Crossovers that Should Be: The Write Stuff

[robkelk]

You aren't the only one here who used to listen to Doctor Demento on the radio (as opposed to a podcast).

And "the healing power of laughter" is a thing, so... Should Be

[batzulger]

For me it was WFBR 'Mad Radio 13' 1300AM, in Baltimore Maryland.

[itsune9tl]

What if all of the Doctors ran Late Night Radio Shows, around the World...
...

Whose, Who is who?

Ducking now.

[Bob Schroeck]

Ironically, the Doctor was rarely broadcast in the NYC area -- I lucked out for a couple-three years in the middle 80s when one of the local stations played the show in the middle of the night on Saturday, but beyond that I had to survive on records and the very rare live show (yes, I've seen him live twice -- once as the opening act for a late-80s Weird Al concert in NYC).

[Star Ranger4]

You aren't the only one here who used to listen to Doctor Demento on the radio (as opposed to a podcast).

True.  But the coolest thing was going from Dr Demento into 'Uncle' Joe Benson come 10pm.  Right from the Top 10 to some of the most classic rock EVAH!

[Norgarth]

Doctor Who, Medicine Woman

[ECSNorway]

Found this in an old notes file:

Timeline of the Galactic Wars

A Long Time Ago:
* The Iscandarian Empire spreads across the Lesser and Greater Magellanic Clouds and into the Milky Way.
* There, they encounter the Stellar Republic, aka the Proto-Culture.
* After several rounds of mutual contact and probing, Iscandar attempts to conquer the Stellar Republic.
* Iscandarian forces are stymied by the Zentraedi. The Reflex Cannon is inferior to the Wave Motion gun but the Zentraedi numerical advantage is telling. Iscandarian progress is slowed to a crawl.
* The Stellar Republic creates the "Evil" series Zentraedi in an attempt to sway the course of the war. Protodeviln posess the new series and corrupt part of the Republic's forces, creating the Supervision Army.
* The Supervision Army enjoys a brief period of wild success against both Stellar Republic and Iscandar. Iscandar is pressed hard as the SA attempt to gain Wave Motion tech.
* Iscandar and the Stellar Republic grudgingly come to a temporary alliance against the Supervision Army and the Protodeviln. In a significant victory, most of the Protodeviln are sealed away or destroyed.
* Both Iscandar and the Stellar Republic have taken massive losses and retire from the field of battle, leaving the Zentraedi to deal with the remnants of the SA. Iscandar abandons their Empire and retire to their homeworld in the LMC. The fate of the Stellar Republic remnants is unknown.

Not Quite As Long Ago:
* Experiments set in motion by the Protoculture and Iscandar bear fruit, as several new races arise in the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds. These include Jirellians, Windermereans, Zolans, Garmillans, and Humans.
* The Jirellians are mostly wiped out with small contingents escaping in large Ark-ships.
* Garmillas makes contact with Iscandar and begins expanding their own empire.
* Garmillas and Zentraedi encounter one another. Zentraedi standing orders are to avoid Garmillas when possible due to their Micronian nature.

21st Century:
* Humanity achieves interplanetary spaceflight. Settlements are established on Luna, Mars, and other bodies in the solar system. Without FTL humanity is confined to the Sol system.

217X:
* A battle between Zentraedi and the Supervision Army results in a SA gunship falling through a fold fault. Bodol-Zer dispatches the Britai Adoclass fleet to search for it.

2180:
* The Supervision Army gunship crash-lands on Earth. Over the next decade, it is repaired and rebuilt by human teams studying its technology. Many elements are incorporated into UN Cosmo-Fleet vessel designs.

2190:
* A Garmillas scout force enters the Sol system. When they attempt to make contact, a hidden Supervision Army program in the rebuilt gunship's computer fires on them. Only one ship escapes to return and report.

2190-2199:
* The rebuilt gunship, christened the SDF-1 Macross, becomes the flagship of Earth's defense as the system comes under attack by Garmillas forces. The UNCF is able to hold the inner system but cannot dislodge Garmillas forces from the outer system.
* Garmillas forces resort to planet-bombs in an attempt to force the humans to submit. Most are intercepted and destroyed by UNCF forces lead by the SDF-1.
* The UNCF works on constructing a second fold-capable warship, essentially copying the SDF-1. Construction is delayed repeatedly by Garmillas attacks and the need to divert resources to maintaining the SDF-1 and the rest of the fleet.

2199: The SDF-2 is completed and takes its place in Earth's defenses. The SDF-1 and a small escort fleet are dispatched to seek out the Gamillas homeworld and attempt to force a resolution. Senior officers of the mission are Admiral Juzo Okita and Rear Admiral Bruno Gloval.

