Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic Finding Clark Kent: Comments and suggestions

So, what do you think?

Also, what should Lois do next? If you have any suggestions for Clark, I'm open to those, too, but I don't expect he'll be doing very much for a while.

I'll be interested to see what you come up with and what happens next.

For your convenience, here are some handy links:

Part 1

Poll #1

TOC

Paul

Veddy veddy een-teh-res-teeng!

Very clever idea, Paul.

Fascinating!! And very well written, too!

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.

What should Lois do? Apart from panic? <g> Hmmm. Call Jonathan and Martha. Ransack Clark's apartment. And then tear the city apart!

Seriously... she'd know that the only way that Clark could be gone this long is if something happened to him, and that could only be Kryptonite. So she'd need to work out the present location of every piece she knows about, and with that knowledge try to work out who might have Clark.

Clark, of course, could plead for some sunlight - assuming that his captors don't want him dead yet, for whatever reason, he could claim that not giving him any sunlight would kill him.

Looking forward to next week's part!


Wendy

Fantastic idea, Paul! Wish I'd thought of it.

I think you're going to find yourself with a lot of hard work, though, trying to sift through the suggestions every single week and then making a story out of them. Good luck.

Thanks for setting it in my favourite time-period, too. I always like stories where Lois knows.

Right, now to the task in hand. Well, Lois needs to cover a few basics - check with M&J, check he's not at his apartment, make sure Jimmy and any other friends don't know where he is. Check his diary, if possible - maybe he's got an engagement he forgot to tell her about. Check Star Labs and/or Dr Klein. Check the hospitals - it's always possible that he could have been admitted without identification.

Obviously she needs to be at Pier 31 tonight to check out this mystery package, but she needs to be *very* careful! Can we send some protection along with her? Of course, she could always take Henderson into her confidence, explain the situation and then have a cop with her tonight.

Following Wendy's suggestion about sunlight, Clark could pretend he's more badly affected by the kryptonite than he really is - that might stop them exposing him to it quite so often, and he might overhear some useful conversations if he pretends he's unconscious when he's not.

If he can lose the blindfold, he could attempt the opposite tactic - try not to react when they expose him to kryptonite. Try to make them believe that repeat exposures lessen its the effectiveness.

That's all I can think of for now.

Yvonne

Paul, I love this idea! Having suffered from vacationing muse for what seems like months now, this is purely ingenous.

Lois would indeed scour the city for leads. She'd have to have heard the LNN report and of course, is in panic mode. She should find Bobby Bigmouth ASAP. He always knows something. I also like the idea that she'd have to be careful at the pier without Clark to watch out for her. Would she take along Jimmy? Have the cops on stand-by? And with Clark's kidnapping, I can very easily see her 'secret admirer' as Lex. Is he using this to get to Lois a lot sooner? Had his cloning experiments failed? And if so, how did he get out of prison?

We're supposed to be giving you ideas, not more questions! Can't help it. At least you'll have something to think about.

Good idea, Paul!!!

This is a very interesting and ambitious experiment, Paul! But eek, you weren't kidding when you said there was a WHAM at the end -- talk about a bad situation!

Others have made the suggestions I came up with already, but I'll mention them again so I won't have wasted my thought process. <g>

For Lois, I think she'd first try to figure out what Clark was working on, since she can't know for sure that he went missing dressed as Superman instead of as Clark. After that, I think she'd definitely call in all her sources -- Bobby Bigmouth and anyone else she can think of. She might also express concerns that Clark and Superman might have been taken together, if for no other reason to explain why Clark is missing, too, and to throw anyone off the track who might wonder about that coincidence. And she'd definitely tear the city apart looking for him!

I have a feeling her email wasn't a coincidence ... she'd definitely want to keep that appointment. But she should in no way go alone, or at least without telling Jimmy (or maybe Perry) where she's going. She'd run the risk of them finding out CK=S if it is related to his disappearance, but it would be the smart thing to do anyway. If it's a trap, she'd want someone waiting in the shadows to know that she was taken, too, and hopefully follow her to where Clark is being kept.

