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Joined: Aug 2005
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Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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OP
Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 5,797 |
The A-plot here is really coming along nicely. You have found very good explanations for some of the very strange things that have taken place earlier in this fic. What about the kryptonite dust, for example? “It's only about 10% kryptonite. The rest is nothing more than green sand.” Ah! That sure explains how there can be so much kryptonite dust around, seeing that kryptonite is a very rare substance on the earth. (Although you had me wondering what that other green sand could be... finely ground pieces of emerald or opal?  No really, never mind...) So how could such a low concentration of kryptonite affect Clark so badly? “Well, he was coated in it when he came back from Belize. Would that matter?” Lois asked.
Bernard and Clark both nodded and Clark said, “Yes. I'm always much more affected when it touches me.” That explains it. So what's the reason for it all? “What purpose would that serve?” Bernard interjected.
“Scaring me off maybe,” Clark conjectured.
“Only someone who hasn't studied you well,” Lois said. “Most people I think are pretty aware of how much Superman will go through to help people.”
“Yes,” Clark agreed. “But if the plan was to use it to weaken me in Australia and Belize and then leave just enough of it around other places like your apartment to maintain that, I may hesitate to go out again. Even though the small amount of kryptonite wouldn't normally cause much damage on its own, once I'm weak, it doesn't take much to sustain and even exacerbate that.”
“So,” Lois continued, “if you were weak and thought the area was covered in kryptonite, you might hesitate to go out and help thinking you'd only get worse before you could provide any help.”
“Right,” Clark said. “Leaving, say, people whose homes are burning to fight for themselves.”
“And leaving you someplace that has just enough kryptonite to slowly kill you,” Lois finished. Yes, that makes sense. And who is behind it? Weis hung up the phone. “Look, I need to cut this interview short. Talk to Marla out there. Maybe we can reschedule.” He reached into a desk drawer and pulled out a small box which he then placed in his coat. Once he got to the door to his office, he looked back at Lois and Clark expectantly.
With a sigh, Lois got up and Clark followed.
“Well, that was a bust,” Lois said as they exited the building.
“Not completely,” Clark replied. “The box he grabbed on his way out. It had kryptonite in it.” Weis has kryptonite! Not only that, but he's actually carrying it around on him. Well, he is surely one of the really bad guys here. But what about Australia? How could there be kryptonite dust there just waiting for Clark when he came there to help out at the earthquake site? “Dr. Conner in the next lab over is a seismologist,” Bernard started, “and she was doing some filing today and came across the data on the earthquake in Australia last week.”
Now Clark and Lois were both staring at him avidly, although Lois noticed that Clark still looked a little green around the gills.
“Apparently, according to her records, that wasn't an accident. There was a small nuclear explosion shortly before the earthquake,” Bernard explained.
“Excuse me?” Lois said, confused. “Would that cause an earthquake?”
“Well, it can if it's set along the fault line. Her records show a small blip just prior to the earthquake.” Aha!!! “How can she be sure that wasn't a pre-shock or something?” Lois asked.
“Well, simply put, she can compare different seismographs. Depending on where they are with relation to the center of the quake they would look different as some areas would be compressing and some decompressing. But with an explosion, everything happens within concentric circles around the explosion. That's what happened here. Sarah was comparing two seismographs – one taken south of the earthquake's location and one north. During the earthquake they mirror each other with one showing compression when the other is showing decompression. But they both have a blip shortly before the quake and the blip shows compression at both points." That certainly made sense to me. As for the B-plot here, my favorite part by far was Lois taking care of Clark in the airplane, helping him get over his fear of flying in man-made aircraft. That was just so cute. And speaking of cute, this was lovely: Clark must have relaxed a bit, too, she realized as he had let go of her hand to wrap his arm around her and draw her head to his shoulder. His head was resting softly on top of hers and she could hear his even breathing. Adorable. This was sweet too, but I am in two minds about it: “You like him, don't you?” he asked.
“He's great. A really great editor,” she told him.
