Scott Jamison wrote:

On Sun, 26 Jul 1998, Nick Leifker wrote:

On Sat, 25 Jul 1998, Krista Perry wrote:

But there's something else, that has nothing to do with the
gender-debate, that's been bothering me.  Cologne and Happosai are the
main suspects in the crime, because they both disappeared after Ranma
was "poisoned."  Now, I can't see them working together on this, so I'm

So, Nick, what's up with this?  Normally I like your vague hints at
what's happened in the past, but this just doesn't make sense to me.
Please explain?  ^_^

This was actually a serious problem during the writing of the work.
Initially, I had Cologne do it outright, then realized (after comments
from prereaders) that vague would be better, as Ranma wouldn't know who
to hate.

        It occurred to me that Happosai and Cologne disappearing might be
a red herring of sorts.
        Although it kind of goes against the point of the story, here's a
plausible theory....
        In many fanfics, it's been assumed that Ranma has some sort of
destiny or fate that is dependent on his female form.  But what if the
reverse is true, and he has a destiny that requires that he be male, one
his female form interferes with?  (After all, his being born male should
have some meaning too, ne?)
        For the most obvious choice, let's say that Villain X learns that
if Ranma is the *father* of a child, that child will destroy Villain X.
Nothing in the prophecy about Ranma as a mother.  So Villain X poisons
Ranma to prevent him from ever becoming a father.  (We presume a
maliciousness or honor on the part of Villain X to keep Ranma alive.)
        Happosai and Cologne are the two people most likely to know of an
antidote or restorative to counter the poison, so Villain X finds some
way of drawing them away, which also leads the finger of suspicion to
point at them rather than himself.

        This could lead to a later situation where Ranma has "accepted"
that the situation is permanent and learned to live as a woman, only to
discover that in order to save the future he must find a way to reclaim
his male side, both literally and psychologically.

A very plausible theory.  It also sounds like a great idea for a whole
different fanfic -- one that I'd love to read.

So, Scott... you gonna write it, or just tease us with it?  ;)

Ja ne,

Krista