Fanfic / Girl Days

Nerima will never be the same again...

"The concept of Ranma being a girl full-time has been used with elegance, with depth, with wisdom, with angst, with a strange blend of tragedy and unexpected entertainment. Someone had to tackle it with absolute lunacy, insanity and the occasional real big mallet. Girl Days, or how I learned to stop worrying and love my bra."

Ranma's mother Nodoka has decided that her son's manhood is beyond doubt... but she is seriously concerned about her womanhood. Therefore, she convinces to Ranma to start the Girl Days training program: he must remain a girl for the next two months, learning how being female. Ranma—who for first time in his/her life almost wishes that her mother would have chosen the seppuku option—sets to "understand her femininity with masculine determination" as he wonders how he will survive the next months...

Girl Days is a Ranma ½ fanfic written by Robert Haynie (a. k. a. Kenko), who uses the old "Ranma has to be a stay a girl for a while" fanfic plot, but—remembering what the show is supposed to be about—giving it a light-hearted, extremely comic twist.

The fic can be found here. Unfortunately a chapter and one-shot spin-off are missing, and Kenko's homepage died a while ago (you still can find a version of it, though), but links to all chapters -as well as to the spin-offs and the sequel, Redheads-, can be found in this page. A translation to Spanish was also in progress.

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This work has examples of the next tropes:

• Aborted Arc:
  • The last published chapter ends up with Ryoga temporarily stuck in female form and living with the Tendos and Pantyhose Taro arriving at the ward to set another scheme to force Happosai to change his name, Kodachi resigning to ask the Saotomes and Tendos assistance to deal with a Panty Thief (Taro, most likely) and Shinnosuke arriving at the Tendo dojo for some purpose that never was explained.
  • "Redheads" also ends up with one. Several enemies swear revenge on the crowd of heroes -after getting pummeled-, Ranma and Akane are still searching for a way to return to their world, and the purpose of them ending up in the "Slayers" universe and meeting Lina is unknown yet.
• Abusive Parents <=> Parents as People: Although Gemma treats his son like crap, he does not make it out of malice. In fact he is genuinely convinced that he is a good father (and he does not understand why no one else agrees). Nodoka is better, but that's not saying much.
• A-Cup Angst: Akane is NOT happy that Ranma's bust is bigger than hers.
• Action Girl: Everyone female. Even Kasumi, at one point.
• Action Dress Rip: Invoked. Since Ranma is made to wear skirts instead of pants as much as possible, they come up with a skirt with velcro and snaps instead of seams, so that it would split open for ease of movement simply by assuming a fighting pose.
• Author Appeal: Male Ranma barely shows up in Kenko's fanfics.
• Battle Aura: Very common when a character is very pissed. Like Ranma when he is going on a rampage. Or Nodoka with Gemma.
• Beach Episode: In episode 6, the whole cast goes to beach.

• Belligerent Sexual Tension: Ranma and Akane. however their fights became less serious and less frequent due to Character Development (Akane learns to listen, and Ranma learns to not spout insults out of nowhere).
• Berserk Button: Do NOT call Ranma a pervert or behave like one when is that time of month lest you get pummeled. And whatever you do, do NOT attack Ranma with Cheeze Whiz during this time.

• Big Eater: Ranma eats a lot. Several characters note this. Asked about it, he explains that his father -who turned everything in a training- taught him to eat as much and as quick as possible (partially because Genma would stole his food).
• Bookends: Chapter 5 starts and ends with the Saotomes and Tendos having dinner at Ucchan's.
  The circle closes. Not always on a significant thing, but it does close.
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Invoked. Kenko explains that most of Kuno family members are and have been slightly quirky but impressively competent (and one of them was an almost literal example: a fearsome warrior that wore a bunny strapped to his forehead), and the Nerima branch are the ones cross the line in full-blown Cloud Cuckoo Lander-ness.
• Calling the Old Man Out: Ranma calls his father out constantly.
  Gemma: "So little respect, after all I've done for you..."
  Ranma: "You mean done TO me."
• Carry a Big Stick: Akane's weapon of choice during the Fred Arc is an oversized mallet made of ice. She calls it Mercury Ice Mallet.
• Clingy Jealous Girl:

• Nodoka. She does not like when other women or girls ogle to her husband (yes, it happens once. No, we do not know why she would be NOT grateful for someone taking Gemma away).

