The shorthand you’ll see in tags and story notes, explained without any squeamishness.

PWP means “porn without plot”, a story that’s mostly or entirely sex. HEA means “happily ever after”, the ending that romance readers expect. Gay erotica comes with a lot of shorthand like this, much of it borrowed from fan fiction. This glossary covers the terms you’re most likely to see in tags and story notes.

What do the story-type terms mean?

Story-type terms tell a reader what shape a story takes before they commit to reading it. They’re mostly about how much plot surrounds the sex and how the story ends. Many of them started in fan fiction, where writers needed quick labels for thousands of stories, and they’re now common on erotica archives too.

PWP

PWP is a story where the sex is the point. Fanlore notes fans using it in the mid-1980s, when it meant “Plot? What Plot?” These days “porn without plot” is the more common reading. A PWP can still have a setting and characters. It just doesn’t pretend the plot is why you’re there.

HEA

HEA means “happily ever after”: the couple end up together for good. It’s the ending romance readers expect, and erotica doesn’t need one. I explain why that matters in gay erotica vs M/M romance.

HFN

HFN means “happy for now”. The men are together at the end, with no promise about forever. It suits short stories, where a lifelong commitment after one night would feel forced.

Slow burn

A slow burn is a story where the attraction builds for a long time before anything happens. The wait is the pleasure. The upside of sleeping naked takes its time this way, with two Edinburgh flatmates sharing a bed through a hot July.

OTP

OTP means “one true pairing”: the couple a reader or writer wants together above all others. You’ll mostly see it in fan fiction comments.

What do the position terms mean?

Position terms describe what a man likes to do in bed, especially during anal sex. A top penetrates while a bottom is penetrated. A vers man enjoys both. In erotica these words do more than describe the act: readers often use them as shorthand for a character’s personality, which is a habit worth questioning when you write.

Top

A top is the partner who penetrates. In fiction he’s often written as the dominant one, though plenty of tops aren’t.

Bottom

A bottom is the partner who is penetrated. Being a bottom says nothing about being passive. I go into this in what do top and bottom mean in gay erotica?

Vers

Vers is short for versatile: a man who enjoys topping and bottoming. A vers top leans towards topping, while a vers bottom leans the other way.

Side

A side is a gay man who isn’t interested in anal sex, preferring everything else. The term was coined by the psychotherapist Joe Kort in 2013, and Grindr added it as a position option in 2022.

Power bottom

A power bottom is a bottom who takes the dominant role. He sets the pace from underneath, which makes for a fun reversal in a story.

Service top

A service top tops under the direction of an eager bottom. He penetrates, but the bottom is the one calling the shots.

What do the consent terms mean?

Consent terms are warnings. They tell readers whether the sex in a story is clearly wanted by everyone involved. Dub-con means consent is unclear, while non-con means there’s none. Some archives refuse non-con entirely, so writers need to know where their story sits before they submit it anywhere.

Dub-con

Dub-con is short for dubious consent: sex where it isn’t clear whether everyone has agreed. It’s a tag readers use to avoid stories as much as to find them.

Non-con

Non-con means non-consensual. Nifty’s submission guidelines list unwilling participants among the content the archive won’t take. I don’t write it. When a story of mine plays with a fantasy where one man seems out of it, the men agree on the scene beforehand, as they do in What happens when your straight friend plays drunk?, which opens with the role-play being planned sober.

Content warning

A content warning is a note at the top of a story listing what’s in it. My stories here from mid-August on all open with one, so readers know what they’re getting before the first line.

What do the kink terms mean?

Kink terms name specific desires that stories are built around. They’re useful as tags, so readers can find exactly the scenario they’re after. The ones below come up again and again in gay erotica. Each can carry a whole story on its own if the writer builds the tension properly.

Edging

Edging means bringing yourself or a partner close to orgasm, then stopping, over and over. In a story it’s a ready-made way to stretch the tension.

Exhibitionism

Exhibitionism is the thrill of being watched. First Time on the Nude Beach runs on exactly this.

Voyeurism

Voyeurism is the thrill of watching. It’s the flip side of exhibitionism, and the best stories often give you both men’s view.

FAQ

Where does gay erotica slang come from?

A lot of it comes from fan fiction, especially terms like PWP or dub-con. Position terms like top and bottom come from gay men’s own slang. Erotica archives picked up both.

Should I use these terms in my own story?

Use them in your tags and story notes, where readers look for them. In the story itself, characters rarely talk in acronyms, so let the action show it.

What’s the difference between erotica and porn?

Erotica tells sex through a character’s thoughts and feelings, while porn shows the act directly. I cover it in what is the difference between erotica and porn?

What does M/M mean?

M/M means a story about two men together. It’s the usual label on romance and fan fiction sites. You’ll see M/M/M for a threesome.