Sorry this is so late; started working a couple weeks ago and am only now
getting used to having 50 fewer hours in the week to do what I want with.
The FFML Synopses List REVIEW! (puu puu!)
====================== =^o^=
For the week of: June 9, 2000 (with 1 for June 11)
Reviewer on Duty: Glazius Falconar, sometime marshmallow peep
Synopses Reviewed: If I got it, I'm reviewing it.
* * * * *
[Bubblegum Crisis]
- - - - -
Title: Bubblegum Crisis 2033: Fatal Exception
Genre: Comedy
Author: Andy Skuse
Email: askuse@home.com
Homepage: <http://www.ravensgarage.com/>http://www.ravensgarage.com
Archived at
<http://www.ravensgarage.com/fics/shrtfics/fatalex.htm>http://www.
ravensgara
ge.com/fics/shrtfics/fatalex.htm
Date Sent to FFML: June 9, 2000
Archive Number: 11419
Size: 6 KB
Summary:
This goofy short fanfic (if we can call it that) came about as result of
an email discussion with SkyKnight (aka Bert Van Vliet, author of
BGZone) about BIOS flashes for motherboards, and then we thought about
flashing the BIOS on a hardsuit and well, this was my reply...
This went on _way_ too long for my taste. Wouldn't computer illiteracy be
more or less a death sentence in MegaTokyo anyway? Be funnier if it was just
Nene trying to wrangle an OS into error-proof form... on account of the BSOD
is just that when you've got a particle beam tracking you.
Then again, it could just be that I've heard this one before from far more
believable lips...
Oh, and a botched BIOS flash would result in something like the autocannon
firing toggle controlling the hoverjets. The OS would _seem_ to work fine...
- - - - -
Title: Bubblegum Cross
Episode: Part 21: Dreamlines
Genre: Continuation
Author: Andy Skuse
Email: askuse@home.com
Homepage: <http://www.ravensgarage.com/>http://www.ravensgarage.com
Archived at
<http://www.ravensgarage.com/fics/bgcross/bgcross.htm>http://www.r
avensgarag
e.com/fics/bgcross/bgcross.htm
Date Sent to FFML: June 6, 2000
Archive Number: 11296
Size: 33 KB
Series Summary:
It is the year 2038. The Knight Sabers have existed peacefully in
obscurity, ever since the AD Police finally shut down Genom, the boomer
manufacturer who also dealt globally in corruption and greed. Their
five-year hiatus is about to be disturbed, as a long-lost relative
drops into Sylia Stingray's life, and explains why her data cartridge
has the number "2" on it.
Episode Summary:
Blackie thinks about the future with Priss, Nene & Mackie go computer
shopping, Leon tries to resurrect the ADP, Sylia starts testing Blackie
for a possible position with the Knight Sabers, and V7-28 puts the next
phase of his plan into operation.
You know, I think it says something when a body can pick a series up at part
21 and get a feel for what's going on right away. Not that some parts of it
will necessarily make any _sense_, mind you. But the world's built, and your
characters are realized, well enough so that drawing the picture and having
the actors act out their scenes aren't impossible without reference to
something unknown and prior.
I can't make many comments on plotting... pacing certainly doesn't seem to
be a problem, as I was kept engaged the whole way through. The unified theme
of the episode came across without seeming too forced, which is always a
good thing.
* * * * *
[Dirty Pair / Iria: Zeiram the Animation]
- - - - -
Title: Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot Chapter 1
Genre: crossover
Author: D.B. Sommer
Email: sommer@3rdm.net
Homepage:
<http://angcobra.jumpfun.com/dbsommer.html>http://angcobra.jumpfun
.com/dbsom
mer.html
Date Sent to FFML: June 3, 2000
Archive Number: 11201
Size: 95 KB
Summary:
Everybody's favorite incidental mass murderers encounter a force that is
as vicious as they are. And a portion of Kei's past is revealed as she
calls upon an old friend to help them out.
