OFFICIAL HOGWARTS HOCUS RULES.
CHARACTER STUFF
1. Applications.
You can post only 2 applications per month.
The following are allowed: Characters from published canon that you did not create yourself. (If you are Neil Gaiman, hi! But no, you wouldn't be able to play any of the Endless.) Personas of "real people." We have had a Stephen Colbert before, as played from "The Colbert Report".
The following are not allowed: Original characters (except for Squibbait, which is covered in a second.) Real people, unless they are an exaggerated persona. So if you have a burning need to play Vladimir Putin, this isn't the place for you.
"Squibbait" is an application for the sole purpose of being cracky or annoying. We are not allowing canon characters to be squibbaited anymore because somewhere out there, someone might be able to play them well. A squibbait application could be an OC (canon-based or otherwise), something bizarre (not originating in a specific canon), or an evil clown.
2. Contact information.
We have it for a reason. First off, it's a good idea to check the roster and make sure that the character you want isn't already being played. (Also, check the popcorn post. Characters can't be sorted twice.) If you want to apply as someone from a fandom that has one or more other people in, join the community (the post is friendslocked), look up the fandom or characters with that handy search function on your browser, and shoot off an email letting them know of your intentions. We're not asking you to do this because we delight in making you work an extra five minutes before writing up an application. We're asking you to do this to prevent future problems. For all you know, the appearance of the character you want to play could send someone else's character into a psychotic breakdown and they might not really want that to happen just yet. But hey, by letting this person know, a solution might be reached.
In a case where the contact information of the other mun(s) isn't in the contact post, it is acceptable to leave an OOC reply to another post of theirs (preferably their application, since that is what is linked in the roster) requesting permission.
If three days have gone by with no reply, it can be assumed that the player is inactive and you can post your application (or unpopcorning, as the same rules apply) without their say-so.
Once you're in the community, remember to add your contact information to the contact post to make the next person who wants to play a character in your fandom's job a little easier.
3. Character limits.
You're allowed up to fifteen playable characters with no more than three per fandom. That's it. End of story.
4. Character squatting.
If you have a character but never play them, take a moment to consider someone other than yourself. If you don't have the time or inclination to play them, consider popping them or putting them up for adoption. Let someone else have their fun. We will never force someone to give up a character, but we also heartily encourage people to not be selfish.
5. Harry Potter Characters
Considering that this is the canon we're playing around in, we're more strict about this than other characters. Before contacting the other character players, you must contact the mods. Because the game is set in some bizarro era after "Half Blood Prince," we're not counting any HP7 stuff as canon. So if you wanted to play a character shown only in book 7, you could. You just couldn't say, "Oh, remember the time we did SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER?" You can also use new canon information found in book 7, like if you suddenly found out that Harry's favorite color is light green or that Snape secretly loves puppies. This is not done out of any great love for zomg Holy Potter Canon. It's done simply to keep things less confusing.
6. Popcorn.
Popcorning is what happens to characters that are no longer being played. In game, this means that they are transformed into giant kernels of popcorn behind glass in the Popcorn Room, and their name is added to a plaque. What this means for you is that this particular character is now up for grabs. There's a long tradition of students waking up salty and buttery with varying degrees of memory loss--sometimes it's just easier to have an amnesiac character. You are of course welcome to pick up the various H_H interactions that they had before with player consent. And yes, there's a limit. You can pop as many of your characters at one time as you wish, but you can only unpop three a month. Yes, you must still contact other characters in that character's canon (and the mods, if it is a Harry Potter character.) The rules for contacting other muns in that canon still apply with unpopcornings. Characters that are being taken over from another player as listed in the adoption post or as arranged between the two players count as popcorning in terms of limits per month.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
After you've contacted the appropriate people, write up the application.
1. Please don't break the fourth wall out loud. Don't tell the people that show up in your Sorting that they're not real (unless you have that player's permission, but only then.) For more notes on the fourth wall, see "Other Rules", below.
2. Make a new journal for your character. It's free unless you want to buy more icons, so take advantage of that! Plus, it helps to enforce one of the major rules of roleplaying, "IN CHARACTER IS NOT OUT OF CHARACTER." (See how that's in capslock? That's because it's important.)
3. If the character you want to play was previously sorted but now popcorn, you can post an unpopcorning post instead of an application, but please follow the above rules.
4. Remember to use the "application" tag when posting your application. The mods will create a tag for your character later.
