Welcome to the December edition of In the Spotlight, where we take a look at those awesome people and stories that have hit home runs this month. We'd also like to wish you all the happiest of holidays! In this edition, we will be featuring not one -- but four fantastic Order of Merlin Recipients: the Muggle Liason Team. We've also brought the winner of the Prefect's Autumn Challenge out to play in this edition, too, featuring their winning entry as well as interviewing the author. Of course, there will be the usual shenanigans included as well. We hope that you're all enjoying The Nifflers That Stole Christmas holiday gifting event that has been going on -- we know that we Prefects have been having a blast!  

As we move forward into a new year of HPFT madness, we sincerely hope that you all keep on keeping on.

 

 

With so many amazing staffers around, it is sometimes difficult to pick just one of them to be handed an Order of Merlin. So, this month, the Prefects decided that a single featured person would have been impossible, so we opted for four, instead. The Muggle Liaison Team here at HPFT does so much to keep our sitewide and house-specific social media up and running, bringing us new and fun content every single day. Thanks to their hard work, not only does the site get advertised across Social Media platforms, but our hard-working and dedicated members' stories do, too! Thanks so much for all your dedication, Muggle Liaisons ( @PaulaTheProkaryote, @RoxiMalfoy, @victoria_anne, and @ShadowRose)!

 

P A U L A ' S   I N T E R V I E W
 

What is your favourite memory from being apart of the HP community?

My favourite memory is when I went to see PoA at the midnight showing and the fire alarm went off in the middle of it and a bunch of witches and wizards were filing out looking absolutely goofy in a parking lot full of muggles. It made me so happy and it's such a distinct memory for me. 

 

What is your favourite SM platform and why? Least favourite?

My favourite is definitely Tumblr. Tumblr has its faults, but overall the community there is thriving in any fandom you can think of and there’s so much original content being generated there. I can get lost scrolling my dash for hours.

My least favourite is Instagram. Until they can send samples of the food I’m looking at, it doesn’t really do much for me. From a Muggle Liaison
standpoint they also aren’t super helpful with linking so it’s the one I struggle with the most.

 

What has been your favourite part of being an Muggle Liaison?

Really just finding new ways to reach out to members and bring content to their fingertips. We spend a lot of time finding ways to promote their stories and site events and it’s really cool to see when that pays off.

 

What is your favourite [forum-appropriate] meme?

All my memes are forum appropriate! What are you talking about? Can I use my own meme? I did a change my mind meme that makes me laugh every time I see it: 

 

What is a ship you dislike, and why should it sink?

I'm of the belief that I'll never sink anyone's ship, but I'm not a fan of Lily/Severus. A lot of his behavior is problematic to me in a way that I can't really justify/redeem. I'm really into healthy relationships with good communication and boundaries and it's hard to find a Snily that portrays that. That's not to say I don't enjoy him paired with others, just not Lily. Especially since Jily is my OTP. 

What’s a stereotypical Midwestern thing you do?

So I picked up the phrase "ope" ironically when it was a big meme a few months ago and it stuck. Now I say it 24/7. I'm embarrassed that this is who I've become. 

If one song could sum up how you feel at this moment, what would it be?

It's definitely because I just saw them at a show the other night, but "Blur" by Seaway is definitely my song of the moment. Sometimes it feels like time is slipping away before I notice! Especially deadlines! 

 

D E A N A ' S   I N T E R V I E W
 

What is your favourite memory from being apart of the HP community?

In my state, there is a Harry Potter fangroup, and they have events called “Harry Huddles” hosted at various locations all year-round. I’ve been a member of this group for going on 5 years now, and one of my absolute favorite events is, coincidentally, coming up next weekend!!! The annual “Weasley Sweater Christmas Party” is hosted every year at the end of December, and everyone wears an HP-themed sweater and brings an HP-themed gift for the white elephant gift exchange. Last year was probably my favorite/most memorable year ever though, because it was the first year that I actually made/got to wear my own homemade “Weasley sweater” with my initial on it, and I stole this awesome “Lumos” lamp from someone in the gift game, haha!! (Seriously though, ALL the Slytherins in our group are crazy- ruthless when it comes to the three-steals rule in that game, lol!!) It’s AWESOME though, and I am super excited for this year’s party!! 

 

What is your favourite SM platform and why? Least favourite?

Recently, my favorite has become Twitter; which is saying something considering that I used to be on Facebook, like, ALL the time, lol! I love how interactive Twitter has become, and it's so easy to share things there. I also like how easy it is to keep in contact with people on Twitter, and keep up with your notifications via their mobile abbreviations interface. It's SOO easy to switch between accounts on Twitter as well, which is the most convenient thing of all from an ML standpoint. I hate having to sign in and out constantly (I'm looking at you, Tumblr) whenever you need to change to a different account to post something… The only thing that would make Twitter even better is an adding an edit button. Cuz, like, I hate having to delete entire posts over typos. 

