Title:  Finishing What You Start
Fandom:  crossover, between Ranma 1/2 and Sailor Moon [no, really]
Pairing:  Ranma/Setsuna
Categories:  action, crossover, humor, romance
Length:  Epic [41,000 words]
Warnings:  violence, don't expect the Ranma characters to be IC, some character bashing


Author on LJ:  n/a
Website:  His page on Fanfiction.net 

Summary: Having replaced a dying human child a long time ago, the demon known as Ranma was always famous for finishing what he started... but he thinks he might want to keep a few of these Sailor Scouts around after the Master conquers the Earth.  Add a dash of betrayal and switching sides, plus a pinch of love, then stir.

Review:  Gabriel Blessing wrote this story back during the 1990s heydays of both fandoms.  This is one of the few stories that I've read, of any fandom, which has completely rewritten the main character's motivations and morality without destroying the plot or my willing suspension of disbelief.  I'll confess to having read ridiculous fics as a teen, with overpowered or SecretChessMaster! Ranmas, and while I ate it up at the time, most stories that bend characterization that way can't stand up to a critical reading.  "Finishing What You Start" has surprised me with its continued readability.

I'm not sure why Mr. Blessing's story succeeded when so many others like it have failed.  Is it because he knows how to write a scene so clearly that it feels like you're watching an actual crossover episode?  Is it because Ranma may be strong and manipulative, but he has his own set of (demonic) morals?  Is it because the character bashing actually seems justified (this Ranma has been pushing the other characters toward their worst selves for years, to provide himself with entertainment and spiritual food, so when they act like jerks, it's actually due to demonic corruption)?  I don't know.  What I do know is that a world in which the real Ranma was killed during his Cat-Fist training and was replaced by a changeling is surprisingly plausible, at least when Mr. Blessing writes it.

Finishing What You Start  [ignore the confusing formatting and occasional typo, it's only FFNet stripping out symbols and spacing.]

Title:  Finishing What You Start
Fandom:  crossover, between Ranma 1/2 and Sailor Moon [no, really]
Pairing:  Ranma/Setsuna
Categories:  action, crossover, humor, romance
Length:  Epic [41,000 words]
Warnings:  violence, don't expect the Ranma characters to be IC, some character bashing


Author on LJ:  n/a
Website:  His page on Fanfiction.net 

Summary: Having replaced a dying human child a long time ago, the demon known as Ranma was always famous for finishing what he started... but he thinks he might want to keep a few of these Sailor Scouts around after the Master conquers the Earth.  Add a dash of betrayal and switching sides, plus a pinch of love, then stir.

Review:  Gabriel Blessing wrote this story back during the 1990s heydays of both fandoms.  This is one of the few stories that I've read, of any fandom, which has completely rewritten the main character's motivations and morality without destroying the plot or my willing suspension of disbelief.  I'll confess to having read ridiculous fics as a teen, with overpowered or SecretChessMaster! Ranmas, and while I ate it up at the time, most stories that bend characterization that way can't stand up to a critical reading.  "Finishing What You Start" has surprised me with its continued readability.

I'm not sure why Mr. Blessing's story succeeded when so many others like it have failed.  Is it because he knows how to write a scene so clearly that it feels like you're watching an actual crossover episode?  Is it because Ranma may be strong and manipulative, but he has his own set of (demonic) morals?  Is it because the character bashing actually seems justified (this Ranma has been pushing the other characters toward their worst selves for years, to provide himself with entertainment and spiritual food, so when they act like jerks, it's actually due to demonic corruption)?  I don't know.  What I do know is that a world in which the real Ranma was killed during his Cat-Fist training and was replaced by a changeling is surprisingly plausible, at least when Mr. Blessing writes it.

Finishing What You Start  [ignore the confusing formatting and occasional typo, it's only FFNet stripping out symbols and spacing.]

Title:  Finishing What You Start
Fandom:  crossover, between Ranma 1/2 and Sailor Moon [no, really]
Pairing:  Ranma/Setsuna
Categories:  action, crossover, humor, romance
Length:  Epic [41,000 words]
Warnings:  violence, don't expect the Ranma characters to be IC, some character bashing


Author on LJ:  n/a
Website:  His page on Fanfiction.net 

Summary: Having replaced a dying human child a long time ago, the demon known as Ranma was always famous for finishing what he started... but he thinks he might want to keep a few of these Sailor Scouts around after the Master conquers the Earth.  Add a dash of betrayal and switching sides, plus a pinch of love, then stir.

Review:  Gabriel Blessing wrote this story back during the 1990s heydays of both fandoms.  This is one of the few stories that I've read, of any fandom, which has completely rewritten the main character's motivations and morality without destroying the plot or my willing suspension of disbelief.  I'll confess to having read ridiculous fics as a teen, with overpowered or SecretChessMaster! Ranmas, and while I ate it up at the time, most stories that bend characterization that way can't stand up to a critical reading.  "Finishing What You Start" has surprised me with its continued readability.

I'm not sure why Mr. Blessing's story succeeded when so many others like it have failed.  Is it because he knows how to write a scene so clearly that it feels like you're watching an actual crossover episode?  Is it because Ranma may be strong and manipulative, but he has his own set of (demonic) morals?  Is it because the character bashing actually seems justified (this Ranma has been pushing the other characters toward their worst selves for years, to provide himself with entertainment and spiritual food, so when they act like jerks, it's actually due to demonic corruption)?  I don't know.  What I do know is that a world in which the real Ranma was killed during his Cat-Fist training and was replaced by a changeling is surprisingly plausible, at least when Mr. Blessing writes it.

Finishing What You Start  [ignore the confusing formatting and occasional typo, it's only FFNet stripping out symbols and spacing.]

