Mike Loader wrote:

The shadowcat in this story is a sort of deus-ex-machina in opposite. He
just... shows up. No reason why, he just shows up. 

I was under the impression he showed up becuase he saw an opportunity to
get two souls instead of one. He could have grabbed Ranma at anytime in his
life (after the Neko-ken), but as SC said, he waited until he could get
someone else as well. Ranma served as a sort of bait and Akane was the fish
he hooked.

And he can drive Akane
into nekoken without actual cats. For no apparent reason.

It seemed he was only able to do it becuase of the deal he made with Akane
when he was impersonating Nabiki. Otherwise why bother with tricking her at
all? As you mention, he could have just dropped by any old day and made
everyone "meow" out if he was all powerful.

You even keep Perry's emphasis of the separation between the natural and
superatural world ("I'm in the kami plane...")... Yes, he IS in the damn
kami plane, so what in the name of Bob is he doing mucking around on

earth

like an omnipotent diety?

Again, if he was omnipotent I don't think he'd have bothered with deceiving
Akane. I just got the impression the Shadowcat was observing some sort of
rules governing his conduct on the mortal plane, only directly affecting
certain people in certain ways. That's the impression I got anyway.

End rant. :)

But a well thought out one with good points.

Anyhow, except for that, I liked it. ;)

Ditto.

D.B. Sommer