New Story

[rivkat]

Firefly. Wow. I've never laughed so hard at a torture scene in my life. And none of the characters are rewrites of Buffy/Angel characters, the way that WW characters rewrite those of SN. There's traits, sure, but Wash is more than a little bit Xander, a little bit Oz. If Zoe kicks any more ass, she's going to have to aim at her own backside, 'cause nothing else is left.

Is anyone else watching Taken? I find it interesting and boring by turns. Halfway through, so I guess I'm committed to watching until the end. It's nowhere near the commitment that, say, the last two seasons of XF were.

I have a very strange vertical bruise along my spine at the small of my back. Can't figure out how I got it. My body is as much a stranger to me as anyone else's.

I was reading Derek Lowe's excellent chemistry blog, and the following story came to me, chemistry copied and/or paraphrased from him. I'm not sure it's worth posting elsewhere (nor am I sure it would fit on LexSlash, though it's UST-friendly). Dark Lex. Please comment.

Philadelphia
Summary: There are signposts on the road to darkness. Or, if all men were brothers, would you let one marry your sister?

Edited: go here for the final version of the story.

Comments

eep

[(Anonymous)]

I think it would fit in Lexslash. I think it makes me want to hide under the covers, eeping v. quietly. But, of course, in a good way. I *love* the biblical references, of course.

Canonically . . . I tend to think that Lex would think about co-opting Lucas, taking him over as he took over the plant. But I'm a romantic that way.*g*

Mary Ellen
Doctor eep Science

Re: eep

[rivkat.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I take your point re: coopting, but this Lex is working fundamentally from emotion, however much he thinks he's detached from it. While he might try to get Lucas on his side, I think he'd also have the urge to get rid of Lucas -- truly the prodigal son, evidence that someone else gets the love his father denied him -- and this Lex gave in to that impulse.

[melo-l.livejournal.com]

Sharks, he knew, killed each other in the womb. He was a little behind, but he was willing to work to compensate.

Oh god. What's there to do aside from bowing in awe???

Dark!Lex, the ultimate way to end a nice sunday evening :)

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

Hmm, well seeing as you asked... Excellently written story, made me shiver - and not in a good way.

However, this version of Lex strikes me as a little premature canonwise. I don't think that he's second season Lex, because I don't think that Lex would - yet - indulge in this kind of behaviour. Killing Nixon to defend Jonathon is a very different proposition from not only killing his brother in cold blood, but also the innocent bystanders.

That said, you don't specifically state when the story is set and although Clark is still obviously at High School in Smallville, by his senior year it is possible that Lex will be sufficiently far along on his path to evil to carry out these cold-blooded, pre-planned murders. I must admit that my personal preference is to think of Lex acting like this only post-rift, not pre, but that's not to say that these actions taking place pre-rift are not plausible, because they clearly are. But I think on balance that I would find the story more in keeping of how I see Lex (accepting completely that your Lex isn't necessarily my Lex, of course) if both he and Clark are living in Metropolis when these actions occurred, so that it's Lex at least 4 or 5 years from now.

Doesn't mean that the story doesn't work very well as is, though, because it does IMO. Mind you, I don't like to think of even Future!Evil!Lex! acting like this. Whimper.

[rivkat.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the detailed comments. I see exactly what you're saying. I'm not sure I want to set it in the Metropolis era, but I should make clear that it's not second-season Lex either. This is Lex near the end of his time in Smallville, when he's learned a lot more from Lionel and forgotten most of what Clark was trying to teach him. I do think it's pre-Rift, because in my megalomaniacal cosmology Lex is doing a lot of bad things before Clark finally admits that to himself, triggering the Rift.

[lexcorp-hope.livejournal.com]

I'm with Mandragora there, I think this is brilliantly written- a lot of fantastic details, and beautifully woven research into it, it has a great pace, and great language, and I really, really like it, but I think it would work better if it's not set currently. Lex is not quite this evil yet, I don't think. If there were some hint that this was Clark's senior year, or if he were in college, I think it would work perfectly as future fiction.

[rivkat.livejournal.com]

Thanks. That's helpful -- I'm going to revise a bit before further distribution.

[boniblithe.livejournal.com]

I agree on the beautiful, and the chilling, and also the futurefic. If Clark is at MU - or, if there is some direct threat from Lucas, not to Lex but to Clark or to something else Lex holds as dear. Right now Lucas is a distant, possible threat but I don't see present-Lex taking matters to this extreme, unless he has direct evidence Lionel is plotting to bring the boy out, or something.

Very creepy. I can't wait for the real release!

[rivkat.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Futurefic status is going to be a lot clearer in the final release, I think. Not sure Lex needs a direct, imminent threat though; as he drifts towards evil, he's likely to want to be proactive, even if today's Lex would wait for something more. I'm trying to make that come out in the final version.

[out-there.livejournal.com]

Cree. Pee. Seriously creepy but great fic. The worst part about it is that it fits Lex so well. It is very easy to see Lex turning into this type of man as he grows older.

Some stranger, though, the product of five minutes of Lionel’s undivided attention, the proof that his father had thought so little of his mother – no, it was unacceptable. There would be no prodigal sons to take the birthright of the one who’d been stuck actually growing up with the man, saving his life and suffering his blindness and constant carping.

There's a great combination of cold logic fueled by base emotions. I liked the way that Lex seems so distant, and seems to rationalise so easily, but we can still see the emotions that actually caused Lex to act. The instinct to guard his mother's memory, the jealousy of not being loved by Lionel, the rejection of Lionel's teachings and the rebellion against Lionel or the idea that Lionel might get what he's always wanted (ie the perfect son).

Sharks, he knew, killed each other in the womb. He was a little behind, but he was willing to work to compensate.

I love these lines. I love how he almost hates Lionel, but he still tries to live up to Lionel's expectations. Or maybe, it's a case of he now fights against Lionel so much, that he's given up fighting against becoming Lionel.

[rivkat.livejournal.com]

Thanks much! I'm glad the story worked for you. That mix of logic over rage was exactly what I was going for. Lex has met the enemy, and it's Lex. Poor unknowing Clark, eh?

[raincitygirl.livejournal.com]

Eeeeeppppp! Shiver. BTW, I agree with those who suggest that Lex right now is nowhere near the point he is a\t in the story. Give it a few years.

[rivkat.livejournal.com]

Thanks. If you follow the link to the final version, I hope you'll find that the story makes it clear that the setting is a few years in the future.

[meret.livejournal.com]

This is fantastic! I would have never thought this chracterization would work for me, but you're such a skilled writer that I totally bought it. Wonderful work. Chilling.

[rivkat.livejournal.com]

Thanks a bunch! I hope you read the final version on slashdom.com, because I like it better. In fact, I think I'll edit this entry so everyone has to read that one instead; I've just been lazy.