Do we really believe life and lust stop in May?

OK, riddle me this, if you please. Under Site Contents, Why is there a sub-class under the heading of 'Mature Stories', reading 'May/December lust and love affairs?'
In spite of all the threads here by, for and about life and lust after 60, which would indicate that a substantial portion of Litsters are septuagenarian sex pots, do we not believe that they're seeking each other out, both on and off the page? Are we to be told (and by whom?) that all these well-seasoned and mature lovers are seeking only amateur talent?
May/December is fine, but what about those of us who seek stories of mature lovers, like ourselves, making the kinds of connections we do, with others our own age? It's still hot as hell, I can assure you, and we have the experience to make it all go so much more smoothly and sensually ... except when it's time for hot monkey love.
So how about a separate class for 'May/December,' and let 'Mature' mean just what it says?

i believe its a reference to younger/older

The category is as Laurel defines it. Participants can be older/younger as in Left Behind (Mature, but it could have been elsewhere) or various of my Incest tales, or both 'older' as in The Botanists (which I put in Romance). We have a bit of leeway with the categories but Mature readers most likely expect May-December.

Hmmm, I can visualize a Mature series tracing relationships over the decades from May to December, riffing on September Song. Let the MC be Alexis; the chapters could be:

Alexis 01: May Song -- Alexis at 18, doing older guys
Alexis 02: June Song -- Alexis at 25, ditto for Sugar Daddies
Alexis 03: July Song -- Alexis at 32, looking for stability
Alexis 04: August Song -- Alexis at 40, bio-clock ticking
Alexis 05: September Song -- Alexis at 50, trying to cougar
Alexis 06: October Song -- Alexis at 60, almost a GILF
Alexis 07: November Song -- Alexis at 70, still hunting
Alexis 08: December Song -- Alexis at 80, still active

Something like that. Does she ever reach emotional maturity?

Hypoxia said:

The category is as Laurel defines it. Participants can be older/younger as in Left Behind (Mature, but it could have been elsewhere) or various of my Incest tales, or both 'older' as in The Botanists (which I put in Romance). We have a bit of leeway with the categories but Mature readers most likely expect May-December.

Hmmm, I can visualize a Mature series tracing relationships over the decades from May to December, riffing on September Song. Let the MC be Alexis; the chapters could be:

Alexis 01: May Song -- Alexis at 18, doing older guys
Alexis 02: June Song -- Alexis at 25, ditto for Sugar Daddies
Alexis 03: July Song -- Alexis at 32, looking for stability
Alexis 04: August Song -- Alexis at 40, bio-clock ticking
Alexis 05: September Song -- Alexis at 50, trying to cougar
Alexis 06: October Song -- Alexis at 60, almost a GILF
Alexis 07: November Song -- Alexis at 70, still hunting
Alexis 08: December Song -- Alexis at 80, still active

Something like that. Does she ever reach emotional maturity?

Click to expand...

Hello Hypox -

When you say that "... Mature readers most likely expect May-December," I wouldn't be too sure about that, since it was after talking with several other mature litsters that I was moved to write, since we were all in agreement that "Mature" seems to imply stories of love and lust between or among subjects in that age group as they find and relate to each other as mature lovers and playmates. That's not to say there couldn't be some May/December flavors included, but the consensus among those with whom I spoke was that "May/December should be a category unto itself, as it is in most other venues, since it is a whole different and unique phenomenon, and worthy of being recognized as such also.

As it is now, if one wants to find stories actually about two or more mature adults in that listing category, it takes a lot of searching, especially since the little teasers beneath the titles are often pretty vague in their descriptions.

In addition, I found that in reading most of the May/December genre I've encountered here, it was apparently written by younger writers speaking from their own perspective, rather than mature writers offering a more mature view and style which might appeal more to older, more experienced readers.

I'd also note that for instance, rather than being lumped together under a single heading of, say, LGBTQ, we instead have Gay Male, Lesbian, Trans, etc., which makes it a whole lot easier for readers, soooo.... can we put an end to this elder abuse? Except of course for those who are into it.

When he says "Mature readers" he's referring to the category, not an age group. It's the terminology generally used when referring to any category's readership. "Incest readers", "Anal readers", etc.

The reason the category is dominated by May/December stories is that's what sells. They outperform stories with similar aged 40+ characters by orders of magnitude. The same preference is what drives the dominance of M/S and F/D stories above siblings in Incest.

There's more demand for May/Dec, so that's what gets supplied.

Of keywords & options

I disagree that any catagory on Lit is based solely on 'what sells'. Lit is still free (many thanks!) & submissions are personal choice (within Lit guidelines, of course). I see the prevalence of May/Dec in Mature as a prime example of 'what's expected' just as much, if not more, than 'what's wanted'.
I think we need more stories that celebrate lots of stages of passion. May/Dec is fine, but there's more calls now to explore that one saying about age: There may be snow on the roof, but the fire still blazes.

Ezeerider said:

I'd also note that for instance, rather than being lumped together under a single heading of, say, LGBTQ, we instead have Gay Male, Lesbian, Trans, etc., which makes it a whole lot easier for readers, soooo.... can we put an end to this elder abuse? Except of course for those who are into it.

Click to expand...

You've lost me here. That's what the LGBT categories are in the story file--Gay Male, Lesbian, and Transsexuals/Crossdressers--one category each, no category for bi (29 categories welcoming to straights and unwelcoming to LGBT).