From: "L-Soft list server at Indiana University (1.8d)" To: "ARTF@MemoryAlpha.nil" File: "LOISCLA-GENERAL-L LOG9905A" ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 1 May 1999 13:26:28 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Sarah Wood Subject: Re: Perry's sons MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 >> what do we know about Perry's sons? << One of his sons -- they never said which one -- invited Perry skiing for Christmas in Home Is Where The Hurt Is, but then Alice sort of invited herself to see her son, and Perry didn't see how he could go anymore, sin= ce he and Alice had separated. I don't know that the name of his other son h= as ever been mentioned, though. >> we don't know very much about Alice, either. << In one of the episodes Perry was talking with her on the phone. She apparently wanted him to stop by the video store on his way home and pick= up 'Tora Tora Tora' to watch. Perry said that she left him because he always put the Planet before thei= r marriage, and that she wanted to play first fiddle with someone. Sarah Wood sarahwood@compuserve.com http://www.geocities.com/hollywood/2501/ ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 1 May 1999 13:58:49 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: The Zoomway Subject: Re: Perry's sons MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 5/1/99 12:29:03 PM Central Daylight Time, SarahWood@COMPUSERVE.COM writes: << In one of the episodes Perry was talking with her on the phone. She apparently wanted him to stop by the video store on his way home and pick up 'Tora Tora Tora' to watch. >> Oh, and Alice "has spies everywhere" ;) She also *loves* the symphony and Perry *hates* the symphony. They went to Larry Smiley's retreat for Love and Depend....er...Commitment. >>>One of his sons -- they never said which one -- invited Perry skiing for Christmas in Home Is Where The Hurt Is, but then Alice sort of invited herself to see her son, and Perry didn't see how he could go anymore, since he and Alice had separated. I don't know that the name of his other son has ever been mentioned, though.<<< Yes, that's likely the son who isn't Jerry. Since Jerry got sprung from prison in 4th season and Perry was invited skiing 3rd season, that must be the "unnamed" son ;) The little boys in the photo in Mxymas are really writer Tim Minear and his brother. I don't know how old they are, but appear to be about 5 and 7. Jerry in LW looked to be in his mid twenties, maybe two or three years older than Jimmy. You asked about the comics, though there's a big difference there in that Perry and Lex are in the same age range, and it turned out that Jerry was really Lex's son from an affair Alice had. Perry didn't even know until Jerry was killed. Jerry was really bad in the comics, always in trouble and fought with Perry. I'd guess that was the closest Alice and Perry's marriage came to breaking up ;) Zoomway@aol.com ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 2 May 1999 10:53:31 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Irene D." Subject: Info request re: procedures/beliefs MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii I am looking for some information for a fanfic I am working on. First, in the case of death from unknown causes (with no foul play suspected), how long would the autopsy take and when would the body be released for burial? Second, in Jewish ritual, how soon must a body be buried after death? Is this a rigid rule for both Orthodox and Reform Judaism? Third, what is the general view as to an afterlife in Reform Judaism? I don't need the whole chapter and verse here, but a brief summary of commonly held beliefs would be very welcome. Thank you in advance for your help. Take care, Irene sirenegold@yahoo.com sirengold on IRC _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 2 May 1999 13:10:35 -0600 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: D Stark Subject: Re: re Combo post - the critique thread, etc In-Reply-To: <17458272.245afac7@aol.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 08:23 AM 04/30/1999 -0400, you wrote: [snip] >& also: <> Oh, yes. I'm a Dawning addict!! > >Carol Gosh, thanks! I feel a little guilty for working on something else lately... however, I think you all will like this something else :) I'm almost done with it and hope to start posting it in the coming week. Then I'll go back to Dawning with renewed vigor (I hope) :D Debby Debby@swcp.com who has been having a lot of real-life adventures in the past several months, thus I've been finding it hard to write sometimes. ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 2 May 1999 16:38:39 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Terry S. Horowit" Subject: Re: Info request re: procedures/beliefs In-Reply-To: <19990502175331.16251.rocketmail@web903.mail.yahoo.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >Second, in Jewish ritual, how soon must a body be buried after death? >Is this a rigid rule for both Orthodox and Reform Judaism? > >Third, what is the general view as to an afterlife in Reform Judaism? I'll take a stab at this. First, a body should be buried as quickly as possible, with a minimum of delay. If possible, as soon as the next day. As soon as possible after death, the body is ritually washed ('tahara') and dressed in a simple shroud or tallis, then placed in a plain (traditionally pine) coffin. The coffin is then guarded overnight by a rotating watch of volunteer guarders (or 'shomrim'), until the following morning when it is taken to the synagogue or chapel for the funeral service. After the service, the coffin is taken to the graveyard for the graveside service and burial. Traditionally, the pallbearers carry the coffin from the hearse to the graveside, with the mourners and rabbi or cantor following behind chanting traditional psalms ('tehilim'). After the coffin has been placed in the grave, each mourner traditionally puts a shovel-ful of earth over the coffin. In a very traditional service, they may continue until the grave has been pretty well filled. After the burial, the mourners go back to their home for the week-long mourning (or 'shiva'). I'm leaving out a lot of details here - the shiva process is a beautiful beginning to the healing process for the mourners; if you would like more detail, I'll be glad to provide it (I'm afraid I may already have told you more than you really wanted to know). As for what the rules are for Orthodox versus Reform, what I have said applies to traditional Orthodox and Conservative Jews. The rules for Reform Jews are never really rigid about anything, although the laws of mourning are probably more observed by Reform Jews than most other aspects of Judaism. Finally, there is no rigid view of an afterlife in Reform Judaism. It just isn't given much thought or consideration. Certainly the concepts of heaven or hell are generally not believed. In all walks of Judaism, what one does and how one behaves in THIS life and THIS world are the important considerations. ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 06:54:33 +1000 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Jenny Stosser Subject: Re: Info request re: procedures/beliefs In-Reply-To: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" I'll just add one point which Terry missed commenting on: The mourners tear or cut or have ripped for them, a part of their clothing at the gravesite. Often it's just the pocket off their shirt, or a cut is made in their necktie. Jen. At 04:38 PM 02/05/99 -0500, Terry S. Horowit wrote: >>Second, in Jewish ritual, how soon must a body be buried after death? >>Is this a rigid rule for both Orthodox and Reform Judaism? >> >>Third, what is the general view as to an afterlife in Reform Judaism? > > >I'll take a stab at this. First, a body should be buried as quickly as >possible, with a minimum of delay. If possible, as soon as the next day. >As soon as possible after death, the body is ritually washed ('tahara') and >dressed in a simple shroud or tallis, then placed in a plain (traditionally >pine) coffin. The coffin is then guarded overnight by a rotating watch of >volunteer guarders (or 'shomrim'), until the following morning when it is >taken to the synagogue or chapel for the funeral service. After the >service, the coffin is taken to the graveyard for the graveside service and >burial. Traditionally, the pallbearers carry the coffin from the hearse to >the graveside, with the mourners and rabbi or cantor following behind >chanting traditional psalms ('tehilim'). After the coffin has been placed >in the grave, each mourner traditionally puts a shovel-ful of earth over >the coffin. In a very traditional service, they may continue until the >grave has been pretty well filled. After the burial, the mourners go back >to their home for the week-long mourning (or 'shiva'). I'm leaving out a >lot of details here - the shiva process is a beautiful beginning to the >healing process for the mourners; if you would like more detail, I'll be >glad to provide it (I'm afraid I may already have told you more than you >really wanted to know). >As for what the rules are for Orthodox versus Reform, what I have said >applies to traditional Orthodox and Conservative Jews. The rules for >Reform Jews are never really rigid about anything, although the laws of >mourning are probably more observed by Reform Jews than most other aspects >of Judaism. >Finally, there is no rigid view of an afterlife in Reform Judaism. It just >isn't given much thought or consideration. Certainly the concepts of >heaven or hell are generally not believed. In all walks of Judaism, what >one does and how one behaves in THIS life and THIS world are the important >considerations. > > jenerator@ozemail.com.au -*-This message is umop ap!sdn (Jenerator or Some1Else on IRC) -*- JenerEight on AIM -*- ICQ: 11477318 Photos of David (6) and Megan (3) on the Stosser Family HomePage: http://geocities.com/Heartland/Estates/4583 Please sign our guestbook! ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 2 May 1999 15:19:19 PDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Rachel TenHaaf Subject: Re: re Combo post - the critique thread, etc Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; format=flowed; >Gosh, thanks! I feel a little guilty for working on something else >lately... however, I think you all will like this something else :) I'm >almost done with it and hope to start posting it in the coming week. Then >I'll go back to Dawning with renewed vigor (I hope) :D > >Debby >Debby@swcp.com >who has been having a lot of real-life >adventures in the past several months, >thus I've been finding it hard to >write sometimes. > You have something else almost done? How wonderful. I'm sure it'll be great, but I have to say that it's wonderful to hear that you're going to do more Dawning. I read numbers one through twenty two in about a fortnight and was aghast to discover that that was all there was :) I was just so into it... Rachel rae@usXchange.net yet another Dawning addict(big surprise ) _______________________________________________________________ Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 2 May 1999 19:38:39 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Peace Subject: Re: Combo post - the critique thread, etc MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Replying to Debby, Rachel wrote: >but I have to say that it's wonderful to hear that you're going to do more >Dawning. I read numbers one through twenty two in about a fortnight and was >aghast to discover that that was all there was :) I was just so into it... You sound like me when I first discovered Dawning Debby had just posted Dawning X to the archive (this was before this fanfic list existed) and I stayed up until past 6 in the morning several mornings in a row glued to my computer screen, reading 1-9. I actually didn't know about the archive at that point, so I probably heard about it through a comment on the nfic list, and I didn't yet know how to ftp, so Debby was sending me each section in several emails. Every morning as I finished the part I had I would just be desperate to get the next bit -- I don't know if Debby will remember this, but I sent her some pretty frantic emails "I've finished 4 would you please send me 5, please, pretty please RIGHT NOW!!!!!!" It was fortunate for me that I was working 2nd shift, but even so, staying up to 6 a.m. was a bit much! :D Around part 6 I discovered how to ftp, so I ran over to Debby's site and downloaded the rest -- as I remember, it was a weekend and I didn't go much of anywhere ;) Peace who is also very glad to hear that Dawning 23 is forthcoming, and looking forward to Debby's "something else" :) ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 06:02:54 PDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: looney tunes Subject: I Need Help Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; format=flowed; Hi FoLCs well I'm new at this newsletter, so bare with me. I'm a HUGE fan of lois and clark and i like them so much. I'm trying to make a website of lois and clark, and I need all the help I can get. Since most of you already own a website, I figured that you can give me some advise or ideas that I should include in that website. Thanks for your time. Yours, Taz ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 10:09:15 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nethra Ankam Subject: Congrats to the archive and authors! I just visited the archive and it's reached 1,000...1,005 in fact! Thanks to all the authors that have provided me with many hours of enjoyment, and thanks to the archive staff for making the archive a wonderful place to visit! Nethra who needed to do a little gushing ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 20:22:02 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Eileen Barnard Subject: Re: re Combo post - the critique thread, etc MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Debbie I too am completely hooked on Dawning and I can't wait to read the next episode as well as whatever else you are working on. Keep it up. Kind regards Eileen B eileen@barnard70.freeserve.co.uk ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 18:00:05 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Demona (Angel Of The Night)" Subject: Re: Congrats to the archive and authors! In-Reply-To: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 10:09 AM 03/05/1999 -0500, you wrote: >I just visited the archive and it's reached 1,000...1,005 in fact! Thanks >to all the authors that have provided me with many hours of enjoyment, and >thanks to the archive staff for making the archive a wonderful place to >visit! Thanks very much Nethra! ;) We were pretty excited to watch that counter turn ourselves! The fact that we're beginning to be noticed (by Entertainment Weekly, et al) means that we've managed become one of the largest organized fan fiction archives out there on the net! Needless to say "we're pretty proud of that" too. It's taken the blood, sweat and creative tears of HUNDREDS of FOLCs (writers, volunteer editors and web staff) to put together the treasure trove we've managed to end up with. Not to mention the support and encouragement of those of you who just love to read. ;) So I think all of FoLCdom has a lot to celebrate with our 1000th story! :) It *is* pretty cool, if I do say so, myself. (And we do a surprise coming up.. sort of a timely honor for our milestone, but I can't spoil it just yet! ) Best All* Demi __________________________________________________________ Demi/Demona Lois & Clark Fanfiction Archive Coordinator nightangel@home.com or demi22@aol.com WWW - http://lcfanfic.actwd.com/ FTP - ftp.lcfanfic.actwd.com MIRROR - http://www.win.net/~lcw/fanfic/index.html ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 18:58:29 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: No Name Available Subject: IASW MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi! I was wondering if any of you could help me out there? I am looking for the little rhyme that appeared on the ep where Clark takes that very *nice* shower. The rhyme appears on the shampoo bottle that Clark reads out loud to himself and the audience. The only problem is that my friend needs it today, because her friend needs it tommorow!!! Thanks in advance! Alexis ;-.) ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 18:59:43 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: No Name Available Subject: Chat MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi everyone! I thought I would post this again. May 2nd was supposed to be my SOSL&C chat, but as a result of misunderstandings and chaos due to the internet, it never happenend. :( So I am rescheduling my chat for next Sunday at May 9th, at 2pm pacific. But this time I am going to have the chat on IRC, in the #SOSL&C. If you would like to participate please send email to MsLoisette@aol.com I am taking a poll to see how many people can attend, since it is Mother's Day. If more people cannot attend then attend, then i will change the date. I also need to hear from you if you want to attend, because there will be a special keyword I need to send you in order to enter the IRC chat room. Thanks. Alexis ;-.) {SOSL&C leader} ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 19:01:34 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: The Zoomway Subject: The fanfic message board is working again Comments: cc: LOISCLA@vm.ege.edu.tr MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit The fanfic message board on my site has been fixed by Beth. There's a new folder up. Sorry it took so long, but something major was wrong. Demi tried to help fix it as well, and so I thank her too for her effort. Go to this page and select the link that says "current": http://www.actwd.com/zoomway/general/welcome_to_the_message_board_are.htm or go directly to the new folder: http://acreativetouch.simplenet.com/ff6/index.html The other "general" discussion folder/message board is still being worked on, so you'll have to wait a little longer on that one. Thanks for your patience. Zoomway@aol.com ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 19:23:48 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Lansbury 1 Subject: Writer's Showcase Comments: To: LOISCLA@vm.ege.edu.tr MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hello, There is a new Featured Writer in the Writer's Showcase. I hope you enjoy it. The URL is......... http://www.simplyorganized.simplenet.com/showcase.html Annie Lansbury ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 20:56:37 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Sandy McDermin Subject: OT: Taken Aback MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Dear Folcs: Re the below excerpt, do ya think this guy's been surfin' by my L&C fanfic page? Do ya think I should sue him? Do ya think he has any money? SPIELBERG 'TAKEN' WITH SCI-FI CHANNEL Think the Sci-Fi Channel sucks? Steven Spielberg would disagree. The acclaimed director, who professed to be a fan of the cable station in a statement, is set to produce a 20-hour miniseries with the channel about alien abductions called Taken. Production will begin this summer on the as yet cast $40 million venture, which Variety reports will spring from a treatment by Spielberg. According to that outline, Taken is based on the premise "that there are abductions, that they're real and not made up. This will be a big story with multiple characters, protagonists and antagonists, and it'll span lots of decades." The trade also tips that Taken will borrow from reports of alien landings in New Mexico circa 1947 among other sightings. The Sci-Fi Channel plans to air two-hour segments of Taken in the third quarter of 2000 on ten consecutive nights. No director is attached at this time. Where to find this: http://www.cinescape.com/ *********************************************************** Further OT: I've seen discussion of the proposed Superman movie, "Superman Lives" ad nauseum. And, frankly, considering how it was shaping up, I'm kind of glad it hasn't lifted off. Anyway, I was on a website which mentioned a movie I hadn't heard about. This may be news to some of you, so I thought I'd cut and paste. (Nice to see Supes has top billing.) SUPERMAN AND BATMAN: WORLD'S FINEST Genre: Comic Book Adaptation/Action. Studio: Warner Bros. Production Company: Unknown. Project Phase: Embryonic Script Stage. Who's In It: The director's choices for Batman is Mel Gibson; for Superman, Daniel Day Lewis. Who's Making It: Richard Donner (Director). Premise: It's unknown if Donner's proposal has advanced to the stage a story has been fleshed out in detail. It remains to be seen how much of the screenplay, if any, will be based on any of the World's Finest comic books. Release Date: Proposed for Summer 2000. Comments: The two biggest comic book heroes that Hollywood's ever made films for could star together in a World's Finest movie, if director Richard Donner convinces the head honchos at Warner Bros. it's a good idea. Rumors: Unknown. Scoop Feedback: January 31, 1999... Coming Attractions has the world exclusive on what might be Warner Bros. biggest movie in the year 2000 (and may give Fox's superhero entry, X-Men, a run for its box office) -- and it involves both of DC Comics biggest superheroes teaming up. Our source, who only agreed to speak to CA under the cover of anonymity, told us that Donner has put forward a preliminary proposal for a theatrical Superman and Batman: World's Finest movie, a joining of forces of the Dark Knight and Man of Steel. Apparently the rumors that Richard Donner wanted to direct Superman Lives were indeed true, but the WB brass believes that the reigns should be passed to up-and-coming directors who've generated some heat, like a Michael Bay (Armageddon) or a Brett Ratner (Rush Hour). Donner, the man who directed the first Superman and all four Lethal Weapon movies, apparently responded by putting together a concept proposal for a team-up between Batman and Superman and called it World's Finest. (DC Comics has already published team-ups of Supes and Bats before under the World's Finest title.) The proposal is on the desks of those at WB's upper echelon; Donner must convince the studio heads that his project has merit and could revitalize the two struggling franchises, as well as make one dandy of a movie. Our scooper told us WB may very well give Donner that nod. Their big event picture of the year, Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut was supposed to be out in 1998; now that it's set for release this summer, there's a genuine fear Fox's release of Lucas' Star Wars, Episode One: The Phantom Menace could blast all competition from the cineplexes this summer. As well, the studios haven't committed themselves to their summer 2000 rosters just yet and a number of them have high-profile superhero/comic book adaptations in the works, tentatively scheduled for summer of '00: Universal is considering making Dark Horse Comics' Hellboy, and TwenCen Fox has both The Fantastic Four and X-Men, the latter project already generating buzz amongst comic fans (interestingly enough, Richard Donner's wife, Lauren Shuler-Donner, is exec producing X-Men.) But what seperates the World's Finest proposal from the others is that the general public is already familiar with these heroes. Each of the Batman and Superman films have earned hundreds of millions of dollars both domestically and worldwide. Add to that Donner's excellent track record and experience directing action films that the public pay to see as well as two Oscar-winners in the title roles and the proposed team up could conceivably bring audiences in the millions into darkened theaters eighteen months from now. Has Donner already spoken to Gibson and Day Lewis? Our scooper couldn't find out. As for whether or not you should believe what our source has to say, we offer this: they've scooped us before and they've been correct. Their track records as well as their status convinced us that this scoop should be considered. Right now we can't prove any of it but that's not stopping to try and do so through official channels. Stay tuned for more breaking news as we learn of it. [Project announced by anonymous member(s) of Gotham City's city council. Or was it Metropolis?] February 1, 1999... Cinescape Insider got a hold of a representative at Donner/Shuler-Donner Productions today who told them that Richard Donner had not proposed a World's Finest project to Warner Bros. While we applaud Cinescape Insider for sticking to their journalistic crusade to get to the truth from official channels, we also want to say that we stand by our original scooper's claims. We can't say anything more and to be honest, we can't offer you proof that any such proposal does exist, at least at the moment. All we can offer you is the information we've been reported. Where to find this: http://www.corona.bc.ca/films/filmlistingsFramed.html ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 22:27:39 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Ann E. McBride" Subject: Re: Info request re: procedures/beliefs MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 5/2/99 1:55:18 PM Eastern Daylight Time, sirenegold@YAHOO.COM writes: << First, in the case of death from unknown causes (with no foul play suspected), how long would the autopsy take and when would the body be released for burial? >> Probably about 48 hours. Ann ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 23:05:53 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Juli E. Hale" Subject: Question about DP ownership MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Does anyone know who took ownership of the Daily Planet after Lex Luthor/Leslie Luckaby died in the explosion at the end of "Voice From the Past"? Just wondering, Juli ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 23:19:19 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pat Subject: Re: OT: Taken Aback MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sandy asked: >Re the below excerpt, do ya think this guy's been surfin' by my L&C >fanfic page? Do ya think I should sue him? Sandy, when I first heard about this series (last weekend) your wonderfully intriguing fanfic, Taken, immediately came to mind. Not only did this guy appropriate your title, he's using it in a similar context. I think you ought to sue the sequins (so to speak) off him! I'll testify on your behalf; I was a beta reader for your fanfic back in July of 1997. You'd already released Taken when he was still working on kiddy shows like Toonsylvania :p >Do ya think he has any >money? Awww, probably not; you know how these artistic types are. But I think you ought to sue him anyway, just on principle Pat peabody@mcs.com pattijean@aol.com ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 23:16:31 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Kathy Brown Subject: PROMO: S6, Ep 8, "Turn Around" Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" PROMO: Season 6, Episode 8, "Turn Around" Airing Sunday, May 9, 1999 ___________ ANNOUNCER: When a rash of emergencies for Superman turns Clark into an absentee father, Lois has to cover for him . . . ___________ Perry: "Lois! Where're you goin'? There's an airliner crash to cover." Lois, jabbing the elevator button: "Clark's already on it, Perry. I have to take Laura to a doctor's appointment." "So he didn't forget. A lotta good that did." ____________ ANNOUNCER: . . . and she feels abandoned. _____________ Lois: "But there are days--what am I saying? Weeks!--when it seems like one emergency after another, and when it goes on very long, I start feeling like a single parent. . . . Except sometimes I think it'd be easier if I was." _____________ ANNOUNCER: While she and Clark are trying to settle their domestic issues, Lex Luthor continues to cut off loose ends . . . ______________ O'Reilly: "One bullet in the back of the head, Boss, no fight, no theft or signs of forced entry. And I stripped the car we used and ditched it in Suicide Slum." Luthor: "Did you find the files he stole?" _____________ ANNOUNCER: . . . and begins to make plans for Superman. _____________ Lex took a long, slow drag on his cigar. If this worked, it would be the final defeat of that thorn-in-his-side, Superman. _____________ ANNOUNCER: But an old menace resurfaces, posing a threat that could destroy everything Lois and Clark have worked toward. _____________ Asabi: "Nick, this stone is powerful, even dangerous. Do not allow another person to touch it. Install it in your machine in the place of the ruby and try the experiment on your lab animals." "Do you understand? If you try to use the stone in any other way, it could destroy you." Nick: "Ohmigod." ______________ ANNOUNCER: This Sunday, join S6 for ... "Turn Around" by Sheila Harper Coming May 9 to a monitor near you! ______________ Clark: "I don't believe in that much coincidence." _______________ ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 23:18:55 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Mandy Crustner Subject: OT: Kinda. Need lyrics to a song Comments: To: Vinny@onelist.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit If anyone can help me, I'm looking for the lyrics to the new song by Sara Evans which features Vince Gill. I've got all but the last verse. If someone knows the lyrics, please email me privately, it would help me tremendously. Thanks so much in advance for your help :) Mandy ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 4 May 1999 00:28:27 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Sandy McDermin Subject: Re: OT: Taken Aback MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Pat wrote: > Awww, probably not; you know how these artistic types are. But I > think you ought to sue him anyway, just on principle You're right! And guess what? I didn't see this the first time, but I took a magnifying glass to it and look what I saw in the fine print, right at the end of the second paragraph: SPIELBERG 'TAKEN' WITH SCI-FI CHANNEL Production will begin this summer on the as yet cast $40 million venture, which Variety reports will spring from a treatment by Spielberg. According to that outline, Taken is based on the premise "that there are abductions, that they're real and not made up. This will be a big story with multiple characters, protagonists and antagonists, and it'll span lots of decades." The trade also tips that Taken will borrow from reports of alien landings in New Mexico circa 1947 among other sightings, as well as the Lois & Clark n-fic, "Taken," written by Sandy McDermin. See! There it is right there in black and white pixels! I'm deeply disturbed ... but that's beside the point. Sandy smcdermin@erols.com Read the real, the only, the original "Taken" (not that version you'll see by that Hollywood carpetbagger) right here: http://www.erols.com/nightsky/Sandy/ ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 4 May 1999 06:42:49 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: No Name Available Subject: Re: OT: Taken Aback<.g> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 99-05-03 20:57:41 EDT, smcdermin@EROLS.COM writes: << Taken is based on the premise "that there are abductions, that they're real and not made up. This will be a big story with multiple characters, protagonists and antagonists, and it'll span lots of decades." >> Unfortunately for you Sandy, you can't copyright titles (just look in a card catalog --oops I guess no one actually has those anymore--well any listing of books like Books in Print and you'll see multiple books with the same title) and I've had lawyers in both the U.K. and U.S. repeatedly tell me that you can't copyright ideas. Of course we all know the big Hollywood types win lawsuits like that all the time... Guess it just goes to show that "great minds think alike" . <> Ah, Debby should appreciate that. ;) --Laurie (the Ord one) ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 4 May 1999 09:18:42 -0600 Reply-To: erink@ida.net Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Erin Klingler Subject: Re: Kinda. Need lyrics to a song In-Reply-To: <02e001be95e5$3e911ee0$438f46cf@pavilion> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Mandy (and anyone else who might be interested), You can find pretty much any lyrics ever sung on the lyrics website: http://www.songfile.com/ (It's under construction, but the site should be completely up and running by the 5th, which is tomorrow). It used to be at http://www.lyrics.ch/search.html, but they've teamed up with songfile and moved the site. Hope this helps! Erin :) _________________ erink@ida.net ELK on IRC Visit my 1999 Official Kerth Awards Website! http://www.ida.net/users/davek ***** "The truth is, no one knows how long they've got. Anyway, it's not the years that count, it's the moments...right now, as they happen." _________________ >-----Original Message----- >From: Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic >[mailto:LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU]On Behalf Of Mandy >Crustner >Sent: Monday, May 03, 1999 10:19 PM >To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU >Subject: OT: Kinda. Need lyrics to a song > > >If anyone can help me, I'm looking for the lyrics to the new song by Sara >Evans which features Vince Gill. I've got all but the last verse. If >someone knows the lyrics, please email me privately, it would help me >tremendously. > >Thanks so much in advance for your help :) > >Mandy > ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 4 May 1999 16:43:22 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Wendy Richards Subject: Who says there's only one? In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII Here's a question. We know from the TV show that there is more than one 'universe'. Many of us who write fanfics have written other universes, either based on the alternate world of 'Tempus, Anyone?' or a different one altogether. The one thing, as far as I know, that no-one has considered so far is - - Is there more than one Tempus? The Tempus we meet in the show is, as far as we are told, from L&C's own world. He has dabbled in the Alt-Clark's world (and some of us have written him as dabbling in our other universes also). Surely it is possible, if not probable, that *each* of the alternate universes have their own Utopia, in which there is a Tempus, who may have the same desire to destroy Superman and Utopia? What sort of situation might that create? Of course, there ought therefore to be more than one HG Wells as well... It's something which occurred to me over the weekend while thinking about one of my current works-in-progress, which does involve a parallel Metropolis: why am I assuming that there is only one Tempus, the one from L&C's universe (and I have *no* intention of trying to explain it myself). But I suppose it might make an intriguing fanfic idea. Has anyone else any thoughts? Wendy ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 4 May 1999 13:34:48 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Organization: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jernigan/folc.html Subject: Re: Who says there's only one? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Wendy Richards speculated: > why am I assuming that there is only one Tempus, > the one from L&C's universe (and I have *no* intention of trying to > explain it myself). But I suppose it might make an intriguing fanfic > idea. Has anyone else any thoughts? Yes, now that you mention it, that could be quite interesting... for example, there really ought to be a universe where Tempus is trying desperately to *protect* Utopia against the evil machinations of H.G. Wells... Our L&C would be quite confused there, for a while... -- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pam Jernigan | "I heard about Superman at the UN. I don't mind ChiefPam on IRC | him wanting to take over the world, really, but jernigan@bellsouth.net | he sounded a little ... well ... nuts." *note new address* | --Dr. Klein, "Blast from the Past", IRC Round Robin --------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jernigan/folc.html Updated 4/30/99 with pictures of my new baby daughter :-) ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 4 May 1999 12:34:01 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Mr. D8a" Subject: Re: Who says there's only one? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" >From MR. D8A's work email EXACTLY! I like the way your mind thinks Wendy. I too love alt-worlds and am planning a series of stories, with the lovely assistance of my darling wife and hopefully some of you out there. All we need now is for reality to take a breather and let us do what we want instead of what we are required to do! It would be interesting if someone wrote a story that explained how the technologically backward Tempus supposedly broke out of 1866 and "built" a time/dimension hopping machine! MR. D8A A.K.A. James Who could spend hours discussing space/time theory with the best of them. Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path. Please visit and explore my house at: http://www.geocities.com/area51/starship/7859 mailto:mr_d8a@yahoo.com -----Original Message----- From: Wendy Richards [mailto:ida18@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK] Sent: Tuesday, May 04, 1999 10:43 AM To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU Subject: Who says there's only one? Here's a question. We know from the TV show that there is more than one 'universe'. Many of us who write fanfics have written other universes, either based on the alternate world of 'Tempus, Anyone?' or a different one altogether. The one thing, as far as I know, that no-one has considered so far is - - Is there more than one Tempus? The Tempus we meet in the show is, as far as we are told, from L&C's own world. He has dabbled in the Alt-Clark's world (and some of us have written him as dabbling in our other universes also). Surely it is possible, if not probable, that *each* of the alternate universes have their own Utopia, in which there is a Tempus, who may have the same desire to destroy Superman and Utopia? What sort of situation might that create? Of course, there ought therefore to be more than one HG Wells as well... It's something which occurred to me over the weekend while thinking about one of my current works-in-progress, which does involve a parallel Metropolis: why am I assuming that there is only one Tempus, the one from L&C's universe (and I have *no* intention of trying to explain it myself). But I suppose it might make an intriguing fanfic idea. Has anyone else any thoughts? Wendy ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 4 May 1999 18:49:18 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Eileen Barnard Subject: Re: Who says there's only one? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Wendy wrote We know from the TV show that there is more than one 'universe'. Many >of us who write fanfics have written other universes, either based on >the alternate world of 'Tempus, Anyone?' or a different one >altogether. The one thing, as far as I know, that no-one has >considered so far is etc- > I have always considered that where there is one parallel universe there are probably hundreds/thousands. I had this thought when I was watching 'Tempus Anyone' that it would make a pretty intriguing episode/fanfic if there were maybe two or more Tempus characters around - just as there were two Superman/Clark Kent characters. I remember reading a science fiction book a lot of years ago (I was about twelve or thirteen) about a character that appeared in three different dimensions and led very different lives but had basically the same characteristics in two of the dimensions but totally different in the third. The professor in the book, who had discovered all these different dimensions and who also believed that dimensions are infinite, mentioned that he believed that some dimensions were not parallel, but opposite. I believe that a story revolving around more than, say, two dimensions could get a bit confusing but if handled well, could prove really interesting, especially if one of the dimensions was an opposite dimension and not parallel and the characters were completely opposites of the other. I am sure there is somebody out there who is more of an expert on the subject than I am and I have probably got some of my facts a bit twisted but it would be great to see what others opinions are. Kind regards Eileen B eileen@barnard70.freeserve.co.uk ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 4 May 1999 12:53:47 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Mr. D8a" Subject: Re: Who says there's only one? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" >From MR. D8A's work email Actually you summed it up quite well, though I am unfamiliar with the story you mentioned. Even in the DC Comics universe they played with opposite universes. Earth-3 was a universe in which England won independence from the US. Actor Abraham Lincoln shot President Booth. And most super being were criminals. The Lex Luthor of that world pitted his intelligence against most of the super criminals and won. And a certain citizen of Krypton actually gained additional superpowers when exposed to Kryptonite. MR. D8A A.K.A. James Who really ought to get back to work! Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path. Please visit and explore my house at: http://www.geocities.com/area51/starship/7859 mailto:mr_d8a@yahoo.com -----Original Message----- From: Eileen Barnard [mailto:eileen@BARNARD70.FREESERVE.CO.UK] Sent: Tuesday, May 04, 1999 8:49 PM To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU Subject: Re: Who says there's only one? Wendy wrote We know from the TV show that there is more than one 'universe'. Many >of us who write fanfics have written other universes, either based on >the alternate world of 'Tempus, Anyone?' or a different one >altogether. The one thing, as far as I know, that no-one has >considered so far is etc- > I have always considered that where there is one parallel universe there are probably hundreds/thousands. I had this thought when I was watching 'Tempus Anyone' that it would make a pretty intriguing episode/fanfic if there were maybe two or more Tempus characters around - just as there were two Superman/Clark Kent characters. I remember reading a science fiction book a lot of years ago (I was about twelve or thirteen) about a character that appeared in three different dimensions and led very different lives but had basically the same characteristics in two of the dimensions but totally different in the third. The professor in the book, who had discovered all these different dimensions and who also believed that dimensions are infinite, mentioned that he believed that some dimensions were not parallel, but opposite. I believe that a story revolving around more than, say, two dimensions could get a bit confusing but if handled well, could prove really interesting, especially if one of the dimensions was an opposite dimension and not parallel and the characters were completely opposites of the other. I am sure there is somebody out there who is more of an expert on the subject than I am and I have probably got some of my facts a bit twisted but it would be great to see what others opinions are. Kind regards Eileen B eileen@barnard70.freeserve.co.uk ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 4 May 1999 19:04:40 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Wendy Richards Subject: Re: Who says there's only one? In-Reply-To: <000201be9699$aef05020$3ea3883e@eileen-s-place> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII On Tue, 4 May 1999 18:49:18 -0700 Eileen Barnard wrote: > I am sure there is somebody out there who is more of an expert on the > subject than I am and I have probably got some of my facts a bit twisted but > it would be great to see what others opinions are. Not at all, Eileen - I found what you had to say extremely interesting, not to say... alarming in the context of my current work-in-progress. On the other hand, the idea of alt-Tempus(es) could actually answer the question others have raised, that of how he managed to escape from the asylum in 1866. What if the Tempus of 'Tempus, Anyone' and 'Soul Mates,' not to mention MJD/L&C, was in fact an alternate Tempus? Wendy ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 4 May 1999 19:59:07 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Yvonne Connell Subject: Re: Who says there's only one? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Crikey Wendy, what a can of worms! I've indulged in a tiny amount of parallel universe/time travel thinking myself lately, and got myself completely tied in knots over it. My reasoning went as follows: every time someone travels in time, and does something to change history, then that produces another universe - another version of the timeline, if you see what I mean. So in Universe One, say, Clark arrives on Earth in 1966 and everything goes pretty much as we know it. But in this same Universe, at a point much further on in the future, Tempus decides to travel back in time to kill Clark. If he succeeds, then we have Universe Two - a universe where there is no Superman. So in effect, if you allow the concept of time travel, you also have to accept the concept of infinite universes. Now, are there multiple Tempuses (Tempi?)? Probably. What if Tempus' nature is due to some event in his formative years? Well, it just takes someone else to travel back in time and alter that event, and hey presto - you've got two Tempi. Good Tempus and bad Tempus. Another thing that bothers me is forward time travel. In order to believe that, I think you have to believe in pre-destiny, which is rather depressing, IMO. Otherwise, how can you select a point in the future to travel to, if that point is not already pre-defined? Of course, if you accept the 'Back to the Future' school of time travel, then if you change an event in the past, the rest of time reinvents itself to fit your change. Hence when our hero's parents look in danger of never getting married, he starts to fade away - actually, that also happens in the one where Tempus tries to kill Clark as a baby, doesn't it? Erk, where does that leave us? End of babble, Yvonne ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 4 May 1999 17:08:30 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Kelsey J. Croft" Subject: Re: Who says there's only one? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit <<<>>> There's a show called Sliders on the Sci-Fi channel that deals with this stuff. The characters slide from one universe to another, looking for their own. I recently saw an episode where the main characters returned home (or thought they did) only to find out that their parents there were evil. It turned out that they were tricked and it wasn't their universe at all, but an alternate self of them had once existed there. So if you go by the mythology on Sliders, there is an infinite amount of universes, and the universes have basicly the same people on all. Some of the people are innocent on one universe while homicidal maniacs on another. I'm guessing it could be the same for Lois and Clark. Kelsey (who just really confused herself) katzee112@aol.com ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 4 May 1999 16:54:41 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Mr. D8a" Subject: Re: Who says there's only one? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" >From MR. D8A's work email From: Yvonne Connell [mailto:yconnell@UKF.NET] Crikey Wendy, what a can of worms! I've indulged in a tiny amount of parallel universe/time travel thinking myself lately, and got myself completely tied in knots over it. Marvel Comics has a similar concept. In their time theory one cannot travel back and for in their own time line. If you move about in time you will slip out of your universe into a parallel universe. Their time lines are pre-defined and if you go back in time and change an event you actually end up in the universe that would always have happened. And your right it does sound boring. DC Comics has it so that you cannot make changes in the time stream during any point that you exist. If you go back to a time in which you already exist you will arrive as an insubstantial being unable to affect the physical universe. Quantum Leap is the opposite of DC in that you can only change events during your life span as long as it does not affect your existence. Sliders is interesting in that all possible universes exist. It is just a matter of getting to them. And keeping track of the home universe. Time Tunnel(I am not dating myself, I have never seen the show but I read the premise) allowed travelers into the past but no matter what they did they could not alter the events of history. Amber series, in the Mark McGwire(St. Louis Cardinal's first base man and really good bat man) section of left field, all the members of this family had the ability to create alternate "Shadows" of their home world. All they had to do was think it into existence. It works like this Eric says to his companion "When I open this door on the other side I will find a red rose in crystal vase." "But I just came out of that room and there is a blue violet in a pewter vase on the table." "Are so sure?" He opens the door and there on the table is a red rose in a crystal vase. He has just created a new world. Just some food for thought. Actually more like a buffet where you don't know the ingredients and are afraid to ask. Got to go. MR. D8A A.K.A. James Biblical time theory - God knows everything that is going to happen and when it will happen. What He has set into motion will not come to rest until He says so. And no man will know when the rest will come. Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path. Please visit and explore my house at: http://www.geocities.com/area51/starship/7859 mailto:mr_d8a@yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 4 May 1999 06:16:14 -0600 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: D Stark Subject: Re: OT: Taken Aback In-Reply-To: <372E45C5.8ED37DB7@erols.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 08:56 PM 05/03/1999 -0400, Sandy wrote: >Dear Folcs: > >Re the below excerpt, do ya think this guy's been surfin' by my L&C >fanfic page? Do ya think I should sue him? Do ya think he has any >money? > >SPIELBERG 'TAKEN' WITH SCI-FI CHANNEL > >Think the Sci-Fi Channel sucks? Steven Spielberg would disagree. The >acclaimed director, who professed to be a fan of the cable station in a >statement, is set to produce a 20-hour miniseries with the channel about >alien abductions called Taken. There has already been a book called Taken written by an abductee or an abduction researcher, but at the moment I can't remember which one. >Production will begin this summer on the as yet cast $40 million >venture, which Variety reports will spring from a treatment by >Spielberg. According to that outline, Taken is based on the premise >"that there are abductions, that they're real and not made up. This will >be a big story with multiple characters, protagonists and antagonists, >and it'll span lots of decades." The trade also tips that Taken will >borrow from reports of alien landings in New Mexico circa 1947 among >other sightings. I wonder if the author of the book will get any credit or be asked to help... An excellent overlooked abduction movie is "Confirmation," based on Whitley Striber's book (he's a great author, too). It's available on video and has been on TV in a cut form several times. >The Sci-Fi Channel plans to air two-hour segments of Taken in the third >quarter of 2000 on ten consecutive nights. No director is attached at >this time. I wonder if Sci-Fi Channel, cable or even Spielberg will be around after Y2k hits... [snip] >SUPERMAN AND BATMAN: WORLD'S FINEST [snip] >Who's In It: The director's choices for Batman is Mel Gibson; for >Superman, Daniel Day Lewis. I'd rather see George Clooney and Dean Cain ;) Since they're friends it would be neat watching them snarl at each other when they first meet, Batman being dark and deadly serious, Superman being the light of the world and a tad overconfident. I'd also accept Michael Keaton as a really jaded older Batman verbally and intellectually trouncing our cocky young hero :) but their becoming friends when they realize they're really on the same side. Debby Debby@swcp.com ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 4 May 1999 19:27:50 -0600 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Comments: RFC822 error: MESSAGE-ID field duplicated. Last occurrence was retained. From: D Stark Subject: Re: Combo post - the critique thread, etc In-Reply-To: <000901be94f4$e9c22b20$2601a8c0@stargazer.voyager.syr.servt ech.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 07:38 PM 05/02/1999 -0400, Peace wrote: [snip lotsa stuff that makes me wish yet again I were independently wealthy and could do what I want, which includes writing whenever I feel like it...] >Peace >who is also very glad >to hear that Dawning 23 >is forthcoming, and >looking forward to >Debby's "something else" :) I have about 19 pages of it. I note that the last time I worked on it was mid January, only a week before my mom died, so you can imagine my sibblings and I were sort of stressed out. I'm not asking for sympathy because we'd been expecting this for months and I did get to see her in November (when I was still working on D23), but all that did give me something else to think about during those months. I really appreciate everyone's encouragement. Since the show debuted in 1993 I've been able to talk to maybe only... two people about it here in the city where I live, and only one of them had time to read any of my work and that was two years ago. If I didn't have my online friends I'd be writing all for myself if I were writing at all for L&C. So thank you all for being out there. As for Dawning, when I get out of the mood for working on it, other ideas have the chance to surface. Since I'm nearly done with the most recent idea, I can probably begin posting it this week and see how the reception is since it's totally nonWAFFy in the normal WAFFy sense of the WAFFy word. :) But then again, it's not particularly WHAMy, either. It's... different ;) Debby :) Debby@swcp.com who won't mention how demanding her cat can be, how he walks up and starts informing me of all kinds of wonderous things, and that I can't understand a word and I'd wish he'd stop nudging me because it's so distracting just as I'm getting creative... ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 4 May 1999 21:47:12 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Sandy McDermin Subject: Re: OT: Taken Aback<.g> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit No Name Available wrote: > Guess it just goes to show that "great minds think alike" . Well then, I'd better start thinking like Mother Theresa, because my boss is under the impression I took a vow of poverty. > --Laurie (the Ord one) What does that mean? And, while I'm at it, what does the following title mean, Christy? The Martha Chronicles 1: The Martha Bums Bums? Curiously, Sandy http://users.erols.com/nightsky/Sandy/ ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 4 May 1999 22:43:15 EST Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: ninety-six and i planted poppies Subject: Re: OT: Taken Aback<.g> << And, while I'm at it, what does the following title mean, Christy? The Martha Chronicles 1: The Martha Bums >> It's, uh... a failed attempt at cleverness? I was aiming at a variation of the title 'The Dharma Bums' by Jack Kerouac. I'm really bad with titles (obviously) so I couldn't think of one for that story, when I saw Kerouac's book sitting on my then-roommate's bookshelf. I thought- 'Dharma,' 'Martha,' they sound similar. Sort of. So I asked my roommate about the book and she outlined it for me. Maybe my brain was even more sleep-deprived than usual, but I thought, hey, that could be my title. I have to admit that I haven't read the book. I haven't yet had the time, but it's on my list of books to read (a list which, I might add, is several pages long) for this summer. If you aren't familiar with the book, here's the description from the Miriam Webster Encyclopedia of Literature (1995): "Autobiographical novel by Jack Kerouac, published in 1958. The story's narrator, Raymond Smith, is based on Kerouac himself, and the poet-woodsman-Buddhist, Japhy Ryder, is a thinly disguised portrait of the poet Gary Synder. The book contains a number of other characters who are drawn from actual poets and writers. The plot unfolds when Smith, who is suffering spiritual conflicts amid the emptiness of middle-class American life, meets Ryder, whom he immediately recognizes as a spiritual model. The novel tells of the growth of their friendship and Smith's groping toward personal understanding. Much of the story occurs on the American West Coast." If you want me to explain more, either on-list or off, I will. I admit it doesn't relate very much, especially for that particular story; perhaps it would fit better for part 2 of the Martha Chronicles, but I've already got a title for that one. Anyway, it's too late to change it, even though I've had other people ask where I got the title from. (BTW, the 'Martha Chronicles,' the title of my series, can be credited to Margaret Brignell, one of my many editors for The Martha Bums. It's a play on 'The Martian Chronicles' by Ray Bradbury. A much better title since even if you've never heard of the Martian Chronicles, the title makes sense ;) Also, thanks to everyone who posted info about Perry's sons to the list. From what Zoomway said about the comics version, it's not something I'm gonna want to use. (The idea of Jerry being Lex's son, well... ick. Lex already has enough illegitimate sons.) Now I know that I have almost carte blanche when it comes to Perry's family, and that's always nice ;) -Christy kubitc@kenyon.edu ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 4 May 1999 23:33:07 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Sandy McDermin Subject: Re: OT: Taken Aback MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I asked: << And, while I'm at it, what does the following title mean, Christy? The Martha Chronicles 1: The Martha Bums >> And, Christy answered: >It's, uh... a failed attempt at cleverness? I was aiming at a variation of the >title 'The Dharma Bums' by Jack Kerouac. Ahh, Kerouac. Blame my literary ignorance. Thank you for the explanation. D Stark wrote: > At 08:56 PM 05/03/1999 -0400, Sandy wrote: > >Dear Folcs: > >Re the below excerpt, do ya think this guy's been surfin' by my L&C > >fanfic page? Do ya think I should sue him? Do ya think he has any > >money? > > > >SPIELBERG 'TAKEN' WITH SCI-FI CHANNEL > >Think the Sci-Fi Channel sucks? Steven Spielberg would disagree. The > >acclaimed director, who professed to be a fan of the cable station in a > >statement, is set to produce a 20-hour miniseries with the channel about > >alien abductions called Taken. > > There has already been a book called Taken written by an abductee or an > abduction researcher, but at the moment I can't remember which one. Sezs you! >I really appreciate everyone's encouragement. Since the show debuted in >1993 I've been able to talk to maybe only... two people about it here in >the city where I live, and only one of them had time to read any of my work >and that was two years ago. If I didn't have my online friends I'd be >writing all for myself if I were writing at all for L&C. So thank you all >for being out there. Debby, you are the one person I am saving up my pennies to come and visit. So, you may regret these words when I show up on your doorstep. >I have about 19 pages of it. I note that the last time I worked on it was >mid January, only a week before my mom died, so you can imagine my >sibblings and I were sort of stressed out. I'm not asking for sympathy >because we'd been expecting this for months and I did get to see her in >November (when I was still working on D23), but all that did give me >something else to think about during those months. I am very, *very* sorry to hear this. I lost my mother 10 years ago this past April 15. (Strange, when you think what day that is. I spent a good deal of the night before sort of doing my taxes -- well, trying to anyway -- numbly waiting for the hospital to call.) And, although this sounds like a cliche, that night seems like only the other night. She was the person closest and dearest to me, although I don't think I did a good job of showing her that. I suppose I miss her most because she loved me unconditionally and believed in me wholeheartedly, as mothers do, and there is no one in this world who will ever love you quite like that again. With my sincere sympathies, Sandy ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 5 May 1999 09:48:52 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Yvonne Connell Subject: OT: Kansas/Oklahoma tornado MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Just wanted to say that my thoughts and hopes for recovery and renewal are with anyone who is affected by the terrible disaster in Kansas and Oklahoma. The pictures I saw last night on TV looked utterly devastating. Yvonne (yconnell@ukf.net) ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 5 May 1999 11:30:11 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Wendy Richards Subject: Re: OT: Taken Aback<.g> In-Reply-To: <372FA320.D941CA93@erols.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII On Tue, 4 May 1999 21:47:12 -0400 Sandy McDermin wrote: > What does that mean? And, while I'm at it, what does the following > title mean, Christy? > > The Martha Chronicles 1: The Martha Bums > > Bums? Yes, I wondered about that, especially since on *this* side of the Atlantic your bum is what you sit on! Thanks for the explanation, Christy; I'm afraid I haven't ready any Jack Kerouac eitther! Wendy ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 5 May 1999 12:09:31 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Sarah Wood Subject: Re: Who says there's only one? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Taking a break from motherhood, Pam Jernigan wrote: >> there really ought to be a universe where Tempus is trying desperately to *protect* Utopia against the evil machinations of H.G. Wells... << Can you imagine two Tempuses in the same universe? They'd be plotting together, hating each other, trying to backstab each other and outmaneauv= er each other... "I want to kill Superman and rule the world. "No, *I* want = to kill Superman and rule the world!" "Go do it in your own universe; this one's mine." "Not anymore it isn't!" I can't picture Tempus cooperating with anyone, certainly not himself. But I'd sure love to see him try. Round Robin writers, are you listening?= Sarah ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 5 May 1999 17:19:19 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Wendy Richards Subject: Re: Who says there's only one? In-Reply-To: <199905051211_MC2-7493-3897@compuserve.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII On Wed, 5 May 1999 12:09:31 -0400 Sarah Wood wrote: > > I can't picture Tempus cooperating with anyone, certainly not himself. > > But I'd sure love to see him try. Round Robin writers, are you listening? > Sarah - what a thought! I LOLed! Yes, Zoom, Misha et al, how about it? Wendy ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 5 May 1999 12:20:10 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Mr. D8a" Subject: Re: Congrats to the archive and authors! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" >From MR. D8A's work email I didn't see the article(s) by Entertainment Weekly, et al and would be interested in reading some of them. Can anyone help on this? MR. D8A A.K.A. James Who looks for any excuse to read about the archive from without. :-) Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path. Please visit and explore my house at: http://www.geocities.com/area51/starship/7859 mailto:mr_d8a@yahoo.com -----Original Message----- From: Demona (Angel Of The Night) [mailto:nightangel@HOME.COM] Sent: Monday, May 03, 1999 5:00 PM To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU Subject: Re: Congrats to the archive and authors! At 10:09 AM 03/05/1999 -0500, you wrote: >I just visited the archive and it's reached 1,000...1,005 in fact! Thanks >to all the authors that have provided me with many hours of enjoyment, and >thanks to the archive staff for making the archive a wonderful place to >visit! Thanks very much Nethra! ;) We were pretty excited to watch that counter turn ourselves! The fact that we're beginning to be noticed (by Entertainment Weekly, et al) means that we've managed become one of the largest organized fan fiction archives out there on the net! Needless to say "we're pretty proud of that" too. It's taken the blood, sweat and creative tears of HUNDREDS of FOLCs (writers, volunteer editors and web staff) to put together the treasure trove we've managed to end up with. Not to mention the support and encouragement of those of you who just love to read. ;) So I think all of FoLCdom has a lot to celebrate with our 1000th story! :) It *is* pretty cool, if I do say so, myself. (And we do a surprise coming up.. sort of a timely honor for our milestone, but I can't spoil it just yet! ) Best All* Demi __________________________________________________________ Demi/Demona Lois & Clark Fanfiction Archive Coordinator nightangel@home.com or demi22@aol.com WWW - http://lcfanfic.actwd.com/ FTP - ftp.lcfanfic.actwd.com MIRROR - http://www.win.net/~lcw/fanfic/index.html ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 5 May 1999 13:51:32 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Mr. D8a" Subject: Re: Fanfic Recommendation: Awakenings Comments: cc: jtrugga@aol.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" >From MR. D8A's work email Trevise, I hope you are on this list! You were right sad start great ending. But it better not end there--I want to read more!. MR. D8A A.K.A. James Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path. Please visit and explore my house at: http://www.geocities.com/area51/starship/7859 mailto:mr_d8a@yahoo.com -----Original Message----- From: Demona (Angel Of The Night) [mailto:nightangel@HOME.COM] Sent: Monday, April 26, 1999 7:31 PM To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU Subject: Re: Fanfic Recommendation: Awakenings At 01:55 AM 27/04/1999 +0300, Hazel wrote: >>Hazel, did you mean the main LnC fanfic archive? I cannot find this >>story there and wonder where else you might have read it. The primary archive site is still a little behind from the server crash yesterday. That's probably why you can't locate the story up there. We're working on restoring and relocating everything at the moment, the process is well under way and we should be back up to speed soon. We'll keep everyone informed as we have news. In the meantime, you can still find all stories uploaded since the 17th of April (including Awakenings) on the MIRROR SITE: http://bsd.lcw.win.net/~lcw/fanfic/index.html Best All ;) Demi __________________________________________________________ Demi/Demona Lois & Clark Fanfiction Archive Coordinator nightangel@home.com or demi22@aol.com WWW - http://lcfanfic.actwd.com/ FTP - ftp.lcfanfic.actwd.com MIRROR - http://www.win.net/~lcw/fanfic/index.html ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 5 May 1999 14:11:32 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Kathy Brown Subject: Re: Congrats to the archive and authors! In-Reply-To: <79C7BC7656CBD21190910008C7FA82ED3722BD@mxsemrstl01.emotors.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 12:20 PM -0500 5/5/99, Mr. D8a wrote: >>From MR. D8A's work email > >I didn't see the article(s) by Entertainment Weekly, et al and would be >interested in reading some of them. Can anyone help on this? > >MR. D8A A.K.A. James If you go the Archive, there is a link to the text of the article. Follow the link to "Archive in EW". It was a short blurb--EW published the URL of several (5-7, I believe) great fanfic sites, and rated and gave a paragraph blurb about each one. The fact that we were recognized by a national magazine was outstanding in itself, but those FoLCs who were around during the 4th season were especially struck by the irony of the situation--back then, EW seemed to go out of its way to bash/criticize L&C at every opportunity. Now they list us as having one of the best fanfic sites on the web. How things change! Kathy _________________________________ Kathy Brown Editor-In-Chief Lois & Clark Fanfic Archive kathyb@springnet1.com KathyB on IRC _________________________________ ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 5 May 1999 16:35:50 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: LabRat Subject: Needing formatting advice... MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hey guys! Anyone out there know how to prevent losing centering when converting a Word document to txt.? I have a small block of text in Burnout - a newspaper headline - which needs to be centered, but of course I keep on losing the formatting when I convert. Alternatively, if anyone has tips on a way to emphasis the block of text to separate it from the paras above and below other than using the usual centering command, I'd be grateful to hear from you! Thanks. LabRat :) Doc. Klein's LabRat labrat@ukf.net "When I hear someone sigh, "Life is hard," I'm always tempted to ask, "Compared to what?" - Sydney J. Harris ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 5 May 1999 14:41:55 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Kathy Brown Subject: Re: Needing formatting advice... In-Reply-To: <000301be9721$9904dbe0$8f9301d4@default> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 4:35 PM +0100 5/5/99, LabRat wrote: >Hey guys! > >Anyone out there know how to prevent losing centering when converting a Word >document to txt.? I have a small block of text in Burnout - a newspaper >headline - which needs to be centered, but of course I keep on losing the >formatting when I convert. My understanding is that you can't save this sort of formatting in a text only document--that's why it's called "text only"; there's no formatting supported. To emphasize the article, I'd do it manually. Indent once or twice at the beginning of each line, and use hard returns instead of word wrap to shorten the right margin a few indents worth. Double space before and after the paragraph(s) to set it apart from the story text above and below. If you need it to be centered as opposed to just indented, again, you'll have to use a couple indents to get the desired effect or close enough to it. Hope this helps, Kathy ______________________ Kathy Brown kathyb@springnet1.com KathyB on IRC ______________________ ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 5 May 1999 16:18:55 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: April Story Subject: Re: OT: Kansas/Oklahoma tornado MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 5/5/99, 4:50:41 AM, LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU writes: <> Yvonne =) That is very sweet of you! I am in Oklahoma City and was extremely close to where the tornadoes leveled a neighborhood but luckily I was not hit by anything but debris as it went by. Unfortunately several of my friends and coworkers did lose everything but they all have their lives and were unhurt which is the most important thing - everything else can be replaced! I know that there are probably several FoLCs in both of these states that I am unaware of - I know of a few and they are all ok as well! Thanks again for the post! April ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 5 May 1999 21:56:13 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: LabRat Subject: Re: Needing formatting advice... MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Kathy wrote: >To emphasize the article, I'd do it manually. Indent once or twice at the >beginning of each line, and use hard returns instead of word wrap to >shorten the right margin a few indents worth. Double space before and >after the paragraph(s) to set it apart from the story text above and below. > >If you need it to be centered as opposed to just indented, again, you'll >have to use a couple indents to get the desired effect or close enough to >it. > >Hope this helps, > Didn't work, Kathy. I'd considered using indents but thought they'd be treated as a formatting command just like centering - which proved to be the case when I tried it. However, trying that inspired me to try out something else which I'd previously thought wouldn't work...just simply using the space bar to center the text manually and hallelujah we are cooking with gas. So, thanks for the inspiration. Burnout might be on target for posting at the end of the week after all, since this little problem was all that was stopping it from being finished. ; > Unless those casting their beady little eyes over it even as we speak (right, guys - working hard? ) know differently of course. :D LabRat :) Doc. Klein's LabRat labrat@ukf.net "When I hear someone sigh, "Life is hard," I'm always tempted to ask, "Compared to what?" - Sydney J. Harris ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 5 May 1999 17:26:37 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Ann E. McBride" Subject: Re: Needing formatting advice... MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 5/5/99 4:58:43 PM Eastern Daylight Time, labrat@UKF.NET writes: << Burnout might be on target for posting at the end of the week after all,>> Where will we find Burnout? on the nfic list? Ann ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 5 May 1999 23:00:19 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: LabRat Subject: Re: Needing formatting advice/Fanfic Recommendations MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit ><< Burnout might be on target for > posting at the end of the week after all,>> > > >Where will we find Burnout? on the nfic list? > >Ann Anywhere I can possibly send it, Anne. Probably with my usual pattern. Posted to Zoom's nfic mb, to Debby's nfic mailing list and finally archived at Anne's Little Corner of Teh World. And I was so inspired by finally getting it finished that I messed around with producing a pg-13 version for the Fanfic Archive today. Don't know if it will work, but it may well turn up there in the future if it does. That's if it survives my proofers of course. One down (Hi, Kath!)....tick...three to go. ;) Oh, while I'm here... Been catching up on some fanfic I've been hoarding, since I've got nothing to do while waiting to hear from....you know who ...and just have to say how much I enjoyed Hair Is Where The Hurt Is by Jennifer Eagan. Normally this kind of on the set humor isn't to my personal tastes, but, as always, Jennifer has such a wicked sense of humor that I found it hil-hair-ious. (Ouch. Sorry, I think post-Burnout euphoria is catching up with me...I'm feeling awfully lightheaded all at once...) And what a premier performance for our new Teen RR Group with Cooking With The Kents. Only one question - this was submitted to the Fanfic Archive in September! What have you guys been doing since then? I need more from such a talented bunch of people. Come on - give! LabRat :) Doc. Klein's LabRat labrat@ukf.net "When I hear someone sigh, "Life is hard," I'm always tempted to ask, "Compared to what?" - Sydney J. Harris ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1998 17:13:11 -0600 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Mandy Crustner Subject: Needed: Editor Who Has Children MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Although I *love* my normal editor (Hey Karen!) and she'll be editing my latest story for me, I feel the need to let someone read it over that has children and make sure I haven't made any obvious mistakes with the birth and subsequent events where the child is concerned. I'm looking to be finishing this story up in . . . oh the next few days, so I thought I'd ask ya'll if there's anyone who can help. Be forewarned that this story is approaching 150K and I'm not finished yet, so it'll be pretty long. Since I'm asking a list of hundreds of people, I'll just take the first one who contacts me privately at mandyc@lcc.net . Thanks so much FoLCs! :) Mandy Back to my story! :) ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 5 May 1999 17:15:58 -0600 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Debby Subject: Re: OT: Taken Aback In-Reply-To: <372FBBF3.1174DF73@erols.