From the favorites list #1

Rockman Complete Works, for the PS1

From time to time I'll talk a little about some of the stories in my favorites' list at ff.net and to start I think the best option would be mentioning "Rockman: the Robot War" written by Ben 'Maelgrim' Roberts.

This fanfic is extremely well written and it's interesting for several reasons, mainly because it's a fantastic example of the 'adaptation expansion' trope done right; Maelgrim spends enough time developing and explaining the reasons as to why the universe the story is set in works the way it does, characterization is brilliant and all the protagonists receive their fair share of attention. The narrative is superb and even if the story is a little long, reading from beginning to end is completely satisfying.

Calling it the most influential Mega Man fanfic ever written is not an overstatement, this one is really that good and it is constantly being referenced or used as a foundation by other writers in the fandom, even after so many years. Two good examples of this are the works of Erico (and to a lesser extent Magus), but we'll talk about that later, since Erico's work in particular deserves its own entry.

Maelgrim has written other stories as well, amongst them a novella adapting the original Castlevania game that is also a nice read and, most importantly, a sequel to Rockman: the Robot War, which is unfortunately incomplete as it has not been updated since 2012.

That said, consider giving Rockman: the Robot War a read, it really is worth your time even if you aren't a fan of the Mega Man franchise.

Link to Maelgrim's FFN profile:
https://www.fanfiction.net/u/97007/Maelgrim
 

What's easier for you to write?

When it comes to fanfiction (and to writing in general, really), finding out what is easier for you to write is important, because it affects how much you produce. If you like writing romance, you'll have an easier time when you focus on that genre, for example.

Something that also helps as far as fanfiction writing goes, is how much you like the property you're creating a story for, if you really like one franchise it will be easier for you to write for it. Another thing that affects this is if you like the idea you're developing; the more you like it, the easier completing it will be.

All of that affects production.

In my case, I have tried many genres, going from action to comedy to romance and horror. I've found that most of my stories tend to gravitate towards a mix between action and drama, but family themes and elements of what some people would call horror tend to appear in my writing from time to time.

Thinking of it, I believe I have an easier time when I focus on ideas rather than genres, because that means I can plot the story beforehand.

In the end it's all about finding what works best for you.

Raditz fanart.

This time I'll talk a little about another of my stories.

The story is titled We Belong to Him. The basic plot is that Raditz ends up being the only survivor of the fight with Goku and Piccolo, and decides to take Gohan with him, the twist that makes this different from the stories that follow that path is that here, Chi Chi goes with Raditz, something that changes the whole "Raditz trains Gohan" dynamic quite a lot.

The story is incomplete at this point, I'll try to go back to it sometime soon since I would really like to complete it and I already have it fully mapped out. I just have to figure out how to continue it, which has not been easy.

Anyway, a while ago I got a Raditz fanart (only pencils) so I decided to ink it to make the illustration look cleaner.

Here's the Raditz fanart, pencils by Horacio Sandoval, inks by me.

(If anyone ever wants to color it I'd be grateful).

Ranma 1/2 collaboration with DaisukiFox

Lost Together is a story I've been co-writing with DaisukiFox, who focuses mostly on Ranma 1/2 Alternate Universe fanfiction, particularly for the female Ranma & Ryoga pairing.

We had a false start a couple of years ago, but we eventually picked it up again and we're on chapter 5 already, with good reception so far, too!

This is the cover we're using for the story, it's a Ryoga/Ranma-Chan fanart I found a while ago, unfortunately I could never find the original artist but congratulations to him or her for such a great job.

Link to DaisukiFox's fanfiction.net's profile:
https://www.fanfiction.net/u/1778497/DaisukiFox

I'll post more about the writing process for this story later, because collaborating with another writer is a very interesting and rewarding experience.