This is a shameless attempt to spur some discussion of fanfics on the
list. Everything here represents my opinion only, and your mileage may
vary. I encourage the rest of you to post your own opinions on these or
other fanfics, especially those of you who've been spamming the list
with discussion of hair and D&D parties and whether the Ranma characters
would use E-mail and whatever else.


Half a Sorceress, chapter 6
By Jussi Nikander <Jussi.Nikander@alien.nixu.fi>
Archive #15356

An alternate universe where Ranma fell into the spring of drowned Lina
Inverse; the two of them now co-exist in the same body.

An entertaining read. The tension between Ranma and Lina is interesting
to watch, as is Lina's introduction to comtemporary Japan and the Nerima
bunch. All the same, I hope this is headed toward some kind of
conclusion in the forseeable if not near future. I like the story, but I
think the concept would wear thin if you tried to retell the entire
manga with Lina along for the ride.


Happi's Legacy, Episode 3
By Liath Shadow <ShadowChan@cybergal.com>
Archive #15402

A wish has created an alternate continuity in which Ranma was raised as
a girl by Happosai.

Some good emotional drama and angst in this one. I'm not completely
following the plot, but maybe it's being kept intentionally mysterious
for the time being.


Nabiki and Ranma � Part 3
By Mike Malaspina <RanmaSolo@aol.com>
Archive #15503

An alternate universe following the formula, "What if X was with Ranma
when he went to Jusenkyo?" In this case, X = Nabiki.

A good deal of what makes canonical Ranma 1/2 interesting to read is the
volatility of the Ranma/Akane relationship; you never know which way it
could go at any given moment. The blandified versions of Ranma and
Nabiki here pretty much remove that element of the story; there doesn't
seem to be any uncertainty in their relationship. They also don't seem
to be too concerned about removing their curses or dealing with their
consequences, which gets rid of another major conflict that the manga
had. As alternate continuities go, this seems like a pretty dull one so
far.


Nabiki:Streetwalker Parts 1-3
By P-R-P-Chan <prpchan@colba.net>
Archive #15494 (parts 1-2) and 15429 (part 3)

Nabiki, a prostitute by night, introduces Ranma to the joys of sex.

Well, it's OOC, but at least it's an interesting OOC.... You don't see a
lot of IC lemons anyway. :)


Overload
by Valandar the Red <valandar_the_red@yahoo.com>
Archive #15359

Ranma falls into a coma, and his subconscious mind re-evaluates his
relationships.

Ranma's coma didn't seem very believable to me. Compared to some of the
things he's faced (being locked in girl form, Ukyo moving in with him
and his having to pretend to be married to Akane, his mother threatening
to make him and his father kill themselves, etc. etc. etc.) what
happened to him here shouldn't have been that big a deal. He needs a
*much* bigger stress factor if his cracking is to be believable. Also,
for a fic whose main purpose seems to be developing Ranma's character,
there really weren't any fresh insights into it; it seemed like
everything that Ranma's subconscious said here has been said in other
fics, and there were even a few fanfic cliches like passion spice and
Ukyo as his best friend that aren't true in the canon.

BTW, if unsure about your formatting or whether your fic is correctly
pasted into your mailer, please test-mail to yourself first.


Pagliacci, part 1
By Edward Becerra <eabecerr@henge.com>
Archive #15486

With the aid of a magical map, Gosunkugi travels to China to find a
particular spring.

Gos has a lot of potential, and his character is well-handled here. I'm
definitely interested in seeing what happens next.


The Perfect Excuse
By Douglas MacDougall <dougmacd@dougmacd.net>
Archive #15419

Nodoka tears up the seppuku promise that Genma and Ranma made years ago,
with humorous consequences.

Funny spamfic. I don't know if it was intended as such, but it's an
effective parody of the weird ways in which Ranma's female side is used
in some fics.


Seal it With a Kiss (teaser)
By Kahlil and Kiwi Noriega <becknkal@addax.bc.ca>
Archive #15431

Amidst lots of flowery imagery, Ranma writes a love letter, only to have
the wind blow it away.

Not sure where this is going, but looks like it has some good potential.
The formatting, however, is seriously messed up; please get rid of
non-ascii characters and wrap at 70-80 letters per line. Again, if in
doubt, test-mail to yourself or a friend before sending to the list.


The Yin, The Yang, And The Thin Line Between, part 2
By GT Hamilton and TJ Hamilton <ryougaecho@abraxis.com>
Archive #15427

Continuation of the Ranma 1/2 series; Ranma meets a girl named Heiko
with a physical disability.

Heiko is defintiely a change from the usual New Characters that you see,
and seems like she'll be an interesting addition to the cast. It's not
really clear where the other developments in this story are headed. I
hope this isn't going to be one of those continuations where Akari is
mysteriously and quietly written out.


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