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 11:33 PM 05/04/1999 -0400, Sandy McD wrote: [snip] [Sandy reported] >> >SPIELBERG 'TAKEN' WITH SCI-FI CHANNEL >> >Think the Sci-Fi Channel sucks? Steven Spielberg would disagree. The >> >acclaimed director, who professed to be a fan of the cable station in a >> >statement, is set to produce a 20-hour miniseries with the channel about >> >alien abductions called Taken. [I wrote...] >> There has already been a book called Taken written by an abductee or an >> abduction researcher, but at the moment I can't remember which one. > >Sezs you! I can only say cuz I've never had an experience that I know of. I'm in the control group to which nothing like that (being abducted, seeing a UFO or a mutilated cow) happens ;) >>I really appreciate everyone's encouragement. Since the show debuted in >>1993 I've been able to talk to maybe only... two people about it here in >>the city where I live, and only one of them had time to read any of my work >>and that was two years ago. If I didn't have my online friends I'd be >>writing all for myself if I were writing at all for L&C. So thank you all >>for being out there. > >Debby, you are the one person I am saving up my pennies to come and >visit. So, you may regret these words when I show up on your doorstep. Well, a) bring your own water; b) make sure your shots are up to date; c) brush up on your Spanish; and d) I don't have a car at this time, so... :) You're still welcome :D >>I have about 19 pages of it. I note that the last time I worked on it was >>mid January, only a week before my mom died, so you can imagine my >>sibblings and I were sort of stressed out. I'm not asking for sympathy >>because we'd been expecting this for months and I did get to see her in >>November (when I was still working on D23), but all that did give me >>something else to think about during those months. > >I am very, *very* sorry to hear this. I lost my mother 10 years ago >this past April 15. (Strange, when you think what day that is. I spent >a good deal of the night before sort of doing my taxes -- well, trying >to anyway -- numbly waiting for the hospital to call.) And, although >this sounds like a cliche, that night seems like only the other night. >She was the person closest and dearest to me, although I don't think I >did a good job of showing her that. I suppose I miss her most because >she loved me unconditionally and believed in me wholeheartedly, as >mothers do, and there is no one in this world who will ever love you >quite like that again. I'm sure she knew how much you enjoyed her :) My mother and I weren't particularly close (also she lived in Oklahoma and then Wyoming, while I escaped from okla as soon as I could and have lived in NM for 20 years now). I miss sending her things for mothers day and on a whim, but since we didn't talk much and then mostly about her, there's nothing really to miss. :\ So I'm more than ever glad to have this list :D >With my sincere sympathies, >Sandy Thanks, to you and all :) Debby Debby@swcp.com gotta write... (said with the same gusto as "gotta dance..." is said in the disco version of that song...) ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 5 May 1999 19:06:27 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Martha Rasch Subject: Re: Who says there's only one? In-Reply-To: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" SNIP <> I thought I remembered hearing that Tempus created the alternate dimension. Therefore, I think it would be safe to assume that he would make sure not to have another Tempus to hone in on his fun. I doubt that he'd think ruling over "his world" was much fun if he had to share it with someone else just as obnoxious as he is. Just my two cents, Martha R. Supermav ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 5 May 1999 21:19:27 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Kathy Brown Subject: Re: Fanfic Recommendations In-Reply-To: <000e01be9742$bcf103a0$ce8701d4@default> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 11:00 PM +0100 5/5/99, LabRat wrote: \>And what a premier performance for our new Teen RR Group with Cooking With >The Kents. Only one question - this was submitted to the Fanfic Archive in >September! What have you guys been doing since then? I need more from such a >talented bunch of people. Come on - give! Actually, it was written in Sept but not submitted to the Archive until April. It was a Kerth nominee from this year and well deserved. :) I've learned my lesson though--tag stories right in my spreadsheet that aren't eligible for next years Kerths so I don't mess up and cause hard feelings when I accidentally include a story that was eligible last year on this year's ballot. ;) Kathy :) ______________________ Kathy Brown kathyb@springnet1.com KathyB on IRC ______________________ ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 00:52:01 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: The Zoomway Subject: NEW: ULTRA MATUM (1/6) [PG] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit TITLE: ULTRA MATUM PART: 1/6 AUTHOR: zoomway@aol.com RATING: PG FEEDBACK: Comments welcome PUB/PRIV both positive and negative, but no Editing please. If you find typos or misspellings, send them to me privately--thanks SUMMARY: This is one of those fun "what if" stories. What if Ultra Woman took place *before* Lois knew the secret? I think that's all you need to know for background in this one--just fluff ;) ULTRA MATUM by Zoomway@aol.com Lois was tired. She tossed her purse and jacket into a chair and then stared at her fish tank. "What's happening to me?" she asked the disinterested occupants of the aquarium. "Why am I thinking about Clark in *that* way so much lately?" She placed her hands on the glass. "You've got it *so* easy. No feelings. Just instinct. You don't have to worry if you've lost your mind paying a hundred bucks for a dress in hopes some fish you swim around with will notice and maybe start thinking of you as more than just a friend." Lois rubbed her eyes. "I paid full price for that dress! Oh, God," she moaned as she walked away from the aquarium. "Clark has me screaming at fish." Lois shook her head and stretched out on the sofa. "It was the Christmas dinner," she assured herself. "I'm just putting way too much meaning into that. It could have been pity...yeah, it was probably pity." She kicked off her shoes. "Not like I *need* pity, but Clark sees the world from the watchtower at Fantasy Island." She turned on her side. "He was being a friend...my best friend," she yawned. "It's better this way. Lovers can't be trusted. They use you, and then they dump you." "Of course," she said thoughtfully. "I can't imagine Clark being like that. I'm sure if he made love to me--" Lois stopped and sat up abruptly. "If he made love to me?! Enough of that!" she said, trying to banish all thoughts back to the forbidden zone. In short order she put her train of thought on another track, took a shower, and went to bed. * * * The ocean rushed beneath Lois. The sparkle on its surface was almost painful to the eye. She lifted her gaze and noticed she was rapidly approaching a beautiful little island. The cacophony of tropical birds chattering stopped abruptly at the sound of a bell clanging. Lois spotted Jimmy enthusiastically pulling a bell rope. The moment he caught a glimpse of her he pointed up into the sky. "The Lane! The Lane!" He shouted. Clark, dressed in a suit almost as white as the sand, stepped out of a hacienda style building that sported the Daily Planet logo. He looked quite handsome, Lois thought, as she drew nearer. However, that very thought confused and upset her. She began to lose altitude rapidly. "Look out, Clark!" She shouted, but he just stood there. Moments before the impact, Clark pulled Superman's cape from behind his back and held it to the side of his body in perfect imitation of a matador brandishing a muleta. As Lois came within inches of the cape, Clark deftly swept it aside. "Ole`!" Jimmy shouted from the tower. As Lois tumbled across the sand, an annoying buzzing sound intruded. Jimmy, Clark and the beautiful island all began to fade away. Soon there was only blackness and the buzzing sound. Lois swatted the alarm clock and staggered out of bed. * * * Lois plodded wearily into the news room. Her eyelids felt like sandpaper and her tongue felt as if it had been coated in library paste. "Good morning, Lois," Clark greeted her brightly. "If you say so," she yawned. "Good morning, Clark," he said, filling in for Lois' absent response. He smiled. "Rough night?" "I...tossed and turned a lot, I guess." Clark pulled his hand from behind his back, producing a cup of coffee. "Tum ta dum." He grinned as he employed his homemade fanfare accompaniment. Lois gratefully accepted. "I owe you my firstborn." "Only if I can help in the manufacture." Lois turned her head and looked at Clark. Less than a year ago she would have judged his comment to be laden with lewd innuendo, but after she'd gotten to know Clark better, she'd come to realize he was incapable of that. He was like a kitten hiding inside a lion. "In your dreams," she smiled. "Always," he laughed. She raised the cup to her partner. "Thanks," she said, her voice a touch gravely from the drowsiness. Clark's whole body seemed to react to Lois' lowered defenses. The lack of sleep had given her a soft vulnerability and her heavy-lidded eyes looked incredibly sexy. Though Lois was correct about Clark not being the least bit lewd or crude, he was undeniably attracted to her, and sometimes he found that impossible to hide. He leaned down slightly and touched his cup to hers. "You're welcome," he said, his own voice lowering in response. As his eyes locked with hers, he wondered how long he'd be granted the magic moment. Unfortunately he didn't have to wait long for the answer. "Lois! Clark!" Perry shouted, and then just pointed to his office. Lois, dragged out of a spell she hadn't even realized she'd been drawn into, exited her chair. "Finally," she said as they headed for Perry's office. "An assignment to wake me up!" * * * "Because it's *boring*, Clark," Lois said as she paid the cab driver. "Lois, these are minerals and gemstones from all over the world. Some will be displayed for the first time anywhere right here in Metropolis." "Clark, please. You might raise my heart rate to a dangerous level." "Suit yourself." Clark smiled as he opened the door. "But being angry over an assignment won't make it go away." "Angry? I'm not angry about this assignment, Clark. If you must know, I *resent* this assignment." "Resent it?" Clark asked as he watched Lois struggle to seat her purse strap properly on her shoulder and wondered if the chip she carried there was getting in the way. "Yes, *resent*, if it's any of your business," she said, the pleasantness >from earlier in the morning all but gone. "Why send the Planet's top reporter ... uh ... reporters to a glorified rock hound convention?" Lois flashed her press pass at the sign-in desk. "We work the city desk, Clark." "For what it's worth, Lois," Clark said, clipping his pass to his pocket. "This exhibition *is* in the city." "Droll, Clark. I'm sure that quick wit came in handy at the "Name That Weevil" contest in Smallville." Clark was about to respond when a short bald man, oblivious to where he was going, bumped into Lois, causing the press-kit folder and its contents to scatter to the floor. "Ignoramus," she muttered as she and Clark began retrieving the pages. "Exceptional rock identification skills," the man commented as they rose >from the floor. Lois raised her eyebrows. "Excuse me?" The man held out two rather unattractive stones. "You were correct -- these are in fact igneous. Picked them up from a lava flow in Hawaii." Clark tipped his head to the side and looked at Lois. "Did you say 'igneous,' Lois?" "Go...hug a rock, Clark." Clark laughed through his teeth as he moved away from Lois and the rock hound. He approached a long table laden with stones, quartz, geodes, all in an eye-catching display. Oddly, however, the further he moved down the table, the more he felt his enthusiasm waning. He stopped in front of a large red stone and just stared at it. The longer he stared, the more disinterested he became...in everything. "Unless that's the world's biggest ruby, Clark, you're wasting a lot of time staring at it," Lois said, finally catching up to her errant partner. "You're right, Lois," Clark sighed. "This *is* a waste of time." He turned and faced her. "You're also right about it being boring. Wanna take in a movie?" "What? No! I do not want to take in a movie. We're on assignment, Clark!" "Ah, but you said you resented the assignment. I agree, so let's just...get out of here," he shrugged. Lois hooked her arm through Clark's and began ushering him through the door into the adjoining display room. "If this is what passes for Kansas sarcasm, you're way out of your league." Clark yawned. "Whatever you say, Lois." As the two of them moved along the display, Lois taking notes, Clark alternately yawning and sighing, the distant strains of the "Star Wars" theme could be heard. Clark smiled. "Finally, something interesting." "What?" He handed her the press-kit. "The laser light show - it's starting in the other room." Lois looked at the page. "I am not going to sit through some hackneyed ... Clark?" She looked up in time to see Clark hurry back through the other door. "God," she whispered. "It's like keeping up with a three-year-old." She walked into the room squinting into the darkness. She found Clark standing in the front row. Jamming the press-kit into her purse, she weaved her way through the throng of enthusiasts. "Why do they always play the "Star Wars" theme at laser light shows?" she commented offhandedly. "Because it's not boring," Clark said, and then stepped directly in front of Lois. "Check it out." Lois put her hands on Clark's back and tried to push. "I'd love to, but something's blocking my view," she said, and craned her head awkwardly around his arm so she could see. At that moment the red rock that had so disenchanted Clark was struck with a random blast of laser light. A red beam issued from it, striking him in the chest. There was a momentary sensation of warmth and the apathy that had plagued him earlier vanished. He was just about to make comment about the sensation to Lois when he heard her moan behind him. He spun around just in time to catch her as she was collapsing. "Lois?" After a couple of seconds her eyes opened. "Wh..what happened?" "You fainted. Are you all right?" "Fainted?" she asked, still sounding disoriented. "I'm fine. I guess skipping breakfast caught up with me." "Look, why don't you go get something to eat? I'll finish up taking notes here, then we can meet back at the Planet in an hour." Lois started to protest, but she was still feeling a bit out of it. "Okay, thanks, Clark," she said and left through the main convention exit. She walked down the steps feeling better in the fresh air. "Taxi!" she called. As the vehicle pulled up, she reached for the door only to have the handle snap off in her hand. Lois leaned into the front window and dropped the handle on the seat. "It must be an omen, warning me not to ride with a Metro cabby," she said, and headed off down the sidewalk, leaving the stunned cab driver behind. She decided to walk. It was a nice, almost spring-like day. She could smell the pretzels and mustard even though she was more than two blocks from Centennial Park. Everything looked, sounded, and smelled so vivid that Lois wondered if she was suffering some weird high concocted by a combination of sugar drop in her bloodstream and happiness at leaving the abysmal assignment behind. How strange, she thought as she neared the park. Clark had wanted to leave the exhibit, play hooky, just have some fun, but she had protested. Why? Well, it *was* an assignment, she reassured herself, and good or bad, it was their job to cover it...still, what would have been wrong with taking in a movie with Clark? They had notes, an overview, the press-kit, more than enough to cover a story of this kind. Besides, she was still having those...feelings for Clark. Lois shrugged off the dangerous thoughts as she entered the park. She knew she should be hungry, but the fact that she didn't *feel* the least bit hungry bothered her a little. Regardless, she bought a large soft pretzel and coated it in mustard. "Mm," she cooed after taking a bite. It did nothing to increase her absent appetite, but her sense of taste did seem to be heightened. Unfortunately that wasn't all that was heightened. She lifted her head. "Did you hear that?" "Hear what?" the vendor replied as he placed more pretzels in the warmer. "Someone calling for help." The man listened a moment. "Nope." "Are you deaf? There it goes again," Lois said, and began moving off in the direction of the sound. The vendor sniffed the mustard dispenser and shrugged. "Why are the good-looking ones crazy?" Lois continued, almost in a trance as she followed the sound. All around her the park visitors seemed as unaware of the cry for help as the vendor had been. Her quest took her down to the oriental gardens near the southernmost limit of the park. So much of the bridgework and walkway area were under repair in anticipation of the summer festival that it was nearly deserted, but still the cry for help persisted. Lois concentrated in the direction of the cry and was startled to see a young boy trapped behind a grating under one of the crumbling bridges. She moved toward the frightened boy only to have his image disappear. But she could still hear him. She shook her head and continued walking. Was she seeing visions? The toe of her shoe caught in a small hole causing her foot to fall through. She cursed under her breath and pulled her leg out. She could hear the boy more clearly now. It was obvious that this had been where he had fallen through. It was equally obvious that she could not fit. She continued down the face of the sculpted ground, and there it was - the grating from her "vision." "Hello?" "Help! I'm here!" the child cried. "It's okay, sweetheart," Lois soothed. "I'll get help." "No! Don't leave me!" the boy wailed. His desperation cut into Lois' heart. "I can't get you out by myself. I'll need help." Help, she thought, and then smiled. "Help! Superman!" The boy rushed to the grating and stared through the slats expectantly, the tears cutting through the grime and dust on his face. Lois looked up into the sky, but there was no sign of Superman. "I'm sorry, he must be too far away. I promise I won't be gone more than five minutes." This only caused the boy to weep bitterly. "Sweetie," Lois sighed. "I'm sorry, but these bars are strong, I can't...." She stood in astonished silence as the entire grating easily pulled away in her hands. She stared at it a moment and then dropped it, refocusing her attention on the child. She stretched her arms out to him. Still sobbing, the boy quickly crawled through the newly created exit. Lois helped him out, and though he was about eight years old, it was as if he weighed next to nothing. She easily held him at eye level as he reached out his arms to hug her neck. Lois rubbed his back and started walking up towards the more populated area of the park, whispering comforts to him. She had reached the outer perimeter of the picnic area when she spotted a frantic, teary-eyed woman talking to a policeman. The boy turned his head in the direction of the commotion. "Mommy!" he shouted, displaying a toothless grin. Lois put the boy down and watched him run to his mother, who was also running towards her son, happy tears streaming down her face. * * * continued in part 2 ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 00:52:31 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: The Zoomway Subject: NEW: ULTRA MATUM (4/6) [PG] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit TITLE: ULTRA MATUM PART: 4/6 AUTHOR: zoomway@aol.com RATING: PG FEEDBACK: Comments welcome PUB/PRIV both positive and negative, but no Editing please. If you find typos or misspellings, send them to me privately--thanks SUMMARY: This is one of those fun "what if" stories. What if Ultra Woman took place *before* Lois knew the secret? I think that's all you need to know for background in this one ;) * * * It was half past ten, in Kansas anyway, when Lois slipped on her "superhero" boots. She was feeling much better about Clark's suggestion. It made sense, as did most things Clark said. At least when Lois took the time to listen. Besides, Lois liked Jonathan and Martha. They were good people and Lois envied Clark for having such sane and supportive parents. It explained a lot about him, Lois thought as she attached the teal cape to a capital U on one shoulder and W on the other. "Not bad," she said to the mirror as she pulled the pink mask over her eyes. Lois stepped into the living room where all three Kents had been very conspicuous by their silence since she and Clark had arrived at the farmhouse. They all rose to their feet in unison. "Wow," Clark whispered. "Great costume." Martha placed a hand to the side of her cheek, admiring her handiwork, and sighed. Jonathan, his eyes slightly widened, attempted to say something. Failing that, he merely lifted a hand and gave the "okay" sign. Lois made a slow turn. "It's a little tight." "I know, honey," Martha said as she fussed with the cape, "but that cuts down on wind resistance." Lois hugged Martha. "Thank you," she said and pulled back a moment. "You and Jonathan have been great about this, and Clark --" She reached out a hand and touched his shoulder. "You're the best." Clark blushed. "You looked like you could use a friend." "A best friend," she said softly, but noticed the silence that accompanied the 'moment' she was sharing with Clark, and so changed the subject. "It's a shame I can't tell anyone who made this costume. I guess if anyone asks, I can give Superman's answer," she smiled. "I'll just tell them my mother made ... " Lois simply stared. Her smile lingered as if the data -- the *truth* -- had not yet reached her face. It seemed to serve no function other than to highlight the irony of the realization. All at once Lois felt as if she had been transported back to the Messenger space shuttle to the instant little Amy Platt complimented Superman's costume. Superman's response sounded as clear in Lois' mind as it had over a year ago; "Thank you, my mother made it for me." Why had Lois *never* followed up on that? His *mother*! The very *day* Lois had met Superman he had mentioned his mother, but for some inexplicable reason it was not until this extremely awkward moment that Lois had even given it a second thought. How many Midwestern moms took "wind resistance" into account when creating a Halloween costume? The truth was now embarrassingly clear, and Lois felt the flickering image of an old cartoon playing around the edges of her humiliation. She was Lois Fudd, tricked off a cliff by Bugs Kent! "Oh, my God," she whispered. She quickly scanned the faces. Jonathan looked a bit wary. Martha seemed to be expressing an apology, if only facially, but Clark ... Clark seemed almost as if he were in pain. He stepped forward, stretching his hand towards her. "Lois--" "Don't!" she snapped. "I can't--" She stopped herself and turned her head slightly. Listening. "What is it?" Clark asked, his concern momentarily overriding the unfolding drama. Lois fixed him with a glare. "Trouble," she said, and was gone in a teal and pink blur. "Oh, honey," Martha said, as she approached Clark. "I'm so sorry." Jonathan sighed. "I've seen Lois mad before, but--" "I know, Dad," Clark interrupted. "And she's so mad now she's gone off to help someone, and I don't know where, or how much danger she's in," he said, and began to pace. "And it's sure not like she'll ask for *my* help or advice any time soon." "She'll be all right, Clark," Martha soothed. "In my mind, I know that, Mom. But here," Clark said, placing a hand on his chest. "I worry about her all the time." Despite the situation, Jonathan managed a soft chuckle. "That's where we worry about *you*, son." Martha put an arm around her husband's waist. "It's because we love you, honey, just like you love Lois. She'll calm down eventually." Clark shook his head. "That's like saying the universe has a limited life span, Mom. Both statements are true, but there's no exact range limit data available." Martha finally laughed. "Sweetie, you'll both get through this. Maybe it's better Lois knows. I have to admit I didn't like keeping secrets from her or lying to her." "That's the part I always hated," Clark agreed. "So many times, especially lately, I've wanted to tell her," he sighed. "But something would always happen to change my mind. But now--" "Lately?" Martha asked as she exchanged a conspiratorial glance with Jonathan. "Oh," Clark blushed. "Well, yeah. I mean, it's strange. I've been getting this feeling since about Christmas that Lois has been kind of ... warming up to me." "What?" The blush deepened. "Maybe it's just wishful thinking, Dad," Clark said. "But there's this closeness ... she ..." Clark shook his head. "I guess it doesn't matter much now." "Honey," Martha said and started ushering Jonathan towards the stairs. "Lois can't stay mad." "That's debatable. Sometimes I think her ability to stay mad is some kind of ... *gift*." "Well, your father and I are going to bed, and you can either get some sleep--" "Or sit down here and stew like some lovesick puppy," Jonathan added. "I'm kinda into that 'stew like a lovesick puppy' thing right now, Dad." Jonathan laughed and continued up the stairs. "Suit yourself, son. We Kent men are destined to suffer at the hands of devious women." Clark looked up when he heard a sharp 'smacking' sound and saw his father rubbing his posterior. Clark smiled. Sometimes he felt that kind of teasing and love was so close with Lois, and other times, like tonight, it seemed as distant as Saturn. * * * Clark sat up for hours in the old glider swing waiting for Lois' return, finally falling asleep on the uncomfortable wooden bench seat. Near dawn a faint breeze stirred his hair, and he knew she was back. He opened his eyes and groaned into a sitting position. "Lois?" "It's me," she said, little emotion in her voice. "The *emergency* turned out to be some kids with fire crackers." "You were gone a long time." "Flying. Thinking." She was silhouetted against the gray of the coming sunrise. He could tell she was still dressed as Ultra Woman, but couldn't see her face. She removed the mask as she approached him, and then took a seat on the glider. They remained silent for a while. "I've never seen you with stubble," she finally said. "Stub--? Oh, yeah," he shrugged. "I'm not too smooth shaving the old-fashioned way." "Used heat vision?" He nodded. "Reflected off a mirror." The light began to grow and the sky flushed with color. Lois looked down at the mask in her hands. "I guess I could shave you." Clark leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees as he stared at the sunrise. "Without my aura, the heat vision would barbecue me. Not that I don't deserve it." Lois ignored the self-reproach. "But I've been experimenting a little. It seems the heat vision has varying degrees of intensity." Clark smiled sardonically. How odd to hear Lois theorize on the flexibility of heat vision. "True," he conceded. "But heat strong enough to burn away human hair is also strong enough to burn the skin, and I'd just as soon not have a beard-shaped sunburn." "Okay," she sighed. "Then I'll just shave you the old-fashioned way." Clark turned his head and looked at her. "Lois, what are you doing?" Lois frowned. "What do you mean?" "Lois, you know *exactly* what I mean," Clark said, rising from the bench. "You're purposely not talking about what happened earlier." "Ah, the revelation." She smiled and rose to face him. "You want to know why I'm not screaming, yelling, condemning and threatening to expose your secret to the known universe." Clark folded his arms. "Yeah, something like that." "Well, as a matter of fact," Lois began, and folded her arms as well. "If that "emergency" hadn't called me away--" "Good morning, Lois. Clark." Lois and Clark turned and looked at Jonathan and Martha. Jonathan held up a pail. "Have to feed the chickens." Martha held up a basket. "Have to collect the eggs." Clark blinked a couple of times. "Need any help?" "No, honey," Martha said casually as she followed Jonathan. "There's biscuits in the oven and preserves on the table if you and Lois are hungry." Clark ran a hand through his hair. "Maybe this is catching. You act like nothing happened, my parents are acting like nothing happened--" "Come on," Lois said, tugging at his sleeve. "Let's get you shaved and have some breakfast." Clark resisted. "No offense, Lois, but until I know how you really feel about what happened, I'm not real comfortable with the idea of you holding a razor to my throat." "Don't be ridiculous," Lois chided, and once again began tugging him towards the farmhouse. "If I wanted to kill you, I'd just freeze you, throw you into the air and let you shatter into a million pieces." Clark swallowed. "Sounds like you've given this some thought." "No," she said casually as they entered the door. "I've given it a *lot* of thought." "Oh boy," Clark muttered under his breath. They reached the bathroom and Lois indicated Clark should sit on the toilet. He grimaced, but complied. He found the whole thing surreal. He was in the home he had grown up in, sitting on the toilet in a bathroom that hadn't changed in thirty years aside from an occasional coat of paint and new curtains, waiting for his friend and partner to shave him. She also just happened to have superpowers and was dressed in a costume that was driving him a little bit crazy. As Lois removed a disposable razor and can of shaving cream from the medicine cabinet, Clark's eyes drifted to Lois' long, taut thigh. He licked his lips reflexively. Just as Clark was imagining what it would be like to run his hand slowly over that surface, the antiquated water heater groaned into service as Lois began filling the sink. She glanced over at him. "Where do you keep the towels?" "Hmm?" "Mother ship to Clark," Lois said and placed her fists on her hips. She looked quite ... superhero-ish. "I need a towel to cover your shirt so I won't mess it up." "Oh, the towels are under the sink" he said, and slipped his shirt off and threw it in the hamper. "But this way might be easier. I'll just take a shower afterward." It was now Lois' turn to lick her lips. "I .. well .. good idea," she finally managed to say. "Um, maybe you should come over here and splash some water on your face." Clark nodded and approached the sink. The Kents' bathroom was a great deal smaller than the one he and Lois had shared on their assignment at the Lexor Hotel. With one stride Clark was at the sink and very close to Lois, who was already against the wall with no maneuvering room. Their eyes met for just an instant. Lois swallowed. She didn't want to think about how sexy Clark looked right now. It interfered with her anger, but he did look incredibly sexy with stubble on his face. Fortunately, Lois was saved from succumbing totally by the memory of a boyfriend she had dated during the waning "Miami Vice" era of gold chains and five o'clock shadow. As sexy as it looked, it was hell to kiss. Even a casual make-out session would leave a woman looking as if she'd been hit in the face with a high-velocity porcupine. Clark doused his face a couple of times, reached under the sink and extracted a towel from the cabinet, and dried his hands. Several drops from his moist beard spilled onto his chest. The effect was rather hypnotic. Lois followed the progress of one droplet that flowed all the way to Clark's navel and was stopped by the rough trail of hair that disappeared into his waistband. Don't go there, she warned herself, and grabbed the towel. "Have a seat. We'd better get started." "Okay," Clark said softly. He enjoyed noticing that Lois was ... noticing. Lois shook the can of shaving cream and sprayed a small mound into her hand. She walked over to Clark and stepped in close so that she could better reach his face. She straddled one of his legs, her knee barely grazing his inner thigh. Clark closed his eyes and tipped his head back. He hadn't imagined being so close to Lois could be so excruciating, then again, the excruciating part came from not being able to act on what she was making him feel. The cool lather touched his face and Clark pulled a breath in through his teeth. He opened his eyes and watched Lois applying the lather. She smiled at him briefly and went back to her task. "Don't forget you have superstrength now," he cautioned. "I mean when you start the shaving part." Lois rinsed her hands and picked up the razor. "I'll try not to cut all the way to the bone, but no promises." "Very funny." She placed the tips of her fingers to the side of his head, tipping it slightly, and with the other brought the razor next to his skin. "Here, or higher for your sideburns?" "That feels about right. I'm surprised you noticed." Lois began a short stroke with the razor. "I see you every day, Clark. What kind of investigative reporter would I be if I didn't--" Lois interrupted herself. "Well, I didn't notice you were Superman, but then again, your sideburns are the same." Clark cleared his throat. Lois' voice had taken on an edge that easily rivaled the razor. "Maybe we should talk about that now. At least I don't feel like you're ignoring what happened." "I can't right now, Clark," she said and swished the razor through the water. "We need this thing reversed first. I don't want to lose my temper with this power." She tapped the razor handle on the edge of the sink. "Ah," Clark said. "Then you're mad." "Make a cheek." "What?" "Make a cheek," she repeated and then trapped a pocket of air in her cheek causing it to puff out. Clark complied and Lois began shaving him again. "Yes, I'm mad, but I like to give my anger my full attention, and I can't do that until things are back to normal--other cheek now--relatively speaking anyway." "Fair enough," Clark said, feeling the razor glide gently down his jaw line. Lois was getting the hang of using the superpowers within a human standard. "You're becoming really good at this. I'm impressed." Lois shrugged as she ran hot water over a fresh towel. "I've had a lot of practice. A boyfriend of mine ended up in a body cast for a couple of months after a skiing accident." She chuckled to herself. It was the same boyfriend who had gone through the "Miami Vice" craze. He'd temporarily swapped it for a skiing craze. She didn't stick around long enough to suffer through the next craze. Clark felt a twinge of jealousy at the mention of an old boyfriend. It was ridiculous to feel that way over someone who was in and out of her life long before he met her. Not to mention that despite his desires and fantasies, Lois wasn't even his girlfriend. "No, I didn't mean the shaving part. I meant getting a feel for using the superpowers, or I should say *not* using them." Lois dabbed at his face with the towel to remove the excess lather. "The powers scare me," she sighed. "But I noticed if I don't make exaggerated movements, or think in terms of human strength, I do okay." Clark moaned. Lois pulled the towel away. "Too hot?" "No," he said, almost too eagerly. "My neck is a little stiff from keeping my head tilted back." He wasn't about to tell Lois that the moan was in response to her shin pressing gently but firmly between his legs. He found it instantly arousing and couldn't hide that fact, but as long as the aura seemed to be hiding it >from Lois, he saw no point in bringing it to her attention. Besides, that might only serve to embarrass her, he justified mentally. Deep down he knew he was kidding himself, but despite his best efforts to summon a bit of Superman nobleness, the reality of Lois' shapely leg clad in pink tights discomfiting his blue jeans was overriding all higher brain functions. "Here," she said, and pulled Clark's head forward and pressed the hot towel at the back of his neck. "Mm," he moaned again. "That feels so good." He naturally didn't say *what* felt good, but when Lois leaned forward, her gentle pressure increased. Then, when her ample cleavage brushed against the top of his forehead momentarily, Clark had to bite his lip. The pleasure was reaching an unbearable level. Lois finally stepped back. "Feel better?" Clark rose to his feet quickly and grabbed the towel, letting it drape naturally yet propitiously in front of his jeans. "Lois, trust me, that was the best shave of my entire life." "I'm not sure that's much of a compliment since you've never had to shave much without superpowers your entire life," she said, and then smiled. "Ready for the biscuits and preserves?" Clark was starving, but his stomach would have to wait. "I think I'll grab a shower first." Lois patted his cheek. "Better make it a cold one," she said, and left the bathroom. She knew! Clark's ears began to burn. He was left wondering if it had been his guilty pleasure ... or hers. * * * continued in part 5 ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 00:52:11 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: The Zoomway Subject: NEW: ULTRA MATUM (2/6) [PG] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit TITLE: ULTRA MATUM PART: 2/6 AUTHOR: zoomway@aol.com RATING: PG FEEDBACK: Comments welcome PUB/PRIV both positive and negative, but no Editing please. If you find typos or misspellings, send them to me privately--thanks SUMMARY: This is one of those fun "what if" stories. What if Ultra Woman took place *before* Lois knew the secret? I think that's all you need to know for background in this one ;) * * * Clark tucked the note pad into his pocket and hurried down the steps to the