I know you've all been thinking the same thing: "Boy, I'm glad nobody's bringing up Jornstead's works. I'd have to stab him in the eyes."
Time for target practice.
Mirrors Multiplied (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1230821/1/), written by Jared Ornstead, aka Skysaber, is an always wild, somewhat risque, often confusing whirlwind of deviant fantasies. It starts out fairly cliche, and spirals wildly out of control within the first chapter.
Imagine, if you will, that an author wrote fifty different Alternate Universe and Crossover Ranma fanfics. Now imagine each of those fics being crushed together into one massive, convoluted story.
Ranma starts out, grossly out of character, as the victim of wish after wish gone awry. He proceeds to try to go home, and, well...it's really difficult to explain, as the story is not monolinear, but multilinear. It jumps around like a firecracker strip. It goes from humorous to thoughtful to dark to introspective and plunges back through randomly, until you have totally forgotten how all of it happened.
It's unfinished, and will likely remain so, as Skysaber tends to flake out and vanish for periods of up to three years, before returning to spew hellfire and brimstone at the unbelievers.
But that's not really why we're here, is it?
The story is okay for the first few chapters; after that, it's like trying to find your way out of the center of a hedge maze. It is, however, amusing at three am after six cups of coffee.
Agreed. Ranma's OOCs has more justification than most fics by Skysaber, but he loses track of the plot pretty quickly.
You mean there is a plot outside of 'make various Ranma(s?) godlike/gods/sympathetic and bash every character I don't like'?
The author's personality aside, I never understood the appeal of this story.
Wow, that surprised me.
I never expected to see a review of this here.
Dracos
I'm trying for diversity, here.
Heh, heh.
It's not a bad fic at first if you accept the fundamental premise and that Ranma's obviously changed over time. As far as that goes, it's entertaining at first. The problem is that it spirals into a confusing mess, too many strands and paths opened. Lacking focus, I didn't enjoy the later chapters nearly as much.
I maintain that the fic was entirely readable right up unil Robotech came into the mix and it exploded far (and obviously) beyond the author's control. The 're-write' chapters emphasize his inability to plot/pace, etc.
Hmm, that's an interesting point. With robotech in the mix, you get something that is eons, technology wise, beyond everything else in the mix.
Dracos
Was that before or after Marisu Picard showed up? Or was that after god himself saved Ranma from Doctor Where?
Don't ask me to remember.
Dracos
Face your past, you must.
Or grow, you will not.
I'm with Brian, I stopped reading when CrySaber threw Robotech into the blender. Hey, let's write like Akane cooks, just throw some more random stuff into the fic.
Mercifully, I have no idea what Panda is referring to.
I know the parts Panda is talking about. Of course, back when I read it I didn't know who Skysaber was (beyond "author", that is).
Reading MM caused a particular state of mind for me when I read it in long stretches. Nowadays, I recognize this state as "numbness", but back then it was just something that happened which allowed me to enjoy the story, because my mind would automatically start ignoring selections of the text so that I can keep going to the interesting bits (if any).
For instance, the whole MM last chapter thing about education and his battery thing or whatever it was; my mind completely glossed over that (even though, technically, it was the entirety of the chapter).
When I first read some of the ECB stuff, etc. on Skysaber, and about how that last chapter was ranting, I was mostly: "Ranting? I didn't even notice!"
Panda, I think there are flames about it if you dig far enough back =P
Dracos
I'll make a note to read this so I know what everyone's talking about. >_>
Quote from: "Ragnar"I'll make a note to read this so I know what everyone's talking about. >_>
I recommend KLSymph's method. You'll get some honestly good reading out of it that way, and double fun when you read the ECBs of the bad parts.
Yup, an interesting read to be sure. I've probably read the story in its entirety a couple of times - because it's intentionally confusing to the reader. Sort of a "Bet you can figure this out" thing. I didn't mind the OOC Ranma so much - although the real annoyance was the little "revelatory speeches" Ranma makes to Akane and Nabiki that somehow explain EVERYTHING perfectly...
Did I ever tell you about the time I tried to write a spin-off when I thought he gave me permission?
-J
A spin off? You mean there's a series he didn't already throw into the mix.
