======================================================================== The creative team at Nippon Broadcasting Network, a booming cable television company that was known for bringing new ideas to the Japanese scene was hard at work, trying to come up with an idea for something to fill up several empty timeslots for the coming summer season. It was part of their ambitious push to get more airtime. They needed something good. Something cheap to produce Something new... "They've got this weird cartoon show over in Britian," one person said, "it's called Robert 1/2." "Sounds interesting," said the programing director. "Well, it goes like this. There's this guy, Robert Smith, right? He's adventuring out somewhere and falls into this cursed spring." "Go on..." "So, anyways, the curse goes like this: whenever he becomes wet, he becomes a she." The room was silent. "And that isn't all. His father turns into a panda and he's engaged to this girl named Anna that always beats up on him. She's got these two sisters, Nikki, a con-artist, and Katherine, a real motherly type. He's got an old rival named Richard that's also in love with Anna and then there's the son of the local rich man, Thomas King, a champion fencer who's also out to win Anna's heart-" "I don't mean to be rude, but I just think that something like that would never work here in Japan." "C'mon, we just need to change the names around a bit and do some good dubbing, and bingo!" The room was silent. "Nah," said the directors. They mulled some more... "Hey, I just remembered something!" one of them said, "There's this American show that's very popular, and cheap to make too!" "Go on," said the programing director. "Well, they randomly pick a bunch of ordinary people, put them in a house, film their life, and put it on the air." The room was silent. "This," said the director, tapping his head with a pencil, "actually works in America?" "Yeah! And get this: the people living in the house don't get paid!" "You're kidding." "Well, the station still has to pay for the house and utilities..." "And what's the name of this show?" "The Real World." "The Real World?" "Well, y'see, it's supposed to show a 'realistic' day to day life of the young person out there, hence the title." "Hm... so we get ourselves a couple of normal people and start filming 'em as they live and breathe?" "Yup." "Sounds like an ant farm." The director thought about it. The financial director spoke up. "Compared to what some prima-donnas wanna get paid nowadays, the cost of production on this show oughta be cheap." "Y'know," a statistics analyist said, "the demographics for that particular time slot does lean towards the 14-30 crowd, and the show attracts exactly that target area in America. It's a perfect fit." There was silence. The program director cleared his throat. "Hm... 'The Real World' eh? ... I think I like it." =============================================================================== =The Surreal World= Writer: Rod M. Story Concept: Isabel A. "Izzy-chan" Advisory Board: The Fanfic ML -M- Productions PART 1: Where the Boys Are ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kyosuke Kasuga walked slowly back to his apartment. It had been one hell of a day. It was the kind of day that made him really hate himself. Good going, he thought to himself, finally get a date with Ayukawa and you forget that you're supposed to be out with Hikaru-chan too. He ended up loosing track of both, and Madoka was definitely put off when he accidentally said "Well, Hikaru-chan, where to next?" God, that was stupid. He stopped and banged his head against a lightpole. Stupid stupid stupid. He liked Madoka... Hikaru-chan was a nice girl... argh! He put his hands to his head. "I need a break from this!" * "Hey, Kyosuke, letter for you." "For me?" Kyosuke took the envelope from his father and sat down on the couch. It was from some television station in Tokyo, NBN. A pretty big network, in fact... Kurumi popped up behind him. "Hey? What's that?" "It's a-" "Hey! It's from NBN!" She used her esper powers to tear up the envelope and unfold the letter. "Kurumi! Don't use your powers! Our windows are open!" Kyosuke yelled. "Hey! They're inviting you to be in a show!" "What?" Manami popped into the conversation, seemingly from nowhere, "Hey, that's cool!" Kyosuke thought about