Hey, so sorry I'm late replying and posting! My sister came for a week-long visit, which meant that on top of work, I wasn't getting a lot of sleep either. And, as I'm sure you all could have warned me, that means I ended up sick. But I'm feeling better now, and starting to catch up on everything, so I'm back -- sorry to keep you waiting! Thank you for all the feedback for this chapter!
Glad you enjoy it even the second time around, groobie! I count it a success when it's emotionally compelling even when you know what's coming.
Things definitely are bad, aren't they, VirginiaR? I HOPE there's a way back from all this, but we'll see -- the end is proving somewhat troublesome, so who knows what will happen?
Ever since discovering the differences between Golden Age Superman (which the CR movies are based off of) and the modern age of Superman (which L&C is based off of), I have realized how much more I love the idea that Clark is the person and Superman the disguise. Though it didn't start out that way, this story has become something of a way of exploring what it would take to turn our L&C Clark into something more closely resembling CR's Superman.
I'll try to ignore that you said things couldn't get worse, but don't blame me - the next parts were already written BEFORE you wrote that!
It is a very difficult premise, bakasi, I completely understand (and I didn't see your feedback as negative at all). I have a hard time addressing it myself, and I'm the one writing it! I don't know that I can promise everything will be put back the way it was, but I'll do my best to leave them at least vaguely recognizable.
Thanks for such lovely feedback, Terry! I do see a way out for the characters -- it's just getting smaller and farther away all the time! There will be some resolution, though I think at this point Lois has to convince the readers, as well as Clark's family, that she can be an asset rather than a liability. I'm very relieved that you enjoy the writing style; it is very different, and I worried about whether it would be readable or not, but it did seem the best way to tell the story. The best way I know to write in present tense is just, basically, NOT to think of it that way, but to think of where Lois is in her head at all times. As to the parenthetical asides, I really like doing them, but try to limit myself (and speaking of, you seem to have quite a good grasp of them youself!). I love the way you called them 'Lois's thought bunnies,' because that's exactly what they are and how I use them! Thank you, again, for such lovely encouragement (and for your vote in a new Kerth category
), and I hope the rest of the story doesn't disappoint.
Love the way you phrased that, Bean22, about Clark being the mask now! That really is the crux of it, isn't it?
Clark DOES need someone knowing him and believing in him, scifiJoan -- excellent point! That's one of the reasons I've really enjoyed writing James in this story, to see Clark getting that support from someone in a completely different capacity, sort of as a way of showing that he really needs, not just anyone, but LOIS to believe in him.
Very true, SJH. Hopefully, there's some hope around here somewhere, though!
Thank you, Lynn! This is an incredibly emotional and introspective story, so I was delighted to hear that it is ringing true for you!
I always enjoy your feedback, LMA, precisely because you don't hold back. So I hope you don't take it wrong when I say that I smiled to read that you were beginning to wonder if there was a way back for Lois and Clark. Lois herself doesn't know that they can recover (to use that dreaded word again
), so it makes me feel like I did my job to hear that the reader is wondering the same thing. I, too, really liked the line about Lois sniping that she needs food multiple times a day, and it is heartbreaking that Clark didn't respond to it as he would have once. We're finally getting past the polite niceties -- the socially acceptable lies, as groobie called them -- and seeing what really lies beneath. Clark does see Lois as something different from his family, but whether that's a good or bad thing, I guess we'll have to wait and see.
Not weird at all, LWhite! I'm glad you're enjoying the slow build of the story, particularly since I worried (and bothered my beat-readers) quite a bit about the timing and pacing of this story. And hey, glad that you're happy about the extra chapters -- I should know better by now than to think that I'll be able to keep to a shorter word count!
It would be nice if Lois started talking to Clark under her breath, wouldn't it, DC? But as much as Clark chose silence as his defense against the expectations of the world, Lois has kind of chosen it as a way to avoid her guilt, too. Sorry I made you wait an extra long time for the next chapter!
Thank you, everyone, for reading and reviewing! I'll try not to leave you hanging so long again!
And thank you for the good wishes, Virginia -- I really hadn't realized so much time had gotten away from me!
