In the game of delicious cake, you win or you win! (...Also, die?)

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Name: je
How did you find out about the community? If it's through an LJ user, please tell us who it is (individual user if possible, not just a community name!): I wanted a place to chat about ASOIAF that was wasn't westeros.org, googled ASOIAF communities and found this one.
Age: 28
Location: Colorado
Occupation: student




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!.
Well, first things first, I can't stand hot weather. Second, Colorado is way, way, WAY to far away from the ocean. I grew up in New England, and that's ultimately where I'd like to be. There is something very striking about the austere beauty of lighthouses against a mercury-colored sky. When I say I want to be near the sea, I mean a dark grey sea; turbulent and dotted with foam.

As far as a house...hm...can I live in a lighthouse, while we're on the rocky beach anyway? Growing up, once I got out of the "I want a castle!" phase (although, I'd still take a castle. Who wouldn't?) I resolved that a lighthouse or an old church would make the best house. The church would even have stained glass windows, and that would be pretty spectacular. Ultimately, I think the coolest house is a repurposed building of some kind, be it lighthouse or church or maybe even an old school or something. I'm not picky.

I'm not a big decorator, but I do really like old things, so the perfect house would have to be full of nifty antiques. The weirder the better. I've seen some of the steampunk interior design photos floating around the internet, and I'm all about those. Old-fashioned but quirky is my design of choice.Also, I love gardens but I'm cursed to kill any plants I touch, so the only person I'd ever want to hire is a gardener. Of course, I'm also pretty cheap so that probably wouldn't happen...but I digress.




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!
For my first wish, I would probably wish to go back in time and relive the past fifteen or so years of my life. I made some pretty bad decisions in my youth, and I think if I did that I could fix 99% of my current problems. For my second wish, since I'd be a middle-schooler again, I'd probably wish for something incredibly stupid, like to date some dumb boy in one of my classes. Oh wait, I'm going way too far with the what ifs.

For my second wish, I would actually wish for money, which is oh-so-boring, but I would just want to make sure that I had enough money in the bank to go on some kind of grand adventure. I'd like the travel the world, and see all the things that I haven't (i.e., some countries that aren't in North America) and do ridiculous things without worrying about breaking the bank.

Wish number three would be for some delicious cake, because I can't really think of anything else, and I imagine that a genie would be able to make some pretty mindblowingly awesome cake. That probably sounds like a joke, but it's really not. I like cake an awful lot.



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. ;)
To tell you what I'm most proud of, I've got to start by telling you what I'm least proud of. When I was a young teenager, I was struggling with major depression, and was hospitalized for a suicide attempt. I spent a period of time in a psych treatment facility, which was the most spirit-breaking experience I've ever had. I know that's probably WAY more information than anyone here wanted on a little house application, so I'll leave it at that. Anyway, for the next several years I struggled with mental illness, and was taking a lot of drugs for it until I hit about age 21 I got sick of feeling like a zombie all the time and I decided to quit. Against the advice of my doctors, I pulled the plug on the meds and despite some pretty awful times, I have never gone back on them again. I've been 100% drug free (meaning psych prescriptions, but no illegal drugs either) since, and I have finished high school and am currently in college and I'm making my life work without the meds. I think that's a pretty serious accomplishment, and I'm definitely very proud of it.


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.
Of all of those, I think the most important has to be pleasure, because it's the end all the others serve, really. I would probably say happiness rather than pleasure, but I think the sentiment is the same. I want to be happy, and adventure, love, knowledge, money, etc. are all ways to be happy. If that's the cop out answer, I'll go with adventure, because without experiencing the world and all it's craziness, life is meaningless. I like things that make me feel alive (skydiving, whitewater rafting, etc.) and I think the whole point to life is to live it.

5. What's one quote (or passage, song lyric, etc.) that effectively describes you and your values? Explain.
"Despite attempting at pretension, it's the places that I've been, it's the books that I have read that made me what I am: a wicked girl, a strange marionette." I'm not sure this really needs much explanation, but it just means that I've tried to present myself to the world as being accomplished, or even vain, I'm just a product of my environment and my learning.

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'm pretty awful with money, to be honest. I tend to spend what I want to spend and then do panic fixing and austerity measures later. Financial security would be awesome, mainly because it would allow me to travel and do new things, but it's the means to an end, not the end itself. Money in the bank doesn't really do anything for me. It's no good at all if I'm not going to spend it.


7. Name (and elaborate on) some of your hobbies. What are your favorite things to do outside of school/the office?
Well, I think I already briefly mentioned that I'm a bit of an adrenaline junkie. Fact is, I'm afraid of tons of things, and I like to force myself to face those fears on a regular basis. I've done skydiving and white water rafting, snowboarding, skateboarding, and various other "extreme sports." At the end of the day, however, nothing beats curling up with a great book.

I also do a lot of knitting, sewing, crocheting, drawing, and other creative hobbies. I just like to make things a lot, and I like to acquire new skills. I also like to make music, I play piano and accordion.


8. Name three things you are afraid of. Explain.
Hoo-boy, I'm afraid of a lot. High places. Bees. Vengeful spirits. Snipers. Needles. Bears. I tend to not let those affect me, though. Well, except for needles. Needles really freak me out.

There are other, more abstract, fears, and those are probably a little bit more legitimate. I get extremely nervous and anxious in social situations, I'm very afraid of making a fool out of myself. I always fear that the people around me are judging me, which is probably more paranoia than a legitimate fear.

