westerosorting | win or die (Reply)

Name: Kim
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!): At

game_thrones both

misstopia &

tasmin_dvelnahr linked here.
Age: 26
Location: NY, the state not the city.
Occupation: barista, hopefully not for very much longer.

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 love to live in a big, old manor house in the English countryside with a big enough piece of land so that my dog can run around without ending up in a neighbor's yard. I definitely want to be in a place with a lot of history behind it too. Somewhere with fixtures that are hundreds of years old, musty but still well loved and used furnishings and lots and lots of dark wooden accents. I can imagine a kitchen with original stonework and brick, a large front room with intricate ceiling work and large stained glass windows that when the sun hits them turns the room all manner of colors. Of course I'd still want it to have some modernity to it (I don't know what I'd do without tv or internet) but overall I'd like it to be comfortable, not stuffy, classic yet well lived 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!

One: Instant wealth. Predictable and selfish perhaps, but I want to have enough money for myself and all the people I care about to take care of all that we need and some of what we want. I always imagined that if I suddenly won a huge lotto prize the first thing I'd do is set up college accounts for all of my family members who never got the chance to go, plus one for myself so I could actually finish my education. It's the bane of my existence, never having finished college and not having the funds to do so. I'd also love to opportunity to travel and it'd be nice to have other people around who've never have the chance to before. Plus it would be great to give a bunch of money to my parents. They never had much, in fact they had a lot less than much and it would be a nice change for them to not have to worry for once.

Two: A time machine. I'd love to go traveling back in time, to be able to see not just the amazing places from history but to witness them as they were being built or during their golden age.

Three: Since we're on about time, I'd love to be able to actually change past events specifically in my own life. There was an episode of "Doctor Who" called "Turn Left." It showed what happened in this woman's life had she gone back and changed that one crucial moment in her timeline and gone right instead of left. Everything went wrong, of course, but it was able to show that her original choice of turning left was in fact right. For me it's kind of the opposite. I know exactly what moment in my life I turned right on and I want more than anything to go back and turn left.

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. ;)

By far my proudest accomplishment was having the means to travel to London on my own for ten glorious days. It had been a dream of mine for ages and ages and when my schooling fell through (for the second time) I took up what money I'd saved and headed across the pond. Perhaps not the most sound investment but I don't regret a minute of it. Some of the money I had came from my Grandmother's estate and one of her dreams in life was to go to Paris. She died at the age of ninety never having gone. I just didn't want that to happen to me.

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.

Family is definitely the most important. I'm extremely close to my immediate family and I can't imagine it any other way. I think I've actually gotten closer to them in the past five to ten years and it's made a world of difference to me. Sometimes it might be a little too codependent as I'm a very anxious person and tend to rely on my parents a little too much to do things for me but they've also been really good about knowing what I need and how to go about helping me do things on my own. I don't know many other people of my age who can rely on their family as much as I do. I think I'm lucky in that.

Least important is such a toss up. On one hand I want to say adventure since in my everyday life it's nonessential. And yet, I would dearly miss never having adventure again. On the other hand I want to say love. If I had friends and family I'd have love yet since love is an option I can only assume it refers to romantic love which is in fact something I have done without for a long time. I think it would be very easy for me to give it up without much regret. I'm more of a solitary creature anyway. As long as I had friends and family and a pet or two to keep me company I think I'd be quite alright without someone by my side.

5. What's one quote (or passage, song lyric, etc.) that effectively describes you and your values? Explain.

This is a very hard question for me since I don't often keep meaningful quotes on hand. But if I had to say any one expression summed me up it would have to be these lyrics from my favorite song, "Rainbow Connection." Perhaps most people don't go to the Muppets for deep meaning but that Kermit is quite the poignant fellow.

"Who said that every wish
Would be heard and answered
When wished on the morning star
Somebody thought of that
And someone believed it
And look what it's done so far"

I think this summarizes my general skepticism of the world. You can have a dream or a wish or any of that and pray and pray it happens but it doesn't mean it well. Even with hard work it can still be completely out of reach. For instance, how many unemployed actors are there around the world who hope and dream and pray for a big break that likely won't come? You're taught as a child that any dream you have can come true, "when you wish upon a star," and all that but frankly it's complete tripe. What you need to get anywhere is equal parts of work and/or talent, money, connections and then a dash of luck.

