14 KiB
[RT] The Metropolitan Man Chapter 11: Actions and Consequences
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Author: u/alexanderwales Time flies like an arrow*
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URL: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10360716/11/The-Metropolitan-Man
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Score: 37
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Created: 2014-07-10T03:54:37
Post:
Comments:
u/deevgrape [+13] (an hour later)
Yay! I was sad for a moment when there was no chapter on Sunday, and then the chapter came out and now I'm happy. Good work.
I found Lois Lane's response to discovering that spoiler pretty chilling, and her character all story has struck me as cynical but realistic. Having Lois on Lex's side will make things that much harder for Superman.
I'm excited for the finale, in particular because the dramatic tension makes any degree of resolution seem possible, ranging from Superman / Lex / Lois dying or getting exiled, to the complete destruction of humanity. I could even see Superman getting "redeemed", in however many ways that could play out.
waves #1 fan flag
u/Coadie [+9] (2 hours later)
If I didn't know that the next chapter is going to be the finale, I would have expected this story to be a lot longer. I'm curious to see how this will be resolved in one chapter.
u/alexanderwales [+3] Time flies like an arrow (3 hours later)
Out of curiosity, what's the general opinion on what needs to happen in the final chapter for it to reach a satisfying resolution?
u/makemeunsee [+12] Mock turtle (18 hours later)
Superman dies, victim of a clever plot from Lex where a still unaware Lois has a critical role. That's the expected part to say the least.
But the realisation of the plan makes Lois understand Lex is not the good guy in the story, nor is she. She gets to appreciate what a great gift for mankind could Superman have been if only mankind had been ready, if people like her and Lex had done more to help it mature than taking advantage of its flaws (sensalionist and crime lord are not exactly jobs improving the world).
Then mankind keeps on being stupid and starts world war 2.
u/clawclawbite [+9] (12 hours later)
I think, emotionally, Lois needs to discover that Clark Kent is/was really not all that much of a lie. He really is a guy younger than her, raised on a farm, who's mother was just killed.
u/Darth_Hobbes [+7] Ankh-Morpork Guild of Assassins (18 hours later)
Lex has to give Superman a "The reason you suck" speech. He's been hiding in the shadows the whole fic, and him directly confronting Superman would be utterly amazing.
u/TimTravel [+2] (9 days later)
+1. Word fights are the best.
u/eaglejarl [+6] (19 hours later)
My concern is that I don't see how the story can end without seeming either rushed or cheap.
I can only think of two endings that would really make sense: Lex kills Superman, or Superman gets sick of us and flies off into space.
Option 2 is unsatisfying and seems out of character. Superman is pretty well defined by his desire to be human and his (few) connections to humanity. I don't see him discarding those.
Option 1 is the more obvious one, but it feels either rushed or cheap. Superman has senses out the wazoo and moves so fast that light stands still. The Kryptonite would have to shut him down instantly (which it typically doesn't), or he could run out of range and then fry his attacker with a look. And if it were an instant-win button, then the entire story would boil down to "Superman is invincible! Oh no, oh no, oh no...oh wait. Ok, fixed it."
On the other hand, you've done a great job so far, so I'm sure you'll come up with something interesting.
u/philip1201 [+3] (a day later)
and moves so fast that light stands still.
I interpreted the darkness as time going so slow that the light/"x-ray" flux dropped below his limits to perceive. Not a violation of general relativity.
u/eaglejarl [+2] (2 days later)
Yeah, my bad. I wrote that poorly. I didn't literally mean that photons stopped moving. In my mind, he was thinking so quickly that his thoughts were happening between the impacts of photons on his retinas. So, pretty much what you said.
u/Coadie [+4] (4 hours later)
I'm not sure, I'm enjoying being immersed in the world so far, and reading about the behind the scene machinations. Perhaps it's more a feeling of not wanting the immersion to end, rather than wondering how it will all be resolved.
And as /u/EndlessStrategy says, any opinions from us might ruin the suspense!
u/iliketokilldeer [+3] (9 hours later)
Lois proposes to Clark with a krytonite ring in a lead box. Lex performs a citizens arrest on a weakened Superman. Superman tell Lex where Floyd is buried, Lex goes there and puts Superman in the hole with the kryptonite and buries him. Perry and Mercy get married.
u/SaintPeter74 [+4] (14 hours later)
An interesting feature of the story has been how we have not been in Superman's head except for what he has shared with Lois. I think it might be interesting to see how he thinks . . . if that's even possible from the way this story is told.
Frankly, I could see the story going pretty much any way and still being satisfied with it. It's not the destination, it's been the journey. As others have expressed, the world has been very engrossing. I'm a little disappointed that it will finish so "soon", but that's just my normal reaction to reaching the end of any good book.
u/Pluvialis [+3] Second Age Sauron (12 hours later)
Um, my whole life I've just consumed literature uncritically so I'm not sure I'm qualified to tell you how it should end. For me, the joy is in seeing how someone else thinks it should end, someone who writes well.
Superman could be defeated, killed, imprisoned, put into stasis, brought down a few pegs, neutralised completely, replicated, converted, sent packing, caused to abandon us, used to defeat an unexpected existential crisis, joined by more kryptonians, any of those or other things that I haven't thought of and I'm sure I'd enjoy it if it was written well.
Is that weird? Am I literarily challenged if I would be satisfied by such a broad list of endings this late in the fic?
u/Timewinders [+4] (13 hours later)
I'm not sure about the rest of it, but I want someone to explain to Superman why he needs to be neutralized. It may not be practical in real life of course, and rational fic is all about practicality, but it doesn't feel fair to punish someone without explaining why they're being punished.
u/EndlessStrategy [+2] (3 hours later)
Hm...I know how I want it to end, but I'd hate to dampen the suspense by saying how.
u/super__nova [+2] Working on taking over the world like Elon Musk (17 hours later)
I'm not sure, but I like lex's character soo much I'd read a spinoff fic with him
u/Nepene [+1] (19 hours later)
A big confrontation between Lex and Superman. Just as a lot of the fun of HPMOR is Voldemort interacting with Harry, your story would be a lot more fun with those two interacting.
