|
|
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 2,122 Likes: 1
Kerth
|
OP
Kerth
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 2,122 Likes: 1 |
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 3,764
Pulitzer
|
|
Pulitzer
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 3,764 |
I'm with those who think that Tek and Ard are on the up and up. I think they just have a nice brother sister relationship regardless of genetics. I think his wife is this world's Lois  . I like her. And coffee!!! I think Lois' mind will likely go straight to the gutter like most of those here but somehow I think Kal is talking about something else... More soon!!!!
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,384
Top Banana
|
|
Top Banana
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,384 |
Tek and Ard - I'm leaning more and more toward brother and sister. Both are tall and thin. Tak's hair was described as light (or, at least lighter than Kal's); here we learn that Ard's is blond. Brother and sister, that's my guess.
So, what could it be that Kal wants to try doing with Lois? Hmm....
"Hold on, my friends, to the Constitution and to the Republic for which it stands. Miracles do not cluster and what has happened once in 6,000 years, may not happen again. Hold on to the Constitution" - Daniel Webster
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 117
Hack from Nowheresville
|
|
Hack from Nowheresville
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 117 |
Wow! What a chapter! I have so much to say, so I hope that I don't forget any of it. Lois's letter to Kal really tugged at my heart. It was filled with so much love and pain. 
~Mel~
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,363
Top Banana
|
|
Top Banana
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,363 |
Now that cliffhanger was really evil! I'm sure that Kal has something else in mind, but just the same...
I agree with the majority that Tek is sincere. I don't think anything inappropriate is going on with him and Ard. Since she is so child like, he probably just checks in on her. Tek reminds me of Lord Kal-El's aid (the older white haired man) on the NK Arc who had his best interest in mind, always--I forget his name. And Tek's wife is a beautiful soul.
Let's hurry and get these two poor sad souls together. Whatever needs to be done. I really feel bad for Kal because he feels something that he knows so little about and I know it must be frightening as much as overwhelming. The supreme ruler should be able to handle anything, yet Kal has no clue how to control this "love."
Corrina, have fun on your trip! But post before you leave!!! Like yesterday!
Absolutely brilliant!
~Sheila
I'm a firm believer in the fact that God doesn't put any more on us than we can bear. He does however make us come to Jesus every so often.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 4,058
Pulitzer
|
|
Pulitzer
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 4,058 |
Wow this story just gets better and better. It is getting to my lists of favorites quickly. Though I can not imagine this not leading to an nfic section, or at worst an nfic epilogue, I am really enjoying it. More very very soon please. laura
Clark: “If we can be born in an instant, and die in an instant, why can’t we fall in love in an instant?”
Caroline's "Stardust"
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,384
Top Banana
|
|
Top Banana
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,384 |
Everyone seems to think Kal has something else on his mind. And, I wouldn't be surprised if you were right, and the cliffhanger ending really is just a tease.
That said, it does seem to me that if Kal *had* read the book Lois saw (and we don't know for sure he did), he'd most definitely want to try that with Lois. I don't think he would know enough to try to get Lois "in the mood"; he's just walk up to her and say, "There is something I want to do with you. Something I would like us to try together." Don't you think?
"Hold on, my friends, to the Constitution and to the Republic for which it stands. Miracles do not cluster and what has happened once in 6,000 years, may not happen again. Hold on to the Constitution" - Daniel Webster
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,371 Likes: 1
Top Banana
|
|
Top Banana
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,371 Likes: 1 |
Great chapter.  This was a major breakthrough day for Lois: Get Staff for publishing company (check) Publish Paper (check) Publish Book (check) Get contact outside of the compound (check) Find coffee(check) Marry Kal and and save world (maybe tomorrow) The ending was marvelously evil.  Bob
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 5,797
Nobel Peace Prize Winner
|
|
Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 5,797 |
I'm a man, you're a woman, do I have to draw you a diagram? Were those the famous words from the show? And here is the diagram! Someone drew it! And now Kal knows... something. Oh, my! (is it possible that Kal is so innocent that he doesn't understand that you don't ask the question about making love the way he did, if that was indeed what he was asking?)  I'd better leave that question for now and concentrate, right now, on Tek and Ard. I seems to me that Tek might have been visiting Ard's quarters for bartering purposes. She gives him some drawings and he gives her something else. After all, Tek's daughter recognizes Ard's drawings, so she must be familiar with them. Like everyone else, I, too, really liked Riz, Tek's wife. She is indeed like the Lois Lane on this world - I mean, she even drinks coffee! (But where is the chocolate? I could do without coffee, but chocolate...) Anyway, Riz seems perceptive enough that she would know if Tek had an affair with Ard, and since she seems so confident in her marriage to him, that is the definite proof we need - Tek is not unfaithful to his wife. In any case, I would say that Lois and Riz are going to become important allies and great friends. I also think Riz is the sort of person who could become a target for Lord Nor, simply because she is so outspoken and because she is such a thinking person. Lois and Kal may have to resort to drastic measures to save her. Speaking about that... “Do the Regal Nobles have children with their concubines?” Lois asked.
