How I rate my stories
Hiya, in case you've ever read any of my fics you might have stumbled across the Rating-part of the header, and depending on the story you might have been a tid bit confused. I don't use any rating system there is out there, mostly because people can't agree on what kind of content is okay for what age specifically... or maybe they can, but that would mean more research on my part than I'm willing to do.
What I want to know when I check a fic's rating is this: will there be porn and/or other mature content? And that's what my rating (combined with the Warnings) will tell you.
So here's the scale:
NC-17
Literally "Not for Children 17 or younger". This means adult stuff: porn, hard BDSM, possibly even rape (though that's usually not my cup of tea) or non-con. The reasons for this rating can usually be found under warnings, unless it's just plain yaoi porn, which I feel needs no further warning.
not really NC-17
Includes adult themes, but no explicit descriptions of sex. Violence would be a-okay under this rating though. Teens are tough these days.
This is my rating for stuff that is somewhat adult, but if I were the reader I'd feel cheated if I were promised NC-17-goodness.
not quite harmless
Mild adult themes (porn, BDSM), some violence, but nothing too explicit. Content that I can't quite rate as "harmless", but that is in no way "adult" either. Stupid category.
mostly harmless
Mentions of adult themes, but nothing explicit. Fics that could easily be double or triple their length if only I'd written out all those pretty details that you now have to imagine yourself (bummer, huh?): the set up's all there, but it's all just implied. The author is being a big meanie.
harmless
No porn, no BDSM, no adult themes whatsoever, maybe a vague mention. Why are you reading this!? XP
General notes:
Explicit descriptions of sexual acts are mature content. Violence with no sexual connotation (eg. in a D/s context, unlike rape) isn't as "bad". Mind fuckery is all-ages-material. ^__^x
In any case, I might not stick to this. My point is: between rating and warnings you should have a pretty good idea of what you're in for. Also, I will put up a warning of a fic is just vanilla stuff and no kink, because that's just weird.
I realize the "NC-17" rating hasn't been widely used for a while now (I see "M" way more often), but I'm still used to it from the old days on aff.net, it's on my car's license plate, and I can damn well use it in my own journal! XD
What I want to know when I check a fic's rating is this: will there be porn and/or other mature content? And that's what my rating (combined with the Warnings) will tell you.
So here's the scale:
NC-17
Literally "Not for Children 17 or younger". This means adult stuff: porn, hard BDSM, possibly even rape (though that's usually not my cup of tea) or non-con. The reasons for this rating can usually be found under warnings, unless it's just plain yaoi porn, which I feel needs no further warning.
not really NC-17
Includes adult themes, but no explicit descriptions of sex. Violence would be a-okay under this rating though. Teens are tough these days.
This is my rating for stuff that is somewhat adult, but if I were the reader I'd feel cheated if I were promised NC-17-goodness.
not quite harmless
Mild adult themes (porn, BDSM), some violence, but nothing too explicit. Content that I can't quite rate as "harmless", but that is in no way "adult" either. Stupid category.
mostly harmless
Mentions of adult themes, but nothing explicit. Fics that could easily be double or triple their length if only I'd written out all those pretty details that you now have to imagine yourself (bummer, huh?): the set up's all there, but it's all just implied. The author is being a big meanie.
harmless
No porn, no BDSM, no adult themes whatsoever, maybe a vague mention. Why are you reading this!? XP
General notes:
Explicit descriptions of sexual acts are mature content. Violence with no sexual connotation (eg. in a D/s context, unlike rape) isn't as "bad". Mind fuckery is all-ages-material. ^__^x
In any case, I might not stick to this. My point is: between rating and warnings you should have a pretty good idea of what you're in for. Also, I will put up a warning of a fic is just vanilla stuff and no kink, because that's just weird.
I realize the "NC-17" rating hasn't been widely used for a while now (I see "M" way more often), but I'm still used to it from the old days on aff.net, it's on my car's license plate, and I can damn well use it in my own journal! XD