Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic FDK: Undercover Reporter (1/3)

Hi there!

Long-time lurker, but first time poster here! This is my first fic written in the L&C universe. I'm very happy to be joining such a welcoming and long-lasting community.

The story begins here: Undercover Reporter (1/3)
It's complete, and in 3 parts. No beta on this one, so it's all me! I'm hoping to submit to the archive when it's complete, and so naturally I'm happy to hear anyone's feedback!

Enjoy! And thanks for reading.

I'm really liking this fic so far! It's interesting to see how Lois and Superman's dynamic has shifted since Clark's apparent death. Overall, very well done!

On another note, if you're ever looking for a beta on your next fic, I'd be glad to offer my services. I'm new to the fandom as well and still lurking until I finish my first fic.

WOW oh, wow… this was really phenomenal and my heart is still racing! And the FEELS…OMG… I’m trying to figure out how this is only going to be three parts, but boy am I looking forward to reading the rest!! The writing was fantastic—you did a really awesome job with the setting and tone and … just everything! How often do you think you’ll post?



And welcome to de-lurking!! We’ve had quite a few of you lately, and it makes my heart so happy!! If you’re the type to chat with fellow fans (and want some writing support too!), a bunch of us hang out in Discord! We’d love to have you join us there too (find the link to join in my signature below). But no worries if it’s not your thing!

Glad to have you!

Sara

Great start with an interesting (although heartbreaking) premise! Can't wait to see where it goes!

Welcome to the boards!

Same question as Sara -- when do you think we'll see the next chapter?

-Bek

Welcome!

That is an interesting start and a different premise. It's unusual to find a story where Clark stays dead for long and only Superman is around. His reticence and her awkwardness are understandable. She feels guilty for Clark's "death" and Superman doesn't want to get close because he doesn't know how to act around her, but he can't stay away when she's in danger. What a mess they got themselves into.

You've done a great job setting the atmosphere and tone. I felt the urgency and tension along with Lois all the time.

Please, keep posting and writing!

Andreia

Thanks so much for the feedback!

drdeathdefying, thanks so much! I think my subconscious was out to prove that Lois needs Clark more than she needs Supes. So, without Clark, her subconscious treats him a lot more like Clark. But, of course, a lot of other complicated emotions are mixed in there.
Also, I will totally take you up on that beta offer! I've got a couple of other story drafts in the mix right now, but they're longer than this one. Can I reach out once I figure out which one I'll be posting first?
And good luck on your own story, too! It's definitely a push to come out of the comfy lurking shadows.

KSaraSara, daaaaawwww, you're making me blush. Thank you so much! The tension is SO HARD to write. I was really working on that here (when is the description just too much, and when is it moving the plot or emotional story forward), so thank you so much for picking that out, lol. This one is just a mini-adventure. But don't worry - I've got a few more stories in the works and this is the little one.
I'll probably post the second part of this in the middle of next week, and the last bit some time around next weekend. Your comment about length actually made me wonder if I'm skating through the ending too quickly or lightly, so now I want to take another look at it.
Discord scares me. Let me get a hang of the boards and I'll check that out next!

I love this set up so much.


This is brilliant. Losing Clark the way she did in TOGOM (and not getting him back) would have had been fundamentally life changing for Lois. This realization is truly the only thing that would have taught her to be more cautious.

I'm excited to see where this goes. I like the idea of seeing her changed relationship with Superman, but I'm wary of how this can be resolved with a happily ever after of any kind. This level of deception seems impossible to resolve.

(And welcome to the group! I love seeing new authors pop up after so many years of the show being off the air. I love that it's still speaking to people after all this time.)

Bek, thank you! I so appreciate the kind words and encouragement. Part 2 will probably go up early next week, and the last part at the end of the week/weekend. It's complete (I think), and edited. I'm just going to give it one last review.

