Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic Comments: Finding Lois Lane

Mel,

I want to thank you for your participation. I'm glad you took the time. I'm sorry it didn't pan out; it was a very good idea.

I also want to let you know that Lex's fate was one of the few things I had figured out before I started posting. I did mention him briefly in my first post, but no one picked up on it. Because it didn't come up, I never got a chance to insert that detail into the story. So thanks for giving me the opportunity.

While I'm writing, I wanted to ask everyone about Claude's last name. I thought it was appropriate for the character, but after I posted I realised that some might find it at least mildly objectionable. Was anyone offended by it?

Finally, there's something I need to say about the story itself. Now that the bad guys have been captured and the plot explained, there's really only one thing left: finding Lois. I have a feeling it won't be long now that everything else has been squared away.

The reason I mention this is that finding Lois is going to, for lack of a better term, end everything in one sweeping post. There really isn't anything else I can do with it, but I thought I'd give you fair warning. At least we've fully explored the plot, expanded Clark's universe and hopefully had some fun along the way. I know I have.

AltClark

First I want to tell you that this has been a fascinating exercise in creativity!

I haven't participated because I don't think I have anything to add, however, I do have a comment on the comments.

I can truly understand how having someone try and cut corners on your story as being more than annoying, but I have to agree with Kathy, I don't think that they were being malicious. They just didn't have a clue as to what you really wanted.

If I am not mistaken, this is a mystery that you want solved through good old fashioned reasoning and logical deduction.

I am sure that they were just over zealous in their attempts to push the story along, not realizing that they were prematurely ending it.

I thought that you handled the situations brilliantly. You handled it better than I would have.

James, who is looking forward to the next twist and turn.

AltClark,
I'm enjoying this.
I don't write so I won't participate but I'll continue to read
merry

James,

Thank you for your enthusiastic comments.

As I said before, I can't speak for the motives of the posters. You're probably right that the intent wasn't malicious, but I found it very upsetting, none the less.

Thanks for your compliments about my management of the situations.

As for the next twist, I just posted it. Hope you enjoy.

Merry,

Thank you for letting me know that you're reading and enjoying. I appreciate it. I'd encourage you to participate, but it's a little late now.

If you'll check the main thread, you'll see that the bad guys have been put away (or soon will be), the plots have been exposed, and Lois has been found.

So, as they say, that's all, FOLCs.

Thanks to those of you who participated. The story couldn't have been written without you, nor would the whole thing have been so much fun. Thanks also to those of you who responded in this thread. I really appreciate your comments and encouragement.

Any further thoughts, questions or comments can go here.

I've revealed my identity to a few people, for various reasons, but the rest of you are free to guess if you want. I'll be back on Sunday to respond to any further posts and to explain who I am and how it was all done.

AltClark

I've been catching up on the two threads.

I have sympathy with your being upset by participants getting in your way, AC, but I think I agree with those who've said already that the motivations of both posters you've mentioned weren't intended to be made with any sense of ill-spirit - that's been my interpretation of their posts anyway.

I think, rather, that you may have been a victim of the format. Better control of the story as it went along would have been granted to you if you had worked it as a RPG, setting out rules and gameplay at the start and inviting FoLCs to volunteer to take on various characters. That way you would have been in charge and no one would have misunderstood the parameters of the project or stepped on your toes.

With the chosen format, however, I think it was probably inevitable that you would never have control over events and that participants would leap in as and when they saw fit. So there probably wasn't a lot you could do there to prevent control slipping from you, unfortunately. The only way you could make your wishes known to participants and keep control of the story flow was, unfortunately, to break character and start this thread. Which was a bit of a shame, but really I can't see that you had any other way to let your concerns be known, under the circumstances and within the limits of the chosen format.

It's a shame that some negative responses have dulled your fun with this one - I hope at least that those disagreeing with your breaking character were polite about their objections. - and that it hasn't dented your enthusiasm or enjoyment too much. It's clear that those participating have enjoyed it and had a lot of fun with it.

LabRat

Loved the ending!!!!!

