New Snake's Guide & Slytherin FAQ
Below the cut you will find a comprehensive guide for the newly sorted. Please feel free to ask any questions in the comments and, if necessary, they will be added to the FAQ.
New Snake's Guide to HiH
» Step One: The Basics
» Step Two: Introduce Yourself
» Step Three: Get a Vault
» Step Four: Join Sub-Communities
Hogwarts is Home has many subcommunities, and it can be overwhelming trying to figure out where to start. But you're a Slytherin, so of course you have a handy cheat guide to help you out! Here are the communities and what you can do there:
» Points Only:
: We have a very broad spectrum of clubs at HiH, from Divination to Young Death Eaters. Just skim the userinfo and click your way to the rosters of any clubs that pique your interest. Make sure you have signed up on the roster before you participate in any activities. There is no limit to the number of clubs you can be in and you're under no obligation to participate in a certain number of activities, so feel free to sign up for them all. You can pick and choose what activities appeal to you. All clubs basically have similar activities, like crosswords, drabble contests, etc, but using different themes.
: This is the community of graphics shops. Anyone can own a shop, and you make points for your house by making sigtags and icons for your housemates. Even if you have no talent, you should still join this comm and order tons of things from the Slytherin shops (listed in the userinfo).
Flourish & Blotts also offers knuts for critiques, so keep an eye out for the critique post.
» Points and Knuts:
: Every month (usually) there will be a discussion, a debate, an Order-sponsored activity, and a House Unity activity posted in the main comm, and these all give out points and knuts for participating.
: Sort! You've been through this, so you get the idea. You get points and knuts for sorting every application in a week, and they rack up very quickly. Just don't forget to put your vote in the right place and sign with your name/house.
: Lots of very easy scavenger hunts and other activities. The only catch is that you can only post from your local hours of midnight to 8 AM, but unless you are asleep for exactly those eight hours, it's a painless way to rack up points and knuts.
: All you do in this comm is vote on applications of people trying to become animagi. Voting gets you points and knuts (and you get bonus points if you're a registered animagus). To become an animagus yourself, you have to buy five books (not hard, really, you can earn that much in a few weeks just by sorting) and fill out the application, then people suggest animals for you and you ultimately get to pick from a final four.
: Registered animagi only. Like St, Mungo's, this is basically like a club but you earn knuts. Two activities a month. You have to become an animagus before you can join.
: Hogsmeade weekends at HiH are always crazy, awesome, and excellent opportunities to make obscene amounts of points and knuts in one weekend. Join the comm and watch it, and be ready to spring into action when the time is right. There are typically two Hogsmeade trips per term, or one every other month.
: Every once in a while, our stamping mods open the queue for you to submit your stamping applications, and then everyone gets to vote on them during a Stamping Weekend. Sometimes they coincide with Hogsmeade Weekends, and sometimes the Stamping Weekends are held on their own. Join the community and keep a watchful eye out, there are both points and knuts to be earned here!
» Writing and Art Communities
: Submit drabbles, fics, poetry and art for points. Every month has some challenges and you get extra points for responding to a challenge.
: This is only for fic, and only challenges. You're supposed to write a drabble or fic in response to a challenge (you can pic any challenge) within a set time frame, but it's honour system only.
» Graphic-Making Communities
: Post icons (and FO banners and wallpapers) for house points. Be sure to read all the rules carefully before submitting, especially regarding formatting.
Hogwarts Icons also offers knuts for critiques, so keep an eye out for the critigue posts.
: You can submit up to two icons every week for two set themes, and win both points and knuts. (Even non-placers get points/knuts, so you may as well try!)
» Special Comms (Limited Spaces)
: The Order of the Phoenix here at HiH. They are responsible for promoting the community and also host house unity activities every now and then. If that sounds like something you'd be interested in, just keep an eye on the community until a position opens up; most people don't stay the whole term. You're compensated in knuts for your efforts.
: QUIDDITCH! One of the most exciting parts of HiH. We love this game. The seeker completes a scavenger hunt while the beaters ask the chasers trivia questions to score goals. Very fast-paced and exciting, but easy even for beginners. You don't need to have any experience or have been a member of HiH for any set period of time to join.
Sign up here for the House Cup roster, and become a Quidditch player. Detailed rules and Quidditch FAQ are here; make sure to read and sign them.
hihdailyprophet: The bimonthly newspaper at HiH, which is posted in the main comm. Feel free to sign up for any positions that interest you and you'll be notified when they open up. Writing is rewarded with points and knuts.
