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westerosortingName: Sam
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 kept running across sorting posts on tumblr and I decided to see what all of the hubbub was about. :V
Age: 18
Location: Northern Indiana
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!.
I might as well say right off the bat that I enjoy cold climates, maybe not year round, but I'd definitely like living in a place with cold, cold winters and summers more on the mild side. While I can certainly enjoy a sunny summer day, heat has never quite agreed with me. Biting cold, on the other hand, has never bothered me – in the right doses I find it pretty refreshing. I'm more of a city-person than anything else, though I originally grew up in a suburban-rural area. I like the bustle and the closeness of a city, and the feeling that there's always something happening and nothing is ever boring. It'd be nice to live by the sea, as well, or some large body of water. Growing up, I immediately took to swimming, boating, and the like, and I've always had a natural affinity for water.
That said, I would really prefer a small, modest house/apartment, a place that would be easily managed and not cost a lot to own. Since I imagine I'd be living by myself, a large home would be kind of excessive, and a total bitch to maintain. Perhaps something with a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living room, and… an extra room I could use as a studio space. That's all I really need. However, it would absolutely have to have windows, big windows. I'm a total glutton for sunlight and couldn't live in a house that didn't let enough in.
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!
Yeah, you know I'd be suspicious as hell towards any magical being offering me wishes. I know how that shit goes. But here's how it'd break down:
1. Money – Enough to roughly pay for my remaining years of college and any debts I'd accumulate during that time, plus enough to repay my mother with interest for the thousands she already spent trying to put me through school. Perhaps just enough left over to give me a decent start out of college. I don't need (nor want) to have an infinite supply of money to fall back on because I do, in some odd way, appreciate the struggle of living and how it shapes us as we go. I would undoubtedly become too lax if I never had to worry about expenses.
2. Extended Lifespan – Not immortality, but the chance to live for longer than the short 90 or so years that most of us get—maybe to live to around 200 years. There are so many things I want to try and experience, but I always feel as if I don't have enough time to accomplish everything I want to. Some things (like mastering multiple languages or becoming proficient in a number of studies and skills) would usually take a lifetime or at least a good chunk of one, and it would always be nice to have more time, since there never seems to be enough.
3. Enhanced Intelligence – I've always been kind of a slow thinker. It takes me some time to fully process things and form some kind of reaction, and I'm kind of scatterbrained as well. I really want to be "smart" for lack of a better word. I want to retain as much as possible and catch onto things quickly and not be so, well, dumb. I'd wish to have a greater facility to learn and think quickly and just generally sustain information better.
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'm attending a respectable college, studying art, which, to me, is by far my greatest accomplishment (which sounds kind of boring, but let me explain!). My whole life I've struggled with this notion that other people know what's best for me. I was always ready to assume that I was too young/ too ignorant/ too idealistic or naïve to make the right decisions for myself, and as a result I ended up missing out on a lot of chances to take risks and be who I wanted to be. I almost ended up following this route regarding my future. So this is why I'm proud of not only getting accepted into a good school, but also choosing the course of study that I truly wanted to follow when everyone else was telling me to choose something "safer" and "more secure."
I didn't let other people talk me out of living my own life. Yes, in all likelihood, I'll be facing a lot of problems when I'm out of college and waist-deep in the "real world," but I'd rather endure that than continue living other people's lives and trying to follow other people's expectations. I'm proud of myself in this instance for finally finding that courage to follow my own path.
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.
Friendship/Family definitely tie for my most important. I mean, in my eyes, they're practically the same thing, anyway. As much as I want to wax poetically about the ways in which love drives me, friendship has always been the one thing that's kept me sane as I grew up. I'm not a terribly social person, so it's not like I have many friends (I can count mine on one hand), but those that are my friends are true friends. We support each other and keep each other going and sometimes even smack each other upside the head for being idiots. The same thing applies to my family. We're there for each other and we help each other out when we have nowhere else to go. I don't know where I'd be without them.
