Yes, we have heard of the alphabet, no, we haven't organised this. If you're looking for a particular term, use Control + F to search for it.

Fanfiction: First and foremost! FanFiction is stories or one-shots that are based on a particular book/film/t.v show/ whatever. They can either involve the characters from it, or just the idea, or anything! It's really open and you can find pretty much anything in the world of fanfic, (the abbreviation) any category, any type of story, and most kinds of cross-overs! If not, write it yourself! I bet there's a market for it. I'm lazy so I often use the term fic as well. Same thing, just shorter to type.

Canon: This is the original media you have based your fanfic on. A canon character is a character featured in the original book/movie/TV series/comic etc.

Slash (/): A slash fic is one in which a homosexual relationship (of characters of either gender, though the term 'femmeslash' is also used to describe fics about lesbian relationships) is the main focus of the story. These are usually relationships that are not present in the canon, though not always. Summaries/descriptions usually show which characters the slash will focus on by writing 'Character X/Character Y'.

Lemon: A story with sexual content

PWP: Porn without plot - this one is pretty self explanatory!

One-Shot: This is a story that is just one chapter.

Flame: This is a review that is just criticism, with no constructive edge to it. These can also include personal put-downs etc. They're horrible, and anyone who is a "flamer" is just an idiot. Not that I'm into personal put downs or anything... If you get one, report it to the site. Or me, I'll get 'em for ya!

AR: This stands for Alternate Reality, this is where characters are taken from their own story into a completely different reality. Like the Harry Potter lot in the world of Star Wars or something.

AU: This stands for Alternate Universe, this is where the universe of the characters' is changed slightly, perhaps because of a different decision made than the one made in the canon. Both AU and AR are often confused and interchanged because they're so similar.

Americanisms: Words or terms that are only American, so you shouldn't use them if you're writing about an English person or in England or wherever. The same can be said for American character's using English phrases, but it's called Britspeak. I don't think that's as cool, and haven't heard it used as much. I guess because there just aren't as many people willing to set their stories here in the good ol' UK. I haven't a clue why...

Angstfics: Fanfics that are mainly about the angst of the characters. You can also use angsty, angst-filled etc.

Songfics: (Note: fanfiction.net bans these. People still do them, but they're actually banned...) This is a fan fiction based on a song. It's usually a one-shot, but some people make series of them, and it usually intertwines the lyrics of the songs with the thoughts of the main character, or - less likely - action. Stories that simply have a line or two from a song aren't usually thought of as songfics. Some people also try to recommend a song that would go with a particular scene, if it was in a film or t.v show. Again, not a songfic.

Anime: This is short for "animeshon" which is the Japanese word for animation. This refers to all animation, but Western animation is usually referred to as a cartoon, anime being reserved for eastern work. This is a big category on FFdotnet, and is usually combined with manga.

Manga: Japanese comic books, usually combined with anime.

ANC: This is short for Annoying New Character. Quite often used for Mary Sues. Many OCs (Original Characters) are in danger of going down this route unless a writer is very careful.

Mary Sue: Usually an original character, although it has been said that canon characters can become Mary Sues. An MS is a woman (the male version is a Gary Stu, or similar, usually rhyming with Mary Sue) who becomes the centre of all attention in a story, generally hogging the limelight by being attractive, popular, loved by all canon characters (or, more commonly, a particular character that the writer has a crush on). They can also be defined as a representation of the author, where they project an idealised version of themselves into the universe of their favourite characters. Basically, it's a daydream, but put into words. Not a popular phenomenon. See Belle's Mary Sue article for more details.

Anti-Sue: This is the opposite of a Mary Sue, where an author tries their hardest to make their character in no way like a Mary Sue, so they will be unpopular, unattractive, hated by all, underachievers, all the opposites of a Mary Sue.

Antific: Where someone writes a fanfic where all the cast/characters are killed off or destroyed simply because they don't like the show/book/whatever. I think it's a bit childish really.

Archive: A collection of fan fictions. Fanfiction.net lets writers archive their own work. A C2 on fanfiction.net

C2: This is a community, where people can collect their favourite fanfics, or one's about certain characters etc. They can be general or category specific. People can then "subscribe" and be informed when a new story is added.

Fandom: This is the category(s) you like to haunt. It basically means a collective group of fans.

'Ships: Abbreviation for relationships, this is the character combinations a person likes, or the story is about. Also called pairings.

'Shipper: Someone who is devoted to the idea that "so and so" and "that other one" belong together, and/or will eventually get together.

The Blue/Purple Button: This is purely for Fanfiction.net (although I know nothing of other sites so they may too have blue buttons) and is basically button you press on the drop-down menu to review. Many writers refer to it in the sentence; "Go on, you know you want to hit that blue button."

OOC: This stands for Out Of Character. This is when a character from the canon does/thinks/says something that isn't what they would do in the original. This is in most cases a pretty bad thing, but sometimes it's necessary for a character to be a little OOC, so people let you off. It's probably best not to try it, because it's so easy to get it wrong. Unless you have a good reason why they're OOC, like they're drunk or had some odd coffee (you know what I mean, Eyes-of-Pearl) or something.

Beta: This is like proof-reading. If someone is your Beta-reader they will read over something before you post it, checking for things you have previously agreed on, could be simply whether it works, or grammatical/spelling errors etc. Also known as DR (designated reader) by those at MeBe -seeing as we coined the phrase! It's always good to get someone you trust to do this job, so you know they will: 1. Point out any mistakes/things they don't like 2. Say it in a constructive, non-flaming, way.

