Complete Submission Rules
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Basic Submission Guidelines
| Prologues
| Story Notes
| Author Notes
| One-shots
| Chapter Titles and Header Information
| "The End" and "TBC..."
| Acceptance Policy
| Administration Powers
| Categories Explanations
| Rating Guidelines
| Characters
| Genres
| Takes Place
| Snape Flavour
| Tags
| Warnings
| Co-authors and Round Robins
| Images
Basic Submission Guidelines
Potions and Snitches is an archive dedicated to hosting good quality fanfiction that deals with Severus Snape and Harry Potter in a non slash relationship. We have a few basic submission rules:
- Stories must focus primarily on the relationship between Severus Snape and Harry Potter.
You must post enough of your story at first to show that.
- No SS/HP (slash) is allowed. Their relationship must be platonic.
- No mature ratings are allowed (no NC-17 or MA scenes). Sexual scenes and graphic imagery must not be acted out. The rating must be correct for the content in the story. For ratings guidelines go here.
- No plagiarism is allowed.
- All original fictional characters must be well developed. (No Canon Sues or Mary Sues allowed.)
- No crossovers. (Special permission may be granted if a well-written crossover predominantly features Snape and Harry's relationship.)
- No bad crackfic please (a type of fanfiction that is intentionally unbelievable and insane).
- Stories must have correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Poor gramma, spelling, or punctuation will be rejected. Double quotation marks (" ") are the preferred style for dialogue on this archive.
- All classifications must be correct (warnings, genres, characters, ect.).
- For chaptered stories, please aim for chapter length between 4 and 18 pages. The maximum number of words per chapter is 40,000.
- Author notes are only allowed in the Story notes and Author notes boxes. If they are in the story text area they will be deleted. If story notes are used, then chapter notes should be avoided for the first chapter.
- Please check the formatting of each chapter before and after you submit. Make sure that there are line breaks and spaces between paragraphs. Do not indent your chapters with spaces, because paragraphs will end up being indented halfway across the page. Do not justify your paragraphs except for special print-like sections. For formatting help, go here.
- Do not make strings of symbols longer than 15 characters. For example, "Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" is 15 characters without any spaces. This rule includes dashes ------- or ________, use horizontal rules instead which will grow or shrink to match the width of the page. Any strings of characters longer than 15 will be shortened by site administrators to prevent horizontal scrolling of the page.
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Prologues
A prologue is an introduction, usually shorter than a chapter. Prologues should be added onto the beginning of chapter one if possible. You may also add it in the story notes area if it is short enough.
If your prologue is too long for it and chapter one be accepted together then you can publish the prologue as its own chapter, however prologues should not be added as their own chapter unless they are as long as a chapter. Be aware that a prologue on its own will be given the number 1 as its chapter number, and it will mess up your chapter number order for the entire story in the table of contents and in chapter jump menus. The real chapter one will be listed as "2. Chapter One," and chapter two will be "3. Chapter Two."
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Story Notes
Story notes can be added when you add or edit a story. They show up on the story index page (table of contents) as well as the beginning of chapter one, before the chapter title. When using story notes, you should NOT add author notes for chapter one, they BOTH will show up at the start of chapter one and fulfill the same purpose. Author's notes for the first chapter should be included in the story notes.
We ask that authors use story author notes responsibly and only post important things for the whole story that will be pertinent forever. Some good uses for story notes are: very short prolouges, more detailed summaries, disclaimers, inspiration of the story, how often you plan to update, warnings for content, credit for any betas, ect.
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Author Notes
Author notes can be added to the beginning and end of every chapter. The notes added in the beginning of every chapter may also show up on the story index page under the respective chapter link. Make sure that your author notes are placed in the author's notes boxes (there are two of them, above and below the "story text" box) and not in the actual story text box. If added there, they will be deleted. Do not bold, italicize or underline your entire author's note. We ask that authors use author notes responsibly and only post important things for each individual chapter that will be pertinent forever.
