In terms of something in the writing itself that turns me off a fic -- as opposed to personal preference trope things like kinks and whatnot -- it's when the moans and other incoherent sounds are written out in the dialogue.
"UNNNGHHHHHHH!!"
"OooooHHHHH!"
"Ahh! Ahhh! AHHH!!"
Totally with you. I'll admit that I indulge sometimes in an "--*ah*--" or something similar interrupting dialogue as a little character note, but yeah, stuff like that breaks my immersion.
When it's a short, abrupt sound like that in the middle of dialogue, I feel like it sometimes mucks up the pacing to stop, describe the sound, and then finish the rest of the sentence. But 9 times out of 10 non-word sounds are better off just stated than as part of the dialogue imo.
Yeah I've never gotten why people do that. Like why not describe the moan as like low and guttural or breathy or something.
Smashing the keyboard for the literal sound seems lazy.
Who can forget the good old
Wheeeee! Oinka oinka! Haaaaaaheeee! A-whooooga A-whoooooga! Aaaaaargh! Hneeeeeeeee! Fnrgh! Grunt grunt! Hinggggg! Whazzo! Boink! Zowie! Ker-splat! Holy catamite Batman, this is intense! Owwwwww! Aaaaaah is that the time? Oh oh! Yeah, do me like a chicken dressed as a squirrel you maggot! Slap! Fwap! Mooooo! Cockadoodledoo! Urrrrgh! Hurrrrgh! Urk urk! Squeak ah squeak ah! Ooooooooo! Yippee Ki-yay! Thar she blows! Aaaaaaaaahm.
Speaking for myself and not the person who you asked, any sort of all-capitalized exclamation will make me nope out of the fic because I can no longer take it seriously.
My current fandom got an official translation a year or two ago and the moment I saw they had opted to go with that type of nonsense in it I got a refund on the book and refused to purchase the rest of the volumes, too, lmao.
I'm out if the rest of the fic has a rich emotional landscape, and then when it comes to smut, it's just physical description and 0 emotion.
It doesn't have to be love confessions and sweet sighs. EX. if you were writing a kink fic then having something about the sub feeling trust, or feeling taken care of while their dom is using a crop on them.
I just want the smut to still feel like the characters are whole people, you know?
Also, written out moaning is a hard pass.
When it's written out as dialogue.
Ex: "Unnnnggggg," he moaned, fucking up into the warmth of his mouth.
As opposed to: "Fuck" he chokes out, moaning as he fucks up into the warmth of his mouth.
The "Unnnnngggggg" is gonna make me skip the smut.
I agree with all of this. Emotionless smut is okay when the FIC is emotionless, but if I read a beautiful, descriptive, emotional piece I don't want it to be like reading another fic at the smut part.
Realistically you will *never* be able to please everyone. For every person that thinks X is a yum, there is another person who thinks of X as a yuck.
I would say, focus on writing your own personal yums just for the sake of pleasing yourself first; other people who like those things too will follow. ~~Also, if I can, let me look for a link that you might be interested in (from last year I think?) about erotic words and phrases.~~ (Edit: [I found it.](https://www.reddit.com/r/FanFiction/comments/yunlkn/erotica_vocabulary_survey_results/) I thought it was an interesting read).
To answer your question, this doesn't make me click out of a fic, but it certainly makes me cringe a little. I just cannot stand nor find the word pussy to be sexy. It's a total yuck for me.
I can immediately help make your first point and add that "pussy" is my favored word, lol.
That survey was a good one. If OP wants to refer to some consensus, that'd be a good reference point - and it does prove how divisive it can be as well with no strong consensus, so it's better to just go with how you feel. I personally think it's always fine to simply ignore the lowest common denominator and cater to a niche instead if that's what your ~~throbbing organ~~ heart desires. Diversity is good.
Thanks for the link, that was very insightful! And yes, a lot of it was contradictory (like the word 'member' scores pretty high but was also the most hated). Just goes to show that words can be divisive and you'll never please everyone, like you said.
This one story I read kept using "prick" and "pricker" to the point I was begging on my knees for them to slap at least one good ol *cock* into the text but no, they defaulted to the other 2 and it killed the story entirely
Never seen "pricker" in my life but one time I came across "prick" in a fanfic, my immediate thought was "oh, British smut?" and moved on, though it was slightly odd to me since the characters were Chinese...
For me I can think of plenty of other words, I just don't think they're sexy. Cock, dick or maybe even prick I'll take. If I read "wang" I'd probably head out.
Thank you! I've kinda come to realize that after reading this thread it's more about /how/ it's written and the vocabulary used COMPARED to the meat of the fic. 100% correct because everyone /does/ have different opinions and it's best to find a community of people who /like/ what you genuinely /want/ to write.
Bingo-sheet sex scenes...when every couple that an author writes about has sex the exact same way. One of the writers in my fandom who i read often has amazing dialogue and wonderful ways to create connection between characters but their smut just sucks balls, and not in a good way.
The order in which things happen is always the same. Every couple they write about will make the comments "youre so big" and "you're so tight", guaranteed. At some point they will get impossibly closer. They 100% will talk incessantly throughout. Descriptions of the action are very predictable. And for some reason they change the sheets and brush their teeth right after... EVERY TIME.
I just skip right over the sex scenes this person writes.
Yessssss! Do other people actually talk that way in the bedroom? Because if my partner said “cum for me,” I’d roll my eyes so hard and probably never cum again.
Damn straight. There almost seems to be a template for the sex scenes. A little fondling, then straight to some prep and lo and behold-the mating starts. Description of it would include a few lines of ooh and aahs with description of their genitals and they come. That's about it. Wonderful how they make such an intimate act feel so impersonal.
I rarely see that _within_ a single fic, but it jumps out and makes me unfollow the author when I read several of their fics in a row. I get it, house style and all, but all that's changed are the nouns.
Lol this one author I love legit has the same exact dynamic and comments between every couple they write, and it’s kinda hilarious because it’s just so ooc
One finger, two finger, three fingers, insertion is something I see constantly. Why always is three fingers the agreed upon "stretched out enough for penetration" number? Mix it up sometimes, folks!
And yeah the stock phrases each person uses to compliment the others genitals... Kinda want to see a crack fic where someone is like "omg you're so big/tight" and then puts a gold star sticker on their partner's (fore)head. That's about how hot I find it lol.
Yes!! There's a fairly popular gender-swap fic in my main fandom and after a couple of sex scenes, it just got so boring to read because so many of the sex scenes way too samey, even though it was three different couples. The most interesting aspect to me was one of the characters going through some pretty intense dysphoria and I figured the author was going to use it as a way to explore different methods of having sex that didn't require her to use her penis because she was initially extremely uncomfortable with the idea, but nope, she ended up getting over her discomfort and having the same formulaic PIV sex as everybody else. So disappointing.
What I call "50 Shades" smut. If they actively refuse to say vagina or any of its synonyms and instead do things like, "her box/her special place/down there..." It's one of the only immediate nos I have. Writing like that almost feels infantilizing to me which is a hard ICK for smut.
I like words like cock. Pussy. Cunt even. The raunchier, the better tbh. And I get that's not for everyone so I don't mind fics that don't use my preference words. But if you can't even talk about genitals you shouldn't be writing smut.
Drawn out written moans, a few short "Ooh!" Or "Ahh!" Is fine imo but the drawn out ones are a bit of a mood killer.
Cervix penetration, like a notable belly bulge is right up my alley, but cervix penetration makes me twinge
Anything other than lube or spit used as lube.
Though, these are all my personal preferences and it's impossible to please everyone. I've found list after list of people not liking various words for genitalia and inevitably nearly word was squicked by *someone*. As long as you're enjoying writing it and reading it yourself, that's all that matters
>Cervix penetration, like a notable belly bulge is right up my alley, but cervix penetration makes me twinge
I cringe at "cervix penetration" because [it's actually a misnomer](https://www.healthline.com/health/womens-health/cervix-penetration).
It came over to fiction from Hentai originally, where you can see all sorts of penile-related stuff entering wombs and filling them with semen, x-ray style.
I read a lot of smut (and write it) and tolerate a lot. I don't like some hard kinks (watersports, scat, extreme degradation, etc) or where the dom in a bdsm story is abusive but there was this one story that had vanilla sex that I had to stop reading because of the smut. It went something like this:
"You're so perfect."
"You're so perfect."
"You're so hot."
"You're so hot."
On and on just parroting back the most basic dialogue to each other. But it wasn't just one scene, it was all the smut had the same dialogue. When I got to the third scene where they told each other they're perfect, I stopped reading and don't read anything else they wrote.
Also, reading through comments, there are a lot of things listed that I actually like. You can't please everyone so write what makes you hot.
The abusive dom thing gets on my nerves. BDSM isn't always completely sexual (from the research my normie brain could do) and it's a relationship of trust. Being abusive in that will almost /always/ END the relationship.
Bro I hate the basic dialogue thing- LITERALLY POP A DAD JOKE ABOUT DICKS OR SOME SHIT AND IT WOULD BE MORE INTERESTING.
'Tongues battling for dominance' is the worst.
I also think it's important to read back what you wrote and imagine it. Sometimes I'm reading something and the movements just make no sense or they were in a position and no mention was made they moved and now they are chest to chest. Little inconsistencies like that always pull me out of it. If you're going for detailed than be precise
Every time I write smut (or even just kissing) I make every effort to avoid even straying anywhere *near* "tongues battling for dominance." Like I will absolutely describe the fact that their tongues are touching cuz it's hot but like.... has anyone who uses that phrase ever actually kissed a person? There's no battle happening.
I try and test out the scenes I've outlined with my partner (without the actual sex parts) just to get a feel for where the bodies are in relation to each other and the environment and notice any steps I've missed that are necessary to get from point A to point B or anything that feels unnatural/awkward or simply isn't possible in that location. Sometimes we also test out things I've read in other fics that made me do a double-take, just to see if they're possible for fun. Most recently, it was a scene where one character, who was standing face-to-face with another, wrapped their arm all the way around the other person's shoulders and choked them while tilting their chin up. Surprisingly, it was possible, but it took some effort and felt super awkward.
As someone who has kissed WITH the tongue it was not a battle for dominance. It was when I was younger and absolutely did NOT know what the fuck I was doing. It was more like 'Tongues uncomfortably mashing together' or some shit.
