Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic FDK: Newsworthy 4/22

Well, hopefully this answers a few questions...

What's that you say? You wanted Clark and Lois in the SAME room? Oh, well, one thing at a time.

I didn't. But I know they will be soon and Clark's little heart will go pitty pat with all the love he feels in every fiber of his being because she means more to him than life itself and all will be well, and I don't care.
No matter how beautiful or glorious a woman is if she has that much ugly underneath, I wouldn't want her within a hundred miles of me if she'd destroyed my life.
That's it for me. Much as I like good writing I like a plot to be different and make sense, too, even if the ending is etched in stone.

I'm enjoying this immensely. It's incredibly well-written, and I heartily disagree with the previous poster - the plot does make sense to me, and I'm going to enjoy the twists and turns it takes to the ending, even if it may be written in stone. It's also a given in L&C-dom that Clark is instantly bowled over by Lois, and his feelings never lessen. Despite that, I don't expect him to instantly take her in his arms with all forgiven.

And although I anticipate a happy ending, it wouldn't bother me if we don't get one. Clark may never be able to fully move past what Lois did - very few people would be able to.

Kathy

Poor Clark. My heart goes out to him during this difficult time. Not only did he not get any recognition for moving the Nightfall asteroid out of the way, he also ended up with a bad case of the shakes. As he puts it, it might be the end of Superman. What would Clark do if he could no longer be either Clark or Superman? You really love putting our favorite duo into inescapable scenarios, don't you?

From what I can recall from what I read this afternoon, it doesn't sound as if Clark blames Lois at all for outing him. Not only that, but when he hears her crying he thinks only of making her feel better (although the rest of us might think she needs to wallow in her self-pity for a little while longer).

My heart goes out to him. I'm glad to hear that Martha and Jonathan are nearby. I was a bit surprised to find out that Clark actually WAS in that locked room across the hall from Lois. Of course, if he had broken that window because of his shakes, he would've had to move on before Lois awoke. Clark really is a sweet, loving guy, which makes what Lois did to him all the worse.

Until Clark gets rid of his shakes, then I doubt he'll even consider to create another relationship with Lois. He'd fear for her safety too much. Lois, of course, will misinterpret his stand-offish behavior as anger or resentment towards her.

We did get a few clues as to what happened in Smallville, but they were along the lines of canon... so I'm still wondering what happened. Did she see Clark burst out Trask's van? Did she hear tell Trask that he was Superman? Clark must not have known that she knew or suspected that wasn't as angry as she had been, otherwise her article wouldn't have been such a surprise.

Can't wait (although, I guess I have to) to read when Lois and Clark finally meet up and talk.

This story is different; edgy, dark and a little maddening. But if there is one thing I have learned about Anti-K's writing, there is always an answer that satisfies.

Patience, gentle readers, patience.

Wow. Poor Clark having to deal with what to others would be a minor nuisance but to him, because of his powers, is a major disability.

I read, but was silent on, the discussion for part three. I guess I'll throw my two cents in now. I had been thinking of "justice vs. mercy" when I read it. Having the room be so well tailored to Lois could have been interpreted either way: Either as deliberately "heaping burning coals" or as showing her true welcome. If it were anyone else, I would have leaned toward the former. But since this is Clark, I was definitely thinking the latter.

Whether this is realistic or not actually breaks down to two questions: First, would it be realistic for a human being in RL and, second, would it be in character for Clark? Let's face it: Clark himself, even aside from his superpowers, is not a very realistic character: He's too selfless. Consider what a human in RL would do if given his powers: I suspect that most would use them in minor ways to benefit themselves, and that would be about it. Some would undoubtedly use them at times to help others (just as RL firefighters, police, etc. use their talents to help people, at the risk of their own lives). But even they wouldn't be "on call" 24/7 -- to the point of ditching their love interest during very sensitive conversations (knowing that by doing so, they risked ruining their personal lives). And, of course, there would be some who would abuse their powers. I doubt that in RL, anyone would be as good as Clark. And the fact that Clark isn't human has no bearing, considering that we saw Kryptonians run the full gamut of selfish to selfless.

