Whew! Thanks a lot to everyone who wrote to say nice or not so nice things about my fic. Your time and attention is appreciated.
As far as I can tell, there were two kinds of responses. Critiques and questions. I'll deal with the questions first.
Since a lot of people asked a lot of the same questions, I'll try to answer them all here (hopefully) to everyone's satisfaction. (also, this'll hopefully prevent a SPAM debate from breaking out) As far as the continuity for KSNA/ATVS goes, consider these responses canon. In many places, this will diverge from standard Ranma 1/2 stuff, so don't get all huffy and cite manga or anime precedent on me. If I wanted to write a fic in standard canon, I would have.^__^ If it helps, think of this as an Elseworlds or What-if story. As I imagine it in my head, this is a movie or TV series in live-action, with maybe Maple Yu as Akane and a young Jet Li as boy-Ranma. Still casting Onna-Ranma, though...
MOST COMMON QUESTION/COMMENT: How the heck can Akane possibly beat Ranma, even *with* the added boost of Slayer powers?
ANSWER: I've been operating under the assumption that Akane, without the Slayer boost (roughly x10 to strength, agility, healing speed, hand-eye coordination) would be able to go toe-to-toe with Buffy as-is. When she was boosted, it put her on a much more even footing with Ranma, leaving the Buff-meister in the dust. Is she actually *stronger* than Ranma? Who knows? All we have is *her* word on it, and Akane never overestimates her own abilities, right...?
Additionally, Ranma's operating at considerably *less* than full power right now. I've dropped a couple of hints to that effect, "Throwing Ki around takes a lot out of me anymore...", etc. Why? The truth will reveal itself in the fullness of time... (God, is that pretentious enough for ya?)
SECOND MOST COMMON QUESTION/COMMENT: How did Mu-Tsu and Xian-Pu manage to kill Ku-Lohn or Happousai? C'mon, those two are the deadliest martial artists in Asia...
ANSWER: Wait and see... (Not a cop-out, I assure you. I fully intend to reveal the detail of the battle in future chapters.)
3RD MOST COMMON Q/C: Oh my god, you killed Kasumi ! YOU BASTARD!!!!
ANSWER: I know, it was mean and horribly cruel, but this 'fic is set in a world a whole lot closer to the Buffyverse than the Ranmaverse, so bad things (okay, hideous things) sometimes happen to good people. Besides, the gang has a functional Naniban Mirror, so who knows...? Which leads me to the next question...
4TH MOST COMMON Q/C: Wasn't the Naniban busted? Doesn't that mean it won't work? How the hell did it get to America?
ANSWER: Yes, it was cracked. Who says that means it won't work? It just means it might not work WELL.
As to how it got to America, how does anything end up in Sunnydale? Fortuitous happenstance, the machinations of gods, it doesn't really matter. Just like Rick's Cafe, sooner or later, everyone and every*thing* comes to Sunnydale.... Okay, so I lie. It's a damn plot device, that's it. Isn't that tawdry?
5TH MOST COMMON Q/C: Who else from the regular Ranma cast is going to show up?
ANSWER: What, you want a list? Geez. Well, okay, but let me put a big ol' SPOILER WARNING up first. Some people have patience.... Ukyou, Pantyhose (yes, him. Dear god, think of the mess), Kunou. Ryouga eventually, but not for a good long while. That's it. Some fan created characters might pop up too, but that's pending their creators approval. Sunnydale has a nice Rogues Gallery of it's own to draw on for cast members.
SPOILER WARNING ENDS
Now, we get to the tough stuff, the criticisms. Here, again, I'd like to that those who took the time. A special thanks to Allyn Yonge, who really came through with the stuff. DAMN, man, you are ruthless. I suppose that's what I asked for... You ever consider a career in book editing? You'd be good at it. I'd like to respond in depth to some of your concerns, but I'm using up enough space just with these, so mail me directly at the address below and we'll talk about 'em. I got time...
As far as grammar or syntax errors, I won't respond to those on this page, 'cause there's just too damn many of 'em, but I assure you I'll look after them. I do, however, reserve the right to have characters use bad grammar when speaking, because that's just idiom, and it's deliberate.
