Actually, Wendy, I love A Twist of Fates! You can't possibly think that that story is disrespectful of Lois, can you? And it's not as if the ending of it would really make us feel depressed? I mean, honestly!!!

The way I see it, A Twist of Fates isn't a deathfic. And it's a totally great Lois story! I just love it. thumbsup

And as I've already said, I don't think deathfics have to be avoided at all costs. But as I've also said, if a writer wants to kill Lois just to make us feel sorry for Clark, then I'd like to get something a little stronger than just a WHAM warning about that story.

I think perhaps you asked me if I think you disrespect Lois. Well, I don't recall you ever really killing Lois in any story of yours. Okay, I haven't read them all - there are, after all, over 160 of them in the Archive, but to my knowledge, you've never killed her. Perhaps you've killed her in a Tank-and-Wendy story with a Tank ending? If you have, I will think of it as a joke - not a very funny joke, but a joke nonetheless. Perhaps you've made Lois sacrifice her own life in order to save somebody else in one of your stories? If you have, I'll never truly like that story, because it will depress me, but I will certainly respect it. Perhaps you've written a story where Lois dies of old age? That would be okay with me, too.

It is certainly possible to treat a character disrespectfully without killing him or her. But as far as I can remember, you've never tortured Lois just to make us cry for Clark, for example. And with the possible exception of Without Consent, I don't think you have made Lois suffer too horribly in any story - and I have no principal objections to Without Consent, partly because that story is about the suffering of Lois and Clark. Besides, I really think it is all right to write a story where Lois is suffering quite badly, as long as you are not treating her suffering gleefully or insensitively. And you have never, and I mean never, made me feel that Lois's life and feelings aren't important to you. So where would I find the disrespect?

Edit: Beverly, in case you are reading this, please understand that I have no objection to the idea of starting a story off with the premise that Lois is dead. Whether or not I will dislike such a story depends on what happens later (e.g., I will certainly hate it if Clark finds another love interest, lives happily ever after and forgets Lois).


Ann