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#68104 12/14/09 01:00 PM
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Comments are love.
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Big Apricot Superman Movieverse
The World of Lois & Clark
Richard White to Lois Lane: Lois, Superman is afraid of you. What chance has Clark Kent got? - After the Storm
#68105 12/14/09 02:01 PM
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Oooh, chilling.

So the only emotion we saw from this Clark Kent was a smile at Lois. That's either very, very good or very, very bad.

Perry is a smart man with a wife, two kids and a memory like a steel trap. Of course he had to hire him.

/me shudders.

Do you plan on continuing with this story?

#68106 12/14/09 02:22 PM
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I'm intending this as a one shot, although that doesn't mean I won't come back to it when some of my other pieces are finished.

This was a plot bunny that refused to ignored. (It also had sharp teeth and claws.)


Big Apricot Superman Movieverse
The World of Lois & Clark
Richard White to Lois Lane: Lois, Superman is afraid of you. What chance has Clark Kent got? - After the Storm
#68107 12/14/09 02:50 PM
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Oh wow.

The weird part though? After all that, I'm not sure he's actually "irredeemably evil."

Ruthless, yes. It's like...He takes orders. He "does the dirty work", as he said. But...is he really evil? I get the impression that he was only a monster as long as he was working for monsters; he's more like a tool that can be used for good or evil, and he knows it. I also got the impression that he saw the goodness in Perry and gravitated toward it.

I dunno, I can't pontificate too much more because I have a headache. Gonna have to wrap this up and say GREAT FIC! clap


~•~
#68108 12/14/09 03:33 PM
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i liked it! I also felt so sorry for DiabloClark who never could pass more than a few words with anyone.

#68109 12/14/09 05:48 PM
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Well done, delightful.

Clearly this is a version of Clark Kent where the Kents died when Clark was a teen, likely in some way that angered Clark who sought vengeance thinking it equaled justice.

It is to his credit that he saw how the government was using him.

So perhaps we can see his take on the "razing of that old theater on Forty-second".

Even more I'd love to see THIS Clark Kent when he encounters Lex Luthor.


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#68110 12/14/09 06:02 PM
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Whoa! Great fic!

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But on a practical level, you really can’t be less ruthless than the opposition, no matter what your vaunted morals. And therein lies the rub. Someone has to be the blunt instrument. Someone has to do the dirty work, no matter how dirty, no matter how immoral.”
And that's why we love the real Superman - he would never stoop to others' levels.

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Perry held out his hand. “Welcome to the Planet, Kent.”

“Thank you, Mister White,” Kent replied, squeezing Perry’s hand just a little too tightly. “Somehow I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed coming here.”
Wow! I loved those last lines. Perry's "welcome" has such undertones (a totally different spin on why Clark was hired), and Clark's last line is just so full of silky menace. Dressed up nicely, of course.

I whistled in admiration when I finished this fic.

P.S. I'd like to hope that (as the poster above mentioned) the smile for Lois means that this Clark can feel emotions, can feel love, and can possibly be redeemed. Can his love for Lois show him the way to, if not repent, at least swear to sin no more?

#68111 12/14/09 06:42 PM
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Clearly this is a version of Clark Kent where the Kents died when Clark was a teen, likely in some way that angered Clark who sought vengeance thinking it equaled justice.
Considering this Clark is actually at least 20 years older that 'our' Clark - although his ID will have him born in 1966 - it's unlikely he was raised by Martha and Jonathon at all. The 'real' Clark will never be found.
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P.S. I'd like to hope that (as the poster above mentioned) the smile for Lois means that this Clark can feel emotions, can feel love, and can possibly be redeemed. Can his love for Lois show him the way to, if not repent, at least swear to sin no more?
Possible - or he simply appreciates Lois's fighting spirit.


Big Apricot Superman Movieverse
The World of Lois & Clark
Richard White to Lois Lane: Lois, Superman is afraid of you. What chance has Clark Kent got? - After the Storm
#68112 12/14/09 08:50 PM
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Wow, this was a chilling piece of excellence! Like others, I really hope for a sequel. I mean, what is "Clark's" real reaction to Lois? What will he do with Luthor? And, will he ever become Superman? (More like the clone, I'm afraid.)


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#68113 12/15/09 01:47 AM
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Now that I've had the chance to think about this (it's been percolating since last night), I had to come back and leave more comments. The story can absolutely stand on it's own, but it leaves so many tantalizing questions:

If El Diablo is as amoral as he's presented here, then why the disguise at all? What has he to gain from getting a normal job and acting like a human at all? Why wouldn't he just take whatever he wanted?

