Alan Harnum <harnums@thekeep.org> wrote:

    Again and again, variations on a theme, more and more 
mirrors rising from the mirror-sea, images flaying his mind
apart.  It showed him more - more, ever more:  as though his life
were flashing before his eyes a hundred thousand times, twisted 
beyond all recognition by some subtle change.  Akane hated him, 
or he hated her, or he was insane, or she was, or his father
engaged him to Nabiki instead, or Akane was never born at all, or 
he was never born at all, or they were born into a world where 
they would never, ever meet.

    And terribly, most terribly of all, he realized that all of
it was true.  Every image, warped though it might be, was as true
as him.

Then he was shown one of the "Saint Ukyo" universes. Okay, he realized,
*some* of them were less true than others. :-)

    <Do not be consumed with phantoms...>"
    

Don't know if that last quote mark is supposed to be there.

    "...for though within each mortal lies all things, our will
is yet free."     
    
    With his hands he pushed himself up to his knees, though his
body was cold and ached terribly.  The Mirror-Lord was still
floating in the same place, the tiny smile gone, the bored look
returned.

    "Yeah, I see."  He'd asked to wake up, and now he had.  
"Nothin' matters in the end.  Not me, or the world, or you.  But
you know, if nothin' matters in the end, then it doesn't matter
that nothin' matters.  Or somethin' like that.  So we're right
back where we started then, huh?"

I'd like to see more of Ranma's internal struggle. We're just sort of
told that he comes to a certain conclusion here, but we don't really see
much of how he gets there.

static may be changed, twisted or skewed, by one who commands the
mirrors of space and time.  The gods are mighty, but many of them
are more petty than the pettiest man; even wise Athena cursed
Arachne with the bloated body of the spider for daring to defeat
her in a contest, and the Lord of Olympus bound Prometheus to the 
rock for daring to share fire with mankind.  The Mirror-Lord was
mightier than any of the young gods, and pettier still by far.

This part breaks the POV of the story. Is it really necessary? Could
this all be told some other way -- maybe by having the M-L make some
promise of revenge that Ranma scoffs at?

    From the first look, he knew that the woman could not be
human; the same unearthly beauty that the cat-goddess had
possessed was in her, although she seemed calm and temperate in
her appearance as Bast had been fierce.  She was slight and dark
haired, clothed in pale green robes of ancient style, and with a
slender staff in one hand.  Her face was like that of one of the
mizuko, calm and begign, utterly acceptant of fate.  Angry as he
was, grieved as he was, a peace descend upon Ranma at the sight

descended

All in all, an enjoyable story. Very well written, with a good plot
twist.


Gary Kleppe
http://www.execpc.com/~kleppe/comics.html