Absolute Chaos Discussion Boards
Fic Talk => General Discussion => Topic started by: Tri on October 07, 2007, 03:44:50 PM
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I was reading through old threads earlier (just because I haven't been here in a while and I checked back to old posts I'd made) and I found this thread on chapter summaries (http://absolutechaos.net/fictalk/index.php?topic=512.0), which ended up discussing NC-17 rated stories. It's come to my attention, especially lately, that there is a certain negative stigma in the fan fiction community associated with NC-17. A stigma that I see as unjustified and frankly unfair.
As a writer of a few NC-17 stories, I feel that people have an unfair view of what they are really all about. They HAVE plot. They're not just smut that contain sex scene upon sex scene. (Some of them, I'm sure, are, but definitely not the ones that I've read.) There are a number of examples of GREAT stories that are extremely well-written and thought out that have the NC-17 rating attached, but because of that, they're unrecognized by many. I think this is extremely unfortunate for the authors that write them.
The reason I rate my stories NC-17 is because I know that when I was younger, I didn't like reading stories with a lot of sex in them. I thought it would only be courteous to rate my stories with a rating that reflected that fact that there ARE a number of sex scenes throughout the story and a person that's sensitive to that may not wish to read it. I didn't know, however, that certain readers wouldn't even approach the story if it was rated NC-17.
I think it's very important to show the physical/sexual relationship that characters have right alongside the mental/emotional relationship. To me, it's just more honest and more realistic. In real life, sex happens. It doesn't make people "bad" to have sex. It's natural. And in order to show the true chemistry between characters, I believe sex is necessary. (I don't think it needs to dominate a relationship, but anyone that's read NC-17 stories that have plots understands that.)
A lot of times in my stories, the sex that the characters are having is reflective on their relationship. And sometimes, sex has even become an issue (as in What the Heart Wants when Katrina is dealing with the loss of her mother and is grieving through sex) that spawns off into a bigger issue in the characters' lives. And anyone that's taken the time to read my stories (which I've linked below my post) knows that my characters are not sleeping around with everyone - the main female character has only ever been with one man in her life. It's not like I'm writing smut. I just recognize the importance of a physical relationship along with a mental/emotional one.
One of my favorite shows is Sex & the City and it has a complex and well-thought out plot along with sex. And for those of you that have seen the show, you know how important BOTH aspects are. That's what I'm trying to convey here.
I understand that the sex scenes DO bother some people, so I'm not saying that everyone should love every single story out there. People have various opinions and I understand that. But what I am saying is that I think that people that haven't actually taken the time to read certain stories just because of their rating are really missing out because of a preconceived idea they may have. Also, I think it's unfair that the stories that seem to be recognized, even on this site, are never NC-17 rated stories. Shouldn't all genres and all ratings be recognized if they happen to be quality literature?
So, please, next time you see a story with an NC-17 rating, don't look it over just because you're judging it by your own limited perception of what it contains. Check it out and then judge for yourself!
Links to my stories are found in my signature. If you'd like to see what I mean, check them out and see for yourself! (This is NOT a shameless plug, I'm just trying to get readers to realize that stories have plots regardless of the NC-17 rating.)
Are there any other NC-17 writers that feel the same way I do? That your stories aren't as recognized as others just because of the rating?
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I think your stories are more than just great! i like them no I love them... because it isn't all about sex, like you said they have a plot! and thats what makes a story great!
Great plot what the story is all about,great sex which makes the story hot lol and a great writer like you to come with lots of ideas.!
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I feel exactly the same way. A fellow author and dear friend who will remain nameless told me that I'll never get recognized no matter how good my Series is because it's NC-17 and really that's discouraging to an author and disheartening that there are such narrowminded people when we're supposed to be a community of authors.
It's annoying to think that just because I happen to put sex in my stories as an important aspect means that the real story will never get recognized or even read by some people because they don't like graphic sexual content.
When I first started posting on this site, I didn't know what to expect, but now I have two stories on the favorite stories list and am #2 on the favorite authors list. So it makes me wonder why more writers (not necessarily myself) aren't getting recognized for NC17 writing?
I can site a million stories where there's TONS of sex but there's TONS of plot. I wanna be bad by Karah and Jenn is a PRIME example of NC-17 having extremely good quality. It wouldn't have been the most popular and awarded story on the net in 2002 if it wasn't good.
This narrowmindedne ss I've encountered is really just an elitest attitude and you know for a community fiction site you really can't be elitest, because if you are that just makes you unworthy of saying whose good and who isn't. Because honestly it's not fair to good writers who happen to write sex scenes to highlight both chemistry and any potential relationship issues.
I'm not asking you to check out my stories, just to keep an open mind when going to look for new fiction because really it's YOUR loss if you pass on a story just because it's NC-17 then maybe we don't want you reading our stories if you're going to be THAT judgemental and close-minded
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I think your stories are more than just great! i like them no I love them... because it isn't all about sex, like you said they have a plot! and thats what makes a story great!
Great plot what the story is all about,great sex which makes the story hot lol and a great writer like you to come with lots of ideas.!
Thank you for your opinions chaotic! I hope we are able to see more open minds like yours in the future!
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I think your stories are more than just great! i like them no I love them... because it isn't all about sex, like you said they have a plot! and thats what makes a story great!
Great plot what the story is all about,great sex which makes the story hot lol and a great writer like you to come with lots of ideas.!
Thanks, Doreen! I'm glad you recognize that sex can be a part of plot. :D Thank you for your input.
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my friend and famous fan fiction writer (been recognized at least a dozen times) and is an NC17 writer wrote me this in an email.
"I've always had an issue with things like that...
people that pitch fits and everything gets changed
because of them... when it would be so much
easier/nicer for everyone else if they'd just skip the
stuff they don't like."
Honestly she's right, when I read slash if I'm not necessarily comfortable with a sex scene I'll skip the sex scene and focus on the other parts of the story. Pretty much what we're trying to say here is don't judge a book by it's cover.
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There are plenty of authors that don't get recognized merely because of what genre they write.
So don't feel like you're the only one who gets looked over, causing you to preach your validity. It happens; it's fanfic. Not everyone will like everything.
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my friend and famous fan fiction writer (been recognized at least a dozen times) and is an NC17 writer wrote me this in an email.
"I've always had an issue with things like that...
people that pitch fits and everything gets changed
because of them... when it would be so much
easier/nicer for everyone else if they'd just skip the
stuff they don't like."
Honestly she's right, when I read slash if I'm not necessarily comfortable with a sex scene I'll skip the sex scene and focus on the other parts of the story. Pretty much what we're trying to say here is don't judge a book by it's cover.
I agree, too. I don't personally like slash, but I'm not going to insult a story and judge it without reading it. If I read it and it didn't make sense or if it was just poorly written, that's one thing. But if it was a truly wonderful piece of literature, then it deserves praise and recognition, regardless of whether or not I personally liked it the content or subject matter. I feel like that would be as petty as having a story recommended to me that's focused on Justin Timberlake instead of Nick Carter and me bashing it because it's about someone I don't particularly care for. If it's a good story, it's a good story.
For instance, I think that mine and Teri's stories are well-written grammatically, in accordance to the Boys' real lives, and in sync with our own time lines for the story. In short, they flow. You know how many stories I've read that don't make sense just in the subject of time order? I've seen people skip full years. That can definitely cause an author to lose credibility in their writing. Not whether there's one sex scene in the whole story or ten! That shouldn't diminish the storyline.
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There are plenty of authors that don't get recognized merely because of what genre they write.
So don't feel like you're the only one who gets looked over, causing you to preach your validity. It happens; it's fanfic. Not everyone will like everything.
I have to say thank you for your opinion but, that right there is the REASON why this has been allowed to go on for so long. We're not saying that everyone would like us. No b/c we're not mind readers but we would like people to make up there minds AFTER giving us a chance. And not pre-judging who we are and what we write about just because of a stupid notion that is completely overly generalized and discriminatory .
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I have to say thank you for your opinion but, that right there is the REASON why this has been allowed to go on for so long. We're not saying that everyone would like us. No b/c we're not mind readers but we would like people to make up there minds AFTER giving us a chance. And not pre-judging who we are and what we write about just because of a stupid notion that is completely overly generalized and discriminatory .
Well, I hate to say it, but this post probably won't result in the outcome you want.
Here's a post, of similar caliber, with a similar goal:
http://absolutechaos.net/fictalk/index.php?topic=221.0
I'm sure the outcome you get will be very much the same.
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There are plenty of authors that don't get recognized merely because of what genre they write.
So don't feel like you're the only one who gets looked over, causing you to preach your validity. It happens; it's fanfic. Not everyone will like everything.
I know that NC-17 stories aren't the only ones that get overlooked. But I'm just trying to break down the stereotypes some stories have. Are you really content with the fact that people are left out of the running in being recognized as good literature? Don't you want to stand up for your writing or stories that you enjoy reading that don't necessarily get recognition? That's all I'm really trying to do here. If it changes a few people's minds, that's great. I know not everyone is going to enjoy NC-17 stories and I'm not trying to make that happen. I'm just trying to let the people know that enjoy R stories what most NC-17 stories are all about so they might become a little more open-minded to them. :)
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As I pointed out above, its already been done for the genre I write and I already know the outcome of this post.
No, I agree, people should not be overlooked just because they don't write OOCly or Nick romances, but it happens.
Not everyone will like everything, and just explaining how your story has a plot or why the Boys are truly the Boys in your story won't make more people read it. Both of you alone have hundred more readers than I do, so stop. You are recognized.
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Well, I hate to say it, but this post probably won't result in the outcome you want.
Here's a post, of similar caliber, with a similar goal:
http://absolutechaos.net/fictalk/index.php?topic=221.0
I'm sure the outcome you get will be very much the same.
Yeah that's exactly what we're outraged about, that certain people won't even give us a chance because they're too elitest and judgemental to even try something that maybe out of their comfort zone. Honestly that's like saying "oh you've got the grades and the talent to go to harvard law school, but ohh you're not good enough." it's Ivory towerism and it's unfair and not right. There shouldn't be a featured story of the month or awards IF everyone can't be in the running because of a few select people with prejudices making the decisions.
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You're compring fanfic to Ivy League Universities? I personally got rejected from an Ivy League University, Yale if you wanted to specific one... Applying to an Ivy League University is in another league than writing a fanfic.
