win or die

[wandaxmaximoff.livejournal.com]

Name: Clare
How did you find out about the community? If it's through an LJ user, please tell us who it is: Through a link on loveweasleys04's journal. Its also through her that I began reading the series; she mentioned it so often in her LJ and it sounds like such an interesting series of books that I just had to try them. SO glad I did. Thanks for the recommendation, Beth! ^_~

Age: Twenty-six
Location: Near Birmingham, UK
Occupation: House-wife/ mother and sometimes student (my studies are on hold until after the birth of my second son)


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 always say my 'dream home' is Anne Rice's house in the New Orleans Garden District. I've been fascinated with New Orleans and the Garden District ever since I read Rice's book "The Witching Hour"However, I know given the choice I'd never want to move that far away from my family.

Realistically, my ideal home would be a good sized house - living/ sitting room, dining room, kitchen, large bathroom and say about four bedrooms - within the area I live now (West Midlands, UK) so that I'd still be close to all of my family, but maybe a little further out into the country, so I that was away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

I'd also LOVE a garden. I currently live in a fourth-floor maisonette, so when my son wants to go out and play, he can't just run out the back door like he does at his Nan's house, he has to be taken to the park or something similar. Plus, if we had a garden, it'd be easier for us to have some sort of family pet.


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

Losing my loved ones. I know that death is a natural part of life and I've seen all but one of my grandparents die and have eventually come to terms with that. However, the thought of losing anyone before their time is the most horrible thing imaginable to me. Especially my partner or sons.

Having to move back into my mum's house/ be dependent on others for things. As neither me or my partner currently work, its taken us a few years to get on our feet in our own place - and before that, we lived with my mum - so, for a while when we first moved into our maisonette, we had to rely on my mum to do our washing, and we were always having to borrow money from her etc. Now, we have a lot more stability and I find myself asking for favors less and less. I'd hate to imagine a situation where we lost the independence we have, and had to move back in with my mum.

Spiders; this one is pretty self explanatory, but I just find them so creepy.


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!

Knowing that neither my partner or I would suffer from metal health issues again. Over the past few years with both had problems with anxiety, depression etc. and even though we're on top of things now, and know we'd seek help before they got really bad, it'd be nice thinking of a future where these issues would just never come up again.

Financial security; I'm not talking of millions of pound here. Just enough that we could buy our own house (and not have to rent any more), get married and go on holiday/ vacation somewhere nice.

A car and the ability to drive or for cheapness sake, the ability to fast travel/ teleport somewhere. Even though I currently live close to the town center and things like shops, bank, restaurants, school and the doctor's surgery are all within walking distance from my home, because neither my partner or I drive, we have to rely on relatives to give us rides to places further away - i.e whenever we want to visit a relative, they have to come to our house or pick us up and take us to their house, and when my son has activities with Scouts that aren't at the local Troupe Hall, then his Granddad has to give him a ride there. It'd nice not to be so dependent on people for certain things.

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 think ,just how far my life has come in the past seven years. In my late teens, I was still living with my parents, with no decent qualifications and no desire to ever get a proper job. The relationship between myself and my current partner wasn't great; we were selfish kids -- too stubborn to walk away, but too immature to treat each other properly. Plus, both my partner and I had metal health issues that we couldn't admit to/ weren't willing to get help with.

Then, just before turning twenty, I gave birth to our son.

Over the last (almost) seven years, I've gotten my own place to live (even if I am renting), started getting qualifications so that one day I can get a decent job, sorted out the issues with my partner, so that we have a relationship based on love, trust and respect, gotten over mental health issues and supported my partner through his, raised a child who is now a well adjusted (almost) seven-year-old who is doing well at school, and is happy and healthy and now we have a second little boy on the way. ^_^


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.

Can I say both love and family for most important. To me, the two go hand in hand. My family and the love I have for them (and get in return) is more important than anything else. I could have a crappy day with nothing better to eat than beans on toast, and it could still turn out to be good due to something simple like a kiss from my partner, a hug from my son or having coffee with my mum and sister.

Least important would be adventure. I'm more than happy being at home and just enjoying the simple things in life.

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

Not a passage as such, but a part from the final "Chronicles of Narnia" book; The Last Battle, in which Aslan explains that those who have been loyal to Aslan, or to the morality upheld by Narnians, join Aslan in Aslan's Country and those who have opposed or deserted him become ordinary non-talking animals and fade into shadow and vanish to a fate unknown. Even those who worshiped the false Calormene god Tash are allowed into Aslan's Country, as all faithful worship to Tash was actually worship to Aslan. Whereas the dwarfs, who believed nothing, see nothing within the barn and don't realize what they've missed out on .

