Read: An idea

@Jess:

I don't think you made mass threads. I don't see one in the Ravenclaw Common Room. I will go and check. If there is one already, I will post.

I thought about the problem with the feast too, and the fact that some people would ignore the demon thing is true. However, most of the people who do that are people who would have done it anyway and have RP-ing unrealistically and will probably continue. I think like it might be a nice opener to have the feast, just to kind of get people pumped to post in Hogwarts again. I know a few people were a little upset to not start off Hogwarts with the feast. I, personally, have not RP-ed one yet and would love too, but that is up to you guys. It may be more of a pain than anything with the whole demon thing.

I only made the tail end of Hogwarts last year, so I don't know too much, but maybe if there was a plot that was more student-involved and Hogwarts-centered, people would be more interested? Like, I was trying to get Jack to start sort of a pranking rebellion, just as my own character plot that may also help other charries plot. We have Potter's Army, but after awhile, that may not be enough. Chase and I were discussing how harsh students were treated in the Deathly Hallows and how it may be interesting to have that here. At least it would make things more exciting. I know it is always more exciting when there is a general plot at the least, and the whole Death Eaters running the school may be a little too general to be interesting. So maybe if we could concoct a juicy plot that would involve more students, they would be more willing to post there- though I don;t know why they would not in the first place. I've been busy with classes all day! Haha!

As for how it is monitored, it could be simply through class attendance. A teacher notices one of the students has consistently missed classes, that student gets a warning. It happens again, and they are limited to Hogwarts until they have caught up on posting there and have consistently posted there for a certain amount of time. Of course, I'm speaking as a non-teacher, non-admin so I don't know just how reasonable that is, but a system like that perhaps? I am one of the people who strongly be in "I'd rather let 100 guilt men go free than one innocent man be persecuted" sort of thing, and I feel like this rule very well may hurt some of the site's strongest members because less-committed members decided to get lazy.

And as for discussing it OOC, thank you so much for this too. I feel like this makes it a lot easier to avoid problems. XD

kk, I dunno what character I'm on. But this is all my thoughts RE: returning to hogwarts.

1. Sorting feast - I have two ickles getting sorted, I think a sorting feast would be fun, but not as one mass thread, more like house table threads in the great hall, maybe a big thread for the sorting/feast part?

2. I didn't know what to do after the train ride. Realistically, Caelani should be making kids go to the hospital wing for treatment, but I couldn't do that because I don't know if we have active hospital wing staff.

3. I think all of non-hogwarts should be closed to students EXCEPT Hogsmeade. I think Hogsmeade should stay open and people can just RP there as if it's a Hogsmeade weekend, cos like someone said it would be hard to find a weekend that would suit everyone, and nobody would finish their threads over one weekend anyway.

4. How do people feel about school-wide plots started by students? Just throwing it out there, because I've thought about it, and I know Keith has his sugar and spice thing happening, but it would be great if stuff like this had an official avenue we could take it through, especially if it needed the teachers to not notice something for plot purposes.

I'm not talking about big things like starting factions or killing off characters, by the way, I mean little small things that would realistically happen in a school. Like, if I wanted to start a gobstones club or house pride rally or even to set off a big prank like Fred & George's fireworks.

5. Related to the above, can we have an IC noticeboard thread pinned in the great hall, please?

6. One way to make Hogwarts more active is for the Hogwarts staff to post in the school. Like, if you're a head of house, make a welcome/welcome back speech in your common room.

7. Another way is to finalise things like quidditch captains and prefects (which we should totally bring back - with point giving/taking powers) and get them to start things like tryouts and, I dunno, study groups?

8. OHOHOH, Jack (isthatyou?) just reminded me, have detentions. Make them mandatory to RP if you get one. In fact, I volunteer Ethel for a detention.

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This is turning into a supermassive wall of text. I just want to ask how you think anyone could be "hurt" by having to post in the school when your character is supposed to be in school. Do you mean it would ruin your plot, or that it would make you feel bad, or something else? I'd just like to be clear on exactly what you're trying to say.

I definitely agree with 4, 5, and 8. I have my own ideas for students plots, a notice board could be helpful, and I would LOVE to put Jack in detention!

I mean hurt as in my plot would suffer quite a bit. Most people know Jack's plot is centering a lot around her friendship with Vito and if I was not able to post as Jack outside of Hogwarts, that friendship would cease to exist, or at least be difficult to maintain. And I really can not let that plot drop, because I'm pretty invested into it. That, and I do love posting with grads on this site and I would be very upset to not be able to post as much with them. I mean, understandably, I can't have Jack roaming Knockturn Alley every weekend, but I've always been careful to maintain a clear-ish timeline, and I think that as long as people do that and are realistic and are posting in Hogwarts, they should not be restricted.

Again, with the addressing system.

Bri: My bad, i've started on them now, i'll move into the house common rooms soon, sorry for the muck up

Jack? I think:

That's the only issue i have with it, maybe we could have the teachers trying to quash all mention of it, have it as a sort of cover up thing? No school wants a bad rep like that, do they? It'd be worth a try, if only to explain why some people aren't all shaking and worried, that sort of thing...

