Category: SciFi vs. Erotic Horror vs. NonCon

I'm writing another "cosmic horror" series (i.e., Lovecraftian horror, not a ghost story) and I can't decide if it should go in SciFi/Fantasy, Erotic Horror, or NonCon.

First part:

https://www.literotica.com/s/across-black-seas-of-infinity-ch-01

It's set in the present-day with magic and Lovecraftian monsters/horror... definitely no space ships or knights. The first part is getting high marks in the SciFi/Fantasy category, even though it may not be quite right?

There will be "horror" elements, especially in part 3 that I'm working on now... will that turn off scifi/fantasy readers?

There will be some noncon elements, but they won't take over the story. Will that turn off people who aren't browsing the NonCon catagory?

Thanks for any advice!

I'd try to keep stories with overtly fantastical elements out of the Noncon Section. That leaves Erotic Horror and Sci-Fi/Fantasy. I think your story could go into either one, but TBH, Sci-Fi/Fantasy has a much bigger reader base (I think), so you'll get more visibility there. I'd just be sure to include an author's note explaining that you'll be dealing with noncon and dark fantasy elements, to warn away readers who may not be into that.

LeandraNyx said:

I'd try to keep stories with overtly fantastical elements out of the Noncon Section. That leaves Erotic Horror and Sci-Fi/Fantasy. I think your story could go into either one, but TBH, Sci-Fi/Fantasy has a much bigger reader base (I think), so you'll get more visibility there. I'd just be sure to include an author's note explaining that you'll be dealing with noncon and dark fantasy elements, to warn away readers who may not be into that.

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That's a good idea, I hadn't considered that. I'll add that to the author's note when it comes up. Maybe scifi/fantasy is the way to go.

ThePracticeShortStories said:

There will be some noncon elements, but they won't take over the story.

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Pace LeandraNyx, generally speaking I would put anything with noncon/dubcon elements that makes use of those elements for erotic purposes,
and derives eroticism specifically from lack of consent or problems of consent in the NC/R category. Noncon content of that kind is often a dealbreaker for readers in other categories; fantasy and horror content is not at all a dealbreaker for readers in the NC/R category. So putting noncon where the category specifically flags it is just a good courtesy for readers.

That presents something of a conundrum if NC/R content turns up in only one chapter of your multi-chapter story. If you're just making reference to it as a plot point and not using it as erotic content I see no reason not to post the whole thing in Sci-fi or Erotic Horror.

As to which of those to use, maybe LeandraNyx knows something I don't but I don't think either of those categories has an appreciably larger readership than the other. The criterion I would use for Erotic Horror is not whether horror tropes turn up, but again whether the horror tropes are specifically being exploited to derive eroticism from the horror. If your story doesn't do that, then don't put it in Erotic Horror.

CyranoJ said:

Noncon content of that kind is often a dealbreaker for readers in other categories; fantasy and horror content is not at all a dealbreaker for readers in the NC/R category.

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Noncon is okay with a certain degree of fantastical elements, but I have my doubts Lovecraftian monsters will go over well with that audience. And, yes, while noncon tends to be a dealbreaker in most other catergories, I've found that Sci-Fi/Fantasy is such a broad genre, the audience tends to be kind to noncon as long as there as a warning at the start of the story. While I haven't posted anything there myself, I've read a lot of noncon on this site and some of my absolute favorite stories have been listed in Sci-Fi/Fantasy and even been voted into the hall of fame. Maybe stories that are exclusively noncon do poorly there, but if noncon just happens once or twice or is woven into a story that also contains consensual sex, I don't see a problem. Stories with strong noncon elements do well in Sci-Fi/Fantasy all the time.

LeandraNyx said:

Noncon is okay with a certain degree of fantastical elements, but I have my doubts Lovecraftian monsters will go over well with that audience.

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Anything that would fly in a hentai comic will probably fly in NC/R, so I guess it depends on whether tentacles are involved.

It occurs to me to wonder: what about NonHuman?

And, yes, while noncon tends to be a dealbreaker in most other catergories, I've found that Sci-Fi/Fantasy is such a broad genre, the audience tends to be kind to noncon as long as there as a warning at the start of the story. [further interesting points along this line snipped]

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Okay, that's interesting. I've seen people freak out about even non-sexualized "noncon" content in the Sci-Fi category but it could be I'm letting isolated examples over-influence my perception of the category.

CyranoJ said:

Okay, that's interesting. I've seen people freak out about even non-sexualized "noncon" content in the Sci-Fi category but it could be I'm letting isolated examples over-influence my perception of the category.

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I've seen people freak out over noncon in the literal noncon section, lol. I think overall ratings tend to paint a better picture of what works well and where. DrWolf's A Slave to the Servants did very well in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy category and was even at the top of the hall of fame for, like, six months to a year. It was "gentle" or "loving" noncon, but it was still noncon. In one scene, the MC refuses to use the bathroom in front of her alien master and he legit threatens to use a catheter on her and "make her." Top of the hall of fame. For six months.

LeandraNyx said:

Noncon is okay with a certain degree of fantastical elements, but I have my doubts Lovecraftian monsters will go over well with that audience. And, yes, while noncon tends to be a dealbreaker in most other catergories, I've found that Sci-Fi/Fantasy is such a broad genre, the audience tends to be kind to noncon as long as there as a warning at the start of the story. While I haven't posted anything there myself, I've read a lot of noncon on this site and some of my absolute favorite stories have been listed in Sci-Fi/Fantasy and even been voted into the hall of fame. Maybe stories that are exclusively noncon do poorly there, but if noncon just happens once or twice or is woven into a story that also contains consensual sex, I don't see a problem. Stories with strong noncon elements do well in Sci-Fi/Fantasy all the time.

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Thanks for the advice. If it's ok with you, I will PM you a link to the story part that contains the non-con when it is published.

Any suggestions on how graphic non-sexual violence can be without turning people off? For example: beheadings, combat violence?

ThePracticeShortStories said:

If it's ok with you, I will PM you a link to the story part that contains the non-con when it is published.

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Sure, I'd love to read it!

ThePracticeShortStories said:

Any suggestions on how graphic non-sexual violence can be without turning people off? For example: beheadings, combat violence?

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From what I've seen, the readers in Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Erotic Horror, and Nonhuman all tend to be pretty good with extreme non-sexual violence, as long as it is very, very clear (which is sometimes hard to do with noncon) that the violence is, in fact, non-sexual and only included as part of the plot in a larger story. Having a bit of distance between the latest sex scene and the violence definitely helps.

LeandraNyx said:

From what I've seen, the readers in Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Erotic Horror, and Nonhuman all tend to be pretty good with extreme non-sexual violence, as long as it is very, very clear (which is sometimes hard to do with noncon) that the violence is, in fact, non-sexual and only included as part of the plot in a larger story. Having a bit of distance between the latest sex scene and the violence definitely helps.

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Part 3 in my latest series, "Across Black Seas of Infinity", is the one I'm concerned about. It's darker than I usually write... I guess we'll see how the reception is. Here's a link to the part in question, but if you're interested in the whole story then of course begin with part 1.

https://www.literotica.com/s/across-black-seas-of-infinity-ch-03