Welcome to HPFT's January Bulletin!

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 sad to announce that @RoRoWeasley is stepping down as Hufflepuff prefect. Thank you, Kate!

Do you want to help out 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 PST on January 10th.

If you applied in November or December, 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. 

 HPFT is starting the new year off with a bang - following a lot of discussion and (of course) your feedback, we've revised our +rules and +content tutorials. Please check them out for a full rundown of what's different, but major changes include:

• Reformatting the tutorials to be more straightforward and removing the advisory requirements for most references. (Please note that with these changes, some of your M-rated stories may no longer require an M-rating or some of your advisories; while you are not obligated to go back and change them, we do encourage it, so advisories are more effective.)
• Changing some of the rules around language, including making "fuck" a T-rated word
• Removing the consent issues (mild/moderate), derogatory language, spoilers, and stalking advisories
• Collapsing the eating disorder and self-harm advisory into one
• Lifting length-based limitations around explicit content
• Adding first cousins to our exceptions around incest

In addition, we've opened the +book review blog up to everyone to post in directly; please just make sure that you're following the rules laid out +here.

A blog post recapping our December wish list event will be up soon. In addition, our annual review event will be starting mid-month; please keep an eye out for additional information on that.

Our first head student is a friendly member, a talented writer, and was incredibly active in spreading the holiday cheer in members' wish lists (for the second year in a row!). Please give it up for...

@800 words of heaven!

Our second head student is also an excellent writer and a very generous member of the community, as seen by her popping in and out of people's wishlists with a variety of gifts! Please join us in congratulating...

@victoria_anne!

Congratulations to you both!  Please PM  @abhorsen. with your choice of story you'd like to have featured next month.

This month, the prefects would like to honor @down-in-flames with the Order of Merlin! Since she joined the forums, Taylor has been an active and engaging part of this community, who's friendly, encouraging, and excitable! She's a gif-machine and an organizational master, which both come in handy in her roles as Muggle Liaison, Gamekeeper, and Professor. You'll see Taylor's name popping up consistently during House Cup events, where in addition to other site matters, she consistently shows us her creativity and dedication. Thanks for all you do, Taylor!

January's Story of the Month is...

Notea From The Ravenclaw Bulletin Board by @Lost_Robin!

Quote

In September of 1995, Professor Flitwick reinstates the Ravenclaw House Common Room Bulletin Board.

 

This may have been a mistake on his part.

In addition to this - Fic Night made it's return this month with a dual winner for the month! Check out this month's (M) narration of @MadiMalfoy's The Dancing Fairy and @grumpy cat's Echos Of Wartime by @toomanycurls and @down-in-flames!

This month, we're featuring our fic night stories, a story from a recent head student, some previous house award winners, and two staff picks!

January 26 - The Happier Holidays Challenge by @TreacleTart

February 12 - The New Year, New You Challenge by @RoxiMalfoy & @MrsDarcy

February 15 - The Science Fiction Challenge by @MadiMalfoy

February 29 - The Retirement Home for Wizards Challenge by @aelaia

March 1 - The Unreliable Narrator Challenge by @just.a.willow.tree

3 - @starlitcastles

6 - @evilqueen; @motherconfessor

9 - @HarryGinnyLove88

10 - @Jayde

11 - @Phoenix Potioneer

15 - @aurevoir; @Diogenissa; @MrsDarcy

17 - @Wolfgirl

18 - @Slytherin_Ravenclaw_Chick; @wandlessmagic

21 - @FoxPatronus

25 - @tgfoy

26 - @Tanda

29 - @slythercookie

30 - @FlamingQuilltips

31 - @Ignatia; @Stille Nacht; @velajune

 

Bulletin written and /or compiled by @abhorsen.,and @Ineke. Order of Merlin written by @belgian quaffle. All graphics by @abhorsen.. Featured staff picks by @MalfoysAngel (NICU Chic) and @MadiMalfoy (Lead Existence).