Welcome to HPFT's February bulletin, where you can find all of our major monthly announcements, information on HPFT's yearly FROGS, and more!

If you're new, welcome to HPFT! It's awesome to have you with us. HPFanficTalk is a forum/archive - the forum is Harry Potter-themed (including a year-long house cup), but we talk about other fandoms, too, and the archive is multi-fandom/OF.   We have a strong culture of support for other writers and feedback here, including a story help section, challenges, and reviewing events, so if you're a writer, you've come to the right place.

A quick rundown to help you get started here on the forums: please post in the 'Welcome to HPFT' topic +here to say that you've read over the rules and understand them. You can specify your house in that post or in our sorting ceremony +here - once you do, we'll sort you into the right group so you can see a common room that only people in your house are allowed to see. You're welcome to post in your common room and/or in our introductions forum +here to introduce yourself if you'd like, and you may also find our +FAQs helpful.

Enjoy your stay!

We're sorry to have to say goodbye to @Nix, who is stepping down from her role as Slytherin prefect; she's done an amazing job, and we've really enjoyed having her on the team! We're also sad to see @RoxiMalfoy step down from her role as Muggle Liaison. She's been an incredible staffer through her tenure on staff. 

However, we're also very excited to announce three new additions to the team! @Chemical_Pixie will be joining our Auror team, @Sleepingbagonthesofa will be joining our Muggle Liaison team, and @scooterbug8515 will be joining our prefect team!

Thank you, Nix and Deana! Congratulations, Abby, Deni, and Carrie!

(We've expanded joining-the-team awards over the past year and a half. If you joined the staff, prefect, or newsletter teams before we were including them, please PM me and I'll give you the one(s) applicable to you. No judgment at all. )

Would you like to pitch in behind-the-scenes?

If so, you're in luck! Applications for all staff, prefect, and house newsletter editor positions are open for the next week. There's no post count/join date limit, and you can apply for as many positions as you like - it's all on one application. A detailed rundown on how HPFT staffing works can be found +here, and you can find the application +here. If you're interested, please apply by Midnight EST on February 10th.

If you applied in December or January, you don't need to apply again unless you'd like to apply for additional positions or change your answers - we will still consider you this month.

The Magical Menagerie review event concluded with the houses earning the following point totals:

1335
1114
909
780

A more detailed blog post will be posted in the next week or so.  

Now that you've all read and reviewed a mind-boggling number of fics, we hope you're ready for our annual FROGS awards, which will be opening in the next few days.

Gryffindor:

The Lions have been busy this month building up our menageries and working on our first part of the Great Collab! We've had a great month of reviewing and writing, with lots of updated stories on the archive! Our featured fic this month is the incredible Project Azkaban by @Unwritten Curse and our Leading Lion is the amazing @Sleepingbagonthesofa! Congrats to both our winners!

Hufflepuff:

It was a quiet start to the new year in the 'Puff Basement, as many of the Badgers were recovering from the holiday season, then jumping in on the Magical Menagerie event. There are still great things happening though, with the return of Team Yellow vs. Team Black and the new Drabble Tag thread! Check them out for great reviewing and writing fun! And finally, don’t forget to vote in the threads for February’s HotM and SotM by the 3rd! For full details on all Puff CR goings-on, check out the next issue of Hear Ye, Hufflepuff sometime next week! 

Ravenclaw:

Ravenclaw has had a busy month with the first round of the Great Collab and the Magical Menagerie Events! We welcome new and returning members for their dedicated participation this month.  Our February Claw of the Month is the fantastic @potionspartner and our Story of the Month is the Sirius Black-centered one-shot Black Ties by @lovegood27!

Slytherin:

It's been an exciting month in the Dungeons! The Snakes have been busy reviewing up a storm for the Magical Menagerie, and were thrilled to see so many of our members among the Top Reviewers for the event!! We would like to recognize @MegGonagall as our Snake of the Month for February, and @Rumpelstiltskin's one-shot: Like Breadcrumbs as our Story of the Month winner. We are also very excited to see @scooterbug8515 step into her new role as Slytherin Prefect. 

