Subject: Re: [FFML] [discussion] Akane loves P-chan!
From: "Mr. the Rutsch" <jdrutsch@ucdavis.edu>
Date: 10/27/1996, 6:50 PM
To: fanfic@fanfic.com

On Sun, 27 Oct 1996, Chris Willmore wrote:

(Bad Karma snipped ^_^...)

Here's another 'shock-fic''.
        It was a sunny day in El-Hazard, and everyone was happy until Mr.
Fujisawa killed Makoto in a bloody way for no reason whatsoever. Tsk.

A little unfair...the story did work to immerse the reader in the
innocence of the Ranma 1/2 universe, and then suddenly pull the plug.

Now, if he'd given a suitable REASON... For instance, if Akane had just
learned about Ryouga's curse, AND gone through some severe psychological
and physical stress recently to stretch her to the breaking point, THEN
it could make a VERY good dark-'fic.  [In fact, if Webdragon will allow
me, I would like to write that version, as an example of what a dark-'fic
SHOULD be like.]  As is, I find the story pointless, and, as mentioned
above, an insult to writers of dark-'fics everywhere.

Beedah.

Personal preferences.  I'm not going to hold "Akane Loves P-Chan" up as
the ultimate fanfic.  At the same time, I think there's a definite power
and disturbingness to be derived from *not* precisely spelling out why a
character isn't acting like you'd most easily imagine.  Answered questions
aren't nearly as disturbing, or as interesting, as unanswered questions.  

And there's a distinction to be made between being OOC and not
over-rationalizing a character's actions.  IMHO, many of the "better"
darkfics feel it necessary to take every bit of darkness to the story and
explain it away, which purely IMHO, makes it somewhat monotonous and
formulaically dark, indistinguishable from all the other lomanfics out
there.  I think "Akane Loves P-Chan" would work best as it is...as an
absurd short.  

My apologies if this seems like a flame; it isn't meant to be.  Using
'Dark=condoned OOC' is an all-too-frequent occurrence, and 'Akane Loves
P-Chan' is just the straw that broke the camel's back.

"Different strokes for different folks," or something like that.

Jeff

****jdrutsch@ucdavis.edu***********************Jeff Rutsch***************** 
I -I -I-I *"She's a kind hearted woman, she studies evil all the time.
IV-IV-I-I * She's a kind hearted woman, she studies evil all the time.
V -IV-I-I * You well's to kill me, as to have it on your mind."-R. Johnson
**^_^***.daed si luaP**^_^**Bird Lives**^_^**Ranma Loves Akane**^_^****^_^*