Title:  Finishing What You Start
Fandom:  crossover, between Ranma 1/2 and Sailor Moon [no, really]
Pairing:  Ranma/Setsuna
Categories:  action, crossover, humor, romance
Length:  Epic [41,000 words]
Warnings:  violence, don't expect the Ranma characters to be IC, some character bashing


Author on LJ:  n/a
Website:  His page on Fanfiction.net 

Summary: Having replaced a dying human child a long time ago, the demon known as Ranma was always famous for finishing what he started... but he thinks he might want to keep a few of these Sailor Scouts around after the Master conquers the Earth.  Add a dash of betrayal and switching sides, plus a pinch of love, then stir.

Review:  Gabriel Blessing wrote this story back during the 1990s heydays of both fandoms.  This is one of the few stories that I've read, of any fandom, which has completely rewritten the main character's motivations and morality without destroying the plot or my willing suspension of disbelief.  I'll confess to having read ridiculous fics as a teen, with overpowered or SecretChessMaster! Ranmas, and while I ate it up at the time, most stories that bend characterization that way can't stand up to a critical reading.  "Finishing What You Start" has surprised me with its continued readability.

I'm not sure why Mr. Blessing's story succeeded when so many others like it have failed.  Is it because he knows how to write a scene so clearly that it feels like you're watching an actual crossover episode?  Is it because Ranma may be strong and manipulative, but he has his own set of (demonic) morals?  Is it because the character bashing actually seems justified (this Ranma has been pushing the other characters toward their worst selves for years, to provide himself with entertainment and spiritual food, so when they act like jerks, it's actually due to demonic corruption)?  I don't know.  What I do know is that a world in which the real Ranma was killed during his Cat-Fist training and was replaced by a changeling is surprisingly plausible, at least when Mr. Blessing writes it.

Finishing What You Start  [ignore the confusing formatting and occasional typo, it's only FFNet stripping out symbols and spacing.]

Title:  Finishing What You Start
Fandom:  crossover, between Ranma 1/2 and Sailor Moon [no, really]
Pairing:  Ranma/Setsuna
Categories:  action, crossover, humor, romance
Length:  Epic [41,000 words]
Warnings:  violence, don't expect the Ranma characters to be IC, some character bashing


Author on LJ:  n/a
Website:  His page on Fanfiction.net 

Summary: Having replaced a dying human child a long time ago, the demon known as Ranma was always famous for finishing what he started... but he thinks he might want to keep a few of these Sailor Scouts around after the Master conquers the Earth.  Add a dash of betrayal and switching sides, plus a pinch of love, then stir.

Review:  Gabriel Blessing wrote this story back during the 1990s heydays of both fandoms.  This is one of the few stories that I've read, of any fandom, which has completely rewritten the main character's motivations and morality without destroying the plot or my willing suspension of disbelief.  I'll confess to having read ridiculous fics as a teen, with overpowered or SecretChessMaster! Ranmas, and while I ate it up at the time, most stories that bend characterization that way can't stand up to a critical reading.  "Finishing What You Start" has surprised me with its continued readability.

I'm not sure why Mr. Blessing's story succeeded when so many others like it have failed.  Is it because he knows how to write a scene so clearly that it feels like you're watching an actual crossover episode?  Is it because Ranma may be strong and manipulative, but he has his own set of (demonic) morals?  Is it because the character bashing actually seems justified (this Ranma has been pushing the other characters toward their worst selves for years, to provide himself with entertainment and spiritual food, so when they act like jerks, it's actually due to demonic corruption)?  I don't know.  What I do know is that a world in which the real Ranma was killed during his Cat-Fist training and was replaced by a changeling is surprisingly plausible, at least when Mr. Blessing writes it.

Finishing What You Start  [ignore the confusing formatting and occasional typo, it's only FFNet stripping out symbols and spacing.]

Title:  Finishing What You Start
Fandom:  crossover, between Ranma 1/2 and Sailor Moon [no, really]
Pairing:  Ranma/Setsuna
Categories:  action, crossover, humor, romance
Length:  Epic [41,000 words]
Warnings:  violence, don't expect the Ranma characters to be IC, some character bashing


Author on LJ:  n/a
Website:  His page on Fanfiction.net 

Summary: Having replaced a dying human child a long time ago, the demon known as Ranma was always famous for finishing what he started... but he thinks he might want to keep a few of these Sailor Scouts around after the Master conquers the Earth.  Add a dash of betrayal and switching sides, plus a pinch of love, then stir.

Review:  Gabriel Blessing wrote this story back during the 1990s heydays of both fandoms.  This is one of the few stories that I've read, of any fandom, which has completely rewritten the main character's motivations and morality without destroying the plot or my willing suspension of disbelief.  I'll confess to having read ridiculous fics as a teen, with overpowered or SecretChessMaster! Ranmas, and while I ate it up at the time, most stories that bend characterization that way can't stand up to a critical reading.  "Finishing What You Start" has surprised me with its continued readability.

I'm not sure why Mr. Blessing's story succeeded when so many others like it have failed.  Is it because he knows how to write a scene so clearly that it feels like you're watching an actual crossover episode?  Is it because Ranma may be strong and manipulative, but he has his own set of (demonic) morals?  Is it because the character bashing actually seems justified (this Ranma has been pushing the other characters toward their worst selves for years, to provide himself with entertainment and spiritual food, so when they act like jerks, it's actually due to demonic corruption)?  I don't know.  What I do know is that a world in which the real Ranma was killed during his Cat-Fist training and was replaced by a changeling is surprisingly plausible, at least when Mr. Blessing writes it.

Finishing What You Start  [ignore the confusing formatting and occasional typo, it's only FFNet stripping out symbols and spacing.]

Title:  The More Things Change
Fandom:  crossover between Saiyuki and Ranma 1/2, emphasis on Saiyuki
Pairing:  Gojyo/Hakkai
Categories:  angst, genderswitch, humor, romance, crossover 
Length:  Long [~21,000 words]
Warnings:  minor violence, a reference or two to canon incest and canon abuse


Author on LJ:  emungere 
Website:  Compromising Positions

Summary:  Weird things happen to the Sanzo group all the time.  But Gojyo was never able to turn into a woman before - and let's not bring up Sanzo's transformation. 

