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||HOGWARTS EXPRESS||
1. Name:
Mariah Claire, thank you very much. I HATE my two names (Mariah, Claire) separately, but when you put them together, its like magic or something.
2. Age:
I am fifteen years of age.
3. Why shouldn't we squib you?
I worked hard on this, but then again so do most hopefuls. I love Harry Potter, but that’s a given. I guess I will be deemed a squib if you cannot decide on a house in which to place me? I don't think that will happen. I have a strong personality. Chances are, you'll find the house that is perfect for me. I'm good at communicating with people, and I find enjoyment in answering the questions of others. I haven't lied in this application at all; I've answered it as truthfully as I know how. Also, I understand that not everyone is going to be pleased with my app., and that’s okay with me. (Please, if you squib me, can you let me know why? And I thank you in advance for reading my application.) Overall, this application should tell you why I shouldn't be squibbed. That's better than my telling you how amazingly fantastic I am, isn't it?
4. How much time can you and do you intend to actually contribute to this community?
Summertime is the best time for me, because I am currently job and commitment-free! I can spend a fair amount of time on here, helping with whatever needs to be done, and just having a good time. The only times I am not on are while I am doing my house chores, or while my sister is surfing the 'net.
||IN ESSENCE UNITED||
5. Have you read all 6 Harry Potter Books? Which one was your favorite?
Yes, of course I have read all six books! I have read each of them at least ten times. It is hard for me to pick a favorite. I don't like any one story better than any other (though I had nightmares after reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets when I was in first grade). The one novel that stands out the most to me, however, is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. In this novel, things really start to heat up. You have to have read SS, CoS, and PoA to thoroughly comprehend all that was happening, and you would have to read GoF if you wanted to read OotP and HBP (and book seven, or so I am assuming). In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the stories aren't all that connected. Sure, in all of them, Harry's parents are dead, he defeats Voldemort, he finishes on top; other than those facts, you don't really need to know what happened in book one to understand books two and three. Sure, its great to know what happened, but its not essential to the story. But if you had never read book two and you tried to read book six, you would be utterly confused at Dumbledore's fixation on Horcruxes. Book four is the book where everything really starts to fall together, and that has made it the book I read the most.
In the Goblet of Fire, I like to see how Harry develops as a person. He starts the novel a little happier now that he knows Sirius, and that he can hang this fact over the Dursleys' heads. He has his friends to get back to at Hogwarts. He has things to look forward to, such as his growing strength in magic. I also love all the crazy characters. Dobby, a returning character, is one of my favorite characters in this entire series. He is an extremely humorous little creature, despite his painful politeness and loyalty, even to a family he hates. He misunderstands things a little, but he speaks of them in all seriousness. Seriously, when I see a passage with Dobby's name mentioned, I feel myself starting to smile in thoughts of what he may say this time. Rita Skeeter is, obviously, made to be hated. She reminds me in a way of Gilderoy Lockhart, in that she is pretty pompous, thinking that since people read her column, that they like her because they choose to, she is better than Harry. Like Lockhart, she understands Harry's fame, but rather than try to smother it and stomp it underfoot, she uses it to try and make herself a more common household name. She will do anything for a little bit of recognition, and that anything extends to making up stories and "elaborating", stretching the truth just a tad to make her story sell itself. As she once told Hermione, "The Prophet exists to sell itself, you silly girl."
6. Who is your favorite character in the Harry Potter books?
I'd have to say that Professor RJ Lupin is my favorite character in the series. I like novels that have characters who are foils of each other, but still so similar. Anything unorthodox draws my attention immediately. Remus Lupin is his own foil, the way I see it. On the surface, he is scruffy, but intelligent, fast-thinking, kindhearted, and calm. His manner always reflects that he is a gentleman, despite his scruffy appearance. His foil, however, is RJ Lupin, the werewolf. In no way does this kindly man seem like he would be a werewolf. And when his secret is out in the open, he doesn't react any differently than one would expect of Mr. Lupin - calmly, respectfully, and kindly. I love that he never changes much, that he will forever be (at least I hope) the same man as he was when we met him in PoA.
