Welcome to the November '18 issue of In the Spotlight -- your monthly recap of achievements, complete with extras and interviews from all the wonderful people we've recognized this month. We have for you all the usual suspects (Order of Merlin, Story of the Month, and more) as well as the brand new Monthly Dilemma for you all to answer AND last month's drawn winner. Thank you to everyone who submitted an entry in the Prefect's Autumn Writing Challenge! We have had a marvellous time reading all your entries and should have results back to you relatively soon. Until then, sit back, relax with a hot beverage, as we bring in some of the coldest parts of the year.

 

 

The November Order of Merlin was awarded to the one and only @galadriel!

Nim is a wonderful force of enthusiasm that has descended upon HPFT. She has been so kind as to entertain us all with a few interview questions!

How long have you been a part of the Harry Potter fanfiction community?
Ah, I think I ventured into the world of fanfiction back in 2013 and joined the HPFT forums in 2016 when it was brand new. I went on hiatus in 2017 though and found my way back in 2018 - so that's about 4-5 years of being a part of the community. 
 
What is your favourite part about working behind-the-scenes?
I love being on the other side during events! It's so great to see the different ways in which each of the housesapproach the tasks and the fun that everyone has. I also love the feeling of satisfaction I get from being able to give back in some way to a community that's been a huge part of my life over the last few years. 
 
Favourite type of fanfiction to read/write?
Angst angst angst. Minor characters, mishaps, murder, suspense, interesting sub-plots! Anything that hits me with all the feels. 
 
What is your OTP?
I... don't think I have one? I like some pairings more than others, but I'm not opposed to reading anything as long as it's written well. I'm currently shipping Hermione/Neville so, SO hard though so if anyone has recs, send them my wayplease ! 
 
What is your favourite non-HP fandom?
I'm going with my top three - Merlin, Doctor Who andLoTR - because it's too difficult to pick just one. 
 
What are three of your favourite writing locations?
My little writing corner at home is my top favourite because I've set it up in a way that it induces creativity, with paintings and posters all around it, and the wall adjacent to my desk is covered with bookshelves. When I want a change of scenery, I usually go to a little bookstore nearby - the coffees they serve are all delicious and they have a space for writers and students to sit and work so I tend to have interesting conversations with people there. My third haunt is an outdoor cafe for when I don't want to be within four walls and it also satisfies my caffeine needs. 
 
If you HAD to cut one of your characters out of one of your stories, who would it be and why?
Gosh this is SUCH a difficult question. Umm. I'd go with Jamila, one of the minor characters in the novel I'm writing. While I like her and wouldn't want to cut her out, she's not as important as the other characters and cutting her out wouldn't lead to major holes in my story. 

 

 

This November, we recognized @teh tarik's To Boil Telephone Porridge | 煲電話粥 [M]. We have featured this story in our In the Spotlight in the past as both the winner of the Spring Quarter Prefect Challenge as well as for winning a Story of the Month title for Slytherin House's monthly awards. As such, it is with great pleasure to see this story featured as sitewide Story of the Month.

R E V I E W   C O L U M N

As stated above, this story has run miles across the HPFT Forums and our hearts, so much so that it has been recognized for its glory on a number of levels. If you haven't read To Boil Telephone Porridge, I cannot emphasize enough to click the above link. The plot follows the life of Daniel, his journey to discovering himself, and how he is shunned by his family and society in doing so. It explores Malaysian politics and society and what role they have in negatively impacting the LGBTQ community as well as what kind of impact an ostracising family can have in life and relationships. Most importantly, it explores self-acceptance, external acceptance, and allowing forgiveness. 

This story has such a strong message weaved throughout its depths. It is truly a pleasure to read and absorb. 

 

 

November also brought in two new Head Students with it! We recognize @WriteYourHeartOut and @potionspartner for their incredible feats on the Forums and the Archives, who have a knack for spreading that sense of wholeness and community that HPFT is known for. We had the opportunity to ask them some fun questions and they, in turn, bestowed upon us some wonderful answers. 

 

T A N Y A ' S   I N T E R V I E W

Why did you pick the House you are in?
I always get sorted intoeither Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw when I take sorting quizzes, and I do feel pretty evenly split between the two, but I think the reason I always choose Hufflepuff over any of the other houses is simply because Hufflepuff's are who I, at the end of the day, aspire to be like. I don't always feel like a good Hufflepuff, but calling myself one anyway keeps me consistently trying to be a better person.

If there’s one story of yours you would like to tell us about, what would it be and why?
Unsurprisingly, I would say Lying Josephine [M]. It's been my baby for eight years, and it's very close to my heart. Even though I'm terrible at actually getting myself to write it, I'm really attached to the characters and the story line and the relationships and all of it. I wish I could just finish writing it already, because I love where it goes, and I have a handful of really wonderful and loyal readers who I desperately want to share the full story with and see their reactions and talk about these secret moments I've had planned for so many years. Someday it will happen!

Tell us your favourite joke.
It's cute that you'd think it would be something appropriate for this site.

