Achillean
| Synonyms: | MLM, Men Loving Men, Man Loving Man |
| See also: | M/M, Slash, Yaoi, Boys' Love, Danmei |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Achillean, also known as MLM, Men Loving Men or Man Loving Man, is a term used in online queer circles as an umbrella term for men who desire to be in a relationship with other men, though this definition is very loose and can encompass a wide range of identities.
The term is sometimes used in online fandom as a way to label ships and characters under an umbrella term, as "gay" could be considered inaccurate to Bisexual people, as could "same sex" for transgender people. It is an umbrella term and fandom-independent, unlike related terms such as Slash and Boys' Love.
Achillean is primarily used in the English-speaking world. Although the term looks similar to M/M, it has different connotations and use cases. Sapphic and WLW are similar terms for women. Sapphic is more widely used than the similar term Achillean. The terminology and the community surrounding it are very accepting of Non-Binary people, who may be under both umbrella terms. Variants of the "MLM" acronym such as MLNB, NBLM and NBLNB are common.
Use in Fandom
According to Merriam-Webster the term Achillean dates to the 1500s, but means "like Achilles". The LGBTQIA+ Wiki points to a 2016 Tumblr post for the popularization online of the "men loving men" definition.
Achillean has sometimes been used to describe m/m ships since 2016. As of 14 December 2025, the AO3 Achillean tag has 363 uses (293 times by one bookmarker); the earliest work it appears on was posted in 2017, though most of the others were posted in the 2020s. The phrase Achillean ships also yields some search results on Twitter.
A few mentions on Reddit:
However one of my biggest issues I have with reader inserts is always the lacking in decent sapphic or Achillean reader inserts.comment in r/AO3, 2023 [1]
I love slash fanfic, though interestingly enough, I love sapphic pairings the most (mostly because of my love of Xena: Warrior Princess). But I do have a few achillean pairings that I love.comment in r/Fanfiction, 2025 [2]
Pride Month Favorites (9) - What's your favorite Achillean (m x m) canon ship?comment in r/FavoriteCharacter, 2025 [3]
I write a mix of M/M, M/F, F/F, nonbinary/whoever and gen fics, but I read mostly MLM/achillean romance and smut fics.comment in r/Fanfiction, 2025 [4]
A less positive mention from the fandom olds inhabiting Fail_Fandomanon:
There is a person in my fandom who keeps calling the m/m relationship "Achillean" and I get that what's the kids are saying now or whatever, but I just cannot take it seriously at all.comment in fail_fandomanon, 2025 [5]
Resources/Further Reading
- Achillean definition on LGBTQIA+ Wiki (wikia/fandom.com)
References
- ^ Writing queer reader inserts for wlw and MlM, Archived version, r/AO3, 28 August 2023.
- ^ reply to post: Gay men who write or read slash fic?, Archived version, r/FanFiction, 4 May 2025.
- ^ title of post: Pride Month Favorites (9) - What's your favorite Achillean (m x m) canon ship?, Archived version, r/FavoriteCharacter, 9 June 2025.
- ^ reply to post: Are the things you like to read and the things you like to write the same thing?, Archived version, r/FanFiction, 3 September 2025.
- ^ comment in fail_fandomanon, Archived version, 2025-08-17.