xxxxxDid you guys know that I tend to do most of the sorting? Yup, even if I don't quote your post and officially sort you, chances are I probably did somewhere along the line. My sorting just tends to be more behind the scenes.
xxxxxNow, why am I saying this? Well, I've noticed a few personalities that give me a rough time coming up with a house. I know that many of you try to aim for a specific house, and so I've decided to be nice and let you know what helps me figure out where best to put your character.
I. Good Personality
xxxxxNo, they don't have to be a good guy, but they do have to have a well-written personality. Something that makes sense. Something that allows me to see who they are, who they would get along well with and which founder would like them the best. If you're ever in doubt, go for more in a personality. I don't mind long personalities, they help me provide some of the most accurate sortings. It's the short two sentence ones that get me and cause me to draw a blank. If you're ever stumped to make your character's personality longer, it's a good idea to figure out what their Meyers-Briggs personality type is. This page gives good personality traits that you may want to include. Remember, you aren't making the mascot for your house, you're making a human. A human will likely have traits from multiple houses.
II. Likes and Dislikes
xxxxxYou might be sitting here thinking what does that have to do with anything, but it's actually the second thing I look at if I'm not sure about which house after reading the personality. There are certain activities that certain houses would enjoy, and certain beliefs that they would have. For example, if you said your character dislikes mudbloods, chances are I would then place your character in Slytherin. If you said your character likes making friends, chances are I would put them in Hufflepuff.
III. History
xxxxxThis one applies to descendants of Hogwarts graduates. We all know that the Weasleys had a long history of being Gryffindors and that the Malfoys had a long history of being Slytherins. If you include this information, there is a chance that I may take your character's lineage into account. However, just because everyone in your family is a Ravenclaw does not mean that your lazy, unintelligent, obnoxious character is going to be placed in the same house.
IV. Strengths
xxxxxDid you know that certain houses have subject areas that they just excel at? Yup! For example, Hufflepuffs tend to be good at herbology, Gryffindors tend to be good at transfiguration, and Slytherins tend to be good at potions. Now, this tends to be a method of last resort for me, since a member of any house could be good at any one subject. Take Neville Longbottom for example. He wasn't very good at transfiguration, but he was amazing at herbology.
xxxxxNow, these are the most common ways that I determine what house your character will be in. Sometimes I take fears into account, sometimes I take wands into account. Very rarely, I do end up moving a character simply to create more balance among the houses, but I always choose a character that could be either or.
xxxxxSo basically, if you really, really, really want a specific house, this is what you should do. Just don't make it super obvious because I like the challenge of finding a good placement for your characters and super obvious characters take the fun out of that. Remember, when in doubt, always add more. Better to be safe than sorry!
xxxxxNow, why am I saying this? Well, I've noticed a few personalities that give me a rough time coming up with a house. I know that many of you try to aim for a specific house, and so I've decided to be nice and let you know what helps me figure out where best to put your character.
I. Good Personality
xxxxxNo, they don't have to be a good guy, but they do have to have a well-written personality. Something that makes sense. Something that allows me to see who they are, who they would get along well with and which founder would like them the best. If you're ever in doubt, go for more in a personality. I don't mind long personalities, they help me provide some of the most accurate sortings. It's the short two sentence ones that get me and cause me to draw a blank. If you're ever stumped to make your character's personality longer, it's a good idea to figure out what their Meyers-Briggs personality type is. This page gives good personality traits that you may want to include. Remember, you aren't making the mascot for your house, you're making a human. A human will likely have traits from multiple houses.
II. Likes and Dislikes
xxxxxYou might be sitting here thinking what does that have to do with anything, but it's actually the second thing I look at if I'm not sure about which house after reading the personality. There are certain activities that certain houses would enjoy, and certain beliefs that they would have. For example, if you said your character dislikes mudbloods, chances are I would then place your character in Slytherin. If you said your character likes making friends, chances are I would put them in Hufflepuff.
III. History
xxxxxThis one applies to descendants of Hogwarts graduates. We all know that the Weasleys had a long history of being Gryffindors and that the Malfoys had a long history of being Slytherins. If you include this information, there is a chance that I may take your character's lineage into account. However, just because everyone in your family is a Ravenclaw does not mean that your lazy, unintelligent, obnoxious character is going to be placed in the same house.
IV. Strengths
xxxxxDid you know that certain houses have subject areas that they just excel at? Yup! For example, Hufflepuffs tend to be good at herbology, Gryffindors tend to be good at transfiguration, and Slytherins tend to be good at potions. Now, this tends to be a method of last resort for me, since a member of any house could be good at any one subject. Take Neville Longbottom for example. He wasn't very good at transfiguration, but he was amazing at herbology.
xxxxxNow, these are the most common ways that I determine what house your character will be in. Sometimes I take fears into account, sometimes I take wands into account. Very rarely, I do end up moving a character simply to create more balance among the houses, but I always choose a character that could be either or.
xxxxxSo basically, if you really, really, really want a specific house, this is what you should do. Just don't make it super obvious because I like the challenge of finding a good placement for your characters and super obvious characters take the fun out of that. Remember, when in doubt, always add more. Better to be safe than sorry!