Act 3 of 'The Pursuit of Happiness' is rolling around, and at this
point I'd like to take a moment to listen to you, the readers
that have been following the story so far.
I wanna know what you guys want.
Now there's a loaded question if there ever was one.
So, here's the questionaire....
Heh. Cool.
1) Act 1 and Act 2 were fairly different in their nature.
Act 1 was more episodic, with one part not heavily
relying on the previous one, while Act 2 revolved
around the King of Nerima plot. What style do you
prefer, the episodic style of act 1, or the unified
storyline style of act 2?
It kind of depends on what you're going for, actually.
Act I was basically (and this is just my opinion, I could be wrong) a huge
expository/segueway thing. You prep the charachters for the tournament, intro
a few new things, and basicaly maintain the status quo as established in TMTC.
It didn't NEED to be a unified storyline.
Act II, OTOH, was centered around a structured fighting tournament, so a
unified story was neccessary to keep the flow and pacing right.
So for Act III, it depends upon your plot. If it's going to be mostly just a
string of wacky events that only need to be tied together loosely, go with
the episodic thing. If, on the other hand, there's going to be some definitive
goal the charachters need to accomplish (beat up the bad guy, learn the secret
technique before the other guy, master plan to win the one you love etc etc
etc) go with the unified story thing.
2) What do you think of / want to see from the following
characters? More? Less? Are they getting annoying?
Too much exposure? Too little?
- Ryo Muhoshin
Ryo kicks ass. Keep him going along exactly as he has been, and you'll be
fine. He's been getting just the right amount of exposure.
Charachter wise.... you might wanna calm him down a bit. For awhile there at
the end of Act II, (especially during the whole Akari kidnapping thing) he was
acting way too much like the psycho Muhoshin from CS, and I think I can safely
say that just ONE of those is enough for ANY multiverse.
- Ryoko Muhoshin
I like how Ryoko's coming off. She strikes me as a kind of pre-TMTC Ukyo, but
with more self-esteem and agressiveness. Although I was a little surprised
that she didn't do much about her Ryoga fixation in Act II, beyond that
monologue of hers.
- Megane Muhoshin
Megane needs a LOT more exposure. And I mean a LOT. The only things we know
about him in TPOH are that a) he's a Muhoshin, b) he plays the sax, and c) he
wears glasses. I've yet to see any significant advancement of his charachter.
Oh sure, we get an idea of what he's like in TMTR. But that's MST, and the
charachters aren't exactly like they are elsewhere.
- Kyoko Muhoshi
Don't change a THING. The little dear is perfect just the way she is.
- Tanya Noori
A few more random drive-by Ryoga bombings would be nice. And I'd like to see
her warm up to Konatsu a bit more.
Although..... she struck me as going slightly OOC at the end of Act II, when
she sabotaged Ryoga's match. Sure, she was out for revenge, but an honorable
martial artist (and since she tracked Ryoga for years over a matter of honor,
we know that she is) wouldn't pull that kind of stunt.
But then, I'm biased, since I was absolutely positive Ryoga was going to win
and was rather upset when he didn't.
3) What plot elements did you enjoy most? least?
I really liked what you're doing with Kuno. Uppowering him was a stroke of
genius. And the whole Kodachi/Ryoga thing...... also cool.
I'd like to see a few more CS tie-ins, though. That scene in Act I, with Ryo
and Ryo and Ryo.... that was great. I'd like to see more, lots more. I'd
especially enjoy a meeting between CS Ryoga (the one that Miyabi is trying to
hook up with Ukyo) and TPOH Ryoga. Good comparisons between pre-Akane Ryoga
and post-Akane Ryoga.
4) More humor? Less? More drama? Less?
Nah. The mix you've got going now is working pretty well. Stay with it.
Thanks for your time, hope I can keep up the writing.
Yeah, what's the word on S.M.I.L.E and Demon Knights, anyway? Those are the
two that I personally am REALLY looking forward too.
-Mercutio
"A plague 'a both your houses!"