I'm assuiming that the reason you started writing fanfic is because you enjoyed it, not for your future or if you wanted readers. If you started writing fanfic just to get readers, then you're lacking in what the essence of it is. If you started writing for yourself, then you should be appreciative that the number of people who read your work do in fact read it.
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As I pointed out above, its already been done for the genre I write and I already know the outcome of this post.
No, I agree, people should not be overlooked just because they don't write OOCly or Nick romances, but it happens.
Not everyone will like everything, and just explaining how your story has a plot or why the Boys are truly the Boys in your story won't make more people read it. Both of you alone have hundred more readers than I do, so stop. You are recognized.
I've read your stories (and i promise i'll review eventually) and normally i don't like fantasy fan fic but you know i gave it a chance and i was pleasantly surprised! And you know if I hadn't I would have missed out on some particularly good writing because i stepped out of my comfort zone and decided, you know what screw my comfort zone I need to try something new! And it's people's unwillingness to even give a story a chance is just what's pissin' us all off. I've read stories where Nick gets sick and normally no I don't like them but in the instance of BMS it works and is an amazing story and I found that out because I put my ascinine thoughts aside and made up my own mind by finding out for myself what the story is like instead of "OMG NICK GETS CANCER EWW!" or "omg there's sex in this story and it's in more than one chapter ew!" it's all about saying "okay i know how i feel about this genre but maybe this story will change my mind about that"
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You're compring fanfic to Ivy League Universities? I personally got rejected from an Ivy League University, Yale if you wanted to specific one... Applying to an Ivy League University is in another league than writing a fanfic.
I'm assuiming that the reason you started writing fanfic is because you enjoyed it, not for your future or if you wanted readers. If you started writing fanfic just to get readers, then you're lacking in what the essence of it is. If you started writing for yourself, then you should be appreciative that the number of people who read your work do in fact read it.
You totally didn't even get my meaning. It's the elitest attitude. No I didn't start writing for recognition but you know what other stories that have been recognized, mine are just as good as theirs and I'm just upset that mine won't be recognized because someone believes they're so righteous and can tell that a story isn't good just because of the genre or the rating. that's the TRUE ivory towerism in this. If you like the genre I like ooh then you get to be recognized and put on a pedestal. That's how it makes us feel.
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You're compring fanfic to Ivy League Universities? I personally got rejected from an Ivy League University, Yale if you wanted to specific one... Applying to an Ivy League University is in another league than writing a fanfic.
I'm assuiming that the reason you started writing fanfic is because you enjoyed it, not for your future or if you wanted readers. If you started writing fanfic just to get readers, then you're lacking in what the essence of it is. If you started writing for yourself, then you should be appreciative that the number of people who read your work do in fact read it.
That's not what we're saying... Or at least not what I'M saying. (Teri's speaking for herself, obviously.)
I've been writing since I COULD write. Short stories, novels, plays, poetry, et cetera... The work I post online is all Nick Carter fan fiction. I write primarily for myself - to let out feelings, express ideas, and for enjoyment. I write from experiences I've had. I write about things I enjoy. My main female characters are usually based off of me (in the Hearts Don't Lie series, the female lead is almost EXACTLY like me).
I'm very appreciative of the readers I have, don't get me wrong. I'm just trying to break down the stereotype, like I said. If I don't get anymore readers out of it, that's fine. I just don't think it's fair to be put in a category like untouchables rather than be evaluated for the level of literature I write. THAT'S the point I'm trying to make.
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I've read your stories (and i promise i'll review eventually) and normally i don't like fantasy fan fic but you know i gave it a chance and i was pleasantly surprised! And you know if I hadn't I would have missed out on some particularly good writing because i stepped out of my comfort zone and decided, you know what screw my comfort zone I need to try something new! And it's people's unwillingness to even give a story a chance is just what's pissin' us all off. I've read stories where Nick gets sick and normally no I don't like them but in the instance of BMS it works and is an amazing story and I found that out because I put my ascinine thoughts aside and made up my own mind by finding out for myself what the story is like instead of "OMG NICK GETS CANCER EWW!" or "omg there's sex in this story and it's in more than one chapter ew!" it's all about saying "okay i know how i feel about this genre but maybe this story will change my mind about that"
Unfortunately, the majority of fanfic readers want a certain type of story where they get the ending they want with the characters they like included.
You can be outraged if you like, but the fact is, it probably won't change anything.
Backstreet Boys fanfic has at least a decade of foundation. What's popular is generally static. That's just the way it is.
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You totally didn't even get my meaning. It's the elitest attitude. No I didn't start writing for recognition but you know what other stories that have been recognized, mine are just as good as theirs and I'm just upset that mine won't be recognized because someone believes they're so righteous and can tell that a story isn't good just because of the genre or the rating. that's the TRUE ivory towerism in this. If you like the genre I like ooh then you get to be recognized and put on a pedestal. That's how it makes us feel.
Yeah, I'm not trying to get readers either. That isn't what this is about. I just want people to stop ASSUMING what my story is about without reading it. I'm trying to enlighten people for the good of all writers.
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Really all we're trying to do is break the stereotype placed on us by another thread. The stereotype created by people who have NO idea what the genre is all about. Or would even get off their high horse of elitest-ness and give a story out of their comfort zone a chance. Its ignorance and it's assuming something that's true for a small portion of the genre but not all. And you know what happens when you assume something.
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Really all we're trying to do is break the stereotype placed on us by another thread. The stereotype created by people who have NO idea what the genre is all about. Or would even get off their high horse of elitest-ness and give a story out of their comfort zone a chance. Its ignorance and it's assuming something that's true for a small portion of the genre but not all. And you know what happens when you assume something.
LOL, Teri... I totally held back on saying that in my last post! :D
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Yeah I figured but i've always been taught NEVER to make assumptions and when I see that going on it drives me insane.
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I'm a firm believer in reading everything I can get my hands on, and after I've seen the quality of writing then I make my decision. I don't write fantasy cuz yeah I'd totally suck at it, I don't have the talent for it. I write, comedy, drama, angst romance fics because it's what I know that I can write those and have it come out the way I desire it to be.
I'll give you a prime example of how prejudging something before you even try to give it a chance makes you ignorant.
I had all these preconceived notions when I first started writing about what a fic should be. However when I started posting on fiction-girl.org back in the day I was quick to realize how wrong I was. There are millions of ways and ideas to write with. Some have been used before some haven't. It's all in what you make of it. And yes there's no excuse for poor writing but that's not what we're complaining about. We're disheartened that our hard work and dedication to the craft get bashed because we write in a genre or rating that certain people refuse to even give a chance to. And it's those certain people who decide who gets recognized. And honestly that's like saying you're not good enough writer without even have read a THING they've written. Or saying "I won't read Stephen King because he writes horror" yeah it's a personal preference and thats ok but why deprive yourself of finding a good story or maybe even saying "you know it's better than i thought it would be."
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Let's take a look at the genre outside of fanfic. Is NC-17 Romance a highly read genre? No, it isn't. So it's not just in fanfic.
I realize you're just trying to go against stereotypes, but the fact is that stereotypes are rampant and it happens inside and outside of fan fic. And I know trying to go against stereotypes is difficult and I know how you must feel, but it happens.
The important thing is that there are people who look past that and read what you write.
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Nicksgal, must you be so negative? Sorry to be rude, but you're not even trying to comprehend what these young ladies, Trina and Teri are trying to say.
They're not asking for you to read their work with happiness. They just want a fair chance. I'm not sure if you recognize this or not, but Absolute Chaos is very similar to a community. We are a community. In a community, things needs to be equal and fair or everything will be chaotic.
For example, there shouldn't be a featured story section due to that everyone is not given a fair chance. How hard is it to be fair or cut out the section? It's not that big of a life changing event! If the United States can allow women a right to vote then we certainly can come together in choosing the best form of literatures.
In my own opinion, I do not think that the featured stories are even chosen fairly due to that [I'm assuming, yes, it's bad to assume, I apolgize] only one or a few people are in on which story should be featured. Shouldn't the whole website be apart of it? I really don't think the admins here or whoever picks the features stories read every single story on here. Where's the poll at? I don't see us reviewers getting a chose in who has the best work around here.
It's just...assumin g and putting labels on something shows that you have a negative attitude. Their just asking for you to see the other side and give all genres a fair chance. They're not saying that you have to like the genre or the story, but it's based on the literature work and the quality, not if totally one-hundred percent addicted to it.
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I'm a firm believer in reading everything I can get my hands on, and after I've seen the quality of writing then I make my decision. I don't write fantasy cuz yeah I'd totally suck at it, I don't have the talent for it. I write, comedy, drama, angst romance fics because it's what I know that I can write those and have it come out the way I desire it to be.
I'll give you a prime example of how prejudging something before you even try to give it a chance makes you ignorant.
I had all these preconceived notions when I first started writing about what a fic should be. However when I started posting on fiction-girl.org back in the day I was quick to realize how wrong I was. There are millions of ways and ideas to write with. Some have been used before some haven't. It's all in what you make of it. And yes there's no excuse for poor writing but that's not what we're complaining about. We're disheartened that our hard work and dedication to the craft get bashed because we write in a genre or rating that certain people refuse to even give a chance to. And it's those certain people who decide who gets recognized. And honestly that's like saying you're not good enough writer without even have read a THING they've written. Or saying "I won't read Stephen King because he writes horror" yeah it's a personal preference and thats ok but why deprive yourself of finding a good story or maybe even saying "you know it's better than i thought it would be."
Very well said, Teri! You don't know if you like something until you try it, I always say. Or until you read it, in this case.
People like having their comfort zones, I know that. I also know that people can be intimidated by reading certain things at first for whatever reason (fear of the unknown, perhaps). I've even known people that don't like to read things that they know they don't have a talent for writing about. But please, those of you reading this, don't judge an entire genre before you DO take the time to read the individual stories.
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Yeah that's exactly what we're outraged about, that certain people won't even give us a chance because they're too elitest and judgemental to even try something that maybe out of their comfort zone. Honestly that's like saying "oh you've got the grades and the talent to go to harvard law school, but ohh you're not good enough." it's Ivory towerism and it's unfair and not right. There shouldn't be a featured story of the month or awards IF everyone can't be in the running because of a few select people with prejudices making the decisions.
