Win or Die
May. 25th, 2011 11:58 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
shahrazade-bard.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
westerosortingName: Jodie
How did you find out about the community? If it's through an LJ user, please tell us who it is: I actually stumbled across Valyrian_Forged first. I've read all four books a couple years ago, and I have been craving some asoiaf fanworks really badly, especially now that the show has renewed my love for the series. So, I saw I had to join this community first. I've never joined a sorting community before, but it seems like a really cool concept. And I did take about half a million Harry Potter "Which Hogwarts House Do You Belong In" quizzes back in the day (Gryffindor was usually the answer.
Usually).
Age: 26
Location: North Carolina
Occupation: Optician/Optometric Technician
All About You
1. Describe your ideal house/home. Please go into as much detail as possible, and be sure to include your ideal geographical location in the description!.
I would want a house that's off the beaten path somewhere, situated fairly far back off the road, down a long winding path, maybe nestled in a clearing in the middle of a forest (with big, tall trees) somewhere. In that vein, I'd want it to be out in the country somewhere, near my closest friends and family, but not so far from a town that I couldn't get there in a couple hours if I wanted to or needed something. I am most emphatically not a sun worshipper (I'm fair and burn easily, and have light blue eyes that don't do sun well without a pair of shades), so I don't mind a place where it never gets really hot, even in the summer (warm's okay). I'm thinking Canadian-esque weather. I'm okay with there being snow on the ground during part of the year, as long as I have time to grow some sort of garden too (I prefer vegetables and herbs to flowers).
As for the house itself, I want something that's cozy and comfortable, but with enough space to breathe as well (namely I want some open space in the living room and kitchen areas). Maybe like a cross between a big log cabin and a cottage. There would definitely be at least two stories, maybe three. I'd want a big window with a window seat somewhere to look out of. And it has to have a big turret sprouting out of one of the corners like those old Victorian houses. It's super important to me that the house has a big library. And if this is to truly be my ideal home, there should be a stable somewhere near the house so I can go riding. With lots of trails near the house to explore. And that has GOT to be the craziest design for a house ever, but it's what I would want if I could have it.
2. Imagine you’re given the classic opportunity: a genie granting you three wishes. What would you wish for? Please be as elaborate as you can. Wishing for more wishes is not permitted! Wish 1: Safety and good health for everyone I care about. Wish 2: Unlimited freedom (and enough resources) to roam and travel as much and as far as my wanderlust-filled heart desires. Wish 3: Someone I love, who is a true partner and equal, to walk beside me every step of the way.
3. In your life so far, what accomplishment are you the most proud of? Why? You can list more than one if you have trouble deciding. ;) I was an only child, and I grew up with strict parents and was really sheltered during my childhood. It left me a little ignorant, more than a little naive, and basically unable (or at least believing I was unable) to function on my own for a long time. And that made me feel pretty helpless and worthless. I've struggled to support myself, think for myself, and stand on my own feet, and I do that now. It's been a long time coming, and it means more to me than I can say. I have faith in the person I am and in what I believe and know I can take care of myself and be the person I want to be.
I'm also really proud that I was the first person in my family to graduate from college, and on a full scholarship. I'm just as proud that right after I graduated, against my parents' wishes, I set out on a two week cross-country road trip with my two best friends (upon typing, I realize this sounds remarkably like the plot to that awful Britney Spears movie. It was nothing like that). We navigated to Arizona and back with nothing but a road atlas, in my old Chevy Cavalier. It was awesome and exhilarating, and I've wanted nothing more than to do it again in the years since.
4. Which of the following is most important to you: Love, Money, Knowledge, Family, Friendship, Adventure, or Pleasure? Which is the least important to you? Please explain why for each choice. I find love to be the most important of these, because it emcompasses love of family, love of friends, romantic love and love for yourself. If you've got all of those, you can't go wrong. That being said, I veritably hunger for adventure, so while I think love is the thing that's most worth living for, adventure comes in a very close second. I suppose money is the least important to me of all these things, because I think it's the only one of the concepts above that you can't always say "more is better" about. I definitely wouldn't mind having enough money to do what I want, but I think too much money corrupts.
