Kasumi the Saint?

[antimatterenergy]

I was reading a fanfic earlier and it made out like Kasumi is a saint and Ranma and Kasumi would be the perfect couple with no changes needed in either character.
I do not think Kasumi likes Ranma at all. Now it is true that Kasumi doesn't hit Ranma like AKane and she doesn't blackmail him like Nabiki does. Kasumi is not nice to Ranma she is just more subtle then the rest of the characters in the manga. Kasumi sent Ranma into the bathroom knowing that Akane was in there and knowing what Akane's reaction would be. Kasumi gave Akane a mallet so she could protect herself from Ranma when Akane was sick. Kasumi helped drape cats on Ranma after learning about Ranma's fear of cats. Kasumi will often say something seemingly innocently that makes an already bad situation for Ranma worse.
Another reason that shows Kasumi doesn't like Ranma. Kasumi doesn't really talk to Ranma in the manga. She also doesn't do anything to help Ranma situations. If she liked Ranma she would try and help him and would spend time talking to him.
As they are Ranma and Kasumi are not compatible. Kasumi could not live Ranma's life style and Ranma would find Kasumi to be pretty boring.
I do not hate Kasumi. I actually like her a lot and I like Ranma/Kasumi fics that are done right but most of the Ranma/Kasumi fics annoy me. Taking away Kasumi's (or Ranma's) bad points or over emphisizing one particular part of her character (like making her much more oblivious) makes her a much less interesting character. Even though she is not shown much in the manga we do see some other aspects of her character besides how nice she is. I also don't like that in many of them Kasumi and Ranma get together for little to no reason.

[Dragonboy]

Kasumi is just another character that has been completely overblown by fanfic writers, like the psycho Akane and such. I thought is that that mainly comes from the 'Kasumi Gets Mad' story where the other characters compare her to Buddha because she never gets angry.
Rather than being a full-blown Mary Sue like so many people portray her, I see Kasumi as more of a simple filler character. She never really plays a major part in the series other than the mother figure of the Tendo's(maybe more than that in the anime, I'm not sure), and while others usually portray her as a voice of reason among the madness of everyone else, in the manga she really doesn't do a lot of advice giving or comforting at all, rather just adding her comments to conversations that happen to be going on while she's around.
That being said, I also like Kasumi just fine and even have a fic going with her and Ranma as a couple.

[crystlshake]

I get the impression that a lot of Kasumi's niceness is derived from the cultural expectancy for politeness. I dont recall a point where she shows greater concern for ranma than she does for any other character. Im not so sure that she is oblivious as maintaining the proper level of politeness while distancing herself from problems (and strangeness). Whether this is due to expectations regarding 'non-normal' behaviour, a personality quirk or even fear of the unknown and its asault on her perception of the world is something to be decided by the reader/fic writer for themselves. Some of her simple 'blunders' that cause trouble for the Saotomes or others may be attempts at returning her environment to its normalcy by either driving them away or encouraging them to conform to her expectations.

[Frog]

Only slightly related but, if I recall right, Kasumi is the only character ever depicted wearing a cross, right? Anybody can confirm or deny this for me?
Anyhow, Kasumi, much like every other character in Ranma 1/2, is little more than a charicature. A nicer one than the rest, for certain, but still prone to moments that serve no reason other than fueling the slapstick comedy that is the life blood of the series.
My five cents.

[FOG3]

I would actually classify her as not being a nice person, despite outward appearances. Both she and Nabiki seem to take to much joy in setting up situations of conflict between Ranma and Akane.
Example: the washroom incident where Ranma gets smacked with a shinai, after answering Nabiki's questions with little excess detail. Or when Akane has the cold, in the arc involving the mushrooms allowing suggestion implantation, where Kasumi literally hands Akane a shinai and basically plants a landmine in Akane's head that'll blow up on Ranma.
Probably the best handling I've seen of her was a fic where Ranma goes to some shop, and ends up basically being resetted as a female, who Happosai considers one of his charges. The in universe Ranma is completely male, and in order to be cured herself, she must make the in universe Ranma love her. Kasumi does end up being the fiancee for the Tendos, but we as the reader can see that extra layer on Kasumi, while avoiding being to obvious, bashing, or otherwise.

[Acey]

The fic to which you're referring Foggy is A Not So Simple Wish by Ebiris (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1210454/1/)

[FOG3]

Thanks, I lost track of the name and linkage after reading it. Sadly it still appears to have still not been updated, or anything else for that matter within a little over two years.