(no subject)
LUMOS SORTING APPLICATION
A Note: I ran this through the spell-checker, and I read it through to check for grammar, but frankly that’s not really my strong point so I’ll apologise in advance for the inevitable typos.
Name:
Ellen, and I’m keeping my last name to myself. On the net I go by Elski Brightwater, Brightwater being related to but not the same as my mother’s maiden name.
Age (13 or up; we stick to LJ rules):
15
Location:
I live in a medium-sized town in southern Ontario, not far from Toronto. The sort of place not so small everyone’s in your business, but small enough to be sure of running into a familiar face wherever you go. Just the right size of town.
Where did you hear about this community? (Please tell us which
lj user recommended you for he/she shall be given a point.)
Ameranthine sent me, via Notebook in Hand.
How much time are you willing to invest in this community?
I’m not sure. ^^’ It depends on the week, obviously, but… probably an hour a day, maybe more. A bit less when school starts again, of course.
PART 1 - Canon
1. Have you read all the books?
Yes, no less than four times each, and often more, excluding the Half-Blood Prince; only done that once twice so far. ^_^ Plus the two charity ones, and so much fanfiction I often confuse fandom and canon. What can I say? I love to read.
2. Give us your personal interpretation of each Hogwarts house (in terms of atmosphere, mentality, intra-house relationships et cetera - these are just a few examples).
Gryffindors are people running on their emotions. Prone to blow-ups and not unable to hold a grudge, they’re reckless, foolhardy and idealistic. Or, in another light, bold, brave and optimistic. Exactly the kind of person you want on your side, really. I see the average Gryffindor as the sort of person who you can have a real good yelling fight with every once and a while. But even if they’re not talking to you and are, in fact, actively plotting something nasty, should someone else insult or put you down they’ll be there to save you. Because only they get to yell at you. :-) Gryffindors can be obsessive (think SPEW, Harry’s obsession with proving alternately Snape/Draco guilty) but that’s not always a bad thing (think Hermione and marks). All in all, great people to hang around with. I think Griffindors would get along excellent with Hufflepuffs, acceptably with Ravenclaws, and, of course, horribly with Slytherins. However, this is more due to the long-standing rivalry than anything else. There’s no reason some Griff’s and Slytherins couldn’t be pals.
Ravenclaws are, obviously, the intellects of Hogwarts. Not all of them would be bookish, mind. Not all learning comes from books. In fact, I’d say the overwhelming dominant trait of Ravenclaw’s is curiosity. They want to learn about the world they live in, as much as they can. Of all the house’s I think Ravenclaw hosts one of the greatest varieties in personality type, from the blunt realists to the dreamers, from the good to the evil, from the lazy to the hard working. Overall, however, I think they’d be inclined towards making educated decisions and calculated risks rather than blindly following their hearts, as a Gryffindor would, and would do their best not to let emotion rule them. They’d probably get along with, in order form best to worst, Slytherin, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff.
The people of Slytherin are, as we all know, cunning and determined. Or are they, really? Certainly Crabbe and Goyle don’t seem to fall into the ‘cunning’ department. No, the key to being a true Slytherin is ambition. They have a very clear view of their future, and they’re working constantly to get there. Crabbe and Goyle want to be great dark wizards. How to get there? Not on brains or power, that’s obvious. So they’ll do it by being favoured by someone with both brains and power; specifically, Draco Malfoy. I think most Slytherins would be brutally realistic about most things, although quite capable of self-delusion, and willing to quietly bend the truth in order to accomplish their goals. Behind the very visible Slytherins of the books I’m certain there must be some who simply spend their days quietly working to fulfil their ambitions; not all Slytherins are jerks. I expect Slytherins would get on relatively well with Ravenclaw, dislike Hufflepuff for the most part and, of course, have the traditional rivalry with Gryffindor.
Hufflepuffs are the hard workers of Hogwarts. Stalwart friends, I should think, they’re often overlooked as ‘duffers’ or stupid, I think because some people equate hard work with a need to work hard. Just because you do your best in everything doesn’t mean you couldn’t achieve good marks even when slacking, and just because Helga taught and loved those the other houses turned their noses up at didn’t mean she got the rejects. Hufflepuffs see their commitments through to the end, and because they’re often overlooked probably have the potential to give a far more unbiased view on things than the other houses. Hufflepuffs are okay with being overlooked, though; they know the world couldn’t do without them, and their comfortable in their role as hard workers and comforting shoulders.
