Category Discussion

Typo Fu Master

"Uncommon"
Joined
May 30, 2005
Posts
3,647
Probably done to death, but something I've noticed when visiting various fora around Lit, is the dominance of some categories over others. Incest is a favorite topic, it seems. And I rarely see anyone with anything to say about Erotic Horror, or Non-consent/Reluctance. I have yet to see anything at all concerning some of the other categories, yet it's obvious people write about them, in some cases in large numbers.

Is there nothing more to say about these topics? Is it just the taboo nature of certain subjects that makes them more interesting to explore? Why are some subjects discussed to the point of numbness, and other sensitive areas largely left alone?
 
Maybe it's that there's no limit, especially in the erotic horror category. The only boundaries that particular category has is the author's imagination. Non-con is more or less avoided because there are quite a few here that have had to deal with the real thing and the aftereffects. Or at least that's what i've gathered.

Romance is another that doesn't get much discussion. Maybe because that's one that everybody is supposed to know the formula for. Who knows?
 
There was considerable discussion of Erotic Horror when that category was first introduced.

I wrote two of the first stories for that category but they are low rated because they were either not erotic, or not horror and one 'Donna' was described, 'not horror but horrible...'

Erotic Horror gets a boost each year from the Halloween Contest.

Og
 
I sometimes wonder if catagory discussion is limited on some catagories because what the catagory actually should contain is rather uncertain or extremely wide. Pulling one from the air..Gay Male. Yes, you'd think that was easy, but what about Gay Male with incest? Or Gay Male with Erotic Horror? Or Nonconsent, or Romance, or....you get the idea? What exactly does Gay Male include, and does it supercede other catagories (in other words, if you've got two guys doin' it, does anything else about the story matter in considering the catagory? Does the orientation of characters take precedent over any other story considerations when chosing a catagory?)

And, of course, I think several people here have run into "catagory purists" who feel this story or that doesn't belong in a particular catagory because said purists have an unofficial definition of what the catagory is. Rather territorial, some Lit readers.
 
malachiteink said:
I sometimes wonder if catagory discussion is limited on some catagories because what the catagory actually should contain is rather uncertain or extremely wide. Pulling one from the air..Gay Male. Yes, you'd think that was easy, but what about Gay Male with incest? Or Gay Male with Erotic Horror? Or Nonconsent, or Romance, or....you get the idea? What exactly does Gay Male include, and does it supercede other catagories (in other words, if you've got two guys doin' it, does anything else about the story matter in considering the catagory? Does the orientation of characters take precedent over any other story considerations when chosing a catagory?)

And, of course, I think several people here have run into "catagory purists" who feel this story or that doesn't belong in a particular catagory because said purists have an unofficial definition of what the catagory is. Rather territorial, some Lit readers.


I would argue that all the categories have broad definitions of what could be included, some more than others. To take your example though, what about the 'Gay Male' category is any different than a discussion of the 'Incest' category? Both are not mainstream topics and in fact, Gay Male should actually be shown more tolerance since it's not nearly as taboo as incest. Yet I frequently see incest threads over in 'Story Ideas'.

Regarding Non-consent/Reluctance, I understand how it could be a sensitive subject. It's arguably the most taboo topic of all.
 
Typo Fu Master said:
I would argue that all the categories have broad definitions of what could be included, some more than others. To take your example though, what about the 'Gay Male' category is any different than a discussion of the 'Incest' category? Both are not mainstream topics and in fact, Gay Male should actually be shown more tolerance since it's not nearly as taboo as incest. Yet I frequently see incest threads over in 'Story Ideas'.

Regarding Non-consent/Reluctance, I understand how it could be a sensitive subject. It's arguably the most taboo topic of all.


Um....that's kinda what I was saying. :D My point was, definitions are SO broad, yet some people have very specific ideas about what is and isn't properly posted there, which makes discussion unappealing. Thus, no discussion.

And it's only a theory.
 
malachiteink said:
Um....that's kinda what I was saying. :D My point was, definitions are SO broad, yet some people have very specific ideas about what is and isn't properly posted there, which makes discussion unappealing. Thus, no discussion.

And it's only a theory.

Ooops. Sorry, I misinterpreted your post.
 
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