"On Crossing Over: A Speculative Essay" By John Carter The only light in the room is cast on a stage, on which is set a podium. Washu (who is not owned by me, but by Pioneer/AIC), dressed in her professor's outfit, walks on from stage left, carrying a bundle of papers under her arm. She steps up to the podium, lays down the papers, and clears her throat. "Thank you all for coming," she says, riffling through her notes. "I am here to lecture about the results of my research into..." Washu releases the papers and sighs. "I can't do it." She looks over to the shadows of stage right, where a young man with long brown hair is sitting, his hands shaking violently. Washu looks back at her audience. "Actually, this is all his idea," points to the young man, "but he wanted me to give the lecture, because he thought it would work better if a character from the series did it... whatever that meant." She looks over to the man, who shrugs. "And besides, he said he was too much of a coward when it came to public speaking." There is a crash, as the author face-faults out of his chair. "Regardless..." Washu pauses, scanning the sheets given to her by the author. She materializes her laptop and hits a button. WASHU: That's better. As I was about to say, since that has been cleared up, I'll start with this disclaimer he gave me: "DISCLAIMER: This is a speculative essay, and is in no way meant to be an attack on pre-existing crossover fics or the like. Also, while I have seen just about ever anime series I will mention, I don't own a few of them, and so I have no way of checking if my facts are straight or not for those titles. Thus, if you see something I didn't, feel free to e-mail me about it at ." WASHU (as author): And, as for any other mistakes you see, well, that was because I was too damn lazy to look them up. AUTHOR (climbing back into his chair, face-faults out of it again) WASHU: You really should try to control that. I know we anime characters do it all the time, but I'd imagine that it must hurt for someone from the real world... AUTHOR (rubbing his nose): You're telling me... (Sits down, pulls out a Cardcaptor Sakura manga) Anyways... WASHU (gives him a flat stare, then turns back to her notes): Anyways, on with the lecture. Crossover, as we all know -- WASHU (to author): Then why are you about to define it to us? AUTHOR (sweatdrops): Um... could you please not do that...? WASHU: Alright, alright. Starting over. Crossover, as we all know, is a fanfic "genre" where the cast from one show, book, or other work encounters the cast from another (or multiple casts from other works). This encounter is often enacted through the use of interdimensional travel as a plot device, but other times, the two casts just run into each other (literally, on occasion). I've had the opportunity to think about it -- WASHU (as author): In other words, I've got too much time on my hands. AUTHOR (singing): "I've got too much time on my hands, and it's ticking away with my sanity..." WASHU (wincing): Please, no Styx. -- and I've determined that there are certain series that can easily be crossed over using the latter method, and certain series that must use the former. Naturally, since this is a "Tenchi Muyo" fanfic site, I'll be discussing crossover possibilities as it relates to the TM continuum. The main factor, I'll mention now, that must be taken into account when decided which category a crossover fits into is whether or not it interferes with key elements in the continuum in which you are conducting the crossover. WASHU (reading over that sentence a few times): What? AUTHOR: Um... "Don't screw with the main series?" WASHU: Oh, okay. The "Tenchi Muyo" continuum lays down these "ground rules," if you will, that shouldn't really be violated in a crossover: Earth is inhabitable, and the only place in the solar system that contains life. Interference in the solar system is strictly forbidden by either the Galaxy Police or the Empire of Jurai (depending on which version of TM you're working in). Earthlings, as a whole, don't know about the existence of life in the rest of the galaxy, and don't possess the technology to discover it, yet. AUTHOR: There are others, but these are the ones I reference to. "HEY, FANCY MEETING YOU HERE..." Coexistent series -- Real-world series These are the series that contain no fantastic elements whatsoever, and include "Sakura Diaries" and "Maison Ikkoku." These series take place on Earth, and involve (relatively) normal people. They fit in perfectly into the TM continuum (provided that none of them take place exactly where the Masaki shrine should be), and can cross-over easily. WASHU: Yeah, but who would want to? Normal is boring. AUTHOR: Well... imagine what would happen if, say, Ryoko decided to run away from the Masaki household, and ended up staying at Maison Ikkoku. WASHU: Are you going to write that? AUTHOR: Probably not. -- High-fantasy series These are the exact opposite of the "real-world series," series that take place in worlds that are most definitely NOT Earth, and where the people are most definitely NOT normal. Series include "Bastard!!!," "The Slayers," "Record of the Lodoss Wars," and "Knights of Ramunes." WASHU: "Knights of Ramunes?" Who the heck actually saw that? AUTHOR: Me. WASHU: Oh. Since there are countless planets in the Galactic Union and controlled by the Empire of Jurai that we don't know about, it's not a far stretch of the imagination that the worlds of these series could exist in the TM galaxy. Like Earth, they are probably ignored by the rest of the galaxy, either because