To help players and potential players figure our where their character will place in the world, we have compiled a list of all the current characters' jobs below. More information on the Ministry of Magic Departments specifically can be found here.

( Current Jobs )

These characters have been played before, and have prior in-game backstories. Anyone applying for these characters must be willing to abide by the established in-game backstory and plots. Anyone applying for these characters should thus read all of that character's previous threads in the main community, and please request further information from the mods (lostmodteam@gmail.com) before applying.

Note: The length of this list is due to a recent mass exodus by several players. We would like to regain most of these characters as soon as possible, as many of them left in the middle of or just about to begin important plots for their characters.

All characters must follow backstory established in game. The mods will gladly - and most likely automatically - send you information on the character (through PM).

Characters in italics are on hold.

A	B	C	D
Augusta Longbottom - Never played, but has a son and daughter-in-law who would like a word with her (massive misunderstandings ahoy!), and hopefully her grandson will be back soon as well.	Bartemius Crouch Sr - Rarely played, is an Unspeakable with opportunity to explore the Department of Mysteries as most characters will never have.	Cho Chang - Member of a non-Order resistance group that nonetheless works with the Order, Cho is the liaison between the two. Has a relationship with Ron. Colin Creevey - Rarely played, but quite interesing as a Muggleborn who believes his powers make him a superhero.	Dean Thomas - Muggleborn in the Order. Has a relationship with Percy. Friends with Susan.
E	F	G	H
Emmeline Vance - Adopted sister of Evan Rosier, and they have an... interesting relationship. Evan Rosier - Is Head of the Department for the Regulation, Control and Destruction of Magical Creatures if the new player so wishes to keep him as such, and an interesting relationship with his adopted sister, Emmeline Vance.	Fenrir Greyback - Narcissa Malfoy had an affair with him that caused her to leave her husband, but now she's left Fenrir. We imagine he's not happy about that! Also has a waiting plot involving werewolf attacks and biting at least one PC. Potential here for a very intriguing plot for a player willing to spend time and effort on it and him. Fleur Delacour - Works as a liaison between England and France. Order supporter. Had a relationship with Bill. Frank Longbottom - Married to Alice. Has a son, Neville, and daughter Lily. Lives in the safehouse and works on Diagon Alley as a street performer.	George Weasley - Has involved backstory including a loving adoptive family imprisoned by the Ministry, membership in the Order of the Phoenix and a tumultuous, brief membership in a more violent resistance group... a membership that did not end well. Lives with girlfriend Padma Patil. Has not met his birth family yet (at least not knowing he has). Ginny Weasley - Has friends and family who desperately want her back, and a boyfriend, too! The only Weasley child raised entirely by her parents. Gregory Goyle - Works at Club Avalon. Trying to be an Auror-in-Training and being trained/tutored in charms, his weakness, by Nymphadora Tonks. In a relationship with Cassie Crewe who lives with him. Gwenog Jones - Rarely played. Has in-game story with Demelza Robbins (one night stand, very drunk, she had no idea the girl was underage!), as well as much rage at being unable to play Quidditch professionally because of her half-blood status.	Hannah Abbott - Waitress at the Leaky Cauldron, sort-of friends with Parvati, and Neville wants his Hannah! (on hold until December 2nd)
I	J	K	L
		Kingsley Shacklebolt - Has an important position with the Order, as well as unfinished plots with Walden Macnair (personal, intense, and angsty) and Susan Bones (personal, mentor-student relationship).
M	N	O	P
Marcus Flint - In-game backstory involving a funeral home and being a mortician, which must be kept, but may always be expanded on.	Neville Longbottom - Has an ongoing plot with discovering his family (including little sister Lily), and the Order, as well as a strange sort of friendship with Ron. Oh, and Hannah wants her Neville!		Padma Patil - Has a shop on Diagon Alley, a romantic relationship with George Weasley (also recasting!), and her sisterly relationship with Parvati is strained due to many factors. Pansy Parkinson - Assistant to Bella Lestrange. Loyalist. (on until Dec 1) Peter Pettigrew - Ministry employee. Works to invent new, more effective and less messy ways to kill people at the camps.
Q	R	S	T
	Rabastan Lestrange - Ex-husband of Astra. Father of Malachi and Thalia (father-in-law of Balise). Works as a lawyer. Is in a relationship with Regulus Black. Rodolphus Lestrange - Married to Bellatrix. Head of the Department of Magical Experimentation. Worked at "destroying" things since Voldemort's rise to power and has recently changed his tasks to trying to help patients at St. Mungo's.		Theodore Nott - Loyalist who is living with the Order as a spy for the Ministry. Dating Ginny Weasley.
U	V	W	X
	Y	Z

IWL is in need of several types of original characters who are important for keeping the game running smoothly. These characters will always have opportunity to be involved in various plots, though they may not be involved in every plot. Some OCs we need are merely characters that fit into character types, while others are requested OCs from current players in the game. We've separated the lists by these two categories.

Character Types:

--Ministry personnel in all departments
--Order members
--Members of other resistance groups (with players willing to help flesh out these groups and plot for them)
--Prisoners and guards for the breeding camps (there is an established society within the breeding camps, it just needs characters to flesh it out!)
--Patients and staff for St. Mungos (staff includes Healers and the bureaucratic types... the world of magical-medical experimentation awaits!)
--Reporters for the Daily Prophet (will be expected to write articles in-character)
--Werewolves
--Characters to become victims of werewolf attacks
--Undiscovered Muggleborn characters, both temporary and intended to be permanent
--Half-blood characters who suffer under the strictures of the blood status decrees
--Known Muggleborn characters who likewise suffer
--Cannon fodder

Requested OCs

--An Editor-in-Chief for the Daily Prophet

Please email the mod team before applying for any of these types of OCs. There may be information available that cannot be shared here. lostmodteam@gmail.com

Some information on Aurors and Death Eaters, courtesy of Elizabeth (somewhat edited):

( Read more... )

What to Do Now


This page is designed to help newly accepted players get around and do everything they need to get started in the game. There’s a lot, and it’s just easier to have it all listed in one place.