Also, I'm not afraid of dying, but I am afraid of dying before I do all the things I want to do with my life. I don't want to become one of those vengeful ghosts I'm so afraid of!


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:
People tend to tell me that I have a good sense of humor, although I don't necessarily think this means I'm funny, so much as that I don't take myself too seriously. I have no problem laughing at my mistakes (if I did, I would probably be a pretty miserable person!) and I try to look at life as a big, hilarious joke.

I have a very finely honed sense of responsibility, which is something I've had to work on throughout my life, but now I can be proud of it. I don't have a problem owning up to my own mistakes, and I'm more than willing to accept responsibility if something I do turns out wrong.

I am spontaneous and open to new experiences. I love adventure, and I love dragging other people on adventures. In the end, we end up with new stories and more open minds for it.

Worst:
I tend to get extremely anxious around strangers, and I find it next to impossible to make small talk. I have a stutter when I'm nervous, so I tend to stay quiet around strangers, which I'm pretty sure makes me come off as stuck up sometimes.

I practice Extreme Procrastination. Why put off to tomorrow what you can put off to next week? I am not sure if it's laziness or anxiety or some magical effervescent cocktail of the two, but I can always find an excuse not to do something today.

I'm also a bit of a hypochondriac. I don't have health insurance, but I do have WebMD. According to WebMD, I've had lupus, several heart attacks, at least one stroke, kidney failure, etc. I tend to believe these diagnoses and need to be talked off the ledge by someone less gullible and paranoid.





A Song of Ice and Fire Related

1.Who are your favorite three characters in the series? Why?
Theon Greyjoy. Call him a murderer, a turncloak, call him what you will; Theon's been one of my favorites since he got his own POV, because he's so real. Hands down, he's the most realistic character in the series, and I'm a sucker for a tragic character whose undoing is based on his own terrible choices.

Jaime Lannister. That thing I said about tragic characters applies here too. I started the series hating him and by the end of ASOS I realized with some astonishment that he had wound his way into my heart. I love it when characters do this, and I also love characters who seem vapid at first glance, but reveal hidden depth as you accompany them on their journeys.

Daenerys Targaryen. A smart, capable, strong woman with a trio of dragons and a penchant for freeing slaves...what's not to love? From the beginning, Dany's story has intrigued me, and watching her develop her personality and strong moral code has been fascinating. I can't wait to see if she remains as optimistic as she has moving forward. I have the feeling something huge is going to happen and her character is going to make an intense shift, and I'm excited to see it happen.


2.Who are your least favorite three characters in the series? Why?
Number One has to be Catelyn. I swear, all that woman does is cry, whine, pray in septs, and whine and cry in septs while praying. Not to mention that every time she publicly lectures Edmure and Robb in the company of their men, the Stranger kills a kitten.

Catelyn is the only one I dislike based on how tedious her chapters are, my number two most disliked is the Bastard of Bolton, Ramsay Snow. I don't dislike him because he's not interesting, though, he's quite interesting, he's just absolutely horrifying. Every word that comes out of his mouth is the worst thing I've ever heard, and I'm just waiting for him to die. When he gets his, it will be the brightest, jolliest day in Westeros.

I can't list my third without ADWD spoilers, so I'll pick another...oh, I know! Ygritte. Seven save us, could she be more annoying? She's a little too stereotypical Stands-With-Fist "strong native woman" archetype for me, except when she is being what I'm sure was intended to be cute. Then, she's just plain irritating. Not to mention, saying "you know nothing, Jon Snow" repeatedly is like constantly reminding everyone that the sun is bright. Of course he knows nothing. We get it. It's been a theme since AGOT. Now shut up.


3.#1 Favorite moment in all of ASOIAF so far? Why?
Again, I can't say without ADWD spoilers, so I'm going to go all the way back to AGOT and Ned's execution. Before I draw the undying enmity of House Stark, let me elaborate: I like(d) Ned. A LOT. When he died, it boggled my mind. It shook me to the core, and I felt stunned and sad. The reason it's my favorite moment isn't simply because Ned died–that SUCKED. I wanted him to live, I wanted him to unmask Cersei, and I wanted everyone to live happily ever after. Or, at the very least, I wanted him involved in the coming conflict. When Ned died, it pulled the rug out from under me and I knew no one was safe if GRRM was willing to kill off the main protagonist of the story in the first book. That was the moment that I knew I was going to be in for the long haul, because it suddenly added a whole new weight to my affection for the characters.


4. In your dream-world, how would you like to see the series end, and why?
Everybody dies, the snow is blowing over the graves and a devastated Winterfell, and the camera pans out and we see that the whole thing was just Bran daydreaming and playing with a snow globe a la St. Elsewhere...

JUST KIDDING! Without going into ADWD spoilers, I'll just say I'd like to see all these power hungry nobles put aside their differences and start worrying about the real enemy (enemies?). I would like to see Ramsay Bolton dead, and Euron Greyjoy too, while we're at it. I kind of wish Dany would become a queen with no king, but also think it would be awesome if Dolorous Edd became the 1000th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. Probably not going to happen. I also think it would be pretty awesome if Jaime died honorably in the service of an oath sworn to Brienne or possibly Lady Stoneheart. I doubt that's going to happen though, seems a bit too much of a conventional fantasy trope for this series.

Thanks for reading! :)

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Stark

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