Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic FDK: Breaking Up is Hard to Do (26/35ish)

Well, Lois is giving this a fair shot... but Chad and Rachel seemed quite chummy at the end there... and it's sad to not see any of Clark this chapter...

This strongly reminds me of Öckerö, the place where so many of my Pentecostalist relatives live. I spent the summers of my childhood there, but I don't really go there anymore. Can't say I feel at home there. When I was a kid in the sixties, the Öckerö kids went to school until they were fourteen or fifteen. Then they got themselves jobs, and then at eighteen the girls got married. The boys usually waited until they were about twenty. The girls became housewives and mothers to a whole bunch of kids, and then they spent their lives taking care of their homes and their families. For pleasure, they visited all the other housewives on the island and went to church.

I can't help hoping that Lois will not permanently settle in Smallville. I think Lois was meant to do something greater with her life. I think she was meant to make an impact, and not just by raising her kids well.

It is generally agreed that Clark had to leave Smallville in order to become Superman. I think Lois has to leave Smallville to become Lois Lane. Maybe she will decide that she doesn't want to be that kind of Lois Lane, and that she will be happy spending her life working for a paper that comes out once a week, and which mostly writes about farm subsidies. And I'm not saying she can't be happy that way. I don't really want her to be that kind of woman, that's all.

Oh, but this Lois isn't Lois Lane, is she? She is Lois Andrews. Maybe that is the difference. By becoming Lois Andrews, she broke up from the life where she might have been Lois Lane, and where she might have had a real impact on her country.

I have to comment on this:

Since I don't like corn, it isn't hard for me to be critical of corn subsidies. But really, I think it's true that corn isn't all that healthy for you. My colleague Arnost showed me an article about the Maya (or was it Inca?) culture in South America. The article said that for these people, corn as a staple food was both a blessing and a curse. It was a blessing, because corn was relatively easy to grow, and it became possible to feed a much larger population than before. But it was also a curse, because when the people started eating mostly corn, their health deteriorated. Skeletons from different time periods proved that the Mayans had been much healthier when they ate a varied diet than when they started living on corn.

Ann

Thanks, Sara and Ann!

Sara -

Well, Chad and Rachel have been in Smallville together for a few months, so they have developed a friendship that is a bit closer than Lois and Rachel have. You'll definitely see that as Lois settles into Smallville her relationship with Rachel grows slightly, too (although it's not the same as with Clark).

I can't be 100% sure of this, but I'm pretty sure this is the only chapter with no Clark in it. The next chapter ended up being incredibly long, so there is a while before Clark shows up, but he'll be there.

Ann -

I've never actually lived someplace like that, but I do imagine that this is the way things are in farming communities. I'm sure there are exeptions to every rule and there are some farming communities where people tend to go to college, but my guess is that for the most part, they don't bother. It really does seem like a waste if you don't need the degree. And if that's the case, I can see marrying young and having children soon.

This is part of why Chad and Rachel have become friends - apart from knowing each other before Chad moved there, they both are different - and different than Clark and Lois in that they both love small town life, but don't have exactly the same ideals as everyone else. (This is also why they get along so well with Kents who seem to have similar ideals.)

How Lois will fit in here - whether it will turn out that she loves small town life as well, is a question. I can see why a Lois who settles into this "smaller" life would bother you. But remember, this isn't the same Lois we know. And even if she doesn't fit perfectly in Smallville, that doesn't mean she won't be commited to making it work for Chad.

I decided to keep my thoughts on corn to myself in the story, but I agree with you. There has been some research recently showing a link between corn and the growth of obesity in the US. As the Kents say, it is not just the corn we eat (which isn't that much, I don't think), but there is corn in so much of what we consume in this country. It's used for the oil that we cook with and it's used in seed for meat. I can't recall the percentage of steak that is actually nearly the same chemically as corn as cows largely eat corn, but it's a bit alarming.

On the other hand, I don't know what would happen to farmers if we stopped subsidizing corn. I imagine it could be disasterous and maybe what needs to happen is a slow backing off while farmers start replacing their crops with something else. But I don't know enough about this - I just know the health info which is a bit scary. (Although, I have admit, I miss the days when I thought having corn with a little bit of butter, salt, and pepper was not just tasty, but healthy.)

