Fusion - Fanlore

Fusion

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Synonyms: amalgam
See also: AU, multiverse
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A fusion is a type of fanfiction which merges two or more fandoms by incorporating characters from one fandom into the setting of another as if they had always been there. The term was common in some media fandom communities to distinguish these AU crossovers since at least around the year 2000[1], and further popularized by Liviapenn in 2005, when she created the sga_fusion community[2] to support the Atlantis Amalgamated challenge. Since the challenge was centered in the Stargate Atlantis fandom, many of the stories identified as 'fusions' come from that fandom, though the earlier concept of 'Amalgam' stories came from comics:

It's a little easier to talk about this type of thing in comics fandom, where there's a clear-cut difference between a crossover and an amalgam-- every so often DC and Marvel will get together and do an "Amalgam" comic, where two universes are squished together resulting in something like Sparrow, who is a squished-together version of Robin and Jubilee.) Anyway, that's what these stories should be-- not crossovers where Angel or Jim Ellison or Horatio Hornblower or Remus and Sirius suddenly discover the existence of Atlantis, but one where they've been there this whole time, as Marines, or scientists, or Athosians, or whatever. Where they've become part of a team, just as they are in their original fandoms. [3]


Some fandoms are defined more by their fusion potential than by fannish activity in-universe alone; His Dark Materials is a good example, with whole livejournal comms being devoted to the genre.

Examples

Sometimes major characters in their original universe become minor characters in the new fused universe:

Fusions offer many possibilities for humor:

References

  1. RatCreature. How to construct Alternate Universes that work as fanfic. Originally posted to FCA-L on 28 January 2001. (accessed 6 November 2008)
  2. Atlantis Amalgamated: the fusion universe Accessed November 6, 2008
  3. NEW CHALLENGE: ATLANTIS AMALGAMATED" Accessed November 6, 2008
  4. Brighid. Night Watch. Posted 4 September 2000. (Accessed 7 November 2008)
  5. Dolimir. Scheduled for Termination. Posted 29 August 2007. (Accessed 7 November 2008)
  6. Inclination, by Jacquez. Posted 27 May 2001. (Accessed 7 November 2008)
  7. kellifer_fic. A Heartbeat At My Feet. Posted 22 January 2008, accessed 07 November 2008
  8. T'Mar. There Is No Gene. Posted 23 October 1998. (Accessed 7 November 2008)
  9. "X", posted 16 August 2006, accessed 06 November 2008
  10. skoosiepants. Stay Left, posted 17 December 2006, accessed 06 November 2008
  11. Poptarts in Atlantis, accessed 06 November 2008
  12. Astolat. The Dark Side, posted 27 July 2006, accessed 06 November 2008
  13. Siriaeve. Truth, Justice, and Rodney McKay, posted 21 January 2007, accessed 06 November 2008