Obsession: Kannazuki no Miko/Ranma(possibly)

[Metroidvania]

This is quite nuts, even by my own odd standards.

I'm guessing the amount of people here who've watched the other series, so I'll give a little backstory.

Two doomed priestesses who end up falling in love constantly, the doomed comes from the Orochi, evil with a capital E, and has 8 "heads", who all control interesting looking mecha. The doomed comes from that to seal the Orochi, one of the priestesses must kill each other.

The moon priestess, the popular yet mysterious Chikane, realizes this earlier than the main chara, Himeko, slightly bumbling, good-hearted...kinda like Usagi, in a way.

Anywho, the two try to summon the goddess Ame no Murakumo, who appears as a counter to the Orochi mecha.

Several failed attempts are made, but Chikane, as mentioned earlier, semi-gets her memory back...and tries to force Himeko to hate her by several disturbing methods, as she couldn't bear to kill the reincarnated Himeko again.

Himeko, abandoned, turns to the 8th orochi head, who is unwillingly fighting his duty, and is also in love with the blonde.

Anywho, the series ends up in a heartwrenching scene where the two girls confess their love, as Chikane lays dying, stabbed by himeko. At the very end, Chikane promises that she will reincarnate, and though their memories will be lost, tells Himeko never to forget her. Himeko swears, and at the very ending credits, an older Himeko finds someone who just happens to look like Chikane.

...but what if that girl happened to be Ranma?

I admit the reasoning is weak, and may lead to OC, but there are several factors that do coincide.

Chikane excels at anything she sets her mind to, and Ranma's only really concentrated on the martial arts. Two, Chikane refuses to voice her true feelings, also similar. Three, Chikane ignores anything that annoys her, and the soul of ice has been used before, 4th, definite jealousy issues, Chikane can't stand himeko going out with someone else, Ranma interceding on Ryoga and Akane's date, his dealing with the reversed Shampoo...fifth, let's not forget those stunning blue eyes.

Another reason I'm considering Ranma is that it would make an interesting backstory through flashbacks and appearances of now older Nerima characters, and how the different Ranma came to be trapped as she is.

(shrugs)

I know it's odd, I'm placing it here as a why to see if anyone can help me flesh this out a little better on the reasoning side.

If nothing else, I can just take Ranma out and leave the Kannazuki elements in, but for some reason, Ranma seems to like he/she could work.

A different possibility for the backstory is for Ranma to get splashed during the Saffron fight, lose hold of the Gekkaja, and forcefully awakens the priestess, including the powerful katana that comes with the job....when she wakes up, she's feeling rather strange emotions, as well as a strange detachement from any of the girls...as well as being a fair bit taller and having long blue hair. She won't take no for an answer, and as the Nerima cast keeps trying to keep her there, she gets more and more distraught, angry, and loses more of herself, as every dreaming moment is of _her_, someone she's never met, but already feels far closer to then Akane...which scares her, as she's not used to feeling so strongly for someone...ever.

In essence, the fight with Saffron drew the attention of the patron goddess of the priestesses, and to help Himeko with some visual clues, she changed Ranma into a more Chikane looking physique, similar to what (could have) been done in the past. Hey, phoenix...whatever the plural is, are, even if Saffy's not a god, related to the sun's energy.

As I noted earlier, I'm hoping someone else can offer another perspective.

[Dumbledork]

I don't know anything about Kannazuki no Miko so I can't give you any advice. But I agree, Ranma would fit in.

[Spokavriel]

It's an interesting idea but what's the story? You've mentioned the backgrounds and comparisons but what will happen? Is this just going to be a reunion/romance spamfic based off the revelations or is there going to be something more taking advantage of all the involved characters abilities?

[Metroidvania]

Is this just going to be a reunion/romance spamfic based off the revelations or is there going to be something more taking advantage of all the involved characters abilities?

that'll teach me to post at 12:20.

Romance plays a role, No, it won't be devoid of friction.

Chikane/Ranma's gotten free temporarily, but not all of those crazy psychos are about to let her leave.

The actual level of _physical_ violence may not be high, honestly, I'm torn between re-introducing the Orochi as some of the Ranma cast at this point.

If I did go without a whole lot of physical violence, it'd be more an explanation of Himeko discovering who Chikane is, and how deeply their feelings are.

As the title mentions, sometimes, to me, Chikane's love for Himeko borders on obsession. And how Ranma deals feelings of that scope and intensity...I think that in itself would be quite interesting.

[Seraph]

while I haven't seen it, I have heard and read a little of what Kannazui no Miko is about and I find your idea very interesting.

Only reasoning you have that sounded off to me was your third where Chikane ignores anything that annoys her as I don't really see Ranma doing that. But then, after living with Genma on the road for 10 years, some of the characteristic traits of Chikane will have be changed(can't exactly ignore a punch or kick to the head). Either way,if you have Chikane born as Ranma(as in, Ranma acts like carbon copy of Chikane, at least, before the training trip) then you're running into a slightly more AU path imo.

