A

AGoL: (also Ares GOL and AU Ares GOL)
Acronym for 'Ares, God of Love,' the alternative universe version of Ares, as seen on the Hercules: the Legendary Journeys episodes 'Stranger in a Strange World' and 'Stranger and Stranger'. One of the characters played by the late Kiwi actor Kevin Smith on Xena and Hercules.

AGoW: (also Ares GOW)
Acronym for 'Ares, God of War,' the canon version of Ares.

Actor-fiction: (also Actorfic and Actor Slash)
Actor-fiction, or real people slash (RPS), is largely considered a big no-no in the fan fiction world (not to mention the legal world). It is the practice of writing fan fiction that involves the actual real-life actors and actresses who play the characters we love (e.g. - Writing a story about Lucy Lawless and Renee O'Connor having sex, rather than Xena and Gabrielle). It can also include fic about musicians, politicians and more.

Many consider this form of fiction a huge violation of the person's privacy and bad netiquette to boot. It has also been suggested, and perhaps rightly so, that actor-fic/RPS will increase the likelihood of negative attention from TPTB and lawmakers. However, as with Mary-Sues, others don't see what all the hubbub is about, or are actively opposed to the censorship of, and demonization of, people's fantasies. (It is interesting to note that slash was once considered reprehensible by many) In any case, there is lots of Actorfic on the Net (see Slate). I haven't encountered any in the Herc-Xenaverse, but supposedly it's common with fan fiction about boy bands like The Backstreet Boys and N'Sync, with Savage Garden, and with some Japanese bands. For a discussion of the complexities of the subject, see Mimi's Slash, Fiction, and Rock'n Roll: An Excursion into Actor Slash. And for another defense of RPS, see Slash Cotillion: Frequently Made Objections against RealPeopleSlash - Introductionary Ramble and Notes.

See also Real People Slash (RPS)

Adult:
Refers to content which is inappropriate for children. May or may not imply sexual content.

Adzine:
"A zine whose main purpose is to list zines, their content, and availability" (Glossary of Fanzine Terminology and Types of Zines).

Age Statement
"A written statement declaring that the reader or purchaser is above the age of 18, or sometimes 21, usually required during the purchase of adult or slash material" (Glossary of Fanzine Terminology and Types of Zines).

Alternative: (also alt and altfic)
In the Herc-Xenaverse the term refers to stories (and other subject matter, such as fan art) that contain a lesbian pairing, principally Xena/Gabrielle. The term is specific to this fandom, but it sometimes surfaces in the Trekverse as well. Controversy surrounds its origin, and its current usage, and I prefer to avoid it. See the term general for an explanation. Also see subtext.

Alternative Universe: (also Alternate Universe and AU)
"A piece that diverges from established canon history. This divergence changes the history of the rest of the events in canon" (Fan Fiction Dictionary, Writers University). For instance, it is canon that Dahak killed Iolaus on Hercules, but many authors wrote stories that ignored the death, creating fan-made alternative universes in which he didn't die. Think It's a Wonderful Life.

There are a few 'official' (or canon, if that makes any sense) versions of alternative universes in the Herc-Xenaverse, two from Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, and one excellent example from the sixth season of Xena: Warrior Princess. Concerning the Herc eps, one concerns the universe in which Hercules was never born, and where Xena was never reformed, as seen in the 'Armageddon Now' episodes (see Xena the Conqueror). The other is the universe in which Hercules became The Sovereign ('Stranger in a Strange World'), a bitter and twisted ruler who manipulates and controls god and mortal alike. It is from this second universe that we get the characters The Jester (Iolaus 2), Ares, the God of Love, Xena 2 and the competent Joxer, among others.

Still, both of these examples may not follow the strict definition of the term. An alternate universe splits from canon at some point during canon, which means that the 'Stranger in a Strange World' example could be better (the universe is the same as canon up until Hercules taking the wrong path. Hercules becomes bitter and vengeful after his family's death, and doesn't start fighting for good). But the 'Stranger in a Strange World' universe is probably better described as a Parallel Universe, because that world mirrors the established canon universe, but also has major, and 'global', differences (like the gods having different roles) that were evident even before the changing-canon incident. In addition, the former universe (Armageddon Now) may be more accurately described as an Alternative History, because the only thing that has changed is that Hercules has never lived. But as Hercules has never lived, the argument could be made that the universe didn't split from canon at all, because it never was canon. Confused yet?

The best example of a nice and tidy alternate universe (from 'canon' anyway *snigger*) comes from the Xena episode 'Fates Collide.' In it, Caesar manages to go back into the past and change history for his own good (or so he thinks), deciding to join up with Xena instead of breaking her legs and leaving her to die on the beach as he did in the 'real' timeline. In this new universe Xena becomes Caesar's Empress, and because of her changed path, has not become the bitter, vengeful killer who traveled to Chin. So, Xena's 'present' is completely different. She hasn't met Lao Ma, Hercules, etc. But of particular significance, she hasn't met Gabrielle (of course, she does finally meet her soulmate despite Caesar's meddling). In this new timeline it looks as if Caesar, with the considerable help of Xena, has pretty much conquered the 'known world.' Things are very different from the original timeline. What makes it an Alternative Universe? Xena has had the exact same history up until that one point that Caesar changed, and that one change consequently altered the destinies of everyone in the show's universe.

It's important to note that many fan fiction writers and readers don't make these niggling distinctions, and that any story that diverges from canon is considered an AU; including stories that many Xenites would consider Über-Xena.

Angst: (also angstfic)
1. a. "anxiety" b. "a feeling of guilt or remorse" (The Canadian Oxford Dictionary, 1998) 2. Stories that cause the reader romantic frustration. 3. "A piece that is emotionally wrenching or a piece where a character deals with an emotionally distressing situation. In certain fandoms angst has a derogatory over tone (sic)" (Fan Fiction Dictionary, Writers University).

Oh, those poor fan fiction characters. We love to torture them so! Well, at least some of us authors do. What could be more fun than having every conceivable hurdle placed before the couple we know love one another? It's so great to watch them suffer and long after one another, just so we can see how desperately they finally come (cum?) together. I know, I know, it's not everybody's bag, and there are authors who take it to an extreme we might not like, but stories that resolve a relationship in a page aren't commonly turned into films *g* (see Angst Grrls for another discussion of the joys of angst in fan fiction).

There are different kinds of angst stories. A strict definition of angst might stipulate a story remaining horribly frustrating from beginning to end, whereas many angsty stories have happy endings. Also see Fluffy Angst.

Anime:
"Anime is the Japanese word used to denote any animated work. It is pronounced 'ah-nee-may.' Many Japanese genre TV shows, videos, and movies (and even some basic dramas/comedies) are often produced using animation instead of live-action for various reasons, often that using full animation is cheaper than getting special effects. Americans have begun using the Japanese word for 'animation' in order to denote animated programs produced in Japan, by Japanese people, for an intended Japanese audience. Many companies in the US have begun subtitling and dubbing various sorts of anime into English and selling them commercially, often through stores like Suncoast or Electronics Boutique. Cartoon Network and Fox Kids have also begun showing large amounts of anime. It's currently very popular with young children and teenagers. It may or may not be a fad; how well anime sales are doing in two years should be evidence enough.

"There's been an American fandom based around anime since the early 80's (one member of the Star Wars SFX team was pictured proudly holding up an original production cel from an anime called Captain Future). Before anime was available commercially, bootleg copies of shows subtitled by fans and distributed to college anime clubs and friends for free was how anime in the US was disseminated. These bootlegs, called fansubs are still produced by fans before an American company is known to have a license, or when fans feel that the American company that holds the license is not translating the show faithfully. This is not technically illegal so long as the fans do not attempt to turn a profit at it" (Alicia Ashby, Fanthropology).

Akira was probably the first Japanese anime movie mass distributed in North America, a film that garnered a big cult following. Other well-known titles in North America include Ghost in the Shell, Ninja Scroll and the more-recent Spirited Away. Non-film titles include Evangelion, Slayers, . See Manga

Archive:
(n) In regards to online fandom, a site that collects fan works - be they stories, artwork, whatever - and hosts them on the site's server. Ashera's Archive is such a web site. Compare this to Index; (v) the act of saving a fan work.

Archivist:
The person who owns/manages the archive.

Avatar:
Also see Mary-Sue

B

BDSM:
Catch-all acronym to cover stories of the kinkier variety. Here's the breakdown:

B & D for Bondage and Discipline
D & S for Dominance and Submission
S & M for Sadism and Masochism (or sado-masochism)

These practices will be consensual, unless a warning of non-consensual sex and/or rape accompanies it (as far as this archive is concerned anyway)

For a more intimate look at BDSM in the Xenaverse, see Xenadom

BNF:
Acronym for 'Big Name Fan'. Fans that are well-known within the fandom, usually for fan fiction; "A fan who has received sufficient notoriety through their fannish activities for their name to be recognizable by other fans, who may not know them personally" (Glossary of Fanzine Terminology and Types of Zines). The most obvious example of this would be Melissa Good, the fan-fic-bard-turned-script-writer. Others would include Tom Simpson, Kym Masera Taborn, Lunacy, Shadowfen, Mary Draganis...

BSO:
Stands for "Beautiful Sex Object", "Batterable Slash Object", "Beloved Slash Object" or "Battered Slashable Object" (source Slash Fiction Hall of Shame & Katherine Langley)

Badfic:
1. Intentionally bad fan fiction, written to amuse or to parody frequent errors/crimes against writing. It isn't common (intentionally anyway) in the Herc-Xenaverse. Wait! Thanks to Luthien I found one. Check out I Will Survive by Ellen Smithee. And Xena Luvs Gabby by Katherine the Art Chick. For examples in other fandoms see Bad Fanfic! No Biscuit! (multi-fandom) and Whipple POWER!!!!! (Star Trek). 2. Can also refer to fan fiction which was not intentionally written to parody bad writing, but just is bad writing (Bad Fanfic! No Biscuit!). Also see Fan Fiction Hall of Shame.

Bard:
1. "a poet, especially one who writes impassioned, lyrical, or epic verse" (Merriam Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature, 1995); 2. A Xena: Warrior Princess or Hercules: The Legendary Journeys fan fiction author. The term was picked up from the show Xena: Warrior Princess, on which Gabrielle is referred to as, and refers to herself as, a bard (or more recently, the Battling Bard of Poteidaia). Originally a Celtic tradition, bards were tribal poet-singers who composed and recited verses on heroes and their deeds - hence Gabrielle's practice of writing mainly about Xena and her adventures (not that the show stays true to the definition - bards didn't write prose).

Best Served, First In:
The policy of adding stories to an archive in the order of their ease of addition; "that is, those stories which are easy to archive are always added first, and more difficult stories (those which require permission, reformatting, summarising, or god forbid, spell checking) are put aside until the archivist has more time to deal with them" (Fanfic Archivists). This would be in contrast with a first in, first served policy.

Ashera's Archive follows the 'Best Served, First In' policy.

Beta:
The second letter of the Greek alphabet, the term has come to refer to any product which is 'untested', and is thus not quite ready for release (perhaps this started because the 'beta version' was one step away from becoming the 'alpha version'). Particularly common when discussing new computer software which needs to be 'beta tested'. The term has subsequently been integrated into fan fiction, referring to works which are unedited or unfinished (see beta version). The term can also be used to refer to a beta reader.

Beta Reader: (also Beta)
Someone who offers their services as a proof reader; someone who edits the beta version; "A person who critiques a story for an author. The critique normally examines the following parts of a piece: grammar, spelling, characterizations, plot, similarities to canon, and language" (Fan Fiction Dictionary, Writers University).

Beta Version:
An initial draft of a story or poem (see first draft). A story which is sent off to a beta reader for proofing (see beta).

Beyond Über
"This is where the lines grey as some consider these Xena-Über fiction and others consider these original fiction" (Beyond Uber); this descriptor tends to be used for Über stories that move 'beyond' the Xena/Gabrielle archetypes to a great extent, but the use is rather arbitrary.

