On Mon, 1 Sep 1997 01:20:05 +1000 (EST), Caroline Seawright
<caseawr@ecr.mu.oz.au> wrote:

[Quoting me]

I am a little put out by the fact that she was portraying herself as an
expert on Japanese culture. I had bought into this, as did many others,
apparently. If Ken A. hadn't come along to set things straight, I'd have
accepted what she said as regards the Japanese position on abortion. If
that had happened, it might well have ended up screwing up a fic that I
still consider to be one of the best things I've written.

What did 'she' (sorry to all transexuals, but I just can't count a male
who changes to have a female body as 'female'... it's a Ranma thing...)
say that the Japanese position was on abortion?

I've copied the messages below (only the relevant part in the case of
the second).

Note that I did not solicit information from Hitomi in particular on
this question. If I had specifically asked her about the topic, she
would have had to answer to preserve he identity. I didn't. She could
have simply remained silent on this without anyone suspecting that she
wasn't who she said she was.

In this case things turned out for the best. Originally, everyone in the
story had treated the question of an abortion for Ranma as the
no-brainer that it was to me. This discussion, as well as E-mail
comments from the esteemed Raphael See, led me to give Akane some
serious misgivings about the idea, which I think made for a better story
in the end.

The overall point still remains, I think. Lots of people play the
internet game of pretending to be who they're not. Ask "Wyrm, Timelord
for hire", or "Alpha Centauri the Prime Saggitarian". I have no problem
with that. But when it gets to the point of volunteering false
information, some real damage can be done.




+++++

To: Fanfic List Two <fanfic@saigon.com>
Subject: Re: [FFML2] [fic] Lost, conclusion
From: Hitomi Ichinohei <hitomi@terminal.autobahn.mb.ca>
Date: Tue, 4 Mar 1997 19:36:25 -0600 (CST)

There is only one problem with this.

1)  No Japanese would willingly kill a baby by abortion.  Only in the
case
    of extreme emergency.

2)  Ranma would be extrememly devistated at the thought that a child was
    lost.

+++++

To: Gary Kleppe <KLEPPE@execpc.com>
Subject: Re: [FFML2] [fic] Lost, conclusion
From: Hitomi Ichinohei <hitomi@terminal.autobahn.mb.ca>
Date: Tue, 4 Mar 1997 20:15:01 -0600 (CST)
cc: Fanfic List Two <fanfic@saigon.com>

On Wed, 5 Mar 1997, Gary Kleppe wrote:

How would Akane and Tofu react to the situation, given that continuing
the pregnancy *might* be fatal to Ranma if he ever got splashed with hot
water during a later stage, which would mean the death of him and the
fetus both? 

Up to you, but they would find some way to help keep the baby.

+++++



Gary Kleppe
kleppe@execpc.com, Home page http://www.execpc.com/~kleppe
My fanfics and the FFML map are on my comics/manga page,
       http://www.execpc.com/~kleppe/comics