rating of multi-chapter fanfics

[akk]

In lieu of the increasingly available option to set "access controls" for fics not suitable for all audiences, I wonder how you rate multi-chapter fics.

I know that when people click on a fic rated NC-17 and find no content they consider "for mature audience", they tend to be annoyed (or even angry) about the false rating - often independent of whether or not they liked the fic in question - but what is considered mature depends a lot on the cultural background. For example: the US rates a lot more restrictive on sex and drugs than on (bloody) violence, whereas in Germany it's exactly the other way round. How do you rate your fics in that regard?

And what to do about multi-chapter fics? Not all chapters contain NC-17 material, some are just R or even PG, but such a chapter is merely a part of the whole story, which won't work without the mature parts. Do you rate chapters be rated strictly by what's in them - thus granting younger readers access to story parts, all the while knowing that they can't read the whole thing - or do you rate the story as a whole like I do?

How do you do it? :)

Comments

[primera.insanejournal.com]

This seems like a question to other people who write multi-chapter fics, which I don't, but it seems to me like just rating the fic as a whole makes the most sense.

I think access controls are a bit silly though.. it shouldn't be put onto the writer to make sure people who aren't allowed to aren't accessing their fanfiction. It's up to parents or whatever who let their kids surf the internet to monitor what they're getting into. I also find it silly because I've been reading NC-17 fanfiction since I was like 12 years old ( but don't worry I'm 21 now :D;; ), and I'm pretty sure no access controls could have.. held me back from reading something that I wanted to read back then. lol.

[akk.insanejournal.com]

Rating as a whole is what I usually do.

The rest... I agree on the fact that it's not my job to babysit the internet. However, I publish my stories by name and I don't mind properly rating them - if then somebody complains I can always point and say "Hey, *they* bypassed the system to get brainfried!" ;)

[jjblue1.insanejournal.com]

I rate multichapter fics as a whole since I'd like to think people will read all the fic. Rating the first chapter as G, inviting all the udience to read it and then the second as NC-17 telling who's younger that basically the fic isn't for them and they can't read further seems a bit mean to me. Of course if the MN-17 chapters are at the bottom of a 25 chapter fics where the first 23 chapters are G I might mention the NC-17 part will come at the end...
But I tend to keep my rating high as a general line especially when they are based on manga that I don't consider as rated G. It might be just me. After all even when I write silly fics I never think to write them for kids so, even if they could read them... well, they aren't my target audience.

[akk.insanejournal.com]

Yes, that's similar to how I do it, though I usually add a note that not all chapters are as heavy as the total rating to avoid readers expecting "mature stuff" to be annoyed when they have to "endure" vanilla to get there.

Regarding target audience (*g* with respect to a certain discussion): I live in Germany (= tough rating for violence & gore, but sex isn't much of an issue as long as it doesn't involve minors), but I post in English to a server in the US (= tough rating for anything having to do with sex, but blood, violence & gore is mostly a-okay). So if I always rate "for both", then everything is at least "R" or more and one or both areas are pissed for "overrated fic" *g*. If I read for one only, the other is shocked.
International publishers certainly have a tough job! :D

[jjblue1.insanejournal.com]

I guess I'm more evil than you about the ratings... because i rarely warn... ^_-

I only had one person complaining about how I rate but I can't claim to be a popular writer... which helps me in doing what I prefer... ^_-

in my country rating is a mess so I won't get here...