“Nor and Yent do.”
“Will those children become Regal Nobles?”
“No. They are considered the child of a concubine – not the child of a Regal Noble.”
So a child of hers could not become the Supreme Ruler? If Lois remains Kal's concubine and nothing more, any child she may have with Kal will be unable to succeed his (or her?) father as the Supreme Ruler, because such a child will be regarded as the son or daughter of a concubine, and not the son or daughter of the Supreme Ruler. But what if Lois and Kal get married? Corinna, are you saying that in spite of any objections we may have, it is still better for Lois and Kal to get married after all, because then they can have a child who can become the Supreme Ruler of New Krypton? I loved seeing Lois as a reporter on New Krypton. This was just great: Lois watched as the two women departed through Kal's gates. She had published a newspaper! Sure it was a one-sheet, one-story, handwritten newspaper with a total circulation of ten, but it was a start. Yeah!  And now we are biting our nails as we're waiting to hear what Kal wanted him and Lois to try out together... <insert nail-biting icon> Ann
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 581
Columnist
|
|
Columnist
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 581 |
That was a deliciously evil cliffhanger! Despite the ARGH! factor, I can appreciate the evilness.  And coffee! I never saw that coming, and I love it! Riz is fabulous. Her forthrightness was great - she's curious and talks too much, and she knows it! Riz's character cements it for me that Tek is a good guy. And since Ard is clearly not his wife, I'm now voting for sister. I can't help but feel like Kal is going to be pretty upset when he finds out how he's been manipulated his whole life...he just needs to get things sorted out before Nor's evil plan takes effect! Have a wonderful trip! I will be eagerly awaiting your return! Amber
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,194 Likes: 1
Top Banana
|
|
Top Banana
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,194 Likes: 1 |
I love Kal's take-charge attitude. Nor was thinking that it could only help his plan if Kal was distracted by the alien woman. He didn't figure on Kal realizing how he'd been kept in the dark and giving himself the world's fastest self-education.
And Lois is getting her questions answered right and left.
Your cliff-hanger cracked me up. We know that's not what Kal is thinking of because he himself realizes that Lois is deliberately rationing their physical contact. 'Rationing' is a brilliant word there, BTW. And he has great insight into *why* she can't marry him. He's going to find a way to make it work. I see a Ching/Za match up in the near future.
You've made Kal such a complex, fascinating character--a mixture of inexperience, intelligence, curiousity, and determination. It's a joy to watch him bloom.
This *is* my happily ever after.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 153
Hack from Nowheresville
|
|
Hack from Nowheresville
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 153 |
You weren't kidding about the cliff-hanger  Lois' letter was lovely, but heartbreaking. She described how she feels really well. I don't know why, but I got the feeling that somehow Kal will read it. I know he can't read earth writing but....I don't know. I know she could end up reading it to him. He is bound to find out the content one way or another. Maybe I'm wrong. It was beautiful anyway. I imagine how it would feel to agree to marry you and see your smile burst with happiness.