street. He was ready to cobble together the article, but he was still concerned about Lois' fainting spell. He decided he'd take the "super " route back to the Daily Planet. He ducked into the alley, spun, and ... nothing. Clark looked down. To his dismay, he was still dressed in his suit and tie. Within seconds he realized he didn't have any of his powers. Panic washed over him. He had lost his powers before, but only as a direct result from exposure to Kryptonite. This time, though, nothing. No pain, no dizziness, just ... no powers. He debated a moment whether to go to his apartment instead of the Planet, but aside from phoning his parents and letting them know what had happened, there was nothing else he could accomplish there. Besides, he did have the assignment to piece into something cohesive by the time Lois returned, and if she didn't find him there, she would track him down at his apartment anyway. A scolding from Lois as well as questions he would face from Perry were things he didn't need right now. Opting for the Planet, Clark hailed a cab that was missing a door handle and returned to work. * * * Clark felt out of phase with himself. His mind was used to working with a body that could do some extraordinary things, so now it seemed there was a lag from command to execution. He had learned to slow his typing to a realistic pace, but his thoughts and actions were not firing in proper sequence. He had been capable of reading very fast and comprehending what he read at that speed. That was gone as well, and he began to realize just how much his super self had made his life different, even on a mundane level, >from those around him. The whole thing was disconcerting. "Something the matter, son?" Perry asked as he passed Clark's desk. "Huh? No, no, Chief, I just ... I'm having a little trouble getting in gear here." "Well, I know it isn't the world's most exciting story, but it's usually Lois who has trouble getting in gear with that kind of ... where is Lois, by the way?" "She wasn't feeling well, Chief. I think it's because she skipped breakfast. I told her to go out and get something to eat." Perry chuckled. "More like covering a rock exhibit made her sick." He patted Clark on the back and headed for his office. Clark sighed with relief. He hated looking so incompetent in front of Perry, and it was taking longer than he'd thought to get used to doing this the "human" way. When he'd lost his powers before, he at least didn't have to fumble with a computer at the Planet in front of his boss. His phone rang and he sighed again. How did Lois handle all of this without superpowers? Speak of the devil, he smiled to himself when he heard her voice on the other end of the line. "Hi, Lois. Ditching our assignment?" "Clark." Her voice sounded strained. "Can you get hold of Superman?" Clark's heart started to pound. "Are you in trouble?" "Yes ... no ... I don't know!" There was a long exasperated sigh on the other end of the receiver. "Quit playing "20 Questions" and get Superman to come to my apartment!" "I ... can't." "*Can't*? You have something so important you can't get in touch with Superman?" she asked, sarcasm creeping into her tone. "I have a *problem*, Clark!" "So do I, Lois. I can't get in touch with Superman." Clark sighed yet again. His exasperation level was easily matching Lois'. "He seems to be gone ... somewhere ... at the moment." "I knew it. I called for help earlier and he never showed up." "Are you all right?" he asked, and now felt more helpless than just moments earlier. "I'm fine. A little boy was trapped in a grating in the park, and then ..." "God," Clark whispered. "Is he okay?" "He's fine, but I really need to talk to Superman, but if you can't find him ... would you please come to my apartment, Clark. I ... I'm scared." "I'm on my way," he said, grabbing his jacket from the back of his chair. He hurried for the elevators and snagged Jimmy as he was exiting. "Jimmy, could you save the file I have on my screen and attach it to an e-mail and send it to Lois' home computer?" "Sure, CK, no problem," he smiled. "You and Lois pulling an all-nighter?" Clark fixed Jimmy with a stare that the young man had come to recognize as Clark's "don't go there" expression. Jimmy swallowed. "Attach the file to an e-mail and send it to Lois' home computer. I'm on it," he said and was grateful when the elevator doors broke the eye contact. * * * Clark took a deep breath and knocked on Lois' door. As soon as the array of locks were undone, the door flew open and Lois embraced him. "I'm so glad you're here." Clark winced. "Easy, Lois, I can't breathe." He couldn't believe he was *that* wimpy without his powers. "Oh, God ... oh, God," she said, fanning her hands as if they were wet. "I don't know how to control this!" "Calm down, Lois," he soothed. "Control *what*?" "Can you keep a secret?" "A secret?" "Clark, just yes or no!" He shrugged, completely befuddled. "Yes, I can keep a secret." "I have Superman's powers!" "What!?" "I knew you wouldn't believe me," she said, and then gazed at him. "You have a pen, note pad and checkbook in your jacket pocket. You have sixty-one cents in your left pants pocket and your apartment keys in the right." Clark immediately folded his hands in front of his trousers. Lois rolled her eyes. "Don't flatter yourself!" she snapped. "Do you believe me, or do I have to fall out the window and break the concrete?" Clark shook his head. "I believe you, Lois, but how...?" "I have no idea! I swear I don't, Clark," she said, her anxiety mounting. "We'll figure this out, Lois. It'll be okay," he said softly as he pulled her into a comforting embrace. "Thank you," she whispered against his shoulder and then pulled back. "I can feel you." Clark swallowed. "Sorry?" "Your body warmth, your breath on my hair," she said and reached up and stroked his cheek. "And your skin. I didn't think Superman would be able to feel things like that. I mean his invulnerability ..." Clark reached up and wrapped his hand around hers. "Of course he feels those things, Lois," he said gently, and rather sadly, or so it seemed to Lois. "But *how*?" "He called it his "aura", and I ... really don't know how that works," he said hesitantly. "But I know ... that is, he told me ... that even though he can't be physically hurt, it seems that when someone is close to him ... touching him ... it's like the aura--" "Surrounds them both." "Maybe." Clark shrugged. He really wasn't sure. "I don't think Superman even knows exactly." "But if it's true," she said, "wouldn't someone being held by Superman be able to hurt him?" "I hardly think Superman would hug a gunman, Lois." "Clark." "Lois, I'm as clueless on this as you are!" Lois put her hand on Clark's chest. "It's okay, Clark," she said earnestly. "I forget sometimes that just because you're Superman's friend, it doesn't mean you know everything about him." Clark ran a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, Lois. I didn't mean to snap like that. I guess ... this thing --" "I know. We're both edgy, and I wouldn't have dragged you into this, Clark, if I'd been able to find Superman..." Lois' eyes widened. "Oh, God, Clark. Maybe I don't just have his powers, maybe I have *his* powers." Clark felt lost. "Lois, I don't --" "Don't you get it? If I have *his* powers, not just a duplication of them like Waldecker, that means he doesn't have them anymore and that's why we couldn't reach him!" "I ... I guess that's possible," Clark said, relieved Lois had figured it out. "Where would Superman be without his powers?" For some reason that question rubbed Clark the wrong way. "He'd still be a person, Lois. He'd just be a person without superpowers." "What?" Lois blanked a moment on what seemed a non sequitur. "No! I don't mean philosophically! I mean *physically*! Is there some place Superman stays, and if so, could he be ... stuck there without his powers?" "Oh," Clark said, feeling a bit chagrined. "Well, yeah, I guess so." "Great! Tell me where, and I'll go look for him." "Where?" Lois sighed in exasperation. "Quit answering my questions with a question, Clark!" "I'm sorry, Lois, it's just that ... there are several possible places Superman could be. I mean, think about it," Clark said, trying to play for time. "If you had his powers ... er ... if anyone had his powers, would they stay in the same place all the time if they had the whole world to choose from?" "Well, I guess not," Lois considered. "But I always thought of Metropolis as his home. Maybe I had too domesticated a view of him." Clark pulled the notebook from his pocket. "Look, I'll make a list of locations Superman has mentioned," he said as he began to write. "He loves Metropolis, but sometimes he likes to find a quiet place." Clark tore out the page and handed it to Lois. Lois glanced at the list. "Clark, these places are all over the world!" "And?" "*And* I may have his powers, but I don't know how to use them! The x-ray vision thing just happened when I was trying to find that lost boy, but I don't know how to fly or use heat vision or--" "Okay," Clark said, raising a hand. "I do remember Superman saying the flying part was actually the easiest." Lois folded her arms. "Clark, I've tried jumping into the air, flapping my arms, and everything else, but I *can't* fly." Clark smiled. "It's more like walking. You don't really think about moving your legs when you're walking, and flying is the same way." "Maybe it's like *walking* to Superman, but I can't even crawl yet." "Look," he said softly, and placed his hands on her shoulders. "You're thinking in terms of true flight, and, well ...Superman doesn't really 'fly'." "Of course he flies, Clark," Lois sighed. "I ought to know - I've flown with him enough." "No." Clark shook his head. "Not *true* flight. He ... floats. That puts him off the ground as high as he wants to be. He reaches a certain elevation or altitude, and then it's like walking. He thinks of the direction and speed he wants to go, and he ... goes there." Lois smiled. "That's right, he does sort of just 'lift off' without having to jump." "Just clear your thoughts, Lois, and concentrate on floating," Clark encouraged. Lois took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She closed her eyes and concentrated. After a few moments she drifted from the floor, taking Clark with her. Clark laughed with relief, and maybe even a touch of pride. "You did it!" "I did it!" Lois shouted and impulsively hugged him. "Thank you." "You're welcome," he whispered. Lois drifted them back to the floor. That foolish feeling was overtaking her again. That inexplicable desire she felt for Clark. It was also intruding at the most inopportune moment. She had Superman's powers to deal with, for crying out loud! That should override *everything* else. Yet, there it was, and maybe even heightened *because* she had Superman's powers. "That reminds me," she said casually, as if levitating was something she did every day. "That aura thing. You know, if Superman could be hurt--" "If he's holding someone?" "Right," she smiled. "And also if the aura protects the other person." Clark shrugged. "Well, that hug you gave me when I first got here felt like an anaconda. Remember?" "Okay," she said. "Then I guess we need to experiment." "Experiment?" Clark frowned. "Lois, I am *not* going to hug you and stab a knife in your back, if that's what you have in mind." Lois considered his words. "Actually that sounds like most of the men I've dated. However," she said, pulling him closer, "I think something like a ... hickey would be a fair but safe test." Lois couldn't believe she had suggested that. She hadn't had a hickey since the 8th grade, but then again, she was employing a tactic for getting close to a reluctant boy that she hadn't employed since 8th grade either. Truth or dare. Make it sound like something totally unrelated to a show of affection, and it was perfectly legitimate. Clark was stunned, obviously not believing Lois had said that either. "A *hickey*?" "Not unless you prefer that knife thing." "Of course not, but--" "Or unless the idea repulses you." "Lois--" Clark stopped himself and sighed. "All right," he said, knowing it was pointless to argue with Lois when she had her mind made up. He had to admit that under any other set of circumstances this would be a dream come true, but now? This moment when the world was literally without Superman? Then again, Lois had no way of knowing Superman was truly out of commission, but still ... Superman. Clark's mind began to work overtime. Could Lois be practicing something she might want to try on his counterpart? She did seem intrigued that Superman could feel things as humans do ... No, he chided himself, if Lois was after Superman then she would have taken that list he had handed her and gone in search of *him* and not be satisfied with practicing on "Clark." That truth was promising, even revealing. Encouraged by this revelation and hoping his supposition had merit, Clark applied himself to the "test" with all due enthusiasm. Even if his theory had no merit whatsoever, Lois Lane was in his arms and he was placing his lips against her lovely neck. If this was to be his only shot, then he was going to make sure he did his best. With that thought in mind, Clark began to kiss her neck. Softly at first, just tracing his lips down her neck and back up again. Even an aura couldn't conceal her body's reactions. Encouraged even further, he pulled a bit of her skin in between his teeth, and applied gentle suction. When Lois moaned in response, Clark began to breathe so heavily that only a clap of thunder could upstage him. He reluctantly pulled his lips from her neck. "Did you feel that, Lois?" he asked, and was literally panting. Lois, though trying not to show the impact of his kiss in her voice or face, failed. "Yes," was all she could manage to say, her own breath robbed by Clark's intensity. Clark derived a deep satisfaction from Lois' response. Even her eyes were slightly glazed, and it pleased him to know that he, Clark Kent, had accomplished that. Feeling bold, he moved his face closer to hers. "So, was the experiment a success?" "Well ... it ... I mean--" Clark suppressed a smile. Lois had a sweet vulnerability that she guarded so well. It touched his heart when she would reveal even a fraction of that to him, and more so this time because even superpowers couldn't protect her. "I hope it didn't hurt." "Um, actually ... it did ... a little," she said, slowly regaining composure. "I'm sorry," Clark said, and with no warning began to bestow apologetic, sensual wet kisses over the "hurt." Lois gasped. Her eyes rolled back and superpowers or not, her knees weakened. "Oh, Clark..." Clark lifted his head. His eyes were now as glazed over as Lois' and he had to stop himself simply because he wanted to go further, and this wasn't the time. Not yet, and not with Lois so vulnerable. Another man might take advantage of Lois at that moment, but Clark didn't want an "advantage." He wanted mutuality. The day in the future when he and Lois would make love for the first time, and this brief sensual taste convinced Clark that day *would* come, would happen when Lois was fully aware of that and not because a "kissing experiment" started burning out of control. "You okay?" he asked softly. Lois nodded. "Yeah. I think I got my answer." "Good." Clark smiled. After an awkward pause Lois patted Clark's chest. "I guess I'd better take that list and see if I can find Superman." "I guess so," Clark said, and kept up the deep eye contact. "Where'd I put the list?" "Um ... it's in your hand." "Well," she said rather airily. "Thanks for being here for me." "Always." Lois regarded Clark curiously for a moment, and then kissed his lips. Not deeply or passionately, but definitely voluntarily. "Wish me luck." Clark returned the kiss. "Good luck." Lois held the eye contact a moment longer. Then, in a blur, she was gone. Clark walked over to the window and glanced up into the sky. "Wow," he whispered. * * * continued in part 3 ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 00:52:40 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: The Zoomway Subject: NEW: ULTRA MATUM (5/6) [PG] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit TITLE: ULTRA MATUM PART: 5/6 AUTHOR: zoomway@aol.com RATING: PG FEEDBACK: Comments welcome PUB/PRIV both positive and negative, but no Editing please. If you find typos or misspellings, send them to me privately--thanks SUMMARY: This is one of those fun "what if" stories. What if Ultra Woman took place *before* Lois knew the secret? I think that's all you need to know for background in this one ;) * * * Lois had heard the shower stop running about twenty minutes ago, yet still no Clark. She wondered if she had embarrassed him. She began to butter another biscuit and then sighed with relief hearing him enter the kitchen. "I was getting worried that maybe I--" She stopped talking. The butter knife clattered to the floor. Clark, dressed as Superman, retrieved the knife and set it in the sink. He fetched another from the drawer and handed it to her. "Are you all right, Lois?" "I ... it's just that--" She paused a moment and took a breath. "It's just that for over a year I've loved and respected what that outfit represents ... and now, even knowing you're really Clark and that you don't even have your powers, it doesn't change that feeling." Clark glanced down at his costume, and then back into her eyes. She had said it, though maybe not meaning to- "loved and respected" and "knowing you're really Clark ... doesn't change that." He tried to compose himself, and his thoughts. He had to. He loved her, and she needed him right now. "I'm going with you the next time there's an emergency." "Clark--" "And it's not because I don't have faith in you," he added hastily. "I have *complete* faith in you, Lois. It's just that for me, learning how to be a superhero was kind of on-the-job training, but it doesn't have to be for you." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "If you'll let me help you." "All right." "Because you might be facing something I've already dealt with and I ... 'all right'? You said 'all right'." Lois shrugged and reseated herself. "I think it's logical," she said, and buttered a biscuit and handed it to Clark. "Besides, I don't like taking the responsibility for someone's life. I wasn't born for this like you were." Clark dipped a spoon into the preserves. "I'm not sure anymore *what* I was born for," he said in a decidedly defeatist tone. "Don't worry, we'll figure this out and you'll get your powers back." Clark shook his head. "It's not just the powers and the Superman thing, Lois. It's the 'Clark Kent' thing too," he sighed. "Lois, I was working in the office without my powers and I was just *this* close to feeling completely incompetent. I suddenly realized that the superpowers are a part of my everyday life, and so I guess I'm really more Superman than Clark Kent." Lois smiled. "Quit thinking about yourself as two people. It's just *you*. The names or outfits don't matter. Superpowers are a part of you and so it's natural that you use them." "But that's my problem, Lois. I kept thinking that Clark Kent was the real me, just a normal guy, and that Superman was only a costume I put on so I could use my powers to help in public. But I was kidding myself," he said, and waved the biscuit around, gesturing. "Clark is just as phony as Superman." "Here," Lois said and tucked a checkered napkin into the neck of Clark's costume. "Your mom would have a fit if you got preserves on that and I can't imagine how you'd get strawberry stains out of spandex." Clark was incredulous. "Lois, you haven't heard a word I've said!" "Of course I've heard," she said nonchalantly. "And you're right, you're not a normal guy, at least not by human standards. But you *are* normal for you, and so Clark Kent is a normal guy." Lois watched Clark gloomily munching away on his biscuit. Obviously she wasn't reaching him. "Okay," she said. "The way I see it is that Superman is the stigma of your superpowers." Clark stopped chewing. "You're calling Superman a *stigma*? Some kind of ... character blotch?" Lois laughed softly. "Sure, 'stigma' can mean that, but it's also a kind of ... well ... identifier, and I know it has a negative connotation because it's associated with illness, but--" "Lois," he interrupted. "I know you mean well, but this is starting to feel like a foreign film subtitled by Mad Magazine." Lois, undaunted, continued. "What do you think of when you see an inhaler?" "Lois, I--" "Answer the question." "Okay," he sighed. "I think of asthma when I see an inhaler." "Right. A seeing-eye dog?" "Blindness." "Wheelchair?" "Lois, look, I get it, I really do," he said flatly. "Those items would be considered the 'stigma' associated with specific illnesses or handicaps, but superpowers do *not* fit into those categories." Lois leaned back in her chair. "Is it at all possible for you to think in anything besides black and white? I'll settle for shades of gray if you can't do color." Clark's frustration level was getting critical. "You just said that those were the stigma--" "*Why* does a blind man have a seeing-eye dog?" she interrupted. Clark rubbed his right temple. He was getting a very human headache. "To be his eyes. To keep him from walking out into traffic--" "Keep going." "To keep him from being dependent on others so that he--" Clark stopped and smiled, even blushed a little. "So that he ...?" Lois prompted. "So that he can lead as normal a life as possible." "Bingo!" She smiled. "Not normal for *you*. Not normal for *me*, but normal for *him*," she said and handed him another biscuit. "Clark, you're normal for *you*." Clark just stared at her, a definite love light glowing in his eyes. "Lois," he said softly. "If I've never told you how brilliant you are, let me apologize." Lois raised an eyebrow. "Well, if there's anything in this town that resembles a real restaurant, and at this point I'm willing to accept Rosie's Rib Tickler All-You-Can-Stand Buffet as a *real* restaurant, then you can apologize properly tonight over some --" Lois cut herself off and grabbed the table. "Do you feel that?" Clark frowned and shook his head. "Feel what?" "A ... tremor, or some kind of strong vibration." "It could be a minor earthquake, but there hasn't been one in this area since--" Lois suddenly winced in pain and covered her ears. Clark rose quickly from his chair and raced to her side of the table. He crouched next to her and put an arm around her. "Lois? Lois!" "It's too loud!" "*What's* too loud? Lois, are you--?" The lights in the kitchen flickered briefly and then winked out. Glassware in the cabinets rattled and the uneven leg of the table tapped violently for a few seconds. The sound of the event finally caught up to human ears as a deafening roar. Lois lowered her hands. She looked as though an excruciating pain had stopped. Everything was silent. Clark took Lois' hands. "You okay?" Lois nodded. "A huge explosion, but I guess you figured that out." Clark smiled weakly. "Yeah, but even without superhearing I could tell it didn't come from the direction of Smallville." "Thank God," Lois whispered as she rose from the chair. "I guess we should take a look at where it *did* come from and see if anyone needs some help." "It's near Simpson's quarry," Jonathan said as he and Martha entered the kitchen. "You can already see black smoke billowing up in that direction." "Does anyone live out there?" Lois asked. Martha shook her head. "No, dear, it's pretty isolated. Not even any farms." "Too rocky," Jonathan added. Lois' expression shifted quickly from relief to dismay. Clark recognized the expression. He'd worn it enough himself. "What are you hearing, Lois?" "Radio messages ... lots of them ... frantic," she said. "It's too confusing!" "I know it's hard, Lois, but concentrate -- separate the voices. You can do it." Lois nodded. "A helicopter headed back to Kansas City reporting the explosion at the quarry ... a repeating message to the engineer of the Sundowner Limited ... switch ..." Lois opened her eyes and looked at Clark. "I couldn't make it all out, but there was no reply from the Sundowner as far as I could tell." Martha placed her finger tips on her chin. "The Sundowner is the passenger train that makes the circuit from Miami to Los Angeles." "Son," Jonathan said, urgency rising in his tone, "the trestle's at the quarry." Lois took Clark's hand and ran out the door. The couple left the ground in mid-stride. The checkered napkin fluttered to the floor. * * * The flight to the quarry was a brief one. Within seconds they were descending through the black smoke and landing near the remnants of the trestle. Lois assessed the damage. "What could have caused this?" Clark placed his hands on Lois' shoulders. "I'll stay and examine the trestle -- *you* have a train to catch," he said. "Be careful." "I will," she whispered, and vanished in the direction of a rapidly growing dot on the horizon. Clark sighed with a mixture of worry and admiration, and then turned to what was left of the trestle. He picked up a shoring plank and sniffed. "Cordite," he whispered and shook his head. He peered over the edge of the gorge. The bottom was still obscured by smoke and dust. As Clark pondered why anyone would deliberately destroy a trestle, particularly one out in the middle of nowhere, he heard the train *still* approaching. Lois, braced in front of the engine, unable to span the rails, was splintering crossties with the heels of her boots as the train kept advancing. Clark ran forward. "Lois!" he shouted, "I know you can hear me! The train's still under power! A *lot* of power! Friction won't stop it in time!" Clark took a deep, calming breath. "You can do this, Lois," he said, his voice almost a whisper. "Detach the engine -- set it off the rails. Then you can use friction to stop the other cars." Lois flew to the back of the engine. Cowling, cables and wires, along with a coupling, attached it to the next car. She examined the tangle of attachments, her mind racing. She couldn't concentrate. Everything was moving too fast. She was certain that Clark would probably detach everything at super speed, but Lois couldn't think in those terms yet, so she simply cut through the jumble of lines with heat vision. Unfortunately that caused an instant ball of fire to erupt. Lois recoiled instinctively as she pulled the engine away from the rest of the train. What good was invulnerability, Lois thought, if her mind and body were programmed from birth to fear physical contact with fire. "Think!" She admonished herself, and then inhaled deeply. She extinguished the blaze with a blast of freezing breath, and then flew back to the last car and held on. She dug in her heels, and again the crossties began to break and splinter away, but this time, the train was slowing down. Clark, still running, finally caught up to the train just as Lois emerged slowly from the back. She looked pale and exhausted. Clark wrapped his arms around her. "You did great." "I was so scared," Lois said as she returned the hug. "I made so many mistakes." "It's okay," he soothed. "I made my share in the beginning, and still do. Remember what I said about feeling incompetent without my powers? Well," he said, pulling from the embrace, "I think it'll take practice for *both* of us. In the meantime though, people will be getting off that train with some questions." Lois shook her head. "I *can't*, Clark. I ... it's too much right now," she said, and was gone. Clark sighed. He understood. He'd been there, and though it got easier with time, there were still moments that were overwhelming. He glanced up at the dazed passengers as they debarked. Their expressions of relief and gratitude were always a reminder of why he kept doing this job. If Lois had only waited long enough .... Oh well, he thought, maybe she's still nearby. The engineer, obviously shaken, made his way to the front of the train. "Superman," he said, his voice ragged. "I couldn't stop the train. I couldn't do *anything*. It's like it had a mind of its own!" "It's all right," Clark replied reassuringly. "It seems someone was bent on sabotage. The trestle was destroyed deliberately. Someone was trying to make sure you didn't get a chance to stop the train." "That would be me," a diminutive man in dark glasses said casually as he stepped forward. The engineer, outraged and running on ninety percent adrenalin, lunged at the small man. "You maniac!" The engineer's fingertips barely brushed the man, but it was enough to send the engineer flying backward about thirty feet. He lay on the ground groaning where he fell. The mystery man chuckled. "Isn't that cool, Superman? It's a repulse field," he said casually, as if the feat had merely been a demonstration at a high school science fair. "But the *amazing* part," he added quickly as Clark took a couple of angry steps forward, "is that it reads, interprets and duplicates any energy directed at it." Clark stopped and folded his arms. "So if I flew at you at full speed--" "You'd probably land somewhere in the Texas panhandle," he said, and smiled benignly. "But the point is, I decided to attempt to duplicate your powers. I'm your biggest fan, Superman," he proclaimed proudly. "Sadly, my attempts proved futile, but while trying to duplicate your force field, I inadvertently created the repulse generator, which, as you can see--" "Is that what this is all about? You rigged this train wreck to get my attention so you could impress me with your homemade aura?" The man stared blankly for a moment. "No," he finally replied. "I rigged the train wreck as a field test for the ... aura. Thank you for the proper terminology. I considered a plane crash," he continued calmly, "but there were too many unacceptable variables, and so I decided--" "You were going to kill all these people as part of a *test*?" Clark asked, no longer able to hide his anger. The man suddenly looked crestfallen. "If my theories and calculations were correct, Superman, no one on that train would have been harmed. Part of the work I did on the engine was to hide a small, but more powerful version of the repulse generator. That way," he shrugged, "the train would never have hit the bottom of that chasm ... theoretically." "How much more powerful?" a female voice asked. All heads turned skyward as Ultra Woman made her grand entrance. She landed a few feet from the little man. "Let's just find out," she said and pointed a small device at him. The man instantly began to skid backward. His former placid, self-assured expression was replaced by one of horrified realization. "Shut it off!" he shouted as he continued his backward momentum. "Did it ever occur to you," Lois commented, still advancing on the man as he receded, "that the engine could have become disconnected from the other cars, and if it had, every passenger would have died anyway?" The man glanced quickly over his shoulder and noticed he was being pushed towards the remnants of the trestle. "Shut it off, lady!" "Of course you had your private little aura just in case things didn't go right." "In retrospect," the man said in panting breaths, "a bus might have been a better test subject." Lois shook her head. "What touching remorse." The man looked pleadingly at Clark. "Help me, Superman! That generator she has will bury me like a pile-driver!" "Sorry," Clark shrugged. "But that generator *you* have makes me a little leery. I mean I wouldn't want to end up in the Texas panhandle, for example." "Here!" the man said, frantically tearing at his pocket. "Here it is!" He tossed the device at Clark. Clark retrieved the small box and trotted up to the man just as his feet slipped over the edge. He grabbed his wrist and lifted him easily from his perilous fate. Lois looked on admiringly. Clark was pretty dazzling even without superpowers. The man wiped the perspiration from his forehead. "Thank you, Superman." "You'd better save your breath for the sheriff," Clark said, as Rachel Harris arrived on the scene. Lois' discomfort at the whole situation showed clearly in her eyes. Clark remembered the early days of being Superman all too well. The unwanted but inevitable attention was almost claustrophobic. He walked over to Lois and took her hand and then looked into the crowd. "I know you all have a lot of questions," he said in a loud stage voice. "But Ultra Woman, like me, is just here to help." "And speaking of helping," Lois added abruptly, "Superman and I are needed elsewhere." Before the crowd could advance, the couple was airborne. As they gained altitude, Lois smiled at Clark, obviously amused by something. "What?" He asked, finding her smile contagious. "I thought you told me that if someone invented something that duplicated your powers, you wouldn't care." "True," he acknowledged. "But I draw the line at using a train wreck for a test medium." Lois nodded. "Good point. But, Clark" she said, a slight scolding edge in her tone. "You shouldn't have confronted that man without your powers." Clark lifted his eyebrows, a definite mocking expression in his eyes. "Oh?" Lois smiled. "I get it. You've warned me repeatedly to "stay put" when you're doing the Superman ... thing." "And do you know *why* I warn you, Lois?" She laughed. "Because if you screw up, I won't see it?" "Lois." "Okay ... because you *worry* about me," she acknowledged. "and I love that you worry about me, Clark, but you're not my mother." "I'm not trying to be your, mother, Lois, I just ... you *love* that I worry about you?" "Sure," she smiled, and drifted upward, but didn't release his hand until she had made contact with his shoulder. "Don't you remember last year when you were my bodyguard and I told you practically the same thing?" She asked, slowly slipping her arms around his neck. Clark nodded. "I remember," he whispered. It was so hard to speak when she was so close. "But if you'd told me like this last year, I would have--" He stopped himself. Lois moved her face closer. "Would have what?" "Done this," Clark said, and moved his face wordlessly towards hers, kissing her tenderly. The contact felt so good and so right, he deepened the kiss, freeing a desire he had kept in check for nearly two years. Whether it was the liberation of realizing that there were finally no more secrets between them, or just the cumulative effect of a growing affection he had sensed from Lois, the feeling was an unbearably sweet ache. The usually staid, controlling, self-denying workaholic, Lois Lane, was at last granted dispensation. She was finally ready for dessert, and so accepted Clark's overture hungrily. Some deeply buried lecturing voice had always warned Lois that if she ever gave into her feelings for her best friend, she would be lost to those feelings. The voice was right. Lois was utterly lost and devoured by the sensation. If there was a word that could shame "passion," then she and Clark were on the threshold of its discovery as they drifted eastward -- rewinding the sunrise. * * * concluded in part 6 ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 00:52:51 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: The Zoomway Subject: NEW: ULTRA MATUM (6/6) [PG] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit TITLE: ULTRA MATUM PART: 6/6 AUTHOR: zoomway@aol.com RATING: PG FEEDBACK: Comments welcome PUB/PRIV both positive and negative, but no Editing please. If you find typos or misspellings, send them to me privately--thanks SUMMARY: This is one of those fun "what if" stories. What if Ultra Woman took place *before* Lois knew the secret? I think that's all you need to know for background in this one ;) * * * Clark's eyelid twitched in response to the phone ringing. He stretched out his arm and fumbled with the receiver. "Hello?" he said and then yawned. "Clark?" "Oh, good morning, Perry." Clark said, and was relieved that a quick glance at his watch revealed it was still an hour before he and Lois were due at the Planet. "Uh ... good morning, Clark," Perry said, his tone sounding a bit peculiar. "I'd like to speak with Lois. That is, if she's not ... busy." "Lois? Why would you think Lois is here?" "Well, son, I dialed *her* number." Clark winced and wiped the lingering sleep from his eyes. Sure enough, he was in Lois' apartment. The fog was lifting, and he was remembering yesterday -- and last night. At that moment Lois entered the room drying her hair. A short, satin nighty clung to her lovingly. She lifted the towel from her head. "Morning," she said, but with no emotional inflection. Clark waved the receiver at her. "Perry," he whispered. Lois rolled her eyes and took the receiver. "Hi, Perry. You're calling awfully early," she said, and rather curtly it seemed to Clark. He pantomimed "shaving" to Lois. She nodded an acknowledgment and then turned her attention back to the phone. Clark walked to the bathroom, alternately yawning and stretching. He would have loved to have slept that extra hour, but Sunday was over, and he and Lois would be expected back behind their desks. He sighed as he filled the sink with hot water. Now their time would be severely cut. At least the time they had to devote to solving the problem of figuring out how to switch back the superpowers. He opened the medicine cabinet and removed the can of shaving cream and the razor Lois had mentioned buying for him last night. "Last night," Clark whispered as he opened the cap and shook the can. He and Lois really needed to talk about last night. Actually, all the events leading up to last night. Just as he sprayed a small mound of lather in his palm, Lois entered the bathroom and leaned against the wall, her arms folded. Clark looked at her reflection in the mirror. "I'm sorry about answering your phone, Lois, I--" "That's okay, Clark," she said. "I love Perry, but it's none of his business what we do away from the Planet," Lois added, her expression changing slightly. "Not that we actually *did* anything." Clark raised his eyebrows as a means of conveying recognition and nodded. He turned back to the sink and rinsed his hands. "Lois, we have to *talk* about yesterday." Lois handed him a towel and stretched her arm out towards the living room in the "shall we?" mode. Clark smiled as he dried his hands. She was so cute when she was trying to be resolute. He draped an arm over her shoulder and kissed her temple. "Let's go," he whispered. Lois relented and unfolded slightly. She wrapped an arm around his waist. "I made coffee," she said as they started walking slowly toward the living room. "Good. I think for the first time in my life I need caffeine." Lois smiled politely and flicked on the lights as they entered the room. The sun hadn't found her apartment yet. "Have a seat. I'll get the coffee." Clark sat down with a groan, his body protesting the earliness of the hour and the uncomfortable sleeping position of the night before. He leaned back and watched Lois busying herself in the kitchen. A small, contented sigh escaped his lips. He *wanted* this. He wanted a life with her, and he would fight to keep it. Lois returned and handed Clark a cup, and then made herself comfortable in the corner of the sofa. She positioned herself so that she could face him. Her expression was apprehensive. "Well?" Clark turned slightly. "You want to know why I poured cold water all over what we started yesterday." Lois stared into her coffee cup. "Clark, you have an uncanny grasp of the obvious." Clark smiled. She was mad, but at least she was willing to listen. "Lois, we got pretty carried away yesterday, and then that emergency called you away." Lois lifted her head sharply. "Is that what this is all about? I got called away as Ultra Woman, and you're holding that against me?" "No!" Clark said, setting his cup down on the coffee table and moving closer to Lois. "That's not it at all. If *anyone* knows what it's like to have to put everything on hold to dash off--" "Then *what*, Clark?" Lois asked, now totally confused. "I thought we had something special yesterday. I thought...I thought that we were going to make love," she said, her voice cracking momentarily. "Then *you* put on the brakes." "Lois, I *love* you," Clark said, taking her cup and placing it next to his. "I'm *in* love with you. I've *always* been in love with you, and I guess I always will be." Lois shook her head. She felt run over by conflicting information. "Then why did you *stop*, Clark? That doesn't make any sense." He took her hands in his. "Because if you're not in love with me, Lois, then aside from a great physical feeling, there's nothing else there." Angry tears stung her eyes. "Here's a news flash, Clark! I have never *once* in my life slept with a man that I wasn't in *love* with, or at least thought I was in love with!" She rose from the sofa and began to pace away. "I may have made some really *really* bad choices in men, but I never hopped into bed because I got carried away by my hormones." "I didn't mean--" "That's why I never slept with Lex. I wasn't in love with him," she said, and raised a hand, still facing away from Clark. "And yes, it's true I was going to marry him, but it's also true I turned him down at the altar." "I know that, Lois." Clark said as he left the sofa and approached her. "I wasn't asking you for a confession about Lex." Lois spun on him angrily. "I would have made love to Superman. Is *that* the confession you're waiting for? I loved him so much it felt almost like I was losing my mind." "I wasn't asking for *any* confessions from you, Lois," Clark said, wondering how things had gotten so turned around. "I would never have taken advantage of your feelings for Superman." Lois sighed loudly. "The point is, you *did*, Clark. Not by getting me in bed, but by putting my life on hold," she said, and moved back a couple of steps to maintain the distance. "On the one hand, you never encouraged me to love you as Superman, but on the other, you never *discouraged* me either. What was I supposed to think?" "Lois--" "I couldn't move forward *with* him, but I couldn't move on *without* him letting me go. Not to mention I made a first class fool of myself chasing after Superman," she said, and wiped a tear from her face. "Don't think I didn't hear the whispered jokes at the Planet, because I did, Clark, and they *hurt*." "Lois, I'm sorry," Clark said tenderly. "But can't you see I was just as crazy in love with you? Office gossip goes both ways. Everyone knew I was hung up on you, Lois. If I heard "poor Clark" one more time, I was going to put my fist through the vending machine, give everyone a free Clark Bar, and just call it a day." "Call it a day?" Lois stared at Clark through tear-glazed eyes. She wasn't sure if he was trying to be funny or if he was trying to be serious. He met her gaze. His eyes were warm and apologetic. "I know it was selfish to give you false hope as Superman, Lois, but *you* were the only thing that kept him ...