appeal!

[latenightcuppa.livejournal.com]

Name: Samantha
Age: 19
House you were sorted into: Ravenclaw
Link to original application: over thar

Are there any questions you would like to elaborate on?

What was your ideal job as a kid? Has that changed? What is your ideal job now?

The bit about me wanting to be Dana Scully as a child is, of course, still 100% true. I wanted to be able to speak broken German in order to get myself out of sticky spots, perfect her Eyebrow of Doom, and in general run around in heels saving people and being awesome. With red hair. The red hair part of it was really important to me as a kid. I...don't know why.

Nor has my ideal job has changed, but my description for it is limited in scope as I didn't really know why I wanted to be a journalist when I first applied. That sounds a little absurd, doesn't it? How could I know what my ideal job is but not understand yet why it was my ideal job? Woo boy, there's the first of many convoluted sentences. I think I just sort of went with the whole "I like to write, but don't have the attention span to write novels" aspect of it and stuck to that steadfastly. There was the surface answer, but there was no intent behind it.

I suppose I've got that part of it puzzled out by now. It came about through my moving to Washington, DC for university and becoming very much drawn into Election season. Living in Foggy Bottom (yes, take a minute to LOL at the name. it is a RIDICULOUS name for a neighborhood and I rarely think of it without sniggering) only a scant distance from the White House, we obsessed about, lived, and breathed the election. And with such close inspection of the election, came with it an inspection of my own social and political beliefs. I achieved a political awareness which I didn't really have prior to this year, and I realized how much I wanted to be the one who chose to Stick Up For The Little Guy. It's a cliché, I know, but one thing that stuck out to me the most was how easy it was for every day people to be misled by the media when the media was feeding on and indulging the ridiculous partisan squabbles. Somewhere along the way, I realized that I wanted to be a journalist because I wanted to be the one who did everything she could to write about what was really going on, to make sure people were rightly informed. It wasn't just "hey, writing is something I can do," it became "hey, writing is something I need to do because I'll never forgive myself if I never try."

In my "wizarding profession" answer, I said that I wanted to write for the Daily Prophet. Now, I think that I'd rather write for the Quibbler. I know that I'm not the type of person who can work within a corrupt situation and try to change it, because I lack the subtlety. I'd much rather be the thorn in their side.

I've also tangentially considered a career in public policy, and to be more specific, environmental policy. I've been volunteering with the Anacostia River chapter of an organization called Groundwork-USA, and the more I see of what they're doing, the more I realize just how much needs to be done. It's more than just going out there and teaching the kids and picking up some trash, a precedent needs to be set for long-term change (as if that word needs to be thrown around anymore, lulz). ;jkd;lsfj;alsdfjk. So much I want to do, so little time in life.

What HP character do you identify with most and why?

I originally stated Hermione and Luna, both of which make sense to a certain extent. I like books and uh, one might say that I am somewhat eccentric. However, given time and more thought, I'd say that I identify most with Remus Lupin.

Well, I have sort of a split way of viewing myself. I may joke about being egotistical and totally awesome, but the truth is, I completely underestimate myself on a daily basis much like Remus often did. I'd like to think that Remus, who was a Marauder surrounded by giant egos, most likely played along much in the same way I do but really didn't think that much of himself deep down.

I may insist to people up and down that I'm the sort of socially awkward person who would never make friends easily in a new situation, but I'm actually surprisingly affable. I always got the feeling that Remus was genuinely surprised that he was able to make friends, even before they discovered he was a werewolf, and I'm the same way. I can never understand why anyone would choose to connect with me, but it's something that I never seem to have a problem with.

However what really strikes me about Remus that I can identify with is that while he was the mature seemingly responsible one, he was friends with the sort of people who would bring him out of his shell and get him to embrace life. I have a very small group of close friends that I'm grateful for more than anything, and while I want to go everywhere, see everything, and do the sort of stupid foolish stuff that leads to a great story later on in life, I can never get there unless I'm dragged by them. I've been told by many that I'm mature for my age, and while that can be a good thing to a certain extent, it tends to inhibit me when it comes to really enjoying things. Sometimes I feel like an old codger in a 19 year old girl's body, and I need people around me to force me to act my age. I won't always take the initiative outside of more serious situations, but I'll love every minute of it in the end, and love my friends all the more for it.

I also, and it pains me to admit it, keep entirely too much to myself. I think that there are some things that I'm just better off not sharing, things that are mine and personal, and shouldn't ever be voiced aloud. I don't talk about how I feel, not really, and I know that it drives some of the people in my life a bit mad.

