As always, all feedback welcomed. :-)

Joy,
Lynn

Awesome. I would love to hear LL's reaction to this. I can see her going ballistic.

Thanks, L! I would guess that Lois would point out that, for all they knew, Superman was *not* a "mere mortal," and that, given his ability to levitate, he might well not even put his tights on one leg at a time. (And that's assuming that they even come off in the first place!) And, of course, just because most people can't handle having fans, that doesn't mean that *Superman* couldn't.

I'm sure she would attribute "C. Jerome Kent's" (whom she may or may not realize is Clark -- I don't think she knows his middle name at this point) attitude to sour grapes.

And I suspect that she would have a healthy (or, perhaps, unhealthy) dose of denial that her own mooning would fall into the category of "fawning."

In any event, I doubt that her behaviour toward Superman would change in any way as a result of the letter, despite what Clark might have hoped when he wrote it.

Joy,
Lynn

I was just going to say how much I enjoyed this, but seeing the above tidbit about Lois's reaction just makes me want more.

This was so clever, Lynn!! Would definitely love to see a reaction from Lois!

Oh, that was good! Loved every word, and never a truer word written. As other posters have pointed out, this could really lead somewhere... a response from Lois for starters. Oh heck, why not just write a whole lengthy story and use that as the starting point... I'd look forward to it.

Well done.

Cheers
Elizabeth

Cute, a delightful read. I do think Clark would have signed it using one of his pseudonyms but then it wouldn't have been as funny.

For a sequel you could show Lois Lane emoting about it to Clark. Assuming in their verse Clark used a pseudonym.

Mary, Mozartmaid and Elizabeth, thanks! I am definitely open to the possibility of writing a sequel. Unfortunately, I am at my muse's mercy. I would guess that more experienced and talented writers than I might be able to decide to write about a particular idea and come up with something good. I, alas, am unable to do so. But if my muse cooperates, I'll gladly write such a story.

Patrick, I had actually debated with myself whether to have Clark sign it with a less transparent name. I finally decided that, in the interest of realism, I would settle for "C. Jerome Kent." The few times I have ever written letters to the editor, they have always verified that I did, in fact, write them, and they required that my real name be used in publication. (I know they make exceptions in very rare instances -- for example, if a letter writer mentions having been a victim of a rape and wishes to remain anonymous for publication. But I doubt that they would make an exception in Clark's case.) I can understand why the newspapers would do this -- If person A writes a letter in person B's name, and the paper publishes the letter, it is leaving itself wide open for a lawsuit.

I figured that "C. Jerome Kent" was the best Clark would be able to do with disguising his name and still be able to get the letter published.

Joy,
Lynn

Cute concept.

The kicker to that story was the signature at the end of the letter. I laughed out loud.

Fantastically true to character and LOL funny...thank you thank you thank you

Hahaha, I loved that line

This was really cleverly written, with the kicker being the author of the letter. lol, I enjoyed this!

Really cute!

Wow! I am astonished and delighted at the amount of positive feedback this piece has received. Thank you!!!

Laura and DW, thanks for taking the time to leave feedback. I'm glad you liked the piece.

Iolanthe and LadyMoira, I wasn't sure whether the letter's author would come as a surprise or not. I had hoped that it might be a fun little twist at the end. I'm glad that it worked for you both.

Katie, thanks. I thought it would be nice to see Clark a little more proactive in his response to the public. Pretty much all he did in canon was whine about it to his parents. I'm glad the letter came across to you as still being in character.

I do have the germ of an idea that I hope will grow to be a sequel.

Joy,
Lynn

Oh, neat idea! I think you should keep the signature at the end as opposed to a pen name; it emphasizes the "twist" to have the author be obvious. (And since it's written only six months or so after Superman has appeared, it's not likely anyone in Metropolis would realize it was written by Clark.)

I don't know that it needs a sequel -- as much as I, too, found myself grinning over Lois's potential response, continuing might take away the impact of the one-shot. But I guess it depends on what you come up with and how it flows.

Nice job.

Kathy

Hilarious little tale! Loved it I kept wondering if it might be Clark.

Yes, indeed. But I would expect Lois going ballistic over her *very* junior partner for being so presumptuous, small-minded, jealous, and not to forget, mean-spirited that he would try to rob Superman of his accolades

Michael

Me too

For me it was, as I was reading I had no idea who could be writing, for a moment I considered Mayson, but then thought she would have added some "dangerous vigilante" comment.

