darkfic: Promises to Keep

[xparrot]

Okay, I take back what I said about Lex in "Promise." This is what's really going on. Major props to jakrar for inspiring us to peer deeper into the mechanism, and to gnine for hashing out more of the details.

This is a fanfic and episode meta in one. I could have written yet another essay, but this was more fun and only took a couple hours to dash off. The characterization might make more sense if you're aware of our current interpretation of Lex.

Smallville: Promises to Keep {2,063 words}
PG-13. Warnings for meteorfreak!Lana and mastermind!Lex. Well, less warnings for the latter, more reassurances. He's been sorely lacking of late in the show proper. Also massive spoilers for "Promise." The dialogue and action are all from the episode's script; the words in between are mine.

( Lex Luthor is used to desperation. )

Comments

[ladydey.livejournal.com]

How much to I want this to be true . Because my Lex is a man who owes his choices - even if it's killing someone, which he does for a better reason then Lana Lang. Besides my Lex is no longer afraid of Lionel and would never be nuts in love with Lana, like every other man who was ever her boyfriend in/on Smallville. I just sincerely doubt that TPTB would ever make Lana a meteor mutant with MustLoveMe powers, because honestly that, would be cool!

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

I'm actually wondering if Lex has figured out Clark isn't an evil invader himself, but just doesn't have faith he can save the world, whatever his powers. Though if he does believe Clark is an invader, it does explain why he has yet to make a serious effort to catch him for 33.1; he doesn't want to risk showing his hand to Clark's fellow aliens.

I honestly intended to write this without Lana having powers, because then it couldn't be as easily jossed by later eps. It works to an extent anyway, if Lex is counting on having Lana under his control to control Clark-the-invader. But I couldn't get out of my head the idea of Lex having drugged himself to face her on the altar...and Lana-as-love-mutant makes so much sense. Like, this is why Lex is always sending her away overseas and such without him, he needs the distance to think clearly...and it also justifies Clark being such an asshat, if he's under the influence so much of the time...

[danceswithgary]

Not only an explanation for Lex's determination to have and keep Lana, but also Clark's inability to let her go.

Now I need happy CLex. *whimper*

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Meteorfreak!Lana pleases me because it absolves both the boys from their worst moments...

I have a little happy!Clex (or pre-Clex, rather) that I'll be putting up soon, plus a Conner-fic with a side order of Clex that is almost finished...(the ironic thing here is that I really, genuinely adore happy endings and cuteness and fluff. I don't save darkfic because it makes me sad to read it. But writing it...I don't know what's wrong with my brain, that it keeps churning it out...I blame Lex for being so smexy when he's angsting. ^^;;;)

[bagheera-san.livejournal.com]

I just now watched "Promise" and because it was a horribly depressing episode if taken at face-value (everyone except Lionel was just pathetic!) I went online find something less depressing. I watched the ep with your interpretation in mind - the only thing that didn't work was when Lex offered LuthorCorp to Lionel, unless you take that as a gamble where Lex was reasonably sure that Lionel wouldn't immediately take the offer - and knowing Lionel he most likely wouldn't. He likes to have leverage far too much.

Of course darkfic doesn't help against show-caused bad mood, but I still prefer this version because it makes *sense* and convinces - on the show Lex has neither seemed happy nor in love this whole season and least of all in this ep.

A sacrifice, unknowing, unaware; but a sacrifice as courageous and noble as any soldier fighting for her people, her nation, her world.
Fantastic. Lex's views and morals in this are so warped that he's scary, even while being tragic. I don't often find Lex scary.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

I was torn between being depressed by "Promise" and being pissed off, because yeah, everyone but Lionel comes out pathetic and miserable and it was just not a fun time. For we the viewers, either. This was definitely therapy. I'm almost grateful SV has so many plotholes, because you can slip something like this in between the cracks and it actually works - it's not that I think it's what the writers are going for (though I really, really wonder if someone on the staff is onboard with mutant!Lana) but...they can't prove it wrong, unless they bring in a telepath or somesuch! (and Lex offering LuthorCorp was totally a gamble; if Lionel had accepted Lex would have worked around it. Might have even been easier, getting out of the spotlight. Or else he's got LexCorp in the wings, waiting for the chance to strike...he's gotta change over sometime...)

Eeee, you thought him scary? Yay! The Lex in my head is pretty tragically frightening, he's got so much potential and drive for greatness that any morality or humanity in him can be drowned, especially when there's no one left in his life to draw it out...(I just wish the Lex in my head showed up on my TV screen more often ^^;)

[lukita.livejournal.com]

I totally re-watched those parts of the episode with this in mind and they suddenly made so much more sense. Except we can't use this theory for every stupid Lex moments so far, Static did not happened.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

gnine is now insisting that "Static" makes perfect sense if you accept meteormutant!Lana - Lex was off his Lana-resisting drugs the whole time he was in the other frequency ^^ (we also justify it by saying that Lex was thinking the guy was possibly listening the whole time, or set it up such that Lana would hear him eventually...)