This is sure to garner some Kerth nominations if not awards!

James

Aww, thank you "Clark" . I and everyone else that assisted me are glad that you appreciated our intervention.

Alicia... I mean, Andrus

What a format! Your fantastic thread is even fun to read if found, as in my case, too late to participate.

Wow! Thank you so much "Alt Clark."

It does occur to me that if you are not too wounded by the experience, and may hap following Lab Rat's suggestions for protections, you could continue the story a little further by reappearing to ask how to handle getting closer to your "little Tornado" or whatever she is in your universe, and work your own fascinating way through the best of the courting plots.
Again, thank you much,
claire

LabRat,

As I've already said, you're probably right that the posts weren't ill-intentioned. You're also right that it is, in part, the format. I expected it to be clearer, given the set-up and everything, but I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that there were some misunderstandings. If I spoke rashly before, it was because I was upset.

Despite the number of complaints I had (I do hope I wasn't whining too much), I did have a lot of fun with this, especially towards the end.

As for those who disagreed, it will be clearer in a moment, but their comments were "overheard" rather than directed specifically at me. I want to be absolutely clear that I don't blame or hold any grudge against those who spoke. They were only speaking their minds, and they didn't even realise I was there.

I hadn't even meant to mention it here, but combined with the two aforementioned posts, I was pretty sour about the whole thing. That's got better since, mostly due to the positive comments I got shortly thereafter.

Thanks for your comments and peacemaking.

James,

Thanks for your comments. I'm glad you enjoyed the ending. I was a bit worried it would seem out of the blue. Thanks for letting me know it worked for you. Also, happy Father's Day.

Claire,

I can't claim credit for the format. It's a twist on the brilliant invention of another FOLC (I won't give the name here so as not to ruin the surprise for those who haven't read that story yet). If you haven't already, take a look at "The Clark Letters" on the archive. There's also another one with a different tone archived with the title "The Lex Letters." I think you'll enjoy both of them quite a bit.

I'm sorry that you found the thread too late to participate, but I'm glad you liked the ending.

As for your suggestion, I think I would rather leave things as they are. Stopping here feels right. Besides, I'm not sure it would work as well with a relationship. Thanks for the idea, though.

Kathy, Pam, Carole, and Anna:

Thank you for your posts in the main thread. I'm glad you liked the idea and the story. However, since my response to your posts would have looked more like a comments response, I decided not to reply again to that thread. I hope you're not disappointed.

I'm glad the ending worked for you.

I'm also glad you liked Sam's invention.

Thanks for writing.

FOLCs,

I have one more question.

As mentioned, the previous two stories in this format were ultimately archived. The thread was collected, the format edited to make sense in a text file, and the whole thing uploaded.

The thing is that this time there's a comments thread. I'm not sure what should be included in the archive version (I'm assuming there should be a archive version). I also wanted to check with the people who posted to make sure that they were okay with having their work sent to the archives.

Please respond to this thread with your thoughts and suggestions.

I think that's everything. Only one thing left to do.

*AltClark takes off his glasses...

... and puts on a different pair.

yep, folcs, it was i.

did i fool you?

here's how i did it:

first of all, when i got the idea, i knew i'd need to set up an email address, both for boards registration and for proper interaction. i'd planned to use one of the comics-related domains available from [http://www.comicbookresources.com]comic book resources,[/url] but when i tried to set up an account, i found out that they're not accepting new registrations.

instead, i did a web search for free webmail companies and then looked through the available domain names. i found a few sites that had multiple domains to choose from, but settled on my own email, which offered the starplace domain. i figured that was about as close as i was going to get to a star labs domain, since starlabs.com and similar addresses had already been registered.

once i had that set up, i tried to figure out how to hide my IP address, since i knew that would be the first thing people would look into. i remembered that there were free ISPs available for those who were willing to put up with an ad banner, but when i looked into them i discovered that a lot had changed. some had closed and most of the ones that are left now require at least a small fee. juno and netzero have merged, and now put a limit of 10 hours a month on free accounts. user reports also indicated that the free service wasn't reliable and that people who actually used the free accounts were quickly labeled "heavy users" and forced to log in during the middle of the night.

