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Msg# 3542

FAQ: rating guide Posted by Marta Layton March 27, 2005 - 23:12:50 Topic ID# 3542
Marta

--
"Quantum mechanics: the dreams stuff is made of."




Rating Guide for the Middle-earth Fanfiction Awards

Q: What ratings are eligible for the MEFAs?

Stories rated G, PG, PG13, and R are eligible; NC17 stories are ineligible.



Q: I think the rating the author provided is too high or too low. What
should I do?

As with most things, the author has the final say. However, some
authors may rate their stories conservatively for an archive. A story
labelled as NC17 may be more of a hard R.

If you disagree with an author's rating, you can nominate it with what
you think is the appropriate rating. If the author accepts the
nomination, he or she will verify that all the information is correct,
including the rating.



Q: What if two people nominate the same story, giving it different ratings?

If the story is nominated twice, the first is the "official"
nomination, so the rating in the first nomination will be the one used
(assuming the author agrees).



Q: The archive I read from doesn't use the G-NC17 rating system. What
should I use?

You should try to convert your archive's rating to an equivalent
rating on the G-NC17 scale. You might try to find the story at an
archive that uses the GNC17 scale, such as http://www.fanfiction.net
or http://www.fanfiction.net/ or http://www.storiesofarda.com/ .



Q: What kind of story should be rated...

a. G?

Stories rated G should be acceptable for all audiences. They should
contain no crude language, violence, erotic content, or disturbing
themes.

b. PG?

These stories may be inappropriate for young children but should be
okay for most others. They might contain mild language, nonsexual
nudity or very mild erotic content, or might mention violence without
going into much detail. They might deal with themes that would disturb
a young child but would not upset a normal child of about 10-12.

c. PG13?

PG13 stories should be appropriate for readers over the age of
thirteen. The themes may be more adult than those found in PG stories,
and the violence or eroticism may be described in greater detail.

d.R or NC17?

The line between R and NC17 is often a fuzzy one. In the film
industry, movies rated "R" often include scenes strongly suggestive of
sexual situations (think "Bridget Jones" or "Love, Actually"), and the
violence can be quite graphic (as in war movies such as "Pearl Harbor"
and "Saving Private Ryan"). NC17 should be reserved for those stories
with extremely adult material, especially those stories that do not
have a point beyond the objectionable content, such as PWPs or their
violent equivalents.



In addition to the ratings, be sure to give appropriate warnings in
the "Reason for Rating: " field of the nomination form.

Msg# 3543

Re: FAQ: rating guide Posted by Cats and Werecats March 27, 2005 - 23:40:21 Topic ID# 3542
--- Marta Layton <melayton@gmail.com> wrote:
> You should try to convert your archive's rating to an
> equivalent
> rating on the G-NC17 scale. You might try to find the story at
> an
> archive that uses the GNC17 scale, such as
> http://www.fanfiction.net
> or http://www.fanfiction.net/ or http://www.storiesofarda.com/


Actually, FFnet has just changed the rating system. Nothing
major, but the labeling is now different.

I thought you should know.

Werecat



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Msg# 3544

Re: FAQ: rating guide Posted by Marta Layton March 27, 2005 - 23:50:41 Topic ID# 3542
On Sun, 27 Mar 2005 21:40:19 -0800 (PST), Cats and Werecats
<tashenubaste@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> --- Marta Layton <melayton@gmail.com> wrote:
> > You should try to convert your archive's rating to an
> > equivalent
> > rating on the G-NC17 scale. You might try to find the story at
> > an
> > archive that uses the GNC17 scale, such as
> > http://www.fanfiction.net
> > or http://www.fanfiction.net/ or http://www.storiesofarda.com/
>
>
> Actually, FFnet has just changed the rating system. Nothing
> major, but the labeling is now different.
>
> I thought you should know.
>
> Werecat
>

Thanks, Werecat. I wasn't aware.