Andreia, thank you so much for that feedback! It's sort of a trick to make it feel like things are still moving forward when our two main characters aren't together, you know? And Lois is doing a lot of silent watching - not her strong suit. Hopefully, it's all working together.
I'm totally obsessed with the TOGOM stories. It was (delightfully) resolved very quickly in the episode, but my brain keeps working on what happens to our soulmates when they're separated by time, distance (whether geographical or emotional) and pain?

AnnieM, thank you so much for the warm welcome! I watched this show as it aired, and then found it streaming last year and dove into the Archive. So much of it still feels culturally relevant!
So YES - totally agree that this is the only thing to truly change Lois, though my brain never articulated it as clearly as you have here. And I'm completely with you on the sticky happily ever after -- which definitely makes me nervous about my own ending!! To be honest, this started out as an exercise in grief - what happens when an 'always-moving-forward' character gets struck an absolutely impossible blow? I didn't write this as a 'how-to-solve-it' story, though I feel like saying more gives the game away. (But maybe I should update that summary to say this once it's fully posted). So the ending seems impossible to me, too. But maybe nothing is impossible for two people in love? At least in this universe.

Yes, feel free to message me here on the boards. I'll try to reply reasonably fast. I haven't been on the boards as much recently, as I'm binging another show, but I'll be there

You definitely have my attention. I am very curious to see how this is resolved and if they'll find a way to bring Clark back or if they'll create a new identity.

Looking forward to more, and welcome!

This makes me even more excited to read the rest. I definitely think this set up has the potential for a really interesting resolution. It would be a shame if it was a cookie cutter happy ending where she instantly got over her grief and it was as if it had never happened. I love happy endings, I just like them to fit the story and feel genuine.


There are a bunch of us here who watched it when it was originally airing and then were involved in writing fanfic either at the time or shortly thereafter (there's a big contingency of us who wrote fanfic back in the early 00s when we were in college) and then drifted away for a decade or two before rediscovering the fandom during the COVID lockdown. I think so many of us were looking for familiar, comforting, nostalgic things at that time, that it brought us out of the woodwork. It's been so exciting to reconnect with old friends and meet new fandom members who are also rediscovering the show and diving into the fandom for the first time.

drdeathdefying - Will do! I'll take another look at my other WIP's once this one is fully posted. What show are you binging now? I just started Superman and Lois, though it's more of a slow crawl that a binge.

Blueowl - A reader's attention is the most I can really ask, so I'm flattered. Hopefully the next two parts will be interesting enough to warrant keeping it. Thank you so much for the kind words and popping in to say hi!

AnnieM - I hear you. I actually took another pass at this ending specifically with your words in mind. While I try to make it difficult for them throughout the whole story, you got me wondering if I let them off the hook too easily. But then again, if Lois had truly had a character-changing moment with Clark's death, those ramifications aren't always predictable. Either way, thanks for giving me something to think about to add a little extra texture!
The familiar, comforting and nostalgic are hard to find and hard won these days - that's absolutely what drew me back to L&C. I've become a pretty firm believer that the heroes you need pop up in your life in the moments (or eras?) that you need them (in fiction, at least). And I think Clark is my hero of the current era of my life. Something about him is just unabashedly, blessedly simple. He's a nice guy that you can rely on. And that's comforting in its way.

The show I'm watching is Supernatural, which I'm having fun with, but unfortunately, it doesn't help much with giving me motivation for my fic. It and Superman don't have much in common, besides the 'super-' prefix and a TV producer (Robert Singer), funny enough. Speaking of 'Superman and Lois,' I watched a couple episodes a while back. I thought the premise was interesting but I was struggling to get invested in the two sons (i can't remember their names for the life of me). I'm not sure why exactly. But maybe I'll go back and watch some more, who knows.

The first part of this story is great. I'm hooked and wondering how they're both going to deal with the fallout of Clark's deception. How does he cope with being Superman full time now? The setup is great and I like how you describe the changes in the relationship between Lois and Superman. Can't wait for that next part.

Welcome to the boards and thanks for delurking. It's good to see the community grow again.