The SM platform I'm probably the the least fan of right now is Snapchat. It took me the longest time to even get the hang of using it, and now that I am more familiar with it, I still just didn't get what all the hype is all about? You can't save anything on there, and everything you post is deleted after 24 hours, which seems entirely pointless in my opinion.  The Bitmojis are cool and are super fun to play with,  and sometimes they have fun photo filters. But otherwise, I have no use for Snapchat, really. I guess maybe that just means I'm not a chatty person IRL, or my life really just isn't that interesting, lol!

 

What has been your favourite part of being a Muggle Liaison?

Honestly, I think my favorite part of all of this is how joining the Staff/ML Team has kind of made me have to talk to people, lol. I know I’ve said this before so it’s not a big secret by now; but I used to be somewhat of a lurker on these here forums, lol. I was certainly NOT a talker at all, and I mostly used to just kept to myself. Granted, I am still awkward as all get out sometimes; but anymore, I feel as though I’ve most definitely come out of that “shy/quiet” shell quite a bit. I have made so many friends here at HPFT; some of which I know will be long-lasting. And it's all because I decided to step out of my comfort zone and dive in head-first, getting involved in this amazing community full of so many wonderful people!! 

Being on the ML Team, (and also the Slytherin CR Team, even) and working so closely with others on a daily basis; communicating and sharing ideas to get various projects done, and then seeing the fulfillment of such ideas come to life… It's difficult to describe the feelings that come along with those things, but I truly do love every single person on the team SO MUCH!! It's a labor of love, and we're all extremely passionate about what we do for the site. And when you share that passion with like-minded people, it's hard NOT to get super-close. So yeah... I am very grateful that doing this job has made me talk to people, because otherwise, IDK if I'd even have HALF of the AMAZING friends that I do now!!! 

 

What is your favourite [forum-appropriate] meme?

Because I'm pretty sure that everyone here knows by now what a night-owl I am, I thought this one seemed pretty fitting, lmao!!! 

And because it was SOOO HARD to pick just ONE, and it is also Christmas time, I just had to include this one as well, lol!!!  These are honestly both so freaking ME, it's hilarious, haha!!!  

 

What is a ship you dislike, and why should it sink?

I know a lot of people are going to probably throw things at me for this one *cough*Madi*cough* - But, like, I just absolutely can NOT get behind the Dramione ship. AT ALL. They are just two completely different people from two completely different worlds, and Hermione hated him all throughout the books. And not without good reason either. He was quite the little shit to ALL of  them, and I just feel as though someone with Hermione Granger’s intelligence and potential would not resort to settling down with someone like Draco Malfoy - no matter HOW MUCH he “changed” after the War. - And I say that with the utmost amount of love and respect for my boy, lol!  But there was a reason he ended up with someone like Astoria Greengrass in cannon.

Honestly, if I absolutely HAD to ship Hermione with anybody other than Ron, I’d be more apt to get behind seeing her with Harry than I would with Draco. Even though I myself know how she feels when it comes to having one of those guy friends who are more brotherly-close, and nothing in the way of romance is EVER going to happen with them. (Clearly I am not a Harrmione shipper either, haha!)  But I just do not support Hermione Granger with Draco Malfoy. I’ve read some pretty good fics about the two of them together over the years, but no one has been able to change my mind yet, lol. It’s just NOT a Ship that I can get behind. Like, at all. Sorry y’all. 

 

What is your favourite part about writing your Draco/OC novel?

One of my favorite things about writing this story (i.e. my mission in life) is getting the reader to change their perspective on the Malfoy Family. It’s certainly not an easy thing to do sometimes; especially with a character as hated and flawed, and one who has as many skeletons in their closet as Lucius Malfoy does. But it can (and has) been done, lol! One of my absolute FAVORITE moments so far was this summer, when Eva read through the Novel, and she started out the story hating Lucius’ character with he was first introduced - which is exactly what I want people to think, btw.   Draco hates his father, so therefore the reader should despise this man as well. He’s a vicious, low-life, murderous, Death Eater… But then you learn that there’s more to the story that even Draco doesn’t know about yet, and that Lucius Malfoy may actually have a heart after all… and you start to feel bad for him, and you find yourself rooting for these two men (Draco & Lucius) to both get their shit together, lol. 

But anyways, when @just.a.willow.tree read through the Novel, I’ll never forget her first reaction to Lucius when he comes into the story in Chapter 14. In her initial review, Eva had said the following:

Quote

I understand what you did with Lucius here, but I'm sorry, I still don't like him as a character in this story. I think that everything he did to Draco directly stemmed as a result from his own decisions a long, long time ago -- his decisions to be prejudiced, his decisions to join the Death Eaters, his unwillingness to leave until the last moment, etc. Perhaps he did do all of these horrible things for love, but sometimes, "love" is not an adequate enough reason when it comes to hurting someone to the point of insanity.

