[FMP] Thoughts On: Crossover vs. Adaptation · 11:03am Mar 6th, 2016
I.....think the writing is good. However, my preferences for crossovers do not lend themselves into putting characters in the shoes of another...I am not a huge fan of having Twilight take Edward's job.
Gotta say, this story wasn't that compelling for me. The characters didn't feel alive for me, like they just filled the shoes of the FMA characters, and didn't feel like Twilight nor Edward. It's a good concept, I'll give you that, but I expected something else other than inserting alchemy or inserting the characters into another world.
Alas, this isn't my cup of tea. Too many stories like this tend to either make Twilight Twilight, or Twilight Edward. And neither of those work for this kind of story. It just feels like a retelling with Twilight acting for Edward.
Hm. You know, I don't think any of these are uncalled for. Many of them are perfectly fair and fine. Still, it's been weighing on my mind for the last couple days, so I'd like to try and clear the air. I realize that the story is labeled as a crossover, as it should be. But in spite of that, I don't think that it's fair to call Fullmetal Pony a crossover, not in the traditional sense. I've always maintained that it is, in fact, an adaptation.
Let me try to explain what I mean. When I started to read fiction, I was happily brought in to different worlds and different conflicts based on the stories themselves. Many of them were great, and I have fond memories of some of the ones I'd check out from the library a second or third time. The same can be said of films, shows, games, and so on.
When I found the craft of fanfiction, I naturally began to think of what it would be like if the characters from one story were thrust into the world of another. Or if the characters from two or three stories suddenly found themselves working together against all of their enemies. This has long been the basis of crossover fanfiction, and I admit that many capable writers can pull it off. However, when I finally sought out these stories, I discovered that I personally did not care for them.
Something about the idea of something so odd happening, like the cast from one show meeting the cast of another, and then not addressing it or finding a way to explain it...it all seemed too strange, even for me. Not to say that I stopped giving them a chance. There was a time when crossing Pokèmon with Digimon was popular, especially when both shows were in their prime. I've read a couple of those, as well as stories that bring in the cast of Mass Effect into the worlds of Dead Space, the heroes of Marvel against the supers of The Incredibles, and one in particular that dared to wonder what would happen if Golden Sun were mixed with Breath of Fire. There are successful games that bring in casts of several other games. Hell, I'm about to start editing a crossover of Hetalia and Stargate!
Stories are stories, and as long as the author is honest, then it'll be a story worth telling. I've always believed that, and I will continue to do so. But I've never been able to shake that odd taste in my mouth whenever I think of a crossover fiction. Yes, putting two sets of characters together is a great way to inspire drama and conflict, but...I don't know, it's never sat right with me.
So when I was approached to write a crossover, inspired by an SFM video, at first I was incredulous. How could I, who has always worked in the confines of single worlds, possibly do justice to two separate but amazing worlds? Would I take the route of "Edward as a pony" and try to create FMA-levels of humor and action? Or would I toss Twilight and company into Amestris and see how they cope with corruption and power? Even now, months later, I find myself cringing at the ideas of either. The characters of each show are perfect in their own worlds, and I didn't feel right thinking of them in the other.
But then I gave the video another look. And I noticed something.
For all the step-for-step recreation of the anime's opening, the MLP characters remained largely who they were. Spitfire looking down from her authoritative position, Trixie exuding incredible power through an amulet charm, Celestia looking mysterious and clearly holding secrets; in fact, the only one who was obviously not acting normal was Twilight, as she actively, physically fought her enemies.
This was not a crossover. At least, not in the traditional sense. Agrodaemon had taken the characteristics of FMA, along with its power and conflict, and applied them with the characters of MLP. That, in my opinion, is adaptation - changing the world itself and seeing how the characters respond. And I decided I wanted to try.
That difference has been the driving argument I've been telling myself ever since this project began. "An adaptation of MLP and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood." It's the world and the story of Equestria and her citizens, but with the power and some of the conflict of FMA. It's not a matter of bringing in characters, but rather archetypes. Assigning roles. Seeing how different ponies would behave in the proverbial shoes of others. That's why Rainbow Dash works so well as a colonel, and why Isaac McDougal had his drive divided among three ponies.
