The underage line

[LaRascasse]

I know this question pops up every few weeks or so, but my story idea has a grey area.

No one under 18 has any sex. The two main characters are in their mid-30s in the present, but the story also focuses on one pivotal year in their lives from when they were kids. A shared experience they had back in 2002 when they were 12/13. The story structure focuses mainly on the present with a few flashbacks to 2002 to give the present some context. However, any sexual activity or even love between them is set only in the present.

Does it seem like something that would raise an eyebrow? Either from Laurel or from a reader.

 

[RejectReality]

Shouldn't be an issue. I've had things such as a character leaving flowers for another the last time they were at a location together when they were both underage. I've had underage characters share a kiss in a flashback.

There just can't be the slightest hint of sexual content depicted between or within sight/hearing of underage people. A chaste kiss is about as far as you can go without getting bounced. If the girl getting kissed is in a bikini and you say that, it's probably going to get bounced.

 

[SimonDoom]

There's no way to answer for sure without specifics, but it doesn't sound like a problem if the experience that's narrated is not sexual in nature -- doesn't involve actual sex, sexual activity, sexual fantasizing, voyeurism, etc.

 

[KeithD]

I know this question pops up every few weeks or so, but my story idea has a grey area.

No one under 18 has any sex. The two main characters are in their mid-30s in the present, but the story also focuses on one pivotal year in their lives from when they were kids. A shared experience they had back in 2002 when they were 12/13. The story structure focuses mainly on the present with a few flashbacks to 2002 to give the present some context. However, any sexual activity or even love between them is set only in the present.

Does it seem like something that would raise an eyebrow? Either from Laurel or from a reader.

Depends on the content of that "shared experience." You don't say.

 

[MelissaBaby]

I know this question pops up every few weeks or so, but my story idea has a grey area.

No one under 18 has any sex. The two main characters are in their mid-30s in the present, but the story also focuses on one pivotal year in their lives from when they were kids. A shared experience they had back in 2002 when they were 12/13. The story structure focuses mainly on the present with a few flashbacks to 2002 to give the present some context. However, any sexual activity or even love between them is set only in the present.

Does it seem like something that would raise an eyebrow? Either from Laurel or from a reader.

In my Mary and Alvin series, I introduced the second generation of characters, wrote them as children, teens and finally adults. In the adult chapters they were sexually active. One character began a sexual relationship with someone she had met as a child.

I didn't have any problems with it, and, if you are not including sexuality around the characters as children, I doubt you will either.

 

[jaF0]

Playing Doctor, playing House, any kind of peeking, peeping, touchy-feely, show me yours and I'll show you mine, skinny dipping, even accidental, watching Mom, Dad, siblings, neighbors .... ... NOPE.

 

[Salacious_Scribe]

Recently a stry was rejected because an underage character had an erection that was noticed by classmates and people in the class pointed and laughed. That is not allowed per lit's current underage policy.

Not just sex but anything sex adjacent.

 

[Jamie_and_Lisa]

"Sex adjacent" is an incredibly nebulous concept. If a story is rejected the "boilerplate" doesn't specify which line or passage was considered taboo.

We wrote a 9000+ word story that was rejected as being underage. There is nothing REMOTELY underage in the story as we see it. (Obviously our opinion isn't the only one.) Two published authors at Lit read the story as rejected the best they could come up with was that the two MCs dated as teenagers. (Establishing a close long term relationship between the MCs and their families.)

The only specific thing that was stated as to what happened on any date was at a dinner with both extended families present. A younger sibling said the two MCs should get married. (The problem removing these passages is they point to the hypocritical positions later taken. Had the two families been strangers the future conflict between them would be less inexplicable.)

That's funny, because all of the married people we know find nothing "sex adjacent" about marriage.

 

[Jamie_and_Lisa]

In my Mary and Alvin series, I introduced the second generation of characters, wrote them as children, teens and finally adults. In the adult chapters they were sexually active. One character began a sexual relationship with someone she had met as a child.

I didn't have any problems with it, and, if you are not including sexuality around the characters as children, I doubt you will either.

As young parents IRL, a prevalent theme in our home for many years was "hiding from the kids." No, not in a closet or the basement, but finding time and excuses to have private "adult" time with one another. Structurally we think it WOULD be a GREAT theme, probably a FAMILIAR one to many. But adult characters having discussions with friends, teenaged baby sitters and grandparents to have "free time" is simply not permitted.

 

[Bramblethorn]

I know this question pops up every few weeks or so, but my story idea has a grey area.

No one under 18 has any sex. The two main characters are in their mid-30s in the present, but the story also focuses on one pivotal year in their lives from when they were kids. A shared experience they had back in 2002 when they were 12/13. The story structure focuses mainly on the present with a few flashbacks to 2002 to give the present some context. However, any sexual activity or even love between them is set only in the present.

Does it seem like something that would raise an eyebrow? Either from Laurel or from a reader.