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 extremely carefully and financial security is one of my top priorities in life. I do splurge on occasion, like for my London trip, but for the most part I'm careful with how I spend my money and especially with saving my money. I have two separate accounts, one for saving and one for using. I always make sure my savings account is more than my spending and I add to it as regularly as possible. Usually I buff it up every week or two if I can. It's helped so much in the long run. It's partly how I managed to travel to London and recently I had a health scare with my dog and having a good savings account made paying for his surgery that much less worrisome.

7. Name (and elaborate on) some of your hobbies. What are your favorite things to do outside of school/the office?

I'm a huge fan of television. I can never get enough really. I think I've actually worked it out so that at any given time of the year I've got a weekly show to watch.

Film is another love of mine. I'm big on comedy and period dramas but really anything with a good plot and/or compelling characters and I'm in. Sometimes not even that. I've been known to like some movies just based on the scenery and costumes.

Fashion is another love of mine. In everyday life I'm not exactly a fashionista but nonetheless I keep up on the trends, spend fashion week glued to style.com and admire all the pretty models flaunting the latest looks.

Art, plain and simple. I actually went to art school for a bit and while it was grueling it was also sometimes really gratifying. I love all mediums and makers and enjoy little more than spending a day off holed up in a museum, The Met preferably.

The internet. I've been an addict since I was old enough to get an email account and that's not likely to change any time soon. I'm basically a person who thrives off of media and the internet is the best way to get all of it at once.

8. Name three things you are afraid of. Explain.

Embarrassment. I realize it's a part of life for everyone but I really don't handle it well. I'm immediately filled with shame and then anger and it's all very ugly. I know it's part of my general anxiety, but that kind of logic doesn't apply when you feel oh so low.

Failure and in some ways success. I'm almost used to failing at this point but every time it happens it still feels like a blow to the stomach and leaves me depressed for weeks on end. On the other hand it's been so long since I've had any success I sometimes feel myself backing away from opportunities. Perhaps it's not so much failure or success but more the unknown of it all.

Death. It comes for us all eventually but I still worry that it will come too soon or be too gruesome. Again, it's the unknown of it that terrifies me. I would like some insurance to know that I've succeeded in what I wanted and seen everything I needed to and that my loved ones will be okay before my time is up.

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:
Loyalty. I'm incredibly loyal. If I feel someone is putting their faith and trust in me I like to believe I can do the same for them. It's a big deal, being deemed trustworthy, and I really try to go above and beyond for those who feel I'm worthy of it.

Humor. I think I'm generally quick witted and downright funny when given the chance. Usually if there's an opportunity to make a clever comment or tell a ridiculous joke I'll be the one to do it. It doesn't always translate well to the internet (they really do need to insert some sort of sarcasm font) but I try when I can.

Resilience. I've found in recent years that I'm a lot tougher than I thought. I've been pushed down again and again and yet somehow I keep getting up even when I didn't think I could. I'm not sure where I've suddenly gotten this inner strength from but I'm glad for it.

Worst:
Procrastination. No matter how many times I say I won't wait until the last minute I usually do anyway. It's a terrible habit and one I hope to break, someday.

Self-deprecation. Self esteem or self worth are things I've never really had and I don't know if I ever actually will. When I was younger I used to think I'd grow out of feeling so bad about myself but that never happened.

Judgmental. At this point I've stopped saying I'm going to stop being judgmental because I just can't. It's something I do without even realizing it sometimes. I know I shouldn't do it, "judge not lest ye be judged" and all but I tend to assume I'm already being judged so what's to stop me from judging others?

A Song of Ice and Fire Related

1.How many books from the series have you completed?

It took me four months to read all five novels. I don't know if that's a good or bad time span.

2.Who are your favorite three characters in the series? Why?

Jon Snow. He was a whiny little bastard (pun intended) when we first meet him but his growth has been incredible. He really came into his own after being with the wildlings and then getting thrust into control of the Night's Watch. I think his experiences have made him become a great commander. I don't even think he's realized his full potential yet either so I'm very excited to see what he gets up to next. If he gets up to something next. I worry about his fate.

