There will be no mollycoddling here.
NAME: Samantha Cate
AGE: 22
TIMEZONE: EST
01. Have you ever been sorted into a Harry Potter sorting community on LiveJournal?
Yes - lumos_main, hogwartsishome and at fawkes_reunion.
02. If you answered "yes" to number one, which Hogwarts house were you sorted into? Also, if you can, please provide a link to your application.
As I’ve grown and changed greatly in the past few months, I’ll list these from most recent to oldest -
lumos_main: Slytherin - here
fawkes_reunion: Slytherclaw- here
As for HiH, I was originally sorted into Ravenclaw. RL has taught me many things in the past few months, so I just recently appealed for a House change, and it was decided that I should be moved to Slytherin. If anyone needs me to post the appeals link, just let me know. It’s got over 80 comments, so it’s...well. Long and informative. I’m just not sure that the mods will grant you reading access to it, since it’s a subcomm.
hogwartsishome: original app into Ravenclaw- here
03. How did you find this community? If you were referred by someone else, please state their LJ name (and, if possible, their camp).
I’ve found it in a few journals I’ve scanned who are friends of friends of friends. I don’t remember whose exactly...sorry.
04. Why would you be an addition to either the Order of the Phoenix or the Death Eaters? In which subcommunities could you be a valuable asset? (consider your strengths and weaknesses in graphics, roleplaying and discussion, sorting, your interests, and your availability)
I absolutely love HP communities. It’s basically all I do on LJ now. I love discussing things with others and learning from other Potterphiles like myself. If you’ve looked at my apps above, you can see that discussion is one of my fortes. I’m a sucker for a good discussion, so long as war mongerers (aka drama mamas) aren’t present. Sorting is my mantra. I sort everything and everyone. I love it. I think it’s the power of deciding someone’s FATE that makes it so appealing to me. =P That, and it’s fun.
As for subcomms, I’m all over trivia and verbal contests of that type. Graphics are not my strong suit, unfortunately, despite my desiring them to be so. I’ve never roleplayed before, but if someone would be willing to take on a n00b, I would love to learn how it’s done. As for availability, I’m online for a few hours everyday, at least, so that’s not a problem at all.
05. Make a paragraph-long highlight summary of both the Order’s and the Death Eaters’ characteristics and doctrine. Each paragraph should be no longer than ten lines.
The Order:
The Order of the Phoenix was formed in response to Lord Voldemort’s rise, so to me, I feel like the Order is geared more towards defense rather than offense, even if it’s more of a subconscious thing. While I feel like the Order does make forays into making moves to attack, I do feel like the focus more on defending things - families, persons, items that would give Voldemort an advantage. They aren’t focused so much on discriminating against anyone wanting to join them, but they are quick to ostracize Voldemort supporters. They’re an eclectic group, bringing all kinds of opinions, viewpoints and backgrounds to the discussion table.
The Death Eaters:
The Death Eaters are much more focused on the offensive side of warfare than defense. They are the ones who make the big splashes, whether it’s with breaking others out of Azkaban, or attacking Muggles. They seem to be fairly uniform in background, though to be fair, we don’t know too much about them other than the few we’ve seen a lot of in canon (i.e. the Malfoys and the Blacks). However, their similarities help to give them similar opinions on various matters, which allows them to have much more focus and clarity of vision. They have very clear ideas of how things should be run, who should be in charge of those things, and what those things should do.
06. Identify yourself with one (ex)-Order Member and one Death Eater, and explain your choices.
Kingsley Shacklebolt: While he isn't the boldest or brashest member, no can say Kingsley doesn't have a vital role in the Order. He does what is necessary for protecting the Order's integrity (c.f. his Obliviating Marietta Edgecombe in OotP), and a trusted Order member, as he was sent with the Advance Guard to escort Harry to Grimmauld Place. He’s clearly a highly trusted Ministry employee, as he was given the task of protecting the Muggle prime minister.
Augustus Rookwood: Again, not the first person one would think of when thinking about Death Eaters, but that makes him all the more potent as a member. He was obviously intelligent enough to work in the Department of Mysteries, but was discrete enough to be quite a shock to the Wizengamot as a suspected DE when Karkaroff called him out.
Both of these men were/are ideally placed to make this biggest contribution to the group to which they belonged. They aren’t the loudest or brashest, but they are some of the most vital members to their organizations. I always desire to be important to what I’m involved in, enough so to be trusted with the big assignments.
07. Which emotion are you least able to control? Please explain. (This can be a "positive" or "negative" emotion.)
My gut reaction to be snide. It’s become something that I’ve had to consciously start thinking about. People get on my nerves very easily now, so my first reaction is to be lovely and sarcastic. But that isn’t exactly accepted social custom, so I’ve had to be very careful of what I show on my face in contrast to the running commentary going on in my head.
08. What are three of your best talents? (You are encouraged to think beyond the physical for at least two of your answers.)
