In that spirit, if you have a term you'd like to see added or a question or concern, please don't hesitate to let me know! This list continues to grow and improve with every contribution from all of you; I honestly couldn't do it without you. So please, keep the suggestions coming!
! = The Exclamation Mark or 'Bang' Symbol -- refers to a short form for expressing the presence of a particular trait or defining quality of a character in a story, one which is usually not part of the original canon characterization, or is at least an extreme interpretation of the canon characterization. Most often written in the format of trait first and character's name last, with the symbol in between. (For example: "Smart!Jack" in Stargate: SG-1, indicating that the character of Jack O'Neill is secretly smarter than he pretends to be.) The compact format of [trait]![character's name] manages to quickly and clearly describe to the reader an accurate depiction of the author's choice in characterization before they even read the story. See also: BAMF and/or Limp!
A/A = Action/Adventure -- refers to a genre of stories featuring a plot with a fair amount of physical (as in the "shoot 'em up, blow 'em up, beat 'em up" type and not the "don't come a-knockin' if the bed be a-rockin'" type!) action. Adventure stories tend to be mainly plot-driven in nature, but may also contain mystery or suspense or romance. See also: Casefile, Genre and/or Plot
Adult -- refers to the presence of graphic or explicit sexual content and/or violence; must be 18 years or older to read. See also: Het and/or Slash
Amnesia (-fic) --refers to stories in which a character (or perhaps all of them!) loses their memory, either in whole or in part, for one reason or another. It is an excellent way to explore new dynamics among the characters, also acting as a way to get an outside perspective without introducing an original character. Usually, but not always, the amnesiac will regain their memories before the end of the story. See also: H/C and/or Outside POV
A/N = Author's Notes -- refers to an author's personal notes about the story, writing experience, or whatever else the author wants to talk to their readers about. Usually included before the beginning, or sometimes after the end, of a fic. Author's notes embedded within a story are generally viewed as distracting, pointless, and unwelcome. If additional explanation that cannot be incorporated into context is needed, the use of footnotes is perfectly acceptable and can often enhance a fic tremendously. That said, certain forms of parody such as Badfics and MSTings may use the embedded A/N method deliberately for humour's sake. See also: Badfic and/or MST
Angst -- refers to a genre of stories with prevalent physical or, mainly, emotional torment of characters. Most stories with an angst description contain significant levels of characters feeling emotions such as fear, anxiety, or sadness. Such fics may also be designed to elicit such emotions in the readers. See also: H/C
Anon (-ymous) -- refers to someone, either author or reader, who does not wish their identity to be revealed. Often shortened to Anon. When multiple anonymous users are posting, may be distinguished by using such terms as Same Anon (SA), Different Anon (DA) or New Anon (NA). See also: OP
Arc (Myth- or Story-) -- refers to an extensive overarching plot theme that extends throughout a story or series, either as the primary plot thread or (usually) running continuously within the background. May be originated as part of the original canon, especially among dramas, or developed purely in an author's on-going fanwork. See also: Plot
Archive -- refers to a collection of stories by multiple different authors in one easy-to-browse location. Major fandom archives often host thousands of stories of every imaginable variety. Many archives are also multifandom or even themed, such as Crossover archives. Fanfiction.Net is the largest archive ever in existence, and thus the first archive most new readers discover. While admittedly a great starting place for delving into a new fandom, it is by no means the only (or often best!) archive for many varieties of fandoms or genres. More specialised archives can generally be found by a quick Google search of the name of your fandom/pairing/preference with either the word "archive" or "fanfiction" beside it. Also, don't forget AO3! Otherwise known as the Archive Of Our Own, a massive fan-created multifandom archive alternative that is well worth checking out! (It has great downloadable formats of every story for e-readers and tablets, yay!)
AU = Alternate Universe -- refers to a story of which there is a (often major) plot, setting, or character deviation away from established canon. AUs may be anything, but there are some themes that are quite common in a variety of fandoms such as All Human AUs, Animal AUs, Highschool AUs, and/or Modern AUs, for example. Authors may also create and develop their own unique worlds in which to place familiar characters. Sometimes referred to as Alternate Realities, Alternate Timelines or Parallel Realities, but such precise distinctions are not usually necessary. See also: Fusion and/or Worldbuilding
Badfic -- refers to stories written in a deliberately horrible manner, as a special type of Parody story (one usually only done as a Challenge). Badfics tend to use every cliche in the book, ridiculous (completely out-of-character) sweeping (and often purple-prosy) descriptions and dialogue, and mainly... the most awful grammar and spelling one can stand! Such stories can be terribly funny (in the way watching a train wreck is interesting) or excruciatingly nauseating. It takes a master to pull it off without encouraging the Pepto-Bismol stockprices, so is not recommended for beginners. See also: Challenge and/or Parody
Backstory -- refers to a story about, or containing scenes of, the past history of a character as set well before the canon's timeline. The character's prior background may be previously established in canon and just further elaborated in the fic, or the backstory may be an entirely original creation of the author. As backstory is ostensibly part of the character's unseen history, it may be Jossed by canon at any time or possibly even retconned in at a later date. See also: Jossed and/or Retcon
BAMF = Bad Ass Mother Fucker -- refers to a character who is particularly awesome and impressive, often expressing this awesome power of awesometude by being extremely tough and hard to defeat. BAMFs may be male or female, stereotypically heroic or unexpectedly amazing, consistently so or just during brief moments. (Note that "bamf!" is also the sound that X-Men character Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler makes when teleporting, but that this version of the word is not related to the meaning of the acronym -- except in that Nightcrawler is himself a fairly BAMFy character anyway.)