Ainae, can you remove the reference to FF.net?

Marta
--
"Quantum mechanics: the dreams stuff is made of."

Msg# 3547

Re: FAQ: rating guide Posted by Ainaechoiriel March 28, 2005 - 14:21:08 Topic ID# 3542
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Marta Layton [mailto:melayton@gmail.com]
> Sent: Sunday, March 27, 2005 11:13 PM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [MEFAwards] FAQ: rating guide

> Rating Guide for the Middle-earth Fanfiction Awards


> Q: The archive I read from doesn't use the G-NC17 rating system. What
> should I use?
>
> You should try to convert your archive's rating to an equivalent
> rating on the G-NC17 scale. You might try to find the story at an
> archive that uses the GNC17 scale, such as http://www.fanfiction.net
> or http://www.fanfiction.net/ or http://www.storiesofarda.com/ .


Yes, Marta, I can edit that. In fact, for now, I'll even put in this URL:
http://www.mpaa.org/movieratings/. In the future, we may be changing our
ratings to the K-M variety we see popping up in places today, but I'm not
going to do it three days before the start of Nomination Season.
> b. PG?
>
> These stories may be inappropriate for young children but should be
> okay for most others. They might contain mild language, nonsexual
> nudity or very mild erotic content,

I may have a quibble. Erotic content in PG? Even very mild? I think the
erotic doesn't belong in PG anywhere. This may be a conflict of semantics.
Just what do you consider "erotic". When I hear or read the wordd "erotic",
I get "sex". I can see a case for very mild sex in PG-13, but not in PG.
Romance, yes, sex, no.

> or might mention violence without
> going into much detail. They might deal with themes that would disturb
> a young child but would not upset a normal child of about 10-12.
>
> c. PG13?
>
> PG13 stories should be appropriate for readers over the age of
> thirteen. The themes may be more adult than those found in PG stories,
> and the violence or eroticism may be described in greater detail.
>
> d.R or NC17?
>
> The line between R and NC17 is often a fuzzy one. In the film
> industry, movies rated "R" often include scenes strongly suggestive of
> sexual situations (think "Bridget Jones" or "Love, Actually"), and the
> violence can be quite graphic (as in war movies such as "Pearl Harbor"
> and "Saving Private Ryan"). NC17 should be reserved for those stories
> with extremely adult material, especially those stories that do not
> have a point beyond the objectionable content, such as PWPs or their
> violent equivalents.

Here I'll put in a note referring to our What is an NC17? page, featuring a
parody of Jeff Foxworthy. I think it made the point last year.

> In addition to the ratings, be sure to give appropriate warnings in
> the "Reason for Rating: " field of the nomination form.

--Ainaechoiriel

MEFA Admin and Founder

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://gabrielle.sytes.net/mefa The Middle-Earth Fanfiction Awards

Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 3549

Re: FAQ: rating guide Posted by Marta Layton March 28, 2005 - 21:37:04 Topic ID# 3542
> > Rating Guide for the Middle-earth Fanfiction Awards
>
>
> > Q: The archive I read from doesn't use the G-NC17 rating system. What
> > should I use?
> >
> > You should try to convert your archive's rating to an equivalent
> > rating on the G-NC17 scale. You might try to find the story at an
> > archive that uses the GNC17 scale, such as http://www.fanfiction.net
> > or http://www.fanfiction.net/ or http://www.storiesofarda.com/ .
>
>
> Yes, Marta, I can edit that. In fact, for now, I'll even put in this URL:
> http://www.mpaa.org/movieratings/.

That was the URL I was looking for! I knew there had to bed an
official description out there somewhere, but I couldn't find it.

> In the future, we may be changing our
> ratings to the K-M variety we see popping up in places today, but I'm not
> going to do it three days before the start of Nomination Season.

That would probably be a good idea for the future. Film and print
really are different media, so I think it's good to put some distance
from the traditional film ratings.