• Cloud Cuckoo Land: The entire Nerima ward.
• Cloud Cuckoo Lander:
  • The Kuno family. Ironically, Kuno is the most normal of them.
  • And then we are introduced to Kenchuro Tojo, an utter loony.
• Combat Pragmatist: Saotome and Tendo families are practicioners of the Anything Goes martial arts style, what is exactly what it sounds like. Ranma is a particularly glaring example, using all kind of dirty tactics. HOWEVER he will not break the previously established rules of the match.
• Contrived Coincidence: The series of events that cause the entire Wrecking Crew to independently decide to take the same day off and go to the same beach. Which turns out to have a store that sells mallets when Happosai shows up and they need something to smack him with.
• Crossover: With Slayers in "Redheads". Unfortunately, also a Dead Fic.
• Date Peepers: In the seventh chapter, female Ranma is obligated to go on a date with Ryoga due to a dumb dare and even dumber happenstances. Akane, Shampoo and Ukyo know their "date" doesn't mean anything but they still intend to spy on them.
  Three young suitors for the hand (and other parts) of one Ranma Saotome.
  Three people who KNEW that this so-called date was totally innocent, meant nothing, and should just be shrugged off as another case of weird male macho stubbornness.
  But... just in case...
  Three people who were, quite independently, planning to monitor the date, for Ranma's safety, of course, they weren't going to interfere, of course not, farthest thing from their minds, and besides, if I don't keep an eye on them who will because I can't trust the OTHER two to come to the rescue if Ryoga or Ranma goes whacko...
• Dead Fic: It hasn't been updated in over a decade, and to make matters worse, Kenko's computer where he stored his works got busted.
• Determinator: It is often said in the fic that Ranma never, EVER, gives up.
• Even Evil Has Standards:
  • You can summon a demon to create all sorts of chaos. Just don't ask them to mess with school uniforms, for some reason demon law prohibits them from doing such a thing.
  • Even Insanity Has Standards: The only part of Kenchuro Toji's psyche that isn't oriented toward being a complete and total failure at everything he does is in making grilled cheese sandwiches.
    Kenchuro: My path is perfectly philosophically sound!
    Nabiki: Your path includes gorilla suits, obscure dances, and hermaphroditic underwear. What does that have to do with anything?
    Kenchuro: By idiocy I can become wise! The path of success through failure applies to all areas of life except making grilled cheese sandwiches!
    - Beat -
    Ranma: I ain't gonna ask.
    Nabiki: Well, I am. Why grilled cheese sandwiches?
    Kenchuro: I like them.
• Failure Is the Only Option: To all those want to take over the world, according to cosmic law.
• Famous, Famous, Fictional: Inverted by Kenchuro Toji, when he mentions Emilio Fernbeister (Inventor of the Solar Powered Flashlight), Mao Khu Leng (An alchemist who attempted to take over China with an army of animated yams), and Emperor Norton.
• Fan Disservice: The Beach Episode. Cologne in a swimsuit. Oh, my.
• Fanservice: Ranma's female form is the walking embodiment of it.
• Fem Bot: During the Fred arc, a female Mazinger Z shows up - most likely, Minerva-X, but it was never specified-.
• Fiery Redhead:
  • Ranma. Very much so. Having a volatile temper and being capable to create your own Battle Aura makes it easier.
  • And Lina Inverse in the crossover sequel.
• Foreshadowing: Brutally lampshaded with the following, from the Costume Party arc-

  First, because cosmic law won't LET a wizard rule the world— something or someone always stops you before you can cast the last rune, and then it's be cut down by the barbarian time, or be shot by the dashing hero time, or get your butt kicked by some martial artist whose name probably begins with R, ends with A, and is an aquatransexual time. (This is called foreshadowing.)