A tie up of several storylines- Lex murdering Superman's mom, Superman's change in morality, Lois' hate for Superman, the government's response to superman.
People not behaving stupidly. It's very obvious to us as readers that Lois Lane trying to kill Superman would be a very bad idea, and that Lex's actions have been far too aggressive towards superman- not taking care of the boss criminal, killing his mother, the bombings. The world getting notably worse because the supposedly intelligent people made no effort to avoid emotionally attacking the alien god would be bad.
u/makemeunsee [+8] Mock turtle (6 hours later)
Nice piece of writing!
I cant help but find Lois more and more hypocrite and just unlikable. I'm starting to think she (her character) is just here tospoiler . What's the general opinion on her?
u/iamzeph [+6] (12 hours later)
She failed to understand that spoiler.
u/Lethalmud [+8] (8 hours later)
I think she is very reasonable. Reacting with fear to a being literally taking her life in his hands for a thrill ride seems a more natural response than becoming an infatuated little girl, at least for an intelligent woman. I don't really agree with how she blames him for not saving the world 24/7, because if superman started as an evil warlord than everybody would be pretty ok with that person deciding to be a normal guy for a while instead. But in the end it would be a lot stranger for me that a mentally healthy woman would expect to have a serious, balanced relationship with someone who is, for all intents and purposes, a god.
u/makemeunsee [+3] Mock turtle (11 hours later)
I agree with you and /u/Yxoque, blaming Superman seems wrong, but her fear is reasonable. And her actions are consistent with her persona and the context.
But I'm more questioning her role, her existence as a character. She's clever, but not as much as Lex, nor powerful, resourceful enough to match either of the protagonists. She's manipulated by Lex, and the object of infatuation of Superman. As far as we can see now, there's no way she's gonna be anything by 'herself', she's trapped in a weak condition and was trapped from the very beginning.
I cant decide if that means her character is only a device, not actually a person, but a way to help make a story for rational!lex and human!superman, or her character is meant to give us a taste of what it would be like to be caught in the clash of two superpowers.
u/logrusmage [+6] (12 hours later)
I think she's supposed to be a relatively normal, clever person caught between a god and a genius. Honestly she's been my favorite part of the story, and I'm a massive Lex fanboy.
u/makemeunsee [+1] Mock turtle (19 hours later)
I cant agree to call her "clever" when her most recent actions will cause deep emotional damage to an already emotionaly unstable god. In her current situation, she can expect only two outcomes of her actions: either Superman will learn the truth at some point and experience the heady feeling of betrayal at her hand, or she's gonna have to hide the truth forever. Whichever is most likely...
u/ignirtoq [+2] (a day later)
I'm not entirely sure why she has to have a purpose as a character in the story. As a rational fanfic, I see a merit in being handed a cast and simply explaining a rational progression given a set of physical laws governing the hero's powers and a choice of psychological profile for each cast member.
In that perspective, Lois doesn't have any more "purpose" as a character in a story than I do. She is a person that exists and was singled out in the original work, so it makes sense to include her in the rational fic regardless of her literary role.
u/None [+6] (9 hours later)
I can understand most of her actions and thoughts. Fear of Superman is, in my opinion, a pretty reasonable result. But blaming Superman for not saving the world non-stop is pretty wrong. It's not like she is constantly doing everything she can to make the world a better place. She still has social encounters and fun things in her life. Sure, Superman doesn't strictly need food or sleep, but it makes him feel more comfortable. I can imagine that being Clark Kent is part of what keeps him sorta sane.
I don't think that actions like this (spoilers for the webcomic Strong Female Character) can be expected just because a character has superpowers. We tend to believe that humans (and by extension, sapients) deserve to feel comfortable.
u/Timewinders [+2] (13 hours later)
I don't blame Superman for taking time for himself, but he could have been using his time as Superman much more efficiently.
u/None [+2] (16 hours later)
Fair point. Although this Superman hasn't shown himself to be terribly creative.
u/paulovsk [+2] (17 hours later)
I feel exactly the same
u/Coadie [+2] (an hour later)
she was smarterthan that
smarter than
"It looks like me may have to cancel the book," Lex as Lois walked in
said Lex
u/alexanderwales [+1] Time flies like an arrow (2 hours later)
Fixed now, thanks.
u/mochacho [+2] (2 hours later)
I assume he covered Superman's trials, not trails?
EDIT: Also, as current as possible as atomic research.
u/alexanderwales [+1] Time flies like an arrow (2 hours later)
Thanks, should be fixed now.
u/logrusmage [+2] (2 hours later)
Great stuff, as usual. Can't wait for the finale!
u/TimTravel [+2] (9 days later)
All caught up. Good luck writing the last chapter! Looking forward to it.
u/Pluvialis [+1] Second Age Sauron (12 hours later)
when Superman can [came] down through the hole
remind herself to breath [breathe]
u/alexanderwales [+1] Time flies like an arrow (12 hours later)
Thanks, fixed!
u/RMcD94 [+1] (2 days later)
"People had been dying, and he'd been filing his fucking taxes."
People had been dying, and she was writing a news report.
Also lots of her thoughts raise questions in my mind in the ramifications of society if there were no privacy beyond thoughts, everyone could see through walls and hear anything. Certainly no crimes beyond crimes of passion, but everything else is quite interesting.