Well, I got far fewer responses to this survery than I had hoped for,
very likely because a lot of the FFML is on vacation. However, I
promised to have this out on Dec. 31, so here it is. Next year, I'll
wait until mid-January.
Just a reminder not to take this too seriously. It is an informal poll
of those members of the FFML who felt like responding and were not on
vacation. It is not meant to be definitive in any way.
One note: I, Richard Lawson, did not answer this poll. From now on
until after the survey is over, when someone says "I", they are
referring to themselves, not me, Richard Lawson. Er, does that make
sense?
Okay, here are the questions and answers:
************ QUESTION 1 *****************
What was the funniest moment in a Ranma fanfic this year? What made you
guffaw the loudest; what made other people in the computer lab look at
you strangely? If you can, quote the passage.
---
Hmm, this one is tough, I think it has to be when reading Biles
"Lemonade Punch" and seeing the line about Elric and Stormbringer, or
perhaps finding out that the new #2 was one of the prisoners, they're
both obscure references but I loved them. Ooh, another was the line
Ryoga gave in why we always fight, It was just a passing phase, I only
like women now (aprox) when Ranma says well what do I look like to you?
---
Mihoshi's "You can't do that on Ranma 1/2".....I think the passage was
something like....
Ryoga : Heh...Ranma. Getting in touch with your feminine side?
Ranma-chan : Why you...!
(She chases Ryoga down a corridor, and the two of them promptly get
lost.)
---
"Shampoo shook her empty head. It rattled." - Passion Spice, Kun-chan
---
This scene from "The Pursuit of Happiness" by RpM:
Slowly, smoothly, Ranma hobbled out of bed and sat next to Ryouga.
Ryouga narrowed his eyes. Ranma was acting far too friendly already.
"What do -you- want, Ranma."
Ranma suddenly looked very serious. "Ryouga, y'know, we've known each
other for a long time."
"Huh?"
"I feel... like I've known you forever."
"The feeling's mutual," grumbled Ryouga.
"And I just wanted t'say... I love you, man!"
Ryouga edged a little away from Ranma, staring at his rival with bulging
eyes.
Then realization hit him.
"Ranma, you're not getting my okonomiyaki."
---
Hmmm... Quite possibly the Great Anime Cross Over from Hell 'fics...
---
In 1996? Are you sure there was any funny fics? Most fics I read that
was written in 1996 had really bad jokes or it was one of those dramatic
fics. Well, one fic did make me smile, it was Jeff Rutsch's Take off
Your Clothes part 8. I don't think I can quote the passage since most
parts were amusing to read.
---
Roy Rim's "Fettish" provided an hilarious moment. Because of the rather
sick S&M Lemon lead-in, I won't quote the context, but I laughed long
and hard at Ranma's admonition to Kuno: "Don't touch my ass, man!" The
Kodachi scene that follows is funny too.
Another lemon, "Lemonade Punch 2" by Paladin includes a splendidly comic
moment. Confronted by a naked and amorous Hinako-sensei, Ranma reacts
thusly:
"AHHHHHHH!!!!" Ranma screamed madly as he ran *through* the door to
escape.
Hinako stood there a moment and then picked up her dress and began to
put it back on. <Well... I certainly didn't expect *that*....>
A comparable and equally funny scene from PhoneyNT's "The Attractiveness
Factor" is Akane's attempt to seduce Ranma by demonstrating her
technique:
Akane picked up a breadroll and began to lick it sensuously. "Mmm,"
she moaned. She moved it in and out repeatedly, her tongue working over
it frantically.
"Gross," Ranma thought.
Akane continued her work on the roll and Ranma began to sweat
somewhat. "She looks so...cute..." Ranma thought, then took it back and
flinched when Akane bit into the roll and made a loud crunching sound.
The sound made him think of his bones cracking under the weight of a
table. She tore the roll in half and some of the innards hung out
grotesquely.
"That could be you..." she moaned. Ranma fainted.
---
Magic Knight Kyone's "The Otaku".
The being thinks. "Hmm. Finally, I have found Nerima. Now I can go
around solving all these problems these Ranma characters have! I mean,
I’m far wiser than anyone else, I over power all of them combined by a
thousand fold, and I have wonderful sex appeal. Even with my
vulnerability to ki blast, I will be unstoppable!"
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Unfortunately for the being, he happened to materialize between the two
combatants, and was vaporized by their ki blast before he could even
notice them.
---
Tsubasa one-punches Ranma through luck, Everyone thinks he must secretly
be a martial arts GOD. Ukyou - Affairs of the Heart Part 1: "Tsubasa
the God! or Every Dog Has his Day" by Blade
---
Difficult. I mean, I *could* paste in all of Mike W. Loader's Nameless
Saga and Sequel - but it would take too much space. I'll just say that
if I'm looking for rip-roaring laughter, I'll go to Mike.
************** QUESTION 2 **************
What was the most touching/ tenderest/ endearing/ heartrending moment in
a Ranma fanfic? What made you reach for a tissue, and then reach for a
hundred more? Happy or sad, what made you cry? Again, quotes would be
nice.