[classicdrogn]

"The docks were on fire, but it wasn't my fault..."

Turns out having a public listing as a wizard in the phone book and a few official contacts among the police and other departments who know that it's not just card tricks and wires makes you a hot commodity when the angry spirits of sunken warships rise to claim the seas from humanity. Harry Dresden had his hands full dealing with the White Council and fae and vampires, why is everyone so eager to make him the point man on dealing with these new "Abyssal" creatures too?

[robkelk]

"The docks were on fire, but it wasn't my fault..."

Turns out having a public listing as a wizard in the phone book and a few official contacts among the police and other departments who know that it's not just card tricks and wires makes you a hot commodity when the angry spirits of sunken warships rise to claim the seas from humanity. Harry Dresden had his hands full dealing with the White Council and fae and vampires, why is everyone so eager to make him the point man on dealing with these new "Abyssal" creatures too?

So, he summons the spirits of warships to fight for him? Isn't that a violation of the The Fifth Law of Magic? Well, no - they weren't alive to begin with, so they couldn't die, so this isn't necromancy. The Seventh Law, then? No, they're just as much a part of Harry Dresden's world as the gods are. Thus, there's no risk of being judged to be a warlock.

But the spirits are cute girls, pretty girls, and sexy girls... Harry's going to get exiled to the couch.

[Rajvik]

actually i've been in the thread this comes from, the current ideas are that the Navy is hiring him to help write the book on summoning and shipgirl interaction, with the help of the USS Sable and USS Wolverine

[itsune9tl]

Please remember, The Belkan Knights were stopped by two teenage girls, a teenage boy, and a part time dog/wolf.

Also, the Belkan Knights themselves Consisted of 3 Girls, and a part time wolf/dog.

They were both a Driver (Freddy), and an Ugly Van short of being alternate Universe teams of Mystery Inc.
...

Depends upon who you ask.
Some say, that one is too many.
Others say that you can never have enough.

I still say, I would have gotten away with it, if not for those kids and their dog. ...

[DHBirr]

Please remember, The Belkan Knights were stopped by two teenage girls, a teenage boy, and a part time dog/wolf.

Also, the Belkan Knights themselves Consisted of 3 Girls, and a part time wolf/dog.

They were both a Driver (Freddy), and an Ugly Van short of being alternate Universe teams of Mystery Inc.
...

Not exactly fitting the topic, but the phrasing of what you quoted reminded me of the final paragraph of Poul Anderson's fantasy novel Operation Chaos: 

Looking back, I often can't believe it happened:  that this was done by a red-haired witch, a bobtailed werewolf, and a snooty black tomcat.  Then I remember it's the Adversary who is humorless.  I'm sure God likes to laugh.

[hazard]

Please remember, The Belkan Knights were stopped by two teenage girls, a teenage boy, and a part time dog/wolf.

Also, the Belkan Knights themselves Consisted of 3 Girls, and a part time wolf/dog.

They were both a Driver (Freddy), and an Ugly Van short of being alternate Universe teams of Mystery Inc.
...

Well okay, calling the Astra ugly is not fair, she's not the prettiest ship I've ever seen but she's hardly bad looking, but that's one hell of a transport, and Captain Hallaown is moving the teams around, so...

[classicdrogn]

actually i've been in the thread this comes from, the current ideas are that the Navy is hiring him to help write the book on summoning and shipgirl interaction, with the help of the USS Sable and USS Wolverine

Actually, I posted it here first, if only by a few minutes, so technically this is the thread it "comes from." Well, if you don't count the Dresden quote as a one liner in ... whichever fic it was starring USS Salt Lake City, AKA Pepper? It was a couple years ago now -- That caught a few Likes but no further discussion (not surprising, it was after all just a riff on the events in that story) and I didn't get around to revisiting it even this superficially until now.

Honestly, I like the idea both ways, or perhaps the hired consultant part just comes after more direct involvement, when the Navy is trying to get everything straightened up now that the bullets and spells aren't flying.

[Jinx999]

The gods need someone to take Aqua in hand and teach her maturity and sense.

The time for half-measures is past. It's time for . . . Belldandy.

[robkelk]

Which Aqua - Kingdom Hearts II, Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS, or some other story? (I assume you don't mean the planet Aqua from Aria.)

[hazard]

Aqua from Konosuba I would guess, who is... rather famously lacking in both.

[Norgarth]

Maybe it was this Aqua 

[itsune9tl]

You could even go with the band (music group?) Aqua.

