Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic The Long Road Home Part 24 - Comments

Thoughts? Comments? Rotten tomatoes?

very good keep it up. This seems like an book almost.

Sorry for my short and incoherent reply. Maybe I will come back and add more after this semester is over and we have lived through the blizzard that may be coming.

The aftermath to the tsunami in Indonesia turned out better than I feared for Lois and Clark. The speculation about Ultrawoman's and Superman's love life waws limited to the trash tabloids. It wasn't like the speculation about Tiger Woods, for example, which has made it into the Op-Ed columns of New York Times, for example. (Not that I'm comparing Tiger Woods with Superman in any way, of course, except to say that if Superman had been real and people had known that he was married to the world's only female superhero, the interest in his faithfully monogamous marriage might have been even greater than the interest in Tiger Woods' many affairs.)

I agree with Lois that Clark is still a hero in every way. He went back to Indonesia so that he could help out more there, and he carried himself like a hero and managed to preserve his dignity, too.

Lois isn't bad at being a hero herself, come to think of it!

Dr. Friskin was great. I loved this:

Wonderful. Clark seemed to expect a scolding, as if he had been an errant child. But Dr. Friskin treated him in every way like an adult, a person who had weighed his options, made a decision and now needed some advice about how to deal with the outcome of his decision.

I loved this, too:

I think I've said something along those lines in some of my earlier FDK. It's so interesting that people may blame their own actions in order to keep up the illusion that they could have controlled events that were really out of their control.

I don't have time to say more, I'm afraid, but this was a wonderful chapter as usual!

Ann

Wow - another great part!

Clark is still very fragile. I do like how you've portrayed Dr. Friskin and her kind yet firm explaining of the facts to Clark. Yes, he will always probably feel some guilt. But when he can internalize that it wasn't all due to him, he'll be on the way to healing.

The tabloid pictures, the quavering voice - no doubt the world will take Superman to heart even more when they see that he has emotions, that he cares so much.

And I love how you've juxtaposed the flight into the Planet bullpen now and back at the beginning, and shown the price paid for using those superpowers. Very well done.

Rac, that was a wonderful and eventful chapter. I know that Clark and Lois have a long way to go, but I can't help but feel hopeful that things are moving in the right direction.

I love Dr. Friskin. What a wonderful, helpful confidant for both of the world's superheroes. Her points were right on and reminded Clark (and me!) that the massacre at Silban was really out of his hands. His generals didn't give him the information because they were misled by a saboteur, not because of his inherent weakness. I'm so glad that Dr. Friskin mentioned that they also kept the information from Zara, as it gave credence to her comments that Clark really wasn't solely responsible.

In his conversation with Dr. Friskin, he mentioned the 2,000 people that died (that he feels responsible for), and all together many thousands more died in the war. It's been a while since I read the previous parts to this story, but has anyone ever pointed out to Clark how many lives would have been lost without his help? The Kryptonians came to earth looking for Kal-El for a reason. How many thousands of lives did he save by going? How much improved is their world because of his help? I wish someone would remind Clark that for all the death and destruction he was involved in, it would have been more devastating if he had never come.

I'm not sure the significance of Lois' humanitarian publicity announcement. It'll convey that the heroes are united in their efforts to care for the Indonesian people. Hopefully, Clark will see it as Lois being supportive and not another knock at his self-sufficiency.

Great stuff. I'm loving your more frequent posts and can't wait for more.

So the cape is officially out of the box and clever how you let him state that Krypton is still out there, needing them from time to time I also think that's the first time Superman officially lied to the press, instead of just choosing his words carefully.

Great part!
Michael

Just checking to see when we will see the next part

Kathy
www.chili-everyway.com

Hi everyone,

Sorry for the delay in posting the next part. I've been insanely busy since the Haitian earthquake - I work for the federal government in D.C. and have been spending nights and weekends helping with the arrangements to evacuate Americans, get medical care for the injured, and figure out how to get Haitian orphans' adoption proceedings expedited. I assume you can imagine that it's been extremely hectic.

I'll post more when I can.

Thanks,

Rac

Thanks for the update

I am sure the extra work you are putting in is very helpful and appreciated by a lot of people you do not even know.

Kathy
www.chili-everyway.com

Gee, we sure could have used Superman in Haiti...

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for your patience and my apologies for the delay. Since I'm no longer working on an emergency task force and the federal government is effectively shut down due to the snow, I've had some time to write.

Lovesuper97, thanks for your comments, I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

Ann, I'm glad that you liked the back and forth between Clark and Dr. Friskin. When I worked with survivors of torture, our consulting therapists always told us how important having a sense of control is. We take for granted the ordinary control we have over our everyday lives - what to wear, what to eat, whom to talk to, etc. When that's gone, it can demolish your sense of self. I know you've been extremely busy, so thanks for always commenting. It's very much appreciated.

Iolanthealias, I'm sure Lois hopes that you're right - that when people see the price of heroism, they'll appreciate Superman more. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback. It's great to hear you enjoyed this part.

Thanks for your comments, BJ (and sorry for going on hiatus just after you complimented my posting schedule ). I really like writing Dr. Friskin (although she's tough, since not being a psychiatrist, it takes some work to figure out what she would say and I'm sure I'm still getting it very, very wrong )

Thanks for your comments, Michael. Superman did indeed lie to the press, but in the grand scheme of things, I see post-New Krypton Clark as less concerned about things like that. He's still mostly a moral absolutes kind of guy, but he knows this lie is necessary to protect his family.

More is coming up right now. Thanks again, everyone!

Regards,

Rac