Welcome to the November edition of In the Spotlight! This month we've got interviews with our lovely Head Students, Order of Merlin recipient, and Sitewide Story of the Month author, along with the usual round up of House-related news from your Community Coordinators. Enjoy!

November's Order of Merlin recipient is one of our newer staff members, taking on both the role of Validator and Event Coordinator, @victoria_anne!

V I C T O R I A _ A N N E
| I N T E R V I E W |

 If there was only one forum that you could post in on FFT, which one would it be?
This is a hard one  Probably Writing Talk, so that I could still keep up to date with everyone's stories and leave requested reviews!

What is a hobby of yours?
Being a How to Train Your Dragon nerd

Who is your favorite character [from any fandom] and why?
It has to be Harry Potter, doesn't it? Without his story, my life would probably be very different!

When is the last time you’ve written? What did you write about?
Seeing as it's the middle of NaNoWriMo, I'm writing all the time. I've actually taken a break from my novel to answer these questions! I'm working on a scene where the main character has returned to the fantasy world after staying away for a bit for everyone's safety.

Favorite scene you've written during NaNo so far?
I really enjoyed a scene I wrote last week that was a bit of a training montage between two characters, then they cooled down in a lake. It just felt intimate and sweet

Got any book recommendations?
Always! And I could go on forever! I recently finished a friend of mine's book called Lintang and the Pirate Queen. It's middle-grade and soooo much fun. It kept me hooked with its twists and magic! Loved it!

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

Story Title: Fate Whispers to the Warrior
Link: here+
Pairings: OC/OC, Sirius Black/OC
Summary:

Quote

A collection of missing moments, holiday scenes, different perspectives, and through various stages of the characters' lives.

 

The sitewide Story of the Month for November was A Valediction by @RogueSlytherin

R E V I E W   C O L U M N
| A   V A L E D I C T I O N |

A Valediction is not unlike a nineteenth-century operating theatre. In this drabble collection, @RogueSlytherin (Jacquelin) places Regulus on a stage in front of us, the readers, and opens him up—not physically, but emotionally and mentally. She delves into the depths of Regulus's thoughts and motivations, his dreams and disillusionment, and brings readers to the razor-thin line between fiction and truth. Because this story isn't just about Regulus. If you read it, you'll likely see yourself too. The uncertainty of one's identity, the exhaustion with the darkness in the world, the desperate hope for a better tomorrow...all of these things echo through our current times. Jacquelin doesn't shy away from the cruelties committed in Regulus's past, nor does she explain away his choices. Instead, she holds a mirror up to the readers and says, "If you were in his place, how would you try to atone?" A Valediction will make you think and wrench your heart and leave you so glad to have found and read it.

I N T E R V I E W
| R O G U E S L Y T H E R I N |

What was the inspiration for A Valediction?
I had written a previous one-shot that explored this idea of Regulus Black becoming disenfranchised with the death eater cause while falling in love with a woman who was like a triple agent. It was quick and left a lot of questions unanswered, so when I saw Renacera’s ABC Drabble Challenge I jumped on it as an opportunity to dive deeper into that. I was also just captivated by our current political climate in the US and how so many people are locked into one belief; rejecting any room for other ideas or perspectives. Just spouting out words they hear someone else say without thinking critically about it themselves. The ‘X’ chapter in-particular was inspired by the last couple of year’s divisive rhetoric.

What three songs would you put on a soundtrack for this fic?
First, the entire Hadestown Soundtrack (which I’m counting as one cause #Slytherin). It’s bittersweet and full of melancholy and tragic love in the best ways. Then I’ll play by the rules and go with I Found by Amber Run and Epiphany by Taylor Swift because it inspired the ‘E’ chapter.

What's the last book you read and would you recommend it?
I just re-read the novel ‘Normal People’ by Sally Rooney and I 10/10 recommend. It is impressively humane and real and I just love the characters she’s created. They’ve made it into a show on Hulu (which inspired the re-read) and I recommend that as well. They did a great job bringing the characters to the screen.

