Ranma ½ Anything Goes Laundry Service
- Thread starter balthanon
- Start date
I can definitely see Kasumi becoming a martial artist. Martial artist is't all about combat. Each one of the practitioners of Anything Goes Martial Arts has adapt it to their needs. Ones Happosai finds out about Kasumi little hobby, I can easy see him naming her as his heir.
I also do like the slow buildup in Ranma and Kasumi relationship. I see them becoming a couple but not really realizing it.
I also do like the slow buildup in Ranma and Kasumi relationship. I see them becoming a couple but not really realizing it.
That is a good point-- I could see Ranma or Happosai selling her on some actual martial arts practice if it's in the vicinity of tai chi or something else along those lines. Some modifications to her 'Zen of Cooking and Cleaning' could get there as well, which he's really already working on to some extent.
I'm actually considering having Kasumi pick up Ryoga's iron cloth technique just from watching Ranma working on them in front of her, which I think would be amusing. It's really close to some of the stuff she already does as far as investing ki in cloth, so it's not a big leap by any means. She may well have a few things to teach Happosai as well, given that she's been self taught for the last decade.
I'm actually considering having Kasumi pick up Ryoga's iron cloth technique just from watching Ranma working on them in front of her, which I think would be amusing. It's really close to some of the stuff she already does as far as investing ki in cloth, so it's not a big leap by any means. She may well have a few things to teach Happosai as well, given that she's been self taught for the last decade.
Rather than waiting for the full chapter to be complete, I'm going to post chunks as I get them more or less finalized I think. First part of chapter 4 is below.
===============================================
Anything Goes Laundry Service
Chapter 4.1
===============================================
"Psst."
Frowning, Genma looked around without seeing anything, a few cans of food in the hand that wasn't currently holding his backpack. It was time for Ranma and he to go on their yearly training trip to the seaside. A few days late if truth be told. He was, admittedly a bit leary of this year, given that the training trip usually involved a trip to Okinawa when they were still moving around the country regularly. Toshima at a minimum. With Ranma in school though, they were going to be forced to settle for Izu.
He wasn't looking forward to a bracing swim in fifty degree weather, regardless of what he told his son. Still, he shouldn't have allowed the boy's issues with Soun and Akane to push it off for the past few days. A bit of time to cool off would have been just the thing.
"Psst."
Turning slightly, he finally identified the person hissing at him. Dropping the cans in the pack, he brought his hand up to adjust his glasses and turned fully towards Nabiki. Just in case, he looked over his shoulder to make sure his son or another member of the Tendo household weren't hiding in the guest room.
No one there. He shrugged.
"What can I do for--" he cut off as Nabiki shushed him, then watched her glance from side to side and beckon for him to follow. Curious.
Pushing his concerns to the side, he followed Nabiki slowly, wondering what the young woman wanted. He had gotten the financial pressure thing out of the way early on with the job at Tofu's place. It was hardly his fault she hadn't specified how long he had to hold it. He wondered what she wanted now, he didn't think they had spoken in private since that time.
They eventually ended up in the dojo, which made Genma raise an eyebrow. "Want some lessons, girl?" He was pretty sure he would refuse if Nabiki actually said yes. The girl was scary enough without martial arts or his other skills. Particularly his other skills, come to think of it.
She ignored his little joke. "Mr. Saotome, I know."
Genma's eyes widened a little. How...
"I know something that... I'm afraid you don't. And I can't keep this secret any longer, despite a certain someone taking me into his confidence."
Letting out a breath, Genma almost sighed openly. Just another of the girl's games it appeared. He really didn't have time for this, best to let her know that and go on his way.
"Ahh, Nabiki. I'm afraid I was just leaving, I'm already running a bit behind because of that, uh, unpleasantness, with Soun." He grimaced at that, the man had been positively rabid about his daughter. Admittedly, he thought Ranma would do better with Akane, but if it came down to it, he felt 'The Plan' could weather a different Tendo daughter.
He eyed Nabiki and the solemn expression that didn't quite hide the glitter in her eyes-- avarice, amusement, or some other emotion that no doubt meant trouble for those around her. Perhaps not any Tendo daughter though. "Another time, maybe?"
Presumably unaware of his thoughts, Nabiki feigned concern. "Oh, I didn't know, though this is... well, I think it's a bit related. It's just... well, I don't want to delay you. I promised not to say anything anyway, so perhaps this is better?" Moving past him, the girl bumped his shoulder. While he was already turning to let her past, the jarring was apparently enough to loose several photos from her pockets that dropped to the dojo floor.
"Oops, how clumsy of me."
Grimacing, Genma bent and picked them up, then froze. He barely registered as Nabiki finished her walk out of the dojo, her earlier furtiveness now a lazy, self-satisified strut that was more common on the girl. The top most photo had all of his attention.
Ranma was standing beside Kasumi in female form, her cheeks liberally smeared with flour and wearing an apron that said "I'M A GUY", not unlike the "BOY" swimsuit he had used a few times this past summer. Not the most horrible thing, he supposed, but the boy presenting a batch of heart-shaped chocolate cookies to Kasumi that looked the equal of some school girl's Valentine's Day love token took any remaining doubts about what it was portraying away.
While that was the worst of them, the other photos did nothing to assuage his rising concerns: one of the boy dusting in his male form, another of her hanging the laundry in a picture of domestic tranquility, a third of him cooking again while laughing. Each subsequent photo felt like a tanto driven into his stomach. Largely because if they ever got back to Nodoka, that is probably exactly what they would amount to.
He took back his earlier thoughts on the 'The Plan'. Kasumi would have Ranma house broken and wearing dresses within six months at this rate and she hadn't even gotten the engagement transferred yet. He wouldn't have his life's work, or more importantly, his life, ruined that easily.
The boy and he apparently needed to have a little talk.
=======================
"Boy, what are you doing?"
Ranma froze, his mind briefly going over the new trouble he had found himself in for today. It had been a couple of days since anything particularly catastrophic or painful had occurred, so, of course, as soon as he let his guard down something like this would happen. This being his father walking into the room when he was supposed to be busy getting ready for the trip in their room. Oh, and the girly pink rubber gloves and matching apron that he was wearing when it happened. Musn't forget that.