What would you see in the Mirror of Erised?
You know what I said above about there being so much I want to do and so little time? I don't want to be the sort of person who reaches the end of their life only to discover that nothing was as they wanted it to be, that nothing was as it was meant to be. I have a great fear of failure, and while a great deal of it is a fear of failing those around me, mostly it's a fear of failing myself. I want to be that person who at the end of their life, looks back and says yes, I don't regret a thing.

What would I see in the Mirror of Erised? Myself content with the knowledge that I'm doing everything that I can to live life to the fullest.

Pick one or two canon qualities from each of the four houses that you possess and explain why you picked them:

Gryffindor: I am passionate about that which I care about the most. For instance, I tend to have something of a laissez-faire attitude towards college life in general, save for the few interests that I've found attract me the most in the past seven months or so. Once I'm interested in something, I'll throw my all into it. That goes especially if it's a cause I believe in. Yes, I'll stay up all night with the College Democrats. Yes, I'll be there at 8 am on a Saturday to clean up the park. I guess you could say that I also have some of that good old fashioned Gryffindor boldness as well. I've never been afraid to voice my opinion. It's not just that I despise bigotry, it's that I'm James Potter standing there red in the face demanding that you never say that word again or else there will be hell to pay.

Ravenclaw: To say that one has a kinship with Ravenclaw because they're intelligent is both arrogant and completely missing the point. I'm going to sidestep that and instead say that it's more that I'm thoughtful. Over all, I'm a fairly out-going person, but I have those moments where I live in my own head and go over things endlessly, leaving no stone unturned, so to speak.

Slytherin: I possess both determination and ambition. That "get it done" attitude that we see so often throughout the series embodied in the Slytherin House. I may waffle and procrastinate, but at the end of the day, I'll still do anything I can to get done what needs to get done. Furthermore, I tend to aim for the stars when it comes to my goals in life. I refuse to settle for ordinary or mediocre.

Hufflepuff: I value justice highly. I realize that it's a cruel world and the knowledge that life is unfair is inescapable, but there is still a strong idealistic side of me that believes wholly in all that is just and fair. I'm also extremely loyal to those closest to me. I will always have your back and be there on that one terrible no-good awful day with some booze and a sympathetic ear, regardless of whatever else is going on in my life.
Explain why you feel misplaced in your current house:

For the past half year, I've had the increasing feeling that I no longer connected with my fellow Ravenclaws, and that I was no longer able to relate to them. It wasn't anything that they were doing wrong, it's simply that I realized how different I had become from them.

So, I looked back on my original sorting application. I looked back and found myself wondering "who the hell was this person" because for the most part, it certainly doesn't feel like me anymore. There are little bits and pieces that remain the same. Yes, I still would enter the Tri-wizard Tournament, yes my Animagus would most likely be a dog. However, I could no longer connect myself to the greater parts of it.

I was sorted when I was seventeen years old. It may not seem like a long time ago, but it feels like it's been eons for me. At the time of my sorting, I was going through an awkward tough time in my life, and so I dealt with it by constructing this version of myself that was so focused on academia and higher learning because that set me aside from my peers in high school that I so despised.

My focuses and priorities have shifted greatly since beginning college, and brought to the forefront parts of myself that I had never realized were quite so strong or integral to who I am. And while I can't deny that I'll always have something of a Ravenclaw side, I know now that it's not the side which defines me.

Comments

[caketime.livejournal.com]

Hello Samantha,
Your application is now up and subject to questions from our judges. I know it's a bit earlier than planned, but it would be great if you could answer the questions until the 30th of March, or earlier if that's possible. The judges vote when you have answered all the questions.
Thank you!

[beckella.livejournal.com]

1. You're stuck on a desert island. You get one book, one album, and one person. Whom and what do you bring?

2. Sort Barty Crouch, Jr. Into which house would send him and why? Sort Barty Crouch Sr. Into which would would you send him and why?

3. Re-sort the following characters. None can go to their canon houses (unless you make a REALLY good argument): Remus Lupin, Luna Lovegood, Cedric Diggory, and Draco Malfoy.

4. What house do you see the most in yourself? Why?

[latenightcuppa.livejournal.com]

1. You're stuck on a desert island. You get one book, one album, and one person. Whom and what do you bring?

Perhaps this is simply because I just read it, but I think that if I brought one book, it would be Watchmen. I know, I know, graphic novel, but I think it counts. It's an incredibly enjoyable read, runs the gamut of emotions, has a surprisingly awesome amount of humor, and I would probably get more out of it with each read.