And yes, we do like to try and find ways to get plots like that, but we're terribly bad at them, really, that sort of thing can't be pre-determined, and should be run by students such as yourself, hint hint, if you wanted to make a small group of students to run your own little inter-school plot, i'd be open to that, i can't really organise anything like that...

I have been trying to get the teachers to be harsh, like in the Deathly Hallows, but the DEs are so uncooperative

And we've trued class attendance before as well, and it didn't seem to work, though hopefully it could this time round, i'll post something about it in the staff room, give them some instructions on it...

And not a worry, it's the IC things i bring up with members, plot, etc.... you know.

Selwyn:

1) I think if we did a start of term feast we'd not involve the sorting, it's a pain to have to do, though you can have the aftermath. Maybe we'd do the the sorting in different house groups, that does sound like a good idea, but it'd make a lot of work for the HM... maybe if the HoH does the sorting hat for each house? Just an idea, but i think that could work.
And yes, the main thing would be a mass one.

2) Nor did i, i was counting on a bit more of a response from teachers tbh, get over most of the healing stuff while still in that topic... yes, they should be going to the Hospital wing, but maybe we could work it into the aforementioned cover up idea?

3) And yes, i had the same idea about Hogsmeade being impossible for just weekends. However, i had thought that we could do it every fourth week for a week? So School school school hosmeade school school school hogsmeade, etc., that way people appreciate it more, and look forward to it more, instead of it just being there all the time. My experience on this site is that if people think it's special it gets a lot more attention.

4) Spoke about it before, look higher in the post.

5) Yeah, i'll get onto that soon, not just yet though, not much to post on it yet xD

6) I agree, staff do live at the school, i did my best to get their staff room a little more active about a year ago, but all attempts failed >> Around the school would be worth a shot though, at the lake and what not, teachers should have a private life too, xD

7) I'm not sure if we're bringing Prefects back, probably next plot, just not this one, as the DEs are currently in control, i liked the prefects system a lot better personally... Quidditch captains, i'll leave that to Mari, she likes to try and organise all the Quidditch stuff

Great idea, i'd particularly like to make them mandatory, and see how they played out, but some people would be all rawry...

But yes, good idea.

And she meant her plot, i think, and naturally, the disruption of a well thought out plot, be it site or personal, will cause some annoyance/sadfaceishness.

@Jess:

You don't need to apologize, it's an honest mistake. Everybody makes mistakes like that all the time, it's easily fixed as always. As long as you do your adminly duties, no one will get angry.

Yes it 'twas me.

It might make it more of a strain on the students if the staff were too keep it quiet, there would be murmurings and false rumors, and lots of rebellious spirits.

I was not sure whether or not it would be okay to go forward with any plots that may affect the school, because that was my plan with some plot ideas I had, but know I can run with them. I mean if we have, say a half dozen- a dozen, students with their own plots that involve other people and affect the school, we could easily get everyone interested. I'll start working on mine now.

Also, I definitely think the teachers should be harsh. I'm talking Unforgiveable Curses on students and stuff- though I think it would also be very fun to have the old detentions back, and have those RP-ed. I can see that being fun times in the making. (Anyone else thinking Breakfast Club?)

Like I said though, I am still really uneasy with the idea of not being able to post outside Hogwarts except for like once a month. I know I'm not the only one who has a plot that extends past Hogwarts and I'm not going to lie, sometimes that plot is my only motivation to get on the computer. I really don't want it disrupted because people aren't posting in their classes.

Well yeah, we're giving you an oportunity to get this done, if there's an increase, good, if not, *Game show buzzer goes off*

Also, with these mini plots, i do have one pre-requisite. When you make these little groups of people in the plots, don't just do it with your friends, try and involve as many different people in different plots as possible, i'm seeing a lot of people posting the majority of the time with the same few people, and it's really closing opportunities for everyone. That's not aimed at you Jack, so you know, but at the site.

And i'll get onto them about it, hopefully they'll get into it this time...

Jack, would it help if you thought that realistically, your character is in a boarding school and can't just go gallivanting off whenever she likes? I used to work at a boarding school; they're really strict.

I think people who are worried about this are looking at it from the wrong perspective. If it comes to pass, your plot isn't going to be messed up unless you let it be. You still have your plot right there, you just have to figure out a different way of brining it to fruition within the restrictions of the site. You've got to remember when the trio left Hogwarts in Deathly Hallows, they didn't just leave, they dropped out of school. Dropping out is an alternative if you think your plot outside Hogwarts is more important.

I know that kind of sounds like I'm picking on you, but I really mean it as, I guess, creative criticism. There isn't only one way to do something, and if you can figure out one way of making your plot work, you'll figure out another way if you really want to go through with it.

Trust me on this. The first RP character I ever had has had her backstory re-written dozens of times because the site I was on kept bringing in new rules to make the site closer to canon. The admins aren't doing it to be mean or because they're on some big powertrip; it's the normal evolution of the site, because they're learning too.

Short ans sweet... I agree with the suggestion, with the exception being Diagon Alley (and only the Shops), Knocturn Alley (same thing) and Hogsmeade... that is it, everything else should be closed for students while term lasts :-) (it came out longer than expected :-P)