Hi Paul,

Paul Arezina wrote:

Quantum Destinies

Wahoo! More of it!

It's comments like this that make it worthwhile to keep writing. :)

Chapter 9 - A Taste of Things to Come
Ukyou had almost started a fight right then and there with the
Amazon.  Akane had turned her back on the whole thing, but she
was secretly glad that Ranma was all right.

So THAT's what happens when you're jumped into? You just... blank out?

Yep.  The quantum traveller takes over as the active personality, and the
target personality gets suppressed.  I guess it would be like having a
multiple personality disorder.

stared after Ranma.  *Could there still be something wrong with
Ranma,* they both wondered.

Erm... it's perfectly alright to pop a question mark there. No need to end
the sentence after it when it's inside a quotation...

I guess it shows that it has been a while since I was in an English class. 
Just when I managed to get over the worst of my tense confusion too. :)

How is the proper punctuation to go.  Should I use "...?," or "...?" inside
the quotes?

He kept sneaking looks at his
father, as the older Saotome gulped down food, like he didn't
recognize him.  Genma hadn't noticed, but Ranma had become
even more withdrawn after that.  These back and forth switches in
personality were exhausting Akane.

What about RANMA? Ya think he might be just a LITTLE concerned that his mind
hasn't been his own lately?

You're right.  I guess I glossed over when I shouldn't have.

school.  When Akane had come down for breakfast to find Ranma
already gone, she was angry.  *What is with that idiot?*

He's been possessed by the spirit of academia from another dimension. So
sorry.

As another person commented on the story in the early chapters, it gives
Akane ANOTHER thing to add to her inferiority complex about Ranma. :)

The history teacher gave Ranma one question, and then
ignored him after he gave another stupid answer.

Well, now that there's only ONE class Ranma needs to study for...

Yep.  He always feels so SURE when he answers too.

It made Akane feel a little better.

And gloat, no doubt.

She has so little nowadays to gloat about, the poor thing. :)

She was on her
way back to class when she spotted him in the last place that she
ever expected to see him.  She noticed him through one of the
windows by chance.  Ranma was reading a book in the library.

Hmm. Perhaps you could link together the three sentences above so you don't
get that nasty little repetition problem. How 'bout...

She was on her way back to class when she caught a glimpse of a red Chinese
shirt through an open window. Turning to chew out what she thought was
Ranma, her jaw gaped in disbelief. Ranma... in the library... READING?!

Okay, perhaps not like that. But something to break up the monotony, ne?

Sounds like a good idea.  I gues it does read a tad stilted rather than
flowing.

    "Ranma," she whispered from behind him.  "What are you
doing in here?"

"And what's that... the Kama Sut... HENTAI!!"

Heh.

    Akane glanced at the book in Ranma's hands.  It was a book in
English by some foreign scientist named Stephen Hawking.
Akane couldn't quite make out the title, but Ranma was about
halfway through it.

"A Brief History of Time", perhaps?

Hmmm... could be...  :)

    Her anger was forgotten.  Ranma noticed her looking through
his notebook and frowned.  He pulled it out of her hands without a
word and stuffed it into his bag.  She glared at him, but he just
ignored her.  That threatened to send her anger back to its usual
levels.

*Sigh* And they were getting along SO well...

It wouldn't be Ranma 1/2 if Akane went TOO long without getting angry.  :)

    "Come on, Akane," he whispered.  Without a glance at her, he
headed towards the front of the library.  Akane followed along
behind him, and her expression was troubled.

Umm... yeah. What's Ranma doing, developing a thesis on the nature and
function of Ki? Or is he, as was suggested, trying to build a coil of his
own?

I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise. :)

And he now knows enough to know that he's going to need to know more!
Congratulations, boy, and welcome to MENSA!

One of the things I'm going to keep touching on.  Ranma has had his eyes
opened that there's a big world out there, and a LOT more to know than just
martial arts. :)

The bonus money
would help her pay off her contract that much sooner, so the
minor indignity of posing was easy to ignore.

Just wait until you get a stalker. *evil grin*

Helllooooo Mousse! :)  Actually, I haven't introduced him because I'm not
sure how to adjust him to this reality.

frowned when she noticed that her current boyfriend was studying
the barbarian girl as well.  She glared icily at the Chinese boy
from her position.  He didn't even look up at her.  He was going to
pay for that when she got him alone.