The one person is easy and I thought of it immediately. My best friend Alec. She might very well be the only person in the world that I never get sick of. She is the optimistic to my pessimistic, which would work well with the whole "oh god oh god stuck on a desert island." And um, we are hilarious when in the same vicinity of each other. HILARIOUS. We would never be bored.

One album? While I love Radiohead with all my heart, they are not a band that I would choose to listen to on a desert island. I think that I would choose Foo Fighters' The Color and the Shape. My favorite Almighty Foos' album, it goes from the haunting "Everlong" to the screaming "Monkey Wrench," and never misses a step. Variety is key.

2. Sort Barty Crouch, Jr. Into which house would send him and why? Sort Barty Crouch Sr. Into which would would you send him and why?

I gave them nicknames that I think you'll understand, so as to avoid any Junior or Senior specification annoyance. ;)

I think that with Tennant!Barty, the decision to join Voldemort was much more reactionary than anything else. He did what he did because he knew it was something his father would stand against, not out of any real surge or desire for power. In that sense, Voldemort was the guiding figure that he could believe in and never had growing up. Tennant!Barty's dedication to Voldemort is largely why I consider him to be a Hufflepuff. It's loyalty further than most would take it, it's the hard work that he put into setting the scene for Voldemort's ~*~resurrection~*~, and that must have been one hell of a work ethic that drove him all the way there.

Cyberman!Barty, on the other hand, is a Slytherin. His public image, an image carefully cultivated to help him on his apparent rise to Minister, was more vital to him than anything else. He didn't care that some of the people that he tossed in Azkaban to rot were potentially innocent (e.g. Sirius), as long as the people viewed him as someone who was capable of protecting them from scum, the sort of person who could make those sort of quick decisions in the interest of the nation. Not even his own son could get in the way. It is Slytherin ambition taken to a sickeningly ruthless extent.

[latenightcuppa.livejournal.com]

3. Re-sort the following characters. None can go to their canon houses (unless you make a REALLY good argument): Remus Lupin, Luna Lovegood, Cedric Diggory, and Draco Malfoy.

Remus Lupin: Remus Lupin is one of my favorite characters, one that as stated I identify with, and I write about him often. As such, I've spent a lot of time considering what makes him tick and I can't put him anywhere but Gryffindor. Yes, he's smart and likes book, but that's not enough for Ravenclaw. He is loyal to his friends, but it is a fierce protective loyalty that I can't help but associate with Gryffindor. There are many types of Gryffindors, they are not all the brash obvious Hero types. The courage that Gryffindor prides itself on is not the absence of fear, it is the ability to overcome it. Some do so quietly, with far more reserve, but that doesn't make them any less brave. For Remus, I think that the definitive bit for me is that even after decades of getting beat down, losing everything and everyone he loves, and constantly facing poverty, he does not give up. He could choose to turn inward and wallow and not bother with anybody, but he can't bring himself to do that, he keeps fighting because he knows that for him, it will always be the right thing to do. He has a cause and he will see it through to his end (as he does).

Luna Lovegood: Something has always irked me about Luna's place in her own house. Sure, she's a bit of a special snowflake, but if she really belonged there would she have been harassed so? I know that teenagers can be cruel no matter where you go, but the whole point of sorting is to Find Your Place, and I certainly wouldn't want to be any part of a place where people would run off with my Chuck Taylors. Luna's strong stance on the war is part of the reason for why I would re-sort her into Gryffindor, but it's really what she did later in life that does it for me. There's some mythical assumption around sorting communities that all intellect based hobbies and careers are completely and utterly Ravenclaw in nature, that's it, period. BOOKS = CLAW. or something. However, that Luna became a naturalist who went off traveling to discover new species speaks of the sort of intrepidness that I associate with Gryffindor.

Cedric Diggory: Cedric is difficult because I feel as if we don't know much about him. I think that he had the potential to be in Slytherin, however. He was quite accomplished for his age, even before the Triwizard Tournament. Prefect, high scores, well-liked. He had all of the signs of those kids in high school that everyone knew was aiming for great things. Sure, he played off as modest, but a good Slytherin would know that there's a time and place, and people tend to be more receptive to humbleness. He may have given Harry a clue about the egg, but it was a clue given in turn because of the dragons. He didn't want to feel as if he owed Harry some debt, so he repaid it.

