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**Induction Ceremony: Taleswapper's Hall of Fame**

by Taleswapper

The Hall of Fame provides an opportunity for me to honor older 
fanfics that remain prominent to me not only because of their 
high quality, but also because they have lasting effects on my 
reading of other fanfics. The Hall-of-Famers are not merely 
well-written, they are influential.

Last year, the charter inductees were:

- "Putting Your Heart in the Right Place" by John Biles: The 
first, and still one of the best, of the extended fanfics that 
establish a plausible future after the end of the manga/anime. 
Perhaps more significantly, it established much of the canon 
for Ranma fanfics: for example, Biles' interpretations of 
Ukyou, Mousse, and Gosunkugi are much more likely to be 
emulated by fanfic writers than are Takahashi's. 

- "Ranma's Timeslip" or "Actor in the Mirror" by Christian 
Gadekan: The alternate universe fanfic that set the standard 
for all others and still my favorite fanfic of all time. 
Intriguing, touching, and well grounded in the existing 
continuity. Incidentally, this story is also the best evidence 
that top-quality fanfic writing is possible in script format. 

- "Ranma 1/2 Kanketsuhen '93" by Richard Uyeyama: succeeds as 
fiction and as metafiction with theatrical authenticity. This 
"ending" to Ranma 1/2 remains the most satisfying one conceived 
while maintaining complete fidelity to the manga. Though this 
work has not had a perceptible impact on other fanfics, I wish 
authors would emulate its annotated, "translated" script style. 

This year, three more stories are welcomed into Talewapper's 
Hall of Fame ... 

	* * *

  "Are you hard of HEARING?!" I yelled, pounding my hands on
the griddle in front of me.  "I SAID GET _OUT_!!"  Then, to
Shampoo's surprise (and my own), I had my spatula in hand,
wielding it threateningly before me.  "Get out or I'll THROW you
out MYSELF!!"
  Shampoo got up, although there was no hurry to her actions,
much to an increasingly impatient okonomiyaki cook's displeasure.
"You've got to accept the facts, Ukyou," Shampoo said with
absolutely no malice to her voice, "He never loved either of us,
not in the way that we wanted him to, anyway.  If you think
otherwise you'll just ruin yourself."

 - from "Stepping Stones: Ukyou's Tale" by Benares


Before "Stepping Stones", the term "dark" applied mostly to 
formulaic Ranma fanfics set in violent or grave realities. 
After Benares' most enduring work was digested by the Ranma 
fanfic community, we have seen a tidal wave of stories that 
focused more on dark emotions than on dark settings or events. 
While I would not saddle Benares with responsibility for 
numerous dead Ranmas and Akanes now populating the fanfic 
mailing list and archive, it seems clear that Ranma fanfic 
turned a corner with the release of "Stepping Stones". 
Specifically, in 1996, mature themes associated with unpleasant 
emotions became highly fertile ground for Ranma fanfic ideas. 
While the inevitable maturation of the Ranma fanfic community 
is no doubt a moving force behind this change, so is "Stepping 
Stones".

The term "angst" has been overused and misused in the writing 
and discussion of dark fanfics, with many commentators 
confusing angst with depression or disappointment. In "Stepping 
Stones", however, Benares presents a textbook case of angst in 
portraying the nearly suicidal Ukyou. For angst is not sadness, 
but anxiety; fear. Not Ranma's (or Ryouga's) "Why does this 
always happen to me?" but Ukyou's "No one will ever love me!" 
Her dread of the bleak future she envisions is palpable and 
chillingly familiar to any soul who has known the depths of 
existential anxiety.

Benares' exploration of these frightening emotions opened the 
door for other mature treatments of intense emotions in Ranma 
fanfic. This observation is not relevant merely to the 
multitude of "darkfics" we have seen in the last year, but also 
to more versatile stories that feature powerful emotional 
dramas, such as "Sunrise" and "Thy Inward Love". I have no 
evidence to speculate that these stories or any others were 
"inspired" by "Stepping Stones". But my reading of emotionally 
honest or intense Ranma fanfic will always be affected by 
Benares' tale of Ukyou's epiphany.

	* * *

  "Of course I'm a girl!  The question is, are you a man?"
  "I'm a man!" he snapped back, somewhat defensively.  "And I
challenge you to prove that I'm not!"
  "Well, if you're a man, then this shouldn't bother you!" With
a sudden motion, Ukyou grabbed the front of her tunic.  Pulling it
down, she bared her left shoulder, part of her arm, and the front
of her chest down to the beginnings of the swell of her breast.
  Instantly, Ryoga's eyes went wide, he fell backwards, and
blood poured out of his nose to soak his shirt.  After his head hit
the ground with a hollow THUK, Ukyou pulled her top back up.
  "That clinches it!  I'll make a man out of you or kill you
trying!"
  
 - from "Ranma .05" Vol. 2, Part 2 by Darren Demaine


I once wrote disparagingly of the praise: "At last! A lemon 
where the sex is part of the plot!" that characterized readers' 
general reaction to Demaine's landmark work. I believed, and 
still do, that this accolade distracts from the best feature of 
"Ranma .05": superior prose. This fanfic series is very well 
written, with smart pacing, fluid dialogue, excellent 
descriptive passages, very effective humor, characterization 
that is remarkably faithful to the manga inspiration, and plots 
that are surprisingly believable (in Volume 2, anyway) given 
the sexual content that is so incongruous in the familiar Ranma 
1/2 universe. The writing, moreover, has improved continuously 
since Volume 1, Part 1.

