It's that time again. Sorting, I mean.
Name: Nattie.
Age: 15.
The Wizard
1. What kind of wood is your wand be made of?
Hazel
August 5 - September 1
"The 'new moon' Hazel individual is more inclined to seek out knowledge than his or her 'full moon' counterpart. These people possess an inquisitive nature which can, at times, become prying or underhand. The 'full moon' Hazel individual is more outgoing in nature and temperament. These people are also more inclined to become public figures who seek to educate or instruct people in the arts. The 'full moon' Hazel sets a high regard on honesty and has well-defined principles. Such people can, however, be very critical in attitude...usually stemming from an inbuilt hypersensitivity. Hazel individuals need to express their creativity or they could easily become morbid and introspective. "
Perceptive. Clever. Endowed with good reasoning powers. Sharpness of intellect. Excellent debater and writer. Wonderful planner and organizer. Desires to acquire knowledge. Expert in chosen field. Lively. Analytical mind. Great deal of imagination. Radical and idealistic thinker. Artistic abilities often lead to creating beauty with very practical uses. Sometimes known as the mediator of society. Keen observer of truth. Able to judge an entire situation in a very short period of time. Paranoid. Lacks self-worth. Abundance of nervous energy. Needs to be constantly channeled or becomes prone to sudden headaches and migraines. Dislikes pretenses, false values and waste of any kind. Probably the most rational. Always appears to be cool and reserved. Emotional surface control. Prone to suffer from nervous tension. Strong mental stamina. Blessed with agile mind able to cope with any extremes. Most critical of own shortcomings. Low self-esteem. Argumentative or even cynical. Resorts to underhanded means in order to attain knowledge. Honest and caring as mate. Sincere. Inspires great loyalty from others.
Um. Yeah. I highlighted almost everything x)). For some reason, even though I know these horoscopes are one on many, they still manage to define me pretty well. This may be because I'm both an archetypal Virgo yet not; my whole pysche is an oxymoron at times. I'm a traditionalist and thrive under the constraints of my culture and expectations of excelling where others do not - however, I am not restricted and can adapt to become whatever the situation calls for, which includes being extroverted and bubbly. I am an academic person and value intellect highly, but my respect does not stem from intelligence alone.
2. How do you think you would use magic? On a day to day basis? Over your entire lifespan?
Magic makes everything so convenient, so yes, every day. I'd love to be able to use an accio spell instead of going downstairs to retrieve my coffee or levitate my textbooks so I don't have to carry them. There's almost no down-side of magic and it's an amazing apparatus, and so much more advanced than technology. Why not mix the two together? I wouldn't be encouraging destruction or the creation of weapons, but infusing magic into our technology would also be amazing. The practicality of technology with the unlimited convinience of magic... We'd create the perfect machine.
I like the idea that magic is almost literally flawless in its ideal - you don't lose anything from the use of magic but you can gain so much. The benefits are too large and too many for me not to use magic; it would be difficult to not become addicted to its efficiency.
3. What are your strongest personality traits? Your weakest?
[+]
(a) I have an extremely steep learning curve; I pick up things very easily. I learn with great speed at the beginning, then progress to punctuated equilibrium over the periods when I finally close in on perfection. While I enjoy learning things, there is also a great necessity for me to learn them. More skills equals more opportunity, more interviews and job offers. If you are skilled in many things, you can do many things. I enjoy being a person who is a jack-of-all-trades; each new talent or skill obtained gives me a different perspective on a problem - especially one I could not solve prior to obtaining that skill.
(b) I am adaptable. I've been thrown into so many weird situations and grown up with so many different people that I can change very quickly to adapt to my surroundings. I am a firm believer in the process of natural selection (even though it's not exactly 'natural' anymore) and being adaptable and resourceful will get me far in life. Some may see this as fickle and indecisive, but it's helped me in so many situations, it's not even funny.
(c) I am funny. At least, I think/hope I am. I love humour and sarcasm, and I will not hesitate to employ a nerdy pick up line if you are particularly fine x).
[-]
(a) I am paranoid like woah :|. I tend to overthink, internally panic or overstress on small details. I am paranoid in all forms of self; mentally, physically, spiritually. I reason with myself too much on a certain question in a course, about how others will see me or about death. I am afraid of death the most, I think, out of the three. There's something that frightens me about ending my life before I can do everything I want - need - to do. I check both ways of the street before I cross it (metaphorically and literally) and check my back one too many times. It cripples my ability to take risks and opportunies with high percentage of failure, even if the rewards are great.
(b) Short attention span. I burn out and disassociate very quickly, especially if things don't interest/benefit me anymore. I don't cling or hang on simply because I can. Unfortunately, this concept applies to everything - including books, shows, clothes and people.
