Pink Orchid 2025: Story Event for Women-Centric Erotica - Official Support Thread

[MillieDynamite]

No!

Feeling better, Millie?

 

[MillieDynamite]

At least I have something to smile about.

 

[StillStunned]

"Dungeon of Desire: Level 1" has just been approved for publication tomorrow.

 

[StillStunned]

@MillieDynamite looks like we'll be in direct competition!

 

[MillieDynamite]

No, my beloved @StillStunnded, we aren't competing we're participating. I only compete with myself, even in competitions, and this ain't that. It's an Event! We are Eventing together.

@MillieDynamite looks like we'll be in direct competition!

 

[StillStunned]

We are Eventing together.

That makes it sound like the climax of a sex scene from a dystopian story.

 

[MillieDynamite]

You truly have a disturbed mind, @StillStunned! Not to mention dirty!!

That makes it sound like the climax of a sex scene from a dystopian story.

 

[StillStunned]

Speaking of disturbed minds, Dungeon of Desire: Level 1 is up (9.1k words, SF&F).

A tiefling joins an adventuring party to collect a bounty on the goblin chief's head. She has to learn to get on with the other members, though - in particular the handsome but prejudiced knight Arivor.

 

[Jorunn]

My story, The Saga of Astryd, is up in the Lesbian section. In the fjords of Norway, a young couple agree to live in a small re-created Viking village for one year. But after her boyfriend taps out, a young woman is left alone in the cold of winter. By learning what it means to truly believe, she discovers that Hearts Never Lie.

Hei, Omenainen! Hyvää huomenta. Haluaisin lukea kommenttisi. Kiitos!

 

[Charlotte35f]

I’ve submitted my first-ever story for a writers’ challenge, but unfortunately the moderator who posted it has mangled the text. It’s supposed to have mixed italics and non-italic paragraphs. Anyone know how to get this fixed?

This is the second time I’ve had a problem with editing. I carefully go through my copy to eliminate spelling and grammatical errors, and a random bit of pasted text wound up in the middle of a word last time. It had been a decade since previous submissions and wasn’t even suspecting that was possible.

The story is called Sub Rosa, but I can’t recommend reading it until the editing error is fixed.

 

[StillStunned]

I’ve submitted my first-ever story for a writers’ challenge, but unfortunately the moderator who posted it has mangled the text. It’s supposed to have mixed italics and non-italic paragraphs. Anyone know how to get this fixed?

Drop Laurel a DM and explain the issue, and ask nicely whether it can be fixed.

When I write my stories, I include the "<em> and "</em> tags for italics from the start. If several paragraphs are in italics, I make sure to include them for each separate paragraph. Sometimes the HTML carries over, sometimes it doesn't.

And I always go through the preview carefully to make sure I've closed the tagged text.

 

[Lifestyle66]

I’ve submitted my first-ever story for a writers’ challenge, but unfortunately the moderator who posted it has mangled the text. It’s supposed to have mixed italics and non-italic paragraphs. Anyone know how to get this fixed?

This is the second time I’ve had a problem with editing. I carefully go through my copy to eliminate spelling and grammatical errors, and a random bit of pasted text wound up in the middle of a word last time. It had been a decade since previous submissions and wasn’t even suspecting that was possible.

The story is called Sub Rosa, but I can’t recommend reading it until the editing error is fixed.

I don't rely on them taking a Word doc uploaded to publish.

I use the text box method, where I format the story the way I want to see it, then copy and paste into the submission page text box. Then when I look at the Preview, I can see where I've made some mistakes such as forgetting to close out a <i>...</i> italics or <b>...</b> bold section. If it doesn't look right in the Preview, I make the changes to my Word doc and copy & paste it again into the text box. That gives me positive control over how it looks when published.

 

[Jorunn]

Drop Laurel a DM and explain the issue, and ask nicely whether it can be fixed.

When I write my stories, I include the "<em> and "</em> tags for italics from the start. If several paragraphs are in italics, I make sure to include them for each separate paragraph. Sometimes the HTML carries over, sometimes it doesn't.

And I always go through the preview carefully to make sure I've closed the tagged text.

Agree - formatting characters of any kind apply to a single paragraph and must be repeated on subsequent paragraphs. Check this on your source.

 

[Charlotte35f]

OK, thank you. I did sent a DM to Laurel at the same time as I posted here.

I wonder if I can use an HTML editor. I haven't used one in 20+ years. Do all HTML tag types work? I still want the story in serif typeface...