• Gender Bender: Ranma and in the last chapters, Ryoga.
• Gilligan Cut: During a costume party, Ranma's friends want her to dress up as Priss Asagiri and sing "Konya Wa Hurricane". Ranma declares she'll not do such a thing. One scene change later, she's on stage, playing Priss and singing.
• God-Mode Sue: Kenchuro Tojo was created specifically to be In-Universe the exact opposite of this, as a Take That! to the masses of fanfics that have Ranma either fighting one of these or becoming one of these himself.
  Author's Note: The most hated thing in Ranma fanfics is the ANC, or Annoying New Character, which is usually (If not always) an author avatar with positively obscene martial arts abilities as well as psionics, magic, and a golf bag full of magical weaponry. The idea that a BAD martial artist would arrive is, as far as I know, something of a new one.
• Heel Realization: Akane gets one when an emotionally unstable Ranma calls her out on her attitude.
  "But... you always call me uncute..."
  "That doesn't have anything to do with your looks."
  "W—what?"
  "Hitting me for anything I say, never listening, always taking things the wrong way, always blaming me for everything that goes wrong— what's cute about that? Humph. Don't know why I bother."
  And Ranma turned her back with a sniff.
  Akane stared. Even taking into account the possibility that Ranma was temporarily... odd... because of her biological ordeal, that had a frightening ring of sincerity. And accuracy.
  Girl days was supposed to educate Ranma. But as little as she wanted to admit it, they were teaching her something also. Things she didn't like. About herself.
• Honor Before Reason:
  • During a "Truth or Dare" game, Ranma was dared to date Ryoga. Due to a very convoluted -and dumb- set of circumstances, Ryoga accidentally asks him. Instead of calling the whole thing out, Ranma accepts because he never backs from a challenge (even if it was a silly game), and Ryoga goes through it because it would de dishonorable backing down after asking a girl out (in spite of she was not the person he intended asking and she is not a her). Akane, Ukyo and Shampoo unanimously agree that is stupid.
  • Also the reason one of the below mentioned Chinese Vikings has almost as good a sense of navigation as Ryoga, primarily because her pride will not allow her to stop and ask for directions.
• Horny Vikings: Chinese Vikings appear in an arc. Yes, you read that right.

• I Gave My Word: Ranma will not try cheating at his training because he promised his mother that he'd try.
• Insane Troll Logic: Ryoga, Mousse and especially Kuno. They shall ALWAYS blame Ranma, not matter what:
  • Ryoga thinks that whatever it is, it is Ranma's fault, and he jams the facts to fit into that conclusion.
  • Mousse will attack Ranma because Shampoo is flirting with him, because he is flirting with her (even if he is not), or because he is NOT flirting with her, and therefore treating Shampoo rudely.
    • At one point, Mousse goes off on Ranma simply because Shampoo simply mentioned that girl-type Ranma looks good in jeans.
  • And Kuno... always reaches the strangest conclusions and clings to them.
  • The principles behind Baka-Ken (Idiot Fist), the style of loony martial artist Kenchuro Tojo.
• Insistent Terminology: Kenchuro Tojo is a loony. Despite all his protests to the contrary.

  "It's a new and innovative path to looniness, you mean." It was apparent that, on this particular subject, Ranma’s mind was made up. Then again, so was the minds of nearly every other martial artist at Furinkan, most of the non-martial artists, and the lady who sold sandwiches at lunch.