Your other option, as you mentioned with the saffron, is to have some sort of trigger unlock the "Chikane" with Ranma. Besides the Saffron fight, you could have the trigger be bumping into Himeko(like in Persona 2 Eternal Punishment) or maybe when ranma first gets the girl curse. Now this could be a sudden change in personailty or a gradual change or maybe some split(acts like ranma as boy, but chikane as girl).

As Orochi, you could have it the source of the chaos in ranma's life. Maybe last breath curse on chikane as she lay dying or something. The Goddess & Himeko in which case, would have an extra incentive to find and help Ranma/Chikane

[Metroidvania]

Either way,if you have Chikane born as Ranma(as in, Ranma acts like carbon copy of Chikane, at least, before the training trip) then you're running into a slightly more AU path imo

Definitely more AU, I agree. But nonetheless interesting, IMO, especially if it's explored as more of Ranma/Chikane's past shows up while she's reacquainting with Himeko.

Your other option, as you mentioned with the saffron, is to have some sort of trigger unlock the "Chikane" with Ranma. Besides the Saffron fight, you could have the trigger be bumping into Himeko(like in Persona 2 Eternal Punishment) or maybe when ranma first gets the girl curse. Now this could be a sudden change in personailty or a gradual change or maybe some split(acts like ranma as boy, but chikane as girl).

Hmmm...it is possible, yes.

As Orochi, you could have it the source of the chaos in ranma's life. Maybe last breath curse on chikane as she lay dying or something. The Goddess & Himeko in which case, would have an extra incentive to find and help Ranma/Chikane

Also workable....I would personally prefer the mix rather than a split, because that's the kind of situation like the Kunos see Ranma, if that makes sense.

Heh...Chikane in the anime pretended to take up the banner of the Orochi, even to the point of almost using its powers....who's to say orochi didn't get some influence in?

[ToastedPine]

Could you explain the nature of the orochi and how the deeper system functions? It's been a while since I've seen the anime and my memory is a bit hazy. Why is the orochi tied to the fate of the priestesses, and why despite the fatedness of things, does Souma fall in love with Himeko?

[Metroidvania]

Wiki does actually manage to explain this fairly well.

Warning, massive text.

The great villain of the series is Orochi, an evil god who wishes to destroy the world of humanity and create its own realm, a place of darkness and nihilism. Like its counterpart from Japanese mythology, the Orochi of Kannazuki no Miko has eight 'necks', its eight worshipers and followers, who are also called Orochi (オロチ衆, Orochi?) by association. Each of the eight possesses a mecha, which is both an 'other self' for the Orochi members and an embodiment of a lesser god (which rise time and again from the ashes of destruction), which forms part of the evil deity Orochi's body. Each individual follower has exaggerated personal characteristics; there is some indication that the evil deity granted its followers great physical strength and endurance, a limited capacity for teleportation and levitation, as well as a unique power or weapon to suit their individual character. A follower who has the willpower to repress the wellspring of rage that rises in their minds when Orochi claims them can use the powers they have gained against Orochi. The evil deity, unfortunately, administers a dire punishment to those who resist it. Orochi chooses its followers from those who have experienced great pain in their lives and have given in to despair. The six evil Orochi fit easily into archetypes, consisting of a sociopathic criminal, an unintelligent brute, a former pop idol, an anti-social manga artist, a catgirl, and a disillusioned nun. They are extremely discordant with each other and do not coordinate their attacks on the Miko until the middle of the series.

That's the Orochi in a nutshell.

He's related to the priestesses in that Ame no Murakumo was the one who sealed the Orochi, on the condition that one priestess take the life of the other.

Except...it's not a permanent sealing.

As for Souma, it's just one of those things that happens before the series starts. It's not quite love until they go on several of their "dates". Reasons? I believe it's the usual, kindess, naivete, pretty...his love actually blossoms during his and Himeko's "dates". It's the whole reason he's fighting Orochi's influence in the first place. Kind of a plot point, if you will.

Although admittedly, I should re-watch the entire series as well, I'd scoped out the Himeko Chikane interactions, but a few episodes in the middle are what really portrays the Souma/Himeko more aptly.

[Spokavriel]

Considering how much certain characters of the Ranma series have direct ties to the 7 deadly sins it's not too hard to see how you could make some of the characters fall into place as parts of Orochi. Especially the Kunos, Ryouga And unavoidably Happosai.

[ToastedPine]

<Insert standard disclaimer about author voice and not having others dictate what you should write here. Only saw the issues and thought about ways to possibly get around them.>

Had time to think this over, the premise is good, but as you said, the setup is weak.

For the first option, the fact that the soul of ice has been used before doesn't make a good reason to use again. I feel that using the darned thing to give Ranma a character overhaul is very brute force.

The second option isn't better or worse, the canon already has it's own stipulations for wakening, using Saffron cheapens the awakening into a plot device.

You also have to explain why Chikane even looks like Ranma, which is difficult to do without looking contrived. It's possible, but I can't think of a way at the moment. As far as I know, the priestesses always have to look exactly the same when they are reborn.

