All comments strictly my opinion, and offered in good spirit. In
particular, I hope you won't be offended by fine-tooth copy-editing
comments... some people are, I know.
Snippage as convenient.
No matter noble/pretentious one's motives when they start
writing fanfiction, everyone eventually writes a Ranma piece.
Well, I think anyone who starts writing fanfic with noble or pretentious
motives is -- ow! I'll be nice! -- er, perfectly entitled to do so.
Ahem. :)
No
offense meant to those with "Martha Stewards' Living" subscriptions.
I'm not sure -- the last time I encountered the woman was among the
off-topic commentary on the Nagano Olympics -- but isn't it "Martha
Stewart"?
Also, I'm not completely satisfied with the title,
suggestions would be appreciated.
Hmm... I'll think about it. It might help a bit to punctuate it as
"Faster, Kasumi! Cook! Clean!"
May I suggest simply "UVS, Inc." for your very amusing AMG spamfic,
the one at http://www.smuga-otto.com/kim/amg.html ? ;>
kim smuga-otto
kmstephe@facstaff.wisc.edu
http://www.smuga-otto.com
Faster Kasumi, Cook, Clean
By Kim Smuga-Otto
(Note: Characters are used without permission of creators. All
references to public figures is legal as this is a parody.)
---------------
Studio Apartment Kitchen Makeovers - How to make space for all your
appliances (including that rice cooker) and still have room to
prepare meals. Japanese Living (August issue)
---------------
{A tame spacewarp helps. Oh, Washuuuuu... :) }
"She clearly wrote out 'whole wheat,' Akane," shouted a wet
and very female Ranma from outside, "I'm sure she had a reason for
outside. "I'm
it!"
"Shut up!"
"It will work out just fine," said Kasumi, hoping to cut off
the argument, "The recipe's actually quite flexible. See, Akane, you
just decrease the cooking time, because . . ." But her sister was
already stomping out the door, mallet in hand. "Well, maybe later,
then, you can help me with the salad," Kasumi called after her, ever
hopeful that someday Akane would take an interest in domestic matters.
{Well, she already takes an interest occasionally... and when she does,
strong men tremble. :) But we know what you mean.}
"Hey sis," Kasumi turned to see Nabiki rummaging through the
refrigerator, "You got any more of that tempura from last night?"
"Hey, Sis." Kasumi turned to see Nabiki rummaging through the
refrigerator. "You got any more of that tempura from last night?"
{or, if you must,}
"Hey, Sis," Kasumi turned to see Nabiki rummaging through the
refrigerator, "you got any more of that tempura from last night?"
"Sorry, Saotome-san finished it off for breakfast. I do have
{Kasumi refers to Genma as "Saotome-no-ojisama", in case you want to go
that far.}
some of the grilled unagi, if you'd like . . ."
"Naw. I just had a craving for something fried."
"Well, I can certainly make more for dinner. There are so
many fresh vegetables this time of year and-"
"Sure, whatever. Hey what's this?"
Hey, what's
"Oh, well Ranma and Akane just got back from shopping. I had
{...and she refers to Ranma as "Ranma-kun", if you like.}
them pick up three watermelons for -"`
"No," her sister cut in, "This." She waved a glossy magazine
"this." {since it continues a sentence rather than starting another}
over her head, then started to page through it. "Complimentary copy,
it says. Obviously some heavy promotional campaign, you know how
much this kind of paper and ink costs. Oh," the excitement in
Nabiki's voice vanished, "It's a housekeeping magazine. Here,
"it's
"For years," the kanji under the photo read, "Americans have
turned to me and my numerous publications for help with food
preparation, home care, entertaining, shopping, and much more. With
the launch of Japanese Living, I want to reach out to this nation's
homemakers with the same helpful and straight forward advice, but
with the Japanese perspective and sensibilities in mind. Let me
introduce myself, I'm Steward Martha.
Martha."
{And away we go...}
"Steward Martha." Kasumi repeated to herself.
