Hello, and welcome to Merlin's Academy for Excellence. Rules are important to us because it creates a guideline to avoid any conflicts. Please be mindful that, while we are friendly, we are rather strict about the following. If at any moment you see someone breaking any rule, and it's impacting your time here, feel free to PM an Admin/Mod.
The Rules
1. UsernamePlease make the username your character's first and last name, including a space.
Do not use things like ‘Puff4Ever’ or HarryPotter312. You may choose to put your character’s full name, such as 'Alexander Kline' even though you have him go by 'Alex' in the game, or you may just use ‘Alex Kline’.Please refrain from direct use of characters from other fandoms - i.e. naming your character Bilbo Baggins, claiming Martin Freeman as the Face Claim, and creating a backstory that is similar to his. There are other fandoms for these characters to live in. If you have any questions, please reach out to an admin.
2. RP StylePlease make sure to write in
third person, past tense. We ask this because it proves to be a better experience than writing in first person. The thoughts of your character may be in first person, of course. Here's an example:
It was the weekend, and Brooke was facing a few decisions. Shall I go out with my friends or do my homework? she wondered, wanting to do both, but knowing she only had time for one. Finally, she made up her mind; she would spend time with her boyfriend. Now, what should I wear? she thought to herself, moving towards her cupboard.3. Please respect everyone.It is important for you to understand that there is absolutely no bullying. It's alright for your characters to be nasty to each other in character and during role-play, but outside of game, fighting or swearing (with harmful intention) will result in you being banned for up to a month, depending on how severe it is.
4. Word count for postsWhen roleplaying, there is a minimum of
100 words per post, in the areas for
in character RP. While this may seem like a lot to some people, it really isn't once you factor in physical actions, dialogue, thoughts, and perception of others' actions and surroundings. By writing more, it makes posting with others easier, since you give your writing partner more to work with. You will also usually receive more in return.
If you are having trouble meeting this word count, feel free to ask an admin or moderator for tips and suggestions, or any other writer on the site!
5. Character realismPlease be mindful of your character's age and experience in matters of magical abilities and knowledge. While this site does not focus on Hogwarts-age students, there still needs to be a difference between the students and professors at the Academy. We ask that you be as realistic as possible when interacting with others, and when building your character. Respect your superiors in game, and take the opportunities of being younger and less experienced as ways to develop your character. If there are any questions about what is appropriate, feel free to ask an admin or a moderator.
Also please keep in mind that we may have to PM you to ask that you change some details to be more realistic. This does not mean that your characters are bad, so please don’t worry; we just want things to be fair for all, and having characters without (or with very few) flaws would not be fair for others.
6a. Trigger warningsPlease put warnings on topics that have content that is rated higher than PG-13. Warnings in the title ensure that members who do not wish to read it may avoid it. For example: (Mature themes), (Violence), etc. This also applies to: Drinking, Drug Use, or Extreme Language (if it is excessive). There is an Adult Section available, for those that choose to utilize it, in which you may post any material you wish. This area of the forum is permission based only, so that the Admin team may ensure that only those wishing to view its threads have access. If you are interested in access to this area, simply speak with an Admin.
6a. LabellingWhen it comes to giving titles to your threads, you may have noticed some odd additions in brackets. For those of you who are confused with what these are or how to use them, here are some guidelines and general RP courtesy when it comes to titles for your threads:
A Day of Fun (open) - anyone can enter; once taken, it should be considered closed and if more people wish to join, the two currently threading should be contacted
A Day of Fun (open for all) - anyone can enter; there is no limit to how many people join.
A Day of Fun (open to 3) - anyone can enter; it is limited to the number of people listed.
A Day of Fun (closed) - not open; nobody can post. You can also use this if you’re unsure which character is posting or are reserving the thread for someone who hasn’t decided which character they are going to use. In this case, you can give permission to these people to post. Alternatively, you can just put ([hander name]’s characters).
A Day of Fun (Amerix, Janine, and Scarlett) - only this/these character(s) can post. Normally, threads like these are created after two people have already decided to thread and not randomly set up. You can use ship names and or nicknames of characters as long as there is no confusion as to which characters should be joining. For example, if there are two people with the nickname ‘Sam’, do either add a last name or put the full name for clarification.7. Number of characters allowedIn order for you to be able to build up your characters, and to allow you the best possible RP experience, MAE requests a maximum number of
3 characters per handler. If you wish to have more after this, a PM to an admin is required. The PM should state the reasons a the additional character is wanted and the basic plot for said character. This rule applies to any and all characters made after the third. The word of an admin will be the final say. You may resubmit a request after one (1) month.
