on 1/1/01 11:55 PM, William Morse <montanto@hotmail.com> wrote:
The other problem I'm having so far is that parts of this come close to feel
like a self insert in that so far Ranko seems to be here solving everyone's
problems. Coaching Ranma on how to relate to Akane, sparring with Akane,
providing Ranma a creative outlet, and serving as a sounding board for Akane
to admit her feelings. I know you can argue that this was one of the magic
rock's ulterior motives for transporting Ranko to the "cannon" reality but
still this is too easy. Ranko while in many ways is more mature then cannon
Ranma, is no Mary Poppins.
This is certainly one of the things that concerned me most while I was
writing it. I think what you're referring to is actually a "Mary Sue," not a
self-insert (though they often appear together).
I thought about this a lot as I was writing. One of the things I tried to do
to avoid it is to not have Ranko solve all Ranma's problems. To me, the only
problem she is solving is Ranma's emotional immaturity, which I see as the
root of his problems with Akane. To me, he already has a creative outlet:
his martial arts. As I have him say, to him the Art *is* an art. I didn't
see the violin as filling a gap in his life, just a way for him to discover
more about himself and to grow a little as a person. And I started the story
with both Ranma and Akane knowing they loved each other, and knowing that
they knew that, but still having trouble opening up.
I also wanted to have a natural motivation for what happens. I saw both
Ranko and Ranma as emotionally stunted due to the way they were raised -- I
don't think this is much of a stretch. Ranko has been recovering from this
for seven months, and has a better relationship with Akane as a result (plus
they have their childhood bond). Rather than have her be an all-seeing,
all-knowing expert on relationships, she is just translating what she knows
about herself and her own relationship with Akane into Ranma's life. Since
she *is* Ranma, they're just cross-fertilizing, so to speak. I would have
been much more worried if they hadn't been essentially the same person (but
opposite genders).
I also wanted to leave problems left unsolved. Ranma's reliance on his girl
form is one of them. I didn't make him into a "sensitive guy"; he still has
to work hard at this. I didn't fix Nodoka. You will see by the final chapter
that there are others, and that Ranko is not infallible. On the other hand,
you may not like the ending. ^^;; You will also see that a problem in
Ranko's life is resolved, so there is some symmetry.
I also tried to have them work together, rather than Ranko tell Ranma
everything. For example, the swap in chapter 5 was a result of a mutual
discussion, not Ranko's idea exclusively.
In the end, I thought it would have been less believable to have these two
worlds come in contact without affecting each other at all, so I tried to
strike a balance. I don't know how successful I was. To me, having change
was the *most* interesting thing about them meeting each other. I tried to
keep it natural and keep it from turning into a "Mary Sue".
I don't know if this addresses your concerns or not, but if it is a "Mary
Sue" then at least know I was aware of that. ^_^
By the way, Ranko is definitely not a self-insert -- I'm not much like her,
and I tried as hard as I could to make her what I thought Ranma would be
like if he were truly a girl rather than just a guy in a girl's body.
However, there *is* a character in both "Genma's Daughter" and "Equal
Halves" who, while not intended as a self-insert, comes close. See if you
can figure out who it is. ^_^ If anyone needs a hint send me private e-mail.
I'm glad you like the other aspects of the story. If you want to see where I
learned about violins:
http://www.maestronet.com/library/maestronet_mag/inexpensive1.html
And about Akane in "Genma's Daughter": you're right. Ryouga sort of crowded
her out, as he became the main issue in Ranko's life, and I wanted to stay
focused on her. Again, I was aware of this as I was writing it, but wasn't
quite sure how to make her more central without defocusing things. Any
suggestions would be welcome. That's one of the reasons for the theater
production as part of the talent show at the end: I wanted Akane to have her
own piece.
Anyway, thanks for the comments. They were illuminating.
Deborah