Bestiality -- refers to the presence of a sexual relationship between humans and animals. Most bestiality stories actually involve a human physically transformed into an animal via some spell or mysticism, but who still retains their human thoughts and emotions and are thus fully capable of giving informed consent. May be mild to extreme, implied or graphic. This can frequently be a squick for many people, so should be listed in the author's warnings. See also: Kink, Squick, and/or Warning
Beta (-'d, -read, or -reader) -- refers to having someone knowledgeable in writing etiquette edit a story prior to posting. While spell-checking a story can catch most simple mistakes, certain grammar faux-pas will be missed. A beta-reader can catch not only the technical errors, but is often useful as a sounding board for improving the story itself. Betas can fill in plotholes, keep your characterizations on target, and help guide an author to new creative heights. Authors are fantastic and always appreciated, but betas make authors better and deserve some appreciation of their own.
BDSM (or B/D, D/s, S/M) = Bondage Domination Sadism Masochism -- refers to the presence of bondage, dominance/submission, and/or sado-masochism for sexual or violence purposes. Not all aspects of the term BDSM may be included within a single fic, so many authors distinguish which specific elements are included. For example, a fic may include a consensual sex scene of dominance/submission but no sadism or masochism, thus it can legitimately not be labelled BDSM. (Although in such a case, it would be recommended that the author still warns for D/s separately, just in case.) May be mild (PG-13) to extreme (NC-17). This can frequently be a squick for many people, so should be listed in the author's warnings. See also: Bondage
BNF = Big Name Fan -- refers to a fan (usually an author or other prominent contributor to the fandom) who has become so well known within the fandom that they have gained power over it. Unfortunately, most BNFs tend to go inevitably mad with that power, and insanity and wank are not uncommon surrounding them. It is indeed possible for some BNFs to be quite nice and laid-back, even using their power for the greater good, but it is dishearteningly rare. See also: Wank
Bondage -- refers to the presence of physical restraints used as sexual stimulus for a character in a consensual sex scene. May be mild (PG-13) to extreme (NC-17). This can frequently be a squick for many people, so should be listed in the author's warnings. See also: BDSM
Bonding -- refers to stories in which two (or more) characters are connected psychically or emotionally, possibly even telepathically, in an often predestined and permanent bond such as soulmates. Often contains intense emotional or physical scenes of the bonding process itself. Can be gen, het, or slash, although even the most gen of stories often read as UST when the bonding is described. See also: Gen, Het, Slash and/or UST
Canon -- refers to elements established by the original source material (TV show, book, movie, etc...) itself for either plot, setting, or character developments. The official details, as it were. See also: Fanon
Casefile -- refers to a certain type of plot element in a mystery or action storyline which involves the procedural investigation of a case. Most frequently used in fact-based fandoms, such as crime or medical shows. See also: A/A and/or Plot
Challenge -- refers to story ideas issued to potential authors by other fans; often involve following specific guidelines or using suggested elements. Example: In an ABC challenge, each sentence must begin with the next letter of the alphabet until the the entire alphabet has been used. See also: Ficathon and/or Prompt
Character Death -- refers to stories in which a major or minor canon character dies. This can frequently be a squick for many people, so should be listed in the author's warnings. (If possible, that is. Admittedly, sometimes the nature of deathfics are best kept secret, so that nothing detracts from the power of the emotional impact upon revelation.) Also called Deathfics. See also: Death
Cliché -- refers to elements within a story plot, setting, or characterization that are so common and overused as to become trite and stereotypical. Clichés can be annoying when encountered too often, but the important thing to remember is that they became clichés for a reason -- people like 'em! A new twist on an old cliché is almost always a guaranteed success. Some examples of classic clichés include characters changing gender or species, characters changed into animals or children, sudden superpowers, apocalyptic survival, and many other familiar scenarios from the human collective unconscious or your basic bodice-ripper romance novel. See also: AU, Crack, Genderswap, Kink, Plot, Sex Pollen, Trope and/or Wingfic
Comment (-fic) -- refers to a quick form of feedback written on the spot into an online dialogue box at the end of a story or chapter or other post. A comment-fic is a short story that is written for another person within that small text field, usually as a gift. See also: Feedback and/or LoC
Con = Short form of "Convention" -- refers to real-life gatherings of fans, sometimes officially endorsed (with official guests!), sometimes not, but gathering together to meet and exchange over a period of several days. Cons may be small (no more than 25 people) or large (no less than 25,000 people); dedicated to one specific fandom or welcoming them all; gen, slash, or bi-genre in nature; and/or anything else the hosts can think of. For example, Comic Con is an especially popular con for both fans and official guests (actors, writers, artists, other Powers-That-Be, etc...) held annually in San Diego, California, USA.
