Keep Hoping Machine Running (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
thefourthvine) wrote2008-04-25 08:14 pm
thefourthvine) wrote2008-04-25 08:14 pm
Entry tags:
Poll: Crossovers, Oh My
Recently, I was moderately flabbergasted to come upon a Highlander x Yami no Matsuei crossover. I had one of those moments of staring blankly at the computer screen, trying to figure out if I had experienced a sudden linguistic disconnect, and maybe in this language "Highlander x Yami no Matsuei crossover" actually meant "now we all get cake" or something, because surely such a thing, defined as I understood it, was totally impossible.
And then I read it, and realized that, no, it isn't impossible, and I was forced once again to reflect on the fact that Highlander seems to be a fandom that is just very open to crossovers. I know that's partly because, hey, you've got 5,000 years of mostly unfilled Methos backstory, and who is to say he didn't pick up a young Christopher Keller in a gay bar? He could have! He could also have spent fifteen years traveling around with Doctor Who. I mean, it's not like he'd necessarily bring either of those things up in conversation. But also, just, the Highlander universe seems to be unusually smooshy - it is totally willing to cozy up to, maybe even move in with, other canons, as I'm reminded every time the HL newsletter comes out and most of the new stories are crossovers.
Naturally, I got to wondering: what other fandoms are particularly crossover-friendly? And that led, inevitably, to thoughts of those fandoms that are much, much harder to work into crossovers. Which led to thoughts of AUs, which in turn took me to a terrifying meta place, and Best Beloved had to come talk me down. "How about a poll?" she said. "Polls are fun! And, also, you can probably finish one before you fall asleep." (Whereas with actual meta - at the rate I'm currently finishing stuff, I'd have it ready for posting in, um, 2012 or thereabouts, assuming no delays for rain.)
So perhaps you would like to write my meta for me? I offer ticky boxes as incentive!
[Poll #1177790]
And then I read it, and realized that, no, it isn't impossible, and I was forced once again to reflect on the fact that Highlander seems to be a fandom that is just very open to crossovers. I know that's partly because, hey, you've got 5,000 years of mostly unfilled Methos backstory, and who is to say he didn't pick up a young Christopher Keller in a gay bar? He could have! He could also have spent fifteen years traveling around with Doctor Who. I mean, it's not like he'd necessarily bring either of those things up in conversation. But also, just, the Highlander universe seems to be unusually smooshy - it is totally willing to cozy up to, maybe even move in with, other canons, as I'm reminded every time the HL newsletter comes out and most of the new stories are crossovers.
Naturally, I got to wondering: what other fandoms are particularly crossover-friendly? And that led, inevitably, to thoughts of those fandoms that are much, much harder to work into crossovers. Which led to thoughts of AUs, which in turn took me to a terrifying meta place, and Best Beloved had to come talk me down. "How about a poll?" she said. "Polls are fun! And, also, you can probably finish one before you fall asleep." (Whereas with actual meta - at the rate I'm currently finishing stuff, I'd have it ready for posting in, um, 2012 or thereabouts, assuming no delays for rain.)
So perhaps you would like to write my meta for me? I offer ticky boxes as incentive!
[Poll #1177790]
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I think some universes are harder, but if you match them with a more porous 'verse, you can make it work. Or if you just do a sort of fusion/crossover, like putting the Winchesters 500 years in the future in the Firefly 'verse, or making them part of the Colonial Fleet on BSG, etc.
Also, it's harder to match up two 'verses with differing magical systems, but we've never let that stop us. Also, I can't believe I forgot X-Files. like HP and BtVS and SPN, X-Files is great for crossovers because all the weird stuff is supposed to be a secret, so you can always handwave stuff away as govt. conspiracy.
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I love crossovers, too, although it took me a while to get to that place, because I started in LotR fandom so virtually all the crossovers I read did not work at all.
And I actually had X-Files in the original version of this poll (curse LJ and its poll option limits!), but I thought it would probably be crossover-resistant, actually. *has learned something*
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The scary part is that I am actually THINKING about it. Oh GOD.
But yeah, LotR is like the WORST for crossovers.
Actually you know what's an awesome crossover fandom? Good Omens. And also Sandman. Because angels and anthropomorphic representations of human conditions can go ANYWHERE at ANY TIME.
As for the poll - if you paste the code into the update window, you can just add options manually by copying one of the lines and changing the text between the code, so if you've got the following:
<*lj-pi>yes<*/lj-pi>
<*lj-pi>no<*/lj-pi>.
you can add as many new lines as you like by c&p'ing and then changing the text: <*lj-pi>maybe<*/lj-pi>.
If that makes sense.
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(Although I must admit that trying to figure out a cross that shouldn't work now has me wanting a fic where Frank Pembleton and Ray Vecchio compare long-suffering notes on strange partners while Fraser and Bayliss compare Inuit myths and Buddhism. I might be the wrong person to be talking about all this.)
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Hmm. I had a slightly different experience.
My very first introduction to the *concept* of crossovers was that old Classic, The Witness by Michele Martin (http://www.geocities.com/dataannex2/xover2/witness.html).
This is an X-Files/Quantum Leap/Forever Knight/Higlander/Starman crossover. (Plus, I think Pete Thorton from MacGyver has a small cameo...*g*)
And the real kicker is that it totally WORKS! To quote my Sweetie, "Holy Mary, Mother of God, wrapped in banana leaves and dipped in caramel!"
After that one, pretty much any two-fandom crossover seemed eminently reasonable! *g*
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