this. Me? On television? He snatched the letter away from Kurumi (well, actually from mid-air, in front of Kurumi's face) and read it. Hm... free housing, a couple of months, signing bonus, water/power/ rent paid for too. "I don't know, what if I get caught, well, you know..." Then his dad jumped into the conversation. "Well, son, go ahead and have a good time. I think you might deserve a break. Just be careful, okay?" "But what about money, Dad?" "I have a friend in town there. He can probbably get you a summer job." He thought about it some more. "C'mon! It'll be cool having a brother on tv!" said Kurumi. Hm... The phone rang. "Hey, Kyosuke, it's Madoka," said Kurumi He thought more... "Hold on," said Kurumi, "someone else is calling." She switched lines. "Hey, Kyosuke, Hikaru is on the other line." Uh oh... "I'm going!" This isn't running away, he told himself, this is about time for myself, to think about the way my life is going so far, to have a little fun, and maybe even grow up a little. He thought about it some more. Okay, so maybe I am running away. * He looked at the letter. Free housing with the utilities paid for? Sure he had alot of money, one of the things that his dead parents had left to him, but those bills for water and electricity were a bit painful on the wallet. After all, he was still young, a college student, and he wanted to make that money last as long as possible. Of course, he'd have to make sure nobody found out about his 'other' life. Considering that there were going to be cameras mounted throughout the house (everywhere except the bathrooms and bedrooms) it would be a challenge, but he felt that he had faced bigger challenges in the past. Certainly, this wouldn't be too tough, would it? * Ataru raced down the street, luggage in tow. He had the letter safely tucked in his pocket and his luggage (a backpack) ready to go. Things were getting bad here, really bad. He hadn't been able to get to any girls in a month. Not even a cheap feel. This was killing him. And so, when this golden opportunity presented itself, off he went. "Babes! And my own house to heheheh entertain them in! Yeah! And most of all, no interference from Lum! HAHAHAHAHA!" * Kyosuke arrived at the place after a long trip via train. And he was impressed when he arrived. He was at the door of a rather large, two floor house. Very traditional looking yet very roomy, it seemed. This was, he began to think, a good idea. He knocked. A young man, maybe old enough to be a college student, a little on the tall side, with a somewhat sharp face, in a black shirt and pants rushed out the door, closing it behind him. "'Scuse me," he said, and vanished around the corner. A rather plain young man with a videocamera opened the door. "You one of the guys that'r supposed to live here?" "Er, yes. Kasuga Kyosuke." The man checked a piece of paper. "Kasuga... Kasuga... oh, yeah. Come on in. You're the second to arrive. Go ahead and pick a room." "Hey, who was that guy?" "The one that rushed out the door?" "Yeah." "Um... let's see... he's named Mamoru Chiba, and we don't know that much about him at all." ============================================================================ SCENE: camera focuses on Kyosuke sitting on a bed in an empty room. KYOSUKE: Hi, um... I'm Kasuga Kyosuke. I'm from a small town just outside of Tokyo. Er... well... I've got two sisters, and my dad too. My mom passed away a long time ago. Anyways, I'm here to do something a little different from the usual for the summer, I guess. Oh yeah... can I say hi to a few people? Really? Thanks. Hi Kurumi, Manami! Hi dad! (Sound of knocking) Hey, I think one of the other guys is here. (He goes out of camera view) ============================================================================ Kyosuke opened the door. A skinny guy with brown hair was nervously looking around, as if making sure he wasn't being followed. "Hey," he said, "this the place for that tv thing?" "Thing?" The camera guy joined in. "Yeah, this is it. Which one are you?" "Ataru Moroboshi, nice to meet ya." "Come on in..." ============================================================================ (Mobile Camera following Ataru into the house, into the living room...) ATARU: So do I go ahead and pick a room? KYOSUKE: Well, I guess so. (Ataru goes upstairs, enters the room immeditately to