Oddly enough, my least important would probably be um…. Pleasure? Haha, I don't really know! They're all pretty important and it would royally suck to live without any one of them, and I definitely know that a life without any pleasure would kind of blow. However, at the same time, I feel like I don't need lots of pleasure in life (and I'm definitely making a distinction between happiness and pleasure here. I'm assuming pleasure to mean physical pleasure), because I appreciate discomfort and stuff like that as things that shape my character and make me stronger. I'm of the opinion that too much pleasure makes a person too soft and complacent.
5. What's one quote (or passage, song lyric, etc.) that effectively describes you and your values? Explain.
"…beauty, she had discovered occupied a narrow band. Ugliness, on the other hand, had infinite variation." – Ian McEwin
This quote sums up quite neatly my outlook on life in terms of the "good" and the "bad." To me, "ugliness," be it hardship or physical appearance, is what makes life interesting, gives it its flavor. So, yes, I guess you could say that I value diversity and excitement above goodness and the like. It's the main reason why concepts like paradise don't hold any interest for me: having everything be perfect would be so boring! I kind of like how flawed our world is, how different everyone is. I appreciate the ugliness that breaks up the monotony of beauty.
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 good at balancing my expenses with my income. I'm not someone who necessarily wants a lot of stuff, and I'm fine with only spending on necessities. Plus, coming from a family that managed to remain almost entirely debt-free (at least until my sister and I left for college) with only one income, it was rather strongly instilled in me to watch my spending and never fall into that trap. Although, I cannot lie, I do occasionally spend too much on things like books and movies and video games when I know I shouldn't. When it does happen, however, I end up going into "save" mode and regain my losses pretty quickly.
Financial security is freedom, obviously, and my freedom is very important to me. I greatly dislike any situation in which I'm tied down to someone through a debt. That said, money itself doesn't hold much value for me past that. As I said, I don't spend much above or beyond what I need, and I'm content to go without certain luxuries. Money is simply a means to an end.
7. Name (and elaborate on) some of your hobbies. What are your favorite things to do outside of school/the office?
I draw constantly and that takes up a large portion of my allotted "hobby time," but I also read quite often as well as bike (when the weather allows for it.) Sometimes I even just sit and think about whatever comes to mind at the moment. So, yeah, those are really my major hobbies aside from "dicking around on the internet." Admittedly, my insane drive to read (I read everywhere—at dinner, between classes, on the bus) is mostly shameless escapism; however, I do enjoy connecting with the characters of a good novel and getting swept up in a whole new world (fantastical or otherwise). I spend a fair amount of time daydreaming and just thinking about abstract things, letting my mind roam around a bit, and that's mostly a kind of meditation for me—a way to relax and wind down after a rough day.
As far as drawing goes I do it because I like to be productive and I like to create. There's really no better feeling than knowing that I've added something tangible to the world, something that, regardless of quality or renown, will far outlive me. And besides that, it provides a way for me to kind of reach out into the big bad world and touch other people and have this dialogue with them in ways that I can't with simple words.
8. Name three things you are afraid of. Explain.
Mutilation – Let's just get this out of the way. I'm fine with gore. I can handle blood and guts and stuff no problem. Gruesome things don't necessarily bother me. However, when it comes to straight-up mutilation I can't deal. There were even times reading ASOIAF when I had to close the book and just kind of settle myself because it freaked me out way too much. (hello, tongue-removal). Especially when it comes to eyes, hands, and tongues, I just get absurdly skeeved because I can't imagine living without something so vital like a body part. Like, the idea of living without one of my limbs is absolutely terrifying to me I can't even. I felt disturbed watching Soul Surfer, for crying out loud.
Living an Unsatisfying Life – I've always had a fear that on the day I die, I'd look back at my life and feel regret, not for the things I did, but for those that I didn't. I don't want to settle into a life that's easy or safe at the price of my dreams. I mean, I don't need to be famous or have crazy mad adventures or anything, I just need to do something in my life that’s worth remembering or to make something extraordinary that will still be around when I'm long gone. On my deathbed I want to look back and be like "yeah, that was awesome."