Since this Clark hasn't aged a day in twenty years and appeared to be an adult when Perry was in Beirut, then I had assumed that he hadn't been raised by the Kents. My assumption was that either he arrived as a baby and was found by the government and trained to be "the blunt instrument" from the beginning, or as a Kryptonian, he really doesn't feel any human emotions and therefore can't identify with them. His arguments are the logical conclusion to the evidence of his life.

Also, I couldn't help wondering what would happen if/when the New Kryptonians came to get Kal-El. Would he jump at the chance to go back to his own people to rule? This version of Kal-El definitely has the killer instinct of his race, so defeating Nor wouldn't be a problem, but would he opt to stay in a place where he's effectively a god or would he accept the mantle of power?

Great story.

#68114 12/15/09 03:33 AM
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This Kal-El knew how he was being used and why, but the important point was that he didn't care. It's not clear to me from his first conversation with Perry whether or not Clark has a conscience about what he's doing. As far as I can tell, he's simply doing what's expedient. And that includes telling Perry because he might need a place to go in fifteen or twenty years.

Did Clark take out the general? Unclear, but probably yes. He's still doing what's expedient for him, and now that Perry is the last one to know what he looks like, Clark is going to keep him closer than a friend. And my impression of his smile at Lois's whirlwind appearance is that he liked what he saw when she came in and what he saw when she walked out. X-ray vision, remember? I don't think it had anything to do with Lois' personality or fire or drive for the truth. In fact, those aspects of her personality will put her in danger around "El Diablo."

This is a truly scary Clark. He believes that nothing can harm him, but he prefers not to be in the center of a big hoopla over what he can do and what he's done. So the only way to make him toe the line is to threaten him with exposure, but that carries a terminal risk, too. I do not see any way for this setup to turn out well.

I'd like to see his take on the theater demolition, too. I bet he can fake sincerity as well as Perry ever has.

And I wouldn't be surprised if that plot bunny was also rabid.


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#68115 12/15/09 04:10 AM
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And I wouldn't be surprised if that plot bunny was also rabid.
Yeah, I think this was a vorpal plot bunny.


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I bet he can fake sincerity as well as Perry ever has.
Not only can he fake sincerity, he also can take a 'long view' on his plans even further than Luthor. Luthor might make five to ten year business plans. Kal El makes twenty to one hundred year plans.

I also think Trask's helicopter will never make it to the ground once he throws Lois out of it.


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The World of Lois & Clark
Richard White to Lois Lane: Lois, Superman is afraid of you. What chance has Clark Kent got? - After the Storm
#68116 12/15/09 04:50 AM
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Intersting premise and really, really scary. It would be interesting to see where this leads.

There are two things, though.

Concerning your title: I guess this is supposed to be German, considering the "Mann". Then it would be "Übermann" or "Uebermann" if you haven't got the u with the two little dots. Okay, I'm being picky. Sorry about that.

Secondly, I find it rather sad that anything connected to evilness gets a German name. But that's an entirely different matter. Just my two cents.


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#68117 12/15/09 05:34 AM
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Actually, the Ubermann reference is to Nietzsche's super-man. (Poor Nietzsche, so misunderstood - so nuts.)


Big Apricot Superman Movieverse
The World of Lois & Clark
Richard White to Lois Lane: Lois, Superman is afraid of you. What chance has Clark Kent got? - After the Storm
#68118 12/15/09 02:58 PM
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Originally posted by Dandello:
Actually, the Ubermann reference is to Nietzsche's super-man. (Poor Nietzsche, so misunderstood - so nuts.)
Wouldn't that be "Uber Mensch"? confused

Also, this evil Clark is a lot different from most evil Clark's I've ever seen. He hasn't tried to take over the world, and that is what gives me pause. If he has all these powers and is unharmable, then why not dominate the world? Why yield to the millitary? Why seek an alias and a job? I get the impression that Kal-El just wants to be left alone. Yes, he seems to have a cold heart, but he's not...*actively* evil.

I actually *LIKE* this guy, to be honest. Can we have more please? laugh


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#68119 12/15/09 03:08 PM
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Considering this Clark is actually at least 20 years older that 'our' Clark - although his ID will have him born in 1966 - it's unlikely he was raised by Martha and Jonathon at all. The 'real' Clark will never be found.
And I'm sure that this Clark's ID will stand up to scrutiny. That means that Martha and Jonathan must be dead, right? He wouldn't take any chances that his "parents" could say, "Hey, that's not our son!"

