Category Hierarchy?

[Tx Tall Tales]

Is there a category hierarchy?

For instance, any hint of incest would seem to trump any other themes your story might have. Once family is involved, it's Incest.

Good example is Neuro Submission Transmitter, which is clearly a mind-control story, but because of family members is relegated to Incest.

Gay Male would seem a candidate to be another, but I've seen BDSM stories with gay actions. Does BDSM trump Gay? Or does it have to be exclusively Gay. No stories in that category, so hard for me to judge.

At what point does a threesome or foursome become Group Sex.

I have a mind-control story that begs the question - when does it stop being mind-control and become incest/mature/group sex or whatever else is going on?

Your thoughts, observations?

 

[Darkniciad]

I don't think there's any universal hierarchy. A few things stand out as trumps, though. You've already brought up two of them: Incest and GM. Both of those seem to trigger violent reactions when mixed into a lot of other categories. I would imagine that Transgender would fall into the same level of trump.

I assume that the one you mention is entirely family-based couplings resulting from mind control. In that case, the incest is probably as much a central theme as the mind control, and going with the squickier of the two categories is probably the best choice.

Multiple partner couplings don't really trump it into Group Sex, because the mind control ( I assume ) is the central reason for those couplings. Catching up a cougar in your mental net shouldn't shift it to Mature, and deflowering a sheltered Catholic school girl shouldn't shift it to First Time.

It's all about primary themes. What is the center of the story? When you're branching out into varied couplings, it can be difficult to categorize. Mind control should really be one of the easier ones to take advantage of, though. It doesn't necessarily imply any specific sexual coupling, only that it takes place due to some mental coercion.

I'm rambling, but the point is that you have to look at the story you've written. There's no way to carve ground rules for a hierarchy in stone.

 

[Tx Tall Tales]

Admitted it's hard to see where the categorization divides especially with longer stories that can cover so much territory.

I've had the Literotica editors change my category a few times. Don't remember the specifics right now, but I remember it happening. That's one of the things that brought the 'hierarchy' to mind.

I know that one story I wrote years ago, Our First Swing, was categorized as group sex - basically a wife swapping story. The same exact story retold from the wife's POV, Our First Swing: Sheri's POV, was recategorized by the editors at Loving Wives.

Any similar experiences?

 

[Darkniciad]

I've only had one story re-categorized ( in my third pen name ) and it turned out to be quite the happy experience. I discovered an untapped resource of enthusiastic ( and generous with the votes ) readers that very similar stories in the same name hadn't enjoyed.

Easily double the votes/views on average above sticking them in Erotic Couplings, where I'd tossed the previous ones for lack of any better idea *laugh*

 

[Boxlicker101]

I think Celebrity tops anything. If I were to write a story about the Kardashian sisters having an affair, it would go in the Celeb category. That way, they can preface it with the disclaimer.

 

[Tx Tall Tales]

I think Celebrity tops anything. If I were to write a story about the Kardashian sisters having an affair, it would go in the Celeb category. That way, they can preface it with the disclaimer.

Hadn't thought of that. I bet you're right. A story with celebrity twins getting it on would still be Celebrity - not incest/taboo.

 

[Darkniciad]

That slipped my mind. Celebrity is a near absolute trump. The Virtual Reality chain required us to put the entire disclaimer from the Celebrity section at the beginning of each story in order for it to be in the Chain Stories category.

 

[Boxlicker101]

That slipped my mind. Celebrity is a near absolute trump. The Virtual Reality chain required us to put the entire disclaimer from the Celebrity section at the beginning of each story in order for it to be in the Chain Stories category.

I wonder if celebrity would trump Novels and Novellas. If I were to write a 10,000 word story about sex with Paris Hilton, for instance, and submit it to N & N, I wonder if it would be posted to that category or would it go to Celebrity. I believe N & N would trump anything else, if a story is posted to it.

If I were to write a long story about incest and classify it as N & N, I think it would be posted to that category, but I'm not sure.

 

[bronzeage]

I had this dilemma when I posted Lesbian Schoolgirl Enema Bondage. It ended up in fetish/taboo. When someone gets a hose up the ass, it doesn't who or why.

 

[Weird Harold]

Is there a category hierarchy?

It's known as The Rule of Least Squick but it isn't a hard and fast hierarchy.