CRITICISM ONE: Fractured English. Specifically, the use of the word "Veddy" by Japanese-speakers in lieu of "very"
RESPONSE: People whose first language is Japanese tend to have trouble pronouncing the English "R" sound, because no equivalent exists in their native tongue. The closest it comes is that neat little hard "DL" sound that starts off the word Ranma. Listen to a subtitled version sometime, you'll get what I mean. I wanted to show that, so it was either "Veddy" or "Velly", and the second is worst than the first. Believe me, it was as hard to write without wincing as it was to read. Now, some people raised the point that it might have been omitted altogether, but I think IMHO, that's a cop-out. It's fair to assume that Tofu and Akane would be reasonably fluent, Tofu because he's a well-educated professional and Akane because she's a good student. English *is* taught from preschool on up in Japan... Ranma, however, pays little attention in class. (As a matter of fact, he doesn't usually pay much attention to anything if it doesn't involve martial arts).
Did any of you take high school French or Spanish? If you didn't pay much attention, I bet you ain't too fluent yourself. Oh, sure, you probably know how to ask for the bathroom, or insult someone, or ask someone to sleep with you, but how much day-to-day lingo could you remember on a moment's notice? That was the point I was trying to make. English isn't my first language either, so you better believe I busted my ass to get this fluent. I still speak with a mild accent.
CRITICISM TWO: Why isn't Akane a wreck after what happened to her family?
RESPONSE: She's a tough woman, that Akane Tendou, so she doesn't go around bawling (in public) much. Overt displays of emotion are frowned apon in Japan, unless you're in private, and she hasn't had a lot of time to herself lately. But as her use of the Shi Shi Houkoudan demonstrates, she's carrying around a whole lot of rage and sorrow at the moment. In chapter three, we'll get into it with both her and Ranma and how they're coping. Speaking of the Shi Shi Houkoudan...
CRITICISM THREE: What the hell's Akane doing using Ryouga's special move?
RESPONSE: Well, that's a deceptively simple question, that requires a long answer. Number one, she has no patented Ki moves of her own, so I needed to borrow someone else's. Number two, Ryouga is virtually Akane's love-slave. If she asked him to teach her something, he'd try. (Witness the Rhythmic Gymnastics contest) Number three, the attack works on depression, fear, self-doubt and angst. Does anyone seriously doubt that Akane wouldn't be feeling any of those things at that point?
Incidentally, it has been suggested that a special move be invented for Akane to use in that situation instead of the SSH. Aside from the above reasons, I used the SSH so that you, the readers, wouldn't think I was pulling a fast one by inventing a new Ki blast tailor-made for the occasion. Deus Ex Machina, anyone? But since I have rec'd a few suggestions that *would* fit the bill (and sound pretty freakin' cool to boot) I'm willing to consider the change. Since that would require a re-write (and thus a re-posting), I leave it up to you, the readers, to decide. Just respond to me at (catthouse@lweb.net) directly instead of spamming the list if you have an opinion on the matter.
CRITICISM FOUR: What's going on with the name thing? Xian-Pu is referred to as Shampoo by Ranma a couple of times. Was that a screw-up?
RESPONSE: Nope, that was deliberate. Akane and Ranma refer to the humans they used to know as Shampoo and Mousse, and the vampires wearing their skins and memories as Xian-Pu and Mu-Tsu. Aside from being a coping mechanism, (Despite their various rivalries, the four were friends of a sort, and A+R don't like to think of their friends being demons) name modifications when becoming vampirized are fairly common in the Buffyverse. (Angel/Angelus, Harmony/Harm, etc.) I'm just trying to abide by the genre. Why then, did they refer to Cologne as Ku-Lohn? Respect. That's her right name, isn't it? You don't make fun of the dead. Except for Happy, 'cause they don't miss him...
Anyway, that's about it. If I didn't respond to one of your critiques, don't think I haven't read it. Chances are, I've agreed with your point, and am changing things accordingly.
Thanks again (I can't say that enough) for taking the time to respond! you've made my day!
Ja Ne!
Filthy Kasumi Quote of the Week:
"Oh my... So dark and inviting...."