In OotP, we see a slightly different side of Lupin. In chapter twenty nine, Career Advice, Harry sneaks into Umbridge's office to speak to Sirius via the Floo Network. Lupin just seems so different in this scene that I have to love him. Harry explains the scene he had witnessed, where his dad had been playing with the Snitch and had seen Snape, and thus commenced Snape's Worst Memory.
"He kept messing up his hair," said Harry in a pained voice.
"I'd forgotten he used to do that," said Sirius affectionately.
"Was he playing with the Snitch?" asked Lupin eagerly.
"Yeah," said Harry, watching uncomprehendingly as Sirius and Lupin beamed reminiscently.
Lupin, who always seems so cool and smooth, breaks through his surface a little. This always makes me think of a little kid, home sick from a carnival or fair, who hears about the day afterwards and is legitimately excited about something. There is something so young and joyful in Lupin’s tone.
7. Who is your least favorite character in the series?
When I first started reading these books, I didn't have a least favorite character - excluding, of course, Malfoy, Snape, and Voldemort. Then again, I was in first grade when I started reading these books. Even now, I don't dislike any one character too strongly, but I do certainly have a least favorite. My least favorite character is Molly Weasley. She seems obnoxiously overbearing. She is supposed to be this plump little housewife, but in actuality she is a yeller and a screamer. She most DEFINITELY wears the pants in her relationship. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but she doesn't do it all kindly. She is kind to Harry, but I think that is more out of awe and reverence than love and motherly tenderness. Its like Harry is her favorite baseball player, and he is living with her for a season. She tries to make it seem like she just regards him as one of her children, but really she follows his every move in the newspaper, listens to all the gossip about him, sucks up to him by sending him sweets and treats. She is also strangely territorial of him. Sirius Black is the closest thing that he has ever known to a father, and Molly can't stand that she isn't the surrogate parent anymore, at least not in Harry's eyes. She is most obviously jealous of Sirius and Harry's relationship, and she retaliates by treating Sirius like dirt. I mean, look at all the stuff he is doing for her family, her cause? His house is headquarters, for heaven's sake! He smiles and bears it that he isn't allowed to do anything "useful", and what does Molly do? She throws it in his face, telling him that he isn't responsible, that he wouldn't really be much help anyway, seeing as everyone thinks he is a mass murderer. Which is true, but she doesn't need to throw it in his face. That’s pretty cruel. She takes on too much, and then loses it towards her children when they ask the simplest of questions, or do the helpful-est of helpful house magic, or do the cutest of celebratory "war" dances.
8. What is your least favorite part of the Harry Potter series?
I am not an emotional person. I don't cry when reading books, or watching movies, or listening to stories on the radio. Sure, they affect me and make me think, but they don't make me cry. I save the tears for tragedies and injuries.
But I digress.
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was (and is) one of the most amazing men that has ever and will ever walk this earth, fictional or no. I had a shake in my heart and tears in my eyes when he was drinking the potion with Harry in HBP, and when he screamed out, "KILL ME!" I couldn't breathe for a moment. Dumbledore, the strongest, wisest, funniest person EVER, begging to be freed from his earthly body? The thought sent me into a tailspin. I didn't understand where JKR was going, but in retrospect I believe that was because I knew somehow what was ultimately going to happen, and I was in denial. He and Harry finally obtained the locket, and made it safely to Hogsmeade, where they were greeted by a startled Madam Rosmerta and the Dark Mark over the tower at Hogwarts. And in the excruciating ten or fifteen minutes that it took to read through the following scene, I was still hopeful. JKR wouldn't have Dumbledore triumph just to make him fall harder, would she? I think we all believed that Draco would turn his wand on himself, or give in to Dumbledore's request and be hidden. Then the moment of truth arrived, and right as Draco was about to do something good for once, the Death Eaters arrived.