Notice: We please ask that chapters not be used as a communication device, that is what reviews, review responses, owls and the forum are for. When you write author notes please only write what is necessary for THE chapter on THIS archive. Things that shouldn't be in authors notes include, but are not restricted to:
-review responses for a chapter posted 6 months ago on another archive
-a funky broken url with the explanation that fanfiction.net doesn't allow urls
-a note to look at your profile for a link that doesn't exist
-a forecasted update date for a future chapter that is already posted
Whatever you post as author notes will stay for time and eternity unless you change it so please post your chapters with this in mind. If it isn't pertinent anymore then please delete it, fix the mistakes, and move notices about the story where they belong, in the beginning of chapter one or in the story notes field. The exception to this is if you are posting a new chapter and have to explain some changes; If you can remember later on, then please go back and change it after you think your regular readers read it. |
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One-shots
One-shots are allowed. Make sure that you mark the story as completed.
For the title of the chapter, list the title of the story. Chapter titles show up automatically on all skins, so if you don't change this then your one-shot will be proceeded by "Chapter One."
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Chapter Titles and Header Information
Chapter Titles show up at the top of each chapter automatically on all skins of the archive. Do not list your chapter title, chapter number, or other information in the body text of your story. It will end up duplicated. Place the chapter title in the chapter title spot.
The story name, author's name, and chapter title all automatically show up on every chapter. Do not add them in your story's text or they will be deleted.
There is a box for story notes to be added for the entire story, and also boxes for beginning and ending authors notes for each chapter. Any story or author notes in the story text box will be either moved to the proper place or deleted.
It's important that all the stories are saved in the same way to keep the word counts right, to not have duplicated titles, ect.
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"The End" and "To Be Continued..."
The last chapter of every story automatically includes "The End" at the bottom if it is completed, or "To be continued..." if it is a work in progress. Do not include those things, or endings like them in your story text because they will be duplicated.
The ending author chapter notes will come after the "The End" part. (That won't happen if author end notes are part of the story text.)
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Acceptance Policy
All stories will have to be accepted by a moderator before they are added to the archive to make sure that the guidelines are followed. Make sure that enough of the story is posted at first to show a point where Snape and Harry either have some solid interaction or both have had some significant scene time; we won't be able to tell if the story belongs here otherwise. If a story breaks one of the submission rules then it will be rejected. Stories of poor quality may be rejected.
Stories should be checked within a week at the latest, but they are usually checked within days or hours. Some trusted authors have been given validation status, which means that they are cleared to upload new stories to the archive without a check by an administrator simply because the moderators know that they will respect and obey the submission guidelines; please do not misuse this privilege. If you have any questions please feel free to ask on the shoutbox, chat, forum or by email.
My story was rejected, does that mean that you won't accept any of my stories?
No. Just because your story didn't meet the guidelines doesn't mean that others won't. You are also welcome to improve the rejected story or change some content and try again.
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Administration Powers
We may step in and fix something if it comes to our attention, such as a chapter without paragraph breaks, incorrect story information, or anything that goes against the Submission Rules or Terms of Service. Often the author is contacted about major changes through e-mail or a review. We will not delete a story intentionally without cause, and that will likely be because it disobeys the archive guidelines or if there is a problem that comes to our attention with plagiarism. We are approachable and will explain any administrative decisions if you need us to.
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Categories Explanation
When submitting a new story please pick the category that best fits. Please try to pick one category, or at most two or three categories. The category most appropriate should be the category that fits the majority of the story.
Big Brother Snape - Stories where Snape and Harry have the same parents, or one parent in common with each other. May be biological or adopted, officially or not.
Master Snape - Stories where Snape has absolute authority over Harry; consists of Apprentice Harry, Headmaster Snape, and Slave Harry.
Subcategories:
Apprentice Harry - Stories where Harry is Snape's apprentice.
Headmaster Snape - Stories where Harry is in school as a student or professor, and Snape is the Headmaster.
Slave Harry - Stories where Harry is Snape's slave.
