hih_appeals | Evaluate me.

Entry tags:

Evaluate me.

Name: Ashley
Age: 19
House you were sorted into: Gryffindor
Link to original application: Sorted.
Are there any questions you would like to elaborate on?

Yeah, actually.

What is the one thing you would most like to accomplish?

My original answer:
Well, I've already completed a novel, so the next step would be to get it published. Even if it wasn't popular or anything, having a novel that I had written out there and on a shelf somewhere would be an amazing feeling, I think.

Elaboration:
I think, the key to this is that in order to even attempt to have a novel of mine published, it would have to be something that I was very, very happy with. I would edit it beyond belief, until I felt that there was nothing left I could do to make my characters and my world more believable and just... better. Writing is important to me, and I take it very seriously, and I need to be happy with my writing before I can believe for a second that anyone else will like it.

And this one: What do you want to do for a living?

My original answer:
Well, this is complicated. I want to write novels for a living. But I'm not so naive as to believe that this will happen. Not to say that I won't try -- as I mentioned above, I've already finished one novel, and I'm still writing. I love it, and I'll never really give up on it happening for me. But I need a career that will support me until that happens, if it does. So I'm in school right now, and I want to go on and get my Masters in Library Sciences, to become a head librarian somewhere. I know that's probably a little strange, but I would be around books all the time, and the pay is pretty good, too. Besides, I can just see myself in that role -- it would be pretty cool, I think.

Elaboration:
Actually, this might change a little. Library sciences still interests me quite a lot, but I've also been thinking lately about majoring in Humanities and possibly becoming a Professor. While I could never teach high school or lower [I would go insane... I hate kids] I think I could handle teaching college level courses. I know it would take a lot of work on my part, either way, but these are the things that could make me happy, so I guess it's worth it. I'm actually also thinking, though, of switching schools entirely and going into a Graphic Arts program. Mostly it's me being unsure which one I'll actually pursue, because I'm just like that... I hate making decisions, and I like a lot of different things.

And I didn't answer the "which house do you think doesn't fit you?" because I do see qualities of every house in myself. But I see Gryffindor qualities the least, and that's why I'm writing this. This sorting community, and others, and the way people have sorted me have actually really changed the way I view myself in terms of houses, and how my particular personality falls into those strict molds. I don't believe that anyone is completely one house or another, and it's all about figuring out which house will cater to your abilities and personality the most.

Explain why you feel misplaced in your current House!

Well, first of all, I have to say that I love the people in my house. I've made some friends there, and I think they're great people, but... I've never thought of myself as a Gryffindor. I see a little of myself in every house, but when I got sorted into Gryffindor here, I was like "...what?" But I joined my common room, and I've participated. And I met some great people in my house, so it's been hard to even think of appealing, really. I'm even on the house Quidditch team. But when we lost... like, I was sad that we lost, because I'm on the team, so I was part of the reason. But I didn't care that Gryffindor had lost. I'm a little lacking in the house pride. And I know this is an online community and not really Hogwarts and all that, of course, but I'm participating in a lot of contests and things and I want to feel that pride when the house I'm in does something awesome. When I sign things as a Gryffindor, it just doesn't mean much to me, because as awesome as the people in my house are, I don't think I have the same Gryffindor qualities as them.

What would you see in the Mirror of Erised? Be exact with your descriptions!

Myself, pen in hand, scribbling my autograph onto a published and popular novel. It's always been my dream to write for a living -- it's a dream that I fully realize will probably never happen, as the chances of being published, let alone being able to live off of publishing, is highly unlikely. That doesn't stop me from wishing for it, though, and it doesn't stop me from trying, either. I've written two novels so far; while I don't believe that either of them are good enough to be published, I am proud of the accomplishment of finishing them in the first place, and I'm working on a third one now that I think is better than the first two. If I ever publish anything and have one fan write to me to tell me how much they enjoy my work, I will die knowing that I got the most out of life.

Okay, and I know the actual image in the Mirror isn't all that detailed, but it's really the thing I want more than anything. That, and to be happy -- but sitting there knowing that people wanted my autograph on a book would make me happy, so I think it's kind of a given.

