Jan 11, 2012 10:53
- What sort of profession in the wizarding world would you choose and why?
Something where I can be creatively and personally satisfied. I don't have one answer, just like I don't have one answer in the world I live in now. I want to work somewhere that's important. It has to be something that has artistic, or cultural, or societal significance, not something that's just a job. I have to believe in what I'm doing, and believe that it's something that's actually important. So, whether that's teaching, or taking care of magical creatures, or making music or being a library witch, I don't know. It could be any of those things, or more, as long as it feels right, and fits me. I wouldn't be able to go to sleep at night knowing that I was just hawking robes or pushing papers for a wizarding bank.
- You have to venture deep into the Forbidden Forest one night. Pick one Harry Potter character other than Hagrid and one object (muggle or magical), besides your wand, that you'd want with you. This is tougher than last time I had to answer it, maybe because I've seen so many different answers and good reasonings since then. I think, with my tendency toward anxiety and downright fear in completely unfamiliar situations, I'd want to have someone with me who both knew what they were doing, but was also easygoing enough to be a calming influence on me.
When I run down that list in my head, I land squarely on Charlie Weasley. What can I say, the warmth, kindness, and complete and utter goofiness of Weasleys are all things that would help me keep down the anxiety attack (trust me, my husband is totally a Weasley and he's the most comforting person I know), and Charlie is a man who knows his way around dangerous creatures.
As far as an object goes, I think I'll take a large jar of bluebell flames with me. They're practical in that they would cast some extra light, but they're also beautiful, somewhat relaxing, and would be a little less obtrusive than a high-beam muggle flashligh (which would be my second choice). I really don't like the dark, especially when the dark is full of things that want to eat me.
- If you had the opportunity to live forever, but your family and friends did not, what would you choose? And if you did choose to live forever, what would you do with eternity?
Gods, it would be hard to go on without my friends and family. It really would. Outliving my husband by that much would be a really, painful thing. But how could I resist the opportunity to see the future? To see how much of it Star Trek got right? I have to say, I'm hoping that Roddenberry's view of a future where war is over, and different cultures and races and planets can interact in peace without need of present-day concepts like control and money, is true - and if it is, I want to see it come true. Have to see it come true.
So yes, I want to live forever, I want to know what's coming for us, and I want to help the world get to a place where that future is positive.
- If you could travel back in time to one point, when and where would you go? Why?
This is my big selfish answer, and one thing that hasn't changed for me in all the time since my first HiH application. I want to hop in my time machine and show up in Liverpool before the Beatles were famous. I want to be a part of the lunch crowd that showed up to watch the Beatles play at the Casbah before anyone knew who they were, when their parents were still showing up to watch them play. I want to catch a gig in Hamburg right at the invention of the Beatle haircut, when John Lennon would still play with a toilet seat around his neck. I want to see those early first days at the Cavern Club when they were barely more than a skiffle group feeling their way into writing their own songs.
That's music history, folks, and a part of it that makes my heart beat faster. That's exactly where I'd be, if I could make it happen.
- What HP character do you identify with most and why? Nymphadora (don't call me that!) Tonks. On a surface level, I can change and adapt to fit into any situation, but most of the time, when left to my own devices, I will choose to stand out and express myself. On a deeper level, I identify with her heart. Tonks loves big, and will do anything, even risk her own life, for the people she's given that love to. I have a tendency to go too far for the people I care about, until there is very little left of myself, but I always manage to make sure they're okay in the end, even at my own expense. On a lesser level, though, I have to say I identify with the kookiness that is Luna Lovegood, because I do very much live in a world of my own that other people don't quite get.
- What would you see if you looked into the Mirror of Erised?
All right. Well, the mirror shows you sort of one big thing that would make you happy. A desire. Not necessarily the be-all and end-all of your existence. Because if it was that, well, my answer would be longer and more involved and not something the mirror could actually show me, I don't think. Sure, it could show me fame and fortune and scads of money and all those lovely other things.
