Cassidy’s remix project was a fun take on a game that already exists. I like that she recreated her own rules for the game and she took the time to draw out what the new game would look like. Her design was clear for the boards and she kept a traditional look for the house boards by using their colors. I was interested in her idea and overall presentation she was enthusiastic and spokeclearly when addressing the class. I appreciate how she used the true rules ofQuidditch for the rules of this game with only having 3 bean bags to throw, three hoops all worth different points and the points being fairly split up to scale for her modified version. This is a game I would love to play in real life and I think it is something that could be brought to life if she had more time to do it or if she took the idea to the next level. I could tell that she picked something she’s interested in and knowing her as a person, something involving a sport or competition is perfect. If I could give her one suggestion, it would be to make the boards and play it for real. I think that would be an awesome way to get the whole class to participate together but I know it would have taken a lot of work to make the boards real.

Since we’re supposed to use this journal as more of a jumping off point and less of a critique/praise kind of thing, I thought I would sort some of the characters from one of my current fandoms into Hogwarts houses. I’m not sure how familiar you are with the television show Game of Thrones, but I watched it over winter break and absolutely fell in love with it. I’m currently re-watching it with my boyfriend and I’m enjoying it almost as much as I did seeing it the first time. There are so many characters that I won’t be able to do all of them, but I’ll do a couple of main characters and give you my reasoning for why I put them there. Like Magdalena, I give the disclaimer that these are my opinions and so if you love GoT and disagree with me, I’m sorry! (Spoiler alert if you haven’t watched the tv show!)

Cersei Lannister: She’s obviously a Slytherin. She’s very cunning and ambitious, always trying to secure power for herself and for her family. Shewas able to take control of a situation where she had very few allies and get rid of all her enemies at once. She’s a Slytherin, through and through

Tyrion Lannister: I would put Tyrion in Ravenclaw. He is very intelligent and, more importantly, he values intelligence. He knows that he needs to be smarter than his opponents because they often are stronger than him and have more power. He’s also one of the funniest characters on the show, because of his wit.

Arya Stark: I had to think about this one a little, but I think that Arya would be a Gryffindor. She’s incredibly brave and has a strong sense of justice, which is evident by her wish to avenge her family member’s deaths. She also has a temper, which is a negative trait that is commonly associated with Gryffindor.

Daenerys Targaryen: Like Arya, this was a hard one for me, but I settled on Slytherin. Daenerys is incredibly ambitious and perseverant; she doesn’t let any obstacles stand in her way. She’s obsessed with success and taking back the Iron Throne, which bleeds into every other aspect of her life. I think she’s the perfect example of what Slytherins can be at their best.

Ned Stark: I would put Ned Stark in Hufflepuff (most people would probably put him in Gryffindor, but hear me out). The two things that define Ned to me are his loyalty and his refusal to play “the game” in King’s Landing. He believes in being loyal to Robert and doing the right thing all the time. He is brave, of course, but I think that his belief in loyalty and fair play outweighs that and puts him firmly in Hufflepuff.

Jaimie Lannister: I think that Jaimie would be in Slytherin. I don’t think Jaimie is ambitious as his sister, but he values his own life and acts in self-preservation a lot. He’s very resourceful and is good at getting himself out of sticky situations; he can think quickly on his feet and is a good fighter.

Jon Snow: He’s a Gryffindor. Jon Snow is all about being brave and chivalrous. He has a very strong moral compass and he won’t stray from it to the point of self-detriment. He can also be a little reckless and take unnecessary risks, which is a Gryffindor trait.

Sansa Stark: Sansa would be a Hufflepuff. She’s very conflict averse and loyal to her family. She cares about others and values friendship very highly. She is also very trusting, which can sometimes get her in trouble.

Stannis Baratheon: I think that he’s a Ravenclaw. The whole reason that people dislike Stannis is that he isn’t a very good people-person, which is (in my opinion) a very Ravenclaw trait. He’s also an excellent strategist, which requires a lot of intelligence.

Petyr Baelish: I had a hard time picking between Slytherin and Ravenclaw, but I ended up going with Slytherin. Baelish has said that he bases all of his choices off of whether or not the results will bring him closer to the Iron Throne or not, which is something a Slytherin would do. He’s very cunning and ruthless in his actions to get what he wants.