xxxx X xxxxWelcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardryxxxx X xxxx
Hi there! If you're reading this, that means you're probably new to the guild and wondering, "What should I do?" Well, look no further for answers, because they're right here!
This thread outlines some of the basic information and answers common questions asked by new members. It also has links to various places around the guild to get more information on specific topics, such as how the sorting works, the system we use for lessons, etc...
Please read the entirety of the thread and make use of the linked resources before asking the crew members questions! We're all very busy and it can get frustrating to answer questions that we have already provided answers for, especially when they're easy to find. We don't like being frustrated with our new members, so please make use of this thread and various other informative threads around the guild before you ask us something, just in case your answer is already posted somewhere.
We're very happy to have you here!
Last edited 01/29/2017 ~ ♥ Cara ɱк
Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2017 5:30 pm
xxxX Okay, my join request was accepted... now what?xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The first thing you need to do when you join the guild is read this thread. So, you're doing great so far!
The second thing you should do is read the Guild Rules, in its entirety, and sign it. If you do not sign it, you will not be allowed to create characters or otherwise post in the guild, even in the OOC sections such as the Chatterbox. By posting 'I sign' (or the equivalent) in this thread, you are acknowledging that you have read and understand the rules. You are responsible for your knowledge of the rules, and expected to follow them. Failure to do so will result in warnings, and possibly an eventual ban if you accumulate three.
The third thing you should do is familiarize yourself with the guild. Poke around, read any and all informative threads, check our FAQ and other threads located in The Room of Requirement. Maybe stalk around to see what current members are up to. Check out the profiles of incoming first years to see who your character's friends will be.
The fourth thing you should do is consider joining our chatroom! That's right, we have a guild chatroom, hosted on chatzy.com. It's an excellent place to meet your new guildmates, to get immersed in the guild's community, and to find out what's going on plot-and-character-wise. Most of the guild's veteran members, some of whom have been around for as long as five years, hang out in there, and are happy to help and roleplay with new members. But, before you join the chatroom, make sure you've read the information and rules on becoming a member.
The fifth thing you should do is... start making your character(s)! For more information on that, read the next post.
xxxX So... How do I make a character?xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
There are three different categories of characters new members* are allowed to make in guild: - First Year Students - Hogsmeade Shop Owners/Employees - Magical creatures
New members are not permitted to make Professors. We like for members to have been around and attended lessons for at least one school year to see how classes work first.
New members are also not permitted to make Vampires and Werewolves. More-Than-Average traits are only granted to members who have been active in the guild for at least three months. Additionally, making a Vampire or Werewolf character is a multi-step process that you must get permission to begin.
xxxX How do I make a First Year Student?xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Student characters in this guild are each posted to their own individual thread. There are two different skeletons provided by the guild to choose between. However, you are free to code your own, so long as it has all the required sections, or, if you see a skeleton being used by someone else, ask them if they'd mind your using it. A lot of our members are perfectly happy to lend their coding to a newbie, provided they're properly credited.
Things to know when making characters: - When working on your profile thread, please have (UC) or something that effect in the title until it's ready to be looked over. When you are ready to have it checked, replace the (UC) with (NCR) to alert profile checkers that it's finished. - Children who are going to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry must be born in the United Kingdom, that is, England, Ireland, Scotland, or Wales. Any child not born in the UK is ineligible to attend, and must be schooled elsewhere. If you want your student to be born elsewhere, they must be schooled elsewhere as well. - You do not sort your student! This is important! Your student will go through the guild's sorting process (see below) and be sorted by a crew member. Your personality is instrumental in this, so make sure it's detailed! - When choosing a faceclaim, you need to seriously consider if your choice looks the correct age for the character. There's a little more wiggle room as characters get older, what with the wonder of magic and the fact that wizards live longer than muggles. But, you shouldn't be using the image of your FC at age eighteen for a first year student. - Also regarding FC's, images should be either anime, or a person of some level of fame, either in film, television, music, modeling, or on the internet. Stock images are also allowed. However, photos of actual members themselves, or random personal images of (nonfamous) strangers off the internet, are not allowed. - When composing your character's personality, make sure that you're not contradicting yourself by giving them traits that aren't compatible, such as making them both forgiving and vengeful. Alternatively, you can't give them multiple traits that mean the same thing. When using a profile skeleton in the format TRAIT: (description), such as the alternate skeleton provided, traits must be diverse. If one listed trait is calm, you cannot then include serene as well, as you are just restating the same trait with different wording. - Character traits such as being a metamorphmagus, animagus, halfbreed, etc are known as More-Than-Average traits. New members are not permitted to make characters with these traits, as they are only allowed in the guild on a limited basis to conserve realism within the universe created by JK Rowling as per her rules (these traits are supposed to be rare, so we can't let everyone have them). We have had a lot of people make characters with MTA traits, and then vanish, taking up a slot that could have been open for another member. We don't remove people's characters from the list until they are removed for inactivity, which means that the slot will be filled by an effectively non-existent character for at least six months. Sticking around and being active for three months tells us you're more likely to stay, and earns you the ability to apply for one of these slots. Please note that you cannot apply for a trait that is inherited, such as metamorphmagus, for a character who has been pre-approved without the trait, once the three month mark hits. If you want to make a character with a trait that is inherited, wait until you've proven you will be active before making that character. - Once it is completed, your profile will be looked over by a Profile Checker. If all is well, it will be marked 'Pending.' You are then free to post your character in the appropriate locations at the start of the school year, IE at Hogsmeade when the train arrives, crossing the black lake, etc. - If there is a problem with your profile, it will be marked as 'Needs Editing', with a note from a crew member outlining the issues. Do not argue with crew regarding these edit requests, as they are non-negotiable. We will not ask you to change things if they do not absolutely need to be changed. - Your profile will be pending until after the sorting. Then, once you have been sorted, you may edit the profile to add in your house, and include (House Added) in the title. It will be checked at some point in the school year and changed to Accepted. This may take a while, but don't worry, you can post your character in lessons and around the school with it marked pending, as long as the house has been added.