Martha,"
Dinner was twenty minutes late. Not that anyone noticed,
thanks to to Ranma's showdown with the secret Kodo ninja society. It
was not the most impressive show of martial arts, neighbors agreed
later, but certainly the loudest in while. As the last drum rolled
in a while. {?}
forlornly down the street, the family sat down to eat.
{I'm a fan of both Kodo (and other taiko) and Ranma, so this got a
laugh-out-loud. Martial-arts taiko drumming?! I love it. :) }
"Kasumi, my daughter," said her father, "You have outdone
father, "you
yourself. This fish is spectacular."
"Well, I used a different marinade sauce, and partially
grilled the horse mackerel before frying to bring out the mitsuba's
full aroma."
{Mmm. Mackerel. :)~ I can't make shio-yaki saba again until it warms up
enough here to use the hibachi, darn it.}
"It is very good, Kasumi," said Akane. She elbowed Ranma and
said in a very audible whisper, "You should compliment her too,
instead of just stuffing your face."
"I'm sure she can tell I like it by the way I'm eating it.
Maybe you're just trying to distract me so you can get thirds first."
"I'm not a pig like you, Ranma!"
"Hey, and here I thought you liked pigs. Perfect pet for a tom . . ."
{heh. Nicely scripted.}
She had some plant-pruning do that night, and afterwards, she wanted
plant-pruning to do {?}
to try some of Martha-sensei's tips for removing pet hair from
bathtub tiles.
{Pig hair? Cat hair? Panda hair? All of the above? :) }
---------------
"Ibekana 101 - Learn everything you need to started." Japanese
"Ikebana
Living (September issue)
---------------
"Here you go. The last of the chrysanthemum leaves." The
lady at the grocery handed Kasumi the greens, "Making vegetarian
greens.
sukiyaki tonight?"
"Why yes." said Kasumi, "How did you know?"
"You're not the only one purchasing that magazine." The
magazine," the
grocer said, nodding to Kasumi's basket, "I can barely keep it in
basket. "I
stock."
"Really? I hadn't realized it was so trendy."
"I hear they'll be publishing some of her other magazines.
You want me to hold a copy of Stuart Martha Weddings when it comes
in?"
Kasumi couldn't hide her blush, "No, I don't think I need
blush.
that just yet."
The grocer shook her head, "Such a pretty girl like you. You
know, I've got a nephew who's single. You just say the word . . ."
{heh. You know, I can imagine she gets that all the time... but not
directly from the "nephews" themselves, sigh.}
"That's very kind of you, but I don't think so. Goodbye."
Kasumi would have liked to stay longer, but the floor varnishing she
had planned for today would take at least three hours, during which
the homemade soba noodles could be rising, but first she needed to
finish her shopping. It was amazing how large Narita could seem,
Nerima {Narita's an airport, isn't it?}
what with so many stores being on opposites sides of the district
from each other.
Kasumi supposed she could ask Akane for help, but last time
she did so, Akane had purchased shiitake mushrooms instead of the
she had done so, {or} she'd done so,
enoki ones Kasumi had requested and she ended up running out at the
last minute anyway. Sending Ranma was plain pointless as he'd just
end up in a fight or fleeing from some fianc�e, which inevitably lead
led
to extra mouths at the table. Not that Kasumi minded, but it made
meal planning more difficult.
{hehe! Admirable understatement. :) }
Well, soon enough the food dehydrator she'd ordered would be
here and she could start a proper pantry. Good thing too, the
Good thing, too;
nematodes sown in the garden as a living, environmentally friendly
pest control system had more than done their job, and there was a
limit on how much zucchini you could give away.
{uh... been there. I think everyone who's ever gotten involved with
zucchini has. These days, we subsist on the folly of others. :) }
She stopped dead in the middle of the street. Zucchini. She
needed two small, coated, stainless steel pans for the zucchini
dessert bread she would be cooking tonight after supper. Nothing to
do but go back to the kitchen shop; she couldn't risk the vegetable's
passing their freshness peak. Kasumi sighed. At this rate, she'd
have to wait until the next day to read her the latest issue of her
magazine, and she'd been so excited about the article describing how
to optimize the ecosystem of the fishpond.
