Technical Questions

1. How do I make my writing underlined/italic/bold/slashed through? How do I make a link?
   Remove the spaces from the following:
   < em > this is in italics < / em >
   < strong > this is bold < / strong >
   < u > this is underlined < / u >
   < strike > this has a line through it < / strike >
   < a href=" url of link " > this is a link < /a >



2. What does IC mean? What does OOC mean?
   IC means 'in character', meaning that you are currently writing as your character, complete with personality, etc. OOC means 'out of character', meaning that you are currently writing as yourself, interacting with other authors. ONLY the OOC Board and the RMI Author Cafe are intended for out of character interaction.



3. How long will term last?
   Generally, term will last around four and a half months, real life time, with midterm in the middle. Midterm lasts one week for authors, but is two "IC" weeks. There is a one-week break between terms, which lasts from mid-June to late August in "IC" time.



4. What is Outside of RMI (ORMI)? How do I make an account? How do I do an LJ-cut?
   Outside of RMI, or ORMI, is a livejournal community where you can post th goings-on in your character's life that don't precisely fit on the regular boards. His midterm adventures, the goings on in his family, or letters from home are all acceptable to post on ORMI. To contribute to this community, you must first make a LiveJournal (LJ) account for your character (please don't use your name!) and join the community. Please keep in mind that the material on this site may contain content considered to be PG-13, unlike the rest of RMI, which is restricted to PG content.
   
   How to make an ORMI Account:
   
   
   
   How to do an LJ-Cut:
   
   



5. The submission form/profile form isn't working! What should I do?
   Sometimes, these forms don't work. If this is the case, please email the information to the Heads using the link found on the homepage and let us know that the form isn't working. We'll get it back up as soon as possible!



6. What is "Tagging"? How/Why would I Tag someone?
   Tagging is the act of specifically creating a post for a specific other person to reply to, as opposed to the 'open posts' that are more typically seen on the RMI boards, which are open for anybody to reply to. These posts can be distinguished from other posts because, at the end of the post title, the author will have included another character's name. It is considered rude to respond to a tagged post if you are not writing the character that has been tagged and have not been otherwise invited into the thread. Posts tagged for specific characters are usually reserved for necessary, pre-planned plot development. For example, if your character were to ask another character out on a date, it would be acceptable to Tag the other character. Tags are not necessary for every post, and you should not tag a character that your character has not interacted with before. Tagged posts are somewhat rare and should not normally make up the majority of your posting.

Character Related Questions

1. How many characters can I have?
   You may have as many characters at RMI as you can keep posting with regularity. However, you are not permitted to have more than three new characters per term. Additionally, if you would like to have more than four characters at one time, or more than one new character in one term, or if you want to write a "special" character, you must fill out the Exceptional Student Application instead of the regular Student Application.



2. Can my character be involved in more than one thread at a time?
   Yes. Due to the existence of what is called 'fuzzy time', your character may be involved in as many threads as you can handle, so long as none of them are taking place at the same time as each other in the roleplaying world.



3. How do you post with more than one person in one thread?
   Multi-character threads are usually limited to three characters, although occasionally there might be a four-character thread. Generally speaking, though, threads should not exceed three characters simply because most authors hate to post in threads that have too many characters involved because it becomes too confusing and complex to write appropriate responses. However, when in threads with more than two characters, one usually follows 'post order'. Namely, if Character 1 starts the thread, and Character 2 responds, then Character 3 responds, this is the order that the rest of the thread should follow.



4. When can I create a profile for my character(s)?
   You may create a profile for your character after the midterm of his/her first year begins. This is because characters often change, particularly in their first year, and it saves wear and tear on the Heads if they don't have to update profiles every week because characters change.



