[Lights come up on the living room.  Yuu sits on the sofa, reading an
old magazine, looking slightly bored.  Madoka has cleared the papers
off a section of the table and is at work piecing together stereo
equipment.  Scott is sitting on the floor in front of the television,
playing a console game.]

Yuu:  I told you we should have left the Playstation in the other
room.

Madoka:  (shrugs) Who could guess it would affect him this badly?

Scott:  Ha, ha.  I'll have you know that Final Fantasy 7 is more than
just a video game...

Yuu:  ...It's a way of ignoring all your classwork.

Scott:  ...

Madoka:  (looks up, notices the camera, and coughs) I think it's time
for the review, gentlemen.

Scott:  Oops.  Okay... (switches off the console)

[Madoka and Scott move to the sofa.]

Yuu:  Today we're reviewing an OMG fic by Florencio B. de la Merced,
Jr., entitled "Silly."  Not to be confused with the Ranma fics of the
same name.

: I sent this during the Thanksgiving weekend (silly me) but since I've got
: multiple request ... I think its better to repost it, with a little
: something added here and there...^_^

Scott:  Lemon scene? ^_^

Madoka:  Hentai.

Scott:  Just kidding...

: This is specially for guys on the FFIRC.
: 
: Notes: <whispering to himself>

Yuu:  The author has officially lost it.

Madoka:  (next-door-neighbor voice) He always seemed like such a nice,
quiet person...

Scott:  And speaking of lost...

: *Thanks to Eternal Lost Lurker for this one.
:
: -----
: Silly
: -----

Yuu:  I can say without a doubt that this fic is Silly.

: by Florencio B. de la Merced, Jr. (fmerced@pworld.net.ph)
: Web page: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Temple/3641/index.html
: 
: A Fanfic inspired by the anime/manga Oh My Goddess! created and
: copyrighted by Kosuke Fujishima, Dark Horse Comics, etc...
: 
: A project for the Fan Fiction Mailing List

Scott:  Quite seriously, the ML could use a few projects.  There were
the one-hour challenges, which brought out some good fics, but that
was a while ago... someone suggested a group effort on IRC, too, but
that never really went anywhere.

Madoka:  Anyway, we're getting off-topic for this review...

: -----
: 
: [In a somewhat serene and tranquil temple]

Yuu:  Anyone willing to bet it won't be serene and tranquil for long?
Didn't think so.

Scott:  Reminds me of a horror novel.  "In a somewhat serene and
tranquil temple, the serial killer lurked..."

Madoka:  Actually, is it possible for a place to be "somewhat" serene
and tranquil?

: Keiichi:  Come again?

Scott:  Could it really be a lemon scene? O_O

Madoka:  (thwaps Scott)

: Skuld: You heard me the first time, Keiichi.
: 
: Keiichi: [cleans his ears] Are you serious?

Yuu:  (Skuld) No, I'm Skuld!  Sirius is someone else...

: Skuld: Dead-serious! [strokes her debugging mallet, and swings it a few
: times]

Madoka:  (to Scott) No comments.

Scott:  (innocently) Wouldn't dream of it...

: Keiichi: And Belldandy asked this?
:
: Skuld: [frowns]  Stop complaining and just do it!

Scott:  This fanfic sponsored by Nike.

Yuu:  (Skuld) No, I'm Skuld!  Nike is another goddess...

Scott:  Urk.

: Keiichi:  But? [is shoved into Bell's room]  Um...
: 
: Belldandy:  Oh, Keiichi.  How nice that you've accepted my invitation.
: [beckons Keiichi to approach]  Did my little sister tell you everything?

Yuu:  (Keiichi) No, she's engaging in Skulduggery.

Madoka:  Double urk.

: Voice: [from behind the closed door]  I'm not little!
: 
: Belldandy: Of course not, Skuld. [turns to the nervous Keiichi]  Well,
: shall we begin?

Scott:  Hint:  'No' is not an option.

: Keiichi:  Um, Bell...I just don't know about this.
: 
: Belldandy: Huh?  What's wrong, Keiichi?

Yuu:  (Keiichi) Nothing.  I mean I don't know anything about this.
Skuld wouldn't tell me.

: Keiichi: I just don't feel comfortable to...you know?
: 
: Voice: [coming from the television] You're such a wimp, Keiichi!

Scott:  Yes.  Yes, he is.

Madoka:  I think it's kind of endearing...

Scott:  Reminds you of someone, does he?

Madoka:  ...

: Belldandy:  He's only having doubts, Urd.

