(no subject)

[seserakh]

• What sort of profession in the wizarding world would you choose and why?
  
  I would choose to be an archivist of some sort, most likely, someone who works with very old magical texts or artifacts. I love old books, dislike customer service, and am thrilled with magic. Having a job that would enable me to spend all day with old books of magic would be so wonderful I doubt I'd ever leave work. Other than that, I'd probably want to do what I want to do now, which is to write. Though since I'd be in a world full of magic, I'd probably write stories about muggles and historical romances. It'd be the wizarding equivalent of fantasy.
  
  
• 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.
  
  Dobby! Not only would he be a powerful magical ally, but if we're threatened by any kind of danger, his badass house elf magic would snap us instantly out if it. Crack! Back in the Hogwarts kitchens for some butterbeer. Plus, I honestly think that Dobby is pretty hilarious sometimes.
  
  As for the item, an invisibility cloak would probably be a good idea. I hide in the face of danger, ha ha ha ha!
  
  
• 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?
  
  Ideally, I'd like them to live as well, because I would be devastated without them, but I would probably choose to live forever. I love being alive. I love living. As for what I'd do with eternity, what else would I do but live? I often worry about not having enough time to do the things I want to do, such as travel, learn to sew, get published for fiction rather than news, go to other planets, make even more friends, live everywhere I want to live, anything and everything. Why are we given such short lives in a world that has so much to offer? A short human lifetime isn't enough. It's a pittance.
  
  
• If you could travel back in time to one point, when and where would you go? Why?
  
  Oh geez that's really difficult. I'm fond of history, so asking me to pick a favorite time period is like asking me to pick a favorite food. If you asked me RIGHT NOW, I'd probably choose to go back to Regency/Romantic England, as I've just finished reading Sense and Sensibility for the first time since high school, and am extremely enamored with the fashion and the social intrigue of the time. If I could meet Lord Byron and be properly scandalized by his behavior or William Blake and be awed into silence or put off by his eccentricities that would be amazing. I love love love Romantic poetry and writers and the Napoleonic Wars were so interesting and the American and French Revolutions and and and!!! In short, I'm a dork.
  
  
• What HP character do you identify with most and why?
  
  I'm going to be run-of-the-mill and say Luna Lovegood. She and I are reflections of one another during those years of our lives, the difference being that though she is as socially inept a I was, she seems to be comfortable with herself, whereas I was not. I was an awkward, always-says-uncomfortable-things, doesn't-understand-things-like-clothing-or-good-hygene, wacky-madcap-fucktard. I imagine if I were as comfortable in my own skin as Luna, I wouldn't have made half so many people annoyed with me. Throw in a misplaced sense of social justice and a superior sense of right and wrong that would later be heartily disproved by experience and a desperation to be liked, and you have me at 11-18. *jazz hands*
  
  
• What would you see if you looked into the Mirror of Erised?
  
  Me with a shiny new award for writing. Like a Hugo. You know, I touched a Hugo once, at Dragon Con. It was very long and hard. Seriously the guy who had it could not stop with the phallic jokes. Ideally, I'd like a Pulitzer or a Nobel (what conversation pieces, haha), but seeing as my writing tends more towards the fantastical side (but more like LeGuin and less like Jordan), a World Fantasy award or a Hugo would be more likely. I'd be living in a lovely, comfortable, clean, well-decorated house with my husband (who seriously would be married to me by now I AM LOOKING AT YOU RIGHT NOW UNNAMED BOYFRIEND), I'd have a passport full of stamps, I'd be talking with by best friends, and my mom and sisters would be on the way for an awesome party full of delicious food and good wine.
  
  
• Do you believe that moral actions should be judged by the intentions behind them, or by the consequences they create?
  
  Yech, that's difficult. I used to think that they should always be judged by intentions, but consequences have to be considered as well. There can never be an always in any situation. I hesitate to use examples in describing this, so I may be unclear, but if you do not intend to hurt someone else, yet you say or do something extremely hurtful, you still have a hurt person to deal with, and it is your fault that you created the hurt to begin with, no matter what you intended. Whether or not you intend to hurt someone does not often change the results. However, something done with cruel intentions is not as easily forgiven as something done with good intentions, if that makes sense. So both must be considered, but if the damage done is great enough, there absolutely must be consequences.
  
  
• What was your ideal job as a kid? Has that changed? What is your ideal job now?
  
  I wanted to be everything as a kid. Doctor, zoologist, marine biologist, architect, astrophysicist, roving journalist, travel writer, astronaut, you name it, I wanted to be it for at least five minutes. Now I want to be a writer. I'd like to think this gives me license to be a little bit of everything. Well, I guess I am a writer, as I write, but being a professional writer what gets paid to do it is my ultimate goal. That, and having a great deal of disposable income.
  
  
• 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?
  
  I would wave my wand, and everything in my home would be organized exactly as I imagine it. I am so unbearably bad at cleaning things up immediately, but I adore a well-organized living space. Right now I'm sitting next to the low table in the living room and there are two teacups, a teapot, a cup of water, a pokedex, my ds, a pile of books, and a pillbox on it, to say nothing of my belt, which I threw on the green chair the second I got home from work today. This is because I am lazy and self-absorbed. If I could just flick my wand and fix what I want to fix, I could be lazy and self-absorbed *all the time.* I'd call it... the Domus Organum Charm, because I'm creative like that.
  
