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#266990 11/01/15 10:25 AM
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Mike M Offline OP
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Create all the happiness you are able to create.
Remove all the misery you are able to remove.

Jeremy Bentham

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Hi Mike, thank you for posting a new part Oops ...for creating the FDK post and for letting me know about my error.
Thank you nivafrer for the story! Sorry for the confusion of name, in my defense, I'd just finished the story that I wanted to say how great it was, my eyes already closing because it was quite late and so I just looked at the name on the fdk post!

In three parts, you developed this interesting storyline shedding new light on a well-known story. That was one hell of a great chapter.
You did a thorough analysis of Lois, and especially Clark's feeling and thoughts regarding the present situation.
I particularly like that you made Clark thought about it from Lois' perspective (her fear of love, her trust in Superman, or the fact that she's doubting Clark partly because he is always running away).

I am really looking forward to the next parts.



Last edited by Annalina19; 11/02/15 05:25 PM.
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Poor Clark! mecry Over a month and still NO POWERS! He must really be suffering. It doesn't help that Lois wants to be friends again. Boy, he really can hold a grudge. I'm guessing his lousy new life without powers might have something to do with his grouchiness, though.

Lois is miserable and Clark wants her, but refuses to back down. The question I have is what does he want Lois to do? Admit that he was right and she was wrong? Um... okay. That's never going to happen.

I'm glad that Lois at least has Lucy, even if it's long-distance love, it's better than nothing.

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“He’s—I don’t really know how he is. Not good, I guess. Oh Luce, I miss him so much,” she choked out.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know exactly, Luce. I mean, I know that it’s my fault for ignoring his warnings about Lex and for choosing Lex over him. Ever since my wedding, Clark’s been—well, he treats me like I’m a stranger. We still work together, but he’s polite now, almost to the point of coldness. I don’t know how to explain it, and I don’t know what to do about it.”
Sounds like he's mad.

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He just wasn’t sure he could take being in the same newsroom with Lois much longer. His feelings remained frozen in ambivalence, so he doubted he could leave her, but he wasn’t sure how to stay without losing his sanity.
Hmmm. Lois isn't feeling the ambivalence, only the anger.

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He’d thought long and hard about his mother’s suggestion to write it all out, and had finally decided to write the events of the past couple months under the guise of fiction. Superman could become a celebrity author who masqueraded as an ordinary reporter. Maybe it was a little close to home, but he had the feeling the closer the better in this instance. He needed some emotional distance to make sense, but not so much that it stopped being him, being them. The character of Luthor had given him pause. Clark felt he had to figure things out from his perspective and from Lois’ perspective. He supposed that meant he should at least outline some version where Luthor was who he said he was—a wealthy philanthropist businessman, a good guy.
Oh, dear. Who is going to get their hands on this story? eek

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Or should he try to see things from Lois’ perspective first?
That would be a good idea. So, of course, he discounts it. LOL.

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The next couple of weeks, things continued on in much the same vein. Occasionally Lois would invite Clark over for pizza and a movie, but Clark always told her that he had plans for the night. Things were so tentative between them that Lois didn’t even ask what his plans were anymore.
It's going to get to the point where she's going to stop asking because she's moved on with her life while he's writing in his journal.

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He didn’t like to remember the jealousy that had eaten him alive, the jealousy of Superman and the jealousy of Luthor. He also didn’t like to see how passive he’d been in his friendship with Lois: sure, he’d worked hard to establish a friendship with her—which was something of a miracle in itself since Lois didn’t let anyone close enough to be a friend, let alone a best friend—but he hadn’t even introduced the subject of romance before his declaration in the park. No wonder she’d been blindsided. She’d told him not to fall for her within days of meeting him, and that had been the last time they’d ever discussed the subject.
Is the light finally entering his skull? Does he realize that she may not be the only one to blame?