Yuu:  There's something really funny about this line, coming from a
goddess.  I can't explain it, though.

: Urd: [emerges from the screen] Oh, yeah?  [turns to Keiichi]  What's so
: wrong with what you're going to do?
: 
: Keiichi:  [a bit irritated] Well, since you're so excited for me to do it,
: why don't you just take my place?!

Scott:  (Urd) But I could never replace -you-, Keiichi...  I have a
backbone.

Madoka:  Keiichi does improve, though...

Scott:  Yeah, but it's an easy shot.  And it's something Urd might
actually say.  Although probably not with Belldandy present.

Madoka:  Tangentially, I think "eager" would be a better choice of
word than "excited."  The phrasing "excited for" sounds a little
awkward.

: Urd:  Don't be silly.  The job requires a man, [smiles at Belldandy]
: right?
: 
: Belldandy: [giggles]...
: 
: Keiichi: [sigh] <Oh, boy.>
: 
: Urd: Come on and take off your clothes.  I promise I won't look.

Scott:  And we all know how well Urd keeps her promises...

: Keiichi: ...
: 
: Urd: Well, at least not all the time.  [laughs]

Yuu:  That's more like it...

: Belldandy:  Come on, Keiichi.  I need you to do this.  I can't think of
: any other person who would. [smiles]

Yuu:  Any male student at Nekomi Tech?

: Keiichi:  [slowly takes off his jacket] Why not Tamiya? Or Ootaki?
: They've got the bigger body.
: 
: Urd:  Are you serious?

Madoka:  (Keiichi) No, I'm Skuld.  No, wait a minute...

Scott:  Have we gotten enough mileage out of that joke yet?

Yuu:  Has that ever stopped us before?

Scott:  Point.

: Keiichi: [retrospects] <She's right.  I wouldn't use those guys
: either.> Ok...[starts taking off his t-shirt]

Yuu:  I think you mean "introspects."

Madoka:  Introspectively, he had thought, "I meant 'retrospects,'"
but, in retrospect, he may have been mistaken.

Scott:  That's a pretty ugly sentence to give as an example.

Madoka:  (innocently) Sorry.  I'll try to be more circumspect.

: Urd: [giggles] Oh, I can't look! [places a hand on her eyes but with
: fingers a bit open]  Wow!
: 
: Keiichi: [glares at Urd]  Urd!  You promised!
: 
: Urd:  Ok!  I'm out of here.  [smiles to Belldandy]  Have fun.
: [disappears]

Scott:  (Urd) Besides, I'm videotaping it for later.

Yuu:  I think Keiichi might faint if she said that.

: Belldandy:  That goes double for you, Skuld.

Madoka:  What goes double for Skuld?  "Have fun?"

: Keiichi:  [gasp] What?!

All:  She said, "That goes double for you, Skuld."

: Belldandy:  [giggles] Just kidding!  Shall we begin?

Madoka:  (Keiichi) Do we have to?

Yuu:  (Belldandy) Yes.

Madoka:  (Keiichi) Oh.  Okay, then.

: Keiichi:  [takes his seat, his back facing Belldandy] <Why can't I say no
: to her?>

Scott:  Because she's a goddess, twisting your mere mortal will to
suit her every whim?

Madoka:  Gee, how romantic of you.

Scott:  I couldn't pass that up.  Besides, that'd make an interesting
darkfic.  Belldandy has been using Keiichi as a puppet all along to
serve some dark, twisted scheme... hmm, okay, maybe not.

: Belldandy: Because you love me, right?

Yuu:  Belldandy is a woman who knows just what's on her mind... and
what's on everybody else's.

: Keiichi: [blinks]...[tries to turn around but is told to stay still]
: <She's right, I do love her.>
: 
: Belldandy:  And I love you too.
: 
: Keiichi: [blinks]...
: 
: Belldandy: Stay still, Keiichi.

Scott:  (Belldandy) There's a huge poisonous spider on the back of
your head.  I'll swat it for you.

: -----
: 
: [In an art exhibit at the Nekomi Instute, a crowd had gathered in front of
: a controversial painting]

Yuu:  "Controversial?"  Someone's back?

: Sayoko:  I swear, I've seen this painting before.
: 
: Aoshima:  Funny.  I think I've seen this 'back' before, too.

Scott:  (Sayoko) You have?

Madoka:  (Aoshima) Yeah, 'back' before I came here...

: Ootaki:  This kinda reminds me of someone.  What do you think, Tamiya?

Yuu:  Trick question.  Tamiya doesn't think, at least not as we know
it.