(c) Greedy. I have severe material lust and it impedes me from saving big sums of money for future use, such as education. I love money and I love clothes and I'm going to be very fiscally unhappy if it keeps up.
4. If you could solve world hunger by killing one person would you? Explain why or why not.
Well, it'd have to depend on who I'd have to kill... If it was a family member or a close friend, no? I'm not sure what sort of situation would be placed on my shoulders for this to happen; there's no way of answering this question truthfully unless I want to try being a martyr.
I think this is one of those relative vs. absolute ethics questions, which I abhor on all degrees. I'm definitely not up to the guilt that would be the obvious consquence of killing someone, even if it benefitted the world. I am not a fan of the "for the greater good" theorem, and it is not my decision to condemn someone for the benefit of the world. World hunger is not something that touches upon the edges of my life, and I'm not quite sure I'd be able to carry the guilt of taking a life to look like a hero.
5. Who would you say is your role model? Explain.
Hi, have you met Thomas Hunt Morgan? He was an extraordinarily talented man - considered to be one of the fathers of modern genetics - intelligent and brilliant yet respected and inspired loyalty and success from his students. Although I would not necessarily want to be exactly like him, he is the closest person I would associate with as a role model. He's also the bomb x).
6. How do you respond to confrontation?
I try to avoid the wank, to be honest. I really dislike pettiness and squabbling in general, but if I've stepped on someone's toes, I will try to make amends. If it is a serious debate and I do have an opinion, I will express it, hopefully in a polite and inflammatory manner. If there is a battle to be won, I will win it, but if it is a small fight, what use is it to put out the effort to win it? Small victories may make you feel better but it also makes you look brusque, hot-tempered and tactless. None of them look very good on me, I'm afraid.
7. What values are important in your life?
(a) Having goals. I think they're one of the big factors that regulate my life (besides House and ANTM) and I hate the feeling of being lost and not having a goal to work towards. They're my motivation to grow and learn; without them, I would be stagnant, and I really couldn't bare that. I also can't stand the word 'dream'... I don't have dreams - the term implies that there's a possibility I won't reach them; that my accomplishing them is not for certain. No. There is no doubt in my mind that I will accomplish everything that I want to; all that varies is when and how.
(b) Loyalty. I am loyal to the people I value, and without many of them I wouldn't function too well. I don't throw my loyalty around and it takes much effort and time to earn, but my true loyalty is steadfast and unwavering and is extremely benefitial to whoever gains it.
(c) Humour. I'm not sure if this counts, but god I need humour in my life. I need things to be funny, I need wit and sarcasm, however dry. I need to be able to laugh at least once everyday, to loosen up and to remind me that life is not all chemical reactions and cells but has humanity and emotion in it too.
(d) Being multi-faceted. I pride myself on my talent. I think of talent as a giant pool, and not everyone is given the same amount. While I don't think I was given an immense amount (normal pool, really), I believe I spread it across the different fields wisely. It may be a bit thin in some spots but overall, I enjoy being able to do a lot of things well.
8. If you were to face a boggart, what would it turn into?
A gunman, or some weapon that could bring death. I've stated that I fear it above everything else, and this is ultimately true. I've always been mortified at the thought of dying - I'm not intrigued by the concept, believe me. It's the fact that I have so much that I need to accomplish and prove to various people, and if I were to lose that opportunity - go early, as others would say - I'm not sure what I would do. This will change as I grow older and get to where I need to go, but for now, at my age, death would be my boggart.
The World
9. What makes a person respectable?
Being talented, fashion-saavy and not ignorant. I realize a lot of people don't fit this criteria ( x) this is not supposed to be offensive, mmk?) but really, being all three earns a truckload of respect from me. I don't necessarily judge on personality unless you're really... a horrible person, but I think it's your skills and how you present yourself that holds the most importance to me. It's just a bonus if you dress well, but then I'd totally have to rein in that urge to hit on you :|.
10. Which of the basic elements do you identify with the most: Earth, Air, Fire, or Water?
I'm going to quote my friend here and say I'm a "true branch on fire"; I reside in both the Earth and Fire elements. I am outgoing and optimistic and generally awesome humorous but also practical and down-to-earth. (Hi, what did I say about being an oxymoron?) I worry and overthink yet at times can be somewhat brash and can't see my own pitfalls. I quite honestly feel that I have a good balance of both too: internally stable yet externally exciteable.