of their lack of modern technology, or because magic tends not to mix well with science. WASHU: AHEM! AUTHOR: Your magic IS science. So is Ryoko's. That's an important point I need for my fics. WASHU: Why? So you can sit and laugh at us as we fail to pierce the damage reduction of your villains? AUTHOR: Yes. ^_^ WASHU (grumbling): D&D-obsessed bastard... -- Low-fantasy series These are cousin to the "high-fantasy series," series that either are fantasy series set in the real world ("Cardcaptor Sakura," "Oh! My Goddess/Ah! My Goddess/Aa! Megami-sama," "Sailor Moon"), involve passage between the real world and a fantasy world ("Maze," "Inu-Yasha"), or, while not actually fantasy series, include fantastic elements in them ("Ranma 1/2"). When the action in these series involve the real world, it is often localized, and there is usually someone there to clean up the mess. As a result, neither the Galaxy Police nor Jurai would feel the need to get involved. Since most of the series (with the exception of those that cross worlds/dimensions) take place in Japan, as with the "real-world series," it is easy for the TM cast to cross-over. AUTHOR: This point was one of the main reasons I decided to write this. WASHU (eyes the manga he's reading): So you could write a CCS/TM crossover? AUTHOR: No! (pauses) Well, yes, but that's not the point. It all arose out of reading Shamus Bowker and Allan Scott's "The Grass is Greener," a Tenchi/Ranma crossover based loosely on "The Prince and the Pauper." WASHU: In other words, a story in which Tenchi and Ranma switch places? AUTHOR: Switch bodies, actually. Good story. I wish they'd finished it. Anyways, it was a crossover that assumed that Tenchi and Ranma existed in the same universe, and it got me thinking, "Why not?" WASHU: Because if Ryoga and Mihoshi ever did actually end up in the same place at the same time, the universe would implode? AUTHOR: It's already imploding, isn't it? WASHU: Only because Kuno's ego acts like a black hole. AUTHOR (under his breath): You're one to talk. (Yelps and leaps away as his chair explodes) WASHU (lowers her hand): Watch it, Mister "I'm-the-Only-Real-Person-in-the- Universe." AUTHOR (sweatdrops): I don't actually BELIEVE in solipsism. It was just a theory. WASHU: You always say that. What DO you believe in, anyway? AUTHOR: That you're the greatest and cutest scientific genius in the universe. WASHU: ^_^ You got that right! (Shuffles the notes) Where was I? -- "Earth? What's Earth?" (or, perhaps, "That's not Earth! This is Earth.") This category takes in sci-fi series that either take place on a planet other than Earth ("Zoids") or take place on a planet that, while they call it Earth (in the dubbed, at least), doesn't seem like our Earth (the "Dragonball" continuum). WASHU: There's a note attached to this sheet: "DISCLAIMER REMINDER: I may not know what I'm talking about, because I don't own the videos of these series. Correct me if I'm wrong." This can be considered the "on the condition that" category, as in, "these series can cross over, on the condition that you assume a good reason why the Galaxy Police hasn't ever interfered in their affairs." This note mainly applies to series where the sci-fi elements take the action beyond the home planet, and often cause the destruction of another planet (to use the "Dragonball Z" example, when beings like Buu, Frieza, the Saiya-jin are destroying planets left and right). Assumption could include that these areas are on the outskirts of the galaxy, and so are ignored by the Galactic Union and the Galaxy Police -- AUTHOR: The "Vanthe Theory." WASHU: Obscure. AUTHOR: Nonexistent. It exists only in my head. WASHU: I'm not going to comment. Go on. AUTHOR: In the world I created, there is a country called "the Principality of Vanthe." Historically, it has always ended up under the thumb of tyrants (partially because of its closeness to the fascist kingdom of Tragg). However, in recent years, the power of the tyrant-prince has waned, and so he has been forced to keep his troops tightly within his sphere of influence, or risk losing power altogether. WASHU: Lemme guess, his sphere of influence is fifty miles around his capital city. AUTHOR: Wow. How'd you know? WASHU: I've met the type. Continue. AUTHOR: Well, as a result, border towns within Vanthe, like Ward, Havenshire, and Ebbotstown, have gone unprotected and unnoticed, while border towns outside Vanthe, like Tharand in the kingdom of Remilia, have gone unmolested. WASHU: In other words, the series don't see Galactic Union presence, because they are outside the sphere of influence. AUTHOR: Basically. -- or that these series take place in entirely different galaxies than the TM continuum (after all, it's the "Galactic" Union and the "Galaxy" Police, not the "Intergalactic" Union and the "Intergalactic" Police). Of course, in either case, Washu's technology would be needed to get the cast to such distant planets -- WASHU: No sweat! Give me five minutes. AUTHOR: So, what's beyond the edge of the universe? WASHU: New Jersey. AUTHOR: That state never gets a break... WASHU: Would you rather I said "42?" -- but at least they would be in the same dimension. WASHU: Speaking of which... (Arranges notes) "WHAT A LONG, STRANGE TRIP IT'S BEEN..." Conflicting series (interdimensional crossovers) -- "Nothing good ever comes out of Earth..." WASHU: Wow. A Grateful Dead reference and a "Cowboy Bebop" reference within four lines of each other. How appropriate. This category includes series in which Earth has been destroyed or rendered uninhabitable. Such series