Welcome to the 2026 Kerth Quiz: Best Original/Supporting Character 
SPIFFY DISCLAIMER THINGY!: All the stories featured in this quiz qualify for the Best Original/Supporting Character story, but this quiz is not a stamp of recommendation for nomination. There are more fantastic stories which qualify for this category, but this quiz only covers 6 randomly chosen ones.
(Instructions are blatantly copied/linked from previous Kerth Quizzes.)CATEGORY: Keep in mind that this quiz highlights a specific category to help remind us of which stories had kisses, revelations, new characters, etc. They help when voting since sometimes categories (like kiss and waffy and even dramatic) can start to feel like they overlap, but they do all have specific distinctions! And you’ll want to nomination and vote based on what best matches each category!
- This quiz is Best Original/Support Character story: The show may be called Lois and Clark, but sometimes another character really steals the show. This award honors characters other than Lois or Clark whom an author has taken extra care to make shine. This includes any of the original supporting cast – good or evil – as well as new original or crossover characters. Characters are eligible whether they are the star of their own story or a supporting character in Lois and Clark’s story who captures the audience’s heart.
RECOMMENDATIONS: Don't forget that recommendations for other favorite eligible stories are *very* welcome and encouraged! So don't forget to add these in a section after your guesses!
QUIZ RULES: One point each for getting the story and author from the quote. Plus, shiny gold stars for those who recognize their own stories. Please don't forget to mention which number you're answering. Rule recap: Open hard drive and open boards (+AO3!), *don't* forget to snip out the excerpts in your replies, and don't forget the spoiler tag when you post in the replies thread.
The DEADLINE for entries for this quiz is SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2026, by 11:59 p.m (Eastern Time Zone), which is when the next quiz will be posted.
Here’s the full list of
Eligible Stories.
Here are the full quiz instructions:
Countdown to Kerth Quizzes Extended Instructions and Disclaimers.
Please post your answers
HERE.
Good luck!
Evie
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EXCERPT #1:It’s a warm sunny day and Mayson is taking her usual before-work walk in the hills outside of the city when suddenly she hears the leaves rustle up ahead and two men step boldly out of the woods and onto the path. It startles her and she feels like her heart jumps into her throat, but after the initial surprise she doesn’t think she has anything to worry about. Rather than continuing on the path ahead of her, though, they turn towards her and seem to be heading her way with a purpose- fixed gazes and heavy footfalls. Her heart begins to beat faster again even though she tells herself that she has nothing to worry about. Maybe they’ll just walk past her. They continue to get closer and closer to her, though, until it’s clear they have sinister intentions. She freezes in place and instead of running the other way, she calls out for Superman. For someone who hadn’t really thought much of Superman until recently, she sure trusts him enough to save her in this situation.
With a “whoosh” she is snatched up into the air. She finds herself in Superman’s arms, high in the sky, her whole body trembling.
“Are you okay?” Superman asks her with concern in his eyes. She’s cradled in his arms with one of her arms around the back of his neck and the other hand holding onto one of his arms. She trusts him not to drop her, but they’re so high in the air…
“Yeah,” she says, barely above a whisper. She’s still shaking and out of breath, but his warmth and kind demeanor are helping to calm her.
“Some guys just came out of the woods,” she takes a breath, “and I could just tell I was about to get abducted. Or worse.”
“Well, you’re safe now,” he says with a warm and comforting voice. She feels like she can finally breathe again when she looks into his kind eyes. They remind her a bit of Clark’s eyes and butterflies flutter in her stomach. It’s almost embarrassing how much she wishes she and Clark could be together in a deeper capacity than just lunch dates.
Superman’s voice brings her out of her thoughts of Clark.
“So, do you want me to take you home?” he asks.
“Yes, I’d appreciate it.”
“Okay, just let me know how to get there.”
When she lets go of his arm she realizes how tightly she had been gripping onto him. She points in the direction of her home. Instead of whooshing her back home in the same manner that he’d arrived and snatched her up when she had called, he hovers and flies at a comfortable speed. She’s caught up in the scenery below them, how they have a bird’s eye view of Metropolis and the surrounding suburbs.
The beauty of the city below keeps her attention away from the nervousness she’d previously felt being so high in the air.
“Superman?” She begins, taking her gaze away from the world below.
He looks at her with those warm brown eyes.
“Thanks for this. I know I haven’t always been very friendly to you, so I really appreciate it.”
“No problem,” Superman says. “You calling for me when you did was actually great timing.”
“How so?” she asks.
“Got me out of a frustrating situation,” he says simply.
“What kind of situation?” she asks in curiosity, She’d never really thought of Superman having problems. He’d always seemed so far out of reach she had never thought of him having to deal with everyday issues just like anyone else.
