Modereators, I believe Portkey's rules regarding ship outcomes need to be reiterated at the beginning of the felix felicis competition. So far I've seen at least three or four entries that conclude in clear violation of the shipping guidelines, i.e., leaving the pairings of R/Hr and/or H/G still intact at the end of the fic, usually with the worn-out angst ploy 'we can't because it'll hurt others' schtick. What's even more disturbing is that the majority of reviewers gush over these angst bunnies to high heaven without considering the site guidelines.

Please, re-clarify the rules for these authors! It's hard enough to keep our ship afloat despite the 'anvil-sized holes' a certain delusional author punched in the hull without our supposed fellow travelers doing theri best to sabotage the pumps.

But what about the stories classified as "Angst?" Doesn't that particular category mean that Harry and Hermione don't necessarily end up together in the end? How would you suggest those authors end those stories---by having one of them killed off? To me, that would be worse and even more "worn-out."

If we're going to insist on happy endings (and personally, I don't see anything wrong with mixing it up a little), maybe the "Angst" stories shouldn't be eligible. Which is too bad, because one of my favorite stories in the whole competition (perhaps my very favorite) would fall under this category.....one of the stories you lament readers for "gushing" over.

Not trying to start a fight.....I just wanted to give a different point of view.

I would hate for controversy to take over this competition, and I am all about what is in the best interest of fairness.

It is a criteria for this competition to meet the Portkey Fanfiction rules and the rules outlined on the Felix Felicis homepage. I unfortunitely do not have the time to review all entries of this competition for breaches of the site rules.

This shows a clear need for an easy way for readers to report stories they suspect of violating the fanfiction rules, and I will get onto this as soon as I have time available to me.

With regard to the continued eligibility for a story to be in the competition, I am going to let the people of Portkey decide how the stories rate up and whether they are worthy of being a winner. Portkey is a site about fanfiction for fans run by fans, and if people are open to this kind of story then that is their choice. What I would encourage you to do is rate stories you don't enjoy low, so that we get a very accurate picture of what is the most enjoyed story over all here on Portkey.

Thanks,
James