 

[AwkwardMD]

You won’t have font control (for the most part). The story moderator attempts to maintain formatting uniformity across stories, for readability.

 

[StillStunned]

I wonder if I can use an HTML editor. I haven't used one in 20+ years. Do all HTML tag types work? I still want the story in serif typeface...

Here's a list from the FAQ:

• What text formatting can be used in stories published on Literotica?

 

[ElectricBlue]

OK, thank you. I did sent a DM to Laurel at the same time as I posted here.

I wonder if I can use an HTML editor. I haven't used one in 20+ years. Do all HTML tag types work? I still want the story in serif typeface...

You'll probably need to resubmit your story with correct html (closing italics every paragraph). The fault will be in your original content somewhere, My guess is, you've been caught out on a Lit page break. The same happened to me several years ago, and the second page flipped to italics. It was my fault with the html, not the site's. The fix was to fix the html.

You won't get your font of choice - the site uses a common font for all stories.

 

[yowser]

OK, thank you. I did sent a DM to Laurel at the same time as I posted here.

I wonder if I can use an HTML editor. I haven't used one in 20+ years. Do all HTML tag types work? I still want the story in serif typeface...

As others have said, no control over typeface. As a reader I believe you have limited choices for display (default, verdana and times) so I suppose, if it matters greatly to you, you could insert a note suggesting readers adjust their settings to times.

 

[Charlotte35f]

As others have said, no control over typeface. As a reader I believe you have limited choices for display (default, verdana and times) so I suppose, if it matters greatly to you, you could insert a note suggesting readers adjust their settings to times.

Hmm, I have a counterexample to show that it's possible. This author was the one who told me to submit in docX format and the fonts would be preserved.

https://www.literotica.com/s/the-cruise-companion-the-holidays

Oh, and my story was published in a serif typeface, and has some of my italics in it.

 

[StillStunned]

To drag this thread more or less back on topic (and perhaps an in-depth discussion of formatting possibilities could be spun off into its own thread): @onehitwanda in case you're interested, Dungeon of Desire: Level 1 features a paladin. You'll probably hate him.

 

[OnlyHappyEndings]

Hey everyone. Here's my contribution. Kind of long and mildly erotic. But I hope you enjoy the story.
https://www.literotica.com/s/rita-morceau-comes-full-circle

 

[Omenainen]

My story, The Saga of Astryd, is up in the Lesbian section. In the fjords of Norway, a young couple agree to live in a small re-created Viking village for one year. But after her boyfriend taps out, a young woman is left alone in the cold of winter. By learning what it means to truly believe, she discovers that Hearts Never Lie.

Hei, Omenainen! Hyvää huomenta. Haluaisin lukea kommenttisi. Kiitos!

You’re the first to ask for my comments extra points for Finnish. All correct, too! I promise not to comment in Finnish. Or Norwegian, which I don’t know, but could maybe almost handle with google translate.

I’ll be sure to read yours first when I get around to reading these! I’m still writing mine so I haven’t started reading yet. The cold of winter sounds a bit too close to home, but I’m counting on there being hot sex to compensate

 

[AwkwardMD]

Just pushed send on my entry! Feels so good!! I've been sitting on this story since, like, mid December and now it's submitted!

 

[Actingup]

I've drafted a story that I'm relatively happy with, but I wouldn't mind some advice on categories. The core theme is around a young woman on work exchange in Japan and finding the courage to be nude in the onsen (public baths) with others. The behaviour in the onsen isn't sexual, but she still finds it stimulating and empowering, and works through some of her self-image and family issues in the process. There is some discussion of watching others be naked in the onsen and respecting boundaries, but the only overtly sexual behaviour in the story is masturbation (not in public).

I think there are two potential categories for the story - masturbation/toys, and exhibitionist/voyeur. I'm leaning towards exhibitionist/voyeur, simply because that's much closer to the theme of learning to be naked in public IMHO. But would I be penalised by readers who were expecting to get their rocks off through unrealistically sexual behaviour in the onsen?

 

[TheLobster]

But would I be penalised by readers who were expecting to get their rocks off through unrealistically sexual behaviour in the onsen?

Summoning @StillStunned to confirm, but I do recall some of his stories having much less of a titillating factor than you’d expect and still doing fine.

(I won’t base my advice on my own E&V experiences, since the only story I put there was for the Hammered event, and the relatively meh reception was probably because it’d also my first attempt at the private eye monologue-style of storytelling…)