A for my answer here it is:

1) Coherent Originality: be it the subject, the plot resources, the unexpected twists, the different perspective taken, the chosen genre... whatever the author dcides to be original about, as long as they do it seriously, providing interesting and/or realistic thought-out explanations to any OOCness or AU the plot may bring forth.

Example: Ceris Malfoy's story "Eclipse" (SM crossovers section). Starts with the usual betrayal, but oh aren't we in for a ride after we continue reading the following chapters... This author has succesfully given very noticeable hints that her betrayal actally HAS a developed plot, and a nice one at that. Th originality consisted in taking the usual betrayal to create something quite else, a different way of going around the usual betrayal fic.

2) Respect canon as much as possible: I'm sorry, but I don't really like AU that much. The more AU a fic is, the harder it gets for me to keep reading. That happened to me, for example, with Cosmos Angel1's unique DBZ/SM story "Watch Us Survive"... I just coudln't get used to the idea of Usagi and Trunks being from another world and coming to Chikyuu to be adopted, Usagi by Chichi and Goku, and Trunks by Vegeta and Bulma, and non of the two adopted children being human or even part human (for now at least, I think; it may change in future chapters). My rule is: the more you tamper with canon, the more you are in a way force make it up to your readers in the form of a truly entertaining plot. In other words: the plot must TRULY be worth the overdose of AU... thus, it has to be TWICE as good as an average good canon -respecting story's plot.

3) Balanced descriptions of feelings AND fighting scenes: not too much sugar without adrenaline, and not too much adrenaline without any sugar. Just like you need food to have energy to do exercise, and energy to do the exercise of eating your food, you must be fair when concerning these two opposites, Romance and Action. Too much emotion and no action makes the story corny, and too much action and no emotion maes the story shallow.

4) That one sailor scout and her lover are the main focus on a story doesn't mean you can't develop complex alternate subplots with the other characters to give people many different reasons to read your story.

1.) Regarding Canon: I allow for more leeway in canon because, let's face it, very few crossovers can respect both sides completely. Serena and Goku were probably not meant to meet each other, Sephiroth and Hotaru will most likely never fall in love, and the Senshi probably won't go train with Harry Potter. That said, I agree that the author should still have some respect for the characters. If you're going to radically change characters like you've mentioned, then the author should aim to make the reader go at one point "Oh, NOW I see why so-and-so acted this way!" The major issue is most authors don't, so Serena magically matures overnight from being betrayed/attacked and you're left scratching your head. I think that's what you were basically saying, Jay.

I think that if the author has enough tricks up his or her sleeve, then they can get away with almost any type of crossover. I just finished reading a really good SM/GI Joe crossover. Rare? Yes. But the author (LokiLeysmith) obviously had A.) the guts to do it and B.) the artistic depth to pull it off.

2.) Emotion and Fight Scenes: Like you said, there needs to be a balance. Actually, doing a 100% emotional fanfic is easier than a 100% action story since it's usually difficult to carry a story with fighting alone. Also, it depends heavily on the author. I've read some stories where the writer could make the intensity of the battle come alive in your mind, while others failed to capture the essence of that particular fight. Not that I'm a master of fight scenes, so I'm in no actual position to judge, but that's my experience. The last two fics I've read have had a very balanced mix of action and character development.

Romance isn't necessarily the center of emotion. Character quirks, lack of faith, internal struggles, and non-romantic relations between characters play a huge role.

3.) Subplot: Unfortunately overlooked sometimes, but key. One or two characters cannot be the center of the story forever. It's incredibly rare that you find a good story that centers on just one group (as a whole) and not the others at least at some points. With that said, there isn't always a need to go into a subplot just because you can. If you spread yourself too thin, the reader will lose track of what's going on. Beyond the central focus, I could see about 3 sustained subplots (on average, although it really depends on the story and such), along with the occasional subplot that pops up temporarily due to a certain situation. When in doubt, KISS (no, don't bring in Gene Simmons). You're better off staying focused than straying all over the place in an attempt to go beyond your central characters.

Final Point: What you said for 1.) If you can explain yourself, going a little OOC isn't too bad. It can sometimes make things interesting.

well i think romance period can make or break a story if it's to gushy i won't read that either

in crossovers if the chariters get along to well or not enough like in harry potter x overs if there all doing every thing together and all have the same powers

or if serena turns into a saiyan that also bugs me

Do you guys read storys from the same writer if you don't like one of their storys

"DBZ Sailor Moon: Specter of Revenge" by Grey Wolf1, found in the miscellaneous crossover section.

The author is slow to update (usually two or three times a year) but, oh man. This story is GOOD. I highly suggest you all check it out.

Mhm, I'll be giving it a look soon enough if I find it.

Do you like stories with a lot of description, or do you prefer the ones that go immediately to the point?

As far as description... some description is always nice. I like doing it in my own stories, and I find it adds substance, especially when you can see what a character is feeling at the time. At the same time, I don't like stories that keep going around the main point in an attempt to add description. Some scenes require it, while others do not. Description is kind of like fluff: without it, the story is too rigid; too much, and you'll feel suffocated.

It really depends on the author, too. Some are very good at description, while others have trouble with it.

It depends on what you mean by description. Some stories take a lot of background (like mine) if it's not explained the reader won't appreciate events when they happen. What you're probably talking about is the description of the cloths, hair, room, and senses. Sometimes it really comes in handy and helps build the story...when it's done right. Other times it's unnecessary and I wish some authors wouldn't bother with it. For the most part though I have to say that I do like a lot of description of both kinds overall.

I like a story that was thought out. I hate it when I can tell that random events are just being thrown together. Usually the characters just start saying stupid stuff, and the story just ends up being a bash on the characters that are doing the betrayal.

I do agree that the AU fics are hard to follow when it's just a random story with characters that you know. I like it when the story lines of the series are used as a basis or twisted just a bit to fit where they need to go. And just to be honest. I wish there were more authors that could come up with stories some what similar to my own.

You can take a crossover like this one and go so far, but there are few out there who really take the plot and turn them into something original. The few authors I have found don't have completed stories up, and don't really post anymore.

I hope this section isn't dying out. I know life get's busy outside of the world wide web and it can get hard to update, but I really can't find any stories that truly stand out to me lately.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

It's a pity these forums are laking attention this day. But I understand that life really does get in the way.

For me, quality matters most in a story. I'd like it to be done well, with enough attention to detail to satisfy me and a good overall story behind it. Characters being in check is great - though it is true that most authors do not do so. It's really hard, for me personally, to keep the characters in check.

I dislike the stories that are rushed - falling in love at first sight really is annoying after the first few fics. AU fics are great if they are taken care of and developed clearly. It really applies to all fics that I read. It's a shame that most stories now seem to be thrown together at the last minute. A little more time to develop the chapter would really help.

I'd also like some suggestions. It's been a while and my favorite story here, Through A Child's Eyes, has not been updated in ages.

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