Okay, not trying to argue with you because I agree that people shouldn't assume things about a story just because of it's rating. But I think you also need to keep in mind that this is a site that is intended for people of all ages, so we in general do not feature NC-17 stories because that means that those who are under age are not allowed to read and discuss the stories--and yes I *have* had parents contact me about this. I have had to argue with numerous people about whether or not I should even have NC17 stories on the site at all. I fight for the right of ya'll to keep posting. In fact it's part of the reason I started this site in the first place--fanfiction.net decided at one point that they would not allow any NC-17 stories at all, so I opened this site for a place where those who wrote them would still have a place to write, and those who read them can still have a place to read.
There is a reason why we don't generally feature NC-17 fics. It's not because they're not good enough to be featured, it's because the featured stories are being discussed and we have lots of people in the discussions that are underage.
So please keep that in mind when you're getting upset about NC-17 not being featured. If you want to post an alternate R-Rated version to be featured at the same time so that younger readers can join in without me potentially getting my rear chewed out by a parent, by all means I welcome you to do so.
(And just so you know, they will be considered for any awards, etc. Just not for the Story of the Month/Featured Discussions...)
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Brilliantly put Jamanda! Thank you for your input!!
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Okay, not trying to argue with you because I agree that people shouldn't assume things about a story just because of it's rating. But I think you also need to keep in mind that this is a site that is intended for people of all ages, so we in general do not feature NC-17 stories because that means that those who are under age are not allowed to read and discuss the stories--and yes I *have* had parents contact me about this. I have had to argue with numerous people about whether or not I should even have NC17 stories on the site at all. I fight for the right of ya'll to keep posting. In fact it's part of the reason I started this site in the first place--fanfiction.net decided at one point that they would not allow any NC-17 stories at all, so I opened this site for a place where those who wrote them would still have a place to write, and those who read them can still have a place to read.
There is a reason why we don't generally feature NC-17 fics. It's not because they're not good enough to be featured, it's because the featured stories are being discussed and we have lots of people in the discussions that are underage.
So please keep that in mind when you're getting upset about NC-17 not being featured. If you want to post an alternate R-Rated version to be featured at the same time so that younger readers can join in without me potentially getting my rear chewed out by a parent, by all means I welcome you to do so.
(And just so you know, they will be considered for any awards, etc. Just not for the Story of the Month/Featured Discussions...)
No offense I really see your point but why are you letting parents tell you what should be on your site? That's simply ridiculous. It's yours and our first amendment rights to post whatever we want, if they don't like it, put a parental block on the site. Catering to the whims of people who don't even know what the site is about is simply irresponsible to the authors that post here which without us you wouldn't have a site to begin with.
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Chaos have you even read any NC-17 stories on your site? Like mine or Tris? for example? I'm assuming not because then you'd actually see that we focus more on plot than what your preconceived notions of NC-17 stories are. Maybe you need to open your mind a bit and see for yourself instead of assuming one thing and insulting other people's writing.
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Okay, not trying to argue with you because I agree that people shouldn't assume things about a story just because of it's rating. But I think you also need to keep in mind that this is a site that is intended for people of all ages, so we in general do not feature NC-17 stories because that means that those who are under age are not allowed to read and discuss the stories--and yes I *have* had parents contact me about this. I have had to argue with numerous people about whether or not I should even have NC17 stories on the site at all. I fight for the right of ya'll to keep posting. In fact it's part of the reason I started this site in the first place--fanfiction.net decided at one point that they would not allow any NC-17 stories at all, so I opened this site for a place where those who wrote them would still have a place to write, and those who read them can still have a place to read.
There is a reason why we don't generally feature NC-17 fics. It's not because they're not good enough to be featured, it's because the featured stories are being discussed and we have lots of people in the discussions that are underage.
So please keep that in mind when you're getting upset about NC-17 not being featured. If you want to post an alternate R-Rated version to be featured at the same time so that younger readers can join in without me potentially getting my rear chewed out by a parent, by all means I welcome you to do so.
(And just so you know, they will be considered for any awards, etc. Just not for the Story of the Month/Featured Discussions...)
Okay, I'm not trying to argue here or anything, but then why is there a featured section? I mean, everyone's not given a fair chance, true, you stated that. Why not overrule this and just get rid of it or come up with a new idea to help those out who do have brilliant writing in the genre of NC-17?
And I understand your issues of parents, but there are things, like Teri stated, that can block a site or content that you wish your child not to view.
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I'm not going to jump into the argument that's going on here because you're entitled to think how you want But I do have to comment about the featured stories thing. If you look at the stories that have been featured since this forum started (mainly going back to February) I have taken great pride in picking from a VARIETY of genres and giving all authors a fair shot. In fact ironically enough, one of you are next up lol so I think it's unfair to complain about that. It takes a lot of work for me to keep that feature going but I do because everyone who has had a chance so far have all said it's helped them keep writing.
We only feature one story a month and we only started in February so be patient.
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I'm not going to jump into the argument that's going on here because you're entitled to think how you want But I do have to comment about the featured stories thing. If you look at the stories that have been featured since this forum started (mainly going back to February) I have taken great pride in picking from a VARIETY of genres and giving all authors a fair shot. In fact ironically enough, one of you are next up lol so I think it's unfair to complain about that. It takes a lot of work for me to keep that feature going but I do because everyone who has had a chance so far have all said it's helped them keep writing.
We only feature one story a month and we only started in February so be patient.
Is it a NC-17 story that will be featured? :]
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And furthermore telling US to change our rating to R from NC-17 is telling us to conform. And that's not right. I thought this site was a community where EVERYONE got a chance I'm glad you proved me wrong about that one. Now I know how ignorant this whole thing really is. Thank you for enlightening me.
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Nicksgal, must you be so negative? Sorry to be rude, but you're not even trying to comprehend what these young ladies, Trina and Teri are trying to say.
They're not asking for you to read their work with happiness. They just want a fair chance. I'm not sure if you recognize this or not, but Absolute Chaos is very similar to a community. We are a community. In a community, things needs to be equal and fair or everything will be chaotic.
For example, there shouldn't be a featured story section due to that everyone is not given a fair chance. How hard is it to be fair or cut out the section? It's not that big of a life changing event! If the United States can allow women a right to vote then we certainly can come together in choosing the best form of literatures.
In my own opinion, I do not think that the featured stories are even chosen fairly due to that [I'm assuming, yes, it's bad to assume, I apolgize] only one or a few people are in on which story should be featured. Shouldn't the whole website be apart of it? I really don't think the admins here or whoever picks the features stories read every single story on here. Where's the poll at? I don't see us reviewers getting a chose in who has the best work around here.
It's just...assumin g and putting labels on something shows that you have a negative attitude. Their just asking for you to see the other side and give all genres a fair chance. They're not saying that you have to like the genre or the story, but it's based on the literature work and the quality, not if totally one-hundred percent addicted to it.
I disappreciate you calling me negative, considering I am speaking from experience.
Have you given my writing a chance? If not, please do not defend them and put me down because I'm being "negative."
I want a fair chance.
Everyone wants a fair chance.
But facts are facts.
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As far as children being exposed to more adult content it's not up to US to police that. It's their parent's job and if they want to blame a site where their child goes instead of putting up a parental block or *gasp* actually being a parent then they shouldn't be surprised that they're child is curious about these sorts of things
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I disappreciate you calling me negative, considering I am speaking from experience.
Have you given my writing a chance? If not, please do not defend them and put me down because I'm being "negative."
I want a fair chance.
Everyone wants a fair chance.
But facts are facts.
And I disappreciate you for being narrowminded. Do people not understand that things CAN CHANGE?! If everyone is willing to cooperate then everyone can get a fair chance. You just have to be able to convince people in this fact!
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No offense I really see your point but why are you letting parents tell you what should be on your site? That's simply ridiculous. It's yours and our first amendment rights to post whatever we want, if they don't like it, put a parental block on the site. Catering to the whims of people who don't even know what the site is about is simply irresponsible to the authors that post here which without us you wouldn't have a site to begin with.
I wouldn't take offense if you wouldn't tell me that my reason is ridiculous. So thanks for not being offensive in the future.
I made the decision MYSELF to make the site appropriate for all ages and to make the story discussion available to all users of the site. It is my right to do this, whether or not other parents tell me what to put on my site. I am a parent, too, and I understand their point. I WANT to have a site that includes all types of fics, yes, but I am not going to feature a story that is not able to be discussed by all the members of the site that want to participate.
I'm not going to argue this with you. I'm sorry you don't like my policy. I can't make everyone happy. I will think on it and see if I can come up with a reasonable alternative, but I'm sorry, the Featured Story is not going to be NC-17 at this time.
If you would like to run an alternate discussion group, let me know; maybe we can work something out.
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Is it a NC-17 story that will be featured? :]
I pick the story by author and then what the author considers their favorite or what their fans consider their favorite based on polls I made when the forum was first started.
The reason I don't post a poll on the AC site about what stories to feature is because I do most of the commenting and talking in the threads. I have tried a poll type thing in the past with my old fanfic of the month club and people go in and vote and then crickets are chirping for the rest of the time. So yes, I do just pick and not leave it up to anyone else except for those polls I made which i'm sure you can find easily and have your say if you really want it. lol
I have stories prepicked all the way until July ALL different GENRES and FANDOMS! lol jeez louise.
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I'm not going to jump into the argument that's going on here because you're entitled to think how you want But I do have to comment about the featured stories thing. If you look at the stories that have been featured since this forum started (mainly going back to February) I have taken great pride in picking from a VARIETY of genres and giving all authors a fair shot. In fact ironically enough, one of you are next up lol so I think it's unfair to complain about that. It takes a lot of work for me to keep that feature going but I do because everyone who has had a chance so far have all said it's helped them keep writing.
We only feature one story a month and we only started in February so be patient.
Thank you Mare for giving your opinion honestly, really I do appreciate that, it's just I'm upset at the fact that there appears to be some discrimination based on rating going on. I mean if we're gonna run scared everytime a parent gets upset then what the hell is the point of posting? Parent's need to realize that they can control what they expose their kids to. And really we're the LEAST threatening. There's sex everywhere that's much worse than anything we write, look at television, movies, hell even the news gets off on sex nowadays it's up to the parent not a web site to police the children in what they're exposed to.
