Nick Leifker wrote:

You know, after all of the Akane-bashing and Ukyou-bashing I've seen
going over the FFML in the last day or two, all in the name of 'fic
writing, I'm left with one question:

Do you really hate these creations of ink and pen so much?

    It's funny what hate can do to people, isn't it? I never really
understood that concept myself, but I can see it's effects on
others, predict it, generate it, use it, even though I do not feel
it. 
		-from The Other Side

Not only does this little snippet I have given pretty much sum up
my reaction to hate (well, I don't consciously try to generate it,
at least), but given the nature of the fic it came from, it is
doubly appropriate, wouldn't you say? A fic to respond to a fic?
A dialogue of fiction? A conversation of stories? I rather like
the idea myself, I must say, though I was much more blatant
myself. Ken's was more than that though, because it also explored
a possibility, one that I do not think was explored yet extremely
likely, about the Ranma/Akane pairing, namely that they always get
into these hijinks which bring/force them closer and closer together.
This is, I would say, a plausible assumption. One could argue this
as, at the very least, a contributing factor. Not something you
usually see. With this idea, Ken's story stands on it's own two feet,
apart from Gary's.   
	Onto Gary's Justice now. I don't see it as an hate of Ukyo,
myself, more of a dislike of certain characterisations and traits
which are often, perhaps erroneously, associated with her. The choice
of what exactly Ukyo turned into (and I do so hope it was not a
coincidence, because it makes such a truly delicious statement ^_^ )
was a nice touch, I thought. The punchline, if you will, of the
story/joke. 
	Again, I think I have done similar, and again in a much more
crude fashion. Justice is a satirical view of Ukyo characterisations
and cliches, just as my "The Smile," "St. Ukyo" and "Nabiki Tendo
Must Die" were parodies and spoofs of some cliches. Gary is merely
being more serious in his presentation than I am, and I blame that
on my inability to stay serious and somber for any meaningful
amount of time. ^_^ I still thought the ending to it was funny
though... I had this big ol' smile on my face and a chuckle....

	So perhaps it wasn't really hate that engendered the
discussion, or the two stories... I don't really see where
hate necessarily enters the picture. I can write stories
both pro and con characters which I may or may not like,
and still keep them fairly true to their original form
(which is not to say that I often do so, but merely that,
if I were so inclined, could ^_- ).
	Beyond which, who said hate is a bad thing? Hate
can be a force for good, can it not? Is hating injustice
wrong? Is hating evil wrong? Like any feeling, hate in
and of itself is amoral-- what makes it good or bad is
how one applies it.
	<sigh> I really have to stop reading and then trying
to respond to messages this late/early, eh? I've said what
I've said badly, related almost everything back to myself
in my hubris (including this ^_^ ) and only vaguely
responded to the initial statement, instead meandering
for most of the message. My only hope, only conceivable
redemption, is that I perhaps have given someone, somewhere,
something to think about, perhaps sparking an idea for a
story, or a theme to be used, or at least confused the hell
out of them wondering what the heck I was smokin' when I
wrote this, and where they can get some....
(It's all natural, dearies! Pure Matt, that's it! Don't need
no foreign substances to be like this! ...although perhaps a
few might stop me from being like... well, no need to go into
_that_ now, right?) 

At any rate, I've said my piece, and seeing as I'm already
questioning if/why I'm posting this to the list, I'll shut
up now and get back to a) sleep, or b) fic writing (probably
the latter, though). Hey! I'm chronically behind on what you
know about, nevermind other projects which I keep starting!


Matthew Lewis is:
	Matt on IRC
	Sojiro_Seta on Kawaiimuck
	maybeso@ican.net
	a casualty of causality
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	"Khattam-Shud," he said slowly, "is the Arch-Enemy
of all Stories, even of Language itself. He is the Prince of
Silence and the Foe of Speech. And because everything ends,
because dreams end, stories end, life ends, at the finish
of everything we use his name. 'It's finished,' we tell one
another, 'it's over. Khattam-Shud: The End.'"

	-excerpted from Haroun and the Sea of Stories,
		by Salman Rushdie
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