Underage Characters In Erotic Stories

[Kasumi_Lee]

Way back in 2012, Laurel posted a clarification regarding the 18+ rule for stories. You can read the full post here, but the part that's relevant to this topic reads as follows:

For clarification and future reference: we do allow characters under the age of 18 in stories. What we don't allow are stories in which characters under the age of 18 are involved in sexual situations.

Obviously, this really only applies to longer narratives and not to stroke stories, but here's the topic question: have you, or would you, ever add(ed) underage characters to your stories?

For my part, I frequently dedicate whole scenes to female characters giving birth (one of the least sexual situations you can experience), and so the youngest individuals I've ever included in my stories have been literal newborn babies. Having said that, I've never included underage "characters" per se.

If anyone underage appears in my stories at all, it's solely to serve as props to show that the characters (the adults) have a family life and/or to showcase the results of the breeding/impregnation themes I include. Any children who appear in my stories seldom have names, rarely have dialogue, and never play an active role in driving the plot forward, hence they don't have the agency that would qualify them as characters. Agency is reserved for those aged 18+.

Final Clarifications:

Given the sensitive territory this topic occupies, let me be clear that the purpose of starting this discussion thread is NOT to see who's the "edgiest" in getting as close to the red line as possible. Rather, I'm interested in how other authors incorporate underage characters into their stories to enrich the narrative based on the assumption that everyone takes care to maintain a clear buffer between the narrative and the red line.

Let's also stay away from debating hypothetical "grey area" scenarios. Those might be interesting to debate, but ultimately they'll be decided by Laurel and Manu using their best subjective judgement, not by popular consensus among the authors, so bringing them up here would just muddy the waters.

I look forward to reading everyone's responses.

 

[SavannaT]

My characters have kids but they’re peripheral to the story so not a part of any vital scenes or exposition aside from.. oh she’s a mom, thats what she has at stake, her family, ok and now she has a bunch of guys treating her like a slut..

 

[StillStunned]

Whoa, déjà vu!

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Giving birth. Oddly enough, while utterly sexual in one sense, I actually think that one would fly past this site’s radar. Sexual, but hardly erotic.

 

[Bamagan]

To the extent that I have such characters, they're mostly in the background, like furniture in the main characters' lives. Perhaps even less important than their actual furniture, since the couch might actually be adjacent to the sex that happens.

 

[BuffysInsta]

Erotica isn't a porn movie. You can write young characters into the story and there's absolutely zero issue with having them in there as long as it's in non-sexual situations. We all know this is true. We also know (hopefully) that putting underage people in a sexual situation is wrong.

I don't know if this question/analysis is worth much, simply because the answers to it should be obvious to everyone.

 

[TheLobster]

Agency is reserved for those aged 18+.

This seems overly cautious to me, as it precludes some of the classic romantic plots you can see in other media.

His daughter misbehaves and the very pretty, very single female teacher wants to talk to him about it? Not possible.
A meet cute of two single parents that could only happen because they kids really wanted to go to the park that day? Nope, can't happen now.
Mom has to pick up her kid from the friend's home and she and the friend's dad exchange contacts behind their spouses' backs? Nope, LW trolls won't have their hackles raised by this one.

There are many such scenarios where kids can be the driving force of the plot, or at least that one nudge that's needed to make the plot happen.

 

[Kasumi_Lee]

Giving birth. Oddly enough, while utterly sexual in one sense, I actually think that one would fly past this site’s radar. Sexual, but hardly erotic.

Birth scenes are definitely fine. I would know since I have quite a few of them in my stories, and they last long enough that there's no way they'd pass under Laurel's and Manu's noses. They certainly have an inherently erotic undertone since it's the culmination of a sexual act, but as long as the birth itself isn't sexualized, you're fine.

The worst thing about birth scenes that I read in other stories (usually on Amazon) is the authors' inadequate understanding of the biology involved.

 

[Kasumi_Lee]

This seems overly cautious to me, as it precludes some of the classic romantic plots you can see in other media.

His daughter misbehaves and the very pretty, very single female teacher wants to talk to him about it? Not possible.
A meet cute of two single parents that could only happen because they kids really wanted to go to the park that day? Nope, can't happen now.
Mom has to pick up her kid from the friend's home and she and the friend's dad exchange contacts behind their spouses' backs? Nope, LW trolls won't have their hackles raised by this one.

There are many such scenarios where kids can be the driving force of the plot, or at least that one nudge that's needed to make the plot happen.

Part of my approach is due to an abundance of caution, but I can see myself writing stories like those, although I'd probably stick to my "no agency" approach for the aforementioned reason.