xxxX What's the Sorting Process?xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
You do not sort your own character. Instead, they are sorted by the guild. At the start of the new school year, students will arrive at Hogsmeade Station. First years will be led from the station to the Black Lake, then taken across in boats, just like the book. They will then go from the Boathouse to the Antechamber to wait for the sorting to open.
The Sorting Ceremony will start on the first of the month at the start of a school year (February, May, August, and November are months that our 'Fall Semester' occurs during). Once the thread is opened, you may post your student being called on to be sorted.
Some things to know: - Do not state actions being taken by the staff member running the sorting other than them calling your character's name, as this is someone else's character, and saying that they do anything other than this is considered godmodding. - Your post should be an actual roleplay post, with your character's name being called, them going to the stool, and whatever they are doing while wearing the hat. - It should also include your character's personality, preferably under a spoiler code. The personality posted in the sorting must match the one in your profile exactly. - While you are interacting with the sorting hat, you should not speak for the hat. The crewmember who sorts you will do this. - Once you are sorted, you may post your student at the table for their house.
xxxX How do lessons work?xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The guild has a List of Knowledge, which is basically the school's curriculum, that is followed by professors. Each class should update on a weekly basis. To get credit for the class, you post your character attending. If the professor doesn't post a lesson, you get credit for attending without having to post.
xxxX How do I make a Hogsmeade Shop Owner or Employee?xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Firstly, while new members are permitted to become shop owners, it is recommended that you start off as an employee. This way, you can familiarize yourself with the guild and shops specifically.
Unlike other profiles, these are not posted in a thread created by the member. Rather, in order to allow members to be employed by NPC-owned shops, each shop has an employee profile thread that has been created by a crewmember. How to go about making a character who works for one of these shops varies, depending on what you want to do.
Owning canon shops: - Post your profile to the Employee Shop Profile Thread provided in the subforum - Post in the NCR Waiting List thread, stating that you have posted a new shop owner profile. Link the profile. - Wait for your profile to be checked over. You will be quoted in the NCR thread to let you know if your profile is approved, or needs edits. - If edits are required, there will be an edit request on the top of your profile.
Owning original shops: - Fill out the Application for Non-Canon Shops and post it to the NCR thread. - Wait for the application to be approved. If it is approved, an employee profile thread will be posted, and you will be quoted in the NCR thread to let you know it is up. - Post your profile to the Employee Shop Profile Thread provided in the subforum. - Post in the NCR Waiting List thread, stating that you have posted a new shop owner profile. Link the profile. - Wait for your profile to be checked over. You will be quoted in the NCR thread to let you know if your profile is approved, or needs edits. - If edits are required, there will be an edit request on the top of your profile.
Working for NPC-Owned shops: - Post your profile to the Employee Shop Profile Thread provided in the subforum. - Post in the NCR Waiting List thread, stating that you have posted a new shop employee profile. Link the profile. - Wait for your profile to be checked over. You will be quoted in the NCR thread to let you know if your profile is approved, or needs edits. - If edits are required, there will be an edit request on the top of your profile.
Working for PC-Owned shops: - Get permission from the member who owns the shop to work in their shop. You may contact them via PM, or try the chatroom. - Once you have permission, post your profile to the Employee Shop Profile Thread provided in the subforum. - Post in the NCR Waiting List thread, stating that you have posted a new shop employee profile. Link the profile. - Wait for your profile to be checked over. You will be quoted in the NCR thread to let you know if your profile is approved, or needs edits. - If edits are required, there will be an edit request on the top of your profile.
xxxX How do Magical Creature Profiles work?xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Depends on the magical creature!
