In response to the challenge posted on the boards, “The Liar’s Bridge”
More specifically, DC's take on it:
All comments are welcome.

Well done! I have often wondered how and when Clark gets outed. The show was deliberately silent on the topic; all we knew for sure was that his secret identity was common knowledge by Tempus' time. But it seemed to me that neither he nor his descendants would willingly share the secret, for fear of endangering their loved ones.

Have you considered writing a sequel to this piece? I'd love to see the popular reaction to and the fallout from the announcement.

Joy,
Lynn

Love it, Val! Nice take on his eventual outing

I kind of like that he was "forcibly" outed, but by circumstance and not by a person. That way the ultimate decision was still up to him and Lois.

Oh yay! So glad someone picked up the story idea! (I've been trying to force my muse to come up with a story for it all day.)

Poor Clark! But it's a good way to be outed - making it still his decision in the long run. We know something or someone eventually outed him since it's common knowledge in Tempus' future world. This is a fun take on how that came to pass.

Great, fun little story! I second the "part 2" request!

Wow!!

I love this. Never would have even thought of Superman being the one to cross the bridge. That way amplifies the effect from just Lois catching out Clark.

I also really appreciated the timing of this. That you put it years down the road, and that he's accomplished so much good as Superman already. Eight years is a long time to be Superman, even if it doesn't feel quite long enough. Having him come clean in this case is not only the best decision but a poetic one. Especially since we've had eighty years of Superman in real life.

(Also, kudos on the line about telling the Lanes. no surprises in babysitting that made me smile.)

Overall, very well done! Love the ideas that sprung out of this challenge!

That was absolutely amazing.

Poor Clark... who would have thought that something simple like a rescue on a bridge could have such an effect. There is always a grain of truth in every legend.

Oh and I also second that idea of a sequel.

Add me to the crowd chanting for a sequel!

All actions have consequences and I think both Clark and Lois are aware of this. The first thing he does in outing stories is rush to protect his parents. I don't see how he can believe that living with the death of a family member, friend or a colleague is preferable to maintaining a secret identity. As Superman he has enemies with vast resources at their disposal who will stop at nothing to get to him through people close to him. What if they kill a member of the Lane family, people who should never have been put on the radar as linked that closely to Superman? The guilt as the bodies pile up would be worse than keeping a secret. I think both Clark and Lois would see and consider the long term. In the New 52 comics his enemies were prepared to level the entire neighborhood he lived in to get to Superman.
The guilt over one friend dying would be much worse than what he was feeling before.

Hey RJS,

Thanks for commenting. The idea behind this fic was that this would be the start of Utopia. The enemies of Superman would be non-existent and few at this point. This takes place seventy-six years after cannon so both his parents and his in-laws would have passed at this point. His children would have picked up the cape and taken on Superman duties.

As H.G. Wells said, "Utopia was founded by Superman's descendants."

Now, if the world was still a world of dystopia then I agree he wouldn't reveal his identity to the world but I'd like to think that after eighty years Superman would have made a difference for the better to help make the world somewhere where he can say "This is me" without any push back.


Hey, Lynn, glad you enjoyed this one. Yeah, I thought this would be a perfect opportunity for Clark and Lois and their children to make a decision to take the cape and tights off and reveal who Superman is. Eighty years is a long time to be doing a lot of good.


Thanks, Feli! Glad you like the surprise reveal.


Yeah, it was definitely fun to play with that concept a little and find a way to have Clark come up with a decision that he could live with.


Sorry about your muse, DC! **Sends over-active muse to Vicki**
Glad you liked my take on the birth of Utopia.


Hey Mouse! Glad you enjoyed the fic. Yeah, we can't have any floating babies in babysitting. That might set off red flags. Glad you liked the twist and reveal.


Hey Kathryn84, thanks for posting the challenge. It was a lot of fun to try and worm Clark out of his latest debacle and make a birth of Utopia fic at the same time.


LOL!

Okay, yes, I guess I do need to make a sequel, don't I?

So many questions are left for the reader to guess. Okay, I'll do it.

Oh, yes, please! There are so many answers left dangling in your wonderful story that I'd love to read a sequel.
This was a great way to introduce Utopia.

Hi Valerie!

Although, much funnier back in May than it is now in September.

Oh boy, it collapsed sorta during a Superman outing? Oh boy. So, did he take stroll over it? Why didn’t he fly? And is the true cause of the collapse his dense body mass?

So, basically, words you would never hear from Superman: “Truth be told”.

Must be with hormonal teenagers:
CLARK: Where’re you going?
JON: Sleepover at Dave’s. His parents already said it’s okay, so no need to call them or anything. Cool?

Oh boy, and it’s not with a LL byline. Someone’s in biiiig dodo

Cute one. Sounds like the world is well on it’s way towards Tempus’s Utopia.
TEMPUS:

Michael