#agreys ramblings

[agreysexualromantic]

One of the things I love about Clark and Lois' relationship is how very *mutual* it is.

So often in relationships in media we get couples that are PASSIONATE but on a day to day level it feels like they barely knew each other or barely like each other (Ross & Rachel, I'm looking at you). Or, we'd see one partner who was UTTERLY DEVOTED to the other partner who was portrayed as perfection, ideal, above all others. ONE partner is "lucky" to be with the other.

Clark and Lois mutually, unequivocally LIKE each other. Clark is just as smitten with Lois as she is with him. They see each other very, very clearly. Even though Lois is occasionally stricken with a bout of insecurity at the idea of being with a superhero, she also sees Clark's flaws and treats him as a full human (alien) being. Clark, in turn, sees the tornado that is Lois for everything that she is and he *loves it*.

They not only accept each other just as they are, they *delight* in each other. They want the best for each other. They celebrate each other. They encourage and cheer each other on to do the things they love. They are safe to be themselves with each other. They are *happy* together.

So often writers make relationships about conflict or struggle, the *fight* to be together, people who love each other but just can't seem to find the right timing, people who feel so much for each other but can't seem to find any place of rest or peace with each other. The conflict or roller coaster IS the relationship, and if you take that away there's nothing left for them to share anymore.

I love writing that allows the relationship to be a loving, safe and settled thing. I love seeing people who can just breathe and relax with their partner, romantic or platonic.

I see it also in Kaz & Inej, in Jesper & Wylan, and platonically in The Doctor & Donna, in Leslie Knope & Ann Perkins, Charlie & Tao...

I want more of that, please and thank you.

#smallville #lois lane #clark kent #clois #superman #character analysis #lois and clark #clark and lois #thoughts on relationships of all kinds #bring me joy onscreen #not just a happy ending #agreys ramblings

[ars-daemonum]

I totally originally took the photo for my RP blog, but I wanted to share just how much money I wasted on my Frontier merch!

#ars rambles #ars' figures #kinda sorta? I mean I have a few of them here-- I took too fucking long taking this photo because I had to reassemble AGrey

[agreysexualromantic]

Gifs by @legendarydreamer4ever

Lord, this scene. These two.

This relationship is already so different from anything else we've seen from either of them so far. Clark is more open than he has been in the past, inviting Lois in closer than he has with anyone else. He's more focused, he seems more confident in himself and in how he wants to move forward with Lois. His Lois. Always kicking someone's ass Lois. Constantly on the move Lois. Best journalist in the world Lois. Kindest heart he's ever known Lois. Makes him feel weaker than kryptonite when she smiles and her eyes twinkle at him Lois...

Always makes him feel normal Lois.

And Lois, who is usually absolutely sure of herself and who dives into everything with the utmost confidence, is just a little nervous and unsure because she feels so much for this sweet man standing in front of her. In every other situation Lois would be throwing some witty one liner over her shoulder and breezing away. But with Clark, on an actual date, trying to say goodnight, she gets a little flustered. A little gooey. A little reluctant to leave because she's enjoying the butterflies in her stomach even while she's also genuinely nervous as hell about where it's all going to lead because it's *CLARK*. Her Clark. Flannel shirt Clark. Farmboy Clark. Steady always there for her Clark. Sweetest boy she's ever known Clark. Funny in a dorky way Clark. Makes her feel a little dizzy when he smiles Clark...

Can't imagine her life without him Clark.

They completely adore each other already and are just trying to find a way to fall in love without being absolute disasters about it.

#Clark's face when she says he's the one #he's so damn happy #the feeling is mutual Lois #absolutely mutual #smallville #clois #clark kent #lois lane #tom welling #erica durance #character analysis #agreys ramblings

[agreysexualromantic]

I've talked before about how much Lois soaks up the love and safety of the Kents, but I think we also need to talk about what Clark sees and learns from his entire relationship with Lois.

Outside of his family, Clark's relationships have consistently been struggles of boundaries and safety.

There's Lex: Clark sees so much good in him, they share so much and he wants so much to be able to trust him, but Lex simply cannot stop his fixation on Clark's "secret". As a result, it's a constant battle of boundaries and lies, leaving Clark with no true sense of safety there.

There's Chloe: Now, I adore Chloe, especially as the series progresses, but at the start her young, enthusiastic journalistic curiosity often resulted in massive violations of Clark's privacy. She finds out about his abilities not because he tells her, but through yet another huge violation of privacy by another person. She does a great job of working to change and becoming a safe place for Clark to be open, but once again he has a trusted relationship with constant pushes for him to be *more* vulnerable, to share *more* of himself, and people skirting around his boundaries for their own sake. Rough stuff.

Then we have Pete: the first person Clark *willingly* shares his full background with, only to have his abilities weaponized against him over and over again. Literally, Pete pulls out green and red kryptonite and uses it on Clark ALL THE DAMN TIME. He gets mad at Clark for NOT sharing his secret earlier, and then goes on to blame him when Pete's life is made more complicated and dangerous by the knowledge. No safety there, no real ability to just relax and be himself because Clark never really knows when Pete might once again throw his secret back in his face.

And then there's Lana: I want to be clear here, *I do not hate Lana*. I actually think very highly of her, especially when she's not dating Clark. And I mean that in both directions, neither Clark nor Lana feel truly safe or at ease with each other in their relationship. I'm just going to focus on Lana for a second here as it relates to my point about Clark and love. Lana wants Clark to be fully open and honest with her. But The Secret becomes The Thing that she just can't see around. Despite how well she knows Clark, she perpetually uses The Secret to assign the worst motives to his actions, and to assume that he has done terrible things despite having no evidence that The Secret has anything to do with the character of Clark that she already knows. (Again, I recognize Clark's nonsense in this relationship too, I'm just focusing on this one side for the moment). Clark never really feels safe with her as a result, because her fixation on KNOWING his secret becomes more important than knowing or understanding him, and again, boundaries are crossed and miscommunication abounds.