Teacher Snape - Snape teaches or instructs Harry, esp. In a profession or as an instructor. Contains Trusted Advisor Snape, Professor Snape, and Unofficially teaching Snape.
Subcategories:
Trusted Advisor Snape - A nicer Snape than canon. Serving as a trusted counselor or teacher to another person, especially in occupational settings. Used to be Mentor category.
Professor Snape - Stern, canon version of Severus Snape as Harry's teacher. Used to be Teacher category.
Unofficially teaching Snape - Snape is not Harry's teacher in an official way, but still teaches him something.
Snape Equal Status to Harry - Snape and Harry have the same status and are equals in social power. Subcategories are Colleagues Snape and Harry, Foes Snape and Harry, and Comrades Snape and Harry.
Subcategories:
Colleague Snape and Harry - Snape and Harry are both Professors, or workers at the same institution, with the same status and power of social position.
Foes Snape and Harry - Snape and Harry are adversaries or opponents on equal footing and status; Examples: both players on opposite sides in a Quidditch match, fighters on opposite sides of a war battling each other,, both duelests at a dueling competition outside of school.
Comrades Snape and Harry - Stories where Snape and Harry work together for a common cause, and are equal in social position and power. Examples: Both prisoners, both patients, both retired persons, both activists in a war. Comrade: A person who shares one's interests or activities; a friend or companion.
Parental Snape - Snape exercises paternal care over Harry; to perform the tasks or duties of a parent or father. Subcategories include Biological Father Snape (Sevitis and Severitus stories), Stepfather Snape, and Guardian Snape.
Subcatgeories:
Biological Father Snape - (Sevitus) Biological father and son. Father: a man who exercises paternal care over other persons; To perform the tasks or duties of a male parent.
Severitus Challenge - Stories that answer all of the rules of the Severitus Challenge. The "Severitus Challenge" was first started in the early 2000's by the author Severitus (yes, that's a penname) in which: Severus Snape must be revealed to be Harry's father, Remus Lupin must have returned to Hogwarts for some reason or another, Harry must undergo some progressive physical change starting on his birthday, the story must be based mostly around Harry and Snape, and more rules...
Godfather Snape - Stories where Snape is Harry's godfather.
Guardian Snape - One who is responsible for the care and management of the person or property of an incompetent or a minor. Not biological.
Stepfather Snape - Where Snape is married to Harry's biological mother, whether or not that is Lily. Snape is not Harry's biological father.
Healer Snape - Stories where Snape heals Harry in some way. Healer - one that heals or attempts to heal. Healing: the process of recovery, repair, and restoration.
Reverse Roles - Harry Potter takes care of Severus Snape. Roles are opposite or contrary in position, direction, order, or character. Includes Big Brother Harry, Healer Harry, Master Harry, Parental Harry, Teacher Harry.
Subcategories:
Big Brother Harry - Stories where, as brothers, Harry is older or larger than Severus.
Healer Harry - Stories where Harry heals Snape is some way.
Master Harry - Stories where Snape is Harry's slave or apprentice.
Parental Harry - Stories where Harry is Severus' guardian or parent, biological or not.
Teacher Harry - Stories where Harry is Snape's teacher or professor.
Misc - Stories that don't fall into any other categories, but still feature no slash interaction between Snape and Harry.
Subcategories:
No category on the site fits - the story does not fit any of the categories on the site that organize the relationship between Harry and Snape.
All written in Snape's POV - Stories told all from Snape's point of view.
Keepers of the Snitch - Someone other than the Dursley's or Snape is a guardian to Harry (Snape must still have regular interaction with Harry).
Strictly Canon Universe - Stories that obey the canon universe and storyline. Does not contradict events in the books at all and could fit in with JK Rowling's published writings.
Fic Fests - Stories as responses to certain Fests are archived here! Usually some sort of challenge or prompt response stories.
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How do I decide the rating for my story?
