Is this a recent change? Have you been able to Like stories in the past?

Quote by LuceDevlin
is AI use in audio files allowed at all?

If it's for sound effects, background ambience and/or being "read" by a synthetic voice, it's fine. As long as it:

A) doesn't change what's written;

B) isn't a recognisable celebrity voice

then it's all good. Stories that are read by robot do tend to come across rather boring though.

I might be basing my comp story around music. But I reserve the right to change my mind multiple times before the deadline.

stares at the blank page and blinking cursor that mocks me

🤬

Wait.... Maybe that could be the opening line...

Oh dear, Miss Rhodes, you have been a very very naughty girl.

Right. Back to the continuing saga of Chloe with a possible detour for the Wherefore Art Thou competition, if inspiration happens to strike between now and the closing date. Nothing yet...

Quote by Just_A_Guy_You_Know
Not sure why LS doesn't allow [script formatted stories]

Primarily for formatting reasons, like the various needs for left/right aligned text and stage directions. Not everyone (including mods) knows the layout and format conventions, which makes that format harder to moderate. Plus, writing a script is hard graft. I know. I've done it before (not here) and telling a story solely in dialogue is hard to do well.

It's just easier on everyone to disallow them.

Quote by Piquet
Get creative,' now why didn't I think of that? Lol

My comment wasn't directed at you. You're always creative. You just happened to make the point that I latched onto and demonstrated: in general, when faced with a restriction, there are ways around it.

I know you'd read Takemi, and thank you again for doing so.

For anyone patiently awaiting the next instalment of Discovering Chloe, apologies. It's in final editing so isn't quite ready. The good news is, if you haven't caught up, there's still time to do so before part 3 lands.

In the meantime, I've pushed the Reluctance story previously mentioned to the moderation queue instead. It's the latest collaboration between myself and the incredibly talented KimmiBeGood, making this, what, our 11th... 12th collab? Something like that.

Here's the cover (created by Kimmi) to whet your appetite...

Yeah, good point, Mit. Forgot that. Thanks for the addition.

Hi and welcome.

Some say a striking cover pic helps steer them to click on a story. Others say it has no influence and it's the title and teaser that helps more.

My view: doing all three can't hurt, so a well chosen/created image has appeal (our guidelines are they have to be PG-13, btw, so no gratuitius imagery, penetration or genitalia please).

As for the creation, current sizing is 768x1200 pixels. You can use your own graphics program or an online service like Canva for that. Or we have a built in cover designer. Once you click to the Create Your Story page, tap the image and you get a choice to upload one, choose a pic from an album you have already uploaded, or create one in the designer.

Hope that helps.

Quote by Piquet
I've never seen a story written in play format

No, as Kistin says, it's not a format we support here, but you can get creative, like my recent attempt at "Manga comic prose" in Takemi.

As for suggestions, most storylines have been written. But even the most tried and tested storyline can be given a fresh lick of paint and feel new.

Congratulations to everyone who took part in this challenge, and super congrats to the winners.

Various writing projects and life stuff meant I had to sit it out, but I read them all as they came in. A talented bunch you all are.

Thanks Kimmi and unspecified donor for making this possible.

Read other people's stuff. Works for me.

Quote by MC1982
Wife-lovers, cheating and cuckold could all be united under 'Infidelity'.

Well, yes and no. They are similar, but Wife Lovers and Cuckold are usually with the knowledge of both parties. Cheating, not necessarily. So people who are after one particular flavour might not find what they want if they are all together.

We also have to consider search volume. The word "infidelity" is all well and good, but who Googles for "infidelity stories" compared to "cheating stories" or "cuckold stories". I can almost guarantee the search volumes for the latter two are greater. We can't (and shouldn't) foist our internal naming convention on the outside world because it will hurt SERPS and traffic.

Some argue categorisation is pointless. And I tend to agree. Tagging—with the first tag being the dominant theme—would be more flexible but we currently limit tags to 10 (historically for aesthetics and performance; less so now) and the order of tags is system-defined, not user-defined. If those situations were to change, categories could become less of a thing. Barring the Omnium badge, which is a nice stretch goal for authors who want a challenge. Lack of category does, however, assume that everyone who submits a story knows that the first tag (or the earlier listed tags) are the ones that carry the most weight.

What would have been better, with the benefit of hindsight, is perhaps a category tree. So we could do what you suggest and house Cuckold, Wife Lovers and Cheating under an "Infidelity" parent. That gives us one more search term, separation for people searching for specifics, and a nice hierarchy to show the relationship between the terms. Similarly for other genres.