Well, I think we all know what happened here. Snape arrived a few minutes after the Death Eaters and, fulfilling the Unbreakable Vow that he had sworn with Narcissa, Draco's mom, turned his wand on Albus Dumbledore, the man who had given him chance after chance after chance when everyone else didn't believe that was the "wisest choice" on Dumbledore's part. I was in shock after this. Complete, utter shock. I still didn't cry; no, I still hoped that somehow Dumbledore wasn't dead. I urged Harry to run faster as he raced to find Dumbledore's *shudder* body. When he finally accepted that Dumbledore was gone, I still didn't cry, though I could barely see the words on the page in front of me, for my eyes were tearing madly.
I didn't cry when I thought about how Draco didn't really want to do it. I didn't cry when I thought of how Snape had betrayed the man who had given him nothing but unwavering trust and loyalty. I didn't cry at Dumbledore's funeral. I was beyond sad, like a person I had known had suddenly passed on, but there were no tears. I stopped reading for a little while, took a nap, some Advil, and then dove right back in. I read the scene where Harry takes a good look at the locket and realizes that it wasn't what they had come for, that Dumbledore had weakened himself for nothing, how he wouldn't have been away and the Death Eaters wouldn't have entered and he wouldn't have died. That’s when the tears started pouring out of me. I sobbed like there was no tomorrow. I cried like someone had just killed my cat. One thing that made me stop thinking of my sorrow, however, was the potential conspiracy, of sorts.
Who is RAB? For some reason, and I believe that I have some evidential (but not solid) proof of my theory, I have always thought that RAB was Regulus A. Black, Sirius' little brother. Another thing I thought was, can you Avada Kedavra yourself? I know there are many spells that one could perform on oneself, but I couldn't decide which the Avada Kedavra would be. Dumbledore performs the locking hex on Harry to keep him from moving, and the hex was lifted when Dumbledore died. But what about the Avada? Would it work first, or would the spell be reversed when you died, which is what the spell linewas intended to do anyway ... ??
Ack. I digress again. But there you have it, my least favorite part of the series.
9. What is your favorite spell?
I'd have to say that my favorite spell is Scourgify, as used by James Potter in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, in chapter twenty-eight, Snape’s Worst Memory. James used it to make soap bubbles spew from fifteen year old Snape's mouth after Severus called Lily a Mudblood, and the "washing his mouth out with soap" concept reminds me of my mom. She always said that she was going to wash our mouths out with soap if we cursed in front of her, and once my older sister tested her. I always picture my sister sitting there crying, soap bubbles in her mouth, when I read this passage.
I would use this spell to clean my house - we've lived here for over fifteen years, and boy, is it messy! I think that common household spells, like how to clean things, or how to bewitch a large cauldron of stew, an iron flagon of butterbeer, and a heavy wooden breadboard, complete with knife, to hurtle through the air, are more useful than making someone laugh uncontrollably, for example.
10. What traits and characteristics do you think define the true qualities of each of the four houses?
Gryffindor: It has always been said that Gryffindor students are brave. This bravery isn’t always well-founded, and it isn’t always smart. But a true Gryffindor knows when the right thing needs to be done, and they do it. Look at Hermione Granger. She is, first and foremost, a student. She focuses on her studies and gets teased by Ron for stressing about her grades. She doesn’t like to break the rules, and she gives admonitions and warnings left and right when Harry or Ron is planning to do something dangerous. When it comes down to it, though, Hermione is brave and true. In OotP, she tries to dissuade Harry from rushing off to the Ministry, but when the moment comes, she won’t let him go alone. She is always right alongside Harry, doing whatever she can to help him. I wonder if her conscience never goes into overload. Is she being true to herself, or is she letting her best friends mold her into something she doesn’t really want to be? I believe it is the former. Though she may not think she is very brave or courageous, but standing up for what you believe in is one of the greatest characteristics of all. For another example, take Neville Longbottom. In SS, Neville tries to stop his friends from breaking any more school rules by standing up to them. It’s pretty hard to stand up to someone you don’t know, but as Dumbledore says, "It takes a great deal more [of courage] to stand up to your friends." When you stand up to a friend, you know that it could end badly, and the friendship could be over. Neville, I am sure, was aware of his predicament, but he showed the bravery that runs through his veins and stood up to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Granted, it got him hexed, but he still made a brave attempt. This is the kind of bravery and trueness that students in Gryffindor House are chosen for. One may not seem brave in day-to-day situations, but you can judge a person by how they react in a difficult or dangerous situation.