This archive uses a rating system similar to the one used by FictionRatings.com and can be compared to the well known movie ratings of the Motion Picture Association of America. The ratings accepted on this archive are from K to 16+ (No mature, NC-17 type ratings allowed), and your work should be rated according to the content of the story.
Stories that a NC-17 or MA (Mature) rating could theoretically be applied to are not allowed. Rape scenes must not be graphic, or acted out.
The ratings:
K: (Kids) General Audience, content suitable for most ages.
K+: (Older Kids) Parental Guidance suggested, some content may not be suitable for all ages. Mild violence and such.
T: (Teens) Suitable for people 13 years of age and older. Some violence and such.
16+: (Older Teens) Suitable for more mature readers. Preferably people 16 years of age and older. Violence and such. If you must have rape content in your story, it must be non explicit (no direct actions shown) and this rating must be applied.
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Characters, Genres, and Takes Place
Main Characters, Genres, and Takes Place listed on your story must be correct. Administrators may edit your story to include the correct classifications at any time.
Main Characters - Characters listed should be main characters only. Do not list every character that makes an appearance in your story.
Genres - Please only include genres that apply to your story.
Takes Place (Timeline) - Should be used to show what period of time your story takes place during. The years and time periods are based off of Harry's age and what year of schooling at Hogwarts those years correspond to. Please only pick one, or two at most. There are summers and separate years, a time period before Harry's birth, and other time periods after Hogwarts of Harry's young and middle adulthood.
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Snape Flavour
Snape Flavour is a new classification to show what each story's Snape is like towards Harry. Snape Flavours listed on your story must be correct. Administrators may edit your story to include the correct classifications at any time.
Current flavors are:
Angry Snape
Canon Snape
Comforting Snape
Controlling Snape
Cruel Snape
Depressed Snape
Desperate Snape
Evil Snape
Kind Snape
Loving Snape
Mean Snape
Out of Character Snape
Overly-protective Snape
Secretive Snape
Stern Snape
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Tags
Tags - are used as subclassification categories and must be correct. Administrators may edit your story to include the correct classifications at any time.
. The Browse pages of the archive allow readers to actively seek out stories that list certain tags. Current tags are explained as follows:
Addicted!Harry - Harry is addicted to something
Addicted!Snape - Snape is addicted to something
Adoption - someone is adopted
Alternate Universe - different timeline or Harry Potter world than we are familiar with in the books.
Animagus!Harry - Harry can turn into an animal at will
Animagus!Snape - Snape can turn into an animal at will
Azkaban Character - someone is in Azkaban other than canon characters who were there
Azkaban!Harry - Harry is in Azkaban
Azkaban!Snape - Snape is in Azkaban
Baby fic - stories centering around a character less than 2 years old
Child fic - stories centering around a character more than 2 years old but less than 13
Creature!fic - main character is, or turns into a mythical creature or animal other than vampire, werewolf, or elf.
Crossover - story joins with another fandom universe
Deaged!Harry - Harry is deaged
Deaged!Snape - Snape is deaged
Deaging - a main character is deaged. Should be used with either Baby or Child fic warnings unless an adult is deaged to a teenager.
Disguised!Harry - Harry's identity is disguised
Disguised!Snape - Snape's identity is disguised
Dragons - story heavily involves dragons
Elf!Harry - Harry is an elf
Elves - story heavily involves elves
Evil!Albus - Dumbledore is evil
Evil!Harry - Harry is evil
Evil!Snape - Snape is purely evil
Girl!Harry - Harry is a female, or turned into a female
Good!Voldemort - Voldemort is good
Hospitalization - centering around a character that is hospitalized
Incognito!Harry - Harry deliberately changes his identity to hide
Incognito!Snape - Snape deliberately changes his identity to hide
Injured!Harry - Harry is injured
Injured!Snape - Snape is injured
Kidnapped - someone is kidnapped
Kidnapped!Harry - Harry is kidnapped
Kidnapped!Snape - Snape is kidnapped
New Identity!Harry - Harry receives a new identity
Physical Impairment - main character has a physical impairment or disability, such as blindness.
