Dress Your Pumpkin in Corduroy and Denim
1. Name: Emma
2. Age: 19
Remember to explain why/elaborate on the following questions.
3. Have you read all 6 Harry Potter Books? Which book was your favorite? In truth, I have not read all six books. I am an admittedly casual fan (please don't bludgeon me!) I've only read the first three, although I worked at a bookstore all summer where I tried to read the subsequent books when I wasn't helping decorate for our massive HBP Party or directing kids to our copies of "Quidditch Through the Ages." My favorite of the three was the first book because it felt like the most magical experience for me as well as Harry and company; a whole new world was unfolding before me as it was for Harry, one that catered not only to my longstanding fantasies about the glamour of orphan-hood and British boarding school, but to my deepseated hope that there is a greater element of the fantastic in myself and in everyday life than I am sometimes able to see. That said, I think if I'd read all the books, I'd like the last two books best of all. I am drawn to not merely good people, but people that struggle most to overcome overwhelming darkness around them. I'm also in love with Ron, so I'm eager to track his romantic adventures.
4. Which house qualities do you value most? I most value courage and kindness. To me, the two are inseperable, because true kindness exists not in merely being compassionate, but in believing in kindness and goodness to the point that you would defend it at all costs. It's easy to be kind when there's nothing at stake; it's when the going gets tough that one's kindness is measured.
5. What are your pet peeves?
-Bagels with a disproportionate quantity of cream cheese. Too much cream cheese, and you've got white goop squishing out on your fingers. Too little and you spend your entire bagel eating experience fantasizing about how much better it would be with just a little more cream cheese...
-Disorganization, especially in people who are theoretically in positions of authority. I am willing to tolerate friendly clutter and absentmindedness, but when teachers or bosses don't have the respect for me and my work that organization implies, I resent having to do the work at all.
-Being patronized. I am more than willing to admit when I don't know something, so when people assume that they have to simplify things for me, not only does it belittle my intelligence, it implies that I am too stubborn or arrogant to admit if I didn't understand something.
-Group school projects! I like working as a team outside of the classroom (and even in class in theory), but in practice, I seem to get put with people who don't pull their weight and I do all the work, martyr that I am. My all-time favorite memory of this is when I was elected to build a model of the endoplasmic reticulum out of cake; my group gave me a B for the project because after assembling and baking and engineering the cake for about three solid days for unknown reasons. Oh, the injustice!
6. Based from your personality, what kind of Animagus would you be? (The animal chooses you, you don’t choose it.)
I think I'd be a fox, equally happy to stalk quietly through the underbrush watching without being seen and to come home in the evening a curl up happily in my den with my fellow foxes. And I'd like to be something with so brilliant a color- I think this relates to my wish that I wasn't such a white European but something with a little more flair. And of course, there's the connotation of being sly, although I think I am more observant than sly.
7. What shape would your Boggart take? (Remember: Your Boggart takes the shape of the thing that you fear the most.)
My Boggart would probably take the shape of a devilish demon, something visually ambiguous in a profoundly disturbing way. I have a profound fear of the devil, not related in any way to religion, but to the idea of something capable of such evil which I have no defense against, that would render even my best intentions useless. I fear not being in control, or, worse, not having any efficacy to place myself in control. If things are going to go badly, they must go badly in a way that I can then blame myself.
8. What do you worry about the most and why? (Note: This is not the same thing that your Boggart becomes. Your biggest fear and your biggest worry are two different things.)
I have extremely high expectations of myself, and I think I as much as I worry that I won't achieve them for myself, I worry that I'll let others down. I've known what I wanted from my life essentially since I was eight or nine- I don't think I could bear not to acheive it, and I worry about how I would handle that disappointment in myself. But even more than I worry about my own capabilities, I worry that I will be perpetually alone romantically, that I am too honest or shy or passionate for anyone to ever be truly in love with me. Sigh.
9. Would you put your name in the Goblet of Fire?
I would, because I couldn't stand the possibility of not knowing what would've happened if I had. I am less concerned with the chance of a battered ego than not having learned what I was made of.