Basically a story goes in the category that will offend the fewest people. The same scene that gets one story moved from Erotic Couplings to Incest/Taboo might not get a story moved from Mind Control or BDSM.

Celebrity is a special case because it is legal concerns rather than 'squick factor" that put that category at the top of the heap.

Erotic Couplings is the "bottom of the heap" because it's the catch-all category for authors who can't decide on a more specific category. I think most editorial changes to categories are from Erotic Couplings -- and mostly for non-squick reasons. If a story gets moved from any other category, it is almost certainly a 'Least Squick' judgement call.

Other than moves to Celebrity, editorial changes are negotiable -- if you've got a good argument for the original category you chose, PM laurel.

 

[Stella_Omega]

I wonder if celebrity would trump Novels and Novellas. If I were to write a 10,000 word story about sex with Paris Hilton, for instance, and submit it to N & N, I wonder if it would be posted to that category or would it go to Celebrity. I believe N & N would trump anything else, if a story is posted to it.

If I were to write a long story about incest and classify it as N & N, I think it would be posted to that category, but I'm not sure.

10,000 words about Paris Hilton? Could you find that much to say about her?

seriously, I think it would still go into celebrity.

 

[theravenfox]

Well, Text With Audio only goes one place, unless it's audio poetry.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

Well, Text With Audio only goes one place, unless it's audio poetry.

Yep, there's another category that trumps. Although what if it's an audio story about the two celebrity sisters having sex??

 

[sr71plt]

Although what if it's an audio story about the two celebrity sisters having sex??

It goes directly to YouTube, I think.

 

[jomar]

It goes directly to YouTube, I think.

...

 

[theravenfox]

Yep, there's another category that trumps. Although what if it's an audio story about the two celebrity sisters having sex??

PLOT BUNNY!

 

[Tx Tall Tales]

Let's see if I have this right...


Special Purpose Categories - non transferrable

Non-English - if it's not English, it has nowhere else to go

Celebrity Trumps all else - pesky disclaimer

How-To hasn't been discussed, but I imagine it pretty much trumps everything else. Maybe it should be first?

Humor & Satire - Another interesting one. Another high level trump card?

Chain Stories - what can you get away with in here?

Special Format Categories

Audio Trumps all - if it's voice it's categorized
- possible exception of celebrity, because of disclaimer

Illustrated Next
- If it has pictures, it's in there

Poetry
- of course. What about illustrated or voice poetry? Still in poetry?

Letter and Transcripts
- again, format trumps content

The "Your guess is as good as mine" Category

Novels & Novellas
- As a deliberate 'non-categorized' best guess is if you classify it that way it stays

Squick Factor

- Next, following Weird Harold's 'squick factor' (and I admit I take his opinion as gospel more often than not)

Fetish, Incest/Taboo, BDSM and Transexuals/Crossdressers would seem to have high 'squick' factors, trumping most others, if not each other.

I'm guessing Incest, Gay Male, Lesbian Sex, and Interracial Love might be next, but don't quote me on that.

As for the rest, you've got me... With the understanding that Erotic coupling is probably the catchall at the bottom.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

It goes directly to YouTube, I think.

Bwah!

 

[Weird Harold]

- Next, following Weird Harold's 'squick factor' (and I admit I take his opinion as gospel more often than not)

Fetish, Incest/Taboo, BDSM and Transexuals/Crossdressers would seem to have high 'squick' factors, trumping most others, if not each other.

I'm guessing Incest, Gay Male, Lesbian Sex, and Interracial Love might be next, but don't quote me on that.

You missed Nonconsent/Reluctant -- a graphic rape scene in an otherwise romantic novel can get a story recategorized, but the exact same graphic rape scene in a BDSM or Erotic Horror epic usually won't (but it might.)

Nonhuman also draws some 'squick factor' categorization; non-fans of 'Furries' don't care much how romantic their story might be or how much furries might like being tied up, so stories about 'furries' go to non-human over any other content.

FWIW, sometimes it works the other way, too; a particularly sacarin romantic nonconsent or BDSM themed story might be deemed to "mushy" for fans of nonconsent or bdsm and be banished to the Romance category.

