Here's some handy
terminology for fiction you may find on this page:
Shounen Ai—Literal translation: 'boy's love.'
As it says, shounen ai is used to denote stories that focus on the emotions and
love between two boys. The act of sex doesn't have to occur at all.
Shoujo Ai—Literal translation: 'girl's
love.' As it says, shoujo ai is used to denote stories that focus on the
emotions and love between two girls. The act of sex doesn't have to occur at
all.
Yaoi—The word 'yaoi' (pronounced pretty
much how it looks) is an acronym for 'yama nashi, ochi nashi, imi nashi'; which
means roughly: no climax, no meaning, no clarity. Kind of makes it sound like a
PWP, huh? In general, the yaoi genre tends to focus on sexual themes and not so
much on the relationship or emotional aspects that shounen ai does. Yaoi has
come to mean something (fiction or artwork) depicting a male/male relationship.
Yuri—The word 'yuri' (pronounce
'you-rhi') is an acronym for… Well, I don't actually know what this particular
acronym is for, but it's used to denote stories similar to yaoi, except that it
has to do with a female/female relationship.
June—Pronounced 'ju-neh,' this is the
correct term to use for a serious m/m story, be it professional or amateur. It
usually refers to original character creations. Long-standing m/m stories with
a solid base (i.e. a plot line) are considered june.
Lime—One of those nifty little terms
that fic readers should know. It usually denotes something a little heavier
than just holding hands, but doesn't give a full blown, explicit sex scene.
Lemon—Yet another term every fic reader
should know. It's a nice way of saying that the story in question has lots of
graphic sex. Most PWPs tend to be lemons, but I have read a few ::read; two::
that weren't.
PWP—An interesting acronym that is
defined in the world of internet fanfiction as story whose only purpose for
existence is a sex scene. As I stated in the previous sentence, it isn't always
this way, but in most cases it is. PWP stands for 'Plot? What plot?'
Angst—A word derived from German meaning
that a story is basically dark and dreary. Very little to no sweetness and
light in these fics. They usually involve character torture, be it physical,
emotional, or verbal, and occasionally end in death.
Shotakon—In a vague and extremely general
sense, stories that are shotakon in nature revolve around the relationship
between a grown man and a prepubescent boy.
Rorikon—Like shotakon, but involving young
girls. 'Rori' comes from Lolita, thus it is a 'Lolita' complex.