Current mood:	Pooped de dooped
Current music:	La la la la

Big ol' official question thingermajig
Here's the compiled FAQ - again, the F stands for "may-have-at-one-time-been" - and a few extry that I've either just remembered or just gotten. I may add on after chapter 38, or not. Depends. Life's full of mystery, and I'm very lazy and tired.

Again, these are paraphrased. Yours isn't in there? I forgot, or you hit some nail on the head and I don't wanna draw attention to it Because.

Q: Is this based off Beauty and the Beast?

A: ...I could give any number of replies to that question, but...yes. It is. Must...not...make smartass remark...about eating paint chips...!

Q: Why don't you describe her siblings?

A: They're from other Rumiko Takahashi series: Ataru is from Urusei Yatsura (Lum), Nabiki from Ranma 1/2, and Yusaku 'n Akemi from Maison Ikkoku. In the original B&Bs I found in various forms, Beauty has either three or six siblings, and a big family seems more suitable for their situation, so I picked out characters I sure as hell wouldn't want to grow up with to fit the bill. I got lazy and assumed that anyone not familiar with them could just do an image search or get into those series or something; they're all worth your time and moola.

Q: Where in Texas do you live?

A: South Central, less than two hours from Austin. Scour my LJ for details if you're really that curious as to the precise location, though it'll be changing soon, and I'm leaving all my pirate gold behind.

Q: You used French very incorrectly. "Va te faire voir" means "go you to do to see," plus it's informal, and Kagome doesn't know Inuyasha at all, so she'd use the "vous" form. Please don't use it if you don't know it.

A: I know exactly what it means; I took three years of French in high school, and while that still puts me about 3,000 light-years away from fluency, one of the first things I did as a dedicated young student was look up curse words in a slang dictionary. Slang, especially rude terms, does not translate well in just about any language; I freely admit that my fluent teacher hadn't heard of that phrase either, so it could be an older term, region-specific, or just uncommon. The point is that I didn't make it up at random--and as for the informality, Kagome did that deliberately. Japanese culture is HUGE on correct formality and levels of politeness, and telling him to go to hell in a friendly, informal manner - particularly saying it with a smile - would be a heapin' helpin' of insult to injury, even if all this went over his head.

Q: Kagome is extremely out of character, and her family is also very unrealistic.

A: These two aren't really questions, but fair points, so I'll address this one, too. (Con crit is good, people! If I spaz out on you over them, it's because I have PMS and my brain is temporarily replaced by an organ dedicated solely to taking offense from nothing, as it was when I first saw the review with this criticism in it.)

In canon, Kagome does not cuss, no, and she would never go so far as I've depicted her, no matter how angry she gets; her temper is expressed mainly through 'osuwari's and volume. My interpretation of her was that she would drop a few stronger words every so often if, instead of being raised in a small, stable, loving family, she grew up a little rougher around the edges thanks to her family's treatment and hearing that kind of language regularly. If you're around people who speak like that long enough, it does rub off, no matter how good a person you are, and she's no exception. Not to say she's ever going to be as bad as Inuyasha, of course, and she knows when not to use it, but this is AU, and adding some profanity to her outbursts - I dare anyone to say her shouting at Inuyasha is OOC in itself - does not make her an Evil Bitch From Hell. If you still don't buy that, let's agree to disagree.

(Her reaction to her friends was not hatred, but resignation to their excitement over her birthday, which she had significant reason not to share.)

As for her family...well, this is a fairy tale, remember? The recipe calls for bitchy sisters, incompetent and/or dead parents, and useless brothers. If they were anything approaching realistic, Kagome never would've gotten into the castle, and there'd be no overblown story for me to write.

Q: Getting whacked with a bowstring doesn't hurt THAT bad. ^_^

A: Oh yes it does. ^_^

Q: Hey, Kag said Kikyou's name aloud. Isn't that supposed to be a no-no?

A: Miroku wasn't quite right about that part: it only mattered when Inuyasha said it.

Q: How long is this story gonna be?