“And…” Clark paused, “as more than an editor?”
Lois looked up. His voice gave nothing away, he could have been making idle conversation. But his jaw was slightly clenched. “I don't know, Clark,” she started and then decided to be honest. “John is terrific and he's going to make someone very happy, but I don't think it's going to be me.”
To her surprise, Clark's jaw remained slightly clenched. He stopped suddenly and grabbing her hand moved her out of the flow of fast walking pedestrians. “Lois,” his voice was low and earnest. “Promise me something?”
“What?” Lois asked, feeling slightly concerned.
“You said yesterday that you couldn't have gotten married to someone else as you were in love with me. Can you find a way to move past that? Can you at least try to let go of that and find love with someone else? I really…” he paused for a moment. “I know I have no right to ask anything of you, but I really want you to be happy, Lois.” In a way, this is beyond sweet. Clark has decided that he has blown his chances forever of marrying Lois, and because he wants her to be happy, he feels the need to make sure that she can marry someone else instead. That's utterly unselfish, but it is a bit meddling, too. It is not for Clark to decide if Lois should get married in the first place. Now that Lois has all the facts she needs to understand her situation, and now that she isn't suffering from a depression any more, he should trust her to make her own decisions about her private life, without any unasked-for promptings from him. Clark himself seems to beat himself up very badly about what he did to Lois. That makes sense, considering he is suffering from a depression. Interestingly, however, "all" other people seem to be ecstatically happy to see Clark again. They seem to love him just as much as Clark himself despises himself. In the previous chapter Lucy bodily threw herself at Clark and gave him a bear hug, even though Clark himself barely knew who she was. And in this chapter, Bernard Klein hugs Clark as soon as he sees him, even though Dr. Klein doesn't strike me as that much of a hugging type. And he did it even though Dr. Klein hadn't had that many dealings with Clark as Clark. And he did it even though Dr. Klein had known all the time that Superman was alive and well. Also, Dr. Klein hugged Clark before he hugged Lois, even though I believe that Lois had had more dealings with Dr. Klein than Clark (as Clark) had had, and even though Lois had been missing and absent from Metropolis for years, and Dr. Klein might not have known what had happened to her. When Lois was suffering from her severe depression, I got the impression that some people - certainly Clark in his Superman persona, and probably Perry too - tried to give her good advice about how she should manage her life. By doing so, they were indirectly criticising her for the life she was living at that time. (No one, incidentally, seemed to just be there for her and hug her and comfort her.) But when it comes to Clark, everybody hugs him and nobody criticises him, either directly or indirectly. This creates an interesting dichotomy in how Clark is viewed as a person. He himself is beating himself up, thinking he is worthless and impossible as a future spouse of Lois Lane. Everyone else - Perry, Jimmy, Lucy, Dr. Klein - seems to love him to bits and find nothing about him to criticize. I think that Clark needs to gain a balanced view of himself. He needs to beat his depression and stop thinking that he can never be good enough for Lois, but that doesn't mean that he should think of himself as flawless, or believe that Lois should put up with him no matter what he does. Acknowledging one's own shortcomings, trying to do better in the future and accepting oneself anyway is the adult way of coming to terms with who you are. Ann EDIT: Please bear in mind that I see LnC merely as one aspect of the larger Superman mythos. So when I'm irritated at LnC's Clark for one reason or another, I'm reminded of all those non-LnC moments when Clark/Superman drove me crazy (and then I take my anger out on LnC's Clark). Such a moment was what happened in "Superman Returns". In that one, we are made to understand that Clark/Superman made love to Lois (without using protection), and then, no more than a few months later at most, he left for Krypton. And he left without telling Lois where he was going, and he left without even saying good-bye to her. He certainly left without finding out whether or not he had made her pregnant. Then he didn't come back for five years. Meanwhile Lois had become engaged to Perry White's nephew, Richard White. But do you know what drove me crazy, Nancy? It was all those comments I read on www.supermanhomepage.com. There were all those fanboys who couldn't stop talking about how much they hated Lois in that movie. She was a bad mother. She was a faithless bitch for getting involved with Richard White without waiting for Superman to return. And she was a total slut for being attracted to Superman when he returned, instead of saving all her feelings for Richard White, now that she had committed herself to him. The person responsible for the main review of "Superman Returns" on supermanhomepage, Neal Bailey, even went so far as to call Lois a feminazi! All those fanboys put all the blame on Lois when Clark had abandoned her for five years! That's why I don't like it when everybody seems to be so incredibly happy to see Clark in this fic, and never question his choice to be gone for so long (I mean, if he had come clean with Lois, they might have come up with a way to bring Clark back much sooner). Bottom line, though, you must remember that others may not share my irritation at seeing everyone hug and love Clark. Indeed, it is quite possible that most other FoLCs would like to hug Clark themselves, and they may love to see Lucy and Dr. Klein hug him vicariously. So be very careful about changing your story just because I get irritated at the love everybody seems to heap on Clark. You may lose more admirers than you win if you change it in order to please me here. Seriously.
