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Features Writer
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OP
Features Writer
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 966 |
Hopefully, the story will only end up being the projected 22 chapters -- 17 are written, and the last five are in various stages of outline form, so (keeping in mind that I always end up being overly optimistic in my estimations) I'm guessing I should be able to post once a week. I hope you all enjoy it, even with the slightly different writing style, and I'd love to hear what you think of it -- hopefully I haven't been gone so long that I've forgotten how to write Lois and Clark! 
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Columnist
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Columnist
Joined: Jul 2008
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So, are you sure once a week is what you're going with? Because I think that a more frequent posting schedule is only fair to your readers. Like once a day. I love this premise, and I think the present tense is going to give the story a different energy. Can't wait for more! Amber
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Top Banana
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Top Banana
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I am blown away. I was on the edge of tears for most of this. I'm desperate for more. What can I do to persuade you to post more than once a week? Please.
I feel for Perry so much. I am in agony for Clark.
I'm so glad that he has Jimmy. I love that Jimmy left, and became Clark's link to the world, although I'd love to know how that happened too.
More soon, please?
KatherineKent/Victoria
Lois: "You put up with me for the same reason I put up with you. It's because I'm completely in love with you."
Clark: "And I love you ... Did we just make up?"
Lois: "I think so."
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Top Banana
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Top Banana
Joined: Apr 2013
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Well I wasn't sure I was going to like the story from the description and the first few paragraphs but boy was I wrong! I echo the comments you have received so far. I can only add that this story has me hooked and like everyone else I can not wait for the next chapter.
I am loving the way you use all of the characters but especially Jimmy. It is nice to see him get some significant exposure and in such an important role. I can't wait to see how you continue because the first chapter would have been a potential award winning super short story all by itself.
Until next week.
Mike
Create all the happiness you are able to create.
Remove all the misery you are able to remove.
Jeremy Bentham
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 2,082
Kerth
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Kerth
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 2,082 |
What a great surprise to see that you started posting this story!  There's so much I want to say...but, no, I will not spoil a single thing for anyone. Anti-K is a master at manipulating emotions with her words...savor this story for its sheer beauty. 
You can find my stories as Groobie on the nfic archives and Susan Young on the gfic archives. In other words, you know me as Groobie. 
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Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 3,883 |
Personally, I am happy that AntiK gave me a trial as a beta. Hopefully I've been a help and not a hindrance in this endeavor. I must admit I was rather resistant to the tensing issue and we went several rounds on that before she finally convinced me to go with the flow. Once she explained her reasons I saw how it could be effective in this story because of the atmosphere she was creating. It doesn't generally work and I wouldn't recommend this to beginning authors. I am fighting that fight with another author as well.
Herb replied, “My boy, I never say … impossible.” "Lois and Clarks" My stories can be found herekj
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Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
Joined: Feb 2010
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Wow. What a powerful beginning to a story. You have most definitely NOT lost your touch during your hiatus. (Welcome back, BTW. It's wonderful to see you on the MB again.) A couple of the lines that hit me hardest were: he thinks that that’s the exact, precise moment when Clark Jerome Kent died. and as if that desk with its obsolete nameplate is the grave marker for Clark Kent’s all-too-short life Poor Clark -- and poor Jonathan and Martha, as well. I wonder where they all are hiding, and what sort of a life they are living. (We've gotten glimpses of what Clark has been doing, but nothing yet about his parents.) Rarely have I liked Jimmy more than I do in this story. I wonder what happened in Smallville that made Lois decide to write up the story. In most revelation fanfic, Lois is extremely angry and feels betrayed, but rarely does she go public with her knowledge. (I can think of one, very notable, exception: Alisha Knight's From the Ruins, which I highly recommend.) I am looking forward to watching this tale unfold. Joy, Lynn
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Joined: Jul 2014
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Blogger
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Blogger
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Oh wow, I already absolutely love this - so much that I've come out of lurking mode to make a comment! So, yeah, if you can see your way to posting on a daily basis - or, you know, hourly - I'm good with that
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Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 3,800 Likes: 30 |
I just got off the plane from New York City and look what's waiting for me!  Welcome back my friend. Cannot believe you posted and I am so happy you posted! What a treat for fans of FoLC! A great way to get the msbs off to a running start after the Kerths. The bar has been set very high, now the rest of us have to reach up on tip toe to catch up!
