In the Spotlight | December 22nd, 2020

Welcome to our last In the Spotlight for 2020! We've got the usual roundup of interviews and community coordinator news for you, along with wishing everyone a happy holiday season and that the new year brings good things your way!

December's Order of Merlin goes to one of our fearless admins, @ice fairy abhorsen.!

| 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?
i would riot and claim that i am above the rules with lots of of various sizes.

What is a hobby of yours?
ummm probably photoshop or coding. i like coding a lot. it's fun to just rearrange things until they work.

Who is your favorite character [from any fandom] and why?
oof, idk that i have a single favorite character. one of them is probably neal of queenscove from the tortall series, though, bc he's just such a snarky asshole and i love it. i need all the snark in my life, it is my kryptonite.

When is the last time you’ve written? What did you write about?
in the last few days - i don't remember when it was exactly, but it was an au of my shenanigans fic bc that's the only thing i write these days - i've written almost 50k words of shenanigans aus since the end of august (and about 150k words of shenanigans overall in 2020).

As a spreadsheet queen, what have you found helps your skills with data working the most?
i think that really being able to just experiment and move things around until they work is how i learn how to do things (including new things).

Favorite type of cookie and why?
ohh i am actually not really a cookie person! i'd take chips or popcorn any day, haha.

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

Story Title: mathematically absurd
Link: here+
Pairings: Victoire Weasley/OC
Summary:

Quote

poll working in an n95 behind plexiglass and then having joe-biden-won victory sex with a hot voter who picked you up is peak 2020

The last Story of the Month for 2020 was the one with the technical difficulties by @aurevoir!

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

Cassie will try to tell you that she's all angst all the time, but don't believe her lies; she is the author of a delightful Dramione fluff series comprising no fewer than four one-shots (as of the date of this publication), each a little spicier than the previous one. In the style of Friends, they're each titled "The One With..." and this month's SOTM is The One With Technical Difficulties.

Move over, only-one-bed trope, because in this fic there's only one lift... and it's stuck... and it ain't big enough for both these strong personalities. The technical difficulties ensue moments after Hermione and Draco engage in some feisty legal debate at the Ministry, and with nothing else to do for half an hour while they're stuck together, they're forced to examine the source of this belligerent tension between them.

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

What was the inspiration for the one with technical difficulties?
You (being Mel) [interviewer @RonsFairyGodmother] randomly picked a bunch of fluff prompts for me and one of them was to use the quote "Looks like we're gonna be stuck here for a while." And you, and I quote (b/c I still have the list saved in a google doc) said "OMG STUCK IN A LIFT, WRITE IT." And it just kind of snowballed into this sexual tension scene when we were then "roleplaying" the legal scene for your story (there's no way to make that sound normal) and I stole that for the tension and then also partially aided by the kiss at the end of The One with the Frosting. (aka, everyone can thank Mel 100% for this story even existing).

What three songs would you put on a soundtrack for this fic?
Look, I don't really listen to happy / lovey songs so this is 100% a struggle for me (like seriously, my top played songs for 2020 include fuck I'm lonely, homecoming queen; samson, and this city). I'm pretty sure I was watching To All The Boys when I wrote it.
This is weirdly making me realize I don't associate music with my fluff/happy stories like I do the emotional things. I'm not sure what this says about me as a human and I might be having a bit of an existential crisis now.
I vaguely have a sense of listening to Sour Candy on repeat when writing one of the fluffs and it might have been this one, but I also tend to write these fluffs at like ... 1/2am so there's no rhyme or reason to my memory.

What's the last book you read and would you recommend it?
I kind of finished three within a day of each other - The Inheritance Games;  Girls of Paper and Fire; and Sky in the Deep. I loved Inheritance and will 100% buy the second one when it comes out and it wasn't really that good of a story but it hit those tropes and the writing kept me intrigued because I needed to know what was going to happen (and I was so annoyed by the cliffhanger). I wanted to like Girls of Paper b/c it had diversity (the main love story is LGBTQA+ representation, etc.) but I just did not enjoy the writing - it felt choppy and awkward and the main character felt kind of Mary Sue and it took over 150 pages to even get to WHAT was happening. I will not be buying the second one. Sky in the Deep is good - and apparently part of a series? but they don't seem to be directly the same characters - it's kind of your standard YA book with the love story, etc. It could have been fleshed out better but I enjoyed it. Don't know if I'll buy the unrelated second one though.

