Westeros Sorting

win or die.

2014-04-28T17:36:56Z

Name: Amanda
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!): The interest tags.
Age: 22
Location: Australia
Occupation: Disability support worker

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!.

Although I’d never be able to do it, I’d love to live on one of the smaller, tropically located islands – the ones with small, close-knit populations, which are mostly self-sufficient or rely on occasional shipments. The Pitcairn Islands are a perfect example of this. In terms of the actual home, I’d like a mud brick cottage with two rooms (bed/bath and kitchen/living), a porch with a rocking chair and a small table, and a large, low-fenced vegetable garden.

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 wish I could wish for more wishes!”

- I wish that I could move to a house and a location like the one I described above. It would be excellent to have the means to immediately do so. Of course, tied in with this wish is the unspoken desire to no longer be addicted to the internet, and to have it be financially viable to do so by growing and trading vegetables.

- I wish I had a horse! I’d love to have the money to care for one, the knowledge and experience to train one, and the space and equipment to house one. I adore horses, but I don’t have the knowledge to keep one or the space in my yard for a barn.

- I wish that I could learn faster. It takes me a long time to memorise rules for a game (such as Warhammer), and attempts to learn a new language are generally futile. I can’t pick up new tasks very quickly, and I need to take copious notes. Once I do learn things, I’m hard-pressed to forget them. I just want the learning to come faster!

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. ;)

I’m most proud of moving out of home. When I was graduating high school, I was coming out of a very rough period, mentally, and I hadn’t really bothered with school. I had grown up being told that without academic success, I would never be financially independent. Despite knowing that this premise is fallacious at best, I’ve still been fearful of never leaving home since I was seventeen. I moved out earlier this year. :)

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.

It’s difficult to answer this, because I feel like they’re all related to each other: love and family, friendship family, adventure and knowledge, pleasure and money … for me, they’re all very much related, so I can’t exactly decide which one is the most important to me.

If I absolutely had to decide, and I’m sure this decision would change every few weeks, at the moment I’d have to say that pleasure is the most important of these values / experiences. More than anything else, pleasure is linked to the others in a unique way, and success and life in general bring pleasure. It seems unavoidable to experience pleasure in a proper life.

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

I’d like to use two quotes, in lieu of detailed explanations. I feel that they’re self-explanatory.

‘Think only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure.’ – Jane Austen
‘Sane people did what their neighbours did, so that if any lunatics were at large, one might know and avoid them.’ – George Eliot

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.

I am not very good with money management. I need to allocate my finances as soon as I’m paid, including withdrawing all of the money necessary for payments on the day I get paid and settling BPAY accounts immediately. This prevents me from spending my money superfluously. Prevention is my management.

Financial security is quite important to me, as a 22-year-old bankrupt. I was absolutely ridiculous about money management and any need for financial security four years ago, and obtained (and subsequently maxed out) two credit cards as soon as I turned eighteen.

It was ridiculous, I’ve learned my lesson, I try not to dwell on it, and am learning from my mistakes.

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

- Gaming, both video game and table top. My three vices are Warhammer Fantasy, where I’m building a Lizardmen army, World of Warcraft, where I main an Alliance Mage, and Animal Crossing: New Leaf, where I’ve been neglecting in favour of building up my museum. I’m not very good at ACNL, but it’s arguably my favourite of the three.

- Reading. I have an ereader, and I do the vast bulk of my reading on the ereader (except for comics, manga and magazines). I’m also a little bit obsessed with hardcovers, though, and where I can buy a book I love in hardcover, I buy. I’m a pretty slow reader, but I manage about a book a week. I prefer fiction.

- Aquascaping. I have one fighting fish, and he’s as much a decoration as he is a pet. He lives in a 60 litre (15.8 gallon) tank, which he shares with a vast number of plants. It’s a wet jungle out there. Cultivating, trimming, fertilizing, planting, cleaning … I love it. I find aquatic plant care meditative, relaxing and thought-provoking.

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

- Spiders. It’s a phobia more than a fear, and I feel like ‘eight legs and hairy’ is the most accurate explanation, but I think that it’s related to my mother getting extremely sick after being bitten by two red backs when I was little.

- Heights. I always get a lurching feeling in my stomach, and become afraid that I’m going to fall (or be pushed) from a great height. I don’t even like standing near the windows of tall buildings. However, I almost like this specific fear. I get a large adrenaline rush, so while I’m on my hands and knees hyperventilating, I’m thinking to myself “this is so cool!”

- My dog dying. She’s my whole world and my furry baby. I don’t know what I’d do without her. I don’t think this needs an explanation.

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.

It’s difficult for me to answer this, because I feel as though all of my best qualities are physical. I suppose that leads me to my first worst quality.

WORST:

- I am extremely critical of myself. I have a tendency to blame myself for everything that goes wrong, and to perceive wrongdoings (on my behalf) where there are none. I am my own worst enemy and my own harshest critic.

- I am a perfectionist, to a fault. If I don’t get something right the first time, I’m apt to quit or start all over again, even if it’s very recoverable. I need to everything that I do to be perfect. This makes it extremely difficult to finish things, especially when coupled with the above trait.

- I can be a rather slow learner, as mentioned above in the wish question. I tend to take longer to remember a sequence of tasks or rules than the person next to me, and it causes me to get frustrated. Becoming frustrated, in turn, causes me to take even longer to complete something – which makes me likely to quit, due to my extreme perfectionism.

BEST:

- I suppose I’m quite compassionate. I’m almost endlessly forgiving, and I will go to great lengths to help people. I’ve spent hours in a video game leading another player through something frustrating, and I’ve taken strangers from one end of a city to the other so that they could find their destination.

- I adapt to other people easily. I easily adjust my tone, mannerisms, word selection and behaviour based on the people I’m around, in order to promote greater comfort and harmony in a group of people. I’m often a mediator.