C&C: Comments and Criticism.

R&R: Read and Review

Challenge: This is when someone "challenges" you to write a fic about something. The resulting fiction is a challenge fic.

Conventional Couple: A pairing that was already specified in the canon. Could also be used for two people everyone knows will end up together at some point (for instance Ray and Neela in ER). Beware using one of these with another person, you may get rotten fruit thrown at you. However, you'd be surprised at the amount of Unconventional Couples that are actually supported by a wide group of people...

Unconventional Couple: The opposite of the above. Duh. A lot of the time can be an interesting read. Not so when one of the couple goes completely OOC to get into the relationship. See Things that really annoy experienced fanfic readers for a little guidance). Also crack pairing, i.e. a pairing that's pretty crazy (Incidentally, Googling the term "crack pairing", as Belle just did for research purposes, can be quite an experience. Be sure to put quotes around it...)

Crossover: This is when a fic is based on two canons, or two canons' characters. Many of these are popular, or obvious. Some not so much. Sometimes referred to as a fusion.

Disclaimer: This is a note, usually at the beginning of a fic, that states you do not own the canon, or characters. Most authors tend to combine this with an amusing, "if I did..."

A/N: Ah, my favourite! This stands for author's note and is basically the author giving a note (duh) before and/or after the actual chapter. On fanfiction.net these are kind of frowned upon and are strictly banned unless combined with a new chapter. Most people have them with chapters though. Some like a short "thanks for the reviews" others, like me (and Belle!!), tend to ramble.

Phan: A fan (some might say fanatic) of Phantom of the Opera. I do believe it is a play on words...

'Ficcer: Someone who writes fanfic. Short for fanficcer.

Fluff: Aw, another favourite of mine. The cute, 'fluffy' parts of stories, like a couple cuddling up in front of a fire. Usually happens in stories about two characters who are/should be in a romantic situation. I love angst/fluff stories, and often write them. It's surprisingly cool to try and get the right balance. Hard as hell, but cool!

Newbie: A newcomer to the world of fanfiction, or a specific category (or anything, really). Also known as the people this site is aimed at, ;-P!

OC: Abbreviation of Original Character. This is a character that the fanfic author has made up, who was not in the canon.

OT: Also, OOT, for Off Topic, or Out Of Topic respectively. Basically a note that is... not on topic.

POV: Stands for Point Of View. Usually in an author's note, telling the reader who's POV the story is from.

Parody: Also known as a skit. A humorous take on a canon, could be satirical or just plain "huh?" A lot of people enjoy these, but it depends on the category and how seriously people take it. It also depends on whether you write it for good-natured fun, or in the childish way that you just don't like a category. If it's the latter, you are likely to get flamed. You have been warned.

Spoiler: This is when you "spoil" what is going to happen in the next series/book/film by referring to it in your fanfic. Could be something minor or something major like the death of a character.

Spoiler Warning: This should ALWAYS be used by people posting in t.v category's, or in book/film category's that involve a series. It is a warning to those that have not seen/read further than a certain point. See Things that really annoy experienced fanfic readers.

PM: Abbreviation of Private Message, fanfiction.net's version of e-mail. Sorta...

The Queen of...: (or, I suppose, 'The King of', but this has never come up... - Belle) Usually an insult, but could be regarded as a compliment. This is someone who seems to dictate a certain category and/or all discussions surrounding it. These people are always very opinionated and newbies tend to start off in awe but grow tired of them always being right - even when they're not. Mostly a MeBe thing, and we're usually joking …

Fantasmical: This is a word I made up, but you never know it may catch on! It means fantastic, but better!

Typo: This is a typing error.

Alt: Abbreviation for alternate.

Muse: A person who inspires you to write. More often than not, and definitely in my case, this is a mystical person, a figment of your imagination who you will blame for lack of updates or call out to occasionally. However I have heard of people who have real life muses, who also double as their beta's.

Real Life: That pesky thing that is usually the reason for an author not updating in a while. Abbreviated to RL.

Frequently Used Text Language:

I've included this because most people use it, especially in reviews and I thought I'd put it just in case you are not only a newbie to fanfic, but a newbie to the Internet world too.

Lol: Stands for Laugh Out Loud, although it has developed into it's own word which doesn't always mean the writer is literally laughing out loud. It's now kind of like a filler, like well "like", "um" or "well"!

Lmao: Laugh My A***/A** Off.

Focl: Fall Off Chair Laughing

PMSL: P***ing Myself Laughing

OMG: Oh my God (also OMFG, I'm sure you can work that out - Belle)

Argh/Urgh: A sign of annoyance. Grg is also used (by the good people at MeBe anyway- seeing as I made it up!)

BTW: By The Way

JMO: Just My Opinion. Also IMO (In My Opinion) is used.

Huh?: A sign of confuselment. I mean confusion -sorry, can't help making up words!

Category Terms

Here I've included some abbreviations of certain categories, which are often used. I wouldn't recommend using them when writing to a non-fan as they often will have no idea what you're talking about.

BatB: Beauty and the Beast

PotC: Pirates of the Caribbean

LotR: Lord of the Rings

LM: the Little Mermaid/ Les Miserables

PotO: Phantom of the Opera

You get the idea I'm sure!