I have seen in feedback threads that several people express an appreciation for a more hmm “low-key” response to the revelation.

I just wonder what people prefer and why.
Of course it’s about the context of the story but personally I really like those were Lois starts swinging.
I mean we constantly are told that Lois is uncompromising, egotistical and a terror at the office, yet somehow she can barely stay mad at Clark for a half episode. Surely her reputation has to come from somewhere? When she has been made a fool of in this way, she should really not hold anything back, just like in the show when she instinctively slaps him. Maybe that’s why I enjoy Labrat’s revelations.

I don't really have a preference, myself. I'll like it if it works with the story and won't if it seems completely off.

It's really just a matter of context. If she finds out herself, I think she's less likely to fly off the handle - if she's told, then I probably see her ego taking a bit of a blow. And then it depends where the story is set... Early first season, late second season, etc...

If it works within the context of the story, I think any revelation can be a good one.

I, too, think it depends entirely on the context in the story and how she finds out. We saw it both ways on the series. When Tempus taunts and mocks her, she was understandably upset and slapped Clark the first chance she got. When she discovered it herself as she recognized Clark's touch, she was vastly understanding. It apparently took her hours after being thawed to work up to some anger on the issue.

Context is everything.

Yes, yes, context is of course the main thing. And If she finds out on herself her ego also take less of a beating.

I can certainly enjoy all the variants;

1 Understanding, discussion,
2 Chock, let me think about it.
3 Full frontal assault.

Still, I have followed some threads were readers have expressed general approval that Lois handled the revelation in a mature sensible way.

I just thought that in general I enjoy it more when Lois starts as being thouroughly impossible before she has the time to think it through.

I go with the LaraMoon and Sue here, it depends on the story and how the relationship has been built up. If it "works," I'll take it.

Although I will say that I used to be partial to the blowout type of reaction when I started reading. Then as I read fic after fic with that reaction, I began to appreciate those who presented a Lois that didn't fly off the handle. *shrug* Maybe when I get tired of those then I'll go back. Still to reiterate--it really doesn't matter as long as the context makes her reaction believable.

Thank you for the compliment, Arawn! It quite made my day finding it in here. I was reading your post, finding your question interesting, when I kind of screeched to a halt at the last line.

As for your question, I was about to reply along the same lines as alcyone. I think that, generally speaking, if the story is well written and works in character most readers will appreciate any kind of revelation.

But at the same time, I do think that you get a sense of 'been there, done that' with the violent response stories now and then - even when they're perfectly in character - just because there's so much more of them than anything else.

So you tend to get 'cycles' where authors start writing softer responses and readers appreciate them more just because they've written/read a ton of violent response stories and just want a change for a while. Violent response stories never entirely 'go out of fashion' though.

I know that as an author, I'd pretty much reached that stage in my writing and if I hadn't stopped writing I'd have produced two or three soft response stories by now (most of which remain half written on my hd). I wouldn't have abandoned violent responses entirely, I'd have gone back to them at some point, but I just felt like a change, doing something different instead for a time.


LabRat

Took the words right out of my mouth! I think I said nearly the exact same thing in a feedback thread a few days ago! There are several well-written blow-out responses, but I've read so many of them that it's just nice for a different kind of response these days. But blow-outs will always hold a special place in my heart. :p

JD

I agree with everyone here... except when it is a fic set in the early stages of their relationship. As in when he first gets to the planet.

I can never understand myself why she would be so livid with him for not telling her with in the first few months of their friendship. I can see her being a little embarassed at first and maybe a little upset but not as angry as some people make her out. They give her the emotions of a 2nd or 3rd season Lois. I can see 2nd and 3rd season Lois being upset especially after the whole faked death thing.

That's me personally... it doesn't destroy my enjoyment of the fic or make me dislike it. It just nags at me a bit when I read it and then I move on.

The idea that Lois is going to learn that Clark is Superman then immediately take a swing at him is a little silly - she isn't stupid, and that's a good way to break your hand. I can see disappointment that he didn't trust her earlier, especially if they have known each other for a long time, but not blind rage.

I think, that's an interesting point because you can put it as well the other way round (that's probably my reaction pattern if I were Lois):

- If she HAS to find it out herself than this means, she could be just as well be very angry because he hadn't had the guts to tell it by himself. Lack of trust or why? Just as Lois put it in WHALTTA: "When did you plan to tell me? [...] When the kids start flying around the house?" (sorry, just roughly)

- If she didn't find out but got told (by him, that is... everything else (as in Tempus' ep) would probably end up the same as above), then she might not feel *that* cheated because he showed his will to share this secret with her.