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Okay, not trying to argue with you because I agree that people shouldn't assume things about a story just because of it's rating. But I think you also need to keep in mind that this is a site that is intended for people of all ages, so we in general do not feature NC-17 stories because that means that those who are under age are not allowed to read and discuss the stories--and yes I *have* had parents contact me about this. I have had to argue with numerous people about whether or not I should even have NC17 stories on the site at all. I fight for the right of ya'll to keep posting. In fact it's part of the reason I started this site in the first place--fanfiction.net decided at one point that they would not allow any NC-17 stories at all, so I opened this site for a place where those who wrote them would still have a place to write, and those who read them can still have a place to read.
There is a reason why we don't generally feature NC-17 fics. It's not because they're not good enough to be featured, it's because the featured stories are being discussed and we have lots of people in the discussions that are underage.
So please keep that in mind when you're getting upset about NC-17 not being featured. If you want to post an alternate R-Rated version to be featured at the same time so that younger readers can join in without me potentially getting my rear chewed out by a parent, by all means I welcome you to do so.
(And just so you know, they will be considered for any awards, etc. Just not for the Story of the Month/Featured Discussions...)
I appreciate the explanation. I honestly thought it was just the personal preference of those who got to choose what was featured. Being an educator of children, I understand that many young people are subjected to things that are not age-appropriate. I would not want to promote people under the age of 17 to read stories that are inappropriate, of course. I do think, however, that parents should be monitoring what their children are doing on the internet. There are a lot worse things available on the internet than NC-17 fan fiction stories about Nick Carter. I'd rather kids vent their sexual curiosities on READING or WRITING fan fiction compared to going out and doing all the things in the stories. And the argument of "if they read it, they'll do it" is mostly untrue. It's the ones that don't have a creative vent that typically act out. I'm just saying... If the kids want to find NC-17 stories, they're going to find them, REGARDLESS to if they're featured or not. Of course, how you run things is ultimately up to you since you run the site and I understand that. It was just that, honestly, prior to this post, I thought the site administration just glossed over NC-17 stories. I am glad that NC-17 will be considered for awards because that's definitely important.
I do hope that individual readers, however, will be more open-minded to read all genres and all stories regardless of ratings. Judge the story for the story itself, not for the labels put on it.
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And I disappreciate you for being narrowminded. Do people not understand that things CAN CHANGE?! If everyone is willing to cooperate then everyone can get a fair chance. You just have to be able to convince people in this fact!
I take it from your response at continuing to insult me that your answer to my question is "no."
Things can change, yes, but in something as historied as this, it probably won't.
It happens, and you need to realize this. Just because you worship these authors and their writing does not mean that everyone will.
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I wouldn't take offense if you wouldn't tell me that my reason is ridiculous. So thanks for not being offensive in the future.
I made the decision MYSELF to make the site appropriate for all ages and to make the story discussion available to all users of the site. It is my right to do this, whether or not other parents tell me what to put on my site. I am a parent, too, and I understand their point. I WANT to have a site that includes all types of fics, yes, but I am not going to feature a story that is not able to be discussed by all the members of the site that want to participate.
I'm not going to argue this with you. I'm sorry you don't like my policy. I can't make everyone happy. I will think on it and see if I can come up with a reasonable alternative, but I'm sorry, the Featured Story is not going to be NC-17 at this time.
If you would like to run an alternate discussion group, let me know; maybe we can work something out.
I'm an aunt to two beautiful girls myself and I understand about making a site age appropriate but your argument is flawed. There's been rated R stories that have been featured. That include, rape, death, sexual content and offensive language, illness, and violence. So hmmm is Rated R more age appropriate? I think not if you really wanted it to be age appropriate for everyone then the featured story of the month would be at most PG every month.
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I pick the story by author and then what the author considers their favorite or what their fans consider their favorite based on polls I made when the forum was first started.
The reason I don't post a poll on the AC site about what stories to feature is because I do most of the commenting and talking in the threads. I have tried a poll type thing in the past with my old fanfic of the month club and people go in and vote and then crickets are chirping for the rest of the time. So yes, I do just pick and not leave it up to anyone else except for those polls I made which i'm sure you can find easily and have your say if you really want it. lol
I have stories prepicked all the way until July ALL different GENRES and FANDOMS! lol jeez louise.
I'm just wondering...do you consider all authors? I mean, if people aren't happy with the way things are then have the admins considered changing it? I really don't believe it's fair that not one NC-17 story has been featured though or a writer that DEFINITELY has some of the most amazing writing skills. I may have not read every single story by every single author on here, but I've read a good bit, and I can say there that has been stories left out where the author has the talent and passion put behind the story.
It's wrong that their not featured and the pre-picked thing is just iffy to me...do you girls or guys consider a new story that is posted and is even more outstanding than the one you had prepicked?
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There was an interesting discussion about that too at one point on this forum. The children reading NC-17 stories. I would look for the link but i'm too lazy. lol
I agree it should be up to parents to police what their kids are doing but sadly, it's just not the case. I still can't believe how many of my junior high kids have Myspace pages!!
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I take it from your response at continuing to insult me that your answer to my question is "no."
Things can change, yes, but in something as historied as this, it probably won't.
It happens, and you need to realize this. Just because you worship these authors and their writing does not mean that everyone will.
Actually, I have read something of yours before. I'm reading Orange Crush at this moment. I've never came across any of your writing before until now to be honest. I've browsed through many different stories to tell the truth too.
It doesn't matter if it changes around the whole entire world. One place can make a different. If everyone would be WILLING to give everyone a chance here then this could be a better place for authors to see how great they really are.
Worship? It's more like admire. I'm just saying that I'd love to be given the chance to show my opinion on how great some authors really are. That's all, nothing more.
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I'm just wondering...do you consider all authors? I mean, if people aren't happy with the way things are then have the admins considered changing it? I really don't believe it's fair that not one NC-17 story has been featured though or a writer that DEFINITELY has some of the most amazing writing skills. I may have not read every single story by every single author on here, but I've read a good bit, and I can say there that has been stories left out where the author has the talent and passion put behind the story.
It's wrong that their not featured and the pre-picked thing is just iffy to me...do you girls or guys consider a new story that is posted and is even more outstanding than the one you had prepicked?
Yup I consider all authors.
Read this thread lol maybe it'll help
http://absolutechaos.net/fictalk/index.php?topic=262.0
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Yup I consider all authors.
Read this thread lol maybe it'll help
http://absolutechaos.net/fictalk/index.php?topic=262.0
But what about the ones who do not join the boards? Do you consider them too..? There's a good bit of authors and I just..it's awful.
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I wouldn't take offense if you wouldn't tell me that my reason is ridiculous. So thanks for not being offensive in the future.
I made the decision MYSELF to make the site appropriate for all ages and to make the story discussion available to all users of the site. It is my right to do this, whether or not other parents tell me what to put on my site. I am a parent, too, and I understand their point. I WANT to have a site that includes all types of fics, yes, but I am not going to feature a story that is not able to be discussed by all the members of the site that want to participate.
I'm not going to argue this with you. I'm sorry you don't like my policy. I can't make everyone happy. I will think on it and see if I can come up with a reasonable alternative, but I'm sorry, the Featured Story is not going to be NC-17 at this time.
If you would like to run an alternate discussion group, let me know; maybe we can work something out.
I actually would appreciate a place where it'd be acceptable to highlight an NC-17 story and discuss it. I think that a lot of the romance/drama NC-17 stories have a deeper level to them considering there's the relationship that includes the emotional/mental side along with the physical/sexual side and it'd be something interesting to discuss.
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There was an interesting discussion about that too at one point on this forum. The children reading NC-17 stories. I would look for the link but i'm too lazy. lol
I agree it should be up to parents to police what their kids are doing but sadly, it's just not the case. I still can't believe how many of my junior high kids have Myspace pages!!
I started reading fan fiction at the tender age of 12 and my first fic I read was a visual. And my mom knew about it too and was like oh well... not saying that EVERY parent should do that but kids are going to find a way around it, and it's up to the parents and for us to take matters into our own hands violates censorship laws and our first amendment rights to say whatever the heck we choose to. To censor a story just because it has mature content is just as wrong as saying that all g-rated stories aren't good because they're too kid-ish. It works both ways. I mean i'd rather have my neices read an NC-17 story than watch and NC-17 movie or go to an X-rated website. So if they choose NC-17 over that then you know what maybe they're a little more intelligent that we and their parents are giving them credit for because at least they're reading.
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I started reading fan fiction at the tender age of 12 and my first fic I read was a visual. And my mom knew about it too and was like oh well... not saying that EVERY parent should do that but kids are going to find a way around it, and it's up to the parents and for us to take matters into our own hands violates censorship laws and our first amendment rights to say whatever the heck we choose to. To censor a story just because it has mature content is just as wrong as saying that all g-rated stories aren't good because they're too kid-ish. It works both ways. I mean i'd rather have my neices read an NC-17 story than watch and NC-17 movie or go to an X-rated website. So if they choose NC-17 over that then you know what maybe they're a little more intelligent that we and their parents are giving them credit for because at least they're reading.
That's what I was trying to say earlier. I'm glad you're thinking along the same lines. When I was younger, I chose reading and writing that type of thing compared to going out and doing it to satisfy my curiosities. Personally, I'd want that for my own children and the children I teach, too. Maybe if more children were allowed a creative vent through writing, there'd be less things they'd be getting into.
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But what about the ones who do not join the boards? Do you consider them too..? There's a good bit of authors and I just..it's awful.
Yup I do but honestly part of my picking for now anyway is who will be around to discuss their work. At this point if I picked someone who i'm not sure is even writing anymore when it came time to disucss there would be nothing happening. I'm hoping once people on the site get the hint that we discuss the stories on the forum then when they see they are being featured they'll join the forum and discuss their stuff.
You have to realize there are a gabillion writers on AC all of whom are good in their own right. Like I said in that thread I linked you to, as long as this forum is up and running everyone will get a chance.
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Actually, I have read something of yours before. I'm reading Orange Crush at this moment. I've never came across any of your writing before until now to be honest. I've browsed through many different stories to tell the truth too.
It doesn't matter if it changes around the whole entire world. One place can make a different. If everyone would be WILLING to give everyone a chance here then this could be a better place for authors to see how great they really are.