Slytherin: These students want to be known for something, whether it be good or bad. They are sly and cunning and intelligent, but not necessarily in a book-smarts kind of way. Their intelligence can tend to consist of forcing others to do their bidding, and tricking others into doing what they want them to do. But not all Slytherin students are bad. In fact, "bad" or "evil" isn’t really a trait that I associate with Slytherin House. They are extraordinarily ambitious. They try to find greatness and hold onto it when they can. Look at Malfoy and his crew; Draco Malfoy comes from an extremely influential family. He’s rich and powerful and he knows it. So do Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe. I often wonder if Crabbe and Goyle are smarter than we give them credit for. Sure, they may not be the sharpest quill in the case, but their best friend is Draco Malfoy, the most influential student in their year (or so it may seem). The world today, in Harry Potter’s world and in ours, can tend to be a place where favors are the best form of currency. You get favors if you do favors, and so on and so forth. I have always thought that Crabbe and Goyle aren’t stupid, but extremely intelligent due to their keen understanding of the "system". This worldly knowledge and charm is a great characteristic of a true Slytherin.
Ravenclaw: Ravenclaw students are now and forevermore, puzzle solvers. They analyze situations clearly and rationally. They tend to be the brightest of the bright in their classes (but I doubt any of them can top Hermione Granger) and have extraordinary cunning and wit. Terry Boot, a member of the D.A., once told Hermione, "You can do a Protean Charm? ... But that’s ... that’s N.E.W.T. standard, that is ... How come you’re not in Ravenclaw? With brains like yours?" Terry Boot knows, of course, of Ravenclaw’s reputation as the smartest House in the school. I think, however, that Ravenclaw students can tend to think a little highly of themselves. Oh, the certainly deserve it - I mean, they are pretty much the top echelon in a fairly ambitious school. They deserve their high stature, but I can’t help but wonder if it gets lonely at the top.
Hufflepuff: Hufflepuff students aren’t extremely brave, or deceptive, or brilliant. They may have these traits, but the traits that pulse so strongly throughout Hufflepuff House are loyalty, honesty, acceptance, and tolerance. They are extremely loyal - loyal to their families, their friends, their house, their school. A Hufflepuff isn’t really one to betray his friends. They tend to roam about in groups, as is shown in CoS. They are honest. Their work is the best quality, and they spend a lot of time establishing their good reputations. Ernie MacMillan is a perfect example of this. He is a prefect in the fifth book, and he is very focused on the rules. He believes in fairness and equality, and he can tend to be a little pompous at times. Hufflepuff students are also very accepting. They don’t intentionally try to separate themselves from others, and they aren’t too set in their ways. They can be swayed, but only if you have a good argument for your side. They are tolerant of others. While they may not agree with someone, they treat that person with respect, just as they would with any other person.
11. Describe the house qualities that you feel accurately reflect you. Please try to include traits from each of the four houses.
Gryffindor: I am not brave in that "lets-go-jump-off-a-cliff" way, but I am fairly brave in a "don’t-talk-about-my-family-and-friends" kind of way. I don’t have a problem standing up to people, but I am very non-confrontational. I don’t like doing dangerous things, but I will do anything to save or protect or stand up for someone I love. I know the right thing to do in almost any situation, and I always try to do the right thing. Even if it is something I really don’t want to do.
