#Thurminology
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How did fans find fansites and archives in the early days of the web? One way is this week’s #Thurminology, the webring! A webring is a circular collection of websites that could be explored via navigation bars. Curious? Head over to Fanlore! https://bit.ly/3Pias5b
A webring banner advertising Fanlore’s Terminology Tuesday Webring.
January 3, 2025 at 12:30 AM
fanlore.org
For #Thurminology we’re bringing you Old Man Yaoi, which are ships that feature older male characters. Though ‘’yaoi’’ refers to Japanese boy’s love manga and anime, the term has now been used widely within the Western media fandom. Learn more on Fanlore! https://bit.ly/4cE4LdR
Two aged men sitting close together on a wooden bench. One man has one of his arm around the bench behind the other man. They are smiling and blushing contentedly. Text reads "Old Man Yaoi, Terminology Thursday"
September 17, 2026 at 4:00 PM
fanlore.org
Has your feed suddenly been taken over by one fandom? Are all your mutuals discarding their fandoms and creating for this one new thing? You may be experiencing The Fandom That Ate Fandom. Learn more about this week's #Thurminology on Fanlore! https://bit.ly/3f1vGSf
A titan from Shingeki no Kyojin, opening her mouth to swallow up the word 'fandom'.
December 19, 2024 at 8:00 PM
fanlore.org
This #Thurminology we’re looking at the term “DNW” or “Do Not Want”. It’s most often used in the context of gift exchanges and is a nonjudgmental way to opt out of topics or tags that the recipient doesn’t wish to read or view. Read more on Fanlore! https://bit.ly/4uwcimo
The text: “Fanlore: Terminology Thursday” and “DNW: Do Not Want.” The second text is in green, yellow, and red, and has decoration resembling a stoplight.
March 12, 2026 at 10:30 PM
fanlore.org
This #Thurminology, we're covering #Folksonomies, a term for classification systems created not by site owners, but by the users themselves. Want to learn more? Check out our Fanlore page for more information: https://bit.ly/3RN26Hg
A collage of textured paper labels and tags in different shades of yellow, pink, orange and green. A torn paper overlays it all with the text "Terminology Thursday, Folksonomies" is written in handwritten and marker type.
June 11, 2026 at 5:00 PM
fanlore.org
Today’s #Thurminology we’re learning about bookverse, a term that refers to the books in fandoms with canon in multiple media. Most often it’s used in fanfiction to mark stories based only on the books. Let us know your favorite bookverse in the comments! https://bit.ly/3VQhT6W
A girl in historical clothes, standing with an open book. Gold dust is emerging from the book. The dust highlights sparkles, a fairy, and the text "booktober – bookverse".
October 9, 2025 at 6:00 PM
fanlore.org
Scary stories you read late at night under the covers; this week’s #Thurminology is Creepypasta, a type of horror fiction found exclusively online. Some stories have also spawned their own fandoms. Check out the fanlore page and add your fave example! https://bit.ly/3H9wkyU
A photo of a vintage desktop computer with "Terminology Thursday: Creepypasta" written in neon green text. A text cursor blinks every few frames.
May 22, 2025 at 11:00 PM
fanlore.org
This #Thurminology is all about beloved characters known as a woobie. The term is often used for white male characters that endure difficult circumstances that you just want to cuddle and wrap up in a blanket. Let us know who your favorite Woobie is! https://bit.ly/3VyFqJw
Illustration of a sleeping dog covered with a blanket with a mug with a hot beverage nearby, surrounded by purple circles and pink splat shapes.
December 12, 2024 at 4:00 AM
fanlore.org
This #Thurminology, we’re looking at Juggernaut Ship, a term used for an extremely popular pairing in a fandom. A pairing is typically considered a juggernaut ship when it completely dwarfs others in the amount of fanworks produced. Learn more on Fanlore: https://bit.ly/4fiMEta
An image of a giant ship at sea. It is surrounded by drawn-on shapes of smaller, tiny ships.
November 7, 2024 at 1:00 PM
fanlore.org
This #Thurminology, we're highlighting #Rarelit: fanfic in small book-based fandoms. Rarelit is defined by having only a handful of fics online. What makes something rarelit depends on who you ask!