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Joined: Oct 2003
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Top Banana
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Top Banana
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,363 |
Wow! Another wonderfully written chapter. I was so excited to see the next post up. Just for the record I don't know anything about earthquakes so I'll just go with it! “Ow,” Lois exclaimed. “You are freakishly strong.” Clark loosened his hold on her hand. “Even when not super,” she added under her breath and Clark loosened his hold even further.
“Sorry,” he muttered staring resolutely ahead.
Lois sighed. “It’s just an airplane, Clark. Normal people fly in them all the time. The chance of an accident is even lower in a plane than a car.” She placed her free hand on his arm to soften the sting of her words.
“I know,” Clark said, still staring ahead. “But I haven’t been on a plane in forever. And I hate the feeling when they take off and land. Did you know the average 747 is about 340,000 lbs? And that’s empty! Things that heavy aren’t supposed to hang suspended in midair.”
Lois giggled and moved closer to whisper in his ear, “Neither are people, but you seem to do it just fine. And after a couple of days in Metropolis you’ll be back to being able to bench press 340,000 lbs with one arm. In your sleep.”
“But if something happens today…” Clark started.
“You’ll hold my hand and break my fingers and it will all be over before you have a chance to apologize,” she told him. “And for the record, I’m looking forward to taking Superman Express home, too.”
Clark finally seemed able to peel his eyes off the seat in front of him and graced Lois with a smile. “Thank you,” he whispered. Just for the record, I think that Clark was truly uneasy about flying but I think that for the most part, he was using that excuse to hold on to Lois. It was a couple of hours later when Lois woke up. She did not remember falling asleep, but realized she had missed the movie. That was just as well as it was a boring action movie she’d seen before, but she had hoped to get some good thinking done today about what their plan should be. Instead, she had wasted the flight asleep.
