5. Rise of the new
	So, with alarming regularity, Ranma is being shoved aside, both
silently and publicly. Unless it's part of an established, well-liked 
series (Lesson in Love, DnR/DnU, TMTC/TPOH, etc.) or written by a proven
author (Biles, Lawson, Palmer, etc.)--often it is simply deleted out of
hand. It is unfair--but that is life.
	Along with that, suddenly, fanworks based on other series--back
to Tenchi, or now El Hazard, and especially Evangelion--are receiving a
lot of attention. People are scrabbling for a breath of freshness, once
applicable to innovative Ranma fanfiction, now a near impossibility.
There has been talk of forming voting forums for non-Ranma fanfiction.

A quick addition on this point...

I've had a few (*very* few) complaints about Onna: Red Side and ReGenesis:
Half Impact. One reader is unhappy with the fact that O:RS seems to be more
of a Magic Knight Rayearth fic than a Ranma fic, and another reader has
complained about the introduction of Gendou into ReGenesis, stating that
I'm overdoing the Evangelion element in the fic.

I'll come out right now and say that this is *intentional*. Despite the
number of Ranma crossovers I write, I am getting tired of Ranma 1/2 myself.
I have every volume released by VIZ except Smells Like Evil Spirit,and
these days they don't get any screentime after the first watch-through,
because I'd rather watch BlueSeed, Eva, or Fushigi Yuugi.

So why do I do crossovers? Simple. It's fun to bring the Ranma characters
in contact with other anime/manga universes. However, it's not fun to bring
other anime characters into the Ranma world anymore.

Enter my last four (not counting Kekko Moon) crossover projects...

Fushigi Hachibunnoni: This is the only one I'm considering killing off. It
would be fun to continue it, but I can't see too many places where I can
have as much fun with the story as I'd like to. I write to have fun, and if
a fanfic is beginning to bore me, I drop it.

Onna: Red Side: As stated, this is actually *intended* to be a non-Ranma
fic, despite its loose bond to the pure Ranma fic "Onna: Yellow Side".
Truth to tell, I'm seriously considering *dropping* the Yellow Side
project, and retitling Red Side. (Yeah, it'd make a real mess...I'd like
input from folks on this...) 

Anyway, the reason O:RS is turning into more of an MKR fic than a Ranma fic
is basically that I'd rather write an MKR fic and this gives me a good way
to do it. 

The same basically goes for ReGenesis: Half Impact. While there are
decisively more Ranma elements than Evangelion elements at this time, the
destination the plot is heading in will eventually become something more
closely resembling Evangelion. 

Nibun no Senshi Sailormoon: I don't think I *need* to explain this one.
It's pretty much explained itself already. (Okay, so it's *still* a
Sailormoon fic...so sue me...)

I'd like to urge authors who write Ranma crossovers to consider trying
something similar. Crossovers dealing less with Ranma 1/2 than with the
other series involved may pique interest among writers, who in turn will
feel like attempting fanfics based on those series, which may eventually
lead to a fresh influx of non-Ranma, non-Sailormoon fanfics. For those of
you who are already thinking along these same lines...good job. 

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Zankoku na tenshi no TEEZE
Madobe kara yagate tobitatsu
Hotobashiru atsui PATOSU de
Omoide wo uragiru nara
Kono sora wo daite kagayaku
Shounen yo shinwa ni nare

The Eternal Lost Lurker
EternalLostLurker@worldnet.att.net

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