*me* going sometimes." Lois sniffed. "What?" Clark stepped forward and placed his hands on her shoulders again, but this time she did not retreat. "I never knew what it felt like to be in love until I met you, Lois. I didn't know what to do, what to think, or what to say. Sometimes I lost my temper with you because I guess I thought it was supposed to be automatic. The person you love is supposed to love you back. I know that was wrong, but I was so confused half the time, and so scared the other half, that when things got really bad, Superman was my only safe haven with you." Lois, to Clark's surprise, nodded. She understood his confusion better than he might think. "When I'd have deeper feelings for you, Clark, I tried to push them aside, because I was trying to be loyal to Superman," she said, and sniffed again. "So I guess I know what you were going through." "Yeah." Clark smiled faintly and nodded. It was amazing what they had put each other through in the name of love, loyalty, and maybe even a touch of obsession. "I think you do." "Is it true?" She asked after a long pause. "I'm the first woman you ever loved?" Clark placed his forehead against hers. "The *only* woman I've ever loved." Lois fell against him, emotionally exhausted. "Thank you," she whispered. Clark held her tight. He wanted to inhale her. He kissed the top of her head. "You're welcome." "It's kind of pathetic, though," Lois said offhandedly. "Hm?" he asked against her hair. "That the world's two superheroes are such a bundle of neurotic insecurities." Clark laughed and swayed Lois in his arms. The crisis was passing, and the humor and closeness returning. "Maybe we can import someone from Mars or Jupiter." "I guess we'll have to," she said, and laughed softly against his chest. Clark pulled back, and held Lois out at arm's length. "Okay, say it," he coaxed, and waggled her shoulders playfully. "Come on." Lois smiled crookedly. "I *love* you, Clark." "Yes!" Clark said with a mixture of triumph and relief. "*Thank* you." "You're welcome." Lois placed her hands on his chest. "So, can we *finally* finish what we started?" "Mm, Ms. Lane," Clark cooed. "I'd love nothing better, but I want to put a *lot* of time into this. Unfortunately, as far as time goes, we have just enough to get dressed, and get to the Planet. Though," he added, "you're definitely worth getting fired over." "Ah," Lois smiled. "Now for the good news. Perry wants us to stake out the tenderloin district, and that's *definitely* a night assignment. We have *lots* of time." "You know," Clark said wistfully. "I usually hate TV sweeps months because the local news programs start broadcasting all kinds of sensationalized stories and so Perry feels compelled to compete with them, but all of a sudden--" "You love sweeps month." "Exactly," he laughed. "And I promise *not* to make any comments about the irony of an assignment in the red light district." Lois moved her hands to the sides of Clark's face. "So who needs to talk right now, anyway?" "Good point," he said, and sealed his mouth over hers. Their kissing had not progressed far when Lois suddenly broke away, her expression urgent. "Red light!" Clark blanked a moment. "Green light!" he said, and moved back in to continue the kiss. "No, Clark! A red light! There was a red light coming from that rock at the laser show at the mineral exhibit. It hit you, and a second later--" "You fainted." She nodded. "And woke up as ... Ultra Woman." "Could it be that simple?" "It's got to be the answer, Clark." Clark shrugged. "I agree, but why did it take us this long to come up with such a simple answer?" Lois stepped back and folded her arms. "Maybe because I thought *Clark* was the one hit with the red light and therefore couldn't possibly have given me superpowers," she scolded. Clark cleared his throat. "Maybe we ought to go there." "My plan, too. Of course the exhibit is closed on Monday, so we'll have to break in." "You sort of love that, don't you?" "You bet," she smiled. "Just let me get my cape!" * * * Tuesday morning Lois sat at her desk and yawned. The stakeout had been tiring, but she felt they'd gotten some good information. She began typing in her notes. Perry stopped at her desk. "Lois, you didn't have to come in this early. I know you were out late on the stakeout. You could have come in an hour later than usual." "Perry," Lois said in mock surprise. "You'll make my head spin with such generosity." Perry laughed. "Okay, okay. You and Clark can come in after lunch tomorrow." Lois sighed. "I suppose that means you want me and Clark on stakeout again tonight." "You bet it does. I want a whole series of articles on this, not just one." "A series that lasts until say -- the end of sweeps?" "No one likes a mind reader, Lois," Perry warned. "Oh, and before I forget, there's also been reports of a mystery "superwoman" in Kansas. You and Clark can look into that after this assignment," he said, and headed for his office. Just as the door to Perry's office closed, Superman flew in through the large double windows. Lois smiled, pretending not to see him, but knew the whole news room was following his every movement. He stopped in front of her desk. She looked up. "Superman?" "Lois," he said in a polite, but firm voice. "I've thought about this a long time, and I wanted to ask you something." Lois rose from her chair and walked around to the front of her desk. It provided a better view for everyone, and the copy boy wouldn't fall over the library railing craning for a better look. "What did you want to ask me, Superman?" Lois, now knowing that Clark was the man in the costume, felt a lot of former self-constraints slip away and let her eyes drift appreciatively. Clark found Lois' "drift" disconcerting, and not just a little distracting. "I want you ... to go out with me." "You mean like on a date -- a *real date? The kind where I get out my best perfume? The one I bought after seeing 'Love Affair', the good one, not the remake, and put a dab behind my knee and I don't even know why?" Clark smiled inwardly. That sounded so ... Lois. "Yes," he said, recouping his "Superman" tone. "I'd be honored if you'd go out with me." Lois could see the gaping mouths in the news room with her peripheral vision. It looked like feeding time at a trout farm. "Oh, Superman, I'm so flattered," she said airily. "But, I started to get the feeling you weren't interested, so I moved on. There's ... someone else." Superman turned dejectedly. He was now facing the news room, and though everyone felt they should pretend to look busy, they just couldn't turn away. It was all Clark could do to keep a straight face. "I understand, Lois," he said, and sighed heavily. Lois approached him. "I hope we can still be friends, Superman." There was a visual "ouch" from the audience after Lois delivered that line. The "kiss of death" line. The "let's still be friends" aria that marked the ringing down of the romance curtain. The fabled "fat lady" had not only begun to warble for Superman, but did so while standing on his chest with six inch Kryptonite heels. Superman took both her hands. "Always, Lois," he said softly. Lois stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. "Always." He released her hands, and lifted into the air. Lois looked on admiringly at Clark's ability to fly forlornly. She sighed and walked back to her desk and began typing anew. The news room remained eerily quiet. After a moment, the elevator dinged and Clark stepped out. He glanced at the faces that did not notice him. They were all still staring at Lois. He smiled, filled two coffee cups as he did every morning, and brought them to Lois' desk. "Morning," he said cheerfully. "I thought you might need some caffeine after last night's stakeout." Just as the "audience" was losing interest in what seemed the usual morning ritual, Lois rose from the chair again, and took both cups from Clark and set them on her desk. "I can think of something a *lot* more stimulating," she said, wrapping her arms around Clark's neck and kissing him passionately. As Clark reciprocated the kiss, those who weren't already standing did so, and everyone began applauding and whistling. Jimmy could be heard shouting, "All right, CK!" "Thanks for the Superman melodrama," Lois whispered against his lips, the words almost drowned out by the applause. "I owed you that, Lois." "Well," she said coquettishly, "I owed 'Clark Kent' that kiss in front of God and everybody." "Clark Kent thanks you," he said as he cinched in his grip on her waist. "But you know what the best part was?" Lois lovingly ran a hand through his hair. "What?" "I heard at least six people whisper, "Poor *Superman*" when I flew out the window." In his office, Perry smiled and closed the blinds as his best reporters began to kiss again. Though he could not hear what was being said, Perry knew "bliss" when he saw it, and while he acknowledged a faint alarm bell at the back of his mind, he chose to ignore it for the time being. After all, "true love" only came around ... maybe once, not to mention the irony of Cupid's arrow uniting Lois "Mad Dog" Lane and Clark "The Boy Scout" Kent. It was that very irony that prompted Perry to drop a carefully selected tape into his cassette player. He sat down and closed his eyes as "The King" began to croon something about a hard-headed woman and a soft-hearted man being the cause of trouble since the world began. "Oh, Elvis," Perry chuckled. "If you only knew." THE END ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 00:52:20 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: The Zoomway Subject: NEW: ULTRA MATUM (3/6) [PG] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit TITLE: ULTRA MATUM PART: 3/6 AUTHOR: zoomway@aol.com RATING: PG FEEDBACK: Comments welcome PUB/PRIV both positive and negative, but no Editing please. If you find typos or misspellings, send them to me privately--thanks SUMMARY: This is one of those fun "what if" stories. What if Ultra Woman took place *before* Lois knew the secret? I think that's all you need to know for background in this one ;) * * * Clark sat on his sofa dressed as Superman. He'd known the list of locations he'd given Lois would keep her occupied for a while, at least long enough for him to take a cab home and change. He'd left a note in Lois' apartment explaining that he'd heard from Superman, and that he was indeed without his powers, and that both he and Superman would be waiting for her at his apartment. After a while an all too familiar "whoosh-thud" sounded behind him. He rose >from the sofa and turned. "Lois." "Oh, Superman! Thank God! I looked everywhere for you," she said as she approached him. She reached out her arms, and then pulled them back. "I better not hug you. I hugged Clark and nearly crushed him." Clark grimaced. "I wouldn't say "crushed" exactly." "Oh. He told you?" "Uh ... yes, Clark told me. He had to go and get ... something," Clark said, blanking entirely on a reasonable excuse. It was finally crash time. It had been too much. Lois broke down and crumpled tearfully against the hero's chest. "Superman, take the powers back now." Clark wrapped his arms around her. "Lois, I don't know *how* to take them back. I didn't give them away," he sighed. "I have no idea how this happened. It's not like Resplendent Man. He *shared* my powers, but I never lost mine in the transference." Lois pulled back slightly. The tears had spilled to her cheeks. "If they can be transferred to me, then they can be transferred back. The world needs you, Superman." "The world just needs a hero, Lois," he said, brushing tears from her face with his thumb. "You can be the hero ... at least until we can find a way to switch the powers back." Lois' moist eyes widened in terror. "I *can't*, Superman!" "Well," he smiled. "The 'man' part definitely doesn't fit." Within seconds Lois' expression morphed from terror, to astonishment, to ... anger. "Are you saying that you're nothing more than a refillable costume?" "What? No, I--" "That there's nothing more to your heroism than a super repertoire and a red cape?" "No, but--" "That's what you made it sound like, Superman," she said, her arms defiantly folded. "All right," Clark said, raising his hands almost in a gesture of surrender. "I do admit that being Superman is a lot more than the powers. It's why I chased Waldecker all over the place." "You chased Resplendent Man?" Clark nodded. "I felt he was using *my* powers for personal gain." "I admit he was mercenary, but in that case you didn't lose your powers, Superman." "That's not the point," Clark said flatly. "If he had invented a pill or a magic suit or anything else that duplicated my powers, fine. It would be his invention and he'd be free to do whatever he wanted with it. But," Clark said, his tone darkening. "He had *my* powers and those powers I see as a trust -- an obligation, and they should only be used to reflect what Superman stands for, *regardless* of the costume or the person inside." Lois was silent a moment. She wasn't prepared for this. She still had self-doubts and insecurities. Doubts and insecurities that had held her back one way or another her whole life. "But I'm not a hero, Superman," she finally said, her voice rather small. "Aren't you?" Clark asked, and swept his cape out of the way and sat on the sofa. "You've helped me be a hero from the day I met you." Lois, bewildered, sat on the coffee table facing the sofa. "I have?" Clark leaned forward and took both her hands in his. "Sure," he smiled. "I was kind of lost when I debuted in Metropolis. I mean I knew I wanted to help, but I didn't know if I'd be appreciated or feared. But you were the deciding vote on that issue." "Me? But, I--" "You may not have had superpowers, but you did have the power of the press. And," he added before Lois could interrupt, "you could have painted me as an invading threat or even a monster from outer space, but you didn't. You said I was a hero." "But you are, Superman. Everyone can see that." He smiled. "Everyone? Like Trask?" "Or Lex. " Lois shrugged. "But they were ... the bad guys, Superman. Everyone else knew you were good." She smiled. "I just stated the obvious in my article." "Maybe," he said softly as he glanced down at their joined hands. "There's no 'maybe' about it, Superman. You saved the shuttle, all those people on board--" "Ah." Clark smiled and lifted his gaze. "The *only* reason I went to rescue the shuttle is because someone had cut through some crucial cables causing an instant halt to the countdown." His smile widened. "Now *who* was that 'someone'?" "Oh ... well .." Lois blushed. "You were a hero, Lois." "Now wait a minute--" Clark rose to his feet, gently urging Lois to stand as well. "Now you'll be a *super* hero." "I *can't* do this, Superman," she pleaded. "I'm not as nice as you are, and not nearly as patient and on top of that I can't be a full-time hero like you. I have my job at the Planet--" "Lois," he said, interrupting her string of excuses. "I'm not saying it'll be easy; it won't be, trust me. But I also know you're a good person, and you won't be able to sit still with this power knowing you can help people who need it." "All right." Lois sighed loudly. "Should I go to Perry and tell him I have this power and need time off to--" "No," Clark said, perhaps a bit too anxiously. "I mean you *could* do that, but I think the fewer people who know you have this power the better." "I guess so, but the minute I save somebody, they'll recognize me, so what's the point?" "Not if you wore a disguise." "Oh," Lois moaned. "I was afraid you'd say something like that." She folded her arms again. Some of her defiance was returning. "How am I supposed to dress as Lois Lane and .... that's another thing, who am I supposed to be? Superwoman?" Clark smiled. "Well, the name fits." Lois shook her head. "No, maybe it's a bad idea if I'm associated to you in any way. I don't want to raise suspicions, or see gossip in the National Whisper about you having a sex change." "Good point," Clark said, laughing softly. "Then how about ... Marvel Woman or Miracle Woman?" Lois grimaced. "No offense, Superman, but one sounds kind of like a comic book and the other sounds like a TV show my grandmother would watch on Sunday night." "Maybe we can work on the name later. As to the costume, I think you could probably go to a costume shop and mix together a few things that might work." "I suppose," she sighed again. "I know it all sounds kind of overwhelming right now," Clark soothed. "But we'll find a way to get things back to normal." "I'll be fine, Superman. I just need time to get used to the idea, I guess. Which reminds me," she added. "There are a few of these powers I haven't quite mastered, and some seem automatic, like when I heard that little boy in the park." "Okay, we can go to the outskirts of town and practice a few things. As for the superhearing, it works on two separate levels," Clark continued. "You can attune your hearing for something specific, but be careful," he smiled. "If you're set for super- hearing and someone or something near you makes a sound, it can feel like a knife in your head." "Great," she replied flatly. "With the little boy, that's harder to explain." Clark thought a moment. "It's as if there's a kind of ... default setting for distress calls, and you can pick those up within a specific range." "Range? Like ultra-high frequency?" "No, I don't mean a sonic range, I mean distance from ..." Clark interrupted himself and put his hands on Lois' shoulders. "Ultra Woman!" "Ultra Wo... oh!" Lois smiled. "I kind of like that one." "Good, then we'll go with that for now and concentrate on getting you up to speed on the superpowers," he said and headed for the door. Lois touched his arm. "I think you're dressed more for leaving through the window." She offered her hand. "You've got a point," Clark said, taking her hand. He saw the self-doubt in her eyes. "We'll get though this, Lois. You've always been the bravest person I know, and that was long before you had superpowers." "Thanks. That means a lot coming from you," she said as she walked with him to the window. "But you're the one flying with me. That makes you pretty brave too, Superman. I don't even have my learner's permit." They both laughed as they exited Clark's apartment. * * * Lois felt a slight upswing in her confidence after Superman's tutoring session. Though she had missed a row of bottles with her heat vision, incinerating a defenseless tree stump instead, for the most part she'd done well, and thankfully Superman had been very supportive. While Lois had enjoyed their time together, she was actually more pleased when Clark returned later that evening and suggested they head to Smallville so that Martha could design a unique costume for "Ultra Woman". Lois had been reluctant at first, harboring doubts about getting Clark's parents involved, but Clark had used the leisurely pace of the flight to his advantage. Somewhere over Missouri, he had convinced Lois that having his mother create the costume would avoid an "off the rack" costume from possibly being recognized and traced back to her. The only odd moment in their entire conversation occurred when Lois asked what kind of experience his mother had making costumes. Clark had done his "stammering routine", but finally rattled off something about the great costumes she had created for him at Halloween. * * * continued in part 4 ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 01:51:07 -0400 Reply-To: x-lander@geocities.com Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Mark Safransky Subject: Re: NEW: ULTRA MATUM (6/6) [PG] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Well, what can I say but that Zoomway has definitely NOT lost her touch. This was a fantastic story! Way to go Zoom! -- Mark -- x-lander@geocities.com -- ICQ # 1507675 http://safransky.simplenet.com ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 07:14:00 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: LabRat Subject: Re: Fanfic Recommendations MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Kath wrote: >Actually, it was written in Sept but not submitted to the Archive until >April. They *hoarded*?? Tsk. There should be a law against that, you know. Felony to conspire to deprive your fellow FoLCs of decent fanfic. Maximum penalty, no parole, no remission. And no Superman to bust you out of jail either. (In the absence of whom it's probably not worth doing the crime to get the time.) It was a Kerth nominee from this year and well deserved. :) >I've learned my lesson though--tag stories right in my spreadsheet that >aren't eligible for next years Kerths so I don't mess up and cause hard >feelings when I accidentally include a story that was eligible last year on >this year's ballot. ;) Hey, with so much great fanfic around, I'm just surprised you can keep track at all, Kathy! Just thinking about tackling a spreadsheet on that subject gives *me* the creeps. I've had to open a file to store all the stories I should remember need nominating for next year just to keep me straight. It's filling up nicely. > LabRat :) Doc. Klein's LabRat labrat@ukf.net "When I hear someone sigh, "Life is hard," I'm always tempted to ask, "Compared to what?" - Sydney J. Harris ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 08:50:22 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Phillip Atcliffe Subject: Re: Who says there's only one? In-Reply-To: <3.0.3.32.19990505190627.006ee1fc@ixc.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII On Wed, 5 May 1999 19:06:27 -0500 Martha Rasch wrote: << Here's a question: Is there more than one Tempus? >> > I thought I remembered hearing that Tempus created the alternate dimension. Therefore, I think it would be safe to assume that he would make sure not to have another Tempus to hone in on his fun. I doubt that he'd think ruling over "his world" was much fun if he had to share it with someone else just as obnoxious as he is. < Dunno about him "creating" the alternate dimension, but I can agree that he wouldn't want another "him" around. But then, there was no alternate H.G. Wells, either, as far as we know. Perhaps one of the events that differed in the AltWorld's history was that Wells didn't invent a time machine, and so AltTempus was never recruited. And how's this for an exercise in speculation: if there was no time machine in that universe, could that be responsible for the other differences -- the Kents' death, James Olsen the whiz-kid, Presidents Presley and Heston, and even the death of AltLois? OTOH, the (or _an_) obvious answer to the question of how Tempus escaped from the Kansas funny farm in 1866 is that he (or an alternate him) came back in time and set him free, giving him a time machine in the process. Now why he would do that is yet another thing to speculate about, as is what might happen if Tempus attacked his "saviour". Grandfather Paradox, anyone? Phil, remembering Heinlein's "Who Are All You Zombies?", probably the ultimate time-travel story.... ------------------------------------------------------------ "Sic Transit Gloria Barramundi" (Or, So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!) -- not Douglas Adams, but me: Phil Atcliffe (Phillip.Atcliffe@uwe.ac.uk) ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 03:41:01 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Irene D." Subject: Re: Ultra Matum MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii S P O I L E R S P A C E * * * * * Zoom, You have outdone yourself. What a great story! I laughed at the beginning and laughed harder at the end. I just loved Lois's beginning dream sequence. I used to watch the original Fantasy Island (what can I say? I was young and foolish) and totally enjoyed your comic recreation of its opening sequences. And then the ending when Lois turns down Superman - I was ROTFL. Big time. You have a talent for comedy. (and drama, and action and Waffs and ...) All the best, Your fan, Irene _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 12:08:36 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Wendy Richards Subject: Re: Who says there's only one? In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII On Thu, 6 May 1999 08:50:22 -0400 Phillip Atcliffe wrote: > OTOH, the (or _an_) obvious answer to the question of how Tempus > escaped from the Kansas funny farm in 1866 is that he (or an alternate > him) came back in time and set him free, giving him a time machine in > the process. Now why he would do that is yet another thing to speculate > about, as is what might happen if Tempus attacked his "saviour". > Grandfather Paradox, anyone? I'd already suggested that the later Tempus could have been an alternate one, and had afterward thought that the Alt-Tempus could have been the rescuer. But Phil - talking of paradoxes - how could Tempus himself come back in time and set himself free? It would have had to be an earlier version of himself... but surely that wouldn't be possible, since the earlier Tempus didn't know about the time machine? The *later* Tempus would have stayed in prison until... someone released him. Wendy ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 13:20:02 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Wendy Richards Subject: Re: Ultra Matum In-Reply-To: <19990506104101.10054.rocketmail@web902.mail.yahoo.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII Zoom, I can only agree with Irene. We wait months - a year? - for a new Zoom story, and when we get it, it is simply *stunning*! I suggest Kerth nominations in several categories........................... ........................................... s p o i l e r s p a c e ..........such as Best Comedy, Best Revelation, Best WAFFy Story - probably more besides! The premise was audacious to start with, and I loved Lois's shock and fear - and that she ran straight to Clark with it. I loved her treatment of a power-less Superman. Clark taking Lois to Smallville was wonderful - and the revelation! Well, you gave us a Lois with intelligence! It was also steamy and sexy, which was wonderful - I *loved* the shaving scene! And, as Irene said, the scene where Lois turns down Superman was wonderful - very sad and poignant, but funny underneath since we're all in on the secret. The 'poor Superman' was a great touch, as was the kiss for Clark. When you keep producing stories of this quality, you can take your time over them, Zoom - they're well worth waiting for! Wendy ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 09:15:31 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Mary-Ann <727233@ICAN.NET> Subject: Re: Who says there's only one? In-Reply-To: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > >I'd already suggested that the later Tempus could have been an >alternate one, and had afterward thought that the Alt-Tempus could >have been the rescuer. But Phil - talking of paradoxes - how could >Tempus himself come back in time and set himself free? It would have >had to be an earlier version of himself... but surely that wouldn't >be possible, since the earlier Tempus didn't know about the time >machine? The *later* Tempus would have stayed in prison until... >someone released him. > >Wendy Not a tempus from the same timeline. A tempus from another time line. Anything is possible when you have infinite universes. ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 13:33:52 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Wendy Richards Subject: Re: Who says there's only one? In-Reply-To: <3.0.5.32.19990506091531.007d6d30@ican.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII On Thu, 6 May 1999 09:15:31 -0400 Mary-Ann <727233@ICAN.NET> wrote: > > > >I'd already suggested that the later Tempus could have been an > >alternate one, and had afterward thought that the Alt-Tempus could > >have been the rescuer. But Phil - talking of paradoxes - how could > >Tempus himself come back in time and set himself free? It would have > >had to be an earlier version of himself... but surely that wouldn't > >be possible, since the earlier Tempus didn't know about the time > >machine? The *later* Tempus would have stayed in prison until... > >someone released him. > > > >Wendy > > Not a tempus from the same timeline. A tempus from another time line. > Anything is possible when you have infinite universes. Yes, exactly - that would be an *alternate* Tempus, as I suggested above. The Tempus from L&C's own dimension/timeline could not rescue himself. Wendy ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 05:52:07 PDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Christina Batouli Subject: Re: Who says there's only one? Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; format=flowed; How about the Tempus from an Alt-World that statrts similar to the Alt-World we already know, growing up in pure violence and poverty, and then he somehow finds out about this alien called Superman in our Metropolis and that he's Clark Kent, but Clark Kent never became Superman in his world because his parents were killed when and Lois was missing in the Congo. So he goes back in time to try to make Clark be Superman (Please there's no Lana in this World, I always hated the show's interpretation of her, she's a nice person in the comics) Well anyways, Tempus goes back in time to create Superman, and then finds himself up against, of all people, *himself* from our World. I think that there should always only be one H.G. Wells, the one >from our world, because didn't he say in Soul Mates that he was just a guide and tht's why he didn't get carnated in his previous life? Thanks Forum101@hotmail.COM _______________________________________________________________ Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 09:53:08 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Demona (Angel Of The Night)" Subject: Re: NEW: ULTRA MATUM (6/6) [PG] In-Reply-To: <61c901f5.24627a23@aol.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Wow ;) That was... I mean.. S P A C E F O R R E N T Another mini-masterpiece by Zoom ;) Witty (as ever ) charming, and a very satisfying revelation. I adored the tag scene in the newsroom, but I have to say, my favorite moment was the breathless little interlude with the 'hickey' What a WAFFy way to start the morning, thanks Squidge! Demi (still in WAFFland ;) nightangel@home.com ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 09:56:57 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Charlotte Fisler Subject: Re: OT: Taken Aback MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 5/5/99 1:42:18 AM !!!First Boot!!!, Debby@SWCP.COM writes: << I'd rather see George Clooney and Dean Cain ;) Since they're friends it would be neat watching them snarl at each other when they first meet, Batman being dark and deadly serious, Superman being the light of the world and a tad overconfident. I'd also accept Michael Keaton as a really jaded older Batman verbally and intellectually trouncing our cocky young hero :) but their becoming friends when they realize they're really on the same side. Debby Debby@swcp.com >> Now that one I'd go to see. Charlotte ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 16:55:37 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Phillip Atcliffe Subject: Re: Who says there's only one? In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII On Thu, 6 May 1999 13:33:52 +0100 Wendy Richards wrote: > On Thu, 6 May 1999 09:15:31 -0400 Mary-Ann <727233@ICAN.NET> wrote: Quoting Wendy again: >>> I'd already suggested that the later Tempus could have been an alternate one, and had afterward thought that the Alt-Tempus could have been the rescuer. <<< Sorry... missed that. I'm glad you thought of it, though -- it just seemed so obvious that I couldn't work out why no-one else came up with it. >>> But Phil - talking of paradoxes - how could Tempus himself come back in time and set himself free? It would have had to be an earlier version of himself... but surely that wouldn't be possible, since the earlier Tempus didn't know about the time machine? The *later* Tempus would have stayed in prison until... someone released him. <<< >> Not a tempus from the same timeline. A tempus from another timeline. Anything is possible when you have infinite universes. << > Yes, exactly - that would be an *alternate* Tempus, as I suggested above. The Tempus from L&C's own dimension/timeline could not rescue himself. < Oh yes, he could. That's the fun of time travel (and why it can give you a headache ). To take the simplest, most straight-forward example, imagine Tempus in the Kansas asylum in 1866. Suddenly, a time machine appears with a mysterious masked man in it, who invites Tempus to hop on. He does, and the time machine takes them both away to Utopia, where the masked man leaves Tempus -- free! Tempus, back "home", goes and somehow learns to build and/or operate a time machine, which takes, say, 2 months (advanced education system -- wish we had one here and now ). After those 2 months, he either builds or acquires a time machine -- and, lo and behold, it looks familiar. In fact, it's identical to the one that rescued him, down to the small dent in the frame where he kicked the darn thing the other day when he couldn't get it to work! He realises who the "masked man" was who broke him out of the asylum -- himself! Just from 2 months later in his own personal "subjective" time. So he puts on a mask, hops in the time machine, goes back to 1866 and rescues his younger self, returning him to Utopia before travelling in time again to (maybe) discover the AltWorld and embark on the events of TA. That (I think) is just about as consistent as a time travel situation can be -- no Grandfather Paradoxes or time loops. And the 2-month figure is irrelevant. So long as the older, free Tempus can get access to a time machine at _any_ time in his life, he can go back to 1866 and help his earlier self escape. But we can easily add some complications, just to confuse matters -- if, say, the younger Tempus hijacks the time machine, killing his older self in the process, and takes it to the 20th century or AltEarth instead of being dropped off in Utopia (classic Grandfather Paradox). Or the older Tempus gives the younger one the plans for the time machine, which the recipient then uses to build it, and then goes back to rescue himself and give the rescued Tempus the plans.... Where did the plans come from in the first place? Classic time loop -- or "predestination paradox", as they call it on Star Trek. Is your head hurting? That's time travel for you. The ultimate example of this sort of stuff, IMO, is Heinlein's story "All You Zombies" (to which I gave the wrong title in my last post) in which the protagonist is his/her own mother _and_ father, and daughter (and eventually son), and the person who recruited him/her into the Time Corps (or whatever the organisation was called), and.... "Jane" is one confused person, but the events of "her" life are perfectly consistent (except for the "paradox" of "her" existence) IF s/he has access to a time machine. Add parallel universes to the mix, and you get David Gerrold's "The Man Who Folded Himself", which is even worse! In Gerrold's multiverse, changing history creates a new parallel universe, so Grandfather Paradoxes are avoided because a self-cancelling event both does and doesn't happen -- just in different timelines. Head hurting _yet?