[Ranma 1/2] Saishu no Wakare

[Brian]

Saishu no Wakare, by Webdragon.

A copy of this fic can be found at my archive copy of his webspace.

Wow.  This fanfic I read once or twice back in ... 2001, and then tried to put it out of my mind.  It's frustrating, as well written as it is, and it's very sad.  But this fic, despite my reluctance to reread it until a friend of mine passed away, remains one of the three most influential fanfics on my own attempts at writing.

The other two are the Bitter End and I Like Ucchan.  Why do you ask?

Regardless.  This fic explores death, and moving on, so as deeply as it touched me way-back-when, it ended up coming across with an awful lot more meaning when I decided to make myself buckle down and re-read it about ... oh ... seven or eight months ago.

Webdragon's characterizations are all very touching, making for a moving, not too melodramatic delivery.  This one's almost entirely from Ranma's PoV, and the grammar is very good.

Hell, I liked it so much I was inspired to use the wayback machine to retrieve the guy's website and build an archive!  Okay, yeah, I expanded it to more than just his ... but he made my personal A-list with a bullet.

I cannot give a higher recommendation for a fic than this one; it's one of my favorites.  Oh, yes, I really do like a happy ending, but this one....

Read it and see for yourself.  :)