He couldn't quite recall how Kasumi had talked him into wearing them now that he thought about. It had seemed reasonable when she proposed it though. Something about bleach, maybe? Ammonia? Certainly there had been something along those lines, but he was pretty sure that Kasumi could have made taking a skydive off a thirty story building sound like a good idea if she really believed it wouldn't hurt.
His father cleared his throat. Right. He needed a response. "Uhh, martial arts?"
He felt he might have a chance at getting away with this, given that he was also currently clinging to the ceiling with his toes and the fingers of one hand in order to clean it. It was possible he shouldn't have phrased that as a question though.
He quickly tossed the damp sponge he was holding across the room as well in case his father hadn't seen it, where it smacked into a wall and slid down slowly. That was probably a mistake. At least it hadn't been pink though. Purple wasn't a lot better, but it was a step in the right direction. Almost blue even.
Except that Genma was now looking at the sponge, rather than him. That seemed like an opportunity if ever he had seen one-- he swiftly flung himself in the other direction. Reaching out, he just barely caught the doorframe in one hand, used it to turn his momentum into a swing through the doorway and he was out.
Another few moments saw him down the hallway and almost ready to dart outside when he remembered a crucial fact. He was still wearing a pink apron and gloves. He turned around. Nabiki smiled from the other end of the hall, raised her camera to her eye and snapped a quick picture.
He ground his teeth as she gave a short little wave and smirked.
"This is your fault!" He pointed. Oh, for the love of... He stripped the gloves off his hands, tossed them in a corner, then pointed again. Better.
Nabiki arched one eyebrow and let the camera dangle from a strap around her neck as she spread her hands wide in a mockingly innocent pose. "Moi? I don't know what you're talking about."
Unfortunately, Genma chose that moment to step out into the intersection of the two halls and Ranma froze before he could respond. Possibly just as well. Engaging in a game of wits with Nabiki, at least on the verbal front, seemed likely to be a losing battle.
Abandoning the house, he dived out the door and dashed to the side already fumbling at the knot that was holding the apron in place. Seriously, what had Kasumi done with this thing? He had had less trouble in the past with sailor's knots designed to hold a two ton ship to a dock.
Danger senses tingling, Ranma threw himself backwards as Genma clove the air where his head had been with his foot before hitting the ground and skidding to a halt. That had been close, the old man was more serious than usual.
"You're not getting out of this that easily, boy!" A flurry of blows put Ranma on the defensive and he gave up on the apron for now. He was going to have to put the old man down before he had a chance to remove it. Taking the initiative, he moved a little faster and started darting between Genma's blows and around the man himself to retaliate with short, sharp jabs to a few key points on the man's body.
His father didn't seem impressed. "You hit like a girl in that thing. Might as well look like one." The warning didn't let Ranma avoid the leg sweep, grab, and throw given that he was reluctant to jump above the height of the walls while he was wearing a frilly pink apron.
Breathing out in a practiced motion, he plummeted into the koi pond and used the water plus a light touch on the bottom to deflect herself off the bottom and throw herself into a ready position on the opposite side. A toss of her head got red bangs out of her eyes and she watched her father warily, then abruptly relaxed.
"What would you know, old man?" She laughed triumphantly as her father's legs suddenly gave out under him. The look on his face was priceless. "I've been learning from more than you lately, ya know. That one was a backup for the Hiryuu Shoten Ha in case things didn't work out. Pressure points don't require no real force half the time." Not all the time unfortunately and on someone with a bit of padding you needed some real strength to push through. Luckily, that didn't include any of her regular opponents. Even her gluttonous old man didn't have any real fat on him when he wasn't a panda.
The real problem with pressure points was that they were hard to land on a wary opponent. It only took a shift of a centimeter or so to throw off the strike, so you were best off using them from hiding or on an opponent who wasn't expecting them. It was one of the reasons the moxibustion might have put her career down permanently. The kind of speed she would need to actually make an entirely pressure point based style work was ridiculous.
Her laughter abruptly cut off in a choke as her Dad took the time she spent gloating to jab himself in the solar plexus and glutes simultaneously, then flipped himself to his feet. He bent forwards and backwards, then slapped his thighs and settled into a horse stance with a cruel grin.
"You don't think I've taught you everything I know, do you, boy?" The sun gleamed off her father's glasses and she gulped as he raised hands abruptly glowing with battle aura. As they began to weave in arcane motions, leaving trails of chi floating in the air Ranma threw herself forward-- she needed to interupt whatever the old man was doing before he finished and quick.
Unfortunately, just as she was throwing a punch, he abruptly stopped everything he was doing without a hint of regret and fell backwards. Eyes widening as she realized she had just been suckered into overextending herself, Ranma twisted desperately but it wasn't quite enough to dodge the powerful kick that took her in the diaphram and forced the air out of her lungs. That alone wouldn't have been enough to end the fight, but no breath, plus an uncontrolled spin through the air left her open and a sharp punch caught her in the temple before everything went black.
===============================================
Anything Goes Laundry Service
Chapter 4.1
===============================================
"Psst."
Frowning, Genma looked around without seeing anything, a few cans of food in the hand that wasn't currently holding his backpack. It was time for Ranma and he to go on their yearly training trip to the seaside. A few days late if truth be told. He was, admittedly a bit leary of this year, given that the training trip usually involved a trip to Okinawa when they were still moving around the country regularly. Toshima at a minimum. With Ranma in school though, they were going to be forced to settle for Izu.
He wasn't looking forward to a bracing swim in fifty degree weather, regardless of what he told his son. Still, he shouldn't have allowed the boy's issues with Soun and Akane to push it off for the past few days. A bit of time to cool off would have been just the thing.
"Psst."
Turning slightly, he finally identified the person hissing at him. Dropping the cans in the pack, he brought his hand up to adjust his glasses and turned fully towards Nabiki. Just in case, he looked over his shoulder to make sure his son or another member of the Tendo household weren't hiding in the guest room.
No one there. He shrugged.
"What can I do for--" he cut off as Nabiki shushed him, then watched her glance from side to side and beckon for him to follow. Curious.