the left) ATARU: Hm... nice room, big window, access to the roof... (Ataru opens the window and climbs out of it) KYOSUKE: Um, what are you doing? ATARU: Testing the escape route. KYOSUKE: Escape route? ATARU: Yup, I need an escape route. Doesn't everybody? ============================================================================ Ataru and Kyosuke headed downstairs. Kyosuke went to the living room while Ataru stormed the refrigerator. "Hey! This thing is stocked! Cool." Ataru smiled as he took out a creme soda. "You want anything?" "They got a Coke?" Ataru entered the living room with a bottle of creme soda and a can of Coke. "Here ya go. Heeeey, nice couches. Big, lotsa cushions too!" He flopped down on the other couch. They were definitely big, each one could probbably hold four people. They were arranged in a "V" shape and faced a jumbotron television. "I think I'm gonna like it here." The camera guy entered the room. "Got a minute?" "Me?" asked Ataru.... ============================================================================ (Camera is aimed at a lounging Ataru holding a bottle of soda. He's definitely in a relaxed mood.) ATARU: Anyways, for all you people out there, I'm Moroboshi Ataru. You might remember me as the guy that *ahem* saved the earth from those _nasty_ alien invaders. And you know what I get as a reward? NOTHING! KYOSUKE: That was you? ATARU: (grins) Yup. Anyways, I hope to meet the fair women of this fine town and... ============================================================================ *knock*knock*knock* "I'll get it." Kyosuke got up and opened the door. "Ayukawa! Um, what a surprise..." "I heard about you staying over here over the summer and... I just came over to see if you needed any help moving in..." Kyosuke smiled. "Ah... come on in!" Then he got an idea. "Hey, do you have your saxaphone with you? There's a guy here filming..." * Ranma sat in the dojo, thinking. He looked at the letter he had recieved. He was invited to stay at some apartment for a couple of months, and get paid for it too. It was a tempting offer. His dad was all for it, since there _was_ pay attached to it. Mr. Tendo objected at first, wailing about abandoning Akane, but Genma reminded him about the cost of constantly fixing the house which was usually linked to Ranma and his "friends" anyways. Soun quickly changed his mind. And it WAS vacation time too, so he wouldn't be missing any school. But something was holding him back. "Ranma?" He turned nervously. "Oh, hey, Akane." "Are you, um... thinking about that letter?" "Yeah. But..." He was getter more nervous by the second. He didn't understand why. "But what?" Ranma looked at Akane's face. Was that actually worry that he saw there? Nah, couldn't be. *WHAM* -ringring- "Nihao Ranma!" Enter Shampoo, and the Bicycle of Death. "Shampoo, get this thing offa me!" "Husband okay? Ranma take Shampoo out to date now, yes? You promised!" Oh man, Ranma thought, I knew she wouldn't forget about that. Ranma had recently required her help in one of those routine misadventures he seemed to always get himself in. Unfortunately, the price of her help was a date and as usual he agreed without really thinking things through. And the end result? The Usual. "Ranma you JERK!" *WHAM* Ranma flew through the dojo wall and out into the street. "Maybe it _would_ be a good idea for me to get away..." * Ranma liked what he saw when he arrived at the house, at first. It was big, it was spacious, and it was new. Not only that, but it was fully furnished. It was a two-story house, very big, and with alot of lawnspace. Considering the housing shortage in Japan, he thought this was great. He knocked on the door and was greeted by a another teenager who was holding a cordless phone to his ear. "Is this the place for that television show thing?" asked Ranma. "Yes, this is is. Hold on a sec," he put the phone back to his ear, "what was that, Hikaru-chan? What? No, no, you don't have to visit today, really. Look, I gotta go, okay? Bye." "Girlfriend?" asked Ranma. "Um, sorta. Anyways, I'm Kyosuke Kasuga. Nice to meet you." "Ranma Saotome. You're one of the people that's gonna be living here?" "Yeah. There's several others here too already." "You mean I'm the last one to arrive?" "No, I think we're missing a few more. Come on in." From within the house, the sound of a