11. Do you believe there can be a truly selfless act?
No. While this may seem cynical, I believe there is always some sort of windfall that comes from any supposed 'purely selfless' act. Even a martyr gains an immense amount of fame after their sacrifice - while this may not be selfishness, it is still a consequence of their action. Even those who do good in anonymity can't say they're truly selfless because they're doing it to also gain a sense of satisfaction and self-worth, not just to help. This does not mean that I think charitable people are horrid (...ha) but there is no one that can say they are truly selfless.
12. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose and why?
NEW YORK. Yes, the caps lock! was needed there. My god, what I would give to move to NYC and have money to burn over there. The metropolis is the epicentre for everything that I hold dear; fashion, culture/art and genetic science. It's such a ridiculously beautiful and well-planned city with its ups and downs and is the major North American city that everyone knows when they hear it, anywhere across the world. All the designers have boutiques in New York, my university of choice (Columbia) is located in NYC and so is the Met. Despite its pitfalls, they're vastly outweighed by the benefits of being there.
The Reader
13. Have you read all of the Harry Potter Books? If yes, which book is your favorite and why? If no, which book is your favorite so far and why haven't you finished the rest?
Yes, of course x)? My favorite had to be Half-Blood Prince, despite its wishy-washy plot. I think I most enjoyed the characterizations (especially Harry's, who finally managed to even his hormones out after his wangsty boohoos in OoTP), and the ambiguity of Dumbledore's death. It served as the book I found most enjoyable for no other purpose than to see Malfoy cry, which made me ... laugh. A lot. Okay. And I really believed at the end that Snape was actually... doing this for his own benefit and would reap all the rewards of being Voldie's right hand man; I thought that Snape was definitely the most interesting. HBD definitely got me thinking the most, and I was genuinely surprised that there was a character who did not fit in with JKR's general 'loves makes the world go round' theme.
14. Who is your favorite character in the HP series? Why?
Rita Skeeter, and I will admit that I may like her for less than deep reasons. I think she has substance and is a parallel to our world that makes her extremely realistic - she is after all, a parody on many of JKR's 'mosquito-like' paparazzi. She is a character that could actually be successful and exist in our world rather than just the HP world, and okay, really? - no one rocks a crocodile handbag like her. (I am not shallow as a dish, I swear.)
15. Which character is your least favorite in the HP series? Why?
I never found any of the marauder era characters very interesting, but my least favorite would be Remus Lupin. Yes, I'm not a fan of the werewolf but ironically enough, I see bits and pieces of me in him. I think Lupin tries to come off very warm and as a 'good character' but has moments of such blunt stupidity that I really can not stand him. I dislike the fact that he tries to pass himself off as a strong, caring, good character when he's really quite hollow and morally redundant. Why did he never owl Harry in Philosopher's Stone? Harry needed guidance then. Lupin didn't have the excuse of being dead like Peter or James, and he wasn't incarcerated like Sirius. Sure, he was 'busy', but really how busy can you be to not even be able to owl your best friend's son?
16. If you were a part of the HP series, what canon character(s) would you be friends with and why? Which character(s) do you think you would not get along with?
Oh, I'd definitely be bffs with Lavender [Gryff] 'cause she shares the same vein as me in interest of eye candy, fashion and generally being true to my own gender. I'd probably like Zacharias [Puff] too, simply because he has the same snarky humour that I would like to think I have and we could share conspiracy theories. ;) Even though he comes off a bit unlikeable, he's very level-headed and treats everything with a good amount of skepticality. I like the idea that he doesn't follow blindly behind others and would watch my back if I watched his. I think I'd be generally amicable with the students of Hogwarts though, because making enemies would be... well, tactless. You never know when someone's friendship could become useful.
Hermione would annoy me in whatever class we had together because she's one of those 'yes, I'm a bookworm' type of people who insist on flaunting their brains at everyone by reciting passages from their textbook. As much as I like intelligent people, I think Ms. Granger would just be one of those people who metaphorically pushes my buttons everytime. I can't be sure of anyone else, though I'm not entirely sure I'd enjoy Ron or Draco's presences either. They both are too pretentious without much talent to back their own statements up, though I may tolerate Malfoy for the sake of his dad's ties to the ministry.
17. Choose a quote from one of the HP books. ANY quote. Be sure to cite who said it and explain why it is your favorite.
"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."
Dumbledore, Harry Potter & The Philosopher's Stone.
I always find Dumbledore has the most amazing quotes, but this one which I first read way back in 1998, resounded the most with me. I still live by this today. I am not enamoured with 'dreams' or the unattainable, as my head is not up in the clouds. I am a practical, realistic person; any goals I have set for myself is set in confidence that I will be able to reach it.
Date Journal Was Created: 2006-08-14
Favorite Spell: Use? Accio. I'd never have to get up again! Pronounciation wise, Salvio Hexia.
Where I Heard Of The Community: LJ search x).