All Aboard the
Halloween Rollercoaster!
No year at myHogwarts is complete without different festivities or organized events that take the population by storm and capture the imagination of younger and older members alike. This year happily coincided with the end of October, a time that is inextricably linked with a holiday of horrors and mischief, Halloween! This year, as in numerous other past years, the holiday came along to spread an air of chaos and mystery around the site with the different events and unexpected happenings that took place around that time. But what kind of events and happenings did we all have the chance to experience during that time of year? Stick around until the end of this article to find out everything straight from the source.
The first event that all mH members had the chance to enjoy came in the form of the traditional Halloween Shopping Event organised in Stoatshead by the Department of Construction and its Head, Willow Maid. This year, however, the familiar event came with an interesting twist. Instead of shoppers receiving tricks or treats from every participating shop they visited, the event took the form of a holiday raffle, with special items provided by each shop owner up for grabs. A series of Halloween items were gifted by the shop owners to serve as the winning prizes for the raffle, with everything from Halloween-themed delicacies to clothes to otherworldly decorations to fit the spirit of the holiday making an appearance on the prize list. To participate and have a chance to win the prize of their dreams, aspiring shoppers needed to visit the different participating shops and place their orders for a chance to win more entries into the final draw. And of course, for those with insufficient funds as well as any new students, vouchers were provided to ensure that they would still be able to participate in the event without worrying about spending too much. And at the end of the day, what better opportunity to purchase some gifts for your friends and yourself while also grabbing some unique prizes in the end? Count me in!
But the events dedicated to this particularly chaotic holiday did not end there. Just as the week of Halloween rolled around, the newest Head Student event organised by Lissarose came along to push the festivities to new heights. This year's theme, true to the spirit of the holiday, was a Haunted Carnival that featured a series of unique activities and offered even more exciting prizes for participants eager to don their Halloween gear and join in on the fun. The first game of the event was titled "Laughing Clowns" and served as a fun and easy way for participants to win some rather interesting prizes, such as a Self-Shuffling deck of cards or some absolutely adorable stuffies! The main goal of the game was for participants to score points by tossing balls inside the clowns' open mouths, with a mysterious mechanic hidden behind the scenes determining their level of success and the prize they would win. The second activity was appropriately titled "The Ghost Train" and participants got quite a spooky surprise from this one! As numerous brave souls entered the train, five of its ghost inhabitants escaped and hid themselves around the castle, leaving it up to the participants to discover them and bring them back. Different clues were given, following the design of a snitch hunt, and the three fastest Ghostbusters also received a StoatsElm voucher each for their troubles. Quite the deal, if you ask me!
The next activity offered in Lissa's Haunted Carnival took the form of Tarot Readings held inside a special Tarot Tent... As the Divination Professor, I approve. Participants were free to post their questions for consideration and the mystic would then work her magic on her special Halloween deck to provide them with a little insight into their future. Very fascinating indeed, I wonder if I should set up a tent like that at my office to practice my Tarot reading skills every now and then. 🤔 The second-to-last activity was accurately titled "Balloon Darts" and it featured a carnival classic where participants had to practice their throwing skills to win House Points. With the help of the RNG, participants had the chance to throw darts at the rows of balloons put up for a chance to score House Points for their House and get bragging rights for shooting down the most balloons. A very interesting twist to a favourite game, if you ask me! And finally, no carnival, haunted or not, can be complete without a well-stocked food stall with plenty of delicious treats for everyone to enjoy. Sporting everything from sweet treats like caramel apples to savoury ones like corn dogs and even referring beverages like iced tea, this food stall served as the perfect last stop to a fun-filled carnival and its large variety of treats could satisfy even the pickiest of carnival attendees.
At the end of the Halloween festivities, it was evident that the site had once more offered Halloween enthusiasts the chance to enjoy this holiday to the fullest. From shopping to ghost hunting to Tarot readings, this year's Halloween brought forth a series of novel events that fascinated older and newer members alike. There were even some whispers around of some mysterious pranksters wreaking their own personal brand of chaos behind the scenes but as always, their ways might be a tad too... mysterious to be identified and deciphered. And with that, we have reached the end of this recap! I hope you all had the chance to enjoy this year's Halloween events, stay tuned to find out what kind of festivities next year's Halloween will bring to the site.
Isabella
House Point
Standings:
Recent
Events:
* End-of-Term Feast
* Summer Camp
* Gap Year Registration
* Interhouse and Quidditch Awards
What House Are You, Again?
Postfects are no new feature of myHogwarts. We've seen a variety of familiar faces over the past years as Alumni have stepped up to serve as leaders for their House -- or for another Hogwarts House. Year 69, however, proved to be a unique year in that all three of our Postfects served for a House other than their own! Although all three Postfects originally hailed from Ravenclaw, SusanHP turned maroon for Gryffindor, Rae turned goldenrod for Hufflepuff, and Willow Maid turned green for Slytherin.
