& INTRODUCTION ;
abstinentia - f. [self-denial , temperance]
The easiest evil to beat is the evil inside of your veins.
Harry Potter's sixth year began with a bang; the Order of the Phoenix was believed to be weakening the Dark Lord and there were only two murders that summer. When the end of the year came around, it seemed as though everything was turning in favour of the Order.
This momentary bliss of good luck came to an abrupt halt.
One melancholy evening on September 10, 1996, the world the children of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry knew fell apart, leaving a trail of broken links, deceit, and lies. It was 8:32 P.M exactly when Cho Chang, a seventh year Ravenclaw, was spotted heading to Dumbledore's office, boasting about the chance of being scouted by the Chudly Canons. At 10:45 P.M, the body of the Head Girl was found in Dumbledore's office, Dumbledore standing over her with wand at hand.
No one knew exactly what happened that night; some believed that Dumbledore murdered the girl, but most believed it was all a set-up. The question at hand: Why?
Dumbledore was immediately suspended, leaving the school and the students desolate and perilous. An investigation was immediately requested and Dumbledore was placed in Azkaban to await his trial. Minerva McGonagall took his place as Temporary Headmistress. However, there was a slight problem in the Ministry; the Minister was found dead just two days after the children were sent home. This incident delayed Dumbledore's trial, knocking it back behind the search for the murderer. It was decided that his case would be overlooked until they were solved, holding him in Azkaban until then. Mysterious dissapearences followed Dumbledore's imprisonment.
A journal assignment was instated during this year to keep house relations at a minimum of rivalry and nothing more. The journals kept Hogwarts as it used to be before the attacks; the Slytherins made fun of the Gryffindors, the Gryffindors gave advice to the Hufflepuffs, the Ravenclaws listed their daily accomplishments, etc.
The students stopped dissaepearing right before term ended. How peculiar that everything suddenly returned to normal.
Or did it? It just could be possible that a mysterious diary relocated directly into the hands of a certain sixth year with quite a family history. The dissapearences could have been blamed on this factor, funny that no one thought of this.
Second term ended and the students left for Summer Hols. The summer, however, was not filled with sunshine and fun as most would imagine. Instead, a dark cloud set over the summer as the Second War began to stir.
The Death Eaters were gathering and with the sudden resurrection of Tom Riddle, the children of Death Eaters could begin their training. Pansy Parkinson and Draco Malfoy founded "Riddle's Army", in contrast of "Dumbledore's Army" - which was still in full swing and meeting particularly frequently throughout the course of the summer. Both Armies grew in power and soon they wanted to fight on their own; by this time, the war had suffered more casualties then the entirety of the last one in only three battles.
Seventh year began with Dumbledore being dropped of all charges. He was released and reinstated as the Headmaster of Hogwarts. However, it was apparent that not many students had decided to stay for schooling, rather taking their studies to the battlefield. When First Term ended, the school was closed down.
The turning point in the war occurred 2 weeks after the closing of Hogwarts. Most of the devoted Death Eaters were captured and taken to Azkaban, including Malfoy, Nott, Crabbe, Goyle, Avery, and Lestrange. Bellatrix, however, managed to slip past the Aurors and remains at large. Julius Parkinson was killed in the battle.
Though it seems as though the Order has finally taken back the war, this was just the motivation Riddle's Army needed. The children aren't children anymore and they're ready to be marked and fight for their cause. It's 1999 and Harry Potter has graduated from Hogwarts; he's now 19 years old and ready to help in any and every way he can. Along with all of this, the Wizarding World was hit by the same trend Hogwarts once started; the same journals are now being distributed. Bound leather books with an infinite amount of pages adjusting to the owner's need have been enchanted to include a section containing the entries of other students. (You guessed it -- the friend's page!) Who will survive the war? What will become of those who have suffered heavy losses? And which side will your character join?
