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crack_van2008-10-29 06:25 pm
xenokattz.livejournal.com) wrote in crack_van2008-10-29 06:25 pm
Entry tags:
Above Alt Else by Sunrei (T+)
Fandom: SMALLVILLE
Characters: Lois Lane, Clark Kent
Pairing: Lois/Clark
Length: ~ 95,000
Author on LJ: --
Author Website: Author's fics on the Clois Fanfiction Archive
Why this must be read:
Oh plottiness, how I love you. I had to give this rec a long, hard think. It's an AU with very little in common with the Smallville universe; it can fit in any Superman mythos out there, really. What tipped it over into the "yes" pile is that it is simply a fantastic story.
Sunrei included everything here-- mystery, action, romance and family dynamics. The three or four emotional, character and action subplots wind so well with the main mystery and even then, what you initially thought of as the mystery isn't the "real" point of the story. And the medical science! Yea gods, the accurate medical science made me bounce in my chair with joy.
Also, her characters are so three-dimensional they could exist in the real world. Lois Lane is a smart, justice-driven reporter but also impulsive and acerbic. Clark is an earnest champion of the downtrodden but still nagged by issues of self worth. Even knowing the end of the Superman mythos, Sunrei doesn't quite end it perfectly, never forgetting the story's set-up of their flaws and strengths. I could flail all day, really so I'll just let you read an excerpt.
--- The editor handed Lois the file in his hands. "I think you might want to take a look at this," he said as she began perusing the contents. "It seems that a recent investigation has brought Mr. Kent to our great city and he finds himself in need of some of our esteemed resources. I agreed to his having full access with the provision that the *Planet* gets the shared byline and equal publishing rights."
He turned to address the man seated to her left. "Lois will be working with you on the story."
The seated pair looked at him with matching expressions of surprise. "What?" "Excuse me?"
"Mr. White, I think you misunderstood the arrangement I requested…"
"Perry! You can't stick me with a partner – especially not some two-bit, over-publicized hack!" Lois entered vehemently.
"I can assure you that I am no hack," Clark countered with a frown. He turned back to Perry. "And I work alone."
"Now, Son, you have to realize that in order for me to give you free reign of my newsroom, I need to have some form of assurance."
"You have my word," Clark emphasized, leaning forward in his seat.
"And I appreciate that, I do, but if you're going to play in my sandbox, you're going to have to play nice with my kids, and that means working with Lois." Perry shrugged. "Now, if my conditions are a deal-breaker for you then you're certainly welcome to take your story to the Star…"
Clark looked from the man in front of him to the woman in the other chair. She was studiously going through his file again and he had no doubt that she was memorizing his notes as she went. With a heavy sigh, he nodded his agreement.
"Good, then, that's settled. Lois?"
Without looking up from the folder, Lois addressed the other reporter. "You might actually have something here – if it's accurate… Where'd you get the intel?"
Clark bristled at the suggestion that he might have falsified his notes. "I will not reveal my source but you can trust me when I say that what you see there is both reliable and true." He didn't like that she was interviewing him on his own story.
Ignoring his tone, Lois nodded curtly and quickly followed with another question. "And from the few facts that you have here among the mishmash, you really think that you can pull out a veritable story? I see that you suspect that this goes beyond the plant but you have no evidence and no backup theory, while there are a thousand other explanations that make more sense."
She finally pulled her attention from the folder and looked him squarely in the eye. "What makes you so sure?" she challenged.
Clark glanced at Perry. The editor was watching the exchange thoughtfully but offering no reprieve. Turning back to Lois, he returned her gaze evenly. "Instinct."
Lois set her jaw and narrowed her eyes. "You expect me to drop everything I'm doing and follow a story with implications this high up based solely on *your* instinct?"
Clark stiffened. "Might I remind you that your addition to this investigation was not planned and is certainly not necessary, but if it is your intention to work on this, then the answer is yes. My belief in the validity of this story is based solely on instinct. *My* instinct."
Lois flipped her hair and stood, snapping the folder shut with a grin. "Good. That's how I work. Let's get started."
