Writing Advice

World-building should be quick and merciless. In a novel, you can spend ten pages explaining how the 29th Galactic Congress established a
Peacekeeping Force to regulate the use of interstitial jumpgates, and this Peacekeeping Force evolved over the course of a century to include A.I.s in
its command structure, etc. etc. In a short story, you really need to hang your scenery as fast as possible. My friend and mentor d.g.k. goldberg
always cited the Heinlein line: "The door dilated," which tells you a lot about the surroundings in three words. Little oblique references to stuff your
characters take for granted can go a long way.
Make us believe there's a world beyond your characters' surroundings. Even though you can't spend tons of time on world-building, you
have to include enough little touches to make us believe there's stuff we're not seeing. It's like the difference between the fake house-fronts in a
cowboy movie and actual houses. We should glimpse little bits of your universe, that don't necessarily relate to your characters' obsessions.
Fuck your characters up. A little. Just like with worldbuilding, you can't necessarily devote pages to your characters' childhoods and what kind
of underwear they wear under their boiler suits. Unless your story is really a character study with a bit of a science fiction plot. I used to have a
worksheet that included spaces to fill in in info about each character's favorite music, hatiest color, etc. etc. Never filled those out. If I'd tried to force
myself to come up with a favorite color for every character, I would have given up writing. But do try to spend a bit of time giving all of your
characters some baggage, just enough to make them interesting. Most science fiction readers are interested in characters who solve problems and
think positively, but that doesn't mean they can't have some damage.
Dive right in but don't sign-post your plot in big letters. When I started writing stories, my early efforts meandered around for pages
before something happened to one of the characters to make him/her freak out. And then the rest of the story would be the character(s) dealing with
that problem. And then, as I got more practiced, I found the foolproof map to awesome storytelling: introduce whatever it was that was freaking out
my characters in the very first sentence of the story! And then the story could be about them dealing with that problem, until they solved it in the very
end. It was so perfect, how could it fail? It took me another year or two to realize that plunging the characters into the story's main conflict right
away was just as boring, in its own way, as the ten pages of wandering in circles. The best short stories I've read are ones which start in the thick of
things, but still keep you guessing and let you get to know the characters before you fully comprehend the trouble they're in.
Experiment with form. Short fiction isn't one form, it's a whole bunch of forms jammed together according to their length. Short stories include
your standard 3,000 word mini-odyssey thru the psyche. But they also include flash fiction (sometimes defined as under 100 words, sometimes
under 500 or even under 1,000.) And those wacky list things that McSweeney's runs sometimes. In fact, for a while there, postmodern short fiction
was all about the list, or the footnotes, or the krazy monologue, or the story told in office memos. Try writing super-short stories of only 10 words, or
mutant essay-stories written by a fictional person. Also, if you always write third person, try first person. Or if you're always doing first person, try
third.
Think beyond genre. Often the best genre fiction is the stuff that cross-germinates. Pretend you're actually writing your story for the New Yorker,
and try to channel George Saunders or even Alice Munro. See how far you can go towards writing a pure lit piece while still including some elements
of speculation. Or try writing your story as a romance. Or a mystery. Imagine it as a Sundancey indy movie.
Don't confuse your gimmick with your plot. You may have a great idea for a piece of future technology, or some amazing mutation that turns
a whole bunch of people into musicvores who survive by eating your memories of rock concerts. Maybe you have the most original basic premise evar
but that's not your plot. Your plot is how your new widget changes the people in your story, and how it affects their lives. Or what decisions your
people make as a result of this new technological breakthrough.
Don't fall into the character-based/plot-based dichotomy. People, especially in writing groups and workshops, will try to categorize stories
as based on either plot or character. This is a poisonous idea that will turn you into a cannibalistic freak wearing a belt made out of human spinal
cords. There's no such thing as a character-based story or a plot-based story, because every story has both. Even the most incident-free Ploughshares
romp or the most twisty thumpy space opera tale. If you start thinking that stories can be categorized into either pile, you'll end up writing either
eventless character studies or plot-hammer symphonies starring one-dimensional nothings.
A Plot Outline for Short Stories
By
Suzan L. Wiener
Copyright 2013, Suzan L. Wiener, All Rights Reserved

Every authority on writing tells you to plot a short story, but no one seems to make an outline that a beginning writer can follow. An experienced writer will also find it
invaluable to outline his/her short story to know where he/she is going with it and won't wind up by being frustrated.

So many authors say, "My short story started out well, but I couldn't finish it." It is simple once you get the hang of it and will save a lot of time, effort and frustration. It
will also help you not to leave a story unfinished. Too many writers get to the end of a story and realize they have nowhere to go with it.

This format below should help you to increase sales. I know it has for me. I use it each time I write a short story. I find it helps me to keep the momentum up throughout.
It is an especially invaluable tool for the beginning writer. It is definitely not a crutch, but a means of being organized and knowing what your beginning, middle and end of
your story is. Each section will be clear to you even before you write your first paragraph.

Major characters (Protagonist, Antagonist)

A protagonist is the main character in a short story. He/She is the hero and needs to be clearly defined as does the antagonist. An antagonist is the character against the
protagonist or hero of a short story. Make the interaction between these two main characters exciting, realistic and challenging.

Physical description (examples: name, color of eyes, hair, stature, etc.) Descriptions are quite important. It enables the reader to know and more importantly care about
your characters. If a reader doesn't care about your characters, he will not bother to read your work and go onto another character whose story is more riveting.

Traits (examples: cheerful, sullen, etc.)

Minor characters (not necessary to be as detailed as major characters)

You will need a few to make the story more interesting and be interactive with your main character or antagonist.

Complications (each complication should move the story forward)

Subplot (if any)

A subplot isn't always necessary, unless your story is long, then it would definitely help move it along. The reader will want to read it to see what happens throughout.
Make it a page-turner.

Crisis (turning point)

Definition: A crucial or deciding point or situation. It is a turning point of the story.

This is the crux of your story and what happens here has to be believable and credible, so the reader isn't disappointed with the outcome.

Resolution (end of story)

