Fan Glossary

"We're Not Obsessed -- We're Focused"
--Order of the Blessed Saint Scully the Enigmatic (OBSSE)

Moving Day 2001

What's going: all my fiction, my recommendation page, and eventually my fannish images.

What's staying: the Fan Glossary (which may, in fact, see an update soon) and:

There's a list of fanfic archives at the bottom of this page.

A short list of reference materials for writing fanfic, mostly police procedures at this point.

And just for a little treat, some backgrounds (Windows bitmaps) and a zip file of 13 Callisto-screensaver pictures.

Slashy eye candy: Technicolor Dream is a modified image from "Dead End on Blank Street" and "Real Deal" screencaps. The modifications are (c) cmshaw but the original images are (c) Pet Fly and The Sentinel.

More slashy eye candy: Download an Oz screensaver for Windows, of my own design. The screensaver is (c) cmshaw but the images used are (c) Levinson/Fontana and Oz.

Fanfic Definitions

• fanfic, n. Also fan fiction, fic. Amateur fiction set in a 'universe' created by another, usually professional, work of fiction. Science fictional television shows are popular sources for fanfic universes.
• filk, n. Science fictional songs, including melodic fanfic.
• filk, v. To sing a filk song. To write a filk song. To write a parody song with a scientific theme.
• disclaimer, n. An obligatory copyright notice attached to each fanfic story, stating who the actual owners of the scenarios and characters used are, that the story was not authorized by said owners, and that the fanfic author intends no copyright violation or material gain.
• canon, adj. Refers to facts established by the original fiction. Usually referenced as one might reference a holy text.
• TPTB, n. Acronym for The Powers That Be. The writers/directors of the original show. Often regarded much in the way that X-Files agents regard Deep Throat and Mr. X, or, if a more classical analogy is preferred, in the way Doctor Faust must have regarded Mephistopheles.*
• feedback, n. The customary thank-you note sent to authors whose fanfic one reads; often includes editorial critique. Acts on most authors as a highly addictive recreational drug.
• challenge, n. A set of writing constraints proposed for an informal contest or game among a group of authors, usually resulting in an immediate flood of short humorous pieces.
• beta, v. To edit a fanfic story.
• beta reader, n. A fanfic editor.
• zine, n. Also 'zine. A collection of fanfic printed in magazine form, usually sold for cost-of-printing. This form of fanfic publication pre-dates the Web but is still in use.
• archive, n. A collection of fanfic made available on the Web. Usually this collection is of stories posted to UseNet or a private mailing list, presented with the fanfic authors' permissions.
• archive, v.t. To add [a fanfic] to an archive.
• slash, n. Fanfic featuring two (or more) people of the same gender romantically and/or sexually involved. Not to be confused with 'slasher', a type of horror film. Compare 'gayfic'. slash or slashy adj.
• slash, v.t. To pair [a character] in a story with another of the same gender.
• gayfic, n. Fanfic featuring characters recognizably a part of modern gay (sub)culture. Compare 'slash'.
• het, adj. Refers to fanfic featuring or fictional situations depicting two people of different genders romantically and/or sexually involved. May also refer to fanfic with protagonists recognizably straight (in the modern sense), although the presence or absence of straight characters is not usually considered worthy of remark.
• gen, adj. Refers to fanfic which is not slash, ie, which depicts either no sex or het sex only.
• UST, n. Acronym for Unresolved Sexual Tension. Canonical or fanfictional sexual chemistry between two characters who are not at the time in a sexual relationship.
• Mary Sue, n. A character who is a transparent double for the author of the story. A story featuring such a character. Although writing a Mary Sue accidentally is considered terribly gauche, many experienced authors enjoy playing with the concept in order to depict themselves in mock argument with their characters or to write their friends cameo appearances as gifts.*
• header info, n. Information usually included at the top of a fanfic story to inform readers of the content. Standard header info is show (including crossovers) and rating, plus any necessary specifics about sex (including gender of any pairings and pairing of major characters), language, spoilers, violence, death, and rape.
