First off... most writers I know write the stories that come to them. It's not a matter of keeping some sort of cosmic balance between stories of Type A and stories of Type B or deaths of Character A and deaths of Character B.

Second... In TOGOM, Clark turns out to be alive. But the story still serves the same function. It allows the writer to explore the theme of his death. It doesn't have to be "the same" as a Lois deathfic because, again, that's not the point. And the fact that TOGOM is there, ready-made, easy to use, and serving that function means that writers inclined to explore that theme will gravitate towards using TOGOM to do it.

Third... There are a lot more points. Logical holes. Mistaken axioms. But you know what? We've been through all that. Several times. Can we take it as read that you don't like this type of story, but that most of us disagree with your reasons?

Finally... There's also a difference between posting what you like and saying things that make others feel like they can't do the same.

You have the right to post whatever stories you like, so long as they follow the forum rules. You have the right to ignore the stories that aren't to your tastes. You have the right to discuss themes and comment on stories, again as long as you follow the forum rules. (Preferably with common courtesy. For example, you can criticize someone's story, but it's better if you make it constructive criticism, and maybe even include some positive comments about other aspects of the story.)

You even have the right to endlessly rehash old arguments, if that's what you want to do. And others have the right to ignore those posts, if that's what suits them.

But when you start posting attacks, that's a different matter. Whether it's against a single story, a whole genre, or one or more individuals. And it's not that big a step from attacking a story to attacking the author(s) or making the author(s) feel as if they're under attack.

And when you make it clear that a story which even begins to touch on a certain theme will immediately result in another general attack on the genre, when you're actively trying to prevent people from posting stories of that type, when you create a hostile atmosphere which could well make authors hesitate before posting their work... Well, personally... I think that crosses the line.

Even free speech has some limits.


When in doubt, think about penguins. It probably won't help, but at least it'll be fun.