What are you reading?

[Anastasia]

Only Ranma fic I have come close to finishing (Might have, actually), is Zero Interface, which, aside from having a mostly-for-fun plot of Ranma taking on the form of the girls he is kissed by (harem in a fanfiction of anime, wha?) does seem to have a relatively reasonable, non-cartoony take on each of the characters. Don't think it is updating anymore though.

Which is a shame, since it's a fun fanfic.

[thepanda]

Jason: It was linked, but I think it only had two chapters at the time.

From Fake Dreams updated on the sixth.


Dreaming of Sunshine just before that.

Mass Effect: Human Revolution updated as well.

Devil You Know also updated.

[Ergoemos]

I don't think anyone else has mentioned this on here, but it did update recently at least. I don't take credit for finding it, I believe Alethiophile or Pax mentioned it in IRC.

Soldier of Zero is a pretty good Familiar of Zero fanfiction. Instead of opting for a crossover to get a new summon for Louise, the author opted to basically "keep" the same person in Saito. Of course, this Saito comes from a completely unique AU, and is a child soldier/spy with heavy leanings towards Guile Hero. It is smart in the sense that even though Saito comes combat and intrigue trained, there is no "fix-fic" going on, just an alteration of where the trouble comes from.

Double credit because while Saito is virtually an OC, the author does an amazing job of laying out little tidbits from Saito's version of Earth. Its clear that he isn't some tabula rasa OC, tailor fit to match the FnZ world. He is an individual and his own history and mindset come from a world with its own consistent internal logic. I am always interested when we learn more about his own history because it does come from a well developed source.

We appear to have the same tendencies in fanfic writing, even if we may not share the same genre tastes. :)

Speaking of odd fics, I'd thought this had been linked here before, but couldn't find it.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7668586/1/Exit-Pursued-By-a-Bear

Ha, that's fun. They haven't outright said it, but did Genma fall into the OSHA Accountant spring? How oddly specific.

[Jason_Miao]

Jason: It was linked, but I think it only had two chapters at the time.

Okay, figures.  Quick thread search didn't turn up with anything, but that's the sort of fic that I likely wouldn't have found on my own in the past.

Ha, that's fun. They haven't outright said it, but did Genma fall into the OSHA Accountant spring? How oddly specific.

Seems that way, although I believe the writer is English so it is probably the Spring-of-Drowned-UK-OSHA-Equivalent.

Incidentally, https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3295767/1/Strained-Harmony is a RanmaxSM xover, and is probably about 95% Ranma with gender identity issues.  I'm personally not a fan, but was this something along the lines of what you'd wanted?

Also, sad news for those of us who'd followed BlackDragon6:

I haven't updated anything in over a year, and most readers have probably figured that I've stopped writing and updating. This is true. As of now (or rather, June of last year), all my Ranma 1/2 stories are discontinued.

[Dracos]

:(

Very sad.

[Anastasia]

Incidentally, https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3295767/1/Strained-Harmony is a RanmaxSM xover, and is probably about 95% Ranma with gender identity issues.  I'm personally not a fan, but was this something along the lines of what you'd wanted?

I gave that a read out of boredom. That's a fic that could use a few injections of zany martial arts to help spice things up. It turned into a terrible slog; some of the higher culture stuff reminded me of Togashi Gaijin's works.

lso, sad news for those of us who'd followed BlackDragon6:

I haven't updated anything in over a year, and most readers have probably figured that I've stopped writing and updating. This is true. As of now (or rather, June of last year), all my Ranma 1/2 stories are discontinued.

Well bleeping bleep bleepity bleep. I'm not surprised, but it's a sad loss.

[Jason_Miao]

Incidentally, https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3295767/1/Strained-Harmony is a RanmaxSM xover, and is probably about 95% Ranma with gender identity issues.  I'm personally not a fan, but was this something along the lines of what you'd wanted?

I gave that a read out of boredom. That's a fic that could use a few injections of zany martial arts to help spice things up. It turned into a terrible slog; some of the higher culture stuff reminded me of Togashi Gaijin's works.

Totally on board with you there.  I haven't posted it before, because to me, the fic is about fine dining, shopping, hair, clothes, hair, shopping, fine dining, clothes, shopping...not really what I look for in Ranma fics (although to be honest, the food descriptions were rather nice, and I wonder if Sunshine Temple has ever considered writing a fanfic based on a cooking-manga).

As a fic with gender identity issues...well, I'm still not sure, since I usually don't read those sorts of fics, but it seemed to be a likely candidate.  Since Sunshine Temple is/was well-connected with Fukufics (which IIRC was centered around putting Ranma into a Seifuku), if this fic is along the lines of what Erogemous sought, it's possible that fics with that group would tend towards Erogemous' interests.

[Anastasia]

Yeah. I guess it's the go-to fic if you want to read about rich women spending money and being pretty, along with a side order of gender issues.

[Ergoemos]

Incidentally, https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3295767/1/Strained-Harmony is a RanmaxSM xover, and is probably about 95% Ranma with gender identity issues.  I'm personally not a fan, but was this something along the lines of what you'd wanted?

Well, I have only read the first chapter, but I would say that this is not quite what I was expecting.  The story itself wasn't bad, though I definitely am not sure I am going to like it if the final part of chapter one is a representation of the rest of the story. Something about the orgasmic chocolate was kind of silly and what seems to be a grown woman seducing a minor definitely is making me uncomfortable. They haven't explicitly said how old Ranma or Satsuna are, but it definitely seems off to me.

