Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic FDK - Full Partners (1/1)

I have wondered for some time how difficult it would be to be able to move as fast and be as strong as Superman, and yet always have to rein one's self in -- to constantly be on guard lest one injure the slow and frail humans around one. How frustrating it must be to have to go at a snail's pace all the time just to fit in. This story is my way of addressing that issue.

As always, all feedback welcomed. :-)

Joy,
Lynn

Loved this little story!

Poor Lois! But at the same time, interesting for her to think about this. Of course we know that both can't live without the other, but it would be natural that she might at first feel inferior.

What irony, right? Cause before Lois had fallen for Clark, she would have been impressed with Superman's powers, even if they were working together. But trying to partner with Superman, that's a little trickier:

And this is what is so lovely about their relationship. They both need each other. Even if he's the strongest man and she's the most independent woman on the planet.

I really like the story too and Lois' reaction was very reasonable and believable!

Ah, so this is what brought about the question on Lucy and Lois's age difference! I can see why you wanted to make them several years apart. Nicely done ... I think Lois's concerns made sense and Martha's response was perfect.

Kathy

My thanks to the three of you for reading my story and leaving feedback!

MM, Well said!

DW, Thank you. I had hoped that I had motivated Lois sufficiently to pierce her usual "Anything you can do, I can do better" attitude.

Kathy, Exactly! I'm glad you picked up on this, since you were one of the two people who helped me with the age question.

I love the way Martha handles difficult situations on the show -- she always seems to get her point across in a loving manner, even when she is letting Clark know she is disappointed in him. I only wish I could handle tricky situations so well myself!

The toddler analogy was actually the seed from which this entire story grew.

Joy,
Lynn

One of the things I think is that Clark doesn't think like "Hey, I'm Superman, and I'm better than everybody else!"

I always believed that he thought of himself as a regular guy, a guy with some extra abilities, a guy from a far-away place, but just a regular Joe.

Having to slow down and be gentle with humans is just the way it is for him. He doesn't think twice about it. It's not a drawback to him, it's just a fact of life.

Hi Iolanthe,

Thanks for your comments.

I agree with you that that is his attitude on the show, but it strikes me as being a bit unrealistic. (I know, I know -- since when should I expect realism on L&C? But while I don't expect scientific or historical realism, I do expect some degree of psychological realism.) I know that I don't consider myself superior to my son, but when he was younger, especially when I was pressed for time, I still found it frustrating at times waiting for him to do things at his pace when I knew that if I just did them for him, we could be ready so much faster. My frustration was tempered by the knowledge that by letting him do things on his own, he would eventually gain speed at the tasks. I realize I am projecting my own feelings onto Clark; but I know that my feelings are not unique. Although I don't know precisely how extensive my feelings are among caretakers of young children, I do know that they are at least pretty common.

So as I said, Clark's attitude on the show, while necessary for the show to work, has never struck me as particularly realistic. But one of the reasons that I wrote my story the way I did was to try to come to terms with his canonical attitude in a way that does not change it -- The Clark of my story has an attitude such as you describe; it's just that it takes a little while for my Lois to see it.

Joy,
Lynn

I think it was great how Martha used Lucy as an example--that worked really well. And it certainly is interesting to think about the issue from that perspective--Clark can do things so fast, you can't blame Lois for feeling insecure. It was nice to see an exploration of this--and nice for Lois to realize she does contribute!

First, thank you for posting a one-shot. That's about all I have time for these days, and it's nice to see a couple of them up tonight.

I have to say that I found Martha's analogy interesting but inadequate for the precise reason that a parent is, in fact, superior to a young child--not in worth or essence, but in maturity and experience. A toddler and a parent are not peers or equals in the way that Lois wants her and Clark to be. A parent and child do often become more like peers as the child grows into adulthood, but that's not what Martha was talking about.

I was happy to see that Lois wasn't entirely satisfied either. She knew she'd loved Lucy when Lucy was little, but she didn't want Clark to relate to her as an adult to a child. I loved the way you showed that such in inequality never even occurred to Clark. He sees Lois as his equal in every way that matters, because the physical differences aren't what matter at all. Lois is just as intelligent as Clark (she has different intellectual strengths than he has, but she's not stupid compared to him) and just as mature. He has some experiences that she doesn't, but the converse is also true.

You did a great job of having Clark convince Lois that they are, in fact, equals, which is what she needed to know. Like Martha's analogy, Lois's feelings of inferiority were based on only one facet of life--Clark's amazing physical abilities. Clark, on the other hand, saw the big picture. The very fact that he looks to his parents for advice so often shows that, not only is he not automatically superior to any human, he is actually a young man with a lot of growing up to do and still needs the help of older, more experienced people like his parents and Perry. In the larger scheme of things, his physical abilities are only one small facet of who he is, which is why he is still human even while being Kryptonian.

As you can tell, I find this an interesting topic, and one I haven't seen addressed in quite this way. Thanks again for posting and making us think.

Happy

Deja Vu, Thank you for your comments. I don't think I had ever seen anything about this topic anywhere on the MB. (It has probably been address already in a lot of fiction, given how much fanfic is out there; but if so, it wasn't in anything I had yet read.)

HappyGirl, Thank you for your feedback and thoughtful analysis.

Very true! He always struck me as a bit immature in the earlier episodes -- In a lot of ways, he behaved more like a kid fresh out of college than like someone almost 30 years old. As an example, IIRC, the very first time we see him in conversation with his parents, he indicated that he is still at least partially financially dependent on them. He also seems incapable of handling life's problems on his own --- he seeks their advice at the drop of a hat.

Of course, there are a couple of things to be said in his defense, as well: To some extent, his seeking out their advice is not a sign of immaturity but rather of how close-knit his family is. (I'm sure people would differ as to where the line would be drawn between a healthy close-knit family and a Momma's (and Daddy's) boy being tied to his parents' apron strings.) And, at least as importantly, because of having to keep his secret, he literally has no one else he can talk to about many of his difficulties.

My own take is that he definitely matures as the show progresses. He seems more capable of making decisions on his own (admittedly not always the best ones -- "I love you too much to keep dating you" comes to mind), he becomes financially independent, he eventually has Lois to be able to talk to, and the closeness he has to his parents seems to become healthier than his earlier, almost co-dependent, closeness had been.

I realize I am probably opening up a huge can of worms here. But I know that the FoLCs here can state their differing opinions in a civil fashion.

Let the discussions begin!

Joy,
Lynn