It may be a bit late for something along the lines of a revengefic,
but here it is. The reason why I've just been forced to post an
unfinished story to the ML.

Oh, I've also posted a description of Natsuko to the ML because you
wouldn't know enough about her from the story as yet.

Note to the writer of "No Fair!", I hate you for inventing that
bloody pool.




             Visit to the Devil's Workshop...
          A biographical work by Richard Drysdale


The first time it happen I was fast asleep. I'd been working in the
Comp Sci lab and had put my head on the desk for minute, just to
rest my eyes of course. The obvious thing had happened and I had
fallen asleep right where I was I slumped. In retrospect I think
that three hours sleep from Friday does not help you stay awake while
working late Sunday night. I should have had at least five hours.

Well, it happened and I didn't even notice until I was shaken awaken
by a hand on my shoulder. I sleepily tried shaking it of, but it
insisted. Faintly I smelt something strange like something had been
burning. I opened my eyes to see who it was that was bothering me.

"Yarg!" I screamed and tried to make an attempt at the high jump
record.

That wasn't one of my most intelligable statement, but it clearly
showed my feelings at seeing the face of something with fangs less
than an inch away from my nose. Oh, I think I should point out that I
said attempt for a good reason. The iron grip on my shoulder didn't
let me move even an inch.

A couple of seconds later the thing that I'd seen resolved itself
into a rather pretty female face, set with two brown eyes and framed
with black hair.

Despite all that it still sported the fangs though. They were shown
off to a rather good effect as she grinned widely at me. I shuddered
slightly.

"Come on. I'm not that ugly." The girl complained as she hoisted me
up into a standing position, pulling me right out the seat in which
I had been sitting in.

For a second or two I didn't know who she was and so just hung in her
grip staring at her. Then it hit me and I straightened with a start.
I blinked once, then again, then I finally hit the side of my head
hard with my right hand.

"You..." I managed to get out, choking on my disbelief.

She nodded conformation.

"Natsuko?" My normaly tenuous grip on what was fact and what was
fiction was crumbling rapidly. Looking around for a better
explanation I realised that I was no longer in Comp Sci lab unless
something major had happened to it and the surrounding area while I
had slept.



Around us was wind swept grassy plain which suddenly cut off in a
perfectly smooth cut some distance away leaving instead a grey
emptyness. On this island of grass in a void there was also a
building of some kind. Thinking for a moment I realised that this
was probably an island of grass in _the_ Void.

Suprisingly the chair I had been sitting on as well as the computer,
complete with desk, that I had been using where here as well.

Worriedly I started trying to work out what could have happened and
why I was here being man handled by a character from a story I hadn't
even writen yet. It hit me like a blow to the stomach and I started
feeling sick.

The SKJAM! Revengefic Challenge for the Fan Fiction Mailing List.

It had been what looked like a series of tales about how various
characters from fan fiction stories had come back to punish authors
who had written who had written them into nasty situations. These
punishment had been cruel and unusual, usually involving Jusenkyo
curses of some variety or another. So they weren't just stories
after all.

What worried me though was that I could remember reading some about
characters who had used time travel to punish their author before
they had even written the fic in question.

Natsuko was a character from a Ranma 1/2 fan fic I'd just started
working out.

For a moment I struggled violently with all my might aginst the grip
on my shoulders before slumping and closing my eyes in defeat. It was
pointless trying to get free, from the outline I'd already planned
she was going to be strong enough to match Ryoga. This put her in the
"Oh my god she's strong" category and this made my chances of
breaking free virtually nill.

"Hey, wake up Richard. Don't faint on me." She said and gave me, what
for her must have been, a gentle shake. It felt as though my teeth
were going to fly out.

With a slight groan I quickly reopened my eyes.

"What ever it is, I'll undo. Or redo what ever you want!" I gabbled
out at high speed. I'm not really that much of a coward, but I do
have a great fondness for my present form and gender, despite my
body's flaws. I also don't want to antagonise a girl who could rip me
limb from limb like I was a rag doll.

"Relax, I'm not here to make you redo something and I'm not going to
hurt you." So saying she put me back down on my own two feet and
released my shoulders.

"My private life is my own affair." I said while trying to get the
blood back into my arms. Call me paraniod, but her words didn't
reassure me the least.

"I'm not here for that either." She replied still grinning. This
reminded me that you weren't paraniod if they were out to get you.

"Why _are_ you here then? And where, for that matter, are we?"
I demanded. The fact that she was in a good mood and didn't seem
inclinded to tear me to shreds was doing wonders for my confidence.
And my paranoria, but that was besides the point.

"As to where we are, well its just a place a friend of mine is going
to let us use for as long as we need it."

I found this, to say the least, highly disturbing and not at all
reassuring considering what a number of Natsuko's friends were.
Absently I wondered if it was an arch demon of some kind and what
it looked like. The last person who told me to go to hell couldn't
have known I'd be taking it literally.

Noticing my panicked expression she continued,
"Don't worry. It's just a pocket universe of some kind. I think.
Come on, I've got some thing to show you."

"What is it?" I asked suspiciously. She didn't answer, but headed off
towards the towards the tower I'd seen earlier.

After only a moments hesitation I shrugged then followed her. What
other option did I have any way? There was no where else to go after
all.

Conicidentally I caught up with Natsuko just after she got to the
building, so she didn't have time to get impatient waiting.

