FAQ'S

SITE RELATED

When does this site take place?

We are a present day site. While we will be starting in September 2018, we will be moving along at a pace that isn't totally linear with real time. Keep an eye on the board at the top to tell you the month and year!

What is the site rating?

In accordance with Proboards Terms of Service, this site will operate within a PG-13 rating. We will use trigger warnings in thread titles and descriptions for sensitive topics, and anything seen to be pushing those boundaries will be monitored closely.

Is there a word count in effect?

Yes! We ask for a minimum of 200 words for all in-character posts, but we highly encourage more if you feel the desire to write and leave some more action for your partner to reply to.

Are there canon characters I can look at?

Due to the fact that our setting is completely original, there are no canons for this site, and we will not be permitting any of the canons from the original series to be used. We will also be restricting the use of surnames that are not common so that we don't have any extended Weasley or Malfoy family members running around.

HOLLOW CREEK RELATED

Where is Hollow Creek located?

Hollow Creek is located in Alberta, just off of the shores of Lake Louise. If you were to look up some of the mountains in that same region, you would be looking at Devil's Thumb for it's terrain and location to a smaller body of water.

What are the houses of Hollow Creek?

The four houses of Hollow Creek were chosen in honour of various elements, and created to honour some of the people who had an impact upon the life of its founder, Eve Palmer. They are Ignus House, Unda House, Aura House and Terra House. For more information on the houses themselves, please see the House Information thread.

CHARACTER RELATED

Am I allowed to make more than one character?

Absolutely! You are permitted to have as many characters as you believe that you can handle, but we do ask that you keep them all active before you continue to add. To help with this, we are imposing a rule that requires you to have 5 IC posts with your newest character before you apply for another.

Can my character have more than one ability?

At this time, characters are limited to a singular ability in an effort to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to potentially create one, and that we don't have any "all powerful" characters roaming around the board. Characters with special abilities are not currently permitted to be part or whole magical creature. If you have any questions about this, please ask an admin!

Can my character be a magical creature?

We are offering a limited number of spots for characters to be part or whole magical creature. These positions, however, will not be given lightly, as we want to ensure that everyone has the same limitations and restrictions with them. For example, anyone with partial or full vampire blood will be affected by the sun to some degree. If you choose to create a magical creature, you will need to read the Magical Creature Information thread here, and will not be able to select a special ability for that character.

How young can my character be? How old?

While there is currently no age limit in terms of how old a character can be (especially since we all know that wizards can live far longer than the average human) we do ask that student characters be no younger than fourteen years old and entering their fourth year. This is to help with picture problems that we often run into, and help to let characters become more involved on the site with events, outings etc.

Who can I use for my character's face?

Some celebrities and bloggers have asked that their likeness not be used in these kinds of situations, and we will do our absolute best to abide by their wishes. And while we understand that celebrities will not match the exact age of their characters, we will be treating everyone on a case by case basis according to their looks. Hugh Jackman certainly can't pass for a seventeen year old student character. Nor should someone like Sabrina Carpenter be used as a thirty something year old adult who is teaching at the school. If we don't necessarily think that the ages and looks match up, we will try our best to help you find an alternative.

Where is my character allowed to come from if the school is in Canada?

Ideally, all of the students should be coming from somewhere within Canada. To try and include a little more diversity though, and since we will not be involving Ilvermorny at all, we will accept characters from Canada and the United States.

How does this birthday thing work with my character's age and year in school?

We will operate on the same basis that Hogwarts uses. Students born between January 1st and August 31st will be in the year that matches the final digit of their age. Anyone with a birthday September 1st to December 31st will be enrolled in the following year. If this confuses anyone at all, please let us know and we will help you out!

I want to make a character who is a full Auror or Healer...how old do they have to be?

Due to the fact that these are careers that require specialized training, we will not be accepting students straight out of school as anything more than trainees. We would like for characters to be a minimum of 25 years old before they are fully trained in their chosen field. Older is absolutely welcome as well though, as they will provide mentor positions to younger characters!

I know that wandless/non-verbal magic is possible...am I allowed to use it?

At this time, we will not be permitting characters who are capable of wandless/non-verbal magic.

Am I allowed to have a character who dropped out?

]You are absolutely allowed to have a character who has dropped out of school if you wish. However, be aware that there are restrictions put upon that character depending upon when they dropped out. A lack of formal and complete education would result in your character likely not being able to get a job within a specialized field, which includes working for the MPC, Alora Jane Hospital and Hollow Creek.

What happens if my character is/was expelled from school?