Enter Lois Lane. She is a lot of things, but one thing that Lois is for Clark from very early on is *safe*.

We see her repeatedly respect people's boundaries and choices. For all of her curiosity and her drive for truth and answers, she draws a very firm line around the personal lives of others. She waits to be invited rather than demanding vulnerability from Clark. Sure, she offers lots of advice that Clark didn't ask for, but she never tries to pry him open. She takes him as he is, with the belief that people should be allowed to share what they feel safe sharing.

That is mind blowing for Clark. Outside of his family, he's never experienced love like that, platonic or otherwise. There have always been strings, always been eyes looking closer than he wanted, always been people holding his privacy over his head like a weapon. We see Clark, time and again, truly *relax* with Lois in a way he can't with just about anyone else. Lois is safe, truly, in a world where Clark is consistently surrounded with emotional danger.

I saw a post recently that related Clark's secret to someone coming out (even though that's likely not what the writers were going for intentionally). It's so true. Clark always deserved the chance to share all of himself when and how HE wanted to, and over and over again that chance was taken from him or used against him. I think that's why I personally feel so strongly about all of the people in his life being SO insistent that Clark is deceitful, overly guarded, that he HAS to share his secret OR ELSE (or else they will dig it up anyway, or else they will leave him, or else he will tell them and they will use the knowledge against him, or else, or else....)

There's no or else with Lois. She's happy to accept Clark as Clark, and he needed that so much.

As always, Lois Lane is my hero.

#really Lana is great #she's just at her best when she's not centering her life around someone else #team Lana going off and living her best life #clark can be a dingus too #trust me i see it #the dude needs therapy #really everyone in Smallville needs therapy #traumaville #lois lane #smallville #clois #clark and lois #lois and clark #erica durance #tom welling #text post #agreys ramblings

[agreysexualromantic]

Ok, I NEED to talk about this whole "Clark finally floated" bit of dream come true here.

Because this whole scene is monumental with so many layers and it's worth dwelling on every damn one of them, but the floating part matters a lot.

We could just say, romantically, that he floats because of Lois, right? Because they've finally shared their feelings for each other, because he feels so at peace and happy with her, because he's focused on this one moment and nothing else matters.

And that's TRUE, and it's so beautiful and I'm *here for it*.

AND

There's even more to it.

Because this whole episode has also been about Clark letting go of so much of the weight that has been holding him down.

The YEARS of guilt he carried for his father's death (and really every person whose death he couldn't prevent, like Jimmy).

The fear of making another wrong choice when the stakes are so high for someone with his abilities.

The impossible standards he holds himself and the other League members to.

The belief that he has to do it all alone, forever, without love or even a true team by his side.

He's starting to let go of each of those lead bricks, one by one, so that by the time he walks into that barn to dance with Lois, he's actually lighter. He's more free. He's ready.

He's prepared to tell her exactly how he feels because he realized she didn't know.

He can finally, fully be in this moment with the woman he loves because he's moving forward and *healing*. Not healed, but healing.

It's the culmination of so many things, and it's all so earned and beautiful.

And don't even get me started on Lois' journey to that moment. That's a whole other essay. And I'll cry about that one another time.

#smallville #clois #clark kent #lois lane #tom welling #erica durance #dancing #homecoming #character analysis #agreys ramblings

[agreysexualromantic]

I present in no particular order: Clark and Lois beaming sunshine at each other (part 2/?)

(part 1)

They simply cannot help themselves, your honor.

#it's basically a reflex #their faces just do this around each other #smitten kittens #smallville #lois lane #clark kent #clois #tom welling #erica durance #Clark and Lois mutual admiration society posts #Clark and Lois beaming sunshine #agreys ramblings

[agreysexualromantic]

An ode to Smallville Lois Lane part 2:

I know everyone remembers the pole part of this dance, but I need everyone to appreciate THAT IT STARTED LIKE THIS:

I laugh every damn time.

#bless her #aye-aye sailor #awkward Lois #smallville #lois lane #erica durance #comedy gold #clark kent #clois #tom welling #Smallville season 5 #clark and lois #lois and clark #agreys ramblings

[agreysexualromantic]

I present in no particular order: Clark and Lois beaming sunshine at each other (part 3/?)

(pt. 1, pt. 2)

"oh sorry, sunshine just came in I need to return the beam, brb"

Every time.

#just non-stop lighting up #oh look! it's Clark! *beam #*oh look! it's Lois! *beam #like a couple of headlights #goobers #so damn cute #smallville #lois lane #clark kent #clois #tom welling #erica durance #Clark and Lois mutual admiration society posts #kissing #tw kissing #agreys ramblings

[agreysexualromantic]

One of my favorite recurring events on Smallville is "random guest star shows up, learns Clark's secret, then is questioned by Lex and refuses to give it up".

Watching Lex's increasing frustration as to why COMPLETE STRANGERS keep protecting Clark Kent is more than a little funny. I can't help it, I laugh every time.

Sorry Lex.

FOILED AGAIN

#poor Lex #every time he's so sure he's got it this time #and then BAM the door gets slammed in his face again #boundaries Lex #so satisfying #smallville #clark kent #michael rosenbaum #tom welling #lex luthor #agreys ramblings