Welcome to the March edition of In the Spotlight, where we sit down with those stories and authors and people that were stellar last month! We'd also like to wish you all a happy spring equinox, and for those of you still with the snow, for it to melt soon! In this edition, we're featuring our usual fantastic shenanigans and the recently started Monthly Dilemma. Due to the FROGS happening last month, we declined to hold Story of the Month in February, so that section is absent this month. The FROGS have finished, the winners have been announced, but we're not mentioning them here.  (The staff will have their own blog post for that!) We do have our spring writing challenge called The Prefects' Four of a Kind Challenge going on through April 10th, so please check that out if you haven't yet! With that, let's get down to it! 

 

With such a large and ever-busy cast of staff members, it's usually quite a challenge to select just one of them to receive this award. This month's Order of Merlin recipient, however, was one of our most immediate choices due to her phenomenal work on the archive and in the queue as of late. Our ever-charming Senior Auror @Ineke is most deserving of this award, and here's what she had to say when we asked her a few questions! 

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

I am not so sure if it's a specific memory per say, but I think the whole experience as a whole. The HP community has given me so much in life and it's safe to say that without it, I would definitely not be anywhere near everything I am today. Sure, I am still having hardships in my life, still continue to battle stuff, but without the community, I'd be absolutely lost because I would have basically no support system (aside from family) to fall back on. So I think it's actually more the entire thing than just one memory really. Because the community is just so absolutely amazing and supportive and I gained better friends through it than I would have made in real life, and I could not be more grateful for that.

If there’s one thing you could say to our community, what would it be?

Continue to be as awesome as you are today, because you are all amazing and brilliant, even if you might have a hard time seeing it yourself. You are absolutely loved, and are appreciated by more people than you will ever know.

What is your favorite [forum-appropriate] meme?

 ...I have no knowledge of memes, like, at all. I live underneath a stone or am just old. Or a combination of those two.

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

I think it will have to be Snamione, though I am absolutely no fan of Tom/Hermione and Dramione either. It just doesn't work for me and Hermione just belongs with Ron and nobody else in my opinion. It's just a very hard no for me. But I suppose it's just a matter of taste, really, and even though I can dislike the ship, the stories themselves are often very well written, which makes it enjoyable to read it anyway.

What’s your favorite fanfic?

It is at the moment (and will come at absolutely no surprise at all to like, anyone), but the Dormitory 2.6a series by @dirigibleplums and the It's Tea Time series by @frombluetored. Which absolutely everyone should read and please do not be intimidated by the length. It is absolutely, 100%, worth it. Though I really need to catch up on @ShadowRose's Complex series and @val's Logarithmic too...

What is one of the most enjoyable parts of being an Auror?

Seeing such a diverse of fanfics. It's truly a privilege to be one of the firsts to read people's stories, and there are absolute gems on the archive too. Everyone is so talented, that it just is really enjoyable to do. There have been incidents where I have been literally yelling in acceptance e-mails about certain chapters and it's just.. It's great to do. I hope you will be adding stories for a very long time to come  

Tea or coffee? Why?

Tea. 100%. I absolutely loathe the taste of coffee, and I had it literally three times in my life at work because otherwise I would have fallen asleep (though my colleagues have taken to calling it milk with coffee bc of the amount of milk and sugar I throw in it and how little coffee I use (bc we have instant coffee)). 

Plus tea has all these different flavours (my personal favourites are apple pie tea and caramelised pear tea) so y'know. It's great.

 

We have two great Head Students to recognize this month, so please give it up for @Rumpelstiltskin and @Noelle Zingarella and how awesome they've been around the site lately! 

RUMPELSTILTSKIN'S INTERVIEW

What is your favorite place to visit on HPFT?

The Resources & Information forum. We are extremely lucky to have members who are interested in and dedicated to making writing resources and information available for all of us to utilize. Moreover, it's awesome to see people utilize and add in their own comments to the different threads, providing even more information or opinions on many of the subjects that we, as writers, come across on a regular basis. While there are already a lot of topics available, it's always exciting to see new content added to this section, whether by adding new topics or by adding comments to preexisting threads. I adore browsing through the different topics, which are always available as a reference tool. I mean, what more could you ask of a section? It's beautiful. 

And, of course, the newly resurrected Writing Exercises forum is AMAZING fun.  The weekly prompts have been SO MUCH FUN to play around with and, of course, I've been exploring different styles to help me grow (because growing is good fun, too). I've also had a great time reading what OTHER people have posted in response to the prompts -- there are so many imaginative and unique writer's here -- it's just love. 