---
Well I can think of two, the point where Ranma tosses the casket of
water over him in "The Nature of Love" and a recent okyou story when
Ranma and Akane have gone back to that field and are laying the spatula
by the tree. Those were some very very good storys, in fact a third is
one about Nabiki when she finds out she's in love with Ranma and decides
to commit suicide.
---
"Saishu no Wakare"
Ranma suddenly wondered how Ukyo had been keeping her tears within
her. He thought about the....strength and courage to keep on smiling
day to day to the customers. Ranma thought about the cheerful attitude
she had always assumed whenever him and Akane visited.
All the missing feelings of frustration, anger, sadness and
betrayal, which Ukyo had never shown since the second wedding - it all
became apparent to Ranma now. His image of Ukyo, full of life and
happiness, now changed to one where she was hunched over her desk in
absolute grief, her limp hair hiding her face from view.
He could just hear the hollow thumps now as Ukyo slammed her fist
over and over again on the shut diary.....
---
The ending to New Horizons 1 by Greg Sandborn
The ending to Thy Inward Love 7 by Richard Lawson
Shock by James Stone - the whole thing
---
"A Man I'll Never Be" by Nicholas Leifker
Gah! To describe it as suicidally depressing is an understatement.
Excerpt:
Why me, dammit? WHY ME??? Because...of...of this...I can't...I...can't
visit my mom without...posing...as "Ranko"...I can't enjoy the rain...or
a nice swim...I...can't....
I can't tell Akane I love her.
I can't...I can't ask her...like this...Noone...noone should be...
asked for that...noone...
Tears start to well in my eyes...a small corner of my mind fights
it, desperately calling them back... "Come on...Guys don't cry..." my
mind urges...but the message is delivered to the wrong crowd.
Because...as much as my natural form...this is who I am.
And there is _nothing_ I can do about it.
---
I liked Marisa's lemon side story... that was rather sweet, I think.
---
No fanfic in 1996 has ever made me do such thing. Only thing I can
remember is Heart of the Home which affected me somewhat.
---
The reunion of the lovers (proto-Ranma and pre-Akane) in Stephanie
Gonzales' "Remind My Heart" is an emotionally resonant moment that will
endure in my memory for a long time. Naturally, their final parting is
especially poignant:
He gazed down at her and felt the longing and regret that were
apparent in her expression. For the first and last time, he reached out
and enfolded her in his arms, never wanting to let go. "We were meant
to be together, you and I. Does it really end like this?"
She spoke into his chest. "Someday we'll be together again. I truly
believe that. You must also, if it is to come true."
One tear escaped from his eye before a fierce look of resolve
appeared on his face. When he spoke, though, his words were quiet. "If
we meet again, I'll never let anyone come between us. No one will take
you away from me. And I'll never let anything happen to you. I swear
it."
This story has not gotten the recognition it deserves.
---
There are *so* many choices here, but I'll pick one just because it's
from an obscure author (us obscure authors need all the help we can
get(-: ) and likely to have been overlooked: George Mori's "Facades". I
don't know if this ever went to the ML, but it is in the r.a.a.c
archives under the series title "Long Hard Road", and is definitely
worth a read. The characterization is just perfect.
"One problem though. Kuno here isn't insured, it's gonna cost about
5,000 yen to patch him up." Tofu turned his head back with a smile that
vanished when he saw what was in Nabiki's hand
"Here you go Doctor!" Nabiki quickly replied. In her hand was the
required dough and then some. Her face held a blank expression. 'What
am I DOING?'
"Nabiki it was a joke, I was just trying to get a response. I must
admit this wasn't the one I expected."
Of course, there is this very good "Thy Inward Love" stuff by some
author or other, but I think just about everybody and his dog has read
this by now.
---
The ending of Sunrise.
---
Without a doubt, the reunion scene in Stephanie Gonzales's "Remind My
Heart". Probably the only time I've ever literally cried my eyes out
while reading fiction.
---
Ah, that's a tie, in fact. I couldn't single out one moment from
memory, but it's definitely a tie between Richard Lawson's _TIL_ fics
and Krista Perry's _Hearts of Ice_ (particularly that scene with the
"True Love Spell").
---
************* QUESTION 3 ****************
What was the most surprising moment in any Ranma story you read? What
made you say, "Wait, that can't be right. Here, let me read it again."
What made you blink your eyes and drop your jaw and gasp?
---
Well I supose it would have to have been in that infamous lemon, the
real reasons we fight, when ranma and ryoga are shown as lovers.
---
Ben Kosse's Dragon Path 1.
[The part where women are described as little more than sex objects and
virtual slaves. It shocked me.]
---
Keiichi getting a sword in his back, Timelines, Mark Latus.
Every other line, The Variyiah Cycle, Mike Loader.
---
"I Thought We Were Rivals..." by Jeff Cao.
Remember this one? Lemme refresh your memory with an excerpt:
"Shampoo wait for Akane next time," she tenderly said promised as we
(that is, Shampoo and Akane) broke the kiss.
"Thank you," I gave her a smile as I stroked her shiny, lavender
hair.
"Maybe Akane should go back to cl--" Shampoo began to say, but I
never let her finish what she wanted to say.