PARTICIPATION
If your character is being Sorted, they can't leave the Sorting Room. They can wander into other concurrent Sortings, but they can't vote until they have been officially sent to a House.
There is no posting limit or requirement. However, please be considerate. The policy on character squatting is up a bit from here. You can reread it now if you didn't the first time.
We'd prefer it if you would at least make some sort of effort at staying in character. We're not IC Police and we don't want to be, but it would make life a lot easier on the other people you're playing with. Remember, it's not just you in the game. Other people are trying to have fun too.
We have tags. Lots of tags. There's a link on the sidebar where you can look for the appropriate tag to use in a post (or you can just click here): "Owl," "RP," your character name, etc. It makes things easier for people who want to go back and recheck what their character did or said at some point in the past.
We have House Prefects and teaching positions. You can have no more than one character with a teaching position because holding classes can be time consuming. (We'd also prefer it if you actually held a class every once in a while. It can be fun!) Prefect elections will be announced throughout the year. You can have up to two prefect positions at once if need be, or one prefect character and one professor character.
We do allow NSFW (not safe for work) posts: graphic violence, sex, etc. We also require that they be behind a cut and that an OOC warning be given. Some of us are still living at home. Some of us check the site from work.
OTHER RULES
- First and foremost, IN CHARACTER IS NOT OUT OF CHARACTER. This is a nice, informative article on the subject.
- Secondly and also equally important, NO GODMODDING. Godmodding includes making up backstory for someone else's character without their permission or doing something to another character that was not previously approved by that character--usually physical, though not always. The best ways to avoid doing this are discussion with the player (whether through emails, PMs, IMs, or just a little ooc note before or after your post--no one likes random ooc notes breaking up the post!) and by letting them choose their own reaction.
- There is a no-kill spell around the school grounds so you cannot kill another player's character.
- Once again, do not break the fourth wall without permission. We mean it. It would make some characters here unplayable if folks went around telling them they were fictional; HH is not The Game of Existential Angst. Here are some further thoughts on fourth-wall issues in-game. Basically, don't go around telling characters that they or others are fictional. Don't go around handing people one another's canons. And unless you've got a canonical reason why your character is familiar with $fictionalcanon, it'd make sense not to write them as gratuitously aware of the fictionality of that canon.
Since this still seems unclear: more notes on the fourth wall:
The fourth wall
Do not break it.
There is no reason you should need to break it. First off, most characters come from different worlds; it is unlikely for many of them to share pop-culture tidbits in common, in the first place. Second of all, fictional worlds are replete with their own fiction, any of which is fair game to incorporate into HH as pop culture for your character to know.
Feel like giving someone a book for a gift? Sorry, Pride and Prejudice is off limits. The Count of Monte Cristo is off limits. Any canon with an appable character in it? Off-limits. That doesn't mean your character can't give books for gifts. There are nonfiction books in existence, and also, there is fictional fiction! Wikipedia has a handy list of fictional books. There's also a cool website called The Invisible Library with a much more extensive -- and, dare we say, erudite -- list.
Feel like talking film with someone? Sorry, again, discussion of any canon with an appable character in it should be off-limits. We've had several characters from relatively obscure films, art-house films, you name it. The obscurity of a given canon is not justification for exempting it from fourth-wall protection. Wikipedia has a list of fictional films that you may find useful, if your character wants to be a film buff and his/her canon doesn't in itself include fictional films you can reference. [Caveat: Be smart about using this list, if you use it. A fake "Charlie's Angels" sequel isn't going to fly, because that presupposes that "Charlie's Angels" is indeed a film franchise. The fact that something appears on the Wikipedia list does not mean it has our automatic blessing.]
Be creative. Nine and a half times out of ten, there are probably far more things your character could be talking about; conversations that would break the fourth wall are not the only option available, just a deceptively easy option.
- While we understand that not everybody is a nice and happy person, we are not encouraging you to be fluffy happy bunnies. We're discouraging you from having fun at someone else's expense. The golden rule comes in handy here: "Do unto others as you would have done unto you." You don't have to be nice, just don't be a jerk.
The mods can't be online constantly. We are not your babysitters or parents, nor do we want to be. Please try and work things out amongst yourselves. However, if there is an issue of repeated noncompliance and you're at your wit's end, let a mod know and we'll see what we can do. If you have a question that isn't covered here, we have a whole entry for OOC questions linked on the side bar, or you can ask a mod.
Have fun!
1. Applications.
You can post only 2 applications per month.
- This does not go by calendar month. If it did, we would have a glut of applications on the 1st of every month, and very few the rest of the month. That would not be good.
