To whoever might read this, whether they were once a part of Faultlines or not,
I have wiped the Faultlines main. It probably doesnât matter, not a year down the track. But I wanted to have my say. Everyone else has had their chance - now itâs my turn.
The reason I âdisappearedâ is because I caught COVID very badly. At the time there werenât many cases in Australia, so I was one of the unlucky few. My recovery has been long, arduous, and frequently painful. To log back in after all this time to find my group ransacked and my idea stolen and transplanted elsewhere absolutely breaks my heart. Not only did you take my entire roleplay, you also dragged my name through the mud. I saw the Discord messages. How could I have sent anonymous hate when I was in hospital? How would I find the time to âstalkâ you when I was struggling to find work? You have acted despicably and without remorse. I am shocked and saddened to see my absence interpreted in the most negative way. I did not abandon you. I put hundreds of hours into this group, why would I just leave? I had pages and pages of notes and plot ideas, of ways to bring our stories together. I was in it for the long haul. But I got sick. And instead of doing the normal thing and - regrettably, but understandably - abandoning ship, you chose to take my whole idea and remake it into your own group. You didnât even make it a private group. Instead, you opened as a public roleplay and used my work. It was Faultlines that brought you all together as writers. You think that doesnât count for something?Â
I wish you had let Faultlines die. But you had to pillage what you could and discredit me in the process. Thank you for making me out to be a callous, frivolous admin. Thanks for being so quick to turn me into a villain. I do not keep grudges, and I donât intend to start now. But I will say this - and at risk of sounding dramatic. Do not write with me again. If you see me in the community, please do not contact me. I know what you think of me. I donât need people like that in my life, not now that Iâve finally got it together again. This is painful to write and my hands are shaking. This group was a labour of love. I doubt I will have a writing experience like it again. I am deeply hurt that you did not give me the benefit of the doubt and instead chose to think the very worst of me.
I should add that this doesnât apply to everyone. As I said, I saw the Discord. I know that not all of you were convinced that pillaging Faultlines was a good idea. And if you were one of those people, thank you. Thank you for being honorable and kind hearted.
I donât know how to end this (I never intended to write this much). I have one last plea: please do not take any more from my work. I am extremely sorry and regretful that things turned out this way. I am particularly angry at the world right now. Fortunately, Iâm better, but many people arenât. I am sorry I got sick and Iâm sorry it fucked up our group. I donât know what else to say.
She CHOSE to leave. So now the game moves on without her, just as it moved on from every other player that's departed. Because that's what groups DO. You know what's disrespectful? Ghosting people for days and weeks on end. Especially when it's being done by someone whom you thought was a friend. That hurts. There has been a LOT of hurt in this group, and Kate has acted a total hero in stepping up to try and heal all of that and carry us forward. You're out of line, anon, and a coward too. (3/3)
Iâm only posting these things because I think that the whole story should be known -- this wasnât a player hijacking a game -- I was someone who V entrusted the role of co-admin to and I have only made decisions with the support and input of the group members.Â
She LEFT with no word to anyone about anything, not a single response on discord or tumblr or anywhere. As Kate said numerous times both here and in the ooc, V is welcome back anytime as both admin and player. All she has to do is message Kate back and return. Since she's not HERE, though, it makes little sense to let a game that has frankly been flourishing in her relative absence since nearly the beginning die simply because of one person's absence. V was not kicked out. V LEFT. (2/3)
In response to the anon coward who's now harassing Kate, I would just like to say that this sort of thing is extremely uncalled for. You're not involved in this situation and don't know anything of what's gone on behind the scenes (and if you DO then come off anon and discuss this with the rest of us like reasonable adults; this decision was made as a group in the ooc and if you didn't like it you should have said something then). How much more "grace" could V have been given? (1/3)
you don't have to post this but seconding the other anon, re-opening draco was harsh. there's a lot of things happening in real life and v taking a step back could be because of any of those things. as the person who built this from the ground up she should have been given more grace. it's disrespectful to kick out the person who MADE the rp. but that's just my two cents. if i was her i'd be pissed.
