Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Fun with Polls Love interests for Lois and/or Clark (other than each other)

This is something I've wondered about for a long time.

In most other fandoms, even if there is a main pairing there are still people who "shipped" other characters.

For example, in "Roswell" the main pairings were Max/Liz and Michael/Marie. However, there were people who thought Max/Tess, Michael/Liz or Alex/Marie were better couples and you had lots of fanfics or fanart devoted to those "unconventional" pairings.

This is standard for most fandoms I've seen.

In the Lois & Clark fandom it's pretty much Lois & Clark. Any fanfic that isn't about these two is usually about who Lois and or Clark was with before they realized they were meant for each other or another couple entirely (Jonathan/Martha).

Reading some of the responses lynnm has gotten for The Butterfly Legacy made me wonder about how FoLCs feel about unconventional ships involving either Lois or Clark.

I chose other and I meant I wouldn't be likely to read any of the choices. I realized from reading Lynn's story, I don't like Clark without Lois and I don't like Lois without Clark. I am very unbending in what I think is "right" and to me Lois needs Clark and Clark needs Lois. I don't like the idea of either of them being with anyone else. I only gave Lynn's story a chance because her writing is so good, but it became painful for me to read because of my strong feelings that Clark shouldn't be with anyone but Lois.

- Laura

As long as it's well-written, I don't have any hard or fast rules. If the characters seem real to me, if they make sense, I can follow them where they go

I had a reader bail out on a story of mine once because they couldn't stand to read Lois and Clark apart. I love them together,too. But I think if they are always together, no matter what, that grows stale.

I love the sadness and tension in Tank's Futures series, which has a great romance between Clark and altLois that ends in a 50 year marriage.

In fact, my favorite alternative couplings are the altLois, altClark combinations. I think there's a lot to be explored there, while still keeping a Lois with a Clark.

That said, it would take a really, really, really talented writer to help me go along with a Lois/Scardino pairing. As much as I like to keep an open mind, I just cannot imagine it!

But I did love one by SQD that had Lois married to Daniel (deep shudder) at one time. That was interesting, to say the least!

CC (tossing her two cents all over these boards tonight!)

OK, since I'm the most current perpetrator of this heinous crime, I'm going to use this nice little poll as a place to confess my sins .

First of all, I do believe in the perfect match that is Lois and Clark. I loved the show - loved the chemistry between these two (or maybe that was between Dean and Teri <g>), and really saw that they were meant to be together.

However, if I like the other woman/man character (and by "like" I mean the character is someone that I can imagine Lois or Clark liking) and if the story is crafted so that the reasons for the get-together make sense to me, I have no problem with either person loving another at any given moment.

In fact, two things about the show itself have always led me to imagine Clark with another woman or in other relationships. First is the very harshness with which Lois treats him during Season 1. Personally, I never quite understood what he saw in her during that first season. My second reason is that I always thought Clark was portrayed as far too saintly. Now, I know that Clark is Superman, and Superman, by canon, is saintly. But I've always admitted to liking my Clark a bit more three-dimensional and dark with more faults and the ability to hurt and to need comfort. Since the show did much to cast Clark as the real persona and Superman as the disguise, I think it is very "human" for him to have feelings for other women especially after Lois all-out rejects him.

I would not like stories that involved adultery or had Lois/Clark getting together with someone after they had confessed mutual love for each other. Nor would I like any one-night fling/drunken tumble/"he/she didn't mean anything" stories. In fact, the only time I would be accepting of another pairing would be if Lois/Clark believed that she/he was in love or had deep feelings for this non-Clark/non-Lois person.

I think in general I don't see love as a limited commodity. If Lois/Clark had a relationship with someone else, that doesn't diminish the uniqueness of their relationship when it does come to pass.

And to echo CC, to be honest, I like stories that shake things up a bit. As well and good as a nice, WAFFY get-together story can be, I need variety. I mean, after the hurdles of Lois learning Clark's secret and Lois overcoming her fear of intimacy and the Lex factor and the Tempus/altworld stuff, we need some new stuff to throw at these two. There is no harder obstacle to overcome IMHO than competition from another person who is just as deserving of Clark's/Lois's love.