(Added 4/26/15)This rule does not apply, of course, to NPCs (non-playable characters). These are basically characters that are mentioned but don't have an actual account. Examples would be parents, children, or even friends. NPCs should be used only as a means to drive plot and not as a character by themselve, meaning that all posts should focus more on the main character than on NPCs.
[Note: If you already have more than three (i.e. You had three or more characters before this rule was added) the rule will apply to you from now onward. That is, if you want to make another character, you will need to PM an Admin as stated above.]8. No godmodding!We stand by this rule and we will give you a warning if we see it or are told of it (with evidence). If you don't already know, here is an explanation of what it means:
"God Modding" (or GM) is, in essence, when someone’s character has the ability to do practically anything without limits or boundaries, basically giving them god-like abiltites. This applies to:
-Killing or injuring a character without the player's express permission.
-Stating that your character can’t be hit or harmed by any/all spells.
-Controlling another person's character without their consent.
-Responding to a character's thoughts which are not spoken, as if your character has read their mind. (This is a common one, due to the format of rping here. A good way to avoid this is to double check that you are responding only to what the other character is saying or physically doing.)GM is bad for so many reasons, the main one being it’s impolite and unethical as a writer. Imagine if someone started controlling your character without your permission! You wouldn’t like it, so please do extend the same common courtesy to others. If you are unsure what is considered GM or not, please do double check with an admin, or go to
this link (click here!).
If, however, after plotting, you are allowed to write the reaction of the another character not your own that isn't stated in a previous post, please do include a note for us that indicates as such, so that we are aware.
For example:
Codey was walking around in campus when he spotted the newest Professor wandering around and decided to approach her. "Hello, Waters," he greeted. "Do you need any help?"
She gave him a tiny smile and nodded. "Yes, please," she replied, beginning to explain how she had gotten lost.
[[OOC: Permission to GM Scarlett given by Maddie]]9. AdvertisingWe understand that some of you are experienced RP-ers, who frequent other sites, or may have one of your own. We welcome sister sights, but ask that any promotion of other pages be done in the OOC section. Also, promotion should stay out of the chatbox. Mentions of another site is perfectly fine, but please don't bully others to join. They don't enjoy it, and it will be grounds for suspension. We expect that any promotion for another site should also include our site being promoted on that one as well. If you simply follow the directions in the Advertising area, it will be greatly appreciated.
10. ChatboxThe chatbox on this site is considered a public area. While a person needs to be a user to log on, there should never be any expectation of privacy in the chatbox. Anything that is said, therefore, is done of your own volition. Admins/Mods have the ability to clear the chatbox at any time, but are in no way required to do so. If for whatever reason you feel that someone has bullied you or broken a rule in chatbox, please do keep a copy of the conversation and PM an admin.
Chatbox should also be a friendly place, so when there are many people in there, please try to talk about light topics that include everyone. It is perfectly fine to get into in depth discussions with friends or others if you are the only ones there, but we do ask that you ensure nobody is getting offended and that, once others join, the topic is discontinued.
11. Site ContinuityThis site does stretch out of the HP canon a bit more than others. Because of this, the Admin/Mod team work hard to make decisions on what can/can't be done on this site, to work towards our intended plot for the site. If there are any questions about what your characters can do, or you have ideas that you would like to see in this new world we are working in, please feel free to PM an Admin/Mod. We will discuss it, and get back to you with our answer.
12. Working adults/Non-StudentsDue to the nature of this site, it is to be assumed that a university education is needed to be hired into the field in any one of the four majors available at MAE. In other words, if you are an employed Healer, Potioneer, Dragon Trainer, Auror, or etc, you must have gone to an accredited university (even if it is not MAE) to receive your education. Otherwise, there would be no point in having a University in the first place. This rule applies to MAE professors as well. If there are any questions about this, please contact an admin.
Of course, we understand that in the real world there are extremely gifted people that make it without studying or attending University, and so if we feel you won’t be using this to make an overpowered character, we may make an exception. Therefore, if you would like to make a character that is an exception to this rule, please also PM an admin or speak to us in the chatbox. However, as it is very rare for this to happen, it will also be rare in game, so be prepared to be rejected. Admin word is final.
(Added 1/25/15)13. Please respect Admins and Moderators.We work hard to keep the site up to date and we would appreciate it if you showed us the same respect we show to you. If you do not feel that you were treated appropriately by a member of the Admin/Mod Team, please message another one with your concerns and it will be addressed by the team as a whole.
Make your characters, plot with others, meet new people, write, and most importantly,
have fun!
If you have any suggestions, complaints, requests, or anything else you want to tell us, please do not hesitate to contact an admin - namely, Maddie, Lor, or Melanie. Our main admin profiles are (respectively) Scarlett Waters, Carmilla Fürstenberg, and Codey Ellingston.
Lastly, welcome to MAE! We hope you enjoy it here.