WARNING: The information in this guide is to be taken as advice, not strictly as fact. The sections you'll find are based upon my experiences with the FMA fandom, both in reading and writing for it. Some of my stories will be used as examples occasionally, but it is not necessary for you to have read them to understand the point I'm making. I've tried to make this as easy to follow as possible while spicing it up to make it a little fun, so I hope it is enjoyed.

Fanfiction Terminology

This section will include popular terms used for fanfics and their definitions.

OC: Original character.

Canon: Characters, setting, and plot that remains true to the story/show/manga (opposite of ooc)

OOC: Out of character. Characters acting unlike themselves (opposite of cannon)

AU: Alternate Universe. Taking a character or characters out of their canon setting and putting them in a different one. Example: Making Ed a rock star in today's modern world…actually, that'd be kinda cool!

Mary-Sue: A cliché, predictable character (a writer's worst nightmare)

Lemon/Lime: A scene in the story involving sexual acts

Smut: Sexual story without plot

Yaoi: A pairing in a story including two males.

Yuri: A pairing in a story including two females

Slash: Same-sex male pairings

Femslash: Same-sex female pairings

One-shot: A short story; one chapter long

Drabble: Not exactly a short story. More like a random scene.

Flame:An insulting critique of a story or author (generally, these are big no-no's)

Crack: A story with deliberately bizarre aspects. Example: Ed going to sleep in a refrigerator… (no seriously, I read that in a cracky story one time)

Fluff: Cute scenes or moments in a story

Crossover: Blending of fandoms. Ex: A story about the FMA characters going to Wonderland.

Songfic: A story centered around a song. (Despite being banned from Fanfiction due to legality issues people still write and post them)

Ratings:

K: For kids. Suitable for all ages

K+: For youth. Suitable for children over 9 years of age

T: For teens. Suitable for teens over 13 years of age

M: For older teen. Suitable for teens over 16 years of age.

MA/NC-17: For mature. Limited only to adults over 18 years of age. (Rating not included on Fanfiction, though some authors include this rating in their summary)