FAQ

[modofthehat]

F A Q

Below, some common questions that you may wonder about are displayed. We recommend you give it a look before applying and/or if you want a better idea about gameplay.

What type of setting is the game?

sortinghat_rp is a multifandom AU (Alternate Universe) game that takes place in the Harry Potter universe. All the characters will be taken from their canons with their backgrounds altered to fit the Harry Potter world.


Where is the timeline of the Harry Potter series does the game take place in?

The RP setting is currently a year after Voldemort was defeated for the first time by Harry Potter. Instead of the RP taking place in the 1980s, it will be taking place in the current day to avoid anachronisms. This means that The Boy Who Lived defeated You-Know-Who in October of 2011.


How do you pick the House placement?

We judge House placement on a few things; the canon history and personality and what we actually see in the application, including the section where we ask that you tell us how your character fits each house. Some characters can be placed in to more than one house, so it depends on how you write them. Characters are also judged on what they personally value, even if they don't exemplify those traits. Sometimes the mod team may be on the fence about where to place them and will give you the option to pick another House, as long as it fits the personality.

Gryffindor; This House values courage, nerve, bravery and good old fashioned chivalry.

Hufflepuff; This House values loyalty, fair play, hard work and tolerance.

Ravenclaw; This House values wit, intelligence, learning and creativity.

Slytherin; This House values resourcefulness, ambition, leadership, cunning and being a pure blood (not that you HAVE to be a pure blood to be in this house.)


Can I use electronics in the castle?

Nope. You can't magic them to work either. It sure sucks, but it's the Harry Potter world, full of wizards and such. Though there is the Wizarding Wireless and old fashioned record players for listening to music, so muggleborns can listen to that new David Bowie album, just on vinyl.


Can I have a pet for my character?

Sure! They can have an Owl, Rat, Toad (small reptiles), or a Cat. Puffskeins are allowed as well since they're small and adorable. Any other type of pets are pretty much are not allowed, mostly because of the different kind of care that they require.


My Pureblood Death Eater totally loves watching the tele!

No, they don't. If your character is a pureblood, they're not going to know a single thing about muggles. Given the time setting of the game, if your pureblood is going on and on about the new Kanye West CD, chances are that normal wizards will think them daft and the Death Eaters will be screaming traitor.


Can I play a character from a far off Asian country who adds another languages words in to their sentences randomly?

This wouldn't make sense since Hogwarts isn't the only Wizarding school in the world. Japan probably has their own Wizarding school, so why wouldn't they go there? Everyone who goes to Hogwarts should be mainly from the European countries. This doesn't mean that you can't play someone with a Japanese name, you just need to have them be from Europe preferably, and speaking English since some of the characters in this game may ask, "What the heck did you just say to me?"


I want to apply as a character, but a canonmate has already determined part of their background in their history. Do I have to follow that or can I change some parts of it?

You are under no obligation whatsoever to follow a background that is pre-determined by another castmate. If they have something that you don't think will quite fit your way that you play them, you can tell them so and let them know of any changes. We do ask that you always talk to other castmates who may have already decided something so that you're both able to agree on something you both like. If they're unwilling to change their background, please contact a moderator. This also goes for if you're applying for a character that was previously dropped, you're under no obligation to keep anything the same.


I want to apply as a character who in canon has multiple personalities. Can I apply as an individual personality, or do I have to play all of them?

You're not obligated to play all of them in one body. HOWEVER, only playing one part of a character significantly changes them if there is only one half in the game. If two people decide to each apply as a half of DID character, as say twins, that is fine since the full "character" is there and to work off of. You're free to apply for only one part of the personality, just keep in mind that that will be considered when judging your application.


What about canon abilities?

You don't get any of your canon abilities in this game. However; some powers your character may have in canon could be translatable, after all, this is a magic school. An example of this is if your character can see the future in canon, then they'd could be excellent in Divination class. Not all canon powers are translatable to the school setting. Lelouch wouldn't be able to use the Imperius curse to get people to do what he wanted, that would just result in a trip to Azkaban.


Can I apply as an Original Character/Canon OC?