“Oh, I somehow got stuck as the mediator in a minor traffic violation. It was not very civil. There was a lot of shouting and my presence wasn’t helping at all. That on top of having to skip my morning coffee made for a less than ideal morning.”
“So, Superman has bad days just like the rest of us,” she says curiously, almost to herself.
EXCERPT #2:Jaxon glared menacingly as he lifted Lois in one hand and the new interloper in the other. Just then, a voice called from the doorway:
"Not so fast, Jaxon!"
Superman. Of course. An evil grin twisted across Jaxon's mouth as he tossed the other two aside. "Superman? I should have known. You can *die* in here, Fly Boy!" It would be just like his simulations: he would reduce Superman to a mewling, simpering shadow of a former hero and claim Lois's affections for himself! He advanced forward, already relishing the impending victory, only for his virtual kingdom to suddenly turn black. "What?!"
The words of Doom stretched out across the virtual horizon, causing Jaxon to drop to his knees with a despondent wail:
Please Insert Disk B.
EXCERPT #3:"Got a tip for you."
The gruff voice made Clark pause in his steps, and he turned back to see a newly familiar face.
"Bobby!" Clark said in a cheerful greeting.
Lois had introduced them a few weeks back when they were tearing their hair out looking for any lead or angle to scoop the Star. Now the snitch was leaning against the corner of a building adjacent to a dark alley just a few blocks from the Planet.
Bobby nodded into the darkness. "C'mon," he said, and started down the cracked asphalt without checking to see if Clark was following.
Clark looked down at the twin coffee cups in his hands, considering.
Coming back with cold coffee wouldn't gain him much.
Luckily, he had a handy solution for that.
He'd bought them to cover stepping out for a rescue, figuring that coffee might make some headway in mollifying Lois once she learned that she had missed both an encounter with her hero and a story about him.
And coming back with hot coffee and a hot new lead from one of her favorite sources might just keep him out of the doghouse entirely today.
He turned and followed Bobby down the dark alley, catching up with him about halfway down when Bobby stopped behind a dumpster.
"I don't do freebies," Bobby said bluntly.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Clark said helplessly. "I don't have anything on me." Lois had told him that Bobby only spilled secrets when he opened his mouth to put food in it, he remembered.
Bobby shook his head.
"I was gonna say I don't do freebies, but I'll consider this a one-time only pass since you're new in town."
"Well, gee, thanks. That's awfully nice of you."
"I'll take a coffee, though," he said, reaching for Clark's right hand.
"Sorry," Clark said, pulling it back. "This one's Lois'. But you can have mine." He offered the hot cup in his left.
Bobby took it with a raised eyebrow.
"How is your partner?"
"Lois? She's good. She's at the Planet."
"Huh," Bobby said after a sip, assessing the coffee with what looked like pleasant surprise. "I hear she's got a new boyfriend."
Clark tried not to grit his teeth.
"We don't talk about it much."
Bobby chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you wouldn't."
Clark felt heat rise to his cheeks at the implication. Did everybody know how he felt about Lois?
EXCERPT #4:Clark, dressed as Superman, stood in front of Dr. Klein, watching as the scientist paced around his small laboratory. He wished the good doctor would just hurry up and spit out whatever he had to say. It was late and after a busy weekend attending several major emergencies around the country, Clark just wanted to get home and spend the last few hours of the evening with his wife.
“Dr. Klein, whatever it is—” Clark started.
“I don’t have a lot of friends!” Klein burst out with, coming to a standstill in front of him. “I’ve spent my whole life dedicated to science! Carolyn is the only woman I’ve connected with in years! I can’t believe she said yes! I’m getting married, Superman!”
Clark’s eyebrows rose at this surprising news. “This is… great! I’m happy for you, Doc.” He gave the scientist a friendly pat on the shoulder.
“Yeah, thanks.” Klein smiled and ducked his head almost shyly. He turned away from Clark and began pacing the room once again.
“Was there something else?” Clark asked. He snuck a glance at the clock on the wall. 9PM. He sighed. He’d be lucky if Lois would still be awake if he didn’t get home soon. “Dr. Klein?” Clark reached a hand out and stopped him mid pace.
“Right! Sorry. It’s just…. well, I…have a favor to ask.”
Clark tried not to sound impatient. “What?”
“I was kind of hoping you might be my best man!” Klein blurted out. Off Clark’s stunned expression, he continued quickly. “I know it’s a bit out of nowhere! But you’re the closest friend I have in the city.”
Best man? Dr. Klien wanted Superman to be his best man? Clark cleared his throat. “Well… I’d love to, of course! It’s just, with me being Superman, I never know when I might get called away in an emergency. I don’t want to commit if I can’t follow through.”
Klein waved off his concern. “Oh, it’s fine. I was going to ask Clark Kent as a backup.” He reached for a bottle of liquor on his desk and poured it into a coffee mug.
