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Post by YACCBS on Oct 10, 2008 18:02:36 GMT
One of my fave SS/HG fics is actually an HP/Abhorsen xover and is very well done. Are you speaking of The Apprentice and the Necromancer? Because I love that one. Yup, that's the one! And the sequel too, I suppose.
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Post by T. Costa on Oct 11, 2008 0:39:22 GMT
I really liked that one! I haven't kept up on the sequel though. >.<
HG/SS is probably my only OTP. >.< I'm so weird.
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Post by Neophyte Ronin on Oct 18, 2008 4:05:55 GMT
Ironically, I'm no fan of cross-overs because the character dynamics don't play out too well most of the time. I will, however, admit that I would love to see someone write a sinister cross-over of Mortal Kombat and Soul Calibur. Hell, I'd love to see a game styled after a mix of those games! It'd be like in Bushido Blade--one-hit kills, no time limit, tons of mind games--but games aside, the dark Asian vibe of the first three Mortal Kombat games, set against the horrific discovery of Soul Edge, would make for a wild ride. Trick is, if you remove the mechanic of time travel, most of the modern-day Mortal Kombatants are set aside, leaving only the Outworld folk and Shang Tsung to appear. Remember: regardless of their costume fashions being conspicuously modern, the Soul Calibur crew are allegedly from the mid to late sixteenth century. Still, the Outworld cast is still cool, and hey, it might actually be cool to see....
Yeah, yeah, I'll try to write it. That also means I need to get the latter two games and maybe even the Dreamcast (available at a flea market if I'm lucky), before I'm fluent enough in Soul Calibur to write it. My Mortal Kombat, of course, is far from rusty.
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Post by Tennyo (Nentikobe) on Oct 18, 2008 5:21:47 GMT
That does sound awesome, Neophyte. ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png) I'm not really well versed in those fandoms but it still sounds awesome. ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png) Many many years ago I once read a X-Files/Buffy crossover that was actually pretty good. And there was a FFX/SG-1 crossover that I was really starting to get into until the author started becoming way too side-tracked for his own good. :/
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Post by Neophyte Ronin on Oct 18, 2008 6:05:50 GMT
That's the inherent problem. One cannot serve two masters.
Trying to balance the attentions between one world and the next is a perilous affair. To sound genuine, authentic, and especially plausible (the three major components of a cross-over, of which even a decent writer will get only two out of three down pat), the attempt requires a great deal of research. Again, I'm not as well-versed in what exactly happens throughout Soul Calibur. Either I purchase the games or use the game wikis and cheat 'til doomsday. Fortunately, I have enough knowledge and sense not to transport Scorpion back through time, even though I'd love to write all the hot air he bellows out.
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Post by Tennyo (Nentikobe) on Oct 19, 2008 6:24:58 GMT
The problem with this fic was not the fact that the person was doing stuff that didn't make sense, but the fact that he said he had been inspired to do a lot more and he deviated away from his initial plot. Eventually the whole thing went into outer space and the FFVII cast became involved to the point where it didn't even seem like anyone cared what was happening on Spira anymore even though that's what the story was supposed to be about.
If he could have reigned his ideas in more it really could have worked, I think.
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Post by Neophyte Ronin on Oct 20, 2008 3:04:12 GMT
I had a feeling the emphasis was on those the author felt more comfortable with. That's partly why I deliberately choose to write about minor characters in game worlds. If I involved Squall as a central character in my fic, the tone and image of the whole damned thing would be completely skewed. I still need to tone Xu down, while Seifer is considered a supporting role, party to the good guys, meaning the so-called heroes and villains of the games suffer a role reversal, some more dramatic than others, some not at all.
This prevents me from writing what is essentially a re-hash of what is experienced in the game itself. People expect a romance between Rinoa and Squall, but it can't always be the main emphasis of every single fan-fiction, especially a cross-over (unless, of course, one of the otherworldly personalities tries to sweep one or the other off his or her feet, wherein you'll actually have high-tension conflict to sort out!).
To create a cross-over that sings to the reader, you have to cater to the thoughts and feelings of two groups. It's possible, even without a computer. It's just a matter of knowing your material, making every moment count, and making all the characters contribute to the plot. If you can do away with the involvement of a character, then either do so, or reconsider where you're going with the tale.
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Post by T. Costa on Oct 25, 2008 7:36:58 GMT
That's the inherent problem. One cannot serve two masters. I dunno. Some people do it really well. *coughmengdecough* I think it just depends on the talent of the writer at hand. One who has a good grasp of the world they're writing in, as well as the characters therein, has a pretty decent shot of doing a good job. One who just wants to throw the characters together does not. (Although, I guess FF7/FFX wouldn't technically be a crossover since Square officially said the two are linked...It'd be like a time paradox...Or something.)
