Nerdology 101: The Terminology

Heys! Welcome back, dearest nerdy readers (lol). Thank you once again for joining me. This week, I want to take some time out to go over some standard nerdy terminology. My hope is to make our communities more accessible to those who are curious, but still trying to find their footing. With that being said, let’s get into some Nerdology!!!!

Quick Search Info (as always, listing for anime and books are longer. I’m more personally involved in these nerdoms. I game, but I don’t game nearly enough to know everything about the subject):

1. Terms used in this blog

2. Terms used when talking about Anime/Manga

3. Terms used when talking about Books

4. Terms used when talking about Gaming

Terms Used Frequently in this Blog:

Here’s some general nerdy terms I use (non-specific to the niches that fall under the nerdom):

Nerdom - The nerdy community as a whole. Meant to combine nerd and kingdom.

Nerdology - The name of my blog. Technically, it can mean the study of the nerdom (people, culture, etc.).

Both of these terms are used by others within the nerdom, so they’re good to know.

Anime Terms:

These terms mostly have to do with anime/manga:

Anime - An animated show or movie made by Japanese people.

Manga - A serialized style of story that is often the basis for anime made by Japanese people.

Shonen - Anime or manga targeting young boys. Most of your mainstream anime fall under this umbrella (Naruto, Bleach, Demon Slayer, My Hero Acadamia, etc.).

Yaoi - Anime featuring a love story between two men.

Yuri - Anime featuring a love story between two women.

Harem - A single male character ends up with multiple female love interests.

Reverse Harem - A single female character ends up with multiple male love interests.

Ecchi - An anime or manga with a lot of fanservice or sexual content.

Isekai - An anime or manga where the main character dies and is reborn into a new world.

Slice of Life - An anime of manga where the story is based in every day life.

Josei - Anime or manga made for adult women.

Seinen - Anime or manga made for adult men.

Mecha - Anime or manga featuring robots.

Shojo - Anime or manga primarily made for young girls.

Note: A lot of these definitions have gendered definitions, but anyone can watch and enjoy any of them. Many do. The only real difference is in the fact that anime targeting boys/men focus on action/adventure and anime targeting girls/women focus on romance/emotion. Many of the action/adventure still have romance in them. Many of the romance/emotion still have action in them. I’ve watched anime that fall under all of these and more at some point or another. Please remember to be inclusive.

Bookish Terms

Romantasy - The combination of Romance and Fantasy, usually in equal parts. (Romantic fantasy and fantasy romance are terms for if the book leans more one way than the other).

Dark Romance - Romance books featuring a lot of dark, potentially triggering content. Dark in this case meaning high spice, kink, and sexually explicit content. (In same cases, like the term Dark Romantasy or Dark Fantasy, people may use the word dark to describe dark storylines, gothic settings, etc, or they might still be describing the spice. For clarities sake, I describe The Fate of Angels and Demons as Romantasy with Dark Romance like spice so there’s no mistaking that I’m talking about the kink/sexual content in it).

HEA - Happily ever after

HFN - Happy for now (usually in reference to a series where the couple ends the book together and happy, but it’s implied that things might not stay that way).

FMC - Female Main Character (there can be two FMC’s in sapphic/WLW romance)

MMC - Male Main Character (there can be two MMC’s in gay/MLM romance)

*I was recently asked about nonbinary characters. Just saying MC since “main character” isn’t inherently gendered might be okay. Alternatively, if you want to specify that the character is nonbinary, NBMC . Ultimately, though, I’m not nonbinary. I can’t decide how they want to be referred to in fiction. These are just options that are available for speaking inclusively in the interim. If a nonbinary person would like to share their preferred term for referring to a nonbinary main character, they’re free to send me a message via the form on the home page of this website and I will update this based on that. The same applies to other gender identities. I do read a range of works written by nonbinary people, but I really haven’t seen a specific term emerge for characters, so please feel free to correct me.

One Bed - A popular book trope where love interests end up at an inn, hotel, shack, or some sort of sleeping place on their journey and there’s only one bed so they just have to sleep together and usually also end up sleeping together.

