win or die. it is known.
Dec. 11th, 2009 07:52 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
lunylucy.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
westerosortingName: Lusine
How did you find out about the community? If it's through an LJ user, please tell us who it is: Kept hearing about it way before I read the books. Probably first from
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif){kind=small}
guad.Age: 22
Location: Los Angeles
Occupation: Starting graduate school in a month.
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!.
The first thing that comes to mind is the roof. I love being on roofs, somewhere high up with a good view in general, so I'd like a two or three-story house with a roof big and awesome enough to have a swimming pool and a nice area for relaxing, maybe with some hammocks. It'd be great for watching nearby fireworks or just the stars. Once I spent a good half hour just watching the stars in someone else's backyard and would have stayed longer if it wasn't kind of rude to be ignoring the hosts.
The house itself would need to have high ceilings (10-12 feet?) and maybe half a dozen bedrooms. I don't want a castle, but something big enough for inviting friends to stay over. I haven't really thought of many other details except that I covet a canopy bed and furnishings from Anthropologie.
However, that's all details. The most important thing for me about a house is that you feel safe and happy and shut off from the rest of the world when you need that escape. And I feel like any house can do that if you create a space within it that makes you content and feels like, well, home.
2. Name three things you are afraid of. Explain.
i. Death. Not very original, but what can you do. It's classic case of fearing the unknown, and occasionally I'll get a jolt of "realization" that at some point I will die and it's very unsettling. Remember maester Aemon talking to Sam about fearing death on the ship? Those are basically my thoughts. And sometimes it's terrifying to contemplate the possibility that hell does exist, even if I don't believe in it. (As a bonus there is history of both heart disease and cancer in my family -_-)
ii. Failure. This is also pretty universal, I'll admit. I'm an only child and for the longest time I was an only grandchild as well, so there has always been a lot of expectations placed on me by my family. I've managed to keep them proud of me so far but that only raises the stakes, and the thought of failing at something next time is scary.
iii. Loud sounds. This was worse in childhood but it's still alive and kicking. If there's a dog around I will become nervous and stressed out at the thought of it barking (not biting, not attacking, barking). If there is a balloon nearby I am terrified that it will pop. Same scenario with people opening champagne bottles, using hammers in the same room, etc. I don't have especially sensitive ears or hearing, so I'm not sure where this comes from. And it's mostly the anticipation of the sound that scares me, not the sound itself, in the end.
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!
Oh gosh, selfish wishes ahoy!
i. I was going to say "ability to do magic" but that's almost the same as wishing for more wishes, so.. First of all, I'd like to have full control over my physical appearance. You know, metamorphogus style. That's the Harry Potter nerd way of saying "I want to be effortlessly pretty". Also that would allow for foolproof disguises.
ii. I'd wish for myself the find the cure for cancer. I figure that would be a great thing for humanity and allow me to make a lot of money. Win-win, y/y?
iii. Time to indulge a childhood wish: flying! This is the superpower I always pick for when the question comes up even as I admit that teleportation would be much more useful. But I've effortlessly flown and floated in my dreams so many times that I'm convinced it'd be the best feeling in the word. Even if realistically I would probably start freezing pretty soon. And get taken in for government tests. (But reality is for people who can't handle science fiction, so whatever.)
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. ;)
Coming to the US for the first time as a high school freshman and getting admitted into UC Berkeley and UCLA my senior year (I picked UCLA). English was my third language and I was pretty lost and friend-less when I started. So I'm proud of myself for coming up on top, and snatching up a few great friends along the way. (if you're curious, I was born in Armenia, but spent most of my early school years in Moscow.)
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.
Most: I was going to say friendship, but I realized that love (at least in the way I'm interpreting it) includes friendship, as well as family and romantic relationships. The people I love are the most important components of my life, simple as that. They are the source of my happiness.
Least: Adventure, picked mostly by the process of elimination. It's the only one I can live comfortably without. I've never been much for leaping into things, anyway. Reading books seems to be my form of adventuring.