5. What's one quote (or passage, song lyric, etc.) that effectively describes you and your values? Explain.
There's a song by John Rzeznick (of Goo Goo Dolls fame) that goes:
I am a question to the world,
Not an answer to be heard.
All a moment that's held in your arms.
And what do you think you'd ever say?
I won't listen anyway…
You don't know me,
And I’ll never be what you want me to be.
And I want a moment to be real,
Wanna touch things I don't feel,
Wanna hold on and feel I belong.
And how can the world want me to change?
They’re the ones that stay the same.
They don’t know me,
'Cause I’m not here.
The song is about being disillusioned with your world, but the tone of it is hopeful. It's about knowing there's something that everybody else around you is missing. About being unfulfilled and yearning for something more that you know is out there, even if you don't exactly know how, where, or what. I don't pretend to know where the path leads, but I know I'm taking the journey. And I feel like there's SOMETHING out there for me, I just don't know what. And I want to taste life so bad, instead of feeling like I'm here still waiting.
6. How do you manage your money? On that note, how important is money/financial security to you? Go into as much detail as you can. I manage my money fairly well. I probably don't keep enough records, and I'm not the most organized, but I always have a good estimate in my head of what's in my bank account. I've never overdrawn my account or run out of money when I needed it, though there has admittedly been a tight moment or two. I have a tendency to spend a little too freely (emphasis on a little. It doesn't happen often, usually only in bookstores), but I'm not an extravagant spender by any means, and I've always been able to compensate later down the road, if I've spent a little too much at any given time.
Financial security is important to me, to a degree, in that I think it's good to wake up in the morning and know you have a roof over your head, know where your next meal is coming from, and know you can get medical attention if you need it. Beyond that, I think the universe provides, and I definitely don't have a need to own half the real estate in the world and six yachts in the Caribbean. I have no need or want to incur any significant amount of debt, i.e. a mortgage. I'm not ready for that, and don't know if I ever will be. I'm okay so as long as I have enough financial "security" to move about freely and not be tied down in one place if I don't want to be. Essentially I just want enough money to take care of myself and reduce/eliminate the amount of people in my life who can tell me what to do.
7. Name (and elaborate on) some of your hobbies. What are your favorite things to do outside of school/the office? Travel is obviously one of my biggest hobbies (though I don't get to do it as much as I like). I like to meditate and I try to do it on a regular basis. I love attending the performing arts, whether it's a local band playing at a pub or dive bar, or a Broadway show. I especially love dance performances, and my whole group of friends and I love to go to local bellydance haflas (performances) as often as we can. I do a little bellydance myself, and I love to go out dancing period, though meat market danceclubs aren't exactly my favorite thing. I'm a big hockey fan; I do watch it on TV, but I'd much rather go see the Hurricanes play live. I'm a movie buff. I love to read, and I've tried my hand at writing, but my tendency to criticize myself makes it more difficult than it probably should be. I love women's studies and women's history, but I don't know if you can call reading about tough chicks a hobby. This isn't a hobby yet, but my goal is to take flying lessons before the year is up so I can get my pilot's license.
8. Name three things you are afraid of. Explain.
1) I'm afraid of not having control over my own life. That's a nightmare to me. It scares me to think of losing my independence or my personal agency. I hate the thought of being trapped or helpless or incapable.
2) In a more concrete sense, I'm scared of water. I can swim, and I love the beauty that a body of water creates, but the thought of being completely submerged in water for more than a few seconds freaks me out, and watching a scene in a movie where a character has to hold his/her breath underwater for any amount of time, and thus is in danger of drowning, veritably gives me a panic attack.
3) Okay, this is ridiculous, and I know it, but the idea of anything evil/demonic scares the shit outta me. Namely, I really don't like movies about that crap, like The Exorcist, The Omen, The Rite, etc. There's something unspeakably wrong about the stuff those movies portray, and it makes me never wanna turn the light off and go to sleep. I can't explain it, but yuck.
9. Name (and elaborate on) your top three BEST and top three WORST qualities (personality-related, not physical). Please answer as fully as you can, as this is an important question.
