MH Dictionary

M H  D I C T I O N A R Y

I N T R O D U C T I O N
Some of the terms and abbreviations used on Magical Hogwarts are not necessarily common knowledge. Therefore, we have decided to make a list of expressions and abbreviations that are frequently used on the site and explain all these terms. The words in the single explanations which are written in italics are explained in the dictionary as well.


T E R M I N O L O G Y

• AVATAR - An avatar is the picture that shows below your membergroup.
• BADGER - This can refer to a Hufflepuff character
• CANON - This term denotes the material accepted as "official", that is it was invented by J.K. Rowling originally. Please note that the word is written with one "n".

• CONNECTIONS - Mainly used for character sheets. We distinguish between family connection, i.e. your character could be related to another played character / family on the board and 'simple' connections which means that your character is acquainted in one way or another with another played character. The discussion of connections usually takes place in the Sandbox, via PM or on MSN (or other instant message systems).
• DRIVER - A driver is a roleplayer, i.e. the person behind the character.
• EAGLE - This can refer to a Ravenclaw character
• GOBLIN - Goblins on Magical Hogwarts are in charge of Gringotts just like they are in the Harry Potter books. The goblin accounts handle transactions and the payroll.
• GODMODING - Godmoding means controlling characters other than your own without permission. Obviously this is not allowed.
• GROUP SHIPPER - Group shippers are shippers that are not made to introduce a person and their characters but that are made for different membergroups, such as the different houses of the schools. There are also some group shippers for ongoing plots. They are basically there to organise topics, plots, and, in the case of the houses at schools, the participation in Quidditch games.
• HEADER - Some people don't use the simple sheet spine but include graphical headers, i.e. headlines for each section which are designed in a graphic program. Headers can also be used for shop descriptions, shipper layouts, etc.
• LION - This can refer to a Gryffindor character
• MEMBERGROUP - Every sorted character has a membergroup. For students it is in most cases their house at the school they are attending and for adults there are membergroups depending on their profession or affiliation.
• MULTICHAR(ACTER) - Multichars are several characters that are played by the same person.
• PLOT - A plot usually refers to a long term roleplay opportunity. If you have a plot with someone else this means that you have planned something for your characters that is more than a simple roleplay topic where to characters run into each other and have a chat. Usually plots are planned in more detail and can consist of more than one topic. Plotting, therefore, means planning an interaction between two or more characters.
• POLYVORE - Polyvore is a website on which you can create fashion collages. It is often used on Magical Hogwarts to create sets of clothes and acessories a character might wear in a RP thread.
• POST - A post is a reply, usually used in the context of roleplay topics but also common in reference to any other replies written on the board. There's also the verb (to) post which has the same meaning. You can, for example, say that you need to post, which, usually, would be interpreted as you needing to reply in a roleplay topic.
• SANDBOX - The Sandbox is a place where you can work on not yet finished character sheets, efbs and so on. We generally advise you to start your own topic there as it's a good place to save your work in progress, get feedback from admins and members, and discuss connections with other drivers.
• SET - A set is the combination of an avatar and a signature.
• SHEET - The sheet or character sheet is the topic you write to describe your character. You can find the correct spines in the [hsm], [dsm], and the [bsm] topics. A sheet consists of several parts that need to be filled in with information. You need to complete a sheet in order to get sorted and start roleplaying.
• SHINY - Shiny is a term used for graphics.
• SHIPPER - A shipper is a topic in which you introduce yourself and your character(s) to other members of Magical Hogwarts. Shippers are the area on the board where you can chat with fellow members and plot. To read more about shippers you should take a look at the Shipper Information & Templates.
• SHIPPERMATE - A shippermate is someone you share your shipper with. You can have a shipper on your own or share it with one or more other members.
• SIGNATURE - A signature is what is shown below posts you make. It can be a graphic and / or a text.
• SNAKE - This can refer to a Slytherin character
• SORTING - In order to start roleplaying on Magical Hogwarts you need to get sorted. That is, you need to submit a character sheet which gets sorted (i.e. checked and approved) by an administrator.
• SPINE - A spine is a kind of form in which you fill your information. We offer basic spines for sheets, Established Family Backgrounds, etc. However, a spine can also refer to a colour coded sheet. There is the Spine Factory where you can ask for an individual colored spine.
• THEME - Themes are layouts you can choose on Magical Hogwarts. The default theme is blue, however, there are more themes which you can find if you go to your profile -> look and layout -> change theme.
• THREAD - Topic. Used in two contexts. Firstly this can be the roleplay topic (i.e. if someone ask you for a thread they want to roleplay with you) and secondly this refers to any topics posted on the board (i.e. this dictionary is a a thread as well.)
• TOON - Toon is a synonym for character.
• TOPIC - Thread. Used in two contexts. Firstly this can be the roleplay thread (i.e. if someone ask you for a topic they want to roleplay with you) and secondly this refers to any topics posted on the board (i.e. this dictionary is a a topic as well.)
• TOPSITE - Topsites are websites which lists other sites with a particular subject  category. There is the possibility to vote for each listed site and the list of sites is ordered by the amount of votes the single sites got. You can find links to topsites on the bottom of the index page of Magical Hogwarts.

A B B R E V I A T I O N S

• BB - Beauxbatons
• BG - This can be used either for "Belushya Guba" (a town in the Durmstrang area) or for "Background Story" (which refers to the history section of the sheet)
• BELLE - Bellefeuille character (Bellefeuille is a house at Beauxbatons)
• BOT - Beginning of term
• CLAW - Ravenclaw character
• CT - Custom title. A title is a line of text that show underneath your username. It can only be awarded by the administration. Titles are typically awarded by the staff if someone comes to our attention. They are often random references to popular culture and may or may not relate to you IC or OOC.
• DE - Death Eater
• DURMIE - Durmstrang character
• EFB - Established Family Background. This is a form you have to fill in for all pureblood family lines (that is pureblood parents) and rich or influential family lines.
• EOT - End of term. This refers to the end of term at Hogwarts, Durmstrang and Beauxbatons
• FPP - Frequent Poster Program.
• GCT - General character traits. This is a section of your character sheet.
• IC - In character. If something happened in character it happened on the board and affects your character. If you stay in character this means that you play your character according to their personality / history.
• HOS - Hogwarts Official Shop. A graphic shop run by a member of Magical Hogwarts in the Avatars & Signatures board.
• IM - Instant message (messages on MSN for example)
• KLYK - Klyk Vampira character (Klyk Vampira is a house at Durmstrang)
• KROV - Drakonya Krov character (Drakonya Krov is a house at Durmstrang)
• LUNE - Ombrelune character (Ombrelune is a house at Beauxbatons)
• MH - MH is an abbreviation for Magical Hogwarts.
• NC17 - The NC17 section is only available for members who are at least 18 years of age. Topics in this board might contain material of sexual and / or violent nature.
• NPC - Non-played characters, i.e. other characters that aren't played.
• OOC - Out of character. Anything that happens out of character doesn't have any effect on your character. Out of character can be interactions between characters on MSN or in shippers. However, they can also be anything that does not relate to your character. The out of character section of the board, for example, is a place where we do not actually roleplay.
• OOTP - Order of the Phoenix
• PAP - Papillonlisse character (Papillonlisse is a house at Beauxbatons)
• PM - Personal message
• PUFF - Hufflepuff character
• RP - Roleplay. RPing - Roleplaying
• SF - Special Feature
• WIP - Work in progress