Loss of Autonomy – This goes along with mutilation, but I just shudder to think of what life would be like if I couldn't take care of myself and do things on my own, independently, either because of physical limitations or what have you. I take a lot of pride in my independence, and I don't know if I could deal with having to rely on someone else for my day-to-day needs.
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
1. Independence – This is probably one of my most defining characteristics. I can stand on my own two feet and do things myself without having to lean on the people around me. Personally, I really like that I don't need people—I don't really get lonely and I'm perfectly fine doing things my on my own, my own way, and I've never needed someone else to push me to get things done. Idon't really feel pressured to follow the crowd or to go out of my way to fit the "norm" (whatever that is). My independence is my freedom, and I wouldn't trade that in for anything.
2. Humor – I'm a very even-tempered person and I rarely find myself caught in feelings of sadness or depression. Mostly, I can attribute this to my humor. It doesn't take a lot to make me giggle, and even less to crack a smile. When it comes to stressful situations, I almost always have to laugh. It's like my coping mechanism. I find it easy to put things into perspective and enjoy the little ironies of life, even when it's to my detriment, and generally, my outlook on life is to never take it too seriously.
3. Fairness – I'm a very objective person, and I tend to reason with my mind, rather than with my emotions. Now, my friends and family overwhelmingly choose me as their "person to rant to about life problems" and in those cases, I tend to look at both sides of a fight equally and impartially, without emotional attachment clouding my view, because I do honestly want to be fair to both sides for the sake of fairness. I'm usually the go-to girl for mediating quarrels and offering relationship advice because of this.
WORST
1. Cynicism – I tend to mistrust people upon first meeting them, and, while that mistrust will generally wane as I get to know them, it never truly leaves. Although I can say that I do deeply trust my friends and family, there's always this inkling of doubt in the back of my mind that wonders if mean what they say, if they're just playing along, if they secretly think I'm annoying or pathetic or something. I also tend to assume that when someone says/does something nice toward me, it's either out of misplaced pity or it's done to mock me/use me. I recognize that this is a totally irrational reaction; I've never, to my knowledge, been used or insulted in such a way (now I've been insulted bluntly, but never through a guise of kindness) but I can't stop the thoughts from forming in my head. I tend to assume the worst in people, if only to keep myself from being disappointed.
2. Wistfulness – I'm a dreamer. I tend to be more thought and reflection than action, and while I enjoy the recesses of my mind, I hate this tendency to think and not act. I get caught up in daydreams and theories and imaginings that I become distant from the real world and I know I lose so much because of it. I want to live in the present, but I can't seem to keep my head out of the clouds.
3. Detachment – This is the other side to my independence and neutrality: I'm very detached from other people. It's hard for me to fully sympathize with them and to feel what they feel. I also have bouts where I isolate myself for days with next to no human contact, which has become a horrible, horrible habit. I do generally like humanity (even if I don't trust people) but interacting with other people can get tiring. I often prefer to keep myself distant.
A Song of Ice and Fire Related
1.How many books from the series have you completed?
All five of the main series, plus that first chapter of Winds of Winter!
2.Who are your favorite three characters in the series? Why?
Brienne of Tarth
Oh my god, Brienne is flawless, okay? (not really but STILL.) I have such a ladycrush on Brienne, let me tell you. First of all, she's one of the most honorable characters in the series, but on top of that, she's also smart and realizes that the world doesn't play by her rules. She's like all the honor and honesty and goodness of Eddard, but curbed with just enough cynicism to keep her, uh, alive. She's not fooled by sweet words and the like, and while she's hasn't got Littlefinger or Tyrion-level intelligence, she is clever in the practical sense. She knows how to think quickly in times of distress. She's stubborn and doesn't give up without a fight (can we all just stop for a moment to appreciate the fact that she bit off Vargo Hoat's ear?) and when she says she's going to do something SHE DOES IT. No ifs, ands, or buts. I guess I love everything about her because she's the type of person I wish I could be—constant, dependable, strong-willed, confident enough in herself to go after her dreams despite the world telling her she can't. She isn't an "all up in your face I'm awesome" type of person, but rather, she's got this subtle dignity like "I don't need you to believe me, because I'm fully aware of what I can do." She's a steady person, and a genuine one, and I love that she's got insecurities, but pushes past those to do what's right.
