On Mon, 14 Apr 1997, Redneck Gaijin wrote:

      Least Considerate?  Most Violent?  Do you remember a certain Tendo
Akane here?
      Shampoo is admittedly pushy, manipulative, and ruthless; but I'd
consider outright abuse more irritating personally.

True, but Akane isn't out to kill her rivals, and she has a rudimentary
sense of fair play.

Shampoo has never used a mallet on Ranma. ^_-

And considering that she comes from an Amazon warrior society, she's been
surprisingly tame. Said so yourself. If she was really determined to kill
her rivals, there would _be_ no rivals anymore.

Furthermore, as has been hashed to death in the Bitter End flames, Akane is
***NOT*** as violent as you seem to think.

Not excessively violent, just averagely violent. Considering a cartoon
world, where this kind of violence leaves no permanent damage, her violence
is not surprising. And she hits Ranma far more often than Shampoo does. :)

Takahashi-sama has only one gory series (Mermaid Series), and even then it
leaves no permanent damage to the main characters. I don't think Zen ever
said that the Akane of "Bitter End" was a standard-issue Akane, but an
Akane with major problems in a world where Takahashi-type violence leaves
permanent scars. Different Akane, different physical laws, different
behavior. It's as simple as that. Besides, Zen had a story to tell; a
strictly canonical Team Ranma and standard Takahashi physics would ruin it.

Furthermore, if Ranma did marry Shampoo, he would have to go back to China
and become a househusband while Shampoo led the Amazons on to glory. Not the
preferred career plan for a martial artist.

      Househusband?  Not nessesarily.  He'd probably be encouraged to do
battle and train others... just so long as he remembered who's in charge.
I doubt that joketsuzoku men are slaves in any case, and the
warrior-consort of a matriarch probably has more pull than most.

Which brings to mind the question: If this is so, why is Mousse the only
male Amazon we know about?

He's the only one after Shampoo. And there were only three Amazons in
Nerima ever. You can't expect statistical significance on three people, or
even, what, seven people. Also, although the Amazons are not totally
oppressive, the females are still dominant, so there _are_ going to be more
of them.

And since when has ANY character ever told more than a smattering of
his/her past?

Ranma would be expected to train his kids, and maybe other kids as well, but
he would have zero say in how his life was led.

If that were true, than Shampoo would have already nabbed him and went, and
treating him like the dog he is. Remember, if someone has all the power,
they're going to be wield it and be corrupted by it.

      And this is assuming that Ranma couldn't talk her into remaining
in Japan as an embassary of some sort.

This seems to me to be an absurdity, considering the blatantly insular
nature of the Amazons.

Still, this _is_ China we're talking about. Considering its overall
standard of living and technology level, it would be a Third World Contry
if it weren't for the fact that it had nuclear weapons. (Making it a Second
World Country. The old Soviet Union was the same way.)

The Amazons and their neighbors have maintained the old culture even fifty+
years after the Cultural Revolution, which was supposed to wipe it all the
way. They've got enough pull to remain insular, which indicates
considerable political power. It's not inconcievable.

Furthermore, Ranma has made it blatantly clear he doesn't want to marry
ANYBODY yet- something which Shampoo ignores completely.

      Does anyone (Ukyo, Kodachi, Akane, _Genma_) not ignore said fact?

Akane.

As it has been said, "Methinks the lady doth protest a trifle too much."

Remember that she's in the middle of it, and a "modern woman", so she's in
essentially the same boat as Ranma. She has made it clear that SHE won't
marry anyone, which Kunou, Ryouga, the Prince of the Week :), and _Soun_
ignore as well.

Doesn't look too good for the brainless one, does it?

      *sigh* The way I look at it, 'Poo's chances with Ranma are no
worse than... scratch that, considerably _better_ than Nabiki & Tatewaki
or Shampoo/Mousse.
      I'd say it's a valid 'Fic Pairing (tm)

Only in an alternate universe.

So are all the other universes. Ranma/Akane, Ranma/Ukyou, Ranma/Shampoo,
Ranma/Kodachi (!), Ranma/Caroline Seawright are all alternates to each
other, and in the end, interchangeable. Akane/Ranma are the most likely
pairing, seeing how they were on a better foot when we left 'em. Only if
something happens to Akane will any of the others be considered. However,
Shampoo does very well, considering her competition. :)

As the Saotome/Tendou school proclaims, "Anything Goes!"

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