Natsume & Kurumi on Ranma's training trip - need suggestions

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

That does mean we're going to need to figure out some "Nyanniichuan rumors" for Natsume to chase, like how Ranma had that Japanese Nanniichuan and Togenkyo to chase...

Like I said though, will the group even be able to get into Shampoo's village if they show up in cursed form?

...Though the idea suddenly occurs to me that Kurumi uses her tanuki magic to sneak into the village for food and accidentally ends up turning into her (mostly) human self through the shapechanging magic, accidentally beating a Joketsuzoku boy and causing him to follow them to Japan to marry her (after all, given the sheer amount of magical weirdness that the Jokestuzoku have, and their fixation on wedding for strength, I wouldn't be surprised if there are a few yokai-blooded in their ranks). Perhaps even Mousse... who really does not want to, but Shampoo's tagged along and is fixated on making sure he marries Kurumi, no matter what he (or she, or Natsume, or Ranma) may think about it...

[Spokavriel]

How about this kind of idea. The Guide has to take them out of the area through Joketsuzoku lands anyway because if he doesn't he risks having to confront the less friendly neighbors of the valley. So while he attempts to give the village a wide enough berth to avoid an encounter Genma and Kurumi both smell the food and follow their instincts to eat. The guide and other two having to chase after them but can't catch up in time to avoid the hurricane of consumption landing on the First Prize table.

Natsumi being obviously female and the largest one of the group gets challenged by Shampoo because no matter what strange fur wrap she wore she should have better control over her pets.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

That makes sense. And, as her being reared by Genma simply means she hasn't learned her canon ice wind ki attack and isn't quite so ruthless, I'm guessing she beats Shampoo handily. Hmm... might somebody recognize that she's "actually" a yeti and cause Shampoo to forgo giving her the kiss for whatever reason? I don't know if the mountains of the Byankalas are the sort of territory that would support yeti, but if they are, then mightn't the Joketsuzoku have experience with them and so want to avoid angering Natsume's "clan"?

[Spokavriel]

That depends on if the Elders let Shampoo embarrass herself fighting a creature of legend even if it is obviously a young one. There are lots of ways aside from the cannon loss followed by the kiss of death. After all who says they don't tell about the curses? And since its not Ranma being challenged would the challenge for rights to the food be made? So much potential for different alternatives.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

Just to comment, while it's not explicitly said that they don't tell the young generation about Jusenkyo, it's an easy inferal given that nobody recognized the Jusenkyo Guide and Shampoo had no idea that Ranma was cursed or how precisely it worked until after she had gone back to China and met up with Cologne.

So, what other details need to be worked out in this topic? I don't suppose you have any suggestions for entirely new problems that might have happened in Ranma's past as a result of Natsume and Kurumi being there?

[Spokavriel]

Potential Fianceés need other suitors of their own to see Ranma as the evil keeping them apart.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

So, you're suggesting male OCs to act as would be love interests for Kurumi and/or Natsume?

[Spokavriel]

Or Genma's greedy gut letting him make marriage contracts for people who are not even of his clan allowing the mark to think what they will about it.

[LiliandraNadiar]

No need for male OCs. Could always use some of the 'wandering rivals' or one-shot encounters.

Copy-cat Ken.
Ryu Kumon ('Made' by Nodoka during a chance encounter. "Oh my many son, have you met your Tendo wife-to-be yet?").
Mikado from the Golden Pair not willing to rest until he claims Natsume.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

Good point, thank you, though I prefer not to use post-anime manga characters - causes issues with continuity that are always a pain to fix up.

[Spokavriel]

I'm certain I saw Ken in the anime and you can't claim Mikado wasn't there. So no comment on the Marriage contract possibility?

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

I was talking about Ryu, though I have to admit now that I think about it that I don't think that particular plot point would work even if I did use him - why would he pick Natsume especially, over, say, Akane or Nabiki?

And I didn't comment because I couldn't think of what to say; it's almost guaranteed that Genma would try and use Kurumi and Natsume as "contract fodder" the way that Ranma did. But, then again, he didn't do it that much, and it's not as though Soun hasn't done the same thing (Chardin contract).

[Spokavriel]

Genma was there as well. And it wasn't a fist person recollection. Who's to say it wasn't Genma's pledge that they both ended up having to sign off on or they would be forced to slave away there until they had worked off the debt.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

Genma was there, yes, but would Soun really admit so calmly that he was at fault for Picolet asking to marry either Akane, Nabiki or Kasumi if it had been Genma alone who had spoken for the two of them? Would he really have just recounted the story so placidly and not gone off on Genma for having made such a declaration in the first place? He's kind of pathetic, but he's not that pathetic.

[Spokavriel]

The way I see it this isn't so much being a push over as in simply a case of Soun sees himself as one to blame because he accepted the whole thing and since he came to terms with his part in it a while back all that is left is saving face wherever possible in the mess including that of his friend.