Concrit = Constructive Criticism -- refers to a specific type of feedback in which polite, helpful suggestions or edits are offered to improve the quality of a story. Concrit is not a flame, as even though it may contain negative comments as well as positive, the reviewer is generally only interested in providing friendly advice and well-reasoned arguments rather than 'attacking' the author or their work. Concrit can be a very rewarding experience for authors to receive, as it is an excellent way to learn and improve their writing skills, but unfortunately not all authors are ready to accept or appreciate concrit, so reviewers must be careful about what they say and to whom. See also: Beta, Feedback and/or Flame
Continuity -- refers to the consistency within elements of a canon or fanfic's plot, characterization, settings, and other small details that add verisimilitude to the story. Failures or gaps in the continuity can be quite noticeable and may detract from the overall enjoyment of the work. Such gaps also make excellent fodder for authors looking to fill them in, such as with backstory or missing scene fics. Established continuity can also be changed deliberately (or accidentally!) by the original canon's creators in a move known as "retconning". See also: Backstory, Missing Scene, Plot, and/or Retcon
Corporal Punishment -- refers to the presence of mild to extreme physical punishment as a child-rearing practice, whether implied or described. This can frequently be a squick for many people (myself included!), so should be listed in the author's warnings. See also: Domestic Discipline
Cosplay = Costume Play -- refers to a type of performance art in which fans dress up as characters, often in meticulously hand-made costumes. They may also choose to interact as the characters would to enhance the experience, for both themselves and spectators. Cosplayers can often be seen at conventions, however the phenomenon is an established subculture all its own as well.
Crack (-fic) -- refers to stories in which completely ridiculous, unbelievable or insane things occur, often without reasonable explanation but great enjoyment. Are generally written shamelessly and with no excuse beyond a desire to have fun. Often are also PWPs, though not always NC17. Are almost always humourous, although it is possible to write them seriously. Is so referred not only because such crackfics often seem as if they could only be conceived by an author high on drugs, but also because they can be hilariously addictive to readers as well. See also: Humour and/or PWP
Crossover (or X-over) -- refers to stories in which the characters, premises, or settings of more than one fandom coincide. Crossovers may consist of a complete blending of universes or only a slight, passing connection. Knowledge of both (or multiple) fandoms is not always necessary, but generally helpful to fully understanding the story. See also: AU and/or Fusion
Crosspost (-ed or -ing) -- refers to stories that have been posted across multiple different mailing lists, communities, or archives at around the same time. Done to ensure maximum distribution of the story to as many readers as possible, but warned for due to the high chance of repeated exposure among readers who also frequent most or all of those various platforms.
Curtain-fic -- refers to stories in which characters who are deeply established in their relationship engage in casual domestic activities such as cooking, laundry, shopping, or the trope for which it is named, picking out curtains together. See also: Fluff
Dark (-fic or -Story) -- refers to stories in which either the content or, usually, the characters themselves are written "darker" than their canon counterparts, although not necessarily outside the bounds of canon characterization. Can range from morally ambiguous to outright evil, possibly even psychopathic/sociopathic. Stories often carry high ratings due to disturbing subject matter.
DD = Domestic Discipline -- refers to the presence of character interaction similar to that of a parent and child, but in the context of a sexual relationship between two adults. Are often part of BDSM verses and frequently includes scenes of corporal punishment, such as spanking used as both discipline for wrong behavior and sexual stimulus. This can frequently be a squick for many people (myself included!), so should be listed in the author's warnings. See also: BDSM and/or Corporal Punishment
Death (-fic or -Story) -- refers to stories in which a major or minor canon character dies. This can frequently be a squick for many people, so should be listed in the author's warnings. (If possible, that is. Admittedly, sometimes the nature of deathfics are best kept secret, so that nothing detracts from the power of the emotional impact upon revelation.) See also: Character Death
Disclaimer -- refers to the legal statement of ownership, or non-ownership, authors make regarding the use of canon characters, settings, premises, etc... Technically, disclaimers do not provide any legal protection against charges of copyright infringement, so it is not truly necessary to include them. However, they are considered a courtesy that is strongly encouraged, in that they do provide a valid defense against charges of plagiarism. The best disclaimers actually mention who the legal copyright holders are, which may mean the creator and/or production network. Most fanworks are generally considered to be transformative and therefore fall under the "Fair Use" clause of copyright law, and disclaimers help reinforce that distinction. See also: Plagiarism and/or TPTB
Drabble -- refers to stories of exactly 100 words in length.