Enemies to Lovers - A popular book trope where the love interests start out as enemies. Similar terms include friends to lovers, which means the characters start out as friends and become lovers.

Side Character - Character that isn’t the main character.

Smut - Books with a lot of spice. (The word smut does not mean the book lacks literary value, is porn, or anything of the sort).

Spice - Sexually explicit content in books.

ARC - Advanced Reader Copy (Ebooks or physical books sent to readers to encourage early reviews of a title that is not yet released).

ALC - Advanced Listener Copy (An ARC, but it’s an audiobook).

Beta Reader - Early readers that provide an author with feedback early on in the manuscripts development.

NetGalley/BookFunnel/Booksprout - Platforms for distributing, finding, and receiving pre-release ARC’s and ALC’s. Netgalley is best for large publishers and popular books, but is also the place new ARC readers are most likely to be rejected. BookFunnel and Booksprout are cost-friendly alternatives mostly used by indie authors. On all of these platforms, the reader pays nothing.

Indie Author - Independent author. Self-publishers or those with small presses.

Trad - Shorthand for Traditional publishing.

Gaming

TTRPG - Table top roleplaying game (like Dungeons and Dragons)

MMORPG - Massively Multi-Player Online Roleplaying Game (like Genshin Impact).

RPG - Roleplaying game. Game where you assume the role of a fictional character and have a real impact on the storyline and character development.

First-Person Shooter - A game where the primary mechanic is shooting (like Call of Duty).

Open-World - A gaming world where you can wander freely and without restriction.

Sandbox -A gaming world that is inbetween Open and Closed world. You have a degree of freedom, but not total freedom.

Cozy - A relaxed game (like Stardew Valley).

Farming - A game where growing food/materials is the primary focus (like Stardew Valley).

Otome - Romance games, primarily in the anime/manga style (like the Ikemen games).

Okay, we covered quite a few terms here. There are still a lot I haven’t talked about, but these should be enough to help you start connecting with the nerdom and engaging in conversation without feeling totally confused, or start engaging with a part of the nerdom that you haven’t previously. I’ll see you back next week for another segment of Nerdology 101. Don’t forget to stop by the STORE and buy a copy of my book, The Fate of Angels and Demons, coming April 1st. Have a nerdy week!

Nerdology 101: Nerd Culture - Level 1

Nerrrrddddsssss! I missed ya. Welcome back to Nerdology 101. If you’re new here, good. This week is for you. I’m Maria Levato. This is my website and my blog, poke around if you want to get to know me. This week, though, you can call me sensei because I’m going to teach you all about Level 1 of the Nerdom. Want to watch anime, but don’t know where to start? I got you. Want to join the raving lunatics over on BookTok, but struggling to figure out where to start? You’re in the right place. Want to start gaming but aren’t sure what games align with the things you already like? Right this way. Let’s get into some Nerdology and find you the nerdy haven you long for!

What is a “nerd”? Like, what does being a nerd truly mean?

We use the word nerd so loosely. It’s meaning has evolved a ton over time. Depending on who you’re talking to, you could get any of the following definitions:

1. A smart person,

2. A smart person, but specifically one who’s niche is in a STEM subject,

3. Someone who consumes a lot of media (any format), that doesn’t fit into the mainstream,

4. Someone who consumes specific formats of niche media,

Anyone with a niche/special interest.

My answer? All of these people are nerds. Just like any other self-identifier, the word nerd is open to interpretation and the community isn’t a monolith. Personally, I’m a nerd by all but one of these definitions. (I have all the love for you, STEM nerds. Doctors, medicine, research, I’m all for it when done ethically. It’s just not the thing that excites me). For the sake of this blog post, though, let’s focus on the niche media people since I can help you all out the most.

What is “niche media”?