Bondage and Discipline: (also B&D)
A physical or psychological means to assert dominance or authority in a sexual context. Bondage is defined as "subjection to constraint, influence, obligation, etc" and "sado-masochistic practices, including the use of physical restraints or mental enslavement" (The Canadian Oxford Dictionary, 1998). Discipline is defined as "a system of rules used to maintain control over people" and "punishment" (The Canadian Oxford Dictionary, 1998). See BDSM

Bottom:
An individual who principally gains pleasure from being the submissive player in BDSM activities. Derived from the physical placement of the 'bottom' (who is the fuckee), namely, under the top (who is the fucker). However, a bottom isn't necessarily submissive, or completely submissive. A bottom can be a pushy bottom, one who is not completely passive - or a bottom who is inadequately disciplined.

Bunny:
See Plot Bunny

C

Canon:
1. "a collection or list of sacred books, etc. accepted as genuine" (The Canadian Oxford Dictionary, 1998) 2. The 'official' plot/history for a particular fandom (as opposed to a plot element or 'fact' introduced in a fan fiction story). May or may not include professional spin-off books from the fandom, like Star Trek and Star Wars books. Xena novels are not considered part of canon. Neither is the animated spin-off movie . The term came from the Star Trek fandom. Compare with Fanon.

Canonballed:
Having your fanfic plot be overridden by changes in the canon; known in the Buffy fandom as "being Jossed" (Nea Dodson, Fanthropology).

Challenge: (also Story Challenge)
A story framework/outline suggested by someone to other authors, usually on a mailing list or message board, to which writers will respond with stories working within it. Challenges will often insist on specific pairings or characters, and may stipulate certain locations, props, subjects, dialogue, etc. Is often used as a way to rev up quiet lists and/or motivate negligent authors into writing again. In the Herc-Xenaverse, challenges are most common in the m/m slash community. (for example, all of the stories that followed an Ares, God of War/Ares, God of Love story challenge on Ksmithares)

Chanslash: (also chan)
Chanslash refers to slash stories where the younger member of the pairing is a teenager and under the legal age of consent, which is usually 18 years of age, but can also be under 21. The age of the younger member can be anywhere from 13 to 20 years of age.

Chanslash is a term that arose pretty recently. The term 'chan' is a suffix in Japanese that is added to a name. It implies that one is younger and more innocent; sweet, even. It could be translated in English as "sweetie", "little one" and "dear." Or even something innocuous like "junior."

The term became popular with the explosion of 'Star Wars: Phantom Menace' fandom, and more specifically, the published 'Jedi Apprentice' novels about the early apprenticeship of 13-year-old Obi-Wan Kenobi to Qui-Gon Jinn. Lucas based the Jedi upon the Samurai, who traditionally did have older warriors taking on a younger warrior and training him. However, what Lucas didn't address (and perhaps was not aware of) was that the Samurai warriors expected their apprentices to sexually service them in return for their training. This is similar to practices among warriors and teachers in ancient Greece, and even modern-day Africa. Many TPM slash writers have interpreted this into their understanding of Jedi tradition, hence 'chanslash stories'.

Many archives will not archive chanslash stories, so they have to be specifically labeled as such for mailing lists. There are some chanslash archives out there, but most are very 'underground', due to the threat of legal action against them due to 'child pornography' issues *2. (Thanks to Trent Roman and Roanaid for this info).

Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon slash can be found at Master and Apprentice.

Character Death: (also c/d)
A warning placed in the header that indicates that a principal character - and almost always a canon character - dies in the story.

Conqueror Stories:
The genre of Xena and Hercules fan fiction which concerns Xena the Conqueror, the bad ass, unreformed Xena from the 'Armageddon Now' alternative universe. These are usually lesbian stories which couple the Conqueror and the alternative universe version of Gabrielle, with Gabrielle redeeming or at least taming Xena with her love; "Fan fiction designation in XWP and HTLJ fandoms. Alternate timeline wherein Xena forgets/pretends/becomes/is a warlord and goes on to conquer kingdoms, etc. Not necessarily Xena the Conqueror fan fiction, but has Conqueror story-like elements. Some of these stories are defined as "Xena the Conqueror fan fic" stories by the authors, but do not necessarily fall under the ARMAGEDDON NOW Xena the Conqueror premise. Other stories were written before the ARMAGEDDON NOW episode aired, but has [sic] Conqueror-like story elements" (Glossary of Terms and Legal Disclaimers, Annals of the Conqueror).

Consensual:
1. "involving or based on mutual consent" (Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition, 1993) 2. In fan fiction, refers to sexual relations which are agreed to by all involved parties; the sex isn't forced. Compare this with rape.

Constructive Criticism: (also constructive feedback)
Feedback about a story that is helpful, rather than merely disparaging (or merely positive, as it may be); criticism that points out everything from spelling and grammatical mistakes, to formatting problems, plot discrepancies and poor characterizations, with the intention that the author can then "fix" the problems. Also tends to include mentions of the effective elements of the story, allowing the writer to expand on strengths and improve weaknesses; what ideally an author will receive from interested and conscientious readers; what authors will ideally receive from beta readers. Considering that many fan fiction authors are inexperienced, the offering of constructive criticism by others is an important aspect of the fan fiction community.

Contributor's Copy: (also Contrib Copy and Trib Copy)
"A copy of a zine received in exchange for a contribution of material" (Glossary of Fanzine Terminology and Types of Zines). Also see Fanzine.

Convention: (also Con)
"A central location where people gather to exchange information or celebrate a particular interest. The convention is characterized by panels, dealers' rooms, and programming of various sorts" (Glossary of Fanzine Terminology and Types of Zines).

There are two general kinds of conventions:

• A professional, for-profit convention, which usually includes various 'guests' such as actors, actresses, writers, creators, etc, from one particular fandom, or a mixing of fandoms (e.g. - The money-grubbing Creation conventions)
• A fan-run, not-for-profit fandom celebration, which may have special guests, but usually cannot afford to pay for any (e.g. - FriscoN); also referred to as a Fest, such as The Pacific Northwest Xenafests.

Copyright:
"the exclusive legal right to reproduce, publish, and sell the matter and form (as of a literary, musical, or artistic work" (Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition, 1993). Some see fan fiction as an infrigement of copyrights held by TPTB, while others see fan fiction as falling under the "fair use" provision, "a legal provision that permits the use of previously copyrighted material" (Web Wars; Crackdown on Fan Websites, Total TV).

See Whoosh's article Copyright 101: A Brief Introduction To Copyright For Fan Fiction Writers for more info on copyright law and its relationship to fan fiction. Also see the entry for Fan Fiction for a discussion of the ethical ramifications of the ownership of cultural 'property'.

Crossover: (also XO)
A story that borrows characters and situations from more than one fandom. Strictly speaking, stories that have both Xena and Hercules characters could be considered crossover stories, but as these series are in the same 'universe/timeline,' they are often treated as one fandom (including on this site). Similarly, you can be a Star Trek fan, but the individual shows can be considered their own fandom as well (ex: I write for the Star Trek: Voyager fandom).

Common fandoms 'crossed' with the Xena and Hercules fandoms are Highlander: The Series, The Sentinel, (these fandoms are particularly true of m/m Hercules slash), the X-files, and Star Trek to a certain degree.

D

Derivative Fiction:
Derivative works are those based on another. Derivative fiction includes fan fiction, which is based on the TV show, movie, comic, etc that is its source.

Disclaimers: (also Disclaimers and Warnings)
Fan fiction readers and writers soon realize that there exists in fan fiction of all fandoms an 'unwritten code' (or sometimes an expressly spelled out one), one which dictates self-regulation and self-censorship. Some of these rules have arisen out of legal concerns (and the desire to avoid them), while others have developed as a form of netiquette. Here are the basic rules:

General:

• make it clear that you are not making a profit, whether from archiving, writing, or publishing fanzines

Specific to stories:

• make it clear that you do not own the characters, and have not received permission from TPTB to use them
• label your stories with warnings if the content is disturbing/adult/violent
• do not write about 'real' people (see Actor-fiction)

Specific to archives:

• make it clear that your site (or the site on which you archive your stories) is unofficial, and has no relationship to the producers and owners of the show
• do not archive a story if the author has not given you permission to do so

Disclaimers and Warnings are placed in the beginning of the story, in the header, and establish that the story has followed these guidelines (or deviated from them). Disclaimers are often (as the word suggests) specifically referring to the legal status of the story (or lack thereof), establishing that the story is a fannish enterprise and nothing more. Authors may also use this space to claim ownership over the story/poem and/or original characters introduced within it (see this glossary's disclaimer for an example). Warnings are often specifically referring to the content of the story, highlighting explicit material (violent and/or sexual) that may disturb some readers (see this glossary's warning to get an idea).

"Fans don't profit from their borrowings, and they clearly mark their sites as unofficial to avoid consumer confusion."

Henry Jenkins, Digital Land Grab

See Klancy7's The Disclaimer's The Thing for an example of how 'Warnings and Disclaimers' benefit everybody in the fan fiction world (but read the warnings first!).

Dominance and Submission: (also D/s)
In a sexual context, the taking on of either a commanding or submissive role in BDSM activities. Dominant is defined as "commanding, controlling, or prevailing over all others" (Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition, 1993). Submit is defined as "to yield to governance or authority" (Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition, 1993). In a dominant/submissive relationship, one participant will be in command, and will gain pleasure from the control (see top), and the other participant or participants will gain pleasure from being controlled (see bottom).

The combining of the terms 'dominance' and 'submission' connote a consensual relationship, as the absence of a submissive player would suggest merely dominance/sadism. Often found in Warlord/Slave stories, particularly Xena: The Conqueror tales in the Xenaverse. See BDSM

Domination:
"supremacy or preeminence over another; exercise of mastery or ruling power" (Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition, 1993). In a sexual context, the exercise of sexual dominance over another, whether through physical or psychological means. See Dominance and Submission

Dominatrix: (also Dom or Domme)
"a woman who is domineering, esp. a woman who takes the dominant or sadistic role in sado-masochistic sexual activities" (The Canadian Oxford Dictionary, 1998). See Dominance and Submission

E

Erotica:
What some see as the morally superior version of pornography. These critics of porn suggest that erotica involves sexual content, but that it does so in a more tasteful fashion, puts greater emphasis on context, plot and characterization, and/or uses the sexual content as a tool to elucidate more 'elevated' themes. Other definitions include, sensual works that explore the meaning of sexuality, rather than the particular details of sexual acts and sexual organs; sexual works that do not objectify and denigrate women; sexual works written/created by and for women.

On the other hand, some people (including myself) think that any distinction between erotica and pornography is meaningless. It's an elitist distinction, meant to separate 'intelligent/academic' works from the base subject matter that 'common' people read and look at. As Gloria Leonard says, "The difference between pornography and erotica is lighting." See pornography

F

f/f:
Short for female/female, indicating romantic and/or sexual content. Also sometimes referred to as fem-sex or femslash. See lesbian.

Fan:
Short for 'fanatic', this term refers to anyone who likes a particular TV show, movie, book series, etc. Generally understood that the 'hardcore' fans are the ones who spend inordinate amounts of time and money on their fandom, buying merchandise, writing and reading fan fiction, going to cons and fests, paying attention to the personal lives of actors, and running websites and archives; what Lucy Lawless calls "hardcore nutballs". Fans in a particular fandom often have their own specific moniker (for an incomplete listing of some fan labels see CFAN: A Glossary Of Fanfic Terms). Xena: Warrior Princess fans refer to themselves as Xenites.

Compare with Mundane.

"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject."

Winston Churchill

Fan fiction: (also FF, fanfic, fan fic and fic)
Oh boy. The shortest definition might go something like "derivative writings based on, or in, the homodiegetic 'world' of a popular culture product, such as a movie, a television series, a book, a comic series or an artwork." A less pretentious version could be, "fiction, written by fans, based around a TV show or movie, that is not-for-profit;" "... fiction by fans of a show, movie, books or video game. The fiction involves characters and the location of the show from which the person is a fan. Fans write fan fiction for a variety of reasons. One of the most popular reasons is to explore themes and ideas that will not or cannot be explored on the show, movie, book or video game" (Fan Fiction Dictionary, Writers University).

The problem with these definitions is they don't give any indication of the full scope of fan fiction. It is probably much more accurate to say that there are 'fan fictions', as all of the fan 'products' of the different fandoms, styles, preferences, orientations, etc, cannot be lumped together under one definition. Fan fiction is as diverse as any other kind of fiction.