Dub-Con = Dubious-Consent -- refers to the presence of borderline non-consensual sexual contact within a story, whether implied or described. Often begins with a character refusing or denying the sexual relationship, but who eventually changes their mind and enjoys the act. It is a grey area between fully reciprocal intercourse and non-con, but is definitely not rape. This can frequently be a squick for many people, so should be listed in the author's warnings. See also: Fuck or Die, Non-Con and/or Rape
Ensemble -- refers to stories featuring the full or majority of the cast of characters within the fandom. There may or may not be pairings within the cast, but all major (and sometimes minor) characters will feature within the story. Among fandoms with actual teams of characters who always appear together, these stories may also be referred to as "team-fics" (for the gen stories) or OT#ofcharacters (for the Het, Slash, or Mixed relationship stories). Ensemble fics are the opposite of character-centric fics which focus mainly on a single character throughout the whole of the story, whereby the name of the character listed indicates who is featured by the story. See also: OTP
ER = Established Relationship -- refers to stories featuring characters already involved in an established romantic or sexual relationship prior to the beginning of the story. The opposite of a first time fic. See also: First Time
ETA = Editing Turn Around -- refers to a note to indicate the author (or commenter) has added to or corrected something in their writing after it was already posted and made public. Can be as little as fixing a missed spelling error, or a complete change of text.
f/f = Female/Female -- refers to a homosexual relationship involving two women. Sometimes referred to as "Femslash" or "Femmeslash" to differentiate it from the far more common male/male form of Slash. Also known as "Yuri", but predominantly only in manga/anime fandoms. See also: Slash and/or Yuri
Fanart -- refers to original illustrations and/or photo manipulations featuring fandom-related characters, settings, premises, etc... based on the original source material, but created by a fan. It is a form of transformative work designed as an expression of appreciation and exploration of the canon material. No profit is made from its production or distribution; no harm is meant. See also: Fanfic, Fanvid, Fanwork, and/or Manip
Fandom -- refers to the fan-based community dedicated to a particular TV show or other cult-inducing medium, including movies, books, music, comics, and any other canon source material. The term "fandom" can be used to represent either the fans and the multitude of ways in which they follow and enjoy the original source material, or as a generic way of referring to the original source material that supports a fan-based community itself. Fandom includes both the internet presence and real-life existence, and is expressed in many ways including websites, mailing lists, archives, fanart, fanfic, Cons, etc...
Fanfic (-tion) -- refers to derivative creative stories featuring the characters, settings, premises, etc... based on the original source material, but written by a fan. It is a form of transformative work designed as an expression of appreciation and exploration of the canon material. No profit is made from its production or distribution; no harm is meant. See also: Fanart, Fanmix, Fanvid and/or Fanwork
Fanmix -- refers to a themed musical selection of songs mixed together into an "album" format to be downloaded by readers or listeners, often with accompanying CD cover art. May be produced as a project into and of itself, or as an accessory to a fanfic story or other transformative work. See also: Fanart, Fanfic, Fanvid and/or Fanwork
Fanon -- refers to common plot or character elements that were not established by the original source material, but are generally accepted to be true by the fans anyway. These are the un-official details, folks. Fanon concepts have often become so prevalent in the fandom that their origins (which fan came up with the idea first) are no longer remembered. Example: In The Sentinel fandom, the minor canon character of Detective Rafe was never given a first name. Fanon, however, assigned him the name of Brian and it stuck. See also: Canon and/or Headcanon
Fan Service -- refers to scenes or moments within the original canon source material that are deliberate nods to the fans, such as in-jokes or bonus scenes that most fans can immediately recognize as being targeted to them rather than just the general viewer audience. Fan service indicates that the canon's creators and/or actors are aware of and appreciate their fans' dedication and they wish to acknowledge it in some form by catering to their fans' preferences. Oftentimes, this desire to please the fans is expressed in gratuitous scenes of nudity ("eye candy") or playing up of the subtext between characters' relationships even though it is irrelevant to the plot. Is usually excellent fun for both TPTB and the fans, but can become distracting if overused. See also: TPTB
Fanvid -- refers to music videos and montages created by a fan using a combination of clips from original source material set to a song or tune. It is a form of transformative work designed as an expression of appreciation and exploration of the canon material. No profit is made from its production or distribution; no harm is meant. See also: Fanart, Fanfic, 'Fanmix and/or Fanwork
Fanwork -- refers to any form of transformative work designed as an expression of appreciation and exploration of the canon material, or any other aspect of the fandom. Fanworks may consist of fanfiction, fanart, fanmixes, podfics, fanvids, cosplays, etc... either about the canon or based on another's fanwork relating to the canon. No profit is made from its production or distribution; no harm is meant. See also: Cosplay, Fanart, Fanfic, Fanmix, Fanvid and Podfic
