Hi!

	Well, since this is C&C, obviously its going to have a few
spoiler.

	I'm not sure exactly where to start in a critique of _Bliss_,
and that is probably due to the ambivalence I feel towards the story
itself.  I really want to like this story -- Bartram and Loader have
proven in the past that they work very well together, and _Ill Met by
Starlight_ probably ranks high on most readers' list of favorites -- and,
indeed, there _are_ aspects that I find great.  And then there are the
parts I find less so...
	The idea's great, and while the central concept isn't completely
original, it's presented in a fresh and interesting way.  I've seen talk
about slapping Ranma (assuming that 'Akane' is, indeed, Ranma -- more on
that later) with amnesia and sticking him in female form, and seeing what
happens; _Bliss_ implements this in a plausible way, with Kuno (I assume)
no less, and with tantalizing hints of dark, previous events.  The
storyline is a compelling one: amnesiac martial artists struggling for
survival on a desert island, with vague suggestions of Lovecraftian horror
slinking just beyond the edge of their perception.
	The characters are kept interesting, too.  Kuno, in fanfiction,
usually generates the urge for rapid strikes of the 'page-down' key:
authors tend to emphazise the bad poetry and slapstick comedy of the
original, while losing the nobility/mock-nobility and ironic humor that
made him an early favorite; or he is presented far too seriously, as noble
samurai or troubled warrior, and any trace of humor is completely wiped
from the character.  Bliss slides easily between both extremes, and
presents a Kuno I actually find interesting.
	The strongest scenes, in fact (and in my opinion) are those
presenting the interaction between 'Ukyou' and 'Akane' -- the authors seem
the most relaxed, and the dialogue flows the easiest, in these often
lighthearted, but funny, scenes.  The construction of their island home
served as the backdrop for a lot of these, and were genuinely funny.  I
wish there were more of them -- though, of course, the series isn't a
comedy, and that could compremise the seriousness of _Bliss_.

	That seriousness, however, for me, brings up one of the problems
of the story.  As a serious story, it embraces the tenents of realist
fiction: that is, actions of consequences, people get hurt, and there is
little guarantee that 'everyone lives happily ever after' (in fact, there
are even suggestions that at least one main character has already been
killed.)  Which is fine, except that _Bliss_ then expects the reader to
make certain leaps of faith that I, personally, find a bit hard.  That
these rules are suspended during the comedic scenes I accept without
problem: as in the original series, something silly can happen (ie. Kuno
falling through the floor of the suspended house) without any real
consequences.  During the main storyline, however, this realism can't
simply be ignored.
	That the island bears, a la _Lord of the Pigs_, a mysteriously
self-replenishing and edible pig population, I can accept: the story makes
vague suggestions that some mysterious force maintains the islands
ecosystem.  But when Ukyou and Akane start building there comfy club Med,
I start wondering.  A hut is certainly within the capabilities of the two
amnesiatic but ridiculously strong martial artists; but a suspended house,
tool shed, palisade, balcony, chairs, etc., as well?  And giving even
that, when did they start brewing their own wine (its apparance surprised
me, becaue I somehow missed any previous reference to it -- did they find
it upon the wrecked ship or something?) and mixing their own pigments?
Maybe it's just me, but I find some of the little comforts of life that
they construct strain credulity.  And all this, without once boiling a
bowl of water!
	That, of course, brings up my second gripe about the story: the
identity of the two protagonists, and the efforts required to maintain the
mystery.  Is it worth it?  Personally, I don't think so.
	I'm guessing that Ukyou is really Kuno, and Akane is really Ranma:
there are sufficient hints to support this, though evidence exists to
discredit the second guess.  Kuno's a no-brainer (err, I don't mean that
as an insult against our valiant kendoist): what with the slightly formal
language (at least during the early chapters) and the stick-swinging, it
seems fairly obvious.
	'Akane' is a bit tougher.  She's female, but considering everone's
favorite aquatransexual, that doesn't help much.  She can swim, so that
should eliminate the real Akane.  Her Japanese is good, so that could
discount Shampoo (though I understand that the Japanese manga version is
actually quite fluent); however, 'Akane''s usage of language in the
earlier chapters, her acerbic character, and extreme gymnastic and martial
abilities, again suggest Ranma.  Her earlier reluctance and feelings
concerning physical contact regarding 'Ukyou' also supports this
hypothesis.  But then, why the nicely descriptive passage in part two,
after 'Akane' slaughters her first boar, with the hot blood soaking her
shirt and pouring down her back?  Blood isn't all that removed from water,
certainly it would be enough to trigger a Jusenkyou curse?  Of course, if
it is Ranma (and, short of some strangely elaborate explanation, I can't
see it being anyone else), he _could_ be trapped in his cursed form.
	But then, why the noticable absence of water?  There are certain
gaps in the descriptive narrative that speak and hint as loudly as the
adjectives and images we are given.  We have never been given a glimpse of
either 'Akane's' or 'Ukyou's' hair color, the clothes they landed on the
island with were discarded without being described, and not once,
ensconced within one of the protagonist's point-of-view, have we been
given an examination of the other.
	Why?  Only two things can occur when a story develops this way:
either the reader figures it out early on, so that when the truth is
revealed, he/she goes, 'yeah, I know', and nothing is gained; or the
reader makes a decision and is annoyed when, through some form of
trickery or plot manipulation, he or she is revealed to be wrong in the
end.  It's a personal prejudice, I guess, but I can't stand when a
character's identity is kept secret, and I dislike it even more when a
surprise twist is thrown in at the end; the prose manipulation required is
often too restrictive, heavy-handed, and conspicuous.  Not that I don't
like surprise endings -- would 'The Crying Game' received any notice had
it not been for its little trick? -- but when it forces the hand of the
author so noticably and influences the writing... I wonder if it's
necessary?

	Well, as I write this, Bliss, part VI has just popped up in my
mailbox, so I'm going to stop and go read it, hoping it doesn't utterly
contradict me and prove me a complete idiot.  Whatever I find to be small
weaknesses in the story, I definately do enjoy it -- I read very little
fanfiction anymore (time restraints), but I've read all of Bliss so far.

	Don't know if, as C&C, this is of any use.  There's been a number
of minor mistakes here and there, usually words flipped around in a
sentence, or a minor typo; but I'll leave it to more acute eyes than mine
to pick 'em out.
	I'm going to shut up, now, and read part VI.  I've been looking
forward to it.  And then, if you want, I'll finish off this impromptu
piece of C&C...

	Later!
	-Mike Noakes
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    The only artists I have ever known, who * E-mail at:
are personally delightful, are bad artists. * s669330@aix2.uottawa.ca
Good artists exist simply in what they make * Homepage/Fanfiction:
and consequently are perfectly uninteresting* http://aix2.uottawa.ca/~s669330
in what they are.  A great poet, a really   *	*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
great poet, is the most unpoetical of all creatures.  But inferior poets are 
absolutely fascinating.  The worse their rhymes are, the more picturesque 
they look . . . He lives the poetry that he cannot write.  The others 
write the poetry that they dare not realize. 
	-Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray
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