Shouldn't do, though I would include a note to forestall accidental rejection from e.g. Laurel skim-reading "thirteen years old".

I know you've read the first chapter of Anjali's Red Scarf, which starts out when Anjali is about sixteen. I had no problems there.

 

[gunhilltrain]

"Sex adjacent" is an incredibly nebulous concept. If a story is rejected the "boilerplate" doesn't specify which line or passage was considered taboo.

We wrote a 9000+ word story that was rejected as being underage. There is nothing REMOTELY underage in the story as we see it. (Obviously our opinion isn't the only one.) Two published authors at Lit read the story as rejected the best they could come up with was that the two MCs dated as teenagers. (Establishing a close long term relationship between the MCs and their families.)

The only specific thing that was stated as to what happened on any date was at a dinner with both extended families present. A younger sibling said the two MCs should get married. (The problem removing these passages is they point to the hypocritical positions later taken. Had the two families been strangers the future conflict between them would be less inexplicable.)

That's funny, because all of the married people we know find nothing "sex adjacent" about marriage.

I mentioned that's why I joined another site where is the age of consent is - well, several years less than here. I had a story - not yet finished - about the sexual experiences of two teenagers who would be underage by the standards of Literotica. Rather than chafe against the rules here - I respect their right to set rules as they see fit - I found another place to put it.

I also have the advantage of a different audience. I already have five stories there, only one of which is a duplicate of one published on Lit.

 

[KeithD]

I mentioned that's why I joined another site where is the age of consent is - well, several years less than here. I had a story - not yet finished - about the sexual experiences of two teenagers who would be underage by the standards of Literotica. Rather than chafe against the rules here - I respect their right to set rules as they see fit - I found another place to put it.

I also have the advantage of a different audience. I already have five stories there, only one of which is a duplicate of one published on Lit.

Yeah, if under 18 is important to my story (keeping in view that it wouldn't be an impediment in the mainstream where I also write), I just post it elsewhere.

 

[Jamie_and_Lisa]

Yeah, if under 18 is important to my story (keeping in view that it wouldn't be an impediment in the mainstream where I also write), I just post it elsewhere.

See, the problem isn't driving the speed limit. It's getting a ticket for doing 33 in a 35 zone when we can point out others going 40.

 

[KeithD]

See, the problem isn't driving the speed limit. It's getting a ticket for doing 33 in a 35 zone when we can point out others going 40.

I think there's entirely too much sticking one's nose in others' business on the discussion board. I just stick with my own story file and am happy with what I can post here. If I can't post it here and I wrote it, I can find somewhere else to post it (and/or offer it for sale. You'd be surprised what you can make off something you can't post here). That's no reason to rail about what I can't post here--or what anyone else manages to get through.

 

[Jamie_and_Lisa]

I think there's entirely too much sticking one's nose in others' business on the discussion board. I just stick with my own story file and am happy with what I can post here. If I can't post it here and I wrote it, I can find somewhere else to post it (and/or offer it for sale. You'd be surprised what you can make off something you can't post here). That's no reason to rail about what I can't post here--or what anyone else manages to get through.

We aren't jealous. We don't care if people have Lamborghinis or Porches. We don't really care if they drive too fast in their Lamborghinis or Porches as long as they don't run us over. We grew up on a farm and 'beast' IOurHO is about as far from sexy as you can get. But NEWSFLASH two goats having sex with each other isn't beast.

We don't care that there is a story about a 12-year-old prostitute here (still up at 7:30 pm today). But it chafes that we can't say that a 16 or 17-year-old girl thinks about getting married. We don't really care that there are 1,000 rape stories or a story about a couple from the middle east who subject their underaged daughter to FGM (it's all fiction - right).

We aren't 'tattle-tales' but that one violates both the 'snuff/mutilation' and 'under 18' rules. (At least it's not gender-biased, there is a penectomy story up here too. We aren't guys but that sounds like 'mutilation.') The part where they then threw him overboard in shark-infested waters wasn't graphic. Maybe he swam to shore and got medical attention but sharks can smell blood for miles. Good thing he was fictional.

But we can't write stories (even mildly fictionalized ones) about Lisa putting wintergreen oil (the stuff in Ben-gay) on Jamie's clit 40 years ago. (It wasn't 'snuff/mutilation' we checked - said clit worked just fine last evening.) Or about Jamie and George surprising Lisa, tying her up and having sex with her. (CNC maybe, but definitely not rape) In the story - and in RL - pleasure was definitely delivered.

No, it's not censorship. The owners of this site can have any rule they wish. (Or no rules or wildly inconsistently enforced rules.) We have many stories up in many places, with apologies to a much better author than we are, we know that we are Louis L'Amour and not William Shakespeare. But don't tell us that the pee is a warm rain.

 

[KeithD]

Save yourself some grief. Don't read the stories or worry about them. Leave the worry to the Web site. Frees a lot of time to write stories.