Review:  I appreciate stories that take the springs of Jusenkyo, with all their shapechanging powers, into other fandoms... especially when the author explores in a realistic manner how the characters would handle the involuntary switches.  Here, Gojyo and Sanzo are the cursed ones, and while Sanzo can't accept his cursed form (and goes to extreme lengths to cure himself - and no, I'm not going to tell you what he turns into, except that it isn't a woman), Gojyo learns to adjust.  Of course, Gojyo doesn't have it all easy; he has to wonder if Hakkai wants both male!Gojyo and female!Gojyo or if he prefers Gojyo one way or the other, and how he, as a formerly-completely-straight man, is going to deal with either answer.

While that description makes this fic sound completely serious, that is definitely not the case.  Emungere does not sacrifice the inherence silliness of the situation, or the canonical humor aspects of Saiyuki and Ranma 1/2, to keep this plot on-course, although the focus is certainly on the serious side of things.  I think the story is all the better for the occasional dollop of funny (who wants the characters to navelgaze all the time?). 

The More Things Change

Title:  The More Things Change
Fandom:  crossover between Saiyuki and Ranma 1/2, emphasis on Saiyuki
Pairing:  Gojyo/Hakkai
Categories:  angst, genderswitch, humor, romance, crossover 
Length:  Long [~21,000 words]
Warnings:  minor violence, a reference or two to canon incest and canon abuse


Author on LJ:  emungere 
Website:  Compromising Positions

Summary:  Weird things happen to the Sanzo group all the time.  But Gojyo was never able to turn into a woman before - and let's not bring up Sanzo's transformation. 

Review:  I appreciate stories that take the springs of Jusenkyo, with all their shapechanging powers, into other fandoms... especially when the author explores in a realistic manner how the characters would handle the involuntary switches.  Here, Gojyo and Sanzo are the cursed ones, and while Sanzo can't accept his cursed form (and goes to extreme lengths to cure himself - and no, I'm not going to tell you what he turns into, except that it isn't a woman), Gojyo learns to adjust.  Of course, Gojyo doesn't have it all easy; he has to wonder if Hakkai wants both male!Gojyo and female!Gojyo or if he prefers Gojyo one way or the other, and how he, as a formerly-completely-straight man, is going to deal with either answer.

While that description makes this fic sound completely serious, that is definitely not the case.  Emungere does not sacrifice the inherence silliness of the situation, or the canonical humor aspects of Saiyuki and Ranma 1/2, to keep this plot on-course, although the focus is certainly on the serious side of things.  I think the story is all the better for the occasional dollop of funny (who wants the characters to navelgaze all the time?). 

The More Things Change

Title:  The More Things Change
Fandom:  crossover between Saiyuki and Ranma 1/2, emphasis on Saiyuki
Pairing:  Gojyo/Hakkai
Categories:  angst, genderswitch, humor, romance, crossover 
Length:  Long [~21,000 words]
Warnings:  minor violence, a reference or two to canon incest and canon abuse


Author on LJ:  emungere 
Website:  Compromising Positions

Summary:  Weird things happen to the Sanzo group all the time.  But Gojyo was never able to turn into a woman before - and let's not bring up Sanzo's transformation. 

Review:  I appreciate stories that take the springs of Jusenkyo, with all their shapechanging powers, into other fandoms... especially when the author explores in a realistic manner how the characters would handle the involuntary switches.  Here, Gojyo and Sanzo are the cursed ones, and while Sanzo can't accept his cursed form (and goes to extreme lengths to cure himself - and no, I'm not going to tell you what he turns into, except that it isn't a woman), Gojyo learns to adjust.  Of course, Gojyo doesn't have it all easy; he has to wonder if Hakkai wants both male!Gojyo and female!Gojyo or if he prefers Gojyo one way or the other, and how he, as a formerly-completely-straight man, is going to deal with either answer.

While that description makes this fic sound completely serious, that is definitely not the case.  Emungere does not sacrifice the inherence silliness of the situation, or the canonical humor aspects of Saiyuki and Ranma 1/2, to keep this plot on-course, although the focus is certainly on the serious side of things.  I think the story is all the better for the occasional dollop of funny (who wants the characters to navelgaze all the time?). 

The More Things Change

Title:  The More Things Change
Fandom:  crossover between Saiyuki and Ranma 1/2, emphasis on Saiyuki
Pairing:  Gojyo/Hakkai
Categories:  angst, genderswitch, humor, romance, crossover 
Length:  Long [~21,000 words]
Warnings:  minor violence, a reference or two to canon incest and canon abuse


Author on LJ:  emungere 
Website:  Compromising Positions

Summary:  Weird things happen to the Sanzo group all the time.  But Gojyo was never able to turn into a woman before - and let's not bring up Sanzo's transformation. 

Review:  I appreciate stories that take the springs of Jusenkyo, with all their shapechanging powers, into other fandoms... especially when the author explores in a realistic manner how the characters would handle the involuntary switches.  Here, Gojyo and Sanzo are the cursed ones, and while Sanzo can't accept his cursed form (and goes to extreme lengths to cure himself - and no, I'm not going to tell you what he turns into, except that it isn't a woman), Gojyo learns to adjust.  Of course, Gojyo doesn't have it all easy; he has to wonder if Hakkai wants both male!Gojyo and female!Gojyo or if he prefers Gojyo one way or the other, and how he, as a formerly-completely-straight man, is going to deal with either answer.

While that description makes this fic sound completely serious, that is definitely not the case.  Emungere does not sacrifice the inherence silliness of the situation, or the canonical humor aspects of Saiyuki and Ranma 1/2, to keep this plot on-course, although the focus is certainly on the serious side of things.  I think the story is all the better for the occasional dollop of funny (who wants the characters to navelgaze all the time?). 