But my mirror... it's going to show myself and my husband with our dogs, and our dogs are healthy. Which means that Coho's leg is long and muscled and strong, and causes him no pain, and there's no arthritis left in his two-year-old body. And for Leonard, it means that he never looks fearful anymore, because all memories of the horrible abuse he suffered before he was ours are gone, and he's just a dog enjoying every moment of his life, stress- and nightmare-free. So it's just my little family, happy and whole.
Although, you know, if we're holding papers that say our mortgage is paid off completely, I wouldn't complain.
- Do you believe that moral actions should be judged by the intentions behind them, or by the consequences they create?
I think that intentions are all well, and good, but honestly... while there might be (okay, ARE) some gray areas, mostly we need to look at how things affect people. Generally, however good your intentions may be, if the consequences are someone else getting hurt then that usually trumps all intentions. If I get into the gray areas I'll be here all day, so I'm going to stick with that.
- What was your ideal job as a kid? Has that changed? What is your ideal job now?
I have had so many ideal jobs. I've wanted to be an author, a radio DJ, a graphic designer, and all sorts of things that are even less practical than that. These days, even though I'm old enough that I should probably know what I want to do with my life, I don't. Really my answer comes down to being the same as my answer to the first question. I want a job that I can feel content in and be proud of. Somewhere significant, where at the end of the day I can go to sleep feeling like I did something that's important to someone. Whether that be because I've created something beautiful, or saved someone's life, or just made someone happy, I need that to be content in my work.
- If you were able to invent one spell, potion, or charm, what would it do, what would you use it for or how would you use it, and what would you call it?
If it isn't already there, which it might be - because medi-witches seem pretty advanced - then the only thing I could want to create is a spell to create clarity in those who are suffering from mental illness. A cure for depression, anxiety disorders, whatever it may be, it would return the brain to the state it was formerly in, or heal a brain that always lacked the connections it needed to function properly. I want to give people who have never known what it feels like to live their life without treatment and medication the chance to feel normal, for once.
Also, just so I don't seem some wonderful, caretaking person off the basis of this particular answer, I must admit that my greatest motivation is that I want the chance to feel that way myself. Being able to shake off the mantle and the stigma of mental illness is something that I have desperately hoped for for a long time.
As for what it would be called, I have no idea. I think that's of less-than-secondary importance in a case like this. I'm sure the right name would follow eventually.
- If you were to face a boggart, what would it turn into? And what does it turn into when you throw the counter-spell, Riddikulus?
Cliche answer alert: a spider. A really giant hairy spider. I can't help it, they scare the everloving CRAP out of me. I've tried so hard to get over this phobia. Riddikulus would turn it into a squeaky toy, because one of my dogs has a love of de-squeakifying... within five minutes, that spider would be in pieces all over the house. Of course, then I'd have to vacuum it up, but that's another story. My vaccuum is used to it.
- What do you look for in a friend?
This is something that's changed a lot over the years. At this point, right now, there are two things that I need. First, the person has to 'get' me. My weird little quirks, and odd taste in TV and music, and painfully nerdy streak... they have to see that, accept it, and like it. Second, and maybe more important, they have to be there for me. I tend to be the giving one in most friendships/relationships, and I will take care of people until there's almost nothing left of me. But I need to know that on the occasions where I need someone to look after me, that I have people who will be there, no matter what it is that's going on. Having people like that has gotten me through a very, very difficult year of my life.
- What trait most annoys you about other people?
Inconsiderateness. Hands down. This has really been emphasized for me with the job I work at right now, where I'm receptionist and office manager for a medium-sized business. When people on the phone or in person treat me like I'm office furniture or an answering machine, instead of a real-living-breathing-caring person who is trying to help them, it can ruin my entire day. It just... makes me sad. When I see people being inconsiderate to people other than me, that's when it makes me mad, and can really bring out my temper - it's one of the few things that can. It takes SO little effort to think about other people before you act, I can't fathom why people have such a hard time doing it.