You certainly can! Our application page for that is located here. If you're not sure whether your character qualifies as a canon OC, the main thing is whether or not they speak and whether they have a background. Feel free to ask for more clarification below.


Can I be an Animagus or Metamorpamagus?

Please go to the rule page to see the answer.


My character is a super special creature from their canon! Can I keep that in the game too?

No, unfortunately if your character is a Shinigami/Alien/Cat-boy/Demon/Robot etc... in canon, they cannot be that in sortinghat_rp. Everyone is Human, unless they are part Veela, a Werewolf or a Vampire. Those who are part Veela cannot be considered purebloods, and there shouldn't be an excess of veela at any time. In regards to Vampires and Werewolves, these creatures exist in Harry Potter canon and do exist in sortinghat_rp canon as well. Characters are allowed to have one of these two traits if you wish for them to have them; it is preferred though that it is a canon trait they carry. Vampires are not allowed to eat any students. Previous vampire characters have had them take a potion to help curb their blood cravings and make it so they can go in the sunlight. You can use any method that works for you, however, as long as no one dies. Werewolves canonly have the wolfsbane potion they can take at the full moon and the use of the Shrieking Shack for a place to keep themselves and others safe. It is asked that if your character is either if these two creatures, that they do not openly flaunt it around as in canon werewolves are shunned and vampires are not considered wizards at all. Vampires are made in this canon, not born [This means you died and are a reanimated corpse.] If at any point the mods feel that your characters canon is delving too far from the HP!canon on Vampires and Werewolves, you will be asked to change it. No ifs, ands or buts. This is one part of the canon that we do not want to have create a problem. If you're not sure about something, ask a moderator.


Can I app a ghost?

You can! We have had ghost teachers (outside of the customary Professor Binns, of course), so you're welcome to! They can be teachers, or just Hogwarts ghosts. We also allow other irregularities, such as vampires and werewolves. As long as you fit your canon to fit HP and make it so they aren't mauling anyone, it's fine. Talk to a mod if you need guidance in this area! We also ask for no student ghosts, just teachers for now.


What do I do when my character graduates?

You have several options! Some people drop their characters, others return as TAs if there are applicable spaces, and others have yet another option! Characters are permitted to keep their journals with them after they graduate, as a way to keep in touch with their former classmates and friends. While they might not be physically at Hogwarts, they can certainly keep in contact through the journals as they advance through their lives.


Can I restart my characters?

All character restarts must be approved by a moderator. The reason for this is because depending on what you're changing will determine if you have to re-app or not. If you're changing your characters AU background, you must submit a new application, you don't have to officially drop though. Background changes may possibly change Houses, so we do ask for a new application. Restarts should mainly be used when you're no longer able to play a character a certain way. They can also be used if it is a current running series and there is a new sudden truth revealed about a character.


Can I just change my character's year?

You are able to change what year a character is in. Though there are some stipulations to it. If you're changing the year by one, all you need to do is reply to all the taken posts and charts your character is on and let us know. If you're changing their year by more than a couple, you must submit a new application. It's also your responsibility to inform the community about this type of change as it will effect any CR.


Can I change journals?

You sure can! Just comment to the lists like you did when you were accepted and let us know what the new journal is so that we can make the necessary changes.


Where can I find information on Harry Potter canon?

→ HP Lexicon
→ Mugglenet
→ Harry Potter Wiki
→ HP timeline
→ HP Encyclopedia


Do you affiliate?
Of course! Just leave a comment here and a mod will be happy to add you!

Anything not covered above, feel free to ask, and we'll get to it as soon as we're able!

Comments

[terrenetortoise]

Hello! Before I get on to my question, I figured I should let you guys know that some of your links still go back to LJ -- I've caught this happening in the Application Guide linking to the HP!Canon post back on LJ, but it might be happening elsewhere, too.

I'm sure this was answered back over at LJ at some point, but -- What should we do if our character's canonical hair and/or eye color isn't natural? For example, the character I'm wanting to apply for has very blue hair and he isn't the type to dye his hair (with spells or Muggle cosmetics). I'm sure I could say it was a spell gone wrong or somesuch, but I was wondering what you guys would have me -- and people in my position -- do, if we decided to not make it be a cosmetic choice or an accidental spell effect.

