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Joined: Aug 2003
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Boards Chief Administrator Pulitzer
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The story is here. What did you think? Did you know all along? What was your favorite line? I’m dying to know! 
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 2,761
Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
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She was a professional writer and she could stretch and mold the semantics however she darn well needed to. I FELT THAT. Ahem. Great little story, I loved it!! And the end is PERFECT!! 
What we've got here is failure to communicate...
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Joined: Jul 2003
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Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
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Ok, that ending was quite a swerve! I loved this! Is there more? 
~•~
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Joined: Jan 2019
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Top Banana
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Top Banana
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Really awesome. My favorite line was: "Literally a “print screen” image of his high score in Free Cell. Was this guy serious?" Cuz I can so see Clark doing that.
I do wonder how she got to this point and how she knew the secret related to Superman, but I'll accept the mystery.
Thanks for writing.
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Joined: Apr 2010
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Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
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Documents, digital copies, of what he’d given to his boss. Not likely to be anything of interest there, unless he’d thought to obfuscate the true nature of the files by altering the file names... Yup, sounds like Clark. The ending totally threw me! 
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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Joined: Feb 2021
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Hack from Nowheresville
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Hack from Nowheresville
Joined: Feb 2021
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This is just too clever!! Especially the title. And just so Lois Lane! Good job Sara.
And if your muse is so inclined, I would love to know how she got to this point too; and very curious to see what happens when she accepts the invitation to “please come over” now that she has finished sneaking into his files!
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Joined: Aug 2003
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Boards Chief Administrator Pulitzer
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Boards Chief Administrator Pulitzer
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Thank you all for such wonderful feedback!  Anna — thanks! And LOL right?? I was fumbling a little with that paragraph and was like, heck with it! And then that line came out.  Queen — haha! I’m glad I could surprise you! Blueowl — YAY!! I was hoping someone would point this line out because I was very proud of all the hard thinking I did to remember how one made a screenshot in the 90s. Morgana — Haha yep, definitely Clark. And I’m happy to hear you were surprised at the end. This one was a fun one to write! Penny — Thank you!! The title is Kathy’s suggestion, though I did come up with the “terces” file name. Here I was thinking it wasn’t a clever clue, but it really threw a lot of people. I guess it’s easier when you’re the author. A few of you asked for more… well, I honestly tried and what came out just… wasn’t happening. The style of this one is in doesn’t lend itself easily to a sequel, but for those of you who care to know, the remaining facts in my head: - I’m thinking this is pre-TOGOM, but not by much - Clark very much planted this on purpose. But I’m not sure if it was a master plan or not. I imagine it was his “just in case” plan until he worked up the courage to do it in person. - She does indeed come over in the middle of the night after a few hours of crying, fuming, etc. - The clues she gets…I have no idea! Was it a slight change in the relationship? The lies adding up? And that’s pretty much all the sequel you’ll get. 
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Joined: Jun 2006
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Pulitzer
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This was funny. So Lois thinks Clark knows Superman's true identity and is sniffing into his files. I think totally see this happening.
It's never too dark to be cool. 
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Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 4,430 Likes: 6
Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
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What a delightful story. Just what I needed to take my mind off of things.
Although I started to suspect that the file was written specifically for her to read it (if it hadn't been, it would have been out of character for him to write and leave such incriminating text on an office computer), the nature of the confirmation came as a surprise.
Brava.
- Lynn
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Joined: May 2011
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 |
No, no, no, no! You are NOT stopping there! I dema...I mean, the story demands more! Yeah, the story....
Great job! I love the idea of Clark letting Lois find hints on his computer, because of course he knows that she'd sneak a peek at some point. I actually thought she snuck into his apartment to read it off his personal computer, because she would totally do that too. And yes, I can totally see him screenshotting his high score...although I can also very much see Jimmy doing that too. Maybe Clark was having a bit of a friendly competition with Jimmy and needed to prove his score. Yeah, I can see that happening. Thanks for sharing this fun story - and the title totally clicked after the "miscellaneous" file.
(Also, I totally have a few miscellaneous files on my computer, but mostly for stupid images, jokes, and internet memes I've saved that don't fit neatly into my other files.)
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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Joined: Feb 2010
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Pulitzer
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p.s., I'll confess that it probably took me longer than most to catch on to "terces." Before I read the story, I had guessed that it was a term from some Romance language having to do with "three." (I could easily see the Latin word "tres" changing into "terces" over the millennia.) I had guessed it would come into play with the "love triangle for two" that is pre-revelation L&C. That hypothesis was so firmly rooted in my mind that it took me a while to dethrone it in favour of the more accurate interpretation. Of course, it was a head-palm moment when I did.)
