What the Hell Does That Mean?
A/N: Short for "Author's Note," it usually consists of thank yous to readers, disclaimers or requests for reviews.
ABS: Short for "Anybody But Sara." Group started on Elyse's CSI Message Board for viewers that would be happy to see Grissom with anyone but Sara.
angst: A state of depression or anger between characters. Easy to spot once you're used to fanfiction.
beta: Like a proofreader or editor, these folks read a fanfic before it's posted. Some are good at catching spelling/ grammar/ continuity mistakes, and some are not. Usually they are just frequent visitors to forums without any credentials.
blog: Short for "weblog," this is basically any type of online diary or journal program that allows its users to post their thoughts.
Brillow: Another term for Warrick/Catherine (Warrick Brown and Catherine Willows) shippers or the Warrick/Catherine relationship.
canon: Any facts or information stemming from the episodes of a show. (See also "fanon.")
challenge: A reader-posted request/ challenge to write a fic including certain words, events or episodes.
crossover: Abbreviated as "x-over," a fanfic that crosses characters from two shows or movies. This usually leads to awkward characterization or deus ex machina. Many are written more for entertainment purposes than as serious fanfics.
CW: Short for Catherine/Warrick relationship. (Why this acronym breaks the traditional pattern of a male/female listing is beyond me.)
deus ex machina: Literally "God from the Machine." This refers to the author's need to interfere in a story to create certain events or resolve a conflict. In other words, the plot is unnatural and difficult to accept.
disclaimer: Used for legal purposes, many authors place these at the beginning of their fanfics. These basically say that the authors own neither the shows nor the characters, and that their fics are for entertainment purposes and not monetary gain.
drabble: Initially used to refer to an exactly 100 word work, it now refers to any short fanfic.
ep: Short for "episode."
eppy: Also short for "episode."
fandom: Term used to encompass all fans of a particular show.
fanfic: Short for "fan fiction," this is a fictional story written by a fan about a particular show. While many focus on relationships between characters, others focus on furthering certain plotlines of the show.
fanficcer: Known in the old days as an "author," this is one who writes a fanfic.
fanon: Different from canon, fanon has never appeared in an actual episode. It consists of those things that have popped up in fanfiction so frequently that many people accept them as fact. Sometimes it becomes difficult to separate fanon from canon.
feedback: Just another word for reviews. Many authors demand positive feedback before they post the next chapter of their fanfics. (See also "R&R.")
femmeslash: A term for a homosexual relationship between two females. Be warned that these fics are usually rated R or M for mature. Authors usually warn readers of femmeslash before the text of the story.
FF.net: Abbreviation for fanfiction.net, a highly popular fanfiction archive.
ficcer: One who writes fanfic.
flame: To prohibit a conversation or to attempt to provoke a fight by attacking another poster or ficcer. These people are generally banned from a board after their first known offense.
fluff: A typically short piece without a real plot, the sole purpose of these fics is to make the reader feel good. These fics usually focus on a happy relationship between two characters. Usually out of character.
friendship: Term used in fanfic to denote a close friendship between two characters, it is usually preceeded by the initials of the two (ie "NS friendship" for "Nick and Sara friendship"). A friendship usually occurs between a male and female character -- typically Nick and Sara in a Grissom and Sara relationship fic -- where the male functions to comfort and give relationship advice to the female. A Catherine/Sara friendship is also frequently seen, usually with Catherine advising Sara on matters of the heart.
GC: Short for "Grissom/Catherine relationship."
geeklove: Another name for the Grissom/Sara relationship.
Gethers: Another name for Grissom/Lady Heather shippers.
Gofias: Another name for Grissom/Sofia shippers.
Granders: Another name for the Grissom/Greg Sanders ship.
Gridle: Another name for the Grissom/Sara (Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle) relationship.
Grick: A term for the Greg/Nick relationship.
Grillow: Another term fom the Grissom/Catherine (Gil Grissom and Catherine Willows) relationship.
GS: Short for "Grissom/Sara relationship."
GSR: Short for "Grissom/Sara relationship."
IMHO or IMO: Short for "in my (humble} opinion." Frequently used on message boards in hopes of avoiding arguments.
italics: Generally used to separate a character's thoughts from the text of a fanfic. Also used in lyric fics to separate lyrics.
lyric fic: A fic written around lyrics, usually to a romantic song that mirrors the feelings or emotions of a character. (See also "songfic.")
netiquette: Short for "net etiquette." General rules include being polite, not typing in ALL CAPS (it's annoying), and trying one's best to adhere to the basic rules of capitalization, spelling and grammar. First timers should seek out the netiquette guide for message boards or forums, since following the rules makes other posters more eager to reply.
non: Short for "nonshipper," this designates a person that doesn't want to see a relationship between a certain two characters. (See also "nonshipper.")
nonshipper: A person that doesn't want to see a relationship between a certain two characters. (See also "non.")
noromo: Different from a non or nonshipper, this person is against any romantic relationships between the major characters of a show.
NS: Short for "Nick/Sara relationship."
OC: Short for "outisde character," this designates an author-generated character, usually created as a romantic interest for a main character.