[modofthehat]

Oh, thank you for that! We're still working on catching links that still go to LJ -- I'll fix that one right now...

Okay, though, as for the question itself... Really, we mostly handwave these things. We have a character with blue hair whose hair is died (although that's canonly not her natural hair color) and a character with blue hair whose hair just... Is blue! In fact, I'd say a majority of characters with unusual eye or hair color have this be a natural part of their character. Hope that helps!

[status_is_not_quo]

So I just asked about this on Plurk, but Kabby suggested that it's something that the people should know:

What do we do if we want to reset a character older than they currently are? Like, if I wanted to make Billy a 7th year and therefore 17. Would I have to drop him, wait a week, and re-apply?

[status_is_not_quo]

okay so now I feel like a dumbfuck, let me revise my question (since it's not clear):

If you have to submit a new app when you're aging a character up more than one year (like Billy going from 5th to 7th year) how much of a re-write are we talking? Is it just adding something about the skipped years into the background section, and changing the age? Simpler than that? Completely re-writing the app from scratch?

And does it technically count as a drop, therefore you have to wait a week before it gets approved?

[fluxweed]

So. For this guy.

I know HP!Canon trumps Character!Canon, but. This is more about Character!Canon versus reality, since I'm not contradicting HP!Canon here.

Basically! Truffula trees as a species of magical plant that once grew in a small valley before they were all cut down? I figured I would put the valley in some fictional place, so they could reasonably not be a thing people know about. And now they're all gone, so...

I don't see how it'd be a problem? I'm just asking to be safe.

[modofthehat]

I don't see any reason why not. Carry on!

[bowplucker]

ssso, the thing about the character I'd like to play (this one) is that he went through a massive amount of backstory-dependent character development between 12 and 17, nearly all of which was off-screen, which means... his canon interactions don't really showcase the same personality he'd have had as a kid. (like, as a 17 year old he's basically a textbook Hufflepuff, but at 11 he probably would have been a Gryffindor instead.) The thing is, since he's a. severely lacking in self-awareness, and b. really really easily influenced by his surroundings, there's honestly very little indication of what he was like as a kid, since he himself isn't cognizant of the change but there would clearly be a LOT of it, so I would be starting off on largely headcanon and then grow him through and inevitably end up with someone COMPLETELY DIFFERENT from the 17 year old Wil in canon, because that five year window of development would be replaced by entirely different experiences that probably wouldn't change him as drastically and very certainly not in the same ways.

basically, while he would still be very like how he was as a kid, there is no canon material of him as a kid and it's pretty much impossible to write him into a Hogwarts AU while keeping his behavior recognizably similar to how he acts as a teenager.

given that, I would still be interested in playing him with the differences and am mostly just wondering if he's even appable :|a

[modofthehat]

In order to get a better handle on your question and how to best handle it, we were wondering if you could elaborate a bit on the details of the canon events you're talking about, as well as what age you plan to app the character?

[xherrdoktor]

Is it okay to app a character younger than his canon age? I'm thinking of apping Dirk as a first year, which would make him considerably younger than he is in canon. I just want to make sure that's okay before I do it.

[vulgarwoman]

Hello! Mozart-mod here in a completely unrelated to the game journal.

Yes, of course you can app a character at a different age than their canon one, we've had this happen several times in the past. It's usually if they're apped at an age OLDER than their canon age that we would question it.

[proud_and_prussian]

Hi there, I was thinking of apping to Sorting Hat under a teacher slot, and I'm aware that teacher slots are, as of the moment, closed. Can I ask if and when the slots will be reopened?

Thanks in advance mods.

[modofthehat]

Hello there, thanks for your interest! Teachers applications are currently closed in order to even out our ratio of students to teachers, but they'll be reopen at some point in the next few weeks.