Best:
-My sense of humor: I can find humor in just about any situation, and I'd rather laugh over something painful than cry about it, 9 times out of 10, which makes gallows humor a specialty of mine. I love having a giggle, and I love making my friends laugh.
-My kindness: There's a quote by Stephen Grellet that says, "Any good that I can do or any kindness I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it for I shall not pass this way again." I find no satisfaction in being mean to others, I'm always able to feel empathy for someone else who is hurting. Working in the optical field, and literally helping people to see, has often tried my patience almost to the breaking point (patients can be unbelieveably difficult), but it's also shown me the importance of kindness to others. I've found that what we perceive as the tiniest of gestures can mean to the world to other people. I've been on the receiving end of some very pointed cruelty in the past, and it's made meanness completely anathema to me. I want to be tolerant and generous and sympathetic and loyal because I think it's the only way to make the world a worthwhile place and we have to expect it of ourselves before we can expect it from others.
-My perserverance: Even at the hardest point of things, I've never really given up. That's not to say I've never quit a project or a task, but I've never quit pushing forward somehow. I've never given up on myself. Even at my lowest point, when I'm coming apart on the inside, I just don't have it in me to lay down and say, "That's it, I'm done." It's not a conscious decision, I don't think, I've just not wired that way.
Worst:
-My lack of forgiving: If I've been badly hurt, especially by someone whom I trust, I find it almost impossible to forgive, much less forget. Pretty much ever. It's the same if I think someone's done something I perceive to be particularly malicious or cruel (whether it was done to me or someone else). I can hold a grudge a long time. Too long. In the end, I'm the one that carries all that anger and resentment around though, not them, so it only ends up hurting me.
-My lack of confidence: I've struggled for a long time to be in control of my own life, and I've gotten there finally, but it doesn't mean I don't second guess myself along the way. A lot.
-My willingness to trust: I make friends easily, but I also trust people way too quickly/easily. Even when I get hurt, I never seem to learn the next time. Well, I take that back. I'm learning to be a better judge of character, it's just...slow going.
A Song of Ice and Fire Related
1.Who are your favorite three characters in the series? Why? Jon, Arya, and Brienne. I like strong female characters (both physically strong and emotionally strong), which covers two of the three, and the characters I find myself cheering for are always the ones who have some sort of moral compass and attempt to do what's "right" (by my standards, I suppose). To me, these three hold the most true to that principle. Also, Jon's a truly good man, without being a fool (making him rare as a unicorn in ASOIAF), little Arya's a badass, and Brienne's the type of dynamic, round female character I always want to read about and yet can rarely find in the literary world. I love the fact that these characters are all basically stumbling in the dark, and yet still trying so hard to find the light. Essentially, they're all on a Hero's Journey.
2.Who are your least favorite three characters in the series? Why? Cersei, Joffrey, and Stannis. Cersei and Stannis are selfish and myopic, with a heaping side of petty for Cersei. Joffrey's just an evil little shit.
3.#1 Favorite moment in all of ASOIAF so far? Why? I have a tie. The first is in a Storm of Swords when Jon helps hold Castle Black and the wall against the wildling attack and then becomes "Lord Snow" for real. It's such a culmination of everything that's been building up, and just...ridiculously epic. The other part is in Game of Thrones when Daenerys comes out of that fire with the dragon hatchlings. It's creepy and awesome and disturbing and yet kind of beautiful, all at once.
4. In your dream-world, how would you like to see the series end, and why? I would like to see all the remaining Stark children still alive and kicking and most importantly, reunited. I'd like to see Brienne, Sandor Clegane, Jaime and Tyrion Lannister alive as well, while I'd like to see Cersei, Melisandre, Stannis, Walder Frey, and anyone else who deserves it get theirs. I'd like to see Westeros ruled by a just, capable ruler for once (likely Daenerys, if Martin's writing is any indication. Though I'm not completely sold on the idea yet), and it may be a pipe dream, but I'd like to see Jon and Arya both fall in love with someone worthy of each of them (Jon's vows aside). I don't really have anything more creative than that as of yet, but that's why Martin's steering this ship, and I'm just along for the ride.
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Greyjoy
Date: 2011-05-30 05:21 pm (UTC)So, the Martells can be adventurous, eclectic, smart and funny, but they do have that hot weather and confidence out the wazoo.