{Did I mention I keep koi? :) I lost a couple when the ecosystem, uh,
de-optimized this fall, too. :( }
---------------
"Pet Food Basics - Learn how to enforce good diet and good manners"
Japanese Living (October Issue)
---------------
"Is it good?" Kasumi asked as Saotome sipped the freshly
steeped tea. "I decreased the amount of tea leaves and increased the
brewing time by three minutes. Most people can't tell the
difference, but the article didn't say anything about a panda's taste
buds and I didn't even consider it until I brought it out."
The panda held up a sign saying. "Good tea. Want more cookies."
{hehe!}
"Of course. Ranma, would you like some more?"
Ranma looked up from Kuno's latest challenge/love letter and
Kasumi made a mental note to sand down and spackle the post where the
arrow had hit.
{Again, a pithy summary of a situation that could easily take up pages,
but will live in the imagination of the reader... well done.}
"Uh, no I don't think so. They're kinda taste odd."
They kinda {?}
"Really? But you liked the anise when I used it in the stew
last week."
"Yeah," said Ranma rubbing his head and trying to avoid the
Ranma, rubbing
scowl that Akane was giving him, "I guess I liked it better with
meat."
"Just ignore him, Kasumi." Said Akane, "Your cookies are
Kasumi," said Akane. "Your
always great. I especially like the black sandwich ones with the
white frosting in the middle."
{*facefault*}
"Me too." said Nabiki. "Those go great with milk. Can we
have them next time?"
"Well, I suppose but-"
suppose, but-"
She was interrupted by a loud thwok sound from outside.
{suggest} 'thwock'
"What the?" said Ranma as he stood up and walked outside.
"This it the eighth one today and it's not even dinner time. Why
"This is
can't he just get a life?"
{He's got one: a fantasy life. He won't give it up until someone makes
him a better offer. :) }
Dinner! Kasumi practically leaped up. What was she doing
sitting around like this? There was dinner to start. And the
place-setting decorations. She'd been planning a special celebration
tonight. After all, it was over a month and since the most recent
month since {?}
fianc�e had shown up. And if that wasn't a cause for celebration,
then what was?
{Uh oh. She's rockin' on the rails... }
---------------
"All About Kaiseki - choose just the right small bites" Japanese
Living (November issue)
---------------
"I'm sorry Kasumi, I really am. But we just can't afford
sorry, Kasumi, I
it." Said Nabiki.
it," said
"But it would pay for itself in the long run. Remodeling the
main room as a shoji screen porch would mean faster and cheaper
repair whenever Ranma, or one of his friends, charges through a wall.
And in the summer we could expand the screens, allowing the garden
space and living space to intertwine, increasing our awareness of the
seasons."
{mmm... I think the Tendo tea-room *is* shoji-walled, at least partially
and maybe mostly; it has an engawa between it and the garden. But this
scene is still a good illustration of how extreme Kasumi is getting
about this, so I have no complaint with it.
"And in the winter we'd spend a fortune heating it. And
during monsoon season?" Her sister asked.
season?" her
"Temporary board structures." Kasumi replied, flipping
structures,"
through her latest home furnishing catalog. "They only take a day or
two to set up and varnish. It would be no problem for me at all."
Nabiki shook her head. "The walls are structural supports
for the house, Kasumi. It's just not going to work."
"But, but-"
"No, I'm sorry." Nabiki gave her sister a measured look.
"You're not angry are you?"
angry, are
"Angry?" Kasumi blinked, willing her eyes to stay dry, "Why
dry. "Why
would I be angry. It was just a silly idea of mine. Don't give it
angry?
another thought."
{"But don't be surprised when your bedlinens aren't laundered on
scehdule." :) }
"You sure? Listen, Kasumi. I've been thinking, maybe you've
been taking a bit too much on yourself. I mean all the gardening and
decorating. You don't have to do that kind of thing."