For the future, at a small Denethorcentric archive that I help run we
use a three-tier rating system that I've found works really well:
General, Mature, Adult. General is okay for all audiences. Mature
might be inappropriate for children but is appropriate for mature
teenagers under the age of eighteen. Adult is for those stories that
are really adult in nature and should not be read by minors. If you
want to go with something like that, it might work well.

But I agree. This is for next year.

> > b. PG?
> >
> > These stories may be inappropriate for young children but should be
> > okay for most others. They might contain mild language, nonsexual
> > nudity or very mild erotic content,
>
> I may have a quibble. Erotic content in PG? Even very mild? I think the
> erotic doesn't belong in PG anywhere. This may be a conflict of semantics.
> Just what do you consider "erotic". When I hear or read the wordd
> "erotic",
> I get "sex". I can see a case for very mild sex in PG-13, but not in PG.
> Romance, yes, sex, no.
>

Not what I mean. I use erotic as any romantic situation. Erotic
content in a PG fic might be a kiss between two people, or a reference
to a pairing some people might consider inappropriate for children.
For example, even mentioning a same-sex pairing, or an incestuous one,
or one between a married person and someone other than their spouse.
Even if the pairing is just mentioned, some people might find this
grounds for a PG rating.

<snip>
> > d.R or NC17?
> >
> > The line between R and NC17 is often a fuzzy one. In the film
> > industry, movies rated "R" often include scenes strongly suggestive of
> > sexual situations (think "Bridget Jones" or "Love, Actually"), and the
> > violence can be quite graphic (as in war movies such as "Pearl Harbor"
> > and "Saving Private Ryan"). NC17 should be reserved for those stories
> > with extremely adult material, especially those stories that do not
> > have a point beyond the objectionable content, such as PWPs or their
> > violent equivalents.
>
> Here I'll put in a note referring to our What is an NC17? page, featuring a
> parody of Jeff Foxworthy. I think it made the point last year.
>

Do you mean replacing the whole paragraph with "What is an NC17?" If
it's up to me, I'd suggest leaving what I have and including a link at
the end. The reason I say this is because there *is* a lot of
misconception about just what an NC17 fic is. There was recently a
thread at the Yahoo groups Henneth_Annun on this very subject, that
generated over 60 posts. I thnk there's a fair amount of
misunderstanding about where exactly the line is drawn. You have the
final call, of course. But I think this would work

Marta
--
"Quantum mechanics: the dreams stuff is made of."

Msg# 3550

Re: FAQ: rating guide Posted by Ainaechoiriel March 29, 2005 - 8:49:36 Topic ID# 3542
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Marta Layton [mailto:melayton@gmail.com]
> Sent: Monday, March 28, 2005 9:37 PM
> To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: [MEFAwards] FAQ: rating guide
>
>
> > > Rating Guide for the Middle-earth Fanfiction Awards
>
> >
> > Yes, Marta, I can edit that. In fact, for now, I'll even
> put in this URL:
> > http://www.mpaa.org/movieratings/.
>
> That was the URL I was looking for! I knew there had to bed
> an official description out there somewhere, but I couldn't find it.

:-) I got it quite easily with Google.

>
> > In the future, we may be changing our
> > ratings to the K-M variety we see popping up in places
> today, but I'm
> > not going to do it three days before the start of
> Nomination Season.
>
> That would probably be a good idea for the future. Film and
> print really are different media, so I think it's good to put
> some distance from the traditional film ratings.

Well, I'm quite comfortable with the G-R ratings, but them I'm an American
movie-goer. I realize that some people aren't one or the other and so they
may not be as familiar. But the reason we'd be changing is because there
are rumors out there that the MPAA is getting upset at people using their
system, though I would also argue that this system is so far out in the
public as to be public domain. It may be that it is in danger of becoming
public domain and that is why they are coming down hard, trying to keep
their copyright. (Kleenex went on a campaign trying to get everyone to call
tissues tissues instead of kleenexes for the same reason. I don't think it
worked.)

