Wow. Poor Clark having to deal with what to others would be a minor nuisance but to him, because of his powers, is a major disability.
I read, but was silent on, the discussion for part three. I guess I'll throw my two cents in now. I had been thinking of "justice vs. mercy" when I read it. Having the room be so well tailored to Lois could have been interpreted either way: Either as deliberately "heaping burning coals" or as showing her true welcome. If it were anyone else, I would have leaned toward the former. But since this is Clark, I was definitely thinking the latter.
Whether this is realistic or not actually breaks down to two questions: First, would it be realistic for a human being in RL and, second, would it be in character for Clark? Let's face it: Clark himself, even aside from his superpowers, is not a very realistic character: He's too selfless. Consider what a human in RL would do if given his powers: I suspect that most would use them in minor ways to benefit themselves, and that would be about it. Some would undoubtedly use them at times to help others (just as RL firefighters, police, etc. use their talents to help people, at the risk of their own lives). But even they wouldn't be "on call" 24/7 -- to the point of ditching their love interest during very sensitive conversations (knowing that by doing so, they risked ruining their personal lives). And, of course, there would be some who would abuse their powers. I doubt that in RL, anyone would be as good as Clark. And the fact that Clark isn't human has no bearing, considering that we saw Kryptonians run the full gamut of selfish to selfless.
Frankly, to me, accepting Clark's character as depicted on the show is part of the suspension of disbelief necessary to enjoy the show. In fact, I'd go one step further: One of the things that draws me to the show is Clark's inspiringly, but admittedly unrealistically, good character. In my mind, one thing that separates Superman from all other superheroes, and the one that has earned him the disparaging "Boy Scout" nickname, is precisely his striving to do the right thing, in all circumstances, regardless of the personal cost to himself. Does he always succeed in doing so? No, of course not. He may at times in other media have been depicted as a Christ figure, but he most definitely is neither God nor a god. But that's what makes him interesting: He is imperfect, but he strives for perfection and feels guilty when he sees himself as falling short.
And as I see it, for him part of that striving is to see justice done with regard to the law, but to show mercy at a personal level. Consider, for example, how politely he generally treats lawbreakers, even as he is stopping them in the act.
And before anyone brings this up: Yes, I do remember the Godzilla-in-the-garbage incident. But in his mind, he was teaching Lois a lesson. He was probably not aware of how vindictive his approach to the lesson came off. And a difference between the show and this story is that pre-Godzilla canon Lois was completely unrepentant. If this-story-Lois were equally so, then it would be much less likely that Clark would take her back. Also, we story readers do not yet know all of the circumstances which resulted in Clark being outed; these details may make all of the difference.
So, to get back to the original question: Would Clark's total forgiveness of Lois be realistic? Probably not. But, more importantly, would it be in character? Maybe. Given Anti-K's track record of showing how well she understands the characters, I am definitely willing to give her the benefit of the doubt and to reserve judgement until I see how the events of the story unfold.
Anti-K., the fact that your story has brought on such discussions is a tribute to your skills as a writer and to your established track record at writing phenomenal stories. Had you been a newbie writer here, I suspect that anyone who had strong concerns about where the story was going would probably have just stopped reading and not bothered to comment on it.
I, for one, am eager to see where the story is headed.
Joy,
Lynn
