win or die

[tempisfugit.livejournal.com]

Name: Kate
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!): Here and there on various LJ profiles, but also through the asoiaf kinkmeme
Age: 25
Location: Connecticut
Occupation: I work in PR, but my background is art history so I'm trying to get back to that




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 cottage on the moor in Yorkshire, or someplace else that is wild and untamed. I love old buildings with low ceilings and nooks and crannies where you can hide away with a mug of tea and a good book. I've lived in many cities before (London, New York, DC), and while I like the conveniences of public transportation and hundreds of restaurants, I'm longing to live in a quiet area where I can walk or bike to town and I know everyone by name (and they know me). I need a huge parcel of land to wander and tend and observe - and I'd love to get some sheep and a sheepdog, because why not. A fireplace is a must - I have fires September-May, and could not live without them. The smell of smoke on a crisp autumn or winter day is my favorite in the whole world.

I definitely need to be in a place with seasons. Fall is definitely my favorite: the turning leaves, crackling fires, frosts; but spring is nice too. I just can't deal with hot and humid summers - the only good thing about our current weather has been the epic thunderstorms.

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!
I have given this question SO much thought in my life (always be prepared!).
1. I wish I understood (could read, write, speak, and hear) every language that ever was, is, or will be fluently.
2. I wish I could see the impact of my actions before I did something. So many times I've said "if only I hadn't done X or if only I hadn't dated Y," but the only downside is, if i hadn't, who knows where I'd be in my life right now. I might be better off, it's true, but I might be worse as well...
3. That's it for my wishes, so I'd probably go with a good cure cancer or solve world hunger for my last wish.

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. ;)
Hm. There are two, for different reasons. One is getting back on my feet after a rough time (Thanksgiving + break up of a long relationship + immediate death in the family = not a particularly good week) because there was a huge likelihood for me to go down a very negative path (and, had it been 7 years ago, I would have). Second is getting a master's degree with distinction. I finally reached a point where I embraced my inner nerd and was very honest about what I wanted out of graduate school, and it really paid off. I stopped pretending to be someone I wasn't and just was myself, and it was so liberating.

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.
Oh goodness, this is challenging. I think that knowledge is most important, because it's something I cannot live without and something that you have to really work at. Pleasure (at least for pleasure's sake) would be least important - true pleasure can be found in other things (like knowledge or love or friendship).

5. What's one quote (or passage, song lyric, etc.) that effectively describes you and your values? Explain.
Anything by T.S. Eliot. The last word of The Waste Land ("Shantih") has always resonated with me: Eliot defines it as a peace that passes understanding, and in the context of the poem I see it as meaning a sense of peace with one's self in the face of death, frustration, fear, everything.

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.
Financial security is very important, but it's really a double-edged sword. I'm often too generous with my money: I always offer to buy rounds of drinks, I tip well, I buy things that catch my eye, but I view this as something that comes with making my own money. I'm a firm believer in high taxes (and I have no qualms about paying them), because it makes sense to give money to the types of things (education, emergency services, roads, sewers) that we all require and enjoy. If someone else is doing something for me (cooking my food or washing my dishes, say) I pay and/or tip them exceptionally well.

7. Name (and elaborate on) some of your hobbies. What are your favorite things to do outside of school/the office?
I don't know if wikipedia counts as a hobby, but I love learning new things. I could spend hours on wikipedia, and I'm often more fascinated by the path my inquiries take (I start with Amelia Earhart and somehow, an hour later, I'm on medieval clothing) than what I learn.
I love reading (everything but non-fiction) and I'm starting to do some writing as well.
I love getting my hands dirty, whether cooking, cleaning, gardening, or doing random arts and crafts projects. I regret the day that finger-painting stopped being something I could honestly do with my after-work hours.

8. Name three things you are afraid of. Explain.
1. Zombies. Yep, I am terrified of something that does not exist. There's something about the dead coming back to life that I can't handle. Open-casket funerals are really hard for me. The only way I can get through ASOIAF is by reassuring myself that they are NOT zombies but wights and Others, and that I'm sure in some way they are "alive."
2. Failure. Fairly easy to understand, but I give a better explanation in my "worst qualities" section.
3. Death, both my own and others. Others' death because it's sad and painful to think about. My own, because the thought that my mind - which is constantly humming with activity - would be silent forever is too mind-blowing and terrifying to consider.

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. Intelligence/Curiosity. I pick up new things very quickly. I love learning and puzzles and games. I play trivial pursuit with MYSELF if need be because I like learning new facts. I time myself at sudoku and learn strategies. I'm teaching myself Hindi (one day I'll get it). Every day is a chance to learn something new and I love that.
2. Loyalty, IF I like you. If you are a friend, I will bend over backwards for you. I will do anything to get you to laugh when you've had a bad day, I will listen to your problems for years on end, I will go see the new Twilight movie with you, if that's what you really, really want. If I don't like you, though, I am polite but cold, and it's a little obvious.
3. Confidence. I'm good at throwing myself into the breach. Don't know anyone at a party? I will be that person who comes up to you to introduce myself and make random small talk. No one wants to answer a professor's question? I will go for it, no holds barred. I love public speaking and debates.