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Post by Sylla on Oct 25, 2008 10:09:51 GMT
Gosh, why don't we just go ahead and make a separate board and call it 'Shrine to Mengde'?
... I kid, of course. Like we need to swell his ego any larger than it already is. =P
I've noticed I tend to gravitate towards crossovers when there's two particular characters that I'd like to see interact. For example, once I get my hands on Tales of Symphonia for the GameCube (and, y'know, finish it), I think I might write a crossover with FFX, where this character from ToS called Kratos and Auron meet. Because they're both really kickass quite similar in a do-what-needs-to-be-done way.
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Post by T. Costa on Oct 25, 2008 18:00:05 GMT
I'll read anything that piques my interest, crossovers or otherwise. The problem with that is that my interest is piqued by different things at different times. Really, the author needs to have a good summary in place (I'm one to talk, I really blow at summaries) and then I'll probably read it, no matter the pairings or crossovers. I'm weirdly nonpicky about details like that, so long as the actual writing is good.
(Side-note: Would the KH-verse be considered a crossover in general? XD)
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Post by Sylla on Oct 25, 2008 21:18:09 GMT
Pretty much. Disney meets Final Fantasy. ... Actually, typing it out like that makes me realize how absurd the idea actually is. And yet, it's one helluva game. ![:D](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/grin.png) I totally agree with you about the summary thing. If the summary makes the concept sound interesting, then I'll probably read it regardless of pairings.
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Post by Pen Against Sword on Oct 26, 2008 0:33:50 GMT
That's the inherent problem. One cannot serve two masters. I find that blanket statements don't usually have a place when it comes to talking about writing. Over my many years of reading, I have discovered that, really, no matter what you are talking about when it comes to writing, whether or not a writer can do it depends on the writer, not the subject matter.
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Post by Neophyte Ronin on Oct 26, 2008 19:25:27 GMT
That's the inherent problem. One cannot serve two masters. I find that blanket statements don't usually have a place when it comes to talking about writing. "One cannot serve two masters" is a biblical reference, not a blanket statement. It's a reference to serving God or Satan. Find me a writer that does both and I'll whip a chocolate at you. Seriously though: if not impossible, then insanely difficult. You have to set some boundaries for yourself and keep yourself from caving into the interests of your readers. Readers want everybody in on the action. I'm guilty of asking Pied to see if she couldn't incorporate more minor characters into her narrative.
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Post by VulcanElf on Oct 27, 2008 0:15:55 GMT
"One cannot serve two masters" is a biblical reference, not a blanket statement. And in what universe is it impossible for a biblical reference to be a blanket statement? In general, I'd have to say it is true that there is massive inherent difficultly in creating a crossover that fairly represents both story components; but difficult is not the same thing as impossible. So, yes, stating that one cannot serve two masters in a fanfiction is a generalization and an inaccurate one. On an unrelated note, do you realize you just suggested that you would like to see a writer serve both God and Satan?
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Post by Pen Against Sword on Oct 27, 2008 0:36:43 GMT
I find that blanket statements don't usually have a place when it comes to talking about writing. "One cannot serve two masters" is a biblical reference, not a blanket statement. Uhm, Biblical reference or not, you wrote it to present the idea that no writer can properly do a crossover without neglecting, in some shape or fashion, the two separate worlds that the writer is twining together. That rebuttal was pointless. While that statement may be true to an extent, it's a really inaccurate blanket statement, as I said before. For one, it depends on your standards, and for two, it depends on the writer. Okay. Here are some examples of writers who serve two masters excellently. (Unless of course you meant serving Satan and God, in which case, I have no idea what you are on about.) By Mengde: Dreams (a Sandman/FFVII Crossover) and Schism (a FFX/FFVII crossover). By Kurome Shiretsu: Mission X (an X-Men: Evolution/Yu Yu Hakusho crossover).By JoIsBishMyoga: The Best Defense (a Yu Yu Hakusho/Harry Potter crossover). By Moon Step: Every single Yu Yu Hakusho/Inuyasha crossover she's ever written, the end. Then again, if you come back at me with the rebuke that a "good" crossover is one that includes all the characters and both worlds and everything else, I might just throw up on my keyboard. Even if it's insanely difficult, that doesn't mean it's impossible. Plenty of writers do it well. Not every reader will be satisfied, of course, but that doesn't mean that the crossover isn't good.
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