How might Nerima change?

[Heaven's Deamon]

I think the Jousetkouzoku and surroundings would be viable even for modern era, by also having the "amazons" act as spokespeople for any governments or the like that try to move in, but like Jupiah said, most of those details are more like background info, unneeded in a fic that keeps it's focus on the Nerima area unless you go overboard with people visiting from the other kingdoms.

As for Gosunkugi's kid, maybe instead of a direct rival/annoyance they could be more indirect by providing the actual rivals with mystic items when asked. Example: Gosunkugi's intrest in the supernatural and the mothers fortune telling allowed them to gather several artefacts, spell scrolls, and other such things, so people who want to try a magical solution to their problems will come to the family to see if they have anything that could help. perhaps they could even have taken over the store that is seen in some fanfictions......

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

Yes, the Martial Arts Tea Ceremony style actually plays a bit more of a role in the anime, with four stories compared to the manga's one.

Firstly, as I said, the first story had Sentaro careening wildly through Nerima's streets in a rainstorm, unconscious on the back of his barely-tamed horse. Which makes the mistake of trying to trample Ranma, who kicks it unconscious and ends up getting turned into a girl. Sentaro kidnaps "her" and takes her to the Daimonji estate, where he eventually explains about being the heir to the school and that there's no difference to his grandmother, the matriarch of Daimonji Martial Arts Tea Ceremony, between a marriage meeting and an actual marriage. Impressed by what talent he sees displayed, Ranma agrees to fight her for Sentaro so that Sentaro will have the right to choose his own bride.

Story two is one of those weird ones. Basically, the matriarch announces she needs to "take a stand"- which is meant literally in this case. Spending day in and day out in the formal sitting stance causes your legs to fall asleep. Due to some... confusion... Sentaro believes it to be a much more serious thing, and helps Matsu, Take and Ume (the elders of the Daimonji school) to drug Ranma-chan, as apparently the ritual requires a "sacrifice". It turns out that the girl "offered" to the matriarch just needs to give her a leg massage, something Ranma willingly agrees to in exchange for having another match with her.

Story three is essentially the second half of the original manga story involving this style. The Daimonji matriarch is kidnapped by Ino, Shika and Cho, elders of the Miyako-oji Shadow School of Martial Arts Tea Ceremony, and Sentaro, Ranma & Akane (eventually) go to rescue her. Like I said, Ranma holds off the three elders when they breach the Miyako-oji estate so that Akane and Sentaro can go after his grandmother. Sentaro... gets a lead, shall we say, courtesy of his usual antics around Akane, and ends up face to face with the two matriarchs of the two schools. He's told that there's still the matter of the feud to settle, and his opponent is revealed: Satsuki. It's love at first sight.

Story four has Sentaro begging Ranma & Akane to come to the Daimonji estate to help protect the Teapot of Aniishi (I think that's the name); a ceremonial teapot made of solid gold used in the wedding ceremony of the Daimonji school's heir. It turns out the thief "Toko Otome" is actually the Miyako-oji matriarch as part of an elaborate test the two grandmasters have devised to test Sentaro and Satsuki on their worthiness. Satsuki performs admirably... Sentaro, on the other hand...

Nice idea about Ryoga taking Ranma's place as the "super delinquet". There actually was an episode where he tried to reapply, but he found he was just too distracted by his "hidden" love for Akane to manage it. In the past of this story, however, I think he would have succeeded, especially if he tried it after beginning a relationship with Kasumi.

On the topic of the Hentai Horde, even if Ryoga isn't after Akane's heart any more, he's likely to still feel a sibling-like protectiveness towards her, isn't he? In which case, given his comparatively greater strength and lack of mercy compared to Ranma, wouldn't they soon decide not to bother? Come to think of it, in the anime, I think they may have meant it when they said they were going to get over Akane, as I don't remember it starting up again in the translation of Nabiki as Ranma's fiancee arc.

You see Soun as having potential? That's weird... maybe it's because you're based from the manga and I'm from the anime, where it makes it clear that Soun, despite being able to pull of the "turn into a giant" technique, is pretty much a wimp.