Pushing his concerns to the side, he followed Nabiki slowly, wondering what the young woman wanted. He had gotten the financial pressure thing out of the way early on with the job at Tofu's place. It was hardly his fault she hadn't specified how long he had to hold it. He wondered what she wanted now, he didn't think they had spoken in private since that time.
They eventually ended up in the dojo, which made Genma raise an eyebrow. "Want some lessons, girl?" He was pretty sure he would refuse if Nabiki actually said yes. The girl was scary enough without martial arts or his other skills. Particularly his other skills, come to think of it.
She ignored his little joke. "Mr. Saotome, I know."
Genma's eyes widened a little. How...
"I know something that... I'm afraid you don't. And I can't keep this secret any longer, despite a certain someone taking me into his confidence."
Letting out a breath, Genma almost sighed openly. Just another of the girl's games it appeared. He really didn't have time for this, best to let her know that and go on his way.
"Ahh, Nabiki. I'm afraid I was just leaving, I'm already running a bit behind because of that, uh, unpleasantness, with Soun." He grimaced at that, the man had been positively rabid about his daughter. Admittedly, he thought Ranma would do better with Akane, but if it came down to it, he felt 'The Plan' could weather a different Tendo daughter.
He eyed Nabiki and the solemn expression that didn't quite hide the glitter in her eyes-- avarice, amusement, or some other emotion that no doubt meant trouble for those around her. Perhaps not any Tendo daughter though. "Another time, maybe?"
Presumably unaware of his thoughts, Nabiki feigned concern. "Oh, I didn't know, though this is... well, I think it's a bit related. It's just... well, I don't want to delay you. I promised not to say anything anyway, so perhaps this is better?" Moving past him, the girl bumped his shoulder. While he was already turning to let her past, the jarring was apparently enough to loose several photos from her pockets that dropped to the dojo floor.
"Oops, how clumsy of me."
Grimacing, Genma bent and picked them up, then froze. He barely registered as Nabiki finished her walk out of the dojo, her earlier furtiveness now a lazy, self-satisified strut that was more common on the girl. The top most photo had all of his attention.
Ranma was standing beside Kasumi in female form, her cheeks liberally smeared with flour and wearing an apron that said "I'M A GUY", not unlike the "BOY" swimsuit he had used a few times this past summer. Not the most horrible thing, he supposed, but the boy presenting a batch of heart-shaped chocolate cookies to Kasumi that looked the equal of some school girl's Valentine's Day love token took any remaining doubts about what it was portraying away.
While that was the worst of them, the other photos did nothing to assuage his rising concerns: one of the boy dusting in his male form, another of her hanging the laundry in a picture of domestic tranquility, a third of him cooking again while laughing. Each subsequent photo felt like a tanto driven into his stomach. Largely because if they ever got back to Nodoka, that is probably exactly what they would amount to.
He took back his earlier thoughts on the 'The Plan'. Kasumi would have Ranma house broken and wearing dresses within six months at this rate and she hadn't even gotten the engagement transferred yet. He wouldn't have his life's work, or more importantly, his life, ruined that easily.
The boy and he apparently needed to have a little talk.
=======================
"Boy, what are you doing?"
Ranma froze, his mind briefly going over the new trouble he had found himself in for today. It had been a couple of days since anything particularly catastrophic or painful had occurred, so, of course, as soon as he let his guard down something like this would happen. This being his father walking into the room when he was supposed to be busy getting ready for the trip in their room. Oh, and the girly pink rubber gloves and matching apron that he was wearing when it happened. Musn't forget that.
He couldn't quite recall how Kasumi had talked him into wearing them now that he thought about. It had seemed reasonable when she proposed it though. Something about bleach, maybe? Ammonia? Certainly there had been something along those lines, but he was pretty sure that Kasumi could have made taking a skydive off a thirty story building sound like a good idea if she really believed it wouldn't hurt.
His father cleared his throat. Right. He needed a response. "Uhh, martial arts?"
He felt he might have a chance at getting away with this, given that he was also currently clinging to the ceiling with his toes and the fingers of one hand in order to clean it. It was possible he shouldn't have phrased that as a question though.
He quickly tossed the damp sponge he was holding across the room as well in case his father hadn't seen it, where it smacked into a wall and slid down slowly. That was probably a mistake. At least it hadn't been pink though. Purple wasn't a lot better, but it was a step in the right direction. Almost blue even.
Except that Genma was now looking at the sponge, rather than him. That seemed like an opportunity if ever he had seen one-- he swiftly flung himself in the other direction. Reaching out, he just barely caught the doorframe in one hand, used it to turn his momentum into a swing through the doorway and he was out.
Another few moments saw him down the hallway and almost ready to dart outside when he remembered a crucial fact. He was still wearing a pink apron and gloves. He turned around. Nabiki smiled from the other end of the hall, raised her camera to her eye and snapped a quick picture.
He ground his teeth as she gave a short little wave and smirked.
"This is your fault!" He pointed. Oh, for the love of... He stripped the gloves off his hands, tossed them in a corner, then pointed again. Better.
Nabiki arched one eyebrow and let the camera dangle from a strap around her neck as she spread her hands wide in a mockingly innocent pose. "Moi? I don't know what you're talking about."
Unfortunately, Genma chose that moment to step out into the intersection of the two halls and Ranma froze before he could respond. Possibly just as well. Engaging in a game of wits with Nabiki, at least on the verbal front, seemed likely to be a losing battle.
Abandoning the house, he dived out the door and dashed to the side already fumbling at the knot that was holding the apron in place. Seriously, what had Kasumi done with this thing? He had had less trouble in the past with sailor's knots designed to hold a two ton ship to a dock.
Danger senses tingling, Ranma threw himself backwards as Genma clove the air where his head had been with his foot before hitting the ground and skidding to a halt. That had been close, the old man was more serious than usual.
"You're not getting out of this that easily, boy!" A flurry of blows put Ranma on the defensive and he gave up on the apron for now. He was going to have to put the old man down before he had a chance to remove it. Taking the initiative, he moved a little faster and started darting between Genma's blows and around the man himself to retaliate with short, sharp jabs to a few key points on the man's body.