• Instant Fan Club: Right after Ranma starts attending Furinken as a girl, a number of fan clubs pop up, one a group of girls who idolize girl-type Ranma, another group of girls who want boy-type Ranma back, and a group of guys who... well, you know. Shampoo also becomes the focus of a fanclub once she starts attending Furinken as well.
• I Take Offense to That Last One: During Shampoo and Hilda's verbal "sparring":
  Shampoo: "Horny slutty goofy fat mean geeky girl!"
  Hilda: "Who you call geeky?"
• Joshikousei:
  • In one story, Ranma and Akane go shopping their school uniforms, and Akane explains Ranma how they are and how he can alter them without breaking the rules. And in a later chapter, high-school uniforms became an important plot point when the Principal decreed students do not have to wear them in Fridays.
  • In that chapter we found out that, for some reason, devils are barred from messing with high-school girl uniforms.
• Killer Rabbit: In the Fred arc, Nabiki got morphed into a literal bunny girl. And she was not happy about it. She rambled over killing the idiot had turned her into that, and fetched a lot of firearms to do right that. The author even reinforces the trope:
  Here the author inserts an explanation. Most people think of rabbits as cute peaceful creatures— unless they have read Watership Down.
  DOMESTIC rabbits may be that way, but wild rabbits can be quite belligerent, fight ruthlessly, and are pretty tough for something on their link of the food chain.
  And Nabiki, who would normally stay back and say that it's not her problem, was at the moment in full blown berserk wild rabbit mode.
  • Author Appeal: Kenko seems fond of this trope. In another fic of his -Paragon Ranma describes rabbits like "Tough critters in the wild, you know, real fighters."
• Ki Manipulation: Several characters have ki-based attacks, and Ranma develops a new ki technique during a battle ("Tigress Righteous Fury").
• Leave the Two Lovebirds Alone: Subverted. Because of a dumb bet they're too stubborn to back down from, Ranma has to go on a date with Ryoga; and Akane, Shampoo and Ukyo plan to spy on them. However, Akane eavesdrops on the duo having a friendly, heart-to-heart talk for once right before Shampoo and Ukyo burst into the place. When Akane berates both girls for disrupting their date, Shampoo and Ukyo believe Akane actually wants them to leave so Ranma and Ryoga can make out.
• Leg Focus: The narration notes several times that Akane has very nice legs. Even Ranma -who usually is prone to insult her- tells her she has beautiful legs.
• Lemony Narrator: Kenko often comments on the scenes and jokes about it.
  Shampoo could have chosen a worse time, one supposes, but this writer personally can't see HOW.
• Lovely Angels: Sayuri and Yuka when they disguised -and fought- as the Trope Namer Dirty Pair.
• Mama Bear: Nodoka combine this with Abusive Parents. Hit on Ranma and katanas will be unsheathed.
• Martial Arts and Crafts: Being a fic of the Trope Codifier series, it is normal finding this here. Nerima has all kind of strange and bizarre martial arts. A waitress belongs to the Tea-Making School. Ranma has a challenge from a duelist that uses crackers and snacks like weapons...
• Mind Screw: A minor one happens when Nodoka buys a stuffed black piglet for Ranma. Trying to figure out why his mother would buy him THAT gives him a headache.
• No Periods, Period: Averted. Due to staying stuck so long in her girl body, Ranma undergoes her first period. And he is not happy about it.
• No Sense of Direction:
  • Ryoga, of course. It runs in the family. Usually played straight, but quite humorously inverted when he accidentally got stuck with taking Ranma for a date. He wished his sense of direction malfunctioned like usual and he got lost. Of course, he made it to the Tendo house in time.
  • Hilda too, but hers comes from pride and stubbornness (she refuses asking for directions) rather than genetics.
• Nobody Calls Me "Chicken"!:
  • Subverted once. Usually Ranma plays this painfully straight in canon, suffering pathetic and humiliating inadequacies because he is unable to refuse a challenge, and so he does in this fanfic... but when Kenchuro challenged him. Ranma stated there was NO way that loony's challenge could be considered a valid one. Everyone else agreed.
  • One of the times it was played straight was his "date" with Ryoga. He went along with it because he had been "challenged" to do it during a Truth or Dare game, in spite of it was a joke and nobody took it seriously. Nobody but him, that is.
• Noodle Incident: Genma and Soun's reaction to Ranma and Ryoga getting forced into a date is briefly mentioned, but readers are spared the details.
• Official Couple: Ranma and Akane.
• Oh, Crap!: Gemma's face when he heard...
  Gemma: "This is becoming preposterous! Your mother is insane! Your mother is demented! Your mother is completely out of her mind!"
  Ranma: "My mother is standing behind you."
  Gemma: "Awk."
• Panty Thief: Happosai. He often gets pummeled for it. And Taro in the last chapter (presumably part of a plan to lure Haposai out).
• Papa Wolf: Soun. It is hilariously played with. He saw Akane bruised, he heard Ranma had hit her (something that she was actually thrilled about, because it meant that Ranma took her seriously) and he went to kill Ranma. Then, after Ranma explained that Akane demanded it as they were sparring, Soun calms down... and then he tells Ranma that maybe he should hit her more often as training, because she is Tendo-ryu's heir and she must be toughened and trained well.
• Properly Paranoid: Ranma spent the most part of chapter 15 insisting that there would be a fight and working on preparations for it in spite of everyone telling him there were no reasons to think that a fight would break off. As it happens, he was right.
• The Rival: Ryoga from Ranma. Shampoo and Ukyo from Akane. Their rivalries steadily mellow down during the fic, though, becoming friendly rather homicidal.
• Rummage Sale Reject: To the point of parody in the case of Kenchuro Tojo. One example was "a full suit of lime green SCUBA gear with a electric punk tutu over it. And Deely-boppers on the hood." Underneath is later revealed to be a pair of a half and half pair of lace boxers and denim panties. Backfired realistically in the former part, due to him passing out from heat exhaustion inherent in wearing a full body drysuit with a tutu as added insulation in 80 degree weather.
• Ship Tease: There is much tease between Ranma and Akane.
• Shout-Out: Countless. Especially in the Fred Yerfburger arc.
  • Ranma owns a Fist of the North Star shirt and likes reading Dragon Ball and watching Mobile Suit Gundam.
  • Akane, on the other hand, prefers Sailor Moon and Wedding Peach.
  • During the Beach Episode, the cast goes to a weapon store to buy something to punish perverts. The Genre Savvy owner ponders that they must be going after Happōsai or Ryo Saeba from City Hunter.
  • When they were into a shopping trip, Kunō inconvenienced Ranma in the worst possible time. Ranma transformed into Lum for one second, and then he floated and threw lightning bolts at Kunō.
  • Ranma got Akane a fighting suit. It is mentioned that she kind of looks like Mai Shiranui when she wears it.
  • In the Fred arc, Ranma disguised as Lara Croft and later as Priss Asagiri, Akane as Sailor Mercury, Ukyo as Xena: Warrior Princess, Shampoo as Aeka, Kuno as Indiana Jones, Kodachi as Naga the White Serpent, Konatsu as Conan the Barbarian, Gosunkugi as James Bond, Hiroshi and Daisuke as Ryu and Ken, Sayuri and Yuka as Kei and Yuri.
  • Due to the Fred's magic Kasumi became as Wolverine, Nodoka turned into a Jedi and Gemma and Soun into two musketeers.
  • In that arc the author notes that the single greatest threat to Earth would not come from something like Queen Beryl, the Gamilon fleet or Godzilla.
  • Later in that arc a giant monster got dogpiled by a Gundam, a Valkyrie VF-17 and a female Mazinger.
  • And the entire arc is a Whole-Plot Reference to the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode "Halloween" where a spell caused costumed people to become their costume's persona.