Magical creatures are all very different from one another, and as such, have different rules. You can see all the different rules and requirements for each type of creature in the Basics and Information thread with their profile skeletons.
Some specifics to note are: - Unlike Family Profiles, each Magical Creature gets their own thread. - When choosing a Face Claim/Character Image, please keep in mind that you should stick to an appearance that is, if not exactly, then at least close to the depiction of the creature in Harry Potter promotional material (chapter art, film, video games, etc). An example would be, if you make a mercreature, their image shouldn't look like The Little Mermaid, since it's stated in both the books and film that mercreatures do not actually look like that. - Centaurs are (typically) members of herds. New members must get permission from the leader of the Forbidden Forest herd to join before posting a profile. If permission is not granted, you must get permission from the Magical Creatures Manager to make a centaur that is not part of the herd.
x X xxxxRestrictions On New Member Profilesxxxx X x
Unfortunately, due to some issues in the past with troublesome members, we've had to impose some limits on what members are allowed to do right off the bat. Once you've established yourself in the guild as a responsible roleplayer, you'll find that you have much more freedom with your characters. But, until you've been around long enough for us to know you can be trusted with out there or unusual characters, we'll probably deny anything that seems too over the top.
This includes but is not limited to: - New members are permitted a max of four characters when they first join. They may be any combination of character types, but you may only have two of any given type (IE, two students, one shop owner, one magical creature) - New members are only permitted to make first year students. - Characters who are coded as apparent future/secret Dark Lords (aka the 'I'm Going To Be The Next Voldemort' character) - Characters who are coded as apparent future/secret Heroes (aka the 'Move Over Harry, There's A New Chosen One In Town' character) - Characters with exceptionally tragic/uncomfortable backstories (aka the 'Everything Bad That Could Ever Happen Has Happened To Me' character) - Characters whose personality can be summed up with the phrase "I'm not like other people" (aka the 'Luna Lovegood Ain't Got Nothin' On Me' character) - Characters who are strongly based on another character existing in fiction (aka the 'I just really wanted to play Frodo Baggins but as a Hogwarts student' character)
Basically, for your first character, we want you to have the freedom to make them unique, but we're also on the lookout for Mary Sue's and characters who will potentially cause a lot of drama, either IC or OOC, in the future. We don't want to allow new members to make potentially dangerous characters without knowing that they will play them responsibly, and that other people will enjoy roleplaying with them. After all, the point of a roleplay is to have fun, not just for you, but for everyone you roleplay with. It's one thing to write a character that others dislike as a person, it's another thing to write one that people dislike as a character and don't want to interact with. Characters like the ones listed above are generally not very fun to roleplay with, unless they are being written by a skilled roleplayer, and are red flags that a roleplayer might be trouble down the line. You're welcome to make characters closer to these types later on down the line, but if your first instinct when joining a new roleplay is to immediately make a Problem Character, it can worry the crew. Likewise, with characters based on others from books or television: This guild is based off of JK Rowling's series, but 99% of characters in it are original (the exceptions being canon magical creatures, such as the Hogwarts House ghosts). We do not allow unoriginal characters. Established members are permitted to play characters loosely based on a character from another source. However, until you've been around for a while and we have seen your roleplaying, we can't be certain when just looking at a profile if your character is based on the source, but still unique, or is a carbon copy.
These restrictions will also extend to any plots you wish to enact with your characters after first joining, but more on that later.
Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2017 5:39 pm
xxxX So... Who are you people, exactly?xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Diamond Wales :: Guild Captain xSignature: ~ Dia xContact if you have questions about: xx- Quidditch xx- Requests (MTA's, wands, etc) xx- Everything xx- If you have failed to receive a reply from another crew member in a timely manner regarding a question or concern xx- Last resort! Do not contact unless all over avenues have failed (unless it is in reference to the above)!
