Non-human vs sci-fi/fantasy

[NuclearFairy]

What do you think the differences are?

Or how do you decide which category to put your story in?

 

[RejectReality]

My personal criteria for non-human is that one or more of the main characters has to be non-human... And obviously non-human at that. Many of the characters in my magic of the wood series are technically non-human, as they're part dryad, but they can easily pass for human, so I go Sci-Fi & Fantasy unless it's a story featuring one of the full dryads.

If the setting is more important and has some sci-fi or fantasy elements, then go Sci-Fi&Fantasy. If the setting is the normal mundane world, but the main character is non-human, then go non-human. If it's a fantasy or sci-fi world and the main character is non-human and both elements are equal, then flip a coin. Though, non-human does tend to get a little more traffic.

 

[RetroFan]

What do you think the differences are?

Or how do you decide which category to put your story in?

I say what divides Sci-Fi Fantasy and Erotic Horror on one side with Non-Human on the other is that in SFF and EH there are supernatural and other-worldly events in the background but sex is limited to human characters, while in the NH stories there is sexual activity between humans and non-human entities.

As one example, in one of my stories three cheerleaders and their boyfriends are abducted by aliens, but the aliens only want to watch them have sex for scientific research. The aliens do not get involved in sex, have no interest in sex other than scientific and cannot comprehend why humans would want to have sex for pleasure rather than procreation. This fits straight into SFF as the only sex is between humans. However, if there was a story where a man gets lost in the forest and meets and has sex with an alien humanoid female alien with blue skin and bright red hair, this would go into non-human.

However, the line blurs in some cases. Say there was a story about a 'companion doll' owned by a socially awkward young man that seems a little too life-like at times. Then it is revealed that when nobody else is watching, the doll turns into an actual young woman and they have sex. For the most part it would seem to be a NH story, but given the doll has the ability to turn into an anatomically correct human female, it isn't so clear.

 

[Bamagan]

What do you think the differences are?

Or how do you decide which category to put your story in?

For me, the distinction is mostly on whether or not the setting is a major component of the story. SF/F often involves drastically different worlds that require extensive explanation to make sense of. Authors engaged in world-building are usually at least trying to say something about the human condition in the broad sense: technology is good/evil, the law is for protecting the weak/punishing the guilty/a tool of the oppressors, and so on. While their stories might be character-driven to a great degree, whatever message they're trying to convey usually requires the context of the world and circumstances in which the characters are acting in order to be understood.
Stories in Non-human are more often focused on the relevant characters and their experiences, and that might be especially true in terms of non-human erotica. That's not to say the authors don't sometimes paint a broader picture of the world around the characters, but it's more likely to be the world as those characters perceive it, rather than the more neutral or authoritative way a SF/F author would probably employ for informing the reader of whatever 'truths' they need to know.
But if it's just a story about people with fur or pointy ears having sex, then yeah, it can go in either.

 

[Rob_Royale]

If the non-humans are having sex it's a non-human story. If they are just supporting characters it's sci-fi or fantasy. That's the way I see it.

 

[Britva415]

Non-Human is a kink category where the kink is the non-humanity of a character.

SF&F isn't kinkifying the non-humanity of a character, if there even is a non-human one at all.