FDK: Newsworthy 21/25 - Lois & Clark Fanfic Message Boards

Not all doom and gloom anymore! Hope you all enjoy it nonetheless!

I love this section, because we really see your point of view as an author here.

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“Because I was mad at you,”

Well, there it is. That's as honest as she can be. At least she does have the decency to finally say the words "I'm sorry."

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“I’m sorry,” she says, finally. Lets the words out in his hearing, and hears once again just how little they mean. “I’m so sorry. I know you probably told yourself that there was a good reason I did it, that Trask must have threatened me or that I had some grand plan.” There are tears streaming down her face; she wonders if they are glowing as radioactively green as the pieces of his homeworld. “But there was nothing redemptive, Clark, nothing to excuse me or justify what I did. And I know you wanted there to be--you had to tell yourself there was in order to let me back into your life, I’m sure--but the truth is that I was just…I was just mad and hurt and disappointed.”

This is the story. People may not like it, but that's what it is. Lois did something bad and selfish. She had reasons, but that doesn't justify what she did, and saying "sorry" doesn't actually help. But there was something redemptive about her journey through the story, that she has come to a place where she understands the impact she has had on him, and has chosen to do the best thing she can for him - walk away.

I think this was a very brave choice for you to make as an author. You created a story with a premise you knew people wouldn't like. You remained true to the vision you've had for it since the beginning. I am impressed beyond words.

I want to know what happened on the roof!! Clark swept her up there without notice, and then swept her back to her desk (if I interpret it correctly) but we have no idea what went on up there. Did they speak? Did he kiss her? It clearly had some impact as she decided to resign. And it cannot be a coincidence that Superman is being proved to be separate to Clark on the same day.

Did he declare his love and beg her to come be with him, so she needed to hand in her resignation? Oh please let us know.

Ditto KatherineKent

.

Just what did happen on that roof? I've been trying to come up with various scenarios all afternoon

. Something...it had to be something. Clark--with 'this' going on between them--wouldn't have whisked her up there (and then, even put her back at her desk) for no reason.

Like KK stated, the roof event happened right before her resignation letter...and right before this suprise press confrence. With a 'Clark' and a 'Superman' ?

. Something is up...and I am dying to know what it is!

Does it have something to do with what Dr. Klein was working on? From what they were talking to James about? Is this a hologram? Has Superman's twin from 'Vatman' (aka--Barry--he will always be Barry from now on to me

) shown up? Alt Clark? What-oh-what is going on?

I'm glad that everything is out in the open between Lois and Clark. Clark knows--all of the lack of reasoning that Lois hurt him so badly. Lois finally got to delivery that information to him. It's gotta be a relief to have that off her chest...even while knowing how much Clark has been hurt in this story.

Personally, I have to tell you--echo Groobie--that I am even more of a fan of you (and your writing) for choosing this reason for Lois to have done what she has done. It's so much more real, makes so much more of an impact, when you know that Lois did this--basically--out of anger. She was mad. Hurt. Beytrayed. She acted. The definition of 'impulsive'. That water level definitely was NOT checked

. She selfishly did what she did to make herself feel better.

Yeah...it would have been easier to swallow if Trask was involved somehow. Some grander thing than herself making Lois act meanly.

But this is so much more real life. People do things, meanly, to each other. People hurt people. People act in their own best interests. An eye for an eye. Personal redemption. Not that I'm saying any of this is good--it's pretty sad, actually--but it's reality. And you showed that here.

Wonderful job--can NOT wait to hear what Superman says!
Laura

Wait...What? Superman swoops Lois to the roof and back -- what happens while they are on the roof? Why did he do that?

And again: Wait...What? Since both Clark and Superman are standing on the podium (as opposed to Superman flying overhead), I am guessing that Clark is not a hologram, but is the fruition of whatever plan Jimmy was hatching with his Metropolis brain trust. They surely wouldn't have cloned Clark just for this purpose, so I'm stymied. An android, maybe? That's the best guess I can come up with.

In any event, this part definitely ended on a more hopeful note than last one; thank you!

Joy,
Lynn

Another cliffy! Who is that man on stage with James: Superman or Clark? Which one is the real man from Krypton?

Add me to the group wondering what happened on the roof! I'm not so optimistic as my fellow readers. My first guess was that it wasn't Clark but Vatman come to kidnap Lois. Silly me! From my understanding nothing happened on the roof. No kiss. No conversation. Nothing, and then Superman returned Lois to her desk as if he had never been there.

I figured that Lois decided to give up working for the Daily Planet right after that because a) she wasn't doing more than fluff work there anyway, and b) Clark could still easily swoop in to see her. She would never be able to wallow in misery for being such a horrible person in peace if he could do that! If she quit, then it only proved what a failure of a person she was not only in her personal life but also in her professional life.

So, what's going on with Clark? After all that happened to his folks, James, and Lois, how is still able to hold his head up and see a positive future? I know he's the vessel in which hope resides (and Lois is Pandora), but still... what's up his sleeve? Did he know about this press conference before he meets up with Lois?