10. What do you believe is the greatest weapon you possess? How, why, and when would you use it?
My sensitivity- to others, to my own reality, to the nuances of information and emotion. I am able to understand feelings and thoughts because I have empathy for everything from inanimate objects to writers and philosophers I disagree with. I would use this to afford me an understanding of the motives of the people around me possibly superior to their own understanding of such feelings. I strongly believe justice, and I think this can only come from true understanding of others' thoughts and feelings. So I'd use this ability not to manipulate others so much as gain a perspective on their motivations that could help us motivate our differences. And I have incredible determination, so any problems I couldn't work through this way, I'd battle my way through with as much effort as it took.
11. Would you ever want to be a prefect?
I would want to be thought of as the sort of person that would make a good prefect, and I would want to actually do the job, but I would worry that I would be too shy to make people feel comfortable with me as such a leader, and I'd worry about how I was handling the responsiblity placed on me.
12. What quality do you admire above all others? Do you feel that it is a quality you or the people you surround yourself with possess?
I admire compassion, the ability to love not only what could be but what is, for better or worse. I think both I and my closest friends possess compassion, but I am disturbed when my introspection magnifies my problems to unrealistic proportions and I feel sorry for myself when others have it so much worse in so many ways. The feeling that someone respects you, sees value in who you are effortlessly, is the best feeling, and I wish I could instill this feeling more in others. Even when I feel this kind of compassion, I wonder whether others feel it.
13. What are the worst qualities that you believe a person can possess? Why do you feel this way?
Narrow-mindedness, becauses it taints judgement with ego and prejudice. Relatedly, I abhor a lack of imagination; why limit yourself to what is, when you can create something better? Finally, anything less than idealism. Idealism may not be practical or realistic, but if we can't sustain such ideals in reality, the least we can do is sustain them as the ultimate to which we aspire.
14. If you were to look into the Mirror of Erised, what would you see?
I feel like such a sap saying this, but probably my best guy friend who is utterly unresponsive to the fact that I've been about as in love him as you can be without actually being loved back like that. And I'd see myself at my first book signing, handing over a copy of my newly minted novel to my parents and all-time favorite teacher.
15. How many people do you consider true friends? What qualities do they have that are important to you? Why are they your friends?
I have about nine or ten true friends, people who I trust whole-heartedly and who genuinely care about what happens to me. They're my friends because they see the world as I see it- not necessarily a friendly place, but one with people and ideas who are deserving of love not merely in spite of but because of this darkness. But my friends constitute a diverse group; most are artisitic, imaginative, witty, smart, loyal, and kind, but the way these traits manifest themselves in each are different. Of these nine or ten true friends, there are probably three or four who I connect with on an even deeper level because we've looking for the same things from life that we haven't yet found.
16. What are your thoughts on Voldemort?
To me, Voldemort is particularly menacing because not only is he the embodiment of evil, he's a bully in the way that he pursues Harry and consequently places such an unfair burden upon him. Even if Harry can deliver us from Voldemort, Voldemort will have sapped so much of Harry's life when he should've been macking on Ginny. I'm sure that a good psychoanalysis could help old Volde work through some of his issues in a less destructive way, and while I can pity him, it in no way excuses him. Voldemort must be stopped at all costs!
17. What do you think are your main 3 characteristics?
1. Creativity
2. Determination
3. Passion- for life, for my ideals, for everything that I pursue
18. What house do you feel you belong in?
I honestly don't know. I certainly have personality traits from all of the groups, especially Slytherin, but I think the ends to which I apply them are most in line with Hufflepuff or Gryfinndor.
19. "Blood or water" - Which is more important; friends or family? Friends, although I count my most of family as friends so that's a bit of a cop-out. Still, I'm discovering that my friends are more loyal to me than my family, and they believe in the things that I think are important, which my family doesn't. Certainly, in terms of everyday support, I can tell things to my friends that I can't tell my family. I'm an only child, so I am very close to my parents, though.
