9) They read those EXTREMELY WELL WRITTEN fanfics by Richard Lawson, Mike
Loader, John Biles, Two-flowers, Blade . . . and prefer their realities
over the actual R1/2 one.

As much as it pains me to disagree with someone who calls my stuff
extremely well-written... ;)

First up: I'm at a loss to see how Lawson and I am anti-Shampoo. Richard's
most well-known fics (The TIL continuity, TOP, Roses of Shadow, etc) lack
a villainous Shampoo... heck, they contain an at times heroic version. For
my own part... well, I'll admit the the Shampoo of Ghost Story is not the
ideal version, but aside from that one shortfic... I like to think that
I've presented Shamps in a fairly positive light, or at least in an
impartial one. 

Second, as commentary on the fic itself...

I think the biggest problem I had with it was the transparent character
glorification/condemnation. Ranma suddenly becomes the epitome of evil,
cursing like a sailor and foaming at the mouth; Shampoo, OTOH, becomes the
wise, benevolent, moral queen of logical rhetoric. Which frankly fits
neither of them. To quote Mr. Towler's comments of not so long ago, "If a
character must fall, let them fall by their own merits."

This reads not so much like a fanfic as an author's socratic dialogue. The
idea seeding it: what would happen if Shampoo beat Ranma - is ignored and
neglected in a blatant wave of Shampoo-praising.

I find this rather a letdown, since I've enjoyed your less partisan
stories.

As a word of advice, on the Shampoo front... fics like this are unlikely
to win you many converts. Instead, take as your model works like 'Stepping
Stoines' and 'Bitter End', which have done more for the pro-Ukyou cause
than all the fanboy essays in creation. The best way to elevate your
chosen character is in impartial demonstation of their faults and their
strengths - or, if not impatial, at least not blatant. For if the
character you worship is truly as fine as you say, they shouldn't need you
stacking the deck, ne?

- Mike Loader
===/\=====+==================================================================
  /  \    l  "For, look you, there is humour in all things, and the truest
 / () \   l   philosophy is that which teaches us to find it and make the
/      \  l   most of it." - Jack Point, _The Yeomen of the Guard_
--------  l                    mike@thekeep.org
==========+==================================================================
Fnord.