Subject: [FFML] Re: [C&C][fanfic][Ranma]Divided I Stand: Chapter 7 Rev 0
From: Zorknot42@aol.com
Date: 10/14/2002, 6:50 PM
To: ffml@anifics.com

I don't mind that you don't agree with me. If everyone agreed with everyone 
we'd probably all end up dead from drinking Kool-aid or trying to leave on 
the next comet out of reality. So please understand that I am responding 
because I happen to like arguing, and not for any personal reasons.

Okay, I'll think about this one. I've been trying to keep _Divided I Stand_
short, having run on for so long with _Comes the Cold Dragon_.

Somehow, I doubt that you are going to be able to keep DIS short. If you 
wanted to do that, you probably ought to have stuck with the Typhoon and not 
gone into this more epic storyline.

1) This is a scientist speaking, so her wording is very precise. She said
"extant" and she meant "extant".

Okay this was selective blindness on my part. I'm not familiar with this 
usage of the word extant. I would use prevalent or something. But this just 
shows my ignorance.

2) What conclusion would you reach upon observing a panda with these
abilities and having no knowledge of Genma or Jusenkyou? In other words,
what would you adopt as a working hypothesis to explain his abilities and
behavior?

{Gets off high horse after realizing he has been riding it backwards} Okay I 
suppose a different species would work as an acting hypothesis. Sometimes I 
swear someone must be slipping me drugs without my knowing. Still, I would be 
a little more unsure of the hypothesis than the scientist seems to be. She 
might be trying to impress the reporter to get funding or something, but I 
can't know this, as her actions and appearance aren't described much.

Maybe you could trim the panda lecture down a bit?

Nope. It's here for a reason

Hopefully the reason isn't just to educate the reader to the wonderful world 
of Panda biology. As interesting as it might be, the format makes it a little 
tedious. You really don't even have to mention the reporter and scientist 
(unless they become characters later on) You could just do something like...

"Genma watched as the pika scurried nearer to him. The animal looked, at 
first glance, like a mouse, but it was simply too cute. It was like a hamster 
had crossed itself with a squirrel and then watched Disney movies back to 
back for hours before being released into the wild. It was a rare, timid 
mammal and many people were thrilled even to catch a glimpse of it, much less 
be able to sit as close to it as Genma was.

There was a barely perceptible black blur as Genma swatted the creature into 
the ground. He picked it up and bit its head off, savoring the taste of 
blood. As he let the morsel roll around on his tongue, Genma reflected on his 
current position. He hoped no one had seen him catch the pika. Pandas weren't 
supposed to move that fast, and if the zoo's scientists knew how quickly he 
could move they would do another barrage of tests. They apparently thought he 
was a rare species of panda because his foot pads were larger or something. 
As a result, Genma hadn't been left alone ever since the zoo keepers put him 
here almost two days ago. At least they had given him plenty of food and 
water. 

The water was really important. Eating bamboo was thirsty work for some 
reason..."

I'm just trying to illustrate what I mean here. Please take no offense. You 
use much the same method in the scene with Taro, when you're describing his 
situation and the bird. 

Alternatively, if you feel the scientist and the reporter are important, then 
you ought to IMO describe them more. You might even begin from the reporter's 
perspective, letting the reader know that she is doing a fluff piece on the 
animals caught in the typhoon or what not. 

[She is surprised about the nature of the forests, not the panda. Most
people are surprised to hear that old growth forests have little in the way
of animal life at the ground level. They are good places for most of the
large animals to starve.]

Okay. My problem with this then is that it isn't clear that this is why the 
reporter is surprised. Furthermore, while I'd say this is somewhat 
interesting, surprising might be going a little far. That's just my opinion 
though. 

[Japanese lacks plural forms.]

Okay fine. I've already gone into this, but if you still don't believe me go 
ahead. All I ask is that you be consistent. So if Nabiki or somebody needs to 
talk to Ranma Genma and Nodoka together you make sure she says "I've got to 
talk to the Saotome."

[Again, Japanese does not have plural forms.]

Also if the three of them are walking down the road, then you'll have to say. 
"The Saotome walked down the road." �

[Agreed, but I am trying to keep this one short. I tend to get carried away
with flashbacks.]

You could go two ways with this. Either reveal less information by not going 
into the past much at all and simply mention the eye of Mephistopheles and 
what might happen because of it, or commit to telling the story about what 
happen by doing a flashback. As it stands now it seems too rushed and 
incomplete.

[If the reader was bored, the reader failed to put the panda stuff into
context. How much fun would it be to have one of these critters staying at
your house? What would be some of the consequences that were never revealed
by Takahashi's 38 volumes of manga? Also, several of these teensy little
factotums become important later on in the yarn.]

I think that these consequences were not revealed because they were quite 
pointedly �ignored. When it comes right down to it, if Genma was a normal 
panda he would not be able to do martial arts. He also would not be able to 
play shogi or materialize signs out of the (nonexistent) ether. You have to 
ask yourself whether you're going to be true to the cannon, or true to 
science, or to which degree you are going to follow both. 

As long as the facts become important later on then that's fine. The format 
in which they are revealed in is the main thing I take issue with here.

[We are talking about Ranma Saotome in female form here, you know.
Confidence is the hallmark of the character.]

In fighting, yes. Relationships are another story. In retrospect I shouldn't 
have said anything though. Any differences can be chalked up to Ranko's other 
memories, and the fact that she's becoming more of a girl. That's the main 
problem I have: that she sounds like a girl. I should just get over it 
though. Sorry.

[Happosai does not get a "u". The "o" in his name is of ordinary length for
English speakers. A "u" is placed after the "o" in romanized Japanese to
denote a stretched "o", that is to say the long "o" held for about twice as
long as an English speaker would ordinarily sound as a long "o".]

So sorry, but actually if you're following the hiragana Happosai SHOULD be 
written Happousai. His name comes from three kanji. "Ha" meaning eight "Hou" 
meaning treasure, and "Sai" meaning vegetables. �Together you get Ha-small 
tsu-Po-U-Sa-I. Happousai. It means chop suey. Look it up 

(http://linear.mv.com/cgi-bin/j-e/dosearch?sDict=on&H=PS&L=J&T=happousai&
WC=none&fg=w&S=26&I=on&LI=on) 

I just don't like the u's cause they look funny. 

(that really is a mouth ful by the way).

[So is "Mephistopheles".]

Yes, it is. Could you use Mephisto? or is that a completely different person? 
Also I think you should just go ahead and call it the Eye of Mephistopheles. 
Or if you want to keep it mysterious simply, the Eye. Mefusutofuriisu is a 
little too much to take.

All of these are merely suggestions
Accept them or reject them, either way is fine


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