OOC: Short for "out of character," this means that the characers' personalities have been changed from those developed in canon. Sometimes, this is done intentionally for humorous or crossover purposes. Other times, it happens unintentionally due to a ficcer's poor writing skills.
O/T or OT: Short for "off topic." Usually found on message boards in subject lines to denote that the thread has nothing to do with the board's designated topic.
out of character: This means that the characers' personalities have been changed from those developed in canon. Sometimes, this is done intentionally for humorous or crossover purposes. Other times, it happens unintentionally due to a ficcer's poor writing skills.
outside character: An author-generated character, usually created as a romantic interest for a main character. (See also "OC.")
pairing: Another word to denote a fic involving the romantic relationship between two characters. Usually preceeded by the first letter of each character's name (i.e. "CW pairing" for "Catherine and Warrick pairing").
post-ep: Short for "post-episode," this usually means that the fanfic involves an extra scene the author wishes would have been included in the episode. These are typically romantic scenes.
POV: An acronym for "point of view." Preceeded by the character's name through whose eyes we are seeing this story (i.e. "Grissom POV"). Although grammatically correct, the possessive (or 's) is typically dropped.
PTB: Short for "powers that be." Typically seen as "TPTB," this refers to any of a show's writers, producers, directors or anyone else with power over the show.
R&R: Short for "read & review." Many authors require reviews before they post another chapter of their fanfic. Also note that "review" now mostly means "leave praises" instead of its traditional meaning. (See also "feedback.")
rating: Contrary to some people's beliefs, the rating applies not to the quality of a fanfic but to its maturity level. One should read up on each site's rating systems so as not to stumble into any unwanted sexually explicit or violent material. Also look for filters that sort by rating.
relationshipper: A rarely if ever used term now replaced by "shipper" that describes a viewer wanting to see a romantic relationship between two characters.
RST: An acronym for "resolved sexual tension." Definitions for this term differ by user. Some feel that tension is resolved when two characters acknowledge their love for one another. Others believe that an action, such as kissing or having sex, is required to make the transition from UST to RST. (See also UST.)
S: Short for "season" when followed by a numeral.
Sandle: Another term for the Sara/Greg that is a combination of "Greg Sanders and Sara Sidle."
Sicklie: A term for the Sara Sidle/ Conrad Ecklie relationship.
ship: Short for "relationship." Often follows the initials of two characters. For example, the "GS ship" denotes the romantic relationship between Grissom and Sara.
shipper: Short for "relationshipper," this is someone that wants to see a romantic relationship between two characters. For example, a "NS shipper" is someone hoping to see Nick and Sara together.
slash: A term for a (usually male) homosexual romantic relationship in a fanfic. The term originated from the slash mark used to denote a relationship between two characters. Be warned that these fics are usually rated R or M for mature. Authors usually warn readers of slash before the text of the story.
snick: Another term for the Sara/Nick relationship.
snicker: Short for "Sara and Nick relationshipper." This is a person that wants to see a romantic relationship between Nick and Sara.
songfic: A fic written around lyrics, usually to a romantic song that mirrors the feelings or emotions of a character. (See also "lyric fic.")
spoilers: So named because they "spoil" an episode, these include any details regarding the plot of a future episode. Spoilers are usually denoted by a "spoiler alert!" In fanfic, authors typically list any episode spoiler warnings prior to the text of the story.
Spork: A controversial term for Sofia. Coined at Your Tax Dollars at Work by a poster that typed, "Sogagmewithasporkfia."
TBC: Acronym for "To be continued." Usually the last words of a fanfic chapter that the author intends to continue pending time or reviews.
TMI cam: "TMI" is an acronym for "too much information." This term is used for CSI's famous extreme closeup camera shots.
TPTB: Acronym for "the powers that be." This refers to any of a show's writers, producers, directors or anyone else with power over the show. Also seen as "PTB" where grammatically correct.
UST: Acronym for "unresolved sexual tension." This term basically refers to any two characters who have unacknowledged romantic feelings for one another. These feelings can be evident in canon or completely imagined by fans. The point at which UST becomes RST is not clearly defined. (See also "RST.")
Wanders: Another term for the Catherine Willows/ Greg Sanders relationship.
WIP: Short for "work in progress," it lets readers know that more chapters will be added at a later time.
X-over or xover: Short for "crossover," this denotes a fic that involves two fanons or television shows. (See also "crossover.")
Yobling!: A term coined for the romantic relationship between Catherine and Warrick. The "yo" comes from Warrick's frequent use of the word, and the "bling" comes from Catherine's infamous use of the term in season one.
A Guide to Frequently Used Terms
General Notes: I tried to include the most frequent acronyms for character pairings, but the basic rule is as follows: "male initial/female initial" or "maleinitialfemaleinitial" denotes the relationship between those two characters. I refuse to type the acronyms for each episode title. You can check Elyse's Episode Guide to find them yourself. If you come across any terms that I haven't defined, plase e-mail me.
/: Read as "slash," this is used to denote a relationship between two characters. For example, "G/S" refers to the romantic happenings between Grissom and Sara. Used in fanfic to denote which relationships will pop up.