Okay, the first poll is up. You can find it
here. This is so exciting!
Now, to respond to comments so far...
Thank you to everyone who has posted here! It's been great to see the response so far! I've been very interested by what you did (and did not) suggest. There are a good number of things on the list that I probably wouldn't have thought of myself (but also a couple of things I'd thought up which no one mentioned).
You've actually put me in a bit of a tight spot. I thought I'd left Clark pretty much out of options. I want the story to be mostly from Lois's perspective, so I've been trying to be careful to give you the information she has -- no more, no less. I don't want extra information to influence your decisions (I figured confirming that Clark had been kidnapped wouldn't give away anything that Lois didn't already strongly suspect). You were too clever, though, and now I have to write more Clark scenes than I'd intended. It may be difficult to write those in without giving away more than I'd like, but I'll do my best. (Note to self: never underestimate the resourcefulness and creativeness of FoLCs...)
That reminds me... I should clarify an earlier remark. Everything Lois and Clark experienced up to this point is the same as we saw on the show. I noted that it was an alternate S3 because I didn't want you to assume that things will progress the same way. That includes future events but also background events. For example, I'm sure no one would be surprised if I said that in this universe, there is no New Krypton. It won't necessarily make a difference to the story, since the story is set in February and Lois and Clark didn't meet Lara until May, but the launching of the colony ships would have taken place earlier.
Basically, you can safely assume that if Lois an Clark knew about something at this point in the show, then it happened in the story's universe. Do not, however, assume that things will happen the same way from this point (or that the people setting up the events which will occur later have been up to the same plans). There is, for example, no point in sending Lois to track down Myrtle Beech and make sure that she's seeing a sane and competent therapist.
Does that make sense?
To respond to some specific comments...
Wendy said:
My guess is that the people involved are Mindy Church and Lex Luthor - but don't worry, I don't expect you to confirm or deny anything yet.
You're right.
I'm not going to confirm or deny anything yet.
Yvonne said:
Thanks for setting it in my favourite time-period, too. I always like stories where Lois knows.
You're welcome.
Truth to tell, the decision was based primarily on information. Like I said, I don't want the readers knowing more than Lois. The decision that the story was going to be post-revelation was one of the first ones I made. Not sure why I decided on Season 3 rather than post-marriage. I just liked the idea of them being engaged. Glad you enjoy this time period, too.
Kathy said:
Interesting idea, Paul. I can't wait to see how it comes out!
Thanks! Me either.
Does he recognize the voices, btw? I would think he'd be trying to figure out who it is who has him.
No. Clark did not recognize the voices, although the woman's voice seemed vaguely familiar.
Hazel said:
I particularly liked that you showed ramifications from previous events in LnC's lives. Too often, we think in episode terms: credits roll, and it's as if the events never happened. I loved that Lois had to worry about Baron Sundy suing, or the NIA worried about the progress of their investigation!
Thanks.
It was a last-minute add-in that I came up with while looking for (sorry to say it, but it's true) filler, but I liked the idea once it popped to mind.
Also, thanks for catching the glitch. (Thanks to Kathy, too.) I'll correct that for the archive version.
Tank, I'm glad Lois doesn't need a haircut. I did consider a poll option where Lois would take Jimmy and have him dress in bright colors with a target on his chest (like Batduck's sidekick, Decoy, The Pig Hostage), but, in the end, I decided to leave that one out. Sorry.
Lynn said:
I really like that you are putting this in first person POV - such a neat twist that isn't done nearly enough IMHO.
Thanks.
It seemed fitting for this story, where the readers are so closely involved.
Vicki said:
BTW, just to let you know I was LOL at Lois' logic about why the consitantly wrong weathermen of the past were so much more helpful then the more accurate weathermen of today!
<g> Well, that's something I remember thinking about around that time (maybe a bit earlier), so I thought it might be fun to throw in. In the time since, of course, the computer models have become more sophisticated allowing the weathermen to be far more accurate. Accuweather.com even has hour-by-hour weather, which is usually fairly reliable.
Vicki asked:
So, how is this poll thing going to work?
I collected the suggestions from this thread, and created a poll
here. Simply follow that link, click the "vote now" at the bottom of the first post (though I do suggest reading the post first...), and vote! I'll look at the results Friday night, and use them to determine Lois and Clark's actions in part 2 (which I will be writing as fast as I can this weekend). There are a few more details in the poll thread. If you have any futher questions, ask in either this thread or that one.
Anyway, I've been writing this post (on and off) for over an hour now, so I should move on. Thanks to everyone for your comments, and thanks especially to those who wrote in with suggestions! The story couldn't work without you, and, like I said, it's been very interesting to see what you came up with.
I'll be back, hopefully on Monday, with part 2 (though I will, of course, respond to any more comments).
Paul