And I remember reading this review for the first time and screaming - because THIS is the whole entire POINT of the entire TITLE of the whole Novel, lol!!!  It’s about choosing LOVE instead of War; which is ultimately what ends up separating Draco from his father in the end... And I wasn’t even upset at all that someone out there was complaining about Lucius - no. This literally MADE MY WHOLE ENTIRE DAY, lol!!!! ---> Fast Forward a bit, and then we get to Chapter 18, where my #WritingGoals as a fanfic author were officially completed, haha!!  Because, in her follow-up review to this one, Eva was then quoted saying the following:

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You're right, my mind definitely has changed on Lucius. I don't find him to be vile and selfish, the way I did before, and even though I still don't exactly consider him a good person right now, I can really admire his bravery and strength in a time like this. And his love for Narcissa, as well. Wonderfully done.

In this very same chapter (18), @adorably cute also recently left me a review. And even though it started off as an all-caps-screamo-review (due to all of the shocking revelations that were made in the chapter, I can assure you, lol!) the END of her review said the following about Lucius Malfoy:

Quote

That last line of the chapter was SO SAD. You can really tell how the loss of Narcissa has affected him and changed him. It's really sad to see him so down, that this is like the only thing to keep him going. I can't wait to read next chapter and see what happens!

Both Sarah and Eva’s opinions of Lucius were changed at this point of the story, which is honestly what I live for in writing this fic. Not to mention, I was also recently informed by @Rumpelstiltskin that LNW-Draco is one of the only Draco Malfoys that she can stand to read - because she typically despises him as a character. And that, to me, is progress, lol.  But, honestly, it is the little things like this that are my personal favorite parts about writing this Draco/OC Novel!! I have always felt like Draco (and therefore, by extension, his family) were all just misunderstood/too harshly judged in cannon, and I’ve found myself questioning their true intentions/motives far too often. I was constantly curious about what would have happened if certain roles had been revered - or better yet, what if Draco HAD taken Dumbledore up on his protection offer at the end of book 6? (That was my biggest question of all.) And so... Love, Not War has become my passion-project/in-depth attempt at answering that particular question; along with exploring so many other things about these characters as well. And I absolutely love getting the opportunity to change other people’s perspectives of this typically hated family along the way!! (Even if only for the duration of this ONE fanfiction story, lol!) 

 

If you owned a boat, what would you name it?

I’m really torn between the “S.S. Ariel”  - both because the Little Mermaid is one of my absolute favorite Disney Princesses, and Ariel Bloomer (AKA: my faceclaim for my MC Roxi) is the name of the lead singer from one of my FAVORITE bands of all time: Icon For Hire!! And then the other boat name that I really like is the “Ship Happens”  - because A) it’s just funny as hell, and because B) you can’t help but to laugh when you hear it. Also, this is just the story of my life if we're being honest. I mean, let’s just be totally real here, lol!! 

 

T A Y L O R ' S   I N T E R V I E W
 

What is your favourite memory from being a part of the HP community?

my forever favourite hp memory is when the last book came out, and i remember waiting in line to get the book at midnight, and everyone was decked out in hp gear and there was just this energy and everyone was so excited and it was contagious. and y'all, i pulled the first all-nighter of my life finishing that book, and my parents woke up the next morning to find me full-on sobbing over the final battle.

 

What is your favourite SM platform and why? Least favourite?

for completely non-hpft reasons, i really, really love instagram? i do a lot of things for the #aesthetic, so that platform is really quite perfect for that lol. i also love twitter for hpft stuff, because i feel like that's where i get to do the most interacting with other members of the community. least favourite is facebook, because most of the people i went to high school are all having kids now, which is really terrifying for me to think about because at this point in my life i feel like i've only just nailed down the whole 'keeping myself alive' part of things, and i was definitely one of the more responsible people at my high school, so the fact that those people are now responsible for entire other humans is scary.

 

What has been your favourite part of being a Muggle Liaison?

getting to work with such a bomb-ass team. also i really love people's reactions to their featured fic picspams bc it just makes me so happy every time that someone tells me they like something i made. 

 

What is your favourite [forum-appropriate] meme?

this is from one of my character pinterest boards, and it gets me every time.

 

What is a ship you dislike, and why should it sink?

is it bad that i have a shit ton of potential answers for this?? there's just a lot of ships i'm not a big fan of, tbh. but like, i think the main one i'm going to go with is snily (snape/lily), because a) james and lily are perfect, b) i feel like their relationship dynamic is a bit obsessive on snape's side which is not at all a healthy foundation for a relationship, and c) controversial opinion time, i don't like snape and don't think he deserves her after all of the things he did, both in his death eater phase and his double-agent phase.

