Obernewtyn.net Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Here we'll list all the most commonly asked questions regarding this website. If you still have a question that isn't answered here, check on the Message Boards - and you can ask your question there as well. Alternatively, feel free to comment below with your question.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is this site for?
A: This site was set up in September 1999 as a fansite for the Obernewtyn Chronicles. Since then the site has grown and spouted a variety of sub-cultures! Obernewtyn.net is considered the resource for information on not only the Obernewtyn Chronicles, but also the rest of Isobelle's novels, and Isobelle Carmody news. As well as a resource, Obernewtyn.net is a thriving, continually growing community, where you can talk to and make new friends, enter a variety of creative competitions, theorise about Isobelle's books, and much, much more!

Q: Who is Isobelle Carmody?
A: Isobelle Carmody is an Australian speculative fiction author who is responsible for writing many wonderful books for Young Adults/Adults. If you'd like to know more about her, we have a shiny IC FAQ you can read up on.

Q: How can I contact Isobelle Carmody?
A: Please see the IC FAQ for any information about Isobelle Carmody.

Q: Help - I'm doing an essay on the OC/Isobelle Carmody and I need some information please!
A: There are many places to get information from:
- The Encyclopedia
- The Booklist
- Who is IC?
- Interviews & Media
You can also:
- ask for information or help on the Members Message Board, or Help Board.

Q: What's Wavesong and Red Queen and how does it fit into The Obernewtyn Chronicles?
A: This is covered quite extensively in the IC FAQ. Let us know if that doesn't clear it up for you.

Q: What are the rating/star things on the forum (Gypsy, Guildmember, etc)?
A: The ratings serve as an indication of how much involvement a member of Obernet has had over their time with us. Spend enough time around and you'll soon find yourself with more stars. Extra stars have no 'real' meaning, they're just an indication of longevity, and the process that determines when and how they change exactly is Elspeth's secret!

Q: What do I get if I join? / How do I join?
A: If you join you can officially call yourself a member of the largest and oldest Misfit community on the web (established in 1999)! Membership also allows you to be a member of one of our four guilds (see 'About Guilds'), allows you to take part in all our competitions and events, and gives you access to some more exclusive Sneak Peaks & Excerpts Isobelle occasionally sends us. Plus, you'll be entitled to enter our special 'freebies!' competitions, when Penguin or Isobelle donate prizes to us.
Joining is completely free, you just click sign up, fill out the relevant details (no personally identifiable information, please!) and that's it!

Q: ...Guilds? But they aren't the Obernewtyn guilds...
A: If you're confused at all about guilds, please consult our About Guilds page.

Q: Are there any site rules or guidelines I need to know about?
A: A couple. Most of them are mentioned in the Message Board Lore, and Ober-net-iquette. If you have any questions still, though - don't hesitate to ask! Please make sure you consult and understand the Safety on the Internet section of the Message Board Lore - for everyone's sake! All of the guidelines in place on Obernewtyn.net are there to endeavour to make the site an enjoyable experience for every member who joins.

Q: How can I help with the site / How can I become a moderator?
A: Well for starters you can help us out by being an active member of your guild. Guilds are responsible for many of our site features and are a great way to start finding your niche on the site!
Moderators - or, "Guardians" as we call them on Obernet - aren't selected for their winning a competition or event. You can't just ask to be a moderator. Guardians are selected very carefully, based on a number of (internal) criteria.
One of the indicators of who will make a good moderator is: if your purpose for helping someone is that you want to be a moderator (and believe me, it is obvious when this is someone's intent), you probably never will be.
But it is more complicated than that, of course, and there's many things we check against before deciding on who will moderate which area of the site. There is also quite a LOT of background work that goes into being a mod and you have to be prepared to spend hours in the wings, with the prospect of very little reward or notice. If you are still interested in one day being a Guardian, then our advice is just help people out because you genuinely want to be helpful. Kindness is noticed, but do not expect rewards other than "thank you".

Q: What's this inside joke / reference to a "Destroyer Pig"?
A: It started - long ago - when Isobelle told us in this interview that the Destroyer is in the first book. This started a string of theories about who the Destroyer might be, one of which in particular where we listed every single character that appears in Obernewtyn, and tried to figure out the plausibility of each character and rate their likeliness of being the Destroyer.
An oldbie member, Miska, came on and said something along the lines of "You've left off the piglet that Rushton's carrying when we first meet him! I think it's that pig!" only in a much funnier way :P - and that spawned the joke.

Q: Is it true there's going to be an Obernewtyn movie?
A: Not to our knowledge. There have been various production companies of the years that have optioned Obernewtyn, and at one stage a company in Canada looked to be going ahead with a mini-series - but nothing has come of it, as Isobelle said she saw their script and wasn't happy with it.
Recently (as of late 2013) Isobelle mentioned herself that she is interested in one day maybe converting the Obernewtyn Chronicles into a TV series herself. If you are interested in discussing the plausibility of an Obernewtyn Chronicles movie or TV series, head to our Movie Ideas and Visualisation forum!

Q: Is it true there's going to be a movie based on The Gathering?
A: At one time, this was true. But, there were a ton of dramas surrounding the production and funding, and the project was eventually dropped. So, no, there is no longer going to be a Gathering movie, unless someone else picks it up ;) ?

Q: What about a Greylands film?
A: This one is true, and still happening! Here's the news article about it: Amazing, awesome, fantastic news - we're getting a Greylands film!.

Q: When is The Red Queen/Darkbane/any other new Isobelle book coming out?
A: Please see the Isobelle Carmody Frequently Asked Questions page for information.

How do I...


Q: ...Put Images in my signature / create an avatar?
A: To use your own images, check out the Signature & Avatar Help Page.
To use one of the default Obernewtyn.net avatars, just go to your Settings, click the default avatar that's displaying, and the site-stored avatars will expand. Then, simply click on the avatar you want to use.
If you have trouble setting your signature or avatar:
First, make sure you have read the Signature & Avatar Help Page. If you ask a question that is answered on that help page, you will be referred back to it!
Then, try these threads:
- Image Help
- From the Teknoguild: Posting Images
- What is Image Hosting?!
There are also some image size restriction information threads here:
- Message Board Lore
- Signature Sizes

Q: ...Add formatting to posts?
A: Check out the Index of UBBC and How To Use It thread.

Q: ...Submit a Theory to the Archives?
A: Check out the How To: Submit Theories to the Archives thread.

Q: ...Submit a Review of one of Isobelle Carmody's books?
A: Check out the Isobelle Carmody Book Reviews thread.

Q: ...Submit an Article to the Library?
A: Check out the How to submit an Article to the Bookshelf thread.

Q: ...Submit a Character page to the Encyclopedia?
A: Check out the Encyclopedia Character Pages: Own it and Earn Guild Points thread.

Q: ...Submit Fanfiction?
A: Check out the Fanfiction FAQ thread.

Abbreviations:


  • PM: Private Message — the private messaging system
  • MoOs: Masters of Obernewtyn - main website administrators
  • Guardians: Moderators of forums
  • DPM: Double Post Monster. He will get you, if you double-post (post, and then post again straight away). Please see this thread for rules about double-posting.
  • OCPD: Obsessive compulsive posting disorder. A quite common ailment on Obernet :P
  • grugs: "group hugs", often depicted in action tags, eg: [act]grugs[/act]
  • The Sneding: derived from an in-joke when a user consistently mis-spelled The Sending, and it stuck around.