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Clark was also realizing that Lois couldn’t allow herself to be wrong. Once she’d committed herself to a course of action, she rarely wavered and never apologized. Given what she’d told Clark about her father, he was fairly certain that was Sam’s influence. If she ever made a mistake, then all those years when Sam had been critiquing her, telling her what a failure she was, he’d been right. Lois couldn’t admit that she was wrong about Luthor without admitting that she’d made a mistake. That meant that she couldn’t allow herself see through Luthor’s façade once she’d told Clark that it didn’t exist.
I love this explanation for Lois's stubbornness. It makes perfect sense.

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Regardless, he’d realized that, in a way, he’d made it impossible for Lois to love him because he’d never shown her the real him. The real him couldn’t always save the day for people, but Lois was convinced that Superman would, and the real him wasn’t always running away, but Lois thought that Clark did.
So, what is he going to do about it? Tell Lois? shock





VirginiaR.
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A month is a long time without powers, but considering how long Clark was in that horrible cage it's a wonder he emerged with any powers at all.

So Liz, we all await the next part!


Morgana

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Mike M Offline OP
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First Annalina, I did not post the part. I just posted the FDK because the author did not.

My FDK...
First I was not sure of the story due to the separation of Lois and Clark as those tend to not be my favorite tales. I continued to read and I think I really like where the author is taking us. I see it as a true, in depth investigation as to why Lois took up with Luthor and why Clark should understand (forgive) her motives. At least I hope that is the case. I can't wait until the next part because I hope the author will allow Clark to understand why she gravitated to Lex and Superman while shunning him. Clark is beginning to understand more his part in this but still needs to figure out Lois's. My take is that there could be more to it than what was covered in canon and for the most part in fan fiction as it is probably a multi-faceted issue and both parties will need to come to grips with all of the issues. I await where you take our couple next...

Thanks for writing this story.

Mike


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Another great chapter smile...

I really am enjoying--not the distance between Lois and Clark--but the fact that more thought is going into the engagement/etc that tore them apart for awhile.

There is so much emotion, so much pain, separating Lois and Clark in BATP/HOL. While they kinda manage to get it back to an awkward friendship as the season ends, while MX shows still a bit of a strain between Lois and Clark, there wasn't really any conversation in the series about everything. And think about it, HUGE things had happened: Clark told Lois he LOVED her...Lois told Superman she LOVED him...Lois very nearly got married to someone she didn't know who then died. That's a lot of 'life' to work through.

Going through the emotions, writing down the pain, trying to understand the situation. I like how the story is going 'here'. It's valid--and validating.

But in the meantime, my heart almost broke when I read:

Quote
Occasionally Lois would invite Clark over for pizza and a movie, but Clark always told her that he had plans for the night. Things were so tentative between them that Lois didn’t even ask what his plans were anymore.


When Pizza and a Movie Night--the go-to 'Lois & Clark Friend Activity'--can't even happen? frown whinging thud dizzy mecry So so sad. You know they are really not in a good place...


Looking foward to more,
Laura

Last edited by LMA; 11/03/15 01:31 AM.

"Where's Clark?" "Right here."

...two simple sentences--with so much meaning.

~Lois and Clark in 'House of Luthor'~
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Good story filled with genuine emotions that make sense for this time period in the show and in their relationship. When they've both healed a bit, I hope they'll talk and be able to rebuild what they had, then move forward together. Waiting patiently for the next part. thumbsup


You can find my stories as Groobie on the nfic archives and Susan Young on the gfic archives. In other words, you know me as Groobie. wink
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Just a quick note to say I'm following this with interest.

Virginia, I don't think Clark is holding out for Lois to do something. He just needs to decide for himself whether he wants to keep her in his life or not. He's paralyzed until he figures that out.

Well-written, well thought-out story. Thank you for sharing it with us.


This *is* my happily ever after.
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Thanks for the reviews, guys!! Super fun, as always laugh

Annalina, sleep deprivation is always a valid excuse in my book wink I'm glad you enjoyed it though! I get frustrated that we don't see a lot of acknowledgement from either Lois or Clark that they both have valid viewpoints/concerns/wounds, so I wanted to do something about that.