MJ Spooks :: Vice Captain // Captain of Ministry of Magic and the Wizarding World xSignature: 🕱мנ ѕρσσкѕ🕱 xContact if you have questions about: xx- Profiles xx- OWLs/NEWTs xx- Professors
Cinnabun Gryffie :: Vice Captain xSignature: 𝓖𝓻𝔂𝒇𝒇𝓲𝒆 xContact if you have questions about: xx- Clubs xx- Guild Navigation xx- Class Electives xx- Your Profile (if she has left an edit request on it)
addaellis :: Vice Captain xSignature: ~𝔞𝔡𝔡𝔞𝔢𝔩𝔩𝔦𝔰 xContact if you have questions about: xx- Face Claims xx- Your Profile (if she has left an edit request on it) xx- OWLs/NEWTs (if you have questions about exams she's graded)
Yukina101 :: Crew xSignature: ❝Yukitty❞ xContact if you have questions about: xx- Your Profile (if she has left an edit request on it) xx- OWLs/NEWTs (if you have questions about exams she's graded)
murruelecreuset :: Crew xSignature: murrue ❤ xContact if you have questions about: xx- Your Profile (if she has left an edit request on it) xx- OWLs/NEWTs (if you have questions about exams she's graded)
Kungfudemoness :: Crew xSignature: ĸυng xContact if you have questions about: xx- Your Profile (if she has left an edit request on it) xx- OWLs/NEWTs (if you have questions about exams she's graded)
Stefan Lee Salvatore :: Crew xSignature: ♥ Steffy ♥ xContact if you have questions about: xx- People Managing for Clubs/Quidditch xx- Broken links/threads xx- Your Profile (if she has left an edit request on it)
x X xxxxWhat are the Signatures?xxxx X x
The signatures tell you which member of the crew has touched a thread. Most often, you'll see them on profiles, either at the top with an edit request, or at the bottom with a date to denote when the profile was approved. Other places you might see them include informative threads such as this one, to tell you who updated it last, and when. If you have a question about something and need to contact someone, you should contact the person who left the signature. Asking someone else will probably only result in confusion and questions, since we may not know what was going through our fellow crewmember's head when they left the signature.
Most important information in the guild can be found as Announcement or Sticky threads in the subforum specific to what you're looking for. But, below is a list of some of the more important and helpful things, all listed so they're easy to find.
What Not To Do: Below is a selection of profiles that were either denied, or never made it to the 'pending/accepted' stage due to the member failing to edit them appropriately. Below the spoilers you will find a brief summary of why they were not accepted, to help you understand what to avoid doing in your own profiles.
Issues include: xxUnsatisfactory Personality, Fears, Strengths, and Weaknesses xxComplicated and inconsistent backstory which relied heavily on non-canonical and outright incorrect key elements xxx- Member created a massive secret organization that does not exist in the guild or in canon specifically for their own backstory xxx- Member incorrectly portrayed the legality of psychological experiments that cause harm to others, and/or was misinformed on the subject xxCharacter not portrayed as the proper maturity for her age xxWand section made no sense in this setting xxCreation of a magical version of a normal creature for pet
Issues include: xxCharacter is apparently possessed, which is not supported in HP canon xxCharacter suffers from a plethora of mental problems which crew are uncomfortable with allowing a new member to play out until we have some sign that it will be handled properly xxCharacter is stated to have a debilitating mental illness, then shows no signs of being debilitated by it xxNo wand xxNot born in the UK xxMember pended their own profile xxMember argued with guild Captain regarding the denial, citing their own experiences as evidence it should be allowed xxx- This is the internet, we have no way of knowing if they were lying xxx- If they were lying, the fact that they wanted to play a character like this has some fairly concerning implications xxx- If they were not, they could have made a less controversial character to start off, proven themselves to be a capable roleplayer, and played a character similar to this xxx- Offering to provide proof only works if the proof isn't something that could easy acquired through a quick google search
Issues include: xxRip off of DC character, complete with name xxMember pended their own profile xxUnsatisfactory Personality, Fears, Strengths, and Weaknesses
Issues include: xx"Rumored to be between 35 and 60 years old" xxSexual orientation does not actually state the sexual orientation of the character xxBlood Status is not provided xxWand core is a raven feather from his mother's animagus form xxBackground is rather sparse for a profile with so much unnecessary information in previous sections xxInsufficient personality
Issues include: xxNot up to guild literacy standards xxProfile skeleton not taken seriously, several sections filled out with apparently sarcastic responses xxSorted their character xxInsufficient personality, fears, streng xxBackstory not provided xxUnsatisfactory Personality, Fears, Strengths, and Weaknesses xxGenerally just an unsatisfactory profile overall
Issues include: xxAge is eleven, image is at least 25 xxFor that matter, age is eleven, character sounds like a literal fully grown knight xxBackstory hinges on a serious breach in the Statue of Secrecy xxHas a magic sword, which he hides his wand in
Issues include: xxIncorrect year of birth for guild timeline xxBackstory is nonsensical regarding schooling xxStrength is dark arts, no explanation for how or why xxFaceclaim is inappropriate for student's age
x X xxxxDuplicate and Contradictory Informationxxxx X x
The guild is pretty old, by roleplay standards. It's been under a lot of different management, had various systems updated and changed and reworked, been completely remodeled a few times. As such, sometimes, with so much to do and so many people, wires get crossed. Sometimes we can't find something people need, so we make a new resource for it, only to later discover that we already had one. Sometimes something is changed, and we miss a thread that needs to be updated to reflect the change. As such, there are instances where you will find yourself confronted with multiple threads covering the same topic, and sometimes they may not agree. If you come across anything like this, please shoot us a PM! We need to know so that we can update the information accordingly and avoid future confusion. Thanks for your help!