Slytherin: I am a very ambitious person. I strive to do my best in school, at home, and in sports. I like recognition and fame. It is a great dream of mine to see my work published, or to be on stage performing. I have friends with every different group (at my school, those groups include but are not limited to ghetto kids, popular kids, druggists, nerds, smart people, drama kids, chorus kids, and "normal" kids), because you never know when you are going to need a favor from a certain person. I have many acquaintances, but not as many true friends. I don’t use my creativity for trickery that often, but I am quite a master at the art of persuasion. I know faintly how to get what I want by trickery and cunning, but I like to work hard to get what I want and deserve.
Ravenclaw: I am now, have always been, and will continue to always be, a puzzle solver. I enjoy things that intrigue and fascinate me to no end. If I see a puzzle, I will stop whatever I am doing and solve it. I love math (though not geometry) because finishing a long algebraic equation is like solving something. I take great pride in my work. I am high up in my class ranking, but those aren’t the only smarts I have. I am very clever and have a good sense of humor. While I don’t make up many jokes, I do understand them. I tend to laugh at the expense of others, but I don’t do it cruelly. I always have a biting or witty remark stored in the back of my brain for a rainy day, but I don’t often say it. Sometimes people don’t understand what I am trying to say, and I don’t like to cause trouble. I think a little highly of myself. I mean, I am well respected and kind, and I have a very good reputation. If I’m at the top, I’m not lonely.
Hufflepuff: Loyalty, honesty, acceptance, tolerance; these are the traits I have chosen to represent Hufflepuff House. In a way, I might as well just have described myself. I am very loyal. I will stand up for a friend no matter what. I like the same restaurant or TV show or song for months and years at a time. I don’t like change much, because change is a little scary. I am very honest. I don’t sugarcoat things much, but I won’t say something if it doesn’t need saying. I tell the truth when asked a question. I accept ideas of others. My ideas have changed about many things because someone has had such a compelling argument that I have seen things their way (I also tend to make people see my side of things). I am tolerant of other people to no end. In a world where immigration is such a big deal, I am lost. I don’t see why it makes a difference what country you are from as long as you are a good person. Some of my closest friends are white, some are Hispanic, some are black, and some are Muslim. My family is a mixture of many races. I don’t get involved in many debates, because I know most people will never agree with me about this, but I tolerate people no matter what religion, race, or gender - I like to base my judgements on their character, thank you very much.
12. Given the choice, which house would you NOT want to be in?
There isn't really a house that I think I definitely belong in, but then again there isn't one that I KNOW I don't belong in, either. (That's pretty much up to you all here at Hogwarts_Elite) While I respect them greatly, I don't think that Hufflepuff would be the best house for me. I think that I have too strong a personality to be in Hufflepuff.
13. What is your favorite Harry Potter quote and why? (You must choose just one quote.)
"You will have your chance to rage at me - to do whatever you like - when I have finished. I will not stop you." -- Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Explaining why this is my favorite quote is going to be pretty hard, I think. I love the fact that Dumbledore is so calm. Obviously, one of his former students, and close friend, and man he respected highly has just been murdered - he's going to be upset. He doesn't act upset, though. Some may say that this makes him cold and unfeeling, but he is only protecting Harry's feelings. Albus knows when something is his fault, and he understands that mistakes he had made concerning Harry's Occlumency lessons had inadvertently led to the death of Sirius Black. He feels extraordinarily guilty at this time and no doubt wants nothing but to express his grief, but he knows that he must make Harry understand why certain actions had been made. Albus Dumbledore is a man to admire. Even though he was created as a character in a story, he is a great role model.
||MIRROR OF ERISED||
14. Describe exactly what you would see in the Mirror of Erised.
I see two things. One, I see myself a published author. I have always wanted to write. I've been making stories since I was about two (okay, so back then, they were called "lies", but I've pruned my techniques into creative potential moneymaking machines). Two, I see myself a performer, but I can relax and not get caught up in all the excitement. I live a normal life, except that my job is a little different than most people's. I know that I will be happy doing what I've always dreamed of doing.
