The Ultimate Guide to Stan Language! 🤓

Written by: Jadon King

Thanks to the internet, language is evolving faster than ever and we’ve come a long way from the early, basic text-speak of the 2000s. Slang originating online sounds almost ridiculous nowadays, with 12-year-olds and college students alike running around saying things like “Bro has absolutely no rizz.” and “Run me my Fanum Tax.” Fortunately, gamers and tween meme page owners aren’t the only ones generating new-age slang. Another group largely responsible for recent trends in online language is actually the fandom community! From

Swifties to Directioners, stans have been creating new slang for years and we think it's high time someone explained just what some of it all means. We’ve already done a blog about fandom terminology, but in today’s guide, we’re getting into the real nitty-gritty. So without further ado, With the Band proudly presents the Ultimate Guide to Stan Language! 😛

Tea: If someone tells you they have some tea on so-and-so or about that thing that happened last night, that just means they’ve got a piece of hot gossip for you! 🍵

Kiki: A kiki is essentially just a hangout, but with a general outline of topics for discussion. If you have tea and your bestie just needs to hear it, call for a kiki! Besides, saying it is really fun and using it gives you an excuse to ask your friends to hang out. 💁‍♀️

Delulu: This one is pretty simple. An abbreviation for delusional, this is best used in those moments where, for some unknown reason, your mind has tricked you into believing something totally unreasonable like your ability to fly across the country for a concert you don't have a ticket for (yet). 😵‍💫

Touching Grass: Sometimes, things get out of hand. Life, school, work, whatever. And when you’re delulu about whatever it might be, touching grass is the solution. Touching grass can be literal but in fan-speak, touching grass is a moment to come down to Earth for a moment of rational thought. 🌳

Gagged: Have you heard that TikTok sound that goes, “The woman was too stunned to speak”? Well, if not, that’s fine, but “gagged” has the same energy; if you’re ever so shocked that you have no comment, all you need to do is say, “Gagged.” and be done with it. 🙇‍♀️

Screaming, crying, throwing up: This phrase is the exact opposite of gagged. This phrase is really just a synonym for “thrilled”. For example, let’s say your favorite artist releases a tour doc with never-before-seen footage full of cameos from the biggest artists in the world. What would your reaction be? If you said anything other than “Screaming, crying, throwing up”, you just failed a pop quiz. 😉

Ate/Eating: Pay attention now! We’re moving into verb tense! Just kidding. This one is really simple, as “They ate.” is just short for “They ate that up.” Your friend has on a fire fit? They’re eating. And if words nearly fail to describe the perfection with which they ate, simply

say, “They left no crumbs.” 🔥

Period: What does a period do grammatically? And no, this isn’t a trick question. It ends a sentence of course! Saying “Period.” shuts down any further conversation about the subject at hand, positive or negative. 👀

Oomf: This stan term is really only useful if you’re chronically online. Specific to X/Twitter, this is an abbreviation for, “one of my followers” but beyond that, it’s just really fun to say. 🤗

Moot: Another social media term! Moot is just a shortened version of “mutual friend” and is interchangeable with Oomf. 🤝

Imagine explaining this to a normal person: Maybe the easiest to figure out, and still one of the funniest. Similar to “touching grass”, stans use this in a moment of self-awareness when, deep in a discussion about their shared niche interest, they realize that they might sound a little insane. 😁

Now, on your road to fan language fluency, you’re bound to make some mistakes. You might say you’re screaming, crying, and throwing up when you’re really just gagged. But hey, it happens! And besides, you really can only get better with practice. What’s your favorite term from the list? If you’re already familiar with fandom language, were there any we missed? Follow us on X, TikTok, and Instagram to let us know! 💜

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