Which came first, the phoenix or the flame?

[sanalith]

Name: Shannon
Age: 31
Recommended by: lenabee



| WHO ARE YOU |

01.) What are your goals in life?
In terms of a career, I have two main goals: I want to become a curator at the museum where I work, and I want to publish a novel. I’m currently an artifact cataloger at a children’s museum, and while I adore my job, I’m really hoping to one day have my own collection, not just catalog other people’s. I’m really passionate about history and making it available to the public, so that would a dream come true. In terms of publishing a book, it would be my way of leaving a mark on the world. I’ve personally been impacted so deeply by books I’ve read - some to the point that I feel like they’ve really been life-altering - and I desperately want the chance to do the same for other people.

For personal goals, I want to remain happily married to my husband, have one or two children, and build a really close relationship with them. I also desperately want to travel and see as much of the world as possible. Oh, and I want a dog. A nice big fluffy one to cuddle <3

02.) What do you care about most?
Less of a “what” and more of a “who” here. I care most deeply about my husband and my parents. They are the three most important people in my life, and I honestly cannot imagine myself without them. They’re my best friends, my rocks, and they’ve all shaped me into the person I am today.

I also really care about things like social justice and equality. I get soooo frustrated when I see injustice and unfairness in the world, and it makes me even more unhappy knowing there’s not much one person can do about it.

Lastly, I’m really passionate about history. I’m a complete and total nerd when it comes to things like this. I just adore learning about where we’ve been and why things happened the way they did. And it might be cliche, but I’m a firm believer that we can’t know where we’re going unless we know where we’ve been, so I feel like it’s a really important subject for everyone.

03.) What is one thing you would change about the world today?
The lack of tolerance that is so prevalent in society is just sickening. It’s completely fine to disagree with someone and have different opinions, but it seems like more and more people are obsessed with being right all the time. If someone thinks or feels or lives differently, instead of just letting them alone, people seem to feel the need to punish them or try to force them onto the “correct” path. We need to accept and celebrate our differences, not fight about them.

04.) Is there anything in your life that you regret?
It’s rather an abstract concept rather than a concrete action, but I severely regret allowing my anxiety to get to the point that it has. It completely ruled my life for years, it took precious time away from me, and really just screwed with my entire being. I’m still fighting it, even though it’s gotten better, but if there was someway I could go back and do things in a different enough way that I didn’t have to deal with this, I’d more than likely take it.

05.) Describe your top positive characteristics.
Idealistic: This trait defines me more than any other. I truly believe that anything is possible, no matter how fantastic it sounds. Just because we can’t see or understand something doesn’t make it any less real.
Open-Minded: I’m extremely non-judgmental, and I take people (and their beliefs) as I find them. Our differences make us strong.
Helpful: I think it’s SO important that we help others, even if it’s just in a small way. Showing kindness and concern can sometimes be the most important things we can do.

06.) Describe your top negative characteristics.
1.) Anxious: As I mentioned above, I’ve been plagued with an anxiety disorder for many years, and it keeps me from doing a lot of things I would normally be able to do. It’s definitely what I hate most about myself.
2.) Bad Temper: I have a fairly long fuse, but when I get mad, I get MAD. Along with this, I tend to hold grudges. I might forgive, but I’ll never forget.
3.) Procrastinator: I can be soooo lazy when I want to be! Especially if something doesn’t have a deadline, like cleaning the house. I can always do it tomorrow XD

07.) Pick a favorite quote and explain what it means to you.
I’m a complete quote junkie, so it was really hard to narrow it down to just one, but this is pretty much my motto, so...

“Things are not always what they seem in this place, so you can’t take anything for granted.”
~ The Worm, Labyrinth

I love this line for several reasons, one being that it’s simply good advice. Just because something looks like a duck and quacks like a duck doesn’t ALWAYS mean it really is a duck. We need to step back and look at things closely and really make sure we understand them before passing any sort of judgment. If we just go through life assuming everything we think or see at first glance is correct, we’ll never learn anything. Plus, it’s a really great reflection of my idealism. Anything is possible, even if it doesn’t seem like it at first glance. (For those who’ve seen the movie...sometimes we really can walk through walls!)


| DRACO DORMIENS NUNQUAM TITILLANDUS |

08.) Who is your favorite Harry Potter character?
Ugh, this is always such a hard decision for me! I need to mention how much I adore Severus, Hermione, Minerva and Sirius, and even though she’s a wretched human being, I LOVE Umbridge as a literary character. But I generally default to Luna Lovegood as my all-time favorite. Luna is just so REAL within her unreality. She’s the type of person I’d want as a close friend - caring, friendly, non-judgmental, intelligent and just a little bit insane (because the best people are!) She’s so straightforward and open about her beliefs, no matter how absurd they might sound, but if you disagree with her, she doesn’t mind. Some people call her naive and silly, but I think she’s bloody fantastic!

09.) Least favorite?
Honorary mention goes to Gilderoy Lockhart for being a worthless waste of space and a lying, glory-hogging git, but my trophy goes to Albus “For the Greater Good” Dumbledore. I know this is a controversial pick, but the more and more I re-read the series - especially the last few books - the less and less I like Albus. The main problem I have with him is that I’m SUPPOSED to like him. I’m SUPPOSED to see him as this wonderful father/mentor figure who guides Harry. But instead I see this:

- A man who placed a child into a mentally (and sometimes physically) abusive home for the first 11 years of his life. This was for “The Greater Good” as it kept Harry alive, but you can’t tell me Albus couldn’t have done SOMETHING to make the experience more bearable for Harry. He clearly had the ability to threaten Petunia, but he never used it. He could have had Arabella Figg be a closer friend instead of just the crazy cat lady. He could have communicated with Harry and explained why he was being forced to suffer like this. He did nothing.