As for Clark, I also think he should "play sick", making them think he is more affected by the K than he really is. He'll want them to think there is no reason to use it on him so often. Then, of course, he should try to escape whenever he gets a chance. Does he recognize the voices, btw? I would think he'd be trying to figure out who it is who has him.

But for a little more off-the-wall suggestion, maybe Clark could think back to how he felt when Lois left their dimension (btw, that's a minor mistake in the backstory -- Lois didn't lose several days in her universe, only 10 seconds or whatever it was Clark said) and how they could "hear each other" in HIWTHI, and try to use "the bond" to either gather strength or try to communicate with Lois somehow. I know they don't know about telepathy in depth yet, but the bond is a big part of S3 (HIWTHI, NoS, etc.) and I'd love to see it come into play here somehow, even if it's not as a plot device for fixing everything right away. (Too easy to have them suddenly become telepathic and communicate, after all.)

OK, that's all I can think of right now. Interesting idea, Paul. I can't wait to see how it comes out!

Kathy

Very interesting idea, Paul. I like it.

Most of my suggestions fall under what the others have said.

Lois should definitely get in touch with Bobby and Klein and ask about Kryptonite.

James

Very well written, Paul, and quite engaging! I'm pleased this is going to be a once-a-week thing, as it means it will last for a long time and we can have lots of fun speculating.

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!

One minor edit for you: You did say that this was an alt-S3, of course, but didn't Lois return almost instantly? I understood that time passed in the alt-verse, but not in "our" LnCverse. Wasn't Clark still sitting disconsolately in the alley when she came back?

As for what Lois should do... I think most of the previous commenters have covered my initial instincts. I will add that she might go to the top of the DP building and yell, "Help, Superman!" once or twice, just to make sure. Heaven help Luthor if he's the secret admirer, though.

I'm really looking forward to this, Paul!

Hazel

Hi,

Interesting start.

This could be a trick.

He don't remember?

Who can they be?

The first Lois should do is find where was Superman last seen?

Call Martha in case something happen to her. :rolleyes:

More soon, please.

MAF

Paul, interesting idea.
First off, this is season 3 so Lois doesn't need a haircut, she already has the short style.

As far as Lois is concerned, we will need to see her emotional changes as worry grows to dread and panic as more and more attempts to find Clark come up dry. I don't think she would call the Kents yet. It's too early, and Superman may just be taking care of an earthquake in Japan or something. She wouldn't want to worry them unnecessarily. She can do that well enough on her own. In the midst of her growing concern, her curiousity about Pier 31 will be pushing her to go there.... and get into trouble.

Since the parts are going to be fairly short, Clark will only have time to engage in a little introspection as to how he got into that mess and worry about Lois.

Bring it on!

Tank (who thinks it would be fine if Lois brought Jimmy along if he is killed... it would make a nice wham)

Paul,

so far this sounds absolutely fascinating, and I can't wait to see what you come up with with all the suggestions.

I have to agree that Lois would think of checking with M&J, but that she might not yet, and that she would definately go to the pier. I think that she would also get ahold of Bobby to find out if he has heard anything 'super' related.

For Clark, he is a bit trickier.. could be that where they have him placed is somewhere that there is a broken window, or a skylight. After all, his being recharged by the sun is not near as common knowledge as the evil glowing rock. He could recharge during the days faster than they think.?? Maybe?

PS. Tank you are incorrigable <g> Poor Jimmy :p

Paul, glad to see you're posting this! I totally forgot today was Monday, so I was surprised to see it here even though I knew it was coming <g>.

You know I like this I'm also very amused by the suggestions and questions that the readers are coming up with. I know a little of the story, but not enough to say where you'll be going next with their ideas! I'll be eager to see how you move on from here. And of course I'm happy to help!

Kaylle

Great idea, Paul. Very fun - I think you've invented "interactive fanfic" <g>.

But on the flip side, I'm discovering how truly empty of great ideas I am. You've presented such a wonderful setup, and I can't think of a single unique idea that others haven't already suggested.

