---"Jon K. Hayashi" <polaris@interpac.net> wrote:

In article  "Ashita, He Who Stays Crunchy in Milk!"

<ashita@rocketmail.com> writes:

From: RTeker@aol.com
I've had it up to here on the fics were people put the Tendo

bathroom on

the second floor when in the video's it is QUITE CLEAR the its

in the first

floor.  for proof watch the video "Cat-Fu Fighting" and it'll

show that 

its on the first floor.

Oh, jeez.  The bathroom NOT on the FIRST floor!
RED ALERT!  WE HAVE A CRISIS HERE!
SOMEBODY CALL THE JGSDF!  THEY'LL WANT TO KNOW THIS!
Oh, puh-leeze.  I think the term "artistic liscence" could be used

to

cover the bathroom's locale.

I'm calling Fanfic Mailing List "Fouls" on both of you.

While the initial post might have been a little forward and

exasperated, it 

addresses a legitimate continuity point in Ranma fanfics.  Which is,

tying 

into "facts" as presented by Takahashi in the source material.  I

would say 

that RTeker might have been more effective in writing the authors

directly, 

but he was obviously going for a widespread audience of writers. 

The next 

time RTeker posts something like this, I would suggest taking a less

emotional 

tack, just pointing out that this misinterpretation exists and is

widespread.

While some would say "who cares" about such a minor point; others

would say 

why claim to be consistent with the original source material if it

is not.  If 

all it takes is ten seconds (on this matter I only would need to

look at the 

first issue of the manga to see a page with Ranma coming down the

stairs 

before entering the bath) to ensure continuity, why not ensure it.

Fanfic writing is not a race.  It is not quantity but quality that

writers 

usually strive for (ah, but only if we could ensure both...).

As to why continuity, I could just as easily write a story in which

Ryoga 

falls into the spring of drowned slug (of which variants using other

pools 

have already been done), but if I claimed that it was consistent

with the 

anime or manga run, that would obviously be wrong.  Simply by saying

it 

is a Ranma (or whatever) fanfic, and unless specified otherwise,

brings the 

automatic assumption that it is entirely consistent with the source

material 

(though what version may be uncertain, manga vs. anime, etc.) and

even then, 

most physical objects are assumed to be exactly the same, since most

alternate 

universes deal with a change in events, not locations.

Artistic liscence is not an excuse for lack of research.  It lets us

fill in 

the backgrounds in such a way that does not contradict the source

material 

(obviously for alternate universe stories it doesn't count as much).

 Artistic 

liscence would let me put a toilet on the second floor of Maison

Ikkoku (since 

there are none in the rooms and its never been defined where the

toilet is, 

as far as I know).  It does not let me put a bath anywhere, since

Maison 

Ikkoku has already been shown not to have a bath through several

stories.  If 

I was to write a story with Yusaku showering before a date with

Kozue, I'd 

undoubtably get e-mail asking me where the shower came from, since

its already 

been established that he takes his baths at the local bath house

(Kentaro, 

too, I believe).

As to Ashita's sarcastic reply, the less said the better, (on my

part) 

probably.  But here's my suggestion.  Before you hit the "send" key,

cool down 

by reading the rest of the posts on the mailing list.  If you still

insist on 

sending it, decide whether or not it actually contributes anything

new to the 

discussion if its to be posted to the list.  If it doesn't, send it

as 

private-email.

JK

I stand corrected (actually, sitting, but you get the point).
--Ashita
_____________________________________________________________________
Sent by RocketMail. Get your free e-mail at http://www.rocketmail.com