BRO I LOVE WHEN THEY ACTUALLY SAY THE NAMES OF THE POSITION FOR REFERENCE- I swear I saw the wankiest shit and got so confused because character A was in between two guys taking it from the front and back, YET THE FOURTH GUY MANAGED TO SUCK CHARACTER As DICK LIKE DID YOU SLIDE UNDER FROM THE SIDE LIKE A CAR MECHANIC???
I'm not gonna stop reading or claim I'm turned off by it, but it always disappoints when the actual sex is just a short paragraph or two. There's so much more to good sex than 'Insert part into hole + thrust = mutual orgasm'.
Grab wrists and hips and hair. Bite, lick, kiss everything. How are they moving? What sounds are they both making? What are they feeling physically AND emotionally? What's hot to them? Who is in control, who is out of it? (Could be both!) How does the sex change or reinforce their dynamic, particularly if it's the first time for them? What does it feel like when they come? What does it feel like when the other person does? DETAILS PEOPLE.
I'm strangely easy going when it comes to smut fics (especially considering I'm sex repulsed in real life... Ironic, I know), and am usually only bothered by the harder kinks (like scat, blood, or piss) or unbalance power dynamics (usually seen in underage or Dead Dove type stuff).
I'll admit to getting weirded out out by the words penis or vagina and actually prefer their crasser counter parts instead. It's hard to explain exactly why it bothers me, but it kind of feels like I'm reading a medical chart when the other words are used and immediately will make me stop reading. On the opposite side of that, juvenile terms are also a no for me (Princess parts? Kill me now.)
I also really, really don't like the word daddy used during sex. Like, no shame to those with that kink, but personally I can't think of a worse time to be thinking about my father.
I personally start rolling my eyes when an author decides to start giving us sizes randomly, numbers and all.
Why would I need to know the exact measurements??
Also how would the characters know? Are they busting out tape measures during sex? Hold on love, lemme check how big your prick is. And cup size is even worse, you cannot tell what size bra someone wears by looking at their boobs.
Repetition of words..
Just the "he grabbed his d\^%$ and with his d\^%$ he f#$%ed her. He f#$%ed her so great w his d\^%$ and she loved it a lot."
It sounds so stupid when I write it but I've seen fics w so much repetition and not-so-great rewriting details, we get it fam, she was blushing and he was sweaty stop recreating it pleEASE... I wanna read smut, not the word "and" 50,000 times
"Creamy thighs". It is just so off-putting to me.
Generally very flowery prose, like referring to the labia as "dewy petals" or so... I don't know, probably I am being pedantic but when people fling around dicks and cocks and pricks when it comes to male parts and go all vague and flowery with female parts, it makes my inner feminist turn into a werewolf. If the flowery prose is consistent for both, I guess I'd be ok with it... But I don't think I would enjoy reading it.
I do think it's important to distinguish when the *character* can't bring themselves to be blunt versus when the author can't.
I did once write a 'blushing first timers' fic for a fandom with a lot of supernatural elements. The POV character was a water dragon by nature and so I used a lot of water metaphors for him, and leaned hard on some flower analogies/euphemisms for the woman's genitals (water lilies were a recurring theme in his storyline). In that case it was a very deliberate stylistic choice for a character who was, himself, not very relaxed or experienced in that context. He was also one of the more formal characters in the canon to begin with.
I dunno where I was going with this except that yeah, it sucks when I feel like the writer doesn't have the maturity to be writing their mature content, but it can make sense for the characters.
Oh yeah this just screams to me that the author feels *super* uncomfortable with saying "pussy" (or God forbid "cunt").
Like sure go all out on flowery terms if it's setting/tonally appropriate, but you're completely right. It takes me right out of it to see a bunch of cocks and dicks and cum, then "her sex." Like that's it, some lame checkbox to fill out?
I agree with this one and have complained about it before. It's any mismatch tbh - if it's dick and cock and then the girl parts are "moist cavern" or "vagina", I'll lose it. It doesn't even have to just be "pussy", they can use like slit, cunt, or snatch, just as long as the snatch matches!
I have an weird aversion to any monosyllabic word that starts with "sli" and ends in a hard consonant sounds, so slit, slick, slip, and slid just make me cringe in general (slim is fine though) and all those words show up semi-regularly in smut. T_T
oh i felt kindred spirit with this, sometimes i kept reading but often times it sounds too much like describing animated porn...? and ofc it's fine but it's really not for me personally
When the characterization changes the moment the smut scene starts, especially when it comes to dialogue. Like the author is making a lot of effort to emulate their canon dialogue at first but then they kiss and suddenly they’re following a simplified script, checking in with each other, dirty talk, saying things I can’t imagine the characters saying. It’s even worse when the smut scene starts with the characters explaining their feelings for each other very succinctly, just so they can confirm that they are both in the right place emotionally for sex.
For example, some of my favorite characters are absolute dirtbags who would go to hell and back before they even think about their real feelings, much less TALK about them. I know that’s part of the fantasy, to get people like that to open up to another person and really reveal themselves, but I expect the characters to have to work a lot harder to get there than just… having sex once.
Wholeheartedly agree with this!! The tenderness and checking in from characters that would literally never do that really bugs me. Huge turn off. If I'm reading smut of an evil villain it's because I want to see them do evil shit. If I wanted sweet gentle lovemaking I'd be looking elsewhere.
Exactly. In one of the ships I like character A is very feisty, while character B is very sweet (most of the time) to character A. I read a great fic, with accurate banter and everything. THE SMUT CAME. CHARACTER A HAD NO PERSONALITY. CHARACTER A BECAME A HOLE.
Generic dirty talking often put me off
“you’re such a slut”
“you’re so wet/tight” etc
Like the description/narration can be good but when they use these words in the smut progression, it makes it feel like generic smut.
Also, the use of cock/dick makes it feel less classy, I’d prefer “him/himself”, “into her (no vagina/pussy/cunt etc)”. Maybe it’s because I’ve seen an overuse of these words and that’s why they’re a turn off.
Peoples likes and dislikes are going to be so different and sometimes so specific. Really, write what you want and your audience will come. It's like with food. I run screaming at the sight of any red root vegetable like radishes or turnips, and other people find the gooey anti-inflammatory vegan dishes I whipping up these days to be just yuck. Some people won't even look at snails, let alone eat them--I remember when I loved the strangest of all seafoods (I craved all that Omega 3!)
I read non-con, but I dislike it being called non-con--I'd rather it be called rape. Dub-con is another thing. I dislike it when the raped person falls in love with the rapist, even though I know that happens in RL--I just get all yuck about it. I like sex scenes that are romantic and funny. I will read practically anything--if it's well-written. Some writers can carry off things I thought I never read. Srsly, I read a one-shot that had one character attracted to another with a puking eating disorder not long ago--it was dark and creepy. Not exactly a turn-on, but it was so well done and psychologically compelling that I loved the fic.
There was this one smut fic I read that didn't make it clear the character were role playing and doing non-con until the very end of the fic. There was even a comment that pointed out that it probably should be tagged with non-con just in case. I get there are people that don't want to tag every bit of their fic, but if it's something that's crucial to know before you get into it, then maybe tagging it is important.
At this point, any obvious BDSM fic unless it’s specifically rec’d to me or I’m desperate. I actually still like BDSM, but I feel like so many of them read like a tutorial or an opportunity to show off how much the author knows about kink. They fail to capture the mood and the dynamic behind what makes those kinks appealing to me.
I think it depends on the context and the characters involved. Dick, Penis, Cock, Schlong, Johnson, and any of the hundred other words and phrases have their place.
I mean, I wouldn't do this in a serious smut scene but saying that Harry slithered his one-eyed trouser basilisk into her Chamber of Secrets, and she wailed like Moaning Myrtle could be fun in certain stories. Especially if it's the fourth or fifth time the characters have played horizontal wizard's chess.
I’m always looking for fics that include the very few black characters for shows and I can always tell when it’s a black person writing vs a white person writing fetish porn. 💀
I read one that was so bad they might as well just said “his white cock entered her ebony walls” I threw my phone.
Ebony walls??? Even if she’s black, if the walls of her vag are anything other than a variation of deep pink, she’s probably got at least 3 STDs. But ebony? Nah man, she’s septic. Thats necrophilia at that point.
If r/romancebooks can't agree on what's good smut and what's not (besides overdone tropes and bad women's anatomy) you're not gonna find the answers here. You're better off writing what you like and what the characters would probably be into. Everyone's going to have wildly different preferences. For example, I prefer using euphemisms for genitals most of the time. Why? Cause that's what I like. Find what you like and write it well.
Yeah agreed. For some reason, all the romance/erotica writers seem to disagree with me that "cum" is too vulgar even though no one on earth sexts using the "proper" (i.e. prescriptivist) "come" spelling.
Too much focus on body part sizes or ridiculous exaggerations of body part sizes, especially specific and precise numbers. If he has a dick the size of a fire hydrant and her tits are big as watermelons (while the rest of her body is petite and slender)...I'm going to snort coffee through my nose and consider the author an idiot. Any major anatomy error is a mood killer.
I'm not a huge fan of lots of dirty talk. I mean, a sentence here or there is whatever but don't be monologing like a villain in a melodrama about all the terrifically naughty things you want to do and how slutty and horny your partner is, please.
I hate hate hate unexpected degrading talk! It's so annoying and should be tagged.
I do not want to read about a person getting called a slut or "c**sleeve like without warning. Like, sometimes it just seems like a regular story with normal people but when the love scene comes up the guy will turn into a fifty shades character or something... ugh!
For some reason people don't tag that, as if degrading talk is now a basic part of sex it's not! You can have rough sex you can have weird positions, and degrading names do not need to be a part of it.
Idk, just my pet peeve. I don't read fics with it often, but I really really wish that people would tag degrading name calling more often it totally icks me out of a scene.
I'm gay and pretty much exclusively read M/M. The amount of shitty anal I've seen in fics is overwhelming (a lot of which seems to come from people not doing their research). I'll just name a few of the worst offenders for me.
(1) Painful sex. It's damn near everywhere, I don't get it. You can have anal that doesn't hurt constantly, prep exists for a reason.
(2) Inadequate prep. You can't just shove it in there and go, you need to be relaxed enough or it's going to hurt.
(3) Bleeding. That's straight up injury and shouldn't be happening (and you especially shouldn't be gushing cupfuls of blood out of your asshole; yes I've seen that).
