Crossovers

[lyore]

I've been thinking a bit about crossovers recently - writing them and reading them. Lucky you, I feel like sharing :)

I've seen crossovers get a bit of a bad rap, but I have to say I really like them* - I think it really gives the characters (and the author!) a chance to stretch their wings.


Consider when you have the observation of canon characters by characters of a difference canon. It gives the 'new eyes, new appreciation, new perspective' of an 'outsider POV' fic, but in this case it comes with an added bonus - because the observer isn't a cypher, their observations can shed just as much light on their characterisation as the characters they are observing.

And the same goes for character interactions - the way they respond to one another can through light on both characters, especially when you have a pair/group with strong similarities as well as distinct differences. Such interactions can make the differences and similarities in very apparent to the reader, without the author having to draw direct attention to it in the fic.

Plus, there's the fact that I love seeing the characters tossed out of their comfort zone, and I love seeing one set of characters I love meeting another set. Not to mention the technical challenges of getting the canon together in the first place - while it's easy(ish) in some cases (SG-1 get an alert about possible Goa'uld activity in a small town in California), it can be a lot harder to sell when one canon is set in, say, 21st Century earth and the other is in a galaxy far, far away (of course, sometimes this doesn't matter, depending on the fic).
*Done well - all of this applies to well done crossovers, of course. Done badly? I hate watching people mangle two sets of canon even more than I hate watching it done to one.

But that's just what I think - What about you?

[Poll #1090050]

Comments

[southoffebruary.livejournal.com]

Yay! Polls!!

I'm kind of anti-crossovers, because I have read so many *bad* ones and no good ones. For example, off the top of my head I remember a Buffy/XFiles crossover where Mulder was attracted to 16 year old Buffy and they screwed all across Sunnydale. Um, ew.

The only crossovers that are ok for me, are shows that are spin-offs to each other like SGA/SG1, Buffy/Angel, any of the Law & Order shows, things like that. Because usually the crossovers dont make sense otherwise.

[lyore.livejournal.com]

I love polls :)

I remember a Buffy/XFiles crossover where Mulder was attracted to 16 year old Buffy and they screwed all across Sunnydale.

Yeah, that's a definite 'Ew', right there. On one hand, I don't think it's really fair to judge any type of fic by it's worst offerings, although I know I'm guilty of doing the same thing (ship fic, anyone?). On the other hand, I think crossover fic is really easy to screw up, and when it's bad it's really bad.

That said, I still like it, 'cause in the hand of a good author, it can be brilliant :)

Because usually the crossovers dont make sense otherwise

That's one of the things I love about them, done well. When someone makes it make sense and I'm all... 'Wow'. 'Cause I tend to be a little obsessed when things don't make sense. *g*

(Oh, Oz icon! *hearts*)

[aizjanika.livejournal.com]

I'm not against crossovers, but they don't appeal to me either as a reader or a writer. I think it has to do with why I read fanfic, and that's specifically to get more of what I like about a particular show. So if I like a particular character, I usually want to read about him exclusively--the other characters can be there, but a big, plotty adventure story or a focus on original characters doesn't appeal to me, so I won't read those stories--usually. *g* (There are always exceptions.)

I tend not to like crossovers in part because I seldom know both canons and also because I tend to like episode tags or missing scenes or something that feels like it could be a part of the show. I tend not to like wildly AU stories or stories that change canon drastically either. And again, there are always exceptions, it's just that from years of reading fic, I've learned what I like, so I'll always go for things I like first, and crossovers (or AUs) are at the bottom of my list. I'd have to be pretty bored to read a crossover, and I am almost never that bored. *g*

[lyore.livejournal.com]

I think it has to do with why I read fanfic, and that's specifically to get more of what I like about a particular show.

See, that's interesting, cause it's the same reason I read fic - but for me, it means I tend towards long, plotty adventures as my first choice. Focused on my characters of choice, of course *g*

I tend not to like wildly AU stories or stories that change canon drastically either.

Have you found that most crossovers fall into this category? I guess because I put a heavy emphasis on 'could it happen?' when reading crossovers, I mostly remember those that (IMO) could slot into the canon without too much trouble. I guess this depends heavily on the two source texts...

I've learned what I like, so I'll always go for things I like first,

An entirely reasonable position *g*

Interesting thoughts, thanks!

[abyssinia4077.livejournal.com]

Crossovers are very hit or miss for me. When they're done right I LOVE them, but I find them done not-right much more often.

