Now that this thread has calmed down a bit, please let me inject myself once again.
After thinking for a few days about what I wrote, after reviewing some of the comments made after mine, and after reading the private messages I received, I’ve come to a definite conclusion.
Carol, I do owe you a sincere apology. I went over the top with the way I presented myself and my case and I should not have done so. I will endeavor to state my case in more measured tones in the future, and I hope that you will forgive me for my excesses. I had no intention of making you feel as if you’d been flamed, and I am truly sorry for that.
Now that I have stated the most important point, let me respond to a couple of other things. ML wrote:
Finally, I’d like to address some of the comments Terry leveled at Carol. I thought the comments were unfair. I think Carol is as entitled to her opinion as you are to yours, Terry. I suspect you’d like everyone to see things the way you do - and yet you criticize Carol by saying that she wants everyone to see things the way she does.
Earlier, I wrote:
If you want to express your opinion, please feel free to do so. If you don't like the same kinds of stories that I do, fine! You don't have to, and in fact there should be some disagreement, otherwise all the stories would sound the same.
Before that, I wrote:
If you're a Lois and Clark shipper, more power to you! Just remember that your ship isn't the only one on the high seas.
I also wrote:
I respect your opinion, Carol. It's just as valid and important as mine is. But it's just an opinion. You're coming across as if your viewpoint is the only correct one. It isn't. It's completely valid, and I am NOT telling you to keep it to yourself, but you should also respect the opinions and viewpoints of others on this issue. The perception, judging from your feedback postings on a number of stories, is that you do not grant that respect on this question.
And that was just in this thread.
ML, you’re an excellent writer with many wonderful stories on the archive, and I’d be surprised if these were the only ones you’ve written. I respect your opinion on these matters, and I’m a bit taken aback that you’d accuse me of not allowing someone else to hold a different opinion. Of
course Carol is entitled to her opinion. Of
course Carol (and anyone else) is entitled to state his or her opinion on the boards. What got the burr under my saddle was the bald statement that “X story isn’t L&C” without couching the statement as someone’s opinion and without giving any clear statement as to why it isn't L&C. And Carol is not the only one who’s made that statement, either in this thread or in other places.
If someone writes to me in a feedback folder and says, “Terry, your story ‘Intrigue On the Lusitania’ does not feel like a true L&C story to me. For one thing, it’s set in pre-World War I England. For several other things, Lois only appears in one scene and then gets killed, Lucy is a countess who is the main suspect, and Clark is only a deckhand who tosses the mooring lines from the deck to the ship. He’s not even a crew member!” Such a critique is fine with me, because it’s presented as an opinion with supporting documentation and a reasonable presentation of the reasons for that person’s opinion. I might pout at receiving such a response, but even I can see that this is not only valid but almost certainly correct. It would NOT be an L&C story, even if Jimmy and Cat solve the murder and Perry get promoted to captain. The qualities which would make it an L&C story are simply not present.
To return to the original thought of this thread, how do we know that author A has presented Lois as in love with someone who has supplanted Clark as “the love of her life?” Or vice versa? I think that’s a valid question, despite my insufferable pettiness in asking it earlier. I’d really like to know what people think about this. I’d like to know what to expect when I write my next long story, which pairs – oops. (waves hand in slow circle and types in a soothing voice) These aren’t the spoilers you’re looking for. Move along, move along...
Seriously, can we talk about this calmly? Because it would be nice to know what the readers are looking for and where the boundaries are. Sure, the majority of stories pair Clark and Lois at the end, and yay for that! I prefer to see them together too, at least most of the time. And if there are warning labels to alert the reading public – like a WHAM warning, or an ANGST warning, or a SPLUTTER warning – I’ll start using it if I know about it. I just hate to have
coming at me if I don't expect him.
Thanks for reading. I hope you’ll all forgive and understand my tantrum.
