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WonderingI'm mostly familiar with Wonder Woman from various cartoons. She is sometimes portrayed with a heavy anti-man sentiment, so I thought that if that's how she really feels, how would she realistically react to meeting Superman? I took that viewpoint to a bit of an extreme and came up with this story. Thoughts?
"It is a remarkable dichotomy. In many ways, Clark is the most human of us all. Then...he shoots fire from the skies, and it is difficult not to think of him as a god. And how fortunate we all are that it does not occur to him." -Batman (in Superman/Batman #3 by Jeph Loeb)
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Pulitzer
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What an excellent story and a great way for Lois to learn more about Superman by presenting Wonder Woman as a possible villainess. Will add more later, have to get ready for work.
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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Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
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Hi mrsMxyzptlk!  I love this different take on Wonder Woman. It would make sense that she wouldn't be trusting at first. Stranger from another planet shows up and everyone welcomes him with open arms? Hmmm.... Lois defending him was a nice touch too. Great job! 
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Pulitzer
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Okay, as promised, here is a little additional feedback: Incensed by Wonder Woman's tirade and finally spurred to action, Lois flung the door open and stalked up to Wonder Woman, standing between her and Superman. "Let's get one thing straight, missy!" Lois started. She got in Wonder Woman's face, undeterred that the woman was a whole head taller than her and could probably snap her in half without trying. "Just because he's a man doesn't make Superman evil! That's completely absurd. And just because Superman is the strongest person on the planet, that doesn't mean that he wants to hurt anyone!" She jabbed her in the sternum as she continued, punctuating each sentence. "Superman is the nicest person I've ever met! He wouldn't hurt anyone, ever, unless he absolutely had to in order to protect people from some villain! Do you have any idea how many times he's saved my life? I would be dead twenty times over if it weren't for him! And so would a lot of other people! He has preventing airplanes from crashing! He's stopped armed robbers from killing people! He saved the entire city from being wiped out by a tidal wave! And he saved the world from being destroyed by an asteroid two weeks ago!" Loved this paragraph! Lois is giving one of DC universe's most powerful heroines a piece of her mind. Bravo Lois! Stand by your man. She looked at Lois, then Superman, and said, "I will reserve judgment. For now. But if you do anything to hurt the people of this world, I will pour down my wrath upon you." Superman has been around for awhile now, what took Wonder Woman so long? Maybe this one-shot can be expanded? Please?  "Can you help me get this back on without messing up the bandages?" he asked. "Then why don't we get started with that interview." Lois nodded and proceeded to help him with his shirt. She was pleased at how the day had turned out, despite the threat from Wonder Woman. Superman trusted her, he had only been avoiding her in order to protect her, and he had a secret identity. If only she could figure out who he really was...
Superman knew that with everything Lois had found out about him today, it was only a small leap from there to Clark Kent, but, strangely, he was okay with that. Kal-El if you admit who you really are earlier that will save you and Lois a whole lot of grief! Brilliantly written.
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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Top Banana
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Top Banana
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My first response to reading this story was that 'here we go again with another superhero fearing Superman and trying to destroy him' in the vein of BvS. But the further I got into the story is became clearer that you were merely using Wonder Woman as a device to get Lois and Clark more on the same page as far as their relationship goes. Lois going toe to toe with Wonder Woman in defense of Superman had to get Clark's attention. Lois learning more about Clark's background had to put her more on an even footing with Superman. Prior to this she had put Superman on a pedestal with no flaws, discovering that he has no idea of why he is here and his history before landing on earth shows that he has problems just like everyone else. The scene in the apartment shows how far the relationship has progressed in just an hour or so. No wonder Clark did not really have any problems with her figuring out his secret identity.
Like Morgana I could not figure out Wonder Woman (Evidently she had not met Steve Trevor yet) but finally decided that it really did not matter in the overall story.
Nicely plotted and well written!
Mike
Last edited by Mike M; 09/11/18 12:37 PM.
Create all the happiness you are able to create.
Remove all the misery you are able to remove.
Jeremy Bentham
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I'm glad you guys enjoyed the story.