(that being said, i have no problem with people loving snape as a character - we've all got our own interpretations and opinions of characters and this just happens to be mine. if you're a die-hard snily shipper, then by all means, freaking go for it. one of the cool things about the hp fandom being so big is that there's room for a whole range of different opinions, which is super awesome. also, why did my answer to this question just turn into a speech about intra-fandom tolerance? this was not the question? lol.)

 

What is one thing you can’t believe your parents tricked you into believing as a child?

not necessarily something they 'tricked me into,' but i came to the realization that santa wasn't real at like 7? and when i confronted my parents about this (on easter of all days), their response was 'santa claus is a metaphor.' and as a small child i had a weirdly large vocabulary but didn't fully understand definitions of things, so i somehow got confused between metaphor and metaphysical. i spent the next 2 or 3 years believing that santa claus just..... existed in an alternate reality?? idk.

 

If you were sent 100 years into the past what would you say to prove that you were from the future?

i'm just going to retell the entire shitshow that was the 2016 american election cycle because all of it together is so incredible bizarre that you absolutely cannot make that shit up.
 

 

 

We have two amazing Head Students to recognize this month -- @Sleepingbagonthesofa and @greisful! Please give it up for these two amazing people, for rocking it out on HPFT and making all our time here that much more memorable!

 

D E N I ' S   I N T E R V I E W

What is your favourite place to visit on HPFT?

The Writer's Nests! I just love being nosy and seeing what everyone else is getting up to. Writers Journals especially, I love stopping in and having a read whenever I've got a chance! 

If there’s one story of yours you would like to tell us about, what would it be and why?

I was going to go with another story but it always comes back to this one. Yaxley (M), a labour of love, my baby, my constant nightmare. Having started this nearly a year ago I feel like the story is definitely hitting it's stride now. It's a Marauders Era enemies to friends to lovers story about Sirius Black and an occasionally dramatic, always morally grey OC called Cassiel Yaxley. Where I am right now things are starting up so I've been having a lot of fun  weaving in different elements of the plot and seeing some of the reactions. Think drama, thestrals, duels, heap loads of angst and a little bit of romance thrown in. 

What is your favourite part about writing Sirius Black in your novel Yaxley?

I generally just enjoy writing characters who are a bit of a twat. One of the funnest things about writing him in Yaxley is that the main character, the person who's perspective we get on the story does. not. like. Sirius (at least at first...). Because of that I get to take the normal way he's portrayed and turn all the bad aspects up to a ten and watch it play out! In general he's just such a fun character to write. 

From your profile about me page, it’s clear you love The Emperor’s New Groove. When did you first see this movie and why did it resonate with you so much?

Me? Love... Groove? No idea what gave you that impression.

What's not to love? It's clever, the characters are amazing, the villain incredible and it has some of the best one-liners. I don't remember when I first saw the movie, we had it on video when I was younger so I must have been really wee the first time. It has always been my favourite film. Nothing else has ever really come close. There must be something about it, maybe some character in particular, that appealed to the four year old me who either wanted to be a mad scientist or an empress...

What is the most “useless” talent you have?

Hmmm... The most useless? This is when I realise that most of my talents could be classes as utterly useless... I can rap the whole of Alphabet Aerobics. I've never found a use for that but it's just a thing that I once spent far too much time learning how to do. _{I live for the day when the only solution to a problem is someone singing that song... that's my time to shine!}

What is your favourite childhood memory?

This is more a collection of memories, when I was younger we always got pretty heavy snow around our house. It became a  tradition for me and my siblings to climb up the nearest mountain, split off into teams and race back to the house on sledges. There were always accidents, tears (one year we straight up lost a sledge and still don't know what happened to it) but at the end of the day there was always a cup of hot chocolate and a good laugh when we got home. Besides, the girl's team always won!

 

G R E I S F U L ' S   I N T E R V I E W

What is your favourite place to visit on HPFT?

This might sound really dumb but I love visiting the Earworm thread or the 50 Books Challenge thread just to see what people are listening to or how many books they've read or what books people are reading. I usually disappear for like weeks at a time so I don't check the forums often but when I do, that's where I go.

If there’s one story of yours you would like to tell us about, what would it be and why?

One story of mine that I get super excited to talk about is actually one that isn't up on any fanfic websites and one that I haven't even started writing it's just an idea with snippets here and there but I love it so much and I'm so excited to eventually write it one day. It's called Thick as Thieves and it was heavily inspired by Ally Carter but like the magical version of her art thieves series. I'm just so pumped for it. Essentially James Potter gets sucked into some thievery shenanigans, like Oceans 8, 11, 12, 13 but not nearly as clever.

You’ve managed to publish 34 stories on the HPFT archives in just over 18 months. How do you do it without getting burnt out?

It's time to tell you all the truth but most of the stuff that I've "published" on HPFT are actually old stories for the most part, I was just slowly migrating all of my things over to the archives but if you look at stuff that's actually brand new, there's not much of it. Now that I've outed myself as a fraud, I guess I can't really answer how I keep from burning out.