The More Things Change

Title:  The More Things Change
Fandom:  crossover between Saiyuki and Ranma 1/2, emphasis on Saiyuki
Pairing:  Gojyo/Hakkai
Categories:  angst, genderswitch, humor, romance, crossover 
Length:  Long [~21,000 words]
Warnings:  minor violence, a reference or two to canon incest and canon abuse


Author on LJ:  emungere 
Website:  Compromising Positions

Summary:  Weird things happen to the Sanzo group all the time.  But Gojyo was never able to turn into a woman before - and let's not bring up Sanzo's transformation. 

Review:  I appreciate stories that take the springs of Jusenkyo, with all their shapechanging powers, into other fandoms... especially when the author explores in a realistic manner how the characters would handle the involuntary switches.  Here, Gojyo and Sanzo are the cursed ones, and while Sanzo can't accept his cursed form (and goes to extreme lengths to cure himself - and no, I'm not going to tell you what he turns into, except that it isn't a woman), Gojyo learns to adjust.  Of course, Gojyo doesn't have it all easy; he has to wonder if Hakkai wants both male!Gojyo and female!Gojyo or if he prefers Gojyo one way or the other, and how he, as a formerly-completely-straight man, is going to deal with either answer.

While that description makes this fic sound completely serious, that is definitely not the case.  Emungere does not sacrifice the inherence silliness of the situation, or the canonical humor aspects of Saiyuki and Ranma 1/2, to keep this plot on-course, although the focus is certainly on the serious side of things.  I think the story is all the better for the occasional dollop of funny (who wants the characters to navelgaze all the time?). 

The More Things Change

Title:  The More Things Change
Fandom:  crossover between Saiyuki and Ranma 1/2, emphasis on Saiyuki
Pairing:  Gojyo/Hakkai
Categories:  angst, genderswitch, humor, romance, crossover 
Length:  Long [~21,000 words]
Warnings:  minor violence, a reference or two to canon incest and canon abuse


Author on LJ:  emungere 
Website:  Compromising Positions

Summary:  Weird things happen to the Sanzo group all the time.  But Gojyo was never able to turn into a woman before - and let's not bring up Sanzo's transformation. 

Review:  I appreciate stories that take the springs of Jusenkyo, with all their shapechanging powers, into other fandoms... especially when the author explores in a realistic manner how the characters would handle the involuntary switches.  Here, Gojyo and Sanzo are the cursed ones, and while Sanzo can't accept his cursed form (and goes to extreme lengths to cure himself - and no, I'm not going to tell you what he turns into, except that it isn't a woman), Gojyo learns to adjust.  Of course, Gojyo doesn't have it all easy; he has to wonder if Hakkai wants both male!Gojyo and female!Gojyo or if he prefers Gojyo one way or the other, and how he, as a formerly-completely-straight man, is going to deal with either answer.

While that description makes this fic sound completely serious, that is definitely not the case.  Emungere does not sacrifice the inherence silliness of the situation, or the canonical humor aspects of Saiyuki and Ranma 1/2, to keep this plot on-course, although the focus is certainly on the serious side of things.  I think the story is all the better for the occasional dollop of funny (who wants the characters to navelgaze all the time?). 

The More Things Change

Title:  Ranma's Husband?
Fandom:  Ranma 1/2
Pairings:  Ranma/OMC, Akane/Mousse, Kasumi/OMC, Nabiki/OFC
Categories:  angst, romance, genderswitch, family, marriage (or rather engagement) of in-convenience
Length:  Epic [~166,000 words]
Warnings:  possible character bashing of Nodoka, Shampoo and Ryouga (see review for details)


Author on LJ:  n/a
Website:  Their Fanfiction.net page

Summary:  Ranma has, yet again, another engagement popping out of the woodwork.  Except this time it's to a man; a man who already knows about Jusenkyo, and who is a martial artist himself.  In addition, he doesn't seem nearly as crazy as Ranma's other fiancees...

Review:  I have some mixed feelings about "Ranma's Husband?".  I'm recommending it anyway, but I will note the aspects I'm not wild about.

On the one hand: for "pros", I love the general plot of this story, and I wish that there was more slash/yaoi fic for this fandom.  (I mean, sure, there's some Ranma/Ryouga, but really, folks.)  I also think that the original characters are interesting and sympathetic, and that they don't seem out of place in Nerima.  A family of martial artists like the Tendos or Saotomes fits right in, and their relationship to those families is also believable.  Ranma's love interest is a kind boy, from said family, who loves Ranma no matter whether he's currently male or female.  I love that Kasumi even gets a love interest, and that she's depicted as having a libido that occasionally gets the better of her.  Her love interest is quite the character as well: a transgender individual who solved his identity issues by voluntarily cursing himself at Jusenkyo and locking his curse (hence my use of the genderswitch tag, which would otherwise be gratuitous for Ranma 1/2).  I adore that there is femslash, period, and it's a bonus that the pairing - Nabiki and a sweet classmate, who thaws out Nabiki's mercenary heart - is appealing.  Last but definitely not least, the het Akane/Mousse pairing completely won me over, to the point that it was my favorite match-up of the lot.  I applaud the author for thinking so hard about the structure of the Chinese Amazon society, and for depicting a couple that is far more comfortable not aligning to gender behavioral norms.  

On the other hand: for "cons", I noticed that the quality of writing begins much lower than it ends - a prime example of an author learning what works as they go along.  That's not necessarily bad, but it is uneven in terms of flow and typos.  The formatting is similarly wonky.  Next, the author has a ton of notes at the beginning of each chapter, which become irritating fast.  Finally, I flinched a tad at the depictions of Nodoka, Shampoo and Ryouga.  However, I'm not certain that their characterizations really fall under character bashing... at least, not for Nodoka and Ryouga, although Shampoo's portrayal may cross the line.  To me, bashing is when the actual characterization is stretched and warped, perhaps beginning with canon characteristics and then exaggerating them, so that the other characters and the reader can see just what an awful person the author thinks a particular character is.  It's usually sloppy, and comes across as highly OOC.  In this case, I think that characters are responding to the events of the story in plausible ways, but unfortunately their reactions are negative and hurtful to Ranma and his other friends & family.  The ending of the story is bittersweet and painful to re-read, for precisely that reason.