20. How did you find out about us? (House points are given to users who refer you here.) The wonderful user Octoberine (Jordan// Gryffindor)
2. Age: 19
Remember to explain why/elaborate on the following questions.
3. Have you read all 6 Harry Potter Books? Which book was your favorite? In truth, I have not read all six books. I am an admittedly casual fan (please don't bludgeon me!) I've only read the first three, although I worked at a bookstore all summer where I tried to read the subsequent books when I wasn't helping decorate for our massive HBP Party or directing kids to our copies of "Quidditch Through the Ages." My favorite of the three was the first book because it felt like the most magical experience for me as well as Harry and company; a whole new world was unfolding before me as it was for Harry, one that catered not only to my longstanding fantasies about the glamour of orphan-hood and British boarding school, but to my deepseated hope that there is a greater element of the fantastic in myself and in everyday life than I am sometimes able to see. That said, I think if I'd read all the books, I'd like the last two books best of all. I am drawn to not merely good people, but people that struggle most to overcome overwhelming darkness around them. I'm also in love with Ron, so I'm eager to track his romantic adventures.
4. Which house qualities do you value most? I most value courage and kindness. To me, the two are inseperable, because true kindness exists not in merely being compassionate, but in believing in kindness and goodness to the point that you would defend it at all costs. It's easy to be kind when there's nothing at stake; it's when the going gets tough that one's kindness is measured.
5. What are your pet peeves?
-Bagels with a disproportionate quantity of cream cheese. Too much cream cheese, and you've got white goop squishing out on your fingers. Too little and you spend your entire bagel eating experience fantasizing about how much better it would be with just a little more cream cheese...
-Disorganization, especially in people who are theoretically in positions of authority. I am willing to tolerate friendly clutter and absentmindedness, but when teachers or bosses don't have the respect for me and my work that organization implies, I resent having to do the work at all.
-Being patronized. I am more than willing to admit when I don't know something, so when people assume that they have to simplify things for me, not only does it belittle my intelligence, it implies that I am too stubborn or arrogant to admit if I didn't understand something.
-Group school projects! I like working as a team outside of the classroom (and even in class in theory), but in practice, I seem to get put with people who don't pull their weight and I do all the work, martyr that I am. My all-time favorite memory of this is when I was elected to build a model of the endoplasmic reticulum out of cake; my group gave me a B for the project because after assembling and baking and engineering the cake for about three solid days for unknown reasons. Oh, the injustice!
6. Based from your personality, what kind of Animagus would you be? (The animal chooses you, you don’t choose it.)
I think I'd be a fox, equally happy to stalk quietly through the underbrush watching without being seen and to come home in the evening a curl up happily in my den with my fellow foxes. And I'd like to be something with so brilliant a color- I think this relates to my wish that I wasn't such a white European but something with a little more flair. And of course, there's the connotation of being sly, although I think I am more observant than sly.
7. What shape would your Boggart take? (Remember: Your Boggart takes the shape of the thing that you fear the most.)
My Boggart would probably take the shape of a devilish demon, something visually ambiguous in a profoundly disturbing way. I have a profound fear of the devil, not related in any way to religion, but to the idea of something capable of such evil which I have no defense against, that would render even my best intentions useless. I fear not being in control, or, worse, not having any efficacy to place myself in control. If things are going to go badly, they must go badly in a way that I can then blame myself.
8. What do you worry about the most and why? (Note: This is not the same thing that your Boggart becomes. Your biggest fear and your biggest worry are two different things.)
I have extremely high expectations of myself, and I think I as much as I worry that I won't achieve them for myself, I worry that I'll let others down. I've known what I wanted from my life essentially since I was eight or nine- I don't think I could bear not to acheive it, and I worry about how I would handle that disappointment in myself. But even more than I worry about my own capabilities, I worry that I will be perpetually alone romantically, that I am too honest or shy or passionate for anyone to ever be truly in love with me. Sigh.
9. Would you put your name in the Goblet of Fire?
I would, because I couldn't stand the possibility of not knowing what would've happened if I had. I am less concerned with the chance of a battered ego than not having learned what I was made of.
