From: "L-Soft list server at Indiana University (1.8d)" To: "ARTF@MemoryAlpha.nil" File: "LOISCLA-GENERAL-L LOG9906E" ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 00:02:28 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: TA Merrill Subject: Re: Come to the "N" Side, Hazel, Non-Nfic Reader! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii My dear Hazel, As much as I agree with the others that you really should break down and read 'Love as a Blonde', I'm very glad you held out this long, otherwise we never would have gotten that brilliant burst of insanity >from Sandy. That was the funniest thing I've seen all month! TerriAnn _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 04:43:13 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: babble, rant, tangents (was Re: Off Topic: Babble on Star Wars ... MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 6/28/99 6:34:01 PM Central Daylight Time, kubitc@KENYON.EDU writes: << To put it plainly, I don't think Lois babbles. >> "I was home eating chocolate...cottage cheese...chocolate-flavored cottage cheese, it's a new fla...I was doing my laundry." Sorry, but that's babbling Lois did babble, but more often she would *rant*: "to speak or declaim in a vehement, often angry manner": "Even if I could tell somebody about this, which I can't, they'd still think you were the good guy and I was the bad guy. Good old Clark, good old Superman, crabby old Lois..." "Why would you let that stuff [Kryptonite] anywhere near you? Get rid of it! Throw it into the sun! Of course now you can't throw it into the sun because Bad Brain Johnson has stolen it and could have it pointed at your thick skull right now!" She would also "go off on a tangent" : idiom-- "to suddenly digress from one action or thought in favor of another.": "Planning a yard sale? No..wait, that's a form of distancing. My therapist-- I know, I have a therapist, can you believe it? She says I say things like that to distance myself so I don't actually have to deal with anything. It's all very complicated, it has to do with some boring childhood trauma...can I come in?" I'd say that's not only a tangent, but a rather babbly one at that What we do know from That Old Gang of Mine though, is that Clark secretly *loves* when Lois goes off on a tangent ;) I love Wall of Sound. I think mainly because it shows Lois struggling with herself. Wanting to be better, wanting to be gracious, but still defaulting back on what could be called her "first season" behavior. It also pointed up some interesting facets to Lois in that she seemed to *need* nominations and awards to assuage her insecurity, but at the same time she couldn't be honest about how much they meant to her. I don't think Lois' bad behavior "toned down" so much as Lois herself began to grow up. As her character evolved, Lois no longer seemed to need an award or a nomination to know that her work was good and she also truly came to admire and respect Clark's work as a journalist. Wall of Sound also foreshadowed events that were still months, or even a whole season away. At least as it dealt with Lois and Clark's relationship and Lois and Clark as partners. Lois, after she started dating Clark, would become hurt and angry when he'd pull his disappearing act. In WoS she had one of her vintage Lois tantrums, more in keeping with first season, but the hurt and anger she went through were more reminiscent of what she'd suffer in the future. By the end of the episode, Lois admitted how proud she was of Clark and what a great partner he is, and it wasn't a "okay, it's the end, let's paint a happy face on it" moment either. Lois had to struggle quite a bit to deliver that kind of sincerity. Would it have all been a lot easier if Lois had been that gracious at the beginning of the episode? Sure. Would it have been believable for Lois back then? No One last babble on...babble. Another definition is to "speak idly or excessively" to "prattle or chatter." I think by that definition all of us "babble" from time to time. Especially on mailing lists ;) Zoomway@aol.com ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 10:25:18 -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: Babble, rant, tangents In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII On Tue, 29 Jun 1999 04:43:13 EDT The Zoomway wrote: > One last babble on... babble. Another definition is to "speak idly or excessively" to "prattle or chatter." I think by that definition all of us "babble" from time to time. Especially on mailing lists ;) < I'm not going to argue _that_ one, but I think that Zoom's definition is what most authors (including me) mean when they refer to Lois babbling. It's a form of nervous behaviour in which she just keeps talking, often going off on tangents, for any of a variety of reasons -- to help her distance, to distract her (or someone else) from thinking about something, because her mind is working so fast that it's about 5 steps ahead of her tongue. When I think of Lois babbling, I always remember the final scene of Season's Greedings in which Lois has a very short, but entirely characteristic babble about Christmas dinner -- classic Lois distancing behaviour; she's so pleased to see Clark, especially after she sees through the "I was snowed in" story, but she can't bring herself to say that directly, so she goes into babble mode. Clark isn't fooled for a minute, having seen this before (and heard it -- Teri's voice used to shoot right up in pitch when she played Lois babbling), but he doesn't mind; I thought that he rather enjoyed Lois' babble -- except, perhaps, when it was way past the "babbling hour". To be honest, I don't think it matters whether Lois actually babbles or not. It's her characteristic way of talking at high speed, with or without a touch of free association in there to help her find new and unexpected tangents to head off on, that has become known and loved as the Lane Babble. The precise accuracy of the term is irrelevant, because, to L&C (albeit mostly in fanfic), it has become a form of gentle teasing, like a family joke that no-one else can possibly understand. Phil, who has the line "Babble, thy name is Lane...." in a forthcoming 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: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 09:48:27 +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: Come to the "N" Side, Hazel, Non-Nfic Reader! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sandy, That was the most hilarious thing I've read for ages! It's just as well I'm working from home today, because the office would have thought I've gone completely barmy. Just don't let yourself get sucked in to the Dark Side (ie Star Wars fic) - we couldn't stand to lose you from L&C. Yvonne (yconnell@ukf.net) ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 09:57:20 +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: My Journal, Day 6 and Fear of Discovery MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Kelsey wrote: > I was up 'till three this morning reading these two stories and I must say > that it was worth it. They both had great characterization, plots, detail, > and the whole works. Thanks, yconnell and Debby. I can't wait for the next > stories. Kelsey, I can't tell you how flattered I am that you mention my story in the same complimentary email as Debby's. I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy! But thank you all the same - and call me Yvonne :) Yvonne (yconnell@ukf.net) ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 10:10:23 +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: My Journal, Day 6 and Fear of Discovery MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Debby wrote: > You can tell how much Yvonne likes to > write dialogue--and that she does very well at it. Well, I'm learning all the time, Debby - and Folcs are a great bunch of people to learn from - but thank you for letting me know that I'm getting there :) > who has all of My Journal written > and is just tweaking it here and there... If you're not kidding us, Debby, then I, for one, am glad. I had worried about you, slaving away constantly to get the next part written for us in time. I had hoped that at least you were a few 'episodes' ahead of us, but this is even better. Yvonne (yconnell@ukf.net) ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 10:32:45 +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: NEW: FEAR OF DISCOVERY Part 0 of 17 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > Definitely, Yvonne needs to write the sequel. This was terrific. > > Ann I'm working on it, Ann (in between keeping up with my mail, figuring out how to run a roleplaying fic, tweaking 'Discovery', redecorating the flat, working, going to choir rehearsals, keeping the builders/landscapers on track, sewing curtains...and then there's watching L&C of course - just to make sure I'm not deviating too far from 'style', you understand ;)) Thanks, Yvonne (yconnell@ukf.net) ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 10:48:59 +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: Quote on archive? In-Reply-To: <3.0.1.32.19990628194228.00697140@pop.mindspring.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII On Mon, 28 Jun 1999 19:42:28 -0400 "Georgia E. Walden" wrote: > He is an academic though, so be warned. ;) Hey Georgia! What have you got against academics? /me goes off to set up the Society for the Succour of Put-Upon FOLC Academics. Wanna join, Phil, Sheila? ;) Wendy ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 11:07:18 +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: FEAR OF DISCOVERY Part 0 of 17 In-Reply-To: <66bcb08b.24a930e2@aol.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII On Mon, 28 Jun 1999 16:11:14 EDT "Ann E. McBride" wrote: > << > I'd love a sequel perhaps focusing on Clark2 with our Clark and Lois helping > him out for a change. > > Definitely, Yvonne needs to write the sequel. This was terrific. Hey, I told you all you were in for a treat with 'Fear of Discovery'! I'm convinced it's Yvonne's best yet, a fantastic story. And I got in before you - as far as I know, Yvonne's been working on the sequel for a while now ;) Wendy (who is itching to beta-edit so I get to read it first!) ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 06:10:46 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: Babble, rant, tangents MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 6/29/99 4:32:41 AM Central Daylight Time, Phillip.Atcliffe@UWE.AC.UK writes: << It's a form of nervous behaviour in which she just keeps talking, often going off on tangents, for any of a variety of reasons -- to help her distance, to distract her (or someone else) from thinking about something, because her mind is working so fast that it's about 5 steps ahead of her tongue. >> Right, exactly. Think of Lois in Lucky Leon when Clark says "burgundy" instead of "violet". In truth, it doesn't matter to Clark. Just the fact that she's finally going out with him is all that matters, but Lois, who had just decried living up to others' expectations, becomes panic-stricken with determination to do just that Also, almost every single time that Lois hits babble-mode, she *stops* hearing what the other person is saying. At any rate, I agree that's what most fanfic authors see as Lois in "babble-mode"....she seems to come by it naturally too. Ellen ain't too shabby in the babble olympics either ;) Zoomway@aol.com ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 06:11:43 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Hazel Subject: Re: Come to the "N" Side, Hazel, Non-Nfic Reader! In-Reply-To: <3778275C.63198D11@erols.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" As the desperate (not so young) Hazel tries to evade the evil Darth Sandy, frantically hoping to hear John Williams' ominous "Imperial March" score change to his marvellous "Superman" theme, she has a great deal of trouble keeping her balance, as is she is too busy laughing. Looks like that silly crossover is getting more realistic all the time. :) Better make sure to turn my, er, delete saber off, before I accidently trip over it and possibly wipe myself out of existence Ah, that's better. I note that Darth Sandy believes that curiosity, as much as fear and steam, ;p is part of the "N" side of the Force, as she has neglected to identify the mysterious "Jackie." Guess I'll have to do some imagining on my own. Hmmm... something to do with Clark's books. Co-author, praps? Or maybe an agent of some sort? Although I'm not sure why that should be a deep, dark secret; I spose "Love as a Blonde" explains it. But despite the agony of wondering, in sleepness, tossing nights, exactly whom Jackie might be, I will somehow survive it. :) On a slightly more serious aside, I note that TerriAnn wrote: > As much as I agree with the others that you really should break down and read 'Love as a Blonde',> and LaurieD wrote: >Dear Hazel... from one pretty straight laced, pure of heart type to another: Life as a Blonde is a wonderful, human, tasteful, creative, and funny read. I hope you will cave to our persuasion and give this one story your consideration.> People, this is a *principle.* Based on my religious beliefs. I do not read nfic. Let's leave it at that. Hazel ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 12:32:59 +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: Answers to ... EVERYTHING In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII Don't worry, Piper - I LOLed when I read it! And anyway, thanks to the time-lag, when I first read it I thought it came from Phil! Wendy > << > << I'm sorry, Wendy, but what desert island did you just escape from? >> > >> > > You know, Wendy, when I made this remark, it didn't sound near as snippy to > me as it sounds seeing it repeated back several times! I was just > teasing you - didn't mean to sound so sarcastic. For what it's worth, this > was really a cute episode - very funny - and even non-STfans would probably > enjoy it. > > Piper ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 07:49:15 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: Ellen and Clark (was Re: Mind Games) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 6/28/99 6:53:58 PM Eastern Daylight Time, bbmedos@GEOCITIES.COM writes: << And it only reinforces the impression that she'd immediately like Clark . . . because he would do what she said. >> Although in HIWTHI, the first thing Ellen says about Clark to Lois is, "Just what do you know about him?" Her tone of voice implies that she isn't impressed at all. I don't think she immediately liked Clark at all. Ann ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 14:13:23 +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: LIFE'S LITTLE CHALLENGES Part 2 of 5 In-Reply-To: <9d139b16.24a56747@aol.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII Hey! Yet another really funny story from the RR crew. I *particularly* liked this: s p o i l e r s p a c e > She grinned. "Well," she said, "let's just see what Superman has to say." She pressed the 'Try Me' button on the box. > > A rather tinny, mechanical voice spoke. "Up! Up! And Away!" > > Clark looked appalled. "I would *never* say that!" > > Lois nudged Clark with her shoulder. "Remember the honeymoon?" > > Clark blushed. "That was different." LOL!!! Wendy ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 14:46:51 +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: BLONDE AMBITION Part 3 of 4 In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII Hey LabRat! You've managed to get into an RR now! > She'd gotten past the first level of his security measures without too much > trouble. "LabRats" and "Ruth" were no-brainers as passwords, but then she'd > hit a wall. Wendy ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 09:54:04 -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: NEW: FEAR OF DISCOVERY In-Reply-To: <199906271341.OAA21543@radius.connectfree.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Yvonne, This story was as wonderful as I was afraid it was going to be. I couldn't help myself from taking a peak at Part 1 last night before going to bed. I really should have known better. I have loved all of your stories so I knew I was going to get hooked (like Lays potato chips, you can't read just one :>). Of course I couldn't stop reading and finally got to bed sometime after 2:30 am!! So it's your fault if I make lots of typos and write somewhat fuzzily - I'm tired!! * * * * S * P * O * I * L * E * R * * A * L * E * R * T * * * I was thinking about your story while driving my daughter to summer camp and have a couple comments. First, I loved the plot and character development and the way you made Clark once again go through personal growth while undergoing a painful physical trial (I'm sure he doesn't share my enthusiasm). And I sincerely hope you continue with that sequel you mentioned (will it involve Clark2 and his Lois?). OK, on to my points. One is pretty minor. I just kept waiting for Lois and Clark to bring Perry into the "club" and elicit his advice and assistance, especially after you make Clark so insistent that he knew the secret anyway. There were several times I thought it would have been a natural extention of the plotline, when L&C were struggling with all the ramifications of the revelation, for them to turn to Perry. My second point concerns the physical injury Clark sustained. Several years ago, someone tried to assassinate the Pope and suceeded in shooting both him and a few bystanders. One woman was shot in the hand. I remember how in the news, they followed up on her treatment and recovery and one comment in particular I remember is that while in fiction, a bullet wound to the hand is almost always treated lightly and pretty much just shrugged off by the hero who gets up and goes about his business, in Real Life, it is a very serious injury. The hand is extremely complicated with delicate bone structure, muscle and cartilage, and a bullet to the hand REALLY does major damamge resulting in excrutiating pain and debilitating injury. Recovery requires surgery to rebuild the hand followed by a long-term recuperation and physical therapy. Yvonne, you covered the "excrutiating pain and debilitating injury" part great - it was very convincing and I have no problem with Clark not needing more doctoring from Dr. Klein (I loved how you handled his quieter revelation, BTW). It's plausible to me that Clark's musculature and bone structure are tougher and took less damage than would a mere human, and I can believe Dr. Klein relying on the return of the powers to take care of the actual healing with him just needing to do a temporary triage to alleviating Clark's suffering. I'm just wondering about how Clark is going to explain such a complete and miraculous recovery to a part of his body which is so visible? Even if he leaves the cast on for awhile and eventually switches to bandaging and tries to remember to favor his hand, how will he explain the 100% recovery of full use of his hand, not to mention the COMPLETE LACK of scarring? As much as I am loathe to suggest alteration to any part of your story (especially since I have never dared attempt to write one myself), perhaps you might consider having Clark be shot somewhere less esposed to public view (his shoulder or upper arm or foot or something...)? Or have I stumbled upon something you will deal with in your sequel...? Anyway, thanks again for your wonderful story. I hope you have many more to come. Terry Horowit ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 15:25:47 -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: Quote on archive? In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII On Tue, 29 Jun 1999 10:48:59 +0100 Wendy Richards wrote: Quoting Georgia: >> He is an academic though, so be warned. ;) > Hey, Georgia! > What have you got against academics? > /me goes off to set up the Society for the Succour of Put-Upon FOLC Academics. Wanna join, Phil, Sheila? ;) < I'm in, but we gotta get a better name -- for the acronym. SSPUFA? Do you pronounce that or sneeze it? Phil, using his work .sig for academic "credibility" ---------------------------------------- (Dr) P.A. Atcliffe Email: Phillip.Atcliffe@uwe.ac.uk Faculty of Engineering University of the West of England ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 10:35:48 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: Quote on archive? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 6/29/99 5:49:39 AM Eastern Daylight Time, ida18@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK writes: << What have you got against academics? >> Perhaps a bad experience with an academic? i.e. the English teacher I had in high school who delighted in writing comments such as "You state the obvious as if it were profound." I am curious, though. What constitutes an academic? Must one teach at the university level? Or must one write weighty tomes which no one wants to read? (Articles if of sufficient ennui will suffice. "The Use of the Subjunctive in the Plays of Racine" comes to mind.) Or do those of us who slog it out in the trenches of secondary school qualify as well? We do get/have to wear academic regalia to graduation every year. lol Does writing fanfiction help when it comes time for tenure review under the publish or perish criterion? At any rate, don't feel put upon. You all are great writers and I imagine your academic abilities have some bearing on that. Ann ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 15:42:55 -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: Babble, rant, tangents In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII On Tue, 29 Jun 1999 06:10:46 EDT The Zoomway wrote: > In a message dated 6/29/99 4:32:41 AM Central Daylight Time, Phillip.Atcliffe@UWE.AC.UK (hey, I know him! ) wrote: >> It's a form of nervous behaviour in which she just keeps talking, often going off on tangents, for any of a variety of reasons -- to help her distance, to distract her (or someone else) from thinking about something, because her mind is working so fast that it's about 5 steps ahead of her tongue. << To which Zoomway replied: > Right, exactly. Think of Lois in Lucky Leon when Clark says "burgundy" instead of "violet" [...] Lois, who had just decried living up to others' expectations, becomes panic-stricken with determination to do just that Also, almost every single time that Lois hits babble-mode, she *stops* hearing what the other person is saying. < Other good examples are: -- again from Lucky Leon, when L&C meet in the newsroom the morning after their date, and Lois is desperately rattling on about the Desk Friend -- _anything_ rather than have to face up to Clark's questions and her own insecurities. Here, not hearing what Clark might say is thw whole point of the exercise. -- in The Prankster, when Lois seeks refuge at Clark's apartment with a pizza and Lethal Weapon videos. This is a real nervous jag; Lois is terrified, but even more scared of admitting it, and it's only through and to Clark that she can express her fear -- and then relax and get some sleep. > At any rate, I agree that's what most fanfic authors see as Lois in "babble-mode". She seems to come by it naturally too. Ellen ain't too shabby in the babble olympics either ;) < ROTFL! Oh, frak, now _there's_ a subject for a story: "Ladeez and gennelmen, welcome to the Inaugural International Babble Olympics! Tonight's event is the Mother and Daughter Pairs Event, and the hot favourites are the American team of Ellen and Lois Lane...." Phil, who can't help but remember that _awful_ Mother and Daughter Beauty Pageant that Clive James dredged up for "Saturday Night Clive" one week; the things some people will go in for.... ------------------------------------------------------------ Gravity is a Downer... So let's go flying! -- so sayeth Phil Atcliffe (Phillip.Atcliffe@uwe.ac.uk) ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 10:33:39 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Donna Burton Subject: Re: Quote on archive? You can count me in for the SSPUFA also... ;-) Donna in Schenectady Associate Professor Union College Library faculty ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 09:46:23 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Sheila Harper Subject: Re: NEW: FEAR OF DISCOVERY Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 09:54 AM 6/29/99 -0500, Terry S. Horowit wrote: >My second point concerns the physical injury Clark sustained.... I'm >just wondering about how Clark is going to explain such a complete and >miraculous recovery to a part of his body which is so visible? > how will he explain the 100% recovery >of full use of his hand, not to mention the COMPLETE LACK of scarring? >...perhaps >you might consider having Clark be shot somewhere less esposed to public >view (his shoulder or upper arm or foot or something...)? Terry, your comment is the sort of thing that I enjoy this list. No matter how good we are as researchers, no matter how good our editors are, some things slip past us because we never think to question them. Releasing a story to 300+ readers, all with different life experiences and areas of expertise gives a writer one last chance to make sure that everything works, that there are no loose ends left to tie up. For example, it never occurred to me that a big jet could fly with just one engine (too many TV disaster movies, I suspect), until I connected with another member of this list whose father builds jet engines (Thanks, Lisa!). Grounding that part of the A-plot in reality worked better because it forced me to think through something that I would otherwise have blown off. Obviously, not all writers on this list worry about A-plots that hold water (many don't worry about even including them), but for those of us that do, it sure helps to have readers who aren't afraid to say, "Did you know that...? Have you considered...?" Sheila sharper@cncc.cc.co.us ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 11:00:44 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Donna Burton Subject: Fear of academics (was Quote on Archive) I know Georgia probably meant that the book she was referring to was more technical/scholarly than many might otherwise be prepared for when approaching a book on fanfic, but still is fun to tease... ;-) I've encountered "scholarly" stuff that can put you to sleep in nanoseconds... Donna in Schenectady Union College ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 16:04:18 +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: Quote on archive? In-Reply-To: <98270059.24aa33c4@aol.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII On Tue, 29 Jun 1999 10:35:48 EDT "Ann E. McBride" wrote: > At any rate, don't feel put upon. You all are great writers and I imagine > your academic abilities have some bearing on that. LOL Actually, academics this side of the pond are feeling pretty put upon right now for a number of reasons - underpaid, overworked, treated with contempt by our paymasters, our employers and the media which seems to think we have 20 weeks' holiday a year (I wish!). As for acronyms, Phil, how about Academics' Aid? ... no, maybe that's a bad acronym - or perhaps not? Wendy ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 08:09:00 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nancy Smith Subject: Re: NEW: FEAR OF DISCOVERY MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Terry S. Horowit wrote: > Yvonne, > This story was as wonderful as I was afraid it was going to be. I couldn't > help myself from taking a peak at Part 1 last night before going to bed. I > really should have known better. I have loved all of your stories so I > knew I was going to get hooked (like Lays potato chips, you can't read just > one :>). Of course I couldn't stop reading and finally got to bed sometime > after 2:30 am!! > So it's your fault if I make lots of typos and write somewhat fuzzily - I'm > tired!! > * > * > * > * S > * P > * O > * I > * L > * E > * R > * > * A > * L > * E > * R > * T > * > * > * > I was thinking about your story while driving my daughter to summer camp > and have a couple comments. First, I loved the plot and character > development and the way you made Clark once again go through personal > growth while undergoing a painful physical trial (I'm sure he doesn't share > my enthusiasm). And I sincerely hope you continue with that sequel you > mentioned (will it involve Clark2 and his Lois?). > OK, on to my points. One is pretty minor. I just kept waiting for Lois > and Clark to bring Perry into the "club" and elicit his advice and > assistance, especially after you make Clark so insistent that he knew the > secret anyway. There were several times I thought it would have been a > natural extention of the plotline, when L&C were struggling with all the > ramifications of the revelation, for them to turn to Perry. > My second point concerns the physical injury Clark sustained. Several > years ago, someone tried to assassinate the Pope and suceeded in shooting > both him and a few bystanders. One woman was shot in the hand. I remember > how in the news, they followed up on her treatment and recovery and one > comment in particular I remember is that while in fiction, a bullet wound > to the hand is almost always treated lightly and pretty much just shrugged > off by the hero who gets up and goes about his business, in Real Life, it > is a very serious injury. The hand is extremely complicated with delicate > bone structure, muscle and cartilage, and a bullet to the hand REALLY does > major damamge resulting in excrutiating pain and debilitating injury. > Recovery requires surgery to rebuild the hand followed by a long-term > recuperation and physical therapy. Yvonne, you covered the "excrutiating > pain and debilitating injury" part great - it was very convincing and I > have no problem with Clark not needing more doctoring from Dr. Klein (I > loved how you handled his quieter revelation, BTW). It's plausible to me > that Clark's musculature and bone structure are tougher and took less > damage than would a mere human, and I can believe Dr. Klein relying on the > return of the powers to take care of the actual healing with him just > needing to do a temporary triage to alleviating Clark's suffering. I'm > just wondering about how Clark is going to explain such a complete and > miraculous recovery to a part of his body which is so visible? Even if he > leaves the cast on for awhile and eventually switches to bandaging and > tries to remember to favor his hand, how will he explain the 100% recovery > of full use of his hand, not to mention the COMPLETE LACK of scarring? As > much as I am loathe to suggest alteration to any part of your story > (especially since I have never dared attempt to write one myself), perhaps > you might consider having Clark be shot somewhere less esposed to public > view (his shoulder or upper arm or foot or something...)? Or have I > stumbled upon something you will deal with in your sequel...? > Anyway, thanks again for your wonderful story. I hope you have many more > to come. > Terry Horowit Sorry to quote the whole thing. I'm still learning some of the elementary things about this machine. Terry's letter reminded me of something one of my nursing instructors told me years ago. The business about the hero of the t.v. show being shot in the shoulder--which happens a lot on such programs. In reality, this injury is a serious one. The shoulder is full of blood vessels and nerves and a wound there can be a disabling one, because the nerve damage can be severe and permanent. Not to mention, you can bleed to death from it, because of the network of blood vessels located in that spot. I realize this seems a little off topic, but since many of us on this list write action scenes, this should be something we should be aware of. I try to keep the Anatomy classes I took years ago in mind when I write. It adds to the realism. If you have your hero shot in the shoulder, a real human being's shoulder and arm would almost certainly never work right again for the rest of his life. Nan Smith ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 16:18:58 +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: Fear of academics (was Quote on Archive) In-Reply-To: <990629110044.1f95@conan.union.edu> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII On Tue, 29 Jun 1999 11:00:44 -0400 Donna Burton wrote: > I know Georgia probably meant that the book she was referring to was > more technical/scholarly than many might otherwise be prepared for > when approaching a book on fanfic, but still is fun to tease... ;-) > > I've encountered "scholarly" stuff that can put you to sleep in > nanoseconds... Tell me about it... why do you think I read and write fanfic for relaxation? Wendy ---------------------- Dr Wendy Richards Lecturer in Industrial Relations Keele University w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 11:29:57 -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: My Journal, Day 6 In-Reply-To: <377833EF.36095BE4@cyberhotline.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >Debby wrote: > >> Debby :) >> Debby@swcp.com >> who has all of My Journal written >> and is just tweaking it here and there... > Cindy wrote: >Now you have me drooling all over my keyboard. Ewwww! I promise not to drum my >fingers impatiently at you again (the mental rap I gave myself across the >knuckles >with a ruler bruised my hand to the point that I am still typing one >handed) but >do you think it's safe to admit that you have more than you're letting us see? >Aren't you afraid of a marauding hoard showing up on your doorstep and laying >siege to your hard drive? Where is it you live again? Oh, my sentiments exactly. Debby, I have been trying to restrain my impatience and wait for all of your latest epic to hit the List (which, as everyone else has already said, is incredible and has me in constant awe of your writing prowess). I keep getting closer to the edge of my chair with each installment and I finally fell off after this one (although the hysterical laughter may have had something to do with it...) but I have to ask something. There are only 8 days left to go in this journal - are you actually going to resolve all of this amazing plot in this short remaining amount of calendar time, or are we going to be left cruelly dangling to await future journals? PLEASE PLEASE say things are tied up in a (relatively) satisfactory manner by the end of day 14!! I don't think I could bear more waiting!! I'm already having enough trouble maintaining my patience as I wait for you to get back to Dawning 23 (I know, I know, it will be awhile... sigh...) Terry Horowit ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 11:31:00 -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://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/ Subject: Re: Quote on archive? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Georgia mentioned Henry Jenkins' book Textual Poachers. I've got it, and it's interesting, if kinda heavy-going. He analyzes a number of different fandoms (Beauty & the Beast stands out in my mind) and shows how "fans" are far from passive recipients of entertainment; instead they select the elements they like, ignore the ones they don't, and create their own "better" versions of the myth. If you'd like to check it out, this link should take you right to it on Amazon. And while I'm at it, I've been meaning to mention a few other books, too I found a collection of romance short stories that are, basically, fanfic. The authors have been "inspired" by various TV & movie hunks, and have written stories about characters who "closely resemble" them. I found the whole concept slightly hysterical and the stories weren't too bad, either. No Superman stories, unfortunately, but there were versions of Kevin Sorbo's Hercules ("Moon over Miranda," my favorite from the book), Adrian Paul's Highlander, and Michael Dorn's Worf (from Trek). The book's called _In Our Dreams_. Lastly, (OT) for those of you out there who love reading Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan books, she's got a new one coming out soon _A Civil Campaign_ isn't out yet, but you can preorder it. -- ------------------------------------------------------- Pam Jernigan | jernigan@bellsouth.net ChiefPam on IRC | ------------------------------------------------------- "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 ------------------------------------------------------- The FoLC Obsession Page has moved to: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 10:29:09 -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: Come to the "N" Side, Hazel, Non-Nfic Reader! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" >From MR. D8A's work email Resist the Desire Hazel, Non-Nfic Reader for we two, Mr. D8A and Elisabeth are of the same passion as you. Once you step on the path you cannot turn back. Beware and standfast. MR. D8A A.K.A. Obi James Kenobi 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: Yvonne Connell [mailto:yconnell@UKF.NET] Sent: Tuesday, June 29, 1999 3:48 AM To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU Subject: Re: Come to the "N" Side, Hazel, Non-Nfic Reader! Sandy, That was the most hilarious thing I've read for ages! It's just as well I'm working from home today, because the office would have thought I've gone completely barmy. Just don't let yourself get sucked in to the Dark Side (ie Star Wars fic) - we couldn't stand to lose you from L&C. Yvonne (yconnell@ukf.net) ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 10:47:50 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Sheila Harper Subject: Re: Quote on archive? Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >/me goes off to set up the Society for the Succour of Put-Upon >FOLC Academics. Wanna join, Phil, Sheila? ;) Despite its resemblance to the explosive sound of a sneeze, SSPUFA is completely appropriate since it also sounds like a variant of "spoof," which fits my personality to a T Seriously, guys, the problem isn't that Dr. Jenkins is an academic. After all, there are a number of academics (secondary and post-secondary) on this list, and some of us even write fanfic and can "wanna, gotta, waddaya" with the best of them :) The problem that Georgia mentioned is that he's an academic writing for an academic audience (you knew I'd sneak in the issue of audience somewhere, didn't you? :), sometimes to the point that you'd swear his purpose is obfuscation rather than illumination of his subject. However, most people could enjoy reading his chapters about fanfic as well as the chapter about music videos. Sort of reminds you that FoLCs aren't alone in the world--and we aren't crazy. Honest. We are, in fact, the intelligent, creative part of the TV audience that refuses to sit passively in front of the boob-tube and accept whatever corporate television feeds us. TV execs hate us because we keep agitating to get what we want (T:JO, anyone? :), and when they won't give it to us (Clark's cross-fingered recant at the end of season 1 had nothing on ABC's broken promise of a 5th season), we create it ourselves (TUFS, S5 & S6, an archive full of fanfic and poetry, fanzines, music videos, drawings, L&C merchandise, etc.). Kinda makes you feel like standing up and cheering, doesn't it? Sheila sharper@cncc.cc.co.us ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 11:47:25 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: combo: the 'dark side' & gunshots ;) << frantically hoping to hear John Williams' ominous "Imperial March" score change to his marvellous "Superman" theme, >> You mean you can tell them apart? Actually, I can tell those two apart, but most of Williams's music, semi-pirated from old-time classical composers, sounds the same to me, even with the ear of a (lapsed) violinist... << People, this is a *principle.* Based on my religious beliefs. I do not read nfic. Let's leave it at that. >> Hear, hear, Hazel. I do read nfic, but in reading it, I must accept and respect the many others who choose not to read it, for a variety of reasons. And not everyone who doesn't read it chooses not to, as some are not of-age. << Resist the Desire Hazel, Non-Nfic Reader for we two, Mr. D8A and Elisabeth are of the same passion as you. Once you step on the path you cannot turn back. Beware and standfast. >> However, I think non-nfic readers must also respect that others do choose to read nfic, and understand that it isn't a slippery slope of lifestyle. Both to read and not to read are choices to be respected, not enticed to change. On another topic- << The hand is extremely complicated with delicate bone structure, muscle and cartilage, and a bullet to the hand REALLY does major damamge resulting in excrutiating pain and debilitating injury. Recovery requires surgery to rebuild the hand followed by a long-term recuperation and physical therapy [snip] As much as I am loathe to suggest alteration to any part of your story (especially since I have never dared attempt to write one myself), perhaps you might consider having Clark be shot somewhere less esposed to public view (his shoulder or upper arm or foot or something...)? >> Unless this is part of your mentioned sequel, I have to admit I was concerned about the same thing. First it was how to explain Clark's quick healing; it's gonna be tough for him to pretend to have a lame hand for the weeks it would take a normal person to heal. Then, I realized how delicate the hand is. Terry mentioned bone, muscle, and cartilage; let me add nerves. The nerves of the hand are crucially important to proper function, and a bullet whizzing through must cause serious damage. << being shot in the shoulder--which happens a lot on such programs. In reality, this injury is a serious one. The shoulder is full of blood vessels and nerves and a wound there can be a disabling one, because the nerve damage can be severe and permanent. >> So can anyone of the medical persuasion (is there anyone like that on the list?) tell us where a "good" place to get shot is? From hours of watching ER (fiction) and TLC's The Operation and Trauma Center (both real), I'd guess somewhere in the abdomen, but you've got to be sure the bullet doesn't nick important things like the spleen, heart, lungs, etc. -Christy kubitc@kenyon.edu ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 12:01:58 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Georgia E. Walden" Subject: Re: Quote on archive? In-Reply-To: <3778E6B4.BA0BB3AA@bellsouth.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 11:31 AM 6/29/99 -0400, you wrote:. > >And while I'm at it, I've been meaning to mention a few other books, too > I found a collection of romance short stories that are, basically, >fanfic. The authors have been "inspired" by various TV & movie hunks, >and have written stories about characters who "closely resemble" them. >I found the whole concept slightly hysterical and the stories >weren't too bad, either. No Superman stories, unfortunately, Thanks, Pam, for providing the amazon.com link for the Jenkins book - you're so organized. ;) And for the above information, too. I'd seen the book advertised last year and wondered if it would have anything 'inspired' by shows or hunks that I like, and was disappointed when it didn't. Still, it sounds interesting just from the point of view of seeing how romance writers handle operating in somebody's else's universe. It's commonplace to find adaptations of TV or movie material, especially in science fiction and fantasy, but usually the authors are drawn from other genres - not romance. I'll give it a try. :) At first I was surprised that "Lois and Clark" didn't show up in the book, but I suspect it has something to do with the fact that from the romantic point of view, the show already did the job. ;) Georgia [who is ignoring the academics having fun at her expense - you deserve it since you *have* to read that kind of stuff ;)] gwalde14@mindspring.com ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 17:31:04 +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: Quote on archive? In-Reply-To: <376EACCC000011A5@cncc.cncc.cc.co.us> (added by cncc.cncc.cc.co.us) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII On Tue, 29 Jun 1999 10:47:50 -0500 Sheila Harper wrote: > >/me goes off to set up the Society for the Succour of Put-Upon > >FOLC Academics. Wanna join, Phil, Sheila? ;) > > > > Despite its resemblance to the explosive sound of a sneeze, SSPUFA is > completely appropriate since it also sounds like a variant of "spoof," which > fits my personality to a T Nice one, Sheila! And I should have considered, in my initial response to Phil, that academics are by no means skilled at expressing themselves in an eye-catching or 'soundbite-friendly' manner. I do, after all, belong to a professional organisation/trade union which, some years ago, expressed its demand for a large increase in pay with the slogan 'RECTIFY THE ANOMALY.' ;) Wendy ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 12:06:23 -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: fan-fare and other popular myths in various genres (was RE: Quote on archive?) Yeah, I know I start a thread and then immediately take off on a tangent, but I couldn't resist. I'll get back to the quote in another message but I just had to comment on this recommendation by Pam. Pam Jernigan [SMTP:jernigan@BELLSOUTH.NET] wrote: > And while I'm at it, I've been meaning to mention a few other books, too > I found a collection of romance short stories that are, basically, > fanfic. The authors have been "inspired" by various TV & movie hunks, > and have written stories about characters who "closely resemble" them. > I found the whole concept slightly hysterical and the stories > weren't too bad, either. No Superman stories, unfortunately, but there > were versions of Kevin Sorbo's Hercules ("Moon over Miranda," my > favorite from the book), Adrian Paul's Highlander, and Michael Dorn's > Worf (from Trek). > > The book's called _In Our Dreams_. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I think I may have known about this book, but had forgotten it or overlooked it. The reason I'm so excited over it now is that I've been wanting to mention fanfiction in my book basket and haven't been able to figure out how to segue from romance over to it. Now, I know how. You just made me a very happy camper. And besides, I really would like to check out the book, too. And if you really like popular myths used as the basis of stories, there is an entire group by one of the romance publishers, Love Spell, called Legendary Lovers. They're all loosely based on various popular historical legends and usually quite a bit of fun to read. I haven't collected them all yet, but of the ones I can remember there's been a Robin Hood take-off, a Zorro one, a hero who was very much a Don Juan type (and that one also had a secondary character similar to the Scarlet Pimpernel). Some are based on even more obscure legends and/or ballads that the authors have always loved or researched and wanted to use. I'm sure there's a lot more because there's been quite a few books in the series already, but I'd have to look them up to get the entire list. I mention them here because it strikes me that whenever any writer uses a popular legend like that in a story, even when they're disguised to a great extent, isn't that a form of fanfiction? Just not as blatant what we're doing here, I realize, but still the writer would almost have to be a fan of the legend to "get it right" wouldn't they? I suppose the major difference is that most of those historical legends generally aren't owned by individuals or corporations. Beverly :-) ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 18:40:19 +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: NEW STORY: Big Boys Do Fly II - Part 1/5 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII TITLE: Big Boys Do Fly II: Close Encounters PART: 1/5 AUTHOR: Wendy Richards RATING: PG/PG-13 FEEDBACK: Comments welcome either publicly or privately. SUMMARY: This story is a sequel to Big Boys Do Fly, which was posted on the Archive a couple of months ago. Conor and Laura are having a few difficulties adjusting to their new lives, and need help... but where could they get it from? ---------------------- This story is a sequel to my recent Elseworld fic, Big Boys Do Fly, and may not make sense if you haven't read BBDF. As with BBDF, I have to acknowledge - and thank - Margaret and Debby for the inspiration which I've drawn from their superb 'Swap-Meet'. Again, the story is different, but elements of the premise are similar, and I have had to resist the temptation to use some incidents from 'Swap-Meet' which would have made perfect sense in the context of this story! Margaret, Debby, if we ever met I'd buy you a drink or two for that great story and the idea it gave me for this sequel, but as it's unlikely... let's just say I'm sending you lots of cyber-gratitude. Thanks also to Karen Ward for her enthusiasm about BBDF, which gave me the encouragement I needed to start this sequel (yes, it's all her fault, guys ). Again, some of the characters in this story belong to DC Comics and Warner Bros, and no infringement of copyright is intended. The characters of Conor and Laura are my invention, albeit closely based on some rather more familiar characters Feedback, as ever, welcomed, even if it is to tell me never to revisit this version of the Superman mythos ever again! Wendy. w.m.richards@fullerdr.demon.co.uk Big Boys Do Fly II - Close Encounter - Santa Monica, California, an Alternate Universe - Conor Kane threw down the newspaper he had been reading and shot a quirky smile at his fiancee. "I see the Press is still milking our former TV roles for all they're worth." Laura grinned. "What do you expect? After all, 'Lois and Clark' is still showing on TV - it's hardly surprising they'd run a headline like 'TV SUPERMAN TO MARRY HIS LOIS.'" "I guess so," Conor agreed ruefully. "I'd just rather not be so publicly associated with Superman - I guess now I know how the real Clark Kent feels!" Laura moved to wrap her arms around her fiance. "Yeah, I suppose so. You know, I really wish there was some way we could meet him and Lois - find out how they cope with all this stuff, you know?" Conor rested his cheek against Laura's as he held her closely against him. The month since he had discovered his super-powers and HG Wells had appeared to tell him that he was in reality Superman had been a very difficult time for the two of them. Some things had been easy, such as getting out of their contracts for 'Lois and Clark': they had simply got their agents to contact the studios the day after the near-accident, that momentous day which neither of them would ever forget, to state that the two stars considered that the working conditions were unsafe and so they felt justified in withdrawing from the show. The Powers-that-Be had tried for about a week to change their minds, but by then the real Superman had made several appearances around Los Angeles and its environs, and as Conor had predicted, XYZ got a little nervous about viewing figures for its fake Superman. He had helped things along, as Superman, by hinting to one or two journalists that he wasn't entirely happy about the existence of a TV show depicting a fictional version of himself. There had been another little hiccup, however, when Marner Sisters had threatened a lawsuit against Superman for infringement of copyright. They had claimed that the Super-hero was using a name, colours and a symbol to which they owned the rights. Conor hadn't initially known how to get around that one, but then Laura had suggested that they investigate who held the rights in the original book which Wells had told them that he had caused to be published. It had turned out that all rights in the Superman story belonged to a charity called the Superman Foundation, and that Marner's had only leased the rights for the particular purpose of the TV show called 'Lois and Clark.' The Superman Foundation, it turned out, had been practically defunct for several years, but Conor - with his knowledge and understanding of TV-land and the way in which people often tried to make a fast buck - ensured that a manager was put in place in order to ensure that Superman's image was protected in future, and that any licensing was for good causes. That had been easy; learning to control his powers was not. There had now been several times when Conor had used just too much strength, or hadn't controlled his heat vision adequately, and had as a result caused damage to property or some harm to people as a result. So far, he acknowledged, no-one had been seriously hurt, but he was aware that unless he got this problem sorted out quickly his luck might not continue. Even worse had been the night he had misjudged his strength when making love with Laura, and her golden skin had been covered in bruises the following day as a result. She had assured him that she was fine, that she understood and that he hadn't really hurt her; but he knew she was lying to protect his feelings, and he hated it. At least some things had worked out well since, though, he acknowledged. He had been very happy to leave the show; somehow, although he'd generally thought the series very good, with above-average scripts, there were some aspects of the job he wouldn't miss at all. And now he was working full-time as a writer - well, as full-time as he could given his new sideline as Super-hero. He had already had a script commissioned for a new drama serial, and he was also working on a script for a movie. And, if he ever got a few minutes free, he wanted to write a book. Laura had also had plenty of opportunities once it was known she was no longer under contract to Marner's; the year or so with 'Lois and Clark' had turned her into one of Hollywood's hot properties. She had decided to accept a role in a movie which - Conor was glad to hear - was being shot entirely in and around Los Angeles, and just before she had got into rehearsals for that they had moved her things into his house. Together, they worked out ways to maintain his secret identity and prevent Superman from taking over too much of their lives. "I tell ya, I sure wish we had Martha Kent in this world as well," Conor added now in response to Laura. "That suit the real Clark sent me is beginning to look a little worn.... I wish I knew how he manages!" "I guess he has several," Laura agreed. "If our portrayal was in any way accurate..." Conor grinned. "Yeah, the secret compartment... I'm still trying to figure out how to build one here. For now, I just have to hope we can keep the Suit hidden." He sighed. "Of course, he has it easier in other ways too - Metropolis is definitely *not* Southern California! There's no way I can wear the Suit under my clothes - everyone would wonder why my arms and legs were all covered up." He had actually devised a means of folding the Super-Suit up into a very small size, and carrying it in a pocket; he had rehearsed countless times until he could execute a spin-change from normal clothes to Superman in something under a tenth of a second. Still, the constant folding and unfolding no doubt helped to explain the sorry state of the Suit. He bent to kiss Laura again, but stopped abruptly as his attention was distracted by screams of "Help!" Regretfully, he released her and said apologetically, "Someone's in trouble - over in Burbank by the sound of it. I won't be long." ****************** - 348 Hyperion Avenue, Metropolis - Clark Kent, who had been busily engaged making love to his wife, suddenly sat up, his attention focused on something Lois was unable to see or hear. "What it is, honey - someone in trouble?" she asked, disappointment obvious in her voice. He turned back to her. "No - there was a noise here, in the house." "You sure it wasn't Jon?" she asked, referring to their one-year-old son, asleep in the next room. He raised an eyebrow at her, shaking his head; she acknowledged his reaction with a grimace. Of *course* Clark would know if it was Jon. "So - what is it then?" she asked. In answer her husband silently levitated out of the bed and stared hard at the floor; looking through it to the floor below, Lois knew. When he straightened and turned his face back to hers she was taken aback at the wary expression on his. "Lois... I think you'd better get dressed and come downstairs with me." She stared at him. "Why? What's going on?" He sighed heavily in response. "It's HG Wells." "Oh boy..." ******************** "So, what's the problem this time, Mr Wells?" Lois asked, a little tersely, but she considered that this was understandable given that on at least one occasion on which the writer and time-traveller had visited them his news hadn't really been anything they wanted to hear. "Is it Tempus again?" Clark demanded, inwardly cringing at the thought. He hated the meddler from the future with a vengeance; although he was not a violent man, on the occasion when he and Lois had last come into contact with Tempus he had almost abandoned his ethics entirely. Of course, Clark considered, that *had* been understandable, given that among other misdeeds too numerous to mention Tempus had exercised his mind-control device on Lois and almost made her drive off a cliff to her death. But Wells immediately put their minds at rest. "No, no, Mr Kent, not this time, I assure you. But someone does need your help - two people actually. And Miss Lane's as well, if you would both agree to come." "Come where?" Lois interjected, none too pleased at the lack of information. "Mr Wells, we don't want to be awkward, but we can't just go charging off with you at a moment's notice any more - we have responsibilities now!" "Ah yes, little Master Jonathan, isn't it?" Wells replied. "My congratulations, by the way." Clark inclined his head. "Thank you. But Lois is right - we can't leave our son." "Mr Kent, you know that I can bring you back here at the precise moment at which I took you away," Wells pointed out. But Lois shook her head adamantly. "We won't take that chance." Clark sighed heavily, suspecting that their uninvited guest had no intention of giving up. "Mr Wells, why don't you tell us what this is all about?" He gestured towards the sofa, not seeing any point in all of them standing in the centre of the living-room. Once the three of them were seated, Wells clearly felt that it was time to explain. We twiddled his bow-tie for a moment or two, then began, "Mr Kent, your alternate counterpart needs your help - his fiancee yours, Miss Lane." Clark stiffened. The Clark from the alternate universe? Although he had liked his 'twin' - his namesake, his other self - when they had finally met, he hadn't been able to rid his mind of the memory that this man had spent several days with Lois on the two occasions on which they had met. And Clark had seen the expression in the other man's eyes when he'd looked at Lois: admiration, desire, love... and desperate need. And the man looked *exactly* like him, for God's sake! He couldn't have blamed Lois if she'd... though he knew she hadn't. Wouldn't. And he suspected that, if the other Clark was in any way like himself, he would have far too much of a sense of honour and duty to try anything on with Lois. Which only served to make Clark feel guilty about his feelings of jealousy. "The other Clark?" Lois asked, her voice betraying her concern. "Is he all right? Fiancee - does that mean he's found *his* Lois?" Clark closed his eyes briefly. Yes, he was being very childish and unreasonable. And if his counterpart needed his help - well, he was honour bound to provide it. He would *willingly* provide it; after all, the other Clark had come here, to this Metropolis, to help save this world from Tempus after he himself had been banished to infinity. But Wells surprised them. "No, not that Clark - although yes, indeed, he has found the Lois of his world. They are not engaged, although they are becoming... close friends, I understand." He paused. "But I believe I can tell you all about that some other time. No, the person who needs your help is the Superman I told you about some weeks ago, Mr Kent." Clark remembered. "You said he was an *actor* - and that you needed to prompt him to become Superman..." He paused, glancing at Lois. "I think I told you... I gave Mr Wells one of my Suits for him." He turned his attention back to the time-traveller. "But you didn't explain it all very well then - what I couldn't figure out is if he *is* me, why he's an actor, and why his name isn't Clark Kent...." He frowned. "What was it - Conan...?" "Conor, Mr Kent. Conor Kane. As to why his life has not run along the same path as yours, that can be explained on our way there. The problem now is that he has rather been thrown in at the deep end, and he is having some difficulty in adjusting to his Super-powers, and the role of Super-hero." Wells then turned to Lois. "His fiancee, Laura Lindsay, is in fact your counterpart, Miss Lane, and she was not at all expecting to find herself engaged to a Super-hero. As I believe you may be in a position to understand, she is also finding the adjustment a touch... difficult." Lois glanced at Clark. Wells was right; perhaps more so than Clark himself would ever realise. She had - once she had managed to rid herself of her Superman fantasy -fallen very hard for Clark Kent. The ordinary, caring, thoughtful reporter from Kansas. The occasionally clumsy guy who couldn't even open a peanut butter jar. The shy, not altogether self-assured man who had a strange habit of disappearing at the first sign of trouble. And whose kisses, she had been amazed to discover, could drive her to the point of distraction. It had been one *hell* of a shock to discover that, in taking on Clark Kent, she was actually also taking on Superman. She had had a lot of preconceptions to overcome; a lot of expectations to discard. It had never before occurred to her to wonder what Superman did when he wasn't out saving people or dropping by to talk to her. Learning to understand Clark in his everyday routines had been quite a task. Although he had been brought up by ordinary humans, and was well used to disguising his abilities, he had certain routines involving his Super-powers; she remembered, for instance, walking into his bathroom one morning, not knowing he was there, and catching him shaving using his super-vision. But more traumatic than simply getting used to such everyday habits had been understanding, and learning to soothe him, when he arrived home devastated by some disaster or other he'd been helping with. The times when he had not been quite fast enough, or when he just couldn't save everyone... those were times when the Man of Steel's soft heart was all but crushed. And there was little she could do on such occasions, other than listen, and hold him close. And she in fact did understand how he felt at such times, thanks to the few days when she had possessed his powers for herself. There had been things she had enjoyed about her time as Ultra Woman, but the pain and anguish of discovering just how it hurt to get there that split second too late... She had been grateful for *his* understanding on those occasions, and had been only too happy to give up the powers and the role. Yes, she understood how it felt to be the partner of a Superman. She reached out to touch Clark's arm. "Honey, I think we should go." Clark turned, smiling down at her. He had reached the same conclusion, while thinking about how it had felt to be *different*, as he had while he'd been growing up. The constant need to pretend, to hid his powers, to 'help' in secret; it had been very hard. And, >from what little Wells had told him about this... Conor?... it sounded as if he hadn't had the stalwart support of Jonathan and Martha Kent. Clark flinched as he wondered what his life would have been like without them. He knew, already, the effect it had had upon the other Clark: *he* had been diffident, self-effacing, awkward, forever trying to hide himself. He hadn't, according to Lois, possessed *her* Clark's air of self-deprecating humour or the quiet confidence he had gradually developed the longer he had been in Metropolis. Whatever this Conor and his fiancee were going through, it was obvious that he and Lois could help - and it was very clear to Clark that they should do so. He stood up. "Yes, I agree. All right, Mr Wells, but you'll have to wait while I make arrangements for our son." "Clark?" Lois reached for his hand. "What arrangements?" He bent and kissed her swiftly. "Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll take him to Mom and Dad - they won't mind, and you know they'll take good care of him." "Okay, honey, that sounds...good." She trailed off, a sonic boom telling her that Clark was already half-way to Smallville with Jon. Lois turned apologetically to Wells, who smiled understandingly at her. "So - tell me a little more about... Conor and Laura, isn't it?" HG Wells nodded. "Yes, indeed. Well, what is most... interesting, and possibly ironic, about their situation is that, until a month ago, they actually *played* you and your husband on TV." "What?" Lois jumped to her feet in incredulity. "What do you mean - on TV?" "Well, you see, in their world Superman was actually thought to be a fictional character, and a television company built a TV series around him. And, I should warn you, the show is called 'Lois and Clark'. "What? You mean that people in that world know that Clark is Superman?" "Yes, indeed - but, Miss Lane, that shouldn't bother you too much. As you well know, in the Alternate Metropolis everyone knows that the other Clark is Superman." Lois sighed; what Wells said was certainly true. "Yes," she agreed, "but *my* Clark isn't used to everyone knowing his secret." "But, Miss Lane, there is no need for everyone to know who you are," Wells explained. "Mr Kane lives in quite a large house, in a secluded suburb of Santa Monica, near the beach, and so your presence may well go undetected. And since both Mr Kane and Miss Lindsay are actors, I am sure they would be able to assist you and Mr Kent with disguises should you need to venture outside." Lois grunted, thinking that this was beginning to sound as if they would be virtual prisoners in Conor Kane's house. And *actors* - she and Clark had interviewed a number of actors in their time, and had rarely been impressed with the breed. As a general rule, she considered, actors were vain, superficial, and interested in little beyond themselves and their own publicity. Sure, this Conor and Laura might *look* like Clark and herself, but they were unlikely to be particularly alike in personality. Seeking further clarification, she turned back to Wells. "You said up until about a month ago...?" "Ah, yes, precisely," the time-traveller answered. "They both managed to extricate themselves from their contracts with the TV studios which made the programme. Since then, I understand that Mr Kane has been concentrating on writing... I think you will find that in this respect he is not too dissimilar to your husband." "Writing?" Clark enquired curiously as a blur of red and blue appeared, together with a gust of wind, in the living-room and swiftly coalesced into Superman. "Yes. He is writing scripts and screenplays at the moment, but I understand that he is also keen to try fiction - books, perhaps." "Is Jon all right with Martha?" Lois asked her husband anxiously. Clark reassured her, before turning to Wells and suggesting that they were ready to leave. Wells hesitated. "There is one further thing, Mr Kent... Superman, if you wouldn't mind. Ah... I understand that Mr Kane has not yet worked out a method of getting his suits made, and the one I gave him when I visited previously is... a little the worse for wear by now." Clark grimaced. "I guess I can spare him a couple. I'll just have to be very nice to Mom and ask her to sew up a few more when she has time." Lois patted his arm. "Well, you know she says that new fabric STAR Labs came up with is very easy to work with." Clark hurried upstairs, quickly returning with a gym bag, and as he removed three suits from the hidden compartment and placed them in the bag he explained to Lois that he had packed them a few things. "After all, we don't know how long we'll be there." Shortly afterwards, they were in the interdimensional transport; it whirred into life and the familiar surroundings of their living-room shimmered and disappeared. ***************** Continued in Part 2 ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 18:43:32 +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: NEW STORY: Big Boys Do Fly II - Part 2/5 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII TITLE: Big Boys Do FLy II: Close Encounters PART: 2/5 AUTHOR: Wendy Richards RATING: PG/PG-13 FEEDBACK: Comments welcome publicly or privately. Summary: This story is a sequel to Big Boys Do Fly, which was posted on the Archive a couple of months ago. Conor and Laura are experiencing some difficulties adjusting to their new lives, and need help... but where might they get it from? ---------------------- - Santa Monica, California, An Alternate Universe - Lois glanced around curiously as the three emerged from the large garage attached to an even larger house. "I see what you mean about this being a big place, HG - the grounds alone are big enough for several apartment blocks!" "Well, honey, this is the kind of place actors can afford - and they usually need it in order to get any privacy," Clark mused in a faintly sardonic tone. He was now beginning to feel a little unsure about meeting this world's strange incarnation of himself. And the thought that the man had actually *played* him, Clark Kent, on TV... it hardly bore thinking about. "I bet she won't look a bit like me," Lois observed tartly as she continued to survey the grounds. Clark shrugged. "What do we do - just go and knock at the door?" Wells answered. "Yes, indeed, that would be a good idea - but first, something else you should know. It... ah, may well be that helping Mr Kane and Miss Lindsay to understand super-powers is not all you will need to do while you are here." Lois turned to glare at Wells. "So what else is going on here that you *haven't* told us about? And why have you brought us here under false pretences?" "I assure you that there are no false pretences, Miss Lane. I simply felt that I should warn you that it is possible that... other unforeseen dangers may arise." Clark eyed the time-traveller suspiciously. "And I suppose that's all you're going to tell us?" "Ah... quite so, Mr Kent," Wells replied, a little nervously. Lois's lips twitched slightly despite herself: the sound of Clark using his sternest Superman voice did tend to have that effect on people. But before they could ask any further questions, Wells announced his intention of leaving, and hurried back towards the time machine. Lois glared at him, urging Clark to stop him. Clark, however, just shrugged. "What do you want me to do to him, Lois? Fly him up over Santa Monica Harbour and threaten to drop him in the ocean if he doesn't tell us?" Lois shrugged. "Well... it could have worked." *************** "Conor? What is it?" Laura had noticed that Conor's attention was no longer on either herself, or on the freshly-baked croissants he had brought back from Paris only fifteen minutes earlier. Conor frowned. "There are some people out front - I can hear their voices, but not what they're saying." Laura's eyebrows rose. "Persistent autograph-hunters?" "Unlikely." Conor began to pace around the large, airy kitchen. "The gates should still be locked, so I can't think how anyone would get in." He headed for the door leading to the hall. "I'm going to check it out." Laura followed him as he strode towards the front door and flung it open, ready to challenge the intruders. However, she then collided with his rigid back as he stopped dead. "My God... who the hell are you?" **************** Clark nudged Lois and, once he had her attention, murmured, "I think we're about to meet our hosts." She gave him a questioning glance; he lightly touched his ear-lobe. Taking Lois's arm, he walked purposefully up the pathway leading to the Colonial-style front door. As they reached the door, it was flung open. Even though Clark had been expecting to meet his double - or at least near-double - it was still hard not to gasp. The man holding the door open was his own height, with identical hair and eye colour, the same faintly Asian skin tone, the same build. The only differences were that this man wore no glasses, and his hair had no styling gel, instead worn flopping loosely over his forehead. It was also a little longer than Clark's. However, Conor Kane certainly hadn't been expecting to see Clark Kent and Lois Lane: after his first shocked exclamation, he then proceeded to accuse them of being doubles from a theatrical agency, sent over by some supermarket tabloid. He demanded to know who was paying them, and threatened to call the police if they didn't leave. Lois was not impressed by this; she stepped forward and poked Conor emphatically in the chest. "We are *not* actors, or 'star doubles' or whatever else you called us. I am Lois Lane and this is Clark Kent. And if you don't believe me..." she rummaged in her purse, "here's my Press pass." Stepping out from behind Conor, Laura reached out to take the stiff card. Now it was Clark's turn to look surprised. "Looks like you lost, Lois - hair style aside, she's *exactly* like you!" Lois turned her attention to the younger woman; her hair was in the same shoulder-length style Lois had worn her own until four years earlier. Other than that, Clark was right: it was like looking in a mirror. Laura turned to Conor, showing him the Press pass. "Either this is real, or someone's gone to a lot of trouble to forge it." "How can it be real?" Conor's tone was sceptical. "This is ridiculous - Lois Lane doesn't exist." "In this world," Laura completed softly, so quietly that - she thought - only Conor could hear her. But she was completely taken aback to hear the male stranger repeat her words back to her. "You're right, Miss Lindsay, not in this world." Clark inhaled deeply, then glanced around cautiously. "Perhaps this will persuade you." He allowed himself to levitate a foot or so off the ground. "Proof enough for you, Mr Kane - or should I say, Superman?" Conor stared. Then, suddenly recalling the fact that they were standing outside his front door - and although he *thought* his grounds were pretty secure and safe from prying eyes, he didn't want to take the chance - he stood aside. "Perhaps you'd better come in." "Good idea," Lois replied tartly. "Apart from anything else, it's hot out here - I hope you have air conditioning?" "Naturally," Conor replied, taken aback at his visitor's forthrightness. He led the group into his spacious living-room, Lois's heels clicking on the polished wooden floor as the small group followed him. He closed the double doors, shutting them in as if that somehow ensured still further the confidential nature of this meeting, and then turned to his guests. "Okay. You obviously already know that I'm Conor Kane and this is Laura Lindsay. But..." he paused, wondering how to phrase this, "how *can* you be Clark Kent and Lois Lane?" Laura answered for him. "Looks like that strange Mr Wells has been here again." Lois glanced at her counterpart; perhaps this woman wasn't quite the dumb brunette she had taken her for. But then again, Lois reminded herself, Laura was supposed to be *her* - but Lois's difficulty was that she could never imagine herself doing anything so trivial as becoming an actor, in any universe. Clark nodded. "Yes, that's exactly it. He came to visit us last night, and told us that you two needed help adjusting to..." He gestured with his hands. "Everything that's happened to you in the last few weeks." Laura shook her head. "This is *so* weird. It's only a few days since I said to Conor that I really wished we could meet you two, talk to you." Clark shrugged faintly. "Well, that's what we're here for." He strode towards Laura, his hand outstretched. "I'm Clark." "Laura." Conor took Clark's hand, surreptitiously testing his grip for strength. Clark returned pressure for pressure, and after a few moments Conor released his grasp. "Okay, Clark Kent - Superman - it's good to meet you." Lois advanced to stand proprietorially beside her husband, and offered her hand to the man who looked so like him. "Hi Conor - I'm Lois." "Yeah," Conor replied softly. "I'm sorry I accused you guys of being from a tabloid. It was just one hell of a shock, okay?" Laura took charge. "Can I get you guys a drink - orange juice? Coffee? There's still some croissants left from breakfast...." "Won't take me five minutes to get more anyway," Conor added. Clark raised an eyebrow at him. "Paris?" "Yeah - Faubourg St Antoine," Conor explained. Clark grinned. "Busted - I go there too." Conor was by now recovering from his initial shock. "Mr Wells told us you two really existed in another universe - I don't think we really believed him though," he explained, his tone still faintly incredulous. Then, remembering, he added, "But you gave him that suit for me, Clark - I want to thank you for that." Clark, who was eyeing with interest the croissants and muffins Laura was carrying in, replied, a little absently, "No problem. I brought you a couple more, but you'll need to figure out a way of getting your own made." "We should - or rather, Superman should talk to a theatrical costumier," Laura suggested as she passed around coffee. Lois had been silently observing the interaction between her husband and his counterpart, while at the same time she was forming her own, not entirely favourable, impressions about this show-business couple by the expensively-furnished large house they shared. She then watched in amazement as Conor helped himself to three lumps of sugar in his espresso, then disposed of a large triple chocolate muffin in under three seconds. "He's worse than you, Clark!" she exclaimed. Laura met Lois's glance with a raised eyebrow. "Conor's eating habits have become far worse since he discovered he's Superman. He always did eat a lot of junk food, but lately he just wolfs it down so fast I barely see him do it." "Yeah, just like Clark," Lois agreed wryly. "Hey, we are here, y'know," Conor pointed out, exchanging long-suffering glances with Clark. Lois ignored him, continuing, "It's weird, though - the other Clark hated junk food." "*Other* Clark?" Conor sounded extremely confused. "Yeah - from yet another alternate universe," Clark explained. "Lois has met him twice - she got taken there by Tempus once, and another time HG Wells brought him to help out in our world when I was trapped in infinity." Seeing his hosts' bewildered expressions, he added, "Never mind about that - anyway, we have no idea how many other universes there are, but from what we've found out so far it looks as if there are versions of us in all of them." Laura came to sit by Conor on one of the large, deep sofas, and he acknowledged her presence by sliding his hand along her jaw and into her hair. Lois gasped and stared at Clark: that was his special caress, the gesture which meant so much to both of them. If everything else had not already done so, this convinced her that these two were indeed hers and Clark's counterparts. Clark's thoughts had started to move in a more practical direction, and he addressed his question to Conor. "How do you manage not to be recognised? You don't wear glasses as a disguise, like I do, and you've even been publicly associated with Superman through your TV show." Conor frowned. "So far it hasn't been a problem, though I'm not quite sure why. I guess no-one thinks Conor Kane the Hollywood star could possibly be Superman." "Though you do look very different in the new suit," Laura commented, smiling fondly at her fiance. "The first time you wore it I thought you looked nothing like you do on TV." "You should be able to help Conor out there, Clark - you could appear somewhere as Superman and be seen with him." Clark raised an eyebrow in his wife's direction. "Like the other Clark did for us, you mean? I guess so, if we can find a suitable opportunity." "This is just so weird," Conor said slowly; although he had been participating in the conversation, he realised that he still felt almost as if this was a dream. "I'm kind of alternating between feeling really, really honoured to meet you two, and feeling like I've been cloned." Clark rolled his eyes. "Oh, we know what *that's* like!" Laura met Clark's gaze. "Oh yeah, of course - Luthor cloned Superman!" she remembered, thinking of their first-season episode. Clark and Lois exchanged surprised glanced. "Luthor was behind that clone too? Mind you, it would make sense..." Clark murmured. "Sure he was - or at least, he was in our show," Conor replied. "He used a lock of hair Superman had donated to a charity auction." Clark frowned. "Yeah, that's how it was done. But how the heck did the writers of your show know about that?" "I have no idea, but I bet your friend Mr Wells had something to do with it," Conor observed shrewdly. "He told us a lot of what was in our show actually happened to you two." Laura fixed Lois with an enquiring gaze. "There's something I've wondered about ever since we found out you two really exist," she said quizzically. "Lois, how could you have almost married Lex Luthor?" The two actors were completely unprepared for the reaction to that seemingly innocent question. Lois jumped to her feet, clearly very upset, her eyes flashing fire at Laura. Clark, in an instant, was by Lois's side, his arm around her shoulder in a comforting, protective gesture, but his own expression was coldly angry. "That is absolutely none of your - " Lois began. Clark cut across her, enunciating clearly and with emphasis. "I think that if we're going to make progress here, one thing we need to agree on is that certain topics are off-limits. And one of those topics is Lex Luthor." "Agreed," Conor replied, clearly shaken by the abrupt change in atmosphere. He felt as if the temperature in his living-room had dropped by several degrees; the universe's newest Superman actually shivered. Laura began to collect up the coffee-cups and other crockery, using that as an excuse to escape from the room. She was aware that she had put her foot in it badly. She had never expected Lois to react so furiously to her enquiry. After all, from what they knew of the Metropolis couple, it was five years since Lois had almost married Luthor, and she had been married to Clark for well over two years now. Surely the Luthor business was ancient history? Clearly it wasn't, and Laura couldn't help but feel that there was more to this. Still, she *had* put her foot in it and upset their visitors, and she needed to think of a way of making amends. Back in the living-room, Clark decided it was time to get on with what he and Lois had been brought to Conor's world for. Re-taking his seat, and gently pulling Lois down beside him, he spoke calmly. "We understand that because you only found out you were Superman about a month ago, Conor, you're still getting used to your powers. But didn't you have them when you were growing up?" Grateful for the change of subject, Conor nodded. "I guess. But I was under a lot of pressure to be 'normal,' so I hid what I could do, pretended I was imagining a lot of the strange things I was experiencing - and gradually it became so normal to suppress what I could do that *I* believed there was nothing different about me! Would you believe that Laura figured out about my powers before I did?" Despite her earlier anger, Lois found herself feeling sympathy; a glance at Clark told her that her husband shared her feelings. Clark looked directly at Conor and commented, "Then you have a lot of things to get used to. My powers started to develop once I was about ten or eleven - and after I almost burned down the barn my parents and I agreed I needed to practice to get the hang of what I could do. That way I'd be able to use my powers safely - without anyone realising." "You were lucky to have such understanding parents," Conor told him, not without a touch of envy. Clark smiled. "Yeah - they're the best." In a more serious tone, he continued, "I also did a lot of reading around that time - human physiology, physics and so on - to make sure I understood just how much pressure of different types a human body can withstand without harm. So I know just how far I can go to stop criminals without causing them serious harm, or how fast I can fly with someone in my arms." "Hmmm - looks like I'm due a trip to Barnes and Noble," Conor mused aloud. "Hope no-one wonders why Conor Kane is buying serious science textbooks." Laura, who had just slipped silently back into the room, murmured, "You can just say it's for research - after all, you have given up acting in favour of script-writing." Conor smiled at her, drawing her into the circle of his arms. "What would I do without you, honey? I may have the super-strength, but you're the brains of this partnership." "Sounds familiar," Clark murmured, smiling at Lois and including the other two in his smile. "Lois..." Laura began nervously, anxious to repair the damage. "I'm sorry - " She broke off as she and Lois simultaneously noticed that their men had both become distracted. Lois touched Clark's arm. "Honey?" Conor answered. "Armed robbery - downtown LA, from what I can tell." He spun into his Superman outfit and prepared to depart, but Clark took a step in his direction. "Want me to come?" Conor paused. "Well, I think I can handle this one... it's not like it's an earthquake or anything..." His tone suggested that he was somewhat offended at Clark's offer. Clark, however, had little patience with what he half-suspected was prima-donna-ish behaviour, and replied politely but firmly, "I wasn't suggesting that I would do anything, but that I could just watch how you handle the situation. After all, if you *want* me to help you get used to controlling your powers, I have to see what, if anything, you're doing wrong first." Feeling a little abashed - it was a very reasonable and helpful proposition after all - Conor nodded. "Okay." Clark glanced down at himself, at the black jeans and shirt he was wearing. "I should be okay like this - I can stay high enough to be out of sight." "Then let's get going!" Conor urged, leading the way out of the French doors into the back garden. Laura raised an eyebrow at Lois. "Is he always like that?" "Like what?" Lois demanded, ready to refute any criticism of her husband. "So... in charge! And so *darned* reasonable with it!" Despite herself, Lois found herself grinning at her other-world counterpart. "Incessantly." **************** Superman landed outside the La Mirada branch of the First Bank of California, quickly assessing the situation. Four armed robbers were in the process of shooting their way out of the bank, while half-a-dozen of LAPD's finest were shooting back. A number of curious passers-by were watching in fascination. One big problem with LA, Conor thought cynically - everyone thinks this kind of shoot-out is just Hollywood's latest movie. He quickly placed himself between the robbers and the police, allowing the bullets to bounce off his chest, then sent darts of heat vision to the hands gripping the guns; within seconds, screams could be heard as the robbers dropped their weapons and tried to make a run for it. Not wanting any trigger-happy police officer to fire yet more shots, Conor flew towards the fleeing robbers and grabbed them, using super-speed to 'borrow' some of the officers' handcuffs and secure them. His task finished, he glanced skywards to where, he hoped, Clark would be waiting; he could just make out a black shadow on the rooftop of a building on the next block. Conor took off, flying upwards and assuming that Clark would follow him; he led to the way to a remote spot on top of the Santa Monica Mountains. "Well? How did I do?" he asked eagerly; almost like a puppy wanting to be praised, Clark thought. Clark sighed heavily. "Ohhh boy." Conor frowned. "What do you mean? I apprehended them, and no-one got killed - as *would* have happened if I hadn't turned up." It was Clark's turn to frown. Clearly he would have to handle this carefully; his younger counterpart seemed a little sensitive about his handiwork. He levitated into a sitting position, cross-legged, and gestured that Conor should do the same. Then he gave Conor a level stare. "If you want to learn, you need to listen to me here. The first problem was you catching those bullets on your chest," Clark explained. Conor stared at him. "What do you mean? It worked... and that's the way I used to... I mean, in the show...." Clark sighed heavily; this was going to be harder than he'd expected. "I see. Maybe I should watch some episodes of this show of yours - see what other crazy things your director had you doing." Conor shook his head. "I don't understand." "No," Clark replied. He could see that this inexperienced Superman didn't. "Okay. If you catch bullets on your chest, mostly they'll flatten with the force of the impact - some of them will fall to the ground, but it's equally possible that some of them would bounce back. And if they do, they could hit someone, and *hurt* someone." Conor was silent. Of *course* that was a possibility - but he'd never thought of that. And it was so obvious that he should have thought of it. Clark was right: he had a lot to learn. Swallowing his pride, he met Clark's gaze and said, "Okay, what should I do?" "Catch them in your hand," Clark explained. "All right, bullets move fast, but as long as you've seen them fired you should be quick enough to catch them. Then you can crush them - or if you need to, you should be able to hand them over to the police as evidence. It's all a matter of controlling the strength of your grip." Conor nodded. "Okay. I can do that." He paused. "So, what else did I do wrong?" Clark was reassured: he was making progress. Conor was willing to accept his mistakes and learn how to do better. "Well, you made the robbers drop their guns by using heat vision. Now, that's fine in some circumstances, but you really need to be sure that you can control the strength of the heat. I could see second-degree burns on at least two guys' hands." Conor's face fell. "I know. That's what I really have problems with - controlling my strength and powers at times." He paused, remembering, then continued, his expression agonised, "You know what? A week ago, I... Laura...." He paused, struggling to maintain his composure. Clark watched in silent sympathy and encouragement. Conor inhaled a long, shuddering breath and continued, "We were in bed, I... I just lost control, and I hurt her. She had bruises for days. She didn't complain, but...." "But that just made you feel worse about it?" Clark suggested. "Hey, I've been there - I was attacked by red kryptonite a couple of years back and lost control of my powers. I hurt Lois too, but she tried to hide it - she covered up the bruises and I only saw them by accident." He paused, ensuring that he had Conor's full attention. "I know *exactly* how you feel. But in your case there's no Kryptonite, so you can learn how to exert control over yourself. I'll help you." Conor took another shuddering breath. "Thanks, Clark. I'd appreciate that more than anything else." He paused, then in a more normal tone asked, "So how would you recommend getting rid of the guns?" Clark shrugged. "You could do any number of things. Grab the guns at super-speed, blow freezing breath at the bad guys to make them drop them, blow hard with your super-breath to knock them off balance... it depends on the situation really. There, I'd probably have used super-speed and tied them up at the same time as I disarmed them." Conor nodded. "Makes sense." Clark dropped to the ground, his thoughts clearly elsewhere. "Conor, we will work on this stuff, I promise. But right now, do you mind if we get on back to your place? I'm just... kinda concerned about Lois." Conor nodded again, beginning to drift upwards. "Sure. Uh... y'know, Clark, Laura didn't mean to upset Lois... I know she's really sorry she ever mentioned Lex Luthor." Clark sighed, giving Conor a wry smile. He supposed it really wasn't this man's fault - or even his fiancee's. "I know. You have to understand it's kind of weird for us... I mean, so much of what has actually happened in our lives seems to have been just some sort of make-believe in your world, and it's difficult for us to get used to having so much of our past exposed as common knowledge." "And it can't help to have us treating your lives as some sort of curiosity," Conor acknowledged. Clark nodded. "But it's not just that Lois... almost marrying Luthor has bad memories for us, though it *does*, I promise you. The thing is, Luthor didn't die when he jumped - he came back and went after us again." "Yeah - well, if these weird parallels between our show and your lives are still holding up, there's a script we were just about to film - Luthor comes back from the dead, lures Lois to some underground sewer, and nearly kills her." Again taken aback by the similarity between this TV show and his life, Clark blinked, then regained control of his emotions. "Yeah, that happened. But I caught him and handed him over to the police - that wasn't a problem. He resurfaced a year later - he escaped from prison on what should have been our wedding day, kidnapped Lois, replaced her with a clone - who I *married* - and I didn't find out until a couple of days later. In the meantime, Lois hit her head and lost her memory, and Luthor persuaded her that she was in love with him, not me. He almost succeeded in killing me and taking Lois off to Europe with him." He paused, his eyes cold and bitter with the memories. "He died then, finally, but a year later his son also tried to take Lois away from me. I only just managed to get her out of that one alive." Conor blinked. "No wonder you and Lois were upset." "Yeah." Clark did his best to put the memories behind him; most of the time, he and Lois told each other that they had got over what had happened, and that Luthor no longer had the power to hurt them. But he knew, inside, that this simply wasn't true. It would take him a long time to forget the hurt and despair of those weeks after their first wedding, and he knew that Lois felt the same way. "Let's get going," he urged Conor. **************** Continued in Part 3 ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 18:46:28 +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: