<SNIP>
During the training trip Genma cons the Tendo's
(who he has never meet before) engaging Ranma to
Akane. Genma makes off with the dowry (the deed to
the dojo?) and causes Akane to loose face in the
process, putting her in the 'pound Ranma flat'
vengeance mood.
##Hmmm, you're going to have to develop Kuonji-san's
personality. It wouldn't do to have it too similar to
Soun. ^_^ And why does Kounji "train" under Happosai?
He's in the fast food business not martial arts,
unlike Soun. One possibility is that Genma, ever
mindful of his stomach, decided that Kuonji was a
needed addition to the "training" trips with Happosai.
It might be interesting to contrast Happosai's
"panty" fetish with a possible "okonomiyaki"" fetish
on the part of Kuonji. There's going to have to be
some development to explain _why_ Kuonji wants to
engage his daughter to Ranma. Perhaps a family curse
(all the men who marry Kuonji women die. Either at the
birth of a daughter.{This Kuonji is Ukyou's
step-father) or on the daughter's Xth birthday). A
more mundane reason, the yakuza or someone similar are
after them for debts and he (Kuonji) is trying to get
Ukyou out from under before trouble strikes. ^_^
So, perhaps starting something like this::
1)Genma, wandering Samurai ^_^, runs into Kuonji while
running from creditors . . .errrr, while training.
Decides that having a ready supply of money and food
is a good thing and con . . .vinces
Kuonji that the only way to perfect the "Way of
Okonmiyaki" is by travel and hardship.
2)While traveling they run into Happosai. The greatest
evil in all Japan is stymied by a mind that relates
_everything_ to okonomiyaki. At some point Genma
decides that marrying Ranma to Ukyou will provide him
with an income (and food) for life. Kuonji goes deep
into the mountains to meditate and perfect "The Way"
and train his daughter.
3)Genma goes off with Ranma to train.
<SNIP>
What's more, even if it does happen, Akane is
unlikely to react the same
way that Ukyo did in the manga. Akane does have a
bad temper, but her
anger tends to be a short-term thing; she's never
held a grudge for an
extended period the way Ukyo or Ryoga do. Most
likely she'd be pissed at
Genma for a while and then forget about it.
##I'm sure that, given the proper motivation Akane
could learn to hold a grudge. ^_^ Also, Akane's
personality would be changed, at least a little, with
these proposed changes to the story line.
Well, what do you think? Please make all replies
private unless the mailing list as a whole can
benefit from your wisdom.
Sorry, but I thought the point here was general
enough for the list as a
whole.
Good Alt Universes aren't easy to do. The changes
you make should follow
logically and consistently from your premise, and
the story needs to end
up being substantially different from the original
while still
containing enough conflict to be interesting.
In your case, it seems to me that this idea has a
bad case of "Still the
Same" syndrome. Your idea is basically a rewrite of
the Ranma manga with
the name "Akane Tendo" erased and "Ukyo Kuonji"
written in place of it,
and vice-versa. If you take into account the very
real personality
differences between Akane and Ukyo, then you might
have something, but
you run the danger of losing all the interesting
conflict in the story.
##IMO it depends on how much thought the author puts
into the changes. For example::
#The Tendou's are settled with house, doujou, etc.
Let's assume that without Happosai's interference that
the Tendou doujou is a thriving concern. Enter Genma &
son. Let's further assume that Genma and Ranma show up
when Ranma is about five or six. There are several
ways to approach this section of the story. I will
present some simple variations::
1)Soun is dead
2)Mother Tendou dies
3)Both are alive
Variation 1:: Genma takes advantage of Mother
Tendou.(Does not have to be sexual. OTOH this is a
possibility, as is a "love child") This gives
inventive enough for ALL the Tendou girls to want a
piece of Genma and perhaps by extension Ranma. ^_^
Variation 2:: Rather than re-hash the original plot
have Mother-Tendou die while Genma is around or just
after he leaves. Preferably under circumstances that
allow Genma to be blamed for her death. Perhaps he
absconds with money needed for her medical treatment.
Details depend on how "dark" you wish to portray
Genma.
Variation 3:: Perhaps a more comedic effect with both
parents alive and remaining so. Possibly stick with
the standard "regaining honor" to motivate Akane. In
this case perhaps she is not really all that motivated
for revenge. A possibility is that her parents (and
possibly sisters) are just a bit crazy. THEY push her
constantly to _regain_ lost honor while she is really
calm and reasonable. However due to family pressure
she is constantly seen as violent and crazed. Akane is
not chasing Ranma, she is being pushed after him.