A: ...Good question. At this point, it's in the hands of God.

Q: "Testusaiga" is supposed to be "Tessaiga," as that 'tsu' is actually a double consonant. // You're not spelling "Testusaiga" wrong, 'cause there's a little thingy there for 'tsu'! Or something. // You're wrong!

A: *massages brain* I'm sick of this question. Here's the deal, m'kay?

So. Rumiko Takahashi is starting this neato new manga, and about two volumes' worth of chapters into the story, she makes up the name of Inuyasha's sword by putting three kanji together, "iron-crushing fang." The furigana, or eensy hiragana that tell Japanese readers how to read/pronounce the kanji, are te, tsu, sa, i, and ga. Viz, the company handling English publication of the manga, naturally goes with Tetsusaiga, and the English dub follows. Got that?

Now, when the Inuyasha anime was first produced, the seiyuu/Japanese voice actor playing Inuyasha, Kappei Yamaguchi, had trouble pronouncing the sword's name, and so she changed it. To backpedal a little, the 'tsu' in many Japanese words (dunno if it's most, all or just several, I admit) is often not pronounced at all, but written about half-size to indicate a double consonant, so that you pause and go on to the next sound instead of saying 'tsu,' because actually pronouncing 'Tetsusaiga' is a much bigger pain than just 'Tessaiga.' Whether Takahashi-sensei also downsized the furigana, I'm not sure (they're all eensy beyond belief in the first place), but the long and short of it is that I'm bloody tired of this little matter and don't wanna hear it no more, but personally consider 'Tessaiga' to be correct. 'Kay?

Q: Have you read Robin McKinley's work?

A: Nuh-uh. I didn't base this fic off "Beauty" or "Rose Daughter," but on various pieces of the original fairy tale, bastardized with the Inuyasha storyline. I'll look 'em up sometime, but reeeally doubt they'd influence my work, 'cause I'm an arrogant bitchwad like that (plus I have things planned fairly tightly).

Q: Is that sealed door an entrance to Kikyou/Sesshoumaru's old room/his mom's old room/Naraku's hiding place/a McDonald's?

A: Next question!

Q: How many chapters is this fic gonna have?

A: Approximately one kerblillion.

Q: Did you know your pen name is Aoi Tsuki backwards?

A: ...That's not a coincidence, I promise. Let's just move on now, shall we?

Q: WHY DID U INSULT HIM???111 I KEEL JOO!

A: ...I beg your pardon?

Q: I SED IF U BASH 'FLUFFY,' I'LL KILL U!!!!1111111

A: Oh. You mean, I had Inuyasha insult Sesshoumaru? Just because he hates his half-brother? A lot? You'll understand when you're older, about 50 years at this rate.

Q: What's with the hand-numbing thing?

A: I'll bet most people don't even remember to which this question refers. Ignore it for now, as it's not important at all. Nope. Not in the least. Nuh-uh. (Not the face-touching; it was much subtler.)

Q: Could you read my fic, please?

A: ...The only ones I'm currently reading are...well, one, and that's a Furuba fic by Niamh and Everstar. Many apologies, but I lack the time and patience to delve into anything else unless I know you already.

Q: Why did Kikyou ________?

A: She's got Issues.

Q: Do they actually have portable batteries for TVs and PlayStations like that?

A: ...Not that I know of. BUT it shouldn't be hard to rig one up, if you know what you're doing, which I don't. People have come up with weirder stuff.

Q: When is Jaken going to die?

A: When something kills him.

Q: Does Kag use pads or tampons?

A: Probably tampons. I discreetly avoid mentioning these things for a reason, y'know.

Q: How long is--

A: Seriously, dudes, I don't know. Knowing what'll happen has no bearing on knowing how long it'll take to get 'round to everything.

Q: What does 'get bent' mean?

A: I'm not precisely certain, but I imagine it's fairly male-specific. Use your imagination. (The fact that a dead fish says it pretty much requires its usage make no sense as far as I'm concerned, so no picking at Kagome having been the recipient, either. :D)

Q: Is that Mystery Door the castle dungeon/treasure room/the menagerie?