What makes you unique?

Hmm. Liking to read isn't as unique as people seem to think -- which is a good thing, but it means I can't put it here.

I'm a mass of contradictions. I love my friends, but I'm meaner to them than to anyone. I go from wanting all my friends around to just wanting to be alone in a matter of seconds sometimes. I love to learn, but I hate studying and going to class.

I love to sew. It's not that popular of a hobby anymore, not among people my age anyway, but I think that's so sad because it's so rewarding. I've only got the basics down right now, but I'm constantly trying to do harder and harder projects to see how far I can take this hobby of mine.

Mostly I don't think I am overly unique. I have unique hobbies in some ways, I guess, but I'm just me. I like to hang out with my friends and I enjoy working, though I also like being lazy. I like to sleep and to read and to design websites and have fun and go to class and laugh and have a good time. I don't care much about boys or make-up or who drives what car or wears what clothes, I've just never had time for stupid gossip like that. I'd much rather talk about the shows I like and things like that.

I don't know how well my personality comes across in my original application, or in this appeal, but hopefully you've gotten some sense of me now.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

You already know the general traits of the four houses. List for me which of those traits you feel are very strong in you, and what traits you find are not strong in you. If you need clarification of this question, comment and I'll do so for you.

Because I liked Laura's question on my appeal...

Pick a character from each house and tell me why you wouldn't get along with them, and how that's a reflection of your traits.

Let's say you have a million dollars, what would you choose to do with it?

You said your experience being sorted has caused you to see yourself differently in terms of where you belong and how you see yourself. How did you see yourself before, and what's changed?

You mentioned that a House should cater to your personality and abilites. Do you find there is only one House that could do this, or several? Why?

Furthermore, I just wanted to say thank you for giving the House a really good try. I know we in Gryffindor appreciate that. :)

Gryffindor
You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;

Chivalry would probably be the trait that manifests itself the most within me. I believe in honor and courtesy. Though I am quite a bitchy person to my friends, and to people I just dislike, I am surprisingly polite to people I just meet, and it's not just a face I put on. And honor is something I definitely believe in and build upon. To me, it goes hand in hand with karma, which is something that I believe holds power in this world and is something that everyone should be paying attention to.

Bravery is, obviously, the most common trait listed under Gryffindor. I don't think I'm very brave, as it were. I can stand up for myself, if I have to, but I prefer avoiding confrontation and staying in the background. However, like Neville, I can do things if they're truly required of me, so I guess in that sense bravery is a trait that I possess.

However, I don't think that nerve and bravery are the same thing, and I don't think I have a lot of nerve. I hold my tongue a lot of times, just to save myself the trouble or the drama. If I really want something, I'm really bad about going after it -- because it scares me to do so. I'm scared of being turned down, or of hearing an answer I don't like. Even when it comes to things like my health, I don't like seeing doctors, because what if they give me the news that I don't want to hear? I don't deal well with those sorts of things, because I don't have the nerve to deal with them. I'd rather just pretend that everything is fine.

Hufflepuff
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;

Okay, well Hufflepuff is easy for me. Loyalty is quite strong in me. I love my friends and my family, and I would do nearly anything for them. Hurting my friends is a better way to get to me than hurting me. If you hurt me I'll probably just get upset and take it, but if you hurt my friends I will come after you. Because that's just not on. I don't let a lot of people into my 'circle of caring' as it were, but the people who are in there are in there for a reason, and I don't let go of my friends easily. There's a reason I don't change friends every couple of months like so many people seem to do.

Also, I am a just person. I believe in doing what is right, I believe in winning through your own merit and not based on cheating or someone that you know. I believe that if you do something wrong, something will happen to you because of it -- whether because of the law, or natural karma. This isn't to say that I'm a perfect person, because of course I'm not and everyone makes mistakes and does things that they regret, but I try to be the best person I can be.

However, I am one of the least hardworking people that you could ever meet. Really. I'll do things if they interest me, sure, but I'm so very lazy. And I procrastinate with the best of them, which is something that I've perfected to almost an art form that's nearly something to be proud of. I'm just a big fan of taking the easy way out, as bad as that can sound. If there's a simpler way for me to do something, I'll do it that way. If there's a way for me to not do anything at all, that sounds even better.

