Disclaimer: The playground is by Rumiko Takahashi, I'm only swinging on
the monkey bars. Remember to leave the grounds cleaner than you found
them and please don't feed the Trolls.

This story is archived at http://www.kawaiikunee.com/slp/

Release 1.2 (Dec. 04, 2000)

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Authors Notes: Not so many, this time.

The first part was a try at using mood and shadow, rather than more
action-based writing, and I think it did its job. I'm trying to imply
much of the background detail, indeed, I think that Ranma's role in
this little story kind-of requires that there be a sense of a great
amount of background detail to be had. So, rather than trying to make
talking heads interesting ....

Secondly, I discovered that there was another hero on the premises who
I had not expected. Heh. And Ranma got to be a little nasty, to
counteract the honorable idiot mode he (or she) is normally cast in.

Finally, we come to the third part, and the beginning of Akane's rise
to her own heroic status. And also, I'm beginning to hint at the cost
she and Ranma will eventually have to pay to gain, or in Ranma's case,
_regain_, that high status.

Ranma's actions here are underscoring the degree to which he has, in a
sense, lapsed from a formerly heroic standing, which is what I mean
when I say _re_gain his status as a hero. That is, where once he would
have tackled problems head on (for better or for worse), he's now going
around them, and choosing the easier, safer path. 

While in certain circumstances this is a good thing, when someone fails
to look and see whether the difficult path might not perhaps be the
_right_ path to take, it can lead you into a morass. As it currently
doing in the matter of his and Akane's romantic relationship, and as it
shall do again more than once before he pulls himself out of it.

'Til next chapter,

Eric Hallstrom, 01/16/2001