Clark must have relaxed a bit, too, she realized as he had let go of her hand to wrap his arm around her and draw her head to his shoulder. His head was resting softly on top of hers and she could hear his even breathing. This is so sweet. They fell back into their old routine even though it has been 10 years. They are still finding comfort in each other no matter what Lois says. She tried not to move as she thought Clark could probably use some more sleep. He had not been out of range of the kryptonite for long and besides, there was still some of it in the plastic container in her bag. They had wrapped it in aluminum foil, but Clark did not think that would do much good. I think Lois tried not to move because she was finding comfort in the way that she and Clark so perfectly fit together and she found comfort and love in his embrace. Lois found a warmth that she had been missing all those years and she's not going to let it go easily this time. “Hey, Ab,” she said a moment later. “So, you’ll never believe who I’m on my way to interview…. Mickey Weis…. Yes, I know. Well, you know I’m old friends with James Olsen. He knows Weis and hooked me up. Well, actually us up. We have another partner on this one. My old partner from the Daily
Planet, Clark Kent is with me…. Yes, it’s a long story, but he is alive and as it happens knows a few things about Skagle and Weis, so it’s good to have him. You don’t mind, do you?...Great! I’ll keep you updated on what I find out.” Lois finished the call and immediately placed another. “John?” she talked into the phone again. “Hi. I just wanted to let you know I’m in Metropolis…. Yes, I’m with Clark. We’re about to go interview Mickey Weis. Jimmy set us up…. Yes, Clark. I’ve already talked to Abby about it and she doesn’t mind sharing the byline. Clark already has some knowledge about Weis and Skagle. And Abby is busy working on the fires anyway…. Yes, I promise you an exclusive with Jimmy after this. But John, this Weis story is huge. I’m telling you, maybe even Pulitzer material….. Of course, I’ll be careful. Besides I’m with Clark. Trust me, he’s protective enough for both of you…. Yes, I’ll call you as soon as I get back into town and likely send you copy sooner.” I think that these phone calls were a mistake. I still think that there is more to John than just the editor who is in love with Lois. I think he sees Clark as competition and like Luthor, will do almost anything to get Lois. And I think that Abby may become his accomplice. “You said yesterday that you couldn’t have gotten married to someone else as you were in love with me. Can you find a way to move past that? Can you at least try to let go of that and find love with someone else? I really…” he paused for a moment. “I know I have no right to ask anything of you, but I really want you to be happy, Lois.”
Lois leaned up to kiss Clark lightly on the cheek. “I promise. If someone else shows up, I won’t hesitate to get involved with them if I want to. And for the record, I am happy. And that someone else has already shown up...again...Clark. At least she knows that John is not the one. I think that Clark was trying to get a feel for Lois and John's relationship but I think he honestly wants her to be happy. Clark is still in love with her but is treading lightly because he doesn't want to ruin what they have been able to re-establish so far. And Lois is happy because she is with Clark regardless of the terms, she is where she truly wants to be. Lois could see Clark start to reach over for her hand and then change his mind. She smiled. While it was nice for him to try to show her support, it was better not to let Weis know that he had already rattled them. Old habits--they still know each other so well and know each others thoughts and reactions. “Thank you so much, Bernard,” Lois said. “But I think I’m going to take Clark home.”
“Thanks,” Clark whispered. “I am feeling better now, but a nap would be nice.”
“We’re staying at Perry and Alice’s while they are out of town,” Lois told Bernard. “So, just keep calling my cell if you need me.” Lois will take care of Clark and I think this alone time is what they need--what it is going to take to make them realize that they can move forward with their relationship now. Clark has beat himself up enough about this whole ordeal and Lois will forgive him enough to be with him, eventually. This was just awesome and I am desperately hoping to see the next part up soon! This poor couple has been miserable long enough. Well done! ~Sheila
I'm a firm believer in the fact that God doesn't put any more on us than we can bear. He does however make us come to Jesus every so often.
