#charahelp

[elysiumhq]

is this basically just a college version of hogwarts?

in simple terms, yes, in more complicated terms no. it’s a college version of hogwarts in the sense that it’s a university for witches and wizards and hogwarts is a middle and high school for witches and wizards. but i think that’s where the similarities end. elysium is closer to an average, modern day university than it is to hogwarts, not to mention the issue of location, interaction with the outside world, etc, so i would say that coming into it with the assumptions and expectations of just a college version of hogwarts might keep you from seeing a lot of what i think makes elysium unique! 

[elysiumhq]

since this rpg is set in modern day, but takes cues from harry potter, where does the plot stand on modern day music, clothes, technology, etc?

the cues from harry potter are only applied to the types/styles of magic and construction of the world (with a ministry of magic-type organization that oversees a lot of the magic world affairs) so outside of that, everything is modern day and all the media/clothing/etc is intact, exactly as it is for us!

[elysiumhq]

it says that as characters age and get to know their powers better, they can use their minds rather than wands. at what age/grade would a witch/wizard be considered powerful enough to do magic without a wand and how would it manifest itself? (just thinking about it, using a hand, etc.)

so, wandless magic is introduced as an official course once students become sophomores and is taken as an all year course for two years (sophomore and junior year) before they are assumed to be at an age that they can develop the power on their own and use what they were taught in those two years independently. that being said, just because elysium decides it’s at sophomore year that they want to start offering the course doesn’t mean it’s at age 19, 20 only that a witch/wizard has amassed enough power to do it. some show the skill a bit earlier (maybe 16, 17) while others (especially students who had no magical training prior to elysium) show the skill much, much later and may even require a tutor or an extra year of the class (advanced wandless magic iii – only offered when the demand is there) to work on it. it all depends on the individual, really — but the standard age historically that young witches and wizards have shown the ability to control their magic without a wand is 18-20. elysium only offers it at 19+ during sophomore year because they want the freshmen to focus more on settling in and getting to know this new life. 

as for how it manifests, it is a combination of using a hand and just thinking about it. the way wandless magic works is rather than saying your spells out loud and waving a wand to make them happen, you use mental energy and think a spell and channel your energy through your self rather than your wand (because the wand isn’t what has the magic, it’s you!). and what elysium seeks to teach students is how to make the thinking and flow of magic automatic enough that you don’t have to recite the spell in your mind but can simply make things happen. there will be some spells where just thinking it is enough and no hand action is required; like, for example, a spell that makes the lights go out in a large area. but for more precise spells, spells that a witch or wizard would prefer to limit to a single person or thing or area, using a hand and directing it at the object is encouraged, especially in the earlier years. since students are so used to having a wand to point and channel their energy through, making them jump from the wand to just straight thinking it can be difficult and disastrous. so using the hand sort of eases them away from the wand while maintaining the control that having a wand allowed them. and really, both styles of wandless magic ( and styles that combine the two ) are accepted. witches and wizards aren’t expected to EITHER just think it or think it and use their hand; they can do both or only one and it is still considered mastered wandless magic. 

ps. just because elysium stops formally teaching students how to practice wandless magic by senior year doesn’t mean that a) they have perfected it or b) have no other ways to practice it. most witches and wizards don’t perfect wandless magic until they are much older — so elysium’s purpose is to force the students out on their own to develop on their own. but no senior is perfect at wandless magic ; by a lot of outside world standards, they are still novices. 

[elysiumhq]

so just before opening i got a couple of last minute questions and rather than answer them one by one, i’m answering them all at once since a lot of it is related to the school year / the way things run in school! read below the cut for all my long winded answers!

what is the timing of the rp?

if you’re asking, like, where in the school year we’re starting, it is in real time -- so right now, at elysium, it is october 7th, 2015 and the school year has been going on for just under a month and midterms are probably coming up soon for students taking one-semester classes.

are students sorted into their houses like hogwarts?

nope! the house you go into is based on your element, which you indicate on your application to elysium because most, if not all, students going to the university know their element by this age. the only ones that don’t are those that have had no contact with other magical people until getting to campus -- a rarity, though.

will there be roommates?

yes! but only for freshmen -- after that, you aren’t required to have a roommate though the option is available. elysium simply wants first years to have someone to connect with since the transition can definitely be hard.

can we have frats?

if people want them, we definitely can! once more accounts come in, i’ll have a vote and see if the majority would be interested in some magic frats and sororities! 

