On Story Scores

[Darkniciad]

*Sigh* It has nothing to do with the category being "soft" or the readers of other categories being "more discerning".

First, Sci-Fi & Fantasy and Non Human are both dominated by multi-chapter stories. The chapter effect is well known. Views and votes steadily descend, while scores steadily ascend ( until reaching equilibrium, and final chapters often jump )

Second, the smaller readership is simply not prone to trolls of the LW variety, who take the stories too seriously and are incapable of distinguishing fantasy from reality. The very nature of the category makes that pretty much impossible.

When someone does start bombing stories to move a favorite up the list, the smaller number of votes involved make the low scores stand out, and they're swept. The lower vote totals also make trolls think their work is done quicker, as the story rapidly falls to where they want it. A sweep then puts it right back where it was, and by then, the voter has probably been blacklisted, and subsequent trolling it pointless.

Third, the readership is quite open-minded. There are few categories where you can mix such a wide range of fetishes and couplings without severe penalty. So long as they're warned in advance, the readers don't blast you for springing an M/M scene on them, throwing in some watersports, making a left turn into incest, tossing in some BDSM, or something of that nature. They simply don't read the story, or skip that portion, rather than going to the end and low voting, as is common in most categories on the site. It's even fairly common when the readers aren't warned in advance. They simply reach the portion they don't like, cringe, and click the back button, as opposed to going to the end, leaving a low vote, and a nasty comment.

Horror doesn't enjoy these advantages for three reasons, despite having a similar readership size, vote totals, etc.

First, true horror fans are quick to blast what they don't like. That brings the scores down, and makes troll votes stand out less when that sweep comes around.

Second, those fans are in a head-to-head contest with the "sexy vampire" crowd, and whenever camps start congealing in a category, the natural by-products are trolls from both camps. Again, lowering the overall scores and making malicious 1-votes stand out less when the Hoover comes around.

Finally, the category has a far higher percentage of 1-shot stories, as opposed to chapters that are subject to the rise in scores common on multi-chapter stories.

If you look at the concentration of multi-chapter vs. 1-shot and concentration of "camps" by looking at the comments on the stories, it quickly becomes apparent why each category scores as it does. Those are the two primary factors of scoring on Literotica.

The final piece of the puzzle is author assassination, either by defying a category camp repeatedly, or by pissing off someone with a lack of scruples on the forum who will low vote everything with the author's name from that point forward, and bring along a crowd of friends who will do the same.

Even when these votes are swept, they lower the profile of the author, creating a smaller readership that can offset the low votes.

 

[lovecraft68]

Second, the smaller readership is simply not prone to trolls of the LW variety, who take the stories too seriously and are incapable of distinguishing fantasy from reality. The very nature of the category makes that pretty much impossible.

This is what makes it a soft category. It does not matter why it is soft, the point is that it is. The absence of trolls is a great advantage. as to why there are no trolls well that is open to guessing. But it simply is so.

 

[Darkniciad]

The problem is, that's not how you defined "soft".

You defined it as the readership not voting anything less than a 5, implying that they'll 5 vote every story, no matter the quality, and reinforcing it by saying that the readerships of other categories are "more discerning" because the scores are lower.

If you want to change your definition to a lack of trolls, I'll certainly accept that definition of "soft".

 

[lovecraft68]

The problem is, that's not how you defined "soft".

You defined it as the readership not voting anything less than a 5, implying that they'll 5 vote every story, no matter the quality, and reinforcing it by saying that the readerships of other categories are "more discerning" because the scores are lower.

If you want to change your definition to a lack of trolls, I'll certainly accept that definition of "soft".

Well for the record, just as you were saying (and I agree) that erotic horror is a tougher voting crowd, as is from what I have seen BDSM, then why can;t a category have an easy to please crowd? Honestly, I have said many times that the incest crowd is easier to please so why not NH as well?

I think they have a lot of the twilight/underworld type of audience and if it has fangs and shapeshifts they are lapping it up. Just as the incest fans get hard when you substitute a woman's name for "mom" or "sis"

You really are awfully defensive about that category.