I'm coming off of No Need for Discipline here, but this still seems a little
ecchi. Perhaps that's deliberate on your part.

Hmmm... it really wasn't intentional.  The sentence seemed fairly harmless
to me.

scattered applause.  Mina noted with disgust that most of the men
were all studying Running Deer and Shampoo more than they
were her.

Perhaps it has something to do with your cold, aloof, Ice Queen persona. But
that's just me.

Villains like Mina are certainly a lot of fun to write. :)

    *I'm going to break them both into pieces,* she swore to herself
in a cold fury.  *_I'm_ the one who's the most beautiful and the
most skilled, not them!*

Are we SUPPOSED to hate her? If we are, it's working.

It's a tough job being a villain, but somebody has to do it.  Mina has
actually started to take on an easy personality to write.  She's your basic
anime bad girl with the EVIL aspect cranked up a little bit.

    "Tarou," she growled in a falsely sweet voice.

GYAHH! Pantsuit-boy! Why couldn't he have died in childbirth or something?

And how, pray tell, does one sweetly growl? P'raps calling it "saccharine"
will do the trick.

I still can't think of a good first name to give him.  He never met
Happosai, so I'm stuck just calling him Tarou for now.

"Just what do
you think you're doing?"  The handsome Chinese youth turned
and smiled at her.  Mina felt her heart flutter a bit at that smile.

Mina and Pantyhose, sittin' in a tree...

and don't they make a lovely couple?

Oh wait... Happy didn't baptize him with that ridiculous name this time out,
did he?

Nope.

was what she loved about him, along with his incredible skill at
the martial arts.

At least he can't outsmart Ranma in this universe.

And don't think it won't be annoying to someone with HIS ego.

    "I was simply observing your enemies, my darling," he said
calmly.  "Looking for possible weaknesses that you might exploit
when the time is right.

Well, he certainly SOUNDS like Tarou.

I confess that the only way I know the character is through the various
fanfic depictions.  He and Mina are promising to make a fun couple of
characters to write about.

    "Of course," she replied with a lusty smile.  "You know that I
prefer to have you with the blood of your opponents still fresh
upon you."

I think we've established the evilness of these two sufficiently.

I guess I got a little carried away.  It does sound pretty ecchi, doesn't
it?

She wrapped her towel around his neck, and pulled
him down for a kiss.  Tarou wrapped his arms around her waist.
She sighed lustily into his mouth as their tongues played.

He's playin' you like a freakin' FIDDLE! And you're enjoying every minute of
it, aren't you?

They both have such egos that they BOTH think that they're the one in
control of the other.  I say they make just the funnest couple. :)

    In the middle of the kiss, Tarou opened one eye to gaze again at
Shampoo as she lounged on the far side of the pool.  *I plan on
having you at least once, dear Shampoo.

You know, I'd like to be outraged here.

I sense a BUT in there somewhere....

Once I'm satisfied, then
I will stand peacefully by and let Mina kill you.*  His gaze turned
to watch Running Deer for a moment before he closed his eye.  *I
think I will enjoy having you as well, sweet Running Deer.*

This, of course, is assuming a) they'll let you or b) you can beat them up
badly enough.

This is TAROU after all.  The man has an ego even bigger than Ranma's...
and that's saying something. :)

friend.  I _was_ planning on leaving you the ability to walk after
our fight.  I fear that I'll have to harm you more severely now.
After all, _no_ man is going to take my dear Mina's attentions
from me.  No one!*

Hmm. Mina and Tarou are evil, but Tarou is more evil. Perhaps Happy's
baptism by lingerie was actually a good thing, in that it provided Tarou a
focus for his anger.

He was just too good a character to not put into a villain role.  Expect to
see more of the boy.

commander.  She wrapped it around her nakedness.  "<Pathetic
weaklings.  If such as these are the best warriors that the Empire
can muster, then my path to power is assured.>"

Wait... that lust for power... I know you! Herb-chan!

Another character that was too good to pass up. :)

    The girl looked to be no older than seventeen, but she walked
with the arrogance of nobility.

Yup yup yup, it's Herb-chan.

I did manage to restrain myself from doing some Darth Vader impressions
with her.  This was one of my favorite scenes to write in the chapter.

