G: Contains no sex, drugs, violence, or offensive language nor any reference to such things. There is nothing in this story that goes beyond what you would have in a polite conversation. In other words, you'd feel perfectly comfortable letting your grandmother or six year old read it. This rating is almost never used on my site. PG: Contains minor offensive language (damn or crap kind of words), comedic violence and/or mild sexual innuendo. Stories with just kissing and romantic gestures fall into this category. May contain reference to death or disturbing aspects of life, but it is handled with tact. Grandma may worry about you, but she won't even give you an odd look. An extremely perceptive six year old may ask some uncomfortable questions after reading. PG-13: Contains sexual situations (ie, there's frustration but nothing happens) without graphic description, violence without a lot of detail, 1-3 instances of strong language, vague references to drug use, etc. May contain death and/or other disturbing aspects of life but they are not described in detail. Grandma is shooting you definite looks. The six year old is asking questions of his/her parents and they are shooting you looks as well. You are going to get a "talk" from them soon. R: Contains adult material. Either the scene will go into detail and fade to black or sex is heavily implied without detail. Multiple instances of strong language occur. Violence is described in detail. Drugs, death, and disturbing aspects of life are addressed. Grandma is giving you a talk starting with "Good girls/boys didn't read this stuff in my day." The six year old shouldn't be reading this. NC-17: There is no "fade to black" and sex is described in graphic detail. Violence, death, drug use, and disturbing aspects of life are addressed without any niceties. The characters are cursing like sailors. Grandma is having a heart attack while reading this. Do NOT show this to a six year old. If you are under the legal age in your area and you are reading a NC-17 story, I do NOT want to know.
This page is incomplete, right?:
Why yes, yes it is. I got bored with outlining what all the terms meant and decided that just defining the ratings meant was enough. I will have more detailed definitions in the future. Really.