Draco Malfoy: Oh, Draco Malfoy. "Father" is perhaps his most oft repeated word throughout the series. And that's just it, isn't it? Everything he did, he did for and because of his family. He worked hard all Sixth Year not to further himself, but out of loyalty and love for his family (and just a tiny bit of self-preservation). Hufflepuff, for the ability to put in such effort and because I was never quite convinced that he was truly Snake so much as he was one who felt that he had to be.

[latenightcuppa.livejournal.com]

4. I see myself most in Gryffindor. I've been all over the place. When I was young and a silly fangirl, I was so sure that I was a Slytherin (ha). When I was in school, miserable and desperate to define myself, I tried to think of what stood out about me the most and went simply with "intelligence." Quite frankly, I was a bit of an idiot. However smart I may or not be has never been the most stand out part of me, and that only became clear to me this year. My best friend, who knows me better than I know myself, once said AGES AGO (I am even more of an idiot for not listening to her) that perhaps the greatest thing about me is that you can always count on me to stand up for something I believe in, regardless of circumstances. My core beliefs, the causes that are near and dear to my heart, those are what I define myself by. I am the girl who will (and has) stood up at lunch in the cafeteria to tell off some guys making homophobic jokes, hitting them on the head, before storming off, all without thinking about it first. When I think of myself, I think of someone who is stubborn and opinionated and maybe sometimes not the best person to have around because I can be frustratingly uncompromising, but at the very least, I will never back down or back away from something that I care about. I'd rather take action rather than sit around and think about things, and at the end of the day, I really sort of want to save the world one tree at a time.

[music-simbol.livejournal.com]

1) For each house, choose someone you think you'd get along with pretty well, and also choose someone you'd despise on sight. Explain why.

2) What is the one thing you have to do in your lifetime? (as abstract or concrete as you wanna)

3) Is there any house you just don't see yourself in at all?

4) If you could have a coffee or tea with any HP character, dead or alive by book 7, who would it be and what would you want to discuss?

5) What are your thoughts on Snape?

Thank you. :)

[latenightcuppa.livejournal.com]

1) For each house, choose someone you think you'd get along with pretty well, and also choose someone you'd despise on sight. Explain why.

Slytherin: I am quite sure that I'd get along pretty well with Andromeda Black-Tonks, knowing that she's the sort of person with the balls (so to speak) to follow her own heart, rather than adhere to family plans and family traditions. I've never put much stock in tradition, and would likely have a lot of respect for her. I would despise Draco Malfoy on sight, simply because he is a ween and there's nothing I hate more than pompousness when you have nothing of yourself to back it up with. Don't brag of other people's accomplishments, tell me something of your own.

Hufflepuff: Cedric Diggory just seems like the sort of popular gets along with everyone well enough guy, and would probably be easy to talk to. I can't say that we'd be friends, but we would get along pretty well. Zacharias Smith, on the other hand, I would hate instantly. He reminds me of a guy I knew from school that I hated with the fire of a thousand suns. Sure, he wasn't a bad guy, exactly. Much like with Draco, I have no problem with ego if I think it's warranted. Zacharias seemed to be full of nothing more than hot air.

Ravenclaw: Marietta Edgecombe, you are a useless twit. I don't get along with people who are too straight-laced, because I've never been one for rules. And yes, maybe some of what she did was because her father worked for the Ministry, but how could she not see that everything had reached a point where it was so much greater than favor in the Ministry and school rules? I would get along with Luna well because she's a bit of a nutter, and I like that in a person.

Gryffindor: I would get along well with Neville Longbottom because he's such an obviously decent guy, good-humored guy. That and he turns out to be a total BAMF. For similar reasons to Draco Malfoy and Zacharias Smith, I would hate Cormac McLaggen.

2) What is the one thing you have to do in your lifetime? (as abstract or concrete as you wanna)

I...really desperately want to go on a backpacking trip around South America. That is the first thing that popped into my mind, so I'm going to go with it. This is something that I've been thinking about for many years now. I've been talking it through with my few closest friends and it's something that we all want to do. I've never been to South America, speak only snatches of Spanish, but there's some part of me that keeps telling me Yes, Do This. And when my brain starts pulling out the capital letters, I know it's srs bizness.

3) Is there any house you just don't see yourself in at all?

I don't see myself in Slytherin, which is why it's so funny to me that I used to be so sure that I was one when I was younger. While my goals in life are high, my methods for achieving them are not Slytherin in nature. Sure, I work hard when I have to, but I tend to think that things will happen when they happen.

4) If you could have a coffee or tea with any HP character, dead or alive by book 7, who would it be and what would you want to discuss?

