I've had this one in the back of my mind for a while, but may
never get it out, so I'll put it up for grabs.
This fuses Ranma 1/2 with the less well-known novel "Eye in the
Sky" by Philip K. Dick.
It begins with the usual suspects on a school trip to the new
Nerima Experimental Power Station. A new type of generator that runs on
a previously undiscovered technobabble principle has just been
installed. (Why are people not connected to the school on the trip? Who
knows?) While the guide is desperately trying to make the doubletalk
science sound interesting, a fight breaks out, and in the ensuing melee,
the generator emits a big burst of radiation.
Ranma and Akane wake up in the hospital, a little sore, but
otherwise all right. As they head for home, they start noticing little
things that don't seem quite right, but they can't quite put their
fingers on it. Then Ranma gets splashed, and does *not* turn female!
Obviously the strange radiation has cured him!
He's feeling pretty good until he gets home to the Dojo and meets
Ranko Tendou, Akane's cousin, and her pet panda (who is *not* Genma!)
Akane doesn't believe this either, but the rest of the family is
convinced that the current situation has always been the case, and
there's even photographic evidence!
Even stranger, Ranko proves to be head over heels in love with
Kunou!
Weirdness keeps piling up until our heroes finally realize
they're inside Kunou's mindset! Everything in this world is the way he
sees things. And as time goes on, the characters start being compelled
to act in accordance with the kendoist's opinion of them. Akane is
falling in love with the jerk, and can't stop herself, etc...
Finally, they realize that the only way to stop this is to beat
Kunou unconscious. (Him being naturally asleep doesn't seem to change
anything.) At first, they wake up back in the hospital and assume
they've finally escaped, but soon it becomes evident this isn't the
reality they know either...
What's happened is that the radiation has linked all their minds
in a dream state, and the more powerful someone's vision of the world is,
the more likely they are to gain control of it, although they are
completely unaware in the dream that they are doing so. (The person
whose worldview it is believes that everything is normal, natch.)
For example, in Ryougaworld, all doors lead to random rooms,
streets lead nowhere in particular, and maps are gibberish.
The story goes through three worlds, then the fourth is one where
for some reason either the characters don't want to beat up the
controller, or the controller has realized enough of the situation to
make him/herself unbeatable...
SKJAM!