 

[PennLady]

Well for the record, just as you were saying (and I agree) that erotic horror is a tougher voting crowd, as is from what I have seen BDSM, then why can;t a category have an easy to please crowd? Honestly, I have said many times that the incest crowd is easier to please so why not NH as well?

I think they have a lot of the twilight/underworld type of audience and if it has fangs and shapeshifts they are lapping it up. Just as the incest fans get hard when you substitute a woman's name for "mom" or "sis"

You really are awfully defensive about that category.

I think it's a bit of apples and oranges, though. In LW, Incest and even BDSM, the stories just by their nature and content are challenging a lot of societal norms. Not saying those norms are right or not, just that people are brought up with a lot of preconceptions about love, sex, relationships, etc.

A couple of major ones are that you don't cheat on your spouse, and you don't have sex with family members, especially immediate ones. So you will have the trolls who vote low and post comments like "You're so sick!" in those categories.

And of course there are a lot of people who think BDSM is sick and twisted as well.

In NH -- and romance and often EC -- you are not (usually) challenging those norms. Or, if you are, there are usually different ground rules for it. For example, in a lot of werewolf stories, the packs are written as very sexually open, so essentially, people sleep around until they pair off with no ill effects. You couldn't do that in a "human" story. So there's not the same impetus for people to complain.

I don't think Dark's being defensive, and neither am I. But I do think you're being pretty dismissive of the genre and its fans.

I have to state that I have not read or seen any of the Twilight books or movies, nor have I seen a complete "Underworld" movie. So not all of us who read nonhuman like the same things.

 

[Darkniciad]

You think I'm being defensive, and I think your derogatory opinions about my preferred categories and the readership are offensive, so I guess it's up to the observers to decide who actually knows what they're talking about.

 

[KatieTay]

this thread caught my interest because of the reference to tvtropes.

i rate this thread 8.8

 

[Etaski]

Well for the record, just as you were saying (and I agree) that erotic horror is a tougher voting crowd, as is from what I have seen BDSM, then why can;t a category have an easy to please crowd? Honestly, I have said many times that the incest crowd is easier to please so why not NH as well?

I think they have a lot of the twilight/underworld type of audience and if it has fangs and shapeshifts they are lapping it up. Just as the incest fans get hard when you substitute a woman's name for "mom" or "sis"

You really are awfully defensive about that category.

Mr. lovecraft68, first let me say that generally I've enjoyed your recent posts that I've read as they stimulate discussion and are a firm point of view. I have interest in what you say.

However, I'll second Darkniciad that he has some very good points objecting to your general statements and his thoughts as an "insider" of the genre are actually clarifying, not defensive.

In fact, your post above: I agree with it 100%. I'm losing my once-existing respect for the "Non-human" category with the constant "pop culture" Team Edward or Team Jacob references. They're boring as hell.

But I agree with you because "Non-human" and "Sci-Fi/Fantasy" are actually 2 entirely different categories on Literotica.

The basic difference?

"Non-human" takes place on Earth, often in the modern setting but not necessarily. Humans as we know it and supernatural critters mix.

Sci-Fi/Fantasy takes place somewhere other than Earth; whole settings and realities are created from the ground up; and those that make the effort to make this new world clear to the reader are rewarded by more loyal readers.

Sci-Fi/Fantasy readers (I'm not talking about the Twilight/Underground crowd--that's Earth With Nerfed Spooks) for decades have long been appreciative and even discerning of a good fantastic story set entirely elsewhere, even off Literotica. And these same readers have had sexual fantasies growing up with them (Oh, "Heavy Metal," how I love thee! ) that often turn into stories on this and other sites.

Why aren't there more trolls in Sci-Fi? .....maybe they don't want to put forth the effort to read about a different world where the assumptions change? Hell, I dunno. Kind of nice, though. If that's easy-to-please... well, I think there's more to it than that.