Whoo. Starts out wacky, gets creepy, then outright Doom-on-acid gory, then
back to sort-of-wacky again. Nice and smoothly varying tone, excellent
scene-setting and descriptions... alien horrors tend to defy them most
times... great action, great conversation, and quite the interesting
premise, all told. Can't wait to see where it goes from here.
* * * * *
[Master of Mosquiton / Samurai X (Ruroni Kenshin)]
- - - - -
Title: Master Battousai: The Romance of a Meiji Mosquiton
Episode: iv. Reunion (v1.0)
Genre: Alt Fantasy Fusion
Author: Jitou
Email: mosquiton@crosswinds.net
Homepage:
<http://www.crosswinds.net/~mosquiton/scry.htm>www.crosswinds.net/
~mosquiton
/scry.htm
Archived at
<http://www.geocities.com/jitou.geo/fanfic.htm>www.geocities.com/j
itou.geo/f
anfic.htm
Date Sent to FFML: May 21, 2000
Archive Number: 11482
Size: 52 KB
Series Summary:
What happens when you cross a blood-sucking vampire and a pacifistic
rurouni? Yep, that's right.
Episode Summary:
A dojo in distress. A mysterious man. Kenshin vs. Jun. So much
bullshit you won't dare want to miss it.
June 12, this is dated. Where'd you get May 21 from?
Ah well, doesn't matter, it's still a funny bit, all in all. It goes from a
wacky slice of home life (I'm coming to love-hate Inaho's characterization
by now, oh yes I am) to some Deep Philosophical Stuff to a fight scene back
to Deep Philosophical Stuff back to wacky home life. I like it very much.
The scene-setting is minimalist, but the scenery really isn't the focus
here; the characters are, and you've done a wonderful job of breathing life
(or undeath, as the case may be) into them. Keep up the good work!
* * * * *
[Neon Genesis Evangelion]
- - - - -
Title: Damned If You Do...
Genre: Humour, Crossover
Author: Adrian Forest
Email: dalziel_86@hotmail.com
Date Sent to FFML: June 5, 2000
Archive Number: 11252
Size: 8 KB
Summary:
A ridiculous story stemming from a challenge that came up in
conversation. Just read it, you'll figure it out fast enough.
...okay, that one was just nuts.
"WHAT DID YOU DO, SHINJI?! WHAT DID YOU DO?!"
Definitely good for a few laughs. From me, at least.
- - - - -
Title: I am Myself
Episode: part 2
Genre: drama?
Author: Chris Burke
Email: wyrm@engin.umich.edu
Homepage: <http://www.umich.edu/~wyrm/abp>http://www.umich.edu/~wyrm/abp
Archived at
<http://www.umich.edu/~wyrm/abp/fanfic.html>http://www.umich.edu/~
wyrm/abp/f
anfic.html
Date Sent to FFML: June 8, 2000
Archive Number: 11377
Size: 23 KB
Series Summary:
Something is very wrong in the world of Ayanami Rei.
Episode Summary:
Rei has a pleasant chat with each of the other Children, and learns an
important lesson about prescription medication.
Namely, when you knock yourself out with it, your psyche has a field day? It
certainly seems like _something_ has happened out of the eyes of the reader.
Exactly what will be addressed in future chapters, I _hope_. Anyway, this
story with the interesting premise continues to develop said premise in
decidedly interesting ways. Rei's character is the most well-crafted and
enjoyable part of it, and I definitely look forward to future installments.
* * * * *
[Neon Genesis Evangelion / Serial Experiments Lain]
- - - - -
Title: A Soul Forever Voyaging
Episode: Layer 01 SENTIENCE
Genre: Sci-Fi
Author: TimeRunner
Email: keiichi@i-manila.com.ph
Homepage:
<http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Towers/7482/fanfic.htm>http://www.
geocities.
com/Tokyo/Towers/7482/fanfic.htm
Date Sent to FFML: May 28, 2000
Archive Number: 11064
Size: 14 KB
Series Summary:
What defines intelligence? Sentience? What ultimately determines who
is human and who is not?