Loving this already. Excited to see the new dynamic and how Lois deals with being close to Supes. And how he handles being close to her. Looking forward to more.

drdeathdefying - I have friends that got DEEP into Supernatural. That one will take you a while! I'm 4-5 episodes into Superman and Lois and I'm still waiting for it to really hook me. But I'll stick with it.

bakasi - Thank you so much! I appreciate the kind words and the welcome. Clark's certainly got his work cut out for him on this one. Hopefully some of the work he put into their relationship already will work in his favor, but you never know with Lois! Next part should be up today or tomorrow.

CarrieRene - Aww, thank you! And yes, I was actually excited about the fallout of what you're describing. If Clark is who he really is (vs Supes just being what he does), and he's used to having an outlet for that true Clark personality with Lois... He won't be able to keep up the stoic routine for long, I think. I think that's the fun part.

Oh my! What a very different take on TOGOM. Superman is really holding back from Lois, while still saving her whenever the Investigative Reporter does something totally off the wall. The big question is, where does the Man of Steel and the woman he loves go from here?

Time to read the next part!

Hi Evie!

So great to see you delurking
Is the new partner Clark in disguise?

Makes you wonder if these days, Lois might just rely on a drone.



You’re giving us lots of beautifully crafted details

Time to switch on the close captioning so you can understand the witty dialogue that’s barely audible over the background noise.

Competent crooks! Very dangerous.



I really like the continued footsteps. Gives it a much more ominous vibe. Also, given the mention of her making it, I’ll best brace myself for her not making it. Or running into that annoying partner of hers.

See?

Oh, look. Partner.

Wouldn’t it be awkward if she mistook the crook for her partner? And even more so if he told her that “thanks but no thanks. Got a girlfriend waiting back home”?

Huh. Given her kind of non-depressed attitude. I’m starting to suspect she’s in on it. And Clark’s just overprotective now.

Aaaah, Superman’s under-the-covers(sic) with Lois now.

She tried to cook, visited her bank (twice), ticked off a crime boss, and took a bus.

The fieeeeend!



/Psst/ I believe this should be ‘effect’?

workplace safety officer!





Ticked-off Lois is fun!

And it’s off to the ER and next, he’ll be monitoring her food, too. Only salads from now on. No more chocolate.

Oh, they’re so cute!

Oh, that’s a fun cliffhanger! Not knowing if he interfered or not, instead of if she’s in danger or not.

This was a spectacular debut. The summary-misdirect was also great Looking forward to getting to parts 2 and 3!

Michael

Morgana, thanks so much for reading! And YES - we see Lois and Clark do so much together, but there's never a huge separation, even when he's sent to Krypton. (Well, at least in the series. ) And when Lois is taken away (usually Tempus), we see Clark really start to break down. So I wondered what it would do to them if it was Clark's stubborness separating them, and if the separation was imposed for a longer time. It does not make them happy campers.



Michael, you made my week with this reply! What an incredible way to read this again through another person's lens! It made this story fun all over again for me. Thank you so much for the constructive, kind, and FUN feedback!

I feel like this was the disloyal, promiscuous Lex Luthor in a nutshell - just add GASLIGHTING.

Hmmmm... that's an interesting idea...

OMG, I'm dead after this comment. Also, in my head canon, that crime boss was the Prankster.

Oh, too right. Thank you for catching this!

I mean... Clark's not a complete masochist.

Aw, I'm blushing. Thank you! <3

Hi Evie!

This is what we call FDK^3

I’m so happy to hear! Always glad to entertain

He certainly was a character, that guy, wasn’t he?

Ooops? Also, aside from preparing for frequent deaths, it is also recommended to not consume beverages while processing FDK. This reader cannot be held accountable for damages keyboards, laptops or other electronic equipment due to tracheal malfunctions.

Hey, it’s either a short life with a happy Lois or a long life with a grumpy Lois.
CLARK: give me a moment…



Michael