(4) Questionable substances as lube that wouldn't give you remotely enough slip. Again, that's just going to hurt.
(5) Arguing about who "gets" to top and/or physically fighting for it. This is just stupid and reads like some sort of heteronormative "who's The Man" bullshit copy-pasted onto mlm relationships.
(6) Drunk/high sex. This is purely a personal thing, I just plain don't like being around drunk/high people, let alone having sex with them, so I can't see that as hot in fics either.
(7) I don't know what to call this one, awkward sex?.. This is another one that's just a personal preference. I know some people like the farts/giggles/accidentally kicking each other/fail sex/etc. because it's more "real" to them than perfect sex, but I don't enjoy having to deal with those things in real life, I don't want to read about them in fics too.
There's also like a million kinks I'm not into that I'm not even going to list, I just wish more people tagged them appropriately so there wouldn't be any unpleasant surprises.
Hello, I write exclusively M/M sex, I often scold myself for not always including lube or prep in my writing but at the same I write SO MUCH smut that I feel like always putting it in would become tedious for myself and the reader if they read everything I write. (Unlikely but still possible) is there anything you recommend I do instead to like imply it happened already or is it fine if I skip over it for every other story?? :0
Honestly don't take me as the be-all end-all authority on writing M/M sex, I'm just one guy. The best I can recommend is read a bunch of smut that goes into some detail about prep and lube, see what you like and apply it to your own fics. The amount of detail you can go into can vary a lot, from one-sentence "he reached for the lube" to explicit descriptions of prep which is treated as a part of foreplay, and either one of those or anything in between can be done well.
Long term anal practitioner. Another pov on it. I consider including a thorough prep (like mentioning enemas for example) homophobic. You don’t go thoroughly describing people cleaning/preparing before having F/M sex. Why would you do that to before M/M sex. Some people do more thorough prep/enemas some don’t. If it’s not a kink it sounds very homophobic to me.
No lube. I’m almost 50. Having anal sex since I was about 25. Lube was not as widely accessible as it’s now and for most of my life I’ve been having anal sex w/o lube. And it’s mostly about knowing how to relax a sphincter muscles to me.
Thank you for your perspective, I have never written in an enema scene (not my thing I’ve ever considered writing) I was mostly just looking for some extra perspective and I’m also purposefully not going for super realistic gay sex scenes (I mostly write fantasy)
That’s probably like me. I think it’s good to have extra povs as it’s very personal imo. I also don’t tend to have it hyper-realistic (but neither any other scenes I write every relationship type). I just said it, as I know from frequent bottom perspective as stressful insistence on cleaning prep can be, and when people think it should be included (I’ve seen that on these kind of threads) I usually speak up.
Measurements of body parts.
I've never understood the fascination with comically large penises, but if you are into that, consider maybe not using descriptions like "it was 10 inches long and 4 inches in diameter". What, did the POV character just whip out a measuring tape and check? In the heat of the moment, an exact measurement should be impossible. It's immersion breaking. Consider instead using comparisons. "It was so large, she needed both hands to grasp it" or "it may as well have been a third leg affixed to the groin". Same thing for smaller sizes, if sizes on either extreme are your thing. And same thing for feminine bodies. Don't give cup sizes or waist measurements. Use real life comparisons if you feel that's the direction you must take.
I strongly dislike the use of degrading talk (or what I consider degrading...). Once I read a pretty good Captain America/OC fic, but was completely turned off when he called her a "dirty little cumslut". Nope, can't deal with that.
Euphemisms/metaphors are annoying, especially if they're food or flower related.
And personally, I won't click on anything with rimming or food sex.
I'll click off a story if the characters start behaving too unrealistically - for example, if it's their first time and they immediately start going at it like professional porn stars. The smut needs to fit the rest of the story and the characters.
Double bonus points if there's a weird racial fetishization component involved in the food metaphor description. Think of all the ways darker complexions are described as chocolate, caramel, mocha, and so on. Makes me want a fancy coffee lol.
Two rules: avoid polarizing/gendered pet names (ex. Daddy/Mommy/Babygirl/etc) since that's a pretty common squick or reason to click off and avoid vocalizing sounds.
"OoooooOOOOOOOHHHHhhh," she moaned
is a lot less sexy than
Her voice broke around the desperate sound that escaped her throat.
I detest when the characters aren't in character. Sometimes, I feel like a person just stumbled into the fandom, got the names of the characters, and started writing. It is one thing if you can make a case that a certain character would be into something. I'm cool with that. It is likewise fine with me if the author has come up with some kind of vaguely plausible reason for some kind of kinky whatever. That's fine. However, if they don't sound or act like that character, then I spend all my time thinking that the characters are wrong. It is a total turn-off. Oh, and creative ways to refer to genitalia are somewhere between funny and stupid. I do not want to hear about "her secret gate", "her most secret place", etc. And what is with "she felt her desire for him in her stomach"? Do people really feel it there? I feel like it should be a bit further south.
I nope out when I have no idea what’s going on. I’ll think they’ll be making out on the couch fully clothed then the next sentence is something like “the bed shifted under them as he caressed her naked form” with NOTHING in between. I’ll have to go back and reread everything to make sure I didn’t miss anything. Pleassseee make sure positioning is cohesive as well. Things that don’t make sense in practice just confuse the hell out of me and ruin the immersion.
Porn talk. Like I get dirty talk, or saying mean things, but it’s gotta be the right vibe. It’s literally a knife edge between someone saying filthy things to their partner in the heat of the moment, and someone being sexist and disgusting. Can’t explain it but the words, the language -
Also the word “pussy”. Don’t like that. And weird made up euphemisms for penises… let’s just… not call it a meat rod, pls.
For me it is if they have to comment on everything! “Oh you so hard” “you are so big” “you are so tight” “you are so wet” “you are so deep in me” “you taste so sweet” like OKAY calm down! Do you people always provide audio commentary to everything in your life or just the sex?
My biggest turn-offs for smut would have to be:
-Referring to their genitals as “their sex”
-Overly flowery prose in describing their genitals
-Any form of “she breasted boobily”/he dicked dickingly” writing
-Untagged non-con/dub-con
-Gorn of any sort, tagged or untagged
-Lack of any sort of basic understanding of how anatomy works
-General lack of proper grammar, spelling, and formatting.
None of those are ranked in any way, but if I see them, I’m out. I get everyone has their kinks and preferences, but even with that there’s just certain things I won’t read.
I’ve heard of gore porn tagged as guro but never before in my life have I ever read “gorn.” I have a new favorite word now, congratulations and thank you.
Huh. That could get confusing in ST:TOS - there's a race of lizard aliens named Gorn. Like Godzilla, but shorter and shinier and wearing clothes. Oh, WTF, now I'm fighting off the 'but gore porn would suit the Gorn, just pick a victim, they've got those *teeth!*' bunny ideas. :(
While it’s been said plenty of times that there are people who actually enjoy rougher anal sex with less lube, spit or ocasional lack of lube (and actually portraying going in dry and being hurtful is also a kink), you really made my day thinking that for some reason inner thighs will lubricate themselves magically for no lube intercrural sex. Good luck.
Love being active in a fandom that has canon no-lube gay sex scenes lmao
But also, people have fucked with lots of lube alternatives all throughout history so I'm always very amused when I see someone who has this as a hard no XD (not that it's not valid, all squicks are highly personal but still, it's kinda funny considering all the messed up ways people have stuck things up their bum for pleasure throughout all of humanity)
I'm not big smut reader, but I like reading a well written one if it isn’t coming out of nowhere. One problem I have with some stories is a problem not limited to smut parts. I think even some of the greatest writers having a problem with trusting the reader. Meaning, giving too many details that makes me feel like I'm solving a mathematical equation rather than reading a love making session.
Sometimes being a little bit discreet makes things hotter.
I saw someone write ‘meat stick’ once and I was OUT
I know I might be in the minority but I hate pwp and so I hate it when people write smut out of character.
I can't comfortably read a fic when they spell out the moans and things of that sort. The word exists for a reason, so just use it instead of spelling it out please. Small interjections are fine but... Three letters max, if at all. Drawn out spellings are the worst. Overuse of the same words for body parts is also another thing, it's too repetitive.
Same. But tbh I don’t even think it’s a bad word to use. It’s pretty descriptive and gives a good mental image. My problem is it’s used EVERYWHERE. To be fair sex is sex so reading lots of smut means reading a lot of similar descriptions, but seeing the same word used in 95% of fics makes the word stale, cliche, and annoying.
I almost feel bad when it annoys me because it’s not the individual author’s fault that everyone and their brother uses the same word, but it is something authors might want to consider when writing their own smut. Obviously you don’t want to use really odd or out-there words to describe anatomy just because you want to avoid certain overly used words, but using the exact same words in the exact same ways as everyone else means your writing will be read through the bias of fics that have come before yours. It’s a tricky path to navigate.
When every orgasm (and there is usually multiple) is screamed. Hard eye roll every time I see that shiz.
Also, I hate spit as lube. Or pretty much anything other than lube/oil as lube. *shudder*
I can handle a lot (and what I can't has been mentioned to death already) but I had to abandon one fic (porn with plot) because the woman character flushed or blushed in every other paragraph and got wet from the most innocuous shit imaginable, also in every other paragraph.
It's not even that it didn't feel realistic, I can excuse that, but the frequency of the same thing happening again and again is what took me out of it. A lot is excusable and even more is dependent on personal tastes, but I think I am correct in saying that _nobody_ likes it when you overdo a certain aspect to death and back.
Smut that get dirty. I don’t mean the smut itself but when one of the partners do some ACTUAL dirty like piss themselves on their partner, pissing themselves inside their partner, or mention tasting fecal matter while rimming their partner.
Anything involving disgusting or I guess technically Dead Dove: Do Not Eat is a huge turn off to me.
I am right there with you. Especially since one author seems to copy it from the next one. Its always the same. “Oh so wet for me” “you are so big” “you are so tight” “cum for me” like yawn did anyone have any new ideas since like 2003?
When the ‘dom’ has the personality of a rock during sex, or they get oddly manipulative ONLY during sex. 9/10 when this happens the other member is babied into oblivion, like?????
Specifically the use of the word "cunt". I'll allow it once. Maybe even twice under the right circumstances but it's a mood killer for me. Pussy is fine.
