(no subject)

[bluebeard]

• What sort of profession in the wizarding world would you choose and why?
  
  Hem, hem! (lol Umbridge?) What sort of intro question is this? Don't you want to know first who I am and all about my fabulousness? ...No? Well, you get to anyway. :D
  
  The name is Prince (well, one of my last names anyway; everyone calls me this) and I come from a tropical island where everything is green: the sea, the palm trees, the iguanas and even the government! I'm talking about Cuba, of course. But! Since 2002 I have resided and studied in Canada, which is cool, because I looove winter.
  
  Profession, profession, profession...
  
  I think I'd be a linguist, which is what I'm aiming for here in the Muggle world. In other words, I'd study languages. The Wizarding world would be an interesting place for a linguist to be at, I think. Not because its languages outnumber the ones in the Muggle world, but because I suspect that Gobbledegook, Mermish and Parseltongue are not really languages, but communication systems (this is [probably] especially true for Parseltongue).
  
  What's the difference? Well, to me [linguistically speaking] only humans have languages. Animals have communication systems. Complex and fascinating though they are, their communicative abilities are inferior compared to our own. An ape takes months/years to learn so much as a hundred signs in American Sign Language; a human child by age 5 already knows thousands of words/signs by the time the ape has learned (after much effort and reinforcement) a hundred or so. This is not to suggest animals' communication is not interesting, of course (but studying it would be more Biology than Linguistics). I am merely pointing out that while animals are much more intelligent than we often given them credit for, to suggest that their abilities closely match our own [as far as languages go] is erroneous.
  
  However, if Gobbledegook and Mermish were languages (I really do not think that Parseltongue is a language; if it were, that suggests that snakes in the Wizarding world have the same cognitive and linguistic abilities humans have, which seems farfetched to me), this would be linguistically revolutionary, for goblins and merpeople would be the first non-human creatures capable of using language in similar ways that humans use language. This would be extremely fascinating to me, but alas, I shall never know!
  
  But yeah, I'd be a linguist. I might teach Ancient Runes at Hogwarts (I am simply fascinated by Old Norse, Old English and Germanic languages in general! :D), or I could work translating stuff in the Ministry of Magic or something like that. My field is flexible; knowing various languages can get you a job in all sorts of things, be it in the wizarding world or here in the Muggle world.
  
  For the record, I'm bilingual (Spanish & English), mid-fluent in French, and I can understand spoken and written Portuguese, Catalan and Italian, although I do not speak or write myself in those languages. I'm also very familiar with German, Japanese and Turkish plus a dozen other languages, but linguistic knowledge does not equate linguistic ability, so for all purposes, I am, at best, trilingual. Mind you, I won't stay that way for long. ;D
  
  
• 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.
  
  To be honest, I can't think of anyone I'd want with me, other than perhaps Buckbeak the Hippogriff. The reasons for this are simple: (1) I wouldn't trust anyone who wasn't a close friend of mine to accompany me into such a place, (2) I'm used to relying on myself to get myself out of messes and, (3) if I should require help, I'd rather get it from Buckbeak, who could get me out of there by flying.
  
  As for an item other than my wand, probably my [nonmagical] Dragon charm. I believe in good fortune, and I bought this charm in Chinatown a couple years ago, and keep it with me since. My Chinese sign is [Earth] Dragon, and I think having Dragon-related items will bring me good luck, hence why in addition to this charm, I have a dragon necklace, a t-shirt and a jacket with a dragon on it, and a 2010 agenda/planner with a dragon on its front cover. I might also get a dragon tattoo in the future.
  
  And yes, you needed to know that. It's all very relevant to this app., you see. :P
  
  
• If you had the opportunity to live forever, but your family and friends did not, what would you choose? And if you did choose to live forever, what would you do with eternity?
  
  LOL! Why would I ever want to live forever? Really, that sounds boring as hell.
  
  I'm fairly certain that there is no cure for idiocy, and living forever would mean dealing with idiots forever. That alone is enough to make me think that immortality would be most undesirable, regardless of whether my loves ones lived on or not. I mean, I wouldn't mind living a couple hundred years or such (provided that I found a way to look like I'm in my 30s or 40s), but that's not quite the same thing as living forever, is it now?
  
  
• If you could travel back in time to one point, when and where would you go? Why?
  