saxaphone playing drifted out. "One of our roommates a musician?" "That's a... a friend of mine." Ranma noticed the slight trace of discomfort and nervousness on Kasuga's face. They entered the living room where a long haired girl was playing the saxaphone in front of the cameras. "Hey, she's good," said Ranma. Then he noticed the skinny teen lying unconscious on the couch. There was a large bruise on his head and it looked like his lip was swolen. "Hey," said Ranma, "what happened to that guy?" "Oh, him? He grabbed my friend in the wrong way." "The one with the sax?" "Yup. That's Madoka Ayukawa. Don't get her mad. The guy's name is Ataru Moroboshi. He's living with us." "Moroboshi? That sounds familiar." "Remember when those weird aliens threatened to take over the earth unless an earthing beat them at a game of tag?" "Oh, yeah, that. Wait, you mean he's the guy?" "Yup." ============================================================================ Scene: Living room, brightly lit with white wall backgrounds. The camera focuses on Madoka holding her sax. MADOKA: This is really gonna be shown on tv? (slight pause) MADOKA: Oh. Well... I'm Madoka Ayukawa. I'm from out of town, just came along to help my friend over there settled in. Anyways, I also play the saxaphone. Maybe I'll make a living from it. I dunno. (Ataru walks in) ATARU: Well hello there... ============================================================================ "Well, all the electrical, water, and repair bills will be covered by the television station, but we've got to get our own food and clothes," said Kasuga. "Wait. I thought we were getting paid to stay here?" Ranma started feeling nervous. "Well, yeah, a signing bonus for agreeing to take part, but no regular salary. Anyways, we've got plenty of rooms left, go ahead and pick one. I gotta go do something in the kitchen." Kasuga walked off. Ranma thought about it. Which room... which room... obviously something with a window. He knew that he'd probbably need an alternate route in and out of this place, considering how often his life just gets messy. What else... he liked watching the sunset, so it oughta be on the second floor where he could easily get to the roof. Right. Big windows, second floor. He went upstairs, dumped his luggage, and went back down for a drink. He hoped at the very least that the fridge was stocked already. * Ataru shook his head to clear the cobwebs away. Wow, that Madoka girl could hit! Felt like one of Shinobu's punches. He wobbled over up to his room and flopped on his bed. *WHAM* "Ow!" He didn't notice the luggage there. "What the hell..." Ataru, being the person that he was, opened the luggage. Clothes, clothes, a thermos (felt warm), hey... a picture. * Kasuga and Ranma went upstairs. "So, you picked a room out yet?" "Yeah," he said, turning left, "this..." then he noticed the skinny guy from downstairs was looking at a photo from his luggage, which was open. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?" "You left your luggage in my room," said Ataru. "What?" "Er, Ranma, he already picked this one." "I didn't see any luggage..." Kasuga opened the closet. There was a backpack in it. "Oh." Ranma was dissapointed. The room across the way would do, but it seemed harder to get to the roof and the window was a bit smaller. "Alright, I'll move." "Hey, no hard feelings," said Ataru. "So who's the babes in the picture?" Ranma paused. He thought about it. He thought more. Aw heck, he thought, they're gonna track me down and start a mess sooner or later. Guess I might as well tell these guys before they get here. "That," Ranma said, pointing to a short-haird girl, "is Akane. She's kinda my fiancee." "Tsk tsk, engaged already," said Ataru, "never to know the joys of a bachelor life. Feel sorry for ya, pal." "I thought you were supposed to marry that Oni princess..." said Kasuga. "Yeah, right," Ataru muttered. "And that," said Ranma, pointing to a purple-haired girl, "is Shampoo. Dont't ask." "Don't ask what?" asked Kasuga. "Why is her name Shampoo?" asked Ataru. "Sorry, I had to ask." "Dunno. Anyways, she's also my fiancee." Ataru's eyebrow raised in interest. "And this is Ukyo, also my fiancee. And that is Kodachi, who is NOT my fiancee, but is chasing after me anyways. All of 'em are martial artists, so if they happen to visit just be very