Visit the Fanlore page and discover hidden gems! http://bit.ly/4o4be5e
Tthe words “Booktober: Rarelit” hover over a mostly-empty bookshelf--only one real book is present, alongside several empty book-like white outlines.
October 16, 2025 at 8:00 PM
fanlore.org
This #Thurminology, we’re covering Filing Off The Serial Numbers - a fannish term that describe the practice of removing copyrighted details from a piece of fanfiction so it can be published as original fiction. Learn more on Fanlore: https://bit.ly/3Wt80MI
“Filing off the Serial Numbers” printed in red ink being filed off to reveal red a Fanlore wordmark and logo beneath. Stop-motion format.
October 30, 2025 at 4:00 PM
fanlore.org
This #Thurminology we’re exploring #GratuitousForeignLanguage, an (often critical) term for fanfics that include non-English words, phrases, or dialogue in excessive or wrong ways.

Have you encountered this in your fandom? Learn more at Fanlore! bit.ly/3OFdFP6
March 5, 2026 at 11:27 PM
fanlore.org
This #Thurminology we’re taking a look at drawerfic - the sort of stories you’d keep in your desk drawer. The term is used for fanfiction that is never shown to others or only shown to a few friends. Tell us about your hidden stories in the comments! https://bit.ly/40fy4MR
A pop-art styled collage where colorful binders and notebooks are displayed behind a green antique drawer.
January 16, 2025 at 2:00 PM
fanlore.org
This #Thurminology is all about about #Brickfilming, fan-made stop-motion films using LEGOs. Although LEGO has made it an officially-sanctioned activity, some fans want to keep it out of the mainstream.

Have you made a brickfilm? Learn more at Fanlore! https://bit.ly/49UYHgj
A looping stop motion gif of a Bigfoot lego figure slowly raising a camera in front of its face, within a frame and lego set emulating the grainy sepia vignette look of old film. Text in the center of the image reads: “Terminology Thursday Brickfilming the art of lego stop motion”
November 20, 2025 at 6:00 PM
fanlore.org
This #Thurminology is all about beloved characters known as a woobie. The term is often used for white male characters that endure difficult circumstances that you just want to cuddle and wrap up in a blanket. Let us know who your favorite Woobie is! https://bit.ly/3VyFqJw
Illustration of a sleeping dog covered with a blanket with a mug with a hot beverage nearby, surrounded by purple circles and pink splat shapes.
December 12, 2024 at 4:00 AM
fanlore.org
This #Thurminology, we’re looking at Babe of the Week, a term primarily used for one-time female love interests. This character trope originated from episodic American TV series in the 60s and 70s, most notably #StarTrek. Learn more on Fanlore: https://bit.ly/3TtLbY6
September 19, 2024 at 6:00 PM
fanlore.org
You may have seen fans in zines, mailing lists, communities, or archives affirming that they are over a certain age (usually 18). These are known as age statements — this week’s #Thurminology feature! Learn more about their history on Fanlore: https://bit.ly/1PpdWN0
A page sticking out of a typewriter depicts a progression of five human silhouettes from crawling baby to old age, with the text “Terminology Thursday: Age Statement.”
September 5, 2024 at 11:15 PM
fanlore.org
For this week’s #Thurminology we’re celebrating those fics which you know are (sometimes) kind of terrible, but just seem to scratch the right part of your brain: Idfic! We love them too — learn more on Fanlore: https://bit.ly/4chBz9l
a pile of chocolates and strawberries on a dark reflective surface with the subtitle “Terminology Thursday:” in small text and the title “idfic” in a thick brushed script font.
August 8, 2024 at 3:00 PM