Considering how even-tempered Sky is, I suspect he in his self-proclaimed position as the Almighty consigned you to the depths of Hell?
Or if he was more cruel, he tried to explain mathematics to you.
Why all of you gotta hate? ;.;
I'm having painful flashbacks. Again.
I'll throw it in - but first I must ask: can I post an email he sent me, or is that considered bad form?
-J
*STABS YUTH IN THE EYES
Why must people always feel a compulsion to name That Which Must Not Be Named?
Jeram:
It is bad form, but none of the vultures here are going to call you on it =)
Dracos
I don't see how it could be worse form than his bio-rant on ff.net. Or many other things he's done.
Because I WUV YOU SO, Jason!
<3
If anyone wants the complete story, complete with links, just ask (I've already sent it to one or two folks already)...
-J
Actually, if you would be so kind, I'd rather have the links to his 'Otaku' series (especially the 'Skysaber's Choice' part). Somebody once said it was a enlightening window to Jared's...mental methodology.
Much Appreciated >_<
I'm certain someone could provide them though last I was aware he was avaliable around Studio Asynjor (google for it) by request.
That said, please no avatars that big. 128x128 max.
Dracos
:oops: Sorry, wrong filename.
This is better... Thanks.
KiJin, if you manage to get any of his "secret" files, please share!
-J
Piesaber's(*) sekret schedule:
12:00pm Wake up
12:03pm Shower, dress, eat breakfast, read newspaper, check weather. If time is constrained, may skip the shower.
12:05pm Rite moor. Bee shore two ewes the spellchecker.
3:30pm Do a final proofread a literary masterpiece, which balances plot, has believable characters that break forth from static and staid characterizations, using the characters interaction to display insightful commentary on current political, economic, and social events.
3:45pm Decide to delete said fic, and do a quick rewrite showing the protagonist as a whiny bitch, and everyone he hates as a vengeful shrew or too stupid for words.
5:00pm Pursue further studies in mathematics, in quest to become pope (**)
5:01pm Decide that 3rd grade algebra is too hard for now, and decide to whine about various people picking on him.
7:00pm Eat Dinner
7:30pm Call up make-believe older brother who is a bajillionare IP lawyer and can sue anyone into oblivion without being repeatedly sanctioned under Rule 11 and lose his license. Have chat over phone about people who keep annoying him because he steals their work and demand that he stop, and how he can sue them without being punished for bringing frivilous lawsuits.
8:00pm Bed time.
* This is a work of fiction. To my knowledge, there is no one named "Piesaber" and any interpretation of this fiction as critisicm of any entity, real or imagined is purely concidental. Even if this post does happen to appear in a thread about a writer who calls himself Skysaber
.** Someone who didn't believe that a false proposition implies any proposition, and gave as an example "prove that 2+2=5 means that you are the pope." Sir Harold Jefferys said "Certainly!" and gave the following proof.
If 2+2=5, 4=5.
If 4=5, then 5=4
If 5=4, then 5-3 = 4-3
If 5-3 = 4-3, then 2=1
"Now, the Pope and I are two. It follows that the Pope and I are one. Therefore, I am the pope."
If we take this anecdote, and study it in reference to Skysaber's 1) bombastic ranting about moral foundations that he himself hardly understands, and 2) the direct implications of his idea that division of any number by 0 = 0, then we may conjecture that Skysaber is attempting to become Pope "the easy way". At this point, I think he's just trying to subtract numbers from infinity until he reaches a finite number. Expect to hear from His Holyness Ornstead sometime in the near future.
Edit: fixed various spacing errors.
I've heard about J. Ornstead's Lawyer bro, who's supposedly an information(intellectual?) protection specialist. Does such a branch in the profession really exist? I touted it as simply one of his angry rants on DelphiForums, but now I'm not so sure...
Or maybe I'm just THAT gullible.
And, sure, Jeram. But there're lot of big IFs in my quest for SaberScience... 8)
I've only heard about this mysterious "brother" when he stole someone's characters, and the character owner withdrew his permission for Ornstead to use them. Back then, I said that while I had no training in law, I knew that lawyers who "randomly sued people for fun to extract settlements" as Ornstead alleged that his brother are quickly forced from the practice of law.
