On Mon, 21 Jul 1997, Jon Farber wrote:

Well, for the problem of how to get the Ranma crew there, try this.

Takhisis is burning for revenge against the 'Heros of the Lance', and has
set up a magical spell to summon them all into the abyss.  Raistlin (who
can only appear as a spirit in this realm, as he is still stuck in the
Abyss) and his apprentice, Palin, try to countermagic it, but both spells
go awry. Tanis and his crew are banished to someother far off world, and
Palin is shocked into a coma.  However, for each of the Heros that was
teleported away, a stranger in strange clothes has appeared.

*Potentially*, this could work . . . but the key word is *potentially*.

The fact that the initial spell is interplanar to begin with adds a note
of plausibility. And considering that you have a case of mortals (mostly)
trying to counter the magic of a full-fledged god(dess) like Takhisis, it
makes more sense that the spell would be disrupted and partially deflected
than if they *were* able to counter it.

(And just to make this fun, Raistlin is the only one that can understand
Ranma and Co.  Boy, is Raist happy about that!!!)

No comment there.

So let's see, we have Tanis, Caramon, Lauranthasla, Tika, Riverwind,
Goldmoon, and Tas.  So that gives us Ranma, Ryoga, Akane, Ukyo, Shampoo,
Mousse, and Nabiki.  We could also banish Gilthanis, Tanin, and Sturm, and
grab Kasumi and the Kunos.

A word of caution to anyone who *does* try their hand at this - be *VERY*
careful where in Krynn's timelime you're working from! By the time the
"second generation" of heroes is ready to go adventuring, most of the
original Heroes of the Lance are no longer at their peak - Caramon most
noticeably, but all of them (except for the full elves) are getting on in
years. - The survivors, that is.

I won't be the one to write this, I know that much. But whoever does might
want to keep the Hi-ryuu Shoutenha in mind when Ranma (or Cologne) winds
up facing a Krynnish dragon . . . 

I do feel like I should make one other note - check that, *two* notes. I
know I've made at least one of these before.

First, be true to *all* the involved characters to the best of your
ability (and then some, if possible :). Review every Ranma anime and manga
episode you have at your disposal, along with re-reading the applicable
DragonLance books. Here's a quick listing, by order of events (barring the
Legends time-travel incidents):
	Chronicles I-III
		Dragons of Autumn Twilight
		Dragons of Winter Night
		Dragons of Spring Dawning
	Legends I-III
		Time of the Twins
		War of the Twins
		Test of the Twins
	The Second Generation (anthology, setting up for - )
	Chronicles IV
		Dragons of Summer Flame

Palin, Tanin, and Sturm Majere, Gilthas (Tanis and Laurana's son), and
Steel Brightblade (Sturm and Kitiara's son) all enter 'play' as of The
Second Generation anthology, a collection of five short stories which set
the stage for the events in Dragons of Summer Flame. If you're using ANY
of them then you'd best have reviewed the entire core timeline above.

Second: Don't just make it all fighting. I know I just mentioned the
Hi-ryuu Shoutenha vs. an actual Krynnish dragon; that should, at most, be
a plot development. Good stories do not just take the characters through
slugfest after brawl after knock-down-drag-out afterpunch-up after
slugfest after you get the idea; the plot of this crossover should be more
than Ranma-tachi have to stop Takhisis' plans and start fighting evil
dragons and draconians.
	One of the strengths of the DragonLance novels is that
Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman have written not just what the Heroes of
the Lance were faced with and what they did, but what they felt and
thought, *why* they did what they did. Tanis, Caramon, Raistlin, Flint,
Tas, Sturm, Goldmoon, Riverwind, and Kitiara - and all of the others -
become more than characters in a novel; they become *people* when you sit
down, open the book, and start reading.
	In the same way, Takahashi Rumiko has explored the Ranma cast's
thoughts and feelings over the course of 58 (?) volumes of manga. The
characters become 'real' people in her work.
	Whoever takes up this challenge has not one, but *two* tough acts
to follow - not one, but two (dare I use the word?) epics to explore, and
weave together. If/when chapter one of this new work reaches the FFML, I
want to be able to read it and believe that Weis, Hickman, and Takahashi
could have worked together to create what I'm reading.

With that said: my blessings and best wishes to whoever attempts this
project. If there is an author on this list with the courage, stamina,
time, and perseverance to take up the challenge, I look forward to seeing
what he, she, or they can come up with. I hope not to be disappointed.

				Tim Miller
					trmiller@mail.bcpl.lib.md.us
Kanji Hunter Shachihoko Seikousen
Amateur Nihongo linguist/translator
Otaku and writer

"This is not entertainment. This is an art form."