15. What do you wish to accomplish in life?
My dream has always laid with the performing arts. Since I was a little girl, about nine years old, I have been on stage. And even earlier than that, as early as first grade, people recognized me at my school for my singing. I started getting solos in all the school concerts at the age of seven. Sometimes, you just don't feel like being you for a day. When I'm performing, I'm not "Mariah", I am whoever the character is supposed to be - or at least, in theory. I would like to be involved in the performing arts for my whole life, even if it is just as a little kids singing coach or acting teacher. I'd love to do something that lets me help other people while still doing what I want to do, what I am dreaming of.
16. What is your favorite book besides Harry Potter?
My favorite book, besides Harry Potter, has changed a lot over the years. At first it was the Junie B. Jones series, right when I learned how to read when I was three. Then I moved onto the babysitters club, and by the time I was in first grade, it was Little House on the Prairie. I've always liked series novels best (cough cough HARRY POTTER cough cough), but my current favorite book is Wicked, by Gregory Maguire. I'm sure many of you have heard of it; it tells the story of Elphaba Thropp, the little green girl who would grow up to be the infamous Wicked Witch of the West in L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (another favorite of mine). Maguire doesn't just write, he creates entire worlds with each book he creates. His settings and plots make theorizing and guessing and hypothesizing even easier. He also has a way of making a villain into a hero, even though the person hasn't changed - the point of view has. Take the Wicked Witch of the West. She is hideously green, wears a pointed black hat and a black frock, and wants those ruby slippers more than anything in the world. Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, helps little Dorothy overcome the abomination. In Wicked, the same things are true; Elphaba is still green, a color that some call hideous and unnatural. She wears a black pointed hat all the time, but that was a gift from a friend. The black frock, she thinks, hides a bit of her skin. And the shoes? They belonged to her sister. She didn't have anything to remember her sister by, and when she discovered that the shoes, a gift from their father, had been taken by a little girl, she lost her mind. In Wicked, you are truly shocked and saddened at the end when a bucket of water is thrown over her. Even that is different than the inspiration! I admire and respect good writing, and Gregory Maguire is one of my favorite authors of all time.
17. What makes a person respectable?
Respect, unlike trust, is given to everyone when you first meet them. Judging a book by its cover is not an honorable thing to do, but alas, it happens. I try to give respect to each and every person that I meet. After I know them and I know what kinds of hobbies they have and what kinds of people they spend their free time with, I feel it is fairly safe to judge. To me, respectable people have their priorities straight. Self-confidence and self-respect are like big flashing neon signs to me. I have a hard time respecting someone if they don't respect themselves. Respecting yourself, to me, means not using drugs, or drinking too much. I respect my body; I try to take care of it, and I find it a bit irksome when people think that drugs and underage drinking are "not a big deal". Character-wise, I feel the same way. If the main character of the book is a druggie, a drunk, or anything like that, chances are you will never get me to read it. I respect people who try to help others. I respect people who have respect for their environments. I respect my best friends, I respect my mom and aunt, and my sisters. They are good people.
18. If you could meet any single person, dead or alive, who would you choose and why?
I knew this answer without even thinking about it. Know how I said that I would want to be a performer, an entertainer? Well, I would like to meet one of the people who inspired me to stay in the drama group that I'd joined. One night after rehearsal, when I was nine years old, we all went to one girl's house. I was the youngest by at least two years here, and we all decided to watch a movie. They decided on "Rocky Horror Picture Show". While at first I had no clue what was going on, I was intrigued by the energy and the live feeling that you get from watching that movie. It may not have the best morals, but it has the best entertainment that I have ever experienced. During the whole movie, I couldn't keep my eyes off of one of the characters. Tim Curry played a "sweet transvestite from Transexual Transylvania". He wore dominatrix outfits, and his eccentricities attracted me to him. I recognized him from the Disney movie "Muppet Treasure Island". As a young, hopeful actress (all stage, no film) the main think I was looking for was a good time. You could see in the eyes of Tim Curry that he was having the time of his life up there on the pirate ship as the one-legged ship's cook, and at the Frankenstein place, the location of Rocky Horror Picture Show. I wanted to have that fun. I wanted to know what it was like to totally not be yourself. Tim Curry is the man who inspired my pursual of the stage. He is a great role model for me and if I ever had the opportunity to meet him, that would be a dream come true.
