In a message dated 2/16/99 8:26:38 PM, spiceoflife@HOTMAIL.COM writes:

 Think about Star Wars, then think about any succeeding sci-fi flick 
along the same lines. "It's not like Star Wars." Well, DUH. NOTHING can
be like Star Wars (it is a great story). Yet, there is a shadow cast by
the giant, which no one can ignore. The shadow draws an impact upon its
successors (okay, for the LAST time, I don't mean ANYTHING along the 
lines of succession as used in rulerships-- if those that came before 
something are called predecessors, then those that come afterward are 
successors). You can't see a sword made of energy beams without thinking
"Lightsaber!" anymore, even when stories told long before Star Wars used
them. 

   <snip>

 It does not matter if I've read it or not, because impact is there. 
These days you do not need to read Tolkien to know what an orc is, for
instance-- Tolkien's orcs are everywhere, because it made an impact. 

   <snip>

 What's my point? It's impact. 

   But the mere fact that a particular story has great impact and influence
isn't necessarily bad or wrong.  IMHO, it's only detrimental when it LIMITS
what other people might do.  Razorclaw X may consider works like Star Wars and
HoI as casting a shadow, but personally, I view Star Wars, Tolkien, and HoI as
great sources of inspiration -- stepping stones, if you will.  

   I guess I should know.  HoI was the story that really got me interested in
anime fanfics and inspired me to try my own hand at writing my own Ranma 1/2
story.  I freely admit that HoI and my own story "Tiger Claw" have common
elements.  They both have a cat demon.  Yes, Ranma and Akane are a couple
obviously in love with each other.  The ShadowCat in HoI started me thinking
about cat demons in the beginning, but I hope that I've managed to develop
Ebon (the cat demon in my story) into an unique and different character with a
personality all its own.  ^_^;

	So I think that the popularity of HoI is not at all a bad thing, especially
if it helps other people become interested in fanfics and perhaps inspire them
to write stories themselves -- not just poor copies of HoI, but stories
uniquely their own.  HoI gave me both the encouragement to try and the badly
needed kick-start to my imagination.

   Thanks so much, Krista!  ^_^

   Now that I've probably made a total fool of myself, I'll slither quietly
back to lurk in my lair....

--------------------------------------------
madamhydra@aol.com         /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/:E

http://www.geocities.com/~madamhydra/