Theon Greyjoy
Okay, so I loved Theon from the very beginning. It was a weird love. I wavered constantly between wanting to hug him until everything was alright and wanting to smack him upside his big, dumb, "I'm going to kill two innocent children to prove a point" head. For me, the major appeal of Theon is his "grayness" as a character and how, despite doing undeniably horrible things, he's still a sympathetic human being with regrets and struggles. I like that he's naturally a good-humored, funny, easy-going type of guy, and how he pushes himself to be this typical iron-born-no-mercy-type leader despite the fact that he really isn't that type of person at all, because deep down he wants to be recognized for something, anything. He wants to prove himself so badly and win glory for himself and he breaks himself down in the process. I love Theon's struggle to find a niche for himself, not belonging to the North or to the Iron Islands and being shunned by both. Theon is a character that can make me laugh, cry, and pull my own hair out in frustration, and that's really what makes me love him so much.
Davos Seaworth
My love for Davos is much the same as my love for Brienne in that I admire him for being one of the few truly honorable people left in Westeros. It's mostly his bluntness that gets me. I'm a blunt person, myself, and I can totally relate to that need to tell it like it is, especially to your friends, and that general dislike for the grandiloquent bullshit of politics. Davos is straightforward, he doesn't pretend to be more than he is, and what's more, he knows who he is through and through. That's just always something I (someone who, as is made evident by this application, has almost no clue who she is) can respect in a person. And Davos, like Brienne, simply does. There's no second thoughts, no trying to get out of it. He knows what he has to do, and he does it. Of course, going a bit further, I love Davos's humility. He's constantly mocked or looked-down on by "real lords" because of his common birth, and yet, he openly acknowledges himself that he doesn't understand the highborn world and that he really is a simple man who got lucky. He even asks to be taught how to read and write as a full-grown man, not because he always wanted to, or feels pressured to, but because it's necessary for the job he's been asked to do. He's unassuming, straightforward, and sees through everybody's bullshit, and that's really refreshing to see in this series.
Very Honorable Mentions: Asha Greyjoy and Jon Connington oh god I just want to wrap them up in fluffy blankets and give them hot cocoa.
3.Who are your least favorite three characters in the series? Why?
Randyll Tarly
Oh god, Randyll Tarly is like the bane of my existence, let me tell you. I would feel bad choosing such a minor character (since it feels like cheating to hate a static, less-rounded character who hasn't gotten the proper spotlight of the main players) but Mr. Tarly here has pissed me off since he was first mentioned (being an abusive dick to Sam) up until, four books later, when he's giving Brienne shit for DARING to be a woman in armor. Like, yeah, you could say that pretty much everyone gives Brienne shit for not being conventionally feminine, but Tarly is the only person who's like "idgaf who you are or how good a swordsman you are, you will do as I say because I feel entitled to boss you around despite you not actually being under my command also I hope you get raped." (I had to seriously resist the urge to throw my book across the room when I read that.) And he threatens to kill his son if he doesn't give up his inheritance, but before when Sam wants to become a maester and therefore give up his claim, thus solving the whole problem of getting Sam out of the picture, Randyll chains him to a wall because he has serious pride issues or something (wait, so it's bad to be a member of a highly-respected group of professional scholars but joining a group made up of bastards and criminals doing what most people consider to be a useless job is a-okay?) Close-minded, bossy, pompous, and a complete dick—I think that's enough reason to hate him.
