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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 515
Columnist
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OP
Columnist
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 515 |
Hi everyone,
I hope you're not going to string me up after the end of the last story. Thanks for putting up with the twists and turns and frustrations. I'm hoping the payoff will be worth it. And of course, thanks for taking the time to read and comment.
Rac
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 3,846
Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 3,846 |
Hi, Great start!  Ching had grow as a leader. Was it strength that kept her alive, or had she somehow grown cold-hearted again? Did she lose the capacity to love as purely and as deeply as she once had, now that he was away? She didn't want to believe it was possible. And the ache that still gripped her, deep inside, was enough to prove to her that she loved her husband every bit as much as she had that morning, watching him leave, feeling her heart crumble to dust. Lois swallowed roughly, trying hard not to succumb to the tears welling up in her eyes. She would find a way to keep holding on to him. To keep clinging to hope. And she'd do so for as long as it took for him to make his way back home. Beautiful! 
Maria D. Ferdez.
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Don't like Luthor, unfinished, untitled and crossover story, and people that promises and don't deliver. I'm getting choosy with age.
MAF
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Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 3,145 Likes: 3
Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 3,145 Likes: 3 |
YAHHH!
You broke Enza!
At least you let her live. And thank you! We finally, FINALLY have the real and valid and true and final confirmation that Rae Et is dead. Lok Sim is wounded but will be okay, Zara is alive, though injured, her brother is alive, Ching is handling things most impressively, Clark is in very serious condition (and Talan may be in worse condition), and Lois is processing the latter stages of her grief for Clark.
And Lois's story may be the most touching of all. Her life has hit a plateau, where the folks on New Krypton are passing through a deep valley of pain and unrest. I hope Zara's injuries don't suddenly get more threatening (we all know how dangerous concussions can be).
All in all, a very gripping beginning. Thank you for coming back with it so quickly. I hope we won't have to hunt you down and aim pointy things at you to make you keep the chapters flowing.
Life isn't a support system for writing. It's the other way around.
- Stephen King, from On Writing
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 5,797
Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 5,797 |
Rac, just a few words here. As you saw, i didn't comment on the last part of The Roads They Walked Alone, because I couldn't deal with the fact that my favorite female character (apart from Lois, of course), Enza, seemed to die in that chapter. Add to this that another important female character, Zara, seemed to die as well, and add, too, that Dr. Ingrid Heller died in a previous chapter, and it seemed to me that this story was turning into a sort of femicide fest. Thankfully, though, both Enza and Zara are alive. I'm particularly glad that Enza is alive. I very much hope that she will recover and be able to deal with having lost her leg. It seems to me that Enza has a very strong spirit, so I'm hopeful about her ability to find happiness and fulfillment in her life as an amputee, too. Also, as long as she recovers in other ways, there is no reason why she and Lok Sim can't be as happy in the future as they were before. There is no reason why they can't have children, either. I'm glad that Enza survived thanks to Lok Sim, too. I can understand that he blames himself for her near death, and I more or less blamed him for failing to stop Rae Et's evil scheme myself, but of course that was not his fault. But it was certainly thanks to him that Enza survived. The little girl wriggled her way free and started to run to him. He covered the length of the corridor in long, rapid strides, lifting his niece up in his arms. Closing his eyes, he hugged her tightly, cradling the back of her head with his hand. She clung to him as though her life depended on it; her little body trembled as she cried. "Shhh, it's all right," he soothed, tears slipping silently down his face. "Everything is going to be all right."
"Aunt Enza came to get me…and I was so scared…and she didn't come with me. She got hurt because of me," his little niece said between sobs.
"No, no, that's not true. You mustn't believe that," he said, his voice soft but insistent. "You did nothing wrong, it's not your fault." He gently stroked her hair as he held her just a little bit tighter. "I love you so much, and your aunt loves you. She did get hurt but that wasn't because of you."