What’s the most expensive thing you’ve ever broken and how did you break it?
My mom's van. I was camping with some friends, and I guess the sound we all heard the engine making meant it needed oil... And I also guess you shouldn't drive two hours without any... But how were a group of teenage musical theatre nerds supposed to know that?!

What character would you like to trade places with for a week, if you had to choose one?
Janet from The Good Place, probably. She knows all the things! Like. Every unanswered question about my life I would suddenly just know. (Which is both amazing and terrifying, but totally worth it.)

What was your favourite TV show growing up?
I really loved Hey, Arnold! as a kid. And as a teenager, probably Dawson's Creek. Hard to choose, though, cause I grew up in the90's, and everything was the best then.

 

B A R B A R A ' S   I N T E R V I E W

Why did you pick the House you are in?
Because Claws are the best! I love random facts just for the sake of knowledge. People at work often roll their eyes at me because of my "gifted" answers to questions. A few weeks ago, we actually took a Harry Potter personality test as part of a training exercise. The asinine computer tried to tell me I was a Slytherin. I was so horrified that I refused to when they asked us to stand up when our house was called. (Not that I have anything against Slytherins. It just isn't me. I always get caught when doing even slightly questionable things.) 

If there’s one story of yours you would like to tell us about, what would it be and why? 
That's a hard one. I've only been writing for just under a year, but my works are fairly varied: slow-burn, tohumor, to psychological thriller. My main characters are everything from the expected to the obscure HP characters to pumpkins and cows. However, I guess I'll pick: I Hate Multi Colored Days. I wrote it for the Unreliable Narrator Challenge. It's looking at the challenges of having autism from a little boy's perspective. It's also an autobiography of my family.  If you know anyone who has autism, I encourage you to read it.

What is your favourite emoji? 
Emojis? Those are those cute little faces everyone adds to their sentences instead of periods, right? Just kidding. I've tried to use them occasionally but have spent less than 0.001% of my brain power contemplating them. I've seen some people use one hiding behind a sofa. That one is cute. 

If you were magically transported into a movie, which movie would you prefer it to be?
Definitely a Jane Austen romance: Emma, Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sense ability.  HP comes in second place.  

Name one mythical creature you wish actually existed. 
House Elves. I hate cleaning my house.

If you were moving to a foreign country but could only pack four [4] items, what would they be? 
1. Bottled water. I don't like carbonated water some countries thrive on.  2. Chick-fil-A It's more American than apple pie  3. A soft pillow. Not that other countries don't have them, but you can never betocareful about getting a good night's sleep. 4. My family-although they would hate the move, I'm not leaving without them. 

 

\O/ This is where we all get to peek in each other's common rooms to help celebrate their monthly achievements!

Please put your hands together for these phenomenal members and stories.

 

Gryffindor House saw @Crimson Quill as their member of the month and @Sleepingbagonthesofa's Yaxley [M] as their story of the month!

They have both been so kind as to entertain us with some responses to interview questions! 

 

A B B I ' S   I N T E R V I E W

Give us your best House Pride shoutout! 
what can I say? our bunch are loud, proud and slightly insane. 

What is your favourite activity/event/thing you hold in your House? Why? 
I love that our common room has been so lively currently! they have been introducing lots of stuff recently, I love RvG. I always have a lot of fun reviewing and I think reviewing is a great way to encourage writers and it's nice to be giving love to my fellow housemates so it's a nice game to little push to review more too. 

If animals could talk, which one would be the most annoying?
I feel like it would be a dog, that sounds mean but I think they would always want your attention or need something so they wouldn't leave you alone which can be good thing for some people or just not for me.

If you could go anywhere in the world (no matter the cost) where would it be and why?
Somewhere I could see Elephants in their natural habitat so India or Kenya..something like that 

 

D E N I ' S   I N T E R V I E W

Give us your best House Pride shoutout! 

I present to you... This tweet that I stole off the Gryffie Group Chat!

(And thank you to Sam who tweeted this, allowing me to be very lazy months later!  )

What is your favourite activity/event/thing you hold in your House? Why?
The Common Room was has been so busy recently are there are so many things to choose from! It's quite small but every month Gina includes a game in Printed with Pride, I love having a go and seeing what everyone else's answers and results were. It's such a nice wee thing to look forward to. 

 What was the last song you sung along to?
Africa by Toto. 

If you were given an unlimited amount of money to open a museum, what kind of museum would it be?
I would have a museum containing all of the socks, hairpins and pens that I've lost over the years along with cards that would tell me where the hell I lost them in the first place. 

 

Hufflepuff recognized the wonderful @Dojh167's Pretty Little Thing this November as their housewide story of the month! 

 

Ravenclaw recognised the lovely @Margaret as their member of the month and @Chelts-rhj's Queen of the Underworld as their in-house story of the month! 

 

M A R G A R E T ' S   I N T E R V I E W

Give us your best House Pride shoutout!
I'm not fully sure what this is asking (and I'm sure I'm missing something obvious). 

