Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic FDK: A Box of Swiss Chocolates (18/23)

Feedback would be appreciated.

I've been reading but haven't posted anything before now... and I think Kiley's missed a major point... however short Lois and Clark's actual courtship was they had known each other for two years... not two months... before Clark considered telling Lois his secret... Also, Clark started really trying to tell Lois only after she had made a real commitment to him... he shot himself in the foot by asking her to marry him before forcing the words out... but he was trying to get there after she had made a commitment in WWW. When I read Kiley thinking about telling Larry she always touches on how she feels guilty lying... which makes me wonder if she's responding more to her commitment to him or her own guilt.

Lois and Clark are also making a mistake by saying "You don't know Luthor's like we do" and then clamming up. Kiley knows about Lois' engagement and the kryptonite cage... but Lois needs to talk to her about just how much she was dazzled by Lex... something she should consider before taking Larry as he presents himself. His reactions to several things were far more severe than the situation warranted. He sometimes reminds me of my brother and other kids I work with who have Autism. They find it extremely difficult to deal with things that don't fall in to their expectations.

Kiley is also at a disadvantage about just how much Lex did to her parents... she's read the newspapers and Martha told her about the cage... but what about the events of Neverending Battle or The Phoenix or the Clone Arc? I doubt the newspapers really touched on how any of that really affected her parents. On top of that is their encounter's with Lex's children... it's totally understandable to me that they would assume that Larry was like his uncle just like Lex's sons favored him. Virtually Destroyed was fairly tame compared to the events with Leslie Luckaby and Lex Jr.... even Arianna Carlin Luthor left her mark.

In short... just like in Carol's fic... they need to talk... Lois and Clark need to take a step back from their gut reaction to the name Luthor and explain things to their daughter... and Kiley needs to share her experiences with Larry with them and how she feels in this situation.

As for Larry himself... I withhold judgement... he seems like an ok guy... but there are all those little things that are off, the ones Kiley rationalizes away, that alone I could write off... but together make me question his genuineness. Finally, something about the scene with his mother still nags me...

You added that for a reason... whether it was to make us uneasy or as foreshadowing... but putting that in the context of Larry wanting to please and find justice for the only father he's ever known... just how *did* that casino guy not only get out of jail but manage to get a piece of kryptonite?

She paints some very poignant pictures. If only she could use her words as well.

BTW, Lois and Clark irk me because they've not made any attempts at getting to know Kiley's guy.


Elisabeth

I've missed several parts because I could not get beyond the Luthor name. Sorry but that is the way it is. So I can fully understand L&C's viewpoint but sadly they don't see that it is not their decision.

Wasn't one of Lois's big issues with Clark was his deciding what was right for her? Ignoring her right to decide for herself? The real test of parenthood is letting go.

So L&C need to express their reservations about the relationship but tell her they will always be there for her and tell her how much they hope they are wrong about Larry.

Then L&C need to set up plans in case they are right and everything does go south.

What a sad part. Poor Kiley

Michael

Hello, everyone. Thanks for the feedback.

I know most readers have a problem with Lois and Clark in this part of the story because they are shown as the "bad guys." We don't want to see Lois and Clark as the bad guys in FoLCdom.
But I will remind you that they believe they have good reasons for acting this way. They have NEVER met a Luthor who is not a bad guy. So why would Larry be any different?

And as much as Lex Luthor made us shutter and cringe as the audience, THEY knew him personally. So it has a bigger effect, in my opinion.

Okay, personal FDK.

Lieta - Hi there. I'm glad your still reading. You do have a point about the difference between Kiley and Larry's relationship and Lois and Clark's. I will say that I had Kiley and Larry's relationship move quicker on purpose, because I knew they weren't going to start out as friends. And Kiley and Larry had about probably ten dates before she decided she had to tell him. Lois and Clark had about three.

BUT I know what you mean about Lois and Clark having a stronger foundation. By the time Clark decided to tell her, he KNEW she wouldn't tell anyone, and so did his parents. Kiley doesn't have that benefit.

As for Lois talk about Luthor dazzling her, she did talk about Claude in that context. I always felt he dazzled her as well. Lois thinks that is a better comparision because she was never in love with Lex. She did believe she loved Claude. Kiley has told them she loves Larry. Still, since we are talking about Luthor...I might want to change the next chapter a bit.

Elisabeth - Yes, like most artists, Kiley can express herself through pictures bettter than words.
I can understand why your upset about Lois and Clark not willing to get to know Larry. I will remind you that at this point, they are talking about protecting their secret as well as protecting Kiley from a man they believe is evil.

Of course, Clark also told Kiley they would tell her to end the relationship if they had known earlier. They are a little emotional at that point, but still...See above.

Patrick - Hello there. I'm glad you decided to peek in again. To a cetain extent, you're right about it not being Lois and Clark's decision whether she dates Larry. After all, as I said to Elisabeth, Clark told her they would have told her to end it then.

But at this point, it's more than just "letting go" as a parent for them. Kiley sees the only way of getting backt together with Larry right now is to tell him she's Superwoman.
But by telling him that, she's telling him her WHOLE FAMILY'S secret, not just her own. And that's something Lois and Clark should definitely have a say in, to protect their whole family.

I'm sorry I forgot to respond to you, Michael! Don't think this means I don't appreciate your FDK, because I do.

Yes, this is a very sad part. I remember when I posted part 1, yous said it looked very waffy. I said it started waffy, but it would get very angsty as the story moved on. Well, here we are.

Sara - This part made me sad. I could see both Kiley and Clark hurting about their fight. I do have to say, though, that I feel like as the father, it's Clark's job to be the bigger person and make the first step. And that first step has to be to listen to what Kiley has to say about Larry and try to get past the last name.

That doesn't mean he needs to accept Larry, just that he needs to listen to Kiley more openly and maybe share his concerns.

I'm Jewish and my husband is Catholic. For this reason alone, my parents were very against our relationship. Obviously the situation is not completely analogous - as far as I know, no Catholics ever tried to ruin my parent's life (and they certainly don't have negative feelings about Catholics, just my marrying one), but my feelings towards Lois and Clark's responsibilities stem from that experience.

I felt like I knew their arguments for why our being together was a bad idea, I had explained why I disagreed, and after that, it was up to them to realize that unfortunately, they don't have that much say in who I choose to spend my life with and that maybe they should try to see my side as well. It has to be a discussion - Kiley isn't a child and that means they can no longer tell her what to do and they need to respect her right to make her own decisions.

So far, they haven't done that - either really explained their concerns to Kiley so she can consider them, or listen to her arguments about why she loves Larry despite his last name.

Honestly, it took my parents a very long time to come to this realization - I'm not 100% sure how long, since I moved cross country right after getting married which made complaining more difficult. Sadly, the last complaint was made the day before the wedding, so it clearly wasn't as soon as I would have hoped.

I hold out hope, though, that Lois and Clark are more responsible parents than that and will come to this realization much sooner.

Hello, Nancy. Thanks. I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I'm glad this part made you sad. It was supposed to.

I don't know how to say this without giving away too much, but I agree that Lois and Clark need to listen more.

I also agree that Kiley could listen to them a little better.

But that's all I'm going to say.