Morgana
A writer's job is to think of new plots and create characters who stay with you long after the final page has been read. If that mission is accomplished than we have done what we set out to do, which is to entertain and hopefully educate.
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Posts: 6,142 Likes: 3
Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 6,142 Likes: 3 |
Welcome back, my friend! Been looking forward to this one! He ran the story. Of course he did. It was news, the biggest news since Superman’s debut, maybe even bigger, and he’s Perry White, editor of the top newspaper in the world. It was the story of a lifetime, so there was never any question that he’d run it. <sinking feeling in gut> When Jimmy saw the headline in the typesetter’s office, when he was asked to comb through archived pictures for the double headshot they needed, he’d confronted Perry, asked him how they could do this to CK. Oh, Perry. How could you? And so Clark walked into work unsuspecting. Unknowing. Still idealistic. Still happy. Relaxed, secure in his perceived safety. <cries> And Perry curses himself because, in the end, he knows exactly why he didn’t call the younger man, why he didn’t warn him that his secret was out for all the world to know. This makes me wonder. Is it only out there because Lois? figured out CK=S? Or did something happen to spark the rumor mill? “How does it feel, Superman?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. “You’ve always claimed to stand for truth and justice--isn’t it only fair that everyone knows the truth now?” Lois, I would like to slap you. he thinks that that’s the exact, precise moment when Clark Jerome Kent died. So tragically beautiful. townspeople who refused to say a word about the Kents’ whereabouts. Well, at least he has *some* allies. all avoiding more than a brief mention of Superman and drawing attention to people who need help or cities that need volunteers or situations that need addressing or charities that need money. He would do that even if he hadn't been outted, and that just adds to the heartbreakingness. (Yes, Lois said that's a word now. Like chumpy.)
Battle On,
Deadly Chakram
"Being with you is stronger than me alone." ~ Clark Kent
"One little spark of inspiration is at the heart of all creation." ~ Figment the Dragon
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Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 6,142 Likes: 3 |
Not sure what the quote limit is since the upgrade... His realization that he is not needed for his words any longer, but only for what he can do. And now you've just sucker-punched me in the guts. In a way, Perry thinks, regardless that he chose Lane over Kent, he lost her too, more slowly but just as surely. Absolutely true and heartbreaking. But these people looking for him were desperate, so I told them their best bet was to try and find Jimmy. Yeah, because that won't imperil him at all, Perry. “He said they’d found Jimmy, informed him of the situation…and a day later, the crisis was over. I called in about a dozen favors, and now I know just how much of an understatement ‘life-threatening’ is.” <Gulp> Nightfall. So simply stated, but for all the meanings it holds...Oh, Lois, I know you want your Clark back. but there’s one thing I don’t think you ever realized--you’re one of the only people in this world who can either sever that thread or strengthen it to something that can last. Oh. My. God. I LOVE this. But Clark, he thinks, needs her more than the Planet does, and she needs Clark more than she needs her familiar refuge. Always did. Always will. Even in less wretched circumstances. So, you're posting part 2 tomorrow, yes? Please? Pretty please? With a Double Chocolate Crunch Bar on top? As always, a pleasure to read. I would have posted *all* my favorite parts, but that would have required reposting the entire chapter.
