----------
From: Damien Hailey <samas_1@hotmail.com>
To: garyee@mbox4.singnet.com.sg; steven@athenet.net
Cc: ffml@fanfic.com
Subject: Re: [FFML] Re: Ranma/Nuku/Starcraft Story
Date: Friday, April 09, 1999 8:14 AM
The most important thing I have gathered from your mail is that you
lack a
theme. A guiding concept. What is the underlying tone of this story?
Is it
a war story? A romance? Adventure? Pick a concept to work with and
stick
with it. It will make your job of writing this fic a LOT easier.
C'mon, it was just a set-up! If you use the Starcraft
characters/units as the backdrop, you have to set the whole thing up
first.
Aye, I know it's a set up but the esteemed author never gives a hint about
what the theme is so I thought that it would be prudent to ask. After all,
why waste time giving sugestions for a romance when the author has a dark
fic in mind?
First of all I would like to thank all of you for your C&C, and my
apologies for taking so long to get this message out. Here is my
general
idea of where i'm going with the story so far, if you could please
email
me
back with what you think of these ideas. First of all in chapter 2
the
zerg hit earth hard with a beginning invasion force which is
repelled
after
a tough battle. Akane, Ryunosuke(Nuku's "Little brother") are
captrued
by
the zerg, this is incentive to get them to join the military. A
military
Who are the "them" you are referring to?
Ranma and Nuku-Nuku, of course. Who else whould aoutomatically go
after Akane and Ryunosuke?
For Akane, Kuno, her father, half of the Furinkan population (those with
the Y chromosome) and not forgetting Ryoga who'd move heaven and earth to
free her.
Ryunosuke: Akiko would probably use all of Mishima Heavy Industury's
resources to get her son back. There's also Kyusuke, his dad who is a
genius and not without resources of his own.
How are Akane and Ryunosuke
freed?
The Zerg destroy all that lay in their path, it is highly unlikely
that
they will take prisoners, let alone allow them to survive long enough
for a
rescue attempt.
What about Sarah Kerrigan? The Zerg wanted to assimilate part of
humanity for it's psychic potential, and use it against the Protoss.
Maybe the two were caught in an initial raid for test subjects. Or,
if the Swarm is led by the Overmind, perhaps it sees something in
Akane and/or Ryunosuke he wants to assimilate. What happens if he
turns them into Kerrigan-like beings? Could their loved ones keep
them from becoming, as Kerrigan once called herself, 'Queen Bitch of
the universe?'(And King Bastard, or is it Prince Son-of-a-Bitch?^_^)
If Kerrigan leads the Swarm, she may actually be going after Ranma and
Nuku-Nuku, and wants to use Akane and Ryunosuke as leverage.
expedition is sent out on 4 Leviation Battle Cruisers(The famous
ship
from
Star Craft with the Yamato cannon) and a horde of lesser
transports.
Ranma
landing on a unknown planet with a small group of others has to
watch as
the others gets decimated by the zerg, and he goes into hidding for
a
time,
Why? This sounds a little OOC for Ranma. He'd probably rush into the
fight
if there were lives at stake no matter the cost. Of course, if he
were
FORCED to watch helplessly as his friends were decimated......
Exactly. Maybe he couldn't get there to help in time. If he was,
say, in the reserve still in orbit, he wouldn't be able to get down to
help unless he jumped out of the Battlecruiser or Dropship. Then a
group of Mutalisks, Guardians, and Devourers tear into his part of the
fleet. THe ship crashes from a Scourge up the exhaust port, and
Ranma and Nuku are stuck out.
till he is eventually found by the Protoss. Intrigued by his chi
abilities
and skills they give him the a protoss power gem(The center piece
of
Zealot
armor which grants them the shields that they have) and he is
taught to
use
Zealot si blade and meets Tassadar.
Which proves that this is an alternate Starcraft.
Meanwhile the human battle
ships
have
No matter how impressed they are by Ranma, he must EARN these gifts.
The
Protoss are on the ropes throughout most of the storyline, they
cannot
AFFORD to throw away valuable technology. You cannot afford to make
such
huge plot holes in your storyline.
This seems to be just a _very_ rough summary. It will be fleshed out
when he writes it.
One reasonable scenario is that Ranma is "adopted" by the Protoss.
