New first years - class FAQ on OOC Questions and Comments

Professor Skies

April 05, 2013 10:23 AM

New first years - class FAQ by Professor Skies

Hello all and welcome to Sonora!

This is the Out of Character Page, meaning things here are mostly written as our authors, rather than our characters. News about the site, e.g. classes being posted, people going away, goes here. That said, we will be using this page for some 'in character' work during this thread, which means you will write posts as your characters. This post is an introduction to class threads – some dos and don'ts – written Out of Character (OOC). There will then be a class post done In Character (IC) for you all to try your hand at and where I will offer feedback. This is primarily aimed at new authors, although any existing authors who would like to work on new characters in this way are welcome to do so, as long as they have been submitted and accepted to the site.

A general FAQ about roleplaying at this site can be found here: http://www.sonoramagic.net/faq.html

Now, on with the class tutorial....

The Class Basics

How do classes work?
Classes are posted by professors and the students write responses in which their character attempts the assignment that has been set. The basic class rules are that your posts must be well-written, 200 words minimum and realistic. You are awarded house points for your efforts in class, and these are given based on HOW WELL WRITTEN the post is, not what the character has done. That is, a character who completes the assignment perfectly but in a post that is short or unrealistic will receive fewer points than a well-written, detailed post about the character struggling or making mistakes.

How much time should my post cover?
This is a tricky one, as it's very variable. You certainly do not have to cover the entire lesson in one post, and people very rarely do this. A good rule of thumb is 'how long would it be before someone else became involved in this interaction?' Your character might try the spell
a few times then see how their neighbour is doing, for example. If you write the entire lesson
in one post, someone may try to backtrack a bit and say they started a conversation with you
part way through but it becomes harder for them to do so.

Accidents and emergencies
This ties in well with the above point. Some of us have a streak that is amused by the thought of landing our characters in the hospital wing. Whilst that might be fun, it has to be done realistically. There is a teacher on hand in all classes, and they would not let the situation get out of hand. For example, compare the two following examples:

'Joe Bloggs took a deep breath, preparing to cast the charm.
“Wingardium Leviosa!” he cried. However, he must not have pronounced it quite right, or perhaps he had flicked then swished, rather than swishing and flicking. Either way, a large bang sounded and clouds of purple smoke erupted from his wand. Within minutes, the smoke had spread, obscuring everything in the room. Joe coughed. He wanted to get out but he could no longer see the door. He stumbled in what he thought was the right direction but his foot caught on a stool which had been left sticking out and he fell and banged his head painfully.'

'Joe Bloggs took a deep breath, preparing to cast the charm.
“Wingardium Leviosa!” he cried. However, he must not have pronounced it quite right, or perhaps he had flicked then swished, rather than swishing and flicking. Either way, a large bang sounded and clouds of purple smoke erupted from his wand.
“Uh-oh,” he breathed, hoping he wouldn't be in trouble.'

The second example gives the teacher time to react to the situation. In the first, her classroom has become an unrecognisable sea of fog by the time the post breaks off and allows her to respond. It becomes very difficult for the teacher responding, who has to try to explain or justify how the situation got that bad before they noticed. And, if you really want to smack your character's head of the desk, you can always end the second example with him being so surprised he jumps and trips over...

Tagging
If your character calls on another specific character, or does something that would attract the teacher's notice, it is a good idea to tag them. This simply means wiritng [Tag so-and-so] in the subject line. That way, they know that they specifically are expected to respond. Posts are open for anyone to reply to unless a) someone is tagged in the subject line b) the character narrows it down within the post (e.g. 'Joe sat down, being sure to grab a seat next to someone he recognised from his house.')

If you have any questions about these points, or anything else in relation to posting in class, please respond to this post. You may write your questions out of character.

I will be putting a class post below this, which you can respond to in character. You may reply to each other, and I will offer feedback if it is needed. The original class is available here (http://disc.yourwebapps.com/discussion.cgi?disc=226311;article=1198;title=Transfiguration), if you would like to read some examples of how other people responded. However, please ensure that you put your replies on the copy on this, the OOC page.

Please note, this is just a tutorial. Therefore, when you start Sonora, none of this will really have happened; you will not have met the people you post with, or tried the spell in this class.

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Professor Skies

April 05, 2013 10:24 AM

Class Tutorial - In Character by Professor Skies

It felt good to be back in a proper school. Not so good that she wouldn't go home most nights but she definitely preferred it to private tutoring. Most tutees were from rich families who thought of her as a governess – an image she loathed for the matronly Victorian air of the word, as much as the implied inferiority. There were bound to be a few pupils of that type here but here she was in charge. If they backchatted or put down any of the other bloodtypes, she could do her best to bring them into line. That was less of an option when said little brat's parents paid your wages directly. Now that both of her daughters were away at boarding school, it made sense for her to come back to working a proper job. It had been advertised as subbing but there was a chance of taking it permanently, assuming that both she and the school liked each other well enough.

“Good morning,” she greeted the assembled first and second years. “I am Professor Skies and I will be taking you for Transfiguration this term. We will be focussing on non-animate to non-animate Transfigurations– that is objects into other objects as this is the simplest branch of Transfiguration. That said, it can still be very difficult, and you must not get disheartened if you do not get big results immediately,” she felt that it was easy for her subject to slip down students' lists as they enjoyed the big flashy results of beginner Charms. Even making mistakes in other subjects tended to have dramatic consequences, whereas in Tranfiguration you just tended to not fully achieve what you had wanted. “Today will be pebbles into buttons,” she informed them, “Take one and pass it on,” she instructed, handing a box of pebbles to the student on the end of the front row, Each was smooth and shiny and relatively flat, although they varied a little in size and colour.

“I also have a handout for you. It is a template for a Transfiguration Table. I would like all of the first years to take one. Second years, I would prefer you to try to do your table from scratch but if you are unfamiliar with this teaching method, please help yourself to a handout, although there are plenty of notes to help you in the textbook,” the sheet that was being passed around was a simple table of common object characteristics, such as size, shape and function with an empty box next to each one. “The table is designed to help you focus on the similarities and differences between your current object and the target object. This is a process that you will learn to internalise as you become more experienced but it is helpful to actively work through it when the subject is new to you. Every two objects, however different they seem, have something in common. Even if it's the tiniest little thing it is useful for you. Changing everything about an object is a monumental task and usually one that it's difficult to wrap your head around. By focussing only on those things which you need to change, you can channel your energy more effectively, and hopefully make bigger changes where they are needed.

“When you are ready to move onto the spell, the incantation is Pangolus and you will want to make a single circle with your wand,” the chalk behind her scribbled key pieces of information onto the board as she spoke, “For those of you who are righthanded, the circle should be clockwise. For those of you who are left handed, a counter-clockwise circle also works on this spell. It is generally less effective but it is likely to be more effective if it feels more comfortable or natural for you.

“If you are stuck, chapter 2 of the textbook has a section on writing Transfiguration Tables, whilst chapter 3 introduces inanimate transfigurations. You may also discuss your problems quietly with your neighbours, or call on me if you require any assistance. You may begin.” Selina hoped to enjoy at least a good few minutes of nothing more than quills scratching on parchment before the casting began. Transfiguration was usually a safe profession. It was very difficult to produce results and therefore definitely difficult to overdo things. Of course, that didn't prevent utterly unrelated catastrophes but she definitely felt she sent students to the hospital wing less often than her Charms colleagues, and far, far less often than those in Defence.

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