SKJAM!: Welcome, everyone! Tonight, I'm going to be trying
something a
little different. A MSTy-style commentary on Robert Morrison's
latest,
"All Weird Things..." Why, you ask? Well, there's the fact that I
really ripped his first fic (in public yet! not that it didn't
deserve
it), and the fact I like this one better so far...and the more time
I
spend on this, the longer I can put off "The Bitter End".
Ijust wanted to take a minute to say something important here. SKJAM!,
although when the public shredding of "Her" was going on I was more
than vehement in my defense of it, I've had time to study more
fanfiction and get a better feel for what works and what doesn't and
now I want to thank you for the harsh treatment of "Her." Because of
that first one, I've been paying much closer attention to my
treatment of characters and such, and I think it shows here.
SKJAM!: From this and the main title, I suspect this will be a
resolution
fic.
Kira: "Resolution fic?"
SKJAM!: One where most or all of the conflicts left hanging in the
original series are finally dealt with. Ranma is especially
attractive
to those who like to do this sort of thing.
Yep. Although a *LOT* is going to happen before it all gets resolved.
SKJAM!: We start right in with the trigger event, I see. Too many
fics
open with the "a normal day at the dojo" sequence.
How many times do we have to see the normal day scene anyway? I mean,
come on, I know Genma and Ranma spar and Ranma gets punted into the
pond and Akane calls him baka and mallets him, and you know it, we
all know it, so why waste time writing it? Besides, I've got a normal
day type scene at the beginning of my currently suspended monster
project, that is just plain weird even for Nerima, so pending that
fic's completion, I'm cutting down on my normal Nerima day stuff.
Kira: That's odd. I see that this part of the story takes place
before Nodoka knows of Ranma's curse.
SKJAM!: That would seem to be the case.
Kira: But I sense that later, reference is made to events at the
end of the
manga...
SKJAM!: We'll cover that when we come to it...
I'll explain that further down. But there is a good reason for it.
SKJAM!: Going more by the anime here, I see.
The anime is, after all, what I have most experience with. My
experience with the manga comes from the web and other fanfiction.
Kira: Shampoo needs glasses?
SKJAM!: It does seem unlikely, doesn't it? She's shown reading in
the
manga without them, but it seems likely the Amazons regard relying
on
artificial aids like spectacles as a weakness.
More interesting is that she's shown studying...
The glasses and studying were, admittedly, a cheap device.
SKJAM!: This is interesting...
Kira: Kasumi with a katana?
SKJAM!: Remember that she belongs to a family where honor, however
twisted it may seem at times, is paramount. If honor requires her
to use
the katana, she will, no matter how it goes against her normal
instincts.
SKJAM!: I like this portrayal of Kasumi. Hidden depths but not too
twisted.
I've never subscribed to the "Kasumi is less aware than the average
milk cow" school of thought. I feel Kasumi just puts on that act to
cover the fact that she sees all and knows all in the domain of the
Tendou-ke.
Kira: Isn't it a bit unusual for honor swords to be passed down
along
the mother's side?
SKJAM!: Yes. And for it to have happened in both families...
Well, Soun is generally a marshmallow. I think it fits that his wife
wear the swordbelt in that family.
Kira: Thought so. And I notice the use of the different
Romanization
here...
SKJAM!: Yes. A good way to show that the character is being taken
a
little more seriously than usual.
I'll be perfectly honest here: I hate Shampoo. With a passion. I
despise her.
However, I feel that it's not her fault she was created to be the
loathable Chinese bimbo she is. So I felt like doing something to
make her seem...tolerable. She could be almost interesting with just
a few minor changes here and there. That's what I'm shooting for.
Kira: He's leaving? Not asking questions?
SKJAM!: Ranma isn't very good at dealing with his emotions. He has
trouble running from a physical battle, but where his heart is
concerned...
Indeederooni.
SKJAM!: You ever notice how Ryouga is always fooled when Ranma
*tries*
to trick him, but always mistrusts him when the other tells the
truth?
Heh...no kiddin'. His ability to sense deceit is about as messed up
as his sense of direction.
SKJAM!: Perhaps this will be the story when we finally learn who
the
heck that little old lady is.
Kira: I really don't foresee that happening.
Not if I can help it. Personally, I don't care who she is. She's a
convenient plot device, nothing more and nothing less.
Kira: Yes, Ranma could use a friend who isn't trying to kill/marry
him... There's Hiroshi and Daisuke, of course, but they seem pretty
shallow.
SKJAM!: Heck, they don't even have *names* in the manga...
Not to mention they're both horny over Ranma's female form most of
the time, even when they know about the curse...
SKJAM!: Well, if he can find a way to make his remaining fiancees
stand
off for a while...
As if *that* would ever happen. Ooooh no, not here. They're about to
declare open season on wild horse.
SKJAM!: Can't live with him, and can't live without him...
Kira: Ryouga's going to try and hit on Akane? Rebound
relationships
aren't the best...
Hey, this *is* Ryouga.
SKJAM!: Depends on what she's rebounding from...And now he's
assured
Ranma won't zap him at the last moment, he might be confident enough
to
get the words out.
Hey, this *is* Ryouga.
Kira: At last! Mr. Tendou not saying anything about Ryouga's
transformations right in front of him was kind of disturbing.
I always thought maybe he let it go for two reasons:
1) He thought it might help pressure Ranma to assert his engagement
to Akane.
2) Maybe he's just plain afraid of the lost boy. I mean, kid can
shatter rocks with his finger, for kami's sake.
Kira: Alright Tendou-san! Finally found some backbone!
Bout time. ne?
SKJAM!: Several endings, but if the fic is to continue, there need
to be
a few twists. Besides, over half the cast has yet to clock in.