"But I like doing it. And I thought you enjoyed the results."
"Well, yes." Nabiki admitted, "But it's not necessary. If
yes," Nabiki
you want to take a break and just do the cooking and cleaning like
you used to, no one would complain."
"Excuse me, I think the laundry's just about done. It need
I need
to take care of it." Kasumi quickly left the room, her mind firmly
on the fresh sprigs of lavender that she was going to place in the
girls' lingerie drawers. Nabiki would certainly appreciate that.
{I wonder how Happosai will feel about it. :) }
---------------
"Celebrating New Year's - Commemorate the Holidays with traditional
food and games." Japanese Living (December Issue)
---------------
Beach nut cream. Kasumi read it again, willing the words to
Beechnut {? I think... here and lots of places below, if so.}
be otherwise. How could the new color for winter be beach nut cream,
when she'd just bought almost ten thousand yen worth of pale forest
green interior accessories?
{ Aaaiiiee! Nooooo! :) }
It was spoken in perfect Japanese, but when Kasumi turned
around she saw a lovely foreigner about her age with a blue mark
painted on her forehead.
{ *piku* }
"Don't have to what?" Asked a bewildered Kasumi.
what?" asked
"Do what that magazine tells you to." The foreigner leaned
over to peer at the article Kasumi had been reading. "You can
decorate your house in whatever manner you wish."
"But-" Kasumi was at a loss, "Beach nut cream. Won't match. It-"
loss.
"Think back," the woman said, her voice calm yet powerful,
"Think back to before the magazines, before the TV and radio
specials, before the special-discounts-for-members, Martha endorsed
Martha-endorsed
catalogs. You did just fine back then, didn't you?"
"I . . . I . . ." Kasumi tried to think back to how she'd run
the household before. Was it only a few months ago? "I was
disorganized, environmentally unfriendly, and struck in a rut-"
"No, no," the foreigner assured her, "You were unique and
"you
true to your own ideas and goals. You were happy and content,
weren't you?"
Was I? Thought Kasumi. Yes, I was! It was like someone had
thought
just opened the shutters of window lighting up previously dark rooms.
windows {?}
Kasumi found herself crying tears of joy from the happienes a seeing
happiness of seeing {?}
the sun, but also tears of grief from the heartache of being so long
in the gloom.
"It's okay. It's going to be okay." The stranger was
hugging Kasumi, comforting her, "I understand."
her.
Kasumi couldn't believe it. "You? You followed the magazine too?"
The woman smiled, "I was only 18 purchase points away from
smiled. "I
the Morning Sunrise Silk Yukata, valued at over twenty-five thousand
yen. I thought that if I just planned and executed the perfect
menus, just remembered each of the holidays in a way that was both
unique and meaningful, just accented the interiors with intelligence
and economy, that somehow those around me would understand and
appreciate me more. I thought that my sisters would admire me, even
though I'm not as resourceful or outgoing as they are. And I thought
that someone, someone special to me, might understand that all my
homemaking was my way of telling him how much I cared."
{Aha, it *is* the middle Norn. :) }
Her face
took on a distant look. "What I didn't see, was that they already
see was {comma muyo!}
knew and admired me. And all the pains I took, all the extra
shopping and nutrient balanced meals only prevented me from
meals, only {here's s good place for that comma. :) }
understanding how they felt. And," she added, "I think I may have
been scaring them with my efficiency."
{Gee, you think so? :) I wonder if Kasumi ever realized how much terror
her family suffered in the "Kasumi is Angry" manga story...}
Kasumi looked down at the magazine she still had clutched in
her hand, at the tastefully arranged corner alcove, everything but
the wall scroll's calligraphy's, a shade unobtrusive beach nut cream.
calligraphed wall scrolls a shade of {?}
growl emanating from her throat. With relish, she tore the home
journal in half, then fourths, crumpled the free pages and stuffed
them into her shopping bag. Even in a rage, Kasumi would never do
something as irresponsible as litter in a public area.
