From: rgorman@telusplanet.net (David Johnston)
To: ffml@fanfic.com
Subject: [FFML] [C&C] Lines of Destiny Chapters 1-3 [Ranma/Sm]
Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2000 09:01:39 GMT

The latest versions of the previous chapters (and the ones with the
least formatting errors are always the ones on my WWW page at
http://www.anime.sobhrach.com/~dragon/lines/lines.html

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - -

 >First, a word about line length.  It is very difficult to read a fanfic where
 >the line length is too long or not even wrapped at all.  This case is
 >particularly bad since even on the web-page, the line length on the text
 >files is too long to fit on my computer screen.

 <defeated sigh>  I know, I know...

  Eudora decided to play stupid with me this time... Eudora no baka! You can go on my website.  The text files there are *much* cleaner. At least they are with Netscape...

   Chapter 1

   "When the Kin of Silence joins the Daughter of Earth, the Circle Of
Planets shall be complete once more." - Last prophecy spoken by the
Terran Royal Seer before the end of the Silver Millennium.

 >This prophecy does not work for me, probably because it seems rather
 >trivial.

  <shrug> Not for me.

   *She seems so familiar and yet I can't place her.  Her silhouette
doesn't look like any of the Inner or Outer Senshi's.  I wonder who
she is...  and why she's wearing a Senshi uniform.  I thought all the
Senshi had been found.*

 >In what way is her silhouette different?  All cats are gray in the dark
 >you know.  It might be better if he just had a firmly irrational conviction
 >that she wasn't a senshi he had already me.

  I was *trying* to foreshadow the psychic connection, but somehow I don't think I got it quite right.  You do make a good suggestion, though.

Incidentally, a sailor fuku
 >or a sailor senshi fuku?  There is a difference.

  Ark...  The fuku specifics...  well, that's one thing I'll be able to fix once everyone gets through chewing LoD out....

   In Nerima, the atmosphere inside the Tendo Dojo was unusually
solemn and quiet, meaning there were no superpowered martial artists
seeking the death of Saotome Ranma or the hand in marriage of Tendo
Akane (or vice-versa, depending on which day you came by), and with
any luck, everything would be quiet from now on (to the great relief
of the local insurance companies), because today, Saotome Ranma and
Tendo Akane were finally getting married and thus putting a stop once
and for all to the madness which plagued Nerima.  Or so they hoped.

 >I feel bound to point out that as long as Kodachi, Asuza, and the tea
 >ceremony couple still live in Nerima, it'll still have a substantial quantum
 >of madness.

  True, which is why I put in that last comment at the end of the paragraph.  Nerima will never truly be a sane neighborhood

   The duel itself lasted for a savage fifteen minutes, with Ranma
using every ounce of skill he had gained and Cologne resorting to a
plethora of attacks Ranma was barely able to deflect.  At the end of
the duel, Cologne, gravely wounded, admitted defeat to an even more
badly wounded Ranma.  The Amazon matriarch reluctantly kept her
promise, much to Shampoo's dismay (and Mousse's joy), and quietly left
for China.

 >Maybe Cologne should have offered to settle for an arranged marriage
 >between offspring of Shampoo and Ranma since it looks like she was
 >winning a pyrrhic victory.

  <blink>  That could have been something, I suppose,but frankly, it never occurred to me.  Besides, I don't think Akane would be too keen on an arranged marriage for her eventual child...

   The victory had not been without its price for Ranma.  Towards the
end of the battle, Cologne had managed to cripple Ranma with a
pressure point that was supposed to take half his strength away.
Fortunately for Ranma, the only thing the shiatsu technique
accomplished was rob Ranma of the extra strength he had gained during
his training.  As a result, Ranma had spent the following week and a
half in a hospital, recovering from the injuries Cologne had inflicted
upon him.  When he had recovered, he discovered his strength had gone
back to the level it was at the battle with Saffron, something he
deemed as an acceptable loss.