- I am extremely perceptive to the undercurrents of social situations, and will pick up on these before others in a group of people. Subtle changes in tone, environment, et cetera will cause me to shift my attention. I suppose you could say that I can “feel out” a room a bit easier than my friends. The practical application of this is that I can calm down drunks who are hitting on my friends before those friends realise that the person is getting angry.

Typing this out, I’ve noticed that my worst traits are all intrapersonal and my best traits are all interpersonal. I’ve never really looked at it that way before.

A Song of Ice and Fire Related

1.How many books from the series have you completed?

All five. None of the extraneous books.

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

Sansa, Cersei and Margaery. I love the women of the Keep as a whole, and these three particularly because they’re main runners. It’s actually thanks to the show that Margaery wins a place here, as I feel that the show has done an excellent job expanding upon what was provided in the books.

These three women are all adaptable and powerful – even Sansa. I feel that she just doesn’t know how to manipulate her power to her advantage yet. They all strike me as very capable of very bad things. And let’s face it, who didn’t love reading about Cersei’s total breakdown?

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

Arya, Bran and Jon. With the exception Sansa, I really don’t like the Starks as a whole because they’re boring. Arya, Bran and Jon are particularly boring. I skim-read Bran’s chapters, and I only enjoy Arya’s chapters for descriptions of her surroundings and Jon’s chapters for the Wall and the Watch.

4.#1 Favorite moment in all of ASOIAF so far? Why?

I CAN’T DECIDE. T___________________________T

Dany’s dragons burning the Quentin Martell. He was an arrogant fool to think that he could whip a dragon and bring it in line, and he deserved his fate. It was extremely satisfying to watch an unlikeable character totally fail to tame the untameable.

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

I make a very firm point not to speculate about the ending.

Game 10's last batch tomorrow!

2014-04-27T11:01:44Z

The sorting applications in the queue due to be released tomorrow, Monday, will be the last of Game 10. You may continue to send in your applications during the hiatus, but they will not be released immediately. Once Game 11 starts, we will be releasing the applications submitted to the queue in chronological order, up to 7 per week.

If you have any questions about submitting an application or how the community works, check out the Official Westerosorting FAQ.

win or die

2014-04-21T06:59:34Z

Name: Tasmin
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!): Idly browsing through the ASOIAF tumblr tag.
Age: 20
Location: UK
Occupation: Maths Student!

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 grew up in a small village in the countryside, but I go to university in London and love it there. My ideal home would be rural though, even remote - maybe at the bottom of a hill or valley, so it's downhill all the way home. I adore walking and riding, so I'd want easy access to interesting and challenging paths and gallops. The woods where I grew up were perfect in this respect, you could walk in any direction for however long you wanted and still get home without a map, though I suspect this may have been more due to the 20 years I've spent exploring them than any innate sense of direction on my part.

As for the house itself, the most important thing is that it's large enough to entertain in but not draughty, and filled with my various hand-me-downs. I'm no Michelin chef, so as long as the kitchen's bright, with a back step I can sit on and shell peas I'm happy. I'd compromise on the house if it meant I had a wonderful garden, sheltered but sunny, where I could sit out and read or work and watch the birds and butterflies.

Geographically, I don't really want to leave the UK. But not too close to where I grew up, either.

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!

1. Right now I'd wish for a first in my degree. It's hideously selfish, but I'm slap bang on the border, with my exams looming next term. I'm not stressed about them, but I'd certainly be far happier if I knew I wasn't about to crash and burn. It would just be one less thing to worry about.

2. Enough money to go travelling next summer, when I finish my Masters. I'm very lucky to have been born into a very comfortable family, and my parents have been wonderful about supporting me through university, but I hate asking them for money. There are still some places I want to see.

3. I'd like the genie to visit my best friend next.

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. ;)

Getting into to one of the best universities in the world for my subject was a pretty big deal for me, and then being in the top 25% of my year was an even bigger one. Knowing that you, for all your flaws, are one of the best of your generation at something is quite powerful. Also when popular people follow me on tumblr.

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.

My family. My family is small but close. The others do matter to me, especially friendship, which was vying for the top spot, but ultimately without my family I could never have any of the others. None of these things annoy me quite like my family does, which is perverse but actually quite a good metric.

Money is probably the least important to me, which is so cliche and actually pathetic given you can't do much without it, but I think if you have the rest in abundance the money will roll in anyway? That's kind of my career plan so it'd better be true.

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

This is tough, man!

I know that two and two make four - and should be glad to prove it too if I could - though I must say if by any sort of process I could convert 2 and 2 into five it would give me much greater pleasure. Lord Byron.

Picking a quote about mathematics is a pretty lazy way out - which is me to a tee, really. I've always loved this quote/idiom/musing, and although I don't have a "life philosophy" this is my mathematical one; what if it's not true?

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.

I feel kind of uncomfortable talking in detail about money. Let's just say I'm comfortable and, thanks to my circumstances, I always have been and probably always will be.

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

I spend a lot of time on the internet, which isn't the kind of hobby you can put on your CV beneath your Duke of Edinburgh award, but it's safe to say that Buzzfeed is a big part of my life. I'm active on tumblr, and I've wasted a decent past of the last five years in Photoshop, which is probably the kind of skill I could make marketable, if every other sheltered girl of my generation hadn't done exactly the same.

In terms of actual hobbies, I like walking, and riding, and drinking. Preferably a hike or hack that culminates at a pub.

I have also drunkenly agreed to run a half-marathon in September, so I should probably list running here if only to save face.

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

1. Slugs. There's not a huge amount of explaining to be done here. They're gross - I once went camping with my friends and like five bazillion of them got inside the tent and now I've had a slug on my face I don't think I'll ever be clean again.