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 921
Features Writer
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Features Writer
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 921 |
Thanks, Ann and Sheila for the nice comments! Ann- The A-plot here is really coming along nicely. You have found very good explanations for some of the very strange things that have taken place earlier in this fic. Thank you! I am very bad at a-plot and so I am definitely worried about the whole thing fitting together well and making sense so this is definitely good to hear. Now I have to only hope I can keep it up. Although you had me wondering what that other green sand could be... finely ground pieces of emerald or opal? While that would be very neat, alas, it is intended to simply be garden variety sand with something like green food coloring. Or maybe coral (like the pink sand in Bermuda). I didn't have something specific in mind, but basically something rather benign. As for the B-plot here, my favorite part by far was Lois taking care of Clark in the airplane, helping him get over his fear of flying in man-made aircraft. This was my favorite part, too. I had so much fun writing it. I had this great mental image in my head of Clark huddled into an economy seat (and I think Dean Cain would probably find them a bit cramped) and looking like a little boy, he was so scared. And Lois (who would fit comfortably in the seat next to him) caught between being amused, annoyed, and sympathetic about his fear for something that was so much less scary to her than many things she does on an average day. In a way, this is beyond sweet. Clark has decided that he has blown his chances forever of marrying Lois, and because he wants her to be happy, he feels the need to make sure that she can marry someone else instead. That's utterly unselfish, but it is a bit meddling, too. It is not for Clark to decide if Lois should get married in the first place. This is true, it is a bit meddling, but I think it's realistic. Kind of like wishing the best for an ex. Lois may decide not to get married, but we still live in a conventional society where when picturing happily ever after, we picture marriage being part of that. Clark wants to believe that Lois will have a happily ever after. (And this is a combination of the fact that he loves Lois and he feels insanely guilty over ruining her life.) Dr. Klein hugged Clark before he hugged Lois, even though I believe that Lois had had more dealings with Dr. Klein than Clark (as Clark) had had, and even though Lois had been missing and absent from Metropolis for years, and Dr. Klein might not have known what had happened to her. This is true, but Dr. Klein and Lois were not close. While Dr. Klein was also not close to Clark, he is close to Superman and so that translated over to Clark for him. When Lois was suffering from her severe depression, I got the impression that some people - certainly Clark in his Superman persona, and probably Perry too - tried to give her good advice about how she should manage her life. By doing so, they were indirectly criticising her for the life she was living at that time. (No one, incidentally, seemed to just be there for her and hug her and comfort her.)
But when it comes to Clark, everybody hugs him and nobody criticises him, either directly or indirectly. Again, this is true, but remember that you know a lot more about Clark/Superman than Dr. Klein, Lucy, Perry, and Jimmy do. They aren't aware that he's depressed because they haven't dealt with him. They aren't hugging him to console him, they are hugging him because it's so good to see the friend they thought had died years ago (or in Perry's case, the friend he thought he'd never be able to see as Clark again). Everyone else - Perry, Jimmy, Lucy, Dr. Klein - seems to love him to bits and find nothing about him to criticize. Again, from their perspective, what would they criticism him for? This isn't necessarily finding him perfect (and I think Perry and Jimmy made it clear that they didn't think he was perfect in expressing surprise that he hadn't told Lois his secret), but you don't criticize others for not being perfect. Usually they do something you strongly disagree with to cause criticism. I'm not sure anyone but Lois has reason to criticize (except perhaps in Lois' defense). But do you know what drove me crazy, Nancy? It was all those comments I read on www.supermanhomepage.com. There were all those fanboys who couldn't stop talking about how much they hated Lois in that movie. She was a bad mother. She was a faithless bitch for getting involved with Richard White without waiting for Superman to return. And she was a total slut for being attracted to Superman when he returned, instead of saving all her feelings for Richard White, now that she had committed herself to him. The person responsible for the main review of "Superman Returns" on supermanhomepage, Neal Bailey, even went so far as to call Lois a feminazi! All those fanboys put all the blame on Lois when Clark had abandoned her for five years! That's why I don't like it when everybody seems to be so incredibly happy to see Clark in this fic, and never question his choice to be gone for so long (I mean, if he had come clean with Lois, they might have come up with a way to bring Clark back much sooner). Bottom line, though, you must remember that others may not share my irritation at seeing everyone hug and love Clark. Indeed, it is quite possible that most other FoLCs would like to hug Clark themselves, and they may love to see Lucy and Dr. Klein hug him vicariously. So be very careful about changing your story just because I get irritated at the love everybody seems to heap on Clark. You may lose more admirers than you win if you change it in order to please me here. Seriously. Okay, so I know I always say this and then change things anyway, but I really don't