1) These are things you should have read before you applied, but in case you missed one, here’s the list of them again.

General Rules – Please reply with a comment from your character account to say you have read and understand these rules.
Rules of Respect – Again, please reply with your character journal to say you’ve read these rules and understand them.
Mod Team Promises
Premise and Plot Expectations
Character Guide

Ministry of Magic Departments - A description of each Department under the rule of Voldemort. An important read especially if your character works in the Ministry.
Information on Death Eaters and Aurors - the differences between the two, and how they're publicly perceived.
Safe House Assignments - Which Order members are assigned to live in which safe house. Each safe house is run by one person. Occupants may change depending on several factors (some have left the Order permanently, some have left to be spies, etc.).

2) There are also a few communities you will need to join:

if_we_lost – The main community, where all the action will take place.
iwl_players – The community for players, where mods will make announcements and players can post their Character Sheets, announce hiatuses and such. Please be sure to keep tabs on this community, as, again, this is where we make our modly announcements.
iwl_ooc - The OOC community for this game, where we players let loose, and sometimes the characters, too. Players will find everything from chatting about NaNoWriMo to the Dear Macnair advice column. Just be advised: insanity abounds here. We are an... interesting group. ;) The community for any non-plotting posts and thread. You can post either in or out of character.

3) Now for the other journals you should watch with all of your character journals, and we recommend you watch with your personal journal as well:

lost_modteam
lostdailyproph
lost_npc

4) With all that done, it’s time to fill out your Character Sheet. Please fill it out in full. Feel free to use the Harry Potter Lexicon as a reference for canon characters and canon events, and when you’re done, post your CS in iwl_players.

5) Now you should really go about friending all the other characters with your character journal. We have a friending console to help you.

6) Get to know your fellow players by checking out the Master Contact List.

7) For any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at lostmodteam@gmail.com.

Temporary Characters


What if you’re not sure this is the game for you? You could be in luck. if_we_lost has five temporary character slots for Unknown Muggleborn OCs to help you decide whether or not you like our game; we also get to decide if you fit with us. No strings attached.

How it Works

You look around, you sort of like the premise, but you’re just not sure if you would fit well in this game with everything else that’s been going on. So you decide to apply for a temporary character.

First, check this entry. At the bottom you will find all temporary character accounts listed. This will tell you if there are any temporary character slots available.

If there are, then you may use the application below to apply for one of them. This character must be original, and will be an Unknown Muggleborn; this means they are a Muggleborn witch or wizard who, because of Voldemort’s anti-Muggleborn decrees, never found out what they were and never attended Hogwarts. This character can be any age from ten up. Remember, just because this is a temporary character doesn't mean you can slack on the imagination; this character will either become permanent, or will suffer a tragic fate. Either way, they should be fleshed out and real so we care about what happens to them.

If your temporary character is accepted, you will then be given one of the temporary character accounts with which to explore the game, post as your Unknown Muggleborn as they discover their power and run afoul of Death Eaters. Temporary characters will always end up the focus of a Hunting plot; hunted by both Death Eaters and the Order of the Phoenix once their power has grown beyond hiding.

The Hunt will only happen when a decision has been made. If you, as the player, decide you like the game and want to stay, and if the mod team thinks you’re a good fit with the game, then you have two choices.

One is to allow your temporary character to be killed or sent to a breeding camp by Death Eaters, or shipped out of the country by the Order, and then apply for a more permanent character (canon or OC).

Two is to ask the mod team if your temporary character can become a permanent character. If the mod team agrees, then you’ll be given a long-form application and character sheet to fill out, and given a named account for your character.

In either case, you will relinquish the temporary character account to be opened for use by another potential player.

The maximum amount of time any player can hold a temporary character is three months. By that time, if the player has not made their decision known, the mod team will either ask that player to make a decision, or inform that player they are no longer part of the game and take back possession of the temporary account.

If this sounds like an interesting way to introduce yourself to our game, please fill out the application below, then email it to lostmodteam@gmail.com.





About You:

Name:
LJ Name:
Y!M username:
AIM username:
Email:
Location (Time Zone):
Birthday (all players must be at least 18 years of age):
Previous RP Experience:
About Your Character:

Character Name:
Age:
Brief Physical Description (include PB choice if you have one):
Brief Personality Description:

Brief History of your character:

How active do think you will be in the game? How frequently do you envision posting or participating in a thread?
Sample post of 300-500 words or so:

Character Guide

This character guide is intended to help potential players better understand what we’re looking for in characters and in players. Some of this will be repetition from the general rules, but if it is, then be certain we consider it important enough to repeat.

Character Limit:

Yes, any one player is limited to only seven characters. This is to preserve everyone’s sanity: yours, ours, and all the other players’. We do not want anyone overburdened with game responsibilities. If you have very involved IRL commitments (job, school, etc.), then we strongly suggest only taking one or two characters.

AU:

Yes, this game is obviously AU (Alternate Universe). Lily and Harry Potter are dead, James is alive, and Voldemort has taken over the Wizarding world. How could it not be AU?