Worship? It's more like admire. I'm just saying that I'd love to be given the chance to show my opinion on how great some authors really are. That's all, nothing more.
You can say that as much as you want, but all I'm saying is that a lot of people probably aren't willing to change their opinions, so it probably won't change.
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Yup I do but honestly part of my picking for now anyway is who will be around to discuss their work. At this point if I picked someone who i'm not sure is even writing anymore when it came time to disucss there would be nothing happening. I'm hoping once people on the site get the hint that we discuss the stories on the forum then when they see they are being featured they'll join the forum and discuss their stuff.
You have to realize there are a gabillion writers on AC all of whom are good in their own right. Like I said in that thread I linked you to, as long as this forum is up and running everyone will get a chance.
So, if I'd post and ask you to consider someone then you'd read their work and consider them? No matter what genre or rating?
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uh huh lol
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All right, I have a general question for anyone now.
I stated in my first post WHY I rated my story with NC-17. Even though there's a plot and there isn't sex in every chapter, like many people's assumptions are, I thought it was appropriate to warn readers that there IS graphic sexual content.
My question is: Would you suggest that I change my rating to R because it DOES have plot? (Even though it does have graphic sexual content and may be deemed inappropriate by certain people?)
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NC-17 shouldn't make it plotless.
If the sex scenes are described in graphic detail, then it deserves the NC-17 rating, regardless of whether or not there is a plot. Having a plot doesn't soften the descriptive detail.
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^ When I see NC-17 I tend to think graphic sex scenes. When I see R I think sex but without the explicit details if that makes any sense?
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Yup I do but honestly part of my picking for now anyway is who will be around to discuss their work. At this point if I picked someone who i'm not sure is even writing anymore when it came time to disucss there would be nothing happening. I'm hoping once people on the site get the hint that we discuss the stories on the forum then when they see they are being featured they'll join the forum and discuss their stuff.
You have to realize there are a gabillion writers on AC all of whom are good in their own right. Like I said in that thread I linked you to, as long as this forum is up and running everyone will get a chance.
Most people don't even know that we discuss on the forum sadly. I try to come here as often as I can. I'm lol usually a lurker just because I don't have time to post. I do read everything on here and it's fun alot of times. And yeah some writers on AC aren't the best, and it is hard sometimes to know before you open up a story. Even some of the best writers on AC have stories the frustrate the hell out of me, but sometimes that's exactly their point too. It just appeared to me that there were these preconceived notions about a particular rating, that were being applied to mine and a few others I read and it's not true for us. And not to say that you personally have said it but OTHER authors have said that to me and it gets to me because it's like "did i make a mistake in being honest about my rating?"
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I agree that parents should be watching what their kids are doing. And I know they're going to find it if they want to (they can find it on my site even, I know). But as webmaster, it's my decision to not actively try to pull them into discussions about these stories, either. It's a compromise that I'm comfortable with as a balance between the two sides.
I'm not going to argue with you. I'm sorry that you don't like how things are currently being done. Again I'm willing to work with you on an alternate feature, but right now I'm not going to change how the current featured story is working. We'll come up with an alternate feature of some sort. Honestly I'm tired and don't think I'm going to articulate things well tonight (and obviously have not thus far...)
Sorry you think it's not being handled well. Mare's doing one story a month and I think she's been very fair picking from varied genres.
As for the R-Rated one...I'm sorry, I admit I had not read it; I'm not sure which one you're talking about but you're right it probably should not have been chosen for the featured story. I know you're going to say that if we posted that as featured we should post NC-17 as featured, but I'm going to just say that that was a mistake.
Again, I'm willing to work with you on an alternative here. I'm not saying that I won't do something different to feature them, but with the current feature(d) stories setup, I'm sorry, but it's not going to happen. I wasn't intentionally trying to slight NC-17 writers. Sorry you felt that way.
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^ When I see NC-17 I tend to think graphic sex scenes. When I see R I think sex but without the explicit details if that makes any sense?
Actually, Mare, you were the first one to enlighten me about the fact that there is a stigma on NC-17 stories. lol. Honestly, before that, I never knew! You even gave me this suggestion about the rating: "I would say if your story is less about the sex and more about the plot, maybe it would be a good idea to change it. You can try to see if it makes a difference?"
I don't know if you've read Any Other Way or What the Heart Wants, but I'm curious to know if you think the same way now. I obviously don't want to be berated for attaching an incorrect rating to my story. That's why I'm asking and putting the question out to the general public.
By the way, you made that post here back in August: http://absolutechaos.net/fictalk/index.php?topic=512.15.
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An alternative? That's like saying separate but equal...and as history has shown us Separate but equal IS NEVER equal so really it boils down to either you're fair to everyone or there shouldn't be recognition period.
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Most people don't even know that we discuss on the forum sadly. I try to come here as often as I can. I'm lol usually a lurker just because I don't have time to post. I do read everything on here and it's fun alot of times. And yeah some writers on AC aren't the best, and it is hard sometimes to know before you open up a story. Even some of the best writers on AC have stories the frustrate the hell out of me, but sometimes that's exactly their point too. It just appeared to me that there were these preconceived notions about a particular rating, that were being applied to mine and a few others I read and it's not true for us. And not to say that you personally have said it but OTHER authors have said that to me and it gets to me because it's like "did i make a mistake in being honest about my rating?"
I get what you mean. That's why i'm staying out of your arguments because they are vaild. lol I know it's annoying and you are right. I mean like I had no clue myself what the difference was between a visual and a NC-17 story. That's why I asked and i'm glad you guys had cleared that up. I do think it might scare some people away because then you also get that box that pops up and says are you sure you want to read this? lol well not in those words but you know what I mean?
I do think that a great story is a great story though and when your stuff is read it will be appreciated by the people who read them and from word of mouth you will get more readers who will be willing to give you a chance.
I thikn fanfic nowadays is a hard thing to get people to read. Seems like the popularity of it has decreased over the years and that's sad.
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Uh, are R-rated not allowed to be featured? Because six of them are. A lot of those contains deaths, rape, graphic sexual content, and violence as well.
In my opinion, R is basically the same as NC-17. I don't think there's this big, gigantic difference.
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Wow, I missed a lot here! LOL
I've kinda skimmed through this thread; I haven't read every post word for word. That said, here are my thoughts...
I completely understand Chaos's reasoning for setting the rules of the site up the way he did. I know, from personal experience, that most kids will ignore the warnings, say they're 18 or over, and read whatever they want. But... if their mommies and daddies find out they've been reading material they deem inappropriate and complain to Chaos about it, Chaos can honestly say that his site has warnings and measures to keep that from happening and that the little angels ignored those warnings, lied about their age, and read anyway. It looks better than if explicit material was just posted freely, without any warning, for anyone to read. Yes, it's the internet and pretty much anything goes and we have the freedom to post what we want, but that doesn't mean a webmaster can't choose to set limits on his own site. If you have a problem with the rules of AC, there are plenty of other sites where you can post your stories.
On that same note, I understand why the mods choose stories that are R-rated or below to feature. They don't want to leave any readers out, nor promote underage readers reading material that, according to the ratings, they probably shouldn't be reading. I realize that, in doing that, they're probably leaving out some great stories that deserve to be featured. But that kinda brings me to my next point...
You, as the writer, determine what content goes into your story. You also determine its rating when you post it on AC. I don't believe there are strict guidelines for ratings, as far as what a story needs to have to be rated R, NC-17, etc. What separates an NC-17 story from an R-rated story? The amount of sex? The degree to which the sex is described? Where do you draw the line? It's not clear; it's pretty much up to the author. No one says you have to rate your story NC-17 just because it has some sex scenes. According to Tri, she decided to give hers that rating because they do have a lot of sex, and she wanted to warn younger readers. How is that much different than the mods not wanting to feature stories with a lot of sex in them for the sake of the younger readers?
I personally have nothing against NC-17 stories, and I don't think they're all sex and smut. But I feel that if you, as the writer, put enough explicit sex in your story to warrant an NC-17 rating, you're facing the risk of alienating readers who don't want to read that or whose parents wouldn't want them reading it. It's the same stigma of slash and visual writers. It comes with the territory. If you don't think your story is that inappropriate, change the rating and make it more readily available to all readers.
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Actually, Mare, you were the first one to enlighten me about the fact that there is a stigma on NC-17 stories. lol. Honestly, before that, I never knew! You even gave me this suggestion about the rating: "I would say if your story is less about the sex and more about the plot, maybe it would be a good idea to change it. You can try to see if it makes a difference?"
I don't know if you've read Any Other Way or What the Heart Wants, but I'm curious to know if you think the same way now. I obviously don't want to be berated for attaching an incorrect rating to my story. That's why I'm asking and putting the question out to the general public.
By the way, you made that post here back in August: http://absolutechaos.net/fictalk/index.php?topic=512.15.
LOL yes I remember that very well. And I just knd of answered that strangely enough without even seeing your post.
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It's not about the readers though. its about the recognition being fair. You have to be 17 to get into a rated R movie don't you? So why put a rated R story as featured? It's merely because of the stigma. So pretty much it's come down to this either be fair and include everyone in THE SAME RECOGNITION or don't have recognition at all because if you're not going to be fair about it it taints EVERYONE who is recognized in saying "oh well you're good enough" and this other story that's just as good isn't because it contains more adult themes.
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In reading the posts that were posted while I was typing mine, I think maybe it would help to come up with some descriptions of ratings that authors can use when deciding what rating their story should get, and that readers can use when searching for stories to read. Cause like I said, I have no idea where you draw the line! I know with movies, the rating depends on how much cussing, what words are said, how much sex, and how much skin is shown... there are pretty strict guidelines. Maybe we need something like that for fanfic to clarify the ratings for everyone and make the ratings carry across the board. Because right now, what might be considered NC-17 to one person is only R to another, and so on.
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Uh, are R-rated not allowed to be featured? Because six of them are. A lot of those contains deaths, rape, graphic sexual content, and violence as well.
In my opinion, R is basically the same as NC-17. I don't think there's this big, gigantic difference.
so what is the problem then?
I think so far everything that's been discussed has been mature enough without going into graphic detail so I see no problem with continuing with that although i'm starting to want to go all teacher and say the more complaining the less i'm willing. All you teachers know what I mean because now I feel like we're just complaining for complaining's sake.