I very much like the idea that when death comes, whatever you believed in throughout life, will be your fate. So, if you had no religious views, you just cease to exist and know no different. Where as, if you believed in a God, there is no 'right' or 'wrong' God, and that all Gods of all the different religions are one and the same, just under different names and as long as you've worshiped your God faithfully, then you're allowed to pass through to the "beginning of the true story, which goes on forever, and in which every chapter is better than the one before."

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 think now, I manage money a lot better than I did in the past. When my partner and I first moved in together, we were forever going over our over-draft limit, having to borrow money from my mum and paying bills late etc. Now, we budget our money a lot better, so that our monthly bills are broken down into a way that we can pay them off, but still have money for ourselves etc. We're also a lot better at saving than were were, and instead of getting into debt at times like Christmas, etc. we have everything planned out so we buy a little each week.

However, that isn't to say I wouldn't like to move away from the low income we have. Now, if we want anything big (like a new TV/ a holiday/ to get married etc.) we'd have to save for months, maybe even years in advance. It'd be nice just to be able to go into a shop and buy a HD TV, or when our computer broke a few weeks ago, we were able to repair it, but it would have been nicer to be able to afford to buy a new system altogether. I'd also love to be in a position where we could buy our own house, instead of renting. Although for now, I'd happily rent a house if it meant having a garden.

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

I love reading, especially fantasy. I often feel quite lost if I haven't got a book to read, even if I only have the time to read one chapter a day. Reading for me is an escape from the stresses of life, and there's nothing I enjoy more than reading a good book in a hot bubble bath for a few hours.

I also greatly enjoy writing, and have written a few fan-fictions - as well as working on ideas for original stories - over the years. Although, in the last six months, I have felt the muse leave me a little and have found writing a lot harder than I use to. I hope its something that comes back to me in the future.

My love of writing and doing that in my spare time seems to have been replaced by a love of graphic making, and ever since doing a basic course in Adobe Photoshop, I'm always trying to learn new techniques and skills. I often find myself making a banner/ graphic for something just for the fun of it.

I also greatly enjoy watching TV shows and movies with my partner, and every evening we spend at least a couple of hours watching a film or one of our favorite shows together. And, when given the chance, I like playing video games, and one of the things my partner and I look forwards to is the release of a good co-op game that we can play together.

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.

Good Qualities:

I'm caring. I'm always there for people who are important to me, no matter how great or small the problem. I'd happily sacrifice the free-time I get to spend on myself if someone I cared about needed me.

Going hand-in-hand with being caring, I think I'm a good listener. I find friends and family coming to me to talk, whether its something small like a situation at work has annoyed them or something more important like a fight with their partner. My mum has also often said I have a good insight into situations, why certain things happen and seeing things a little more objectively. She actually said I'd make a good counsellor.

I'm loyal. To both my family and my very close friends, I stick by them through thick and thin and would defend them to the end of the world. It would take a lot for me to actually fall out with someone, and even if I've had misunderstandings with a person, I'll try my best to resolve the situation before giving up on the relationship. I also try not to judge people, and even if I don't agree with someone's lifestyle choice, I stick by them because I love them and am willing to accept these differences. It would take something big, like a betrayal of trust for me not to give someone another chance.

Bad Qualities:

I'm lazy; if I can put something off until later, I will do. If I can do something quickly and with little effort, I will do. I don't like doing chores, like the laundry, and will put it off for as long as possible.

I sometimes live a little too much in my own world. It isn't as bad as it use to be - where the house could have been falling down around me and I wouldn't have noticed - but I do tend to live in my own little bubble and sometimes need reminding of reality. I'm lucky to have a great partner like I do; he keeps me grounded.

I'm anti-social. I find it very hard to make new friends/ talk to strangers. With the people I'm close to, I'm very open, honest and talkative. However, it takes me a long time to build up that bond with people. Even though my son has been going to the same school for the past three years, I'm still only at the level where I'd say "hi" to the parents of other kids in his class. I won't go out of my way to make small talk with them or be a little more sociable. Though, funnily enough, I find it a lot easier to make friends and be sociable with people online. I guess I just relate to people easier via a PC than I do in person! *lol*


A Song of Ice and Fire Related

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

Oh, gosh, this is so hard to choose, as I love so many of the characters.