Feedback -- refers to an author's idea of a 'reward' for their efforts. *g* Okay, seriously, feedback acts as a form of extrinsic reinforcement (if you want the actual psychological classification), which basically means that it generates good feelings in the author. Those good feelings reinforce the author's desire to write, so that they can get more good feelings and start the cycle all over again. However, I should point out that this is not and should not be the main reason authors write. They should write for the intrinsic reinforcement, the sense of good feelings that is inspired within themselves. Internal sources of reinforcement like a sense of accomplishment, pride in their work, joy in playing with the characters, or the pleasure of sharing should be the reason authors write and post stories. Otherwise, if they fail to get external sources of reinforcement, they may grow dissatisfied with writing and quit. Readers who enjoy a story are encouraged to let the author know, either by private email or a public review. Feedback can be anything from a short "I love your story!" to lengthy dissections of what works and what doesn't. Constructive criticism is sometimes appreciated, depending on the author, but flames are not. Ever! (So don't do it, m'kay?) Fanfiction authors don't get paid to write, they do it for the fun of it. Getting feedback for your work, knowing people out there are reading and enjoying what you write--it's all the reward an author needs. Unfortunately, the statistics on readers giving feedback are very low: something like only 1 out of 200 stories, according to one long forgotten estimate, ever receive feedback. Which means that every letter of comment is special and greatly appreciated. See also: Concrit, Flame, LoC, and/or R&R
Ficathon -- refers to a multi-participant challenge and writing fest in which authors are invited to submit story ideas in return for writing another author's prompt. Often, but not always, participation is anonymous until a later date. Ficathons often run based on a particular theme, but can be anything. Stories are usually beta'd prior to posting. See also: Challenge and/or Prompt
Filk -- refers to stories written along the lines of a song; usually a parody of either the fandom or of the song itself. See also: Songfic
First Time -- refers to stories in which the characters become romantically or sexually involved for the 'first time' during the course of the story. As opposed to having an 'Established Relationship' prior to the story's timeline. See also: ER
Fix-It -- refers to a specific type of alternate universe story in which the author attempts to correct or rewrite something that they feel the original canon should not have done or failed to do properly. Often, such fics will follow the canon right up to the certain critical point, but then go off in whatever other direction the author decides would be best to prevent or ameliorate whatever error they believe the canon produced. Fix-its are often written in response to unwanted plot points within the canon, such as a beloved character's sudden death, or to cover over obvious plot holes that the canon missed. Fans who engage in fix-its may be known as "Denialists" because they refuse to accept canon went the way it did when a single different choice at the critical point could have changed everything. See also: AU
Flame -- refers to inflammatory (rude, cruel, mean, hateful, unjust) remarks made about an author or their work. Not all criticism is automatically a flame, but it can be subjective to the author's sensitivity, so care should be taken to distinguish constructive criticism if sending feedback. Flaming is widely considered very bad netiquette, not just in the world of fandom, and will often get you banned from communities if you insist on doing it. See also: Concrit, Feedback and/or Troll
Flashfic -- refers to the stories of a kind of challenge community in which stories are written quickly in response to a daily or weekly prompt. The fics are usually short, jotted down "in a flash" as inspiration from the prompt hits. However, as some flashfic communities leave prompts up for a week or more, it is possible for a particularly-inspired author to produce longer, detailed fics in the same short time-frame. See also: Challenge and/or Prompt
Fluff -- refers to stories in which there is no angst or, often, any real plot either. Fluff fics tend to be short and sweet, with little to no depth, but often quite comforting to read. See also: WAFF
Fuck or Die -- refers to a situation in which characters must have sex or face dire consquences, possibly even death. While the characters will often be reluctant to participate and are often coerced into doing so by some outside factor, most of them do consent willingly to the act so such fics rarely contain rape. Post-sex awkwardness and angst are common elements, but stories may be humourous or cracky as well. Also known as "Sex or Death" fics, although the consequences of failure to have sex do not necessarily have to mean anyone's actual death. Includes classic sci-fi "Aliens Made Them Do It" scenarios. See also: Dub-Con
Fusion -- refers to a special brand of AU Crossover in which the characters of one fandom are written into the reality of another, as it is an easy way of writing an interesting alternate universe without worldbuilding a new reality from scratch. Often, the canon characters of that reality do not make an appearance in the story and therefore fusions may not necessarily count as true crossovers. See also: AU, Crossover and/or Worldbuilding
Future-fic -- refers to stories in which the characters are written at a time (usually far) into their own future. Stories are by necessity pure speculation and can be easily Jossed by later canon. Also known as "Post-Canon". See also: AU, Jossed and/or Post-Canon
Gen -- refers to a category of stories in which there is no romance or sex. Although it may include background or implied pairings, any relationships are incidental to the story itself. May, however, contain mild to extreme violence and/or foul language, so could still have high ratings.