Though insistent upon making Akane marry him, Kirin does display something of a soft side. He consoles Akane when she feels terrible about causing him so much pain with her cooking, and he freely tells Ranma that he deserves Akane, as Kirin went for the scroll instead of her. Not sure why I brought this up, just pointing it out.

The random thoughts about the Byankala were mostly for background, though I thought they might be useful "excuses" to have a rival or would-be love interest or something come to Nerima looking for the Spawn.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

Now that I think about it, I'm not sure what role Akane could really play in this story of mine. What do you think of this as an explanation for her absence? Might it work, or is it too big a convenience?

I generally put the OAVs between the seasons and the movies when I use the anime timeline, so that means Akane went to Ryugenzawa. This time, however, she didn't have Ranma to back her up. The rough idea I have is that Akane survived, thanks to help from Ryoga (who managed to follow her) and Shinnosuke, but Shinnosuke died- perhaps as the result of a mortal wound suffered in forcing the Orochi back into sleep. This, naturally, was a heart-rending moment of grief for Akane, as well as a moment that shattered Akane's worldview of herself as a master martial artist. Managing to tap into inner strength, Akane vowed she would atone for her youth's foolishness and pride and become a true martial arts master. So she set out from home upon her own training journey, which she continues to the "present day". She calls or sends letters & presents every so often, and manages to come home every few years, but she's likely only just left to resume her training trip when the spawn comes to Nerima.

[Jupiah]

Your plan for Akane is a good idea, but i don't think it's enough. I could see her getting serious about martial arts after such a life-altering experience, but for 20 year? Even Ranma and Genma were only gone for 10 years. I would think that by the time Ranma's kid shows up she will have settled down and probably opened a dojo. Either co-teaching at the Tendo Dojo with Ryoga, or at the family dojo of a martial artist she met on the road and married.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

Hmm... perhaps at the dojo of a fellow martial artist she fell for and married? Her kid, while not old as the others, might be visiting the Tendo dojo -either "full time" or whenever the story calls for it- to study under "Uncle Ryoga" and "Grampa Soun", which means that they could prove troublesome for the Neo-Wrecking Crew.

Just some random thoughts on certain characters- please let me know what you think.

Genma: I'm not sure whether or not he has any role to play. In fact, the Spawn might not even know he exists- even if Ranma is happy with his marriage now, being sold like a slave has got to leave a bad memory, yes? I'm thinking my idea, that he went back to Nodoka and spun her some C&B story about Ranma and himself seems quite fitting with Genma's character- if he was dumb enough to sell Ranma for a fish and two slices of pickle, he's dumb enough to try something like this. Hmm... I'm thinking of two possible uses for him: the first is to have the Spawn run into Genma, with neither recognizing the other is family, as something of a running gag. The second would be for Genma to recognize that the Spawn is none other than the offspring of his own long-abandoned son and work desperately to keep him/her from coming into contact with Nodoka. This, naturally, means that eventually I will have the Spawn meet their paternal grandmother... perhaps even arrange for a "family reunion" with Ranma & Shampoo coming from China to meet Genma & Nodoka? Either way, which do you think works best?

Nodoka: of course, my ideas about Genma rely on one thing: would Nodoka have been willing to A: believe him and B: take him back if A occured? If B didn't occur, or even neither A nor B, how might she react to meeting her grandchild? Hell, how might she react if she did go for A & B? One more vague idea: I've seen one or two fics where Ranma was "sent away" (one I remember with a bit more clarity had him make a wish on a cursed artifact that trapped him in limbo until all the others were happy) and when he returns he finds his parents have... gotten busy... so now he has a brother or sister (usually sister). If Nodoka ends up both believing Genma's story and taking him back, should I use this, so the Spawn finds themselves with an aunt or uncle who's roughly the same age as themselves? (If this sounds creepy, remember that in Joketsuzoku a triad of related girls who look the same age as Kasumi, Nabiki and Akane could actually be mother, daughter and granddaughter.)

Nabiki: since the idea of a Nabiki/Picolet relationship has been thoroughly debunked, should I go with my original plan and have her moved out of the Tendo hall? I don't really see what purpose she could serve.

