that's the pitfall of fic

I don't think it's a pitfall, I think it's a characteristic. It's perfectly reasonable to not do all the character and relationship groundwork with every writing job and to assume fair familiarity with canon, I think.

It's nice when you can get a story across without it, but that's a luxury, not a requirement, IMO.

And it's precisely why I haven't read any Good Omens crossovers on purpose yet. But I'll do the homework eventually.

Of Desire And The Status Quo, Plei.

I wiki'd Ben and Alec, but I don't think the nuances are there.

I'm not totally in love with this fic. I feel like it's a bit long-winded, and while I'm a fan of whump, I'm actually getting exhausted the long painful steps to get anywhere. It's: plot point, whump, whump, meet-cute, whump, whump, plot point, whumpwhumpwhump, recover, whump, go to hospital, whump, whump, still haven't actually recovered from the first two whumps, whump, plot point, whump...

I made myself two huge burgers reading this fic, because it had been days and days and the author still hadn't let Dean eat.

It's perfectly reasonable to not do all the character and relationship groundwork with every writing job and to assume fair familiarity with canon, I think.

I think so too, when dealing with one singular canon. I think it gets trickier to assume your audience will be intimately familiar with two or more canons smushed together,and I think a little less inference and little more explicit footwork is needed.

I think it gets trickier to assume your audience will be intimately familiar with two or more canons smushed together

So which one does she do the groundwork on?

Honestly, I think canon is on me, even in crossovers. That's why and how I pick what I read the way I do. Every single chapter of her fic lists the episodes it references. She's pretty damned clear about stuff.

I get that it's too h/c (well, more h than c) and whumpy for you, but I think the characterisation is pretty damned spot on, and I don't think she skipped any steps there for people who've watched all the relevant eps of the shows in question, and she's perfectly clear that's who her audience is.

It really doesn't take intimate knowledge of DA canon to get Max and Alec and Max's saviour complex.

I think it gets trickier to assume your audience will be intimately familiar with two or more canons smushed together,and I think a little less inference and little more explicit footwork is needed.

I don't read crossovers if I don't know both canons well, though. I don't actually read much crossover anyway, but I can't imagine being interested enough in a fic that crosses with a show I don't know and love to read it. YcrossoverMV, of course.

I think it's also pretty easy to shortcut through characterizations and some basic facts without realizing you're doing it, though. It's hard enough writing original fiction to make sure everyone knows what you mean, but you're starting with a familiar base, you're probably going to assume most readers know what you do, and there's no need to explain it.

Thanks, ita!

I'm about due for my annual Dark Angel rewatch, I think. And way overdue for my annual Good Omens re-read.

I'm willing to read fusions where I don't knowKNOW the extra canon, because I'm hoping they'll do enough legwork, but not crossovers, because that's usually entire major characters. There have been a few where they say you don't need to know, but I feel I end up with a poorly-painted OC, and DNW.

I started a Star Wars fusion (author called it a crossover--people, please be accurate) the other day that's cracking my ass up. I haven't watched the original movies in forever, so I can't say if its canon is being done justice, but the character overlay so far is pretty hysterical. I can't wait to find out who's Chewbacca.

eta:

I'm about due for my annual Dark Angel rewatch

I need to check if SiTV still shows it. It might be time to cherrypick the JA episodes again.

I was a Good Omens fan before SPN was a twinkle in Kripke's eye, so reading crossovers with it isn't a problem for me from a canon knowledge standpoint. Well, aside from the SPN S5 eps. I haven't watched yet, coming back the way I did this spring.

There is a difference in tone between the two sources, though. Even though both [spoilers for Good Omens]: deal with angels and demons, apocalypses, witches, the four horsemen, and humans caught up in it all. It's not a huge stretch, plot-wise.

So the tonal issues can be a bit jarring, depending which you're going into the crossover fic expecting.

Supernatural Soundtrack album! All the scores, not the rock.

The track titles are HILARIOUS.

Oh, god, I laughed out loud at my desk again. The developer totally knows I'm surfing the web.

And Sam is giving such the sex look on that album cover. Naughty boy.