Genderswap (-bender or -flip) -- refers to stories in which a character of one gender undergoes some kind of sex change at some point throughout or before the fic. Are usually sudden and unexpected, caused by magic or alien technology. Can be temporary or permanent and irreversible. Can be serious or, often, quite humourous. May also indicate stories in which a character who is canonically one gender is and always has been the opposite gender within the fic, such as a canon male character being rewritten as a female in 'always-a-girl' fics. See also: AU, Crack, and/or Rule 63
Genre -- refers to whatever type of literary theme that a story can be sorted as. Includes such common categories as drama, humour, romance, mystery, suspense, adventure, horror, fantasy, science fiction, hurt/comfort, angst, and more.
Haitus -- refers to a break of weeks or months between episodes of a television show, usually between seasons/series or over holidays. Authors may also take hiatuses from writing to prevent or recover from burning out. A hiatus does not mean the show or story is cancelled or abandoned, merely temporarily postponed.
H/C = Hurt/Comfort -- refers to the presence of emotional or physical angst of one character followed by emotional or physical comfort by another. A proper H/C story contains enough 'comfort' to equal or out-weigh the amount of 'hurt' experienced; if not, then the story qualifies as angst more so than H/C, if not full whump. See also: Angst and/or Whump
Headcanon (or Personal Canon) -- refers to the personal beliefs or interpretations about canon that an author or reader makes to explain or account for some aspect of the actual canon. The headcanon itself, while not officially supported by the canon, tends also not to be actually disproven or refuted by the canon and will therefore seem plausible in the mind of the fan who imagines it. Headcanons are as many and varied as the fans themselves, may be about the past, present, or future of the character or plot, and can be shared by others if particularly enticing or believable. In fact, if a headcanon is so popular that it gets adopted by many members of a fandom, it may eventually become accepted as fanon for that fandom. See also: Canon and/or Fanon
Het (-/Adult) -- refers to the presence of a heterosexual relationship featuring at least one canon character. See also: m/f
Humour -- refers to a genre of funny and amusing stories with strong elements of humour throughout. The humour may be the point of the story or just an entertaining by-product of the storytelling itself. See also: Crack and/or Genre
Incest -- refers to the presence of a romantic or sexual relationship between related members of a family. Incest can be of an abusive nature or completely consensual and genuinely loving. Parent/child and sibling (especially among twins, ie: 'twincest') relationships are the most common. This can frequently be a squick for many people, so should be listed in the author's warnings.
Jossed -- refers to stories or ideas, originally intended to be canonical, which have become AU only after-the-fact because the canon material continued on and went down a different path than the fanfiction author expected. Derived from show writer/creator Joss Whedon, who was particularly adept at changing canon with little warning (or explanation) to the fans. Originated in the Buffy: The Vampire Slayer and Angel: The Series fandoms, but has since been procured by many other fandoms as well. See also: Kripked
Kidfic -- refers to stories in which either the canon characters have been changed into children, a fic set in a time back when they were children, or stories featuring either their own children or unrelated children in a prominent role.
Kink -- refers to an unusual element of a story that some authors and readers find especially pleasing, but which others may consider squicks. (Remember: what turns you on, may turn someone else off!) Kinks vary from mild (PG-13) to extreme (NC-17) sexual acts, so should be listed in the author's warnings. See also: Squick
Kinkmeme -- refers to generally anonymous writing fests in which memers can post story prompts or kink-requests and authors can fill them. Anonymity is the general default in the meme, allowing folks the opportunity to write or request kinks they may otherwise be embarrased to admit having, but of course anyone can de-anon if desired. While kinkmemes can generate very explicit kinks that many others may find squicky, the anonymity of the meme keeps things open and nonjudgmental. Also, not all kinks are actually "kinky" -- many prompts are merely concepts or ideas that a reader is interested in and not sexual at all. Stories written can range from tiny mini-fills to lengthy epics, Gen, Het or Slash, rated 'G' to 'NC-17'. No limits is pretty much the name of the game. See also: Challenge, Kink and/or Prompt
Knotting -- refers to a specific kink trope of growing popularity in which at least one member of the sexual pairing possesses borderline animal-like traits such as a penis with a knot at the base that can swell to lock the male inside his partner, tying them together for a short period of time until the knot deflates. Usually seen in Omega-verse fics, bestiality fics, or stories dealing with part-animal creatures such as werewolves. See also: Bestiality, Kink, Omega and/or Trope
Kripked -- refers to stories or ideas previously conceived by fans suddenly becoming canonical because the original source material coincidentally also took the same path. Is the lucky exact opposite of the more common happenstance of an author being "Jossed" by the canon instead. Derived from show writer/creator Eric Kripke, who has repeatedly managed to validate fans' assumptions and predictions either accidentally or (perhaps) deliberately, as he is known to monitor fan activity and commit fan service. Originated in the Supernatural fandom, but has since been procured by many other fandoms as well. See also: Fan Service and/or Jossed
