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Many thanks!

Still reading and enjoying very much .

Glad I could inspire . Wish I had some inspiration at the moment :p .

Yeah, PM box... it's full. I prefer email anyway but should go clean it out.

Anyway... Love how Kal is listening to Lois and wanting to talk to the wife. Interesting how they both feel so alone. Hope Lois can help them out with heating/water - I'm guessing something that's completely obvious to Lois but completely foreign to the NKers [I don't know what like... melting snow or something - I honestly have no idea - dig a well?]

Can't wait to see how this plays out .

Carol

I have very little time right now, but I have to pop in and tell you how much I liked this:

Indeed! Imagine, Kal has been settling Disputes for years, and he knows the Law by heart, I'm sure - and yet, it is only when he has tried to explain the Law to Lois that he has begun to really understand it himself. How true this is. When you try to explain to others what you think you know yourself, you will understand so much more about the thing you thought you knew, and you will understand more about yourself. You will understand more about the person you have been up until now, when you have been taking certain things for granted, and you may very well find yourself wondering if maybe you shouldn't just be taking so many things for granted.

I loved how Kal tossed out the decision he had made about the younger brother that he had ordered to leave his wife. He disliked his own previous judgement for two reasons, of course. Lois had not agreed with his decision, and he had been forced to think about it. "It is the Law" is an argument, of course, and yes, we should normally follow the law. But what if the law is bad? We should try to change it.

The other reason why Kal felt bad about the decision he had made regarding the younger brother is that he suddenly understood what Lois had meant when she said that she felt sorry for the younger brother because he had to leave his wife. After the intimate Dispute-settling session with Lois on his bed, and when Lois suddenly realised where she was and felt obliged to leave Kal's quarters, Kal suddenly felt about as lonely as the younger brother in the Dispute might feel, if Kal forced him to leave his wife. Suddenly Kal understood that.

Oh, and... Kal is definitely a virgin. Fascinating. How do they make babies on Krypton? There is a thing called the birthing matrix, I think. Maybe the parents contribute only the egg and the seed, but no touching is involved? And no looking.



And Kal wants Lois to come to him of her own accord... yes, that means you want her to love you, Kal. Because you love her. Now you know what love is, or at least, you know one aspect of love.

What an engrossing fic this is, Corinna!

Ann

Nice job on this one. it was great to see it here too. thanks. Laura

Also still reading, and also enjoying very much.

Ann, you wonder how they make babies on Krypton. I wondered the same thing myself. I'm guessing the 'no touching, no looking' thing is something unique to the nobles. The fact that Kal is willing to revise his judgment on the case of the two brothers certainly seems to suggest that it's not unheard of on New Krypton to marry for love, because if it were, I don't guess it would even occur to Kal that the younger brother might be lonely once he'd gone back to the older brother's farm. So I think the arranged marriages are a question of 'obligating nobleness' (and that's a direct translation from French, so if it doesn't make sense in English, I apologize).

The question, then, is how there will ever be an heir to the House of El. Maybe there's a ceremony for that, too. A ceremony at an arranged time in the husband and wife's lives, when they are obligated by law to have intercourse unless and until conception has occurred?

That's a bit of an unsettling thought from a human perspective, but then, the whole of New Kryptonian society is a bit unsettling from a human perspective.

Interesting tidbit: not only does Kal not have sex with his wife, he doesn't have it with his concubines, either. So the reason that he has them is what? Just because he wants to protect them? If so, then how does he determine who to pick and thereby grant a somewhat better life, and who not to? Is that the way all the nobles treat their concubines? Somehow, I don't think so. And if not, what made this man decide to go against the customs of his people? Not that there would be anything wrong with that, mind you -- on the contrary. I'm just making an observation here. People are herd animals. If we go against the herd, there must have been something to trigger the opposition. But then that brings us right back to the question of how 'human' the Kryptonians are. Fascinating story, this...

Oh, also... I think I figured out who the mother is. So did everyone else, probably, but I think this raises interesting questions for the future of the NK colony. A whole society of Kryptonians settling on a planet with a yellow sun would be a disaster waiting to happen, but on the other hand, I can't see this story end with Lois and Kal living happily ever after on a rock.

Oh, well. Wait and see, wait and see...

Corinna, will you *please* hurry up getting the next part posted? :p

I think that English uses the term "noblesse oblige" (if that's what it is in French too) and doesn't bother to translate it.

English just likes to borrow/steal/take words from other languages and plops them right into its own dictionary!

Hey, English doesn't borrow from other languages - it follows them into dark alleys, knocks them down, and rummages through their pockets for loose grammar.

However, in English noblesse oblige is a bit perjorative - it implies an abuse of noble authority.

It's a pejorative term in French too, Dandello. The reason I thought of using it in this context is because of the very human tendency to have something going on the side when the marriage one is in isn't totally satisfying. On New Krypton, by the looks of it, the whole thing is even built into the system, with concubines and such, and even though Kal obviously doesn't use his concubines for sex, he very well could. He could even claim that 'noblesse oblige' to do so. But then Kal is a better man than that. Lord Nor, on the other hand...

