made enough effort to put on the sweater Gordon (I think it was Gordon) dropped off, and he was indeed walking about the cell, that there was still an ounce of fight left in him. But yeah, there was a whole lotta catatonia goin' on too. Never mind that, the past is past, on to Lost to the Night #2! ;D |
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Post by dragonbat on Nov 19, 2006 19:15:02 GMT -5
The ounce of fight is there. But til now it's been devoted to digging his heels in and refusing to toe Arkham's line. He's in a position now where he's fighting not to give in, even though if he wins that fight, the victory will be at best a hollow one...
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Post by timdrake on Nov 20, 2006 0:09:41 GMT -5
I finally found the time to read this (it's been more than a month since your last issue of Nightwing...it's like I was an addict going through withdrawals without my Ellen fan fic fix ), and I was blown away. While every character was well written, Bruce's inner struggle is what has me intrigued the most. I'm anxious to see how he will eventually deal with his feelings, or if he will at all. The next issue can't come soon enough! |
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Post by dragonbat on Nov 20, 2006 0:19:32 GMT -5
Thank-you kindly! Chapter 5 has just gone to the betas, so rest assured that the fic is on time and on schedule now at least until March... See ya in a couple of weeks!
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Post by starlord on Dec 14, 2006 7:08:55 GMT -5
Really enjoyed this second issue. As always, the characters were spot on. I especially loved the scene between Barbara and her father. No matter how old or how competent your child gets, a parent's first instinct will always be to protect. I loved that.
Great job, Ellen!
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Post by dragonbat on Dec 14, 2006 7:48:17 GMT -5
Thank-you, Brian!
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Susan Hillwig
Staff
I'm not crazy, my mother had me tested.
Posts: 1,612
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Post by Susan Hillwig on Dec 14, 2006 20:16:26 GMT -5
How can so little happen in a story and still be so good? It was heartbreaking to see Bruce give in, but it had to be done. I just hope it doesn't backfire on him. And it looks like Babs has problems of her own -- how will this tie in, I wonder?
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Post by dragonbat on Dec 14, 2006 21:23:59 GMT -5
How can so little happen in a story and still be so good? Thanks! I'll admit to a little pleasure in sticking it to him where it hurts, but the fact is Bruce has a driving need to control a situation. ANY situation. Even to the point where he was ready to send Dick away first so that it would be HIS choice, not Jeremiah's to stop the visits. Whether he knows it or not, he's just taken a very significant first step. Let's just say that this fic is Bat-family-centric, not Bat-centric. 20 pages of Bruce in Arkham would be too angsty for anyone to stomach at one sitting. So, there are two major subplots going on so far, besides the Arkham scenes. You've seen the first. The next... well... See ya next month! Thanks for reading! |
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Post by arcalian on Dec 15, 2006 0:31:54 GMT -5
Bruce may be "giving in" and "Taking a first step" but he's also starting to play a mental game of chess....look out below!
Ahh so Tim and Cassandra are both there....goood.....
And I rather think you're going to do a *much* better job than the DCU did of making Calculator a "serious" Villain.
And I always approve when Gordon knows.
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Post by dragonbat on Dec 15, 2006 1:35:19 GMT -5
Bruce may be "giving in" and "Taking a first step" but he's also starting to play a mental game of chess....look out below! He's definitely setting up the board... I started writing "Locked" during the minis leading up to IC. Basically, everything up until Countdown to Crisis is in my continuity. Things start to veer off in another direction at some point in the middle of the sacrifice arc. As far as DCU OYL, let's just say that anything that happened in real continuity that doesn't conflict with events here may still happen. But I couldn't come up with a plausible way to make Gordon commissioner, so he isn't. Montoya never resigned from the GCPD. Cass never went to find her mother. Chemo nuked BH, but the bat-crew wasn't there. There's still no JLA, and I'm basically ignoring the specifics of Infinite Crisis. I think that's about it so far. Appreciate the vote of confidence! Ohhhhhhh... he definitely knows! Thanks for the feedback! |
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Post by Romans Empire on Dec 21, 2006 19:24:25 GMT -5
NEVER EVER DO A SEQUEL!
