On the add a story it says
Make sure to get the audience rating right when submitting a story?
How do I pick one as my own subjective judgement on so many issues may not reflect other peoples? And I do not want to offend or restrict my story too much unnecessarily
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TopShelf TG Fiction in the BigCloset!
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Think of it like the movies.
To draw comparisons with the US rating system...
General audience (pg) - Equivalent to US "PG" movie rating: no real amount of sex, violence, or other "mature" subjects, but not really written with a younger audience in mind.
Younger audience (g/y) - Equivalent to US "G" movie rating: no sex/violence/mature subjects, written to be accessible for young readers (ages 5-7)
Mature subjects (pg15) - Equivalent to US "PG-13" movie rating: limited sex/violence/mature subjects, not suitable for young readers, only teens or older.
Restricted audience (r) - Equivalent to US "R" movie rating: Sexual, violent, or other mature content, but no graphic or overly explicit descriptions thereof.
Adult-oriented (r21/a) - Equivalent to US "NC-17" movie rating: Graphic sexual, violent, or other mature content. Not suitable for teenage readers.
Explicit content - Equivalent to (unofficial) US "X" movie rating: Pornographic content, detailed description of violent content, and so on.
Extremely explicit - Equivalent to (unofficial) US "XXX" movie rating: Pornographic content or vivid violent content, depicting extreme actions.
Some examples from my own writing
As a demonstration, I figured I'd explain my rating decisions for the stories I have up. (don't worry, there are only four!)
"The Center - Titanium" depicts a teenager on the run from the police. There is discussion of the aftermath of an explosion at a school (after-hours with few/no injuries, only property damage). Police draw and aim firearms, and there is some violence (using super powers) which is mostly alluded to and not described in explicit terms. No injuries to people are described in detail. Language-wise, there are a few f-words. PG-15 rating with a Language caution tag. With more detailed description of injuries and/or actual gunplay, this might've rated an R rating with a Caution: Violence tag.
"Three Wishes" depicts an injured man's transformation into a five-year-old girl. There's a description of a construction accident including the resulting injuries, and a romantic scene between him and his wife involving a playful disrobing and an offer of intimacy. However, the disrobing scene is brief and plainly described, and the offer of intimacy is declined. PG-15 rating.
"Three Wishes, Epilogue" follows the girl from the main story and describes her life after. There's a brief discussion implying that the girl's mother (the character's ex-wife in the main story) is being intimate with a new boyfriend "off-screen". I gave it a PG-15 rating to be on the safe side, in part since the main story was PG-15 as well, but it probably could have been PG. Without that discussion, it might even have been G/Y.
"A Night Out" depicts the main character heading to an alternative/fetish dance club and then getting changed into feminine clothing. The focus of the story is mostly on the character's own actions and thoughts, and no description of an explicit or sexual nature is given (despite the setting). PG rating.