I have to have vested interest in one canon. I used to say I have to know the second, but I recently loved a Sentinel/SG-1 crossover and the only thing I know about Sentinel are the names of the two characters.

I guess mostly I need the crossover to be believably possible, explained in a believable way, in character on both sides, and well written. I think my tolerance for them requires higher quality than for single-canon fic.

But, when they're done well, with that outsider perspective you mentioned and all, they are AWESOME.

[lyore.livejournal.com]

I guess mostly I need the crossover to be believably possible, explained in a believable way, in character on both sides, and well written. I think my tolerance for them requires higher quality than for single-canon fic.

YES. But then, that's my checklist for most fic *g* I think crossovers can be more challenging for the author to reach that quality, 'cause the author has to balance the demands of two sets of canon.

[vasher.livejournal.com]

I usually read crossovers if I know that the author's going to do a good job with writing it. Helps if I'm at least passingly familiar with the other series. Let's see... I think it can either go into an epic length story that tries its best to mesh together the two universes, or a short cracky/PWP/vignette type thing. I've found a really good House/24 that's in the former category some, er, steamy anime and game crossovers in the latter. Heh, Kingdom Hearts is one giant insane crossover in itself.

Seems pretty natural to try and combine favorite fandoms on the author's part, especially if there are characters from the two series that would get along (or not get along) in an entertaining manner.

Definitely a category that has much more potential for head-banging badness than some others. XD

[lyore.livejournal.com]

Don't suppose you have a link to the House/24 one, do you? I have a weakness for long, plotty crossovers, but you don't see too many of them around.

Seems pretty natural to try and combine favorite fandoms on the author's part, especially if there are characters from the two series that would get along (or not get along) in an entertaining manner.

I was starting to wonder if this was a rare reaction, from some of the reactions to crossovers (not here, but in general). I'm glad other people think it is a natural response to the text as well!

[sunnyskywalker]

I've only read a few crossovers, and it looks like I haven't been burned by horrible ones like some people have. They weren't all great, but not bad.

I really like the idea of shifting characters out of their comfort zones, and even more of using different 'verses and characters to comment on each other. For instance, both Firefly and BSG (at least the new one - I haven't seen the original yet) have that used-universe feel, and both involve groups of people more or less stuck on a ship together on the run, the Operative's ideas remind me a lot of some of the Cylons' ideas, and they both play on the idea that imperfection is an essential part of being human - but they've also got some interesting differences. It would be fun to put them together.

Now, those two could probably cross over fairly easily. We don't know exactly what condition Earth is in in BSG, so it could be mysteriously destroyed after sending colonies to another system like in Firefly. I'm more interested in crossovers where they universes seem like they could coexist like that. (Though I shouldn't talk, since the one crossover I've written is SW/HP, and they have really incompatible magic systems. But at least they don't actually physically cross over?) Unless it's crackfic wherein all the fictional Chosen Ones have a big fight over who's the real One, of course :D

[lyore.livejournal.com]

A Firefly/BSG crossover could be very interesting indeed.

I'm more interested in crossovers where they universes seem like they could coexist like that.

I don't know - in some ways, yes, because they are more believable, but in other ways I love seeing the innovative ways people manage to get them together.

SW/HP crossover, huh? Got a link? I'm in the same boat - currently in the middle of writing a Star Wars/Supernatural crossover, which don't really have a lot in common in terms of the universes mythology. Not that that is stopping me *g*

[gelliaclodiana]

I really love crossovers too, for many of the reasons you mention here. I especially love the combination of the outsider pov with a situation where all the characters are out of their depths.

I think it's hard to generalize about the audience for crossovers; I know that there are a lot of people who don't really care for them, but there are also people who seek them out -- and in my experience of these readers, they only need to know one of the canons in play to enjoy the story. So one tends to draw people in from two fandoms, and of course it's a wonderful way to pimp people into your shiny new (or old!) fandom.

Obviously, everyone prefers their stories to be well-written -- but this is as true of one-shot, single-fandom stories involving our OTPs as it is for crossovers! It goes without saying.

[lyore.livejournal.com]

Your icon, I love it!

I've always wondered whether you widen or narrow your potential reader pool with crossovers - it's one of the reasons I finally got around to creating this poll.

