Subject: [FFML] Re: The Garden of Ranma (And a 'CLAN' preview!)
From: Brendan
Date: 12/11/1999, 2:49 AM
To: ffml@fanfic.com

On Sat, 11 Dec 1999, Chris Moran <chrismoran@sprint.ca> wrote:
Richard Robinson wrote:

I wonder if Nodoka would allow Akane to be cured.? Nodoka seems to
behave like a True Believer in a very aggressive church. I think the
ease and speed with which the Tendo's accepted conversion to be VERY
suspicious. Personally I suspect some degree of Mind and/or Emotion
control.
Especially as you have shown this to be a Vampiric power.

Well, I have to comment here.  First off, if there is a cure in the first
place, I'm reasonably certain that Ranma would go out of his way to make
sure Nodoka never found out what he was up to... much as he's doing now in
general.  Part of the tragedy of this story is that Nodoka, the person
Ranma at one point was willing to do just about anything for is now firmly
at the bottom of the list of people he trusts.  And she knows it, and
can't do much to change it.

As for the quick conversions, I'm of two minds.  Each of them had a
tangible reason for taking the plunge, so to speak.  However, vampiric
mind control is subtle... Ryoga had no idea Nabiki was manipulating his
thoughts until he was told.  Further, Nodoka would only need to give them
a slight 'nudge' to push them over.  Maybe she believes that the dire
situation would warrant it, especially as she is a firm believer in the
virtue of vampirism.  Or maybe she did it unconsciously, her powers
reacting to her own desires.
	And not just Nodoka, Katsumi and Nabiki are both very new to their 
power, and both would have wanted their little sister to be part of it too.

That's another point that makes 'The Clan' so good... we can't be sure
that the decisions made are made freely.


I just don't trust a Nodoka who tries to talk Ranma into becoming a
girl permanently. After fighting to make him her idea of Manly, (
E.G.: Happosei JR.)

I don't think anyone's sure what would happen should Ranma become a
vampire (and he's not eager to find out).  It is true that in the
beginning Nodoka stated point blank that if Ranma had been born a girl,
she would be a vampire by now.  This version of Nodoka does seem quite the
zealot when it comes to vampirism.

	Indeed, the reason why only women become vampires will be 
fascinating.

As to why Ranma resisted, well he is the son of the controller and
Ranma could raise enough stubbornness for himself and two other people
and still have plenty to sell.

Very true... one of his defining characteristics is that he hates having
his decisions made for him.


Incidentally, why is Ranma so dead ( so to speak ) set against
Vampires. Also is their a reason why Raveners must commit suicide to
die or is just the nature of the beast or a part of the spell creating
them.
	Ranma is indeed tolerant and forgiving to the extreme.  He puts up 
with all sorts of trouble from his friends because they are his friends.  
For him to be so absolutely unwilling to tollerate something from his 
mother, it makes you suspect that his curse or his skill in martial arts 
and Chi is making him sensative to something not at all right about what's 
happening.  Which could add rational to why Genma stayed away from Nodoka 
for 10 years.
	As for the Ravaner suicide question, it all depends on how their 
handled.  For example, if the bodies everyone fight are actually 
constructed vessles that let them connect to the world, then it's very 
reasonable that they could repair the vessils whatever happened, but be 
forced to cut the connection if forced to destroy them themselves.  Just an 
idea anyways.

I suspect that this will be addressed later.  It does stand out -- Ranma's
usually pretty tolerant.  I am curious as to what would happen should
Ranma be seriously wounded, and the quickest (or only) way to get him to
health would be to make him a vampire.  What if, in spite of this, he
refused.  Would Nodoka or Akane turn him anyway, when he's in no position
to resist?  I don't think it's easy to say one way or the other.
	Well, Nodoka and Akane would have some real problems with it, but 
if it was a case of "He'll die if we don't" they probably would.
	At the same time, there's the question of what sort of resistance 
could offer considering who he is.  He isn't the master of his chi but he 
does have a degree of mastery over it.  If he was was subjected to the 
Blood exchange, it's very possible that he might feel how the blood was 
changing the flow of his chi and conscously force his chi to keep flowing 
in it's origional paterns, either stoping the change or slowing it to a 
snails pace.
	Although it might be interesting if his changes in gender also 
changed how the blood affected him.


I also wonder if the  female helper isn't a relation of either himself
or the girl from the pool. It seems odd, but I don't think anyone has
ever had any relatives of the girl, ( or Descendants ) show up. I
don't count reincarnates.
There are plenty of families who can trace their family tree back
further than the time since the girl drowned. Do the Vampires breathe?
Can they be drowned and die forever or are they like the movie version
where death is reversible? Perhaps this IS the redheaded girl, Ranma
turns into.
	In the Clan the only differences between Vampires and Humans are: 
the powers, the need to occasionally drink blood, and a longer lifespan.  
The lifespan is much less than 1500 years though.

I've noticed the nameless girl's resemblance as well.  Interestingly, no
one else has in the story.

All I can say is, this story is very gripping, one of the ones I jump to
see the next chapter to.



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