Glazius Falconar wrote:
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[Ranma 1/2]
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Title: An Awakening of Demons
Segment: Chapter 8b - The Red Game
Genre: Action/Thriller
Author: Kagami
Email: kagami@jeack.com.au
Homepage: www.csus.edu/indiv/s/seifertv/kagami/
Date Sent to FFML: March 14, 2000
Archive Number: 7755 (+ 20K)
Size: 37 KB
Series Summary:
Ranma Saotome - your friendly neighborhood half-demon? Kodachi Kuno -
Devil Hunter of the Kuno Clan? Nodoka Saotome - past lover of a Demon
Lord? Tempted to do a boggle of disbelief? No need; just read An
Awakening of Demons - where the past is always bad news and history
returns to haunt the living.
Segment Summary:
Eighteen years ago, Ranma's half-sister, Shukumaru, chose to rebel
against her father, the Demon Lord of the East. For a great many
reasons, Shukumaru embarked on her journey to power and isolation,
firmly believing that sitting on the Eastern Throne was the means to end
her unhappiness. Still, when demons play the red game of war, only
death will triumph in the end.
And now we know... the _rest_ of the backstory.
Well, the important bits, anyway.
Yup. All that's needed for the story so far. :)
Excellent and very vivid description that
depicts atrocity without being overly graphic and demons without being
overly stomach-turning... but doesn't skip on details so the mind paints in
its own horrors. Which is good; some of the things lurking up there I don't
_want_ guest-starring in a story.
Indeed not; there are always secret places in the heart that should never be
revealed to the light.
People who read science fiction and fantasy tend to have healthy imaginations
anyway, so I usually refrain from adding too much detail and allow them to
envision their own scenes. :)
Folks, _this_ is how you put a new character through her paces.
Thank you.
We get a
very accurate picture of Shukumaru from this and the other flashback
portions. The intrigue is handled smoothly, despite the fact that the court
it's happening at has some denizens with very unusual abilities, and we can
see the plot coming... well, the important bits of it, anyway.
Grin. I do try to foreshadow the plot, albeit clumsily.
This is an
excellent bit of background work which, while not _essential_ to the plot,
_is_ essential to understanding the character.
Nods. Shukumaru's motivations have been rather opague since the beginning. I
felt it was time to turn her into a full-fledged character and not just a new
enemy.
Shukumaru [grumbling]: But I don't want anyone to understand me! I liked being
an obsessive, bloodthirsty demoness!
Ranma: Aw, come on. So, ya hadda cruel childhood? Which of us hasn't? Kodachi
and Akane lost their moms when they were real young. Shampoo only has
great-grandma and dad. I was with Pops most of the time and didn't get to see
Mom at all. And Ukyo became a boy for ten years--
Ukyo [angry]: And whose fault was that, Ranchan?! [bashes him with her
battle-spatula]
Ranma: Hey! Ain'tcha over that already?!
[The Nerima gang fall to bickering while Shukumaru looks on in disdain.]
Shukumaru: They're just so... so annoying! Why couldn't the author stick me into
a more serious anime like Rurouni Kenshin?
If you've been keeping up
with the story, you've read this already; if not, carve out a weekend and
catch up from the archives. You won't regret it.
Thanks for the kind comments!
Phil.