I've currently working/thinking on about four different stories,
but I can't decide which one to devote the most attention to, so
none of them are getting much work. I was hoping that you, the
authors and readers of the FFML, could give me some suggestions or
requests, mebbe help me decide which story to focus on exclusively.
Here goes:
The first story, the one that I've had on the back burner for about
three years now, is a crossover which will include the Alliance/Union
universe of C.J.Cherryh (Great stuff, read it!), the Ranma 1/2
regulars, and the Dark Horse comics Dirty Pair continuum, with the
Magus from Marvel Comics thrown in. The Ranma crew finds themselves
on a Union jumpship, no recollection of the time between the events at
the end of the manga series and the present, and all uncursed. A
recording informs them that they are clones created for the amusement
of some rich retiree on Cyteen, but that they've been given a chance
to escape by the lab crew who did the actual engineering and deep-taping
of their constructed personalities. All the Ranma cast had been
secretly
given deep-tape training for starship operations (i.e. Nabiki, customs
/cargo; Tofuu, ships medical systems; Soun, Arms/Comp; etc.) and are
able to escape a Union blockade in their purloined ship. Unfortunately,
battle damage and impossible odds later force them to make a blind jump,
wild attempt to break out of an ambush: they don't come up from jump in
their universe.
Lost in another universe, searching for a space station for repairs,
Ranma and Co. are attacked by a giant slavering techo-organic monster:
the Magus. Through skill, bravery, and luck our heros escape the Magus,
ut all are infected with its techno-virus factor - in time, they will
be absorbed by the Magus, their energy used to power its mad conquest.
However, Dr. Tofuu is able to re-engineer the virus, holding its
appetite
in check, but effectively cursing everyone with a Jyuusenkyo-style
transformation curse. Everyone now transforms into something else when
doused with cold water, which is bad, but now they're not in danger of
being eaten alive by nanites, which is good. The nanite infestation
also give back certain abilities that the plain-jane cast had lost, such
as inhuman strenght and chi-style energy attacks.
Wielding strange powers and flying a now-unique ship, the Ranma cast
come in to dock at a space station that, unbeknownst to them, is hosting
the largest battle of a dirty civil war. See, the Bureau of
Technological
Regulation, the section of the Worlds Welfare Works Association
responsible
for controlling the production of dangerous and/or subversive
technology,
has decided that it can run the universe better than the regular WWWA
(for
more on the beginnings of this, see DP:Sim Hell and DP: Fatal But Not
Serious). Finally going all-out after years of maneuvering and
subterfuge,
the BTR has staged assaults on several key WWWA installations. Though
backed
by technology far beyond the WWWA's usual gear, the BTR is slowly losing
ground. While 2/3 of the BTR split away from the WWWA at the beginning
of the war, a small elite of scientists and operatives stayed on with
the
WWWA to fight their backstabbing brethren. This cadre of loyal BTR,
though
allied with the WWWA, fight seperately, choosing only to coordinate
directly with the WWWA when no other options are available.
So it happens that the rebels, needing a new edge, attempt to take a
medium-sized ring station. This station not only controls lucrative
mining
operations spanning two star systems, but also houses a top-secret
research center devoted to nano-tech weapon development and
trans-dimensional
transportation systems.
The BTR need the weapons, the loyalist BTR know they have to protect the
lab, and the WWWA has just sent in a pair of Trouble Consultants to
scout
for BTR operations. The arrival of Ranma and his friends coincides
with the approach of the three other forces, all unaware of each other.
Needless to say, things get confusing.
I don't know how this whole thing will end up; I just wanted to put
Ranma in space. Then I tried to figure a way for them to get cursed,
using technology, and the whole Magus thing popped near-fully formed
into
my head. Technical details are mostly worked out, but need
finallizing.