Here's some additional facts to chew on:
*There is no "Ornstead" in the Martindale-Hubble database. Granted, one has to register with them, but if the supposed Ornstead Esquire exists and works for a superpowered lawfirm, why the hell wouldn't he be in there? The couple of bucks it takes to register would be nothing.
*I can't remember which firm Ornstead claimed that his brother was part of. I looked up that firm back then, and there was no person by the name of "Ornstead" in the listing of associates and partners. Surprise, surprise.
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I touted it as simply one of his angry rants on DelphiForums, but now I'm not so sure...
Have a link? I wanna see.
Is he still ranting about this brother? Next time he does, ask what his name is, which states he's licensed to practice in, and his attorney number for those states. Then, let's go find out who this "brother" really is and give him a call.
I suspect we'll find that either he doesn't exist, or that at best he's a law clerk at a big firm. Which would not impress me one bit.
Sorry, but I saw that page in Delphi several(not sure) years ago, when the ranma fanfic forum was still at its peak. His retaliatory statements were delivered with a certain vehemence, to a specific group of people (I believe Shade in particular). I'm certain you know most of the details already, since plagiarism was a rather controversial/popular topic at that time (I think i may have committed a more than a few unconscious plagiarisms myself). Reminds me of the time Jessica Linquist made her(HIS) counter-arguments... Now that was Entertainment.
Maybe I'm trying to be a pompous devil's advocate here, but perhaps Ornstead's only sin was that of ommission. Maybe he simply forgot to acknowledge Shade's characters on his disclaimers, and thus was mistaken for having attempted to take the characters as his own creation. But I did recall that the corresponding overtures to Mr. Orsntead was fairly amiable. Perhaps his temper got the best of him, and so we had the infamous 'Bro's a Big, Bad Corporate Bloodsucker' threat. Then things went downhill from there...
Don't just take my word for it. I was just a dispassionate bystander during that time. In deference to those who actually took part in the deliberations, I'm sure the Mods and the Vets in the Forum may have a more reliable account of that Debacle.
BTW, I'm a irregular 2nd year Law Student. That sentence somehow stuck in my craw the wrong way. Sux being me and all.
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Sorry, but I saw that page in Delphi several(not sure) years ago, when the ranma fanfic forum was still at its peak. His retaliatory statements were delivered with a certain vehemence, to a specific group of people (I believe Shade in particular).
Ah, so not recent.
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Reminds me of the time Jessica Linquist made her(HIS) counter-arguments... Now that was Entertainment.
JessiKai, you mean?
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Maybe I'm trying to be a pompous devil's advocate here, but perhaps Ornstead's only sin was that of ommission. Maybe he simply forgot to acknowledge Shade's characters on his disclaimers, and thus was mistaken for having attempted to take the characters as his own creation.
When the only terms of use for those characters was "give me my credit due", and Ornstead violated those terms and continued to unreasonably delay rectifying his breach...that's a fairly significant "only" sin, in my eyes. I'm sure that Ornstead has another view.
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BTW, I'm a irregular 2nd year Law Student.
Really? Which law school do you attend?
Geh >_<. I'm from the Philippines, so it probrably won't make a diffrence >_<. Legal Ethics might seem like a polite fictional point, but I'd rather not become jaded this early in life.
QuoteJessiKai, you mean?
Ah, Kaiphantom. I wonder what happened to him? He was among the key figures of the infamous Flame Wars. It was really funny how he tried to masquerade as several people all at once. It was even more hilarious how he was caught red-handed at it. God must have a sense of humor.
Quote from: "KIJIN"Ah, Kaiphantom. I wonder what happened to him? He was among the key figures of the infamous Flame Wars. It was really funny how he tried to masquerade as several people all at once.
Especially after he accused other people of masquerading as several people.
Quote from: "KIJIN"It was even more hilarious how he was caught red-handed at it.
Yet that didn't stop him from continuing to post as Reapersan on Delphi. Which ended up being a source of amusement in itself.
Quote from: "KIJIN"God must have a sense of humor.
That explains a great deal.