Other than that, thanks to you both for the clarification .

Pedendang, I agree with you that this whole "no looking, no touching" thing seems to be something that is reserved for the nobles. Ordinary people on New Krypton may well have the sort of marriages that we consider normal, with normal, ordinary intimacy.

Then again, you wonder why the nobles would agree to it. Why would they not have sex with their wives? Presumably, a noble is supposed to have offspring with his wife. It seems probable that he would accomplish it through some sort of birthing matrix. Unless Kal is different somehow? Maybe other nobles do have sex with their wives?

And why doesn't Kal have any offspring yet? Maybe there is an upcoming ceremony waiting in the wings where Kal really is supposed to have real sex with his wife and make her pregnant? But then, why hasn't this ceremony happened already, considering the fact that Kal and his wife have been married for ten years?

And what about the concubines? Why do the nobles have concubines, unless it is for sex? What else would the nobles get out of it? They get to protect their concubines and feel important that way? Hmmmm. That does not sound like enough of a reward to me.

One more thing - Lois speaks the language of New Krypton, but she doesn't know how to read and write this alien tongue. Given the fact that Lois doesn't know ho long she will be forced to stay on New Krypton, but it could be forever, it seems like a good idea for her to master the written language of the world where she is presently stuck. I wonder if the New Kryptonian Ministry of Education gives any classes in reading and writing to illiterate alien concubines?

Ann

I fell off my chair laughing when I read that.

[wild speculation] Okay, how about this scenario?

We know that Kal and Lois are each other's soulmates. Maybe all Kryptonians are supposed to have a soulmate, and to mate with their soulmate, if possible. Maybe, for one reason or another, Kryptonians can only procreate with their soulmate? Maybe the Kryptonian woman's body will reject any sperm that doesn't come from her soulmate?

Okay, but nobles may have to marry for different reasons entirely - so that two important noble houses can be joined through matrimony, for example. Maybe nobles aren't usually expected to be able to procreate with their spouses. Maybe there are birthing matrixes for them. Or - how about this? - maybe that is why they have concubines? Maybe they are supposed to find their soulmate by aquiring as many concubines as possible? Or at least, they are supposed to find someone who is at least physically compatible with them, someone whose body will not reject their seed.

But now suppose that a male noble is supposed to react physically to the woman he can have children with. And she is supposed to react physically to him. But in poor Kal's case, this has never happened. Kal has never had the slightest desire to see his wife naked, or to see any of his concubines naked - that is, until he met Lois Lane. And because he hasn't, so far, been turned on by any of the women who, literally, belong to him, he is not yet a father? But now, because Lois makes his heart beat faster and his blood flow stronger, he can? Except the NKers are not likely to accept that their ruler has children by a concubine who is an alien? [/wild speculation]

Okay, that was my take on the fine art of wild speculation. Next contestant, please?

Ann

Ow, Ann...

I, too, think it's a little weird that Kal doesn't have any offspring yet, but I think speculating that it has to do with that kind of intricate compatibility goes a bit far...

I mean, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's duck, right? We've been shown plenty of differences between Humans and Kryptonians, but we *know* none of them have to do with gross anatomy. And I think it's safe to assume from what we know about the Kryptonians we've seen on the show that Kryptonians don't differ that much from Humans on the finer points of anatomy and physiology, either. Unless it was sold really well to me by the writer (which I have no doubt Female Hawk could do, if she really want to go there), I'd have a very hard time accepting the fact that Kryptonians are biologically 'predisposed' to mate with one partner, but not another.

The fact that they have concubines doesn't seem out of the ordinary at all. After all, we know that the nobles' marriages are arranged at birth, and I suppose at least *some* degree of physical attraction between partners is nice to have, when engaging in an intimate relationship. Even among the apparently emotionless Kryptonian nobility.

Maybe the reason Kal doesn't have any offspring yet is simply that he hasn't found the *time* to make it so. The living conditions on NK *are* pretty harsh, after all, and the poor guy's days seem to have been planned down to the minute pretty much since he was born.

The only question, then, remains why Kal has never been otherwise sexually active in his life, either. This is what I was really asking when I wondered what might have happened in his life that made him go 'against the flow' in that regard. After all, since there are concubines involved, one would expect that physical intimacy is assumed to be a normal part of any Kryptonian noble's day. As of this moment, I'm going with the theory that Kal has, at some point in his life, witnessed something that made him decide the concubine system is something he doesn't really want to encourage by fully participating in it himself. But he can't just outlaw it either, because that would likely lead to outrage among his fellow nobles, at the very least, and he does see some advantages to it, as well (in that it enables him to give certain women an extra layer of protection in this harsh society).

Just wanted to pop by and say I am finding the premise of this story intriguing. I like the idea you are working with here, and the way you portray Kal is believable (without the influence of humanity or his folks in Kansas, but still having some of those qualities (even if he doesn't know he has them) that make 'Clark' so endearing in the L&C universe). Like others I am keen to see more of this story and where you take it.