V's disappearance could be for a lot of reasons, yep! We have no idea what's going on, as we've heard nothing from her and have seen her pop on and not reply to any of our messages. For all we know, she's left tumblr rp forever. We all of use hope that she's okay, and would love to see her again! If she returns and Draco is open, we'd obviously love to have her play him again and would also gladly hand her back total control as the creator of the group, but we can't leave such an important character tangled-up in limbo forever for a player who may or may not ever come back, so in accordance with the activity rules of the game that she created, his character has been re-opened. As a group, weâre just trying to figure out the best way to move forward, and we may not be doing that perfectly because thatâs the reality of humanity, but weâre a little between a rock and a hard place right now.Â
do you have permission from the original admin to continue? i know you're also an admin yourself and was appointed by the creator of the group, but that still doesn't change the fact that this is v's original creation. i don't mean to be overly critical but i hope you understand how this might turn people off!
As co-admin I was entrusted by V to run this group in her absence, and that is what I have tried to do to the best of my abilities and in discussion with our group of players. I would love for V to come back and rejoin us, but as the days passed after her hiatus expired with no responses from her, the rest of us had to make a decision what to do without her. The group elected to keep going, wanting to continue to explore the plots and characters they had built together. Believe me, I tried numerous times to contact V before coming to this decision, which wasn't easy. But for the sake of the game as a whole, we had to move forward without her. We certainly give full credit to V for laying the initial foundations here, and always will! That said, this rp was always -- by V's intention -- meant to be a collaborative plot, one built by all the players together, and a lot of the plots we have moving forward were not just Vâs idea, but actually contributions from other players. And it's in that spirit that we've decided to continue to move forward here, together. I felt like I owed it to this phenomenal group of writers not to give up on them, especially when some of them are so committed to continuing with the characters that they created.Â
hi i've been keeping my eye on this rp for a while and I do want to join but there seems to be people leaving en masse. and now draco malfoy is open, who i do want to apply for but that was the main admin's character? don't want to step on any toes x
hi there, nonnie! It is true that we just opened a bunch of roles, but those were all due to inactivity. we had our main admin kind if disappear, which meant that there was a lot of uncertainty around here that led to people also disappearing. after talking to the remaining group members about what they wanted to do, we decided as a group to remain committed to this rp, so weâre doing a bit of a revamp! if you want to apply for draco, go for it! weâd love to see him on the dash, and you wonât be stepping on any toes!
Congratulations, AJ! You have been accepted for the role of Hermione Granger (FC: Freema Agyeman). Eep, AJ, weâre so excited youâre bringing Hermione back to us! I really appreciated your enthusiasm for her as a character, your grasp on the woman sheâs grown to be and how that is a continuation of the girl we all knew in the books, and your writing sample was wonderful! On a personal note, I appreciated your words of support in our inbox, and thatâs exactly the kind of member I want to join our family! Weâre excited to have you! Welcome once more to Faultlines. Please have a look at our checklist before sending in your character account. You should follow the group tags listed on this page. If you would like to be part of our Discord channel, please join us here. Thank you again for applying, and welcome!
OOC
NAME â AJ.
AGE â 25+.
PRONOUNS â she/her.
TIMEZONE â EST.
SHIPS â Romione is my primary ship, but I also ship Dramione and Harmony. Chemistry is the main thing for me!
ANYTHING ELSE â One of Hermioneâs favorite rituals is to visit Diagon Alley every year just before the start of term, even before she had children of her own. She loves seeing all the excited faces of Hogwarts students getting ready to return to school, as the start of a new term was always her favorite time of year.
IC - Overview
Full name â Hermione Jean Granger
Age (date of birth)Â â 19 September 1979
Gender (pronouns)Â â She/Her
Sexuality â Heterosexual
Blood status â Muggle-born
Former Hogwarts House â Gryffindor
Occupation â Minister of Magic
Marital Status â Married to Ron Weasley
Summary â Safe is a feeling it has taken Hermione a long time to become used to again. While her earliest years were pleasant almost to the point of being boring, it was at Hogwarts that she became acquainted with fear. As the years went on, so much of her time there was marred by fear and worry, and at times outright terror. But it was also there that she learned about the strength of friendship, the importance of standing up for what is right, and the power of people working together for the common good. As Minister of Magic, she sees her role as providing a sense of safety for the whole magical community, above all else. Recent whispers of darkness in the Forbidden Forest threaten that safety that she, Ron, and especially Harry had fought so hard for. But Hermione is nothing if not persistent, and she will find a way to restore peace and calm to the Wizarding World, even if she must take drastic measures to do so.