Okay, now that I'm done picking this apart, there's some potential that I do see:

A role reversal might be kinda cool, Himeko strives to emulate Chikane so that she'll always be with her in some way (she's not sure whether or not they'll ever really meet in her lifetime). In which case, Ranma could just be Ranma and you could pass him/her off with very slight changes in character as Chikane born with the same characteristics but developed differently under different circumstances.

There's also the outright denial route: Ranma can just flatly refuse to let fate make him into this "other girl" and try to solve the orochi problem his own way, which would probably end up blowing up the world, but that's where the fun is IMO. Problem with this setup would be how he looks and thinks and why he was born a guy in the first place. Ugh, the reviving a female scout with a botched spell setup from some Ranma/SM fic is playing in my mind. Yuck.

The seven orochi are chosen by blood iirc, so I really wouldn't switch them with Ranma 1/2's cast unless you intend to redraw entire genealogies for everyone. That and Himeko can't have died of old age yet, so unless you intend on casting her as a grandma, I don't think turning using the NWC as the next generation would be a good idea (not to mention Happy was probably alive already back then). Neither is outright substituting them with the orochi heads since having them substituted while Himeko stays would make no sense.

[Metroidvania]

(disclaimer acknowledged)

Soul of ice was a last resort option, Saffron was just a possibility.

I'm working on other possible points.

Heck, maybe Ranma's still Ranma _until_ he becomes female, in which Chikane's behavior starts merging with his own.

You also have to explain why Chikane even looks like Ranma, which is difficult to do without looking contrived. It's possible, but I can't think of a way at the moment. As far as I know, the priestesses always have to look exactly the same when they are reborn.

Well, if the awakening does take place, lunar magic could equal physical transformation as well. (shrugs) If I made it so Chikane shows up right at the first Jusenkyo appearance,...you get the idea.

A role reversal? could work, except Himeko doesn't technically remember Chikane at all, except for that tiny smidgen. I suppose I could have her include it in the promise she made....

Denial?....not really what I was aiming for, but also a distinct possibility, especially if I keep the personalities seperate.

As for the Orochi, replacing them would be problematic, especially since they're alive at the end...but perhaps they wouldn't be quite so eager to fight for the orochi now that they've encountered some moderate success after the orohi's death the last time around...which was really a couple of years.

[Spokavriel]

What if you end up doing a deal between Haposai and Orochi around the death of the Priestess causing a curse on her at death that leads to her soul being incarnated into Ranma?

You know one of those fate altering acts of mages to try to destroy an eternal pattern and what not.

Happosai's reward is the ability to increase his life span and power through the collection of womens possessions, More intimate/personal it is the more it powers him up. (Which he's all for anyway because it would have taken place after the Amazon village anyway)

And the gods retribution on Happosai for participating is making the altered incarnation the son of his student. Keeping direct interference to a minimum.

[ToastedPine]

Well, if the awakening does take place, lunar magic could equal physical transformation as well. (shrugs) If I made it so Chikane shows up right at the first Jusenkyo appearance,...you get the idea.

In that case, how about diving into Jusenkyo head first. The time frame of the final scene gets altered. The events repeat themsleves, only during an earlier time in the past. On Chikane's death Himeko makes the decision to fight fate in whatever way she can.

Enter cursed tragic spring of drowned priestesses. Himeko drowns herself and Chikane just as Chikane is about to die. The idea being simple and somewhat selfish: maybe someone else can be the sacrifice for a change or maybe this will leave some type of opening to break fate the next time around.

This way, you can use the canon present timeline for Kannaduki no Miko, Ranma will be of comparable age, and you can change the normal red headed curse into something else.

It's still ugly, but I think it solves a lot of the problems.

[Metroidvania]

hmm...perhaps Himeko tries to drown herself and Chikane, but Chikane stops _her_ at the last moment, since Chikane's dying anyways...technically, she doesn't really _die_, but is trapped in the shrine for all eternity, though she's still being reincarnated....almost drowned chikane, similar to Kiima?

this could possibly mean, though, I would have trouble with in this scenario explaining _why_ Ranma became Chikane, and the obsession.

Sounds kinda odd, I know, but I really want to capitalize on that.

[ToastedPine]

hmm...perhaps Himeko tries to drown herself and Chikane, but Chikane stops _her_ at the last moment, since Chikane's dying anyways...technically, she doesn't really _die_, but is trapped in the shrine for all eternity, though she's still being reincarnated....almost drowned chikane, similar to Kiima?

this could possibly mean, though, I would have trouble with in this scenario explaining _why_ Ranma became Chikane, and the obsession.

Sounds kinda odd, I know, but I really want to capitalize on that.

Could work. Ranma does become Chikane but isn't really Chikane. His base drives like undeniable attraction to Himeko would stand, and in theory it would be possible for Chikane to exist and Ranma still have his curse as Chikane at the same time. Chikane's stronger personality attributes along with the obsession would probably remain dormant until Ranma sees Himeko.

Now Ranma has to do something. He has an unexplainable attraction to a stranger he's never met before, and he discovers that he doesn't mind throwing his life or even identity away to get close to that stranger. Ranma would probably be freaked that his will can barely hold back something this primal.