I was pleasantly surprised by the number of people who indicated they would read with only a vague idea of the second canon, or on knowledge of one.

of course it's a wonderful way to pimp people into your shiny new (or old!) fandom.

Ahh, ulterior motives *g*

Obviously, everyone prefers their stories to be well-written -- but this is as true of one-shot, single-fandom stories involving our OTPs as it is for crossovers!

Well-written is obviously the goal, but I've found anecdotally that people tend to be more picky with crossovers. This may be because there are now two sets of canon the author needs to be aware of, and the extra suspension of disbelief required for crossovers (um... that would be suspension of disbelief in the canon universes rules and workings).

[celisnebula.livejournal.com]

Here via metafandom...

Funny this should come up now, cause I'm this month's crossover recc over at crack_broom and I was just lamenting the fact that there aren't a whole lot of well written crossovers I could recommend this month (not that there aren't a lot of them, it's just you can't rec one that's been rec before).

I like the idea of crossovers if they're well done, I like the idea of stretching the characters of two universes to fit into one.

I've read some lovely Doctor Who/Firefly crossovers, some excellent Doctor Who/Harry Potter ones (especially since the Doctor pimped book 7 last season), some lovely Indiana Jones/Harry Potter crossovers, and a lot of great Star Gate/Harry Potter crossovers. I think if an author writes well and is familiar with both universes, it's only natural to want to combine what you love - heck I've always loved when Marvel and DC get their crossovers on, and TV shows too, like when CSI and Without A Trace crossed over last week.

All I ask is that they be believable and that they be well written.

[amaresu]

I have this weird fascination with Harry Potter crossovers. I can't stand the books, but I will read just about anything crossed with HP if I know the canon.

I've often found myself reading the 34th chapter of this god awful piece and not knowing how I got there. I wished other fandoms had as many 30+ chapter fics as HP does.


That had nothing to do with anything. Sorry.

[elf]

Here from metafandom.

I adore crossovers... when they're done well. (Of course, I adore slash when it's done well, too, and I don't normally put the qualifier on it.) I think of it as filking an entire universe. Or two at once. I'm all about the poly action.

I keep waiting for someone to write a long, plotty Dr. Who/Firefly crossover. And an X-Files/Harry Potter crossover, where Mulder's on vacation in the UK and runs into these weird people wearing dark robes and waving sticks around and he winds up in bed with Snape. And a nice Trek/Blake's 7 crossover (which has to involve some kind of wormhole, 'cos they can't just bump into each other)--the Blake's 7 crew don't respond well to anyone claiming to represent "the Federation."

Some fandoms cross well into anything; others don't. LotR is hard to cross; Star Trek is easy. (Although LotR could cross with Jordan's Wheel of Time series. Maybe.)

[celisnebula.livejournal.com]

Butting in... have you read honorh's "Out of Joint" fanfiction? It's a Brilliant Doctor Who/Firefly story, you can find it here:
http://honorh.livejournal.com/286024.html

It's still a work in progress, but she's almost done with it.

[dragonbat2006.livejournal.com]

I've written two crossovers, both of which have been decently received. I think part of what might have made them work was

1) I only had one character from Fandom A interract with the cast of Fandom B, AND

2) Kept the rules of one fandom dominant.

So I did one JLA/Animaniacs cross where Chicken Boo becomes a Green Lantern--BUT the League was pretty much written as though it had always existed in the Animaniacs universe. And the thing with Chicke Boo is that his canon stories always follow a strict formulat. Plug the JLA characters in (with Batman as the lone voice crying out that Boo's a giant chicken) and it works.

My other one was a Batman/Lemony Snicket, in which the Joker applies for a job at a coffee shop and gets interviewed by the Baudelaires. I will admit that THAT one was pure crack inspired by 1) a "real" help wanted ad in the window of a Second Cup coffee shop in Toronto that started 'How would you like to be responsible for creating hundreds of smiles today?' and 2) the fact that I'd just seen the ASOUE movie the night before I wrote the story and had the characters on my brain. In that one, Snicketverse rules applied.

[lyore.livejournal.com]

The meshing on canon rules is always an interesting question, especially in cases when they clash. In some ways, it's easier when the fandoms have no overlap - that way they at least they don't normally dominate.