» Step Five: Participate!
Sort. Enter contests. Do activities. Earn points for Slytherin! Participate in memes and discussions in the common room and the main comm. Have fun!
For your reference, every week a new sorting log is posted in the common room under this tag to help you keep track of what you need to sort, and likewise you can get a good overview of everything going on in HiH by keeping an eye out for the Slytherprompt.
After you've participated for a while and have earned enough knuts to purchase bonus items, see the Super Simple Bonus Items Guide for help.
Slytherin FAQ
Q. Do we have a chant or something that I can use to rub our victories in the other houses' faces?
A. Of course. It is "Win win Slytherin!"
Q. What are house nicknames? What is Slytherin's?
A. House nicknames are just sort of in-jokes/alternative themes for the houses here at HiH. The Gryffindors are pirates, the Ravenclaws are vikings, the Hufflepuffs are knights, and Slytherins are the Vampires. Before that we have been mafia, ninjas and aristocrats but our mascot has recently changed to something more fun!
Q. Do we an official house anything-else?
A. Indeed. We also have our own soundtrack, which you can find here.
Q. What is Snake Mascot Week?
A. Every once in a while, we hold Mascot Weeks in the common room where we celebrate our HiH mascot, the Vampires. This is a week of great fun and activities where you can get to know your fellow Housemates, come up with your own Vampire nickname and get right into character. Keep an eye out for these Mascot Weeks, we will always announce them well beforehand!
Q. Oookay. What is Slytherin Club Night?
A. Just a chance to get to know your fellow snakes better and have some fun. It runs through the weekend, and you can find the most recent one via this tag.
Q. What is "Slytherin's Purest"?
A. Slytherin's Purest is an award/special title that goes to the snake who has participated the most for that month. Winners receive 50 points (purchased at Shpadoinkles by your loving Prefects), a banner/sigtag so you can show others how fantastic you are, and the praise and adoration of your Prefects and peers. We also give banners to runner-ups, participants who truly excelled during the month but weren't quite able to reach the top.
Sorting does not count towards the activity total (as there is already plenty of incentive to do that), but everything else at HiH (which earns points) does, including posting to
or
, making shop deliveries, etc.
Q. Does anything we do in the common room earn points?
A. Yes. Every month we have a monthly In-House activity which is an excellent chance to get tons of points, since you're only "competing" against your housemates but all the points go to the same place. You also earn knuts in these monthly contests, so there's no reason not to participate! You can find all the In-House contests with this tag.
Q. What are in-house prompts?
A. Every now and then someone will post a challenge or prompt for either
or
. Other houses do these regularly and they earn a lot of points doing it. You generally will be rewarded by a sigtag and/or praise from your housemates for doing these. You can find both graphical and writing prompts following this Creative Challenge tag. Also, there are usually some prompts posted on Club Night which you can find here.
Q. Do we have a house chat or anything?
A. YES. We currently use AIM for our house chat. The name is whitepeacocks. You can either join the chatroom on your own or IM one of the snakes that are online for an invitation. See the contact list here to find your fellow snakes!
Or you can join or blast chat:
Q. Are there any other ways to socialise with my fellow snakes outside of the common room?
A. Yes. A lot of HiH members use messenger programs like AIM. You can find out how to contact your fellow snakes here.
Q. When does the Sorting Log go up?
A. The Sorting Log only goes up after the last batch of apps has been posted, which on a heavy week is usually Wednesday. This is so you never have to check back to be sure that you haven't missed any drops. Additionally, at the start of the post it will say how many apps there are that week total so you can be sure that you've sorted them all. (You can always find the most recent Sorting Log using this tag.)
Q. How many points do I earn by sorting?
A. You earn 1 point for each app that you sort and sign with a text signature (name//house), or 2 points if you sign with a signature graphic. If you sort every single application in a week, you earn the coveted status of Top Sorter and are rewarded with a heaping helping of points and knuts which increases along with the number of apps. The current Top Sorter levels are:
» 5 or less applications - 30 points/15 knuts
» 6 to 10 applications - 45 points/22 knuts
» 11+ applications - 60 points/30 knuts
Q. Do I have to join a club before I can participate in its activities?
A. Not anymore! Signing a club's roster will grant you the bonus points you get for having that club's bonus items in your vault, but it is not mandatory. Still, it's totally worth it!
Q. Do I have to own any items before I can join a club?
A. No, you do not have to own any items before you can join a club. Items just get you bonus points, but you can participate in any club without them. For a comprehensive guide to bonus items, please see this post.
