VERY weird concept... but viable?

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

This extremely strange concept for a possible fanfic came to me today, courtesy of watching -and I don't believe I'm saying this- the opening theme to Count Duckula. The basic idea is that, in the future, Ranma's descendants are having some major problems. As Ranma has basically gone down in their family history as a hero-type character, in sheer desperation they try to resurrect him, hoping that with his aid/leadership they can get through this crisis. Unfortunately, they stuff up the ritual and end up resurrecting not "Ranma in his prime", but "Ranma in his youth"- aka Ranma of the canon (though likely sans curse, as they were looking for "Ranma's soul" not "Ranma's soul plus parasite"). The result is Ranma having to deal with being not just a fish in alien waters, but also a fish in stormy waters.

Now, I'm positive that this idea is far too ridiculous to work, but I just couldn't repress the morbid desire to find out just how screwy it really is.

[Spokavriel]

Rather it had the curse and somehow that little factoid was left out of the family history. Hinting that some time many generations ago there was a cure for it that was found but what it would be Kami only know.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

While I have no problems with Ranma being cursed, it's how he came back to life with the curse that bothers me- if they were simply aiming for Ranma's soul, and particularly his soul at a point after he had been cured, then why would the curse have come along? Screwing up the age is easy to explain; grabbing something that is, fundamentally, completely foreign to the target, is a lot harder. Think dredging for shrimp but getting a yellowbelly in the net too.

Wait- you mean to tell me that you don't think that this idea isn't completely insane??

[Spokavriel]

I've seen worse and it needs more to really be a full idea. Don't forget there's a minimum paragraph amount marked on the board.

[FOG3]

I've actually seen this done at least once to crossover Ranma with Saber Marionettes. (linkage)

It's really kind of a lame plot device though. To really play it you need to go the technological route, which makes no sense or the Necromancy route. That kind of nasty Necromancy is prety much instant dark fic material, though.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

Well, I have some more thought to it, but I was just worried that the fundamental concept was so ridiculous that I figured I might as well save my breath (so to speak) and just bring that up for mockery.

The actual base of the story that evolved from that root concept was, and I admit this freely, inspired by Warhammer 40000, Outlaw Star, and a few other bits 'n' pieces whose origins escape me at the moment, among other things the fact that magic and ki use seem to be thriving in the Ranma setting (the ki-powered battlesuit that Gosunkugi bought, that mountain where mushrooms of love grow wildly and commonly, the compatability sakura-mochi, for examples). The basic hypothesis is that the setting for the story is about 400 or so years in the future -neccessary for Ranma to be dead of natural causes (if Happosai & Cologne lived 300 years, Ranma should live that long too)- and a universe where magic supplements technology and is, in fact, required for hypertech. I think part of the inspiration was Dead Space (on one hand, you have spaceships that include hydroponics gardens to feed their crew, on the other, you have engineering tools that can stop time and grant telekinesis), and another the need for a dues ex machina.

Anyway, in this setting, I envisioned the human race as basically making use of the "Rogue Trader" concept from WH40K- these are traders and explorers who go beyond the human empire/known space in order to find trade goods and customers in the darkness beyond. My setting's version, however, basically has a number of legal immunities... in echange for legal non-viabilities. Basically, a Rogue Trader can get away with a lot of stuff that a licensed trader couldn't, but in return, they forfeit a lot of legal protection. For example, if an RT wanted to trade weapons to the people of Sigma IV to use in their local wars, then they're fine to do so. However, if the warlord they try to bargain with decides instead to skin them alive and take their goods, then the earth government won't protect the RT from him, or obtain revenge when he does it.

I'm unsure whether or not to include "Troubleshooters" (half Cowboy Bebop style bounty hunter, half rogue in the style of the titual Outlaws of Outlaw Star, half mercenary for hire, half Shadowrunner) in this setting, and if I do, whether or not to make them part of the Rogue Traders or something seperate, but that's another topic.

This has basically led to the formation of 'Trader Clans'- Rogue Traders united by blood, marriage and similar bonds who work together and rely on each other for protection. As you've probably guessed, Ranma's lineage is a Trader Clan- likely one of the oldest, and Ranma's founding of the clan is why he's such a legend amongst his descendants. Unfortunately, in the decades (years?) since his death, the clan's fortunes have been taking severe beatings. Pirate raids, war with rival traders, clan feuds... it's basically being torn apart, which is why they were desperate enough to attempt something that's actually illegal in most, if not all, known galatic empires- Ranma's legend is such that they figure he will have the luck, the cunning, and the willpower to restore them. Of course, the Ranma they were after was much older and more experienced than the one they get, so you can forgive them for being underwhelmed by him...

Edit: Fog3, why does using necromancy force it to be a dark fic? I mean, yes, the spell used is forbidden and dangerous even in canon, but it's use in this scenario (a 'blank', a mindless and gene-purged human clone normally grown to provide organs for transplants, is used to host a dead soul called back from the afterlife) isn't malevolent, and it's not like the wizards involved actually want do it- they're using it because they feel they have no other choice.

[FOG3]

Bringing people back needs to always be handled as having a hefty tole where it is allowed at all. Else you have this problem of why anyone dies, especially the powerful.