Frankly, to me, accepting Clark's character as depicted on the show is part of the suspension of disbelief necessary to enjoy the show. In fact, I'd go one step further: One of the things that draws me to the show is Clark's inspiringly, but admittedly unrealistically, good character. In my mind, one thing that separates Superman from all other superheroes, and the one that has earned him the disparaging "Boy Scout" nickname, is precisely his striving to do the right thing, in all circumstances, regardless of the personal cost to himself. Does he always succeed in doing so? No, of course not. He may at times in other media have been depicted as a Christ figure, but he most definitely is neither God nor a god. But that's what makes him interesting: He is imperfect, but he strives for perfection and feels guilty when he sees himself as falling short.

And as I see it, for him part of that striving is to see justice done with regard to the law, but to show mercy at a personal level. Consider, for example, how politely he generally treats lawbreakers, even as he is stopping them in the act.

And before anyone brings this up: Yes, I do remember the Godzilla-in-the-garbage incident. But in his mind, he was teaching Lois a lesson. He was probably not aware of how vindictive his approach to the lesson came off. And a difference between the show and this story is that pre-Godzilla canon Lois was completely unrepentant. If this-story-Lois were equally so, then it would be much less likely that Clark would take her back. Also, we story readers do not yet know all of the circumstances which resulted in Clark being outed; these details may make all of the difference.

So, to get back to the original question: Would Clark's total forgiveness of Lois be realistic? Probably not. But, more importantly, would it be in character? Maybe. Given Anti-K's track record of showing how well she understands the characters, I am definitely willing to give her the benefit of the doubt and to reserve judgement until I see how the events of the story unfold.

Anti-K., the fact that your story has brought on such discussions is a tribute to your skills as a writer and to your established track record at writing phenomenal stories. Had you been a newbie writer here, I suspect that anyone who had strong concerns about where the story was going would probably have just stopped reading and not bothered to comment on it.

I, for one, am eager to see where the story is headed.

Joy,
Lynn

I for one am sorry that RJS has pre-judged the storyline. As an insider, by way of being one of the beta readers, I think that his/her hasty judgement is to his/her detriment. This is a terrific story, at least so far as it has been written. I haven't seen the ending yet because it hasn't been written as yet, but I know that it is not an easy road that is being traveled.

I'm going to chime in as well. I half-wonder if Clark's not going to have the courage to visit with Lois as long as his tremors continue (PTSD following Nightfall, I assume?) If that indeed is the case, Lois's room is likely to be viewed by Lois (at one point, however unintentionally) as a prison cell (retribution for her past wrongs to him that culminated in her outing Superman's identity as Clark Kent.) I could see eventually choosing to break into his room in an attempt to get answers. It would be then that she finds out that he has a fear of being Superman because of his PTSD and help him through it somehow. Can't see the Kents being too pleased with her for breaking into his room but you know Clark would stop them on that one.

I can't help but feel sorry for Clark here. To have his power, his ability to do so much, but to be trapped in a self-imposed cage, fearing that one shake, one nearly imperceptible tremor, could cause him to accidentally hurt someone. He's had this condition for weeks, and he can't help but fear that it will never go away - that he'll be stuck alone in his room for...days? weeks? years? Gosh, the hopelessness he must feel!

Clark is a forgiving person, that I will agree, but just because Clark has a forgiving character to him does not mean he lets people walk all over him or is that how most folks view Clark/Superman ,everyone’s doormat?

In the television show, if Clark was so forgiving why did he send Lois on a wild goose chase for Superman's Space Ship after she stole a story from him? At least the television series gave Clark a little back bone (not much, but at least some) when it came to Lois stealing his story. Exposing his secret to the world is a lot worse than stealing a story.

