The Rise of Romantasy From Venus’s Honeypot to Cliterature, Porn, and Smut
- Romantasy Illustrated
- 1 day ago
- 13 min read
Romantasy is not just about bodily fluids
This one’s for the media outlets that decided to call it dragon porn.
This article was orignally published in Romantasy Illustrated Volume 5, published both in print and digitally September 20, 2025.
Welcome to The Rise of Romantasy. We are Romantasy Illustrated, where romance meets fantasy, and we openly talk about it all—the good, the bad, the toxic, the sexy, the smutty, the ugly, and certainly, the Romantasy.
Pleasure is at—and in—your hands. Where did Romantasy come from? This genre is ours and will never be a weapon used against us.
Modern Romantasy, a portmanteau, can best be described as romance within a fantasy storyline, where the romance is a plot point equal to the fantastical elements. The Romantasy genre has been around for decades, though it wasn’t coined Romantasy or even close to what it is today until the explosion of the BookTok and Bookstagram communities.
Every rise to fame, popularity, infamy, or notoriety is never graceful, clean, or pretty—and is often filled with harrowing stories, troubled pasts, and taboo moments. In Romantasy, its rise draws from romanticism and erotica—and more recently, from what has been labeled porn, cliterature, and smut. With the exception of romanticism, erotica, porn, cliterature, and smut embody the ‘morally gray to black and taboo’ elements that those of us in this space not only embrace but hold on a pedestal.
The media calls it taboo—that smut is wrong, bad, even archaic. Yet when we say ‘smut’ here, it’s safe. It’s ours. And it’s never a weapon used against us.
While many (media, readers, publishers) credit Sarah J. Maas (A Court of Thorns and Roses), Rebecca Yarros (Fourth Wing), and Jennifer L. Armentrout (From Blood and Ash) for the success of their “Cinderella” stories of rags to riches, many authors have been writing in this genre their entire careers and for decades. There were authors before them, including J.R. Ward (The Black Dagger Brotherhood), Diana Gabaldon (Outlander), and Emma Bull (War for the Oaks). And get this, there were authors before even them.
In exploring the rise, we take a deep dive into the past and highlight key transitions and pavements made in the genre, as well as explore romance vs. erotica, and the spotlight on a female-dominated modern genre.
Bloomsbury, the publishing house of Sarah J. Maas’ bestselling series A Court of Thorns and Roses, has claimed to have coined the genre, saying they did so to “identify the genre [Maas] was spearheading.” The word Romantasy was added to Urban Dictionary in 2008 with the definition: a novel that’s a hybrid between a fantasy and romance novel.
Now, more modern media definitions would be something along the simplified lines of ‘sex in fantasy.’ For readers of this genre, understanding the history and development of Romantasy is pivotal in securing its future and celebrating The Rise of Romantasy.
In the Trenches: Fighting Stigma in a World That Loves Male Fantasy but Shames Female Desire
Starting off with just Googling ‘The Rise of Romantasy’ generates hundreds of articles on the topic, with primarily negative commentary on the genre and its popularity. Now, in order for something to rise, it had to come from somewhere. Diving into the history and early developments that fall within the criteria of being romance within a fantasy storyline, there are works dating back to the 1300’s, and probably even earlier.
By the definition we credit, The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer published sometime between 1387 and 1400 which features medieval and religious elements that are weaved together with the goal for readers to escape fantastically. This would qualify as a Romantasy. Now, is this what the modern day reader would consider Romantasy? Likely not. But, The Canterbury Tales paved the way for writers like William Shakespear and Mary Shelly, who were writing extremely taboo and explicit content at the time.
Another popular origin is Cupid and Psyche, a story from Metamorphoses, by Apeleius, which explored the obstacles of love between Psyche and Cupid and was written in the 2nd century. This is recognized as the original ‘cupid”’ story, which has inspired many Cupid retellings. Within the romantasy space Electric Idol, book two of Dark Olympus, by Katee Robert is an infamous “scorchingly hot modern retelling of Psyche and Eros that’s as sinful as it is sweet” and has generated over 118,000 reviews on GoodReads alone. If Electric Idol is anything like Katee’s other works then it is a balance between open door and explicit sex scenes and fantasy, allowing it to fall within the Romantasy genre. To be clear, a book doesn’t need to include open-door scenes – or any sex at all – to be considered romance. When you add a fantasy element to that foundation, it becomes Romantasy.
