MetaFic

The Metafic/Cracked Muggle administrators invite people to be judges based on one of two key criteria:  (a) they are an author of note in our opinions, or (b) they are a reviewer that goes above and beyond by at least an order of magnitude.

We’ve asked people to participate as a judge in general, knowing that for specific challenges they might either be unable to judge due to lack of interest (or time), or else they might be barred due to having a submission for that particular challenge.

1. Log in to the site and go to your user profile (the "My Account" link in the left navigation pane).
2. Near the top of the page, click on "Apply for role".
3. In the drop-down list, choose "Authenticated reader," and then click "Apply."

Your request will be sent to the admins for processing. Once your status is in place, you will be able to see unpublished original fiction on the story lists and in search results.

Two reasons.

1. The most common ratings systems are copyrighted, and using them on a fanfiction site is a violation of that copyright.
2. We hope to avoid over-generalization of stories based on ratings. Rather than using an arbitrary and fluid system of interpretive ratings, we hope to provide each reader with information about the actual content of a story (attributes, warnings, etc) that will help them to decide whether or not to read that story.

If you’re writing dark fiction, you don’t have to simply label it as such. Instead, use the existing genres, attributes, and warnings to show why it is dark. A good start might be the Tragedy or Horror genres.

Warnings are intended to inform readers of certain plot elements prior to their reading of the story. This allows a reader to avoid a story if s/he does not want to read the content in question. Here are some brief descriptions for each warning:

• Abuse: The story contains mental, physical, and/or sexual abuse. If you’re not sure your story needs this warning, you should probably add it.
• Alcohol/Drug Abuse: Characters in the story drink alcohol in a consistent and/or negative manner, and/or they use drugs in any way.

An attribute is a plot element within a story. Basically, what types of things happen in your story? Here are some brief descriptions for each attribute:

• Action: Basically, action sequences. Fight scenes, broom chases, Quidditch matches, dramatic rescues, that sort of thing.
• Adventure: A journey with steps and stages along the way. Harry’s retrieving Ginny from the Chamber was an action-sequence, but it wasn’t long enough to be adventure. The trio’s journey in DH was an adventure.

Most fanfic by nature changes canon events. “First point of canon divergence” refers to the time at which a story first changes canon. An alternate seventh book first changes canon in seventh year – up to that point, it uses the canon story exactly. A retelling of the entire series changes canon either before Harry goes to Hogwarts or during the time covered by the first book (SS/PS). A post-DH story that disregards the epilogue changes canon events after Harry leaves Hogwarts, which is referred to as “DH – epilogue” on the site.

This is simply the time span your story covers. An alternate version of DH covers seventh year. A complete canon retelling covers all seven years and possibly pre- and post-Hogwarts, as well. A missing moment occurs in the year for which it is a missing moment. Stories in which the timeframe is irrelevant or is an intentional mystery use ‘moot’.

The Genre is the story’s overall theme or prevailing tone. This refers to the story as a whole, not to specific elements within the story. A dramatic story can have humorous elements but still be a drama overall. Here are some brief descriptions for each genre:

• Comedy: The primary tone or purpose of the story is humorous.
• Drama: The main theme of the story is conflict between people or greater forces. Dramatic stories are usually more 'serious' in tone.