What are you reading?

[Brian]

Hmm, last I heard around the time I banished myself from IRC, Zen popped onto #sr for a little bit.  That's the last I've heard, but I think we can safely assume that Zen is not going to be finishing those stories. :/

Also, glad you liked Bein' Friends; that was fun to write.  Of course, the song doesn't hurt, either. :p

[Anastasia]

Hmm, last I heard around the time I banished myself from IRC, Zen popped onto #sr for a little bit.  That's the last I've heard, but I think we can safely assume that Zen is not going to be finishing those stories. :/

Also, glad you liked Bein' Friends; that was fun to write.  Of course, the song doesn't hurt, either. :p

At least Zen's alive. I remember wondering if he'd vanished off the face of the earth.

[Dracos]

Zen sits in night's chatroom commonly.  I haven't seen her talk in a bit, but she's over there today.

[Dracos]

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4568723/1/Naruto_Shinobi_Wars Reading this...after it's predecessor by the same author, two continuous long stories.  Long relatively more serious take on the naruto universe from beginning to end that really works upon the basic premise "What if all ninjas weren't psychic about all the plot points", well, that's not how it puts it, but it's not bad.  It gets pretty strongly alt-universe.

Edit: It's kind of gone sorta mean-spirited in the last few chapters.  Still well written, but the actually likable good guys set has both been dwindling and losing on screentime.

[Anastasia]

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2108123/1/For_Better_or_For_Worst_Case_Scenario

Decent fic, it explores what could have happened if the episode where Nabiki took on the engagement went horribly wrong. Kasumi is terrifying in it.

[Dracos]

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5412269/1/Legend_of_the_Koopa_King

Short, amusing.  Bowser saves the day repeatedly.

[Dracos]

http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1854667/The_Sage_of_Toads

Pretty much all of this guy's stuff is worth reading.  Beautiful Destroyer Sailor Moon updated today.  It was awesome.  There was massive property damage.

[Brian]

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2108123/1/For_Better_or_For_Worst_Case_Scenario

Decent fic, it explores what could have happened if the episode where Nabiki took on the engagement went horribly wrong. Kasumi is terrifying in it.

Really?  I couldn't get past the, "Yet another Ranma wakes up with Nabiki and they're hung over, but don't worry, it'll be a happy ending," aspect.  Admittedly, I'm pretty sure I first tried to read it some years ago....  But it felt tired and overdone, even then.  I'll admit that I'm generally just not a fan of the pairing, but even so, using the same exact tool to force the matchup (ie., alcohol+two people = sex, boil until love (which, naturally, works for Nabiki, when it would _never_ work for _anyone else_...)).  Meh.  Could just be me.

[Anastasia]

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2108123/1/For_Better_or_For_Worst_Case_Scenario

Decent fic, it explores what could have happened if the episode where Nabiki took on the engagement went horribly wrong. Kasumi is terrifying in it.

Really?  I couldn't get past the, "Yet another Ranma wakes up with Nabiki and they're hung over, but don't worry, it'll be a happy ending," aspect.  Admittedly, I'm pretty sure I first tried to read it some years ago....  But it felt tired and overdone, even then.  I'll admit that I'm generally just not a fan of the pairing, but even so, using the same exact tool to force the matchup (ie., alcohol+two people = sex, boil until love (which, naturally, works for Nabiki, when it would _never_ work for _anyone else_...)).  Meh.  Could just be me.

I'm not a fan of the pairing, though I benefited from Ranma/Nabiki feeling new to me. I've been outta fanfiction awhile, ya know? I like how it's explained as the story goes on, and why the wedding went off without a hitch.

So it's not all you, probably.

[Anastasia]

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4892405/1/Ranma_the_Prophetess

Okay fic, not great but not terrible. The writing quality is mediocre but improves as it goes.  Solid 5/10 fic, dipping into 4/10 to 3/10 as I didn't like the last chapters or the endings. Warning: Fukufic. More discussion in spoilers.

