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Live the life of a wizard! Based on J.K. Rowling's books, this guild focuses on the Ministry of Magic and everyday life. Open and accepting! 

Tags: roleplay, J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter, Ministry of Magic, Wizarding World 

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MJ Spooks

Demonic Cat

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PostPosted: Tue Jan 17, 2017 8:10 pm
xxxx X xxxxWelcome to The Ministry of Magic and the Wizarding Worldxxxx 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 Diagon Alley works, Job Applications, 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 03/17/2017 ~ ♥ Cara ɱк
 
PostPosted: Tue Jan 17, 2017 8:11 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 Handbook, 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 A Wizard's Handbook. Maybe stalk around to see what current members are up to. Check out some family threads to see how they're organized.

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.
 

MJ Spooks

Demonic Cat

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MJ Spooks

Demonic Cat

14,625 Points
  • Demonic Associate 100
  • Loving Fortune Seeker 250
  • WilyTrickster 50
PostPosted: Tue Jan 17, 2017 8:12 pm
xxxX So... How do I make a character?xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There are two different categories of characters new members* are allowed to make in guild:
- Human characters
- Magical creatures**


*New members are not permitted to make vampires or werewolves. However, one you have been an active member of the guild for three months, there are avenues you can take to make one of these characters, via applying for an MTA (more on that later)
**To make certain magical creatures, you may need permission from the Magical Creatures Manager.


Human characters are posted in the Family Profiles subforum. Magical Creatures are posted in the Magical Creature Profiles subforum.

xxxX How do Family Profiles work?xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Characters in this guild do not get their own individual threads. Instead, all the members of any given family are posted on the same thread, as shown here. There is a specific layout for family profile threads that should be followed. You may code/decorate your thread however you like so that it is aesthetically pleasing, but it needs to follow the correct format and include all necessary information.

First post:
- List all family members, including NPC's*
- Recent Updates
- Signature section (code below spoiler)
ACCEPTED BY: (crew signature)
UPDATES ACCEPTED BY: (crew signature)
ACCEPTED CHARACTERS: (list of accepted characters + date of acceptance)


All following posts should be individual character profiles. There are two different skeletons provided by the guild to choose between. However, you are also free to code your own, so long as it has all the required sections, or, if you see a skeleton you like 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 family 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.
- You do not have to post in the NCR thread for new families. The NCR thread exists to alert crew to threads which require checking that are not on the first page, and might be missed or forgotten.
- 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.
- 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.
- As far as jobs go: Your character profile must contain your job and have met its requirements before they can be accepted. What you have to do for this is, post the profile with their job listed, but put (pending acceptance) next to it. Once your character has been reviewed, the profile checkers may put Needs Editing and state why your character doesn't meet the requirements for the position. You may edit the character at that time to make sure they have met all the requirements for the position. If your character is accepted, that's it! You do not need to do anything else. In the case of jobs that require an application, fill out the application and wait for it to be accepted before you reference your job in your posts. Please refer to this thread for any questions you might have regarding jobs.
- 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.
- You do not have to make every single member of a family. *NPC characters are allowed. In fact, NPC characters are encouraged! If you don't think you're going to post a specific character very often, but need them to exist (such as the parent of a student), they can be an NPC. However, if a character is an NPC, they cannot have a profile posted. Once you post a profile, it must be looked over by crew and approved before you can post with that character. Furthermore, NPC characters cannot be posted on their own. They must be posted via an accepted character in the guild, IE: A student (accepted character) who is being taken shopping by their mother (NPC). Both characters actions and statements would be included in the same post, not separated out.


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.
- Certain creatures, such as goblins and centaurs, can be employed by the Ministry of Magic as a liaison. However, this ability is not open to new members right off the bat. If you're interested, make a creature with a relatively (for their species) agreeable attitude towards humans, and play them as normal. After a while, you are free to ask the Magical Creatures Manager about taking one of these positions.
- Centaurs are (typically) members of herds. New members must get permission from a herd leader to join their herd before they can make a centaur character. If you're not sure, try the Circinus Herd of Glengarriff Forest, Ireland. It's led by the current Magical Creatures Manager (me) and will happily accept new members.


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:
- An excessive number of characters. New members are limited to a total of eight characters. You may have no more than two families, with no more than four members each. If you make two families with less than eight total characters (say, one family has three characters, and one family has two), the remaining characters allowed can be used for Magical Creatures. This limit specifically is considered lifted once you have been a member for three months, or one guild year, provided you have been active in that time.
- 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.
 
PostPosted: Tue Jan 17, 2017 8:14 pm
xxxX Alright, I've made some characters. How do I get involved?xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

This guild has been around a long time! As such, it can be a bit intimidating for new people sometimes. There's a lot going on, a lot of confusing rules and organization that have come from years of refining and rewriting the guild so that it functions smoothly. So, here are some tips to help new members get started!

Join the chatroom!
- I know I already said this, but I really can't stress it enough. Being a part of our guild chat is absolutely the best way to get to know your fellow guildmates, to learn about their characters, to ask questions, and perhaps most importantly, to make yourself visible to the other members. Seeing a new member in chat makes us happy, because it shows that they're trying to really become a part of our world! Be prepared for the veteran members to immediately infodump you with their basic information to help you figure out who's who. Pay special attention to who says they're on crew in some capacity, as this will help you remember who to go for if you need help later.
- Don't be nervous! We're all super friendly, really! We have all been in your shoes, we were all the new member who wasn't sure how to talk to people and had inside jokes flying over our heads. Keep in mind that a lot of the people in the chatroom have been around for a while now, we all know each other pretty well by this point. If we seem standoffish, it's just because we don't know you well enough to joke around yet! Jump into the conversation, tell us jokes, tell us about your pets, your kid, your hobbies, whatever! The more you give us, the better we can know you, and the faster you'll become a fixture in the guild.

