Happy New Year! I hope 2025 is treating everyone well so far. I'm here with our first update of the year! There are a few things to get to, so I'll just jump right in.
Week 6
If you can believe it (I can't) we are in Week 6 of the semester. This is the last week before the reading week and the exams, and so the chance to catch up begins now. We'd remind all professors to be up-to-date in lesson posting and in marking.
Quidditch!
We've had two quidditch games since the last BWU, the first was Slytherin versus Gryffindor, where Gryffindor caught the snitch and the second was Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw, where Ravenclaw managed to catch the snitch. Both games were a real fun read, with a lot of bludgers being thrown around. Head on over here to be able to catch up. As a reminder that though the games can be short, your character can also react when they aren't playing from the stands.
Halloween winners
Halloween at Christmas! In any case, here are the winners for the Halloween Costume Contest:
Best Overall: Anisha Khatri as the Corpse Bride (Daph)
Most Scary: Tempest Vero as a Demon Farmhand (Kiersten)
)Best Group/Pair: Miro Morales Albertson, Aleja Morales, and Carolina Morales as The Cat In The Hat, Thing 1, and Thing 2 (Anna & Rowan)
Most Ridiculous: Teddy Pirrip as a Werewolf on a Normal Night (Verity)
Most Traditional Halloween: Lilith Ilves as a Scarecrow (Faye)
Honeyduke's
Honeydukes has now been taken over by Kelsey Aria Boneheart, RPed by Zazz. We say congrats to Zazz on the new position and can't wait to see what sweet delights come from it.
AI policy
As a reminder towards the end of last year, and in the new semester we launched an AI policy. We'd like to take a moment here, to remind everyone of it. With professors to check the specific professor AI policy here for guidance on how to deal with possible AI in classes.
Content warnings on threads
With this being a new year, we've decided to encourage folks to use the tags on threads to flag if the thread itself contains anything which requires a content warning. This can be violence, swearing, vomiting etc., this is not to be used as a substitute for plot approvals but just letting other RPers know what they are getting into when they click on a thread. We're not imposing this as a rule - people can pick whether or not to do it. If you do the naming convention should be: cw - violence
Messi
After a short break, we have a new MESSI cohort, they are: Zazz, Faye, Verity, Maria and Rowan. Join me in congratulating them on their position and look forward to seeing what comes.
Secret Santa
Secret Santa has been a year staple of the site for quite some time, and this year it went swimming, we'd like to take a moment to thank everyone for taking part. It was really cool to see what people made for each other and a nice thing for those who took part to do.
Apps open
Following a break over the festive period, Apps have now been re-opened.
And that's it!
Emzies
(On behalf of the HNZ Site Staff)
Week 6
If you can believe it (I can't) we are in Week 6 of the semester. This is the last week before the reading week and the exams, and so the chance to catch up begins now. We'd remind all professors to be up-to-date in lesson posting and in marking.
Quidditch!
We've had two quidditch games since the last BWU, the first was Slytherin versus Gryffindor, where Gryffindor caught the snitch and the second was Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw, where Ravenclaw managed to catch the snitch. Both games were a real fun read, with a lot of bludgers being thrown around. Head on over here to be able to catch up. As a reminder that though the games can be short, your character can also react when they aren't playing from the stands.
Halloween winners
Halloween at Christmas! In any case, here are the winners for the Halloween Costume Contest:
Best Overall: Anisha Khatri as the Corpse Bride (Daph)
Most Scary: Tempest Vero as a Demon Farmhand (Kiersten)
)Best Group/Pair: Miro Morales Albertson, Aleja Morales, and Carolina Morales as The Cat In The Hat, Thing 1, and Thing 2 (Anna & Rowan)
Most Ridiculous: Teddy Pirrip as a Werewolf on a Normal Night (Verity)
Most Traditional Halloween: Lilith Ilves as a Scarecrow (Faye)
Honeyduke's
Honeydukes has now been taken over by Kelsey Aria Boneheart, RPed by Zazz. We say congrats to Zazz on the new position and can't wait to see what sweet delights come from it.
AI policy
As a reminder towards the end of last year, and in the new semester we launched an AI policy. We'd like to take a moment here, to remind everyone of it. With professors to check the specific professor AI policy here for guidance on how to deal with possible AI in classes.
Content warnings on threads
With this being a new year, we've decided to encourage folks to use the tags on threads to flag if the thread itself contains anything which requires a content warning. This can be violence, swearing, vomiting etc., this is not to be used as a substitute for plot approvals but just letting other RPers know what they are getting into when they click on a thread. We're not imposing this as a rule - people can pick whether or not to do it. If you do the naming convention should be: cw - violence
Messi
After a short break, we have a new MESSI cohort, they are: Zazz, Faye, Verity, Maria and Rowan. Join me in congratulating them on their position and look forward to seeing what comes.
Secret Santa
Secret Santa has been a year staple of the site for quite some time, and this year it went swimming, we'd like to take a moment to thank everyone for taking part. It was really cool to see what people made for each other and a nice thing for those who took part to do.
Apps open
Following a break over the festive period, Apps have now been re-opened.
- Thoughtless - Mikael is not great at communication, neither is Elio. Have things ended before they've even begun?
- Crime and Punishment - Corn cheated on his OWLs and Matt is informed, he is not happy..
- Basking in Self-Doubt - After embarassing herself in the first Charms lesson of the year, Bea runs into Kanako in the Antiquated Lavatory, and things get mean.
- Personal Project - Audrey talks to Professor Pirrip about her desire to become an animagus.
- Bittersweet Between my Teeth - Romantic drama in the Gryffindor common room, they're not being very subtle about it
- Paddle Paddle Slip Slip Splash - Ivy has a rather unusual encounter by the lake...
- Exams
- Yuleball!
- Mid-Year break
And that's it!
Emzies
(On behalf of the HNZ Site Staff)
Congrats to all costume winners, to Zazz for her new position and everyone else! Such a wide update, looking forward to everything this rest of IC year brings! <3