I am not a "gender issues" specialist by any means, but I am not sure Ranma had any sort of issue with her gender. Her main conflict was that she (and I am using the female pronouns because that's how the author did it) had to fight between keeping her new easygoing life versus her relatively crazy "male" oriented life. There really isn't much of a struggle over remaining a woman or not. She doesn't mind being female in this fiction, so much as she minds having to deal with the hassle of hiding it.

It was well written in structure and composition... but it kind of comes off as a fix-fic, or even a fanfic with little or no interest in either of the source materials. I am not even sure why the sailor moon elements are in here. It basically follows the first, second, and third rules of genderbending with absolutely no hesitation, which is kind of boring, and something even the canon didn't bother with (I think).

This story, with a little more build up in the start, could have been a completely original story, if they work in a mechanic for easily swapping genders.

It might get better in further chapters, but I am tepid about trying them. I have a feeling the fiction I am looking for just doesn't exist, so I'd have to write it myself if I wanted, but I don't think I do. Thanks Mr. Miao. That was actually better than I expected.

[Jason_Miao]

Incidentally, https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3295767/1/Strained-Harmony is a RanmaxSM xover, and is probably about 95% Ranma with gender identity issues.  I'm personally not a fan, but was this something along the lines of what you'd wanted?

I am not a "gender issues" specialist by any means, but I am not sure Ranma had any sort of issue with her gender. Her main conflict was that she (and I am using the female pronouns because that's how the author did it) had to fight between keeping her new easygoing life versus her relatively crazy "male" oriented life. There really isn't much of a struggle over remaining a woman or not. She doesn't mind being female in this fiction, so much as she minds having to deal with the hassle of hiding it.

Didn't know there were laws of genderbending, but then again, I don't read the tropes pages.

It might get better in further chapters, but I am tepid about trying them. I have a feeling the fiction I am looking for just doesn't exist, so I'd have to write it myself if I wanted, but I don't think I do. Thanks Mr. Miao. That was actually better than I expected.

np.  It doesn't appreciably change in further chapters, so don't bother continuing.  I'd mainly posted it to see if that was the sort of fic you're looking for; if so, it would have been easy to address since there were a number of "Ranma gains love of shoe shopping" fics written.  Fukufics, by the nature of its mission, likely has quite a few of those sorts.

But it seems you're less interested in TG-fantasy, and more interested in the conflict of making the decision itself.  If you're okay with a generally non-serious fic (not slapstick, but falls in line with Ah Megamisama levels of humor because it's an xover with that), Hell is a Martial Artist might be one to look into, but the pressures in HiMA also break down to new female life vs crazy "male" life.  There are other fics that I'm sure I could track down if you're interested, but most of them tend to cast the decision along those lines as well.

For a truly serious exploration of societal roles, that's likely a harder topic to find, and I'm not sure that most anime/manga fanfic will fulfill such a requirement.  I suspect that most fics will end up with some variant of "must...resist...painting...toenails!!!" scene because writing to niche fantasies is easier than serious works (See 95% of shojo/shonen manga).  Also, because most writers who are worth a damn about that sort of topic do research, so most writers with actual skill who'd write this sort of work would likely be exploring Japanese societal roles, which may or may not be of particular interest to you.

[Ergoemos]

For a truly serious exploration of societal roles, that's likely a harder topic to find, and I'm not sure that most anime/manga fanfic will fulfill such a requirement.  I suspect that most fics will end up with some variant of "must...resist...painting...toenails!!!" scene because writing to niche fantasies is easier than serious works (See 95% of shojo/shonen manga).  Also, because most writers who are worth a damn about that sort of topic do research, so most writers with actual skill who'd write this sort of work would likely be exploring Japanese societal roles, which may or may not be of particular interest to you.

That is pretty much what I realized after reading some of Strained Harmony, in much less coherent and well put terms. I'd be better off looking for material in non-fanfiction material. I'd love to find stuff on Japanese societal roles, but I am not sure there will be many that are translated to English, given that an actual local's insight would mean that much more, and I wouldn't even know where to start (And I would rather it not happen between catty conversations of relatively flat characters). I like seeing how gender and class roles have changed or remained the same in first world countries in the past few decades or so.

If you didn't glance at the Three Laws of Genderbending, a quick summary as follows:
1. The universe conspires to keep a man transformed into a woman as long or permanently as possible.
2. The individual turned into a girl will grow to enjoy the role of a female.
3. The individual will naturally turn more girly as the story progresses.

Anyway, rambling over.

I'd suggest a fic, but I get all my good material from here.

[Yuthirin]

I haven't updated anything in over a year, and most readers have probably figured that I've stopped writing and updating. This is true. As of now (or rather, June of last year), all my Ranma 1/2 stories are discontinued.

aw poopy

[Grahf]

That's rather sad. Consider that to his admission he didn't even like Rosario Vampire he was doing a rather good job with the material and what it gave him to work with.

Oh well, I suppose that's how things go.

[Dracos]

Za best job really.

[Arakawa]

Za best job really.

I remember the discussion that Big Human was a better canon for R+V than R+V since with the way the story was structured, Ranma gets to beat monsters up whereas Tsukune is free to develop his character as a squishy but diplomatically successful human, whereas R+V ended up contradicting its own original premise (squishy diplomatic human goes to monster school) by kind of forcing Tsukune into both roles via awkwardly motivated powerups?

Haven't read R+V itself, but that's how I remember the discussion going, at least.