X-Files Fan Fiction Glossary
AU: Alternate universe, warning people that the author is not going to follow canon, or is not going to stick to something they wrote in their previous stories. Angst: Heart-wrenching melodrama. Trauma. Worry and trouble. Very soap-operaish. BD or B&D: Bondage/discipline, mind and control games, sometimes with humiliation involved. Beta Reader: Someone who proofreads your story, picks out the punctuation and grammatical errors, points out your plot holes, and tried to help you make it better. A really good beta reader, who takes time to work with you extensively and is honest and thorough, is worth his/her weight in gold. CC: Short for "Chris Carter," creator of the X-Files. See: Chris Carter Home Page Canon: Facts from the shows or the films, considered to be "real" in the X-Files universe. Disclaimer: A statement at the beginning of the story which informs the reader that borrowed characters/scenarios and settings were not created by the writer, but were used and manipulated. Example: "The characters of Dana Scully and Fox Mulder were created by Chris Carter and are the property of 1013 and Fox television. This story was not written for profit." It's important to clarify that you haven't made money off the story, because that opens the writer up to a lawsuit. FAQ: Freqently asked questions. FanFic: Fiction written by a fan of a show about the show, never for profit and usually without permission of the show's owners. The author and the readers, however, don't usually care about that, so it works out great. Fanon: Unlike "Canon", fanon is bits of information that turn up over and over again in fan fiction. For example, the idea that Krycek never wears underwear is a fanfic invention (fanon!). Certainly not something that was ever discussed on the show. Feedback: Giving or receiving opinions and constructive criticism. When you ask for feedback on your story, be prepared to get both positive and negative comments, and remember, an honest opinion is sometimes better than a large amount of gushing praise (though we all like the gushing praise). Flames: Nasty, rude or angry comments about something you have done wrong (or that someone perceives you have done wrong), written in a way that does not have any consideration for hurting your feelings. The experience of being "flamed" is not pleasant. Some people simply have no class or tact. Het: Heterosexual. Denotes a story where all the romantic or sexual relationships are between opposite sex partners, as opposed to same sex (see slash, above). H/C: - Hurt Comfort M/F, M/M, F/F: Refers to a romantic/sexual relationship pairing you will find in the story. For example, M/M refers to a relationship between two men. Of course, their can be more than two letters - for example, M/F/M means their is a sexual relationship between three individuals, two male and one female. Mary Sue: A character in fanfic who is obviously the author's alter-ego. She is often a little too perfect and freqently gets it on with an character (e.g. Mulder). The male version of this is a Maurice Stu. NC: Non-consensual sex. NC-17: A story rating - adults only (explicit sex) OS ~ The Official X-Files Web Site (www.thexfiles.com) Plot Bunnies: POV: Point of view. A story told from the point of view of one particular character. PWP: Stands for "Plot? What Plot?" A very short story, generally with little plot or character development, in which an event, often sex, occurs just for the sake of occurring. R: A story rating, non-explicit sex. Songfic: A story built around the lyrics to a particular song, or inspired by it. S&M or S/M: Sadism and Masochism - involves actual pain and humiliation. Always consensual. If non-consensual, it's just sadism. Slash: Fan fiction that focuses on a romantic and/or sexual relationship between two characters of the same sex. See: What is slash? Slash Information & Resources Slash Resources Spoiler: Details which give away the plot of an episode or movie. If you use these in a story, it's best to warn the reader up front in your disclaimer, or you'll be flamed. Surfer Boy: Chris Carter - creator of the X-Files TPTB: The Powers That Be - Chris Carter, 1013 Productions, Fox. UST: - Unresolved sexual tension. Two characters pine away and long for one another, but never consumate their feelings. Mulder and Scully's relationship is the very epitome of UST. X/O (or Crossover): A story which includes characters from other shows.
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