Quote from: "KIJIN"Sorry, but I saw that page in Delphi several(not sure) years ago, when the ranma fanfic forum was still at its peak. His retaliatory statements were delivered with a certain vehemence, to a specific group of people (I believe Shade in particular). I'm certain you know most of the details already, since plagiarism was a rather controversial/popular topic at that time (I think i may have committed a more than a few unconscious plagiarisms myself). Reminds me of the time Jessica Linquist made her(HIS) counter-arguments... Now that was Entertainment.
Maybe I'm trying to be a pompous devil's advocate here, but perhaps Ornstead's only sin was that of ommission. Maybe he simply forgot to acknowledge Shade's characters on his disclaimers, and thus was mistaken for having attempted to take the characters as his own creation. But I did recall that the corresponding overtures to Mr. Orsntead was fairly amiable. Perhaps his temper got the best of him, and so we had the infamous 'Bro's a Big, Bad Corporate Bloodsucker' threat. Then things went downhill from there...
Don't just take my word for it. I was just a dispassionate bystander during that time. In deference to those who actually took part in the deliberations, I'm sure the Mods and the Vets in the Forum may have a more reliable account of that Debacle.
BTW, I'm a irregular 2nd year Law Student. That sentence somehow stuck in my craw the wrong way. Sux being me and all.
Yes, that would be me. ^_^
Short version:
Skysaber requested permission to use my original characters in a scene.
I agreed, provided he properly credited them to me.
He released the fic about a year after he'd asked me, I only found out about it when Dracos gave me a heads up. To my surprise, while Skysaber had used the scene, there was no disclaimer for my creations.
I politely asked him to remedy this (to be what I believed at the time) mistake.
And then I waited. No response.
And waited. Still no response.
And finally fed up with waiting I sent another email informing him I was pulling my permission to use my characters in his work.
His not so polite excuse for not doing so didn't hold water when he finally replied and I called him on it. By this point I was rather annoyed, but hoping it would all settle down once he saw reason.
And things turned out, I had too high a standard for logic and reason.
Two threat emails were fired back to me at record speed, which prompltly ended that friendship on my side and sealed the battlelines between us.
Dracos and the others here took it from there. They had much fun hoisting him by the literary petard.
Uissu.
Did he(Ornstead) actually follow through on his threat? You know, Intellectual Property issues are a sort of gray area, especially Fanfiction. So I was wondering if what were the grounds on which he would sue you? But that wasn't the issue, wasn't it? His statutory contentions were rather vague, so I'm not sure if his aggressive approach to the problem would have held water at all. So I guess your eyebrows must have risen disbelief when he delivered in Ultimatum.
The one thing I've noticed about his work was his perpetual heavy-handness, in more ways than i can count. I've seen this his works, especially in his SIs. One generally writes Fanfiction for self-fulfillment, even more so in the case of Self-Inserts. So when Mr. Jared's creative muse was funneled to his Otaku series, I could not help but wonder if the same impulses had caused a overflow in his psyche, making him live out his desires and impulses through his digital persona, Skysaber. Or was it Jared Saotome?
Perhaps I'm trying to overanalyze things. I wouldn't know what was going on his mind at that time. Or yours (SHADE), for that matter >_<. I'm not a shrink, after all.
It'd be nice if you guyz could bury the Hatchet, though. I know there's little chance of that happening. Just like there's little chance of a resurgence of Ranma Fanfiction nowadays. I still hope, though. Maybe the ressurection of one would mean the ressurection of the other.
Quote from: "KIJIN"Uissu.
It'd be nice if you guyz could bury the Hatchet, though. I know there's little chance of that happening.
% Some people are just insane, and you really can't deal with them in any rational manner. In fanfic examples: Mike Rhea, deranged and unapproachable. Jim Bader, categorically insane. Don Granberry, functionally insane (you don't realize he's nuts unless you ask him the right quesiton, then from his answer you realize the sky is not blue in his world and it's best not to question him to closely about it). Ornstead is like the latter. He's usually fine until you do the wrong thing and he turns on you.
% Crazies can be amusing to talk about, though, like now. :)
I'm vaguely surprised to see this still goin'. It's been like 3 years since a sighting even as I recall it.
Dracos