elizabeth How nice to hear from you! Thanks for reading and commenting. Wow! The whole thing in a couple of days!
Welcome - a little belatedly. It's good to have someone else from this part of the world on the boards.
Jaz Thanks, Jaz. It's always exciting to find out others have been reading.
Kathy I'm so glad the issue with Ching was resolved satisfactorily for you. More about that when I reply to Bob.
Thanks for all your FDK.
SJH Will Lois have an Earth wedding?
No, both Lois and Kal are adamant that their wedding on NK was real. To have another wedding would lessen the importance of the first one.
Thanks.
Michael More about time differences later in the fic.
So, now there are four parts left. One for the journey, landing on a cornfield. One for meeting his foster parents again. One for settling in. And the last one for Clark learning about the yellow sun.
Well, when you put it like that
Now I think I'll need 42 parts!!
Beth Another new reader!
Iolanthe - I hope it is OK that I quote your email. You gave me such a great answer, it was easier to quote you than try to explain it myself.
I'm not really sure that he deserves more retribution, though - being the Supreme Ruler of NK in a time of change (and I'm sure that Za will ensure that changes *are* made) might be retribution enough. He'll be the one that will have to juggle the political footballs and keep the delicate balance between North and South for many years more, until the NKer's get over that silly thing and decide that they're all Kryptonians.
Now Ching is the one who has to deal with the stultifying formality due to the Supreme Ruler; the constant wants/requests/whining of his people; the intransigent Cabinet; being the SR on a planet where there basically is no tradition to guide him in holding the SRship; and being on a hardscrabble planet where everyday life is a struggle. For example, maybe the drills have found water and bought some time, but it's only a stopgap. Ching had better come up with a new water plan pretty soon. No luxuries on New Krypton, no!
Nor was the kind of ruler who would see the SRship in terms of what he could get out of it. Ching is the type who will see the SRship as duty and responsibility to his people. He's going to have to work hard and (as usual for good leaders) get little reward.
So, I don't see Ching as 'winning'. Kal and Lois have improved things on NK, but it still won't be easy. And Ching has learnt from Kal that true leadership is a lot more about service than privilege.
So maybe the lessons for the kids could be that people make mistakes, but just as important is how they turn from those mistakes and try to make amends.
But
if (and it's a big if at this stage) I write a sequel one day, I think there would have to be something in it about Ching having found being the SR to be tough going.
Thanks for your thoughts, Bob.
Sarah You think?
Laura Thanks for saying you liked the closure. I felt we had to give them one final scene - and show that Ching had realised he had made mistakes.
Thanks,
Corrina.