Angst Puppies:

How could it not be dark, dramatic and angsty, for that matter? We want it to be, and we completely expect players to take advantage of the creative opportunities offered by this premise. Anyone applying for this game should at least have a healthy tolerance for drama and angst, and if not enjoy reveling in them all the time, then be willing to participate when plot considerations make angst necessary. All of the characters’ lives have been altered, most of them for the worst.

Character Types:

The links provided on the profile page of the main community are there to help you better understand the world in which your characters will be living and moving about. The Daily Prophet archives can help especially, because the information found there can help you decide what sort of character you would prefer to play within the game’s structure. To further help, here is a list of the types of OCs (Original Characters) permitted in this game:

Unknown Muggleborns (adults, teenagers, children) who do not know what they are and are in danger of being discovered by Death Eaters before the Order. These characters will be temporary only, and will have a high mortality rate.
Rescued Muggleborns who are on their way out of the country, but may refuse to leave. These characters used to be Unknowns, and may become permanent characters if the player and the mod team agree.
Captured Muggleborns also used to be Unknowns, and will be killed or sent to breeding camps. Captured Muggleborns sent to breeding camps may later become permanent if the player and mod tem agree, and thus may be rescued if the Order stages a break-in and break-out of breeding camps.
Trained Muggleborns, who were rescued years before by the Order and are back in the country (or coming back to the country) to join the fight. Few of these will be accepted.
Squibs, who will not be in the main actions but could make themselves useful in the way of Mrs. Figg.
Order Half-bloods, who have thrown their lot in with the Order rather than suffer the indignity of Voldemort's decrees.
Non-Order Half-bloods who have decided they'd rather live the life given them by Voldemort than die for a lost cause.
Loyalist Purebloods who were born to their families and have always been loyal to Voldemort (but whose loyalties may shift in the course of the game).
Adopted Purebloods who were taken from their homes for whatever reason and raised by a loyalist family.
Blood-traitors of course who have never agreed with Voldemort and have chosen to fight him and his regime to the bitter end. Some will have already been marked by Voldemort’s Death Eaters, and some will have escaped marking so far, but will be marked if captured.
Spies can be pureblood, half-blood, or even Muggleborn. These characters will be so well ingrained in their cover lives, no one will know who they are (this includes other players; the mod team will be the only players who will know which characters are spies and for what side), and finding them will be part of the plot.

Please be aware that Unknown Muggleborns are intended to be temporary charactesr that will eventually become either Rescued or Captured. For more information on temporary characters, please click here.

Within those categories, of course, your character can be anything suiting their caste level: a Healer at St. Mungo's, a reporter for the Daily Prophet, a Ministry official, a maid, a butler, anything you can think of within reason.

Character Building Considerations:

For the other types of OCs, and for deciding the details of changed histories for canon characters, please exercise both creativity and common sense. There are many ways in which Kingsley Shacklebolt’s life could be altered, but we seriously doubt any of them will lead him to table-dancing in a pink frilly thong as a male stripper. It might be a fun image, but it just isn’t within the real of the realistic. Basically, any changes made to a canon character’s history must make sense both based on their canon personality and within the context of the game.

Original characters have somewhat more leeway, but their personalities and histories must also make sense within the game. Their species as well; yes, you may play a centaur, a giant, or a house elf if you want, but you may not play an angel, a demon, cat-boy, or anything that does not fit within the Harry Potter universe. AU does not mean crack!plot.

Please be aware that many canon characters may already have a definite place in this AU based solely on their loyalties and personalities. Examples of such characters would include McGonagall, Shacklebolt, and Molly and Arthur Weasley—who will most certainly still be aligned with the Order—and the Malfoy family, who are definitely still aligned with Voldemort. Certain characters with more moral ambiguity (Draco, for instance, or Mundungus Fletcher), may switch sides during gameplay depending on events.

Most characters of Harry’s generation will be up in the air as far as their loyalties go, considering they grew up under Voldemort’s rule and know nothing else, yet are also old enough to have their own opinions and morality. When deciding on these characters’ affiliations, there are several factors to consider, such as where they grew up, the affiliations of their parents and how close they were with their parents, how impressionable that particular characters it, and so forth. Draco will have been raised by his loyalist parents, probably having seen murder and torture from a young age, and this will affect him. Likewise only opposite for the older Weasley children (though Percy might be an exception given his odd-ball-out personality). Children of neutral parents—parents who may not necessarily agree with Voldemort but do not fight him either, in order to spare themselves and their families trouble—can go either way depending on the strength of their personalities, and how much of the propaganda they absorb at the Voldemort-controlled Hogwarts.

Characters younger than Harry’s generation still have those same considerations, though the younger they get the more likely they are to get caught up in the Voldemort propaganda. Some canon characters younger than Harry’s generation might not even exist.

Some Exceptions:

There are a few characters the mod team would like to discuss with players who want to apply for them, as these characters are complicated, and may not follow the standards of the rest. Two examples of these characters are Snape and Percy.

Expectations:

Don’t have them.

Canon characters who were important in the books may not be as important in this game. Side characters from the books who may not have been so important may find themselves more important in this game. All characters have a chance to be important, and that importance may wax and wane depending on the plot. We recommend that no one come in to this game with the expectation that any character of theirs will be the center of all the action.

Please, please, for the love of all that is holy, do not come in to this game with the expectation that your character will be romantically or otherwise connected with any other character (Ron/Hermione, Ron/Draco, Sirius/Remus, Snape/Anyone, Anyone/Anyone shippers, we are looking at you). There is a very good possibility, if that character is already in play, he or she may already be in a relationship with someone else. Or, that player may not want to pair their character with yours, or with anyone. Any canon relationships are hereby officially null and void.