His father didn't seem impressed. "You hit like a girl in that thing. Might as well look like one." The warning didn't let Ranma avoid the leg sweep, grab, and throw given that he was reluctant to jump above the height of the walls while he was wearing a frilly pink apron.
Breathing out in a practiced motion, he plummeted into the koi pond and used the water plus a light touch on the bottom to deflect herself off the bottom and throw herself into a ready position on the opposite side. A toss of her head got red bangs out of her eyes and she watched her father warily, then abruptly relaxed.
"What would you know, old man?" She laughed triumphantly as her father's legs suddenly gave out under him. The look on his face was priceless. "I've been learning from more than you lately, ya know. That one was a backup for the Hiryuu Shoten Ha in case things didn't work out. Pressure points don't require no real force half the time." Not all the time unfortunately and on someone with a bit of padding you needed some real strength to push through. Luckily, that didn't include any of her regular opponents. Even her gluttonous old man didn't have any real fat on him when he wasn't a panda.
The real problem with pressure points was that they were hard to land on a wary opponent. It only took a shift of a centimeter or so to throw off the strike, so you were best off using them from hiding or on an opponent who wasn't expecting them. It was one of the reasons the moxibustion might have put her career down permanently. The kind of speed she would need to actually make an entirely pressure point based style work was ridiculous.
Her laughter abruptly cut off in a choke as her Dad took the time she spent gloating to jab himself in the solar plexus and glutes simultaneously, then flipped himself to his feet. He bent forwards and backwards, then slapped his thighs and settled into a horse stance with a cruel grin.
"You don't think I've taught you everything I know, do you, boy?" The sun gleamed off her father's glasses and she gulped as he raised hands abruptly glowing with battle aura. As they began to weave in arcane motions, leaving trails of chi floating in the air Ranma threw herself forward-- she needed to interupt whatever the old man was doing before he finished and quick.
Unfortunately, just as she was throwing a punch, he abruptly stopped everything he was doing without a hint of regret and fell backwards. Eyes widening as she realized she had just been suckered into overextending herself, Ranma twisted desperately but it wasn't quite enough to dodge the powerful kick that took her in the diaphram and forced the air out of her lungs. That alone wouldn't have been enough to end the fight, but no breath, plus an uncontrolled spin through the air left her open and a sharp punch caught her in the temple before everything went black.
That is a good point. One of the problems of living in the US-- I've never gotten that instinctive feel for what is hot and cold in Celsius so I'm always leery of using them when I write (particularly first draft). I'll probably fix it when I revise.
Kasumi is going to be getting up to a bit of her own mischief in the next part that will distract her, but she'll probably come back to this eventually.
Kasumi is going to be getting up to a bit of her own mischief in the next part that will distract her, but she'll probably come back to this eventually.
Considering Ranma's penchant for cleaning up messes even in other peoples homes, and the odds of Genma either being lazy about cleaning or doing so with Ranma as they were living together for a long time. What does he have to be so upset about and why would Ranma react so strongly to being found cleaning? Give Ranma a bit of intelligence in handling his father, doesn't need to be some dumb trope, even if this is kind of the standard Kasumi is kinky fic.
If anything Genma should be upset that he didn't get any treats. So Nabiki's manipulations could actually end in completely nothing with Ranma pacifying Genma by mentioning when tasty things shall be made.
If anything Genma should be upset that he didn't get any treats. So Nabiki's manipulations could actually end in completely nothing with Ranma pacifying Genma by mentioning when tasty things shall be made.
Hmm... that is a point. The short answer is because I found it amusing (a large motivator of behavior in the manga/anime as well) and set up the later scene.
The less meta answer is that I was having him respond most to the girly behavior and semi-girly outfit (arbitrary, but I could see it registering as such), but even for that Genma has seen Ranma actually dress up and act as a girl in a fair number of schemes. Typically without much reaction unless he's ribbing him about it later. It was more the consistent nature of the activity I see being a problem for him-- this isn't a one off thing that is intended to accomplish some goal, which implies it is a consistent behavioral change that might get back to Nodoka when she catches up/interfere with Ranma's manliness/training. But Genma doesn't really learn that from the scene as is either. Dates on the photographs might help with that, but that might not necessarily be enough. (The bit I liked most out of the first scene was the reversal of the 'Meh' attitude towards Kasumi assuming the engagement, which I think will be amusing to restore later on when Ranma and he talk and then reverse again when Kasumi's hobby comes out.)
When they do talk, I'm not necessarily going to leave this as an issue, since among other things Ranma will likely explain how it started and how he's been turning it into training, but I like having the conflict to start things off. The fight itself was mostly Ranma's fault-- he ran, Genma pursued.
Ranma's reaction was mostly to the girly nature of the apron/gloves and to a lesser extent the sponge (again without any immediately obvious reason), with an inherent "this probably counts as something girly he wouldn't approve of" that has been bubbling in the back of his head based on what Nabiki said about this in chapter 1. He hasn't exactly been hiding what he's been doing, but he's been keeping it low key. He wanted to get back on level ground before he actually talked about this with Genma, since he knew he couldn't avoid the fight.
While Ranma and Genma have lived together for a long time and I don't see Genma cleaning up much, I also don't think he would encourage his son to do so either. It never really says how much they stayed in one place, but I always imagined them moving on a fairly regular basis-- which would typically involve leaving any messes behind rather than bothering to clean up after them.
When has Ranma actually cleaned up (non-metaphorical) messes around other people's homes or around the Tendo household? I don't really recall that as a behavioral pattern, though it would actually play into the fic fairly well. I don't imagine it was the source of any arcs or anything.
The less meta answer is that I was having him respond most to the girly behavior and semi-girly outfit (arbitrary, but I could see it registering as such), but even for that Genma has seen Ranma actually dress up and act as a girl in a fair number of schemes. Typically without much reaction unless he's ribbing him about it later. It was more the consistent nature of the activity I see being a problem for him-- this isn't a one off thing that is intended to accomplish some goal, which implies it is a consistent behavioral change that might get back to Nodoka when she catches up/interfere with Ranma's manliness/training. But Genma doesn't really learn that from the scene as is either. Dates on the photographs might help with that, but that might not necessarily be enough. (The bit I liked most out of the first scene was the reversal of the 'Meh' attitude towards Kasumi assuming the engagement, which I think will be amusing to restore later on when Ranma and he talk and then reverse again when Kasumi's hobby comes out.)