I think the main aim, when I first concieved this, was to write a piece
containing the Ranma characters and utilizing Cherryh's terse, efficient
narrative style. Though serious more than not, the humour she throws in
is always cause for a laugh. I thought that this treatment would work
as well with Ranma. Then, I just had to throw the Dirty Pair in, since
I enjoy Dark Horse's D.P. stuff so much. I figured that a meeting
between
Ranma-chan, Akane, Kei, and Yuri on the war-torn dockside of a station
under siege could be pretty interesting.
"Hi, I'm Ranma, this is my fiance Akane."
"I'm Kei, this is Yuri. Say, you wanna join up with us? Just
think, four Lovely Angels!"
"Yeah, you two would look great in our spare uniforms!"
"Unh, I don't think so."
This should also give me a chance to resolve some relationships. I
figure that semi-real Ranmaverse characters suddenly thrust into a hard-
scifi universe might be a little more perceptive, a little more mature,
and a bit less idiotic. Then again, maybe not.
My second oldest work revolves around a land surveyor/otaku guy whose
life has, through only his own actions, gone straight to hell. He's
looking
for a way out, drifting through life basically on autopilot, when
serendipity strikes: while on a job out in some secluded countryside,
the
guy notices Ryouga crashing through the forest. On a snap decision, our
guy decides that this is the way out of his life that he can stomach:
follow Ryouga back to the Ranma universe, start all over there. So he
starts following the lost boy, leaving his own world behind in the
trans-dimensional madness that is Ryouga out for a stroll.
After a day of hard slogging, through jungle and forest, city and
sand,
Ryouga eventually settles down to camp. In a valley, in China. Bamboo
poles everywhere, you know the one. Well, it's on towards night time
when
our otaku buddy finally stumbles in, having tracked Ryouga all the way
to
Jyuusenkyo. Unfortunately, he dosn't see the cliff. Concussed and
confused
after taking a gainer into the Nyanniichuan, our 'heroine' stumbles into
another pool, this the little-known Spring of Curse Reversal (Not canon,
I know, but who is these days?) Now amnesiac and cursed to turn male in
cold
water, female in hot, our hapless otaku is found by Ryouga the next
morning.
Ryouga *intends* to take the dazed young man to the Jyuusenkyo guide,
but
ends up, as always, lost. A fortunate tea-pouring accident at lunch
reveals
the otaku's curse to Ryouga, who vows to protect said young person.
Now,
though s/he is amnesiac, our hero(ine? this is confusing) retains a
basic
knowledge of Japanese, English, most everyday skills, and surveying, but
remembers next to nothing about her previous life. Ryouga, thinking he
knows the nature of all Jyuusenkyo curses, convinces her that she has
always
been a girl, and that any memories to the contrary come from being hit
on
the head too hard. He should know, I suppose. At any rate, Ryouga and
our
hero-person travel a long time, with Ryouga training her mornings and
evenings in some basic martial arts.
After a long, long journey, Ryouga and his addled companion finally
make it to Nerima. This is when the trouble really starts. The
otaku-cum-shapechanger has, after months of travel with him, formed a
strong affinity towards Ryouga. Maybe even a romantic interest.
Possibly love. When you can only remember two people in your whole
life,
and one of them is around you all day every day, month after month, this
can happen. Now, another complication: although still sans-memory as a
girl, the otaku's boy form has mostly healed by the time Ryouga and he
arrive at the Tendou dojo. While male, he remembers everything, *and*
has access to the girl-form's memories as well. As a girl, she knows
nothing but her own memories. So, two diverging personalities inhabit
the same body, with different reactions, different memories, and
different
interests, romance-wise. Trouble, right? Well, the male otaku decides
that since he already blew his chance at success in his previous life,
he'll step aside and allow the new, female personality a chance at
some.
He explains their differing personalities a the result of a dip in
the spring of drowned gaijin tourist otaku, or some such thing, and
spends his time as a male trying to fix up Ranma and Akane; it's a
hobby.
