Otter's Rock

So!  I am in the mood for some Lois Lane, Awesome Girl Reporter.  I take me to AO3, and find the Lois Lane tag, and sort it by kudos.  What do I find?

Pages and pages of Clark Kent/Lex Luthor slash (Smallville era) and Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne slash (current movies), with the occasional welcome break for Kara Danvers/Cat Grant femmeslash (Supergirl TV show).  In all of these, Lois is a minor background character who either a) gets our heroes together, b) is the obstacle to them getting together, or c) is off on the casefic aspect of the fic while the main focus is on our heroes getting together.

Now, it's nice to have the occasional femslash thing in there, so it isn't all "Lois Lane Pushed Aside for Whitecock," but still.  I'm not looking for Lois Lane, Minor Supporting Character (and shoved into a one-dimensional box to facilitate someone else's love story).  I want Lois Lane, Awesome Girl Reporter!

Going for the Clark Kent/Lois Lane tag does get me stories where Lois is actually a main character, although also a lot of stories where she's just there to be shoved out of the way for the whitecock pairing.  But while I love CK/Lois Lane fics, it's frustrating that either I'm limited to that or slogging through ENDLESS PAGES OF OTHER STUFF to get to what I really want, which is Lois Lane doing her job and being AWESOME at it.

This is also my problem whenever I'm in the mood for Sam Wilson fics.  In a very high percentage of fics, he is there to facilitate the Steve/Bucky angst.

And here's the thing: if AO3's character tags were broken up into "main character" and "supporting character," when I want stories focusing on Lois Lane or Sam Wilson or any of the host of interesting characters who get shoved aside in favor of the Major Pairing, I could easily find fics where they are the focus!

Title: A Family Story
Author: beatrice_otter 
Fandom: Superman movieverse (with the Donner “Superman is Clark reveal” and the Lester amnesia kiss ending).
Characters: Richard, Clark, Lois
Word Count: 20,116
Summary: Jason’s three parents have a lot to learn about one another.
Betaed by: elf 
Rating: PG-13
AN: Alas, Brandon Routh did not see fit to fully utilize the differences between Clark Kent’s voice and Superman’s voice. (Much as I loved his portrayal, that’s one thing Christopher Reeve did better.) Please to hear this version of BR’s Superman/CK with greater difference between the two personas.
AN2: This has been sitting, half-finished, on my hard drive for three and a half years, since January 2007. I’m so incredibly glad to finally have it finished.


( Had Jason had a nightmare? )

Title: Lion-Headed Goddess with Bandages in Her Mouth
Author: Katt (xenokattz)
Rating: Teen (strong language)
Fandom: DCU (aka comic!verse)
Characters: Lois Lane
Summary: I'm Lois Lane. I'm the best investigative reporter living.

Go now.  Run, do not walk, to read this story.

Even if you have no interest in comic books or the media based on them, you MUST read this story.  This is perhaps the best story about a professional woman I've ever read.  This is the Lois I love, the woman who is kickass and Made of Awesome and sharp and witty and strong and is able to balance being her own woman with sharing her life and love with Superman and isn't a bitch.  (I have a strong problems with stories where women can only be strong if they are bitchy, and if they're not bitchy the story is all hearts and flowers and puppy dogs.  Yeah.  This story?  This story is how to do a strong woman right.)

What are you waiting for?  Go!  Read!