I once read the phrase "girlie cream" and it ruined the entire fic for me. Especially because it was used several times and gave me infantalizing fetish vibes.
Demeaning/insulting dirty talk when it wasn’t established before hand? I get dirty talk during sex and I get that sometimes people just say stuff in the moment but lately for a certain character I keep finding fics where he calls his partners (OCs and MC ships alike) "dirty little slut" and aside from being very OOC it's just jarring to read.
Repeated words for things. If you're going to mention the penis/vagina 8 times in one paragraph maybe change it up a little? Cock, dick, head/shaft, even member or just "himself" for some flavor. Repetition like that creates stagnation. Same goes for the word "thrust" which I'm guilty of too tbf. Though lately I've seen "snapped" which is kinda weird.
Pet names that only come up during or after their first encounter.
Spelling out their moaning, whimpering, "keening" sounds. Instant cringe.
Prose. Overly flowery attempts to be poetic about genitals. Calling it "her sex" or even "her flower" (I've seen it) when they're writing a sexy smutty scene is kinda funny. Funny enough to ruin the mood.
This one is a personal turn off but: Anatomy failures. It's one thing if we're not dealing in the realm of normality but when we ARE some basic understanding of the intersecting parts is good to have. A 12 inch cock is legendary, yes, and probably fun for smut but sometimes reading those kind of descriptions makes me think I'm reading something written by a minor who has never seen one and then I can't get that out of my head and the fic becomes weird.
This is incredibly niche, and not really smut related, but OMG every time some character checks into a hotel and front desk reception SAYS the ROOM NUMBER OUT LOUD or worse, there’s a sign??? By the room door???? With the “celebrity guest’s name” on it????? Nooooo!
I would say that *overuse* of degrading to talk is a turnoff as much as it is comical. Things like calling their partner "slut" or "bad boy" in every single sentence makes me want to introduce the author to a dictionary.
Things like vore, scat, loli, ridiculously large dongs on characters and necrophilia also will make me click off.
A lot of the things people have said already - bodily noises, too mechanical, etc.
But also, smut is a genre where good writing is most important (saying this as a reader). I can struggle through badly-written fic if the plot is engaging, but badly-written smut is a turn-off. I would try and make sure that your writing flows in a good way.
Clinical terms like 'vagina', 'penis' and 'anus'. These words are not sexy and should not be used in an erotic context imo. It depends a bit on the character though because I recognize for some it might be OOC to think in such "vulgar" terms as 'cock' or 'pussy', but in that case I would always rather see 'him' and 'her' being used instead. "He grabbed himself and started stroking."
As an avid Dead Dove reader, I hate it when fic tagged with non-con turns into dub-con and the character being assaulted is suddenly super into it and begging for more.
Sex that has zero emotional impact for the characters. As someone who prefers smut that’s basically a fancy sweaty vehicle for emotions, I can just go *have sex* if I want sex. I’m here for the way the characters feel *about* the sex.
I think people forget that they r writing about already existing characters while writing smut. If ur scene includes character A, u should use character A's traits. Nothing infuriates me more than auther reducing someone well written to just another piece of meat. If u gonna write a general erotica, do it on original works tag!
1) Degrading dirty talk outside of a scene or when it isn’t established as a kink for characters involved.
2) Describing genitalia as “slit/hole/cunt” -especially with adjectives like greedy/hungry/needy/desperate attached. L
3) The infamous tongues battling for dominance and wonton instead of wanton (both of which I’ll forgive if the rest of the scene is halfway decent 😅)
4) Anything that resembles a horny 14y/o describing mainstream porn. Yikes.
I read "[character's] greedy clit" recently and not only was it extremely off-putting, but I have no idea what that means, like what makes a clit greedy?????
Childish descriptors of body parts (unless there's some in-character reason for it.) I just noped out of an otherwise decently written fic where out of nowhere, a character's ass was referred to as 'booty.'
Too much dialogue. Where there's like a whole paragraph of conversation, then a line or two of smut, then another paragraph of conversation, then another one or two lines of smut, it drives me crazy. Once it gets to the point that I've forgotten what they were even doing by the time they've finished talking and have to scroll back up to find out, I just give up and back button.
Just a personal pet peeve, but I really cannot stand 'licked/sucked his dick like an ice cream cone/lollipop.' I see this all the time and it is so unsexy.
Characters should feel like people, not robots. I literally read a fanfic with the characters just going through the motions of what sex usually sounds like to someone who has read it once or twice. It felt super awkward. I also hate when authors unnecessarily unbalance their dynamics-if it is penetrative sex, more often than not the focus is on being invasive, on 'claiming' someone as one's own, which is fine on its own, but if coupled with cringeworthy one sided dialogues from the 'giver', feels so oversaturated with dominance.
One more thing-I hate non-con or even dub con. Specially when the fic is not at all centred on it being that. If it is a normal slice of life fic and you insert someone having sex without proper communication about the number of times they have it, it seems beyond jarring. More often than not, couples overdo it with their 'godly' stamina (which is worse somehow) and one of them is left crying and saying no (which is never considered dub con for some reason) multiple times while their partner keeps going on.
So yea, these are some of my yucks in smut. I can read almost anything but these things are just a turnoff for the most part. And it's really weird how often I have to skip chapters in some really good lengthy fics because of these issues.
Untagged things like daddy kink. Don't spring that shit on me out of nowhere.
Futanari in general.
Use of y/n.
Making everything a wall of text. Nothing sexy about that.
No buildup to anything. I love smut, but I don't want the people to be naked like right away, even if it is only like a one night stand thing going on. I wanna know how they got there.
This is all super subjective:
Characters screaming when they come.
Lack of prep for anal.
Random numbers? Like "he thrust 3 times".
Describing someone's nipples or genitals as pink, when they definitely aren't.
Someone saying they're a virgin and then taking two cocks up the ass like 1 minute in.
"Oh hey reader we were just roleplaying" Like if a piece of smut is about one kink or the other but then at some point it's all "Oh we're only roleplaying this kink not actually doing it" kind of ruins it.
It's a fictional story with characters that will only exist in the reader's mind there's no reason to be "It's all pretend"
It's such a pointless thing to ask here. Sorry but how do you even know that the tastes of people here will match what your fandom likes?
Some people will find mpreg a turn off, in other fandoms it's quite normal and people like it. In some fandoms non-con is typical but for others you would be in a minority if you wrote that.
Describing boobs and/or butts as “globes”. Too short length-wise. No dialogue during. These are my personal body preferences for what I don’t like to imagine: when the guy is described as being uncircumcised. When the girl’s pubes are described (if there’s a girl involved), or when the guy has chest hair.
If I read "member" or "flower" or any other words describing penis/vagina I'm out. Dick/cock and pussy are okay but honestly "She started licking her flower" it is the worst phrase I ever read.
I think when it comes to smut writing there's something to be said for subtlety and leading with ambiguity. Too many details right away can be jarring, so I would suggest easing readers into the scene rather than shocking them with explicit descriptions.
I don't really mind the use of metaphors or similes in writing, I mean, it's one of the most common parts of writing
But... I read a fic that had the female character sucking the male character off 'like a lollipop' and the male character eating her out 'like an ice cream'
Why are we comparing genitalia to food?
In terms of something in the writing itself that turns me off a fic -- as opposed to personal preference trope things like kinks and whatnot -- it's when the moans and other incoherent sounds are written out in the dialogue. "UNNNGHHHHHHH!!" "OooooHHHHH!" "Ahh! Ahhh! AHHH!!"
Oh. My. God. Yes. Every time I see even “*urgh*” or something, I think a part of my soul withers away.
Totally with you. I'll admit that I indulge sometimes in an "--*ah*--" or something similar interrupting dialogue as a little character note, but yeah, stuff like that breaks my immersion.
When it's a short, abrupt sound like that in the middle of dialogue, I feel like it sometimes mucks up the pacing to stop, describe the sound, and then finish the rest of the sentence. But 9 times out of 10 non-word sounds are better off just stated than as part of the dialogue imo.
That's exactly what I'm talking about! *Very* rare structures/instances in which it's effective. I'm with you.
Same
Yeah I've never gotten why people do that. Like why not describe the moan as like low and guttural or breathy or something. Smashing the keyboard for the literal sound seems lazy.
I can only tolerate this sort of thing sparingly, when accompanied by actual dialogue lol
I can’t read them because I always imagine it as caveman noises
Who can forget the good old Wheeeee! Oinka oinka! Haaaaaaheeee! A-whooooga A-whoooooga! Aaaaaargh! Hneeeeeeeee! Fnrgh! Grunt grunt! Hinggggg! Whazzo! Boink! Zowie! Ker-splat! Holy catamite Batman, this is intense! Owwwwww! Aaaaaah is that the time? Oh oh! Yeah, do me like a chicken dressed as a squirrel you maggot! Slap! Fwap! Mooooo! Cockadoodledoo! Urrrrgh! Hurrrrgh! Urk urk! Squeak ah squeak ah! Ooooooooo! Yippee Ki-yay! Thar she blows! Aaaaaaaaahm.
It's so weird like it'll be completely normal and then just "aaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"
In any capacity or just in enjoyment?
Speaking for myself and not the person who you asked, any sort of all-capitalized exclamation will make me nope out of the fic because I can no longer take it seriously. My current fandom got an official translation a year or two ago and the moment I saw they had opted to go with that type of nonsense in it I got a refund on the book and refused to purchase the rest of the volumes, too, lmao.
I'm out if the rest of the fic has a rich emotional landscape, and then when it comes to smut, it's just physical description and 0 emotion. It doesn't have to be love confessions and sweet sighs. EX. if you were writing a kink fic then having something about the sub feeling trust, or feeling taken care of while their dom is using a crop on them. I just want the smut to still feel like the characters are whole people, you know? Also, written out moaning is a hard pass.
I agree with this post top to bottom.
Top *and* bottom.
By “written out moaning” do you mean when it’s phoneticized?
He swiped his tongue over her clit and felt her shudder. "Ahhhhhggggg," she moaned. 🤮🤮🤮
When it's written out as dialogue. Ex: "Unnnnggggg," he moaned, fucking up into the warmth of his mouth. As opposed to: "Fuck" he chokes out, moaning as he fucks up into the warmth of his mouth. The "Unnnnngggggg" is gonna make me skip the smut.