Ryoga: given that both Genma and Ranma were gone, do you think it's too much that Soun, after a few months of being Happosai's "heir" (by virtue of being the only male student he had), might have seized on Ryoga & Kasumi's budding relationship to first officially engage the two and then dub Ryoga his successor... which makes him Happosai's heir by default? If this seems plausible, then it's likely that Happosai is Ryoga's primary source of special techniques, seeing as how he never got the chance to learn the Breaking Point and the Tendos would keep him from wandering around as much as they can, which makes him less likely to run into the Shi Shi Hokodan (not to mention that he'd be less capable with it, being less miserable than canon-Ryoga)... thought what techniques might he have learned?

Ukyo & Mousse's Spawn: should I make this kid a Rival or a Love Interest? Perhaps use this to make fun of the "Kiss of Marriage" deal- say, originally they wanted to beat Ranma's spawn, but because they managed to actually do it, the formal situation, coupled with the fact that they are Joketsuzoku by blood, means that Ranma's Spawn had to give them the Kiss of Marriage (assuming they're opposite genders)?

Kasumi: how might the eldest Tendo have changed, given the circumstances?

Taro's kid: would I be bashing Taro if I decided to have it that Taro decided to make his post-natal bath in the Jusenkyo Spring a "family tradition"? Basically, due to his philosophy that it's preferrable to use powerups, especially Jusenkyo, to training, he dunked his own kid in a suitably monstrous Jusenkyo spring (or mixed together Jusenkyo waters in a tub before submerging the baby in it)? If that's okay, what about the idea that he went so far as to arrange to get his kid's curse locked? Either way, should I make the kid a Rival or a Love Interest?

[Jupiah]

Genma & Nodoka: Nodoka obsesses over Ranma in canon, and sometimes I get the impression that the hope of seeing him again is the only thing keeping her going. She doesn't seem to care about Genma at all though; when told by Ryu that Genma was dead, she didn't even bat an eye. If Genma came to her with a sob story about Ranma being dead, she would likely try to enforce the Seppuku contract immediately, regardless of how heroic and manly Ranma's sacrifice was. The only way she would spare him (if the story were actually true) is if Ranma left behind a pregnant 'widow', because the reason she obsesses over Ranma so much is that she wants grandkids. I think it's much more likely that Genma would try to mooch off of Ranma and the Joketsuzoku than risk Nodoka's wrath.

One idea though; maybe Genma tries to use info on Nodoka to bribe Ranma into defying the Amazons, and Cologne, overhearing this and recognizing the importance of getting the aproval of the groom's mother, helps Ranma beat the info out of him and decides to pay a visit to her. So Ranma, Shampoo, and Cologne go to visit Nodoka, dragging along a tied up Genma. I have no idea how such a meeting would play out, but it would probably be filled with lots of awkward misunderstandings, glares at Genma's pathetic antics, and sweatdrops at Nodoka's rather strange behavior.

The curse would be difficult for Nodoka to accept, without having gotten so close to 'Ranko', but I think Cologne would be able to explain it to Nodoka's satisfaction, and Ranma being married to Shampoo would help. Ranma would probably be forced to prove his manliness to his mother by being 'manly' with Shampoo (similar to how she demanded Ranma peek on Akane bathing to prove his manliness in the manga), which could lead to a hilarious scene of Ranma only pretending to do so to satisfy his mother while fending off Shampoo's attempts to do it for real. I think, in the end, Cologne would offer to let Nodoka and Genma come live at Joketsuzoku and promise her lots of future grandchildren to 'seal the deal' so to speak.

As for Genma and Nodoka getting together again, well, I don't think it would happen. Nodoka shows such utter indifference in regard to Genma's wellbeing in canon that I can't imagine she cares about him anymore at all. Tens years of seperation will do that to a marriage. If you really want to give Ranma siblings, I think Nodoka is more likely to get a divorce and remarry another man, maybe a Joketsuzoku.

Nabiki: since the idea of a Nabiki/Picolet relationship has been thoroughly debunked, should I go with my original plan and have her moved out of the Tendo hall? I don't really see what purpose she could serve.