When they do talk, I'm not necessarily going to leave this as an issue, since among other things Ranma will likely explain how it started and how he's been turning it into training, but I like having the conflict to start things off. The fight itself was mostly Ranma's fault-- he ran, Genma pursued.
Ranma's reaction was mostly to the girly nature of the apron/gloves and to a lesser extent the sponge (again without any immediately obvious reason), with an inherent "this probably counts as something girly he wouldn't approve of" that has been bubbling in the back of his head based on what Nabiki said about this in chapter 1. He hasn't exactly been hiding what he's been doing, but he's been keeping it low key. He wanted to get back on level ground before he actually talked about this with Genma, since he knew he couldn't avoid the fight.
While Ranma and Genma have lived together for a long time and I don't see Genma cleaning up much, I also don't think he would encourage his son to do so either. It never really says how much they stayed in one place, but I always imagined them moving on a fairly regular basis-- which would typically involve leaving any messes behind rather than bothering to clean up after them.
When has Ranma actually cleaned up (non-metaphorical) messes around other people's homes or around the Tendo household? I don't really recall that as a behavioral pattern, though it would actually play into the fic fairly well. I don't imagine it was the source of any arcs or anything.
Interesting. It's only a few panels (and a rather extreme example), but there's definitely some indications there. He's trying to find the fighting fish bowl, so he has reason to be sorting it out, but he certainly goes above and beyond. I wonder if one off panels like that were skimmed over in the anime early on-- that could explain why I hadn't really seen it myself. (Though even with the anime I'm also most familiar with the first three seasons since those were what I owned when I first got into anime and Ranma was nearly all I had available to watch.)
Shame there isn't a really well-tagged list of the manga/threads for searching out some of this information. The Ranma Wiki doesn't do a terrible job of at least listing each arc (and which chapters/episodes it falls under), but there isn't really a good way to find all instances of a character. Might be worth checking out TV Tropes periodically for some of this too though. Forgot about that as a resource.
I'll have to play around with this a bit, I don't think it impacts things prior to this too much. Ranma isn't necessarily obsessive on it (his return to cleaning in the fighting fish arc seemed more tied to indignation that his work was wasted and not appreciated), but I could see it coming up in some of the discussions in this chapter certainly. And the opening does need some rework in terms of reactions and how to get them in a similar place.
Shame there isn't a really well-tagged list of the manga/threads for searching out some of this information. The Ranma Wiki doesn't do a terrible job of at least listing each arc (and which chapters/episodes it falls under), but there isn't really a good way to find all instances of a character. Might be worth checking out TV Tropes periodically for some of this too though. Forgot about that as a resource.
I'll have to play around with this a bit, I don't think it impacts things prior to this too much. Ranma isn't necessarily obsessive on it (his return to cleaning in the fighting fish arc seemed more tied to indignation that his work was wasted and not appreciated), but I could see it coming up in some of the discussions in this chapter certainly. And the opening does need some rework in terms of reactions and how to get them in a similar place.
balthanon said:
Hmm... that is a point. The short answer is because I found it amusing (a large motivator of behavior in the manga/anime as well) and set up the later scene.
The less meta answer is that I was having him respond most to the girly behavior and semi-girly outfit (arbitrary, but I could see it registering as such), but even for that Genma has seen Ranma actually dress up and act as a girl in a fair number of schemes. Typically without much reaction unless he's ribbing him about it later. It was more the consistent nature of the activity I see being a problem for him-- this isn't a one off thing that is intended to accomplish some goal, which implies it is a consistent behavioral change that might get back to Nodoka when she catches up/interfere with Ranma's manliness/training. But Genma doesn't really learn that from the scene as is either. Dates on the photographs might help with that, but that might not necessarily be enough. (The bit I liked most out of the first scene was the reversal of the 'Meh' attitude towards Kasumi assuming the engagement, which I think will be amusing to restore later on when Ranma and he talk and then reverse again when Kasumi's hobby comes out.)
The less meta answer is that I was having him respond most to the girly behavior and semi-girly outfit (arbitrary, but I could see it registering as such), but even for that Genma has seen Ranma actually dress up and act as a girl in a fair number of schemes. Typically without much reaction unless he's ribbing him about it later. It was more the consistent nature of the activity I see being a problem for him-- this isn't a one off thing that is intended to accomplish some goal, which implies it is a consistent behavioral change that might get back to Nodoka when she catches up/interfere with Ranma's manliness/training. But Genma doesn't really learn that from the scene as is either. Dates on the photographs might help with that, but that might not necessarily be enough. (The bit I liked most out of the first scene was the reversal of the 'Meh' attitude towards Kasumi assuming the engagement, which I think will be amusing to restore later on when Ranma and he talk and then reverse again when Kasumi's hobby comes out.)
When they do talk, I'm not necessarily going to leave this as an issue, since among other things Ranma will likely explain how it started and how he's been turning it into training, but I like having the conflict to start things off. The fight itself was mostly Ranma's fault-- he ran, Genma pursued.
Genma doesn't berate Ranma for doing 'girly' things.
Ranma went to school, so unless they are constantly roaming around in one small area, they would have been living in one place for extended times.
Hinako's fighting fish arc as you looked up is the most extreme example.
Anime degraded everything it touched. Couldn't even find the budget for decent clothing.
Should probably focus more on Ranma seeming to be more Kasumi's servant and just doing chores for her with Genma picking a fight for a really silly petty reason. (Like Ranma has been slacking off in his training. Or needs to be giving him all those treats as the long suffering father who has abandoned and given so much of himself to raise Ranma.)
THIS. I can’t really tell if it’s fanon bias on my part (I have not reread the manga in far too long), but this seems extremely plausible given the circumstances. Genma is a deeply loving father, as we know from the Hell’s Cradle arc, but he’s also an incredibly selfish, not to mention alarmingly narrowly competent, boob (cf. almost every manga chapter). Truly, a horrifying combination, at least to someone in Ranma’s shoes.