[yma2.livejournal.com]

Good stuff, beautifully dark and very clever. Fits perfectly as a prequel to the previous work. I like it!

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Hey, it does work as a prequel, doesn't it. Cool! I wasn't really thinking that far ahead...oh, Lex. Poor loveless creature.

[jakrar.livejournal.com]

Just found this, and wow, does it work beautifully in melding your theory and an otherwise-terrible episode! I love Lex having come up with Lana-resisting drugs to protect himself and his ability to think clearly, yet still being slightly affected at the wedding because the effect is heightened along with Lana's emotions. Love Lex playing his father while letting Lionel think he's the one pulling all the strings. Love Lex remembering Clark's blood in "Mortal" and seeing it as a lie. Love him viewing his bride as a heroine, albeit not for the reasons she might think, and seeing Lionel and the crooked doctor as too small to even look up and see the storm clouds overhead (such a great image).

One tiny thing I did notice:

Lines will be crossed, but Lex doesn't have to rush across them. This is a race, no one knows that better than him, the invisible clock counting down above all their heads. But he's nowhere near the finish line and he'll need to save something for the final stretch.

It should be 'no one knows that better than he' (because it's short for 'no one knows that better than he knows that').

Brilliant, brilliant story! *squees wildly*

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

So glad it worked for you! Especially since it is partly your fault I came up with it at all. ^_^ This Lex freaks me a little, but I love him, so wrapped up in the big picture that he's lost all track of people as anything more than pawns...

(the "he/him" issue is one of those tricky grammar points where standard usage is changing, and in the name of progress I'm inclined to side with what sounds natural more than what is grammatically correct...viva la ongoing linguistic revolution!)

[lapetite-kiki.livejournal.com]

Oh! That was great!

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[suzycat.livejournal.com]

LIKE!

And later he and Clark can have hot angry sex.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

ALWAYS. XDDDD

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes, and yes! I don't mind Lex being a villain - not at all - I just mind when he's a pathetic villain. I would totally try writing for SV, except they'd make me write Lana, and then my head would explode...

And yep, I totally agree there's a lot of sublimation going on with Lana, on both the boys' parts. Heh.

[giggleloop.livejournal.com]

very very interesting indeed, and well done! loved it. :)

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[nolajax.livejournal.com]

I am in love w/ this take on the story.

I ♥ your brain so much.

I followed a link from somewhere and ended up @ this story. Friending you for future brilliance. *g*

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Eee, glad you liked it! (my brain worries me myself, but... XD) and welcome to the flist! It's pretty much all Lex, all the time around here, nowadays...

[elandrialore.livejournal.com]

I am so very glad you wrote this. It makes absolutely everything better. And though I wouldn't mind a continuation this is perfect just as it is:)

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank you! That's the best compliment This was totally therapy for me, glad to know it helped someone else, too XD
(While I wasn't really intending it, it was pointed out that "As Moths" works quite well as a sequel...)

[withafireinside.livejournal.com]

Awesome way to make Lex a very suave, very not-pathetic villain. I loved your last story too. It's an interesting idea.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Yes, I love villain!Lex - as long as he's a cool villain!

[the-rejection.livejournal.com]

Oh, yay! Meteor!freak Lana always makes me so happy, and since they turned Chloe freak Lana might as well be too...

As much as I like Smallville, I agree that all the season 6 episodes make me miserable. Martha has gone all flippy, Chloe is masochistic, Clark is pathetic, Lana is (as always) a tragedy in motion, and Lex... oh, Lex. I think it's why I keep on having little Lois-gasms (as I'm calling them) when she's in an ep; even when she gets walked on by men, she's still kicks ass. I love her and her little bubble of non-patheticness.

Somewhere, comic-book!Lex Luthor is plotting the demise of all sv writers.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

OMG YES!!! LOIS!! YAY!!! (um, sorry, I just thought I was the only SV fan in the world who actually likes Lois. These days she's my favorite character after Lex and (maybe) Clark. I have this terrible idea for a rewrite of 5th season wherein Lois sees the ship instead of Lana, and starts hanging out with Lex investigating it. Only then villain!Lex would never happen because Lois wouldn't give him time to be evil since she'd always be dragging him out for pizza, and finally would lock him & Clark in a room together until they worked out their differences.)

Totally agree that SV writers should be watching out for the real Lex Luthor. He's totally gonna pwn them for character assasination.

