Here we go...
If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?
How about a good, old-fashioned cliche? World peace, of course. No? Okay, okay. I want to change the way we treat the environment. Yes, that's right, ladies and gentlemen, I'm a sappy little treehugger. I can't help it. The current state our planet is in is sickening. You'd think we'd treat it better, considering that if we destroy the earth (and I have no doubt that if something doesn't change soon, we will), we have absolutely nothing. As the most highly evolved species on this planet, I feel it's our responsibility to keep it in good shape. Animals have no trouble doing this. Hell, we had no trouble doing it until we got greedy and overly excited by technology and conquest. So since we screwed up protecting the earth to begin with, it's our responsibility to repair the damage. People need to stop pushing the responsibility off onto future generations, because sooner or later there aren't going to BE any future generations, if we don't change something.
What makes a person respectable?
A respectable person is independent and can think for themselves. They are most certainly not a follower- but not necessarily a leader, either. A respectable person is... hmm. I don't want to say "educated", because that implies formal, "book learning", and that's commendable but doesn't necessarily make you respectable. But a respectable person takes the time to learn, and won't settle to remain ignorant of the world and how it really works. To be respectable also means to respect others. You don't have to like them. But being able to think independently and hold your own opinions means you have to respect the rights of others to do the same (...no matter how ridiculous they may be).
What do you look for in a friend?
I look for someone I can talk to. I hate those long, awkward pauses in conversation. With a really good friend, you don't get those. I also look for intelligent, relatively down-to-earth individuals. I can't stand the stereotypical 18-year-old female who lives for partying and hooking up with random frat boys and spends their free time going tanning. I like people who are honest, both to themselves and others.
What are your hobbies?
Music is a big one, and rather all-encompassing. I love music. Listening to it, constantly: Weezer, The Clash, Smashing Pumpkins, Dresden Dolls, Ozma, The Rolling Stones, The Cure, Flogging Molly, Garbage, Tori Amos, Rasputina. Playing it: Electric and acoustic guitar, and most recently, harmonica. Singing it: Loudly and out of key, in my car with the top down. Ok, so my musical ability doesn't exactly lie in the vocal realm. It doesn't matter to me. It might matter to the people who have to drive next to me and listen to me belting out "Satisfaction" at the top of my lungs, but that's their problem.
Aside from that, I like lots of other things as well. I'm a crafty sort of person- I like to make jewelry and "improve" basic, boring clothes. My computer takes up a considerable chunk of my free time, as well. I have a love/hate relationship with fanfiction (see my website Fandom Hell for more of this, although don't be insulted if something you've written shows up there). Oh, and movies. I go to the theater at least once a week and am a regular at my local Blockbuster. I'm taking a film class now and I've been having a blast watching and analyzing all these different films. It's given me an entirely new appreciaton for the medium, as both an art and a form of entertainment. Ah, and I read a lot. Perhaps not as much as I used to, but my favorite way to unwind is to lie in bed and read at night, until I fall asleep.
Have or would you give time and money to a charity?
Well... I'll be honest with you. I have "given my time" to charities before, but not of my own accord. I've attended Catholic school since preschool, although that is thankfully about to end as I enter college. A certain number of volunteer hours used to be required, as part of your Religion class grade, which, of course, you had to pass if you wanted to pass the year. Would I have done it otherwise, if they hadn't made me? I don't know. Most likely not. I haven't found any sort of charity work that I enjoyed and really cared about. I remember once I was intrigued by the idea of working in the stables at a nature center near my house, on a volunteer basis. The horses were all rescued animals and they did work with disabled children, among other things. I love horses and kids are sweet in small doses, so I was excited. To be truthful, I had only found it because I was looking for a place to do the required 25 hours of service for the National Honor Society, but I never even got a chance to try it out. Here's the kicker: you had to win a lottery to secure a volunteer position. They would draw names and if you were chosen, you were able to volunteer for them. It was one of the most ridiculous things I'd ever heard. I could have seen myself working there, and continuing to do so even after my required hours were finished... but they didn't want any more help. The NHS thing never worked out. After I lost out on the nature center gig, I signed up to do the Relay for Life with some friends, figuring that it was a good cause and one that actually meant something to me, as my grandmother died of cancer. And then... it got called of because of the weather. At this point I was sick and tired of all the trouble, so I made up a bunch of things and BS-ed my way through it. Sorry, NHS.
What is the one thing you would most like to accomplish?
One thing? Just one, huh? I want to be successful. I want a successful life- and for people to remember me for it. Does that make two things? To me the two sort of go hand in hand (though not always). Of course, to be successful, I'm going to have to first find my place in this world. It's a bit of a cliche, you know, but there you have it. I've never entirely felt like I belonged anywhere. Even within my family I've always been a bit of an outsider... I'm so different from my relatives, and to top it all off I'm adopted and not even really related to any of them. I have plenty of friends, but I've never entirely meshed with them, either. We don't share the same interests and the directions of our lives don't even seem to overlap. So maybe that's the "one thing" I want to accomplish- I want to achieve that sense of belonging. I'm a very independent person and I've come to like that about myself, but that doesn't change the very human desire to at least find my niche in life.
Who is your role model?
I don't have one. I don't think I believe in role models, actually. I've always found the idea to be a bit silly... looking up to one person above everyone else, modeling your life after theirs? Think for yourself. Be your own person. I don't need to look up to some famous writer/actor/musician/politician/other well-known figure to know how to live my life and what to do with myself. No one is perfect and no one is really worth idolizing. Are there people I admire? Yes. But they've all got faults, big ones, and it would be foolish of me to waste my time trying to make myself into an idealized version of one of them.