Intelligent: I know when to speak up (even if I don't always have the courage to do so) and I know when to keep my mouth shut because I have no idea what I'm talking about. While I love to daydream and be creative, my feet don't often leave the ground. I have a great deal of common sense and just general knowledge, which to me is more indicative of intelligence than straight book knowledge.
Good with details: I’m excellent with thinking of the little things when approaching a big job. It helps me a lot, as I can focus on smaller steps in reaching the big goal. It also helps me to easily see if something is just a pipe dream or is actually achievable. No sense in wasting all that time and effort to get something done if I can tell from the logistical standpoint that the thing’s going to be a bust.
Good with people dynamics: Although I’m very reserved and introverted, I’m very adept at being able to read people’s body language. I’m also very sensitive to tone of voice, nuance, and inflection, which doesn’t seem like such hot stuff, but it’s really helpful in dealing with rising conflict or heated debate. I find it very useful, at any rate.
09. What are three qualities of an ideal leader, and why? Please describe a person (literary, historical, etc.) who exemplifies these characteristics.
Dedicated: If a leader doesn't even find their own cause worthwhile, how in the world are they going to inspire vision in their followers? A leader must show that they believe wholeheartedly in their cause, and that they will pursue that cause with their entire being. If they are not dedicated, their members surely will not be and their crusade will end before it even begins.
Adaptable: A leader has to be flexible. Any number of circumstances can go horribly wrong or unexpectedly too well, which requires the ability to change tactics to best fit the situation. A leader will know this beforehand, and not be daunted by unexpected bumps in the road. They will take in the new information, assimilate it, and produce an altered course of action.
Intelligent: Not necessarily book smarts or even copious amounts of common sense, although those are good traits to have as well. No, this intelligence ties in very closely with the two previous characteristics. A leader has to have the ability to know how to handle different kinds of people, different kinds of situations, and how to handle both at the same time. The have to be smart enough to realize that if something isn't going to work, they have to change the way they are doing things if they want to succeed. They have to know how to vision cast for their group. They have to know when to delegate and when to step up.
As I'm not good with history, I'll stick to literary leaders. The first one off the top of my head is Gandalf the White from LOTR. While the Grey Pilgrim was certainly one who pushed others into doing things, the White Wizard was a true enabler. He knew when he needed to act himself, and when he could push others into roles of leadership. He knew how to inspire hope in Aragorn and Pippin in times of despair, but he was also able to give realistic advice to both Theoden and Aragorn as far as war council was concerned. He was entirely dedicated to fighting against Sauron, and was prepared to do everything in his power to achieve that end. He was also dedicated enough to make big sacrifices, as he did when he allowed Frodo to take the Ring as his burden.
10. Would you ever "switch sides" in a situation? If so, under which conditions? Examples/hypothetical scenarios will be helpful!
Actually, I tend to stay in the middle of things until I’m sure of where I want to be. I guess that’s a very subtle way of saying ‘yes’. If I were firmly committed to one side, I would only switch if said group was no longer upholding the ideas for which I originally joined. True and undying loyalty is not something that I pledge lightly or without due consideration for all factors involved, nor is it something that I can just rescind spuriously. I like hearing both sides of an issue, then making my decision based off having all the information. Because one source can be very biased.
11. If placed on a mission, would you rather operate alone, with a friend, with a small group of friends or with a large force, and why?
Depends what the mission is, really. I have a hard time trusting other people, especially with important missions. However, with bigger things I would need people with me that I could trust not to screw everything up. A very small group of good friends or people I knew were good at what they did. I would have to be able to rely on them without having to babysit them, whether it be sticking to the exact details of the mission, or being able to wing it if things got hot. I would have to be reassured that they are committed to the mission, and that they will do everything in their power to make sure the mission succeeded, because that's how I would approach our task. I cannot handle being assigned an important task to complete with people who lack the motivation and the dedication to see it through to the end and to see it done well. I have little patience for failure, and would take a failed mission very badly, feeling bitter against those whose actions resulted in the failure.
12. Would you rather be convicted of betrayal of your peers, or betrayal of your family, and why?
Peers, most definitely. Family and the idea of family are very important to me. My family knows me the best, and are one of the few constants in my life. My friends, on the other hand, change fairly frequently depending on my situation and location at the time. Friends have betrayed me enough times for me to feel ambivalent for doing the same. Family has never betrayed me.
13. Write a short call to action for a modern social or political cause you support. (Please refrain from using Harry Potter situations!)
Mmm...tough one. Usually, I’m not one to be really outspoken on something, even if I think it’s important. I’ll just go do it myself, and be satisfied with knowing that I’ve done my part. Hm...I do feel pretty strongly about encouraging younger people to read more actual, physical books. I feel like youth today are so cyber-focused that books lose their appeal, in a sense. It’s really sad to think that it’s possible for people to grow up reading so few books as the internet becomes the new forum for dispersing information.