Story

So... what do you think?

Eeeeeeee!!! I love it! You did a better job than I did in creating tension, since you pointed out the concern of changing too much in the past, and the issue of having to get even a simple phonecall past the parents. Also, kudos for having a much stronger sense of "when" and "how" without getting too bogged down by it. Excellence!

One nitpick, though: when you're posting, or editing a post, there's a little array of icons near the bottom of the screen. Selected the blue arrow icon generally makes it easier to spot fanfic posts as distinguished from general chatter. That is my only complaint; please write more!

This totally feels like a real episode, and a real problem that they'd run into!

This really stabilizes us in her past!

I feel like this is how we allllllll feel at this part of the story! I love the way you navigated it.

“Yeah. We’re uh… we’re pen pals. Yeah, they did this pen pal program at school and we got paired up.”
“Oh, really?” Martha sounded skeptical.
“Really. Um… can I talk to her? Please?”
This is so delightfully in character - its an adult lying, but it's Superman, so still not lying well. And Martha is just going to roll with it but knows something is off.

I'm actually really curious to see how long it takes Wells, myself. Will the other challenge responses you mentioned go further in this timeline/universe?

Thank you for giving them a contingency plan! The tension is being held really well in this chapter, but this is reassuring to read!



I'd love to see more of this one! If this is a one-shot, though, it's a great snapshot of this dilemma!

There's an antisocial part of me that really loves stories like this. This would be a nightmare. Angst galore! "What did I do?" "This was 20 years ago, how am I supposed to remember?" "I can't let that happen again, but what will I change if I fix it?"

It'd be immediately worse for Lois but Clark would have issues too before long. With his memory he would have to fight the temptation to call or to send letters that could divert disasters.

Queenofthecapes: I'm glad you like it. And thanks for reminding me about the arrow thing. I totally forgot.

JadedEvie: I'm not entirely sure I'm ever going to have Wells show back up, cause that would mean putting a bow on this story and actually choosing a place for everything to be resolved and I kind of like the idea of leaving it open to random one-shots of them at different ages, dealing with all the different problems that arise.

Also, I'm not sure Wells would even realize something is wrong. At the end of Soul Mates, he presses some buttons and they show back up at the Planet without him. He bases his knowledge of everything on whether or not Utopia disappears. So as long as Lois and Clark don't change anything so drastically as to prevent Utopia, he might never know he messed up.

Shallowford: yeah Lois is going to give up on trying to remember how she did things in the past pretty quick, and Clark will face his own dilemmas with this - but they will eventually see some consequences of little changes made over time. Angsty, yes but I'm going to try to keep it light-hearted for the most part.

Ooh, I love the idea that this could all just be one massive do-over for them! Yes there's potential for angst, but also for fixes and waffy moments once they embrace the potential of their new timeline!

“You sound different.”
“Well…um…I’m eleven.” 😂😭

That was hilarious yet heartbreaking.

I can’t wait for more, the next twenty or so years will be very interesting for them.

Oh, I hope we get to see more. Wonderful idea.

Hi Amanda!
Lois in her own past as a teenager?

Ooooh

/Marks checkbox

Fine. Ten, not fifteen…

Let’s hope Wells didn’t also get sent into his body of 1977. Actually, he probably went into Re-Wells of 1977.

She got quite the one-track mind, that one.

LOIS: Three years.

BTW, did you ever read MLT’s The Destruction of Utopia?

Let’s hope she won’t remember. Although, might explain her Superman fixation.

Will Martha recognize on a 77 phone that it’s not Lana?

Right. No caller id.

Uuuuuuummmm



So, happy now?

Yes, they like to write. They also have a fondness for the same… fountain pen and Lois is desperate to try it out herself.

I get a feeling that Clark will be attending Met-U this time around.

LOIS: I can get emancipated at age sixteen. Absentee father and slush mother. No problem. And transfer to Smallville high.
CLARK: sigh… Lucy.
LOIS: sigh… Lucy.
CLARK: College.
LOIS: College.

The End? Not fair!

Great fun! So, did you mean that your ficlet series will continue this story or just the general premise? Edit: /points at FDK thread/ I see.

Michael

No. It most definitely isn't! How can they not change anything? Twentysomethings in ten and eleven year-old bodies! Mr. and Mrs. Lane better be careful, otherwise Lois is going to tell them how she really feels!

Martha already knows something is odd. Jonathan is going to figure it out even faster.

Tell me this is not the end!

GAHHHH!!! Wow, yeah what Evie said about it seeming like a real episode. Great job on the tension and dialogue! But eeep!! They're stuck! 😭

Sara

P.S. I'm editing my reply to tag this for the FDK Scavenger Hunt Challenge!

So, quoted lines (which were gahhh bittersweet):


Gahhh!!