Name any popular TV show, comic, book or movie, and the chances are very good that there is fan fiction for it (see Karen Nicholas' Fan Fiction on the Net and FanFiction.Net to get a better idea of the scope of fan fiction)

As for its history, fan fiction has been going on since the 70's (some even claim earlier *1), having been published in fanzines by small presses and sold at conventions, but it has gained recent prominence and popularity thanks to the Internet. Some bemoan this emergence, claiming that fan fiction's previously 'underground' status afforded it safety from copyright issues. The fact that almost any story can now be archived, regardless of writing ability, is also lamented by some (stories previously having to be accepted - and presumably edited - before publication in a fanzine back in the good ol' days). Despite these complaints, the popularity of fan fiction on the Internet has expanded fan fiction's potential readership, has opened up the joys of fan fiction to many people who wouldn't have had access otherwise, has been the basis of more than one online 'community,' and has contributed to the diversity and range of current fan works. It has also arguably contributed to the de-stigmatization of homosexual themes in popular culture.

Advocates assert that fan fiction is a kind of "folk practice" (Henry Jenkins, Digital Land Grab), a reclaiming of myths and stories that monopolizing industries have appropriated from the 'public consciousness' - and subsequently profited from:

For the past century, mass media have displaced traditional folk practices and replaced them with licensed products. When we recount our fantasies, they often involve media celebrities or fictional characters. When we speak with our friends, sitcom catchphrases and advertising jingles roll off our tongues. If we are going to tell stories that reflect our cultural experiences, they will borrow heavily from the material the media companies so aggressively marketed to us. Let's face it-media culture is our culture and, as such, has become an important public resource, the reservoir out of which all future creativity will arise.

Henry Jenkins, Digital Land Grab

As for it's legal status, fan fiction has been ignored for the most part, although the shutting down of fan sites by Fox sent a tremor through the fan community, as did the Viacom crackdown on many Star Trek sites (and resulted in the one day strike/blackout on May 13, 2000 by some fan websites, including Whoosh!). And cease and desist orders and lawsuits do occasionally happen - some quite brutal. And as previously mentioned, fan fiction's new found prominence has opened it to increasing scrutiny by both copyright holders and pop culture critics.

Why entertainment companies would want to punish their fans and shut down free advertisement boggles the mind; the same fans who almost inevitably spend large amounts of money in order to support their obsession *8. As the disclaimer on the Sith Academy so subtly puts it,

The entire Star Wars universe belongs to George Lucas. The stories and artwork on these pages are meant in no way to infringe upon that copyright. Honest. Don't sue us. We have no money. We spent it all on Star Wars merchandise and repeated viewings of The Phantom Menace.

Some even suggest that the whole system of copyrighting popular culture is riddled with problems, and argue that we should fight against any attempt to shut down fannish pursuits:

"Americans are not mere passive consumers, dully absorbing images invented in distant corporate laboratories. We hatch our own ideas and compose our own stories, drawing on pop culture without absorbing it blindly. We should look with disfavor on any law that tells us to shut up and get back on the couch."

Jesse Walker, Reason, March 2000, Copy Catfight

Luckily for those of us who believe in participating creatively in our fandom, fan fiction, fan art and other fannish pursuits have been largely ignored by Renaissance Pictures and TPTB for the Xena and Hercules franchise, the hiring of former bard Melissa Good to write some scripts for Xena even suggesting their indirect support of fan activities.

Fan Fiction Hall of Shame:
A sticky issue in almost any fandom, 'Hall of Shames' are sites which bring attention to - and commonly deride - stories with horrid spelling, bad grammar, character assassinations, cliches, and generally poor writing. Some think of them as an aid to improving fan fiction on the Internet (by offering even more incentive to writers to check their work for errors). Others criticize the sites as mean-hearted and petty attempts at wit, while others just think they're funny. You decide. Unlike intentionally bad fan fiction, or badfic, these sites choose 'real' fan fiction as their target. Some examples include Slash Fiction Hall of Shame (multi-fandom), Ms. Nitpicker's Hall of Shame (Sentinel/Highlander), Godawful Fan Fiction (multi-fandom), Feel Our Pain (Buffy) and Citizens Against Bad Slash (multi-fandom).

Fandom:
1. All of the fan activities that take place around a particular TV show, movie, comic series, book series, etc, including (but not limited to) fan fiction, fan art, fan forums, mailing lists, fan festivals (or fests), conventions, etc. 2. Is also customarily used to refer to the community itself - the group of fans who have drawn around a particular product. In this way, it will often be used as a way to express the overall tastes, mores and opinions of that fanbase (e.g. - "slash isn't thought of very highly in that fandom"). Fans can also be a part of different fandoms simultaneously, and/or may move from one fandom to another (sometimes referred to as gafiating); "generic term for fan activities related to a particular show/series/movie/etc. For example, you might hear someone say, 'X-Files is my main fandom, but I'm also into Highlander.' This is not the same as saying 'I watch X-Files and Highlander.' The term 'fandom' specifically refers to involvement in fan activities such as reading and writing fanfic, going to conventions, posting on show-related lists and websites and message boards, and so forth. The term genre is also sometimes used in this context" (Bad Fanfic! No Biscuit! - Fanfic Glossary).

The word can also be used in an all-encompassing sense, 'fandom' as the entire world of fannish pursuits regardless of whether they're about any one particular TV show, book series, movie or whatever; the world of pop culture geeks; "I am mainly involved in Xena fandom, but I'm interested in media fandom in general."

Fandoms have been compared to contagious diseases, with audiences' varying degrees of susceptibility and immunity contributing to a particular fandom's ability to spread (or how popular or large the fandom will become). As Nea from fanthropology pointed out, "Watching 6 hours of a show is like being exposed to a disease. You either catch the fandom or you are forever immune." This is related to the pimping of fandoms to others. If you try to turn a friend on to a show by taping them episodes, but they don't get hooked (or infected), then it's a failed pimp ;)

For a listing of various fandoms and their abbreviations, see CFAN: A Glossary Of Fanfic Terms.

Common fandom abbreviations for the Herc-Xenaverse are:

• XWP or X:WP for Xena: Warrior Princess
• HTLJ or H:TLJ for Hercules: The Legendary Journey
• YH for Young Hercules

Some of the fandoms I'm into are XWP, LoTR, TPM, ENT, QAF, RD, BTVS, VOY... ;)

Fanon:
"...belief in a fandom that is widely believed to be true though there may be little canon evidence to support the belief" (Fan Fiction Dictionary, Writers University); "it's short for 'fan canon'--widely accepted ideas that are the creation of the fans and not TPTB" (CABS: A Glossary of Slash Terms). For instance, the belief that Joxer was abused as a child, and the common assertion that Joxer grew up in Corinth (although canon later revealed that his family lived in Athens). Compare with Canon.

Fantasy:
"3.d. imaginative fiction featuring esp. strange settings and grotesque characters - called also fantasy fiction" (Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition, 1993); "In the real world, we recognize that both sf and fantasy, if genres at all, are impure genres. They are not homogeneous. Their fruit may be sf but the roots are fantasy, and the flowers and leaves perhaps something else again. . . . [Sf] shares with fantasy the idea of a novum: some new element, something that distinguishes the fiction from reality as presently constituted. . . . The sub-subset that is sf insists that the novum be explicable in terms that adhere to conventionally formulated natural law; the remainder, fantasy, has no such requirement" (The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, St. Martin's Griffin, 1995).

Fanzine: (also zine)
Printed collections of fan works - especially fan fiction and fan artwork - that are printed by small presses and are not-for-profit; "Also referred to as a 'zine'. A small press amateur publication that may contain fiction, poetry, filks, non-fiction, and artwork, usually connected somehow with a television series, movie, novel, or special interest, more often than not non-profit, where payment for contributions is a copy of the completed product" (Glossary of Fanzine Terminology and Types of Zines). See My God, what a concept! for a funny discussion of fanzines.

Feedback:
A response by a reader to the author of a fan fiction work, detailing their response to a particular story/poem/etc, both good and bad; "information about the result of an experiment, performance, etc" (The Canadian Oxford Dictionary, 1998); the only form of reward a fan fiction writer receives for all of their hard work (hence writers, archivists, readers, etc stressing the need for readers to send feedack). In its best form, the feedback is constructive, allowing the writer to expand on strengths and improve weaknesses (see constructive criticism)

Femslash: (also Femme Slash)
A term sometimes used to indicate female/female slash works, or lesbian fan fiction.

Fen:
Used as a plural of fan in some fandoms. Also see slash fen and gen fen.

Fetish:
A sexual fetish is The term is also used informally to refer to any interest or obsession (ie: I have a slash fetish)

Fic:
See fan fiction

Ficcer:
In a general multi-fandom sense, what fan fiction authors are sometime referred to as. In the Xenaverse, fan fiction writers are referred to as bards.

Filk:
"A song about a fannish topic. A filk may be created in one of two ways--1. Placing new words or rearranging words to a well-established song or piece of music; 2. Creating a song about a fannish topic with original words or music. (a.k.a. filksong)" (Glossary of Fanzine Terminology and Types of Zines). Not common in the Herc-Xenaverse. Compare with songfic

Fillo:
"1. A piece of fan art not designed for a specific story, but which may be used as an illustration anyway if it happens to match; 2. A dingbat, decoration, or cartoon that can go anywhere in a zine, for the reader's amusement, diversion, and to help the editor fill that dreaded Aesthetic White Space" (Glossary of Fanzine Terminology and Types of Zines). Based on illo.

First Draft: (also Draft)
1. First version of a story or poem, which might have been edited. 2. Unrevised, unedited or unbeta-ed version of a story or poem; authors may sometimes refer to the initial drafts of a particular story.

First Time:
Stories that portray the first romantic and/or sexual pairing of a couple.

Flame:
1. Flames are mean and ugly rants that are intended to hurt and/or piss people off. Common on message boards and forums. Garbage sent out by trolls who have more fingers than IQ. Specific to fan fiction, a flame is an insulting and derogatory response to an author about a story and/or stories that is intentionally hurtful. Flames are commonly homophobic. Definitely bad netiquette. 2. Messages sent out in response to a troll, as in "we flamed that troll right off of our list"; generally considered pointless. 3. Any harshly negative or demeaning response to another person's opinion.

Flame War:
Ugly infighting in a fandom, often over the interpretation of aspects of the fandom source. There are wars that are well-known across fandoms, like the slash/antislash war in the Star Trek fandom, the 'are they or aren't they' wars and loving/hating Joxer in the Xenaverse, [] . Also see iago storm.

Fluff:
Light and/or mushy romance stories that do not have any angst; sometimes used to refer to work that is deemed trivial; "A light piece with no real message. Fluff often is a happy piece" (Fan Fiction Dictionary, Writers University).

Fluffy Angst:
Nope, not an oxymoron. Refers to stories that start out heavily angsty, but that have sweet, happy endings in which everything basically works out, with the paired couple declaring ever-lasting love for one another. *dreamy sigh*

Flyer:
"A single or several sheet advertisement for a fanzine. A flyer usually lists title, content, price, and editor's name and address. Some flyers include order forms that can be filled out and returned" (Glossary of Fanzine Terminology and Types of Zines).

G

G: (also g, *g*, <g>)
Stands for 'grin,' indicating that the speaker is grinning. It's an abbreviation commonly used in chats and mmorpgs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games), but it's also commonly used in author's notes in the header of fan fic stories as well. Some variations: *bg* (big grin), *eg* (evil grin), *vbg* (very big grin), *beg* (big evil grin).

Gafiate:
"A verb; an acronym for Get Away From It All. Once used to describe fannish activity, now has come to mean the exact opposite; to drop out of fandom for a length of time for any number of reasons (working on a Ph.D., having a baby, got fed up with fan politics, etc.)" (FILK 101: APPENDIX A: Glossary of major filk words and terms); "Getting Away From It All. To leave fandom. More often than not, this term refers to a fan who becomes bored or burned out with fannish interests or who curtails fannish activities because of responsibilities involving the Real World. It also applies to those people who suddenly drop all fannish activity, for whatever reason. Keep in mind that it is possible to gafiate from one fandom in favor of another (i.e., Now that she likes Star Wars, she's gafiated from Star Trek fandom)" (Glossary of Fanzine Terminology and Types of Zines).

Gary Stu:
See Marty Stu

Gen:
See General

Gen Fen:
Those fans who prefer non-slash material, or who oppose slash as being against characterization. See fen.