Lynn

See, now you're just asking for trouble. I am probably Agent Scardino's biggest fan after BanAnna -- and I'm evil enough to do something like this!

But I won't because I have two other (evil) fics that I'm trying to get off the ground. One of which, does have "Please Call Me Daniel" playing a big role but not as a love interest for Lois.

Anyway, my answer. If I didn't believe that Lois and Clark are soulmates and they hadn't gotten together on the show, I wouldn't be so ok with it. But they are, they did and I am.

My main requirements for the other love interest is that they be a well-written character (no Mary Sues), that it makes sense for Lois or Clark to care about them and (to echo lynnm) there is no adultery/cheating involved.

I like reading stories which are unique, imaginative and well-written, AND that includes non-Lois and/or non-Clark relationships.

However, mostly I seek happy endings AND that includes Lois-Clark pairing.

I said mostly, because I was perfectly content with Tank's Future series, as well as Nan's Home series with Lori(Lois' reincarnation but unique in her own right)....

But I am not able to comfortably digest stories involving divorces / separations / strayings / moving on...

As I said, I am a seeker of happy endings, gives me something to look forward to and fondly reflect back upon

Nevertheless, I sometimes super read such stories if they don't guarantee a happy ending

Although I think Lois and Clark are the perfect couple, I would read stories where they are not together and paired with someone else as long as there is a good explanation for that and as long as I can like the "new" person.

For example I loved Jon Wolffs "Lonely is the man". Elizabeth was such a vibrant and lively woman, I instantly liked her and was delighted for her to be together with Clark. Of course this is set in the future, where Lois is dead. But Elisabeth is not a reincarnation of Lois although she has similar character traits.

Ines

As much as I like the idea of Lois and Clark being only exclusive to each other I'm really not to fussy about it mainly because I'm a big reader and so if the story interests me I will read it regardless of whether Lois and Clark are together or not. However, I also chose other mainly because as Laura mentioned without each other the two of them are miserable as you probably could tell by the way they look at each other.

Ooh, interesting topic!

I'm just saying it straight out: I'm not one of those who cannot read a story if Lois and Clark aren't together, no matter what the cause. However, I would like it to be a very good reason for that <g>, and I guess I'm sort of always hoping - that no matter what, in the end - they'll be together.

I think stories that carry this concept - and that it is well written - can be quite an interesting journey. Separating Lois and Clark (for a while or even longer) opens up a whole new world of possibilities of what our favourite characters will have to go through, and you can come up with all sort of new ways on how to get them back together (if that's an option). And what's wrong with that? It means new ideas, new concepts, and it'll be a new experience for a reader - even the writer.

For some reason, I'm sort of more okay with accepting that Lois is with another man, but not Clark with another woman...wonder why. I've always liked Mayson as a character - heck, she's a very good character - but I could never really imagine her having a life with Clark. So, if she's ruled out, who's left? No one that I could really think of, unless you make up your own character (like Lynn). I haven't read "The Butterfly Legacy" yet, but I'm just itching, so I'll do it as soon as I can.

Also, maybe the reason why I wouldn't mind seeing Lois with another man than Clark, may be that I'm always - feeling pretty lonely out there! <g> - cheering for her and Lex. Put her and Lex in the same scene in any story, and you've made my day, week, month or even year (last one goes to "Masques" <g>). But I'm dying to read more stories where they are in a relationship, and actually trying to make it work or that Lois, for some reason, can't leave him. Because I think this is such an interesting dilemma: (in danger of sounding like Tarzan here, but..) evil man wants to have the good woman, and although the good woman may be too naive to see his true self, she's attracted to his power, and is consumed by the need to be loved, which she thinks only he can give her. So, although she's inwardly hoping for the shining knight on a white horse, she stays. <g> And of course, when she finds out what Lex is really made of, that's where the fun begins!