Dany -- I LOVE the character development she's gone through. From meek, slightly naïve little girl who was pretty much dominated by her brother, to strong, independent woman, mother, and ruler. I some ways, I see myself in Dany; having gone from relying on my family to gaining independence and having my own family, much like she has.

Jon Snow -- Again, because of the character development he's gone through. When the series began, he was the over-shadowed, bastard son, who never fully fitted in. And now, through his own determination, strength of character, loyalty and sense of what is right, he's become Lord Commander of the Night's Watch.

Tyrion -- He is the perfect example of shades of grey in the series. Even though he is from the 'bad' family, you can't help but like him, admire what he does and want him to succeed where Tywin and Cersei fail. Plus, he's one of the funniest characters in the books.

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

Catelyn Stark. I liked her at first and thought she seemed like a good mother and wife. However, I was given pause after Bran was pushed from the window by Jaime and she told Jon it should have been him. Jon didn't ask to be Ned's bastard and he didn't ask to be brought to Winterfall. I strongly believe no child should be punished for the sins of their parents. And, as Lady Stoneheart, something just doesn't sit right with me. While it makes a good dramatic storyline, I don't think she's the right leader for the BwB, (though understandably) she's worryingly obsessed with revenge and I don't think she is what R'hllor (if he's real) had in mind when he began resurrecting people.

Gregor Clegane. I was appalled when reading AGoT to discover he was the one responsible for the burning and disfigurement of his own brother, Sandor. And then, as if couldn't be any more of a monstrosity, he raped and killed Elia Targaryen, then smashed the head of baby Aegon into a wall. Plus, I despise the way he goes through Westeros burning, killing and raping without giving a damn about anything or anyone else. He shouldn't be called "The Mountain that Rides" but intead "The Monster that Rides".

Theon Greyjoy. I hated the way he betrayed the Starks and treated Bran and Rickon. They did not deserve to be killed nor was there a reason to do so; he could have still held Winterfall and taken the North just by having them in captivity. There's never a reason to kill children, but especially not children you've grown up with and were almost like family to you. Its unforgivable.

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

I found this question incredibly hard. I was going to ask if I could list a favorite moment from each of the books, but then when three moments from AGoT alone came to mind, I knew I had a problem! *lol*

There's SO many wonderful moments in the series -- moments that are so shocking you have to pause to take in what you're reading, moments that are so awesome you stop to yell 'yes!' and grin, and moments so sad they tear your heart out.

If I have to pick just one favorite moment, then it has to be Dany's final chapter in AGoT, for the reason it has that shock-factor, the wanting to punch the air and yell "yes!" and the sadness all in one.

I was SO pleased when her marriage to Drogo worked out, and then she discovered that not only was she carrying his son, but their son would be the prophesied "stallion who mounts the world".

Having lost a child myself, I was heart broken when Mirri Maz Duur's spell wasn't as it seemed, and Dany's son died. But matters were only made worse and more tragic when it became clear that Mirri Maz Duur's spell hadn't worked as Dany had wanted, Drogo was no longer the man he once was, and she was forced to kill him.

Yet out of all this tragedy and sadness, as Dany stepped into Drogo's funeral pyre with her three dragon's eggs, something amazing happened.

Not only was she unburnt, but she was cleansed of her past life and tragedies and stepped out as the strong woman she was destined to become; The Mother of Dragons.

For me, that was just an awesome ending to the first book, and real "wow, oh my god" moment that was not only incredibly sad at first, but had be grinning from ear to ear by the end of it.


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

For Dany to return to Westeros, and along with Jon, defeat the Others. Then, for them to discover that Jon is actually the child of Rhaegar and Lyanna. And finally, in Targaryen tradition, Jon and Dany marry and rule the Seven Kingdoms together.

I'd also love to see Sandor fight and defeat his brother, and win the love of Sansa (who has out-tricked Littlefinger and won back Winterfall), and for them to rule the North together.

I want Bran to help his sister rebuild Winterfall, and then through his Warg abilities, be able to walk again and become a Knight or maybe the Commander of Dany's Queen's guard.

I want Rickon to become Lord Commander of the Night's watch, and help his sister defend the North against any future threat.

And finally, I want Arya to vanquish Lady Stoneheart - not kill, but show her humanity and that blindness killing for revenge is wrong, so that her mother can peacefully accept death - and then Arya herself lead the BwB, much like Nymeria is leading a giant pack of wolves across Westeros.

Comments

Greyjoy

[haryan.livejournal.com]

I can see a bit of stark but mosly i see tully