Hogwarts Houses

Hogwarts Houses As Competition Aesthetics

Gryffindor: a full-on, cocky grin, lips pulled back over teeth with enthusiasm. a sparking energy that manifests as restlessness, needing to constantly work to avoid guilt at the end. competition is a race, quality perhaps taking a back seat to the urge to say, "I was here first." being given a mountain to climb and blissfully, purposefully only seeing the first step. hubris making you stumble but self-assurance providing even ground. at the finish line: a hard drink and an easy laugh to say you've won; a hard drink and bitter mood to mark the loss.

Ravenclaw: trapped in a cycle of try, analyze, do better - over and over until you've perfected the craft of self-criticism. the power to be clinical; precise in your dissection of the right and wrong moves to make. recognizing competition and the potential for glory, but respecting the challenge for what it is: a driver of knowledge, or innovation, or improvement. every unknown is a new frontier, regardless of method or machination. competitiveness driven by the feeling of new discovery, seeking to hold that which others do not: unusual knowledge.

Hufflepuff: earnest and dedicated work, using the resources at your disposal but staying within the lanes drawn for you. a healthy respect for the challenge, and a yearning, a desire to come in first - but the ability to step back and see the bigger picture. why are you competing in the first place? the thrill of competition is fun, is an opportunity, and a chance to prove the mettle that defines you. throughout it all, a kindness that cuts through tension, a mentorship that wraps the weaker links in assurance. competition fosters growth, not just for you but for your peers, your school, your society.

Slytherin: keeping tabs on the enemy (for that is what they become, personal feelings aside), eyes sweeping over others' marks and methods, ears cataloguing conversations, filing away information that could maybe, possibly, give you an edge. associating a competition of any matter to a match of resourcefulness and willfulness: a slytherin is nothing if not willful, able to bend reality to shape your aim. taking it personally when others choose the other side, storing that betrayal for later comeuppance. calling in favors and pulling on strings to get the necessary pieces in play: check. slyly, softly making the final move: checkmate.