~~ crackfic vs. AU: taste the rainbow
Jul. 12th, 2005 01:46 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
reenkaI feel my quest to be a total mindless squeeing fangirl keeps getting derailed. But only some of the time-- which I think can be narrowed down to whenever I'm not reading manga. You know, those people who say 'it rots your brain' as if that's a bad thing are just kind of uptight, aren't they :>
Anyway. Not least because I'm writing a couple myself will I or nill I (mostly nill I, but what're'ya gonna do), I've been thinking about AUs and their definitions.
This got sparked by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
winsome1's post about a negative review to her fanfic, which basically has Harry run away from home after 5th year and stay in a whorehouse, after which he became a stereotypical gay boi, called people 'sweetheart' & couldn't resist Draco's manly charms.
Now, the reviewer and the author seemed to actually agree that this set-up is implausible-- the difference being that the author said she never intended to write a 'plausible extension of canon', and wondered whether she should've warned for that. Of course, all the comments to the entry reassure her that no, warnings are for uptight losers (though not in so many words). And in a sense they are, 'cause people should really be clever enough to figure out when something is a crackfic.
Heavy mention of rentboys, Veelas, soul-bonds, most Medieval torture devices, and possibly sparkly green hair and purple eyes should all be dead giveaways. Most Harry/Draco fluff should probably also fall into that category (then again, definitions of fluff will differ: mine involves most PWP non-hatesex smut, fic with free usage of given names, weeping!Draco and possibly kittens). ^^;; But honestly I see 'crackfic' as using any trope, scenario or genre (like fluff or hurt/comfort) and taking it far beyond the realm of canon plausibility (unless someone out there really wants to argue something like, 'but why couldn't have Draco been sexually abused and then become Harry's soulmate-of-DESTINY').
My issue isn't really with the question of warnings, but with the implied definition of what makes an 'standard' AU (truly a wholly different universe) as opposed to something set in the same universe but with a shifted canon timeline, as compared to crackfic (where anything goes). Basically, I object to the concept that AU = anything goes. No, my friends, that is what we call crackfic. Saying fanfic itself basically implies that 'anything goes' is true in a sense (I guess), but at a certain point I do wonder what's the point of actually calling Joe and Bill Harry & Draco, anyway. Ahem. Unless it's a crackfic, where generally the point is cracked-out amusement and/or porn (and lo, but porn has been mentioned & all is forgiven).
And naturally, it's a pet peeve of mine when people predictably say, 'but all slash is AU'. It's a neat little dead horse argument, I'm sure, right up there with Hitler mentions in terms of online fannish arguments (that is, slash = AU = end of debate). Even so, I feel like stating for the record that if nothing else, this entirely destroys any reasonable scope for an AU definition (by making the label apply to all fanfic by that measure).
There really seem to be two distinct types of AU: stuff written as canon-plausible but with an alternate or truncated (pre-Jossed) timeline & stuff written with the canon characters in an original setting. Everything else is OOC, not AU, and in fact, even new-universe AUs don't -have- to be OOC; I've seen them be IC (though not in HP, and admittedly it's pretty difficult).
All in all, I really wish people who wrote crackfic admitted it and/or said they don't give a damn without having to somehow imply all fanfic swims in the same pool & is necessarily crackfic just because it's not actual canon. Alas, I suspect this is a lost cause.
Anyway. Not least because I'm writing a couple myself will I or nill I (mostly nill I, but what're'ya gonna do), I've been thinking about AUs and their definitions.
This got sparked by
winsome1's post about a negative review to her fanfic, which basically has Harry run away from home after 5th year and stay in a whorehouse, after which he became a stereotypical gay boi, called people 'sweetheart' & couldn't resist Draco's manly charms.Now, the reviewer and the author seemed to actually agree that this set-up is implausible-- the difference being that the author said she never intended to write a 'plausible extension of canon', and wondered whether she should've warned for that. Of course, all the comments to the entry reassure her that no, warnings are for uptight losers (though not in so many words). And in a sense they are, 'cause people should really be clever enough to figure out when something is a crackfic.
Heavy mention of rentboys, Veelas, soul-bonds, most Medieval torture devices, and possibly sparkly green hair and purple eyes should all be dead giveaways. Most Harry/Draco fluff should probably also fall into that category (then again, definitions of fluff will differ: mine involves most PWP non-hatesex smut, fic with free usage of given names, weeping!Draco and possibly kittens). ^^;; But honestly I see 'crackfic' as using any trope, scenario or genre (like fluff or hurt/comfort) and taking it far beyond the realm of canon plausibility (unless someone out there really wants to argue something like, 'but why couldn't have Draco been sexually abused and then become Harry's soulmate-of-DESTINY').
