| This guide is an explanation of the content warnings. Authors, please use this guide when selecting the warnings for your story. |
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Mild Profanity
Mild bad language, such as "hell", "damn", "shit", etc. |
Strong Profanity
The "F" word and other strong language. Any fanfic that uses such language more than twice should also be rated R. |
Adult Themes/Situations
This often refers to discussions and/or thoughts about sex and sexual desire, though it can mean any content that is of an adult nature and not suitable for children. |
Mild Sexual Content
This warning is for stories that have very tame love scenes with virtually no details and for fics in which the love scene ends at kissing and a few caresses, then resumes on the "morning after". Such stories usually have no higher than a PG-13 rating. |
Moderate Sexual Content
If a love scene is too steamy to be considered tame, but not explicit enough to need the "Strong Sexual Content" warning, this is the warning to be used. Stories with this warning would usually be rated PG-13 or R. |
Strong Sexual Content
For love scenes that contain significant details about the foreplay or sex act, enough that an R or NC-17 rating is needed. There is a fine line between what deserves an NC-17 rating and what is safe to make R-rated. Of course, the position of that line varies from person to person. What one person might consider R-rated, another might view as NC-17. |
Rape/Non-Consensual Sex
In most cases, this warning is only needed if the rape/non-consensual sex happens during the story or is shown in a flashback. An incident that happened in the past and is only talked about usually does not need the warning, though it would warrant an "Adult Themes/Situations" warning. There is one exception. If the rapist and the victim were both regular or semi-regular characters, the warning should be included regardless of when the incident happened. |
Violence
Any kind of violence like what you'd see on the TV series would warrant this warning. |
Extreme Violence/Torture
Stories with violence that is especially gory or horrendous and/or brutal acts of physical torture, particularly against a regular or semi-regular character, need to have this warning. |
Character Death (Major Character)
The permanent death of one or more of the regular or semi-regular characters in the series, both past and present (a member of SG-1, General Landry, General Hammond, etc.). If the death is "canon", like Janet Fraiser's death in Heroes, this warning should not be used since it refers to deaths that are not canon. |
Character Death (Recurring Character)
The permanent death of one or more recurring characters in the series (Bra'tac, Sergeant Siler, etc.). It's often called "Minor Character Death" in other archives, but I don't consider important recurring characters like Bra'tac and Jacob Carter to be "minor". If the death is "canon", like Jacob's death in Threads, this warning should not be used since it refers to deaths that are not canon. |
Character Death (AU/Quantum Mirror Story)
The permanent death of one or more of the major characters in an alternate universe (i.e. quantum mirror story). If the death is "canon", like the deaths in "There but for the Grace of God", this warning should not be used. |