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

We, Lawbreaking Citizens -- it's the one I've been working on the most, and so it's the one I've been spending the most time with. 

How do you balance writing your fanfic and original fiction pieces?

Well...I mean.. what IS balance?  I just write what I'm in the mood for. I'm forever in love with experimenting, so it's exciting for me to switch up genres, formats, or fandoms to try to play with some different writing techniques.

What is your favorite piece of Harry Potter memorabilia/merchandise?

That I own? This Slytherin Prefect Badge that @RoxiMalfoy got for me for Christmas!   

If your life was a TV show, what would it be called and what would it be about?

Ahh, the show title would be called "Rumpel Drinks Coffee" and the show would be just a montage of me doing random ish and drinking coffee. BUT THEN -- PLOT TWIST -- cut to me drinking wine in the bathtub...and then resume drinking coffee through the night until I fall asleep on my laptop. 

What’s your dream wizarding career and why?

I think I'd like to work with old magical artifacts and such. Like, a cursebreaker would also be cool. 

 

NOELLE'S INTERVIEW

What is your favorite place to visit on HPFT?

I feel that I am still finding my way around HPFT, but so far I really enjoy the Writer’s Journals. I like having a place to keep track of my own projects and I find it very interesting to read other author’s thoughts about what they are writing. The Quidditch Pitch is a lot of fun too.

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

I would have to say my WIP Moonlight. It’s a Snape/OC novel set during the Second Wizarding War. It was the project that got me back into writing and it’s my favorite so far. It’s an action/adventure/romance and a bit of a rollercoaster ride. I didn't realize I could write either witty repartee or action sequences until I started this.

What would your Animagus form be if you had one?

A red squirrel for sure. I’m a bit of a nervous person and I would totally bound up trees if I could. 

Name one canon character you’d like to write about that you’ve never written before.

Hmmm…This is a hard question. I am really looking forward to writing Eileen Prince because the tiny bit we have of her story is so tantalizing. She’ll be making an appearance in Moonlight eventually. If you’re asking about characters I’d like to write that I don’t have any plans for yet, that would probably be Hagrid. He’s the character I would choose to have dinner with, if I could only choose one.

Explain what you consider to be your secondary House and why.

Although I have a great fondness for Slytherins, Ravenclaw is my secondary House. I usually deal with problems by researching on the internet and/or checking out a stack of books from the library.

Would you rather have really long legs and really short arms or really short legs and really long arms?

Another hard one. I’m going to go with the long legs and short arms. I’ve been short all my life and I’ve always hated it. If my legs were long, I could walk places really quickly and I would be able to get my upper half close enough to anything I needed to grab with my short arms. Also I’d make a great T-Rex at Halloween.

 

As per usual, the common rooms had a busy, busy month. Not only were the review battles fierce, but the spreading of love during the FROGS and in general was so lovely to see this month, so here's a brief look into where some of that love ended up in each of the Houses!

Gryffindor this month had ties for both of its monthly spotlights for its members, so we have a double double feature for you with Leading Lion and Featured Fic! The Leading Lions this month were @TreacleTart and @LadyMarauder, while Featured Fic went to things left unsaid by @poppunkpadfoot and Year of the Snake by @melian. 

KAITLIN'S INTERVIEW

How long have you associated yourself with the House you’re in now & when did you first realize that you belong in your House?

I have always associated myself with Gryffindor (at least as long as HP fandom has existed anyway). I’ve never belonged to any other house and never will. (Although the Puffs hold a big piece of my heart)

What is your favorite thing to do on HPFT?

My favorite thing to do on HPFT is probably compete in the House Cup. It simultaneously drives me mad and ma kes me feel hyper competitive. It’s such a nice feeling bonding with other members over shared insanity.

Which magical creature would you like to own as a pet?

Hmm...A chupa cabra, I think. I feel like they get a bad rap in legends, but they actually sound pretty cool.

Aside from Mexico, what ha s been the most  exciting country you’ve visited this last year?  

That’s an impossible question to answer. Every country is exciting and has incredible things to offer! I gues s if forced to choose only one, I’d say Ecuador since I liked it enough to go back a second time a few months later and after 3 months there, I felt like I really knew the country well. But I also absolutely loved Scotland, Colombia, Spain, Canada, Mexico, and Nicaragua as well.

 

TASHA'S INTERVIEW

How long have you associated yourself with the House you’re in now & when did you first realize that you belong in your House?

