When we last met our heroines, they had left Gryffindor Tower on their way to the Den...
This term, Spring 2015, we are spending a term in Hufflepuff where students are divided into cetes. As with other groups on Ravelry in which I've participated, cetes started off the term with a get-to-know-each-other questionnaire. Typically one, maybe two people might respond to such a post if that. Most people just express "Welcome!" by clicking the love button. Not in Hufflepuff. I had about 4 or 5 personalized responses to my post. I was surprised and most definitely felt welcomed.
There are many games, challenges, etc in Hufflepuff to help motivate students to push themselves. I decided to keep my life simple and just focus on playing Puffopoly. The goal is to move your way around a Monopoly-like board. You earn moves by submitting advanced studies proposals, classwork, Quidditch, etc. You can learn more about Puffopoly here.
Luckily for me, Martin Freeman is a welcome sight in the Hufflepuff UnCommon Room; at least two denizens of the Den (Den-izens?) are noted Benedict Cumberbatch fans and Sherlock is one of the many fandoms floating around Hufflepuff. I've also decided to do Puffopoly and leave many other threads unread... although the title of the SWorD thread definitely appeals to me: the Puff version of the Lab stands for "Spinning, Weaving or Dyeing" and I may be poking my nose in there come June for some new skill ideas.
Oh yes: and the Tour de Puff: the Hufflepuff Head Girl Challenge for this term has taken a sweeping arc into Tour de France land for a multi-stage points/yardage/activities journey. Students have formed their own 5-to-9-person teams for goals and glory and I have joined two teams because. It goes beyond badges, I think, but my memory can't be trusted. I don't really understand what's happening and I cannot explain my actions further and I'm running on FUMES, I tell you!
What have we learned so far?
- Puffopoly is multidimensional and multi-term; we won't be able to take advantage of gameplay past the end of S2015, but kudos to those loyal Puffs who have earned those hotels and whatnot!
- Communication in the Den is straightforward and friendly... not a lot of poetry (Vogon, Homeric, or otherwise).
- Badges badges badges! Badgers!