IC - In Depth
Discussion
âHermione is both exhilarated and terrified by the challenge of her current role as Minister of Magic. She wants so badly to do it well, and some days feels the burden of responsibility as a heavy weight on her shoulders. But she also knows that she can do it well, and this confidence buoys her through the difficult times. She also loves a challenge, and would be bored doing anything that didnât test her intelligence and critical thinking skills thoroughly.
âHermione is a workaholic. She says that she knows this about herself, but sheâs in denial about just how bad it is. She has more than once spent the night at the Ministry as she worked feverishly on a new project or an urgent press release. When an idea for bettering the community takes hold of her, she has difficulty thinking of anything else until she is able to put it into place. This can be incredibly frustrating for her family, although Hermione does try to self-correct her behavior, and is quick to apologize when she has accidentally prioritized work above family.
âIf there is anything Hermione loves more than her job, itâs her family. Before having children, Hermione honestly wasnât sure if she wanted them, as she was so focused on her career. But the moment she held Rose in her arms, she knew she was meant to be a mother, just as much as she was meant to be Minister. Hermioneâs love for her children leaves her breathless with the depth of it sometimes, and theirs are the first faces she thinks of when she worries about the state of the world and the darkness in the shadows. She wants desperately to keep them safe, and for them to have the kind of easy, carefree childhood that her, Ron, and Harry were denied.
âShe is also still hopelessly in love with Ron. Some days she looks at him and itâs like the day she first kissed him, her heart overwhelmed with admiration and affection for this man. He knows her better than anyone else does, and vice versa. This is usually a good thing, except when they are arguing and they know exactly how to push one anotherâs buttons. But then, they had always been too good at that. Theyâve settled into a comfortable routine now, which Hermione hopes doesnât mean theyâve become boring.
âHermione works hard at maintaining the friendships she built during those formative Hogwarts years, making regular opportunities to spend time with Harry, Neville, Ginny, Luna, and others. She blocks it off in her calendar as an appointment, and will only reschedule it if it is of dire necessity.
âJust like in her third year at Hogwarts, Hermione still believes she can do it all. Be a warm and caring mother, a loving wife, a supportive friend, and an accomplished Minister. However, she doesnât have a TimeTurner to help her manage all her scheduling now, and in quiet moments, she admits that she is perhaps not juggling everything as well as she could. It is a lot of plates to keep spinning, after all, and it seems like something is always about to fall. The stress of trying to balance everything has been getting to her more and more lately, especially with her role as Minister of Magic.
âHermione still enjoys the quiet pleasures of life, and when she has a rare moment to herself, she is happiest reading a book and drinking a cup of tea. She has hardly any time to do this lately, and a stack of books sits on the nightstand. She looks at them guiltily every time she remembers how long theyâve been sitting there, unread.
Plots
âI would like to see how Hermione takes on the challenging role of Minister of Magic, particularly in these troubled times. She is someone who believes very highly in her own opinion and knowledge of what is right, and I could see her becoming more forceful in taking actions that others might not agree with, but that she believes are best for the community. I would love to see her explore the tension between wanting to value othersâ opinions and needing to make hard choices to keep everyone safe.
âHermione definitely has too much on her plate. I want to explore how she tries to juggle it all, and how she potentially fails at it. Maybe sheâll have to take some things off her plate, or find new ways to balance everything, or maybe everything just falls apart.
âIâd love to explore the relationship between her and Ron. They grew up together, went through horrific trauma together, and are now raising a family together. Thereâs so much to explore in the depth of their love for each other, as well as the challenges of being with someone who knows you so well, and has seen you in your darkest moments. I also think this is one of the things that Hermione is doing a poor job of balancing, and I would love for there to be some staleness in their relationship, or perhaps tension, due to her neglecting it/prioritizing other things. (If the Ron player is interested in taking it this direction, of course.)
âHermione, like many of her peers, still has significant PTSD from the war. The nightmares had faded to almost nothing, but with whispers of darkness stirring again, theyâve returned. I want to explore her PTSD in a thoughtful, mature way, and hopefully (eventually) bring her to a point of healing. Or perhaps the darkness will only break her further, that would certainly be interesting, too.
