Discover Top Posts Tagged with #wahhoooo

Jun 26, 2025

So you want to write Lois/Clark/Bruce (or similar)...

Here are some ideas of things that I like to keep in mind when writing Lois and poly or exes cloisbat. It is far from a checklist, and I have absolutely no judgment for those who follow different approaches, but this is the advice I would give to exploring cloisbat writers.

First 2 points are about conscientious writing. The rest are relevant information about Lois.

1. Be intentional and respect your own character arcs.

A common pitfall that cloisbat or exes!clois fics fall into is using Lois solely as a tool to get superbat together*, and then abandoning her without resolution. Regardless of your thoughts on Lois, this can be quite weak writing as it leaves a plot thread conspicuously untied.

So, if you're using her as a major supporting character, be intentional with her arc. To be clear, she doesn't have to be part of the endgame. But what does she get out of it? Does she find solid ground in single life? Do we see glimpses of her working on a story even as her and Clark are still struggling to recover from a break up? She deserves a spot in the epilogue.

If you want her to be a minor character/cameo, then ask yourself why she is the right fit for the scene, and what dimensionality you can allude to her having so her minor inclusion makes sense. Be intentional about her minor role - why isn't she in the main part? Why is she allowing x to happen? Why choose to cameo her in the first place?

There is no right or wrong reason to give for her inclusion or lack there of, but being intentional with why you chose her, what she brings to the story, and how to provide her a resolution, will keep her the fleshed out character we know her to be and your writing stronger itself.

*see later points for expansion on the wingman Lois trope

2. Tell us why they are together.

While the statement "everyone is a little bit in love with Lois Lane" is canon, that doesn't mean it's solid enough proof for a story.

- Yearning -

Consider a fic that starts off in modern comics with a yearning Bruce. It sets the scene by saying that everything is the same as standard canon, and that Bruce has fallen in love with both Clark and Lois.

Immediately, that feels unbalanced. Clark and Bruce have decades of close history to draw from, we can see how/when Bruce would have fallen in love. But we can't easily picture it with Lois who interacts with him so rarely.

Instead of telling us what features Bruce has fallen in love with in vague terms "her brilliance, her beauty, the way she keeps Clark on his toes*" (which reads much more as superficial admiration rather than love), tell us when he fell for her. It only has to be a single throwaway line, but it gives us the implication that they've actually had time/opportunity to fall. Maybe it was when Lois saved Superman in battle, or maybe when he caught her sneaking around the back halls of a gala, or even over the course of monthly family dinners with Clark and Lois. Give us a reason to see Bruce's love for Clark and Lois as even approaching equal in his eyes.

*"her fierce personality, her determination, her fight for the truth" was my original list of attributes, but I liked it too much. It doesn't make her sound as much like a Barbie whose main purpose is to love Clark in a way Bruce approves.

- Dating -

It's an acknowledged problem in canon comics that they struggle to properly show why Clark fell for Lois*. It's even harder for Lois and Bruce.

So tell us: how do they have fun together? Why are they dating? Show us that they genuinely and uniquely enjoy each other's presence.

Some ideas for what keeps them coming back:

A sense of shared adventure, team-ups, or information sharing

Enjoyable conversations, sex, shared activities (like finding refuge together at high class events)

Tension and dares. Constantly getting in each other's way, poking each other's buttons, challenging each other to do things. Enjoying the chase and the catch.

Emotional connection - being the one who truly seems to understand the other, or who they can share (at least some of) their secrets with. Coming together in grief over a third's death

Ulterior motive - fake dating, revenge on the third, manipulation to get information, rebounding after a break up.

Note: Lois isn't actually super materialistic - at least not as a major character trait in comics. She loves to dress up, and she loves her Maserati (and stealing Bruce's) but she isn't swayed by riches and even asks Clark to stop giving her fancy gifts. As such, Bruce's tax bracket likely wouldn't be a primary reason for attraction. Instead, she's often attracted to features like charm, bravery, compassion, heroics, adventures, and proof of an interesting/exciting life - whether this is found in superheroes or in civilians like actors, astronauts, and fellow reporters.

* read the forward to Man and Superman by Marc Wolfman to see how one writer confronts this

- Married + third -

It's a common default that Clark and Lois are already married. It's also common for fanfiction to then add Bruce on as a third - often just for Clark.