"No matter where you are... everyone is always connected."
Inspired by Neon Genesis Evangelion, Serial Experiments Lain, and the
old Infocom interactive fiction 'A Mind Forever Voyaging'.
Episode Summary:
What is the Project for Rational and Emotional Instrumentality? What
implications does this have on human evolution? More importantly, how
will this knowledge affect the life of one particular soul?
...whoa. Just whoa. This is nuts, but it's the deep and good kind of nuts.
Definitely something to read and follow, as it's one heck of a
fusioncrosswossname. And if the ending of the _prologue_ knocks you for a
loop, just imagine what the _story_'s going to be like...
* * * * *
[Oh My Goddess! / Ranma 1/2]
- - - - -
Title: ASHES - A Cinderella Story Chapter One, 'Three Threads'
Genre: Humor/Drama
Author: James and the Bluejay
Email: jeeades@wanderway.com
Homepage: www.wanderway.com
Date Sent to FFML: June 6, 2000
Archive Number: 11314
Size: 41 KB
Summary:
Rumiko Takahashi must have loved the Cinderella fable, she included it
in so many of her stories. This is a tale of ashes, and people who play
in them, and what befalls people who get wishes from fairy godmothers...
er... make that 'agents'.
Three threads of a tale have we,
Three beginnings you will see,
Let us warp and let us weave,
And the first chapter you'll receive.
This is also quite warped, but also decidedly funny, and with definite
potential for future chapters. In fact, there _are_ future chapters. Hmm...
I think I'll get to reading them, and you should too...
* * * * *
[Ranma 1/2]
- - - - -
Title: A Murder of Crows - Sneak Preview
Genre: Dark
Author: Jed M. Bidwell <Knight Writer>
Email: jedediah@tri-countynet.net
Date Sent to FFML: June 11, 2000 (in 4 posts)
Archive Numbers: 11436 through 11439
Size: totalling 110 KB
Summary:
A year after Ranma Saotome's mysterious murder, Akane Tendo falls victim
to her own violent fate. Twenty years later, she finds herself returned
by the Crow in order to seek vengeance, but not all is as it seems and
that the road to vengeance is much harder than it appears to be.
June 11? I got the first part the morning of June 10... gad. I should just
sort my archives by title, except the tags throw that off...
...okay, I refuse to accept the premise. Ranma does not die so easily unless
he's been heavily drugged beforehand. ...that's about my feelings for this
whole matter, actually. The story is sufficiently well-crafted to hold
reader attention, but all you've kept of the characters are name and
likeness. It's actually worse than if you _had_ written about nobody in
particular, because the reader actively has to tweak their perceptions of
the characters to match yours... in this case, for this reviewer, it was an
impossible task.
- - - - -
Title: Returning Home
Episode: Chapter 11
Genre: Continuation/Altverse
Author: David Farr
Email: djfarr@ihug.co.nz
Homepage:
<http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~djfarr>http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~djfarr/
Date Sent to FFML: June 9, 2000
Archive Number: 11395
Size: 15 KB
Series Summary:
Ranma and Akane return home after a trip to parallel worlds, with a
four-year-old daughter and a baby son. However, while they've
experienced five years, everyone else has only seen three months.
Episode Summary:
A meeting of the Saotome Wedding Committee; a warning of danger; and an
all new Shampoo.
Hokay. Day in the life stuff, glad to see the characters have gotten beyond
the overreacting stage - push comes to shove and they're all in it
together... well, almost all in this case. Anyway, it's a decent chapter in
a saga with a very good premise... although, to be honest, this one was a
lot more waypoint than destination. Three bullet points would sum up this
chapter rather nicely, and those could go into another one with... well,
action, for lack of a better term.