NEW STORY: Big Boys Do Fly II: Part 3/5 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII TITLE: Big Boys Do FLy II: Close Encounters PART: 3/5 AUTHOR: Wendy Richards RATING: PG/PG-13 FEEDBACK: Comments welcome publicly or privately. Summary: This story is a sequel to Big Boys Do Fly, which was posted on the Archive a couple of months ago. Conor and Laura are experiencing some difficulties adjusting to their new lives, and need help... but where might they get it from? ---------------------- Left alone in the house in Santa Monica, Lois and Laura faced each other awkwardly. "Lois, I - I'm really sorry about earlier. I never meant to upset you and Clark," Laura said sincerely. Lois nodded tautly. Perhaps she had been a little hard on this woman - this person who was a stranger, and yet who was so familiar it was almost like looking in the mirror. "I shouldn't have let myself get so wound up, but if you knew about everything Luthor has done to Clark and me, you'd understand... anyway, I'm not going to get into that now." Laura nodded in return, grateful that Lois seemed to have accepted her olive branch. "Okay - I won't ask. If he's even half as creepy in real life as we showed him on TV, he's not someone I'd like to meet either." "Oh, he's dead now, thankfully," Lois replied, brushing her hair away from her face with her fingers. *That* time he had definitely been dead - or at least, so far it seemed that way. His body had been found, and had been buried in a high-security crypt in order to prevent anyone trying to dig it up; Lois knew that Clark occasionally flew over the crypt just to check that it hadn't been disturbed in any way. "Want more coffee?" Laura asked; on receiving an answer in the affirmative she suggested they go through to the kitchen. Lois continued to peer around the house as Laura led the way towards the kitchen, which was situated at the rear of the building. "Hmmm - nice kitchen," Lois observed. "I could just see Clark cooking in here." "So you really can't cook?" Laura asked. "This is so weird - I mean, that you're so like we played you in the show." Lois stared at her. "How is it *everyone* knows I can't cook?" She shrugged. "Well, I am improving - Clark's taught me how to make stir-fry, and I can cook Jon's food. How about you?" "Jon?" It was Laura's turn to be surprised. "Our son - he's almost a year old." Lois frowned; she *knew* Jon would be fine with Jonathan and Martha, and in any case, if HG Wells kept his word and returned them at the same moment at which he'd taken them away, Jon wouldn't even have time to miss them. But *she* couldn't help missing him, and unlike when she and Clark were at the Planet and he was at daycare, she couldn't phone and check up on him - nor could Clark fly overhead and look to see if he was okay. "You and Clark have a child... will he have super-powers too?" Laura seemed to be finding this difficult to assimilate. Lois, watching her, felt that she understood. "You're wondering whether, if you and Conor have kids, you're going to have two-year-olds flying around the house?" Laura's wry expression gave Lois the answer to her question. "I used to worry about that too, but Clark assured me that he didn't start to develop his powers until he was about ten or so, and even then it was gradual. He didn't fly until he was eighteen. So I don't think either of us has much to worry about." Laura gave a small sigh - that at least was a relief. She set the coffee filter to brew, then turned back to Lois. "I guess you went through all of the sort of stuff I'm experiencing?" "Most, I guess - though in my case I had the problem of thinking Clark and Superman were two different people. Even worse, that I was in *love* with two different people, Can you imagine how that felt?" Lois threw her hands out in a frustrated gesture. "I still think Clark doesn't really understand how that made me feel once we'd started dating - like every time I felt excited at being with Superman I felt guilty about being unfaithful to Clark. Clark tells me that pretending with me was beginning to make him feel scizophrenic, but at least he *knew* he was the same person!" Very interested in this, Laura asked, "So how did you find out? Did he tell you?" Lois laughed aloud. "Did he!... no he didn't! I figured it out!" She paused, then added, "To be fair, he had been trying to tell me - we just kept getting interrupted. If it wasn't Dan Scardino, or Jimmy, it was some bad guy or other trying to get revenge on us. Nigel St John resurfaced around that time...?" She paused again, glancing at Laura to see whether the name meant anything to her. It clearly did, so St John must also have appeared in their TV show. "Anyway, in the midst of it all, I finally figured it out." "How?" Laura was now very curious. "We always thought it was so weird that Lois didn't guess - I mean, how many more times did Clark have to run off just before Superman arrived before the penny dropped?" "Oh, don't remind me," Lois groaned. "When I think of all the *stupid* excuses... the 'Cheese of the Month Club'..." "He *really* said that?" Laura was almost doubled up with laughter. "Oh, I *have* to tell Conor - he'll crack up! We always thought that one was so corny, even the fans wouldn't believe he said it." "Oh, he said it all right," Lois drawled wryly. "*And* I just accepted it, too!" "So, what did make you figure it out?" Lois's face assumed a dreamy expression. "It was the way he touched me - the same way Conor touched you earlier, Laura. Like that..." She mimicked the caress along her jawline. "We were going through kind of a tough time with St John and an accomplice of his. Clark was upset and I was trying to comfort him, and he touched me.... Then the following day I was with Superman, trying to persuade him to help me do something he didn't really want to do - " for some reason, Lois was reluctant to tell Laura about asking Clark to freeze her, " - and he touched me too, in exactly the same way." She paused, tracing circles around the worksurface with her index finger as she reminisced. "I didn't put two and two together immediately - well, there was too much else going on, for a start. But later, I started thinking - and it all made sense. He *had* to be Superman." Laura grinned. "I knew Conor was Superman before he did!" "Yeah, Mr Wells told us that," Lois replied, not a little aggrieved that her counterpart had figured out Conor's secret so quickly; *she* was the investigative journalist, after all. She was struck by another, more mundane, thought. "If Conor didn't realise he had his powers until a few weeks ago, how did he cope with things like cutting his hair and shaving?" Laura shrugged. "I think it was kind of like mind over matter. You know, he'd convinced himself that there was nothing different about him, so a lot of the time it seemed like there wasn't. He told me he'd always visited barbers, and shaved with normal razors - he just seemed to go through more than other guys. Then the morning after we found out that he's this world's Superman, he discovered he couldn't shave with a razor. So he experimented with the way the Clark on our show was supposed to have done it - and he nearly passed out when it worked!" Lois laughed. "I'd love to have seen that! Mind you, the first time I saw Clark cut his own hair using his heat vision and a couple of mirrors I thought I was watching a sci-fi movie. The things I've got used to over the past four years... you'd never believe!" Lois stopped herself, and smiled again. "On the other hand, you probably would - you'll be getting used to them yourself!" Laura joined in Lois's laughter, the two women suddenly feeling at ease with each other. A thought struck Lois then, and she faced her younger counterpart. "Tell me something - if Conor played Superman on TV for over a year, how on earth is it that he's not recognised?" "Ah!" Laura grinned. "Come and take a look." She led the way out of the kitchen and down the hall into a room Lois hadn't been in yet. This was nearer the front of the house, and as soon as Laura opened the doors Lois noticed the publicity stills and posters on the wall. Her gaze was drawn to an almost full-size poster of Conor dressed as Superman, with Laura as Lois clinging to his thigh in a deliberately provocative position. Laura gestured at the picture. "See? Conor looks very different from his normal self in that suit - but he also looks completely different in the suit your Clark gave him." Lois gazed thoughtfully at the pictures. "You know, you're right, she agreed slowly. "If I didn't know the Superman of this world is Conor, I probably wouldn't recognise him either." Laura nodded. "They used a lot of makeup for the TV show as well - that makes a difference. I think they felt Conor was a bit too dark-skinned for the role - after all, Metropolis is supposed to be somewhere much further north - so they made his skin paler, both as Clark and as Superman." Lois laughed. "That might mean Conor could get away without having to wear glasses! Not that Clark minds - he's used to it now, and he says the glasses help to prevent him using his super-vision accidentally." "It's so really great to talk to you, Lois!" Laura exclaimed suddenly. "You don't know what it's been like the last few weeks, trying to help Conor get used to all this, his powers... and at the same time trying to get used to it myself. I love Conor to bits, you know, but there've been times...." She broke off, her expression revealing the tension and strain of the past month. "Well, that's what we're here for," Lois reassured her in a bracing tone, intuitively recognising that overt sympathy was not what the other woman needed right now. "I've no idea how long Mr Wells intends us to stay, but something he said made me think he meant at least a couple of days, so we'll have plenty of time to talk." She threw Laura an encouraging smile, deliberately not letting the other woman see the real sympathy she felt. Lois couldn't imagine how she would have managed if she hadn't had Martha and Jonathan's calm, humorous understanding to turn to. *************** Conor's flight slowed as he and Clark approached his home. Turning to glance at his companion, he commented, "Everything seems okay - they're in my study, just talking." Clark grinned. "That's a relief - I was afraid Lois might have started tearing Laura's hair out." "Really? She's really as manic as we play her, then?" Clark frowned. "I wouldn't call her 'manic', exactly...." "Well, the writers called her 'Mad Dog Lane' in the Pilot," Conor informed him. "Ah!" Clark laughed. "Well, I have to admit that name has been mentioned once or twice...." As they were about to land in the back yard, Conor paused and murmured something to Clark. The two men laughed, but Clark commented, "Okay, but I bet Lois won't be fooled." *************** "Hey - sounds like the guys are back," Laura announced, her attention attracted by sounds in the living-room. The two women hurried out and into the other room, only to stop dead at the sight of two identical Super-heroes, both dressed in Superman costumes and both standing in the distinctive posture, arms folded in front of their chests. Laura caught Lois's arm and whispered quickly to her; Conor, watching and enjoying the joke, was taken by surprise as he saw Laura hurry to Clark and fling her arms around his neck, raising his mouth for his kiss. He had little time to react, since *Lois* was suddenly in his arms and her lips were teasing his jaw. Instinctively, his arms came around her, but his gaze followed Laura, a pang of jealousy twisting in his stomach as he wondered whether she would prefer the man he couldn't help but think of as the *real* Superman. Clark gripped Laura lightly at her waist and gave her an amused smile while holding her a little away from him; his gaze sought Lois and as he saw the laughter in her eyes he laughed softly. "I knew we wouldn't fool *you*, sweetheart," he teased her. Lois laughed in response. "We knew what you'd done as soon as we saw you - and this was Laura's idea." "Laura?" queried Conor. "You *knew* it was Clark, not me, honey?" "Sure I did!" his fiancee reassured him. "Darling, I'd know you anywhere - even if you do have identical twin brothers in every other universe, *you're* the only Super man for me." Conor gently put Lois away from him - "No offence, Lois," he assured her swiftly - and caught Laura in his arms, his lips claiming hers in a long, passionate kiss. Lois, now safely in Clark's arms, watched in amusement. "Were we that bad, honey?" she asked him. "*Were* we? According to Jimmy, we're *always* that bad!" Clark assured her. **************** Over the next hour or so Conor felt like pinching himself several times, except that if this was a dream he definitely did not want to wake up. For the first time since he had discovered his amazing powers he was able to talk to someone who understood just how he felt, what he was experiencing and the problems he faced. Laura tried - and he was well aware that he could not have survived the past few weeks without her - but having Clark Kent around, however briefly, was a dream come true. After the first half-hour or so, Laura had invited Lois to take a tour of the house; he'd suspected that they were being tactful in leaving him alone with their guest. He felt as if he was asking hundreds of questions, and because of that he kept interrupting himself to insist that Clark should tell him if he was being a nuisance. But his slightly older counterpart - Clark had explained that he was thirty-three to Conor's almost thirty - had insisted that his purpose in being in Conor's world was precisely so that Conor could bombard him with questions. So they had talked about their shared history; Conor learned that the version of his history which their show had used was actually pretty accurate, which was quite a shock to Clark. "They - your writers - knew about the globe?" "Looks like it," Conor confirmed. He fell silent; it was another shocking realisation that the scene he had played out for the cameras, where he had displayed such emotion on learning of his origins, was actually how it had happened for Clark. Not only that, but the two people who had placed the baby in the capsule were actually his birth parents. He had *known* that since he'd discovered the truth about himself, but it had taken Clark's quiet explanation of the circumstances of their joint origin to bring that home to him. He found himself wishing that Clark had thought to bring the real globe with him; even though Conor had seen the messages, almost word-for-word by what Clark had said, it would have been so much better to see the real thing. Clark leaned forward suddenly, closing some of the gap created by the two large sofas set several feet apart. "I have it with me." Conor started. "What?" "The globe. That *was* what you were thinking, wasn't it?" Clark enquired, an amused gleam in his eyes. "How did you...? Oh, I guess - uh, it must have been pretty easy to figure out what I was thinking," Conor stammered. "Probably," Clark countered, "but in fact I heard you." Conor almost fell off the sofa. "You *heard* me?" Clark nodded. "Look, it's a long story and I don't really want to get started on it right now, but Kryptonians communicate telepathically. I found out about it a couple of years ago." Conor shook his head. First the flying and the other super-powers... now telepathy. "So I can read your mind too?" "Probably. If you want to. But I kind of felt it was an invasion of privacy, so when I met the other Kryptonians I didn't do it. They *talk* that way, though." "Other...?" Conor stared, aghast. "There are more of us in your world?" Clark sighed. "No - they just came on a visit. Like I said, Conor, it's a long story. If we have time before Lois and I have to go back, I'll tell you all about them. For now, let's just say that I hope they don't come for you." Come for me...? Conor frowned, wondering what else lay in store for him. This didn't sound too good. But Clark was getting to his feet, moving to where he had left the black holdall he had been carrying when they had arrived. "Here it is." In his hand, he held a translucent white object. After a couple of moments it began to glow, and a map of Earth appeared, which was quickly replaced by a map of Krypton. Conor sat in stunned silence as the globe played its five messages in turn. "Wow... that is really something," he whispered as the globe glowed one last time before reverting to pearly white. "I wonder where mine went?" Clark frowned. "You say you landed in Smallville, just like I did, except that HG Wells took you from there and brought you forty years into the future?" Conor nodded, wondering where this was leading. Clark didn't immediately enlighten him, instead asking where Lois and Laura had gone. Shrugging, Conor answered him. "I think Laura took her upstairs - I guess they were being tactful." Nodding, Clark headed for the door. "I think we might need them, Conor. There's something I just thought of, and Wells did say that there was something else we might need to help you with..." ************** Upstairs, Laura had taken Lois to the guest-room. "Since we don't know how long you and Clark are staying, the least we can do is give you somewhere to sleep!" she had explained, laughing. It was a lovely room, Lois thought; from the spacious interior, the polished floorboards, the fitted cupboards and dressing-table, the window-seat and the luxurious ensuite bathroom. Hollywood actors were certainly paid more than award-winning journalists, that was for sure. Lois duly admired the room, but then changed the subject to their respective menfolk. "I think you were right to leave Conor alone with Clark - there's obviously a lot he wants to ask, and they'll both get on with it better without us around." Laura nodded. "I did want to stay - there's so much about Conor I want to be able to understand, and there are things I want to ask Clark too." "You'll get your chance," Lois assured her. "And I can probably answer a lot for you too." Laura sat down heavily on the bed, welcoming the opportunity to discuss some of the things she had found difficult to cope with. "How do you cope when he comes home exhausted and tearing himself apart because he hasn't been able to save someone?" Lois came to sit beside her, instinctively reaching out for the younger woman's hands. "That's tough. Clark gets like that too, and though he's getting better these days at accepting that it's not his fault, he still obsesses." "Obsesses!" Laura leapt on the word. "That's exactly what Conor does." Lois nodded. "Well, they are the same person - they may have had different upbringings and they have different careers now, so there will be differences in their personalities. But Clark wouldn't be the person he is without that compassion. And I guess if Conor didn't share that, he wouldn't be Kal-El." "That's true," Laura agreed. "You know, all the time we were making the show, I thought Conor was really different from the character he played - but in the last few weeks I've realised just how similar he is." She paused, thinking. "I figured after a while that he'd been suppressing what he could do for so long he'd actually turned himself into someone he isn't. The Conor I first met was a real extrovert, and that's how most of the cast and crew saw him. But once I got to know him better I realised that underneath he has so many doubts about himself..." "Just like Clark," Lois observed. Laura stared at her. "But he seems so confident, so sure of himself..." "Yeah, he's good at that," Lois agreed. "He can be very reassuring to other people. He's just not very good at reassuring himself!" ***************** "So what's this about, Clark?" Conor asked, once Lois and Laura had joined them in the living-room. Clark took up a position in front of the large, decorative hearth. "It occurred to me that, if your spaceship landed in Schuster's Field in Smallville like mine did, then something else might also be there." Lois stared at her husband. "You mean Kryptonite, don't you, Clark?" She thought swiftly. "Bureau 39 found it, in our world - but here, no-one knew there was a Superman until a few weeks ago, and they certainly won't know when or where Conor got here..." "Unless they put two and two together from our TV show," Laura intervened. "So far Conor's managed to avoid giving any interviews, so no-one knows how close the show is to reality." "Keep it that way," Clark advised grimly. "Trust me on this, if your world has any of the lunatics we've encountered, you're better not giving them any opportunity to harm you or Laura." Conor nodded soberly. "So what about this Kryptonite, Clark? What are you suggesting?" "We need to find it and get rid of it," Clark explained. "That's why I need you, Lois - you'll have to handle the stuff." Lois nodded agreement. Laura looked puzzled. "How will you find it, if it's been there nearly sixty years?" Clark grinned wryly in spite of himself. "Oh, I'll find it, Laura, trust me!" Realising what he meant, Lois grabbed his arm. "No, Clark, you are *not* going to expose yourself to the stuff - I won't let you!" But he turned to her, kissing her softly in reassurance. "Lois, honey, it'll be okay. All I need to do is use my vision to see where it is - once I feel its effects I'll get well away from it, I promise you!" Although she still wasn't happy about the situation, Lois reluctantly conceded that Clark was right: there was no other way of doing it. She returned his kiss, then said, "Okay, let's do it." "When do you want us to go?" Conor asked. But Clark frowned at him. "I don't think you should come, Conor. Look," he added, as Conor stared at him in disbelief, "you've never been exposed to this stuff. The first time I encountered it I was really sick and my powers were gone for two days. It's not so bad for me now I've been exposed to it a number of times, so I'll be okay. You should keep away from it." Conor stared straight at Clark, meeting the brown eyes which were twins of his own. "Clark, I know I've never encountered it. But think about it - there's no guarantee I never will, so it's better that I come across it now, when we expect it to happen, so I can at least recognise what Kryptonite exposure feels like? It'll make it easier to deal with if I meet it again." Clark remained unconvinced, though he stayed silent. Conor added, "Look, I know you don't accept what I'm saying..." <> he added silently, as to his shock he realised that he actually could 'hear' Clark's thoughts. he acknowledged, barely believing what was happening to him. "But apart from anything else, I'd also kind of like to see Smallville - sure, I know I could go any time, but I'm not likely to get the opportunity to have you show me around again, am I? Clark, I *want* to come - and so does Laura," he added, having seen his fiancee's expression. "Yeah, I do," Laura agreed, "but is it safe, Clark? I don't want either of you hurt..." Lois answered; she felt that Laura might be more convinced hearing it from her rather than Clark. "Yeah, it'll be fine, Laura. Clark's right - as long as he doesn't stay within range for more than a minute or so, he'll be okay. Conor will need to be more careful though." Laura nodded acceptance. "But... if Kryptonite makes you Kryptonians lose your powers, how will we get back?" she enquired, bemused. Clark laughed. "Trust me, it'll be okay. Really - I'd have to be exposed for quite a while now to lose my powers completely. And if Conor has any problems, I can get us all back." **************** Continued in Part 4 ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 18:47:52 +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: NEW STORY: Big Boys Do Fly II: Part 4/5 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII TITLE: Big Boys Do FLy II: Close Encounters PART: 4/5 AUTHOR: Wendy Richards RATING: PG/PG-13 FEEDBACK: Comments welcome publicly or privately. Summary: This story is a sequel to Big Boys Do Fly, which was posted on the Archive a couple of months ago. Conor and Laura are experiencing some difficulties adjusting to their new lives, and need help... but where might they get it from? ---------------------- Clark, with Lois in his arms, paused just below cloud-level and gestured to Conor who had drawn level with him. "Down there - that's the Kent farmhouse." Conor stared using his super-vision; it didn't look much like the farmhouse they'd used on the show. Laura nudged his arm. "Hey, Conor, don't forget I don't have your super-sight!" "Is it safe to land?" Conor asked Clark. "What do you think?" Clark thought for a few moments. "I don't see why not - we can't get close to the farmhouse, but there are other places I can show you, like Rocky Cove. We probably better not go into Smallville itself - you don't want people wondering why Superman is in town, and if Laura's recognised you'll really have problems." The brief tour of the countryside around Smallville was more difficult than Conor had imagined it would be. It finally dawned on him just what he had been deprived of by the action HG Wells had taken. He had to remind himself that if the time-travelling writer had not taken that course of action, Conor probably wouldn't have lived anyway, since Tempus had gone back to 1940 in order to kill him. But he was aware, both from his TV show and from some of the things Clark had said, that Martha and Jonathan Kent were - had been, for of course in his world they were both dead - an amazing couple. Clark's childhood, apart from the need to come to terms with his super-powers, had been very happy. Conor's own childhood had not been so pleasant; his adoptive parents had never paid very much attention to him, other than insisting on 'normal' behaviour, and once he'd left home at the age of eighteen he had not kept in close contact with them. >From the way Laura pressed her body close to his, Conor realised that she understood the thoughts which were going through his mind, and he threw his arm around her shoulder in grateful appreciation. He caught Clark's eye then, and realised that his older counterpart also understood; how this was so, Conor wasn't quite sure, as he hadn't 'felt' Clark reading his mind. This telepathy thing was going to take some getting used to, he conceded ruefully. There was also the issue of privacy - although he half-wondered whether it only worked when the other person 'permitted' their thoughts to be read. Kinda like you can't read files on a remote computer over a network unless they're marked for file-sharing, he reasoned. Self-consciously, he tried 'closing' his mind to Clark, and was rewarded by an understanding, sympathetic look in the other man's eyes. Some time later, Clark led the way into Schuster's Field, pausing a little way beyond the stile to prepare himself mentally for the possible encounter with Kryptonite. Lois saw the deep breaths her husband was taking, and she gripped his hand, offering comfort and what support she could. Gesturing to Conor to stay back, Clark walked determinedly forward. About half-way across the field he stopped suddenly as waves of pain hit his body. Lois grabbed his arm. "Clark? It's here, isn't it?" "Yeah," he gasped, willing his body to withstand the effects of the deadly meteorite. He took a couple of steps backwards and, lowering his glasses, scanned the area. Yes, there it was, buried under a few inches of earth and grass. He glanced around, then picked up a stick which lay a few feet away, and threw it. It stabbed the earth just above where the Kryptonite lay. "Okay, Lois - over to you," Clark murmured, stepping well back. Lois hurried over to the marked spot, carrying the small spade they'd picked up at the hardware store in town. They had decided that Lois was least likely of the four of them to arouse suspicion in Smallville, so she had been the one to do the shopping; as well as the spade, she had bought a large roll of silver foil, which had been the nearest to lead they could think of. Laura hurried over and helped; within a couple of minutes several chunks of glowing green rock lay on the grass. Conor watched from his vantage-point some distance away, fascinated by the sight of this rock which, if he got too close, could kill him. It really did glow, he thought, amazed. It had a kind of translucent quality, and something about it... ...was drawing him closer, almost impelling him to move forward. He took a tentative step, just as Clark yelled at him, "Conor, what the heck are you doing?!" Suddenly, waves of excruciating pain hit him. His entire body screamed at him in agony. His legs refused to hold him, and he collapsed to the ground; his inner organs throbbed and felt as if they were going to burst. His chest felt tight, and his breath came in sharp, painful gasps. It had only been a bare second, but Clark could see that Conor was already suffering badly. The Kryptonite was hardly affecting him at this distance, but Conor's lack of previous exposure was making it hard for him. Clark swept the younger man into his arms and retreated with him to the stile, calling to Lois to hurry up and get the meteorite safely wrapped up. As Clark laid Conor down on the grass Laura hurried over, her face pale. "Is... is he okay, Clark?" she exclaimed anxiously. Clark smiled reassuringly up at her as he crouched by Conor's side checking his vital signs. "He's fine. Give him a couple of minutes to catch his breath - he won't have his powers at first, but that shouldn't last long. He wasn't close enough to the stuff to have suffered any real harm." "Yeah, I'm okay," Conor insisted, reaching for Laura's hand. "Hey, Clark, you didn't exaggerate about that stuff being poisonous! I've never felt so awful in my life!" He began to sit up, but gave up the attempt as his head spun again. Lois had by now wrapped up the Kryptonite, but was keeping her distance. "Clark, what do you want to do with this stuff?" she called. Clark glanced at the two actors. "Can you two make your way along the road on your own? I don't think we should hang about in the field much longer. Lois and I will be back as soon as we can." ************** Although he had put on a brave face for Laura's benefit, Conor was feeling pretty terrible; in fact, he couldn't remember ever having ached so much in his life, even after a day hanging suspended from that cursed harness the studios had used. Since realising his true identity and discovering the extent of his invulnerability, he had forgotten how it felt to experience pain, and this brutal reminder was an experience he would rather not have had. Still, in order not to worry Laura, he had dragged himself to his feet with the aid of the fence and Clark's arm; they were being careful not to perform any feats of enhanced strength or other super-power anywhere they could have been in public view. Once Clark and Lois had disappeared back into the trees for their take-off - Clark had announced that he intended to fly out over the Pacific so that Lois could drop the lethal package into the deepest part of the ocean - Conor had taken Laura's arm and they had begun to walk slowly back along the road as Clark had suggested. It was hard going, especially since Conor was doing his best not to lean too heavily on Laura. As they went, he mused on Clark's account of his first encounter with Kryptonite, and Conor wondered whether his own powers would also take a couple of days to return. He almost didn't mind not having them, he thought with a grimace; it was the pain which was the worst thing about this remnant of his home planet. Although, he reminded himself, *not* having powers for a day or so would mean that he was wasting Clark's time: the purpose of the older man's visit was so that Clark could help Conor to understand and use his powers. They couldn't do that if he didn't have any powers, he realised. He sighed; perhaps he shouldn't have insisted on coming to Smallville. But he instantly rejected that thought: he wouldn't for anything have missed Clark's guided tour of his home town. And encountering Kryptonite had been an educational, if excruciating, experience. It had certainly given him a healthy respect for the substance! Laura glanced anxiously at Conor; apart from his words just after Clark had carried him to the edge of the field, he had been silent, and his face was white and pinched. "Conor - sweetheart, are you okay?" she asked fearfully. He turned to her, shooting a quick smile in her direction. He wouldn't be able to fool her, that was for sure. "Well, I've been better, honey. But it's not so bad now that stuff's nowhere near me. I'm sure once we get home again I'll be okay." A thought struck Laura. "How are we going to get home, if you're like this? Your powers are gone, aren't they?" "Yeah." She was right; Conor hadn't thought of that. He glanced at her again. "Clark said he and Lois would be back soon - we'll sort something out then. I guess if necessary he can make three trips." Conor thought, realising that he felt somewhat uneasy at the prospect. He wasn't sure why - after all, he trusted both Clark and Laura, but... at the same time, he just didn't like the idea of Laura being carried by any Super-being but himself. They reached a small wood, and Conor paused to catch his breath; his legs were screaming at him to sit down. As he leaned against a nearby tree trunk, he heard his voice say sympathetically, from a few feet away, "Hurts like hell, doesn't it?" He swung around; it wasn't his own voice, but Clark's. The man just sounded so like him! "You got rid of it, then?" Lois appeared from behind another tree. "Dropped right in the middle of the ocean." "Good." Laura's voice was hard. "Let's hope that's the last of the stuff." Lois exchanged glances with Clark. She understood Laura's feelings perfectly; she also knew, however, that it was more than likely that this would not be Conor's last encounter with Kryptonite. She didn't want to distress either of their new friends any further, however, so she suggested, in a lighter tone, "So what's your suggestion for getting us back to Santa Monica, Clark?" Clark shrugged. "Conor first - partly because he needs to rest in the sun, and he can do that there, and also because I want to avoid anyone seeing two of us here. You two look more like sisters than identical twins, so it's not such a problem." He switched his gaze to Conor briefly, silently asking for, and receiving, approval for his plan. "Laura next," was Conor's only reply. Clark shrugged. "I can carry both Lois and Laura together." He spun quickly into his Superman outfit, then walked purposefully towards Conor. "Let's go." As the two women watched their respective partners become a mere dot in the sky, Laura glanced at Lois. "How do you stand it?" Initially puzzled, Lois saw her companion's expression and immediately understood. "Seeing him hurt or in danger?" She shook her head ruefully. "Thankfully it doesn't happen very often - there aren't many sources of Kryptonite, and he's managed to find and destroy most of it now." She sighed heavily. "I can't lie to you, Laura - I *hate* seeing Clark hurt, and it kills me that there are people who would deliberately try to kill him. He is the sweetest, gentlest, most decent man I know... and seeing him recovering from a bad case of Kryptonite poisoning is just *horrible*. But I stand it because... because I have to. I can't let him see just how it affects me." Lois walked purposefully towards the centre of the small clump of trees, and Laura followed her. Recovering her composure then, Lois spoke again. "Conor will be fine. You heard Clark - he wasn't exposed long enough to suffer any real harm." "I guess," Laura conceded, not entirely convinced. Her attention was distracted by a sound like rushing wind. "Clark's back - that was quick!" **************** Conor lay in the warmth of the sun, relaxing in a lounger by his swimming pool. The pain was gone, but he still felt strangely weak in a way which was unfamiliar to him. Clark had assured him that this would pass, and that his powers would also return, probably within a few hours and almost certainly by morning; the exposure had not been so great, Clark had commented. If this was a minor exposure, Conor thought wryly, he never wanted to experience a lengthier one! He heard a rushing sound, followed by voices: Clark was back with the women. Seconds later, Laura was kneeling by his side, clutching his hand and anxiously asking whether he was all right. As he reassured her and held and kissed her for a few moments, he wondered whether Lois and Clark were being discreet, since they hadn't joined them. But a few minutes later Lois strolled out onto the patio. "Laura, Clark wondered whether he could take a look at a couple of the tapes of your show - there's something he wants to check out," she called. Conor raised an eyebrow, remembering Clark's remarks earlier that day about his strategies in dealing with emergency situations. "Maybe I should watch them with him," he volunteered awkwardly, not entirely sure whether he wanted to sit beside the *real* Clark Kent as they watched Conor's attempts to play him on TV - and even worse, his attempts to act the part of Superman. "No need," Clark called from the patio doors. "Lois and I'll watch them for a couple of hours now, and we can talk later. You should stay in the sun for as long as you can." Laura got to her feet. "You mean the sun really does rejuvenate him? I thought that was just folklore from the comics and our show." Clark grinned, shaking his head. "I suspect we're going to find that a lot of the mythos of your show is actually true. I'm not quite sure how that makes me feel... but I guess I can cope since we're only here for a short while." Laura took the visitors from Metropolis into Conor's television room, which was almost like a small private cinema, dominated as it was by a large wide screen. Clark having explained what he was looking for, she hunted out a selection of tapes which she thought might be suitable. "Try these - they're mostly second season episodes, apart from 'All Shook Up' where Superman stops an asteroid from hitting the earth...." She trailed off as Lois blinked. "Oh, that happened in your world too?" she queried before continuing. "There's Wall of Sound - I don't think the story's particularly good, but there's a lot of Superman stuff, Church of Metropolis and one or two others." Leaving the two supplied with cold drinks and popcorn, Laura rejoined Conor. **************** "It feels so weird to be without my powers," Conor told Laura reflectively. "I know I haven't always enjoyed the last month, and there have been a few times when I've wished I was... normal, just like everyone else. But now that I *am* just like everyone else - well, call me inconsistent, but I don't *want* to be." "That's not surprising, honey," Laura assured him. "You were born to be Superman - we know that, thanks to Mr Wells. And now we've met Clark we can see a bit better just what that means." Conor shook his head. "I could never be as good as Clark is. You should hear him talk about what he does - it all just comes so naturally to him. He doesn't have to think about the best way to deal with a villain - he just does it. I get it all wrong." "Did he tell you that?" Laura asked sharply, instantly ready to go to the defence of her fiance. Conor shrugged. "Not exactly - not the way you mean. He did tell me that I could have handled that bank robbery better, and he was right. And I already know I find it hard to control my powers." "Did he have any suggestions?" Laura enquired. Shifting into a sitting position, Conor's expression grew alert. "Actually, he did - and I do need to get down to Barnes & Noble as soon as I can. He said that as soon as he realised the extent of his powers he read as much as he could on human biology and physiology, physics and chemistry, so that he could figure out how much power he could use safely in particular circumstances. I guess I need to do that as soon as possible." "You have to remember that Clark's had at least twelve years more than you to get used to his capabilities," Laura pointed out reasonably. "It's not surprising he understands what he can do. But once you learn, you'll be as good as he is." Squeezing her hand, Conor smiled appreciatively at Laura. "You know, I understand why Superman wouldn't be complete without Lois Lane. I really couldn't manage without you to support and encourage me." "Hey, I need you too," Laura assured him. "I love you, Conor Kane, and don't you forget it!" The lingering kiss which followed was only interrupted by an embarrassed cough from the direction of the patio doors. Laura glanced around to see Clark standing there, clearly trying *not* to look in their direction. She laughed. "Come on, Clark, you surely can't be embarrassed to see us kissing? You and Lois must...." She trailed off as she noticed the serious expression on his face. "What is it?" Clark walked quickly across the flagstones towards Conor's lounger. "Conor, I can hear sirens and broadcasts on the emergency frequency - there's a fire at a hospital in West Hollywood." He gestured to his left ear as he spoke, indicating that he had picked up the sounds with his super-hearing. Conor began to get to his feet, but stopped. "I can't do anything," he pointed out anxiously. "My powers..." Clark shook his head. "No, I meant I'm going to go. I just thought I should let you know - check that you're okay with it." "Why would I object?" Conor enquired, puzzled. But Clark didn't wait around for an answer, instead hurrying to the end of Conor's long garden and launching into flight up through the trees, changing into his Superman outfit as he flew. Laura and Conor glanced at each other, bewildered. "This is your world, Conor - he wouldn't interfere here without your consent," Lois explained, walking towards them. "Saving people's lives is hardly interfering!" Laura protested. "I guess not," Lois agreed, "but he still wouldn't presume to take over." Conor shrugged. "Doesn't bother me - in fact it stops me feeling guilty that I can't help right now." He was taken aback to see Laura and Lois exchange glances. "Obsessing," Lois said with an amused smile. "Just like Clark!" ****************** As the sun set over the mountains hours later, and the area around the pool grew significantly cooler, Conor stretched and climbed off the lounger. He had followed Clark's advice and stayed there since returning from Smallville, and he had to admit that he did feel a lot better. Experimentally, he narrowed his eyes and stared hard at the wall of his house. For a split second, it began to shimmer and fade, but then his normal vision took over and all he could see was the exterior paintwork. No powers yet, then... but an indication that they would return. He walked slowly towards the doors leading back to the sitting-room. Laura was in there with their guests; the sound of their voices and laughter had drifted out to him over the past hour or so. He had been content to leave them to it, however, simply relaxing as he basked in the evening sunlight. Laura - and indeed, Lois - had stayed with him at first, but some time after Clark had returned he had sent Laura inside to join their guests. Lois wasn't used to California weather, he had realised: without strong sunscreen she would burn, and he hadn't wanted that. Laura, being accustomed to the weather, didn't need a strong SPF, and he had never needed sunscreen. But it had been a pleasant afternoon, he reflected. Lois and Laura had spent some time in the pool while he had watched and joked with him. *That* had been interesting; he had enjoyed surreptitiously studying Lois Lane in a swimsuit. Clark wouldn't have approved, Conor thought wryly, but he'd had no improper motive. Lois *was* Laura, but four years older; her figure, especially around the breasts, was fuller. Was this how Laura would look when they'd had kids? *If* they had kids.... If so, Conor thought, he would have no complaints.... Clark had returned shortly after this, and had made himself useful by bringing cold drinks and snacks out to the pool. He had also gone swimming for a while, but had then come to sit by Conor and had joined in the conversation, filling in the gaps in Lois's description of Tempus, the evil madman from the future. Conor hoped that he never encountered *that* individual, he thought now, remembering what the two reporters had told him. The man was amoral; clearly had no scruples at all. But then, Conor reminded himself, he knew that: Tempus had, after all, engineered the death of the real Lois Lane, and would have killed him too had HG Wells not removed him and brought him forty years into the future. Some time later, Clark and Lois had returned to the TV room to watch more videos, which had left Conor and Laura to talk quietly about the incredible events of the day. It was still hard to believe that Clark Kent and Lois Lane were really there, in their home. "I like Clark, you know," Laura had commented, letting her hand trail idly along Conor's thigh. "He's quiet, though more confident than you played him on TV - though I guess that could be because he's now got Lois to love, and a family of his own. He's a pretty smart guy, too, though a little shyer than I'd have expected." Conor had smiled at this. "Strangely enough, I like Lois too - though I guess that's not really surprising, seeing as she's you." He had squeezed Laura's hand in his. "And you were right about her, you know. You always said that Lois's softer side would show through if she found a meaningful relationship with someone she loved - that the reason she was so hard was that her life outside work was really lonely. She needed someone to love her, someone she could trust. And it looks to me as if she found him." Laura had grinned in response. "Well, he was there all along - she just didn't see him. You know," she had added wryly, "I almost wish The Powers That Be at Marner Sisters could see those two - it might just convince them they were wrong about the 'Moonlighting' effect. Lois and Clark *could* have been together and still be exciting." Smiling, Conor had replied, "Well, that's all in the past now, and I'm glad - apart from anything else, there's no way I could play Superman on TV now. I have to find a way of making sure that there's no question in anyone's mind that Conor Kane and Superman are two totally different people." he reflected now as he headed inside to join Laura and their guests. **************** "So, Lois, still think Conor and Laura are... what was it you said? Superficial? Egotistical?" Clark teased as the two prepared for bed. Lois grimaced. "Well, okay, maybe *these* particular actors are okay, but I still say that the *vast majority* of Hollywood types are shallow, vain, pretentious and selfish." Clark laughed. "I guess you don't much like actors, honey." He strolled to the window-seat and perched on it, one ankle resting across his knee. "Not really," she conceded with a smile. "But I suppose we should have known these two would be okay - after all, they are *us*. And we're pretty incorruptible." "Maybe," Clark agreed. Lois threw him a curious glance. "Well, it's all to do with environment, isn't it, honey?" he asked her. "I mean, I was lucky - I got adopted by the greatest parents in the entire world apart from the two of us, and I grew up with people who were able to help me come to terms with... being different. So that