I'm reposting this, 'cause I think it got lost in the ether.  I
apologize if either you already got it, or if it shows up later
with no author and subject headers as a repost from WW.


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I had no idea that I had this much to say...Oh, well.


"Halloween" by Roy Rim
"I Shall Love You Eternally" by Chris Schumacher
"Money" by Stefan Gagne
"Monster" by John Biles

i.e. The 1995 Halloween Fanfics!


To be fair, reviewing these together takes away from some of them
a bit, but I read them all as a unit, so they'll be reviewed as a 
unit.


"Halloween"

Well...completely different from the others.  Amusing, and I enjoyed
the usual Ranma slapstick, but...next to the others, it really seems
like fluff.  Catch the three-way erotic dance, though!


"I Shall Love You Eternally"

Interesting idea, and Ranma and Akane are portrayed very well.  But
it just didn't grab me.  You know, there are just some fanfics where
you know they're well done, but...you can't get worked up over them.
Still, I have been called wrong before. ;-)


"Money"

Boy.  And you thought Wicked Garden was dark.  A depiction of Hell
that is utterly perfect (with a little influence by Dante and Neil
Gaiman, I suspect), and Nabiki, who gets short shrift in Stefan's 
other works, gets center stage here.  She's really put through the 
wringer, too, by a Ranma who we definitely *don't* want to see.  
Despite all this, there are moments of humor (the 43rd bathroom bit).
Best of all, the reunion of Ranma and Akane is one of the most 
touching set pieces I have ever read.  Lump in your throat, every 
time.  Best of the four, and competing with Wicked Garden for best
Gagne.


"Monster"

Continuing in this happy vein, we get the Akane fanfic here.  I
really felt the pain of the family at the grave, and Ranma's plight
left me *really* uncomfortable.  The monster, obvious though it may 
seem, takes a lot to beat, and it is only Akane admitting her love, 
and the fact that she can't fight everything, that defeats it.  The 
only thing I had a problem with was the ending, which seemed a bit
too cute.  I don't think Akane's mother needed to be shown so overtly.
Of course, this from a reviewer who based Ryouga's inner voices on 
a segment of 200 Motels...


Overall, no clunkers, but the last two are definitely worth your time.


Next:  Malice and Denial, and dark AMG.

--Sean Gaffney
--"You git!  I thought you were dead!  Git git git!" - Benny, No Future


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