Middle-Earth Fanfiction Awards' That Which Needs to Be Identified
Stories which need to identification through the Romance Partners field *focus* on sexuality and or romantic partners in a central way. This includes stories that do not have explicit (or even implicit) physical consummation of the romantic relationship and stories that go into a character's sexual fantasies or obsessions. While a minority of G and PG stories might meet this definition, it will obviously include stories of a higher rating that focus on romantic relationships.
This does not include minor relationships not central to the story. Ex. The hero's next door neighbors happen to be lovers. Yes, the implication is that they probably engage in sex. It's not the central focus of the story and has very little to do with developing the story. It is therefore not "That Which Needs to Be Identified".
This also does not include non-con, unless that is central to the plot and meant to be about a relation between the characters in question. Non-con is more of a violent act than a sexual one. It should be noted in the Reasons for Ratings field.
How to Identify That Which Needs to Be Identified
To identify the relationships in question in stories that fit the definition of "That Which Needs to Be Identified", use the Romance Partners field of the Nomination Form. *This is not restricted to stories in the Romance category.
Some examples:
- Aragorn/Arwen
- Legolas/Elrond
- Aragorn/Legolas
- Sam/Rose
- Elrohir/Elladan/Legolas
Original characters or those who are not well known and/or whose gender can't readily be identified by name, should be referred to as f or m, depending on their gender.
Thus some examples:
- Frodo/f
- Legolas/m
- m/m
- m/f
- f/f
Such words as "slash" or "het" or "incest", etc. will not be added to any Nominations. If an author chooses to use these in their own summaries or reasons for ratings, they will be included. If an author wishes not to identify the pairing/partnership, but would prefer to use the term "slash" or "het", the *author* may do so in the Romance Partners field. No author, nor any nominator, is required to use these words. Romance Partners and Reasons for Ratings however, are required when necessary. Refer to the above definition of "That Which Needs to Be Identified" to determine if Romance Partners are necessary. Objective critical thinking should be sufficient to inform when Reasons for Ratings needs to be applied. If in doubt as to the need for application of Romance Partners or Reasons for Ratings, contact the Administrator and we will try to work it out.