There are only two exceptions: 1) if your character was canonically married to someone before the time Voldemort took over and changed the Wizarding world (and even this isn’t a sure thing, as many marriages would surely have been strained or otherwise broken apart by the changes in their world); 2) if you know the player who plays that character, and you both have agreed it will be that way.

While we appreciate and encourage gay, lesbian, and bisexual characters, we don’t want them to overrun the game any more than we want heterosexual characters to overrun the game, because we do want it all to be as realistic as possible in an AU setting. Not everyone is gay, lesbian, or even bi, and not everyone is straight. The world just doesn’t work that way, people. So please, keep that in mind.

Conclusion

We want everyone to have fun, but we are definitely a certain type of game looking for a certain type of player, a player who wants to use their common sense combined with imagination to play in a believable, fleshed-out alternate version of the Harry Potter universe.

Ministry of Magic Departments

Department of Magical Games and Sports – Responsible for the organization of all professional games and sports in the Wizarding world, including Quidditch. For the most part, this is one of the departments least affected by the takeover, though there has been discussion of setting up a Roman-style Colosseum with blood-traitors, Muggleborns and the occasional Muggle as gladiators. Death Eaters like blood sports. –Head, James Potter.

Department for the Control of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes - Used to be the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. This department is mainly in charge of covering up magical assassinations in the Muggle world by making them look like mundane accidents, natural disasters, or terrorist attacks. They are also in charge to a lesser degree of setting certain types of magical disasters as well as controlling them for the purposes of keeping the population in line. They also an eye on actual accidents and catastrophes to make certain the population is not affected in an adverse way--any more than the Department wishes them to be, anyway. “Accidents” and catastrophes in this department are often tools with which to control the population. –Head, Lucius Malfoy.

Department of International Magical Coercion - Used to be the Department of International Magical Cooperation. Voldemort is not interested in international cooperation, but he is interested in coercing and threatening the Ministries of other countries into doing his bidding. This department is filled with Death Eater ambassadors to other countries, who go under the pretense of cooperation, but make it very clear that Voldemort would have no problem with crushing them. –Head, Edward Mulciber.

Department of Magical Law Enforcement - This department has supposedly changed little, though everyone knows better. It still contains Hit Wizards (regular investigators) and Aurors (the muscle who do the arresting), but there is a higher tier of Aurors now, completely comprised of Death Eaters. These Aurors are responsible for hunting down blood-traitors and hunting Unknown Muggleborns. No one knows for sure these “Aurors” exist, but everyone at least suspects the Aurors have been terribly corrupted. –Head, Bartemius Crouch, Jr.

Department of Propaganda – Responsible for keeping the loyalists loyal—especially those who are not Death Eaters, and thus always subject to suspicion—through the Daily Prophet and other forms of media, such as books, magazines, radio and theatre. They are responsible for approving all forms of information before it hits the general public, and for deciding what forms of entertainment and information are banned. –Head, OPEN.

Department of Magical Transportation – Controls and regulates magical transportation in the Wizarding world. This department is responsible for keeping track of Apparition, broom-ownership and Floo Network licenses. If a Mudblood or half-blood violates the ban on magical transportation, this is the department responsible for tracking the violation and reporting it to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. –Head, Alecto Carrow.

Department for the Regulation, Control and Destruction of Magical Creatures – Used to be the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. This department is responsible for registering and tracking all non-human magical creatures within the Wizarding world, such as house-elves, werewolves, giants, etc. For magical creatures not on Voldemort’s side—centaurs, for example—destruction is the only option. –Head, Evan Rosier.

Department of Mysteries – This is the only Department Voldemort is simply unable to completely fathom or change. Death Eaters and strong Voldemort loyalists are completely locked out of this Department, unable to enter or to retrieve any Untouchables who have entered. –Head, NPC.

Department of Magical Experimentation – An entirely new department, it has two main offices: an office in the Ministry building that focuses primarily on curses and hexes (i.e. creating new ones or modifying already existing ones); and one located in the new Magical Experimentation wing at St. Mungo’s, focused primarily on magical biological experimentation. In other words, the long-term effects of new curses/hexes/etc. on the body. There is a sub-department specifically for curses, one for hexes, one for jinxes, and one for defensive spells (with subjects used to test the effectiveness of the defense). There is a new sub-department now for potion experimentation, and this sub-department is headed by Peter Pettigrew. –Head, Rodolphus Lestrange.

More information about who works where in and out of the Ministry Department can be found here.

Please fill out the following application, in full (put "none" or "N/A" where appropriate), and email to lostmodteam@gmail.com.

About You:

Name:

LJ Name:

Y!M username:

AIM username:

Email:

Location (Time Zone):

Birthday (all players must be at least 18 years of age):

Previous RP Experience:


About Your Character:

Character Applying for:

Age:

Brief Physical Description (include PB choice if you have one):

Brief Personality Description (please include a short explanation of any reasons their personality might differ extremely from canon):

Affiliation (Death Eaters, Order of the Phoenix, etc.):

Brief History of your character, especially including the events between Voldemort’s takeover and now:

We are completely AU. In a world were James Potter lived and Lily and Harry Potter died, where Voldemort rules from the Ministry, how do you see your character fitting? This is where you may elaborate in depth on reasons your character may differ in personality and affiliation than in canon.

What plots would you like to see involving your character? This includes personal plots and the over-all game plot.

How active do you see your character being? How frequently do you envision posting or participating in a thread?

