Vid Rec and Smallville blathering

[butterfly]

First - I listened to No Strings Attached (*NSYNC) for the first time in... way too long. It's such a good cd. And the last track is my favorite - just the five of them, singing. No band, no beat, just five guys who sound damn good together.

So, topic... sorta - both Lex and Clark remind me of imaginary metals. Lex brings to mind X-Men's adamantium ('you have to keep it hot, because once it cools, it's indestructible', notable for being the metal in Wolverine's body and as the metal of his claws - can cut through anything), while Clark makes me think of The Lord of the Rings's mithril ('lighter than a feather, harder than dragon's scales', rare, and close to priceless, notable item - Bilbo and Frodo's mithril shirt that was worth more than the Shire).

This vid is actually what made those comparisions come to mind.

It's a vid that has been rec'ed many times already on my flist, but it's worth mentioning, just to make sure that everyone knows about it. The author of the vid is sisabet and you can upload it here (and let her know that you like it). The last vid that hit me so deeply was Peacekeeper (BtVS, spoilers up to Chosen), also a sisabet vid.

This vid is deeply, horribly tragic - in part because it reminds me of how deeply, horribly tragic Smallville is. Al & Miles took what was the pretty basic Hero vs Villain tale and made it about loving friendship, the meaning of destiny, and bone-deep regret. Like sisabet's vid says, Al & Miles took the Superman plan and spun it sideways. By adding this one relationship, they gave Superman more depth, gave him another dimension.

The vid starts with gathering clouds, that get saturated with red and flash with lightning (on beat, of course - this is sisabet - it's safe to assume that all the cutting and timing rules in a god-like way). And it's Cassandra's vision of Lex's future from Hourglass - the rain starts to fall on Lex (standing in a blackened field of bones, in a white suit, with one black glove) and the rain is blood. In this section of the vid we don't see Lex's smile before the blood falls. The saturation continues to build and there's a white flash - we cut to Lex about to hit Clark, then Clark's shocked face, then another flash to white. Now we're floating through the sky ("Do you believe a man can fly?) and through a cloud.

We hit the second cloud and we're with Lex's point of view after the accident - Clark Kent, wet and beautiful. Clark meets Lex's eyes and we see Lex looking at his savior. Flash to white and fade down to Lionel backing away in horror from his son's freakishness. We cut to a crow, saturation levels build again, and there's brief freeze on the crow taking off in flight. Cut from that to Clark's face as he looks at Lex (Connection of flight to Clark? What do crows stand for?). Cut to Lex leaning in to study his computer screen.

strange infatuation

Clark Kent's picture in Lex's room of obsession - cuts to Clark himself, smiling in that way he does.

seems to grace the evening time

Lex spins around, holding up a flashlight, and sees Clark standing behind him. We cut to show their faces in turn - Lex, then Clark.

I'll take it by your side

Clark checks on Lex's injuries, then starts to leave. Lex is sitting on the road, in pain, the colors build again, Clark turns back for another look, then flashes into the distance before we white-out.

A 'blind' Lionel touches his son's face, Lex grabs Lionel's hand - the colors oversaturate.

such imagination

We flash to Clark and Lex talking in Heat, the first time we really saw a cold Lex with Clark.

seems to help the feeling slide

Clark checks up on Lex after he's been burnt in Heat, a relieved smile appearing.

I'll take it by your side

We fade to Lex's first hero moment - coming into the factory in Jitters. Cut to Lex starting to take off the bullet-proof vest - cut to Lex seeing Clark arrive on Level Three.

Young Clark looks over and smiles, we flash to white.

instant correlation

Young Clark reaches over to stroke Little Lex's face. Lionel looks surprised and... dismayed.

sucks

Lex confronts his father.

and breathes a path of lies

Lionel confronts Clark, holding out the kyptonite key.

I'll take it by your side.

Lex looks over at Clark, Clark meets his eyes, flash to white, then to Lionel standing over Lex's shoulder. Cut cuts to Lionel watching over Lex in the green crazy room at the end of Shattered.

Oversaturation

Lionel leaves Lex as Lex stares in a different direction...

curls the skin

... to the Kents, as they welcome Martha back with relief and love.

and tears the hide

Lex stands alone, watching the Kents leave.

I'll take it by your side

Lex makes Clark choose - Clark leaves his parents behind to go with Lex. Cut to Lex smiling at Clark in the Kent barn, and the brightness and saturation build, leading to a fade-out to first the sunspots, then a meteor crashing down from when Clark came.

tick

Lex watches Clark leave with Jonathan in the pilot episode.

tock

Lex finds Clark as the scarecrow.

Clark spies the breastplate of Alexander the Great.

tick

Cut to a close-up of the Superman-eske breastplate.

tock

Lex studies Lana's krytonite necklace.

A shot of the Porshe Lex hit Clark with.

tick

Lex watching the simulation of the accident.

tock

Lex hits Clark with his car on the bridge. We cut back to the shattered Porsche.

tick

Lionel enthusiastically rubs Clark's shoulder ('remarkable young man') as Lex watches.

tick

A shot of the cave walls - is that the painting about how he's able to burn things? Cut to Lex at his glass desk.

tick

The painting with two-heads - the balance of good and evil.

tick

Lionel walks over to the Wall of Weird and places his hand by an article on Clark.

tick

Clark finds the key to his ship in Lex's office(?). Shot of the bricks of refined kryptonite.

tick

Lex with Clark's blood.

tock

A shot of a Luthorcorp file with Clark's name on it.