Battle On,
Deadly Chakram
"Being with you is stronger than me alone." ~ Clark Kent
"One little spark of inspiration is at the heart of all creation." ~ Figment the Dragon
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Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Joined: Apr 2011
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Once again you have found a scenario that put our heroes at juxtapositions. Heart-wrenching for Clark. Even worse that Lois did it and that Perry allowed (i.e. helped her do) it. Yea for Jimmy for standing up for his friend. Yes, Lois, you ruined Clark's life. You ruined his folks' lives as well. I'm glad that Clark is still in contact with Jimmy. Or was before Nightfall. EEK! Would it be better to have Clark regain his memories or allow him this out... this way to start another life fresh? In Man or Monster, you had Lois furiously angry with Clark. Here, Clark has every right to be angry at Lois. I don't know what he did to make her out him, but Perry said that they'd just returned from Smallville, so apparently Clark outed himself to save his folks (Smallville? Mr. Irig?) from Trask and B39, but was his non-disclosure to Lois worth ruining his life? I'm not understanding the need for current tense, but I'm willing to play along to find out. Beautifully written, as always, Anti-K. Everyone pointed out the phrases that caught my heart too. Very interested to see the direction you take. I never can seem to guess correctly with your stories. You're always surprising me. How about a compromise? You said that you'd post every week and that you'd written 17 out of approx. 22 parts. So, how about 1 a week until you're done and then up it? 
VirginiaR.
"On the long road, take small steps." -- Jor-el, "The Foundling"
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"clearly there is a lack of understanding between those two... he speaks Lunkheadanian and she Stubbornanian" -- chelo.
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Top Banana
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Top Banana
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Wow. However unintentional this is, what timing on this! With the post Convergence event, there's supposed to be a story where Lois (of the comic world) outs Clark as Superman. Mind you the two Clark/Supermen are quite different (the Kents being the most obvious, of course, but not only that) but it will be interesting to read this one in comparison to that one when it happens. (With that said, not really interesting in buying it for the canon-changes this feels like.)
CLARK: No. I'm just worried I'm a jinx.
JONATHAN: A jinx?
CLARK: Yeah. Let's face it, ever since she's known me, Lois's been kidnapped, frozen, pushed off buildings, almost stabbed, poisoned, buried alive and who knows what else, and it's all because of me.
-"Contact" (You're not her jinx, you're her blessing.)
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Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
Joined: Feb 2010
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Christina, I've read some of the Convergence titles, but I am a little behind on the reading and have not been keeping up with this news. Is Lois's outing Superman supposed to be one of the changes that stick around post-Convergence? Unless we know otherwise, I would suspect that that is a have-their-cake-and-eat-it-too situation in which TPTB are able to tell a really interesting story with profound implications to the characters -- not as an imaginary tale or an Elseworlds story, but actually in-canon, without it actually having any long-lasting repercussions, since that universe is reset. And extreme example of this sort of thing is "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" If this is the type of story they plan to tell as a cap-off to The New 52, I'd love to read it. I hope, however, that it isn't going to be the new status quo for the post-52 universe.
I guess time will tell.
Joy,
Lynn
p.s., Of course, there's always the possibility that she outs Clark and no one believes her, or there is some pandemic that causes world-wide amnesia about Superman's other identity, or any of a number of other ways they could hit the reset button after this particular story arc.
Last edited by Lynn S. M.; 04/26/15 01:39 PM. Reason: Added p.s.
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Top Banana
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Top Banana
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I wonder what happened in Smallville that made Lois decide to write up the story. In most revelation fanfic, Lois is extremely angry and feels betrayed, but rarely does she go public with her knowledge. (I can think of one, very notable, exception: Alisha Knight's From the Ruins, which I highly recommend.) Lynn, Thanks for the link and recommendation. That was indeed an excellent story and I had never read it before. It kind of whets my appetite for the rest of this story. Kind of a sideline story was A Matter of Ethics by Nan Smith. In it Lois discovers Clark's secret and considers writing the story but the activities and obsession of Trask and his men nearly causing the death of Martha, Jonathan, Wayne Irig, and Clark convinces her the story should not be printed. I wonder what happened differently in Anti-K's version. I suspect we will get that side of the story within a few chapters and see if the events unfolded differently or did Lois just succumb to the lure of the Pulitzer and do her patented jump in without checking the water level first thing. Mike
Create all the happiness you are able to create.
Remove all the misery you are able to remove.
