Age Restriction

[glanglais]

Ah, but you are putting up a stink. And it's as tiresome as that put up by all those who have done so before you.

But I'm NOT putting up a stink! I've clearly stated that I do not write underage stories -- contrary to your scurrilously unfounded innuendo -- that I have no intention of posting them here, and that I believe that it is a fair and just rule!

"Methinks thou dost protest too much!"

 

[sr71plt]

Well, that's just precious. Can't wait for your next round of "the Web site is stupid, but I'm not protesting."

 

[glanglais]

Aw -- I'm just razzin' ya, buddy! I love reading your stuff!

I was tossing a coin wondering if it would be you or Howard Johnson who replied to me.

>> Talk about dropping in on the forum going high speed and
>> taking "I wanna be king of the mountain" potshots

Yeah -- you're hilarious! [DD

You should write a book!

 

[Bramblethorn]

Even if he was over 18, he could still live with his guardian while he went to college, worked, whatever. After all, if the story is set in a contemporary setting, plenty of people are still living with parents post-college and all.

And they will NEVER LEAVE. Not that I'm bitter or anything. I just want our spare room back. *sob*

Jeez -- even Jodi Foster did "The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane". You can do an underage relationship which which is integeral to the story yet doesn't pander to the pedophilic sickos.

I'm not arguing for it one way or the other, as I don't believe that "freedom of speech" gives anyone the freedom to say whatever stupid thing falls out of their mouths. I just think that it's a little arbitrary.

Yes, it is. There's nothing magical about living 6,574 days (+/- 1 depending on timing of leap years, +/-1 depending on time zones) that suddenly turns a child into an adult who's mentally competent to drink/drive/vote/have sex/etc (details varying by jurisdiction). I don't think all sex involving under-18s is exploitative, nor all stories about those experiences.

Unfortunately, sometimes in life you just gotta draw arbitrary lines. It isn't feasible for the mod/s to do an in-depth evaluation of every individual story and judge whether this might be one of the acceptable under-18 ones. If you've gotta pick an arbitrary line, 18 seems like a reasonable place to put it.

FWIW, the rule is not quite "no sex under 18", it's more "no explicit sex under 18". So if it's important for the story to establish that a character was sexually active before 18 you can do that, you just have to be careful about how you present it. My rule of thumb is "is this something anybody is likely to fap to?"

 

[glanglais]

I agree!

Oh -- and ROFL on that last bit!

 

[sr71plt]

You should write a book!

Or maybe a 100.

 

[sr71plt]

And they will NEVER LEAVE. Not that I'm bitter or anything. I just want our spare room back. *sob*

I found the secret to that one. While they were still in college, we moved to Europe. Didn't return until they had jobs and homes of their own.

 

[glanglais]

What -- that's it? We're toning it down a notch? Calmness prevails? Group hug time?

I'm curious; are/were you really a Blackbird pilot or is it just a moniker?

 

[sr71plt]

What -- that's it? We're toning it down a notch? Calmness prevails? Group hug time?

I'm curious; are/were you really a Blackbird pilot or is it just a moniker?

And I'm wondering if you are Richard's alt. (but not wondering much)

 

[glanglais]

No -- I'm serious! Blackbird pilot is, like, an uber-cool job! It's just one of those ultra-rare, elite-of-the-elite jobs and it would be really cool to tell my friends that I actually have chatted with one.

 

[glanglais]

RICHARD! That's his name! I thought it was Howard or Lyndon or something. I've seen you and he tag-teaming other members.

 

[sr71plt]

Not likely. But a nice try at tracks covering.

 

[glanglais]

Do me a favour -- when you compare notes with RBJ, take a selfie of your face for me when you look back on this day.


To help you remember, I'll share an amusing little anecdote.

Staples had a sale on DVD cake-boxes one week and I needed a couple hundred, so I went in. It was a pretty good sale and there were none left on the shelf. I like to stock up during the sales so I snagged a wandering staff member and asked if they had any more.

She said, "That's computers; you'll have to talk to Leslie... right over there!"

So I thanked her and went in the direction that she pointed, but the only person in that part of the store was this 17 year-old young man.

I say he was a young man, but... well, you'll see.

So I asked him, "Can you tell me where Leslie is?"

He said, "I'm Leslie."

Now; I stand 6'2" 205# and this guy had at least 60# on me and stood more than a head above me!

