Okay, maybe right now you're asking, "Just what the Sam Hill is 'yaoi'? And yuri? And how does citrus fruit factor into this?"

I doubt there are many people out there reading GW fanfiction who don't know these terms, but hey, can't hurt to review the basics, y'know? That way my ass is covered, so nobody can get huffy and say "You corrupted my innocent widdle eyeballs!" So here's a quick explanation of the *ahem* less "white bread" stuff you'll find on my site.

SHONEN-AI: This is Japanese. Literally, it means "boys' love". Yup, you guessed it-- this means two boys in love with each other. Shonen-ai generally deals with the emotional side of things, and doesn't get much more graphic than a bit of kissing. Nothing naughty gets described.

YAOI: This is an acronym for a phrase in Japanese which, unfortunately, I can't recall. Anyway, yaoi is like the big brother of shonen-ai. It's usually harder-core-- sex may be described, or at least alluded to. Yes, that's right, it means two boys are knockin' boots. If this appalls you, please leave now.

SHOJO-AI: Look familiar? Shojo-ai means "girls' love". So it's like shonen-ai, only two girls are feelin' the romance. Cue the windblown rose petals...

YURI: The grown-up sister of shojo-ai. Two girls are doin' the horizontal tango, if you'll excuse my colloquialism, either descriptively or in reference. This leads us to the levels of description, which are...

LIME: Lots of kissing, necking, some groping perhaps... But the actual down-to-business part is either not fully described, or glossed over. Still, this can be pretty hot stuff. Stay away if there's a chance Gramma might walk into the room and see what you're reading.

LEMON: Who the hell decided that citrus fruits were a good metaphor for sex, I'd like to know? Oh, well. Anyway, lemon means the full monty, baby. It's the down-and-dirty, and it's described in full detail. You know, like in those Harlequinns your mom hides under her bed. It could mean yaoi, yuri, or straight-- there'll be an additional warning telling you what kind of lemon (or lime) it is.

Whoakay, I think that's everything... Need clarification? Think I'm whacked putting this stuff up on a website? Support love in its every beautiful form and want to tell me about it? You know where you can e-mail me, kiddo. But please, if you're gonna be one o' them angry people telling me what a sicko I am, at least tell me in an intelligent way. I've never gotten flamed before... but there's a first time for everything, I suppose. So before you do, remember-- I'm really very sensitive. *sniffles* I just want love... Can I have a hug? C'mon, group hug! Group hug! There... Now wasn't that nice?

Thanks, and I hope all you yaoi and yuri fans enjoy the site.

Writer
4-21-2001