I've been a Gryffindor for as long as I can remember, though I did think for a while it might be Ravenclaw for me. Despite Hufflepuff being known for their friendship qualities, I've always felt the Gryffies are a welcoming bunch and I feel at home with the Lions. 

What is your favorite thing to do on HPFT?

I've been loving taking part in the House Cup challenges, it's really brought out a competitive quality in me I didn't know existed! I also love reviewing for RvG too - the Gryffies are a talented lot.

If you could ask any canon character one question, what would it be and who would you ask?

Can I cheat and ask the Marauders as a whole? I'm going to anyway... how did you become Animagus? I want to know how that went, who managed it first and just how they kept that leaf in their mouths for a month - a month! It sounds like quite a story.

Would you rather fight one horse sized duck or 100 duck sized horses?

Well I love horses so I wouldn't want to fight those, so it'd have to be the duck. Though is there a particular reason I'm fighting the duck? I'm not really a fan of them to be honest and a horse sized duck does seem a bit suspicious...

 

KAYLA'S INTERVIEW

How long have you associated yourself with the House you’re in now & when did you first realize that you belong in your House?

Hm, I think as long as I can remember? I've never associated myself with a different house. As a kid I feel like I probably just liked Gryffindor best because Harry, Hermione and Ron were in Gryffindor, but I feel like as I've grown I've really grown into my Gryffindor characteristics.

What is your favorite thing to do on HPFT?

I love to participate in the House Cup!  I love the team spirit and the way that Gryffindor always pulls together so strongly for big events! Also I can get pretty stubborn/competitive and it brings that out in me in a fun way hahaha.

Would you rather never eat your favorite food again or only eat your least favorite food?

Ohhhh gosh. Uh I guess never eat my favourite food again 

Which canon HP character do you find most challenging to write and why?

I mean I'm not really sure because I haven't really tried my hand at 99.9% of them  But honestly I feel like of the characters I do write, I struggle with James a lot? I'm not sure why, I guess the way that I imagine him to be in terms of personality, mannerisms etc. is hard for me to capture in stories.

 

MELIAN'S INTERVIEW

How long have you associated yourself with the House you’re in now & when did you first realize that you belong in your House?

Truth be told, I'm probably actually a Ravenclaw, but I don't identify as such. Pottermore has put me in every House bar Slytherin at different times, and when I do the percentage tests online they tend to put me at about 33% Ravenclaw, 33% Gryffindor, 25% Hufflepuff and 9% Slytherin. (Sometimes I'm more Gryffie and sometimes I'm more Claw, but you get the idea.) So maybe I'm a Gryffinclaw. Either way, ever since I first read the HP books I have always felt like a Lion and, as they say the Sorting Hat takes your preferences into account (I suspect it may have done this with Hermione too!), I'm a Gryffie.

What is your favorite thing to do on HPFT?

I'm a writer, first and foremost. The writing for me comes first and the community comes second. This is a little unfortunate when I'm in the midst of a creative drought, like I am now, because it means I kind of drop off the edges of the community. Maybe this is why I like the House Cup - because it enables me to embrace my competitive side and forces me to participate more. But yeah, I'm not much of a fanfic reader these days, I'm a terrible reviewer (in that I never do it), and I have to remind myself to drop by the forums. When I do, I check out the writing challenges, because - as I said above - I'm a writer. Writing is what enables me to participate.

Give us an elevator pitch for your favorite fic you’ve ever written!

You know what? I'm really, REALLY bad at selling myself. I don't do well at public speaking or job interviews and I'm just not a spruiker. I mean, i could try this, but I'd just do a really bad job and I'm not sure I have time to psych myself up to do it. My favourite fic that I've written is (probably no surprises here) How to tame a Marauder, but honestly I don't think I can pitch it. My brain really doesn't work that way. Sorry.

What do you like the most about writing Neville and why?

Neville, for me, is eminently relatable. He's not popular (though not unpopular either - there is a middle ground), he struggles with self esteem, and he feels like there are impossible external expectations of him. Now, me, the first two are pretty close to my teenaged years. Not the third so much, but that's another story. But what this means is that in some ways he's a gift to write. Neville would always be underestimated, always overlooked, and that means that he would also be one of the most effective fighters, because no one expects anything of him (aside from Gran, obviously - see my second sentence). No one thinks he can do anything. And when he proves them wrong, when he comes into his own in the seventh book, well that's one of THE most satisfying parts of the whole series.

