I've inluded some non-debate C&C on the issues regarding the debate of
cloth, but first here's some a comment on another part of the fanfic:

        "Nabiki growled, and slowly cut the vegetables in front of her.  "Why
do I even need to learn how to cook, Auntie?  It's not like I'm going to be
the typical housewife..."
       She felt Nodoka's warm hands leave her own.  "Nabiki, I know you are
not like your other sisters.  You want to go out into the world and make a
life for yourself, rather than a love for yourself.  But remember,
Nabiki-chan...love can strike when you least expect it.  Shouldn't you at
least know the basics of how to cook?  After all, how else are you going to
provide for your husband?""

This part is pretty good, but there's a point that Nodoka's missing here.
If Nabiki wants to "to go out into the world and make a life" for herself,
she needs to cook to provide for herself let alone any husband.  On the
other hand, if Nodoka was never a bachelorette (i.e. didn't move out of her
parents' home until marriage) it might not be in character for her to
realize this.

At 12:08 2/26/1998 -0600, Nicholas Leifker wrote:

1. She's trying to put on an act for Kodachi.  I have talked about the
results of this.  

Good point.  Hmm...if you want to make it clearer, maybe you could show
Ranma's thoughs during the fight as well as dialogue (i.e. I really hope she
bought it, Ranma thought as she watched Kodachi try to absorb the "fuzz"
comment).  On the other hand, it won't work if you want to keep the
perspective limited.

2. She's in the heat of battle.  Points must be made with a minimum number
of syllables.  I could say "Then...only then, after everything's changed,
do you notice the strange feeling of personality dislocation in your mind,"
but it just doesn't have the same urgency that 'fuzz' has. 

Good point.  Trouble is, the rest of the speech doesn't sound like it's in
the heat of battle.  Ranma says two whole paragraphs without interruption.

When I read it, I got the impression that they were standing still for a few
minutes in the middle of the fight.  Maybe the speech should be interrupted
more by Kodachi (slowing down as she gets what Ranma's saying, but still
attacking)?

Doug... if you're a religious person, say a nice long prayer tonight that
you got out of it.  Not many do.  For a movie quote, "Once you start down
the dark path, forever will it dominate your existence."  This is true of
most of the transgendered.  Cross-dressers will often do what's called
'purging', where they not only stop wearing women's clothing, but actually
throw away their old clothes or give them to Goodwill.  Eventually, though,
most go back because, while the clothes go, the desires stay.  It's the
Dark Phoenix dilemma, for those familiar with X-men: Can I live the rest of
my life with this side of me, knowing that it could one day overwhelm me
and hurt those I love?  Most have to.  

Besides the point.  You're talking about a sexual preference (two, actually:
transvestites, from Latin for "across" and "dress", just want outfits of the
other gender and transgenders want bodies of the other gender too.).

Doug is not.  In Doug's case, he said it was because his female classmates
didn't get beat up as much.  That's not transsexuality, that's a survival
instinct.  In another example, 400 women disguised themselves as men in
order to fight in the U.S. Civil War (both sides).  That's not
transsexuality, that's bloodthirst.  Sexual preference isn't the only reason
to envy part of the other gender's role.  If anyone's interested in more of
this stuff and can withstand Eddie Murphy as a singing dragon, Disney's next
big domestic animation (Mulan) actually revolves around cross-dressing.

Anyway, speaking of clothes, here's another point Ranma could bring up if it
fits: if the female form is wearing tight clothes, the male form will be
squished even more.  This is no big deal in the loose clothes Ranma normally
wears, but in Kodachi's leotard it could really hurt.  And if Kodachi has
any high-neck leotards (the kind that fasten with a snap behind the collar -
I have one), never mind the "fuzz" et al..  She'll choke to death first.

If you have any comments, I can be reached privately.  

-- Nick