Definition: It is a course of action which is determined or decided on. Here is the part where you want your reader to really care about what has occurred to everyone in
your story and you will if you make it exciting and interesting. The end of a story is too often a let-down for readers because the writer hasn't done enough of an outline to
know exactly where the story was going, unfortunately.
PEOPLE ARE COMPLICATED.
In this essay, which will ramble and preach and probably annoy people, I'll stick to fanction romance as my vague point of discussion. There are ways and ways to make it
believable -- and far more ways than that to make it completely dreadful. I'm certain any given reader can call to mind many examples illustrating the latter, and far too few of the
former. I'm going to attempt to lay out some of the most common problems with romance fanction, and whatever roundabout ways can be taken to avoid them.
I. The number one rule of romance is: don't overdo it. Fluff should be labeled as uff; there are those who appreciate it, and those who really, really don't. A romance story is
really only a story about one or more persons who are in love, and if the only point to the c is sex or cutesy cuddles, it's better to call it uff. Romance, on the other hand, implies
something a bit more sophisticated, and a heck of a lot more difcult to pull off.
Romances must be character-centric, and character-driven. Even if you have the most perfectest plot EVAR, it will fail unless you have adequately assessed the characters
enacting it. You can't just write about how the characters feel, you have to write about how the characters are, how the characters interact, and what the characters do. How they
feel is a springboard, and not the be-all, end-all of romance.
II. Falling in love is a complicated process. There usually has to be something about the other person that you don't see in yourself, and that you value, as well as many things
you have in common and can share. You must present your list of unforgivable aws and make certain that the other person does not possess them; marginally forgivable aws
should probably deter attraction if the person has too many of them, even though they're not one-hundred per cent anathema. There has to be a plausible circumstance
surrounding the falling-in-love process, during which you must interact at least minimally and must at least not express undying hatred for each other. When asking yourself if
two people are compatible, you really need to know their characters well enough to recognize what seems to attract them and what seems to repel them, even on a basic, non-
romantic level. Work with their most simple likes and dislikes, and play off of any emotional moments they've shared that seemed to indicate some deeper feeling.
III. If you write characters wildly OOC for the purposes of kinky monkey sex, you can and will be scoffed at and ignored by readers with any knowledge of the characters in
question. Really, please don't make Heero Yuy (GW) into something he isn't. The boy is practically robotic unless he's angry, has only laughed in the midst of battle when he's
killing people, and despite his unexplained xation on Relena Darlian, he's barely said ten words to her, and they've included "I'm going to kill you". He is not, nor will he ever
be, tender, vulnerable, weepy, extravagant, sappy, or (gods forbid) perky. Yes, he's probably got repressed emotions. No, that's not an excuse to completely change years of
conditioning and established personality just because you want him to express undying love (insert owers, chocolates and massage oil here) for Duo Maxwell.
(FYI: It's probably next to impossible to have sex in the cockpit of a mobile suit. Please don't try to pretend it isn't.)
Keep in mind that love is not clear-cut. Love is confusing. The old truism that you'll just know when you're in love is not bloody true -- I say this from experience. Oftentimes it's
infatuation, or some other sort of attachment, and just because a character can mistake that for TWOO WUV doesn't meant that's what it is. If you want it to be true love, you'll
have to explain or in some way establish why it isn't infatuation. That's work. Don't avoid it. In addition, love doesn't necessarily feel good, even when it's requited. Some people
might resent feeling like they require the presence of another person just to feel happy or function normally, and in turn resent the person causing them to feel that way.
Love does not conquer all. Just because characters A and B love each other does not mean they will, or can, or want to have a relationship. Love does not equal sex. Just
because characters A and B love each other does not mean they will, or can, or want to snog. Take Hiei and Kurama (YYH), for example. Say you want them to be in love. Would
they kiss? Would they cuddle? Would they go on cute dates and eat ice cream? Or would they be more likely to scout together, hunt together, defend each other, and have deep
intellectual conversations, and not even necessarily have any need or want for sex? And most importantly, would they think of themselves as being in a relationship? They
would clearly not be OMG BOYFREINDZ -- and portraying them as such will get you a verbal bullet in the face from several people I know.
IV. The boyfriend/girlfriend dynamic is largely centered around teenagers. Since anime usually features teenagers, the boyfriend/girlfriend dynamic is perfectly acceptable in
many circumstances -- but not all. Especially if the teenage characters have grown up prematurely, are considered adults by their society, or have no ability whatsoever to
emotionally connect, they can't and shouldn't do the boyfriend/girlfriend thing. Take Kagome and Inu-Yasha (IY): Kagome is the perfect candidate for the label of 'girlfriend'. Inu-
Yasha, on the other hand, is distinctly not a 'boyfriend' character (despite what Kagome's friends think, and despite his relative immaturity). That's why there's so much tension
there in the rst place. Inu-Yasha's old and powerful and has been deeply in love before, whereas Kagome is fteen and just falling for the rst time. Just liking her doesn't put
him on her level. They can conceivably act like boyfriend and girlfriend in some capacities, but their dynamic is too complicated for that to be as deep as it goes. Ergo, a
relationship doesn't have to be a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship, even if the characters are calling it that.
Typical characteristics of a boyfriend/girlfriend dynamic are a tendency towards jealousy (I saw you holding her hand, how could you?!), constant obsession over appearances
(it wasn't what it looked like! I swear!), a complete lack of trust in the relationship (if I don't look pretty all the time he won't like me anymore!), and a tenuous bond that can be
easily broken under any sort of signicant stress (you yelled at me, you don't really love me!). You'll note once again that Kagome falls mostly into this category, while Inu-Yasha
does not. An overlap relationship like this is difcult, to say the least. Keep in mind what each character wants out of it, and if they're satised with what they're getting; if not,
chances are the relationship will bomb.
V. Breaking up is touchy, and even harder to do right than falling in love. You have to gauge how deeply they felt for each other, why they decided to split up, who decided to
split up if it wasn't mutual, and any surrounding adjunct circumstances (life-and-death struggles, for example). This is a bad, bad place to trot out the emo brigade, unless your
characters are immature and shallow and generally prone to being emo in the rst place. Mature, intelligent people are not emo -- they can be horribly sad, or even emotionally
messed-up and suicidal, but they will not whine about how the world hates them and Character X shattered their poor crystal heart and they have to write poems about death to
keep themselves from cutting. The basic rule of thumb is that mature characters will handle breaking up maturely (for the most part), and immature characters will handle it
childishly.
VI. A realistic sexual relationship is a sideline to a realistic romantic relationship. Unless the relationship is based entirely on sex -- which seldom counts as romance at all -- you
just have to add it to what you've already established for the characters. What are their views on intimacy? Does sex mean nothing or everything? Is one character sex-obsessed
while the other isn't very sexually inclined? Are they both into the same kinks, or do they have none at all, or is there an imbalance? How do they handle rejection and sexual
frustration/disappointment?
Remember -- please, gods, remember -- your fanction characters are NOT necessarily into the same things you are, and just because you don't know what they are into is no
excuse for dumping your personal preferences on characters who are nothing like you. Try at least to keep vanilla characters vanilla, and kinky characters kinky, unless you can
come up with a good and plausible reason to portray them otherwise.
VII. Conversation between romantic characters need not include anything actually involving their feelings in order to be romantic. Characters that constantly gush about how
much they love each other generally make me want to chew through the monitor to get to their vitals. An unspoken understanding, a comforting word where unexpected, and a
pleasant silence can be very sweet and very touching, without the need for "I love you"s to be thrown around with abandon. The "I love you" ending is probably the worst ending
to a romance story (although I've occasionally seen it done well), and yes, there exist characters who would NEVER EVER SAY THOSE WORDS. There is no way around that.
Such characters may indeed love very deeply, but saying it is another matter entirely. Keep conversations realistic: include tangents, random interventions, any tension required
by the circumstances, and the natural skipping from one topic to another. Eventually, if the characters are going to get to the "I love you" stage, they'll get there naturally and you
don't need to prod or rush them. If they're not, they're not, and prodding them will only make them OOC.
VIII. Ah, homosexuality, that vastly misunderstood vista of fangirl fantasy: a much-abused topic, to say the least. The only thing to say is that while you cannot tell if someone is
gay just by observing them, you can get clues that indicate whether or not they prefer their own gender or the opposite. Effeminate men can be straight as arrows, and gay men
can be just as manly as the next guy. Don't observe how they act, observe how they interact. Chances are, if they've displayed an emotional connection to a member of the
opposite sex before in a way that clearly included attraction, they're not gay. And don't be afraid of bisexuality, given that it DOES exist, but don't use it as a cop-out to make a
straight character hop into bed with a member of the same sex -- if they've shown no interest in the same sex up until this point, they're not likely to start now. Where they've been
indifferent is usually much more telling than even where they've displayed attraction.
If you're working with a homosexual relationship, don't think about it. Just work with it like you would any other relationship, and don't create problems or weird feelings for them
that they might not have. Not everyone is uncomfortable with their own sexuality, and whether or not a character is can be determined through enough character study. Just
because you've assigned a particular sexual preference to a character, don't change they way they act or dress; your discovery of their sexual orientation shouldn't have any
effect whatsoever on their personality.
IX. That's most of what I've got to say on the subject, and it boils down to this: know and respect your characters. Don't warp them, understand them. It helps to know something
about real romance, too; if you're inexperienced yourself, you may want to wait until you've gotten a little further with your life and can understand love better. Write what you
know -- and by extension, don't write what you don't know, because odds are, you won't be able to do it well.
Now that I've gotten unforgivably preachy and pretentious, I'll tap out. Thanks for reading.
AU/AT/AR/AH[edit]
Main article: Alternative universe (fan ction)
AU stands for Alternate Universe. AR stands for Alternate Reality. AT stands for Alternate Timeline. AH stands for All Human.
An AU/AT/AR story is one that makes major changes to the canonical storyline or premise, such as killing off a major character, changing characters'
motives or alliances, annulling major events or changing the setting.
They may also involve a "what-if" experiment in which the author wishes to explore what might have happened if a certain canon episode had turned out
differentlyif, for example, Romeo had not stepped between Mercutio and Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet or if Harry Potter had sorted into a different school
house.
AU (Alternate Universe) - means the world (universe) is different. The physics, geography, technology etc. are different, e.g. no magic in Harry Potter, no
chakra in Naruto. Popular in this category are HS (High School) and college fan ctions, where the canon characters are written as students in real world's
school.
AR (Alternate Reality) - the world is the same, but some basic (or most) of canon facts are different, e.g. for Naruto - Namikaze Minato never died and is
Hokage, in Harry Potter - Harry never goes to Hogwarts, being tutored by his godfather.
AT (Alternate Timeline) - fan ctions that take place in another time than the canon (e.g. in Ancient Greece, when the canon is in present time), or is
changing the time line itself. Special case of it is TT (Time Travel), where some character travel back or forth in time.
AH (All Human) - used in fan ction based on texts which have supernatural beings, but the characters are portrayed as human.
AU and AR are often used interchangeably, with AU being more common in most fandoms.
Ye Olde Jolly Jolly Anal-Retentive General Fandom and Fanction Glossary
(Online Edition v1.53)
I don't claim to know everythingthis is just stuff I picked up from life online, research and my own personal involvement in fandom and the various
fanction communities as an author and archivist for several years
Corrections (some backing proof would be nice) are extremely welcome. Email Eline.

