karei
in
ff_sorting
witherwings
NAME: karei
AGE: 23
TIMEZONE: PST/PDT (depending on the time of year)
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01. Which Hogwarts house do you see yourself in and why?
Well, ages ago once upon a time, I was in the fandom. And then I left for awhile. I guess I'm poking it again. How are things? I was always Slytherin back then. I had other house traits, but I was primarily ambitious. If it wasn't going to be Slytherin, then probably Ravenclaw (both of which are odd considering my GPA, but I'm easily distracted :) ). Currently, I bear too many similarities to too many house qualities to say; I've taken some of the more respectable Sorting Hat quizzes, and I've landed in quite literally every house, with a "You're so _insert house here_ it hurts!." I don't "see myself" as any house in particular. But, old loyalties die hard. So, Slytherin.
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02. 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.
Order of the PhoenixDoctrine. This is the boring part. We see evil, we squish it.
Characteristics. This is the interesting part. I find it fascinating that they are willing to do some things that, when viewed in a different light, could be seen as evil. They are cabalistic, circumventing law to achieve goals, viewing themselves as 'above' the established order. Though their goals may be good, it is often very easy to forget that the end does not justify the means; we only think it does because history is written by the winners, and nobody wants their autobiography to light on them unfavorably.
Death EatersCharacteristics. Yes, it's reversed. That's because this is the boring part, so I'm getting it out of the way. They see what they want, and do anything to get it, shy of making themselves known as Death Eaters.
Doctrine. This is where I find things interesting. If you ask me, Voldemort couldn't give a rat's ass about muggles. (I could go into why, but for the question's sake, I'm keeping it brief here.) It's a front, or at best a symbol, for what he actually wants to achieve: power. The entire group is a lie, living under a master who openly deceives purebloods into following a halfblood; he is using a pre-existing prejudice to give himself that which he has always craved, which is notoriety and dominance. If any Death Eater realised this, I don't see how they could continue being a Death Eater, save out of fear for their life.
As I understand, under both of these headings I am engaging in verbal fisticuffs. I've never held popular opinions. ♥ ?
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03. Identify yourself with one (ex)-Order Member and one Death Eater, and explain your choices.
You mean "choice." I'm picking Severus Snape. For both. adelrya said it wasn't cheating.
Death Eater. A bit of fandom!Snape is leaking in here. I hope we're all right with this. (I also hope the !-nomenclature is still used, otherwise I'm going to feel very out-of-fashion.) I have a few features I have retained since childhood, one of which is listed amongst these three: I was incredibly intelligent, incredibly self-critical, and incredibly disliked. I tried using my intelligence to aid my classmates, because I generally liked helping people; however, due to being intelligent, I also understood when I was to be taken advantage of, and I generally was. I never received reprieve from taunts and seclusion, despite my best efforts. So I sort of gave up. I withdrew, helped nobody, and did nothing; I put the desire to help people away. I drank in any recognition of my talents, which were few and far between outside of official academic accolades. A real pat on the back would have been nice; a soft word when I failed at something would have been helpful. But they didn't really happen, and I began moving towards utilizing my intelligence to manipulate people to my benefit. But in the end, spurred by a great personal loss, my little heart won out. I wasn't bad, just a little lost.
Order of the Phoenix. So, I decided to stop being a jerk to everybody indiscriminately. I accepted that a great many people would not like me. The main difference between myself and Snape here, however, is that I did not commit crimes so heinous during my more misanthropic days that I was unable to forgive myself. And (the harder of the two hurdles) I learned to forgive other people. But if I had done what he had done, I don't really doubt I'd still be in a state of unforgiving.
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04. What are three qualities of an ideal leader, and why? Please describe a person (literary, historical, etc.) who exemplifies these characteristics. Do not use any examples from the Harry Potter books.
- Understands that it is not our words but our actions that define who we are.
- Cares for the welfare of the group as well as the individual, realising that the individual is not to be sacrificed, nor manipulated into sacrifice, for the sake of the group.
- Does not flirt with moral ambiguity.
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05. 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?
This question strikes me as odd. This doesn't say as much about whether or not you like groups, like working with people, play well with others, but what kind of missions you like. I would not fight a grand battle alone, and I would not go on a stealth mission with a battalion following me; it's just not pragmatic. I guess, overall, I like the subtler missions; finer work, of careful calculation, of great attention to detail, a test more of mental than physical skill. I'd like to have someone at my back that I could trust my life with, but as I'm generally mistrusting of people, they would be very hard to find. I think most people are just good because they think they're supposed to be.
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06. How did you find this community? If you were referred by someone else, please state their LJ name (and, if possible, their camp).
adelrya
/wave
Sidenote: ellejay spellcheck does not have the word "cabalistic."