then i remembered that my father still has his AOL account. i've had to remove AOL from this computer, since it was causing all sorts of problems, but i have a working copy on my old computer. since i've been using earthlink (which, btw, is far more reliable than AOL) exclusively for the past several months, i figured that would throw the administrators off my trail.

then i realized that my writing style might be recognized. i decided the best way to change that (and to remember to write differently) would be to use UK spelling and grammar. i drew on my experience as a reader, GE, and BR to get that right (those arguments over "gotten" vs "got" and proper use of semicolons and suchlike came in handy) and loaded a UK dictionary in my spell-checker ("and why should the people listen to you?" "because, unlike some other clark kents, i can post with an english accent!" - clark kent, man in tights). unfortunately, the program i have with a UK spell-check only works on my new computer. so, to use it, i had to write on this computer, spell-check, save the file to a USB disk (can't seem to keep blank floppies handy...), boot up the other computer, switch modem cords, plug in the USB disk, etc.

i also made sure not to use some of my favorite words (like "anyway") and to rewrite anything that looked too much like any of my other idiosyncrasies. i feigned ignorance of more techie things like the quote function, the hyperlink function, graemlins, and chatspeak acronyms (such as "otoh" and "btw") and also wrote "FoLCs" as "FOLCs," figuring that would be a good rookie mistake. beyond that, i made sure to be meticulous about spelling, grammar, punctuation, and capitalization. i figure using capital letters and using spell-check made a big difference.

i did make a mistake in registering. first, i forgot to change my AIM privacy settings so that no one would see that i was online (instead, i just closed the buddy list. i'm still not sure if that did anything). second, i registered at 1am.

anyway, the night before my first post, i made sure to casually mention to at least a few folcs that i planned to be in NYC (and thus AFK) for most of the following day. i posted at 4pm, just before i left for the city. when i logged in to IRC that evening (using my brother-in-law's computer), i found people speculating about "altclark's" identity. i made sure to join in the conversation with a few vague suggestions ("canadians use UK english, too..."). nobody mentioned me as a possibility, which made me grin, but the admins knew that i was in the US, using AOL, and was on eastern time (they were actually speculating that someone from the UK was working with someone from the US). i noted that and made sure from then on to always post around 6-7pm on weekdays, when someone on EST could reasonably be expected to be home from a 9-5 job but when it also wasn't unreasonably late for someone in the UK (since there are many boards members who aren't on IRC, and thus didn't know that i was from the US). that's also a time when i'm not usually online.

so i kept posting, but replies were slower than i expected (even including the reply i posted as myself). so i posted the comments folder to check and see if people were actually reading and if it was worth all the trouble. see, i was spending most of my free time between posts trying to figure out things i could add, what i should say in the next response, and what else i might need or be missing.

comments poured in, which quickly boosted my confidence. but then i overheard some folcs on IRC talking about how bad it was that i had broken character. as i've said before, i don't blame them in the least. i understand where they were coming from, they were only speaking their minds, and they didn't even know i was there. still, it hit me pretty hard.

i left things alone for the rest of that day, and woke up ready to take another crack at it. that's when i found alt-lois's post. again, i don't think that she meant to hurt me (though i certainly wondered when i first saw the post). it probably felt worse than it otherwise would have coming so closely after the aforementioned "overheard" conversation.

i was on IRC when i saw it and i felt the need to talk it through. so i opened up a private window and confessed to wendy that i was altclark and that i was about ready to give up. she offered sympathy, we talked, and the conversation got me going again. i came up with the idea of bringing wells into the picture to explain that they were from different universes. i hadn't been working with wells and i still don't know what, if anything, he intends to do with the nick. i hope i haven't ruined any plans by pointing out his registration. must say again, though, that his posts were really amusing.

