The number one reason for this apparent lack of innovation: Ranma,
Ranma, and more Ranma. It seems like only a few months ago, there were all
kinds of new avenues being explored. A wave of Kenshin fics, a

Kenshin? Look thru your mailbox. You should find something called Guide in
the Wilderness...

Boku no Marie

fic (and the start of another), a Tylor fic from David Tatum (that was
thankfully never finished, if it's to be as dark as it looks), FF7, You're
Under Arrest, Patlabor ... all kinds of new possibilities. Add to this some
interesting new directions in the traditional non-Ranma sources, namely
Sailor Moon, Eva, Tenchi, and BGC, and you get a lot of good variety when
you're tired reading about Akane malleting Ranma.

YES!! BGC!!! To be spoken of highly... I'm blushing. ^_^

Not to mention, of course, _The Slayers Trilogy_, which gets my vote
for best fanfic of all time, and should get yours too.
Where did it all go? It seems like everything's back to good old
Ranma. Nothing new under the sun and all that. Some great stuff, to be

sure:

Alan Harnum's excellent _Eidolons_ and the ongoing

I avoid Cthulu... brrr... scary...

_Waterfalls_, Gary

Kleppe's long awaited _Hearts and Minds_, and of course _Girl Days_.

If the story wasn't so good, I'd resent having to suff my small intestine
back into my body...

We still have _Garden of Eva_, happily, and _It's a Rainy Day,
Sunshine Girl_, the first original story to ever both grab my

YES!! FUN!

attention and

maintain that faithful anime feel. At least one H.P. Lovecraft crossover is
still going, and another may be in the works. But that's about it - little
else seems to last beyond the teaser, and even less beyond the first
chapter.

I'm still going.... Bubblegum^5's next episode will go to the prereaders as
soon as I figure out how I want to end it...

With list readership growing as it has, I think any relatively
non-obscure show has a chance at garnering a viable audience. And there's

no

shortage of potential in the other shows mentioned above. I, for one, would
probably give twice as much C&C if there were more non-Ranma material to
read.

<sigh> Time to become serious... I joined the FFML mostly because it seemed
like a steady source of reading material.

Despite this, I have tried to occaisionally provide some kind of useful
commentary... When this thread popped up, I realized that I had been
slacking off.

Thanks for reminding me.

Be well.
Nathan Baxter

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ALL FANATICS MUST DIE!
Good, bad, *I'm* the guy with the gun!
Do I *amuse* you? Am I a *clown* to you?
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earthbound misfit, I.
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Relax, I'm just having fun.
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