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If you've spent much time hanging around the Fan Fiction section of NStW, you've probably noticed that each story comes complete with its own rating. For the most part, I'm sure that everyone understands the letter ratings that each story recieves, since I use basically the same system that the MPAA uses to rate movies. Just in case there are a few of you out there who don't know what they mean, here's a handy list for you to peruse.
G - General Audiences. Anyone of any age can read this story.
PG - Parental Guidance Suggested. There may be a few small bits and pieces that people might find objectionable, but nothing too bad. Still, very little kids might want to consult their parental units about reading this story.
PG-13 - Parental Guidance Strongly Suggested. This is a bit worse than plain ol' PG, meaning a couple of strong words might be included, or sexual content, or mild drug use, etc. It might be okay for the kiddies, but probably not, as it is not really intended for anyone under the age of 13.
R - Restricted. This one isn't meant for children at all. There a good amount of violence, or sex, or drugs, or language, or anything else that might get the Angry Mothers of the World up in arms. If you're under 18, it's not recommended that you read this story unless you okay it with your parental unit(s) first.
X - As in XXX, and I don't mean that Vin Diesel movie. This is the stuff so rough that even the most open-minded liberal might have a heart attack just having the stuff in this story described to him in a vauge manner. More than likely, this rating will never be used here, but there's always the possibility I might accidentally run across a Sonic story of this type that is also extremely well written and thought provoking. Who knows?
Okay, maybe that wasn't so short of a list. Anyway, just underneath the letter rating, you should see the acronym VSPD followed by a set of four numbers. No, I haven't gone completely batty and just started hitting random keys . . . VSPD stands for the four major subjects (Violence, Sex, Profanity, and Drugs) that each story is rated for, as well as a number to indicate the seriousness of the subject it relates to. It's a simple little scale from zero to five; zero meaning that the story contains no reference at all to the related subject, and five meaning that you should strap yourself in tight 'cause it's gonna be a heck of a ride. In any case, if you see a story with VSPD - 2/0/1/0 sitting next to it, it means that the Violence level is 2, the Profanity level is 1, and there is no sexual or drug-related content of any consequence.
Now, you may have also noticed that the letter ratings next to the stories are also links. Those of you too afraid to brave clicking them can rest easy . . . they just lead to a more detailed explanation of the rating. Instead of some longwinded explination, I'll just give you an example to check out.
Violence - 3
- Several SWATbots destroyed
- Twisted ankle
- Flamethrower incident
- Severe laceration of the upper arm
Sex - 1
- Heated make-out session
Profanity - 0
- None
Drugs - 1
- Cigarettes smokage
- Consumption of perscription-strength pain reliever
If you see anything on the list that you don't like, then it is in everyone's best interest that you do not read the story the rating is attached to. So please, before you just barge into one of the fics hosted here, read the full rating first. It may just keep you from making a horrible mistake and e-mailing me all kinds of death threats because you read something you didn't wanna.
Finally, I want to stress the fact that these ratings are based purely on my own point of view about these things, and they are by no means a guarantee that you will not be offended by something you read in one or more of the fanfics hosted by this site. In the end, you may or may not agree with my rating, but, well . . . that's tough cheese. These ratings are meant as a guideline only, not a hard absolute in any way imaginable. As always on this site, watch where you're going and try to keep an open mind, neh?
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