Ask people to post with you!
- It sounds simple enough, really, but we understand that it can be nerve-wracking trying to find new roleplay partners. Don't be scared! We are happy to post with new members, all you have to do is ask! Visibility can be a big key there, which is why I emphasize the chatroom. It's simple enough to pop in and say, "I'm new, I have a new character who is this age and has this background and this job, would anyone like to post with them?" You'll probably be flooded with people tallying up their compatible characters and offering to post.
- When doing this, please, just flat out ask, and when you're inevitably offered a handful of characters by other members, pick one or two. We can't make the decision for you, and this is your introduction to the guild. We want to help you get started and have fun, but we can't do that if you don't tell us what you want to do. When in doubt, the chatroom has a random choice option, just type in "/choose thing one, thing two, thing three" and it will make the decision for you.

Be patient!
- This applies to a lot of things. We have a small crew, all of whom are very busy in their real life. If you're waiting on a profile approval, be patient. If you posted in the Wizards Handbook or PM'ed someone with a question, be patient.
- If you're posting with someone, please, be patient! We know that when you first join it can be very exciting, and you want to dive right in and post and post and post. But, while you're new and have possibly four characters, some of us have... well, quite a few more than that, and we're doing things with them, too. Plotting their downfalls and setting up dates and hosting weddings and all manner of other things. We want to post with you, but we can't drop everything else just to do it. Plus, we have busy lives with school and jobs and kids. Generally speaking, we're very reliable, but we're reliable on our schedule, which can sometimes mean only one post a night. Sometimes it means one post every other night. Sometimes it's less, though we try not to let it be. Don't get frustrated or discouraged! Just wait, and if it's been a couple days, feel free to ask us what's up.
- That said, being patient also includes not constantly asking when you'll get a reply. If it's been a couple days since it's been mentioned, you can bring it up, but try not to more often than that, as it can get somewhat frustrating for others to be asked about something repeatedly when they haven't been able to get to it.

 

MJ Spooks

Demonic Cat

14,625 Points
  • Demonic Associate 100
  • Loving Fortune Seeker 250
  • WilyTrickster 50

MJ Spooks

Demonic Cat

14,625 Points
  • Demonic Associate 100
  • Loving Fortune Seeker 250
  • WilyTrickster 50
PostPosted: Tue Jan 17, 2017 8:15 pm
xxxX So... Who are you people, exactly?xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

MJ Spooks :: Guild Captain
xSignature: 🕱 мנ ѕρσσкѕ 🕱
xContact if you have questions about:
xx- Private Homes
xx- Shopping in the UK
xx- The United Kingdom
xx- Anything and Everything! Provided all other avenues of questioning have failed.


Diamond Wales:: Vice Captain // Captain of Hogwarts
xSignature: Dia
xContact if you have questions about:
xx- Family Profiles
xx- Diagon Alley Shops
xx- Knockturn Alley Shops
xx- Character Employement
xx- Second In Command: Contact if no response from Cara MiaKitty for extended period of time (more than the three day wait period)


Cinnabun Gryffie :: Vice Captain
xSignature: 𝓖𝓻𝔂𝒇𝒇𝓲𝒆
xContact if you have questions about:
xx- Your Profile (if she has left an edit request on it)
xx- General introductory information (where to find things, how to proceed, etc)
xx- Locations
xx- Plot Requests



addaellis :: Vice Captain
xSignature: ~𝔞𝔡𝔡𝔞𝔢𝔩𝔩𝔦𝔰
xContact if you have questions about:
xx- Plot Requests
xx- Profile Creation Assistance
xx- Adult Education
xx- Events
xx- Your Profile (if she has left an edit request on it)



Yukina101 :: Crew
xSignature: ❝Yukitty❞
xContact if you have questions about:
xx- Your Profile (if she has left an edit request on it)



kiska166 :: Crew
xSignature: kiska
xContact if you have questions about:
xx- Your Profile (if she has left an edit request on it)


murruelecreuset :: Crew
xSignature: murrue ❤
xContact if you have questions about:
xx- Your Profile (if she has left an edit request on it)


Stefan Lee Salvatore :: Crew
xSignature: ♥ Steffy ♥
xContact if you have questions about:
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.  
PostPosted: Tue Jan 17, 2017 8:16 pm
xxxX Where do I find..........xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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.

Basic Information About the Guild:
The Guild Handbook
Announcements
Frequently Asked Questions
PG-13 And All It Implies
Roleplaying Aids


Character Basics:
Family Basics and Information
Restricted Character Names
Wizard Families
Magical Creatures Basics and Information


Careers for Adult Characters:
Job Applications
Job Applications and Guidelines
Entrepreneurs
Shop Owner Basics and Information (Diagon Alley)
Shop Owner Basics and Information (Knockturn Alley)
Guide to United Kingdom Shops


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.

Victoria Rockwell
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


Aiden Theodore Reese
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


Zatanna Zatara
Issues include:
xxRip off of DC character, complete with name
xxMember pended their own profile
xxUnsatisfactory Personality, Fears, Strengths, and Weaknesses


Delphias Knight
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


Icarus Emerentius Worthington-Smythe
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


Cyrus Knight
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


Haeanna Hesterruu
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!

It should be noted that, as far as we know, the area most affected by this problem is Job Applications for working in the Ministry, St. Mungo's, and a few other specialized careers. We will be working resolving this issue shortly. Until then, if you get confused, feel free to ask questions. We're happy to help you figure it out and get everything sorted.
 

MJ Spooks

Demonic Cat

14,625 Points
  • Demonic Associate 100
  • Loving Fortune Seeker 250
  • WilyTrickster 50
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