I had to ask myself the question, though. "Is this a crossover?" If I simply took the characteristics and motivations of FMA and applied them to MLP, was it right to call it a crossover? If the power of alchemy was simply another part of Equestria's magic, is it a crossover? Can it be one if I take the encounters of MLP and toss in some flair from the anime?
The answer was still yes, of course. Because no matter how different the story of Fullmetal Pony may end up, it still would never have began without the amazing work that is Fullmetal Alchemist. One of the earliest drafts of the prologue was even a shot-for-shot remake of Brotherhood's opening, and that ultimately helped me figure out what I wanted to do with Whiteout and his crew.
And yet, I still don't consider it a typical crossover. An adaptation is something different. Animals in the wild are forced to adapt to new environments all the time. Invasive plant species cause native plants to adapt, or else die off. Even we humans are adaptable, changing our needs based on our surroundings. It's why I have loose clothes for summer and five heavy coats for winter - not that I had a winter this season.
To me, it's much more accurate to call FMP an adaptation. If we assume that the force of alchemy had always existed, then many hundreds of possibilities open up. I even have plans to explain how alchemy, and perhaps the whole of magic itself, came to exist in Equestria. And with such options made known, there was bound to be another that I couldn't help but want to try: telling the story of Twilight Sparkle with the tools of Fullmetal Alchemist.
That's why we're currently viewing the backstory of both Twilight and Shining Armor. That's why we see Rainbow Dash acting like a boss toward Twilight instead of a friend. That's why Cadance is still a pegasus instead of an alicorn. I found myself extremely excited to see how Twilight, as studious and dismissive as she was in her first episode, would behave if her story were told with alchemy instead of friendship and magic.
I still can't do anything about a crossover genre, though. I have to be honest: this is a crossover. It doesn't matter if it's not what I consider a crossover. There are pieces of two entirely separate stories mixing together, and I'm trying to trust myself not to make a mockery of both. I know how awesome Fullmetal Alchemist is, and I've seen how bronies can get when something upsets them. It would be stupid of me to argue against so obvious a point. It's one of the rare times where I think my opinion matters and doesn't matter at the same time.
So, then...what about for other people? The ones who approach this story expecting a traditional crossover experience? The ones who went into chapter 0.2 expecting to see Pony Edward? The ones still waiting for Pony Edward?
I don't have that answer. And I'm too smart to try and tell them this isn't a crossover. But a part of me frowns when I see folks turn away because they don't get what they were expecting, despite the fact that I have "adaptation" listed on the story's description. I can't help but feel like I let them down. Here I am, with the knowledge and expectations of two incredible shows in my hands, tasked with bringing them together in order to craft a memorable experience. A lot of people like what it is so far, and that's great. But a lot of people don't like it, and it's because they were expecting something different.
I know that it's okay to not like something if it's not your cup of tea. I know it's fair to be turned away due to improper handling of the basic rules of writing. I know that I'm being honest with my writing, just as I've always done. Shouldn't that be enough? I don't know that answer, because it's not fair of me to impose my opinions on anyone else and expect them to change.
Those are my thoughts on it, anyway.
~Leo
So let me see if I'm getting this right. A crossover would be bringing two worlds together with both sets of characters, but an adaptation is where you take both worlds and form one world with characters taking the place of others and creating a memorable experience ? The reason I ask is cause I'm doing the same thing but with Jurassic Park.
3795500 In a way, yes. If I take the characters in FMA and figure out what makes them unique - as in, figure out their archetypes - I can intermix those mannerisms in with the characters of MLP. In my opinion, it's something different than the run-of-the-mill crossovers you expect to see around each corner. The thing about archetypes is that they're universal. The Hero, The Wise Sage, The Threshold Guardian, and so on. I figure those out, I apply some of the attitude found in FMA, and if it matches a character in MLP, I can write them effectively.
To be fair, it can be just as entertaining to simply bring in entire casts and see how they play off each other. It would certainly be fun to see how MLP's Twilight responds to seeing Amestris and its alchemy. And that, in my mind, is a typical crossover. Nothing wrong with it. As other folks have said about Fullmetal Pony, those kinds of stories are not my cup of tea.
3795511 Oh I think I understand.
Cause my story is mainly going to be Equestria Girls in Jurassic Park but it wont be like the movies character wise that is, if any of that makes since.