Lois Lane: Fallout Read-Along discussion

Thanks so much to everyone for playing along!

So from my insider perspective, the most important thing about these chapters is that I, er, went completely off the outline I'd proposed for my favorite part of them. Hard to believe now, I suspect, but I didn't really realize until I started writing the book that my subconscious was suggesting this VR game so Lois and SmallvilleGuy could be in scenes together...even if they were many states apart, without knowing each other in real life. But I'd already changed my generic male kid who needed to be helped into Anavi and it just felt right. I remember a feeling of complete GLEE when I decided to write the "not-a-date" scene in the game, and it was so much fun to do. I figured someone would just tell me to take it out, if it was a mistake. To my relief that never happened! And trivia -- it's actually the scene in the newsprint on the cover. :-)

I really wanted Lois's life to feel contemporary and relevant, but I also very much wanted to reflect Superman as a science fiction story. He's an alien. So even though Lois (and the world!) don't know about superheroes yet -- because Superman is the first one -- I thought from the get-go it was right for Lois to be one of the first people who realizes things are changing, that as Superman is coming into his powers there are other extra-real things happening too. That their world holds things that don't map onto what we believe is possible. I love comic book science, which I think is a whole branch of science fiction on its own.

And I really, really loved writing all the awkward flirting and elf and alien jokes here. #nerd

So these chapters are important in setting up the plot, but they are also very important for establishing a non-chat meeting place for Lois and Clark. And that's what I have to add -- feel free to ask me questions!

I loved that SmallvilleGuy is an alien with glasses and certain powers in the game, that his game self is sort of telling Lois his secret. Cleverly played.

So what gaming research did you do for all of this? And do you like Felicia Day and her show The Guild?

I also loved the subtle Superman references when Smallvilleguy is in the game! I thought that it was a clever way to confirm that Smallvilleguy is Clark Kent and tells Lois that there is something different about him without completely revealing his secret! I loved it!!

Chiming in with Timothy and Kristin to say that the Superman references within Clark’s game-self is such a clever idea. And I also just love Clark’s characterisation here in that the VR version of him, (and, actually, the chat version) while a disguise-of-sorts, is basically him. I mean I guess there’s no actual 'Superman’ yet so no need for the traditional exaggerated ‘Clark Kent’ bluff but it means we have this wonderful access to the kind of Lois/Clark interaction you don’t often see until the relationship’s a lot further down the line. I’m someone who adores the double-identity double-speak of a traditional Lois-Superman-Clark story but that does sometimes mean Clark’s true, razor sharp instincts and intelligence and, yes, badassery, gets necessarily played down. I love that here it gets full rein so that while he gets the thick-framed specs, he also gets the deep voice and the snark at the bad guys and the fact that he’s a taste-arbiter for Lois’s music collection.

Argh, it’s such a clever re-telling, the characters just ring so true.

And trivia -- it's actually the scene in the newsprint on the cover. :-)Haaa, ace! I never even clocked there was newsprint on the cover X) Also, loved the little mention of Lois’s violet eyes!

Timothy wrote: "So what gaming research did you do for all of this? And do you like Felicia Day and her show The Guild?"

I love The Guild and Felicia Day! I'm the worst at video games; seriously, I might have had some chops back when I was driving my little square around running from dragons in Adventure on Atari (or jumping over stuff in Pitfall) but have been terrible at pretty much every other game I've tried on a more modern console. Though I am very interested in theory in how much more advanced games are getting in terms of storytelling. That said, I feel like video gaming culture is so mainstream it's impossible not to be familiar with it these days, and I do live with an RPG player and have occasionally gamed in those. I did read some essays about gaming culture, particularly Tom Bissell's (which are oddly very intertwined with his getting through a drug habit), and about virtual reality tech. But mostly I just drew on my own nerd-dom and tried to design a gamescape that would be flexible enough that I could evolve it over time.

I'm so glad you guys enjoyed all those little nods and easter eggs! And the newsprint scene was a surprise to me too, initially -- the awesome cover designer Bob Lentz did that; I loved that he chose their first "date."

I HATE it when Clark/Superman is written as a dummy. Hello, Lois Lane isn't dating someone who isn't also whip-smart. It's one of the reasons they get along so well.

Re: book three -- fingers crossed! It depends entirely on how this spring goes. Here's hoping. :-)

These chapters made me so happy, I just love Lois and Clark so much. I'm glad Clark is a consistent confidant. I kind of thought she would be on her own solving the mystery and just occasionally checking in with him, but really they work best together, so I love them being a team here and it was a fun way to see "Superman" in action.

And boy oh boy, as someone who maybe might have fallen for a guy in my league (on DC Universe Online actually lol) could I relate to what was happening here! I really love how normal all the online stuff is. So many times you'll see on tv where kids are "taught a lesson" about being off their phones and connecting with people in the real world but not much is ever said about the very real friendships and connections that we make online that are just as valid and meaningful.

Also, that game scares the crap out of me. I'm all for immersive gaming experiences, but stay out of my mind please.

I can't help but be reminded of that Buffy episode (The Pack I think it's called) where Xander and a bunch of ruffians get possessed by hyenas and form a hive mind type thing. I'm definitely intrigued with how that all is going to play out. Is that just a normal side effect of playing the game so much or is there something special about these kids in particular? How are they able to manipulate minds all Neo-like in the real world when they aren't connected to the Holosets? We shall see!