LoC = Letter of Comment -- refers to a quick, short message of appreciation a reader gives an author. See also: Feedback
Lurker -- refers to a reader who does not comment or review a fic or post. Lurkers 'lurk' quietly in the background, their presence unseen and often unknown, merely passively absorbing the fandom without actively participating. Lurkers may leave anonymous reviews when able, but generally prefer to remain unobtrusively in the shadows away from any possible wank. See also: Feedback, Review and/or Wank
m/f = Male/Female -- refers to a heterosexual relationship involving a man and a woman. See also: Het
m/m = Male/Male -- refers to a homosexual relationship involving two men. See also: Slash
Manip = Short form of "Manipulation" -- refers to an image that is created, usually via Photoshop (or some equivalent software), by manipulating a pre-existing picture into a new creation. May be quite an obvious alteration to the original image or look very realistic. May also be erotic in nature, in which case they are often marked "NSFW" to forewarn viewers to be careful about when and where they open them. See also: Fanart and/or NSFW
Mary-Sue (or Marty-Stu/Gary-Stu) -- refers to the presence of an original character that represents an idealized image of the author. They are often portrayed as the most beautiful, intelligent, powerful character with whom everybody falls in love with them and they can fix everybody's problems. They have often also survived some great tragedy that has molded them heroically into being a better person, and we should all bow down before their perfect greatness. *rolls eyes* Essentially, Mary-Sues are annoying and completely un-realistic figures as they have not a single human flaw within them. They are strongly detested by most readers, but most frequently written by young new authors without the age and/or experience to differentiate between an interesting original character and the dreaded Mary-Sue. Thankfully, given time and exposure, such authors usually grow out of the Mary-Sue compulsion within a year or two. (So please be gentle with them, okay? Most of us won't admit it, but when we first started writing fanfic we probably fell into the Mary-Sue trap as well, so we have no right to point fingers.) This can frequently be a squick for many people, so should be listed in the author's warnings, assuming the author is themself able to make the distinction, of course. Interpretation of a character as a Mary-Sue can be subjective, but there are several "Mary-Sue Litmus Tests" that can be taken to judge whether or not your character is one such. Please note, even the professionals have been known to perpetuate this blight on quality in their own canons from time to time (::cough:: Wesley Crusher ::cough::) so it can be difficult to avoid. See also: OFC, OMC and/or Self-Insert
Masterlist -- refers to a single post which serves as the main point of contact for a collection of interconnected stories, either individual chapters within a larger work or a series of separate stories, that is collated into one place for ease of reading. Authors will often create a masterlist if their fics have been published across multiple platforms and cannot be easily found or cross-indexed any other way.
Meta (-fic) -- refers to stories in which certain meta-like qualities apply. The term "meta" itself refers to something that is abstracted about itself, an X about X. It is used as both a prefix and an adjective. In fic, this includes stories which break the "fourth wall" between fiction and reality, and stories which are written as thinly-veiled commentaries on fandom or real life existence. Will often be humourous or crackfic, but can be quite serious as well. See also: Omake
Missing Scene -- refers to a, usually, short story written to fill in, add to, or flesh out a gap in the canon episode's storyline. See also: Tag and/or Timestamp
MST (-ing) = Mystery Science Theatre -- refers to an author embedding humourous personal comments within the body of a fanfiction story. Based on the old TV show, Mystery Science Theatre 3000 (MST3K), in which a narrator tossed in snarky ad-libs while telling a story.
MPreg = Male Pregnancy -- refers to stories featuring a male character capable of conceiving and/or carrying a child within their own body. May or may not include the birth as well. Obviously considered AU-ish. This can frequently be a squick for many people, so should be listed in the author's warnings.
Multiple Partners -- refers to stories involving sexual relationships of more than two people. The terms (m/m/m), (m/f/m), (m/f/f), etc... indicates genders of the involved members (often in the order involved) in the polyamory pairing. OT3s (or any number higher) are automatically included. This can frequently be a squick for many people, so should be listed in the author's warnings. See also: OTP
Muse -- refers to the source of inspiration for an author or artist. May be another person or thing, or just an aspect of their own imagination. It is what usually breeds the plotbunnies in an author's mind, but it can be impeded temporarily or permanently. This frustrating situation is widely known as Writer`s Block and is the bane of many an author's existence. See also: Plotbunny
NaNoWriMo = National Novel Writing Month -- refers to an annual event that occurs every November in which participants sign up to write a minimum of a 50,000 word novel in 30 days or less. Please see NaNoWriMo for more information.
NC-17 -- refers to the strongest rating a story may carry; indicating graphic or explicit sex and/or violence. Must be 18 years or older to read the story.