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LOL yes I remember that very well. And I just knd of answered that strangely enough without even seeing your post.
lol, so do you still have the same feeling now? I mean, SHOULD I change it to R? Sex doesn't even really come in until the 20-something chapter of AOW (out of 75 chapters). Sure, it's descriptive, but it's not the entire story.
I don't even know if I'm being coherent anymore, but I hope I am.
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and until it was brought up and stomped to the gound the next feature was an NC-17 lol now i'm not sure I can do that anymore. I'm all confused and before I was fine and dandy.
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In reading the posts that were posted while I was typing mine, I think maybe it would help to come up with some descriptions of ratings that authors can use when deciding what rating their story should get, and that readers can use when searching for stories to read. Cause like I said, I have no idea where you draw the line! I know with movies, the rating depends on how much cussing, what words are said, how much sex, and how much skin is shown... there are pretty strict guidelines. Maybe we need something like that for fanfic to clarify the ratings for everyone and make the ratings carry across the board. Because right now, what might be considered NC-17 to one person is only R to another, and so on.
I think that would be helpful. Honestly, I'm so on the fence with whether mine are truly NC-17 or if they're R.
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Just curious, but who is next months featured story? The NC-17 one? I'd really like to know if I've read it or not, so if I haven't so that I can. :]
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So what should I do about mine, yes sex is a big part of my stories, but it's only because of the plot. It's to show chemistry and yes it's really descriptive cuz i'm sorry i like to make sure the reader gets the same image in their heads as they read as i do when i'm writing. If it's not going to be fair then I'll take my stories off because honestly it's not worth it to have people sit here and tell me I should change my rating just because NC-17 has a false and stupid stigma attached to it.
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lol, so do you still have the same feeling now? I mean, SHOULD I change it to R? Sex doesn't even really come in until the 20-something chapter of AOW (out of 75 chapters). Sure, it's descriptive, but it's not the entire story.
I don't even know if I'm being coherent anymore, but I hope I am.
I'm not sure if you guys are even aware of how little I have time to read lol. I say over and over again that even with these featured stories, I pick them based on what everyone says. Out of the stories that have been featured i've read two of them from start to finish. Am I proud of this? NO but at the same time I trust everyone who rants and raves about the stories to jump in and cover the discussions and so far they have.
So to answer your question Tri, I haven't read it. To me, it sounds like you can make it R but for sex scenes you may want to just do a pre warning of some kind in an authors note saying this chapter contains sex scenes of a graphic nature. lol did I say that the first time too?
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It's not about the readers though. its about the recognition being fair. You have to be 17 to get into a rated R movie don't you? So why put a rated R story as featured? It's merely because of the stigma. So pretty much it's come down to this either be fair and include everyone in THE SAME RECOGNITION or don't have recognition at all because if you're not going to be fair about it it taints EVERYONE who is recognized in saying "oh well you're good enough" and this other story that's just as good isn't because it contains more adult themes.
I totally get your argument, and I agree to an extent, but at the same time, look at it this way: When choosing a movie of the week to put on TV, TV channels can't just show any movie they want. R-rated movies can only be shown if they are edited. Unedited and higher-rated programs have to be shown on special channels that not everyone has or only get shown late at night, when a lot of audiences aren't watching. Is that fair? Maybe not, to the people who want to watch R-rated movies unedited on TV any time they want, but I'm sure the parents of young children appreciate it. And the audience of those R movies can always get the DVD and watch them that way.
What is fair is not always equal, and what is equal is not always fair. Sometimes there have to be guidelines. If the guidelines of AC don't work for you, there are other sites that specialize in more adult-themed stories.
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Just curious, but who is next months featured story? The NC-17 one? I'd really like to know if I've read it or not, so if I haven't so that I can. :]
That's a surprise. lol I dont give that away until it happens and now i'm not even sure I can discuss it but my guess is, judging from your posts that you have read it.
lmao now i'm turning into a typo queen.
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Tat's a surprise. lol I dont give that away until it happens and now i'm not even sure I can discuss it by my guess is, judging from your posts that you have read it.
IS IT TRI OR TERI?! OH MY GOSH!
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I think that would be helpful. Honestly, I'm so on the fence with whether mine are truly NC-17 or if they're R.
I know what you mean. My stories don't generally contain a lot of sex, but BMS does have a couple of sex scenes that are described in some detail. I wouldn't say they're totally explicit, but they're not glossed over either. But two scenes out of 190+ chapters, to me, does not mean it's an NC-17 story. I rated it R because it has adult language and definitely adult themes, but I don't see it as an NC-17 story at all. But it could be that my interpretation of NC-17 is a lot different from other people.
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I mean I'm not even sure about what rating my stories are anymore. If tri's are R worthy then so are mine since her and I share about the same amount of sexual content. If I made a mistake in saying it's NC-17 then of course I'm not above admitting my mistakes and fixing it and then we probably wouldn't be having this big of an issue. But what do we do? There's no clear cut rating system, So should NC-17 be restricted to no plot and all the stories with adult themes and sexual content and a plot be bumped down to R?
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I'm not sure if you guys are even aware of how little I have time to read lol. I say over and over again that even with these featured stories, I pick them based on what everyone says. Out of the stories that have been featured i've read two of them from start to finish. Am I proud of this? NO but at the same time I trust everyone who rants and raves about the stories to jump in and cover the discussions and so far they have.
So to answer your question Tri, I haven't read it. To me, it sounds like you can make it R but for sex scenes you may want to just do a pre warning of some kind in an authors note saying this chapter contains sex scenes of a graphic nature. lol did I say that the first time too?
Yeah. I guess I'm just going to change the rating to R. It still carries the "graphic sexual content" warning on it. If anyone has a problem with the rating in the future, then I'll change it. But, judging from people's impressions of what R is and NC-17 is, I guess it fits into R.
Please, though, if ANYONE has a problem with this in the future, let me know and I'll change it back to NC-17. Again, I don't really know the definitions of each rating. So if it's ever clarified in the future, I'll make sure it fits into the correct rating then. As far as right now, it seems as if R is the right place for me.
Mare, thanks for your input.
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Here's a fanfic site which has some rating guidelines based on the Motion Picture Society of America's guidelines for movies.
http://www.qui-gonline.org/fanfic/ratings.htm
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You know that's what I would do. I would just go to R and if someone finds it overly offensive and complains then i'd go to NC-17. I know there's probably a lot of stories that are mis rated, including mine.
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You know that's what I would do. I would just go to R and if someone finds it overly offensive and complains then i'd go to NC-17. I know there's probably a lot of stories that are mis rated, including mine.
Thanks, Mare! That's what I'll do. :)
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You're welcome :)
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^ I agree. It sounds like it needs to be really extreme to be rated NC-17. Think of the R-rated movies you've seen. Some of them get pretty racy, but they're still only rated R. I'm not sure I've ever even seen an NC-17 movie, minus a porno my friends and I rented once as a joke LOL. I've seen the unrated versions of R movies, so I guess maybe that counts, but usually they're not THAT much different than the originals.
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^ I agree. It sounds like it needs to be really extreme to be rated NC-17. Think of the R-rated movies you've seen. Some of them get pretty racy, but they're still only rated R. I'm not sure I've ever even seen an NC-17 movie, minus a porno my friends and I rented once as a joke LOL. I've seen the unrated versions of R movies, so I guess maybe that counts, but usually they're not THAT much different than the originals.
LOL That's a good way to judge! A lot of the situations in my stories are similar to situations that would be in Sex & the City or R-rated movies.
I'm glad we had this discussion just so there is a better definition of what is considered R or NC-17. I feel a lot better now. :)
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LOL That's a good way to judge! A lot of the situations in my stories are similar to situations that would be in Sex & the City or R-rated movies.
I'm glad we had this discussion just so there is a better definition of what is considered R or NC-17. I feel a lot better now. :)
I agree, cause it really is hard to determine. I think I originally had BMS rated PG-13, and then I upped it to R once I started getting some sex in there LOL. Broken is still only PG-13, but maybe it should be R because of the language? Cause I know there's more than one cuss word in it. It's just hard to tell. But like Mare said, until someone complains, or until there are strict guidelines for ratings on the site, just go with your gut. It sounds like you probably only have an R-rated story.
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Ok since I discussed with mare i changed mine to R just because i guess it fits better. i'm always confused with ratings and i think maybe that's a good idea we ALL should address and work on, and awesome link Julie! I hope truly that no one thinks we (tri and i) came on here to attack people. we didn't we've been discussing this and decided that we should bring it to everyone. and i would like to thank each and everyone of you guys for your honest opinions, they are respected even if we disagree with them. And if we come off as angry or emotional about it, it's just because we're extremely passionate about the subject.
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Ok since I discussed with mare i changed mine to R just because i guess it fits better. i'm always confused with ratings and i think maybe that's a good idea we ALL should address and work on, and awesome link Julie! I hope truly that no one thinks we (tri and i) came on here to attack people. we didn't we've been discussing this and decided that we should bring it to everyone. and i would like to thank each and everyone of you guys for your honest opinions, they are respected even if we disagree with them. And if we come off as angry or emotional about it, it's just because we're extremely passionate about the subject.
I second that! I wasn't trying to personally attack ANYONE. I'm really glad I brought the topic up because now I feel like it's resolved. Thank you, everyone. :) I really appreciate the feedback.
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Nope, don't worry about it. It didn't come across as attacking to me. I feel like I'm outside the situation... I don't write NC-17 stories, but I have no problem with reading them if they're good... so I can see both sides of it. And I think Dee had a good point too, when she brought in the earlier threads about fantasy writers. A lot of stories that are outside the mainstream get overlooked because of what people assume them to be... and at the same time, some stories get overlooked because they ARE considered mainstream, and people have certain ideas about what that means. As you guys said, we as readers should never assume and should just be open to giving any kind of story a chance. :)
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I'm all late as usual because I was at work while this interesting conversation was going on. I'd like to say that I personally have no problems with NC-17 stories for the most part. I think that both stories in question do have a plot. Can there be some sex scenes that could be omited? Definitely, but that's not my call. Despite it all I have nothing against both stories. The amount of sexual content you put in a story is up to the author. There are stories that I feel DO have too much sex, yet I still enjoy them. (Yes, it is possible) I think its a fine line you have to straddle in order to keep it tasteful. For me its not the amount of sex or the explicitness of the sex but if we're going all whips and chains and handcuffs just make sure there's a reason behind all that. Not let's see how shocking we can be. Cuz personally I think fan fics tend to definitely portray sex in a way that is not entirely realistic.