3. What would be your favourite flavour of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans and why (note: as the name implies, all possible flavours exist)?
My ideal flavour of Bertie Bott’s every flavour beans would be a combination of peach and strawberry. I’ve never actually had them together (they’re not exactly in season at the same time, y’know?) but I imagine they’d be glorious together. They’re my two favourite fruits, and they make me think of summer time. Them with maybe just a hint of mint to it; I *love* mint, but not just by itself. There may be a few flavours I’d like better, but this is the one that works best as a jellybean. I mean, try to imagine a chicken soup flavoured jellybean, eh? Just disturbing.
4. If you were on your House’s Quidditch Team, which position would you preferably play and why?
I’m tempted to say Keeper, because I was always Goalie for sports, but come to think of it, it was because I wasn’t very fast at running (bad ankles, I’m afraid…) and that’s not a problem on a broom, and staying in one place like that’s no fun. So… not Seeker either, because I couldn’t stand having the whole game ride on me, I’d be devastated, and horribly embarrassed, if I let everyone down. Chaser or Beater, then, I have no idea which. I figure if I was actually at Hogwarts, I wouldn’t even try for the team. I’m not really big on sports.
5. (Optional) What HP conspiracy theory do you hold true unless it is textually proven otherwise? (i.e. Snape is a vampire, Ron is Dumbledore, etc. -there are loads of these theories. Feel free to contribute your own)?
I’m not big on conspiracy theories, but, well, for those who’ve read the end of Half Blood Prince, I’m desperately trying to form a theory that allows Snape not to have done what it looks like he did. ^^’ I think, upon reading it again, I’ve found an overheard conversation between Dumbledore and Snape that could imply Dumbledore ordered Snape to do it rather than loose value as a spy or let Draco die or whatever, and once I’ve got it solidified into a proper theory I plan to hang onto it until death do us part, y’know? I may even ignore so-called ‘proof’ form the text. ^_^I refuse to believe Snape did it.
Additionally, I’m becoming attached to the R.A.B = Regulus Black
6. (Optional. If you can't answer #5, make sure you answer this one.) What is your favourite book aside from HP and why?
Mm… That’s a really hard question, but I guess I’d have to say Night Watch by Terry Pratchett. It’s hilariously funny with occasional surprisingly deep bits and a great parody on life in general, like all his books, but this one in particular I like not only because I think it’s one of his best books yet, but also because it focuses on my favourite character, Sam Vimes.
Or maybe… maybe Pastwatch, by Orsen Scott Card. The man is an utter wordsmith, and that book is a glorious combination of fact, fiction and a healthy dose of ‘what if?’.
7. What would your Room of Requirement look like?
Apart from it looking exactly like Hagrid's Hut...
Ah, what a question. ^_^ Well… obviously it would change depending on my mood at the time, but I think I’ve got a general idea.
Regardless of the specifics of the room. All furniture would be very low down. Table just high enough to sit cross-legged at, for instance, although I doubt there’s be tables very often. Mostly beanbag chairs, and leg-less overstuffed armchairs and futons, in shades of green and brown. Earthy colours.
There would be book-shelves all over the place, kind of patchy here-and-there on the walls, starting high enough up that you could comfortably sit with your back against the wall., and sometimes going higher than you could reach by yourself but always with a way to get at them (steps, a nook, a ladder, etc). The books on them would vary, but would always contain exactly what I wanted to read when I entered the room. Similarly, there would always be music playing, and the volume and type, along with the lighting of the room, would change with my mood.
In amongst the bookshelves would be shelves featuring plants, and fish tanks with those filters that create a waterfall effect. Here and there are small cupboards with watering cans, a water tap, or food for people and fish. There are little nooks built right into the wall at various heights, that one can climb up to on rope ladders or hand-holds built into the wall, and comfortably rest in while reading.
Every shelf, and every board of the hardwood floor, would be made of a different type wood, creating a spectrum of colours from the palest pine right up to the darkest mahogany. On the floor would be a throw rug of the thickest, most plush materiel imaginable, in patchy brown and green of different shade. The wall would be painted similarly.
Finally, The ceiling would be done a great-hall style, high up and looking like a sky, but corresponding to what I need, emotionally, rather than to the real weather.
Okay, so that wasn’t exactly ‘general’, but you get the idea. An oasis of calm away from the stress of the world.
