In a message dated 98-08-13 20:29:07 EDT, you write:

<< I loved this fic... one of the best implementations of a "marriage" 
 that I've ever seen, although it was a little unpredictacle... I'm 
 just wondering what this "bet" thing -is-? I mean, I've read Bet 
 fics, I get how they work, but when did it start? What are the rules? 
 How does it work? Who runs it? Could you fill me in, please? ^_^
  >>
thank you. it was supposed to be unpredictable.

the Bet is an idea i came up with as a story arc. Toltiir, functionally
an Elder God with a raw power level sufficient to stabilize universes,
who also goes by Robin Goodfellow, Puck, Coyote, or a number 
of other names/guises, makes a Bet with another deity. Other
deities get in on it. A few demons claim harrassment if they can't
participate.
take a tiny pebble, throw it into a pond. how big are the ripples you
can make? change the pebble into a single alteration in a given 
timeline (the pond). the one that gets the most approval, the biggest
change, (the most votes) wins. Toltiir stabilizes that timeline to 
continue on.
that'll be the one i write. of course, any of the ideas i put forth can
be taken by others and run with, and more power to 'em. i want to
write something different that'll have a fair number of readers. hence
the vote. and, yes, i am open to changes other people want to see.
and, no, i am not restricted to Ranma 1/2. i haven't seen a lot of the
recent series, though, so that does limit what i can write.

hope this clears up what the Bet is for you. ja ne.