Now, before you think I'm this lunatic of a bird who's eaten way too much rotten fish here, I *do* support the idea that she and Clark will be together in the end. <g>

So, as long as there's a good cause Lois and Clark aren't together/won't be together, it won't stop me from reading the story

Pelican (who flies around the world, sneeks in the window to every author late at night, whispering in their ears, "Lois....Lex....Lois.....Lex...")

I think there are two main reasons that other pairings are so rare in this fandom. Firstly, the Lois and Clark pairing/romance is an integral part of the Superman mythos. This doesn't really apply to other shows in the main. Secondly, most of the other shows have ensemble casts, with a pool of available characters to 'mix and match' with. With LNC, it's mostly down to the two leads with not much scope in the other cast members. Perry's too old, Jimmy's too young...Cat isn't really a long term prospect...and so on.

I do find that this makes things a lot more restrictive - both for the reader and the writer - in FoLCdom. I personally find it a lot harder to write LNC fic than any other show I've ever written for, just because I've been so used in the past to working with ensemble casts and a lot more than two basic characters.

So by this point - several years into my participation in this fandom - I'll welcome something that steps outside the box a little and as others have said 'shakes things up' a tad. Standard WAFFs are good, but a change is always nice now and then.

I'd like Clark and Lois to end up together eventually in a story, but I don't mind at all how we get there and if they take a few detours along the way. I'm not terribly fussed that Lois has to be Clark's first sexual experience either.

If they don't end up together it's a less satisfying story for me and makes me feel a little sad, but there are still stories in that category that I loved and will read again. Like Tank's Future series (which I know has been added to recently, but haven't read it yet, so no idea if things change there or not . It's like Deathfic really. <g> If it's well written, emotive and the characters are real and three-dimensional then an author can sell me on pretty much anything.


LabRat

I don't mind alternate pairings IF:

1- The character is someone I like. (Meaning the author presents him/her in a sympathetic manner, and I can see Lois or Clark falling for this person.)

2 - as mentioned by others, no adultery, cheating, etc.

3 - Clark can be with someone other than Lois AS LONG AS it is someone he trusts enough to tell his secret to.

4 - The relationship must be genuine. Which also means I'm not automatically hoping it will end in a break-up just so Lois & Clark can get together in the end. (I'm old-fashioned here. I don't believe in falling into and out-of love.) But even on this point, I'm willing to go where the author leads me, as long as the story is well-written.

Actually, I'll qualify #4. It has to be genuine on the part of Lois or Clark. If the other party is just stringing them along, and they eventually find out and break up, then end up with their one true love, well, that's a different story altogether!

- Vicki

Missed this when posting previously.

I'm a huge believer in the theory that you can make a character do anything - so long as you ensure that you give them the proper motivation to explain their actions.

Having said that, an author would have to work really hard to make cheating in character, I think. Of course with a SF show you have more scope than with other formats. If Clark was under some kind of spell/hypnosis/adultry-causing-ray gun blast then that would work, I guess. You get the idea. <g> I said any story would have to be well-written above, but I'd forgotten to include the other must have - in character. Course, most times they tend to go hand in hand. But not always.

But, again, it would have to be well-written to carry me along for the ride. There are few things which turn me off a story faster than a difficult, complicated premise badly handled or dealt with in three pages.

LabRat

Call me traditional... but I read Lois & Clark fanfic to see the relationship between Lois & Clark :p I make a few exceptions, like the Home series and Lonely is the Man. And I've kinda-sorta-sometimes been reading the Butterfly Legacy, because Lynn's a terrific writer, but the idea of Clark and Gillian just seems fundamentally wrong.

I originally fell in love with this show on the basis of how perfect Lois & Clark were for each other, balancing out each others' weak spots, etc. In fact, I didn't get obsessed with the show until near the end of S2, when it seemed possible that L&C would actually get together. If they'd reset everything for S3, I'd have been outta there. So... that's what I like to stick with in fanfic.

Pam "I want my happy ending *now*" Jernigan

Seen as Pam said it so eloquently I simply have to say ditto to the whole of her last post!
For me, its called Lois and Clark because its always and forever about Lois and Clark.

