Wow, I love this storyline. My only caveat is that we don't know how long Jor-El's training for Clark is supposed to be--wasn't it something like 12 years in the Christopher Reeve movies? That would obviously have consequences on the whole storyline, if Clark was gone that long.
But otherwise, I really love your re-translation, and the consequences of Clark not flipping out about his heritage.
If Clark is more receptive to being mentored by Jor-El, then he never tries to blow up Shippy Sue. If he doesn't blow up the ship, then Martha never loses the baby.
I confess this is my favorite bit of your AU, because the thought of Clark with a little brother or sister makes me melt. But it's not just that Martha doesn't lose the baby; Jonathan also doesn't get the heart condition that came from having to take on Kryptonian powers to bring Clark home after he ran away.
Thinking about it, though, I wonder if Clark would have embraced the training even if he wasn't afraid of Jor-El; hadn't he and Lana just hooked up again? I think part of his reluctance was that he didn't want to leave his life at that particular moment. You may need to add into Jor-El's message a particular save-the-world/potential threat to Clark's family emphasis to make sure he actually goes.
Lionel would have gone to prison for killing his parents much sooner, I think, and because Clark/Kal-El had already collected the stones and created the Fortress of Solitude, Lionel wouldn't have been able to pull the body-switch; Lionel would have died in prison. Genevieve Teague might have still gotten him out, but I thought she did that because she knew of Lionel's own interest in the stones. I'm not sure the stone storyline plays out the same way in this scenario if Clark/Kal-El collected them all at the start of S3. Even so, it's the body-switching with Clark that healed Lionel's liver disease, so if the body-switching doesn't happen Lionel eventually dies because of his liver.
And that means that *however* dark Lex still ends up, in this scenario, at least he won't end up committing patricide!
What do you think the effect of this scenario would be on Clark and Lex's relationship, though? Would Clark/Kal-El be more suspicious of Lex, and create the rift earlier?
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But otherwise, I really love your re-translation, and the consequences of Clark not flipping out about his heritage.
If Clark is more receptive to being mentored by Jor-El, then he never tries to blow up Shippy Sue. If he doesn't blow up the ship, then Martha never loses the baby.
I confess this is my favorite bit of your AU, because the thought of Clark with a little brother or sister makes me melt. But it's not just that Martha doesn't lose the baby; Jonathan also doesn't get the heart condition that came from having to take on Kryptonian powers to bring Clark home after he ran away.
Thinking about it, though, I wonder if Clark would have embraced the training even if he wasn't afraid of Jor-El; hadn't he and Lana just hooked up again? I think part of his reluctance was that he didn't want to leave his life at that particular moment. You may need to add into Jor-El's message a particular save-the-world/potential threat to Clark's family emphasis to make sure he actually goes.
Lionel would have gone to prison for killing his parents much sooner, I think, and because Clark/Kal-El had already collected the stones and created the Fortress of Solitude, Lionel wouldn't have been able to pull the body-switch; Lionel would have died in prison. Genevieve Teague might have still gotten him out, but I thought she did that because she knew of Lionel's own interest in the stones. I'm not sure the stone storyline plays out the same way in this scenario if Clark/Kal-El collected them all at the start of S3. Even so, it's the body-switching with Clark that healed Lionel's liver disease, so if the body-switching doesn't happen Lionel eventually dies because of his liver.
And that means that *however* dark Lex still ends up, in this scenario, at least he won't end up committing patricide!
What do you think the effect of this scenario would be on Clark and Lex's relationship, though? Would Clark/Kal-El be more suspicious of Lex, and create the rift earlier?