Here's the feedback thread for my latest story, Vitamins and Minerals . Enjoy!

I loved this part of the story. Very interesting premise. I had never thought of lead in that way. Clever!

AnnieJ

I don't quite remember the exact process of thought that brought me to the whole lead deficiency thing, but I do remember thinking of my Vitamin C supplements and how a lead suit--or lead fibers woven into THE suit--wouldn't really be practical, and then thinking, "Does it really have to be external?" Or something like that.

And voilà. One story.

Thanks for the comments!

interesting concept. Laura

Nice story - I like that Bernie knows the truth, now, but speaking medically it doesn't make sense. 'Normal' lead levels in humans are next to nothing. I think it might be more accurate to say 'normal' in the case of a human is the level a human can tolerate without falling victim to lead poisoning.

Also, in 'The Green, Green Glow of Home', Jason Trask says:

It is Superman canon that a human can be affected by kryptonite from long term exposure. Lex Luthor sometimes has a missing hand to prove that. Even with long term exposure the level of lead in a human's body (it's a very minute amount) wouldn't be enough to protect them from kryptonite.

Also, I'm not sure where, but I know I've read that Superman's blood is also iron based and is somewhat (only somewhat) similar to a humans. (He is sometimes even called a meta-human.) That being the case, I imagine that ingesting lead could lead to lead poisoning.

Anyway, I don't think the premise works. I do really like the idea that some (other) kind of vitamins could help the fight against kryptonite.

Okay, now just tell the nurse to shut up and quit looking at things from a medical standpoint.

And yes, I'm looking forward to more of your other story.

Thanks, Laura and Clasicalla, for the comments.

Yes, but that is actual Superman canon--I was just going on Lois & Clark-only canon. I'm not familiar enough with the whole Superman fandom (I've only ever seen L&C, Smallville, and the five movies) to add in the rest of the Superman canon.

Nowhere in the L&C canon have I seen humans being affected by Kryptonite exposure. Although it definitely happens (with almost disturbing frequency) in Smallville, which I haven't watched for over a year.

Must be more non-L&C canon. I haven't read that anywhere myself.

As for the premise not really working--I knew that already. *shrug* But I got this idea, and wanted to play, so I ran with it.

Thanks again for the comments! Much appreciated!

Even if the premise didn't work, it was still a good story. I like your stories.

Interesting premise. I had never thought about lead this way in regards to Superman, but I don't find it implausible. I liked it!

One thing I really like about this fandom is the amount of great feedback. There isn't nearly so much either constructive or even just gushing feedback in the BtVS or HP fandoms.

Thanks to all who have commented so far!

Darcy, thanks for the kind words! You've made my morning.

As for this being or not being medically plausible, we're talking about a humanoid who can survive near-absolute zero temperatures and zero atmospheric pressure in space (for a short time), the extreme pressure at the bottom of the sea, the heat of an active volcano, the concussion of a high-explosive air-to-air missle, all without a scratch, so having a lead deficiency that makes him vulnerable to Kryptonite isn't all that far-fetched to me. My first impression is that it would be something that would be a long-term regemine, not a single injection, though, and he might suffer withdrawal symptoms or side effects from the increased lead in his system.

My favorite parts were when Bernie didn't blink when Superman revealed his other identity, but nearly passed out when Superman whizzed around the room and spun into his civilian clothes! That was excellent.

Keep up the great work!

Oh, and now I've got to make sure I've read all your other stufff. You've just expanded my reading list again.

Don't worry, Terry. Other than the five vignettes, this is only the fourth L&C fic I've written.

I've also got the extension of the 4th vignette in the works, and still have yet to start writing a story which is actually the first story I wanted to write, but didn't get through planning before I lost the motivation to write it.

I still want to write it, but I want to get the vignette continuation done first--although that might not be possible at the moment, due to the block I've got on it. *shrug* I'll figure it out eventually.

Great to have your comments, Terry! Thanks again!

What ever anyone else says, I liked this story.

Its always nice to see the interaction between Bernie and Clark/Superman.

Its also good to see stories where Bernie is trying to, and often winning the battle against Kryptonite.

Looking forward to some more.

Regards

SNL

Thanks, SNL!

What an awesome concept!

It is no less plausible than Hydrogen peroxide in Medical Miracles II !!! (Which is another great story!)

James

Darcy, What does HP mean??

Hi Nancy - I'm not Darcy...

(Hi Darcy! I plan to read your story just as soon as I possibly can - RL too busy right now)

But I'm going to take a guess and say that HP stands for Harry Potter...

<DJ slinks away from the thread feeling guilty that she didn't get to leave any fdk yet>

Hi Darcy!

Seeing as how I popped in earlier to answer a question on your thread, and then went on to read everyone else's comments, I just HAD to take time away from writing to read this story.

I love reading about Dr. Klein. He absolutely cracks me up and you wrote him very well. Loved your portrayal of him and his reactions to the revelation.

Quoting Terry here:

Very well put Terry. One of the things I love about writing in this fandom is that it's sci-fi, that means you can stretch concepts and ideas farther than you can normally. It's sci-fi and fantasy and just plain fun.

I loved the story. Very fresh and interesting concept. I had thought about the lead suit thing myself before, but it hadn't ever occured to me to have him take supplements. Very original.

Thanks for sharing!

Oops! Double post (can someone delete?)

Thanks, James, Nancy, and DJ for the comments! And DJ, you're right--HP does stand for Harry Potter.

Those of you who are following it may be happy to note that I've actually got an idea for the next part of my current work-in-progress fic. I just have to get it written/typed. The block is breaking! Yay!