The whole question of which category to choose or which category trumps others is highly subjective and can hinge on one scene or on the "average" of multiple possible categories. The question isn't which category outranks which, it is which fans would be least offended by the ratio of out-of-category content.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

So what I get from this is that my current passion/story which is written as a Diary would go in Letters and Transcripts? It will contain a lot of one on one, group, lesbian, interracial, some bondage, but written as a young woman's diary.

Let's see if I have this right...


Special Purpose Categories - non transferrable

Non-English - if it's not English, it has nowhere else to go

Celebrity Trumps all else - pesky disclaimer

How-To hasn't been discussed, but I imagine it pretty much trumps everything else. Maybe it should be first?

Humor & Satire - Another interesting one. Another high level trump card?

Chain Stories - what can you get away with in here?

Special Format Categories

Audio Trumps all - if it's voice it's categorized
- possible exception of celebrity, because of disclaimer

Illustrated Next
- If it has pictures, it's in there

Poetry
- of course. What about illustrated or voice poetry? Still in poetry?

Letter and Transcripts
- again, format trumps content

The "Your guess is as good as mine" Category

Novels & Novellas
- As a deliberate 'non-categorized' best guess is if you classify it that way it stays

Squick Factor

- Next, following Weird Harold's 'squick factor' (and I admit I take his opinion as gospel more often than not)

Fetish, Incest/Taboo, BDSM and Transexuals/Crossdressers would seem to have high 'squick' factors, trumping most others, if not each other.

I'm guessing Incest, Gay Male, Lesbian Sex, and Interracial Love might be next, but don't quote me on that.

As for the rest, you've got me... With the understanding that Erotic coupling is probably the catchall at the bottom.

 

[Darkniciad]

So what I get from this is that my current passion/story which is written as a Diary would go in Letters and Transcripts? It will contain a lot of one on one, group, lesbian, interracial, some bondage, but written as a young woman's diary.

That makes sense to me. It eliminates the problem of dealing with complainers in cats like lesbian where they don't want certain appendages to appear anywhere within the work.

Probably not going to get read very much, though. L&T is a bit of a reader wasteland.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

That makes sense to me. It eliminates the problem of dealing with complainers in cats like lesbian where they don't want certain appendages to appear anywhere within the work.

Probably not going to get read very much, though. L&T is a bit of a reader wasteland.

My feelings too, although I once posted a letter there and received some good feedback. Oh, well I'm 50,000 words into this thing might as well keep going and started posting parts. It's unfortunate this young lady is so prolific she hasn't even gotten past the first three months in this diary which is #25 and she's only 30 years old.

 

[Darkniciad]

My feelings too, although I once posted a letter there and received some good feedback. Oh, well I'm 50,000 words into this thing might as well keep going and started posting parts. It's unfortunate this young lady is so prolific she hasn't even gotten past the first three months in this diary which is #25 and she's only 30 years old.

Never know. A series of diary entries that are hot enough might help turn the poor category around

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Never know. A series of diary entries that are hot enough might help turn the poor category around

Never can tell, but the complete (if there ever is one) series will be made into an eBook so the finished item will never be posted here. Just bits and pieces.

 

[Weird Harold]

So what I get from this is that my current passion/story which is written as a Diary would go in Letters and Transcripts? It will contain a lot of one on one, group, lesbian, interracial, some bondage, but written as a young woman's diary.

That makes sense to me. It eliminates the problem of dealing with complainers in cats like lesbian where they don't want certain appendages to appear anywhere within the work.

Probably not going to get read very much, though. L&T is a bit of a reader wasteland.

L&T exists because that particular style of storytelling isn't terribly popular with readers and a separate category means low vote counts are more likely than low vote scores -- which that style of storytelling tends to accumulate in the more content oriented categories.

If an author doesn't mind the negative comments on the format there's no reason a diary entry couldn't be posted in a category appropriate to the content rather than be banished because of a style choice. Some diary/letter format stories do quite well in content oriented categories because the "diarist" is a good first-person storyteller; other diary/letter format stories tank badly because they're just poorly told stories and would be in any style/format.

If the diary element is limited mostly to the opening and closing sentences of each diary entry, then the content is driving the story of a first-person narrator and the story should go into the appropriate content-category.

OTOH, If the diary element is the driving theme of the story -- lots of asides, interuptions, gaps in the timeline, etc -- then it is a Letters and Transcripts story and should go where fans of that format hang out and non-fans of that format won't trash the scores.