Clark blinked, feeling a little thrown off. “Clark Kent? You guys are close, then?”
“Well, we’re not buddies like you and I are. I’ve never tested his semen, for example—that’s a thing I only do for best friends.” Dr. Klein raised his mug and took a swig.
Clark didn’t quite know how to respond to that, so he remained silent.
“So, will you do it?” Klein asked again, eyes still full of hope.
Clark mulled over the request for a moment. What choice did he have? Dr. Klein had just called him his best friend. It obviously meant a lot to him to have Superman stand up with him on his big day.
Clark plastered a grin on his face. “Well… of course I’ll do it.”
“Great!” Klein’s face lit up. He took another swig from his mug. “Oh, and one more thing. Carolyn has a favor to ask Lois Lane.”
EXCERPT #5:Lois smiled in the general direction of the crowd.
Clark brushed his hand across his cheek and then gestured to the boy next to Beau. “Ah… and this is Boston, Todd, Maddie and—”
The final one—a girl—broke from the table and lunged at Lois. “You’re Lois Lane?” she screeched.
Lois nodded.
The girl turned on Clark. “Why didn’t you tell me she was coming?”
Clark shrugged. Lois could tell he was trying not to smile.
The girl turned back to Lois, her floury hands clutching Lois’s upper arms. “I am your biggest fan,” she said excitedly. “I am going to be a detective, and I want to be just like you—chasing down the bad guys and solving cases and bringing the criminals to justice.”
“I’m a reporter,” Lois managed.
“You are a great investigator,” the girl gushed. “And I want to be just like you.”
She turned again on Clark and landed an almost wince-worthy thump to his arm. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me Ms Lane would be here tonight,” she said. “You know how much I admire her.” She scowled at him. “You could have told me.”
Clark tried to look penitent but failed spectacularly. “Lois Lane,” he said formally. “This is Vivienne de Wolde.”
Vivienne? Lois shot her husband a questioning look. Clark replied with a droll smile and a lazy wink.
He would probably never know exactly how close he’d come to being vigorously assailed by his wife.
Pushed back onto the table and thoroughly… extensively… kissed.
And that would just be the beginning.
Regardless of the spectators.
EXCERPT #6:Martha Kent watched her son twirl Lois around on the dance floor at Lana and Pete’s reception. She’d been watching them a lot since Clark had brought her home the night before.
They had been a serious couple for quite some time now – childhood sweethearts really. Martha smiled as she recalled the time she had caught them kissing on the couch when they were in middle school.
Lois was a good girl – smart too. She excelled in school despite her troubled home life. And she clearly adored Clark, just as he was so obviously devoted to her. But were they really ready to promise each other a future?
They were so young – but then, so were Lana and Pete. But Pete had proposed and they’d decided to get married as soon as possible whereas Clark was talking about waiting to get engaged until they were done with college and settled in careers. Yet he spoke as though their someday marriage was a sure thing – he even went so far as to claim he’d seen the future.
Martha shook her head at the fantastical notion of H.G. Wells’ time machine being real. She’d certainly love the chance to travel around through time, visiting great moments in history. But that was little more than a dream. Or was it? Both Clark and Lois seemed sure of what their future would bring. Had they really traveled though time?
Did it matter?
“So, what do you think?”
Martha wasn’t surprised to find her husband at her side where he wasn’t a moment ago. He handed her a glass of punch. “About what?” she asked.
Jonathan gestured with his own glass to the couple on the dance floor. “Those two. This crazy notion of theirs about knowing the future.”
Sometimes Martha wondered if the man could read her mind. Perhaps he could simply read her well after years of marriage. She returned her gaze to Lois and Clark and allowed herself to ponder them for a moment longer before answering. Lois stood on tiptoe a moment to say something in Clark’s ear over the loud music. He laughed out loud at whatever she said and she joined in.
“I think…” Marth replied slowly, a small smile playing on her lips at the sight. “that our son is never happier than he is with Lois Lane at his side. I don’t know if they’ve actually seen the future or not. The future will be whatever it will be. There is no sense in worrying about it. Right now, they are young and in love and happy.”
Jonathan chewed on her words for a moment and then nodded solemnly in agreement. “And what about Lois knowing his secret?” he asked quietly.
Martha watched as Clark spun Lois into a dip at the end of the song. Before the final note faded away, Lois pulled his head down into a kiss. Martha grinned and turned to her husband. “You know, I don’t think we have anything to worry about.”
Good luck, everyone!
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In order to help you find all things Kerth for this year, we’ve created a TOC for all the
🏆TOC for Kerth Awards 2026 Posts🏆.
The Kerth Committee
(KSaraSara, Michael, lovetvfan, and Evie)