    "<That I should suffer such an indignity,>" she muttered.  She
whirled to face the other way.  The cloak gave a brief glimpse of
finely toned legs as it swirled up for a moment.  <"I plan to make
their Emperor suffer as I have suffered these many years, as our
people have suffered.  Our people kept in cages for generations.
Bred like animals for their experiments.  My own father dead at
the hands of ones such as these.>"

Boy. She sounds a mite peeved.

You have no idea. :)

Emperor of Japan.>"  She laughed deeply.   "<A surprise that he
will enjoy for the few remaining moments that I allow him...
before I rip his head from his shoulders.  After that, I intend to
visit such blood and terror upon this world that none will ever
forget the power of the Musk Dynasty!>"

This would be a nice Chiisuiton/Jusenkyo cocktail?

Well, there are all those conveniently marked water samples to choose from.
:)

    "You're certainly becoming quite a hand with the ladies," said
Genma with a twinkle in his eyes.

Like I said, Masaki Tenchi syndrome. Tenchi is basically Ranma without the
ego... and he seems to be a perfect psychological analogue to Scholar-Ranma
at this point.

Hmmm... yeah.  I wasn't purposefully writing him that way, but I guess
characters evolve in stories to fit their surroundings.  I think I've kind
of respun the Akane-Ranma-Ukyou relationship dynamic though.  Ranma hasn't
seen anything yet. :)

    "In a way," replied Genma.  "I thought we should discuss the
plans that your mother has been making.  How do you feel about
meeting the girls that she has chosen for you, given the unique
perspective that your recent experiences have given you?"

Boy, if THAT isn't a loaded question.

Just as a sidenote, how are mistresses/multiple wives looked upon in this
Japan? Or haven't you defined that yet?

I haven't really decided yet, but I'm inclined to view them as acceptable
in this society.  Women are more equal in certain aspects of society, but
the multiple wives aspect makes for some fun possibilities.  Who gets to be
FIRST WIFE though would touch off a whole new load of potential troubles
though.  :)

    "Pop, don't _even_ make jokes about something like that," said
Ranma with a grimace.  "The last thing I want to do is have my
life turn into some warped mirror of that other Ranma's life.

I got news for you, buddy. It IS.

Leave the poor boy his illusions while he can stil enjoy them. :)

    "Hey, how complicated could my life get?

That's one of the Top Ten Worst Things to Say in a Fanfic.

Some things just MUST be said, despite the consequences. :)

I have the advantage
that I can learn from the mistakes of the other Ranma.

He don't know Murphy's Law very well, do he?

He's developing Martial-Ranma's ego quite nicely, isn't he?

knowledge, any romantic entanglements won't be a problem.  It
would have to be something pretty extraordinary to mess up _my_
life."  Ranma sat down at the bench.

Pardon me while I try to stop myself from howling with laughter. And fail
miserably, but still...

Nothing bad has really happened to make him think otherwise... yet. :)

    Genma looked thoughtful for a moment.  "I suppose you're
right, son.  It would have to be something extraordinary."

Unfortunately, this is Nerima. The extraordinary happens on an alarmingly
regular basis.

Especially if you're a boy named Ranma.

the news.  When Ukyou finally spoke, her tone of voice was one of
quiet disbelief.  "You want me to what?"

"We feel it's time you learned to manage your own lifestyle. Perhaps a
restaurant..."

Heh.  She's actually turning out to be more like MainAkane at times. 
Somebody has to play the tomboy role. :)

    Ukyou just sat there blinking.  "Don't I have any say in this?"

Doesn't sound like it. Don't worry. If your counterpart is any indication,
you'll be drooling over him.

Scholar-Ranma would be wise to not take TOO much for granted. :)

high time that we found you a husband.  You've already rejected
all of the local boys."

    "They're all perverts or weaklings," grumbled Ukyou.

She's shaping up to be Aeka in Ranma's little case of Tenchi Syndrome.

Purely unintentional when originally written, but it does give me some
future plot spins. :)

    "That's another thing, daughter," said her mother in a mildly
reproving tone of voice.  "This tendency of yours to disguise
yourself as a boy is becoming alarming to me for a girl your age.
Why do you persist in doing it?"

She's like that here, too. *pfft*

I couldn't resist.  It IS good practice for her disguise skills too. :)

    "Feh," murmured Ukyou.  *He sounds like another weakling.
This is so stupid.  I doubt that this Ranma Saotome can possibly
be any different from any of the local boys.*

Is is just me, or is she ASKING for it?