2. Not getting a job next year. I've been relying on my parents for too long, it's time I started giving something back to them and society at large.

3. Failing an exam this year because, chances are, that automatically leads to the above. Also I really don't ever want to tell people that.

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.

1. I'm good at arguing. Although I'm terrible at dealing with conflict, I'm very good a winning arguments logically and calmly, which I guess comes with being a mathmo who likes to bicker with her loved ones. When I know I'm right, or (more accurately) that you're wrong I will prove it, but I'll do it with a smile. I consider this an asset.

2. I'm generous. I love buying gifts for my family at Christmas and birthdays, and for my friends. I'm not as generous as my best friend, which always makes me feel a bit guilty, but I try to be and I genuinely enjoy the act of giving. I always want to tell the person what I've got them straight away though, especially if I think they're going to love it. For this reason I take Christmas shopping to the wire.

3. I'm quick-witted. I'm good at making connections between things that many others miss (though I can be smug when I do so). I enjoy lateral thinking and problem solving, though my best moments are these flashes of insight rather than consistent genius. This is great for flooring your friends jaws, not so good when the deadline was ten minutes ago.

1. I'm impulsive. I've already mentioned that I agreed to enter a half marathon, and I'm prone the the same kind of actions when I'm sober. My lecture courses this year were picked based on where I happened to be when the first lecture took place, than any kind of careful fore-thought.

2. I have a pathological need to prove others wrong. Whilst not the best trait in anyone this is fatal in a mathematician. I'm also quite sarcastic whilst doing so. I can be quite patronising when I manage to do so, as well. This is hugely hypocritical - I cannot bear being patronised.

3. I put off things I don't want to do. Everyone does it, I know, but that doesn't stop it from being a bad quality that leads to me crying and stress eating and generally being unpleasant to be around.

A Song of Ice and Fire Related

1.How many books from the series have you completed?

All of them, and I cannot wait for the next one ughhhhh, I'm too impatient to love this series.

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

1. Sansa Stark. She's who I'm rooting for, at this stage. She's the pinnacle of Martin's character development in my eyes, but more than that - I like her. She has been witness to dozens of horrors, and subject to yet more, and she's still all the things she should be; kind without agenda, courteous, restrained. A lot is made of Margaery's parallels with Anne Boleyn, but if anything I love the Sansa <-> Elizabeth I isometry more.

2. Stannis Baratheon. He's probably going to die, and I'm probably going to cry when he does. Leaving the Targaryen claim aside, he is the rightful King of Westeros, but he's slowly stopped fighting for that, and started fighting for his people. And that is what a King should do. And he's an adorable grump who smiles only for Shireen.

3. Bronn. This is probably my insane attraction to Jerome Flynn talking but I think he's great. He starts off amoral and accidentally becomes one of the most loyal characters, only to skip back off into the metaphorically setting sun in quite a nice subversion of the trope. I hope he makes an appearance in The Winds of Winter. GRRM needs to stop killing off the funny ones, god.

Honourable mention: Joanna Lannister. Anyone who could make Tywin Lannister smile. YOWCH.

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

1. Jon Snow. I just... couldn't care less? Which is a shame because he's probably endgame and the whole Lyanna/Robert theory is, in many ways, interesting and in others is the most cliched direction the books could go in and no.

2. Daenerys Targaryen. Daenerys' arc has failed to grab me, which is, again, a bit of a bummer because she's probably going to be one of the last ones standing. Her set pieces are usually pretty stunning, but there's not enough politicking in her arc to grab me.

3. Ramsay Bolton. I want to find him interesting, and instead I am just continually repulsed. Which I guess is the idea, but still.

4.#1 Favorite moment in all of ASOIAF so far? Why?

The Purple Wedding is obviously very fresh in my mind, but I want to say Ned Stark's death. It's the first time ASOIAF shocked me, and it set the bar. Beyond that point you knew Martin would go there, and though this didn't lessen the impact of the later events I think that Ned's downfall was the original and best.

I also loved the Moon Door scene though, and I can't wait to see that.

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

Westeros is too big, I think we've learnt that now - with one Kingdom you only have one King, and look where that grand plan's got us. Splitting back into seven is not viable, though, as the incentive to be expansionist is too great. I can see GRRM carving Westeros into five laterally, with the Starks restored in the North under Sansa, the Tullys in the Riverlands/Iron Islands/Vale, the Westerlands/Crownlands by..whoever's left alive, the Reach/Stormlands by the Tyrells, and Dorne by the Martells. It'd be a fragile truce, and one which would take many generations to stabilise but it may just have half a chance with good counsel, sane leadership and honest diplomacy. That is to say: Petyr Baelish must die.

You Either Win or you Die

2014-04-21T06:58:34Z

Name: Arabella
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!): Just through an LJ search :)
Age: 21
Location: Quebec
Occupation: Student

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!.
Well, I love the snow. It's cold, but it's really pretty. I don't wanna be out in the snow, but I'd love a house in a place where I can admire it. Nothing big and castle-y because that sounds like it would get lonely after awhile. I was a small place I could share with my fiance (maybe children in the future O.O) It would need to be comfortable. A few rooms, a nice kitchen (because I love cooking) and isolated so I could have privacy. A fireplace to light when it gets cold to sit in front of and read or cuddle or both. A place to store my books. Basically, just a really simple, comfortable, and cozy house where I can have privacy from the hustle and bustle, but still very comfortable. I don't wanna be roughing it XD

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!
Oh, damn. I have no clue. I'd probably only make 2 wishes then never make the third wish out of fear of wasting it. Alright, well, I guess I'll try XD

1- This one is a bit selfish, but, eh XD Enough money to live comfortably. Money is something I've never really seemed to have enough of and, well, as long as having some isn't hurting anyone, I'd like to have enough to not have to continue stressing about it.

