Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Fanfic Related Secondary Characters are Boring? What about tertiary?

This is a version of TOC's 'Villains are boring" thread in OT. Thought I'd post it here, because it has to do with those 'other charcters' in L & C: tnaoS. You know who they are - Perry White, Cat Grant, Jimmy, Henderson and sevral others whom we saw less of but still seem to crop up in fanfic a fair bit. Zymak for example. Anyway there are others too.

So do you find these characters boring when they crop up in fanfic? or ???

I'll begin by saying I really liked Henderson - his laconic speech and his ironic shoulder shrugs. I always got the feeling he had both Lois's and Clark's number. Plus he's fun to read when he's well written.

Okay, boring from the list. Zara - she could have been so much more. Given her rank, responsibility, the implicit contradictions in her character that were never explored, she should have been great. But perhaps that's why some fanfics have handled her much better than the show did.

oh, and are there any canon characters that as soon as you see them in a fic, you skip that part or, gasp!, even stop reading all together?

So what do you think?

c.

I love all of the secondary characters. It's interesting to see how they're written, and how they can come to the forefront. There's been a few fics were Cat is more of a major player that's done really well.

Ralph is one character I tend to cringe at. Very tertiary, and better off missing.

Secondary characters are secondary for a reason. Still, they can elevate a bit in a fic if they are handled in an interesting way. But it has to be about how they react and interact with the main duo, Lois and/or Clark.

If the story revolves around the secondary character then it loses interest for me. I've used some of the secondary characters (like Henderson, and Cat) as important players in fics in the past, but they were still there to 'play' with Lois and help show some aspect of her or the situation she finds herself in.

Secondary characters can contribute in an interesting way, but they have to stay secondary.

Tank (who says that, of course, the exception is Jimmy Olsen who has absolutly no redeeming attributes and adds a generous amount of boring anytime he shows up)

I agree with Tank. Secondary characters are good when they are kept secondary and are made to interact with Lois and Clark in an interesting way. I wouldn't, however, read a story that centered on any of the secondary characters. I get particularly bored if, say, the story is about Jimmy, and we are made to follow his struggles to find romantic happiness with Lucy. That is guaranteed to make me stop reading as soon as I understand what the fic is about! (By the way, I wonder if Tank and I share a certain dislike of Jimmy because we are old comic book readers. In the old comics, Jimmy played a so much larger role than he deserved, quite often at the expense of Lois.)

Ann

Oh, I could name a few secondary characters I like very much indeed.
Cat Grant: I think she's my favorite of them all. Pity she was dropped after S1.
Henderson: Somehow, I like is gruff exterior.
Perry: Great shades of Elvis, there's nothing not to like about Perry.
Jonathan and Martha: Definitely. Especially Martha with her weird artiste streak.
Bernie: Yep. He's sorta cool, despite being so nerdy.

I think Jimmy was handled rather badly in the series. There was potential for so much more, but all we ever see him do is fall in and out of love and jump whenever Perry bellows. Well, and come up with stacks of research.

Other secondaries I don't like:
Dan Scardino and Mayson Drake. *grrrrr*
That lawyer guy who's responsible for the Superman foundation. *yuck*
Ralph... *double yuck*
Lana Lang

Count me as among those who enjoy not only secondary characters, but also well-written original characters. Ensemble casts add dimension to stories, filling them out and adding interest. RL doesn't just revolve around me and my love interest. While I certainly wouldn't include the entire world in my story, I enjoy having a small mix of characters to interact with.


Elisabeth

I always think that I'm not going to like a story that gives a primary role to a secondary/original character. And almost always, I'm mistaken. It might take me longer to get around to reading such stories, but I usually find that they give a fresh perspective on Lois and Clark, by presenting an outside opinion.

ML

I'm a little late gettting in on this because we've been away.

While they remain secondary, I love writing about the secondary characters because we really don't know much about them. That gives a writer a lot of room to play. Making them real and human is always a challenge, too. I also love creating new characters, especailly villains.

My favorite secpmdary canon characters are Henderson and the original Jimmy. I could never forgive the new Jimmy for saying, " Lois isn't here. Her and Clark are out on assignmnent."


Jude