What is your favorite activity/event/thing you hold in your House? Why?
Probably the Nargles. It's great to see all the stories that get nominated and perhaps learn of some excellent stories you'd overlooked. And, of course, it's amazing to have one of your own stories nominated for an award.

What is your least favorite trope/cliche?
Falling in love solving everything and/or the plot just being a device to get two people together. I'm not a fan of romance anyway, but it particularly irritates me when I'm reading a really interesting premise and it turns out the whole thing is just a device to get two characters together and the whole plot is forgotten or tied up quickly in order to focus on the romance. Or when a character has a serious problem like PTSD from the war and then falls in love and is instantly cured.

What was the last thing you Googled?
Well, I googled this site to come on here, but the last thing I went looking for information on may have been the new philosophy short course in the new Junior Cert. syllabus.

 

C H E L T S ' S   I N T E R V I E W

Give us your best House Pride shoutout!
‘Claw Pride!! Thank you to all the super smarty pants that support me and my random writing capabilities! Couldn’t do it withouty’all. 

What is your favorite activity/event/thing you hold in your House? Why?
While I don’t often put my ideas in, I really like ‘think pink’. I mean, I’ve been agonizing over “Bottle death and brew glory at sea” for weeks now. It’s what I doodle on my yellow notepad when I’m pretending to be working. 

What is your favorite scent?
LAVENDER! Omg. I have this lavender eucalyptus candle form the renfaire I work at during spring. It never lasts me all year.

Pick a month and give it a tagline!
September- Voir la vie en rose, one leaf at a time. 

 

Slytherin saw the lovely @juls as their member of the month and @Rumpelstiltskin's We, Lawbreaking Citizens [M] as their in-house story of the month.

 

J U L S ' S   I N T E R V I E W

Give us your best House Pride shoutout! 

First off, I just want to thank my Slytherin family for voting me as 'Snake of the Month'. That just tickled me to death (in a good way, I assure you.) I love how welcoming everyone has been since I've joined. I'm so happy I took Elena's advice to come here.

What is your favorite activity/event/thing you hold in your House? Why?
I'm going to have to say the 'Count to Ten before the Staff Interrupts'. I think I'm the cause for it being bumped up to '15'. Sorry!!! We did get quite a few wins, and I rather enjoyed the camaraderie of it all.Hopefully it picks back up after NaNo.

Another - the Review Swap thread. None of us can EVER get enough reviews. Or give enough reviews. Enjoying each others prides and joys just brings us all closer.

And, of course, the Basilisk Bodega. Where we all just climb in our baskets with our plushies, blankets, drink of choice and just chat away.

What would be a perfect day for you?
A perfect day for me is a nice cup of coffee (hot or iced), a book to read and some time to write.

OR - going somewhere special with my boyfriend and having fun. Gatlinburg is our close place of choice. So much to do there. We haven't even gone to one of the dinner shows yet. But we did go to 'The Titanic' for my birthday one year.

If you could have any super-power/magical ability, what would it be and why?
My friend, Mandy, had a character once ask one ofcharacters, if I would want to fly or be invisible. I picked invisible. I still would. It's a lot easier to not to be noticed in life. Be in the background. I was a shy person back when, and I hated to have to speak in class. I even quit violin when I found out we had to do a recital in front of the school. I'm a bit more outgoing than I was back then - but, not by much.

R U M P E L ' S   I N T E R V I E W

Give us your best House Pride shoutout! 
Go, SlytherWIN!  Thank you, Snakes, for being a huge part of my life -- you're all a part of my family and I'm not sure what I'd do without you lovelies. #fraternity #familia #love #loyalty  

What is your favorite activity/event/thing you hold in your House? Why?
There's a lot of places I love in the snake pit, but I think my mostfavorite thing is the Silver Quill (our quarterly newsletter). It's awesome to be able to explore the previous quarter of Slytherin achievement and celebrate with my housemates.  

If there are only two types of people in the world, what are the two types?
Slytherins and Not-Slytherins.

Describe your favorite time of day using only emojis.

 

 

If you aren't already aware, this is our recent blog addition -- the Monthly Dilemma! Each month we will be asking you a question and you can respond to each question by commenting in the corresponding blog post. Anyone who comments in the blog post with an answer to the question is put into a randomized raffle to win a little prize. You will have until the 15th of the following month to answer the question to be entered into the raffle. Winners will be announced in that month's Monthly Dilemma section.

Last month's raffle winner is @Pixileanin! Congratulations, you have won -- one free review! Please contact a Prefect to let us know where you'd like it. 

This month's dilemma is: what is the most overrated holiday food? 

You have until December 15th to answer! 

This month's winner will receive one [1] free review on a story of your choice. 

_________________

credits:
graphics [headers/dividers] -- deni
monthly dilemma drawing & question -- sarah
interviewers -- madi, deni, sarah, nix, rumpel
review column -- rumpel | prefect reviews -- nix
layout -- rumpel