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crack_van2004-02-01 01:02 pm
twigged.livejournal.com) wrote in crack_van2004-02-01 01:02 pm
Entry tags:
Mercy by koi (NC-17)
Fandom: SMALLVILLE
Pairing: Clark/Lex
Author on LJ:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-syndicated.gif)
koimistress
Author Website: Story Teller at Illuminated Text
Why this must be read:
Originally published in June 2002, ‘Mercy’ unquestionably remains the most controversial fic in the fandom’s 2 ½ year history, and is deservedly regarded as among the best of the best.
In it, Lex is abruptly confronted with Clark’s alien “otherness” by his father who has, we see through heartbreaking flashbacks, conditioned his son not to love, nor trust. This Lex shockingly does not welcome Clark’s long-sought-after truths with quick acceptance and a “series of mutually beneficial blowjobs” (tm koi), but instead his razor-sharp scientist’s mind begins to reclassify his once-friend. If Clark’s not human, what is he? To begin with, he is chillingly dehumanized.
But not without a severe cost to Lex. At times you can almost see the smoke pouring out of his ears as he tries to reconcile memories of the boy he had dared to love with the possibility that boy is nothing more than a pleasing construct, engineered to hide his true purpose. There are no easy answers here, for Lex or for the audience.
About eight months after ‘Mercy’ first appeared, Koi archived a second version which she hoped would address elements of the story that some readers struggled with and objected to. Personally, I was opposed, having found the original so compelling, and not wanting to see it dumbed down for broader acceptance. In fact, the new version is not dramatically different from the original and nicely expands on the overall theme. I am linking the revised version, as I know it would be Koi’s preference, but I believe the original is still available at the Level Three archive, and if anyone is interested, comment below, and I will try to provide a link.
Koi discusses reader response to the original, her decision to make changes, and the inspiration for Mercy in her live journal, here and here. It’s a very thought provoking set of posts and good follow-up to reading the story. (post edited on 9/16/04 to add Koi's DVD commentary on 'Mercy' in three parts, beginning here.)
Mercy (152 K)
Pairing: Clark/Lex
Author on LJ:
koimistressAuthor Website: Story Teller at Illuminated Text
Why this must be read:
Originally published in June 2002, ‘Mercy’ unquestionably remains the most controversial fic in the fandom’s 2 ½ year history, and is deservedly regarded as among the best of the best.
In it, Lex is abruptly confronted with Clark’s alien “otherness” by his father who has, we see through heartbreaking flashbacks, conditioned his son not to love, nor trust. This Lex shockingly does not welcome Clark’s long-sought-after truths with quick acceptance and a “series of mutually beneficial blowjobs” (tm koi), but instead his razor-sharp scientist’s mind begins to reclassify his once-friend. If Clark’s not human, what is he? To begin with, he is chillingly dehumanized.
But not without a severe cost to Lex. At times you can almost see the smoke pouring out of his ears as he tries to reconcile memories of the boy he had dared to love with the possibility that boy is nothing more than a pleasing construct, engineered to hide his true purpose. There are no easy answers here, for Lex or for the audience.
About eight months after ‘Mercy’ first appeared, Koi archived a second version which she hoped would address elements of the story that some readers struggled with and objected to. Personally, I was opposed, having found the original so compelling, and not wanting to see it dumbed down for broader acceptance. In fact, the new version is not dramatically different from the original and nicely expands on the overall theme. I am linking the revised version, as I know it would be Koi’s preference, but I believe the original is still available at the Level Three archive, and if anyone is interested, comment below, and I will try to provide a link.
Koi discusses reader response to the original, her decision to make changes, and the inspiration for Mercy in her live journal, here and here. It’s a very thought provoking set of posts and good follow-up to reading the story. (post edited on 9/16/04 to add Koi's DVD commentary on 'Mercy' in three parts, beginning here.)
Mercy (152 K)
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Would you believe it, Mercy is a story I've never read, though of course I've heard of it. It came out a year before I got into SV and sometimes catching up on the classics is something I'm not very good at. I've been more or less into many of the fandoms on crack_van for years, but with most of them, I know I've missed out on a lot of major writing, so rather than using this community to introduce me to new fandoms, I use it to fill in the blanks for me in fandoms I'm already familiar with. It works excellently that way too. As a good little acolyte, I'm putting Mercy on top of my reading list.
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Precisely. 'Mercy' ought to be a must-read for everyone in the fandom, and anyone else we can bully into it. *g*
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xoxoxoxo
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