Q. I was thinking about opening up a graphics shop at
, and...
A. That's fantastic! Make sure to check the Shop Application Post to see if there is a Slytherin shop spot available and create your own application by following the rules. Here is a detailed guide on running a Flourish shop that should tell you everything you need to know! If you're having trouble coming up with ideas for new graphics, don't hesitate to make a post in the common room and brainstorm with your fellow Snakes! A lot of people usually have links to provide you with interesting art they like, quotes, or helpful advice. :)
Q. I have an awesome idea for an activity/a contest/a game/a social post.
A. Great! Feel free to post it in the common room. If you would prefer, or if your suggestion is for a monthly contest or the like, you may contact the Prefects (see below) and we'll take it under advisement.
Q. I have a problem with another member.
A. Should the situation arise where you and another member have a problem with each other that couldn't be resolved by either attempting to sort out your dispute, or ignoring the other member, please contact your Prefects.
This includes situations where you feel you are being harassed by another member, either on one of the communities, or outside of HiH. We would like to ask you to link us to the threads where the dispute happened, or take screenshots, so that we can decide on how to best resolve the situation.
However, average disagreements are something that we expect you to solve yourselves. Hogwarts is Home is a large community; we have members of different ages, tastes, sexual orientations and beliefs. Please try to always bestow your fellow HiHers with the respect and tolerance you wish to receive yourself. Situations where a member disagrees with you during a debate or discussion, or simply states that they dislike a pairing you love, do not warrant mod or prefect attention. Should a previously average disagreement end in personal attacks you are encouraged to contact us!
Q. How can I get in touch with the Prefects?
A. Both of us respond quickly to PMs; you can PM Phoebe (rebel) here and Krystal (autumn_mist) here. If that's not an option, you can send us an e-mail here and we will get back to you ASAP. Our more extensive contact info can be found here. :D
» Helpful Links
Term XXVI Slytherin Roster
Got a question? Ask it below.
Last revised May 31st, 2013
New Snake's Guide to HiH
» Step One: The Basics
- Check your pending invites and accept the ones for hogwartsishome and cunningfolk. If you don't have any invites, proceed below.
- Join and watch hogwartsishome, the main community.
- Join and watch cunningfolk, the Slytherin common room.
- If you want to, you can track the posts in the common room and/or track the posts in the main community so that you are emailed when new posts are made.
» Step Two: Introduce Yourself
- Fill out the introduction survey (which can be found in the profile under the "New Members" section) and post it to the community.
- Go to the Slytherin contact list and fill out your information if you'd like, and/or peruse the list if you want to socialize with your fellow snakes outside of the common room.
» Step Three: Get a Vault
- Create an account on the hogwartsishome system website and open a "vault". This vault will hold all of the knuts you earn through activities as well as all of your school books, class/club-specific bonus items, quidditch supplies, pets and more. You can spend your knuts at Diagon Alley. See this post for a guide to bonus items and their values.
» Step Four: Join Sub-Communities
Hogwarts is Home has many subcommunities, and it can be overwhelming trying to figure out where to start. But you're a Slytherin, so of course you have a handy cheat guide to help you out! Here are the communities and what you can do there:
» Points Only:
: We have a very broad spectrum of clubs at HiH, from Divination to Young Death Eaters. Just skim the userinfo and click your way to the rosters of any clubs that pique your interest. Make sure you have signed up on the roster before you participate in any activities. There is no limit to the number of clubs you can be in and you're under no obligation to participate in a certain number of activities, so feel free to sign up for them all. You can pick and choose what activities appeal to you. All clubs basically have similar activities, like crosswords, drabble contests, etc, but using different themes.
: This is the community of graphics shops. Anyone can own a shop, and you make points for your house by making sigtags and icons for your housemates. Even if you have no talent, you should still join this comm and order tons of things from the Slytherin shops (listed in the userinfo).
Flourish & Blotts also offers knuts for critiques, so keep an eye out for the critique post.
» Points and Knuts:
: Every month (usually) there will be a discussion, a debate, an Order-sponsored activity, and a House Unity activity posted in the main comm, and these all give out points and knuts for participating.
: Sort! You've been through this, so you get the idea. You get points and knuts for sorting every application in a week, and they rack up very quickly. Just don't forget to put your vote in the right place and sign with your name/house.
: Lots of very easy scavenger hunts and other activities. The only catch is that you can only post from your local hours of midnight to 8 AM, but unless you are asleep for exactly those eight hours, it's a painless way to rack up points and knuts.
