Sekkushiaru Roman
| Synonyms: | romantic lemon, erotica, porn with feelings |
| See also: | WAFF, vanilla |
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Sekkushiaru Roman was a specialized term for romantic lemon fanfiction in the 90s and the early 2000s. It literally translated to "sexual romance."
Sekkushiaru Roman vs. Hentai
The major distinction was in the tone of the stories. "Hentai" or "lemon" were basically PWP fics where two characters had sex with little set-up. These stories could take place between established couples or even have elements of romance, but they were always about the sex and little else. Prose was either simplistic or downright filthy, using either clinical or crude terms for genitalia and orgasms. They bore a resemblance to standard porn movies and often involved wild kinks like bondage and tentacles.
Sekkushiaru Romans, on the other hand, were about a romantic story leading up to a sexual encounter. The focus was on the relationship, how much the characters involved loved each other or how much they wanted to confess their feelings if they weren't already a couple. The sexual content was soft and tender, written in flowery prose often verging on purple, and while mild kinks could be used the scenes tended to be very vanilla. While lemons could be any length from quick drabbles to long marathon sex sessions, Sekkushiaru Romans were almost always very long.
Fandom
The genre found its home in many anime fandoms, primarily Sailor Moon. A circle of writers known as Lemon Tree Friends were especially prolific in these types of stories, even starting a round-robin challenge known as "Secrets of the Sexy Slippers." Major writers in the genre were Sailor Mac, Marc Berger, Ivana B. Anonymous, The Yarnspinner, Sailor Star Love, Amazoness Duo, and Yohann DeSabrais.