There was a light in his eyes... I vividly remember the last time you told us about the light shining in Superman's eyes. That was in Lois's photo of Superman, when he looked so happy beneath a somewhat grim exterior, because he had probably pulled off several good rescues that day. Now the light in his eyes is back. Hasini called him SuperClark. I don't mind that name for him - I love it, actually - but I think that, when that light is back in his eyes, then he is Superman, for all intents and purposes. Welcome back, Clark Superman SuperClark Kent!
It will be a long road back, but he's on his way.
Rachel, I take back what I said about Clark being Superman again. He isn't, not until he feels confident enough to don his suit and show his face to the world, rather than hiding in the shadows.
You're right. He's working on it, but he's not quite there yet.
Whoa. I didn't even think about the possible symbolism so far...but you're right. I certainly did have a lot of pleasure comparing Lex to the devil. Hm...
But poor Clark. He certainly hasn't been acting perfect, and Lois knows he isn't as godlike as she used to think. Now, she just loves Kal-El, and if she thinks he's perfect it's because of that rather than who he is. So...she needs to find out, you say? So do I! But wait for it nonetheless. This story is driving me; I'm not driving it!
And I completely love how you write this. Coffee, cream, sugar, chocolate and raspberries are things that taste good and most of us like and want. But consider the colors of these things, too. Coffee is black, cream and sugar are (usually) white, chocolate is dark-colored and raspberries are red. Like the colors that haunt her: the white room, Kal-El's white face, his bottomless suffering black eyes and his red blood
I'm glad you noticed that! I love keeping arcs of similar images, thoughts, and feelings across the chapters. I'm glad you made that connection.
I'm getting slightly tired of Lois by now. She spent so much time scrutinizing Kal-El's face during their captivity, and she has, of course, spent a lot of time with Clark Kent. Why is she so totally unable to see that they are one and the same man? Given the circumstances, she should have suspected that they are the same man even if they had actually looked quite different - which they obviously don't.
She really hasn't had time to think. I mean, Clark just got back that morning, and since then her mind has been overwhelmed with what she figures to be more "important" things--things like Lex and the Primaries.
<frowns> I want her to find out, too. But I've got to set it up right...this is probably as hard for me as it is for Poor Clark. He just can't get a word in sideways, Lois is going so fast!
Yes. Red like blood, I'll bet.
Most certainly. But I put it in like a bit of irony, too. Dark red roses represent inner beauty (which I wouldn't know but for that random insert in my university's daily newspaper I saw yesterday). And then, of course, there's Lex...who is definitely not beautiful on the inside.
This is really ominous! He is really saying, 'You had Superman here and he was soaking up the sun, right?'.
You make me shudder when you say it so outright, Ann. But you got it right on. <shudders>
Small typo here... you want to say that Clark is inexperienced. But I love how Lois automatically defends Clark.
Ah. Blast those typos! <shakes fist>
Oh, damn. This writing can't be good for people who have trouble with their blood pressure.
I'm glad it works so well, though!
Did he get his condition from handling Kryptonite, perhaps?
I love hearing the speculations. I'm not telling anyone how close they are, though...
For some reason, I completely shudder at this. I keep thinking of those "samples" that Lex's goons took from Superman in the white room. Are Lex's doctors going to transplant them into Lex's body? If you are going to take your story down that route, Rachel, please don't make Lex end up stronger than Clark. That doesn't make sense, in my opinion. Clark has most of himself, of his own body, but Lex has his own sick body and, at best, a little bit of Clark's.
Oh, that most definitely wouldn't make sense. Luthor is not getting stronger than Clark. Nuh huh. That's way too out there for me.
Oh, Lois. Please don't be so horribly contemptuous of Clark.
Horribly contemptuous is a bit strong, I think. She's still a bit dismissive about him, but right now, at least, she's starting to see she might not be as all-knowing as she thought.
Thanks for your review, Ann! You always have the most amazing reviews!
Terry! Hello and thanks for your review as well!
Yeah, maybe he should have been a little more careful with that first mugger, but hey, it's not like he ripped his heart out of his chest, is it?
Humph. In my mind, Clark should just get over it. The mugger deserved what he got, and worse. But that's not how Clark thinks. He feels bad about it, which is why he's a better person than I am. <gives him a hug>
(Oh, Ann, it's too bad you didn't have time to leave a whole lot of feedback.)
lol
As others have so eloquently pointed out, the track of Lois's exhausted logic to discover that Luthor is indeed the serpent that Clark accused him of being is brilliant. You hit the high points perfectly. Your descriptions of Lois's actions and reactions were so outstanding. And Luthor's question about Lois moving her couch was a dead giveaway, but it was so subtle that it made Lois look like a genius when she figured it out.
Thanks you so much, Terry!
Lex has cancer, huh? Maybe the 'treatment' involves Kryptonite? Maybe that was the whole reason for Superman's abduction, to experiment on him for medical research. If that's the case, then it makes a twisted, meglomaniacal kind of sense. Luthor would, indeed, consider himself to be more important than anyone, even a selfless hero like Superman, and wouldn't shirk at anything to give himself a cure. This Luthor, like others, thinks that money equals not just powere, but the right to do whatever he pleases whenever he pleases. And that's what makes him scary.
Lex is seriously creepy, and I think that feeling is only going to get worse.
Thanks for your review, Bakasi!
I liked this part very much. You gave an interesting explanation for the experiments they were making with Clark. I figure that was because Lex searched a cure for his cancer. It's a cool idea. Of course I liked that Lois was seeing Lex for who he really is now, and that although he told her a heart-wrenching story. It would have served to get her pity and maybe support. A more innocent Lois would probably have remained at Lex' side, feeling that he needed her help.
Like I said before, I love people's guesses about this. But I'm not saying anything else!
Anyway, I've got to run. But thank you everyone for your reviews. They really make my day!
SmirkyRaven