I latched on to the part where Genma was like "If your mom finds out we are both so hosed."
I mean, there's nothing wrong with Genma being an inconsistent hypocrite.
But I guess the thing is, since you're exploring the relationship that Kasumi had with her mother, and how there was tension there because Kasumi was becoming a Super Pervert; compared to that, I think you should also deal with the fact that Ranma's mom is insane in the membrane. Like, if Genma is a selfish, short-sighted thief who does the best he can, then Nodoka is kind and smiling and appears to have her life together, but is actually a genuine crazy person.
I mean, there's nothing wrong with Genma being an inconsistent hypocrite.
But I guess the thing is, since you're exploring the relationship that Kasumi had with her mother, and how there was tension there because Kasumi was becoming a Super Pervert; compared to that, I think you should also deal with the fact that Ranma's mom is insane in the membrane. Like, if Genma is a selfish, short-sighted thief who does the best he can, then Nodoka is kind and smiling and appears to have her life together, but is actually a genuine crazy person.
Was playing around with this tonight actually and I ended up modifying the first scene to play upon some of the information you guys pointed out about Ranma's neat freak tendencies. (And Nodoka's being at least slightly unhinged, to daniel's point. )
(Also haven't been receiving email notices apparently, otherwise I probably would have responded earlier.)
---------------
Grimacing, Genma bent and picked them up, then raised an eyebrow. He absently noted Nabiki finish her walk out of the dojo, her earlier furtiveness now a lazy, self-satisified strut that was more common on the girl. The top most photo had attracted his attention though.
Ranma was standing beside Kasumi in female form, her cheeks liberally smeared with flour and wearing an apron that said "I'M A GUY", not unlike the "BOY" swimsuit he had used a few times this past summer. Not the most horrible thing, he supposed, but the boy presenting a batch of heart-shaped chocolate cookies to Kasumi that looked the equal of some school girl's Valentine's Day love token took any remaining doubts about what it was portraying away.
While that was the worst of them in some ways, the other photos did nothing to assuage his rising concerns: one of the boy dusting in his male form, another of her hanging the laundry in a picture of domestic tranquility, a third of him gathering up dishes while laughing. Each subsequent photo, dated for easy reference, felt like a tanto driven into his stomach. Largely because if they ever got back to Nodoka, that is probably exactly what they would amount to.
He was sorry to say that while he liked to proclaim the boy had no weaknesses aside from that pesky thing with the cats, there was another one that he had needed to keep in check over the years. The boy simply could not abide a mess. In itself, it didn't really pose much trouble. However, his mother had very... firm ideas about what constituted manly behavior. Very black and white.
Genma had never gotten a list from his wife, but given what he knew of her views he thought a good rule of thumb was 'anything Nodoka does regularly probably isn't manly'. Cooking and cleaning definitely fell into those categories.
He took back his earlier thoughts on the 'The Plan'. Kasumi would have Ranma house broken within six months at this rate and she hadn't even gotten the engagement transferred yet. He wouldn't have his life's work, or more importantly, his life, ruined that easily.
The boy and he apparently needed to have a little talk.
-----------------------------------------
So basic thoughts here are that Ranma's cleaning tendency has popped up in the past and probably more frequently than it does currently. The main reason it doesn't come up more frequently in the manga is because Genma has concentrated on shutting it down anytime it pops up in Ranma because Nodoka is _really_ big on cooking and cleaning, so they must be high on the womanly arts side of things. This also explains why Ranma runs when Genma finds him cleaning-- particularly cleaning something that really doesn't matter a whole lot like a ceiling. Genma has been trying to shut down this type of behavior for years.
I also ran across another reference while I was skimming through manga chapters that I think might back this up as well. Namely, when they are away on the camping trip training against the bakusai tenketsu, Genma claims that Ranma's cooking is horrible-- yet we see he's actually fairly talented later on in the manga when his mother comes to visit. I'm going with the idea that Genma pretty much constantly badmouths Ranma's cooking just so Ranma himself says it's something he's bad at-- all the while eating 'the worst of it' himself to save his son. Showing up at the Tendo's, where Ranma compares his own cooking to Kasumi's just reinforces that idea, right up until the point where he tastes Akane's cooking during that training trip and realizes exactly what bad food really tastes like.
)(Also haven't been receiving email notices apparently, otherwise I probably would have responded earlier.)
---------------
Grimacing, Genma bent and picked them up, then raised an eyebrow. He absently noted Nabiki finish her walk out of the dojo, her earlier furtiveness now a lazy, self-satisified strut that was more common on the girl. The top most photo had attracted his attention though.
Ranma was standing beside Kasumi in female form, her cheeks liberally smeared with flour and wearing an apron that said "I'M A GUY", not unlike the "BOY" swimsuit he had used a few times this past summer. Not the most horrible thing, he supposed, but the boy presenting a batch of heart-shaped chocolate cookies to Kasumi that looked the equal of some school girl's Valentine's Day love token took any remaining doubts about what it was portraying away.
While that was the worst of them in some ways, the other photos did nothing to assuage his rising concerns: one of the boy dusting in his male form, another of her hanging the laundry in a picture of domestic tranquility, a third of him gathering up dishes while laughing. Each subsequent photo, dated for easy reference, felt like a tanto driven into his stomach. Largely because if they ever got back to Nodoka, that is probably exactly what they would amount to.
He was sorry to say that while he liked to proclaim the boy had no weaknesses aside from that pesky thing with the cats, there was another one that he had needed to keep in check over the years. The boy simply could not abide a mess. In itself, it didn't really pose much trouble. However, his mother had very... firm ideas about what constituted manly behavior. Very black and white.
Genma had never gotten a list from his wife, but given what he knew of her views he thought a good rule of thumb was 'anything Nodoka does regularly probably isn't manly'. Cooking and cleaning definitely fell into those categories.
He took back his earlier thoughts on the 'The Plan'. Kasumi would have Ranma house broken within six months at this rate and she hadn't even gotten the engagement transferred yet. He wouldn't have his life's work, or more importantly, his life, ruined that easily.