I love how Neville turned out. I love how he looked around and said, "Well, someone has to stand up to these a**holes, and if no one else wants to then I guess I'll have to." He doesn't want to be the figurehead for the rebellion, but he does it anyway, because it has to be done. (SO Gryffie of him! I'm so proud.) So, I'm writing Neville because I really want that journey to be documented, that story to be told. And, as I've said, I don't read much fanfic so I have no idea what other people have tried, but I wanted to give it a go myself. Hence, my Neville story.

 

Hufflepuff gained a new Prefect this month in @FireCrest, and Kyle has stepped right up to the plate! They've also been very active lately in their common room, welcoming both Kyle to his new position and Lotte back from her brief break. Their Hufflepuff of the Month is @VaguelyCreativeName and their Story of the Month is Sunflowers in December by @Jo Raskoph!

 

JULIA'S INTERVIEW 

How long have you associated yourself with the House you’re in now & when did you first realize that you belong in your House?

I've identified as a Hufflepuff for about eight years, and originally, that was mostly because of the sorting hat on pottermore. I think I was a bit surprised at the result at first (I may have fancied myself a Ravenclaw), but I've since realised that Hufflepuff really is the best fit for me because I do very much value the traits associated with it, and I love my house now!

What is your favorite thing to do on HPFT?

Generally lurking But I also like all the little games we've got going on in both the Quidditch Pitch and the Common Room, and I've especially loved the recent House Cup Events with the Menagerie and the Great Collab because I got to know some members from other houses that I hadn't interacted with before!

With a lot of Marauders Era content on your author page, what do you enjoy writing about that era the most and why?

I love that I can put my own spin on canon characters! We know so little about most of them that I can explore them freely, with very few restrictions. I'm also very fascinated by how the First Wizarding War affected all those characters because I imagine it to be far more brutal, and longer running than the second one, if only because Voldemort stayed hidden for most of the Second War. I also feel like, counter-intuitively, the Marauders were a lot more involved in the war than Harry and the gang were; Harry was mostly still in school and then had his Horcrux mission separate from the rest of the Order, and I feel that his parents' generation, being out of school and just those couple of years older for a lot of the war, would have been far more involved in Order business, missions, and battles, and I love exploring how they were affected psychologically by the constant emotional and physical strain of it all!

Choose one song to listen to for the rest of your life- what is it?

This question is pretty much the reason it took me so long to answer! I've been ruminating on it for days, and I'm still not sure I've arrived at a definite answer, but I'm very tentatively going to go with Town Called Malice by The Jam.

 

JO RASKOPH'S INTERVIEW

How long have you associated yourself with the House you’re in now & when did you first realize that you belong in your House?

I didn't think much about houses originally - when I dreamed about going to Hogwarts as a teenager, it was all about Hogwarts - I don't think I even thought about which house I might fit in. 

The first time I knew I belonged in Hufflepuff was when I signed up for the HPFF forums and took the sorting hat quiz - it put me in Hufflepuff and when I thought about it it made a lot of sense.

To me, the most important Hufflepuff value is one that's never explicitly discussed in canon. If you read between the lines of "Hufflepuff takes the leftovers" and "Hufflepuff values the hard workers" - what I read into it is that Hufflepuff doesn't do prejudice. Hufflepuff takes everyone in regardless of blood status, gender, income, race, sexuality... and waits to see how they act before making a judgement. 

That's my view of Hufflepuff after three years, and ofc it has evolved during that time, but I still feel very at home here.

What is your favorite thing to do on HPFT?

Oh, interesting question. I originally signed up because I wanted to write and communicate with others about writing and that's still what I do most. So I try to participate in the writing exercises regularly and end up doing it from time to time. I love the writing resources and story help boards and I love browsing the challenges whenever I want to write but lack inspiration.

I've thrown myself head first into the first round of the Great Collab - I found out about it two weeks before it ended and wrote and posted two stories for it. It was my favourite event in a long time - because it is writing related. I loved the thrill and the boost in productivity it gave me and I'm trying to finish some contributions for this round.

Recently I've also been lurking on the OF board and planning a longer OF story.

What drew you to writing about the career of being an Obliviator and how it affects not only the person being obliviated, but also the person(s) doing the obliviating?

This one is Gina/Unwritten Curse's doing. Years ago she posted a challenge where you had to write and tell a story in only dialogue - no descriptions, no dialogue tags, only spoken words. I signed up because I'd been scared of writing dialogue and I wanted to get better.