I really haven't figured out how this one will end, either; it won't
solve everyone's relationship problems, that I *do* know. Though this
started out as a self-insertion 'fic, I realized that I couldn't write
myself believably into a fanfiction. The temptation of godhood is too
great, and I didn't want to write a story about how great I would be if
I was in the Ranmaverse. I decided to have this be about a fairly
ordinary person, with a lot of fairly ordinary problems, thrust into
an extraordinary existence *without* resorting to super-powers. Some
possibilities for the end include: otaku guy finds cure that locks
people
in warm-water form, gives up life for girl-form; guy-half and girl-half
get split up, status quo in Nerima is mostly maintained; Ranma and Akane
ome to a new understanding, with Ryouga now split between Akari and
the girl-form. It's still swirling around in here.
On a slightly less serious note, I started a UY-R1/2 crossover wherein
Ran, Lum's old friend and bitter enemy, seeks a final revenge. Y'see,
Ran thinks that Lum stole Rei, gorgeous half-man,half tiger cow, away
from her, and wants to thwart any chance of Lum finding happiness with
Ataru Morobishi, Lum's new chosen mate. After many, many failed
attempts
at seducing Ataru away from Lum, Ran decides to change the past. If
Ataru
had not been chosen as Earth's champion in the tag game which decided
wether
the Invaders would inhabit the Earth or not, then he would not have met
Lum, hence they would not be semi-engaged, hence no more happiness.
Great
plan, with only one minor flaw: after trapping herself back in time
(her
ship explodes at the end of the trip back), Ran finagles the Invader
computer into choosing some other random sap: Ranma Saotome. Now on the
run from Men In Black, Ranma and his father flee China, hoping to hide
out at the Tendo Dojo, their last refuge. Genma, a good friend through
and through (heh,right), sends a postcard warning the Tendos of his
imminent arrival. Of course the g-men intercept the card. By the time
Ranma and Genma get to the Tendo-ke, the Tendos have already been
briefed
on the top-secret alien invasion. Soun Tendo informs his daughters of
the betrothal agreement that he and Genma had worked out, but since the
world appears to be ending anyway, decrees that they don't have to be
bound by it. Of course, this is the point at which Genma-panda and
Ranma-
chan make their entrance. After everyone's identities and curses are
cleared up, Genma argues with Soun about the arrangement, but finally
agrees that it would be foolish to force any of the kids to marry, what
with the curses, impending doom, and whathaveyou. Needless to say,
Ranma
defeats Lum *much* more easily than Ataru did. I still haven't decided
how (or if) he'll get engaged to Lum, though it would seem that that is
pretty much the point; I'd planned that Lum and Ranma would be the main
couple, with Ranma less than enthused. Not sure if the Tendo-Saotome
family arrangement would go back into effect with the sudden
non-destruction of Earth, but it would be interesting. Since Ranma
was never the womanizer that Ataru was, I think Jariten would be a
smidge
more sympathetic. Possible couples: Kunou and the Tengu Princess (you
can tell I need to research this, can't you), Ryouga and Ran (those
fangs!
those tempers! those flaming eyeballs!). Possible rivalries: Mendou
and Kunou, Mendou and Mikado, Ran and Lum (of course), Ryouga and Ataru,
Ranma and Ataru, everyone and Happousai. Now, I first thought of this
when thinking about how there were two red-heads from two different
Takahashi
series, both referred to as 'Ran-chan' on occasion. I'd like to do some
stuff with the Ran from the future trying to interfere with Lum and
Ranma's
relationship, maybe getting confused with Ranma-chan when she tries to
disguise herself by wearing glasses and doing her hair differently
(this could lead to some interesting scenes, if Ran was the first to do
this, rather than Ranma, and Ryouga recognized her, then thought Ranma
was Ran when *Ranma* used the same disguise :) ). This is pretty
preliminary. I don't know how the current-timeline Ran and the
future-Ran
would interact, either.