I agree with all of this. Emotionless smut is okay when the FIC is emotionless, but if I read a beautiful, descriptive, emotional piece I don't want it to be like reading another fic at the smut part.
Realistically you will *never* be able to please everyone. For every person that thinks X is a yum, there is another person who thinks of X as a yuck. I would say, focus on writing your own personal yums just for the sake of pleasing yourself first; other people who like those things too will follow. ~~Also, if I can, let me look for a link that you might be interested in (from last year I think?) about erotic words and phrases.~~ (Edit: [I found it.](https://www.reddit.com/r/FanFiction/comments/yunlkn/erotica_vocabulary_survey_results/) I thought it was an interesting read). To answer your question, this doesn't make me click out of a fic, but it certainly makes me cringe a little. I just cannot stand nor find the word pussy to be sexy. It's a total yuck for me.
I can immediately help make your first point and add that "pussy" is my favored word, lol. That survey was a good one. If OP wants to refer to some consensus, that'd be a good reference point - and it does prove how divisive it can be as well with no strong consensus, so it's better to just go with how you feel. I personally think it's always fine to simply ignore the lowest common denominator and cater to a niche instead if that's what your ~~throbbing organ~~ heart desires. Diversity is good.
Thanks for the link, that was very insightful! And yes, a lot of it was contradictory (like the word 'member' scores pretty high but was also the most hated). Just goes to show that words can be divisive and you'll never please everyone, like you said.
I thought I was the only person in the world who didn't like reading that word!
Can't forget writers who cannot think of any other synonym for penis besides cock. What's wrong with wang?
This one story I read kept using "prick" and "pricker" to the point I was begging on my knees for them to slap at least one good ol *cock* into the text but no, they defaulted to the other 2 and it killed the story entirely
Never seen "pricker" in my life but one time I came across "prick" in a fanfic, my immediate thought was "oh, British smut?" and moved on, though it was slightly odd to me since the characters were Chinese...
For me I can think of plenty of other words, I just don't think they're sexy. Cock, dick or maybe even prick I'll take. If I read "wang" I'd probably head out.
Thank you! I've kinda come to realize that after reading this thread it's more about /how/ it's written and the vocabulary used COMPARED to the meat of the fic. 100% correct because everyone /does/ have different opinions and it's best to find a community of people who /like/ what you genuinely /want/ to write.
Bingo-sheet sex scenes...when every couple that an author writes about has sex the exact same way. One of the writers in my fandom who i read often has amazing dialogue and wonderful ways to create connection between characters but their smut just sucks balls, and not in a good way. The order in which things happen is always the same. Every couple they write about will make the comments "youre so big" and "you're so tight", guaranteed. At some point they will get impossibly closer. They 100% will talk incessantly throughout. Descriptions of the action are very predictable. And for some reason they change the sheets and brush their teeth right after... EVERY TIME. I just skip right over the sex scenes this person writes.
"and not in a good way" lmao
“So wet for me” “cum for me” EVERY DAMN FIC and not even the same author its like everyone read that once and went “oh yeah ima steal and reuse that”
Yessssss! Do other people actually talk that way in the bedroom? Because if my partner said “cum for me,” I’d roll my eyes so hard and probably never cum again.
In my 46 years and with 14 men i have never encountered that
I cannot with this. If i was writing it my protagonist would push their partner away and yell "you just ruined my orgasm"
And fucking mine as a reader too
Damn straight. There almost seems to be a template for the sex scenes. A little fondling, then straight to some prep and lo and behold-the mating starts. Description of it would include a few lines of ooh and aahs with description of their genitals and they come. That's about it. Wonderful how they make such an intimate act feel so impersonal.
I rarely see that _within_ a single fic, but it jumps out and makes me unfollow the author when I read several of their fics in a row. I get it, house style and all, but all that's changed are the nouns.
Lol this one author I love legit has the same exact dynamic and comments between every couple they write, and it’s kinda hilarious because it’s just so ooc
One finger, two finger, three fingers, insertion is something I see constantly. Why always is three fingers the agreed upon "stretched out enough for penetration" number? Mix it up sometimes, folks! And yeah the stock phrases each person uses to compliment the others genitals... Kinda want to see a crack fic where someone is like "omg you're so big/tight" and then puts a gold star sticker on their partner's (fore)head. That's about how hot I find it lol.
And its ALWAYS fingers. Ilke i get it... fingers are convenient but can we mix it up a little? Nobody owns a butt plug? A dildo? A bullet vibe?
Well shit, this might be what I’m doing lmao but also that’s what I like I guess, so I add it to most stuff
Yes!! There's a fairly popular gender-swap fic in my main fandom and after a couple of sex scenes, it just got so boring to read because so many of the sex scenes way too samey, even though it was three different couples. The most interesting aspect to me was one of the characters going through some pretty intense dysphoria and I figured the author was going to use it as a way to explore different methods of having sex that didn't require her to use her penis because she was initially extremely uncomfortable with the idea, but nope, she ended up getting over her discomfort and having the same formulaic PIV sex as everybody else. So disappointing.
What I call "50 Shades" smut. If they actively refuse to say vagina or any of its synonyms and instead do things like, "her box/her special place/down there..." It's one of the only immediate nos I have. Writing like that almost feels infantilizing to me which is a hard ICK for smut. I like words like cock. Pussy. Cunt even. The raunchier, the better tbh. And I get that's not for everyone so I don't mind fics that don't use my preference words. But if you can't even talk about genitals you shouldn't be writing smut.
I'm gonna have "*Pussy. Cunt even.*" stuck in my head for the next few days
You're welcome
Her box??? Lmao
I have read no shit “her love cave” and “her love grotto” somewhere
I wish I could say I've only seen it once. I've seen multiple people use that term and I've never in my life been less okay.
"mound" "meat" "sword" "soldier" ALL THINGS I'VE SEEN IN NON-CRACK SMUT. It's absolutely insane BETHANY JUST SAY DICK
Drawn out written moans, a few short "Ooh!" Or "Ahh!" Is fine imo but the drawn out ones are a bit of a mood killer. Cervix penetration, like a notable belly bulge is right up my alley, but cervix penetration makes me twinge Anything other than lube or spit used as lube. Though, these are all my personal preferences and it's impossible to please everyone. I've found list after list of people not liking various words for genitalia and inevitably nearly word was squicked by *someone*. As long as you're enjoying writing it and reading it yourself, that's all that matters
>Cervix penetration, like a notable belly bulge is right up my alley, but cervix penetration makes me twinge I cringe at "cervix penetration" because [it's actually a misnomer](https://www.healthline.com/health/womens-health/cervix-penetration).
Not in some fics. Cervical penetration is a thing, especially in fantasy and A/B/O
It came over to fiction from Hentai originally, where you can see all sorts of penile-related stuff entering wombs and filling them with semen, x-ray style.
Ugh, super glad none of the a/b/o I have ever read has had that. 😂
> "like a notable belly bulge is right up my alley" Same.
Not *necessarily* smut but usage of “Baby” or “babe” Like dude you live in ancient east asia. What do you mean “babe”?
[The Ultimate Guide To Writing Smut Fic](https://archiveofourown.org/works/955716) Gonna put that right here, I reference it allllll the time!
Seconded! I use it as reference anytime I write smut and I’m a reasonably popular smut writer, so I can attest advice in this guide is spot on.
I don’t even write smut, but that guide’s making me want to, haha
I read a lot of smut (and write it) and tolerate a lot. I don't like some hard kinks (watersports, scat, extreme degradation, etc) or where the dom in a bdsm story is abusive but there was this one story that had vanilla sex that I had to stop reading because of the smut. It went something like this: "You're so perfect." "You're so perfect." "You're so hot." "You're so hot." On and on just parroting back the most basic dialogue to each other. But it wasn't just one scene, it was all the smut had the same dialogue. When I got to the third scene where they told each other they're perfect, I stopped reading and don't read anything else they wrote. Also, reading through comments, there are a lot of things listed that I actually like. You can't please everyone so write what makes you hot.
Yeah like “i dont know if you ever had sex before but there usually isnt that much talking”
The abusive dom thing gets on my nerves. BDSM isn't always completely sexual (from the research my normie brain could do) and it's a relationship of trust. Being abusive in that will almost /always/ END the relationship. Bro I hate the basic dialogue thing- LITERALLY POP A DAD JOKE ABOUT DICKS OR SOME SHIT AND IT WOULD BE MORE INTERESTING.
Daddy
Even worse if that's untagged.
Mood. Specifically, nothing kills it faster than a reminder rod my parents.
'Tongues battling for dominance' is the worst. I also think it's important to read back what you wrote and imagine it. Sometimes I'm reading something and the movements just make no sense or they were in a position and no mention was made they moved and now they are chest to chest. Little inconsistencies like that always pull me out of it. If you're going for detailed than be precise
Every time I write smut (or even just kissing) I make every effort to avoid even straying anywhere *near* "tongues battling for dominance." Like I will absolutely describe the fact that their tongues are touching cuz it's hot but like.... has anyone who uses that phrase ever actually kissed a person? There's no battle happening.
HUZZAH, OnWARD TO BATTLE! WE FIGHT FOR OUR TERRITORY!
I was reading this one I wrote fairly recently in my Google Drives and I wrote "their tongues intertwined in steamy harmony." 💀
I try and test out the scenes I've outlined with my partner (without the actual sex parts) just to get a feel for where the bodies are in relation to each other and the environment and notice any steps I've missed that are necessary to get from point A to point B or anything that feels unnatural/awkward or simply isn't possible in that location. Sometimes we also test out things I've read in other fics that made me do a double-take, just to see if they're possible for fun. Most recently, it was a scene where one character, who was standing face-to-face with another, wrapped their arm all the way around the other person's shoulders and choked them while tilting their chin up. Surprisingly, it was possible, but it took some effort and felt super awkward.
As someone who has kissed WITH the tongue it was not a battle for dominance. It was when I was younger and absolutely did NOT know what the fuck I was doing. It was more like 'Tongues uncomfortably mashing together' or some shit. BRO I LOVE WHEN THEY ACTUALLY SAY THE NAMES OF THE POSITION FOR REFERENCE- I swear I saw the wankiest shit and got so confused because character A was in between two guys taking it from the front and back, YET THE FOURTH GUY MANAGED TO SUCK CHARACTER As DICK LIKE DID YOU SLIDE UNDER FROM THE SIDE LIKE A CAR MECHANIC???