The boy and he apparently needed to have a little talk.
-----------------------------------------
So basic thoughts here are that Ranma's cleaning tendency has popped up in the past and probably more frequently than it does currently. The main reason it doesn't come up more frequently in the manga is because Genma has concentrated on shutting it down anytime it pops up in Ranma because Nodoka is _really_ big on cooking and cleaning, so they must be high on the womanly arts side of things. This also explains why Ranma runs when Genma finds him cleaning-- particularly cleaning something that really doesn't matter a whole lot like a ceiling. Genma has been trying to shut down this type of behavior for years.
I also ran across another reference while I was skimming through manga chapters that I think might back this up as well. Namely, when they are away on the camping trip training against the bakusai tenketsu, Genma claims that Ranma's cooking is horrible-- yet we see he's actually fairly talented later on in the manga when his mother comes to visit. I'm going with the idea that Genma pretty much constantly badmouths Ranma's cooking just so Ranma himself says it's something he's bad at-- all the while eating 'the worst of it' himself to save his son. Showing up at the Tendo's, where Ranma compares his own cooking to Kasumi's just reinforces that idea, right up until the point where he tastes Akane's cooking during that training trip and realizes exactly what bad food really tastes like.
See above after my revisions for both of these-- I'll clarify this in Ranma's thoughts too. Not sure if I'll actually expand on the interaction right there or not. Nodoka really doesn't come up as a concern in the manga/anime aside from when she's around (though to be fair, who knows whether Takahashi even had any concrete decisions about the character prior to creating her), but I figure Genma does still have the contract hovering in the back of his mind somewhere.
Ehh, possibly another anime vs manga thing and I am taking bits and pieces from both where I like them. At a minimum, he does start out with the whole "you sound like a woman! *tosses Ranma in the pond*" right out the bat when they're introducing themselves to the Tendos. I recall a few other examples from the anime-- not necessarily about doing any specific action, but about being (like) a woman or womanly.
Probably at least a month or two, but I could easily see Genma moving him around quite regularly and the school itself not being as regular as it should be. He seemed rather surprised that he was going to be going to school when they signed him up at Furinken honestly. I've always liked the idea of Ranma being less than studious because he's had a really erratic school life.
Plus, it opens up the door for this (though probably in another fic):
http://time.com/8854/study-switching-schools-may-make-your-kids-psychotic/
Early seasons I actually liked quite a bit-- I might be biased though, since it was my first introduction to Ranma and to anime itself really. Later seasons were admittedly a lot more hit or miss. I only finished the series a couple years ago.
To be fair, the manga had a number of arcs that really fell pretty flat as well. (Panda scribble?)
I don't really make it clear during the scene, but Kasumi is actually in the room when Genma comes in too and cleaning alongside Ranma. So it's hard to say he's acting like a servant. (To be fair, the only reason she really lets him help is that she's enjoying the company. Not that Genma or Ranma would know that.)
That said, I can definitely see Genma latching on to the treats and playing up the long suffering father when they finally end up talking. The "you're a horrible cook" excuse went out the window awhile ago (per my above post), so I could also see him deciding that for his son's sake, he needs to make sure that Ranma doesn't actually get to eat anything he makes that is delicious. He'll have to suffer and just steal and eat it all until Ranma gives up on this whole cooking thing.
I have a couple of ideas that play around with Genma for the next arc (and Soun to a lesser extent) that fall into this a bit. He has a couple of more competencies that I think are plausible though, combined with a glaring weakness that negates a lot of the benefit based on a later arc.
I tend to think most of the Ranma characters are at least a bit inconsistent in some form. Akane jumps between violent and angry and sweet and caring, Ranma is a macho jerk at times and others he's surprisingly empathetic, etc... Most of the cast really has at least a bit of that going on.
Nodoka's a way off (unless I decide to bring her in earlier for some reason), but I can't argue with this too much. I like the symmetry of exploring Nodoka as well-- though Ranma doesn't have many memories of her, so it would need to be through a slightly different mechanic. This could be something to play with during the next arc since Genma has a lot more exposure to her as well and this event has triggered memories of her.
Given the way I handled this arc, I think I might keep the same format and have the bookend perspective, the current perspective (not sure if it will be Ranma or someone else), and then the past perspective coming out of discussions with Genma since he'll be the focus.
Thanks for the feedback everyone.
Ehh, possibly another anime vs manga thing and I am taking bits and pieces from both where I like them. At a minimum, he does start out with the whole "you sound like a woman! *tosses Ranma in the pond*" right out the bat when they're introducing themselves to the Tendos. I recall a few other examples from the anime-- not necessarily about doing any specific action, but about being (like) a woman or womanly.
Probably at least a month or two, but I could easily see Genma moving him around quite regularly and the school itself not being as regular as it should be. He seemed rather surprised that he was going to be going to school when they signed him up at Furinken honestly. I've always liked the idea of Ranma being less than studious because he's had a really erratic school life.
Plus, it opens up the door for this (though probably in another fic)
: http://time.com/8854/study-switching-schools-may-make-your-kids-psychotic/
Early seasons I actually liked quite a bit-- I might be biased though, since it was my first introduction to Ranma and to anime itself really. Later seasons were admittedly a lot more hit or miss. I only finished the series a couple years ago.
To be fair, the manga had a number of arcs that really fell pretty flat as well. (Panda scribble?)
I don't really make it clear during the scene, but Kasumi is actually in the room when Genma comes in too and cleaning alongside Ranma. So it's hard to say he's acting like a servant. (To be fair, the only reason she really lets him help is that she's enjoying the company. Not that Genma or Ranma would know that.)
That said, I can definitely see Genma latching on to the treats and playing up the long suffering father when they finally end up talking. The "you're a horrible cook" excuse went out the window awhile ago (per my above post), so I could also see him deciding that for his son's sake, he needs to make sure that Ranma doesn't actually get to eat anything he makes that is delicious. He'll have to suffer and just steal and eat it all until Ranma gives up on this whole cooking thing.