careful." Ataru couldn't believe it. This guy had a harem. "You... you lucky dog! Can I have one of them? Pleeeeease?" "What? No!" "Oh, so you're hogging them all to yourself, is that it?" "No! It's not like that!" Madoka stuck her head in the door. "Hey, you," she said, looking at Ranma, "the guys downstairs wanna talk with you." "Who, me?" Ranma exited and headed down the stairs. Ataru sprang like lightning towards Madoka's chest. "Madoka-chan!" From the staircase, Ranma paused as he heard Ataru scream in pain. Violent girl, he thought, kinda like Akane. ============================================================================ SCENE: The couch. Ranma is sitting alone. The camera focuses only on him. He's definitely nervous. RANMA: Um, this is gonna be on television, eh? But what's the show about? Just us? ... you're kidding, right? Kinda strange show, isn't it? Who came up with this idea? Oh, an AMERICAN show. No wonder... I'm, um... KYOSUKE: (from out of camera range) Nervous? RANMA: Who's nervous?! I'm Ranma Saotome. I'm a high school student and a student of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts. (brief pause) ATARU: (from behind the camera) That's it? RANMA: Well, yeah. (Ataru plops down into view, sitting next to Ranma) ATARU: Hey, you ain't telling them about your harem? RANMA: What?!?! ATARU: Your HAREM. Your collection of women. RANMA: SHUT UP! It ain't like that! ATARU: (to the camera) Well, he's got these four girls chasing after him, and he's already engaged to three of them! RANMA: (muttering) oh god Akane is gonna kill me. Shut UP Ataru... ATARU: And he ain't letting go of any of them! Isn't that selfish? C'mon, Ranma, gimmie just one? How about that Shampoo girl? RANMA: No! ATARU: Maybe Ukyo? RANMA: NO! ATARU: See what I mean? He's hording the women. RANMA: ATARUUUU!!!! (Ranma's eyes get that murderous look, he lunges for Ataru's neck.) ATARU: Whoops! Seeya later! (Dodges Ranma's fist and runs out of camera view. Ranma chases after....) ============================================================================ "So, there's Me, Ataru, and Kyosuke so far, right?" asked Ranma. "Well, there was this other guy that showed up before me," said Kyosuke. "What other guy?" asked Ataru. "This guy named Mamoru Chiba. He rushed out the door when I got here." "What room does he have?" asked Ataru. "Dunno." "Well, I don't think a little searching, oh, to just see what all the rooms are like, wouldn't hurt. Right?" They looked at Ataru. "I mean, we're just looking at all the different rooms, right? No harm in doing _that_." "No, I guess not." "I dunno." ============================================================================ (The camera is aiming at the hallway from the living room. It's a straight shot down to the end of the hallway from this particular point of view. Ataru, Ranma, and Kyosuke are trying to sneak down the hall.) (Ataru notices they're being watched and turns to the camera) ATARU: Um... ignore us. Shoo. Go away. (They resume sneaking down the hall) ============================================================================ They searched through the many various rooms in the house, all empty, except one of then which contained... "Hey, what's a rose doing here?" Ataru held the rose and examined it. "Dunno," said Kyosuke. "I wonder if he's related to Kodachi..." muttered Ranma. "Who?" asked Kyosuke. "Kodachi, the psychotic girl that's after me." "She's got a thing for roses?" asked Ataru, as he carefully made a mental note to remember this interesting detail. "Yeah. She likes to attack people with'em." "Oh." The three of them left the room. A minute later, the window opened. A figure in a tuxedo and mask entered from outside. "Man, that girl is dense sometimes," he muttered. "SHE'S supposed to help guard the Earth. Great. Eh?" Footsteps rushed to the room. "I thougth I heard something," said Kyosuke, looking around, puzzled. The room was quite clearly and definitely empty. "Yeah, right," muttered Ataru. -end-part-1- ======================================================================== Next: Part 2: The Ladies Cometh... ---------------------------------------------------- Who's Who Guide: The Guys Mamoru Chiba: the "Tuxedo Mask" of "Sailor Moon" fame. He's a rich orphaned college student that fights supernatural threats and has a thing for 14 year