The Lannisters are idealists/romantics and at least Jaime and Tyrion seem to have that wanderlust/adventurer thing going on. There's even Gerion Lannister! Lannisters also are very much about struggling and creating your own path. They like control. They are survivors. And at least Cersei is very suspicious of the witchcraft/evil stuff. And they don't forgive, a Lannister always pays their debts. But, one thing a Lannister does not have is trust.
The Greyjoys are also a group that is about control and surviving. And out of all the houses here, they are the most nomadic and adventurous. They're all about earning what you get, and you seem to have that too. Of course, they are not particularly known for their kindness.
So, looking it over, I'm going to go with Lannister . You don't really seem like one on the surface because you do come across as kind and guileless. But maybe you're like a Lannister if Joanna had lived? idk. I don't think you'll really get sorted this, but THATS MY TWO CENTS AND FIVE PARAGRAPHS
Stark
Date: 2011-05-30 05:51 pm (UTC)Stark
Date: 2011-05-30 07:04 pm (UTC)However, your fear of water, coupled with you listing perserverance as one of your best qualities, and willingness to trust as one of your worst all say Stark to me.
And I'm right there with you on evil/ dominic movies. I can sit through all the Saw films and not flinch, but give me something like the Omen and I'll run a mile.
Re: Stark
Date: 2011-05-30 07:57 pm (UTC)STARK
Date: 2011-05-30 08:00 pm (UTC)Tyrell
Date: 2011-05-31 03:35 am (UTC)tyrell
Date: 2011-05-31 07:56 am (UTC)Targaryen
Date: 2011-05-31 10:44 am (UTC)Stark
Date: 2011-05-31 06:05 pm (UTC)Tully
Date: 2011-05-31 06:14 pm (UTC)Tyrell
Date: 2011-06-01 03:51 am (UTC)Lannister
Date: 2011-06-01 04:27 am (UTC)I was thinking Martell earlier, due to your need for adventure (and despite your hatred of the hear) but this kind of sealed it. I feel like liking strong female characters also indicates you will be happy in Dorne.
Lannister
Date: 2011-06-01 04:47 am (UTC)It's weird to see similarities between Stark and Martell, but you exhibit them.
Tully
Date: 2011-06-01 04:47 am (UTC)Lannister
Date: 2011-06-01 07:06 am (UTC)Lannister
Date: 2011-06-01 12:48 pm (UTC)Going with Tyrell in any case, I guess.
Lannister
Date: 2011-06-01 05:27 pm (UTC)Lannister
Date: 2011-06-01 05:48 pm (UTC)A desire for freedom, a desire for a partner, sheltered childhood, a desire for control, hating demonic forces (hello Mirri Maz Dur), liking strong female characters, an initial lack of confidence and willingness to trust... (though admittedly that does change over time)
I see a dragon-in-training.
Re: Lannister
Date: 2011-06-02 02:48 am (UTC)Lannister
Date: 2011-06-01 06:46 pm (UTC)Tully
Date: 2011-06-01 08:32 pm (UTC)Lannister
Date: 2011-06-02 01:37 am (UTC)Stark
Date: 2011-06-02 02:00 am (UTC)targaryen
Date: 2011-06-02 02:48 am (UTC)Stark
Date: 2011-06-02 03:41 am (UTC)Tully
Date: 2011-06-02 11:42 am (UTC)Stark
Date: 2011-06-02 02:49 pm (UTC)Lannister
Date: 2011-06-02 04:34 pm (UTC)Lannister
Date: 2011-06-02 04:38 pm (UTC)Tyrell
Date: 2011-06-02 06:04 pm (UTC)Stark
Date: 2011-06-02 07:04 pm (UTC)Stark
Date: 2011-06-02 07:45 pm (UTC)Stark
Date: 2011-06-02 09:21 pm (UTC)Greyjoy
Date: 2011-06-03 03:13 am (UTC)SORTED: Targaryen
Date: 2011-06-03 12:05 pm (UTC)You may join
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Re: SORTED: Targaryen
Date: 2011-06-08 01:05 am (UTC)