Hi everyone,
I’m happy that this idea seemed to have worked so well. This story came to me essentially fully formed within minutes of reading Classicalla’s requests. I spent a few days trying to think of alternatives but once this idea had taken hold there was no shaking it. If I hadn’t been focused on finishing “And The Truth…” I would have posted this only a few days after I received the request.
So, where did this idea come from? Well, there are really two sources.
The first is personal. A LONG time ago, before I met TFB, there was a girl that I liked very much. We dated for about a year but there was always a problem. She didn’t taste right. When we kissed, there was always this very subtle taste that, to me, reminded me of tobacco. She didn’t smoke and I have a negative reaction to cigarette smoke that borders on an allergic response. That’s where Clark’s reaction to Cat came from.
There is also a 2nd element of personal history. When I was young, I remember a few times when I would get sick (like a bad cold or whatever) and for the time I was sick I had trouble eating because everything tasted like soap. I remember it happening two or three times and it was awful. That hasn’t happened since I was 10 or 11, but I still remember it clearly.
The other part of my inspiration was a few scenes from various TV shows by Bryan Fuller. In the Wonderfalls episode “Safety Canary” and the Pushing Daisies episode “Bitches” the characters talk about “compatible saliva” and kissing. That reference brought back my own personal history so that when the request was for multiple kisses between different people, this idea popped into my mind and the form of the story was in place.
I guess there are really two issues that I need to speak to:
1. Lois’s realization/The reveal: It wasn’t just the taste, but that was obviously a big clue. From the moment Lois revived him, Clark was much more Clark-like than Superman-like in his behavior. It was a combination of all the elements coming together. His look, the smiles, the way he looked in Clark’s clothes and bed and finally the kiss brought it all into focus.
As for the reveal itself, it was supposed to be very low-key. However, I don’t want it to be so soft as to be missed. I’m going to stare at that end and consider modifying it to make the reveal slightly more clear. It won’t change much, very likely not at all, but I will take another look.
2. What happens next? Both Corrina and TFB pointed out that this ending simply begs for a follow on. I would love to say that I’m working on a sequel, but I don’t know where to go from here. If an idea shows up, I’ll jump on it in a second, but for now nothing has come to mind.
Lets, see…
Lynn said:
brings new meaning to the phrase, "kiss and tell."
Yes, in some cases the kiss is the tell.
Joan said:
I was thinking if she saw Superman in Clark's bed wearing Clark's clothes that that in itself might be a give away.
As I said above, that was a contributing element.
Ann said:
As for giving someone mouth to mouth, isn't that called giving someone the kiss of life?
That’s right! Somehow, that connection never occurred to me.
EvelynC said:
Well, I decided to kiss my husband, all in the name of science of course!
Well, for the sake of full disclosure, I will say that what I taste when I kiss TFB is in here.
(and she knows it)
Kathy said:
this reminds me of reading stories back in the early days of the fandom when stories didn't have to do anything but just be fun to read. No heavy plots, no need to be realistic in the real world ... just be a joy to read.
Thank you!
Thank you all so much and I have to thank Classicalla for the idea. I should get her to generate requests for all my stories.
Bob
