Least Favorite Crossovers

[McNum]

Eh, sometimes Iron Man has been a big enough jerk that it's fun watching him get Hulk'd. Yes. That's a verb now. Getting Hulk'd. Getting Thor'd is also okay.

On the shipping part, it's sort of a pet peeve of mine, too. Don't do a crossover just to pair up two characters who don't have anything in common. Like who'd win in a Trek/Wars fight, it is a fun thought exercise to think up crack pairings and see if they'd work out (personally, I sort of like the Solid Snake/Samus Aran thing that Super Smash Bros Brawl spawned), but it rarely makes for a good story if all you want is for two people from wildly different universes met just to hook up.

Not to say that characters from different stories never should hook up in crossovers, I mean if the chemistry is there, then why not? But it should happen as part of the story.

[Ravian]

Eh, sometimes Iron Man has been a big enough jerk that it's fun watching him get Hulk'd. Yes. That's a verb now. Getting Hulk'd. Getting Thor'd is also okay.

On the shipping part, it's sort of a pet peeve of mine, too. Don't do a crossover just to pair up two characters who don't have anything in common. Like who'd win in a Trek/Wars fight, it is a fun thought exercise to think up crack pairings and see if they'd work out (personally, I sort of like the Solid Snake/Samus Aran thing that Super Smash Bros Brawl spawned), but it rarely makes for a good story if all you want is for two people from wildly different universes met just to hook up.
Not to say that characters from different stories never should hook up in crossovers, I mean if the chemistry is there, then why not? But it should happen as part of the story.

Yeah there are only three rules I have for a ship, but they are important ones.

One: an official relationship always takes preference (except in a rare few cases, usually where the canon relationship is just too stupid for me to accept as such.)

Two: No creepy stuff, that's especially true when kids get involved. I love puppy love ships between younger characters but adding older characters will cause table flipping.

Three: There has to be something there. A weird crack-ship between two characters from separate universes that are exact opposites can be a fun joke for a few pieces of amusing (hopefully non-explicit) fanart. But if you're treating that ship as anything besides total comedy when there's no greater justification than "opposites attract" or "they both like turtles" and the migraines will begin. Chemistry people, chemistry! it's not just a class in high school! If you want me to take this thing seriously there better be a good reason for it.

[LordChaos13]

One: an official relationship always takes preference (except in a rare few cases, usually where the canon relationship is just too stupid for me to accept as such.)

I have to ask why on this one.
I can see a point in 'they are already in a relationship, deal with that' but that's more continuity. or what if it's set before a canonship or there are multiple?

An example: Hermione and Ron from the Harry Potter series
Please no flames from any camp
In the books Hermione and Ronald get together, are married and have kids. But for the majority of the book (before 6th there isnt a hint beyond 'flirting' via arguments and making Hermione cry)
If a crossover happens say in Goblet of Fire, the 4th book where Hermione semi/kinda/ambiguously dates Viktor Krum a foreign student which do you think is best:
a) Viktor and Hermione date, no exceptions they go on a date in the book
b) Ron and Hermione hook up, no exceptions
c) Either one doesn't matter, also none is possible
d) Viktor can break up with Hermione and she gets with someone else (native to her canon or anothers doesnt matter) or Ron, or no-one at all


Just curious

[Karoht]

My most favorite AND least favorite crossover, which technically doesn't even exist.
KISS saves Santa! The KISS Christmas special.

Least favorite because of it's absurdity, and the fact it doesn't actually exist.
Most favorite because of it's absurdity.

Actually, my most most favorite is Star Trek meets Xmen. It's a novel, I hear it is astonishingly good given the content, you have most of both casts sync up pretty well (Worf + Wolverine become fast friends for obvious reasons), its the kind of crossover that works exceptionally well when you really wouldn't think it ever should.

[Ravian]

I have to ask why on this one.
I can see a point in 'they are already in a relationship, deal with that' but that's more continuity. or what if it's set before a canonship or there are multiple?