{heh, of course not. Nice IC bit. }
The foreign woman nodded with approval.
"Feel better?"
"A bit." Kasumi answered, "I still have several more of these
"A bit," Kasumi answered. "I
at home, as well as the catalogs and the complimentary copy of Ramen
Soup for the Homemaker's Soul.
{hehe!}
"We call ourselves HOJ, Homemakers of Japan, and we're
dedicated to rescuing our sisters who have been ensnared by that
woman's promises and lifestyle goals."
{Right on, sister!}
"Like what you did just now, reaching out to me and helping
me when I was about to despair?"
"Well, we usually work on a slightly grander scale then that.
than that.
Our leader says it's more efficient to start by taking out the
serpent's nest, and then hunting down the already snakes."
{"the already snakes"? Doesn't parse... "the escaped snakes", perhaps?}
"But how?"
"Come with me, I'll show you."
"But I don't even know your name." Protested Kasumi, weakly.
name," protested
She felt as if her whole world had shifted in the past few moments.
She was still Kasumi, protector and nurturer of the Tendo household.
But there was more to that role than simple meal preparation and
laundry, more even than seasonal decoration and color coordination.
What exactly this new duty was, she wasn't sure.
{Anything except martial arts is probably open. :) }
Maybe this HOJ would hold the answers. Kasumi was certainly
willing to give it a chance, after all, she'd already waxed the
{suggest} chance; after
floors today, and it was at least four hours before she needed to
start dinner.
"You can call me Be," the woman said, "It's not my real name
said. "It's
of course, but in HOJ we all use codenames."
"Oh," said Kasumi, "Well, you can call me . . ." she decided
to keep it simple, "Ka."
This met with silent approval, and before she knew it, Kasumi
was being led down the warrn of Nerima's side alleys, to where, she
warren {and suggest} alleys; to
wasn't sure. Along the way, Be explained more of the group's
philosophy.
"It's not just Martha, she'd only a figurehead for the
Martha; she's
commercial-industrial complex, and they're in turn only the latest
incarnation of the patrimony that's been oppressing us from the
beginning of civilization."
"Us?" Kasumi asked, but Be didn't seem to hear her.
"It started when they overthrew the
All-Powerful-Mother-Earth-Deities, relegating us to mere muses and
hearth/child-bearing goddesses, roles they thought small and without
real power. Of course they underestimated the importance of the
home, didn't even consider of its central role in mortals' lives,
consider its {?}
until we females had truly made it our domain."
"You mean homemakers?" Maybe referring to yourself as a
goddess was a type of empowerment, thought Kasumi.
{hehe! "Symptom of empowerment", perhaps?}
"Yes, homemakers, exactly. Only now, they're trying to take
that away from us too. These consumer-marketed magazines and TV
shows are all a clever ploy to steal our autonomy, enslaving us to
fashions dictated at a whim and undermining our confidence in our own
abilities. You understand, don't you Ka?"
you, Ka?"
"It's only scary the first time you use it," Be assured her,
"Its really a marvelous device, absolutely essential to some of our
"It's
more covert activities. Our second in command procured it for us.
You'll meet her on the other side, only . . ." her smile wavered for
a mere second, "Well, Sa's utterly lovely, and truly dedicated to
{"Sa"? Gee, I wonder who. :) }
the cause, but she has some odd ideas concerning what it's all about.
You'll see."
"Welcome." Her voice was so sweet, like an angel's. "My
codename's Sa. Are you hungry? I just made some carrot cake."
{Yup, I thought so. I guess the Masakis are eating instant ramen. :) }
"No, thank you." Said Kasumi, marveling that this child was
you," said
the second-in-command for such an organization, "I'm Ka."
organization. "I'm
"How's everything coming along?" asked Be, who had just
emerged from the star portal and walked along with them
them.