And the rules of fandom itself - some fandoms have very different cultures to others, that would have to affect your audience reaction when writing crossovers... *ponders*

[musesfool.livejournal.com]

I love crossovers. I love writing them and I love reading ones that are well done. I prefer them when I know both sources, and when they focus on the characters I'm interested in (and obviously, when I consider them well-written), but I find them fascinating to write because of the challenge of coming up with ways of either making two disparate canons mesh or of getting a character from one 'verse to the other.

[lyore.livejournal.com]

I find them fascinating to write because of the challenge of coming up with ways of either making two disparate canons mesh or of getting a character from one 'verse to the other.

Yes. The mechanics of crossovers are a challenge to get right, but when they are they really add to the fic - ease the suspension of disbelief required, and let the audience focus on the point.

here via metafandom

[amaresu]

I love crossovers. I love them lots, but there's a lot of really bad ones out there. I think this is because people don't realize that you really need to think out a crossover before even attempting it. Good questions to ask:

Are the universes compatible?
Why am I writing this?
Do I really need all of these characters?

I think those are the big three questions that any writer should ask themselves before sitting down to write. Once you've worked out those issues everything else will usually come together. But really as much as a Buffy/Supernatural crossover may make you happy, there are universe incompatibility issues that really need to be addressed. Even if it's just to yourself. It shows in the writing whether or not these things have been thought out.

Same with the reason for writing. Do you just think it would be funny for Character A and Character X to meet? Do you want to hook up those characters? Interesting take on the situation from their respective points of view? What ever the reason think it through. Again, it shows.

The biggest problem with crossovers tends to be the desire to shove as many people into them as possible. Thus you have have the people lost in a broom closet for half the story and suddenly coming back and needing to handwave away where they were. Writers shouldn't feel like they need to include everybody, cause they don't. Less is more in the crossover sense.

Sometimes I think everyone thinking about writing a crossover should read the Star Trek book Planet X which is a crossover with X-Men. For real. It does just about everything wrong you can do wrong in a crossover. Great learning material. And I'll stop now.

Re: here via metafandom

[lyore.livejournal.com]

Are the universes compatible?
Why am I writing this?
Do I really need all of these characters?

Yes, I think you've hit on the essence of it here. Crossovers present some unique challenges (the universe compatibility for starters, and the potential cast of thousands), and they are things the author needs to address (even just in their own mind) in order to develop their fic to their full potential (IMO, anyway).

It's interesting you mention Buffy/Supernatural - last night I was thinking about how I could resolve their canon compatibility issues. I think it's possible to come up with a workable theory.

The biggest problem with crossovers tends to be the desire to shove as many people into them as possible.

Yes. If the characters aren't adding anything to the storyline, do they really need to be there?

the Star Trek book Planet X which is a crossover with X-Men.

There is a Star Trek/X-Men crossover book? *boggles*

And I'll stop now.

No, by all means, continue! This is interesting :)

[aris-tgd.livejournal.com]

Whee, metafandom and polls!

I love crossovers; I love writing them, I love putting characters with similar worldviews and different worlds next to each other and watching them eyeroll and go "I know." Also, I love watching one set of characters solve a problem from a different kind of universe.

Really, the cool thing comes for me from the thought of "How would Character A respond to Universe B's Conceit X?"

I also like fusion universes, trying to make a character work in another universe with backstory consistent with that universe. Like an AU, but with already-existing source material. It's a challenge, and the reveals are fun.

[lyore.livejournal.com]

Really, the cool thing comes for me from the thought of "How would Character A respond to Universe B's Conceit X?"

I think this idea is central to a lot of my preferred crossovers. It has so much potential.

I also like fusion universes, trying to make a character work in another universe with backstory consistent with that universe.

You know, despite my love of crossovers, I've read a fusion story. *ponders* I think it's because of my wariness about AUs. (Yes, I love crossovers and am wary of AUs. Go figure *g*)

here via metafandom

[thirdblindmouse.livejournal.com]

I love seeing how two worlds react to being shoved together like that. Basically, I love crack, and therefore non-solemn crossovers are entirely my thing. Mind you, I don't read much fanfic, and I don't write any, but that's one of the things I look for when I do.

Serious crossovers are generally too much. I'm supposed to suspend the appropriate sets of disbeliefs for not one but two canons? Then again, serious fic isn't really an interest of mine.

I'm fond of the crack in shows as well. If quality isn't going to happen, make the lack of quality awesomely outrageous.

Re: here via metafandom

[lyore.livejournal.com]

Crack!crossover fic can be some of the best, certainly.

I'm supposed to suspend the appropriate sets of disbeliefs for not one but two canons?

