Ranma as Nosferatu: Deformities?

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

This is just something that came to mind recently and which I'm uncertain of how to answer. In short, Ranma is stalked by a (Requiem) Nosferatu who either is envious of Ranma's beauty and "happiness" or who thinks Ranma is a beautiful jerkass and thusly it ambushes him, drains him, and Embraces him - what the Old World of Darkness called a Cleopatra. The reason I'm here, as the title suggests, is to figure out how being Embraced warps Ranma - the weakness of the Nosferatu in Requiem is that they are invariably repulsive or disquieting. This can take the form of physical deformities (the elongated, beak-like nose, rat-like fangs, baldness, corpse-pallor, spidery talons and bestial ears of Count Orlock is the most obvious example), but not neccessarily so. It varies a lot - more subtle physical mutations, such as eyes of an unnatural shade, are possible, but it could be something even less physical. A Nosferatu might have a palpable aura of menace, an undeniable predatory mien, a fear inducing gaze - there's at least one New Orleans Nosferatu who actually looks perfectly human... in fact, she's too perfect, going through beautiful and out the other side into just plain creepy (think "uncanny valley"). So... does anyone have any thoughts on how I should deform Ranma? I'm trying to make it worse for him by having it that the changes aren't severe enough to obliterate his identity; he's still perfectly recognizable as his former self, which just means he's even freakier to his former rivals.

[Battlekrome]

well eye changes (no pupil / glow (ie like cats-eyes at night) or such)

complextion change (whitening of the skin from japanese)

the non physical effects make sense as well

overall i can see ranma ending up with changed pupils and an undeniable predatory mien
possibly even becoming unearthly beautiful (kinda karmic that way)

now i'm not up that much on requiem rules wise but its kinda of iffy death wise versus the curse

if he keeps the curse ... unearthly beauty for the female side and just go for eyes and predatory mien etc

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

To be honest, I intend to go for the "embraced as male, death removes curse" aspect. As far as I'm concerned, Ranma's got enough troubles in that he is now not only an undead abomination who must feast upon the blood of the living to survive, but also so unbearably repulsive that even his most amorous fiancees won't want anything to do with him (unless he ghouls them), not to mention he doesn't know the first thing about the very strict and very alien rules of his newfound "culture" (even if I don't use the idea that Ranma's sire makes the mistake of taunting Ranma very soon after the Embrace and Ranma promptly snaps, falls to the Beast, and diablerizes her/him, as a Celopatra, Ranma's sire is intending to just leave Ranma to struggle to "survive" anyway). In this situation, the curse is just unneccesary insult. Besides, I'm sick of all those "Rama becomes female vampire/succubus/whatever" fanfics.

That said, I want to thank you for your opinion - as far as I can tell, only having the core Requiem book, there's no "crunch" to the deformities of being Nosferatu beyond "in regard to dice pools based on Presence or Manipulation in social situations, the Nosferatu does not benefit from the 10-again rule and also subtracts any 1s from the successes, though this weakness does not apply to Intimidate or Composure dice pools", so, really, anything that makes him unsettling works. The Old World of Darkness used to have specific Nosferatu mutations as advantages (Patagia, Shed Limbs) and disadvantages (Blunt Teeth), via Clanbook Nosferatu, but I don't know if Requiem is the same.

[Fellow Sufferer]

Well, I'm not particulary keen on burdening Ranma with a new set of problems on top of being a soulless bloodsucking monster - why not make him a Daeva instead? Celerity and Vigor should be right up his valley. All Kindred are damned, some just more subtly than others.

[Spokavriel]

You remove the curse don't expect me to ever read it. I dislike Vampire stories enough without that more or less killing off most of the point to using Ranma anyway.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

Well, I'm not particulary keen on burdening Ranma with a new set of problems on top of being a soulless bloodsucking monster - why not make him a Daeva instead? Celerity and Vigor should be right up his valley. All Kindred are damned, some just more subtly than others.

Well, partly it's too cliche - Ranma is generally considered, to an extent in series, as "one of the beautiful people", so a Daeva Embrace would really just be "more of the same", you know what I mean? Beyond which, the Daeva curse of increased hedonism doesn't really seem to make much sense for Ranma - it doesn't "mesh" well with him. Ranma's used to denial and hardship; I likes his comforts, but he won't think about passing them over for whatever reason.