- Let's say you posted App 1 on June 14, then App 2 on June 28. To post a third app, you would need to wait until July 14. Make sense? We hope so. Not certain how it works? Shoot the mods an e-mail before posting another app, and we will check the dates for you.
The following are allowed: Characters from published canon that you did not create yourself. (If you are Neil Gaiman, hi! But no, you wouldn't be able to play any of the Endless.) Personas of "real people." We have had a Stephen Colbert before, as played from "The Colbert Report".
The following are not allowed: Original characters (except for Squibbait, which is covered in a second.) Real people, unless they are an exaggerated persona. So if you have a burning need to play Vladimir Putin, this isn't the place for you.
"Squibbait" is an application for the sole purpose of being cracky or annoying. We are not allowing canon characters to be squibbaited anymore because somewhere out there, someone might be able to play them well. A squibbait application could be an OC (canon-based or otherwise), something bizarre (not originating in a specific canon), or an evil clown.
2. Contact information.
We have it for a reason. First off, it's a good idea to check the roster and make sure that the character you want isn't already being played. (Also, check the popcorn post. Characters can't be sorted twice.) If you want to apply as someone from a fandom that has one or more other people in, join the community (the post is friendslocked), look up the fandom or characters with that handy search function on your browser, and shoot off an email letting them know of your intentions. We're not asking you to do this because we delight in making you work an extra five minutes before writing up an application. We're asking you to do this to prevent future problems. For all you know, the appearance of the character you want to play could send someone else's character into a psychotic breakdown and they might not really want that to happen just yet. But hey, by letting this person know, a solution might be reached.
In a case where the contact information of the other mun(s) isn't in the contact post, it is acceptable to leave an OOC reply to another post of theirs (preferably their application, since that is what is linked in the roster) requesting permission.
If three days have gone by with no reply, it can be assumed that the player is inactive and you can post your application (or unpopcorning, as the same rules apply) without their say-so.
Once you're in the community, remember to add your contact information to the contact post to make the next person who wants to play a character in your fandom's job a little easier.
3. Character limits.
You're allowed up to fifteen playable characters with no more than three per fandom. That's it. End of story.
4. Character squatting.
If you have a character but never play them, take a moment to consider someone other than yourself. If you don't have the time or inclination to play them, consider popping them or putting them up for adoption. Let someone else have their fun. We will never force someone to give up a character, but we also heartily encourage people to not be selfish.
5. Harry Potter Characters
Considering that this is the canon we're playing around in, we're more strict about this than other characters. Before contacting the other character players, you must contact the mods. Because the game is set in some bizarro era after "Half Blood Prince," we're not counting any HP7 stuff as canon. So if you wanted to play a character shown only in book 7, you could. You just couldn't say, "Oh, remember the time we did SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER?" You can also use new canon information found in book 7, like if you suddenly found out that Harry's favorite color is light green or that Snape secretly loves puppies. This is not done out of any great love for zomg Holy Potter Canon. It's done simply to keep things less confusing.
6. Popcorn.
Popcorning is what happens to characters that are no longer being played. In game, this means that they are transformed into giant kernels of popcorn behind glass in the Popcorn Room, and their name is added to a plaque. What this means for you is that this particular character is now up for grabs. There's a long tradition of students waking up salty and buttery with varying degrees of memory loss--sometimes it's just easier to have an amnesiac character. You are of course welcome to pick up the various H_H interactions that they had before with player consent. And yes, there's a limit. You can pop as many of your characters at one time as you wish, but you can only unpop three a month. Yes, you must still contact other characters in that character's canon (and the mods, if it is a Harry Potter character.) The rules for contacting other muns in that canon still apply with unpopcornings. Characters that are being taken over from another player as listed in the adoption post or as arranged between the two players count as popcorning in terms of limits per month.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
After you've contacted the appropriate people, write up the application.
1. Please don't break the fourth wall out loud. Don't tell the people that show up in your Sorting that they're not real (unless you have that player's permission, but only then.) For more notes on the fourth wall, see "Other Rules", below.
2. Make a new journal for your character. It's free unless you want to buy more icons, so take advantage of that! Plus, it helps to enforce one of the major rules of roleplaying, "IN CHARACTER IS NOT OUT OF CHARACTER." (See how that's in capslock? That's because it's important.)
3. If the character you want to play was previously sorted but now popcorn, you can post an unpopcorning post instead of an application, but please follow the above rules.