It's hard to say anything when you're being French-kissed by someone.
---
Any of Chris Willmore's fanfics. :p Especially the Akari one. Bleh. Bad
Chris! Bad!
---
Jeff Rutsch and his Take Off Your Clothes series.
---
That's a tough one; I don't think I have a vote. There were lots of
attempted "shocks" that I don't credit as effective surprises since they
are rooted in hackneyed, over-manipulative plotting (e.g., a sudden
spasm of violence erupts, a character thought to be good is revealed to
be evil). The clever reworking of the manga continuity to create
"Sunrise" and "Thy Outward Part" certainly made me sit up in awed
appreciation; does that count as surprise? The violence in "Thy Inward
Love" (Ukyou vs. Akane, Shampoo vs. Akane) is affecting and riveting,
but probably not surprising.
---
The one that comes to mind is finding out who dunnit in "Appearances".
---
Ukyou breaks her spatula in "Thy Inward Love".
---
I don't remember that happening to me with a fanfic, ever. I mean, in
the most cases where the characters act in unexpected ways, it's simply
because they are vastly out of character. A fic that utterly surprises
me *and* is in character has yet to materialize.
---
************ QUESTION 4 ***************
What was the strangest Ranma fanfic you read? Which story made you
question the author's sanity for producing such a weird plot?
Crossovers, alternate realities, or just plain weirdness, what was the
most bizarre story you read?
---
The most bizarre? Hm, I suppose that goes to Biles and "Lemonade
Punch". It's just too far out there.
---
That weird lemon that everyone was talking about a while back....
Asakusa/Kaine, or something like that.
---
Thy Outward Part by Richard Lawson
---
"Lemon Sherbert" by John Biles. 'Nuff said.
Excerpt from part 9:
Meanwhile, Nodoka and Soun were STILL having Mad Passionate Sex,
just in case you were wondering.
O_O um, yeah.
However, I feel that Kun-chan's "Gaijin in Nerima" deserves an honorable
mention in this category.
---
Can I vote for Chris Willmore again? If not, I vote for 'Thy Outward
Part' and
'The Nature of Love', its sequel.
---
Jeff Rutsch's Take off Your Clothes Series.
---
Nobody can touch Jeff Rutsch in this category. "Revolution #9" is the
most disturbing in my estimation, but "Heather" and any of the "Take Off
Your Clothes" stories would also be deserving winners.
---
Jeff Rutsch's "Take Off Your Clothes".
---
Magical Interludes by Jon K. Hayashi
---
Hmmm, probably something from Jeff Rutsch or PhoneyNT. I mean, Chris
Willmore I can at least *understand* - but those two sometimes give me
flashbacks to Planet Bizarro.
---
*********** QUESTION 5 *************
Well, may as well ask you what your favorite stories of the year were.
However, let me break it down into categories. Please vote *only once*
in each category. What was your favorite Ranma:
A) Comedy?
Each of the following got one vote:
The Wizard of Oz/Ranma crossover story
Nullifier
The More Things Change
Daigakusei no Ukyou, Episode #2
Mikado Ichiban 'fics
Take Off Your Clothes #8
Tales of Ranma and Nabiki #9
The Attractiveness Factor
The Otaku
The Surreal World
The Nameless Saga
The Nameless Sequel
B) Darkfic?
Except where noted, each of the following got one vote:
Giri
Dragon Path
Sunrise - 2 votes
Lies - 2 votes
Black Lemonade
Smoke and Mirrors
Appearances
"Something Nightelf wrote"
"None of them"
C) Dramatic/Serious?
Except where noted, each of the following got one vote:
Thy Outward Part - 2 votes
Thy Inward Love - 5 votes
Chasing the Wind
Saishu no Wakare
Heart of the Home
Sunrise
Remind My Heart
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Hearts of Ice
D) Crossover/Alternate Reality?
Except where noted, each of the following got one vote:
Ranma 2096
Ranma vs SM
Timelines
Quentin Tarentino's Ranma 1/2 - 2 votes
Tales of Ranma and Nabiki
Sauce
The Surreal World
Twilight
Elseworlds
"Can't remember..."
E) Favorite Story That Killed Someone?
Except where noted, each of the following got one vote:
Saishu no Wakare - 3 votes
Sour Times - 2 votes
Sunrise
Smoke and Mirrors - 2 votes
Honor Lost
Lies
Appearances
"The one where Nodoka makes amulets for everyone out of the broken
Nanban Mirror."
"The series where Konatsu died."
"None, all the ones I read did that badly."
*******************************************
That's it! "I" now refers to me, Richard Lawson.
I'd like to end this with one final recommendation. If you're fairly
familiar with some of the better, serious Ranma fics, I'd highly
recommend Taleswapper's "Production Number" at the end of his 1996
Taleswapper Awards. It's set to Coco's "Omoide ga ippai", and features
the lyrics of that song alongside reminders of touching scenes in this
year's fanfics. Give it a read. At the very least, it'll point you in
the right direction for finding good stuff. It can be found at:
http://members.aol.com/talswapr/awards96.html
Thanks for all of your responses!
-Richard Lawson
sterman@sprynet.com
rlawson@informix.com