Welcome to Abstinentia.
top
& RULES ;
I advise you to read and comprehend the text on every page fully, as the moderators will expect you to know what is going on when you apply and start rping. Most rules are just stated simply so that you may get a good grasp of the RP. Read above for a descriptive paragraph on each rule.
001. OWLS; All owls posted will go into the owlrey. The characters will have no knowledge of the owls you send excluding the receiver unless discussed otherwise. They will go behind an lj-cut with the subject titling who the owl is directed to.
002. UPDATiNG; You must update at least once a week. Stagnant RPGs are simply no use at all, and it is very easy for an RPG to fall into that trap. Make sure your character updates regularly. However, if there are circumstanced beyond your control that would keep you from updating, notify the mods. If, for some reason, your absence cannot be worked around in the plot, another player will take over your character while you're gone. This journal entry will be required to be written in descriptive first person. One or two line entries do not count and are usually frowned upon. Use proper grammar when typing. You are highly encouraged to familiarize yourself with spell check.
Incorrect Personal Entry
I don't like how Harry wouldn't help Hermione with her stuff, but she seemed to be in a bad mood already. She was mean to him.
Correct Personal Entry
I can't believe what happened today! I was walking into the Common Room after my sixth class, completely loaded down with books and papers. I thought I was going to drop everything, or worse, fall over! Harry sat right on the couch and stared at me, but he didn't even move a wand finger to help me! Sometimes I wonder...
You may never post out of character information in your journals, whether it be behind an LJ cut or behind brackets. This holds true for comments, as well. Your comments will never be OOC. Period.
As for private journal entries - they aren't allowed. These are public, charmed journals. If you want something private, strike it out. The characters may read it, but in character they must have no knowledge of the event. Please do not do this in every entry, for it becomes redundant and tacky.
All journal entries that you make in every community ( including your journal ) are required to be public. The only friends-only entries will be in the OOC community. This is simply for the reasoning that we want this RP to be as believable as possible.
003. COMMENTiNG; When a character's entry appears on the "friends" section of the journal, all characters have free reign to comment on the entries. There is a rule to this, however. When you comment, you must NOT RP. ( Example: Okay, Harry. With that, Ginny walked away. ) These are comments in a diary. Make sure that you've turned the "friends only" option on for commenting, as we don't want to have former members or people not of the RP commenting in our character's journals.
004. USERiNFO; In the information page of your journal, it is required that you include a bit of information on your character. Something elaborate is not necessary, since when we accepted you, we have a good idea of your skill. A simple set of basic statistics, including the house, year, age, background, and any other information you think to add will suffice. If a character is a Prefect, or belongs to any clubs, they should display that as well. You are not required to state that you do not own the rights to Harry Potter, as we're all well aware of this. The Abstinentia community should be linked to in the character's web site section.'
005. PLAYED-BY; It is not required that you use the PB of the actor in the Harry Potter movies - in fact, it's highly encouraged that you don't, as it's rather unbelievable that they would still look so young. I suggest using someone that resembles the character in canon - and make sure that they will pass for a teenager. Make sure your user pictures are as similar to the image of the character description as possible. Don't have Draco Malfoy as a brunette. For characters that are not described very well, use your imagination. Make sure, as well, that your Millicent Bulstrode is not a Britney Spears, and your Crabbe and Goyle aren't Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp. Use celebrities that aren't a household name, if you might.
The following is a list of PBs who will not be used.
-Britney Spears
-Christina Aguleria
-Jessica Simpson
-Mandy Moore
-Adriana Lima
-Any Victoria's secret model
If you think your pb is inappropriate for this rp, you are probably right. However, ask us anyway.
006. JOURNALS; There are no computers in the Wizarding World. Journals were made mandatory in Harry's seventh year of school. Bound leather books have become quite popular in the Wizarding World. Each journal contains an infinite amount of pages, adjusting to the owner's needs, and has been enchanted to include a section containing the entries of the other students. (You guessed it - the friend's pages!) Each character is required to add all of the communities, as well as all the other members to their friend's lists.