Virginia, I love that you said Lois was going to stop asking Clark to hang out because she'd moved on with her life while he was journaling--I have this picture now of Clark sucked into journaling every night for the rest of his life, not even noticing that Lois has moved on. smile It'd be nice it was actually that easy, wouldn't it? Move on just because the other person is busy... I think there's plenty of room for all the angst to stick around.

Mike, thanks for posting the FDK. Obviously, I'm clueless about all this. Thanks for you review--definitely the type I love to hear! I think it is a ridiculously complicated situation. Personally, I think any time you have this much conflict in a relationship, there aren't really any "right" sides of the argument. People are just broken and messy, and relationships can't help but be likewise since they're comprised of people. So, yeah, I'm trying to write a more messy, realistic resolution to the whole BAPT/HOL arc. And, sadly, neither Clark nor Lois are quick studies in the relationship department--it makes sense when you realize how inexperienced they both are in real, healthy, trusting relationships.

Laura, lol! My daughters loved the emojis. I agree. It is sad. And seriously!! Those were gargantuan issues to just sweep under the rug. I still don't exactly understand (other than the whole "suspension of disbelief" expected of TV viewers) how we're supposed to accept that L&C are able to have a remotely healthy marriage without dealing with all that junk.

Thanks for the review, Groobie!

HappyGirl (&Virginia) I actually see it as a both/and. Ambivalent relationships are a pain and a half in my experience. I agree that Clark has to make the decision for himself (I actually just wrote part of that section, and I have to tell you, it made me inordinately gleeful to see him make that decision and why he does it). But, in my opinion, whatever introduced the ambivalence in the first place takes both parties to resolve, which means some kind of--um, I'm drawing a blank on a good term here--sign or movement towards reconciliation on Lois' part as well.


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I think the word might be "repentance". It literally just means to realize you're on the wrong path and change direction. Sounds to me like they both need to hear the other admit their part in the mess, and to hear that the other one values the relationship enough to forgive them.

I wonder if Clark is struggling with the cost of forgiveness. Clark was seriously wronged, and he's not sure that Lois has learned her lesson and therefore worries that she'll hurt him again if he lets her close. But Lois can't read his mind. He might have to lay his grievances out clearly before she can apologize. And Virginia, if she's truly incapable of admitting she was wrong, then maybe he's right to stay away. She has to get over that in order to bridge the gulf between them.


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Originally Posted by HappyGirl
Virginia, I don't think Clark is holding out for Lois to do something. He just needs to decide for himself whether he wants to keep her in his life or not. He's paralyzed until he figures that out.
Oh, I see. I'm afraid that he's going to lose Lois if he continues to give her the cold shoulder.

Quote
Clark was seriously wronged, and he's not sure that Lois has learned her lesson and therefore worries that she'll hurt him again if he lets her close. But Lois can't read his mind. He might have to lay his grievances out clearly before she can apologize. And Virginia, if she's truly incapable of admitting she was wrong, then maybe he's right to stay away. She has to get over that in order to bridge the gulf between them.
So true!


VirginiaR.
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"clearly there is a lack of understanding between those two... he speaks Lunkheadanian and she Stubbornanian" -- chelo.
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I really like Clark's introspection about his two identities and who he really is. I've always felt that it's not really fair for him to insist that Lois fall in love with Clark but not Superman when she really needs to fall for both of them. (Of course, that's always balanced with the risks of telling.)

I'm curious to see what Lois' reaction will be here when he finally tells her he's Superman. (I'm assuming he'll tell her, given his thoughts here...)


"It is a remarkable dichotomy. In many ways, Clark is the most human of us all. Then...he shoots fire from the skies, and it is difficult not to think of him as a god. And how fortunate we all are that it does not occur to him." -Batman (in Superman/Batman #3 by Jeph Loeb)

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