Besides which, from my understanding, Daeva are very quick to lose connection with their humanity (and not just in the Moral Meter sense); they become so self-absorbed and frustrated over their pleasures that the average Daeva stops really noticing humans as anything more than just "props" in their undeath. Whereas the greatest curse of the Nosferatu is that, for all their disquieting effect, they're still more "human" than other vampires - they can still emphasize with and understand humans better (not perfectly, but better), drawing them to humans even as their taint pushes humans away. This, I think, torments Ranma much more and so makes it a "worthy" replacement for Jusenkyo.

As for Spokavriel, that's no skin off my nose - I can't remember the last time I've read any of the fanfics you've searched for on the Fic Request board. We obviously have very different tastes - to me, what makes Ranma "Ranma" is his personality and his character, not the fact he's a gender bender. The story of Ranma 1/2, ultimately, boils down to Ranma's (often hilarious) struggle against personal obstacles, most obviously his changing into a girl when splashed with cold water. The gender bending is just a gimmic that exemplifies Ranma's struggle for control over his chaotic life (and serves as a cheap hook for plots and comedy), it's not essential to the plot.

[Fellow Sufferer]

Well, partly it's too cliche - Ranma is generally considered, to an extent in series, as "one of the beautiful people", so a Daeva Embrace would really just be "more of the same", you know what I mean? Beyond which, the Daeva curse of increased hedonism doesn't really seem to make much sense for Ranma - it doesn't "mesh" well with him. Ranma's used to denial and hardship; I likes his comforts, but he won't think about passing them over for whatever reason.

Besides which, from my understanding, Daeva are very quick to lose connection with their humanity (and not just in the Moral Meter sense); they become so self-absorbed and frustrated over their pleasures that the average Daeva stops really noticing humans as anything more than just "props" in their undeath. Whereas the greatest curse of the Nosferatu is that, for all their disquieting effect, they're still more "human" than other vampires - they can still emphasize with and understand humans better (not perfectly, but better), drawing them to humans even as their taint pushes humans away. This, I think, torments Ranma much more and so makes it a "worthy" replacement for Jusenkyo.

Hmm, I wonder just what time scales you have in mind for your crossover. Most young vampires are, to my understanding, don't lose their connection to humanity right off the bat. It takes years, decades - and a torpor or two - for a vampire to really start feeling damned.

And what''ll be the goal - Golconda? Perhaps he'll join Ordo Dracul, and try to learn all the Coils? Something personal?

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

Honestly, I haven't thought that far yet. I've mostly been thinking about how to screw Ranma's unlife up from the get-go then what he'll struggle for once he learns how to hunt, hide and survive as one of the Haunts.

[Fellow Sufferer]

Honestly, I haven't thought that far yet. I've mostly been thinking about how to screw Ranma's unlife up from the get-go then what he'll struggle for once he learns how to hunt, hide and survive as one of the Haunts.

Sigh. Well, I don't think that I'll be following this one - not because of the lack of the curse, but because of what being a vampire will do to Ranma. I like his character - even associate myself with him to some degree - and don't particulary like seeing him being punished for nothing, see him suffer and gradually turn into a monster all VtR vampires become eventually - that's one of my problems with Lawra's REN, btw. Being a Haunt will focus this on a feeling of rejection, on being a pariah even among fellow vampires. Not my cup of tea, I'm afraid.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

I can understand your feelings; to be honest, the main reason I even thought of making him a Nosferatu is because, really, Ranma's already pretty much rejected in canon. His supposed love interests have no faith in him and treat him like alternatively a prize and a scapegoat, his so-called "friends" are only that because they want to beat him up without killing him, his father doesn't care what happens to Ranma so long as Genma himself is untouched. And yet, in canon, Ranma always perseveres. That was really what I wanted to explore; that no matter the odds stacked against him, Ranma never gives up, that even though he outcast, pariah, unwanted, he will not be broken; he bends, adapts, grows stronger and triumphs in the end, no matter what it takes. If I get this story off of the ground, Ranma will not become some lonely Strigoi, skulking in the sewers and feeding on corpses; he will stand defiant, fight against the world, and win. He may not reach Golconda, it may not even exist, but he will carve out a place for himself in the Occultic Underground that is the World of Darkness. He will earn respect, vitae be damned, and even admiration, no matter how grudging it may be.