So, while your mileage may vary, I do think that "Ranma's Husband?" takes an interesting approach to arranged marriage in the Ranma 1/2 fandom, and is worth your giving it a try.

Ranma's Husband?

Title:  Ranma's Husband?
Fandom:  Ranma 1/2
Pairings:  Ranma/OMC, Akane/Mousse, Kasumi/OMC, Nabiki/OFC
Categories:  angst, romance, genderswitch, family, marriage (or rather engagement) of in-convenience
Length:  Epic [~166,000 words]
Warnings:  possible character bashing of Nodoka, Shampoo and Ryouga (see review for details)


Author on LJ:  n/a
Website:  Their Fanfiction.net page

Summary:  Ranma has, yet again, another engagement popping out of the woodwork.  Except this time it's to a man; a man who already knows about Jusenkyo, and who is a martial artist himself.  In addition, he doesn't seem nearly as crazy as Ranma's other fiancees...

Review:  I have some mixed feelings about "Ranma's Husband?".  I'm recommending it anyway, but I will note the aspects I'm not wild about.

On the one hand: for "pros", I love the general plot of this story, and I wish that there was more slash/yaoi fic for this fandom.  (I mean, sure, there's some Ranma/Ryouga, but really, folks.)  I also think that the original characters are interesting and sympathetic, and that they don't seem out of place in Nerima.  A family of martial artists like the Tendos or Saotomes fits right in, and their relationship to those families is also believable.  Ranma's love interest is a kind boy, from said family, who loves Ranma no matter whether he's currently male or female.  I love that Kasumi even gets a love interest, and that she's depicted as having a libido that occasionally gets the better of her.  Her love interest is quite the character as well: a transgender individual who solved his identity issues by voluntarily cursing himself at Jusenkyo and locking his curse (hence my use of the genderswitch tag, which would otherwise be gratuitous for Ranma 1/2).  I adore that there is femslash, period, and it's a bonus that the pairing - Nabiki and a sweet classmate, who thaws out Nabiki's mercenary heart - is appealing.  Last but definitely not least, the het Akane/Mousse pairing completely won me over, to the point that it was my favorite match-up of the lot.  I applaud the author for thinking so hard about the structure of the Chinese Amazon society, and for depicting a couple that is far more comfortable not aligning to gender behavioral norms.  

On the other hand: for "cons", I noticed that the quality of writing begins much lower than it ends - a prime example of an author learning what works as they go along.  That's not necessarily bad, but it is uneven in terms of flow and typos.  The formatting is similarly wonky.  Next, the author has a ton of notes at the beginning of each chapter, which become irritating fast.  Finally, I flinched a tad at the depictions of Nodoka, Shampoo and Ryouga.  However, I'm not certain that their characterizations really fall under character bashing... at least, not for Nodoka and Ryouga, although Shampoo's portrayal may cross the line.  To me, bashing is when the actual characterization is stretched and warped, perhaps beginning with canon characteristics and then exaggerating them, so that the other characters and the reader can see just what an awful person the author thinks a particular character is.  It's usually sloppy, and comes across as highly OOC.  In this case, I think that characters are responding to the events of the story in plausible ways, but unfortunately their reactions are negative and hurtful to Ranma and his other friends & family.  The ending of the story is bittersweet and painful to re-read, for precisely that reason.

So, while your mileage may vary, I do think that "Ranma's Husband?" takes an interesting approach to arranged marriage in the Ranma 1/2 fandom, and is worth your giving it a try.

Ranma's Husband?

Title:  Ranma's Husband?
Fandom:  Ranma 1/2
Pairings:  Ranma/OMC, Akane/Mousse, Kasumi/OMC, Nabiki/OFC
Categories:  angst, romance, genderswitch, family, marriage (or rather engagement) of in-convenience
Length:  Epic [~166,000 words]
Warnings:  possible character bashing of Nodoka, Shampoo and Ryouga (see review for details)


Author on LJ:  n/a
Website:  Their Fanfiction.net page

Summary:  Ranma has, yet again, another engagement popping out of the woodwork.  Except this time it's to a man; a man who already knows about Jusenkyo, and who is a martial artist himself.  In addition, he doesn't seem nearly as crazy as Ranma's other fiancees...

Review:  I have some mixed feelings about "Ranma's Husband?".  I'm recommending it anyway, but I will note the aspects I'm not wild about.

On the one hand: for "pros", I love the general plot of this story, and I wish that there was more slash/yaoi fic for this fandom.  (I mean, sure, there's some Ranma/Ryouga, but really, folks.)  I also think that the original characters are interesting and sympathetic, and that they don't seem out of place in Nerima.  A family of martial artists like the Tendos or Saotomes fits right in, and their relationship to those families is also believable.  Ranma's love interest is a kind boy, from said family, who loves Ranma no matter whether he's currently male or female.  I love that Kasumi even gets a love interest, and that she's depicted as having a libido that occasionally gets the better of her.  Her love interest is quite the character as well: a transgender individual who solved his identity issues by voluntarily cursing himself at Jusenkyo and locking his curse (hence my use of the genderswitch tag, which would otherwise be gratuitous for Ranma 1/2).  I adore that there is femslash, period, and it's a bonus that the pairing - Nabiki and a sweet classmate, who thaws out Nabiki's mercenary heart - is appealing.  Last but definitely not least, the het Akane/Mousse pairing completely won me over, to the point that it was my favorite match-up of the lot.  I applaud the author for thinking so hard about the structure of the Chinese Amazon society, and for depicting a couple that is far more comfortable not aligning to gender behavioral norms.  

