-----Original Message-----
From: Philip C. Mak <pmak@cs.dal.ca>
To: David Johnston <rgorman@telusplanet.net>
Cc: Miko <nausicaa@sprynet.com>; ffml@fanfic.com <ffml@fanfic.com>; Jeffrey
Cornish <Jeffreyc@sprynet.com>; Sky Rigdon <tabris@sprynet.com>
Date: Saturday, July 25, 1998 11:29 AM
Subject: Re: [FFML][R5ff] I Can See Clearly Now! 3

I believe the precise law is that if an outsider male defeats an Amazon
woman, he must marry her. It didn't say anything about non-outsider males,
and it just said defeat leads to marriage; it didn't say marriage requires
defeat.

-Philip Mak (pmak@cs.dal.ca)

On Sat, 25 Jul 1998, David Johnston wrote:

That's always bugged me about stories where Mousse can marry Shampoo if
he can beat her.  If every "Amazon" is married to a man who has beaten
her, why are they in charge?  Why is it "The Village of the Amazons"
instead of "The Village of The Wife Beaters"?

Yeah, it's always bugged me too, but then I bought right into it in my
story... sad huh?

I'll have to change that line, because I'm sure that's true, it only applies
to outside males.

It's canon that Mousse is convinced he can claim Shampoo's hand if he
defeats Ranma.  I don't think it's cannon that she rejects him because he
can't defeat her, although I've encountere that line of thought often
enough.  I think it has more to do with the fact that he talks to inanimate
objects when he thinks he's talking to her.  That, and she clearly sees that
Ranma is the stronger martial artist, and since he's defeated her, and he's
an outsider...

As far as how the amazon tribe is structured... not much is known, only that
most or all women study martial arts, and older, wiser women like Cologne
wield the true power.  But in a typical matriarchal society, men are still
powerful warriors, it's just that the family structure and village structure
is controlled by the women.  Usually (as far as I know) unmarried men have
little say in things, because they don't contribute a great deal to the
social structure, but married men have a much greater say in what goes on.

Well, I'll have to rewrite that little bit.  It doesn't affect the plot
much, thank goodness!

Miko!

"When you really need them the most," he said, "million-to-once chances
always crop up.  Well-known fact."  --Seargent Colon, "Guards, Guards!"
Terry Pratchett

Nausicaa@sprynet.com   Belldandy@angelic.com
Anime rpg at http://come.to/akane/
Fan Fiction at http://www.fortunecity.com/tatooine/pratchett/199/