Loras Tyrell
Okay, so, to be fair, I don't really dislike that many characters sans Randyll Tarly, so thinking of two more was really hard to do. It's not that I hate Loras, it's just that idgaf about him 99% of the time, and the other 1% he's mildly irritating to me (yeah okay, it might be because I'm really protective of Brienne and Loras was all up in her grill and talking shit behind her back and stuff). Overall, I just find him boring. Sorry, Loras, you don't interest me at all. 3:
Gregor Clegane
Yeah, okay, I really can't think of any main characters that I dislike, so I'm just going to go with the obvious, cardboard cut-out monster-villain. As far as evil characters go, Gregor is so boring, seriously. At least Walder Frey and Ramsay are interesting/entertaining in their absurd, one-dimensional villainy, but Gregor is like this unfeeling robot Tywin programmed to do nothing but rape and murder and pillage. Why? Because it's evil I guess? Really, I don't even consider Gregor to be a character any more than I would consider a plague or a natural disaster to be characters. In fact, the plague and natural disaster would probably have more personality.
4.#1 Favorite moment in all of ASOIAF so far? Why?
Oberyn's fight with Ser Gregor. Full stop. I love fight scenes in general, for both the action/suspense, and for how psychological they are, but this duel just left me with chills. I love Oberyn, I found he was an easy character to get attached to, and his fight was just so intense. The chanting, and the way Oberyn slowly but surely wore the Mountain down and tried to extract a confession out of him, god, that was simply the best scene. I'm glad that the Martells could get their revenge, even if it was at the cost of Oberyn's life. (all my sads, though.)
Honorable mention goes to Stannis naming Davos his Hand. I just love these two interacting together because there's so much trust and loyalty and good feelings, I can't even handle it. Also, Davos is like the best Hand ever, no contest.
5. In your dream-world, how would you like to see the series end, and why?
Haha, okay, I'm the worst when it comes to predictions, the absolute worst. This is going to be so very disorganized and sporadic and nonsensical, I promise you.
First of all, I'd love to see the Iron Throne destroyed, with the individual kingdoms splitting back to individual rule for a while. Also, queens. Queens everywhere. Asha, Dany, Arianne, Sansa, Margaery... I just want all the queens, okay?
Most of all, though, I want Brienne to be knighted because she deserves it more than anyone okay, and then she can serve in some prestigious guard or something and totally kick-ass. Also, songs are written about her. Also, her and Jaime must hug at least once before the series ends. I don't care how or what context but it absolutely must happen.
Cersei and Jaime don't die together THERE I SAID IT. I really dislike the "one soul, two bodies" trope and I desperately want it to be deconstructed and debunked by the end of the series. Both characters do, however, die before the end.
I want Arya to come back to Westeros as an adult and obviously reconnect with Sansa/Bran/Rickon (possibly get in some emotional hug time) but otherwise not totally rejoin the Stark/Great House hierarchy. I'd honestly love Arya to be recognized as a Stark by the house itself, but otherwise take up life as a vigilante assassin/adventurer, occasionally paying visits to her family and old home. Oh, also, I want her and Jon Snow to finally see each other again and for him to muss her hair and finish her sentences oh god, I'm sorry, I'm getting emotional now moving on.
Oh, speaking of Jon Snow, I want Jon/his oath to be confirmed canon, thank you. These two had a bit of a rough patch in aSOS and again in aDwD, and I'd like to see them really reconcile that and finally get back together.
With Sansa as Queen in the North, Rickon becomes her heir because Bran takes up the job of being a fucking badass warg and simply doesn't have time to rule. Meera is there too and it's awesome.
Dany with Ser Barristan makes it to Westeros in time to help with the Others problem and either carves out a small kingdom of her own or becomes, like, the head peacekeeper for the realm, riding around on her dragon and sorting out disagreements between kingdoms.
Stannis and Davos both survive the series, and Stannis, upon realizing that there isn't one big kingdom to rule anymore, settles back into being the lord and/or king (depending on how the territories are split up and who rules what) of the stormlands with his seat at Storm's End, and Davos remains his bff4lyf.