2- Okay, well, this one is corny, but I'd want a way for poverty or homelessness or starvation to be eliminated. I know it's not a perfect world, but I'd want the genie to make that happen. A little bit corny I guess, but if I had an all powerful genie able to do that, I'd want it to happen.

3- Ummm, I have no clue XD This is where I'd be tempted to say more wishes just because I don't know what else I could possibly want. I suppose I'd wish for me and my fiance and any future children to always be healthy and never get life threateningly ill or hurt badly.

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. ;)

Graduating high school and moving out. It's not that I'm unintelligent, but I had a lot of shit going on throughout those years that I don't really want to get into too much. I almost didn't make it, but in my senior year I spent almost all my time studying or at school or just doing my very best to graduate, I in the end I got a full ride to college and graduated with honors. So, that's my greatest accomplish thus far.

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.

The most important to me would have to be love. Love implies something so much stronger than just friendship and honestly, I think you should love everyone. Family just isn't overly important to me because I've had issues with my family and I just don't really get along with them. You can survive with money, and knowledge, while important, can't ever replace love. I tried to be happy by myself with my studies and learning things, but that's an awful lonely life. I see pleasure as coming with everything there. Love is forever and, while everything else is important, I think everyone needs love. Not to survive maybe, but to stay sane and happy. And, in the end, I think everyone needs to seek out happiness and do what makes them happy.

The least important to me is pleasure. Everything listed can give you pleasure and, while a bit of hedonism is acceptable and maybe even necessary, seeking pleasure as the most important thing in your life is a reckless way to live and will hurt the people around you.

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

I was having trouble choosing between a couple, so I posted two :)

“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”
~Mae West

You have to live life to the fullest. It's too short to not live it the way you should. Be happy, live for yourself, and don't hurt anyone in the process.

I also like this quote from the "The Poison Tree" by William Blake
"I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.

And I watered it in fears,
Night and morning with my tears;"

It's the same vein as the other, in that it's life advice. Don't hold a grudge, move on with your life, and forgive. Holding in anger and fear and secrets will do nothing but poison you and hurt those around you. Let stuff go. That's important to me. I can't hold a grudge and I don't believe in letting your anger grow to ridiculous heights until you hurt someone.

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.

The only class I ever failed was Macroeconomics. I hated it. If it's in dollars, I don't understand it. So, in response to not understanding it, I save every penny I can. I'm cheap as hell. I realize that money is a necessity and that we need it and I like living comfortably, however, it's not the most important thing to me and I know I can survive with very little.

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

Well, school takes up most of the my time XD But, I love to read. I spend lots and lots of time doing that. There's something comforting about being able to curl up with a book and get lost in fantasy world for awhile.

I also love to write. I like having something in my mind and being able to write it down and put it on paper and bringing it to life. There's something incredible about it. I'm too shy to show my writing to people, but I do write a ton.

I enjoy swimming. I don't do it competitively, but I've been a lifeguard and it's super relaxing for me to be able to get in the water and just swim around.

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

1- Being alone. I spent a lot of time all alone and it never really bothered me, but now that I've seen what it's like to have someone else in my life, I don't want to go back to that.

2- I have very bad social anxiety. So, situations like driving or being a crowd is very frightening to me. I'd rather just sit at home with a good book than go out.

3- Death. A little bit obvious. I don't wanna die XD

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. Caring. I care about others and I do everything in my ability to try and help people.

2. Honest. I do my very best to always be honest with everyone. In the past I wasn't great about telling people what was going on, but in the past few years, I feel like it' something I've really improved on. I've also found that lying does nothing but make things worse.

3. ~~I'm the humblest person that ever was~~

Okay, on a serious note, I'm open-minded. I accept anyone and everyone, regardless of, well, anything to be honest. I'm willing to listen to most anyone's thoughts (... but when I don't agree with them I'll argue like nothing else.)

Worst

1. I'm very shy. I have trouble being near people and communicating properly with them. I tend to just stand around quietly, which makes a lot people think I'm stuck-up, but I'm really just shy

2. Stubborn. I get into arguments and refuse to back down even when I know that I'm wrong, I just keep arguing.

3. Argumentative. Goes along with stubborn I guess. I pick arguments even when I know I shouldn't, correct people on little things, and can and will argue about absolutely anything.

A Song of Ice and Fire Related

1.How many books from the series have you completed?

I've read the first 4 and got through have of a book 5, when I realized I'd forgotten everything from the first books and I'm currently doing a reread.

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

Only 3? O.O Damn. Okay. I'll try XD

Jon- I just love his loyalty and character. He's one of the very few just good characters that gives a feeling of hope to the books. Also, I love his plot line and story and all the stuff up at the wall.

Jaime- Gah, I don't know why I love him, I just do. Around book 3 when he was travelling with Brienne, I just fell in love with him. Yeah, he fucked his sister and pushed a child out a window, but overall I think he's an okay guy and his character is amazingly complicated, which I love. The more complex the better XD

Varys- Okay, this is a bit of a weird one to be in the top three, but I really like him. He has so much power and knowing that he's risen from nothing just makes him that much better. His story is just so interesting and I want to know so much about him.

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

Ramsey Snow- (Okay, I'm going to try and not curse.) He is the epitome of evil. Completely sadistic and awful and I want him to die in a fiery pit of all the horribleness and torture he's inflicted on people.

Craster- He rapes and marries his daughters. Sick twisted SOB. He's awful. Just... gah. There's not words for how absolutely sick he is.

Walder Frey- Again, twisted SOB. Also, the Red Wedding. They took his bread and salt and then he ruined the king in then north, which I wanted to happen soooooo badly. I think everyone did. But, then, it was ruined.

4.#1 Favorite moment in all of ASOIAF so far? Why?

