No, I don't think it's appropriate to post someone else's work, even with a disclaimer. If the author wishes to share it here, he or she would do so. (Look at it this way: Imagine someone recorded you singing karaoke. Even if someone thought you were really super-good, would you really want some other stranger posting it all over the internet?)

You've done the right thing. When you need a thread moved (to Finished, Inactives, or another genre) you just PM a Fan Fiction Moderator or post your request in the "Delete Thread". Posting about it here works, too, and adds your question to the FF Q&A for everyone's benefit.
Your thread has been moved.

As long as the characters belong to you or Jo Rowling (with credit) you may use them. If they're made-up characters from another Fan Fic writer's story, get permission and credit the writer in your first post please.

That word does not trip the 'bad word' filter, however some of our younger North American members do take offense to its use. Please refrain from using it if you can, to avoid offending our youngest members and earning a warning for language. Using the word doesn't often earn you a warning automatically, but if there is a complaint, you may get one.

edit: 05-01-06 - The Administration has recently announced that the use of the words hell, git and damn shall be allowed in dialogue of Fan Fictions and Role Plays only. Your characters may use these words, but they must be part of the story.

I don't think this is a Fan Fiction question. SS Rules say you cannot have "dirty bisnuss" anywhere on the site. Anyone posting such anywhere in the forums will have their post deleted and be warned and/or suspended, and anyone using the Private Messaging system or chat room for sexual or predatory behaviour will be banned without warning.

That's right. A quiet announcement was made here in FF Announcements. We do ask that if you add post-HBP info or create a new post-HBP thread, please announce it in the first post of your thread so that readers are warned and don't get spoiled by accident.

A Twist of Fate, by Biochemkris? It has been moved to where it can now be accessed The Finished Fics are all located here.

lol. Yes, Ottery. It's your thread. Just PM me when you've posted your last and I'll whisk it away to the Finished Fics for you. (As long as it's not the middle of the night. )

Good questions, Melanie. If you're unsure about your genre, or your story will include more than one, go for "Other Stories". It's a safe bet, and if your story ends up leaning a certain way, we can always move it for you later.

Not sure about the character limit allowing a huge author's note. Why not PM me the first part of your story. When you post your new thread, if it doesn't all fit, I'll have read your PM and can validate/decline it based on the story bit you PM me.

It's 22000 characters. I just checked. It may be different for me because I'm an administrator, but I'm not sure. When you submit a new post, you'll get a message if you're over the limit.

Yes, we have ratings well below what Harry Potter contains. But we're not all likely to write entire novels here, and we're not all likely to kill off characters in our fics. A good rating system includes ratings for ALL CONTENT, not just that which you or I are likely to read or write. We're covering all bases.

Also, Snitchseeker is not Jo Rowling.

Here at Snitchseeker, we need to be more vigilant for the parents of our younger members, who discriminate between approved reading they've given their kids (the HP books) and un-tested reading (Fan Fiction by any member here). If we put ratings on all of our fics, the reader (and his parents) can tell generally how mature the content will be, and families can decide whether to read it or screen it for kids to read later.

As for not allowing content which may be common in the HP books, that is the site owner's choice. Better safe than sorry. We don't allow adult material here because most of our members are not adults. Parents are happier about letting their children to visit websites which err on the side of caution.

I think the differences in the ratings are fairly clear, but here's another way of explaining them:

pSa: pre-school style. (Think childrens' television; talking/singing puppets.)
- Romance = none
- Violence = none
- Mature situations = nothing beyond what a toddler understands.
(This is not really going to be a common rating here at SS, but we need to cover all ages.)

Sa5+: For 5 years old and up.
- Romance = Hand-holding only (5 year olds don't date, so other than hand-holding, there are no romantic situations in this rating.)
- Violence = None (A bat bogey hex would be funny to a 5 year old, but Crucio would be too scary. If you have bat bogey hexes or even Liberacorpus as your worst 'violence', your fic might fit here.)
- Mature situations = More mature than singing puppets, but nothing a 5 year old wouldn't understand.

Sa9+: For 9 years old and up.
- Romance = Flirting, friendly or awkward embraces, kisses on the cheek or a peck on the lips, hand holding (things a modern 9 year old might understand).
- Violence = Some action violence like wizard dueling, without detailed (bloody or painful) description of the effects of serious hexes. (You can use Unforgivables, but don't make them graphically detailed.
- Mature situations = Nothing a 9 year old couldn't handle.

Sa13+: For 13 years old and up.
- Romance = Same as for Sa9+
- Violence = Slightly more allowed than Sa9+, but don't make it bloody and nightmarish.
- Mature situations = Minor suggestive adult themes, like grief, death, loss.

Sa16+: For 16 years and older. *Restricted Section*
- Romance = Hand-holding, romantic embraces, flirting, kisses on the cheek or the lips are okay, minor snogging sessions (without too much detail.) No groping (sexual touching) or bedroom scenes.
- Violence = Detailed use of hexes (unforgivables too) but not too gory or nightmarish. Some blood is okay but it shouldnt' be "Friday the 13th" or "Nightmare on Elm Street"
- Mature situations = grief, death, loss, depression, suicide, cutting, mild mention of alcohol or drugs

Sa18+: For mature adults only
- explicit sex, violence, mature themes and coarse language. This content is not now or ever allowed anywhere on Snitchseeker.

Does that clear it up?

I think you should stick to Sa9+ but then in the later chapters change it to Sa13+. That's just me though...

I would say that you should choose the Sa9+, if that is what is appropriate for your fic right now. The rest is up to you, you may continue to write your fic within that category, or in the future you may decide that you are moving in to the Sa13+ direction. You can PM me at that time, and I will make the necessary changes to your rating and forum.

Sounds like it does belong in the Restricted Section. Please don't let that deter you though! The RS isn't a bad place, or a place for bad fics! It's just that not all kids your age have knowledge or experience with subject matter as mature as that in your fic, and it's not our place to expose them to it accidentally. That's why we're rating all fics this way, so that no one encounters subjects they don't want to, or that their parents don't want them to.

If you have Sa16+ material in your fic already, we're not going to make you edit it out, but we will ask that you continue your fic in an Sa13+ manner unless you see an announcement saying otherwise.

The Restricted Section is not for bad or naughty fics! It's for fics that are just a bit more mature than what some of our youngest members may be ready for. Please don't feel bad if your fic gets moved there in this rating period. You should feel proud that your characters are tackling some pretty heavy issues, and proud that you are kind enough to rate it appropriately and protect the younger kids on this site.

Edit 05-01-06: This question was answered before Sa16+ fics became allowed in the Restricted Section, now named the High Security Vaults.

If you told your mod that your thread was Sa13+, your fic would have been moved to the Restricted Section. And if it was in the RS already but you rated it Sa9+ or lower, it might have gone into a forum in Grimmauld Place. That's the only moving that should be taking place during the implementation of the ratings system. As long as your thread hasn't been deleted, you will always find it by looking at your own profile and clicking 'find all threads by this member.'