I'm hoping that they were dead before this Clark took over the "Clark Kent" identity. I'm really hoping that this Clark didn't take over the identity and then decide that the real Clark, Martha, and Jonathan had to be eliminated.

See what a good fic this is? It gives me unanswered questions to obsess about when I'm trying to sleep!

#68120 12/15/09 03:10 PM
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Wouldn't that be "Uber Mensch"? [Confused]
Probably - but that didn't sound as good as a title.

As for taking over the world - while he could do it he'd end up spending all his time dealing with dissidents and the possibility that someone will do something terminally stupid like set off a doomsday machine on the theory that it's better to be a dead freeman than a live slave.

Taking the long view means he's got a longer term plan and may not want to tip his hand. (as I said on another board - think Red Son and Vandal Savage.)

And currently I've got several pieces to finish before I get back to this one. I kinda like it as a one shot.


Big Apricot Superman Movieverse
The World of Lois & Clark
Richard White to Lois Lane: Lois, Superman is afraid of you. What chance has Clark Kent got? - After the Storm
#68121 12/15/09 03:17 PM
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And another thing....

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Also, this evil Clark is a lot different from most evil Clarks I've ever seen. He hasn't tried to take over the world, and that is what gives me pause. If he has all these powers and is unharmable, then why not dominate the world? Why yield to the millitary? Why seek an alias and a job? I get the impression that Kal-El just wants to be left alone. Yes, he seems to have a cold heart, but he's not...*actively* evil.
I agree with Queenie.

And that's why I was wondering if this Clark has a hope of redemption. This Clark didn't start killing people (at least, outside his job) until they tried to kill him first (although I know that's no excuse.)

Maybe falling in love with Lois can give him the touch of humanity that he lacks. And her belief in him will make him want to be the better person, the superhero, that he is capable of becoming. Maybe someone just needs to believe in him. Maybe this version of Superman needs someone else to be the light, to guide the way.

Or, you could just leave him as the amoral, doing-what's-expedient killing machine. And frankly, from the way you wrote this fic, I'll bet that's a lot more likely to occur than redemption is. But there's still that niggling possibility....

(See! Now you've got me wondering again....)

#68122 12/15/09 04:22 PM
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The weird part though? After all that, I'm not sure he's actually "irredeemably evil."

Ruthless, yes. It's like...He takes orders. He "does the dirty work", as he said. But...is he really evil? I get the impression that he was only a monster as long as he was working for monsters; he's more like a tool that can be used for good or evil, and he knows it. I also got the impression that he saw the goodness in Perry and gravitated toward it.
Well, I agree with this to a point. If he was responsible for General Jenkins demise, then he is pretty evil. But if he'd been taught to be a killer that may have been all he knows.

Quote
If El Diablo is as amoral as he's presented here, then why the disguise at all? What has he to gain from getting a normal job and acting like a human at all? Why wouldn't he just take whatever he wanted?
I wondered about this, too.

Quote
Concerning your title: I guess this is supposed to be German, considering the "Mann". Then it would be "Übermann" or "Uebermann" if you haven't got the u with the two little dots. Okay, I'm being picky. Sorry about that.
Quote
Concerning your title: I guess this is supposed to be German, considering the "Mann". Then it would be "Übermann" or "Uebermann" if you haven't got the u with the two little dots. Okay, I'm being picky. Sorry about that.
Unless an English speaker / writer specifically loads the option of German characters to be used with their keyboard then we can't do the little dots. The only way I could do that without the extra programming would be to find this written online and copy it.

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Also, this evil Clark is a lot different from most evil Clark's I've ever seen. He hasn't tried to take over the world, and that is what gives me pause. If he has all these powers and is unharmable, then why not dominate the world? Why yield to the millitary? Why seek an alias and a job? I get the impression that Kal-El just wants to be left alone. Yes, he seems to have a cold heart, but he's not...*actively* evil.
Yes, I agree.


I'm not sure I could agree this is an evil Superman. It more seems he's mostly just been doing what he was told to do.

Great story.


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#68123 12/16/09 07:15 AM
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You know, the reactions of Clark Kent make me really wonder just how evil he really is. He's wearing glasses, so he probably hadn't gotten rid of Lois' clothes when he smiled. And would the real Clark Kent (if he existed and gotten offed) had the chance to travel the world so El Diablo could have this sort of resume? So, on one side you pointed out that he was irredeemably evil, on the other he seemed... pleasant. Far more pleasant than Luthor in his best philanthropist mode. This needs a sequel to make things more clear wildguy

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