Your own explanation is to take a perfectly viable human being, and allow something else to possess it's body. Nasty preparations or no. Adding that you would have slaughtered this person for organs only comes across as grotesque, ruthless, and amoral.

Usually when you come across a person that is willing to ruthlessly slaughter innocent people to keep themselves alive/in power the response is to take that person out.

A) Cloning like that is pure Sci-Fi.
B) They often in that context speak of either cloning organs or headless bodies for the purpose you allude to.
C) It's all nastiness. Whitewash or no whitewash. Especially as in any real scenario the whitewash would almost assuredly be Medical lying their asses off, again.

I'm sorry how is this not nasty, dark territory involving evil? At least if the person used as the host actually chose to go through with this I might not feel the need to be physically ill.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

I think the two of us are misunderstanding each other. There is a reason why the spell is illegal- the ethical and other problems that it can cause means it's #1 on the Intergalatic Forbidden Spells list. If it came out that they were using this spell, Ranma's clan would have their license revoked and be exiled at the least, and more likely executed- that they'd resort to it this once is intended to highlight just how desperate the whole situation is. In the intended scenario, Ranma would have been kept to the shadows and heavily disguised when required to take up a more public role- resurrection is that prohibited.

As for the clone... truth be told, calling it a clone is being generous. It's a sample of human tissue, genetically altered to have all chromosones stripped away so that it won't induce transplant rejection, artificially grown into the requisite shape. It's really nothing more than organic putty, a futuristic golem- it has no mind, no personality, it doesn't even have bodily functions; technology is used to keep it healthy until it needs to be harvested. In fact, as it's little more than blank cells, it can actually be stimulated to regrow once harvested, so it's cheaper in the long run- like growing an apple tree to use for pies instead of constantly buying raw apples. Yes, it's a nasty, nasty process, and Ranma himself will probably freak out when/if he finds out how they gave his soul a place to inhabit (though whoever told him would be quick to say the alternative was coring out a living person and slotting him into their body instead), but I did say that there was a deal of Warhammer 40K involved in this concept.

[Spokavriel]

I was thinking something more along the lines of using his own remains or having an awakening of spirit in a descendant like the second coming of Drago Museviny would have been in Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda. You know the way it was prophesied when the Progenitor is first brought up in the series.

The Count Duckula scenario was using a sacred rite using the remains of the one who died and giving them blood at the appointed hour to revive them. But the latest resurrection didn't go quite as planned. Tomato juice was accidentally grabbed by Nanna.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

Truth be told, I was actually intending to use the "Ranma's remains are the key component and are transmuted into living flesh" version myself, but I thought that was what was disturbing Fog3, hence why I suggested the transplantation of a spirit called back from the void into a mindless, soulless, artificial body.

Either the transmutation of his original body from bones and ash or the soul transplanted into an artificial body scenario works fine for me- having it awakened in the body of a descendant either leads to a 'schtizo' scenario, where Ranma is just a voice along for the ride and thus practically a non-entity in his own story, or it leads to him destroying one of his own children (albeit unwittingly and unwillingly) for his return to life. I've problems with that format of resurrection.

So, what do you think of the base scenario I extrapolated from the concept anyway?

[Spokavriel]

I don't know the universe and I got lost trying to follow it a few times.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

I see... now, how to clear things up?
*Humanity is a starfaring race
*Humanity is not alone in the cosmos
*There is no grand unifying empire- the human empire is noted as being unusually big, and it not only covers (barely) several solar systems, but is also notoriously bogged down with beaucracy, incompetence, corruption and is otherwise unwieldy to the point of being barely functional
*Despite this, there are certain things that are generally regarded the same way by all factions and this "intergalatic code" is the main source of law and peace between the various races & factions
*Magic exists and its existence is accepted by all starfaring race, as the integration of magic and technology is required for viable 'sci fi' grade technology (cloning for transplants, FTL travel, etc)
*Of course, some magics and some technologies are illegal, either in specific areas or in general
*There exists a human based organization known as the Rogue Traders
*Rogue Traders receive licences that allow them to travel freely beyond the boundaries of human space, making them something of a combination of merchant prince and adventurer- the most successful Rogues can command entire fleets of ships and armies of followers
*Rogue Traders adhere mostly to their own laws, but this also means that they have little legal protection
*For defense, many Rogue Traders group together into alliances, usually referred to as clans as most such are bound together by blood and wedding ties
*Rogue Trader clans fight and squabble amongst themselves all the time- this is what has prevented them from getting too united
*Some conspiracy theorists claim that the Earth-based government actively promotes squabbles amongst the Clans, either to keep them from forming a "Rogue Trader Guild" and thusly establishing themselves as a rival political entity, or to ensure that they keep working on finding new resources, or both

So, does that clear things up? Anything else I need to explain?

[Ellen Kuhfeld]

You don't need an organic body. Consider using the Nuku Nuku scenario, though the technology has advanced enough that organic components are no longer required.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

To be honest, Ellen, I was actually planning to use the Duckula route (original body restored as part of the spell) and I only suggested the soul tranplant route because I misunderstood why Fog3 was squicked out. With that cleared up, I'm going back to the original plan and having them just raid Ranma's tomb for the neccessary 'components'.

[Ellen Kuhfeld]

I rather liked Count Duckula. I wonder if I can find a torrent to download. (Just got Megas XLR, and am watching it.)