: All you do in this comm is vote on applications of people trying to become animagi. Voting gets you points and knuts (and you get bonus points if you're a registered animagus). To become an animagus yourself, you have to buy five books (not hard, really, you can earn that much in a few weeks just by sorting) and fill out the application, then people suggest animals for you and you ultimately get to pick from a final four.
: Registered animagi only. Like St, Mungo's, this is basically like a club but you earn knuts. Two activities a month. You have to become an animagus before you can join.
: Hogsmeade weekends at HiH are always crazy, awesome, and excellent opportunities to make obscene amounts of points and knuts in one weekend. Join the comm and watch it, and be ready to spring into action when the time is right. There are typically two Hogsmeade trips per term, or one every other month.
: Every once in a while, our stamping mods open the queue for you to submit your stamping applications, and then everyone gets to vote on them during a Stamping Weekend. Sometimes they coincide with Hogsmeade Weekends, and sometimes the Stamping Weekends are held on their own. Join the community and keep a watchful eye out, there are both points and knuts to be earned here!
» Writing and Art Communities
: Submit drabbles, fics, poetry and art for points. Every month has some challenges and you get extra points for responding to a challenge.
: This is only for fic, and only challenges. You're supposed to write a drabble or fic in response to a challenge (you can pic any challenge) within a set time frame, but it's honour system only.
» Graphic-Making Communities
: Post icons (and FO banners and wallpapers) for house points. Be sure to read all the rules carefully before submitting, especially regarding formatting.
Hogwarts Icons also offers knuts for critiques, so keep an eye out for the critigue posts.
: You can submit up to two icons every week for two set themes, and win both points and knuts. (Even non-placers get points/knuts, so you may as well try!)
» Special Comms (Limited Spaces)
: The Order of the Phoenix here at HiH. They are responsible for promoting the community and also host house unity activities every now and then. If that sounds like something you'd be interested in, just keep an eye on the community until a position opens up; most people don't stay the whole term. You're compensated in knuts for your efforts.
: QUIDDITCH! One of the most exciting parts of HiH. We love this game. The seeker completes a scavenger hunt while the beaters ask the chasers trivia questions to score goals. Very fast-paced and exciting, but easy even for beginners. You don't need to have any experience or have been a member of HiH for any set period of time to join.
Sign up here for the House Cup roster, and become a Quidditch player. Detailed rules and Quidditch FAQ are here; make sure to read and sign them.
hihdailyprophet: The bimonthly newspaper at HiH, which is posted in the main comm. Feel free to sign up for any positions that interest you and you'll be notified when they open up. Writing is rewarded with points and knuts.
» Step Five: Participate!
Sort. Enter contests. Do activities. Earn points for Slytherin! Participate in memes and discussions in the common room and the main comm. Have fun!
For your reference, every week a new sorting log is posted in the common room under this tag to help you keep track of what you need to sort, and likewise you can get a good overview of everything going on in HiH by keeping an eye out for the Slytherprompt.
After you've participated for a while and have earned enough knuts to purchase bonus items, see the Super Simple Bonus Items Guide for help.
Slytherin FAQ
Q. Do we have a chant or something that I can use to rub our victories in the other houses' faces?
A. Of course. It is "Win win Slytherin!"
Q. What are house nicknames? What is Slytherin's?
A. House nicknames are just sort of in-jokes/alternative themes for the houses here at HiH. The Gryffindors are pirates, the Ravenclaws are vikings, the Hufflepuffs are knights, and Slytherins are the Vampires. Before that we have been mafia, ninjas and aristocrats but our mascot has recently changed to something more fun!
Q. Do we an official house anything-else?
A. Indeed. We also have our own soundtrack, which you can find here.
Q. What is Snake Mascot Week?
A. Every once in a while, we hold Mascot Weeks in the common room where we celebrate our HiH mascot, the Vampires. This is a week of great fun and activities where you can get to know your fellow Housemates, come up with your own Vampire nickname and get right into character. Keep an eye out for these Mascot Weeks, we will always announce them well beforehand!
Q. Oookay. What is Slytherin Club Night?
A. Just a chance to get to know your fellow snakes better and have some fun. It runs through the weekend, and you can find the most recent one via this tag.
Q. What is "Slytherin's Purest"?
A. Slytherin's Purest is an award/special title that goes to the snake who has participated the most for that month. Winners receive 50 points (purchased at Shpadoinkles by your loving Prefects), a banner/sigtag so you can show others how fantastic you are, and the praise and adoration of your Prefects and peers. We also give banners to runner-ups, participants who truly excelled during the month but weren't quite able to reach the top.
