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Post by Kades on Jul 18, 2007 22:15:41 GMT -5
KAMEONS VERSUS HOGWARTS
what every student needs to know
Hogwarts is located in the UK.
Kameons is located in the United States of America.
The muggleborn kids here call it soccer, not football. You don't drink tea unless you're from the South. McDonald's is on every corner, and even the most pureblood students have heard of WalMart at least once in their lives (though they know it's a silly muggle supermarket, and would much rather be seen at a MagiMart instead). The characters you play here at Kameons Academy are, without a doubt, American. So don't forget it!
Hogwarts is a castle.
Kameons is an estate.
This is the biggest mistake I see made. I'm even guilty of it myself. I think I've always been a little hesitant to correct this one, because in my beginning plans Kameons was, indeed, a castle. I was twelve when I created KA, and I'm not going to lie, I wanted a castle just like Hogwarts. Now I'm an adult, and as good fun as castles are, it is more obvious than ever that America is sorely lacking in castles across the countryside, much less in Maine. I based Kameons off of the Biltmore Estate, in Asheville, North Carolina (somewhere I used to visit as a kid). The exterior of the Biltmore is the exact image I have for the academy, as well as the multiple gardens and surrounding land. The interior, however, is a totally different story. It's much larger, and much, much fancier. The founding family was beyond wealthy and they had little idea on where to put such large sums of money outside of their own home.
Hogwarts students receive an acceptance letter from the school and attend free of charge.
Kameons students apply to be accepted and pay a yearly tuition.
This is the second biggest mistake I see made in posts and applications. There is no magical book that writes down the name of your student to attend the academy the second they are born. The students at Kameons Academy all had to fill out an application form and were then sent an acceptance letter when approved to attend the school (very similar to the process of applying to college). The tuition averages around $15,000 a year (300 gold in American wizard currency). Students with financial difficulties are often referred to financial aid programs, or receive scholarships from the academy to attend. Parents may often times take out loans for their children to attend KA, borrow money from grandparents, etc. The possibilities are endless. Muggleborn students coming into their magic are recognized by the American Magical Agency, and an agent is sent to their home to peacefully explain the abilities with the child's parents, and to suggest schooling from there.
Hogwarts has a goofy headmaster.
Kameons has a socially refined, very intelligent headmistress.
I think this pretty much speaks for itself, and yet, I still felt a need to clarify it. Your Headmistress at Kameons Academy is not, in anyway, stupid. She doesn't have an affinity for socks, Lemon Drops are the last candy she'd pick at the store, and she won't be seen battling the darkest wizard of all time anytime in the near future. [RIP Dumbledore; we loved you, man.]
Hogwarts has four houses, and seven years of education.
Kameons has five houses, and eight years of education.
Now, I'm sure that comparison reads as "oh, good job, you upped both numbers by one," but that was hardly my goal during creation. Most American students graduate at eighteen, not seventeen, hence adding the extra year. As for the extra house, I wanted one more characteristic represented outside of goodness, evil, smart, and kind, and that was wealthy, so four houses became five. Pretty simple. See, I wasn't one-upping JKR after all.
Hogwarts plays Quidditch.
Kameons plays Quodpot.
Our sport is, naturally, a little more dangerous than Quidditch. Put frankly, we like to see stuff blown up Hollywood style, thus Quodpot was born. If you'd like to know more about Quodpot, please click here to be redirected.
Hogwarts has prefects, a head girl, and a head boy.
Kameons has Resident Assistants, or RAs.
Instead of a million student positions and ranks to keep up with, Kameons simply has RAs. There is one RA for each of the five houses. They are responsible for tasks such as orientation for the first years, night duty in the halls, assigning punishments where necessary, and keeping their house dormitories and common rooms sorted out. They're paid a small daily fee for their troubles, and often abuse their powers where seemingly fit. What are you looking at me for? You thought that was a secret?
Hogwarts requires a password for students to enter their assigned dormitories.
Kameons thinks students are stressed enough without having to memorize weekly passwords.
There is no Fat Lady waiting at Diamond Tower for your character to fork over a password. In fact, there's nothing barring any other student of any other house entering yours. It's expected of the RAs to regulate the correct students to the correct houses, and its not uncommon for there to be inter-house sleepovers (of a platonic nature, thank you) and the like.
Hogwarts has Mr. Filch, the caretaker, and Hagrid, the groundskeeper.
Kameons has employed staff, none of which your characters will generally see.
There is no Mr. Filch or Hagrid at Kameons. The Headmistress has employed a number of janitors, gardeners, maintenance crew, etc. to keep things cleanly and running smoothly at the academy. Just another thing your student's tuition goes towards.
Hogwarts has a Great Hall and an assigned table for each house.
Kameons has a cafeteria.
Even with all the prestige and fancy around the academy, you can't beat a good, working cafeteria when you're dealing with masses of kids. There aren't assigned tables for houses, either, although you will generally find that houses stick together. However, if a Sapphire student crosses the cafeteria to sit at a table populated by Amethyst kids, it's not a huge deal, and the entire school won't be seen talking about it for hours later. That only occurs when this year's King of Emo sits down at a table full of hotshot female Quodpot players.
Hogwarts students who are late to class lose house points.
Kameons students who are late to class will not be attending class.
Kameons is a prestigious school. It is expected that you, as a student, will make wonderful grades and attend every class. Thus, lateness is not tolerated in the slightest way. Once the clock inside the classroom strikes the time for class to begin, the door to the room literally disappears into the surrounding wall. This ensures that students are on time and prepared for class accordingly. There's also a long-time rumor that a student was once stuck in the doorway an entire class period after having tried to sneak in just as class was about to begin.
Hogwarts has a poltergeist, a giant squid and mermaids in the lake, and centaurs, giants, and thestrals (among other creatures) in the Forbidden Forest.
Kameons has rules and regulations by the government, and would be in big trouble if a giant squid popped up in the middle of Jewel Lake.
Strictly speaking, you'll never see a centaur out in the woods. You may, however, run into an anti-wizard colony of fae, or a crow particularly interested in your earrings. I'm not trying to say unusual sightings don't occur out in the wild around the estate, but you are very unlikely to stumble upon a magical unicorn and ride it off into the sunset. These creatures can be very dangerous, or even endangered, and the government would not permit the estate to house such things outside of educational purposes. As for Hogwarts having Peeves, I can think of a few angry first years that wreck the same effect on other students during their daily routine here at Kameons. Who needs a poltergeist when you've got first years?
Hogwarts students are limited magically to their wands.
Kameons students are educated from first year to fourth year with wands, and then fifth year to their graduating year in wandless magic.
This is where JKR and I run into some major magical world differences. I won't speak for the wizarding world in the UK (or any other country for that matter), but in America, wandless magic is hot. If you'd like to know more information about wandless magic and its development in America, please click here to be redirected.
Have we forgotten to list a difference, or do you have more questions about the above?
Please PM your local KA Admin.
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