4. Remember to use the "application" tag when posting your application. The mods will create a tag for your character later.
PARTICIPATION
If your character is being Sorted, they can't leave the Sorting Room. They can wander into other concurrent Sortings, but they can't vote until they have been officially sent to a House.
There is no posting limit or requirement. However, please be considerate. The policy on character squatting is up a bit from here. You can reread it now if you didn't the first time.
We'd prefer it if you would at least make some sort of effort at staying in character. We're not IC Police and we don't want to be, but it would make life a lot easier on the other people you're playing with. Remember, it's not just you in the game. Other people are trying to have fun too.
We have tags. Lots of tags. There's a link on the sidebar where you can look for the appropriate tag to use in a post (or you can just click here): "Owl," "RP," your character name, etc. It makes things easier for people who want to go back and recheck what their character did or said at some point in the past.
We have House Prefects and teaching positions. You can have no more than one character with a teaching position because holding classes can be time consuming. (We'd also prefer it if you actually held a class every once in a while. It can be fun!) Prefect elections will be announced throughout the year. You can have up to two prefect positions at once if need be, or one prefect character and one professor character.
We do allow NSFW (not safe for work) posts: graphic violence, sex, etc. We also require that they be behind a cut and that an OOC warning be given. Some of us are still living at home. Some of us check the site from work.
OTHER RULES
- First and foremost, IN CHARACTER IS NOT OUT OF CHARACTER. This is a nice, informative article on the subject.
- Secondly and also equally important, NO GODMODDING. Godmodding includes making up backstory for someone else's character without their permission or doing something to another character that was not previously approved by that character--usually physical, though not always. The best ways to avoid doing this are discussion with the player (whether through emails, PMs, IMs, or just a little ooc note before or after your post--no one likes random ooc notes breaking up the post!) and by letting them choose their own reaction.
- There is a no-kill spell around the school grounds so you cannot kill another player's character.
- Once again, do not break the fourth wall without permission. We mean it. It would make some characters here unplayable if folks went around telling them they were fictional; HH is not The Game of Existential Angst. Here are some further thoughts on fourth-wall issues in-game. Basically, don't go around telling characters that they or others are fictional. Don't go around handing people one another's canons. And unless you've got a canonical reason why your character is familiar with $fictionalcanon, it'd make sense not to write them as gratuitously aware of the fictionality of that canon.
Since this still seems unclear: more notes on the fourth wall:
The fourth wall
Do not break it.
There is no reason you should need to break it. First off, most characters come from different worlds; it is unlikely for many of them to share pop-culture tidbits in common, in the first place. Second of all, fictional worlds are replete with their own fiction, any of which is fair game to incorporate into HH as pop culture for your character to know.
Feel like giving someone a book for a gift? Sorry, Pride and Prejudice is off limits. The Count of Monte Cristo is off limits. Any canon with an appable character in it? Off-limits. That doesn't mean your character can't give books for gifts. There are nonfiction books in existence, and also, there is fictional fiction! Wikipedia has a handy list of fictional books. There's also a cool website called The Invisible Library with a much more extensive -- and, dare we say, erudite -- list.
Feel like talking film with someone? Sorry, again, discussion of any canon with an appable character in it should be off-limits. We've had several characters from relatively obscure films, art-house films, you name it. The obscurity of a given canon is not justification for exempting it from fourth-wall protection. Wikipedia has a list of fictional films that you may find useful, if your character wants to be a film buff and his/her canon doesn't in itself include fictional films you can reference. [Caveat: Be smart about using this list, if you use it. A fake "Charlie's Angels" sequel isn't going to fly, because that presupposes that "Charlie's Angels" is indeed a film franchise. The fact that something appears on the Wikipedia list does not mean it has our automatic blessing.]
Be creative. Nine and a half times out of ten, there are probably far more things your character could be talking about; conversations that would break the fourth wall are not the only option available, just a deceptively easy option.
- While we understand that not everybody is a nice and happy person, we are not encouraging you to be fluffy happy bunnies. We're discouraging you from having fun at someone else's expense. The golden rule comes in handy here: "Do unto others as you would have done unto you." You don't have to be nice, just don't be a jerk.
The mods can't be online constantly. We are not your babysitters or parents, nor do we want to be. Please try and work things out amongst yourselves. However, if there is an issue of repeated noncompliance and you're at your wit's end, let a mod know and we'll see what we can do. If you have a question that isn't covered here, we have a whole entry for OOC questions linked on the side bar, or you can ask a mod.
Have fun!