I wouldn't say that Picolet/Nabiki has been debunked; I was only arguing against the idea of her marrying him and getting pregnant with his child before finding out about his unusual anatomy. If you want to write her as not minding his abilities, willing to tolerate them for the sake of his money, or even finding them kinky, than I have nothing against this pairing. Personally, I really like the idea of her marrying Kinnosuke and having a kid that has inherited their combined greed. Such a child would be as bad as the 'Yakuza-Nabiki' often seen in fanon, and would likely rule Furinken with an iron fist using blackmail and betting rings.

I don't think Ryoga becoming Happosai's heir is very plausible. Neither of them really cares about the other - the two have very little signifigant interaction in canon. Unless Ryoga suddenly decided to try and stop all of Happosai's raids or gained a girl-curse, I can't really see Happosai taking an interest in him.

I imagine that Ryoga would still learn a number of techniques from the many challengers he faced, and he would still get lost occasionally, and meet new trainers. Without the Bakusai Tenketsu, I think Ryoga would focus on mastering his family's Iron Cloth techniques, something which he mostly ignores in canon after his first appearance. So you could design a bunch of cloth related-techniques for him. For example - he might use yarn or string as part of an Iron Wire technique, or harden his clothing into 'Iron Armor' to protect himself. He could create a modified version of his razor bandana technique that entangles his opponent like a bola rather than cutting them. He might use a bath towel to bind or suffocate his foes and capture and deflect attacks, similar to how Ranma used one as part of the Umisenken. For an ultimate technique, he might wear a trenchcoat that tears into dozens of animated strips, capable of independently lashing out at nearby opponents or blocking incoming attacks, sort of like Gaara's sand in Naruto.

I would make Ukyo and Mousse's kid a vengeance-obsessed rival, perhaps one who has trained his/her entire life to avenge the wrongs Ranma perpetrated upon his/her parents, in order to justify the kid being very strong. Ranma and Ukyo's kids would become the 'Ryoga and Ranma' of this fic - violent nearly-equal rivals (with one-sided hatred) that eventually become reluctant and highly competitive friends.

I really have no idea how Kasumi might change; her character is explored so little in canon that you can really do whatever you want with her.

I think it would be perfectly in character for Taro to give his kid a Jusenkyo bath. In fact, his entire family has probably taken them.

Consider this - Taro's mother was wandering around Jusenkyo when 9 months pregnant, alone. This implies that Taro's village is extremely close to Jusenkyo, even more so than the Joketsuzoku or the Musk. Furthermore, Taro is proud of his cursed form and enjoys using it. This implies that he was never ostracized or discriminated against during his childhood because of his curse, which further implies that baby minotaurs might not be all that unusual in his village.

Conclusion? Taro is from a village of shapeshifters, who use the cursed springs to to gain power and 'broaden their horizons'. A large percentage of the locals have probably bathed in the springs, so I don't think you would be bashing Taro at all. His kid would likely choose a spring and dunk him/her self. I imagine that is a sort of 'coming of age' ceremony in his village.

I can't imagine any reason why Taro would lock the kid's curse though. What would be the point?

I'm undecided about whether the kid would be a rival or love interest though. On the one hand, I can't imagine that any kids raised by Taro and Ranma would be able to stand each other's personalites; on the other hand, it sure would be funny to write Taro and Ranma's reactions to such a relationship. Maybe you could go both routes, and make them bitter rivals that eventually fall in love despite themselves. It would take something drastic to make a relationship occur though, since neither would be willing to admit their feelings to the other.

[Heaven's Deamon]

Jupiah, do be a little careful, we don't want the kids to be direct "ripoffs" of the original Wrecking Crew, and having them too similar to their parents would risk that, as would setting up the rivalry in that manner. Making some contrasts between the personalities of the children and parents could be useful, for example: If Taro's kid was cursed but spent a lot of time in the Jusetkuzoku village, they could find a lot of cases where they're too weak to compete in things without their other form, but noone will bother to fight with them when they do use it, so they end up acting opposite Taro and train more in their birth form, rarely fighting using the cursed one. That would also give them a chance for development later in the fic as they could come to use both forms as needed.
For Mousse/Ukyo's kid, The rival because of things heard from the parents just doesn't fit, why train to defeat someone that they have never even MET? Ranma's rivals at least encountered him first before training to beat him. It might be better if the kid trains so they can one day return to their father's homeland and prove how good their family techniques are, then when they hear that the Young Saotome is also an Amazon that starts the fights between them.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

