Welcome back to In the Spotlight! This moth we have all of our usual interviews and news from around the site, along with an update on an upcoming Prefect event that will be heading your way in the next couple of weeks! 

Keep your eyes peeled for a writing event to open soon! It's going to be run differently to writing events/challenges in the past, but should be a lot of fun, and while it will count for House Points, it will be low stakes and, hopefully, really fun!

 

Our Order of Merlin recipient this month is none other than one of our fearless admins, @abhorsen.! Branwen does so much behind the scenes for the archives and general site business, plus she writes some great fics in her spare time! If you haven't read any of her fics yet, the following one is definitely a great place to start. 

| A D V E R T I S E M E N T |

 

Story Title: Shenanigans, Capers, and Hi-Jinks

Link: Here+

Pairings: Fred Weasley II/OC, Teddy Lupin/Victoire Weasley

Summary: 

Quote

Meeting banshees in the Forbidden Forest, setting the Great Hall on fire, and smuggling in contraband: Victoire and Fred Weasley are trouble with a capital T.

Branwen has written a witty and chaos-filled fic about the next-generation Potter-Weasley children, of which Victoire and Fred Weasley tend to wreak even more havoc than their parents were known for. With capers and mysteries abound, she elegantly weaves their (mis)adventures in with regular Hogwarts life that will keep you coming back for chapter after chapter!

 

Peonies on Tuesday by @RonsGirlFriday

R E V I E W   C O L U M N 

| P E O N I E S   O N   T U E S D A Y |

This story from Melanie may only be 700 words, but the emotions discovered and painfully felt within those 700 words are quite powerful. Peonies on Tuesday follows Ben and Annie through various snapshots of their lives, with hints of friendship and romance throughout, but the scenes are always tinged with sadness. The setting is left mildly ambiguous, but purposefully, and the characters repeated meetings, the forgetting of the flowers, among other things, and one-sided conversation from Ben is constant. Melanie wrote this for TreacleTart's "Make TreacleTart Cry" Challenge, and I believe it will live up to those expectations. When we find out in the last scene that Ben is now likely talking not to Annie physically, but rather to her in spirit, it will break your heart the most out of all the rest of the scenes in this piece. Read this story and reflect on what it means to grieve but also do so while dealing with the effects of dementia, and how it can be the most heartbreaking event of all.

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

| R O N S G I R L F R I D A Y |

What inspires you to write?

Reading! Stories in; stories out. Also, inane late-night conversations with my husband fueled by a bottle of wine or two.

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

Crime fiction and/or legal thriller (I guess the new fic I'm trying to write about Eileen and Tobias Snape falls under this category, but as I haven't even finished two chapters yet I think I can still say it's one I haven't written before). Also, I've never written any soulmates trope (and have hardly read any), but for some reason lately I've been feeling like I want to?

Who are some published authors you look up to?

Hmm, this is a difficult question. I don't know that I have specific authors I can point to who have inspired me or whom I want to emulate more than others. To complicate this -- my answer to your very first question notwithstanding -- I have become very bad at actually making time for reading original fiction in recent years, so I have no intelligent opinions about contemporary writers.

But I will say, recent controversies aside and realizing this could be an unpopular answer, I admire and wish I could achieve JKR's ability to tell a story that endures (it's why I write HP fanfic). Austen and the Bronte sisters are my OG favorites and are typical fallback reading material for me. Agatha Christie and Ian Rankin for detective novels. Douglas Adams for humor. 

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

Be observant. Your own experiences are important to your writing, but sometimes you're going to have to write characters whose experiences and choices are different from yours, and I think the best way to accomplish that is to make a habit of paying attention to people and developing empathy for -- or at least an understanding of -- their experiences.

What is your ideal writing environment?

I am that asshat who likes to park myself in a coffee shop, though I don't actually get a chance to do it much (but to be clear, on the rare occasions I do it, I buy a ton of drinks to justify my time there). Something about having some ambient noise and commotion in the background, but nothing directed specifically at me to take my attention away from what I'm doing.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

To eat all the ice cream and never gain weight.

 

Our Head Students this month were our very own @belgian quaffle and @Rumpelstiltskin! 

