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Comments on Comments $$
..on comments
On and on and on...
agree. For the powers to be
target-specific, is...
utterly stupid, IMO, for their powers were created
BEFORE
the concept of Negaverse existed.
$$That was what I was trying to say. Thanks
for clearing it up. ^_^ HOWEVER, if the author
wants/needs this particular plot point, go
ahead, just add a bit here and there to make
it "feel" more likely.
Agree.
It's not like it's a MAJOR point... we're referring to Artemis' comment
that the Sailor Scouts' powers are designed to work against the
Negaverse, right? Well, considering that that's the only enemy the
Scouts have faced so far, it seems MORE logical to me to say that than
"your powers are designed to work against evil, particularly the
Negaverse." It's like breaking the fourth wall or projecting into a
future that the reader can see but the characters can't. Especially in
this story, that would be VERY bad.
I can't object _too_ much since I had
something similar in chapter 7
of Sukeban Senshi--Senshi v. Aragami.
The Senshi were having trouble fighting
Aragami, not so much because their
powers were ineffective, but because
1)The Aragami were _very_ tough
True. And the more powerful ones...
Kusanagi could probably go through
fifty youma before breaking a sweat.
IMO, it was still not a good idea on
your part to introduce Blue Seed stuff,
because the series is so apocalyptic...
Funny you should mention Kusanagi of Blue Seed...
My point is, rather than a mysterious
"our powers don't work", have a reason that
follows logically from the rest of the story.
So, the fact that their powers didn't work when they used them against
Ryoko isn't logical evidence that their powers won't work against their
new enemies?
EVEN IF the reader and the Senshi don't know
at that particular moment. Personally I think
it's better if the _reader_ knows just a little bit
more than the characters.
Nodnod.
True. But it had better not be the characters telling the reader the
privileged information.
There are a LOT of reasons.
1)They EAT Crystal Energy
Who does?
2)They're slightly out of phase with time/space
so the Senshi Attacks pass through/bounce off
When mixin' and turnin' with the energy concepts,
all the three newbies have quite enough energy.
Ryoko against senshi at this point is overkill,
only chance they have against Lina, is by surprise,
and even the "weakest" Ranma can probably take
on any one of the inners and win, power-wise.
But there's also the thing...
3)They're FAST!
This one.
OR
4)They're just plain TOUGH!
that too.
Of course this isn't just a simple "my team's tougher than
your's so *bee-da*! situation.
Basically, it seems to boil down to a DBZ-style argument exactly like
the one you present above. The Scouts' powers will in fact affect their
opponents, particularly Ranma and Lina. Ryoko's shield is all that
protects her from their powers. The powers that are "designed to work
against the Negaverse" or merely any evil entity, if you prefer, are
Sailor Moon's powers, and to a lesser extent, Sailor Venus'. Sailor
Moon's powers instantly banish creatures of pure evil (if they're
sufficiently weakened or incapacitated first), but will have no effect
(or very little effect) on other creatures. However, I've never seen the
Sailor Scouts defeat anyone without relying on Sailor Moon's finisher
move. That's the point: characters in these series are very difficult to
kill. They can survive just about anything, it seems, including being
badly burned (as if via Sailor Mars' powers). The only thing that will
truly destroy an opponent is a finisher move, which is what the Sailor
Scouts no longer have the benefit of.
As for the Sailor Scouts' advantage... they've repeatedly shown their
adeptness at surviving all sorts of attacks, either by dodging them or
by not taking enough damage to kill them before striking back. This is
why Beryl wants to strike at them when they're out of uniform and thus
relatively powerless.
I didn't introduce these ideas yet because there's a lot more fighting
yet to come, and revelations of this sort are what will set these scenes
apart from just a bunch of random punching, kicking, and casting of
spells and special moves. However, the amount of criticism I'm receiving
over this issue seems to indicate that everyone wants all of the
information up front. Should I release some sort of "Mystery and
Suspense FAQ" to give the answers to all possible questions before
writing the story, so that there is absolutely no confusion? There's a
reason for the confusion, really.
Decide this before you introduce them. THEN, a little
at the time, let the reader and the Senshi, figure
this out.
Good ideas, all around.
Exactly what I plan to do. I'm just getting a little further into the
story, to a point where those revelations will make sense, before
letting everyone figure things out. Although now you've forced me to tip
my hand early and give away all of the surprise. Should I just tell you
who the girl in black is, or are you willing to wait for the right time?
(Can anyone tell I'm a little bitter at the moment?)
