Comments | jij: The House of the Earth Part 2 (5/8): No Sanctuary

jij

The House of the Earth Part 2 (5/8): No Sanctuary

Sep 30, 2008 09:53

Title: Chapter Five: No Sanctuary
Pairing/Characters: Kal-El, Bruce Wayne, Kara Zor-El, Zhon-Mal (J'onn J'onnz)
Notes: " The House of the Earth" is an AU in which a few thousand Kryptonians escaped the destruction of Krypton to flee to Earth and enslave its people.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 3400
Summary: Kal and Bruce go to Metropolis and have a couple of ( Read more... )

fic, the house of the earth

Comments 51

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jij September 30 2008, 07:52:24 UTC

Zhon fills me with glee. Ad saddens, because yes, he speaks truth.

It's a painful truth, and one that I think Bruce might not agree absolutely with, but yes.

Bruce's practicality is pretty tightly-wound at this point, I fear. It's rather an effort of will. But Kara...ah, I do love writing her.

This was a tough chapter because it's mostly scene-setting for the next couple of chapters, so everything ends up just kind of hanging there, with the kind of lack of emotional resolution I just claimed I didn't like in this week's open thread, lol. So it makes me want to gnaw my fingers...

bradygirl_12 September 30 2008, 01:24:41 UTC

Kal's innocence is quickly shedding!

I liked the scene with Syra. It's very true, as Bruce says: she is what the system has made her. Her bitterness at being a breeding mare herself allowed me some sympathy for her as she coldly catalogued Bruce's 'assets'.

Slavery definitely twists the Masters as well as the slaves. It allows cruelty to go unchecked, and yet gentler emotions can come out, too. It's all so twisted and complicated!

Bruce is fooling himself about emotional commitments, of course. He can't help but be passionate, but how he chooses to address that will be interesting in the future.

I liked this echo of Batman Begins:

It's what you do that matters."

I find your hints about the coming party to be fascinating. Kal has to allow certain things to happen to Bruce if it comes to that, or all will be lost.

I enjoyed the scene with J'onn, and the Chocos are a brilliant touch! ;)

Looking forward to more!

jij September 30 2008, 07:55:34 UTC

Her bitterness at being a breeding mare herself allowed me some sympathy for her as she coldly catalogued Bruce's 'assets'.

She really surprised me with that glint of pain there. I was all prepared to hate her whole-heartedly, and then there was just enough to feel badly for her for a moment there.

Bruce is fooling himself about emotional commitments, of course. He can't help but be passionate, but how he chooses to address that will be interesting in the future.

Bruce is always far too passionate to keep it in check forever, especially with so few channels for it. He's trying to keep focus here, but it's not easy right now and I think the strain is starting to show just a bit.

I find your hints about the coming party to be fascinating. Kal has to allow certain things to happen to Bruce if it comes to that, or all will be lost.

Yeah, that's the next chapter, and it was hard to write, lol. I had been looking forward to writing it a lot, and did, but it was tough ( ... )

bradygirl_12 September 30 2008, 17:11:20 UTC

She really surprised me with that glint of pain there. I was all prepared to hate her whole-heartedly, and then there was just enough to feel badly for her for a moment there.

I've certainly found that to be the case while writing! Characters I expected to be totally cruel have glints of humanity in them. I think it's a case of not approving their actions but understanding what drives them to it.

Bruce is always far too passionate to keep it in check forever, especially with so few channels for it. He's trying to keep focus here, but it's not easy right now and I think the strain is starting to show just a bit.

Yep, all this hopping around and exercising and with beautiful Kal right there. LOL! ;)

Yeah, that's the next chapter, and it was hard to write, lol. I had been looking forward to writing it a lot, and did, but it was tough.

Oh, I hear you! There's scenes I write in Rainbow's Freedom that have me cringing but are necessary for the world the boys inhabit ( ... )

jij October 1 2008, 04:17:28 UTC

I think it's a case of not approving their actions but understanding what drives them to it.

I can have a lot of fun writing people who are just plain villanous, but yeah, it does help my writing to find some spark of understanding between them.

And I hear you about the tough scenes--but yeah, they're necessary to show how true happiness is pretty much contingent on getting rid of the system. They'll catch some happiness here and there, but it's always overshadowed by knowing a real relationship isn't possible until that day.

Thread 5

ex_felonazc September 30 2008, 01:31:53 UTC

Awww man... there is so much that I want to say right now, and I just... can't. I think I've started this sentence over at least three times, and still nothing.