I N T E R V I E W S 

| B E L G I A N  Q U A F F L E |

What is your favorite place to visit on HPFT?

ohhh my favorite place is probably the gryffie common room. i'm a hot mess right now so i haven't been able to catch up with everything that's been going on recently super well but when i have a minute, i love being able to pop into the blanket fort and see what's going on with people or catch up with all the fics people have posted!

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

curious traveler- it's the fic the feels most relatable to me rn, both to myself and i feel like a lot of of others? 

If you were to play on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, what position would you play and why?

i would play chaser and that's partially because it definitely seems like the most fun to me and partially because i know my own athletic abilities. i lack the hand-eye coordination to play stick sports, so beater is out. i don't have the patience to search for the snitch so seeker is also out. i would def enjoy the constantly moving aspect of chaser and the more strategic side of it.

Do you have a hobby or skill you've always been interested in learning but haven't yet?

i would very much like to be good at decorating cakes. i'm a GREAT baker but i lack the artistic skill to decorate cakes well at all. unfortunately, i think that this is a skill that no matter how much i practice and try to learn, there is a maximum i can attain. i may not have attained it yet, but there definitely is one 

Pick your all-star Quidditch team!

ohhh we're going here now?? ok. after some long and hard thinking, i have arrived at a gryffindor centric team because they get the most air(??)time and thus we know the most about them:

chasers: angelina johnson, katie bell, ginny weasley
beaters: fred and george weasley
keeper: oliver wood
seeker: charlie weasley

Most entertaining show/movie you've watched recently?

ozark season 3- if you're still sleeping on ozark, CATCH UP! truly one of the best shows out rn

 

| R U M P E L S T I L T S K I N |

What is your favorite place to visit on HPFT?

I'm really into stalking the Resources and Information forum. Since anyone can post/respond, it's really an amazing place to find tips, tricks, and opinions from a variety of different types of writers on so many different aspects of writing.

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

We, Lawbreaking Citizens  -- No matter how many WIPs I'm working on while I'm experimenting with every other element I stumble across, every time I open up a document for WLC, it feels a little like home. It's probably my most reliable right now, because I've plotted it out so thoroughly that I can't forsee it straying wildly from its outline like so many of my projects seem to do. And also, I just enjoy writing in this  universe with these characters. *shugs*

Favorite thing to watch on TV/streaming right now?

I've been watching a lot of war dramas.  Just so many, many different war dramas. 

If you could only write one genre for the rest of your life, what genre would you choose and why?

Yikes. 

Action/Adventure. I can do a lot with action/adventure while slipping in subgenres on the side.  I think if I picked any other main genre then I would be shorting myself a lot of epic adventures and that would make me extremely sad. 

Chocolate cake or chocolate pie?

Ummm. Chocolate cake. That way, if I don't want it, I can put it in the freezer and say I'm saving it for later so that I can put off the guilt of throwing it away for several years. 

Share a self-care tip you enjoy a lot!

Drinking in the bathtub. o7

 

We've decided to put together some quick blurbs about the goings-ons in our Houses along with the interviews, so enjoy this new content!

: In preperation for the Pride of Gryffindor Awards the Den launched a special edition of Red vs Gold, along with some shameless self promotion on the side. There's been new chapters and updates constantly from our lions, a lot of love being shared for our house and we've been delighted to see a few old faces reapear in our midst . 

: Nominations are underway for the annual Golden Chalice Awards! Nominations will be open until May 8th and voting will commence shortly after. This year we are introducing some new categories as well as bringing back some time honored favorites. 

: The Ravenclaw House Nargles Awards are well underway up in the Tower! We have just started our reading week, so make sure to check out all of the nominees before we open voting up early next month. Our monthly Blue vs. Bronze review battle is going strong with additional points and bonuses being awarded due to the Nargles. We've been writing up a storm, and are cheering on all of our fellow students participating in Camp NaNoWriMo!

: This month the House of Emerald and Silver has been hosting a special edition of its monthly review battle in preparation for the annual My Father Will Hear About These Awards (MFWHATA). The Snakes have also gotten cozy with the inaugural month of their new book club: the Dead Snake's Society. 

 

The FROGs have wrapped up which can only mean one thing... House awards time! While the Staff and Prefects of each house are busy preparing for the annual awards, here's an update on the monthly goings on from each common room. 