My issue isn't really with the question of warnings, but with the implied definition of what makes an 'standard' AU (truly a wholly different universe) as opposed to something set in the same universe but with a shifted canon timeline, as compared to crackfic (where anything goes). Basically, I object to the concept that AU = anything goes. No, my friends, that is what we call crackfic. Saying fanfic itself basically implies that 'anything goes' is true in a sense (I guess), but at a certain point I do wonder what's the point of actually calling Joe and Bill Harry & Draco, anyway. Ahem. Unless it's a crackfic, where generally the point is cracked-out amusement and/or porn (and lo, but porn has been mentioned & all is forgiven).
And naturally, it's a pet peeve of mine when people predictably say, 'but all slash is AU'. It's a neat little dead horse argument, I'm sure, right up there with Hitler mentions in terms of online fannish arguments (that is, slash = AU = end of debate). Even so, I feel like stating for the record that if nothing else, this entirely destroys any reasonable scope for an AU definition (by making the label apply to all fanfic by that measure).
There really seem to be two distinct types of AU: stuff written as canon-plausible but with an alternate or truncated (pre-Jossed) timeline & stuff written with the canon characters in an original setting. Everything else is OOC, not AU, and in fact, even new-universe AUs don't -have- to be OOC; I've seen them be IC (though not in HP, and admittedly it's pretty difficult).
All in all, I really wish people who wrote crackfic admitted it and/or said they don't give a damn without having to somehow imply all fanfic swims in the same pool & is necessarily crackfic just because it's not actual canon. Alas, I suspect this is a lost cause.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-07-11 11:39 pm (UTC)And yeee! I'm glad you still wanna :D The crackbaby has been gestating so long, I figure it's gonna be a two-headed horny monster when it gets birthed. And not surprisingly,
no subject
Date: 2005-07-12 12:03 am (UTC)What? Your longfic? Talk to me, behbeh! And, AHAHAHA, I'm glad I remind you of creepy old men, Reena. I mean, it's a comparison that needs to be drawn far more often.
I totally still do! I've been writing a crazy lot of H/D lately...well, mostly ideas & such, but knowing me, half of it's crackfic, haha. And so! One day! Soon! When at last we strike with our crackfic of glory, the world will not know what hit it!
no subject
Date: 2005-07-12 12:27 am (UTC)...But I like
creepypervy old men in cute icons :P You'd make a smashing old man. I'm surprised people don't tell you that more often.WHEE!! :D :D OUR CRACKFIC OF GLORY SHALL BE LIKE A COBRA!! A COBRA STRIKING, ER... WELL, JUST STRIKING INTO THE
heartsPANTS OF MEN!! AND WOMEN!! AND OTHER SMALL-- COBRAS!no subject
Date: 2005-07-12 12:46 am (UTC)YES. It'll be GREAT. I want wedding fic. I want letters fic. I want bad first time fic. I want lines like 'Potter, I'm going to get you for this!' and 'Yeah, well, YOUR MUM!' I want it ALL. I aim for the sky! And stuff.
no subject
Date: 2005-07-12 01:11 am (UTC)Though actually, it's not really a bastard-- not nearly the way the DE!Draco fic is, the one with the 47398743 twists. -.- I dunno -what- crack I immediately get on as soon as I think about that fic, but it's a scary strain, man. I think it's that my post-OoTP fic is pretty straightforward & linear, only covering half a year, while the other one has lots of flashbacks & covers something like 5-6 years ><;; Le sigh.
...But yeah, I really wanna get the post-OoTP one done 'fore I read the book 'cause I really don't wanna lose all touch with my old characterizations & stuff. Though honestly, all this time after reading OoTP, I've prolly gone off the rails anyway :>
HEE! DRACO THE CARTOON VILLAIN!! <3<3<3
There's just something about your brand of crack that makes me wanna have its babies ♥
SKY-WRITING BAD FIRST TIME WEDDING NIGHT FIC!! >:D
no subject
Date: 2005-07-12 01:26 am (UTC)OHMYGOD BAD FIRST TIME WEDDING NIGHT FIC! Heehee! Oh, is there anything in this world that is grander? ANYTHING AT ALL? I'M NOT SURE IF THERE EVER COULD BE. I'm so highly amused! And at this ungodly hour and I am so sick and look very pitiable and have been reading questionable fic for the past several hours and have been traumatized by it on numerous occasions but somehow--SOMEHOW--thinking of Draco in his wedding dress and pouting and realizing he's going to have to PUT OUT if this marriage is going to WORK makes it ALL BETTER.
no subject
Date: 2005-07-12 03:08 am (UTC)OMG AND NOW WE COULD HAVE CROSS-DRESSING!POUTY!DRACO AS WELL :D :D :D Poor Draco, getting Harry to marry him JUST TO GET SOME, and woe, he's a whiny scaredy-cat who's afraid of Harry's BIG BAD GRYFFINDOR COCK >:D :D
...possibly there should be a way to make sheep involved somehow. Hmm. :-?
no subject
Date: 2005-07-12 05:31 am (UTC)TEASE!
now one of you, deliver, plz plz plz plz!!!!
no subject
Date: 2005-07-12 04:18 pm (UTC)THAT'S BECAUSE I'M A CRACK
DOCTORBIOLOGIST!!1 oh yes.