Clark is on the ground, Lex having found him knocked out in the caves - Lex looks over at the cave walls, then back at Clark. Cut to Clark pushing Lex out of the path of Morgan Edge's car.

I'm unclean

Lex rubs his face while holding a gun, his father over his shoulder.

a libertine

Shot of a hand - possibly from Tempest? Hell if I know. Looks cool. Lionel grabs Lex's face in Tempest, during their really huge argument ("loose of dogs of war").

and every time you vent your spleen

Clark smiles, then flinches as Lex feints at him with a sword, Lex smiles in response.

I seem to lose the power of speech

Lex hugs his father, trying for a new start.

You're slipping slowly from my reach

Clark slowly pulls Lex's hands off his face in Aslyum, about to tell him no.

you grow me like the evergreen

Clark and Lex hug, seeing each other for the first time in months, home.

you never see

Lex puts flowers on his mother's grave.

the lonely me at all

Lex looks down as he realizes that he knows Clark secret, then looks back up at Clark. We cut and finish Clark pushing Lex out of the way of Edge's car, and we see it crunch around him. We cut to Clark catching a bullet meant for Lex.

I'm

Lex holds onto Clark's face. Cut to Clark leaping in the way of Rachel Dunleavely's axe. Lex turns and puts himself at Clark's side, we brighten up.

take the plan

Clark lying on the road, arms outstretched.

spin it sideways

Lex watches as Clark rips apart Edge's car and tosses it back. Cut to Lex seeing Clark and then Clark's horrified face.

I'm

Fade to Lex, as Clark comes for him. Clark smiles - 'you know now', and rips open Lex's restraints. Suddenly, he turns and Ian is behind him. Ian punches Clark and we cut to Lex landing on the floor.

fall

Cut back to Lex holding Clark's hand, and Clark's other hand coming up to cover Lex's. Cut to Clark pulling off the body guard holding Lex down, then to Lex running, trying to get to Clark. The guards get him on the ground, and we cut to Lex on the ECT table. Cut to Clark pulling Lex down to keep another bullet from hitting him. White-fade to Lex on the table. Another flash on Clark protecting Lex in Extinction.

without you

Lex on the table. Cut to Clark hovering protectively over Lex. Quick flashes between that, then Lex on the table, then Clark smiling quietly (from when his dad is shaking Lex's hand).

I'm nothing

The docter inserts the gag. Quick flashes of Clark walking towards Lex in their S3 reunion, then of Clark grinning at Lex. Cut to Clark angrily walking away from Lex, shaky cut to Lex holding the shard of red glass up to Clark, shaky flash - and we see Lex convulse on the table. Cut to Clark, unable to help, krytonite glowing under his shirt. Clark falls, shaky cut to Lex watching his hand tremble - after he'd threatened someone because of Clark. Flashes of Lex on the table. Lex opens his eye, we flash to white, then back to Lex on the table. Lex turns to Clark.

without you

Bullet-time and we see Clark fall from Lex's gun.

I'm nothing

Flash to the table, back to Clark falling and the color oversaturates. Lex stabs desperately downward at an enemy that doesn't exist, cut to him aiming a gun at his father, cut to Lionel watching him convulse on the table. Lex stabs down again, points another gun at Lionel, convulses. Another stab, then, restrained, he tries to bite Lionel's hand, then back to the table. Another stab, and then he pulls Clark over, points a gun down at him. Fade to white - to Lex on the table, then to Lex lunging for Clark in the aslyum.

without you

Lex looks at himself in the mirror in a straightjacket in the green crazy room. Clark walks away from Lex (S1), flash to horrified Clark in the asylum.

I'm nothing

Lionel hovers over Lex on the table. Flash to Lex fighting to get at Clark, screaming at him. Clark backs away, and we fade to white, then to Clark turning away from Lex at the end of Asylum.

take the plan

Lex hangs from the barbed wire of the aslym fence, screaming. Cut back to Clark walking away from Lex.

spin it sideways

Lionel caresses Lex's forehead, as Lex is in the restraints. Fade to white, and Lex comes forward to greet Clark. Cut to Clark watching Lex, back to Lex's approach. We see Clark assessing Lex (How much?), back to Lex coming forward to Clark, to Clark's face.

without you I'm nothing at all

Lex turns around in a field of blackened bone. Cut to Lex looking at Clark and reaching foward to hug him. Back to Lex in the field - now we see a faint, satisfied smile on his face as his eyes flicker over his work. Cut back to Lex hugging Clark, then back to the field, then to another close-up on Lex. Wider shot of the Lex in the field, as he notices it starting to rain, then back to Lex in the hug with Clark - his eyes are closed (willingly when it comes to Clark?) and a smile starts to tug at his lips. Cut to Lex, blood covering his clothes as he lifts his hands and blinks up into the rain of blood. Cut to Clark in the hug, closing his eyes and relaxing slightly into Lex's touch, then to Lex, as he smiles.

And that's the end of the vid.

Just describing it all like that... it's nothing compared to watching it. This is such an amazing vid.