 

S T O R Y  O F  T H E  M O N T H

english lessons by @abhorsen.

How did you come up with the idea for English Lessons?

i've always been super frustrated with how fleur is generally portrayed in fanfiction - that's actually part of why i took victoire so far in the opposite direction of the snobby blond ice queen a lot of fandom will cast her as - and i've always kind of wanted to do a fic about her and bill (bc bill is super cool). my writing has also been getting progressively more filthy as time has gone on, and i guess the two just kind of merged into a bunch of smutty one-shots.

What are three songs you'd put on a soundtrack for English Lessons?

ohhhh! i think:

• shut up and dance - walk the moon
• starving - hailee steinfeld
• on your side - the veronicas

What is your favorite part about writing Bill and Fleur, both as individuals and as a couple?

hmm - i think probably the thing i'm enjoying the most is really just exploring the motivations behind the choices that they make. i love +sortinghatchats, and i'm really enjoying exploring what different gryffindor primaries can look like (i think that fleur is 10000% a +gryffindor primary) - especially in terms of things like her decision to move to england and immediately get involved in a war. it's an objectively bizarre decision, and i love dissecting it and really making it clear that she didn't do it for bill (bc i hate that trope).

Where do you get your writing inspiration from?

this is a bad answer, but i have no idea - i'll just have periods where suddenly i'm super inspired to write and i'll write a lot, and then my muse will be gone for months. 

What's next on your writing to-do list?

i'm working on the next chapter of shenanigans, and i have another shenanigans-companion chatfic + another drastoria that i'm working on. i've also had a chapter of english lessons sitting half-finished in a doc for ages, but the inspiration hasn't struck me yet, so i'm not sure when i'll finish it up. i guess the other thing i'm kinda working on right now is a song of ice and fire mod for civ v, which involves some writing, but it's not as entertaining as fanfic, haha. 

 

L E A D I N G  L I O N

In April Gryffindor chose to recognise all of our members, rather than just one. Each Lion was asked to answer one question, what inspired them about someone else in the house. Here's what we had to say in response... 

@abhorsen.

branwen inspires me because she's really dedicated to the people and things she loves. she's a hardworking, fierce, unapologetic queen. i love that about her. never change. 

@belgian quaffle

sarah has been a true insparation to me for as long as i've been on the site. i'm inspired constantly by her creativity, each of her stories unique and all undeniably-sarah, infact she brings her own brand of energy to everything she does be it a one-shot, prefect blog or a mad dash to the finish in a house cup event.  it's all of this along with the way she'll dive into anything, take on any challenge and always fight for her house that make her a true gryffindor! 

@CheekyTorah-Lex

Lex has been really inspiring since joining Gryffindor - friendly, warm and incredibly enthusiastic.  I really admire how much Lex writes and the fact they're never afraid to try new genres and pairings. On top of that, Lex is really impressive as a parent, friend and activist. I'm so glad to have Lex in our house!

@Chemical_Pixie

abby's passion for the things she cares about and believes in is clear whenever she starts to talk about them, and her unapologetic enthusiasm so clearly comes from a place of genuinely wanting to help people. she doesn't dissemble - what she's saying is how she feels, not what she thinks you want to hear. that kind of energy is something the world could use more of, and it's so very gryffindor.

@Crimson Quill

Abbi is one of the most generous people I have met in this fandom. I don't know how she does it but she has time for everyone and shows concern for everyone, all while managing to look after a baby. That's no easy feat. And she has the ability to inspire everyone to join in with just about any activity just through enthusiasm and encouragement. She has a mean competitive streak but never uses it maliciously, always keeping in good spirits and within the spirit of whatever competition she's applying it to. Plus she can write like a dream. If more people were like Abbi, the world would be a much kinder place. 

@down-in-flames

taylor is driven, infectious, and sometimes sorts out her priorities in a way that is possibly not objectively correct but also speaks to my soul in a way that just feels so quintessentially gryffindor, which is better than objective correctness. she's such a talented writer whose stories (and running commentary while writing them ) never fail to make me smile, and she's always willing to listen to disjointed venting. she's such an amazing part of the gryffie common room. 