• part A/B, header. Also [A/B], (A/B). A and B are numbers. Indicates that the following is piece number A out of B pieces of one long fanfic; eg, Story [1/3], Story [2/3], and Story [3/3] together form the fanfic titled Story. A piece which must unexpectedly be broken into even smaller fragments is marked Aa/B, Ab/B, Ac/B, etc., as needed; eg, 4a/5, 4b/5. Fanfics which form a series but which each stand alone are numbered with roman numerals to avoid confusion with this custom; eg, Story, Story II The Sequel, Story III It's Back.
• f/f, m/f, m/m, header. Also slash, het, slash, respectively. Fanfic with, respectively, female/female, male/female, male/male sex, explicit or implied.
• s/m, header. Also S/M, bdsm. Sexual sadomasochism. Consensual unless otherwise indicated.
• b&d, header. Also b/d, bondage. Sexual bondage. Consensual unless otherwise indicated.
• d/s, header. Also D/s. Sexual dominance and submission. Consensual unless otherwise indicated.
• PWP, header. Acronym for 'Plot, What Plot?' A sex story.
• language, header. Euphemism for swearing and dirty jokes.
• ep, n. Short for 'episode'. A given episode of the television show in question.
• spoiler, header. Fanfic which uses events in recently aired eps of the originating show (specific eps are usually named).
• angst, n. Emotional pain. Often prized by fanfic authors for the intensity which it adds to a story, or simply for the masochistic thrill of it.
• angst, header. Fanfic in which a character's emotional pain is a central plot element.
• h/c, header. Acronym for Hurt/Comfort. Fanfic in which reaction to a character's pain is a central plot element.
• ose, adj. The filk equivalent of angst, describing a song in which 'everyone dies except the dog, and then the dog dies too'.
• death story, header. Fanfic in which a major character dies, usually in a manner which traumatizes all other characters and the reader.
• n/c, header. Non-consensual sex. See 'rape story'. May or may not indicate that the rape is graphically described.
• sexual violence, header. See 'rape story'. May or may not carry specific connotations of domestic violence, attempted rape, or date rape. Usually not used to indicate consensual sexual sadomasochism.
• rape story, header. Fanfic in which a character is raped. Usually implies an h/c plot.
• crossover, header. Also x-over. Fanfic using characters/scenarios from two or more different shows.
• AU, header. Also A/U, alternate universe. Fanfic in which the story universe is radically altered from the canon show universe. Variant: 'uber' (Xena fandom only).
• rating, header. Self-rating of a fanfic story using the (American?) movie guidelines:
  • G. Good clean fun.
  • PG. May imply sex or violence.
  • PG-13. Implies sex or violence.
  • R. Sex or violence. Or 'four-letter words'.
  • NC-17. Not recommended (and in some places illegal) for readers under age eighteen. Pornographic sex or gory violence.
  • X. An older rating, now replaced by NC-17 (much to the relief of X-Files writers).
• shows:
  • TOS. Star Trek: The Original Series. Owned by Paramount. Not currently on the air.
  • TNG. Star Trek: The Next Generation. Owned by Paramount. Not currently on the air.
  • VOY. Star Trek: Voyager. Owned by Paramount. Airs on UPN.
  • DS9. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Owned by Paramount. Airs in syndication.
  • XF. X-Files. Owned by Chris Carter and 1013 Productions. Airs on Fox.
  • HL or HL:TS. Highlander: The Series. Owned by Panzer/Davis and Rysher Entertainment. Repeats air in syndication.
  • HL:TR. Highlander: The Raven. Owned by Panzer/Davis and Rysher Entertainment. Airs in syndication.
  • TS. The Sentinel. Owned by Pet Fly Inc. and Paramount. Repeats air on SciFi.
  • B7. Blake's 7. Owned by the British Broadcasting Corporation. Not currently on the air.
  • OZ. Oz. Owned by Rysher Entertainment, Levinson/Fontana Pictures, and Viacom. Airs on HBO.
  • HP. Harry Potter. Written by J.K. Rowling.
• pairings acronyms:
  • f. Any show, non-major-character female.
  • m. Any show, non-major-character male.
  • o, O, or ?. Any show, unspecified character.
  • /. Punctuation indicating sexual involvement between the characters (eg, K/S indicating a relationship between James Kirk and Spock).
  • &. Punctuation indicating friendship between the characters.
  • A. HL:TS/TR, Amanda.
  • A. B7, Kerr Avon.
  • B. TS, Blair Sandburg.
  • B. B7, Roj Blake.
  • B. OZ, Tobias Beecher.
  • C. TNG, Beverly Crusher.