/: When seen in fanction descriptions, it's a "slash"a little symbol that indicates a pairing in fanction, usually romantic/intimate, for both het and slash
cs. Like "Scully/Mulder" or "Mulder/Krycek". These days, it's more slash (homosexual relationships) than het. The character mentioned rst is usually the
more dominant/aggressive one (see seme and uke for additional info)E.g., a pairing like "Qui-Gon/Obi Wan" would indicate that Qui-Gon is the "top" and
Obi Wan is the "bottom" in the relationship (though this is not always so--there's apparently also something called "topping from the bottom"). This, of
course, is highly subjective to the authors' preferencesthere are no "xed" positions for characters. See Slash for more info on homosexual pairings.
+: Seen sometimes in fanction descriptions to denote the relationship between a pairing, usually romantic, in some fandoms.
X: Seen often in fanction descriptions to denote the relationship between a pairing, usually sexual, in some fandoms. The character mentioned rst is
usually the more dominant onesee seme and uke for info. See / and Slash for more info.

Alias: Also "Net Alias", this is the name people use to describe their Net personas. Also see Nick.
Anime: As in Japanese "animation", a kind of "cartoon" that some people (this site Keeper included) consider an art form. See manga.
Angst/Angstc/Angsty: Description of fanc or fanartusually involving a high degree of angst. Angst implies putting fanc characters through the
wringer emotionally/physically/mentally and making the readers feel for them.
Archivist: Someone who archives fanction on his/her/its site. He/she/it may also be a fanc author archiving his/her/its's own fancs.
Avatar: Another name for that dreaded creature, "Mary Sue". Like its original meaning, an avatar is an extension of the almighty fanction author in his/her/
its story.
AU: Acronym for "Alternate Universe", usually found in fanction. This is fanc that does not follow the canon storyline in the original series/book/comic/
whatever.

BDSM: Acronym for Bondage Dominance, Sado-Masochism. Sex/relationships involving sexual slavery, master/slave relationships, sadism and
masochism as foreplay, bondage games, kink and fetish. Will usually involve leather, whips and chains.
Beta-Reader: An important person (in the webkook's honest opinion) in the life of a fanc author. The beta-reader is a person who voluntarily proofreads
fancs before the original author posts it (sometimes after posting if the author requests it). This is supposed to improve the quality of fancs. There are
many kinds of beta, the most common of which is the technical beta who takes care of grammar and spelling to make the c marginally readable/tolerable
to the general public. Other betas check up on characterisations, plot holes, the danger of Mary Sues and even help with ideas. Betas are more like
advisors and fanc authors can accept/reject their proposals (this has happened from time to time with one of my online friends, but we're still okay
because she still listens to my opinions).
Bishonen: Means "pretty boy", usually associated with characters from an anime/mangathough in the case of a lot of anime/manga, don't be too
surprised when the boys are prettier than girls. Term can also be used to describe any hottie in the vicinity. (Equality, you know? Equal opportunities to
drool whatever your gender/preferences are.)
Bishoujo: Means "pretty girl", usually associated with characters from an anime/manga. Term can also be used loosely to describe any hottie in the vicinity.

Canon: The "central dogma", if you like, of fandom. Canon would be things that every fan knows to be true about the original series ,the timeline, the
characters, etc., etc.--e.g. Buffy Summers = the Chosen One on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer".
Characters: Imaginary characters from an existing fandom, used in fancs.
Citrus: Fanction that is lemon, lime or grapefruit. In other words, sex is involved.
Copyright: Intellectual property rights. Read more about this issue in Ten Copyright Myths and Copyright Online.

Dark/Darkc: Fanc of the dark variety that may contain themes that are a lot darker than normal. Themes like rape, adult situations, violence, cutting,
suicide, etc, etc . . .
Disclaimer: Something you will nd on most fan-created websites and fanctions. Anyone watched "Dogma" before? That was a pretty good explanation in
the beginningsomething along the lines of "covering your ass". That's what a disclaimer isa statement disavowing ownership of the fandom/characters
and the fact that the site/fanc in question was done for non-prot reasons. E.g. "I don't own (insert characters here) or the (insert fandom here)they
belong to (insert original author/creator/artist here) and (insert publisher/broadcasting-company/copyright-holder name here). I make no money from this
please don't sue me, I'm only a poor (insert humble occupation) who spent all my money on (insert merchandise from said fandom in here)."
Doujinshi: 1) Fanart comics of established mangas/animenot the original mangas by the original creators. Done by "circles" of artists and can be bought
commercially. These comics could show what the original could not show (because of ratings and so on) and so don't be too shocked to see het sex or
more commonly, yaoi. Warning for the non-slashy-types: a lot of doujinshi tends to be slashy. (Not that I'm complainingsome of them are just gorgeous.)
2) Sometimes taken to mean fanart in comic form for any fandom/fanc.

Essays: Fan-written essays on areas/issues related to fandom. (Probably the rst time where essays have not been written for school/work . . .) For fun/
serious stuff or as articles for other fans to read.
"Evil author" cs: Fanc authors who insert themselves into cs as "Author" or use their pen name. They then proceed to mess around with the characters
in fanc to attain a comic effect of a parody or similar. Works only sometimes depending on how deadpan the unwilling characters are and how wacko the
"evil author" is.

Fans: Not the mechanical-thingy you use on a hot day. These are people who love certain shows, authors, actors, singers etc, etc . . . This sort of
attraction tends to manifest itself in many wayseg. fan sites, fanction, fanart, the buying of heaps of associated merchandise.
Fandom: A term used to encompass the fans, their activities and mostly everything related to whatever they are fans of. Eg., "The Star Wars fandom has to
be one of the largest Internet communities I've stumbled across."
Fanction (Fanc): Fiction written by fans of a particular fandom involving characters/places/scenarios from said fandom. Done mostly for fun and
covered with disclaimers to prevent the copyright holders from suing them.
Fannish: Referring to stuff associated to a fandom"fannish resources" like links to sites with scripts, pictures, stores with merchandise, etc.
Fanon: Usually found in fanction to describe certain storylines/ideas (AU or otherwise) created by fans/some c author that has attained a level of
notoriety/fame and has spawned its own fancs by other authors. Not ofcial canon descriptions of characters, but generally accepted by the fans.
Fans: The people who make fandom happen.
Fan sites: Web sites showcasing fandom and fannish devotion in it's myriad forms. Fanc, fanart, reviews, opinions, funny stuff, lists, other fans, episode
guides, miscellaneous stuff and more stuff that dees description . . . (You'll know what I mean if you visit your favourite links in your fandoms of choice.)
Fem slash: A label found on fanc, fanart or site content that constitutes a warning. A homosexual relationship involving two female characters from a
fandom. Also known as "yuri" or f/f for short.
Filk: It's a song that's been written by an author to reect certain themes/ideas/characters from their fandom. Compare with Song parody. Some of them
are really quite ingenious and funny.

