Originally posted by sheilah:
Lois and Clark would never consciously cheat on each other, not the characters who grew up as they did: Lois seeing the effects on her family of her father's cheating and experiencing it in a variety of ways with her boyfriends; and Clark waiting for 30 years for the woman whom he could trust with everything before being sexually intimate.
I agree with you on a lot of this -- I could
maybe buy an alt-Situation. I forget the name, but I've seen an extremely well-done fic in which Lois came to believe that Clark was cheating on her.... That was also interesting and permitted the exploration of the emotional ramifications without destroying the characterization.
But with regard to Lois's past experiences in particular, you raise a very interesting question. Not specifically with regard to cheating but to anything parents have done that is unacceptable. Lois was hurt by her father's affairs and the divorce; that was, however, also the only parental example she's had.
I've seen children coming from a family of abuse or divorce or financial stupidity go on to commit precisely the same mistakes even though they knew it was a bad idea. I've also seen children from the same situation dedicate themselves to NOT repeating the mistakes of their parents. What makes the deciding factor between the two?
With regard to this fic idea, I would say the question might be more applicable if Ellen had cheated on Sam rather than the other way around; even so, I might buy it. I would certainly see it as easy for Lois to slip into an "All men are this way!" mindset in the (highly unlikely) event of Clark's infidelity. Whether she went thence to "...so I won't have better luck elsewhere," or to "...but I
will not be my mother!" I couldn't say.
My sweetheart and I had a discussion once about whether there is
anything that justifies an affair. Obviously, exclude memory-loss and such as there's no way for the person to know they have vows to betray. Basically, our conclusion was that a couple's wedding vows are "forsaking all others as long as we both shall live." It's not a conditional "forsaking all others as long as they can't offer me something I'm not getting from you." There are legitimate reasons for divorce; none that I've ever heard for an affair.
As far as the on-topic question goes, would I read such a story? Yes. Would I like it? You'd have to do it really well to convince me, but I'm willing to be convinced if you can give me a believable scenario. I think an affair is definitely wrong under any circumstances -- but I also think that Lois and Clark are good, not perfect. It's just that I can't think of a scenario I'd believe.
Sure, give it a shot!