- A man who later groomed this same child personally into an incredibly powerful wizard - a weapon if you will - and continuously fueled his anger and hatred toward Voldemort...but did so only so Harry could die at the correct moment. Game over, the end.

- A man who preyed on Severus Snape’s deep guilt over the death of the woman he loved - who made many of the same mistakes Albus himself almost made with Gellert Grindlewald - and turned him not only into a spy, but also a murderer. Severus had NO ONE in his corner other than Albus, and then he was bound by a vow to kill him, even though he still blamed himself for Lily’s death.

- A Headmaster who showed more blatant favoritism toward one-fourth of his students (and the Golden Trio in particular) than should ever be allowed. He deliberately snatched the House Cup from Slytherin in the first book, he not only allowed but encouraged Harry and Co. to break rules and sneak around, and he stood back while they placed themselves in danger over and over again. Not marks of an estimable professor.

Dumbles did a lot of great things, I’ll never deny that, and I have no doubt that he truly regretted many of the actions he believed he was forced to take. But he’s still a manipulative old bastard and I don’t appreciate the fact that I’m supposed to like him for it.

10.) Who would you have been friends with at Hogwarts?
Luna and Hermione for sure. Luna and I could hunt for Nargles around the castle, and Hermione and I could spend hours and hours in the library together. While it might be difficult to make friends with a professor, I’d hope to at least earn Minerva’s respect. I think she’s just an amazing mentor and teacher.

11.) What would you most enjoy about your time at Hogwarts?
Learning about the Wizarding World. For some reason, I’ve always pictured myself as coming to Hogwarts from a purely Muggle family, having no real idea about this completely different place where magic was actually real. I think I’d just spend sooooo much time soaking it all in and really appreciating the culture.

12.) Describe each of the four houses as you see them:

Gryffindor: The major traits I associate with Lions are passion, courage and morality. Gryffindors feel everything deeply. When they like something, they LOVE it, and when they dislike something, they HATE it. There’s very little in between. We’re told multiple times that Lions have the hearts of warriors, but the type of courage I really associate with them come from Neville’s example - do the right thing because it’s the right thing, no matter the consequences. Be brave when inside you’re quaking. And Lions are shown time and time again to have very strict moral codes. If something is right, then it’s right, no matter what any rules may say. The same is true if it’s wrong. Lions follow their own moral compass.

Hufflepuff: When I think of Badgers, I think of loyalty, hard work and fairness. We’re told over and over that Puffs are loyal. If you earn their respect, you have it for life unless YOU do something to lose it. (In which case, good luck getting it back!) Puffs are very trusting and will give everyone the benefit of the doubt, and they’ll stick by you until given a really, really good reason not to. They’re also the hardest workers of the bunch. Though Claws are supposedly the most intelligent, it’s the Puffs we see studying the most for exams and becoming so stressed that they need Calming Draughts. They’re the perfectionists. Puffs are also completely fair. When Harry helped Cedric in the Tri-Wizard Tournament with the dragons, Cedric thought nothing of returning the favor with the egg. He also would have allowed Harry to take the Cup at the end. Cedric also demonstrates something else unique about Puffs, which is how well-rounded they are. I think this is perhaps where people get the idea that Puffs are “the rest,” that they’re jacks of all trades and masters of none. But Cedric proved he was as brave as a Lion, as smart as a Claw and as cunning as a Snake.

Ravenclaw: We know Claws are intelligent and appreciate the idea of learning for the sake of learning, and thanks especially to Luna, we can also associate them with a great amount of idealism. Ravenclaws appreciate knowledge for its own sake and adore learning. They’re the ones who will take apart a clock just to see what makes it tick. They’re the ones always full of random trivia questions about obscure topics that have no real bearing on everyday life. Knowledge is precious. They’re also, however, the type to understand that memorizing facts and doing well in school does not make one wise. True intelligence and wisdom comes from acknowledging what they DON’T know. Luna also clearly demonstrates a deep Claw-like belief in the “impossible.” Claws don’t need to see something to believe in a concept. Just because we can’t touch it doesn’t make it any less real. Claws believe in endless possibilities that are just waiting to be discovered.

Slytherin: Much like Hufflepuff, Slytherin is often misunderstood and simply seen as “evil.” This is a grievous error. Snakes are extremely ambitious and cunning. Ambition is sometimes construed as a huge negative, taken to mean that people will literally do ANYTHING to achieve their goals. And yes, absolutely, some people would. But where would we be without ambition? It’s what drives us to better ourselves, to discover and invent, to improve the world around us. Snakes know what they want and what they need to do to get it. In this way, they also prove themselves to be extremely adaptable. If something doesn’t work, they’ll just keep trying other ideas until it does. Snakes are also incredibly subtle. They don’t always broadcast their goals, especially if there’s no benefit to it. They’ll fly under the radar until they’re ready. Finally, Slytherins possess a large amount of charisma, and they use it to help get what they want. Slughorn is the best example of this. He’s a pro at networking and surrounding himself with influential people who can help him whenever he needs.

13.) Which house do you feel the least affinity for?
Probably Gryffindor. I'm not at all brave, bold or courageous, and I'm the girl who always needs to plan a head and look before I leap. And while this isn't a true house trait, most Lions are generally very extroverted and outgoing, and I'm definitely the quiet, introverted type.


Thanks for your time! :D

Comments

HM & DHM VOTES

[arinelle]

xx