 

[CWatson]

Why aren't there more trolls in Sci-Fi? .....maybe they don't want to put forth the effort to read about a different world where the assumptions change? Hell, I dunno. Kind of nice, though. If that's easy-to-please... well, I think there's more to it than that.

My guess is that it has more to do with the readership of spec-fiction. Because of the levels of unreality, not to mention withheld information, we are (and perhaps need to be) a bit more cerebral and harder to goad into knee-jerk emotional reactions; we hold our thoughts in abeyance because we know we don't know the whole story yet. That's all a troll is about: eliciting an emotional reaction. Trying to do that to a community of readers who are good at stepping back and thinking first is kind of a dumb move.

</blatant stereotyping>

 

[lovecraft68]

I think it's a bit of apples and oranges, though. In LW, Incest and even BDSM, the stories just by their nature and content are challenging a lot of societal norms. Not saying those norms are right or not, just that people are brought up with a lot of preconceptions about love, sex, relationships, etc.

A couple of major ones are that you don't cheat on your spouse, and you don't have sex with family members, especially immediate ones. So you will have the trolls who vote low and post comments like "You're so sick!" in those categories.

And of course there are a lot of people who think BDSM is sick and twisted as well.

In NH -- and romance and often EC -- you are not (usually) challenging those norms. Or, if you are, there are usually different ground rules for it. For example, in a lot of werewolf stories, the packs are written as very sexually open, so essentially, people sleep around until they pair off with no ill effects. You couldn't do that in a "human" story. So there's not the same impetus for people to complain.

I don't think Dark's being defensive, and neither am I. But I do think you're being pretty dismissive of the genre and its fans.

I have to state that I have not read or seen any of the Twilight books or movies, nor have I seen a complete "Underworld" movie. So not all of us who read nonhuman like the same things.

See I agree with you. Many categories have inherent taboos that many do not like. Now for me, and I'm sure many authors who know the work involved in writing, we do not troll and one vote.

Lit does a fairly good job with separating categories and trying to make sure readers do not "blunder" into things. The average person will not go into a category they do not like.

But then we get to trolls who will pop into incest and bdsm and bomb it because it is "wrong" LW is full of revenge trolls and even interracial has some racist haters.

Now for whatever reason NH does not seem to attract the trolls. I'm not sure why, I would think in some of the stories there would be reason to. Not so much the vampire stories, but some stories featuring animal like creatures I could see some people saying it's sick.

But so far so good for them. I really can not find a better term than soft. They are an easy to please group of readers. They want their fix and they feel the majority of those stories deliver it and well. I use the expression soft to describe my own readers in incest and for my own voting tendencies as I would rather just not vote then leave a one bomb even if I thought the story stunk.

This is simple semantics. If you can provide me with a better word, than I will use it. In the meantime if a category is not trolled, and has, as Dark pointed out, high chapter series, then the scores to me are inflated. It is the opposite of LW where even the best written stories can have scores in the 3's.

I don;t feel I'm attacking anything. To me these are facts, and I am even diminishing my own scores by saying I think the incest category is soft as well. I mean it does get trolled, but I think there are so many incest readers and they are so happy to be indulging their fantasies that they vote higher than the norm, less discerning as I said.

 

[lovecraft68]

Mr. lovecraft68, first let me say that generally I've enjoyed your recent posts that I've read as they stimulate discussion and are a firm point of view. I have interest in what you say.

However, I'll second Darkniciad that he has some very good points objecting to your general statements and his thoughts as an "insider" of the genre are actually clarifying, not defensive.

In fact, your post above: I agree with it 100%. I'm losing my once-existing respect for the "Non-human" category with the constant "pop culture" Team Edward or Team Jacob references. They're boring as hell.

But I agree with you because "Non-human" and "Sci-Fi/Fantasy" are actually 2 entirely different categories on Literotica.

The basic difference?

"Non-human" takes place on Earth, often in the modern setting but not necessarily. Humans as we know it and supernatural critters mix.