What has been a site activity you’ve enjoyed participating in recently?

I haven't really been active on the forums for the past few months since school started up and, I'm not gonna lie, I'm not very active when it comes to sitewide activities because I've participated before and I know how time-consuming they can be and I don't have enough time to devote to participating (I barely have time to shower I'm not gonna lie). BUT. I do participate in the Ravenclaw review battle usually and I love doing it, it's a lot of fun and it just motivates me to leave as many reviews as possible. I just love watching peoples review count go up so I try and sprinkle them on stories as much as I can.

If you could only keep five (5) of your current possessions, which would they be and why?

My phone, I'm going to count all 200 novels that I own as one possession, my salicylic acid, my witch hazel, all of the 80 something pens in my pencil case.

What do you want your tombstone to say?

I think about this a lot and it's usually something my friends say about me but I can never remember them but let me see if I can visit dig something up. I think my favourite thing I've been told "Your nose could bite people's head off" so maybe that just for the giggles.

 

 

This month, we saw @ShadowRose's fantabulous Jily Orange Cardamom [M] take the December Site-Wide Story of the Month. As such, we have prepared a review column to feature this fluffy AU and have prepared some interview questions for the ever-so-talented Taylor!

 

R E V I E W   C O L U M N

There is something to be said about how adorable coffee shop AUs can be, and Taylor really hit that nail on the head with Orange Cardamom. We are all-too-familiar with the canonical romance of James Potter and Lily Evans, and we're all well aware of the tragic turn that fate had in store for them. But what if we were to look at their story from the beginning, in a story with a Muggle spin, in a time where the future might not seem to loom so ominously over their heads?

Orange Cardamom is an alternate universe piece, featuring James Potter and Sirius Black, owners of Padfoot & Prongs Coffee Co. and, of course, a potential new barista -- Lily Evans. Lily's specialty, the orange cardamom latte, might win her more than just a position at James and Sirius' buisness. In fact, having work beside the new barista might be more than James can handle. 

This story is the epitome of sweet, fun, and fluffy, and weaves a beautiful Jily origin story. Of course, no Jily would be complete without the antics of Sirius Black on the side, and the dynamic duoism of James and Sirius are certainly brought to life in this. A definite must-read for those of you perusing something wonderfully happy and light. 

 

I N T E R V I E W    W I T H   T H E   A U T H O R

What inspires you to write?

i feel like i get a lot of inspiration from music and song lyrics, because i'll just hear a line and my brain will run with it. so much of the novel i'm currently writing is based on snippets from songs, and i can actually point out scenes that were directly inspired by certain songs/lyrics. i also, get a lot of inspiration from things that happen in real life, and it only takes a little tweaking to turn them into a story or a moment in a story. and half the time, those aren't even intentional - there's a scene in one of my jily AUs that's literally almost directly a retelling of something that happened to me in real life, and honestly i didn't even realize the similarity until i was mid-edit and was like, 'oh god that's why this sounds so familiar.'

What is a genre/trope that you’ve never written before, but want to try? 

there's only one bed!! what ever will we do?? guess we'll just have to ~* share it *~

Published authors you look up to?

sooo i don't actually read a lot of published fiction. most of the published books i read are nonfiction (and mostly political stuff because that's my line of work anyways) so honestly like.... Michelle Obama? does that count?

If you could give one piece of advice to your fellow writers, what would it be?

stop being so hard on yourself!! i know this is horribly cliché, but especially when you're writing things for free on the internet (and not as like, a paid author), the only person you should really be writing for is yourself. if other people like what you're writing, great!! if they don't, screw 'em. you're writing for free and you should be doing it because you love it and not because you're trying to please anyone else. (easier said than done, i know.)

the one exception to this: if you're writing a kissing scene, please please please never use the phrase "their tongues battled for dominance." i have no idea who invented that one but it's the literal worst and it makes me aggressively cringe every time i read it anywhere.

If you could witness any historical event, which would it be and why? (Note: You’re only allowed to view the event, not interact with it in any other way.)

the 1963 march on washington. i would've just loved to feel the energy of those crowds and to hear the famous 'i have a dream' speech in person.

or like, maybe the first time someone managed to create a corgi.

Please create your own Hogwarts House and list some of the traits and qualities found there.

this hogwarts house of mine doesn't have a name because i can't think of a good one, but our colours are black and gold (because they go with everything, duh), and the common room is full of super trendy minimalistic black and white decor and a bunch of coffee machines (did i just.... turn my apartment into a common room?  yes, yes i did. let it happen.) our primary trait is being able to bullshit our way out of absolutely everything, with some extra splashes of a constant internal desire to overachieve at all times and an entirely inappropriate sense of humour. we throw great parties.

