Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic FDK: Forgiveness (Clark's POV)

What's that? Is there one from Father Paul's POV, you ask? Why, yes, there is. Coming soon.

(Sorry, in a silly mood at the moment.)

Interesting exploration of character. I could definitely see Clark being torn up about Lex's death in this way.

I kept trying to second guess you while I was reading this. Would there be a revelation? First, I wondered if he came as Clark or as Superman. Clark had gone to HIS church dressed as Superman. That's a huge risk. Did his family priest know the truth? Would he recognize Clark's voice in the confessional and then only see he was speaking to Superman when he left?

Then you had Clark speak to him, face to face. Again, another huge risk. This man had known Clark since he was 7. Surely, a pair of glasses wouldn't fool him.

I was wondering if Paul would admit to recognizing Clark at the end or not, but even if he had he wouldn't admit it. Father Paul seemed to know enough about human foibles to know that Clark wouldn't be in costume (disguise) unless he felt the need to protect his family.

In the end, I was glad that there wasn't a revelation (or at least, one that Clark knew about). This story was about guilt Clark was feeling and how to overcome it. You portrayed Father Paul in a respectful manner with sound advice, despite his yellowed teeth (which I have to say is a very unpleasant feature to focus upon).

I am curious what Father Paul has to say for himself. Will he discuss the same event or Clark come to him a second time?

As a Pastafarian/atheist/not at all religious person, I thought this was a very respectful piece about the moral questions Clark would have regarding Luthor's death. He's taking a risk speaking to someone who has known Clark for so long, but he no doubt needed to feel complete trust for the person he could share these thoughts with. Well done.

In comic book canon (pre-52) Clark grew up Methodist, but I think this is definitely a good way to approach it. Whenever he went to his childhood pastor in the comics, he always went as Clark, thus requiring him to couch his words so extensively that their meanings were completely hypothetical not a real possibility (as here.) I like how you used the unique images of your faith here.

Wonderful job, DC ...

I grew up Baptist, as a young adult went to a non-denominational church, and now--as a family--go to our very contemporary Lutheran church. I was really impressed by how you wrote this piece--I loved how you took what you knew, what you were familiar with--and put that into the story. I love how you personalized the story in such a really perfect way.

And I loved how emotionally truthful it was--how traumatic of a few days for Clark this really would have been. Thinking he is loosing his best friend/the woman he loves, nearly dying due to Luthor, and then to carry the guilt of not being able to save the man. I'm sure Clark desperately did need someone to talk to--and I was so happy he was able to gain some comfort about the situation.

Really enjoyed this
Laura

You put in a warning of religious themes but what I saw the most was moral themes. I mean there was a bit of religion in here but mostly the setting. Father Paul handled the situation quite well. He did as most do (or should do) let Clark do most of the talking adding a few thought provoking ideas in from time to time.

From the beginning I wondered if he recognized his visitor as Clark, I think that aspect might be a great story from Father Paul's POV. I mean it has to be quite a shock having Superman come to your office to discuss moral issues with you but he seemed to get over the shock fairly soon. I often think Clark needs someone like Father Paul in his life to be a sounding board and thought provoker from time to time. I could see this becoming more than a one time deal.

Mike

Hi, Virginia!

Glad it felt realistic to you. I was actually discussing the whole Confession thing with my mother recently (namely, our differing views on it) and got this idea. I haven't really seen it touched much - what Clark felt after seeing Luthor's suicide. It had to have killed him to be earthbound.

I love that you kept trying to figure out what I would do in this part of the story! I hoped people might, because Clark did play it kind of risky with going to someone that he knows (of course, he went for the level of comfort).

Even if Father Paul knew who Clark was, he would never say it out loud. In Catholic Confession, the priests don't let on usually that they know you, at least, in my experience. It's sort of "anonymous" in a way.

Anyway, glad you liked it. (I threw in the yellowed teeth just for painting him more realistically, and maybe because it might be hard for Clark to look him in the eyes and focus, instead, on just about anything else.)

As for the companion piece...well, you'll see.

Glad you were able to enjoy it. I had hoped to write it so that anyone, despite their beliefs (or non-beliefs, as the case may be) could enjoy it, since it was more about Clark's grief and self-blame than anything else.

Hope you like the next part just as much!

Hi, Christina!

AntiK actually did tell me that in certain comics, Clark is Methodist and does seek out his pastor's advice. I had already written this half, and really know nothing about the Methodist church and church practices. It was also fun giving Clark my own little spin. I'm glad you liked it and that it worked for you.

Thank you, Laura!

Glad to hear that it struck you as true. And to think - with the amount of Kryptonite exposure Clark had, he might have just gotten his powers back, only to fly off to find someone to talk to - especially given that he couldn't exactly talk to Lois about it (who would be his first choice to talk about anything, I'm sure). And I do think that, despite how much he hated Luthor, it would have killed him inside to be forced to watch the man take his own life and not be able to do anything (plus, the man totally escaped legal justice).

I'm glad my appropriation of my own faith worked and didn't detract from the story.

Very true, that it was more of a moral piece! I only included a warning because there might be someone who doesn't take well to any mention of anything at all religious. Better safe, right?

I can't say much on Father Paul's POV piece without giving too much away - is it the same visit, different view, or maybe a subsequent visit? Did he recognize Clark or does he remain blissfully unaware? Is it just him, alone, reflecting on giving Superman advice? I do think you might like how I've put together the next piece though.

I really enjoyed this story and it's companion piece. I find that because of the episodic nature of the show, the emotional aftermath of events often got swept under the rug. There is feeling and depth, but it's necessarily limited. Here, though, you've done a great job of exploring the actual impact that Luthor's death would have on Clark.

I like the emphasis that the priest made about Superman's humanity. The term ends up being rather loaded when you're dealing with aliens, but I feel that Superman, of all people, needs to embrace his humanity in order to keep him grounded. Sure, he has a lot of responsibility, or rather has taken on a lot of responsibility, but he's not omnipotent and is still fallible. Beyond that, I think my signature quote from Batman sums it up nicely. The world would be in for a lot of trouble if Superman were to stop viewing himself as human.

This story also gets at the heart of one of the things I like about fiction: being able to explore moral questions in hypothetical situations. I think doing so enables us to ask ourselves whether we ourselves are good people and what that actually means. Every time we discuss the morality of these characters and their actions, it says more about us than it does about them.

Thank you! Glad you liked it! Like you said, fan fic is great for getting the opportunity to stop and really examine a specific moment in time, or the emotional fallout of something like this. I really wish the show had had the chance to show how Lex's death affected Clark - and you know he's not the type to just brush it off so easily. He's too good a person for that.

I think it's easy with Superman to focus on all the ways he really is human. Particularly with the model that L&C provided, where Clark being Clark was stressed so much.

And yes, I love your siggy quote.