"Just excellent. Really, truly super. Agent Ichi got her
hands on a bottle of sake, again, but other then that, everyone's
sake again, {OK, it's an MI xover, too. :) }
putting their hearts into it. We'll be more then ready for tonight's
operation"
operation."
"What's happening tonight?" Kasumi ventured.
"I'm not allowed to tell you just yet, not till after your
meeting with the chief." Said Sa. "But I bet you'll like it. So,
chief," said Sa, "but
has Be been telling you about our mission statement?"
"A bit." Said Kasumi, hoping she wouldn't be quizzed, but she
bit," said
needn't have worried because Sa almost immediately started on her own
little spiel:
"Basically, it's all about selling technology on the
assumption that it will automatically improve a person's life. No
one's going to complain about the ease and time-saving aspects of a
rice cooker. But then there's the whole promise that goes with it,
dump in the rice and water, push a few buttons, leave it for
forty-five minutes and viola, perfect rice. We all know there's more
voila,
to it than that."
{Hey, this is making sense.}
Kasumi nodded, stifling a shudder as she remembered Akane's attempts
{Missing indent?}
to make o-nigiri
o-nigiri.
"But the corporations don't want us to realize that. They
want to convince us that the shortcuts don't make a difference. That
soaking the rice for an hour isn't necessary, that canned vegetable
vegetables {to match plurality of "fresh ones"}
can take the place fresh ones, that instant ramen tastes pretty close
place of fresh {?}
the homemade version."
Sa's voice underscored these last points with such gusto that
Kasumi was convinced she was either a natural orator, or had given
this speech more than once. Be gave her a quick smile, as if
agreeing with Kasumi's assessment. By now, they'd come to a side
door, which Sa pushed open and proceeded to lead them down a long
corridor,
corridor.
"The thing is," she continued, "Good homemakers know the
"good
difference between homemade and instant ramen, and they aren't going
to give up quality to save a few hours. So corporate Japan has
turned to Martha Steward and her magazine. Japanese Living confuses
homemakers with so many new things to do, so many important details
to be taken care of that they need time saving devices, lots of them,
just to get everything done. And sometimes, those moneygrubbers are
even more clever, inventing devices designed to take more time than
the simple ways we had before -"
{By Odin, I think she's on to something.}
"And devaluing our self-worth," cut in Be, "because now we
need this new device and become reliant on the patriarchy to run the
businesses necessary to provide it."
"Gender has nothing to do with it, Be," said Sa, her voice
slightly sharp, perhaps from being interrupted, "Their goal is to
interrupted. "Their
enslave us to machines, and to get us to pay them for the privilege."
They reached a door at the end of the hallway, and Sa rapped
a pattern on it.
"But you can't deny they're a group of primarily males,
targeting a group made upprimarily of women," insisted Be.
up primarily
"And you can't deny that Japan has never been controlled by a
religion with a single, omnipotent male deity, thus making comparison
to Eur-"
"Ladies!" came a low and sultry voice from behind the door,
"Don't you have work to do?"
Sa and Be both went slightly red, and each took a step back.
"You will be called when we're done, now off with you two."
Be and Sa bowed quickly to Kasumi and hurried off.
"Wiccan." Kasumi heard Sa mutter, to which Be replied: "Luddite."
"Wiccan," {and suggest} replied under her breath:
{This whole Belldandy/Sasami riff is hilarious, especially with that
last exchange.}
"Enter," boomed the voice from inside, and the door creaked
open. Upon entering, Kasumi saw a woman dressed in a formal kimono,
with normal brown hair, not a hint of face paint, and-
Kasumi knew it was bad manners to stare, so she fixed her eyes firmly
on the woman's face, not daring to look higher then the leader's brow.
{ *piku* You wouldn't. }
"Come now, and shut the door behind you. Now, what shall I call you?"
"Ka." Kasumi said simply, feeling quite nervous. This woman
"Ka,"
was different than Be and Sa, she was less like a homemaker, more
Sa;
like a general.
