Subject: [FFML] Re: [Ranma][SM][Misc.] Reflection, Sidestory One:Heaven and Hell. Cha...
From: "Steffan" <sscrivener@earthlink.net>
Date: 11/16/2002, 1:05 AM
To: "Bill Heineman" <burger@contrabandent.com>, <ffml@anifics.com>


I agree entirely.

What we may be overlooking is that Ranma Nibun no ichi is **slapstick
comedy**.  Of course no one dies during the series.  Death isn't funny.

If we want to take the characters and use them in something a bit more
serious, death is a logical byproduct.  For this reason, Bill, I agree with
you entirely.

If we want to take the situation Ranma is in during most of the series
seriously, "Saotome's Choice" is a *very* logical conclusion.  So are some
of the darker fanfics.  Zen's "Bitter End" is certainly credible.

If we want to keep it in the realm of comedy, Kenko's "Girl Days" is the
fanfic I would pick to be picked up by Takahashi to be the plot of a sequel
to the original series.

This fic is one of the more serious ones.  In terms of characterization and
plot, it's entirely plausible when you consider the motivations of the
characters.

As I've told Aleh, I happen to like this story and I'm eagerly awaiting
more.

--Steffan



People write fan fiction because they wish to express how they want the
story to continue or deviate. If you don't like a particular fan fiction,
then simply don't read it or keep it around. You make your own decisions
on
what you will read. However, I find it bad taste to smack an author around
because they are not writing a story exactly in the matter someone wished
the tale to go.

Just because actions never occurred in the manga or in the TV series
doesn't
mean that it will never happen. The reason no one died in Ranma 1/2 is
because it's a continuing story. Rumiko can't kill off anyone or she would
lose potential character interaction for stories she didn't think of at
the
time. Only if the main plotline was to take a new direction, or a story
was
so compelling that a character should die is the reason someone dies.

You want a reason why Shampoo didn't kill Akane? Simple, Ranma had
feelings
for Akane. If Shampoo killed her, she risked his wrath. If a story was
written where Shampoo was convinced that Ranma loved her and Akane
prevented
him from expressing those feelings of love. Akane would be a corpse by
morning.

You want a reason why Ranma doesn't say "I love you"? Simple, that
sentence
was what drove half of the stories. Once he said it and meant it, the
entire
focus of the series changed from Ranma and the fiance brigade to "The
Adventures of Ranma & Akane".

The only canon that exists is the Manga and the TV series. Unless Rumiko
starts Ranma 1/2 part II, nothing in the fan fiction community constitutes
as canon. Even then, alti-verse fan fiction exists to expand beyond the
boundaries set by canon. Some of the most creative fiction I've found
treated canon like it didn't exist.

I've found the stories "Sailor Ranko" and "Destiny's Child" some of the
best
I've read. "Destiny's Child" took canon and threw it out the window. Did
the
story suffer? My opinion was that the story was better for it.

Such are my thoughts.

I'll crawl back under my rock now.

Bill Heineman

----- Original Message -----
on 11/15/02 7:44 PM, Rann Aridorn at rann-chan@attbi.com wrote:

You forgot to mention the part where you comPLETELY departed from
anything
resembling the actual characterizations.
How many people die in the course of Ranma 1/2? Hm? How many? Off the
top
of my head, I'd say it's ZERO. Now, this isn't to say that it's thus not
proper to do it in a fanfic... there's darkfics or seriousfics or
whatever.
But Shampoo just suddenly up and whacking Akane? Um, no. Sorry. If
Shampoo
seriously wanted to kill Akane, she would have been dead at some point
during the manga. In fact, Shampoo had AMPLE opportunities to kill
Akane.
In their very first argument, Shampoo had Akane alone, and struck with
speed that could easily have been used to deal a deathblow, but instead
merely erased Akane's memories of Ranma. Hell, Akane wasn't even HURT,
she
woke up feeling refreshed!
Also, Ranma's never fought for the kill at any point. He's been
seriously
pissed off a lot of times, and he would probably seriously go off the
deep
end if Akane died... but practicing eye-for-an-eye fatalities, and then
taking it one step further to seriously injure and slay others? Bull.
Completely incorrect, not buying it, sounds like just more crap that
involves Shampoo being the "evil, stupid bimbo" that a lot of fanon
wants
her to be to portray her as an evil villain completely out of proportion
with any threat she posed at any point in canon.
This sounds like it's not worth the hard drive space it's hosted on.
Sorry.

-Rann


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