G: A rating for content or fanction, according to the popular MPAA rating system"General Audiences". Generally describes fanction with kiddie-safe
content.
Grapefruit: Fanc description. Not too sure of this, but I've seen it explained as "g-rape-fruit"i.e. rape or non-consensual sex scenes involved.

Hentai: Genre description. Originally Japanese for "weird/strange/perverse". 1) Loosely coined to indicate graphic (NC-17) depictions of sex, often in
picture form or video form and even fanc. You shouldn't be allowed within ten feet of this unless you're 18 in most countries. Check your location's Net
laws. 2) Can also be used to describe gutter-minded people--e.g. "You hentai!" or "I've got a hentai brain!"
Het: Sometimes short for "heterosexual sex/relationships/situations".
Humour: Either humour related to a fandom (e.g. lists entitled "Sexually-Slanted Star Wars Lines") or humour in fanction--i.e. funny cs. Stuff that fans
from a fandom can relate to and laugh about, probably incomprehensible to non-fans.

Keeper: A Keeper is a fan who "keeps" personal items of his/her/it's favourite character. As these characters are imaginary, these "keepsakes" are also
imaginary. Like hair, underpants, smiles, virginity and even body parts. They tend to state their status in their e-mail sigs with their titles. For example, I'm
the Keeper of Snape and Lupin's (from "Harry Potter") leather pants, as well as Snape's Voodoo Childe LP. (Keepers and keepsakes do not always have
to make sense, and they seldom do anyhow.)

Lemon: A label found on fanc or fanart that serves as a warning. Lemons are cs with explicit sexual content. As in NC-17 rated stuffgraphic
descriptions of all sorts.
Lime: A label found on fanc/fanart that also serves as a warning. It's more like an R rating according to what I've read.

Mailing List: An online bunch of fans from a fandom/with similar tastes who use a list-server to facilitate discussions by delievering said discussion straight
into your mailbox. Most commonly known list-servers are Yahoo!, Topica and Bravenetsearch and you will nd fans with similar interests. Also great for
fanc authors to meet up with other authors.
Manga: Japanese comics that some people (including the site Keeper) consider an art form. Mangas are also the original starting point for a lot of anime
shows like Gundam (and all its incarnations), Akira, Rurouni Kenshin and Love Hina. They come in translations. (I've only read the Chinese ones sold
locally, but English ones are available too, at greater cost.)
Mary Sue: An original female character in fanction. Watch outit's the ultimate OFC! Run for it! Readers have come to dread the appearance of Miss
Mary Sue, the most perfect limelight-hogging heroine you'd love to hate. Mary Sue is an avatar gone wrong because she takes over the fanc entirely,
out-shining even the main players. Mary Sue is self-insertation personied, an indulgence of the author in question. But not all Mary Sues are truly bad,
some can fade into the background quite well and become mature characters in their own right. More on Mary Sues here. Take a (one of many) Mary Sue
Litmus test to see if you're a Mary Sue for your fandom!
Marty Stu: An original male character (OMC) in fanction. Also known as Gary Stu or Harry Stu, this male version of Mary Sue arrives on time to sweep the
heroine off her feet. While less common than the average Mary Sue (reason for this is probably the skewed ratio of female : male fanc authors), Marty Stu
is also more likely to appear in slash fanc than his female counterpart, for obvious reasons, but it still very rare.
"miko": It's usually a form of self description or a title, found in sigsE.g. "Snape no miko". It seems to be derived from anime fandoms and has its roots in
the Japanese Shinto religion where "miko" means "priestess". In fandom, "someone no miko" would probably be the keeper of an Internet shrine to the
character of her choiceE.g. "Ashram no miko", keeper/priestess/webmaster/webmistress of shrine to Ashram from the fantasy anime "The Record of
Lodoss War".
ML: Acronym for "Mailing List".

NC: A label found on fanc, fanart and sometimes even site content that constitutes a very serious warning indeed. It stands for a "non-consensual" (non-
con), usually sexual situation. This includes depictions of rapesqueamish people should avoid these cs like the plague.
NC-17: A rating for content or fanction, according to the popular MPAA rating system"No One 17 And Under Admitted". Generally describes fanction
with graphic depictions of sex and/or violence.

OFC: Acronym for "Original Female Character". Found in fanction. Usually this is not just a run-of-the-mill character made up to ll in a role in a fanc. If
you see "(insert character here)/OFC", it means the protagonist of the story has a relationship/falls in love with the OFC. Comparable with, but may not
always be a Mary Sue.
OMC: Acronym for "Original Male Character". Found in fanction and slash fancs too. See Mary Sue and OFC for more info. Comparable with, but may
not always be a Marty Stu/Gary Stu/Harry Stu.

Parody: A form of fanction that spoofs other movies/books/popular media by inserting the characters of one fandom into said media just for laughs. Most
fandoms have fancs that are spoofs or re-writes of popular shows like "Titanic", "Rocky Horror Picture Show" or "Star Wars" with all the characters
replaced by the author's own dream cast.
PG: A rating for content or fanction, according to the popular MPAA rating system"Parental Guidance Advised".
PG-13: A rating for content or fanction, according to the popular MPAA rating system"Parental Guidance Cautioned".
Pregc/Preggie: Description usually found in fanction of the slashy variety. Involves male pregnancy *ignores the protesting voice of her inner Biology
student with difculty*, childbirth and even raising the little sprog. (Heck, anything is viable in fanc.)
PWP: A label found on fanc/fanart that also serves as a warning. It is usually the acronym for "Porn Without Plot" or "Plot? *What* Plot?"either one ts the
bill. Applies to het and slash pairings. Sometimes known as lemons or yaoi. Likely to be rated NC-17 and fairly graphic.

R: A rating for content or fanction, according to the popular MPAA rating system"Restricted". Generally describes fanction with marginal depictions of
sex and/or violence, swearing and other not-so nice things.
Rating: Similar to ratings on movies, these ratings on fanc or fanart are meant as a warning of how suitable the contents are for certain age groups. The
G/PG/PG-13/R/NC-17 system is mainly derived from the American MPAA system for rating movies and may not always be understood by non-American
readers.

Scripts: Usually means the scripts of a TV-show/movie/anime, transcribed by the fans for other fans who may have missed something or need fanc
references. (This is one of the reasons why online communities are so wonderful.) Also good for people in need of translations if the version of the show
you've got was not in your language of choice.
Seiyuu: Voice actor for animesusually Japanese, although the term may apply for anyone doing voice acting for cartoons/anime these days. (Hard to
get that sort of job around hereheck, I auditioned for a company doing English-dubs once in hopes of a part-time job to support my comicbook habit.
Needless to say, it has not borne fruit and I'm sticking to recreational manga illustration.)
Self-insertation: Meaning that the author has written her/him/itself into the fanc. Not necessarily Mary Sue, but close.
Seme: As opposed to uke. The "top" in the sexual relationship or the more dominant of the relationship.
Shounen ai: A label found on fanc, fanart and sometimes even site content as a warning. It means "boy love" or a focus on relationships between young
boys. While sexual situations may be hinted at, it may not be as explicit as "yaoi".
Sigs: Short for "signature", something found at the end of e-mail messages which may contain webpage links, quotes or titles.
Site content: Stuff that appears on a website. Varies widely.
Slash/Slashy/Slashyness: A label found on fanc, fanart and sometimes even site contentmost denitely should be considered as a warning. It implies
homosexual relationships between characters from a TV series/book/comic/anime/anything that is the basis of a fandom. Also known as m/m or f/f for
short.
Songc: A variety of fanction that has song lyrics inter-spaced within the text. The lyrics are there to provide atmosphere or to emphasis what is not being
said in the c properusually very angsty lyrics.
Song parody: A lk where the authors takes a (usually) popular song and rewrites the lyrics using themes/characters from a fandom for a laugh.
Spoof: An adaptation of any existing media, altered to give a comic effect. Very close to a parody. E.g. "Spaceballs was a spoof of Star Wars."
Squick: It means that one is seriously uncomfortable with a concept, a pairing or something kinky in intimate situations. E.g. "Ewww! Squick!" or "This
pairing just squicks me something wicked!"