@LadyMarauder

Tasha is a fantastic human being with an incredible talent for writing and reviewing. She was one of Gryffindor's rocks during the review event, jumping into the flames of competition as a roaring competitor. A true Gryffindor, Tasha is courageous and fun and truly cares for her fellow Lions. 

@melian

From one-shots to novels I love Mel's writing and one of the most inspirational things I think she did for me in that regard is actually that she wrote a story as prolific as How to Tame a Marauder and then keeps going. I think a lot of people in fic (or writers in general really) might let that just be their legacy and ride of into the sunset, but that's very much not the case for her. Forum-wise she always stays positive and jumps in wherever she can to help out during the House Cup even if she only has a moment here or there.

@nott theodore

okay so sian is basically endlessly inspiring, let's establish that straight away. the heart of gryffindor, the OG lion, sian is a beautifully tallented writer, a wicked reviewer (like anyone who has had one of her reviews knows how inspiring she is) she's hard workign for the house and never faily to emerge in our moments of hc crisis, but above all (and most importantly) she's incredibly kind. it's for that especially that she alwyas is a leading lion 

@Pixileanin

pix is such an incredibly creative writer. her stories always bring something new and interesting to the table, and leave you wondering how on earth she managed to come up with them (in a good way, of course!). no matter what you pick on her ap, you're bound to be entertained. she's also such an encouraging presence on the site and in the twitter chat - she's such a joy to talk to!

@poppunkpadfoot

Kayla's enthusiasm is infectious.  Whenever she really 'gets into' something, I know it's going to be great.  I am inspired by her willingness to let people see her spirit, which is bright and strong and makes people want to come together and do great things.  She is a true lion!

@something wicked

every day deni inspires me with how upbeat and personable she is! she is always so friendly, warm, and supportive to her friends, to her fellow gryffies, and to the other members of this site. i admire her willingness to jump right into anything, her strength, her true gryffindor spirit! i am amazed by her endless creativity, her ability to create such unique characters and storylines in a variety of different timelines. thankful we get to call her one of our own everyday 

@TidalDragon

What has inspired me about Kevin has been his leadership abilities. I feel like he has always been such a steadying hand in the Gryffindor common room, able to keep us together as a team and keep our eyes on the prize even when he himself has thrown us into the middle of some chaos. (I'm thinking, of course, of Capture the Flag.) He has been the sort of leader who's approachable and down to earth, and he's always great for a morale boost. He has also put so much work and genuine effort into making the Common Room a fun, exciting place to be, with his unique ideas and his infectious enthusiasm.

@Unwritten Curse

gina's willingness to express even negative and scary emotions is one of my favorite things about her - there have been so many times that i wasn't able to articulate why i was feeling anxious or stressed until she spoke up. the courage it takes to be able to face anxiety and fear head-on and be open about them is so inspiring, and it's something that she does better than just about anyone else i know.  thank you, gina!

 

P U F F   O F   T H E   M O N T H

@sinnersandsapphics

Congratulations on making Hufflepuff of the Month! How do you feel about this recognition?

I feel flattered and a bit undeserving, but that's because every single Hufflepuff is SO wonderful, and so I mostly feel full of pride and warmth to be one of you      

Which subject would you teach if you were a Professor at Hogwarts? 

Hm, maybe Muggle Studies or History of Magic? I'm honestly not super interested in the magicy parts of magic, and am more drawn to the more academic subjects. I feel like as a a student I would be more interested in History of Magic, but as a teacher I might enjoy teaching Muggle Studies more. It seems like there's a lot of fun flexibility there, between being a kind of underrated course that a lot of students don't take, and the fun of being able to introduce wizarding kids to objects and concepts they're not familiar with and hopefully challenge their worldviews a bit.

If you weren't a Hufflepuff, which House do you think would represent you best and why?

The age old question... I have a really hard time picturing myself in any other house, really. Which isn't because I don't have traits for any of them - I think I definitely do, but it's a kind of even split for me. Because I could to some degree fit in any of the other houses, I wouldn't feel as at home in any of them. I think that I lean a bit towards the Slytherin method for how I do things, and maybe towards Gryffindor a little for what I value, but neither come close to how much I feel I belong in Hufflepuff. 