Oh, it gets twisted alright. Moreso in what has yet to be written--I
have some real craziness planned...
Kira: Apparently, Plum is quite good at written Japanese.
SKJAM!: From the manga, she's quite a smart girl, though she did
pick up
a few of her speech habits from her father.
Kira: But Happosai drinking the Nanniichuan happened in Volume 38,
right? So how come Nodoka doesn't seem to know about Ranma's curse,
or
live at the Dojo, which happened in Vol. 36?
SKJAM!: Apparently the author doesn't have that volume, or has
chosen to
ignore it. After all, Nodoka's role in the last two volumes is
infitesimal.
However, a suggested method for dealing with this continuity
glitch... . Nodoka has *returned* to the Saotome house to supervise
repairs, and has had time to contemplate the disastrous wedding and
Ranma
and Akane's behavior towards each other. She looks up the original
agreement, finds the wives' codicil, and events flow from there.
This might require massive changes to later scenes between Ranma
and his mother, but since they haven't been posted yet, there's
still
time to adapt.
Okay, this is the most important part of the C&C. I'll explain what
is going on with the discrepancies.
Basically, I've used every kind of dramatic license I can think of to
warp the end of the Ranma manga continuum. This is how I would best
define the continuum this story falls into:
-This is an extension of the anime all the way to the end of the
manga, rather than breaking off as it did.
-Saffron and the ruined wedding happened. However, the stories which
led to the revelation of the curse to Nodoka did not. The situation
there is same as it was in the OAV "Akane vs. Ranma: I'll Be The One
To Inherit Mother's Recipes."
Does that help clear things up? I had to do this to make the broken
engagement part and the cured curse both fit satisfactorily.
Kira: Wow! Ranma cured! And so early in the story!
SKJAM!: Which doesn't mean he'll stay that way. His luck has never
been
good that way...
We'll see.
Kira: Kimiko? Who's Kimiko?
SKJAM!: Apparently an original character created to fill a niche
none of
the regulars could fill. Again, we're seeing a different side of
Shampoo
than usual. She's actually managed to make a friend on the side who
has
nothing to do with fighting or Ranma. How she did that is another
question.
Kimiko=one-shot plot device.
Kira: Oh, no.
SKJAM!: Oh, yes. The second-favorite "screw Ryouga" plotline...
Actually, I think he's better off as a girl. It's less troublesome
than being a pig at any rate...
Kira: Blonde?
SKJAM!: Well, Herb got white hair, so red isn't a mandatory change
(and
Ranma-chan's hair color is anime-only, anyhow...) Though where
Ryouga
got the genes for blonde hair from is anyone's guess. (Ranma's red
hair
apparently comes from his mother's side in the anime...)
My reason for making Ryouga-chan blond: when trying to picture what
Ryouga-chan would look like, I decided she'd be cutest as a blond.
After all, the cursed characters need to be as cute as possible in
their cursed forms as a rule.
Kira (blushing): Whoa!
SKJAM!: Yes, most fanfic writers tend to downplay just how crude
Ranma
and Ryouga can be.
I feel no particular need to censor these characters, they're human
just like the rest of us, and naturally they're going to emit kuso
from their mouths at times.
Kira: But why would she have hidden it?
SKJAM!: Remember, Shampoo doesn't want to appear weak, and
admitting her
language difficulties needed help would hurt her pride. Now that
she's
mastered the skill, she can admit she was less skilled before. I
find
this fairly believable. After all, she went from a dozen or so
words to
passable pidgin in a few weeks between her first and second
appearances.
My reasoning for having Shampoo hide her language classes is that
Shampoo was afraid that if the other suitors knew what she was doing
they'd try to prevent her from reaching her classes on time. Which
might not have been so unreasonable.
Kira: And now that she *can* talk to Ranma, maybe she's also ready
to
listen...
Well, I don't know if we'll go *that* far...
SKJAM!: I suppose we can be thankful this isn't a Blade fic.
Kira: What do you mean?
SKJAM!: There would have been a twelve-page action scene here. I
find
the shortcut approach wise at this point.
What? Ruin the comedic effect with gratuitous violence? Although I
could have made it funny I guess--Mousse would look pretty silly
with an umbrella shoved sideways up his oshiri...<snicker>
SKJAM!: This is in character for Ukyou, I think. Nice, but still
with
an eye on the main chance.
Yeah, I'm trying to keep everyone more in character than in that one
particular disaster I wrote.
Kira: Ah, trying to fix the main problem with the first time she
tried
to get Ryouga and Akane together. Ryouga not being able to express
his
feelings...
Ukyou's not stupid. Experience has taught her valuable lessons about
the lost boy.
SKJAM!: She still have fangs?
Does Happousai steal panties?
SKJAM!: So. this time she gets the connection...
I figure that it's easier to recognize the Jyusenkyou curse if the
form is still human. A female Ryouga would be more easily
recognizable as Hibiki Ryouga than P-chan is.
Kira: Boy, Ryouga's articulate here.
SKJAM!: Must still be in shock.
Exactly my reasoning for writing him that way in this scene.
Kira: So now, will Ryouga "be a man" and 'fess up to the P-chan
thing?
SKJAM!: Or will he wimp out and just pretend it never happened?
Well,
we'll have to wait for the next chapter to see...
I have two possible arcs for the new curse: either Soun will let the
matter drop or force Ryouga to tell Akane the truth. I haven't
decided which way to go yet.
And what else do I have in store for this fic? <evil grin> Stay tuned.
..
Oh, and many thanks to SKJAM! for the C&C.
____
Saraba da!
-The Eternal Lost Lurker
http://pages.prodigy.com/RMorrison