Wow, I'm sorry but all I can think of is poor Lois. Smallville must seem so dull compared to city live Now, if Smallville would change to Smallville (from what I've heard, not seen), things should get fun. But right now, she's stuck in crop heaven And maybe she is going to be happy. But I just... I just don't see it right now

Michael, wondering how this is going to end. Happy.

Michael - I have to admit, it took a long time for me to understand what you meant by Smallville turning into Smallville. But I did finally wake up enough to understand.

I don't watch Smallville, but my husband does which means I catch snippets - and you are right. If this Smallville was like that Smallville, Lois would settle in much faster. But that Smallville doesn't seem anything like a farming town in Kansas and I've always thought it was ridiculous (among other issues I have with the show) so don't expect my Smallville to resemble that at all.

As for Lois' happiness... well, I guess only time will tell. Although, I'm with you - I still haven't been able to see how this will end.

Yay, another chapter!

If this were a Lois and Clark tale, with them being married to each other, and Jonathan had a heart attack or something, and Clark had to return to Smallville to take care of the farm, I'd say Lois would give up everything in her life to move to Smallville with Clark. Why? Well, cause it's Lois and Clark and their bond is so tight, that the change in venue wouldn't really changes things too much.

With Lois and Chad, I still don't get the sense that they're "in love" with each other. I think they got together when they were quite young, and for a lack of better words, don't know what life would be like without each other. That being said, I can't see this Lois giving up everything in her life in the long-term for Chad. I don't see their connection being strong enough to overcome Lois' feelings of isolation and longing for life back in Metropolis.

For me, it's not just Lois and Chad's differences in terms of location preferences, but also lifestyle preferences as well. I can see Chad wanting to settle down and have kids, but even with this mellow version of Lois, I can't see her having a white picket fence life (in Smallville no less) and being happy about it. I see this couple as being well-suited at one point in their lives, but now, their lives are leading them on different and separate roads.

I'll have to wait and see how you take things from here . I've been very wrong before in my hypotheses.

It'd be interesting to see how Clark is handling the DP without a partner by his side. I always wondered in the show how Clark would have managed to get his job done without Lois helping him (i.e. would being Superman give him enough time to write good articles without Lois there to pick up the slack?)

Also, at least in the show, Lois was always Clark's anchor to Metropolis. Without her there, does Clark still feel like Metropolis is home, or is he feeling home-sick with Chad, Lois, and Rachel gone.

Lastly (and then I'll shut up), I still get the foreshadowing sense whenever Rachel enters the story. The way Lois is always amazed at how Rachel and Clark could remain friends after their break-up, seems to give Lois hope that even if she and Chad don't make it, they too could remain good friends.

grinch

Ditto on Smallville, Nancy

Okay, should I worry now?

Michael

Grinch- I can see where you're coming from re: Chad and Lois, although I'm not sure I agree. I'm not sure I disagree either, though - thus not knowing where this will go. I know in the short term, though, whether Lois and Chad are perfect for each other or not, there was never a question in my mind that Lois would follow Chad to Smallville. Like you said, if in the show Clark had had to move back home, I would have fully expected her to follow him. Her feelings for Chad are just as intense, even if it turns out they are not soul-mates in this world.

Since this story is in Lois' POV we don't get a really good sense for how Clark is faring without her there, but I think there are some clues in the upcoming chapters.

Michael - No need to worry, unless of course, you're expecting that I'll finish this at some point.

Honestly, I've written mostly through chapter 33 now (although I have a small scene in the middle that I've been working on since yesterday evening and I can't seem to do, but the ending is finished), and I haven't decided yet. But all that is going to have to change in the next chapter (maybe two if I'm really unwilling to decide). So, soon, I'll have to decide. I'm sort of hoping Lois will just tell me where to go while I write it, though. Fingers crossed...

LOL, I can so understand that, writing about anything and everything but the issue at hand.

Michael