On Mon, 28 Oct 1996, Caroline Ann Seawright wrote:
Well written and everything, but you wanted to talk about issues, ne?
I completely agree that this story was very well written....
Somehow, I don't think it's possible for a person to change preferences
just like that ... I would *never* go for a girl, even if I had the
body of a guy ... It's not a thing you learn, nor a thing that someone
can teach you ... It's just something that is ... Although some people
change preferances, I don't think that it would happen like that.
Alright. When I read these comments before reading "Thy Outward Love" I
was completely prepared to disagree with it. I have an unusual point of
view in life because I was raped about 3 years ago and I had a time where
I was basically not into guys. The event itself changed my perspective,
and I was willing to consider women as more than friends. I can equate
Ranma's rejection by his family and fiancee, as well as the violent
realization that he could never revert to being male, as equivalent, or
even WORSE than what I went through, because -I- at least could eventually
get on with things and return to normal, whereas Ranma would perpetually
be stuck as a woman.
However, upon deeper consideration of this, I realized that I DID
revert back to how I was before (boy-crazy) and that my basic inner self
came back out. I was never as homophobic as Ranma is ("I'm a GUY!!!")
and, I think, I might have had inclinations (or at least curiousity)
toward the same sex PRIOR to what happened to me... SO, it does not seem
that strange that I would have let that other side of myself emerge during
a time when I was in pain.
That considered, what would Ranma do?
Ranma has had experiences in both forms (with Akane, Ukyou,
Shampoo as a guy, and with Kuno as a girl), but I think that he really
DOES react violently to the idea of homosexuality. For Ranma, no matter
what form he is in, I think he will ALWAYS think of himself as a guy and
like women (especially Akane.) Wheras -I- fell into the rejection of the
opposite sex, I think -Ranma- would instead make himself more and more and
more masculine to prove that he is a "guy" no matter how many years he has
been stuck in his female form. I do, and I apologize to those who disagree
with me, beleive that Ranma would commit sepakku (sp?) before he would
enter into a PERMANENT relationship with a male. Why?
He has been forcefully raised his whole life to be as masculine as
possible; whereas I was encouraged to not make up my mind until I was
sure.
I made up my mind, and I am ONLY into guys now, and I will stay
that way, but I am almost positive that Ranma, although he
might experiment, would end up ONLY liking girls. I also don't think that
Ranma would go from ultra-masculine dress to suddenly be wearing frilly
sundresses. He wore those before in times of necessity, but he was always
critical of them, and I just can't see him suddenly becoming
ultra-feminine. Even -I- am not ultra feminine, and I have always been a
woman. I like dresses, occasionally, but basically I feel they are a
nuisance because you can't go biking, hiking, etc. in them. For Ranma to
make this sudden conversion would be psycologically astounding.
or however close she was to me ... It just seems really wrong for Ranma,
too ... He HATES being thought of as a homosexual - and now he's just
thrown himself into BEING one ...
I agree at this point. And, after I attempted to try out an altered
sexual view, I was probably just as violently dissuaded as Kun-chan feels
that she would be. It wasn't the IDEA, it was just that it turned out not
to be my thing, and I could never be like that. I thought I might, I was
curious, but it didn't turn out and that's just the way it is.
Now, I see that Richard is not saying that Ranma has DECIDED
(although the dress is fairly indicative), and we don't see the results of
the encounter. I can understand how this could be a story about Ranma
testing out his sexuality, trying to decide whether he really can enter
into a relationship with a man, because of his situation.
HOWEVER, I really think that Ranma would freak. I have talked to
several men about their experiences with homosexuality, and that
curiousity can be very strong. Some end up liking it, others try and then
decide that they NEVER want to do it again, others never even question
that they like women and ONLY women. I think Ranma would have initally
fallen into the "Never questioned that I am heterosexual" (and if he did
have Kuno-dreams it was pushed off as horrible, or told himself that it
was because of his "stupid curse"), and after his transformation he might
(I doubt it but...) have decided that he needed to experiment with his
sexuality BECAUSE he was now permanetly female on the exterior.
Still, I think Ranma would have rejected it after experimentation.
Ranma is still "I am a GUY!" Ranma, and even a physical change and
rejection by family/friends would probably not have changed that, although
a different person might end up liking it.
People should take into consideration that this story was not
written as a definite conclusion of how Ranma will react to his
"experimentation." We do not see the result of the experience. This is
definitely a "what if" senario, and I have to disagree with Kun-chan's
assertion that:
So, basically, I think that the whole story is OOC... for the reactions
of Akane and Genma, too ... It's just not something that they'd do,
just as turning gay, just because he's locked into a girl body, isn't
something that Ranma'd do ...
I think this WAS a realistic look at how things might have gone, if you
interpreted the original story in a certain way. It is impossible to bring
your own interpretation of the story as a gospel-requirement for other
people's stories. Also, Ranma has not become a homosexual, he has just
experimented, as (though many would not admit it) many people have done.
Ranma is a special case, especially given his/her current condition, and
that would give him even more encoragment to try out the same sex.
The only minor point that made me not "buy into" the story was that Ranma
had suddenly become "super feminine" at the end. I think, even if he was
going to experiment, that changing THAT nature of himself would be
unlikely.
As to the result of Ranma's experimentation...
Richard has cleverly left that up to us. Kun-chan appears to believe that
Ranma decided to become homosexual, whereas I think he probably would have
rejected it. A good story is one where people come to conclusions like
this, and that what it is to some, it isn't to others.
That's my point of view, and I hope it isn't too convoluted.
marisa price