include "Trigun," "Cowboy Bebop," and "Outlaw Star." As a result, they also have Earth possessing long-range space- travel technology, and, in the case of "Outlaw Star," the former Earthlings also have come into contact with alien races. Furthermore, the former Earthlings in "Trigun" did not encounter any aliens (Vash and Knives not counting as aliens), although they traveled far beyond the solar system, and "Outlaw Star" uses a different set-up for galactic affairs. It's also inconceivable that Jurai would not have stepped in when [a] the Earthlings gained the ability to construct hyper-space gates ("Cowboy Bebop"), [b] the Earthlings were on the verge of overpopulating/exhausting Earth ("Trigun," "Outlaw Star"), or [c] Earth was destroyed in the gate accident ("Cowboy Bebop"). This category could also include "Akira," but since Earth is still mostly inhabitable (as far as we know), Jurai may have had a reason not to step in (they probably didn't do anything about WWII, and "Akira" takes places after WWIII). However, for a crossover between TM and "Akira," one would either have to alter the cast to take in the age difference and emotion scars of horrible war, or use time travel (see below). WASHU: You gonna do that one? AUTHOR: Probably not. -- "A long time ago, in a galaxy..." not-so-far away These are series that can only be reached by time travel (which I equate to using dimension travel), and include, obviously, works that take place in Earth's past ("Ninja Scroll," "Wrath of the Ninja," "Princess Mononoke") or in Earth's future ("Akira," "Neon Genesis Evangelion"). These series don't necessarily violate any of the rules I mentioned above (except maybe "Neon Genesis Evangelion") -- AUTHOR (tosses a paper airplane at Washu) WASHU (grabs it and opens it): It's the "Disclaimer Reminder" again. AUTHOR: There's more on this one. WASHU (reading): "This is the series that I haven't seen. I've read about it in Susan Napier's 'Anime, from "Akira" to "Princess Mononoke,"' but that's about the extend of my knowledge." WASHU (to author): So, why talk about it if you don't know anything? AUTHOR: Um... er... Iliketohearthesoundofmyownvoice. WASHU: Aaahhh... -- but they still require more effort for the TM cast to reach than just travelling to a different part of Japan, Earth, or the galaxy. -- "Earth. After Colony, 195." The Gundam series. In the future, Earth is embroiled in a civil war with its space colonies. That one sentence expresses the problem: To even reach the Gundam continuum, the TM cast would have to time travel, and even then, it's inconceivable, as I mentioned, that Jurai wouldn't step in when Earth either started colonizing the solar system, or started fighting with its colonies. But, since none of the Gundam series imply Earth's knowledge of any cultures beyond its solar system, the only way that the TM cast could interact with any of the Gundam casts is to cross dimensions. WASHU (putting down the papers): Well, that's all he has. Thank you all for -- AUTHOR: Wait, don't forget the "Author's Notes." WASHU (grumbles, and picks up the last piece of paper) AUTHOR'S NOTES: I'd just like to re-state that this was meant as a speculative essay, and I did not mean to step on anyone's toes, as it were. And, as I also mentioned - - WASHU: Several times. -- I may not be right, and so I would appreciate any feedback in areas that I may have made a mistake. My e-mail address, again, is . Hell, any feedback at all is appreciated (but, please, keep it tasteful). WASHU (as random e-mailer): "Hey baka-san, yor a dumass. You wudn't no yor own colon if yor hed was shoved up yor ass." AUTHOR (as random e-mailer): "Hey, John Carter, this is your brother. E-mail me at this address some time, why don't you?" WASHU: No one would be stupid enough to e-mail something like that, would they? AUTHOR: My dad got an e-mail just like that yesterday. Now, since I have your attention -- WASHU (stops): No, I'm not reading this. AUTHOR: Come on, why not? WASHU: It's ridiculous! I am not plugging your mother, Margaret Carter, who wrote the books "Shadow of the Beast" (available through Design Image, ), "Dark Changeling" (available through Hard Shell Word Factory, ), "Sealed in Blood" (available through Dark Star Publications, ), "Different Blood" (available through Xlibris, ), who co-wrote the book "Wild Sorceress" with your father, Leslie Carter (forthcoming from RFI West, ), and who has a book (not sure of the title) forthcoming from Ellora's Cave ! AUTHOR: Oh? (Begins edging towards the "Exit" door) WASHU (not looking at author, crumples paper and tosses over shoulder): And this one! I absolutely refuse to tell them to support the Finnish death metal scene and Relapse Records by buying the albums of the band, Amorphis, who you think is the greatest underground heavy metal band to rise out of the scene in the past ten years, and whose albums are available through and ! WASHU (tossing that one away, too): Okay, now this one is fine. I'll ask them, "What exactly does 'oujosama to oyoubi' mean?" Of course, I could probably tell you, myself, but -- (looks over, and notices that he's gone) I see... (hits the same button on her laptop) "Leaving without paying me back, huh?" Washu muses, more to herself than the absent author. She chuckles, walking towards the exit. "Don't worry, my friend. *I'm* not going to do anything to you..." She reaches up and flicks a switch, cutting the lights on the stage. "But don't blame me if *someone* forces you to sit through some MST's one day." The door slamming shut only muffles her maniacal laughter.