Pregnancy - main character is pregnant
Ravenclaw!Harry - Harry is in Ravenclaw house at Hogwarts
Resorting - a main character is resorted into a different house; ie. Harry is sorted or resorted into another house besides Gryffindor. Snape sorted or resorted into a house other than Slytherin.
Royalty!Harry - Harry is a royal
Royalty!Snape - Snape is a royal
Runaway - a main character runs away
Sibling Addition - Either Harry or Snape have a sibling through birth or adoption (other than each other)
Slytherin!Harry - Harry is in Slytherin House at Hogwarts, or acts as a Slytherin
Snape-meets-Dursleys - Snape meets the Dursleys, the family Harry grew up with in the books.
Spying on Harry! Snape - Snape spies on Harry
Spying!Harry - Harry spies
SuperPower! Harry - Harry has another power other than canon powers
SuperPower! Snape - Snape has another power other than canon powersHarry has powers greater than shown in the books and movies.
Time Travel - main characters are involved in time travel; character either goes into the past or future.
Vampire!Snape - Snape is a Vampire
Vampires - story heavily involves vampires, or Vampiric themes.
Werewolf!Harry - Harry is a werewolf
Werewolf!Snape - Snape is a werewolf
Werewolves - story heavily involves werewolves
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Warnings
Warnings - must be used if they apply to your story and must be correct. Administrators may edit your story to include the correct classifications at any time.
They are used as warnings as well as subclassification categories.
The warnings we currently have are:
Abusive Dursleys - the Dursleys are more abusive then shown in the books.
Alcohol Use - alcohol is used, or characters are intoxicated.
Character Bashing - the story is hostile to a particular character, very critical.
Character Death - someone dies.
Corporal Punishment - physical punishment, as spanking, inflicted on a child by an adult in authority.
Drug use - use of dangerous, addictive substances.
Neglect - to be remiss in the care or treatment of a dependant being.
Out of character -
character behaves very differently than normal
Profanity - bad language, curse words.
Rape - forced sexual intercourse.
Romance/Het - heterosexual romance is present.
Romance/Slash - homosexual romance is present.
Self harm - character injuring themself purposefully.
SuicideThemes - themes dealing with the intentional taking of one's own life.
Torture - the act of inflicting excruciating pain, as punishment or revenge, as a means of getting a confession or information, or for sheer cruelty.
Violence - story contains violent acts: Physical force exerted for the purpose of violating, damaging, or abusing.
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Co-authors
Co-authors are allowed. One author should add the story and highlight/add another person's name (or more) in the co-author box. The story will be listed under both authors (or more) profiles but whoever uploads the actual chapter will have their name next to that chapter title on the story index.
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Round Robins
A round robin is a story that is started by one person but each proceeding chapter is written by someone else. They are symbolized by a bird, or the words "Round Robin." Just as it is with co-authors, whoever adds/uploads a chapter will have their name listed as the author next to that chapter title.
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Can I use images in my stories?
You can not upload images to potionsandsnitches.org with your story or chapter. However, you can add image links with html of images stored elsewhere, like your personal website or LiveJournal. Be mindful of the size, preferably nothing larger than 300 x 300 to avoid horizontal scrolls. Anything bigger may be too cumbersome for some readers. Also, all images must be something you have permission to use or that you created yourself.
Example images:
You can also include images in your summaries. These images can't be larger than 120 x 120 because they have to fit on the most Recent and Featured blocks on the home page. It's better not to use them, or to use the last at the bottom of your summary. The featured and recent blocks only use the first 75 characters of the summary followed by a "..." so the image part will be cut off. Please be aware that adding an image in your summary of a Featured Story will make the Featured Status drop off. We do not know why.
Example image:
The instruction to include images is the following:
<img src="the image url goes here ">
To have the text of your story wrap around the image on the left do this:
<img src="the image url goes here " align="left">
And to have the text of your story wrap around the image on the right:
<img src="the image url goes here " align="right">
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