Or if you want to be really weird you just switch Aqua, with Aqua, and Aqua and see who notices.
Mind you Switching a four person music group with a Single person is kind of noticeable....

[itsune9tl]

Ninja'd

Or if you want to be really weird you just switch Aqua, with Aqua, and Aqua and see who notices.
Mind you Switching a four person music group with a Single person is kind of noticeable....

[DHBirr]

I have had a very evil, EVIL idea ... and unfortunately it doesn't seem to fit much of anywhere.  Here isn't quite right, but closer than anywhere else I can think of.  It's not an idea for characters interacting, y'see, but rather for applying a technique from one 'verse in another.

It needs a world which has entered the Wooden Ships and Iron Men period, but one in which magic works — specifically Dungeons and Dragons spells.  Very specifically, Explosive Runes.  Imagine, if you will, the result if somebody is able to sneak into a ship-of-the-line's gunpowder magazine, post up, very noticeably, a placard bearing some official-looking message and Explosive Runes, and then sneak off the the ship again. 

Sooner or later, some crewmembers will enter the magazine and see the placard.  "'Ere, wot's this; it weren't 'ere afore, wuz it?"  If they're illiterate, they'll still likely report it to an officer, who'll come to have a look.  At any rate, it's almost certain that someone will read it eventually.  And that will trigger a powerful burst of magical fire (12-30 points of damage to the one reading, half that to everyone within a ten feet radius who fails to save).  In a room filled with gunpowder. 

If the crew is very lucky, all the powder containers will be sturdily enough built and closed that none of the stuff ignites (this applies only if the saboteur didn't think to open a few for just that reason), and those not hurt by the magical fire will merely have to change their underwear.  If not....

There's further destructive potential if the ship is part of a squadron, and the saboteur or his/her comrades managed to plant Explosive Runes in most or all of the powder magazines.  What's a captain likely to order if one or more of the nearby ships blows up, and there's no enemy in sight?  "Some of you men, get down to the magazine; see if anyone left a slow fuse in our powder!" "'Ere, wot's this...?"

[Evil chuckle]

[itsune9tl]

Why are they using gunpowder when they have explosive runes placed on the inside of a breech plate?  and for another fun Idea to add to that, Dragonships of Vindras.
In the first book, the Top of the line Warships are made from living Sea Dragons. The Captain is literally bonded to the Dragon similar to how one bonds a familiar to a wizard.

[DHBirr]

Why are they using gunpowder when they have explosive runes placed on the inside of a breech plate?

All the effort I put into writing that out, and I FAILED to mention one key point that makes the scheme workable:  the people using the gunpowder weapons don't use magic, and don't know all that magic can do ... they may not even know it exists.  (Not so much a Potter-verse-like situation as that the mages live far, far away; they've only lately begun visiting the area and getting involved in local squabbles to the point of attacking one side or the other.)  That was so clearly part of the concept in my head that I forgot to underline it for everyone else.  Mea omnia culpa.

Explosive Runes is described in the Player's Handbook as a way to safeguard things against unauthorized reading, but it seems far more suitable to magical assassination.  Intercept a report Baron Whosit's sending to the King's Chancellor, scrawl the Runes on one page, the Chancellor starts reading, KABOOM! and he's "Chancelled."

[hazard]

Breechloading guns with brass cartridges are a later development, especially for (naval) artillery. The powder bags would literally be linen bags of gunpowder because it burns away easily and leaves less dangerous debris in the gun.

[robkelk]

Why are they using gunpowder when they have explosive runes placed on the inside of a breech plate?

All the effort I put into writing that out, and I FAILED to mention one key point that makes the scheme workable:  the people using the gunpowder weapons don't use magic, and don't know all that magic can do ... they may not even know it exists.  (Not so much a Potter-verse-like situation as that the mages live far, far away; they've only lately begun visiting the area and getting involved in local squabbles to the point of attacking one side or the other.)  That was so clearly part of the concept in my head that I forgot to underline it for everyone else.  Mea omnia culpa.

So, somewhat like Slayers TRY but with D&D magic instead of the overpowered stuff Lina Inverse uses?

Explosive Runes is described in the Player's Handbook as a way to safeguard things against unauthorized reading, but it seems far more suitable to magical assassination.  Intercept a report Baron Whosit's sending to the King's Chancellor, scrawl the Runes on one page, the Chancellor starts reading, KABOOM! and he's "Chancelled."

"I prepared Explosive Runes this morning"
-- various notes written by Vaarsuvius, The Order of the Stick