Sci-Fi/Fantasy takes place somewhere other than Earth; whole settings and realities are created from the ground up; and those that make the effort to make this new world clear to the reader are rewarded by more loyal readers.

Sci-Fi/Fantasy readers (I'm not talking about the Twilight/Underground crowd--that's Earth With Nerfed Spooks) for decades have long been appreciative and even discerning of a good fantastic story set entirely elsewhere, even off Literotica. And these same readers have had sexual fantasies growing up with them (Oh, "Heavy Metal," how I love thee! ) that often turn into stories on this and other sites.

Why aren't there more trolls in Sci-Fi? .....maybe they don't want to put forth the effort to read about a different world where the assumptions change? Hell, I dunno. Kind of nice, though. If that's easy-to-please... well, I think there's more to it than that.

Ahh yes Heavy Metal magazine! Not sure how old you are, but I remember when I was a younger that magazine was considered pretty much adult and hard to get. I bought a collection of magazines when I had my store and found 40 issues of HM and kept them for myself.

Well it does seem like you agree with most of what I am saying. The pop culture has watered down what was, and still is if done right some, good story lines.

I'll say it again and I guess continue to be offensive. I think NH has a lot of those fans. I think a lot of The Twilight type crowd is over there.

Let me ask a question? How discerning is the Twilight crowd? Ohhh a werewolf!! Sexy! It's not the authors fault they get these people, in fact it's a benefit as proved by their success in the monthly contests.

And I am not even really sure why Dark is ticked on this. WE agree completely that EH is a tougher crowd, because they no exactly what they want. Hence, more discerning.

And I am getting a little tired of the "insider" thing. Lit is not the entire world. I have been a die hard horror fan since a small child and still am. I just don't prefer it mixed with erotica (I keep all my vices separate) Hell 20 years ago I published several horror stories, and still enjoy writing them on the side. I've also spent a lifetime studying the occult.

So yes opinions vary, but I have no interest in hearing about insiders and experts on a porn site.

I admit I have never been or am now, a sci-fi fan. Having spent years in the comic industry I have met more than my share of die hards, but really would not know good from bad in sci-fi stories or what their audience is here on lit.

I would imagine them to be more interested in story lines and writing, similar to the romance crowd(another fairly high scoring cat from what I can see). Aside from that I have no idea except it does very well here.

Right now Non Human is still kind of new, a spin off of the horror genre. And right now is pop culture driven and that effect has trickled here.

 

[PennLady]

Let me ask a question? How discerning is the Twilight crowd? Ohhh a werewolf!! Sexy! It's not the authors fault they get these people, in fact it's a benefit as proved by their success in the monthly contests.

What does that matter? Seriously? I'm sure in every genre there are serious and not-so-serious fans. Just because there are a lot of people who squeal over Edward or what's-his-name doesn't mean that there isn't good nonhuman stuff out there. It also doesn't mean there aren't others, like me, who look for more in a story like that.

I think what's getting me here is the constant reference to the "Twilight crowd," as though everyone who reads NH is a member. Like I said before, I haven't read or seen Twilight and don't have much intention of doing so, so I'm not part of that crowd. I've read a few things that have put me off it, I'm not a big YA fan, and I like my characters to be grown-ups, not teens.

Right now Non Human is still kind of new, a spin off of the horror genre. And right now is pop culture driven and that effect has trickled here.

Again, so what? Just because something has caught the zeitgeist, or become a pop-culture phenomenon, doesn't mean that all of it is bad, or that all consumers of it have no discernment.

 

[Ironiclaconic]

The majority of categories on lit are targeted toward a particular kink. Write an incest story and the readers will open it with certain expectations that their kink will be satisfied.

But there are a set of categories that aren't about kink, but are instead about literary genre: romance and sci-fi certainly. Non-human is a hybrid (appropriately). Its a sub-genre of sci-fi, but it does cater to specific kink.

I think it's perfectly understandable that those categories will attract different readers who approach each story with different patterns of expectations.

