Okay, in this section I’ll be putting those questions (along with their answer, of course) you folks have sent me and that I find interesting to talk about. This is NOT a spoiler alert. Actually, If I’m asked a question which might, in some way, tell what’s going to happen in the story, it will not be found here (not to mention that the answer I’ll give to the person who asked the question will be very vague too). Hopefully, this FAQ will help to explain “What” I did and “Why” I did it. The more comments/doubts I get, the richer this section will become.

All new Q/A will be in green. Last Update in 01/25/00

NOTE: You DO need to have read all the chapters of  “Past, Present and Uncertainty” that have been posted so far in order to avoid getting lost with the questions.
 
 

Q: When will the next chapter of PPU be out?

A: Okay, first of all, let me put one thing clear. I absolutely HATE that people ask me this even though I constantly asked them not to. You don’t know how annoying it is to open your mail box and find a one-phrase-long-message asking this particular question. So let’s put one thing clear: The reason I’m answering this HERE is because I don’t plan to answer any further mails focused mainly on asking “when am I gonna get my lazy butt in gear”. If I still get that kind of messages, I’ll ignore them, simple as that.
Now the answer: I DON’T know!!
I don’t mean to sound rude, but you have to deal with the fact that I have other obligations and hobbies which go before fanfic writing. Not to mention that there’s the occasional writer’s block as well. I mean, com’on! I don’t take THAT long to release a new chapter.
Some of you actually seem to think that I’ve abandoned PPU. If it makes you feel better, that’s hardly the case. I’m, as well as you guys, a fanfic reader too and I know how frustrating it can be to be hooked on a fanfic just to realize that the author left it incomplete later on. I make a promise to all of you. I WILL finish this fanfic (unless I get killed before that). But I will write it according to the time I have at hand. I’ll try to update each month, but if I take a while longer, just hold your horses. Getting on my nerves will NOT make it faster.
 
 

Q: How long will this fanfic be anyway?

A: I’m thinking around 30 chapters. Maybe more, maybe less. But I think it’s more possible that it’ll go beyond 30. Time will tell though.
 
 

Q: How come Ranma is able to fly now?

A: Well, it’s sort of a liberty I took in this story, but which I think I’ll be able to justify. For those of you who have seen the Buu saga in DBZ you might recall that Gohan taught Videl how to fly. I don’t think I’m exaggerating if I say that Ranma is a more capable martial artist than Videl (a LOT more capable actually). So if Videl was able to master the technique, wouldn’t Ranma be able to do the same?
Sure, you might say that Videl was taught by Gohan, which made a big difference. However, Ranma had seen the technique too (please refer to BMG side story #1 for more details). If there’s something I must give Ranma credit for, it’s his tenacity. 3 years would have been enough for him to master the Bukujutsu. If you’re still having doubts though, a second BMG side story which is being worked on might explain it better to you, although I’m not the one working on it, so I don’t know when it’ll be out.
 
 

Q: Can Ranma fly as fast as Trunks?

A: Err... no. Actually, I will refer to what Gohan said to Videl and Goten when teaching them the technique: “Levitating is not really that difficult, but flying at high speed is another thing”. According to DBZ rules, the speed a certain character can achieve is determined by his power level. The higher the power level, the faster you can fly. I don’t think I’m exaggerating here either if I say that Trunks is a LOT more powerful than Ranma. If you’ve seen both DBZ and Ranma ½, you should be able to reach the same conclusion yourself.
 
 

Q: How fast can Ranma fly then?

A: Faster than a speeding bullet? Naa, just kidding! Actually he should be able to fly rather fast. Not enough to brake the sound barrier, but faster than an F-1 racing car for sure.
 
 

Q: How come Rei is able to detect Trunks so easily?

A: Ever since her first appearance in Sailor Moon, Rei Hino had shown a sense for detecting things “beyond normal”. This is explained through her training as a Shinto priestess. Her power, however, aren’t limited to detecting other people’s ki. Actually, Rei uses her ki mostly in ways related with spirits and premonition. Much like a Medium really, if Rei is not one herself (I’m not 100% sure if she could be considered as a Medium, but I’m inclined to believe she is).
 
 

Q: How come Ranma can feel Trunks ki as well?

A: Another liberty I took, but I don’t think I broke any rules. Ranma’s way of detecting ki is not like Rei and is actually more like Trunks’. In several occasions, Ranma had shown a crude “danger sense” ability seconds before being attacked, not to mention that he has also shown the ability to see and sense someone else’s battle aura during combat. Battle aura = ki. Since it’s been three years for him, I assumed that he got the time to actually refine his ki sensing abilities, allowing him to feel another presence even if he/she is not within sight range. Of course... that person must be showing some sort of ki activity such as flying, throwing blast, fighting or moving at supernatural speed in order to be detected. Rei doesn’t have this sort of hindrance though.
 
 

Q: In chapter 6, why on Earth did Trunks took the identity of Son Goku when fighting?

A: Well, here’s the reason. Trough the Cell Saga, it was said often that Trunks felt sort of an admiration towards Goku. Especially after confirming that all the stories his mother told him about were true. Therefore, he used his name.
 
 

Q: Why didn’t he take his father’s name instead? After all, he admires him more than Goku?

A: True, but there’s a little problem with that idea. You see, in BMG Chapter 8, Makoto saw a picture of Vejiita in his Saiyajin armor and was told of his name as well. In other words, if Trunks used his father’s name it would be like telling the Senshi who he really is since making the link between him and Vejiita wouldn’t be so difficult. The same goes for the name Saiyajin and its derivatives (aka: Saiya-Man or similar). Therefore, considering that Trunks wants to remain hidden from the girls, he MUST use a different name, that’s why I chose Son Goku (among other reasons).
 
 
 
 
 

If you would like to ask more questions or send comments concerning this FAQ, send me a buzz.