I'm glad to hear that James is okay (or well enough to fake being okay). I'm not surprised that Perry knows everything. That man has spies everywhere!

He seems a little more together than he was when Lois left originally. I hope he's stopped drinking to Clark everyday.

Sigh. Another week for another taste of your wonderful chocolate torte. This is the strictest diet I've been on in many a year! And there's no way to cheat!

Superman as Agent Scardino? That's one way of getting even, I guess. Break into Lois' apartment, leave unwanted gifts and the window wide open, then stalk her and kidnap her in a way that causes her emotional turmoil- as if she needed more- without a word of explanation?! He may have been happy as can be to find a solution to his problem, but to impose it on her without warning?
They've switched places.
I'm missing the romance, right?

Glad I'm not the only one who's desperate to know what happened on the roof.

I didn't mention it - because it's pretty much a given - but I'm also confused/concerned/excited about the press conference.

If there is such clear evidence that Superman and Clark are two different people, then why not show it immediately after Lois' article? Plus, Superman was seen clearly distraught over Clark's parents when they were injured in the earthquake. How are Superman's reactions to that going to be explained?

The only way I would believe (as a member of the Metropolis public) that they were two different people now - because it was not proved immediately after the article - was if one or the other of them had been utterly unavailable for the whole period of time, and so they couldn't be brought out and shown as standing next to each other. But Superman has not been missing - he's been out doing rescues constantly since the article. We know this, because it is constantly reported that Superman doesn't speak anymore. So ... has Clark been missing, instead? Are they going to say that Clark ran off and nobody could find him till now, to bring him out and show the world that he is not Superman?

I need to know!!!

I for one am delighted to see this chapter is not all doom and gloom.

Add me to those extremely curious to know exactly what happened on the roof. Wondering if the explanation could be as simple as Lois not able to follow what Clark was saying due to her own thoughts or perhaps being in shock from being whisked to the roof.

Lois finally confessing her motive was enlightening. In this case her impulsive nature has caused significant pain and suffering to herself and others. This story has come full circle, with Lois starting out to rescue Clark and now needing emotional rescue by him.

Another cliffhanger! I like this one, probably because it's different, not (so far at least) involving anyone in peril immediately. Finding out who exactly is on that stage and their explanations will be interesting. Only 6 days to go... and counting.

Oh, one more thing.

(Sorry, making up for not commenting much - if at all, before, I HAVE been reading)

What happens to Lois' reputation as an investigative journalist when it's 'proved' that her story was false? (I think we are all presuming that it will be and that Clark will become separate to Superman in the eyes of the world.) Her credibility will be shot. Will she be accused of making it up, or of being duped, or of not bothering to get proof before publishing? I know she's only been on small stories recently, but that's still not the same as having your reputation trashed.

All these questions. ARGH. I need the next chapter.

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“Don’t worry. I’ll visit a doctor in Metropolis."

Bernie?

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And Clark appears in front of her. He is dressed inconspicuously, and he isn’t wearing the glasses, and the hallway is nearly empty, which means they’ll have a brief moment before he will be recognized.

My heart is already hurting...

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“I’m not going to do this again.” She looks past him, over his shoulder, to that shaft of light that is her exit, like the light at the end of the tunnel, signifying the end of her life and the beginning of forever. “Trask only found you because of me.”

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“Because I was mad at you,” she says. “I was humiliated that you had lied and I had fallen for it hook, line, and sinker. I was so embarrassed at the radically different ways I treated your separate identities. I was so furious that I had just been starting to trust you--to like you--and then to find out you had tricked me… I was mad, and that’s the reason, Clark. The only reason.”

....

“I’m sorry,” she says, finally.

And THERE it is! Finally, Lois!

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Clarks stands in that shaft of brilliant light, untouched by the shadow her body casts; he is a dark silhouette edged in gold, impassive and unbroken. His back is still to her. He does not turn. He does not watch her leave. He does not look for things that might have been. He stands as straight and tall as he did at the edge of that pond in Smallville, while green poison writhed at his feet; strong and self-sufficient and surviving (away from her; apart from her), and for the very first time, Lois begins to believe that maybe he can actually survive this. Maybe he will be all right.

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When Perry sees her, he falls still.

Of course she'd go to him. He's family.

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“Trask was trying to frame Superman,” Perry explains. “He thought he could be some kind of martyr to the cause. They’re still analyzing the remains, but apparently he had some kind of self-destruct device that mimicked Superman’s heat-vision. His men got away from the blast--until Superman caught up with them a few days later--but Trask made a couple statements about how Superman was threatening him, and then he blew himself up. It was on every channel, really gruesome stuff, and I guess some people would have bought into it--if Superman hadn’t gone back to that building Trask was keeping you at, and released the security footage from that to the media too. The testimony of the Bureau 39 men he captured later revealed more of it, and the depths of Trask’s paranoid delusions.”

<shakes head>

Sicko.

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Atop the bag, perched incongruously, is the black and white bear from Smallville.

