1 Registration & Application

[Minister of Magic]

1.1 Registration

Registration can be broke into six easy rules, steps, or things to remember. As an aside, being "NEW" is not an excuse for not knowing or following the rules you agreed to have read upon registration. That said, the password for registration is the following phrase "16 Rules", without the quotes.

1. Character Name Rule - Register with the name of the character you intend to play. Do not register under a web handle (log-in name) such as “SnapesWifey” or “xXBooYahXx”. While these may be the handles you are known best by, it is easier for other players to have your character name as the handle for quick reference.
   
2. E-Mail Rule - Use one (1) e-mail address for all of your characters. Some sites allow only one registration per e-mail. This site allows multiple accounts under one (1) e-mail so that members are not required to make new e-mail accounts for every character and so that staff will only have to send one e-mail to one account if the site will be down for any major length of time, changes URL, or any other vital information that might not be helpful in every e-mail box or in an obscure e-mail that is never checked.
3. Unique Name Rule - Make your character name unique. If there are several characters named Michael on the site then perhaps try Mitchel, Mike or some other unique version of the name that sets your character apart for quick reference. The same can be said for surnames (last names). If there is a whole family of people with the last name Malfoy, try Mallory or Maelfoy instead.
4. Original Character Rule - DO NOT REGISTER TO PLAY CHARACTERS FROM THE BOOKS, MOVIES, OR OTHER HARRY POTTER RELATED MEDIA. Do not register to play the descendants, cousins, or other family of characters or important lines in the book without expressed permission from staff. Applications for the bastard child of Voldemort and Bellatrix will not be approved. Nor will the legitimate children of Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley. Your character should be something you made up on your own.
5. Cross Genre Rule – DO NOT REGISTER TO PLAY CHARACTERS FROM OTHER BOOKS, MOVIES, AND MEDIA. As interesting as it may be to have Edward Cullen from Twilight or Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games as a student in Hogwarts, such characters cannot be approved and characters with similar names and storylines to characters from other books may be called into question or simply not be approved.
6. Grounded IP Rule – All accounts registered from known forum SPAM or IPHider IP addresses will be deleted and have the address blocked. We apologize if you are in a situation that you must use an IPHider and would really like to join the site. We have had too many SPAM accounts from such addresses and instantly ban them as SPAM is posted. This rule is to prevent your account from being blocked by using the same IP as that may also be used by a SPAM account and get you banned.
7. Unique IP Rule - It is not required that each member has a unique IP address to register or post from. However, be aware that if one member from that IP does something worthy of a ban, all members who use that IP will be banned.
   
   NOTE: When you have first registered for the site you will only be able to post in the sections labeled “Help!!!”, “Out of Character”, and of course the “Character Submissions” area.

[Minister of Magic]

1.2 Application

The application process is rather self-explanatory. For those who have never applied for a character on a role playing site or are not familiar with how it is done on this site, feel free to use the Character Submission Guide.

1. Character Sheet Rule - All Characters must be submitted using the templates provided in the submission area for the type of character you are applying to have. Characters submitted in other formats, no matter how wonderfully developed, will not be approved until they have been submitted in the format provided.
   
2. Provided Traits Rule – Your first character must be submitted using the strengths, weaknesses, flaws, and merits provided. This is required to ensure that every new member understands what these parts of the character sheet are requesting.
3. Appearance/Style Rule – Make certain your description of your character’s physical appearance or dressing style is appropriate for their age. First year girls should not be described as curvy or big chested; and they certainly should not be the sort to run around dressed like a prostitute. Same goes for first year boys who should not be described as ripped or having a beard or moustache. Likewise with adult characters it is inappropriate to describe them as looking like a pre-teen or dressing in school uniforms when they are past that stage.
4. Abilities Rule – DO NOT SUBMIT A CHARACTER WITH SPECIAL ABILITIES FOR YOUR FIRST CHARACTER. Said characters will not be approved. If you are not certain what would be considered a special ability on this site, use the Restricted Abilities Guide. If the ability you are interested in is not listed on the Restricted Abilities guide then PM the Minister of Magic for adult characters or the Headmaster for non-adults to discuss the ability before applying. Most are rare or must be earned and will not easily be approved even if a character is someone’s 20th character.
5. History Rule – DO NOT SUBMIT STUDENT OR MINOR AGED CHARACTERS WITH GREAT DRAMATIC HISTORY. Hogwarts is not the island of misfit toys! In other words, while the site understands that a dramatic history makes for an interesting character, there is a point where there are too many dramatic characters or too much in a characters story. When a character has gone through 18 foster homes, all of which abused them; or something as horrid, the character is not likely to be approved even if it is someone’s 20th character. The same goes for minors that have not yet been admitted to Hogwarts but are intended to receive their Hogwarts letter when they come of age. The only time this is permissible is when the character’s parents or other related characters have been in play and their play can justify the dramatic events said minor is supposed to have experienced.
NOTE: At any time while playing a character, you are permitted to change your profile as you see fit. However, changes to strengths, weaknesses, flaws, merits, or other standard items must be validated in play. For example you cannot change your character’s birthday because you feel like it. The character has to find out they were adopted or have some other qualifying event to celebrate his or her birthday on a date other than the date first submitted.