Ok, What are the most commonly used elements in any Fanfics. You know,
plots, character names, crossover explainations, etc...

	I'll answer for Ranma 'fics.
	Two common plots are "New person visits Nerima" and "People 
self-disclose."  In the first, either an author-created character or a 
crossover character meets up with Ranma.  In the second, characters 
explain why they do what they do.  For example, Ranma and Akane have a 
heart-to-heart, or Ukyou bemoans her tragic life, or Nabiki wonders why 
she's so greedy and manipulative, or we find out why the Kuno clan is so 
whacked, etc.
	New character names... Ranko is the obvious one.  There are more 
than a few guys named Ryo wandering around, though, and all the alternate 
future stories tend to use the same names for alternate versions of the same 
character.
	Someone wandering into Jusenkyo is a standard crossover 
explanation, as is someone investigating why the Nerimites are so odd.  
Travel magic, including the Nanban Mirror, is another option.  One thing 
I ought to mention is that Ranma crossovers usually happen in Nerima, as 
opposed to having the Ranma characters traveling elsewhere (Ryoga being 
the exception here).
 ______
{B-{=__
rmckenzi@euclid.ucsd.edu : The White-Robed Mathematician