Sort me!
Sort me!
What HP character do you identify with most? Or if you don’t feel you identify with any of them, what in general attracted you to the characters? More than one character? Hermione Granger - though that’s because she’s a bookworm, and anyone who knew me in high school or college would tell you I was almost never seen without my nose being buried in a book. Neville Longbottom - because I was always on the edge of the popular crowd and bullied by the jerks of the school. I was in honors, but somewhere in the lower half of that; I wasn’t athletic or pretty; and I always had a few extra pounds. Bill Weasley - I didn’t have a ton of siblings - just the one - but I had a bunch of cousins, and I’m the eldest. It meant I had more responsibility and would often be expected to run herd on them when my mother and aunts were busy. Luna Lovegood - my best friend in junior high always said my head was in another universe no matter where my body happened to be. I preferred being in some fantasy world to dealing with the reality of school. As far as what attracted me to the characters - they felt real, not flat or one dimensional. My favorite characters were Sirius Black and Remus Lupin - because I felt like here were some adults who seemed to actually want to help Harry in some concrete way.
What moment in the books was the most meaningful to you OR what do the books in general mean to you? So, my favorite book was the Prisoner of Azkaban - again, see above for favorite characters. The others didn’t lack depth or danger or darkness, but this one drove home that things definitely didn’t have just one side, and heroes came in different shapes. An innocent man spends over a decade in a soul-sucking prison and doesn’t break out because he’s punishing himself, but a threat to his godson, and he does the impossible. Another man tries to help the son of his lost friends while still - vainly, possibly in his mind - holding to the loyalty to his old gang. And really, Remus teaches Harry something more practical than any other professor managed before. But if you want to pick one moment from that book that held REAL meaning for me, it would be when Harry kept Sirius & Remus from killing Pettigrew. That understanding Harry shows - vengeance isn’t justice, and if there’s a way to get justice, then his father’s friends shouldn’t become murderers. I thought it spoke to the nobility at Harry’s core, as well as those of Sirius and Remus. If they didn’t have it as well, they’d have been more practical.
What would you see if you looked into the Mirror of Erised? Probably me winning the lottery or writing a book that becomes an international bestseller. Not so much so I’d have the money - not that it would suck, but because I’d like to get myself, my family, and my best friend into a much better financial situation. Then my parents could retire, my brother and his wife could spend time on their own business, and my best friend and I could have all the time in the world to work on our fanfiction series. We’ve got almost a million words written and so much more to do, but real life has to come first. Family isn’t usually a headache, but it would be nice to not have to worry about work. I’m sure we’d do something because that’s who we are, but we could work at a bookstore or something without having to make a certain salary to pay the bills.
What would be your Patronus and what would be the happiest memory you would use to conjure it? My Patronus would probably be a dog. I’d prefer a wolf, but . . . I’m a dog person, so definitely some form of canine. I’m not sure what kind of dog, but probably one that makes you think it’s lazy and only good for flopping around and looking cute as it snoozes until it has to protect someone it loves and then they’re vicious and all but feral. My happiest memory would be seeing my dad come home from the hospital after his heart surgery. We’d been so frightened and worried during those hours he was under the knife, and then his bad reaction to some medication . . . Seeing him come home made almost everyone cry - in a good way.
You have to venture deep into the Forbidden Forest one night. Pick one Harry Potter character other than Hagrid and one object (muggle or magical), besides your wand, that you'd want with you. Pfft. Hmm . . . well . . . Sirius Black and a Portkey. Sirius because I figure he’s been in and around the Forest a lot. Plus, hopefully his senses as Padfoot can help us avoid trouble. I’d love to see some of it, and while I was tempted to say I wanted to bring a camera to get pictures, my more sensible side reared up and reminded me that I hate running and I have a tendency towards motion sickness, so flying is out. In other words, should everything go wonky and bad, it might be best to have a quick way out. (My motion sickness will still probably kick in, but at least I should be somewhere safe to be dizzy and nauseous.)
What was your ideal job as a child? What is your ideal job now? Do you think it would be the same in the Wizarding World? My ideal job as a child was Glinda the Good Witch. Well, depending on how young. I also wanted to be Alice in Wonderland. The first serious job I considered was being a writer. It’s probably my ideal job now. Unfortunately, I suck at self-motivation and getting things done, plus I agonize over getting words out - working on that - so while I love the idea, it’s not a great fit for my actual talents. In the Wizarding World . . . I think I’d love to be a Professor at Hogwarts. I’d kick Binns out and do some actual history teaching. Maybe help avoid the next rise of a Dark Lord by reminding people how the others managed to come to power . . . It’s one of the things that annoys me in any schooling - fictional or otherwise - the lack of attention given to history. Making students memorize dates and names is stupid - they should be taught the sweeping saga of human history and how it brought them to the current world stage.
