"win or die," warned the imposing night siren

[amaelgreenleaf.livejournal.com]

Name: Mary
How did you find out about the community? If it's through an LJ user, please tell us who it is: honest_illusion of the House Lannister
Age: 23
Location: Long Island, New York
Occupation: Student//Aspiring Nurse




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!.
First off, house & home are two very distinct things.

Home, for me, is simpler & harder for me describe because home is everything put together. Home for me is a state of mind; a place of belonging. An ideal home is a place I can come back to. I say this because I was born in the Philippines, and raised in the States. I have one foot in both cultures & when I was younger, I'd always thought that one day I'd have to choose between them. I was rather torn & lost. But I'm at a point where the happiness I'd found in the memories of loved ones, lessons learned, mistakes made, the familiarity of certain smells, sights, sounds and tastes -- that home really was where the heart is. I love many things. I find home in my cousin's sound advice and the loud laughter of drunken stupor. The smell of fresh baked cookies and the salt of the sea. I can go on, but I won't.

My ideal house isn't only for myself -- I want it shared & designed/decorated/furnished by my future husband for our children, his and my families, friends, & pets. I grew up in the suburbs of Long Island. My backyard being water. I love a place of 4 seasons. The smell of cut grass in the summer. The sight of bare trees glistening after the first snowfall. The crunch of autumn leaves under your feet. I want this still. I'm a proud New Yorker through & through. I'm close enough to the city, and the beaches, which satisfies the adventurer & explorer in me.
My house would be large, but not exactly mansion status (that's too much upkeep for me). I find elegance in simplicity. I'd have a room with a fireplace specifically dedicated to my books. Certain bedrooms element inspired, i.e. one with warm colors and furnished with mahogany as an ode to fire etc. I'd like a porch to sit out on during rainy days. An outdoor pool filled with splashing children with various flotation devices (lol). An elaborate kitchen for when I experiment with food & bake my cupcakes. A garage which has my dream car; A sleek, black G37. Not far from my grounds is a special place for me to escape -- stables. I love riding horses. There would be a home theater. A four-post bed and a walk-in closet in our room. Beautiful bay windows with sheer curtains where I can look out with a wistful stare... hopefully the picture I painted was good enough. :)

2. Name three things you are afraid of. Explain.
01. Spiders & insects whose names end in -pede -- there's something in the way they move that creeps me out. They're slick and sly in that one minute they're not there, or perhaps on the ceiling. Then, POOF. One is beside you! The one scene in Indianna Jones and the Temple of Doom where there was a pit of insects? My. Worst. Nightmare.

02. Young death -- To see an early death and not have the opportunity to make my dreams come true & be there for my loved ones scare me. I know what I want in life. (what car I want to drive, what clothes I'd wear etc.) I'm not so much afraid of failure, because I can make failure a lesson. I just want the chance.

03. Never finding my H.E.A -- Tying this in with my 2nd fear of dying early, I want to find the true love I've been fantasizing about since I was little, sitting front of my television enraptured by fairy tales & heroes. I'd like my happily ever after too okplzthnx? I know I'll never be lonely, but I'm confident (and embarassed) to say my ultimate dream is to have a loving husband, and be a good mother. I'm one of the oldest of the next generation in my family. I'm used to taking care of younglings. Many people have commented how good I am with kids. It would break my heart to not have my own.

3. 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!
Given that the genie is not a circumstantial sneak, I'd choose these...
01. Mutant power of teleportation: I've crushed on an Englishman, have family everywhere, want to keep a stable job at home, would like to preserve the world, aspire to explore. Teleportation power: Check all. I can tour London, have lunch in the Philippines, be home in time for work, then meet my significant other in a cozy suite in Rome? Without having to expend money, oil & gas? I'm game!

02. Be able to understand any language: I can still speak my home tongue fluently. I obviously learned English. I've excelled in French. I'm taking Italian classes etc. But there are so many I'd like to understand! I'm fascinated with it. Communication is key for any relationship. It would be nice if I didn't have such a barrier between me & a person (maybe even animals! *squee*).