old girls *AHEM*. He's good looking, atheletic, works alot of jobs so that his inheritence doesn't run out, and he's mysterious to those who know him. Kyosuke Kasuga: He's from "Kimagure Orange Road". He's 14 years old when the series starts, and 17-18 when "the final movie" hits. For this fic, I think 15 or 16 would be a good age, yes? He's interested in Madoka Ayukawa, a very private and tough girl (He calls her by her last name, out of respect, I think.). Madoka's best friend Hikaru has fallen in love with Kyosuke, and everyone thinks that they're dating. He's one indecisive young man, and somewhat naiive about things. He's also one of a family of ESPers, with the ability to teleport, telekenesis, etc etc etc... He DOES NOT want this to be public knowledge. Ranma Saotome: He's from "Ranma 1/2". A 16 years old martial artist. Engaged to three girls, chased by one more, with a fair number of enemies and rivals. He and Akane Tendo are interested in each other, but won't ever admit it. Take-charge-ish about things, except when it comes to deciding between his many fiancees that he unwillingly acquired. Never backs down from a fight or a challenge to his masculinity. To some degree, short-tempered. Black hair, pigtailed, non-distinct height. Ataru Moroboshi: From "Urusei Yatsura". 16ish years of age. He was chosen randomly to take on the daughter of alien invaders in a game of tag to decide the fate of the earth. He won, by yanking off the bikini top of his opponent (yeah, a girl). With a slip of the tongue he accidentally got himself engaged to her. He's quite the clown, and can sound noble one minute and absurd the next. Skinny, brown-haired, and has a _distinctive_ chuckle. He's also the most lecherous boy in the known universe. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- WRITER'S RANT WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON? This fic is based on the concept of "The Real World", an MTV show that takes a bunch o guys & gals and just films 'em as they share an abode. Yup, that's the whole gimmick. Yes, this show was successfull. Go figure. Writer's note: Hey guys, I've _never_ seen MTV's _The_Real_World_, which this fanfic is largely based on, so if I'm a bit off on the presentation, lemme know. I figure on dragging in a total of five, at the most, roomates together, just put'em through everyday stuff (Who the hell ate all the ramen?!) Introducing the main characters oughta be a small story each. I think. I'm doing this just as a fun little thing, and something to do while I'm stuck on my other fanfic "The Pursuit Of Happiness" (sequel to "The More Things Change) or editing Nigel's "Eight Days A Week" fanfic (Yes, Part 5 is in rough draft stage) It seems thus far, when I think about it, that this fic (once everyone is settled in) is gonna become a "sitcom" type of fanfic. They ain't gonna go on some big adventure together, they're not gonna unite to fight this big evil O the universe or rescue a kidnapped loved one. No no no. That would be entirely too cheezy. Shoot me if I ever even attempt it. But on the other hand, it'd be too easy just to slap'em together and say "Hey, it's a big crossover. Ain't it cool?" I _hope_ I can pull off a few "episodes" later on down the line that take advantage of the unique characters that this motley crew is. Or maybe I'll settle for Ain't It Cool, whatever, I'll do my best... And so far, considering that it feels like Seinfeld in that "it's about nothing", I think I'll just call this one "ongoing" -Rod M. -rpm39788@bayou.uh.edu -------------------------------------------------------------- CREDITS AND LEGAL JARGON and slight spoilers Isabel Arantes - concept creator R. Beaubien - overdosed me on SM facts %O White Wolf J. Hedge P. L. Ward J. Blackman J. Fong - massive de-bugging D. Bateson R.K. Bentley H. Sora W. Lik D. L. Pinnock anybody else on the fanfic ML that I forgot. I forgot which one of you it was, but one of you guys guessed ahead of time exactly who I was gonna end up using. OWNWERSHIP and stuff. The Real World is done by some guy at MTV. Ranma 1/2 & Urusei Yatsura created by Takahashi Rumiko. Kimagure Orange Road created by Matsumoto Izumi. Sailor Moon created by Takeuchi Naoko. Tenchi Muyo created by Kajishima Masaki All Purpose Cat Girl Nuku Nuku created by Takada Yuuzou. Oh! My Godess created by Fujishima Kosuke.