âI love the plot that is already outlined on the main, particularly the idea of there being pushback to the actions she is implementing as Minister (i.e. Cerberus). I would love to continue to pursue this idea, and see how she responds to this pushback, and perhaps pushes back even harder herself.
âI am also always open to developing friendships and relationships of any kind! I think it would be especially fun to develop some enemies/rivals; perhaps Purebloods or those who disagree with her actions as Minister.
Extras
A Brief Playlist:
ââI Can Do Better Than Thatâ â The Last Five Years
ââFix Youâ â Coldplay
ââAccidentally in Loveâ â Counting Crows
ââKeep Holding Onâ â Avril Lavigne
ââSingâ â My Chemical Romance
ââCome to Meâ â The GooGoo Dolls (Romione song)
ââSwimâ â Jackâs Mannequin
ââAstonishingâ â Little Women Original Broadway Cast
Congratulations, Anya! You have been accepted for the role of Penelope Clearwater (FC: Yvonne Strahovski). Ahh, Anya! You have had to wait the longest for this because of the chaos thatâs been going on as we figured out what to do as a group, so we are so sorry for that, and appreciate your patience. And I have to say, your Penelope was worth the wait for us! I think you take a character that we know very little about and bring her to life within this application, and Iâm pleased that you have such a great grasp of the plot. Weâre so excited to have you join us! Welcome once more to Faultlines. Please have a look at our checklist before sending in your character account. You should follow the group tags listed on this page. If you would like to be part of our Discord channel, please join us here. Thank you again for applying, and welcome!
OOC
NAME â Anya.
AGE â 20.
PRONOUNS â she/her.
TIMEZONE â PST.
SHIPS â Uhhh- literally nothing specific in mind, so anything with Penelope/Chemistry! But Iâm also down to rehash something with Percy/Penelope if the occasion arises :D (whatever Iâve currently written for them currently is completely flexible for change!)
ANYTHING ELSE â While sheâs atrociously terrible at the sport herself (sheâs nearly been taken out by buldgers twice), Penelope remains an avid quidditch fan and fierce supporter of The Holyhead Harpies. Strangely enough, itâs her muggle father who initially fostered her adoration of the sport, whom after learning of Quidditch through Penelopeâs mother, became quite obsessed. Prior to the recent tightening of restrictions, Penelope used to sneak him to a Harpies match by claiming he was a squib (and crossing her fingers that everyone was distracted enough by the match not to care).
IC - Overview
Full name â Penelope Ann Clearwater
Age â 42 (July 3rd 1977)
Gender â CisFemale (She/Her)
Sexuality â Heterosexual
Blood status â Half-blood
Former Hogwarts House â Ravenclaw
Occupation â Professor of Transfigurations at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry
Summary â Penelope Clearwater, by no means, is a flashy woman. Sheâs study and stable
IC - In Depth
Discussion
Penelope is born in the Welsh countryside, surrounded by lush greenery and rolling pastures as far as the eye can see. Sheâs raised by two doting parents on the family farm thatâs been in her muggle fatherâs family for ages. Taking to farm life incredibly well, Penelopeâs mother is a bright and accomplished witch in her own right, penning numerous research papers comparing and contrasting the behaviors of magical and non-magical creatures. While rightfully stunned by the prospect of magic at first, Penelopeâs father never feared her motherâs magic and even grew to be fascinated by it, taking to the few magical creatures they kept housed at the farm. (Needless to say, the two abraxans on the farm answer to him and him alone)
As per her motherâs magical blood and the presence of magical creatures on the property, for the most part, the Clearwaters keep to themselves, spending most days in their small cottage overlooking the coast. Though Penelope relatively enjoyed helping out around the farm, itâs her younger brother, Peter, whoâs the real magizoologist. Penelope, on the other hand, takes to spellwork. At first it begins with her pouring over her motherâs mostly untouched textbooks and when she starts to show signs of her own magic, Penelope decides she quite likes to push the bounds experimentation for the sake of her own discovery. (Her parents, however, are less than enthralled with her little experiments, after sheâs caught accidentally levitating the entire Clearwater flock of sheep and are grateful their daughter will be receiving proper training soon).