when I became Superman, with your help, I knew what my ethics were and what I wanted to achieve." He paused, then met Lois's gaze as he continued. "The alternate Clark - well, he lost his parents when he was a kid, and he grew up lonely and confused, and the only person who knew what he could do hated that part of him. When I finally got to meet him, even thought he'd been Superman for almost a year at that stage thanks to you, he was still insecure about who he was, he was desperately lonely, and I figured that he had a pretty sad life. Okay, he seemed to share my view about right and wrong, but he only seemed to have any confidence in himself when he was Superman." He got to his feet and began to pace about the bedroom. "Then there's Conor, brought up by a couple who didn't really seem to care much about him, and didn't even seem to notice there was anything wrong when he was going through a horrible time as a teenager, knowing he was different but not understanding why. He spent most of his adult life to date wanting to fit in - a bit like I did, but actually succeeding better than I did because he simply sublimated what he could do. He went to work in - okay, I do agree with you here, he works in what is pretty much an egotistical industry which is entirely in the business of faking things. He could easily have ended up quite a shallow person...." "You're in danger of losing your own argument here, sweetheart," Lois observed with a grin. "Because Conor is *you* underneath, he didn't end up like that." "But he's not like me either," Clark replied. "Despite - or maybe in spite of - his upbringing, he's much more confident than I am. He's even over-confident as Superman, though I think he does want to learn how to do it better. I'm not sure his ethics are quite the same as mine - I *think* he feels the same way I do about killing, but I get the feeling he wouldn't worry so much about lying as Superman. I wouldn't do that, even if it was to protect me, or us - but I think he would." Lois nodded, taking in Clark's point. "I guess." She laughed suddenly. "What did you think of him playing you on screen, though?" Clark hesitated. "It was... really weird. Not just how like us they both looked - like we looked four years ago, anyway - but how accurate those storylines were." He began to pace the room again. "I know Conor told us that Wells influenced the scripts, but still.... Anyway," he continued in a brisker tone, "I thought he did a pretty good job in that earlier one we saw - the asteroid, remember? I *did* feel as disoriented as he looked, then. But the way he behaved as Superman sometimes just didn't work." "Like when he swept a villain off at Super-speed?" Lois enquired, raising an eyebrow. "Exactly," Clark agreed. "He would have vaporised the guy if he'd done that for real. And I have to talk to him about that before we leave here." Lois frowned. "Shouldn't you have done that tonight, then? After all, we don't know when Wells is going to come back for us." Clark shook his head. "Not a good time, Lois - the guy was feeling bad enough about the Kryptonite exposure and losing his powers. He was trying to hide it, but I could see, and anyway, remember, I know how it felt the first time it happened to me." "It was kind of different for you, honey," Lois pointed out. "You didn't know what had happened or whether you'd ever get your powers back. He knows he will, thanks to you." "I guess." Clark seemed distracted, and Lois slid off the bed to go to him. Wrapping her arms around him, she murmured, "Is this hard for you, sweetheart?" He closed his arms around her, holding her close. "Not really - I mean, Conor's a nice guy, and I like Laura too. I suppose meeting him is like... well, almost like having a younger brother. You know it was always hard for me, being the only one of my... kind." "I remember when that cloned Superman turned up, you said something about Superman having a brother," Lois replied softly. "At the time I never realised... well, I guess I was so hung up on my own Superman fantasy that I never stopped to wonder what it was really like for him - you." "Lonely, a lot of the time," Clark confessed. As Lois's arms tightened around him, he added quickly, "Oh, honey, I'm not lonely any more - you've taken care of that. I stopped searching for somewhere to belong the day I met you. But I guess, until the New Kryptonians came, I always wondered what it would be like to have other people around with the same abilities as myself." "I guess meeting Zara, Trey and the others wasn't exactly the happy family reunion you'd hoped for," Lois observed dryly. "Especially not when they tried to execute - " "Hush," Clark interrupted, kissing her for emphasis. "That's over, and we won't be seeing the New Kryptonians again. But you're right," he added. "It wasn't what I'd dreamed of, and like I told you once they'd gone, I finally realised where I belonged - with you. I don't need anyone else, apart from you and our family." He smiled, love blazing in his gaze. "All the same, it is kind of nice getting to know Conor." Lois understood, perhaps better than Clark realised. But she had her own yearnings for family, and she sighed involuntarily. "I know what you mean, Clark; I like Laura and Conor too. I just... I miss Jon." "Me too." Clark sighed, and attempted to reassure both of them. "But he'll be fine with my parents, you know, even if HG Wells doesn't manage to return us at the same time as he took us away." "You're right," Lois agreed. "I've just never been separated from him this long before, without even the chance to see him." Clark held her closer, trying to give her the support of his strength. Lois pulled a little away from Clark, so that she could see his face, and changed the subject. "You say you see Conor kind of like a brother - but you didn't feel that way about the other Clark, did you?" Clark bit his lip. "Well, that was different...." He sighed heavily. "I *wanted* to - but you know I was uncomfortable with the fact that he had you to himself for a couple of days when he first met you, and he was at our house with you. Don't get me wrong: I was grateful for what he did, and I told him so. But I could see in his eyes how he felt about you, and that made me a little jealous, even though I knew you weren't interested. Okay, I wasn't really surprised that he was in love with you. *I* am in love with you, after all, and he's me." He drew Lois closer to him again, resting his chin on top of her head. "He reminded me of me in the days when you just about accepted me as a friend but you'd never in a million years have thought of me as a boyfriend." Lois reached up to kiss his jaw. "What can I say? I was stupid, so sue me..." *************** Concluded in Part 5 ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 18:49:27 +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: NEW STORY: Big Boys Do Fly II - Part 5/5 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII TITLE: Big Boys Do FLy II: Close Encounters PART: 5/5 AUTHOR: Wendy Richards RATING: PG/PG-13 FEEDBACK: Comments welcome publicly or privately. Summary: This story is a sequel to Big Boys Do Fly, which was posted on the Archive a couple of months ago. Conor and Laura are experiencing some difficulties adjusting to their new lives, and need help... but where might they get it from? ---------------------- Holding Conor's hand as they strolled together towards the entrance to the Solar Systems Studios and theme park, Laura kept a smile pinned on her face. Inwardly, however, she was more anxious than she had so far let Conor know. "Are you sure this is going to work?" she enquired in a low murmur, not allowing her expression to alter from that of a blissfully happy TV star out for a day with her fiance. Conor squeezed her hand in response. "Sure. Clark and I went over all the possible angles earlier, and he thinks there's no problem. I know roughly what time he's going to get here, we decided where we should be, and I can contact him if it needs to be earlier or later than we thought." "Contact him? How?" This time, Laura swung around to face Conor with a puzzled expression. He gave her an awkward smile in response. "I didn't tell you this yet... well, I wasn't exactly sure you'd believe me, but Clark and I can talk..." his voice lowered still further, "... telepathically." "Wha - " Laura strangled her shocked response before any of the hundreds of other visitors and tourists milling around could hear. They wanted to be seen visiting the studios today, sure, but it was supposed to be a perfectly innocent day out. Knowing Conor could hear her, she whispered, "Telepathy? Is that because... basically you're the same person?" Conor shook his head. "No - it's a Kryptonian thing, apparently," he murmured under the guise of kissing her. He and Clark had practised their telepathic communication again that morning, during their lengthy discussion. He had heard their visitors moving around in the guest-room quite early, so he had left Laura in bed and hurried downstairs to make some coffee. Clark had joined him in the kitchen within about five minutes, fully dressed and shaved but not wearing glasses. Conor had blinked and commented, "You really do look different without them." Grinning and revealing a flash of brilliant white teeth, Clark had replied, "You shouldn't be surprised, surely? Not when you've played Superman on TV - you looked so different in the two roles that it was completely credible that people would be fooled." "I guess," Conor had replied, but his thoughts were distracted as he had wondered again what Clark had actually thought of the videotapes. Clark had changed the subject by demanding some coffee and then suggesting that they went out into the garden. It had been a long and very rewarding discussion, Conor now thought. Clark had been very reassuring, but also constructive in any criticisms he had made. It seemed that there were some things he had been doing as Superman which were perhaps ill-advised, or possibly dangerous; Clark had recommended some alternative methods of dealing with emergencies which Conor was now looking forward to trying out. Following that conversation, Conor had suggested today's activity to Clark. To his surprise, Clark had been very receptive to the proposal, even though it meant leaving Lois alone at the house for a while. To have Conor Kane and Superman both seen in public in Beverly Hills at the one time was no bad thing, but to have a woman who looked as if she was Laura Lindsay's older sister around as well would be a mistake. <> Conor concentrated on Clark and tried to project his thoughts to him. <> came the swift reply. Conor frowned slightly in surprise; he hadn't simply detected Clark's words to him in that brief exchange, but also some sense of Clark's emotions. Whatever Clark and Lois were doing, Conor mused with a smile, they were having fun, relaxing, laughing.... Briefly, he was tempted to focus again to see what they were up to, but instantly told himself that such an act would be a gross invasion of privacy. "So you said nothing's going to happen for about an hour?" Laura asked quietly, interrupting his thoughts. "Yep, that's the plan," he agreed, focusing on his fiancee again. "Well, in that case, let's enjoy ourselves," she urged. "We haven't had a whole lot of time for that lately, what with getting out of our Marners contracts, me moving into your place and your... new role." She glanced at the park map. "I want to go on the Lost Universe ride." "Sure." A park official recognised them then, despite the dark glasses and baseball caps both were wearing as protection against the strong sun, and waved them forward past the queues. It was very important that Conor Kane should be seen *not* to be Superman, Conor reflected again as he drew Laura with him through the crowds and into the park. Lois had reminded them of that again over brunch. "It's even more important for you than it is for Clark," she had pointed out. "In our world, no-one really suspects that Superman could be anyone other than who he appears to be - no-one's seriously believed any rumours of a secret identity. But your world has seen a Superman on TV whose _alter ego_ is Clark Kent. So... well, if I was a reporter here, the first story I'd be writing would be one asking whether *our* Superman is someone in disguise." Once on the Lost Universe ride they had a little more privacy as they were given a car to themselves, although other visitors to the park called and waved as their car passed; the news that Laura Lindsay and Conor Kane were in the park had rapidly spread. Keeping the professional smile on her face, Laura leaned towards Conor and murmured, "You really like Clark, don't you?" Conor gave her a sheepish glance in response. "Does it really show that much? He's a great guy, and he's been really helpful about showing me how to do things. And he understood exactly how I felt this morning when I realised my powers were back." He draped his arm about Laura's shoulders, drawing her closer. "We're both from the same planet, and we both grew up not knowing why we were different - that's why it's so great being able to talk to him. I know we're the same person really, just from two different dimensions, but he told me this morning he thinks of me like a brother." Laura smiled fondly; her fiance was suffering from a major case of hero-worship. She just hoped he wouldn't miss his new-found 'brother' too much when Lois and Clark returned to their own world. Of course, she would miss Lois too; they had enjoyed another heart-to-heart over coffee while the men had been talking on their own. She had discovered, to her surprise, that she envied Lois and Clark their son; Laura had never imagined herself to be the maternal type, but somehow, hearing about young Jon Kent had created unexpected yearnings inside her. The discussion had reassured her about one thing, though: if Lois and Clark were able to have children together, then presumably she and Conor should be able to become parents too. Walking together about the park a little later, the two actors were continually stopped by fans looking for autographs; since being visible was all part of the plan, Laura and Conor submitted to this with good grace. At one point, Conor's super-hearing cut in; there was a robbery with aggravated violence close to UCLA. For an instant he tensed, wondering how he could get away; then he realised that he couldn't possibly leave to be Superman at this point. But... it *did* present the perfect opportunity.... He concentrated on trying to reach Clark. <> The response came swiftly. <> Yet more 'proof' that Conor Kane and Superman had to be two different people, Conor thought, if Superman was handling an emergency on the other side of LA while Conor was seen by hundreds of people to be in the Solar System Studios. Some time later, as Conor and Laura emerged from one of the exhibition areas, an air of excitement became apparent among the crowds of visitors. People were pointing and staring, and some young children were screaming and waving enthusiastically. A couple of bystanders recognised Conor, and called to him. "Hey, it's Clark Kent! Your 'buddy' Superman's just over there!" Conor looked in the direction the man was pointing, and there, indeed, was Superman, hovering over one of the soundstages and apparently just having completed some super-feat. He appeared to be about to fly off, but reluctantly floated to the ground in response to the urgings of the crowd, and allowed himself to be photographed. There was a sudden flurry of activity as a couple of studio employees emerged from the soundstage with a videocamera and microphone. Again with apparent reluctance, Superman posed for a few seconds in front of the camera. "Hey, Conor! Laura! Come and pose with Superman!" someone standing close to the two actors yelled. The cry was taken up by several people until the cameraman noticed; he then began to gesture at Conor to come forward. Conor pulled a face and looked extremely loath to comply. "Look, I'm not sure we want to do this," Laura explained to a couple of fans who were urging the two of them to come forward. "We used to be in a TV show about Superman, okay, but there's no reason to embarrass Superman." Superman shrugged visibly. The crowd parted and Conor and Laura were waved forward; the three posed together for a few minutes, looking rather self-conscious, before Superman shook both actors by the hand and then took off. **************** "Well, you should be safe now," Lois remarked later as the four gathered again at Conor's house. "I saw the whole thing on the TV news - the reporter was making it out to be something really exciting. Superman comes face to face with his TV _alter ego_ and is actually polite about it." "What did they expect - that Superman would threaten Conor with a lawsuit for impersonating him?" Laura enquired sardonically. Conor shrugged. "You've seen the speculation in the supermarket tabloids. It was all pretty pathetic." "So was it convincing, Lois?" Clark asked. "I was hoping I hadn't overdone the embarrassed reluctance bit." "You looked great," she assured him. "And something else - you and Conor looked so different standing together like that. I don't know what it is, because you do look like identical twins when you're both dressed as Superman or both not wearing glasses. But with you as Superman, Clark, and Conor with his hair flopping over his forehead and wearing sunglasses... nice touch taking off the baseball cap too, Conor.... Well, you looked like totally different people." Conor smiled at Lois. "Great. And thanks for your help, Clark." "No problem. If it helps...." Clark's expression altered then, becoming more businesslike. "Is there anything else you two would like to know, or need our help with? It just seems to me that Lois and I have done what we came here for, so it's possible that Wells could appear any time now to take us back." Laura looked disappointed. "Aw, that's a shame. It's been so great having you two around, I was hoping you could stay a while longer." Lois frowned thoughtfully. "Clark, sweetheart, don't you remember what HG said just before he left? He said there might be something else we'd have to do, and he looked pretty serious, as if he was warning us. Ummm... 'unforeseen dangers,' that was it." "Yeah, I remember, but I wondered if he meant the Kryptonite in Smallville," Clark observed. "Could be," Lois replied, sounding unconvinced. "Wells said there would be some danger?" Laura asked curiously. "How would he know.... Stupid of me," she continued briskly. "He's a time traveller, of *course* he knows what's going to happen." "But if he knows everything that's going to happen, why doesn't he prevent it?" Conor asked, puzzled. "Or at least tell us, so that we can?" "It's not as simple as that, Conor," Clark explained. "For one thing, he isn't allowed to change the course of history in any irrevocable way - at least, he can't in our world. So he never tells us what's going to happen, in case our futures are affected. And also, the other big problem is Tempus. He travels around in time causing problems everywhere he goes - his one big aim is to prevent the foundation of Utopia, and he's decided that the way to do that is to get rid of me, and possibly Lois as well. And Wells can't possibly know what Tempus is going to do next." "I see," Conor replied slowly. "I sure hope this guy doesn't try to interfere over here." Clark was silent, thinking that the chances of Tempus meddling in this world were now quite high. As long as Conor's powers were dormant and he knew nothing of his heritage, he represented no danger. But now, not only was he this world's Superman but he was also engaged to his world's Lois, without whom no Superman was complete. The thought crossed his mind that perhaps Tempus was the 'unforeseen danger' about which Wells had cautioned them. But surely not? he asked himself. Wells couldn't possibly *know* that Tempus was planning anything? ****************** "This has been fun!" Laura exclaimed some hours later as the four strolled together along a sandy beach. "It was a great idea to come here, Clark - thanks a lot for suggesting it." They had flown together to a remote island in the Caribbean, to eat, swim and talk. It had provided an opportunity for all four to be out of doors together without having to worry about anyone recognising them, and it had been an incredibly relaxing experience. Clark had talked at length about his childhood in Smallville and his travels around the world before settling in Metropolis, and in return Conor and Laura had explained how they had found their big breaks in acting. It had been a great few hours, but now it was time to think about heading back to California. "You know, we could ask Mr Wells if he would let us visit each other occasionally," Conor suggested. Lois and Clark's imminent return to their own world had been preying on his mind all day, and he was genuinely reluctant to say goodbye to their new friends. The parting would be bearable, however, if he thought there would be a chance that they could meet again. Lois's mouth turned down at the corners. "Nice idea, Conor, but I doubt he'd agree. He doesn't seem to like us dimension-hopping, except when it's unavoidable. I dunno why - maybe it harms the fabric of space and time, or something." Laura grimaced. "Oh, don't go all sci-fi on me, Lois! I really don't understand about all that stuff, I just accept that you're here and you're from another dimension." "Well, I'm going to ask him anyway," Conor stated. "I guess you're right and he'll be here soon to take you back." "You're quite right, Mr Kane," an unwelcome - at least, at that particular moment - voice said crisply from directly behind them. The four swung round, to be confronted with HG Wells and his interdimensional transport. "You're taking us now - from here?" Lois enquired, surprised. "Don't worry, honey; if we left anything at Conor's, I can get it and be back in a few seconds," Clark commented quietly, at the same time catching Conor's eye. He noticed the regretful expression in his counterpart's face. <> he insisted urgently. <> <> Lois touched her husband's arm, puzzled by the intent expression on his face. "Sweetheart? Mr Wells really needs us to get going." "Okay." Clark switched his attention from Conor, adding, "Be back in less than a minute." As Clark shot into the air, Laura approached Lois. "I'm going to miss you and Clark," she ventured softly. Lois gave her a wry grin. "Me too." She turned to Wells. "I don't suppose there's any possibility...?" "Oh no, Miss Lane, I couldn't possibly allow you and Mr Kent to visit Mr Kane and his fiancee again," the time-traveller insisted. "That could cause no end of problems." "Well, it was worth a try," Laura murmured. She extended her arms to Lois, who reciprocated the hug warmly. Conor then stepped forward. "Clark wouldn't mind, would he?" he enquired. "Mind what?" Clark came to a stop in front of the little group. "If I give Lois a hug to say goodbye." Clark shrugged. "Not at all. In fact...." He strode to Laura, enfolding her in his arms with a bear-hug. Lois, wrapped in Conor's arms, was momentarily conscious of a blinding flash, and in the next instant she realised that she was sitting in the interdimensional transport, which was now resting in the back yard of her home in Metropolis. She turned to Clark, who was seated beside her. "Wow, that was *quick*! Clark - " She broke off suddenly, staring at her companion in horror. "You're not Clark!" ****************** As he began to release Laura in preparation for bidding farewell to Conor, Clark became conscious of a sixth person standing nearby. The man wore some kind of all-concealing cloak, and... there was something strange about him.... Clark couldn't figure out what it was which was making him uneasy, but he began to calculate how long it would take to pile Lois, Laura and Wells into the interdimensional transport so that he and Conor could fly them back to California. Suddenly there was a blinding flash of light. He saw Wells stagger backwards, as if he had been attacked. Laura fell to the ground, her hands covering her eyes. Conor, still holding onto Lois, seemed to go limp, but as Clark rushed to catch Lois the cloaked stranger was suddenly standing between them. As Conor fell to the ground, a seemingly-unconscious Lois was picked up by the stranger and placed in the transport. Clark tried to push the stranger out of the way, but to his amazement and disbelief, some sort of invisible force repulsed him once he was within about a foot of the cloaked man. As the interdimensional transport disappeared, Clark heard a faint, but instantly recognisable, laugh so evil it chilled him to the bone. **************** - 348 Hyperion Avenue, Metropolis - "You're not Clark!" "No, I'm not," Conor replied thickly, trying to figure out where he was and why his brain felt like it was stuffed with cotton wool. He felt completely disoriented; what had happened to make him feel as if he had fainted? He looked around him; the surroundings were completely unfamiliar. What was he doing there, sitting in the machine which only seconds earlier had been on the beach in the Caribbean? Where were Clark and HG Wells? And more important, *where was Laura*? "Clark!" Lois wailed. "What happened? Why are *you* here instead of him, Conor?" "Hey, I have absolutely no idea!" he retorted. "And I didn't ask to be here - I want to be with Laura. She just better be okay, or whoever's responsible for this will suffer... where *is* that miserable little writer?" He leapt out of the transport, searching the yard and the surrounding area with his super-vision, a murderous expression on his face. "If you mean HG Wells, he wouldn't have done this deliberately," Lois snapped at him. "Someone else must have sent you here with me." And done *what* with Clark? Lois asked herself in anguish, remembering involuntarily the time when Tempus had sent her husband into infinity. They had only just rescued him in time, then. She too climbed slowly out of the machine, then stared in horror as it shimmered and disappeared right before her eyes. She was at home in Metropolis, but Clark was... where? Would she ever see Clark again? ***************** - An Alternate Universe - Clark stared around him with dawning horror. Laura was groggily climbing to her knees in the sand. HG Wells lay face-down several feet away as water lapped over his body. Lois, Conor and the mysterious stranger were nowhere to be seen. No, scrub that, he thought viciously; helplessly. That was no mysterious stranger. It was Tempus. Tempus had taken Lois, God knew where. And he had also taken Conor, by the looks of it. He was stranded here, in an alternate universe, without Lois. And HG Wells, who had come to take Lois and himself back to Metropolis, who represented his only route back to Lois, was... ...dead? *************** - To Be Continued in Big Boys Do Fly III: Torn Between Two Worlds - ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 18:51:53 +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: Big Boys... I'll re-send MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII Sorry - when I saw the posts I realised I should have wrapped the text on all of them. I'll re-send Parts 2 - 5. Wendy ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 18:53:09 +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: NEW STORY: Big Boys Do Fly II - Part 2/5 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII TITLE: Big Boys Do Fly II: Close Encounters PART: 2/5 AUTHOR: Wendy Richards RATING: PG/PG-13 FEEDBACK: Comments welcome publicly or privately. Summary: This story is a sequel to Big Boys Do Fly, which was posted on the Archive a couple of months ago. Conor and Laura are experiencing some difficulties adjusting to their new lives, and need help... but where might they get it from? ---------------------- - Santa Monica, California, An Alternate Universe - Lois glanced around curiously as the three emerged from the large garage attached to an even larger house. "I see what you mean about this being a big place, HG - the grounds alone are big enough for several apartment blocks!" "Well, honey, this is the kind of place actors can afford - and they usually need it in order to get any privacy," Clark mused in a faintly sardonic tone. He was now beginning to feel a little unsure about meeting this world's strange incarnation of himself. And the thought that the man had actually *played* him, Clark Kent, on TV... it hardly bore thinking about. "I bet she won't look a bit like me," Lois observed tartly as she continued to survey the grounds. Clark shrugged. "What do we do - just go and knock at the door?" Wells answered. "Yes, indeed, that would be a good idea - but first, something else you should know. It... ah, may well be that helping Mr Kane and Miss Lindsay to understand super-powers is not all you will need to do while you are here." Lois turned to glare at Wells. "So what else is going on here that you *haven't* told us about? And why have you brought us here under false pretences?" "I assure you that there are no false pretences, Miss Lane. I simply felt that I should warn you that it is possible that... other unforeseen dangers may arise." Clark eyed the time-traveller suspiciously. "And I suppose that's all you're going to tell us?" "Ah... quite so, Mr Kent," Wells replied, a little nervously. Lois's lips twitched slightly despite herself: the sound of Clark using his sternest Superman voice did tend to have that effect on people. But before they could ask any further questions, Wells announced his intention of leaving, and hurried back towards the time machine. Lois glared at him, urging Clark to stop him. Clark, however, just shrugged. "What do you want me to do to him, Lois? Fly him up over Santa Monica Harbour and threaten to drop him in the ocean if he doesn't tell us?" Lois shrugged. "Well... it could have worked." *************** "Conor? What is it?" Laura had noticed that Conor's attention was no longer on either herself, or on the freshly-baked croissants he had brought back from Paris only fifteen minutes earlier. Conor frowned. "There are some people out front - I can hear their voices, but not what they're saying." Laura's eyebrows rose. "Persistent autograph-hunters?" "Unlikely." Conor began to pace around the large, airy kitchen. "The gates should still be locked, so I can't think how anyone would get in." He headed for the door leading to the hall. "I'm going to check it out." Laura followed him as he strode towards the front door and flung it open, ready to challenge the intruders. However, she then collided with his rigid back as he stopped dead. "My God... who the hell are you?" **************** Clark nudged Lois and, once he had her attention, murmured, "I think we're about to meet our hosts." She gave him a questioning glance; he lightly touched his ear-lobe. Taking Lois's arm, he walked purposefully up the pathway leading to the Colonial-style front door. As they reached the door, it was flung open. Even though Clark had been expecting to meet his double - or at least near-double - it was still hard not to gasp. The man holding the door open was his own height, with identical hair and eye colour, the same faintly Asian skin tone, the same build. The only differences were that this man wore no glasses, and his hair had no styling gel, instead worn flopping loosely over his forehead. It was also a little longer than Clark's. However, Conor Kane certainly hadn't been expecting to see Clark Kent and Lois Lane: after his first shocked exclamation, he then proceeded to accuse them of being doubles from a theatrical agency, sent over by some supermarket tabloid. He demanded to know who was paying them, and threatened to call the police if they didn't leave. Lois was not impressed by this; she stepped forward and poked Conor emphatically in the chest. "We are *not* actors, or 'star doubles' or whatever else you called us. I am Lois Lane and this is Clark Kent. And if you don't believe me..." she rummaged in her purse, "here's my Press pass." Stepping out from behind Conor, Laura reached out to take the stiff card. Now it was Clark's turn to look surprised. "Looks like you lost, Lois - hair style aside, she's *exactly* like you!" Lois turned her attention to the younger woman; her hair was in the same shoulder-length style Lois had worn her own until four years earlier. Other than that, Clark was right: it was like looking in a mirror. Laura turned to Conor, showing him the Press pass. "Either this is real, or someone's gone to a lot of trouble to forge it." "How can it be real?" Conor's tone was sceptical. "This is ridiculous - Lois Lane doesn't exist." "In this world," Laura completed softly, so quietly that - she thought - only Conor could hear her. But she was completely taken aback to hear the male stranger repeat her words back to her. "You're right, Miss Lindsay, not in this world." Clark inhaled deeply, then glanced around cautiously. "Perhaps this will persuade you." He allowed himself to levitate a foot or so off the ground. "Proof enough for you, Mr Kane - or should I say, Superman?" Conor stared. Then, suddenly recalling the fact that they were standing outside his front door - and although he *thought* his grounds were pretty secure and safe from prying eyes, he didn't want to take the chance - he stood aside. "Perhaps you'd better come in." "Good idea," Lois replied tartly. "Apart from anything else, it's hot out here - I hope you have air conditioning?" "Naturally," Conor replied, taken aback at his visitor's forthrightness. He led the group into his spacious living-room, Lois's heels clicking on the polished wooden floor as the small group followed him. He closed the double doors, shutting them in as if that somehow ensured still further the confidential nature of this meeting, and then turned to his guests. "Okay. You obviously already know that I'm Conor Kane and this is Laura Lindsay. But..." he paused, wondering how to phrase this, "how *can* you be Clark Kent and Lois Lane?" Laura answered for him. "Looks like that strange Mr Wells has been here again." Lois glanced at her counterpart; perhaps this woman wasn't quite the dumb brunette she had taken her for. But then again, Lois reminded herself, Laura was supposed to be *her* - but Lois's difficulty was that she could never imagine herself doing anything so trivial as becoming an actor, in any universe. Clark nodded. "Yes, that's exactly it. He came to visit us last night, and told us that you two needed help adjusting to..." He gestured with his hands. "Everything that's happened to you in the last few weeks." Laura shook her head. "This is *so* weird. It's only a few days since I said to Conor that I really wished we could meet you two, talk to you." Clark shrugged faintly. "Well, that's what we're here for." He strode towards Laura, his hand outstretched. "I'm Clark." "Laura." Conor took Clark's hand, surreptitiously testing his grip for strength. Clark returned pressure for pressure, and after a few moments Conor released his grasp. "Okay, Clark Kent - Superman - it's good to meet you." Lois advanced to stand proprietorially beside her husband, and offered her hand to the man who looked so like him. "Hi Conor - I'm Lois." "Yeah," Conor replied softly. "I'm sorry I accused you guys of being >from a tabloid. It was just one hell of a shock, okay?" Laura took charge. "Can I get you guys a drink - orange juice? Coffee? There's still some croissants left from breakfast...." "Won't take me five minutes to get more anyway," Conor added. Clark raised an eyebrow at him. "Paris?" "Yeah - Faubourg St Antoine," Conor explained. Clark grinned. "Busted - I go there too." Conor was by now recovering from his initial shock. "Mr Wells told us you two really existed in another universe - I don't think we really believed him though," he explained, his tone still faintly incredulous. Then, remembering, he added, "But you gave him that suit for me, Clark - I want to thank you for that." Clark, who was eyeing with interest the croissants and muffins Laura was carrying in, replied, a little absently, "No problem. I brought you a couple more, but you'll need to figure out a way of getting your own made." "We should - or rather, Superman should talk to a theatrical costumier," Laura suggested as she passed around coffee. Lois had been silently observing the interaction between her husband and his counterpart, while at the same time she was forming her own, not entirely favourable, impressions about this show-business couple by the expensively-furnished large house they shared. She then watched in amazement as Conor helped himself to three lumps of sugar in his espresso, then disposed of a large triple chocolate muffin in under three seconds. "He's worse than you, Clark!" she exclaimed. Laura met Lois's glance with a raised eyebrow. "Conor's eating habits have become far worse since he discovered he's Superman. He always did eat a lot of junk food, but lately he just wolfs it down so fast I barely see him do it." "Yeah, just like Clark," Lois agreed wryly. "Hey, we are here, y'know," Conor pointed out, exchanging long-suffering glances with Clark. Lois ignored him, continuing, "It's weird, though - the other Clark hated junk food." "*Other* Clark?" Conor sounded extremely confused. "Yeah - from yet another alternate universe," Clark explained. "Lois has met him twice - she got taken there by Tempus once, and another time HG Wells brought him to help out in our world when I was trapped in infinity." Seeing his hosts' bewildered expressions, he added, "Never mind about that - anyway, we have no idea how many other universes there are, but from what we've found out so far it looks as if there are versions of us in all of them." Laura came to sit by Conor on one of the large, deep sofas, and he acknowledged her presence by sliding his hand along her jaw and into her hair. Lois gasped and stared at Clark: that was his special caress, the gesture which meant so much to both of them. If everything else had not already done so, this convinced her that these two were indeed hers and Clark's counterparts. Clark's thoughts had started to move in a more practical direction, and he addressed his question to Conor. "How do you manage not to be recognised? You don't wear glasses as a disguise, like I do, and you've even been publicly associated with Superman through your TV show." Conor frowned. "So far it hasn't been a problem, though I'm not quite sure why. I guess no-one thinks Conor Kane the Hollywood star could possibly be Superman." "Though you do look very different in the new suit," Laura commented, smiling fondly at her fiance. "The first time you wore it I thought you looked nothing like you do on TV." "You should be able to help Conor out there, Clark - you could appear somewhere as Superman and be seen with him." Clark raised an eyebrow in his wife's direction. "Like the other Clark did for us, you mean? I guess so, if we can find a suitable opportunity." "This is just so weird," Conor said slowly; although he had been participating in the conversation, he realised that he still felt almost as if this was a dream. "I'm kind of alternating between feeling really, really honoured to meet you two, and feeling like I've been cloned." Clark rolled his eyes. "Oh, we know what *that's* like!" Laura met Clark's gaze. "Oh yeah, of course - Luthor cloned Superman!" she remembered, thinking of their first-season episode. Clark and Lois exchanged surprised glanced. "Luthor was behind that clone too? Mind you, it would make sense..." Clark murmured. "Sure he was - or at least, he was in our show," Conor replied. "He used a lock of hair Superman had donated to a charity auction." Clark frowned. "Yeah, that's how it was done. But how the heck did the writers of your show know about that?" "I have no idea, but I bet your friend Mr Wells had something to do with it," Conor observed shrewdly. "He told us a lot of what was in our show actually happened to you two." Laura fixed Lois with an enquiring gaze. "There's something I've wondered about ever since we found out you two really exist," she said quizzically. "Lois, how could you have almost married Lex Luthor?" The two actors were completely unprepared for the reaction to that seemingly innocent question. Lois jumped to her feet, clearly very upset, her eyes flashing fire at Laura. Clark, in an instant, was by Lois's side, his arm around her shoulder in a comforting, protective gesture, but his own expression was coldly angry. "That is absolutely none of your - " Lois began. Clark cut across her, enunciating clearly and with emphasis. "I think that if we're going to make progress here, one thing we need to agree on is that certain topics are off-limits. And one of those topics is Lex Luthor." "Agreed," Conor replied, clearly shaken by the abrupt change in atmosphere. He felt as if the temperature in his living-room had dropped by several degrees; the universe's newest Superman actually shivered. Laura began to collect up the coffee-cups and other crockery, using that as an excuse to escape from the room. She was aware that she had put her foot in it badly. She had never expected Lois to react so furiously to her enquiry. After all, from what they knew of the Metropolis couple, it was five years since Lois had almost married Luthor, and she had been married to Clark for well over two years now. Surely the Luthor business was ancient history? Clearly it wasn't, and Laura couldn't help but feel that there was more to this. Still, she *had* put her foot in it and upset their visitors, and she needed to think of a way of making amends. Back in the living-room, Clark decided it was time to get on with what he and Lois had been brought to Conor's world for. Re-taking his seat, and gently pulling Lois down beside him, he spoke calmly. "We understand that because you only found out you were Superman about a month ago, Conor, you're still getting used to your powers. But didn't you have them when you were growing up?" Grateful for the change of subject, Conor nodded. "I guess. But I was under a lot of pressure to be 'normal,' so I hid what I could do, pretended I was imagining a lot of the strange things I was experiencing - and gradually it became so normal to suppress what I could do that *I* believed there was nothing different about me! Would you believe that Laura figured out about my powers before I did?" Despite her earlier anger, Lois found herself feeling sympathy; a glance at Clark told her that her husband shared her feelings. Clark looked directly at Conor and commented, "Then you have a lot of things to get used to. My powers started to develop once I was about ten or eleven - and after I almost burned down the barn my parents and I agreed I needed to practice to get the hang of what I could do. That way I'd be able to use my powers safely - without anyone realising." "You were lucky to have such understanding parents," Conor told him, not without a touch of envy. Clark smiled. "Yeah - they're the best." In a more serious tone, he continued, "I also did a lot of reading around that time - human physiology, physics and so on - to make sure I understood just how much pressure of different types a human body can withstand without harm. So I know just how far I can go to stop criminals without causing them serious harm, or how fast I can fly with someone in my arms." "Hmmm - looks like I'm due a trip to Barnes and Noble," Conor mused aloud. "Hope no-one wonders why Conor Kane is buying serious science textbooks." Laura, who had just slipped silently back into the room, murmured, "You can just say it's for research - after all, you have given up acting in favour of script-writing." Conor smiled at her, drawing her into the circle of his arms. "What would I do without you, honey? I may have the super-strength, but you're the brains of this partnership." "Sounds familiar," Clark murmured, smiling at Lois and including the other two in his smile. "Lois..." Laura began nervously, anxious to repair the damage. "I'm sorry - " She broke off as she and Lois simultaneously noticed that their men had both become distracted. Lois touched Clark's arm. "Honey?" Conor answered. "Armed robbery - downtown LA, from what I can tell." He spun into his Superman outfit and prepared to depart, but Clark took a step in his direction. "Want me to come?" Conor paused. "Well, I think I can handle this one... it's not like it's an earthquake or anything..." His tone suggested that he was somewhat offended at Clark's offer. Clark, however, had little patience with what he half-suspected was prima-donna-ish behaviour, and replied politely but firmly, "I wasn't suggesting that I would do anything, but that I could just watch how you handle the situation. After all, if you *want* me to help you get used to controlling your powers, I have to see what, if anything, you're doing wrong first." Feeling a little abashed - it was a very reasonable and helpful proposition after all - Conor nodded. "Okay." Clark glanced down at himself, at the black jeans and shirt he was wearing. "I should be okay like this - I can stay high enough to be out of sight." "Then let's get going!" Conor urged, leading the way out of the French doors into the back garden. Laura raised an eyebrow at Lois. "Is he always like that?" "Like what?" Lois demanded, ready to refute any criticism of her husband. "So... in charge! And so *darned* reasonable with it!" Despite herself, Lois found herself grinning at her other-world counterpart. "Incessantly." **************** Superman landed outside the La Mirada branch of the First Bank of California, quickly assessing the situation. Four armed robbers were in the process of shooting their way out of the bank, while half-a-dozen of LAPD's finest were shooting back. A number of curious passers-by were watching in fascination. One big problem with LA, Conor thought cynically - everyone thinks this kind of shoot-out is just Hollywood's latest movie. He quickly placed himself between the robbers and the police, allowing the bullets to bounce off his chest, then sent darts of heat vision to the hands gripping the guns; within seconds, screams could be heard as the robbers dropped their weapons and tried to make a run for it. Not wanting any trigger-happy police officer to fire yet more shots, Conor flew towards the fleeing robbers and grabbed them, using super-speed to 'borrow' some of the officers' handcuffs and secure them. His task finished, he glanced skywards to where, he hoped, Clark would be waiting; he could just make out a black shadow on the rooftop of a building on the next block. Conor took off, flying upwards and assuming that Clark would follow him; he led to the way to a remote spot on top of the Santa Monica Mountains. "Well? How did I do?" he asked eagerly; almost like a puppy wanting to be praised, Clark thought. Clark sighed heavily. "Ohhh boy." Conor frowned. "What do you mean? I apprehended them, and no-one got killed - as *would* have happened if I hadn't turned up." It was Clark's turn to frown. Clearly he would have to handle this carefully; his younger counterpart seemed a little sensitive about his handiwork. He levitated into a sitting position, cross-legged, and gestured that Conor should do the same. Then he gave Conor a level stare. "If you want to learn, you need to listen