[FFML] Re: [Ranma][SM][Misc.] Reflection, Sidestory One: Heaven and Hell, Ch. 1

Having never intended to actually reply to this, I no longer have either a copy of the story that began this discussion or many of the parts of the discussion itself, so please forgive me if I have misremembered something.

Keep in mind that the author has already released some four chapters of a work that assumes the events depicted in this side story as background. I do not recall all the details of that work, but I believe the gist of it can be summed up thus:

After the deaths of Akane, Shampoo, et al and the destruction of the Amazons, Ranma devotes his life to even more intense training than during the manga, developing god-like powers and becoming immortal. Millenia later, for some purpose and by some mechanism that I do not recall, Ranma's mind is transferred into an alternate version of himself at the age of 16 who never went on a training trip and who has a (younger? twin?) sister. There have been changes on the Tendo front as well, such as Nabiki's friendship with Hino Rei. (I do not recall whether Nabs knows that her friend is Sailor Mars.) This transfer strips Ranma of much of his god-like abilities, though he still remembers how to do the various techniques if he could simply build up the necessary ki reserves and train his new body to the point where it can handle the strain.

As for this side story, I believe the author's intent is to skip over the events depicted in this first chapter quickly and focus on Ranma's life afterward. Given that, I would assume that the purpose of this synopsis is to provide readers with certain background information without going into detail the author believes unimportant to the story s/he wants to tell. From the perspective of readers being hit with just this synopsis and nothing else, perhaps that was not a wise decision.

Now, on to the story itself and certain specific comments about it.

One respondant stated that ZERO people died in the manga, to which I can only say: Saffron. That the pheonix was reborn immediately thereafter is immaterial. It has been established that Ranma is capable of killing to protect Akane if he has no other option. Whether he would kill for revenge is less clear, but, if he came home to find Akane dead and her killer standing over the body, I can easily see him immediately lashing out in a lethal fashion. I can't, however, see him moping for two days and then going on a killing spree.

Plausably twisting Shampoo's character to the point where she would kill Akane (or make a serious attempt to do so) is more difficult, but it has been successfully done in other fanfics. I do agree, though, it would be nice if the author spent some time on that.

Defender of the Light
Elite Mage
junior member of the Inner Circle of the Mages Council

Contrary to popular opinion, magic and science do mix.

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