Alright.  There's more than a few people who I am addressing this to, so 
I'll send it to the group.  All replies will kindly be directed to 
personal e-mail.

akun15@hotmail.com wrote...

Plus, I'm going to address a situation that's been argued about a lot 

on 

the FFML recently (though I really shouldn't).  And that is: Guy under 
the bridge.

To Guy: Fanfiction is about a _FAN'S_ view of a story.  OOC and IC 

means 

absolutely nothing unless you are the creator of the series.  So grow 

up 

or you'll wind up getting tossed off the list by Tybalt and Whitewolf.

Okay, this kind of attitude torques me off to no end.

What on EARTH do you mean, OOC and IC means absolutely nothing unless 
you're the creator of the series?  What the hell does being the creator 
or not have to do with it?

Ranma 1/2, Sailor Moon, and most of the other series' written about on 
thsi list are OVER.  Finished.  Kaput.  They have been set down for the 
world to see and there will most likely never be sequels, given the way 
these things work in Japan.

In other words, the creator (or creators) are FINISHED WITH THEM. 
Everything about the series (I'll use Ranma 1/2 for simplicity, and also 
because it's the topic of debate) is finished, everything that means 
anything to the universe is either there, or its not coming.

Therefore, there is -nothing- that stops -anybody- from knowing the 
characters as well as anybody else, -including- the creator.  The only 
power the creator has is to write a sequel, but unless they do, the only 
thing that is canon in a series is what is already out there.  To say 
one cannot judge a fic for being in or out of character (assuming one 
has the source material) is utterly and completely ridiculous.  Why the 
hell can't you?  The characters are there, their actions and motivations 
laid bare for all to see, why can you not have their character down? The 
answer: you can, just fine.  There is room for intrepetation, yes, but 
within a certain scope, the characterisation of every notable character 
in Ranma is FIRM.  Ranma is a martial artist who upholds the value of 
life, is insensitive and awkward in dealing with the opposite sex, who 
has a big ego, etc, etc.  No amount of screwing with the story will 
change those basic FACTS, and a fanfic which does not recognize them is 
OOC.  There are no ifs, ands or buts.  Nobody needs to be the creator of 
the series to know what characters are like, they just need to look at 
the source material and use their heads to piece together the 
information given.

In addition, not only is it -possible- to get accurate and fairly firm 
grips on characters, it is, in my opinion, extremely, vitally important 
to DO so.  We are not here writing original fiction.  We are writing 
fiction using the characters and universes created by others.  It is 
nothing less than simple respect and courtesy that we not butcher the 
characters others worked to create.  In addition, if a story requires 
the characters to be different than their true incarnation, then why 
bother making it a fanfic?  Make it an original story!

Obviously there are a few exceptions, notably parody works.  And 
obviously some characters will change over the course of the 
story...hell, that happens in the original!  But for the most part, if a 
fanfic isn't IC, then it's not a fanfic.  It's an original work with 
stolen names and gimmicks.  Some may not care about that.  But I think 
that if you're going to take the ideas other people worked to implement, 
then by god you should use it to BUILD on what they did, make their 
universe richer and fuller...not just steal their ideas for yourself.

                                                  
Alright, that being said, I might as well address another, somewhat 
problem that's been bothering me.  Guy Under The Bridge, AKA Mark David, 
possibly also known as the Critic.  

You know, I looked up and down the FAQ of this mailing list, but try as 
I might, I never -did- find the section that says it's a capital crime 
to give negative C&C on this mailing list.  Therefore, I'm afraid I'm 
going to have to proceed with the assumption that no such section 
exists.  With that in mind, there's just one thing that I think needs to 
be said...


GROW UP.


What in the name of god is WRONG with you people?  Are you thinking 
adults, or a bunch of babies?  Did you seriously expect that when you 
put your writing in the public domain, that nobody was ever going to 
have a problem with it?  

Well, here's your wake-up call.  YOUR WRITING ISN'T PERFECT.  I 
guaruantee it.  Yours isn't, mine isn't, Tolkien's wasn't, Robert 
Jordan's isn't, Issac Asimov's wasn't, NOBODYS IS.  So if you guys can't 
possibly stand the psychological torment of finding out that your fic 
isn't perfect, then stop writing.  Right now.  If you can't stand the 
torment of finding out somebody doesn't -like- your fic, then stop 
writing.  Right now.  Or else never, ever, show it to anybody.

Because nobody has ever written anything perfectly, and nobody has ever 
written anything that everybody else likes.  And nobody here is likely 
to be the first to buck that trend.  So get used to criticism, 
kiddies...it'll follow you as long as you write.

But, you say, GutB only gives negative criticism?  But, you say, he 
never reviews fics he likes?

Well, I reply, that's his own damn business, isn't it?  Maybe he sees no 
point in reviewing fics he likes, because there's more improvement to be 
had in those he considers flawed.

Or maybe he has another reason.  But whatever it is, there is nobody on 
this list that currently has a reason to complain about what GutB is 
doing.  You can disagree with his reasoning or his characterisation, 
yes...and I disagree with some of it myself.  But his criticisms are 
just that...they address certain points in the story and point out what 
he thinks is wrong, and they also occasionally point out things he 
considers were done right.  They are not just flames.

So for pity's sake. people, could you please stop whining about him?  It 
is not, and hopefully never will be, a crime to speak your mind, and all 
you're accomplishing is looking ridiculous and petty.


Blade
********
World's #1 Fanboy of Ukyou Kuonji, Pantyhose Tarou, Kiima, Toguro Ani, 
Alys Brangwin, Vega, Mian Toris, Brad Kilsten, and that psycho soldier 
with the glasses in Windaria. ;p

"All I wanted to do was kill a few people, maybe a little torture on the 
side!  Was that too much to ask?"-Toguro Ani


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