6. What's one quote (or passage, song lyric, etc.) that effectively describes you and your values? Explain.
"Strangers on this road we are on/But we are not two, we are one."
That is a song lyric from "Strangers" by The Kinks. I find these words encompass both how lonely we can feel in this big world as well as say that, even though we're so different, we're really all very much alike. We're all strangers but we can be strangers together, y'know? So basically my view of life is that we should reach out to people and find happiness and meaning of existence in our relationships with them.
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 have been lucky enough to always be, if not exactly rich, but financially sound. I live with my parents and work part-time so I make my own money but in my family there is no notion of "so-and-so's money". The money is the family's and fiscal decisions are made together. This works well but it also means I've never had to manage money completely on my own, but I'm pretty sure I'm responsible enough to handle that when the time comes.
Financial security is important to me because I am used to its comforts, but I'm not very worried about it. Sometimes there'll be more money and sometimes less, but I'll never be homeless or hungry.
8. Name (and elaborate on) some of your hobbies. What are your favorite things to do outside of school/the office?
Art art art! I've always loved coloring, drawing (chalk on sidewalks! pencil on paper! markers and gel pens! moar moar moar!) and, eventually, painting. I won an award for something I painted senior year in high school but since then I have been abysmal about practicing my hobby aside from the odd digital drawing (mostly fanart). This is because I am lazy and require someone (ie an art teacher) giving me direction since I am not good enough with technique to sit and paint the way I want to.
So I express my love for art in other ways (though I suspect I would prefer making art- it's always in my plans along the lines of, "well, when I'm *insert some point in life*, I'll start taking regular art lessons")- studying art history, going to museums, spending many hours on deviantArt collecting "favorites" and feeling jealous. Most significantly I am going to start grad school soon as a master's student in Arts Management!
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:
i. Optimistic. I really think this is a great quality to have. Sure being optimistic doesn't magically make good things happen to me but I find that trying to see the positive side of things (and people) whenever possible means that I'm happier as a person. When something bad happens to me I try to see the silver lining or think of ways in which tomorrow will be better. Sounds cliche, but it's true.
ii. Open-minded. My rule of thumb is, if it's not hurting other people or yourself, you should be free to do whatever you want. I'm very against people pushing their morals or values on others. Hey, if what you're offering is so great? Do a good job or presenting your point of view and let people decide for themselves if they agree. I'm kind of hopeful that a lot of people in my generation think along those lines too.
iii. Curious. When I'm interested in something there is no stopping me. I will obsessively research the topic at hand until I feel that my curiosity has been satisfied, for the time being. I think being curious makes life a whole lot more fun. It has its complications though; I've had so many interests over the years that picking a major in college was agony (I picked, perhaps not entirely wisely, Economics but I was also considering Art, Astronomy, Design, Psychology, Art History (I did minor in this) and goodness knows what else). As I mentioned, I'm going to be an Arts Management grad student soon and I'm quite excited about that.
Worst:
i. Indecisive. You'll see what I mean when you get to the ASOIAF portion of the application. (Just one favorite moment? Suuuure thing.) I am forever weighing pros and cons of things (thinking of it in terms of marginal benefit and marginal cost makes me feel like a nerd and, thus, a little bit better about it). So one moment I'll make a decision and the next I'll suddenly see a thousand good reasons for making the exact opposite decision.
ii. Shy/introverted. Ok, see, I DON'T think that being introverted is a bad thing. I quite like it for the most part, actually. Being able to lose yourself in a book or your own head is great and I'm content to have a few close friends instead of a couple dozen acquaintances. BUT I also like (the idea of) being social (which is not incompatible with introversion) and it's painfully difficult to come out of that shell and open yourself up to new people. Most of the time it turns into a spectacle of awkwardness and that just serves as negative reinforcement.
iii. Stubborn. This is sort of a side effect of being a spoiled only child. I'm kind of used to getting what I want, although that becomes less and less true as I age and wish for things that I need to earn for myself instead of being handed. Still, I have developed this stubbornness where when I have my heart truly set on something, it's very hard to change my opinion. I may not have the eloquence to explain why I think something would be good for me or why I deserve it, but I will hang on to my view nevertheless.