What kinds of decisions are the most difficult for you to make? Decisions that disappoint people - I hate upsetting people, especially my family. I want them to be proud of me. Granted, they always are, but I struggle with every decision that might upset them. Decisions that will radically change my lifestyle or surroundings. I hate change and I’m a bit of a pack rat. (I’m actually going to pay my niece - the minimalist of the family - to declutter my life on her next vacation. I’ll be at work and can’t argue with her decisions of what to get rid off because if I were at home, I would argue about everything.)
Something I think everyone should experience in their lifetime (even if you yourself have not done it yet) is ______ because _______ Travel - go get a view of something outside of your own home town, state, country, continent. First off, you learn to appreciate the diversity and variety of the cultures of the world. Secondly, you learn to appreciate your home, and what a relief it is to come back to the known and familiar. It doesn’t have to be a long journey, just somewhere outside of your usual circle. I’m a homebody and I love being at home, but getting out there lets you remember to stretch your wings . . . and makes you doubly appreciative of your own nest. (Plus it reminds you that everyone has good and bad . . . and you are not alone.)
What is one thing you would never want said about you? That I was dishonest, false, or deceptive. I’d rather be a loner with a small circle of close family and friends than be some social butterfly if that requires me hiding myself behind masks. Yeah, we all wear them because . . . well, humanity, but I want to have as few masks as possible. I want to be me; I want to be liked for being me - awkward, nerdy, smartass, hopefully childlike as opposed to childish, not really all that worldly or popular, stubborn, sensitive, hopeful, slowly creative, and yeah, even a bit of a hopeless romantic. I don’t want to be liked because I play to the crowd, follow the fads, or jump on the bandwagon.
The hardest thing I've ever done is ______ because ______ Watch my dad suffer through physical therapy after he broke his hip. He was in so much pain, and that PT group was . . . Hell, don’t get me started. They didn’t give a damn beyond getting the money for him being there. He had to call home - in tears! My dad . . . who never cries! - in order to get some damn pain medication. It still pisses me off, and it hurt so bad to watch him suffer. We brought him home and did PT in our own home - which went better and gave him back his independence without being neglected. My family is at the top of my list of priorities. Period.
Do you believe that moral actions should be judged by the intentions behind them, or by the consequences they create? You can’t really get away from consequences, but for the most part, I think they should be judged by the intentions behind them. Not being all-knowing or all-powerful, no one can really control how things will spin out once we take action. It’s pretty much the reason most plans don’t last past the first few steps - because other people get involved and make their own choices and things spin out from there. However, what we DO control are our own actions and the reasons we make our choices. If someone is stealing food because their family is starving, that’s entirely different from someone stealing because they think the world owes them something or because they don’t want to put any effort into working.
What do you look for in a friend? What trait most annoys you about other people? Integrity, fidelity, and genuineness - I want someone real, someone who can be honest with me and who doesn’t talk behind my back. I don’t mind someone being a little tactless, but I hate it when people are dishonest. Honest to goodness, if the dress makes me look fat, TELL me that! (Also said person should probably be an extrovert, or we’ll never make it.) I can be friends with someone who is my opposite personality-wise if we’ve got something in common. Also, family is a big, big thing for me, so someone who understands the importance of family is another requirement. Dishonesty, shallowness, and backstabbing will get a person canceled from my life so fast their head might spin.
Explain what the following traits mean to you in your own words: ambition, courage, intelligence, justice, kindness, loyalty, power, wisdom.
Ambition - drive and passion to achieve your goals. It doesn’t mean you want to be ruler of the world; you just want to be the best at what you enjoy doing. It does mean that you are willing to put in the effort to reach that goal - you don’t expect it to be handed to you; you work your ass off for it.
Courage - the guts to stand up for your convictions against all odds. Also, it’s a willingness to walk outside of your comfort zone if needed in order to stand up and stand strong.
Intelligence - practical knowledge, gathering information, memorizing facts or skills. This can be fun or necessary, and it can make a difference in your life’s goals, but by itself, it won’t do much else for you. Intelligence has to be used in conjunction with other traits in order to really do anything for you. “By the book”
Justice - respecting the rights of each individual, even when their beliefs or lifestyles don’t match yours. Regardless of which side of a question or issue you are on, you must respect the rights of the person on the other side. You must respect the fact that the person on the other side of the issue is a PERSON. It means debates and arguments must stick to the facts and not become a series of accusations and name calling across the aisle.