10. What do you believe is the greatest weapon you possess? How, why, and when would you use it?
My sensitivity- to others, to my own reality, to the nuances of information and emotion. I am able to understand feelings and thoughts because I have empathy for everything from inanimate objects to writers and philosophers I disagree with. I would use this to afford me an understanding of the motives of the people around me possibly superior to their own understanding of such feelings. I strongly believe justice, and I think this can only come from true understanding of others' thoughts and feelings. So I'd use this ability not to manipulate others so much as gain a perspective on their motivations that could help us motivate our differences. And I have incredible determination, so any problems I couldn't work through this way, I'd battle my way through with as much effort as it took.
11. Would you ever want to be a prefect?
I would want to be thought of as the sort of person that would make a good prefect, and I would want to actually do the job, but I would worry that I would be too shy to make people feel comfortable with me as such a leader, and I'd worry about how I was handling the responsiblity placed on me.
12. What quality do you admire above all others? Do you feel that it is a quality you or the people you surround yourself with possess?
I admire compassion, the ability to love not only what could be but what is, for better or worse. I think both I and my closest friends possess compassion, but I am disturbed when my introspection magnifies my problems to unrealistic proportions and I feel sorry for myself when others have it so much worse in so many ways. The feeling that someone respects you, sees value in who you are effortlessly, is the best feeling, and I wish I could instill this feeling more in others. Even when I feel this kind of compassion, I wonder whether others feel it.
13. What are the worst qualities that you believe a person can possess? Why do you feel this way?
Narrow-mindedness, becauses it taints judgement with ego and prejudice. Relatedly, I abhor a lack of imagination; why limit yourself to what is, when you can create something better? Finally, anything less than idealism. Idealism may not be practical or realistic, but if we can't sustain such ideals in reality, the least we can do is sustain them as the ultimate to which we aspire.
14. If you were to look into the Mirror of Erised, what would you see?
I feel like such a sap saying this, but probably my best guy friend who is utterly unresponsive to the fact that I've been about as in love him as you can be without actually being loved back like that. And I'd see myself at my first book signing, handing over a copy of my newly minted novel to my parents and all-time favorite teacher.
15. How many people do you consider true friends? What qualities do they have that are important to you? Why are they your friends?
I have about nine or ten true friends, people who I trust whole-heartedly and who genuinely care about what happens to me. They're my friends because they see the world as I see it- not necessarily a friendly place, but one with people and ideas who are deserving of love not merely in spite of but because of this darkness. But my friends constitute a diverse group; most are artisitic, imaginative, witty, smart, loyal, and kind, but the way these traits manifest themselves in each are different. Of these nine or ten true friends, there are probably three or four who I connect with on an even deeper level because we've looking for the same things from life that we haven't yet found.
16. What are your thoughts on Voldemort?
To me, Voldemort is particularly menacing because not only is he the embodiment of evil, he's a bully in the way that he pursues Harry and consequently places such an unfair burden upon him. Even if Harry can deliver us from Voldemort, Voldemort will have sapped so much of Harry's life when he should've been macking on Ginny. I'm sure that a good psychoanalysis could help old Volde work through some of his issues in a less destructive way, and while I can pity him, it in no way excuses him. Voldemort must be stopped at all costs!
17. What do you think are your main 3 characteristics?
1. Creativity
2. Determination
3. Passion- for life, for my ideals, for everything that I pursue
18. What house do you feel you belong in?
I honestly don't know. I certainly have personality traits from all of the groups, especially Slytherin, but I think the ends to which I apply them are most in line with Hufflepuff or Gryfinndor.
19. "Blood or water" - Which is more important; friends or family? Friends, although I count my most of family as friends so that's a bit of a cop-out. Still, I'm discovering that my friends are more loyal to me than my family, and they believe in the things that I think are important, which my family doesn't. Certainly, in terms of everyday support, I can tell things to my friends that I can't tell my family. I'm an only child, so I am very close to my parents, though.
20. How did you find out about us? (House points are given to users who refer you here.) The wonderful user Octoberine (Jordan// Gryffindor)