Jossed

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The term "Jossed" (jossed, jossing, joss) was named for Joss Whedon, creator of the popular television shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Firefly. The term is generally used by fan fiction writers when these shows chose to go in a direction that contradicted the story the fanfiction writer was currently working on. For instance, someone writing fanfiction on how to bring back a character from the dead might be jossed when the actual event happened, in a different way, in season six.

Alternately, "Jossed" can mean that the accepted canon of a show or book or real life has changed, by the official director/writers (in this case, by Joss Whedon), to suit facts that are currently convienient to the author. The word comes from writer/director, Joss Whedon, due to the fact that some of his shows constantly did this, causing considerable irritation to fans and fanficcers worldwide.

In Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 2, Spike clearly names Angel as his Sire, with the words "You were my Yoda, man!"

Awhile later it is changed, without explanation, to Drusilla fulfilling that role.

The term has become wide spread, as fans from Joss Whedon's shows move on to other shows, and frequently now shows, movies and other such media are being "Jossed" even though Joss Whedon has no relation to them.

(In an interesting change, some fanfiction writers choose to adopt the name of the director/writer of the series they are currently writing instead of "Joss." This has led to alternate terms, for instance, such terms as "Abramed" for J.J. Abrams's Lost, or "Davised" for Russel T. Davies's new version of Doctor Who, though it is still more common for a fan of these shows to consider herself "Jossed.")

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