On Fri, 27 Nov 1998 11:28:59   Nicholas Leifker wrote:

Does love conquer all in Ranma fanfic?

<snip>

So who's right?  Is it okay to put this touch of real life in there?  Or
should it be kept pure, away from the taint of the imperfect, and remain
ideal?

The answer: Depends on who you ask.  You're going to alienate people either
way.  Put in the touch of real life, and some will complain that it doesn't
remain true to Takahashi's vision.  Don't put it in, and you get
accusations that the work is contrived or unrealistic.  

So, as a writer, which should you choose?

"You can please some of the people some of the time, but 
you can't please all of the people all of the time," goes the 
old saw.  If you try and write for everybody, you'll end up 
with drivel that no one will want to read.

The only solution: write for yourself, and what *you* like.  
There will always be an audience somewhere that is on 
your wavelength.  And if you do write for yourself, it will 
be far more honest, and people who disagree with you, 
or don't even like your writing, will at least respect it.

<s'more snips>

In the end, realism or idealism are both necessary sides of fanfic - the
yin and yang, if you will.  Both are in contention, both compete against
each other; however, both are necessary for fanfiction to be truly
complete.  Without one, the other seems hollow, as its purpose is removed.
Ideal shows love as it should be, while the real shows love as we
all-too-often experience it.  Both are needed to understand what love
truly, completely is.

Love?  Heh.  Love is never simple - even if it does conquer all.

Remember, the opposite of love is *not* hate, you can only 
hate if you can love; the opposite of love is indifference. O_-

-- Nick

Shunsuke



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