* MAN OF TOMORROW.

i loved how in maws, when martha is looking at clark's photos as a boy, there's less and less people with him as he gets older and his smile becomes smaller. if he wasn't worried he'd hurt his loved ones, he feared he'd draw danger to them. even now, when he's feeling poorly, for instance, going to someone like his parents or lois or whoever isn't always going to be his immediate response. there's a reason why clark is one of few comic characters to still have thought bubbles / inner monologues; clark is a deeply emotionally complex at times introverted who is forced to take on the role of the extrovert to keep others calm and in line, clark's emotions as supes are true, but can be masked or exaggerated. plus, he's autistic, so he's already masking on top of this and, as clark, pretending to be human while he's painfully aware of how othered he is. if he's not holding himself back from using his powers, he's putting on some kind of performance. and that's not to say he's ingenuine in his words and actions, they're just chosen very carefully. there's a reason his secret base containing the remnants of his culture is 1) located in antarctica (aside from it being devoid of humans and cold enough to emulate kryptonian temperatures) and 2) called the fortress of SOLITUDE.

❝ i'm sorry if it's, um . . . if it's too much. being back here. it was hard, finding your scent, but once i did, it was pretty hard to miss. it, um . . . yeah, it led me here. happy birthday. ❞ 

❝ alright, lena, you win a dance. i'm warning you, though, i've got two left feet aaaand i might step on yours - ❞