Anyway, I agree with most of the other responses. But I must admit that I'm pretty much a softy, so I'm always happy to see them happily together pretty soon.
But then there are well-written angsty story which make my masochistic self surface

Jana

Yes but I thought this went without saying. Of course if the story doesn’t work and the build-up is disjointed, then I won’t enjoy banshee Lois either.

To clarify: All other things being equal. The story and everything else works just as well whether Lois screams her lungs out or turn philosophical. What do you people like to have then?

It’s seems like I don’t really understand what you ladies mean by blow-out.

The most common revelation IME is were Lois is angry, hurt and chocked and keeps her distance which seems to naturally follow her passive-aggressive character, but that isn’t violent or a blow-out for me. I’m thinking about foaming mad. Were Lois is physically violent. Like sugar and spice or lucky lunkhead. (Were she crushes her kerth awards on his skull.) Those stories are rather rare AFAIK.

But the point that it’s about phases, and if you have read a thousand "Lois angry at Clark" fics it’s refreshing with a change of pace, that I can understand.

Well I have told you this before you know. Both my favourite story "Burnout" and my favourite revelation. "In tomorrow comes".

And yet that was what she did in the show. Yes it’s irrational but that also show someone really lost in her emotions. Which I adore.

I agree. For being Mad Dog Lane, I see a lot of stories where Lois forgives and forgets faster than a speeding bullet.

That is why when I wrote "Inside Out," I decided to have her do more of a slow burn, torn between her love for him and her rage at being betrayed. And she definitely stays mad for a while. I don't like watered-down reactions to something so big because it goes against what we know of Lois.

I agree with both statements. I've read many revelation fics over the years (my favorite genre), and sometimes the reactions feel repetative. That's not to take anything away from the authors or the stories; it just happens that I was reading through many archived stories all at the same time and was itching for something different. So when I wrote Cheese of the Month, I had Lois actively trying to discover Clark's secret, and then had her act on that knowledge. I like it when Lois is proactive rather than reactive. I just think it was a nice change from the stories that I had been reading. Overall, though, I think many kinds of revelation reactions can work so long as the characters are well-established and in-character and the story is well written.

Though I really agree with a lot of the viewpoints here, that it depends on the story and so such, I really love a revelation where Lois figures it out in a bizarre way. Like the "Magic 8 Ball" fic that was recently posted. That was sheer brilliance! And it cut off before we really saw her huge, drawn out reaction. I love the short snappy one shots. Or the kind where Lois gets revenge. Those are fun too.

But usually, they're all pretty good. It helps to have fantastic writers in the fandom!

Anything is fine with me, as long as it fits in the story AND (very important) all turns out well and they live happily ever after

I tend to write the softer revelations. First, I tend to write elseworlds and alts, and so my Lois and Clarks don't have the same sort of shared history that the canon characters had that led to her rage. I agree with the other posters about the season one blow ups being a little strange. Season 2...sure...especially after they started dating.

And same as the others about getting tired after reading a thousand angry Lois's...it's nice to get a contemplative Lois every now and again.

I, think, too it depends on the story. but to go to another extreme, in a way, lois is lucky Clark got to feeling he wanted to tell her at all after the way she treated him. Once, again, let me remind everyone that L and C are meant to be together, I agree completely, I just would have liked to see C stand up a little better for himself.

Mona

I'll be different, I like the "soft" revelations, because no matter how much Lois has gotten over her crush on Superman, she still finds him pretty awe-inspiring, and I can't imagine that she'd immediately be able to start yelling at him even if he turns out to be her best friend. I also think there'd be a touch of triumph that she's gotten the guy that so many other women want--let's face it, she likes winning any competition.

I also like the revelation fics where Clark comes across as less wimpy--c'mon, after S1 he feels guilty about hiding things (both the Superman secret and that he loves her) from Lois, but he's shown that he's the one man strong enough to stand up to her anger, and even if he doesn't want to hurt her, and doesn't know what he can do to make things right, he doesn't have to cringe like a puppy in front of her. I've read a few stories where Clark comes across as so weak emotionally that I can't understand what Lois sees in him. The Clark I saw in the show was strong in many ways, with just enough human weaknesses to make him lovable (although I admit I turned it off during the S3 clone arc and never watched it again until I bought the DVDs last year).