[Forgive me Tybalt-sama, for I have spammed.]

[Does this mean I'm spamming, too, by answering this?]

Wow! So many "I couldn't have said it better myself" bits in here. I'm not
going to copy all the parts I agree with, just the ones I either don't
exactly agree with or want to add a little to.  Take it as a given that
"Teknos Warhammer" (whoever that is) got it right, for the most part, in my
opinion.

[snip]

Oh, and about P-chan.  It isn't the same thing.  Ryouga may have been 
lying to her about his identity, but she lied to him about her emotions. 
IMO a far worse crime.  Besides, self-aware Akane should have figured 
out P-chan a long time ago.  If she's still been letting him sleep with 
her, then apparently, she doesn't care.

[Well, maybe she does and maybe she doesn't. We aren't in the fic enough 
to be tottally sure if she wants to stuff out pig-boy and hang him out 
to dry for good. Personally, they're both at fault for lying. Intensity 
doesn't matter, a lie is a lie, no matter how big or small.]

Before we get all moralistic here, about who lied first and who lied the
most and whatnot, we need to consider some things.  Maintaining your privacy
isn't lying. An acceptable response to a nosy question is a punch in the
nose, but suppose you don't want to resort to violence? A whole lot of what
Akane does to Ryouga/P-chan relates to maintaining her privacy. Also, a lot
of guys may need to be reminded of this: sneaking into a woman's bed under
false pretenses victimizes her.  Watching her dress and undress when she
doesn't know it's happening victimizes her. Tricking her into sharing her
private thoughts victimizes her. These are crimes that make lying rather
pale by comparison. Don't take my word for it.  Go read some feminist
literature.

[snip]

The original premise of this fic was that "martial artists aren't stupid 
people".  It's an interesting idea, but why is it only being applied to 
Ranma and Akane?

[We're only at the second chapter for crying out loud! Maybe we're not 
there yet.]

Also, as I said elsewhere, I hope I didn't give the impression it was _easy_
for Ranma and Akane to do what they've done. On the contrary, it's taken a
near superhuman effort... one that is wearing them down. On the other hand,
as Sun Tzu implies, it's easy to trick even a smart person if you
concentrate on showing them what they expect to see. *grin*

The premise just doesn't make as much sense if Ranma and Akane are the 
only ones wearing "masks", and everyone else is the emotional and 
intellectual cripple they appear to be in the normal series.

[Because we are not that far into the story yet. Only the author can 
answer the endless amount of questions we readers have.]

Shoot. Sounds like one of the bits I was pretty proud of got missed. Nabiki
is a pretty smart lady, and there is a bit in part two where she nearly
tricks _herself._  In my experience, this is a pitfall that often catches
extremely bright people.  As for answering all the questions... well I am
trying. Only time will tell if I manage it.

Best,

Bob Barnes
rbarnes@moscow.com
Moscow, Idaho

When opportunity comes, the trick is to CATCH the red hat.