The Fanfictionary - P

[eiahmon]

P

Words that appear in bold in definitions are defined elsewhere in The Fanfictionary.

Pairing - A couple that is involved with each other in one form or another in a fanfiction.

Pastfic - A fic that logically connects our real world to any universe in the future. Most common in the Babylon 5 fandom, though it happens alot in video game and fantasy fanfiction too.

Pepper Jack Cheese - A needless detail added to a fanfiction because it reflects the author's preferences. So called because of a Harry Potter fanfiction which had Hermione Granger liking Pepper Jack Cheese because the author herself did. Sometimes, but not always, a warning sign of the presence of a Mary Sue.

Pimp - Pimp is a general use netword, and it means to promote something, in this case, a fanfiction.

Plagiarism - Ah, yes, plagiarism. We've all heard of it (or have been accused of it.) in our high school literary classes, and some authors *cough* J. K. Rowling *cough* are famous for it. What exactly plagiarism is in fanfiction is tough to define, as technically, fanfiction IS plagiarism. But roughly plagiarism in fanfiction is stealing the original characters, situations, and places of another fanfiction author. While it's relatively easy NOT to steal another's characters and places, trying not to steal another's situations is a bit difficult, especially in a large fandom, where almost every idea that you can come up with has already been done. Several times in most cases.

Plebe - A shortened version of the word "plebian" which means "the common man.", this word is used as a derogatory term for writers that absolutely butcher the English language. It is also used as another word for a Badfic . It's use came about due to the fact that at one time, most common folk could neither read nor write. The English language has grammar, spelling, and punctuation rules, people. (even if they are continuously changing) Use them. You'll get better reviews that way.

Plot - A literary term, the Plot is the main body of a story, which includes: what happens, where it happens, how it happens, and how it's going to all end. In short, Plot is the Who? What? Where? When? Why? and How? of writing fiction.

Plot Bunny - A fanfiction idea that hasn't developed enough to make it to paper yet. The phrase is also used to describe a short burst of inspiration and the basic plot idea that accompanies it. If you write fanfiction, these things will keep you from falling asleep at night. Either that or they will wake you up in the middle of the night and keep you that way while you analyze the dream that contained them. They can either be a saving grace, by destroying your Writer's Block, or a supreme annoyance, because they won't go away until you've done something with them, no matter how busy you are with other things. If you're lucky, they will die of neglect once you've ignored them for so long. The term was possibly inspired by John Steinbeck who said: "Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen."

Plot Device - In writing of any kind, a Plot Device is a character, event, or item that is necessary for the progression of the plot. In fanfiction, it can also be a more derogatory synonym for a Dues Ex Machina.

Plot Element - The individual parts or a plot, which include: the location, the characters and their personalities, Conflcts, past history of the characters or their location, and anything that is necessary for the story to proceed forward. Good plots should have several elements, and those that don't are said to be thin.

Plot Twist - A, sometimes unforseen and unforshadowed, surprise, often in the form of a abrupt change in the direction the plot is going, and the reasons for why it is going that way. The term can be derogatory if there are no real reasons for the Plot Twist to be there.

Plot? What Plot? (A. K. A. Porn Without Plot (or PWP for short) - A fanfiction whose sole purpose is to bring characters together to have sex.

Posting Text (A. K. A. Submission Information) - This is the inportant stuff you should stick at the beginning of your story before you post it. It includes: your name, your story's title, it's Rating, it's Fandom, and any Summary or Author's Note that you see fit to add. What is necessary varies from website to website.

POV - Short for Point of View, POV refers to how story is presented, as in through whose eyes the narrator relates the events. While the Point of View is a necessary thing for any writing, the actual acronym is a fanfiction term. There are multiple Points of View, which are listed below:
First Person - First Person is when the story is told through only one character’s eyes, and the reader can see and experience only what that one character sees and experiences. First Person uses pronouns such as “me”, “myself”, and “I”.
Second Person - Second Person is similar to First Person in that you see experience the story through only one person’s eyes, but in this POV, those eyes are yours, the reader’s. Second Person uses the pronoun “you”, and it is very difficult to write in. For that reason, there are no fanfictions out there, to my knowledge at any rate, that are written in Second Person. (Less than 24 hours after I wrote this, I ran across a Harry Potter One Shot in Second Person, so I stand corrected.)
Third Person - Third Person is the most common POV used in fanfiction and in original fanfiction. Third Person can be through anyone’s eyes, and in fact it is common for a story to be seen through the eyes of multiple characters. It uses pronouns such as "they", "them" and "they're". Third Person is further subdivided into two categories: Omniscient and Limited.
Limited POV allows the reader to witness the action and experience all of the thoughts and feeling of only one character while still remaining in Third Person. While there are advantages to this, the reader will not be able to get any sense of what is going on elsewhere. In a sense, Limited is the Third Person version of First Person.
Omniscient POV allows the reader to experience all of the action for every character as well as allowing the reader to know all of the characters’ thoughts and feelings. Omniscient POV is divided even further into three categories: God’s Eye View, Camera Eye View, and Focused View.
God’s Eye View allows the reader to experience all the feelings and thoughts of every character as well as see all of the action through all the characters’ eyes.
Camera Eye View shows all of the action, but does not get the reader into any of the characters’ thoughts or feelings.
Focused View shows all of the action, but the reader only experiences the thoughts and feelings of one character.
Once you've settled on your POV, stick with it. It is very easy to switch from one form of POV in a story to another, so pay attention. I could go on for paragraphs with this, but since this is a Fanfictionary, not a writing guide, I will simply say this: Stick with the same type of POV throught the whole story, and while you can switch perspective from character to character in Third Person, be careful how you do it, and how often.

Prefic - A fanfiction that is prequels the canon material or another fanfiction.

Pre-slash - A fanfiction that doesn't have slash but introduces the possilbity and lays the groundwork for a later story.

Prologue - A literary term, the Prologue is the opening chapter or section of a story, and it introduces us to a few of the characters, usually the most important ones, and may give us the smallest teaser of the upcoming plot, but without really telling us anything about either.

Prose - A literary term, Prose is words written in normal sentence and paragraph format, as opposed to poetry, which is written by line and verse.

Purple Prose - A literary term that started outside of fanfiction, Purple Prose is when an author rambles on and on, describing a thing or person and is generally over descriptive. In fanfiction, it usually means for a character to ramble on and on about his/ her feelings about another character.

Parts N & O -- Part R