19. Do you consider yourself to be more of a thinker or a feeler? Give examples from your daily life that support your answer.
I don't know that I am more of a thinker than a feeler, or vice versa. I don't think it is possible to feel deeply and not think about it, and I don't think you can legitimately think about a situation without feeling something. Just like its not really possible to Hate someone withough loving them, and if you love someone there are things you hate about them.
I certainly do think things through a whole lot. Some would say I overanalyze a situation. For example, a few friends were planning on getting together at our friends house and having a marathon of our favorite TV show. I had thought it was going to be three people, but then I heard that there were eight people planning on coming. That set my overanalyzation into high gear. I started thinking about how its not comfortable in a crowd, and how someone is always looking at you. I was going over everything in my brain right up until I rang the doorbell, but the situation turned out fine.
And on the other hand, I feel things. My friends have told me that I care about people in a way that isn't usually seen. I care about them from the bottom of my heart. When they are hurt, I hurt too. I tend to get upset when someone is telling me about their personal problem. I don't get upset at them, but at whoever or whatever is causing the problem. Whenever a friend is upset, the first thing I will say (after I have asked if they are okay) is if there is anything I can do for them to make anything easier. My friends have told me that they appreciate this sentiment, and I feel good that I can make them feel good.
I think about things too much, and that makes me feel things - nervous, excited, scared, et cetera. I feel things a lot, and then I think about those feelings and sometimes things don't make sense to me, and sometimes they do. All I know is, I can't think without feeling, and I can't feel without thinking.
20. What do you think are your top 5 positive characteristics?
Caring: Some people have told me that I care about others too much. I don’t think that is possible. People deserve to be cared about, and while I don’t care about everyone, I do care about the people I love very much. I am always asking what I can do for people, and if there is any way I can help with anything, and doing little thoughtful things for people. I write notes just to say hello, I leave comments on entries that people have obviously spent a lot of time writing, and I am very careful not to hurt anyone’s feelings if I can help it.
Intellectual: I enjoy having serious conversations. I love to learn peoples’ opinions of things. Most of my friends are extraordinarily smart, because I love conversations that actually make you think. I excel in school and life, generally. Being smart is pretty fun ... but I don’t really rub it in others’ faces.
Modest: I think modesty is a virtue and anyone who exercises it is very lucky. It is hard to excel at something and not make any mention of it, or not to gloat to all your friends. Its even harder to remind yourself every day that it is not your own doing that has made you so lucky in everything you do, but a higher being’s. Modesty is one of my favorite characteristics. I don’t really like people who are very full of themselves, though it is okay to gloat every once in a while. Sometimes you deserve a good gloat. It is much better and more pleasant, though, when someone else praises you. Like, I couldn’t think of any more good things, and I asked my friend for a couple more, so that maybe I could get some ideas from her. She said so many things, and that just goes to show, that modesty is the best policy. Others recognize it, and it feels so nice when someone tells you something good about yourself that you hadn’t even noticed. (Best Friend (7:11:22 PM): you also have good vocal qualities... I'm just saying)
Fun-Loving: I love to have a good time. I love being with my friends until all hours of the day or night, singing crazy songs and watch stupid TV shows. My favorite place to be is not a party with fifty people I don’t know, but running down the street in the pouring rain, laughing as I try to catch one of my friends or they try to catch me. I am all about having a good time, but I understand that a fun time must be earned. You can’t have fun 24/7, because that leaves no time for work. I guess that I love to have fun, and I do it so well, so often because I spend a lot of time with my work and commitments, and I don’t have too much time to spend just relaxing. Fun and relaxation are two very important things to me.
