Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic The Three Rules by Scarlett Burns - April Fanfic Club Discussion **Spoilers**

Discuss The Three Rules by Scarlett Burns here.

Thank you for having a discussion on this little gem! It is a pity Scarlett Burns never wrote another story, talent like hers is very good and refreshing. She made a character who was on the screen for less than a minute into a fully fleshed out person. Someone who Clark could call a friend.

This is the first time I've had a chance to read one of the club discussion stories, and what a first this was. I agree wholeheartedly with Morgana's assessment. Given that this story was only nominated for (but did not receive) a Kerth, the competition must have been extremely fierce in 2010.

Whoever suggested this story for the club, thanks for the recommendation. And thank you, Lois Lane Fan, for organizing these discussion groups.

Joy,
Lynn

I had read this story a number of years ago and had forgotten about it. I began reading and it all came back. This was a great story, the kind of stories I like to read around here. Nice, positive, uplifting, and quirky also. I loved Margaret's finally going to Clark's apartment and how she debated with herself whether to knock or not. Clark returning the favor by coming to her bookstore for the seminar was a nice finish.

I am so glad Meadowrose nominated the story.

Mike

Can I be completely honest? While I appreciate the idea of exploring minor characters to look at familiar events from a different point of view, by the time I was halfway reading this vignette I found myself bored... This lady makes a lot of thinking, but there's not much of a story here. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate a good dose of introspection, but to captivate me it has to be intertwined with things actually happening.

(I hope this doesn't sound too harsh-it's just my opinion, after all)

Actually HiddenMoon, that is fine and it did not sound harsh to me. It is just what each reader likes or does not like. I do not like the heavy angst, rape, and torture (physical or emotional) fics so I don't tend to read those types of stories. As they say to each his own. Because of my likes and dislikes I have read less and less of Sue's work over time because she does not shy away from the above topics much. There is actually a group of authors here that like to claim they are the Evil Writers .

Don't be afraid to claim your opinion and what makes you compelled to read (or not read) certain stories. I personally really enjoy the character building/fleshing out stories so this one appealed to me.

Mike

Hello, Hidden Moon!

Character studies can be very rich and open up the reader to learn more about the overall plot. Dear kind Margaret is a perfect example of such a study. During the time that Clark was healing from his prolonged exposure to Green Kryptonite he was in a very vulnerable place. At that time it would have been very difficult for him to talk to Lois, as she was healing from all the revelations of her almost wedding day.

Imagine this gentle lady knocking on his door to say 'thank you' to Superman. That took a lot of courage and by her own admission she was not a courageous person. She talked to Clark. Not as a superhero, but as a person and a potential friend.

It would have been nice to have Margaret and her neat little bookstore as much a part of his life as Bernie, Perry and Jimmy.

Just a thought...

By the way, opinions are welcome! Yours was not harsh in the slightest. Look at what a great discussion we have got going here!

This was the first time I ever read that story. It was good; a nice little introspective piece. Definitely slower paced, as was said, but not entirely devoid of interaction--for me, right now, it struck a good balance, although I can see one having to be in the mood for it.

What I like is that the story isn't just entirely in the character's head: the setting changes, words are exchanged, and things happen. For introspective pieces, it's often all too easy to have nothing but a series of thoughts presented in a near-vacuum. This one's slow, but relaxingly so, and I like how it fleshes out Ms. Hart's character.

This is one of the first L&C fanfic I read, and remains one of my favorites. It's one I can read over and over, especially when I need uplifting. I'm one who needs to be in the right mood to read heavy angst, tragedy, etc. My preference remains positive, uplifting stories.

Margaret's introspection and conflict about contacting Clark and knowing his secret shows the burden those knowing carry. And it's nice to see how a stranger becomes a friend giving Clark support and encouragement during a painful lonely time.

I was wandering around the site and came across this thread. Time to read this little gem again and include Ms. Hart in my next short story.

It is summertime and The Three Rules by Scarlett Burns is perfect to read by the pool. That is if the kids are not splashing and generally making a lot of noise which is what children do in the summertime. Ah, if only I could tap into that reservoir of energy!

I read this story a long time ago and I think I like it even more now that I'm older since I better understand how important it is to have people you can trust and talk to. I also love whenever I read a story that has an 'average' person help Clark and/or Superman. It's just something about it that makes me happy.