Throughout this Twilight Zone episode of a semester, I’ve surprisingly gained a ton of creative inspiration from unlikely places. The COVID-19 crisis forced all of us underground, therefore I had to get as innovative as possible in order to maintain productivity over the lockdown.

The most site views I have gotten have occurred during the beginning of the pandemic, as more people began to stay online for longer periods of time. My blog has been viewed across three continents, which illustrates how the combined interests of nostalgic longing for fictional places such as Hogwarts transcends continental borders during a time of global crisis. People need an escape and respite from our current situation, so I thought I would showcase some ideas that take people to new places and allow them to “enter a world that is entirely of [their] own.”

As far as improvement goes, I think there are some design issues that could be resolved with a few of the CSS tricks I learned during the coding section of my Fundamentals of Digital and Online Media class. I also should use sans serif because people don’t want to look at ugly icky ugly font.

Though I was successful in gaining a following on the blog via Facebook, I also have found success in my interactions on Twitter. I noticed a significant change in activity during the times in which I mainly promoted on Twitter.

My favorite experience over this semester long project has definitely been the upkeep of my blog / portfolio. I learned a ton of useful information that ended up getting me a volunteer position with The Cinema Spot as an editorial journalist. Though I lost my connection / internship with ESPN through Texas State due to the pandemic, I did gain a substantial amount of free time that I took advantage of in order to spread my creative wings. If I had to be specific on a series of posts I found particularly enjoyable to write, it would be the recasting of the Harry Potter series. This is a series of posts I plan to continue beyond the class I originally created this blog for.

I got particular personal satisfaction from hearing what my family and friends had to say about my casting choices for a Harry Potter TV reboot in the 2020s / 2030s. The most popular posts on my blog were my posts over the casting choices for different Harry Potter TV seasons. Each season corresponds to a different book in the series, which I noticed kept some friends of mine wondering about whom I would cast in each particular role.

The main insight I gained from this semester long project was that in times of crisis, everyone could use an escape. I hope my blog has served / will serve as a beacon of discussion, opinion and togetherness throughout these uncertain times.

Though my time in #FDOM20 is technically over, my time on this blog is merrily beginning! I have lists of different actors / actresses whom I would love to see bring the Wizarding World to life, and I’m not finished with this series / blog yet!

I want to thank y’all for your support by reading my content over the past few months, and I hope that you will all continue to follow my posts in the future. I hope you are all staying sane and staying safe! 🙂

The Wizarding World Holds its ground in the fight against COVID-19.

Healers of all ages and rank run frantically up and down the halls of St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, securing light blue masks to their faces. Family members are learning of the deaths of their loved ones via patronus, rather than being at the hospital themselves.

The coronavirus pandemic has skyrocketed in the Wizarding World at an alarming rate, with deaths ranging in the millions across the global community. Hospital beds across both the Wizarding and Muggle communities are being filled to maximum capacity, and healers and doctors are lost on what to do next.

In opening the barrier between the Wizarding and Muggle worlds, there will be a large increase in the use of Muggle medical treatments in the hope of finding a cure for the virus.

“Obviously with a global pandemic that has stopped the world for months on end, we are open to trying anything,” Head Healer Poppy Pomfrey of St. Mungo’s Hospital said. “We have even begun experimenting with the mixture of Muggle remedies with healing potions.”

The Ministry of Magic has urged the Alchemist Guild of England to attempt the combination of Muggle and Wizarding healing remedies, in an effort to find a cure that could lead to a vaccine.

“It is a very promising idea,” Pomfrey said. “In fact, I think that combining potions with Muggle medicine is the secret link we have all been missing.”

In the past few months, the Wizarding community has made great strides in extending its wands to the Muggle world. For instance, Healers and “doctors,” as they are known in the Muggle community, have made contact for the very first time. The Muggle medical community was – understandably – quite surprised to learn of the Wizarding World alone, however, they were receptive and even excited at the prospect of combining medical practices.

“This union is historic,” Pomfrey said. “And with a bit of luck and teamwork we may be able to… well, save the world!”

While the Healers, doctors and nurses fight COVID-19 on the front lines, Wizards around the world have been taking their own precautions against the virus.

Hogwarts Herbology professor Neville Longbottom has found a rather innovative way to help others combat the pandemic. By combining Phoenix tears with Flobberworm mucus and Essence of Dittany, Professor Longbottom has created a room spray that has been proven to disinfect the air.

Molly Weasley of Ottery St. Catchpole has busied herself during quarantine putting together new face masks, which are sewn together using thread enchanted with healing spells. They are available in all sizes, and they even come with the scent of your choice.

While some are getting creative, others may not know where to begin on protecting themselves during the era of social distancing. If you must make a trip outside, be sure to wear a face mask. If you do not have one, consult a nearby Muggle pharmacy. Some witches and wizards feel safer adding a protective enchantment or two around themselves and their homes.

