This is the last post I am going to make where I try to explain the ideas
behind my story. I feel like I'm repeating myself, and I also feel like I
made these ideas more than clear in the story itself. If not, I'd appreciate
actual C&C on how to make them more clear rather than continued knocking
down of straw horses; it should be abundantly clear from my posts here what
my intent for the story was.
Mostly, this is the last post I'm going to make because I'd rather spend the
time writing or doing other fun things, rather than having an argument.
on 8/24/2000 11:39 PM, David Johnston <rgorman@telusplanet.net> wrote:
What puzzles me is how Ranko magically lost that Ranma hoof in mouth disease.
This indicates that she was deliberately saying insensitive and hurtful things
to be
"manly". This does not make me think well of her. Nor do I think tact is one
of
biological perks of being female.
She was saying hurtful things because she didn't want anybody to get close
to her. Akane figured this out in chapter 1, and expresses it in her
thoughts. People in pain -- or with shameful secrets to hide -- often push
other people away. I'm sorry if that makes you think less of them. It makes
me feel sorry for them.
I know lots of tactful men and tactless women, so I agree with you. Ranko
develops tact because she is not pushing people away any more, and because
she naturally cares about people, and lets that start to show in new ways.
I have to say I have no idea where you got the ideas you are ascribing to me
here. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I believe that a lot of our
temperament and emotional makeup is inborn. I also think that, *on average*,
this differs between men and women. The rest is nurture and our own will.
Something like tact is a learned social skill, not a biological imperative.
Please don't put words in my mouth.
...Ok. I've done that. I feel fine about it.
Well, I'm glad the idea of waking up tomorrow as the opposite sex but still
being you inside doesn't bother you in the slightest. My understanding is
that's an unusual outlook.
Akane for a start. Look how she reacted in the blow to the head story.
That Akane is in love with Ranma in a romantic way. This Akane is not; she
loves Ranma as a sibling. I made that as clear as I possibly could, in
chapter 1, and I've repeated it here more times than I care to count. I
thought it was a neat alternate explanation for the behavior between the two
of them, and I still do. It only works early in the manga, because later on,
it's quite clear they have romantic feelings for each other.
The school administration because it creates very confusing paperwork and
adjustments.
Really? How do you think they would react? "Your birth certificate and
childhood records aren't valid, Saotome-kun."?
Ryoga, who has lost what he enjoyed more than anything else
in the world.
That's one possible interpretation. I don't see Ryouga that way. I think
this is more a fanfic idea than something in the manga. I see Ryouga as
someone who wants revenge on Ranma for specious reasons, but really mostly
because Ranma rubs him the wrong way and Ryouga is immature (anyone who
blames all his problems on other people is immature). I tried to come up
with an alternate explanation for why Ranma rubs him the wrong way.
Kodachi.
She doesn't even know they're the same person, so how can she object to
Ranko's change? She does attack Ranko, until Ranma fades from her attention,
something that makes perfect sense for a psychotic, which she clearly is.
How should her behavior be different?
Ukyo. Shampoo. None of whom
have demonstrated an inclination to accept things as anything except what
they want them to be.
Make a suggestion as to how they ought to react, and how it makes the story
*better*, as opposed to merely *more familiar*.
Happosai, who no longer has a worthy heir to the
school. (That Ranma's a girl isn't necessarily a problem. That Ranma's
a girl who doesn't care about martial arts and wants to become a concert
violinist says that the school of Anything Goes Martial Arts dies with
Happosai and the dads.)
Too bad for Happousai. Who cares but him? Do you think the fathers care
enough to push Ranko to stay a boy? What should happen in the story, and how
would it be better as a result?
I wanted to write a story about change. Not just for Ranko, but for all the
characters. Having them trot out the same old knee-jerk reactions I've seen
in countless stories makes them comfortable, familiar, cardboard
caricatures, not human beings capable of growth. Caricatures are appropriate
for comedy, but not drama. I tried to show everyone having to deal with
Ranko's change in their own way. I, personally, found that a lot more
interesting and respectful to the characters. I *like* these characters, and
I wanted to give them a chance to be real people. Ryouga, Ukyou, and Shampoo
all grow up a little in this story. I think it's because what has happened
to Ranko is such a shock it breaks them out of their ruts. *Everyone* in
this story goes through change.
If you think that Ryouga, Shampoo, Ukyou, and the others should react as
mindless automatons ("Please insert 50 yen coin for canned response"), why
do you think that makes for a better story?
Really? Seems to come naturally and without effort. If I recall the earlier
chapters correctly, she seemed to change to feminine speech without effort
and positively welcomed the opportunity to dress femininely. Apart from
her "I'm a girl so I have no right to a competitive drive" complex there
didn't
seem to be many problems.
The Ranma in the manga is quite capable of using feminine speech when he
wants to. He gets pretty good at it pretty quickly, too. He's a little over
the top as Ryouga's fiancee, he's better as Yoiko, and pretty shortly after
that he's flawless. It's not like he's practicing a lot, either.
Why would Ranko not want to dress in a feminine way? She wants to be a girl.
She says so herself. It's not like it's the first time she's worn female
clothing, either. Again, the canon Ranma in the manga may whine about
wearing girl's clothes, but that doesn't stop him if he thinks it can get
him something. He gives his mirror twin flirting lessons in a very revealing
dress, and this is the Ranma who is supposed to be a *guy* inside.
I guess I see more problems for her than you do: she's terrified of her own
sexuality and femaleness and the implications of that, she's terrified of
meeting people and socializing as a girl, she's terrified everyone will
despise her and think she's a pervert, she has no idea who she is supposed
to be anymore, she's realized she doesn't really want to pursue the thing
that was her entire life before, she believes she's going to fail as a
violinist, and her parents are ready to kill each other and her family has
fallen apart.
But I'll admit that I stopped reading it three
chapters
or so ago. (I think. I've lost track.)
I think your tone here speaks for itself. What was your purpose in writing
your e-mail?
"That was Saotome Ranma, not Saotome Ranko."
Does that sound like someone who thinks Ranma was a monster, or had no
worth?
Absolutely. It sounds like someone ashamed of who they were to the point
where they are pretending it was someone else to me.
When Akane praises Ranko, Ranko says "That was Ranma, not me." So this
"absolutely" means she's ashamed of *Ranma*. Would you mind explaining your
logic here? To me, it sounds like someone who doesn't believe she's capable
of excelling the way she used to. Who believes she is less than she used to
be. I think you are reading something into the story which is not there.
I think Ranko *is* ashamed of the way she sometimes *behaved* as Ranma: an
egotistical jerk. Do you deny that Ranma is an egotistical jerk sometimes? I
am sure she is not ashamed of Ranma as a person, however. She feels very
inadequate next to him. Ranma's whole self-image was based on being a man
amongst men and being a top martial artist. Ranko doesn't have either of
those anymore. That's partly by her choice, but it still leaves her feeling
lost.
Again, I've made it more than clear what my intentions were. Since the
characters feel and do what I tell them to, I would appreciate some concrete
C&C on how to make my intentions more clear, rather than being told I'm
wrong about my own characters' motivations.
Hunh. Why is Shampoo even there any more? If I was her, I would have gone
home the moment I accepted that Ranma really was a girl...unless I wanted to
check
and see whether she was a _lesbian_ girl.
Maybe she's finally realized she's not going to become an Amazon leader by
thinking only about chasing after boys. Maybe Cologne wants her to get an
education -- as she mentions in the story.
Deborah