I've been Sorted!

[lauren3210]

A couple weeks ago, I went into platform_934 and asked to be Sorted. It was strange how... personal it felt, answering all those questions, and I spent a week after submitting it wondering how others were going to view me through those answers. Because as deep as those questions went, I still feel like they didn't cover all of what makes me, me, you know? Not that that's surprising, I guess, because I don't think it's really possible for someone to know themselves inside out, let alone other people, and especially not through just reading a questionnaire. So it was a bit nerve-wracking, the entire experience, but I'm glad I did it.

It took a while for the voting members to come to a consensus, which I found vaguely surprising. When I've done things like this before, I've always been Sorted Slytherin, with no hesitation, and nobody who knows me is ever surprised by that. But with this one, there were a lot of votes for Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, which I have never gotten before, and quite a few for Ravenclaw, which I could understand a little better. It was really touch and go there for a while, with a lot of voters commenting that I was a mix of all the Houses, but in the end, they voted me Slytherin.

The thing is, absolutely nobody from the Slytherin voters suggested their House for me, which makes me a bit hesitant to join HiH, to be honest. They were all lovely with their answers, don't get me wrong, it just feels a little weird, joining a community where nobody there thinks I belong. I'm not sure what to do with that. I am happy with where I was eventually Sorted though. I really don't think I'd do well in Gryffindor, to be honest.

But anyway, I think this experience has at least shown me that there are reasons why I identify with the Slytherins so much in the series, and why I wish more of that House had been shown within the books, and why I just adore it when fics use Slytherin characters in their stories. I must connect with them personally, and the mix of all the Houses within my personality may be why I adore ensemble cast fics as much as I do.

Here is my post in platform_934, for anyone who wants to have a look at the answers I gave. I'd be interested to see where others would place me, or just what they think of my answers in general.

Now, I have 2 more Rectober posts to write, and then I'm going to get started on commenting on others' posts, because I've been a bit remiss in that recently. I hope everyone has a good week! <3

Comments

[melusinahp.livejournal.com]

I will read your sorting post later, but am in a rush now.

Why do you identify with Slytherins? Why do you think you get sorted into that house so often?

ETA: Okay, I read it. I'm not sure I see you as a Slytherin. You aren't judgemental, you accept people for who they are, and don't seem to be the sort use people's weaknesses for your own benefit. I mean, there are some qualities that read as very Slytherin--the preference for material goods over caring for others--so... maybe.

You also have a bit of a righteous social fighter in you too, I know from reading your posts, so there's that Gryffindor element. I really think that being a Slytherin is incompatible with being a true social justice advocate. As we see in the books, Slytherins tend to favour social injustice, because it makes it easier for them to put themselves in positions of power.

I was sorted into Hufflepuff at 9 3/4, but I didn't join in because as much as I love Hufflepuff House, I'm a Gryffindor at heart.

[lauren3210.livejournal.com]

Oh, those are very interesting questions, and ones I'm not sure I could ever answer completely, to be honest. But I'll give it a try.

According to my therapists, I have undiagnosed Aspergers (undiagnosed, because it was much less of a thing when I was growing up). I was put through a battery of tests as a child, with lots of people wondering if I was Autistic, and I do have some characteristics of it; I don't like making eye contact, I don't like when people touch me, I get very focused on one thing to the exclusion of everything else. But eventually the doctors decided that I just had "autistic tendencies", and left it at that. I'm also bi-polar, diagnosed at the age of 15, which again was a bit of a kerfuffle to diagnose, because I also share a lot of traits with Borderline Personality Disorder.

Because of these things, I have a certain way of looking at life. I don't have a wide circle of friends, because I find it hard to let people get close to me, both physically and emotionally. I have been with my husband for 11 years, and I still stiffen up when he touches me, and my kids have grown up knowing that they need to ask and/or show me that they're about to touch me before they climb on me for a cuddle. It was very difficult for my eldest, because I was 18 when she was born, and I hadn't yet worked out how to deal with all of these issues and get others around me to help with that. Because of that, Eryn has trouble letting others get close to her, too, something that she very much picked up from my reactions when she was young.

So, I have a very small collection of people that I have let close to me, and once someone enters that circle, I am forever loyal to them; it's my way of paying them back for accepting me. I love these people with all of my heart and would do anything for them, but I do find it hard to care about the people outside of that circle. I am extremely protective of the people I care about, and if it ever came down to a choice between their safety and that of someone else, I wouldn't hesitate to save them, regardless of what that would mean for the other person.

There are other reasons, ones that I'm not sure I could articulate very well, but I think this sounds very Slytherin to me; at least, in my interpretation of the Slytherin characters. I understood completely why Snape protected Harry even though he hated his very existence, and I understood why Draco tried to kill Dumbledore, and I understood why Pansy tried to offer Harry up. While I might not have done the same things, I could understand the reasons behind their actions so well, and I personally identified with those kinds of actions far more than I identified with Harry sacrificing himself. I could never have done something like that, but I could see myself, under other circumstances, doing something similar to what the Slytherin characters find themselves doing.

Hopefully, this answer doesn't put everyone off being friends with me! One of the reasons why I love fandom so much is that I find it easier to become close to people while still using the internet as a barrier. It's just... sometimes I need that, and it doesn't mean I don't care about any of the people I have met through the internet; I actually find it easier to connect with people in this form. Does that make sense? Does any of this make sense? I'm not really sure, lol.

[melusinahp.livejournal.com]

Thank you. ♥ That was a great response.

(Another thing you and I have in common: I also have Aspergers and I relate to a lot of the symptoms you describe, although mine manifest in some different ways too.)

[lauren3210.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm glad I didn't put you off, lol!

In regards to your edited comment (which I completely missed while typing that massive essay back to you) I think that it really depends on how social justice affects people as to whether or not that's compatible with Slytherin traits. For example, as a queer, non-white female with mental health issues, one could say that me arguing in favour of equality for those issues is quite self-serving, which could be deemed as Slytherin-esque.

(it's nice to know that others deal with similar issues to me! <3)