This is some great C&C. I am honored that you, an author/co-author/prereader
of several fanficion pieces that I enjoy, took time to share a few comments
with me, and I value your opinions. (BTW, I greatly enjoyed 'Twice in a
Millenium")
You ask a lot of questions, and most are ones that I can't answer without
spoiling the story, and the rest are questions I can't answer because it'll
ruin the story. It's like asking a magician how he does his trick. But...
I'll try to answer what I can.
C&C would be -GREATLY- appreciated. Be brutal!
Sorry, I can't do brutal on such an interesting idea as this.
You were brutal enough to be very helpful. <grin> Now... where's that
iodine?
<snipity>
<...>
Downtown Nerima Japan, early morning. Trinity parked
her motorcycle alongside the wall to the Tendo dojo. The doors to
it's entrance were wide open, so she took a small step inside. No-
Important rule: It's is a contraction of "IT IS". The
posessive form is its. Strange... but true.
Its not I tell you! Its not, its not, its not! It's only problem is the
people not understanding my desire to rewrite the rules of the english
language! <PBBBTTTTT!!!>
<...>
"He let Akane to discover my new hiding place for some of
xx
Uhm... huh?
<...>
"Hello, this is Neo. Sorry I can't come to the phone right
now Trinity, but if you'll leave your message, the time you called,
and a few choice words reminding me of how much you love me,
I'll gladly return your call at my earliest convenience, or until you
calm down, whichever comes last. -BEEP!-"
Now... was he REALLY not there OR did he use his control of the
Matrix to EMULATE an answering machine?
Uhhhhh... I'll take choice number one. <grin>
<...>
1.00 seconds. Man is incapacitated and collapses to the
ground. After a moment, it abandons the body it possesses and
morphs back to the form of it's original owner, an office secretary,
still unconscious with a pulped hand.
Frightening point... Could the Agent have taken over Akane
or Ranma?
Ah. A good question... but, I can easily explain it off by simply saying
that right now they can't due to the cute little crash Neo did to the
EYEinEYE interface early on in the story. If I have to, I'll clear that up a
bit more, but allow for -some- leeway here... <grin>
<...>
"...I know it's their choice, but they just attacked an agent!
They're dead if they remain, no matter how good they are. Forget
that blue pill."
Hmmmm... Interesting, But it IS what they would have to do.
Now the obvious question, is Moko Takabisha PART of the
program OR an expression of Ranma's innate ability?
Ahem. Ah, uhm, yes, that is... hmm. -Sigh- if I have to, I'll explain that
in detail in the story as well... but y'know, the more details I explain,
the less it leaves to the imagination ya' know. :) And let me nip the next
obvious question in the butt too while I'm at it... No, Ranma won't be able
to perform any complex special moves outside the matrix (well, okay maybe
ONE...)
<...>
"Think of them as video game henchmen using cheat
codes." Neo stated.
Now THAT'S a nice metaphor.
When's the last time you played a game that had some baddies with some
really cheap-ass moves?
<...>
In a swift move, Trinity strapped a thick restraining belt
over Ranma's torso.
"Let me GO!" Ranma yelled.
"Got a lock!" Neo announced.
Ranma flailed his arms around trying to grip -anything- that
he could use as a weapon. He knocked the glass of water,
shattering the glass and spilling the liquid on him. No-one noticed
Ranma change forms, all of them more concerned with their task at
hand.
"Shit! I lost him!" Neo exclaimed.
Now THIS is a fine kettle of fish... Did the target just SWITCH?
But if it did, how did the pill switch? Also, if it did, it
might mean that the 'curse' actually involves TWO people.
(I HOPE not... In scenarios where Ranma is split, the girl part
usualy gets the short end of the stick, thus I HOPE this is not
the case here. I seriously doubt Ryouga and Genma involve a
panda and a piglet, for example.)
I haven't decided how I'm going to explain Jusenkyo yet... but I do know
what's going to become of Ryoga. As for Genma... well... I haven't put a lot
of thought into his character, nor do I plan to. One thing that worries me
though is the dreaded 'Ukyo factor'. I do not want to write Ukyo into the
story, but I KNOW that all the crazy Ukyo fans out there will demand it...
so I'm trying to toss ideas on how to integrate her in, but most likely she
will not be in this story.
And... to answer your main question, -yes- Ranma's curse does, in a way,
involve two people, but not in the way that you think. In this story, Ranma
was born as, and truly is, a bona-fide girl (aside from a slightly skewed
attitude). In my next release, Neo is going to try and figure out -why- the
matrix rendered Ranma as a boy. Then some of the puzzle pieces will start to
fit.
<...>
Ryoga snatched the pill and analyzed it carefully.
