Survivor 26 - should we do it and how could we improve it?

[secretLace]

The title pretty much sums it up. I did survivor 25 as a salute to Boxlicker who did it last time. I wanted to revisit it and see if it was as fun as my memory told me. To a certain extent it was.

But lets look forward and dream about what next year could bring. I'm hosting it next year as well if the site will let me but I'm thinking about how we can change it and what would be a good change. this is where you "all" come in.

How could we improve the concept? The only thing set in stone is that you write stories all year and in the end you get awarded points for your effort. Would gamification and participation be something that would improve the "game" or just distract from it? Maybe both so you could do it either way?

Any ideas?

 

[talemestories]

Looking forward to trying this one out next year.

 

[secretLace]

Glad to hear that @talemestories

Any ideas of whaat you would like to see? Have you looked it over to get a view of what the friendly competition is about?

 

[secretLace]

I have reached out to Manu to see if we can get images turned on for this sub-forum so we can go more graphical. Always nice to have a more graphical UI for the little event

 

[talemestories]

Glad to hear that @talemestories

Any ideas of whaat you would like to see? Have you looked it over to get a view of what the friendly competition is about?

I am seeing it more as a personal challenge to write in many of the categories I might not have tried (other than novel which I will not be taking on yet). I hope to have a few more comments over the next couple of weeks as I probe more deeply.

 

[BryanRichardson]

I am almost certain to complete at least one story in every category this year. One will publish tomorrow and the other three remaining are all at least halfway done. Once those are done I’ll only have two story sparks missing from the Bingo card, so I might even finish that.

I’m planning to do it again next year, but I’m not going to try as hard. Certain categories are just too hard for me to write in.

I did like the bingo card, but even with those bonuses I’m not likely to be able to get any second level points.

 

[dirk2024]

I have reached out to Manu to see if we can get images turned on for this sub-forum so we can go more graphical. Always nice to have a more graphical UI for the little event

A leader board might be an interesting thing to have.

 

[BryanRichardson]

A leader board might be an interesting thing to have.

There is a written leader board:

https://forum.literotica.com/threads/survivor-25-official-scoreboard-and-immunities-board.1625490/

I would like to be able to update the bingo card where other people can see it…

 

[BryanRichardson]

Dirk - you’ve written stories in five different categories, that is an already 15 points. If any of them were in contests you would even get bonus points.

If you join this years Survivor challenge you would already be in 4th or 5th place. Maybe better if you can get additional stories out by the end of the year…

 

[Aoife_from_Ulster]

Just pipping in my two cents, though I am not skilled in some genres, I am going to try the 2026 Survivor challenge. @BryanRichardson, you have convinced me to at least give it a shot.

My question, and forgive me, but if we post for another contest or challenge, does that count, or do we submit for dual categories?

Thanks

 

[BryanRichardson]

Just pipping in my two cents, though I am not skilled in some genres, I am going to try the 2026 Survivor challenge. @BryanRichardson, you have convinced me to at least give it a shot.

My question, and forgive me, but if we post for another contest or challenge, does that count, or do we submit for dual categories?

Thanks

You post in whatever category you want for the contests and challenges. When you go to the score card you get bonus points for each contest/challenge in addition to the points for the story.

You can see my scorecard at:
https://forum.literotica.com/threads/survivor-25-scorecard-bryanrichardson.1630523/

Because I am posting my story names in the scorecard it got too large and I had to split it up, so the bonus points are further down the thread.

 

[Aoife_from_Ulster]

You post in whatever category you want for the contests and challenges. When you go to the score card you get bonus points for each contest/challenge in addition to the points for the story.

You can see my scorecard at:
https://forum.literotica.com/threads/survivor-25-scorecard-bryanrichardson.1630523/

Because I am posting my story names in the scorecard it got too large and I had to split it up, so the bonus points are further down the thread.

Okay thanks my friend. So I just write and enjoy and strain about those categories I have not yet attempted

 

[secretLace]

As brian said. You get normal points for the category and then the contest bonus on top.

Glad you want to oin us Aoife, we are a happy little group here in the Survivor 25 challenge. We callenge ourselves mostly.

Welcome

 

[secretLace]

I’m thinking of replacing the Immunities with some sort of currency or point system that you can spend on different things. One idea is that you could use the currency to unlock categories, similar to how Immunities work today.

But I’m also wondering: do we even want a “lock” on categories so that you can pass them and move on next year? Or should the new system work differently altogether?

If we introduce a currency, what else could you spend it on besides unlocking categories? Maybe there are other small advantages or quality-of-life perks we could add — something that makes the system a bit more flexible without making it complicated.

 

[talemestories]

How about just a 'run what you brung' kind of plan?

