AFF Terms

[Guest pontaloon]

i've been going to AFF for a while but there are still content codes i don't get.

Anthro- is that like having sex with a stuffed animal?

AU/AR- for a fic to be an alternate universe or alternate reality does it mean that it is a completely different universe (like harry potter being a doctor instead of a wizard or something) or does it mean that the story goes in another direction then it has before (like harry finding out he is a vampire and killing everyone in year 5). i've read both kinds of stories with this label and i don't know which one is wrong

what is the difference between BDSM, Dom, D/s and S&M

Xeno- i know that thats sex with aliens, but does that include Clark Kent?

i know i have alot of questions (its a wonder i can even function on this site...) but any help in clarifying all this jumble would be greatly apreciated!

[DemonGoddess]

AU/AR-Alternate Universe, Alternate Reality

[shinigamiinochi]

Anthro means that one of the people, or both, have some sort of animal characteristic, like cat-girls. BDSM is a sort of relationship like a slave relationship, ownership and trust are the two most important things. S+M usually entails a relationship where one 'punishes' the other, but it is consensual. Domination does not have to have any pain involved, it's just the nature of the relationship where one has more power than the other, the same counts for D/S but there is an equal amount of concentration for both parts, not just the domination. I think Xeno is mostly for aliens that don't look human, like tentacle monsters.

[DodgeSuperBee]

Yeah, what they said.

The Anthro tag would be for "furry" characters, although I think it would go without saying that in a fandom like Sonic the characters are all going to be anthropomorphic. I tagged my Cars stories Anthro to warn anyone who's unfamiliar with the fandom that I didn't humanize the characters. FWIW, sex with a stuffed animal would get the "Toys" tag.

I think either example you provided would correctly get the AU/AR tag.

I personally wouldn't tag a story "Xeno" if there's a sex scene with Clark Kent. While sex with aliens might be a kink for some, others would prefer to be warned against it if they don't like green squishy alien porn. I can't see someone getting squicked at the thought of sex with someone who looks and behaves like a (hot!) human being.