Fic: Claim #154

[superbatsanta]

Title: A World Without Superman
Author: sasha_anu
Claim No.: 154
Prompt: Movieverse - Set during Clark's five year absence, Bruce deals with the absence. The "how" is up to the writer.
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 973
Note: Beta by arch_schatten.

:-:

Comments

[tmelange]

Man, this really got me. It read to me like Bruce is mourning someone who is dead, and, I guess, in a way, Clark is. This part really got me:

Of course, cutting off his trips completely only serves to bring home the fact that time is slowly eroding his memories of Clark, making it harder for him to recall what his voice sounds like or remember what he looks like without the aid of a photograph or a video. And that realization is something that manages to break him in a way that Clark’s desertion did not, because he did not understand just how much Clark truly meant to him until just now.I feel it's just so sad that Clark would leave without saying goodbye. So sad...::sigh:: I thought you did an excellent job expressing distance with the narrative, with the present tense. It made it seem...sadder somehow, as if Bruce had this wall around himself and the only one he let in was Clark--and then Clark left him too. I guess, that's what the entire story is about. LOL

[jij]

Oh, this was sad and complicated and awfully good. It's a great extrapolation of what would have happened in this situation (although I agree with T that not movie Luthor dear god no no no...)

The only connection Luthor can’t seem to make is why the hero would choose someone with Wayne’s playboy reputation, a question Bruce often asks himself since Clark left.

Argh, this is such a bleak, desolate line, and shows how much Bruce has lost along with Clark. It breaks my heart.

I'd love to see the continuation of this, although it stands very well on its own...

[jij]

Oh! I hadn't realized we can respond to these comments now! Eep! (Maybe I shouldn't have written three stories...)

See, I didn't even see Spacey for a second there, I saw Gene Hackman...

Oh Lord, no! My eyes! My brain!

But I loved this story once I got past that little stumbling block...

[captain_emily]

I agree with pervyficgirl on this one--the first line, though understated, perfectly sets the tone of the rest of the story. Only someone as emotionally crippled as Bruce could make such a mistake. And we know that since the Bat never does anything by halves, what could have been a simple mistake becomes monumental. Why Luthor? (Why not Lois?) Surely Bruce, being a genius and all, knows that nothing good can come from such a relationship. Not to mention the fact that eventually, Lex is going to do something really evil and threaten many lives, and this will put him at odds with Batman. *sigh* Bruce really is quite the freak, isn't he?

The images of Batman intensely studying Superman are very powerful. It's sad to see him holding on so tightly to a ghost.

I enjoyed reading this, and I really hope you decide to continue. I'd love to see how you plan to handle the resolution of Bruce's relationships with both Clark and Lex, Bruce's feelings of abandonment, and Clark's sense of betrayal.

[arch_schatten]

Lex is a complicated man with many facets to his personality. He is never completely what he seems to be and yet, sometimes he is exactly so, which is a paradox unto itself. Bruce finds watching Lex a highly educational experience, because the man is as fascinating as he is hard to understand.

My Brex heart rejoices with this lines. Because *educational experience* is such an understatement, really, Bruce and Lex are such complicated individuals. They can only learn from each other.. probably nothing but bad things, but man! educational!

And Bruce's feelings of worthlessness, that he didn't deserve Clark.. urg. It kills me. My poor boy, abadoned! again! everyone he loves goes away! I know he doesn't love Lex, and I adore the idea that their obsession with Superman ties them together. Yes, my S/B heart is content, and darn, my Brex heart is dancing. You know this already, but I loved this muchly :)

[etain_anders]

My overwhelming feeling here is, "Clark you jerk!" I really hope he had a good reason for not saying goodbye.

Bruce turning stalker is indeed true to form--throughout the whole fic he seems very in character. Starting up a relationship with Lex--yikes. He does like living dangerously.

The last lines-- Even though time and distance have done their part to heal Bruce’s broken heart, Lex’s trust in him is still a fragile thing. It is something that is easily broken by Superman’s return. --are very ominous, as well as sad. The whole thing is lovely and heartbreaking.