[greenmoonrising]

I'm going to app a teenage version of Bruce Banner (the Hulk) as a student and I wanted to transfer the dual-personality/transformation into Bruce being a werewolf. I also wanted to mix in one of the canons that Bruce Banner's father tried to help Bruce overcome his 'disease', and have the father be a Healer who, with Bruce in his fourth year, attempted to make a potion to help him better control himself in wolf-form but then have the potion backfire on them and cause Bruce to become more volatile and prone to changes even without the full-moon.

Just wondering if this would be okay - he wouldn't be going around killing students or going wolf in every other post, as he's got more self-control than that. However he'd need the wolfsbane potion and a place to camp out as a wolf during the full moon as he can't control himself at all during those times...

[modofthehat]

That sounds fine to us! As for where he could camp out, that's how the shrieking shack got started in the first place, he can do what Lupin did.

[vivi]

I'm really sorry in advance for how complicated this question is!! :(

But I'm interested in apping with Aigis from Persona 3, who in canon is a robot. I know that robots and, moreover, technology aren't allowed in the game, so would it be possible for me to make her some sort of magical equivalent? Something like a golem, maybe, in that she would be a magical construct that later gained sentience and came in as a regular student.

If it's too complicated, I could probably work with her just as a regular human, but the inhuman-ness is important to her character in canon, so I thought it was worth asking.

[modofthehat]

Hi there, we discussed this and we are going to say no on her being a golem. However, in the series there are half breeds of vampires and feel that could work well with her. Since Aigis goes through the development where she becomes less like a robot and more human, by being a half vampire, she could have potentially been raised by vampires and Hogwarts would expose her to a more human atmosphere. Please let us know if you have any further questions.

[dontchewthis]

Hello there, mods! It's James. Not your James, the new James with the lisping douche. I have two questions for a potential character.

First: In order to justify a transfer, do we bring up the idea with the mods first to clear it, or just include it in the app and hope for the best?

Second: I'm trying to figure out if the character is a canon OC or just a canon character. She does have lines and the game does have a story, that story just... fails to go into the individual backgrounds of any of its characters.

[modofthehat]

First: Just give us the proposed scenario and we'll decide.

We need some more information, like the canon and character. Let us know when you can, okay?

[twitchywitchygirl]

A question regarding the application of Billy/Dr. Horrible from Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog:

Since there's actually a student who's skipped a year, and it's canon that Billy skipped four, I was wondering if I could have Billy have skipped second and fourth years, so he'd be 13 going into 5th year?

[modofthehat]

Yes, this is fine. The out of school magic rules will still apply as he gets older and graduates though.

[thisperfectsaucer]

A few questions!

1. Would Germany be too far away from where Hogwarts is for a student from there to be considered acceptable to app (unless they were first generation living in England or somesuch)?

2. Would it be acceptable to make up a location for summer living? Little Whinging is a fictional town, after all, as are many Harry Potter towns, and this particular character has very very strong ties to his home town in a very particular way (his family has for generations on into antiquity served the family that occupies the seat of power in said town). For reference, it's the character this journal is for, Vanamonde Von Mekkhan (though Girl Genius is not very well known so I don't know how much help that'll be).

Thanks muchly!

[modofthehat]

Germany is close enough, and fictional towns are cool with us!

[greenmoonrising]

Hi, Gowa here with a couple of questions for Staff positions!

I was hoping to app a character for Head Nurse and was wondering if the applications for general staff will be accepted with Teacher apps or if there will be a different time for them?

Second question: the character I am considering is canonically able to change her skin colour consciously and subconsciously - could I apply her as a weak metamorphamagi with only this ability?

[modofthehat]

Hello!

The position of Head Nurse would qualify as a Teacher app, so they would be judged along with the other teacher apps when those apps open up.

As for your second suggestion, based on what you said we decided that it would be best if the character is a fullblown Metamorphmagi. There's not any HP canon hinting at any varying levels of the ability, so it's an all or nothing type power.

If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to ask!

[c9rp9realn9rmative]

Hi, I was just looking for clarification on the "no student ghosts" rule. Does that mean no ghosts who are student-aged, or no ghosts who are actually students (go to classes, write essays, take exams, get graded, etc)? For the former, there is canon precedent (Moaning Myrtle, although my ghost's death story is nowhere near as dramatic), while I can understand not wanting everyone and their grandmother playing a ghost.