There are many ways you can protect yourself and your family, however the easiest way to do so is to stay at home. In the spirit of staying at home, witches and wizards across the globe have picked up new “at home” hobbies such as backyard Quidditch and Gnome Toss (videos of which can be found on Stupefy Magazine’s social media).

On what has felt like our last thread, there has been a major spark of hope that seems to have brought the Wizarding World back to life.

“It feels as though the tides are beginning to turn,” Minister of Magic Hermione Granger said. “If we all continue to follow stay-at-home procedures and support the experts handling the pandemic on the front lines in hospitals, I fully believe we will come out of this stronger than ever.”

St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries is available via Floo Network for any witch or wizard experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.

For over 400 years, the Wizarding World has lived underground out of fear for the safety of its community. Throughout all of that time, there have only been whispers of the reunion of the Wizarding and Muggle worlds; however in the 2020s, everything has changed. Minister of Magic Hermione Granger has been working closely with the Prime Minister of Britain in order to break down the nearly 500 year old barriers between our worlds.

“Wizard vs Muggle does not matter anymore. All of humanity is facing a truly devastating and unprecedented tragedy, and it is not in our nature as wizards to stand idly by as thousands die,” the Minister of Magic said.

The International Statute of Secrecy (the law that sent all of the Wizarding World into permanent hiding) was signed in the 1600s as retaliation against the non-magical community for the violence inflicted on the Wizarding community during the era of witch burning across the world.

“Muggles do not commit those atrocities anymore, they haven’t for nearly half of a millenia. If you look into Muggle history, they have only grown in tolerance and acceptance, and they are overall a good-hearted population. Now they need help as much as we do, and there is no valid reason to be afraid of them,” The Minister continued.

Minister Granger’s point is valid: the Muggle community has almost completely turned itself around. The Salem Witch Trials took place in the 1600s, then Muggles moved their fixation to enslaving African people and trading them across countries. The 1700s and 1800s were quite dark in the Muggle world: France, England, the United States and many others were at war, and the slave trade was what kept the world’s economy afloat. In the 1800s, Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and several other world leaders fought against slavery, however it wasn’t until the American Civil War that the world began to truly shut its doors on the issue.

By the early 1900s, the post-slavery world seemed to have turned over – which meant that the terms of the International Statute of Secrecy were considered to be in for a rewrite.

“It’s honestly quite unfortunate,” said Seamus Finnegan, Muggle Studies professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. “There have been a few times in our combined histories in which we could have all come together, and the 1900s seemed to be full of promise for the future of Wizard-Muggle relations.”

It is true that the governing bodies of the Wizarding World considered lifting the Statute of Secrecy during the turn of the 20th century, however as we all know, the Muggles destroyed that hope once again. World War I and World War II were the first Muggle conflicts that directly involved the Wizarding World. Kaiser Wilhelm and Adolf Hitler targeted the wizarding community, and thousands of witches and wizards were murdered among the millions of victims in both wars.

The early 20th century was the last time the Wizarding World has considered suing for peace with the Muggle World. Nearly 100 years later, with the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the Wizarding World has suffered a horrendous number of casualties. The total number of deaths around the Wizarding World is almost equal to the death toll among Muggles.

St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries has determined that with the staggering number of deaths in both the magical and non-magical communities, it seems that wizards are not immune to the disease. COVID-19 does not discriminate in whom it infects and kills.

Head Healer Poppy Pomfrey stated that, “we often forget that the Wizarding World is not as large of a population as we believe. In reality, we are the minority. As the Muggle population declines, our population declines ten-fold.”

Experts have confirmed her exact statement to be true; if the Wizarding World is to learn anything from Muggle history, it’s the fact that humanity itself cannot hope to survive if we put up barriers. Historical barriers such as the violent divisions between Muggle religions, races and sexual orientation have only brought chaos, destruction and bloodshed for hundreds of years.

If a Muggle were to look back upon our own history in the Wizarding World, they would see major similarities between our two worlds. We drew a line in the sand in the 17th century, and we have stubbornly fought to deny the truth for centuries: magical or non-magical does not matter, we are all human and we are all in this together.

Therefore, St. Mungo’s Hospital has begun to work with Muggle hospitals across the United Kingdom, and Gringott’s Bank has begun a proposal to open Diagon Alley to Muggles – with proceeds being donated to the British National Health Service.

The Harry Potter Foundation for Lost Witches and Wizards has also been working with Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to have the school open its doors to orphaned and abused children of the Muggle community.

“When I was a little boy, Hogwarts was the first place that felt like home,” Harry Potter said. “I want to bring the kids with no school or anything to escape their bad environments, to the place that brought me out from the cupboard under the stairs and into a world of something they’ve always hoped for: magic and hope.”