Just to clarify, when I first suggested the Picolet/Nabiki matchup, I meant that she didn't realise his aberrations until the "deal was sealed", so to speak- until the ceremony had been conducted and she was legally married to him. That's why she was so desperate to divorce him- unfortunately for her, she had to give him his conjugal rights until the paper work was done, which is how she ended with a kid.

I'd rather avoid the stuff from the manga, because, as I said, I'm more familiar with the anime and if I incorporate stuff from the manga, I'll likely have readers complaining about the "parts I got wrong" because I based them off the anime and not the manga version. So, no Kinnosuke I'm afraid.

Good point about Nodoka and Genma. In the anime, I don't know about the manga version, it basically comes out that Genma's kept the knowledge of Nodoka's existence from Ranma (he initially figures she either ran out on Genma or is dead, as I recall) because he knew (or at least was sure) that Nodoka wouldn't accept Ranma's gender-switching at all. So, that means he wouldn't have tried bartering Nodoka's existence to Ranma- in all likelihood, that means Genma probably hit the road again, as the Amazons would have used the distraction created by paying Genma (Genma's fixation on the money, Soun yelling at him, Ranma disgusted enough by this betrayal that his fighting back would be minimal at most) to bundle Ranma into the plane and be gone. With Ranma gone, Genma has nothing; he can't go home to Nodoka, he's not welcome at the Tendos, he has nothing left but his fighting skills.

Hmm... do you think it's possible that, given this, Genma might have A: wised up as to how foolish/thick-headed he was before and/or B: gotten better at martial arts (or at least more willing to use his prowess), due to having had to fend for himself on the road without anyone to help him or take the blame?

When Happosai first shows up at the Tendo Dojo in the anime, he announces that he's there to train his heir, the new Grandmaster of Anything Goes. Soun & Genma (primarily Genma) immediately volunteer Ranma and Happosai goes for it, most likely motivated at least partially by the hopes that this kid will be easy to whip into shape than the two losers he's bullied around for so long. In this story's "backstory", however, Ranma isn't here, and as Happosai will only train guys and not girls, that leaves Soun and Soun alone to pick up the burden. If, however, Soun has himself an heir of his own, then wouldn't it be prudent for Happosai to train him instead of wasting his energy on Soun...?

This, then, is why he'd train Ryoga. Ryoga would feel some desire to impress Soun or get on Soun's good side if he has feelings for Kasumi, yes? And if Happosai is willing to scale down the perversity to at least ignore Akane (he's almost never gone after Kasumi for his groping- though pantyraiding was fair), as well as be a bit more serious, Ryoga probably wouldn't have so much of a problem studying under him. Given that, unlike Ranma, Ryoga has nobody to push him into Happi's lap is likely to make the old goat take training him a bit more seriously (and he actually does do that with Ranma a few times in the anime- season 2's final episode opens with him giving Ranma a lesson).

An interesting idea about Taro's home village... but not one I'll use, no offence intended. When we see her in labour in the anime, she's got a basket nearby with something in it, so it seems she went out despite her condition (and it's possible that Taro was earlier than she expected him to be) to gather something. I think she looked like she was on the outskirts of the springs, so she may have just wandered that close by accident.

Also, given Taro's general nature, and the fact we don't know how long it took for the curse-form to become formidable, he might not dislike his cursed form because he's used it to his advantage for as long as he can remember. How can you pick on a kid who can turn into a monster that can either fly out of reach or hit you even harder? How can you discipline a child that will promptly, in a childish fury, turn into a monster and smack *you* around like a ragdoll? Taro has always seemed like a bully to me, and with a form that takes the most powerful martial artists of his generation considerable effort to put down, why would he mind having such a curse? The name-thing is the one thing that really gets to him, and that wounds his pride more than anything.

