I pride meself on my C&C/Spam ratio. Sadly, during the past few weeks,
I've posted little of either. :( Quotes revealing the cause of this will
follow.
Anyway, here's the overdue C&C. If I missed anyone, let me know. No
Sailor Moon, please.
"Mike, I think the sofa's on fire..."
- Aug 22
Raging Heart, by Slashtooth
Shampoo and Cologne try to drug Ranma with something that removes his
ihibitions. It works a bit too well, and Ranma dices Cologne into little
bits, stabs Shampoo, and goes looking for Ryoga. Eep.
Interesting concept, good tone and dialogue. Cologne isn't quite as
shrewd as she's normally portrayed, but it's forgivable.
There was one thing that seemed like a contradiction...
Cologne: (Thinking) His willpower is astounding! It fuels his
abilities like I have never seen! His control must be
incredible
This was after she had just dosed him with a drug wot removes Willpower
and control...and it's obviously working.
Enjoyed it. There will be a second installment, yes?
Me: Here we are...the town of Goldfield....
My Friend: Then why does the sign say "Welcome to Emory"?
Me: Wha? But this is Route 34, yes?
My Friend: 34? I thought you said 44...
Me: %#%^$^^%$^&%#^&*(^#........
- Aug. 22
Total Recall, by Plunger
The fic is set about a year or two after the series finale. Cologne and
Shampoo have finally succeeded in drugging Ranma - he's married to
Shampoo, with no memories of Akane or the Tendos...
...until he hits his head, and Mousse sneaks him a memory restorer...
Good story and writing. Liked many of the little bits...Ranma's daily
routine, etc. Mousse was handled a little erratically, being in full
My-darling-shampoo-die-ranma-die mode one minute, and causally mentioning
that it will be a testament to Ranma's skill if the move he just performed
didn't kill Shampoo.
Felt kinda sorry for Ryoga in this...and vaguely annoyed at Akane. I
expect Kun-chan'll be having words with ya fer the way you treat the
Pig-dude in this and Replica....;)
Recommended. :)
"Bring me coffee. Dark, black, deep coffee. I want the inside of a coal
mine at midnight in a power outage to look like the heart of the sun
compared to this coffee."
- Aug 23
Expansion Card, by Wyrm
Ukyo recieves some rather startling news about her true relationship to
Ranma. Akane, as always, jumps to the wrong and most potentially
disatrous conclusion.
The writing is fast and wry, with Hitcthiker style and references
sprinkled throughout. The mass-pandemonium scene towards the end was
_perfect_, one of the best bits I've seen in ages.
Nodoka, IMHO, seemed ta take things a bit calmly...
Highly reccomended. Hope the author completes more soon.
"The cows are loose! The cows are loose!"
"Wha?"
"Save the begonias!"
"Huh?"
- Aug 24
Sugar and Spice, by Chris Willmore
An amusing little short in which Akane decides to bake a cake. We're
treated to a detailed explaination of why Ranma dreads Akane's cooking so
much.
Cooks in the audience should be appalled at the torture Akane inflicts
on innocent ingredients.
Very, very funny. One of the few Willmore stories you can read without
staring at the screen in horrified facination.
Recomended.
"Welcome back, Mike. I need this done by Monday."
- Aug 24
Neko-philia, by Scott Jamison
Ranma falls prey to a rather cleverly administered drug thanks to
Shampoo, who is seeking to cure him of his fear of cats. Unfortunatly, it
works all too well, and Ranma falls into Akane-P-chan Syndrome.
It's an interesting concept, and it's executed fairly well. Shampoo's
reasoning in the begining seemed a little weak - but then, Shampoo and
reason never really went well together.
In a similar vein, the cure seemed a bit to easy and contrived.
Liked it. :)
"This isn't your average bonfire, ya know. This is....well...more than a
bonfire.....uh, anyone got a fire extingusher?"
- Aug 25
Rock and a Hard Place, by Zen
Ranma has an argument with a delivery truck after a fight with Akane. The
truck wins, and Ranma is rushed to the hospital in critical condition. As
the 3 legit fiancees stand watch by his bedside, Ranma fights an internal
battle to stay alive.
Wonderful interaction between the fiancees, if rather warm and fuzzy.
The dream Ranma has was laden with rather complex symbolism; in fact, it
waas so complex that much of it went right by me.
Ukyo gets a major role in this, the Kuonji Jihad should enjoy it.
There's a fair amount of emphasis on Akane as well, although the end
comments seem to suggest that she won't fare well in the next one.
Not exactly a tearjerker, but very involving. Zen will write more, or
Zen will not like the consequences. ;)
Highly Reccommended, a must for Ukyo devotees.
"I'm telling you, it can't be done. It can't. It's that...you did? Never
mind then..."
- Aug 25
Ranma's Half : Bits and Pieces, by Chris Willmore
I'm turning this one over to the Institut Rats. In the meantime, I
reccomend you get professional help.
""They bloody well don't call it a Deadline for nothing."
- Aug 26
The Night, by Greg Sandborn
It's billed by the author as a darkfic. It ain't. It's a tearjerker, ta
be sure, but there's nothing really dark about it.
The fic explores the time directly during and after the death of Mrs.
Tendo, and the sisters' reactions to it. Emotional stuff, and very well
handled.
The author has one of the most interesting portrayals of Kasumi that
I've seen; both in this one and his New Horizons series. Worth looking at.
Reccomended.
"See ya. I gotta go pick up my bribe."
- Aug 26
Scoop of the Day, by R. See
I love this thing. Anyone who's ever taken HS Journalism will get a
good laugh out of it, and some memories. Those of you who haven't will
like it anyway.
Annoyed (as in Kun-chan annoyed) over the imminent demise of her paper,
Noriko sends Gos and a friend to track Ranma and get some answers. Enter
Ryoga. Can you say, "Collateral Damage", boys and girls? I knew you could.
Reccomended, especially for the main character. :)
I missed a couple, I know it. Gomengomengomen. Bring it ta my attention,
and I'll try to get some C&C out.
- Mike of No Particular Title or Handle
===/\=====+==================================================================
/ \ l Mike Loader - Lincolnite, Amberite, Illuminatus, Discordian,
/ () \ l Journalist, Author, Traveler, Historian, Java Fiend.
/ \ l Trier - LA - LV - Kiev - Reno - Hong Kong. Fnord.
-------- l mloader@scs.unr.edu
==========+==================================================================