- - - - -
Title: Wheel of Fire
Episode: #34: Nightmare of Suzaku
Genre: Continuation
Author: Razorclaw X
Email: spiceoflife@hotmail.com
Homepage:
<http://www.crosswinds.net/~slythe/ranma/ranff.html>http://www.cro
sswinds.ne
t/~slythe/ranma/ranff.html
Date Sent to FFML: June 6, 2000
Archive Number: 11308
Size: 91 KB
Series Summary:
Cinder has been beaten, and the gang has been invited to escort him back
to the Shrine of the Four Gods. Vacation sounds nice, but that's not
the half of it, with Sypha and Hokuto still running amok.
Episode Summary:
An expense-paid vacation to the Shrine of the Four Gods? Come see what
people have been talking about for ten chapters, and while you're at it
have a dip at the hot springs, take a gander at the karaoke bar, and get
your butt owned by a cranky celestial dragon. All for the low-low price
of... your time to read it!! Operators are standing by.
It's a _lot_ of time, though. Might wanna set aside a couple hours. The plot
flows very nicely, and the entire story has a very nice and complete feel to
it - this is a series in its own right, not constrained by much if any
canon, with characters who pass in and out and characters who grow and
mature and... well, just read it, if you've been keeping up with the series,
and you won't be disappointed. If not... well... got a week to spare to read
parts 1 through 33?
* * * * *
[Ranma 1/2 / SailorMoon]
- - - - -
Title: A Different Viewpoint: Curses and Demons
Episode: Chapter 4 & 5
Genre: Continuation/Crossover, Lemon
Author: Christopher J. Olsen
Email: gamers@prodigy.net
Homepage:
<http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Dojo/1449>http://www.geocities.com
/Tokyo/Doj
o/1449/
Archived at
<http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Dojo/1449/fanfics.html>http://www.
geocities.
com/Tokyo/Dojo/1449/fanfics.html
Date Sent to FFML: June 4, 2000
Archive Number: 11241
Size: 43 KB
Series Summary:
Ranma and Akane finally get married, but this is most definitely not the
end of the story.
Episode Summary:
Ukyo and Ryoga find out about the events of the previous night, and
Nodoka lays out her plan.
Nodoka has made her move, and will anything ever be the same?
Why do so many people see Nodoka so keen on marrying every legitimate
fiancee off? Well, not so many, but I've seen it before. Mmm. The honorifics
are actually... kind of awkward. You don't refer to family as "-san", I
don't think. But the rest of it is good. I can't really say that any of it
struck me as far off the mark, given what's come to pass in the series so
far. You may want to cut down on people repeating the same principles to
each other - the reader knows Ranma and Kasumi got split, so show reaction
rather than restate the same thing over and over. Other than those two minor
nits, this read very well indeed.
* * * * *
[Revolutionary Girl Utena]
- - - - -
Title: Season of the Comet (revised)
Genre: original flavor
Author: Ukyou Kuonji
Email: ukyoukwnji@aol.com
Homepage:
<http://members.aol.com/ukyoukwnji/index.htm>http://members.aol.co
m/ukyoukwn
ji/index.htm
Date Sent to FFML: June 1, 2000
Archive Number: 11195
Size: 10 KB
Summary:
A sign in the heavens, a comet in the sky.
As described by its discoverer, an unnamed student at Ohtori Gakuen, it
resembles the arc taken by the fiancee of the school's chairman...
Ooh. This is short, yet very evocative and entirely too creepy for its own
good. A dimension not of sight and sound, but of roses... or words to that
effect. This wouldn't be out of place in black and white with Rod Serling
narrating, and it's handled very well indeed. My compliments to the author.
* * * * *
[Slayers]
- - - - -
Title: Slayers Titled
Episode: Chapter 3: A Forced Retreat
...In Which the Enemy is Met
Author: David A. Tatum
Email: desaix@sysnet.net
Homepage:
<http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/7872/fanfics.htm>http:/
/www.geoci
ties.com/Athens/Acropolis/7872/fanfics.htm
Archived at above at some point...