 

 

The Common Rooms were as busy as always this month, spreading some love by nominating and voting for their respective Story of the Month and Member of the Month winners! We are happy to share a glimpse of the Common Room winnings with you all (as well as some fun interviews with December's winners), so that we may all celebrate together!

 

 

Gryffindor House has spent an unimaginable amount of love and energy in their RvG Review battles, but that doesn't mean they didn't have time to choose some of their Housemates to stand in the spotlight. Gryffindor's Featured Fic was A Woman's Place [M] by @Chemical_Pixie and @Alwynse represented their House with taking the title of Leading Lion. Congratulations!

 

A B B Y ' S   I N T E R V I E W
 

What is the most Gryffindor thing that you do/quality that you have?

Jumping in head first, in a blaze of fire and fury. I’ve moved to two countries, not knowing anyone nor the language. Played Settlers of Catan with some of the smartest people I know--and won. Auditioned for things last minute and have gotten roles. Wandered into parts of a castle that… were technically off limits. Swam in an icy river while it was snowing. Currently, I resigned from my job without having another one lined up (but now I have an offer, post-resignation, so it’s all kinda sorta good). So… next, I’m apparently jumping into a new career field!

What is your favourite thing you hold in your House? Why?

The Sword of Gryffindor: slaying murderous beasts, destroying Dark objects, and protecting friends circa the tenth century.

 How much wood could a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

I’m not a woodchuck, so I wouldn’t know. And I’d rather the wood be left as trees so I could have another forest to explore!

 If you could only eat one meal from now on, what would it be and why?

Brunch. From waffles to avocado toast to breakfast burritos, the possibilities are endless. Need I even mention tea?

No, this answer isn’t cheating. This answer appreciates a vast array of worthy entrees which fit into one meal.

 

A U B R E Y ' S   I N T E R V I E W
 

What is the most Gryffindor thing that you do/quality that you have?

This fight/flight mechanism that will leap to someone's aid without a second thought. Bravely and sometimes stupidly, on the borderline of panic. 

What is your favourite activity/event/thing you hold in your House? Why?

Currently, the RvG Gryffindor Reviewing Competition. We Gryffies can get pretty competitive!

What is the most non-Gryffindor trait you have? 

I love, love, love learning. I am always reading a book or listening to an audio course. Usually history or socio-cultural topics. 

What is one life skill you'd like to learn and why?

Just one? Oh man... how about I develop the skill of being a car mechanic that is fluent in Classic Mayan and Old Norse? I'd like to know about how a car works so I wouldn't feel like such a blonde bimbo when I walk into the car shop. And that's exactly what I am -- I'm blonde and I don't know anything about cars. It irks me that I meet that stereotype so well. The lipstick and heels probably don't help though, haha. As for the Classic Mayan and Old Norse, well, why wouldn't someone want to be fluent in those languages?!

 

 

Hufflepuff had a fantastic NaNo by the sounds of things! Great job Hufflepuff! That didn't stop them from nominating their Housemates and spreading that monthly love around, though.  @Felpata_Lupin's Francis made for a swim-tastic Story of the Month and @WriteYourHeartOut made for a well-deserved 'Puff of the Month!

 

C H I A R A ' S   I N T E R V I E W

What is the most Hufflepuff thing that you do/quality that you have?

The most Hufflepuff-y thing that I do? Does "enjoying sleeping in too much" count?  Jokes aside, I think my main Puff characteristic is that I always believe in people and their good intentions (to the point where it gets naive). I will always give the benefit of the doubt and there is almost no limit to the second, third, tenth chances I can give. That, and I love warm and comfty things. And cuddles.

What is your favourite activity/event/thing you hold in your House? Why?

I really, really love to write for the Newsletter, especially the interviews. I have a lot of fun thinking up questions for my fellow Puffs and even more fun reading their replies.  Also, it's nice to feel involved in the behind the scenes stuff a little bit and have the chance to contribute to the site in some small way.

 What is one job/career that you would NOT like to have?

I would never, ever want to be a doctor! I have a bit of a bad relationship with medicine and hospitals and all that... it scares me too much... I do esteem deeply people who choose that career, I think it's noble and generous, but it's really not for me...

For what are you most grateful for right now?

My HPFT fam! I've formed some of the most deep friendships within the community, I've met so many wonderful people (both through the internet and in person) who've been by my side in some really hard times during the last few years and I couldn't be more grateful for it. Not to mention the lovely trips around Europe. I just can't imagine my life without HPFT now!  

!

 

T A N Y A ' S   I N T E R V I E W
 

What is the most Hufflepuff thing that you do/quality that you have?

Maybe... being a bit too kind sometimes? Putting other people's happiness and needs before my own? I don't know! haha

What is your favourite activity/event/thing you hold in your House? Why?

