Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic FDK: When the Sky Falls (26/26)

The first thing I’d like to do is address the M&J’s appearance at the end.

When Beverly read the first draft and discovered that M&J had really died when Nightfall smashed Smallville, she asked me to try to find a way for them to survive. I initially refused for two reasons.

1. As I said earlier, there was no place for them in this story.
2. Even if I could find a way for them to survive they could not appear until the very end. I told Beverly that bringing them in this way would harm the artistic integrity of the piece. There is a certain tragic beauty to Clark having really lost all of his past. By bringing back his parents, I've marginalized that aspect of the overall story. It also adds a "jack in the box" surprise ending.

My point is that I understand that there is a nontrivial price to pay for M&J coming in at the end. When Ann, Marcus and others suggest that this might not have been the best thing to do in this story, I completely understand. Having them appear was a tough decision on my part.

In the end, I decided to have them appear. I finally concluded that aside from being the nice thing to do, their presence offers some worthwhile story potential for a sequel. Since I knew I wasn’t going to address either Lex or Superman’s return in this work, I had conceded that a sequel of some sort was going to happen.

As for what is going to happen, I have no idea. I am more drained than I’ve ever been. I will say that I have been toying with some of the ideas that are mentioned in this thread.

Finally, I’m glad Ann and Marcus felt comfortable to say that this might not have been the best thing to do. If no one would have said anything then I’d have thought that it was such a bad decision that no one wanted to tell me. I really do appreciate all the feedback, not just the positive parts.

Now, to the specific comments:

eminMN:
Hi. Thank you. As for a sequel, as I said there will be one. But I want it to be good and that means that it may be a while.


Laura:
Thanks. Reading through these comments has triggered some ideas for the sequel.


dcarson: I agree. I hope to use the sequel to explore some of the real consequences of the aftermath of Nightfall on the world and the memory loss for Clark. I can feel the potential for some very good - and possibly very serious - stories here.


IolantheAlias:
Yeah. I couldn’t resist the dig at FRD (Facial Recognition Disorder)


Ann:
I remember the comic books where Superman’s hair didn’t grow. I never knew when it changed to heat vision. All I know is that in both LnC and animated Superman, it is heat vision now.

I spoke to your M&J points above. As I said, I see and largely agree with your points. I PROMISE that there is a reasonable explanation for:
1. How they survived.
2. Where they were.
3. Why they didn’t phone ahead.
I felt bad enough popping them in at the end the way I did. I would never have done that unless I had an answer to the three questions above. Even if my muse completely abandons me for the rest of the sequel, there will be a short to explain their appearance.

And as for the Lois and Clark relationship. She really did save him. But he was saving her as well. The way saved him was obvious. But with what we know from what happened in S1, this: would almost certainly have gone this way.

They saved each other and to an extent they are co-dependent. But in my mind the fact that Lois is and will always be first, doesn’t mean that there isn’t room for M&J to help Clark pick up the pieces.


c-mom:
I’m glad you liked it.


Tank:
That comic does sound a lot like my story. I’ve never heard of it before. I assume that something happened at the end that “undid” the marriage since they didn’t get married until much later. I’m sure I would have found that to be more than slightly irritating. I considered including the scene where Clark considers Nightfall. I did sketch it up. The key is that this Clark knows that he barely survived Lex’s murder attempt. In fact, he doesn’t even know how he survived. The Clark that is obsessed with everything being his fault died in the K-gas attack. This Clark is much more rational. (Hmmm… Maybe this should be in the sequel.)

As for what might happen in the sequel, I think you and Terry have been talking to my muse. Many people will blame Superman forever for the Nightfall disaster. Clark will have to be ready to deal with that before Superman can return. And even then, actually handling it will be hard.


Terry:
Thank you so much for the kind words.

As for this: You’ve been talking to my muse!


Michael: I have to ask. Was this for M&J or for the floating? Or what probably happened prior to the floating?


Marcus:
As I said, I think I understand how you feel about M&J appearing at the end. When all was said and done, it was for the benefit of the sequel. I hope I can do something with a sequel that justifies the decision. Thanks for the feedback.


James:
I’m glad you liked the ending. Reading this thread alone has moved the sequel forward.


Mr. Beeto: Ummm… guilty. I love this relationship and have a hard time staying away from it. A-plot is overrated anyway. But seriously, I commented along the way that I think there is more A-plot here than in all my other works put together. Thanks. The last three months or so have been a constant stream of:
WHAT HAVE YOU GOTTEN YOURSELF INTO?!
THIS IS BEYOND YOUR SKILL LEVEL!
WHAT HAVE YOU GOTTEN YOURSELF INTO?!
THIS IS BEYOND YOUR SKILL LEVEL!
WHAT HAVE YOU GOTTEN YOURSELF INTO?!
THIS IS BEYOND YOUR SKILL LEVEL!
It has been a humbling experience.

One last note: By what I have to assume is a funny coincidence, just yesterday I received a suggestion that I head over to the Movieverse and check out your “Family Reunion.” I’m looking forward to reading it.


Framework4:
Your assessment of Clark’s reaction to his part in Nightfall is spot-on.
Now this: and this are VERY interesting ideas.


Thanks everyone.

Bob