Of course I don't really believe that entirely. There are always a few good reasons to do them and none of them have to do with "Well everyone loved the first one so by popular demand, etc..."
It isn't debatable that LITF is still the most popular tale on this site and with good reason and has received critical acclaim here and other sites.
That series did deserve a sequel because there was so much more that needed said. And more importantly you had a story to tell!
The opening scene with Penguin and Bats was classic! The inner monologue with Bruce in Arkham was just awesome. Perfect characterization. He felt that his failures was the reason he was there and doesn't want anyones help. Just perfect! Every interaction with every character was just so damn perfect. Your writing is smart.
Never do sequels? Tell that to the folks who did Empire Strikes Back and the Godfather II!
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Post by dragonbat on Dec 21, 2006 20:01:36 GMT -5
Hey! We lost the blushing emoticon! (Pretend I'm beet-red, because I am...)
Thank-you, John!
Honestly, at the time that I wrote "Locked", I thought that I was writing my own version of how we were going to get to Batman OYL. Lying in the Gutters had given a green light to the rumor that Bruce would be in Arkham and Dick would be Batman. I figured, I'd get things to that point and then watch DC restore the status quo...
...Well, things didn't work out that way. Which meant that I had a little dilemma. To sum up: "Now that Bruce is in Arkham, how do we get him out?" I'm an optimist. I like happy endings. Hence, the glimmer of hope at the end of 'Locked'.
Thank G-d for my support network, especially Charlene Edwards. Also Fanfic_Med and Little Details. Without their help, there would be so many plotholes and inconsistencies it would have been a comedy... for all the wrong reasons.
Thanks for reading!
See you in January!
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Post by arcalian on Jan 10, 2007 22:31:01 GMT -5
You've got so many different threads running here, I can't possibly comment on them all...but they all tie together into a good story.
I especially like what you did with Penguin's POV and the lawyer that Dick was talking to ("He's my ward?" And the whole resolution of the lawsuit. Priceless.)
And Bruce is paranoiac......but is this Doctor to be trusted or is in he fact Working for someone?
And, btw, just how many people know that Bruce is Batman in this reality anyway?
Edit: Forgot to say, good cover and I like how the creative credits are incorporated into it.
Double Edit: Also, sequels are good....if you plan a story for them ahead of time. That helps too.
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Post by dragonbat on Jan 10, 2007 22:48:56 GMT -5
Alex is extremely capable. Of what... time will tell. ;D
Bruce was unmasked in Chapter 2 of Locked Inside the Facade. Akins held a press conference at which he publicized the information in Chapter 5. So... everyone knows that Bruce is Batman, and Dick was Robin and is now Nightwing. However...
-It's not clear that Bruce was the only Batman operating in Gotham. Some people think he's just the only one who got caught.
-Although many people might suspect that Dick is the current Batman... that's actually the big secret. Outside the 'caped' community, Gordon and Montoya know.
-People who had extensive dealings with Bruce as Batman know that it's somebody new under the cowl. They just don't know who.
-And people who never dealt with either aren't entirely sure that the right person is locked up in Arkham in the first place.
I'm glad the lawsuit caught your eye. One of my proofreaders (Charlene Edwards) is an attorney in real-life. I've been bugging her a lot over the last few months. Still do.
Thanks for the feedback!
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Post by starlord on Jan 12, 2007 10:31:40 GMT -5
It's taken me a bit to read this, but it was worth the wait! Although it felt like a middle issue, it also had brilliant characterization that I have come to expect from Ellen. I'm loving Penguin's involvement in all of this (although I'm biased since he's always been one of my favorite bat villains). Every time there is a scene between Bruce and Dick, I get goosebumps. Excellent stuff. But I do have one question... I know fight scene's are not your favorite thing to write, but when do we get to see Dick kicking some serious butt?  As always, five stars. Great job |
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