In the event that your character is expelled from school, their wand is confiscated from them and snapped in half. They are no longer permitted to use magic, will not be permitted to purchase another wand and will be entered into the MPC's registry of expelled students. If you are discovered to be using magic and your name is on this list, you risk being caught and doing time in Valle Mortis.

STUDENT RELATED

Can my character be a member of their house Quidditch team and a prefect?

To keep positions available and make things fair, characters are permitted to be one or the other. We highly encourage you to apply for these positions though!

If my character is a prefect, can they take away house points?

If a Prefect character wishes to take away house points in a thread, we ask that you submit a request to a member of staff for review. This ensures that nobody loses points for vindictive and unfair reasons, but that punishments are appropriately handled in-character. If you have an issue with this, you can request for staff to review the action. However, it is our desire to make things as realistic and fair as possible, which means that there are consequences to actions!

Will there will be Quidditch matches throughout the year?

Yes, there will! We may experiment with a few different ways of handling the matches themselves based on how many members are on each team, but we will be hosting matches between the houses! So keep your eyes open, regardless of whether you are a player or not!

PROFESSOR RELATED

Am I allowed to create a character who is a professor?

We highly encourage you to make professor characters! These provide some really great plots and threads for everyone, as well as add a dynamic that is rather necessary for a school setting!

How old does my character have to be in order to be allowed as a professor?

At this time, we are going to ask that professors be no younger than 27 years of age. This puts a gap between them and the students, and will have required them to have gone out and continued to study in their chosen field before they gained enough knowledge to pass it along to others. Older characters are absolutely welcome, however, as they are much more realistic.

Are they permitted to teach multiple subjects at school?

Your character may have knowledge in a few different areas, and they may be requested to step into certain roles every now and again. But they will only be teaching one subject at Hollow Creek.

I have a suggestion for a class...how do I go about getting it added?

Pass along your idea to a staff member! We would love to consider some additional options for classes, especially if we believe that it would be of great interest to everyone else on the site!

I want to teach a subject that already has a professor...can I teach it as well?

We require only one professor per subject, so if the list says that someone is already teaching it, then that class is no longer available. In the event that characters leave the site, we will permit class changes in the summer months between classes, but not during the school year.

Do I have to post lessons and homework if I make a professor?

Not necessarily. We are looking to create a means of letting you interact with your professor in terms of the homework assignments, but this is not mandatory. We do ask that you try to post some lessons threads every now and again though, just to keep the "school" theme strong."

Can I jump into threads where students are misbehaving and remove house points?

As in real life, not every instance of misbehaving is seen by adults or people of authority. If there is something major happening in the thread, please ask a member of staff about the idea of jumping into a thread.

HOUSE POINTS RELATED

How can I earn house points?

There are lots of ways for you to earn house points, even just by popping into the site and posting a new game for everyone to play! For a complete list of ways to earn points, please consult the House Points thread here.

Is it possible to have them taken away in threads?

Yes, it is possible. We want to be as interactive as possible, which means that there are consequences to every action taken on the site. Professors may remove house points in their threads as they see fit. If you feel that you have had points removed unfairly, please speak to a staff member.

Can I suggest a new way to earn house points?

We are always looking for new ways to make the site fun and interactive for everyone! If you have a new way that you want to try and earn house points, talk to a staff member! If approved, you might earn even MORE house points!

CHILDREN AND PREGNANCIES RELATED

Am I allowed to have my character become pregnant?

To avoid controversy and uncomfortable situations, we will not be permitting student pregnancies on the site, nor any relationships between students and teachers. Pregnancies may happen after graduation from Hollow Creek or for adult characters. However, we don't want half of the site running around expecting children, so we do ask that you message a staff member to confirm that a spot is available!

Would I be able to adopt a child later on?

Provided that your character is in a situation where they would be permitted to adopt by the government, adoptions can absolutely be considered!

Can I play a child character?

You are permitted to roleplay them as an NPC, but if they are under the age of fourteen they cannot be applied for and played the same as other characters.

DEATH, ILLNESS AND MAJOR PLOT RELATED

Would I be able to apply for a character who has some sort of illness?

This is something we would have to treat on a case by case basis, so you would need to message a staff member with your ideas!

Can I kill off one of my characters?

We kindly ask that you talk to a staff member before you kill anyone off, just so that we can help make it a realistic situation for you. In most instances, however, as the character belongs to you, that is entirely up to you.

Can I kill another character who isn't mine?

This must be discussed by all parties involved, including staff members. The details will need to be defined so that everyone is on the same page. Otherwise, there will be absolutely no killing of other characters that do not belong to you.