Sample post of 300-500 words or so (an original scene/reflection from the point of view of the character you're applying for, please):

Characters

Open characters are any character of any generation that could reasonably be alive in the year 1998 1999, in which our game takes place. For example, Sirius and Regulus Black are alive because the circumstances surrounding their deaths either never happened, or were altered significantly enough for them to survive. James Potter’s parents and Ariana Dumbledore are not alive because their deaths were unrelated to the events. Colin Creevey is alive, for the same reason as Sirius.

What follows is our list of most wanted characters, then characters open for recasting, a list of suggested OCs, a list of held characters, then our list of temporary character spots. “Held characters” are characters that have been requested for a five day hold and are waiting on an application.

Most wanted characters with an asterisk (*) by their names are characters about which the mods want to speak with any potential player before they apply for that character (they have something established in game with a current character or a place in the game plot the mods need want the potential applicants to be aware of being applying).

If the character is not on the Held list, on our Current Character List, or if they could conceivably be alive in 1998 1999, then they are open for application, even if they are not listed on the most wanted characters (we would just prefer to fill those character spots first). If you would like to place a five day hold on any character while you put together an application, please comment to this post.

Any character can be applied for at any time.

To see our list of already taken characters, click here

--------------------

Most Wanted Characters

Aberforth Dumbledore
Alastor Moody*
Alicia Spinnet
Amycus Carrow*
Angelina Johnson
Augustus Rookwood

Gilderoy Lockhart

Horace Slughorn

Justin Finch-Fletchley

Katie Bell

Lee Jordan

Michael Corner
Minerva McGonagall*

Oliver Wood

Rosemerta

Seamus Finnigan
Sibyll Trelawney

Terry Boot

Viktor Krum*
Vincent Crabbe*

Xenophilius Lovegood

Zacharias Smith
------------------------

Characters Open for Recasting

This section has moved here

-------------------------

OCs

This section has moved here


-------------------------
Currently on Hold

Hannah Abbott (on hold until December 2)
Pansy Parkinson (on hold until Dec 1)

----------------------

Current Temporary Characters

Character LJ//Character Name//PB

lost_temp1 - Tom Toadstool
lost_temp2 -
lost_temp3 - Darla Wood
lost_temp4 - OPEN
lost_temp5 - Anaïs Lawley
lost_temp6 - OPEN

----------------------

Once your character is approved, please fill out this character sheet in full to give us a better, deeper understanding of your character's past and motivations.

**Note: If your character is a spy for either side, do not include that information here.

Player Info:

Name:
Personal LJ:
AIM and/or YiM:
Email:
Time Zone/Location:
Availability for Playing:



Basics


Name:
Nicknames:
Age:
Birthday:
Astrological Sign:
Gender:
Wand:
House:
Year that character finished Hogwarts:
Patronus:
What would he/she see in the Mirror of Erised?
What would he/she see if faced with a boggart?


Social Status


Bloodline:
Caste (this may be the same as bloodline, but not necessarily):
Member of the Government/Private Citizen/In Hiding?:


Politics:

Affiliations/Memberships:
For/Against Voldemort?:
For/Against the Order?
Politically Active/Inactive?:


Health


Eyesight:
Hearing:
Left/Right/Ambi:
Disabilities/Handicaps:
Physical Health:


Psychology


IQ:
Extrovert/Introvert:
Phobias/Fears:
Mental Health:


Personality


Goals/Dreams:
Likes:
Dislikes:
First Impression:


Family


Parents:
Spouse:
Children:
Siblings:
Pets:


Background


Occupation:
Education:
Home:
Finances:


History


Personal History:
How has this character changed from the way he/she was depicted in canon?


Academia and Career


Excellent/Good/Mediocre/Poor Student?
Good at Job?
Does this character's performance accurately reflect their intelligence?
Most talented in:
Struggles with:
Favourite class during Hogwarts years:
Favourite instructor:
Other magical oddities/abilities:



Appearance


Weight:.
Height:
Eyes:
Hair:
Face & Complexion:
Build:
Defining Marks:
Dress Style:
Possessions always on this person:
Manner of Speech:
Manner of Movement:


Romantic


Marital Status:
Ever Had sex:
Sexual Preference:
Turn ons:
Turn offs:
Past Relationships:


Morality


Ever been drunk:
Lied to a boyfriend/girlfriend:
Cheated on a boyfriend/girlfriend:
Gotten into a fight:
Been a hypocrite in the past:
Opinion on the Dark Arts:
Opinion of Voldemort:
Opinion of the Order:


Favorites


Person:
Animal:
Book:
Colour:
Drink:
Food:
Music:
Scent:
Thing To Do:


Least Favorite


Person:
Animal:
Book:
Color:
Drink:
Food:
Flower:
Music:
Scent:
Thing To Do:

Premise and Plot Expectations

Premise

if_we_lost is a dark, AU Harry Potter RPG. In our setting, Voldemort won the Wizarding world early in his campaign, and the infamous Halloween in Godric’s Hollow went very differently. As James Potter was imprisoned in Azkaban along with Sirius Black, no one was there to give Lily Potter the time to run to her infant son and protect him with her life. Lily and Harry were both killed by Voldemort that night, and with Harry went the Wizarding world’s single fragile hope.

Our game starts seventeen years later, when Voldemort’s grip on his kingdom is at its height, strong and unshakable. There are no “Mudbloods” at Hogwarts anymore; Muggleborns are not invited to an education in witchcraft and wizardry. As a result, new Muggleborn witches and wizards wander England without knowing what they are or what they can do; those who discover their power are instantly in danger of being tracked down by Death Eaters, and end up pawns in the war between Voldemort and the Order.