So I thought about what would make a good story to tell in dialogue only and came up with the conversation between an obliviator and their client - a conversation about the things that happened to make obliviating necessary. It was a subject I thought could be gripping even in dialogue only.

I had originally planned to write about all sorts of people being obliviated - one each chapter - but then I 'met' Danielle and needed to explore her further. 

To return to your question: I think when you think about it, obliviating someone affects two people by default - the caster and the recipient of the spell. And by design, the recipient is not affected by the spell as much as they are being un-affected by the thing they should forget. Their life doesn't change, not that they know. So the only person left to walk away from the encounter changed is the caster of the spell. That's why the story had to be about Angelina and in extension George as much or even more than it was about Danielle. 

Would you rather travel to the past or the future?

I never thought about time travel much and it doesn't seem very alluring to me. Everyone I love is in the present, so I don't really want to go to a time where they are not. But in concluding that thought: I guess I'd probably enjoy going back in time to meet again someone I loved and had to say goodbye to.

 

The Snakes have been quite the lively bunch this last month, with lots of posts in the Writing Resources subforum and also within their own common room. They have their review battle going strong and also their writing support thread! Their Slytherin of the Month was the lovely @Rumpelstiltskin and the Story of the Month goes to Nuclear Love by @starbuck.

 

RUMPELSTILTSKIN'S INTERVIEW

How long have you associated yourself with the House you’re in now & when did you first realize that you belong in your House?

I think it was in 2013 (ish?) that I started trying to figure out what my House was. I got some scattered results (usually between Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff), and after some self-reflection, realized that I probably most associated with Slytherin. After spending time with others who associated with the house, I kinda figured out pretty quickly that that's where I belonged.

What is your favorite thing to do on HPFT?

Lurk in the threads, lurk in the dungeons... Just lurking, in general, is some pretty good fun. 

What’s one of your favorite activities/threads in the Slytherin Common Room? 

Ooof that's so hard to answer. At the moment, I've been having a really amazing time lurking in the Slytherin Writing Thread. 

You can only answer questions with song lyrics from one band/artist for the rest of your life- who’s is it?

Rob Zombie. There's not much left to be said that he already hasn't. So. 

 

KRIS'S INTERVIEW

How long have you associated yourself with the House you’re in now & when did you first realize that you belong in your House?

uhm, i've associated myself with slytherin sort of since forever it's funny because both my dad and brother who've read the HP books immediately sorted me into slytherin as well when we talked about houses. so i guess i realised it when i first read HP

What is your favorite thing to do on HPFT?

i really love participating in house cup events! i mean, i also love to hang around the dungeon in the writing workshop and ask for/leave reviews but...i've been a member of staff on TDA for so long - from 2013 (first a staff mod, now an admin) that there's just something wonderful and relaxing about being a regular member on the forums and being able to participate in everything *_*

Do you draw inspiration for your writing from your graphics or vice versa?

this is actually a tough one because i kind of do both it's a back and forth process for me - like, i can write something and it will inspire a graphic but then i can first make a graphic for a story that's just an idea in my head and when i finish the graphic it's another wave of inspiration and i have to write it.

In Nuclear Love, you’ve characterized Astoria as a Gryffindor. What made you decide to make that her House instead of Slytherin and how did that affect her characterization?

well, i wanted astoria to be completely different than draco in some things (but similar in others) and i just have this headcanon of her being so different that she just throws him off from what he's used to and intrigues him and...she's reckless and ill tempered and a bit chaotic (even the aurors didn't want her ) and all that has sort of caused the way she is in my story at that point in time - her bravery and charisma (i don't want to spoil too much what her ability to persuade people to do things has done to her) are what made her...a tiny little bit broken. and i really wanted to explore that headcanon. i also love the idea of the greengrass family being neutral and dealing with both sides during both wizarding wars because i have a huge soft spot for morally grey characters *_* and if she were a slytherin, none of this would've been possible because she would've been a lot more level headed, calculating and probably wouldn't end up a mess.

 

Ravenclaws were busy bees this month with some strong rounds of Harry Potter Hangman and a ridiculous volume of stories being written for the Great Collab. The Blue vs. Bronze Review battle also had a fun spin on it this month with the addition of review responses counting! Their Claw of the Month is @galadriel and the Story of the Month is breaking character. by @dirigibleplums! 