An example: Hermione and Ron from the Harry Potter series
Please no flames from any camp
In the books Hermione and Ronald get together, are married and have kids. But for the majority of the book (before 6th there isnt a hint beyond 'flirting' via arguments and making Hermione cry)
If a crossover happens say in Goblet of Fire, the 4th book where Hermione semi/kinda/ambiguously dates Viktor Krum a foreign student which do you think is best:
a) Viktor and Hermione date, no exceptions they go on a date in the book
b) Ron and Hermione hook up, no exceptions
c) Either one doesn't matter, also none is possible
d) Viktor can break up with Hermione and she gets with someone else (native to her canon or anothers doesnt matter) or Ron, or no-one at all


Just curious

If it's more ambiguous I'm a little more lenient. But the rule's there mainly because I get annoyed when people outright ignore an already existing relationship solely because they think their own idea would be better.

If there are multiple official pairings (to one degree or another), like with the Hermione and Ron or Krum example you gave, then they both have some degree of validity. So out of the options I pick C. But shipping her with someone where no official relationship has been remotely implied before, like with someone like Draco Malfoy*, while ignoring the already existing relationships, just screams bad ship to me.

*Though this also is in conflict with rule three, unless they can give me a better reason than "I love nerd girl and bad boy pairings!!!1!!"

[LordChaos13]

while ignoring the already existing relationships

Is that your main problem? Cause I'm fairly sure I could write a canon relationship breakdown in every setting that doesnt have destiny, pre-existing kids as of the start of the fic and no literal soulbond/True Love
And make it make SENSE too. Thats the important bit. Every relationship has faults and weaknesses (and if canon doesnt provide enough extrapolate from known character traits) and the right circumstances can mean... @


I think with a fanfic ship there are a few guidelines/rules
1: Said ship must have chemistry. Make us feel the two can bond over something
2: Do NOT ignore pre-existing relationships. Resolve that thread, it can even enrich the story with plot hooks
3: Imagine the characters doing it. Does the thought disgust you? Should the thought disgust a normal person? If yes to either question STOP WRITING!
4: Always, always, ALWAYS keep realism in mind. I dont care if it's an elf they still have emotions and act a certain way. Keep them in-character and never rush something in-fic. Romance takes time, both the readers seeing them and the characters themelves.

[GrayGriffin]

Um...not all relationships have to involve sex, you know. As someone who likes to ship interspecies pairings that occasionally involve serious species differences, I don't really think that should be an important factor as to what you ship.

[LordChaos13]

No they dont have to involve sex, but that is one reason why I added guideline

Yellow/Khan for instance would be an example where it should be applied. No interspecies thing that makes sex different from relationship, it just forces a confrontation that a relationship might get glossed over by some people, but not others(though hopefully not this case)
Ones a 12yr old poketrainer. The other a brutal genetically-modified villain well ABOVE 12.

[Traab]

I dont see any reason why any pairing cant be setup between any set of characters so long as you find a way to justify it. One of the harry potter things like irks me is the soul bond/life debt cop out. "Oh we dont need to build up a reason for them to get together, harry saved her life!" It CAN work, but I hate how many just say, "She owes a life debt and is now his concubine/wife/slave/whatever, then they fall in love because harry is awesome and sweet"

Another thing that has only recently started to bug me is levels of emotional maturity beyond reasonable. Lets take goblet of fire year harry. He is 14 years old. Do you REALLY think a 14 year old boy that has never had a girlfriend, and never even had a FRIEND until hogwarts, would be capable of forming some flawless romance with a girl? Of course not, the poor guy would be a stuttering stammering wreck, have no idea what to do or how to do it, and would likely have a massively difficult time overcoming the various ingrained responses he would have due to the treatment he got from the dursleys.

But instead so often you will read a story where harry is a masterful kisser (somehow) always know the right thing to say to make the girl fall ever deeper in love, and be able to pull off romantic stuff with ease. Oh there may be a little angst from him, but an occasional assurance from fluer/ginny/hermione/luna/daphne/tracey/the patils/susan bones/hannah abbot/lavender/the chaser on his quidditch team/randomly female blaise/deaged mcgonnagal/tonks/aged gabrielle/etc/etc/etc and then boom, he is able to fall in love, be a good boyfriend/husband, and live happily ever after. *EDIT* Forgot to include secretly human Hedwig.

