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Dark Romance Dictionary
No idea what all those abbreviations and acronyms mean inside the trigger warnings page or in social media posts? We've got you covered...
Are we missing an term or abbreviation? Let us know!
(These definitions are subjective, and in the context of what's usually found in fiction books)
Term | Definition |
|---|---|
* play | EG: gun play, knife play, breath play, blood play - a kink/sexual act involving the specified noun. |
A/B/O | Alpha/Beta/Omega ; Note - never write this without the slahes, it then becomes derogatory racial slur in Australia for the aboriginal communities |
AO3 | Archive of our Own - fanfic website where a lot of romance novels that have since been published originated |
BAGGACOTD | be a good girl and choke on that dick |
BC tampering | trope: tampering with birth control |
BDSM | kink or sexual act involving Bondage Domination/Discipline Sadism or Masochism |
CNC | concensual non-consent |
CR | contemporary romance |
CSA | child sexual assault |
CW | content warning |
D/s or d/s | Dominant / submissive |
DNF | did not finish (as in, didn't finish reading the book) |
ETL | trope: enemies-to-lovers |
FF or F/F | female/female pairing |
FFM | one woman in two relationships, one with a man and one with a woman |
FL | female lead |
FMC | female main character |
FMF | one man in two relationships, both with women |
FTL | trope: friends-to-lovers |
H | hero |
HEA | happily ever after |
HFN | happy for now |
HR | historical romance (statistically likely to be a Regency, but any real earth* historical time period*) |
MC | main character |
MF or M/F | male/female pairing |
MFM | woman in two relationships, both with men |
ML | male lead |
MM or M/M | male/male pairing |
MMF | one man in two relationships, one with a man and one with a woman |
MOC | marriage of convenience |
NA | new adult (college aged) |
OTT | trope: over the top (IE: exaggerated depictions of a trope, like an obsessive alpha or insta-love setup) |
PIV | penis in vagina |
PNR | paranormal romance |
PTSD | Post traumatic stress disorder |
RH | (also whychoose) trope: a polyamorous relationship, usually a woman involved with more than three men, and she is not forced to choose between them |
SA or S/A | sexual assault |
STFUATTDLAGG | shut the fuck up and take that dick like a good girl |
TBR | to be read |
TSTL | too stupid to live |
TW | trigger warning |
UF | urban fantasy |
UST | unresolved sexual tension |
agoraphobia | extreme or irrational fear of entering open or crowded places, of leaving one's own home, or of being in places from which escape is difficult. |
autassassinophilia | when a person is sexually aroused by the risk of being killed |
blood play | a kink/sex act involving blood. |
breath play | a kink/sex act involving asphyxiation (choking, strangling, gagging) |
castration | the removal of the testicles of a male |
coprophilia | when a person is sexually aroused or pleasured by feces |
ddlg or DD/lg | Daddy Dom / little girl |
doxxing | searching for and publishing private or identifying information about someone on the internet with malicious intent. |
dp or DP or DVP | double penetration / double vaginal penetration |
dub-con | dubious consent |
erotophonophilia | "lust murder" or sexual homicide, when a homicide occurs in tandem with either an overt sexual assault or sexually symbolic behavior |
evisceration | to remove an organ from someone. |
felching | sucking semen from any human orafice, eg. anus, vagina |
gun play | a kink/sex act involving a gun. |
h | heroine |
hebephilia | the strong, persistent sexual interest by adults in pubescent children who are in early adolescence |
insta-love, instalove | trope: when two characters fall in love with each other very quickly, often at first sight. |
knife play | a kink/sex act involving a knife. |
mpreg | trope: male pregnancy |
necrophilia | sexual intercourse with or attraction towards corpses. |
non-con | non-consensual |
osteophilia | a person or persons that dig up human bones in order to pleasure themselves (or each other) with said bones. |
phrogging | secretly living under someone's house without their knowledge or permission |
sapphic | femmes attracted to other femmes whether they identify as lesbian, bisexual, queer, trans, masc, or any diverse identity falling within the spectrum of same-sex attractions |
snowballing | making out with the person who came in their mouth, while still having cum in their mouth. |
somnophilia | a sex act performed on a character while they're unconscious (either drugged or sleeping) |
tp or TVP | triple vaginal penetration |
why choose | (also RH) trope: a polyamorous relationship, usually a woman involved with more than three men, and she is not forced to choose between them |
* play
EG: gun play, knife play, breath play, blood play - a kink/sexual act involving the specified noun.