8. Describe your wand and tell us why you picked that design.
Maple, 14 inches, inflexible, dragon’s heartstring (Chinese fireball, otherwise known as the lion dragon).
Wood: Maple is the symbol of Canada (as Canadians go, I’m quite patriotic), and for me, of my home. My childhood is full of memories of winter sugar-shack tours, riding horse-drawn sleds through forests of maple trees laden with buckets, eating maple sugar. Maple sugar is favourite candy of all time, in any form. Additionally, my family has a huge maple in our backyard, that I spent my summers climbing in it, or reading in its shade. If any tree were truly me, it would be the maple.
Length/Flexibility: I wanted a wand that was longer than normal, but not abnormally long. 14” is (according to HP Lexicon) just about right for that. Ron’s new wand is apparently 14”, Voldemort’s 13 ½”, but most wands seem to be in the 9-12” range. Hagrid’s is a whopping 16”. 14” is actually a bit big, but 12” was too small and unlucky number 13 seemed like tempting fate in a world with magic. I wanted a longer than normal wand because I’m relatively tall, and there’s some indication of height corresponding to wand length. Also, though, because longer wands are more noticeable, and I’m the kind of person… well… I dress really weird, really noticeably. It’s not that I want to be noticed, persay, more like… ah, heck, I don’t really understand why I do it myself, but as best I can figure it’s like I’m saying “I’m not going to let the fact that I’m scared of you (specifically bullies, specifically Katie + cronies) stop me from being who I am.” Somehow in my mind a longer wand sort of conveys a sense of that; I figure a longer wand would be more noticeable, more awkward to handle, but probably more powerful, because of the longer length to channel magic. As for ridgedness, there’s a similar line of thought there, as well as that it reflects my unbending personality. I often get an idea in my head and refuse to change it, and I don’t do compromise very well.
Core: All of my RL HP geek friends agree that the only possible core for me is dragon’s heartstring. There was a bit of talk about phoenix tail-feather, but, um, phoenix is a bit sublte to represent my personality. ^^’ Even going through the whole book of magical creatures, we couldn’t find better than dragon. I’m big, stature wise (I sometime refer to my ‘barbarian invader’ shoulders), I can be very rammy about stuff, I’ve got a temper, I can be real nasty verbally when I want to (‘fire’), and so on. Dragon just… really fit. The Liondragon was chosen because the bright, scarlet-gold colours and Chinese origin reflect me in a lot of ways; the afore mentioned habit of wearing eye-drawing stuff, and my obsession with India and the surrounding countries. Also, the description of their flames just struck my fancy. I’ve been known to frequently act solely on spur of the moment things, and I figure this is no time to change. ^_^ The idea of using heart string irks me, as a vegetarian, so I’d probably fight to use scales or something, but heart-string is the traditional one so I’m leaving it down.
PART 2 - You
Please go here and fill out the short Myers-Briggs test.
9. Paste the URL of your results (TOP 5) including its description here.
I’d just like to point out that I find these test too black-and-white, either-or, and generally disregard the results as inaccurate, myself. And I always have trouble with them, because my answer is always ‘Well, depending on the circumstances…’, like the whole justice or mercy thing, and I tend to get different results every time I take one of these things. Sigh. Here goes nothing…
Your #1 Match: INFP
The Idealist
You are creative with a great imagination, living in your own inner world.
Open minded and accepting, you strive for harmony in your important relationships.
It takes a long time for people to get to know you. You are hesitant to let people get close.
But once you care for someone, you do everything you can to help them grow and develop.
You would make an excellent writer, psychologist, or artist.
Your #2 Match: INTP
The Thinker
You are analytical and logical - and on a quest to learn everything you can.
Smart and complex, you always love a new intellectual challenge.
Your biggest pet peeve is people who slow you down with trivial chit chat.
A quiet maverick, you tend to ignore rules and authority whenever you feel like it.
You would make an excellent mathematician, programmer, or professor.
Your #3 Match: ENFP
The Inspirer
You love being around people, and you are deeply committed to your friends.
You are also unconventional, irreverant, and unimpressed by authority and rules.
Incredibly perceptive, you can usually sense if someone has hidden motives.
You use lots of colorful language and expressions. You're qutie the storyteller!
You would make an excellent entrepreneur, politician, or journalist.
Your #4 Match: ENTP
The Visionary
You are charming, outgoing, friendly. You make a good first impression.