There are even more modern debates for now categorizing Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, published in 1818, as Romantasy. Again, on the technicality of the definition that has been widely accepted in the book community, there are both romantic and fantastical elements that are explored within Frankenstein. The monster was the result of desire and love, the monster being both the romance and fantasy element in his wish to love and be loved.
But is love, whether romantic and intimate, enough to be defined as romance? Somewhere, especially in the last five years, we threw the erotica genre out and started to define anything with sex as romance. Now, the erotica genre is still very much a thing, and defines itself as “written, visual, or artistic works that are sexually suggestive and intended to arouse sexual desire” being a summarized definition from a quick google search. But when fantasy authors who are widely popular write a sex scene, take Rebecca Yarros, Fourth Wing, coined a pillar in the Romantasy space, and the infamous throne scene for example, would that scene fall under the definition of being erotic? Simply put, yes. The romance, or the spice, as is often referred to online is a key to what modern readers would define as Romantasy.
Romantasy in 2025/26: Why Sex Isn’t the Scandal, But the Double Standard Is
But to understand the history and rise of Romantasy, we will first dive into what Romantasy is now. Romantasy seems to be one of the fastest growing genres and one of the quickest to be talked about in a negative light. When discussing Romantasy, modern Romantasy will be books published since 2015, with the biggest shift in the genre occurring in the last five years. Modern Romantasy is primarily a female dominated genre, both in its producers the authors and in its readers, with many publishing houses creating imprints with dedicated female lead teams. A great example of thought leaders in the Romantasy space is Red Tower, an imprint of Entangled Publishing, CEO Liz Pelletier, and Bloom Books, an imprint of Source Books, CEO Dominique Raccah – both females in a male dominated publishing space.
Now, we’ve been talking primarily about female authors, but it’s worth noting that a few of the earliest credited writers in this space were men. Apuleius and Geoffrey Chaucer, for example, both hold early claims to the genre—though what they produced bears little resemblance to the themes and styles of modern Romantasy. Mainstream media often reduces Romantasy to sex alone, insisting that romance cannot exist without it, and implying that female-dominated authors cannot write fantasy without lacing it with sexual content.
A frequently cited example is Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. By the earlier definition of romance, this series—both in book and television form—contains romantic elements. Yet it is rarely, if ever, considered Romantasy. Instead, it’s classified as high or dark fantasy, written for the male gaze, with its primary focus on politics rather than romance. Its explicit, dark, and sexual content is widely accepted, even celebrated.
Contrast that with Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros—a novel following a female protagonist in a war college, complete with dragons and a few explicit scenes. When discussing Fourth Wing, the media doesn’t call it romance, Romantasy, erotica, or even simply sex. Instead, headlines declare, ‘Why Gen Z is obsessed with reading dragon porn.’ The double standard is glaring: Game of Thrones escapes the porn label entirely, while Fourth Wing is saddled with it.
It seems that sex—especially when framed as ‘porn’—is far more readily labeled as ugly or excessive when it caters to a female audience’s pleasure. When it’s created by men, for men, it’s not only accepted—it’s often deemed art.
Opening the Gates: Who Truly Belongs in Romantasy?
While the genre has had huge developments and massive transitions over time, a common theme discussing the ‘romance’side is that it is bad and taboo when written by and for females. Now, we do want to pause and say this is not an us vs. them, it is not males vs. females, there are men writing, reading and supporting the Romantasy genre. There are also males who are not writing or reading in the genres that are supporting it still. Bestselling fantasy author Brandon Sanderson said “There are people out there who are discovering fantasy for the first time because they are picking up ACOTAR or Fourth Wing. Right. And that’s awesome. Like the fact that those books are selling so much and are fantasy novels is so cool. Right. There are people out there who love Twilight, but have never tried another fantasy book until recently. Let’s make a place for them. Right. Let’s not be the kinds of people who make you prove that you belong by asking them a list of Cosmere questions about the nature of identity and connection.” This talk has been an incredible light and show of support by Brandon Sanderson for the Romantasy genre that many mainstream media outlets have tried to pit Brandon Sanderson against the community.