I have a couple of ideas that play around with Genma for the next arc (and Soun to a lesser extent) that fall into this a bit. He has a couple of more competencies that I think are plausible though, combined with a glaring weakness that negates a lot of the benefit based on a later arc.
I tend to think most of the Ranma characters are at least a bit inconsistent in some form. Akane jumps between violent and angry and sweet and caring, Ranma is a macho jerk at times and others he's surprisingly empathetic, etc... Most of the cast really has at least a bit of that going on.
Nodoka's a way off (unless I decide to bring her in earlier for some reason), but I can't argue with this too much. I like the symmetry of exploring Nodoka as well-- though Ranma doesn't have many memories of her, so it would need to be through a slightly different mechanic. This could be something to play with during the next arc since Genma has a lot more exposure to her as well and this event has triggered memories of her.
Given the way I handled this arc, I think I might keep the same format and have the bookend perspective, the current perspective (not sure if it will be Ranma or someone else), and then the past perspective coming out of discussions with Genma since he'll be the focus.
Thanks for the feedback everyone.
balthanon said:
Was playing around with this tonight actually and I ended up modifying the first scene to play upon some of the information you guys pointed out about Ranma's neat freak tendencies. (And Nodoka's being at least slightly unhinged, to daniel's point. )
(Also haven't been receiving email notices apparently, otherwise I probably would have responded earlier.)
)(Also haven't been receiving email notices apparently, otherwise I probably would have responded earlier.)
Actually now that I think about it,
Kasumi and Nodoka are both Yamato Nadeshiko on the outside and have super-weird ideas about sex-stuff on the inside.
Maybe Genma is genuinely worried that Ranma will make the exact same mistake he did, by marrying a girl that's hot and nice, but secretly super-crazy.
Kasumi and Nodoka are both Yamato Nadeshiko on the outside and have super-weird ideas about sex-stuff on the inside.
Maybe Genma is genuinely worried that Ranma will make the exact same mistake he did, by marrying a girl that's hot and nice, but secretly super-crazy.
I'm fairly set on having a new POV we haven't seen at the beginning of each chapter at this point. Stylistic, but I also like the different perspectives we get on the situation.
I don't necessarily think Nabiki having a win here is an issue either, it could be funny but she will be losing the war (or at least feeling like she did) ultimately. (That actually prompted an amusing thought about Ranma explaining exactly what Kasumi does to her underwear in slightly misleading terms to rub it in and taunting her about the fact that she has no alternative given her little domestic problems.). Her having a couple wins in the mean time gives things a bit of flexibility and reminds us why Ranma considers this a fight. (Or perhaps reminds Ranma that it is a fight.)
Do you think having Genma think back and actually remember a couple of scenes or something else in that vein would restore some of the impact compared to essentially talking to himself as I have it now? (In the same vein as Soun in the last chapter or Kasumi throughout, though nowhere near as long.) I actually like the idea of Ranma's problems with messes actually being a problem, so I do want to keep that at this point. It will give Kasumi and him another thing in common and honestly if Kasumi is going to go after 'revenge' on Genma for anything, it will be that rather than him attacking Ranma (which is pretty common.)
That is an interesting parallel. Akane is the preferred candidate because she wears her crazy on the outside, so you presumably know its depths. At this point Genma doesn't have any direct suspicions about this I expect, but I could see it being a horrifying realization when some of this comes out. "And I tried so hard to protect him from that old saw about boys invariably marrying their own mothers! The boy doesn't even remember her and it still came to pass! It's a curse I tell you, a curse!"
Of course, at this point Kasumi also doesn't see the panty thing as sex stuff, but I doubt Genma and Soun are going to ask about that directly. Happosai on the other hand will likely see that as a deficit in her training.
I don't necessarily think Nabiki having a win here is an issue either, it could be funny but she will be losing the war (or at least feeling like she did) ultimately. (That actually prompted an amusing thought about Ranma explaining exactly what Kasumi does to her underwear in slightly misleading terms to rub it in and taunting her about the fact that she has no alternative given her little domestic problems.). Her having a couple wins in the mean time gives things a bit of flexibility and reminds us why Ranma considers this a fight. (Or perhaps reminds Ranma that it is a fight.)
Do you think having Genma think back and actually remember a couple of scenes or something else in that vein would restore some of the impact compared to essentially talking to himself as I have it now? (In the same vein as Soun in the last chapter or Kasumi throughout, though nowhere near as long.) I actually like the idea of Ranma's problems with messes actually being a problem, so I do want to keep that at this point. It will give Kasumi and him another thing in common and honestly if Kasumi is going to go after 'revenge' on Genma for anything, it will be that rather than him attacking Ranma (which is pretty common.)
That is an interesting parallel. Akane is the preferred candidate because she wears her crazy on the outside, so you presumably know its depths. At this point Genma doesn't have any direct suspicions about this I expect, but I could see it being a horrifying realization when some of this comes out. "And I tried so hard to protect him from that old saw about boys invariably marrying their own mothers! The boy doesn't even remember her and it still came to pass! It's a curse I tell you, a curse!"
Of course, at this point Kasumi also doesn't see the panty thing as sex stuff, but I doubt Genma and Soun are going to ask about that directly. Happosai on the other hand will likely see that as a deficit in her training.
I am not so sure of that last point. There seems little indication in canon that Happosai has any interest in girls and their undies beyond rubbing himself all over them, and I don’t recall any hint of actual horniness rather than mere undirected lechery. Bear in mind that one fic (one of Burger Becky Heineman’s IIRC) where he finally died and was immediately reconstituted as a tentacle demon, and couldn’t see the point (and in fact complained that his new extremities were of limited utility for martial arts, and felt distressingly weird when touched). After I finished laughing when I first read that one, I was immediately struck by how surprisingly plausible it seemed.
At a minimum, his lechery does also take into account the female body without panties and bra-- he's a big fan of bath houses and other locations where he gets to see women naked too. Kasumi hasn't really gone there yet. (In fact, I'm going back and forth a bit at this point as to whether she's even had her first kiss in this fic. She's had boys admiring her based on a few lines in chapter two, but not sure she actually would have gone out with one.) So at a minimum, he has to introduce her to the fine art of peeping.