Write what you can without all the extras?

Or you could set up a 'ten categories before you can add extras in favourite categories' type of rule. Right now, I am tripled up in a few just because that's what I write but I am only seven deep in categories.

I think the contest piece is a good addition though and really makes folks focus on getting an entry in. Might be tough for some each month but if you choose a different category for each contest, it might spread things out nicely. Perhaps you can only score points if you enter contests in different categories?

There's likely some categories I am not going to do, cough cough novel cough, but if it comes down to the essence of things, it might be better.

Newb here so take these thoughts with the grain of salt for sure.

 

[Aoife_from_Ulster]

So by my count, and again I am a Survivor Virgin, there are 26 Categories, someone please correct me if I am wrong.

I love the idea of a "rule" that before you are awarded "X" additional points, for same categories, you must submit to "X" number of categories. Ten seems a large number but it is less than half the categories. I doubt I do an Audio, Chain Stories, or an Illustrated. The vast majority of my stories are Lesbian but I am stretching myself and truly trying.

Would you consider a rule that stories must be over again, "X" number of words? Nothing silly but a minimum of 3,000 words? Could the exception to the rule be the 750-Word Challenge

 

[BryanRichardson]

Aoife - there are 37 categories if you count the 4 poetry. The audio and illustrated categories are presently optional categories because of the technical challenges with those. So that leaves “only” 34.

Talemestories - the way it works now you can only get the 6th point in a category once you have written in each category, the only way to get the 7th point is to have already written four stories in every category. Now that is a challenge.

Tale - I know what you mean. For this year the only non-optional category I’ve got left is Novellas, and I’m at about 8.5k words of the 15 to qualify. I’ll get it done, but it will actually be work.

 

[Aoife_from_Ulster]

Aoife - there are 37 categories if you count the 4 poetry. The audio and illustrated categories are presently optional categories because of the technical challenges with those. So that leaves “only” 34.

Talemestories - the way it works now you can only get the 6th point in a category once you have written in each category, the only way to get the 7th point is to have already written four stories in every category. Now that is a challenge.

Tale - I know what you mean. For this year the only non-optional category I’ve got left is Novellas, and I’m at about 8.5k words of the 15 to qualify. I’ll get it done, but it will actually be work.

Goodness 37! I need to go back to the main homepage and find all of them.

I started myself a list of one I want to challenge myself with

 

[BryanRichardson]

Goodness 37! I need to go back to the main homepage and find all of them.

I started myself a list of one I want to challenge myself with

Yeah, maybe avoid Loving Wives. Based on what I think I know about you I don’t think you would do well in that category…

 

[BryanRichardson]

You can see a blank copy of this years score card at:

https://forum.literotica.com/threads/survivor-25-scoreboard-secretlace.1625489/

Feel free to join for this year and backfill everything you’ve done. Remember the bonus points for contests and competitions!

 

[Aoife_from_Ulster]

Yeah, maybe avoid Loving Wives. Based on what I think I know about you I don’t think you would do well in that category…

Hey I love my wife!!!! Why can’t an lesbian author wrote a Loving Wives story?

Now you are spurring me on my friend.

 

[BryanRichardson]

I didn’t say you couldn’t write in that category, just that I think it will be hard for you to do well there. Despite the category description if the cheating wife isnt left destroyed and destitute the readers dont tend to like it much.

Given that I think your stories tend to be longer romantic female positive stories it could be a challenge for you to write something that is well received there.

I will read whatever you write for it, though! (Even though i think you will make me cry again.)

 

[Aoife_from_Ulster]

I didn’t say you couldn’t write in that category, just that I think it will be hard for you to do well there. Despite the category description if the cheating wife isnt left destroyed and destitute the readers dont tend to like it much.

Given that I think your stories tend to be longer romantic female positive stories it could be a challenge for you to write something that is well received there.

I will read whatever you write for it, though! (Even though i think you will make me cry again.)

Ohh my friend I can’t wait to spread my wings and try so many new categories.

And I have just the protagonist in mind to leav e her destroyed and destitute … homeless even, thrown from the house you get the idea but yes, this author challenge will really stretch my past writing.

And I truly thank you for you and others reading my smutty or loving stories.

Ohh!! 2026 is going to be a fun year

 

[talemestories]

I didn’t say you couldn’t write in that category, just that I think it will be hard for you to do well there.

Perhaps a special award for more negative comments about a story? That would be awesome as long as it isn't for wrong category or missssssspellings or similar.

 

[secretLace]

I have actually written a series for Loving wives and back then i thought the category actually was about loving wives

But it has been received pretty well for a story about a wife who loves her husband.
https://www.literotica.com/s/love-muscle-pt-01