First of all, I just noticed Hasini posted in the middle of my reply-to-review spree, so sorry I haven't replied to that yet.
I woke up this morning and had a fuzzy yet apprehensive recollection that I posted some things on the MBs at two o’clock in the morning. Usually, nothing I have to say at two o’clock in the morning that bodes well for my future, so I decided to check and see what kind of possibly offensive and embarrassing inane ramblings I had indulged myself in. It wasn’t bad actually, I sound quite rational for the most part, but this one hit my squirm-alarm:
You’re absolutely right to disagree, Smirky! Sheesh, I have no idea what I was thinking when I wrote that! If I ever argued like that in a school debate, I’d be laughed off the stage!
The actions of every character are driven by their allotted traits and qualities, and those actions in turn shape the character. You can’t really separate the two, no matter how irrational they are, any more than you can in real life. It’s ridiculous to write off the discrepancies between the established traits of a character and their path of action as being solely the fault of the writer which should not have any bearing on our perception of the character itself.
lol. It's all right. I know a lot of the time I just start musing "outloud" on the keyboard and can end up with a lot of nonsensical, and even contradictory ideas. Still, they are interesting to think about, and they help put some order to the chaos of my mind, even if they make a wreak of a word document or something.
So yes, Lois does have an explanation for her actions. It is their rationality that is under scrutiny. However, the point I was trying to make before my sleep-riddled mind carried me off on a ridiculous tangent, was that in a fictional, fantastic world that operates only on a given value of rationality, can we really measure the events and actions of that world by our own uncomprehending yardstick and come to a definite conclusion about anything? Can we judge the validity of such a fantastically fictional character’s motivations by contrasting them with our ideals in the real world? It’s like a cross cultural divide, of sorts. The culture of the fantastic and inexplicable against the culture of the logical and realistic. With no way of fully comprehending how such a world is supposed to work, how can we either condemn Lois’ character for her blindness or cast it as a reflection of her stupidity? We can only judge the realism of such a plot device and find it wanting.
*reads through the above paragraph and realizes it makes even less sense than before. *
Of course it makes better sense. We can't judge our own realistic world, let alone a fictional one where we can literally make men fly and make dead men walk. If we're going to start getting nit-picky about how illogical the idea of Superman is, I don't think we should be picking on Lois. lol.
I agree with Ann, all right?! *headdesk*
A very safe road to take. Trust me.
Anyway, none of this is applicable to DD. One of the reasons that this story is so completely lovable and unique is that you’ve taken the whole of the Superman mythos as a whole and instead of changing it to suit our tastes, you’ve created a setting that infuses the character’s actions with a degree of heretofore unprecedented believability and understanding. In this story, it’s perfectly understandable why Clark comes across as a bumbling idiot, how Lois could overlook him and love his alter-ego without it casting a negative reflection upon her character. And for the first time, Clark’s deception doesn’t automatically garner a barrage of rotten tomatoes from the audience. We don’t like it, but we do understand it, as we haven’t really done since that plot point was first introduced. I think you should head over to DC Comics and give them a few pointers.
<blushes redder than a very *unrotten* tomato>
Oh, thank you so much Hasini! It's funny how you mention how the readers don't exactly like how Clark keeps his secret, but at least they understand. I'm kind of in the same boat. If you have any issues, talk to the two of them directly.
Honestly, though, I often feel like I can't take the credit (or blame
) for what goes on in this story. All-too-often it just writes itself, or even comes to me when I wake up like a vivid dream (which can be quite terrifying, I'm sure you can imagine).
There is a little bit that at least my subconscious mind has a control in (I think). I've always loved Superman. I've always loved the Chris Reeve movies, and more recently I've been in love with LnC and, in a very interesting combination of love/hate, I've found myself at least very intrigued with the concept of SR. Picking up on fanfiction, I found tons of ideas on top of those that I loved and just couldn't get out of my head, but I couldn't find one that got rid of all the little irksome things that just *bugged* me (such as Clark choosing to be awkward, like you mentioned, how in all the stories his pursuit/hiding from Lois is never explained quite to my satisfaction, and especially in the actual movies--how cold he is, and how he daaares take advantage of Lois like some sort of savage, heartless, immoral male!). So since quite early in this story, I've found it veering this way and that to solve the very issues that have bugged me in the various movies and shows--in some cases, for years. If my fiddling around has made things more logical for you guys and not just myself, then I'm very, very glad indeed.
And here's for the constant "crossing-fingers" that it keeps that way!
I had initially started off with a spiel about how your Superman was as unique to you as Seigel and Schuster’s, Lester’s, Singer’s and Deborah Joy Levine’s was unique to them. But then I thought I’d scare you by sounding too effusive and cut that part out. But since Ann seems to agree with me, I thought I might as well let you know I thought that.
It really doesn't scare me at all. There are so many amazing writers out there, that if I can make even the smallest little unique niche out there for myself, I feel that's enough. Your words are very, very encouraging. Thank you!
Right. Nuff procrastinating! I have a history assignment due tomorrow.
Oh, yeah. Homework. You know, I had a friend who knows about this story (though doesn't read it) mention how I'm writing the equivalent of a 25 page, double-spaced paper every week.
Well, it certainly doesn't *Feel* the same way, that's for sure!
Oh, and I still have math to do? <looks at clock> Oh, well. I'll do it later. Uh, okay. Tomorrow morning. Or, I guess, later today, after I wake up after falling asleep . . . eventually.
Btw, my fic is Woman In The Mirror and the prologue is up. A simple yea or a nay from my favourite writer would make my day. You are the one who gave me the final push, you know!
I gave the final word?
Oh, but I really am so excited to read it--you had a brilliant idea. I'm off to look for it right away. If I can't find it, I'll be demanding a link. Is that fair?
Thank you so much for you double review, Hasini!
SmirkyRaven