intend to change things because you have trouble with this. (And I'm more sure of myself this time as I am a good way towards finishing the rough draft of the rest of the story.) I agree, not that I read it myself, but the messages you mention of fans disliking Lois for moving on with her life when Superman abandoned her is ridiculous. I'm not a person into reading celeb news and for the most part don't know much about who many celebs are let alone what is going on in their life. But since I don't live under a rock, I was aware of when Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt broke up and he moved immediately to Anjelina Jolie. I remember seeing a celeb magazine cover at the supermarket several months later about Jennifer Aniston being spotted with some other guy with the headline being something snarky about how fast she moved on. I remember being appalled at that – her husband (I think they were married?) left her for another woman, so clearly he was over their relationship before he ended it, but she got over it too soon as several months later she was dating again? That seems to me to be similar to what was happening with feelings towards Lois and it's a bit insane. Are women supposed to be so crushed over a failed relationship that they can't move on? However, I don't think that's what's happening in my story. First off, no one is criticizing Lois. Second, I do think to some degree what Clark “owed” Lois when he died is up for debate. They weren't dating. Lois had never expressed any interest in Clark and had pointedly told him before that she wasn't interested in him. So certainly (at least from my perspective) when Clark died he owed her nothing. Of course, later when she sunk into depression, as someone who cared for and loved Lois, he should have said something. But from Lucy's perspective he was in the WPP. How did he know Lois was depressed? Same for Dr. Klein (who likely didn't even know himself Lois was depressed). Which just leaves Perry and Jimmy who, as I mentioned above clearly thought Clark's behavior was wrong, but aren't beating him up about it. I think this is because they are caught up in how good it is to see Clark again, how worried they are about him now, and because this was a long time ago and had little to do with them. Even though Perry and Jimmy both care for Lois deeply, it's hard to work up too much righteous indignation about something that happened 10 years ago and Lois has clearly gotten over. But that's just my opinion. Unfortunately, since it's my story, my opinion counts for a lot.  Sheila- Wow! Another wonderfully written chapter.  Thank you! Clark must have relaxed a bit, too, she realized as he had let go of her hand to wrap his arm around her and draw her head to his shoulder. His head was resting softly on top of hers and she could hear his even breathing. This is so sweet. They fell back into their old routine even though it has been 10 years. They are still finding comfort in each other no matter what Lois says. Yes, this is precisely what I was going for! I think that these phone calls were a mistake. I still think that there is more to John than just the editor who is in love with Lois. I think he sees Clark as competition and like Luthor, will do almost anything to get Lois. And I think that Abby may become his accomplice. But from Lois' perspective there's nothing to worry about. So, placing the calls makes sense to her. This was just awesome and I am desperately hoping to see the next part up soon! Thank you! I think the next part (rough draft) is finished – I'm having a hard time finding a natural break, but it's already longer than I intended, so suspect I'll find something and cut this chapter off. So, it shouldn't be too long – although not before Friday at the earliest since I still have a fair amount of editing to do and want to get some more writing done as well and will be working late the next couple of nights leaving little or no time for writing/editing.
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Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 3,147 Likes: 3
Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 3,147 Likes: 3 |
Anonpip, when you wrote: But that’s just my opinion. Unfortunately, since it’s my story, my opinion counts for a lot. you were absolutely right. That doesn't mean that a writer should ignore the feelings and opinions of her/his readers, but it does mean that a writer can't write only what certain readers want to see or hear. That's especially true of a storyline so certain to generate strong reactions from all over the map. Personally, I think you're handling the relationship plot quite well. Lois didn't fall into Clark's arms and declare her eternal, undying love for him the moment she figured out The Secret. In fact, if Superman hadn't had his powers at the time, he might have lost a couple of teeth. And I think that was natural. But for Lois to push Clark away from her for the rest of her life wouldn't be in character for her, either. Lois understands about forgiveness and rebuilding trust, and in this story she also understands that they're not the same thing. She can forgive him for causing her so much pain, but he has to rebuild her trust in him before she'll let him anywhere near her heart again. And that's quite natural. In "Superman Returns," I never thought Lois was evil for moving on after Big Blue disappeared. In fact, I'm surprised she handled the situation so well. I felt that her actions were not only generally appropriate but in character for Lois Lane as well. (I thought Clark behaved out of character, but that's yet another topic.) And I think the Lois of this story is behaving like the Lois of L&C would behave. Brava for your courage in tackling such a sensitive topic! I don't think I could have written this story, and if I had, it wouldn't be nearly as good as the one you're giving us. Keep it up, okay?
