Fan Fic and M7 Terminology

actor fic - fan-written stories about the actors in a series rather than the characters they portray. [not accepted at blackraptor]

alternate universe (or A/U) - a story in which the characters are placed in a scenario that is different from the one originally depicted in the series or film upon which the story is based (slash is not in and of itself considered an A/U)

archiving - adding a story to a collection of similar works

Babe - M7 fan whose favorite character is Buck.

beta reader - an individual, ideally one who is knowledgable with regard to spelling, grammar, and punctuation and is familiar with the show's canon, who reads a story before it is made public and checks for errors and plot inconsistencies.

bowler - style of hat worn by JD

Brig - M7 fan whose favorite character is Ezra.

canon - elements that are taken directly from the series or film on which the fan fic is based. Examples of M7 canon:

Ezra's mother is alive and her name is Maude
Vin composes poetry, but cannot read or write
Chris's wife and child died in a fire.

cardsharp - slang term for a gambler whose specialty is card games. This is frequently misspelled as cardshark

Cartwright Syndrome - creating a female love interest for one of the male characters and having her die in the story (refers to the classic Western series Bonanza in which all of the leading male characters lost a wife/lover and no female survived more than a few episodes).

challenge - a story concept or premise which is presented to potential authors who then attempt to write a story conforming to specific rules and guidelines. For example, a "challenge" may dictate that a story involve a certain location or that certain events take place.

cheroot - small, cigarette-sized cigars

clear leather - to draw a sidearm from its holster

crossover (or xover) - stories which use characters from more than one series.

Darlin' - M7 fan whose favorite character is JD.

deathfic - a story in which one or more canon characters dies. (For Magnificent Seven fic, this would mean any of the Seven, Mary, Maude, Judge Travis, Casey, etc.)

dime novel - inexpensive paperbacks which became popular in the mid-1800s (often mistakenly called a "dimestore" novel)

"eat my dust" - a reference to the fact that cowboys with lesser experience rode at the back of the herd, and thereby "ate the dust" of the more experienced drovers. To say this to someone meant to imply they were of a lower social status.

fanon - story elements that are either inferred by canon, or which have been so commonly used that they are an accepted part of the M7 "mythology." Examples of this are:

JD is from "back east" (we do not know where JD is from, only that he arrived in town on a stage)
Vin shares and cherishes Native American beliefs (we know he lived with two tribes, but under what circumstances was never revealed)
The name of the town is "Four Corners" (the town's name was never mentioned)
Vin's horse is named "Peso" (None of the horses were called by name on the show. Peso is the name of the equine actor who most frequently played Vin's horse.)

fanzine - fan fiction traditionally sold in a bound, hard-copy format, similar to a magazine or comic book. Recently, fanzines have also become available on CDs. No profit should be made from a fanzine - the cost should be only that of printing, binding, burning, etc. and the miscellaneous costs invovled in editing.

ficslut - a voracious fan fic reader, likely to read any story regardless of genre, length, etc.

flames - hateful, rude or excessively critical comments

hetsmut - fic which contains explicit sex between a male and female

"Hollow Man Syndrome" - describes a fan fic character who sustains numerous injuries, any one of which should be fatal, and still lives, leaving only one explanation for his survival - that he obviously has no internal organs.

gen fic - fan fiction suitable for general audiences which does not contain explicit sex, rape or torture, or excessive amounts of obscene language. However, gen fic does occasionally include graphic violence.

hostler - one who keeps a livery (usually 'Yosemite' or 'Tiny' in M7 fan fic)

hurt/comfort (or h/c) - a common fan fic scenario where one character is injured, ill or otherwise traumatized and as a result recieves the tender care and/or affection of another character.

Jezabelle - M7 fan whose favorite character is Josiah.

kudos - flattering comments

Lady - M7 fan whose favorite character is Chris.

"little britches" - Southern U.S. slang term meaning a small boy. The Magnificent Seven "Little Britches" universe portrays some of the Seven (usually Vin and JD) as children.

mare's leg - the sawed-off rifle Vin carries as a sidearm. (Properly called "hog's leg," the term "mare's leg" was originated by actor Steve McQueen who carried one in the TV series Wanted, Dead or Alive.)

Mary Sue - an original female character, usually a love interest, who possesses traits similar to those of the author.

Nightingale - M7 fan whose favorite character is Nathan.

OFC - "original female character" - created by the author

OMC - "original male character" - created by the author

plot bunnies - ideas that, with a little imagination, can be turned into a story.

PWP - "plot? what plot?"; fics which usually consist of just one or two "scenes" with no real background story

posting - making a story available to the public via a web page, mailing list, etc.

RPG - "role playing game," refers to stories or lists in which writers place themselves in the role(s) of the series' character(s) and use a first-person narrative, usually with the cooperation of other players.

RPS - "real person slash" - homoerotic fiction about the actors in a series who may, or may not, be gay. [not accepted at blackraptor]

riding herd - originally referring to the process of finding stray or lost cattle and returning them to the herd, it also was sometimes applied to children or other people whose responsibility was questionable

'shipper - a fan or reader who enjoys contemplating the romantic relationship, either as presented in canon, or created by fan fiction, between two series characters. For example, Chris/Mary 'shippers enjoy contemplating a romantic relationship between Chris and Mary.

slash - fan fiction which depicts an erotic attraction or relationship - up to and including intercourse - between characters of the same sex (in particular those for whom no such relationship has been established by series canon).

smarm - the depiction of a tender, compassionate, caring response of one character to the distress (either physical or emotional) of another.

songfic - a story based on the lyrics of a song, or in which song lyrics compliment the narrative.

spider - an inconsistency or canon discrepancy in the plot or dialog of a story (this term is unique to M7 fan fic)

squick - a verb meaning to cause unease or feelings of revulsion, most often applied to a reader's reaction to a specific scenario, derived from the word "squeamish" and the slang term "icky." A reader may be squicked by certain genres of fic, such as slash, or by a fic containing certain elements, such as depictions of torture or unusual sexual practices.

Tascosa - the Texas town where Vin is wanted for murder. Often misspelled Tuscosa

throw down - to begin an altercation

two bits - a 25-cent piece (one quarter of an American dollar)

Vinnebago - affectionate fan term for Vin's covered wagon. Also the nickname for Vin's R/V in the ATF universe

virtual season (VS) - a collection of stories ("episodes") by various writers presented at pre-scheduled times ("air dates") usually in accordance with a specific canon and set of guidelines for story content, similar to an actual season of a TV series.

Vixen - M7 fan whose favorite character is Vin.

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