Story planning discussion thread

[Brian]

@Panda:

That might be a little too comical.

Plus, I think the idea of different character being guides should you choose the comedy 'bad end' options would be harder to justify as Nabiki....  Well, actually.  I could see that working, if Nabiki kept running back from whatever she'd rather be doing to tell Ranma where he screwed up, but ... a little too comedic, I think.

You can join us in IRC any time you want.  That wouldn't hurt at all. ;)



@Muphrid:

Eh?  I don't think dilemma is the correct word here.

I just didn't remember the order off the top of my head.  It would have made a pretty organic point for the story to diverge from, but 'Ranma hasn't properly met his mother yet' is the more critical plot point for us to stick with.

With that, there's probably no reason to bother with Kinnosuke.  Using Mikado's sister and whatever boyfriend she manages to bring into the picture should be fine.  I'm keeping them vague at the moment, because I'm not sure what will help the story more.

[thepanda]

Now that I think of it, didn't Kodachi rope Ranma into something similar against what's-her-name, the White Lily?

[Brian]

Asuka.  And Akane even encouraged (nay, demanded) Ranma assist Kodachi.

[thepanda]

Right. I really need to read post-forest of giant animals arc Ranma again.

Man, I hated that arc.

[Brian]

Ryugenzawa's pluses were the Orochi and Shinnosuke's grandfather.

But it really felt incredibly lackluster compared to Herb.

[thepanda]

For me it was more that the entire arc hinged on Akane not just saying why she went there. She wasn't even doing the 'cannot spit it out' thing or holding back in embarrassment/anger/attempting to make Ranma jealous/whatever. She just carried that idiot ball around like she hoped to score with it.

Worse yet, Ranma was actually trying really hard not to be a jerk. Oddly enough, the arc make me pissed at Akane; this I blame squarely on Takahashi.

[Muphrid]

Ryugenzawa's pluses were the Orochi and Shinnosuke's grandfather.

But it really felt incredibly lackluster compared to Herb.

Really wish that Herb arc had been animated.  Here's to that live-action thing stirring up some interested in Ranma?  Maybe?

Anyway, I was just confused on why you thought the Umi-/Yamasenken arc taking place before would make Kinnosuke being part of the action unworkable, but it's all kind of moot since, on balance, I like the idea of Mikado's sister a bit better, too.  I know Takahashi would find some way to give the sister a punny name, but darned if I don't know enough Japanese to think of what would work for that.

How much overlap (or lack thereof) can/should there be in branches?  Some of the particulars of the Martial Arts Dating challenge could be worked out at this point depending on those details.  What would it even look like?  The couples go to a restaurant and attack each other with plates and silverware while trying to earn style points from judges for, say, most romantic gaze?

[Brian]

Ugh, I have no idea--

No, I'm sorry about that Muphrid, I was just trying to remember the order of events in my head.  You're thinking I had made a competent, well considered remark, when I didn't.  The issue isn't the sen-kens, but the reveal of Ranma/his curse to his mother (and it appears I remembered the name of that story line incorrectly, as well, which didn't help).  Pretty much totally irrelevant, here. >_>;

Anyway, had this chat with Dune and Hal this morning:

<Fujisawa> Gotta develop the characters.
<Fujisawa> My thinking ... don't reveal the girl's boyfriend, so we can have him be whatever the plot requires on the different paths.  The girl character should be kind of like a less-classy version of Asuka (kind of, actually, a bit like a cross between Asuka and Mariko).
<Fujisawa> Still need to give her a name, but Mikado's younger sister gives her the last name of 'Sanzenin'.  So, something that translates to roughly 'princess' ... which means her name would be Sanzenin Itsuki.
<Yukari-sama> Princess princess?
<Fujisawa> Yeah.  'Princess princess' works.
<Fujisawa> She'll still be somewhat less snooty than Asuka, and probably about as enthusiastic as Mariko.  But also a lot more vicious/mean with her commentary.
<Fujisawa> Now, the specifics of martial arts dating....  I guess the two ways of victory would be 'being the better, more elegant couple' or 'beating the snot out of the other guys in traditional Ranma 1/2 fashion'.
<Fujisawa> That leaves the endings open for either Amazons Overwhelming or Our Love Conquers All (depending on who is chosen).


<Fujisawa> So, somehow, she snubbed Nabiki.  I'm thinking the obvious solution is that Nabiki was on one of her little extortion play 'dates' and Itsuki got her boyfriend to buy something Nabiki wanted -- and it would have been the last one (a purse, I guess, so that Ranma can destroy it later as a potential Take That! to her).
<Fujisawa> Nabiki gets irritated, her date tries to step up (comedy: Poor Hiroshi?), and gets thoroughly trounced by Itsuki/her boyfriend.
<Fujisawa> Nabiki isn't a fighter, so as annoying as that all is, she ignores it until Itsuki comes around later while Ranma is following Nabiki home, trying to get details out of her (Hiroshi was really embarassed, so was obviously banged up but not willing to talk about it).
<Fujisawa> Itsuki/her boyfriend come along, mock Nabiki, manage to get Ranma all riled up, and Nabiki decides that if she's careful, she doesn't have to do any work at all to get Ranma to humiliate/defeat Itsuki.
<Fujisawa> And thus ... THE ADVENTURE BEGINS!
<@Shao_Koahn> Sounds solid, yes.

[Jon]

Looks good, though I'm not sure how you plan to relate this backstory. (Ranma's still the PoV character, yes?)

[Brian]

Yes.  I don't foresee any issues with presenting it from Ranma's PoV.  He doesn't have real insight into Nabiki's motives, but all that matters is he makes enough observations for the reader to figure it out, and point out that he is (personally) ticked off at the snubbing he endured -- at least enough that Itsuki is willing to let Nabiki go to have a fight with Ranma.

Though, being Ranma, he'd find a way to be in that fight anyway -- this is Ranma, after all.

[Jon]

Kill all the espers!

[Brian]

...final fantasy VI/Haruhi fusion?  Terra the esper, Yuki replaced with Ceres, and ... Mikuru as Mikuru?

Hmm.  Kyon would be Kyon, and Haruhi would be Haruhi.  Or Kefka.

...yeah, best not to think about that one too much more.

[Brian]

So, I haven't forgotten about this, but I did move last week -- which is why I haven't worked on _anything_ writing related, until Chen bit me to provoke C&C for Yukari-sama last night.

I haven't forgotten.  Hopefully I'll have some time on Sunday (and get my computer up and running by then) to toss up a more complete outline for the scene-flow of the trunk, up to the first branch (and a few of the comedy options).

Edit: While I'm on that, how many of those should I include, anyway?  They're meaningless, but instead of just being throw-away, also are an opportunity to (for example) switch which character Ranma observes for a given stretch -- without changing things seriously.  I'm speculating 5 for the trunk, with the last one being the meaningful one (go to school vs. find an ally who doesn't go to school).

[Muphrid]

I think 5 options is probably the absolute maximum before it would get overwhelming.  Some of that may have to do with the ratio of comedic to serious paths:  with only one choice furthering the story proper, more than 4 dead-end choices might be confusing.

Then again, if they're really obvious gag choices (as has been touched on), that probably doesn't matter much, either.

[Dracos]

Also the ratio of writers to scene :)

Keep that in mind for all your sanity.