  
• 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?
  
  A parasite. I can't think of anything tangible that I hate more. I didn't understand the reality behind the phrase, "it makes your skin crawl," until I read about parasites. It would try to dig into my skin and lay eggs inside me. When I cast Riddikulus, it would bounce off me as if my skin had turned to rubber and shatter on the floor. Each piece would then stand up and do a dance complete with cheesy music before inflating and flying away like pierced balloons.
  
  It might also appear as something intangible: obscurity. That would appear as a headstone so old that the name has disappeared, but I would know it was me. When I cast the counterspell, the headstone would light up with my name in flashing, multicolored letters, and various photos of me making stupid faces.
  
  Yes, I realize this is a stupid and vain fear. So what. :( :( :(
  
  
• What do you look for in a friend?
  
  This is a very difficult question. I have a variety of friends with a variety of personality traits. My best friends don't even all get along with each other! I suppose I tend to gravitate towards people who enjoy life as much as I do and who love going out and experiencing things just as much as they like quiet nights at home with little conversation and a nice cup of something hot to drink. Humor, a general kind of nerdiness, intensity of emotion, love of food, adventurousness, compassion, and a healthy sense of independence come to mind when I think of all of them. So I guess I look for those traits in friends whether I'm thinking about it or not, haha.
  
  
• What trait most annoys you about other people?
  
  Passive-aggression. If you have a problem, SAY IT. I hate your little notes! They do not make me want to change my behaviors! They only make me want to do them more, just to annoy your passive, non-confrontational little self! I mean, seriously, I understand fears about confrontation. I still burst into tears every time I get into a really serious confrontation with someone, but I still do it, because it's better than vaguely hinting at the problem in the hopes that it will go away, but still pretending to someone's face that there is absolutely nothing wrong oh no we are still perfectly good friends by the way did I tell you want Sandra is doing oh God she's so annoying why won't she stop picking her nose. You get the idea. Annoying traits like the two-facedness and the problem trumping game fall under this umbrella. I'd like to know where I stand with you, and I seriously don't want you telling me that you have it so much worse than I do when I'm stressed out and want to vent.
  
  
• What do you think are your top five abilities or qualities? EDIT: elaborated by request. :)
  
  Empathy - It's easy for me to see things from other people's points of view, whether it's in real life or in text. It's very difficult for me to hate someone because of this.
  Focus - Once I set out to do something, I get so involved in doing it that sometimes I literally cannot hear when someone else is talking to me. I do this with writing, reading, sewing, anything. This is an excellent asset when it comes to completing something with a deadline.
  Impartiality - I suppose this ties in with the empathy thing. Because I can see where everyone is coming from in most given situations, I can usually approach a subject or a conflict without bias. That is, unless I'm personally involved. Then my negative traits come into play.
  Joie de vivre - I love life. I love being alive. What a gift.
  Imagination - I also love making up stories in my head and then writing them down! I love creating things. I need to create things or I'm unhappy. Similarly, I can usually come up with quick solutions to problems because I can imagine ways around them.
  
  
• What do you think are your top five weaknesses or worst qualities?
  
  Hedonism - I'm self-indulgent to the extent that it gets in the way of the things I want to do. Most days, I choose to lie around and waste my day on the internet than go out and do something productive. This... isn't good.
  Volatility - My emotions are pretty close to the surface. While I exercise a tight control over myself when I'm around people I don't know well, I get angry very easily over stupid things. This is when my imagination gets the best of me, because I'll assign the worst motivations to things people do. Usually I'm wrong and then a huge argument ensues and ugh.
  Vanity - I'm vain about a lot of things, from my appearance to my home to the things I create. I love to show off and often times I shouldn't. Luckily I counter-balance this with crippling bouts of self-doubt.
  Guilt - I'm quite sure that everything is my fault. I wish I could let go of this.
  Implacability - It's difficult for me to forgive, and even more difficult for me to forget. Every wrong done to me, I remember. Especially if I feel that the person doesn't understand the extent to which they hurt me, or why what they did was wrong.
  
  
• Define in your own words the following key traits:
  
  • Courage: The ability to do something even if one is afraid of doing it.
    
  • Loyalty: Willingess to stand by one's loved ones and do anything to help them even if it's difficult.
    
  • Intelligence: A depth of understanding not marked by memorized facts but by demonstrable skill, eagerness to learn, and the will to do it.
    
  • Ambition: Having the drive and willpower to achieve something, knowing that it's an ever uphill battle to realize one's dreams.
    
  
  
• Name: Sese
  
• Age: 26
  
• Where did you find out about us? I honestly don't remember. I think I was looking for a sorting community, saw that this one had active sorting, and filed it away for later. I've watched it for a while now (months!) and am only just now getting around to posting my application!
  
• Do you plan on being active in the communities once you are sorted? As much as my schedule allows it. I will certainly be active in voting, and am looking forward to seeing what kind of activities my house will offer.