BAGGACOTD
be a good girl and choke on that dick
CNC
concensual non-consent
CW
content warning
ETL
trope: enemies-to-lovers
FL
female lead
FTL
trope: friends-to-lovers
HFN
happy for now
MF or M/F
male/female pairing
MM or M/M
male/male pairing
NA
new adult (college aged)
PNR
paranormal romance
SA or S/A
sexual assault
TSTL
too stupid to live
UST
unresolved sexual tension
blood play
a kink/sex act involving blood.
coprophilia
when a person is sexually aroused or pleasured by feces
dp or DP or DVP
double penetration / double vaginal penetration
evisceration
to remove an organ from someone.
h
heroine
knife play
a kink/sex act involving a knife.
non-con
non-consensual
sapphic
femmes attracted to other femmes whether they identify as lesbian, bisexual, queer, trans, masc, or any diverse identity falling within the spectrum of same-sex attractions
tp or TVP
triple vaginal penetration
A/B/O
Alpha/Beta/Omega ; Note - never write this without the slahes, it then becomes derogatory racial slur in Australia for the aboriginal communities
BC tampering
trope: tampering with birth control
CR
contemporary romance
D/s or d/s
Dominant / submissive
FF or F/F
female/female pairing
FMC
female main character
H
hero
HR
historical romance (statistically likely to be a Regency, but any real earth* historical time period*)
MFM
woman in two relationships, both with men
MMF
one man in two relationships, one with a man and one with a woman
OTT
trope: over the top (IE: exaggerated depictions of a trope, like an obsessive alpha or insta-love setup)
PTSD
Post traumatic stress disorder
STFUATTDLAGG
shut the fuck up and take that dick like a good girl
TW
trigger warning
agoraphobia
extreme or irrational fear of entering open or crowded places, of leaving one's own home, or of being in places from which escape is difficult.
breath play
a kink/sex act involving asphyxiation (choking, strangling, gagging)
ddlg or DD/lg
Daddy Dom / little girl
dub-con
dubious consent
felching
sucking semen from any human orafice, eg. anus, vagina
hebephilia
the strong, persistent sexual interest by adults in pubescent children who are in early adolescence
mpreg
trope: male pregnancy
osteophilia
a person or persons that dig up human bones in order to pleasure themselves (or each other) with said bones.
snowballing
making out with the person who came in their mouth, while still having cum in their mouth.
why choose
(also RH) trope: a polyamorous relationship, usually a woman involved with more than three men, and she is not forced to choose between them
AO3
Archive of our Own - fanfic website where a lot of romance novels that have since been published originated
BDSM
kink or sexual act involving Bondage Domination/Discipline Sadism or Masochism
CSA
child sexual assault
DNF
did not finish (as in, didn't finish reading the book)
FFM
one woman in two relationships, one with a man and one with a woman
FMF
one man in two relationships, both with women
HEA
happily ever after
MC
main character
ML
male lead
MOC
marriage of convenience
PIV
penis in vagina
RH
(also whychoose) trope: a polyamorous relationship, usually a woman involved with more than three men, and she is not forced to choose between them
TBR
to be read
UF
urban fantasy
autassassinophilia
when a person is sexually aroused by the risk of being killed
castration
the removal of the testicles of a male
doxxing
searching for and publishing private or identifying information about someone on the internet with malicious intent.
erotophonophilia
"lust murder" or sexual homicide, when a homicide occurs in tandem with either an overt sexual assault or sexually symbolic behavior
gun play
a kink/sex act involving a gun.
insta-love, instalove
trope: when two characters fall in love with each other very quickly, often at first sight.
necrophilia
sexual intercourse with or attraction towards corpses.
phrogging
secretly living under someone's house without their knowledge or permission
somnophilia
a sex act performed on a character while they're unconscious (either drugged or sleeping)