A lot has already been said about how touching the interactions between Kal and Lois are. I'm struck by how isolated Lois truly is. Between culture clashes, xenophobia, and her high position (it's still lonely at the top), she really doesn't have anyone except Kal to talk to. And he has no one but Lois. So they really are thrown together. Good thing they like each other.
On the rain issue, New Krypton seems to be shrouded in a layer of clouds or dust. Since it's cold rather than hot, I'm thinking dust rather than clouds. Which is too bad, because for a while I was thinking about cloud seeding to get the water out. But, come to think of it, there must be water in their atmosphere. Water doesn't just disappear when we use it. It still ends up being deposited back into the water cycle one way or another. So, maybe cloud seeding would work? Or maybe the water is draining down into an inaccessible aquafer, in which case drilling wells would work. After all, if Krypton had a very reliable rain cycle, maybe they never learned to drill wells because they never needed to. Even a city girl like Lois knows about wells.
Other random thoughts: this whole fic has made me think about the absurdity of people assuming that Superman has just arrived from another planet. He is way too fluent in American language and customs for that. Even if he's been studying our culture for years, he should still stand out as a foreigner. I think it was 'In a Better Place' in which Lois realizes this and offers to help Superman present a better front.
And poor Lois, feeling undesirable because her master *hasn't* taken advantage of her. Even though we all know how livid and violated she would have felt if he *had.* So, does Lois get to teach Kal about comparative anatomy? Is Zara going to divorce him for consorting with the alien? Or is Lois going to figure out that what he calls a marriage is not what she calls a marriage and therefore not feel guilty about the adultery issue? After all, if Kal and Zara were on earth, they would qualify for a quick annulment.
And, yeah, what *is* Kal's secret? And what does it have to do with a mother searching for her child under a *yellow* sun?
Looking forward to seeing how this plays out.