Sex, Swears, and Secrets: How Romantasy Owns its Filthy Words
From ‘Seat of Love’ to Cunt – Romantasy is not just about the bodily fluids
Let’s talk about the sex, the porn, and the smut. Katee Robert, Rebecca Yarros, Callie Hart, Stacia Stark, and more embrace words like pussy, cunt, dick, and a favorite, cock. And to be clear, we don’t just tolerate these words—we love them.
But how did we get here? Let’s go back two decades. J.R. Ward often describes the penis as “the male appendage,” “manhood,” and the vagina as the “core.” Diana Gabaldon has a different take, often saying “she took him in.”
Now, Diana did something ‘taboo’—she published an article titled “HOW TO WRITE SEX SCENES”, which can still be found on her website. One popular quote from the 2012 piece, written when she was asked on Twitter (now X) to ‘write smut,’ is: “A good sex scene is about the exchange of emotions, not bodily fluids.” This was certainly before it was “okay” to be blunt and direct—and more power to Diana for that.
While the content both J.R. Ward and Diana Gabaldon write is sex, it is not explicit deep thrusts, and it certainly developed from terms like “Venus’s honeypot,” “a dark and vicious place” (Shakespeare coined this one), “Seat of Love,” and “Mount Pleasure”—which might just be our favorite prehistoric descriptors.
Fanny Hill: Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure, published in 1748, remains one of the most prosecuted and banned books in history—and the book isn’t even direct. There is no swearing, no explicit content, no cock, no pussy, certainly no manhood, or even a “dark and vicious place,” but the vagina might (and is) referred to as “the nethermouth.”
Romantasy is taboo, right? No.
Urban Dictionary Said Your Grandmother was Reading Romantasy Before You
Get smutty with it. Because smut is clearly a synonym for Romantasy. And there most certainly is no Romantasy without smut.
Where did the word come from? How long has it been around?
As mentioned earlier, Diana Gabaldon was using the term smut as early as 2012—much earlier than many realize. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, smut originates from the German word ‘schmutzen,’ meaning to defile, corrupt, or make obscene, and it has been in circulation since the mid-17th century. Common synonyms include stain or taint.
One of the earliest definitions found on Urban Dictionary dates back to 2004, describing smut as “yummy erotic fiction or art.” The most popular definition, from 2017, even offers an acronym: S.M.U.T. — Sexual Maturity Under Text.
During this exploration, another taboo and often derogatory term emerged: ‘cliterature.’ This term describes literature that focuses on female sexuality, exploring themes of gender, identity, and femininity. Like Romantasy, it is a portmanteau, combining ‘clitoris’ (a word still considered taboo) with ‘literature.’
Cliterature has its roots in women’s studies programs from the 1970s, where it was used derogatorily to label anything considered pornography, painful, or ‘simple’ for women.
Nowadays, a reader can walk into a book store and it isn’t uncommon for the first table to be filled with books that would fall into the Romantasy genre. Bookstores have capitalized on The Rise of Romantasy, as they should. It’s also not uncommon to see shelves filled with these books in Walmarts, Targets, even Aldi is carrying books now. Now with success, there is criticism. The books that you can find are often the most criticized: A Court of Thorns and Roses (Sarah J. Maas), Fourth Wing (Rebecca Yarros), The Serpent and the Wings of Night (Carissa Broadbent), Quicksilver (Callie Hart), and Shield of Sparrows (Devney Perry). Why would The Rise of Romantasy spark such an uproar in mainstream media? Remember, females dominated, in terms of production and consumption.
Boy Math Says: Fantasy + Romance = Porn
The Rise of Romantasy is often assumed to equal a rise in porn addiction—that must be ‘girl math.’ Wrong. While mainstream media might label Romantasy readers as porn addicts or dismiss their books as ‘shadow daddy’ material, those who actually read the genre know it’s about much more than sex and magic.
Imagine a stranger walking up to you, seeing you with the latest popular book, and asking what genre it is. You answer, “Romantasy.” Their response? “So… smut.”
While smut used to be a word this editor embraced, today, Googling it or using it publicly reveals it has taken on a negative connotation with the general public. Much like Romantasy, smut has been branded as a nasty, ugly, even dirty word. But it is none of those things. Readers should never be shamed for what they choose to read, for what brings them joy, and certainly not for what brings them pleasure.
