When reading, on the whole I tend to avoid AUs, fusions, and crossovers—I see fusions as more like crossovers, so I'm putting in all three—except for divergent AUs. It is often intriguing to see alternative paths the characters might have taken had things worked out otherwise. On the other hand, I tend to avoid most of the college/fairy tale/omegaverse type of thing. Well, unless it's an author I otherwise trust.

Perversely, I've written some fusions myself. I like to do them straight. The latest one, "The Mystery of Mantlemass", fuses Time Team with Barbara Willard's Chronicles of Mantlemass. The story runs from the first letter to post-production, as the archeologists locate the long-lost manor and foundry from Willard's multi-generational YA historical series.

I think, when I am bitten by a notion that requires a fusion, the impetus is much the same as it is with any other persistent plot bunny: there's something that wants to be said.

Willard's final story in the series, "One of Us", is set at the time of publication (1981); and its theme is the loss of family history, since practically nothing remains from the 150-odd years covered in the series. As I reread the books last fall, though, it occurred to me that more might actually be discovered than Willard realized. The involvement of Time Team was obvious. Fortunately, there was a very prompt prompt in Yuletide; so I was inspired to write it all out as a treat.