Potion. You happy now?!
Name: Arianna
Age: 20
AIM Screename ( if you have one ): DaKleptoManatee
Who referred you here - username and house, if possible: She didn't exactly REFER me. I saw the stamp in her info--jane85, and she's in Slytherclaw.
1. Which of the Harry Potter books have you read? Which did you enjoy most?
I've read every single one. Some I've read over five times, actually. My favorite of all the books was most definitely The Order of the Phoenix. From a writer's perspective, it was one of the best samples of writing I've ever seen. The dialogue, despite Harry's constant screaming and complaining, was incredible. The storyline itself was more compelling than any of the past books', and...I've said this before...the scene at the end wherein Harry finally breaks down about Sirius' death almost made me cry. I've never had a book move me in such a way. There's also the character of Umbridge, who was so well done that I couldn't help but actually hate her, not with the same detachment most people reserve for books, but with actual dislike. It's hard to instill that in a person, and Rowling just did it so well.
2. How do you feel about Voldemort as a character? (Not as a person.)
Ooh. This is a hard one.
As a character, I find Voldemort to be interesting. He's evil, no doubt--no one can do what he does without lacking certain things that most people possess mentally--but it seems that he wasn't born that way. I mean, think about it: your mother abandons you, and you're left in the care of a woman and a number of children who actually want nothing to do with you. On top of this, you find out that the other half of your heritage actually wants you, and that you could rise above your lowly status if you take part in that world. Who WOULDN'T be at least a little bitter against Muggles? Especially when they forced you to use your spite as a defense mechanism for so long that you can't seem to turn it off anymore? I don't know. Rowling did a great job of making Voldemort a rounded character. She kind of reminded us that no one is totally good, nor are they totally bad.
3. Which Harry Potter character can you most relate to? (In the sense of personality, intelligence, character traits, etc.)
Hermione. She and I are both extremely vocal, very bossy, and very focused on academics. Sometimes, I can't relate to her all that well; for example, when she refuses to understand that house elves enjoy working for other people, and that they don't want pay (honestly, if it were me, once I'd seen Winky crying all over herself because she wasn't a slave anymore, I'd have gotten the hint.). Most of the time, I get her, though. She loves her friends, she wishes they'd use their common sense, and she's got just enough moxie to break the rules when she needs to. I could see us getting along. Either that or we'd be at each other's throats. Putting two bossy people in one room is usually bad idea.
4. Who is your favorite Harry Potter character? Least favorite?
All of my favorite characters are dead. Sirius was my first favorite, because he was a tough soul, he was strong, and he was an incredibly talented wizard. I liked Sirius also because he gave Harry a strong adult figure to hold onto. Then, the man twists himself up in a bunch of curtains and that's the end of him.
So after that, I was a huge fan of Dumbledore. I'd always liked him alot anyway. Dumbledore was funny, and, the best part to me was, he hid his nasty side with his humor. He had the power to crush all of those students, but he chose not to use it, and that made him a good man more than anything else. Plus, without Sirius, Dumbledore was the only trustworthy mentor Harry really had. Then he drank some bad Kool-Aid, and Snape finished the job.
I kind of gave up after that. I'm a bad omen for the characters apparently.
As for my least character, I couldn't stand Ron for the longest time, because he was, to me, one of the most disloyal friends I'd ever seen. Harry needed his support in GoF, and instead of being there for his friend, Ron chose to believe that Harry was trying to hog glory, though this was something he should have known wasn't true. He's also hurt Hermione before, simply because he has a crush on her that he won't admit to anyway...I don't know. He has his good moments, but for the most part, Ron seems like a friend I'd have given up on ages ago.
5. What thing, event, or person has had the most impact in your life? (Please don't use yourself because you can't think of someone/something else. Think hard!)
You know, I hate to give him any credit, but my ex-boyfriend had a huge impact on me. It was all in a good way, turns out, but I know that if it had been up to him, it wouldn't have been that way. See, my ex-boyfriend was abusive in all senses of the word, and he really enjoyed making me feel bad about myself and my life in general. I was this naive 17 year old kid who didn't really get what a relationship was about yet, and as far as I knew, this was normal.
Well, to make a long story short, the guy cheated on me and broke up with me, then continued to terrorize me for about 7 or 8 more months. After I finally told him I wanted nothing more to do with him, I realized I'd grown up. Alot. I learned alot about who I was and what was really important. I learned not to take disrespect from anyone, and that I'm really worth something, whether other people think I am or not.
My fiance taught me plenty, too, but I decided to tell you about the harder lesson first. The other lesson is for another story, 'nother time.
6. What makes a friendship valuable to you?
I think it's about privelege. It's like this: your parents...well, most parents...have it ingrained in them to love you, no matter what. You do something wrong, you screw them over royally, and they'll still say something to the effect of, "but he/she is still my son/daughter." They, in a sense, HAVE to love you and they HAVE to be unconditional about it. A friend is a person, usually unrelated, who has absolutely no biological obligation to be understanding or loving to you. For a person to choose to be around you or love you when they don't have to, that's a big deal. It means there's something about you that that person found important or worthy, and it's one of the nicest feelings.
7. If you had a hero (real or literary) who would it be? (Please keep in mind that we're asking IF you had one, and again please don't use yourself because you can't think of someone else. Be creative!)