She is.  It makes what comes up between them more fun.  Maybe I can throw
in a spin on the original bathroom scene, only using Ranma and Ukyou. :)

    "Yes, papa," said Ukyou with a sinking heart.  *This doesn't
sound like it's going to be any fun at all.*

This is excellent use of dramatic irony. Of course, I'm assuming she's gonna
fall for him like a ton of bricks.

Yep.  I was always intending the cast to be present in much the same way,
but I'm putting my own spin on things.

materials request to his student advisor.  When Ranma decided to
introduce his father, Sensei Takiyama expressed his obvious
honor at meeting the elder Saotome.  That resulted in an hour or
so of polite conversation, with the Sensei praising Ranma in such
an obvious display of bootlicking that even Genma was surprised.

Considering that your alternate invented the "fallen mountain lion
submission" or something like that, that's some pretty impressive
bootlicking.

Takiyama is a true master of the craft. :)  I couldn't write the scene well
enough to do his skills justice.

    "Ranma, do you remember why we originally left home when
you were a boy?"  Genma took his glasses off and wiped the lenses
with his handkerchief.

Whoa, that happened here, too?

    "Sure, pop," replied Ranma with a smile.  "You wanted to make
me into the genius that I am today."

Bizarre parallels.

Isn't it?  :)

rare genetic disorder.  It wouldn't kill you, but your mental and
physical development would have left you far behind your peers.
As your father, I couldn't stand to see that happen, so I took steps
to prevent that fate from befalling you."

*gasp* Genma CARES! What an unexpected twist!

That's part of why it was so painful to see what his counterpart did.

were one of the very first recipients of this process, and I'm told
that it will soon become standard for every Citizen child born.
You are a new type of human, my son.  A superior breed.  That
was when I conceived to do what I now wonder might have been
egotistical folly."

Julian Bashir IS Saotome Ranma IN Quantum Destinies!

I borrowed from both Star Trek and the Dirty Pair manga by Warren for this
plot point.  I guess he could be called a Newtype Human, to borrow from
Gundam.

    Ranma smiled and nodded.  *I might be able to develop some
of the special techniques for my own use yet, in this case.

Yeah. Just chalk up the Amaguriken to your ridiculous constitution...

Yep.  It also gives him the same recovery ability that MainRanma got
through a lifetime of training.
 

lectured, but he was proud of his son.  Things were going to turn
out for the best after all.

You just have to keep doing this, don't you?

I can't seem to stop myself.  Ironic humor is one of my few writing vices.
:)

    "He understands," replied Genma as he came up behind her and
pulled her into a hug.  She relaxed against him, a sigh of relief
coming from her lips.  "He seemed to understand why we did it."

*gasp* Ranma RESPECTS HIS FATHER! Exactly how is this kid not practically
perfect in every way?

You know, if someone had written Tenchi Muyo as a fanfic, it'd be flamed
beyond belief for its obvious self-insert elements.

He was pretty perfect, but now he's got part of Martial-Ranma's karma about
to fall on him like a ton of bricks. :)

    "She should be picking up Ranma in a little while.  So what's
for dinner tonight, Nodoka-chan?"

*gasp* Genma and Nodoka are STILL SOMEWHAT IN LOVE!

Kind of nice, isn't it?

    "I have, brother," she had said.  She left him sputtering in
surprise as she went upstairs to change.  *My poor brother.  He
still isn't used to the new me,* she had thought with a smile.  The
Kodachi that she had jumped into had been a rather shy girl, her
only two interests were science and dancing.  She was slightly
afraid of boys, so her older brother had taken it upon himself to
protect her.  He apparently felt that no man was truly worthy of
his little sister.

"If you try to take advantage of my sister, I shall SMITE THEE!"

It does put a new persepctive on the character, doesn't it?  Just wait
until AltAkane meets AltKuno for the first time. :)

    Kodachi walked into the courtyard, pausing only to briefly
admire the flower garden and well-kept yard.  She stepped up to
the front door of the house, and was startled to see a humble
hanging bell to announce her presence with.

You know, this doesn't surprise me for some reason. Are the Saotomes living
in something approximating the Tendo Dojo?