_ A good reference for this kind of thing is Larry Niven's essay "The Theory and Practice of Time Travel", which talks about all the various types of time travel in SF and how they work. It also includes what I think is a good argument _against_ time travel -- that it will either be irrelevant, impossible, or self-defeating. But, as Niven says, it's also _fun_, so we'll keep using it in stories. That, and a large bottle of painkillers. Phil, who could do with a time machine right now to get a lot of work done, and still have time to write fanfic.... ------------------------------------------------------------------ "We gotta get out into Space / If it's the last thing we ever do!" -- Return to the Forbidden Planet A sentiment echoed by Phil Atcliffe (Phillip.Atcliffe@uwe.ac.uk) ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 17:13:58 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Wendy Richards Subject: Re: Who says there's only one? In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII Yes, my head is definitely hurting!! On Thu, 6 May 1999 16:55:37 -0400 Phillip Atcliffe wrote: >> The Tempus from L&C's own dimension/timeline could not rescue himself.<< > > Oh yes, he could. [snip] > > That (I think) is just about as consistent as a time travel situation > can be -- no Grandfather Paradoxes or time loops. And the 2-month > figure is irrelevant. So long as the older, free Tempus can get access > to a time machine at _any_ time in his life, he can go back to 1866 and > help his earlier self escape. My brain may have warped from too much essay-marking, but I still don't understand how the later Tempus could have got out of prison in the first place in order to enable himself to go and rescue himself...! By your description, Tempus building the time machine would have had to come before Tempus rescuing himself. Either that, or I'm just thick Wendy ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 12:27:10 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: No Name Available Subject: OT: Need URL MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi, FOLCs Can someone please post the URL for the website that stores all the past messages from this list? I lost it . Thank you! Molly ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 11:12:52 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Mr. D8A a.k.a. James Tull" Subject: Re: Who says there's only one? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Wendy, Your not thick. That is the madding thing about paradoxes, THEY MAKE NO SENSE!!!!!!!!! James --- Wendy Richards wrote: > Yes, my head is definitely hurting!! > > On Thu, 6 May 1999 16:55:37 -0400 Phillip Atcliffe > wrote: > > >> The Tempus from L&C's own dimension/timeline > could not rescue > himself.<< > > > > Oh yes, he could. [snip] > > > > That (I think) is just about as consistent as a > time travel situation > > can be -- no Grandfather Paradoxes or time loops. > And the 2-month > > figure is irrelevant. So long as the older, free > Tempus can get access > > to a time machine at _any_ time in his life, he > can go back to 1866 and > > help his earlier self escape. > > My brain may have warped from too much > essay-marking, but I still > don't understand how the later Tempus could have got > out of prison in > the first place in order to enable himself to go and > rescue > himself...! By your description, Tempus building the > time machine > would have had to come before Tempus rescuing > himself. > > Either that, or I'm just thick > > Wendy > ---------------------- > Wendy Richards > w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk > _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 14:37:03 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Laurie Dunn Subject: Re: OT: Need URL MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit http://listserv.indiana.edu/archives/loiscla-general-l.html is the url for the archives. It is handy to have for those times when my finger on the delete button gets stuck. By the way, while I was out of town, I tried the DIGEST feature so as not to overload my mailbox. I received one day of postings at the end of each day... it was great. Then, I set it back to NODIGEST when I arrived home. Nice feature. ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 16:46:04 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Alicia B. Ablola" Subject: Re: OT: Need URL MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Here ya go Molly, Listserv Archives http://listserv.indiana.edu/archives/loiscla-general-html Hope this helps Kismet aka Songbird ICQ # 30730627 ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 17:16:58 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: The Zoomway Subject: Re: NEW: ULTRA MATUM (6/6) [PG] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I want to thank (taking a deep breath) Mark, Irene, Wendy, Demi, Misha, Sue, Susanna, Donna and anyone I inadvertently missed, for your comments and compliments. It also gives me the opportunity to give "credits" on the story that I left out. I'm a little new to posting a story with the new FAQ form and so I was going to post the story credits at the end of the story, but I forgot. Thanks to Georgia Walden for editing it. I have to apologize for "gravely" instead of "gravelly" sneaking into the text. That's not Georgia's fault, but rather mine when I did a final spell check sending the story out via AOL's e-mail system. Apparently AOL's spell checker is utterly unfamiliar with the word "gravelly" I also have to thank Debra Berg for sending me an e-mail almost three years ago involving "stigma". This story was originally a "request" fic, in that aev (Adrienne) asked if I'd do a story where Lois got Clark's powers way back in second season. to specifics: S P A C E F O R R E N T In a message dated 5/6/99 8:56:56 AM Central Daylight Time, nightangel@HOME.COM writes: << adored the tag scene in the newsroom, but I have to say, my favorite moment was the breathless little interlude with the 'hickey' >> After hearing Lois mention a "hickey" behind the Dairy Freeze in the extended version of the pilot, I always wanted to see her get one In a message dated 5/6/99 5:43:29 AM Central Daylight Time, sirenegold@YAHOO.COM writes: << You have outdone yourself. What a great story! I laughed at the beginning and laughed harder at the end. I just loved Lois's beginning dream sequence. I used to watch the original Fantasy Island (what can I say? I was young and foolish) and totally enjoyed your comic recreation of its opening sequences. And then the ending when Lois turns down Superman - I was ROTFL. Big time. >> I'm glad you liked the Fantasy Island bit, as a few people on the IRC can tell you, I added that just the other night. The whole story took me only a few days to write, but the days were not contiguous ;) I started this story so long ago, it predated Dean's appearance on Fantasy Island, and so when Lois mentioned that Clark's world view came from the watchtower there, it was ironic to me when Dean ended up on that show In a message dated 5/6/99 7:20:32 AM Central Daylight Time, ida18@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK writes: << I loved her treatment of a power-less Superman. Clark taking Lois to Smallville was wonderful - and the revelation! Well, you gave us a Lois with intelligence! It was also steamy and sexy, which was wonderful - I *loved* the shaving scene! And, as Irene said, the scene where Lois turns down Superman was wonderful - very sad and poignant, but funny underneath since we're all in on the secret. The 'poor Superman' was a great touch, as was the kiss for Clark. >> I think shaving a man is a sensual experience, and shows a lot of trust from a man A lot of the story contained bits and pieces of things I wondered about or wanted to use, but never had another story that I could fit them into. The revelation, I always wanted to use Lois finally catching on to Superman saying "My mother made it [costume] for me". Lastly, when I was a fan on the list first season and early second season, there was, what I referred to as "the poor Clark chorus" Very often, because Lois did not reciprocate Clark's feelings, I would see in post after post "poor Clark" and so I reckoned as how Clark might have heard a little of that himself at the Daily Planet. Thanks again to everyone for your comments and compliments. It's very flattering. Zoomway@aol.com ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 18:45:12 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: No Name Available Subject: I NEED HELP!!!!!! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Ackkkk!!!! Can somebody please help me!!!! I was reading the Recognition fanfic... i know that it is a little late to be reading it but I finally had time in between my college classes! Anyways, I was reading along when i got to Part 10 and i realized I didn't have it!! Ackk!!! Now I am left hanging.. not knowing what is going to happen next!!! I was so caught up in the story that I was reading it in between classes and even while I was waiting for the bus! LOL Someone please help!!! Thanks in advance to from this *Lois* {hehehe} to her Superman or Superwoman who is going to help her out! ;) Alexis {aka: the *new* Lois! =) } ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 19:55:09 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "C.C. Malo" Subject: Re: Ultra Matum MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit A great story, Zoomway! You capture the characters of Lois and Clark / Superman so well and I loved the banter between them. S P O I L E R S P A C E * * * I particulary liked the revelation part of the story as well as Clark's reaction to being normal -- it's a neat twist on what the show did. And the shaving scene -- " his guilty pleasure or hers" ? :) Just one of the many nice phrases in this story. So, thank you very much. :) Carol ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 19:46:26 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: No Name Available Subject: Re: OT: Need URL MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Thanks for the URL!! I've bookmarked it Molly:) ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 22:02:22 CDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Jessi Mounts Subject: Re: Who says there's only one? Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; format=flowed; As long as we're on the subject of time machines, I want to clarify something. Did they, or did they not, lose a time machine in TF? First H.G. Wells and Tempus zip of to 1866 with the original, Time Machine #1. Then Lois and Clark goes of to 1966 with Time Machine #2. Lois and Clark realize where H.G. Wells and Tempus have gone, so they follow them to 1866 with #2. Tempus and Wells then go heading to 1966 with #1, followed by L&C in #2. Fast forward through most of the episode and Tempus has been defeated and dragged to 1866 by Wells with by one of two machines. I'll say #1 so I don't confuse myself more than I have already. Wells comes back so #1 apparently comes back to 1966. Wells then takes L&C to 1996(?) with #1. Wells leaves 1996 to go wherever it is he goes in #1. Did I miss an important detail, or did Time Machine #2 get left all alone back in 1966? Jessi jessi914@hotmail.com _______________________________________________________________ Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 22:26:58 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Elizabeth Eve Davis Organization: Mississippi State University Subject: Re: Who says there's only one? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Jessie Mounts asked: > Did I miss an important detail, or did Time Machine #2 get left all > alone back in 1966? I believe it fell through a hole in the plot. ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 22:46:20 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Diyan Smith Subject: Re: Who says there's only one? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Well, since Mr. Wells brought L&C back to 1996 before they met him, they never acutally built the time machine. But that means that they never stopped Tempus in 1966, so, did Mr. Wells take Tempus from 1996 before he hijacked the (original) time machine and put *him* in the asylum? But that theory doesn't work, because we find out in "Tempus, Anyone" (for Lois) and "Soulmates" (for Clark) that they did do the stuff from "Tempus Fugitive," they just didn't remember until they met Mr. Wells again. (Now, I *never* understood how Mr. Wells taking them back to 1996 before he met them would make them forget what had happened: anyone care to explain it to me?) So in that case you're right, Jessi, the 2nd time machine (the one built with computer age stuff rather than Victorian age stuff) was left in 1966. But since Mr. Wells seemed to be taking care of all the details (making sure that Lois didn't find out about Clark=Superman too soon), maybe after he dropped L&C off before they met him, he went back to 1966 and got rid of the 2nd time machine. My time travel theory is: time travel is impossible, but, hey!, this is fiction, so we can do whatever we want (gosh, that sounds like something Tempus would say), even if it doesn't make sense. > As long as we're on the subject of time machines, I want to clarify > something. Did they, or did they not, lose a time machine in TF? > > First H.G. Wells and Tempus zip of to 1866 with the original, Time Machine > #1. Then Lois and Clark goes of to 1966 with Time Machine #2. Lois and > Clark realize where H.G. Wells and Tempus have gone, so they follow them to > 1866 with #2. Tempus and Wells then go heading to 1966 with #1, followed by > L&C in #2. Fast forward through most of the episode and Tempus has been > defeated and dragged to 1866 by Wells with by one of two machines. I'll say > #1 so I don't confuse myself more than I have already. Wells comes back so > #1 apparently comes back to 1966. Wells then takes L&C to 1996(?) with #1. > Wells leaves 1996 to go wherever it is he goes in #1. Did I miss an > important detail, or did Time Machine #2 get left all alone back in 1966? > > Jessi > jessi914@hotmail.com > > > _______________________________________________________________ > Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com > ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 20:45:48 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Mr. D8A a.k.a. James Tull" Subject: Re: NEW: ULTRA MATUM (5/6) [PG] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii A sprinkling of comments--negative and positive. --- The Zoomway wrote: >If there was a word that could shame "passion," then she and Clark were on the threshold of its discovery as they drifted eastward -- rewinding the sunrise. If they were in Kansas, heading eastward, wouldn't they be fast forwarding the sunrise? I loved the "The Lane! The Lane!" I would have been ROTFLOL if I hadn't been walking out to my car. I marvel at the way you get the most of out of your emails without them becaming attachments. Do you have a method or is it that AOL lets you know before sending? If method--share with the rest of us. James Who should be in bed but the rewinding sunrise nag me out of bed to post this post. _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 23:41:55 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Organization: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jernigan/folc.html Subject: NEW: Blind Leading the Blind (1/3) [G] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit TITLE: BLIND LEADING THE BLIND PART: (1/3) AUTHOR: Pam Jernigan (jernigan@bellsouth.net) RATING: G FEEDBACK: I would naturally prefer extravagant praise but actually all feedback is welcomed, public or private. Deconstruct, edit, nitpick all you like -- just bear in mind that I'm only attempting to amuse here; it's in no way a serious work. One matter I'd especially welcome comment on, grammar-wise, is the use of elipses. I thought I'd heard that you should use four dots at the end of a sentence (elipses plus a period), as opposed to three dots in the middle -- but my editor disagrees, so perhaps I hallucinated that. SUMMARY: This is a B-plot rewrite of The Eyes Have It, for which I've always had a certain fondness. There are stories with wonderfully complicated plot lines, intricately interwoven A- and B-plots. This is not one of them. It's all B-plot, and even there I have apologize in advance for the use of two Blunt Plot Devices. Then again, my plot devices aren't quite as blunt as some of the ones from the show ;-) so I figure I'm not doing too badly. Thanks to Chris Mulder for proofing/editing for me, and thanks to my IRC buddies for giving me that final push of motivation to *finish* this one :-) ~~##@@##~~ "Uh, Superman?" Lois was in her superhero's arms, where she generally enjoyed being, although of course right now he was flying, so she was in a carry position rather than a hugging position, but the flying tended to make up for that. At the moment, however, she was somewhat concerned. "Why are you flying so slowly?" He continued staring straight ahead and smiled weakly. "Well ... I'm blind." "What?!?" Lois gave herself high marks in self-control for not freaking out immediately. "Since when? And how are you flying?" "Since those guys shone that light in my eyes. And I can still hear perfectly well, so I can orient myself by city sounds, although now that you mention it, I could use a little help in navigating. But I'm sure my vision will come back. Sooner or later." "I see ... so to speak." She fell silent, thinking. She felt guilty about the whole incident in the park, and protective of Superman, so she really had no choice. "Well, you're coming to my place until you recover." "I really shouldn't...." She overrode his feeble protest. "You will; I got you into this, the least I can do is take care of you for a little bit. Let me think how we can get you there without wrecking anything...." A few moments cogitation gave her enough confidence to instruct him how and where to land. Superman, with her guidance, managed a gentle touchdown behind her apartment building, and he followed her, one hand on her shoulder, his feet floating an inch or so above the floor, up to her home. ~~##@@##~~ Clark relaxed as he heard her close and lock her door. "Your sofa is just over here, right?" He boldly moved in the right direction, but was stopped by the crash of a lamp, knocked over by his arm. He winced. "Sorry." Lois took a moment to reply, and when she did her voice had an element of forced calm. "That's okay, don't worry about it. I mean, things are only things, but people are people, right? I can always get a new lamp." He made a mental note to buy her a new lamp ... or three. Unwilling to risk any further damage, he remained awkwardly in place until she crossed the floor to his side. "Here, the sofa's right beside you..." She guided him until he could feel it for himself, and then sat down next to him. "Is there anything I can get for you?" He shook his head, his eyes wide open and useless. "I'm sure this will be better very soon." He wasn't at all sure, actually, but he wasn't willing to admit that, and he didn't want to unbend too far. He was still kicking himself for dancing with Lois on air, and encouraging her (he feared) to hold out hope for a relationship with Superman. The last thing he, Clark, needed was for him, Superman, to get any closer to Lois. Lois seemed not to notice his aloofness, she was too busy making plans. "Well, I have some things to do; you sit right there." She then proceeded to putter around the apartment, favoring him with a running commentary as she cleaned up the pieces of her lamp, made them something to eat, and made him wear an herbal eye mask she'd gotten from Molly; it was supposed to relax and refresh your eyes, and since he couldn't see anyway, it couldn't hurt, could it? Last but not least, she called Clark. She sounded impatient when he didn't answer, and left a message for him to call her, pronto, buster. Clark, on the sofa, grimaced at her tone, and was hit with a new worry: it would be too coincidental for Clark and Superman to both turn up blind at the same time; how was he to manage that? He'd have to think of something, but there was nothing to be done now. And he wasn't going to stay blind, anyway. Lois had hung up the phone and was pacing, just a little, behind the couch. "Hopefully he'll be in soon, he can help us out. And I suppose we ought to ... do you need to rest? The sofa isn't really that comfortable, but I can get you some pillows..." she bustled out of the room before he could decline the courtesy, and on her return he forced himself to accept two feather pillows. "I could get you some blankets, too, although it's not cold out, but then again body temperature drops when a person's asleep, so they need to be kept warm ... at least for, well, most of us." He forced a smile. At least she still babbled when she was nervous, which was reassuring in an inexplicable way, but at the moment he just wanted to be left alone. His eyesight was gone (temporarily!), his head was starting to ache, and he just generally felt lousy. But there was nothing she could do for any of that -- he just needed some rest -- so she didn't need to know. "I'll be fine, Lois," he reassured her. "There's no reason you should lose any sleep over me." "Yeah, right," she snorted, then gentled her tone. "Right. Well, then, I'll just be a few steps away. You just call for help if you need me." She laughed nervously. "There's a switch, huh? Usually it's me calling you...." He grinned in spite of himself. "You've come to my rescue before. Goodnight, Lois." "Goodnight." ~~##@@##~~ Lois fled to her bedroom and began preparing for bed. No reason to lose any sleep over him. Hah, that was a line loaded with double meanings, but it was hard to tell what he meant by it. He might not even have been thinking of their personal relationship at all -- and that told her something right there, didn't it? She hoped she hadn't made a fool of herself out there, trying to get him settled. Normally, she considered herself fairly good in dealing with handicapped people, but this was *Superman* for pete's sake, and seeing him helpless was just a bit disconcerting. Not that he really was helpless, she reminded herself; he could still do amazing things, and no doubt he could learn to adjust ... but this blindness was only temporary. It had to be. Metropolis needed him. And so do you, right? asked her pesky inner voice. The question stumped her, and she considered it carefully while brushing her teeth. Not long ago, of course, she would have answered with a big fat yes. No one else but Superman for her. That, however, had been a while ago, and many things had happened since ... that whole near-marriage to Lex, for one ... and the steadily growing realization of how wonderful Clark Kent was. She smiled in the mirror, thinking of Clark. He was such a good friend. Sure, he teased her, and sometimes he acted more like a rival than a partner (not that she couldn't handle the competition, oh no! but he wasn't supposed to *win*) but on the whole ... well, she was starting to think that he might be ... her mind shied away from such terms as "husband material;" the possibility was there, but she wasn't ready to face it. And why did Lois Lane, Successful Career Woman, need a husband at all, anyway? Let's just say he was someone she didn't want to lose. Watching him get shot by those gangsters, and fall, and be dragged away had been horrible, and the days that followed had been scarcely better. She had realized then that she'd taken him for granted, assumed that he'd always be there, with a mind that stimulated hers and that occasional longing look she'd caught once or twice. She knew he was attracted to her at some level, and the knowledge had comforted her. But he'd seemed content not to act on his feelings; in all fairness she had warned him off more than once. The next step, by rights, ought to be hers. And it was just taking her a while to mentally prepare herself; with the history she'd had, she had every right to take her time. The thing is, she'd assumed that Clark would wait for her. Now, however, there was this blond bimbo from the DA's office, Mayson Drake. Okay, so she wasn't really a bimbo, but she wasn't much better. Imagine coming up to Clark and asking him to spend the weekend in the country -- as a first date! How desperate and pathetic was that.... Suddenly, Lois remembered that Clark hadn't been at his apartment, this late at night. Oh god, he'd actually gone *off* with that woman to her little cabin.... She would have *thought* he had better taste, not to mention good sense. Serve him right if she did choose Superman. Of course, it would help if she knew how Superman felt about her, she admitted, getting into a silky pajama set. She'd fantasized about asking him that very question, actually. Some romantic campfire, on a remote island or something ... but that wasn't likely to happen, so she had to go with the clues he'd given her. And those were a very mixed bag. Once or twice, he'd give her *such* a look, like when Lenny Stoke was holding her hostage, and dancing in mid-air had been so romantic, wow ... but then later, after they'd taken care of Metallo, he had seemed very distant, and in fact had practically pushed her into Clark's arms. She sighed, turned off her light, and climbed into bed. She didn't know how she felt anymore, because both of them were giving her mixed signals. Well, she was pretty sure Clark loved her, and that she could love him back (are you going to admit you're in love with him?) (no, so shut up), and have a good life with him. He was kind, and funny, and smart, and would keep her on her toes, as she would him. And with him, she could achieve some semblance of normality, just enough to be comfortable. Life with Superman, on the other hand, would be unpredictable and difficult; so many people needed him, and she could never hold him back. Perhaps it was selfish of her to even think of claiming him for her own, but there was a connection, a bond of some sort between them; she was sure she hadn't imagined it. And that had to mean something, didn't it? Obviously, this was not a choice she was prepared to make. Lois adjusted her pillow under her head and tried to settle down for sleep. There would be a lot of things to do tomorrow, and-- Was that a sound? She sat up in bed, listening intently. A low groan emanated >from her living room, and she climbed out of bed to check it out. ~~##@@##~~ When she flicked on the living room light, she was distressed to see Superman floating above her couch. It might not have bothered her if he'd seemed peaceful about it, but he was twitching and mumbling in his sleep. She approached him cautiously, ready to jump back if he flailed in her direction. He looked a bit flushed, and she reached out to feel his forehead. He was definitely warmer than usual, and she frowned. What did one do for a fever? Especially in an alien? Should she get him to a hospital? After a moment's indecision, she decided against a hospital. Fever could be a good thing, she thought she remembered, it meant the body's defenses were working ... and if word got out that Superman was laid up in a hospital, who knew what might happen. Besides, she'd told him she would take care of him, and she was a woman of her word. She could handle this. "Mmp...." He groaned suddenly, and she jumped. She peered at him; he was turning his head restlessly, but his eyes were still shut. "Superman?" she whispered, experimentally. He turned in her direction for a moment, but didn't open his eyes. "Wah ... wat'r...." "You want water?" He didn't answer, but he did lick his lips, so she felt justified in her assumption. "Wait here." She dashed into her kitchen and filled a plastic cup from the sink. She turned and spent a moment marveling at the sight of a man floating, *sleeping* over her couch, with his cape hanging down to the sofa beneath him. How much weirder could things get? He made another low noise, and she hurried back to him, then stopped, unsure of how to get the water into him. "Here's the water," she finally said firmly. He tilted a little more upright in response, and reached out with his right hand. She placed the cup in his grip and was relieved to see that he could drink without help. A few long swallows emptied the cup, although his eyes remained tightly shut. He waved the empty cup in the air, and she retrieved it. He mumbled something that might have been "thanks" and she smiled, reluctantly. Even when he was sick, he was polite. Okay, he was sick, and he seemed fast asleep again. So what did she do? If he were a normal guy, she'd ... well, she still wouldn't know what to do; she'd never been much of a nurse. She eyed him speculatively. He seemed to have drifted back to sleep (drifted being an unusually apt word, she realized with a half-smile) so she had some time to plan her next move. Sure, she wasn't a nurse, but she *was* a reporter, and one of the things she did know how to do was research. ~~##@@##~~ An hour later, she stood, stretching. Her laptop and Internet connection had served her well; the consensus of experts seemed to be to let him sleep, give him lots of fluids, and try a fever-reducer such as aspirin or acetaminophen. She was dubious about the efficacy of the medicine on his non-human physiology, but it was worth a shot. She checked in on him again, and found that while he was still in midair, he was now lower. On the other hand, he was no longer hovering over her sofa; he'd somehow moved to a position a foot above her coffee table. She hated to think what might happen to it if he suddenly crashed down on top of it. Crossing the room, she approached him and gently, tentatively, put her hands to his side and pushed, just a little. He moved with no resistance, coming to rest six inches further towards her sofa's airspace. Otherwise, he didn't stir at all, showing no signs of wakening. With more confidence, she positioned him above the sofa once more. "There," she whispered, half-fearing and half-hoping that she'd wake him. "That's better." He stirred slightly, turning his head to the other side, and then seemed to settle peacefully back to sleep. She sat down, watching him thoughtfully. He so clearly needed her. Well, he needed someone, anyway, and she didn't know of any other candidates for the job. Which, she admitted reluctantly, didn't mean that there weren't any. When you came right down to it, she knew depressingly little about him. They'd never even been on any dates. Of course, she hadn't been on any dates with Clark, either. But they'd worked together for all this time -- good lord, had it really been a year already? -- and she thought they'd gotten to know each other pretty well. All those stakeouts and adventures and late night sessions at the Planet had to count for something. She was almost certain that he cared for her; he'd even admitted it once. If he did ever ask her out, she'd say yes. Well, maybe, she backpedaled quickly, panicked by making a commitment, even a mental one. She didn't know what she'd say. Clark was wonderful, she could admit that freely, but she could tell that he was hiding something from her, something important. He could act so strangely at times. Yet she hadn't used her reporter's instincts and skills to discover his secret; she'd subconsciously resisted the urge to put the clues together. Yes, she supposed he was entitled to privacy, although she didn't grant that right to many people. But in this instance ... well, when it came right down to it, she realized, she wanted him to tell her. She didn't want to pry this out of him, whatever it was, she wanted him to trust her enough to share it with her. Being locked out of an important part of his life was somewhat painful, and a definite barrier. It would be hard to have a relationship -- a romantic relationship, that is -- unless that barrier were removed. It was hard enough for Lois Lane to trust as it was, without also being aware that she was not trusted in return. (continued in part 2/3) -- ------------------------------------------------------- Pam Jernigan | jernigan@bellsouth.net ChiefPam on IRC | *note new address* ------------------------------------------------------- "I heard about Superman at the UN. I don't mind him wanting to take over the world, really, but he sounded a little ... well ... nuts." --Dr. Klein, "Blast from the Past", IRC Round Robin ------------------------------------------------------- http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jernigan/folc.html Updated 4/30/99 with pictures of my new baby daughter :-) ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 23:43:04 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Organization: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jernigan/folc.html Subject: NEW: Blind Leading the Blind (2/3) [G] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit TITLE: BLIND LEADING THE BLIND PART: (2/3) AUTHOR: Pam Jernigan (jernigan@bellsouth.net) RATING: G FEEDBACK: All feedback is welcomed, public or private. SUMMARY: This is a B-plot rewrite of The Eyes Have It. A sudden midair movement caught her attention, and she looked up, tucking her reflections back into a corner of her mind. Superman was stirring once more, turning his head restlessly from side to side, his hands twitching spasmodically. His eyes remained tightly shut, and when she felt his forehead again, it was definitely warmer. A higher fever, while still not necessarily dangerous, could mean -- "Nooo ... godda get out ... hurts...." His mumblings started at a low volume, and grew louder as he increased his jerky movements. He sounded distressed, and she instinctively murmured reassurances. High fever, she had learned, could sometimes put the patient into a delirious state, either reliving previous events -- usually high stress moments -- or hallucinating new ones. At the sound of her voice, Superman calmed down momentarily, then started again, speaking more clearly now. "No, Trask, I won' let you hurt them...." "It's okay, Superman, Trask is dead, he can't hurt anyone anymore." Lois spoke reflexively, in a low soothing voice. She hadn't realized that Superman had ever faced Trask directly, let alone been distressed about the meeting. But that was the delirium talking. She decided then and there to at least try to get some medicine into him, she didn't think it would be able to hurt him, and it might help. "You just wait right here, big fella, I'll go get the aspirin...." She made a wide circuit around Superman's floating form and headed for the bathroom. A minute later, she reemerged, and headed for the kitchen. "Rats." Nope, none in the kitchen cabinets, either. She didn't want to leave her patient alone while she went out, and it was late ... a glance at the clock let her know that it was just a little past midnight. She smiled grimly to herself. Good thing they were in a big city; she just bet there weren't any 24-hour drugstores in Kansas, let alone the kind that delivered. A quick phone call set things in motion. Within the hour, she'd be the proud yet somewhat poorer owner of two bottles of aspirin (extra-strength pills and coated caplets), three bottles of acetaminophen (gelcaps, caplets and coated tablets) and one bottle of children's liquid ibuprofen -- he'd have to drink the whole bottle, but if he couldn't swallow any pills, that would be better than nothing. She hung up the phone, well satisfied. The delivery boy would be here soon, and ... he'd see a floating, incoherent superhero in her living room. Not very good for either of their reputations. She chewed on her lip, pondering her options, then remembered her earlier success at repositioning her guest. It was worth a shot. Slowly, gingerly, she maneuvered Superman out of her living room and into her bedroom. Funny, she'd fantasized a lot of ways to get him into her bedroom, once upon a time, but this particular method had never come up. He was mumbling again, but for the most part his words were too quiet and slurred to understand. She ended up with him over her bed, and, as a finishing touch, she applied a slight downward pressure. He sank unprotestingly down onto the bed, giving the scene a much more normal look. Well, if you could call that outfit normal, which of course you couldn't, but that was the whole point, after all, and-- The doorbell rang. She quickly checked Superman's face to see if the noise had startled him, but he didn't appear to have noticed it. Satisfied, she sprinted out to get the door before the bell could ring again. Ten minutes later, armed with an array of fever-reducers, a cup of water, and a towel to wipe up spills, she reentered her bedroom and stopped short. Superman had settled into the bed, and was curled up sideways, hugging a pillow, sound asleep. She smiled tenderly and leaned against the doorway, watching him sleep. He looked so cute, so vulnerable ... even in that garish, distracting outfit ... for a moment, that thought seemed to hold great importance, but then he stirred on the bed, attracting her attention, and the insight fled. She approached the bed, carefully, holding out a hand towards his forehead. It didn't seem quite as hot, thank goodness. Maybe she wouldn't need the medicines after all. She'd be just as happy to skip them. She stifled a yawn, and realized that it was nearly one in the morning. While he was sleeping, she ought to catch up on her rest. She was mightily tempted to snuggle up to her fantasy man, but this particular fantasy could quite possibly kill someone with just an unruly twitch, so perhaps a retreat to the living room couch would be the better part of valor. ~~##@@##~~ Some indeterminate time later, she was wakened by renewed mumblings issuing from her bedroom. When she looked in on him, clutching an aspirin bottle indecisively, he was shaking his head back and forth in apparent distress, and he'd floated upwards again, hanging roughly six inches above her bedspread. She couldn't really make out what he was saying, but whatever it was, he seemed awfully unhappy about it. Aspirin temporarily forgotten, she approached him, speaking in a reassuring tone. "There there, Superman, everything's okay, I'm here...." Somewhat to her surprise, he calmed down immediately, half-turning in her direction. Encouraged, she advanced a little closer, and spoke again. "You're a little sick, Superman, but you'll be fine. I'm here, and I'm taking care of you ... you just rest. Everything's going to be fine." With renewed confidence, she reached out to stroke one gloriously muscled shoulder, and applied gentle downward pressure. Once again, he sank onto the bed, turning sideways and grabbing onto a pillow when one came within range. He snuggled down enthusiastically, and appeared ready to drift to sleep. Before he did, though, he yawned, and smiled, and quite clearly stated, "I love you, Lois." ~~##@@##~~ Half an hour later, Lois still didn't know what to think. Superman was sleeping peacefully, but she no longer felt tired. She was not prepared to discount the possibility that it had only been the delirium talking. She'd seen that happen on sitcoms, anyway, so she supposed it was possible -- or maybe he was only reliving that incident with the pheromones, last year. But the chance remained that he might have meant what he said. And if he did ... then what? She was dismayed to realize that her first instinctive reaction had been negative. Didn't she *want* him to love her? She'd been hoping and conspiring towards this moment ever since she'd first met him ... and yet whenever she tried to picture a life with Superman, she saw only a blank, and felt only panic. Well maybe, she rationalized, it was only a momentary case of jitters, worries of inadequacy. She could get over that, with a little time. Even more than before, Superman *needed* her, and ... the pep talk failed. Now that the coin had come up heads, she discovered that she had really been hoping for tails. "Oh, Clark...." she sighed, and rolled her eyes at her own perversity. ~~##@@##~~ Dawn was breaking when Lois woke from a troubled sleep. She looked around her living room, frowning, momentarily at a loss to explain her presence there. A muffled noise from the bedroom brought it all back to her, with sound and technicolor, and she winced. "Right. Superman's blind, he's sleeping over, he's in love with me, and I really would rather have Clark, who, however, is in the mountains with the DA. Got it. Geez, what a rough night." The problem at hand, however, was to get Superman back to normal. Once that was accomplished, they could perform whatever emotional gyrations they needed to. That matter settled, Lois shoved her unruly feelings into a back corner of her mind and determined to ignore them. She was good at that. So, the first thing was to check on her patient. She ran a hand through her hair to try to tame it, tugged her robe tighter, and walked back the hall to her bedroom. Superman was still there, which she supposed was good, but he was restless, twitching a bit in place, and muttering to himself in his sleep. She leaned against the door jamb, frowning, and once again debated the wisdom of trying to medicate him. As she stood there, some of his mutterings became clearer, and she listened with half an ear until one phrase brought her up short. Did he just say, "Mom, I got the job!"