Frequently Asked Questions

After Survivor? What's with the stupid name?

Once upon a time, there was a limited-duration RPG called hp_survivor. Imagine television's Survivor with one team composed of Slytherins and the other composed of Gryffindors, and you get the idea.

After the game ended, there were a few players who didn't want their characters to end there. Important things had happened to them on the Island, and we wanted to know how they played out, back in the Potterverse.

Thus, After Survivor.

We've gone from reality TV to soap opera without stopping to blink. Actually, those two are more alike than many of us expected.

Who?

There are a huge number of major and minor characters, many from somewhere in canon and others existing in the dark hearts of their creators. Somehow, we have ended up with a lot of lawyers and doctors, just like every soap opera ever made. Lots of people you love to hate and hate to love, with room for more all the time.

We have many of your favourites, including the Trio, Sirius and Remus, McGonagall and Hooch, the Weasleys, Lucius, Draco and Narcissa -- you name it. In lots of cases, they aren't acting the way you might expect, and it's fun to see how they got that way.

Many after_survivor characters are minor ones in canon who have taken on lives of their own. Who would have thought Kingsley Shacklebolt, Eugene Nott or Ted and Andromeda Tonks to be like this? Probably not even the people who play them - they just turned out that way.

Unlike many Potterverse RPGs, there are complicated storylines involving adult characters on all sides of the struggle for power. There is some extremely fine writing and characterisation, even if we do say so ourselves. The plots are convoluted. And did we mention smut?

When?

This takes place beginning July 1996, shortly after the end of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts just recently began. The first Quidditch match will be here before you know it.

Where?

The usual, and more. Unlike many Potterverse RPGs, much of the action for this one takes place away from Hogwarts. Malfoy Manor has been the scene for plenty of action. Voldemort's hidden himself away in a headquarters deep beneath Durmstrang. We've seen the bowels of Azkaban, and Bill Weasley's living room. The Shrieking Shack has new tenants. Twelve Grimmauld Place has been burned to rubble by Sirius Black. And there is a boarding house with a handful of Aurors-in-training.

What?

What about canon? There are some points where we diverge extremely. Sirius is alive again. Lucius is out of prison. He even had a trial. And as we started before the publication of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the events of our game diverge from canon throughout the entirety of that book.

Mind you, our Madam Bones was also assassinated at Voldemort's instigation a while back. And we've been incorporating whatever new information seems most useful to our game as we go along, like Side-Apparation and mentions of new characters like Horace Slughorn or ones about whom more is now known like Rufus Scrimgeour.

What about the war? It's gearing up. Voldemort has been picking off some of the good guys and sending out Death Eaters on some terrible raids. There is an enormous struggle for power in wizarding society starting to emerge. Lucius has parted ways with the Dark Lord and is planning his own bid for power. Dumbledore has dissolved the Order of the Phoenix and is starting from nothing in building a force to oppose both Voldemort and Malfoy, though the level of the threat from Malfoy has yet to be determined. the former Order members have decided to continue their fight and founded a new group. Lines are being drawn and sides are being taken.

Politics make for strange bedfellows.

This is a game for adult readers and writers only. Not only is there smut (het, slash, BDSM and plenty of stuff we haven't got around to yet), there is extreme violence (can't fight a war without it), scenes of graphic drug use, and just generally things that aren't meant for kiddies at all. If you read us, you are implying that you are of age in your country of origin to do so. If you write with us, the same. We haven't got to the point of requiring age statements, but we might.

What do I have to do to join in?

Contact lucie_p and muridae_x at aftersurvivor@muridae.co.uk and pitch your character. We don't have an application to fill out, but we do want to know how you think and what you'd like to do with your character. Right now we're viewing canon characters as being our highest priority; the game is OC-friendly, but too often an OC can require an entire support structure of additional characters in order to give them a place in the universe, and we'd rather see people be able to jump in and play against our existing characters and players right away. But if you think you have an OC who can fit an essential role that no canon character can do, for example the unnamed teacher of Ancient Runes, then feel free to propose them, as a secondary character at least.

If you'd rather flesh out an unknown than have the pressure of keeping a well-known person in character, the Harry Potter Lexicon has a good index of characters who've appeared in the books, many of whom are so obscure that we know only a handful of facts about them.

What we want to know from you about your proposed character is an idea of how you would like him or her to fit in with the people around them and some background on how you'd play it. Who would they know? Where do they live and work, and where do they socialise? Are there any groups they are likely to be part of? Some links with other characters will be obvious, others more subtle, and some will only make themselves known in the process of playing, but this is a RPG, and knowing from the outset where your opportunities for interaction are likely to occur will make it a more enjoyable experience for both you and the other players.

Writing samples would be good if you have them, as well as some conversation where we get to know you and vice versa. We know this game isn't everyone's cup of tea, so feel free to check us out too. We'll do everything we can to fit your character into the action as fast as we can, but recognise that there are some storylines already in place, so some characters can't drop what they're doing to start playing with yours. At least not immediately.

Why?

Why not?

It's addictive.

There's a place here for all kinds of player; both those who like to post up a storm on a daily basis and also those who don't have quite so much time to play but want to put a paw in somewhere. All we ask is that if you're playing a character who's not an extra, you find time to post for them at least once a week. And that you let the other players know that you'll not be available, if you need to take a little longer off for a holiday or other commitment.

One of the reasons that some minor characters have come to the fore has been because their players love to write about them and also have the time to do so. There are some major characters who have faded more into the background because that's all their players have time to give them. It has made for an interesting remix of what is important in the Potterverse. Like we said, adult. Smut. Politics. Angst. Gossip. Tea. Soap opera.

Interested? Check us out.

How am I supposed to catch up or figure out what's going on?

We have a database that tracks all the threads, starting here. If you take the time to skim through them, you'll be up to date with the broad outlines of the story quicker than you know it. You can also dip in from there to follow certain characters or pick up on a story line or two. There are other nifty player cheats available as well, created by various players and mods.

How it works:

All community posting takes place in threads at after_survivor. Generally we tend to use third person, present tense, but we won't complain if you write in the past tense instead. Some people make private journal entries in their character's journals, but that isn't required. Not all players even check those journals, so it's usually a good idea to note and link to it somewhere in the main community.

It looks like there are a zillion canon characters in play, but really there aren't. A number of the players pick up minor roles as walk-ons, so the characters haven't been developed at all. We all roll in and out of parts as extras as needed. It's like repertory theatre that way, and allows for a greater variety of writing, if that's the type of thing that interests you.

Characters in play

There's a list of the currently active characters here. They're divided up into major characters who get played on a regular basis, and minor ones who are just extras who've shown up enough to acquire their own accounts for convenience. Some of those extras are available for recasting, if you think you might want to play them.

We also have a wish list of characters we'd like to cast. Some of those have been played before and have backstory already, but the mods will be happy to coach you through the highlights if you'd like to take one of them on. You're welcome to apply for other characters who aren't on the list, but these are the people for whom we can already see existing plotlines or roleplaying opportunities that need minimum work to get started.

Other details:

The mods of the game are lucie_p and muridae_x. You can contact them both by emailing aftersurvivor@muridae.co.uk.