What if we already DO have a hero? Though I prefer the word "idol" myself. Maybe THAT'S not even the right word. I don't know.
Anyway, I'm a huge fan of (please don't laugh) Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park and Fort Minor fame. Not for the usual fangirl reasons (read: OMG! HE'S SOOOO CUTE!), but because he is, to me, what a real artist should be. I've always been heavily into creating and music and composition, and Shinoda has been painting for years, he's into graphic art, he works with a highly successful band, he produces, sings, raps, and has started his own side project. He's a man who's realized he loves something and immersed himself in it. And, while I have absolutely NO plans of being just like him as far as his sound or style, I would love to follow his life philosophy and surround myself with only things and people that I love. It's such a positive way of living.
8. What are your personal aspirations for your future?
Well, unless I get into music or finally finish a novel, I hope to go into publishing as either an editor or PR agent. As long as I'm surrounded by books and manuscripts, and as long as I get a chance to work with literature, I don't really mind whether or not it's mine. Actually one of the main things I'm worried about right now is being able to provide for my future family and still do something I love to do. It's important that I get to be happy with my life choices and still do well, y'know?
9. Name 5 to 10 of your most prominent personality traits, good or bad. Explain each. Which one do you feel best defines who you are as a person?
I think I've overstayed my welcome enough, so you're only getting five. Here you go:
Leadership/Bossiness--this is one of those things that depends on the person. For some, my nature denotes good leadership skills. For others, I'm a bossy, nosy brat that needs to shut up and sit down. In my own opinion, I think I'm kind of a mix of both. If the project in question is one I'm highly interested in, you couldn't find a better leader. In fact, I'll get my head so into the game that it's almost impossible (and usually unadvisable) to pull me out of it. On the other hand, if I'm being forced into something I don't want to do, I can be kind of bitter about it, and then my "leading" can take on a rather annoying tone to it. Then I'm bossy.
High Standards--well, according to alot of people they're high. Personally, I don't think I'm asking for much. You tell me the truth, you don't try to hurt me or try to do anything maliciously towards me, and you treat me like you respect me, and I do the same for you. If I can do it, I think anyone can really. You'd be surprised, though, how many people get on me about this. Once, I stopped hanging out with this one girl because she couldn't be herself around me, and it got to me. I was asked why her being herself was so important to me, and why my standards were so high, and I didn't really have a great answer. I just feel like, if I can't trust my back to you, why put you behind me?
Semi-quick Temper--In most instances, I am a rather laid-back person. Most things roll like water off a duck's back. But if someone hurts my family or my friends, I can get vicious fast. Ditto if you waste my time by not using your common sense. In those cases, I've kind of scared myself with how mean I can be. I'm not a mean person by any stretch of the imagination, but those times I just kind of lost it. You don't attack those I care about, and you don't act as if you're smarter than me when you can't buy a cookie at Subway without getting conned out of your money.
Acceptance--I tend to be very tolerant of just about everything. I have a number of gay friends, and a future father-in-law who's homophobic (though, I'm more "tolerant" of the latter. Homosexuality isn't a big deal in my book at all). I have Black friends, White friends, Hispanic friends, fat friends, skinny friends, mixed friends...it really is "all good" to me. As long as you're a good person, I don't care what you look like or what your background is. Believe it or not, some people still succeed in screwing this up.
Creativity--I've been writing since I was six, singing and dancing since I was five, acting since I was eight, and working with photography since I was 13. All I've ever been is a creator and a performer. It's strange, because the other day, someone asked me what "made" a writer, and it was then that I realized that I've never thought of myself in any other terms. I seriously don't think I could. If I'm not making something up or putting my own spin on things, it feels almost as if something's dying in me. Sounds obsessive, doesn't it?
10. What house combination do you feel you're most like? Least like? (This is not pushing. It shows whether or not you are self-aware and may not have an influence on the voting process.)
Um...I suppose I'm most like a Slytherclaw. I have the intelligence and ambition and all that, I just think I'd be a rather nice Slytherin though. I think I'd lack that ruthlessness that most Slytherins seem to have, so I don't know. Maybe I'm more of a Ravenpuff--smart and nice? I don't know. It's kind of difficult, because I've been told I have traits from all the houses, so it's kind of hard for me to figure myself out. I know I'm smart. I'm ambitious. I'm loyal. I have a quick temper. There's something from every house right there. As I said, I'll say Slytherclaw or Ravenpuff, but that's a tentative thing.
As for what I feel least like, I guess I'd choose Gryffinpuff, only because both houses together sounds like a wonderfully trustworthy, virtuous mix...more virtuous than I am, I think, because I DO have that acidic side. But then...what do I know? That's why you guys are here...to give me a better perspective on myself.
11. Why should we not squib you?
Because I'm just that exciting.
Seriously, I don't think you should, because I'll stay active in the community, I'm interested in Harry Potter (as all of you are, I would hope), and I think we could all have fun together. Not to mention, every single answer you see here is real and truthful. I haven't stretched the truth, I haven't tried to lead you anywhere...I've tried my best to give you an accurate portrayal of who I really am, so that you can want to run and hide from the real me, rather than one I just made up. Not that I could fake who I am anyway. I tried it once when I was 15. It doesn't work.
Thanks, kids.
ME