"Good choice, we don't have a Ka. My codename is," here she
drew herself up slightly, all the while, keeping her head perfectly
level, "Mata Hari Nikita Nightingale of Arc. But you may call me
Boss."
{hehe!}
Despite herself, Kasumi twitched.
"Yes, yes. I know, it's overkill. But I just couldn't make
up my mind. So, sit down, Ka and tell me why you want to join HOJ."
Ka, and
"Well, to help other women who've been taken in by
Martha-sensei." Kasumi answered promptly.
Martha-sensei,"
Homemaking should be creative, an expression of the very soul of the
individual. Otherwise it's just cleaning and meal planing."
planning."
"Very well put." Said Boss.
put," said
"I have the most righteous of justifications." The Boss
said, "Steward claims to be writing with Japanese sensibilities, but
not once in all the issues did she have a single article fashioned
for my tastes. Not one article about incorporating seasonal dioramas
into your hairstyles, no side note about housebreaking squirrel, and
even in her American magazines, no tips for removing tire skids form
from
wood floors. Don't even get me started about the total absence of
bungee cord cleaners in her catalogs."
This time, Kasumi face faulted.
{Me too. You would. More laughing out loud. What happens when Sana-chan
finds out what Mama's up to? :) }
fridge. P-chan was doing his best to act the part of innocent pet,
which was difficult, as he was so looking forward to the pounding
Akane was going to give Ramna, just as soon as he took the first bite.
Ranma,
The bite in question would happen to be an oddly colored lump, meat
question happened to be (actual, not potential, yes?}
or possible vegetable, held in chopsticks just centimeters from
possibly
Ranma's mouth. Rather like cherry blossoms, thought the pig,
beautiful in its transient's state.
transient
"Stop making faces," Akane hissed, "I didn't ask for Kasumi
hissed. "I
to take off at the last minute to go nurse some sick friend. If it
makes you worry any less, she left complete instructions to follow.
And I read them before I accidentally set them on fire.
{hehe!}
I've a good
memory for these things, except the tablespoons/teaspoons business,
{haha!}
and maybe. . ."
Ramna was losing his nerve even as she spoke. So before she
Ranma
could give him more good reason not to, he popped the morsel in his
mouth. He regretted it, as he knew he would, and his regret showed
on his face, which in turn had the expected effect on Akane.
She let out a low growl and reached behind her. Ranma closed
his eyes and gritted his teeth.
"Huh?" He heard her say, and open one eye to see a confused
"Huh?" he heard her say, and he opened one
Akane rummaging around the room.
"What?" asked Nabiki.
"I can't find my mallet."
{hoho! Had to happen. :) }
Ramna and Akane were arguing. This time about some
Ranma
live-action Rival Schools game involving Furinkan and a private
academy named Otohori.
{Now ordinarily I'd point out that it's spelled "Ohtori", give or take
romanization, but I have this funny feeling you mean it as given. :) }
"Fine, don't listen to me. I'm just a stupid tomboy after
all. But I'm telling you, I have a bad feeling about all this. And
besides, you don't even know how to fight with a sword." Akane was
sword,"
lecturing.
{Hey, but he can fake it brilliantly. ;> }
"Naturally, the American corporations, which suffered damage
corporations which
have called for Japan's Prime Minister to take a tough stance against
what they are referring to as blatant terrorism.
And then there were the personal projects she'd always meant
to get around to, like organizing the photo album; Nabiki was always
taking photographs.
{O_O Eeek.}
And then there was tomorrow to plan for.
They'll never know what hit them. :)
A nicely crafted story, full of deadpan takes on the familar characters
and deft touches adding surprising depth. I enjoyed it a lot, and now
I'm going to go read your Marmalade Boy prequel.
Thanks for writing and sharing!
Vince Seifert Fanfic Analyst FFIRC Frog
Prime: seifertv@csus.edu
Backup: seifertv@myrealbox.com
Techie: http://webpages.csus.edu/~seifertv/
Fanfic: http://www.csus.edu/indiv/s/seifertv/toth/
Ideas are worth their weight in gold.