The last story I'm thinking about would focus mainly on Gosunkugi and
Nabiki. Gos's got some pretty impressive technical prowess (who else
could make the 1-hour battlesuit work?) and a not-bad noggin... I could
see him being aggressively recruited by Mishima Heavy Industries in
his Junior/Senior year, maybe on reputation, maybe on test/school
results,
I'm not sure how this works. But anyhow, Gosunkugi goes to work
part-time
in R&D at M.H.I., not too far from home. And, since Nabiki is the
leader
in information supply in Nerima, I can also see her working with Madam
Chairwoman of M.H.I., who would be anxious for any info on the
whereabouts
and daily routines of her son and her husband. Hence, occasional
professional meetings. Gosunkugi might get a little more happy, a
little
more rested, a little less freaky, if he had to rub elbows with people
in a work situation, and didn't have time to obsess about Akane. Don't
big companies like that have fitness programs, too? I think an
internship at MHI might do the Gos-ter some good. I *also* think that
his new-found access, money, and connections at MHI might bring Nabiki
around every once in a while, looking for news tidbits. Call me crazy,
but I can very easily see a slightly more personable Gosunkugi and a
confident, soon to graduate Nabiki getting into a comfortable
professional
relationship, even becoming *gasp* friendly. Maybe more. This one
*would* be a 'solve all the relations' 'fic, set after the end of the
manga.
I just might throw in a kooky idea I had, involving the Losers Club
Poker
Guild, otherwise known as Kunou, Gosunkugi, Tsubasa, and Mousse, all
sans-dates and looking for something to do of an evening. Throw in
some beers, some bravado, and I can easily get Kunou after Shampoo and
Mousse stuck with Kodachi, see if I can't. I know that the
Kunou-Shampoo
thing's been done, very well I might add, but I don't think I've ever
seen anyone but Ranma and Kodachi, and that usually with Ranma drugged,
stuffed, or on ice. So, this one would be somewhat silly, but I'm
looking for an atmosphere somewhere between calm, warm relationship-
building and fiery fistfuls of action-adventure. Kinda like 'You're
Under Arrest' in tone, with bits of Ranma's RealViolence, plus some of
Smith & Warrens' Dirty-Pair-style anime irreverance. You know,
something just right. I chose Gosunkugi because, well, you gotta give
a little respect to a total wimp who goes in against the greatest
martial artists in the world to try and get some attention from the girl
he loves. I just think he's been too focused, too obsessed, but hey!
what's High School for? I also think that Nabiki need yet another
story devoted partially to her (hey, who doesn't).
So, those are what's on my plate, at one level or another. I just
can't decide which one to go with first: the space-Ranma really grips
me,
since I can just see the suspense in my head; I feel that the ultra-
normal otaku gets cursed and loses his/her memories story has some good
drama, some really touching stuff, but not much in the way of humour so
far, yet I think it needs writing; I don't know if anyone else would do
the UY/Ranma crossover the way I've got it, but I want to read it, so I
figure I'll have to write it; and I really, *really* want to see
something
funny and fluffy, what with Zen's melancholy (hell, dark and depressing)
work, 'Bitter End' still weighing heavily on me, so I'm sometimes
leaning
towards the Gosunkugi/Nabiki story; I think it would have ample dollops
of fun
and zaniness. Anyhow, I was hoping you-all out there could help me
decide,
maybe offer some comments or suggestions for the plots, possibly your
ideas for scenes, whatever you feel like sending me. I appreciate that
most people don't have much time to read everything, so I thank everyone
who does send c&c in advance. Thank you all for you time,
--
-Martin Metke
-Sleet01
-n9246789@cc.wwu.edu
// She's dead, Jim, but she's still warm... I'll flip you for her \\
--
-Martin Metke
-Sleet01
-n9246789@cc.wwu.edu
// She's dead, Jim, but she's still warm... I'll flip you for her \\