007. CHARACTERiSATiON While we're open to any new ideas and interpretations you may have of your character, please -- please don't abandon canon. Please -- keep your characters in character. Little is known about some characters in canon thus far, but stick to what we have heard. Canon characterization and friendships/relationships/enemies are to be heeded; for example, Snape clearly dislikes most of the students, and it goes without saying that Draco and Harry are not going to be a couple. Draco is the Slytherin male ringleader, Pansy is the Slytherin female ringleader. Not all Hufflepuffs hate Harry Potter. Draco is pointy, Pansy has a pug-nose, Cho Chang is a pretty Chinese girl, Hermione's hair is frizzy and unmanageable, etc.
If you are unsure of whether or not something you have put into your application could be considered canon, you are encouraged to check the Harry Potter Lexicon If you continuously appear to be uncanon and illogical, you may be kicked out of the RP. Also, keep IC arguments in character. Do not bring things OOC. If you are having a problem with another member, talk to the mod.
Keep in mind that your character doesn't have to be gorgeous to be interesting and fun to play.
And, I hate that I have to mention this - All Slytherin girls may not be "gawth princezzesz!11!1". They don't all "cut". In fact, I doubt anyone in the Wizarding World has even thought of self-mutilation. Don't be a Mary Sue.
Please remember the restrictions of the muggle and wizarding worlds. Children who've lived in the wizarding world have no clue how to use a telephone (you may recall Ron trying to use one in the books). They don't listen to American, muggle pop music. They don't quote Jessica Simpson songs. Inversely, wizards born to muggle parents may not get the hang of things so quickly. And they would not bring a television or laptop with them to Hogwarts either.
Full-blooded wizards are a dying breed (remember Sirius Black's family tree). I'd imagine there would be more in Slytherin, but don't make every Slytherin girl a clone of the Pansy Parkinson image. Muggleborn wizards are rare as well. Most wizards are of "half blood," whether one parent of theirs is a muggle or their parents are wizards and there are muggles in the family tree. If one of your character's parents is a muggle, think about how that familial relationship would work out realistically. Be careful with things like this. And there aren't a huge amount of squibs either. If you need a list of the bloodline of characters in the rp, you may find it here
008. CONSEQUENSES & 'GOD-MODDiNG'; Although the characters are no longer in school, every action has a reaction, and therefore, you must remember that rape, pregnancy, marriage, violence, drinking, murder, shagging, and other such actions will all come with consequences. We will not dictate your character and you are free to develop them in whichever way you feel necessary; If you wish your character to rape, murder, or something otherwise drastic, you must contact a mod, explain your reasoning, and contact the other player. If it is plausible, we will accept your proposal. If not, we will decline. Before performing this action, you must must must contact the other player and get his/her say on the matter. It's more reasonable to think of young adults shagging rather than students at Hogwarts shagging, but remember canonization; Hermione Granger won't be shacking up with, say, Crabbe or Goyle and shagging Lavender Brown on the weekends. Drama is a necessary aspect of a post-Hogwarts community and oftentimes we condone and even encourage violence and perhaps a bit of shaggage - please do not go overboard.
009. RELATiONSHiPS; This section applies to both platonic friendships and romantic relations. Relationships between characters are strongly encouraged (how much fun is it to role play when you have no one to interact with?), however there are a few guidelines that must be followed.
We are open to all relationships, be they slash, femmeslash or het, but Everyone's Gay!Wizarding World is a cliché we would like to avoid. Make sure that before you initiate a relationship that involves another player that you have obtained proper permission from them. The mods do have the power to veto any relationships if we think it absolutely would not work in the RPG ( which will rarely happen, as we believe you know your character well enough to know whom they would date ) . This applies not only for relationships but also plot points, drastic character alterations or deaths, allegiance changes, etc.
- Seamus and Dean, Hermione and Ginny, Draco and Pansy are all examples of friendships that could be considered canon. Goyle and Cho, Millicent and Parvati, Harry and Zacharias are all examples of friendships that would not be considered canon. If the relationship is not one that could be considered canon you must have the other player and mod's permission before going ahead with the relationship.
