Counter-rant alert.
Kyhdin@aol.com wrote:
So in conclusion, (assuming you're still reading this) I would like to ask
that when you write C&C, try to remember that not everyone has read the manga
and therefore not automatically knock of 10, 15, or 100 points because "its
not canon."
If you think that that's what C&C is all about, then I'd say you've got some
serious misconceptions.
C&C isn't about assigning a grade or "points" to fics. A story getting panned on
the FFML doesn't mean its writer will need to repeat a year of school or won't
get into the college of his or her choice. C&C is there for one reason, namely
to help a writer make his or her fic better, or help him or her write a better
fic the next time around.
So why point to the manga when C&Cing a fic? Well, for one thing, at least in
the case of Ranma 1/2, it's a good example of how to do things right. There's a
well-rounded cast of characters, each having an identifiably distinct
personality that contributes to the conflict in the series -- unlike a lot of
fanfics, in which characters are often made to be bland saints, or equally bland
idiots. Secondly, the manga, if nothing else, is canon in the sense that it
shows the creator's view of the characters -- which matters in the case where
the point of your fanfic is to make a point about the characters. If your story
is meant to show that Ryoga is really a dangerous psychotic, or that Ukyo and
Gosunkugi are the perfect couple, then your characterizations had better be
recognizable from the manga ones, or you haven't shown anything.
Does every story benefit from following the manga more closely? Of course not,
and I don't know anyone who's said so. To my knowledge, no one's criticized the
authors of "Ill Met By Starlight" because Ranma's characterization in that fic
is OOC, because it's obviously not meant to be IC, and it doesn't need to be IC
(in fact, it needs to be *OOC*) in order for the fic to work. Might a C&Cer
offer an author advice on how to stay within the canon when that author doesn't
want it? Yes, but no one's forcing the author to accept that person's advice.
Finally, don't harp on a C&Cer. Whether or not you find VGAP's comments useful,
at least he took the time to give the story a thoughtful reading and express his
ideas on it. If you don't think any of the C&C on the list is as good as it
might be, the remedy is simple: DO SOME YOURSELF.
Gary