General: (also gen and genfic)
In the most generic multi-fandom sense, it refers to fan fiction with heterosexual pairings (often with very little or no graphic sexual content). Very common in the Xenaverse, this term is often used to indicate those stories which either have a heterosexual relationship described, or more commonly, have no sexual content whatsoever (the term is also limited for this reason); this holds true for a lot of other fandoms as well; often considered the 'opposite' of Alternative or slash fan fiction (in a binary ideology); a story without any subtext or slash content.

I try not to use the term on the site because the suggestion that stories containing lesbian content are 'alternative,' and those without homosexual content are 'general' (or 'normal'), is problematic. Or to put it another way, I'm not a fan of the "and/or" philosophy, dictating that any lesbian content in a story immediately marks it as 'Alternative' (regardless of any other pairings), and that the absence of such marks it as 'General.' Despite the not unsimilar drawbacks of classifying stories using the terms lesbian, slash, and heterosexual, they at least offer more information and do not automatically negate the inclusion of other sexualities. However, if the term is used solely to indicate a lack of any adult or mature content, such as with a General (G) rating, then the classification will be used on this site.

Genfic:
See General

Genre:
1. "a distinctive type or category of literary composition, such as the epic, tragedy, comedy, novel, and short story" (Merriam Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature, 1995); 2. referring to the different styles of writing, such as science fiction, fantasy, mystery, humor, romance, horror (Fan Fiction Dictionary, Writers University); 3. referring to the different categories of fan fiction, such as slash, hurt/comfort, Über-Xena, songfic, angst etc.

H

Hall of Shame:
see Fan Fiction Hall of Shame

Header Info: (also Story Header)
Information placed at the beginning of a fan fiction story, including such things as disclaimers, content warnings, summaries, pairings included, requests for feedback, etc.

Herc-Xenaverse:
Although the Xenaverse is very much its own world, there is inevitably some crossover to the show which spawned it, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. Used when people want to refer to both the Xena and Hercules fandoms. I use the term to imply that this site is not completely Xena-centric, although it is pretty obviously biased toward Xena.

When the term is used to refer specifically to the 'world' of the show (rather than the all-fandom-encompassing sense sometimes used), the term is related to the fact that Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys take place in the same 'universe/timeline'. See Xenaverse.

Het:
See Heterosexual

Heterosexual: (also het)
Stories that contain sexual and/or romantic content between people of the opposite sex. It is arguably the least common form of adult/romantic fiction in the Herc-Xenaverse, although the amount of het fan fic is increasing dramatically in the fandom. Most common pairings are Xena/Ares and Gabrielle/Joxer. May also be referred to as m/f. Most commonly referred to as general fan fiction in most fandoms.

Homodiegetic:
When something - such as a character or a narrating voice - is situated within the 'world' of a television show, movie, book, etc, it is homodiegetic. (See Channels of Discourse, Reassembled: Television and Contemporary Criticism, 1992). When a voice speaks from without it, such as a narrating voice speaking in hindsight, or a narrating voice explaining the story to us (sometimes called 'The Voice of God'), this is referred to as heterodiegetic.

Homophobia:
"irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuality or homosexuals" (Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition, 1993).

Hurt/Comfort: (also h/c)
"A piece where one character is hurt and another character comforts or protects the other person. These pieces tend to be dramatic and explore areas . . . where the character is made vulnerable" (Fan Fiction Dictionary, Writers University); "A story or zine whose major plot revolves around a character being injured (physically or mentally) and then being "comforted" (said comforting ranging from a pat on the head to details requiring an age statement" (Glossary of Fanzine Terminology and Types of Zines); stories that use one character being hurt as a means for a new intimacy in a relationship. Common in all kinds of stories, but especially in m/m slash (see Forced Revelations for example).

I

IDIC:
Acronym for 'Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations'. Comes from the Star Trek fandom.

Iago:
Originating on the Fanthropology mailing list, Iagos are those "power-hungry people within a fandom who either screw up (and screw others) in their quest for power or who usually detonate when they get power; someone making a play for control of/importance in a fandom/list/etc" (Nea Dodson, Steven Savage, ?) . Named after the Shakespeare character in Othello who attempts to destroy Othello's happiness simply to gain power - but ends up defeating himself in the process.

Iago Storm:
"When one or more Iagos set the fandom/list/etc into turmoil in the hopes of ending up on top of whatever's left when the dust clears. I.e.; a personality-based flame war. Coined to cover the fact that one Iago tends to bring out many would-be Iagos who wouldn't start the fight but are willing to perpetuate it and bend it to their ends" (Nea Dodson, Fanthropology).

Illo:
An illustration, most commonly in a published book. Compare with fillo.

Incest:
Sexual relations between close family members. Common in some fandoms (like Rick Simon/AJ Simon brother slash from the Simon and Simon fandom), whereas in others it is either non-existent or actively discouraged. Crops up occasionally in the Herc-Xenaverse (not surprising considering the sexual habits of the Greek Gods), particularly in m/m slash (e.g. Hercules and Ares half-brother slash).

Index:
Specific to online fandom, a site that lists stories and links to them, but does not actually archive them on their own server (e.g. - Shadowfen's Xena: Warrior Princess Fan Fiction Index). Compare this to Archive.

J

K

Kink:
Unusual sexual habits, particularly those involving roleplaying, toy use and BDSM. Kinky is defined as "relating to, having, or appealing to unconventional tastes esp. in sex" (Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition, 1993). Compare this to vanilla. See Slashkink; can also be used in the place of fetish (e.g. "bondage is her particular kink"), or more informally as a generic sexual taste or satisfying endeavour (e.g. "fan fiction satisfies the writer's kinks").

L

LOC:
see Letter of Comment

LOL: (also lol)
Acronym for 'Laugh Outloud'. It's an abbreviation commonly used in chats and mmorpgs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games), but it's also commonly used in author's notes in the header of fan fic stories as well. Some variations: ROFL (roll on the floor laughing), ROFLMAO (rolling on the floor laughing my ass off).

Lemon:
A term that seems to be specific to anime/yaoi fan fiction, and which refers to stories that are primarily about sex. Similar to PWP.

Lesbian:
In regards to fan fiction, refers to works that portray a romantic and/or sexual relationship between two women, principally Xena/Gabrielle in the Herc-Xenaverse. It's the term used on this site in the place of Alternative. May also be referred to as f/f. In regards to lesbian themes and Xena: Warrior Princess see subtext.

Letter of Comment: (also LOC)
1. "Response to a fic; (feedback)" (KSA Archive) 2. "a letter written to express a comment, make a suggestion, voice an opinion, air a rebuttal, etc" (The StrekFan's Glossary of Abbreviations and Language, 1976, Kzinti Press); "comes from SF fandom. Letters to letterzines and posts to 'net discussion lists and message boards, on any topic, are LoCs" (Katherine Langley); "A letter written to an editor about the contents of a zine in which specific contributions are mentioned. The letter may or may not be intended for publication" (Glossary of Fanzine Terminology and Types of Zines).

ListDomme:
A more authoritative (in a kinky way ;) version of ListMommy (see Slashkink)

ListMommy: (also Listmom)
The individual (usually a woman - hence the name) who maintains, runs and/or moderates a particular mailing list. If the list is a fan fiction mailing list, the listmommy may also archive submitted stories/poems. Also see Moderator

Listsib:
Short for 'list sibling', which any member of a mailing list may use to refer to their brethren members.

Lurker:
Member of a mailing list, discussion board or forum who rarely, if ever, directly contributes, instead deciding to remain largely invisible. If that person decides to suddenly post publicly, it's known as delurking or coming out of lurkdom.

M

m/f: (or f/m - although that always makes me think of the radio)
Short for male/female, indicating romantic and/or sexual content. See heterosexual.

m/m:
Short for male/male, indicating romantic and/or sexual content. See slash.

Mailing List:
Lists accessed through email that allow one to post messages and read/respond to other people's messages. Gives the opportunity to discuss a shared interest. A strong component of fan communities. Lists may or may not require membership with some form of club, registration with the company that provides the list (eg: yahoogroups), have age restrictions because of content, or stipulations about activity (i.e.. you must post once a month or you'll be asked to leave the list).

Manga:
"'Manga' is the Japanese word used to denote comic books and comic strips (there is no qualitative difference between the two mediums in Japan). The word is pronounced 'mah-un-ga'. The Japanese are very fond of comics as a way of telling stories and as cheap literature to read while on trains and subways, so comics about virtually all sorts of material are published. Comics can most often be bought at vending machines on streets, or at bookstores. They're almost universally in black-and-white, and printed on low-grade newsprint in thick anthologies which are usually recycled after they're read.

"Americans have begun using the phrase 'manga' to denote comics published in Japan by Japanese, for a Japanese audience. Manga developed a major fan following in the United States in the mid-80's, when some companies began professionally translating the stories into English and selling them in a format identical to that used by American comic books. Some anime are based on manga, and there are some manga that are based on anime. However, the terms are not interchangeable.

"The term 'manga' is often misused in modern American comics fandom to denote any comic book drawn in a style similar to one that many genre artists in Japan use. This style, generally called manga style, tends to exaggerate the physiology of the human figure in many important ways. Eyes are larger than they should properly be, noses are drawn with little detail, mouths are small and not detailed, torsos are unnaturally slimmed and legs are often lengthened. Many 'manga style' American artists also give their characters overly large hands and feet, and exaggerated hair. Character hair and eyes may be given impossible colors like pink, purple, grass green, or bright blues. Certain directorial techniques may also be used for panel-to-panel transitions, or for illustrating a character's body in motion. However, the author feels obligated to point out that no American-produced comic book can properly be called manga, and that many true manga DO NOT adhere to the style rules that are usually held to describe 'manga style' (most famous being Lone Wolf and Cub)" (Alicia Ashby, Fanthropology).

Marty Sam:
See Marty Stu

Marty Stu: (also Gary Stu and Marty Sam)
Male equivalent of Mary-Sue. Not very common in the Herc-Xenaverse where the majority of authors are women, but it's fairly common in the Trekverse.

Mary-Sue: (also Self-Insertionism)
The much maligned practice of introducing an original character in a fan fiction story, a character that is really just a thinly veiled surrogate for the author (see Why Mary-Sue Must Die and Godawful Fan Fiction). This character will be incredibly smart, attractive, strong and charismatic, and will instantly win the respect and sometimes love of other characters; "...a story in which the main female character represents the author, said character being a better fighter, pilot, cook, etc., than the major male characters, who usually also happen to be extremely smitten with her" (Glossary of Fanzine Terminology and Types of Zines). Detractors point out that these stories are often very poorly written, more an opportunity to stroke the author's ego than a genuine attempt at strong writing.

The term can be used both as a descriptor for the surrogate character, and for the genre of stories that include these types of characters.

However, not everyone agrees that the technique deserves the contempt it receives (see Self-Insertion and Mary-Sue-ism, The Mary Sue Society and In Defense of Mary Sue). These supporters point out that a Mary-Sue character can be effective if properly used; and they point out that many a character in the professional media is a Mary-Sue for the author. Regardless of the arguments, Mary-Sue's are still commonly written and read, and will probably exist until the end of fan fiction. Besides, without Mary-Sues we'd never have hilarious parodies like Whipple POWER!!!!! (If you suspect that you have bad writing - and web site - habits, go there to confirm your suspicions)

The term originates from a 1974 Star Trek fanzine called Menagerie, in which Paula Smith wrote and published A Trekkie's Tale, featuring "Lieutenant Mary Sue, the youngest Lieutenant in fleet history--only fifteen and a half years old." As Katherine Langley says, "Paula wrote the story in response to the plethora of wish fulfillment stories that had been proliferating in Trek fandom (all author-surrogate stories, all unrealistic and unbelievable."

In almost all fandoms Mary-Sue's are heterosexual stories written by women, but self-insertionism can be found in lesbian and in some slash stories as well (see Marty Stu). Many argue that most original characters introduced in fan fiction are Mary-Sues. In the Herc-Xenaverse, Mary-Sues often concern heterosexual pairings with Ares, the God of War, the author playing out 'her' fantasy with the god.