? It had sure sounded like it. Funny, she'd never given much thought to the possibility of Superman having a mother, although she supposed there was no reason to think that he didn't have one -- and she remembered now, the first time she'd seen him, he had mentioned a mother; something to do with his costume. She'd been so much in shock at the time, that it hadn't registered. So that covered the mom part -- but a job? Well, she thought whimsically, maybe he'd been back on Krypton, reading the classifieds, and had come across an ad taken out by the Intergalactic Peace Corps. "Needed: One Superhero for a picturesque, out-of-the-way planet called Earth...." As she continued to listen, bits and fragments of words and phrases washed past her. Something about Perry, it sounded like, and Dr. Platt? No, surely she was imagining that, Superman hadn't even been around then ... the sound of her name caught her attention. "Lo-Lois in trouble, gotta help ... Put down those guns or I'll ... Stupid, Clark, stupid!" He sounded quite vituperative on that last phrase, which startled her. She'd always thought that Superman and Clark were friends ... although come to think of it, had she ever seen them together? Well, that didn't prove anything, Clark had never seen *her* with Superman either ... hey, wait a minute.... She sank to a chair, her eyes unfocusing, as the pieces of the puzzle began to fit themselves together with startling rapidity. Of course, it all seemed so obvious now. "Stupid, Lois, stupid," she muttered to herself. She gazed ruefully over to where Clark was lying on the bed -- lying being the operative word. So handsome, so strong ... and with so little time to live. "Hurry up and get better, you," she muttered, "so I can kill you." But beneath her humiliation and anger she could feel a secret thread of happiness. This *would* solve that pesky "Clark or Superman" problem. Sure, it would also cause some, not least of which was the way she intended to flay him alive for not trusting her earlier, but ... at least now she could see a way to start doing things right. And the first thing to do was to get Clark back to normal, or at least as normal as he ever got, she thought, with a half-hysterical giggle. So, how do I get him back to normal? As soon as she framed the question, she came up with an answer. Call Martha. She'll know what to do. Before she could reach the phone, however, it began ringing on its own. She stared at it suspiciously for a moment, then picked it up. "Hello?" "Lois? I hope I didn't wake you, but--" "Martha?!" "Well, yes," Martha replied hesitantly, unsure what to make of this greeting. "You see, I'm at Metropolis Airport, and Clark was going to pick me up, but--" "You're in Metropolis? Oh thank god," Lois breathed in relief, sinking to a seat on the sofa. "And I bet you called Clark's apartment, and he's not there, and you don't have any idea when he'll be back, do you?" Must be tough, being Superman's mom; you never know when the boy's going to stand you up, and he's just bound to have a really good excuse, so you can't be mad or anything ... it'd be tough to be married to him, too, but maybe from a closer vantage point, one could keep better track of him ... not that she was even *thinking* about marriage, of course. It was a purely philosophical observation. Martha laughed somewhat uneasily. "Well, you know Clark, he probably just got sidetracked, and lost track of time." Lois glanced at the clock. Uh-huh, she could think of any number of distracting things to do at 6:30am. Nice try, Martha. "You don't have to make excuses for him, I know how he is. Anyway, this time I know *where* he is, too. He's with me." "Oh." The line went silent for a longish stretch of time. Lois mentally reviewed her wording and laughed. "Oh, not like that, Martha, really." She grinned and couldn't resist adding, "If it had been *that* I wouldn't have told you." Martha laughed, then, too, in relief. "So then why is he there, Lois?" Lois sobered. "He's sick. Sort of. See, there was this really bright light, like a laser, maybe, and it was in his eyes, and he's, ah, blind, although I don't *think* he'll stay that way, and now he's got a fever, and he's kind of mumbling in his sleep, and he hasn't woken up, and I just didn't know what to do...." Lois bit back a sob as the explanation came rushing out a great deal faster than she'd planned. "I see ... have you given him aspirin?" "No, not yet ... I wasn't sure how to get it into him while he was asleep." "Good point. I'm not sure ... he's never really been sick before," Martha replied uncertainly. Then her voice firmed with decision. "You keep watching him. If he gets too hot you can try to get him into a bath or put cool cloths on him to cool him down -- not cold, mind you, just barely cool, and take them off as soon as his temperature starts to come down, we don't want him getting chilled -- and I'll be there as soon as I can. Give me your address, so I can take a cab." Lois gratefully dictated the information, and hung up. Help was on the way. And once Clark was feeling better, she realized, she had quite a few things she wanted to talk to Martha about. Of course, she'd have to have a lot of *long* talks with the superhero himself, some of which he would mostly likely not enjoy, but Lois had a feeling that Martha would be very helpful in helping her to deal with things. Lois had become darned good at keeping track of Superman, or so she'd thought, and she wasn't too bad at keeping up with Clark, either (well, okay, mostly she was challenging him to keep up with *her* but that was close enough) but it would take some adjusting to deal with a superpowered partner. Or to knowing that she had one, at any rate. And that didn't even begin to cover their personal relationship. She wasn't quite sure how that one was going to play out, but she was in too deep now to back out. And that, she realized, was a bit of a relief. No more waffling about whether or not she was ready for something serious. Once she knew about his double life, it had become serious; this was one big secret, and she owed it to him to keep it safe. Their relationship had *already* changed in subtle and profound ways; might as well go for it and explore all potential facets of that relationship, or at least the fun ones. And she suspected, with a slight sense of shame, that his unexpected vulnerability was making her feel much less vulnerable, herself. Previously, she had been so focused on what *she* stood to lose -- her heart, her dignity, her position, her partner -- that she hadn't even considered what Clark might be risking. Now, however, she realized that his risk was as great or greater than hers -- she had the power to literally destroy his life and family. Not that she ever would, of course, but somehow the balance of risks was steadying her. This was important to *both* of them. A car rumbled by on the street, breaking Lois' train of thought. With a start, she realized that Martha was due at the door in a few minutes, and here she sat in rumpled pajamas. She dashed to the bedroom to gather some clothes, and locked herself in the bathroom to change. (Sure, Clark was unconscious, and, when awake, he could see through the bathroom door if he so chose, but she wasn't going to give him any freebies, either way. If he wanted to see her naked, she thought with a wicked little smile, he'd have to earn the privilege.) ~~##@@##~~ (continued in part 3/3) -- ------------------------------------------------------- Pam Jernigan | jernigan@bellsouth.net ChiefPam on IRC | *note new address* ------------------------------------------------------- "I heard about Superman at the UN. I don't mind him wanting to take over the world, really, but he sounded a little ... well ... nuts." --Dr. Klein, "Blast from the Past", IRC Round Robin ------------------------------------------------------- http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jernigan/folc.html Updated 4/30/99 with pictures of my new baby daughter :-) ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 6 May 1999 23:44:05 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Organization: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jernigan/folc.html Subject: NEW: Blind Leading the Blind (3/3) [G] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit TITLE: BLIND LEADING THE BLIND PART: (3/3) AUTHOR: Pam Jernigan (jernigan@bellsouth.net) RATING: G FEEDBACK: All feedback is welcomed, public or private. SUMMARY: This is a B-plot rewrite of The Eyes Have It. ~~##@@##~~ Martha Kent paid off the cabdriver and hurried inside the modest brownstone. A sense of urgency had been driving her ever since last night, when Clark had failed to arrive for her flight. A search of the news had revealed nothing, even in circumstances where one might expect to find Superman, and phone calls to his apartment had only gotten her his machine. When hours had passed without word from her only son, she had informed Jonathan that she was flying to Metropolis the old-fashioned way. She wished he'd been able to come along, but the farm didn't run itself, and she had no proof that there was any sort of emergency, unlike during that asteroid scare last year. And she had been right; he was in trouble. Blind, and sick ... she hated the thought of him incapacitated in any way. Thank heaven for Lois. With that thought she reached the door and hit the bell. She heard hurried footsteps from inside, then mechanical clicks, and finally the door opened to reveal a breathless and somewhat disheveled Lois. "Martha, good morning, I am so glad to see you!" Martha smiled, but the worried look didn't leave her eyes. "Where is he?" "Right back this way," Lois replied, waving Martha inside and helping her set her bags near the door. "He first started looking ill around midnight, so I put him in my bed for the night -- I slept on the sofa, at least for what little sleep I got, because he did keep mumbling, so I kept checking on him, and I even bought medicine, but then I didn't know how to get it into him, and, well--" Martha got to the door of Lois' bedroom and stopped short at the sight of Superman, almost causing Lois to run into her. There was her boy, and her mother's heart yearned to comfort him, but the necessity of keeping his secret held her in place. What was this? Martha turned, frowning. "I thought you said that Clark was here?" Lois did a double-take, looking as confused as Martha felt. "Yeah, he's right there, I mean, it's not like you can miss him in that costume.... Oh, I see what you mean." She swallowed nervously. "I didn't know it was him at first, actually, I didn't know it was him for over a year -- talk about blind -- but like I said, he was mumbling, and I finally put it all together...." She waited, tensely, to see what Martha's reaction to all this would be. Martha's face softened as she took this in. How strange, to have an outsider in on the secret, and yet, Lois was hardly an outsider. Martha had long cherished a secret dream of Lois becoming one of the family, in fact, so this could be all to the good. "So, you know ... No one's ever really known, not outside of the family." As she spoke, she moved forward, indulging her need to touch her son, to smooth back his hair and check his temperature. "And you know that really, underneath it all, he's still Clark...?" Lois nodded slowly, and followed Martha a little way inside the room. "Yeah, I think I do. I mean, I'm still thinking about it all, but he tries so hard to just be Clark, and I guess he wouldn't do that if it weren't important to him... So, are you angry?" "That you figured him out?" Martha smiled. "No, I'm glad. I always thought you two were well suited." Clark's forehead felt normal to her touch, she was thankful to note, and he seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Lois smiled back, a touch wryly. "Well, the jury's still out on that one. But I intend to give it a try. First, though..." she gestured towards the bed. "He's got to get better." Martha nodded, and stood. "True. We'll get him fixed up, no problem." Impulsively, she reached out and gave Lois a quick hug, which the younger woman gratefully reciprocated. "Now, let's get to work!" ~~##@@##~~ Clark woke up slowly, his mind fuzzy and disjointed. Something had gone wrong ... his eyes! With a sudden flash of panic, he opened his eyes and stared around him. Relief flooded him as he realized that he could see again. Last night, before falling asleep, he had tried to imagine a life without sight, but things had seemed bleak. Who needed a blind superhero? He would have done more harm than good, and the prospect had frightened him. Now, however, he could relax, and focus on other matters. He surveyed the room again, and realized that he was in a bedroom -- it must be Lois's room. He smiled, just a little, remembering all the times he'd dreamt of being in this room, in this bed ... he shifted under the covers as the memories started affecting him, and only then realized, in some shock, that he wasn't wearing any clothes. What had happened last night?? He remembered arriving, blind, as Superman. He remembered falling asleep on the couch. He remembered ... waking up, and nothing before then. Surely, nothing could have happened? Upon second examination, he found that he did have a pair of underwear on, which only increased his puzzlement. He heard a gentle knock on the door. "Are you awake?" Lois called softly. Clark clutched at the comforter, drawing it up further on his chest before replying, "Yeah..." The door opened, and Lois poked her head in, smiling brightly. "Oh, marvelous. You were asleep for the longest time, but at least the fever had gone away, so I guess you just needed the extra rest." Clark involuntarily tried to push his glasses up, realizing as he did so that he wasn't wearing them. So Lois probably thought of him as Superman, then. A flash of bitterness surged through him; she'd seen her chance when he was incapacitated, and boy had she taken it. She came over and sat on the edge of the bed, and he willed himself not to scoot aside like a nervous schoolboy. He was Superman; he could handle one petite brunette. "Can you see?" she asked briskly, then held up her hand. "How many fingers am I holding up?" "Three." "Good. Now, I already called Perry and told him we were following a lead, so that's all right. You and I, buddy, need to talk." She stabbed at his chest with her index finger to emphasize the point. He surveyed her dogged expression and tried desperately to figure out what she meant. If she thought he was Superman, which she must, why mention Perry? He searched her expression for clues. Clearly she was ... well, upset, but in a controlled sort of way. Which was more worrisome, actually, than an explosion of temper would have been. He tried for guarded innocence. "Talk about what?" She glowered. "You know very well--" Her expression cleared, reflecting first surprise, then a sort of malicious amusement. "No, you don't know, do you? Hah, that's ironic. I really ought to leave you like this for, oh, the next year or so, but I think we've got better things to do." She paused again, surveying him for a long moment. "Okay, here's the deal. Clark, I know you're Superman." She held up a hand to forestall his protests. "Don't bother denying it; I know. You were talking in your sleep, and anyway your mother is here -- she's the one who got the suit off you, in case you were wondering -- and we've been having a nice long chat." She smirked. Clark grabbed at the only piece of conversational flotsam he could. "My mother?" Lois nodded. "She wanted to come to town to see the Jackson Pollock exhibition at the museum, remember, and you were supposed to provide transportation. When you didn't show up, or call, or appear on TV in a suitably dramatic fashion, she got worried and arranged more conventional air travel. When she got here, she called me." "Oh, yeah..." He winced; he'd totally forgotten about that. "But she wouldn't--" "No, she wouldn't." Lois agreed. "I'd already figured it out. Anyway, like I was saying..." She glared at him for a moment, and he fell obediently silent. On many occasions, he'd contemplated what might happen if Lois were to find out his secret, or if he were to tell her. Never, in his fantasies, had she been this ... calm. He only wished he could be sure that this was a *good* thing.... "We've been dancing around each other for a while now, but the games stop here. You'd better start thinking about what we're going to do on our first date, because I expect you to ask me within a week. Lord knows how long it would have taken you if I hadn't taken charge," she added, rolling her eyes. "Oh, and you can tell Ms. District Attorney Drake that she's history, or else I will. She doesn't even like Superman, so it was never going to work anyway -- why in the heck have you led the poor woman on?" "I didn't," he protested indignantly. She ignored him. "And don't think this means I'm not mad at you. I am still peeved about the whole secret identity thing -- don't you know by now that you can trust me?" He squirmed. "I knew that, Lois, it was just--" "Well, you'll have to trust me now, won't you? And if you work it right, I'll forgive you. And then..." she seemed to run out of steam. "We're just going to see what happens." Clark stared at her, feeling disgruntled. When had he so totally lost control of his life? It wasn't that he minded her knowing about Superman; quite the contrary. But being *told* to ask her out had put his back up. It'd serve her right if he didn't go out with her, just to show her that she couldn't order *him* around... She surveyed the expression on his face and had the gall to laugh. "Going to sulk now, are you? Fine, get it out of your system, but it's not going to change anything. There's something between us, you *know* there is, and we're going to finally make the time to explore it." She hesitated, her smile fading a bit, then leaned forward. "Let me refresh your memory...." She kissed him then, and he couldn't help but respond. What the heck, she always had been able to order him around, why should today be any different? Eventually, she drew back, and he reluctantly let her go. She looked at him fiercely, and seemed to be willing him to understand. "Didn't you feel that? That was something way more than partners. And I'm not letting you go until we work out the possibilities. I'm, I'm ... I'm *claiming* you. I've got first refusal on you, and no one else gets a chance unless and until I decide we don't have a future." He had to smile at her vehemence. "Yeah, I felt it, Lois," he agreed, his voice coming out huskier than he'd expected. It was ironic that she was working so hard to convince him of something he'd wanted for well over a year. Or maybe, he reflected, she was really trying to convince herself. She'd been hurt so many times in the past, and he knew how difficult this had to be for her. His agreement seemed to take the wind out of her sails, and she flushed. "Well, good then. Um, anyway," she looked away, and found a less emotionally-charged topic. "You've got some clothes over on that chair, for when you're ready -- I might as well confess that I broke into your apartment to get them. I'll be out in the living room, talking to Martha ... just take your time, okay? You really were sick." He watched her tenderly as she indicated the clothing and backed towards the door. "Lois?" "Yes?" She looked at him then, still struggling to overcome her fears. "How about dinner on Friday? There's this new place, Angelina's -- I hear they have the most fabulous desserts..." He favored her with his most charming smile, and watched, gratified, as her face relaxed, and she smiled in relief. "That sounds great, Clark." She hesitated, smiled a touch more brightly -- were those tears forming in her eyes? -- and fled the room, muttering "thanks," as she left. He watched the door close softly behind her, and whispered, "No, Lois -- thank you." THE END -- ------------------------------------------------------- Pam Jernigan | jernigan@bellsouth.net ChiefPam on IRC | *note new address* ------------------------------------------------------- "I heard about Superman at the UN. I don't mind him wanting to take over the world, really, but he sounded a little ... well ... nuts." --Dr. Klein, "Blast from the Past", IRC Round Robin ------------------------------------------------------- http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jernigan/folc.html Updated 4/30/99 with pictures of my new baby daughter :-) ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 00:34:05 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Sandy McDermin Subject: Re: Who says there's only one? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Jessi Mounts wrote: > > As long as we're on the subject of time machines, I want to clarify > something. Did they, or did they not, lose a time machine in TF? > > First H.G. Wells and Tempus zip of to 1866 with the original, Time Machine > #1. Then Lois and Clark goes of to 1966 with Time Machine #2. Lois and > Clark realize where H.G. Wells and Tempus have gone, so they follow them to > 1866 with #2. Tempus and Wells then go heading to 1966 with #1, followed by > L&C in #2. Fast forward through most of the episode and Tempus has been > defeated and dragged to 1866 by Wells with by one of two machines. I'll say > #1 so I don't confuse myself more than I have already. Wells comes back so > #1 apparently comes back to 1966. Wells then takes L&C to 1996(?) with #1. > Wells leaves 1996 to go wherever it is he goes in #1. Did I miss an > important detail, or did Time Machine #2 get left all alone back in 1966? > > Jessi > jessi914@hotmail.com When the episode first aired, I focused on this as well. The answer is, we don't know what happened to the second machine. One would hope that Wells and L&C would have had the presence of mind to remember to either take it back with them and/or permanently disable it. However, if they didn't do this, it could serve to help those trying to solve the Tempus question. One possible scenerio: For instance, suppose the machine was left behind in 1966 -- simply forgotten. Someone eventually comes along and finds it. It still has a little bit of gold fuel left in it. The person fiddles with the dials, flicking the machine back to its 1866 settings, and off he goes with no idea what's happening. He gets to 1866 but can't figure out how to power the machine to go back since he had no idea about the "fuel" in the first place. So, there he is, stuck in 1866. Meanwhile, "back at the ranch," Tempus has finally broken out of the asylum. (Who ever thought those walls and those yokels could hold him for long?) He soon discovers a guy -- desperate, distraught, and mumbling about a machine that brought him from the future. Unlike everyone else in town, Tempus assures the man he believes him, impressing him by speaking about the future -- even showing him a diary he wrote. He asks to be taken to the machine, insisting he knows what it needs, how to get "fuel," and demonstrating how it works by traveling forward to 1966. Who is this guy? Why Jason Mazik's father, of course! Well, Mazik Sr. (no fool) can see Tempus wants the machine for himself and would definitely do anything in the world to keep it -- even kill for it. Mazik makes a deal with him instead. *He* owns a jewelry store. He'll give Tempus all the gold he has to fuel the machine if Tempus will give *him* something in return -- information about the future. So, they trade. Tempus gives Mazik his diary, assuring him all the information he'll need to make him a very wealthy man, and Tempus takes the machine. Little does Tempus know, however, but Mazik's gold isn't pure. Inserting it into the machine, it does something quite unexpected. Instead of delivering Tempus to Clark Kent's future so he can take his revenge, it delivers him to Alt Clark's future. Voila! Tempus Anyone? ************* Okay. Granted there are holes in this (like why wouldn't Tempus try to go after baby Clark again once he was in 1966) but it kinda works. Wouldn't make a bad intro to an Alt Clark fanfic either. Sandy smcdermin@erols.com http://www.erols.com/nightsky/Sandy/ ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 00:43:30 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: The Zoomway Subject: Re: NEW: ULTRA MATUM (5/6) [PG] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 5/6/99 7:02:55 PM Central Daylight Time, Ccmalo@AOL.COM writes: << A great story, Zoomway! You capture the characters of Lois and Clark / Superman so well and I loved the banter between them. >> Thanks, Carol, that always means a lot to me. S<<< P O I L E R S P A C E >>>I particulary liked the revelation part of the story as well as Clark's reaction to being normal -- it's a neat twist on what the show did. And the shaving scene -- " his guilty pleasure or hers" ? :) Just one of the many nice phrases in this story.<<< I liked writing Clark dealing with work without his powers. I mean I don't have super powers either and wondered how Lois managed to do everything at once >>So, thank you very much. :)<<< And I thank *you* ;) In a message dated 5/6/99 10:46:27 PM Central Daylight Time, mr_d8a@YAHOO.COM writes: << If they were in Kansas, heading eastward, wouldn't they be fast forwarding the sunrise? >> Well, that's what Susanna asked, but to me, if something has already "past" on a tape, you have to rewind it to reach that same point again.. If it's something that has yet to come up on the tape, you "fast-forward" to get to it. It wasn't so much of a geographical choice of words for me, but rather metaphorical. But I can make it clearer in both cases by just eliminating the compass direction >>I loved the "The Lane! The Lane!" I would have been ROTFLOL if I hadn't been walking out to my car.<<< Well, better than ROTDLOL (rolling on the driveway laughing out loud ;) >>>I marvel at the way you get the most of out of your emails without them becaming attachments. Do you have a method or is it that AOL lets you know before sending?<<< They actually ranged per post from about 10K to 20K so I wasn't that adept Though what I did was cut a chunk of the story, paste it to an e-mail and then save that e-mail as a file. Then I checked the "properties" of it in "Explorer" to see if it was 20K or less. It might sound like a lot of work, but isn't really, and it does help make sure that you won't go too long per part. >>>A sprinkling of comments--negative and positive.<<< Thanks, James, I appreciate it all...okay, except edits and rewrites Zoomway@aol.com ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 00:59:01 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Sandy McDermin Subject: Re: NEW: Blind Leading the Blind (1/3) [G] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Pam Jernigan wrote: > TITLE: BLIND LEADING THE BLIND > PART: (1/3) > AUTHOR: Pam Jernigan (jernigan@bellsouth.net) > RATING: G > FEEDBACK: I would naturally prefer extravagant praise but actually > all feedback is welcomed, public or private. Deconstruct, edit, nitpick > all you like -- just bear in mind that I'm only attempting to amuse > here; it's in no way a serious work. One matter I'd especially welcome > comment on, grammar-wise, is the use of elipses. I thought I'd heard > that you should use four dots at the end of a sentence (elipses plus a > period), as opposed to three dots in the middle -- but my editor > disagrees, so perhaps I hallucinated that. Pam: I'll answer you right now without even reading the story, (although I *will* read it for my own enjoyment without any comments whatsoever rest assured). Anyway, you are correct. At the end of a sentence an ellipsis requires three dots, plus a period. See the following: ****** Ellipses. An ellipsis [ . . . ] proves to be a handy device when you're quoting material and you want to omit some words. The ellipsis consists of three evenly spaced dots (periods) with spaces between the ellipsis and surrounding letters or other marks. Let's take the sentence, "The ceremony honored twelve brilliant athletes from the Caribbean who were visiting the U.S." and leave out "from the Caribbean who were": The ceremony honored twelve brilliant athletes . . . visiting the U.S. If the omission comes at the end of a sentence, the ellipsis will be placed after the period, making a total of four dots. . . . See how that works? The ellipsis can also be used to indicate a pause in the flow of a sentence and is especially useful in quoted speech. Juan thought and thought . . . and then thought some more. "I'm wondering . . ." Juan said, bemused. The plural of ellipsis is ellipses (in case someone asks). >>From -- http://webster.commnet.edu/HP/pages/darling/grammar.htm ****** I found this same information on two other grammar sites which I can also . . . cite. Sandy smcdermin@erols.com ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 02:15:30 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: No Name Available Subject: Re: Who says there's only one? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Umm i just have one question? You are talking about the origin of "Tempus Fugutive," right? Well if I recall my Lois and Clark TV airing, history.. that ep was not from 1996. It was from the 2nd Season which started in middle 1994 to early 1995. Alexis ;-.) ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 02:59:16 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: No Name Available Subject: Re: NEW: Blind Leading the Blind (1/3) [G] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit What a cute story Pam!!! I like it better then the original ep! I think this would of been a great ep for the Lois and Clark people to explore! =) I just wanted to take a few moments to mention a couple of my favorite lines.... >>Now, however, there was this blond bimbo from the DA's office, Mayson<< ROTFL!!! I like the word bimbo! Because i am like Lois, I never liked Mayson. Maybe I didn't like her because she disliked Superman!?! ;p Who knows... >>With renewed confidence, she reached out to stroke one gloriously muscled shoulder, and applied gentle downward pressure. Once again, he sank onto the bed, turning sideways and grabbing onto a pillow when one came within range. He snuggled down enthusiastically, and appeared ready to drift to sleep. Before he did, though, he yawned, and smiled, and quite clearly stated, "I love you, Lois."<< Aww that scene was so cute! ;) It makes me think of the times when I am having dreams about Dean and I find myself "snuggling enthusiastically" with my pillow! =) >>"Mom, I got the job!"? << Hee hee.. I just had to giggle at that line! I don't why, but I did. It was just so normal for Superman to yell out! =) >>"Hurry up and get better, you," she muttered, "so I can kill you."<< LOL! Tell me about it! >>She dashed to the bedroom to gather some clothes, and locked herself in the bathroom to change. (Sure, Clark was unconscious, and, when awake, he could see through the bathroom door if he so chose, but she wasn't going to give him any freebies, either way. If he wanted to see her naked, she thought with a wicked little smile, he'd have to earn the privilege.)<< Hehehehe... ;) >>He surveyed the room again, and realized that he was in a bedroom -- it must be Lois's room. He smiled, just a little, remembering all the times he'd dreamt of being in this room, in this bed ... he shifted under the covers as the memories started affecting him, and only then realized, in some shock, that he wasn't wearing any clothes. What had happened last night?? He remembered arriving, blind, as Superman. He remembered falling asleep on the couch. He remembered ... waking up, and nothing before then. Surely, nothing could have happened? Upon second examination, he found that he did have a pair of underwear on, which only increased his puzzlement.<< This whole scene was great! ;) >>Clark involuntarily tried to push his glasses up, realizing as he did so that he wasn't wearing them.<< I find myself doing the same thing when I am wearing my contacts! Alexis ;-.) ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 00:17:58 PDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Christina Batouli Subject: Re: NEW: Blind Leading the Blind (1/3) [G] Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; format=flowed; While we are on this ep, I've always wondered this: It was explained that the blindness was caused by the fact that his eyes were made opaque. If this was the case, and I admit, his vision would be a bit out of focus, but nothing a good pair of glasses wouldn't fix ;-) couldn't he just x-ray through the opaque part? I had a kind of a thought forum101@hotmail.com _______________________________________________________________ Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 09:11:13 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Phillip Atcliffe Subject: Re: Who says there's only one? In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII On Thu, 6 May 1999 17:13:58 +0100 Wendy Richards wrote: > Yes, my head is definitely hurting!! < Time travel is like that.... > On Thu, 6 May 1999 16:55:37 -0400 Phillip Atcliffe > wrote: >>> The Tempus from L&C's own dimension/timeline could not rescue himself.