to me here. The first problem was you catching those bullets on your chest," Clark explained. Conor stared at him. "What do you mean? It worked... and that's the way I used to... I mean, in the show...." Clark sighed heavily; this was going to be harder than he'd expected. "I see. Maybe I should watch some episodes of this show of yours - see what other crazy things your director had you doing." Conor shook his head. "I don't understand." "No," Clark replied. He could see that this inexperienced Superman didn't. "Okay. If you catch bullets on your chest, mostly they'll flatten with the force of the impact - some of them will fall to the ground, but it's equally possible that some of them would bounce back. And if they do, they could hit someone, and *hurt* someone." Conor was silent. Of *course* that was a possibility - but he'd never thought of that. And it was so obvious that he should have thought of it. Clark was right: he had a lot to learn. Swallowing his pride, he met Clark's gaze and said, "Okay, what should I do?" "Catch them in your hand," Clark explained. "All right, bullets move fast, but as long as you've seen them fired you should be quick enough to catch them. Then you can crush them - or if you need to, you should be able to hand them over to the police as evidence. It's all a matter of controlling the strength of your grip." Conor nodded. "Okay. I can do that." He paused. "So, what else did I do wrong?" Clark was reassured: he was making progress. Conor was willing to accept his mistakes and learn how to do better. "Well, you made the robbers drop their guns by using heat vision. Now, that's fine in some circumstances, but you really need to be sure that you can control the strength of the heat. I could see second-degree burns on at least two guys' hands." Conor's face fell. "I know. That's what I really have problems with - controlling my strength and powers at times." He paused, remembering, then continued, his expression agonised, "You know what? A week ago, I... Laura...." He paused, struggling to maintain his composure. Clark watched in silent sympathy and encouragement. Conor inhaled a long, shuddering breath and continued, "We were in bed, I... I just lost control, and I hurt her. She had bruises for days. She didn't complain, but...." "But that just made you feel worse about it?" Clark suggested. "Hey, I've been there - I was attacked by red kryptonite a couple of years back and lost control of my powers. I hurt Lois too, but she tried to hide it - she covered up the bruises and I only saw them by accident." He paused, ensuring that he had Conor's full attention. "I know *exactly* how you feel. But in your case there's no Kryptonite, so you can learn how to exert control over yourself. I'll help you." Conor took another shuddering breath. "Thanks, Clark. I'd appreciate that more than anything else." He paused, then in a more normal tone asked, "So how would you recommend getting rid of the guns?" Clark shrugged. "You could do any number of things. Grab the guns at super-speed, blow freezing breath at the bad guys to make them drop them, blow hard with your super-breath to knock them off balance... it depends on the situation really. There, I'd probably have used super-speed and tied them up at the same time as I disarmed them." Conor nodded. "Makes sense." Clark dropped to the ground, his thoughts clearly elsewhere. "Conor, we will work on this stuff, I promise. But right now, do you mind if we get on back to your place? I'm just... kinda concerned about Lois." Conor nodded again, beginning to drift upwards. "Sure. Uh... y'know, Clark, Laura didn't mean to upset Lois... I know she's really sorry she ever mentioned Lex Luthor." Clark sighed, giving Conor a wry smile. He supposed it really wasn't this man's fault - or even his fiancee's. "I know. You have to understand it's kind of weird for us... I mean, so much of what has actually happened in our lives seems to have been just some sort of make-believe in your world, and it's difficult for us to get used to having so much of our past exposed as common knowledge." "And it can't help to have us treating your lives as some sort of curiosity," Conor acknowledged. Clark nodded. "But it's not just that Lois... almost marrying Luthor has bad memories for us, though it *does*, I promise you. The thing is, Luthor didn't die when he jumped - he came back and went after us again." "Yeah - well, if these weird parallels between our show and your lives are still holding up, there's a script we were just about to film - Luthor comes back from the dead, lures Lois to some underground sewer, and nearly kills her." Again taken aback by the similarity between this TV show and his life, Clark blinked, then regained control of his emotions. "Yeah, that happened. But I caught him and handed him over to the police - that wasn't a problem. He resurfaced a year later - he escaped from prison on what should have been our wedding day, kidnapped Lois, replaced her with a clone - who I *married* - and I didn't find out until a couple of days later. In the meantime, Lois hit her head and lost her memory, and Luthor persuaded her that she was in love with him, not me. He almost succeeded in killing me and taking Lois off to Europe with him." He paused, his eyes cold and bitter with the memories. "He died then, finally, but a year later his son also tried to take Lois away from me. I only just managed to get her out of that one alive." Conor blinked. "No wonder you and Lois were upset." "Yeah." Clark did his best to put the memories behind him; most of the time, he and Lois told each other that they had got over what had happened, and that Luthor no longer had the power to hurt them. But he knew, inside, that this simply wasn't true. It would take him a long time to forget the hurt and despair of those weeks after their first wedding, and he knew that Lois felt the same way. "Let's get going," he urged Conor. **************** Continued in Part 3 ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk --- End Forwarded Message --- ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 18:54:20 +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: NEW STORY: Big Boys Do Fly II: Part 3/5 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII TITLE: Big Boys Do Fly II: Close Encounters PART: 3/5 AUTHOR: Wendy Richards RATING: PG/PG-13 FEEDBACK: Comments welcome publicly or privately. Summary: This story is a sequel to Big Boys Do Fly, which was posted on the Archive a couple of months ago. Conor and Laura are experiencing some difficulties adjusting to their new lives, and need help... but where might they get it from? ---------------------- Left alone in the house in Santa Monica, Lois and Laura faced each other awkwardly. "Lois, I - I'm really sorry about earlier. I never meant to upset you and Clark," Laura said sincerely. Lois nodded tautly. Perhaps she had been a little hard on this woman - this person who was a stranger, and yet who was so familiar it was almost like looking in the mirror. "I shouldn't have let myself get so wound up, but if you knew about everything Luthor has done to Clark and me, you'd understand... anyway, I'm not going to get into that now." Laura nodded in return, grateful that Lois seemed to have accepted her olive branch. "Okay - I won't ask. If he's even half as creepy in real life as we showed him on TV, he's not someone I'd like to meet either." "Oh, he's dead now, thankfully," Lois replied, brushing her hair away >from her face with her fingers. *That* time he had definitely been dead - or at least, so far it seemed that way. His body had been found, and had been buried in a high-security crypt in order to prevent anyone trying to dig it up; Lois knew that Clark occasionally flew over the crypt just to check that it hadn't been disturbed in any way. "Want more coffee?" Laura asked; on receiving an answer in the affirmative she suggested they go through to the kitchen. Lois continued to peer around the house as Laura led the way towards the kitchen, which was situated at the rear of the building. "Hmmm - nice kitchen," Lois observed. "I could just see Clark cooking in here." "So you really can't cook?" Laura asked. "This is so weird - I mean, that you're so like we played you in the show." Lois stared at her. "How is it *everyone* knows I can't cook?" She shrugged. "Well, I am improving - Clark's taught me how to make stir-fry, and I can cook Jon's food. How about you?" "Jon?" It was Laura's turn to be surprised. "Our son - he's almost a year old." Lois frowned; she *knew* Jon would be fine with Jonathan and Martha, and in any case, if HG Wells kept his word and returned them at the same moment at which he'd taken them away, Jon wouldn't even have time to miss them. But *she* couldn't help missing him, and unlike when she and Clark were at the Planet and he was at daycare, she couldn't phone and check up on him - nor could Clark fly overhead and look to see if he was okay. "You and Clark have a child... will he have super-powers too?" Laura seemed to be finding this difficult to assimilate. Lois, watching her, felt that she understood. "You're wondering whether, if you and Conor have kids, you're going to have two-year-olds flying around the house?" Laura's wry expression gave Lois the answer to her question. "I used to worry about that too, but Clark assured me that he didn't start to develop his powers until he was about ten or so, and even then it was gradual. He didn't fly until he was eighteen. So I don't think either of us has much to worry about." Laura gave a small sigh - that at least was a relief. She set the coffee filter to brew, then turned back to Lois. "I guess you went through all of the sort of stuff I'm experiencing?" "Most, I guess - though in my case I had the problem of thinking Clark and Superman were two different people. Even worse, that I was in *love* with two different people, Can you imagine how that felt?" Lois threw her hands out in a frustrated gesture. "I still think Clark doesn't really understand how that made me feel once we'd started dating - like every time I felt excited at being with Superman I felt guilty about being unfaithful to Clark. Clark tells me that pretending with me was beginning to make him feel scizophrenic, but at least he *knew* he was the same person!" Very interested in this, Laura asked, "So how did you find out? Did he tell you?" Lois laughed aloud. "Did he!... no he didn't! I figured it out!" She paused, then added, "To be fair, he had been trying to tell me - we just kept getting interrupted. If it wasn't Dan Scardino, or Jimmy, it was some bad guy or other trying to get revenge on us. Nigel St John resurfaced around that time...?" She paused again, glancing at Laura to see whether the name meant anything to her. It clearly did, so St John must also have appeared in their TV show. "Anyway, in the midst of it all, I finally figured it out." "How?" Laura was now very curious. "We always thought it was so weird that Lois didn't guess - I mean, how many more times did Clark have to run off just before Superman arrived before the penny dropped?" "Oh, don't remind me," Lois groaned. "When I think of all the *stupid* excuses... the 'Cheese of the Month Club'..." "He *really* said that?" Laura was almost doubled up with laughter. "Oh, I *have* to tell Conor - he'll crack up! We always thought that one was so corny, even the fans wouldn't believe he said it." "Oh, he said it all right," Lois drawled wryly. "*And* I just accepted it, too!" "So, what did make you figure it out?" Lois's face assumed a dreamy expression. "It was the way he touched me - the same way Conor touched you earlier, Laura. Like that..." She mimicked the caress along her jawline. "We were going through kind of a tough time with St John and an accomplice of his. Clark was upset and I was trying to comfort him, and he touched me.... Then the following day I was with Superman, trying to persuade him to help me do something he didn't really want to do - " for some reason, Lois was reluctant to tell Laura about asking Clark to freeze her, " - and he touched me too, in exactly the same way." She paused, tracing circles around the worksurface with her index finger as she reminisced. "I didn't put two and two together immediately - well, there was too much else going on, for a start. But later, I started thinking - and it all made sense. He *had* to be Superman." Laura grinned. "I knew Conor was Superman before he did!" "Yeah, Mr Wells told us that," Lois replied, not a little aggrieved that her counterpart had figured out Conor's secret so quickly; *she* was the investigative journalist, after all. She was struck by another, more mundane, thought. "If Conor didn't realise he had his powers until a few weeks ago, how did he cope with things like cutting his hair and shaving?" Laura shrugged. "I think it was kind of like mind over matter. You know, he'd convinced himself that there was nothing different about him, so a lot of the time it seemed like there wasn't. He told me he'd always visited barbers, and shaved with normal razors - he just seemed to go through more than other guys. Then the morning after we found out that he's this world's Superman, he discovered he couldn't shave with a razor. So he experimented with the way the Clark on our show was supposed to have done it - and he nearly passed out when it worked!" Lois laughed. "I'd love to have seen that! Mind you, the first time I saw Clark cut his own hair using his heat vision and a couple of mirrors I thought I was watching a sci-fi movie. The things I've got used to over the past four years... you'd never believe!" Lois stopped herself, and smiled again. "On the other hand, you probably would - you'll be getting used to them yourself!" Laura joined in Lois's laughter, the two women suddenly feeling at ease with each other. A thought struck Lois then, and she faced her younger counterpart. "Tell me something - if Conor played Superman on TV for over a year, how on earth is it that he's not recognised?" "Ah!" Laura grinned. "Come and take a look." She led the way out of the kitchen and down the hall into a room Lois hadn't been in yet. This was nearer the front of the house, and as soon as Laura opened the doors Lois noticed the publicity stills and posters on the wall. Her gaze was drawn to an almost full-size poster of Conor dressed as Superman, with Laura as Lois clinging to his thigh in a deliberately provocative position. Laura gestured at the picture. "See? Conor looks very different from his normal self in that suit - but he also looks completely different in the suit your Clark gave him." Lois gazed thoughtfully at the pictures. "You know, you're right, she agreed slowly. "If I didn't know the Superman of this world is Conor, I probably wouldn't recognise him either." Laura nodded. "They used a lot of makeup for the TV show as well - that makes a difference. I think they felt Conor was a bit too dark-skinned for the role - after all, Metropolis is supposed to be somewhere much further north - so they made his skin paler, both as Clark and as Superman." Lois laughed. "That might mean Conor could get away without having to wear glasses! Not that Clark minds - he's used to it now, and he says the glasses help to prevent him using his super-vision accidentally." "It's so really great to talk to you, Lois!" Laura exclaimed suddenly. "You don't know what it's been like the last few weeks, trying to help Conor get used to all this, his powers... and at the same time trying to get used to it myself. I love Conor to bits, you know, but there've been times...." She broke off, her expression revealing the tension and strain of the past month. "Well, that's what we're here for," Lois reassured her in a bracing tone, intuitively recognising that overt sympathy was not what the other woman needed right now. "I've no idea how long Mr Wells intends us to stay, but something he said made me think he meant at least a couple of days, so we'll have plenty of time to talk." She threw Laura an encouraging smile, deliberately not letting the other woman see the real sympathy she felt. Lois couldn't imagine how she would have managed if she hadn't had Martha and Jonathan's calm, humorous understanding to turn to. *************** Conor's flight slowed as he and Clark approached his home. Turning to glance at his companion, he commented, "Everything seems okay - they're in my study, just talking." Clark grinned. "That's a relief - I was afraid Lois might have started tearing Laura's hair out." "Really? She's really as manic as we play her, then?" Clark frowned. "I wouldn't call her 'manic', exactly...." "Well, the writers called her 'Mad Dog Lane' in the Pilot," Conor informed him. "Ah!" Clark laughed. "Well, I have to admit that name has been mentioned once or twice...." As they were about to land in the back yard, Conor paused and murmured something to Clark. The two men laughed, but Clark commented, "Okay, but I bet Lois won't be fooled." *************** "Hey - sounds like the guys are back," Laura announced, her attention attracted by sounds in the living-room. The two women hurried out and into the other room, only to stop dead at the sight of two identical Super-heroes, both dressed in Superman costumes and both standing in the distinctive posture, arms folded in front of their chests. Laura caught Lois's arm and whispered quickly to her; Conor, watching and enjoying the joke, was taken by surprise as he saw Laura hurry to Clark and fling her arms around his neck, raising his mouth for his kiss. He had little time to react, since *Lois* was suddenly in his arms and her lips were teasing his jaw. Instinctively, his arms came around her, but his gaze followed Laura, a pang of jealousy twisting in his stomach as he wondered whether she would prefer the man he couldn't help but think of as the *real* Superman. Clark gripped Laura lightly at her waist and gave her an amused smile while holding her a little away from him; his gaze sought Lois and as he saw the laughter in her eyes he laughed softly. "I knew we wouldn't fool *you*, sweetheart," he teased her. Lois laughed in response. "We knew what you'd done as soon as we saw you - and this was Laura's idea." "Laura?" queried Conor. "You *knew* it was Clark, not me, honey?" "Sure I did!" his fiancee reassured him. "Darling, I'd know you anywhere - even if you do have identical twin brothers in every other universe, *you're* the only Super man for me." Conor gently put Lois away from him - "No offence, Lois," he assured her swiftly - and caught Laura in his arms, his lips claiming hers in a long, passionate kiss. Lois, now safely in Clark's arms, watched in amusement. "Were we that bad, honey?" she asked him. "*Were* we? According to Jimmy, we're *always* that bad!" Clark assured her. **************** Over the next hour or so Conor felt like pinching himself several times, except that if this was a dream he definitely did not want to wake up. For the first time since he had discovered his amazing powers he was able to talk to someone who understood just how he felt, what he was experiencing and the problems he faced. Laura tried - and he was well aware that he could not have survived the past few weeks without her - but having Clark Kent around, however briefly, was a dream come true. After the first half-hour or so, Laura had invited Lois to take a tour of the house; he'd suspected that they were being tactful in leaving him alone with their guest. He felt as if he was asking hundreds of questions, and because of that he kept interrupting himself to insist that Clark should tell him if he was being a nuisance. But his slightly older counterpart - Clark had explained that he was thirty-three to Conor's almost thirty - had insisted that his purpose in being in Conor's world was precisely so that Conor could bombard him with questions. So they had talked about their shared history; Conor learned that the version of his history which their show had used was actually pretty accurate, which was quite a shock to Clark. "They - your writers - knew about the globe?" "Looks like it," Conor confirmed. He fell silent; it was another shocking realisation that the scene he had played out for the cameras, where he had displayed such emotion on learning of his origins, was actually how it had happened for Clark. Not only that, but the two people who had placed the baby in the capsule were actually his birth parents. He had *known* that since he'd discovered the truth about himself, but it had taken Clark's quiet explanation of the circumstances of their joint origin to bring that home to him. He found himself wishing that Clark had thought to bring the real globe with him; even though Conor had seen the messages, almost word-for-word by what Clark had said, it would have been so much better to see the real thing. Clark leaned forward suddenly, closing some of the gap created by the two large sofas set several feet apart. "I have it with me." Conor started. "What?" "The globe. That *was* what you were thinking, wasn't it?" Clark enquired, an amused gleam in his eyes. "How did you...? Oh, I guess - uh, it must have been pretty easy to figure out what I was thinking," Conor stammered. "Probably," Clark countered, "but in fact I heard you." Conor almost fell off the sofa. "You *heard* me?" Clark nodded. "Look, it's a long story and I don't really want to get started on it right now, but Kryptonians communicate telepathically. I found out about it a couple of years ago." Conor shook his head. First the flying and the other super-powers... now telepathy. "So I can read your mind too?" "Probably. If you want to. But I kind of felt it was an invasion of privacy, so when I met the other Kryptonians I didn't do it. They *talk* that way, though." "Other...?" Conor stared, aghast. "There are more of us in your world?" Clark sighed. "No - they just came on a visit. Like I said, Conor, it's a long story. If we have time before Lois and I have to go back, I'll tell you all about them. For now, let's just say that I hope they don't come for you." Come for me...? Conor frowned, wondering what else lay in store for him. This didn't sound too good. But Clark was getting to his feet, moving to where he had left the black holdall he had been carrying when they had arrived. "Here it is." In his hand, he held a translucent white object. After a couple of moments it began to glow, and a map of Earth appeared, which was quickly replaced by a map of Krypton. Conor sat in stunned silence as the globe played its five messages in turn. "Wow... that is really something," he whispered as the globe glowed one last time before reverting to pearly white. "I wonder where mine went?" Clark frowned. "You say you landed in Smallville, just like I did, except that HG Wells took you from there and brought you forty years into the future?" Conor nodded, wondering where this was leading. Clark didn't immediately enlighten him, instead asking where Lois and Laura had gone. Shrugging, Conor answered him. "I think Laura took her upstairs - I guess they were being tactful." Nodding, Clark headed for the door. "I think we might need them, Conor. There's something I just thought of, and Wells did say that there was something else we might need to help you with..." ************** Upstairs, Laura had taken Lois to the guest-room. "Since we don't know how long you and Clark are staying, the least we can do is give you somewhere to sleep!" she had explained, laughing. It was a lovely room, Lois thought; from the spacious interior, the polished floorboards, the fitted cupboards and dressing-table, the window-seat and the luxurious ensuite bathroom. Hollywood actors were certainly paid more than award-winning journalists, that was for sure. Lois duly admired the room, but then changed the subject to their respective menfolk. "I think you were right to leave Conor alone with Clark - there's obviously a lot he wants to ask, and they'll both get on with it better without us around." Laura nodded. "I did want to stay - there's so much about Conor I want to be able to understand, and there are things I want to ask Clark too." "You'll get your chance," Lois assured her. "And I can probably answer a lot for you too." Laura sat down heavily on the bed, welcoming the opportunity to discuss some of the things she had found difficult to cope with. "How do you cope when he comes home exhausted and tearing himself apart because he hasn't been able to save someone?" Lois came to sit beside her, instinctively reaching out for the younger woman's hands. "That's tough. Clark gets like that too, and though he's getting better these days at accepting that it's not his fault, he still obsesses." "Obsesses!" Laura leapt on the word. "That's exactly what Conor does." Lois nodded. "Well, they are the same person - they may have had different upbringings and they have different careers now, so there will be differences in their personalities. But Clark wouldn't be the person he is without that compassion. And I guess if Conor didn't share that, he wouldn't be Kal-El." "That's true," Laura agreed. "You know, all the time we were making the show, I thought Conor was really different from the character he played - but in the last few weeks I've realised just how similar he is." She paused, thinking. "I figured after a while that he'd been suppressing what he could do for so long he'd actually turned himself into someone he isn't. The Conor I first met was a real extrovert, and that's how most of the cast and crew saw him. But once I got to know him better I realised that underneath he has so many doubts about himself..." "Just like Clark," Lois observed. Laura stared at her. "But he seems so confident, so sure of himself..." "Yeah, he's good at that," Lois agreed. "He can be very reassuring to other people. He's just not very good at reassuring himself!" ***************** "So what's this about, Clark?" Conor asked, once Lois and Laura had joined them in the living-room. Clark took up a position in front of the large, decorative hearth. "It occurred to me that, if your spaceship landed in Schuster's Field in Smallville like mine did, then something else might also be there." Lois stared at her husband. "You mean Kryptonite, don't you, Clark?" She thought swiftly. "Bureau 39 found it, in our world - but here, no-one knew there was a Superman until a few weeks ago, and they certainly won't know when or where Conor got here..." "Unless they put two and two together from our TV show," Laura intervened. "So far Conor's managed to avoid giving any interviews, so no-one knows how close the show is to reality." "Keep it that way," Clark advised grimly. "Trust me on this, if your world has any of the lunatics we've encountered, you're better not giving them any opportunity to harm you or Laura." Conor nodded soberly. "So what about this Kryptonite, Clark? What are you suggesting?" "We need to find it and get rid of it," Clark explained. "That's why I need you, Lois - you'll have to handle the stuff." Lois nodded agreement. Laura looked puzzled. "How will you find it, if it's been there nearly sixty years?" Clark grinned wryly in spite of himself. "Oh, I'll find it, Laura, trust me!" Realising what he meant, Lois grabbed his arm. "No, Clark, you are *not* going to expose yourself to the stuff - I won't let you!" But he turned to her, kissing her softly in reassurance. "Lois, honey, it'll be okay. All I need to do is use my vision to see where it is - once I feel its effects I'll get well away from it, I promise you!" Although she still wasn't happy about the situation, Lois reluctantly conceded that Clark was right: there was no other way of doing it. She returned his kiss, then said, "Okay, let's do it." "When do you want us to go?" Conor asked. But Clark frowned at him. "I don't think you should come, Conor. Look," he added, as Conor stared at him in disbelief, "you've never been exposed to this stuff. The first time I encountered it I was really sick and my powers were gone for two days. It's not so bad for me now I've been exposed to it a number of times, so I'll be okay. You should keep away from it." Conor stared straight at Clark, meeting the brown eyes which were twins of his own. "Clark, I know I've never encountered it. But think about it - there's no guarantee I never will, so it's better that I come across it now, when we expect it to happen, so I can at least recognise what Kryptonite exposure feels like? It'll make it easier to deal with if I meet it again." Clark remained unconvinced, though he stayed silent. Conor added, "Look, I know you don't accept what I'm saying..." <> he added silently, as to his shock he realised that he actually could 'hear' Clark's thoughts. he acknowledged, barely believing what was happening to him. "But apart from anything else, I'd also kind of like to see Smallville - sure, I know I could go any time, but I'm not likely to get the opportunity to have you show me around again, am I? Clark, I *want* to come - and so does Laura," he added, having seen his fiancee's expression. "Yeah, I do," Laura agreed, "but is it safe, Clark? I don't want either of you hurt..." Lois answered; she felt that Laura might be more convinced hearing it >from her rather than Clark. "Yeah, it'll be fine, Laura. Clark's right - as long as he doesn't stay within range for more than a minute or so, he'll be okay. Conor will need to be more careful though." Laura nodded acceptance. "But... if Kryptonite makes you Kryptonians lose your powers, how will we get back?" she enquired, bemused. Clark laughed. "Trust me, it'll be okay. Really - I'd have to be exposed for quite a while now to lose my powers completely. And if Conor has any problems, I can get us all back." **************** Continued in Part 4 ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk --- End Forwarded Message --- ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 18:56:24 +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: NEW STORY: Big Boys Do Fly II: Part 4/5 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII TITLE: Big Boys Do Fly II: Close Encounters PART: 4/5 AUTHOR: Wendy Richards RATING: PG/PG-13 FEEDBACK: Comments welcome publicly or privately. Summary: This story is a sequel to Big Boys Do Fly, which was posted on the Archive a couple of months ago. Conor and Laura are experiencing some difficulties adjusting to their new lives, and need help... but where might they get it from? ---------------------- Clark, with Lois in his arms, paused just below cloud-level and gestured to Conor who had drawn level with him. "Down there - that's the Kent farmhouse." Conor stared using his super-vision; it didn't look much like the farmhouse they'd used on the show. Laura nudged his arm. "Hey, Conor, don't forget I don't have your super-sight!" "Is it safe to land?" Conor asked Clark. "What do you think?" Clark thought for a few moments. "I don't see why not - we can't get close to the farmhouse, but there are other places I can show you, like Rocky Cove. We probably better not go into Smallville itself - you don't want people wondering why Superman is in town, and if Laura's recognised you'll really have problems." The brief tour of the countryside around Smallville was more difficult than Conor had imagined it would be. It finally dawned on him just what he had been deprived of by the action HG Wells had taken. He had to remind himself that if the time-travelling writer had not taken that course of action, Conor probably wouldn't have lived anyway, since Tempus had gone back to 1940 in order to kill him. But he was aware, both from his TV show and from some of the things Clark had said, that Martha and Jonathan Kent were - had been, for of course in his world they were both dead - an amazing couple. Clark's childhood, apart from the need to come to terms with his super-powers, had been very happy. Conor's own childhood had not been so pleasant; his adoptive parents had never paid very much attention to him, other than insisting on 'normal' behaviour, and once he'd left home at the age of eighteen he had not kept in close contact with them. >>From the way Laura pressed her body close to his, Conor realised that she understood the thoughts which were going through his mind, and he threw his arm around her shoulder in grateful appreciation. He caught Clark's eye then, and realised that his older counterpart also understood; how this was so, Conor wasn't quite sure, as he hadn't 'felt' Clark reading his mind. This telepathy thing was going to take some getting used to, he conceded ruefully. There was also the issue of privacy - although he half-wondered whether it only worked when the other person 'permitted' their thoughts to be read. Kinda like you can't read files on a remote computer over a network unless they're marked for file-sharing, he reasoned. Self-consciously, he tried 'closing' his mind to Clark, and was rewarded by an understanding, sympathetic look in the other man's eyes. Some time later, Clark led the way into Schuster's Field, pausing a little way beyond the stile to prepare himself mentally for the possible encounter with Kryptonite. Lois saw the deep breaths her husband was taking, and she gripped his hand, offering comfort and what support she could. Gesturing to Conor to stay back, Clark walked determinedly forward. About half-way across the field he stopped suddenly as waves of pain hit his body. Lois grabbed his arm. "Clark? It's here, isn't it?" "Yeah," he gasped, willing his body to withstand the effects of the deadly meteorite. He took a couple of steps backwards and, lowering his glasses, scanned the area. Yes, there it was, buried under a few inches of earth and grass. He glanced around, then picked up a stick which lay a few feet away, and threw it. It stabbed the earth just above where the Kryptonite lay. "Okay, Lois - over to you," Clark murmured, stepping well back. Lois hurried over to the marked spot, carrying the small spade they'd picked up at the hardware store in town. They had decided that Lois was least likely of the four of them to arouse suspicion in Smallville, so she had been the one to do the shopping; as well as the spade, she had bought a large roll of silver foil, which had been the nearest to lead they could think of. Laura hurried over and helped; within a couple of minutes several chunks of glowing green rock lay on the grass. Conor watched from his vantage-point some distance away, fascinated by the sight of this rock which, if he got too close, could kill him. It really did glow, he thought, amazed. It had a kind of translucent quality, and something about it... ...was drawing him closer, almost impelling him to move forward. He took a tentative step, just as Clark yelled at him, "Conor, what the heck are you doing?!" Suddenly, waves of excruciating pain hit him. His entire body screamed at him in agony. His legs refused to hold him, and he collapsed to the ground; his inner organs throbbed and felt as if they were going to burst. His chest felt tight, and his breath came in sharp, painful gasps. It had only been a bare second, but Clark could see that Conor was already suffering badly. The Kryptonite was hardly affecting him at this distance, but Conor's lack of previous exposure was making it hard for him. Clark swept the younger man into his arms and retreated with him to the stile, calling to Lois to hurry up and get the meteorite safely wrapped up. As Clark laid Conor down on the grass Laura hurried over, her face pale. "Is... is he okay, Clark?" she exclaimed anxiously. Clark smiled reassuringly up at her as he crouched by Conor's side checking his vital signs. "He's fine. Give him a couple of minutes to catch his breath - he won't have his powers at first, but that shouldn't last long. He wasn't close enough to the stuff to have suffered any real harm." "Yeah, I'm okay," Conor insisted, reaching for Laura's hand. "Hey, Clark, you didn't exaggerate about that stuff being poisonous! I've never felt so awful in my life!" He began to sit up, but gave up the attempt as his head spun again. Lois had by now wrapped up the Kryptonite, but was keeping her distance. "Clark, what do you want to do with this stuff?" she called. Clark glanced at the two actors. "Can you two make your way along the road on your own? I don't think we should hang about in the field much longer. Lois and I will be back as soon as we can." ************** Although he had put on a brave face for Laura's benefit, Conor was feeling pretty terrible; in fact, he couldn't remember ever having ached so much in his life, even after a day hanging suspended from that cursed harness the studios had used. Since realising his true identity and discovering the extent of his invulnerability, he had forgotten how it felt to experience pain, and this brutal reminder was an experience he would rather not have had. Still, in order not to worry Laura, he had dragged himself to his feet with the aid of the fence and Clark's arm; they were being careful not to perform any feats of enhanced strength or other super-power anywhere they could have been in public view. Once Clark and Lois had disappeared back into the trees for their take-off - Clark had announced that he intended to fly out over the Pacific so that Lois could drop the lethal package into the deepest part of the ocean - Conor had taken Laura's arm and they had begun to walk slowly back along the road as Clark had suggested. It was hard going, especially since Conor was doing his best not to lean too heavily on Laura. As they went, he mused on Clark's account of his first encounter with Kryptonite, and Conor wondered whether his own powers would also take a couple of days to return. He almost didn't mind not having them, he thought with a grimace; it was the pain which was the worst thing about this remnant of his home planet. Although, he reminded himself, *not* having powers for a day or so would mean that he was wasting Clark's time: the purpose of the older man's visit was so that Clark could help Conor to understand and use his powers. They couldn't do that if he didn't have any powers, he realised. He sighed; perhaps he shouldn't have insisted on coming to Smallville. But he instantly rejected that thought: he wouldn't for anything have missed Clark's guided tour of his home town. And encountering Kryptonite had been an educational, if excruciating, experience. It had certainly given him a healthy respect for the substance! Laura glanced anxiously at Conor; apart from his words just after Clark had carried him to the edge of the field, he had been silent, and his face was white and pinched. "Conor - sweetheart, are you okay?" she asked fearfully. He turned to her, shooting a quick smile in her direction. He wouldn't be able to fool her, that was for sure. "Well, I've been better, honey. But it's not so bad now that stuff's nowhere near me. I'm sure once we get home again I'll be okay." A thought struck Laura. "How are we going to get home, if you're like this? Your powers are gone, aren't they?" "Yeah." She was right; Conor hadn't thought of that. He glanced at her again. "Clark said he and Lois would be back soon - we'll sort something out then. I guess if necessary he can make three trips." Conor thought, realising that he felt somewhat uneasy at the prospect. He wasn't sure why - after all, he trusted both Clark and Laura, but... at the same time, he just didn't like the idea of Laura being carried by any Super-being but himself. They reached a small wood, and Conor paused to catch his breath; his legs were screaming at him to sit down. As he leaned against a nearby tree trunk, he heard his voice say sympathetically, from a few feet away, "Hurts like hell, doesn't it?" He swung around; it wasn't his own voice, but Clark's. The man just sounded so like him! "You got rid of it, then?" Lois appeared from behind another tree. "Dropped right in the middle of the ocean." "Good." Laura's voice was hard. "Let's hope that's the last of the stuff." Lois exchanged glances with Clark. She understood Laura's feelings perfectly; she also knew, however, that it was more than likely that this would not be Conor's last encounter with Kryptonite. She didn't want to distress either of their new friends any further, however, so she suggested, in a lighter tone, "So what's your suggestion for getting us back to Santa Monica, Clark?" Clark shrugged. "Conor first - partly because he needs to rest in the sun, and he can do that there, and also because I want to avoid anyone seeing two of us here. You two look more like sisters than identical twins, so it's not such a problem." He switched his gaze to Conor briefly, silently asking for, and receiving, approval for his plan. "Laura next," was Conor's only reply. Clark shrugged. "I can carry both Lois and Laura together." He spun quickly into his Superman outfit, then walked purposefully towards Conor. "Let's go." As the two women watched their respective partners become a mere dot in the sky, Laura glanced at Lois. "How do you stand it?" Initially puzzled, Lois saw her companion's expression and immediately understood. "Seeing him hurt or in danger?" She shook her head ruefully. "Thankfully it doesn't happen very often - there aren't many sources of Kryptonite, and he's managed to find and destroy most of it now." She sighed heavily. "I can't lie to you, Laura - I *hate* seeing Clark hurt, and it kills me that there are people who would deliberately try to kill him. He is the sweetest, gentlest, most decent man I know... and seeing him recovering from a bad case of Kryptonite poisoning is just *horrible*. But I stand it because... because I have to. I can't let him see just how it affects me." Lois walked purposefully towards the centre of the small clump of trees, and Laura followed her. Recovering her composure then, Lois spoke again. "Conor will be fine. You heard Clark - he wasn't exposed long enough to suffer any real harm." "I guess," Laura conceded, not entirely convinced. Her attention was distracted by a sound like rushing wind. "Clark's back - that was quick!" **************** Conor lay in the warmth of the sun, relaxing in a lounger by his swimming pool. The pain was gone, but he still felt strangely weak in a way which was unfamiliar to him. Clark had assured him that this would pass, and that his powers would also return, probably within a few hours and almost certainly by morning; the exposure had not been so great, Clark had commented. If this was a minor exposure, Conor thought wryly, he never wanted to experience a lengthier one! He heard a rushing sound, followed by voices: Clark was back with the women. Seconds later, Laura was kneeling by his side, clutching his hand and anxiously asking whether he was all right. As he reassured her and held and kissed her for a few moments, he wondered whether Lois and Clark were being discreet, since they hadn't joined them. But a few minutes later Lois strolled out onto the patio. "Laura, Clark wondered whether he could take a look at a couple of the tapes of your show - there's something he wants to check out," she called. Conor raised an eyebrow, remembering Clark's remarks earlier that day about his strategies in dealing with emergency situations. "Maybe I should watch them with him," he volunteered awkwardly, not entirely sure whether he wanted to sit beside the *real* Clark Kent as they watched Conor's attempts to play him on TV - and even worse, his attempts to act the part of Superman. "No need," Clark called from the patio doors. "Lois and I'll watch them for a couple of hours now, and we can talk later. You should stay in the sun for as long as you can." Laura got to her feet. "You mean the sun really does rejuvenate him? I thought that was just folklore from the comics and our show." Clark grinned, shaking his head. "I suspect we're going to find that a lot of the mythos of your show is actually true. I'm not quite sure how that makes me feel... but I guess I can cope since we're only here for a short while." Laura took the visitors from Metropolis into Conor's television room, which was almost like a small private cinema, dominated as it was by a large wide screen. Clark having explained what he was looking for, she hunted out a selection of tapes which she thought might be suitable. "Try these - they're mostly second season episodes, apart from 'All Shook Up' where Superman stops an asteroid from hitting the earth...." She trailed off as Lois blinked. "Oh, that happened in your world too?" she queried before continuing. "There's Wall of Sound - I don't think the story's particularly good, but there's a lot of Superman stuff, Church of Metropolis and one or two others." Leaving the two supplied with cold drinks and popcorn, Laura rejoined Conor. **************** "It feels so weird to be without my powers," Conor told Laura reflectively. "I know I haven't always enjoyed the last month, and there have been a few times when I've wished I was... normal, just like everyone else. But now that I *am* just like everyone else - well, call me inconsistent, but I don't *want* to be." "That's not surprising, honey," Laura assured him. "You were born to be Superman - we know that, thanks to Mr Wells. And now we've met Clark we can see a bit better just what that means." Conor shook his head. "I could never be as good as Clark is. You should hear him talk about what he does - it all just comes so naturally to him. He doesn't have to think about the best way to deal with a villain - he just does it. I get it all wrong." "Did he tell you that?" Laura asked sharply, instantly ready to go to the defence of her fiance. Conor shrugged. "Not exactly - not the way you mean. He did tell me that I could have handled that bank robbery better, and he was right. And I already know I find it hard to control my powers." "Did he have any suggestions?" Laura enquired. Shifting into a sitting position, Conor's expression grew alert. "Actually, he did - and I do need to get down to Barnes & Noble as soon as I can. He said that as soon as he realised the extent of his powers he read as much as he could on human biology and physiology, physics and chemistry, so that he could figure out how much power he could use safely in particular circumstances. I guess I need to do that as soon as possible." "You have to remember that Clark's had at least twelve years more than you to get used to his capabilities," Laura pointed out reasonably. "It's not surprising he understands what he can do. But once you learn, you'll be as good as he is." Squeezing her hand, Conor smiled appreciatively at Laura. "You know, I understand why Superman wouldn't be complete without Lois Lane. I really couldn't manage without you to support and encourage me." "Hey, I need you too," Laura assured him. "I love you, Conor Kane, and don't you forget it!" The lingering kiss which followed was only interrupted by an embarrassed cough from the direction of the patio doors. Laura glanced around to see Clark standing there, clearly trying *not* to look in their direction. She laughed. "Come on, Clark, you surely can't be embarrassed to see us kissing? You and Lois must...." She trailed off as she noticed the serious expression on his face. "What is it?" Clark walked quickly across the flagstones towards Conor's lounger. "Conor, I can hear sirens and broadcasts on the emergency frequency - there's a fire at a hospital in West Hollywood." He gestured to his left ear as he spoke, indicating that he had picked up the sounds