I also had a note about Lois' purple eyes :D

And "Ye Old Troy" (New Troy being the state Metropolis is in)

And lastly, thank you Gwenda for your little commentary on sexism in gaming a la Lois' avatar.

Alicia, liked the reference to Buffy, good analogy.

I actually am a bit creeped out by the virtual gaming aspect here, and though it works into the hive mind players, there's also an element that seems ominous just about the platform. I mean, excited that L & S can "see" each other, and physically interact, but then, what are the limits? What keeps this from turning into Feelies from Brave New World or some other prurient thing? Not L&S, I just mean this environment in the hands of teens in general.

Timothy wrote: "Alicia, liked the reference to Buffy, good analogy.

I actually am a bit creeped out by the virtual gaming aspect here, and though it works into the hive mind players, there's also an element that..."

Let's pretend there's some kind of control that keeps the tech from being *that* effective.

Part of the reason I went with the VR game is I wanted to underscore that this is close to our world, but not quite. I really wanted to preserve the comic book super science/sci-fun of Superman, which is harder to do before Superman is Superman.

I'm always happy to have anything of mine compared to Buffy or Veronica Mars. :-D And I do love a good hive mind story. Part of the fun of both books for me has been getting to play around with some classic SF tropes like this and ... well to say the other would be a spoiler for Double Down.

Oh, and yay on noticing the purple eyes!

Maybe it's the overprotective parent thing kicking in: "No, daughter, you can't play video games in which internet strangers can virtually touch you. How about reading instead? Here's Girl on a Wire."

I'm going to totally make my daughter become an ironic unicorn.

And yes, you're nailing the sci-fi tropes! Spoiler-free, that moment in Double Down when Lois goes to that place and sees that thing and then is SEEN by the... SQUEE! Love!

Ok, I know everyone else already said it, but the scenes in-game made me laugh out loud. [Which was problematic, since I was in class. I think professors wonder why I'm grinning at my computer screen all the time.] The little jokes and easter eggs were perfect.

Also, I really appreciate that the geek guy (Dev, I want to say, but my copy isn't nearby and I can't remember for sure...) is living a relatively normal life and hiding his geekiness. While some people might say you should be able to fly your geek flag high, some of us are just quieter about it. I like that the non-fangirly, raving geeks are represented here.

This article I think perfectly captures Lois Lane: https://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2016...

"The most creative people I know are often the ones who have a hell-raiser trait in them, regardless of whether this comes from nature or nurture.

These are people who think different, feel different, behave different. These are the people who can’t easily fit into the square corporate box.

Organizations both value and despise them. They make people uncomfortable. They challenge thoughts, processes, and the status quo. They disrupt and dismiss. They push. They raise the bar for everyone else and they call people out. They’re not being difficult on purpose — they’re being themselves. They see things differently. And that comes with both opportunities and challenges."

It's interesting seeing Lois this way as a teenager, especially, because teens are constantly being told to play by the rules and not push boundaries.

I agree Kara. I really loved how this book captures Lois at her core. Yet captures the teenage need to belong and not be different from the crowd. I remember those feelings and I'm watching my daughter struggle with it now.

My daughter did a project around Fallout in her Language Arts class this last October. Her book has been rotating in and out of the house as she her friends borrow it.

I think the bullying story as well as Lois's personality is a draw because it's not preachy. We see Lois's conflicting emotions where she wants to belong. Yet the injustice she's seeing around her trumps that need. The story doesn't lecture kids but instead shows a character being true to herself even as she struggles with it, because it is a function of that stage in our lives. I don't think there is a time in our lives we need to belong more than those teenage years.

I don't think there is a time in our lives we need to belong more than those teenage years.

I think that's so true, and one of the interesting things about the novel is how much the Warheads are the ultimate perversion of that idea of 'fitting in'.

It says so much about Lois that she knows she's setting herself up for a hard time and she still chooses to help anyway. I love that her moral compass is arrow straight.

I really wanted to preserve the comic book super science/sci-fun of Superman, which is harder to do before Superman is Superman.

Well, the tone of the book is a joy. In a perfect world I would wish that its sense of fun would help leaven the, at times, po-facedness of the DCEU.

I'm going to totally make my daughter become an ironic unicorn.

Ha, brilliant! (It made me laugh out loud when they high-fived/hoofed)

Concurring with all the comments above. I'm crap at gaming, too, and suspect I would not be a wiz even if I had time to practice and a console of my own, ha ha!

I tend to think of the setting as being just a little bit in the future from our world, which makes me think the books will have a healthy shelf life as not only are the character interactions continuing to be relevant but the tech will be as well. It isn't locked into anything specific, so it is less apt to become dated any time soon.

Yeah, I squeed over Lois & Clark's virtual contact as well. Sue me. :)

The SF is important to the mythos, and I'm so happy that your view of Superman is as the first hero. That's something I've missed from the comic version for nigh 30 years now! (But that's just another Easter egg for me because it's not relevant to the story.)

The humor is very natural. It's not campy, it's not mocking. It flows nicely and comes as relief when things get tense, and they do indeed get tense.