Another twist could have Ranma think she's cute while
she thinks he's a crude, uneducated barbarian.
There are a LOT of variations possible. The biggest
problem with many alt-histories is that the author is
not so much interested in writing a story as she/he is
interested in ramming his two favorite characters
together OR causing a much pain as possible to the
character(s) she does not like.
IMO this is a workable story if the author builds a
solid base from which to launch the changes.
Example::
*****************************
Eyes burning with a wild light Tendou Soun held the
telegram in his hands with trembling fingers.
//Have found them STOP. Chasing them your way STOP
Kill them all STOP Be victorious or let no one return
alive STOP
VENGEANCE is ours STOP
Heideko Tendou
ps don't forget to pick up a roast for lunch and go
by the dry cleaners and get your good suit STOP//
"At last. After all these years." Clasping his hands
together prayerfully Tendou Soun raised his eyes to
heaven. "Thank you Kami-sama." Getting to his feet
Soun called his daughters to him. "Kasumi . . .
A black clad figure dropped like a panther from the
shadowed spaces above him.
"Nabiki . . .
"I'm here." A second figure entered the doujou. The
fifty-thousand-yen silk suit was barely adequate to
conceal her hard muscled elegance. Her steely eyed
gaze flicked about the shadowed doujou with a look
that could count the bills in a salary-man's wallet at
a thousand yards and give change. "What do you need?"
"This telegram," he held out the flimsy paper. "from
you mother. She's found----" He bit off his words.
"Your sister. Where is she? Where is Akane?"
"I'm right here, father."
"AAAAAK!" Soun spun at the unexpected sound as his
youngest daughter once again managed to approach
undetected. Regaining his composure Soun stared at
Akane. "What,"a look of disgust crossed his face. "is
_that_?"
Akane shook back a fold of her kimono sleeve,
simultaneously turning to the left. "Do you like it?"
She held out the arrangement of lilies and orchids
"It's something new I'm trying . . ."
"Ohhhh," Soun's face screwed up in pain. "That the
gods should have cursed me with such an unnatural
daughter." His hand went back, then whipped forward,
sleeting a handful of iron darts at his youngest
child.
Turning slightly Akane let the lethal swarm hum past
her. "I'm not sure about the lilies though----"She
bent back, letting the poison dart from Kasum's blow
gun flit by. "Do you think I'm being too. . .
adventuresome?" She directed this question to her
middle sister. By way of answer Nabiki produced two
silenced pistols, emptying the magazines as fast as
she could press the triggers. Akane leapt above the
deadly fire, twisting and turning in the air as Nabiki
followed with a stream of copper sheathed lead from
her automatics. Landing behind her sister Akane
looked at the flower pattern made by sunlight passing
through the bullet holes in the doujou walls and
ceiling.
"Perhaps you're right,"She smiled sadly at her
sister as Nabiki reloaded. "I'm just a beginner. I
should stick to traditional arrangements." A slight
frown crossed her face and she looked from her flowers
to her father. "Did you need me for something?"
"Yes. Your mother has found our hated enemies."
"Which hated enemies would those be?"
Soun clenched his teeth, controlling himself with
effort. "Our hated enemies . . .Saotome Genma and
Ranma. They will be here in two days, three at
the most. We must be prepared to strike. Strike
without mercy, without hesitation. The streets will
run red with their blood. The air will tremble with
their screams of agony."
"Oh dear," Akane looked up from a slim appointment
book. "Tuesday is no good at all. And I have an early
class in multivariant statistics on Wednesday."
"You're taking a class in statistics?" Kasumi asked
from her perch back among the rafters.
"Teaching it." Akane tapped her pencil thoughtfully
against her lips. "Heiro-sensi
suffered a ruptured appendix in class last week. I did
the best I could with a pocket knife, a protractor
and scotch tape but . . ."Akane frowned slightly "He
got an infection while in the hospital and there isn't
anyone else who can handle the material."
**************************************
At any rate, that's what I would do with it. ^_^
=====
"When I get a little money, I buy books;
And, if any is left, I buy food and clothes."-Erasmus
"A man is a small thing, and the night is large
and full of wonders." -Lord Dunsany
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