Ugh, you don't know how difficult it is to not just say Dumbledore and force him into a conversation about Grindelwald. No, mustn't abuse hypothetical question powers for OTP fangirling. OH, but first, let me clarify that it would most definitely be a cup of coffee. I want to have a cup of coffee with James Potter, because I think that he could be incredibly fun, have some awesome stories that start with "this one time, Sirius was wearing a skirt...", and because I don't think that canon gave him a fair shake. Lily wound up marrying him after all, it's not as if she suffered an extreme blow to the head.

[latenightcuppa.livejournal.com]

5) What are your thoughts on Snape?

I cannot bring myself to like Snape. I don't hate him, exactly, but I personally find nothing redeeming about him. I know that so many people have woobiefied him and expect everyone to go all squishy because he loved Lily, but no. I can't. I can have some respect for what he did, but I don't believe that he chose the path he took because it was the Right Thing. When it comes to Snape, I can't let go of the fact that no student should be asked the question "what do you fear most?" and respond with the name of one of their teachers. No student should fear a teacher that much, and the way Snape treated Neville was reprehensible. He was a bastard to many students where there's no convenient "oh, but he's the son of the woman that he loves from another man so it's okay, he's just expressing his inner ~*~pain~*~" excuse, and I find that disgusting.

[semi-subtle.livejournal.com]

Least favorite character in the series?

[latenightcuppa.livejournal.com]

Peter Pettigrew, the miserable swine. It's important to realize that my friends are some of the most important people in my life, and I can honestly say that I wouldn't give them up for anything. When Sirius Black yelled, "YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED, DIED RATHER THAN BETRAYING YOUR FRIENDS, AS I WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU," I got the chills largely because I feel the same way, and to see that sentiment conveyed so effectively in print was unnerving. That Peter could throw it all away, turn traitor and betray his friends, that's simply beyond me. To this day, my knee jerk reaction to Pettigrew is revulsion, more so than for any other character.

[lovestyle.livejournal.com]

Take the iPersonic here () and tell us your results. Do you agree with them? What sounds the most like you? The least?

What are your feelings on Dumbledore? Can you forgive his actions, or do you think he was shady and manipulative? ... perhaps something in between?

[music-simbol.livejournal.com]

pssst, your link just comes back to this post. :P

[lovestyle.livejournal.com]

Aaand now I can't edit my comment lol. XD;;; Here (http://ipersonic.com). :P

Sorry. +_+

[latenightcuppa.livejournal.com]

I am a groundbreaking thinker (http://ipersonic.com/type/GT.html).

extroverted, theoretical, logical, spontaneous, rational, innovative, intellectual, open, independent, curious, enterprising, analytical, clever, enthusiastic, venturesome, inventive, energetic, sociable, optimistic, non-conformist, creative, freedom-loving, charming, able to get enthusiastic, self-confident, communicative, capricious, inconsistent, outgoing

I am...all of these things, depending on the mood or the day or the situation. In that respect, inconsistent has to be the most spot on of them all, although freedom-loving is perhaps the one closest to my heart.

most Groundbreaking Thinkers like to travel in order to gather as many different impressions as possible. Yes yes, perhaps even a thousand times yes. Traveling is quite possibly my favorite thing to do. It might even trump drinking coffee, which knowing me, is really saying something. I've always been the sort of person who can't understand why anyone would rather read about a place if they have the opportunity to go and experience it for themselves. I get restless when I'm in one place for too long, and frequently have to tamp down the "go, go, go right now somewhere" feeling that comes over me when anything drags on for just a little bit too long.

Off of this, They cannot stand routine and too detailed work. They love to astound others with bold ideas for an original, new project and then leave it up to the others to implement them. Hierarchies, rules and regulations arouse their opposition and they love outsmarting the system. It is vital to them that they enjoy their work; if this is the case, they quickly become pure workaholics is also really accurate.

as well as are very critical and demanding when it comes to picking a partner because they look for the ideal relationship and have a very concrete picture of this ideal relationship. I readily admit that I am overly critical of anyone and everything.

Honestly, this personality fits me to a T and I can't think of any one thing sticks out to me as being very much Not Me Whatsoever, How Dare You. Bit eery, actually.

