I'm extremely sorry to say that I seem to have no time at all these days, DJ.
I admit that I didn't even try to comment on part five, because it was so Luthor-heavy. But I love this part, it's just that I don't have time to comment much, and I've certainly no time to do any real quoting.
But I loved how you showed us Lois looking down on Clark and Jason falling. I loved how their fall took so long - it would, I guess, if they fell from a skyscraper - but at the same time it reminded me of the feeling of falling from a high place in a nightmare. You fall and fall and fall. You know you are going to die when you hit the ground, but you just keep falling... and falling... and falling.... I felt something slightly similar, when you had Lois look at the falling shapes of Clark and Jason. And it was great how she was relieved at first, when she saw that Clark had Jason in his arms. And then she was horrified when she realized that Clark wasn't flying away, because he
couldn't fly, and both he and Jason might be killed anyway. It was brilliantly written.
The hospital scene was equally good, or actually even better. It was strongly reminiscent of the hospital scene in Superman Returns. In fact, I think your writing served as a brilliant "companion" to that movie scene. Suddenly I felt even more strongly what was really going on in the movie. I said I wouldn't quote, but I will quote this:
<Dad?>
The sound of his son’s voice calling out to him...
His son was okay. He’d saved him. He remembered.
And his son was here with him now.
Here where? Where was he? He couldn’t seem to move, couldn’t even open his eyes.
It was like before, when Lois had come to visit him in the hospital after his fall from orbit had almost killed him.
He could hear her then too, but he couldn’t respond.
This is so moving - Clark feels Jason and Lois's presence, he can hear what they say and he can feel when they touch him, but he can't respond. Suddenly I felt so strongly that this is what happened in the movie, too. Okay, okay, I already
knew it was like this in the movie, but I didn't really
feel it until I read this.
And just when the nurse is going to force Lois to leave, Clark manages to call out her name, ever so softly. The threat of losing her, even for a few hours, is enough to force himself to reach out to her. To call her name. I love it.
Then Lois and Clark reunite, and they start kissing passionately, even though he is in the hospital as Superman, and even though they know that a doctor and at least one nurse are on their way. Careful, Lois and Clark. Are you going to show the hospital staff that Superman is madly in love with Lois Lane? What about your future together? If you are serious about having a true and official relationship, will it be Clark or Superman who is sharing his life with Lois? If you want Clark to be the one, then you shouldn't kiss in public when he is being Superman. Or have you already given up on Clark? Have you decided that no one is ever going to believe that Lois is in love with Clark, so you may as well stop trying to pretend that she is? Will Lois, in other words,
officially have a relationship with Superman?
Well, whatever their decision will be, Lois has made another decision already. She will
not move to Paris with Richard, and Jason is staying with her in Metropolis. But I'm glad to hear that she is determined to make sure that Richard stays a part of Jason's life. As you've said, DJ, Richard has been the only father that Jason has ever known, and he has been a wonderful father figure.
I loved this chapter, and I'm looking forward to the next.
Ann