Our first Head Student of the Month has also been absolutely instrumental for her House. Not only has she been busy running many of her house's activities, she was also been very active in the Menagerie and made sure their House Newsletter was able to get out when it needed to be. So please give it up for...

 

@Renacerá!

Our second Head Student of the Month is someone who’s been very active in her House and during the Menagerie, to the point we don’t understand how she manages to do that all in addition to everything else she does, be it in real life or elsewhere. Last month alone she left over 200 reviews and has been absolutely instrumental for her House, so please give it up for...

@starbuck!

Congratulations to you both, and thank you for all you do for the community!  Please PM @abhorsen. with your choice of story you'd like to have featured next month! 

 

We'd like to recognize @abhorsen. as February's Order of Merlin recipient. Branwen has been, as usual, an amazing staffer, and has wowed us all with her creativity, dedication, and hard work during the Magical Menagerie Reviewing Event. Everyone, please be sure to thank her for all of her incredible efforts in bringing the community a fun-tastic event! Branwen is an awesome person all around and continues to positively affect HPFT and its community.

February's story of the month is...

A Place Not Far From Here (M) by @Chemical_Pixie!

The hunt for the Hallows. The disappearance of James Potter. The power of The Cause.

For Amelia Fortescue, time is running out.

She must find her place before it is decided for her, and the consequences may very well carry her to the brink.

(banner by kairos)

***

Every month, HPFT runs Fic Night, where a staff member reads a nominated fic from one of our members. You can check out @TidalDragon reading Actual Magic (M) by @Chemical_Pixie under the spoiler tag below if you haven't seen it yet!

his month, we're featuring: some winners of our monthly site-wide competitions, two stories from past FROGS and house yearly awards, and several staff picks. Thank you so much to our staffers who chose our staff picks: @abhorsen. (Equal Parts Boy and Bird, Blue Lavender, and Nuclear Love) and @Ineke (A Walking Cliche, The Taste of Cherry, The Recombination of One's Soul and the Psychological Aftereffects: A Case Study, and Isabella).

Don't forget to stop by HPFT's Social Media pages throughout the month [Twitter | Tumblr | Facebook] to claim your free gift from the ML team!

 A  

Congratulations, @adorably cute, @Chemical_Pixie, @Crimson Quill, @facingthenorthwind, @LadyMarauder, @scooterbug8515, @nott theodore, @Rumpelstiltskin, @Stella Blue, @starbuck, @TreacleTart, and @WindingArrow!

February 16 - The Great British Bake Off AU Challenge by @UnluckyStar57

March 21 - The Riddikulus Ship Challenge by @aelaia

March 31 - The Slytherin-Centric Challenge by @Finefrenzy__

March 31 - The Take A Wizard To Work Day Challenge by @you-make-me-wander

March 31 - The Broadway Musical Song Challenge by @MadiMalfoy

April 1 - The What If Challenge by @potionspartner and @wildest dreams

April 3 - The Ensemble Challenge by @crestwood

May 31 – The Dragon Tale Story Challenge by @StarFeather

4 - @milominderbinder; @Nykizta

7 - @Veritaserum27

10 - @UnluckyStar57

14 - @magicmuggle01; @Queer in Knitted Things

17 - @AltraX; @pookha

19 - @prongsbeak

20 - @Duvessa

24 - @ssslytherinnn; @WriteYourHeartOut

27 - @1917farmgirl; @Lady Ausra

 

Head Students, SotM, Fic Night, Challenges, and Birthdays written/compiled by @Ineke. House news compiled written by @adorably cute (Gryffindor), @Renacerá (Hufflepuff), @MadiMalfoy (Ravenclaw), and @Nix (Slytherin). Order of Merlin written by @Rumpelstiltskin. SM shout out in the featured story section by @RoxiMalfoy. All graphics/other write-ups by @abhorsen..