---

You know, it's strange. It never once occurred to me while reading the books that anyone could dislike, yet alone despise, Dumbledore. I think that most people's greatest problem with him is that they dehumanize him right from the start. He's old (and frequently considered wise by many, although never explicitly by himself), of great intelligence and an authority figure, so he is automatically put on this god-like Gandalf pedestal. He should know exactly what to do so that everything turns out shiny and happy with a pretty pink bow, etc. To err is human, and Dumbledore is human, all of those titles and awards certainly can't strip that away from him and transform him into something ~*~greater~*~. Post-Book 7, I feel that he was a person put into a very difficult position, wherein he had a lot of information, a lot of knowledge, the intellect to realize that the End Game (e.g. defeating Voldemort) was the most important thing, and somewhere along the way he had to reconcile this with his own sense of morality and compassion. If he truly were this cold manipulative figure, would he have been so remorseful, so down on himself when speaking with Harry in the "train station?" His actions weren't perfect by any means, but he did the best with what he had, and that's all anyone can ever do.

ugh, sorry, edited for heinous misspelling.

[darthsarah.livejournal.com]

Hrm... Interesting information. :0D

1) You are confronted with immediate danger.
Will it be fight or flight?

2)What would your amortentia potion smell like?

3)What animal would your patronus be?

4) Being Polite vs. Being Right

Which do you think is more important to a Slytherin, a Gryffindor, a Hufflepuff, and a Ravenclaw.

[latenightcuppa.livejournal.com]

1) You are confronted with immediate danger.
Will it be fight or flight?

I am unsure with this question, largely because I've never actually been confronted with immediate danger, and I think that this is one of those things where you never really know until you're in the moment. No one is really going to say flight, are they? I mean, I suppose some would, but the way I view it is this: you say flight, and you come across as a coward, and who wants to be that? Certainly not me. I'd like to think that I'd be the sort of person who, given the right opportunity in that unlikely situation, would choose to fight and maybe even pull a John McLane in the process. Given my track record with confrontations in general, I'd say fight. Everything is pointing in that direction, so there's your answer, no matter how tentative it may be.

2) What would your amortentia potion smell like?

Coffee (because it's my favorite thing in the world), grass in the springtime (there's something special about it that I can't explain), and my puppy the day after she's been washed and still has that lingering just-been-cleaned smell.

3) What animal would your patronus be?

A dog. How is that different from your Animagus, you will enquire. My Animagus figure is that of a Border Collie, which I think makes a lot of sense for me. However, I think that my patronus would be a labrador retriever. I've had labradors my whole life, and there is nothing in the world more comforting to me than my dog.

4) Being Polite vs. Being Right

Which do you think is more important to a Slytherin, a Gryffindor, a Hufflepuff, and a Ravenclaw.

Slytherin: Being polite. Maintaining civil discourse is often important for future engagements as well as for public image. No use burning bridges when you might need them later.
Gryffindor: Being right. The Gryffindors are an uncompromising lot and their values are too important to them to ever be sacrificed for anyone. Being polite implies that they should censor themselves, and that's something that Gryffindors overall aren't exactly inclined to do.
Hufflepuff: Being polite. The Hufflepuffs are a fair, open-minded sort, and they would be more likely to withhold something that might cause undue stress. Keeping the peace when conflict can be avoided.
Ravenclaw: Being right. To say being polite instead would imply that you're doing or saying something that is essentially withholding information, and a Ravenclaw would tell you that information shared is better off because there is discussion and more insights being contributed.

[darthsarah.livejournal.com]

Fantastic answers.

I totally know how you feel with the dog thing.

I just lost my best friend of 14 years and I still don't know how to deal with it. Love that puppy because a good dog is truly a treasure. ;0)

[latenightcuppa.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

:( I'm sorry.

In truth, my dog is nearly 6, but she still acts like a puppy (and looks like one, a little), so I refer to her as such.

[darthsarah.livejournal.com]

I always called my dog a puppy.

Mommies always call their kids their "babies".
Our doggies will always be our puppies! LOL

[latenightcuppa.livejournal.com]

I frequently like to joke that I will be the little old lady living alone surrounding by dogs, rather than cats.

[dorasolo.livejournal.com]

This is potentially unfair because I probably know you best out of all HiH people (is this a fair statement? why or why not?)

1. Do you think Lily Evans was justified in changing her mind about James and Snape? Can such a drastic change in mindset be a Gryffindor trait, even though they are largely known for being stubborn and opinionated to a fault?

2. Dumbledore often says "Sometimes we sort too soon..." How is this applicable to you? Do you see sorting as something fluid when you're younger, and more stable when you're older? Explain a situation where you've acted more like a Ravenclaw in the past, but would act like a person in a different house now. How do Severus Snape and Peter Pettigrew play into this concept? (Here, have a big softball thrown down the center of the plate)

3. I don't have a third question now. But I'll come up with a humdinger, I promise. ;)

[latenightcuppa.livejournal.com]

This is potentially unfair because I probably know you best out of all HiH people (is this a fair statement? why or why not?)