We have this one topic called The Description Game which is basically just one giant compliment to anyone who posts in it and it's pretty much the most Hufflepuff thread you could possibly imagine. It's so lovely.

What is the very first career (that you can remember) that you dreamed of becoming as a kid?

Same one I dream of having now: a Broadway performer. I was in jr. high, sitting in the auditorium, watching the high school's production of 42nd Street, and I remember thinking to myself as I watched, "I want to do that."

Please list three [3] positive adjectives to describe yourself :).

1. Understanding
2. Trustworthy
3. Creative

 

 

While Slytherin House may have cancelled November, they've wasted no time in settling in for the long winter ahead. In fact, Slytherin has chosen @Diogenissa's spooky Hallow Fences [M] won, with a plot as chilling as the December we're facing, and @Finefrenzy__ was chosen as Snake of the Month for all of their dedication to the House. 

 

R H I ' S   I N T E R V I E W
 

What is the most Slytherin thing that you do/quality that you have?

The Slytherin trait I probably identify with most would be self-preservation. While fortunately it isn't something I have to use very often, when I go into 'crisis mode' I am always looking out for number one. Whether it is for a loved one, or myself, I am a strategist and always calculating several steps ahead. I like to have an exit plan to any situation that makes me unhappy or uncomfortable.

What is one thing you hope to accomplish in the upcoming New Year?

A personal aspiration for me in 2019 is to work on my health and return to full-time work since fracturing my spine in July 2018.

What is a plunny that you have but haven’t found the time to write, yet?

I have two plunnies bouncing around my head at the moment. The first is a Oliver Wood/Lavender Brown recovery fic, and the second is a OF that follows a young assassin called Yesult. 

What is your favorite activity/event/thing you hold in your House? Why?

I love the camaraderie in the Snakepit. We are all here for to support each other. A reflection of that makes the EvS Review Battle my favourite activity that we do here in the Pit. I love to see snaked supporting other snakes

 

 

Ravenclaw has been settling into the winter spirit in the best way possible -- around the hearth with some hot cocoa. They also had a super-stellar NaNo and gained themselves a new 'Clawsome Prefect! Meanwhile, they've also been celebrating their House just as much as everyone else! @ReillyJade's Slytherin Secrets [M] took the spotlight as their Story of the Month, and @MadiMalfoy took on the title of 'Claw of the Month. 

J A D E ' S   I N T E R V I E W
 

What is the most Ravenclaw thing that you do/quality that you have? 

My head is always in the clouds! I'm constantly daydreaming, whether it's about writing, weekend plans, etc. And because of this, I'm always getting sidetracked from what I should actually be doing... such as answering these questions, for instance.  Lol. I've always been pegged as a procrastinator, but I'm not actively avoiding things. I just spend far too much time in la la land! 

What is your favourite activity/event/thing you hold in your House? Why? 

I absolutely adore the Blue vs. Bronze reviewing challenge! I don't get to participate in it as often as I would like (see Question 1, haha), but it's always fun to do. I love getting the opportunity to read and review the work of my fellow 'Claws.

What has been the most challenging part of writing this novel so far? 

Following the trend, the biggest challenge has simply been time, or lack thereof. A large chunk of the problem is that adulthood is stupid and busy, meaning that I don't have nearly as much free time as I'd like. And even when I do have that time, sometimes the motivation to actually write isn't there, or I want to experiment with other ideas I have. So, yeah... I just wish I had more time to work on it, along with the proper focus and attention necessary to do it right. 

Do you have the rest of your novel planned out or are you more of a “panster” with writing? 

There have been a few stories where I've just said "let's see where this goes," but for the most part, I'm a planner. I typically don't have elaborate notes or anything; in most cases, I'll just have the stories planned out in my head. Slytherin Secrets, though, is a bit of an anomaly for me. I have a chapter-by-chapter outline with detailed notes. But, it's worth noting that this outline only exists because I wrote it five or so years ago while I was bored in class. Lol. As you can see, my head-in-the-clouds problem has been around for quite some time! 

 

M A D I ' S   I N T E R V I E W

 

What is the most Ravenclaw thing that you do/quality that you have?

Hmm....this is kind of a tough one. It's probably my perfectionism -- I have to do things perfect quite a lot of the time, but I'm (slowly) learning to not worry about it so much and just get things done acceptably. I also love to read and learn new things like all the time, so very Ravenclaw. 

What is your favorite activity/event/thing you hold in your House? Why?

Definitely gotta be the various game threads we've got going on! Rebus Puzzles, "Think Pink", 20 Questions are so much fun and they can really make you think! They're very Ravenclaw games to play, but they remind me a lot of the extra credit questions I'd have on exams in high school so they are just a nice way to build our knowledge, problem solving skills, and just have fun when we're not doing the Blue vs. Bronze Review Battle!

If you didn’t have to sleep, what would you do with all the extra time?