When sheâs sorted into Ravenclaw, just as her mother once had been, no one is particularly surprised and she takes to her house like a moth to a flame. Hogwarts is good to clever minds and thus, Hogwarts is good to her. Penelope finds a mentor in her Head of House, Professor Flitwick and though she does well in nearly all her classes, she takes to charms in particular. She finds she speaks the same language as Professor Flitwick who rewards her creativity with extra credit and house points and encourages her to take risks, even when they donât necessarily pay-off.
Like many of her Ravenclaw peers, she shares a competitive drive for academic success, but the purity of her love for learning seems to temper those urges that could easily become overpowering and harmful. Sheâs certainly not the most popular girl and is far from being the brightest student of her year, but nonetheless, she earns a reputation for being intelligent, creative, and hard-working and she wears it well. In the letter containing her prefect badge Dumbledore comments he sees a splendid balance and maturity in her that is rather uncommon for a witch her age (and sheâs kept that letter tucked among her things until this very day). Her 5th year at Hogwarts goes swimminglyâ she grows close with Percy Weasley, whoâs a bit stiff but kind, ambitious, and brave, nonetheless. They share a certain maturity and understanding she finds lacking in her peers and she finds herself falling for him.
If her 5th year at Hogwarts was her best year, then her 6th year was certainly her worst. The year begins innocently enoughâ kissing Percy in deserted classrooms and attending quidditch matches. Sheâs even enjoying all of her N.E.W.T.-level clases (Charms, Transfigurations, Care of Magical Creatures, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Muggle Studies) but then suddenly everything changes. When Hermione deduces that a Basilisk has been released at Hogwarts, she cannot deny the curiosity within herself that aches to know more. (Besides, rumor has it that the Basilisk is hunting muggleborns and she figures that as a half-blood, being with Hermione ought to provide some protection.) She devises a plan to utilize her ornate mirror (a Clearwater antique) to look around corners and then something goes terribly, terribly wrong.
Penelope touches death that day.
She doesnât remember much about being petrified, just that suddenly everything was still and cold and she thinks that this is what it must feel like to be buried alive. Sheâs eventually revived, but something changes in her after the attack. Perhaps itâs because she takes full responsibility for the entire ordeal or perhaps it was because she now carries a little bit of fear in her every step. Either way, she canât shake the feeling that she had failed her job as Prefect and failed Hermione as a friend and there was nothing she could do about it. The trauma from the attack takes a toll on other parts of her lifeâ her grades begin to slip and begins to lose interest in the things she once loved the most, pulling out of all her clubs and away from even her closest friends. Percy, however, bless his heart, sticks by her side (or rather, refuses to let her pull away), always at the ready with another story about one of his brotherâs mishaps or his future plans in life. He makes her laugh and distracts her from her own desire for isolation. For better or worse, sheâs never needed someone more.
The summer after her 6th year is a much needed break. She returns to the farm and to her family and life begins to feel a little more normal, but she feels the worst of damage has already been done. She barely scrapes by in her grades for the year, bidding farewell to her chance at Head Girl, but by some miracle Professor Dumbledore allows her to maintain her position as Prefect (and sheâs clings on to it tightly).
For the most part, 6th year feels like a restart, the restart she needs to hit the ground running, but thereâs something she feels that is stopping her in her tracks. Professor Flitwick is a gentle man and an even gentler spirit but for the first time in her entire Hogwarts experience, she feels lost in her mentorâs world. What was once her wheelhouse, her playground, her sandbox, had become equal parts stifling and frightening. Whatever passion she had once had for creation and experimentation had been petrified away by the Basilisk and all she really wanted now was for her magic to have structure and be precise.
And like most things in life, she finds structure and precision in an unexpected place. One day, after class, Professor McGonagall often-handedly comments that she seems to have developed a recent aptitude for transfigurations and asks if Penelope would be interested in tutoring some of her more troubled students. Sheâs a bit hesitant to accept at first (especially given how her last rendezvous with a younger student went), but after a bit of thought, she agrees to take on the role. Teaching, as it turns out, is something she quite likes (and if Professor McGonagall has anything to say about it, sheâs quite good at it too). Initially, Penelope had taken transfigurations as a way to strengthen her spellwork for charms, but there was something a little more predictable about it that put her ease. She finds a renewed love for magic in transfigurations and with that, a renewed love for life.
