And I don't mean critical feedback, I mean "usually I prefer stories with beginnings and ends and not just middles, but I liked this".

There's "hey, you made me like something I normally don't, and that's kind of cool!" feedback, and then there's, "hey, I'm going to be kind of a douchebag right now, just because I can!" feedback.

Sorry you got the latter, Consuela.

Yeah, I kinda had to stop and make sure I've left the former, and that it wasn't the latter. 'Cause I say, "You made me like stuff I usually don't read or like" a lot, and I've meant it as a compliment.

I take it as a compliment when I get feedback like "I don't normally read Character X/Pairing Y/Fandom Z, but I like this!"

But I've received feedback like, "Hey, you spelled the character names correctly and maintained a consistent POV!" And I don't know exactly how to respond to that sort of thing.

Thanks for noticing?

I gotta admit, I've given that kind of feedback. After some of the crap you read, it's like water in the desert. You almost don't believe it's actually there and you're so grateful for it, you're shouting it to the rooftops.

Um. I left feedback to a Stargate fic on TtH once that ended with something like "...and thanks for taking the time to get the geography of Colorado Springs right. Not many do."

Yeah, it was the kind of feedback that just made me boggle. I mean, really, speaking for myself, a lot of crossovers waste way too much time on setup, when what the reader wants is that moment of collision. I am not going to waste 4,000 words getting Sheppard to the Uncharted Territories, dude.

Eh. Anyway. At least my SPN/SCC crossover has gotten a nice reception.

a lot of crossovers waste way too much time on setup

So true. My theory is that people waste time on setup because that's the part the makes them feel clever. "Look, I have done such a realistic job getting Harry and Hermione onto the Starship Enterprise, nobody would ever guess that they weren't part of the same world."

My theory is that people waste time on setup because that's the part the makes them feel clever. "Look, I have done such a realistic job getting Harry and Hermione onto the Starship Enterprise, nobody would ever guess that they weren't part of the same world."

fwiw, I actively enjoy a clever sewing-together of 'verses. And have problems suspending disbelief when the crossover requires one of the 'verses to have its rules rewritten/canon be glossed over - or when there's no explanation at all.

Which - totally ymmv, and yay for everyone having their own beautiful cake. But I'm balking a bit at dismissing this sewing-together as self-congratulatory timewasting.

And have problems suspending disbelief when the crossover requires one of the 'verses to have its rules rewritten/canon be glossed over - or when there's no explanation at all.

That's definitely a problem, too. I don't write fanfiction, much less crossovers, but getting the two (or more) universes involved together in a way that works and pleases most people has got to be very difficult. I can't think of too many crossovers where there wasn't at least some mild bending of canon, but a crossover is, to me, ultimately an AU story anyway so some bending is allowed in my mind.