A year after I first commented on the work, it is plain that 
while "lemon with a plot" may be faint praise for "Ranma .05", 
that description very aptly summarizes Demaine's enduring 
effect on the Ranma fanfic community. For since his series hit 
its stride, other authors have followed working in the same 
vein: attempting to build a quality story that includes lemon 
content alongside solid plotting, characterization, prose, etc. 
And so we have had since mid-1995 several Ranma lemon stories 
and series that build as much (or more) from the manga/anime 
inspiration as from the requisite scenes of sexual activity. 
More impressively, many of the more conventional Ranma fanfics 
include increasingly sophisticated and realistic portrayals of 
sexuality and its unavoidable presence in life and 
relationships, without actual sex scenes. I wonder if all this 
would have happened without "Ranma .05".

For the record, Volume 2 Part 4 is my favorite installment. The 
plot (minus lemon) more closely approaches the spirit and style 
of the Nettouhen episodes than any other fanfic. The lemon 
scene itself, while not as erotic as scenes in the preceding 
two chapters, is much more realistic in its conception. Welcome 
to the Hall of Fame, Mr. Demaine. Please keep your trench coat 
buttoned.

	* * * 

  Ranma's heart pounded in his chest. Before him was an ancient symbol of
Japan, stretched from horizon to horizon. He felt a part of it, proud to
be carrying on the ancient traditions of martial arts in this day of
business deals and salary men. He knew in that instant his place in this
world. He was to practice and teach musabetsu kakuto, the unlimited
martial arts, passed on from generation to generation, from father to...
  "It's... it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen" Akane said.
  He turned to her. Her face glowed in the warm sunlight her hair waving
gently in the warming breeze.
  "Beautiful."  He said. He could see the sunrise reflected in her eyes,
now somehow fierce but yet calm.
  Maybe... Maybe I should kiss her, he thought. Here we are, all alone,
watching a beautiful sunrise. This must be a good time. Ranma's heart
began to pound. He squeezed Akane's hand, she looked at him.
  
 - from "Summer" by Joseph Palmer


What is left for me to write about Palmer's "Seasons" fanfics? 
The four short works are universally recognized among Ranma 
fanfic readers as a breed apart. Their poetic timbre and 
resonant beauty evoke emotions that are sometimes powerful and 
sometimes subtle, always satisfying.

As the first of Palmer's stories, "Winter" is naturally the 
crudest. Yet, even viewing his sometimes shaky "test flight," 
we knew there was something special about this author. The 
wealth of vivid imagery was something new in the Ranma fanfic, 
as was the quiet, uneventful "plot," a far cry from the 
anime-spirit stories that had dominated Ranma fanfic 
previously. The lightly humorous ending was also a warmly 
pleasant change of pace.

These appealing features reappeared in the much more polished 
"Spring". With a second story featuring (seemingly) pointless 
conversation amid impeccably lovely prose, whole new vistas 
opened up for Ranma fanfic. No longer limited to the standard 
manic anime style (or to the less prevalent by equally tired 
ideas borrowed from sci-fi/fantasy/adventure), Ranma fanfic was 
poised for exploration of more mature ideas and sophisticated 
literary styles. It seems clear that the "Seasons" stories were 
a major inspiration for that step forward.

With "Summer", Palmer took a step beyond the arena of intimate 
conversations, incorporating "action" into the quiet, 
slice-of-life storyline. An absolutely adorable portrayal of 
Akane, subtle but memorable imagery that we had come to expect, 
and an ending that can be (generously) characterized as 
"slapstick" helped to round out "Summer". This balance and the 
sentimental allure of the ideas expressed in the story make it 
my favorite of the "Seasons." The passage quoted above is for 
me one of the most memorable in all fanfic, and not merely for 
the building romance. Ranma's simple, but stirring, pride in 
his life's work gave us Ranma 1/2 fans something apart from 
romantic love to feel affected by. Later stories have flirted 
with the deep emotional component of Ranma's dedication to "the 
art"; Palmer's exploration of this virgin territory is to be 
saluted.

As the finale for the "Seasons" series, "Autumn" did not 
disappoint. Though his more plot-centered focus somewhat 
diminished the aimless charm that characterized the earlier 
installments, Palmer more than compensated for that loss with 
drama that carried heavy emotional impact. If the 
groundbreaking series had to have a climax, "Autumn" was 
appropriate, mixing more of the intimate dialogue and 
breathtaking imagery that had become Palmer's trademarks with a 
psychologically insightful storyline. By the autumn of 1995, 
such sophisticated stories were, happily, become more frequent 
among new Ranma fanfics.

In addition to paving the way for serious, mature contemplation 
of the heretofore wacky absurdity that was the Ranma 1/2 
universe, Palmer's "Seasons" stories also "raised the bar" for 
the quality of writing in Ranma fanfic. Authors now have a 
standard to inspire them or against which to measure their most 
artful efforts. Though no one has surmounted Palmer's mark, I 
have been gladdened to see authors attempt to emulate his 
excellence, if not his style.

The appearance after the climax of "Autumn" of the other cast 
members, who haven't had speaking parts since "Spring", is like 
a hand shaking us from a reverie. For the buildup, which began 
in "Winter", to the climactic moment in "Autumn" is like a 
dream. It's the kind of a dream that makes you reach 
desperately for a pencil and paper so that you can scribble its 
beautiful details before they evanesce from memory, ethereal 
images dissipated by harsh consciousness. How fortunate for us 
that Palmer was able to write them down.


In my opinion.

Taleswapper 
November 16, 1996 

	* * *

I am mulling the idea of setting up a separate Hall of Fame 
page with the intent of celebrating all honorees in some 
creative way. When it's established, I plan on inducting a few 
more of the older fanfics. My initial picks include an early 
"dark" Ranma fic that is also one of the best crossover fanfics 
of all time, and the first episode of a certain long-running 
fanfic series.

Ideas for the Hall of Fame page, and nominations, are welcome. 
Write to me at talswapr@aol.com.