Subject: Re: [FFML] A reply from Hitomi re: Ranma's Father
From: andrew norris
Date: 4/6/1999, 1:51 AM
To: Edward Becerra
CC: ffml@fanfic.com
Reply-to:
mage2099@dtgnet.com

If by some mischance I offened Jessica or Hitomi, I humbly offer my apoligies.
That taken care of... Now to reply to some of these...

Edward Becerra wrote:

        Ahem. <taps mike> This thing on? Good.

        I've passed on all comments to Hitomi about her story, _The Youngest
Goddess_, and for reasons I don't pretend to understand, she regards me as a
friend. (unlike most people who've met me in person, after which they tend
to regard me as a severely disturbed person. ^_^)

        Anyway, it seems there's been some fuss over the other story she's helping
with. Jessica's _Ranma's Father_, where Jessica uses the Wishing Sword story
arc to begin her fic that crosses over with Batman:The Animated Series.

        As a result, Hitomi has, in order to help Jessica, summed up the content of
all the replies she and Jessica received over _Ranma's Father_, and replied
to them in a single post. Said post she passed on to me to forward to the
list.

        Now, this is Hitomi's reply, not mine. Keep in mind that yelling, flaming,
or insulting _me_ won't hurt Hitomi. She won't see them because I tend to
delete the really insulting ones that come into my mailbox.

        Unlike The Lost Lurker, I don't yell at people. Probably because after the
death of my mother, the stroke I had, the high blood pressure I _still_
have, and the financial difficulties my father has burdened me with via his
unending series of rubber checks has cause me to reach a point where I
_have_ to ignore insults, or the stress simply sets me up for another
stroke. One that, most likely, will be the LAST stroke I will ever have.


Unfun...


        After all, dead people don't get strokes, folks.


Sadly... they don't do much of anything else...


        Kindly keep that in mind. My blood pressure and I will thank you for it.

        Tybalt, I realize that this could be considered a flame (albeit a most
polite one), and I humbly beg your pardon. But I'm doing this on my doctor's
advice. And that's NOT a joke. I was just informed that the current stress
I'm
under has caused my bp to rise to potentially dangerous levels even WITH the
drugs I'm taking. So I was _officially_ advised to stop holding the
frustration in, and if I feel like yelling, then yell. It would help me relax.
My sincere apologies if it came out like an ugly rant.

        Anyway, that's all *I* have to say on the matter, and hopefully I've headed
off a few of the flames in advance. Now over to Hitomi, and her reply to the
list about _Ranma's Father_.

        Cordially yours,

        Ed Becerra

<cut here>

Hitomi's reply to the list.

********************************************************

You know, at this point in time, I'm really annoyed.

All of you offer advice, and are more than willing to offer help, but in
what way?

Constructive critism?

Except for a few people, not really.

People saying they know what's right and to rewrite the whole story?


*blink* Who? I can't even write my OWN stories without a LOT of help... *Sigh*


A slew of you have done so.

You know, it's so bad that Jessica was going to give up doing the Ranma's
Father series?

Now, I myself have a fairly thick skin.  I have to, given the number of
comments I've received over the years, the insults from various people, and
the way I end up hearing about it.  It's not too bad for me, but I would
think that you would want to encourage a new writer, especially given that a
lot of you are new writers yourselves.

Now, perhaps _I_ can answer some questions, which have come in to Jessica as
complaints saying that she should rewrite everything to reflect what these
people think.

First, Batman is a lot better than a lot of people think.  In the comic
books, he spent several YEARS travelling the world in order to learn martial
arts.  All types of exotic techniques that would beat out ANY that Ranma
learned, even at the end of the series.  He started his crusade, in the
comics when he was 35.


Not disagreeing there... Bruce Wanye is VERY skilled... and I did know that he had
travled the world BEFORE starting his mission... Just like Superman


In the Animated Television Series, Batman started his crusade when he was
28.  According to the story, he still spent many years learning exotic
techniques from around the world.  Swordsmanship, Akido, Jujitsu, various
styles of Kung-fu, etc.  He even received training in how to handle all
types of weapons from Alfred, who was a former SAS officer and later an
agent of MI6.  In the Ninja storyline, he learned to kill with just a touch,
although he never used the technique himself.  Remember, among his skills is
the ability to seemingly disappear in seconds.  That's something Ranma does
NOT know.

In the first chapter of this story, Jessica had put down Bruce was a STUDENT
of Cologne.  If he was a student, and for a longer time, of the same person
who is training Ranma, who do YOU think would be better?  It would not be
Ranma from where I sit.


