On 17 Jun 97 at 1:57, Joseph Palmer wrote:
C&C: Last 2% of story.
-Snip-
First, I think you should label this fic "Dark" based on the last few
paragraphs. After all, here we have a rape of the title character of an
I disagree. There's a difference between 'serious' and 'dark'.
IMHO, this story qualifies as serious, but not dark. (at least so
far.)
Yes, the first 98% is serious, but I still assert the rape of the title
character warrents a "rating". Hmm. I can see it now.
Subject: [Ranma][Serious, but not partucularly dark, although
there is this rape, but it's hard to tell it's happening at the
time...but we'll get back to that.]
I have here all 38 manga, and all 41 TV laser disks. I've not seen a single
rape (Or murder) in all of that, so I think it's reasonable to point
out with some sort of [Rating] that this story is headed far outside what
most Ranma fans have come to expect.
I personally don't write or read dark Ranma fanfics, ( I only write what I
know, and I really don't know dark. ) but I'll never ask someone else not
to write one. In return all I ask is to not have to read one.
otherwise upbeat series. Nerima is hardly a post-apocaliptic place where
that sort of thing happens.
You don't need a post-apocalyptic place for rape to take place. I
grew up in a sleepy little farming town in northern Saskatchewan. If
you asked them, people might say something like, "Rape? Naw, that
doesn't happen here - it only happens in the big cities." But,
almost inevitably, it _did_ happen. After the initial shock wore
off, people started to believe that it _could_ in fact happen there,
or in fact anywhere.
I was making an obtuse reference to the myrid of other anime where rape is
part of the nature of the series.
As for R1/2 being upbeat, well it is and it isn't. It may be funny
for the reader, but if that reader were to suddenly become one of the
characters, I doubt he'd be laughing so hard.
I wouldn't mind being Ranma, Ryouga is a bit too depressed for my liking,
as for Kuno... I get your point. But, I would like to visit the Ranma
universe, go to the public bath, eat at Uchans, oggle Shampoo at
the Nekohanten, visit the haunted doll onsen, practice in the doujo,
learn tea ceremony martial arts, sit in class behind Sayuri (Kawaii!),
wrestle for curry pan at lunch, go to a festival and try to catch
goldfish, play 'go' with Soun, buy picutures from Gosenkugi, and of
course, eat Kasumi's cooking. (Sigh... heaven!)
I'd say The Ranmaverse is a great place to visit.
Perhaps that's why I keep going back again and again to the manga and
anime and fanfics. And perhaps that's why I write my fanfics the way I
do.
(In fact, if you so much as steal a bicyle
in Nerima and are caught, -As most criminals are in Japan- it goes on your
record, and you cannot get a good job with a good company, perhaps ever.
Your life is ruined. Now, I wonder what happens to rapists?)
Hmmm.... To quote yourself:
Maybe it's just me but I like to keep Nerima as a place apart from
the real world.
It's easier to fight for your ideals than to live up to them, isn't
it? :)
I don't understand your point. I was pointing out to the author the
unbelievably grave risk the rapist took in his story. He got the point.
Shurely there are diffences between RL and Ranmaverse, for example if
you really set off a shi-shi-houkudan, it's likely that JSDF would show
up, or at least the local gas board. (Hmm, fic idea there...If they both
showed up...Naw.)
My 'ideal' is stories that remain true to the 'nature' of the Ranmaverse
as defined by Takahashi in the Manga and Anime.
That said, I enjoy reading stories that explore the dusty corners of that
universe, even if the tone gets serious (as was the case of the first
part of "The Party") or even deadly violent (as in 'Ranma goes to war'),
which somehow stays within the nature of Ranma 1/2. (Good fic, that.)
I've tried to sort out where a story crosses the line and comes
in opposition to the 'nature' of the ranmaverse. It's almost impossible
to precisely deliniate some sort of rules for that, since it's all
subjective anyway. I suppose a few things fall solidly outside the
nature of Ranma 1/2.
1) A major character killing another.
2) Rape.
3) Hateful violence.
Aside from that, it's all in how the characters feel about each other,
which is a big grey zone.
Anyway, these are _my_ rules, and mine alone. Don't use them. These
rules Copyright (c) 1997, Joseph Palmer, all rights reserved.
I'll shout that, please cover your ears. MINE! MY RULES. HA HA HA!
</Maniacle laughter>
It's my problem, and I'll deal with it by reading stuff I like, and
skipping stuff I don't.
I read a lot. I mean really a lot. You may have an idea of what a lot is,
but I'm telling you 'yer nowhere even close. Uh Uh. Wrong prefecture even.
A lot of what I read has murder or rape or hate or generaly dark things in
it, but that's _not_ what I want to find when I go to visit the Ranmaverse,
and that's my problem too, and I'm not going to do anything about it.
I like having this unspoiled, innocent, wonderous and weird place to visit.
I hope you find some place like that too.
-Snip-
Maybe it's just me but I like to keep Nerima as a place apart from
the real world.
(Hmmm... I assume we're talking about the Ranmaverse version of
Nerima here, and not the RL version.)
yup.
So tell me, where in the real world can we find people who change
gender or species with a splash of water? Where in the RW can we
find such an odd assortment of martial arts styles? Is the RW
version of China really home to such curiosities as Jyusenkyou and
the Amazon Villiage?
The point of all these questions is that Nerima (along with the rest
of the Ranmaverse) _is_ a place apart from the real world, and the
presence of such things as murder and rape doesn't change that.
Chigau. [Wrong.]
The point is, that along with the water curses and martial arts
and Jyusenkyou, (And the love story, don't forget the love story)
you get a universe free from murder and rape, and (at least for
the main characters,) free from hate.
That's what I like about Ranma 1/2.
J.
________________________________________________________________________
Joseph Palmer "Never join a titanic battle unless
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