Media Fandom:
http://fanac.org/Fannish_Reference_Works/Fan_terms/Fan_terms-02.html#041

Mel/Janice: (also Mel and Janice)
Fan fiction based on the events and characters introduced in the Xena episode The Xena Scrolls, which portrayed the descendants of Xena and Gabrielle living in WWII era Macedonia, where the determined archaeologist (Dr. Janice Covington) and a visitor to her excavation site (Melinda Pappas) discover the 'Xena Scrolls,' ancient manuscripts written by the Bard of Poteidaia, Gabrielle, the chronicler of the Warrior Princess' adventures. "The TV series itself in fact provided us with its own uber-Xena episode in the THE XENA SCROLLS (34/210). A story involving the characters of Mel and Janice is an Uber-Xena story because these characters retain essential qualities of the original Xena and Gabrielle while existing in another time (1940's)" (Lunacy, The History of Xena Fan Fiction on the Internet, Whoosh!).

This genre of fan fiction started with Bat Morda's Is There A Doctor On The Dig?. These stories tend to involve a lesbian relationship between the two characters. Mel/Janice fanfic was initially referred to as Über-Xena, but is now generally considered the precursor of Über (Lunacy, The History of Xena Fan Fiction on the Internet, Whoosh!).

Mirror Universe:
See Parallel Universe

Missing Scenes:
A fanfic story that 'fills in' what might have happened 'between scenes' from the fandom source (or from canon). Tend to focus on important or titillating allusions to what might have happened 'off camera'.

Moderator: (also Mod)
Administrator of a mailing list, forum or message board.

Mundane:
An adjective that suggests the "practical, transitory, and ordinary; commonplace" (Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition, 1993).

1. When used in the world of fandom, the term is a noun, and refers to a non-fan, or someone who is out of the loop ("He doesn't understand cause he's a mundane"); the people who turn to you and say, "What's fan fiction?" Can also specifically refer to people who are clueless about kink and BDSM. 2. "...inherited from SF fandom. A mundane is a person who is unaware of fandom, or whose awareness level is too low to make a conscious choice whether or not to partake. A mundane is not the same as a non-fan. A non-fan is someone who is aware of the existence of fandom and understands enough about fandom to make a decision whether or not to partake of it, but has consciously chosen not to pursue the fannish path. So both mundanes and non-fans do not partake of fandom, but mundanes do not partake because of lack of knowledge, and non-fans do not partake as a result of conscious choice" (Judith, Fanthropology).

MiSTing:
Mystery Science Theater 3000 []

N

Neo-fan: (also Neo)
Apparently a shortened version of neophyte, neo-fans were what SF fans called people who were new to fandom and were not familiar with the jargon and conventions of the long-time participants. With the advent of the Internet, neos became known as newbies. (Thanks to Katherine Langley for the info).

Netiquette:
Common courtesy, voluntarily followed for the most part, that makes the Internet experience more enjoyable for the whole online community; "Netiquette is a set of rules for behaving properly online" (The Core Rules of Netiquette, Virginia Shea, Introduction - and see this site for an extensive discussion of the subject). Specific to fan fiction, netiquette manifests itself in many forms, from asking authors for permission to post their work, to sending authors constructive feedback (as opposed to flames) about their stories (also see Disclaimers). Oh, and then there's not forwarding a personal e-mail onto a mailing list (which I did - doh!).

Newbie: (also Newb or Noob)
Someone who is new to the Internet or to a fandom, and who is subsequently unfamiliar with the jargon and conventions of the long-time participants. Also see Neo-fan.

News Group: (also ng)
Public lists that anyone can view and post to. Compare with mailing list.

Non-canon:
"that which is not sanctioned as being part of the storyline by The Powers That Be. Almost by definition, all fanfic is non-canon" (Bad Fanfic! No Biscuit! - Fanfic Glossary). Fans tend to make distinctions between stories that include canon events and non-canon events (e.g.. This story does not follow canon, and might even be considered an alternative universe). Compare with fanon.

Non-consensual: (also n/c and NC)
See Rape

O

OOC:
'Out of character.' The acronym may be invoked to

Original Character (OC):
A character created by the author. Often just seen as equalling a Mary-Sue.

Original Fiction (OF):

P

POV:
see Point of View.

PWP:
A common term used in almost every fandom. I've encountered a bunch of different explanations, but the most common one is "Plot? What Plot?" Another is "Porn Without Plot". Basically, this acronym refers to stories, usually short ones, that get straight to the sex and are written strictly to arouse; this does not mean, however, that the story is devoid of characterization (as is sometimes assumed), or plot, for that matter. The sex itself can be a great indication of character. The genre is also sometimes looked down upon as a result of its seeming one-dimensional nature. For another take, see Thamiris' In Defense of PWP.

Supposedly in some fandoms PWPs refer to any stories that have no plot, including short humorous vignettes (thanks Nea). But many, including myself, see the usage of the term in this way as inaccurate and misleading.

Pairings:
Refers to the particular couplings of characters within fan fiction, or other fan works; e.g. 'This story describes a romantic relationship between Xena and Gabrielle - it features a Xena/Gabrielle pairing.' 'I prefer m/m slash pairings, in a number of different fandoms.'

Parallel Universe:
A universe which is similar to the established universe, but that also has important differences; a mirror universe. A canon example is the world that Iolaus visits in 'Stranger in a Strange World' after crossing through the portal, where the other Hercules has become The Sovereign and Iolaus is his jester. There are the same Olympian gods, but their roles have changed. Ares is the God of Love, Aphrodite The Goddess of Wisdom, Cupid The God of War and so on. Xena and Gabrielle are also different, Xena a deranged and sex-crazed mistress of The Sovereign, Gabrielle an executioner. Alternative universes will tend to focus on the differences brought about by an individual character, whereas parallel universes involve more "global" changes. Compare with Alternative Universe.

Parody:
1. "a literary work in which the style of an author is closely imitated for comic effect or in ridicule" (Merriam Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature, 1995) 2. Unlike fan fiction, parody is not written with the intention of creating a story that "could pass for real". Parody expressly brings attention to its methods and style, sometimes moving beyond the homodiegetic world of its source material - and in this way can be self-reflexive. For an example of fan works that actively parody Xena: Warrior Princess, see the Funny Pages at Tendre's Tablet.

Pimping:
"pimp: a man who solicits clients for a prostitute" (Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition, 1993)

In regards to fandom, the act of trying to turn others on to a TV show, movie, book, etc. A fan of a particular TV series might lend/make tapes for someone in the hopes that this person will become engaged in the show (unfortunately, no toasters can be won); "she's always trying to pimp Buffy on us, bringing tapes and fan fiction..."

Plot Bunny:
1. A story idea, especially one that arrives at an inconvenient time. 2. A story idea that hits you and demands to be written, and then leads to a dozen other story ideas that'll drive you crazy until they're done (hence the name, the plot bunnies having a penchant for multiplying and 'breeding like rabbits'. 3. Story ideas that the author has no plans on developing, and that the author is giving away to anyone who may wish to develop it. Once an author has given up on a story idea, it is referred to as a orphan plot bunny.

Point Of View: (also POV)
1. "The perspective from which a story is narrated. In fanfic, the most popular POV is third person partial omniscient, where the story is told from one character's limited perspective. We can hear [their] thoughts, and see what [they're] feeling, but don't have access to the other characters' thoughts" (KSA Archive). 2. Stories may also be referred to as POV pieces if they're in the first person (ex: the story is a 'Gabrielle POV' - a fic written from Gabrielle's point of view).

Pornography:
Sexually explicit material. See smut and erotica.

"Pornography is material designed to arouse and has no legal or consistent definition. Each person's definition depends on her upbringing, sexual preference and viewing context. One woman's "trash" may be another's treasure or boredom" (Feminists For Free Expression: Pornography)

Q

R

RL:
Real Life. All that meaningless bunk that takes place outside of fandom. The reason why fans disappear, authors stop posting stories, and why archivists fall behind in updates.

RPS:
See Real People Slash.

Rape:
Sometimes I get letters asking me what the difference between the warnings of sexual violence, non-consensual sex and rape are, in regards to this site. Here's how I break it down (and I'm not claiming that it's the right way, just the way that seemed to make the most sense to me for the archive at the time): rape is pretty much defined like it is in the dictionary, "the action or an act of forcing a person . . . to have sexual intercourse unwillingly" (The Canadian Oxford Dictionary, 1998). Fairly straightforward.

Sexual violence describes violence in a sexual context, one form of which could be forced intercourse (although, I tend to place the warning 'sexual violence' on stories that have particularly graphic and brutal violence in a sexual context [ex: someone is cut up with a dagger while having sex] so as to highlight 'extreme' content and to differentiate between 'rape' and potentially consensual rough sex). Sexual violence is not, by definition, non-consensual (as far as this site is concerned), but is often presented as non-consensual in stories.

As for the term non-consensual, this is where I get a bit foggy. The term obviously is related to rape, as sexual intercourse that takes place without consent negates or ignores the victims 'choice'. However, if there is a circumstance in which choice cannot be established clearly, I'll lean toward labeling the story non-consensual (an example might be a 'swapped body' or 'impersonation' story, in which one character 'consents' to sex with someone they misidentify - for an example see Thamiris' This Flesh We Wear).

I use 'non-consensual' or 'potentially non-consensual' when the whole subject of consent in the story is a tad blurry (perhaps if it's not clear whether the encounter is 'staged' or not . I'll also tend to use 'non-consensual' in regards to sexual situations in which intercourse itself does not take place (ie: one character gropes another), but the act is unwanted. Still, my choice to attribute one term or the other to a story is probably pretty arbitrary, so if the subject disturbs you, consider the terms 'rape' and 'non-consensual' interchangeable and avoid stories with either warning. And I am not speaking for any other sites.

The definition given for non-consensual at the KSA Archive is "fic depicting rape or problematizing sexual consent in general".

Rating:
1. "a classification according to grade" (Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition, 1993) 2. Specific to fandom, a way of distinguishing between materials (fan fiction, fan art) with varying degrees of subject matter, usually measuring the level of sexual or violent content. Rating systems vary from site to site, and fandom to fandom, but are usually similar to or based upon the American film rating system (G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17).

You can view this site's rating guide on the submissions page.

Real People Slash: (also RPS)

See also Actor-fiction

Round Robin: (also RR)
"A written work, usually fiction, poetry, or filk, created by passing an incomplete work from one person to another, each adding to the piece until everyone has taken the specified number of turns or the piece is deemed complete" (Glossary of Fanzine Terminology and Types of Zines).

S

Sado-masochism: (also Sadism and Masochism and S&M)
"sexual gratification achieved through inflicting and receiving pain" (The Canadian Oxford Dictionary, 1998). A combination of the words 'sadism' and 'masochism'. Sadism is defined as "a form of sexual perversion characterized by the enjoyment of inflicting pain or suffering on others" (The Canadian Oxford Dictionary, 1998). The word comes from the 'Marquis de Sade', an 18th century French writer who enjoyed engaging in, and writing about, sado-masochistic activities. Masochism is defined as "the condition or state of deriving (esp. sexual) gratification from one's own pain or humiliation" (The Canadian Oxford Dictionary, 1998).

Often an individual will prefer one form of 'pleasure' over the other, and will seek out a person who enjoys the other role (if a person enjoys both roles, they are referred to as a switch). The dominant individual (or top) who enjoys being in control and/or is sadistic, will engage in sadomasochistic practices with a submissive person (or bottom), who enjoys being controlled and/or disciplined. The combining of the terms sadism and masochism connote a consensual relationship, as the absence of a masochistic player would suggest merely sadism.

Common pairings portrayed in this light in the Herc-Xenaverse are Xena/Gabrielle (Xena as the top, Gabrielle as the bottom), Ares/Iphicles (Ares as the top, Iphicles as the bottom). See BDSM

Scat: (also scatological)
In a sexual context, playing with or ingesting fecal matter.

Science Fiction: (also sf, SF and Sci-fi)
http://fanac.org/Fannish_Reference_Works/Fan_terms/Fan_terms-03.html#028 "

Seme:

Series:
1. An ongoing collection of stories that follow the adventures of a character or group of characters, usually all written by one author, but sometimes including several authors working together. 2. Used to refer to an episodic television program (ie: Highlander: The Series).

Sexual Violence:
See Rape

Shipper:
Short for 'relationshipper', this term refers to people who are fans of a particular pairing in a fandom, such as Xena/Ares shippers in the Xenaverse. Widely used in many fandoms, it is often used in the Xenaverse by fans who prefer het or m/f pairings, and in the X-Files and Star Trek fandoms (Fan Fiction Dictionary, Writers University). Stories may also be referred to as shipper stories.