I guess no one has ever told you that your smile is spectacular ... it is Kal ... it never fails to warm me inside. Of course it would be so easy in some ways for Lois to say yes and make Kal so happy, but she knows it wouldn't be right for either of them. It has to be a proper acknowledged marriage or not at all. Kal at least can see this now too, much as he hates it, but Lois doesn't know yet. I love how she tells him how wonderful his smile is. It seems however powerful he is, Kal is insecure, probably because of his sheltered existence. Compliments are very important for his self-esteem, which has taken quite a knock with Lois' seeming rejection. I am sure he's going to read it! For so long, I thought I was hopelessly inept at the whole relationship thing. Only now do I realise that I was looking on the wrong planet!  Emma
"There's a fine line between brilliance and lunacy" - CK to LL(Madame Ex)
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 2,122 Likes: 1
Kerth
|
|
OP
Kerth
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 2,122 Likes: 1 |
You weren't kidding about the cliff-hanger but not so cos you're going to post part 16 v. soon right? Just doing it now - should be up in 30 mins.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 2,122 Likes: 1
Kerth
|
|
OP
Kerth
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 2,122 Likes: 1 |
I have almost no time ... so just some general replies. I'm glad you like Riz. You know, it never actually dawned on me how like Lois she is!! Tek and Ard - great eye for detail Vicki! Lois finds out more about Ard later in 16. Lois's letter to Kal - Emma - A heartfelt letter being written is only half the story ... surely it needs to be read so there can be completion. Coffee - Emma said This is a great example of the wonderful subtleties of your writing, the way some words translate but not quite, just like if we were trying to translate a word into another language by using a dictionary. The word we find may mean pretty much the same thing but sound a little odd to a person fluent in that tongue. Like the way one of their foodstuffs translates simply as 'vegetable' and the coffee (or almost-coffee) comes out as 'beverage.' Thank you, Iolanthe! What I sent Iolanthe regarding the coffee came back with questions that made me re-think it. Kal - I love your understanding about how confused Kal is, Sheila. His feelings are new and incredibly powerful and he's trying to find his way through it with very little to guide him. Happy Girl said ... You've made Kal such a complex, fascinating character--a mixture of inexperience, intelligence, curiousity, and determination. It's a joy to watch him bloom. Thank you.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 8,944 Likes: 28
Boards Chief Administrator Nobel Peace Prize Winner
|
|
Boards Chief Administrator Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 8,944 Likes: 28 |
Lois rapped on Jib’s door. When Jib opened it, Lois said, “Can you write, Jib?”
“Yes.”
“Would you come and do some writing for me, please?”
Jib’s hesitation was fleeting. “Yes.” Can’t help but wonder how many social norms Lois just violated. “And Ard?”
“Ard won’t come.” Don’t they like her? Or does Ard just not like them? Once in her room, Lois hauled the mattress from her bed platform and positioned it on the floor next to the bed. She put ten sheets of blank paper on the hard surface. When Jib and Mo appeared at her door, she directed them to kneel on the mattress and use the platform as a makeshift table for producing copies of her story. She really should get a table. And chairs. Chairs are always a good thing. Lois picked up her story about the lost girl and went to Ard’s room. She rapped on her door and the tall, blonde woman appeared moments later. “Can you read, Ard?” Lois asked.
“A little bit,” Ard said. /Cocks eyebrow/ At first Ard didn’t answer. Instead, her eyes darted around Lois’s face. “I can’t,” she said eventually.
What had Tek done to her? “Why not?” Lois asked gently.
“I lost my red pencil.” Something smells fishy here. And it’s not the meatball surprise. Again, Lois studied Ard - this time looking beyond her beauty – and perceived that the blonde woman had a childlike demeanour that went far deeper than her baby blue eyes and angelic fair hair. “When did you last see it?” Lois asked. Is it possible that Ard’s having some mental problems? And what does this mean for Tek? Ard’s response came as close to happiness as anything Lois had seen from a Kryptonian other than Kal. She didn’t smile, exactly ... not with her mouth, but her eyes seemed to fill with an understated gladness. Looks like Lois made a friend. And grudging amusement. Kal had collected an odd assortment of concubines – the beautiful, but still-stuck-in-childhood Ard, the two sisters rescued after the murder of the third sister and her ... an alien from another planet. Yeah, gathering up all the strays that have nowhere else to go. “Will there be another one?” Mo asked. “A different one?”
Was that interest? Willingness? Enthusiasm? “Yes,” Lois said decisively. “There will be another one. Will you write copies for me next time?”
“Yes.”