Newbie -- refers to a fan, author or reader, who is relatively new to the fandom (or the concept of fandom in general) and does not yet know all of the ways of the fandom. Newbies can, due to their lack of knowledge, make mistakes in interacting with other established fans that can be glaringly obvious, such as the creation of Mary-Sue characters. However, given time and patience they will eventually learn and adapt. This glossary in particular was designed specifically to help newbies familiarize themselves with the language of fandom so that they might more quickly be assimilated into the
Non-Con = Non-Consensual -- refers to the presence of non-consensual sexual contact within a story, whether implied or described. It will be clearly unwanted and undesired contact that may or may not go as far as rape. The victim may be mentally or physically incapable of giving consent at all, such as by being unconscious or intoxicated, or unwilling to give consent for any reason and be forced to endure the unwanted sexual contact anyway. This can frequently be a squick for many people, so should be listed in the author's warnings. See also: Dub-Con and/or Rape
Novel (-la) -- refers to stories of great length, usually at least 200Kb or 30,000 words. Minimum length requirements vary among fandoms, but in general a novella tends to be somewhat shorter than a novel, though still long in and of itself.
NSFW = Not Safe For Work -- refers to stories or images that contain elements, usually of an explicitly sexual nature, that make them inappropriate to be opened in a public domain such as one's place of employment.
OOC = Out-Of-Character -- refers to the fact that the characterizations used by an author are not those established by canon standards. Personality development flaws may be deliberate or accidental, for the better or (more likely) detriment to the story. Please note that even the most fantastical of AUs can be written with the characters still in-character, if one is careful.
OC = Original Character -- refers to a non-canon character created by the author that is featured prominently in the story. May be male or female, and either a major or minor character in comparison to the canon characters. May or may not be a Mary-Sue. See also: Mary-Sue
OFC = Original Female Character -- refers to a female character created by the author that is featured prominently in the story. May or may not be a Mary-Sue. See also: Mary-Sue
OMC = Original Male Character -- refers to a male character created by the author that is featured prominently in the story. May or may not be a Gary-Stu. See also: Mary-Sue
Omega (-verse or Alpha/Omega) -- refers to a growing trope on various kinkmemes in which characters can be Alphas (dominant males or females), Betas (ordinary working class), or Omegas (submissive males or females). Exact details vary, but similar themes of mating, heat cycles, knotting, and mpreg are fairly universal. May contain elements of BDSM, are often generally high in kink factors. See also: BDSM, Kink, Kinkmeme, Knotting and/or Trope
Oneshot -- refers to a single story that can be read and understood in full without having read any other prior story. Stand alones are complete in and unto themselves, and are not related to any other story by that author, or any other author for that matter. Also called Stand Alones. See also: Series and/or Stand Alone
OP = Original Poster -- refers to the first person to start a conversational thread, the first person to post about a certain topic. In anonymous story memes, the OP is the person who makes the prompt request in hopes an obliging author will fulfill it. See also: Anon and/or Kinkmeme
OTP = One True Pairing -- refers to an author's preferred relationship pairing between certain characters within a fandom. (An OT3, for example, refers to one's preferred trio of lovers, when two just isn't enough.) Fans may have many pairings they support, even multiple OTPs in a single fandom for different sets of characters. See also: Pairing and/or Shipper
Outside POV = Outside Point of View -- refers to stories written from the perspective of a non-major character, who observes the main characters while often not knowing or recognising the significance of details that are readily apparent to the reader. Can be either a minor character, a crossover character, or an original character. See also: POV
Pairing -- refers to the main characters featured in a romantic or sexual relationship within the story. May be het (m/f) or slash (m/m or f/f) or consist of multiple characters. Stories featuring pairings are distinguished from gen friendship fics with those same characters by the presence of the "/" between the names. Also, while by no means standard or definitive, pairing listings often tend to indicate the 'top' or 'dominant' character first and the 'bottom' or 'submissive' character second around the "/" symbol. Gen fics which included the same characters in a purely platonic relationship will often, but not always, use a comma or the "&" symbol instead of the "/" to list the story's cast. Pairings can be indentified either by writing out the full first and/or last names of the characters (ex: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson), the initals or abbreviation of the characters names (ex: HG/SS or MSR or Wincest), or by employing the growing practice of 'name-smooshing' whereby parts of each character's name are mashed together to come up with a new word to describe the pairing (ex: Brangelina or McShep). Please note that if initials, abbreviations, or name-smooshing are used, readers not completely familiar with the fandom or its conventions may not be able to understand the pairing referenced. See also: Het, Slash, Shipper and/or OTP
Parody -- refers to a audaciously familiar but somehow skewed story concept created for the sole intent of good-naturedly mocking the easily-recognized original canon or story. Often humourous, but may be merciless in making fun as well. See also: Badfic and/or Filk
Moonbeam's Note: There is some debate among fans as to the exact definition of a drabble. The 100-word limit is the most common (and, quite frankly, makes the most sense) but acceptable word limits can range anywhere from 50 to 500 words.
Moonbeam's Note: If you are wondering what kinds of things count as "kinks", Livejournal user Eliade has compiled an enormous list of potential kinks, tropes, and cliches that are used in fanfiction. At present, she has almost 400 things already.
collective community. See also: Mary-Sue
