Angst: A fictional genre in which one or more of the characters suffers emotional and sometimes physical torment.
Author-Fic: Unlike slash, which features media characters, author-fic depicts the real-life actors who portray these characters. Generally considered taboo by writers within the slash community.
AU: Alternate Universe. This term either refers specifically to the HTLJ eps, Stranger in a Stranger World and Stranger and Stranger, or fan fic set outside the show's usual timeline.
Beta reader: Sometimes abbreviated 'beta'. In that form, it's also used as a verb. A beta reader is someone who reads a story and offers a critique of it and/or catches typos before the fic reaches a general audience.
BBGOW: The Big, Bad, God of War.
BDSM: Bondage, Dominance, Sadism, Masochism. Sometimes broken down into component parts.
BTW: By The Way.
Canon: Facts from the show, as opposed to facts from fanfic (fanon).
CB: Channeling Baby. New Zealand film starring Kevin Smith which has yet to be released in North America.
Creation: The company holding the merchandising rights to HTLJ and XWP. They also run the major conventions in the United States.
Crossover: See X-over.
DD: Domestic Discipline. Refers to a relationship between two people in which one is a disciplinarian, the other the disciplined--but not in a sexual context (if it's sexual, it's called D/s).
DR: Desperate Remedies. New Zealand film starring Kevin Smith as Lawrence Hayes. Available on video, although it's expensive.
D/s: Domination/submission. Cf. DD.
DT: Discussion Topic. Used in the subject heading of an email to indicate response is desired.
FF: Fan Fiction. Not to be confused with f/f, signifying a relationship between two women.
Filk: A song about a fannish topic. May be original, or a new version.
<G>: Grin. Variations include <VEG> (Very Evil Grin) and WEG (Wicked Evil Grin).
Gen: Variously meaning 'general', 'generic.' Essentially refers to fic that does not depict sexual relationships, either slashy or het.
GOL: God of Love (refers to the GOW's AU counterpart, seen in Stranger in a Strange World and Stranger and Stranger.
Het: Fic where the primary relationship between characters is heterosexual. May contain a relationship between a media figure and an OC.
HL: Highlander. A TV show revolving around immortals who can be killed only by beheading. Main character is Duncan MacLeod, who is most frequently paired with Methos, a 5000-year-old Immortal.
HtLJ: Hercules: the Legendary Journeys.
HC: Hurt/Comfort. Genre where one character suffers pain, usually physical (sometimes rape), and is then tended to by another. Sometimes leads to sex.
Iphicles: Hercules' older brother who appears in only 4 episodes.
IM: Either internal monologue, or AOL's free message service, Instant Messanger.
The Jester: Otherwise known as JIolaus. Iolaus' double from Stranger in a Strange World and Stranger and Stranger.
Kiwi: Someone from New Zealand.
KSA: Ksmithares. Refers to the mailing list or the archive.
Lawless: New Zealand tele-film starring Kevin Smith as John Lawless, an undercover cop.
LOC: Letter of Comment. Response to a fic (feedback).
Lurker: Someone who belongs to a mailing list but who posts rarely, if ever.
Mary-Sue: An original female character who is idealized ad nauseum by her author. Her appearance and behavior are cliched. Sometimes used to describe OMCs, although the term there is sometimes Herkie-Sue or Marty-Sue.
M-Preg (mpreg): Male pregnancy. Stories with a male who becomes pregnant, with the accompanying physical changes (lactation, birth).
MHO: My Humble Opinion. Sometimes IMHO (In My Humble Opinion) or IMNSHO (In My Not So Humble Opinion).
MSLP: Mucho sex, lite plot. A step above a PWP; though sex is the main point of the fic, more effort is needed to get the principals together.
NC, N-C, N/C: Non-Consensual. Term used for fic depicting rape or problematizing sexual consent in general.
NC-17: A North American film rating, indicating explicit sexual content (not related to NC).
Nekkid: Netspeak for 'naked.' Sometimes used to suggest 'naked and up to no good.'
OC: Original Character. This is a character invented by the author, as opposed to one borrowed from media.
OF: Original Fiction. (As opposed to fan fiction).
OFC: Original Female Character. This is a character invented by the author, and is often associated associated with Mary-Sue.
OT: Off-Topic. Used as a warning heading in email messages.
The Pale One: Refers to Strife, from HtLJ and YH.
POV: Point Of View. The perspective from which a story is narrated. In fanfic, the most popular POV is third person partial ominiscient, where the story is told from one character's limited perspective. We can hear his thoughts, and see what he's feeling, but don't have access to the other characters' thoughts.
Pro: An author who is paid for her/his fiction. Also can refer to The Professionals, an old British TV series.
PWP: Plot? What Plot? Stories where the emphasis is solely on sex. Usually, they don't display much development.
R: A North American film rating, indicating non-explicit sexual content.
RL: Real life, as opposed to cyberspace.
ROFL: Rolling on the Floor Laughing.
ROFLMAO: Rolling on the Floor Laughing My Ass Off.
RR: Round Robin. A story written serially by a variety of authors.
Scat: Sexual play involving feces (abbr. of scatology).
Schmoop: Fic that depicts an excessively romantic relationship, especially between two men.
Shipper: Relationshipper. An X-Files term, denoting someone who is dedicated to or believes in a romantic relationship between Scully and Mulder. Is sometimes appropriated by other fandoms.
Slash: Fic playing up perceived homoerotic overtones in various cultural media. Named after the punctuation mark '/' initially used to separate Kirk/Spock, the first 'official' slash pairing.
Smarm: A genre depicting two male media characters in an emotionally and spiritually intense friendship, without deliberate sexual overtones. Seen frequently in TS.
Spoiler Space: A blank space following a warning that an email message contains information about an ep others might not have seen (different countries have very different air dates for shows).
Squick: Works as either a noun or verb, indicating a turn-off.
TIIC: The Idiots in Charge. Refers to the writers and/or general production team for HTLJ and XWP. A more harsh version of TPTB.
TPTB: The Powers That Be. Generally refers to the writers and/or the production team for HTLJ and XWP.
TS: The Sentinel. TV show featuring a sentinel, Jim, and his guide, Blair.
Uber: This terms is specific to the Xenaverse, and is essentially equivalent to the AU genre. It refers to a story set beyond the show's usual timeline.
UST: Unresolved Sexual Tension. Used to describe a fictional relationship that is not consummated.
Vignette: A short piece, usually around 3 pages, that deals more with character, etc. than plot.
Water Sports: Sexual play involving urine.
WIAN: What's In A Name. One of the four Iphicles episodes.
WIP: Work In Progress. An incomplete story or serial.
WOA: The Wedding of Alcmene. One of the four Iphicles episodes.
WW: War Wounds. The last of the four Iphicles episodes, and the one for which Kevin Smith dyes his hair copper.
X-Over: Crossover. A fic that unites characters from two shows (in this fandom, we tend to treat HTLJ and XWP as one show).
YH: Young Hercules. A short-lived tv series featuring the adventures of a teenaged Hercules. Ares appears in a number of episodes as the chief villain.
'Zine: A privately-published collection of
fanfic.
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