When Jon gives Arya Needle. It's a simple, little scene. But, it still has a ring of hope and happiness, but there's such a feel of adventure with everyone leaving. You think it might still turn out alright, despite Bran and it's the last time you really get to see the amazing relationship between Jon and Arya.

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

The cynic in me wants the white walkers to break past the Wall cause no believes them Night's Watch and won't send them men. Then the White Walker come and kill everyone. I'd be okay with that XD

I'd like Ned to come back and put things right and everyone live happily. But, that's not going to happen.

I suppose on a serious note, though, I'd want Stannis to take over. As far as the kings, he has the best claim to the throne and I like him better than everyone else. He's honest and harsh, but just and I really love Melisandre. And Davos. He's great, too. I want all the Stark children back together like this should be, I want to figure out what's going on with Bran and see more about wargs.

vincere o morire, win or die

2014-04-14T06:23:12Z

Name: Ophiucha, or Ophis
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!): Google
Age: 22
Location: Canada
Occupation: Writer/Housewife

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 in a city. Easy to get from place to place, plenty of places to shop for both my daily needs and the sort of esoteric things you can't find out in the country. Books, foreign foods, strange clothing. My home would be small, wood floors and no carpets. Windows with hinges to keep them opening all the way. A small garden, maybe just one in the front, for a few vegetables and herbs. Lavender, in particular. The house itself would have to have a large kitchen, with plenty of cupboards and refrigerators that are hidden behind wooden panelling. More herbs in pots. A dishwasher is a must. An 'office' with bookcases on one wall and clothing racks on the other. The bookcases are full of non-fiction, for the most part, with two shelves towards the end with my favourite fantasy novels. There would be a desk at the end of the room with a printer, a computer, a mirror, and a few shelves and a small case to keep make-up in.

The bathroom would have a good walk-in shower, perhaps no bath at all, and a large enough counter for a few hair supplies. Not much, but it would have to have a place for a stand for an iron and dryer. The bedroom, small and simple. Two dressers and a king-size bed. The computers and the books would all be in the office, so this room is sparse to keep distractions away from a good night's sleep. Finally, the living room is a room of comfort. A plush rug, a fireplace, the TV and the game consoles in an entertainment cabinet that can be closed when guests are over. Probably another bookcase or two for movies and whatnot. And probably a dog bed in the corner.

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 don't trust genies, so I would be meticulous in wording all of my wishes. I think my first wish would be for my mind as it is today to re-inhabit the body of myself from a few years ago, mid-high school perhaps, with all of my current memories and knowledge and mental health issues that gives me the awareness to suitably reshape my future, not necessarily deviating from it heavily but ensuring the best possible outcome. And that the genie must follow me back in time so he can grant me my other two wishes.

And those other two wishes would probably be a steadier hand, since I can't apply my eyeliner evenly, and a respectable amount of money. Maybe like 12 million dollars. That seems like a good sum.

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. ;)

I am proud of my stories, I suppose. That's a dreadfully boring answer, but I'm a writer and I'm a 22yo woman who has done little else with her life besides write. I am proud of the ones I have finished, I am proud of the ones I have abandoned for their faults but picked apart like a vulture to use the best pieces in better works. I am proud of my plot twists and my characters and my worldbuilding, and I am proud that despite my severe anxiety about never being a good enough writer that I've still continued to put words on the page.

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.

The most important to me is knowledge. Unlike many people I know, I find that the more I learn about the world, the more hopeful and optimistic I become. I study history and politics and I feel more comfortable with who I am and the value of the people around me, both my friends and strangers. And, of course, knowledge contributes greatly to writing. 'Write what you know', as they say. It works best if you know quite a bit.

Least important is hard to say. Love or family, perhaps. I lack neither. I am happily married, and my family and I are on amicable terms, if not as close as some. But I value the friendship I have with my husband over the love between us. Money is a tough one, too. On the one hand, I am poor and money is perhaps the most valuable thing I can have in my life. On the other hand, I'd sooner see the whole world without jewels or gold or any other luxuries than join those who sit on thrones built on the backs of destitute.

It's tough. I'll go with family, I think.

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

Did you never think, even once, that I loved lipstick and rouge for more than their color alone? I am a student of their lore, and it is arcane and hermetic beyond the dreams of alchemists. ...cosmetics are an extension of the will. Why do you think all men paint themselves when they go to fight? - Deathless, by Catherynne M. Valente

I am a feminine woman, but it took me years to get there. I find my love of fantasy, my love of history, my love of mathematics have all - in a strange way - brought me to this point where I could pick flowers and wear lipstick and twirl around in skirts and feel like that represented some part of me. I fought myself on that for a while, and now it's one of the most important parts of my identity. This quote just sort of stuck with me, so there you go.

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.

As I mentioned above, I'm poor. So financial security is of a great deal of significance to me because if it falters, then I don't really want to know what would happen. I manage my money by never spending it, basically. I spend two hours in the grocery store taking note of every sale before I even write down a grocery list, and I measure all my fruits and veg on the scale before I decide how much to buy. I'm quite good at math, so the accounting part of it all is the easy part. A bad job market and a lack of experience make it hard for me to add much to the bank account, though.

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

Writing. I hesitate to even call it a hobby since I don't have a job and this takes the place of it. I write fantasy and science fiction novels, usually with queer protagonists and a more white v. grey kind of moral alignment than most of what I read.

Cooking. I'm an ambitious and fairly good chef (although I have a high tolerance for spice that does not pass on to everyone I make food for). I usually spend two or three hours on dinner every day. I brine my poultry, I make bread from scratch, the most expensive thing in my kitchen other than the oven or the fridge is my knife block.

Gaming. It's what brought my husband and I together. Mostly tabletop gaming, 3+ hour board games and TCGs, but I sometimes binge on video games as well. I can go months without playing any, only to spend a week or two doing nothing else.