  • C. VOY, Chakotay.
  • C. B7, Cally.
  • D. B7, Dayna Mellanby.
  • DM or D. HL, Duncan MacLeod.
  • G. B7, Olag Gan.
  • J. VOY, Kathryn Janeway.
  • J. HL, Joe Dawson.
  • J. TS, James Ellison.
  • J. B7, Jenna Stannis.
  • K. TOS, James Kirk.
  • K. VOY, Harry Kim.
  • K. XF, Alex Krycek.
  • K. OZ, Chris Keller.
  • M. XF, Fox Mulder.
  • M. HL, Methos.
  • Mc or M. TOS, Leonard McCoy.
  • P. TNG, Jean-Luc Picard.
  • P. VOY, Tom Paris.
  • Q. TNG, Q.
  • S. TOS, Spock.
  • S. B7, Soolin.
  • S or Sc. XF, Dana Scully.
  • Sk. XF, Walter Skinner.
  • T. VOY, B'Elanna Torres.
  • T or Ta. B7, Del Tarrant.
  • V. B7, Vila Restal.
  • 7. VOY, Seven of Nine.
• Star Trek specific:
  • Trekkie, n. Also trekker. A Star Trek fan.
  • IDIC, abbr. Acronym for Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combination. Translates loosely as 'whatever floats your boat'.
  • slash, n. Historical note: Trek fanfic claims the distinction of having created the term 'slash' from the symbol '/', originally used to indicate Kirk/Spock pornography although now in common use to designate sexual pairing in all fanfics.
  • ASC. UseNet newsgroup Alt.Startrek.Creative. (FAQ)
  • ASCEM. UseNet newsgroup Alt.Startrek.Creative.Erotica.Moderated. (FAQ)
• X-Files specific:
  • X-Phile, n. Also 'phile. An X-Files fan.
  • MSR, header. Mulder/Scully Romance (M/S).
  • 'Shipper, n. Also relationshipper. A fan of MSR fanfic and a proponent of canon M/S. shipper or shippy, adj.
  • NoRomo, n. Also anti-shipper. A disbeliever in canon M/S.
  • DD, GA, MP, NL, CC. Respectively, actors David Duchovny (Fox Mulder), Gillian Anderson (Dana Scully), Mitch Pileggi (Walter Skinner), and Nick Lea (Alex Krycek), and director Chris Carter.
  • ATXC. UseNet newsgroup Alt.Tv.X-files.Creative. (FAQ)
  • The Gossamer archive also has its own set of header abbreviations. See classification key.
• Highlander specific:
  • ROG, abbr. Acronym for Really Old Guy. Methos.
• The Sentinel specific:
  • Senner, n. A Sentinel fan.
  • Smarm, n. Nonsexual love and comfort between two characters. Has no negative connotations. May be used in other shows' fandoms.
  • Owwies, n pl. Also owies. Hurt, as in 'hurt/comfort'. Not to be confused with 'OWW', the show acronym for One West Waikiki. See h/c.
  • hh/jj, adj. Acronym for happy-happy-joy-joy. Refers to a cheerful story. May have originated with the cult following of the Ren & Stimpy Show cartoon.
  • Illoe, n. Short for illustration. Usage seems to be confined to TS fandom.
  • SOS, n. Acronym for Support Our Sentinel. A group of fen dedicated to preventing the cancellation of the show.
  • RB, GM, BAY, AG, DV. Respectively, actors Richard Burgi (James Ellison), Garett Maggart (Blair Sandburg), Bruce A. Young (Simon Banks), and Anna Galvin (Megan Conner), and UPN President Dean Valentine.
  • ATS. UseNet newsgroup alt.tv.sentinel. (FAQ)
• Blake's 7 specific:
  • PGP, adj. Acronym for Post Gauda Prime. Stories set after the series finale, which took place on Gauda Prime.
• Harry Potter specific:
  • JKR. Joanne Kathleen Rowling, the author.
  • SS, PS, CoS, PoA, GoF, n. Respectively, the books Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (American version), Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (British version), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
  • bishounen, adj. Pretty, usually in reference to young men. From the Japanese, via anime.
  • lemon, n. and adj. See slash. From anime.

The definitive listing: Slash Fan Fiction on the Net
Highlander erotica: HLX
TrekSmut: R'rain's Slash Archive
X-Philes: Mulder/Krycek Romantics Association,
    Mulder/Skinner Slash Society,
    Dana Scully's Slash Angels,
    and Archive/X (the new stories)
Sentinel Slash: 852 Prospect
Oz Smut: Em City

The definitive listing: Fan Fiction on the Net
Highlander: HLFIC-L Archive
X-Files: Gossamer
    and Award-Winning Stories
Archiving ASC and ASC.Erotica.Moderated: Alt.Startrek.Creative Community Website
The Sentinel (gen only): Guide Posts

X-Files (Fox)
Highlander: The Series (Rysher)

Highlander: The Raven (Rysher)

The Sentinel doesn't have an official site, but the official unofficial site is Support Our Sentinel (includes episode reviews).

Paramount offers a rather lame Star Trek page, but for Voyager and Deep Space Nine, episode reviews are available unofficially at Star Trek: Hypertext.

HBO shows everyone up with a kickin' Oz page that has to be seen to be believed.

This page hosted by GeoCities.