A Song of Ice and Fire Related
1.Who are your favorite three characters in the series? Why?
First of all, it is to the GRRM's credit that I started off liking very few of the characters in AGoT (one of whom was Ned *facepalm*) but am now at a point where choosing 3 seems impossible. Nevertheless,
i. Daenerys. She gets the top spot because she was my first favorite character and remained in the list of my favorites throughout the books, while my opinion of a lot of the other characters took sharp turns. It started off because she was a sympathetic character that I was very worried about from chapter to chapter, plus it was clear that her story was going somewhere interesting. And then the experience gradually turned to something like watching a younger sister as she grows up and becomes more and more awesome with each day. Plus I like her idealism and the drive to succeed despite the odds. Her sense of vengeance is very strong though and I do hope it doesn't take her down the path of crazy. (random note: I recently got a new vaio laptop and named it after her, because it is petite, awesome and white(-haired)!)
ii. Jaime. Did this ever come as a surprise. I am not generally known for liking characters who drop children out of windows. But, of course, once he gained a POV and lost a hand, everything changed. He went from cardboard pretty boy who likes being bad to a very real man with a good heart and a broken world (lost his father, in two ways, lost his sister and lover at once, and would have lost a son too if he ever 'had' him in the first place. oh and there's that little thing with the sword hand and the identity.). He also turned out to be much more idealistic (if that's the right word.. more like cynically idealistic, but there's no word for that) than I expected. In a way most of the readers went through the same opinions regarding Jaime as Brienne did. We hated him then got to know him and be charmed by him.
iii. Sansa. This is probably an unpopular opinion. But I came to love her through her journey as a character, much as with Jaime. In AGoT I was very much annoyed with her and aligned completely with Arya, who in that book was one of my favorites. But ever since Sansa's eyes have been opened to the harsh realities of the world she lives in and she's been balancing who she is with surviving and getting through each day, I've loved reading her chapters and following the transformation of her mindset. Especially now that she's Alayne she is free to be someone else completely while still maintaining the Stark in her soul (it's curious that her sister is essentially doing the same thing half the world away). To sum up I think Sansa's story is just getting started and I'm very sad she won't be in the next book.
And because I can't help it, honorable mentions go to: Jon and Tyrion, who both almost got the third spot, Brienne, Sandor, Doran Martell, and maester Aemon.
2.Who are your least favorite three characters in the series? Why?
i.Cersei. Surprise, surprise. The characters in ASOIAF are very complex and even Cersei isn't a 100% villain. But all the things that make me pity her or at least see where she's coming from are not enough to ignore what a horrible person she is. "Evil, scheming bitch" indeed. She suffered a loveless and abusive marriage but that doesn't excuse being an abusive mother and queen. And I sympathized from a feminist pov with her wish for equality until I realized that she doesn't want equality for women, she wants equality for herself specifically (not even equality, superiority). And that's Cersei in a nutshell- utter selfishness and complete disregard for the rest of the world. And that alone wouldn't make her so bad if she wasn't also paranoid and in charge of a kingdom.
ii. Robert. Oh look, there's the husband too. Robert is just UGH all around for me. He's irresponsible, hotheaded, foolish, and a bad husband and father. You wouldn't think that eating, drinking and whoring through life would have been the priorities of a man leading a successful rebellion, but there you go. He was lucky to have people around who kept the kingdom running, but he's as much to blame for the war following his death as anyone else, including Cersei. He basically couldn't be more different from Ned, and I just wonder how they could have been best friends.
iii. Lord Frey. Uh, yeah, I can't help it. This guy is basically the Umbridge of ASOIAF (oh god that makes me think of a couple dozen little Umbridges running around *shudder*), ie universally hated. For me it's not specifically the act of killing Robb and his men (hey, my list of favorites is full of mutual enemies) but the fact of betrayal (of trust, of oath, of guest right.. you name it). How much betrayal infuriates me depends on the circumstances (see: Tyrion vs. Tywin, which was actually awesome and justifiable) and in this case gross injustice was involved (Robb dishonored house Frey but not to such an extent as to warrant the Red Wedding) so it makes me go LUCY SMASH.
