TJ Hamilton wrote:

Its fanfiction. If you want to see it stick to Character lines, go 
read the original stuff, because only the original authors know 
for sure how they would act. It's their series, not ours. All we 
can do is guess.

Hardly. While fanfiction does allow for a wide variety of 
characterizations - I've seen Kasumi IC as a serial killer, a 
saintly mother figure, a dim-bulb menial, and a disturbed 
teenager - there are some things which breach even the broad, 
two-dimensonal characters set down by Takahashi. A short 
example:

(Scene: A road leading to Furinkan High. Ranma and Akane are 
walking to school.)

Akane: (high-pitched, squealing) Oh, I hope my frilly dress is 
ready! Daddy said he'd buy me a frilly dress today! I wanna wear 
it and dance around the house and then have tea with Mister 
Flopsie the bunnie! Ranma, would you like to have tea with me 
and Mister Flopsie?

Ranma: (giggling) Okay. Can we have sex afterwards?

Akane: (giggling) Oooo! Sure!

(Ryouga enters.)

Akane: (cringing) Wah! It's Ryouga!

Ryouga: (glare of contempt) Drop dead, Akane. Stupid wench.

Ranma: (runs over, kisses Ryouga's feet) Ryyyyyyyyouga-sama! 
Waiwaiwai! Make me a woman!

Ryouga: (smiling fondly) Oh, Ranma, you loveable nut.

And if you call that a valid interpretation of character, I have 
several bridges to sell you. Cheap.

There is only one _real_ Ranma, and he/she never appears in 
fanfiction. The way you state your aruguements leaves most 
people who read it to think that no fanfiction will ever appeal >to you

because it is just that.

Personally, I read it as a sincere piece of C&C. If ya put a work 
to the FFML, be ready for people to point out it's flaws. Heck, 
_pray_ that people do, because it results in a better work.

My oldest and perhaps most valued prereader is Travis Butler, 
for the sheer fact that he has a damnable talent for picking out 
the holes in my stories and the flaws in my characterizations. 
The result? My work is better after he gives it the onceover. 
Getting praise is nice, but it's the negative stuff that improves 
the story.

You are of course entitled to your opinion on these matters, 
however the entire 'opinion' seemed to be a 'diplomatic attack.' 
Most of us are writing for personal entertainment, much like 
Mr. Eddy, or most of Colliding SYmphonies, as are many readers. 
I've read many works where I
did not enjoy the content, and took the entertainment out of 
reading fanfiction, but I didn't use subtle attacks on the author 
because his story didn't agree with me, which is what this 
seems to be.

I'd hardly call it subtle, or an attack. It seemed to me to be 
honest, if harsh, C&C.

I encourage EVERYONE that I can to write as much as they can. 
True, many of them write things I donot like, but I've only 
'ripped' people for poor use of English, not for content.

That's you. Me, I've called stories on content, and have asked 
that others do the same for mine. I'm a good enough writer to 
know the skillful use of English, and the spellchecker neatly 
catches my grammar mistypes... without content, I'd get no C&C.

I was discussing the issue of characterization lasy night with 
some friends, and presented the following two types of 
character disagreements:

A) I don't think X would do this.
In other words, this isn't how I view/would write X. I have no 
trouble with this sort of thing, because there's no one 'right' 
way to view the characters.

Example: The recent story by Nick, Iris. I think Akane would have 
stayed with Ranma; that's what would have happened if I'd been 
writing it. However, I'm not writing it, and I can see it within 
the realm of possibility for Akane to break up with Ranma over 
his problem. It is a believable interpretation.

B) I can't possibly see X ever doing this.
Or, 'I don't even recognize the character as X here'. This I _will_ 
call folks on, because it means they didn't 'sell' the character to 
me, the audience. They took the character beyond even the very 
broad, open personalities Takahashi gave them. If you have 
Ryouga being mean to Akane, or Akane giggling and flirting with 
everyone in sight, you'd better give a reason for it.

Example: The short, silly bit I did above. Unless you've drugged 
them or some such, ain't no way that's gonna happen.

Look, Grayson gave honest C&C. Harsh, yeah, but honest, and 
frankly I happen to agree with it. There _were_ some real 
problems in that chapter, and I wish I'd gotten up the energy to 
point it out to Eddy. 'Cause he writes a good fic, which deserves 
C&C. But please, please don't try an slam the giving of story 
comments. I'd hate to see an FFML where me latest work can't be 
dismembered earnestly by the critics.

- Mike Loader
===/\=====+==================================================================
  /  \    l  "For, look you, there is humour in all things, and the truest
 / () \   l   philosophy is that which teaches us to find it and make the
/      \  l   most of it." - Jack Point, _The Yeomen of the Guard_
--------  l                    mike@thekeep.org
==========+==================================================================
Fnord.