  I'd go back to the times of the Celts reign over Europe and collect data on their very fascinating and very ancient languages. Most of them are extinct today, which is a pity. Of course, we still have six Celtic languages left (Breton, Cornish, Irish, Manx, Scottish Gaelic and Welsh) but I want to learn more about the ones that are extinct, and what better way to do so than to go back in time? The languages of the Celts are amongst the most interesting languages found in Europe (the phonology makes me cry with joy; it's so interesting) and for a chance to study them I'd go anywhere (yes, I'm considering doing my graduate studies in Dublin, how did you know?! :D)
  
  
• What HP character do you identify with most and why?
  
  Well, I don't really identify with any particular HP character; I'm not unlike certain characters in a few ways, but overall none particularly remind me of myself. I have some favourites, though.
  
  I like Rita Skeeter, 'cause I find her hilarious, and her performance in the 4th movie made me roflmao. I also like Professor Snape and Professor Sprout, not only because of their personalities but also because Potions and Herbology would surely be my favourite Hogwarts classes (I've a fair knowledge of chemistry and botany, and I'm quite good at cooking, so I'm positive I'd do quite well in these classes).
  
  And of course, I love Peeves, 'cause he's rightdown hilarious, hah. And I like Gilderoy Lockhart, because I find his idiocy hilarious, and buffoon or not, he's hot (well, Sean Bean is, anyway). Also, Kreacher amuses me a lot, though I wouldn't say he's really a favourite. Oh, and last but not least, I love the Weasleys, but then, how can anyone NOT love them? I especially like (but at times, hate) Mrs. Weasley, because she reminds me a lot (for better or for worse) of my own mother. <3
  
  If I had to pick one character, though, I'd pick two: Fred and George.
  
  They have got to be, hands down, the coolest (not to mention sexy) HP characters ever, and I'm fairly certain we'd get along. However, I don't reckon I can really say I identify with them per se. Like myself, they are confident, funny in a chaotic sort of way, and they walk to the beat of their own drum. On the other hand, I'm not as social as they are, I have more interest in academics than they do (well, at least for linguistics/languages) and I'm somewhat less daring than they are (I like jokes and pranks, but I also need my quiet "me" time). But still, they're probably my favourites. Their sense of humour is not unlike my own, and they seemed to understand (unlike many other characters) that life is too short and you should get as many laughs in as you can while you still can.
  
  Also, the Weasley twins is what gay guys/straight girls/bi-guys/girls wet dreams are made of, am I right? ;)
  
  
• What would you see if you looked into the Mirror of Erised?
  
  Oh my, this has got to be my favourite question. I would see so much in the Mirror or Erised that the mirror would need to be ten times larger in order for me to see everything, LOL!
  
  I'd see myself in a gorgeous house or apartment in a city in Canada, Ireland, Scotland or maybe even Scandinavia. I would be sitting in my favourite chair surrounded by my pets (dogs, cats and/or rats; I don't like non-mammalian pets), just looking at my beautiful home.
  
  In the spacious living room there would be beautiful furniture, and the walls would be decorated with fine wildlife paintings and exquisite sculptures. It would be rather luxurious, although not overly extravagant, I think.
  
  In the dreamy kitchen there would be a large fridge with all sorts of fine foods and drinks from the world (I like to vary my cooking, plz :D) and I'd have some fancy silverware and pots and such, hmmm yes.
  
  There would be a reading room, of course, with nothing but a good desk, my laptop, a nice comfy chair and lots and lots and lots of books, mostly adventure or fantasy novels, but also many linguistics, languages and history books, and a few other kinds.
  
  And of course, the bathroom and bedroom would be amazing and comfortable, with nothing but the best bed and bathtub I could afford, and a rather large mirror in both of them. That's where I'd go to relax after a long, hard day.
  
  Save for my pets, I'd probably be alone, since I don't plan on having kids, and although gay marriage is legal in Canada and Nordic countries, marriage doesn't really interest me. So I might be with someone, but most likely I'd be alone. Sometimes I think that I spend so much time by myself that part of the reason I'm not social is 'cause I don't know who to be, hehe.
  
  
• Do you believe that moral actions should be judged by the intentions behind them, or by the consequences they create?
  
  ...I'd judge such actions on a case-by-case basis. For some, the intentions are more important, and for others the consequences matter more; it all depends on the circumstances. But the only time when such things matter to me are when they affect me or they affect someone or something I particularly care about.
  
  Otherwise I'm indifferent as to whether someone had good or evil intentions behind their actions, and whether the consequences of their actions are good or evil. Additionally, I will note that the only judgement I consider truly valid is my own (though I value friends' opinions, I do not necessarily heed to them) because I have my own ideas about Right/Wrong and Good/Evil. I don't believe they are universal; they are mere constructs of the world's societies.
  