To be honest, I am aware that sort of theme would probably have better suited Ranma as a Changeling, but I figured Vampire: The Reqiuem would be more well-known than Changeling: The Lost. I'd be happy to drop this interpretation and render Ranma into one of the Fae's escaped victims if I thought I could get help with doing so.

[Fellow Sufferer]

I can understand your feelings; to be honest, the main reason I even thought of making him a Nosferatu is because, really, Ranma's already pretty much rejected in canon. His supposed love interests have no faith in him and treat him like alternatively a prize and a scapegoat, his so-called "friends" are only that because they want to beat him up without killing him, his father doesn't care what happens to Ranma so long as Genma himself is untouched. And yet, in canon, Ranma always perseveres. That was really what I wanted to explore; that no matter the odds stacked against him, Ranma never gives up, that even though he outcast, pariah, unwanted, he will not be broken; he bends, adapts, grows stronger and triumphs in the end, no matter what it takes. If I get this story off of the ground, Ranma will not become some lonely Strigoi, skulking in the sewers and feeding on corpses; he will stand defiant, fight against the world, and win. He may not reach Golconda, it may not even exist, but he will carve out a place for himself in the Occultic Underground that is the World of Darkness. He will earn respect, vitae be damned, and even admiration, no matter how grudging it may be.

So, you plan to pit Ranma against the very theme of Vampire:The Requiem - if not overall nWod? Well, if anyone can do this... ^_^

To be honest, I am aware that sort of theme would probably have better suited Ranma as a Changeling, but I figured Vampire: The Reqiuem would be more well-known than Changeling: The Lost. I'd be happy to drop this interpretation and render Ranma into one of the Fae's escaped victims if I thought I could get help with doing so.

Ho! Just what kind of help do you need? I've no experience of actually playing it, but I can scour the books - and I have them all, I believe - like there's no tomorrow %). I think that Changeling would be much more interesting setting for Ranma that another vampire one.

[Spokavriel]

Where do you find Ranma being rejected in canon?

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

Spokavriel:
Let's see... even excusing Akane's statement of being engaged to her worst nightmare as mere overreaction to the shock of an arranged marriage, she clearly doesn't have much trust or faith in him in the manga - she is quick to jump to the conclusion that Ranma will try and rape her in the hypnotic mushroom arc before he even tries anything (in the anime, she never thinks he intends to go something that far, doesn't get mad until he actually does keep touching her without her permission, and doesn't react as violently as the original version), admits to herself that she treats Ranma worse than she should in the Nabiki as Ranma's fiancee arc but then goes on doing it anyway, etc. Ryoga only cares about Ranma in so much that he is a respectable rival and a worthy goal to challenge for - he actually cares less about the fact Ranma is engaged to Akane than Mousse does that Ranma is engaged to Shampoo; Ryoga just wants to prove he's the better fighter than Ranma, and he'll handle wooing Akane on his own terms. Mousse and Tatewaki both view Ranma as nothing more than an obstacle to romantic happiness. Ukyo, Shampoo and Kodachi all vary between physically abusing Ranma and treating him like some sort of trophy. And these are the only "friends" Ranma has; outside of Hiroshi and Daisuke, who are only named characters in the anime and who seem to hang around Ranma mainly for the entertainment/cool factor, all of the other kids consider Ranma a freak, even officially proclaiming to be "the school freak" in one of the Principal Kuno stories. I'll admit that's not outright rejection, but it's still pretty much no social life at all.

Fellow Sufferer:
I suspected you might approve of that. If you would be willing to help me, then shall I start up another topic here in Fic Research to cover it? Basically, off the top of my head, I just need help "setting things up", so to speak - figuring out how Ranma gets abducted, how he escapes, his Seeming and his Kith, how those physically alter him, whether he's ruthless enough to murder his Fetch or not (even if he can't go back to his former life, he'll be damned if he'll let some Glamour-coated construct steal it - sort of a "if I can't have it, you can't have it" attitude), and perhaps which Court, if any, would be most tempting to him to join.

[Spokavriel]

I see painful abuse and uncomfortable situations listed there but the only outright rejection was Akane's worst nightmare refference out of all that just got listed.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

I admit that "rejection" was probably the wrong word to use - my linguistic vocabulary isn't as developed or as glitch-free as I'd like. I do make plenty of mistaken cross references, and I'll admit to that. Still, the basic point, that Ranma is caught up in a social hell and refuses to either get out or let it get him down, remains.