A
brief guide to the American rating system as it pertains to sex in fan fiction:
The American rating system as outlined by the
MPA is the default system used in
rating fan fiction, even for authors who aren't American. The ratings
are
G,
PG-13,
R and
NC-17. (The
XXX rating is not an MPA rating and
is generally only used within the porn industry; authors tend to avoid
its use in fan fiction.) Confused by this system as it applies to sex
in fan fiction? Here are a few tips:
G: Nothing. No sex. Maybe just
a suggestive smile or a look, but no touching.
Example:
The smile Cupid was giving him made Strife feel...odd. Not in a bad
way, but still, not anything he was used to.
And that's about all you can do.
PG: Kissing, hand holding but
no big naughty touching (no groping or naming of the genital regions).
Example:
Ares wasn't sure what surprised him more, that Joxer had actually
worked up the nerve to kiss him, or that it was
Joxer whose lips were touching his.
It stops right about there.
PG-13: Kissing with tongue.
Groping anything through clothes but no naming of parts and no big
details. If you write sex, it's a "fade to black" scenario where
nothing is described.
Example:
Cupid drew in a shuddering breath and forced himself not to move, not
to do anything that might scare Strife off. Because Strife's hand
pressed against the front of his pants was torture, but not one he was
willing to give up.
QED. Nothing more than that.
R: Here you can start writing
sex but no hugely detailed sex scenes and while you can mention "cock"
a couple times, you want to keep it to a minimum. The sex is best kept
vaguely described. You talk "around" what's happening instead of
describing it.
Example:
Joxer wasn't sure what he'd expected but gentleness wasn't it. Ares'
lips on his throat made him shiver; those rough, calloused hands slid
over his thighs, pushing his legs up -- and then Joxer was gasping,
clutching at him, and being held in return.
NC-17: Sex, baby, sex. In all
its gushing, spurting, thrusting glorious detail. No cock is too big,
no orifice too small. Write it as detailed and drawn out as you'd like.
Example (
Not that you really need one for this, but
heh, the fun): Strife didn't look away, gaze locked with Cupid's
as he slid into that tight, hot ass. He couldn't stop the feral grin
that stretched his lips at Cupid's sharp intake of breath, couldn't
stop a gasp himself as muscles clenched tight around his cock.
Hopefully these will help you in giving your fan fiction a correct
rating.
Erin
-----
My LJ
http://erinslashslut.livejournal.com
Erin's House-O-Fanfic
http://www.slashaholics.org/erin/warning.html