He opened his eyes and saw his mother hanging back, watching them with a sad expression on her face. Lok Sim carried his niece over to the bench alongside the wall. He sat down, holding Thia on his lap. She tucked her head under his chin, still crying quietly. Running a soothing hand up and down her back, he rocked her gently. He didn't tell her not to cry. Not only would it have made him a hypocrite, he knew that she needed to be able to let out all the fear and the hurt bubbling up in her little body. And she needed to feel safe enough to do that. He kissed the crown of her hair. Soon, her whimpering cries subsided. Looking down, he saw that her eyes were closed. Her even breathing confirmed that she'd fallen asleep. I love this, how Thia and Lok Sim who are so relatively improbable as father and de facto daughter - Lok Sim is married to Thia's niece - still have this absolutely natural strong love and togetherness. Thia and Lok Sim belong to one another, and she is so safe with him. It's so beautiful. I'm very glad that Zara survived, too. This was very moving: "I love you," she said with tears in her voice.
"I love you," he responded. Ching lifted her hand to his lips.
Tears sprang unbidden to her eyes and she didn't try to fight them. The sobs that shook her slender frame caused a sharp pain to slice through her side, between her injured ribs, but even that wasn't enough to force her to regain her composure. She tried to anchor herself to Ching, to hold on to him as the squall of emotions threatened to sweep her away. But even her rock seemed shaken by what they'd been through. In the silence in the darkened room, she could hear her lover crying quietly. He gently squeezed her hand as he held it against his heart.
"I was so afraid you were gone," he whispered. "I swear I wouldn't have survived losing you."
"It's all right. We'll be all right," she said quietly. Zara curled up closer to him, needing to feel the warmth of his body to remind herself of the truth of her words. They would be all right. Through all of the horrors they'd seen and the difficulties that lay ahead, they would still be together. So beautiful. Clark seems to be badly injured, too. Is it possible that you are going to leave him permanently injured? Permanently disabled? I have to admit I would be surprised. Interestingly, there is a story by Tank Wilson at Annesplace (and almost certainly in the Archive) where Clark returns from new Krypton as an amputee. Well, seeing that you turned Enza into an amputee, I'm almost certain that you won't do the same thing to Clark. He could conceivably suffer from other permanent disabilities, though. Will he survive? Well, of course. You have actually told us that he will return to Lois. Meanwhile in your story, Lois is actually finding it harder and harder to deal with Clark's absence: "And everything is going to be fine and ordinary and normal. But it shouldn't be. The world shouldn't be the same without him. Hell, the laws of physics shouldn't work when he isn't here." So poignant. Was it strength that kept her alive, or had she somehow grown cold-hearted again? Did she lose the capacity to love as purely and as deeply as she once had, now that he was away? She didn't want to believe it was possible. And the ache that still gripped her, deep inside, was enough to prove to her that she loved her husband every bit as much as she had that morning, watching him leave, feeling her heart crumble to dust. Lois swallowed roughly, trying hard not to succumb to the tears welling up in her eyes. She would find a way to keep holding on to him. To keep clinging to hope. And she'd do so for as long as it took for him to make his way back home. Beautiful. Well, first and foremost I'm relieved after reading this chapter, Rac - relieved that Enza is alive. I want to see her deal with her new situation together with Lok Sim. And I want to see Clark get well enough to get back to Lois. Ann
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 52
Freelance Reporter
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Freelance Reporter
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 52 |
Loved it. Please post more.
Shelley
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 53
Freelance Reporter
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Freelance Reporter
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 53 |
Okay, see, I have a problem. I read The Longest Road: Belief and Sacrifice on the archive last week, and then I looked up all the parts to The Longest Road: The Roads They Walked Alone on the boards and read them this weekend, and now I'm all set to read The Longest Road: The Long Road Home... except it's not all posted yet! I am dying to know what happens. So... thank you for the marvelous first two stories (I don't usually even like the New Krypton arc!), and what's the posting schedule on the third story, please? Also, Talan is my favorite non-L&C character, and I've worried for the last few posts of TRTWA that you were going to kill her off because off all that making herself extinct talk, so if you could please not do that, I would be much obliged. 
