Obsolete: Ratings Guide 2.0

[Caitlin]

Welcome to the second edition of the Ratings Guide! We've seen a lot of confusion in the past about what rating a particular work should be based on grey areas in the rules or poorly worded guidelines. Hopefully this second attempt will get things going smoothly.

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Everyone:
- An occasional "light" swear word (like hell or damn) here or there is fine.
- Mild violence that isn't the main focus of your story.
- Everything that isn't listed in the following categories below belongs here.
- The TV series The Simpsons is a great example to draw from if you're looking to compare your work to an established program for anyone.

Teen:
- Frequent use of mild language and isolated use of explicit language. If your parents would be disappointed in you for saying it, but not horrified, it'd fit here. Just use your judgement.
- Mild but persistent descriptive violence. This means that a large part of your story is focused on violent interactions between the characters.
- References to illicit drugs or criminal activity.
- References to sexual activity, but not depictions of it. Anything past "second base" should be labeled mature.
- Mild descriptions of the "on screen" death of a character. Death by violence is accepted in this category as long as it's not too crazy.
- The TV series Family Guy is a great example to draw from if you're looking to compare your work to an established teen rated program.

Mature:
- Frequent use of explicit language.
- Detailed description of violence, gore, maiming, murder or death in another grisly fashion.
- Detailed depictions of sexual activity.
- Detailed descriptions of the use of illicit drugs or alcohol.
- The TV series South Park is a great example to draw from if you're looking to compare your work to an established mature-like program.

Other notes:
- If a specific chapter of your story deviates from the rating you chose for your story, place a warning next to it in your table of contents (if you have one) as well as before the chapter itself.
- If your story deviates from the rating you originally chose for an extended period of time and you plan to continue like so, please change your rating tag accordingly.
- When in doubt about where your story falls, go for the higher rating. If you're still in doubt, don't be afraid to ask questions.
- If something in your story that you're concerned about is unlisted in these guidelines, speak up! The ratings guide can always be improved.

Still confused?:
- If you are still confused about what would qualify, here are some examples to base your classification on:

Spoiler

Teen rating (excerpt taken from Poké Wars - Dawn of a New Era):

Meanwhile, Pikachu parried a Scratch attack from a Meowth with Iron Tail. A quick spin left the Meowth with two bloody stumps and a quick Thunderbolt reduced it to a charred carcass. He ducked under another Scratch attack and countered with Iron Tail. Ash backhanded a Meowth that leapt at him. The pokéglov protected him from injury and added power to his blow as he heard something inside the Meowth break.

Jessie screamed as a Meowth latched onto her leg and began scratching her, leaving bloody gashes on her leg. She dropped the shells that she had in her hand and tried to shake the Meowth off.

Meowth reacted instantly, tackling the offending Meowth and attacking with Fury Swipes. His razored claws tore through flesh and fur, spattering blood all over his coat and Jessie. Unfortunately, he had little experience in combat compared to these street-tough Meowth and he was quickly overpowered.

The victorious Meowth’s claws were wreathed in a purple glow as it prepared to deliver the finishing blow with Night Slash. Suddenly, the Meowth stiffened and toppled over onto the bloody pavement.

Meowth looked up at his savior. It was Dawn; one pistol was trained on the now dead Meowth. Almost nonchalantly, she put a bullet into the brain of another Meowth with the other pistol. She had no idea how to explain it, but it was like some force guided her hand, letting her fire her twin pistols like she had been practicing all her life and then some.

Mature rating (excerpt taken from Poké Wars: Downfall of a Champion):

Sirens wailed as the fire department raced to the ruined amusement park to control the raging conflagration. A nearby scream caused everyone to turn.

There, mere meters away from a screaming citizen was what could loosely be called a "body". Organs, bone and flesh were smeared over a substantial section of the concrete sidewalk. A nearby streetlight and newspaper box were painted with a fine misting of blood and particles of flesh. A piece of the decedent's brain had somehow ended up pasted against a STOP sign.

Cynthia pushed through the crowd to see what was going on and to try and keep the crowd calm – at least until the police arrived. Why haven't they arrived yet? She thought.

She immediately regretted the decision to approach the scene as the metallic stench of blood coupled with the malodor of fecal matter assaulted her nostrils with the fury of an enraged Primeape. The stench coupled with the horrific scene dropped her to her knees as she repeatedly dry-heaved.

Suddenly, another nearby explosion tore through the air. The Sinnoh champion grunted as her body was slammed into a concrete planter, knocking all the wind out of her. She got up to her feet and looked around; where there were several other refugees now only lay an assorted mess of body parts. Her heart sank as she saw a bubble lazily drifting towards two men who were chatting. The bubble held within it a roiling cloud of bluish gas.

Cynthia took a breath, wincing as it sent a shockwave of pain rippling through her bruised back. "Move!" she shouted.

The first man turned towards the shout, only to see a bubble of explosive gas mere feet away from him. Thinking quickly, he shoved his conversation partner away from the bubble and dove behind a concrete planter as the bubble detonated.

Cynthia was far away enough that the shockwave didn't seriously hurt her but it was still enough to wind her. As she looked up, she saw many more explosive bubbles floating above high above her – their graceful appearance a sharp contrast to their lethality.