Clark was here.

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To keep Clark safe by staying far, far away.

At this point, even basic contentment is tragically far outside her reach.

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Puff pieces, as she once called them.

Still letting Clark into her heart...

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A resignation letter.

I'm seriously worried that Lois is going to become suicidal...

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And beside James, as if he belongs there, as if it is not impossible for him to be standing, glasses and all, on the same podium as Superman, is Clark Kent. His tie does not match his shirt, his jacket does not fit, and he is the most beautiful (the most astonishing) thing Lois has ever seen.

And then, right there in front of the world, Superman speaks.

Okay, I'm sitting here crying happy tears. Is this SuperClone? A laser-image, like Martha did in canon?

You CANNOT leave us hanging here. It's just cruel! I need to know more. I need to see Clark's resurrection. I need to see Lois becoming unbroken. I NEED MORE!!!!!!!!

Awesome, just awesome. I can't wait for the weekend!

As much as I hate for Lois to leave Clark, I understand her motivation. You use the flashback technique so well, letting us know more about Lois and what lead her to write the article in the first place.

With Lois resigned to her decision, I could almost see you ending the story on this note. But it looks like you have something better for us!

I'm sure we'll be learning about the rooftop encounter in the next chatpers.

Can I tell you when I read that Superman and Clark Kent were at the press conference, my first thought was Alt-Superman? I'm excited to see where you'll take this.

Joan

It's been a week. Can we have a new part, please?

I agree! I've been stalking the board for three days looking for the new chapter!

Please!
Laura

Me too! Waiting to see what Superman has to say. Please?

I emailed her to beg for more.

Awesome, DC

Laura

Thanks DC!

I hope the delay isn't because anything serious is happening with you. I hope you and your family are healthy and that you aren't going through any sort of difficulties. If you are, then take the time you need to tend to your situation; we can wait -- RL needs to come first. But if all is well, count me in the chorus eagerly awaiting the drop of the next part.

Joy,
Lynn

Inquiring minds want to know "What happened on the rooftop? [Linked Image]

Eagerly waiting the next installment. Could you ask Clark to send it faster than a speeding bullet?

Supes Fan

All right, shamefully late in replying to these, but here I am anyway!

Thanks, groobie! I appreciate your support through the story to make sure I didn't second-guess myself too much! I wanted this to be a story about true forgiveness -- not justification or misunderstandings -- but redemption. We all make terrible mistakes at least once or twice in our lives, and Superman being the beacon of hope, I wanted to explore how he could show us the hope of someday making it past our own mistakes. And yes, Lois finally says sorry -- though I think she's been saying it in various ways for most of the story!

So glad you're enjoying, KatharineKent! Lois was thinking of resigning even before her conversation with Clark, but facing what she'd done -- what her article had done -- finally decided her. The conversation on the rooftop was a very important moment, and I'm so relieved that the suspense of it worked so well. This story is so much abstract introspection, and the exciting, suspenseful bits ARE a conversation and a decision made by a character; I was really worried it would bore people, so it makes me beyond excited to hear that the tension comes through for the readers!

Thanks, LMA! I'm taking it as an incredible compliment that my fanfiction story about Superman is 'realistic.'

Seriously, though, I'm delighted that you understand the truth of the situation. Life wouldn't be fun to live if there were no forgiveness at all -- I say this because I'm usually the one who needs the forgiveness!

Thanks for remembering that James had a 'brain trust' (great title!) devoted to bringing back the identity of Clark Kent! It was only mentioned once, and a while ago, so I was worried people would have forgot about it! Hope will, hopefully, start becoming more predominant; not many chapters left after all.

Wow, Virginia! You have a lot of faith in me if you think I can work in a Vatman story this close to the end!

Clark is human too (in a manner of speaking), and as you pointed out, he does need more to make him take a chance again. So sorry about the diet, but I hope it's worth it in the end!

I love your comment about coming full circle, cuidadora! Lois does need rescuing almost as much as Clark now; it's been hard work getting them to this point, but I've enjoyed it! Yes, those pesky cliff-hangers -- I just can't avoid them!

To me, the fact that Lois still letting Clark into her heart, DC, is one of the best things about this story -- she has no reason to think he'll ever forgive her or be willing to move on, but she still tries anyway, and that's her redeeming attribute here. She keeps trying -- so no suicide!!

And yeah, Trask just keeps getting worse, doesn't he?

It WAS hard seeing Lois leave after we'd gone through so much to get her and Clark together, scifiJoan, but it was a necessary step. They both needed to see what they had without the other. I COULDN'T leave the story off here -- though I put off writing it for a long time, because this seemed like the only option for a while. I hope you'll be as happy with the ending that eventually revealed itself as I was!

So sorry I was so late -- trying to balance some things out so I get a bit more time for writing and posting! Thanks for the wake-up email, DC! I can always count on you to remind me, in a truly friendly way, that I'm being horribly remiss in my online duties!

Glad you're enjoying, SupesFan!