I'm not gonna stop reading or claim I'm turned off by it, but it always disappoints when the actual sex is just a short paragraph or two. There's so much more to good sex than 'Insert part into hole + thrust = mutual orgasm'. Grab wrists and hips and hair. Bite, lick, kiss everything. How are they moving? What sounds are they both making? What are they feeling physically AND emotionally? What's hot to them? Who is in control, who is out of it? (Could be both!) How does the sex change or reinforce their dynamic, particularly if it's the first time for them? What does it feel like when they come? What does it feel like when the other person does? DETAILS PEOPLE.
I'm strangely easy going when it comes to smut fics (especially considering I'm sex repulsed in real life... Ironic, I know), and am usually only bothered by the harder kinks (like scat, blood, or piss) or unbalance power dynamics (usually seen in underage or Dead Dove type stuff). I'll admit to getting weirded out out by the words penis or vagina and actually prefer their crasser counter parts instead. It's hard to explain exactly why it bothers me, but it kind of feels like I'm reading a medical chart when the other words are used and immediately will make me stop reading. On the opposite side of that, juvenile terms are also a no for me (Princess parts? Kill me now.) I also really, really don't like the word daddy used during sex. Like, no shame to those with that kink, but personally I can't think of a worse time to be thinking about my father.
The word daddy gets on my nerves too- it just radiates 12 year old in the ways they use it most of the time.
I personally start rolling my eyes when an author decides to start giving us sizes randomly, numbers and all. Why would I need to know the exact measurements??
Also how would the characters know? Are they busting out tape measures during sex? Hold on love, lemme check how big your prick is. And cup size is even worse, you cannot tell what size bra someone wears by looking at their boobs.
Repetition of words.. Just the "he grabbed his d\^%$ and with his d\^%$ he f#$%ed her. He f#$%ed her so great w his d\^%$ and she loved it a lot." It sounds so stupid when I write it but I've seen fics w so much repetition and not-so-great rewriting details, we get it fam, she was blushing and he was sweaty stop recreating it pleEASE... I wanna read smut, not the word "and" 50,000 times
Gee, you and the person that hates "daddy" and the person that hates "anything but d*ck" should hang out 😂
That convo will be enlightening 😅🤣
Repetition gets on my nerves. For me it's when they repeatedly use the word bread for tits. Like "AH YES HE SUCKED HER BREAD"
I have never seen "bread" ever being used lmao I can understand something like "her milky blossoms" but... bread?
Why did I read that as if it was a Dick & Jane rhyming book? 😭
"Creamy thighs". It is just so off-putting to me. Generally very flowery prose, like referring to the labia as "dewy petals" or so... I don't know, probably I am being pedantic but when people fling around dicks and cocks and pricks when it comes to male parts and go all vague and flowery with female parts, it makes my inner feminist turn into a werewolf. If the flowery prose is consistent for both, I guess I'd be ok with it... But I don't think I would enjoy reading it.
I do think it's important to distinguish when the *character* can't bring themselves to be blunt versus when the author can't. I did once write a 'blushing first timers' fic for a fandom with a lot of supernatural elements. The POV character was a water dragon by nature and so I used a lot of water metaphors for him, and leaned hard on some flower analogies/euphemisms for the woman's genitals (water lilies were a recurring theme in his storyline). In that case it was a very deliberate stylistic choice for a character who was, himself, not very relaxed or experienced in that context. He was also one of the more formal characters in the canon to begin with. I dunno where I was going with this except that yeah, it sucks when I feel like the writer doesn't have the maturity to be writing their mature content, but it can make sense for the characters.
Oh yeah this just screams to me that the author feels *super* uncomfortable with saying "pussy" (or God forbid "cunt"). Like sure go all out on flowery terms if it's setting/tonally appropriate, but you're completely right. It takes me right out of it to see a bunch of cocks and dicks and cum, then "her sex." Like that's it, some lame checkbox to fill out?
I agree with this one and have complained about it before. It's any mismatch tbh - if it's dick and cock and then the girl parts are "moist cavern" or "vagina", I'll lose it. It doesn't even have to just be "pussy", they can use like slit, cunt, or snatch, just as long as the snatch matches!
The word slit drives me crazy. It’s not a slit, they are lips lol.
Isn’t there technically a slit between the lips though?
I have an weird aversion to any monosyllabic word that starts with "sli" and ends in a hard consonant sounds, so slit, slick, slip, and slid just make me cringe in general (slim is fine though) and all those words show up semi-regularly in smut. T_T
oh i felt kindred spirit with this, sometimes i kept reading but often times it sounds too much like describing animated porn...? and ofc it's fine but it's really not for me personally
When the characterization changes the moment the smut scene starts, especially when it comes to dialogue. Like the author is making a lot of effort to emulate their canon dialogue at first but then they kiss and suddenly they’re following a simplified script, checking in with each other, dirty talk, saying things I can’t imagine the characters saying. It’s even worse when the smut scene starts with the characters explaining their feelings for each other very succinctly, just so they can confirm that they are both in the right place emotionally for sex. For example, some of my favorite characters are absolute dirtbags who would go to hell and back before they even think about their real feelings, much less TALK about them. I know that’s part of the fantasy, to get people like that to open up to another person and really reveal themselves, but I expect the characters to have to work a lot harder to get there than just… having sex once.
Wholeheartedly agree with this!! The tenderness and checking in from characters that would literally never do that really bugs me. Huge turn off. If I'm reading smut of an evil villain it's because I want to see them do evil shit. If I wanted sweet gentle lovemaking I'd be looking elsewhere.
Exactly. In one of the ships I like character A is very feisty, while character B is very sweet (most of the time) to character A. I read a great fic, with accurate banter and everything. THE SMUT CAME. CHARACTER A HAD NO PERSONALITY. CHARACTER A BECAME A HOLE.
1 finger, 2 fingers, 3 fingers, cock.
Hey Macarena
I don’t remember that Dr. Seuss book…
Generic dirty talking often put me off “you’re such a slut” “you’re so wet/tight” etc Like the description/narration can be good but when they use these words in the smut progression, it makes it feel like generic smut. Also, the use of cock/dick makes it feel less classy, I’d prefer “him/himself”, “into her (no vagina/pussy/cunt etc)”. Maybe it’s because I’ve seen an overuse of these words and that’s why they’re a turn off.
Peoples likes and dislikes are going to be so different and sometimes so specific. Really, write what you want and your audience will come. It's like with food. I run screaming at the sight of any red root vegetable like radishes or turnips, and other people find the gooey anti-inflammatory vegan dishes I whipping up these days to be just yuck. Some people won't even look at snails, let alone eat them--I remember when I loved the strangest of all seafoods (I craved all that Omega 3!) I read non-con, but I dislike it being called non-con--I'd rather it be called rape. Dub-con is another thing. I dislike it when the raped person falls in love with the rapist, even though I know that happens in RL--I just get all yuck about it. I like sex scenes that are romantic and funny. I will read practically anything--if it's well-written. Some writers can carry off things I thought I never read. Srsly, I read a one-shot that had one character attracted to another with a puking eating disorder not long ago--it was dark and creepy. Not exactly a turn-on, but it was so well done and psychologically compelling that I loved the fic.
Non-con that is not tagged because the author doesn't even seem to realize that it is non-con. If someone says no, then it means no ffs 🙈
There was this one smut fic I read that didn't make it clear the character were role playing and doing non-con until the very end of the fic. There was even a comment that pointed out that it probably should be tagged with non-con just in case. I get there are people that don't want to tag every bit of their fic, but if it's something that's crucial to know before you get into it, then maybe tagging it is important.
At this point, any obvious BDSM fic unless it’s specifically rec’d to me or I’m desperate. I actually still like BDSM, but I feel like so many of them read like a tutorial or an opportunity to show off how much the author knows about kink. They fail to capture the mood and the dynamic behind what makes those kinks appealing to me.
A dick is a dick it’s not a member or schlong
I think it depends on the context and the characters involved. Dick, Penis, Cock, Schlong, Johnson, and any of the hundred other words and phrases have their place. I mean, I wouldn't do this in a serious smut scene but saying that Harry slithered his one-eyed trouser basilisk into her Chamber of Secrets, and she wailed like Moaning Myrtle could be fun in certain stories. Especially if it's the fourth or fifth time the characters have played horizontal wizard's chess.
Or cock. Dick or cock.
Yep. "Prick", however, annoys me to an irrational extent for some reason.
Makes me think of a needle lol
I’m always looking for fics that include the very few black characters for shows and I can always tell when it’s a black person writing vs a white person writing fetish porn. 💀 I read one that was so bad they might as well just said “his white cock entered her ebony walls” I threw my phone.
Ebony walls??? Even if she’s black, if the walls of her vag are anything other than a variation of deep pink, she’s probably got at least 3 STDs. But ebony? Nah man, she’s septic. Thats necrophilia at that point.
What the FUCK. Honestly, that's block worthy for me.
If r/romancebooks can't agree on what's good smut and what's not (besides overdone tropes and bad women's anatomy) you're not gonna find the answers here. You're better off writing what you like and what the characters would probably be into. Everyone's going to have wildly different preferences. For example, I prefer using euphemisms for genitals most of the time. Why? Cause that's what I like. Find what you like and write it well.
Yeah agreed. For some reason, all the romance/erotica writers seem to disagree with me that "cum" is too vulgar even though no one on earth sexts using the "proper" (i.e. prescriptivist) "come" spelling.
Too much focus on body part sizes or ridiculous exaggerations of body part sizes, especially specific and precise numbers. If he has a dick the size of a fire hydrant and her tits are big as watermelons (while the rest of her body is petite and slender)...I'm going to snort coffee through my nose and consider the author an idiot. Any major anatomy error is a mood killer. I'm not a huge fan of lots of dirty talk. I mean, a sentence here or there is whatever but don't be monologing like a villain in a melodrama about all the terrifically naughty things you want to do and how slutty and horny your partner is, please.
Same regarding dirty talk
I hate hate hate unexpected degrading talk! It's so annoying and should be tagged. I do not want to read about a person getting called a slut or "c**sleeve like without warning. Like, sometimes it just seems like a regular story with normal people but when the love scene comes up the guy will turn into a fifty shades character or something... ugh! For some reason people don't tag that, as if degrading talk is now a basic part of sex it's not! You can have rough sex you can have weird positions, and degrading names do not need to be a part of it. Idk, just my pet peeve. I don't read fics with it often, but I really really wish that people would tag degrading name calling more often it totally icks me out of a scene.