Worst:
1. Sarcasm. I thought about putting this in my "best" section (because it is very closely linked to my witty sense of humor), but it is more often a coping mechanism that can cause problems in social situations. To be fair, my sarcasm and judgmental nature are mostly turned inwards on myself, but I can't help it from affecting others.
2. Perfectionism/Fear of failure. My OCD has gotten much better (thankfully) and I've learned a good many coping skills through the years, but it really manifests itself in simple tasks that I snowball into much bigger things and then punish myself for when I fail to complete them to my expectations. I'm often so scared of failing at something (or doing it less than 100%) that I can't even start it.
3. Laziness, for lack of a better word (though I think I prefer distracted laziness?). I'm awful at responding to e-mails or phone calls: I see the message, say to myself that I'll respond later, and then next thing I know it's been two months and it's no longer applicable. I get distracted very easily, hopping from one task to another, so little things often slip.





A Song of Ice and Fire Related

1.How many books from the series have you completed? I've read all of the books (except the Dunk & Egg stories). I'm currently doing a "relisten," where I go through the audiobooks with my father (who has never read them before).

2.Who are your favorite three characters in the series? Why?
I'm using "favorite" in the sense of the ones I find the most interesting, complex, or fascinating to read about.
1. Sansa. She seems to get a lot of hate (especially from Tyrion fans) but I find her absolutely fascinating. On my first read, I didn't like her very much - I thought that she was naive and foolish and caused a whole heap of problems as a result of her stupid actions - but as I started to think more about her character, it sort of clicked into place. Everyone thinks that Arya is the kick-ass female Stark, but Sansa is just like Arya, except that she uses courtesy and tact instead of violence. They really are two sides of the same coin, the other's inverse.
2. Jaime Lannister. Same logic as with Sansa: at first, I hated him (nobody pushes Bran out a window!) and thought that Tyrion was my favorite of the Lannisters. Then as his character arc progressed, his inner torment really emerged and I was hooked. Tyrion has this huge chip on his shoulder because physically he has never fit in and has been ostracized and judged as a result - Jaime physically fits his role but he can't reconcile his own morality to it. And then when he loses his one defining physical attribute, it's like an express train to midlife crisis and I love it.
3. Jaqen H'ghar. The dude is an amazing assassin with red and white hair, how could I not love him?! Plus, he uses the "royal Jaqen" instead of the first person. We better see him again some time before the end of the series.

3.Who are your least favorite three characters in the series? Why?
1. The older Greyjoys in general. Something about the way they speak and think is like nails on a chalkboard to me...
2. Catelyn. I think that she makes several incredibly poor decisions (even before Ned bites the dust) under the guise of 'family duty honor' but to me it seems like she is just doesn't think things through. I feel like she's very quick to judge a person and a situation, she doesn't consider all the possibilities, and she's too stubborn to admit when she's been mistaken.
3. Robb. The more I think about him, the less I like him. For the oldest Stark, he really makes a whole heap of bad (and selfish) decisions. He's all about duty and honor when he marries Jeyne, but where is his sense of duty and honor to his sisters?!

4.#1 Favorite moment in all of ASOIAF so far? Why?
There are so many different 'favorite' moments (favorite battle, favorite snarky Lannister comment, favorite relationship, favorite psych-he's-not-really-dead moment, and so on...), but I think it would be a tie between Sansa building the snow castle in the Eyrie and Bran's chapter where he's still in his fevered dreams and he looks into the Heart of Winter. There is such a sense of sadness and loss (and hope) in those two scenes that it breaks my heart.

5. In your dream-world, how would you like to see the series end, and why?
I don't really care who wins and who loses, I just want some explanations, especially when it comes to the religious/mystical aspects. If I don't find out why greyscale is so terrifying to the wildlings, or what the Others really are, or who Jon's mother is, I will be MAD. It's gotten to the point that I almost (almost!) don't care what the explanation is.

In my dream-world though: Dany makes it to Westeros, kicks some butt, but then realizes that she doesn't like it very much there and goes back to Essos. Sansa reclaims her position as a Stark and becomes ten times the leader her brother was: a skilled player of the game and leader of men (queen in the north! the winter queen!). Rickon gets a happy ending. Jon finds out who he is (hopefully the product of a loving R+L relationship) and somehow saves everyone, maybe with Bran's help. Sam finds his courage. I don't think that Cersei and Jaime will go out together - I think, somehow, Sandor will be the valonqar (maybe at her trial, he defends the Faith against her "mystery" knight) - because it would be much more interesting to see Jaime develop without her.

Comments

[MARTELL]

[girloficenfire.livejournal.com]

At first I saw a lot of Tully in your app...and glancing at the previous votes, I also suppose that I see why a handful of people have already voted you as a Stark...but in the end I do think that Targaryen fits you best. You seem confident, ambitious, and you value knowledge in the way that some of the Targs who people forget were Targs did (Maester Aemon, anyone?). So yeah, Targ fits you best, though you were a hard one to place!