Terry, how can I
not love you as a writer for giving me mental images like this one?
With the twin luxuries of time and hindsight, I can see its several flaws, but I’m still a little proud of it, like one would be of one’s show dog which wins a ribbon despite having wet on the judge’s leg.
If the story leading up to this one is like a dog winning a prize having mistaken the judge's leg for a lamp post, then the new story you are about to show to all the judges of FOLCdom - the sequel, I guess - can be regarded as the puppy that the first dog sired. And we all know about puppies and getting them housebroken - but that doesn't mean they aren't adorable...
So how come you wrote this sequel in the first place? Well, it's because your muses wouldn't let you alone, and what you write about them is irresistible:
One of my muses (their names are Psychotropoia, the muse of weird imaginings, and Polyskitzodia, the muse of multiple and confusing timelines) gently nudged me last year and muttered something about writing the second half of the story. I responded, in a rather off-hand manner, that I wasn’t interested because there wasn’t any more to tell. The other muse became most indignant and insisted that yes, there was more to the story, here’s the basic outline, now go do something intelligent with it, you big doofus.
(There ought to be some kind of union rule preventing muses from behaving like that. And my muses aren’t on the list of the nine classic Greek muses. I think they’re a little bit outside the box – or maybe outside this dimension altogether – but don’t tell them I said that. They’ll just get mad and give me a really difficult story to work on. Oops. Too late!)
After you have introduced your muses like that, how can I be less than enthusiastic about the story they made you write?
You will find no WHAMs in the following story
I take it that Lois will survive! Good!
I wasn't expecting any.
Good.
But it is a serious piece which explores the legal ramifications of what might happen if Superman were to lose both his temper and his self-control to the point of causing someone’s death (in this case, Intergang’s evil leader, Bill Church).
Very, very interesting!
How would the legal system respond to such an occurrence?
How indeed?
How would Clark’s friends and loved ones respond to Superman?
Martha and Jonathan. How would they feel about seeing their superpowered son losing control like that, so that he actually killed someone? Even though it was a horrible criminal? What would Perry and Jimmy say? And Bill Henderson. He isn't just a representative of the law, he is, I think, Superman's friend, too. What would he think? How would his relationship with Superman change?
How would Clark deal with it?
This is so incredibly interesting. What sort of person is Clark? Is he the sort of person who judges his own actions by how others react to them? Or does he have a strong inner sense of right and wrong, so that he passes judgement on himself almost regardless of how others look at him? I tend to think of Clark as someone with a strong moral compass, but then again, it's really hard to disregard what others think of you. In any case, will Clark think of himself as a despicable killer, as a man who made a bad but understandable mistake, or as a man who did the right thing when, for once in his life, he became an avenging angel?
Most importantly, I think, how would the public respond, and how might Clark feel about being Superman?
Exactly. Will there be a Superman again, or not?
And since it’s a Lois and Clark story, it also deals with the intense effect this struggle has on our favorite couple’s relationship. Suffice to say there is a significant impact.
Well, if Lois loves Clark, I hope she will stand by him. And I expect her to, in fact. On the other hand, the fact that Clark has killed is not something that Lois should be willing to sweep under the rug. The way I think of Lois, she would not want Clark to kill again. (All right.... You know as well as I do that if you want to tell that sort of story, you can certainly come up with a scenario where it is necessary for Clark to kill. But that's not the point. I think Lois would accept that Clark killed if it was truly
necessary, but she would never want him to kill again because he lost his temper, and never kill again because that seemed like a convenient solution. And if she loves him, she may feel it is her duty to do whatever she can to make sure he never kills for such reasons again.)
I’m sure you’ll let me know what you think. The FOLCs on this site aren’t known for being bashful (unless that also means “full of bashing”).
Hmmmm. Could you by any chance be referring to yours truly?
Terry, I love that! You are asking us
please to enjoy this, because it will truly be so much more fun for you if we do. And really, Terry, writers of fanfic don't ask for much, do they? So asking for the readers' appreciation is, well, probably the least you can ask for!
**--Warning!--**--Warning!--**--Warning-- **-- Warning!--**
And I
love the Star Trek-like Red Alert warning!
But I'm sorry to say that I will not read the full story for now, because I have extremely little time right now. But I much appreciated the summary. I don't know if you agree with me, Terry, but I sometimes get the impression that you find it easier to identify with and sympathize with Lois than with Clark. Perhaps I'm absolutely wrong about that. Perhaps I would understand Clark's extreme bitterness towards Lois better if I had actually read you story and felt the emotional impact of that scene where Lois insulted Clark so cruelly. As it is, I get the impression that Clark is unnecessarily stubborn, almost childish, in his refusal to get past Lois's insult and give their relationship another chance. Interestingly, it isn't clear from your summary that Clark remained in love with Lois during the time he was dating Mayson. Therefore, if Mayson hadn't been killed, he most probably would have married the DA. It is also possible to think, from your summary at least, that Clark was willing to give Lois another chance only because he had forever lost Mayson. In other words, I'd say, from your summary, that Lois comes through as a more likable character than Clark. She remains true to Clark, she remains friends with the Kents, she is prepared to give up her career at the Daily Planet for Superman's (and Metropolis's) sake, and she comes through as a person with integrity and a strong moral compass. Do you agree with me that Lois seems like a "better" sort of person than Clark? And if so, was it your intention?
Anyway, I'm thrilled to be reading a new Terry story! However, don't expect FDK on the first part of Rebuilding Superman today, because I have little time for it. But I'm very glad that you are posting such a fascinating new story!
Ann