Date Sent to FFML: May 28, 2000
Archive Number: 11072
Size: 36 KB
Series Summary:
The Lord of Nightmares sends Xelloss on a mission, and EVERYONE gets
involved...
Episode Summary:
Everyone meets everyone else, and then a huge army appears out of
nowhere.
GOURRY learned SAIKYO SLAVE! Or words to that effect. I have to wonder if
the Slayers rules of magic could account for something like that, but I
imagine Gourry would luck out that way if anyone could...
You _really_ shouldn't have Xelloss do so much exposition; he's starting to
show signs of being Omniscient Author's Pet, which is a few bars shy of
Omniscient Self-Insertion on the irritation scale.
The fight scene was handled competently enough for the number of heroic
participants, although the overarcing plot itself is straight out of pulp
fantasy... not unlike most of Slayers, really...
The character interaction is the selling point of this series, at least in
my estimation, and... well, forgive me for this, but isn't it a bit harder
to _do_ character interaction when there are so many of them hanging around?
This series is okay, but not really one I'd come back to, especially now
that the effective cast is so huge. Then again, that's just me.
* * * * *
[Tekkaman Blade]
- - - - -
Title: Shara's Last Gift
Episode: Chapter 2: Trial and Judgment
Genre: Science Fiction
Author: Teknos Warhammer (Christian Clark)
Email: Teknosw@hotmail.com
Homepage:
<http://www.geocities.com/teknos.geo>http://www.geocities.com/teknos.geo
Date Sent to FFML: June 5, 2000 (in 3 posts)
Archive Numbers: 11288 through 11290
Size: totalling 66 KB
Series Summary:
Starting near where the US tv series ended; the defense of Earth is
given a second chance to strengthen itself from the alien commander,
Darkon.
Episode Summary:
Tina Corman goes through a variation of the Tekno changing process to
become a teknoman for Earth and finds the past to be a bit more complex
than first thought. At that same time, Saber and the other three enemy
teknomen continue not one, but two assaults on the Space knight Command
Center. In the middle of the second assault, a new defender of Earth
emerges.
Ooh. Space Opera. Err, kinda. Nicely engaging, ending on an appropriate
cliffhanger while still managing to keep the plot going along, some very
nice characters... it felt a little clipped in some places, like the
Thunderhawk bomb's aftermath and the arrest of the General; I imagine these
are original series elements? Never saw it myself, so I can't really make
reference to whatever it is you're reaching for. But aside from that bit of
necessary confusion, this was a very nice chapter... bit of problem with the
line length, but it didn't happen often enough to be a real barrier to
comprehension.
* * * * *
[Original Fiction]
- - - - -
Title: Hikage
Genre: Original
Author: Rob Barba
Email: rob@yogipigs.org
Homepage: Mitsukai! (<http://www.mitsukai.com/>http://www.mitsukai.com)
Date Sent to FFML: June 6, 2000
Archive Number: 11331
Size: 102 KB
Summary:
An old Japanese legend states that you must never go to a festival
alone, lest the demons of the festival spirit you away forever. A
stubborn and pragmatic individual, Koketsu heads off to a local temple
festival but is soon separated from his companion, and in the process he
learns why some old wives' tales are meant to be believed.
Uh, Rob? This is damn good. Continue.
It's like a shoujo series that starts off with an all-too-serious OVA, and
there are so many hints of possibilities from here...
You built the world well. I didn't question what was happening, and I could
see and hear the action taking place... this'd make one heck of a movie, and
if you cut off the last couple pages, would be contained in itself. But it's
not. It has _incredible_ potential, and I think you should continue it.
And all you folks who shy away from original stuff? This is _Rob Barba_. As
long as he doesn't pull out the Big Ol' Random Number Generator, you're in
good hands.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
So. End. Keep in mind this is just my opinion; if you're intrigued by the
description, at least give the fic a try.