I had the chance to interview Linda (SusanHP), Rae, and Willow Maid about their experiences as "Swapped-House Postfects" in Year 69. I hope you'll find their answers as interesting as I did!
What was your reaction upon being offered the position of Postfect for a different House than your own?
Linda: I think I was kinda pleased. This was the second House other than Ravenclaw that I had been a Postfect for, but it was fun to get to see how each House works and what I could bring as experience from my student years to them. In addition to my three times as Ravenclaw Postfect, I have been QC for Ravenpuff and Postfect for Gryffindor once before.
Rae: I was really delighted to be offered the position and thought it would be fun to become a Hufflepuff. Besides the Ravies, most of my friends on this site have been Huffles so I knew it would be a great time.
Willow Maid: Not really surprising as I was a Hufflepuff Postfect twice before, so there was a high chance I'd be in another House again. But I was surprised and glad to be offered Slytherin this time because I see it as my House too.
Describe the process of embracing your new House colors and House pride. Was it easier than you expected? Is it difficult to be in new colors?
Linda: For Gryffindor this time, it has been harder to adjust to the scarlet. Before we had different colors that represented a Postfect so it was not quite the same as being in that Houses' color. But having changed colors so many times throughout my time here on the site, one would think I would be used to it. I still get a bit of a shock to see myself in the Gryffindor colors, though!
Rae: I admit that it was strange seeing my name in yellow for the first time (I still miss the purple) but really it just seems right now. I think the process was easier because I was already used to the combined Ravenpuff pride.
Willow Maid: As I mentioned previously, I see Slytherin as my other House (I identify as a Slytherclaw), so embracing the green and showing pride was an instant thing.
To Linda and Willow: What is it like competing against your original House?
Linda: That is hard! Even when I was QC for Hufflepuff, we were teamed up with Ravenclaw as was my previous stint as Postfect for Gryffindor teamed with Ravenclaw. This time I had to keep checking who I was aiming for in Quidditch! I have enjoyed working with the Slytherins though and hope we get more members for both soon. I do miss going to chat with fellow Ravenclaws in the BEZ, though.
Willow Maid: A bit weird at first since I was a Ravenclaw for many years here. Competing for the House Cup was no big deal as I cheer on both Houses (maybe slightly more for Slytherin ). Quidditch is where it gets tricky and I have to remind myself that I'm not blue anymore. It does make me wish that the team merge was Slytherclaw to make it a lot easier to remember.
Once your term as Postfect has ended, do you think you will retain any feelings of loyalty for your "honorary" House? Do you identify with any of the traits of the House you have been assigned to?
Linda: That is a hard one! Since Gryffindor has been so quiet during my time here, I feel like I have not had much chance to get to know the House, which makes me sad. Any traits... I try to be polite, honest and kind to others (the chivalry part) and strive to do my best in everything I attempt to do.
Rae: Oh, definitely! Go Huffles! I think being a Hufflepuff is identifying more with being hard-working and open since there are so few of us on the site right now that we're really trying our best at everything.
Willow Maid: Slytherin will always be one of my Houses (my main one really) so I'll always be loyal. While I share certain traits with Ravenclaw (creativity and curiosity), with Slytherin there's more that I identify with, namely to think before acting, be resourceful and determined and their pride.
Were there any surprises that came with the role?
Linda: I don't think so. I think having been a Postfect so often, I just enjoy helping where I can on the site.
Rae: Hufflepuffs are quieter than I expected. I'd thought there'd be more hugsquish piles.
Willow Maid: Not really, it's basically the same as what I did as Postfect with greeting and guiding new members and creating a fun atmosphere with activities.
What advice would you give to a future swapped-House Postfect?
Linda: Embrace your time as a Postfect for other Houses. This is a good time to chat more with other members and get to know the House and its members better. Change your board setting to the House you are representing, it makes it fun to see a different color when on site! Getting to be a Postfect for other Houses allows you the chance to get to know more about it.
Rae: I would tell them to embrace it and have fun as it's really cool to see the other Houses.
Willow Maid: If you were to be swapped into a House that you don't identify with, easily embrace or something small like the House isn't your color (the last was me with Hufflepuff, not a fan of yellow), then don't think about it like you were re-sorted for that year but more like you're in a position of a guide specifically for that House because basically that's what it is.
Thank you so much to Linda, Rae, and Willow Maid for taking the time to answer my questions! I think our three Year 69 Postfects are in agreement that being a Postfect is a fun and valuable position to have, regardless of what House you end up in.
Rowena
Riddle