(Dis)honorable mentions: Joffrey, Gregor, Theon and Qyburn.
3.#1 Favorite moment in all of ASOIAF so far? Why?
I am a sucker for dramatic moments sprinkled with awesome and sometimes romance. And, uh, I can't pick just one.
"A dragon is no slave."
Wow, what a chapter that was! I was too busy worrying about Dany losing one of the dragons (it seemed like something that could never happen but with GRRM you never know..) so the scam she pulled on the slave traders sort of knocked me off my feet a little with both is awesomeness and scary-ness. I think that was probably when I first started worrying that Dany could go down the path of the crazy if she doesn't watch it, but it was still an incredible moment on the whole even if, in retrospect, I should have seen it coming.
"I dreamed of you."
So for the longest time I thought Sandor/Sansa was my otp and then Jaime and Brienne came along and I have been in love with their relationship from Jaime's very first chapter. I thought it'd be cute and funny if Jaime's pointed initial dislike for Brienne would gradually change into something else and was kind of astonished to see things play out exactly as I imagined (I am a sucker for canon, and people lovingly teasing each other, so there is no turning back now). It all culminated in the bear pit scene. I can't believe he actually said the line I quoted.
"Only Cat."
What can I say, this scene is the reason I can't completely hate Littlefinger even if he is a slimy skeezball. I like this moment because another man might have simply overpowered Lysa and yelled at her, but he acted calmly, came up with a plan, and delivered a badass line. So with Petyr I have this grudging respect even as I wish someone would throw him off a mountain.
p.s. "The Wall is yours, Jon Snow."
(aaand I just realized all of these come from aSoS, heh)
4. In your dream-world, how would you like to see the series end, and why?
What I kind of love and hate about the series is that I have close to no idea how it's going to end! The only thing I am fully expecting at this point is for Dany to conquer Westeros. This is somewhat worrying because I want it to happen but it seems so obvious that I half expect GRRM to pull some huge twist on the whole thing. What I would like is for the twists and turns to be a part of her journey to the throne, but for her to be successful in the end. Or actually my personal favorite ideais for if Dany to introduce something like a constitutional monarchy to protect the kingdrom against any future crazy or incompetent rulers. I think that's something she is very likely to do after learning more about her family and getting more experience as a queen.
I would also like for the surviving Starks to find some sort of peace and happy place. They have all been through such incredible hardships that I basically cannot conceive of an ending where they do not get a reward, in whatever form. I realize the books don't work along the lines of being fair (heh), but hey, the question said "dream-world".
Finally, if Jon does turn out to be a Targaryen, I would like for him to stay in the Watch anyway. I feel like over and over again events occurred that almost drove him to either not take the Oath or, later, to break it, but in the end he always came back and donned that black cloak. I can see the same happening should he turn out to be the heir to the throne. The way I see it playing out is Jon keeping one of the dragons on the Wall to help him fight the Others or whatever else might come up from the north and threaten people.
And if Jaime and Brienne don't get a kiss there will be much woe and despair in my corner of the world.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Stark
Date: 2009-12-14 03:26 pm (UTC)Stark
Date: 2009-12-14 04:37 pm (UTC)Stark: already sick of winter and it doesn't start for another week
Date: 2009-12-14 06:31 pm (UTC)Tyrell
Date: 2009-12-14 07:41 pm (UTC)ETA: you know what? I'm changing my mind and going with Tyrell after all. Because I keep coming back to the "cure cancer" answer, and that is so freaking Tyrell.
Martell
Date: 2009-12-14 07:52 pm (UTC)- Your dream house, with the emphasis on extra bedrooms, made me think of Margaery and her retinue of cousins and friends. Also, a rooftop pool seems a very Tyrell sort of thing to want.
- Your second fear. Or rather, your elaboration on your second fear. The importance of the opinion of your family seems much more Tyrell than Martell to me.
- Your wishes! Wanting to be effortlessly pretty and the combination of practicality and fame and fortune in the second wish is so Highgarden.
