So, pun is a lovely lady filled with lovely ideas, and one of my all time favorites has been this recurring Feedback Challenge of hers. Because, really, who doesn't love to get a little feedback every now and again? *grins* And more than that, *giving* it is fun, becuase you know you're putting a smile on someone else's face.

And I was lucky enough to get the very talented rosesmove! Which makes this an utter joy, because, I'm telling y'all -- girl writes both Clark *and* Lex with an ease that blows me out of the water, and that I envy, as writing Lex POV for me is like climbing over broken, burning glass.



The first story I'm going to talk about is -- well, it's got to be one of my favorite concepts of all time. http://www.rapturesandroses.com/post%20mortem.html is about ZOMBIES! YES ZOMBIES! *freaks out with joy*

I have a thing about zombies. (BRAAAAAAAAAAAAINS!!!!!) I think they're *hilarious*

And while this story does have quite a number of funny moments (it's about Zombie!Lana, guys -- what's not to love?!?), such as the following:

nd Lana...Lana was now officially a lost cause, a broken body whose mind must have been leveled by terminal meteorite exposure. There was a God.

which made me laugh OUT LOUD for *real* -- it's actually really kind of scary. The begining part of it is just -- whoa, man. Lana's walking through the graveyard and she's attacked by Tina Greer, and I have to tell you, it freaked *me* out. The descriptions of the violence are visceral and *ugh* worthy.

But I think the greatest achievement of this story is the deft touch that Roses has with the characters. I mean, Lana is Lana, and Clark is Clark, and Lex -- oh, he's so very *very* Lex. It's a ridiculous situation, on the surface, but she makes it so much more than that. She makes it a real look at the characters, and Lex -- oh, I love this Lex.

It's a short read, and well worth your time.


The second story, is, of course, the uberfantastic Risen. It's a post-Exodus look into Clark's mind (and, there's mention of ZOMBIES! BRAAAAINS! I like this theme!), and it's really poignant story.

I love Clark. Everyone knows about how much I love Clark. So for me, finding an author who *gets* him, and can write him sympathetically and *honestly* is just an absolute treat. And rosesmoveis just such an author; this is story is so very Clark Kent. She's got a very light touch when it comes to writing, and her stories read with a kind of breezy ease that belie the real depth of ideas in them. There are passages of this story that are just -- I clutched my hand to my heart and said, "Oh, God, *Clark*!"

Like this, for instance:

Nothing he ever did would stop the inevitable. He couldn’t rid himself of the hopeless conviction. He was not a hero. Not a savior. Not a leader. The truth was he was just someone who went around fixing the very thing he himself had broken. Cleaning up the mess he had made. There had been many times he’d felt like nothing more than a glorified janitor.

She plugs right into his wee-Clark brain and picks out his insecurities with such a *sure* hand, and it just *hits* you right where you *live*. Gah. I mean -- the glorified janitor thing, just -- so very, very Clark.

Clark is so very alone, post-Exodus, and this story emphasizes that, playing up his solitude, and then showing how Lex is key to Clark coming out of that -- because, look:

Still, the thought of Lex made him smile. He’d told his father that Lex was a survivor, and damn if he hadn’t proven it on that island beyond any doubt. He’d been betrayed yet again and was still standing strong, fighting back.

Clark knew he got lonely, though, and that in all probability Lex was as full of fears as Clark himself. They were just equally good at hiding them.

Gah. They *are* equally good at hiding them. (I may very well quote this whole story -- I like it that much, for serious.) The parallels drawn here by Clark and Lex are the reason Clex is so seductive to me -- she's completely on the money.



I really enjoyed doing this, and rosesmove, I hope this makes you smile, because you deserve to. You certainly put a smile on my face with these stories.