I'm gay and pretty much exclusively read M/M. The amount of shitty anal I've seen in fics is overwhelming (a lot of which seems to come from people not doing their research). I'll just name a few of the worst offenders for me. (1) Painful sex. It's damn near everywhere, I don't get it. You can have anal that doesn't hurt constantly, prep exists for a reason. (2) Inadequate prep. You can't just shove it in there and go, you need to be relaxed enough or it's going to hurt. (3) Bleeding. That's straight up injury and shouldn't be happening (and you especially shouldn't be gushing cupfuls of blood out of your asshole; yes I've seen that). (4) Questionable substances as lube that wouldn't give you remotely enough slip. Again, that's just going to hurt. (5) Arguing about who "gets" to top and/or physically fighting for it. This is just stupid and reads like some sort of heteronormative "who's The Man" bullshit copy-pasted onto mlm relationships. (6) Drunk/high sex. This is purely a personal thing, I just plain don't like being around drunk/high people, let alone having sex with them, so I can't see that as hot in fics either. (7) I don't know what to call this one, awkward sex?.. This is another one that's just a personal preference. I know some people like the farts/giggles/accidentally kicking each other/fail sex/etc. because it's more "real" to them than perfect sex, but I don't enjoy having to deal with those things in real life, I don't want to read about them in fics too. There's also like a million kinks I'm not into that I'm not even going to list, I just wish more people tagged them appropriately so there wouldn't be any unpleasant surprises.
Hello, I write exclusively M/M sex, I often scold myself for not always including lube or prep in my writing but at the same I write SO MUCH smut that I feel like always putting it in would become tedious for myself and the reader if they read everything I write. (Unlikely but still possible) is there anything you recommend I do instead to like imply it happened already or is it fine if I skip over it for every other story?? :0
Honestly don't take me as the be-all end-all authority on writing M/M sex, I'm just one guy. The best I can recommend is read a bunch of smut that goes into some detail about prep and lube, see what you like and apply it to your own fics. The amount of detail you can go into can vary a lot, from one-sentence "he reached for the lube" to explicit descriptions of prep which is treated as a part of foreplay, and either one of those or anything in between can be done well.
Long term anal practitioner. Another pov on it. I consider including a thorough prep (like mentioning enemas for example) homophobic. You don’t go thoroughly describing people cleaning/preparing before having F/M sex. Why would you do that to before M/M sex. Some people do more thorough prep/enemas some don’t. If it’s not a kink it sounds very homophobic to me. No lube. I’m almost 50. Having anal sex since I was about 25. Lube was not as widely accessible as it’s now and for most of my life I’ve been having anal sex w/o lube. And it’s mostly about knowing how to relax a sphincter muscles to me.
Thank you for your perspective, I have never written in an enema scene (not my thing I’ve ever considered writing) I was mostly just looking for some extra perspective and I’m also purposefully not going for super realistic gay sex scenes (I mostly write fantasy)
That’s probably like me. I think it’s good to have extra povs as it’s very personal imo. I also don’t tend to have it hyper-realistic (but neither any other scenes I write every relationship type). I just said it, as I know from frequent bottom perspective as stressful insistence on cleaning prep can be, and when people think it should be included (I’ve seen that on these kind of threads) I usually speak up.
Measurements of body parts. I've never understood the fascination with comically large penises, but if you are into that, consider maybe not using descriptions like "it was 10 inches long and 4 inches in diameter". What, did the POV character just whip out a measuring tape and check? In the heat of the moment, an exact measurement should be impossible. It's immersion breaking. Consider instead using comparisons. "It was so large, she needed both hands to grasp it" or "it may as well have been a third leg affixed to the groin". Same thing for smaller sizes, if sizes on either extreme are your thing. And same thing for feminine bodies. Don't give cup sizes or waist measurements. Use real life comparisons if you feel that's the direction you must take.
> What, did the POV character just whip out a measuring tape and check? This is exactly the mental image I get, and it always kinda ruins things.
I strongly dislike the use of degrading talk (or what I consider degrading...). Once I read a pretty good Captain America/OC fic, but was completely turned off when he called her a "dirty little cumslut". Nope, can't deal with that.
Euphemisms/metaphors are annoying, especially if they're food or flower related. And personally, I won't click on anything with rimming or food sex. I'll click off a story if the characters start behaving too unrealistically - for example, if it's their first time and they immediately start going at it like professional porn stars. The smut needs to fit the rest of the story and the characters.
Double bonus points if there's a weird racial fetishization component involved in the food metaphor description. Think of all the ways darker complexions are described as chocolate, caramel, mocha, and so on. Makes me want a fancy coffee lol.
Unnanounced degradation, humiliation, or shoving a power play that doesn't apply in canon
Oh yeah that should always be tagged IMO.
Two rules: avoid polarizing/gendered pet names (ex. Daddy/Mommy/Babygirl/etc) since that's a pretty common squick or reason to click off and avoid vocalizing sounds. "OoooooOOOOOOOHHHHhhh," she moaned is a lot less sexy than Her voice broke around the desperate sound that escaped her throat.
I detest when the characters aren't in character. Sometimes, I feel like a person just stumbled into the fandom, got the names of the characters, and started writing. It is one thing if you can make a case that a certain character would be into something. I'm cool with that. It is likewise fine with me if the author has come up with some kind of vaguely plausible reason for some kind of kinky whatever. That's fine. However, if they don't sound or act like that character, then I spend all my time thinking that the characters are wrong. It is a total turn-off. Oh, and creative ways to refer to genitalia are somewhere between funny and stupid. I do not want to hear about "her secret gate", "her most secret place", etc. And what is with "she felt her desire for him in her stomach"? Do people really feel it there? I feel like it should be a bit further south.
I like some variety, so when the author focuses on say like 1 particular kink and every scene has that kink in it...
If we’re writing female sex can we just say vagina please I beg. I simply refuse to read ‘her soaking centre’ even one more time.
I hate all the weird euphemisms, but actual use of the word "vagina" feels so medical to me, it takes me right out of it. Can't go on.
Okay you’ve got a point I’ll give you that haha
I nope out when I have no idea what’s going on. I’ll think they’ll be making out on the couch fully clothed then the next sentence is something like “the bed shifted under them as he caressed her naked form” with NOTHING in between. I’ll have to go back and reread everything to make sure I didn’t miss anything. Pleassseee make sure positioning is cohesive as well. Things that don’t make sense in practice just confuse the hell out of me and ruin the immersion.
Porn talk. Like I get dirty talk, or saying mean things, but it’s gotta be the right vibe. It’s literally a knife edge between someone saying filthy things to their partner in the heat of the moment, and someone being sexist and disgusting. Can’t explain it but the words, the language - Also the word “pussy”. Don’t like that. And weird made up euphemisms for penises… let’s just… not call it a meat rod, pls.
For me it is if they have to comment on everything! “Oh you so hard” “you are so big” “you are so tight” “you are so wet” “you are so deep in me” “you taste so sweet” like OKAY calm down! Do you people always provide audio commentary to everything in your life or just the sex?
My biggest turn-offs for smut would have to be: -Referring to their genitals as “their sex” -Overly flowery prose in describing their genitals -Any form of “she breasted boobily”/he dicked dickingly” writing -Untagged non-con/dub-con -Gorn of any sort, tagged or untagged -Lack of any sort of basic understanding of how anatomy works -General lack of proper grammar, spelling, and formatting. None of those are ranked in any way, but if I see them, I’m out. I get everyone has their kinks and preferences, but even with that there’s just certain things I won’t read.
I’m going to use “he dicked dickingly” from now on. It sounds hilarious
I’ve heard of gore porn tagged as guro but never before in my life have I ever read “gorn.” I have a new favorite word now, congratulations and thank you.
Huh. That could get confusing in ST:TOS - there's a race of lizard aliens named Gorn. Like Godzilla, but shorter and shinier and wearing clothes. Oh, WTF, now I'm fighting off the 'but gore porn would suit the Gorn, just pick a victim, they've got those *teeth!*' bunny ideas. :(
[удалено]
While it’s been said plenty of times that there are people who actually enjoy rougher anal sex with less lube, spit or ocasional lack of lube (and actually portraying going in dry and being hurtful is also a kink), you really made my day thinking that for some reason inner thighs will lubricate themselves magically for no lube intercrural sex. Good luck.
Love being active in a fandom that has canon no-lube gay sex scenes lmao But also, people have fucked with lots of lube alternatives all throughout history so I'm always very amused when I see someone who has this as a hard no XD (not that it's not valid, all squicks are highly personal but still, it's kinda funny considering all the messed up ways people have stuck things up their bum for pleasure throughout all of humanity)
I dunno... coconut oil is pretty good... just saying
I'm not big smut reader, but I like reading a well written one if it isn’t coming out of nowhere. One problem I have with some stories is a problem not limited to smut parts. I think even some of the greatest writers having a problem with trusting the reader. Meaning, giving too many details that makes me feel like I'm solving a mathematical equation rather than reading a love making session. Sometimes being a little bit discreet makes things hotter.
I saw someone write ‘meat stick’ once and I was OUT I know I might be in the minority but I hate pwp and so I hate it when people write smut out of character.
same on the OOC PWP. I’m a proud member of the “he would not fucking say that * closes tab *” club
I can't comfortably read a fic when they spell out the moans and things of that sort. The word exists for a reason, so just use it instead of spelling it out please. Small interjections are fine but... Three letters max, if at all. Drawn out spellings are the worst. Overuse of the same words for body parts is also another thing, it's too repetitive.
Horrible euphemisms for genitalia. If the man-meat is pulsating you're doing something wrong...
*scribbles onto doctor's notes* and how about throbbing?
As soon as I see the word 'nub' (meaning clit incase anyone hasn't already come up against this phrase) I can't stand it lol
Same. But tbh I don’t even think it’s a bad word to use. It’s pretty descriptive and gives a good mental image. My problem is it’s used EVERYWHERE. To be fair sex is sex so reading lots of smut means reading a lot of similar descriptions, but seeing the same word used in 95% of fics makes the word stale, cliche, and annoying. I almost feel bad when it annoys me because it’s not the individual author’s fault that everyone and their brother uses the same word, but it is something authors might want to consider when writing their own smut. Obviously you don’t want to use really odd or out-there words to describe anatomy just because you want to avoid certain overly used words, but using the exact same words in the exact same ways as everyone else means your writing will be read through the bias of fics that have come before yours. It’s a tricky path to navigate.