What Potter character would you have for an invisible friend and why?
I guess it depends what I could get out of the invisible friend. If they were able to actually do things ... I'd probably go with the Theo Nott that I have head cannoned in my head b/c you get the Slytherin sneak that I would 100% use more than I should but the more Harry-esque sass that just really [insert chef's kiss emoji]. (also the more I imagined this the more I'm like yes, 100% who my invisible friend would be). If they couldn't do anything, probably just Luna for the whimsical.
(fun fact, Charlie Brown was my invisible friend when I was like 4).
(ALSO I bet people just assumed I'd write Malfoy but look, I decided to not be utterly cliche).

Do you ever pull situations or themes from things that you've experienced in real life into your fics?
Depends! My fluff? Definitely not - my love life didn't really change much as a result of covid (although I did have to block a creepy man recently who sent me 24 text messages without me responding like jesus). The emotional stuff is where I pull way more on the things I've experienced in order to capture just the feelings (ala Splintered - almost all of the feelings and emotions Hermione cycle through I also cycled through in the year after my mom died). Maybe it's a product of just never being able to express my feelings very well when they weren't great emotions and I write it out; maybe it's partially from faking it until I make it. No telling.

Holiday light displays, yes or no? (Christmas, Halloween, etc)
I like them but not the effort to put them up. I wrapped lights around my balcony in November and I don't know if they'll ever come down unless my HOA makes me to be honest. I wish I was more into decorating for these holidays in general (lights or no).

 

The two Head Students for this month were none other than two of our lovely own community coordinators, @shadowysnowyfairy and @Renacerá!

I N T E R V I E W S
| S H A D O W Y C O R N E R |

What is your favorite place to visit on FFT?
I loved spending time in NaNo nest this November. It was incredible following other people's projects and progress while sharing insights and updates on my own writing. The questions and little gifts people were leaving for one another were very inspiring.

If there’s one story of yours you would like to tell us about, what would it be and why?
This is a tough one, since I'm not actively working on anything atm, but I've always had a special relationship to ink stains on my sheets, as it's something that was created on a moment's notice for a challenge, and turned into something very personal. I loved the writing process, I loved writing it to the music and emotion that some of its themes invoked in me, and so it's currently my favorite, I think.

What HP ship is the most difficult for you to write and why?
Out of the ones I like, I think it's James and Lily. I never know which way to go, whether the teenage enemies-to-lovers or the post-Hogwarts dramatic life they've been through, and I've never been good with AUs, so I guess I just never have new exciting ideas for this ship? But I ship them hard, lol.

What trait defines you most as a Gryffindor? Least?
Least would be maybe my daring in the moment, as in being outspoken when it's really needed and necessary? Sometimes I'm still afraid to speak my mind and need a lot of time to process being bold in this area. A trait I have is, though, is tenacity. Once I am given a task, my sense of duty and responsibility overwhelms me and I will determinedly do my best to complete my task.

Been watching anything super riveting lately? Tell us about it!
Most recently, I have loved The Mandalorian, but I guess that last thing that had me be very binge-watch-y was HBO's Yellowstone.

What's a hobby you'd like to pick up but haven't yet?
Musical instrument and photography. I have the tools but lack the will to start. It's something I want to change in the coming days.

| R E N A C E R A |

What is your favorite place to visit on FFT?
On the forums, I spend the most time in the 'Puff CR with my wonderful fellow Badgers who I love to pieces. I also really enjoy reading the fantastic stories everyone publishes on the archives.

If there’s one story of yours you would like to tell us about, what would it be and why?
I think everyone is sick of hearing me talk about Collateral, so I'll tell you about a one-shot I wrote recently. It's called "The Depths," and I think it's the thing I'm the most proud to have written this year. I submitted it to three challenges, so I was working with some constraints, but they really helped spur my creativity, I think. I wanted to capture a very specific mood throughout the story (sort of a dark-and-stormy-night thing, but...sadder?), and I'm proud of how that turned out. I also love the versions of Draco and Hermione in it. And I think the plot is clever (if I do say so myself, haha). If you have a chance to check it out, I'd love feedback!

Favorite flavor of ice cream?
Ooh! It tends to change depending on my mood. I have four I consider "go-tos" when my husband and I visit the ice cream shop near our house though: banana, rocky road, strawberry cheesecake, and sea-salt caramel.

What's the last thing you were writing?
Oof. I've been struggling with my entry for the Bi Rep Challenge for a few weeks. I wish I could say I've been "writing" at all, but it's mostly just been brainstorming and languishing in frustration.

If you could be a witch in the Wizarding World, what career would you like to have and why?
I mean...I'd basically do what I've done as a Muggle: I'd like to work with books. Whether in the magical publishing industry or in a magical bookstore. I love being around books and learning things and helping other people find new fiction and nonfiction loves.

