pet peeve

[deird_lj]

The number one thing that stops me reading crossover fanfics?


When Buffy isn't actually a Summers - instead she's a Grissom/Bartlett/O'Neill/Gibbs.

Or when Xander's real dad is the lead guy on the crossover show.

Or when Willow is the relative of the nearest Jewish cast member. Or the nearest redhead.


Putting Dawn in a different family works okay - because, hey, monks making different decisions or whatever. (But it would be kinda nice if Glory actually chased her into the crossover show, once in a while.)

But otherwise? There are other ways to get crossovers to occur. And I'm sick of all the new family members.

Comments

[elisi]

And I'm sick of all the new family members.
*laughs*

[timeofchange.livejournal.com]

Hahahaha! Yeah.

[nwhepcat.livejournal.com]

Yup. That is a classic sign of Mary Sue fic, right there. (I saw one where Giles and Xander were both 007 agents. And Xander was still 17.)

[slaymesoftly.livejournal.com]

I rarely read crossover fics (unless I have to for some reason), but I definitely can't imagine reading one where the characters are somebody else. That's pushing the line much too close to AH to suit me. Well done crossovers into fandoms with which I'm vaguely familiar (LotR, Harry Potter?)are sometimes enjoyable, but none that I've read have ever tried to make the characters anything but who and what they are.

I have no interest in reading crossovers with a show that has no supernatural component of its own. That's too apples and oranges for me.

[speakr2customrs.livejournal.com]

That reminds me, I must resume work on my story in which Xander is the son of Hercule Poirot and Xena. Inspired, of course, by some of the more ludicrous (but not intentionally funny) 'Xander's real family' stories at 'Twisting the Hellmouth'.

I would, however, rather read a story in which Buffy is the long-lost daughter of Mustrum Ridcully and Granny Weatherwax, or of John and Holly McClane, than one in which the author decrees that 'Buffy' is a nickname and her real name is Elizabeth.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

I write and, to a lesser extent, read crossovers all the time, and this is one I haven't stumbled across yet (maybe I'm reading the right stuff?). But no wonder it's one of your pet peeves. How obnoxious. Especially if you see it again and again.

Though I will admit that I have this epic never-will-actually-be-written story in which Joyce Summers marries Keith Mars, and Buffy and Veronica kill vampires and solve crimes together and and Wallace and Mac hang out with Willow and Xander and Spike falls in love with Veronica and Logan falls in love with Buffy, and it's all very, very snarky and epic.

[cereta.livejournal.com]

I wish to claim a singular exception in my icon. Because in every show, someone is at least potentially Jessica's niece/nephew/old college friend's child.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I'm with you here! All the 'Xander's Real Dad' stories have me skimming past at great speed.

Possibly this habit of shoe-horning people into new families is another contributory factor to my crossover series starring Dawn...

[next_to_normal]

OMG I WOULD SO READ THAT.

[next_to_normal]

Admittedly, I rarely read crossovers to begin with (the interaction of a supernatural world and a non-supernatural one generally hurts my brain), but I don't think I've come across that particular issue.

And now I want to read a crossover with Dawn and Glory in some other show.

[nothorse.livejournal.com]

I can sympathiz, although there are few — very few — that actually work. It all depends how careful the weaving is done.

[stormwreath.livejournal.com]

I think just about every crossover I've written so far has a Buffyverse character going through a portal and finding themselves in the other universe. Except for the one where it was the other character appearing through a portal into the Buffyverse.

Mybe I should experiment with one of your "Buffy is the daughter of one of the crossover characters" ideas instead? :-)

[angearia.livejournal.com]

*dies* OMG please yes. I'll help you write this! C'mon, c'mon! Veronica Mars is like my second favorite show next to Buffy!

[deird1]

*grins*

[deird1]

I have no interest in reading crossovers with a show that has no supernatural component of its own. That's too apples and oranges for me.

Really? For me, shows where there is a supernatural aspect are too hard to believe as a crossover - because the supernatural stuff is so different. Magic at Hogwarts is different to Buffyverse magic, Supernatural vampires are different to Buffyverse vampires, and so on.

I like Doctor Who crossovers and Farscape crossovers (and probably other things with aliens) but the crossovers I like the best are procedural shows - NCIS, House, and so on. It's just... hard to find worthwhile ones.

[deird1]

I must resume work on my story in which Xander is the son of Hercule Poirot and Xena.

Hee! *wants to read this*

Buffy is the long-lost daughter of Mustrum Ridcully and Granny Weatherwax

Hmm. *actually wouldn't mind reading this either*

than one in which the author decrees that 'Buffy' is a nickname and her real name is Elizabeth.

*nods* This is definitely something that will stop me reading a story. Her name is Buffy, dammit!

[deird1]

I write and, to a lesser extent, read crossovers all the time, and this is one I haven't stumbled across yet (maybe I'm reading the right stuff?).

You're definitely reading the right stuff!

It doesn't tend to happen on my flist, but over at Twisting The Hellmouth it's rampant.
Seriously - 8 out of 10 West Wing fics mention Willow being related to Toby (I think his name's Toby) in the summary, there was a whole page of Stargate crossovers where every single summary mentioned "Sam's new daughter" (Buffy) or "the General's granddaughter (Buffy) or "O'Neill's niece" (Buffy), and Xander is the long lost son of just about every hero in the history of fiction...

[deird1]

True. *nods*

But at least that's using a convention of one of the shows...

[deird1]

Please don't! *can't stand the idea of there being more of them*

Your crossovers tend to work quite well. And portals can get you anywhere.
Mine, for the most part, tend to assume that all shows take place in the same universe. Given that I don't tend to write crossovers with supernatural shows, there's nothing stopping them from all being there at once...

[deird1]

(Links?)

[deird1]

I love how everyone's using their crossover icons in this post...

Your series is one of those rare crossovers that doesn't seem to rely on the standard cliches at all...

[deird1]

And now I want to read a crossover with Dawn and Glory in some other show.

So do I!

*wishes I could think of a way to do it*

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I love how everyone's using their crossover icons in this post</i. I noticed too - isn't it fun? I set out particularly to avoid all the usual clichés - I'm glad that it works!

[slaymesoftly.livejournal.com]

Another reason I rarely read crossovers is that I like my little corner of fandom and don't often feel like venturing out of it. :) I'll read Dr. Who fanfic and Torchwood, but anything else is probably set in some world in which I have no interest. Even if I have enjoyed watching it. I will admit to having read a couple of Supernatural crossovers that have sparked a little interest in seeing what the show is like now. I'd only watched the first episode or two, and don't remember much about them other than I didn't care if I saw any more of it. I'm thinking I might revisit that world and see what all the excitement is about.

The good crossovers that I've seen seem to address those issues of what's in conflict and work it out okay. At least I don't remember being overly bothered by any discrepancies. But we're talking about a very, very tiny amount of fic here. Probably no more than five or six fics spread across at least two other fandoms.

RW shows are completely beyond my ken. I can't imagine reading or writing in those fandoms.

[nothorse.livejournal.com]

You may have seen Bridges, a SG-1 crossover that works because, yeah, Jack O'Neill is Xander's Father, but that doesn't mean that they trust, know or like each other. It's a slow story and it works. For me at least.

The second one is the perfectly wonderfully brilliant April 10, 1997 by Mediancat in which Faith's family turns out to be completely different than anybody had thought. I won't mention the crossover, because it's a surprise and you might want to click the link with images disabled as one of the award banners gives it away.

Marcus Rowlands Family Issues is just demented and very nicely done.

Hope you like one of them.