New Member Orientation

[The Sorting Hat]

Here is a short guide to the site. If you're having trouble finding something or just want to get a quick overview to orient yourself, we have summarized each section.

Before you start playing, make sure to have done the following things:

• Complete and Submit an Application
  
• Wait for the staff to accept your application
  
• Complete all the necessary claims
  

GENERAL CATEGORY
This is where you are right now. Here you will find:

• Rules
  
• General Site Plot
  
• Applications
  
• Claims Lists
  
• Accepted Profiles
  
• Relationships Threads
  
• Plot Discussion
  
• Character Diaries
  
• Absentee Notices
  

HOGWARTS CATEGORY
This is where you will find all dormitories, classrooms, corridors, and all indoor and outdoor facilities having to do with Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Also included in this category are:

• The bulletin board for all students. This is where party fliers may be posted, announcements from Dumbledore may be posted, and all manner of in-character school-related announcements may be left.
  
• The rumor wall. The rumor wall is a designated corridor wall where students can write anything they want about each other or post manipulated or embarassing photographs, and other students can comment. It gets pretty hillarious sometimes. It's intended to be for fun or to help facilitate plots.
  
• The Owlery and one of the Owl Post boards where you may send and receive letters by owl. This Owl Post board is meant to be used when contacting a student character.
  

This category is strictly in-character.



HOGSMEADE CATEGORY
This category is where you will find all boards for Hogsmeade establishments. They are open to both student and adult characters.

You will also find the second Owl Post facility here. It may be used when contacting student OR adult characters.

Note that the Shrieking Shack is off-limits to anyone not playing a Marauder.

This category is strictly in-character.




WIZARDING LONDON CATEGORY
This category is where you will find all boards for Wizarding London establishments, including Diagon Alley and the Ministry of Magic. They are open to both student and adult characters.

Student characters may NOT be in Wizarding London when school is in session.

Order of the Phoenix and Dark Mark boards are for use by their respective members ONLY. These boards are passworded and you must obtain the password before you are allowed to post there. If you have any questions, please contact a staff member.

You will also find the third Owl Post facility here. It may be used when contacting adult characters, or student characters during the summer.

The Dwellings board is just an all-encompassing board for characters who do not live at Grimmauld Place, Godric's Hollow, or The Riddle House to play their characters at home. Please define where you are in your first post.

Muggle England is a board for playing at any muggle location in England. Sight seeing? Doing something on summer break? Harassing muggles? You may use this board.

The "Blast From The Past" board is set up for your convenience. If you would like to play a back-plot, or need to continue a thread after our current timeline has moved past it, you may do so on this board. Please let a staff member know if you need a thread moved to this board.

This category is strictly in-character.




OUT OF CHARACTER CATEGORY
Here is where all out of character interaction is to take place. There are boards designated for discussions, games and advertising, as well as the suggestions and questions board and thread archive.




GENERAL SITE INFORMATION
If you need graphics made for you, you may ask other members directly and discuss the particulars in a PM. This is different than what the site had before. If you are a returning member, please make note of this.

Please note that we go by our CHARACTER NAMES in the C-Box. You are required to register your name when you join the C-Box, and it is for accepted members only. Even though we are using character names, the C-Box is for OOC discussion. It's just too hard to keep track of everyone's real names, so we use our character names. If you lose your c-box password, please PM The Sorting Hat and it will be retrieved or reset for you. Each C-Box member is allowed ONE C-box account. The staff will delete superfluous usernames.

Please direct all questions to the staff to The Sorting Hat account (username: admin). This way we will be sure to not contradict each other and confuse you.

Information will be added to this as needed. Please let the staff know if you would like to see something particular addressed here.