Babysitting. Since I usually do it for free. I love kids, but I don't really want any of my own, so I just watch and spoil other people's. Also, it gives me an excuse to go see Dreamworks movies in the theatre when none of my friends want to.

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

Poverty. I don't think that one really needs explaining.

Shots. Trypanophobia, the irrational fear of needles and syringes. I seriously feel a little uneasy using a dental syringe which just shoots water and has no needle, and I have full blown panic attacks getting a flu shot. My mother thinks it was because of the two months I spent in the hospital when I was six, with weekly blood tests and an IV. It doesn't help that I have pale veins, so often doctors have to try a couple of times to get it in correctly.

Not being able to write. Specifically, due to anxiety. I have an anxiety disorder, and it is a severe hindrance on my ability to write regularly (or do much of anything, some days). The fact that I'm not writing due to my anxiety causes more anxiety, which means I'm still not writing. I've always been able to take advantage of good days and force myself to type even when I hate what I'm writing, but still, it's a vicious cycle of self-doubt that I'm terrified will eventually lead to me not writing anything at all.

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 three best traits are my intelligence, my creativity, and my optimism. I don't really like to categorize intelligence, and I think most people are some sort of smart, but in an academic sense, I'm not really shy to admit that I am very intelligent. I can do calculus problems in my head, I can be eloquent when I want to sit down and think about my syntax and diction, and I can memorize the names of French kings as easily as most of my friends memorize the names of all the characters in ASOIAF. That's a big part of me, and it's part of me that I like. My creativity, I need not elaborate on much more. I'm a fantasy writer and I'm a chef. I come up with my own stories and my own recipes. I literally cannot do anything without my mind running ahead of me and crafting some abstract problem I need to solve or applying knowledge to some unrelated field of study. I draw connections between moss and maps, you know? And optimism... well, I think it's the only part of me that pushes through all of my worst traits.

Which are, for the record, my anxiety, my ambition, and my indifference towards others. Anxiety, well, I've touched on this. It's a mental disorder, so it isn't really something I can help, but it's a big part of who I am all the same. My ambition, well, I am a Slytherin. I used to regard it as a positive trait, but all it ever does is fight with my anxiety and make me a bit over-competitive. And apathy, that's an odd one and really where my optimism has to fight. People, I love. I can empathize with plights and be outraged by injustice; I would fight for them, and if such a thing were likely in Western Canada, I'd probably die for them. But an individual? A friend crying over a break up? I just... disconnect. It's not that I don't care, but it's that I can't really empathize. Even if I should be able to. I have to speak about generalities or myself in order to connect or I just can't, and that kind of puts more distance between people and I. Which is hard, when I love the world and want to be part of it. But I still smile through all of that, and it's genuine.

A Song of Ice and Fire Related

1.How many books from the series have you completed? All of them.

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

Sansa Stark. She's a lovely girl who deserves the world, and I find her arc a bit more compelling than her sister's (though I love Arya too). Sansa is playing the game from within without ever breaking the rules, even the other 'feminine' women break the rules. She is a court woman with a dreadful life, but she is neither passive nor naive. Which I adore. She also just has some of the best POV chapters.

Stannis Baratheon. He's just a great king. He values the opinions of slaves and sailors, he went to the Wall to serve the kingdom while sacrificing time and men he could use to claim the title of king, and he's looking out for his little girl. What's not to love? He makes some big mistakes, yes, but he's a character in ASOIAF, so the bar is pretty low. Not to say it won't bite him in the ass, but everyone in this series is due a big pile of karmic justice.

Jaime Lannister. From Storm of Swords onward, I have just enjoyed all of his conversations and quips and his interactions with his sister, in particular. The 'break up' of an incestuous couple is amusing, tense, and made worse by the events around them with Tyrion and Tywin. His relationship with the Lannister code, his honor, and Brienne are all interesting, and though I could have cared less about his swordsman antics before SoS, I do like his story now that he's lost his hand and him getting the Oathbreaker from Tywin (and giving it to Brienne in turn). Also, I think I just like characters who lose a hand - Tyr, Luke Skywalker, Beren...

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

Joffrey Lannister. Honestly I don't think I need to explain this one. Although I must say I adore the way he is played on the show - I hope his actor has a long career after this season.

Bran Stark. He's okay, but I'm just uninterested in his story and find every chapter that goes to focus on him an incredible bore. I think I stop reading for a few hours every time I hit one, in fact.

Viserys Targaryen. Again, I don't think I need to explain this one.

4.#1 Favorite moment in all of ASOIAF so far? Why?

The golden crown. Narrowly avoiding my top 3 characters list is Khal Drogo, and Dany is in my Top 20, so add to that Viserys meeting his well-deserved end and it's just a good moment. It's an image that sticks with you more than most from this world, as well. For the most part, Westeros is a bloody but standard medieval fantasy. Dragons, priestesses, ice giants, golden hands and rare steel. Nothing sticks out a whole lot, but that scene was the right mix of brutal, justified, and well-written that it stands on its own.

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

The Seven Kingdoms are ruled by Stannis Baratheon, perhaps with one or two kingdoms breaking away. He is the rightful heir to the throne, and though his choices with regards to Melisandre are poor, I think he is the most deserving if only so he can give his daughter the crown. Sansa Stark (married either to Petyr or a Bolton) will rule the North, at least until Rickon is willing and able to take over. The main line of the Lannisters is dead, Cersei, Jaime, their children, and Tyrion are all dead and a cousin takes over as the head of the family. They probably lose some money along the way.

Daenerys and her dragons die protecting the Seven Kingdoms from the white walkers and anything else that comes from the North. By doing so, she redeems the name Targaryen in Westeros and is acknowledged as a 'Queen' before ending the line for good. The remaining Starks - including Jon Snow - become more powerful as a result of the war with the others, which is why they are separated from the Iron Throne in the end. They will also likely take control of the Vale, the Riverlands, and possibly the Iron Islands.