Let me ask this, what if it was Lana or someone other than Lois that exposed his secret would people be clamoring that Clark would forgive her or them like he is supposed to do with Lois (at least is his forum)? I don't think there would be an out pouring for Clark to forgive Lana or whoever exposed his secret like there is for Lois. Why is that? Is it the fact that it is Lois Lane and Clark Kent is Lois’ doormat?

I guess I’m finding it difficult to follow stories that have Lois treating Clark like crap or hurting his feelings and he is perfectly happy with that and still obsessed with Lois. If it was Lana doing this most everyone in this forum would want her head, but because it is Lois that makes it okay. This to me is complete BS, somehow Lois gets a free pass, but everyone else does not. Like I mentioned on a previous post Lois does not have to suffer the consequences for her actions. Looks to me in this story Clark is pretty much ready to forgive Lois and if it was not for his recovery (PTSD) from Nightfall he would be wrapping his arms around Lois to comfort her. Lois ruined his Clark Kent life, put his parents in danger, but it is all about Lois and comforting her. Again, no consequences for her actions.

I will get off my soap box now; like I said before this is an interesting story and I will keep reading to see how it turns out. I hope to be surprised on how it turns out, but from what I have read so far I doubt it.

You have created a very convincing AU. It is amazing to read this and really feel time go by. It would be harder to show in the TV series - the passing of time always felt awkward, transitions a bit disorienting. So often in a 1 hour time slot emotions are compressed and resolutions are rushed but real people need that time to process, and crying for hours is very real. But here, the limo and cab rides, Clark allowing himself to finally fall asleep to the sound of Lois's heartbeat, allows the reader to be there with them the whole long day and night, and not lose focus for a second.

One of the things that made Lois ultimately Lois was her tendency to jump in without testing the water level first, as she did here, because she found out Clark's secret too soon. But one of the things that made canon Lois lovable by us and trustable by Clark was the fact that her love for him in the end was stronger than her need to get the story
Your Lois does not get the benefit of that huge redeeming leap of loyalty. I don't know how she stands a chance now, with the readers. Clark might just be lost to taking good care of himself and repeat the same mistake again. I agree with James. Letting her in will make a giant mess, at least at first.

So this story is compelling, and distracting, and disturbing. As pitiful as she is, I can't say I like Lois right now. Some betrayals are too damaging to allow full recovery. Still have to keep reading to see what they do next.

Hello There is No Spoon,

You raise some interesting points. I think the difference between Lois and Lana in this case is that it is very difficult to imagine canon-Lana genuinely repenting. But what if it were someone like Jimmy or even Martha? (Although she would never "out" her son deliberately, suppose that she made a slip of the tongue.) What if it were Perry? Or a total stranger? I think that, in all of the above cases (yes, even including Lana!), if the person who had outed Clark were genuinely and wholeheartedly sorry for what they had done, Clark would forgive them.

Being able to let go of the wrongs one suffers is not being a doormat. Showing forgiveness takes a lot of inner strength.

There is a definite difference, though, between forgiving and completely trusting someone. The rebuilding of trust takes time.

And speaking of taking time, I believe it is premature to judge this story when we have seen less than a fifth of it. I am guessing that Anti-K will address the rebuilding of the trust between them; after all, there are still 18 more parts to go. It is also very possible that once we learn the entirety of what happened in Smallville, any or all of us may change our opinions of Lois's actions. For us to condemn her at this stage is as bad as when people second guess a verdict in a celebrity trial when they only hear perhaps three-minute sound bites' worth of evidence. Surely the jury, who may get weeks' worth of evidence, are in a more informed position to render a verdict. (Yes, that is a pet peeve of mine. And no, I don't have any specific trial in mind; this eagerness to render a verdict without knowing the full evidence seems to permeate U.S. society. I'll step down from my soap box now.)

Joy,
Lynn

Awww, he's sooooo close!


Great word choice. I can imagine exactly why he'd feel that way. She outed him, but I can imagine he still yearns for her.


<heart sinks> What's wrong with you, Clark?


Breathtakingly beautiful, my friend.