The Order of the Phoenix lives in hiding, weak and weakening further with each passing year as Voldemort wipes out all resistance. People who will stand and fight grow fewer, and the Order’s options are limited.

In every day life, the new caste system makes life good for some, and unspeakably hard for most. Purebloods are at the top of the list of course, and those who are loyal to Voldemort, whether members of his Death Eaters or not, have great power and influence. Blood-traitors are hunted down mercilessly and marked, then released in humiliation to know they can be hunted down again for nothing more than the sport. Half-bloods live under severe societal and economic constraints, while already known Muggleborns are slaves, with no rights and no freedoms.

Keep reading to determine if this is the game for you.

Plot Expectations

The overall plot concerns the ongoing struggle of the Order to survive, and defeat Voldemort once and forever.

Expected smaller plots include:

--Hunts for Unknown Muggleborns who have alerted the Death Eaters and Order to their presence with bursts of magic.
--Break-outs from Azkaban and Voldemort’s breeding camps.
--Individual missions given to certain characters on both sides, to be divulged only at that time.
--The search for spies on both sides.
--Any personal plots concocted by various players.
--Plots concocted by players after gameplay begins.

Several groups expected to plot have their own private communities: the Order, Voldemort’s Death Eaters, the Hogwarts staff and the Hogwarts students. These communities are OOC only, no playing allowed. Within these communities, the players can plot amongst themselves for events they would like to set against the other side (the Order against the Death Eaters, vice versa, and the Hogwarts students against the loyalist staff and vice versa). Each community will be moderated by one of the game’s mods. All plots discussed within the community stay within the community. The point is for each side to be able to plot against the other in true secrecy. Any plot discussed within these communities must be approved by the mods before being executed, and characters for the opposite side are expected to react appropriately.

Spies operating for both sides will have access to information for both sides, but what information they are allowed to use, and when and where, is completely at the mods’ discretion. No spy may use any information they have unless specifically told by a mod to do so; this keeps the information from being spread throughout the community and the Wizarding world willy-nilly.

Original Unknown Muggleborn characters are expected to have a high mortality rate due to being temporary characters only.

During certain plots, injuries and deaths will be necessary. Injuries will be at the player’s discretion, though we do remind all players that a player who goes too long without allowing their character(s) to be harmed in any way will be suspected of godmodding.

No character will be killed without the player’s permission; however, depending on the plot, the specific events, and after careful discussion and consideration on the part of the mods, sometimes players will be asked to consider the possibility of killing a character. Again, this will only be asked after lengthy discussion and careful consideration. It will never be done arbitrarily, always for a purpose. No player will be forced to say yes, and no character will ever be killed after a player has said no. However, we do remind everyone that this is a game set in the middle of a war—though it’s an underground war, and one side has a distinct advantage—and it would be utterly unrealistic to expect no casualties from the many battles and other events that will occur during gameplay.

For further information, please read our Character Guide.

Having come from other games where the moderation teams were pushy, control-seeking, lashed out from stress, and sometimes were simply insane, we know what it’s like to feel you can’t trust your mods.

Rest assured, we don’t want that to happen here. We want to be trusted mods, who take into consideration the needs of the game and the needs of the players, because these two things are not mutually exclusive. There will be times the needs of the game outweigh the needs of a single player, but we understand this will not be true in all or even most situations. We also understand that communication between the mod team and the players is vital.

As with all of the rules, things may be added or changed according to game-specific experience.

So we are going to make a few promises to you, the players.



--We promise to be as open and forthcoming as is possible in a game where there is an overall plot, the details of which the players do not know.

--We promise to do our best to look at all aspects of a complaint, to look at both sides and to be as fair as possible with our decisions.

--We promise to remember that just because a player may not agree with something, that doesn’t mean that player is simply looking to cause trouble.

--We promise to do our best to engender trust within the game community. This means between us and the players, and to help the players trust each other.

--We promise to follow the Rules of Respect as closely as we expect everyone else to follow them.

Respect is important in all aspects of a community RPG like this one. This is a group of people (maybe even a large one, if we’re lucky) working together toward a common goal. If this game is to survive and thrive, everyone needs to understand where they stand with everyone else. This does not apply only to the general player, it applies to us as the mods as well. As with the general rules, there is the possibility of additions or changes based on game-specific experiences.

So, we have devised a set of Rules of Respect that are to be followed by all members of this game, including us. These are things that can really be considered common courtesy.



--Always talk to one another calmly and politely, even when you’re upset.

--Never make assumptions about another player’s motivations. Ask. Politely.

--If someone asks you about your motivations, do not get defensive. Remember that they cannot read your mind, and must ask if they are to know.

--Act and speak as politely as possible in all situations. A little politeness really does do wonders.

--Profanity is fun and dandy in play or between friends, but not recommended for solving problems.

--Remember that the other players are as human and fallible as you.

--Remember that other players often have real-life issues, and real-life will always be more important than an RPG.

--Conversely, if you have real-life issues, please post a hiatus message to let everyone know you will be unavailable or slow in responding.

--If you have real-life issues, or are stressed because of game responsibilities, please do not allow your stress, anger, frustration, etc. to control how you interact with the other players. Lashing out at someone because of an unrelated situation never helps anything.

--Also, if you are unhappy with the way you have been treated by any player, if you have a complaint about anyone, please take a day or two to really think about why you’re upset or unhappy. You might find it’s not as big a deal as you thought.

--For those who may find their real life intruding on the game too much and too often: Please consider what is best not only for the game, but for you as a person. This game will never be more important than your family, your marriage/relationship, your non-game friends, your work or schoolwork, or any number of other things that take precedence. We would much rather you quit the game outright than languish in player limbo.