03. End world hunger: I believe one of the first steps to world peace is ending world hunger. I was originally going to ask the genie to make me proficient in all styles of combat, but then I've never been one to resort to violence first. I just thought it would be something cool to know. Violence got me thinking about how I'd learned in the UN that money spent on weapons by the U.S. alone is enough to feed everyone in the world. o.O Please note: I'm not saying that I disagree with what the US government spends its money on (that's a whole other platform for me to elaborate). I understand the motivation to be selfish -- there are crappy people who inhabit the world after all. But it's those that are kindhearted and giving, despite such crappy people, that inspires and brings hope.

4. 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 'ran away' from home 2 years ago, but stayed in contact with my family. I went to Connecticut. Got a job. Shared an apartment. Paid rent. Had my first kiss. Though I felt guilty about lying to my parents where I really was & hid from my family in secrecy, it was something that felt right to me. It was something I didn't want to, but felt I had to do to just taste independence and freedom. My parents are the overprotective sort. After high school I felt caged in. Restricted. Tired. Lonely. Torn. When I ran away, I experienced things I'd only dreamed of. I'm proud of doing this because I was successful in two things; looking out for myself & having fun at the same time. And being smart and bold enough to manipulate my situation to teach my parents to trust me and ease them into letting me go.

5. 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.
Love is the most important thing to me because it entwines my concept of family and friends. As romantic as I seem, being able to love... at least knowing how to, gives me strength. Purpose. Not just for "the One." I have strong faith in God. My love gives me hope. Second to love is knowledge. Knowledge to know yourself, and have enough sense to know what to do with love, money, friends, adventure etc.

Pleasure and adventure are the least important to me on my priority list. I'm an avid Star Wars geek. One of the Jedi lessons I take to heart is that Jedi seek not these things. I don't plan to have an adventure or have fun. It's just meant to happen when it does. I find that looking for it might just make it more elusive.

6. What's one quote (or passage, song lyric, etc.) that effectively describes you and your values? Explain.
It's a conversation between Frodo Baggins & Samwise Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

Frodo: What are we holding onto, Sam?
Sam: That there's some good in the world, Mr. Frodo. And it's worth fighting for.


7. 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'm a firm believer in that if I don't need it, I won't buy it. Knowing the difference between want and need helps. But that doesn't mean I save save save, therefore I'm rich rich rich. I've sort of jumped in on my family's bandwagon in that once I save up enough money for something special, it deserves to be spent.
Financial security is important to me because I want to live comfortably. I want to have the pride in my heart to say, "Yes. I earned these things, therefore I deserve them."

8. Name (and elaborate on) some of your hobbies. What are your favorite things to do outside of school/the office?
Reading: My love affair with books has never stopped. It's the ultimate escape wherein though the author directs you into the plotline and characters, it is mine, my own imagination that sees the vividness of worlds known and unknown to me. And the characters that are imprinted on you as if they were alive? I love it.

Writing: It's one of the most versatile hobbies EVAR. I write to have fun. I write to vent. I write to entertain. I write to achieve good grades. I write to inform. My writing thrives in the classroom and outside. My writing amuses friends. My family finds my ability to find words and play with them as if a child with building blocks admireable.

Singing: I'd be quite lost without my voice. Singing means music. Music inspires me. Moves me.

Running: A perfect outlet for when I'm overly stressed. Was a Varsity sprinter on my track & field team in high school. I confess that I'm attracted to speed. I'm an adrenaline junkie.

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.
My Best: Chivalry -- this sums up my tendency to be brave, honorable and courteous to and for everyone around me. I have a moral code. I follow it.
Intelligent -- I'm widely read. I know statistics, facts, current events, paleontology, why lightsabers are their colors etc. Being my sort of intelligent means never a boring minute because there's always something to talk about or do or read or learn. (wow there were a lot of or's in that last one!)
Strong -- strength in body, mind and heart is important to me because I wouldn't have made it this far. May I even "synonym-ize it" and say perserverence because even if I fall, it's not just the ability to get back up, but also having will.

My Worst: Procrastination extraordinaire -- wow. I would say this is my worst one because if I put something off, which I tend to do, I lose motivation to do it. Once the motivation is gone, if logic doesn't save it from being done, it's forgotten. My worst shit-holes ever dug was because of this.
Overly-righteous -- I tend to stand on a personal podium and take in the right & wrong of a certain situation off the bat. I ALWAYS want to do what's right, and that's a bad thing here in that I'd want to impose it on everyone around me. There are times when I've had to take a step back and consider the fact that duh! Mary. Not everyone thinks like you. And what makes you think you're way is the right way in the first place???
Naive -- I like thinking the best of people. My naivity can stand in the way of seeing people for who they really are. The good in people humanizes them for me. It gives me hope. And it's happened to me more than once that the trust I'd put, the good thoughts I thought, were really all for naught because it means nothing without truth.