I'd also like to see Dorne and the Reach form their own Kingdom, just because. Margaery would overlook a family feud with the Martells to marry a king and combine their power for another war in 20 or so years, maybe when Stannis is dead and his daughter takes the throne. As you do.

You either win, or you die.

2014-04-14T06:20:27Z

Name: Shannon.
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!): I think a friend directed me to this because they saw it as something I might like, though I'm not sure if they filled out an application personally.
Age: 23
Location: Illinois, US
Occupation: At the moment, student. Though I'm going to become a medical transcriptonist hopefully sooner rather than later.

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 think ideally I would live somewhere rural, rather isolated from the nearest town. But, no so isolated that it would be a chore to get to. I'd love to be close to nature, and to a lake or stream. Maybe, have a jetski or four wheeler stashed off somewhere. I don't need a really large home to be happy, but at the same time I want enough room to be comfortable, you know? I live in a small apartment right now and it's killing me! I like to think I have a flare for decoration and interior design, so I'd have all kinds of things hanging about. I really love being able to be creative, so it would an ongoing thing? I'm also really interested in mythology/supernatural things so I might have the odd sigil or things generally considered "witchy" hanging about. I'd like to live in a mild climate, but I can sacrifice that if I could somehow acquire this ideal home.

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!

1. I would wish to have control over how I thought and felt about things. For a long time now, I've been battling depression, anxiety, and agoraphobia and it is one of the most soul searing things I think I'll ever have to do. I wake up every morning and I don't know if I'm going to be able to get through the day without having a panic attack about something, usually they are triggered by something but sometimes...they just happen. For no apparent reason. If I could somehow...somehow manage these on a very real level, and not the way that I'm doing now then I think I would be abundantly happy.

2. I would wish for the ability to simply accept things as they happen and not dwell upon it. I obsess over decisions, and I obsess over feelings. I'm indecisive to an enormous degree, to the point where it actually affects my health. I overthink things so severely I end up making problems out of nothing, and I question if people really enjoy my company. Not in a paranoid way, just in a slightly...anxious way. As you can imagine it often causes fights, and rather nasty ones.

3. I would wish to obtain financial security, somehow. They say money doesn't buy happiness, and that's certainly true...IF you make a certain amount of money. First, you have to get to the financial level where you can for certain know you'll have enough food to last the month, have expenses paid like rent, electric bill, etc.

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. ;)

I suppose honestly, I'm thankful that I'm not nearly as bad of a person as I used to be. I suppose everyone's a bit of a bastard when they're in their early teens but I look back on how I acted and I'm honestly ashamed. I grew up in the Deep South, and if you don't know anything about it, just not know it's a hotbed of extremely conservative values. Just because you are born in a place that glorifies racism, sexism, and discrimination doesn't mean you can't rise above it. I'm aware it's not always that clear cut, it involves a lot of social psychology and it involves having a place that allows you to explore other alternatives. I'm lucky in that way. I may struggle with my identity at times or disparage the way I look, but I can at least think I'm not so bad a person. I've also managed to just...survive. And I think that's something that's not looked upon as an accomplishment a lot of the time. For someone that struggles with mental illness, that is a hugely important thing and I feel like we should congratulate ourselves more on just making it day to day.

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.

I want to say love is most important to me, because I'm a dreamy sort. I'm pulled in a lot of directions! I would say that knowledge is almost tied with love for me, honestly. Love is something that we honestly need to survive, there's evidence of that. There have been studies done where they've compared the brains of infants that received just simple acknowledgements of love, like being held against their mother and rocked, and they compared that to babies who haven't been held or cared for and their brains literally form differently. I feel like the right to love whomever you choose, is something that should not even be open to debate. Everyone deserves to be able to be with the one they love, regardless of gender, sex, race, anything that would divide them besides obviously age of consent issues. And yet, as lifesaving as love is...what is a person without knowledge? Without the urge to learn something about themselves and the universe around them?

I suppose if I must pick one of these I would pick family. I have not had a traditional family. For ninety percent of my life it has only been my parents and I. No other family. No aunts or uncles. No cousins or grandparents. It was just me, and my mother and father. I barely consider my parents family, because I consider them so much more than that. Family to me is almost a dirty word. I could go long into my sordid family history but suffice to say...my family isn't too far off from some of the families in asoiaf. So much betrayal and nastiness for the sake of it, I haven't spoken to anyone in my family besides my immediate household in over six years.

5. What's one quote (or passage, song lyric, etc.) that effectively describes you and your values? Explain.
"But I don't want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin.”
― Aldous Huxley, Brave New World

I feel like this is me in a nutshell, an absurdly accurate nutshell. I always want things on a grand scale, I want to feel things with an intensity that would make me no longer question what it's like to be 'alive.' I have an all or nothing approach to somethings, and it's rather masochistic of me, I admit. I see things in a very grey area, I want there to be goodness in the world, and I know that there is goodness in the world, even if I can't see it. But, more than anything I want to feel larger than life. Like a fantasy come to life. I just want the freedom to have something magical happen without restrictions. I even feel like you can't really achieve anything close to this without giving up your comfort to some degree.

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.

I'm very good with money, if I'm being honest. I've helped pay the bills for three on an extremely limited income for years now and have had time to splurge just a little bit. Although splurging can sometimes be counted as things I really need. It's really important for me to have financial security, almost the most important thing there is to me. However, I don't need a lot to be happy. I just want to make enough money to be able to live on without worrying about some illness or something wrong with an automobile setting us back hundreds of dollars we can't afford. I wouldn't say I was greedy or anything of the sort, just practical.