These are the rules of the game. We’ve tried to word them as plainly as possible, and cover all possible contingencies. We know this isn’t actually possible, but we’ve done our best; be aware that this means, yes, there might be rules added after gameplay begins. If this happens, we will make an announcement bringing attention to the addition, or the change.

Also, these rules are the result of a combination of common sense and personal experience in past games. If something seems very specific, it's because we've run across that problem as players in previous games, and have decided we will not tolerate it in our game.

Lastly, yes we know we will probably come across as somewhat dictatorial. It’s on purpose. Think of us as your benign dictators. There’s plenty of things we will be lenient about, and plenty of other things we will not be lenient about. Please trust us when we say there was lengthy and in-depth discussion over where there should be leniency and where there should be stringency, and we always took into account what would be best for the game. We are being upfront and honest about this, and doing our very best to be open about what we will and will not control.

With all of that out of the way, here are the rules:

Application

--Please fill out the application in full. If there are parts of the application that do not apply to your character for whatever reason, do not leave it blank, put "N/A" or "Does not apply" or something similar. For the sample post, please write an original sample. Links to threads in other games will not suffice.

--Please do not send more than one application at a time. This is to keep us poor mods from being swamped, as we do tend to receive several applications at once.

--Please wait until you've posted at least once as a new character before applying for a new one.

Characters

--The limit for the number of characters one player can have is three for the first month. After one month, if the player proves consistently active well above the minimum, then their character limit will be upped by two, for five characters total. At the end of their second month of play, if the player still proves consistently active above the minimum, then all character limits are removed. However, the mods reserve the right to deny any current player a new character based on their activity levels.

--Characters should generally have the same canon traits they had in the books; if your character was stubborn, they should still be stubborn even if the circumstances make it manifest differently. A character who always had hope should still be hopeful, barring any backstory or in-game events that have broken them. Canon is nice, but we understand that we’ve moved beyond canon into new territory. Keep it as canon as you can, and always, always have an explanation for why something may not be as it was in canon. If it makes sense, we’ll probably let you have it.

--Also remember that the game is AU (Alternate Universe). Lily and Harry are dead, and Voldemort is in power. From approximately six months before the deaths of Lily and Harry Potter, events took radically different paths than they did in canon. As a result, many characters who died after that point in canon could still be alive (and thus are open for applications), and some who lived might be dead. Voldemort in power and the decrees he’s passed have changed a lot of things for most characters, especially those who are young enough to have grown up completely under Voldemort’s control.

--Thus, think very carefully about your character’s backstory. We are interested in seeing how well you can play a canon character in a non-canon environment, and we encourage creativity (within reason) in deciding what alternate route your character’s life has taken (we doubt seriously that Kingsley Shacklebolt will end up a male stripper, for instance). It’s a fine balancing act, and some characters will come with less canon personality and more room to play. Those who do have a lot to work from in canon, though, should act completely within their canon-described personalities, only under different circumstances.

--Please do not come into the game with any preconceived ideas of what sort of romantic relationships your character will be involved in, and with whom. The other character may already be in gameplay and be with someone else, the player for that character may not be interested, and you would be limiting your character's options. The exceptions to this are characters who were already married during the Marauder's era in canon: Molly and Arthur Weasley, Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy, etc.

-- Original Characters will be subject to recasting. Once they are in the game by doing at least two scenes, they belong to the game. Just like the character journals belong to the game. We understand you made them for the game, but it's unfair for you to expect us just to have characters drop off the face of the game.

Gameplay

--There is, of course, the usual no godmodding rule that applies. We do, however, understand that there is a difference between “hey, we two players know each other well and know what’s acceptable” or “hey, we talked about setting up this thread this way” and “My character is going to haul off and smack the crap out of yours even though I didn’t ask you if it was all right because I hate you.” The first two are acceptable. The third, and any variation thereof, is not.

--By the way, if someone’s character has an opinion about your character that happens to be negative, they’re not godmodding you. If you’ve chosen to play your character in a way that is bound to garner overwhelmingly negative responses, then be prepared to deal with the consequences. As nice as we are, and as understanding as we want to be, we have no sympathy for players of the sort who think their characters shit sunshine and rainbow bunny rabbits, even when they’re being complete jerks.

--There’s also the issue of info-modding or meta-gaming. This is a form of godmodding that occurs when your character knows something he or she couldn’t possibly know within the realm of canon and reason. If you’re going to have your character know something that should be secret, have a really good, sound line of reasoning prepared. As long as it makes sense, there shouldn’t be a problem. If you want your character to know something that should be secret, but don’t know how to have them know it believably, feel free to talk to one of the mods. We’ll try to help you find a way, but if we can’t then you’ll have to deal with the fact that your character just can’t have the information.


Threading/Tagging/Posting

--We aren’t the thread police. Everyone appreciates a good post/tag with brilliant description and dialogue, something to work with, but sometimes short is best. It just depends on the situation.

--The "we aren't the thread police" thing applies to tag length. When it comes to making certain everyone participates, and no threads are dropped? Yes, we are the thread police. It can take a while to finish threads, and that's fine. We won't bug you so long as you actually help move the thread towards an end. But... do not drop a thread. It's rude, it's bad playing, and no one likes it. If you're tired of a particular thread, speak up and say something to the player or players with you in the thread. You can either work out a quick ending (but please, an actual ending, we'd prefer not to just end in the middle of a scene), or in the case of multi-character threads, work out a quick way to get your character out so the rest can go on without you. In case you can't tell by the length of this rule, dropped threads is a serious pet peeve with us. We do reserve the right to talk to a player if it seems they've dropped a thread, and tell them to pay more attention. It will be uncomfortable for everyone involved, so it's probably best to just avoid it by not dropping your threads.