with his super-hearing. Conor began to get to his feet, but stopped. "I can't do anything," he pointed out anxiously. "My powers..." Clark shook his head. "No, I meant I'm going to go. I just thought I should let you know - check that you're okay with it." "Why would I object?" Conor enquired, puzzled. But Clark didn't wait around for an answer, instead hurrying to the end of Conor's long garden and launching into flight up through the trees, changing into his Superman outfit as he flew. Laura and Conor glanced at each other, bewildered. "This is your world, Conor - he wouldn't interfere here without your consent," Lois explained, walking towards them. "Saving people's lives is hardly interfering!" Laura protested. "I guess not," Lois agreed, "but he still wouldn't presume to take over." Conor shrugged. "Doesn't bother me - in fact it stops me feeling guilty that I can't help right now." He was taken aback to see Laura and Lois exchange glances. "Obsessing," Lois said with an amused smile. "Just like Clark!" ****************** As the sun set over the mountains hours later, and the area around the pool grew significantly cooler, Conor stretched and climbed off the lounger. He had followed Clark's advice and stayed there since returning from Smallville, and he had to admit that he did feel a lot better. Experimentally, he narrowed his eyes and stared hard at the wall of his house. For a split second, it began to shimmer and fade, but then his normal vision took over and all he could see was the exterior paintwork. No powers yet, then... but an indication that they would return. He walked slowly towards the doors leading back to the sitting-room. Laura was in there with their guests; the sound of their voices and laughter had drifted out to him over the past hour or so. He had been content to leave them to it, however, simply relaxing as he basked in the evening sunlight. Laura - and indeed, Lois - had stayed with him at first, but some time after Clark had returned he had sent Laura inside to join their guests. Lois wasn't used to California weather, he had realised: without strong sunscreen she would burn, and he hadn't wanted that. Laura, being accustomed to the weather, didn't need a strong SPF, and he had never needed sunscreen. But it had been a pleasant afternoon, he reflected. Lois and Laura had spent some time in the pool while he had watched and joked with him. *That* had been interesting; he had enjoyed surreptitiously studying Lois Lane in a swimsuit. Clark wouldn't have approved, Conor thought wryly, but he'd had no improper motive. Lois *was* Laura, but four years older; her figure, especially around the breasts, was fuller. Was this how Laura would look when they'd had kids? *If* they had kids.... If so, Conor thought, he would have no complaints.... Clark had returned shortly after this, and had made himself useful by bringing cold drinks and snacks out to the pool. He had also gone swimming for a while, but had then come to sit by Conor and had joined in the conversation, filling in the gaps in Lois's description of Tempus, the evil madman from the future. Conor hoped that he never encountered *that* individual, he thought now, remembering what the two reporters had told him. The man was amoral; clearly had no scruples at all. But then, Conor reminded himself, he knew that: Tempus had, after all, engineered the death of the real Lois Lane, and would have killed him too had HG Wells not removed him and brought him forty years into the future. Some time later, Clark and Lois had returned to the TV room to watch more videos, which had left Conor and Laura to talk quietly about the incredible events of the day. It was still hard to believe that Clark Kent and Lois Lane were really there, in their home. "I like Clark, you know," Laura had commented, letting her hand trail idly along Conor's thigh. "He's quiet, though more confident than you played him on TV - though I guess that could be because he's now got Lois to love, and a family of his own. He's a pretty smart guy, too, though a little shyer than I'd have expected." Conor had smiled at this. "Strangely enough, I like Lois too - though I guess that's not really surprising, seeing as she's you." He had squeezed Laura's hand in his. "And you were right about her, you know. You always said that Lois's softer side would show through if she found a meaningful relationship with someone she loved - that the reason she was so hard was that her life outside work was really lonely. She needed someone to love her, someone she could trust. And it looks to me as if she found him." Laura had grinned in response. "Well, he was there all along - she just didn't see him. You know," she had added wryly, "I almost wish The Powers That Be at Marner Sisters could see those two - it might just convince them they were wrong about the 'Moonlighting' effect. Lois and Clark *could* have been together and still be exciting." Smiling, Conor had replied, "Well, that's all in the past now, and I'm glad - apart from anything else, there's no way I could play Superman on TV now. I have to find a way of making sure that there's no question in anyone's mind that Conor Kane and Superman are two totally different people." he reflected now as he headed inside to join Laura and their guests. **************** "So, Lois, still think Conor and Laura are... what was it you said? Superficial? Egotistical?" Clark teased as the two prepared for bed. Lois grimaced. "Well, okay, maybe *these* particular actors are okay, but I still say that the *vast majority* of Hollywood types are shallow, vain, pretentious and selfish." Clark laughed. "I guess you don't much like actors, honey." He strolled to the window-seat and perched on it, one ankle resting across his knee. "Not really," she conceded with a smile. "But I suppose we should have known these two would be okay - after all, they are *us*. And we're pretty incorruptible." "Maybe," Clark agreed. Lois threw him a curious glance. "Well, it's all to do with environment, isn't it, honey?" he asked her. "I mean, I was lucky - I got adopted by the greatest parents in the entire world apart from the two of us, and I grew up with people who were able to help me come to terms with... being different. So that when I became Superman, with your help, I knew what my ethics were and what I wanted to achieve." He paused, then met Lois's gaze as he continued. "The alternate Clark - well, he lost his parents when he was a kid, and he grew up lonely and confused, and the only person who knew what he could do hated that part of him. When I finally got to meet him, even thought he'd been Superman for almost a year at that stage thanks to you, he was still insecure about who he was, he was desperately lonely, and I figured that he had a pretty sad life. Okay, he seemed to share my view about right and wrong, but he only seemed to have any confidence in himself when he was Superman." He got to his feet and began to pace about the bedroom. "Then there's Conor, brought up by a couple who didn't really seem to care much about him, and didn't even seem to notice there was anything wrong when he was going through a horrible time as a teenager, knowing he was different but not understanding why. He spent most of his adult life to date wanting to fit in - a bit like I did, but actually succeeding better than I did because he simply sublimated what he could do. He went to work in - okay, I do agree with you here, he works in what is pretty much an egotistical industry which is entirely in the business of faking things. He could easily have ended up quite a shallow person...." "You're in danger of losing your own argument here, sweetheart," Lois observed with a grin. "Because Conor is *you* underneath, he didn't end up like that." "But he's not like me either," Clark replied. "Despite - or maybe in spite of - his upbringing, he's much more confident than I am. He's even over-confident as Superman, though I think he does want to learn how to do it better. I'm not sure his ethics are quite the same as mine - I *think* he feels the same way I do about killing, but I get the feeling he wouldn't worry so much about lying as Superman. I wouldn't do that, even if it was to protect me, or us - but I think he would." Lois nodded, taking in Clark's point. "I guess." She laughed suddenly. "What did you think of him playing you on screen, though?" Clark hesitated. "It was... really weird. Not just how like us they both looked - like we looked four years ago, anyway - but how accurate those storylines were." He began to pace the room again. "I know Conor told us that Wells influenced the scripts, but still.... Anyway," he continued in a brisker tone, "I thought he did a pretty good job in that earlier one we saw - the asteroid, remember? I *did* feel as disoriented as he looked, then. But the way he behaved as Superman sometimes just didn't work." "Like when he swept a villain off at Super-speed?" Lois enquired, raising an eyebrow. "Exactly," Clark agreed. "He would have vaporised the guy if he'd done that for real. And I have to talk to him about that before we leave here." Lois frowned. "Shouldn't you have done that tonight, then? After all, we don't know when Wells is going to come back for us." Clark shook his head. "Not a good time, Lois - the guy was feeling bad enough about the Kryptonite exposure and losing his powers. He was trying to hide it, but I could see, and anyway, remember, I know how it felt the first time it happened to me." "It was kind of different for you, honey," Lois pointed out. "You didn't know what had happened or whether you'd ever get your powers back. He knows he will, thanks to you." "I guess." Clark seemed distracted, and Lois slid off the bed to go to him. Wrapping her arms around him, she murmured, "Is this hard for you, sweetheart?" He closed his arms around her, holding her close. "Not really - I mean, Conor's a nice guy, and I like Laura too. I suppose meeting him is like... well, almost like having a younger brother. You know it was always hard for me, being the only one of my... kind." "I remember when that cloned Superman turned up, you said something about Superman having a brother," Lois replied softly. "At the time I never realised... well, I guess I was so hung up on my own Superman fantasy that I never stopped to wonder what it was really like for him - you." "Lonely, a lot of the time," Clark confessed. As Lois's arms tightened around him, he added quickly, "Oh, honey, I'm not lonely any more - you've taken care of that. I stopped searching for somewhere to belong the day I met you. But I guess, until the New Kryptonians came, I always wondered what it would be like to have other people around with the same abilities as myself." "I guess meeting Zara, Trey and the others wasn't exactly the happy family reunion you'd hoped for," Lois observed dryly. "Especially not when they tried to execute - " "Hush," Clark interrupted, kissing her for emphasis. "That's over, and we won't be seeing the New Kryptonians again. But you're right," he added. "It wasn't what I'd dreamed of, and like I told you once they'd gone, I finally realised where I belonged - with you. I don't need anyone else, apart from you and our family." He smiled, love blazing in his gaze. "All the same, it is kind of nice getting to know Conor." Lois understood, perhaps better than Clark realised. But she had her own yearnings for family, and she sighed involuntarily. "I know what you mean, Clark; I like Laura and Conor too. I just... I miss Jon." "Me too." Clark sighed, and attempted to reassure both of them. "But he'll be fine with my parents, you know, even if HG Wells doesn't manage to return us at the same time as he took us away." "You're right," Lois agreed. "I've just never been separated from him this long before, without even the chance to see him." Clark held her closer, trying to give her the support of his strength. Lois pulled a little away from Clark, so that she could see his face, and changed the subject. "You say you see Conor kind of like a brother - but you didn't feel that way about the other Clark, did you?" Clark bit his lip. "Well, that was different...." He sighed heavily. "I *wanted* to - but you know I was uncomfortable with the fact that he had you to himself for a couple of days when he first met you, and he was at our house with you. Don't get me wrong: I was grateful for what he did, and I told him so. But I could see in his eyes how he felt about you, and that made me a little jealous, even though I knew you weren't interested. Okay, I wasn't really surprised that he was in love with you. *I* am in love with you, after all, and he's me." He drew Lois closer to him again, resting his chin on top of her head. "He reminded me of me in the days when you just about accepted me as a friend but you'd never in a million years have thought of me as a boyfriend." Lois reached up to kiss his jaw. "What can I say? I was stupid, so sue me..." *************** Concluded in Part 5 ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk --- End Forwarded Message --- ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 18:57:47 +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: NEW STORY: Big Boys Do Fly II - Part 5/5 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII TITLE: Big Boys Do FLy II: Close Encounters PART: 5/5 AUTHOR: Wendy Richards RATING: PG/PG-13 FEEDBACK: Comments welcome publicly or privately. Summary: This story is a sequel to Big Boys Do Fly, which was posted on the Archive a couple of months ago. Conor and Laura are experiencing some difficulties adjusting to their new lives, and need help... but where might they get it from? ---------------------- Holding Conor's hand as they strolled together towards the entrance to the Solar Systems Studios and theme park, Laura kept a smile pinned on her face. Inwardly, however, she was more anxious than she had so far let Conor know. "Are you sure this is going to work?" she enquired in a low murmur, not allowing her expression to alter from that of a blissfully happy TV star out for a day with her fiance. Conor squeezed her hand in response. "Sure. Clark and I went over all the possible angles earlier, and he thinks there's no problem. I know roughly what time he's going to get here, we decided where we should be, and I can contact him if it needs to be earlier or later than we thought." "Contact him? How?" This time, Laura swung around to face Conor with a puzzled expression. He gave her an awkward smile in response. "I didn't tell you this yet... well, I wasn't exactly sure you'd believe me, but Clark and I can talk..." his voice lowered still further, "... telepathically." "Wha - " Laura strangled her shocked response before any of the hundreds of other visitors and tourists milling around could hear. They wanted to be seen visiting the studios today, sure, but it was supposed to be a perfectly innocent day out. Knowing Conor could hear her, she whispered, "Telepathy? Is that because... basically you're the same person?" Conor shook his head. "No - it's a Kryptonian thing, apparently," he murmured under the guise of kissing her. He and Clark had practised their telepathic communication again that morning, during their lengthy discussion. He had heard their visitors moving around in the guest-room quite early, so he had left Laura in bed and hurried downstairs to make some coffee. Clark had joined him in the kitchen within about five minutes, fully dressed and shaved but not wearing glasses. Conor had blinked and commented, "You really do look different without them." Grinning and revealing a flash of brilliant white teeth, Clark had replied, "You shouldn't be surprised, surely? Not when you've played Superman on TV - you looked so different in the two roles that it was completely credible that people would be fooled." "I guess," Conor had replied, but his thoughts were distracted as he had wondered again what Clark had actually thought of the videotapes. Clark had changed the subject by demanding some coffee and then suggesting that they went out into the garden. It had been a long and very rewarding discussion, Conor now thought. Clark had been very reassuring, but also constructive in any criticisms he had made. It seemed that there were some things he had been doing as Superman which were perhaps ill-advised, or possibly dangerous; Clark had recommended some alternative methods of dealing with emergencies which Conor was now looking forward to trying out. Following that conversation, Conor had suggested today's activity to Clark. To his surprise, Clark had been very receptive to the proposal, even though it meant leaving Lois alone at the house for a while. To have Conor Kane and Superman both seen in public in Beverly Hills at the one time was no bad thing, but to have a woman who looked as if she was Laura Lindsay's older sister around as well would be a mistake. <> Conor concentrated on Clark and tried to project his thoughts to him. <> came the swift reply. Conor frowned slightly in surprise; he hadn't simply detected Clark's words to him in that brief exchange, but also some sense of Clark's emotions. Whatever Clark and Lois were doing, Conor mused with a smile, they were having fun, relaxing, laughing.... Briefly, he was tempted to focus again to see what they were up to, but instantly told himself that such an act would be a gross invasion of privacy. "So you said nothing's going to happen for about an hour?" Laura asked quietly, interrupting his thoughts. "Yep, that's the plan," he agreed, focusing on his fiancee again. "Well, in that case, let's enjoy ourselves," she urged. "We haven't had a whole lot of time for that lately, what with getting out of our Marners contracts, me moving into your place and your... new role." She glanced at the park map. "I want to go on the Lost Universe ride." "Sure." A park official recognised them then, despite the dark glasses and baseball caps both were wearing as protection against the strong sun, and waved them forward past the queues. It was very important that Conor Kane should be seen *not* to be Superman, Conor reflected again as he drew Laura with him through the crowds and into the park. Lois had reminded them of that again over brunch. "It's even more important for you than it is for Clark," she had pointed out. "In our world, no-one really suspects that Superman could be anyone other than who he appears to be - no-one's seriously believed any rumours of a secret identity. But your world has seen a Superman on TV whose _alter ego_ is Clark Kent. So... well, if I was a reporter here, the first story I'd be writing would be one asking whether *our* Superman is someone in disguise." Once on the Lost Universe ride they had a little more privacy as they were given a car to themselves, although other visitors to the park called and waved as their car passed; the news that Laura Lindsay and Conor Kane were in the park had rapidly spread. Keeping the professional smile on her face, Laura leaned towards Conor and murmured, "You really like Clark, don't you?" Conor gave her a sheepish glance in response. "Does it really show that much? He's a great guy, and he's been really helpful about showing me how to do things. And he understood exactly how I felt this morning when I realised my powers were back." He draped his arm about Laura's shoulders, drawing her closer. "We're both from the same planet, and we both grew up not knowing why we were different - that's why it's so great being able to talk to him. I know we're the same person really, just from two different dimensions, but he told me this morning he thinks of me like a brother." Laura smiled fondly; her fiance was suffering from a major case of hero-worship. She just hoped he wouldn't miss his new-found 'brother' too much when Lois and Clark returned to their own world. Of course, she would miss Lois too; they had enjoyed another heart-to-heart over coffee while the men had been talking on their own. She had discovered, to her surprise, that she envied Lois and Clark their son; Laura had never imagined herself to be the maternal type, but somehow, hearing about young Jon Kent had created unexpected yearnings inside her. The discussion had reassured her about one thing, though: if Lois and Clark were able to have children together, then presumably she and Conor should be able to become parents too. Walking together about the park a little later, the two actors were continually stopped by fans looking for autographs; since being visible was all part of the plan, Laura and Conor submitted to this with good grace. At one point, Conor's super-hearing cut in; there was a robbery with aggravated violence close to UCLA. For an instant he tensed, wondering how he could get away; then he realised that he couldn't possibly leave to be Superman at this point. But... it *did* present the perfect opportunity.... He concentrated on trying to reach Clark. <> The response came swiftly. <> Yet more 'proof' that Conor Kane and Superman had to be two different people, Conor thought, if Superman was handling an emergency on the other side of LA while Conor was seen by hundreds of people to be in the Solar System Studios. Some time later, as Conor and Laura emerged from one of the exhibition areas, an air of excitement became apparent among the crowds of visitors. People were pointing and staring, and some young children were screaming and waving enthusiastically. A couple of bystanders recognised Conor, and called to him. "Hey, it's Clark Kent! Your 'buddy' Superman's just over there!" Conor looked in the direction the man was pointing, and there, indeed, was Superman, hovering over one of the soundstages and apparently just having completed some super-feat. He appeared to be about to fly off, but reluctantly floated to the ground in response to the urgings of the crowd, and allowed himself to be photographed. There was a sudden flurry of activity as a couple of studio employees emerged from the soundstage with a videocamera and microphone. Again with apparent reluctance, Superman posed for a few seconds in front of the camera. "Hey, Conor! Laura! Come and pose with Superman!" someone standing close to the two actors yelled. The cry was taken up by several people until the cameraman noticed; he then began to gesture at Conor to come forward. Conor pulled a face and looked extremely loath to comply. "Look, I'm not sure we want to do this," Laura explained to a couple of fans who were urging the two of them to come forward. "We used to be in a TV show about Superman, okay, but there's no reason to embarrass Superman." Superman shrugged visibly. The crowd parted and Conor and Laura were waved forward; the three posed together for a few minutes, looking rather self-conscious, before Superman shook both actors by the hand and then took off. **************** "Well, you should be safe now," Lois remarked later as the four gathered again at Conor's house. "I saw the whole thing on the TV news - the reporter was making it out to be something really exciting. Superman comes face to face with his TV _alter ego_ and is actually polite about it." "What did they expect - that Superman would threaten Conor with a lawsuit for impersonating him?" Laura enquired sardonically. Conor shrugged. "You've seen the speculation in the supermarket tabloids. It was all pretty pathetic." "So was it convincing, Lois?" Clark asked. "I was hoping I hadn't overdone the embarrassed reluctance bit." "You looked great," she assured him. "And something else - you and Conor looked so different standing together like that. I don't know what it is, because you do look like identical twins when you're both dressed as Superman or both not wearing glasses. But with you as Superman, Clark, and Conor with his hair flopping over his forehead and wearing sunglasses... nice touch taking off the baseball cap too, Conor.... Well, you looked like totally different people." Conor smiled at Lois. "Great. And thanks for your help, Clark." "No problem. If it helps...." Clark's expression altered then, becoming more businesslike. "Is there anything else you two would like to know, or need our help with? It just seems to me that Lois and I have done what we came here for, so it's possible that Wells could appear any time now to take us back." Laura looked disappointed. "Aw, that's a shame. It's been so great having you two around, I was hoping you could stay a while longer." Lois frowned thoughtfully. "Clark, sweetheart, don't you remember what HG said just before he left? He said there might be something else we'd have to do, and he looked pretty serious, as if he was warning us. Ummm... 'unforeseen dangers,' that was it." "Yeah, I remember, but I wondered if he meant the Kryptonite in Smallville," Clark observed. "Could be," Lois replied, sounding unconvinced. "Wells said there would be some danger?" Laura asked curiously. "How would he know.... Stupid of me," she continued briskly. "He's a time traveller, of *course* he knows what's going to happen." "But if he knows everything that's going to happen, why doesn't he prevent it?" Conor asked, puzzled. "Or at least tell us, so that we can?" "It's not as simple as that, Conor," Clark explained. "For one thing, he isn't allowed to change the course of history in any irrevocable way - at least, he can't in our world. So he never tells us what's going to happen, in case our futures are affected. And also, the other big problem is Tempus. He travels around in time causing problems everywhere he goes - his one big aim is to prevent the foundation of Utopia, and he's decided that the way to do that is to get rid of me, and possibly Lois as well. And Wells can't possibly know what Tempus is going to do next." "I see," Conor replied slowly. "I sure hope this guy doesn't try to interfere over here." Clark was silent, thinking that the chances of Tempus meddling in this world were now quite high. As long as Conor's powers were dormant and he knew nothing of his heritage, he represented no danger. But now, not only was he this world's Superman but he was also engaged to his world's Lois, without whom no Superman was complete. The thought crossed his mind that perhaps Tempus was the 'unforeseen danger' about which Wells had cautioned them. But surely not? he asked himself. Wells couldn't possibly *know* that Tempus was planning anything? ****************** "This has been fun!" Laura exclaimed some hours later as the four strolled together along a sandy beach. "It was a great idea to come here, Clark - thanks a lot for suggesting it." They had flown together to a remote island in the Caribbean, to eat, swim and talk. It had provided an opportunity for all four to be out of doors together without having to worry about anyone recognising them, and it had been an incredibly relaxing experience. Clark had talked at length about his childhood in Smallville and his travels around the world before settling in Metropolis, and in return Conor and Laura had explained how they had found their big breaks in acting. It had been a great few hours, but now it was time to think about heading back to California. "You know, we could ask Mr Wells if he would let us visit each other occasionally," Conor suggested. Lois and Clark's imminent return to their own world had been preying on his mind all day, and he was genuinely reluctant to say goodbye to their new friends. The parting would be bearable, however, if he thought there would be a chance that they could meet again. Lois's mouth turned down at the corners. "Nice idea, Conor, but I doubt he'd agree. He doesn't seem to like us dimension-hopping, except when it's unavoidable. I dunno why - maybe it harms the fabric of space and time, or something." Laura grimaced. "Oh, don't go all sci-fi on me, Lois! I really don't understand about all that stuff, I just accept that you're here and you're from another dimension." "Well, I'm going to ask him anyway," Conor stated. "I guess you're right and he'll be here soon to take you back." "You're quite right, Mr Kane," an unwelcome - at least, at that particular moment - voice said crisply from directly behind them. The four swung round, to be confronted with HG Wells and his interdimensional transport. "You're taking us now - from here?" Lois enquired, surprised. "Don't worry, honey; if we left anything at Conor's, I can get it and be back in a few seconds," Clark commented quietly, at the same time catching Conor's eye. He noticed the regretful expression in his counterpart's face. <> he insisted urgently. <> <> Lois touched her husband's arm, puzzled by the intent expression on his face. "Sweetheart? Mr Wells really needs us to get going." "Okay." Clark switched his attention from Conor, adding, "Be back in less than a minute." As Clark shot into the air, Laura approached Lois. "I'm going to miss you and Clark," she ventured softly. Lois gave her a wry grin. "Me too." She turned to Wells. "I don't suppose there's any possibility...?" "Oh no, Miss Lane, I couldn't possibly allow you and Mr Kent to visit Mr Kane and his fiancee again," the time-traveller insisted. "That could cause no end of problems." "Well, it was worth a try," Laura murmured. She extended her arms to Lois, who reciprocated the hug warmly. Conor then stepped forward. "Clark wouldn't mind, would he?" he enquired. "Mind what?" Clark came to a stop in front of the little group. "If I give Lois a hug to say goodbye." Clark shrugged. "Not at all. In fact...." He strode to Laura, enfolding her in his arms with a bear-hug. Lois, wrapped in Conor's arms, was momentarily conscious of a blinding flash, and in the next instant she realised that she was sitting in the interdimensional transport, which was now resting in the back yard of her home in Metropolis. She turned to Clark, who was seated beside her. "Wow, that was *quick*! Clark - " She broke off suddenly, staring at her companion in horror. "You're not Clark!" ****************** As he began to release Laura in preparation for bidding farewell to Conor, Clark became conscious of a sixth person standing nearby. The man wore some kind of all-concealing cloak, and... there was something strange about him.... Clark couldn't figure out what it was which was making him uneasy, but he began to calculate how long it would take to pile Lois, Laura and Wells into the interdimensional transport so that he and Conor could fly them back to California. Suddenly there was a blinding flash of light. He saw Wells stagger backwards, as if he had been attacked. Laura fell to the ground, her hands covering her eyes. Conor, still holding onto Lois, seemed to go limp, but as Clark rushed to catch Lois the cloaked stranger was suddenly standing between them. As Conor fell to the ground, a seemingly-unconscious Lois was picked up by the stranger and placed in the transport. Clark tried to push the stranger out of the way, but to his amazement and disbelief, some sort of invisible force repulsed him once he was within about a foot of the cloaked man. As the interdimensional transport disappeared, Clark heard a faint, but instantly recognisable, laugh so evil it chilled him to the bone. **************** - 348 Hyperion Avenue, Metropolis - "You're not Clark!" "No, I'm not," Conor replied thickly, trying to figure out where he was and why his brain felt like it was stuffed with cotton wool. He felt completely disoriented; what had happened to make him feel as if he had fainted? He looked around him; the surroundings were completely unfamiliar. What was he doing there, sitting in the machine which only seconds earlier had been on the beach in the Caribbean? Where were Clark and HG Wells? And more important, *where was Laura*? "Clark!" Lois wailed. "What happened? Why are *you* here instead of him, Conor?" "Hey, I have absolutely no idea!" he retorted. "And I didn't ask to be here - I want to be with Laura. She just better be okay, or whoever's responsible for this will suffer... where *is* that miserable little writer?" He leapt out of the transport, searching the yard and the surrounding area with his super-vision, a murderous expression on his face. "If you mean HG Wells, he wouldn't have done this deliberately," Lois snapped at him. "Someone else must have sent you here with me." And done *what* with Clark? Lois asked herself in anguish, remembering involuntarily the time when Tempus had sent her husband into infinity. They had only just rescued him in time, then. She too climbed slowly out of the machine, then stared in horror as it shimmered and disappeared right before her eyes. She was at home in Metropolis, but Clark was... where? Would she ever see Clark again? ***************** - An Alternate Universe - Clark stared around him with dawning horror. Laura was groggily climbing to her knees in the sand. HG Wells lay face-down several feet away as water lapped over his body. Lois, Conor and the mysterious stranger were nowhere to be seen. No, scrub that, he thought viciously; helplessly. That was no mysterious stranger. It was Tempus. Tempus had taken Lois, God knew where. And he had also taken Conor, by the looks of it. He was stranded here, in an alternate universe, without Lois. And HG Wells, who had come to take Lois and himself back to Metropolis, who represented his only route back to Lois, was... ...dead? *************** - To Be Continued in Big Boys Do Fly III: Torn Between Two Worlds - ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk --- End Forwarded Message --- ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 14:14:58 -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: combo: the 'dark side' MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" >From MR. D8A's work email Mr. D8A Wrote: <> (I have no idea were 'standfast' came from.) ninety-six and i planted poppies Wrote: >However, I think non-nfic readers must also respect that others do choose to >read nfic, and understand that it isn't a slippery slope of lifestyle. Both to >read and not to read are choices to be respected, not enticed to change. Hazel Wrote: << People, this is a *principle.* Based on my religious beliefs. I do not read nfic. Let's leave it at that. >> The above snip was written *somewhat* tongue in cheek, but the point I was trying to make was that for those that are taking a stand on their own their convictions and beliefs should not give into even the most innocent of temptations. The 'you' was intended for Hazel( hi Hazel :-)) alone. For some of us it is a slippery slope that we dare not ever trod. All that being said I do not want this to become a Nfic vs Non-Nfic battleground with Zoom (Hi Mom :-)) booting us off left and right. If any of you Nfic writers wish to submit non-Nfic to the list I will gladly read it. No hard feeling? 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 ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 14:24:41 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Sheila Harper Subject: Re: NEW STORY: Big Boys Do Fly II - Part 5/5 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > - To Be Continued in Big Boys Do Fly III: Torn Between Two Worlds - ARGH!! Wendy, don't torture me like this! And a cliffhanger like that, too! Of course, who am I to talk, right? So, is the next section going to be available in three weeks? Two? Tomorrow?? Waiting with bated breath (which means I'm holding my breath, and unlike Clark, I can't hold it very long), Sheila (BTW, in case I forgot to mention it, BBDF2 is excellent. I liked the different characterizations for Conor and Laura, and I thought you did a good job creating their world believably. 'Marner Sisters' :) sharper@cncc.cc.co.us ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 16:04:28 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: combo: the 'dark side' MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 6/29/99 2:19:19 PM Central Daylight Time, James.Tull@EMRSN.COM writes: << All that being said I do not want this to become a Nfic vs Non-Nfic battleground with Zoom (Hi Mom :-)) booting us off left and right. If any of you Nfic writers wish to submit non-Nfic to the list I will gladly read it. >> Yes, thank you. Please, Folc, everyone has different tastes or even different beliefs, so respect those and don't go to war over them. There's some truly gifted and flexible writers out there, well, like Sheila Harper for example, who can and do make both nfic and PG13 versions of their stories available. I admire their ability to get their points across in both formats without losing an ounce of the heart of the story or character insight. I genuinely see that as a writer's gift and I thank them for going to the effort so that those too young or those not interested in nfic, can enjoy their work. That said, there are some authors who feel their nfic scenes are integral to the story itself and so there can't realistically be a PG13 version. But that just brings us all back around to the start. If a story is strictly nfic to the point that the nfic itself is an integral part of the story, again, there are readers who just are not interested for their own person reasons in that facet of Lois and Clark's relationship. It's like my feeling about "deathfic". More than once someone has said "read this, it's so well-written". Sorry, I don't care how well-written it is, I don't like reading about Lois or Clark dying. It's just a personal taste thing. When it comes to nfic though, I'm fairly neutral because while I love reading it, I have *no* talent for writing it Even attempting to write nfic makes me very uncomfortable. I have no idea why since I do enjoy nfic, and dragging Sheila back into this, the hottest nfic scene I've ever read was in her nfic version of Mxysplit. I couldn't write that scene in a million years, but I sure enjoyed reading it...repeatedly So, love nfic, avoid nfic, but don't go to war over it. Zoomway@aol.com (though imagine the flags on both sides ;) ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 17:28:46 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: combo: the 'dark side' & gunshots ;) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 6/29/99 11:53:08 AM Eastern Daylight Time, kubitc@KENYON.EDU writes: << So can anyone of the medical persuasion (is there anyone like that on the list?) tell us where a "good" place to get shot is >> Although not of the medical persuasion myself, my brother is a doctor and my mother thinks she is. I believe that the fleshy part of the upper arm is a relatively good place to get shot as long as the bullet misses the bone. Same thing for the thigh and maybe even the fleshy part of the calf. The gluteus maximus would probably sustain little permanent damage, but life could be a real pain in the ... for a while. Any place with lots of fat and muscle but few tendons, nerves and cartilage would be OK. Since Yvonne had Clark falling on his hand later and reinjuring it, to keep that part of the plot, if she wants to change anything, she might want to make it his wrist. The wrist can sustain some damage and still come back. Ann ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 21:51:58 +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: NEW: BLONDE AMBITION Part 3 of 4 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Wendy wrote: >Hey LabRat! > >You've managed to get into an RR now! > > >> She'd gotten past the first level of his security measures without too much >> trouble. "LabRats" and "Ruth" were no-brainers as passwords, but then she'd >> hit a wall. > Huh? What? Geez, Louise - look what you miss when you swear off fanfic until you persuade the Muse to let you finish your current stories (incentive, incentive....LabRat whimpers piteously and tries to stop a trembling left hand inching progressively towards the 'open temp file' key). Aha! You see, there was a logical reason for taking this name after all. I get in lots of places I shouldn't by default. LabRat :) Doc. Klein's LabRat labrat@ukf.net "A true gentleman is a man who knows how to play the bagpipes - and doesn't." -- Anon. "I don't split 'em. When I go to work on an infinitive I break it up in little pieces." -- Jimmy Durante. ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 22:44:53 +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: NEW: FEAR OF DISCOVERY MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sheila wrote: >Obviously, not all writers on this list worry about A-plots that hold water >(many don't worry about even including them), but for those of us that do, >it sure helps to have readers who aren't afraid to say, "Did you know >that...? Have you considered...?" > Absolutely, Sheila! This is one of *the* major advantages to internet writing I've found yet. Access to a vast pool of knowledge and opinion that you could never find if you spent a lifetime wading through books. And so many FoLCs who are willing to spend their precious free time ferreting around hunting down the silliest, most incidental detail on something you just have to find out about too. It never fails to amaze me that I can mail someone saying "Oh, and you wouldn't happen to know if..." and have them reply the following evening with 15 website URLs, four pages of finite detail and an apology that it took them so long to get back to me. You guys are the best. LabRat :) (planning on shooting Clark soon and taking careful note of all these anatomy posts. ;) Doc. Klein's LabRat labrat@ukf.net "A true gentleman is a man who knows how to play the bagpipes - and doesn't." -- Anon. "I don't split 'em. When I go to work on an infinitive I break it up in little pieces." -- Jimmy Durante. ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 23:09:03 +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: combo: the 'dark side' & gunshots ;) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Ann wrote: >Although not of the medical persuasion myself, my brother is a doctor and my >mother thinks she is. I believe that the fleshy part of the upper arm is a >relatively good place to get shot as long as the bullet misses the bone. >Same thing for the thigh and maybe even the fleshy part of the calf. The >gluteus maximus would probably sustain little permanent damage, but life >could be a real pain in the ... for a while. Any place with lots of fat and >muscle but few tendons, nerves and cartilage would be OK. Since Yvonne had >Clark falling on his hand later and reinjuring it, to keep that part of the >plot, if she wants to change anything, she might want to make it his wrist. >The wrist can sustain some damage and still come back. > Watch several fanfic writers turn on the radar and begin taking notes. Thanks for this, Ann - I think more than Yvonne were probably interested too. LabRat :) (looking out for a sudden rash of upper arm gunshot wound incidents in future fanfic. Any day now... ;) Doc. Klein's LabRat labrat@ukf.net "Shut up," he explained. -- Ring Lardner, The Young Immigrants. 'We can't all be heroes because someone has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by.' -- Will Rogers. > ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 16:07:01 -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://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/ Subject: Re: A Howdy Doo and Question from Newbie MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Well, howdy to you, too, Lara :-) And while I'm at it, I'll say hi to all the other lurkers out there... feel free to de-cloak once in a while, we're quite friendly :) And Tanya, you're right about WAFF - warm & fuzzy feeling it is. That acronym has been around for quite a while; the show's writers (may have) referred to it in "Contact" -- when Star is doing the hypnosis thing on Clark (I think it's Clark), she mentions that he's in a warm & fuzzy place... WHAM is kinda the opposite, and I remember it the same way Shiela does - Wrenching, Heartbreaking, Agonizing Moment. WWW was full of WHAMs... A WHAM can be a good thing, dramatically speaking; "the bigger the WHAM, the bigger the WAFF" -- ------------------------------------------------------- Pam Jernigan | jernigan@bellsouth.net ChiefPam on IRC | ------------------------------------------------------- "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 ------------------------------------------------------- The FoLC Obsession Page has moved to: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 16:00:27 -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: Combo Post - New fanfics MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii I have been totally engrossed in all the wonderful fanfic that has just been released but I have one major complaint. How the heck am I supposed to get anything else done?! (g) First I read "Tears of a Clone" by Jenni Debbage. Then it was "Blonde Ambition". I positively wallowed in Yvonne's "Fear of Discovery". Then my final treat - "Big Boys Do Fly - Part 2". These fanfics have been incredibly excellent - each and every one of them. And all of them have had such great A plots and such original ideas. I'm totally envious. Thank you to everyone who shared their stories. Irene sirenegold@yahoo.com _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 16:00:51 -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: Big Boys Do Fly Part 2 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 16:01:03 -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: Big Boys do Fly Part 2 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Oops. Hit the wrong button and sent off a msg with no text. Sorry FoLCs. Wendy, This is a wonderful sequel to your highly original first part of the story. I really, really hope Part 3 is almost ready to release to us. (Please!) And I just love where you left off with this story although I admit I want to see it resolved soon. More, please, Irene sirenegold@yahoo.com _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 19:11:59 -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://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/ Subject: Re: Question from Newbie MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit >WHAM is kinda the opposite, and I remember it the same way Shiela does - >Wrenching, Heartbreaking, Agonizing Moment. I'm sure no one cares, but I just remembered that I got this wrong It was "Wistful, Heartwrenching, Agonizing Moment" Oops, it's past the babbling hour, isn't it? Sorry... -- ------------------------------------------------------- Pam Jernigan | jernigan@bellsouth.net ChiefPam on IRC | ------------------------------------------------------- "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 ------------------------------------------------------- The FoLC Obsession Page has moved to: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 23:43:10 +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: NEW: FEAR OF DISCOVERY MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Terry, > So it's your fault if I make lots of typos and write somewhat fuzzily - I'm > tired!! Likewise It's only 10.45pm, but I've just back from a tiring choir rehearsal - we have a concert on Saturday, and we're still learning the music for it. Don't tell anyone, but I think our Chorus Master got just a little carried away when he chose the music for this concert. There were quite a few frazzled people there tonight - me included! > * S > * P > * O > * I > * L > * E > * R > * > * A > * L > * E > * R > * T > OK, on to my points. One is pretty minor. I just kept waiting for Lois > and Clark to bring Perry into the "club" and elicit his advice and > assistance, especially after you make Clark so insistent that he knew the > secret anyway. There were several times I thought it would have been a > natural extention of the plotline, when L&C were struggling with all the > ramifications of the revelation, for them to turn to Perry. This is an interesting idea, but one that just didn't occur to me (I did say in my intro that this would probably happen ). I like to think that Perry has a strong hunch, but is happy not to have his suspicions confirmed - and I, as a writer, like the uncertainty this brings into the equation. If I let Perry totally into the secret, then that leaves just one major character - Jimmy - plus Lois' parents who are ignorant. So while it may well have been a natural extension for L&C to confide in Perry, I elect not to let them . Also, apart from when Clark first asserts that Perry knows, I'm not sure exactly at what point they would turn to him, and why. I can hear someone, perhaps Jonathan, suggesting that they let him into the "club", but then I can hear Clark asking what good it would do - specifically, how could Perry help, and would they really be doing Perry a favour by telling him? > My second point concerns the physical injury Clark sustained. Several > years ago, someone tried to assassinate the Pope and suceeded in shooting [snip some very informative and useful info] I'm so glad you wrote this. It's always been a personal irk of mine, how quickly and easily people in fiction recover from serious injury, and without having any medical facts to hand whatsover, I just knew that a bullet wound in the hand was something not to be taken lightly. All those little bones, and the complicated movements a hand can make, must make for some pretty delicate machinery. I just don't buy it when someone, even Superman, gets shot in the shoulder (Madame Ex), then leaps up 2 seconds later and stops a runaway truck. I know it's necessary for a TV show so I put up with it - and then I write my own version of how I'd like things to be :) > I'm > just wondering about how Clark is going to explain such a complete and > miraculous recovery to a part of his body which is so visible? Even if he > leaves the cast on for awhile and eventually switches to bandaging and > tries to remember to favor his hand, how will he explain the 100% recovery > of full use of his hand, not to mention the COMPLETE LACK of scarring? Well, I'm glad I took one of my editors' advice and gave him a cast at all, otherwise I'd be in even more trouble! I think we can get around this one by citing your previous comments - people can be ignorant of how serious injuries like this can be, so perhaps we can suspend our disbelief just a little further to let his hand make a full recovery. The lack of scarring is tougher to deal with, but maybe Clark can invoke some advanced, experimental plastic surgery which Dr Klein tried out on him? >As > much as I am loathe to suggest alteration to any part of your story > (especially since I have never dared attempt to write one myself), Suggest away. That's what we're all here for . > perhaps > you might consider having Clark be shot somewhere less esposed to public > view (his shoulder or upper arm or foot or something...)