Hiya!
Apotheosis 3.5:
A Little Background Music, If You Please
And a little dance music please! ^_^
The origins of the Anything-Goes School (Musabetsu Kakuto Ryu)
are lost in a mist of contradictory legends. The best guess is that
it was created sometime in the later Muromachi period, likely in the
early sixteenth century, by the warrior whose name is most often
mentioned as the founder of the school, Tendo Yoshimori. It was
commonly said (most often by the school's opponents) that Tendo had
the aid of a demon in creating the school. At least some credence may
be given to this, considering the curse that has been associated with
the school since its earliest days, though the details of the curse
were known to a very few.
Considering the current practitioners, it's quite obvious. ^_^
<snip stuff>
Really interesting history. As I noticed in chapter 3, you really changed
the Ranma timeline for this didn't you? ^_^
As the resident Shadow fanatic time to look over your Shadow stuff.
The crime fighter known as the Shadow was, in reality, a former
American aviator known as Kent Allard who had achieved a certain
degree of fame during World War I as the Dark Eagle. After the war,
he wandered the world in an aimless fashion until he decided to wage
a war of a different sort. In 1925, Kent Allard's plane "crashed" in
the jungles of Guatemala and he was presumed lost. Actually, he took
refuge with the Xinca Indians, whom he had met during his travels. He
stayed with them some months, before returning to America in the guise
of millionaire globetrotter Lamont Cranston. Cranston agreed to let
the Shadow borrow his identity when needed, as he spent most of his
time traveling in distant corners of the Earth. The Shadow built up a
cadre of loyal agents to aid him in his fight against crime: Burbank,
the contact man; Harry Vincent, man-about-town and former gambler, and
the Shadow's senior active agent; Moe Shrevnitz, cabby; Clyde Burke,
newspaper reporter; and Cliff Marsland, denizen of the underworld.
Only two people knew the real identity of the Shadow: criminologist
Slade Farrow, and the mysterious Japanese woman Yukana Takizawa. The
Shadow had chosen to confide in Farrow, but was astounded at his first
meeting with Miss Takizawa in 1930 to realize that she knew everything
about him and his mission. Eventually he came to trust her after
realizing something of her true nature.
Very good. Though as I said it seems to be a variation of the Shadow mythos.
Where's Rutledge Mann? Miles Crofton? Myra Reldon? And of course the
nice Miss Lane? And Vincent wasn't a gambler. Anyway, even after the various
cut and pastings, it's pretty fine.
As the world tottered on the brink of war, suspicions were raised
in Washington, DC, about the masked vigilante operating out of New
York City. High-ranking bureaucrats were rendered extremely nervous
at the thought of so potent a force for either good or ill completely
beyond their control. Some, including the FBI's Hoover, suggested
bringing the Shadow to justice and exposing him. Others objected
strongly to this, though often, it is to be feared, primarily because
of the possible public reaction to the move. Eventually a compromise
was reached: force the Shadow to agree to join with Richard Benson,
the so-called Avenger, in the organization known as Justice, Inc. It
was fondly imagined by those in favor of the move that this would give
them at least some control over the mysterious crime fighter.
The Shadow pulled several FBI agents fats out of the fire in various
adventures
and Myra Reldon, one of his agents, was a federal agent, probably one of
the earlier female field agents of the government. He would probably have
been cleared by the FBI in the pre-war years.
Though as I noted earlier you're doing some pretty fancy footwork here.
Anyway,
doesn't matter, though it does snap at my disbelief straps. And I really
shouldn't
be talking about fancy footwork here, since my Shadow mythos are decidedly
more complex and had me pulling rabbits out of the hat. ^_^
The Avenger stuff, I know only the basics and a few pulps. so I can't say
anything.
Along with the Buckaroo Banzai stuff.
<snip>
They met Justice, Inc. in 1943, as has been told, and joined
forces with them. The association was a short-lived one, however, as
most of the members of Justice, Inc. were killed in China in 1947.
Four members were known to have survived, while the whereabouts of the
fifth, Kent Allard, were listed officially as unknown. He had fallen
off a cliff while struggling with Shiwan Khan. Khan's body was found
at the base of the cliff, but the only sign of Allard was the torn
cape Khan clutched. It was surmised that Allard's body had fallen into
the sacred river Alph, which ran close by the cliff before diving
underground.
Oooh my, Kent disappears in this one too, I see. My The Shadow/SM
involves something similar, though more devious.
The recently-married Banzais were among the survivors, but faced
another tragedy when their infant son Bronco was kidnapped in 1950,
apparently at the command of Hanoi Xan, their great enemy, and never
seen again. They eventually recovered from their loss, and had another
son, Buckaroo, born in 1960. Their happiness was short-lived, as
Masado and Sandra both died, along with driver George Campbell, when
their experimental Jet Car exploded in 1965. Buckaroo devoted himself
to carrying on their work, in all its different phases, leading to the
founding of the famous Banzai Institute in 1982.
In 1995, as had been foretold in the ancient scrolls handed down
in the Shen family, the ancient sorcerer Lo Pan made his bid for world
conquest. Egg Shen enlisted the aid of an American truck driver named
Jack Burton, and Lo Pan was defeated and destroyed. These events are
chronicled in the documentary, "Big Trouble in Little China."
Oh yeah! Loved that film. Have to watch that again. ^_^
Finally, in 1997, Ranma Saotome fell into a cursed spring, Tenchi
Masaki released the pirate Ryoko from her 700-year imprisonment, and
Usagi Tsukino first transformed into Sailor Moon. The most important
of the many disparate elements that Pluto would weave together were
now in place.
Yeah and all hell breaks loose.
Anyway, pretty nice history very logical progression and weaving of events
and personalities.
I'm waiting for Chapter 4.
Elsa Bibat
Agent of the Shadow!!!!!! ^_^