A: It is very much none of those things.

Q: Will you marry me?

A: Polygamy is SO last Tuesday. ...Unless we're, like, really good friends and stuff. Then it's possible--though I warn you, I just sleep all the time, and my cage needs constant cleaning.

Q: Why hasn't she figured out that he turns human on the new moon?

A: Because she's been given no indication that hanyou do so, except for Shimoko's slip of the tongue, and all she knew on the past two new moons was that something was very different...and between the spider and scary kugutsu thing, she had a bit more on her mind than that. It happens to the best of us, especially when there's blood all over the place.

Q: Inuyasha's awfully wimpy in this story. Sesshoumaru, Kouga, and even Miroku have all beaten him, and we know he's stronger than they are. What gives?

A: You're right--in canon. Keep in mind, though, that when he chased off/impressed Kouga, it was with the Kaze no Kizu/Wind Scar, which was also what established him as at least as strong as Fluffy (just in case cutting off his arm wasn't enough of a kick in the pills), which was before the Bakuryuuha, Kongousouha and that weird flame dealie. In Beast, Inuyasha's only just gotten ahold of Tessaiga. Before, Kouga was definitely stronger, 'cause even without the shards in his legs, he's strong, fast and full-blooded demon: in a straight fight, he's got a big advantage. Also, Beast!Yasha lacks the experience of having fended for himself for however many years, so he'd be a little less skilled by default.

As for Sesshoumaru, not only did this Inuyasha not have Tessaiga with him when he came out and confronted him, he was still hurt from wrasslin' with Kouga and not in top condition. Again, that left him more or less pantsless, and Fluffy naturally kicked his ass, because he's Fluffy. More on that subject later in the story, of course.

And Miroku? You'll recall that the only times he's bested Inuyasha were 1. taking him by surprise - even then, Inuyasha chose to let him 'win,' because the alternative was getting mad enough to lose control and likely kill him just by tightening his grip a little - and 2. tricking him into looking at something that was not there. I haven't been contriving to turn him into a wimp, I swear. ^_^;;

Q: Can u email me when u update??

A: ff.net has a lovely function that does precisely that. More than one person subscribes to it for Beast, ensuring that you also may partake and save me the trouble, as I am wont to forget these things anyway. (No.)

Q: How much more of this relationship stuff are you going to write before we get to find out about Naraku and everything?

A: A lot. We're getting there, though. And I mean it this time.

Q: How many chapters period?

A: Haven't written it all. Dunno. Nor WILL I till I'm able to slap THE END across the page on which I'm working. Let's not return to this point, m'kay?

Q: Do you draw? I wanna see Shimoko.

A: That makes two of us. My artistic ability is limited to developmentally challenged stick figures.

Q: Was the Room a nursery, or his dad's???

A: Why, yes, it was not! Next question.

Q: You mentioned Ayame! Is she showing up?

A: Yes, Virginia, she certainly is. Eventually. And not in a major role. But yes.

Q: Shimoko should be calling him oji-san, not -chan.

A: That's also deliberate. She's playing with the fact that he's supposedly so much older but in fact approximately 1/200th as mature as her own self, plus it's somewhat affectionate, as she's never had the chance to be less than respectful with an "older" relative without getting her ass kicked.

Q: Didja know only modern Western women get morning sickness??

A: I don't know where you heard that, but it's wrong. Thanks for playing! Better luck next time, when the dinette set's up for grabs.

Q: Y'know, building relationships is one thing, but they just keep fighting and apologizing and nothing ever gets done relationship-wise. I wish you'd actually have them resolve something.

