Trying to decide if I want to go power by power on these or if I want to also do things like Finding the Way Up that followed One Way Down

Hope people enjoyed!

I have enjoyed both that you have created so far. Nice, short, sweet but totally engaging.

If you would like, I can assemble the TOCs into one posting calling the series something like Powers. If you have a different idea let me know and I will make it happen.

Mike

Hello Lieta,

Another good vignette. It reminds me of what is far and away my favourite scene from Man of Steel. I can very much identify strongly with Martha in both: My son's hearing is hyperacute, although by no means to the extent that Clark's is. He easily suffers sensory overload. Until he was about ten, it took the form of him curling into a fetal position and screaming. Now he tries grabbing my arm and dragging me away from the offending stimuli. Part of the problem is the movement of a lot of people milling about, but part is definitely that he is in pain from the noise. (To a lesser extent, I experienced the same thing as a child; the only way I could listen to my sister's band concerts was to be out in the lobby away from the open doors; only then was the volume low enough not to cause me physical pain.)

Both you and MoS captured well both Clark's misery and Martha's trying to do what she can despite feeling helpless. (MoS had the added "bonus" of bystanders' reactions -- the looks that said that the child is obviously a freak and something must be wrong with the mother that she can't even control her own child. Alas, that, too, is all too true to life.)

Looking forward to reading about Clark's other powers coming in.

Joy,
Lynn

Thanks Lynn and Mike.

On the toc, let e do a little planning and see if I can get an idea how many of these I might be planning.

And I have to admit I drew some of this from my brother. I am a little sound sensitive. I can remember 3 concerts I was miserable at. One was a Lilith fair when I was a kid and a friend got a junior press pass... To be right next to the speakers. Another was at a theatre I love because it only seats about 500 max... But that means a loud group is *loud*. The last was a journey concert in UT's basketball stadium.... I can remember feeling my arm rests vibrating with the bass even clear across the stadium and being glad I wasn't any closer. My brother has autism. I could never practice my violin at home through 7 of playing. It didn't matte if I was across the house behind a closed door. If he heard that thing it had to stop. I don't think he's actually more sensitive than I am (in some cases he's fine when I'm not), it's just been a lot harder for him to learn good coping and/or escape mechanisms. (He's turning 29 in a couple weeks)

Ah. So that's how you were able to be so authentic in your writing. Incidentally, my son, too, has autism.

It must have been challenging learning to play the violin if you couldn't practice at home.

Joy,
Lynn

This is a scary situation for an adult to face, much less a small boy. Thank you for telling the story with such clarity!

So moving, Lieta ...

You really brought a lot of reality to what growing up would have been like for Clark. He handles everything so well (now), but as a child, wow...just how overwhelmingly scary it all would have been .

Very impressive, how much 'punch' you could pack into this short piece . Loved it!
Laura

Lynn, I ended up practicing before school a lot. I was lucky that both my middle school and high school teachers made their class rooms available for it. Other than that, practicing when he had speech therapy or other activities where I was home and he wasn't..

Thanks Morgana, =)

Thanks Laura, I'm hoping some of the other ones won't be quite as traumatic, but I'm going off 'how would I feel if...' more than a planned out idea. And, I plan on possibly adding some applications of abilities that aren't strictly speaking the formal uses... I'll leave that as a surprise though =)

Journey concerts were very loud and they threw a lot of frisbees!

Lol, no frisbees at that one unfortunately. This was only about 5 years ago and it was a concert of Night Rider, Foreigner, and Journey... As much as I like Steve Perry, Arnel Pineda is pretty good too. And I think the other concert that got me was Kenny Rogers... not someone you expect to be super loud. Thinking more on it, I react to decibel level more than anything, my brother can do that, but he more reacts to discordant sounds or certain pitches. My violin, a dog barking when he wants to sleep, that sort of thing.

Hi Sara!
There there. So, for selfsoothing, would it help him to eat beans? Lots and lots of bean for each meal?



Michael