fanwanks

Noun

fanwank (usually uncountable, plural fanwanks)

1. (derogatory, slang, usually) Explanations invented by fans (of a film franchise, television series, etc.) to gloss over mistakes in continuity.
   • Its just fanwank with no support in the lore - and not even good fanwank. As you said yourself, Malal does not exist in 40k - and he's never existed. And no, that's not a joke in the vein of 'I've never seen a stealth aircraft' either.2017 April 19, Agammamon [username], “An interesting theory regarding Guilliman and Malal/Malice”, in Reddit, r/40kLore
2. (slang, usually) Elements added to a television program or similar entertainment that appeal to avid fans but are of little interest to outsiders.
   • Fan-producers seem to have integrated 'fanwank' into the new series, but not in a way that reproduces the show's 1980s history, or alienates non-fans.2010, Matt Hills, Triumph of a Time Lord: Regenerating Doctor Who in the Twenty-first Century, page 61

   Synonyms:

   fanservice

See all 3 meanings of fanwank