Crack
| Trope · Genre | ||
|---|---|---|
| Synonyms: | crack! (as in crack!fic, crack!vid) | |
| Related: | Crossover, Alternate Universe, badfic | |
| See Also: | ||
| Tropes · Slash Tropes · Tropes by Fandom | ||
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | ||
| ||
"Crack" has two main meanings in a fandom context, both playing off the slang for crack cocaine:
One, (possibly the original use?), that a thing, generally a text, is highly addictive, such as the recs in the Crack Van lj community. A common slogan in older anime fandom, emblazoned on t-shirts and bumperstickers[1], was "Anime: Crack is Cheaper," referring to both the addictiveness of anime, and the expense of obtaining it on VHS.[2]
Two, crack can describe fiction (canon or fanwork) with a fundamentally ludicrous premise, or otherwise including a plethora of unbelievable, incredible, or just plain silly elements - that is, implying the author/artist must have been on drugs to produce something so insane. It may be used in a compound noun (e.g. "crackfic"), or as an adjective ("a crack pairing."[3])
These two meanings may be meant simultaneously, e.g. "DC Comics is delicious crack."
Crackfic
"Crackfic" is a term for a story which takes a ridiculous premise as its starting point, such as casting all the canon characters as My Little Ponies. It may or may not deal with this premise in a serious way.
Negative or Neutral Term?
Discussion has arisen within fandom about whether the label "crackfic" can be pejorative. Some claim that initially it was always meant derogatory:
- Initally, Crack!fic was short for "oh, god. That's aweful. the writer must be on crack to have beagles be in their story or have blair shot/stabbed/raped/require a liver transplant/etc or think that wings were a good idea." It was derogatory, and there was nothing positive in it. The story was self-indugent codswollop, with no basis in reality or canon, and there was do doubt about that.[4]
Some argue that such a label gives the writer permission to take the topic and/or writing less seriously, thus producing substandard fiction. (Need example) Other believe that crack simply refers to the inherent silliness of the topic, and those who write crack can do so with just as much skill as any "serious" writer (without going into deep discussion here about just what, indeed, "serious" writing constitutes).
Defining It
Depending on the fandom, certain tropes or plot twists may or may not be considered "crack." A fandom like DC Comics - which features clones, shapeshifters, angels, mermaids, space aliens and an island of magical lesbian separatists all happily coexisting in one canon - has a higher standard for crack than a fandom like Due South. In turn, Due South's quirky, offbeat tone and occasional moments of magical realism lends itself better to stories with fanciful premises than a source with an emphasis on strict realism, like Law & Order or The Wire. Several DC Comics fans made this point by taking the wtf_27 challenge, and finding examples for every "crackfic" prompt (such as bodyswap or wingfic) in mainstream canon.[5]
Some fandoms are known for crack above and beyond that in canon; e.g. Stargate: Atlantis has a reputation for producing crackfic.
Examples of Crack in Fanworks
(need more!)
Crackfic Tropes
These tropes may be considered crack, depending on the canon and the fan:
- wingfic
- Mpreg
- Genderswap
- Animal Transformation
- Anthropomorfic
- Many strains of Alternate Universes
Fanfic
- Star Trek: The lengthy Kraith parodies by Sheryl Roberts, beginning with The Affirmation.
- SGA: "But Where Would They Live?" by thingswithwings features Rodney the unicorn, John the rainbow, Teyla the dolphin, and Ronon the warm spring breeze.
- SGA: The Epic Tale of John & Rodney, Two Girl Scout Cookies In Love by bitter-crimson has John and Rodney as a Samoa and a Thin Mint, with pictures. The story includes an explicit sex scene.
- Battlestar Galactica: "Benevolent Sibling" by Fahye; for the Cylons, the Galactica's just another reality TV show.
- Care Bears: Slave Bear of Care-a-Lot, by Tami, is Care Bear BDSM. (We hope the warning is implied.) Written for Yuletide 2005, it more or less singlehandedly upholds the challenge's reputation for producing crack by the gallon.
- Torchwood: Trying to Communicate by Copperbadge; The author describes this story as merely 'bordering perilously' on being crackfic, however it contains lolcats.
- Death Note: Adaptation by Silver Pard; Genderswap.
- PC/Mac: The Wrong Side of the Tracks by Ingrid; Mac gets a virus.
- Supernatural: List of SPN crackfic by cliche.
- Tetris: Tetris Porn by Velvet_Mace, "about as lemonish as non-sexual blocks on a screen with classic Russian music playing in the background can get."
- Fandom/LiveJournal: Making Up Is Hard To Do by China_Shop, written when fandom and LJ were having problems.
Fanvids
- Papa Don't Preach - Torchwood mpreg
- I Swear - Smallville - Clark and Lex in wedded bliss, mpreg and kryptonite unicorns
Fanart
livejournal communities
- Battlestar Galactica: bsg_crack
- My Chemical Romance: mcr_crack_fic
- Supernatural: spn_crackfic
- Queer as Folk: qaf_crackfic
- One Piece: onepiececrack
External Links
CrackFic & Crack Pairing pages at TV Tropes
"Readers piled on Palin's attempt to meet with Margaret Thatcher. More Palin crack here, here, and here." Andrew Sullivan, The Atlantic (online), June 18, 2010. Used as a term for "OMG, this can't really be happening, can it?"
References
- ↑ Such goods are not sold so much anymore, but see this wallet (accessed 2/12/2009)
- ↑ TV Tropes: Crack is Cheaper (accessed 2/12/2009)
- ↑ Which Crack Pairing Are You? quiz (accessed 2/12/2009)
- ↑ wickedwords. Comment on Cereta's post Crackfic. What is that, exactly? Posted 5 October 2005. (accessed 12 February 2009)
- ↑ Chevauchee, Untitled Livejournal Entry, 08 May, 2006, (Accessed 18 October, 2008)