More of a mental origin, methinks.


If only you knew how much the world you left behind misses you, Clark.


Huh. I like this.


Except, he's Clark, so doing nothing is far worse for him in some ways.


See?


Please do.


Probably the best medicine had could have.




Ack! What kind of evil writer are you to stop there??? This is just mean!

Really, loving the way you have absolutely destroyed my heart at this point. Can't wait for the next chapter - hopefully they will finally see each other so they can start healing together.

Thanks, everyone, for continuing to give this story a chance despite its divisive premise! I knew not everyone would like it, but I hope that those of you who keep reading will not be disappointed!

RJS, thanks for reading thus far -- I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it. One of the best things about both Superman in general and Lois & Clark in particular is the multiplicity of things to love about him/them. What I love most about Superman/Clark is his capacity for empathy and compassion. Being an alien, even one raised here, there should be plenty about humanity that confuses him or is outright incomprehensible to him. But his incredible empathy allows him to understand and to value the things around him, even those things we see as flawed. As for Lois, I've always loved that she is not afraid to risk, and sometimes those risks lead her to mistakes, but she owns up to them and moves on, rather like humanity at its best (which, coincidentally, is pretty much what Lois embodies for Clark; his love for her is a symbol of his love for humanity). But we all enjoy different facets of the story and characters, and I hope to see you on future stories!

Glad you're enjoying, KathyM! This story probably has required the most thought and planning for its plot (more even than And Then There Was Light, which I thought was impossible! ), so it's encouraging to hear that it's believable. Clark does love Lois, in every universe, but you can love someone and still disagree with them, or not like choices they've made, so we'll see what happens for the ending!

Inescapable scenarios, VirginiaR? This one is the very closest to inescapable I've ever come up with -- right now, HG Wells WOULD be very welcome! Those clues...yes, my beta readers have ensured that I don't forget that! And yeah, it's hard for us to let Lois off because we all know Clark didn't deserve what happened to him at all! Sorry for all the tears, though -- it's just not too happy of a story!

Thanks for the vote of confidence, Morgana! I'll get the next chapter to you soon!

Wonderful to hear your thoughts, Lynn! I particularly loved the line about Clark obeying and enforcing the law but showing mercy on a personal level -- that's something I think we should all strive for! In fact, the unbelievable factor of Superman IS about his personality rather than his strength or the fact that he can fly. He's the hero we all look to, because he's what we all secretly wish could exist and wish that we could be. He made the cynical Lois believe in goodness and integrity, just like he makes US believe in those things. And yet, even though he seems so perfect, he is fallible, just like us, which makes it so much easier to relate to him! I appreciate your faith in how I see the characters -- they're what I love most about the show, so I do try to do them justice (which doesn't, apparently, involve me showing THEM any mercy in the situations I put them into :D).

Thanks, KenJ! It's great to have you as a beta!

Wow, thank you, LWhite! I admit, it's a bit scary to post this chapter and wait to hear what people have to say about it, but it's all worth it to read comments like yours! The writing style isn't one I've done much of outside a couple stories here and there, so I'm glad it's working out. Love your thoughts about him knowing just how much pain people are in and not being able to live with himself if he doesn't do anything about it! Their first meeting IS coming, just...we build up to it.

Great story summary, Christina! I can neither confirm not deny...

Very succinctly put, groobie -- see, this is why you can write shorter stories than me! I need WAY more pages to say what you just did in a paragraph! Thanks for all your help on this one!