I to am a HUGE Sex in the City fan and sometimes it definitely influences my writing, but in more of a humorous way than a sexual way. I think the show is brilliant how it uses sexual situations as metaphors for all sort of things. So, if you're doing something like that then I have no problem. As long as its tastefully done and doesn't sound like something out of a bad porno.
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Allrighty.
Since my "accident" in February, I really haven't spent a whole lot of time on this site. Mare and Julilly have been pretty much in charge and keeping things running smoothly. The Featured Story of the Month has really been Mare's puppy, so I've discussed it with her and I am going to back off and we'll do a trial NC-17 featured story of the month. If all goes well and I don't get a lot of parental flack, etc, it'll stay that way. I will say that I do reserve the right to change back, but for now, we'll go with it.
I will say, however, that many of the NC-17 stories that you guys are talking about, if I'd rated them, I probably would have gone with "R". (Although now looking through the thread since I started the reply I see that ya'll have just discussed that. I'm a little late getting back to the party...what else is new *sigh*.)
Anyhoo, thanks for bringing the problem to my attention; I really never intended to slight any of you...
--Ash
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Thank you mel! Pretty much I look to SATC for alot of my inspiration lol it's how you weave plot and sex that makes the difference. And yeah there are some sex scenes in my stories that can be a bit over the top, but as Always Something progresses it will all be explained because it's really a cover for an insecurity in both my leads.
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Allrighty.
Since my "accident" in February, I really haven't spent a whole lot of time on this site. Mare and Julilly have been pretty much in charge and keeping things running smoothly. The Featured Story of the Month has really been Mare's puppy, so I've discussed it with her and I am going to back off and we'll do a trial NC-17 featured story of the month. If all goes well and I don't get a lot of parental flack, etc, it'll stay that way. I will say that I do reserve the right to change back, but for now, we'll go with it.
I will say, however, that many of the NC-17 stories that you guys are talking about, if I'd rated them, I probably would have gone with "R". (Although now looking through the thread since I started the reply I see that ya'll have just discussed that. I'm a little late getting back to the party...what else is new *sigh*.)
Anyhoo, thanks for bringing the problem to my attention; I really never intended to slight any of you...
--Ash
Thank you also for being honest too! It's a huge thing for me when someone gives their honest opinion and I would like to thank you for that.
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Aww I didn't feel attacked at all. In fact this was a great debate! We needed another one on this forum and I think even though it was heated at times it was civil and well thought out.
I think rating a story is such a hard thing. I bet more than half the people on our site have mis-rated at least one of their stories.
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I know, I couldn't believe how fast this thread grew! I love debates like that! :)
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I'm glad because my weekend has been drama filled to say the least, lol at least i'm going on vacation for my birthday!
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Is it wrong if I admit that I felt a little attacked? :-\
But I do love discussions like this; they're fun. :)
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I know, I couldn't believe how fast this thread grew! I love debates like that! :)
I know! I got all excited lol i'm such a dork.
And yay to going away for your birthday! That's awesome Teri. :)
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Is it wrong if I admit that I felt a little attacked? :-\
But I do love discussions like this; they're fun. :)
Nope, not wrong at all. In fact probably good to know for the people who you were talking to.
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I know! I got all excited lol i'm such a dork.
Well, after the board being so dead, it's refreshing, isn't it? :)
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Well, after the board being so dead, it's refreshing, isn't it? :)
LOL yes!
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Allrighty.
Since my "accident" in February, I really haven't spent a whole lot of time on this site. Mare and Julilly have been pretty much in charge and keeping things running smoothly. The Featured Story of the Month has really been Mare's puppy, so I've discussed it with her and I am going to back off and we'll do a trial NC-17 featured story of the month. If all goes well and I don't get a lot of parental flack, etc, it'll stay that way. I will say that I do reserve the right to change back, but for now, we'll go with it.
I will say, however, that many of the NC-17 stories that you guys are talking about, if I'd rated them, I probably would have gone with "R". (Although now looking through the thread since I started the reply I see that ya'll have just discussed that. I'm a little late getting back to the party...what else is new *sigh*.)
Anyhoo, thanks for bringing the problem to my attention; I really never intended to slight any of you...
--Ash
Thank you for your input! I changed my rating and I feel so much better after having this discussion. :)
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LOL yes!
Maybe we should just plan on starting a new major discussion once a week. :D
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Maybe we should just plan on starting a new major discussion once a week. :D
That'd be fun! I'd love to do that. A Sunday afternoon discussion every week. lol. Who's game?
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That'd be fun! I'd love to do that. A Sunday afternoon discussion every week. lol. Who's game?
Call it Saturday afternoon and I'm game.
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Call it Saturday afternoon and I'm game.
Okay! lol. That works most of the time for me, too. :) I love debating issues.
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lol it should work for me too, i'll be late usually since i normally close on saturdays (once i start work again in november)
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I'm game!
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Okay! lol. That works most of the time for me, too. :) I love debating issues.
Well, except for three more time in the next month or so... When it's a football game, have your discussions without me. :D
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Perhaps I should start a debate board on here! ;D
If ya'll want to do an organized chat, pick the day and time and I'll be happy to post it on the main page to let people know.
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weekends work best for me too but i'm always up for a good debate. lol
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Perhaps I should start a debate board on here! ;D
If ya'll want to do an organized chat, pick the day and time and I'll be happy to post it on the main page to let people know.
Can we really do that? I would love that.
Fanfic debates are always fun. ;D
We could pick a topic and everything.
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Our first debate should be what to debate for our first debate lol
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:D That might get heated. :D
What about stereotypes in fanfiction? That could be interesting.
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I love debates. They're so much fun. :D
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ooh that would be a good one
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what we really need is a topic that someone is stewing about and needs to vent. Those are the best ones, like this one and the fantasy one. Anyone annoyed about anything else? lol
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Hmmmm............
I've been thinking about jumping fandoms.... But I don't know if it's really a complaint...
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jumping fandoms sounds NC-17ish
Sorry, I couldn't help myself. lmao
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Oh, if I could jump the main characters of the other one, I would. :D
But, I don't know... BSB fanfic is becoming difficult for me to write... Or a lot of things are really... I'm not sure why. :(
PS. 2000th post, yeah! :D
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Perhaps I should start a debate board on here! ;D
If ya'll want to do an organized chat, pick the day and time and I'll be happy to post it on the main page to let people know.
Awesome! I think we should organize this.
And like nicksgal said, if a football game is on that I wanna watch, I'll be a bit distracted. lol. :)
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Oh, if I could jump the main characters of the other one, I would. :D
But, I don't know... BSB fanfic is becoming difficult for me to write... Or a lot of things are really... I'm not sure why. :(
PS. 2000th post, yeah! :D
Hooray for 2000 posts! :D
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wow you beat my post count Dee! lol
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Awesome! I think we should organize this.
And like nicksgal said, if a football game is on that I wanna watch, I'll be a bit distracted. lol. :)
Ooh, not TV. I'll be attending them.
Chaos did add the "Debate" forum. :)
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wow you beat my post count Dee! lol
It's because I talk too much. :-[
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Nicksgal,
I apologize for saying that you were negative. I hope you don't think I attacked you or anything. I was just thinking you were being a bit negative of things changing, not you personally being negative.
I hope no hard feelings are involved on your side.
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Wow Ash you're fast! lol :D awesome!
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I have a feeling this could get ugly... Fan fic writers can be ruthless... Although I can prolly come up with a few topics that could cause quite a stir. I liked the one we had about the star system being abused. Maybe we could get into how the reviews and favorites can also be abused. Just an idea... If its a weekly thing I'm sure we'll have plenty to talk about.
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Nicksgal,
I apologize for saying that you were negative. I hope you don't think I attacked you or anything. I was just thinking you were being a bit negative of things changing, not you personally being negative.
I hope no hard feelings are involved on your side.
I think it was a little harsh for just entering a conversation, yes.
And I was not yelling at anyone, just stating what are facts.
I am underlooked, for different reasons, but I understand what it feels like to be underlooked.
So I am just pointing out that it happens.
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Wow Ash you're fast! lol :D awesome!
I know, he's fast, right? :D
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I think it was a little harsh for just entering a conversation, yes.
And I was not yelling at anyone, just stating what are facts.
I am underlooked, for different reasons, but I understand what it feels like to be underlooked.
So I am just pointing out that it happens.
Facts? Underlooked? I'm confused. What you were saying I took as opinions because to me, things can change even if the never have before.
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lol okay everyone needs to take a minute break and watch this video of a bird dancing to Everybody.
http://birdloversonly.blogspot.com/2007/09/may-i-have-this-dance.html
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When things have been the way they are in fanfiction for over a decade, they're facts.
The facts are that there are genres read more than others. Nick romances being the most read.
They're facts.
I write fantasy. I think I meant to write "overlooked" it's been a long day. :D But fantasy is another one of those genres/areas that is not often read. That's what I meant.
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lol okay everyone needs to take a minute break and watch this video of a bird dancing to Everybody.
http://birdloversonly.blogspot.com/2007/09/may-i-have-this-dance.html
Oh my gosh, that's hilarious!
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When things have been the way they are in fanfiction for over a decade, they're facts.
The facts are that there are genres read more than others. Nick romances being the most read.
They're facts.
I write fantasy. I think I meant to write "overlooked" it's been a long day. :D But fantasy is another one of those genres/areas that is not often read. That's what I meant.
Oh, haha, I wasn't discussing what was read more, but yes, I agree with that. I was just talking about how all genres and ratings having the same fair chance as other stories.
:]
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Oh, haha, I wasn't discussing what was read more, but yes, I agree with that. I was just talking about how all genres and ratings having the same fair chance as other stories.
:]
But in order to have a fair chance, you mean they all deserve to be equally read. Given these facts, it won't happen. They can deserve a fair chance, but that in no way means that they'll get it.
That's what I was trying to say.
