PARADISA OOC

The Quidditch finals are today, so if you haven't voted for the winner, please do so now! It's a pretty close race and your vote might make the difference between victory and defeat!

But wait, you say! What about that dragon? Isn't anyone going to do something about it? Well, apparently Quidditch trumps everything. Even dragons.

Again, please let me know if you want open posts for anything! Or make your own open posts!

Quidditch! So in case anyone missed it, there was a poll to decide who won the first round, and it looks like Hufflepuff and Slytherin are the respective victors. That means these two will be the teams fighting over the Cup, but that won't be a little later in the week.

Sunday is going to be a typical day... with one exception.



That's right, there's a FUCKING DRAGON on the school grounds. It will be most likely seen perched on the towers (hi Ravenclaws and Gryffindors) or flying over the woods and lake. You're welcome to NPC the dragon as much as you want, but I ask you do two things for me: don't kill the dragon, and don't kill your character! If you want to get your character injured that's up to you, but nothing life-threatening, please!

I have to do the night shift again (sigh) so I will put up the dragon's arrival around 11 am EST. Have fun panicking, everybody!

So Day Two will be a free-for-all. Make your own posts, mix and mingle, backtag, whatever.

Some suggestions: Go into the Dark Forest! Visit the guardians, feed the Thestrals. Just remember that only those who've seen death will be able to see Thestrals. Or you can go to the lake and hang with the merpeople, but be warned they're aggressive and will defend themselves if you fight.

Quidditch is today! ICly the event will be at 5pm EST with Ravenclaw v. Slytherin, followed by Gryffindor v. Hufflepuff. I won't be putting up a post for it, so it'll be up to you guys if you want to do it or just handwave everything.

Other than that it's a free-for-all!

I've been told that people are talking about false memories for this plot. Meaning that your characters will think that they've always been wizards, go to Hogwarts, all that jazz. I went to the mods about it and they agree that this can be possible. I know this is last minute and I apologize if it doesn't give people time to think up an alternate life for their characters, but I honestly didn't think of alternate memories as an option myself. I want to emphasize that this is optional. I know a lot of people are excited about going back to Hogwarts and I want everyone to have fun with the plot, whether that is by altering memories or keeping your chacter with Paradisa memories.

I also know that some of our players are canon blind, so I'm going to be including some wiki pages for you! Here is a list of spells and some fantastic beasts. The creatures you most need to pay attention to are the merpeople, the acromantulas (giant spiders living in the forest), centaurs (also in forest), unicorns (also in forest), dragons and Thestrals (also in forest and pulling the school carriages). If anyone has any questions at all, don't feel shy about asking me. If all else fails, you can handwave spells/potions that are being used.

The students will fall into three categories: pure-blood, meaning both of your parents are wizards; half-blood, which gives you one Muggle (non-magical) parent; or a Muggle born like Hermione where neither parent is magical. Muggle-borns are often called Mudbloods by the pure-blood community and are looked down upon as second-class. Mentioning the bloodline of your character isn't completely necessary unless you want to add it for CR purposes.

Quidditch
The first game of the season will be Ravenclaw v. Slytherin, followed by Gryffindor v. Hufflepuff. It's up to you guys if you actually want to RP these games out and let gameplay decide who wins. As you can see, not all positions were filled. If you haven't signed up your character for a position yet, you still have time!
( Your teams )

NPC Students
They will be all over the place. Please don't use any students that appear in the actual series.

Sorting ceremony In case anyone missed it!

So from the calendar, I'm sure you've all noticed what's coming up next week! We are going back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I'm very excited about this, both for us older players who got to do this the first time as well as all the newer players. I was the one who proposed the plot, but due to some RL things I won't be able to do any NPC work.

However! I will be doing the OOC work. Like this post, introducing the plot! For those who weren't here last time we did this, everyone is going to be either Sorted into one of the four Houses (Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff or Slytherin) or will work as a teacher/staff member.

What this means for you OOCly is that if you choose you may de-age your character to appropriate school age, which ranges from age eleven to eighteen. It's not required in order to play. Just an option if you want to do it for fun/character frustration. The actual sign-ups for Houses/staff positions will be later. I just wanted to give everyone a heads up so they can plan and think up any questions you might have. I know not everyone is familiar with the series, so feel free to ask whatever comes to mind! I do play Hermione for a reason, you know ;)

FAQ Masterlist
What happens to our pets/direwolves/Pokemon? (because I know Alcy will ask) The creature will be changed into something compatible with the world. Percy's Tentacruel Alcaeus, for example, would be the giant squid in the lake. Direwolves can be wolves that live in the forest, etc.

What about non-human characters? There are lots of non-human characters in the world of Harry Potter! If you want to be a centaur or a house-elf, you go for it. I won't force anyone to humanize if they don't want to play it that way.
Also, the reverse is also applicable. If you want your human character to be changed into a house-elf or a castle ghost, do it! It's all for fun.

Do we have to live in the castle? The village of Hogsmeade is there, but if you're going to be a teacher or student, I wouldn't suggest it since classes run at all times of day or night.

Going up/down in age! As I said, changing the age of your character is an option. So if you need to play them older/younger in order for them to be student age, you can do that. Or you can keep them as the age they are! It's up to you! I won't discourage any age changes that will make the plot more fun for people.

What if my character needs technology to live? Technology doesn't work around Hogwarts, so it would be switched to something magical instead.

What if we try to leave? The grounds of Hogwarts are very extensive, including a large lake and the Dark Forest. There is the village of Hogsmeade, which will be open for everyone to explore and even live in if they want to be rebels against the castle. But the usual magical barrier will be there, so when you get to the town's borders you can't go farther. Apparating in or out of Hogwarts is impossible.

What teaching and staff positions are available? For the moment, the following positions are available: Herbology, Astronomy, Care of Magical Creatures, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Divinations, Muggle Studies, History of Magic, Potions, Charms, Transfiguration. You can also choose to be the Groundskeeper or the Caretaker. The Defense Against the Dark Arts position isn't available for plot purposes.

Tell us more about the four Houses! When new students arrive at Hogwarts, they go through a Sorting ceremony where the Hat divides them into one of four Houses. Each one has a separate founder, coat of arms, colors, common rooms, and of course has certain qualities that are sought for prospective students. The Sorting Hat recites a poem every year detailing what qualities are found in each House. Here are exerpts from Harry's Sorting.

Gryffindor: Where dwell the brave at heart. Their daring, nerve and chivalry set Gryffindors apart.
Hufflepuff: Where they are just and loyal. Those faithful Hufflepuffs are true and unafraid of toil.
Ravenclaw: If you've a steady mind. Where those of wit and learning will always find their kind.
Slytherin: Those cunning folks use any means to achieve their ends.

There are a lot of online quizzes if you're stumped on where to place your character.