Is there an underrated author (any genre/age group) you think we should all be reading? Tell us about them!
Tamora Pierce. She's the author who shaped me the most as a person, and her books are absolutely incredible. They're all medieval fantasy stories with kickass female protagonists (from knights to mages to spies), and the worldbuilding in them is wildly good. I actually have multiple editions of all of her books because they're just so incredible and so genuinely changed my life. I have extra copies of some of the books too, and I kid you not, I will send them to people who want them. I legit do that for strangers on the internet from a Facebook group of Tammy's fans. If that doesn't show how passionate I am about these series, idk what will!

 

It's been quiet for us this month as we're all mostly still recovering from NaNoWriMo, but we're all greatly enjoying celebrating the Fairy Princess's birthday

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

Things remain to be a little quiet around December, though a lot of our lions are going wild for the fairy princess' birthday party, dropping a lot of gifts all over the place. The Gryffindor Tower has changed its name to the Lion's Den  

We are also proud and happy to announce our awesome @ice fairy abhorsen. has been awarded a very much deserved Order of Merlin for December for all her hard work at making this site the beloved home of so many of us

wildly illogical by @ice fairy abhorsen. has been voted December Story of the Month in the fitting theme of naughty and nice. Why this fits so well? You'll have to read this fun story to find out!  

@down-in-icy-blue-flames has been awarded the Leading Lion for December for her constant wild positive energy she infuses the forums with! 

The Lions would like to wish everyone a happy new year ! May you start it with a roar!

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

It was another peaceful month in the 'Puff Basement. We've started transitioning from the subforum layout to the club+, so head there to see all of our latest posts.

This month, we congratulated @Renacerá for being named Head Student. We were also proud to have two 'Puff stories featured in the December bulletin: "Albus Potter and the Secrets Within" by @Gryffin_Frost_Duck and "Comfort in Chaos" by @prideofsnowfairies.

This month's issue of Hear Ye, Hufflepuff+ has also been published, and we have the great pleasure of announcing our wonderful OtMs: @melonknee is our Hufflepuff of the Month; "Seaside Rendezvous" by @VaguelyCreativeName is our Story of the Month; and our Review of the Month was left by @Ameripuff. Head to the CR to congratulate them! Next month's nomination threads have been posted (here+, here+, and here+), so please take a moment to nominate your fellow Badgers!

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

| R A V E N C L A W |

With the changes being made to the site, you might have noticed that the old Common Room has disappeared, but don't worry, it isn't Nargles -- Ravenclaw Tower is exactly where we left it; it's just a club on the site now, rather than a subforum. If you have any trouble joining or navigating the new layout, don't hesitate to reach out to a Ravenclaw staffer or Community Coordinator.

Our December Claw of the Month is our very own Deputy Admin @InekesWinterArchive, and Story of the Month is the phenomenal Founders Era novel The Might of the Architect by @tinyporcelainehorses. Voting for January OTM's is going on through December 24 and can be found in the Chatting section of the Tower.

| S L Y T H E R I N |

Things have been pretty quiet in the snake pit this month as our OtMs and EvS battle were placed on hold for the holiday season as well as for the move to the club system. 

Our CCs are still working hard at constructing our new home and we are super excited to be out of the dungeons and spending nights in the great hall as construction continues. 

Our Slytherin leaderboard saw a flurry of activity this month with participants earning as many as 142 points. @snow leopard pookha currently sits atop the leaderboard with a whopping 472 points with @RogueMidwinter and @la_topolina rounding out the top 3. 

We would like to extend a special thank you to Ravenclaw house for discovering a way to make wi-fi work in the castle as well as to Hufflepuff house for being so kind as to leave their Netflix and Disney+ Passwords lying around for us to steal...I mean sharing their passwords with us. One final thank you goes to Gryffindor for teaching us the spell to enchant the great hall ceiling so we can now lay in our sleeping bags while we binge watch The Crown and The Mandalorian on repeat. 

This month's flavor is peppermint mocha and is available as coffee and hot cocoa and we encourage everyone to join us as we have a contest to see which house can build the best gingerbread house this week, which by the way we are going to win with our entry of Hogwarts Castle! (image stolen from somewhere on the google credit goes to the actual bakery who designed this) 

We would like to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season and here's to a rocking 2021! 

___________________
credits:

couriers: tasha, melanie, eli, emily
sotm review column: melanie
cc news: melanie, tasha, emily, eli
graphics: taylor
compilation: madi