me handshake lois: even calvin (derogatory) knew that much

this chapter is so so gorgeous. i love the vulnerability of clark revealing both what he has to do and his name. it's so painful and good. 10/10.

Elegant, sophisticated, raw, emotional and pithy. Awesome. This is just awesome.

i'm sure you no longer check whichever email you used to sign up for this site, but if you happen to see this– i first found this in i think 2010? and it's made such an indelible mark in my my brain that i continue to come back and reread it every few years. your prose is remarkable, your characters are powerful and real and i hurt desperately for them; your world is realistic and eerie and frightening. i appreciate how youve integrated philosophy and religion, and the character's distinct viewpoints on all of them. i hope wherever you are you're doing well.

I've read this story several times, and every time it's amazing! From Lois reining herself in when she sees how disappointed Superman is in the journalists taking pictures of the victims, to the way she reins in Superman when he starts abusing his influence over the justice system - and the way that journalism is affected by the shatterfalls - and the way that, in the sixth chapter, Lois talks with Superman about her willingness to start a super-powered family together - it's wonderful.

oh my. you are the author of one of my favorite fics of all time. maybe 2009? but I lost this fic and remembered so many details. I'm delighted to have found it again!

its been over a decade since i read this story, and man, i still think about these two superman stories you wrote with surprising regularity. I saved my own writing, since I'm not sure how long this website will remain. This is almost definitely the last review I'll write here. No pressure to update. Nothing like that. I just want to say thank you. These fics are something special.

This was another amazing Superman story, you write it amazingly well and do an amazing job showing Kal here in this much darker world still holding out as much hope as he possibly can.

This is one of the best fiction I've ever come across. I love your characters, their depths, their struggles. Thank you for your writing.

Great fic!

I know this is a dozen years too late, but I hope you can forgive me, because I was still struggling my way through picture books when this was written.

You are amazing, and I don't care if I'm shouting into the void here. Your writing is smart, atmospheric, emotional, all those English class descriptors I wish I actually knew how to apply. It made me actually think, like, Deep thoughts about deeper meanings. I wanted to understand what you were getting at. Is the setting related to how the US reacted to 9/11 in the intervening years, both culturally and in the government? You were talking about the power of journalism, and I was thinking about real life examples and how it applies in today's climate. Like, you did that! Your writing inspired me to think something more than 'haha neato'! Like a burst of lightning, I remembered why fiction was important.

I love how genuinely creative this is, how much love, effort, and skill you put into telling your story. Lois is an amazing protagonist, and I feel privileged to have spent the past several hours sharing my headspace with her.

It's three AM and I think my last dregs of coherency are leaving me, but oh fudge I didn't even touch on how much I love your interpretation of superman, or how at points I had to get up and take a moment to process when a line was just that good.

Thank you for writing this. You're amazing.
I love you, bye.

Ahh... been reading through Shatterfall and Getting Eaten Alive like they're old friends. Feels so good!

Just wanted to let you know if you do ever decide to return to the Superman fic verse I will definitely be following!

Thanks for another great read :-)

Wow. The depth in all these chapters is unreal. I really wish there was more to read...
Maybe there will be an update someday. In either case, I will still hope and be glad that I read this at all.

Hello! I know this story is over a decade old, and it's a long-shot that you're even still on anymore. I wanted to tell you that this story and your other story, "Getting Eaten Alive," are the BEST Superman stories I have ever read. I absolutely love the way you gave the characters and plot line a new twist. This story is particularly intriguing. I know it's extremely unlikely, but I would love it if you would finish this story. I really want to know what happens when Kal and Lois try to start a family. It's such a unique story idea. I really want to see it resolved.

Anyway, I know it's unlikely that you'll ever even seen this message, let alone finish the story, but I wanted to let you know that I think it's fantastic.

I'm treating myself to a trip through old favorites. I really love the narrative in this one. The cadence of Lois's thought pattern is beautiful, despite the dark world it occurs within. And seeing a Superman that has sacrificed every moment of a normal life - it's noble but heartbreaking. You can't hope but grab at the straws of light their friendship introduces. And the ending is perfectly balanced between the realities of what they face with the glimmer of hope that, together, they can make a real difference Joining these two won't just mean more superheroes to listen for shatterfalls, but also a team that will fight against whatever is directing them in the first place.

Oh my God!
I just found your story & I so hope you are coming back to it, because it is GREAT!
Yes this could work as a stopping point, but please don't stop!