At her graduation at Hogwarts, Transfiguration Today awards her their Most Promising Newcomer award as well as a prestigious research assistantship with The Improper Use of Magic Office. She and Percy spend every lunch break together at the Ministry discussing their respective new roles, but where Percy seems to thrive within the political culture of the ministry, for the first time in a long time, Penelope years for the purity of learning and discovery. Thereâs no big fight, no last straw and so, when she and Percy inevitably begin to float apart, itâs somber, but not unamicable by any means. And when they share their final kiss, itâs as though sheâs kissing goodbye to her entire childhoodâ the good, the bad, the ugly. Itâs undoubtedly bittersweet, but fond, nonetheless.
Regardless, Penelope is ready to move forward in her life. Thus, when Professor McGonagall takes over as headmistress of Hogwarts, leaving an opening for a new Transfigurations professor at Hogwarts, Penelope jumps at the chance to reclaim her passion for her work. With a glowing letter of recommendation from Professor Flitwick in tow, Professor McGonagalls drops all formalities and offers her the position on the spot with the broadest smile sheâs ever seen the woman smile. Teaching is the most fulfilling role Penelopeâs ever had and she quickly decides thereâs nothing else sheâd rather do. And when Neville takes over as Headmaster, Penelope wishes she could be happier (because she respects and appreciates him very much) but she canât help but mourn the removal of one of her dearest mentors. But above anything, she likes being in the classroom and refuses to sacrifice that for a political mess she has no desire to sink her feet into.
Penelope is an objectively good teacher. She has a way of explaining complicated concepts that actually engages students as opposed to frightening them. With that said, while Penelope isnât a particularly demanding professor, nothing irks her more than a student who isnât exercising their full potential. She likes to say that âin transfigurations, laziness is endangerment of the soulâ and will unflinchingly make you write a 10-page essay on the history of transfiguration mishaps as punishment for slacking off. Penelope is a stickler for student safety (arguably more than necessary) and students are known to dread the first day of her class when she goes over all her rules and regulations of her class (her N.E.W.T.-level students have unironically memorized this lecture by heart). Still, sheâs an incredibly forgiving professor and while that forgiveness is occasionally abused by a student here and there, her capacity for empathy is renowned among the student body.
Plots
While I imagine Penelope was initially a staunch supporter of Minister Granger (having personally known Hermione in her school years), I believe that more recent activities by the Ministry have her questioning that loyalty. In particular, the recent restrictions between the muggle and magical world, have given her reason to reevaluate her prior stance, especially given her close relationship with her muggle father. Itâll be interesting to see how others opinions may further sway her in one direction or another.
I would love for Penelope, who truly believes in the sanctity and purity of learning, to have to be faced with a situation where as a professor, playing politics becomes unavoidable. For one reason or another, I think it would be fascinating to see her forced back into that arena she detests so much (especially because she does have a few years of red tape and ministry experience under her belt).
On that note, I would love to explore Penelopeâs connections as a professor. This would extend to her relationships with her colleagues (especially her fellow faculty) as well as former students/the parents of her current students!
I think the trauma of being petrified still sticks with Penelope even now. So I would like to explore how that trauma manifests itself now? Is it the overprotectiveness she has for her students? Or maybe is it her growing to sympathize with the Cerberus program (if it means protecting the lives of more people)? Maybe itâs something else entirely?
Do you have any ideas for unpopular gold-era male characters around 35-45 that can be a neutral/slight baddie oriented? I have a wild concept I want to explore but I can't find a character that is vague enough for it to work. A family name is also enough, one that wasn't really expanded upon.
oooooh, Iâm highly intrigued!! some names that I found are Marcus Flint, Anthony Goldstein, Michael Corner, Eddie Carmichael, Adrian Pucey, Kenneth Towler. Let me know if you need some more digging, but I did find this link helpful.
why do you have a weekly schedule if you are not going to be sticking to it? I don't mean to come off as ruuuude but people write apps and get them in before the deadline because we're excited to join and delaying acceptances has the opposite affect :(
I totally get that, nonnie! Ordinarily weâre pretty good about sticking to the weekly schedule, but sometimes real life gets in the way, and Iâm not about to tell my husband that he canât take me on the date he has planned because I have to be home to do acceptances. Iâm very sorry for delaying, but itâll only be by like 12 hours!