You possess good negotiating skills and can convince anyone of anything.
Happy to be the center of attention, you love to tell stories and show off.
You're very clever, but not disciplined enough to do well in structured environments.
You would make a great entrpreneur, marketing executive, or actor.
Your #5 Match: INFJ
The Protector
You live your life with integrity, originality, vision, and creativity.
Independent and stubborn, you rarely stray from your vision - no matter what it is.
You are an excellent listener, with almost infinite patience.
You have complex, deep feelings, and you take great care to express them.
You would make a great photographer, alternative medicine guru, or teacher.
What's Your Personality Type?
10. Who do you admire most and why?
My Auntie Heather. She’s not actually related to me, she’s just kind of everyone’s Auntie Heather. (She taught me math at one point, because she works at my High School, and that was really weird and I further embarrassed myself by called her Auntie Heath in class, but that’s another story…) She’s always thinking of other people. And she’s so incredibly generous. She always has a smile, and a kind word, and she gives gifts on every occasion like they’re going out of style, and she always has time for you and… well… you get the idea. Plus, minus the math obsession, she’s the exact kind of funky person I want to be when I start getting a bit on the elderly side. Heck, at age 50 she had a pi symbol tattooed on her ankle. ^_^
I wouldn’t want to be exactly like her, obviously, but I do try to emulate her ‘other people come first’ attitude, because I know I can be horribly self-centred at times.
11. What would you like to have accomplished at the end of your life?
I’d like to know that I’ve lived to my fullest, and always done the best I could do. That’s all anyone can do, is their best.
I’d like to know I made a difference somewhere.
More materiel and specific, by the end of my life I want to have written a book. I’d like it to have at least one fansite. I’d like to have looked up once, and seen that the person across from me on the bus or something was reading it.
12. Would you sooner commit a crime against your kin or your countrymen?
I have to answer with the good ‘ol standby: depends. Which kin? Are we talking my Mom, or Uncle Scott who’s a recovering alcoholic living in the Yukon who I only ever saw once at Grandma’s funereal? By ‘countrymen’, do we mean my best and dearest friend Jenevieve, or are we talking some guy off the street? Or does this mean, well, all of my kin/countrymen in one go? I mean, I love my kin, but my countrymen are a bit more numerous. What’s the crime? What are the consequences of it? It’s really a very vague question to be asking… or maybe I’m just slow, could go either way. ^^’
13. What would your animagus be and why?
A crow. A big bird, plain yet somehow flashy at the same time, considered by some annoying and a pest, sometimes obnoxiously loud, can be a bit of a bully but is known to protect others of it’s kind, highly intelligent, one of the only known tool-using birds… it’s, well, me, in a lot of ways. Plus it can fly; regardless of what I picked at animagus, it absolutely must be able to fly, or breathe underwater. It’s not the perfect animal, but it’s as close as I can find.
14. What would your patronus be and why?
A centaur. Nothing says it has to be an animal, right? I’m a Sagittarius, and I’ve always liked the image of the bow-wielding centaur. It’s just a… protective sort of image, despite the centaurs in the forbidden forest getting all ‘humans are bad' in the fifth book. If there was anything I could imagine cowering behind while it chased down dementors, it would be a centaur; frankly, I have trouble imagining cowering behind a patronus at all. I’d much rather march up to the dementor, whack it over the head with my wand, and demand to know what it thinks it’s doing, sucking happy thoughts out of people like that. ^^’ (I’d so do it, too.)
15. What career would you consider if you were indeed part of the wizarding world and why?
Well, I’ve always wanted to be a novelist. There are probably fiction writers in the wizarding word too, right? If I had to pick a really wizardy profession, maybe… Oh, I don’t know. I’m tempted to say ‘Auror’, but, well… Okay, the idea of saving the world from dark wizards and protecting the innocent and all that highly appeals, I’ll admit; frankly, dark wizards are the HP world’s biggest racist bullies and stomping down on them would just be a highly dramatised, high-risk version of grade nine applied level classes. I think I’d quite enjoy it. However, not only does everyone say Auror (and I hate to just be one of the crowd), but, well… if lives are at risk, I don’t know how I’d react, but I expect it would be poorly. I don’t always handle panic situations well, and I couldn’t stand to know I’d screwed up and got my friends, or the people I was supposed to be protesting, killed. Also, I don’t think I work hard enough to even be considered for a highly demanding job like that. So, writer it is.