On Sun, 9 Jan 2000, Jed M Bidwell wrote:
Well, here we go again. I'm busy pounding out part four of The Omega
Project, and so don't have time for even a teaser on this, so I figured I'd
send the idea to the FFML and see what turns up. Note this is NOT an SI.
<snip>
Jed-
The reactions to your fic description is exactly why you (and everyone
else) shouldn't just post story ideas, but a short sketch to go along with
it. Just posting the outline is useless: After all, "everything" has
already been done. A sketch helps to show how you might actually address
the issue.
Now, concerning some of the concerns about the character, I have to agree
for the most part. It -does- seem like a typical ANC. My suggestion is
to mess with it a little. For example, telekinesis isn't really a curse,
when you think about it...so make it one. Perhaps there is the
restriction(due to psychological screwup during childhood) that it can
only be used in the proximity of someone using very bad poetry. Thus, to
access his telekinetic powers, he has to hang around Kuno Tatewaki,
without knocking him out/punting him away. A curse indeed. ^_^
The main conflict of your story concerns anti-mutant sentiments, and what
it means to be oppressed. Again, due to reasons listed by others, that's
not terribly like in Nerima. Instead, I could think of two different
things you could do offhand. Granted, they change the mood of the story,
but still...
One, you could make him sob about his differences, and have absolutely no
one else care. Nabiki will blackmail him, by threatening to blab his
secret to everyone (while they all already know, and don't mind),
neighbors could ask him to get their pet cats down from trees and carry
groceries using his powers, the janitor needs to flip three switches at
once that are widely spaced apart and asks him for help since his powers
could easily do so. All the while, he's driving himself nuts with angust.
Two, you could have *everyone* except for him in angust about some special
ability. All the mutants visit Nerima, filled with angusty feelings about
their powers. But he was a student of Tendo Nabiki, and has different
priorities.
Mutant#1: What shall we ever do?!
Mutant#2: We're outcasts, 'tis true.
Mutant#3: Alas! Oh, the humanity(Mutanity?) of it all!
Soichiro: You guys okay? Come, you should wipe away those shameful
tears! I have these fine hankercheifs, which I'll gladly
sell to you for a low price of five dollars apiece...
Of course, if you're looking to do something serious, none of these would
work, but then you should ask yourself if Ranma 1/2 is the series you want
to use.
-Natsume Ranma Ranma
-------
The sardines weren't worth the trouble. A few more shots, then
Ryoga-san would overheat and explode. Ducking around a corner,
I managed to lose him as I entered the ramshackle residence of
my Anime supplier.
One look at his face and I knew that I had been betrayed. "Tell me,"
I insisted. He refused, so I slammed him against the wall.
"Last chance. Where can Ranma-Ranma find good fanfics?"
"Try Jason Liao," he whispered, before he slumped to the floor.
I heard the sounds of a door splintering as I left through the
window, one step ahead of Tendo Heavy Industries...