- Friendship is most important (again, Margaery), adventure is last. The majority of Martells would rate adventure much higher.
- Your best and worst traits. Margaery has always seemed the optimistic sort to me (not idealistically so, however), and I wouldn't exactly call them close-minded, all things considered. (Even if they don't blatantly advertise it the way that House Martell does.) I've never felt that introversion was -un-Tyrell, and your desire to be something of a thinker/dreamer while maintaining a social life would certainly suit that House. Also, stubborn... well, that certainly reminds me of Olenna and Loras, especially!
- Your book answers give far more of a Tyrell feel than a Martell feel. I can't really be more specific than that, other than that's my opinion as a Martell. *laughs*
Stark
Date: 2009-12-14 07:53 pm (UTC)Lannister
Date: 2009-12-14 08:12 pm (UTC)Tyrell
Date: 2009-12-14 09:25 pm (UTC)Martell
Date: 2009-12-14 10:16 pm (UTC)Martell
Date: 2009-12-14 11:02 pm (UTC)Re: Martell
Date: 2009-12-14 11:05 pm (UTC)Tyrell
Date: 2009-12-15 09:11 am (UTC)Tyrell
Date: 2009-12-15 11:13 am (UTC)By the way, I don't know what the fandom at large thinks about Sansa, but here she won Most Popular character last year along with Jaime. So no worries. We love everyone here. Including the sadly-not-yet-deceased Lord Frey.
Lannister
Date: 2009-12-15 05:00 pm (UTC)Stark!
Date: 2009-12-15 07:20 pm (UTC)Tyrell
Date: 2009-12-15 07:45 pm (UTC)Greyjoy
Date: 2009-12-16 03:28 am (UTC)Tyrell
Date: 2009-12-16 01:30 pm (UTC)Stark
Date: 2009-12-16 02:38 pm (UTC)But yeah, I think Martell fits best
Stark
Date: 2009-12-16 02:49 pm (UTC)Mine too!
Tully
Date: 2009-12-16 02:53 pm (UTC)I agree with all the Martell votes for reasons already stated and because of LUCY SMASH...LOLOLOL!!!
Re: Tully
Date: 2009-12-16 05:19 pm (UTC)Lannister
Date: 2009-12-16 02:55 pm (UTC)Targaryen
Date: 2009-12-16 03:19 pm (UTC)I'm going to say Tyrell, for a lot of the aesthetic reasons, but also because I thought of that when you said you wanted to cure cancer because it would be a good thing but also make you rich. That seems like the Reach brand of altruistic generosity mixed with good old-fashioned practicality.
Stark
Date: 2009-12-16 04:53 pm (UTC)Stark
Date: 2009-12-16 10:28 pm (UTC)Tyrell
Date: 2009-12-16 11:24 pm (UTC)Seriously, it's for many of the reasons that have been listed above, though I can admit it's very close with Martell. To me there's just enough concern for what others think of you to push it over into Tyrell. Martells are more take-me-as-I-am, imho.
Tyrell
Date: 2009-12-17 05:41 am (UTC)I think there's more Tyrell than Martell here. Indecision and shyness don't strike me as Martell traits, and overall the practical/artistic mix seems too serene for Sunspear. I see a nice balance of ambition and idealism that reminds me of Loras and Margaery.
Tyrell
Date: 2009-12-17 03:05 pm (UTC)Lannister
Date: 2009-12-17 03:27 pm (UTC)Targaryen
Date: 2009-12-17 08:25 pm (UTC)Stark
Date: 2009-12-18 12:04 am (UTC)Re: Stark
Date: 2009-12-19 01:38 am (UTC)Stark
Date: 2009-12-18 03:59 am (UTC)Targaryen
Date: 2009-12-18 04:56 pm (UTC)Tyrell
Date: 2009-12-18 05:47 pm (UTC)SORTED: MARTELL
Date: 2009-12-18 10:24 pm (UTC)You may join
Please don't forget to join the following subcommunities:
We are pleased to have you here and we look forward to your participation!