  It might be useful, for the purposes of this sorting application, to mention that my D&D Alignment is Chaotic Neutral (link provided so that you can read what it means should you find it useful do so).
  
  Some of you may be familiar with the idea of "alignment" from either D&D or WoW or whatever, and the link might interest you also because they have what they consider the alignments that various HP characters fit into. :D
  
  
• What was your ideal job as a kid? Has that changed? What is your ideal job now?
  
  When I was a wee ickle kiddy I wanted to be a biologist and travel to faraway lands and study their plants and animals. I really liked science back then, but as I got older, and science got harder, I realized that wasn't going to work out. Then I arrived to Canada and started learning English and French, and that is when I realized (as early as 14!) that languages were my OTP (no, not one true pairing, but One True Passion), and so now I want to be a linguist. I'm not sure where I'll go or what I'll do quite yet with my degrees in Language Studies but I'm sure I'll end up doing something I like, because so long as it involves languages, I'm a happy grouse! (well, I'd rather be a peacock, but grouse fits better... don't ask)
  
  
• If you were able to invent one spell, potion, or charm, what would it do, what would you use it for or how would you use it, and what would you call it?
  
  I would invent a light-based charm called Oceanus Lumen. Why would I invent such spell? Because I consider myself to have an affinity with the Sun, being Leo and all. :D
  
  It would be both a defensive and offensive spell, and basically it would surround the user's body (in this case, mine) in powerful Sun-like light which would blast nearby foes and/or temporarily blind them (unless they were really close to me, in which case the blindness would be long-term if not permanent). The light would be seen from miles away, so it could also be useful as a kind of warning spell to let allies know where I am (or where my enemies are, for that matter). Such a spell would of course, be particularly difficult to learn and perform, but once learned, it could come in very handy indeed. Plus it'd be very cool-looking, non?
  
  
• If you were to face a boggart, what would it turn into? And what does it turn into when you throw the counter-spell, Riddikulus?
  
  Ah, I'm not comfortable telling (let alone explaining!) what a boggart would really turn into for me, so I'll just go with the next most fearsome thing as far as I'm concerned, which is my own death. There are many things I want to accomplish in my life before I'm gone, but unfortunately death rarely comes with a warning. So it's not so much that I fear death itself (I see death as a natural part of the life cycle, and I don't believe in Afterlife; once you're gone, you're gone) but rather that I fear leaving this world too soon, if you know what I mean? As for the Riddikulus charm, I suppose the boggart would turn into a pink and purple Grim Reaper with cute fluffy wings, LOL.
  
  
• What do you look for in a friend?
  
  Well, I don't really look for anything in specific... I'm friends with all kinds of people, really...
  
  To give you an idea: three of my best friends are all straight guys - one imperialist Pagan Slytherdor from the Netherlands, one Irish-American atheist communist Gryffindor, and one Canadian agnostic & anarchist Ravenpuff. And me, well I have no political or religious affiliation, haha, and I don't know my house yet!
  
  But the point is, we couldn't be more different, yet we're good friends. In theory I can get along with anyone so long as they accept me for who I am, but more often than not people don't get past the acquaintance level with me. I'm not all that easy to get to know and it takes quite a bit of time before I'm willing to trust somebody and really open up to them. That's not to say that what I show about myself is merely a façade, no. What I show is part of me, but it's not all there is to me (and I tend to assume such is the case for [mostly] everyone else).
  
  
• What trait most annoys you about other people?
  
  Oh, people in general annoy me. I'm an introvert ('loner') with misanthropic tendencies, so the general sight of masses of people disturbs me even if they aren't doing or saying anything to me. This is why I never go to clubs, concerts, bars, sports stadiums or popular beaches. Anywhere where there's hundreds or thousands of people congregated en masse is dreadful to me, the exception being malls and my university, since my love of shopping is greater than my hatred of crowds, and university... well I don't have a choice, do I? It's where I study, so it can't be helped. Besides, it's a medium-sized university, and Linguistics isn't nearly as popular as many other majors.
  
  But inferior lifeforms annoy me more than superior lifeforms do. What's the difference, you ask? Superior lifeforms (such as myself) are people that simply happen to win at life. Our existence is worth something. Inferior lifeforms (such as Paris Hilton) on the other hand, are failed specimens that parasite human society and that in my opinion should be ridden of. However, the number of inferior lifeforms on Earth is much too great to get rid of them without committing genocide, and while I may dislike people, I'm no murderer, and I'm definitely no Hitler.
  