What Potter character would you have for an invisible friend and why?
Peeves obvs. So I can have him prank people, but be protected from being pranked myself cause we’re buds.  

What other fandoms do you enjoy and can you see yourself ever writing stories in them?
So my other big fandom is Supernatural. I have written some stuff in that universe back in the day…maybe I could write more??? I don’t know…we’ll see if I’m ever feeling cheeky. Then let’s see. I love Doctor Who, BUFFY!!!, Downton Abbey, OUAT, FRIENDS, Timeless, LOTR, Avengers, GOT, Firefly - honestly, most fandoms. I have zero chill.

Describe your ideal situation/atmosphere for writing:
I’m at my kitchen island. Cold brew coffee in hand. Breakfast foods a plenty. Music’s playing and it’s probably raining outside cause that’s just cozy. 

 

Head Students for the month of November were the very active and friendly @prideofprewett and @RogueSlytherin!

I N T E R V I E W S
| P R I D E O F P R E W E T T |

What is your favorite place to visit on FFT?
I really enjoy visiting the Writers' Nests, or right now it's the NaNo Nests. I love reading about what other people are working on and seeing how passionate they get about it. It just feels like a high energy place with all these different creative ideas bouncing around and that excites me.   

If there’s one story of yours you would like to tell us about, what would it be and why?
Hmmm...well I only have a small snippet of it up right now, but my current obsession is Hardened Hearts Say Unimaginable Things. It's much darker than my usual Molly/Arthur Weasley fluffity fluff, so from a mood standpoint it's been fun to write something a bit different. But also, it features two canon characters, Cedrella Black and Septimus Weasley, whom we know maybe three facts about. Septimus likes chess, Cedrella is disowned by her family for marrying him, and they're Arthur Weasley's parents. I like being able to build upon those little details and turn them into something greater. Plus I'm really challenging myself by building a historical timeline of a lesser known time in the Wizarding World. So that's also kind of exciting. 

When is the best time for writing for you and why?
When I first wake up in the morning. Mostly because everyone else in my house is asleep, so it's really the only time I have some quiet and it's when my energy levels are at their highest. 

You are participating in NaNo, is this your first time? How has the experience been for you so far?
This is not my first NaNo, although it feels like it in a lot of ways. I haven't done NaNo since 2014. This year's experience has been a lot more fun than previous NaNo's I've done. I didn't really have much of a community where I could share the experience with others before this time around. So I'm grateful to have a support system in that way.   

Do you often take inspiration for your stories or particular scenes from real life?
Sometimes I do. I know I put some past experiences I had from my own childhood in Woven Together (particularly Bill's chapter). And a lot of things I've felt about my own marriage in A Worthy Celebration. Most of it is internal thoughts that characters have though. For more setting or character based inspiration, I tend to seek out reference photos on the internet since the things I've been writing are set in different time periods. 

Besides writing, what is your favorite free time activity?
I don't have a ton of extra time right now, so primarily it is writing. But reading and 10 minute yoga sessions are two things that also relax me.

 

| R O G U E S L Y T H E R I N |

Favorite Place to visit on FFT?
Challenges. I am a addict sucker for challenges. I love all the creative prompts and seeing how different people interpret them! Most of my stories are started from challenge prompts.

If there’s one story of yours you would like to tell us about, what would it be and why?
My current WIP, Swear To Be Overdramatic. It’s my NaNo project that I’ve been doing a miserable job of keeping up with. But I love it because it’s trope-maina!

What makes you a Slytherin?
I’ve always seen myself as Slytherin because of my boldness and resourcefulness. I can make any situation work for my benefit and have an aggressive habit of speaking my mind regardless of the consequences.

What corner of YouTube do you often find yourself getting lost in?
Currently, I’m embarrassingly obsessed with watching twitch streams of gamers play Among Us. I got hooked when AOC played and it’s just been a rabbit hole ever since.

