modofthehat

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FAQ

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!

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

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.

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!

That does help! Thank you very much. :3

Also, I, uh... have a bit of a strange thing I want to try to work into my character's background? It's something involving a culture that isn't really covered in canon, and I was thinking it'd be easiest to talk to a mod on AIM about it. Is there anyone in particular I should get a hold of for this?

You're welcome to talk to me (leafyisleafy on aim) whenever you see me online!

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?

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?

You don't have to drop him! Just submit any big changes that would have occurred between 5th and 7th years. They would probably go into the background section and possibly the personality. You don't have to make really huge changes for the rest. If the voice of the character is going to be different, new samples. The completely new application is usually if you're going from, say, making someone a 3rd year to making them a 7th year.

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.

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

Thank you!

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

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?

3rd year at the oldest, probably.

In canon, he and his friend ran away from home when he was 12 because they wanted to become famous knights. Since the town they grew up in was really peaceful and generally untroubled, they were completely unprepared in any way and his friend turned back after a month, but Wil was too ashamed to go home and ended up wandering aimlessly for four years. Basically, he had these really lofty goals that he was really confident he could achieve and then they all got smashed and he probably nearly died of starvation and frostbite like. a lot. (Unfortunately though, this backstory wouldn't work very well in a more modern AU, since the main reason he even survived is because he learned to ask for help, which wouldn't do him nearly as much good in a setting that's not full of homeless drifters and mercenaries the way Elibe is.) Not to mention that on top of fighting and breaking off with his best friend, he was certain he'd upset and disappointed his parents beyond repair. (And if you pay close attention, the way he talks to people he knew from before he ran off is notably different from his usual demeanor, as if being around them makes him regress his behavior some: quieter, less cheerful, less uncertain.)

After that four year time period, though, he got caught up with a girl involved in something not quite like an inheritance dispute, and (long story short) ended up enlisting to her house's army, so then there was a fifth year of training to become a proper knight (as well as a long period of staying in one place, which bothered him a lot after so long of nothing but traveling, and which he got obviously excited about ending when they set off to war, even despite... setting off to war), which would have calmed him down and given him something to focus on. (and which he wanted to succeed at to redeem himself so he could go home without feeling ashamed.)

Past that, the rest of his development depends on his support set, but those don't really apply in an AU game anyway. Is that a little clearer...

Sorry for the super late response!

It sounds like apping the character would be fine, as long as you elaborated in his application how being raised in the HP universe would affect his personality, and presented canon evidence.

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.

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.

Okay, thanks! :3

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.

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.

Wow, that was a quick reply. Thanks!

Would it be alright if I reserved a character for a teacher slot then, if they are going to be opened? Or can I only reserve the character when the slots are opened?

Sorry that I have so many questions.

It's fine! We'd appreciate if you held off a bit until the slots open up.

Right, thanks for answering all my questions and I'll keep an eye open for those slots.

Thanks again!

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...

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.

Thank you!

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

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