My small 1 pence worth!

Sarah-Jayne

ROFL! Oddly, before I even saw this, I was going to post that the only thing I absolutely demand of a fic is a happy ending. Just about anything else goes for me, so long as it's well-written and convincing.

However, I suspect that my definition of a happy ending, and Pam's definition, may differ from time to time.

Yvonne

I would read any (nice, well written) story, even if L&C aren't together for some reason. Besides, I avoid spoilers, so I wouldn't know whether they end up together or not.

AnnaBtG. (whose favourite fic is 'Ad Astra Per Aspera', which has Lois paired with some Tom Warren guy)

I have to weigh in on the side of Pam and Sarah-Jayne: the show was called Lois and Clark, and that's who I want to read about. I don't mind non-L&C stories -- e.g., Next Generation or Jimmy fics (shut up, Tank! ) -- but if Lois and Clark are there, that's who I want to see together.

I can cope with people like Lori or Elizabeth -- romantic interests for Clark after Lois dies (though Lori doesn't really count ) -- but I am not interested in, and more than halfway hostile towards, stories involving L&C with other people (but only in the sense of actively refusing to read them, I hasten to add) while both are alive. Anything else is not only not to my taste, but smacks of DC's apparent hatred of any sort of long-term romance for their characters -- and, as they have recently seriously annoyed me by breaking up three well-matched couples, I am even less inclined than usual to cut any slack in this area.

I would be particularly bothered by stories involving Lois and another man. Why? I'm not sure, but it may have something to do with the fact that neither series or comics ever came up with anyone good enough for her, IMO -- and the fact that Lois Lane is an integral part of the Superman mythos and has been from Action Comics #1 in June 1938. It's just not right for her to be with anyone else!

That's my take on the question. I could wish that Q2 of the poll had an option for those of us who aren't interested in reading L&? or C&? romances; as it was, I had to put a misleading answer for that question before I was allowed to vote.

Phil, who will get back to writing Lyra and Klar one of these centuries... :rolleyes:

Phil said: Yes, i had that problem too - it took me a few tries to figure out what the problem was. (Probably didn't take Phil that long <g>) I'm wondering if some people just didn't vote for that reason and how many of those who did vote resorted to the misleading answer in order to do so. Oh well.
c

I agree with Phil and Carol -- I chose other just because my answer to 2 would have been none of the above.

- Laura

It's hard to get these poll questions set up right -- I've done them a few times and there was always at least one person, usually more, who said I didn't give an option for the answer they'd have liked to give. I always vow to do better next time, but... it's an imperfect universe

LOL, Yvonne, you think? Plus you're prepared to wait a whole lot longer for said happy ending. Well, actually, I can enjoy looooong stories, too, as long as the middle's reasonably happy

PJ
(why, yes, I did write a story where Lois was dead for most of it... your point being...? )

I indicated that I'd be willing to read other fics, but I'm like Phil in the regard that I think that Lois is really the only woman for Clark (and remember, I gave him a Lois in the Future series), and that Clark is one of only two men for Lois (guess who the other one is ).

The key as to whether I'd be interested in reading an alternative romance is the set-up. What is the reason for the different set of partners and is it believeable. I never got behind the BAtP, and HoL episodes because I was never convinced the Lois would even have anything to do with Lex Luthor, let alone accept a marriage proposal.

But I do believe that if it came to the loss of the other, Lois would be better able to eventually deal with it than would Clark. She's just emotionally stronger than he is. She would be able to 'live' again, most likely alone. Clark needs someone. He's dependant on having someone around who can be his anchor, and can reflect his 'humanity' back at him.

Bottom line, if it's a good story, that is well written, I'm likely to give it a shot, but I prefer Lois and Clark together.

Tank (who actually prefers Lois and Tank together, but there isn't much call for that kind of fic)

Yeah, but there's proper and then there's proper.