5. Can I transfer my character in from another school? Can I write a character that's not a first year or a staff member?
   Yes, you may. To submit a transfer character, you must fill out the Exceptional Student Application. Please note that we will only take up to three transfers per term, and that the standards for transfer students apps are, therefore, much higher than those for regular students. Your site activity will be taken into consideration when we look at your application to a greater extent than it would be normally, and in addition to the quality of the application. If you wish to transfer a student that already exists at another roleplay site you must e-mail the Heads before submitting your application. If you would like to write a ghost, house-elf, or other 'creative' character, please e-mail us using the Contact Us form found on the homepage with yout ideas!



6. Where can I write my character after s/he graduates from RMI?
   We at RMI are proud to inform you that there is now an institute of higher education available to our authors. The Center for Higher Education of the Society of Sorcerers, located outside Los Angeles, California, is run by the Society of Sorcerers, a group of exceptional witches and wizards. Any student aged eighteen or over may apply, providing he/she is willing to contribute to the Society in some manner. Graduating from CHESS grants students automatic membership to the Society of Sorcerers. CHESS offers special scholarships to students graduating from Rocky Mountain International. OOC, it is the official university of choice for authors with graduting characters they wish to continue writing. Click their logo to visit the site and learn more!
   
   

Questions About RMI In General

1. Where is RMI located?
   RMI is located in Boulder, Colorado, beneath an outdoor strip mall called Pearl Street, but it has magically charmed windows so that from the inside, it seems as though the building is above ground. The visitors' entrance to the school is an elevator that travels between a storage room inside the bookstore and the entrance hall of RMI, where an Age Line encircles it to prevent students younger than the third year from exiting into the Mall unsupervised. To protect the secrecy of the school, a Squib by the name of Harrison Christie runs the bookstore with assistance from his son, a wizard and RMI graduate by the name of Jerry.



2. How can owls enter the school if it's underground?
   Owls are able to enter and travel through the school through a series of ducts specially designed for this purpose. RMI also possesses an Owlry, which is located in the Administrative Quarters



3. How do students get to the school?
   For students in years two through seven, at exactly 6:00 PM (Mountain Time) on 1 September of each year, each student's dreamcatcher acts as a Portkey and transports the student to the main entrance of the school. First years, however, are Portkeyed to the entrance hall at 6PM on 22 August for a ten-day Orientation before the rest of the student body arrives. When a student arrives, regardless of their year, they leave their trunks against one wall before proceeding into the Opening Feast held each year; the trunks are sent to the appropriate rooms using magical means. Upon a student's graduation from RMI, the dreamcatcher ceases to be a portkey and remains nothing more than a nonmagical trinket, to keep or be thrown out.



4. How are students sorted at RMI?
   With their acceptance letter, each student receives a jet-black dreamcatcher. When they touch it at the Opening Feast, after being prompted by the Headmaster, it turns a certain colour, which corresponds with their particular House (blue and silver for Cetus, red and gold for Draco, green and brown for Lyra, gray and cream for Aquila). The Headmaster then explains what these colours signify, and the newly Sorted students are free to join their Housemates at their House bonfire for the Opening Feast.



5. Who are my character's roommates? What are dorm rooms like?
   Each dorm room has between one and four beds. Singles have one single bed, doubles have a pair of single beds, triples have one bunk-bed and one single bed, and quads have two sets of bunk-beds. Each student is provided with a desk and dresser. Additionally, there is a full bathroom attached to each room. To find out your character's roommates, go to their House board and click 'Commons Map'.



6. How do students know it's time for class? What's the class schedule?
   
   Advanced, Intermediate, Beginner
   For Core classes, Advanced is Years 6 & 7, Intermediate is Years 4 & 5, Beginner is Years 1-3
   For Elective classes, Advanced is Years 6 & 7, Intermediate is Years 3-5
   

