Just dropping in again to say ditto LabRat - fascinating debate, and I should have said before, Dundan - welcome.
As Tank said, it's fiction.
Sure, there's a question of whether the reactions of the characters here are believable or not in the circumstances, and that's got to be down to individual readers. Some believe it could happen; others don't. No-one's right or wrong here.
I encounter scenarios in fanfic sometimes which I don't really feel are credible, but others do - YMMV.
As you say, Dundan, in the episode Lois soldiered on; she turned up at the Planet the next day, griefstricken but determined to do her job. But we're posing a different scenario: what if Clark's 'death' was even more traumatic as a result of his confession of love, and what if Clark was with her as Superman, even more devastated than he was in the series because he was seeing her grief too? Sure, you still might not be able to accept this outcome, but we believe that it's one logical possibility.
Carol, yes, Kae and I were just saying last night (well, this morning for her
) that this is similar to the discussion on an early part of Second Stage of Grief. I think the credibility issue is somewhat similar here too. Incidentally, Carol, I don't think we were trying to imply that it was a turn-on, as you put it - if it came across that way, we'll have to look again at the scene. What happened was, as we see it, two people turning to each other to share uncontrollable grief. There was no conscious thought there. Lois desperately needed to feel close to someone; I think someone suggested that there might even have been some element of subconscious awareness that she was with Clark. Well, she did think that Superman was even sounding like Clark at that point. No, that's not a clue about what might be coming up!
It's just an observation about something else which might have affected her impulses. Not her thought processes - let's face it: she wasn't thinking.
Thanks so much for being so enthusiastic in this debate. If anyone really can't accept this development, then we'll perfectly understand if you don't want to read on - we won't be offended.
For those who can, we'll look forward to seeing you in the next comment folder.
Wendy