I am not super comfortable crediting or defaming a category's readership when expectations are so important. People get weird when their experience is different than they expected.

 

[Darkniciad]

The point of being an "insider" is that the discussion is about LIT stories, the readers, and the scores.

You continually make uninformed, highly insulting remarks about the authors and readers of the categories you don't like, eventually backpedal or water down your absurd statements when you're called on it by people who know what they're talking about, and pull out the "defensive" card as a way to say you won the argument anyway.

At which point you jump into another topic and start right back in with the same uninformed insults all over again.

 

[lovecraft68]

What does that matter? Seriously? I'm sure in every genre there are serious and not-so-serious fans. Just because there are a lot of people who squeal over Edward or what's-his-name doesn't mean that there isn't good nonhuman stuff out there. It also doesn't mean there aren't others, like me, who look for more in a story like that.

I think what's getting me here is the constant reference to the "Twilight crowd," as though everyone who reads NH is a member. Like I said before, I haven't read or seen Twilight and don't have much intention of doing so, so I'm not part of that crowd. I've read a few things that have put me off it, I'm not a big YA fan, and I like my characters to be grown-ups, not teens.



Again, so what? Just because something has caught the zeitgeist, or become a pop-culture phenomenon, doesn't mean that all of it is bad, or that all consumers of it have no discernment.

As for the category being new and the twilight crowd, every thing goes though its phases. And right now the average person says Vampire, Twilight is coming to mind. They are also the majority for the moment. And the majority rules every market. You don;t think there are authors on this site creating "formula" stories to capitalize?

Right now an authors best shot at a contest win, especially a monthly, is a non human story, preferably chapter. That is right now.

I will be curious to see where the category is when Twilight fades, as every trend ultimately does, and NH is left with its core, or "true" followers.

You have heard the expression band wagon I'm sure? That's what is riding NH right now. Of course there are people like you who are not in it for a particular trend, but many are. You will be there when they are gone.

It is just like sports. Oh, there are Patriot fans everywhere. Where were they when we were 1-15 in the early 90's and were the joke of the NFL. KNow where they were? Right where they will be when Brady retires and they suck again. But for now half the seats are filled with corporate hotshots and band wagon pink hat fans. Everyone backs a winner.

NH is riding the trend right now whether you and Dark are or not. AS I said difference is when it is not cool to read or write vampire stories you guys will still be around.

 

[lovecraft68]

The point of being an "insider" is that the discussion is about LIT stories, the readers, and the scores.

You continually make uninformed, highly insulting remarks about the authors and readers of the categories you don't like, eventually backpedal or water down your absurd statements when you're called on it by people who know what they're talking about, and pull out the "defensive" card as a way to say you won the argument anyway.

At which point you jump into another topic and start right back in with the same uninformed insults all over again.

It is a soft category riding a popular trend. Pure and simple. Is that back pedaling to you? Sorry if you think that diminishes things, but it is true. Everything in literature, music and movies is about what's hot right now, right now this stuff is hot, and the authors are benefiting.

Like any other trend it will pass and the "purists" will be left. When that happened the scores will drop, because there won't be so many "oh wow, vampires!" fans giving automatic 5's

Okay, know what? do this, because I know you can probably figure out a way to do it.

Divide NH up. Take the werewolf/vampire stories and put them on one side.

Then take everything else that's out there and see if there is a score differential. I am going to hazard the guess that the Twilight style stories are going to score much higher for mass appeal.

And see my post to Penn Lady, I understand your feelings in the sense of you don't want to feel your work is not up to standard because a bunch of bubble gum popsters are high voting everything there.

It's like being a true fan of a suddenly successful sports team, and watching all the band wagoners celebrate like they been there since day one. As long as I know I've been there since day one that's all that matters.

True question here is why do you care so much what I think? There are a couple of other posters agreeing that that category is soft, get on them.

I'm only talking numbers and trends. Sorry it affects your sense of insecurity.

 

[Darkniciad]

*laugh* There you go again. Now I'm "insecure"?