She opened the door into the building and guestured that I should
precced her inside.

I paused on the threshold and tried to make out what was inside, but
could make out only darkness. It was slightly unnerving.

"Maybe you could go in first..." I began saying while starting to
back up unobtrusively.

"Oh no you don't! Get in there." A hand placed itself between my
shoulder blades and firmly pushed me into the room. Behind me the
door shut with an ominious thud plunging the room into virtual
darkness.

Twisting around I looked towards the door and shuddered slightly
again. I could tell Natsuko was standing between me and the door
because her eyes were visible. They were faintly glowing red. As
I scan the darkness of the room trying to make out something I
spotted several small glowing spots of light in various colours.

My imagination was working over time trying to supply me an image
of what kind of creature had eyes which glowed like that. The rest
of my mind was workng even harder trying to surpress those same
images, but was unfortunately failing.

I could hear a faint humming noise and I also could make out some
small sounds of movement from Natsuko's direction. My apprehension
mounted rapidly, no longer mere paranoia, they definately _were_
out to get me.

A moment later a click sounded from the direction of the door and
light suddenly flooded the room. I blinked alot and looked around.

The room was quite well furnished as well as spacious and was
supplied with a couch, two comfortable looking chairs, a coffee
table as well as a desk with a computer on it.

I relaxed slightly as I saw the computer, the tell tales on its
side for the power and hard drive must have been the glows I'd
seen in the dark.

The room, as a whole, looked like a comfortable place to study or
work. Before I could examine the place in any detail Natsuko spoke
up from behind me.

"So, does it look good enough?" For some reason there were
slightly menacing undertones in the question.

"Uh, yes. Defenitely. Ah, what does it need to be good enough for?"

"Why for you to work here of course!"

I gulped slightly.

"You want me to work here?"

"Yes. We've gotten tired of waiting for you to find enough time to
write anything so we're going to help you."

Warning bells, sirens and claxons started going off inside my head.
One of my characters wanted to _help_ me. I had a sudden urge
to break down and beg for mercy. The only reason I didn't was that
I knew it was unlikely to help. Natsuko continued speaking.

"A friend of mine helped us by preparing this, " here she gestured
indicating either the building or maybe the island, "He's also made
so that when you sit down to write a story you'll come here. It's
quiet here and there's almost everything you might need. Time even
runs faster here so you don't need to worry about not having time."

She smiled reassuringly at me, a very disturbing sight considering
her fangs.

"Okay." I said slowly. It would be hard to stop writing, but for
some reason I didn't trust this place in the least. There must be
something that they hadn't told me yet, I was certain.

"What's the catch?" I asked bluntly, deciding that trying to be
subtle probably wouldn't work.

"There isn't one." She paused for a second before continuing,
"Well, there isn't one as long as you regularly put some work in."

I forced myself to ask the obvious question.

"What if I don't?"

"Some friends of ours will come to get you. Also remember I said
that there was almost everthing you might want here? The one thing
you definately won't find is hot water."

"You're going to give me a curse, aren't you?!" I exclaimed.

"No, no, no. That's not it. " Natsuko hurried to say, "It's just
I've got a hold of a large supply of one-shot Jusenkyo powders."

She smirked evily at me as I started to back away from her and then
she started to act hurt.

"You mean you don't want to see what you're like as a woman? I think
you'd look marvellous in pink."

Reaching inside her jacket she pulled out a wad of small packets
and sorted through them for a second before pulling out one.

"Or what about this one. We've been searching through other fics
and we found a couple of nice curses. How would you like to be a
cute _little_ girl?"


In the end I was forced to submit. I tried to stop writing, but
after I was pulled screaming from waiting to start my Physics exam
by a matched pair of demons I knew that I had no real choice in
the matter. They sweetened the deal though by promising to do the
same at my next Physics test as well.

It turned out that this had nothing to do with SKJAM!'s challenge.
Natsuko said that it just inspired her. I suppose that might be
true concidering that in most of the revenge's the characters
wanted to punish the authors for what they had done or to stop
writing and leave them in peace. With me its the other way around.
I'm writing so that my characters will leave _me_ in peace.

As I write this I am uncomfortable. I waited slightly too long
before working and so I am currently having minor difficulties
fitting my clothing. At least she didn't stuff me in that dress
again. Let me tell you when I say say stuff, I mean stuff. I
still have the bruises from last time. At least she's refrained
from giving me a proper curse and heaven forbid that she changed
my form permanently. She's threatened me with that though.

Oh yes, I almost forgot to say. If I'm beneath my quota then
I'm stuck here until I get the work done, but if I've done enough
I can travel back and forth at will. It's not so bad here unless
you're stuck in it. I wonder though, does the FDF need a spare
extra-dimensional space. Regardless I'd better try and keep
Wyrm-chan well away from Natsuko.

Well, this explaination has counted as writing so I can leave now.

Home, hot water and masculinity, here I come!




+-----------------------------------------------------+
| "I'm insane and others have the scars to prove it!" |
+-----------------------------------------------------+
| Warning!                                            |
|  Homepage at http://geocities.com/Tokyo/Towers/3127 |
|                                                     |
| Richard Drysdale (sit016@st-andrews.ac.uk)          |
+-----------------------------------------------------+
| I've recently found why the drinks machine has a    |
| setting for hot water...                            |
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