On the other hand: for "cons", I noticed that the quality of writing begins much lower than it ends - a prime example of an author learning what works as they go along.  That's not necessarily bad, but it is uneven in terms of flow and typos.  The formatting is similarly wonky.  Next, the author has a ton of notes at the beginning of each chapter, which become irritating fast.  Finally, I flinched a tad at the depictions of Nodoka, Shampoo and Ryouga.  However, I'm not certain that their characterizations really fall under character bashing... at least, not for Nodoka and Ryouga, although Shampoo's portrayal may cross the line.  To me, bashing is when the actual characterization is stretched and warped, perhaps beginning with canon characteristics and then exaggerating them, so that the other characters and the reader can see just what an awful person the author thinks a particular character is.  It's usually sloppy, and comes across as highly OOC.  In this case, I think that characters are responding to the events of the story in plausible ways, but unfortunately their reactions are negative and hurtful to Ranma and his other friends & family.  The ending of the story is bittersweet and painful to re-read, for precisely that reason.

So, while your mileage may vary, I do think that "Ranma's Husband?" takes an interesting approach to arranged marriage in the Ranma 1/2 fandom, and is worth your giving it a try.

Ranma's Husband?

Title:  Ranma's Husband?
Fandom:  Ranma 1/2
Pairings:  Ranma/OMC, Akane/Mousse, Kasumi/OMC, Nabiki/OFC
Categories:  angst, romance, genderswitch, family, marriage (or rather engagement) of in-convenience
Length:  Epic [~166,000 words]
Warnings:  possible character bashing of Nodoka, Shampoo and Ryouga (see review for details)


Author on LJ:  n/a
Website:  Their Fanfiction.net page

Summary:  Ranma has, yet again, another engagement popping out of the woodwork.  Except this time it's to a man; a man who already knows about Jusenkyo, and who is a martial artist himself.  In addition, he doesn't seem nearly as crazy as Ranma's other fiancees...

Review:  I have some mixed feelings about "Ranma's Husband?".  I'm recommending it anyway, but I will note the aspects I'm not wild about.

On the one hand: for "pros", I love the general plot of this story, and I wish that there was more slash/yaoi fic for this fandom.  (I mean, sure, there's some Ranma/Ryouga, but really, folks.)  I also think that the original characters are interesting and sympathetic, and that they don't seem out of place in Nerima.  A family of martial artists like the Tendos or Saotomes fits right in, and their relationship to those families is also believable.  Ranma's love interest is a kind boy, from said family, who loves Ranma no matter whether he's currently male or female.  I love that Kasumi even gets a love interest, and that she's depicted as having a libido that occasionally gets the better of her.  Her love interest is quite the character as well: a transgender individual who solved his identity issues by voluntarily cursing himself at Jusenkyo and locking his curse (hence my use of the genderswitch tag, which would otherwise be gratuitous for Ranma 1/2).  I adore that there is femslash, period, and it's a bonus that the pairing - Nabiki and a sweet classmate, who thaws out Nabiki's mercenary heart - is appealing.  Last but definitely not least, the het Akane/Mousse pairing completely won me over, to the point that it was my favorite match-up of the lot.  I applaud the author for thinking so hard about the structure of the Chinese Amazon society, and for depicting a couple that is far more comfortable not aligning to gender behavioral norms.  

On the other hand: for "cons", I noticed that the quality of writing begins much lower than it ends - a prime example of an author learning what works as they go along.  That's not necessarily bad, but it is uneven in terms of flow and typos.  The formatting is similarly wonky.  Next, the author has a ton of notes at the beginning of each chapter, which become irritating fast.  Finally, I flinched a tad at the depictions of Nodoka, Shampoo and Ryouga.  However, I'm not certain that their characterizations really fall under character bashing... at least, not for Nodoka and Ryouga, although Shampoo's portrayal may cross the line.  To me, bashing is when the actual characterization is stretched and warped, perhaps beginning with canon characteristics and then exaggerating them, so that the other characters and the reader can see just what an awful person the author thinks a particular character is.  It's usually sloppy, and comes across as highly OOC.  In this case, I think that characters are responding to the events of the story in plausible ways, but unfortunately their reactions are negative and hurtful to Ranma and his other friends & family.  The ending of the story is bittersweet and painful to re-read, for precisely that reason.

So, while your mileage may vary, I do think that "Ranma's Husband?" takes an interesting approach to arranged marriage in the Ranma 1/2 fandom, and is worth your giving it a try.

Ranma's Husband?

Title:  Ranma's Husband?
Fandom:  Ranma 1/2
Pairings:  Ranma/OMC, Akane/Mousse, Kasumi/OMC, Nabiki/OFC
Categories:  angst, romance, genderswitch, family, marriage (or rather engagement) of in-convenience
Length:  Epic [~166,000 words]
Warnings:  possible character bashing of Nodoka, Shampoo and Ryouga (see review for details)


Author on LJ:  n/a
Website:  Their Fanfiction.net page

Summary:  Ranma has, yet again, another engagement popping out of the woodwork.  Except this time it's to a man; a man who already knows about Jusenkyo, and who is a martial artist himself.  In addition, he doesn't seem nearly as crazy as Ranma's other fiancees...

Review:  I have some mixed feelings about "Ranma's Husband?".  I'm recommending it anyway, but I will note the aspects I'm not wild about.

On the one hand: for "pros", I love the general plot of this story, and I wish that there was more slash/yaoi fic for this fandom.  (I mean, sure, there's some Ranma/Ryouga, but really, folks.)  I also think that the original characters are interesting and sympathetic, and that they don't seem out of place in Nerima.  A family of martial artists like the Tendos or Saotomes fits right in, and their relationship to those families is also believable.  Ranma's love interest is a kind boy, from said family, who loves Ranma no matter whether he's currently male or female.  I love that Kasumi even gets a love interest, and that she's depicted as having a libido that occasionally gets the better of her.  Her love interest is quite the character as well: a transgender individual who solved his identity issues by voluntarily cursing himself at Jusenkyo and locking his curse (hence my use of the genderswitch tag, which would otherwise be gratuitous for Ranma 1/2).  I adore that there is femslash, period, and it's a bonus that the pairing - Nabiki and a sweet classmate, who thaws out Nabiki's mercenary heart - is appealing.  Last but definitely not least, the het Akane/Mousse pairing completely won me over, to the point that it was my favorite match-up of the lot.  I applaud the author for thinking so hard about the structure of the Chinese Amazon society, and for depicting a couple that is far more comfortable not aligning to gender behavioral norms.  