I'm not arguing with anyone about the category scoring higher. Never have. I've also never had a problem agreeing that the chapter effect gives multi-part stories an unfair advantage. I even proposed a gameplan to level the playing field a year or two back without penalizing authors who choose to write multi-chapter stories.

I have a problem with what you say because you're forever equating the non-human category with beastiality and blanket insulting all the authors and readers. You only water it down when you're called on it, just like you're doing now.

Even your insistence on painting the whole werewolf/vampire readership as mindless pop culture drones is off base. If you bother to look, you'll see that many of these authors write in other genres, and carry large portions of that fanbase with them without a single bloodsucker or shapeshifter.

If it was all about "OMG! Vampires and werewolves!" that would never happen.

For someone who writes BDSM and has experience in real life, you sure do ignore how much the pack dynamics and domination/submission has to do with the appeal of the genre.

 

[TxRad]

*laugh* There you go again. Now I'm "insecure"?

I'm not arguing with anyone about the category scoring higher. Never have. I've also never had a problem agreeing that the chapter effect gives multi-part stories an unfair advantage. I even proposed a gameplan to level the playing field a year or two back without penalizing authors who choose to write multi-chapter stories.

I have a problem with what you say because you're forever equating the non-human category with beastiality and blanket insulting all the authors and readers. You only water it down when you're called on it, just like you're doing now.

Even your insistence on painting the whole werewolf/vampire readership as mindless pop culture drones is off base. If you bother to look, you'll see that many of these authors write in other genres, and carry large portions of that fanbase with them without a single bloodsucker or shapeshifter.

If it was all about "OMG! Vampires and werewolves!" that would never happen.

For someone who writes BDSM and has experience in real life, you sure do ignore how much the pack dynamics and domination/submission has to do with the appeal of the genre.

I wondered when that was going to come up.

 

[lovecraft68]

*laugh* There you go again. Now I'm "insecure"?

I'm not arguing with anyone about the category scoring higher. Never have. I've also never had a problem agreeing that the chapter effect gives multi-part stories an unfair advantage. I even proposed a gameplan to level the playing field a year or two back without penalizing authors who choose to write multi-chapter stories.

I have a problem with what you say because you're forever equating the non-human category with beastiality and blanket insulting all the authors and readers. You only water it down when you're called on it, just like you're doing now.

Even your insistence on painting the whole werewolf/vampire readership as mindless pop culture drones is off base. If you bother to look, you'll see that many of these authors write in other genres, and carry large portions of that fanbase with them without a single bloodsucker or shapeshifter.

If it was all about "OMG! Vampires and werewolves!" that would never happen.

For someone who writes BDSM and has experience in real life, you sure do ignore how much the pack dynamics and domination/submission has to do with the appeal of the genre.

And I'm sure their stories in other genre's are lower scoring.

You are not seeing this right. Or I'm bad at explaining it. This has nothing to do with the authors and their talent level. It has nothing to do with subject matter except for the fact that when something gains mainstream popularity it trickles down into everything, including this site.

There are people who have enjoyed this genre for a long time, and I am sure have more discerning tastes. There are authors like Jaz Cullen who have pioneered it her and will continue to write them when the mainstream popularity fades.

But you're deluding yourself if you don;t think that there are a bunch of "new" readers/voters who will eat anything up, and authors who are simply copying the good ones

You said in the contest that you deliberately went with anything you could think of that is hot to the incest crowd, to get a great score and new readers Etc.

Okay, take it further, you're an author looking to get out there write in a hot category, you see NH winning contests, getting freat scores, you're not going to go for it? Maybe you have been writing there for awhile, but many have not.

Your taking this personally and there is no reason to. The category is at it's peak pure and simple, and the scoring reflects that. When a team is winning it can do no wrong (like the sox) then the wheels fall off and now it all sucks (bye FRancona)

And for the BDSM pack leader mentality crack? Oh please. First off, I understand the appeal of the sexy vampire or sheer animal magnetism of a werewolf. I also understand pack mentality as far as a leader and it's lemmings. Some authors/ directors set a tone with this and now their followers are legion and drinking any kool aid poured to them

And from life experience I am very familiar with it. I am the pack leader. The one who stands there and says what I feel and then sits there while the Jackals come lining up.