Also, is there a special protocol for ghost apps? Specific forms to fill out and the like? (I know there's not a special app, but if there are specific extra/replacement sections.)

Thanks!
Ri

[modofthehat]

Hello!

After talking about it, we've decided that you're free to proceed as intended and app the character as a ghost. He wouldn't be able to attend class like a normal student, nor would he be able to earn house points or anything like that, but we don't see a problem with you apping a student aged ghost.

You would use the Teacher app and would need to detail both their living life, as well as their afterlife.

If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask!

[shattered_looking_glass]

Hello! I'm thinking of apping Alice here, and I have a few questions pertaining to her background.

In canon, Alice was kept in an asylum for ten years, and I'm attempting to translate that over to HP!canon. Would she be kept in St. Mungo's, or in a separate place entirely? Also, what would become of her schooling? I'm aging her down quite a bit to be 16, but still, she would have been incarcerated when she was 6. Would there have to be some special measure taken, like placing her in first year classes? Or, perhaps, having her see a private tutor (could be an NPC) for rudimentary magic lessons? Is that at all possible?

Also, is it necessary to have over 15 icons?

[modofthehat]

Hello there! She would have been interned at St. Mungoes, and she can have had a tutor there so she didn't fall behind. She can start Hogwarts at her intended year.

It's not at all necessary, it's completely optional and many chose to have less or more than that. Let us know if you have any more questions.

[alifeenchanted]

Quick question! Alchemy is, evidently, a Harry Potter canon class, but it's not a major one. Would I require to justify its existence in my app?

[modofthehat]

It can be a subject! Since it's a little advanced, we'd ask that you mainly restrict it for 5th years and above.

Transfer student possibility

[spicypepperpott]

Got sent here to make my request. I'm currently applying for the Pepper Potts position (Marvel Cinematic Universe) and would like to have her as a transfer student. It solves all the little details over why she hasn't been mentioned by Tony before (as canon has them as both friends, colleagues and lovers) while also allowing Pepper the chance to make friends school wide, as she'd be something of a curiosity.

I don't have a personal account on DW and my LJ lapsed as I was busy with uni, sorry about that, so this RP would be the only thing on my account. Otter says to say that I was bullied into this thus the new DW account :)

Re: Transfer student possibility

[modofthehat]

Could we get some more details on the transfer before we make our choice? Like the how and why to it in game background?

[litwick]

I have a few questions!

I am planning to app Indai from Hetalia, and while he isn't the biggest character in the series, he has several appearances, speaking lines, an official profile, and is briefly in the newest hetalia volume. Would I have to use the oc canon character application?

Also, I have question on pets. I'm planning India having a rat, but in actuality it's an elephant turned into a rat. Is this possible?

[modofthehat]

Based on what we know of the character, we would lean towards them being a Canon OC rather than a full character.

Sorry, no elephants turned into rats. He can definitely be a fat rat named Elephant though!

[blooddrinker]

I have a question on apping a character that's canonically close to another of my characters, but who would have a good reason not to interact with each other ingame. The characters I'm talking about are both OCs of mine--Vashti and her father. If you remember from Vashti's app, they're rather close to each other; but at the same time they're used to keeping secrets for their family's protection. I can see him wanting to keep an eye on her, but not wanting to tip anyone off to the fact that they know each other in case one of their natures is exposed.

So basically, I can see: Dad makes post.
Vashti: [private] Dad?
Dad: [private] /explains briefly why they shouldn't interact
Vashti: [private] Oh. Ok, I guess.
/They never interact ingame again. They only do this much to make it less weird to other players why they don't interact.

Is this too much interaction/do you think they couldn't avoid interaction later/etc? Basically, is he even appable by me at this point?

If he isn't appable at this point, I might hang onto him anyway in case I ever get tired of Vashti (which I'm not planning on doing anytime soon). So, second question is: can adults app in as TAs, or is that only for students that recently graduated?

[modofthehat]

Sorry, but we feel as though they're a little too connected for you to play both characters.

While TAs don't have to be just graduated, we expect them to be in their early to mid twenties.

