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Glossary

alternate universe (AU): a story that changes the elements of the source material—for example, in a coffee shop, AU characters would be baristas or customers

anime: Japanese animation shows

avatar: an image that represents a person in a game

canon: the official version. Most fans also accept as canon things a creator proclaims about the original work after its release.

con: short for “convention,” a fan gathering, such as San Diego Comic-Con

cosplay: costume + play, dressing up as a character, such as Sherlock Holmes, or as an item in a story, such as Sherlock Holmes’s wallpaper

crossover: a mix and match of elements from different fandoms or story worlds, such as Superman meeting Steven Universe

drabble: a fanfic either exactly or about one hundred words long

!: the punctuation between a characteristic and a name that signals a changed trait. For example, “winged!Harry” is Harry Potter with wings.

fair use: the permission US law grants to use copyrighted material under certain conditions

fan: a person with a strong interest in or love for a media source, person, or activity. Active fans discuss, perform, and produce their own content inspired by the source. The adjective is fannish.

fan art: fan-made visual art, including drawing, photography, and digital arts

fandom: fan + domain; the community that arises around a media source. Each fandom has its own culture, with rules and expectations. Also, the state of being a fan.

fan edits: unofficial changes to an original source, such as a film, that delete, rearrange, or add material to improve or comment on the original

fanfiction: fanfic, or fic; fan writings about a media source, fictional or nonfiction (meta), written for love, not money

fanvids: or vids; fan-made videos, most commonly short film clips reedited and set to a song to tell a new story. Fans who make vids are vidders.

fanwork: the products a fan makes about or in response to that fan’s fandom

filk: from “fan folk”; a song written by fans for fans, either wholly original or new lyrics set to an existing song

forum: a website where users can post public messages, also called a message board

gamer: someone who plays games. If you play games, you’re a gamer.

genderbend: or genderswap; within fandom, changing a character’s sex, gender identity, or both from what it is in canon

GIF: images presented as a short animation, made with a computer file format called graphics interchange format

in-universe: the point of view of fanwork that treats a fictional world as if it were real, called the Game in Sherlock Holmes fandom

live-action role-playing (LARP): in-person, in-costume role-playing games

mashup: new content made from recombining elements from two or more sources; different from a remix, which is a rearrangement of a single work

meme: an idea, catchphrase, image, or piece of information that spreads like a virus, often with small changes

meta: nonfiction fanwork about canon or fandom itself, such as commentary on or discussion of a story or character

modification: or mod; fan-made changes to a video game that modify its behavior, appearance, or story

open-world game: a video game in which the player can wander freely rather than having to stick to a set gameplay

OTP: “one true pairing,” two characters a fan ships, or pairs romantically. OTPs can be canon (Ron/Hermione) or a fan’s favorite ship (Harry/Hermione). A fan’s disliked ship is a NOTP or NOtp.

parody: a spoof or mockery of another work

prompt: an idea for a fanwork, put forth by fans, intended to inspire new content

racebending: in the original, negative sense, it’s whitewashing, or casting a white actor as a canon character of color. The newer, positive meaning is reimagining a white character as a person of color.

retcon: or retroactive continuity; an official revision that adds to or changes a previously established story point, such as making a seemingly childless character a parent

role-playing game (RPG): an interactive creative game, such as Dungeons & Dragons, played online or in person. Acted out in person, it is LARP (live-action role-playing).

satire: works that poke fun of human failings, often through irony, sarcasm, or humor

science fiction: also called “sci-fi”; fiction that contains fantastic or extrapolated science themes or elements

shipping: portraying or championing a romantic relationship (ship) between characters not (usually) romantically involved in the original source. A shipper is a fan who supports a ship. Ships may be referred to with a combination of the character’s names, such as Caryl for Carol + Daryl.

slash: fanfic that explores romantic, intimate, or sexual relationships between same-sex characters, usually not together in canon. The name came from the slash mark between Kirk/Spock, the mothership of ships.

source material: the canon—the original book, TV show, movie, game, comic, or other text that a fan interacts with

trope: a theme or plot gimmick that becomes a staple of fannish storytelling, such as friends who fall in love

username: the name a fan uses online or in a video game, also called a handle, nickname, or screen name

zines: fan + magazine; self-published and self-distributed printed matter