Oooh this is a dangerous question.....if I didn't have to sleep and had those 6-8 hours available to me, I would probably just be so much more productive. I'd read more scientific papers to stay up to date on my field, get my homework & grading done sooner, and also actually make it to the gym! Basically just get my life more together

Which Harry Potter spell/charm/curse would you most like to be able to cast?

I would LOVE to be able to cast the Undetectable Extension Charm! Not only would traveling be so much easier, but also I would be able to have more things with me at the same time without killing my back and shoulders from the weight!

 

 

Our Autumn Prefect Challenge, the [Insert Name Here] Challenge, came to a close this month as we revealed the winners in our December 7th Blog Post.  While we received an insane number of amazing entries, we each filled out our ruberics and let the numbers do the work. We were very enthusiastic to see that @TreacleTart's entry Aguardiente took first place! We are proud to present the Prefect Challenge Winner's Featured Section to you all!, and please help us extend a hearty Congratulations to Kaitlin once again! 

 

 

R E V I E W   C O L U M N

Aguardiente is a fantastic nod to an old Ecuadorian myth, brought to life by Kaitlin's wonderful storytelling. The legend of Guagua auca goes something like this, though the story seems to vary here and there: the Guagua auca is said to be a demon created from the soul of an unbaptized child. It mimics an infant's cry, which lures unsuspecting people who believe that there is a troubled, possibly abandoned infant somewhere nearby. 

Kaitlin's story gives subtle cues to Ecuadorian culture as we follow a man named Javiar, who has perhaps had a bit too much to drink. With liquid courage, however, oftentimes comes grave mistakes -- even so much so as to not heed the warnings that could very well save someone. But does Javiar heed those same warnings of the demonic Guagua auca? You'll have to give it a read to find out. 

The legends itself is creepy, but Kaitlin really brings the spookiness to life in Aguardiente.  Your anxiety will peak as you plead with Javiar to listen, praying that he doesn't hear and follow the spine-chilling sound of a babe's cry in the night. The descriptions in this make for some beautiful imagery and when they turned unnerving -- it was masterful. 

This is a definite must-read for anyone who likes a good Dark/Horror fic or is really into myths and legends! 

 

I N T E R V I E W    W I T H    T H E    A U T H O R

 

What inspired you to write about the myth of the Guagua cua? 

I just got back from a 14-month world trip and I've been struggling with how to blend my experiences traveling into my writing. I've also been frustrated with how little representation there is for Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa in all types of writing. When I saw the Prefect's Challenge, I thought that might be a chance to explore the oral history of one of the places I had an opportunity to visit. I wrote about Ecuador because I spent three months there and really fell head over heels for it. Quito, in particular, is such a beautiful place and I really enjoy descriptive writing, so setting the story there allowed me to really try and build the image of the city in words.

What was the most difficult part about writing this story? 

The most difficult part of writing a story about any culture that is not my own is being accurate and being sensitive. I want to bring more diversity to fanfiction and just writing in general, but I don't want to do it in a way that speaks over people from that region or whitewashes their culture.

Looking back, if there was anything you could change about the story, what would it be and why?

I would've spent a bit more time on the description of the city. Quito is a stunning place to visit. It's in a huge valley surrounded by five volcanoes. The skyline sprawls for miles and miles. In the center of the city, you have the Basilica De Voto Nacional, which rivals The Notre Dame in Paris and adds a beautiful focal point. At night, the view is even more spectacular as the city is all lit up. I hoped that the little bit of description I included might encourage people to visit Ecuador or even just look up photos and information. Had I had a bigger word count, I definitely would've gone a lot deeper into that.

If you were to choose a second myth to have written instead, which would it have been and why?

Ah. That's always hard for me. I actually had a list of like twenty myths/legends from quite a few different countries and I kept going back and forth over which to write. I considered stories from Mexico like La Llorona, El Cucuy, and La Chupacabra, but I'm already writing a whole novella focused on Mexico and have a one-shot about El Cucuy. I also considered writing about the haunting of El Muro De Las Lagrimas (The Wall of Tears), which is an actual place in The Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. It was a penal colony where prisoners were forced to build a pointless wall in an inhospitable climate. Many of them were unjustly sent to the penal colony and most of them died there. In day, you can visit the rui ns of this wall which are the only reminder of the atrocity that happened there. Lots of locals believe the area is haunted by restless spirits. current

 

 

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 was @LadyMarauder! Please contact a Prefect to let us know where you would like your one [1] review to go (same for previous winners, ofc, if you haven't already done so)! 
 

This month's dilemma is: what is the worst way to travel long distances?

You have until January 15th to answer!

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

 

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credits:
graphics [headers & dividers] -- deni
monthly dilemma question -- chelts | monthly dilemma drawing -- emma
interviewers and courriers -- deni, madi, sarah, rumpels
review columns/picspam -- rumpels | prefect reviews -- sarah
layout -- rumpels