In terms of the discussion here regarding Kal and his concubines/intimacy...
You may find that social pressure expects someone of Kal's office to have concubines - whether he uses them or not is up to him. I would assume concubines are required not to gossip outside the house of El, so no one would ever know, however Kal would appear as is expected of him to the other nobles and his people.
Also remember, that Kryptonians believe in "saving themselves" (as mentioned by Zara in S4) for the one in their heart (which is what is implied), so unless there was an immediate need for an heir, consummating the marriage may not be as important.
That's my take on this New Kryptonian society from what we've been shown thus far. *shrugs*

Firstly ... because it showed me that the groundwork I'm trying to establish is actually coming through the story.

The mother ... uhmmm.

Next part ASAP - hopefully over the weekend.

Thanks for your interest.

Iolanthe, Dandello & Pedendang Thanks for the grammar lesson (and the humour)! It's amazing what you learn on these boards.

Lisamaree Thanks for your FDK. I'm glad you're reading along and finding the fic enjoyable. Some of your thoughts are pretty close to the mark.

Now ... about the ... uhm intimacies of Kal's life.

My suggestion is this ... when we get to the end of this fic, do yourselves a favour and come back and read these early FDK threads, because they are really, really entertaining - (not to mention informative and incredibly creative) particularly when you know the answers!

There are a few lines in there that I'm still chuckling over.

Thanks again guys. I'm off to work on Part 10 ... Part 9 just came back from Iolanthe.

Corrina.

Just to point out...

One must not actually see the other person nekkid to procreate with them...

Just sayin...

Great story. Keep it comin'

Artemis

As everyone else has already made clear, this was another great chapter. I love Lois helping Kal with the Disputes and him realizing that he got infinitely more work done with her there to discuss things with. And I like that by making him explain Kryptonian law to Lois, the author also has him explain it to us, the reader. Nicely done.

And, of course, the fact that Lois is introducing compassion and emotion into his life (and from there, into the New Kryptonian culture) means she's already making a real impact on their society. I also like that she's been able to tamp down "Mad Dog Lane" now that she's begun this new life and has figured out that as foreign as their culture is, she really needs to focus on understanding it now that she's stuck there.

Incidentally, am I the only one who is really curious to meet C1, 2, and 3? What are their stories? Were they taken to protect them as well? Do they interact with each other or the outside world? Are they grateful for what they have or do they consider it odd that their 'owner' makes no sexual demands of them? Though the fact that they are banned from discussing it with anyone could mean that no one really knows what is "typical" for a concubine anyway; maybe they each think they are the only one who isn't approached for sex? I wonder if we'll get to find out.

Carol wrote:
True, but for one to engage in intercourse intended for procreation, there needs to be some awareness that women at least have different reproductive organs than men, otherwise you wouldn't get the necessary body parts in the proper places for fertilization to occur. So what fascinates me about Kal's "illegal knowledge" (glimpsing the drawing) is that apparently they don't teach even basic anatomy to young nobles, or at least not to future Supreme Leaders.

It's possible (maybe even likely) that his education was different from the rest of the population, given his position, but how do they expect their Ruler to contribute intelligently to discussions of farming and raising livestock if they have deliberately kept him in the dark about the basic principles of animal breeding or plant propagation? Perhaps this is another area where Lois's knowledge will come in handy ...

(And if so, I like the irony of city-girl Lois teaching "Clark" about farming. )

And finally, regarding the comment discussion about Kal's lack of an heir -- my feelings were that he could easily justify this by saying that 1) his first and only duty needs to be to his people and he can't be distracted by other pursuits, and 2) given the current conditions on the planet, it would be irresponsible to bring forth any additional children, since they can't even feed the people they have now.

Needless to say, FH, any story that generate this level of discussing is hitting a home run. Can't wait for more.

Another great part!

But I have a question ... you said Clark is married for 5 years ... he has never seen a woman naked and he had never been with a woman ... where do the little Kryptonians come from?

Uh huh ... No way

A lot has already been said about what a wonderful part this was and how engrossing this story is. I'll just say amen to that. And I won't even begin to speculate on the whys and wherefores of Kal's deplorable lack of knowledge and, aparently up until now, curiosity about comparative anatomy.

I did, however, want to mention the closing line:

"'You can do whatever you want to do,' he said. 'You are a Concubine of the House of El.'"

Up to this point, Lois has been wisely assuming a deferential position while she tries to figure out what the rules are and where she stands. After all, one needs to know the rules before one can exercise the judgment required to know when to break them. It seems to me that Kal has just implied that she stands in a relatively high position. In a society with as harsh living conditions as New Krypton, to be left utterly at leisure is a sign of high status. Or perhaps of conspicuous consumption on the Lord's part. "See, I'm so rich I can afford to support four women who don't have to work." In any case, she certainly stands above the servants and probably above all commoners. She is, after all, a member of the noble house.

What Kal doesn't realize is what a dangerous act it is to leave Lois Lane to her own devices.

Just food for thought.

I love this story - I can't wait to see where it goes!

Amber