Yeah, it's certainly an issue, especially when you don't have a way of making the canons compatible. Or when both require large amounts of suspension of disbelief in the first place.

If quality isn't going to happen, make the lack of quality awesomely outrageous.

There are so many shows I love for this exact reason - I think this must have been their motto in production!

[nike-victory.livejournal.com]

Another from metafandom. I adore reading crossovers and I have abortive attempts at writing them on my hard drive (mostly because my original fiction characters try to get involved and that's where I draw my line - I'm sorry, but my main muse doesn't need to meet Buffy).

I'm not even sure why I like them as much as I do, although I do dislike the PWP ones. I love the crack!fics and the long plotty ones. For example, I really like "The Best Defense" and its WiP sequel "A Good Offense" which is a plotty cross between Harry Potter and Yu Yu Hakusho, and I adored "My Little Ethereal/Occult Beings" which is a Good Omens/My Little Pony crack!crossover.

[lyore.livejournal.com]

I'm not a huge fan of PWP crossovers, but that's mostly because I'm not a huge fan of PWP in general *g* However, I am surprised at how few people have selected that option, since I've heard PWP justification for crossovers a fair bit (Canon A character is so hot, and Canon B character is too! Wouldn't it be need if they hooked up! etc).

I must track down those crossovers, especially the Good Omens/My Little Pony one - wouldn't happen to have links, would you?

[boogieshoes.livejournal.com]

as with many of your other commenters, i love cross-overs when done *well*. there are some things that don't cross well with others. frex, HL crosses ok with anything else non-mystical, but i can't stand it when it's crossed with buffy or charmed or the like. likewise, TS crosses with just about everything... except magic-oriented shows. there's exceptions in crack!fic, of course.

i checked every one of the ticky boxes under 'only if', because depending on the cross in question, they're all true. one thing i won't read is anime crossovers. i'm not an anime fan, but it's more than that. i can't mentally take anime and make the characters look like real people instead of cartoons. the mental effect is like watching endless re-runs of _who framed roger rabbit?_ - and i wasn't a big fan of that movie to begin with.

-bs

[lyore.livejournal.com]

I can't mentally take anime and make the characters look like real people instead of cartoons.

That's an interesting point - I have the same mental block, and I do like (some) anime. I just can't see the animated characters interacting with the live action ones, and I can't imagine the animated ones as live action (or vice versa, for that matter).

[erinptah]

Crossovers make me all kinds of happy.

My webcomic is currently in the middle of a four-way crossover: Hellsing (which it's a fancomic for in the first place) and three other series. (It follows the "everybody already lives in the same universe" model.)

I'm taking it very slowly and steadily. I've only introduced one of the other series so far, Maria-sama ga Miteru, which has a huge cast of very similar characters (as in, they're all high school girls, rather than a high school girl, a centuries-old vampire, a middle-aged priest...), and I know for a fact that many of my readers have never even heard of it. So I'm trying to introduce them to the rules that come with the territory, while reminding them quite a lot that they don't need to keep track of the characters.

...and then I'll do that again with the other two series. I think comics have an advantage as far as crossovers go: they're visual, which makes it easier to track the characters. (Also, the joke-a-day gives people a reason to read, even when they don't recognize the subjects.)

Another breed of crossover that you didn't mention (in addition to the "magic/portal/wormhole/whatever moves the characters around") is the "characters from series A are cast in the roles of series B." I've done quite a lot of those. See: middle_america, in which the cast of the Daily Show and the Colbert Report form a Fellowship and head off on a quest.

I used to not read crossovers because I couldn't track the characters. Since then I've seen a lot more series, read a lot more meta, and I think I've gotten genuinely better at keeping track of lots of different people. So I'll give any crossover a try if I know and like one of the series.

They have too much potential not to give them a chance. (See: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen - the books, not the movie - which takes Victorian literature and puts it all in the same universe. Or everything CLAMP has ever produced, which is basically a giant crossover with itself.)

[lyore.livejournal.com]

Another breed of crossover that you didn't mention (in addition to the "magic/portal/wormhole/whatever moves the characters around") is the "characters from series A are cast in the roles of series B."

This would be what is known as 'fusion', right? I didn't address it, in part because I see them as a separate category in their own right, and partly because I'll confess to not having read any.

I used to not read crossovers because I couldn't track the characters.