<SNIP FACEFAULT AND SWEATDROP BIT>
I appreciate that, I really do. Yes, there are many ways to describe
embarrassment and surprise that don't involve visual gags. My characters
blush, they trip when surprised, their eyes bug out... and they
sweatdrop and facefault on occasion. These are all elements of the show,
which I use to help keep the feel of the original anime intact while at
the same time adding a dark mood through plot elements and character
emotions. It's a choice of style, which I believe that all of my critics
have so far agreed that I am allowed to make. There are times when I use
prose similar to the examples you gave... and times when the action or
dialogue is proceeding well and a very simple visual gag (which really
isn't MEANT to be as funny as you seem to think I intend it to be)
nicely captures the necessary sentiment without breaking the flow.
Ooh.
off-topic, I always thought Ultimecia in FF8 was some
alt-uni future incarnation of Rinoa...
Nah... she's Selphie after a major hyperness-endectomy.
$$That's a point, certainly. However
the biggest problem, IMO, was a certain
lack of detail and some forced or
contrived plot continuity. This is
especially Ranma. I'd also like
a little more "friction", some
dynamic tension. Things seem
to be proceeding too smoothly.
There are some BIG problems, the
Senshi having trouble beating
the "monster-of-the-week" (AKA
Ranma, Lina, Ryoko) for
example. But I like
to see more _little_ details
that flesh things out.
I guess I have to agree.
Perhaps this is true. I thought the conversation between the Scouts in
chapter 2 covered their attitudes toward that aspect of the story,
though. Believe me, it's not as if this is the end of the story! There's
plenty more to go, and a lot of detail to cover everything. I don't want
to make the story front-heavy and then have it drag at the end. Ranma,
Ryoko, and Lina haven't been working together long enough to really
develop any tension. Once they've been through a few more fights,
they'll have tension to spare, both internally and externally. Can I
possibly beg enough to have patience when it comes to revealing too much
information at once?
Ranma of course, worrying about Akane
but also having come conflict about
killing an innocent to save her.
Some more detail on the thoughts
and fears and hopes of the other characters
would be good.
Don't be in such a rush to get
from Point-A to Point-B. ^_^
I'm not, I'm not! But what you've seen is from point A to point A and a
quarter. Ranma's conflict about killing an innocent is certainly going
to come to the surface when he has to actually do it... so far it was
just fighting Tuxedo Mask, who isn't on the death list, and if you'll
notice, Ranma specifically requested the task of holding off TM while
the others attacked the Sailor Scouts. The hopes and fears (of all the
years ^_^) are all going to come gushing forth when it's time. Unless,
of course, you'd rather I just E-mail them all to you and not bother
with the story any more.
Didn't think about it, but now we have
Ranma together with two, count *two*
females with
a)explosive, hair trigger temperaments
b)enough personal destructive power to
take out 1)planets
2)solar systems
3)galaxies.
And strict instructions not to use it against Ranma. Believe me, when
Ranma, who has never been able to keep his insults to himself, mixes
with Lina, who seems to attract flat-chested comments, there's no end of
trouble! If you'll allow me the time to write the appropriate scene...
Hmm..
.o|
question!
Does Ryoko have all three gems?
No. As far as I know, she never has all three gems in the OAV, which is
the Tenchi continuity that I'm pulling Ryoko from. At least, not in the
first thirteen episodes, unless you count during the Kagato incident,
and I know she DIDN'T have them all in episode 7 (she says as much).
When Ranma first sees her, he describes a single gem on her wrist. Maybe
you guys who are so concerned about details missed a few as you read?
I've noticed that, with many stories, movies, series, etc. the stories
begin to fall apart near the end, as the action starts to wind down. I
always take pains to avoid that as much as possible by not stretching
out the beginning too much, and letting the details all come out as the
story progresses. The Sailor Scouts have at least four more battles
ahead - probably more. The contents of the crystals, the identity of the
girl in black, Beryl's future plans for Chronite, the Sailor Scouts'
contingency plan, Pluto's course of action... all will be revealed in
due time, really! And a large part of that will be revealed through the
characters' emotions and actions, which is what you've been haranguing
me about all along. Right now, they're all just interested in getting
the job done. Let them get a bit more exposure to the real-life effects
of that job and just see how they're feeling after that. K?
- Nidoking
BURNS: What is this? Some kind of force field around these vegetables!
HOMER: That's the sneeze guard. You have to lean under it to get food or
sneeze on stuff.
JOHNNY BRAVO: *sigh* The only woman I ever really loved... and she's
gone. I wonder if I'll ever get over - Hey! Nuggets!
JACKIE CHAN: Oh, sorry. I broke your spy camera! (pause) SPY CAMERA?!
My webpage: http://www.rose-hulman.edu/~katinamp