Polyamory can come with added complications, extra communication*, and equal respect for all sides. It isn't a blank slate where their first-established relationship (in this case, married Clois) has no effect. Even if they're in a "don't talk, don't tell" open arrangement, a long term marriage will still have a foundational impact on the characters, regardless of how short it's time in the overall plot is.

*I say this, and yet my favourite trope to write is polyamory miscommunication. Just because they need to communicate to be healthy, doesn't mean you have to write them in a healthy relationship. Let them be dumb and hurtful and confused and never know what the other is thinking

Honestly, I'm all for a superbat story where it mentions that Lois and Clark are still married. But if superbat are getting together while clois are married - why? Let us hear from Lois. Tell us why it's in this form, and why each player enjoys it (or not).

If it's already a pre-established arrangement, and you have space for it in your story, remember the unfeatured pairings! Even in a throwaway line, let us know what the unfeatured character (in this case, Lois) is doing. And remember: she won't be all "go get 'em, tiger!" all the time. She'll be busy, she'll have her own life and concerns, and this arrangement may be routine to her. Give her three dimensionality instead of only existing to cheer on superbat.

(Also you should totally let her kiss Bruce too, and tell us why she likes him... but I'm biased like that)

(actually no fuck it this is my post. if youre not writing cloisbat where loisbat is a central feature, what in the hell are you doing. believe that they can love each other. now.)

- Exes -

If any of them are exes, that sets a distinctive stage. It automatically makes us ask: why were they together? why did they break up? and what will make this next relationship different?

The three of them share a lot of similar flaws - too busy, too stubborn, too prone to isolating themselves. They are constantly invasive and have little respect for boundaries, while keeping their own so high. As such, if you make two of them exes, what's to say that the next arrangement won't have the same flaws that drew the first one apart?

Having a semi-prominent ex relationship is almost a Chekhov's gun in a romance story - consider giving us the resolution in how the characters face similar problems and overcome it, or why this one is different. (Here's a hint: the next relationship can have the same flaws. But this time they will have grown and learned from their past mistakes and know how to navigate it better) (or maybe they haven't, and it stays delightfully messy)

3. What happens when they break up?

Lois and Clark have broken up a lot (or gone on major separations after fights), and three things almost always happen:

The initial conversation is civil. It is sad and 90% Lois talking and calling the shots because she has already made up her mind. However, this usually comes after many failed attempts to get Clark to talk through their issues before.

Lois leaves for weeks/months. It's the same thing she does after nearly every tragedy, and alludes to her childhood growing up constantly moving. Sometimes she goes backpacking herself, sometimes she goes to visit/travel with her family, almost always she tells Clark not to contact her and doesn't pick up the phone. (If Clark is already travelling, she'll stay where she is and ask him not to come back).

They struggle being friends. This is the main thing I see fanon depart from, but in canon, exes!clois are incredibly messy. Their lives are so intertwined that sometimes the months of space isn't enough. They fight often. As Lois Lane (1986) says, "They had gotten too close. It was easy to get hurt, to misinterpret moves". Consider that the primary reason they break up is Clark not opening up to her and Lois fighting for her independence.

Sometimes Lois leaves after they fail at being friends (post-crisis engagement break off), sometimes the failure takes place repeatedly over the many years after she returns (bronze age). As for canon reasons Clark and Lois fight/break up:

Independence - Lois fighting for her to not just be "the wife". Clark trying to stop her from publishing certain stories when they have a difference of political opinions. Superman not wanting to marry her because he knows she would hate being a stay at home mom.

Secrets/Emotional Availability - Clark/Superman not opening up. They both know his identities, but he will never admit it. He says its to protect her, but they both know that's a flimsy excuse just to keep his own self-isolation

Infidelity/Jealousy - Clark and Lori kissing while clois is engaged. Lana interfering with their relationship - with words and kisses. Clark's dubious attraction to Wonder Woman. Superman failing to appreciate Lois/stringing her along for years while he seriously courts other women as well. Similarly, José breaks up with Lois because he knows she's in love with Clark

Physical Availability - Their constant busy schedule. Clark spending a year away from her and then immediately leaving again. Superman failing to save her father's life (she knows it's not his fault but the blame and resentment still grow).

Bruce and Lois date and break up much less often. But their reasons have been: because she finds out Bruce is Batman, because she finds out he isn't Superman, or because Bruce is no longer amnesiac.

Because of how big jealousy can be in their relationships, and how messy their breakups and attempted friendships are, I really advise steering away from the "ex is happily my wingman" trope for clois without intense consideration over how to make that work. However! When she's dating someone else and they're best friends (à la N52)? She canonically tries to be his wingman then. Wingman!Lois is not at all impossible, but in my opinion it's very hard to make work in character when they are exes.

