Ravenclaw vs. Slytherin
So I’ve touched on this briefly in the past, though not really in a full post.
Ok, Ravenclaws are most likely to be confused with Slytherins, but slytherins tend to be confused with either ravenclaws or gryffindors, depending on their individual choices in values and how to accomplish their goals. Keeping this in mind, I’m going to address the group of slytherins who appear more ravenclaw, because for this post, we don’t care about the gryffindor ones. Take Draco Malfoy vs. Horace Slughorn. One appears more gryffindor and one appears more ravenclaw. You’d never mistype Draco as a ravenclaw, it just wouldn’t happen.
1. Bluntness: Both of these houses are known for being rather blunt, though it tends to be in different ways. For the most part, being insulted by a ravenclaw is unintentional, because they’re just saying what’s true, but slytherins have a better feel for people and what IS insulting, so though you’re less likely to be insulted by a slytherin, when you’re insulted, it’s probably not accidental. For a ravenclaw, bluntness is natural because reality itself is blunt and they are a bit more textbook style (well, your nose is rather large for your face, which causes, as an offset, to have your eyes look smaller). Slytherin, though this only occurs when they dislike you, finds a way to shred you with their words, because they no longer care what you think of them (You’re right, I don’t think he likes you. It’s probably because of your nose; it’s giant.).
2. Action Orientation: One of the biggest ways to tell these two houses apart is where their focus really lies. Ravenclaw is perfectly happy with a life of speculation, of discussions, of theory, a world where there are no right answers. This aggravates Slytherin, since their main trait is ambition, which is all about doing, and affecting change, and things that are tangible. Slytherin doesn’t like to go off half-cocked without a plan of some sort, which is how they’re different from gryffindor, who just jumps in (more raw emotions), but once they have some form of something to go on, they act, because the action is the goal for them and the data collection is just in pursuit of the goal. For ravenclaw, the goal is the data collection, so after they learn, and think, and understand in theory, they learn, and think, and discuss, and understand some more because that is what gives them fulfillment while slytherin is in a corner ripping its hair out.
3. Indifference vs manipulation: when a ravenclaw is discussing an idea with you, it’s all about theory and openmindedness. Let’s argue this, ok, now let’s argue this, yay, this is fun! When a slytherin wants to discuss something with you, you should be getting slightly nervous, because what they appear like a ravenclaw, indifferent about all of the options, just going for fun, but they really have a personal agenda that they’re trying to push, and they just are fantastic with twisting ideas around. Ravenclaw twists by going ‘ooh, but what if we did this’, and it’s strictly playful, but slytherin goes ‘oh, so if they is this, then this must be this, and therefore this, so why didn’t you draw this conclusion?’. Slytherin is leading you while ravenclaw just wants things to run their course.
4. passive vs run you over: though it is commonly thought hufflepuff, it is ravenclaw that is the least confrontational house. Their nature is live and let live, because they want to share experiences and knowledge in a non-critical way where everything is equally valid. Because of this, it’s rare you’ll have a ravenclaw tell you you are wrong. Maybe you’re doing something wrong, but you are not wrong, because who are they to decide what opinion is right when theirs is also just an opinion. Ravenclaw rudeness tends to be a little more accidental than the other houses, because they really don’t moralize. Slytherin, well, here’s where it gets a bit of the reputation for being an ass. They’re aggressive by nature, but not the gryffindor openness with feelings and aggression, more passive aggressive. Gryffindor might punch you or run you over, but slytherin would rather let things sit for a while, but in the meantime, they’ve shut down your entire life and gotten you bulldozed by like 12 people. Still, slytherins take a lot of shit before they really get angry, because to have a legit emotion is…. time consuming and inconvenient. Both rarely get angry or whatever you want to call it at someone, but ravenclaw sorta distances themselves, and slytherin almost gets personally offended.
5. image contentiousness: *sigh* why does this post make slytherins sound like utter drama queens? Oh yes, they are. Slytherins often have this feeling that they’re a product they need to sell, and people’s perceptions play into that, so many of the choices they make are somehow about how they’ll be seen and interpreted. That skirt? Well it’s symbolic. Like no joke. I literally took years picking a ring, a piece of jewelry with my initials carved into it because, years from now, if I’m refined into a symbol, it’ll be that (like the phantom of the opera and the rose / mask (another super dramatic slytherin)). Ravenclaw, not so much. It’s just not where their focus lies. This skirt? I thought it looked nice or/it’s comfy.
6. openness with thoughts: another really big indicator of these two is how open they are with honest sharing. Ravenclaw tends to be more free about their thoughts and feelings, accepting others and if you’ve asked, why shouldn’t they be honest? Slytherin, playing into perceptions, tends to be very internally opinionated, rarely externally sharing, because they’re forming an image they don’t want tarnished. Luna vs Draco: I am going to tell you honestly what I think and I don’t care if you agree because this is what I believe. OR I want to be a professional quidditch player but my father and everyone else expects me to work in the ministry because I am a Malfoy, so I will never express that thought
Proud to be a slytherin/ravenclaw ✨
