Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic FDK: A Million Little Pieces 15/20ish

Crystal, you are back! Welcome back!

Ann

Crystal, thank you so very much for staying with this tale through thick and thin! It's the most tender portrayal of Mayson Drake I've ever read. (There may be a better one somewhere I haven't seen, of course, but somehow I doubt it.) And I'm pretty sure this story is going places you didn't plan to go originally, but I'm glad you're paying attention to your muse.

This is also the most sympathetic picture of Dan-call-me-Daniel Scardino that I've seen. You've given him depth and breadth and taken him from being a distraction to being a real person with tangible feelings and more compassion than I would have thought possible. Congratulations!

Ann, "Third grade called" refers to the previous comment being suitable for an eight-year-old child. Playground teasing, as it were.

I'm not an exclusive shipper. I just like ships. I even enjoyed (if that's the right word) seeing Titanic in the theater with my wife, especially when she leaned against my shoulder and quietly sobbed for all the people who were dying in the frozen Atlantic. Anyway, I'm so glad that Mayson seems to be learning that while Clark may be unattainable, Dan isn't, and he might even be better for her than Clark, who is totally hung up on Lois whether Lois knows it or not.

So Mayson is going to put herself back in the crosshairs, eh? And Bill Church is more than willing to accomodate her. Will she learn the truth about Superman? Will she even survive the next attempt on her life? Will Dan be jealous of Clark? (Something of a role reversal there.) And it's interesting that you've chosen to re-tell the story in the third person/present tense. That's not an easy task, but I'm willing to believe that you're up to it.

I know I'm going to be here for the next chapter! Soon, please, very soon!

Eee, feedback! *happy dance*

Ann, Terry, it's so great to hear from you two again! I know I've said it before, and I'm totally bordering on broken-record territory, but the comments I've gotten from y'all have kept this story from imploding.

Ann, your compliments on my writing have left me pretty much speechless! Seriously, thank you. I'm so, so glad the Dan-Mayson relationship is reading how I hoped it would come across — lots of banter with lots of subtext.

And yep, Terry's right about the "third grade called" line — it's a throwaway, lighthearted kind of jab.

As for Hopkins, well, if I thought I could sneak that one past you guys, I was dead wrong. Sharp eyes, Ann.

Terry, I can't even begin to properly thank you for your incredible comment! Just ... guh. Thank you. I'm so glad you're enjoying the Dan and Mayson characterizations here (and you know I'm as sympathetic to Mayson as you are)! I wanted to give a kind of closer look into two people who weren't the most sympathetic of characters on the show (though I've always loved Mayson and Dan — but never even considered tossing them together in this manner until I started extending AMLP), so your kind words have put me in orbit with happiness!

And you're right — this story is definitely going places I never envisioned, but it's been so, so much fun to write.

I hope the tense change hasn't thrown anyone too hard; I know it's at least a slight jar. (Here's a quick, I-promise-this-is-related diatribe to explain.) Over Christmas, I started watching the first season of 24 on DVD and fell in love with the show. I ended up watching all five seasons before I came back from D.C.; about the middle of Season Four, I felt like I'd come to know the characters well enough to hammer out a handful of short vignettes, all written in present tense because that seemed to fit the urgency-laced tone of the show itself, and decided I absolutely love that tense. It just feels really right, if that makes any sense, and now when I'm writing in past tense, it feels almost stilted to me. (Though it doesn't bother me in the slightest to read anything written in past tense. I'm so ridiculous, I know!)

So! The point of that monologue was ... *crosses fingers* ... I hope the switch-up works for you guys, too!

And again, thank you both so much for reading and for commenting. I'll have the next chapter up by the end of the week!

Okay, Crystal, it's been too long! What happens next? Does Mayson get together with Dan or does she get blown up? Does Dan get the other girl or will he be ordered to do something that will break his heart? And will Clark and Lois come to an understanding (which, of course, includes an indefinite engagement and a certain little detail in Clark's life)?

I really, really want to know what happens next! Please tell us!

Thanks.