A: They have. Every time Inuyasha and Kagome have a fight and make up, their motivations change just a little, as does their relationship. At first, they fight because they can't stand each other, and make up because Kagome gets upset and Inuyasha's generally a big mush-mush when it comes to girls crying. (The weirdness of seeing Kikyou's face doing it does not help.) Then they fight because they each start to pay enough attention to realize the other is not what they initially thought (i.e. a loudmouthed bitch he just happened to find attractive/a scary-looking asshole), and make up when the frustration of communication failure gets to be too much. THEN attachment starts worming its way in and he starts picking at her about Kouga and she picks at him for treating himself like a monster, and it just goes downhill from there. See what I'm saying? Inuyasha making an effort to rein in his temper and Kagome attempting to see things from his perspective despite how upset she is by his decisions are definite progress, but that kind of thing doesn't happen the first time you argue with someone. Hell, they wouldn't be doing it in the first place except out of consideration, and building sufficient rapport to want to do so takes time in itself.

Q: How come Kikyou told him to marry Kagome?

A: She didn't...quite. She's still got...issues. *music from that twilighty show about that zone*

Q: Why did Kagome ignore those weird blotchy things she saw?

A: It wasn't her fault. I'll say no more. *music continues*

Q: When's Kagome going to find the Jewel?

A: ... *music!*

Q: If she's in love with him and he'll live if she says yes to his nightly proposal...why is she saying no again?

A: The short answer is that she understands his decision and doesn't want to rob him of what little control he has left over his life. More on this subject later in the story, of course.

Q: What's up with the early awakening 7 years ago?

A: Whoo, someone remembers that! :D It'll get explained, no worries.

Q: It seemed a little odd that Kagome never talked about the year after her mom's death. She was pretty open about everything else, wasn't she?

A: Well, yeah, but for one thing, she spent it in America, and not only do the castle denizens have NO frame of reference for modern Japan, much less the U.S., but I thought it'd be hokey to delve into it from a Japanese girl's point of view at the time; also, it was the worst time of her life, and people have a tendency to want to forget about that kind of thing. *raises hand* She just hasn't had any reason to bring it up yet.

Q: Even as modern as she is, it seems odd for Kagome to plead the Fifth.

A: She spent a year living in the U.S., remember? Perhaps it was just my high school (freshman year for me, 'twas), but about that time, it seemed like a popular enough phrase when your friends were fighting and asked for feedback. It seemed plausible enough for her to pick it up and trot it out at random, as she's wont to do in self-defense.

Q: So, Inuyasha has always been weird about sex 'cause he and whoever he did it would...? o.O

A: Not quite. The rule only applied to the girl(s), as Inuyasha was still under his parents' protection. Japanese society wasn't (still isn't, to some degree) that big on fairness and gender equality. Besides, that really wasn't foremost in his mind when she first started invading his personal space; just being close to someone when you're not used to it is extremely unnerving in itself, and he had the added discomfort of thinking himself unsafe to be around thanks to Kikyou's death. Mmmmm. Issues.

Q: If it's going to take a bit of time between updates, could you include some recaps at the beginning of each chapter?

A: That sounds like fun! Sure, I can do that. I'll probably be smartass about it, but you get what you pay for.

Q: What was up with that scene from Kikyou's head? It didn't show much of anything important...

A: Nothing without reason, children.

Q: Did u forget about Souta??

A: Where in the world would I fit him in amongst all the angsting, backdropping and veiled sexual tension in that chapter? If I was Souta, I sure as hell wouldn't hang out with Kagome all day when there's a freaking castle to be explored with my new friends, and after 3 years of near-isolation to boot. Besides, that timespan barely even goes to noon. He has plenty of time to make an appearance. Kindly have more faith in my juggling abilities. (In short: no. -_- Neither have I forgotten Kouga, Myouga, or any of the other less-seen characters. There are a lot of them, and they're not all equally important.)

Q: When're you updating?

A: Good question. I have to reread some more, triple-check everything and make sure I have things straight before I start to wind down to the beginnings of the Ending Explanations. (I abhor having everything laid out in one big chunk, though, so I may be able to delay some of it. We'll see.)

While I'm here, besides ushitora_icons and the Goshinboku one, what's y'all's favorite IY icon comm or journal? Grammar is fer sissies!

Starting 39 soon. Rapture.