Yes, I'd say that that's a fair statement. You were the first person that I spoke to on such a regular basis and perhaps the only member of HiH that I've opened up to as much as I have. Also, there was that whole thing. That week. With that guy with the big ears. Barack something? You know what I'm talking about. ;)

1. Do you think Lily Evans was justified in changing her mind about James and Snape? Can such a drastic change in mindset be a Gryffindor trait, even though they are largely known for being stubborn and opinionated to a fault?

I do believe that Lily was justified in changing her mind. We grow a lot over the course of our teenage years, and part of our personal growth is the ability to recognize that very same change in others. I can empathize with James, because I think that we're all a bit of a tool when we're younger. I know that I certainly was and I had no qualms about being nasty to the ~*~Snape~*~ in my life. However, he was able to do the Right Thing when it really counted and was obviously mature enough to be chosen as Head Boy. That Lily was able to overcome her headstrong opinion and see that about him only speaks to her strength of character. If she hadn't, if she had stubbornly chosen to refuse to see him in a different light, she wouldn't be the Lily that I like so much.

As for Snape, I can't see her forgiving him for what he said. Actually, with her change of heart regarding both James and Sirius, I see her as adhering to that very same Gryffindor mindset. Yes, she's overcoming her strong preconceived opinions, but she's doing so in accordance with those core beliefs that are so strong within the Gryffindor House. How could the Lily who was compassionate and liberal and who clearly believed in equality for all not change her mind about them both? If she hadn't, she wouldn't be true to herself, all for the sake of stubborness. Snape had become something that was so antithetical to herself, someone who fell in with a dark crowd, someone who clearly had no problem running around with and perpetuating the beliefs of the bigoted. James, on the other hand, had grown up and been the sort of person who would risk his life to save someone he hated because no petty rivalry is worth someone's death.

holy tl;dr, batman!

[latenightcuppa.livejournal.com]

2. Dumbledore often says "Sometimes we sort too soon..." How is this applicable to you? Do you see sorting as something fluid when you're younger, and more stable when you're older? Explain a situation where you've acted more like a Ravenclaw in the past, but would act like a person in a different house now. How do Severus Snape and Peter Pettigrew play into this concept? (Here, have a big softball thrown down the center of the plate)

I think that when we're younger and our lives are so strange and undergoing so many changes, we like to think that we know exactly what kind of person we are, because doing so brings us comfort in an uncertain time. Being a teenager sucks, and to establish yourself as one type of person makes it that much less painful. At least this is how I feel it's applicable to me. When I initially applied to HiH, I was in the middle of completing the IB diploma at a school that I hated, where I felt alienated because I was so far away from the people that I truly considered my best friends. Because people often came to me for school advice, I told myself that that was my thing. That was what made me special, the fact that I'm smart, and I clung to it just a little bit too much.

I think that once we reach that certain age where something happens to make us realize what's really important, that's when we realize what idiots we were when we were younger. For me, it was reaching college and realizing just how important activism is to me (and always has been). In general, I see sorting as something that can be fluid when we're younger, and become more stable when we're older. Some get it right immediately, but some get it so very wrong. I always felt that Draco Malfoy, for instance, wasn't a Slytherin so much as he felt that he had to be and forced the mindset upon himself.

I would say that in eleventh grade, in particular, I spent too much time living inside my head. I thought about anything and everything too much, and was completely miserable as a result of it. I didn't make friends with the people that I wanted to make friends with at the time, because I was too stuck inside myself. I didn't take chances, I never went out when I wanted to, etc. I think that it's a Ravenclaw hangup to live inside your head a bit too much, to focus too much on your cerebral side. If I were to do that year over, I would take more chances. I would act more like a Gryffindor and would have done more with my daily life. I have learnt in the past year that even when I have some reservations, going out and just doing stuff is better for me. I never wind up regretting it, except for that one time with too much goldschlager. I'm too social and affable a person to allow myself to get wrapped up and cower in my room.

In the case of Snape and Pettigrew, I don't believe that either of them were sorted incorrectly. Snape, from the very beginning, strove for something more with his life. He wanted to gain some higher position, show the world that he was capable of power and recognition. This is why he compromised his friendship with Lily, this is why he joined up with Voldemort. The only reason that he changed sides was for her, because he believed the work he did on the other side would save her life. It wasn't because he believed in the cause, it wasn't because he considered it to be the right thing. It was out of love for Lily, and love is not something that Slytherins are excluded from by any means. He just realized a little bit too late that power was never the most important thing in life.