Also, patience may be a virtue, but it isn't one of mine. If I want something, I want it now and I hate waiting for it. Hate it. I have no patience with people, either. If you say you're going to do something, do it. If you say you're going to be somewhere, be there. Lateness is something I abhor, and I think that goes along with a lack of patience, in a strange sort of way.

Ravenclaw
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
if you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;

Okay, so, I like knowing things. I like being intelligent, and knowing that I can participate in conversations about a wide variety of topics without making an ass of myself. As bad as it might sound, I like being able to correct people when they make mistakes, and I like knowing that I can make a decent life for myself, simply because I can, and will, learn. I like going into something knowing that I can do it, so long as I apply myself.

And I think I'm a pretty witty person. I'm not the funniest person in the world or anything like that, but I can make people laugh. And when other people use dry, ironic humor, I find that amusing, and I get it. Not just in the understanding sense, but in the all around "I know where you're coming from" sense.

However, I don't like the actual learning process. I hate taking the time to learn things -- I just want to know them. Obviously I do spend time learning, because I think it's worth it for the knowledge that I'll gain, but if there was a way to just assimilate that knowledge into my brain, I'd be much happier doing that. I'm just not one for studying or anything of the sort, and I'll put it off until the last possible moment.

And finally...
Slytherin
Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folks use any means
To achieve their ends.

Okay, I guess the easiest one here is that I'm ambitious. I have a lot of dreams for myself, a lot of goals, and they're important to me. I want these things, and I've sworn to myself that I'll make them happen somehow, because what good is making a goal if I'm not going to do anything about it? So yes, my ambition is a decidedly Slytherin trait.

The difference is, I don't "use any means to achieve [my] ends." I'm just not very good at being manipulative. I never have been. I'm not a very sneaky person in general, and whenever I do try to be it makes me nervous and uncomfortable. Besides which, attaining something always feels much more special to me if it's something I really deserve, something I've earned. I like that feeling, whereas I think it's more Slytherin to like the achievement itself -- which of course is very nice, but it's the effort you put into reaching your goals that make your goals so special.

I'd also like to note here that I do see myself as a very bitchy person, especially to my friends -- it's sort of my way of showing that I care -- but while many people see Slytherin as the 'bitchy' house I think that's more of a quality that can fit into any of the houses, depending on the nature of the bitch.

Hope I answered your question satisfactorily.

Okay, well, easiest one first...

Gryffindor.
Lavender and/or Parvarti. They're the sort of gossipy, annoying girls that I never got along with in high school, because I'm just not into that 'scene.' I don't care much about how people view me, and I'm not boy obsessed, and I'm just... not a typical teenage girl, I suppose, which is what they really seem to be. There's nothing wrong with that, it's just never been what I've been interested in, and I tend to not get along with people like that, probably mostly because I don't and can't understand them. It seems rather boring to me.

Slytherin
I guess I'd have to say Crabbe and Goyle, because of their complete lack of an ability to think for themselves -- but they're the type of people I'd be more likely to simply ignore, because there's no reason for me to interract with them or anything whatsoever. I have no respect for people like them, because just blindly following someone is such a ridiculous idea to me. I'm sure that at least part of this is due to the books being told from Harry's -- and therefore a Gryffindor's -- point of view, but you can't even really tell them apart, can you? It's boring and loses my interest quickly.

Hufflepuff
I think that I have to go with Ernie Macmillan. While I understand his need to protect a friend, his blind belief in rumors about Harry in CoS is just... really, very annoying. I'm a skeptic at heart, and I rarely believe anything at face value. Though he does make up for it later, and I can appreciate that, I've always found him annoying because of that initial reaction I had. I can respect loyalty to a friend, but there's just something about him and the way he does things that's felt off to me, and I don't think I'd get along with him because you never know what he's going to believe.