I really like that you are putting this in first person POV - such a neat twist that isn't done nearly enough IMHO.

OK, yes, Lois should go to Pier 31, and she should take backup but I'm guessing that Lois being Lois, she won't.

As for Clark, I agree that from this little snippet, it may be Mindy Church involved, but I was going to say Tempus as her conspirator in crime. Clark wouldn't recognize Tempus's voice because he didn't re-meet Tempus when Lois did that second time, and as of yet, his memory of their first encounter with Tempus is still gone. And who else but Tempus would know about Krytonite and where to get it. I'm saying no to the idea of Lex - Clark would have recognized Lex's voice in a nanosecond.

Can't wait to see the poll of choices for what will happen next. This is going to be lots of fun!

Lynn

Clever idea! What would Lois do?

Lois' POV leaves off with the plane still in the air, and Lois feeling very uneasy about things. Once the plane crashes, Lois, I'm sure, *knows* something is very wrong. Superman is in trouble, which can only mean kryptonite.

- On the chance it might be related, have Jimmy try to track the email (At least on the TV shows I watch, computer hackers seem to be able to do just about anything. Can't Jimmy find out what computer was used to send the email?)

- go to Clark's apartment and snoop around for clues

- look at Clark's appointment book(s) - I know Superman has a daytimer, but Lois doesn't find out about it until after they are married. However, if she snoops around his apartment, maybe she'll find it?

- listen to the messages on Clark's answering machine

- go onto Clark's computer and read his emails (if she got one, maybe he did, too?)

- go by Starlabs and see if Dr. Klein knows anything

- make a list of everyone she knows who might have access to kryptonite, and have Jimmy try to track down their whereabouts. (I suppose this would just be a list of past episode's villians and their cohorts.)

- go to the pier at 11:00 pm (obviously I recommend she take someone along, although knowing Lois, I'm sure she won't.)

Although Lois would probably also call the Kent's, I don't think she will have the chance. The second the news hits the TV about the crashed airplane, I'm sure the Kent's will be calling Lois! (after trying to call Clark, that is.)

Well, that's all I can think of.

Hazel wrote:
ditto.

So, how is this poll thing going to work?

- Vicki

Paul,

Completely engrossing.

Ok, I haven't read all the comments, so I'm sure to repeat other ideas.

Lois needs to track Superman's last movements. If he's in the Suit, then he was on a rescue, maybe. Perhaps a search could find out his last whereabouts.

Bobby Bigmouth is an excellent source for information.

The kryptonite? Who had access.

This does sound a bit like Mindy Church. However, hers is a very distinctive voice. Think Clark would have pegged it right away for the overdone Betty Boop that it is.

Hmmm...something a bit out there. Since Lois has just returned from the altworld, maybe she could call on altClark. And extra set of xray eyes couldn't hurt. And Superman is needed.

Last ditch idea, go to the Pier. She can't resist that I know. Get taken hostage, end up tied to a chair right next to his...

This is cool, Paul. Can't wait to see how it unfolds. I especially like the first person pov, not generally a favorite of mine, but it works so well here.

And, as always, I am an admirer of your precise and sharp writing.

CC

Very cool premise and I am really excited to see how this all progresses.

I can't improve on any of the previous suggestions so I'll just hang back for now and enjoy the story.

~Liz

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:

You're right.

I'm not going to confirm or deny anything yet.

Yvonne said:

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:

Thanks! Me either.

No. Clark did not recognize the voices, although the woman's voice seemed vaguely familiar.

Hazel said:

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:

Thanks. It seemed fitting for this story, where the readers are so closely involved.

Vicki said:

<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:

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

Oh, no! Poor Clark. He'll be feeling absolutely awful.

I haven't a clue what should happen next. (This being the reason I generally only read, and anything I've written has never had a plot...) However. I'm going to head straight over to the poll to offer my opinion.

Can't wait to see what you (and we!) come up with.

Loriel

Just saw your story, Paul. Fantastic idea.

Didn't catch up in time to send my recommendations, but I voted in the poll.

See ya,
AnnaBtG.