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OP
Columnist
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Sleeping with the FishesThis is a response to the Moving the body prompt, but it doesn't quite fit the requirements. Comments?
"It is a remarkable dichotomy. In many ways, Clark is the most human of us all. Then...he shoots fire from the skies, and it is difficult not to think of him as a god. And how fortunate we all are that it does not occur to him." -Batman (in Superman/Batman #3 by Jeph Loeb)
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Merriwether
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Merriwether
Joined: Dec 2004
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This is cute and made me laugh. I really enjoyed it.
Superman: I hear you've been looking for me.
Lois: All my life.
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Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
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~•~
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Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Joined: May 2011
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Bwhaha! I started to suspect it was a fish midway through. But it still made me laugh. I can just picture poor Jimmy freaking out. I wonder if Clark will sneakily replace Rodrigo with a new little buddy for Lois to love.  Fun story!
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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Features Writer
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Features Writer
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Hahaha, what a fun little story! DC is right, I can totally see poor Jimmy freaking out about the fish. Do we get a sequel? Clark replacing Rodrigo and Jimmy waiting for the axe to fall when Lois notices her fish has been swapped?
"It means never having to play it cool about how much you like something. It's basically a license to proudly emote on a somewhat childish level rather than behave like a supposed adult. Being a geek is extremely liberating."- Simon Pegg
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Kerth
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Kerth
Joined: Apr 2003
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LOL!!! I can totally see why Jimmy would freak 
Last edited by Crazy_Babe; 04/18/18 08:28 AM.
The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched they must be felt with the heart
Helen Keller
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Columnist
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Columnist
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Cute story. I can also see Jimmy freaking out and Clark being the good guy trying to help.
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Kerth
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Kerth
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Framework4
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Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
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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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Features Writer
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Features Writer
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Cuidadora
"Honey, we didn't care if you were a Russian or a Martian... You were ours... and we weren't giving you to anybody." ~ Martha in Strange Visitor
"A love that risks nothing is worth nothing." ~ Jonathan in Big Girls Don't Fly
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Hack from Nowheresville
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Hack from Nowheresville
Joined: Aug 2016
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 What a fun story! I also guessed who the body belonged to, but it didn't lessen the pleasure of reading it. Do we get a sequel? Clark replacing Rodrigo and Jimmy waiting for the axe to fall when Lois notices her fish has been swapped? I'd love to read one, too. (Still, this might be a bad idea... I remember that when I was nine, I immediately spotted my goldfish wasn't the same when my mother replaced the dead one with another, without telling me...)
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OP
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I'm glad you guys like the story!  I was intrigued by Framework4's challenge, and I really liked Deadly Chakram's take on it, and I thought it was a fun idea to play with.
"It is a remarkable dichotomy. In many ways, Clark is the most human of us all. Then...he shoots fire from the skies, and it is difficult not to think of him as a god. And how fortunate we all are that it does not occur to him." -Batman (in Superman/Batman #3 by Jeph Loeb)
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Joined: Mar 2013
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Columnist
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OP
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Do we get a sequel? Clark replacing Rodrigo and Jimmy waiting for the axe to fall when Lois notices her fish has been swapped? Umm... Probably not, sadly. I don't really have any idea how to write the aftermath of Lois returning. If anyone wants to step in and write that, they are welcome to. I do think, though, that Clark would not try to surreptitiously replace the fish. I imagine that he would go over with Jimmy, who would clam up and be afraid of saying anything, and then Clark would break the news to her gently. I'm not sure how she would react. I can see her getting mad, but I can also see her completely nonchalant about the whole thing, like, "You guys are overreacting. These things happen. It's just a fish. I can get a new one tomorrow." I kind of have trouble writing Lois because I'm not quite sure how to characterize her. I see her portrayed in a lot of stories as rather irrational, which I'm not totally a fan of, or kind of weepy. Emotional characters are hard to get right. It's a tricky balance to make Lois emotional without being weak, overly compulsive, or irrational. At the same time, she should be strong and frank without being a total jerk.
"It is a remarkable dichotomy. In many ways, Clark is the most human of us all. Then...he shoots fire from the skies, and it is difficult not to think of him as a god. And how fortunate we all are that it does not occur to him." -Batman (in Superman/Batman #3 by Jeph Loeb)
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Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
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This is so cute! Poor Jimmy. Clark is a good friend.