Also, I knew a guy in elementary school named Leslie! He went by the name of "Les" and when I made the mistake of calling him "Leslie" in front of a couple of guys he kicked the shit out of me.

So I bit my tongue! I didn't say nothing!

I told him my problem -- no 100 packs of DVD+R's on the shelf.

He says, "Uh... there might be some in the overhead. Let me get a ladder."

I couldn't help it. I asked, "You need a ladder?!"

He just smiled, shook his head, then nodded and said, "Yeah. Safety rules."

Well, maybe you had to be there. It was a lot funnier from my point of view at the time. I guess I should have said "pointless little anecdote".

No DVD+R's.

When I asked he told me he was 7'4".

I wonder what kinda car he drives.

 

[slyc_willie]

Well, now, that wasn't at all familiar OR telling . . .

 

[glanglais]

"James" is the guy I was thinking of! Not "Richard".

So who the heck is "Richard"?

 

[patientlee]

When I asked he told me he was 7'4".

I wonder what kinda car he drives.

A convertible.

 

[sr71plt]

I'm still laughing over the concept that JBJ and I are a tag team.

Richard/glan certainly is a newbie here who hasn't wasted any time looking around before jumping in.

 

[PennLady]

Oh -- the old "they can do whatever they want even if it's a stupid reason because it's a private business, so you can just go elsewhere" schtick. [ I was reading that tired old saw on BBS's back in the 80's. I would have expected an author to come up with something a little more imaginative thirty years later...

This right here could be construed as ... arguing the point. And it's not a stupid reason. It's their reason and they're entitled to it.

I just think it's kind-of funny. Most people start thinking about sex around puberty and are experimenting in some way shortly after that. But I understand that there are a lot of restrictions on pornog... adult erotica materials in the U.S. specifically to prevent abuse and exploitation.

Yes, there are, and it's arguable how effective any of it is, but people are trying. No one here is blind to the fact that sex usually starts before 18. And as others have said, you can have mentions of it, just not graphic descriptions of it (e.e., "I had sex in high school" or "I lost my virginity at fourteen."). I also agree that not every sex scene with an 18yo in it is an attempt to skirt the rules. I did it in one of my stories (Facing the Past).

 

[Cruel2BKind]

Jeez -- even Jodi Foster did "The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane". You can do an underage relationship which which is integeral to the story yet doesn't pander to the pedophilic sickos.

It's quite a good movie, with a very believable underage love story.

But even in that movie, thirteen-year-old Jodie's nude scene was doubled with her 20-year-old sister.

 

[JKendallDane]

I also agree that not every sex scene with an 18yo in it is an attempt to skirt the rules.

I would certainly hope not, otherwise there would be a huge believabilty hole in both straight and gay first-time stories and in many of the young gay romance tales.

My last series started off with the two man characters being high school juniors and had no problem satisfying Laurel by making them both 18 due to different circumstances in their lives.

 

[Darkniciad]

I typically go for first year college when I write an 18 yr. old. Most often, I go the community college route, which presents pretty much all the same options as having them in high school. There's no believability gap in the character living at home in that situation, if you need that dynamic.

Eliminates the specific pitfall this thread is addressing.

 

[RichardBacula]

I typically go for first year college when I write an 18 yr. old. Most often, I go the community college route, which presents pretty much all the same options as having them in high school. There's no believability gap in the character living at home in that situation, if you need that dynamic.

Eliminates the specific pitfall this thread is addressing.

Not a bad way to do things, though I don't see any real necessity to it.
There's a certain dynamic in high school that isn't the same in college, even community college.

A lot of times, early sex stories are coming of age stories. They can happen after high school graduation, but there are times when it's not as effective, simply because graduation itself is a coming of age event.

 

[Darkniciad]

The 18+ rule pushes any coming of age story to the edge of believability. It can be done, but your options are severely limited.

The moment you need to set something in high school, you're dancing on the line, and the story is probably best suited for some other venue. Trying to post it here is going to require sticking to a set of circumstances at the edge of believability, or risking the very real possibility of being rejected or reported after the fact and the story being pulled.

Lit is simply not the place for coming of age stories for the most part.

 

[sethp]

High school students are fine as long as you state in the story that they are 18. It's also believable...there are 18 year old seniors and there were a few in my graduating class.

 

[Cruel2BKind]

I think virginity-in-college stories are believable, but I'm biased.

I lost my virginity in college.