I KNOW, I KNOW.
You may be a bit confused. so here, I have composed a list of frequently asked questions before they're even asked. Look at that skill.

these are just the ones I can think of at the moment. don't be afraid to ask questions if you have them, I have the answer!

And if I don't, I'll make it up on the spot. I made this up, I have that liberty.

WHAT THE HELL ARE 'STAGES?'
think of them almost as high school grades. you start on stage one, you work your way up to stage four. the difference is that it's not really 'years,' per se- if the 'professors' decide that you're doing a good enough job, they'll graduate you up to stage two, stage three, so on, so forth.
THAT'S GREAT, NOW HOW DO 'GRADUATE?'
an admin will do it for you. it's not triggered by post count or anything, because then everyone would just post in the games until they've got a thousand posts or something. everyone starts at stage one. I don't care if your history says you've been here since you were twelve and you have your power mastered and you've already saved the world six times while making a quilt with your grandmother. it's just the way it is. If I see you're being super active and I think you deserve it, I'll boost you up. simple as that.
I DON'T SEE THE SETTING IN THE SIDEBAR, OR THE PLOT, OR ANYWHERE ELSE. WHERE AM I?
You don't know. Your character doesn't know, I don't know. that's the mystery of the institution. you just wake up one day, and you're here. people from all over the world end up here, so you really don't know if you're in the US, or in Europe... It's not in Antarctica, I'll give you that.
OKAY, SO MY CHARACTER CAN TELEPORT/WALK THROUGH WALLS/FLY. CAN'T I JUST UP AND LEAVE?
not quite.
BULLSHIT! WHAT HAPPENS IF I TRY?
Think of 'the wall' as a forcefield. the closer you get to it, the thicker the air feels. so say you hop the pretty little fence lining the lawns and try to escape. about ten feet into the forest, you might feel like it's sort of foggy, then you might feel like you're walking under water, then chocolate syrup, and then, about ten feet from the wall itself, the air is pretty much completely solid. If you try and fly over it, you'll find the same thing happening up in the skies. Attempt your way out via teleportation, surprise, you find yourself in the exact same spot you stopped when you tried to walk out. you can beat on that forcefield all day and you're not gonna get anywhere. Oh, just for some cool effects, let's say that when you turn around to look behind you, you're suddenly back where you started, right inside the fence. I don't mind how many times you try and fail to escape, but just know that there really is no way out.
AGE LIMIT, ANYONE?!
nope. We take people of all ages, young and old. Due to the fact that most prefer playing teenagers, you might be a little out of luck if you want to play a forty year old, but I'm not saying no to it. Actually, I encourage older characters. Don't be afraid to do something, gasp, different!