I actually want Ranma and Akane together because they're in love. If
they don't get together, it's obvious from the manga that they will both
be miserable ... And if they're not, then the characters are OOC. And,
basically, I only like OOC in it's place - in an elseworld story, where
it is clearly marked to be in another universe/world/time frame/etc.

I agree...for the most part.  I did, however, love Zen's story.  I knew
coming in that it was a Ranma/Ukyou story.  This would require Akane and
Ranma to be OOC in at least one scene.  But I think it was kept to a
minimum, and there were indeed genuine feelings b/w Akane and Ranma in 
Zen's fic.

Basically, I think everyone is taking this *much* too seriously.  If there
is a fanfic explaining why Ranma marries Akari, and it's well-written and
reasonably IC (note the reasonably), then I'll probably like it.  These
aren't canon, for god's sake.  It's not as if, by writing Winding Road, Zen
has ruined Akane and Ranma's lives.  Go read the 400 fics where they get
married - including mine.  :-)

--Sean Gaffney
--who thinks Kun-chan gets a little too stressed at times...