[elysiumhq]

CHARACTER HELP #3: magical kids in non-magical families.

so, this will be a short post about life for magical kids from non-magical families for those people who want to create a character that fits that description. you can interpret this information however you want to to fit into your muse’s background and as always, if there are questions, don’t hesitate to ask! 

the main thing to know: there is a worldwide ministry dedicated to keeping tabs on magical kids from non-magical families as to a) help them learn about and deal with their powers and b) educate their families. the standard procedure of this ministry is simple: when a magical child is born to a non-magical family, the ministry reaches out to the parents to explain the situation and introduce them to a network that will get them the information they need to raise their child. if the parents accept this reality and the help that comes with it, easy peasy, they have unlimited resources to help their child and can take care of them.

but in a case where the parents don’t believe it or choose to ignore it, the ministry is required by law to back off until the point that the child begins to display their magical ability. then, the ministry reaches out to the parents again and once again, if the parents do not believe it, the ministry must back off -- however, they do not stop watching over the child. so should a situation become dangerous to a magical kid because of their parents’ reactions to their magic, the ministry can step in. otherwise, they must wait until the child is of legal age OR independent of their parents ( through running away, being kicked out, etc ) to get involved. some examples include sending “strangers” to interact with the child and steer them towards resources or anonymous packages. 

[elysiumhq]

CHARACTER HELP #2: magic.

so, i probably don’t have to tell y’all how important magic is to this universe. this post is meant to sort of explain how magic works for the elysium students, especially in regards to the elemental aspects.

simply put, the elemental magic is the primary magic for all witches and wizards in this verse. it is your connection to the natural world and the energy/spirit that exists in it that allows you to practice magic at all. however, for the matter of fairness and equality, when most witches and wizards look in the media or go to school or tutoring, etc., the magic that is focused on is the general magic -- the things you can do as a result of your elemental magic but are not necessarily element-related. so the ability to make things levitate with a spell, for example, is a depiction of magic that is common in the magical world because any wizard or witch can do it and it is a basic spell. 

so the things that would fall under general magic in this verse are the things that we see a lot in the harry potter verse: making charms, spells and potions, primarily. basically most of the skills and powers that we see in harry potter counts as the general magic that all witches and wizards know. and it must be emphasized that within that general magic is magic that is related to the elements; for example, spells that can start a fire or create water out of thin air. NOTE THAT ALL WIZARDS AND WITCHES CAN PRACTICE THOSE SPELLS. it is not limited to only those of the element -- in other words, any wizard and witch can create water with a spell but only a water element wizard or witch can control and manipulate that water.

now, for elemental magic, the biggest thing to know is that the older a wizard or witch becomes, the stronger their elemental magic becomes. and with that strength comes control and precision ( if they are properly training ) and so, most older wizards and witches can begin to forgo a wand and channel their magic through themselves. they can cast their spells with a flick of the wrist and manipulate their elements with a thought. elysium is dedicated primarily to helping its students begin that process.  if there are any questions about this, feel free to ask!

[elysiumhq]

what are some common traits of each of the houses? stigmas or stereotypes ppl have? could you liken them to the hogwart's houses for reference? thank u !!

hmm, this is a great question. i’ll be honest and say that there is no strict delineation for traits and stuff as there is for the hogwarts houses, so likening them will be hard, but i will try for you!! i think the fire house would be the closest thing to slytherin that elysium has. they don’t carry the same kind of snooty, holier-than-thou or even bad guy image but they definitely could be considered the darker house full of cunning and very goal-oriented people primarily. like even their physical house/dorm has that kind of looming elegance that slytherin had, you know? then the earth house would be gryffindor — grounded, strong, trustworthy. earth house students are probably known to be honest as hell. then, you have the air house which is considered to be filled with people who, no pun intended, have their heads in the clouds. they can be very distracted, scatterbrained people, curious about a million different things at once but that doesn’t make them any less formidable people. so i would liken them to ravenclaw. and finally the water house would obviously be hufflepuff, but i don’t know, the comparison isn’t exact. i see the water house students as having a reputation for being very unpredictable but reliable people at the same time. they probably are also known to be incredibly passionate and intense personalities but all the same, they return to that same reliability and dependability. but like you said this would all be stereotypes so big big disclaimer that if your character DOESN’T fit into this, there is nothing wrong with them. there’s no need to make a correlation between an element / house and a muse’s traits if you don’t want to! this is all about what outsiders looking in assume about a student based on their house and honestly, i’d love to see characters that stray away from this! it would be a super interesting thing for them to tackle, having so many people look at them sideways because they don’t fit the stereotypes. hope this helped! 

[elysiumhq]

does the element the character is connected effect like their personality or anything like that?

sure it can in some cases! but really, the elemental magic is arbitrary and is more about the individual soul than anything else ; people of the same element can have very different personalities while people of different elements can have very similar personalities. but you can feel free to find reasoning for your character to be in the house you’re putting them in based on their personality or build their personality based on the house you want them to be in, that connection is 100% up to you.