Arya Stark. She's a fighter and I love that about her. I also love how well she adapts to her situation. She never stops to wallow, she just does what needs doing and keeps moving on. It's incredible especially considering how young she is. And while I'm not all that fond of her current choices I have enough faith to believe that the time she's spending in Braavos is leading to something great. I hope so anyway.

Tyrion Lannister. By far my favorite Lannister. He's clever, quick-witted, sharp tongued and incredibly intelligent. Just like with Arya, I'm not entirely certain where his path is taking him. It seems like whenever any character goes to the East they tend to lose track of their original goal or get caught up in something completely unexpected but, again, I hope his journey is leading him to something incredible.

3.Who are your least favorite three characters in the series? Why?

Catelyn Stark. She's far too impulsive for her own good, a bit self righteous and so very ignorant in her decision making process. A lot of what she's done she'll say was in the name of her family but she doesn't ever bother to think ahead, to think of the consequences of her actions and how they in turn will hurt her family. Like capturing Tyrion off the King's Road to seek justice? That started a war. Releasing Jamie Lannister without having definitive proof that Sansa and Arya were alive and well? A singularly BAD IDEA that caused a whole host of negative consequences. Also there is no forgiving her horrible treatment of Jon Snow. As someone who calls herself a mother how could she treat Jon so poorly? I understand that to her he was a symbol of that one time Ned was dishonorable but Jon was just a baby when she met him. He didn't do anything to her personally. A better person would have taken him on as one of their own, regardless of how he came to be.

Theon Greyjoy. He may not be the worst of the Greyjoys but he's my least favorite simply for being a backstabbing little weasel. I will never be able to wrap my head around why Theon thought taking Winterfell would be a good idea. Not just strategically speaking but as a person why he thought turning on Robb would somehow gain him any respect. I know he wanted to impress his father and show he was worthy of being Balon's true heir but surely he could have picked a better way to do it. Robb was more like family than Balon ever was or was likely to ever be. Robb treated Theon pretty damn well and Robb actually trusted him. How could Theon just turn his back on him and in the middle of a war no less? Theon has gotten more tolerable in the later books and in a lot of ways it seems his captivity has humbled him, at least I hope so, but I don't know that I'll ever be rooting for him.

All of the Martells. Their parts in the books were so long and boring and I never quite knew why I was supposed to care about any of them.

4.#1 Favorite moment in all of ASOIAF so far? Why?

I'd have to say my favorite moment was when Daenerys took control of the Unsullied and freed Astapor. In the lead up I couldn't imagine her actually giving away Drogon and yet I couldn't think of how she would get out of the deal. It was so clever of her, how she feinted giving Drogon away only to turn around and have her dragons attack the Astapori slavers. I know this coup later backfires on her but it was the first time I really saw her as a true leader. Before, she was in control and was doing all the good she could but this was when she got the chance to show her true potential.

It was such a Targaryean moment too. "Fire and Blood" is the Targaryean family motto and that was exactly how she freed Astapor. I think it was also a great foreshadowing of what her dragons will help her accomplish. They were still pretty small at this stage. When they reach full growth their destruction capabilities are going to be immense.

5. In your dream-world, how would you like to see the series end, and why?

If I had to pick a dreamlike ending I guess I would like to see all of the Seven Kingdoms putting aside their squabbles and rising up as one to fight off the big bads beyond the wall. Then I'd like to see some time of peace throughout the Kingdoms with someone completely unexpected on the Iron Throne. Perhaps Rickon. We almost never hear from him and I feel he's gotta have some kind of hidden potential to have survived for this long. Or better yet Margaery Tyrell. She's outlived two husbands as Kings already and she could easily surpass Tommen and finally get to ruling. I'd like to see Dany rule too, but not on the Iron Throne. I don't really think it's meant for her anymore. She seems to be so attached to the peoples in the East that it might be best for her to stay there. I definitely need to see all the remaining Starks (Jon included) to be reunited. They keep getting so close. It's unfair how far apart they are. Then I'd like to see Jon continuing his command at The Wall with Sam as his Maester and perhaps Arya by his side. I'd also love for Jon to find out the truth about his parentage. Beyond that I don't know what I'd like to see. With more books coming it's nearly impossible to predict what's going to happen and what I might like to see now could easily change.