 

NIM'S INTERVIEW

How long have you associated yourself with the House you’re in now & when did you first realize that you belong in your House?

i've been in Ravenclaw for as long as i remember, ever since i first read the hp books and subsequently took the Pottermore sorting test and got this house. i could relate to the house traits a lot more a few years ago, especially when i was in college and was really neck-deep in learning everything i could. there was a point when i leaned a lot more towards Slytherin as a house but as i grew, those qualities gave way to more puff-like characteristics. right now, i'd say my secondary house is Hufflepuff but my primary always remains Ravenclaw.

What is your favorite thing to do on HPFT?

stalk people?   in all honesty, i do tend to hover around the online user list to see what everyone is doing. there's some sense of comfort i get from it, haha. but apart from that, i love silently binge reading fics (i've read so many without leaving a sign i was even there, oops) and going through people's WJs as well bc i love seeing everyone's headcanons & getting inspired.

Where do you find all of your inspiration for the many variable original fiction pieces you’ve written and continue to write?

oh gosh, i don't know. a lot of the elements that are in my stories and poetry are kind of taken from my own thoughts about life and things i've experienced so it depends on what i'm feeling and what i'm obsessing about at the time of writing something.   a lot of my inspiration comes from talking to people about things they've gone through, their thoughts on politics and culture, reading the news, and reading stuff that's similar to what i want to write. sometimes it takes a lot of work to get ideas - i spend hours just lying in bed and thinking, which leads to "what if" questions or a sudden spark of inspiration - and sometimes it just clicks, like when i'm reading a random wikipedia article or something, but i don't have any set process for getting inspired. 

If you were moving somewhere and were only allowed to take a maximum of 3 books, what would they be and why?

this question is way too difficult to answer so i'm going to cheat, mkay?
book one: the lotr trilogy. (i have a three-in-one copy of the series so it counts as a single book, fight me)
book two: howl & other poems by allen ginsberg.
book three: the god of small things by arundhati roy

for the "why" part of the question: because these are my favourites, i could never get bored of re-reading them, they're each different genres, and every time i read one of these i get the urge to write something as good. 

 

PLUM'S INTERVIEW

How long have you associated yourself with the House you’re in now & when did you first realize that you belong in your House?

I've associated myself with Ravenclaw ever since I was thirteen and stumbled across fanfiction for the first time. When I was younger, I never gave much thought to the houses beyond Gryffindor being the Best (since that was where the Golden Trio were), but Ravenclaw just made sense to me as I grew older. Since then, I've come to heavily identify with Hufflepuff as well (fun fact: I've been sorted into Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff an equal number of times and in my last one, I was a hatstall between the two), but I just identify with Ravenclaw more. I feel like my curiosity to just know things is one of the more defining parts of my personality  

What is your favorite thing to do on HPFT?

Entering challenges and freaking out when my muse flakes out on me! In all honesty, my favourite thing is just interacting with everyone. Whether it's a small note or two in the common room or reading through the various House Cup interactions, I like seeing how warm everything is if that makes sense? Even when I go AWOL for a bit, it really does feel like home ♡

What’s a tip you have for writing such emotive description such as what you have in breaking character.?

Um. I actually don't know  I know a lot of people like listening to a certain type of music because it gets them in the right frame of mind, but I tend to just tune out music whenever I'm in the zone. I'm kind of a visual writer in the sense that I daydream the scene I want to write before I usually write it, especially when it comes to one shots like 'breaking character.' and then let that take over.

I'd say my tip is to really feel what you're writing? The reason daydreaming works for me is because I tend to get swept up in it so it really helps me connect with the character I'm writing and what they're feeling. So whether it's music that helps you or something else, I'd say the best way to write emotively is through genuine empathy

Marauders or Next Generation?

... Damn it who asked this  If you'd asked me this a year ago, I'd say Next Gen in a heartbeat, but... I can't do my babe James dirty like that. I'm sorry, Al - ily but I have to say the Marauders.

(Can you hear the sound of my heart breaking to pieces at having to choose?)

 

And last but not least, it's time for our 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....  @Chemical_Pixie Please contact a Prefect to let us know where you'd like your one (1) free review to go! (If previous winners have not done this yet, please don't hesitate to also contact us!)

This month's dilemma: Would you rather have shoes that are too small or pants that are too big?

You have until April 15th to answer! 

This month's winner will receive one (1) review on a story of your choice. 

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credits:

graphics [headers & dividers]: emma
monthly dilemma question & drawing: chelts
interviewers and couriers: sarah, madi, kyle, rumpels, carrie
layout: madi