[espadon]

I have a question about Hetalia's Seychelles character. Is she appable as a canon OC? She has made a few minor comic appearances, and was in a dating sim game that showed her personality.

[modofthehat]

Yes, that should be fine for apping her as a canon OC.

[espadon]

Is the culture and stuff of Seychelles something I can base some personality on? I don't need to but it might be cool.

Is a parrot an okay pet?

And can she have been a transfer but before the point I'd be playing her in-game? This is a request because it would be like Seychelles gaining independence from England in the game.

[modofthehat]

This is totally fine!

Sorry, a parrot wouldn't be an acceptable pet at Hogwarts.

We'd like to know more details on why she would be a transfer before we decide if it's acceptable. Like the how and why to it in game background?

[speterman]

Hey, hi hello! I have a question, can Peter magically make his web-blasters, he would go about doing this by charming something (i.e. a watch / bracelet whatever deemed acceptable) to do similarly to what Carpe Rectractum does with a certain hand gesture and shoot webbing, like his do in canon. He would use them for parkour, seeing as unlike in his canon he doesn't have superhero abilities and also prides himself on the fact that he's never gotten in trouble before so he would refrain from really using it on students or to cause mischief at all, is this okay?

[modofthehat]

Rather than a wrist mechanism, Peter can create his own spell or charm that shoots webs. We hope that's okay!

[moveslikejaeger]

Okay, so I have a long ass list of things I probably should have asked about before I got myself all excited and started writing apps, but oops, oh well.

The first thing is about muncest issues, as I am planning on apping Vole from Girl Genius. In canon, Vole's reaction to meeting up with Maxim was to growl in annoyance, then ignore him completely in favor of Gilgamesh Wulfenbach, so it's safe to say they're not particularly close. In game, he would be one of Maxim's cousins, but he has a tendency to not get along with family members at all. While Maxim would keep an eye on him, they are definitely going to be in separate houses (because Vole is not a Gryffindor, regardless of where he ends up) and in separate years. The bulk of their in person interactions can be handwaved - it would be mostly things like Maxim come up to him in the Great Hall, annoys him, Vole ignores him as long as he can and then throws him across the room towards the Gryffindor table. Vole definitely won't be commenting on Maxim's entries.

....I should probably get approval for that first before I go any further, huh orz

[modofthehat]

While it is fine to play two characters from the same series, we wonder if it's possible to not have them so closely related then.

[iknowicanworkit]

If I app Kurt and wanted to play him as if after the whole forced kiss thing, could he be a transfer wherein Hogwarts is his Dalton Academy, but permanent?

[modofthehat]

Could you give us some more details? Like, in this AU, what is his McKinley, and how are you translating the kiss/situation with Karofsky?

[neverbloomed]

Hello! I'm a new player and I'm planning to app Ko-Mo from Snow Drop to SH. I have his AU-history planned out, but I figured out I'd need your approval because I want him to be a transfer-student.

In canon, Ko-Mo's family was forced to leave their home country, Korea, by local mafia. It was all because Ko-Mo's oldest brother had once kidnapped and sexually harassed congressman's daughter, who later made a deal with mafia to get said brother assassinated. Now later Ko-Mo's second brother, Hae-Gi, is in relationship with that same girl, which made both congressman and mafia very unhappy and made them to leave the country.

As for AU, I'd like to change it so that Ko-Mo's family wasn't forced to leave the said country, but because Hae-Gi got a good job opportunity in UK and which allows them to get better treatment for their mother, who is in comatose-like state thanks to stress and trauma of her son dying (this also happened in the early point of the canon, but she was already better when they had to leave).

[modofthehat]

That's fine!

[mostlysoul]

Hello! I'm new to Dreamwidth in general, but under the recommendation of a friend, decided to try and join SH.

My character (this fellow here) is an OC and is a ghost. Always has been, even outside of this :)

My question is, since she told me ghosts are part of Teachers Applications and those are listed as closed right now, how would I go about this?

[modofthehat]

You can fill out the teacher application for them as a ghost and submit it whenever you want! The teacher application for ghosts is mainly because they have their past life and their undead life and the application should cover both of those lives.