Put it this way, I've been in this fandom almost since the beginning of the series and it always amazes me when this topic comes up in the first place. I mean I understand the desire to play with the "what ifs" when dealing with any fan fiction universe, and they're admittedly infinite in most cases, but this series IS called LOIS & CLARK so there's a limit to just how far I can personally stretch that understanding without balking big time. To put it bluntly, I don't want to read a story about one of them with someone else and claiming there are "proper" motivations for it happening only raises my "angst-radar" to red alert status in the first place. Most likely I'll never be able to get past those horns blaring in my ear.

And that's not even getting into the question of whether one can truly be in character without the other or whether its good fan fiction writing in the first place to veer that far from the context of any series. Realistically speaking when DOES a story cross that invisible line to no longer being IN a particular series universe? I don't know, but I do suspect that it might be easy to cross that line without even realizing it in relation to a series like L&C if one isn't careful because there are unique expectations set up when there is an "&" put into any series title. Think MacMillan & Wife, Starsky & Hutch, Scarecrow & Mrs. King, and the list goes on and on. They don't have to be romantically linked but they do both have to BE there or there's a major problem looming on the horizon.

The even more unique problem with L&C is that the minute one has BOTH of them present in a story it's going to be extremely difficult justifying why they AREN'T romantically involved with each other, which leaves angst and I don't do angst well at all. So, we're back to those horns blaring.

Fascinating debate. I voted yesterday but didn't have time to write a proper reply until today.

I will read a story where Lois or Clark is/are with someone else, regardless of whether they've met or not. My main reason for that is that it's happened many times on the show (Lex, Mayson, Dan, or even Lana if we're talking of alt-Clark), so it's not something I consider impossible or out of character.

What I like about this show and about the fanfic that gets written about it is that we can always find new ways to challenge Lois and Clark's relationship. I'm a big fan of get-together stories, which makes me even more of a fan of stories where that getting-together process is rendered a little more complicated by either a problem keeping Lois and Clark apart, or a third party keeping them apart. That's the challenge. That's what spices up a premise for me.

Kaethel (whose two main WIPs at the moment both deal with such a situation)

Interesting to read everyone's views:)

Kaethel wrote:
I'm curious about the meaning of "is/are with someone" because it makes a difference to how I look at the issue.
- is it a few dates, nothing serious or seriously and exclusively dating one person but not yet sexually involved or deep emotional and sexual involvement or casual sex?

The Dan/Mayson relationships cited above on the show never amounted to much. Only Lois and Lex's relationship would be what I would consider 'being with' someone. Still, Lois did not have sex with Lex, which is interesting. So a fic which included a deeper emotional & or sexual relationship between L or C and another person wouldn't seem consistent with the show. Unless it was about Lois back in her Claude days.

Now alt universe stories offer more leeway because we don't have as much backstory to work with and becuase alt-Clark and alt-Lois have not yet met. So alt-Clark very well may have had sex with Lana, who was his fiancee. And who knows what alt Lois was up to in the Congo? <g> But i'm not much interested in reading about it (even if it's alt-Lois and alt- Henderson<g>), although I'm sure that alt-Claude (or whoever) was both skillful and charming, and that Lana was very efficient and wearing something semi-risque <g>

Me personally, I'm a fan of Lois and Clark and so that's who I want to read about. Oh, and alt-Clark and alt-Lois.

c.

I don't know if anyone has been following the RPG going on in LiveJournal.com, but Lois already went out with a guy from another fandom and actually fell in love with him. Too bad he fell in love with a guy, and they broke up. Anyway, then Cat (yes, Cat ) set up Lois and Clark and all is right in the world, but I wasn't very bothered by the pairing I mentioned before. They were a cute couple.

Julie

I'm not sure I agree with that. What I meant with my previous post was that the show paved the way for such a possibility, and yes, I was particularly thinking of the relationship between Lois and Lex, which can't be qualified of anything but serious. I know they didn't have sex, and I do find that it tells us some interesting things about Lois's decision to marry him. But that's another issue.

My point was that the show opened up the possibility for the main characters to develop interest in other counterparts. Whether what we saw on the show amounted to something or not doesn't truly matter; no-one can claim they write *only* about things that they saw on the show. We use possibilities offered by the show and develop them because we find an idea particularly interesting. That's what fanfic is to me.