Ravenclaw
Marietta. No one likes a snitch. Betraying your friends is just not something that I can stand, period. Also, the fact that she didn't stand up for herself -- if she didn't want to go to the DA meetings, then she shouldn't have. She's whiny and annoying and exactly the sort of person that gets on my nerves so easily. I may not be the bravest person in the world, and I may hate confrontation, but if I don't want to do something, I won't. And I think that, for the most part, that's how it should be.

Let's say you have a million dollars, what would you choose to do with it?

Finish off my schooling without having to depend on my parents, first off. I would set a little aside for 'fun money' because I'm greedy like that. And I would give a large chunk of it to my mom, because she's not in the greatest place money-wise right now, and I wish I could help her more than I do, because she's an amazing woman who has done so, so much for me. The rest... I would hire someone who could help me figure how best to save/invest it. That might not be the most interesting way to use a million dollars, but it's what I would do with it, so oh well.

Okay, and I'll come back to the other two questions tomorrow after work, because it's nearly six in the morning now and I should really get some sleep. :)

You said your experience being sorted has caused you to see yourself differently in terms of where you belong and how you see yourself. How did you see yourself before, and what's changed?

Wow, I hate questions like this, because I always feel like I can't avoid coming off as pushy. But, okay..

I used to see myself as a mix of a Hufflepuff and a Slytherin. I don't anymore. Starting with Hufflepuff, I think I mostly see myself that way because of my loyalty. Which, granted, is a large part of who I am. And so I still think that Hufflepuff is a large part of who I am... just, maybe not so large as I considered it to be in the first place? Because while I am a very loyal person, I'm not extremely hard-working, and I am far from patient. So rather than saying that I'm not a Puff, I think it's better to say that I have less Puff qualities than I originally thought, when I was taking a more shallow view of the houses and what their qualities are.

As for Slytherin, I no longer see myself as much of a Slytherin at all. I think I only ever thought that in the first place because I really am such a bitch, and my friends tease me that I belong in Slytherin because of it. One friend in particular, who is unfortunately not a part of Hogwarts is Home, used to tell me that I was a great Slytherin because I was so damn catty, especially to the people I care about. But that really is such a stereotypical view of the house, and I've moved away from the more general stereotypes, I think. Bitchiness is something that can come from any of the houses, it's the nature behind the bitch that determines where you'll be. And I'm really not a very sly or cunning person -- I can lie okay when I need to, I guess, but on the whole I'm really quite bad at it. So while I am ambitious, I think I take different routes to my goals than most Slytherin's would.

So I think it's pretty obvious, then, that I view myself as a mix of a Ravenclaw and a Hufflepuff now. I even got sorted into Ravenpuff at Four House Union, which is pretty much what I expected. I've come to realize that my brain means a lot more to me than I was originally giving it credit for -- mostly because I tend to avoid stupid people, and people who just have no desire whatsoever to learn. But once I started working again, I was forced to deal with those people again, and it's a real slap in the face to see how many people just don't care about how much they don't know, and how stupid they make themselves look.

You mentioned that a House should cater to your personality and abilites. Do you find there is only one House that could do this, or several? Why?

I think, actually, I worded it as which house will cater to your personality and abilities the most. Because I definitely do not believe that there is only one house to do this. I believe that within every person there is at least some small trace of all four of the houses, and it's a matter of finding the house that is predominant within you.

Actually, thinking of it that way, it's quite like Jung's Typologies. You have a dominant type, and that's the type you understand, it's your way of thinking and looking at the world and it basically explains all of your motives and such. But no one person is perfectly one type or another. Some people fit into archetypes more readily than others, and some appear to be all over the board, but everyone does have a dominant type. And that's something that I hold true for everyone, not just myself.

I'm a little unclear if you wanted me to go into which house I think I fit into the most, but if so, let me know and I can do so.

As a last note, I just wanted to say that if the judges decide that I should stay in Gryffindor than I'll be more than pleased to do so, and I hope that there'd be no offense taken at the fact that I appealed in the first place. It's just something I felt I needed to do.

The judges have decided that you belong in Ravenclaw. You can join your new common room at

ravenclaw_house. Thank you for your time.

Kristi, Ravenclaw
Voting Manager / Appeals Mod

THANK YOU KRISTI! :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMzgVshG6CI

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