Niche media is something that a majority of people probably haven’t heard of or consumed. For example, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is mainstream. They were giant, blockbuster films that most people have probably come into contact with (or at least that was the case, but post Endgame there was a pretty big dip in Marvel viewership). However, the Marvel comics are where I would say niche starts. Most people, in general, probably know they exist, but don’t read them. Yet, within the comic-reading community, most people have probably read a Marvel comic. This can apply to anything. Anime is pretty mainstream these days, but I’d still consider it niche-ish since it hasn’t become something a majority of people watch yet. Within that, though, there’s a giant difference between Naruto and One Piece, which are substantially closer to mainstream, and Kamisama Kiss, which is niche no matter how you cut it. So, as you can see, there are levels to the concept, but in general, niche media pertains to obscurity. It’s not a perfect definition, but it is one I think makes a solid benchmark definition for someone starting out.

So, where do I start?

Ah, the age old question. Most of these lists, from what I’ve seen, recommend whatever is most popular even if it isn’t aligned with your interests or if it’s just not attainable for someone who doesn’t already do this. I’m not going to do that. Instead, I’m going by subject matter. Under each subject, I’ll make a few nerdy recs. You can look at them all, or if there’s a subject you think you’re more likely to enjoy than others, you can just look at it. The subjects will be fantasy, romance, and action.

Fantasy

Books:

Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien (best for those who are okay taking some time to wrap their heads around the world and diving into a series. No romance or spice).

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor - Xiran Jay Zhao (best for those who want an easy, short, single book read. No romance or spice.).

Lore of the Wilds - Analeigh Sbrana (best for those who want a series, but one that’s easier to wrap your head around if you’re new to fantasy. Has romantic element, no spice).

Our Vicious Oaths - N.E./Nia Davenport *author uses both (best for fantasy w/ romance and spice).

Anime:

Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood (Best if you’re looking for a single season, quick watch with minimal fluff).

Seven Deadly Sins (Best if you’re looking for a good balance of action, emotion, and goofiness that has multiple seasons but isn’t too long).

Bleach (Best if you’re looking for something long but also easy to watch).

Games:

Genshin Impact (Best if you’re looking for easy gameplay, open-world, great storytelling, wonderful animation).

Pokemon (Best if you’re looking for easy, digestable, turn based combat w/ open world exploration, low complexity) - Least Challenging.

D&D Online (Best if you want customizable characters and storylines in an open world setting) - Most Challenging.

Romance

Books:

The Love Con by Seressia Glass (Best for no spice & FM)

I Think They Love You by Julian Winters (Best for low spice & MM)

No Boy Summer by Amy Spalding (Best for no spice & FF)

Lights Out by Navessa Allen (Best for moderate spice, dark humor, & MF. This is also the only rec in this section with multiple books).

Anime:

My Happy Marriage (Best for convergence of romance, fantasy, and historical, ongoing, currently 2 seasons. MF).

Sasaki and Miyano (Best for BL, 1 season).

Citrus (Best for FF).

TV:

X.O. Kitty (Best for multiple seasons, romantic ups and downs, teenage loves, and discovering oneself)

Outlander (Best for long watch, multiple elements/crossover, spicy, can be graphic/violent).

Bridgerton (Best for multiple romances across multiple seasons, spicy).

Movies:

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before (Best for multiple movies & follow through after the romance is made official, no spice).

After (Best for multiple movies, some spice, and high tension).

Five Feet Apart (Best for emotional damage, no spice).

Action (Not many recs here. Just some anime. Action isn’t really my area of expertise).

Record of Ragnarok (Best for back-to-back brutal battles to the death).

Naruto (Best for if you want awesome fights and you’re willing to wait for them).

Bleach *again (this show has an amazing animation style that makes it’s fights legendary, but again, you have to wait for them).

That’s about all for this week, loves! Hope this list helps you find your way into the nerdom, or if you’re already in it to discover something you haven’t already. See you back next week for another segment of Nerdology 101. Until then, have a nerdy week!

Nerdology 101: Diversity in the Nerdom

Hello and welcome back to Nerdology 101, the blog where, at least for this week, I say things that should be obvious because the Nazi’s among us don’t seem to get the point that they are the only ones that aren’t welcome here. This week we’re talking about diversity in the nerdy world. So, let’s dive right in.

