I think it's a matter of Lois' attitude from the beginning and the fact that she was always the one who had the choice in the relationship. Clark knew what he wanted, but he could only have it if Lois wanted it, too. If she didn't -- and let's face it, most of the time, she not only didn't know whether she did or not, she did her damnedest to fight it, hide her feelings and demonstrate her appalling taste in
human men.
We don't
need "punish Clark" fics; even if, as I do
not think, Clark deserves equal "punishment", most of the first two years of their relationship
is "punish Clark", coming to a head after the Sardine appears and is not immediately shot for lowering the human average IQ.
As for "Lois moving on" fics... well, why bother? On the simplest level, the name of the series is "Lois
and Clark", and it's the pair of them together -- the idea that Superman is more than just Clark Kent in a pair of tights and a cape -- that makes the series concept work. Without Clark, Lois has no reason to exist. There can be strong female characters like her, but
Lois Lane has been part of the Superman mythos right from the start, for nearly 70 years now, and without him, she may as well be... oh, I dunno, Wanda Detroit -- and I, for one, am not particularly interested in reading "The Adventures of Wanda Detroit." I can just about cope with "Clark moves on after Lois' death" fics because I'm a long-time Superman fan (though not of late), but there's still something
wrong about them -- which is why I
like the "soul mates" idea; it allows decades-hence tales of "Lois" and Clark to be told. (Hi, Nan!
)
I could go on, but won't; it's late, and the prospect of opening more worm-cans holds no attraction. And besides, I'm with Caroline and Pam (as you might have guessed
); I don't like that sort of story and will not read it -- not even so-called "amazing" stories like
Heaven's Prisoners, which, FWIW, I thought was horrible.
Phil
