The Quibbler is pleased to present

March 2021
MadAlice !

The interviewer, ArianaBlack, is in this color
The interviewee, MadAlice, is in this color

Thaaaaaat’s right, folks! Welcome to another Member of the Month interview! Today, we’ll be having a chat with the one, the only, MadAlice! *pauses for applause* Hey, friend! How about we start off with some introductions? Tell us a bit about yourself.
I'm a native Texan, though I lived a number of years in New England and New York. I'm somewhat older than the typical HP fanbase (I won't say HOW old, but let's just say I can cosplay Minerva McGonagall without makeup). I'm a librarian at a university, an actor (when I can), and I have done some writing.

Would you laugh at me if I admitted that I used to think New England was its own state?! Don’t worry, I'm proud to admit that I've learned basic geography since then! And writing, you say? Well you're definitely in good company over here on SnitchSeeker! What sort of writing have you done? Will we one day be seeing YOUR writing in university libraries?!
Probably not, it's not really university material. I actually wrote a kind of New Age book a while back, some (kind of) folk songs (not sure how to classify them, really), some nonfiction articles, and also poetry. I'd like to try my hand at fiction some time; I'm actually working toward that now.

Whoa, that's quite a range you have there! What inspires your writing? How do all of these vast endeavors come about?
Well, I have been around for a while I'm interested in a lot of things, and I encounter things in my work and in life that spur my creativity or curiosity. My mother's family is Norwegian and she read me a lot of those folktales and mythology when I was very young, so a lot of that creeps into what I write. My main focus, arts-wise, is theatre, though, which takes up a lot of time, so I haven't really done as much writing as I'd like to (I'm also probably lazy). Now with all the quarantines, the theatres are all closed down, so I am trying to keep busy with some of my other projects.

Okay, consider my curiosity officially piqued. I'll definitely be looking up Norwegian folktales after this interview! And theatre sounds like a lovely way to spend your time. Hopefully once the quarantine era settles down, you'll be able to get back there! Is this where your acting comes in? Do you have a favorite production you've been part of or, alternatively, a favorite that you've watched?
One of my favorite plays was The Visit by Friedrich Dürrenmatt, which I did in college. I was the lead, Claire Zachanassian, the richest woman in the world. I was too young for the part then, and I'd really love to do it again now that I'm more experienced, but it was a challenging role. One of the plays I had the most fun in was called You Can't Take It With You. If you imagine Luna Lovegood living in a big family where everyone is as eccentric as she is, that was the family in that play. In some ways, I think acting can be a lot like roleplay, because the playwright only tells so much about the character (and the smaller the part, the less you know), and so, to really play a part well, you make up this whole backstory about yourself which affects how you appear onstage. It's all just in your head, but if you do it right, the audience will see a fully-formed character onstage.

Oh, to be the richest woman in the world! I wish I could be a fly on the wall (or, rather, in the audience) during one of your shows! And I can definitely see that connection between acting and roleplay! Speaking of which, you're quite active on the RPG side of SnitchSeeker. Is this what brought you to the site?
Not really. I joined way back in 2011--I was probably originally just surfing around for Harry Potter sites. I played my school character for one 'SnitchSeeker year,' but then my job had gotten very demanding and roleplaying was interfering with my work, so I quit for a while. And then one thing and another, real life problems, and before I knew it a lot of time had gone past. I kept meaning to get back to it, but some new crisis always came up, and I was technically limited at home for a while. Then last year I started working from home (and now only part-time). When the beginning of September rolled around, it got me thinking of Hogwarts and I thought I would check out the site and maybe be able to start up again. I actually thought I would have to start all over, but when I logged in, there was my character, Violet, waiting patiently all this time to start her second year, so I just jumped in. And I had started to create an adult character spun off from Violet's life, so when the Ministry roleplay opened up later in the year, I started doing that too.

Well, let me just say, I'm glad you found your way back here. Much like Hogwarts, SnitchSeeker will always be here to welcome you home. It's also so nice that you were able to work with your original character to make a new one for the Ministry! I'm sure it made the character creation process interesting. What does this process look like for you? Do you go in with a set plan or do you unleash your characters and see where they take you?
I had a vague plan for my student--her basic character trait and a sketchy idea for her backstory and how that might play out. I kind of used that to make up a reason why she hadn't been around for a while (though I made that 1 year's absence instead of 9). The adult character was originally her governess, who I'd just made up to have someone to accompany the student to Platform 9 3/4. But even then, Miss Howard started taking on a life of her own a bit after the train left the station. So I'm enjoying the Ministry roleplay to allow me to explore that character a bit more. Now I'm getting the feeling that some of Violet's family members may decide to become characters in their own right in the future. Also, things that happen in the roleplay change some of my plans for the character because you can't just ignore some big event happening that would realistically change a person.

For sure! The dynamic nature of roleplay and the wild plots in all of our RP areas on site really make for unique experiences for our characters who live on SnitchSeeker. Shifting gears just a little bit, I'd love to talk to you about your personal history with the Harry Potter fandom! How did you first get into the series? Was it love at first sight?
Well, as I said, I was a librarian. Since I was working at a university library at the time, I wasn't aware of the series when it first came out, but then I started seeing these news blurbs in the library magazines about how popular this series was and how some people wanted to ban it in some places. And nothing makes me want to read a book more than hearing someone has banned it, so the winter before Goblet of Fire came out, I was up in Boston, snowed in and sick at a friend's house, and her son had the first three books in the series, so she gave me Sorcerer's Stone to keep me occupied. I wound up staying up all night reading it, instead of going to bed like a person with a cold ought to do. And the next night I read the second one, and the next day I snuck into the kid's room while he was away at school to read the third book. And so I was hooked.