Above Alt Else
ETA: Thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ffutures for the corrected link!
Characters: Lois Lane, Clark Kent
Pairing: Lois/Clark
Length: ~ 95,000
Author on LJ: --
Author Website: Author's fics on the Clois Fanfiction Archive
Why this must be read:
Oh plottiness, how I love you. I had to give this rec a long, hard think. It's an AU with very little in common with the Smallville universe; it can fit in any Superman mythos out there, really. What tipped it over into the "yes" pile is that it is simply a fantastic story.
Sunrei included everything here-- mystery, action, romance and family dynamics. The three or four emotional, character and action subplots wind so well with the main mystery and even then, what you initially thought of as the mystery isn't the "real" point of the story. And the medical science! Yea gods, the accurate medical science made me bounce in my chair with joy.
Also, her characters are so three-dimensional they could exist in the real world. Lois Lane is a smart, justice-driven reporter but also impulsive and acerbic. Clark is an earnest champion of the downtrodden but still nagged by issues of self worth. Even knowing the end of the Superman mythos, Sunrei doesn't quite end it perfectly, never forgetting the story's set-up of their flaws and strengths. I could flail all day, really so I'll just let you read an excerpt.
--- The editor handed Lois the file in his hands. "I think you might want to take a look at this," he said as she began perusing the contents. "It seems that a recent investigation has brought Mr. Kent to our great city and he finds himself in need of some of our esteemed resources. I agreed to his having full access with the provision that the *Planet* gets the shared byline and equal publishing rights."
He turned to address the man seated to her left. "Lois will be working with you on the story."
The seated pair looked at him with matching expressions of surprise. "What?" "Excuse me?"
"Mr. White, I think you misunderstood the arrangement I requested…"
"Perry! You can't stick me with a partner – especially not some two-bit, over-publicized hack!" Lois entered vehemently.
"I can assure you that I am no hack," Clark countered with a frown. He turned back to Perry. "And I work alone."
"Now, Son, you have to realize that in order for me to give you free reign of my newsroom, I need to have some form of assurance."
"You have my word," Clark emphasized, leaning forward in his seat.
"And I appreciate that, I do, but if you're going to play in my sandbox, you're going to have to play nice with my kids, and that means working with Lois." Perry shrugged. "Now, if my conditions are a deal-breaker for you then you're certainly welcome to take your story to the Star…"
Clark looked from the man in front of him to the woman in the other chair. She was studiously going through his file again and he had no doubt that she was memorizing his notes as she went. With a heavy sigh, he nodded his agreement.
"Good, then, that's settled. Lois?"
Without looking up from the folder, Lois addressed the other reporter. "You might actually have something here – if it's accurate… Where'd you get the intel?"
Clark bristled at the suggestion that he might have falsified his notes. "I will not reveal my source but you can trust me when I say that what you see there is both reliable and true." He didn't like that she was interviewing him on his own story.
Ignoring his tone, Lois nodded curtly and quickly followed with another question. "And from the few facts that you have here among the mishmash, you really think that you can pull out a veritable story? I see that you suspect that this goes beyond the plant but you have no evidence and no backup theory, while there are a thousand other explanations that make more sense."
She finally pulled her attention from the folder and looked him squarely in the eye. "What makes you so sure?" she challenged.
Clark glanced at Perry. The editor was watching the exchange thoughtfully but offering no reprieve. Turning back to Lois, he returned her gaze evenly. "Instinct."
Lois set her jaw and narrowed her eyes. "You expect me to drop everything I'm doing and follow a story with implications this high up based solely on *your* instinct?"
Clark stiffened. "Might I remind you that your addition to this investigation was not planned and is certainly not necessary, but if it is your intention to work on this, then the answer is yes. My belief in the validity of this story is based solely on instinct. *My* instinct."
Lois flipped her hair and stood, snapping the folder shut with a grin. "Good. That's how I work. Let's get started."
Above Alt Else
ETA: Thanks to
ffutures for the corrected link!
no subject
http://www.lcfanfic.com/stories/2008/abovealt.txt
no subject
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