? I'll give it some thought when I'm sorting out my avalanche problems, but I can't promise anything. Essentially, I finished this story back in mid-May, and it's hard work going back to it at this stage. >Or have I > stumbled upon something you will deal with in your sequel...? I wasn't going to, but you've given me an idea... Yvonne (yconnell@ukf.net) ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 00:06:58 +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: Quote on archive? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sheila, As much as I enjoyed your post on this subject - and Phil's, Wendy's et al - I couldn't help but giggle at this: > intelligent, creative part of the TV audience that refuses to sit passively > in front of the boob-tube and accept whatever corporate television feeds us. A boob-tube in the UK is a women's skin-tight garment, generally fairly short so that it exposes one's midriff, but accentuates one's...chest. Also on the subject of language - yes, Yvonne's prattling on about that one again - what exactly does 'antsy' mean? I think I have the general gist, but I'd appreciate some clarification. One last, and then I'll shut up again - in Debby's Journal, Martha, Jonathan and Clark use the terms 'pissed' and 'pissed off' interchangeably. In the UK, if you're pissed, you're drunk; if you're pissed off, you're taking personal offence at someone or something. Just another of those strange transatlantic discrepancies. Yvonne (yconnell@ukf.net) ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 19:46:36 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: Quote on archive? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 6/29/99 7:31:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time, yconnell@UKF.NET writes: << Also on the subject of language - yes, Yvonne's prattling on about that one again - what exactly does 'antsy' mean? I think I have the general gist, but I'd appreciate some clarification. "Antsy" essentially means restless. I think it comes from the expression "to have ants in the pants" which would, I suppose, make someone squirm and wiggle, etc. trying to get rid of the ants. So someone who is antsy is physically restless. (Think of three year old children at church.) <<< One last, and then I'll shut up again - in Debby's Journal, Martha, Jonathan and Clark use the terms 'pissed' and 'pissed off' interchangeably. In the UK, if you're pissed, you're drunk; if you're pissed off, you're taking personal offence at someone or something. Just another of those strange transatlantic discrepancies. >> In the US "pissed" and "pissed off" both mean that you are angry with someone or about something. Since "pissed" by itself means drunk, does that mean the song by Chumwalla (sp?) or Tubthumper (I forget which was the group and which the CD) last year which contains the line, "Pissing the night away" refer to drinking as opposed to elimination? It always seemed a bit crude to me when my kids would listen to it on the radio, but if it just means drinking, it actually makes more sense in the context of the song. Ann (who never ceases to be amazed that they call what we both speak English.) ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 16:58:07 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nancy Smith Subject: Re: NEW STORY: Big Boys Do Fly II - Part 5/5 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Wendy, how could you?!!! Arrrgh! A CLIFFHANGER!!! I can't take cliffhangers! I have nightmares about cliffhangers! Think what you're doing to my poor psyche! How am I going to live until you bring us the conclusion? What evil thing have I ever done to you that you should do this to me? I've never inflicted a cliffhanger on anyone...yet. (chortle, snicker, evil laughter. Now see what you've done)> Nan Smith ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 17:09:26 -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: Question from Newbie Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Pam Jernigan said on 6/29/99 1:07 PM: >And Tanya, you're right about WAFF - warm & fuzzy feeling it is. That >acronym has been around for quite a while; the show's writers (may have) >referred to it in "Contact" -- when Star is doing the hypnosis thing on >Clark (I think it's Clark), she mentions that he's in a warm & fuzzy >place... > The writers' also referred to it in MJD/L&C's: "John Doe gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling" - I am paraphrasing (Zoom can probably quote exactly) but I do remember it being a nod to us FoLC's from TimM/ERL/BB. Wow, two posts in one week. It's a record and I'm back to lurking... Deb --------------------------------------------------------------------------- For those in touch with it, Reality is the leading cause of stress. Debbie Coleman Ikos Systems, Inc. debbie@ikos.com http://www.ikos.com Systems Administrator (408) 366-8627 ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 17:19:38 -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: nKerth Nomination Categories MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Please be aware that I am *not*, I repeat, *not* asking for nominations at this time. What I am doing, is releasing a list of possible categories for awards and asking if we've covered everything. If you would care to see another category set up for the nKerths, please email me with your suggestions at sirenegold@yahoo.com by Friday midnight ET. Please only email me with suggestions. I would rather not get a ton of emails saying "I like them all - good going!" (g) - When I post fanfic, it's a whole different story however :) Without further ado, here is the list of suggested categories. (Thanks Labrat for all your suggestions.) Best Vignette (under 100K) Best Dramatic Nfic Best Humorous Most Sensual Best Next Gen Best Prepilot Nfic Most Original Idea Best New Krypton Nfic Best Elseworld Nfic Best First Time Rewrite Best Episode Rewrite Best Tag On (following a scene or episode from the show) Best Round Robin Best Overall Nfic Thanks in advance for all your suggestions. Irene sirenegold@yahoo.com _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 20:58:43 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: Re: New fanfic - Starfire and Sunstorm Part 3 - Perry Part 1 of 1 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 06/28/1999 5:10:23 PM Eastern Daylight Time, sirenegold@YAHOO.COM writes: << It is definitely transitional and is shorter with less action in it.However, it sets up Part Four which is going to be much more important in terms of character development. >> ANd longer, I hope. Keep writing, Irene!! --Laurie ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 06:23:46 -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: Come to the "N" Side, Hazel, Non-Nfic Reader! In-Reply-To: <3778275C.63198D11@erols.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 09:54 PM 06/28/1999 -0400, Sandy McD wrote: [snip] >DARTH SANDY >There is much the L&C fanfic archive did not >tell you. Come, Empress Debby's N-fic list >will complete your training. rewrite! INSERT SCENE EMPRESS DEBBY lounging on terrace of lodge in cool alpine setting. Looks up to see that her nubile young D. CAIN LOOKALIKE (or is he the real thing? George, you can afford him and we know he's desperate) has delivered the grapes she requested and is prepared to peel (them?) slowly for her RETURN TO SCENE >HAZEL, NON-NFIC READER >I'll die first. INSERT, off camera, delightful laughter from EMPRESS and LOOK-ALIKE EMPRESS DEBBY More, more! More... grapes! Debby Debby@swcp.com enjoying Herself immensely (or surely would be, had she the time to catch up on her reading, argh...) ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 21:22:43 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: Re: nKerth Nomination Categories MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Ok.. i am just a newbie at all of this fanfic stuff.. so this may sound stupid but i know what a fanfic is.. i mean i am writing a couple right now, but what exactly is a Nfic? Thanks. Alexis ;-.) ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 21:24:10 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: Re: Combo Post - New fanfics MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 06/29/1999 7:02:14 PM Eastern Daylight Time, sirenegold@YAHOO.COM writes: << These fanfics have been incredibly excellent - each and every one of them. And all of them have had such great A plots and such original ideas. I'm totally envious. >> Irene? this is you speaking, right? I read all those stories too and agree with your assessment, but I can't imagine why YOU are envious as you are writing us such a wonderful future for the Kent family. I think we all look forward to more and more and more. So stop reading and get writing!!! --Laurie ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 21:28:48 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: nKerth Nomination Categories MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 06/29/1999 8:23:11 PM Eastern Daylight Time, sirenegold@YAHOO.COM writes: << Best First Time Rewrite Best Episode Rewrite >> Could you explain the difference, please? --Laurie ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 21:29:32 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: babble, rant, tangents (was Re: Off Topic: Babble on Star Wars ... << However, speaking for fanfic, babbling has entered the fanfic canon much as CJ as LnC's oldest son, watching "The Princess Bride," and all those cute little bits and pieces that I needed to be told didn't actually happen on the show. :) >> So I guess 'babbling' isn't the only thing from fanfic canon that I don't like... Seriously, I realized that it's fanfic canon and perhaps that's one reason why it bothers me; it wasn't mentioned in the show and then forgotten, but it was given new (stronger) life in fanfic. << "I was home eating chocolate...cottage cheese...chocolate-flavored cottage cheese, it's a new fla...I was doing my laundry." Sorry, but that's babbling >> Sorry, but I disagree At first I thought it was just my connotation of 'babble,' but after I looked it up, I began thinking that maybe wasn't completely it. From the definition I found, it sounds like, IMHO, a baby/child could babble, someone not in their right mind could babble, but a sentient adult could not. << I don't think Lois' bad behavior "toned down" so much as Lois herself began to grow up. >> Yes, this is a better way of putting it. Thank you. << To be honest, I don't think it matters whether Lois actually babbles or not. It's her characteristic way of talking at high speed, with or without a touch of free association in there to help her find new and unexpected tangents to head off on, that has become known and loved as the Lane Babble. >> Obviously this is an issue of semantics, but I think one reason that it bothers me, as I said previously, is the new life the word 'babble' has found in fanfic. IMHO, it seems some writers overuse Lois's 'babble,' or write a coherent, non-tangential sentence or speech, then tack on at the end: "Lois babbled." To me it feels like if "Lois babbled" is included, well, then they've got Lois's characterization down, bingo. Too bad Clark doesn't have as characteristic a way of talking Not everyone who uses Lois's 'babble' does this, obviously, and the best characterizations of Lois include her tangents but just let her trail off, or get cut off by someone. If I hadn't seen 'babble,' well, seemingly everywhere, and hadn't seen it used as above, it probably wouldn't bother me. Much -Christy kubitc@kenyon.edu ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 22:04:05 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Karen Ward Subject: OT: I'm losing my email service! :( Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed" Hi, all! :) I hate to spam the list like this (and I seriously hope this isn't against the rules), but I wasn't sure how else to contact everyone I know in one shot. ;) Anyhow, I have some bad news. :( Unfortunately, my email server is going to be doing some major upgrading from July 1-5, so I won't have my usual access to email between and on those dates. :( I just wanted to let everyone out there who might be expecting mail from me (and I think there's quite a few of you . . . I haven't been doing a very good job of keeping up with my email lately) that, if you don't hear from me in the next week, it's nothing personal -- I just can't contact you! :( Hopefully, I'll still be able to access my hotmail account (I knew it'd come in handy one of these days ) so if anyone needs to contact during this time, there's a chance I can be reached at . Also, to those who may know about the technical side of running this list, there's a very good chance that any mail sent to me at my regular address will be returned during this time, including mail from this list. Will this cause technical problems with the list? Should I unsubscribe for these four days in order to avoid hassle? Anyhow, I'm sorry for inconveniencing you all, and for cluttering up the mailboxes of people for whom this email doesn't apply. Take care, all! :) Sincerely, Karen :) ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 22:37:54 -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: Come to the "N" Side, Hazel, Non-Nfic Reader! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Debby wrote: > At 09:54 PM 06/28/1999 -0400, Sandy McD wrote: > [snip] > > >DARTH SANDY > >There is much the L&C fanfic archive did not > >tell you. Come, Empress Debby's N-fic list > >will complete your training. > > rewrite! > > INSERT SCENE > > EMPRESS DEBBY lounging on terrace of lodge in cool alpine setting. Looks up to > see that her nubile young D. CAIN LOOKALIKE > > (or is he the real thing? > George, you can afford him > and we know he's desperate) > > has delivered the grapes she requested and is prepared to peel (them?) slowly > for her DARTH SANDY REWR-I-I-TE! Empress Debby!... You DO NOT lounge around having desperate, ex-TV actors peel (themselves?) and feed you grapes. You hover menacingly over your "N-Troopers," wear a dark, (peekaboo) shroud, and shoot lightning bolts out of your, um ... fingertips. Get with the program! > RETURN TO SCENE > > >HAZEL, NON-NFIC READER > >I'll die first. > > INSERT, off camera, delightful laughter from EMPRESS and LOOK-ALIKE > > EMPRESS DEBBY > More, more! More... grapes! DARTH SANDY CUT! CUT! C-U-T!!! As soon as I have this asthma problem looked into and find an apprentice with really strong mini-Floridians or fat-Kansans or whatever the heck that crap was Lucas dreamt up, the two of us are staging a coup. A distant voice draws Darth Sandy's attention. She turns toward it. ALEXIS, NON-NFIC READER Ok.. i am just a newbie at all of this fanfic stuff.. so this may sound stupid but i know what a fanfic is.. i mean i am writing a couple right now, but what exactly is a Nfic? DARTH SANDY Apprentice -- uh, I mean -- Alexis, Non-Nfic Reader, come to the "N" Side. The Desire is with you but you are not among the initiated yet. Darth Sandy ignites her powerful snippet of nfic.... ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 19:45:54 -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: nKerth Nomination Categories MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Hi Laurie, Okay, Best First Time Rewrite refers to Lois and Clark's "first time" together consumating their relationship. Best Episode Rewrite doesn't necessarily mean their first time together. I hope this is clear now. Take care, Irene --- No Name Available wrote: > In a message dated 06/29/1999 8:23:11 PM Eastern > Daylight Time, > sirenegold@YAHOO.COM writes: > > << Best First Time Rewrite > Best Episode Rewrite >> > > Could you explain the difference, please? > > --Laurie > _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 19:48:40 -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: Combo Post - New fanfics MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Thanks for the compliments, Laurie, but I would *love* to be able to figure out an A-plot! I *am* very envious of those who can. Thanks again, Irene --- No Name Available wrote: > In a message dated 06/29/1999 7:02:14 PM Eastern > Daylight Time, > sirenegold@YAHOO.COM writes: > > << These fanfics have been incredibly excellent - > each and every one of > them. And all of them have had such great A plots > and such original > ideas. I'm totally envious. >> > > Irene? this is you speaking, right? I read all those > stories too and agree > with your assessment, but I can't imagine why YOU > are envious as you are > writing us such a wonderful future for the Kent > family. I think we all look > forward to more and more and more. So stop reading > and get writing!!! > > --Laurie > _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 21:03:28 -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: Come to the "N" Side, Hazel, Non-Nfic Reader! In-Reply-To: <37798302.673D9FE7@erols.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 10:37 PM 06/29/1999 -0400, you wrote: >Debby wrote: >> At 09:54 PM 06/28/1999 -0400, Sandy McD wrote: >> [snip] >> >> >DARTH SANDY >> >There is much the L&C fanfic archive did not >> >tell you. Come, Empress Debby's N-fic list >> >will complete your training. >> >> rewrite! >> >> INSERT SCENE >> >> EMPRESS DEBBY lounging on terrace of lodge in cool alpine setting. Looks up to >> see that her nubile young D. CAIN LOOKALIKE >> >> (or is he the real thing? >> George, you can afford him >> and we know he's desperate) >> >> has delivered the grapes she requested and is prepared to peel (them?) slowly >> for her > > >DARTH SANDY >REWR-I-I-TE! Empress Debby!... You DO NOT lounge around having >desperate, ex-TV actors peel (themselves?) and feed you grapes. You >hover menacingly over your "N-Troopers," wear a dark, (peekaboo) shroud, >and shoot lightning bolts out of your, um ... fingertips. > >Get with the program! Talk to my agent Murray, Darth Sandy. Then you'll know real fear. I'm not moving from this idealic mountain top unless I'm assured an air conditioned (refrigerated air, not swamp cooler) trailer for myself and my (grape) peeler. And I want a megaphone so my N-Troopers can hear me and I don't have to strain my delicate voice. And I want Fridays, weekends and Mondays off, and my own flier to take my assistant and I from my trailer to Rodeo Drive. And I want a raise for Joyce. I have a lists of my other needs around here somewhere... Until then, keep fighting the good fight and know that I'm there in spirit if not in (peekaboo) shroud. Check out my new video at www.sagabegins.com >> RETURN TO SCENE [snip] >DARTH SANDY >CUT! CUT! C-U-T!!! As soon as I have this asthma problem looked into What do you expect on a wretched dusty planet? Why do you think I prefer this cool, mountain retreat? Why am I a princess and you're a dark-shrouded warrior? Why do I have a hot tub and a (grape) peeler and you have an old toothbrush and a three-legged horse? >and find an apprentice with really strong mini-Floridians aligators are short-legged... >or fat-Kansans Let's not drag the elder Kents into this... >or whatever the heck that crap was Lucas dreamt up, the two of us are >staging a coup. Oh! Oh! Oh! That's the spirit! Can we do it in Teluride? >A distant voice draws Darth Sandy's attention. She turns toward it. > >ALEXIS, NON-NFIC READER >Ok.. i am just a newbie at all of this fanfic stuff.. so this may sound >stupid but i know what a fanfic is.. i mean i am writing a couple right >now, but what exactly is a Nfic? > >DARTH SANDY >Apprentice -- uh, I mean -- Alexis, Non-Nfic Reader, >come to the "N" Side. The Desire is with you >but you are not among the initiated yet. Yada yada yada >Darth Sandy ignites her powerful snippet of nfic.... Now I know why I keep you on the payroll :) All powerful, all knowing, all seeing you know the rest. Debby ;) ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 22:27:50 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Sheila Harper Subject: Re: nKerth Nomination Categories Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >Most Original Idea What do you mean by this one? Can you give an example or two if an explanation would be inappropriate for the list? Sheila sharper@cncc.cc.co.us ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 23:21:32 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Sheila Harper Subject: Re: Question from Newbie Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 07:11 PM 6/29/99 -0400, Pam Jernigan wrote: >I'm sure no one cares, but I just remembered that I got this wrong >It was "Wistful, Heartwrenching, Agonizing Moment" Well, no wonder I never remember it that way, Pam; I've never written a *wistful* WHAM in my life. For heaven's sake, "wistful" means "showing a vague, unsatisfied longing," and that just doesn't go with "heartwrenching" or "agonizing." Sheila (but then, SWOCK is supposed to mean "Shallow Women Ogling Clark Kent," and I refuse to use it except as "Smart Women Ogling Clark Kent") sharper@cncc.cc.co.us ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 00:33:55 -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: OT: FoLCs using Geocities Comments: To: LoisandClarkNAOS@onelist.com In-Reply-To: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Geocities website owners.. PLEASE NOTE : I got this off of another fan (creative) forum: << I'll probably be sending this to other mailing lists, so don't be surprised if you see this again. **Quoted from the Terms of Service page** 8. CONTENT SUBMITTED TO YAHOO By submitting Content to any Yahoo property, you automatically grant, or warrant that the owner of such Content has expressly granted, Yahoo the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive and fully sublicensable right and license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, perform and display such Content (in whole or part) worldwide and/or to incorporate it in other works in any form, media, or technology now known or later developed. You acknowledge that Yahoo does not pre-screen Content, but that Yahoo and its designees shall have the right (but not the obligation) in their sole discretion to refuse, edit, move or remove any Content that is publicly available via the Service. Without limiting the foregoing, Yahoo and its designees shall have the right to remove any Content that violates the TOS or is otherwise objectionable. You agree that you must evaluate, and bear all risks associated with, the use of any Content, including any reliance on the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of such Content. In this regard, you acknowledge that you may not rely on any Content created by Yahoo or submitted to Yahoo, including without limitation information in Yahoo! Message Boards, Yahoo! Clubs, and in all other parts of the Service. >>> ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 01:01:56 EDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Kate Kent Subject: Random L&C TV history fact, don't we wish it happened this way... MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit FoLCs- I was watching The Nanny today and who should be on but Patrick Cassidy. Y'all know him as Leslie Luckabee from The Lex Files. Anywho, this particular ep was special because it was meant to be a spin-off but I suppose the ratings weren't high enough. Anywho, it got me thinking...too bad the show didn't get made, then Patrick wouldn't have been in the Lex Files and maybe those episodes wouldn't be soo....*gag* awful. OK, just my two cents. -Kate - - - - - - "I sound like I got it all figured out but believe me, I screw up plenty" - Fran Drescher ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 01:16:59 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: Random L&C TV history fact, don't we wish it happened this way... MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 6/30/99 12:06:54 AM Central Daylight Time, KateKent@AOL.COM writes: << Anywho, it got me thinking...too bad the show didn't get made, then Patrick wouldn't have been in the Lex Files and maybe those episodes wouldn't be soo....*gag* awful. OK, just my two cents. >> Sorry, Kate, I loved the Lex Files, now the "Nanny", on the other hand... Always remember to put "OT" (for "off topic") in the subject line when the reference to the series is so vague. Thanks ;) Zoomway@Anywho.com ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 09:45:52 +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: nKerth Nomination Categories MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sheila wrote: >>Most Original Idea > >What do you mean by this one? Can you give an example or two if an >explanation would be inappropriate for the list? > Don't know what Irene was meaning, Sheila , but when I suggested this category I was definitely thinking of LadyBiker's Love Finds A Way for one. The original idea of which is not suitable for list sharing, but I'm sure you've already read it anyway. If not, don't delay. I am still so envious of that plotline. Never would have thought on it in a million years. Irene - looks like you've covered everything possible there in your list. I was thinking the other day about Best New Author (emerged in the past year - never get tired of thinking up categories to nominate LadyBiker in ). But don't know if it would necessarily work this year with the nominations being all inclusive from the year dot. Might be unfair to the more established nominees. Just a thought. Nfic, Alexis, is (technically speaking) 'naughty fanfic' - i.e. sexually explicit, R (or X) rated, gotta be over the legal limit to read. Personally, I've always thought of that as a bit of a misnomer really. Although I have read plenty of nfic which are naughty romps and just fun, I've also read a lot that is deeply emotional and more serious than that. And for my own nfic I like to go for waffy and humorous more than naughty really. LabRat :) Doc. Klein's LabRat labrat@ukf.net "Shut up," he explained. --- Ring Lardner, The Young Immigrants. 'We can't all be heroes because someone has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by.' --- Will Rogers. ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 10:36:38 +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: Random L&C TV history fact, don't we wish it happened this way... In-Reply-To: <36bc9849.24aafec4@aol.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII Well, apart from the *very* weird accent (I'm sure all Aussie viewers were cringing ;) ), I liked the character. The 'arc' had its flaws, but also some very good, tense moments. A lot better than some Season 4 eps... Ghosts, BACALAC... need I say more? Wendy > I was watching The Nanny today and who should be on but Patrick Cassidy. > Y'all know him as Leslie Luckabee from The Lex Files. Anywho, this > particular ep was special because it was meant to be a spin-off but I suppose > the ratings weren't high enough. Anywho, it got me thinking...too bad the > show didn't get made, then Patrick wouldn't have been in the Lex Files and > maybe those episodes wouldn't be soo....*gag* awful. OK, just my two cents. > ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 10:50:35 +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: Combo Post - New fanfics In-Reply-To: <19990630024840.27158.rocketmail@web902.mail.yahoo.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII On Tue, 29 Jun 1999 19:48:40 -0700 "Irene D." wrote: > Thanks for the compliments, Laurie, but I would *love* to be able to > figure out an A-plot! I *am* very envious of those who can. > Irene?? Figure out an A-plot - how about Firestorm?? One of the most ingenious, well-plotted and brilliantly-executed A-plots I've seen in fanfic!! Wendy ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 05:52:24 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: babble, rant, tangents (was Re: Off Topic: Babble on Star War... MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 6/29/99 8:33:16 PM Central Daylight Time, kubitc@KENYON.EDU writes: << So I guess 'babbling' isn't the only thing from fanfic canon that I don't like... Seriously, I realized that it's fanfic canon and perhaps that's one reason why it bothers me; it wasn't mentioned in the show and then forgotten, but it was given new (stronger) life in fanfic. >> Since Lois' "babbling" is so pervasive in fanfic, it would seem many fans enjoyed that facet to Lois' character. Though I think it depends on separate leanings in humor as well. Those who never got a chuckle out of Lois babbling on the series, naturally wouldn't like it in fanfic either. >>>Sorry, but I disagree At first I thought it was just my connotation of 'babble,' but after I looked it up, I began thinking that maybe wasn't completely it. From the definition I found, it sounds like, IMHO, a baby/child could babble, someone not in their right mind could babble, but a sentient adult could not.<<< This will be one of those "agree to disagree" moments in folc history If someone in my own family rattled off that stuff about chocolate flavored cottage cheese, I'd accuse them of "babbling" too ;) Happily my dictionary does define babbling as idle or excessive talk, chattering, and Lois certainly engaged in that. Gibberish (unintelligible or confused speech or language), on the other hand, sounds more like what you have in mind when referring to "babble". I'd say that babies speak in "gibberish", though sometimes parents can understand it ;) >>Obviously this is an issue of semantics, but I think one reason that it bothers me, as I said previously, is the new life the word 'babble' has found in fanfic. IMHO, it seems some writers overuse Lois's 'babble,' or write a coherent, non-tangential sentence or speech, then tack on at the end: "Lois babbled." <<< If you mean a sentence is written and then the author puts "Lois babbled", the author may have used that label to impart the fact that it was one of Lois' lightening run-on wonders. Since there's no way simply by reading to know whether the character is speaking in a rapid-fire manner, the author often labels the sentence to help the reader properly visualize the scene. This is true in most cases when an author wants the reader to understand the exact mood, tone or demeanor of the character. "Give me the paper, Clark." "Give me the paper, Clark," she hissed through clinched teeth. "Give me the paper, Clark," she said, and then dissolved into helpless laughter. "Give me the paper, Clark," she sobbed. "If it's any of your business, which it most certainly is not, and may I remind you that I never ask for qualifiers when you want something from me, but since it gives you some odd feeling of security, I'll just say that I need the paper for a project...a research project that deals with...certain things that are...oh, just give me the paper, Clark!" she demanded as her babble engine ran out of steam. In that sentence I simply used "babble" to reference Lois' tendency to take the long way around the block when she's being evasive or defensive. Many words have several definitions and therefore are fairly flexible and "babble" is one of them. I mean if someone wrote the sentence "His teeth chattered," few people would misinterpret that to mean that his teeth were carrying on an excessive rambling conversation By the same token, most readers who see the word "babble" when associated to Lois, do not misinterpret that to mean "incoherent noises". Even used in conjunction with another word or prefix like "technobabble" or "psychobabble", such words aren't meant to indicate incoherent ramblings, but rather jargon laden or buzzword heavy speech. Now I'm not trying to change your mind, because that won't happen, but it's about an hour from dawn and I've been monitoring list error messages today and so I feel combative ... and babble enhanced Zoomway@aol.com ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 11:11:12 +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 STORY: Big Boys Do Fly II - Part 5/5 In-Reply-To: <376EACCC00001251@cncc.cncc.cc.co.us> (added by cncc.cncc.cc.co.us) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII On Tue, 29 Jun 1999 14:24:41 -0500 Sheila Harper wrote: > > - To Be Continued in Big Boys Do Fly III: Torn Between Two Worlds - > > ARGH!! Wendy, don't torture me like this! And a cliffhanger like that, too! > > Of course, who am I to talk, right? So, is the next section going to be > available in three weeks? Two? Tomorrow?? Hi Sheila, and thanks too to Irene and Nancy, Well, BBDF III is *almost* done; just a couple of final scenes to write, and I'm actually hoping to get them done today (work is a little quiet and I deserve some relaxation ) If not today, I can't write for a week since we're about to move house! Then it goes to a beta-editor (hi Karen ), and then to this list! So, all going well, say three weeks? > (BTW, in case I forgot to mention it, BBDF2 is excellent. I liked the > different characterizations for Conor and Laura, and I thought you did a > good job creating their world believably. 'Marner Sisters' :) Thank you!! You know, one of these days someone *has* to explain this 'snork', 'snorkel' 'Dean's manly snorkel' thing to me. I've certainly been thwapped by it a few times, but I need the story!! Wendy ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 11:20:05 +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 STORY: Big Boys Do Fly II - Part 5/5 In-Reply-To: <37795D8A.298A10F5@earthlink.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII On Tue, 29 Jun 1999 16:58:07 -0700 Nancy Smith wrote: > Wendy, how could you?!!! Arrrgh! > A CLIFFHANGER!!! [snip] > I've never inflicted a cliffhanger on anyone...yet. (chortle, snicker, evil > laughter. Now see what you've done)> Well, it wasn't exactly a cliffhanger, Nan, but you didn't exactly dot all the 'i's and cross all the 't's in Dagger of the Mind! There were a few things left to the imagination... or a sequel. Very frustrating, even if it was a great story! Wendy ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 11:39:36 +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: Nfic - By Any Other Name MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Alexis' post set me to thinking - where *does* the nfic term hail from? In the past I'd always just assumed it was a FoLC term, but I've noticed that it's used by other fandoms too. Is it an internet term? Or was it carried over from pen and paper zines? And - since I was never involved in nfic previously - what handle did other fandoms in the past use? Like Trek? Just curious. The WHAM question and answers reminded me of how Trekkers termed this genre (or sub-genre) hurt/comfort (someone got hurt, someone else comforted them ). My favourite type of fanfic. Must admit that I prefer WHAM as a term though. And, Sheila - Best Original Idea - what about your own Myxsplit? Splitting Clark into two so that Lois could have twice the fun ;) was a pretty original idea in my book. And one that I should have remembered straight off the bat instead of having it occur to me several minutes after posting. :D LabRat :) Doc. Klein's LabRat labrat@ukf.net "Shut up," he explained. --- Ring Lardner, The Young Immigrants. 'We can't all be heroes because someone has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by.' --- Will Rogers. ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 06:44:13 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: nKerth Nomination Categories MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 06/29/1999 10:49:40 PM Eastern Daylight Time, sirenegold@YAHOO.COM writes: << Best First Time Rewrite refers to Lois and Clark's "first time" together consumating their relationship. Best Episode Rewrite doesn't necessarily mean their first time together. I hope this is clear now. >> Oh, yeah. Clearly my mind was elsewhere. I had this odd idea that first time rewrite had something to do with the writer's first time rewriting an ep. :P (Darth Sandy, you weren't doing a good enough job!) --Laurie ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 06:52:50 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: Combo Post - New fanfics MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 06/30/1999 5:51:05 AM Eastern Daylight Time, ida18@HRM.KEELE.AC.UK writes: << Irene?? Figure out an A-plot - how about Firestorm?? One of the most ingenious, well-plotted and brilliantly-executed A-plots I've seen in fanfic!! >> Thank you Wendy. I couldn't have said it better. But then, I'm not a writer. --Laurie ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 07:12:41 -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: nKerth Nomination Categories MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit No Name Available wrote: > > In a message dated 06/29/1999 10:49:40 PM Eastern Daylight Time, > sirenegold@YAHOO.COM writes: > > << Best First Time Rewrite refers to Lois and Clark's "first time" > together consumating their relationship. God, I still didn't understand this term until it occurred to me ... Brutal Youth! You're inferring that any first time nfic is, in a sense, a rewrite of that unfilmed "two week? one week?" period between Soulmates and Brutal Youth. But, "strangely" enough, BY is not *the* first time. Nfic-ers were there first -- way, way first. Seen in that light, BY was a rewrite. (Hmm, I wonder who the first L&C nfic writer was -- Angela? Gorn?) (I'll have to forward your list of categories to myself at work, so I can study them more closely.) > Oh, yeah. Clearly my mind was elsewhere. I had this odd idea that first time > rewrite had something to do with the writer's first time rewriting an ep. :P > > (Darth Sandy, you weren't doing a good enough job!) Speak to the Empress, Lieutenant. I'm only a minion, myself. Darth Sandy ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 04:14:15 -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: nKerth Nomination Categories MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Mxysplit is a perfect example - not the nfic parts (although they are certainly "original" too - g ) but splitting Clark into two entities. Another example could be the story recently posted to Zoom's MB where Lois and Clark in early 1st season are shown a visual montage (courtesy of the same imp) of what their sexual history will turn out to be. Hope this helps. Irene --- Sheila Harper wrote: > >Most Original Idea > > What do you mean by this one? Can you give an > example or two if an > explanation would be inappropriate for the list? > > Sheila > > sharper@cncc.cc.co.us > _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 07:25:08 -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: Come to the "N" Side, Hazel, Non-Nfic Reader! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Debby wrote: > At 10:37 PM 06/29/1999 -0400, you wrote: [SNIP] > > > >DARTH SANDY > >REWR-I-I-TE! Empress Debby!... You DO NOT lounge around having > >desperate, ex-TV actors peel (themselves?) and feed you grapes. You > >hover menacingly over your "N-Troopers," wear a dark, (peekaboo) shroud, > >and shoot lightning bolts out of your, um ... fingertips. > > > >Get with the program! > > Talk to my agent Murray, Darth Sandy. Then you'll know real fear. I'm not > moving from this idealic mountain top unless I'm assured an air conditioned > (refrigerated air, not swamp cooler) trailer for myself and my (grape) peeler. > And I want a megaphone so my N-Troopers can hear me and I don't have to strain > my delicate voice. And I want Fridays, weekends and Mondays off, and my own > flier to take my assistant and I from my trailer to Rodeo Drive. And I want a > raise for Joyce. I have a lists of my other needs around here somewhere... > Until then, keep fighting the good fight and know that I'm there in spirit if > not in (peekaboo) shroud. Check out my new video at www.sagabegins.com You're the Empress for pete's sake, not the AFL-CIO! Be commanding! Off a few minions! > >> RETURN TO SCENE > [snip] > > >DARTH SANDY > >CUT! CUT! C-U-T!!! As soon as I have this asthma problem looked into > > What do you expect on a wretched dusty planet? Why do you think I prefer this > cool, mountain retreat? Why am I a princess Prinesses are so namsy pamsy, (unless you're a princepessa ). *Think Empress*, like Catherine the Great. > and you're a dark-shrouded > warrior? Why do I have a hot tub and a (grape) peeler and you have an old > toothbrush and a three-legged horse? Three-legged "horse"? And, he looks so cute in that toga. > >and find an apprentice with really strong mini-Floridians > > aligators are short-legged... Thank you, Marlin Perkins. > >or whatever the heck that crap was Lucas dreamt up, the two of us are > >staging a coup. > > Oh! Oh! Oh! That's the spirit! Can we do it in Teluride? Empress Debby ... hate to tell ya, but we would be staging our coup d'etat against *you*. [snip] > >DARTH SANDY > >Apprentice -- uh, I mean -- Alexis, Non-Nfic Reader, > >come to the "N" Side. The Desire is with you > >but you are not among the initiated yet. > > Yada yada yada > > >Darth Sandy ignites her powerful snippet of nfic.... > > Now I know why I keep you on the payroll :) I've been meaning to speak with you about that. *Now* we call in the AFL-CIO, or the Teamsters, or perhaps SAG. ('Cause you can never find Jimmy Hoffa when you need him.) > All powerful, all knowing, all seeing > you know the rest. Yada, yada, yada. > > Debby ;) Darth Sandy, and don't you forget it. ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 04:27:21 -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: Combo Post - New fanfics MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii --- Wendy Richards wrote: > On Tue, 29 Jun 1999 19:48:40 -0700 "Irene D." > > wrote: > > > Thanks for the compliments, Laurie, but I would > *love* to be able to > > figure out an A-plot! I *am* very envious of > those who can. > > > > > Irene?? > > Figure out an A-plot - how about Firestorm?? One of > the most > ingenious, well-plotted and brilliantly-executed > A-plots I've seen > in fanfic!! And here I've been feeling guilty because I don't have any villians in my stories (except one as a "lame plot device"!) Irene sirenegold@yahoo.com _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 08:02:42 -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: nKerth Nomination Categories MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit How about, "Most Original Euphemisms" Sorry. I'll submit all other suggestions privately, but this could be very funny. Sandy (shields down) smcdermin@erols.com ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 05:09:55 -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: nKerth Nomination Categories MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii --- Sandy McDermin wrote: > How about, "Most Original Euphemisms" > > Sorry. I'll submit all other suggestions privately, > but this could be > very funny. > > Sandy (shields down) > smcdermin@erols.com LOL! snork! Irene sirenegold@yahoo.com _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 08:28:04 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: Come to the "N" Side, Hazel, Non-Nfic Reader! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 6/30/99 7:26:51 AM Eastern Daylight Time, smcdermin@EROLS.COM writes: << ('Cause you can never find Jimmy Hoffa when you need him.) >> Not true, not true. Jimmy Hoffa is in that slab of concrete in Tim and Amber Lake's private museum, right next to the arms of the Venus de Milo. (BTW, how did they get there from Lex Luthor's private museum?) Granted, Jimmy Hoffa isn't going to do anybody much good in his current condition. Ann ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 14:15:58 -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: Quote on archive? In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII On Tue, 29 Jun 1999 19:46:36 EDT "Ann E. McBride" wrote: > In a message dated 6/29/99 7:31:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time, yconnell@UKF.NET writes: >> One last, and then I'll shut up again - in Debby's Journal, Martha, Jonathan and Clark use the terms 'pissed' and 'pissed off' interchangeably. In the UK, if you're pissed, you're drunk; if you're pissed off, you're taking personal offence at someone or something. Just another of those strange transatlantic discrepancies. << > In the US "pissed" and "pissed off" both mean that you are angry with someone or about something. Since "pissed" by itself means drunk, does that mean the song by Chumwalla (sp?) or Tubthumper (I forget which was the group and which the CD) last year which contains the line, "Pissing the night away" refer to drinking as opposed to elimination? It always seemed a bit crude to me when my kids would listen to it on the radio, but if it just means drinking, it actually makes more sense in the context of the song. < Don't think so. In that context, I would expect "pissing" to mean something like wasting. Pissing something _away_ means to let it trickle off, rather like a pool of... liquid on the ground. The implication is that the stuff in question doesn't matter, so it can be let go without regret. Without knowing anything about the song, "pissing the night away" would suggest something like just killing time, or hanging around doing nothing -- with or without drinking "piss" (Antipodean for beer ). > Ann (who never ceases to be amazed that they call what we both speak English.) Oscar Wilde (I think) said it best: "Two Nations, divided by a common language" . Of course, being a typical Englishman of his era, he didn't bother with insignificant colonial dialects.... Phil, who is amused that his word processor software has 4 versions of English in the "Language" list: UK, US, Australian and Canadian. Make of _that_ what you will.... -------------------------------------------------------------- "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, 30 Jun 1999 09:59:38 -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://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/ Subject: Re: babble, rant,tangents (was Re: Off Topic: Babble on Star War... MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit The Zoomway offered this example: > "If it's any of your business, which it most certainly is not, and may I > remind you that I never ask for qualifiers when you want something from me, > but since it gives you some odd feeling of security, I'll just say that I > need the paper for a project...a research project that deals with...certain > things that are...oh, just give me the paper, Clark!" she demanded as her > babble engine ran out of steam. > > In that sentence I simply used "babble" to reference Lois' tendency to take > the long way around the block when she's being evasive or defensive. But Zoom, I don't think you really needed to use the word "babble" at all there, because you've clearly demonstrated Lois's way of speaking (whatever one wants to call it). I've written "Lois-babble" any number of times (it's fun! ) but if you write it well you don't need to label it as such. I do think the word "babble" gets overused, and therefore can become an annoyance. Just to add another facet to the discussion -- ------------------------------------------------------- Pam Jernigan | jernigan@bellsouth.net ChiefPam on IRC | ------------------------------------------------------- "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 ------------------------------------------------------- The FoLC Obsession Page has moved to: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 07:09:13 -0700 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Nancy Smith Subject: Re: NEW STORY: Big Boys Do Fly II - Part 5/5 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Wendy Richards wrote: > On Tue, 29 Jun 1999 16:58:07 -0700 Nancy Smith > wrote: > > > Wendy, how could you?!!! Arrrgh! > > A CLIFFHANGER!!! [snip] > > I've never inflicted a cliffhanger on anyone...yet. (chortle, snicker, evil > > laughter. Now see what you've done)> > > Well, it wasn't exactly a cliffhanger, Nan, but you didn't exactly > dot all the 'i's and cross all the 't's in Dagger of the Mind! There > were a few things left to the imagination... or a sequel. Very > frustrating, even if it was a great story! > > Wendy > ---------------------- > Wendy Richards > w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk Hey, Wendy, I'm kidding! I'm trying to say that the story was so good that I'm going to go insane waiting for the next installment. While it's true that cliffhangers do drive me crazy, your stories are worth waiting for. Nan Smith P.S. And I *do* mean I've never inflicted a cliffhanger on anyone *yet*. ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 10:08:54 -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://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam/ Subject: Re: Nfic - By Any Other Name MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Labrat pondered: > where *does* the nfic term hail from? In > the past I'd always just assumed it was a FoLC term, but I've noticed that > it's used by other fandoms too. Is it an internet term? I confess I don't know; at the time I became aware of it, I was under the impression it was a FOLC thing. What other fandoms have you seen it in? Maybe they stole it from us > what handle did other fandoms in the past use? Like Trek? In Trek, it was mainly slash ;-) > The WHAM question and answers reminded me of how Trekkers termed this genre > (or sub-genre) hurt/comfort See, I never really thought of WHAMs in a hurt/comfort way; I tend to think of WHAMs as more emotional things (hence the "wistful") ... like Lois telling Superman, near the end of WWW, that someone else needed her, or in ATAI, the whole "freeze me" scene. So near, yet so far... I guess I'm off in my own universe on that one but that's okay... -- ------------------------------------------------------- Pam Jernigan | jernigan@bellsouth.net ChiefPam on IRC | ------------------------------------------------------- "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 ------------------------------------------------------- The FoLC Obsession Page has moved to: http://www.geocities.com/~chiefpam ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 15:14:13 +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 STORY: Big Boys Do Fly II - Part 5/5 In-Reply-To: <377A24FD.29221EDA@earthlink.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII > Hey, Wendy, I'm kidding! I'm trying to say that the story was so good that I'm > going to go insane waiting for the next installment. While it's true that > cliffhangers do drive me crazy, your stories are worth waiting for. > Thanks Nan, I appreciate that! (and yes, I knew you were kidding ) > Nan Smith > > P.S. And I *do* mean I've never inflicted a cliffhanger on anyone *yet*. Ooohhh!!! I look forward to *that*! Wendy ---------------------- Wendy Richards w.m.richards@hrm.keele.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 10:24:19 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: Quote on archive? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 6/30/99 9:16:07 AM Eastern Daylight Time, Phillip.Atcliffe@UWE.AC.UK writes: << Without knowing anything about the song, "pissing the night away" would suggest something like just killing time, or hanging around doing nothing -- with or without drinking "piss" (Antipodean for beer ). >> Thanks for the information. Much of the rest of the song discusses various things that the guy drinks (whisky, beer, etc.) but just killing time makes sense in the context tool My computer has at least four versions of English, too. My kids set it to Australian English one day. Boy oh boy did spell check go nuts! Ann ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 10:58:09 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: nKerth Nomination Categories MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 06/30/1999 8:04:20 AM Eastern Daylight Time, smcdermin@EROLS.COM writes: << How about, "Most Original Euphemisms" Sorry. I'll submit all other suggestions privately, but this could be very funny. >> Well, knowing how creative you are with words, you had me ROTFL with this idea for a category. --L ;) ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 11:12:46 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Georgia E. Walden" Subject: Re: Random L&C TV history fact, don't we wish it happened this way... In-Reply-To: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 10:36 AM 6/30/99 +0100, you wrote: >Well, apart from the *very* weird accent (I'm sure all Aussie viewers >were cringing ;) ), I liked the character. The 'arc' had its flaws, >but also some very good, tense moments. A lot better than some Season >4 eps... Ghosts, BACALAC... need I say more? > >Wendy > Not touching that 'accent' thing ;) - there's not a regional group in the world who hasn't cringed at some point in their lives at an actor's delivery of their speech, but what was wrong with BACALAC? I really liked that episode, even at the time, when it was part of the infamous 'steamless' period ;). Perhaps it's that a large part of my enjoyment of L&C derived from the way material was presented as much as the content. I thought the parallelism and overlapping dialogue were fun. Bob and Carol were not to be taken seriously as characters, but they provided the impetus for Lois and Clark to have some very good moments : talking about their attitudes toward making friends, or in Lois' case, not making friends ; their intense conversation about Lois putting herself at risk for an interview and the way Clark dealt with that. I guess it's just me ... an episode would have to be a whole lot worse than BACALAC to go on my bad list ... oh wait, I don't have a bad list ... :) Georgia gwalde14@mindspring.com ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 11:22:56 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: "Georgia E. Walden" Subject: Re: babble, rant,tangents (was Re: Off Topic: Babble on Star War... In-Reply-To: <377A22CA.BDA59D83@bellsouth.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 09:59 AM 6/30/99 -0400, you wrote: >The Zoomway offered this example: >> "If it's any of your business, which it most certainly is not, and may I >> remind you that I never ask for qualifiers when you want something from me, >> but since it gives you some odd feeling of security, I'll just say that I >> need the paper for a project...a research project that deals with...certain >> things that are...oh, just give me the paper, Clark!" she demanded as her >> babble engine ran out of steam. >> >> In that sentence I simply used "babble" to reference Lois' tendency to take >> the long way around the block when she's being evasive or defensive. > >But Zoom, I don't think you really needed to use the word "babble" at >all there, because you've clearly demonstrated Lois's way of speaking >(whatever one wants to call it). I've written "Lois-babble" any number >of times (it's fun! ) but if you write it well you don't need to >label it as such. I do think the word "babble" gets overused, and >therefore can become an annoyance. Just to add another facet to the >discussion I'd agree that writing 'she babbled' would have been redundant in that passage, but what Zoom said was 'her babble engine ran out of steam.' That's a figure of speech, a play on words, a use of metaphor that adds color and meaning to the passage. It offers a mental picture of a train suddenly stopping, which is *exactly* the way Teri delivers those run-on sentences - think of the abrupt shift to "I was doing my laundry" in the Madame Ex example. Georgia > gwalde14@mindspring.com ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 13:59:33 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Lisa Ramirez Subject: Re: Come to the "N" Side, Hazel, Non-Nfic Reader! Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Anne E. McBride wrote on 30 Jun 99 << Not true, not true. Jimmy Hoffa is in that slab of concrete in Tim and Amber Lake's private museum, right next to the arms of the Venus de Milo. (BTW, how did they get there from Lex Luthor's private museum?) Granted, Jimmy Hoffa isn't going to do anybody much good in his current condition. >> The Lakes more than likely stole The Arms from the Metropolis Mueseum of Art. Remember, Superman gave The Arms of the Venus de Milo to the Museum at the end of the episode. If memory serves, at the end of "The Foundling" there was a brief glimpse of a Planet newspaper showing a photo of Superman holding The Arms. If Tim and Amber were that wealthy and that underhanded and greedy (which they were), they must have gone a few rounds with Lex - and undoubtedly lost. I'll bet they knew exactly who had The Arms and were overjoyed (in a smug sort of way) that they now possessed what Lex had as well as what Lex could never get -- Superman. Lisa M. Ramirez Lramirez@odu.edu No experiment is ever a complete failure: It can always be used as a negative example. ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 19:09:22 +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: Quote on archive? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Ann wrote: > "Antsy" essentially means restless. I think it comes from the expression "to > have ants in the pants" which would, I suppose, make someone squirm and > wiggle, etc. trying to get rid of the ants. So someone who is antsy is > physically restless. (Think of three year old children at church.) Thanks, Ann. I was labouring under the misapprehension that 'antsy' was something to do with being anxious, so I'm glad you've sorted that one out for me. > In the US "pissed" and "pissed off" both mean that you are angry with someone > or about something. Since "pissed" by itself means drunk, does that mean the > song by Chumwalla (sp?) or Tubthumper (I forget which was the group and which > the CD) last year which contains the line, "Pissing the night away" refer to > drinking as opposed to elimination? It always seemed a bit crude to me when > my kids would listen to it on the radio, but if it just means drinking, it > actually makes more sense in the context of the song. I see Phil answered this one much more coherently than I could. For your information, another use of the term is in the phrase "it's pissing down", meaning it's raining very hard. Yvonne (yconnell@ukf.net) ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 11:28:41 PDT Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Anne Simmonds Subject: Re: NEW STORY: Big Boys Do Fly II - Part 5/5 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed Wendy!!! Excellent!!! Way to keep everyone on the edge of there seats!!! Can't wait for the next one Annobelle ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 15:06:30 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: Come to the "N" Side, Hazel, Non-Nfic Reader! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 6/30/99 2:03:44 PM Eastern Daylight Time, lramirez@ODU.EDU writes: << The Lakes more than likely stole The Arms from the Metropolis Mueseum of Art. Remember, Superman gave The Arms of the Venus de Milo to the Museum at the end of the episode. If memory serves, at the end of "The Foundling" there was a brief glimpse of a Planet newspaper showing a photo of Superman holding The Arms. >> Good point. And since "possession is their passion," I think you are right about them going head to head with Lex and undoubtedly losing. Ann ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 12:12:26 -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: OT - Question re printing out fanfic MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii I have a questions about printing out fanfic with Microsoft. Thanks to the kind FoLC who suggested 2 column arial. It's a huge help. But I find when I convert the doc to 2 col. I get really jagged page breaks like this with only one, two or three words per line. Very irritating as you can see from my above example. I have tried Auto Formatting before I change the font or the number of columns. It sometimes works, but not always. And sometimes, it ends up double spacing everything or doing other weird spacing in the text. Is there something that I can select that will eliminate the above problem? Suggestions are very much appreciated. Thanks Irene sirenegold@yahoo.com _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 15:14:31 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: Quote on archive? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 6/30/99 2:25:18 PM Eastern Daylight Time, yconnell@UKF.NET writes: << Thanks, Ann. I was labouring under the misapprehension that 'antsy' was something to do with being anxious, so I'm glad you've sorted that one out for me. >> Well, one could be antsy because one was anxious so you weren't far off. It's just that one's anxiety would be expressed by pacing, twitching, squirming, etc. In fanfic, at least, Lois is frequently antsy when she is anxious. In the show, she was definitely antsy in WWW, what with all that pacing in her room and Dr. Friskin's office. Now whether or not she was anxious, I don't know. Ann ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 15:15:40 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: Quote on archive? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 6/30/99 2:25:18 PM Eastern Daylight Time, yconnell@UKF.NET writes: << I see Phil answered this one much more coherently than I could. For your information, another use of the term is in the phrase "it's pissing down", meaning it's raining very hard. >> Thanks to both Phil and Yvonne. There is certainly much more creative use of the word in the UK than in the US. Ann ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 15:29:57 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: OT - Question re printing out fanfic MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi Irene, The weird spacing you mention has to do with whether or not the original document was wrapped or entered at the end of each line as it was typed. You can find this out after you transfer it to Works by going to View on the tool bar and clicking on "Show all characters". Every time "enter" was hit, there will be a little paragraph sign (like a backwards P). The only way I know to eliminate these is to then go through the document and backspace or delete all those enters. Sometimes you then have to hit space to get a space between the two words. If the text is very long, this can take some time, so it depends on how badly you want to get rid of the weird spacing. On some documents doing this can save another 3-5 pages. It all depends on what the original was like. Unfortunately, I don't know of any easy or quick way to do this. If the original document was typed with word wrap, then you shouldn't get the effect. But those are few and far between. Maybe someone else knows how to eliminate the enters, now that we know what the main problem is. BTW, keep up the good work with Starfire and Sunstorm. Ann ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 15:05:49 -0500 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Sheila Harper Subject: Re: OT - Question re printing out fanfic Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 03:29 PM 6/30/99 EDT, Ann E. McBride wrote: >The only way I know to >eliminate these is to then go through the document and backspace or delete >all those enters. Sometimes you then have to hit space to get a space >between the two words. Unfortunately, I don't know of any easy or quick way to >do this. This is easy to correct (at least in Word) *if* the writer double-spaced between paragraphs . 1. Go to "edit" and select "replace." With your cursor in the "find" window, select "paragraph mark" from the list of special characters. Do this twice. (The characters in the window should look like ^p^p) 2. Tab to the "replace" window and select "tab mark" from the list of special characters. 3. Click on "replace all." 4. Put your cursor back in the "find" window, and delete one paragraph mark (^p). 5. Tab to the "replace" window and hit the space bar once. 6. Click on "replace all." 7. Put your cursor back in the "find" window, and select "tab mark" from the list of special characters. 8. Tab to the "replace" window and select "paragraph mark" from the list of special characters. Do this twice. (The characters in the window should look like ^p^p) 9. Click on "replace all." Look at your document. If typing a space in place of the email hard returns left you with a lot of double-spaces between words, go back to edit--replace, and put your cursor in the "find" window. 10. Press the space bar twice. 11. Tab to the "replace" window and press the space bar once. 12. Click on "replace all." This will also get rid of double-spaces after periods at the end of sentences and after colons, but they're easy enough to put back in if you want. >If the original document was typed with word wrap, then you shouldn't get the >effect. But those are few and far between. This is a result of certain email programs (like the archaic form of Eudora I use), which automatically insert a hard return at the end of each line. I always type my stories, comments, etc. using word wrap, but Eudora puts hard returns at the line breaks anyway. Sheila sharper@cncc.cc.co.us ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 21:06:25 +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: Nfic - By Any Other Name MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Pam wrote: >I confess I don't know; at the time I became aware of it, I was under >the impression it was a FOLC thing. What other fandoms have you seen it >in? Maybe they stole it from us > Buffy mostly (haven't found a decent nfic yet in that fandom, have to say ). Some Voyager. Can't remember, but don't think it's called that in XF. Maybe they did pinch it from you at that! >> what handle did other fandoms in the past use? Like Trek? > >In Trek, it was mainly slash ;-) I was always under the impression that slash referred solely to what was also called K/S - i.e. sexually explicit material dealing with Kirk and Spock (and sometimes McCoy for good measure). But not nfic in general. Although, have to qualify that there and say that K/S was the *only* explicit fanfic (I'm talking original Trek here of course) around at that time that I ever saw, so perhaps they broaded the term to something more general later on. And I'm certainly no expert as the only contact I ever had with nfic in Trek was knowing a friend who adored K/S and who once hid in her home for over a week terrified to answer the phone and waiting for the police to knock at her door after buying in some K/S zines from the States and then hearing they'd been confiscated by customs on arrival in the UK. > >> The WHAM question and answers reminded me of how Trekkers termed this genre >> (or sub-genre) hurt/comfort > >See, I never really thought of WHAMs in a hurt/comfort way; I tend to >think of WHAMs as more emotional things (hence the "wistful") ... like >Lois telling Superman, near the end of WWW, that someone else needed >her, or in ATAI, the whole "freeze me" scene. So near, yet so far... I >guess I'm off in my own universe on that one but that's okay... I don't see why not. Seems to me that's the beauty of WAFFs and WHAMs - they're open to interpretation and don't necessarily mean the same thing to everyone. I'd include such moments as these as WAFFs - but what makes me right? LabRat :) Doc. Klein's LabRat labrat@ukf.net "Shut up," he explained. --- Ring Lardner, The Young Immigrants. 'We can't all be heroes because someone has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by.' --- Will Rogers. ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 13:19:13 +0100 Reply-To: Cindy Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Cindy Subject: Re: OT - Question re printing out fanfic In-Reply-To: <3fab4246.24abca35@aol.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit My solution may be more confusing for some than Ann's but it works for me. There are four global changes in most fanfics on the web that turns them into neat, easy to read documents on your PC: Go to "Edit" on the menu bar. depending on your version of Word choose "Find", and then the "Replace" tab, or just choose "Replace" from the "Edit" menu. Step one: Find what: ^P (Paragraph Sign followed by two spaces. Don't forget the spaces!) Replace with:^t^t. (A double tab) This change will make any fanfic with an indent at the beginning of a paragraph instead of a double return fall into place.) Step two: Find what:^p^p (double paragraph) Replace with:^t^t (double tab) This change will make any fanfic with double returns between paragraphs fall into place. Step three: Find what:^p (single paragraph) Replace with: (single space) This change causes all text within a paragraph to flow into each other. Step four: Find what:^t^t Replace with:^p^p This change puts all the paragraphs back at double spacing. (the way I like to read fanfic) This method works on almost everything I've tried it on. There are are few (very few) that ended up with triple space between lines with the text way out in the middle of the page. But over all it works well if you do it right. After you try it a few times, you can get rid of double spaces with in a document or triple returns between paragraphs to make it even easier to read. -----Original Message----- From: Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic [mailto:LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU]On Behalf Of Ann E. McBride Sent: Wednesday, June 30, 1999 8:30 PM To: LOISCLA-GENERAL-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU Subject: Re: OT - Question re printing out fanfic Hi Irene, The weird spacing you mention has to do with whether or not the original document was wrapped or entered at the end of each line as it was typed. You can find this out after you transfer it to Works by going to View on the tool bar and clicking on "Show all characters". Every time "enter" was hit, there will be a little paragraph sign (like a backwards P). The only way I know to eliminate these is to then go through the document and backspace or delete all those enters. Sometimes you then have to hit space to get a space between the two words. If the text is very long, this can take some time, so it depends on how badly you want to get rid of the weird spacing. On some documents doing this can save another 3-5 pages. It all depends on what the original was like. Unfortunately, I don't know of any easy or quick way to do this. If the original document was typed with word wrap, then you shouldn't get the effect. But those are few and far between. Maybe someone else knows how to eliminate the enters, now that we know what the main problem is. BTW, keep up the good work with Starfire and Sunstorm. Ann ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 17:19:34 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Patricia Chenenko Subject: Re: OT-printing out fanfic MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In my experience, 99% of all the fanfic I've printed, excluding poetry and music lyrics, can be formatted using "replace" with just two steps. This method eliminates extra lines between paragraphs. I agree that they make reading easier, but in a long story those extra lines add up and add to printing time and cost. Step 1: In "Find what" type ^p or select paragraph mark from the drop down list. In "replace with" type ^s or select non-breaking space from the drop down list. Then click on replace all. Step 2: In "find what" type ^s^s or select non-breaking space, twice, from the drop down list. In "replace with" type ^p^t or select paragraph mark, then select tab character from the drop down list. Then click on replace all. This maintains all formatting of spaces, eliminates extra lines, and inserts a tab character at the beginning of every paragraph. Do the "replace" function before any other formatting. Then switch page layout to landscape, format 2 columns, and finally, change font and size. To make reading even easier I insert a line between the columns (this is an option in Word 97, I don't know if it's in earlier versions of Word.) Patty pchenenko@worldnet.att.net ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 18:24:57 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: babble, rant, tangent, bacalac, wham/waff (was other stuff.. MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 6/30/99 10:23:00 AM Central Daylight Time, gwalde14@MINDSPRING.COM writes: << I'd agree that writing 'she babbled' would have been redundant in that passage, but what Zoom said was 'her babble engine ran out of steam.' That's a figure of speech, a play on words, a use of metaphor that adds color and meaning to the passage. It offers a mental picture of a train suddenly stopping, which is *exactly* the way Teri delivers those run-on sentences - think of the abrupt shift to "I was doing my laundry" in the Madame Ex example. >> I think you're both right in that if Lois' babble is written well enough, as Pam said, it's easily recognized for what it is and needs no label, and as Georgia pointed out, I was trying to paint a picture of Teri's unique delivery of such lines when I said "her babble engine ran out of steam" Sometimes, though, "babble" is used for what might be called an "establishing shot". If an author wrote, "Clark returned to the Planet to find Lois in full babble mode regarding the proposed budget cuts", even if we don't "hear" what Lois is saying, we have a pretty good idea of how she's expressing herself. Speaking of tangent segues, I wasn't that fond of Bob and Carol and Lois and Clark when it first aired, but, like The Rival, has grown on me quite a bit. I tend to like it more each time I see it. Some of my favorite scenes would include Lois, not wanting to go on a double date with Jimmy and his odd girlfriend, turning to Clark and mouthing the words, "Help, Superman". Lois asking Clark how many people they know that have secret compartments in their homes..."good people, I mean". It was nice seeing Lois and Clark going out on a date, even if it was with another couple. I liked them walking down the street arm in arm in matching leather jackets ;) I liked Clark ripping open his shirt for Lois because it still turns her on Last tangent segue ;) As an old-timer on the list, WHAM was a word that referred to anything ranging from emotionally painful to bittersweet moments. There really wasn't a designation for "hurt/comfort" since that wasn't often in the series. I mean Lois and Clark would comfort each other, but traditional hurt/comfort tends to have one of the couple torn down to quite a degrading or physically debilitated level. You're much more like to run into that in Trek fic or X-Files fic. Oh, and in the trivia department, "nfic" was originally called "steamfic" and Teri read at least one of them and printed it up for Dean to read, and she said we were filthy Zoomway@aol.com ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 15:15:58 +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: NEW STORY: Big Boys Do Fly II - Part 5/5 In-Reply-To: <376EACCC00001251@cncc.cncc.cc.co.us> (added by cncc.cncc.cc.co.us) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 02:24 PM 29/06/99 -0500, you wrote: >> - To Be Continued in Big Boys Do Fly III: Torn Between Two Worlds - > >ARGH!! Wendy, don't torture me like this! And a cliffhanger like that, too! > >Of course, who am I to talk, right? So, is the next section going to be >available in three weeks? Two? Tomorrow?? > >Waiting with bated breath (which means I'm holding my breath, and unlike >Clark, I can't hold it very long), > >Sheila >(BTW, in case I forgot to mention it, BBDF2 is excellent. I liked the >different characterizations for Conor and Laura, and I thought you did a >good job creating their world believably. 'Marner Sisters' :) >sharper@cncc.cc.co.us me three! (see, I didn't post a "me too" post ) Jen 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: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 20:20:12 -0400 Reply-To: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" Sender: "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Fanfic" From: Anita Hook Subject: Episode Filming In-Reply-To: <271516b4.24abf339@aol.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" I have a rather mundane quesion regarding the filming of the episodes and I wasn't sure where to direct it. Can someone tell me how far in advance of airing was each episode filmed? Zoom? Just curious. Regards Anita ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 17:19:57 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: babble, rant, tangent, bacalac, wham/waff (was other stuff.. Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed >Oh, and in the trivia department, "nfic" was >originally called "steamfic" and Teri read at least one of them and printed >it up for Dean to read, and she said we were filthy > >Zoomway@aol.com No kidding. Well, that's interesting. It's also interesting that she printed it out for Dean to read You don't happen to know which one, do you? Rachel rae@usXchange.net _______________________________________________________________ Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 20:43:39 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: Episode Filming (and nfic ;) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 6/30/99 7:22:52 PM Central Daylight Time, hook@TIAC.NET writes: << I have a rather mundane quesion regarding the filming of the episodes and I wasn't sure where to direct it. Can someone tell me how far in advance of airing was each episode filmed? Zoom? >> It usually took 8 days to film an episode, and Mark Zarate, who did the special effects for the series from second season on, said that sometimes they'd still be working on putting the finishing touches on an episode the Friday before the episode was to air on Sunday. Might be why the promo for Lucky Leon showed the scene where Superman kicks the nuclear warhead, but that hadn't been added in yet, so you see Superman kicking what looks like a half gallon milk jug In a message dated 6/30/99 7:33:31 PM Central Daylight Time, rtenha@HOTMAIL.COM writes: << >Oh, and in the trivia department, "nfic" was >originally called "steamfic" and Teri read at least one of them and printed >it up for Dean to read, and she said we were filthy > >>No kidding. Well, that's interesting. It's also interesting that she printed >> it out for Dean to read You don't happen to know which one, do you? >> Teri said "Who wrote that?" and then Dean smiled real big and said "Yeah...who wrote that?" Teri referred to it as the "couch story" and since there was very little nfic at the time, most of us guessed she was talking about Angela's story "Deja View" since the climax (no pun intended) happens on the sofa. Zoomway@aol.com ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 18:47:52 -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: My Journal, Day 4, Introduction In-Reply-To: <199906272029.VAA08357@radius.connectfree.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 07:10 PM 06/27/1999 +0100, you wrote: >Dear Clark, Gosh, you wrote on Sunday and here it is Wednesday evening already! My life has been busy lately, thus I've had to put some things aside... >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >S >> >> >> >> >> >> >P >> >> >> >> >> >> >O >> >> >> >> >> >> >I >> >> >> >> >> >> >L >> >> >> >> >> >> >E >> >> >> >> >> >> >R >> >> >> >> >> >> > >> >> >> >> >> >> >S >> >> >> >> >> >> >P >> >> >> >> >> >> >A >> >> >> >> >> >> >C >> >> >> >> >> >> >E >> >> >> >> >> >> > >> >> >> > >> Ta-da! I'm sure Lois Lane thinks I don't have a sense of humor when a fellow >> needs one to survive encounters with her. > >You learnt that lesson quick, Clark! I think you'll find that a sense of >humour is also a useful 'disarming' tool with her. Really? Next time I see her I'll try some jokes I remember from the books I collected when I was a kid. I went through a joke-book-phase when I was about eleven. Some of those jokes were real killers, too! :) Mom always laughed at them. >> Dad! Put away the pitch fork! yconnell's okay. > >Phew! I can put the body armour away again. So that's what it was, eh? >> >DO NOT ask Cat! She'll have you in black leather everything. >> That's a bad thing? > >Oh, Clark. . Some black leather here and >there is fine "here and there" where? >- personally, I think you'd look great in a black leather jacket Me? You think so? >- but a whole outfit? You'd end up either looking like a >motor-cycle dispatch rider who's lost his helmet, or a refugee from a >dubious movie. I don't go to dubious movies (at least not since "Dumb and Dumber"). Do you suppose black leather wears like black rubber? I saw some dark-haired guy wearing a rubber jacket and slacks in a magazine one time. He looked hot--physically hot, I mean, not cool (or kewl). >Not to mention the fact that ALL leather can't be very >comfortable - even if you're invulnerable. Fortunately, I don't chafe. More fortunately, I have *some* taste (or I can ask you). >>>Personally, I find tattoos a complete turn-off, and besides, from what I've >>>heard, your body doesn't need any improvement ;) >> >> And where did you hear this from, hmm? > >I told you before, my sources cannot be revealed ;) I hope your source isn't name "m,a,r,t,h,a" >> >United Kent Fans, of course! Thought that was obvious :) >> >> /me blinks a startled look. >> >> I'll have to see about getting you a discount on a subscription to the Daily >> Planet :) If things work out, you'll see me all the time there :D >Does the DP have a website yet? Otherwise the news is going to be a little >old by the time it reaches me here in the UK :) There is a site but I'm a bit wary about visiting it, so I can't in good conscious pass along the url, sorry. Later maybe, after the New Hope goes up. >> Ck >> cjkent@smallvillepost.com > >Hey! You got your own email address at last. I've had it for years. You mean you don't have a copy of my resume? Everyone else seems to. Odd. >Could never understand why >you were using that Debby person's address. Who is she, anyway? Have you heard about the new move "The Muse"? I understand the reviews aren't good but the idea's the right one :) ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 18:52:27 -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: My Journal, Day 6 In-Reply-To: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 11:29 AM 06/29/1999 -0500, Terry H. wrote: [snip cute Cindy] >Oh, my sentiments exactly. Debby, I have been trying to restrain my >impatience and wait for all of your latest epic to hit the List (which, as >everyone else has already said, is incredible and has me in constant awe of >your writing prowess). Note, dear audiece, that she hasn't said "I'll send you big $$$ if you send me all the rest privately". >I keep getting closer to the edge of my chair with >each installment and I finally fell off after this one (although the >hysterical laughter may have had something to do with it...) Oh, my... and there's still 5 more "days" to go :) >but I have to >ask something. There are only 8 days hmm, 1) Tuesday 2) Wednesday 3) Thursday (2) 4) Friday (2) 5) Saturday (2) 6) Sunday 7) Monday 8) Tuesday 9) Wednesday 10) Thursday (morning) 11) Thursday (rest of day), Friday More than 8... >left to go in this journal - are you >actually going to resolve all of this amazing plot in this short remaining >amount of calendar time, or are we going to be left cruelly dangling to >await future journals? PLEASE PLEASE say things are tied up in a >(relatively) satisfactory manner by the end of day 14!! I don't think I >could bear more waiting!! I choose.... b) "tied up in (relatively) satisfactory manner" >I'm already having enough trouble maintaining my >patience as I wait for you to get back to Dawning 23 (I know, I know, it >will be awhile... sigh...) >Terry Horowit Debby Debby@swcp.com checking the mail box for the bribes ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 18:55:05 -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: My Journal, Day 6 and Fear of Discovery In-Reply-To: <377833EF.36095BE4@cyberhotline.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 07:48 PM 06/28/1999 -0700, you wrote: >Debby wrote: > >> Debby :) >> Debby@swcp.com >> who has all of My Journal written >> and is just tweaking it here and there... > >Now you have me drooling all over my keyboard. Ewwww! I promise not to drum my >fingers impatiently at you again (the mental rap I gave myself across the knuckles >with a ruler bruised my hand to the point that I am still typing one handed) I always recommend aloe vera externally and Vitamin C internally :) >but do you think it's safe to admit that you have more than you're letting us see? I have 5 more days, if that's what you mean. If you mean what am I wearing now, it got to at least 104 today with 10% humidity (almost muggy for here), but I'm in an airconditioned apartment, so I'm wearing normal clothing :) >Aren't you afraid of a marauding hoard showing up on your doorstep and laying >siege to your hard drive? They can siege all they want if they siege with their checkbooks or cash in hand :) >Where is it you live again? Albuquerque, New Mexico, which you'll never find ;) Debby Debby@swcp.com somewhere over the rainbow... ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 19:04:12 -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: My Journal, Day 6 and Fear of Discovery In-Reply-To: <96fbe769.24a99352@aol.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 11:11 PM 06/28/1999 -0400, you wrote: >In a message dated 06/28/1999 9:52:38 PM Eastern Daylight Time, >Debby@SWCP.COM writes: > ><< who has all of My Journal written > and is just tweaking it here and there... >> > >ALL of it??? And we have to wait for these twice weekly installments? Yes. :) >AAAGGHHH, the agony!!! Oh, come on. Just think of it as a long story that you don't have time to read all at once :) >Geesh, and I thought you were writing it only a few >installments ahead of what we were reading. You really do know how to tease >us!! > >--Laurie (the Ord one) I just have this fear that something similar might come up and people might think "Oh, she read that and added something like it to her own!" This isn't far fetched: often similar ideas occur to writers who have no communications with each other. Also, story themes come into vogue. They sure did while the show was on. We had revelation stories before they got to it on the show, then wedding stories, then baby stories, etc. Now my proofers will vouch for me, of course, but if they've been able to keep up with the rash of stories lately (which is more than I've been able to do, drat...) they may say "Oh, that writer has writen something similiar, how interesting!" But I'm not saying who has done what if this happens. :) Debby Debby@swcp.com remembering 7 Days is on next. "Let's do it again!" They reran a great "Groundhog Day" style episode last week. ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 19:06:36 -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: My Journal, Day 6 and Fear of Discovery In-Reply-To: <610b945.24a996ed@aol.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 11:26 PM 06/28/1999 -0400, Ann E. M. wrote: [snip] >I think it's just fine that Debby is dribbling out the Journal. It gives us >all something to look forward to during what is turning out to be a very hot, >boring summer. Thanks, Ann! It's definitely hot here, and I wish in someways it were more boring :( >Besides, Debby's writing is like fine wine or chocolate: >meant to be savored slowly, swirling it around and around, getting all the >nuances, before finally swallowing it. Whew! I thought you were going to say "before you get dizzy and fall over" >If she sent it out all at once, we'd gobble it up and get bloated. Yeah, and then people would say "Now what?" I'd hate to write my Batman story real fast then... >Ann ( whose son says is "weird", but what does he know? he trolls for girls >on the net) This all depends on how old your son is, I guess... Debby :) Debby@swcp.com untrolled for. ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 19:09:14 -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: My Journal, Day 6 and Fear of Discovery In-Reply-To: <199906291003.LAA17741@radius.connectfree.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 10:10 AM 06/29/1999 +0100, Yvonne wrote: >Debby wrote: > >> You can tell how much Yvonne likes to >> write dialogue--and that she does very well at it. > >Well, I'm learning all the time, Debby - and Folcs are a great bunch of >people to learn from - but thank you for letting me know that I'm getting >there :) Keep practicing! People love it! >> who has all of My Journal written >> and is just tweaking it here and there... >If you're not kidding us, Debby, then I, for one, am glad. I had worried >about you, slaving away constantly to get the next part written for us in >time. I had hoped that at least you were a few 'episodes' ahead of us, but >this is even better. No, I had it all written in nearly final draft form before I started posting it. Since I have the opportunity, I'm rereading before posting in hopes of cutting down on the number of typos (a nearly impossible task, darn it). This is why if you get it off my site, you might want to go back a few days later and download again because that version will be, I hope, nearly typo free ;) Eventually the Dawnings will be that way, too... Debby :) Debby@swcp.com ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 21:27:15 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: nKerth Nomination Categories MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 99-06-30 04:48:30 EDT, you write: << Nfic, Alexis, is (technically speaking) 'naughty fanfic' - i.e. sexually explicit, R (or X) rated, gotta be over the legal limit to read. Personally, I've always thought of that as a bit of a misnomer really. Although I have read plenty of nfic which are naughty romps and just fun, I've also read a lot that is deeply emotional and more serious than that. And for my own nfic I like to go for waffy and humorous more than naughty really. >> Thank you LabRat for the explanation. I too have read my share of nfic.. but i guess i was just too.. well you know.. yeah out it, that's the nice way to put it after reading about Clark and Lois.. well you know and think about Clark.. ok i shut up now! ;X Alexis ;-.) {who is writing not exactly LnC nfic.. but it will get a PG-13 rating.. but we shall see..} ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 21:53:23 -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: My Journal, Day 6 In-Reply-To: <199907010110.TAA12315@kitsune.swcp.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >>Oh, my sentiments exactly. Debby, I have been trying to restrain my >>impatience and wait for all of your latest epic to hit the List (which, as >>everyone else has already said, is incredible and has me in constant awe of >>your writing prowess). > >Note, dear audiece, that she hasn't said "I'll send you big $$$ if you send me >all the rest privately". Does this mean that if I do send you big $$$, you WILL send me the rest privately???? Terry ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 20:18:54 -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: Come to the "N" Side, Hazel, Non-Nfic Reader! MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > *Think Empress*, like Catherine the Great. With your (grape) peeler, maybe you ought to think: Catherine the Grant