• Snipe Hunt: This was utilized against Prince Midol, a pathetic yet persistently annoying suitor who will only be allowed to court Ranma if he finds a cask of the Fabled Nannichuan, the horde of the demon Happosai, and a Phoenix's tooth. The first would have cured Ranma of his Gender Bender curse, thus resolving the issue, the second was just a bunch of stolen undergarments, and of course, Phoenixes, being birds, don't have teeth. Cologne even lampshades it, by saying if that he could pull off the last, she'd give him his choice of women in her village.
• Take Over the World: Fred's objective. It goes against the cosmic law, but he is sure of he can break it. He can not.
• Time Skip: The sequel, Redheads, happens a while after the -unwritten- finale.
• Town with a Dark Secret: Pillow Creek, Minnesota, population 237. Nobody knows about it, but except for one person, all of its inhabitants are powerful wizards. Subverted because nearly all them are affable, friendly and laid-back people who only wants to study the arcane arts peacefully while occasionally enjoying a beer and watching TV with a cute nature spirit.
• Tsundere:
  • Akane starts as a Type A, but she mellows into a Type B during the story.
  • During her menstruation, Ranma begins to imitate Akane's behavior traits... much to the chagrin of the younger Tendo.
• Unstoppable Rage: If female Ranma is on her period and is pissed off at you, don't bother running. Kneel down and beg for your life.
• Volleying Insults: Shampoo and Hilda are not allowed fight due to a peace treaty between their tribes, so they resort to insulting each other for hours. And neither of them is any good at insults:
  Shampoo: "Horny Girl".
  Hilda: "Stupid Amazon."
  Shampoo: "Horny girl".
  Hilda: "Stupid Amazon BITCH."
  Shampoo: "Horny SLUTTY girl".
  Hilda: "Stupid UGLY Amazon bitch!"
  Shampoo: "Horny slutty GOOFY girl!"
  Hilda: "Stupid ugly SILLY Amazon bitch!"
  Shampoo: "Horny slutty goofy FAT girl!"
  Hilda: "Stupid ugly silly nasty no-talent Amazon bitch!"
  Shampoo: "Horny slutty goofy fat mean geeky girl!"
  Hilda: "Who you call geeky?"
  Shampoo: "Shampoo call horny slutty goofy fat mean geeky girl geeky!"
  Hilda: "Stupid ugly silly nasty no-talent flat-chested Amazon bitch!"
  Shampoo: "Horny slutty goofy fat mean geeky trampy girl!"
• We Want Our Jerk Back!: Subverted. In an early episode, Ranma is trying to be nice and supporting to Akane after she cooks something toxic enough to wreck the kitchen. After a while Akane -who is mortified- snaps and demands he stops being nice and insults her (thinking she deserves it). Surprised, Ranma reminds her she wanted he was nicer to her. Akane finally agrees it is a GOOD thing he is trying to be kind.
• Well, This Is Not That Trope: In chapter 8:
  The walk back was uneventful.
  No, sorry, that was a different walk back. THIS walk back was something other than uneventful.
• Wholesome Crossdresser:
  • Tsubasa thinks that he is one.
  • Slightly averted, in that since Ranma is in female form in that scene (and throughout the entire fic) she's not technically crossdressing.
  • Konatsu. To the extent that he successfully pulls off a proper performance— in the Beach Episode— and gets a few appreciative looks.
• Yandere: Mousse, who can not get in his head that killing Ranma will not automatically win Shampoo's heart over.

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Akane: "Ranma, what's really going ON here?!?"
Ranma: "Exactly what I said. Mom's got it into her head that I'm both a guy AND a girl and that I need training on the girl part. I'm supposed to stay a girl for two whole months of my own free will and then at least one day out of every four after that as 'maintenance'. Dresses and the whole nine yards. My life is hell."
Akane: "Well... after she leaves you can change back, and—"
Ranma: "I can't. I promised her I'd try. I won't break a promise to Mom. I won't hurt her ever again."

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