VERY good vignette. I laughed at the signature, and I chuckled when the letter talked about such adulation going to Superman's head. And a hundred grand for a cape? With bullet holes in it? Priceless! (The item in the story, not the cape itself, you understand.) This was so very typical of Clark.

And whether or not you develop a response from L. J. Lane, this is a quality story. I know that you'll get e-mail about it for quite some time when it goes to the archive.

More feedback? Wow! Thank you! I am amazed and *very* appreciative.

Kathy, thank you for presenting the other side on the signature and sequel matters. I do have the start of a sequel idea, but unless, when I flesh it out, I consider it to be one of my better stories, I won't post it. I am very aware that the trend for sequels is for them not to be as good as the original, and I don't want that to happen here.

Michael,I can certainly see Lois acting in the way you described.

Tasadi, I am honoured that you chose to provide me feedback as one of your first posts here. Welcome! You'll find this to be a very friendly group.

Terry, your effusive praise nearly leaves me speechless. So I'll just say, "Thank you! You made my day!"

Joy,
Lynn

A very interesting one-shot ! I imagine Clark writing it, totally his style to temper the adulation of the people !

Hi Lynn,

When I stop by these days, I'm nearly always looking for one-shots. Yours are always a pleasure to find.

This was great - the sig at the end completely surprised me, although it was also completely in character.

I agree with your point above that this wouldn't change Lois' behavior at all. I see her response as more an argument with the author. And I can see her arguing it in person with Clark beforehand, even under the pretense of "look what's happening to our friend" - does she know Clark and Superman are friends yet? It's in this type of verbal debate I also imagine the wheels in her head turning and her asking, "You don't happen to... nah, Kent's a pretty common last name." Clark blushes or something and the secret is out. Which of course only fuels Lois' anger more.

A one-shot that can cause me to see this much of what comes after it has to be great! Thanks for putting a smile on my face this morning.

- Nancy

Hi Nancy,

Thank you for your day-brightening feedback. I'm thrilled that my story stayed with you long enough for you to have all of these thoughts about what might happen next.

I had been trying to come up with a sequel, but it just isn't gelling, and I don't think it will. So instead of writing it up as a story, I'll just lay out a plot summary of what I had had in mind, and if it strikes a chord with anyone, they are free to use it or adapt it as they see fit.

---begin plot summary---

Clark writes the letter and, while he is proofing it, is called away on Superman duty. Before he leaves, he turns off his monitor. This gesture attracts Lois' attention, since Clark doesn't usually shut it off. As soon as she thinks the coast is clear, she turns the monitor on and downloads the file onto a floppy disk; she reads the letter at leisure that evening. Although she reacts to the content of the letter (arguing with her computer monitor), she can't say anything to Clark about it, since she doesn't want him to know that she had been snooping on his computer.

At this point in the story -- before Clark submits the letter for possible publication -- the events from the episode 'The Man of Steel Bars' start taking place. Because public opinion has turned sour against Superman, Clark never does submit the letter. In fact, he deletes it from his computer.

This is where the plot loses its clarity in my mind. At some point during TMoSB, Lois would speak with Superman (perhaps when he is incarcerated) and, in an attempt to cheer him up, she would remind him of all the good he has done, and that some of it did not even require him to use his powers. In that context, she would bring up the fund-raising auctions. Superman would agree that "the proceeds will be put to commendable use" -- a phrase taken verbatim from the letter. He might use one or two other phrases from it, as well. (Keep in mind that Clark doesn't know that Lois has read the letter.)

Lois recognizes the phrase, remembers where it comes from, adds two and two, and comes up with the equation S=CK.It would probably take her a while for her to recall where she had heard that phrase, and she would go back to her floppy disk copy of Clark's letter to verify it. So the revelation would not occur during the above conversation. So now, she knows; and she knows that Clark doesn't know she knows. <Insert fun with L&C here>.

---end plot summary---

My problem with this story line is that the revelation serves as its climax. Other authors have written so many fantastic revelation stories that I don't want to write a revelation story unless I feel that I can put a really unique spin on it. And, to be completely candid, this story doesn't seem different enough to me to warrant my writing it. But, as I mentioned earlier, if anyone is inspired by this plot summary and wishes to run with it, they have my blessings.

Joy,
Lynn

Wonderful story, can't wait to see more.

James