Oooh...I just finished "Gladly Beyond." I read it forward and backward! It's so good!
I really liked how the dynamic between the boys subtly changed as time went on; they weren't static. The last scene reminded me so much of the two during "Somewhere," while the first showed them as being older and maybe wiser, a Clark and Lex I still recognized and yet they were no longer the same people. I really liked how you showed the progression in both their characters and in the relationship.
I also really loved how you paralleled the Clark/Lex relationship with the Pete/Lana one. I thought it was very ironic that Pete ran for the House by pimping his morality, on how "not everyone in Kansas was a bunch of queers," while in reality, he and Lana were cheating on each other and "the pair of queers" were actually the ones with the healthy and devoted relationship.
And finally...the fight scene. Oh, good God. I loved this scene for a variety of reasons.
First, because it totally freaked me out--Lex almost HIT CLARK!!! I was glad the Clark almost walked out because of it; he didn't bullshit himself about any of it. I also loved how Lex immediately and completely owned up that he was in the wrong; he didn't try to misplace blame. I also love that he stopped immediately after lashing out. Otherwise, I would have been afraid that Lex could do that sort of thing again, develop a habit of hitting when angry, especially since that's what he'd been used to back when Clark was Superman. Kind of like men who are wife-beaters, who always apologize but keep on doing it. But the way you pulled this off made me believe that Lex deserved a second chance, that he really wouldn't do it again.
I also loved this scene because it was like rewriting history. In the sense that it was exactly that type of situation that made Clark and Lex "rift" in the first place. The first time, before "Somewhere," Lex didn't compromise and continued with his faux innocence and Clark became his enemy, both by stopping him directly as Superman and by writing about it as a journalist. This time, though, they settled it without all of that happening. I really loved how Clark kept asking Lex what was more important than them, how he could do such a thing, and how Lex had finally realized that nothing, not his business, not his ambitions, not his pride, was worth going through the Rift again. I loved how they settled it, a compromise on both their parts. Maybe not the most moral way to go about things, what with Clark rewriting his story, but then that entire black and white view was one factor that helped to cause the Rift in the first place. So, while not the "moral" way, the compromise between them was definitely the best way, and I loved that you showed that.
So...is there a sequel to "Gladly?" Lex is President now, it seems like it's just begging for an adventure story! :)
In any case, I loved both "Somewhere" and "Gladly!"
Whoo!
I really liked how the dynamic between the boys subtly changed as time went on; they weren't static. The last scene reminded me so much of the two during "Somewhere," while the first showed them as being older and maybe wiser, a Clark and Lex I still recognized and yet they were no longer the same people. I really liked how you showed the progression in both their characters and in the relationship.
I also really loved how you paralleled the Clark/Lex relationship with the Pete/Lana one. I thought it was very ironic that Pete ran for the House by pimping his morality, on how "not everyone in Kansas was a bunch of queers," while in reality, he and Lana were cheating on each other and "the pair of queers" were actually the ones with the healthy and devoted relationship.
And finally...the fight scene. Oh, good God. I loved this scene for a variety of reasons.
First, because it totally freaked me out--Lex almost HIT CLARK!!! I was glad the Clark almost walked out because of it; he didn't bullshit himself about any of it. I also loved how Lex immediately and completely owned up that he was in the wrong; he didn't try to misplace blame. I also love that he stopped immediately after lashing out. Otherwise, I would have been afraid that Lex could do that sort of thing again, develop a habit of hitting when angry, especially since that's what he'd been used to back when Clark was Superman. Kind of like men who are wife-beaters, who always apologize but keep on doing it. But the way you pulled this off made me believe that Lex deserved a second chance, that he really wouldn't do it again.
I also loved this scene because it was like rewriting history. In the sense that it was exactly that type of situation that made Clark and Lex "rift" in the first place. The first time, before "Somewhere," Lex didn't compromise and continued with his faux innocence and Clark became his enemy, both by stopping him directly as Superman and by writing about it as a journalist. This time, though, they settled it without all of that happening. I really loved how Clark kept asking Lex what was more important than them, how he could do such a thing, and how Lex had finally realized that nothing, not his business, not his ambitions, not his pride, was worth going through the Rift again. I loved how they settled it, a compromise on both their parts. Maybe not the most moral way to go about things, what with Clark rewriting his story, but then that entire black and white view was one factor that helped to cause the Rift in the first place. So, while not the "moral" way, the compromise between them was definitely the best way, and I loved that you showed that.
So...is there a sequel to "Gladly?" Lex is President now, it seems like it's just begging for an adventure story! :)
In any case, I loved both "Somewhere" and "Gladly!"