 >Cop-out.  T'would have been better to settle it with a duel between Shampoo
 >and Akane since it looks like you are up-gunning Akane.  That way you don't
 >have to hand out power and take it away arbitrarily like that.

  I'd have to think about it.  I don't really know what is the *true* skill difference between Shamps and Akane.  Does Akane truly have a chance at beating Shampoo if she trains a lot?  IMO, Smaps would be training as well...  And no, people, don't start a debate about this on the FFML or the moderators are gonna go loco.  Again. :)

  Besides, ever since I read "A Duet of Pigtails", I have... <shudder> ugly visions about matches between Shampoo and Akane.

  But still, I'll consider it.  Sadly, this part of LoD was never really one of my top priorities.

   Hotaru Tomoe was depressed.  Since Chibi-Usa had gone back to the
future, she had lost the only friend who was close to her.  Sure,
Haruka, Michiru and Setsuna were far from bad company, but they were
*much* older than she was.  Besides, they had other things to worry
about than play baby-sitter to a thirteen year-old girl who could
easily level the planet.

 >There is NOTHING more important than playing baby-sitter to a girl who
 >could level the planet.

  Heh...  :)

  She's got to learn independence (however limited) sooner or later...  Besides, she's past the bratty "I want more cookies or I'll Silence the World!" stage...  :P

   The ladies of the Saturn court thought that Kanma's royal blood,
looks and magic skills made him a prize catch.  Kanma was quite aware
of the situation, but he had yet to find a woman he liked.  He thought
the court ladies were far too sweet-tempered (this, of course, greatly
annoyed his parents, since he was of marrying age).

 >He'd probably say they were too "meek" or "boring" or "lacking in
 >spirit".  Very few men admit they are looking for a bad-tempered girl
 >even if that's what it boils down to.

  Hmmm...  Meek.  Why didn't I think of that word before?  Thanks.

   Mamoru closed the magazine and put it back on the tray where he had
found it.  A Sailor Earth? The name sounded wrong somehow.

 >Sailor Dirt?  Sailor Soil?

  Nope.  Sailor Manure!  :P

   Ranma was suddenly shaken out of "analysis mode" when the daimon
suddenly grabbed someone by the throat with one its claws and lifted
the person off the floor.  At that moment, Ranma lost any regrets he
might have had about hurting the creature.  He was about to fire a
Mouko Takabisha when fresh memories of the Forbidden Techniques
floated to mind.  *Let's see if I can get them right this time!* he
thought.  He quickly called out a Yama-sen-ken technique: "KIJIN

 >Should start a new paragraph here.  Incidentally, trying out the
 >yamasenken in a crowded area is stupid and dangerous.  That's
 >_why_ it was "sealed" in the first place.  Not only was it lethal, but
 >it was unpredictably lethal.

  Unpredictably?  If you do the Kijin Dai Ran Buu, I agree, but the Kijin Raishu Dan is fairly straightforward.

  Besides, I'm waiting for more comments about this part.  I've wanted to rewrite it for a bit now...  The FT might get taken out entirely, but that will be later, much later.

RAISHUU DAN!" The vacuum Ki blade sliced through the limb that was
holding the person up.  The daimon roared in pain as the person
dropped to the floor and scurried away.  It turned to look at Ranma
and charged him with two of its remaining claws.  Ranma waited until
the monster was within range and let out an ear- deafening kiai.  The
startled monster slowed just enough for Ranma to divert the incoming
limbs to each side of him, while he himself stayed in the monster's
path.  "MOUKO KAIMON HA!" Ranma shouted, hitti!

 >Extraneous exclamation point.

  So I see.  I have no idea how that bugger got there - it doesn't appear on my master copy.  Oh, well, go figure.

   The monster's charred remains hit the floor, where they promptly
turned to ash.

 >The MT isn't hot.

  Point..  I thought I'd spotted all the instances.  Missed a few, it seems...

  Oh well, thanks for the comments!

  Now I have to get that idea for a BGC/Birdy/Ranma Xover outta my head...  :P

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