anyway, that night i ran into kathy on IRC. she'd just gotten back from a vacation and was catching up. i'd noticed that she'd posted feedback mentioning that she knew who one of the posters was. i was curious and asked if that was altclark. she told me it wasn't, and then asked if i knew. i confessed that i did, and of course she asked if i was going to tell her. i considered saying no, that i should keep the confidence, but decided against it. i'm just too much of a kathy fan.

her response was just what i needed... laughing and enthusiastic and just loving it. i soaked it all in and suddenly found that i was ready to have more fun with altclark than ever before. to do that, of course, i'd need to deal with the altlois situation. i thought about it a bit more and realized i could take care of the universe thing just by having clark not find the right things.

so i got back to plotting and having fun, and i even overheard a few good comments, mostly from saskia (thanks, sas! ).

then i woke up to find the second attempt to end the story. you already know what happened with that.

oh, except that i emailed andrus that night after the first andrus post failed to work. alicia and i were both on irc at the time. i watched her get it, listened to people talk about the ideas i'd given her ("he's really thought this through, hasn't he?" ), and helped her refine the post in chat. in the process she figured out that i was altclark. to my knowledge, she's the only one who figured it out.

then again, someone might have caught my mistake at the alt-kerths (btw, i always use the hyphen. clark never does). i was juggling a lot of windows, especially during clark's speech, and accidentally pasted the winner's name with the wrong nick. i panicked and logged clark out earlier than i'd meant. i think it could have been fun if he'd stayed. sorry to anyone i disappointed. otoh, we were a bit worried that altclark would distract too much from the ceremony.

so i guess that's about it. i started out knowing that lois was a private detective (going by either lola dane or linda king... i didn't choose until almost the end), that tempus was responsible for keeping her in the congo, that lex was dead, that clark had been forced to leave his job at the daily planet due to complications with people knowing ck=sm (that detail never made it into the story, btw. i hinted at it in my first post and in clark's profile, but no one asked), and that he was using a special star labs computer. the rest i made up as i went along, adding details as i needed them, thought them up, or worked off the replies.

sam lane's bioluminescent xmas trees were an idea i had several months ago. it just popped into my head, but i didn't have a sam lane story to go with it. so i kept it in the back of my mind that the next time i wrote sam into a story, that's what he'd be doing. i remembered just in time to work it into the story.

so, thanks again, everyone. i had a lot of fun, and i hope you did, too.

Paul

So, Alt Clark has Hat hair!

Your story should be archived! It was obviously well planned and the execution was inspired. Thank you for answering me. I can't believe that you were actually someone I had come to "know" from even my brief visits to the boards.

Congratulations!
claire

Ok, I haven't posted at all in either of the two related threads. At first, I just had nothing to contribute. Soon, I was so fascinated, I could only watch in amazement.

And when I thought I might know something... I decided I definitely needed to keep quiet, lest I accidentally slip.

But I wanted to thank you, Paul! For one of the most amusing and involving mysteries I have read in quite some time. And just like all my favorite mysteries... it started off by convincing me the real culprit was definitely not the one... and provided just enough clues for me to figure it out shortly before the denouement. Bravo!

Hey AltClark ...or should I say Hatman!

well, I'm glad you finally unveiled your identity 'cause, well, you never fooled me.

I knew it was you after your second post, and when HG Welles first appeared, I thought "Altclark and Herb are one and the same person" (talk about 'déjà vu').

Still, I had fun participating so, thank you!

Carole

Well done, Paul! Ingenious twist on a concept, and very cleverly set up as a mystery/detective story. I had no idea that this is what you planned when 'AltClark' first posted, and it's been fascinating watching the mystery of Lois's whereabouts unravel. Great work!


Wendy

Of course she will, but Altclark was first on the list (explanation included). I intended to after his "ID revelation". It's only fair and the least I could to.

I'm never around or on the Net on WE, and I can't even go on IRC (I really miss that ) which explains Altlois slow, er...revelation process.