Kindness - showing sympathy and concern for those in need, whether physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. Doing something to help alleviate those needs as allowed within your own ability. Even a simple hug or smile can be the kindest of actions for someone who has been starved for kindness.
Loyalty - standing up for your family and friends. Standing behind them in support, or even - in a tough love kind of way - making them face the consequences of their actions. Coming to their defense when attacked or talking them down when they’re about to make a mistake. Helping them up when they’ve tripped - literally or figuratively.
Power - having the ability to affect change or make things happen. It doesn’t have to be in big ways, it might only be the ability to make one person happy, but isn’t that power? If you can improve one person’s life, isn’t that power? By saving one person, who knows how many you saved beyond that? If you positively affect two people, then they go out and help two people each and it grows from there, how many lives have you helped by using the power you possess?
Wisdom - common sense? Well, maybe I should say uncommon sense because that’s really what it seems to be these days. It’s an understanding of right and wrong, applying the lessons of experience to your life, and being able to understand the underlying truth - the spirit under the letter. Internal review and reflection on life
What do you think are your top five abilities or qualities?
First - honesty - I detest liars and I do my best to avoid lying because it irritates me so much. Number one, I find it wrong on so many levels. Number two, it’s a pain to keep track of who’s been told what and when. With me, I’m a - what you see is what you get - type person.
Second - creativity - I love writing fics, brainstorming with my best friend, worldbuilding, and creating mood boards. Even when every word has to be dragged from my brain, kicking and screaming, I enjoy seeing it come to life on the page in front of me.
Third - loyalty - If you’re a true friend of mine, I will hold tight. If my friend needs someone to just sit and listen to them cry over the phone from hundreds of miles away, I’ll sit on the phone for hours. If my friends need a cheerleader while they square their shoulders and step out of their comfort zone, I’ll break out the pom-poms. And I won’t be the alibi - I’ll be the one sitting next to them in jail going “Well, that didn’t quite work out the way we planned.”
Fourth - stubbornness - this is both a strength and a weakness. I’m the type to plant my feet and refuse to be moved from my convictions. Once I accept something as true and right, I will fight for it even to my own detriment. The strength of this - it gives me the ability to go beyond my own limits and achieve something I never thought I could.
Fifth - hyper-focused - Once I get interested in something, I can pursue it to the end of the rabbit hole, even if I have to go through Wonderland first. I’ll go looking for every detail and tracking down sources, ideas, and theories. I want to know why and what meaning is beneath the surface words or pictures. It means I love digging into the thoughts and beliefs of authors and artists.
What do you think are your top five weaknesses or worst qualities?
First - lacking self-motivation - if I get overwhelmed, I can get stuck in my own head and then freeze up and can’t get started. At least part of that is mental I’ve been told, and my niece thinks I’m undiagnosed ADHD, but it boils down to me not being great when it comes to doing tasks under my own motivation and inspiration.
Second - not great at completing tasks - this goes with the above weakness, but I also am fantastic at starting things - stories, papers, books, movies - and then I get distracted by the next shiny object and I’m running off like a squirrel. If I don’t get hyper-focused, then I’m easily sidetracked by the next fun idea.
Third - tactless - while I don’t always think this is a weakness, it does get me into trouble. Again, I’m not going to lie . . . even when that might be a better or safer idea. It means I can come across as mean and too direct. I’m rarely downright rude, but I won’t remember names or social details. They just don’t stay in my head, so I get seen as unsocial because I don’t chitchat or bother with the little personal details.
Fourth - stubbornness - this is both a strength and a weakness. I’m the type to plant my feet and refuse to be moved from my convictions. Once I accept something as true and right, I will fight for it even to my own detriment. The weakness of this - I will often find myself wearing blinders and refusing to hear the other side of an argument.
Fifth - resistant to change - I hate change. Damn, do I hate change! I’m a homebody who would be perfectly happy to live in a bubble without having to screw with the status quo. I enjoy still waters and get annoyed by people who rock the boat.
Name: Caiti
Age: 40+ . . . which makes me sound older than I feel!
Where did you find out about us? On Dreamwidth, looking for HP communities - Caiti’s Musings and I remembered having fun here a lifetime ago. I haven’t been on LJ in ages and don’t even remember what my old account was, so . . . new one.
Do you plan on being active in the communities once you are sorted? Definitely