At 09:40 pm 16/05/99 GMT, you wrote:

Jed Bidwell <Jedediah@tri-countynet.net> wrote:

       Well, with the good responses I got from the idea, I figured I'd
give it a go. This is just a draft and is by no means final. Besides, I
thought it was time to post something that WASN'T somehow related to the
ongoing canon flamewar. - _ ^

I think you put in way too much explanation, way too soon in this story.
It would have been intriguing to have Ranma's past kept somewhat
mysterious for a while, with clues dropped but the full story left for
us to put together. Just being told right off spoils some of the fun.

I disagree.  The writer is deliberately attempting to follow 
the Brimstone storyline, which involved providing a setup for 
the viewer.  Regular viewers of Brimstone knew that *many* 
plot twists and turns appeared along the way more than making 
up for the amount of information given away early on.  The 
writer did fairly well in presenting the start, managing to 
add twists that are unique to Ranma 1/2.  Adding different 
elements particular to Ranma while keeping to the same 
Brimstone plots could be interesting.  (Kyoko as the landlord 
is a whimsical but cute idea; if Happosai was Gabriel, would he 
still be trying to cop a feel on female Ranma?)

As for who the devil will be, if my guess is right in following 
the TV show, is a certain weedy schoolboy with bags around his 
eyes.... ^_^  I just hope the author doesn't make Kodachi into 
the equivalent of Ash, and not just 'cause I'm a fan of hers 
(well both of them); Kodachi just wouldn't fit, though I do have 
a suggestion of who it *should* be, if he were to ash...er, I 
mean ask.

Also, I wonder whether it could be done using Japanese mythology instead
of Christian? I know it'd take a bit of research, but the shinto stuff
would keep the Japanese flavor of the series and characters.

Again, for regular viewers of Brimstone, there might be some 
potential in having a Shinto vs. Christian conflict.  In 
Brimstone, the aforementioned character Ash is sent to hell 
for her religious beliefs which were not "Christian", and not 
because she did anything wrong in _her_ own faith. O_o  What 
Ash did (no spoilers) is no different morally from the burning 
of 'witches' in Salem, an atrocity to one person, an act of 
good for another.

Shunsuke

"Gee, I wonder what all these nice men do when they're not working."   -
Rally Vincent
"Drink, smoke, watch TV, and gamble.  It's a tradition."   - Bean Bandit
     (from "Riding Bean")