At 12:54 AM 8/12/97 -0400, you wrote:

Point of note:  NEVER WRITE FANFICS WHEN YOU'RE IN THE KIND OF MOOD THIS
GUY IS IN BECAUSE IT WILL END UP WORSE THAN 'THE BITTER END' AND THEN WE'RE
ALL IN FOR IT.

(!)

Gomen nasai!

Zen is sorry!

Eh...heh...sorry, kinda lost it there for a moment.

I guess I might as well give a little C&C on The Bitter End.

It's a wonderfully written fanfic - Zen's stuff has a tendency to be - and
fairly long; kept me up late one night reading through the whole thing.
(Not *really* long, like 'Callers Plight' by Jorge Pratt - how can anyone
write a fanfic that long?)

However, I think that Zen misrepresented Akane.  Or rather, he amplified
her anger/violent feelings about a hundredfold.  There was a good medical
reason for this, though, so I guess I can live with the decision.

What I *can't* understand, though, is why Ranma would stay with Akane after
all the continued abuse.  Love is all well and good, but I don't think that
Ranma's so in love that he would take really really bad beatings day in and
day out and not do a damn thing about it.

One thing I liked about this fic was Ukyou (though the way she died was one
of the worst ways she possibly could have) - her personality was amplified,
too, but in her case, it was her love and devotion to Ranma that was
increased.  Not that she isn't devoted to him in the anime/manga - she is -
but in this particular story, she seems to have matured a great deal, lost
that bit of attitude that has made some people call her a 'schemer,' and is
willing to let go of Ranma if his happiness is at stake.  

In this case, since they both wound up dead, I'd have to draw the
conclusion that it wasn't.

Overall, good fic.  Bad ending.  Dark as hell.  

Note to Zen:  WRITE CHAPTER TWO OF THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD I REALLY WANT
TO READ IT.  Anyone else agree with me here? ;)

Keep up the good work, Zen.  

Hunter Kid
http://www.serve.com/guilds/ranma/
guilds@mail.serve.com