As for locking his kid's curse; simple. To ensure they can't be changed back into their 'weak' form by any opponent with knowledge of Jusenkyo and cunning.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

Thanks for bringing up that point Heaven's Daemon: I don't want to make the Neo-Crew *too* close to their parents in personality, skills and motivations, or otherwise I'm not really doing much more than copying the originals and giving them a new cover.

Nice idea for the Mousse/Ukyo spawn as well.

Hmm... now that I think about it, it might be hard to "balance" things right if Ranma's spawn waltzes into Nerima already knowing special techniques. Perhaps, instead, it's part of the "journey to (wo)manhood" they're undertaking? Basically, when they left, Ranma & Shampoo gave them a number of technique scrolls; the kid's "objective" is to demonstratably improve their skills by managing to master at least one or two of the techniques before they can honorably return to Joketsuzoku? It seems an appropriate sort of "initiation into adulthood" ceremony for a place like the village of Chinese Amazons... albiet probably some kind of old, fundamental/traditional thing that's rarely done these days.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

Just something I've been wondering: in the anime, Ranma generally prefers to fight unarmed and Shampoo prefers her chui, though Ranma can wield weapons with equal skill and Shampoo is a capable unarmed combatant. Thusly, should I make the Spawn primarily unarmed, primarily a weapon-user, or a "punching weapon" user?

In the last option, I mean they favour a punching-based or punch-augmenting weapon like a cestus, wrist-khatar, fighting gauntlet or cat claws.

A cestus is basically the martial artist equivalent of brass knuckles; a fingerless leather glove (or an arrangement of leather straps that form the same way) armed with studs or short spikes on the knuckles and (sometimes) the back of the wrist. While it makes the blows more powerful, they generally aren't big enough to make them practical armour.
The fighting gauntlet is either an articulated metal gauntlet or a thick leather glove covered in overlapping plates. Like the cestus, it makes a punch hurt more. Unlike a cestus, the metal on it makes it good armour for a skilled user, though it also slows the wearer's striking speed due to its weight and drag. It does help to build up the arm muscles though.
Cat claws a weapon stereotypically associated with ninja (whether they are or aren't isn't something I know enough to say). They consist of a cestus-like 'base', with the studs replaced by three or four thin blades, the tips of which curve into a claw-like hook. These are the primary way of injuring, catching into the flesh and ripping, though various models also sharpen the curve into a point for stabbing and/or sharpen the underside of the blade where it projects beyond the hand. Cat claws can be wielded singularly or in pairs- the psychotic, mask-wearing, pretty-boy Spanish ninja/bullfighter from Street Fighter wields a single cat claw.
The Khatar is a punching dagger, a triangular blade attached to a knuckle-duster like grip with additional guards protruding on either side of the forearm. The wrist-variant attaches the blade-bearing part to a cestus-like arrangement, thus freeing up the hand below to grip. The primary usage of a khatar is to stab, and while some basic khatars are sharpened so they can also slash, it is more common for a wrist-khatar, which has a greater range of movement, to be altered so. Khatars (or either type) come in two formats; single blade or triple blade, with the latter being used -like the sai- to aid in disarming weapon-wielding opponents.

[Jupiah]

I like the idea of the 'spawn' using a punching type weapon. It's rather unique, by real world standards anyway (it's actually pretty tame for the Ranma-verse). It's not quite the same, but I kinda like the 'reverse wrist blade' style weapon used by Chipp Zanuff (from Guilty Gear). I think Mousse uses a similar weapon during one of his duels with Ranma too.

If you want a really unusual weapon, give the kid some gauntlet swords. Those things are cool.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

Now that you've pointed them out to me, those 'reverse elbow blades' look pretty cool. I think they'd suit the spawn well; they leave the hands free for further usage, they're obscure & require skill to use right (which equals coolness factor/bragging rights, both important to a teen martial artist), they're essentially "optional" in a fight so the spawn doesn't need to be constantly worrying about inflicting a crippling/killing blow... yep, I think I'll go for them.

Come to think of it, I think it might be time to start designing the actual members of the Neo-Wrecking Crew. First of all, let's start with the star of the whole show, the spawn of Saotome.