I typically take quite a while to get a story finished. I wrote the first section of this several years ago, before BvS and the WW movie came out. I'm not generally fond of superheroes-meet-and-fight-until-they-decide-to-work-together stories, but if Wonder Woman actually thought that men were bad, she would have a bad initial reaction to Superman.
The idea is that Wonder Woman was just hanging out on Paradise Island until the asteroid showed up, and then when she went to go take care of the problem, she met Superman in space. Since he had backup, he didn't end up crashing with amnesia. And since this is her first time off the island, she doesn't have any real-world experience yet and hasn't met any men before.
I figure that after this story, she would pay more attention to what Superman is actually doing, and they would become loose allies, and maybe friends after a while. And given what Superman told Lois about himself, it wouldn't take her long to suspect that he's Clark.
"It is a remarkable dichotomy. In many ways, Clark is the most human of us all. Then...he shoots fire from the skies, and it is difficult not to think of him as a god. And how fortunate we all are that it does not occur to him." -Batman (in Superman/Batman #3 by Jeph Loeb)
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Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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I really enjoyed the story. I don't think I've ever read one where Wonder Woman is openly hostile and suspicious of Clark. It's a new and refreshing angle, true to her rather secluded and sheltered upbringing on an island full of women who do not trust men in any way, shape, or form.
I love how Wonder Woman's hostility toward Clark facilitates a closer bonding between Lois and Clark, even if Lois hasn't yet figured out that Superman is Clark. It's nicely done, particularly with how vulnerable Clark is in the story - both emotionally and physically wounded.
Well done!
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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Pulitzer
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Finally read this one, and I LOVE IT! Wonder Woman is being a total sexist, but I guess it's understandable given that she was raised on an all-female island that, in some continuities at least, was originally created as a glorified Women's Shelter. Superman's painful resistance of the lasso reminds me exactly of what Steve Trevor went through in the movie, and I can totally buy that it drew blood because he was just resisting it *that hard*. Also, props for explaining away "Why didn't she notice the American accent?" My only complaint is that now I want more! As others have said, this is a new take on Wonder Woman, and I'd love to see a bit more of how it all unfolds! 
~•~
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Boards Chief Administrator Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Hi MrsMxyzptlk! I've also taken liberties with Wonder Woman's lasso, since I'm mostly familiar with her from the cartoons and don't actually know what happens to people when they try to resist. Oooh, looks like Wonder Woman’s in fashion these days  Ever since that new super-powered woman showed up to help Superman save the Earth from an asteroid, Wonder Woman was all anyone would talk about. Somebody is jealous! It wasn't just that every man in America was drooling open-mouthed over her "assets". /flashes to Amazonia form ‘Love and Capes’ and Abby’s reaction to her/ :rotlol: It wasn't even that Clark had an over-the-top, single-minded obsession to know where she was and what she was doing every minute of every day. Wait, what? She’s jealous of Clark’s reaction to WW? Not just Superman’s? Oh boy. Every time Superman had appeared in public these last two weeks, Wonder Woman was there. Hmm…did she show up before or after the first flight against the asteroid? Because what if Wonder Woman was a part of Superman that got knocked out of him and became a self-sufficient entity due to the first impact with Nightfall? And he had not spoken to Lois in public, let alone in private, since the asteroid. He seemed to be deliberately refusing to acknowledge her existence when she was in a group of reporters, and he no longer hung around to talk to her like he used to. Oh.  given your lasso-reference, he is probably feeling some latent effects from it (she saved him with it during his tumble back to earth) and is no worried he would spill his beans to her. "I don't have to explain myself to you," he was saying. "Now stop following me!"  "I know you have a plan to dominate this world, man," Wonder Woman spat, "and I am determined to discover what it is!"  "Cl- ... C- ...," he struggled to control his words as the lasso glowed golden around him. "... Kal-El." Nice one! Wonder Woman raised an eyebrow and said, "That is not the answer to the question I intended. You have a strong will indeed if you are able to manipulate your answer to suit your own purposes. Why are you on Earth?" He would make a fine politician! "Me?" Wonder Woman shrieked incredulously. "How could you possibly think that I would harm any innocents?" Hmm…points at lasso/ WONDER WOMAN: Yes, but he’s a *MAN*! "You are the man here, not I, and men are all the same. See? You, who have shown yourself to be too powerful to be allowed to roam around and do as you please. Yes, I believe Lois would much prefer it if he didn’t roam around so much and stick to doing what pleases her. Who knows what havoc you have already wreaked on the women of this city? This country? The world?" WOMAN AROUND THE WORLD: Sadly, no havoc. He has preventing airplanes from crashing! He's stopped armed robbers from killing people! He saved the entire city from being wiped out by a tidal wave! And he saved the world from being destroyed by an asteroid two weeks ago!" To be fair, he could be doing those to preserve the property value of his future fiefdom. I didn't want to give her any indication that you and I were friends." WONDER WOMAN:  Superman looked down at his chest and prodded it next to the shield. His face grew tight in a grimace. "Ow," he deadpanned. "I'm not sure exactly what that lasso did or how it hurt me, but I think I'm burned where it touched me. I'm a bit surprised that my shirt isn't damaged." Oh boy. That should be interesting when Clark gets back in Lois’s touching-range. The gasp distracted Lois from her slack-jawed stare at his exposed abs. Look familiar? Hmm…I wonder if there was ever a fic where Lois found out because of the familiar torso… "I'm not sure how quickly you heal," she said, "but if it takes more than a day and it still hasn't scabbed over, you'll need to change the dressing." I wonder if the wounds will remain till he stops lying. "Exactly. So if she trusted you, she would probably leave you alone. So, he should introduce her to his parents and start dating her? "I don't generally shy away from letting people know what I think of them. Though I suppose that occasionally comes back to bite me." Like when he dumped her in a garbage bin? This screams ‘sequel’ to me! Lois and Diana should make an interesting duo. Michael
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Hack from Nowheresville
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I loved this! So much in here to think about. Mike pointed out a lot of my favorite scenes, but I thought this quote was the culmination of the whole story and their relationship so far: "Lois, my shirt is soaking in your kitchen sink, I let you patch me up, and I've voluntarily told you more about my personal history than I've ever told anyone. I think you can reasonably infer that you're a good friend and I trust you." Mike, I lol'd at the "sadly, no havoc thus far" comment The only person he wants that kind of havoc with is Lois, lol. And finally, because of your signature, mrsMyxyzptlk, I read Public Enemies and it's one of my most favorite comics thus far, and that quote perfectly describes Clark and his attitude towards himself. So thanks for pointing me in that direction!
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I took a break for the forums for awhile, and I find that I got more comments in my absence!  But, sadly, I'm embarrassed to find that I had a rather glaring grammar error in Lois' rant to Wonder Woman that a few of you quoted. :facepalm: So I've fixed it. Honestly, this isn't my favorite thing I've written. I mostly just finished it to get it over with, and I think I didn't flesh out the setup enough, given the comments here and what confused people. I had a lot of context in my head that didn't end up on the page. I dislike when stories leave a bunch of stuff out like that, and here I did it. /flashes to Amazonia form ‘Love and Capes’ and Abby’s reaction to her/ :rotlol: I love that comic! It's really cute. WOMAN AROUND THE WORLD: Sadly, no havoc. I actually laughed out loud at that. Yeah, I think lots of women wouldn't mind a little more "havoc" from Superman. And finally, because of your signature, mrsMyxyzptlk, I read Public Enemies and it's one of my most favorite comics thus far, and that quote perfectly describes Clark and his attitude towards himself. So thanks for pointing me in that direction! I'm glad you liked Public Enemies! It's one of my favorite stories, and I really like the way they portrayed Superman and Batman's friendship. I love the quote from Batman because it really describes Clark the way I see him. He's an overpowered alien, but he's the most down-to-earth guy you could ever meet, and it just doesn't occur to him how easily he could take over the earth.
"It is a remarkable dichotomy. In many ways, Clark is the most human of us all. Then...he shoots fire from the skies, and it is difficult not to think of him as a god. And how fortunate we all are that it does not occur to him." -Batman (in Superman/Batman #3 by Jeph Loeb)
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