If you could resurrect one (but only one) character from the Harry Potter series, who would they be and why?

  Colin Creevey 

S T O R Y   O F   T H E   M O N T H

Peripheral Vision by @VaguelyCreativeName

 

R E V I E W   O F   T H E   M O N T H

@sinnersandsapphics's review+ on Of Trolls and Nifflers by @just.a.willow.tree

 

C L A W   O F   T H E   M O N T H

@northbound24

If you could trade places with any character in the wizarding world, who would it be and why?

Our favourite Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore, because despite his tragic history I would be fasincated by all his little inventions and his wide ranging knowledge about magic. And I have a fondness for lemon sherberts too.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?

 Invisibility, in order to get away from life's awkward moments.

Do you prefer writing on pen and paper or typing? Why?

I actually write on paper and type, depending on my mood. I have a drawer filled to the brim of many full notebooks, and countless Google Docs with ideas for fics that never took off.

Do you write a story from its start to its end, or do you jump around and write scenes out of order?

 It honestly depends on the story, The Church Lane Murder for instance is being written completely from start to finish while my as of untitled entry for @tatapb's Trope Stew challenge is being written out of order as new ideas keep entering my head on how to play a certain trope.

What is a “stereotypical” Ravenclaw thing you do a lot?

Research a subject I kind interesting and file it away in my head as it'll come in handy one day. I never knew that knowing what blood types are and when they were discovered would prove useful but it did thanks to The Church Lane Murder story it did.

 

S T O R Y   O F   T H E   M O N T H

guiana chestnut by @facingthenorthwind

What do you enjoy most about writing the relationship between Aziraphale and Crowley and why?

Hmm, I think it's the wordplay and the silliness? I guess that's more Good Omens fic in general rather than A/C, but I think that's relevant. Oh, also the way that they've known each other for 6,000 years -- they're very comfortable with each other, they know each other. There are very few real surprises, even though this whole fic is kind of built on a surprise. We can see that my weakness is writing old married couples, haha.

How did you come up with the premise for this prank that Aziraphale pulls on Crowley?

The premise actually comes from a +tweet, and I feel like that's the thing that really makes the fic, so I don't think I really did anything.   I just built the most obvious context for it.

When you write Ravenclaw characters, what Ravenclaw traits do you often find yourself imbuing in those characters most?

Oooh this is an excellent question. I think it's mostly the insatiable desire for knowledge? Also, I don't write my Ravenclaws as big risk-takers, usually, because I think they would try to work behind the scenes. Obviously that doesn't always hold -- Anthony in bring your curses home will end up doing some... pretty risky things in Act 3 of the narrative, if I ever get there.  What's a bit of law-breaking between friends, hey?

Share your favorite HP headcanon about any character you write!

I think when Neville becomes a professor, he helps overhaul the system so that disabled students can access appropriate support -- books that have been charmed so that they're easier to read for dyslexic students, things that help keep ADHD students on task, a hoverchair for students who can't do all those endless stairs. 

 

M E M B E R   O F   T H E   M O N T H

@tatapb

 

S T O R Y   O F   T H E   M O N T H

twin beds. empty. by @Rumpelstiltskin

What was your inspiration for this story?

This one was an experiment in word choice and flow, combined with a desire to add something spooky during spooky season. It was a really neat experiment because I got to draft an outline for an actual story and then tear it apart so that I could craft it into a drabble. Because it was left so open, it was really interesting seeing the various interpretations of the text that different people came up with. 

What are your favorite types of stories?

This very much depends on the day and the mood I'm in -- I like a lot of different things and love to find new things to add to the love.  Things that are usually very safe favorites include very dark elements, underdogs, and unresolved sexual tension. 

What helps you to focus while you write?

This also varies. I usually have a cup of coffee or tea to start with and often listen to background music. Taking frequent breaks to pace back and forth and think about what I'm writing also helps me stay on track. I'm big on pacing. 

What makes Michael Myers your perfect husband?

I suspect that it is the jumpsuit. 

 

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credits:
graphics: deni
oom adverts, sotm review column: madi 
interviewers and couriers: sarah, madi, noelle, juls, tasha
blog compilation: deni, madi