Too bad he doesn't have the Mercury Computer...
Darn, wrong Matrix crossover.
Whoaaaaaaaaa... not a bad idea! Unfortunatly, Sailormoon ain't my gig. :)
I'll leave that to you. I don't know if a SM/Matrix crossover can be done
well... then again, they said the same of a Ranma/Matrix crossover, didn't
they?
"Miracles really do happen!" Ryoga ecstatically concluded.
"Then we have a deal."
"When do we start?" Ryoga inquired.
"We're already done." the lab-coated agent said.
So, what does THIS mean?
You'll learn that -much- later in the story. You won't see much more of
Ryoga for a while until I reveal a few more pieces to this puzzle.
"Ooog..." Ranma woke from his unconsciousness to find
himself on a comfortable bed, and back in his male form.
Okay, scratch the two body theory, this is a detached
Matrix, as I understand it. So, I guess Ranma IS a
girl... Interesting concept.
Ahem. 'Residual Self Image - The mental projection of your digital self'.
Ranma sees his/herself as a boy, and thus projects himself as a boy. The RSI
in the matrix, however, is a bit different and is controlled a bit more by
the matrix itself, and that will be explained later.
"They're not your real family, Akane."
"HOW DARE YOU!" Akane fumed.
"It's the truth, Akane! If I were to free them out of the
matrix right now and do a DNA test it would show that you're
totally unrelated to them. They're all random souls grouped to form
a family. It's all part of the illusion. None of it is real, Akane.
NONE of it." Trinity elaborated.
But, in a sense they ARE her family. Kasumi, Nabiki, and Soun
would still have the same feelings for her. The attachment they
felt is REAL, regardless of whether they are a biological
family. Kasumi was still there to patch up little Akane's
scraped knees, etc... even if only in the program.
Now HERE's an interesting question/idea are Cologne
and Happosai REAL or constructs?
The point I was trying to make (unsuccessfully) was that even though
they -felt- like a family, there was no relation. Then again, yes the
emotional attachments would still be there... I may need to tweak this a
bit...
then again, maybe not <-ting!- I have an idea...!>
"None of it... none of it... not even my fiance..."
"Fiance?"
"Ranma's my... my fiance." Akane tearfully muttered.
"Oh my god..."
"AND ALL THIS TIME HE WAS A GIRL DAMNIT!
Why couldn't the damn machine have gotten THAT right?!"
Well the machine DID get it right. It made you fall
for, it seems, another girl. I wonder, was Genma
a construct? One of a series of 'parental units' to
mold the excess population of females into
men? (or a crude parody thereof). clearly the Genma
model needs a (lot) of fine-tuning!
That... uhm... wasn't the machine's idea. I haven't decided whether to make
Genma a construct or not, but he probably won't be. No, it's not a form of
silly population control. Things will make more sense later in the story. I
have all the answers to this... but to tell them now would spoil way too
much. Just let me say that you're way off.
~~~
<...>
Morpheus was silent for a moment.
"Akane?" Morpheus inquired.
Ranma nodded.
"I see. That changes everything."
Indeed it does. I hope the Nebacadnezar has INTERNAL
armorplate!
<LAUGH!>
~~~
"You love her, right?"
"Y-yea..." Akane nervously answered.
"I grew up in the matrix, and I remember how strange a
woman in love with another woman was, but here in the real world
love is rare, too rare to let 'details' spoil it." Trinity explained.
"But... if Ranma and I still... I mean... what will everyone
think?"
Yep, it's what others think... not what you or Ranma does,
right. But then that IS how it is...
"They'll think that you two are the luckiest people alive."
Probably.
The general point I was trying to make was that in a world of hopelessness,
to find love (no matter what the form) is a great treasure. Yes, people will
find it strange (perhaps not, if they hear the circumstances), but they'll
actually feel happy for them since they were able to find love in such
hopelessness.
~~~
"You mean that?" Ranma inquired.
"Every word. I envy you, Ranma. When you left the matrix
you were able to take with you the only real thing you had. Your
love."
A tear trickled down Ranma's cheek.
"Are you ready to let go?"
~~~
"Yes." Akane answered.
"Are you ready to tell her that you still love her?" Trinity
asked.
~~~
"Yes!" Ranma and Akane both shouted as they awoke
from the construct.
Oh no! it ends HERE, of all places??
I really like the last few scenes...
Good Luck!
And it only get's better. I am REALLY thrilled that I've gotten such an
enthusiastic response to this story, and I'm putting all I can into it.
Expect to see some practice fighting in my next release. Neo vs. Ranma,
Akane vs. Morpheus. Who do you think will win? Oh... and the jump scene.
Heh... heheheh... why do I hear the loony tunes theme playing...?