Yeah, the proliferation of characters in crossovers can definitely be an issue, especially if you are crossing two canons with large casts.

They have too much potential not to give them a chance.

Exactly.

here from metafandom

[proleptic-fancy.livejournal.com]

Personally, I love crossovers. I thought they were silly until I got into a very crossover and AU-heavy fandom, which really helped changed my mind. Now it's gotten to the point where I've never played Silent Hill or watched House, but still read and adored a crossover between them that was recced to me. Mostly I just like the idea of how two (or more) characters that would otherwise never meet would interact with each other. Would it be love at first sight? Hate at first sight? Inadvertently taking over the world with giant criminal robots after a few too many drinks at first sight? It opens up an infinite realm of possibilities.

My general rule for writing crossovers is that the fandoms should be generally compatible (Bones/Eureka, or just about any two crime dramas), or completely inappropriate (Top Gear/anything ever), and that using the full cast of both shows can be overwhelming and often unnecessary. Other than that, I'm up for just about anything if the author can pull it off convincingly.

Re: here from metafandom

[lyore.livejournal.com]

Inadvertently taking over the world with giant criminal robots after a few too many drinks at first sight?

Now that's an impressive first date! *g*

Yes, those rules seem to be the general consensus.

[ljs-lj.livejournal.com]

[here from metafandom]

Commenter southoffebruary wrote:

The only crossovers that are ok for me, are shows that are spin-offs to each other like SGA/SG1, Buffy/Angel, any of the Law & Order shows, things like that.

But I wonder: does that really count as a crossover, especially in the case of SGA/SG1 and Buffy/Angel, where some characters started out on the parent show?

There's a spectrum of crossover types to be considered. First, the one that immediately pops to mind, is the kind of crossover that involves shows that have no connection whatsoever: say, Star Trek + CSI.

Second, crossovers that use characters who inhabit the same universe but never seem to interact, save for the rare crossover episode, like CSI and Without a Trace's or Cold Case and CSI:NY recent pairs of episodes. Until such episodes, there is no sure connection between them, but it is likely they exist in the same universe.

Finally, crossovers between shows that share a parent/spin-off relation: Buffy and Angel or Stargate: SG1 and Stargate: Atlantis where the characters clearly live in the same universe and some characters originated on the parent show. These, to me, count as crossovers in fanfiction only because some readers are only fans of one of the shows and need to know that characters or events from the other show are to show up or be referred to. While episodes that "crossover" the shows are referred to as "crossover events", I personally would not consider fic with similar circumstances to be crossovers; the two shows are, to me, part of the same larger text, especially in the two pairs of shows above that had frequent interaction.

Comments welcome :)

[lyore.livejournal.com]

crossovers between shows that share a parent/spin-off relation

That's an interesting point - while I can understand why people label them as crossovers, since technically they are, and there will be viewers who've watched one show and not the other, I'll admit I don't really consider them 'true' crossovers, for want of a better term. Or, in other terms, while they have a crossover of shows, they don't have a crossover of universes, and that to me is often the catalyst for some of my favourite crossovers.

[ljs-lj.livejournal.com]

Also, I adore reading crossovers - like with any other fic - when they're done well :)

[dandysora.livejournal.com]

How did I misd this post entirely?

The crossover to pwn them all: Weak Spot (Harry Potter, Supernatural), released before Deathly Hallows of course because if the final showdown had gone something like this.... well, I may have given Rowling full endorsement.

I enjoy crossovers the best when they fuse together seamlessly without contradicting the canon of either, which they usually succeed in by exploiting the gaps in narrative. When that fails, there be some good crack in crossover.

Hey, did you notice Harmony was a vampire in SPN recently as well? Supernatural type-casting, ftw! Poor girl.

[lyore.livejournal.com]

Why, oh why do you taunt me by linking things when I don't have time to read? *bookmarks*

I enjoy crossovers the best when they fuse together seamlessly without contradicting the canon of either, which they usually succeed in by exploiting the gaps in narrative.

And in some cases, it's surprising easy when your canons are sufficiently different enough - for instance, Star Wars and Supernatural is causing me far less difficulty than expected, whereas something like, say, Supernatural and Buffy has sufficient topical overlap you'd have to do some creative explaining to work around or within all the contradictions.

I saw it :) I was sure it was her, but meant to check afterwards if it really was Mercedes McNab or my mind was playing tricks on me. She's starting her own niche market *g*