The
Zealots and the Templars live by a code of honour, one that is very
close
to Ranma's heart. The Psi Blades and Power Gems mark him as one who
is
accepted by the Protoss.....and ultimately he probably will have to
fulfill
the role of ambassador of the Protoss to the wary humans. After all,
if one
alien race attacked your planet, how trusting would you be if another
alien
race conveniently appeared at the right time to offer assistance?
Depends on how badly you're getting your butt kicked. Any port in a
storm...
In the Terran's (who had superior technology to boot) case, so damned hard,
his rectum is sticking out of his osoephagus.
settled on a planet much like earth and establish the first of of
Sol
system colony and they start producing heavy war machinery. Well
this is
all i really have planned at this point but there will be a small
battle
on
the war through space between zerg/humans. And humans and protoss
are
I want to point out at this point that all the other characters most
probably think that Ranma is dead and act accordingly. This action
scenes
have a lot of potential for pathos as a grieving Akane fights like
one
possessed to assuage her pain. This could also unite the Ranma's
Fiancee
Club as all of them carry the memory of a certain pig-tailed baka who
had
captured their heart. A situation like this could very easily lead to
them
becoming friends. What will happen to their friendship when Ranma
resurfaces? That, honoured wordsmith is your tale to tell.
ENT! Besides, we already have an idea of that happening. Several
fics, such as Waters Under Earth, have Ranma disappearing, and the
reactions of the others. However, this time, they have a cause they
can take it out on...
I'm just pointing out a possible scenario here. I can just imagine Akane as
a Siege Tank pilot with the tank's name "The Mighty Mallet" painted on the
side. <Giggle>
going to me more of allies than in the computer game, and the zerg
are
going to be well a hundred times tougher. If you have time please
email
me
back and tell what you think of this place or anything that might
make it
better or side plots, trying to fit some in. Thanks for your time
I would like to see Kerrigan in this. Maybe she was testing out a
Wraith Prototype and got captured by a Zerg patrol. Infesting
Ryunosuke and Akane is also a good idea. Remember, Kerrigan only
became bad for a few reasons: She got all but betrayed by Mengsk when
they left her on that platform over Tarsonis, and she was kinda drunk
on the power at her command when she got infested. The Overmind's
lingering influence didn't help either. What would happen if Akane
suddenly found she was in control of a good portion of the Swarm after
the death of the Overmind? Instead of malleting Ranma, she could have
an Ultralisk stomp on him! :)
Yo author, this is a good idea! Use this! Infested Kerrigan getting
betrayed by her prodigy, Akane is just too delicious to pass up. Remember
Star Wars? The Dark Empire storyline? Never mind. The gist is, Luke
experimented with Dark Side powers in order to defeat the Emperor Reborn
but was ultimately redeemed by Leia. So, you could have Akane embracing her
powers as one of the few independant infested Terrans (like Kerrigan) in
order to save humanity but Kerrigan's will is too strong and overwhelms
her. And Ranma might be able to bring her back from the abyss.
Why would Kerrigan make another like herself? Why, even the Queen of Blades
needs someone to talk to. Furthermore, Kerrigan knows that she cannot do
everything by herself and she needs loyal, powerful subordinates to be her
right hand. Just as the Overmind relied on the Cerebrates, Kerrigan looks
out for talented folk to corrupt into her willing agents.
How about Nuku Nuku? Is she going to be a sideline character? She's a
useful character in her own right (as well as the star of 1/3 of this
crossover). If Ranma is forced to watch as others are slain, he'd
probably
slip into a deep depression and who better to raise him out of it
than
Nuku? There is a possibility that love could develop between those
two and
this could be the driving force in this story.
Now who's talking about OOC-ness? Do we _have_ to hook up the main
characters in half of the crossovers? Nuku just doen't seem like
Ranma's type anyway. Neko-Ranma might like her, however.
Not strictly OOC but I'll concede the point, I'm just writing about what
I'd like to see in the fic. After all, trauma can do strange things to a
person's mind.
Imagine Ranma
admitting to
his fiancees that he's passing them up for an android (I can picture
the
carnage now.....).
Why? This is Starcraft. We got enough carnage as it is.
"The death of one man is a tragedy, the death of millions a statistic." The
resulting Ranma bashing may very well be one of the few places to insert
humour in this fic.
