Fanon
Unverified story points fans believe are canon
Example
At some point, fanon overrules an author's intentions. It's just the way pop culture crumbles
Related Slang
Superfan | An extremely dedicated fan |
Fandom | Community of fans |
Fanfic | Fan fiction |
Slash | Same-sex romance fan fiction |
OC | Original character |
DLDR | Don't like, don't read |
Squick | A big turn-off |
Shipping | Hoping for two people to get into a relationship |
Retcon | Retroactively change |
Hot take | A controversial opinion |
Superfans of fictional stories often have their own headcanons, or unverified beliefs about those stories. Headcanon ideas that are popular enough to be accepted by most fans become fanon. These beliefs aren't official canon, but to most fans, they might as well be.
For example, Harry Potter fandom largely believes the characters Remus Lupin and Sirius Black had romantic feelings for each other, and that ship has become fanon. This is despite the fact that no novel or movie confirms this belief.
Fanfic often takes fanon beliefs and runs with them, exploring the beliefs and their consequences more fully. For example, many, many Harry Potter fanfic writers have written slash fiction about Lupin and Black, a pairing that has become popular enough to be known as Wolfstar.