Tentacles: A warning attached to some graphic artwork or fanction depicting sex involving an evil (most of the time) tentacled monster. This may squick
some people.
Top Ten Lists: What it says. Lists of stuff pertaining to the fandom, usually amusing or funny. Almost every fandom has these. As a friend once said, "Blame
Letterman" for the popularity of the lists

WAFF: Acronym for "Warm And Fuzzy Feelings"--means that the fanc contains content that usually would produce this effect.
Warning: What it says. These are literally warnings that come before certain kinds of content that may be offensive to certain groups of people. Like slash,
explicit sex scenes, nudity, swearing, alternative views, religious views and so on so forth. (It's this thing about human nature and not being able to make
everyone happy all at once . . . one never knows what will set someone else off.) Take warnings seriouslyyou never know when you might see things you
never wanted to see/hear/read.

Uke: A description of a character's position in sexual encounter. As opposed to seme, the "bottom" in a sexual relationship.

Yaoi: A label found on fanc, fanart and sometimes even site contentshould be considered as a very serious warning. Originally, YAOI stands for yama-
nashi (without climax), ochi-nashi (without a conclusion) and imi-nashi (without content) within a manga/anime context. In other words, a PWP that doesn't
sure any function beyond getting two/more people into the sack together. It has now come to occupy almost the same meaning as slash. The difference
being, according to one article on Aesthetism.com, that yaoi needs less plausible reasons for slash to exist. And so slash is not yaoi (except perhaps
when it's a PWP), but with some more plot, yaoi can sometimes be slash.
YKYOW Lists: You might have seen these on sites around the 'Net. Know the joys of "You Know You're Obsessed With (insert character/fandom here)"
Lists, something every fandom worth its salt has in abundance. They're like checklists or one of those magazine self-tests, but quite rmly tongue-in-cheek
most of the time.
Yuri: A label found on fanc, fanart and sometimes even site contentshould be considered as a very serious warning. The other (female) side of yaoif/f
slash (fem slash).
Something has to happen in the rst scene
Moderate amount of dialogue not too much or too little
2) Draw inspiration from your own personal "angsty" experiences and/or characters and stories that you understand and relate to. For example, a
character I deeply empathize with is Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist. While our personalities and backstories couldn't be more different, we share
a lot struggles and inner demons; in fact, watching him deal with his pain has helped me come to terms with my own, a little. And that enables me to
write more powerfully and authentically about those things. I don't have to fake it, because I already know it. (Here's a comment I wrote about it, if you're
curious.) Just remember - the more of your own life and heart you pour into the words, the more it will ring true with your readers and bring them to the
point of reaching for a kleenex box. (And plus, it's a great substitute for therapy.) =P
3) DON'T OVERWRITE OR SPELL IT OUT. In other words, don't write anything like, "The depressed emo kid with no friends was drowning in a
suffocating, cold, deep, dark ocean of darkness and despair and agony and he knew death was his only hope so he cut his wrists and DIED and it
was SO TRAGIC!!! ARE YOU CRYING YET??" The readers aren't stupid OR heartless, so don't treat them as if they are. They don't want to be spoon-
fed emotion; they want to discover it and feel it for themselves. That's what makes it powerful.
4) Make sure there's a method to the madness. Don't randomly dive into it. Going hand-in-hand with everything I've already said, angst doesn't just
magically happen or pop out of nowhere; something has to make it happen, to build it up, to trigger it. And the character must react and deal with it
accordingly. So make sure that the angst and soul-searching ows well, has a purpose, stays cohesive and moves the plot and/or character growth
forward in some way. What's the point of angst if you're not going to do anything with it? Or about it?
5) This is a principle that I hold very dear: happy endings are every bit as powerful and meaningful as bitter beginnings. Sometimes you just need to
ght for them. Nobody likes staying depressed forever! By all means, angst away to your heart's content...but having the character overcome the pain
and earn a hopeful ending will inspire your readers and give your whole story twice as much power.
Accepted, Accused, Acknowledged, Admitted, Advertised, Afrm, Agonized, Agreed, Alleged, Announced, Answered, Appealed, Apply for, Arranged,
Articulated, Asked, Asserted, Asseverate, Assumed, Assured, Attract, Aver, Avow
Barked, Bawl, Bawled, Beamed, Beckoned, Begged, Bellowed, Beseeched, Blubbered, Blurted, Bossed, Breathed, Broadcast
Cajole, Called, Carped, Cautioned, Censured, Chimed in, Choked, Chortled, Chuckled, Circulate, Claim, Comforted, Conceded, Concurred, Condemned,
Confer, Confessed, Conded, Conrm, Consoled, Contend, Continued, Crave, Cried out, Criticized, Crooned, Crowed
Declared, Defend, Demanded, Denote, Dictated, Disclosed, Disposed, Disseminate, Distribute, Divulged, Drawled
Emitted, Empathized, Encourage, Encouraged, Entreated, Exact, Exclaimed, Explained, Exposed
Faltered, Finished, Fumed
Gawped, Get out, Giggled, Given, Glowered, Grieved, Grinned, Groan, Groaned, Growled, Grumbled
Handed on, Held, Hesitated, Hinted, Hissed, Hollered, Howled
Impart, Implied, Implored, Importune, Inclined, Indicate, Informed, Inquired, Insisted, Interjected, Invited
Jabbered, Joked, Justied
Keened
Lamented, Laughed, Leered, Lilted
Maintained, Make known, Make public, Marked, Mewled, Mimicked, Moaned, Mocked, Mourned, Murmured, Mused
Necessitated, Needed, Noted
Observed, Offered, Ordered
Passed on, Pleaded, Postulated, Preached, Premised, Presented, Presupposed, Proclaimed, Prodded, Professed, Proffered, Promised, Promulgated,
Proposed, Protested, Provoked, Publicized, Published, Puled, Put forth, Put out
Quaked, Queried, Quipped, Quivered, Quizzed
Raged, Ranted, Reckoned that, Rejoiced, Rejoined, Released, Remarked, Remonstrated, Repeated, Replied, Reprimanded, Requested, Required,
Requisition, Retorted, Revealed, Roared
Said, Sang, Scoffed, Scolded, Seethed, Sent on, Settled, Shared, Shed tears, Shouted, Shrieked, Shrugged, Shuddered, Snarled, Snivelled, Sobbed,
Solicited, Sought, Specied, Spluttered, Spread, Stammered, Stated, Stressed, Suggested, Supposed, Swore
Taunted, Teased, Testied, Thundered, Ticked off, Told, Told off, Tore a strip off, Touted, Transferred, Transmitted, Trembled, Trumpeted
Understood, Undertook, Upbraided, Uttered
Veried, Vociferated, Voiced, Vouched for, Vouchsafe
Wailed, Wanted, Weep, Went on. Wept, Wheedle, Whimpered, Whined, Whispered
Yawped, Yelled, Yelped,Yowled
Reply
First Person: This is the most personal of the POVs, due to the character essentially 'talking' to the reader. Usually you get all of their
thoughts/feelings, as well as their personality and speech patterns. This type is interesting, because the character can honestly tell all or hide/
distort things based upon feelings and thoughts. This is one of the most intense ways to identify with the character. However, due to it only
being about one character, you are limited to that character and cannot view other character's views of things.
Third Person:
Outside Observer:It views the action from the outside, but does not go into a character's head. It can be useful to use this, but it should be
used sparingly, due to it's dry and unemotional nature.
Ominicent Third Person:It tells all the thoughts/feelings of all characters, jumping from character to character. It's good for letting the reader
identify with many characters, but not as fully as First Person does. It also can lead to problems with trying to build suspense since you have
an inside view of every character. It also can slightly disrupt flow due to jumping from character to character. It can be done right, but it will
take experience to combat flow disruption and still being able to build suspense that a reader craves.
Limited Third Person:It gets inside the head of one character at a time. It is also up to the character to reveal what they want to reveal at the
time each thing is written. You can change POV between characters, but do this by using scene changes marked with some type of seperator/
break (It tells the reader to shift gears and get ready to read the POV of another character). Stick to using only a few characters, so you don't
trick the reader into thinking minor characters are as important as the characters you have chosen.
Things to watch out for:
1. Don't switch POVs without a break/seperator or breaking it up by chapters. By not doing this, it disrupts the flow of the story and may
confuse the reader due to the abrupt changes made by switching POV. I stress this, because this is a pitfall for many writers that leads to
experienced fanfiction readers and writers to not take that writer seriously.
2. Using too many character POVs. It will overextend the writer and take away from the story.
3. Author notes are not POV changes and should never be used during the chapter. Keep them before the chapter or after by using a break.
AU/AT/AR/AH[edit]
Main article: Alternative universe (fan ction)
AU stands for Alternate Universe. AR stands for Alternate Reality. AT stands for Alternate Timeline. AH stands for All Human.
An AU/AT/AR story is one that makes major changes to the canonical storyline or premise, such as killing off a major character, changing characters'
motives or alliances, annulling major events or changing the setting.
They may also involve a "what-if" experiment in which the author wishes to explore what might have happened if a certain canon episode had turned out
differentlyif, for example, Romeo had not stepped between Mercutio and Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet or if Harry Potter had sorted into a different school
house.
AU (Alternate Universe) - means the world (universe) is different. The physics, geography, technology etc. are different, e.g. no magic in Harry Potter, no
chakra in Naruto. Popular in this category are HS (High School) and college fan ctions, where the canon characters are written as students in real world's
school.
AR (Alternate Reality) - the world is the same, but some basic (or most) of canon facts are different, e.g. for Naruto - Namikaze Minato never died and is
Hokage, in Harry Potter - Harry never goes to Hogwarts, being tutored by his godfather.
AT (Alternate Timeline) - fan ctions that take place in another time than the canon (e.g. in Ancient Greece, when the canon is in present time), or is
changing the time line itself. Special case of it is TT (Time Travel), where some character travel back or forth in time.
AH (All Human) - used in fan ction based on texts which have supernatural beings, but the characters are portrayed as human.
AU and AR are often used interchangeably, with AU being more common in most fandoms.
Ye Olde Jolly Jolly Anal-Retentive General Fandom and Fanction Glossary
(Online Edition v1.53)
I don't claim to know everythingthis is just stuff I picked up from life online, research and my own personal involvement in fandom and the various
fanction communities as an author and archivist for several years
Corrections (some backing proof would be nice) are extremely welcome. Email Eline.