Life isn't a support system for writing. It's the other way around.
- Stephen King, from On Writing
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 3,764
Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 3,764 |
I'm reading and loving this. I caught up on it within the last week or so and I don't remember if I posted FDK since then or not.
Definitely interesting and I can't wait to read more!
Carol
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 943
Features Writer
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Features Writer
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 943 |
Starting off with a quibble, having lived in San Diego for several years and still willing to do almost anything in order to move back there... Not that San Diego had lived up to the stories she had heard about it being 70 degrees every day, but it rarely got too much below freezing and that was only after dark. It can get below freezing further inland and into the mountains, certainly, but the downtown area, where Lois lived, was too close to the ocean. As far as I know, the downtown would only get a below-freezing temperature once about every generation or so. Even 40s are relatively rare. It really is an awesome climate. I like the fact that the kryptonite dust is mostly sand, since it was rather scary to picture such huge quantities of this rare element. And it certainly makes sense that Clark's symptoms would be magnified when the dust is touching him, as opposed to him just flying over it. And in the last chapter I was ready to reach through the computer screen to punch that slimy governor, so I'm definitely looking forward to seeing him get his come-uppance. It's been a tough road for L&C, so I love seeing them gradually getting past the hard feelings and mistakes and what-ifs and should-haves, and moving along towards that light at the end of the tunnel, which is growing brighter as I watch it. Kathy
"Our thoughts form the universe. They always matter." - Babylon 5
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 5,797
Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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OP
Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 5,797 |
And since I've been so critical of so many things in this fic, let me just assure you that I really like the way Lois and Clark's relationship is coming along! It is going slowly, just like it should, and Lois is very gradually learning to trust Clark. In a way, it is just like it was the first time over, when they got to know each other from scratch, so to speak. And it is very appropriate that this "second time over" should mirror the first.
Ann
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Joined: Jan 2007
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Features Writer
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Features Writer
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 921 |
Terry, That doesn't mean that a writer should ignore the feelings and opinions of her/his readers, but it does mean that a writer can't write only what certain readers want to see or hear. I have to say it's my favorite part of these boards. Personally, unless I'm very disciplined, I tend to be a very slow writer. And so I like the idea of writing things ahead of time, so I don't need to worry about posting on a regular schedule when I have a busy week. But I find the detailed feedback everyone gives so thought provoking, I've abandoned all hope for that in this fic. Until now (when, honestly, I'm somewhat eager to finish this story), I've preferred to wait to see what comments pop up before starting the next chapter. Because while I have a good idea of where I want to go in the next page or so when I finish a chapter, the rest of it is not often well thought out, if I've given it any thought at all. (This is probably a case of something akin to ADD – whenever I think of something I want to include, I have a tendency to find a way for it to be the next thing I write.). The comments here really help me to see where I've messed up or been unclear. Personally, I think you're handling the relationship plot quite well. Thank you! I have to say, I was being something of an idiot when I started this story. I thought the idea was neat, but I'd get it wrapped up in a few parts. But the more I tried to resolve their relationship, the more I realized that Lois just couldn't be ready yet. It's also one of the reasons I'm even bothering with an A-plot, since I am generally so bad at writing them that I run far away from any hint of it. But over time and trying to get inside Lois, I realized that what Clark did was so egregious, this wasn't something that they could work out simply by talking. They need time to build a friendship again and that can't happen if they never leave her apartment. Brava for your courage in tackling such a sensitive topic! I don't think I could have written this story, and if I had, it wouldn't be nearly as good as the one you're giving us. Hmmm… I find that hard to believe! I'll certainly try and I'm sure everyone here will continue to be gracious enough to let me know when I fail. Carol, Thanks for the comments! Kathy, It