Pleasure, Power, and Passion: Romantasy Made by Women, for Women
The genre is widely popular due to the fact that it is primarily written by women, for women. Typically, the modern Romantasy (and again, this is speaking generally) features a strong female lead with an epic adventure, trials, tribulations, and romance ahead of her. While many might say that the Romantasy genre is ‘wish fulfillment at its finest’, it is more the ability to escape reality (though that is a bonus). Things that we want and desire might be accomplished or fulfilled on the pages, but that doesn’t mean it cannot be found and fulfilled in reality.
Common themes that readers can find in Romantasy books that are appealing to the intended audience (females) are, found family and death-defying challenges, loyalty, and finding your inner power. When it comes to romance, to love, there is power in what we read, what we feel, and what we experience through the character.
Those explicit, those taboo, those inappropriate, pornographic, smutty scenes are powerful. Women have reclaimed their right to sexuality through Romantasy. And there is not shame, but pride in being empowered by a character and through a scene or moment. That reclaimed sexuality is a woman's right. Women get to have pleasure at their hands and the Romantasy genre has supported that movement.
It’s Not Dragon Porn. Romantasy is Real. Romantasy is here to Stay.
It is easy to want to escape into a world or realm filled with fae, vampires, gods, where magical beings rule—dragons, magic, and love blooming on every page. While some say Romantasy is unattainable and unrealistic, the rise and love for Romantasy is attainable. This rise is not new; we’ve outlined its origin, successes, failures, developments, and revival.
Romantasy is simply something women no longer feel the need to keep quiet about—online or in public. No longer do women have to be proper, secretive, or ashamed of what they read, enjoy, or desire. Though Romantasy is a new word, it’s a subgenre that’s been around for a long time, with many paving the way.
BookTok and Bookstagram can be credited for women reclaiming control over what they enjoy and creating a space to talk openly about it.
Critics—often men—dismiss it as ‘just sex’ or worse, ‘just porn.’ But data from the broader adult fantasy and romance genres tell a different story:
In adult fantasy (2020), 58.3% of authors were women, while only 38.0% were men.
The Romance Writers of America estimates 18-20% of romance writers are men.
This shows Romantasy—a subgenre of fantasy with strong romantic elements—is primarily written by women, marking a clear departure from historically male-dominated fantasy literature.
The media may say the plot is just sex, but readers know it’s about the fierce battles and challenges the character faces, the found family she builds, and the love she craves, fights for, and would die to protect. Sex may be part of the story, but it is never just the plot.
Men often believe Romantasy has diminished fantasy, insisting women can’t succeed writing in a genre long dominated by men. They think women can’t build worlds, create realms, or write characters worthy of admiration. This is simply wrong.
This new genre is dominated by women. It’s filled with powerful female leads and swoon-worthy males, but the fantasy is just as strong as ever.
We Are Romantasy: Unfiltered & Unapologetic
Romantasy is here to stay, and people—mainly men—are starting to realize that. There is power in what women read, and men don’t like how ‘unattainable’ it makes real men seem. They don’t like the discreet covers or the ways a male character can pleasure his female counterpart within fiction. They don’t like that real-world elements are woven into storylines that give women the courage to fight back, speak up, and demand change.
The history and the words we use—sex, porn, erotica, cliterature, smut—are not taboo. It’s important to note that mainstream media and the men in your life might use these words in derogatory, defensive, offensive, or archaic ways—but that doesn’t mean the words themselves are those things. Tone is everything, and so is your audience.
Within this community, we confidently use these words with consent, managing the control, power, impact, and influence they carry. But outside this space—whether as authors or readers—these words are weaponized against us to control us.
Take back your power, your control, your voice, your words, and the stories you love.
Romantasy is not derogatory.
Romantasy is not archaic.
Romantasy is not just sex.
Romantasy is not porn.
Romantasy is not cliterature.
Romantasy is not smut.
Romantasy is yours—as the author and the reader. It is your own version of romance and fantasy. It is your reality of escaping reality, however you choose to define it. And if you want to call it sex, porn, erotica, cliterature, or smut, that is your choice—and your right—if you are part of this community.
So, welcome to The Rise of Romantasy. We are Romantasy Illustrated—where romance meets fantasy, and we openly talk about it all: the good, the bad, the toxic, the sexy, the smutty, the ugly, and, certainly, the Romantasy.
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