A Song of Ice and Fire Related

1.Who are your favorite three characters in the series? Why?
01. Jon Snow -- he's still my favorite character because he's one the characters I have high hopes for. As the outcast, my attachment just stayed with him because in the first book, I saw he was strong. Able to take situations into his hands and stand up for himself and others. Though he may have lost that in the middle, he's a fave because it gives me hope he can be like that again.

02. Arya Stark -- I admire her strong-will that even at a young age, she knows who she is, what she wants. Even if that means being different. Ladies of the court had their etiquettes, dresses and joust tournaments. Arya defied that with flair. And her relationship with Jon is another reason why these two are specific favorites. I like the way they'd looked out for each other. It reminds me of me and my cousin who's the brother I never had.

03. Tyrion Lannister -- I wavered between putting Robb Stark here, but seriously, I looked forward to ALL of Tyrion's chapters because of the wise-assery and obvious logic he brings to the table. He embodies the Lannister motto in that he gives people their righteous dues. (I believe that's what 'debt' really means -- not necessarily something owed.)

2.Who are your least favorite three characters in the series? Why?
01. Cersei -- such a cold-heart. I can't imagine a life thriving on just power; I imagine it would be mighty lonely & empty. She wanted to "prove herself" but she disregarded other people in doing so -- which isn't a smart move politically. It was apparent she was capable, but not having any boundary is pretty frightening because she would be someone you could never trust as she'll never have enough. Jaime and Tyrion's virtues are greater than hers because her ambition is anchored in selfishness. (She's only a Lannister by blood to me.) I'd have written Joffrey here, but look at his upbringing. Robert & Cersei weren't exactly ideal parental material.

02. Lysa -- Wow. Oversmothering, arrogant, unstable, close-minded... ugh! I find her apathy towards what's their true reality such a turn-off. She held a place of power; therefore she can't just live in seclusion & expect the world to forget about her & leave what's left of her family in peace. Instead of being strong & rising to the occasion, as a leader should do, her presence have presence of mind (or lackthereof) made her easily manipulated.

03. Viserys Targaryen -- though we see him briefly, no character grated my nerves like he did. The way he treated his sister as if she were a piece of property. Just like Theon, he's not as all that as he thinks. And referring to himself as THE dragon. Wow. Talk about taking an ego for a walk. (maybe he and Theon can buddy up?) And just like my dislike of Cersei with her selfishness in her ambition, his ambition to win the thrown back lacked intelligence. Nice try. That's why they call you Beggar King.

3.#1 Favorite moment in all of ASOIAF so far? Why?
I was left in shock and disbelief when Eddard died. I can empathize his nobility. And in wanting to do the right thing, he ended up with the short end of the stick. Therefore my 'favorite' part is when Joffrey got his come-uppance. These two events interlocking together shows Martin's skill as an author in entertaining his readers in that he's not afraid to surprise, and do the unexpected (as there are many more moments like that in the series), but also, characters still do get what they deserve. Karma's a bitch, ain't it Joffrey?

4. In your dream-world, how would you like to see the series end, and why?
Nymeria's being missing is small but is boiling under my skin. There's a reason why she's gone; a symbollic one. I believe each of the direwolves mirrored its owner. I'd like to know what happened to her. Reason why I love Jon Snow as an outcast? Makes me hope that he's walking between redemption and unconventional greatness. DIE, CERSEI, DIE! As for everything else, I'd learned specifically only after Robb's death not to bank on HEA's for even my favorite characters. (Robb's death was a blow to my gut.) He was one of them. And perhaps his naming Jon Snow as heir & having him realize it, will give him a sense of purpose again...

Thanks for reading my long-ass winded app!

*edited for punctuation & grammar because it made my eyes sore. ;)

Comments

Lannister

[northswainglow.livejournal.com]

It's a Starkaryen! I think I'm going to go with the Stark because your quote reminds me of an exchange Ned might have had with his kids if any of them could talk to him now, and I like that image. Behold my logical sorting.

Re: Lannister

[amaelgreenleaf.livejournal.com]

Awww. If Ned could talk to his kids... such a sad but painstakingly beautiful picture.