can get below freezing further inland and into the mountains, certainly, but the downtown area, where Lois lived, was too close to the ocean. As far as I know, the downtown would only get a below-freezing temperature once about every generation or so. Even 40s are relatively rare. It really is an awesome climate. I don't live in San Diego. But I have and I based my knowledge on what I remembered from then (and a little bit on some recent visits). I didn't live too near the ocean, but I'm basing Lois' apartment (which is in downtown) on one a friend lived in which was a bit on the east side of downtown. While I didn't live there, I don't think she was much further west than me. I lived in La Jolla (for those of you familiar with San Diego, I was not in the super-nice, very near the ocean area of La Jolla, but inland a bit near UTC in UCSD student housing – which is how I even afforded the poor section of La Jolla). In the winter, it would fall below 32 degrees a few times. Not a lot, but enough that it wasn't noteworthy. And it was not at all unusual for me to find frost on my windshield in the morning. (Although, much less than when I lived in Rancho Penasquitos (much more inland)). During the day, of course, it was almost always much warmer. But, for me, who grew up in New York, the biggest surprise of San Diego weather was how much colder it got when the sun set. It's entirely possible that there's some sort of bay breeze or something that keeps downtown warmer than the area where I lived, but it always seemed nippy enough in the mornings when I got to work (typically around 5:30-6:00) that I assumed it was similar. However, this was in no way meant to be a bash of San Diego. While I missed some of the more varied weather of the northeast, overall, I can't think of a better place to live. The weather really is about as good as it gets, and it's an amazingly beautiful location as well. It's been a tough road for L&C, so I love seeing them gradually getting past the hard feelings and mistakes and what-ifs and should-haves, and moving along towards that light at the end of the tunnel, which is growing brighter as I watch it. Thank you! Ann, And since I've been so critical of so many things in this fic, let me just assure you that I really like the way Lois and Clark's relationship is coming along! That's always good to hear!!
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 943
Features Writer
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Features Writer
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 943 |
Staying off-topic here... You experienced below-freezing near UTC?!? Wow. I never would have thought that. We lived a few miles further north (and a bit further west) in the Carmel Valley area, just inland of Del Mar, and I don't ever remember coming even close to the low 30s. Maybe we were just enough further west to make the difference. It certainly did cool down very nicely at night, which was wonderful for those 2-3 weeks in the summer when it got really quite hot and we didn't have air-conditioning - at least the house could cool down nicely over the course of the evening. We're up in the San Francisco bay area now, and it doesn't cool down nearly so nicely (and it gets considerably hotter  ) Since I was obviously wrong about areas as close as La Jolla dipping below freezing occasionally, perhaps I'm wrong about downtown as well. Before posting I had found that the average nighttime temperature for San Diego in December was 49, which helped further my belief that below freezing would be highly unlikely. But it looks like I'm wrong, so I apologize for doubting you. And it still doesn't change my mind - San Diego (at least where we were) still has the perfect climate, and even after three years I still miss the place desperately. My son is talking about wanting to go to UCSD - if he does, I may just have to follow him down there... Kathy
"Our thoughts form the universe. They always matter." - Babylon 5
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 921
Features Writer
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Features Writer
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 921 |
No arguments from me, Kathy. I agree - the weather in San Diego is perfect. I don't consider frosted windows a big deal. They warmed up pretty quickly. At least we never needed to use the scraper once we moved out of Rancho Penasquitos. That was a rude awakening! That was the first place we lived in San Diego and we believed the 70 degrees all the time stories. We didn't even bother to bring an ice scraper with us. However, it just took two mornings of needing to run the heat in the car for several minutes before we could see enough to drive before we fixed that.
And I could still be wrong about downtown. I was just guessing based on my experience in UTC. Unfortunately, all my friends in San Diego have moved inland to the Poway area, so they wouldn't be much help since I'm sure they experience cold nights now.
And no wonder you miss San Diego having lived in Carmel Valley. That's a beautiful part of the county.
Okay, I'll stop my off-topic rambling...
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