Hi guys.

Thanks for the response to the meanderings I set down at 5 a.m. I've
gotten a lot of feedback on it, and now I will respond to the most
frequent objections.

1: The whole thing is sloppy.
A: Yes it is. I had been up twenty-two hours straight. 

2: Kasumi is OOC.
A: Kasumi has virtually no personality as portrayed in either manga or
anime. That's what makes her fun; you can really write her in any type
of situation without going OOC.

3: Akane is OOC (and unnecessarily vicious).
A: I suppose that my anti-Akane prejudice is showing through (at 5 a.m.?
What was there to stop it?). I don't like Akane. Takahashi-sama says
that Ranma and Akane are destined to be together, but aside from Akane
having a major personality overhaul, I don't think it would be a good
idea.

(yes, there are those out there who claimn I write lotsa Ranma&Akane
fics, but if younotice, in every one of those, Akane has had said
overhaul.)

4: Ranma wouldn't do something like this.
A: As far as I can see, Ranma has never really done *anything*. Despite
his brash persona, he's basically a wimp. He never initialtes or
controls anything, instead he just reacts and accepts. He doesn't
actively seek a cure - he waits for one to blunder into him. He doesn't
seek new styles and techniques tolearn - he waits for someone to use
some unheard-of style or technique, then gets a counter. And he does
*nothing* about his romantic problems - instead he waits for them to go
away on his own.

5: Everyone was acting weird at the contract reading.
A: Yes they were. See #1.

6: Why were the Three Fiancees acting like that at the end?
A: I conjecture that the fiancees act the way they do because they are
fiancees. Take the engagement out of the picture (as the contract did),
and they would behave in a totally different manner.

Akane, the Jealous Fiancee: She wants Ranma, but she doesn't want to
show she wants the guy her idiot father is forcing on her. And she is
afraid that another fiancee will take him away. Remove the engagement
and the fear of him leaving, and you have just one thing left - She
wants Ranma.

Ukyo, the Friendly Fiancee: Ukyo is an obsessive; her history proves
that. Her "Cute fiancee" act is just that - an act. A means to the end
of getting Ranma. remove the facade of friendliness and you have that
lady from the movie "Misery". I have little doubt that if they were to
marry, Ranma would end up chained in a basement so he wouldn't be able
to leave her.

Shampoo, the Sexy Fiancee: Again, we have an actress. Shampoo's bimbo
routine is an Amazon stereotype of what outsider men want, a pliant
sexdoll. Do you really believe that a trained warrior would really be
that much of an airhead? Get rid of the act and you have a girl forced
into a role dictated by her society. Give her a bit of slack, and she'll
want to relax and have fun.

So the Jealous Fiancee becomes the Sexy Fiancee, the Sexy Fiancee
becomes the Friendly Fiancee, and the Friendly Fiancee becomes the
Jealous Fiancee.

7: Kodachi is obsessive, not hallucinatory.
A: She also experiments with strange plants and chemicals, and has a
family history of mental disorders. It's probably a matter of time
before her genes or her drugs take their toll.

That should answer the major questions.

As for continuing ... if I hadn't been so punchy from being awake all
that time, I probably wouldn''t have posted it. But the concept of the
Fiancee Brigade being forced to behave themselves fascinated me. I
probably won't do anything with it.

--------------------
Jack Staik
Property of Jillian
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