Shonen-ai
"A genre of professional comics. Means 'boy's love'. Tends to be about boy's love but not necessarily about boy's sex. Tends to emphasize the emotions over the sex. Uses original characters, naturally. Classic examples: Wind and Tree Song (Kaze to Ki no Uta); The Heart of Thomas (Touma no Shinzou)" (Aestheticism's Yaoi/Slash Companion Guide); "'Shonen ai' is also sometimes used to designate male-male romance without explicit sex" (Sailor Mac, Fanthropology).

Slash:
Refers to the romantic and/or sexual pairing of two or more characters of the same sex, usually male (particularly true for the Herc-Xenaverse). In the Trekverse, and in some other fandoms, it refers to both male/male and female/female works (although, sometimes f/f stuff is referred to as femslash). In the Xenaverse female/female pairings are most commonly referred to as Alternative; "two media characters of the same sex, who are presented canonically as heterosexual--all slippery issues of subtext aside--and who are being presented in fan fiction as homosexual (or bisexual)" (Katherine Langley, Fanthropology).

Some contend that only heterosexual characters can be slashed, claiming that fiction which pairs up homosexual characters should be categorized as gay or lesbian fan fic: "No need to start calling that stuff 'slash,' when it's had a perfectly good genre label of it's own for decades" (Katherine Langley, Fanthropology). Where this gets sticky is in the sexually 'slippery' world of the Xenaverse, where the whole issue of Xena and Gabrielle's canonical orientation is a subject of argument (see subtext). There most definitely needs to be a distinction made between fan fiction based around shows such as Queer as Folk, where the characters are explicitly gay and lesbian, and those fanfics based around characters who have been shown engaging in heterosexual relationships to the exclusion of any other sexual or romantic couplings (like Hercules and Iolaus, for example). But because of the often cursory nature of television, many characters' orientations are never explicitly discussed (and assuming that by definition any character is straight unless otherwise noted is heterosexist - not to mention ridiculous). There hasn't exactly been a bounty of gay and lesbian characters in popular television and film either, until perhaps just recently, so noting that a character was never canonically 'outed' doesn't mean particularly much.

Still, writing popular characters in homoerotic situations can be a real 'leap' from convention and canon, and slash is often noted for it's subversive/transgressive quality; the same-sex pairing up of otherwise heterosexual characters is "subverting the text". But again, this alone cannot be used as a [signifier] because, as Katherine Langley points out, then "pairing Will with Grace would be 'slash.'"(Katherine Langley, Fanthropology). The best definition of slash would seem to be 'the pairing up of same-sex characters that are understood as heterosexual within canon.' But there are grey areas. Especially with shows such as Xena: Warrior Princess, where the sexualities of the characters are much more fluid. Black and white distinctions aren't easily made. If slash is the pairing up of characters that are strictly hetero, are Xena/Gabrielle stories slash? And what if a fan fiction story has a character that is heterosexual have a sexual relationship with a character that is gay? Is it slash or gay fic? And what about bisexual characters?

Nevertheless, an intergral part of the appeal and popularity of slash is most likely a result of its subversiveness. Particularly with male/male slash, the exploding and exploiting of macho/homophobic narratives is extremely pleasurable for many writers and readers. Slash wouldn't nearly be as titillating to readers if we didn't live in a heterosexist culture.

Male/male slash may also be referred to as m/m slash or just m/m.

The word is usually used as a noun (ie: I like slash), but can also be used as an adjective (ie: that movie was so slashy), and a verb (ie: I'd love to see Salmoneus and Falafel slashed).

I'm sure that everyone's heard the story by now, but the term started as a result of the punctuation mark / (also known as a virgule or a slant, The Practical Stylist, 1991) used to separate the paired character names, specifically the Kirk/Spock slash published in fanzines in the 70's long before the Internet (gasp!). Interesting note: The Japanese use an 'x' instead of a '/' to separate paired slash (or yaoi) characters - ie: Hiiro x Duo (source Aestheticism's Yaoi/Slash Companion Guide).

Check out Ksmithares and Joxerotica for lots of Herc-Xenaverse m/m slash. Common m/m slash pairings in the Herc-Xenaverse include Hercules/Iolaus, Autolycus/Joxer, Ares/Joxer and Ares/Iphicles (pretty much Ares/anybody actually - Ares is just a big slut).

Slash Fen:
Those fans who support, read, encourage, etc, or are primarily in favor of slash. See fen.

Small Press:
1. "A small amateur or professional publication with a limited print run. (A fanzine is a small press publication...a small press publication is "not always" a fanzine)" (Glossary of Fanzine Terminology and Types of Zines). 2. The small or amateur publisher that creates such publications. See Flaming Eye for example.

Smarm:
A verb: "behave in a fulsomely flattering or toadying manner; be ingratiating" b noun: "obsequiousness"

In fandom, the term refers to general fic which centers on close friendships between characters, particularly in Sentinel fan fiction; "a particular variety of genfic which centers around (or at least heavily emphasizes) the intense friendship between the main characters. It usually involves verbal expressions of love and/or affection, and sometimes involves physical expressions of those feelings (this is called 'glomming')" (The Death of Smarm by Lucy, Fanfic Symposium); "fan usage of this term originated several years prior to the beginning of Sentinel fandom. Kitty Woldow (who created a Temple of Smarm web site in Sentinel fandom) is, as far as I know, the fan who coined this particular fannish usage (which in no way matches the dictionary definition of the term), back when she was in Quantum Leap fandom" (Katherine Langley).

Smut:
A less politically loaded, and perhaps more fun, way of referring to explicit sexual content; sex-for-sex's-sake content. See pornography.

Songfic:
Much derided in many fandoms (Feel Our Pain: Filk and Flack), in others it's just considered part of the fan fiction quilt. The practice of inserting lyrics of a song into a fan fiction story, or using the lyrics as inspiration for the story. Very common in the Herc-Xenaverse. See Sing a song.... Compare with filk.

Spoiler:
Most common in television and other serial fandoms, spoilers are pieces of canon information specific to a particular episode or entry. When referring to fan fiction, spoiler warnings are usually placed in the story header and warn the reader that plot elements from a specific episode, or specific entry in a series of novels, are 'given away' in the story. This protects fans - who may not be completely up-to-date with a series - from having the particular episode 'spoiled' for them (like hearing the score of a baseball game before watching your tape of it). In the Xenaverse the practice of listing spoiled episodes in fan fiction is followed inconsistently, and I confess that I hardly ever think about it. It is, however, common on Xena mailing lists when discussing episodes, posters always running a precautionary 'spoiler space' before the body of their letter.

Squick:
A personal (and subjective) turn-off; subjects in fan fiction that leave you with an "overall feeling of grodiness," as Aphrodite would say; "something that grosses you out at a gut level, often sexual, but that you realize is not gross for everyone" (Sith Academy/Fanfic Glossary) An example could be poo eating.

Subber:
Refers to a Subtext fan. Ironically, the term is most commonly used by non-subbers.

Subtext:
"Of a literary text, the implicit or metaphorical meaning" (Merriam Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature, 1995).

As for what the term refers to in the Xenaverse, ugh, where to begin... First off, when speaking of subtext in the Xena: Warrior Princess fandom, it's a singular concept. The Subtext. The simplest definition would be 'any subject matter on Xena: Warrior Princess that is implicitly or explicitly lesbian' *9. I say this because the term moved beyond it's initial [specificity] to Xena and Gabrielle, developing into an all-encompassing term that could almost be interchangeable with 'lesbian content'. One could refer to the Subtext of Minya 'coming out' as a 'thespian' on the show, or the 'subtexty' scenes between Xena and Lao Ma. Still, the term continues to be most often used in regards to Xena and Gabrielle's relationship - and to the 'are they or aren't they' debate that has dogged this fandom almost from the beginning. (Advice to anyone new to the Xenaverse: never walk up to a Xenite at a Con, or blunder into a chat room, and ask whether Xena and Gabrielle are really lesbians. You will be promptly beaten to death.) Specific to Xena and Gabrielle, the Encyclopedia Xenaica has a good definition: "Subtext can be a scene, an action, a word, a line, a touch, a look, a tone of voice or an entire episode that implies that Xena and Gabrielle have romantic/erotic love for one another" (Encyclopedia Xenaica - Subtext).

Specific to fan fiction stories, "Fan fiction designated as containing SUBTEXT vary in sexual content from mild innuendo to explicit F/F sexual content" (Glossary of Terms and Legal Disclaimers, Annals of the Conqueror)

Where did all this come from? There are different versions of the story, but at some point TPTB started purposefully injecting hints that Xena and Gabrielle were more than friends into different episodes around the latter half of the first season of the show (some will argue earlier, to be sure). These 'suggestions' often became insider references, involving and responding to the show's audience in a way reflective of the changing [audience participation crap]. These references also became increasingly overt, in part to satisfy fan demand and also, most likely, to maintain the media interest that had begun. One would also hope that the show's producers were genuinely interested in exploring lesbian and gay themes; there have been real signs of that, although inconsistent.

The creators of the show themselves stated repeatedly that their initial interest in the 'Subtext' was just for the purpose of creating 'fun' (whatever that meant), and they continued to write in heterosexual relationships for the pair - at least for Xena anyway (although the sincerity of these heterosexual relationships became increasingly suspect). The creators also constantly [sang] the party line of 'people can interpret the show any way that they please', and 'we don't want to exclude anyone'. Fence sitting, essentially. After realizing the emotional weight that the romantic pairing up of Xena and Gabrielle carried for many fans, and perhaps realizing that callously flirting with the subject while refusing to make any commitment either way wasn't entirely appropriate, the tone of the 'hints' changed, becoming more serious and less easily 'dismissed' (as some wished to do) - although TPTB never did fully commit to Xena and Gabrielle being friends and lovers (although, they did come pretty close with the episode Soul Possession, which might have been cool if it hadn't been such a stinky episode). Nevertheless, many fans felt that the Xena/Gab love affair had become de facto well into the third season. The phrase "subtext=maintext" illustrates this sentiment. And yet, other fans focussed on other suggestions from the show and/or weren't interested in Xena and Gabrielle being more than friends. This created problems for fans *4, and contributed to an unfortunate factionalism in the fandom (with bigotry and essentialism showing their ugly heads more than a few times). To this day the term 'subtext' is a contentious one, to say the least.

As for its origins, one can easily see how the generic term for 'implied content' came to define the particular 'Subtext' of Xena: Warrior Princess in fan lexicon. The lesbian content was just one kind of 'subtext' within the show's narrative, but because of all the focus it received - from fans, the media and from TPTB - it was the dominant, or the most prominent, 'subtext'. Some people bitch about the appropriation of the term in Xena fandom, and of it's perceived misuse. These people include English purists (who fail to recognize the ever changing nature of language), other newer converts to the fandom who are unaware of the term's full history, and those who perhaps object to its vagueness and its non-politicalness (or overt politicalness - see *6). The term does reflect the evolvement of 'the lesbian subject' in and around Xena: Warrior Princess. And perhaps it reflects the consistently namby pamby attitude of both the show's producers and a contingent of the show's fans, but it also carries an inside meaning and [] for die-hard fans, maybe even carrying a sentimental value. It could even be argued - although this might be too much of a stretch - that the term is an ironic strike against our heterosexist society, the tip of the 'infinite diversity' peak visible to the blinder wearing public whose ignorance and culpability is downright laughable; a public so incapable of recognizing real homosexual content, or so threatened by it, they have to call it 'subtext.' Of course, more than being laughable, that ignorance is also dangerous. And for the same reason 'Subtext' cannot remain subtext, any more than gays and lesbians can remain invisible. People die in the margins. Nevertheless, the term is a crucial part of our history as Xena fans (or at least, as online Xena fans), and perhaps will take a significant place in the history of media fandom in general *7. But then, this is all just my opinion on the subject ;)

Summary/Teaser:
A sentence or two that briefly describes a story. Teasers are similar, but are specifically designed to entice the reader into wanting to read the story.

Switch:
An individual who gains pleasure from being either the dominant or submissive player in BDSM activities; a person who can 'switch' between roles.

T

TPTB:
Acronym for 'The Powers That Be', referring to the producers, owners and artistic creators behind any particular television show, movie, comic series, etc; the ones who call the shots, good or bad.

Top: (also Dom or Domme)
An individual who principally gains pleasure from being the dominant player in BDSM activities. Derived from the physical placement of the 'top' (who is the fucker) in relation to the bottom (who is the fuckee).