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Kerth
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Kerth
Joined: Dec 2005
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Do we get a sequel? Clark replacing Rodrigo and Jimmy waiting for the axe to fall when Lois notices her fish has been swapped? Umm... Probably not, sadly. I don't really have any idea how to write the aftermath of Lois returning. If anyone wants to step in and write that, they are welcome to. If anyone does write a sequel I think it will be an Nfic due to violence. I agree with Jimmy, "Have you met Lois?"
Framework4
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Kerth
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Kerth
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Hahahaha this is gold! cracked me up. I put it together a little way through but the payoff was still perfect. Well done! I know Clark probably would tell Lois the truth... But I'd also love a version of this where Clark has been surreptitiously replacing her dead fish for years.
Nothing spoils a good story like the arrival of an eye witness.
--Mark Twain
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If anyone does write a sequel I think it will be an Nfic due to violence. I agree with Jimmy, "Have you met Lois?" That fish is what got her through the dark days following (the Claude debacle, the Lex debacle, pick a tragedy). She cannot live without Rodrigo the fish, and she will cut you for even suggesting otherwise. Now Rodrigo has been murdered, and she will have her revenge. ... Or something. I'm not really good at the dark stuff.  I know Clark probably would tell Lois the truth... But I'd also love a version of this where Clark has been surreptitiously replacing her dead fish for years. Hmm... I'm picturing years later, their kids are teenagers, and Lois finally catches Clark replacing her fish. It was an open secret amongst the kids, and they can't fathom how Mom never noticed how unusually long-lived her fish appeared to be. Now she's livid about the deception. The kicker? She got sick of the fish years ago and has just been waiting for it to die so she can finally get rid of the tank.
"It is a remarkable dichotomy. In many ways, Clark is the most human of us all. Then...he shoots fire from the skies, and it is difficult not to think of him as a god. And how fortunate we all are that it does not occur to him." -Batman (in Superman/Batman #3 by Jeph Loeb)
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Top Banana
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Top Banana
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I also liked the "Have you met Lois?" line. Jimmy turned and peered at him over the back of the couch. "Burial at sea? What are you talking about?"
"We flush him." Loved it.
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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 MrsMxzyptlk! "Yeah, it's me," Jimmy replied. "CK, um, we're -- we're friends, right?" What did he do? Did he cause Lois to sleep with a fish? Well, Penguin, at least. "No, I mean, like, they say, 'friends help you move, but a real friend helps you move a body.' You're a real friend, right?" /cocks eyebrow/ "Danger? Um, no, not exactly... am I in trouble? Yes. Definitely. Can... can you come over? I messed up, and now he's dead, and I don't know what to do, and I didn't know who else to call," Jimmy said plaintively. Huh. "No, I'm at Lois' place." Oh boy. Good thing he said ‘he’s dead’. Otherwise, oh boy. JIMMY: You see, I didn’t know it was him. I just thought it was a burglar breaking into Lois’s apartment, not *him*! CLARK:  DAILY PLANET: Lex Luthor killed during home invasion – suspected to be the prime suspect! "Yeah, well, as far as I know, she's fine. But she might not be when she gets back. Or at least I won't... So will you come over?" Clark squeezed Jimmy's shoulders, leaned down a bit to look him in the eye, and asked, "Jimmy, who died?"
"Rodrigo!"
"Rodrigo who?" Clark paused as realization came over him. "Wait-- Lois' pet fish?" "Jimmy, calm down. It's just a fish."
"Have you met Lois?" "Rodrigo, you were a good fish and a good pet. You will be missed." Then, with a flourish, he flushed the toilet. Cute! I was sort of expecting them to just replace the fish. After all, Lois isn’t the most observant person when it comes to the men in her life.  Michael Edit: Hmm... I'm picturing years later, their kids are teenagers, and Lois finally catches Clark replacing her fish. It was an open secret amongst the kids, and they can't fathom how Mom never noticed how unusually long-lived her fish appeared to be. Now she's livid about the deception.
The kicker? She got sick of the fish years ago and has just been waiting for it to die so she can finally get rid of the tank.
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