On Wed, 26 Jan 2005, Bob Schroeck wrote:

JusenkyoGuide wrote:

Nan da hell?

I'd love to hear the back story behind the idea of Kasumi taking a
blood oath. The writing was fairly smooth, and the internal monologue
a good touch, especially given Kasumi's iron control on her
expressions.

Agreed.  This was the beginning of a *very* good story.  I got quite
interested in the situation, and I was really looking forward to some
flashback or whatnot that would let us in on the backstory.

Then it took a left turn at Alburquerque and slammed into a wall.

What happened?  Did the author just get sick of the story 12
paragraphs in?  If this was supposed to be a joke, it's not just
a bad one, it's a *stupid* one, without anything funny to
recommend it at all.  Why waste such a good setup on such an
abrupt and pointless finish?

Actually, if you remember the "Pokemon are demons" meme, the fic can be
viewed as a meta-humor fic(if that makes sense).  It's not funny because
of the pikachu demon joke; it's funny because it's making fun of itself.

Anyone who's been reading fanfic for at least a month is most likely
familiar with the really cruddy "humor" fics that make the rounds every so
often.  For example "Hot steamy sex in the Tendo dojo, with generic
descriptions for 10 pages...hah, in the last sentance, you find it's
really Happosai and Cologne!" or 50 lines of "Wow, <bad cook>!  You
finally made something yummy." only to be ended with "I took a recipie
that required dead rats and bleach, so when I added them in, they didn't
ruin the meal!"  Whatever the topic, though, the format remains the same.
There's no conflict, most dialog is generic babble, and the writing is
intentionally vague.

In this case, there's a compelling conflict, the dialog between Kasumi and
her inner-demon serves to develop the story, and the writing isn't seeking
to mislead through lack of details.  The fic is funny, because by ending
up at the same place as those other fics, it shows through contrast just
how empty the joke is, and by extension, how empty those fics that rely on
the 'abrupt last-minute change' technique really are.

Regarding that last point, it is too bad that no one who writes that kind
of fic has yet publically commented about To Stop a Demon.  I won't name
any names, but I would have died laughing if certain persons had posted
complaints about the end.

-Natsume Ranma Ranma
-------
The sardines weren't worth the trouble.  A few more shots, then
Ryoga-san would overheat and explode.  Ducking around a corner,
I managed to lose him as I entered the ramshackle residence of
my Anime supplier.

One look at his face and I knew that I had been betrayed.  "Tell me,"
I insisted.  He refused, so I slammed him against the wall.
"Last chance.  Where can Ranma-Ranma find good fanfics?"
"Try Jason Liao," he whispered, before he slumped to the floor.
I heard the sounds of a door splintering as I left through the
window, one step ahead of Tendo Heavy Industries...

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