headcanon

head +‎ canon

headcanon (countable and uncountable, plural headcanons)

1. (fandom slang) Elements and interpretations of a fictional universe accepted by an individual fan, but not necessarily found within or supported by the official canon.
   • 2012, Maggie K, "Let's talk about socks: Gender performativity in Terry Pratchett's Monstrous Regiment", Queer Vertigo 2012 (University of Technology, Sydney), unknown date, page 17:

     Technically, the social context of Borogravia is such that the actual external difference between a trans man and a woman disguised as a man is practically indiscernible – the technology level means they’re indistinguishable by the bodily modification standard (although now that I think about it, there's no reason Igors couldn't perform sex changes, and that's going in my headcanon now), and there does not appear to be a space in the language for self-identification.

   • 2012, Bea Huff, "Love the character, not the actor", Daily Nebraskan (University of Nebraska-Lincoln), Volume 111, Issue 151, 11 June 2012, page 3:

     That wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that they just fill in the missing information with whatever headcanon (one's personal belief of what is true to the universe) they want instead of actually trying to find out more about the character.

   • 2013, Kristal Frenero, "Fifty shades of fan crazy", The Talon Newsmagazine (John A. Ferguson Senior High), Volume 10, Issue 2, February 2013, page 8:

     Don't forget if they can write pages and pages and pages of “headcanon” information for an already developed character, probably changing his or her already set personality or even expanding upon it.

   • For more examples of usage of this term, see Citations:headcanon.

• fanon