Interesting thoughts, There Is No Spoon. Actually, in the comics, Lana does far more than publish a story about his true identity; she actually seeds all of Earth's atmosphere with Kryptonite, making it (temporarily) impossible for Superman/Clark to stay on Earth. Clark's not in love with Lana, but he does defend her actions to Batman, and though he draws a line and ceases his (metaphorical) cease-fire on LexCorp which she's running, he does understand and eventually forgive her. And he's not in love with her like he is Lois. So, maybe as a reader, we wouldn't expect him to forgive, but canonically, Clark has always forgiven anyone who has shown the least interest in obtaining it. Jack stole his only link to his beginnings, and he gave him the coat off his back. Villains routinely try to kill him and Lois; Clark will always attempt to save their lives when their schemes lead to them putting themselves into danger. Clark definitely has a backbone, but he exerts it in different ways then we would simply because he knows just how much damage he could cause with the least wrong movement or action -- like with his spasms in this chapter. Clark isn't a doormat; he's just so much more aware of how dangerous it would be for him to ever let loose of his own temper. Anyway, I hope that the story does surprise you, but if not, thanks for the interesting discussions!

Thanks, Katie123, glad you're enjoying. It is hard to sympathize with Lois, but I think we can probably all relate to doing something extremely damaging to someone else and regretting it later. It is hard to write/read about her committing such a major betrayal of Clark, seeing as how we know how interconnected they are, but like you said, she's often very impulsive. Hopefully, Clark isn't the only one who will be able to forgive Lois!

Thanks, Lynn! Very insightful comments about forgiving and rebuilding trust!

You're very right, Deadly Chakram - Clark's symptoms are not really related to physical damage. I've always wondered what it would be like if Superman had a nervous breakdown, or just broke under the stress, period, and here I had a chance to explore it a bit in a believable way. Cliff-hangers are kind of a way of life, didn't you know? And I hope you can be patient for just a bit longer!

Again, thank you to everyone who's following along and leaving feedback! I hope that even if we don't all agree, we can at least enjoy the thinking we have to do for our discussions!

The comic you mention was a Batman/Superman Comics it was a series titled "The Search For Kryptonite." Clark was not defending Lana to Batman, he mentioned "It's not Lana who's won. It's not even Luthor it's Kryptonite." Not much of a defense. And, after the Kryptonite was removed from earth's atmosphere, Clark paid a visit to Lana and said this "When you pushed that button, you tried to take everything from me, my home, my family, my life. I never thought you would do it." Then he mentions (not quoting) that Lois would have never pushed the button and then fly's way. Doesn't sound to me that Lana would be invited over to dinner any time soon, not a lot of forgiving there. Lana didn't out his secret identity and put his family in danger of being hurt or used against him and he wasn't that forgiving with Lana.

Another example of Clark not being so forgiving as you like to put it was in the animated Superman and Justice League cartoons from "Bruce Timm." It starts with Clark being mind controlled by Darkseid and Clark is made to believe he is Darkseid's son. Darkseid sends Clark to earth to conquer it, he ends up almost killing Kara his cousin and doing a lot of damage before breaks Darkseid's mind control. The later in the Justice League cartoon. Brainiac and Darkseid team to take Superman out, in the end Clark is so enraged for what Darkseid did to him that he wants to destroy Darkseid, even to the point if it kills he is okay with that. His league friends have other ideas and get to Superman before he is possibly killed. Again, not much forgiving on Clark's end for Darkseid. So, there are instances were Clark/Superman is not the doormat so many authors try to make him.

When did it become the norm for Lois to be able to just walk all over Clark (doormat references). Just because he has feelings for her, doesn't automatically equate to just letting Lois get away with everything she does or give excuses for it. It's sad that a great character like Clark Kent / Superman gets reduced to having the emotional development of a puppy when it comes to Lois (very sad). "Clark: Hey Lois you can walk all over my feelings, hurt me as many times as you can, even put my family and friends in danger, but guess what I will forgive you and still love unconditionally, because I don't know any better." Great character, definitely everyone should aspire to be like.

Superman has always been about giving second chances to criminals to change their ways, believing that they can do good, which is a great characteristic. Which is completely different from forgiving someone for basically destroying his Clark Kent life and putting his parents, his friends old and new in danger from any government, criminal organization or crackpot that will use them to control him. What Lois did by exposing his secret is much worse than villain's trying to kill him or get rid of him, and having Lois apologizes for her actions and Clark just forgiving her (because he is just a forgiving person) is weak.

