Please don't snitch on me!
The Introduction
1. What is your name, and what do you prefer to be called? Kirsten and if you can come up with a good nickname for it then by all means, use it. ;)
2. How old are you? 19, and 20 is coming far too soon for my liking....
3. How did you come across our community? (If you were referred by a member, please mention them so we can give them credit!) bluegemeyes was very eager for me to apply... and so I did.
The Canon
4. Choose a character not from Harry Potter (ie: from Lord of the Rings, House, etc) and explain what house (Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin) you think they would have been in and why. I'm going to choose a probably more uncommon character, Eva Peron, from the musical Evita. (I'm a music/musical freak... you'll come to expect it from me.) She reminds me very strongly of a Slytherin. She's a very, very, VERY driven young woman, and clings to her cause despite being diagnosed with cancer. She's also a very manipulative woman... basically she slept her way to the top. Hey, if it worked for her, it's all good, right?
5. What character do you most relate to? I think I relate to Remus Lupin quite a bit, mostly because I've had to deal with the same sort of discrimination based on stereotypes as he has. No, I'm not a werewolf, but being a lesbian isn't much easier, I assure you. It also seems to me that Lupin's the quiet, lead-by-example kind of person, and I know I'm very much the same way. He's very concerned about the well-being of others, and I know I've lost plenty of sleep over how other people have been hurt or may be hurt by my actions.
6. Choose one aspect of the story as told by Rowling that you dislike, and tell us how you would change it. (Please avoid the subjects of romance and shipping.) I was honestly kind of miffed when Ron was made prefect, and I'm not exactly sure why. I think he's just too... well... immature. It also seems kind of odd that out of all the Gryffindors in that year... the two prefects are in the Trio. She could have chosen Dean, Seamus or Neville (Hermione was too obvious a choice - she's actually got a good head on her shoulders). I think Neville really needs a chance to prove himself, disregarding what happens in the Department of Mysteries, because not many people were there. It's all well and good if adults respect him, but I think what he really needs is a chance to prove himself to his peers - the ones who will be doing most of the judging. Sure, Ron gets underplayed, too, as the Sidekick. However, he doesn't have the same labels as Neville. He's not considered an incompetent, bumbling almost-squib. At least, as prefect, Neville would have the chance to gain some confidence in himself, which would most likely remedy a lot of his problems.
The Person
7. If you could put a memory in a pensieve for the specific purpose of viewing it later, what would it be and why? It depends on how much later "later" is. Although I'd probably have to say I'd put in memories of times when I reacted very strongly to something and wasn't really thinking logically and then come back to them when I'd cooled off and then try to make sense of what went on and what should be done next. Other than that... I'd have to put in memories of good times with friends or memories of good times with my ex, just so I can look back in however many years when I'm feeling hopeless and remember that life was good and in time I'll find something just as amazing.
8. What are three traits that define you? How has each trait had positive impact and negative impact on your life?
Tolerant
Positive: I don't condemn people for being different, and I refuse to judge them for their actions or for who they are. Thus, no one can blame me for being discriminatory or unjust... so they tend to like me. Always a plus.
Negative: My views can tend to clash with other peoples' and I can get into rather intense - and sometimes ugly - arguments about what is the "right" way to view things. Unfortunately, most people aren't too keen on being shown that their views are narrow or... well... bigoted.
Loyal
Positive: People can rely on me to be there for them, no matter what. Discretion plays into this a bit, and I'm definitely willing to keep my mouth shut for my friends' sakes. If you need someone to simply be there for you, then I'm your girl.
Negative: People can walk all over me sometimes, once they've gained my trust and loyalty. I don't tend to stand up to those I'm loyal to - a.k.a my friends - and I pretty much let them do what they want to, with the minor exception of if what they're doing offends my sense of ethics or propriety.
Empathetic
Positive: I can understand what people feel, and maybe why they're feeling that way. It's helpful to know what people are going through so you have a chance to gauge how they're likely to react. It's also helpful to know what kinds of things would be helpful to say to comfort them if they're really upset.
Negative: Other people's emotions can take over your life if you let them, until it's to the point that you're not even thinking about yourself anymore. It's possible that you even feel more pain than the person in the actual situation, which can be harmful to your psyche. People are all different, so subtle differences can be difficult to overcome.
9. What is one specific thing that you have never done but strongly wish to do sometime in your life? I've never written a book. I don't know that I'd ever be able to finish one, considering it's easy for me to lose my momentum after a while. It's something I would absolutely love to do, though. I want to do something great, create something that touches people just like Harry Potter touched me; a world people wish they could be a part of - one better and more exciting than this one. Perhaps I'll try, and maybe I'll succeed. Who knows?
The World
10. What is your biggest pet peeve and why? I absolutely abhor superficiality. The very idea that people live judging people just by they way they appear offends me very deeply. The fact that there are also those who live based on thier looks and how they appear to others is nearly as bad. There are so many things that contribute to a person's personality and very being that it's hard for someone to understand themselves, much less presume to think they can judge a person while knowing very little about them.
11. Describe the people you admire most. What do they have in common with each other? How are they different? I admire the people who have the guts to tell me what's what, whether or not I want to hear it or whether it will hurt. There's nothing I hate more than to be in the dark or to be lied to, and I admire those who have no qualms about what will happen when they tell me something I might not like to hear, even if it's the absolute truth. I admire those who are actually willing to use their brains; the kind of people who are willing to suspend their own beliefs in the search for truth. I admire the kind of people who will work hard for the things they want, and not just sit and complain about how much they want it. In a way, this makes them all brave, for being outside of the norm. How they go about it, however, is where they differ the most.
12. How do you think people see you? Does the person you show to the public differ from the person you are on the inside? Explain. The person people see depends mostly upon what they allow themselves to see. Some look at me right away and say "Oh, that one's a lesbian" and others can't even picture it. I don't generally put too much energy into being a certain person for other people - I won't change myself. I think certain people bring out different characteristics in me to different extents because of who they are, not because I necessarily put up any sort of front for them. That's not to say that I'm not guilty of putting up a sort of mental shield... because I know I am. It just depends on how must I trust the people I'm around. This might all sound kind of contradictory, but I don't know how else to put it.
The Community
13. Which hybrid house do you believe you are the most like? Make a case for and a case against your placement there. It's a close one between Gryffinpuff and Ravenpuff. When all is said and done, though, I think I'm more of a Gryffinpuff. They're the type to stand up for what they believe is right, but they'll do it in a just manner. I feel very strongly about some issues, and I'll be one of the first to condemn unjust behavior. The thing about Gryffinpuffs is that they'll probably jump into stuff without thinking and, while I'm guilty of doing the same thing at times, I much prefer to think things out first and know what I'm getting into. I'm also guilty of analyzing things to the extreme. I'll think about situations no one else remembers and how I could have done something differently to achieve a more favorable result. The Gryff' in Gryffinpuffs acts mostly on instinct, I suspect. My problem is that I tend to question my instincts too much.
14. Which hybrid house do you believe you are the least like? Make a case for and a case against your placement there. Slytherdor. I've spent hours thinking about this question and how I should answer it. I know I'm not a Slytherdor - it's not even a question in my mind. But making a case for my placement there? The best I could come up with is: no one would ever put me in Slytherdor, except as an example of what Slytherdors are not. There just isn't any discernable amount of it in me. I'm not particularly cunning, ambitious or brave. It just seems to me that Slytherdors are everything I'm not. I hope that's a decent answer, because I really couldn't find anything in myself to merit being sorted into Slytherdor, ever.