The Rules, Up To Date: August 27, 2009

[Remus Lupin]

THE RULES

Welcome to Magic's Finest! You’ll find it wonderful here, seeing as all the members, moderators, and administrators are friendly, and would love to help you out if you need any assistance. Just be sure to follow the rules.

For any question you might have for us, simply post in the Query Lounge and we’ll do the best we can.

How To Get Started
1. Step one. Read the rules!

2. Register with a FIRST and LAST name. When creating an original character, please don't use any unusual names, names taken from the Harry Potter books, or names taken from any other celebrities, historical persons, or assorted media. Combinations of the aforementioned are not allowed either. (Common names -- such as Brown, Smith, Thomas, etc. -- are acceptable.) If you're still stuck, check the thread of off-limits names.

3. Before you post a bio, check the character list to see which Houses and age groups have open spaces. We can't have fifty Gryffindor seventh years running around now, can we? Think about trying to cram them all into a single dorm!

4. Do us a favor and use the template.

5. Post your bio in the Sorting Ceremony when you're finished. Accepted bios will be moved to the House forums.

6. DO NOT POST anywhere until you have been approved. The only exceptions to this rule are your character's bio thread, the Avatar Claim, and the Query Lounge.

7. After you've been accepted, head over to the Plotting Corner to begin plotting with your character. Remember: the Character Request forum is for requests, not general plotting -- so be careful not to mix them up.


The Bio
1. Age should match the year, unless the character has recently had a birthday. For example, a 5th year would be 15 -- or 16 if his/her birthday was during the first half of the school year.

2. Choose only ONE gender. No hermaphrodites.

3. Make the personality original and don't try to tier it towards a specific House.

4. No Mary Sues or Gary Stus/Perfect Peters. Avoid flawless characters. For help with this, please check this post.

5. Regardless of what you say, if we (the administrators or moderators) see an obvious resemblance between an 'original character' and a 'canon', we can take action. The entire point is to make them original and not copy a character of J.K. Rowling's creation.

6. Keep the history drama-free: No dead parents.

7. Please include some flaw in the appearance, whether it’s long fingers or knobby knees or insecurity. Nobody’s perfect.

8. Red-haired girls are allowed, but not recommended.

9. You are not to specifically design the personality of your character so there is no choice as to what house they belong in. If the mod or admin Sorting your character feels you are trying to force a decision, they will likely place you in another house. This also includes mentioning the particular house you'd like to be sorted into.

10. At the moment, you may NOT create a character of non-British, -Irish, or -Scottish descent. We have a few too many foreigners right now.

11. PLEASE BE PATIENT with the admins and mods when you've posted a bio. If we do not get to your bio within 48 hours, you may bump your topic or notify an admin or mod.

12. Bios cannot, may not, shall not be posted until they are COMPLETED. Any bios that are posted up and either blank or incomplete (large fields/details, if you forget something small, that's an exception) will be deleted.


Character Graphics
1. All graphics must match the description you wrote in your character's appearance.

2. Your graphics or signature may not contain offensive themes of any kind.

3. It must look between the ages of 10-25, for a student. A celebrity who is a bit older will suffice, but use caution. Tom Cruise for a seventh year is pretty well pushing it.

4. Try to avoid actors with excessive facial hair. A few stubbles here and there is okay, but beards like Willie Nelson are over the line.

5. Personal pictures are not allowed to be used to portray your character.

6. Avatars shouldn't exceed 150x150. No excessively large signature banners, or anything that streches the forum out.

7. Having trouble finding a good playby? Check the playby directory.

8. Remember to post in the Avatar Claim!


When Posting
1. Posts can be of any length, however we require all posts to be at least two paragraphs consisting of 5-7 sentences each.

2. Use structure to keep posts organized; space your paragraphs, and put thoughts/quotes in italics or bold.

3. Watch your spelling and grammar.

4. No Netspeak is allowed (U, BRB, ppl).

5. Stay in character and behave according to the house you were Sorted in.

6. Start new topics with an interesting twist.

7. If posting for a specific person, put ‘Reserved For ____’ into the topic title.

8. Do NOT post in reserved topics unless you have permission from the topic starter.

9. Leave some topics open out of consideration for others. Unplanned situations can also be fun!

10. Check this thread if you need some RPing tips.


In Order to Help The Administrators
1. Read and follow the rules.

2. Abide by Admin requests and/or direct instructions. If you feel a wrong decision has been made, you are more than welcome to say so, but our decision is final.

3. Be friendly and polite to other members. If there is a problem with one of them, say this personally through a pm – not in public.

4. Volunteer to answer questions in the Query Lounge.

5. Be an active and efficient poster.

6. Offer your aid to other members, for instance by making avatars/banners.

7. Add interesting plots to the Plotting Corner.

8. Please don't question us. We do what we feel is best for the site as a whole.

9. Add yourself to the List of Characters and Contact List if you’re not already there.

10. Make a useful character, such as a younger student, male, professor, or canon.


How to Go About…
Getting a Canon: You must already have another character so that we can see you are trustworthy. Any other character you have (3 or less) must have 40+ galleons on each of them. If the canon is important, application is needed and you’ll be chosen if yours is the best or you are considered most adequate.

Getting a Professor: It’s the same as for a canon, except that a syllabus, or evidence that you are in the process of making one, is required. Almost anyone who applies will get a teacher, although only some courses are available.

Getting More House Points/Galleons: You can do so by introducing new members to the board, advertising MF on other Harry Potter sites through a special signature, by presenting MF as an affiliate to a very large board, or by earning points on the House Points list. This in turn is earned through activeness and quality of galleons.



Miscellaneous
1. Magic's Finest is rated M for mature content. Please be aware that some topics may contain themes considered unsuitable for anyone under the age of thirteen. If such is the case, please be sure to put a warning somewhere in the topic title, topic description, or beginning post. Any matters of a sexual nature should not be taken to the extreme. When sex is involved, please be as tasteful as possible with the subject and fade out where necessary.

2. Click here for the administration's ruling on homosexual and bisexual characters.

3. We do not allow infringement of the Terms of Service, which states that copying the rules or anything that is original to this board is prohibited.

4. Advertising other sites, products, etc. anywhere on the forums is strictly prohibited.

5. If you disagree or are upset with an action or a decision made by a member or administrator, please notify one of the administrators through instant or private messaging.

These rules are © Magic's Finest, 2009. They are subject to change at any time in the future, so please watch for notifications.

[Mandy Lockhart]

Extra Bits & Pieces / Helpful Links
Original Characters

Wizarding Blood Types

How to Avoid Being Ignored

Having Multiple Characters

Banners/Avatars/Images In General

Posting

Advertising

House Characteristics