Umm, okay first things first. Oh, Kal, you poor idealistic thing, you. When Zhon was explaining just what the reality of his relationship with Bruce was, I was all achey and almost pre-tear buzzing. Poor Kal, he tries so hard, but can never seem to get things right.

Also, the bit where Kal and Syra talked about breeding humans seriously squicked me. *shudders* I mean, it makes a whole lot of sense in context, but I definitely had the exact same visceral reaction as Kal.

He's so out of place on this world. I just want to hug him and squeeze him until he can't breathe. Which would technically be impossible, but whatever. *smooshes Kal and Bruce together*

So basically, WOW. This was amazing! I am seriously looking forward to seeing how this story ends up playing out.

It's just... poor Kal. I can't get over how hopeless he feels. *pets*

jij September 30 2008, 08:00:35 UTC

Oh, Kal, you poor idealistic thing, you. When Zhon was explaining just what the reality of his relationship with Bruce was, I was all achey and almost pre-tear buzzing.

That was such a hard conversation to write, because my head agrees with Zhon but my heart is so with Kal...

Also, the bit where Kal and Syra talked about breeding humans seriously squicked me. *shudders* I mean, it makes a whole lot of sense in context, but I definitely had the exact same visceral reaction as Kal.

I'm glad, strange as that sounds. I did some background reading and documentary-watching for this arc, and that aspect of slavery was...absolutely chilling and heart-wrenching to consider. And in a world where Kryptonians lived two or three times as long as humans, it would be even more likely to happen.

He's so out of place on this world. Fortunately, that's his saving grace as well, and what makes him worthy at any level of what Bruce is coming to feel for him. It makes for a hard paradox at the heart of this story--that as long as Kal realizes that ( ... )

laurapetri September 30 2008, 02:03:19 UTC

Poor Kal and Bruce Zhon is so right and i love tat choco bit

jij September 30 2008, 10:32:06 UTC

J'onn especially needs his Chocos in this world....I couldn't bear to leave him without them. :)

laramoon September 30 2008, 02:10:49 UTC

awwww... man. *sniffles*

and gosh darn it, I want to say intelligent things and make comments that don't sound utterly pathetic and I just can't... all my brain can come up is a pitiful little "noooo!" - the same kind that always comes right at the end of TDK when they start chasing him and you just want to fix things for him because it's just soooooo not fair.

/grabs a Kleenex.

This AU is so, so not a fair place. (I mean, obviously, I knew that, but damn you J'onn for reminding us of it!!)

/grabs another damn Kleenex. (because ya know, I'm pathetic like that)

It's so like the end of TDK where all you really want is for poor Bruce to be happy, yet you know that it's not going to happen - or at least not just yet. At the end of that you wish Clark would show up and, ya know, do something and fix it -- at the end of this chapter, he's there, but even he can't fix everything and that's entirely too sad. I have a bad feeling this isn't going to end very well. :( *pouts*

jij September 30 2008, 10:37:32 UTC

This AU is so, so not a fair place. (I mean, obviously, I knew that, but damn you J'onn for reminding us of it!!)

It...yeah, it really isn't a good place, and certain kinds of relationship are absolutely impossible as things stand. All the more reason to get rid of the system as quickly as possible--and Bruce does have his own thoughts about the relationship, he just...isn't sharing them with me in depth, darn it.

It's so like the end of TDK where all you really want is for poor Bruce to be happy, yet you know that it's not going to happen - or at least not just yet. At the end of that you wish Clark would show up and, ya know, do something and fix it -- at the end of this chapter, he's there, but even he can't fix everything and that's entirely too sad. I have a bad feeling this isn't going to end very well.Well...um...I don't know, it depends on how you define "well." There's a certain level at which only Kal's complete acceptance of the hopelessness of the situation makes it possible for Bruce to love him, strange as that ( ... )

laramoon October 4 2008, 01:03:41 UTC

If Kal were sure his love could overcome the limits of the system, he'd be...less worthy of that love. I'm not exactly sure that makes sense.

That makes a whole lot of sense, actually. :)

They're tough, they'll find a way somehow. I have faith in them, if not in my ability to write it, lol.

:) Love always finds a way, right? (hey, I need something to believe in...)

And as for your ability to write it...don't make me go over there and thwack you! This AU is wonderful and the stories set inside it are all excellent so far. :)