  In fact, out of the billions of people on the planet, I only truly hate about a dozen of them enough that, if given the chance, I'd "practice" the Cruciatus and the Killing curse on them, ha. Unfortunately that would land me in Azkaban with those despicable Dementors, and I'd rather follow [stupid] laws and be free than break them and be imprisoned. True freedom doesn't exist, anyway.
  
  
• What do you think are your top five abilities or qualities?
  
  * Communicative: ...I like to talk/write, as you may or may not have noticed by the length of this application, and I can do so in more than one language, so all the more reason to love it! Of course, when I'm not talking about me, myself and I, or about something I care about, or with someone I care about, I can be very quiet. It's largely dependent on the situation and my mood, really, but overall, yes, I'm communicative. At times I can be a little too much so, but generally [I like to think] that I maintain a good balance between being chatty and being quiet.
  
  * Honest: I'm a very honest person, sometimes too much so. Why? Because more often than not, I cannot be bothered to lie to people - except, of course, when I am trying to purposefully deceive someone. Usually this is not the case, however, so I just tell it like it is. Lying [generally] does not benefit you. It does not protect you. For a while, it may prevent you from feeling afraid, hurt or vulnerable, but truths [more often than not] find their way out of whatever web of lies someone casts. So I prefer not to waste my time lying to others, unless there is a specific purpose in my doing so.
  
  * Independent: I have my own way of doing things and what works for me tends to not work for others. I prefer my own company to that of others, and between working with others and working by myself, I almost always choose the latter, even if takes longer and requires more effort on my part. I don't like depending on other people or relying on them for anything, so unless I'm really lost, I prefer not to ask for help. I suppose that's also stubbornness, but it ties in with independence too, so whatever.
  
  * Lucky: I'm a fairly fortunate person; it's just a part of who I am. If you don't believe in Asstrollogie (lol) that's your call, but personally I do believe that when I was born something astrologically amazing must have happened, because I'm quite the lucky fellow. My Sun sign is Leo (it means I'm awesome), my Moon sign is Scorpio (it means I become evil when there's a full moon) and my Chinese sign is the Dragon (it means I win at life). I think Professor Trelawney would have a heyday if she saw my birth chart, hahah. But then, surely you don't need to open your Inner Eye to see my Inner Winfulness? :D
  
  * Resilient: I take hardship in my stride, basically. I'm not one to give up easily, even when I'm down. I have an uncanny ability to get out of sticky situations with apparent ease, partly because I'm lucky, partly because I'm resourceful. For example, I have preferences of food, clothing and shelter, but if necessary, I'll eat anything, dress with what I've got, and sleep wherever; I'm adaptable. It's the reason why, for instance, I don't get depressed during winter here in Canada (unlike many people, including some Canadians themselves).
  
  
• What do you think are your top five weaknesses or worst qualities?
  
  * Fickle: There is a reason my D&D alignment is Chaotic Neutral, you know. I can be quite fickle, shallow and superficial at times, much to the annoyance of my friends, and I'm also notorious for changing my mind about something or someone over the smallest sort of things. Do you not think I've taken a thousand and one Sorting Hat tests? But I still can't decide where I should go! Hence this application. :D
  
  * Indifferent: I wasn't sure whether to say indifferent or insensitive, but I think indifferent is the right word. I can be oblivious to the feelings and needs of other people, but generally it's not so much that I'm not sensitive but rather that I don't care. I can put myself in someone else's shoes, but that doesn't mean I like their shoes, or that I even acknowledge their shoes as being good shoes. So it's kinda of apathy, too? How I feel about Hermione's SPEW nonsense is a good example of this: I couldn't care less if elves are enslaved or they all go drown themselves in the Black Lake. I wouldn't have elves myself if I lived in the Wizarding world, but unless I knew and befriended one and it asked me to help free it, house elves can go die in a fire for all I care, lol.
  
  * Irritable: ...I'm rather aggressive and when provoked I tend to lash out (usually in the form of nasty verbal remarks, but occasionally I've resorted to physical fighting, haha) and I have difficulty controlling my temper, at least at home. In uni or at work or any other such places I'm much better, but still get nasty if annoyed long enough. I also dislike authority and following rules, although when the person in charge is someone I like I can be surprisingly obedient, heehee. ;)
  
  * Lazy: ...I don't like work, lol. The only reason I have a job is because, well, I like money. But if I could help it, I'd not work. Schoolwork I don't mind so much if it's a subject I like, but even then, I procrastinate a lot. Like many other people, I prefer entertainment and fun to work. However! Once I get working on something, you'd never know I'm lazy. I get these bursts of energy and do everything all cheetah-like, and then I'm back on the couch reading or training my Pokemons (Yes! I'm a Pokemon trainer! I wanna be the very best, like no-one ever was, LOL!)
  