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Joined: Aug 2003
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Boards Chief Administrator Pulitzer
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Oh, my! I thought I replied to the additional feedback! Oops.  Bakasi—thanks! I’m glad you liked it! Lynn—Brava on your correct suspicions as you read! I’m glad I still got to surprise you at the end, though. And don’t worry about the “terces”—I’m actually hearing from a LOT of people that it took some time to figure out. It was obvious to me as the author, but I had no idea I’d stump so many people! Deadly Chakram—Haha I totally tried to write more! But it just wasn’t happening! *sigh* And yeah, she totally would have gone to his apartment to do that too. And I have a ton of files just scattered all over my desktop. Occasionally, I’ll dump everything into a folder that says “SORT ME” just to clean things up. I have more than one “SORT ME” folder… I imagined Lois having a messy desktop and not knowing why one would bother with a misc folder. *G* Thanks, everyone, for all the great feedback! Sara
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Joined: Apr 2007
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Boards Chief Administrator Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Boards Chief Administrator Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Hi Sara! /Eyes author name/ /Eyes scrollbar/ Um Sara, I think the story cut out after the a/n and the summary  During the investigation, a journalist comes upon a very interesting file on a suspect’s computer. Clark is conducting an internal investigation to clear Lois of the suspicion of taking bribes to suppress a corruption scandal. He finds her manuscript instead. Well, recent events had changed that. There were new clues. Clues that had sent her here, in the middle of the night, to the suspect’s computer. What did Clark do? She was a professional writer and she could stretch and mold the semantics however she darn well needed to. Yeah, adjust the words so the transported facts match the writers intention. Already training to fit into today's media landscape? Some of his files were to be expected—copies of new hire paperwork, Not Clark then. Perry’s desk? In the pilot? Given the new hire mention. He really should have a better password with such sensitive information on his computer. Elvis77 No one had a miscellaneous folder Umm… It’s a burden. But it’s fine, really. It’s a burden I’m happy to bear, especially given what it means to...him. Okay, so the new hire mention was a red herring. It is Perry. Just way into season two. She knew it…she’d known that he just had to know, but this was confirmation that she’d been right. Okay, season three, four, or beyond probably beyond if you want to stick with canon. When was this file created, anyway? Sometime in season one. Just so Lois gets a burn. Wait, what? Other people knew? Well, Lois is people. The Kents are people. And what did he mean that he got to experience it first hand? Had he...does he...were they...? She shook her head, unable to even let herself go down any of those paths. Okay, early season three, while Lois is still hurt. /checks title/ “Threes”. So, Season Three, Episode Three? Also, it could be there’s other “threes” buried in the story itself, like three excuses, three types of files, etc. The burden. The sacrifices. The unavoidable consequences. Another “three”. It was her...right? Had to be her. The only other person he was remotely this close with was...him. So...he had to be talking about her. Did she want this secret? Did... he want her to have this secret. Shouldn't the secret come from... him? Gah, Season Two? Despite my flawless track record with the main secret, I've never been good at keeping this one. Okay, not. Also,  about “main secret”. I love her. And I'm afraid that she'll never forgive me.
For the lying. The deception. For handing her a burden she didn't ask for. Okay, Lois really is looking at Clark’s musings and we have love, flying, and virginity, the last of which he’s not mentioning on paper. Two burdens, actually, though that second one she's already got now. I can't take it back twice.
Oh, God. No, no he couldn't take it back twice.
She hadn't wanted him to take it back the first time. And now...But what did this all have to do with... him? Did they...had they...talked about her? Fought over her or something? Season Two, towards the end? You're the best at reading between the lines. I hope you'll find me when you've finished reading this. Even if it's late, please come over. I know it's late; you wouldn't sneak in at any other time. Still come over anyway. I know I don't need to tell you how to find me. Hey! This was a fun snippet and very interesting style  Michael
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Boards Chief Administrator Pulitzer
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Hi Sara! /Eyes author name/ /Eyes scrollbar/ Um Sara, I think the story cut out after the a/n and the summary LOL! It took me a hot minute to figure out what you meant. I can write short stories too, you know? … just it’s a real struggle. Some of his files were to be expected—copies of new hire paperwork, Not Clark then. Perry’s desk? In the pilot? Given the new hire mention. Eh, kind of an unintentional red herring. Clark is fastidious and saves all his stuff. No one had a miscellaneous folder Umm… Haha, a lot of people were thrown by this line. I kinda meant that… Lois was the type just to leave all the miscellaneous files on her desktop rather than actually creating a folder called Misc and putting stuff in there. I have a billion… “SORT ME” folders myself LOL And what did he mean that he got to experience it first hand? Had he...does he...were they...? She shook her head, unable to even let herself go down any of those paths. Okay, early season three, while Lois is still hurt. /checks title/ “Threes”. So, Season Three, Episode Three? Also, it could be there’s other “threes” buried in the story itself, like three excuses, three types of files, etc. 1. I love that I had you guessing so long 2. I’m starting to think I should change this title… I wasn’t 100% sure on it… it’s “secret” backwards… This was a fun snippet and very interesting style Thank you for all the feedback! Glad you had fun with it! Sara
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Boards Chief Administrator Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Hi Sara! I can write short stories too, you know? … just it’s a real struggle. :roftlol: Maybe you need to put your Lois on Valium or the likes when you need her to perform in a short piece. Lois was the type just to leave all the miscellaneous files on her desktop rather than actually creating a folder called Misc and putting stuff in there. I have a billion… “SORT ME” folders myself LOL All the while, I couldn’t help but flash to Cat Tales. Selina got a “Hellmouth closet” in her apartment each of her a lairs. 1. I love that I had you guessing so long Well, once you got a bone… 2. I’m starting to think I should change this title… I wasn’t 100% sure on it… it’s “secret” backwards… *blinks* *That’s* what this is? You know, sometimes it’s a pain to recognize obscure words because to me, this always just meant plural-three and I never looked beyond that. I guess I would fail as a Batman substitute against the Riddler. Then again, sometimes a purple alarm clock with a painted on grin stuck on a stack of dynamite is just that instead of a subtle reminder that Batman’s relationship with Catwoman could blow up at any moment. Thank you for all the feedback! Glad you had fun with it! Always!  Michael
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