Erotic Stories Glossary: Genres, Tropes and Terms Explained

1Genres

Contemporary:

Set in the present day, in ordinary places. Apartments, offices, bars. Request: "Contemporary, a city apartment, two adults who met online."

Fantasy:

Invented worlds, magic, non human adults. Request: "Fantasy, magic is rare and tiring." More in our fantasy Q&A.

Historical:

Set in a past period. Request: "Historical, 1920s, a hotel in a seaside town." Details of clothing and manners set the mood.

Sci-fi:

Technology, space, the near future. Request: "Sci-fi, a long night shift on a station."

Paranormal:

Ghosts, vampires, shapeshifters, who must still be written as adults. Request: "Paranormal, a ghost who can only be seen by one person."

Office romance:

Colleagues and workplaces. Request: "Office romance, two adults, a late deadline, dry humor."

2Pace and structure terms

Slow burn:

A long build up of tension before any physical contact. Request: "Slow burn, first kiss after the second scene."

Instant heat:

Opening in the middle of the action. See the full comparison in slow burn or instant heat.

Fade to black:

The scene stops at the door and the rest is implied. Request: "Sensual, fade to black."

Open door:

The opposite: everything is shown. Request: "Open door, explicit and detailed."

Cliffhanger:

A story ends on a moment of suspense. Useful if you plan to continue.

3Trope terms

A trope is a familiar pattern that readers enjoy recognizing.

Enemies to lovers:

Two people who dislike each other slowly change. Request: "Enemies to lovers, rival chefs, witty arguments."

Friends to lovers:

Long friendship turns romantic. Request: "Friends to lovers, a road trip, one room left."

Forced proximity:

Two characters stuck in the same place: a storm, a lift, a delayed train. It is a situation, not a coercion, and nobody is forced into anything intimate.

Fake relationship:

Two adults pretend to be a couple and it becomes real. Request: "Fake relationship for a family wedding."

Second chance:

Former partners meet again. Request: "Second chance, a reunion after ten years."

Grumpy and sunshine:

One character is gloomy, the other bright. Good for banter.

4Tone and heat terms

Fluff:

Gentle, sweet, low conflict. Request: "Fluff, domestic, warm."

Steamy:

Sensual and explicit, but with emotion. Most common request.

Angst:

Emotional pain and difficult feelings. Request: "Some angst, but a hopeful ending."

Banter:

Quick witty dialogue. Often the engine of the romance.

5Technical terms

Prompt:

The text you send to the AI. A good one is short and specific, as described in our article on writing a request.

Point of view:

Whose eyes we see through: first person, second person, third person. We cover it in style guide for point of view.

Roleplay:

You play one character and the AI plays the other, in real time. That is what AI porn chat is for.

Canon and OC:

Canon is established facts of a story, OC is an original character. For AI stories, almost all of your characters are OCs.

6Using the glossary in practice

Stack two or three terms in one line and the AI understands the whole shape. "Contemporary, enemies to lovers, slow burn, banter, steamy, open door" is a complete brief in six terms. Add a setting and two names and you are done. This is faster than describing the same thing in sentences, and the output is usually closer to what you imagined.

7Terms to be careful with

Some labels are used differently by different readers. "Dark" can mean moody or can mean harsh; say which one. "Spicy" can mean mild or explicit; say the level in words. "Romance" can include or exclude explicit scenes. When in doubt, write one extra sentence rather than rely on a label that might be read differently.

8Where terms stop helping

A glossary gives you structure, not originality. After you pick the shape, add the specifics that belong only to your story: a street name, a food, a joke the two characters share. That is where the text starts to feel alive.

Frequently asked questions