Is it possible to include underage characters and comply with the guidelines?

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Quote by Lurker411

Quote by Ensorceled

Quote by Lurker411

And again, you miss the point. It’s not even so much about the underage character anymore. Age 15 is TRUE, age 16 is FICTION. It was published in the TRUE category with FICTIONAL information. And yes, it matters that much to me!!

There are all sorts of scenarios where the truth makes for breaking TOS, breaking the law, or simply bad writing. It being TRUE is not the same as it being PUBLISHABLE.

 

Hey, I'm no mod. And I get it - I once had a true story get turned down about a kid (me) who discovered a Playboy left on an airplane, presumably by someone who'd been reading it. Not only did Lush say no, but Magical Felix made fun of me. Do you know what I did? I wrote the story anyway. Do you know what I did with the story? Nothing. Because is wasn't a very good story. TRUE doesn't alway mean GOOD.

Write it with fifteen in the text. Then search-and-replace fifteen with sixteen. YOU"LL know the character is fifteen. But you won't break the TOS you've already agreed to.

Quote by Lurker411

Still missed the point. I was never given the chance to change the category to reflect the change in age and character. The story was finalized and published before I got any feedback. I would have changed the category from True to Humor, Outdoors, or Quickie Sex. I wish the contest deadline had already passed and I never submitted the damn thing. 

You can edit and change things once a story is published. We would generally make a small change like that and publish a story to save us rejecting and holding up getting it published, especially if it was a competition piece.

But if you want to change it once published, that's fine. 

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Quote by laminar_flow

Let's take a hypothetical example. I write a story in which a husband and wife are role-playing. She dresses and acts like a young girl as part of their fantasy. This is pretty common in real life. Since there is no actual underage character, does it follow the guidelines? Or is it the concept that's objectionable? I am definitely NOT trying to change or circumvent any rules; just to understand them.

Do you have contact details for any of these people for whom it's 'pretty common'? They sound fascinating.

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Quote by Lurker411

Still missed the point. I was never given the chance to change the category to reflect the change in age and character. The story was finalized and published before I got any feedback. I would have changed the category from True to Humor, Outdoors, or Quickie Sex. I wish the contest deadline had already passed and I never submitted the damn thing. 

You can edit and change things once a story is published. We would generally make a small change like that and publish a story to save us rejecting and holding up getting it published, especially if it was a competition piece.

But if you want to change it once published, that's fine. 

I don’t know anyone on the management team on here to ask. I hate bothering the only 3 authors that respond to my messages. The forums are spotty at best for meaningful help. I have been asking about this for over a week, and this is the first suggestion that I can still change something. This is, of course, a topic that would be covered in an FAQ page, if Lush had one. 

The only thing I’ve gotten is the vague threat of account termination and being told to go elsewhere if I don’t like the rules on Lush. This is no way to treat the people that supply the product for a community allegedly centered on stories. Not chat, not swinging, not cam girls, not dick pics, but stories. 

I still don’t have all of my emails from the folders I created before the migration. Are they lost? Are the favorite story lists lost? Will we ever be free from dodging hook-up matches? My location is set to a small isolated island in the Pacific Ocean and that I’m not seeking anyone, yet I still have 48 matches. 

Lurker is mis-describing the issue with his story. I pointed this out to him on another thread (which now seems to have vanished).

His story has the girl talking explicitly about sex at two points, which is obviously not within the guidelines if she's under 16.

If anyone else wishes to engage (which I don't recommend) please have a look at the story before commenting here. 

But I think there is a need for a clear statement of what is and isn't acceptable in a story. I've just searched around the site and can't find anything. The terms and conditions and the Acceptable use policy don't help on this question. 

Quote by NicolasBelvoir

Lurker is mis-describing the issue with his story. I pointed this out to him on another thread (which now seems to have vanished).

His story has the girl talking explicitly about sex at two points, which is obviously not within the guidelines if she's under 16.

If anyone else wishes to engage (which I don't recommend) please have a look at the story before commenting here. 

But I think there is a need for a clear statement of what is and isn't acceptable in a story. I've just searched around the site and can't find anything. The terms and conditions and the Acceptable use policy don't help on this question. 

I understand the frustration you feel when there's no hard and fast rules, and I also have dealt with seemingly-arbitrary censorship at another site.  However, I harbored no hard feelings and understood (as I understand now with the Lush mods) it's not easy poring through an endless stream of submissions, some of which, I'm sure, are poorly written.  And again, although it may be frustrating to you, mods here and elsewhere can do what they damn well please.  In the time you've spent protesting what's been done to your story, you could've written another one.  Also, if you're really into having no age limits on your characters, there IS an old and prolific site out there where your story will be accepted.  Personally, I'd rather frequent erotica sites where there's a little bit of decorum and parameters.  Don't lose faith.  Keep writing.  Fix a drink.  Relax!

Quote by nightwaves

...Don't lose faith.  Keep writing.  Fix a drink.  Relax!

The disconnect between reality and the way the laws force online sites to operate is laughable but serious. According to the law, and by extension Lush, all children are innocent virgins with pure minds who have never heard or spoken of sex. Nobody experiences pleasure or has lustful urges. 

Then they turn 16 and the chastity belts, cock cages, blindfolds, earplugs, etc., are removed and they can fornicate like rabbits. At long last, masturbation is discovered, pleasure is had, sex ed is obtained. They are adults overnight.

It is because of these attitudes that we continue to have young people getting their sex information off of the Internet or from equally ignorant friends. Adults are embarrassed to discuss it so they make it illegal and assume it will go away. It’s also why we have teen pregnancies, STDs, and the added complexity of statutory /close-in-age laws. 

The rules around this are simple. We will not publish stories with characters under 16 engaging in, witnessing or discussing sex.

The rule is there to prevent stories involving children being published. Yes, it means that real life stories may not be able to be told, but the line has to be drawn somewhere, and that's where the site owner has drawn it.

I don't really think it needs discussing further.

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Quote by nightwaves

...Don't lose faith.  Keep writing.  Fix a drink.  Relax!

Going back to the original post, I ended up describing my characters as 16 and 17. My concerns were unfounded. Apparently, the story still makes sense, and people seem to like it.

I liked it and yes they were. #nowhetellsus

Quote by Lurker411

The disconnect between reality and the way the laws force online sites to operate is laughable but serious. According to the law, and by extension Lush, all children are innocent virgins with pure minds who have never heard or spoken of sex. Nobody experiences pleasure or has lustful urges. 

Then they turn 16 and the chastity belts, cock cages, blindfolds, earplugs, etc., are removed and they can fornicate like rabbits. At long last, masturbation is discovered, pleasure is had, sex ed is obtained. They are adults overnight.

It is because of these attitudes that we continue to have young people getting their sex information off of the Internet or from equally ignorant friends. Adults are embarrassed to discuss it so they make it illegal and assume it will go away. It’s also why we have teen pregnancies, STDs, and the added complexity of statutory /close-in-age laws. 

Difficult subject. My first draught of my experiences in a Netball team had to be completely re-written to age all the team safely over 18, I also had to hide the identity of the Coach, who used us as his personal harem, even though he is now dead and tons of stuff have come out about him in the news. I assumed since I was writing about actual events I was okay, but apparently not. Stephen King in his book "Geralds Game" very frankly describes a young girl being molested by her father, and that book is sold here in the UK without any censorship. When Amazon refused my book until I changed it they just said it was "inappropriate" and that I could not name the coach as they were not willing to risk being sued.