First up: son or daughter- which should they be? While making them a son risks complaints that I've just "respawned" Ranma, pretty much every fanfic I can recall reading that focuses on Ranma's kids makes them a girl.

Secondly, distinguishing features. Purple/reddish-purple hair seems quite appropriate, given that blue (Shampoo) and red (Ranma- the girl-form had it because Ranma has the genes for it) make that color... but what about eye color? Ranma's, as I recall, is grey or light-blue, while Shampoo's are usually depicted as red (once or twice as what looks like deep brown). What other distinguishing features might they have? Something like, say, a scar from an accident while mastering their personal weapon, or a "mark" that is a visual expression of the link they share with their 'familiar'?

Thirdly, name. I'm thinking a Chinese first name and Saotome as their family name ("clan names", the Joketsuzoku equivalent of first names, are probably only used in between members of the Joketsuzoku, so as to keep the exact family groups a secret from outsiders)- what do you think? If you think this works, can you suggest a first name?

Fourthly comes personality. What elements might be "inherited" from their parents, and what things might they have that are all their own? From the top of my head, in the anime, both Ranma & Shampoo are very proud and confident in themselves- which can sometimes get them into trouble, as it makes them reluctant to even consider backing down. They can be very quick-thinking and innovative, but sometimes they don't think things through all the way (this is mostly shown by Shampoo, but Ranma is guilty of it too). Ranma is extremely dedicated/stubborn -it's his willpower that carries him through to victory in a lot of fights- and Shampoo is devoted to the point of single mindedness: she chased Ranma to Japan, she was willing to fight Ling-Ling & Lung-Lung to the death to save his life and she refuses to give up her pursuit of him. Ranma can be somewhat childish and petty, while Shampoo can be selfish and hot-headed.

Fifth and on... well, I can't think of any further steps. Can you point out what steps I've missed?

[Heaven's Deamon]

On personality you're just focusing of the direct inheritance traits, there's also the "inverted-inheritance" IE things where the offspring is opposite or at least different from the parent, and there would also be peer traits. So overall you would probably get more similarities to Shampoo due to growing up in the same overall enviroment, and thus having peers with similar traits, or picking up particular traits from Ranma just to stand out from the peers and seem special.

For a Fifthly, you might want to develop a more detailed background, even if most of it isn't included at first, some incidents from it could be turned into flashbacks later on to flesh out the character.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

I've been doing some thinking: how does this look as a rough outline for the Saotome spawn's personality?

-combative and action-orientated due to upbringing, which makes "more civilised" people consider them unusually aggressive, as though they were always looking for a fight.

-proud of both their heritage (both their family and their Joketsuzoku lineage) and their combat skills, which coupled with the above trait makes them prone to leaping in impulsively when either is insulted/questioned.

-due to the Joketsuzoku view on 'practicality', the spawn is perhaps closer to the spirit of Anything Goes (win by any means neccessary) than their father is, though they share his tendency/preference to fight openly and at full power to begin with.

-extremely competitive and focused on martial arts techniques: if you beat them, they'll be frantic for a rematch. Show them a new move, and they'll be desperate to learn it themself.

-gets bored rather easily if a particular activity doesn't catch their interest. So, while they had little problems learning from Cologne or their parents (who approached scholarly activities in a way to make them interesting), the Japanese scholastic system will quickly put them to sleep unless the teacher mentions something that might possibly be useful.

-very confident and determined, almost stubborn, as well as devoted to those that earn their loyalty/affection.

-can come off as rather arrogant, due both to above factors and to the fact they're used to being admired/the source of jealousy amongst the other Joketsuzoku teens.

[Heaven's Deamon]

*winces* while the reasons make sense, the overall result seems a bit too close to Ranma for comfort. One possible switch would be that because they've been admired so much they're actually bored by it. They treat it as though it's expected and thus can be ignored, which would make someone who doesn't fawn over their abilities more interesting than someone who does.

Another thing to consider would be switching the "I'll show you I'm the best" kind of arrogance Ranma would display, which showed something of a lack of confidence in his abilties since he felt he had to prove them, for a "I know I'm the best so why should I bother to prove it?" kind. which could eventually be knock out of them later on.