Not always. As Yvonne said above, the Nfic section also includes especially violent fics that take them over the PG-13 rating. Not to mention, the sex portrayed isn't always "vanilla," whether it's between two consenting adults or not.
Hmm. I have yet to read a fic which I find violent enough to garner an Nfic rating. I don't doubt there are though, I'm just wondering what fics have hard violent scenes because I have yet to come across one that I could definitely see outside of the PG-13 rating. It seems pretty uncharacteristic with the fandom in general.
Also, I think it's strange that many people in this thread use the word "smut" as an all-'round term for Nfic. To me, "smut" is more on the line with "porn," "S&M," or even "rape," than with "vanilla sex" or "making love." Any thoughts?
It's convention more than anything else. To label all fics that have sex in them as "fics that contain love making" or "consenting sex between adults" is to some extent bowing down to political correctness. I say this because although I do agree that the word carries negative connotations, it's been adopted so wildly across fandoms that I see no reason to be made uncomfortable by it (although I guess if you make the argument that it implies there is nothing but sex, a writer would be entitled to disagree).