On the other hand: for "cons", I noticed that the quality of writing begins much lower than it ends - a prime example of an author learning what works as they go along.  That's not necessarily bad, but it is uneven in terms of flow and typos.  The formatting is similarly wonky.  Next, the author has a ton of notes at the beginning of each chapter, which become irritating fast.  Finally, I flinched a tad at the depictions of Nodoka, Shampoo and Ryouga.  However, I'm not certain that their characterizations really fall under character bashing... at least, not for Nodoka and Ryouga, although Shampoo's portrayal may cross the line.  To me, bashing is when the actual characterization is stretched and warped, perhaps beginning with canon characteristics and then exaggerating them, so that the other characters and the reader can see just what an awful person the author thinks a particular character is.  It's usually sloppy, and comes across as highly OOC.  In this case, I think that characters are responding to the events of the story in plausible ways, but unfortunately their reactions are negative and hurtful to Ranma and his other friends & family.  The ending of the story is bittersweet and painful to re-read, for precisely that reason.

So, while your mileage may vary, I do think that "Ranma's Husband?" takes an interesting approach to arranged marriage in the Ranma 1/2 fandom, and is worth your giving it a try.

Ranma's Husband?

Title:  Ranma's Husband?
Fandom:  Ranma 1/2
Pairings:  Ranma/OMC, Akane/Mousse, Kasumi/OMC, Nabiki/OFC
Categories:  angst, romance, genderswitch, family, marriage (or rather engagement) of in-convenience
Length:  Epic [~166,000 words]
Warnings:  possible character bashing of Nodoka, Shampoo and Ryouga (see review for details)


Author on LJ:  n/a
Website:  Their Fanfiction.net page

Summary:  Ranma has, yet again, another engagement popping out of the woodwork.  Except this time it's to a man; a man who already knows about Jusenkyo, and who is a martial artist himself.  In addition, he doesn't seem nearly as crazy as Ranma's other fiancees...

Review:  I have some mixed feelings about "Ranma's Husband?".  I'm recommending it anyway, but I will note the aspects I'm not wild about.

On the one hand: for "pros", I love the general plot of this story, and I wish that there was more slash/yaoi fic for this fandom.  (I mean, sure, there's some Ranma/Ryouga, but really, folks.)  I also think that the original characters are interesting and sympathetic, and that they don't seem out of place in Nerima.  A family of martial artists like the Tendos or Saotomes fits right in, and their relationship to those families is also believable.  Ranma's love interest is a kind boy, from said family, who loves Ranma no matter whether he's currently male or female.  I love that Kasumi even gets a love interest, and that she's depicted as having a libido that occasionally gets the better of her.  Her love interest is quite the character as well: a transgender individual who solved his identity issues by voluntarily cursing himself at Jusenkyo and locking his curse (hence my use of the genderswitch tag, which would otherwise be gratuitous for Ranma 1/2).  I adore that there is femslash, period, and it's a bonus that the pairing - Nabiki and a sweet classmate, who thaws out Nabiki's mercenary heart - is appealing.  Last but definitely not least, the het Akane/Mousse pairing completely won me over, to the point that it was my favorite match-up of the lot.  I applaud the author for thinking so hard about the structure of the Chinese Amazon society, and for depicting a couple that is far more comfortable not aligning to gender behavioral norms.  

On the other hand: for "cons", I noticed that the quality of writing begins much lower than it ends - a prime example of an author learning what works as they go along.  That's not necessarily bad, but it is uneven in terms of flow and typos.  The formatting is similarly wonky.  Next, the author has a ton of notes at the beginning of each chapter, which become irritating fast.  Finally, I flinched a tad at the depictions of Nodoka, Shampoo and Ryouga.  However, I'm not certain that their characterizations really fall under character bashing... at least, not for Nodoka and Ryouga, although Shampoo's portrayal may cross the line.  To me, bashing is when the actual characterization is stretched and warped, perhaps beginning with canon characteristics and then exaggerating them, so that the other characters and the reader can see just what an awful person the author thinks a particular character is.  It's usually sloppy, and comes across as highly OOC.  In this case, I think that characters are responding to the events of the story in plausible ways, but unfortunately their reactions are negative and hurtful to Ranma and his other friends & family.  The ending of the story is bittersweet and painful to re-read, for precisely that reason.

So, while your mileage may vary, I do think that "Ranma's Husband?" takes an interesting approach to arranged marriage in the Ranma 1/2 fandom, and is worth your giving it a try.

Ranma's Husband?

Titles:  Genma's Daughter and the sequel Equal Halves
Fandom:  Ranma 1/2
Pairings:  Ranko/Ryouga, Ranma/Akane in the canon world
Categories: AU, amnesia, drama, genderswitch, romance - and of course, family
Length:  Epic [~230,000 for the two stories]
Warnings: n/a - wait, no.  Canon child abuse, ratcheted up a notch


Author on LJ:  n/a
Website:  Fiction by Deborah Goldsmith

Summaries:  When Ranma meets his mother for the first time, he learns a shocking truth about himself.  Namely, that he was born a "she".  Can Ranma accept this truth, and succeed at living as a woman?  In the sequel, Ranko drops into the canon world, and the two Saotomes have a lot to learn from each other about their diverged fates.

