Quick definitions of the most common terminology you
are likely to find when searching for fan fiction.
! - as in Spy!Snape, Smart!Peter, QuidditchPlayer!Lily, Witty!Ron, Depressed!Sirius, and so on.
The basic structure is this: [specific character point]![character]
The purpose of this structure, often found in keywords or story descriptions, is to give the reader information on characterization. A person fed up with authors who hate Peter Pettigrew (PeterHating!authors) and depict him as a dorky sidekick to the magnificent Marauders, for example, may be interested in a story promising Smart!Peter or Prankster!Peter. A story saying it has Spy!Snape will have Snape in the role of a spy whereas Traitor!Snape will have Snape in the role of a traitor. See how this works?
This is one of the more confusing fan fiction shorthand examples. Once understood, however, it's rather useful.
AU - Alternative Universe.
AU stories are "what if" stories.
If someone writes a story about the Potters deciding not to switch Secret Keepers at the last moment, they are writing an AU story.
Beta reader (it comes from the idea of "beta testing" software before releasing the final product): A proof reader and editor. A beta reader helps a writer by pointing out plot holes and inconsistencies, offering advice about improving certain scenes, checking grammar, and/or offering advice on characterization.
Bunnies - See Plot Bunnies
Canon: Universal standard. In fan fiction, it is referring to the original work. JK Rowling's books are canon whereas fan fiction is fanon. If something agrees with canon, it agrees with the "real" thing. For example, canon Draco Malfoy is a rich snobby kid whereas fanon Draco Malfoy is often a suave and sexy guy (there's no support for this in the books so it "does not agree with canon").
Cliffhangers: These are evil plot manipulations the authors use when they want you to come back for the next update. If a chapter ends abruptly, just as something important happens, is about to happen, or is alluded to, with much suspenceful buildup, then the chapter ended on a cliffhanger.
There are different cliffhangers levels. Some authors choose to leave a long-term cliffhanger, one that will not be addressed until much later. Some authors leave a short-term cliffhanger, one that will be addressed with the next chapter. Cutting off a scene in the middle classifies as a short-term cliffhanger.
Cliffies - See Cliffhangers.
Crossovers: An overlap of two separate fictional worlds. These are "what would happen if _______ met ________?!" stories. Examples of crossovers are stories that have:
Harry in Middle Earth, Hermione meet Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Remus Lupin meet Dracula, Dumbledore meet Gandalf, Voldemort and Darth Vader, and so forth.
Crossovers are usually labeled like this: [one book, movie, whatever]/[another book, movie, whatever]. HP/LotR means a crossover between Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, for example.
Disclaimers: Statements from the authors to the readers citing all materials they do not own so that they don't get sued. In Harry Potter fanfics, for example, a disclaimer cites J.K. Rowling as the inventor of Harry Potter.
Fandom: The fan kingdom. It includes all fans of a particular something.
Fanon, as opposed to canon: Fanon is the Harry Potter world the fans made. In fanon, characters from JK Rowling's books (the canon) are often portrayed at least somewhat differently.
Fluff: Fluffy stories are light stories with no real substance. They are usually written for fun and are more than often plotless.
Founderfic or Foundersfic: A fan fiction piece about the Hogwarts Founders.
Gary Stu: Mary Sue's twin brother. See Mary Sue.
H/H, also H/Hr: The Harry/Hermione pairing. See Ships.
IC: "In Character." Antonym: OOC.
Mary Sue: Mary Sues are unrealistic characters with no real flaws. They are often the author's insertion of themselves and fulfill wishes they have. The most typical Mary Sues in the Harry Potter books come into the story as exchange students. They are enchantingly beautiful and quickly become the objects of the male characters' affection. They always have great skills in Quidditch and magic (along with many other things). As a last ditch attempt to give their Mary Sue humanly flaws, the authors try to give them a bad temper or an "attitude." Too many times, Mary Sues have "dark secrets" like: being the daughter of Voldemort, cousin to Draco Malfoy, niece of Snape, cousin to Harry Potter, sister to Draco, sister to Harry, niece of Dumbledore, niece of Remus Lupin, niece of Sirius Black, daughter of Sirius Black — you get the idea.
No serious author ever adds a Mary Sue to their story. If you ever encounter a Mary Sue, click out of there before they take your soul!
[Note: Even though practically all Mary Sues are self insertions, it does not mean self insertion = Mary Sue. See the cited references below.]
[Shout out to all writers: Please, please, please at least glance at the Mary Sue Litmus test before and after writing anything. Both you and your readers will be much more content with the results.]
Essay: Self-Insertion and Mary-Sue-ism
Mary Sue Litmus Test - to be used to learn about cliched characters points and avoid them.
Mary Sue Parodies: Mary Sues are so unrealistically perfect, you can't help but make fun of them. There are a lot of great spoofs out there, read a few.
MST: Mystery Science Theater. In fanfics, it usually takes the form of a group of characters trapped in a room, forced to read something, all the while giving running commentary.
Muse: While reading authors' notes, you may come across a reference to a muse. Muses are the inspiration of authors. The actual word, "Muse," refers to any of the nine sister goddesses of learning and the arts in Greek mythology. In Harry Potter fan fiction, muses often take the form of characters (many popular ones are Remus Lupin, Lily Evans, Sirius Black, Tom Riddle, the Weasley Twins, and Severus Snape).
MWPP: Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs. Stories are said to be in the MWPP era if they take place when the Marauders were at Hogwarts.
MWPP/L: Pretty much the same thing as MWPP except they include Lily.
OC or Original Character: Original characters. Characters the author made up and you have never heard of before.
OCF: Female OC
OCM: Male OC
OOC: "Out of Character." Antonym: IC.
Plot Bunnies: Plot bunnies are story ideas that stick to an author's mind. They "hop" around until the author writes them out. I often come across short stories with an author's note saying, "The plot bunnies made me do it!"
<> Related: Muse.
POV: Point of View. To see a story from Harry's POV is to see it through his eyes.
R/H or R/Hr: The Ron/Hermione pairing. See Ships.
R/R: "Read and Review." It is mostly used at FanFiction.Net.
Shipper: A supporter of a certain ship.
Ships [from 'relationship']: Ships are pairings between characters. To be a "R/H shipper" means you support the R/H ship. Many popular ships are Ron/Hermione, Harry/Hermione, Harry/Ginny, Draco/Hermione, Draco/Ginny, Sirius/Remus (see Slash), and for some odd reason, Hermione/George and Dumbledore/Pomfrey.
Slash: Slash means a pairing between characters of the same sex. The most popular one is by far Sirius/Remus.
Femme Slash: Female slash.
Spoilers: Things that will spoil the book for you if you have not yet read it. For example, a fanfic about the death in OotP right after its release should have a spoilers warning for people who have not yet read OotP.
TBC: Sometimes found at the end of chapters, this abbreviation means "to be continued."
WIP: Sometimes found in summaries, this abbreviation means "work in progress."
Last updated September 5, 2004