Oh my gosh, what a beautifully chaotic origin story. I remember staying up all night making my way through the books too! Who was your favorite character when you first read the books? And has your favorite stayed the same throughout the years?
My favorite was, and is, Severus Snape. He's just so complex and I guess, as an older person who has made many mistakes in life, I like to think that redemption is possible, even for us sarcastic, short-tempered ones. I also really like Luna Lovegood and Minerva McGonagall.

Oooh! I also find myself gravitating toward some of the more complex characters; they're always the most fun! Severus happens to be a Slytherin like your current SSRPG character, Violet. Do you personally classify yourself as a Slytherin as well? Or is there another house that you identify with more?
Yes, I always knew from the first book that I was a Slytherin. And then when Pottermore went up, I took the quiz and was a Slytherin there, too (it took forever for my results to come up and I remember saying that if it wasn't Slytherin that I would retake it again with different answers until I got Slytherin, and my friend said that probably meant I was a Slytherin). I guess that's why I made my first character one, but I made my adult character a Ravenclaw, and I am looking forward to using other Houses in future characters because it makes the roleplay different.

I'd definitely agree with your friend on that one. That's some Slytherin ambition you've got there. And I'm glad you mentioned your adult character because you just received the title of Ministry of Magic Employee of the Year (congratulations, by the way)! If YOU were employed by the Ministry of Magic, which department would you want to work for?
I think the job my character has, Department of Mysteries. I was really excited when I got my job letter on SnitchSeeker, it was like my dream job!

I've always wondered what it would be like to work for the Department of Mysteries! Sounds like a dream for sure. So as we know, you're a librarian and you loved the Harry Potter books. Would you say you're an avid book reader? And do you have a favorite book?
Yes, I love to read, though I don't always have time to read as much as I'd like. It's hard to pick a favorite, but I'd have to say Alice in Wonderland. It's so whimsical and fantastical. I loved it as a child (partly, I confess, because it had a character with my name), but it ages well and is as much fun for an adult to reread.

Ooh, that's a good one. I really enjoyed the movie adaptation! Have you watched the live-action film with Helena Bonham Carter and Alan Rickman? I know this might be a controversial subject. How do you generally feel about books vs. movie adaptations?
First, yes, I saw the live-action film and really enjoyed it. As for books vs. films--I really see them as two different mediums for telling the same story. There are things you can do in a book that you can't on film (that's why films are never word-for-word like the book), but there are also things you can do in a film that you can't in a book. I do think that some film adaptations are better than others though--you can adapt a book to film badly. In general, I've enjoyed the Harry Potter movies, but I think that some of them (particularly the later ones) could have done some things better.

That sounds like an ideal way to think about it because you can enjoy both things for what they are. I completely agree with you in regard to the Harry Potter movies though! Which movie do you think brought the Potter universe to life the best? And dare I ask about which you think did it the worst?
That's a hard question--in a way, the first one brought the universe to life for me, but that was probably just because it was the very first one. I had been afraid they'd botch the movies and was really happy to see they'd got it mostly right. I wouldn't say any of the movies exactly ruined it, but there were some choices I wouldn't have made. Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite film, but still the way they did it probably didn't make complete sense to someone who hadn't read the book. And the scenes at the end of Half-Blood Prince where the Death Eaters invade Hogwarts and kill Dumbledore--that confrontation between Harry and Snape was almost too relaxed. But over all, I think the films did a pretty good job--I mean, you're not going to be able to put everything in an 800 page book in a film.

So true! If only they could make five hour movies instead Okay, grab a snack and get ready! I'm about to ask you three very important food related questions. To start us off, if you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
That is very hard, because I really, really like food (also--is this food going to make me as fat as it normally would?). I guess I would say my Dad's stuffed peppers, because that actually includes 3 or 4 food groups, is delicious, and reminds me of home.
I also want someone else to make it for me because it's time-consuming

You just spoke to my SOUL! I love food, but not how long it takes to prepare it! Second food question: If you could have dinner with anyone from the past, present, or future, who would you choose and why? And yes, you would not be required to do any of the meal prep.
Just one person? Probably Oscar Wilde because I've been a fan of his writing since high school and he would be very entertaining. He also loved good food. (We would go to a fine restaurant and be served by waiters.)

That's a fantastic choice and now I'm getting hungry! Last food related question (and the most important one)! Does pineapple belong on pizza?
Not in my universe.

My heart, it hurts. I'm going to conveniently pretend like I didn't see that one. Good thing it's time for some quick fire questions! Are you ready?
Let's just say that pineapple may belong on YOUR pizza, but not on mine. And I guess.

Okay, fair enough! Inside or outside?
It depends.

Rain or sunshine?
Rain.

Favorite word in the English language, and its meaning?
Quibble: to argue or raise objections about a trivial matter.

What are four words you would use to describe yourself?
Stubborn, eccentric, intelligent, talkative.

Whew! That concludes our quick fire round! Now we have a question from our last Member of the Month, astrocat. She wants to know what your favorite song is at the moment!
Wow, that's hard, I haven't been listening to much current music lately. For some reason, right now, it's Southern Cross, by Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young.

It may be different tomorrow.

That's super relatable. My music preferences are always fluctuating too. Now it’s YOUR turn to ask the hard questions! What would you like to ask our next Member of the Month?
What's your passion in life?

Going straight for the jugular, I see! Aaaaand it looks like that brings us to the end of our interview! It’s been a pleasure chatting with you! Before we officially wrap things up, is there anything else you’d like to say to the SnitchSeeker members reading this?
Just, I'm amazed and grateful that SnitchSeeker thought me worth interviewing. And I'm impressed by how long SnitchSeeker has lasted and how it's just gotten better since the last time I was on here. For some reason, it doesn't seem as hard to keep up as it did in 2011, so I don't think I'll be leaving again any time soon.