As for the Novel category itself, my main beef is it isn't a genre and people don't often look for "erotic novels in any genre". Search results will certainly consider keywords inside a story when returning matches but thematic content (e.g. supernatural) is harder to detect by search alone without specific markers.

Sure, AI searches allege to make semantic links from content, but it's computationally expensive (environmental impact too) and I've seen little evidence they're accurate yet. Having a category that the author states "this is what this chapter contains"—a bit like the ratings warning on Netflix shows that lists the themes—is a more weighted indicator that search tools can sink their teeth into and help people discover content they're interested in.

Quote by Blindfoldedntied
Is there a way for users to volunteer to become moderators?

No, sorry. We curate potential people based on various factors including writing skill, availability, and thickness of skin. Trust me, for a volunteer role, it can be brutal.

Quote by Hughtheman

Is securing your place in hell that bad? I hear the parties never end, meaning you’ll never forget them

Well, yeah. If the place is anything like Angel discovered then I'm all in.

I'm pretty sure I have a reservation already, right next to the DJ booth and stand selling fireproof snacks.

I'm working on a Mature piece which I hope is a bit of a departure from the older guy and young woman fare. Also a Dan Brown-style (but better written, obvs) Cuckold story that, if it works out the way it's heading, will secure my place in hell.

Lush readers beware!

Not always, but yes it happens, probably more often than not. I put it down to focusing on other sensations 😁 but the physiological reason sounds more likely.

Thanks for another thought provoking challenge, Kimmi.

While I'm deliberating, can you please ask that girl near the bonfire to take a step back before her dress or bouquet goes up in flames. Thanks.

#HealthAndSafetyInSmut

Having just attempted the Trans category that I dreaded, and was pleased with how Takemi came out, I'm returning to the story I began a few months ago to tick off the Toys category. It's going well so far.

Oops, got sidetracked remixing a track last night and forgot to post. I'm honoured to be sharing the podium with Genny's superb winning entry. Loved it.

Having started from the bottom and mostly worked my way up the entry list, I somehow managed to miss Rowan's piece but I shall make amends, and also try to check out the remaining few top 13-ers I haven't yet reached.

It's great to see so many new faces entering. It can be nerve wracking, so congratulations to everyone who submitted. Lush competitions are always a hotbed of talent - both from authors and the tireless moderators, shortlisters, judges, site owners and maintainers that keep the site running. Thank you all for keeping the spirit of Lush alive and to the members who take time to read, comment and encourage the incredible writers we have here.

Surely there can be no earthly reason for delaying the results any longer. Other than to retain the air of mystery. Water way to end this contest. Someone should get fired.

😎

Quote by Pauline53

Where can I see the results

A separate thread in this forum will be created when the judges have finished deliberating.

Quote by BeaInTheBuff

I do get notifications of a new story (which disappear immediately).

If you go to your Reading Queue, any stories they've published since you started following them appear there too.

Oooh another one in the prestigious club. Yay, congratulations on this achievement.

Didn't even know EPCOT was still a thing. I figured they'd have levelled it when hardly any of the future inventions came to fruition. Unless they've updated the park since I was last there in, like, 1997.

Fond memories of riding the Skyway Of Tomorrow and rocketing around Space Mountain in the dark.

Quote by PierceAmor
My fan fiction

Sadly won't be publishable here since we don't accept fanfic.

Quote by JustForYou
what she did to wear her thumb away completely

Reminds me of that joke about the two nuns in a bath...

Quote by Mit
What a waste of time and brain cells for the story mods weeding out the wannabe writers!

It is a ballache we could do without, and the more people who help us encourage fellow authors to explore their own voice the better. I'd like to see the site evolve to make AI stories an unwelcome guest, offering them accommodation on a dingy, stained mattress in the basement with no windows and a single locked door before we herd them towards the shredder in the corner. We're getting there.

As a team, we're becoming really good at spotting AI—as you'd expect when we have seen thousands upon thousands of identikit stories in the exact same voice, battering the queue for the last year or so.

P.S. I don't want to derail this comp thread into another AI discussion so this is just informational.

Quote by Mit

the site's only not-a-wannabe WannabeWordsmith of course 😉

Hehe, too kind. Thank you.

Quote by Shyexhibitionist

Is that not fewer than normal?

We have probably rejected nearly half that number of AI entries.