4. Lois + Jealousy

Lois has an incredibly complicated relationship to jealousy - and in various eras (especially the Silver Age) it was considered one of her primary traits. However, what she does get jealous at or not is very specific.

What makes her jealous?

Self-comparison - Lois can be very insecure, especially when compared to powerful, beautiful women. The primary example of this is Wonder Woman, who was long a source of insecurity for Lois before they became friends. Famous actresses, models, and princesses can also spark this comparison-fueled jealousy.

Emotional Infidelity - For years, Superman never committed to either Lois or Lana (or any other), and actively courted them both, promising that one of them would be the one he would marry. And Lois was jealous. As a whole, her bouts of jealousy are when seeing Superman/Clark actively pursuing other women (Lana, Cat, etc) or being pursued by an ex (Lori, Simone, etc). She also caught him and Lori kissing when engaged—but curiously, she never brought it up when she dumped him a few weeks later (because she saw Clark put a stop to it? It's up to interpretation as to why). But, in summary, she is jealous when there is a genuine romantic threat.

Secrets - Lois is incredibly curious; honesty in her partnerships is very important to her. She worries what Clark is doing when he's not with her—she'll watch him walk out of her apartment arm in arm with Wonder Woman and wonder what goes up when they're off together. And it is a valid worry, as Clark does keep secrets—belatedly telling her that him and Lana kissed, never telling her that him and Lori were engaged, working behind her back with Perry, etc

What doesn't make her jealous?

Tricks - For decades, Lois was pushed into many scenarios where her and Superman could get married, but she never took them. She would never marry him based on a trick, and doesn't believe in anyone else who uses tricks to get him. And, so, she has set him up in fake relationships, and (modernly) has felt nothing but compassion for when he has been kissed by strangers without consent. (In contrast, Superman would set her up on fake relationships (including with Bruce), and then, despite knowing it's fake, still become very jealous)

When she is taken - This varies depending on the story, but the biggest example is in the n52. Lois and Clark are each other's missed chances, and Lois instead dates Jon Carroll, a war correspondent. She isn't jealous over Clark dating, and even tries to set Clark up with her sister, despite considering him "the guy I almost fell in love with".

The other lovers themselves - A very important note is that Lois becomes friends with her "competition". They may initially start as jealous rivals, but eventually they settle into a balance. Even after catching Lori and Clark kissing, she still stays friends and roommates with Lori. After getting to know Diana, she becomes the one Lois asks to take care of Clark when Lois is gone. Lana is... complicated. But when Lana isn't actively trying to sabotage their relationship, well, Lois put it best: "We'll always be good friends even though we're both in love with the same guy." There are even imaginary endings where both Lois and Lana are happily dating Superman together.

Which comes down to the question: does Bruce make Lois jealous?

It's up to interpretation, and each person's reading of her tone. For example, consider the classic exchange from Checkmate vol 3:

Do you read bitterness in Lois' voice? Is it over Bruce's closeness, or the fact that Clark affords more freedoms to him than he does to Lois? Is Lois mentioning their closeness in support, or in jealousy?

She has actively supported Clark and Bruce's friendship in the past and pushed for them to become even closer. I think you could write it either way, but I don't think she often is. She looks down on Bruce just enough not to compare herself, and she knows the ins and outs of Clark's relationship with him sometimes better than Clark does. She is allowed to intrude on Bruce's space, and that is the biggest signal of trust between them.

5. Lois is invasive (and that isn't necessarily bad)

One of my favourite aspects of Lois, Clark, Bruce (and Selina), is that all they have very skewed ideas of boundaries. And yet, it comes with a few major aspects:

It is mutual/consensual - Lois expects Clark to spy on her, just as Clark expects her to read his work notes and steal his stories. Bruce has no issue with Lois stealing his car, just as Lois knows that Bruce is tracking where she takes it. As Lois Lane (1986) says, "She grew to appreciate [Superman's help], even use it to her advantage. But that was okay, they were both reporters. It was part of their job, using people. So he knew what she was doing and he went along with it." It becomes their symbol of trust and of the highest respect. They know that the other will use these knowledge and tools in important ways. And often, they love each other, it isn't an imposition.

(Sometimes Lois' pushing can also be interpreted as threat—if Bruce shares everything with Clark, then he must with Lois as well, and if not she might draw Clark away).