Like I mentioned before, if it was Lana that exposed his secret, many people on this board would be calling for Lana's head and would be upset/pissed at Clark if he wanted to forgive her. For some reason when it comes to bad behavior it's okay if Lois Lane does it, but no one else.

What a wonderful chapter, Anti-K . I'm quite late--but I'm ever so devoted to this story...

It is a sign a great writer (and a really good story) when a discussion begins because of it. It's been very interesting finding out the variety of perspectives developing as this story unfolds. Hearing why we feel how we do towards this plot, towards the actions of the characters.

I'm--yeah, I know, pretty obviously --hoping for a happy ending. Wanting Lois and Clark to get together. Wanting things to work out between them.

But...I don't feel like I am naively hoping for that outcome.

Like Virginia pointed out, Clark doesn't seem to blame Lois for his situation. He doesn't seem to be mad at Lois. I was looking for that--his anger--while reading this section. I didn't find it. The question of if Clark should forgive, IMO, needs to be rooted in his feelings. If he doesn't feel betrayed by Lois, there is a lot less emotion riding as an issue between them.

But what I do see in this chapter, is Clark's longing. For normalcy. For happiness. For things to be as they were. He craves the time when he was with Lois. He calls their time together 'enchanted', has memorized it by heart. As this section ends, Clark finally rests. He sleeps after almost a week of not being able to. He falls asleep because of Lois--by listening to her breathing from the next room. He's comforted by it, searched her out in the dark without even realizing he was doing it. If Clark was shouldering the blame of his current situation ON Lois, I don't believe he would be wanting and feeling how he is towards Lois right now.

I don't read the comics. I don't know anything about 'Superman' and these characters beyond our show. I honestly have never had much interest out of canon because these specific characters and this specific show are what captured my heart. The character of Lana I barely know anything about--just what little we do from L&C. I don't really like Lana--and it's just my opinion based on the few scenes she is in from the show. She doesn't come across as important to this Clark, so I've never really thought too much about her. And because of that, I'm not emotionally invested in Lana--as I am with Lois, with Clark.

If I was reading a story here on the boards where Lana was a central figure, where I could get to know her, I'm sure--if the situation was correct--I would give her as much credit, give her as much as a chance, as I would give anyone. Would I want Lana to get together with Clark? Obviously, a resounding 'No!' . These boards are about the show "Lois & Clark", afterall. But would I judge her unfairly? No, I wouldn't.

Am I judging Lois unfairly? IMO, no. So far we don't have a lot to go on. I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt. Clark's not judging her...really then, why should I?

I don't see Clark as a doormat. He has to let Lois walk all over himself emotionally to be labeled as one. So far we've had one 'Clark' section--and in that section, IMO, he didn't give any indication of letting Lois rise 'above' him. Be better than him. Be in control of him.

There is a LOT of story left. A lot can happen. A lot will happen. But most importantly, there is a lot of backstory that needs to unfold to give us the ability to make our final judgements.

Who knows where my opinion will be down the road...but the fun part will be talking about it here .

Till then? I'll support Lois....(and hope for some WAFF somewhere down the road ).
Laura

There Is No Spoon, I'm glad to hear you read the comics -- I quite enjoy them! It sounds like you and I just both get different things out of what we read and watch, which is great because that's what makes the world go 'round. I'm not a huge fan of Bruce Timm or the cartoons, so I can't speak to those. As it is, I don't equate forgiveness with 'being a doormat,' and I think being compassionate is a hugely important, enviable trait (one which I wish I could claim to have more of!). This story will definitely address some of these things in different ways. If you continue to read, I hope you enjoy it and find it food for thought if nothing else.

LMA, I'm with you on rooting for a happy ending -- it'll be hard work to get there (and will test my creative powers to the limit), but I'm still hoping we'll see some happiness at the end of the tunnel! I love your thoughts on the mindset of Clark and what he's longing for, what he sees as important. It's been really interesting getting to delve into such an isolated Clark in this story!