Inkblots

This is an old book of mine, lost some time between 2001 and 2005 but a friend sent me a copy through the mail, and have dutifully read it from cover to cover. I've based Rend (Rendezvous with Fate is my Ranma 1/2 alternate universe fanfic... if you've never heard of it and are wondering) off it.

I have liked other workds of Goofdger better, find that she has imrpoved over time. (This particular piece is her first published work). I have found Anything for LOVE a better story with similar themes to When tehre is Hope and stronger characters. However, This book would have a special place for me because this book is what started Rend.

Though not a favorite story of mine, I love the time-travel, and people rarely pull off the time travel well enough. I have though, because of criticism of my fanfic (which I based off this particular book) noticed that there were indeed great flaws in the entire romance of the lead characters.

For instance, though I like the lead male, Carter, I hate the way he treats his wife, even if she is evil, and I do understand why he does it. (Which makes me think, did I ever hate the way I portrayed Ranma in Rend. The next is I hate the fact that the lead female, cries and almost sank into depression, which I have managed to do with Akane when I was writing Rend.

As my sister pointed out to me in Rend, and what is glaringly obvious in this book is, it was clear why Carter could fall in love with Maggie, but puzzling why Maggie would settle for Carter.

Although a lot of the plot points in Rend are different from When there is Hope, I ran parallel to the book. Which, if you see my detest for Sunny, is something that I shouldn't have done. (But then... it was fanfiction, with a cross to Ranma and When there is Hope. Sunny gets PAID for her work, and she says it's copyrighted. PLUS I was twelve when I started writing rend.) Okay, excuses excuses...

Another bothersome thing about Goodger's work is that she shifts perspective in the middle of the scene. Something which I had to be broken out of by a lot of my pre-readers. (I patterned myself too much after her in writing and writing style, bad for me)

But still, I am grateful that I have the book, because without it I wouldn't have been able to start (not finish, the finish was entirely MINE) a finished fanfic which I have poured research and time to. And of course, it should sit in my desk beside a copy of Rend which I hope I'll manage to make someday. (Print and bind it someday. I'm going to get someone to draw me a good cover and bind it)

Which is the reason why, one day, I am going to write a Ranma 1/2 fanfic someday entirely in the 1600's or 1800's or whatever period that is my idea. Maybe after internship I'd start penning it down.

As for the second epilogue of rend, I'm working on it. I haven't had much inspiration lately, possibly because I've been buried under a lot of ... um... Dark Fantasy works that is not conductive to writing a 1600's Ranma 1/2 fanfic.

I want to write again. Reading has been this grand adventure, but I want to write something again. I miss writing fanfiction. I may not have been a prolific writer, and I may have not written to release every month, but it's something I want to keep doing.

Unfortunately muses have been silent.