I think its also important to note that the Lois who takes what ever information or tools she wants (in modern comics at least) is Work!Lois. At home, information is something to be given, never hidden and needing to be pried. Work!Lois and Batman get along splendidly, but Home!Lois and Batman don't—in her space, they follow a different set of rules.

She requires absolute honesty in her protected space, and for it to be a haven away from the rest of the world. When Bruce or Kara brings bad news, she demands answers, then treats them as invaders and tells them to get out. In my opinion, one of the worst things you could do is lie to her in her own home.

As such, you can extend this mentality outwards and choose to go with post-crisis Lois who respects the sacred nature of others' home life too. She is surprised that Batman expects her to know who he is under the mask. Bruce thinks that Clark would have shared everything with his wife, meanwhile Lois never asked—she respected his non-work privacy.

So consider what they are and are not invasive about, and to what extent they would share that information. There are many variants. Lois doesn't often leak Superman's identity—but would she try to figure it out? Would she leak it under dire circumstances? Does Clark treat Lois' invasion as a game to playfully undermine, or does he go the other route and spy back? Does she consider Bruce an invader when its the Batman who knocks on her door? Lois takes objects and information and breaks into public buildings—would she break into a home?

6. Lois and Sex

Lois and Clark have a decently active (stymied by very busy schedules), and often playful, sex life. (Side note but: Lois mostly sleeps in the left side of the bed - Clark on her right). How active it is when she's single varies depending on canon, but it can range from seemingly nightly dates with random suitors, to fast hook ups with old friends, to having sex with Clark on their first date but not with anyone else she was tentatively seeing.

Would she easily hook up with Bruce when Clark was dead? Potentially—it was in Snyder's plans, and she does kiss Jeb in the comics. But this kiss comes after turning his more explicit advances down, and is racked with guilt after. One common through-line in post-crisis comics is that it is very hard for her to do anything more than share a kiss and spend some time together with anyone other than Clark. However, this is very much not the same in other eras! Do whatever you want, forever.

- Kinks -

A character's sex life is often incredibly up to interpretation, and has lots of room to play around with and take creative control. Lois is no different.

It's very common to write Lois taking a dominant dynamic in bed, and there is some canon basis for that! While incredibly fun, and often in character, I want to take a moment to promote vanilla and sub Lois too.

As mentioned numerous times before, Work!Lois and Home!Lois can be different—home is a place Lois rigorously defends for the right to relax. Half of her macho bravado is taken to the extreme in public for the sake of getting what she wants in the way her fathers (General Lane and Perry) modelled and taught her. At home, she lets the intensity (and mask, if you want to call it that) slip. As such, I believe she should occasionally have simple vanilla sex when she is with someone she loves and trusts, and allow herself to relax in bed like she does elsewhere at home.

And for sub Lois... you can 100% lean into the playful brat route. You can also lean into the fact that she is incredibly attracted to an incredibly big strong man. Bottom line is, don't think you're stuck to dom Lois!

That said, we do know 2 of Lois's kinks:

Exhibitionism (and flying sex around the city)

Roleplay (sometimes as pre-reveal Superman and herself, or both as other characters)

----

Pretentious conclusion:

Fanfiction does not exist without outside context. While in original works you could get away with using a girl best friend as a cameo tool to get the main male characters together, Lois is already a fully fleshed out character in canon. You are not introducing an NPC when you mention her in the background, you are flattening a primary. It's up to your fic and your plans to figure out how much you want to include her in a cloisbat or exes!clois fic—but be intentional. If you want to strengthen the reading of your fic, try to allude even briefly to her complexity.

In my mind, Bruce loves Clark partially because he loves Lois—it reassures him that Clark can love a human. And Lois loves Clark partially because he loves Bruce—it reassures her that Clark can love someone so flawed.

I personally think Lois can be very interesting in polyamorous situations. For it to be healthy, it would require intense honesty, the respect to let the other pry, and the respect to leave when the boundaries around her space are slammed down. I also think she needs to look down on Bruce, just a little, just enough to bring him to her level, if she is to share him with Clark.

I referenced a lot of things here, if you want me to expand on any of them i can, but it might take a while to find the exact issue number.

thank you for reading this large sampling of a small number of my cloisbat considerations

#posting this now and regretting it in the morning #wahhoooo #dc comics #batman #superman #clark kent #bruce wayne #lois lane #my rambles #cloisbat #clois #loisbat #superbat

sisaloofafump