Fandom Friday: 5 Fan-Created Words That I Love

 

Language in fandom is something that is completely fascinating to me. I remember the look of confusion that would cross my friend’s faces when I talked about things that was completely natural to me. Fanfiction, Slash, Shipping. These are all words and crop up in everyday fandom (hey there’s another word!)

This week we’ll highlight some of my favorite fandom “words.”

1. Starting with Fandom. This word is a unique combination of Fans and Kingdom, giving the impression of a land full of fans! Every show, movie, book, and comic has a Fandom associated with it and the word allows us to talk about a particular group of people as a whole.

Use it in a sentence: The Star Trek Fandom is one of the oldest fan communities.

2. Headcanon. When discussing fandoms the word Canon often comes up. This means a timeline set by the original creator or producers of the media. Headcanon is a word strictly used for fan who believe things occur in a different way- in their head if you will. Sometimes fan theories often develop into Headcanons that large groups of fans unite around. This results in one person’s Headcanon becoming Fanon (Fan Canon).

 Use it in a sentence:  Regarding The Hobbit, my personnel headcanon is that no one dies in the end and they all lived happily ever after.

3. Cinnamon Roll. This is a new one for me but I have noticed more and more people referring to certain characters as Cinnamon Rolls, are someone who is considered “Too pure for this world.” After a little research I discovered this phrase comes from an Onion article and has been hijacked by fandoms to describe characters that are often sweet/kind yet go through a lot of trauma.

Use it in a sentence: John Watson is an adorable Cinnamon Roll who only deserves good things to happen to him.

4. Slash Goggles. This imaginary item refers to a moment when a fan spots a Slash Couple (usually male/male but sometimes fem/fem) even when one may not exist in a show. Slash Goggles are the defunct reason why fans see something more in everyday touches and words between two male characters.

Use it in a sentence: The movie totally shipped Kirk and Spock, but maybe I had my Slash Goggles on too tight.

5. Lemon. Back when I first got into Fanfiction a Lemon warning generally meant that the fic contained sexual situations. The term comes from an early pornographic anime called Cream Lemon. Usually the term was used for Fanfiction writers of anime but it has been used in other (western) fandoms as well.

Use it in a sentence: Warning this Fanfiction contains sweet, seductive lemons.

 

A round up of internet things For Fans, By Fans, with the Help of Fans

1. The Huffington Post wrote a really interesting article about how fictional characters can often be race swapped. The article focuses mainly on Harry Potter and how some fans interpret characters as black in fan art.
2. The Globe and Mail wrote about Hannibal’s lasting effect on fans while talking a little about the future of the show.
3. The Mary Sue had a great entry about Comic Book Clubs and Women.
4. Forbes highlighted a social app for anime and manga fans with Amino. Don’t worry if you are not into these fandoms, the app is a social experience for geeks of all kinds! Cosplay, Doctor Who, and Potterheads are all welcome to gush about the things they love.
5. There was an abundance of great fan made videos this week but I will highlight just one. If you haven’t seen this 3-D tribute to Miyazaki’s worlds feast your eyes on the following video.