/: When seen in fanction descriptions, it's a "slash"a little symbol that indicates a pairing in fanction, usually romantic/intimate, for both het and slash
cs. Like "Scully/Mulder" or "Mulder/Krycek". These days, it's more slash (homosexual relationships) than het. The character mentioned rst is usually the
more dominant/aggressive one (see seme and uke for additional info)E.g., a pairing like "Qui-Gon/Obi Wan" would indicate that Qui-Gon is the "top" and
Obi Wan is the "bottom" in the relationship (though this is not always so--there's apparently also something called "topping from the bottom"). This, of
course, is highly subjective to the authors' preferencesthere are no "xed" positions for characters. See Slash for more info on homosexual pairings.
+: Seen sometimes in fanction descriptions to denote the relationship between a pairing, usually romantic, in some fandoms.
X: Seen often in fanction descriptions to denote the relationship between a pairing, usually sexual, in some fandoms. The character mentioned rst is
usually the more dominant onesee seme and uke for info. See / and Slash for more info.

Alias: Also "Net Alias", this is the name people use to describe their Net personas. Also see Nick.
Anime: As in Japanese "animation", a kind of "cartoon" that some people (this site Keeper included) consider an art form. See manga.
Angst/Angstc/Angsty: Description of fanc or fanartusually involving a high degree of angst. Angst implies putting fanc characters through the
wringer emotionally/physically/mentally and making the readers feel for them.
Archivist: Someone who archives fanction on his/her/its site. He/she/it may also be a fanc author archiving his/her/its's own fancs.
Avatar: Another name for that dreaded creature, "Mary Sue". Like its original meaning, an avatar is an extension of the almighty fanction author in his/her/
its story.
AU: Acronym for "Alternate Universe", usually found in fanction. This is fanc that does not follow the canon storyline in the original series/book/comic/
whatever.

BDSM: Acronym for Bondage Dominance, Sado-Masochism. Sex/relationships involving sexual slavery, master/slave relationships, sadism and
masochism as foreplay, bondage games, kink and fetish. Will usually involve leather, whips and chains.
Beta-Reader: An important person (in the webkook's honest opinion) in the life of a fanc author. The beta-reader is a person who voluntarily proofreads
fancs before the original author posts it (sometimes after posting if the author requests it). This is supposed to improve the quality of fancs. There are
many kinds of beta, the most common of which is the technical beta who takes care of grammar and spelling to make the c marginally readable/tolerable
to the general public. Other betas check up on characterisations, plot holes, the danger of Mary Sues and even help with ideas. Betas are more like
advisors and fanc authors can accept/reject their proposals (this has happened from time to time with one of my online friends, but we're still okay
because she still listens to my opinions).
Bishonen: Means "pretty boy", usually associated with characters from an anime/mangathough in the case of a lot of anime/manga, don't be too
surprised when the boys are prettier than girls. Term can also be used to describe any hottie in the vicinity. (Equality, you know? Equal opportunities to
drool whatever your gender/preferences are.)
Bishoujo: Means "pretty girl", usually associated with characters from an anime/manga. Term can also be used loosely to describe any hottie in the vicinity.

Canon: The "central dogma", if you like, of fandom. Canon would be things that every fan knows to be true about the original series ,the timeline, the
characters, etc., etc.--e.g. Buffy Summers = the Chosen One on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer".
Characters: Imaginary characters from an existing fandom, used in fancs.
Citrus: Fanction that is lemon, lime or grapefruit. In other words, sex is involved.
Copyright: Intellectual property rights. Read more about this issue in Ten Copyright Myths and Copyright Online.

Dark/Darkc: Fanc of the dark variety that may contain themes that are a lot darker than normal. Themes like rape, adult situations, violence, cutting,
suicide, etc, etc . . .
Disclaimer: Something you will nd on most fan-created websites and fanctions. Anyone watched "Dogma" before? That was a pretty good explanation in
the beginningsomething along the lines of "covering your ass". That's what a disclaimer isa statement disavowing ownership of the fandom/characters
and the fact that the site/fanc in question was done for non-prot reasons. E.g. "I don't own (insert characters here) or the (insert fandom here)they
belong to (insert original author/creator/artist here) and (insert publisher/broadcasting-company/copyright-holder name here). I make no money from this
please don't sue me, I'm only a poor (insert humble occupation) who spent all my money on (insert merchandise from said fandom in here)."
Doujinshi: 1) Fanart comics of established mangas/animenot the original mangas by the original creators. Done by "circles" of artists and can be bought
commercially. These comics could show what the original could not show (because of ratings and so on) and so don't be too shocked to see het sex or
more commonly, yaoi. Warning for the non-slashy-types: a lot of doujinshi tends to be slashy. (Not that I'm complainingsome of them are just gorgeous.)
2) Sometimes taken to mean fanart in comic form for any fandom/fanc.