Nuku is a very formidible fighter and I'd bet that
the
Protoss would be just as interested in an android like Nuku as in
Ranma's
abilities.
I think they'd be just as intersted in her mind. What would the
Protoss think of a humanoid with a cat's brain? A simple animal
adapting to having higher brain functions would prove most intresting
to the Protoss.
If Nuku is upgraded with Protoss technology, she would be
well-nigh unstoppable, a match for a unit as powerful as Sarah
Kerrigan.
Imagine Nuku configured to act as an Arbitrator Tribunal <shudder>.
That's Arbiter. And the Tribunal is a building. Imagine Nuku as a
Dark Templar.
I stand corrected but Nuku as a Dark Templar? Ranma's already the
equivalent of a zealot, why create two units with such overlapping
abilities? Now maybe if she had the powers of a Dark ARCHON then it might
be interesting but these powers are totally unsuited to Nuku's personality.
If the author makes Ranma into a Zealot, then he becomes a sword-swinging
hero. If Nuku is a Dark Templar, then she's a Sword-swinging heroine (who
happens to be invisible). Big dif. IMHO diversity is the way to go.
I just got an image of Nuku playing with a bunch of Reaver Scarabs
*shudder*
Run for the bunkers! Oh, wait the Protoss don't have bunkers. Oh
crap.........<whimper>
Sound of loud explosion as Mechamorph (me) is reduced to free-floating
particles. Nuku of course, is barely singed
Love developing between Ranma and Nuku is your best bet for a
storyline.
NAH. This is a complete clean slate. I prefer the idea of the
possibilities of altering the characters drastically. The
Ranma-Zealot(/Dark Templar?), Rebuilt Nuku, and Infested
Akane/Ryunosuke appeal to me better. This is something that will
completely change the world the heroes and heroines live in. Maybe
Nuku loses her innocence as the "games" she plays with the Zerg Swarm
nearly get her killed. Ranma realizes that he must now learn to kill
almost indescriminately. Then there are the other Humans. In
Starcraft, the Terran Missions in the original and Brood War had the
Terran factions mainly fighting each other, while the Protoss and
Raynor were trying to stop the Zerg. What if they try to make more
Nuku-type androids, or they have to? The only cat brain they'll put
in there would be a tiger's. What bout traitors and opportunitists
like Mengsk and Duran?
One of the first lessons learned in Starcaft's story is that love
means little. Best example: Jim Raynor and Sarah Kerrigan. By the
next to last Terran Mission, you could tell they liked each
other(Kerrigan: "Jim, would you please cut the
Knight-in-Shining-Armor routine? It suits you sometimes, just not
here."). By the end of Brood War, however, Raynor had sworn to _kill_
Kerrigan.
Why bother to make a crossover with Nuku Nuku if the title character
sits
on the bench and watches the rest slug it out with the Zerg? Ranma's
social
ineptness and Nuku's naivete are a wonderfully interesting
combination.
True, but the romance bit seems a little contrived. Besides, those
qualities would get destroyed rather quickly in Starcraft.
Add
that to an interstellar war and you have a gist of a story.
ENT again! You have a good backdrop, go for it! Although realize
that this story could, and probably should get dark.
I agree but I hope not. All too many dark fics out there as it is. But if
this is the direction the storyline takes, so be it.
And there's my $0.02 Hope you appreciate it.
SAMAS
Actually, what we have here is two different types of stories. True, a
Ranma-Nuku pairing may seem contrived but its the fact that these
characters are highly unlikely to fall for each other that lends irony to
the tale. Ranma is persued most ardently by several VERY attractive suitors
but the only one he seems to love is Akane. IF he falls for Nuku, you must
realise that its ironic. He has just fallen hard for someone who does not
understand the very concept of romantic love. Ranma is used to getting all
the attention and all too often he is the disinterested subject of a
one-way relationship. Let him be the person to chase another for once,
especially a person like Nuku who is so naive that she cannot understand
his advances. Now on Nuku's part, if she does learn Romantic Love, in this
case it will from someone (Ranma) who is not all that clear on the subject
himself. She learnt to love from someone who can barely admit to himself
his own feelings. Get the idea?
_______________________________________________________________
Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com
Regards,
Mechamorph