  * Proud: Oi, pride is easily my worst defect. They say pride is the worst of all sins, and it's not hard to see why: I'm so proud and full of myself that I'm proud of being proud, LOL. In the words of Professor Snape [referring to Harry], "Potter is so arrogant that criticism bounces off him". Substitute "Potter" with "Prince" and you've got me. And not that it's an Arrogance Contest, but for the record I think I'm far more arrogant than both Potter and Malfoy combined. And the best part? I don't give a fuck, although I do admit that maybe I'd get into less shit if I wasn't so damn full of myself.
  
  
• Define in your own words the following key traits:
  
  
  
  • Courage: To be courageous is not synonymous with being unafraid, but rather it's to stand up to your fears and confronting them, whatever they are. I consider myself courageous because even when I'm deathly afraid of something or someone I stand up to it. I'm a very proud fellow, and pride dictates that I must face my fears, even if it's not always the smartest thing to do. For me, courage is also about not letting other people walk all over you and standing your ground (even if it means standing alone, as is often the case for me). However, I'm not stupid, and between life and beliefs/principles, I will always choose life. As such, if I ever had to renounce to my principles, I'd do so in order to keep my life. It wouldn't really be giving them up, though! I merely would declare whatever, but stay true to what I believe on the inside.
    
    
  • Loyalty: To be loyal to yourself is to be true to yourself and your loved ones as much as possible. It is not synonymous with absolute devotion or blind love, but rather it means that you acknowledge that neither you nor the people you care about are perfect, but you still stand by yourself/them and love yourself and others as they are. Loyalty is something that I only give to friends I've known for years, and some of my family members. But I'd never be loyal to a group of people, whether it's a country's government, a certain organization (Aurors, Death Eaters, Ministry of Magic) or any other such groups. I trust only a handful of people, therefore I'm only loyal to those I trust. And of course, I'm loyal to myself.
    
    
  • Intelligence: ...Frankly, I don't know how to go about defining what intelligence is, and I'm not particularly concerned about it. It seems to me mostly everyone's intelligent in at least some area, but how do you know overall if someone is intelligent or not? I reckon I'm intelligent only when it matters, only when I have to be, and/or only when I care to be. When it comes to languages and other things that interest me, for example, I consider myself to be intelligent. But when it comes to mathematics, politics, or any other such things that I couldn't care less about, I'm a complete and total idiot, and I have no problem admitting that, because, once again, if I don't care about something, I can't be arsed to use my brain to learn about it.
    
    In a way, this is smart of me, non? It means I save brainpower and use it instead to learn about the stuff I do want to know about, like languages. Hahah, in that sense, you could say I'm a clever fool! ;)
    
    
  • Ambition: Knowing what you want, knowing how to get it, and going for it. It's not ambition if you wish for it but you lack the willpower to get it. For me, ambition is also the desire to take things to the "next level", be it your intellect, your magical abilities, or your body fitness, or whatever it is that you value. And it's knowing when to conform, but always aiming to improve whenever possible. I consider myself quite ambitious, albeit not greedy. I love money and luxury (fine clothes, good food, yes!), but I wouldn't do just about anything to get them. Mostly I am ambitious about my career; I want to be a great linguist. While I do not necessarily wish to achieve Noam Chomsky-like success, or even be one of the top names that comes up when people think "Linguistics", I certainly expect me to accomplish certain things during my lifetime as a linguist.
  
  
• Name:
  
  ... ... ... I already told you that!
  
  
• Age:
  
  I'm actually 21 years old, believe it or not, but some people swear my mental age is 14, since [as is evident] I'm so mature I make Professor Minerva McGonagall look immature. ^___^
  
  
• Where did you find out about us?
  
  I looked up "Hogwarts" in the LJ search button, duh!
  
  
• Do you plan on being active in the communities once you are sorted?
  
  Ah, who knows, who knows. If you can't tell by this app., I'm a rather free-spirited person.
  
  I don't tend to stay anywhere too long, and I dislike committing myself to anything or anyone. If I do remain active it will be for as long as it suits me, but I might end up leaving all the same. But we'll see, we'll see.
  
  In closing, I hope at least some of you have as much fun reading my answers as I had writing them (took me days!). I have a feeling I may be a bit difficult to sort (I have traits from all four Houses, I think) but do your best!
  
  / This Hogwarts House application has been brought to you by Prince, codename "Devil Flamingo".