If you could live in a totally different country to where you currently live for half of the year, where would you live and why?
Probably somewhere in Scandanavia. Those countries are said to be the happiest and they have the most beautiful architecture and settings. 10/10 want to travel out there someday.

Paperback or hardback books?
Paperback. There’s something stuffy about a book with a hard cover. Like it’s meant to be kept safe and out of reach of small children so as not to harm it. But paperback books are like that reckless friend of yours that's down for anything.

 

Last but not least, a round up of House news from us Community Coordinators!

| G R Y F F I N D O R |

Our Leading Lion for this month is @Unwritten Curse who is always there to support and cheer on her fellow Gryffies. Lion Featured Fic went to @Pixileanin and her Original Fiction adventurous fairy tale The Moon Belongs to Leszachka. It's the perfect story to snuggle up to in this weather, so grab a hot beverage and go check it out!  

Things have been a little quiet around the tower as the winds howl outside the windows but fire crackles within, as many of our members are taking the opportunity of NaNoWriMo to dedicate themselves to their projects, creating a variety of goals to achieve this month. Voting for December Leading Lion and Featured Fic is still open, so come and nominate your favorites!

 

| H U F F L E P U F F |

It was a calm and quiet month in the 'Puff Basement!

We started by congratulating @victoria_annefor taking on further responsibilities as a member of the event coordinator team and for being awarded the month's Order of Merlin award. We were also thrilled to have our own @prideofprewett named as a Head Student. Finally, two 'Puff stories were recognized in the October bulletin: "Daffodils" by @Leo and "The Moth and the Flame" by @sinnersandsapphics.

In CR activities, we continue to track our review cheerleaderboard+, which shows that 'Puffs left 151 reviews in the month of October, including six 'Puffs who are on 2+ month streaks! We also have another month of review swaps underway, so please check out that thread.

This month's issue of Hear Ye, Hufflepuff+ has also been published, and we have the great pleasure of announcing some fantastic 'Puff OtMs: @Ameripuff is our Hufflepuff of the Month; our 'Puff Story of the Month is for the "Wasted Days" by @prideofprewett; and @prideofprewett also left our Review of the Month. Take a moment to drop by the CR and congratulate them! And don't forget to nominate your fellow Badgers for next month's awards! Nomination threads+ are open until November 25th at 11:59 p.m. GMT.

And that's our Badger news for this month! Yay!

 

| R A V E N C L A W |

The air in the Ravenclaw common room is full of the scent of tea and coffee and the clickety clack of keyboards during NaNoWriMo. Nearly a dozen of our members have made NaNo Nests, which you should definitely check out and read all about their wonderful novels in progress and cheer them on. The Ivory Tower is up featuring our monthly OTMs for November!

October's Claw of the Month is @kuusi palaa, and the Story of the Month is the delightful crackship romp And They Were Roommates by @BellaLestrange87.

Voting for December OTMs is open through November 24, and the Blue vs Bronze review battle is underway, so stop by and join in the fun!

 

| S L Y T H E R I N |

This month's Slytherin news brings us to the bright and sparkly Leaderboard event in the Common Room, where @pookha is in the lead, with @RogueSlytherin coming in second. Third is @la_topolina and the points keep adding up each month. Who will be Slytherin's top three leaders next month? Our EvS top reviewer is @Elena! 

The Basilisk Bodega would also like to welcome @Saphsel to the baskets!

With the many holidays coming up, we'll be serving up some hot, hot, hot chocolate with our variety of coffee flavors. Pass the cream and marshmallows, anyone? Holiday fun times come into the Bodega next month... be ever vigilant to get in on the fun. (psst... there is a discussion thread in the Slytherin Common Room.)

And thats the news for Slytherin! 

________________________________
credits:

couriers: eli, madi
sotm review column: emily
cc news: emily, eli, melanie, juls
graphics: taylor
blog compliation: madi