If Clark is the one to tell Lois his secret, it's different from what happened in the show. Yet it's not considered OOC. If Lois decides to go ahead and marry Lex, therefore share his bed as well, it's not in the show. But is it OOC? If Lois decides to give Dan a chance or if Clark decides to give Mayson a chance, even for a short while, it's not in the show. But again, is it OOC? Imho, it all depends on what motives you put behind it, what sort of situation arises that puts them together, and what the outcome is.

So am I! And what I look for in a fanfic is the challenge leading them to be together, which is why I don't mind them going through a relationship with someone else first, as to me it's one possible way to challenge their getting together.

Kaethel

Yes, exactly. An outside relationship that ultimately leads into them being together or even shows how they were together in the past tense is considerably different from an implication that they aren't supposed to be together EVER.

I might not have problems with a story being in context or in character where they're with someone else as a prelude to being together. Or even one where they were together and somehow got separated, by death or whatever. Just how the situation was handled, i.e. the angst quotient, would probably be the deciding factor on whether I could actually force myself to finish reading the story.

THAT, however, is a completely different animal from expecting me to swallow any situation where the other isn't even in the picture romantically, literally or figuratively. Implying that one or both are destined to be with someone else IS out of the context and character of the series. As far as I can tell that's the invisible line for me and a great many other FoLC that's so distinctive about L&C as a series.

Interesting discussion.

I'd have to say that in real life I don't believe in soul mates. I don't believe in true love and I think you should be very careful about what you tell the person sleeping next to you because it could come back to haunt you. (I'm a divorce lawyer. What did you expect? )

However, in the world of Lois and Clark - Lois is meant to be with Clark and Clark is meant to be with Lois. But I love a story that tears my heart out as I wonder whether or not it's going to happen. And to that extent, anything goes .

ML

It depends. I would generally read such a story as long as it wasn't a Mary Sue fic and it was well written.

I have more problems seeing Clark with someone else after he met Lois than I have with Lois seeing someone else, but only because Clark admited falling in love with Lois at first sight.

He knows he loves her, he knows how much and how deep this love is, and if he does know, being with someone else might mean betraying that love as well as the person he is with. On the other hand, it took Lois some time to realize her feelings for Clark and admiting them to herself. So seeing her with another man is far more believable, not to mention confortable, to me. I don't have problems seeing Clark with someone else as long as is either before he meets Lois or is just casual dating(specially in season 1).

If Clark decides to have a serious relationship with someone else, for any reason(Lois is married, dead, missing, doens't love him, ...), after all, I don't want him to be alone, I would have to believe that he loves this other person just as much as he loves/loved Lois(even if it is not the same kind of love) and he should tell this woman how he felt/fells about Lois. If he doesn't, it may seems that Clark is just using one to forget another or that Lois never meant as much to him in the first place.

The kind of love I believe Clark feels for Lois and Lois feels for him doens't die only because the person you love is no longer there, is not avaiable or doens't love you in return. And I can not accept that Clark would start a new relationship too soon, regardless the reason.

Clark is an unique man with an unique life, and he sees the world in an unique way. Trust would be a major issue to him and even after being with Lois and knowing it was possible for him to have a normal life, it would be dificult for him to let go and move on, finding a person he could share his life with, so I believe he wouldn't start a serious relationship only because he can or doesn't have Lois. (and this is just my opinion).

Every time I read a story about Clark being with someone else I ask these questions: Can Clark love someone other then Lois? Yes. Can he love someone else as much as loves Lois? I don't know. Does he loves this woman as much as he loves/loved Lois? If Lois shows up avaiable and loving him, what will he do? Will he stay in a relationship knowing he loves Lois more than the person he is with? Will he stay in a relationship only because he believes is the right thing to do? If he knew he could never love this person as much as he loves Lois, why did he start the relationship in the first place?

What about Lois? Can she be with someone else after loving Clark? Can she really love someone just as much?

Anyway, if it is well-writen and a believable story I will read.