- What do you think are your top five abilities or qualities?
1. I take care of people. If you need me, I'm here. If it means that you call me in the middle of the night, or I keep texting you through my mother-in-law's birthday dinner, or I lend you money that I can't afford, or anything else. My friends know that they can come to me with anything, for any reason, and good or bad I will be here. It goes doubly for friends who have never had that in their lives before, because I'm pretty determined to show them that there are people who love them, and who will help them out, and who will stick around when the going gets tough.
2. I'm a fast learner. I pick things up almost startlingly quickly sometimes, and I'm excellent at teaching myself. From learning to knit to learning new computer software, I just take it and run with it, and play around until I've figured out everything that I need to. I'm self-taught in almost all my areas of expertise.
3. I'm easy to talk to. People open up to me, and trust me, seemingly on instinct. Even strangers in line at the supermarket will open up to me about the most random and private things in their lives. It's kind of strange, but it's also nice to be able to give people a safe space, and somewhere to channel their feelings. If I can help someone get something big off their chest, I'm pleased to do so. I always try to listen and understand.
4. I'm a problem-solver. When everyone else are losing their heads, I get things done. This does not apply to my own personal life, because when it comes to those problems, I'm in a wreck. But in situations where I'm working with others, I almost always end up being the level-headed one. I can think on my feet and stay calm when everything is up in the air, and I'm the one who comes up with a solution to nail everything down again. I'm almost notoriously dependable in situations like that, and it's gotten to the point where, in my workplace, people phone me first if they have a crisis.
5. I make beautiful things. I have a passion for creating things, and when I learn how to do something, I do it thoroughly so that I get very, very good at it. Knitting, crocheting, spinning, dyeing; any time I learn a new craft I completely throw myself into it until I've absorbed as much as I can. The resulting skills let me make really pretty things that I'm very proud of, and that seem to be excellent, well-received gifts (because I seldom make anything for myself).
- What do you think are your top five weaknesses or worst qualities?
1. I'm a slob. I'm sorry. I HATE doing chores and cleaning. Dishes, laundry, mowing the lawn, all of it. My house is a disgrace. I will never be a housewife.
2. I procrastinate. Unless it's something I really love, I will put it off until the last possible second and then pull off a victory under pressure. I would much rather be curled up in bed with my computer or a good book, a puppy on each side of me, for as long as I can possibly stay there.
3. I get bored quickly. For certain things, my patience is endless. Overall, I have the attention span of a drunken goldfish. There's always something new and shiny to catch my attention. It's one of the reasons why it's good that I'm a fast learner, because I can learn something new and move on to the next thing fast enough to keep myself from getting bored.
4. I get hurt too easily. I actually have a tattoo on my leg (a half a heart) that reminds me of this, because I need that reminder often. I open myself up to people quickly, get very invested in other people's lives, and this often... usually, even... ends with me getting hurt. Sometimes I can take things too personally in situations like that as well, or even get jealous. I am trying to learn to be tougher while still being compassionate, but I can't find a balance yet. I'm not sure if I have it in me to be tougher, emotionally.
5. I don't know when to stop. Or when to say no. I will keep giving and giving and helping and helping until there's almost left of me, until I have actually caused problems in my own life, in order to make other people (people who are important to me, at least) happy. This can backfire in the absolute worst possible ways.
- Define in your own words the following key traits:
- Courage: Being true to what you feel and who you are, in the face of anything that would try to squash it.
- Loyalty: Heartfelt dedication, whether deserved or not. The need to protect, preserve, and care for, without hesitation.
- Intelligence: Always learning, and always applying the things that are learned.
- Ambition: Never stopping. Never ever stopping for anyone, whether your dream is big or small.
- Name: Pixie
- Age: 29
- Where did you find out about us? former member (O HAI GUYSE)
- Do you plan on being active in the communities once you are sorted? Absolutely. I miss you weirdos.
sorted: hufflepuff,
term xxii