From what I've heard and read, there are different types of tops and bottoms acknowledged, and there are 'pushy bottoms', but the basic rules of the relationship keep within the dom/sub framework. If anything, the bottom's 'disobedience' offers the opportunity for the top to reassert their 'authority', subsequently reinforcing their opposing roles.

It's interesting to note that characters we see as dominant or strong are often the 'fuckers' in slash stories, and a big deal may be made of them being 'taken' (like Ares or Xena for example) *3.

Trekverse:
Don't know how common it is, but I term I've been using for some time to refer to all manifestations of Trek fandom, including fan fiction, fan art, fan forums, mailing lists, fan festivals (fests), etc, for all shows (The Original Series (TOS), Next Generation (ST:TNG), Deep Space Nine (ST:DS9) and Voyager (ST:VOY). There is a fair bit of interaction between the Trek and Xena fandoms (authors writing for both fandoms, reviewers reading in both fandoms [Lunacy]), possibly due to the prevalence of lesbian fiction in both, and the depiction of more rounded female characters on the shows that inspire the fiction. (see Alt Star Trek Creative Official Fiction Archive for Star Trek fan fiction)

Troll:
Internet vermin; kind of dipshits who post flames and send out spam.

U

Unresolved Sexual Tension (UST)
A big part of why fan fiction exists; a TV show, movie or book teases us and we fill in the blanks with fan fic. If there's any sexual tension interpreted between characters it's an instant impetus for writing sexual pairings. Also see missing scenes.

Uber:
Pronounced In the most general-multi-fandom-and-online-geek-lexicon sense this word is often used to connote supremacy, specialness, extremeness, more in line with the 'ubermensch' sense of the word (Nietsche) (e.g - "that website is the best. It's the uber-site"); Very common on MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games), like Everquest. In the Xenaverse the term is strictly used to refer to a specific genre of Xena fan fiction: Über-Xena; "

Über-Xena: (also Über, Uber, Uberfic)
Specific to the Herc-Xenaverse. Sometimes used in reference to Mel/Janice stories, (although this isn't as common now). Some reports of the term, in relation to fan fiction, cropping up in other fandoms.

Über fan fiction often intentionally blurs the lines between derivative and non-derivative fiction. Coined by Kym Masera Taborn of Whoosh!, the term 'Über' is a German word that means over, but that is "used in academia to refer to the fundamental essence of a concept or an idea or a character"; "An Uber-Xena story is one which takes the essence of the characters in XWP and places these in another time, another place, another reality" (Lunacy, The History of Xena Fan Fiction on the Internet, Whoosh!). These stories follow the belief that "the characters of Xena and Gabrielle [are] in fact archetypes that [can] be explored in different times and diverse cultural backgrounds" (What is this ...Über?, Whoosh.org).

The exact definition of Über-Xena isn't easy to pin down, as there are more than a few variations on meaning in common usage. The simplest definition comes from Xena Online Resources: "stories about the descendants or reincarnations of Xena and Gabrielle, or about Xena and Gabrielle living in different times." Considering the proliferation of Über, it's not surprising that different genres within Uber have been identified. Many make distinction between the types of characters in Über, some considering only stories that explicitly acknowledge the main characters as reincarnations or descendants of Xena and Gabrielle as true or classic Über (see Cee's FanFic Reviews: Review Guide - Number 8). This can be understood by sorting out the history of Über, which was initially sparked by the episode 'Remember Nothing,' an episode with a narrative that suggested Xena and Gabrielle would inevitably meet up regardless of the choices they made in life (by definition, Übers and Alternative Universes are not deterministic, insofar as it regards matters separate from Xena and Gabrielle's relationship. They, in contrast, are inextricably bound by fate forever). Then came the 'The Xena Scrolls,' with its suggestion that Xena and Gabrielle have descendants (Melinda and Janice) that will also always find one another - and with its further suggestion that Xena and Gabrielle's essences live on in them in some capacity. Then the episode 'Deja Vu All Over Again' developed this theory even farther (and it has been suggested that the episode was feeding off of Über fic on the 'Net), with characters, living in the present day, that actually embodied Xena's, Gabrielle's and Joxer's souls. These characters were again examined in 'Soul Possession,' and just as weakly (IMoh-so-humbleO), which was a real shame, because these episodes were probably as close as TPTB got to making the Xena and Gabrielle love affair 100% canon (see also Subtext). To make matters even more complicated, clones of Xena and Gabrielle are set free in the present day care of the episode 'Send in the Clones,' which then begs the question, 'who's really carrying the mantle?' The descendants, reincarnates and clones of Xena and Gabrielle need to get together, have a few beers and shoot some pool ;)

Stories that are concerned with Mel and Janice are sometimes referred to as Proto-Übers, and stories with direct descendants as Classic or Canon Über (What is this ...Über?, Whoosh.org). Still, other stories developed which simply used the "archetypes...in different times and diverse cultural backgrounds" framework, with main characters who strongly resemble our heroines - physically and emotionally, but who don't necessarily have any specific relationship to Xena or Gabrielle - spelled out anyway. Then there are Beyond Über stories, those that some even consider original fiction, with characters who might only vaguely resemble Xena or Gabrielle; or stories that are no longer limited to Xena/Gabrielle archetypes. As mentioned previously, because some see reincarnation/descendant fiction as the only 'true' Über, any fiction using the archetype model would be labeled as 'Beyond Über' by these purists - regardless of resemblances. Lunacy doesn't believe that Xena and Gabrielle immortal stories (where they inhabit their original bodies in the present day) should be categorized as Uber (Lunacy's Fan Fiction Reviews - Definitions), whereas others do. It can get especially sticky when an immortal Xena or Gabrielle meets the reincarnated version of the other in a story. Is it Über? And as for the clones....

The matter of copyright infringement also clouds the issue, with some authors removing references to Xena and Gabrielle in their Über, or lessening the resemblance to the characters, specifically to avoid any legal issues which might arise out of their publishing and profiting from the work. These stories are sometimes called Post-Übers (What is this ...Über?, Whoosh.org). Speaking of which, the argument has been made that these endeavours are illegal and unethical *5.

Über has become hugely fashionable in the Xenaverse, and has perhaps outstripped classic Xena/Gabrielle stories in popularity. Melissa Good's well-known Tropical Storm series falls into the broad Über category, as does SL Bowers' Lucifer Rising, BL Miller's Accidental Love, Belle Reilley's Darkness Before the Dawn and Paul Seely's and Jennifer Garza's Surfacing, among others (which, incidentally, are all available for purchase from Amazon.com). Some of the first fan fiction Übers to appear on the Internet were Bongo Bear's The Hitchhiker and Della Street's Toward the Sunset (Lunacy, The History of Xena Fan Fiction on the Internet, Whoosh!).

Once restricted to lesbian work that centred on Xena and Gabrielle's characters, het and slash Über stories with a host of 'archetype' characters have begun to surface (see Jen's Regency Fuck, Thamiris' Rules of the Tragic Poet, Guerradio and The Alchemist's Dream for example). Still, traditional Über-Xena indices and reviewers have failed to recognize these stories for the most part (perhaps understandably, as the prevailing attraction of 'classic' Über fiction was its acknowledgement of the Xena/Gabrielle relationship as everlasting, and the expansion of the lesbian themes in the show). The authors of these new archetype stories may also refer to their work as Alternative Universes, rather than Über.

This site uses a broad definition of 'Über' that encompasses everything from Mel/Janice to futuristic cyberpunk, and with every orientation, archetype, body (immortality), vegetable and mineral. Why? Cause it's just damn easier that way ;)

See Whoosh! Über über Alles for a discussion of the definitions of the different categories of lesbian Über fiction, and the definition of Über at Lunacy's Fan Fiction Reviews - Definitions.

Uke:
In anime/manga fandoms, the bottom, or the penetrated, of a m/m couple. See Seme.

Universe:
1. When speaking about fan fiction, used to refer to the 'reality' or 'world' of a particular TV show, movie, etc (e.g. Xena and Gabrielle exist in the fictional 'universe' of the show). 2. Can also be used in a sense similar to fandom, or fandom umbrella: "I'm involved in the Xena universe."

V

Vanilla:
1. "lacking distinction" (Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition, 1993) 2. In fan fiction and kink vernacular it refers to sexual practices which are conventional and unremarkable; Compare this to kink. Also see Mundane

Vignette:
1. "a brief descriptive account, anecdote, essay, or character sketch" (The Canadian Oxford Dictionary, 1998) 2. Used in fan fiction to designate a short piece that centers on a character's experiences, or on a particular moment of a relationship between characters; a short piece about a moment in the character(s) lives; "1. A short piece of writing, usually fictional; 2. A piece of fannish writing of approximately three pages or less, usually more concerned with a particular action or character development than plot" (Glossary of Fanzine Terminology and Types of Zines) 3. A fan fiction story that is 100-3000 words.

W

Warlord/Slave: (also W/S)
Stories that have sexual relations between characters that have vastly different resources at their disposal. In it's most literal sense, stories that portray the romantic and/or sexual relationships between slaves and their owners (usually warlords or other rulers in the Herc-Xenaverse). Common in Conqueror stories. See Dominance and Submission

Warnings:
See Disclaimers

Watersports: (also golden shower)
Nope, this has nothing to do with pastel colored slides or screaming children. It does, however, involve getting wet. And paying a lot of money, depending on how you go about it. Refers to the sexual practice of playing with or ingesting urine. And you thought urine therapy was just for "New Age" twits? Tsk, tsk. (apparently it tastes just like apple juice. I thought that Safeway brand was too cheap!)

X

XO:
See Crossover

Xena the Conqueror:
The Destroyer of Nations, a title first offered to Xena by Alti back when Xena was a bad ass in Northwestern Asia, was to be Xena's destiny (source Encyclopedia Xenaica - Xena: Destroyer of Nations. That is until Hercules and Gabrielle helped Xena find her true 'way': to fight for good. In the 'Armageddon Now' episodes on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Iolaus is transported into an alternative universe in which Hercules never lived, and where subsequently Xena never found the road to redemption. Xena fulfills her destiny as The Destroyer of Nations, and becomes the Empress of the Known World. She is also referred to as 'The Conqueror'. These episodes spawned a genre of Xena fanfic known as Conqueror stories.

Xenaverse:
Sometimes just used to describe the 'universe' (homodiegetic world) of the TV series Xena: Warrior Princess, other times used to describe the whole, wide, wacky world of Xena fandom, particularly the online phenomenon (or the "cyberspace-based virtual world" as described by Christine Boese on Studies in Cyberculture), but also including fan meets, fests, conventions, and every other conceivable geek pass time; "The totality of all things Xena" (Encyclopedia Xenaica).

Estimates about the amount of Xena related sites on the Internet vary widely (varying from 600 to the thousands), but one thing is clear: Xena fandom is huge, especially online. Yahoo! ran a story in their magazine about the show in May of 1997, recognizing that "Xenites" were becoming a fierce presence on the Net (and their estimate of "at least sixty Web sites" was conservative even back then). Observers have compared the Xena fan craze to that surrounding Star Trek (perhaps meant as a dubious honor). (see Herc-Xenaverse)

Xenite:
A fan of Xena: Warrior Princess; "hardcore nutballs" (Lucy Lawless). Xena fans that write fan fiction are referred to as bards within the Xenaverse.

Y

YMMV:
Acronym for 'Your Mileage May Vary'. Equivalent to saying, 'your experiences may have been different'. A phrase sometimes used by people when discussing their opinions/interpretations of various fannish subjects, particularly opionions which may be perceived as contentious. In some ways, analagous to using IMHO ('In My Humble Opinion'), in that it is used to 'soften' the veracity of the statement/opinion, so as to avoid backlash.

Yaoi:
"an acronym for 'YAma nashi, Ochi nashi, Imi nashi' ("no peak, no point, no meaning" or "no plot, no point, no climax"), a phrase coined to describe the doujinshi (amateur/self-published manga) featuring m/m pairings taken from favorite anime and manga series (Deborah, Fanthropology).

1. Yaoi is, in some ways, the Japanese equivalent of slash, as it is the fan created pairing up of two male characters romantically and/or sexually. But there are major differences. Yaoi is always m/m, almost always in a comic format - as opposed to pure text - and as Jeanne Johnson points out, "Most yaoi uses characters from cartoon series (anime), video games, and comics (manga), in that order" (Aestheticism's Yaoi/Slash Companion Guide).