[complicat]

This is genius. It makes everything so much better!

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm glad to be of ep-therapy service XD

[jakrar.livejournal.com]

Any chance you might post this to the SSA? You could look at it as a public service: all the poor fans horrified by "Promise" need a reason to go on!

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

The trouble is that I don't see how I can justify this story as slash. I mean, in my head Clark is still at Lex's center, but it's not in the story at all ^^;;;

[herohunter.livejournal.com]

Brilliance. You've capture the essence of the real Lex, the man who is to be feared as well as admired, while the little people despise and underestimate him. elandrialore recced this on her LJ and I hope you don't mind it if I do the same on mine. It needs to be read.
Thanks.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Thank you! This is the Lex I want to see, and it amuses me to try to see him anyway, even if they're not obviously giving him to us...

I'd be honored to be rec'ed! (er, could I be friended, by any chance, to read it?)

[rivkat.livejournal.com]

This is how I'd like Lex to be. And it's exactly what I think Lana's power is. Together, they work perfectly -- though I doubt anyone but Lex would be very happy with the results.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

No, no one but Lex (and all of us villain-lovers), especially not if Lana ends up like she does in the sequel story... ^^;

(eeee so glad you like! *blushes crazily* I consider you the queen of dark-fic, your dark Clex freaks the fuck outa me. Lex's final line in "Complicity" haunts me. Awesome stuff.)

[mskatej.livejournal.com]

This is utterly brilliant. I was miserable after Promise and you fixed it beautifully. Thank you!

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Hee, so glad to provide Promise-therapy. I think we all needed it...*We can get through this together!*

[bakarti.livejournal.com]

Now, that's the Lex Luthor I want to see! Wonderfully done.

Lana's meteor abilities make perfect sense, and I love how Lex is the only one to have recognized her for what she is.

Lovely, lovely fic.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

I don't know who came up with the idea of love-mutant!Lana, but it works so very well...patches up the show quite nicely, it does! If only the writers were cool enough to use it...

[ladydreamer.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for saving Lex from the writers. Thank Zod for all the plotholes. This works wonderfully :D

He needs the old spider's skills for now, and the easiest way to control his father is to let his father believe he's in control.

Haha. Yes. I always figured that's why Lex hired him and keeps him around. Give Lionel something to do so he won't make a mess of bigger things. That's what always seemed to be the difference between Lex and his father, even if he didn't know it at the same time. Lionel thinks very concrete, in the now, in money and power and control. Lex thinks years ahead, about the world, about connections other people can't see yet. He always has a contingency plan. Lionel is a monster, but he's really NOTHING compared to what his son could be.

And I love how Lex thinks of him as an old spider. Anansi references? But then Lex is the younger, trickier Anansi boy.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Heh, yeah, it's almost a good thing SV's writing is so...erratic, as it allows room for all kinds of meta-ing about!

Yes, Lionel is powerful on a limited scale; he's lacking vision, or Lex's drive for greatness. All he knows is his own desires, while Lex can sacrifice himself to something larger than self. (...at least that's what I want Lex to be. Stupid Lana, getting him off-track...)

The "old spider" was actually just how I was thinking of Lionel for the whole ep, sitting in his web pulling strings and watching the flies at the end twitch. But yes, Anansi works well! I always appreciate mythology refs (even if they were unintentional ^^;)

[attaccabottoni.livejournal.com]

OH GOD. I've never felt so bloodthirsty and nauseous at the same time. And despite feeling bad for Lex for what he has to do, I still think that this fic is so awesomely cool.

It's a victory that tastes of ashes; it's a pain so sharply piercing it's ecstasy.
BEST READING OF THAT SCENE EVER. It's so satisfying how a thoroughly confusing (for me at least, unspoiled and Lana-sick and all) episode makes much sense now. :D

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Glad you liked it! Yeah, we were pretty content to find an 'explanation,' as it were, the ep itself was frustrating if accepted "as is"...

[brandil.livejournal.com]

::sighs::

If only.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

We all do wish!

[voldything.livejournal.com]

Utterly brilliant ♥

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

*blushes* thanks!

[aerynvala.livejournal.com]

Lana as a meteor freak is the only logical explanation for everyone's obsession with her. Nothing else makes sense.

And this? Made Promise so very much more palatable. I can forgive Clark, Chloe, Martha, etc for being assholes if they've all been under the influence of the PrettyPrettyPrincess!MutantLana :)

And Lex being smart enough to a) figure it out, b) inoculate himself and c) plan on using her abilities to save humanity - makes me very happy.

I got this weird feeling in my stomach while reading this. Dread, I think. You sucked me right in and made me feel Lex's fears and that totally rocks.