Not that I'd change the MEFA system unless they personally came after me,
but because all the archives are changing so that when people go to nominate
fics, they'll be looking at K where G used to be.

> For the future, at a small Denethorcentric archive that I
> help run we use a three-tier rating system that I've found
> works really well:
> General, Mature, Adult. General is okay for all audiences.
> Mature might be inappropriate for children but is appropriate
> for mature teenagers under the age of eighteen. Adult is for
> those stories that are really adult in nature and should not
> be read by minors. If you want to go with something like
> that, it might work well.

I think that if we will change our ratings, we'll go for something more
precise than that, similar to what ff.net uses:

K=G
K+=PG
T=PG-13
M=R
A=NC17 (and of course, this would continue to be ineligible)

> But I agree. This is for next year.

Yep. Too close to the start of this year.

> > I may have a quibble. Erotic content in PG? Even very
> mild? I think
> > the erotic doesn't belong in PG anywhere. This may be a
> conflict of semantics.
> > Just what do you consider "erotic". When I hear or read the wordd
> > "erotic", I get "sex". I can see a case for very mild sex
> in PG-13,
> > but not in PG.
> > Romance, yes, sex, no.
> >
>
> Not what I mean. I use erotic as any romantic situation.
> Erotic content in a PG fic might be a kiss between two
> people, or a reference to a pairing some people might
> consider inappropriate for children.
> For example, even mentioning a same-sex pairing, or an
> incestuous one, or one between a married person and someone
> other than their spouse.
> Even if the pairing is just mentioned, some people might find
> this grounds for a PG rating.

Right, conflict of semantics. What erotic means for you is not what it
means for me. Anyway, I just changed the phrase to romantic in the PG
answer. And put the "very mild erotic" in the PG-13, I think.


> Do you mean replacing the whole paragraph with "What is an
> NC17?" If it's up to me, I'd suggest leaving what I have and
> including a link at the end. The reason I say this is because
> there *is* a lot of misconception about just what an NC17 fic
> is. There was recently a thread at the Yahoo groups
> Henneth_Annun on this very subject, that generated over 60
> posts. I thnk there's a fair amount of misunderstanding about
> where exactly the line is drawn. You have the final call, of
> course. But I think this would work

Did it like you would have done it. It's a link at the end.

--Ainaechoiriel

MEFA Admin and Founder

"This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves," Elrond said, "for
it is Windows-compatible, and freeware at that." --H.F.

http://gabrielle.sytes.net/mefa The Middle-Earth Fanfiction Awards

Blog: http://www.ainaechoiriel.blogspot.com

Msg# 3553

Re: FAQ: rating guide Posted by Marta Layton March 29, 2005 - 12:01:49 Topic ID# 3542
Hey Ainae,

Just wanted to let you know I read this, and I agree with you on all
counts. There's no reason for me to say "I agree" after every
paragraph ;-)

Marta


On Tue, 29 Mar 2005 08:48:30 -0600, Ainaechoiriel
<mefaadmin@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Marta Layton [mailto:melayton@gmail.com]
> > Sent: Monday, March 28, 2005 9:37 PM
> > To: MEFAwards@yahoogroups.com
> > Subject: Re: [MEFAwards] FAQ: rating guide
> >
> >
> > > > Rating Guide for the Middle-earth Fanfiction Awards
> >
> > >
> > > Yes, Marta, I can edit that. In fact, for now, I'll even
> > put in this URL:
> > > http://www.mpaa.org/movieratings/.
> >
> > That was the URL I was looking for! I knew there had to bed
> > an official description out there somewhere, but I couldn't find it.
>
> :-) I got it quite easily with Google.
>
Marta
--
"Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our greatest fear is
that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness
that most frightens us. [...] As we let our own light shine, we
unconsciously give other people permission to do the same."

(Nelson Mandela)