Essays: Fan-written essays on areas/issues related to fandom. (Probably the rst time where essays have not been written for school/work . . .) For fun/
serious stuff or as articles for other fans to read.
"Evil author" cs: Fanc authors who insert themselves into cs as "Author" or use their pen name. They then proceed to mess around with the characters
in fanc to attain a comic effect of a parody or similar. Works only sometimes depending on how deadpan the unwilling characters are and how wacko the
"evil author" is.

Fans: Not the mechanical-thingy you use on a hot day. These are people who love certain shows, authors, actors, singers etc, etc . . . This sort of
attraction tends to manifest itself in many wayseg. fan sites, fanction, fanart, the buying of heaps of associated merchandise.
Fandom: A term used to encompass the fans, their activities and mostly everything related to whatever they are fans of. Eg., "The Star Wars fandom has to
be one of the largest Internet communities I've stumbled across."
Fanction (Fanc): Fiction written by fans of a particular fandom involving characters/places/scenarios from said fandom. Done mostly for fun and
covered with disclaimers to prevent the copyright holders from suing them.
Fannish: Referring to stuff associated to a fandom"fannish resources" like links to sites with scripts, pictures, stores with merchandise, etc.
Fanon: Usually found in fanction to describe certain storylines/ideas (AU or otherwise) created by fans/some c author that has attained a level of
notoriety/fame and has spawned its own fancs by other authors. Not ofcial canon descriptions of characters, but generally accepted by the fans.
Fans: The people who make fandom happen.
Fan sites: Web sites showcasing fandom and fannish devotion in it's myriad forms. Fanc, fanart, reviews, opinions, funny stuff, lists, other fans, episode
guides, miscellaneous stuff and more stuff that dees description . . . (You'll know what I mean if you visit your favourite links in your fandoms of choice.)
Fem slash: A label found on fanc, fanart or site content that constitutes a warning. A homosexual relationship involving two female characters from a
fandom. Also known as "yuri" or f/f for short.
Filk: It's a song that's been written by an author to reect certain themes/ideas/characters from their fandom. Compare with Song parody. Some of them
are really quite ingenious and funny.

G: A rating for content or fanction, according to the popular MPAA rating system"General Audiences". Generally describes fanction with kiddie-safe
content.
Grapefruit: Fanc description. Not too sure of this, but I've seen it explained as "g-rape-fruit"i.e. rape or non-consensual sex scenes involved.

Hentai: Genre description. Originally Japanese for "weird/strange/perverse". 1) Loosely coined to indicate graphic (NC-17) depictions of sex, often in
picture form or video form and even fanc. You shouldn't be allowed within ten feet of this unless you're 18 in most countries. Check your location's Net
laws. 2) Can also be used to describe gutter-minded people--e.g. "You hentai!" or "I've got a hentai brain!"
Het: Sometimes short for "heterosexual sex/relationships/situations".
Humour: Either humour related to a fandom (e.g. lists entitled "Sexually-Slanted Star Wars Lines") or humour in fanction--i.e. funny cs. Stuff that fans
from a fandom can relate to and laugh about, probably incomprehensible to non-fans.

Keeper: A Keeper is a fan who "keeps" personal items of his/her/it's favourite character. As these characters are imaginary, these "keepsakes" are also
imaginary. Like hair, underpants, smiles, virginity and even body parts. They tend to state their status in their e-mail sigs with their titles. For example, I'm
the Keeper of Snape and Lupin's (from "Harry Potter") leather pants, as well as Snape's Voodoo Childe LP. (Keepers and keepsakes do not always have
to make sense, and they seldom do anyhow.)

Lemon: A label found on fanc or fanart that serves as a warning. Lemons are cs with explicit sexual content. As in NC-17 rated stuffgraphic
descriptions of all sorts.
Lime: A label found on fanc/fanart that also serves as a warning. It's more like an R rating according to what I've read.

Mailing List: An online bunch of fans from a fandom/with similar tastes who use a list-server to facilitate discussions by delievering said discussion straight
into your mailbox. Most commonly known list-servers are Yahoo!, Topica and Bravenetsearch and you will nd fans with similar interests. Also great for
fanc authors to meet up with other authors.
Manga: Japanese comics that some people (including the site Keeper) consider an art form. Mangas are also the original starting point for a lot of anime
shows like Gundam (and all its incarnations), Akira, Rurouni Kenshin and Love Hina. They come in translations. (I've only read the Chinese ones sold
locally, but English ones are available too, at greater cost.)
Mary Sue: An original female character in fanction. Watch outit's the ultimate OFC! Run for it! Readers have come to dread the appearance of Miss
Mary Sue, the most perfect limelight-hogging heroine you'd love to hate. Mary Sue is an avatar gone wrong because she takes over the fanc entirely,
out-shining even the main players. Mary Sue is self-insertation personied, an indulgence of the author in question. But not all Mary Sues are truly bad,
some can fade into the background quite well and become mature characters in their own right. More on Mary Sues here. Take a (one of many) Mary Sue
Litmus test to see if you're a Mary Sue for your fandom!
Marty Stu: An original male character (OMC) in fanction. Also known as Gary Stu or Harry Stu, this male version of Mary Sue arrives on time to sweep the
heroine off her feet. While less common than the average Mary Sue (reason for this is probably the skewed ratio of female : male fanc authors), Marty Stu
is also more likely to appear in slash fanc than his female counterpart, for obvious reasons, but it still very rare.
"miko": It's usually a form of self description or a title, found in sigsE.g. "Snape no miko". It seems to be derived from anime fandoms and has its roots in
the Japanese Shinto religion where "miko" means "priestess". In fandom, "someone no miko" would probably be the keeper of an Internet shrine to the
character of her choiceE.g. "Ashram no miko", keeper/priestess/webmaster/webmistress of shrine to Ashram from the fantasy anime "The Record of
Lodoss War".
ML: Acronym for "Mailing List".

NC: A label found on fanc, fanart and sometimes even site content that constitutes a very serious warning indeed. It stands for a "non-consensual" (non-
con), usually sexual situation. This includes depictions of rapesqueamish people should avoid these cs like the plague.
NC-17: A rating for content or fanction, according to the popular MPAA rating system"No One 17 And Under Admitted". Generally describes fanction
with graphic depictions of sex and/or violence.

OFC: Acronym for "Original Female Character". Found in fanction. Usually this is not just a run-of-the-mill character made up to ll in a role in a fanc. If
you see "(insert character here)/OFC", it means the protagonist of the story has a relationship/falls in love with the OFC. Comparable with, but may not
always be a Mary Sue.
OMC: Acronym for "Original Male Character". Found in fanction and slash fancs too. See Mary Sue and OFC for more info. Comparable with, but may
not always be a Marty Stu/Gary Stu/Harry Stu.

Parody: A form of fanction that spoofs other movies/books/popular media by inserting the characters of one fandom into said media just for laughs. Most
fandoms have fancs that are spoofs or re-writes of popular shows like "Titanic", "Rocky Horror Picture Show" or "Star Wars" with all the characters
replaced by the author's own dream cast.
PG: A rating for content or fanction, according to the popular MPAA rating system"Parental Guidance Advised".
PG-13: A rating for content or fanction, according to the popular MPAA rating system"Parental Guidance Cautioned".
Pregc/Preggie: Description usually found in fanction of the slashy variety. Involves male pregnancy *ignores the protesting voice of her inner Biology
student with difculty*, childbirth and even raising the little sprog. (Heck, anything is viable in fanc.)
PWP: A label found on fanc/fanart that also serves as a warning. It is usually the acronym for "Porn Without Plot" or "Plot? *What* Plot?"either one ts the
bill. Applies to het and slash pairings. Sometimes known as lemons or yaoi. Likely to be rated NC-17 and fairly graphic.

R: A rating for content or fanction, according to the popular MPAA rating system"Restricted". Generally describes fanction with marginal depictions of
sex and/or violence, swearing and other not-so nice things.
Rating: Similar to ratings on movies, these ratings on fanc or fanart are meant as a warning of how suitable the contents are for certain age groups. The
G/PG/PG-13/R/NC-17 system is mainly derived from the American MPAA system for rating movies and may not always be understood by non-American
readers.