Yaoi stories/comics are considered to be largely concerned with sex, rather than plot or 'romance', much like PWP's. Yaoi usually uses an 'x' instead of a '/' to separate paired characters, e.g. Hiiro x Duo (shonen-ai uses +'s). Although, in some fandoms the characters names are combined to indicate a male/male pairing.

2."Yaoi has several significant meanings for fandom. The two most relevant will be discussed here:

"'Yaoi' is a word used to describe a particular genre commonly found in both anime and manga that has no proper equivalent in the United States. The genre is generally produced by female creators for a female target audience. The content of the genre is inevitably about two men (who) have a romantic relationship with each other. Some yaoi manga and anime are what could be considered erotica or pornography, and may contain explicit sex scenes, but this is not always the case (in fact, this is not necessarily even the case most of the time). Yaoi manga are generally more common than yaoi anime, though many mainstream anime hoping to reach a female target audience will intentionally create subtext between male characters - even male characters who both may be otherwise romantically involved, or technically too young to engage in romantic relationships.

"Yaoi is also used by Americans as a descriptor for certain kinds of creative works based around manga or anime. The word is pronounced 'yah-oh-ee'. Much like true yaoi manga and anime, these works usually center around two males sharing a romantic relationship, and are often produced by females for a female target audience. However, there is a larger amount of participation by gay and bisexual males in yaoi-focused fandoms in the United States than there appears to be in Japan. A yaoi fandom may produce fan comics (fan comics produced in Japan are called doujinshi, and fetch a very high price in the United States), fan art, or most often, fan fiction. The source material the fandom bases itself around may be an actual yaoi manga or anime, but more often is simply a popular mainstream genre series. Yaoi may or may not be sexually explicit.

"A fan work may be classified as yaoi if the canon it is based on is true anime or manga, regardless of the nationality of the fan work's author or intended target audience. If the canon it is based on is not true anime or manga it is more properly referred to as slash. Many fans, however, incorrectly consider the two terms interchangeable and use them as such" (Alicia Ashby, Fanthropology).

Conversely, some fans see the terms yaoi and slash as interchangeable. For arguments for and against, see and .

Yaoi fans and writers are referred to as yaoistas.

Also see yuri

Yuri:
Female/female equivalent of yaoi.

Z

Zine:
"A small-press publication, usually with a limited print run, which is customarily distributed through the mail or sold at fan cons. There are many different kinds of zines, including online zines, adzines, artzines, fanzines and more" (Glossary of Fanzine Terminology and Types of Zines).

Zine Listing:
"The information given in an adzine relating to the title, price, content, and availability of a zine, whether in print or proposed" (Glossary of Fanzine Terminology and Types of Zines).

Endnotes

*1 - Henry Jenkins claims that fan fiction can be traced back to the pulp magazines of the 1930s (Textual Poachers: Television Fans & Participatory Culture, 1992), and others have suggested that the romantic fictions written about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's characters Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson were the first real instances of fan fiction. It could also be suggested that fan fiction has existed since the beginning of storytelling, including during times when stories were only passed along orally. Still, I think that a distinction needs to be made between activities in which 'anyone' can presumably participate, and the particular fan culture that has formed around 'owned' products, fans needing to inject themselves into any interaction with a product beyond its purchase. Or something. In any case, the Star Trek inspired stories published in fanzines during the 70's are immediately recognizable to the modern fan as 'fan fiction'.

*2 - Chanslashers strongly insist that their stories are not 'kiddie porn', since a 'child' is technically anyone under 13 years of age. They feel that depicting sexually active teenagers is not in any way obscene. The reality of life is that many teenagers are sexually active from their mid-teen years, and often this is with adults. While such a relationship can be abusive, chanslashers don't believe it has to be. Stories have been written depicting both views. The Phantom Menace chanslash writers/readers feel that in a Jedi universe where Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan would be expected to have a sexual relationship, it would be a tender and beautiful relationship, and something worth writing about. (Thanks to Trent Roman and Roanaid for this info)

*3 - Specific to male/male sex, classical Romans considered the role of the 'penetrator' to be respectable, and a role only earned by status, whereas the 'penetrated' wasn't respected. This was a reflection of the power of the phallus in Roman culture, and of the ideal of the 'vigorous' man. And of the more unstable status of women. How could a man be penetrated - a position so like a woman, so passive - and be respected? Roman men of status could have sex with women, boys (as long as they weren't freedmen - although, this rule could be broken), other men, or any slave regardless of gender without reproach, as long as they were always the penetrator. A man's status was best shown by his ability to stick his cock into essentially anything that he desired (see Roman Homosexuality: Ideologies of Masculinity in Classical Antiquity, Craig A. Williams and his discussion of the 'Priapic' model). The Greek's had a different model, one of pederasty (pederastia), where youths (including future citizens) were expected to take on older male mentors - and for whom they were expected to service sexually (a model found in other cultures, particularly warlike ones). It was okay for a male to be penetrated if he was a beardless youth and didn't take too much pleasure from the act. But as he became a full citizen he was expected to take on the status of the penetrator himself. If you were an adult male (regardless of your status) who liked to be penetrated by other men you were referred to as a catamite, a derogatory label. In both Roman and Greek society an effeminate man was an abomination, a cinaedus, a 'non-man' who deserved scorn. Although, there did seem to be a certain amount of manueverability. An effeminate man in Rome who slept with many women could be mocked for his effeminacy and yet still be acknowledged and respected as a penetrator (Roman Homosexuality: Ideologies of Masculinity in Classical Antiquity, Craig A. Williams). The ideals for women were simpler in ancient Greece and Rome: passive, compliant, loyal, receptive, modest. These were the traits expected of a daughter, a wife and a mother - the most respected roles open to women, for the most part. Again, there were always exceptions, and women could be praised for bravery, for work in medicine, for being a benefactress, etc. But essentially, the female journey from girl to woman was of much less interest to the classical historians, and perhaps was marked best by her sexual availability to suitors (usually older), as her father or male guardian would see fit. The Greeks and Romans were interested in men and citizens. Women were, at worst, sexual chattel, and at best, virginal daughters, idealized mothers, wealthy benefactresses who supported public works, and wives who reared heroes and stood behind great men (Women's Life in Greece & Rome: A Source Book in Translation, Mary R. Lefkowitz and Maureen B. Fant).

Just as with so many other cultures, it's hard to say whether misogyny or systems of social power were the dominant shapers of thought - or whether the two can even be separated. In any case, the terms 'top' and 'bottom' might reflect the actual act, but they can also reflect who has the power in the relationship. More importantly, they can reflect larger socio-political dynamics, and can thus perhaps shed some light on why it is so attractive to 'play with' and potentially subvert such roles. In any case, fan fiction is filled - as would be expected - with reflections on conventional attitudes toward sexuality and status, both critical and non. But more often than not, these stories are not obviously subversive or conventional. For example, Xena/Gabrielle stories not always, but commonly, involve a Dominant/submissive relationship between the two. With Xena being afforded the possibly 'male' role of hero and leader, convention practically demands a weaker submissive to capitulate to her strength in sexual matters. So, when fan fiction writers move beyond the limits of the TV screen and create an explicit sexuality for Xena, it isn't surprising that she is often portrayed as the aggressor, the initiator. It further signifies her as a person of status deserving respect - a penetrator. Still, does her very positioning in this 'male' role subvert its power? Does the sex/gender of the submissive also effect its transgressive power? Is it more powerful when Xena sexually dominates a man or a woman? Or is her positioning as penetrator a capitulation in itself? Would we undermine Xena's strength by taking away her penetrative power? Can we imagine a completely submissive Xena?

*4 - Not that I'm suggesting that multiple interpretations of Xena and Gabrielle's sexuality, or of sexuality itself, is negative. The sexual ambiguity that the show often displayed was legendary, particularly in the sixth and final season, where examples of Xena and Gabrielle loving, flirting or engaging in sexual situations with men and women abound. In earlier seasons, fans would speak of subtext friendly episodes, while other episodes would be seen as very hetero-oriented. With the sixth season episode Heart of Darkness, a hodge-podge of suggestions were thrown in - and a casual viewer (without any previous 'affiliations') would almost certainly pronounce Xena and Gabrielle bisexual. This ambiguity created ample opportunity for different fantasies and desires surrounding the characters to be played out. This archive was made in the spirit of that ambiguity. Nonetheless, fans could take that ambiguity and use it in differing ways - including picking and choosing what sources from the show were 'legitimate', or debating the interpretation of dialogue or body language to death. Again, this isn't necessarily negative, but this 'picking and choosing' was often played out in a negative way. Factions sprang up around particular interpretations, battles ensuing initially on the MCA Netforum (which was in many ways the birthplace of the online Xenite community) with one group trying to demonize another, or monopolize the fandom with its understanding of the 'text'. The show's producers themselves used this ambiguity in positive and negative ways, sometimes using it as a vehicle to explore different interpretations of sexuality, and other times using it as a smokescreen to offer 'safe' content (to a homophobic sensibility), or to spew up downright fundamentalist views about sexuality, women and their bodies.

*5 - Read

*6 - "That the lesbian text of Xena is referred to as 'subtext', a subordinate ranking, ironically even by lesbians who, by not acknowledging the implications of their own use of the word unconsciously support and perpetuate society's hetero-sexism, is merely a reflection of the hetero-sexist world we live in. It is a world where heterosexual meanings are privileged and where heterosexuality is accepted in a hegemonic, common sense way as the only legitimate context within which romantic and/or sexual relations can be expressed between two people, both within cultural texts and within wider society." (Alison Ashworth, An Oasis In A Cultural Desert. Part One: Introduction And The Cultural on Whoosh!)

*7 - The term is reflective of popular culture as a whole, where the homoerotic content of many narratives have become increasingly [explicit], and although now openly acknowledged as 'subtext', will quickly become 'maintext.' The battle over whether Xena and Gabrielle are lesbians will hopefully be irrelevant very soon, as new television series, movies and other forms of mass-narrative consumption offer up a diverse selection of multi-sexual characters who say what they feel. Still, as the enormous amount of creative energy put into Xena fandom, and fan fiction in particular, makes clear, Xena and Gabrielle as characters and archetypes are eternal. For those people waging this battle for ownership of characters' sexuality, Xena and Gabrielle themselves are important now. And for those lesbians who are perhaps for the first time fighting such a battle in the public realm, it is of particular importance. The battle itself has enshrined Xena and Gabrielle as lesbian icons, regardless of what anyone wants to believe. It would be a testament to all fans, straight, gay, bi or whatever, if we could all come to be comfortable with that.

*8 - On the other hand, some skilled in legal matters have pointed out that many companies may be obligated by law to enforce their 'copyright' and 'trademark,' at the risk of losing their creative and financial control. But what is too much? At the least, the forcing of fans to remove websites which offer free resources to anyone interested in information about a fandom isn't intelligent marketing. This enforcement can be highly detrimental, even lethal, to a fandom - which will ultimately benefit no one. Ironically, entertainment companies that over-aggressively maintain copyright or quality control risk alienating the very fans that would have 'consumed' their product; punishing your most diligent fans is essentially biting the hand that feeds you. Copyright laws will continue to conflict with the changing nature of our culture and technology with ever-increasing frequency, the Napster dilemma being a prime example. But where the music being downloaded on Napster was unaltered and essentially indistinguishable from the music as it would have been purchased, fan fiction is a decidedly grayer area. Selling illegally copied episodes of Xena: Warrior Princess for profit is clearly a violation of copyright. But what about distributing non-authorized stories which are based on the show, and that use the characters owned by TPTB? Nevertheless, even some fans believe that all fan fiction is essentially copyright violation - non-profit or profit, and that any claims of fic falling under the 'fair use' provision are in error. Parody is protected by law, but fan fiction isn't parody, per se. Most fan fiction doesn't spoof the conventions of the fandom source, or ridicule the characters, places, etc. They can certainly be critical of such things, but fan fic authors, in a sense, work within the 'rules,' so as to better incorporate their creation into the universe of the fandom source. Most fan fiction authors do not want to create a reflective separation between their writing and the show, and if they do, they will signal this in the labelling of the story (Out Of Character (OOC), non-canon, alternative universe, Uber-Xena, parody, etc) in order to prepare the reader for the story's reinterpretation, or refutation, of 'canon.' And even then, readers may critisize such works as poorly written or may simply choose to call these stories original fiction.