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Joined: Jan 2007
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Top Banana
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Top Banana
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,069 |
I'm with Noelle. I read the first two sections of "The Longest Road" back to back when you only had a few chapters of "The Roads They Walked Alone" left to post and about seizured when you ended it with such a diabolical cliffhanger. Thank you for posting this first chapter so quickly.  I have to express my relief that Enza is alive. I'm sure that it'll take some time and a lot of love, but she and Lok Sim will come out of it stronger. Glad to see both Rae Et and Nor dead. I was surprised that Clark killed him. I was so certain that Talan would get there in time and kill Nor for him (given her obsession earlier in the story). Also, although it was clearly self defense against a mass-murderer, knowing Clark, he'll obsess about taking a life. Talan chewed her lip. "I should be here when he wakes up. His Chief of Staff is running General Command. First Minister Zara is with her family, her brother was gravely wounded," she rushed to explain, anticipating the disapproval of her brother.
"There's nothing but unhappiness for you there," Serick cautioned, his gentle tone taking the harsh edge off the words.
"He shouldn't be alone," she replied resolutely. I'm worried about Talan. I love her character and fear the pain she's going to feel when Clark leaves. I wonder if she'll express her love to Clark before he goes back to Earth. And everything is going to be fine and ordinary and normal. But it shouldn't be. The world shouldn't be the same without him. The tag showing Lois' sadness with how she has aclimated to life without Clark pulled on my heartstrings. Hell, the laws of physics shouldn't work when he isn't here. /me snickers. I don't mean to make light of a serious situation, but where Ultrawoman is concerned, the laws of physics don't work. Please hurry back with chapter 2. BJ
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Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 3,145 Likes: 3
Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 3,145 Likes: 3 |
/me waves virtual envelope back and forth
Tick, tock, tick, tock...
So where's the next chapter in this gripping saga? With my Internet access being so spotty, I really hoped I'd see the next post when I signed on this weekend. I really want to know what will happen in the next chapter! I want to see how Lois reacts when she sees Clark for the first time, and how he reacts when he sees her (and when he meets Jon)! If you're waiting for the Kerths to be over, fine, I understand, but please don't stay away too long! I don't know if my poor old heart could take it!
Life isn't a support system for writing. It's the other way around.
- Stephen King, from On Writing
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 53
Freelance Reporter
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Freelance Reporter
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 53 |
What Terry said.
I have begun checking the boards like an obsessive maniac, looking for the next post!
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 515
Columnist
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OP
Columnist
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 515 |
Hi everyone,
Just a quick note to say sorry for the delay. Things have been a bit hectic around here. I'm hoping to post part 2 soon. I'm unfortunately not working with a traditional buffer here. There's about fifty pages worth of this story written that you haven't yet seen, but it isn't all in order. I am going to be writing in a more linear fashion from here on out.
Thanks for your patience and for continuing to read this story.
Regards,
Rac
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 515
Columnist
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OP
Columnist
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 515 |
Hi everyone,
Sorry for the long delay. I do really appreciate your comments on this first part and I apologize for leaving you hanging.
Maria, I promise, Enza losing her leg wasn't a mean joke aimed at your request to leave her in one piece. War has really terrible consequences, though, and even good people suffer through horrible things.
Terry, thanks for your comments and for the gentle nagging. I'm glad that Lois's story is resonating so strongly with you. More is coming up right now.
Thank you for the feedback, Ann. I know the end of the last story was really disheartening, I hope that there's a measure of hope here, despite all the darkness. Lok Sim and Thia's relationship is symbolic of that. It's not blood or obligation that binds them - just affection. They love each other like a father and daughter and right now, they both clearly need that relationship.
Shelley, thanks for commenting. I'm glad you enjoyed this section.
Noelle, I'm always amazed when people tell me they read the first two stories in a couple of days (it took me years to write these, after all!). I'm relieved to hear that the story still seems to hold up, even when someone reads it all at once. I will try to keep writing and posting regularly, even though it's been too long between parts one and two.
BJ, thanks for reading and commenting. I'm glad to hear that you like Talan's character. It's always daunting to introduce new characters into an established universe (even when you have the benefit of a background like New Krypton, with so few established characters). She always has had the Sword of Damocles hanging over her head, either physically or emotionally. It's not exactly an enviable position, I'll admit.
All right, more is on the way.
Thanks again for reading and commenting, everyone.
Regards,
Rac
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