Scripts: Usually means the scripts of a TV-show/movie/anime, transcribed by the fans for other fans who may have missed something or need fanc
references. (This is one of the reasons why online communities are so wonderful.) Also good for people in need of translations if the version of the show
you've got was not in your language of choice.
Seiyuu: Voice actor for animesusually Japanese, although the term may apply for anyone doing voice acting for cartoons/anime these days. (Hard to
get that sort of job around hereheck, I auditioned for a company doing English-dubs once in hopes of a part-time job to support my comicbook habit.
Needless to say, it has not borne fruit and I'm sticking to recreational manga illustration.)
Self-insertation: Meaning that the author has written her/him/itself into the fanc. Not necessarily Mary Sue, but close.
Seme: As opposed to uke. The "top" in the sexual relationship or the more dominant of the relationship.
Shounen ai: A label found on fanc, fanart and sometimes even site content as a warning. It means "boy love" or a focus on relationships between young
boys. While sexual situations may be hinted at, it may not be as explicit as "yaoi".
Sigs: Short for "signature", something found at the end of e-mail messages which may contain webpage links, quotes or titles.
Site content: Stuff that appears on a website. Varies widely.
Slash/Slashy/Slashyness: A label found on fanc, fanart and sometimes even site contentmost denitely should be considered as a warning. It implies
homosexual relationships between characters from a TV series/book/comic/anime/anything that is the basis of a fandom. Also known as m/m or f/f for
short.
Songc: A variety of fanction that has song lyrics inter-spaced within the text. The lyrics are there to provide atmosphere or to emphasis what is not being
said in the c properusually very angsty lyrics.
Song parody: A lk where the authors takes a (usually) popular song and rewrites the lyrics using themes/characters from a fandom for a laugh.
Spoof: An adaptation of any existing media, altered to give a comic effect. Very close to a parody. E.g. "Spaceballs was a spoof of Star Wars."
Squick: It means that one is seriously uncomfortable with a concept, a pairing or something kinky in intimate situations. E.g. "Ewww! Squick!" or "This
pairing just squicks me something wicked!"

Tentacles: A warning attached to some graphic artwork or fanction depicting sex involving an evil (most of the time) tentacled monster. This may squick
some people.
Top Ten Lists: What it says. Lists of stuff pertaining to the fandom, usually amusing or funny. Almost every fandom has these. As a friend once said, "Blame
Letterman" for the popularity of the lists

WAFF: Acronym for "Warm And Fuzzy Feelings"--means that the fanc contains content that usually would produce this effect.
Warning: What it says. These are literally warnings that come before certain kinds of content that may be offensive to certain groups of people. Like slash,
explicit sex scenes, nudity, swearing, alternative views, religious views and so on so forth. (It's this thing about human nature and not being able to make
everyone happy all at once . . . one never knows what will set someone else off.) Take warnings seriouslyyou never know when you might see things you
never wanted to see/hear/read.

Uke: A description of a character's position in sexual encounter. As opposed to seme, the "bottom" in a sexual relationship.

Yaoi: A label found on fanc, fanart and sometimes even site contentshould be considered as a very serious warning. Originally, YAOI stands for yama-
nashi (without climax), ochi-nashi (without a conclusion) and imi-nashi (without content) within a manga/anime context. In other words, a PWP that doesn't
sure any function beyond getting two/more people into the sack together. It has now come to occupy almost the same meaning as slash. The difference
being, according to one article on Aesthetism.com, that yaoi needs less plausible reasons for slash to exist. And so slash is not yaoi (except perhaps
when it's a PWP), but with some more plot, yaoi can sometimes be slash.
YKYOW Lists: You might have seen these on sites around the 'Net. Know the joys of "You Know You're Obsessed With (insert character/fandom here)"
Lists, something every fandom worth its salt has in abundance. They're like checklists or one of those magazine self-tests, but quite rmly tongue-in-cheek
most of the time.
Yuri: A label found on fanc, fanart and sometimes even site contentshould be considered as a very serious warning. The other (female) side of yaoif/f
slash (fem slash).
Interview Magazine, 1989
Kenneth Turan: What position does Chances
Are occupy in your body of work?
Robert Downey Jr.: Probably in the upper
colon. No, it's a nice film.
USA TODAY, August 15, 1990
[On a helicopter stunt in Air America] "No big
deal. Where they lift me up and you see me
disappear like a dot I did that. I was supposed to
be sleeping, so when I opened my eyes, I was a
couple thousand feet up. It felt fine, kind of macho
and cool."
CBS News, August 16, 1990
"There's probably nothing more dissatisfying than
like if Air America doesn't make a lot of money,
I'll be I'll feel really disillusioned. Because part
of the reason that I did the film was because I
wanted to be in a film that was ... did well at the
box office."
USA Today, January 10, 1992
"I've outgrown a lot of things I used to think I
wanted, which was to be the Dionysian maverick."
CBS News, December 25, 1995
"There's something I want to direct that I've
written, which is very strange film about a a dog
walker in New York City that loses the dogs."

CNN, February 15, 2003
"I think it's miraculous that anybody survives
themselves."
Esquire, February 21, 2007
[To the author of the story] "I want you to feel
completely free to let all your codependent
neuroses out You can grab the wheel, you can
ask me if my tummy hurts, you can give me a foot
rub later, anything. Enmeshment is really okay in
small doses."
The Sunday Times (London) April 13,
2008
On his Iron Man workout regimen: "Probably
1,500 hours of effort for 11 seconds of screen
time."
The New Zealand Herald, April 25, 2008
"I said 'Look, I've been in my own version of
captivity and usually what a guy wants when he
gets sprung from jail or he's bailed out or he's
been down for a while, is he wants the simplest,
easiest, all-American thing you can get.' You want
a soda, a cheeseburger and fries. And then you
want ... obviously, the next thing you want
there's only two things you want."
Sunday Mail (South Australia), April 27,
2008
"I am supposedly of a stature where they call my
agent and say, 'He'll need a screen test' and they
will say, 'What screen test did you ever see
Chaplin?'"
Rolling Stone, August 2008
"I'm a soldier who didn't know how nasty the
battle was going to be, and now, I've got a purple
heart and Im back."
Esquire, November 10, 2009
"Suffice to say, dude, I'm not paranoid anymore.
I'm not fearful. It's interesting to be surfing this
tremendous crisis of capitalism and I know
there's a coral reef under me and I don't want to
hang ten, but I do think that when you're in the
pole position, that's when you try to beat your best
personal time."
Regarding his square toilet: "Dude, this place is so
Austin Powers twenty-first century. I came here
this morning having to drop a deuce, and it was a
singular and enjoyable."
Rolling Stone, May 2010
"When the door clicks shut, jail is the safest place
on earth. Theres nothing aside from a rogue
correctional officer that can do you any real harm
if you have the right cellie."
"[After being bailed out of jail], I remember I had
the only coke that tasted as good as the coke I did
with my dad and Jack [Nicholson].
Ask Men, December 2011
"Talking about how good a shape Im in is by far
my favorite topic, and that would take up at least a
half an hour that we dont have. Thats a topic for
an entire other interview."
Esquire, May 2012
"The greatest thing my dad taught me came one
day when I called him from a phone booth and
said, 'Hungry. No bus token. Please. Out of
options. Friends aren't picking up the phone.' He
said, 'Pfft, get a job.'"
On The Tonight Show, April 26, 2013
"When youre promoting a movie, you go out, and
I call it: Grind, monkey. Grind."
GQ, May 2013
"I felt like a fighter who was training for a title
bout that had not been booked yet."
"It was all shock, awe, conquerit was about
devastating the competition."
"Look, even if I don't get [an Oscar] directly,
eventually they're just going to have to give me
one when I get old. So no matter how you slice it,
I'm getting one."