Originally Posted by folc4evernaday
Okay, so it's finally posted. Finally the end. I have had so many comments and feedback to hold onto because quite frankly I didn't want to spoil anything along the way. party

First of all, you are so evil as a writer when it comes to Clark. Once I think you can't go darker with the torture and then you surprise me. I'm just going to stop assuming there isn't anywhere else you can go because you continue to surprise me. clap A job well done and yes, this is a very big compliment.

Secondly, how dedicated does Lois Lane have to be to not only continue her search for Clark all these years later but to never settle down and never even attempt to fill the hole she has where her friendship and partnership with Clark resides? No attempt to even find love. I can't help but feel an immense amount of respect and sorrow for her in the years that she lost during her fruitless inquiries that were met with the slamming of closed doors and dead ends for so long. The friendship she forged with Martha is an important one that I'm sure helped her through her grief along the way.

Clark's torture and journey back to the life he once had and the person he had been is a painful and torturous path to go down - both mentally and emotionally. The physical scars he's forced to endure along with the mental scars Lex and Nigel have inflicted on him are enough to make you scream at everything that goes "boo" at night. Not only has Lex found a way to continue and prolong Clark's torture through the years but he still finds a way to continue inflicting harm to Lois whom he now holds as someone unworthy of his greatness.

Clark's journey really is a unique one. He goes from being mute and unable to really show any recognition to his surroundings to suddenly have a break into reality as he finds the ability to speak. Unfortunately, that joy is short lived when he doesn't remember who Lois is. Then he finally remembers who Lois is and who he is but can't remember he is Superman.. Circling back the memories with his anguish over his father, Jonathan's death was very smart. The rush of emotions helped push him to finally remember what happened to him.

Lex Luthor's fall from grace was beautiful and epic as always. My only anguish over it is that he got to one up Clark and reveal him to the world. It gives him too much power in his final moments as he falls from grace. I kinda wish we could somehow make it Clark's decision instead of Lex's to step out of the shadows. But he took it in stride and showed the world why Superman is the man he is.

Happy couple. Happy family. Evil villain rotting away.... smile1

All is well!

Great job as always, Vicki! dance


Thank you, Val, and for all the beta work on this one!

I love my Evil Writer Membership.

You know, I thought about throwing in a few lines about how Lois did date here and there, as it would be a natural progression in trying to regain some sense of normalcy in her life (Dan Scardino was going to be mentioned, in keeping with canon) but that none of the men could a)compare with Clark, furthering her knowledge that she really DOES love only Clark and b) understand her absolute NEED to keep chasing a ghost after 2 decades. But it just didn't fit without taking away from the story, so it got left on the cutting room floor. In either case, Lois is wholly dedicated to Clark. And it is tragic in any case, simply because she loses over 20 years where she could have been with the man she really loves.

Writing Clark's torture was a lot of fun. (And yes, he's furious at me for saying so.) I've done things to break him in the past, but never as wholly comprehensive as this. Even Assassin Clark from A Reconstructed Life had a drive, a purpose, and a personality. And you just know that even the healed Clark by the end is going to still have that PTSD there in the background - the nights when he still wakes up screaming, those moments of marveling at the little things once taken from him, the moments when it hits him all over again about how much of his life, his family's life, his friends' lives, he missed out on. That will never leave him, and it's especially bad given his neatly flawless memory.

I'm actually kind of perversely proud of Lex's ability to keep harming Clark up to the bitter end. Because of course he would. And, in typical Lex fashion, it comes back around to kick him in the teeth. laugh


Battle On,
Deadly Chakram

"Being with you is stronger than me alone." ~ Clark Kent

"One little spark of inspiration is at the heart of all creation." ~ Figment the Dragon