I really despise Pettigrew, as you know. However, I can't deny that it's a little bit impressive that he was able to make such a drastic break from the beliefs of his friends. Yes, it was treacherous and vile, but it was also surprisingly bold. And isn't that what Gryffindors are known for, their boldness? There are many types of Gryffindors, as we all like to stress, and they express the house traits in many ways. Just because I don't agree with Pettigrew's actions doesn't mean that I can deny that he belonged there.

[lotrangel17.livejournal.com]

1. Who would be your favorite teacher at Hogwarts and why? Least favorite and why?

2. Who do you consider your role model, why do you look up to this person?

3. What do you enjoy most about hogwartsishome?

Stephanie//Hufflepuff

[latenightcuppa.livejournal.com]

1. Who would be your favorite teacher at Hogwarts and why? Least favorite and why?

This is going to come across as slightly egotistical given my application, but my favorite professor at Hogwarts would be Professor Lupin. The classes that I always enjoyed the most were the ones that were the most engaging, the ones where I felt that I was actually contributing instead of being, well, another brick on the wall. Lupin made his classes enjoyable and hands on. I hate classes that bogged down in bookwork, there's something so much more appealing about being able to get up and walk around, and see the practical application of my learnings. It's like when I was in economics and my teacher used to be all, "we're going to learn about blah blah blah even though it doesn't exist as a practical theory in real life" and I would give him this incredulous are you effing kidding me? look. I like a teacher who can make me feel as if it's all worth it in the end. Also, he's just an all around nice guy with a good sense of humor. Strict when need be, but not unnecessarily so.

My least favorite would be Umbridge. She doesn't get a title from me, I think that little of her. Unarguably my second least favorite character in the whole bloody series, I'm not even sure where to begin. I think that teaching is for those who have a passion for it, not those who are doing so to achieve some agenda. What she attempted to do, prevent students from learning practical defense, was downright reckless considering the times they were living in. Also, she was just so smug and condescending and argh. I can't think of her without devolving into incoherently angry keyboard smashes.

2. Who do you consider your role model, why do you look up to this person?

Much like all younger siblings, I've always looked up to my older sister, Jessica. Growing up, I considered her to be the epitome of cool. She was the one who went to the concerts that I wish I could have been old enough to attend, met all of the nifty people that I've always wanted to meet, etc. She is still someone that I consider a role model, all younger child syndrome worshipping aside. She is a strong, independent person, and although her professional and personal life has taken a lot of twists that she didn't expect and taken to her a lot of places all over the world that she didn't expect, she managed to roll with the punches and kept on keeping on.

As far as someone that I don't know personally, it's hard for me not to look up to Jon Stewart. Sure, he's a brilliant funny guy. He's a good comedian, first and foremost. However, he's also someone who isn't afraid to put his jokes aside when he realizes that something is really important and grapple with serious issues in the public eye. As such, he's taken on so many seriously shady folk, from the idiots at Crossfire to Jim Cramer.

3. What do you enjoy most about hogwartsishome?

I really really enjoy the random discussions. Not the debates, because I think those get out of hand and tend to quickly devolve into hurt feelings and misunderstandings. It's all of those random posts that you don't expect to be epic, but turn out to be so much fun, that's what I love about HiH. Finding a place where people can appreciate my nerdy jokes, where I can reference everything from 1950s bomb films to Star Wars in a discussion about Harry Potter, and at least one person will find my madness funny. I've made some great friends here through miscellaneous discussion posts.

resorted: Gryffindor

[caketime.livejournal.com]

Hii Samantha! Sorry about the wait, I usually let a day (or in this case two- oops) pass so that everyone can vote seeing as I'm in GMT+1 and time differences can cut most of the judges off.

ANY WAY. This was a very easy sort, there was almost no discussion due to the fact that everyone voted you in Gryffindor. Some judges noted that it was very refreshing to see someone appeal for a canon reason and not because they didn't feel welcome in their house. I concur!

If you want a reasoning as to why you're in Gryffindor I can give you it, I'm going to admit it might sound a bit repetitive (plus, not many judges have argued this canonically) - your whole application screams Gryffindor! You're bold, spunky and passionate.

You may unjoin the Ravenclaw main comm and join gryff_lions, the prefects have been notified.

Re: resorted: Gryffindor

[latenightcuppa.livejournal.com]

HURRAH. ♥ Thank you, Mia!