: Tamiya:  Dunno.  I don't really like art.
: 
: Megumi: Are you sure this is not you, Keiichi?

Yuu:  See?  I told you any male student at Nekomi would do it. ^_-

: Keiichi: [sweatdrop]  I'm positive. <Gawd, I wish I never said 'yes'>
: 
: Skuld:  [eavsdropping] Be careful what you wish for, Keiichi.

Scott:  And who you wish to, for that matter.

Madoka:  (Kami-sama) Wish... granted.

Scott:  Well, that'd be a quick way to end the fic...

: Urd:  Yeah.  You turned Belldandy into a big hit in this exhibit.
: 
: Belldandy:  Come on Keiichi.  Even the curator for the National Museum
: said my work was fantastic. [slides her arm under Keiichi's arm]  Why
: don't we go to the ice-cream house and forget about all of this?
: 
: Skuld:  Ice-cream! Yeah! [runs ahead]

Scott:  (Belldandy) Now that we've gotten rid of her...

: Urd:  I'll pass.  I want to see the other nude paintings on display.
: [laughs]
: 
: Keiichi: [leads the way] I think your painting was great, too.

Yuu:  Keiichi, leading?  (mock-gasps)

Scott:  He probably just wants to get out of there as quickly as he
can.

: Belldandy:  I know. [leans on his shoulder]

Madoka:  o/~ Lean on me...

: ------
: 
: [Back to the display]

Yuu:  Back to the display of a back.

Scott:  No, no; it's a stage direction, the invisible character has
his back to the display.

Madoka:  Back to the Display... wasn't that a B-movie?

: Megumi:  I know this is my brother!  I just know it!

Scott:  ... No comment.  It's too much, even for me.

: Aoshima:  Don't be ridiculus.  Keiichi's doesn't have that great a body.
: [points to the painting]

Yuu:  (raises an eyebrow) And how, exactly, does -he- know?

Scott:  That whole 'rivalry' thing is just a cover... ^_^

: Sayoko:  Now I remember.  I think it was that film, 'Basic Instict'.

All:  (stare at the screen and laugh hysterically)

Scott:  Thanks.  I needed that.

: Urd: You've got to be kidding?!
: 
: Sayoko:  No, I swear.  It's from 'Basic Instict'.
: 
: Aoshima:  Nope.  I think its a replica of the 'thinking man'.
: 
: Tamiya:  The what?
: 
: Aoshima:  Nevermind.

Scott:  (ROFLs)

Yuu:  o/~ Oh well, whatever, nevermind...

Madoka:  When, exactly, did "never mind" become a compound word?
(shrugs)

: Ootaki:  Come on, Tamiya.  Lets go find something to eat.
: 
: Tamiya:  Wait.  [to Aoshima]  What's that suppose to mean, Aoshima?

Madoka:  (Aoshima) 'That' is a word used as an indefinite pronoun,
referring to an understood or indicated object; it can also be used--

Scott:  Okay, we get the point.

: Aoshima: [sweatdrop] Um...Nothing, really.
: 
: Tamiya:  Good.  [leaves with Ootaki]
: 
: Aoshima:  Whew...
: 
: Urd:  Want to know who that hunk is, Megumi?
: 
: Megumi: Sure!
: 
: Urd: [leads towards the ice-cream shop] Follow me.

Madoka:  Poor Keiichi.

Yuu:  Poor Megumi.

: Sayoko:  Wait for me!

Scott:  Poor... ah, forget it.

: Aoshima:  Hmm...I wonder how much this painting cost?

Madoka:  He probably means "costs."

Yuu:  Maybe not; paint is expensive... ^_^

: C & C is greatly appreciated.  How about an MST?

Scott:  Ask, and ye shall receive.  Sort of.  Any overall comments?

Yuu:  Honestly, I liked this better than part 2.  The innuendo in the
first half is stronger, probably because we haven't seen it before.

Madoka:  Although the 'surprise' twist in part 2 is unexpected, too.

Yuu:  Still...

Scott:  I like the script style, and I think the minimalism of the
stage directions works.  I could almost picture this in ink and
paper...

Yuu:  The tone is right, too.  The characterization of Belldandy might
be a stretch, but it makes the fic more lighthearted and interesting,
so it's not a bad thing.

Madoka:  I guess that's about all we have to say for now.  Until next
time...

[Madoka points the remote at the camera and presses a button.  All
goes dark.]


Scott Schimmel                http://www.seas.upenn.edu/~schimmel/
Ex ignorantia ad sapientium;  "You really aren't normal, are you?"
ex luce ad tenebras.              -- Miki Koishikawa