Tyrion meets Bronn again, somehow, some way and they finally acknowledge their FRIENDSHIP YEAHHHHH.
Samwell becomes a wizard.
Epilogue: Afterlife dance party.
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Tully
Date: 2012-02-13 07:39 pm (UTC)Greyjoy
Date: 2012-02-13 07:42 pm (UTC)Tyrell
Date: 2012-02-13 08:38 pm (UTC)Tully
Date: 2012-02-13 09:19 pm (UTC)Tully
Date: 2012-02-13 09:53 pm (UTC)And I dunno, imagining Jon Connington wrapped in a blanket with cocoa just makes me go "AWWW". *pinches his widdle greyscale cheeks*
Tyrell
Date: 2012-02-13 10:00 pm (UTC)Martell
Date: 2012-02-13 10:02 pm (UTC)Lannister
Date: 2012-02-13 10:20 pm (UTC)Lannister
Date: 2012-02-13 10:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-02-14 12:47 am (UTC)I agree!! Wow do I agree.
You are a Lannister. You're witty, clever, want to be more clever and have a sense of the finiteness of life that reminds of the Lannisters. You know what you'd like to get done.
Davos! Brianne! The deconstruction of Jamie & Cersei dying together!!
Welcome.
Tyrell
Date: 2012-02-14 01:40 am (UTC)Lannister
Date: 2012-02-14 01:55 am (UTC)Also, queens. Queens everywhere.
YES GOOD. And IA about Jon/his oaths.
Acually, no. On second read I changed my mind. I'm going to be selfish after all and claim you for house Lannister. I think there's enough here to justify it, even though you're maybe not the most typical/obvious lion on first glance. Welcome ♥
Martell
Date: 2012-02-14 03:41 am (UTC)I hope Sam Tarly gets his Hogswarts letter. :)
Stark
Date: 2012-02-14 03:48 am (UTC)Stark
Stark
Date: 2012-02-14 04:33 am (UTC)YES.
I definitely see Lannister, what with the cleverness and the humor and the attitude towards money as a tool. I also see a lot of Stark in your fears and favorites and just a general "Gonna do my own thing" vibe that the North has. But I think Stark wins out.
Martell
Date: 2012-02-14 07:20 am (UTC)Martell
Date: 2012-02-14 03:37 pm (UTC)Lannister
Date: 2012-02-14 05:52 pm (UTC)Targaryen
Date: 2012-02-14 07:05 pm (UTC)Tully
Date: 2012-02-14 08:09 pm (UTC)Targaryen
Date: 2012-02-15 12:57 am (UTC)Oh yes... Stark!
Targaryen
Date: 2012-02-15 01:02 am (UTC)Lannister
Date: 2012-02-15 02:53 am (UTC)You're fierce, independent, creative, love the queens, you rage at rape, you're a city person, you really value true friendships, you very heavily emphasise personal freedom and leading an exciting and varied life (that was the big one that made me say Targ tbh). It's like you tick all the Targ boxes to me.
Martell
Date: 2012-02-15 03:43 am (UTC)Lannister
Date: 2012-02-15 05:59 am (UTC)<b>Stark<b>
Date: 2012-02-15 10:33 am (UTC)Tully
Tyrell
Date: 2012-02-15 12:17 pm (UTC)Tully
Date: 2012-02-15 02:02 pm (UTC)(Also: ♥ ♥ ♥ for your Brienne love!)
Tully
Date: 2012-02-15 03:54 pm (UTC)Stark
Date: 2012-02-15 10:56 pm (UTC)Tyrell
Date: 2012-02-16 08:17 am (UTC)Martell
Date: 2012-02-16 04:28 pm (UTC)Targaryen
Date: 2012-02-16 08:24 pm (UTC)Martell
Date: 2012-02-17 01:47 am (UTC)Tyrell
Date: 2012-02-17 04:08 am (UTC)Tully
Date: 2012-02-17 12:33 pm (UTC)SORTED: STARK
Date: 2012-02-17 12:46 pm (UTC)You may join
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