First of all, just for the record, I've edited the topic to include the word "Final." It's been long enough that most people probably won't be surprised that this was the last part. Those who were still wondering will now know why there hasn't been a poll this week.
On to comments...
Rivka, thanks for posting. You've been one of my most consistent supporters on this story. I'm glad you enjoyed it, and especially glad that you took the time to let me know. Thanks.
Tricia, glad the ending worked for you. Yes, you were right, but I wasn't about to let you know that ahead of time, now was I? <g> I was glad for your persistance, all the same. I'll get a bit more into that in my response to Wendy's comments. Anyway, thanks for writing.
Wendy, yes, you were very quick to suspect Lex as the admirer. I was pretty happy about that. One of the things that came up in my early brainstorming sessions with Kaylle was that the plot could be quite tricky to handle. Things could have worked out so that at the last minute you all found out that the guy who'd been mysteriously sending tips was, in fact, Lex Luthor, and that he'd been busy jumping around from body to body with a magical soul stone. Sure, there's support for it in the series, but somthing like that, coming out of left field, could have made for a very poor reader reaction. Villain ex machina. Not really a good plot twist.
So, I did my best to put in some clues early on. I didn't want things to come as a total surprise. I was very glad to see you and some others picking up on them, and even more excited when you said at some point in the middle that you were suspicious because the admirer's style sounded "exactly like Lex."
Of course, there were plenty of other theories being tossed about, including the one that the admirer might be Dan. It was quite interesting to read everyone's thoughts on the matter. Seeing the mixed guesses like that meant that I was holding up that delicate balance... taking the edge off the surprise while still allowing enough room that the readers in general weren't sure.
As for your comment about longer stories, Wendy, I'd been thinking of the subject myself. The way I see it, I didn't plot this story out. The readers did. I had no idea where things would go, how information would come out, or what would happen. It was reader suggestions that made it all possible, and there were quite a few that I'd never have thought of myself. That's why I included the readers in the author listing for the archive version. I truly feel that you all played a crucial role in the writing and plotting of the story.
As for the disposing of roadblocks, I think I moved them more than anything. The week in which this story takes place is one in which there was no ep. So, I completely ruined that week for them (which, as far as we know, would otherwise have been relatively uneventful), but made the next several weeks far more pleasant. I think it was a fair trade for our heroes.
As for the name I chose, no, I don't think I have previously heard of the real Robert Maxwell. I missed Michael's fic, too (along with far too many others lately). I just made the name up.
I started off thinking that Lex was going to take over the body of someone boring and unnoticible. Good-looking, of appropriate age, but basically just your average boring ordinary guy. So, I named him "Bob." Apologies to anyone named Bob (for the record, the one guy I can think of offhand who actually is named Bob is nothing like that), but it seemed to me to be the most appropriate first name for someone like that. It could also be expanded to Robert.
Then I needed a last name. I decided that it would have to include the letter "x" because Lex seems obsessed with having it stamped on anything he does. I didn't want to make that "x"
too obvious and tip people off, but I did want it there. So I tried to come up with a last name that had an "x" somewhere in the middle. I still don't remember if I thought of the coffee or the physicist first, but "Maxwell" came to mind, and I went with it.
Moving on to Vicki's comments... Yes, you got the hiding place! Which, by the way, is what helped me make the decision that Lois would think of it, too (I did that sort of thing more than once during the story, actually). So, thanks for that, and your wild geese, as well. Thanks, too, for your comments about the story itself.
Very much appreciated.
Ines, thanks for taking the ride with me. It's more fun when you can share it with other people. Glad to hear you enjoyed it, and that you did participate. Participation is what made the story work, and positive comments are part of what made it worthwhile.
Maria, glad to hear you enjoyed, too. Thanks for your steady support.
Tank, it's good to hear you felt Lois was in character. Sorry she didn't get a haircut this time. Does a close shave count? (Sorry, couldn't resist.) As for my next effort, I don't know. I never know what will come to me next. Right now I have two stories on my virtual plate. A challenge fic I'm coauthoring and the next part of "House of Cards." I doubt either will be of nearly epic proportions. After that, who knows?
Jose, yep, all done! Glad you liked it. Thanks for posting.
James, participation was fun for me, too. I work best in groups, I think. In any case, I'm glad you enjoyed. Thanks for letting me know.
Anna, I think those last lines might be my favorite part of the story. Seems like I'm not alone there. Thanks for your comments about the concept and the story itself, as well as your participation.
So, that's it. Thanks to everyone who participated. I've really had a lot of fun with this story, writing it, seeing your reactions, reviewing your speculations, working with your suggestions... it's been a blast.
Paul
