Win or Die!

[nightcandle.livejournal.com]

Name: Karin
How did you find out about the community? If it's through an LJ user, please tell us who it is: tantdetentation told me about it.
Age: 24
Location: Fussa, Japan
Occupation: I have a nice impressive title but it all waters down to doing whatever the military wants me to do at a certain point in time.




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!.

It would be a hard choice, but if I had to choose between living in a desert (good old arid, Arabian desert) and someplace far north that was cold three quarters of the year, I would choose the desert. As much as I dislike intense heat and bright light, I love the desert, and as of now I only love the arctic in theory. In every other place I've ever lived, I was the first person to start complaining when the days started to get longer and the temperature moved from being pleasantly warm to hot, but when I lived in the UAE I was content. Yes it was hot, and I wore sunglasses or squinted all the time and being caught in a sandstorm is the definition of suck, but I can't remember ever being disgruntled by the climate.

Now, as for my house. I would have more chairs and couches than I could use myself. Old comfy ones that try to eat you when you sit in them and devour the contents of your pockets once you get comfortable enough. Since I damn sure wouldn't be able to have plants outside I would have potted plants scattered around, they'd help motivate me to get out of bed and do something. I wouldn't have to bother painting the walls because I'd need plenty of shelves to put up hooks and platforms to display all the bric-a-brac I've been picking up. On second thought, I think I'd leave some walls blank and attempt painting a mural on them. I'd also have a claw-foot tub, an enormous one. I think I'd go with a neutral colour scheme, it's going to be dimly lit, so I don't need the place looking too gloomy and foreboding. The exception would be my bedroom. It'd be dark, because I lean toward being nocturnal if don't have a schedule to keep. I would have a library room, but I'd always be taking the books out and leaving them next to the chairs I find myself in the most.

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

Falling - Five times out of ten, when I so much as climb a staircase I'm running a mental inventory of how I'd screw myself up if I were to fall down them. I've been shot at and been in a training scenario where the instructors decided to use live bombs so we'd 'know the sound' and nothing freaks me out more than losing my balance and wobbling around before falling. That said, I'm comfortable when I'm flat on the ground, but I keep talking myself into climbing things. I always think I'm not going to lose my cool, but if I have time to pause and reflect on being off the ground I'm cursing and clinging to the nearest steady object.

The Teeming Millions - If I'm by myself in a crowd of strangers I get nervous and start looking for the nearest place to hide. It builds up from there if I don't go find someplace that isn't so populated. I'm fine as long as I have something else to focus on, but again, once I realize that 'hey I'm in a herd of random people' I get weak-kneed and start scoping out the easiest way to get out of the crowd.

Room of Angel/Commitment - Two little fears can make one serious fear, yeah? I've lost sleep because Room of Angel got stuck in my head. It's creepy! At this point in my life I really don't want to be in any sort of romantic relationship. I don't think I have the ability to devote myself to one person so completely, but I don't go out of my way to shun people that express interest in such.

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!

1 - To understand and speak all living languages. I'm sure there are plenty of interesting dead ones, but it'd be a buzz kill to be able to decipher the languages people are still tearing their hair out trying to understand.

2 - A loyal, shape shifting pet. Oh the fun I could have with a blindly loyal, shape shifting pet.

3 - This pie I'd eat the first three pieces, give the fourth to someone else and save the rest to be fabulous rewards, or just eat them if I got bored. With my personality it's just asking for some hero to take up arms against my ocean freezing, apocalypsitosis, cross-eyed doom. What's the use of having three wishes if you don't get something fabulously over the top and ridiculous though?

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 fought to finish high school when my room mates were hellbent on getting me to drop out. They tossed me out on my ass when I wouldn't break and I had to go crawling back to the parents I walked out on. Once I got back in school I cracked down on my schoolwork and graduated with a 4.0 ... for that year.
Getting through basic training was a pretty big thing for me too. I was sick when I got on station and was almost sent home because it was tougher than I was for a while. Didn't help that just about everything I put in my mouth was tossed back up within the hour and I was trying to do everything my healthy flightmates were doing.

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.

Adventure! I have a restless heart, I want to see, touch and eat everything. Even though I'd prefer to do fantastic things that I could brag about when I'm older, I've been able to learn from (and natter endlessly about) bad experiences too.

Most of the other traits are close in line behind adventure, but I think love is at the end of the chain. I love my family and friends, but that ties in with family and friendship. Being in love with a person is an adventure I'm not ready for.

6. What's one quote (or passage, song lyric, etc.) that effectively describes you and your values? Explain.
'Sometimes I get so weird, I even freak myself out.
I laugh myself to sleep it's my lullaby.
Sometimes I drive so fast just to feel the danger.
I want to scream, it makes me feel alive.'
Anything but Ordinary - Avril Lavigne

A friend of mine once told me this song made them think of me. I'm not going out of my way to be different, I'm just wired a little funny compared to most people. My personal choice would be Horace Walpole's “Life is a tragedy for those who feel, but a comedy to those who think.” Even if I'm laughing to keep from crying, as a whole I have a light-hearted approach to life.

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 really, really like to have little pots of mad money that I can use on enormously frivolous things. Being able to buy things just because they please me, without neglecting bills or putting myself in the poorhouse, really boosts my confidence. I only really consider the money in my bank accounts as money I have, any paper money I'm carrying is practically spent. There have been times when I think I have x amount of cash, then look in my wallet and find I've been hoarding paper. It never fails to shock me, or make me think I forgot to pay for something I couldn't use my card for. That said, I try to save some money. I don't save as much as I should and just might fall into hard times later, but I'll manage.