No disargeement there...


Also, this story DOES NOT OCCUR at the end of the series.  Why so many
people are telling Jessica it is, is beyond me.  Especially since the
wishing sword story arc occurs in the first half of the series of books.
Besides, who said that this is following the exact storyline of the books.
Did anyone actually READ the first chapter and find some clues to what was
going on or did it go over ALL of your heads?

Nodoka STATED that she had already met Ranko and Panda-chan.  Something that
did not happen until LATER in the books.

Now, doesn't that clue tell you that something else is going on?  Perhaps
the fact that the story is not following the series exactly?  Maybe even
that the change was somewhere further back in time?

How many of you people follow the EXACT storyline without making your own
changes.  I've always wondered how people can combine the Manga and the
Anime in strange combinations, say they are following cannon, and then not
saying how because they are too busy deciding that they know what cannon is?
 Like say a were-cat from a cat curse when combined with the spring of the
drowned man when it is CLEARLY stated that if the spring of the drowned man
is used, the conditions of the original curse would disappear.


It's the writer's choice to what is in the story.


Also, as to Nabiki's intelligence, and her ability to make money.  I don't
think ANY of you know the cost of living over here, so please refrain from
doing a price comparison based upon what you have in America.  Also,
considering that she is virtually the SOLE support of the Tendo Dojo, AND
given how much the upkeep is on land, the cost of wood, and so on, I would
suggest a number of you revise your estimates of how much she makes.
Currently, it is about 122 yen to the dollar, which means that in the first
story, she made about 24 dollars for five photos.  Ok, we know Kuno is an
idiot, but Nabiki does have MANY contacts according to the manga.  She KNOWS
how to save money.  As to investing, I KNOW that you now have Internet
investing over there as well as Day Trading.  In America, you need
$100,000.00 to start on the Nasdaq exchange, and it cannot fall below
$50,000.00 or you are off.  In Japan, providing you live here, the amount
you need to start investing is much lower.  Trades are on a standard fee,
not a commission, since the brokers and traders make their money by crossing
the spread.  You can start by buying only one stock of a company and then
trade it for a profit.


She's right... Don't remember if this tale I'm about to state is true, but it does lend
support for this... Marine friend of mine went though Tokyo, and stopped at Mickey D's
there... and paid (He said.) 900 yen for a BIg mac (Ouch.) And this was when Yen was
100 or so to a dollar. Nuff said... I DO know that proptery values and rents are higher
in Tokyo and it's suburbs THAN ANY city in the US (Inc Mannattanen.) Some one used
30,000 yen for a SMALL hotel room... per night (And, yes I CAN see that.)


How could Nabiki make that much money?

Blank diskette machines, blank cd machines, soft drink machines, beer
machines, shirt machines, blouse machines, skirt machines, etc.  Those are
not much to buy and can be run successfully.  You can easily start with one
machine and work up to more providing you pay your licensing fee.

Betting pools, and other features are illegal, but if you know the system,
that can be gotten around.  There are several places it is done.  Pachinko
parlours and video game stores are examples of this.  Trade in the tokens
for the prizes, go around the corner and redeem those prizes for the cash
equivalent.  Pachinko parlours are fairly easy to set up once the fees are
paid, as well as the video game machines are becoming very popular.

Don't tell me she isn't smart enough to figure that out.

As for Batman.  GIVE ME A BREAK!  Anyone could have figured out who he was,
if others did not play Bruce Wayne and be in the same area at the same time
as the Batman.  The clues I saw used were the most obvious, and the most
telling.  Add that to the clues about the Art, and you have the answer,
especially since both Bruce and Nodoka STATED that he spent years at the
Masaki Dojo and was the designated heir.

To this, I've attached the character profile for Batman, Alfred, part of the
one for Ranma, as well as Nabiki.  Now, sorry for the rant, but I personally
think a LOT of you owe an apology to Jessica for claiming you know her
story better than she does.  It seems funny to me that everyone considers
the author is the LAST person to know what she is writing.


Sometimes (Well, with me...) I am the last to know what I am doing...


Ichinohei Hitomi


Folks, who are bitching about canon... IT IS an Alt. Universe... therefore Canon went
right out the window...
I Am glad that Jessica still is writing this tale, and cannot wait to see more... I am
trying to figure out where most of this "complaning" came from, casue I seem to be one
of the few list members that don't get that type of stuff... Which I am thankful for.

--
Andrew Norris
"The Ends DO NOT Justify the Means, The Means are as important."
Who Dares, Wins.  Motto of the SAS
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