[R-18] What qualifies as smut?

[AliceHiess]

Something that’s always bugged me about this website is how loosely tags are used. One of the biggest offenders is smut. I’ve read novels marked as smut that can go 30-40 chapters with only a single scene and I’ve read ones that have a scene almost every chapter. With such a wide disparity I’ve started to treat it like another sexual content warning. It doesn’t tell me anything other than the fact that the novel has sex in it. So this all brings me to the question how much sex is needed before a novel can gain the smut tag? Are the offending novels just mislabeled or is smut just that loosely defined.

 

[bigbear51]

Smut just means that there's written sex. So in a sense, all one would need is a sex scene for it to count. Of course, the term does have a connotation where if it's part of the genre listings, that people expect there to be a decent amount of porn vs. plot. But yeah, I do take it as a content warning more than anything.

 

[UYScuti]

So this all brings me to the question how much sex is needed before a novel can gain the smut tag?

So smut has turned into a quest now.

If you create smut 10 levels above your own, do you gain a title? Are there smut hordes that grant titles when you conquer them? These are very serious things to think about when planning out your smut system. Like what kind of smut granted abilities. How many smut points do you gain with each level?

I believe for now, only when you become a level 100 Smut Lord are you able to obtain the smut tag.

 

[DevilPogoStick]

I mean, I guess the authors at least have the courtesy to say there's sex in the story whenever they used the tag. None of those moments someone gets annoyed there's a sex scene in the middle of the story since they did get the warning.

 

[AliceHiess]

I mean, I guess the authors at least have the courtesy to say there's sex in the story whenever they used the tag. None of those moments someone gets annoyed there's a sex scene in the middle of the story since they did get the warning.

That’s why the “sexual content” content warning exists.

 

[DevilPogoStick]

That’s why the “sexual content” content warning exists.

...And now I question of the Smut tag for existing.

...Then again, I've went through years of retail to learn nobody ever reads the signs and warnings that are placed right in front of them until it smacks right into their face and somehow they get mad at you regardless. It's...Depressing.

Reader: What?! Sex in a story I like?! Absurd! There should had been a warning!

Author: ....There was. You probably just breeze through that shit and just kept reading...

 

[K5Rakitan]

If you want stories that are all or mostly sex, I recommend reading stories on Literotica.

 

[Z__SKULL]

If you want stories that are all or mostly sex, I recommend reading stories on Literotica.

oh dear. I'm rather new to the community. plz don't send me down the rabbit hole right at the start. gotta be gentle at first

 

[Assurbanipal_II]

Smut just means that there's written sex. So in a sense, all one would need is a sex scene for it to count. Of course, the term does have a connotation where if it's part of the genre listings, that people expect there to be a decent amount of porn vs. plot. But yeah, I do take it as a content warning more than anything.

I would heavily disagree. Smut doesn't mean just there is sex. It means significantly more.

Novels can very well contain mentions of sex in the passing, but they are still not categorised as smut. The presence of sex alone doesn't make you smut, and certainly doesn't warrant a smut tag.

You have content warnings and the adult and mature tags for that.

Smut is erotic writing that contains explicit sexual content. Or in other words, it is a more reputable version of porn. Sexual content is a primary element of the plot, if not even the most important.

In extreme cases, the entire story is just a stage for you to provide smut.

 

[Assurbanipal_II]

To make my point, place 1 represents the smut genre well. 2 and 3 are more moderate.

 

[Aaky]

oh dear. I'm rather new to the community. plz don't send done the rabbit hole right at the start. gotta be gentle at first

Well, all my stories with the (smut) tag, have PLENTY of nudity and sex. Like, nudity every chapter. The plot is there, and it works. If they didn't had explicit nudity at least every three chapters, then there is no point to use the smut tag.

 

[Jamminrabbit]

I feel like the title and original post are asking different questions. I'll answer the thread title-

A story is a smut if the point of the plot is to get to the sex and to be explicit about it. No matter how little or how much. There could be one sex scene at the end of the book, but if the whole point was to get to this moment and it is gratuitous about it, then I'd still consider that smut.

I'm sure most stories that include the smut tag only did so as a content warning or as a way to attract more readers who anticipate the smut, even though their story doesn't revolve around sex.

That being said, I don't want, care, or mean for the smut tag to judge whether a story is entitled to use it or not. That isn't for me to decide. It's neither badge of honor or dishonor to use it. It is just another tag like any other used to describe a story.

 

[DreamOfRen]

Smut actually seems to differ from sex.
Smut is "dirty" or "non-vanilla" sex.

 

[BenJepheneT]

It's easy: try writing some of the content in the SH discord. If it gets flagged by Isph then it's smut.