I won't post as Altlois to do a ta dah "it's me" stuff. Why? first, because it's real techie complicated given the slow compy I'm stuck with! Okay, okay:

*opening of the red curtain*

(V.O) "Altlois is Cyad aka Carole...well, duh! it's me. Posting from Orly cyberspace portal. Yeah, I finally manage to catch a Brazzaville-Metropolis via Paris flight...talk about déjà vu too (inside joke)"

*Closing of the red curtain*

Secondly, because Altlois was supposed to be a "one and a single post" character from the beginning, and so will it be. I only used her to provoque reactions from readers, players and...Altclark in order to be real sure it was Paul...and I think it did work (in a way, so no regrets). I don't feel the need to justify myself, I did to the interested people. But if there are more people interested, feel free to email me, to either real or Altverse addy, because it's a bit long to put it here.

Carole

PS: and Wendy...thanks a lot. Just a question, and feel free to call me dumb but, unless their registration dates appeared at the end of their post, how can I know they're only 'a few days' apart?

PPS: darn! then I was wrong about Welles? I so thought I was right....well, dashing off then, got a few diggings to do. Scratch that, I know who Welles is, now I'm wondering when Herbie will let us know about his FoLC side

Good work, Paul!

I enjoyed very much these threads (the original story and the comments). And of course I had no idea who AltClark might be... of course your name crossed my mind once, but it was not the only one...considering I know very few about the differences between UK and US English

Paul, I'm very glad you decided not to give up. It would be a pity.

Good work for Carole too

Well I don't know what you think, but I have to suggest that if someone has any good ideas about this kind of audience participation stories, they should go for it. I don't know who was the first who had this idea, but I don't think it could be considered as plagiarism, or any other kind of immitation. Having this idea, it would be like we were not allowed to write Tank Endings!

Preparing a story like this is not so simple, of course, but I think it's very interesting and I am going to encourage every following attempt.

Hmm... So we know who AltClark is, who AltLois is, who Andrus is... H.G. Wells is next, I think

Congratulations once again to Paul for your brilliant idea and the way you worked on this Alt universe.

See ya all soon.
AnnaBtG.

Kalemera Anna_B!

and thanks for your comments, or should I say Epharistau? Correct my ancient geek if I'm wrong, but you must admit it's not that easy to type in Cyrillic on an azerty keyboard

I totally agree with you and your example of TE is well chosen.

So long for the 'one and only post! Blame me, I couldn't resist!

Carole (who seriously considers giving TE a try)

PS: and for HG Welles it's... up to the person hiding behind to do the revelation thingy :rolleyes:

Parakalo! (Or should I say "Παρακαλώ!"? - I guess you know what this means too )

Your Greek is very good, Carole! Where did you learn?

A correction: Greek language doesn't use the Cyrillic alphabet, but the Greek alphabet (although Cyrillic alphabet comes from the Greek one... a long story )

AnnaBtG. (who used to be sad when she thought that no FoLC could understand her language, but now thinks she may be wrong )

Anna_BtG!!!

yep I know what it means!

Well, I learned at school when I was 14, we had to choose between greek or latin...the indiana jones fan in me went for the greek option (that plus the fact that I got 19/20 at the greek pretest and (don't laugh)...1/20 at the latin one).

My comprehension of the greek language is fine, but I never went there, and so I don't think I'm able to speak it. I mean, 14 is now way behind me (all is relative of course, still...the difference now is that my latin is much better ). But i'm glad you're less sad now

Carole

PS: I know greek alphabet isn't cyrillic alphabet but...they're real close...as a matter of fact, the greek one helps me a lot with russian

PPS: Do you think there's a greek hidden signification in the 'Kal' part of Kal-El's name?

i'll respond to comments later, when i have a clearer head. for now, i just want two things absolutely clear.

1. i am not wells. (i think that was already clear, but it doesn't hurt to say it again)

2. wells is the one identty in all this that wasn't created specifically for this story. wells quite likely has other plans. it is not fair to ask wells to reveal his or her identity. i only hope that i haven't interfered in any plans. in fact, if wells had posted an email address, i would have checked first to be sure that i wouldn't be causing problems.

Paul