[GrayGriffin]

That's weird. The awkwardness is one of my favorite parts of developing relationships. And yeah, the "life debt" thing seems a little creepy. Just out of curiosity though, what's your opinion on "soul mates," where each person has someone they're destined to be with? I have to admit to finding such AUs interesting, at least partly for the worldbuilding.

[LordChaos13]

I only read soulbond fics if they've been Favorited by a good fanfic writer I know (such as Robst) or written by them
Otherwise I avoid because they so easily go wrong

While they can be done great, it can also be very much a copout excuse

[Ravian]

"being soulmates" definitely shouldn't be the only reason for their relationship, as that alone is just as bad as a reason as "They are my favorite characters so should totally hook up and have awesome sex!!!1!!!"

[Traab]

That's weird. The awkwardness is one of my favorite parts of developing relationships. And yeah, the "life debt" thing seems a little creepy. Just out of curiosity though, what's your opinion on "soul mates," where each person has someone they're destined to be with? I have to admit to finding such AUs interesting, at least partly for the worldbuilding.

Its not the soul mate or life debt thing per say, its the way its so often used as a lazy way to combine two people who normally wouldnt interact. Lets do an unlikely pairing, harry potter and daphne greengrass. Harry happens to rescue daphne from a deadly attack by malfoy so she has a life debt, ok, that works. A real writer then works on building up the relationship between them, using the life debt as an excuse for them to be connected long enough for a relationship to form. A lazy writer would say, "Now daphne is his slave, but its ok because harry is awesome so she falls in love with him after quietly observing from the background as he does all this awesome stuff. They kiss, (he is of course awesome at it) then eventually they make sweet passionate love where harry is a total viking god in the sack and rocks her virginal world 6 times that night then twice more the next morning." There is no build up, no basis for a relationship beyond, "Omg harry is awesome I wub him because he is awesome" its just life debt and apparently harry gives off an aura of awesome that makes women swoon.

[LordChaos13]

To be fair "Harry gives off an aura of awesome that makes girl swoon" can be a valid fic if done right...Or done so very wrong

[GrayGriffin]

Well, there is magic, after all, so it could easily be a love spell gone wrong.

[Traab]

True, but once again, there is no reason for it. No sudden male veela, no unbound magic, no secret training by grand master of sexy sirius, just an abused boy with no real social interaction going around being awesome somehow. Basically, gary stu type stuff.

[Masonicon]

I can't stand batman vs superman for obvious reasons.

how about we uses Bale Batman(which is the weakest Batman) for the version of Batman that we uses in Batman vs Superman crossover while we uses Silver Age Superman(which is the Strongest Superman) for this Batman vs Superman crossover?

Bale Batman(aka Nolanverse Batman) vs Silver Age Superman: widest power gap when it comes to the specific version of Batman vs Superman crossover

and I can't stands Match-up that I complaints over probably for the same reason you're can't stand Batman vs Superman match-up

[Wardog]

how about we uses Bale Batman(which is the weakest Batman) for the version of Batman that we uses in Batman vs Superman crossover while we uses Silver Age Superman(which is the Strongest Superman) for this Batman vs Superman crossover?

Why? ???????????????????????????

[Masonicon]

Why? ???????????????????????????

Bale Batman(aka Nolanverse Batman) is the (Physically) Weakest Batman ever while Silver Age Superman is the strongest Superman Ever

[LordChaos13]

Bale Batman(aka Nolanverse Batman) is the (Physically) Weakest Batman ever while Silver Age Superman is the strongest Superman Ever

Right because the differences should be made even greater. Superman, especially Silver, will slaughter in any real fight

[Ravian]

Bale Batman(aka Nolanverse Batman) is the (Physically) Weakest Batman ever while Silver Age Superman is the strongest Superman Ever

That doesn't really make the crossover better, since it makes the conflict even more one-sided. Not to mention it's a complete clash of settings. Nolanverse is incredibly grim and gritty while Silver Age Supes is campy and ridiculous (not as much as Silver Age Bats, but he's close)


Actually if it was completely comedic, it would be sort of amusing to see Silver Age Superman running around Nolan's Gotham. Though not in any direct conflict with Batman. Just going around with more and more ridiculous ways to clean up Gotham, and instead making the problems worse. And all the while Batman's fending off migraines trying to deal with the overpowered well-meaning buffoon.