The RIPeace Sign?  Heh... not very descriptive. Actually, now that you
put the question forth, it's not at all easy to describe this gesture in
terms that the uninitiated would understand, without spelling it out
step by step.  However, fanfiction is written with the understanding
that those who read it have a practical knowledge of the show in
question.  That the term "Takahashi Pose" will be seen by the reader,
and they will say, even if there's no description or they've never seen
fanfics before, "Hey, I bet they mean that thing the characters do with
there hands every eighteen somewhat frames."  If you don't have this
understanding, then you are writing a fanfic more like a stand-alone
novel, and will be fully describing all things involved as though the
person reading has no clue what, for example again, Ranma even is.  In
this case it is acceptable, and *expected*, for you to describe the pose
in every minute detail, leaving nothing to the imagination.  

Why don't you put put the Vulcan Peace Sign into six syllables or less?
Or perhaps the common every day peace/victory sign (The "V" sign?  This
still doesn't say what fingers are being used, and that would put you
over the marker to say which)?  Or perhaps a salute?  Army?  Nazi?
Boyscout (The dual-fingered Army salute?  If you've been a boyscout you
know there's even more to it than simply this)?  

It's not so easy when you thing about it like that, eh?

I guess my overall point is, that you can't just stuff the feeling of a
gesture or symbol in a few words for someone who doesn't have a base of
reference to what you're talking about.

PMasters (who had to purchase a new Soap Box from the Lurkerdrome Gift
Shop (TM), as his had rotted away completely from disuse) 

"Never underestimate the Akogi hat!" - Caravan Kidd
"I don't believe this... Sailor Moon gets the handsome and mysterious
Tuxedo Mask, but I get a frickin' CAMEL?!" - Magical Drama Queen Roxy
(ie. the one good thing to come from Gen13)
"I'm only holding back the rain.  So many raindrops, so many pains.  I
want to find my train someday.  As seasons go past the station." - Tokyo
Babylon OVA 1
/ E-mail: PhilMasters@webtv.net /
"...has anyone ever used something alive for a coat of arms?" - The
Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea (Mishima Yukio, 1965) / 
"You see, what you call a cat, we use as armor." - Rune (El-Hazard,
1994)