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

Sleeping - I don't like to nap, but if I have the chance to, I'll sleep in. I set my alarm clock early just so I can doze until I really need to wake up.
Reading - I've had my nose stuck in books since I was able to do so. Usually I re-read books because I have an awful memory and start forgetting things too soon.
Writing - One of my saner childhood dreams was writing something that would be published. I usually fail at NaNo when I can think of an idea and should probably take a stab at writing something that isn't posted in a forum-based rpg.
Games - Card games, board games, video games, if it's a game I'm down for playing.
Doodling - My most common medium these days is notebook paper and a pen, but every now and then I'll fire up my tablet and sketch something.

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.

Oh boy self reflection! I suck at this. Here goes nothing!
Worst qualities-
1) I'm my own worst enemy. It doesn't matter what people tell me, deep within the bowels of my subconscious I'm an idiot and barely manage to get things done acceptably. At this point, I'm not sure there is anything that can reassure me enough to banish this sense of lurking, imminent failure.
2) I don't forget or honestly forgive when I think other people wrong me. I keep thinking that if I do, I'm just opening myself up for round 2.
3) I procrastinate. All the time, for everything. I need to be motivated out of bed in the morning.

"Best" qualities-
1) I've got listening down to a science. I'm not too chatty, I'd rather listen to other people talk.
2) I can switch between being carefree and being serious faster than a sailor could curse after being dropped in a barrel of roaches.
3) About 8 times out of 10 if I'm feeling awful about something I can shrug it off after getting a decent night's sleep. For the other two times, I'll usually reflect, and continue to sleep, on it until it stops bothering me.





A Song of Ice and Fire Related

1.Who are your favorite three characters in the series? Why?
Stannis - Things just never seem to turn out right for him, but Stannis doesn't care. Stannis has a plan and he'll do what he can to make that plan come to light. I really just like how firm Stannis is in his beliefs. He's done some pretty horrific things in the name of 'justice' but I kind of admire him for that. Stannis also has a crazy, prophetic jester and listens to Davos when he isn't trying to warn him about how awful Melisandre is.

Brienne - I honestly didn't think I was going to care much about Brienne. Here was this homely gal doing manly things that obviously wasn't going to be accepted, have issues about that and moon after the hot guy. It was only after she was charged with taking Jaime back to King's Landing, got captured, started looking for the Stark girls and I found out why she was fixated on Renly that she grew on me. Boy did she ever grow on me too. I was nearly gnawing the book in frustration when Stoneheart strung her up and CLIFFHANGER 8D Maybe there's some hope for her if she said the right word... and didn't break her neck going up.

Theon - I wanted to pat him on the head after he went back to the Iron Islands expecting to be lauded and important, Savior of the Iron Islands and was kicked to the corner. I've set myself up like this way too many times and, while I never mounted a desperate attack on a castle in order to show people that I was the shit, I've entertained thoughts of doing something flashy, over dramatic and brainless to get a little sliver of the awesome cheese. I really enjoyed his POV chapters too, even when he got desperate after sacking Winterfell.

Honorable mentions: Viserys, Varys, Jaqen, Rhaegar (not 'but Lyanna and I honestly loved each other' Awesome Prince Rhaegar, I like 'gonna take this wolf-girl and screw her until she loves me, just like an arranged marriage I made for myself' Rhaegar), Asha, Darkstar, Sandor, Ned, The Blackfish, Olenna... um... I like a lot of characters. A lot of odd characters.

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

Melisandre - Redly is the stupidest adjective ever. She pissed me off from the get-go, surviving after drinking a poison that's offed two people. I like to think that not all of her magic is effective, that Joffrey, Robb and Balon had it coming. Just like no one could do some hokey ritual and kill Stannis because he's got a crown on his head and also has it coming. Plus she's also kinda like a chatbot. Character A says something and she talks about the Lord of Light.

Stoneheart and Gregorstein - Of all the characters that could have come back as zombies, why Cat and Gregor? On a more positive note, becoming an undead monster will probably have improved Gregor's personality immensely.

Cat in general - I don't have many good reasons for not liking Cat much. We needed a viewpoint character for Robb and she's slowly losing everyone she loves. I just wasn't all that into her. Then, here I was all feeling that she could be at peace with Ned in Westeros heaven and she comes back as a zombie killing machine.

3.#1 Favorite moment in all of ASOIAF so far? Why?

The Red Wedding was delightfully shocking. I also liked the wildling attack on the Wall, and Tyrion out in the field fighting under Tywin. As can be expected, I like the scenes where my favorite minor characters show up too.

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

I think it'd be interesting if the remaining kings get their act together and make a stand against Dany when she initially lands on Westeros. Acting on their own was how the original seven kingdoms were conquered, if they act as one they'll... all probably get burned to a crisp at the same time.

Since that's almost impossible, what I'd like to see is a nice gritty ending. No comeuppances served for every single character that that so much as farted in a crowded room and blamed someone else for it. By the time the series ends there might not be any characters that don't have a little karmic retribution coming their way. I'd really like to see another 'should have seen it coming' whammy like the Red Wedding.

As a side point, I'd like for Jon to be Ned's son and for baby Aegon to still be alive.

Comments

Martell

[angerfish.livejournal.com]

Yep, seeing the Martell.