The only thing I think you should have done was...
When Ranma is talking about Akane to Hakura she should have said “She kinda looked like that Ami girl you know”

I have been a fan of fanfiction and Ranma fanfiction in particular for years. It is still my favorite storyline. I was very pleased and moved by your written portrayal of a mature Ranma. I admit to bias as I have come to actively dislike lock stories just on general principle. To me this was much less a lock-fic than the mild age (for wouldn't 45 be closer to true mid age?) reassessment many people experience after their twenties have closed and their thirties are hard upon them. Bravo!

Kol

Ranma is **stronger** than Ryoga.

This is a great story that had me tearing up on a near constant basis. You have done a great job of taking these characters and helping them to grow in the world and circumstances in which they are in. I read from start to finish in one sitting as I vould not break free of this truely capturing work. Thank you for sharing this.

Each story that finds its way into my list of "favorites", here and elsewhere, has at its core something that speaks to me and something in my heart. My partner and I came together originally in commiseration and shared grief over the death of one of my good friends, her late wife. It's hell coming to terms with "survivor's" guilt and abrupt loss. For years after, I held her when she cried herself to exhaustion and she anchored me when my own tears came. In many ways, I'm terrified to imagine what would have happened if we'd had to wait so many years as these wonderfully adaptable characters did in this story to find someone to help us mend that tear in our hearts.

This story speaks to me of that survival and chance at healing. Thank you so very much for this story born out of your maturity and such compassion for your characters. Thank you for another touchstone.

This was a great read. Thank you for the pleasure I found in reading it.

good story

Good to see you're still writing excellent fanfics, Nightelf. I really like the leisurely exploration, not just of Ranma's character, but the way you show how time how time has changed her by the way all the others have changed-as well as the dynamic between any of them. It was almost a foregone conclusion, given the start of the piece, that Nabiki would end up in a relationship with Ranma, but you allowed it to proceed naturally, without undue attention, unwinding as the story itself did. The ending was extremely satisfactory, not least because there weren't any martial arts fireworks (or fireworks from other series) to interfere with the generally light but introspective mood.

Despite the changes, everybody could have potentially been a latterday example of their earlier selves. This fic was a great read, and one I look forward to rereading in a month or so. Thanks, again.

Beautiful and elegant:-)

BRAVA!
I love the premise behind Ranma 1/2, I'd never read the manga or watched any of the anime. I was introduced to the Ranmaverse through fan fiction.
I have marveled at what some writers can do with the characters. The playground that Ms Takahashi created is a fertile place for the right people to let their imaginations roam free.
You have joined the ranks of other writers on my list that have taken an inspiration and made it fly.
I've read alot of Ranma FF from those that had an inspiration but just couldn't get the scenes out of their minds onto the page. I just encourage them to read their stories read other stories then reread their own then try again.
I'm not wedded to any real pairings but that said I can't really suspend disbelief enough to enjoy a Ranma / Royga or Tatewaki, Mu Tse, or any other male unless it's years later and an OC. I even shy away from one with Ukyo.
I like stories like yours that transcend the "normal". I get tired of him getting thrashed and nothing and no one changing.
Again thank you for your work that went into creating this "Alternative" is was masterful.
L. Martin

I enjoyed this story but it feels incomplete and it could be much longer. Firstly i love having Ranma be an actor, though I always thought of him/her acting in martial arts films doing impossible stunts. There could have been more to the Takarazuka Revue, such as when Ranma moves to the Tokyo theatre, and eventually performs her own play. Plus getting together with Nabiki and what she does after leaving.

To be frank, I was never much taken with your writing back in the day. It seemed to me to be opinionated and self-indulgent.
The basic weakness of fanfiction is that too much of it is written by persons with too little life experience.
This though, is the product of a seasoned individual with real insights into both human nature and his cast of characters.
I'm glad you came back with this story to show me what you could really do.

Thank you, this one had a lot of emotion too, but it was easier to process and had happier moments.

Very intense chapter, thank you.

I love the whole way the story was written, and the fact that sailor moon characters make cameos had me amused! There is a bittersweetness in growing up that you don't quite understand when you are young, dumb, and full of it...You think you have the world by the balls till it gives you a kiwi injection via the rectum. You change as you grow and learn, and sometimes there are indeed second chances, but all too often there are more regrets than we want to deal with.. The key is finding the person that understands you and where you want to go and is going the same way. Kudos Nightelf, on a well written case study! P.S., I think I have been reading your fanfiction almost as long as you have been writing it! At least since 00!