Review:  This series isn't for everyone - namely, fans who read Ranma 1/2 fic just for the awesome action and martial arts techniques will not be satisfied - but for the rest of us, this is a lovely take on what seems at first to be an implausible scenario.  In the world of Genma's Daughter, Ranma was actually born "Ranko", and was transformed into a boy at a young age due to yet another stupid idea of Genma.  Genma tries to do his best by his daughter-turned son, but his view on what's best is shaky: he chooses to rename Ranko, take "him" on the Training Trip as in canon, and encourage Ranko to forget life before the trip.  Of course, contact with Ranko's mother Nodoka would blow the scheme wide open, so - as in canon - "Ranma" never sees his mother until post-Jusenkyo.  The story begins with Nodoka meeting Ranma, as she did about a quarter of the way through Ranma 1/2 canon; instead of her canonical delight at seeing her manly son, she is confused by her daughter's transformation, and does her best to remind Ranko of her past.

I love how Deborah handled the entire scenario, and in particular the thorny issue of characterization.  Characters shift and change based on the one, relatively small (all things considered)difference between the canon world and Ranko's world.  For example, Nodoka is fairly traditional in the canon, and causes her fair share of problems for Ranma by insisting that he act in a manly fashion.  In contrast, Nodoka in Ranko's world is a woman who was deserted without explanation by her husband, who also took her daughter away from her; the faith she had in the traditional Japanese system is all but destroyed, and she is as a consequence no longer so interested in following her prescribed path in life... and she naturally doesn't care about the manliness of her daughter.  A lesser author would have flubbed this sort of complicated characterization shift, but Deborah pulls it off flawlessly, in my opinion.  There are some critics of the universe Deborah created, of course.  These people tend to disagree mostly with Ranko's characterization, arguing that no version of Saotome R. would ever make the decisions about her future (career and romance, mostly) that Ranko does.  I think that these issues are aptly addressed in the sequel, in which both canon-Ranma and Ranko meet and have the chance to explain their decisions to each other and to the reader.  In my view, the characters' dichotomy is just an example of how nature and nuture are affected by, and affect in turn, gender identity and personal preferences.        

These stories are primarily about Ranko's adjustment to her new life, and how she builds a real, not-dysfunctional system of family and friends out of the wreckage of her past.  Every character gets a fair shake, even Genma.  Even if the eventual romance isn't to your taste, I think that all the relationships, platonic or otherwise, are slowly and carefully built, and are as a result very believable.  I find the world that Ranko lives in to be so well-balanced in comparison to canon, that I come back to Genma's Daughter and Equal Halves whenever I find myself disillusioned with Ranma 1/2.

Genma's Daughter
Equal Halves

Titles:  Genma's Daughter and the sequel Equal Halves
Fandom:  Ranma 1/2
Pairings:  Ranko/Ryouga, Ranma/Akane in the canon world
Categories: AU, amnesia, drama, genderswitch, romance - and of course, family
Length:  Epic [~230,000 for the two stories]
Warnings: n/a - wait, no.  Canon child abuse, ratcheted up a notch


Author on LJ:  n/a
Website:  Fiction by Deborah Goldsmith

Summaries:  When Ranma meets his mother for the first time, he learns a shocking truth about himself.  Namely, that he was born a "she".  Can Ranma accept this truth, and succeed at living as a woman?  In the sequel, Ranko drops into the canon world, and the two Saotomes have a lot to learn from each other about their diverged fates.

Review:  This series isn't for everyone - namely, fans who read Ranma 1/2 fic just for the awesome action and martial arts techniques will not be satisfied - but for the rest of us, this is a lovely take on what seems at first to be an implausible scenario.  In the world of Genma's Daughter, Ranma was actually born "Ranko", and was transformed into a boy at a young age due to yet another stupid idea of Genma.  Genma tries to do his best by his daughter-turned son, but his view on what's best is shaky: he chooses to rename Ranko, take "him" on the Training Trip as in canon, and encourage Ranko to forget life before the trip.  Of course, contact with Ranko's mother Nodoka would blow the scheme wide open, so - as in canon - "Ranma" never sees his mother until post-Jusenkyo.  The story begins with Nodoka meeting Ranma, as she did about a quarter of the way through Ranma 1/2 canon; instead of her canonical delight at seeing her manly son, she is confused by her daughter's transformation, and does her best to remind Ranko of her past.

I love how Deborah handled the entire scenario, and in particular the thorny issue of characterization.  Characters shift and change based on the one, relatively small (all things considered)difference between the canon world and Ranko's world.  For example, Nodoka is fairly traditional in the canon, and causes her fair share of problems for Ranma by insisting that he act in a manly fashion.  In contrast, Nodoka in Ranko's world is a woman who was deserted without explanation by her husband, who also took her daughter away from her; the faith she had in the traditional Japanese system is all but destroyed, and she is as a consequence no longer so interested in following her prescribed path in life... and she naturally doesn't care about the manliness of her daughter.  A lesser author would have flubbed this sort of complicated characterization shift, but Deborah pulls it off flawlessly, in my opinion.  There are some critics of the universe Deborah created, of course.  These people tend to disagree mostly with Ranko's characterization, arguing that no version of Saotome R. would ever make the decisions about her future (career and romance, mostly) that Ranko does.  I think that these issues are aptly addressed in the sequel, in which both canon-Ranma and Ranko meet and have the chance to explain their decisions to each other and to the reader.  In my view, the characters' dichotomy is just an example of how nature and nuture are affected by, and affect in turn, gender identity and personal preferences.        

These stories are primarily about Ranko's adjustment to her new life, and how she builds a real, not-dysfunctional system of family and friends out of the wreckage of her past.  Every character gets a fair shake, even Genma.  Even if the eventual romance isn't to your taste, I think that all the relationships, platonic or otherwise, are slowly and carefully built, and are as a result very believable.  I find the world that Ranko lives in to be so well-balanced in comparison to canon, that I come back to Genma's Daughter and Equal Halves whenever I find myself disillusioned with Ranma 1/2.

Genma's Daughter
Equal Halves