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Actually, Mare, you were the first one to enlighten me about the fact that there is a stigma on NC-17 stories. lol. Honestly, before that, I never knew! You even gave me this suggestion about the rating: "I would say if your story is less about the sex and more about the plot, maybe it would be a good idea to change it. You can try to see if it makes a difference?"
I don't know if you've read Any Other Way or What the Heart Wants, but I'm curious to know if you think the same way now. I obviously don't want to be berated for attaching an incorrect rating to my story. That's why I'm asking and putting the question out to the general public.
By the way, you made that post here back in August: http://absolutechaos.net/fictalk/index.php?topic=512.15.
Before you gave your fic that rating were you aware of exactly what an NC-17 rating is? I'm not trying to be condescending, I'm curious. In the film world, both ratings R and NC-17 mean that it's not appropriate for persons under 17, but in different ways.
Rated R: "An R-rated motion picture may include adult themes, adult activity, hard language, intense or persistent violence, sexually-oriented nudity, drug abuse or other elements..."
Now, given that I have read both of the fics you've noted here, does that not seem like a more appropriate rating? By giving your fic an NC-17 rating you are saying that it is for adult eyes only because it is pornographic or obscene in nature, and should be off-limits to children. I don't very well believe that your writing is so obscene that it is NC-17, unless you just haven't gotten to the beastiality/S&M/heroine overdose scene yet.
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Before you gave your fic that rating were you aware of exactly what an NC-17 rating is? I'm not trying to be condescending, I'm curious. In the film world, both ratings R and NC-17 mean that it's not appropriate for persons under 17, but in different ways.
Rated R: "An R-rated motion picture may include adult themes, adult activity, hard language, intense or persistent violence, sexually-oriented nudity, drug abuse or other elements..."
Now, given that I have read both of the fics you've noted here, does that not seem like a more appropriate rating? By giving your fic an NC-17 rating you are saying that it is for adult eyes only because it is pornographic or obscene in nature, and should be off-limits to children. I don't very well believe that your writing is so obscene that it is NC-17, unless you just haven't gotten to the beastiality/S&M/heroine overdose scene yet.
Nope, just normal sex between two consenting adults. Sometimes a little rough, but no intensely graphic orgies or anything. lol. It's R. :) Thanks for the clarification. I didn't think it was condescending at all. Just helpful!
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Look how many people have been on this board all day! How exciting! I really want to pull a percolator and start some random thread on the new debate board designed to get a rise out of people, but I have no idea what would do that LOL. (I'm kidding, but I like those debates!)
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We could have a debate about how jelly cranberry sauce is evil, and Mare's family is locked under it's gripping spell... I guess that's more of an opinion, eh? lol
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I like it. :D
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It's not so much a debate if everyone agrees though... unless there are fans of jiggly cranberry sauce on here? *eyes everyone suspiciously*
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Well it's a debate now. :D Because I decided the board was lonely...
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It's more just a discussion of weird food habits. And no one's even attacking each other for not liking condiments or liking bland cereal! :(
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see if you wanted to go all perc you can go in there and say that's bull! You clearly have no idea what you're talking about. Oh and by the way BSB suck! lol so stop following me around!
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It's more just a discussion of weird food habits. And no one's even attacking each other for not liking condiments or liking bland cereal! :(
I have called you all freaks and aliens, and no one has defended themselves lol
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I said I loed mustard.
And BSB so does not suck! :P
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I just did! lol
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Before you gave your fic that rating were you aware of exactly what an NC-17 rating is? I'm not trying to be condescending, I'm curious. In the film world, both ratings R and NC-17 mean that it's not appropriate for persons under 17, but in different ways.
Rated R: "An R-rated motion picture may include adult themes, adult activity, hard language, intense or persistent violence, sexually-oriented nudity, drug abuse or other elements..."
Now, given that I have read both of the fics you've noted here, does that not seem like a more appropriate rating? By giving your fic an NC-17 rating you are saying that it is for adult eyes only because it is pornographic or obscene in nature, and should be off-limits to children. I don't very well believe that your writing is so obscene that it is NC-17, unless you just haven't gotten to the beastiality/S&M/heroine overdose scene yet.
Thank you jullilly for clearing that up for me....honestly I had no idea!
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I thought it might help to actually see what was being considered as NC-17 and why we choose not to feature stories that are so intensely graphic in nature like visuals, child molestation and rape themes. We feature R rated stories all the time... hell, the feature story for this month is R rated for violence, so if you consider that you were probably putting yourselves into the wrong category for what was expected of the story you'll see that you are just as able to be seen as everyone else.
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Thank you though, I had always seen NC-17 as a story with alot of graphic sexual content and anything worse was like X or higher.
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Thank you though, I had always seen NC-17 as a story with alot of graphic sexual content and anything worse was like X or higher.
You can have an NC-17 without sex too, but consider that Hostel (the movie) is still only rated R, so the violence has to be pretty darn graphic to move up a rating, same as the sex (it's usually things like incest, and graphic rape, and erotica). Before their was NC-17 that rating was the X rating. So they are considered to be nearly the same except X puts the focus on sex where NC-17 could be violence, or just graphic content.
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Interesting... .glad I learned something new! LOL The most violence my stories have is a physical altercation that's more funny than anything.
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Hehe, yeah, I honestly don't think I've ever read a fanfic that compared to a movie like Hostel or something LOL. There are some visuals that are probably NC-17 for being like porno on a page LOL, but generally the ones with plots are probably only R.
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lol Seriously, I hated Hostel (major gore fest) I couldn't believe it only got an R rating. But yeah compared to what we've learned, it's become a lot easier to gage what rating things should be.
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Chaos, you thought you were late to this party.. so guess what, I beat you to that.. ;)
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Chaos, you thought you were late to this party.. so guess what, I beat you to that.. ;)
You're so late, it's not even fashionable lol
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although im a fairly new writer to ac, i totally understand what you mean. mine have plots, or at least i take my time to build one. but i think for other stories, it depends on the subject. normally if it opens up with sex and the rest of it is kind of smutty for the most part, that's a different case. but yeah, NC17 stories aren't really recognized for their merit as much as r rated or anything more tame. i mean just because it says NC17, people automatically think there's no real substance to it which is totally not true.
now cuz im new, im not sure what people think of my stories but im hoping for a good set of feedback just to know if anyone's reading.
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hey Mariah, what's your AC name? Are you Mariah over there too?
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although im a fairly new writer to ac, i totally understand what you mean. mine have plots, or at least i take my time to build one. but i think for other stories, it depends on the subject. normally if it opens up with sex and the rest of it is kind of smutty for the most part, that's a different case. but yeah, NC17 stories aren't really recognized for their merit as much as r rated or anything more tame. i mean just because it says NC17, people automatically think there's no real substance to it which is totally not true.
now cuz im new, im not sure what people think of my stories but im hoping for a good set of feedback just to know if anyone's reading.
Did you read the whole thread? Most of the people who had their stories as NC-17 had put the incorrect rating on them, so this whole discussion ended up kind of defunct when those authors then went and changed their ratings to the correct, less severe ones. If you look in the FAQ there's a post with the AC standard for rating fics, so you'll find that the stories in question in this thread are now R rated.
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i read most of it but i missed that part.
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haha I do that a lot. I skim really long threads and I totally get repetitive.
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im lazy, plus my foot is hurting like a mutha and that messes usually with my train of thought. i have to go to work tomorrow too which is bogus cuz now its worse than it was before.
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Did you read the whole thread? Most of the people who had their stories as NC-17 had put the incorrect rating on them, so this whole discussion ended up kind of defunct when those authors then went and changed their ratings to the correct, less severe ones. If you look in the FAQ there's a post with the AC standard for rating fics, so you'll find that the stories in question in this thread are now R rated.
I was going to comment last night on the initial post of this thread, lol. But after going through the entire thing, I did end up changing my ratings to R ratings. I hope that more people start reading... :)
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I was going to comment last night on the initial post of this thread, lol. But after going through the entire thing, I did end up changing my ratings to R ratings. I hope that more people start reading... :)
I think a lot of people found it helpful because it really puts a label on your story that might be unnecessary. It's telling people (much like it was telling us mods) that it's an intensely graphic, violent or pornographic fic and that seemed to be way too high a rating for a lot of the fics that were calling themselves NC-17.
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I think a lot of people found it helpful because it really puts a label on your story that might be unnecessary. It's telling people (much like it was telling us mods) that it's an intensely graphic, violent or pornographic fic and that seemed to be way too high a rating for a lot of the fics that were calling themselves NC-17.
I agree. I tend to be very deatailed in my writing, and so, where the love/sex scenes where concerned, I felt that rating was the one to go with. However, now I see that's not the case, although it comes up now and then. My writing has a theme, plot, and a definite purpose with and overall meaning. It's not just about the love story... haha, these charcters are going places. ;D So thanks Julily, for clearing the waters!
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hey Mariah, what's your AC name? Are you Mariah over there too?
yea iam its the same just to not be confusing.
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I agree. I tend to be very deatailed in my writing, and so, where the love/sex scenes where concerned, I felt that rating was the one to go with. However, now I see that's not the case, although it comes up now and then. My writing has a theme, plot, and a definite purpose with and overall meaning. It's not just about the love story... haha, these charcters are going places. ;D So thanks Julily, for clearing the waters!
I'm really glad this thread could help you! I was soooo confused as well but talking about it with everyone and seeing what exactly is there and what's not, helps so much. I like you had my stories as NC-17 and I'm glad that it was an innappropriate rating for my stories because at least it's fixable!! =)
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I'm really glad this thread could help you! I was soooo confused as well but talking about it with everyone and seeing what exactly is there and what's not, helps so much. I like you had my stories as NC-17 and I'm glad that it was an innappropriate rating for my stories because at least it's fixable!! =)
;D
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^ That is a really cool banner in your siggy!
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i was gonna say that. i wish i could make blends like that.
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^ That is a really cool banner in your siggy!
Thanks Julie!! Hey, I've been meaning to email you again, but I'm working on edits to get you the rest of my stuff, asap... :)
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Thanks Julie!! Hey, I've been meaning to email you again, but I'm working on edits to get you the rest of my stuff, asap... :)
Despite the fact that this is one old ass thread, and a personal message is better left for... a personal message you should check out rule number six and a half:
http://absolutechaos.net/fictalk/index.php/topic,3.0.html
:)