Sorting does not count towards the activity total (as there is already plenty of incentive to do that), but everything else at HiH (which earns points) does, including posting to
or
, making shop deliveries, etc.
Q. Does anything we do in the common room earn points?
A. Yes. Every month we have a monthly In-House activity which is an excellent chance to get tons of points, since you're only "competing" against your housemates but all the points go to the same place. You also earn knuts in these monthly contests, so there's no reason not to participate! You can find all the In-House contests with this tag.
Q. What are in-house prompts?
A. Every now and then someone will post a challenge or prompt for either
or
. Other houses do these regularly and they earn a lot of points doing it. You generally will be rewarded by a sigtag and/or praise from your housemates for doing these. You can find both graphical and writing prompts following this Creative Challenge tag. Also, there are usually some prompts posted on Club Night which you can find here.
Q. Do we have a house chat or anything?
A. YES. We currently use AIM for our house chat. The name is whitepeacocks. You can either join the chatroom on your own or IM one of the snakes that are online for an invitation. See the contact list here to find your fellow snakes!
Or you can join or blast chat:
Q. Are there any other ways to socialise with my fellow snakes outside of the common room?
A. Yes. A lot of HiH members use messenger programs like AIM. You can find out how to contact your fellow snakes here.
Q. When does the Sorting Log go up?
A. The Sorting Log only goes up after the last batch of apps has been posted, which on a heavy week is usually Wednesday. This is so you never have to check back to be sure that you haven't missed any drops. Additionally, at the start of the post it will say how many apps there are that week total so you can be sure that you've sorted them all. (You can always find the most recent Sorting Log using this tag.)
Q. How many points do I earn by sorting?
A. You earn 1 point for each app that you sort and sign with a text signature (name//house), or 2 points if you sign with a signature graphic. If you sort every single application in a week, you earn the coveted status of Top Sorter and are rewarded with a heaping helping of points and knuts which increases along with the number of apps. The current Top Sorter levels are:
» 5 or less applications - 30 points/15 knuts
» 6 to 10 applications - 45 points/22 knuts
» 11+ applications - 60 points/30 knuts
Q. Do I have to join a club before I can participate in its activities?
A. Not anymore! Signing a club's roster will grant you the bonus points you get for having that club's bonus items in your vault, but it is not mandatory. Still, it's totally worth it!
Q. Do I have to own any items before I can join a club?
A. No, you do not have to own any items before you can join a club. Items just get you bonus points, but you can participate in any club without them. For a comprehensive guide to bonus items, please see this post.
Q. I was thinking about opening up a graphics shop at
, and...
A. That's fantastic! Make sure to check the Shop Application Post to see if there is a Slytherin shop spot available and create your own application by following the rules. Here is a detailed guide on running a Flourish shop that should tell you everything you need to know! If you're having trouble coming up with ideas for new graphics, don't hesitate to make a post in the common room and brainstorm with your fellow Snakes! A lot of people usually have links to provide you with interesting art they like, quotes, or helpful advice. :)
Q. I have an awesome idea for an activity/a contest/a game/a social post.
A. Great! Feel free to post it in the common room. If you would prefer, or if your suggestion is for a monthly contest or the like, you may contact the Prefects (see below) and we'll take it under advisement.
Q. I have a problem with another member.
A. Should the situation arise where you and another member have a problem with each other that couldn't be resolved by either attempting to sort out your dispute, or ignoring the other member, please contact your Prefects.
This includes situations where you feel you are being harassed by another member, either on one of the communities, or outside of HiH. We would like to ask you to link us to the threads where the dispute happened, or take screenshots, so that we can decide on how to best resolve the situation.
However, average disagreements are something that we expect you to solve yourselves. Hogwarts is Home is a large community; we have members of different ages, tastes, sexual orientations and beliefs. Please try to always bestow your fellow HiHers with the respect and tolerance you wish to receive yourself. Situations where a member disagrees with you during a debate or discussion, or simply states that they dislike a pairing you love, do not warrant mod or prefect attention. Should a previously average disagreement end in personal attacks you are encouraged to contact us!
Q. How can I get in touch with the Prefects?
A. Both of us respond quickly to PMs; you can PM Phoebe (rebel) here and Krystal (autumn_mist) here. If that's not an option, you can send us an e-mail here and we will get back to you ASAP. Our more extensive contact info can be found here. :D
» Helpful Links
Term XXVI Slytherin Roster
Got a question? Ask it below.
Last revised May 31st, 2013