Thoughts on writing good crossovers

[sg_fignewton]

Earlier this week, I recced Syndicated Sc-Fi Show, by

Comments

[zinke]

Timely crossover meta post is timely indeed; I was just having this conversation with one of my betas the other day. As a writer the impulse to explain everything and not leave anyone 'behind' is very strong; but as a reader exposition can get boring fast.

But what I've found most challenging has been picking out which elements of the individual canons to include: what's integral to the understanding of the story as opposed to what's superfluous but interesting. And making sure that the explanations of canon read as part of the story itself, rather than as what they are.

[sg_fignewton]

Ooh, good point that a writer will want to include lots of things which might be better left out! (Makes your icon very appropriate, heh.)

making sure that the explanations of canon read as part of the story itself, rather than as what they are

::nods:: Yes, this is exactly where you have to do a balancing act. A meeting in the briefing room to talk about a situation on the planet is fine; adding six years of history to that meeting is not!

[zinke]

I've also noticed that many of the more successful crossovers come from some form of alternating third-person limited point of view, which allows the writer to use the thoughts/memories/etc. of various characters used to help fill in a lot of the canonical blanks without having to use a lot of 'interaction' between characters.

[sg_fignewton]

That can work, yes - but like infodumps, must be approached with caution. If Daniel is thinking exasperatedly about Vala in early S9, frex, he's more likely to muse on those stupid bracelets than on hijacking the Prometheus. And Hammond thinking about SG-1 won't nec'ly go back to S1 - much less 1969. ;)

[ultranos_fic]

I'm a sucker for a good crossover. I'll happily admit it. And I'll read crossovers where I'm only even familiar with only one of the fandoms involved. It's a good way of finding new things, because I end up wondering "okay, so that crazy pilot Daniel ran into...who was he really?" or things like that

[sg_fignewton]

You seem to approach crossovers just as I do! :) I agree that the best kind are the ones where the other fandom's characters could read perfectly well as OCs. When in Rome, for example - I didn't make the connection to I, Claudius until I actually read the author's notes. And yes - getting the info into the background naturally, through dialogue and action, can make or break a crossover.

And yes, POV probably makes a huge difference. I like your Sam/Doctor Who example - both would work well for me, I think, but I'd probably enjoy the Sam POV more.

Good crossovers are definitely a pleasure. :) Someone had the bright idea of linking to favorites - have any you'd care to share?

[ultranos_fic]

A lot of my favorite crossovers are actually not 'gateverse at all. I'll post some of those if you'd like. :)

But one crossover I read near-religiously when it was a WiP was The Soul Has Bandaged Moments by serendu on FF.net. It's Harry Potter/Gateverse. Fairly non-linear storytelling, which is always interesting. Oh, and clone!Jack, who is always a pleasure when done well. :)

[sg_fignewton]

Ooh, non-linear storytelling - a favorite of mine when it's done well! I'll look it up, thanks.

And what the hey, go ahead and post non-Gateverse crossovers. :) My personal crossover fics tend to be Discworld, actually. I've read two great SG-1 ones ("DOCTOR JACKSON, I TRUST WE WILL MEET AGAIN SOON.") but my favorite one is probably the one with LotR.

[tejas]

An SPN "meat suit" refers to a demon "riding" a human - taking over and using the human's body without permission. Angels can do that, too, but they only do so with permission - a definite Goa'uld/Tok'ra dichotomy.

For me, one of the most important things when considering writing a crossover is to make sure the tone of the universes match. Okay, maybe 'are in harmony' is more accurate. Stargate and NCIS, for example, are very compatible for that reason alone. They both deal with issues large and small, there's focus on the characters and a healthy dose of humor. But don't try to mix Buffy and SVU.

[sg_fignewton]

See, that's exactly my point - the author used an SPN term cleverly in a way that a non-fan would appreciate (ooh, apt term, and seems very Dean-like) and a regular fan would love (as you say, a definite Goa'uld/Tok'ra dichotomy).

I agree that it's certainly easier if the tones of the universes match. OTOH, I've read crossovers that work when you wouldn't expect it (Discworld and Silmarillion, anybody?) and crossovers that ought to work but don't. A good author can manage anything, I expect.

But don't try to mix Buffy and SVU.

::grins:: I've never watched either show, so it shouldn't be much of a problem to avoid this one!

[tejas]

The right author trumps all rules of thumb. :-)

[izhilzha]

I'm right with you on that bottom line. I don't write many crossovers, but the ones I do write I try to pattern after the ones I most enjoy reading: I assume my reader will be familiar with at least one of the fandoms, but not necessarily both; I may drop a few additional details in (depending on the pov and how I have the characters interacting), but not many; and I go NUTS with the tiny, subtle nods to both fandoms, which only a fan of both will notice. :)

[sg_fignewton]

I think the best stories we write are the ones we want to read ourselves!

And all those little details are fun, so long as they don't jump up and down trying to get attention. ;)

[izhilzha]

Per your ETA:

Actualize This (SG-1/The Sentinel/The Invisible Man), by helena handbasket
One of the best triple crossovers I've read, tackling the story from various povs in hilarious ways that say a lot about all the characters and their backgrounds and assumptions. I rec this a lot to people who only know one of the fandoms.

Lovely (SG-1/The Sentinel), by Martha
I read this when I was a Sentinel fan but had never seen SG-1, and it's an even better fic now that I know both canons. Creepy as all get-out, gorgeously, lyrically written, and a very different take on what could have happened after "The Light"/"Absolute Power."

[sg_fignewton]

Ah, both excellent stories that work well for someone who is only familiar with SG-1. Great recs. :)

[zinke]

I'm guessing most have read this one before, but this is one of my favorite crossovers (Firefly/SG1) so thought I'd give it it's due:

The Raggedy Edge by annerbp