Jeremy Bentham
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Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
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Mike, I'm glad you liked "From the Ruins." I usually prefer lighter pieces, but this one was so powerful and so well-written that I make an exception for it. I like Nan's writing, and when I get a chance, I will try out "A Matter of Ethics". Thanks for the recommendation. Christina, I just saw an article on the Superman Home Page site discussing the outing of Clark Kent as Superman. The article contains previews of the relevant story and did, indeed, specify that it takes place post-Convergence. Although I won't form a firm opinion until I read the story in its entirety and until I see whether this is a one-off, an alternate universe, or the new norm, I can say right now that I am not impressed with the artwork, and DC's* vision of the Clark/Superman character seems to be diverging more and more from my own. I am glad that the New 52 is wrapping up, and I am trying to maintain optimism that the post=New 52 world will be an improvement. Time will tell. Joy, Lynn * By DC, here, of course I mean DC Comics, not Deadly Chakram.
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Top Banana
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Mike, I'm glad you liked "From the Ruins." I usually prefer lighter pieces, but this one was so powerful and so well-written that I make an exception for it. I like Nan's writing, and when I get a chance, I will try out "A Matter of Ethics". Thanks for the recommendation. Christina, I just saw an article on the Superman Home Page site discussing the outing of Clark Kent as Superman. The article contains previews of the relevant story and did, indeed, specify that it takes place post-Convergence. Although I won't form a firm opinion until I read the story in its entirety and until I see whether this is a one-off, an alternate universe, or the new norm, I can say right now that I am not impressed with the artwork, and DC's* vision of the Clark/Superman character seems to be diverging more and more from my own. I am glad that the New 52 is wrapping up, and I am trying to maintain optimism that the post=New 52 world will be an improvement. Time will tell. Joy, Lynn * By DC, here, of course I mean DC Comics, not Deadly Chakram. That article, and the images given are the ones I was talking about when I said this is kinda (but so totally not really) like the upcoming Post-Convergence story "Truth". I've decided that the Convergence: Superman stories will be the only ones I will buy from DCComics for the forseeable future. Instead I'll be spending whatever little money I have on the backissues of the Superman Family and the Earth-1 variant (i.e. the married Clark/Lois of the 60s and 70s).
CLARK: No. I'm just worried I'm a jinx.
JONATHAN: A jinx?
CLARK: Yeah. Let's face it, ever since she's known me, Lois's been kidnapped, frozen, pushed off buildings, almost stabbed, poisoned, buried alive and who knows what else, and it's all because of me.
-"Contact" (You're not her jinx, you're her blessing.)
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Top Banana
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Top Banana
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Mike, I'm glad you liked "From the Ruins." I usually prefer lighter pieces, but this one was so powerful and so well-written that I make an exception for it. I like Nan's writing, and when I get a chance, I will try out "A Matter of Ethics". Thanks for the recommendation. I, of course, prefer the more upbeat stories myself but this one was as you say so powerful. I expect Anti-K's to have a similar feel as the situation is quite similar. Nan's stories are almost always upbeat and positive. That story is no different, it also a great Lois/Martha bonding story which I always like. Mike
Create all the happiness you are able to create.
Remove all the misery you are able to remove.
Jeremy Bentham
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Posts: 4,425 Likes: 1
Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
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Christina, I'm probably with you. I will try a few issues of the post-52 Superman to give it a chance, but unless it proves itself to be far better than its first impressions make it out to be, I'd rather fill out my Earth-2 collection, as well.
Mike, I am now looking forward to Nan's story even more. Thanks again for the recommendation.
Joy,
Lynn
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Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
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Wow. That's all I can say about the first chapter is Wow.
What a great beginning! Clark, outed as Superman. Loss of the life he wanted. Loss of being at work with Lois. Loss of his privacy, his hometown, his normal life. How can he ever get over this?
And what about Lois and Perry? They're wrestling with the knowledge that they did wrong, and I love how you portray them.
I hope that you'll do flashbacks and tell us how Lois found out, and what prompted her to publish it. You have touched on why Perry went along with her, but will we see more of Perry's reaction to Lois's story?
I'm eagerly awaiting more.
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