   	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
   9:00 AM	Spellwork DADA Potions	Cultural Studies Arithmancy* Herbology	Spellwork DADA Potions	Cultural Studies Arithmancy* Herbology	Spellwork DADA Potions
   10:00 AM	DADA Spellwork Cultural Studies	Divinations History of Magic Supervised Study Hall	DADA Spellwork Cultural Studies	Divinations History of Magic Supervised Study Hall	DADA Spellwork Cultural Studies
   11:00 AM	Magical Sciences Cultural Studies DADA	History of Magic Divinations Supervised Study Hall	Magical Sciences Cultural Studies DADA	History of Magic Divinations Supervised Study Hall	Magical Sciences Cultural Studies DADA
   12:00 PM
   1:00 PM	Potions Herbology Spellwork	Herbology Potions Spellwork	Potions Herbology Spellwork	Herbology Potions Spellwork	Potions Herbology Spellwork
   2:00 PM	Potions Herbology Magical Sciences	Herbology Potions	Potions Herbology Magical Sciences	Herbology Potions	Potions Herbology Magical Sciences
   3:00 PM	Potions Magical Sciences	Herbology Potions	Potions Magical Sciences	Herbology Potions	Potions Magical Sciences
   4:00 PM	Cultural Studies Intro to Healing	Arithmancy Intro to Healing	Divinations Intro to Healing	Arithmancy Intro to Healing	History of Magic Intro to Healing
   5:00 PM	Intro to Healing		Intro to Healing
   6:00 PM		Intro to Healing		Intro to Healing
   7:00 PM	Intro to Healing	Intro to Healing	Intro to Healing	Intro to Healing	Intro to Healing
   Notes	*Fifth Years who intend to take Arithmancy and Cultural Studies, or Third Years who intend to take Arithmancy, must see Deputy Headmaster Tennant for special arrangement Flying and Quidditch lessons are held on Saturday mornings Core Classes are: Cultural Studies, Defense Against the Dark Arts (DADA), Herbology, Magical Sciences, Potions, and Spellwork. All Core Classes are mandatory until the beginning of the fourth year, at which point students pick a minimum of four courses (electives included) to continue their studies with. Elective classes are: Arithmancy, Divinations, History of Magic, and Introduction to Healing. Students may begin taking electives in their third year.

   
   
   
7. What do the school robes look like?
   The school robes are silver, with a dreamcatcher symbol on the upper left side; the colours of the dreamcatcher represent the student's House. The initials "RMI" are embroidered beneath the dreamcatcher.



8. Are there other schools in the RMI universe? What are they?
   There are several other schools in the RMI universe, although none of the other international schools under jurisdiction of the IWCE (International Wizarding Council of Education) are active roleplaying sites. RMI itself answers to a Regional Division of the IWCE. This Regional Division is the Americas, for all of South and North America. The other Divisions are:
   • the Oceania Division (Australia, the Philippines, New Zealand);
   • the African Division (all of Africa);
   • the Northern and Western European Division (Scandinavia, Germany, Austria, Italy, and all west of that);
   • the Eurasian Division (Eastern Europe and Asia).
   
   The regions were created so that each region might better provide for its schools, as these schools are likely to share similar interests. The five regions all report to the IWCE, which sets the standards and tests for the schools to follow. This is why RMI students take different tests on a different schedule than students at American magical schools. The other IWCE-monitored wizarding academies are:
   • Mt. Kenya's Institute of Magical Knowledge (African Division);
   • Ra's School of Ancient Magic (Africa Division);
   • La Escuela de Adani (Americas Division);
   • the Romanian School of Magic (Eurasian Division);
   • the Taj Mahal School of Magic (Eurasian Division);
   • the Xin Dynasty School for Magical Education (Eurasian Division);
   • Beauxbatons Academy (Northern and Western European Division);
   • Durmstrang Institute (Northern and Western European Division);
   • Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Northern and Western European Division);
   • the Aboriginal School of Indigenous Magic (Oceania Division);
   • the New Zealand Academy of Magic (Oceana Division).
   
   The IWCE reports to the International Wizarding United Nations (IWUN).
   
   Additionally, many students choose to continue their magical education after graduation by attending the Center for Higher Education of the Society of Sorcerers, a roleplay site run by an author who has a long history with RMI.