 

[Kasumi_Lee]

Erotica isn't a porn movie. You can write young characters into the story and there's absolutely zero issue with having them in there as long as it's in non-sexual situations. We all know this is true. We also know (hopefully) that putting underage people in a sexual situation is wrong.

I don't know if this question/analysis is worth much, simply because the answers to it should be obvious to everyone.

No offense, but all you've done here is reiterate the premise of my original post in which the question/analysis I posed to authors was: "have you, or would you, ever add(ed) underage characters to your stories?"

We're not discussing the rule itself or what it does or doesn't allow (for precisely the reasons you so astutely offered), we're discussing whether and how authors incorporate what is allowed into their stories.

 

[Voboy]

I don't put a lot of kids or underage adolescents into my stories, but when they're appropriate? In they go. They have names, agency, and dialogue if it serves the story.

They are "props," and necessarily so; when writing here, and writing to titillate, I have no interest in making them "main characters" or anything close to it. I've set many stories in high schools, where according to "Lit Canon" at least 75% of the student body are likely to be underage, and although I frequently mention younger characters, I often do so in order to establish the main character's over-18 status.

I set an early story in a daycare. The MMC's toddler was a significant character and made frequent appearances, but not when sexytime was happening.

On the whole? I've never found it difficult to maneuver around this requirement. I don't feel it's restricted me. Just don't put the kids near the spooge. Easy-peasy.

 

[Kasumi_Lee]

I don't put a lot of kids or underage adolescents into my stories, but when they're appropriate? In they go. They have names, agency, and dialogue if it serves the story.

They are "props," and necessarily so; when writing here, and writing to titillate, I have no interest in making them "main characters" or anything close to it. I've set many stories in high schools, where according to "Lit Canon" at least 75% of the student body are likely to be underage, and although I frequently mention younger characters, I often do so in order to establish the main character's over-18 status.

I set an early story in a daycare. The MMC's toddler was a significant character and made frequent appearances, but not when sexytime was happening.

On the whole? I've never found it difficult to maneuver around this requirement. I don't feel it's restricted me. Just don't put the kids near the spooge. Easy-peasy.

This is pretty much my approach, although most of my stories are set in suburban households. That certainly makes it easy to contrive excuses to keep the kids away from the adult activities (in their own bedrooms asleep, watching a cartoon movie, at school, at a sleepover, visiting their grandparents, etc.).

 

[Voboy]

This is pretty much my approach, although most of my stories are set in suburban households. That certainly makes it easy to contrive excuses to keep the kids away from the adult activities (in their own bedrooms asleep, watching a cartoon movie, at school, at a sleepover, visiting their grandparents, etc.).

Now that I think about it, there are a million and one babysitting stories on the site; MANY of them mention the kiddos, including lengthy interactions between them and the Ripe Young Sitter (TM) while the Intrigued Tortured Father (TM) looks on. Occasionally, the writers of those stories include plot points in which the ITF is actually MORE attracted to the RYS because she's good with their kid(s).

I've read more than one story with this dynamic, and it's never struck me as icky. Apparently, Laurel agrees with me.

I really think a lot of writers err too much on the side of caution on this issue, but I don't necessarily blame them.

 

[SimonDoom]

The under-18 rule doesn't preclude inclusion of kids in stories. It's perfectly OK to have an erotic story where a kid plays a major plot role, just as long as it's not an erotic role.

You have to apply what I call a "smell test." Interpret "erotic role" broadly and think expansively about whether somebody might, conceivably, think of the kid's role as erotic. If so, it doesn't pass the test. But otherwise, it should be fine.

 

[BuffysInsta]

No offense, but all you've done here is reiterate the premise of my original post in which the question/analysis I posed to authors was: "have you, or would you, ever add(ed) underage characters to your stories?"

We're not discussing the rule itself or what it does or doesn't allow (for precisely the reasons you so astutely offered), we're discussing whether and how authors incorporate what is allowed into their stories.

I guess I don't understand, then, because my answer is still the same. You incorporate them however you want, just not in a sexual manner. I don't know how or why this would be difficult to understand, and like I said, I don't find the question to be particularly interesting or reflective. If feels more like a troll post then anything.

 

[ElectricBlue]

My rule of thumb is to keep the kids at least five hundred words away from the adults having sex, and in another room or ideally out of the house with grandma.

I've had a child in a pram in a breastfeeding story, that scene set in a cafe and mum breastfeeds him; but when the adults get to it, the kid's not there.

I've got a fourteen year old pre-menarch girl in another story, getting almost swept away in a tidal wave. No sex there, and when there is, she's explicitly five years older and in the next chapter. That same story has several infants born and toddlers, one of whom bites a key character on the ankle, and he bleeds there for the rest of his life.