Spoiler: ShowHide

This fic constantly bit off more than it can chew. Too much was happening with too many characters around, as well as a certain devotion to canon for the first 3/4ths that was limiting. Further, Magnetite felt unneeded, a fifth general to get things done was excess baggage. Kunzite or someone else could have handled things with a bit of work just fine. Also, did not like the ending. Pluto reincarnating again was...eeeh. It didn't feel rewarding in the context of the fic.  I know fukufics are played out, but I really wanted to see Ranma grab the Garnet Rod and go all Pluto again instead of how things worked out.

There were some good ideas, but a tighter focus and adding more interesting elements could have helped a lot. To be honest, the only reason I stuck with it for awhile was because it was a Ranma/Ukyo fanfic.  I think the author felt obligated to stick with canon, yet he didn't add sufficient dramatic tension or interest to counter Ranma's prophecies.  This got better at the end, even with as much of a clusterfuck as it was. Adding Saffron in was a nice touch.

Oh, and having Magnetite fight Ranma so much then get a bitch death via Pluto sucked. He wasn't a great OC, but at least give the readers a payoff. The entire ending had that problem. No meat to it. Once Pluto reappeared, what tension remained bottomed out.

As a final note, the last few fics made me decide I prefer a nicer/saner take on Nodoka. With all the shit Ranma gets, you think at least one parent could be decent.

[Anastasia]

Thy Outward Part + a few sequels. Not going to link this one since it's famous and Google does wonders.

It's okay, but couldn't it have been more like Ranma? It's one thing to explore Ranma trapped as a girl, it's another to remove everything from it. It's a good series but it doesn't have any real soul to it. Couldn't Ryoga have shown up once or twice or something, or have a ghost cat appear or something? Anything? For that matter, what happened to everyone else? I wish the Amazons got mentioned more than once and Ukyo got mentioned at all. Edit: Thinking about it a few moments, it feels like there is too much missing from the fic. Too many things are left unsaid. Dunno why it bothers me so much. Something about this fic gets to me.

I dunno, I feel like a hypocrite saying this.

[Brian]

Code Select Expand

Thy Outward Part

Original story by Richard Lawson
Reduced by Slacker

Ranma: I'm stuck as a girl!

Keitaro: I don't care, I wanna have sex with you.

Ranma: But I just dug up the Kaisuifu and can turn back into a guy now!

Keitaro: But I REALLY want to have sex with you!

Ranma: Okay.

THE END

Readers: Wait, are you sure this isn't "Thy Inward Love"?

I was told I was supposed to have strong feelings about that story -- either I would love it, or hate it.  To be honest, I read it, and really didn't actually care at all.  It didn't feel at all like a Ranma story, but it did a better job of it than Genma's Daughter -- which outright replaces Ranma with a less interesting character.  Lawson at least tries to preserve the idea that Ranma is still Ranma when he gets stuck as a girl, but most of TOP felt unexplained to me.  Okay, Ranma is in love with this ANC.  But we're never really told WHY Ranma likes this guy, and from Keitaro's PoV, really, he's interested in Ranma because Ranma's physically attractive -- full stop.

Hard to figure out why so many other people cared.  Kind of like that one -- what was it ... Hearts of Ice?  Couldn't figure out why that one was supposed to be so awesome.  Couldn't bring myself to finish it when I heard it was completed, some years after the fact.

[Anastasia]

Hah, the reduction is what made me read TOP in the first place.

Anyway, you're right about TOP. That hits what I wanted to say better than managed to. So many little things need exposition or feel wrong, it drives me up the wall. I feel like Tabula Rasa does a much better job with the Ranma is locked and dealing with it poorly story, plus it keeps the original flavor.

I always thought Hearts of Ice was mediocre swill.  It felt like it was written for a woman and by a woman. Akane goes uber, her main rival in the form of Shampoo and Cologne...well, you know. Or something, I haven't read it since like 2001 and damned if I change that.

[Anastasia]

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2923962/1/Worlds_Fall_Apart

It's like Genma's Daughter, but it's a lot closer to the source material. It's not all the way there but it's way better.

Spoiler: ShowHide

Most of it's okay, but the gold is seeing Ranma in the same position Shampoo or Ukyo was. Akane and Ryoga are dating, she wants to steal Ryoga. It makes the last third of the story better, just for the pure irony involved.

[Dracos]

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5076954/1/Kitsune_on_Campus starts weakly, but picks up steam and ends up nicely negimaish.