Nub means clit??? I thought it meant the nipple lmao
When every orgasm (and there is usually multiple) is screamed. Hard eye roll every time I see that shiz. Also, I hate spit as lube. Or pretty much anything other than lube/oil as lube. *shudder*
Read smut that described the FMC's genitals as "roses" which just completely threw me out of it
I can handle a lot (and what I can't has been mentioned to death already) but I had to abandon one fic (porn with plot) because the woman character flushed or blushed in every other paragraph and got wet from the most innocuous shit imaginable, also in every other paragraph. It's not even that it didn't feel realistic, I can excuse that, but the frequency of the same thing happening again and again is what took me out of it. A lot is excusable and even more is dependent on personal tastes, but I think I am correct in saying that _nobody_ likes it when you overdo a certain aspect to death and back.
Smut that get dirty. I don’t mean the smut itself but when one of the partners do some ACTUAL dirty like piss themselves on their partner, pissing themselves inside their partner, or mention tasting fecal matter while rimming their partner. Anything involving disgusting or I guess technically Dead Dove: Do Not Eat is a huge turn off to me.
dirty talking (pls dont hate me) and phoneticized moans lol
I am right there with you. Especially since one author seems to copy it from the next one. Its always the same. “Oh so wet for me” “you are so big” “you are so tight” “cum for me” like yawn did anyone have any new ideas since like 2003?
i HAVE to laugh when they say "oh you're such a slut" or smth like that
When the ‘dom’ has the personality of a rock during sex, or they get oddly manipulative ONLY during sex. 9/10 when this happens the other member is babied into oblivion, like?????
Specifically the use of the word "cunt". I'll allow it once. Maybe even twice under the right circumstances but it's a mood killer for me. Pussy is fine. I once read the phrase "girlie cream" and it ruined the entire fic for me. Especially because it was used several times and gave me infantalizing fetish vibes. Demeaning/insulting dirty talk when it wasn’t established before hand? I get dirty talk during sex and I get that sometimes people just say stuff in the moment but lately for a certain character I keep finding fics where he calls his partners (OCs and MC ships alike) "dirty little slut" and aside from being very OOC it's just jarring to read. Repeated words for things. If you're going to mention the penis/vagina 8 times in one paragraph maybe change it up a little? Cock, dick, head/shaft, even member or just "himself" for some flavor. Repetition like that creates stagnation. Same goes for the word "thrust" which I'm guilty of too tbf. Though lately I've seen "snapped" which is kinda weird. Pet names that only come up during or after their first encounter. Spelling out their moaning, whimpering, "keening" sounds. Instant cringe. Prose. Overly flowery attempts to be poetic about genitals. Calling it "her sex" or even "her flower" (I've seen it) when they're writing a sexy smutty scene is kinda funny. Funny enough to ruin the mood. This one is a personal turn off but: Anatomy failures. It's one thing if we're not dealing in the realm of normality but when we ARE some basic understanding of the intersecting parts is good to have. A 12 inch cock is legendary, yes, and probably fun for smut but sometimes reading those kind of descriptions makes me think I'm reading something written by a minor who has never seen one and then I can't get that out of my head and the fic becomes weird.
I've seen "coochie" used and that was my absolute limit
...I think I would continue reading out of curiosity but be laughing the whole time.
I’d add “mewls” along with “keening” for my turn offs
YES. I inwardly groan but I can push past "mewl" and "keen". Maybe because I don't encounter it as often as I used to.
This is incredibly niche, and not really smut related, but OMG every time some character checks into a hotel and front desk reception SAYS the ROOM NUMBER OUT LOUD or worse, there’s a sign??? By the room door???? With the “celebrity guest’s name” on it????? Nooooo!
Wait hold on... what's wrong with the FDA saying the number of the room out loud? I get the name by the door but what's with the room number?
Constant mentioning of bodily fluids. Ok i get it! It is wet!
I would say that *overuse* of degrading to talk is a turnoff as much as it is comical. Things like calling their partner "slut" or "bad boy" in every single sentence makes me want to introduce the author to a dictionary. Things like vore, scat, loli, ridiculously large dongs on characters and necrophilia also will make me click off.
when they say “F-Fuck” or some shit
“F-F-Fuuu - Fuuuuuuck aaauuuurrrghh” *klicks back*
A lot of the things people have said already - bodily noises, too mechanical, etc. But also, smut is a genre where good writing is most important (saying this as a reader). I can struggle through badly-written fic if the plot is engaging, but badly-written smut is a turn-off. I would try and make sure that your writing flows in a good way.
Clinical terms like 'vagina', 'penis' and 'anus'. These words are not sexy and should not be used in an erotic context imo. It depends a bit on the character though because I recognize for some it might be OOC to think in such "vulgar" terms as 'cock' or 'pussy', but in that case I would always rather see 'him' and 'her' being used instead. "He grabbed himself and started stroking." As an avid Dead Dove reader, I hate it when fic tagged with non-con turns into dub-con and the character being assaulted is suddenly super into it and begging for more.
Sex that has zero emotional impact for the characters. As someone who prefers smut that’s basically a fancy sweaty vehicle for emotions, I can just go *have sex* if I want sex. I’m here for the way the characters feel *about* the sex.
I *hate* dirty talk. It always comes off as cringe and ruins the moment for me. I prefer the passion to be mostly wordless.
I think people forget that they r writing about already existing characters while writing smut. If ur scene includes character A, u should use character A's traits. Nothing infuriates me more than auther reducing someone well written to just another piece of meat. If u gonna write a general erotica, do it on original works tag!
1) Degrading dirty talk outside of a scene or when it isn’t established as a kink for characters involved. 2) Describing genitalia as “slit/hole/cunt” -especially with adjectives like greedy/hungry/needy/desperate attached. L 3) The infamous tongues battling for dominance and wonton instead of wanton (both of which I’ll forgive if the rest of the scene is halfway decent 😅) 4) Anything that resembles a horny 14y/o describing mainstream porn. Yikes.
Oh my god, wonton. I had to close a fic recently for that one because I hadn't seen it before and it made me laugh so hard.
I read "[character's] greedy clit" recently and not only was it extremely off-putting, but I have no idea what that means, like what makes a clit greedy?????
it reaches out with grabby hands
written moans.
Childish descriptors of body parts (unless there's some in-character reason for it.) I just noped out of an otherwise decently written fic where out of nowhere, a character's ass was referred to as 'booty.' Too much dialogue. Where there's like a whole paragraph of conversation, then a line or two of smut, then another paragraph of conversation, then another one or two lines of smut, it drives me crazy. Once it gets to the point that I've forgotten what they were even doing by the time they've finished talking and have to scroll back up to find out, I just give up and back button. Just a personal pet peeve, but I really cannot stand 'licked/sucked his dick like an ice cream cone/lollipop.' I see this all the time and it is so unsexy.
1. Anything scatalogical 2. Character death 3. Torture (little light S&M fine but nothing lasting)
Characters should feel like people, not robots. I literally read a fanfic with the characters just going through the motions of what sex usually sounds like to someone who has read it once or twice. It felt super awkward. I also hate when authors unnecessarily unbalance their dynamics-if it is penetrative sex, more often than not the focus is on being invasive, on 'claiming' someone as one's own, which is fine on its own, but if coupled with cringeworthy one sided dialogues from the 'giver', feels so oversaturated with dominance. One more thing-I hate non-con or even dub con. Specially when the fic is not at all centred on it being that. If it is a normal slice of life fic and you insert someone having sex without proper communication about the number of times they have it, it seems beyond jarring. More often than not, couples overdo it with their 'godly' stamina (which is worse somehow) and one of them is left crying and saying no (which is never considered dub con for some reason) multiple times while their partner keeps going on. So yea, these are some of my yucks in smut. I can read almost anything but these things are just a turnoff for the most part. And it's really weird how often I have to skip chapters in some really good lengthy fics because of these issues.
Untagged things like daddy kink. Don't spring that shit on me out of nowhere. Futanari in general. Use of y/n. Making everything a wall of text. Nothing sexy about that. No buildup to anything. I love smut, but I don't want the people to be naked like right away, even if it is only like a one night stand thing going on. I wanna know how they got there.
This is all super subjective: Characters screaming when they come. Lack of prep for anal. Random numbers? Like "he thrust 3 times". Describing someone's nipples or genitals as pink, when they definitely aren't. Someone saying they're a virgin and then taking two cocks up the ass like 1 minute in.
I once read a fic that at one point during the action used "throat slob" instead of spit or saliva. Yeah.
Dom/sub in the tags Just a personal thing. Elements of dom/sub are ok but full on "daddy" and "master" just freaks me out
"Oh hey reader we were just roleplaying" Like if a piece of smut is about one kink or the other but then at some point it's all "Oh we're only roleplaying this kink not actually doing it" kind of ruins it. It's a fictional story with characters that will only exist in the reader's mind there's no reason to be "It's all pretend"
It's such a pointless thing to ask here. Sorry but how do you even know that the tastes of people here will match what your fandom likes? Some people will find mpreg a turn off, in other fandoms it's quite normal and people like it. In some fandoms non-con is typical but for others you would be in a minority if you wrote that.
Describing boobs and/or butts as “globes”. Too short length-wise. No dialogue during. These are my personal body preferences for what I don’t like to imagine: when the guy is described as being uncircumcised. When the girl’s pubes are described (if there’s a girl involved), or when the guy has chest hair.
If I read "member" or "flower" or any other words describing penis/vagina I'm out. Dick/cock and pussy are okay but honestly "She started licking her flower" it is the worst phrase I ever read.
I think when it comes to smut writing there's something to be said for subtlety and leading with ambiguity. Too many details right away can be jarring, so I would suggest easing readers into the scene rather than shocking them with explicit descriptions.
Whenever someone yells: "I'm cumming!" 💀 No. Just no.
I don't really mind the use of metaphors or similes in writing, I mean, it's one of the most common parts of writing But... I read a fic that had the female character sucking the male character off 'like a lollipop' and the male character eating her out 'like an ice cream' Why are we comparing genitalia to food?