What trait most annoys you about other people?
Ignorance, I think. People who don't take the time to expand their minds and think beyond what they already know. You don't have to be a genius. You just need to break out of your shell and experience the world, take the time to learn a little bit about how it works and how other people live. Ignorant people are the sort who have been spoon-fed their beliefs since childhood and never take the time to question anything and think for themselves, who, when they don't understand something or someone, don't take the time to try and figure out what's going on and simply write it off. They have no desire to seek out anything more.
What do you want to do for a living?
There are so many things I think I might like to do, but nothing I can see myself wanting to do for the rest of my life. Ultimately? Oh, I wouldn't mind fame and fortune. Rock stardom. That sort of thing. One of my passions is writing, though, and that's most likely the direction my life will be taking. I'd like to write for a magazine like Rolling Stone. Journalism appeals to me greatly, especially when it involves expressing my opinion and travelling. I want a job that either requires me to or gives me the freedom to travel. I'm not going to let myself get trapped into an occupation that I don't enjoy, that leaves me stuck in a cubicle all day long accomplishing nothing meaningful.
If your friend was attacked (by a person, animal, or (in the magic world) beast), what would you do?
Which friend, and how big is the animal?
Okay, okay. Well, if it was a person, I might stand a chance against them. I'm tall and stronger than I look. If it was a lion or something big and fanged, I'd be a lot more frightened. I carry pepper spray, and if I got a would-be murderer/rapist/whatever with that, they'd probably grab at their eyes and let my friend go or something. That stuff hurts. However, spray a bear or lion or other similarly ferocious beast with pepper spray and it's only going to make him angrier and more likely to eat both of us. I suppose I could try and whack it over the head with my purse (which is made of license plates and is very heavy and metallic). I am also fond of wearing sharp and pointy stiletto heels which can be used in a pinch to gouge someone or something's eyes out. Failing all of this, however, I'd run somewhere and call the cops.
Would you ever use an Unforgivable Curse for any reason?
Yes, of course. If it was a matter of self-defense I'd "Avada kedavra" someone in an instant. I'd do it if they were going after one of my friends or family members, as well. I think that's kind of obvious, though, so let me think about the other curses. Would I ever use the Imperius Curse? I don't know. I'll never say never; I'm sure I could think of a circumstance in which I would. As for Cruciatus, yes, I can think of occasions where I'd use that as well. If I needed information from someone and it was a matter of life and death or something else terribly important and they refused to spill... I'd do it. And if I was Neville Longbottom I'd crucio Bellatrix Lestrange in a heartbeat.
What do you think are your top five abilities or qualities?
I'm intelligent. In terms of grades, yes, but also, I think, in the way my mind works and is organized... I always think things through. I'm also one of those people who genuinely enjoys knowledge and learning. I also like to spew random facts at people, heheh. I think I also have a caring side, in that I become emotionally invested in certain things. Not everything, but things I really care about. Close friends, causes I believe in. Next, I'm laid back. I never became involved in all the "drama" that ran rampant throughout high school cliques. I'm not the sort of person who's going to get worked up over little things. I have a generally relaxed, leisurely attitude toward life. As I've said before, I also have a big independent streak. I think that most of the time it's a positive quality. I don't need to rely on anyone else to tell me what I should or shouldn't do or say or think. One of my closest friends, whom I've known for years, is the polar opposite of me in this way. She couldn't even decide whether or not to spend $8 on a hat the last time we went shopping without calling and consulting two other people. Finally, I'm adaptable. Things happen, and I deal with them. I'll change myself or I'll change the situation. I can deal with just about anything that gets thrown at me.
What do you think are your top five weaknesses or worst qualities?
I'm irresponsible. Let me illustrate this with an example. If I'm supposed to bring you something, I'll probably show up three hours' late having forgotten what I was supposed to bring. I get there eventually, but... at my leisure, so to speak. Responsibility goes along with a sense of honor, which I guess I also lack. I don't have that desire to uphold my own honor. I'm not even sure what honor is. I don't operate on that level, I suppose you could say. Hmm... I've got to think about how to word this next one. I guess you could say I don't trust people easily- I don't "let them in". You could say it's a defensive mechanism, my desire to avoid being hurt; I'm not sure what it is, exactly, just that I don't open up very easily and it's hard to gain my trust. Very hard. Next... I'm a bit lazy. More than a bit. I'll always take the easy way out if it's an option. Finally... oh, I guess you could say that I judge too quickly. I'm hard on everyone, both myself and others, and when I meet someone I tend to form an opinion of them that sticks and if you happen to be so unlucky as to make a bad first impression, it will probably stick.
Define in your own words the following key traits:
Courage: Doing what you know you have to do, even when it seems too difficult. Standing up for yourself, and your principles, no matter what the cost.
Loyalty: Loyal friends stick by you and simply will not let you down. You can depend on them; they are trustworthy, there for you when you need them. The loyal person has a sense of duty and responsibility and a desire to uphold those responsibilities.
Intelligence:
Ambition: Ambition is not settling for what life has given you and having the desire and drive to get out there and make something of yourself. You can't stop at just wanting it, either, because wanting something badly never gets you anything. The truly ambitious person goes out into the world and makes things happen for his or herself.
Name: Michelle Marie
Age: 18
What house do you think DOESN'T fit you? (This question is optional for those who feel they just DO NOT fit in a house. Please explain WHY.) I'm not going to answer this. I think it's better to remain open and see what you think, without clouding your opinions with my own feelings toward certain houses.
Where did you find out about us?Sorting_comm, I think.
Thanks, guys.