Creative: Since I was a little girl I have been making up stories. I used to have trouble distinguishing between what I thought up and what was real, but its an art that I’ve spent a long time developing. I have notebooks full of stories and stories for ideas. Sometimes, writing or singing can just make you forget everything that is going on. If I am stressed out, the first thing I will do is sit down with my notebook and write. Sometimes it’s a journal entry, sometimes it’s a short poem, sometimes it’s an alternate ending to one of my favorite books. You name it, I’ve probably written something like it. I’ve written a novel (not published) and many short stories. I think that creativity is a great gift.
21. What do you think are your top 5 negative characteristics?
Over-Analysis: I’m not sure if this is a word, but I couldn’t find the exact word I am looking for. I’m trying to say that I tend to over-analyze situations. I think about an upcoming event or appointment, and I make it out to be one of the worst experiences of my life. I do it so badly that sometimes I’ve stopped myself from applying to places or going to parties because I think it will be horrible. And it goes the other way, too. I build things up in my mind to be ten times better than they really are, and then I am doubly disappointed - disappointed in the situation, and disappointed in myself.
Self-Doubt: Again, I don’t know if this is an actual concept or not. I mean it as the opposite of self-confidence. I have a lot of self-confidence in school, but in the ways people perceive me, or the ways I seem to others, I am not a very confident person. I feel odd about the oddest of things. Like, if someone comes back from being sick for a long time, I won’t crowd around their desk because I don’t want to seem like I am only saying hi because everyone else is. I don’t like saying entire names of songs or books or movies, because I feel stupid and like a geek. I am often afraid that people aren’t going to like me, but oddly enough, that hasn’t really stopped me from doing things, throwing myself out there and getting involved.
Disorganized: While I LOVE organizing desk stations and bookshelves and little niches, I am not an organized person. My room is a mess. I don’t have a calendar or address book to keep track of my commitments. I forget about things until the last second. I do my schoolwork on time, but finding it in my school bag is a different story. I don’t pick my outfits for the day until there are only ten minutes before I have to leave. Don’t get me wrong, I can be organized if I have to. When I set my mind to it, my automatic setting is on "a tad sloppy".
Overly Trusting: Everyone says that I trust people too much. My sister says I get taken advantage of because I am too naive and I don’t see when people are taking advantage of me. I disagree with part of that. However, I am too trusting. I tend to trust people to no end. I believe that all my friends are good people, so I have a hard time believing when someone tells me of something one of my friends has done when they know its something I frown upon. I get hurt easily by people that I don’t think should be the ones hurting me. I tell the people that I get hurt by that they have hurt me. I sit and think for a few hours and spend a few more writing them a carefully, well thought out letter. And more often than not, they get angry and defensive. I trust them to not hurt me, but then I get hurt. Then I write them a letter asking for their apology, and I end up begging for their forgiveness by the end of a week. And so the dizzy dance twirls on ...
Clumsy: I have been clumsy since the day I was born. My older sisters teased me when I was little because I was always falling all over the place. My dad always tells me, "You need to know where your elbows and knees are at all times." My mom said that it would probably get better with age, but she was wrong. I’ve gotten bumps and bruises and cuts and scrapes and even a rock stuck in my knee. I’ve sprained my ankle 26 times (not joking - that’s the actual count. My mom and I kept count) and its stopped me from playing the game I love, basketball. I’ve fallen down stairs, tipped backwards in a chair and slammed my head on the door behind it, and fallen while just walking down the street. People look at me wierdly because I am always falling over. At my graduation, I fell down the steps of the altar and almost caught my gown on fire as I passed the candles. I tell you, I’ve been traumatized by my clumsiness.
22.Who sponsored your application?
nappy_steph
23. (Optional) Please give us a link to where you have promoted this community in your personal journal. This is entirely optional, but if you do, your future house will receive five points once you are sorted.
http://missy-musical.livejournal.com/45612.html