The nerdy community wouldn’t exist without diversity. Let me say it louder for the people in the back: THE NERDY COMMUNITY WOULDN’T EXIST WITHOUT DIVERSITY.

Being a nerd is a concept that began its evolution some time between 1930 and 1980, according to Merriam-Webster. While the etymology of the word isn’t extremely clear, we do know that it has taken on a few different meanings since its creation. It’s been used to call people socially inept, intelligent, socially inept with intelligence, and more. Today, we mostly use it to describe those who are enthusiastic and knowledgable about a niche topic such as gaming, books, anime, etc. This is important to remember because the concept of nerd we know today didn’t even start to form until the 90’s. Millenials fueled and witnessed the shift ourselves when we woke up at 5AM every day to watch Inuyasha on Adult Swim and popularized series Divergent, Hunger Games, Dune, and Lord of the Rings. Thus, nerd culture is still relatively new to society.

Part of the reason nerd culture took off with such ferocity is because it reached the disinfranchised. Do you know how rare it was to see a Black person in a TV fantasy series in 2006? How about a Black person who wasn’t depicted in a racist way or who only showed up once for five seconds only to never be seen again? Bleach did it, though. Most popular is the character Yoruichi, who we all know and love, they also had quite a few others who were well written with brown skin. The same goes for Naruto—though there were flaws in the way they did it—characters like Karui and Darui are met a need American media was completely ignoring at the time. This type of representation attracted diverse communities that drove the success of anime. In these statistics released by Crunchyroll in 2024, we see that the amount of Black anime fans has been rising drastically with each generation with only 9% of Boomer anime fans being Black, 13% of Gen X, 19% of Millenials, 23% of anime watchers in Gen Z. That’s almost a quarter of anime fans in Gen Z that are Black. If you include other ethnic minority groups, 48% of anime fans in Gen Z are not White. Beyond ethnicity, over 1/3 of the total anime watching community across generations is women with the highest two generations (Millenials and Gen Z) both being over 40% and 32% of across generations identifying as LGBTQIA+ in some way. These are massive portions of anime’s fanbase. Without that diversity, the style would take massive hits likely resulting in worse animation, storytelling, etc. More than that, though, it’s insane to call yourself a nerd if you hate such a large portion of the community you’re identifying with.

Aside from anime, we also have substantial diversity in the bookish community, gaming community, and every other aspect of nerdom. Just recently, a Mixed race author who I look up to, Amber V. Nicole, topped the USA Today and NYT Bestseller lists with her new release, The Wrath of the Fallen in the Gods and Monsters series. Julian Winters made the Marie Claire “25 Best Romance Books of 2025” list with his book I Think They Love You. Tracy Deonn, Analeigh Sbrana, Harley Laroux, and the list goes on—diverse authors are thriving with the support of diverse readers. We would lose a ton of great writing without the diversity that is getting attacked by so many.

In information released by Women in Games, 53% of gamers are men and 46% are women with the remaining 1% being non-binary or putting “I prefer not to say”. 38% of gamers are an ethnicity other than white. Thus, this extends to gaming as well. Every corner of the wider nerdom is filled with diversity. So, why is it that the bigoted ideas that harm so many within the community still thrive? The only answer I can come to is silence. So many are afraid to speak up when something is wrong for fear that no one will stand with them and that they’ll only isolate themselves further. In a video posted by Tony Weaver Jr. following the death of a Black cosplayer named Ash, he calls for us not just to be more inclusive towards Black people in the nerdom, but also for us to be more exclusive towards those who making the sort of bigoted comments that led to Ash’s death to begin with. This sort of hatred has no place in our community and I agree with what Tony is saying here. We need to drive the hatred out by making it harder for it to exist in the first place. Our community will be better for it, just as it has been better for the increased diversity throughout the generations.

That’s all I have for you this week. Drop in next Friday at 3PM ET for our next segment of Nerdology 101. Until then, have a nerdy week!