- Relationships just don't happen, ever. Dean and Neville would become friends faster than Harry and Draco, for instance. Use good judgment. If it isn't canon, it isn't going to happen instantaneously. Some relationships could take years. Yes, real, actual years. If you're not up for that, don't try to start the relationship then.
- If you reach the point where your characters become romantically involved and want to have a sexual relationship, that's all right. How they would go about it depends on your character and the circumstances. Hermione wouldn't exactly be sleeping with the entirety of the Wizarding World house and crowing about it, would she?
-The rules on relationships may be a bit lax as this is a post-Hogwarts RPG - we realise that odd aliances will be formed and we are perfectly okay with this.
010. ROLE-PLAY; All role-playing will be done according to storybook standards. We require all members to have a screen name to RP on, though it does not have to be related to their character. Every log will be either role played through chat room or individual IM's. Once the log is done, it must be set up in correct logging format and posted by a member of the rp in Castigatus with the correct rating.
Incorrect IC RP
::walks into room and looks around:: Hi.
Correct IC RP
Hermione walked into the Gryffindor Common Room, holding a bulging sack of books. Her face was twisted slightly as she struggled to maintain her grip on the monstrous amount of school supplies. Her hair was looking more frazzled than usual and her S.P.E.W badge was crooked across her uniform sweater. She spotted Harry lazing on the couch, and in a moment of lost character she snapped, "Get over here and help me, will you?"
There will be absolutely, positively NO in-journal role-play. There are NO exceptions to this rule. If you want to RP with someone who can't always be online, tough - set up a time for them to be on. In journal role-play is not only tacky, but it's quite unbelievable.
NEW: Your other option of rping is through journal threads. Castigatus will still be the community you use, however, instead of logging a RP from AIM, you'd have one character post a pose and according to whether or not the character had a specific preference on who responded (which they would state in the 'subject' line: ex; "OPEN TO EVERYONE" or "LOCKED TO DRACO MALFOY") you would respond via comments from there. This method is easier for most people who tend to write long, detailed paragraphs and completely acceptable/encouraged. Please friends-lock all entries, and don't remember: place 1997 in the 'year', but don't backdate the entry as it won't show up on anyone's friends lists.
Logging an RP is not very difficult, and it's required for every log you post. The following is the correct format for logging.
Characters: Pansy Parkinson and Draco Malfoy
Setting: Malfoy Manor
Rating: PG
Synopsis: Pansy and Draco speak of upcoming events involving the Dark Lord.
<*lj-cut text=Onto the log"*>
Insert log here
<*/lj-cut*>
(Take out the stars to have an LJ-cut)
Rating is a crucial part of logging an RP, as some players might be younger and wish not to see things. We do not mind the fact that your character has relations that are NC-17, so long as the guidelines in the relationship section is followed - in fact, smut is fun for everyone.
Onto the rating system:
G - general audiences: General talking, no violence, no cursing, no nudity, barely anything that would upset your grandmother. Pretty much nothing is allowed if this is the rating of your log.
PG - some material not suitable for children: Harsh words, but no cursing are in these logs. Perhaps a character might be romantically involved - a kissing scene, a touch, etc. No nudity, and violence is very light in these logs.
PG-13 - some material not suitable for pre-teens: Cursing within moderation, violence that is not considered to be graphic, and maybe some sexuality. Making out, things like that may be in these logs - nothing too graphic, but some may not want to read these.
R - restricted under 17: This type of log contains vast amount of swearing, violence, drinking, and anything short of graphic sex, ( IE; nudity, etc. Foreplay is a maybe - depending on its details. ) Read with caution; these posts are pretty graphic.
NC-17 - Straight out SMUT. Or, lots of blood and murder. Then straight out smut.
top
Add Friend
Add Note
Track User
Send Message
Send V-Gift
Basic Info
Friends [View Entries]
Communities [View Entries]
Feeds [View Entries]