“Good.” Lois collected the sheets and handed them to Jib. “Thank you.” Kryptonian enthusiasm really is strange  The paper was out, the book was in the process of being completed; she had few options other than to return to Kal’s room and face him. Yeah, what could Lois do to stay busy, lest she had to turn to educating Kal. Kal was sitting on his bed, surrounded by files, folders and three tomes she recognised from the shelves in the chambers. “Ah ... Kal.” Looking for a loophole? The letter was sweet and I wonder if Kal is ever going to learn how to read Latin letters and rediscover this particular piece of paper. His fingers had not forgotten the feel of her ribs when he’d wrapped his arms around her.
But her gown had been between them. Yes. You’re almost there. There’s a reason why clothes are not stitched to the skin. And it’s not just because it would be kind of uncomfortable during the stitching-on. He had found nothing to prevent the Supreme Ruler from taking a second wife. Indeed, nothing to prevent him taking as many wives as he pleased. :p Um, it’s been a while, but did you ever mention if there have been two Supreme Rulers before the Event. And how did two sides that had nothing to do with each other develop so similar societies based on Feudalism that they could just blend them together into one long established form of government? Or did they write all these laws specially for New Krypton? This could explain why no one felt the need to insert things like only one wife for the Supreme Ruler. After all, one was a child, the next one was Nor  But how about a passage that just relates to marriage in general mentioning one wife? Would this have to be specifically highlighted to be applicable to the Supreme Ruler, too? Legally, he could marry Lois without banishing Za. See? Compromise. Oh, and this reminds me of a Star Trek Episode. There was a bunch of surviving settlers, I think 1000 or so, and the doc concluded that they would need to each have at least three kids with three different partners for three generations to ensure genetic diversity. He lingered. She guessed he was waiting for another book to take to his children.
He wouldn’t be getting it! Ouch. Yeah, Tek’s not shagging up with Ard. And he’s confused. But he doesn’t know why. “Where do you live, Tek?” Lois asked coldly. Unfortunately, she doubted he would discern the censure in her manner.
“House number fourteen.”
“I’m taking the new book to your children,” Lois informed him in a tone that left no room for argument.
Tek leant over her desk and picked up the pencil. On a blank sheet, he wrote a figure – it looked like an ‘x’ enclosed in a box. “That is the number fourteen,” Tek told her. “Turn left when you leave the gates and look for this number on the door. It is the ninth house on the right.”
Lois was a little shocked at Tek’s sudden verboseness. Yeah, me, too. But it was funny. And after the rest of this part and the previous comments here, I got the impression that maybe his wife gave him explicit directions how to handle such an event Who knew how Ard would respond to physical touch? Everything considered, that’s probably a good choice. Lois stopped, closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.
Coffee. I did not expect this. On the other hand, if they are genetically compatible, why wouldn’t they have stuff that tastes similar and has the same effect on the body. “That word doesn’t translate,” Riz said. “But what you can smell is beverage.”
“Beverage?” Lois questioned.
“Would you like some?” Riz offered.
“Oh, yes.” Lois was a little embarrassed to realise she was practically frothing at the mouth and only just controlling her inclination to push past Riz and storm into the house to ferret out the coffee.  Michael
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,384
Top Banana
|
|
Top Banana
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,384 |
I've been passing the time by going back and re-reading the story (over and over again), waiting for you to return to your regular posting schedule (yes, we *do* expect you to return to your previous every-other-day schedule when you get back!) I have a point of clarification: Dom looked to her mother and then hesitantly took the book from Lois. She stood there, her dark eyes wide. “Read?” she said.
“You must not bother our visitor,” Riz said.
“Would you like me to read it to you?” Lois asked the little girl.
“Yes.”
Lois looked up to Riz. “Do you mind if I read this story to your children?” It is not specifically stated, but understood that the kids and Riz are speaking Kryptonian here, right? Riz is translating what the kids say to Lois and vice versa?
"Hold on, my friends, to the Constitution and to the Republic for which it stands. Miracles do not cluster and what has happened once in 6,000 years, may not happen again. Hold on to the Constitution" - Daniel Webster
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 127
Hack from Nowheresville
|
|
Hack from Nowheresville
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 127 |
Yes, I wondered about this also. In a previous chapter, Kal stated that only adults have translators. Children do not.
Perry: (To Lois) Honey, this could be greatest story since Superman came to town. By-the-by, where is that husband of yours?
--Faster Than a Speeding Vixon
|
|
|
|