Aside from that lame attempt to annoy me. Let's get back to trolling.

Why do people troll? several reason, but mostly something offends them. They don;t get BDSM so it's wrong. Incest is pretty sick so they hit that, anything the weird Moral, yet reading on a porn site, crowd thinks is sick gets whacked.

Okay let's say you're one of these moral prigs. There are stories in NH where you have things like Minotaurs fucking women, women having sex with unicorns, animal like creatures etc.

So okay, you don;t think that is sick enough to these people to draw one bombs? I would think so, yet nothing. Interesting. I'd ask you to explain it, but your guess would not be much better than mine. My one theory is that maybe some people assume these are non erotic "monster stories"

Whatever. I don;t want to argue with you the day before Christmas.

A Merry, and safe, happy and healthy, Christmas to you and yours Dark.

 

[CarlusMagnus]

I've been pretty busy lately, and just stumbled on this thread.

I like CWatson's analysis, and after the holiday rush is over may offer my own, of a somewhat different flavor—and probably as an essay or how-to.

I just thought I'd remark that this thread about scores sure has grown quickly for being about a topic that so many people deny any personal interest in.

And before anyone takes offense, I'll point out that I'm contributing to it, too.

 

[scouries]

It’s interesting to discuss category scores etc., in the abstract but I always find it helpful to look at actual figures. Find below the percent of stories by category that received RED H’s over the last 30 days and the median score by category over the last 30 days.

The most interesting thing about the numbers in my opinion is how they’ve changed since owlwhisper’s groundbreaking study back in 2008. The gap has widened! Two thirds of NH/SF stories now receive red H’s! Triple the number of Incest ones that do! Four to five times the number of Group, Lesbian, BDSM, First, EC. Mature, etc., etc., do!

Of course the apologists for the NH/SFers always have some lame excuses. The bottom line is that it’s almost impossible not to have your story rated over 4.50 in those categories given the ballot box stuffing, clique voting and teeny bopper marketing employed by these people.​

LITEROTICA STORY SCORES

Percent that received RED H’s - Last 30 days

Category

Non Human 68.9
Sci-Fi 65.3
Novels 58.2
Romance 50.4
Gay 36.9
Incest 23.2
Group 19.2
Lesbian 18.2
BDSM 18.1
Erotic Coupling 15.2
First Time 14.3
Erotic Horror 14.3
Mature 13.7
Non Consent 13.5
Fetish 13.4
Anal 8.7
Loving Wives 2.7

LITEROTICA STORY SCORES

MEDIAN SCORE last 30 days

Category

Non Human 4.62
Sci-Fi 4.61
Novels 4.56
Romance 4.50
Gay 4.35
Incest 4.27
Group 4.16
Lesbian 4.25
BDSM 4.22
Erotic Couple 4.11
First Time 4.25
Erotic Horror 4.00
Mature 4.22
Non Consent 4.02
Fetish 3.98
Anal 3.92
Loving Wives 3.56

 

[Darkniciad]

I already explained the trolls. If you read the commentary, it's plain as day that they have an issue with fantasy vs. reality. Going into a category that is reserved for fantasy holds nothing for them.

Combine that with short attention spans and a category dominated by long stories, and you have your answer.

That wasn't a jab. It was a simple observation, which you've now explained. You dismiss it as yet another element of what you consider mindless pop culture, and thus ignore it.

You'll have to pardon me if the acknowledgement of Jaz makes me roll my eyes. You've been tossing Jaz's name around like a racial slur since your earliest posts.

You've done an excellent job of explaining yourself. You think the categories are crap filled with authors who are hacks, and a readership comprised of brainless drones. In your eyes, they're unworthy of recognition at best, and should be banned in a perfect world. You make that abundantly clear every time you walk into a new topic with the same blanket vitriol that you end up backing away from when you're called on it.