<<< >> Oh yes, he could. [snip example of how Tempus could help himself escape with the aid of a time machine] >> That (I think) is just about as consistent as a time travel situation can be -- no Grandfather Paradoxes or time loops. And the 2-month figure is irrelevant. So long as the older, free Tempus can get access to a time machine at _any_ time in his life, he can go back to 1866 and help his earlier self escape. << > My brain may have warped from too much essay-marking, but I still don't understand how the later Tempus could have got out of prison in the first place in order to enable himself to go and rescue himself...! < He let himself out. Except that it was an older Tempus who helped a younger version of himself escape. > By your description, Tempus building the time machine would have had to come before Tempus rescuing himself. < > Either that, or I'm just thick You're _not_ thick! Anyone who can write the stories that you do is _not_ thick! Whether your brain is temporarily warped >from essay-marking... well, that's a possibility, but mine could be equally so from exam-writing! And marking.... The problem comes when you consider that little word "before". Remember, we're talking time travel, so we can go back to before anything we want. To "understand" what's going on (I put that word in quotes because there are times that I'm not at all sure that this sort of thing _is_ understandable ), you have to separate out "subjective" and "objective" time, i.e., life as it is lived by Tempus, and the historical (or do I mean hysterical? ) timeline. The latter is what we move around in using a time machine; the former is what Tempus experiences. Consider the same scenario that I outlined last time, but look at it >from Tempus' POV, starting in the asylum in 1866. For convenience, we'll say that he's 40 years old then -- I don't know how old Lane Davies was when he made TF, but if I've over-estimated his age, then it's a tribute to Utopian medicine; if I've under-estimated it... well, he looks good for his age! Tempus (age 40) is in his cell, raging against the world that refuses to recognise his genius, when a time machine appears, piloted by a masked man. The mysterious stranger invites him to hop on, which he does, and the time machine whisks away to Utopia in the year 2???. Tempus (age 40) is dropped off there and the time machine disappears. We now have a free Tempus (age 40) in Utopia. He now spends, say, 5 years learning how to build and/or operate a time machine, so that at the age of 45, we find him with a working model. Which he recognises, realising that this means that _he_ must have been the masked man. Wisely (?) deciding not to risk an open time loop, Tempus (age 45) puts on a mask, gets in the time machine and travels back to Kansas in 1866. The time machine appears in the asylum and Tempus (age 45) invites Tempus (age 40) to hop on, which he does. The time machine returns to Utopia 5 years before it left and drops off the younger Tempus. The older Tempus, happy that he has arranged his own escape, then takes off for whenever he wants, leaving Tempus (age 40) in Utopia -- in the exact position described at the beginning of the last paragraph. >From the POV of the older Tempus (his subjective time), it's all quite straight-forward: he's rescued, he gets his hands on a time machine, he goes and rescues himself, then he goes off to do his next nefarious deed. The confusion comes because we're used to objective time, but that is the very thing that a time machine allows us to travel in. A sort of analogy can be made with geography: I live in Bristol, you live in Keele, to my north and east (I think....), but if I build a car, I can drive to Keele, and past there. The fact that I built the car to your south and west is irrelevant if I'm in Scotland; I'm still north-east of you. A time machine does the same thing for time, but because of the linear nature of our temporal existence (hello, DS9 fans!), it means that a time machine allows Tempus to meet himself, except that it's an older or younger version of himself. _Now_ do you get it? Phil -------------------------------------------------------------- "If you let a smile be your umbrella... you'll get wet teeth!" -- a forgotten comedian, quoted by me: Phil Atcliffe (Phillip.Atcliffe@uwe.ac.uk) ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 5 May 1999 18:55:07 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Peace Subject: TAN: book recommendation (was Re: Who says there's only one?) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit From: Eileen Barnard >I believe that a story revolving around more than, say, two dimensions could >get a bit confusing but if handled well, could prove really interesting, >especially if one of the dimensions was an opposite dimension and not >parallel and the characters were completely opposites of the other. Just a suggestion if you would like to read a really well-done book with three dimensions -- "Q Squared" by Peter David. It's a Star Trek: The Next Generation novel, which, like all Peter David's books, is a delight to read -- he manages to entertain, keep his universes straight except when he wants them tangled up, and tell a really good story in the process. Peace ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 06:46:59 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "C.C. Malo" Subject: Re: Blind Leading the Blind MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit This is a great week for fanfic -- first Zoomway and now Pam! S P O I L E R S P A C E I really enjoyed this story, especially Lois repositioning the floating Superman and finally manoeuvering him into her bedroom --- pushing Superman around has to be great fun :) And thank you for having Lois tell Clark off about Mayson. Wonderful ending! Carol ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 12:26:34 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Wendy Richards Subject: Re: NEW: Blind Leading the Blind (3/3) [G] In-Reply-To: <37326185.830F9993@bellsouth.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII *Two* fantastic stories on consecutive days!! I know what it is, Pam - you and Zoom are conspiring to keep me away from that pile of extended essays piling up on my desk to be marked! Still, if it's a choice between reading those and reading great new fanfic... s p o i l e r s p a c e Pam, I thought the idea behind the story was excellent: again Lois (more intelligent than the show sometimes gave her credit for) is actually able to put two and two together! I thought Clark's reaction on waking up, thinking that Lois had taken advantage of a blind Superman, was very realistic - he really didn't trust her at times, did he? There were so many times when he could just have come to her and said, "Lois, I know I can trust you and I need your help..." - like in TEHI when he was blinded, or in TOGOM. I like the way you portrayed Martha as a mother longing to take care of her son, but still cautiously trying to keep Clark's secret. Oh, and I *loved* Lois telling Clark that he'd better get well soon so she could kill him! Wonder how she planned to achieve that...? Nice to see you're just as talented at multi-skilling and flexibility as ever, Pam! (oh, that's me speaking as a lecturer in Human Resource Management, admiring your ability to have a baby *and* write a great story!). Wendy ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 09:10:37 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Charlotte Fisler Subject: Re: Who says there's only one? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 5/4/99 5:40:05 PM !!!First Boot!!!, James.Tull@EMRSN.COM writes: << It would be interesting if someone wrote a story that explained how the technologically backward Tempus supposedly broke out of 1866 and "built" a time/dimension hopping machine! MR. D8A A.K.A. James >> Okay I'll answer this one since I've been researching it since Carolyn S. brought up the question re Tempus Anyone. First to answer Carolyn's question, 1) In HG Wells The Time Machine, the machine is invented by the 'time traveler,' a 19th century character, who is described as a particularly 'clever' inventor of that period. And the time machine is invented during that century using skills, materials and based on scientific speculation of that century. (ie time is the fourth dimension, etc., chapter 1- reference below) 2) Remember that Tempus is from the 26th(?) century. While he says he doesn't know how to work Well's time machine initially, he has still been educated in a world far more advanced than either the nineteenth or the twentieth. He had to have had at least that world's basic education in science even if he never pursued it. Once science principles are developed they become common knowledge and many people from an era can, with a small amount of effort, add to their own basic education the knowledge needed to become expert in the 'new' science once they decide to do so. Thus clever, unscrupulous individuals were able to make LSD at home in the 60s and thus there was no way for the US to keep the secret of making atomic bombs from the Soviet Union after WWII. Moreover, one could postulate that all the accumulated technical knowledge was somehow imbedded in Tempus' brain as he grew up just waiting to be trigged if he needed it. Many SF stories of future education use computers and/or direct information transfer techniques to impart information, admittedly factual data only, not true understanding. That kind of factual data would have been just what Tempus needed to escape from the Kansas State Asylum and 'invent' a time machine similar to but different from Wells.' Perhaps the diary that Mazik got a hold of in a later episode was the trigger to recall those memories as well as evidence of the process of 'remembering.' And if Tempus inadvertently left the diary behind, that would also explain why he couldn't escape from jail in 'Meet John Doe' until Andress came back for him though the time window. Tempus was going to travel into earlier eras. Being him, would he not have 'stolen' the information or the trigger to the information that he might need >from the 26th century and brought it along with him unbeknownst to a somewhat nieve (sp? My spell checker failed me again) H.G. Wells. One can assume he had taken with him both the technology he needed to escape from the 'primitive' Kansas State Asylum and the information he might need thereafter to build his own time machine using 19th century technology. Note too Tempus does not say, "I can't build this machine." He tells us "I can't run it." You can't run a car the first time you ride in it either but you can learn, especially if you grow up knowing that cars can be driven. And if that isn't convincing enough who says Tempus is telling the truth when he says he doesn't understand the machine. I also am a great fan of the Roger Zelazny's Amber stories mentioned in another post. These stories, in which the protagonist's family creates differing realities with their minds, are among the best and most creative literary elseworlds. Zelazny is my very favorite science fiction writer, His literature defied placing it in a particular category but partook, as good literature always does, of SF, Fantasy, History, Mythology, yes and Technology too. I miss you Roger. In conclusion, please remember, if a man can fly another man can build a time machine from 19th century technology. If you doubt me, read H.G. Well's The Time Machine (Reference Source) In The Complete Short Stories of H.G. Wells. London, Ernest Benn, Ltd. First published, 1927. Charlotte - the science librarian who fortunately knows enough to enjoy technology but not so much that she cannot write and read the imaginary tales which the human mind can develop - whether they exist in 'reality' or not. ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 06:26:58 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Irene D." Subject: Re: Blind Leading the Blind MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Pam, This was a great story. I was ROTFL - two mornings in a row. Thanks Pam and Zoom. My only complaint - I didn't want it to end. I would have loved reading a longer version. Glad to see that a new baby hasn't slowed you down. Take care, Irene sirenegold@yahoo.com sirengold on IRC _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 10:43:27 -0400 Reply-To: nightsky@erols.com Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Genevieve Subject: Elipses: WAS Blind Leading the Blind MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Pam Jernigan asked: > One matter I'd especially welcome > comment on, grammar-wise, is the use of elipses. I thought I'd heard > that you should use four dots at the end of a sentence (elipses plus a > period), as opposed to three dots in the middle -- but my editor > disagrees, so perhaps I hallucinated that. I'd been meaning to check on this myself; the issue has come up with my co-writer on a story I'm working on for a different fandom. Qyuoting from the Chicago Manual of Style: ------- OMMISSIONS (10.55) When the last part of a quoted sentence is omitted, and what remains is still gramatically complete, four dots -- a period followed by three ellipsis dots are used to indicate the omission. If the sentence ends with a question mark or an exclamation point, that punctuation, of course, replaces the period and is followed by the three ellipsis dots. [skip] When what remains is not grammatically complete, the period is omitted. And again in 10.59 Three dots -- no period -- are used at the end of a quoted sentence that is deliberately and gramatically incomplete. FALTERING SPEECH (10.39) Authors and editors are not always consistent in the way they use elipses and dashes in interrupted speech, but an attempt should be made to establish a distinction. Ellipsis points suggest faltering or fragmented speech accompanied by confusion, insecurity, distress or uncertainty, and they should be reserved for that purpose. The dash, on the other had, suggests some decisiveness and should be reserved for interruptions, abrupt changes in thought, or impatient fractures of grammar. "I ... I ... that is, we ... yes, *we* have made an awful blunder!" "The binoculars ... where the devil did I put them?" "The ship ... oh my God! ... it's sinking!" cried Henrietta. "But ... but ...," said Tom. Notice that three ellipsis point are used between the speech fragments. If other punctuation, such as an exclamation point or a question mark, occurs at the end of a fragment, it is retained before the three points, as in the third example. Note also that in the last example a comma is used after the closing series of dots to separate the speech from the words identifying the speaker. SUDDEN BREAKS AND ABRUPT CHANGES (5.106) A dash or a pair of dashes is used to denote a sudden break in thought that causes an abrupt break in sentence structure. "Will he--can he--obtain the necessary signatures?" Mills asked pointedly. The chancellor--he had been awake half the night waiting in vain for a reply--came down to breakfast in an angry mood. The dash is also used to indicate that the speech of one person has been interrupted by another: "Well, I don't know," he began tentatively, "I thought I might--" "Might what?" she interrupted savagely. "Might what?" --------- Just so you know, the examples above are quoted from the style manual; I didn't make them up. Different style manuals might have different rules. I happen to use the Chicago Style manual just because I have a copy. I know I try to stick their dash/ellipses rule for conversation. But I'm never sure what to do about sentences that sort of trail off in a mild interrogative. Not a question, per se, but more of a "seeking approval" sort of thing. A number of writers (myself included) tend to use elipses for that. And now, I'm going to go brew a cup of tea, and sit down and read Zoom's and Pam's stories. I gather I'm in for quite a treat. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Genevieve Lots of great stuff on my webpage The World Wide Web has made it possible for anyone to find in five hours what a competent librarian could find in five minutes. :-) ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 17:00:39 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Wendy Richards Subject: Re: NEW: ULTRA MATUM In-Reply-To: <963680d7.246360ca@aol.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII On Thu, 6 May 1999 17:16:58 EDT The Zoomway wrote: > Thanks again to everyone for your comments and compliments. It's very > flattering. Flattering? No! Being honest, giving praise where praise is due, thanking you for giving us such a wonderfully funny and WAFFy story, YES!! Wendy (now back to the marking...) ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 12:03:52 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Sarah Wood Subject: Re: NEW: Blind Leading the Blind (1/3) [G] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 >> The ellipsis can also be used to indicate a pause in the flow of a sentence and is especially useful in quoted speech. << Especially when Clark is doing the talking! The only actor I can thi= nk of who pauses more than Dean is William Shatner. Sarah Wood sarahwood@compuserve.com http://www.geocities.com/hollywood/2501/ ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 17:12:55 +0100 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Wendy Richards Subject: Re: NEW: Blind Leading the Blind (1/3) [G] In-Reply-To: <199905071204_MC2-74E8-B824@compuserve.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII > > Especially when Clark is doing the talking! The only actor I can think > of who pauses more than Dean is William Shatner. That's certainly true! When I first started writing fanfic I 'listened' in my head to Clark talking, and almost wanted to place ellipses after every two or three words! Then I decided that that was ridiculous, and that I'd let readers insert the pauses themselves Wendy ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 12:52:44 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Pam Jernigan Organization: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jernigan/folc.html Subject: Re: NEW: Blind Leading the Blind (1/3) [G] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Thanks to everyone who's responded to my story :-) I'll try to respond to a bunch of posts at once here... This is LONG and contains SPOILERS for the story, so be warned... Sandy, thanks for the enlightenment on the use (and spelling ) of ellipses. I tend to go by instinct rather than rule-books for grammar, and the drawback to that is that even when I happen to be right I can't prove it :) Alexis, thanks for stroking my ego & pointing out some favorite lines On the topic of the ep rather than the fanfic, Christina wondered: > It was explained that the blindness was caused by the fact that his eyes > were made opaque. If this was the case, and I admit, his vision would be a > bit out of focus, but nothing a good pair of glasses wouldn't fix ;-) > couldn't he just x-ray through the opaque part? Yeah, maybe he could, if he'd thought of it One of my husband's perpetual laments about the show (which he likes) is that Clark isn't yet very good at this Superman thing ... but the whole blindness thing was just ludicrous to start with (what was it, ultraviolet to blind him, infrared to bring his sight back -- huh??), so I don't think we need to struggle real hard to make sense of it. (And here I was feeling bad about *my* Blunt Plot Devices ) Carol commented: > This is a great week for fanfic -- first Zoomway and now Pam! I'm honored to be in such good company; I really enjoyed Zoom's srory ... no surprise, I always like her stories And speaking of good fanfic, I finally made time to read the third part of Recognition -- fabulous drama, Carol. And I greatly enjoyed the final showdown in the woods > pushing Superman around has to be great fun :) I thought so ;-) > thank you for having Lois tell Clark off about Mayson. Well, it was about time somebody did Honestly, what *was* he thinking...? Wendy complained: > I know what it is, Pam > - you and Zoom are conspiring to keep me away from that pile of > extended essays piling up on my desk to be marked! Quick, Zoom, head for the hills -- she's onto us! She must have overheard us on the IRC, plotting with Mulder & Scully.... As for Lois being more intelligent in this story than on the show ... I confess that one of my goals was to have her guide Superman into her apartment *without* breaking the windows. That always seemed gratuitously dumb in the episode ... but a lot of things in the episode were that dumb or dumber, alas.... > I thought Clark's reaction > on waking up, thinking that Lois had taken advantage of a blind > Superman, was very realistic - he really didn't trust her at times, > did he? Well, he did on some level, but he also had a nasty mind at times, and has sometimes jumped to the worst conclusion -- like insinuating, in the Pilot, that she'd sleep with Lex to get the interview. That's one of the things I like about their fight in the 4th season LexFiles, actually -- he was mad at her for not telling him about Leslie's pass, but by that time he knew enough to trust in her character/honor. > I like the way you > portrayed Martha as a mother longing to take care of her son, but > still cautiously trying to keep Clark's secret. That was one of the things I did like about the episode, which did a very similar scene. Very poignant, I thought, so I wanted to recreate it if I could. The first time I did that scene it was from Lois' POV, but I realized that it didn't work at all, so I had to rework it so it was from Martha's perspective. Irene observed: > My only complaint - I didn't want it to end. I would have loved > reading a longer version. That's a lovely compliment, thanks :-) But you're lucky to have gotten even this much since I rarely write very long stories, anyway, let alone with a newborn around :) > Glad to see that a new baby hasn't slowed you down. Well ... actually, I had most of this story written before I even got pregnant last summer I just had gotten stalled about 3/4ths of the way through (I have six other stories on my hard drive in similar straits) trying to figure out how to get Martha into the story. I thought I'd have to wait for Lois to figure things out, wait til a decent hour, & call Kansas, and then it would take 5-6 hours more for Martha to get to a plane & fly into town, and I didn't want to leave Clark unconscious that long. Finally it occurred to me that I could just cheat and have her show up (as the guys on MST3K once said, "Welcome to Plot Convenience Playhouse"). After all, Clark had already come down with a fever & started hallucinating for no reason other than that the plot needed him to, so why not? So those were my two blunt plot devices, and once I got over that hurdle, the rest of it was relatively easy. Marissa's been a pretty easy baby so far, really; she sleeps a lot & doesn't cry too much. And I've gotten pretty good at typing one-handed while holding her :) -- ------------------------------------------------------- Pam Jernigan | jernigan@bellsouth.net ChiefPam on IRC | *note new address* ------------------------------------------------------- "I heard about Superman at the UN. I don't mind him wanting to take over the world, really, but he sounded a little ... well ... nuts." --Dr. Klein, "Blast from the Past", IRC Round Robin ------------------------------------------------------- http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jernigan/folc.html Updated 4/30/99 with pictures of my new baby daughter :-) ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 14:20:31 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: No Name Available Subject: Re: NEW: Blind Leading the Blind (3/3) [G] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Pam, I really liked this story! Great title, too. Many of the lines made me LOL, like the one where Lois thinks maybe Superman read the classifieds on Krypton, or when Lois tells Clark to get better quickly, so she can kill him. . I think what would be good is to hear some of Martha and Lois's "conversation" that night. :) OK that's it for my opinion, congrats on another *super* fanfic! Molly ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 11:25:46 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Elisabeth Subject: Re: Who says there's only one? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii --- Wendy Richards wrote: > - Is there more than one Tempus? > > The Tempus we meet in the show is, as far as we are > told, from L&C's > own world. He has dabbled in the Alt-Clark's world > (and some of us > have written him as dabbling in our other universes > also). Surely it > is possible, if not probable, that *each* of the > alternate universes > have their own Utopia, in which there is a Tempus, > who may have the > same desire to destroy Superman and Utopia? What > sort of situation > might that create? Of course, there ought therefore > to be more than > one HG Wells as well... It's funny you should mention this. James and I were talking about this very thing while we were commuting the other day. He has theorized that the Tempus we meet in the alt-universe actually belongs to that universe. (It solves the problem of a technologically inept Tempus suddenly becoming a time-travelling, dimension-traveling, phone-programming genius.) I disagree for a couple of reasons. First, he asks Lois if she recognizes him, referring back to TF. (I think that's the first Tempus/Wells ep.) Secondly, he doesn't really treat that alt-universe like it's his own. (I'm not really saying this very well, but it sounded profound in the car.) === Elisabeth Feel free to visit my home at http://geocities.com/Area51/Starship/7859 _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 11:27:18 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Elisabeth Subject: Re: Who says there's only one? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii So what do you call more than one Tempus? A Tempi? === Elisabeth Feel free to visit my home at http://geocities.com/Area51/Starship/7859 _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 12:45:04 -0600 Reply-To: Rhonda Robinson Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Rhonda Robinson Subject: Re: Who says there's only one? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit How about a disaster? Even though they couldn't work together (for long), if they were in the same universe they'd wreak enough havoc working individually to make Superman hope for more of HIMSELF! Rhonda -----Original Message----- From: Elisabeth To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU Date: Friday, May 07, 1999 12:28 PM Subject: Re: Who says there's only one? >So what do you call more than one Tempus? A Tempi? > > >=== >Elisabeth > >Feel free to visit my home at http://geocities.com/Area51/Starship/7859 >_________________________________________________________ >Do You Yahoo!? >Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 19:19:31 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Eileen Barnard Subject: Re: TAN: book recommendation (was Re: Who says there's only one?) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Peace Thank you very much for the book recommendation - I am going to look in W H Smith (our bookshop) tomorrow, as they usually have a good selection of Star Trek books. If they haven't got it, they are very good about ordering books for you. Regards Eileen B eileen@barnard70.freeserve.co.uk ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 13:38:24 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "B.B. Medos" Subject: Re: Who says there's only one? Elisabeth [all4_mr_d8a@YAHOO.COM] wrote: > So what do you call more than one Tempus? A Tempi? > Tempains, that's what I'd call them. Beverly :-) ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 16:36:21 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Carms Calvag Subject: NEW: ULTRA MATUM (5/6) [PG] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I loved the story Zoomway! ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 18:00:37 CDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Jessi Mounts Subject: Re: Who says there's only one? Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; format=flowed; >Umm i just have one question? You are talking about the origin of "Tempus >Fugutive," right? Well if I recall my Lois and Clark TV airing, history.. >that ep was not from 1996. It was from the 2nd Season which started in >middle 1994 to early 1995. > >Alexis ;-.) Ah. That would be why I had the (?) after 1996. I wasn't watching Lois and Clark at the time and don't know my L&C TV airing history in the first place so I can't recall it. I was taking a stab at 1996 and hoping I was right. I guess, since this is a late second season episode, that would be TF in early 1995. Thanks for clearing me up. Jessi jessi914@hotmail.com _______________________________________________________________ Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 20:26:34 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Sandy McDermin Subject: Was: Blind Leading the Blind; Now Quotes by Writers MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Pam Jernigan wrote: > Thanks to everyone who's responded to my story :-) I'll try to respond > to a bunch of posts at once here... This is LONG and contains SPOILERS > for the story, so be warned... > > Sandy, thanks for the enlightenment on the use (and spelling ) of > ellipses. I tend to go by instinct rather than rule-books for grammar, > and the drawback to that is that even when I happen to be right I can't > prove it :) Oh, Pam, I apologize. I didn't mean to correct your spelling of ellipsis *or* ellipses -- honestly. When I saw your question, I immediately recognized one of my own and ran to my grammar bookmarks. There I found the website I needed and the section on ellipses. And then, after making sure it included the proper usage of three versus four dots, I just cut and paste the whole section without reading the rest which obviously included the spelling pointer. So ... bad site! Very bad! Actually, I was immediately diverted by another part of the site. I had forgotten that this page includes a wonderful collection of quotes by authors (or their characters) about writing entitled, "Eminent Quotables." It has close to a hundred, I think, and I was really enjoying them, cutting and pasting with the idea of posting them to a database at work. Here are "a few" which I think everyone will enjoy. The ones I selected lean toward the humorous, although there are more poetic ones as well. Note the one by H.G. Wells. Ironic, as Tempus would say. Sandy smcdermin@erols.com http://www.erols.com/nightsky/Sandy/ ******************** >>From Eminent Quotables, If you can't annoy somebody, there's little point in writing. -- Kingsley Amis The only thing I was fit for was to be a writer, and this notion rested solely on my suspicion that I would never be fit for real work, and that writing didn't require any.-- Russell Baker It took me fifteen years to discover that I had no talent for writing, but I couldn't give it up because by that time I was too famous. -- Robert Benchley A deadline is negative inspiration. Still, it's better than no inspiration at all. -- Rita Mae Brown Writing has laws of perspective, of light and shade, just as painting does, or music. If you are born knowing them, fine. If not, learn them. Then rearrange the rules to suit yourself. -- Truman Capote The beautiful part of writing is that you don't have to get it right the first time, unlike, say, a brain surgeon. You can always do it better, find the exact word, the apt phrase, the leaping simile. -- Robert Cormier The manuscript consisted of letter paper, wrapping paper, programs, envelopes, paper napkins--in short, whatever would take the imprint of a pencil. A great deal of it was written with a child crawling around my neck or being sick in my lap, and I dare say this may account for certain aspects of its style. -- Agnes de Mille A work in progress quickly becomes feral. It reverts to a wild state overnight. It is barely domesticated, a mustang on which you one day fastened a halter, but which now you can't catch. It is a lion you cage in your study. As the work grows, it gets harder to control; it is a lion growing in strength. You must visit it every day and reassert your mastery over it. If you skip a day, you are, quite rightly, afraid to open the door to its room. You enter its room with bravura, holding a chair at the thing and shouting, "Simba!" -- Annie Dillard This writing business. Pencils and what not. Over rated if you ask me. -- Eeyore How do I know what I think until I see what I say? -- E.M. Forster The English language is an arsenal of weapons. If you are going to brandish them without checking to see whether or not they are loaded, you must expect to have them explode in your face from time to time. -- Stephen Fry By making writing a part of your daily routine -- just like brushing your teeth -- you'll discipline yourself to work as a writer instead of a hobbyist who only writes when there's some fun to be had. -- Theresa Grant Whenever you read a good book, it's like the author is right there, in the room talking to you, which is why I don't like to read good books. -- Jack Handy The first draft of anything is shit. -- Ernest Hemingway The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do. -- Thomas Jefferson No one but a blockhead would write except for money. -- Samuel Johnson Being a writer is like having homework every night for the rest of your life. -- Lawrence Kasdan I don't want to just mess with your head. I want to mess with your life.... I want you to miss appointments, burn dinner, skip your homework. I want you to tell your wife to take that moonlight stroll on the beach at Waikiki with the resort tennis pro while you read a few more chapters. -- Stephen King You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club. -- Jack London A writer is one for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people. -- Thomas Mann There are three rules to writing fiction. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are. -- Somerset Maugham Only a mediocre writer is always at his best. -- Somerset Maugham The most valuable writing habit I have is not to answer questions about my writing habits. -- Christopher Morley Everywhere I go, I'm asked if the universities stifle writers. My opinion is that they don't stifle enough of them. -- Flannery O'Connor I'd like to have money. And I'd like to be a good writer. These two can come together, and I hope they will, but if that's too adorable, I'd rather have money. -- Dorothy Parker The universe is made of stories, not atoms. -- Muriel Rukeyser My main reason for adopting literature as a profession was that, as the author is never seen by his clients, he need not dress respectably. -- George Bernard Shaw English? Who needs that? I'm never going to England. Let's go get a smoke. -- Homer Simpson I really do not know that anything has ever been more exciting than diagramming sentences. -- Gertrude Stein The man who doesn't read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them. -- Mark Twain No passion in the world is equal to the passion to alter someone else's draft. -- H.G. Wells There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written or badly written. -- Oscar Wilde What I had to face, the very bitter lesson that everyone who wants to write has got to learn, was that a thing may in itself be the finest piece of writing one has ever done, and yet have absolutely no place in the manuscript one hopes to publish. -- Thomas Wolfe Where to find this and all the other marvelous quotes: http://webster.commnet.edu/HP/pages/darling/grammar/quotes/quotes_frames.htm ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 20:44:03 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: The Zoomway Subject: Re: Was: Blind Leading the Blind; Now Quotes by Writers MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 5/7/99 7:27:34 PM Central Daylight Time, smcdermin@EROLS.COM writes: << Note the one by H.G. Wells. Ironic, as Tempus would say. >> Yes, and probably why Wells bored Termpus so much! Though I admit Homer Simpson's quote was my fave: "English? Who needs that? I'm never going to England. Let's go get a smoke." ;) Zoomway@aol.com (Jack Handy is a close second: "Whenever you read a good book, it's like the author is right there, in the room talking to you, which is why I don't like to read good books" ;) ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 21:46:48 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Margaret Brignell Subject: Re: OT: Taken Aback<.g> In-Reply-To: <009D7A07.F5DE0160.26@kenyon.edu> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 10:43 PM 5/4/1999 EST, Christy wrote: >(BTW, the 'Martha Chronicles,' the >title of my series, can be credited to Margaret Brignell, I only suggested, you actually used it:) Margaret whose still having a crisis *finishing* in the plot to match the title of *her* stories %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Margaret Brignell brignell@capitalnet.com Ottawa, Canada ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 19:10:45 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Debbie Coleman Subject: Re: Who says there's only one? Mime-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit >From: Jessi Mounts >Ah. That would be why I had the (?) after 1996. I wasn't watching Lois and >Clark at the time and don't know my L&C TV airing history in the >first place so I can't recall it. I was taking a stab at 1996 and hoping I >was right. I guess, since this is a late second season episode, that would >be TF in early 1995. Thanks for clearing me up. > >Jessi >jessi914@hotmail.com Out from lurking, To be exact, it was 3/26/95. I remember it well: I was in the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas after setting up our booth at a trade show. I chose to stay in my room, order room service and watch L&C rather than going out with the group to have dinner and party. Wise choice, I thought! Deb debbie@ikos.com