--For the love of Merlin, please do not use textspeak, leetspeak, LOLcat, or any other internet form of communication. We’re all educated here.

--This is an English-language game, and all players should be able to type in English fluently.

--Even though this is a Harry Potter game, we’re not going to require you use British English or British slang. If you want to, that’s fine, just if you’re going to, then try to do so consistently.

--Please use the following header at the beginning of all posts:

Date:
Characters:
Location:
Public/Private:
Summary:
Complete/Incomplete:

--Please put the body of your post under an LJ cut: < lj – cut text = “text here” > without spaces except for the one between “cut” and “text.” End the post with < / lj – cut > without spaces.

For your convenience, here is the header pre-formatted:
<b>Date:</b> <b>Characters:</b> <b>Location:</b> <b>Public/Private:</b> <b>Summary:</b> <b>Status:</b> <lj-cut text="TEXT HERE">


Participation

--All players must be active in at least one thread in a two week time period. That means if two weeks have gone by since your last activity, you’re probably in trouble.

Clarification: This is not to say we only expect you to participate once every two weeks, or that you may tag a single thread once a week and be considered active. Most of our players are vastly more active than that; we're a very busy game, there are constant threads going on, and players usually find themselves involved in more than one at a time. Any player you get involved with will likely expect a response within a day or two at most. The mods do keep track of complete and incomplete threads, so we will be asking around to see who is keeping up and who isn't. You just won't be in danger of getting your characters taken away until two weeks have gone by without any participation and no notification of hiatus.

Further Clarification: We are an extremely active game. We can tolerate players who are less active than once a week only for so long. If we believe your lack of inactivity is hurting the game in any way, and is consistent, we reserve the right to discuss this with you, and if your performance does not improve, we will ask you to leave.

--We highly recommend contact with other players as soon as possible after joining, for the purposes of plotting for your character and getting to know your fellow players.

--To that end, there are chats almost every night for the players who wish to join. It is not mandatory for players to participate in these chats, as most of the time they are just for fun and not plotting, but it is highly recommended to participate. Knowing your fellow players is vital to becoming a tight, active part of any game, and this one is no exception. Besides, they're fun!

--If you know you’re going to be inactive for more than a day or so, be courteous enough to let any players with whom you are threading know, so they’ll know not to expect a tag in that time.

Clarification: This is just common courtesy. If you're going on vacation for the weekend, and you've got characters in the middle of a scene, it's just nice to let those other players know you won't be responding until you get back.

--If you know you’re going to be inactive for more than the two week period, send an email to the mods and post a hiatus message in the players’ community.

Clarification: This is actually a rule. Doing this will keep you from losing your characters (as per the rule immediately below this one). Of course, if it becomes one hiatus after another with no end in sight, you'll probably be asked to give up your characters anyway.

--If you have been inactive for two weeks with no communication with the mods, then you will be placed on probation for another two weeks. If your activity level does not pick up in two more weeks, you will be asked to leave the game.

--Characters freed by vacating players will be offered first to current players before being added to the open characters list for recasting.

--We understand that real life issues often come at you quick, and will always take precedence. However, it is simple and common courtesy to make the mods and any players you’re threading or plotting with aware that you are on hiatus. The participation rules for this game give you a total of one month to type up a quick email to the mods, and unless you are completely bereft of internet access you should be able to handle that much.

--Should you actually be completely bereft of internet access and any other way of contacting the mods, and return after the allotted month with a really good reason for your absence, we could be convinced to let you reclaim any of your characters that haven’t been recast. If all of your characters have been recast, then you would be welcome to apply for new ones.

--If you dropped out due to inactivity once, and we let you back in because of you’re amazingly good reason you were gone without any form of warning, then you do the same thing again, you will not be allowed back again.

--Remember, if you burn a player once, even the most trusting of players will be reluctant to thread with you again. That goes for not tagging in a timely and consistent manner, and also for harassing a player for tags after only a few hours. Give that person a day or two at least.

--Bottom line, we want players who are as dedicated to this game as we are. We understand real life issues, but if they're going to keep you away from the game too often, then think twice about applying. This is for you, and for us.



Complaints


--If you have a complaint against another player for any reason, please do not begin harassing that player; remember the Rules of Respect.

--Take two or three days to consider all aspects of your complaint; it’s possible you’ll find it isn’t as troublesome as you thought.

--After thinking about it for a few days, if you’ve decided it’s something that needs to be discussed, please approach the other player about it first, and do so in as calm a manner as possible, again remembering the Rules of Respect.

--If you and the other player are unable to reach a compromise and/or understanding, at that point you may email the mod team to make an official complaint.

--However, understand that if you make an official complaint, and especially if you choose to do so without first approaching the other player yourself, the identity of the complaining player will be made known to the player the complaint is about. We are not in the business of keeping secrets, or of being conspiratorial mods. The legal system in the U.S., where the mods are from, gives everyone the right to face their accuser. The same will hold true in this game. It is our sincere hope that most players will be able to work out their differences amongst themselves by behaving like mature adults.

--Any decisions made by the mods may be appealed once. To do so, all one has to do is email the mods asking for the chance to appeal a decision. The mods will set a date for a chat in one week, giving the player that amount of time to gather a well-thought out and convincing argument. However, if the mods are not convinced by the player’s appeal, then the decision stands.