If you want a jab, here's one. Ask yourself who has an opinion that most closely resembles your own, and consider the content of his character.

EDIT: Speak of the devil...

 

[Etaski]

Ahh yes Heavy Metal magazine! Not sure how old you are, but I remember when I was a younger that magazine was considered pretty much adult and hard to get. I bought a collection of magazines when I had my store and found 40 issues of HM and kept them for myself.

Young enough to have completely missed the stories that inspired the Heavy Metal movie in 1981, but old enough to have found some back issues at a correct time in puberty to get my imagination fired up.

Well it does seem like you agree with most of what I am saying. The pop culture has watered down what was, and still is if done right some, good story lines.

I'll say it again and I guess continue to be offensive. I think NH has a lot of those fans. I think a lot of The Twilight type crowd is over there.

Let me ask a question? How discerning is the Twilight crowd? Ohhh a werewolf!! Sexy! It's not the authors fault they get these people, in fact it's a benefit as proved by their success in the monthly contests.

The Twilight crowd is not discerning; they're kids, and yes, they watered down a couple iconic creatures...

And when I recently returned to Literotica after a long break, and I found the explosion of "NonHuman" stories that only reminded me of the current fad...I sort of sighed and started looking around elsewhere. Sci-Fi, on the other hand, is holding up better from what I've read. It seems to me it's not quite the same reason for the higher average stores as with Non-Human. Or maybe I'm just hoping.

I admit I have never been or am now, a sci-fi fan. Having spent years in the comic industry I have met more than my share of die hards, but really would not know good from bad in sci-fi stories or what their audience is here on lit.

Fair enough. I will let go of the point I was trying to make, as it really does not matter in light of what you've said.

I would imagine them to be more interested in story lines and writing, similar to the romance crowd(another fairly high scoring cat from what I can see). Aside from that I have no idea except it does very well here.

That's good enough for me.

Happy Winter Solstice!

 

[TxRad]

I won't quote scouries crap because that is what it is.

Scouries, do us and yourself a favor and actually read some of the stories you are shooting your mouth off over. No they are not incest so you're going to have to suck it up and actually concentrate.

You took off originally in incest with your first incarnation, Sarahhhh because you figured the large number of views and votes would hide your cheating ways. Plus you figured you could manipulate the younger crowd that read and still do read there. Everything else to you is nonsense. There is no way any category could outdo your beloved incest.

Sorry Charlie but you're wrong and have been all along. It takes a good story with good characters, a plot and some believable sex to make it here and it always has. You should know that but you don't because you have none of them in your stories.

Give up the bullshit and learn to write. That's the best advise anyone will ever give you. Of course, your over bloated ego won't except that so....

If Non-Human is so bad because of the ballot box stuffing, clique voting and teeny bopper marketing employed by these people, as you say, please explain the numbers in Sci-Fi 65.3% and Novels 58.2%. You can't because your statements about NH are bullshit and you know it.

Please go back to your self-aggrandizing and fake lists and contest threads and let the people who has some idea of what they are saying discuss this.

 

[Feotakahari]

I, for one, am legitimately interested in how well stories in Nonhuman do when they don't have vampires or werewolves. (My first chapter of "Eternal," a Nonhuman story about demons, is hovering at just slightly below 4.5. I've completed chapters 2-11, but am waiting for the 12th and final chapter to be proofread before I post them all, since 1 is the only chapter that works as a standalone. I'm starting to wonder whether I'd be better off posting the remaining chapters to Scifi and Fantasy instead.)

Edit: Did an unscientific comparison. Out of 307 stories in Nonhuman with the tag "demon," 191 are rated 4.5 or higher. That compares to 119 stories with the tag in Sci-fi and Fantasy, of which 61 are hot. Erotic Horror has 153, 60 of which are hot.

About the only thing I can deduce from that is not to post in Erotic Horror.