-----Original Message-----
From: Judy Guo <morganine@hotmail.com>
To: ffml@fanfic.com <ffml@fanfic.com>; ranma_critic@hotmail.com
<ranma_critic@hotmail.com>
Date: Sunday, 16 August, 1998 4:02
Subject: Re: [FFML] [fanfic][Ranma] Nabiki: New Roles

Hmmm, I have taken the bait, and have decided to continue this fanfic.
I personally think that Nabiki can take on those characters simply
because she is smarter than all of them.

Hmmm... the original Nabiki has many years of accquired people skills
that
this other Nabiki seems to lack.  Intelligence is a massive advantage,
but
by itself it is not enough.

And I would hesitate to describe even the original Nabiki as that much
smarter
than Ranma.  IMHO Ranma is quite intelligent, but extremely lazy.  When
he
chooses to make an effort he learns quickly, in his chosen area he
adapts
rapidly and can be quite imaginative.  Ranma's greatest weakness is that
he is, overall, a passive/reactive character.  He almost never initiates
action
or effort and usually follows what he sees as the path of least
resistance except
when his pride is involved, then he only does what it takes to restore
his pride.
Genma's training and example have left glaring flaws in Ranma's
character -
there is a great difference between being intelligent and applying that
intelligence.

I would actually expect that Ranma would accept quite a bit of "abuse"
from
this other Nabiki without any reaction beyond grumbling - accepting what
she
does means he gets to stay at a nice house and have meals prepared for
him - in the Saotome worldview this is worth tolerating a few
eccentricities from
Nabiki.

She is not the Coyote
(although he is one of my favorite in Looney Toons) unlike Coyote, she
does not use any machinery to fight.  As Lawson pointed out in Thy
Inward Love weapons makes the fighter weak.  Nabiki has no weapons

aside
>from her brain, and that, is enough for her to win.

Perhaps.  She really also needs the correct set of people management
skills,
which I think this Nabiki lacks.  She should be able to manipulate Ranma
to
a fair degree, but one of the keys to manipulation is knowing when to
stop -
this Nabiki shows no signs of being able to recognise that point - She
comes
across as an all-or-nothing person.

Besides, Ranma is
hardly the Road Runner.  He is not nearly as lucky.  He is the best
contrast of Nabiki.  He is the strongest fighter, yet he keeps on
getting tossed into things and mangled badly, because he can not
manipulate things the way Nabiki can.

As stated above.  Ranma is lazy.  He never even tries to manipulate
others or exert control over his own life except as a result of external
provocation.  If people leave him alone he just "goes with the flow".

Brains vs Bronze, round one, now
begins.

If this Nabiki can recognise safe limits, then she'll get what she
wants.
If she goes over them, the consequences will be nasty, not least
because a provoked Ranma won't consider the consequences before
"defeating" her.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
"The Major"             |  "Funny Games, Strange Cartoons, Confusing
David Bateson           |     Computers and too many Books!  No
                        |     wonder you're weird."
majorb@one.net.au       |       - My Sister.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|***************  E N D  *  O F  *  M E S S A G E  ******************|
----------------------------------------------------------------------