So yes, you can have children and teenagers, and it's easy not to sexualise them. I always flag them in a note to Laurel, and have never had a problem, other than a very early story where I hadn't figured out the rule properly, and in the end took the scene out. The rest of the story made a little less sense, but no-one noticed except me.

 

[feverdreamnine]

Now that I think about it, there are a million and one babysitting stories on the site; MANY of them mention the kiddos, including lengthy interactions between them and the Ripe Young Sitter (TM) while the Intrigued Tortured Father (TM) looks on. Occasionally, the writers of those stories include plot points in which the ITF is actually MORE attracted to the RYS because she's good with their kid(s).

I've read more than one story with this dynamic, and it's never struck me as icky. Apparently, Laurel agrees with me.

I really think a lot of writers err too much on the side of caution on this issue, but I don't necessarily blame them.

I’ve written a story in which a man is babysitting his friend’s four year old daughter, and the friend’s other daughter (over 18) develops a crush on him. It’s sort of implied that watching how well he treats her little sister is part of what attracts her to him. Of course the child is kept far from any sexual activity or descriptions.

I’ve had various half-thought out story ideas that I’ve never done anything with, two people who would normally not be likely to pair up, but somehow both end up taking care of young children, together. This leads to an opening up, maybe an emotional bond, that later becomes sexual. It could be a young man helping a female friend babysit, or a man and woman left in charge of a group of kids one night while on a group vacation. Maybe two parents chaperoning a field trip who flirt, and end up cheating with each other. It seems as if the shared responsibility of child care, together, opens up some opportunity to bond.

In general, I don’t see anything wrong with child characters kept clearly away from sexual activity. Children are a normal part of many people’s lives, and to describe those lives realistically, they’ll often be present.

 

[MillieDynamite]

I find underage characters challenging to use in erotic-centric stories. I've considered and dismissed the idea of a teen outing her father or mother as a liar and a cheat to the other parent. How'd they find out? Is just the knowledge that daddy's fracking the babysitter or mom's getting boned by the gardener enough for a rejection? How little can they be aware of what's going on and still be relevant to the tale?

 

[lovecraft68]

Topic of thread.

Under age.

Everybody drink!

 

[MelissaBaby]

I have included underaged characters in stories, in several cases as fully drawn characters. Most relevant to the issue is probably my Mary and Alvin series. It is a family saga that covers a period of approximately sixty years in the main characters lives.

There are several minors as characters in prominent roles. Alvin's grown daughters, Charlotte and Jennifer, are seen as children in flashbacks, and also as sexually active adults. Later in the series, I introduced two more child characters, Hannah and Bonita, as newborns, and they appear in further chapters throughout, also becoming sexually active characters as adults. It is important to note that there are no chapters in which any of them appeared both as children and in sexual situations.

At no point did I receive any complaints from Laurel about their inclusion. And it's not a matter of slipping under the radar somehow, multiple entries in the series were award nominees, and two were prize winners, so she must have been familiar with their content.

 

[NotWise]

I include under-age characters in my stories in non-sexual situations. Laurel has never had a problem with them.

Regarding child birth (which seems a little off topic), my wife regards it not just as a sexual experience, but as the most intense orgasmic experience.

 

[ChuckWolf]

This is an erotic story site, so I completely get why TPTB have blanket rules prohibiting/restricting underage characters in stories, so that people don't get themselves in trouble and so that the site doesn't get shut down.

I don't get why people are always trying to find loopholes for that decision.

 

[Voboy]

I completely get why TPTB have blanket rules prohibiting/restricting underage characters in stories...

...well, but they don't have such blanket rules. I think this thread is about discussing ways in which that kind of misunderstanding can be dispelled.

As you've seen through many peoples' comments above, there aren't really any "loopholes" required. Underage characters are just fine, if appropriate.

 

[MillieDynamite]

If you mean a blanket rule about minors not being present when others have sex, having sex or masturbating themselves, or having sexual thoughts, yes, that's banned. But their existence isn't banned or being used to move the plot isn't banned.

This is an erotic story site, so I completely get why TPTB have blanket rules prohibiting/restricting underage characters in stories, so that people don't get themselves in trouble and so that the site doesn't get shut down.

I don't get why people are always trying to find loopholes for that decision.

 

[Gamblnluck]

Obviously, this really only applies to longer narratives and not to stroke stories, but here's the topic question: have you, or would you, ever add(ed) underage characters to your stories?

My latest story Gotta Pay the Piper is a very long saga. In the latest parts, I have a woman with two teenage boys 14 and 15. They are crucial to my storyline because she cannot bring home a slave girl because of exposing the boys.
I even have the boys participate in some non sexual activities because they are part of the woman's family. I may have crossed some line because the boy's are thrilled to be handed a single beer after helping slaughter hogs and told it is a 'man-thing'. The boys are obviously thrilled to be included.