It's a nice-sized house, but no dojo is on the property.  Maybe Ranma can
build one if he decides to teach the Anything-Goes School.

wearing a traditional robe.  Kodachi bowed with a smile.  "I give
greetings to this household.  I am Kodachi Kuno.  Do I have the
honor of addressing the lady of the house?"

Nice to know you've remembered the forms.

I'm actually just making it up as I go along.  I just wrote something that
sounded polite enough to be properly Japanese.

    When the two women continued to exchange pleasant small
talk, Ranma tuned it out.  He couldn't tear his eyes away from the
beautiful girl seated across the table from him.  A slight smile
appeared on his lips.  Kodachi was tastefully dressed in a pearl
white blouse made of silk, and a long skirt made of black silk.
Her hair was up in a simple ponytail and tied with a pink ribbon.
The next thing he realized was his mother asking him a question.

You know, without the maniacal tendencies, Kodachi's not such a bad sort.

She just had a rough childhood that this one didn't.  It does make the
character a bit easier to take.

    "Oh, yes," said Ranma as he sprang to his feet.  Kodachi smiled
at him.  Genma shook his head behind Ranma, a smile on his
face.

"Our schools will finally be... hey, where'd that come from?"

Heh.  The personality contamination might be there to a small degree. :)

main gate to get in.  It seemed to be a festive group.  Members of
Arena Security could be seen maintaining order, their dark blue
uniforms and unsmiling faces a sure giveaway.

"Great. Would you like to skip the wait?"

"Of course, but hOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWwwwwww....."

'Nah. Nothing could clear the Arena wall in one leap. I've been working too
long.'

They actually went in the Priority entrance, but that would make for a
funny scene. :)

    Ranma had read that the Arena was remodeled a few years ago
to provide a variable fighting area in order to increase audience
excitement.  At the flip of a few switches, spikes could be raised
through the floor, metal plates and a thin layer of oil could be
spread to make footing more treacherous, or any of a dozen other
obstacles could be placed.  This was to make the fights within the
Plexiglas walls surrounding the fighting area more dangerous.  It
made it more exciting for the audiences to watch.

Gee, it's nice to see that the barbarism and exhibitionism of Coliseum games
died out with the ancient Romans.

Some Western ideas took a little TOO well....

    Far away from the Arena building, in the village of the
Joketsuzoku Amazons of China, the Matriarchs of the village
gathered in the Council Hall.  Khu Lon, most respected elder in
the village, bounced in on top of her staff accompanied by the
Amazon known as the Enforcer.  The Enforcer was a quite
attractive girl with pink hair, armed with a pair of battle axes
slung at her back.  Her name was Per Fum.

You know, she's getting to be an AltUniverse cliche...

Sorry about that.  I guess I've read too many fanfics.  Should I keep her
more in the background?

marked down all the times of Xian Pu's matches.  Khu Lon had
seen every one.  She missed her great grand-daughter, but
consoled herself with the knowledge that she would return to the
village a great fighter.

Ah. So they're not planning to break her out, just to analyze her technique.
Interesting, that.

The Amazons aren't about to challenge the full might of the Empire when
it's not really necessary.  It does also give Shampoo a range of opponents
that she wouldn't have had the opportunity to deal with otherwise.

the outside world.  The mail was delivered once each month with
typical Imperial efficiency, but many on the Council had grown
used to the convenience of receiving news through the television.
Many Matriarchs would never admit it, but they had also grown
somewhat addicted to the daily drama programs.

Soap operas. Gotta love them.

Couldn't you just picture a bunch of Amazon Matriarchs watching soaps? :)

    "<Ah, I thought as much,>" said Khu Lon.  "<Perhaps a trip
might not be out of order for the two of us.>"

Oh dear. They're going to run smack dab into Ranma and the web of
strangeness that surrounds him, aren't they?

Unless they happen to see him encounter Shampoo and defeat her on worldwide
television first? :)

what they say.  I sense some great destiny is about to touch our
village in some way, but I especially sense that it will touch my
beloved Xian Pu.>"

"<For some reason, it has to do with traveling to another world...>"

Heh.  The spirits are strangely vague, aren't they?

influence it when the time is right.  For now, we will sit here and
watch my Xian Pu show the strength of the Amazons to the world
once more.>"  Khu Lon smiled.

You know, I'm not entirely sure the PR people are interested solely in her
fighting prowess.

A busty Chinese girl in a revealing fighting outfit?  People would pay to
see that?  :)

Jurai Knight