Trying new things: Crossovers

In a recent post I mentioned that Silbrith introduced meta concepts to our Caffrey Conversation series. She also introduced the use of crossovers, bringing Supernatural characters to our series. When I first started writing the series, I considered a crossover with Psych, but changed my mind. Here we are, four years after I published the first story in our series, and I've finally tried writing a crossover.

Warning for mild spoilers for Doctor Who and Supernatural.

The story was inspired by a prompt for the AO3 Chocolate Box exchange, requesting some of the Doctor's whimsy of Doctor Who be brought to Dean Winchester of Supernatural.

Although I'm a fan of both shows, I'd never considered bringing them together. Once I started thinking about it, however, I saw so much potential. Both shows often center around a monster-of-the-week that is threatening people and must be stopped. The lead characters of both shows feel a personal responsibility to step in and help. 

Diving into the personalities of the characters, Dean has a deep love for his classic car, which he calls "Baby." From Doctor Who episodes "School Reunion" and The "Doctor's Wife," I remembered the bits about the Doctor's fondness for the TARDIS, caressing the console and calling his time machine "Sexy" when they're alone. That gave me a trait the two characters could quickly bond over.

The Doctor can travel anywhere in time and space, so it's easy enough to place him in almost any other fandom. Dean has been sent back in time on several occasions, and I selected one of those episodes as the starting point for my crossover. In "Time After Time," Dean visits the 1940s, and I fiddled with the ending of that episode. Suppose Dean's plan for getting back to his time hadn't worked, and he was stuck in the past? Suppose he decided as long as he was there he'd change the past of his own family, prompting the Doctor to arrive in order to prevent a paradox?

One of the fun elements of "Time After Time" is Dean's excitement about meeting Eliot Ness. It's obvious Dean is a big fan and enjoys meeting someone he views as a hero. Finding out they have things in common -- like hunting vampires -- is a thrill, even as Dean has to face that Ness isn't exactly what he imagined. I reused that element in my crossover, inventing a backstory in which father-figure Bobby had told a very young Dean stories about the Doctor. Therefore when the TARDIS materializes, Dean knows who has arrived and tries to keep his cool in front of a childhood hero. They find common ground, although the Doctor does caution Dean not to assume everything different from him is a monster; it's important to look for the good in people.

The requested whimsy came in the form of references to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Calvin and Hobbes. And of course, classic rock fan Dean had to take advantage of being in a time machine to visit one of his favorite bands at the zenith of their concert years. 

Even though I worried at first about biting off more than I could chew, writing the crossover turned out to be an experience I enjoyed. I love bringing characters together to find common ground, and the humor elements were a fun indulgence. 

I'll try to remember this experience the next time I worry about trying something new.

My crossover story: Time After Time Lord