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

I love to write things, whether it's roleplaying or original things I love to put word to paper. I love creativity in any aspect, but particularly words because there's so much power in words that you can't deny, even if you wanted to. I've met some of the most meaningful people in my life through writing. I like to play video games, especially really quirky games, indie games I suppose. I just finished beating Earthbound and I adored it so much. Earthbound and it's sequel are my favorite games I've ever played. It's a simple story but...it's still got heart and it can tug on your heartstrings. And it's one of those rpgs where you want to talk to everyone, the dialogue is just so clever and engaging.

8. Name three things you are afraid of. Explain.
a) Failure. Failure is pretty self explanatory I think. Whether it's academic failure or personal failure, it's just something that I absolutely can't stand. I think that's because most of my life I was always told how 'special' and 'smart' I was that I just never acquired the skills necessary to deal with failure, especially the failures that come with just not being able to do what most people your age are doing.
b) Fire. I honestly have no idea why I'm so terrified of fire. I've never had any incidents with fire or heat that I can think of. Sometimes I hate even opening the oven! I literally cannot explain it like I could with heights, which would be I'm scared of falling to my death!
c)Being Alone. This is one of the primary fears I've always, always had. And it's gotten worse as I've gotten older and friends speak less often because they got married or because they have jobs and it just...really hurts me. Especially since I would find time for them. I hold people to a high standard I suppose, so it would make sense that I fear being alone. I just...need people around me in some manner. I need people to talk to...to just know that they care about me.

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 Qualities:

1. I'm a pretty accepting person. You would have to try extremely hard to offend me, not make me want to be around you, especially if we kind of clicked as friends. I mean I try to understand people and their motives the absolute best that I'm able. I mean obviously I'm not perfect but I will at least try to understand, especially if you take the time to explain to me what you're feeling and thinking about whatever it is that's not...easy for me to accept? I mean obviously there's exceptions that are just so wrong that I can't accept. (like, pedophilia, animal cruelty...)

2. I worry a lot about my friends, I check up on them if something's off about them or feel like they need someone to speak to. I'm always careful not to come across as nosy or if I'm pushing my advice off on them because god knows that can be one of the most annoying things on earth, unsolicited advice.

3. I think that I know what to say most of the time to make most people feel at ease. It's like the gift of gab except it only seems to work as a listening skill! For a long time I studied psychology with the intention of being a therapist, so I think putting people at ease just comes naturally for me. And I have friends that aren't easy to befriend for the most part.

Worst Qualities:

1. I'm spiteful. There is no way I can deny this. I would say I was vengeful except that I never get around to actually enacting revenge. Though I would if I could. If for some reason we aren't friends anymore or you've wronged me in some way, even if you think it was an understanding, I will secretly wish horrible things on you. It's a really awful thing, I wish I could stop. If something bad happens to you I will think you deserved it and it's all karmaic payback. (Though karma doesn't work that way.)

2. I find it hard to believe in anything or anyone. It's hard for me to trust people, and I have reasons for that. This isn't simply me being a bad person, I just have so many trust issues that it's shameful. And because of those issues (mostly dealing with bullying), I find that it's almost impossible for me to believe someone when they say they want to be around me or that they care about me. I worry that people get bored of me all of the time, I worry that people will leave without warning. It wreaks havoc on my relationships particularly my romantic ones. I've always thought it was much easier to be friends with me than to date me. I mean I have trust issues with friends, but it is generally easier for me to believe that someone would be friends with me.

3. I hold a grudge, though I'm getting better at this. I seem to have an amazing memory of things done against me, particularly by close friends or lovers. Without fail I will remember what you said or how you said it and I will dwell on it and I will convince myself you meant it in a different way than you intended. I remember arguments and I will bring those up if the fight gets nasty. I generally try to avoid arguments for this reason, because I genuinely can't help this reaction most of the time. I'll just remember the last time you did something and vow to not let it happen again.

A Song of Ice and Fire Related

1.How many books from the series have you completed?
I've read all of them!

2.Who are your favorite three characters in the series? Why?
Doran Martell, Catelyn Stark, Tyrion Lannister.

I love Doran, because at first I didn't like him! I was firmly in Arianne's corner when I first read her chapters and I honestly thought he was just trying to keep the peace, to just recoup his losses. And when he revealed the plan he'd so diligently worked at with Oberyn I couldn't help but be wowed at the amount of patience and cold calculation he possessed to plan revenge for so long. I certainly couldn't have planned something for that long without giving something up.

I love Catelyn, I really do, because you can tell that she is genuinely an honorable, kind person but she knows when to cast that aside in ways Ned couldn't do. I enjoy reading her pov chapters because she feels like someone that I honestly know and can relate to, just a mother doing anything to protect her children which can be argued about Cersei as well I suppose but Catelyn knows how to show it correctly, she know how to let her children know she loves them. I just feel the love for her children much more...deeply than many of the other characters with children.

Tyrion is a character I hold close to heart, I can't relate to his dwarfism, but I do relate to being the outsider a lot of the time. I relate to just burying myself in books rather than face the reality of what was going on around him. We had similar emotionally abusive families, though of course that doesn't mean he's perfect or that he
doesn't have flaws. Because he has them, tons of them. But, what character doesn't?

3.Who are your least favorite three characters in the series? Why?
Jon Snow, Robert Baratheon, Sweet Robin

I just honestly never connected with Jon Snow, I don't know why! I think my least favorite part of the books is his part, and I can't put my finger on why. I think maybe because I enjoy the less magical parts of the book? And the Wall just never...struck me as interesting as all of the political stories.

Robert Baratheon...I just can't stand him. With all of his drunkeness and lust for a woman that might not have ever desired him in the first place, it just annoys me. I mean there are many, many worse characters morally than Robert, he was a typical man of the times, I think. But, I find that annoys me more than anything?

Sweet Robin. I don't like children to begin with, and he just unnerves me. A lot of characters I dislike I don't have concrete reasons for, I just go by feelings.

4.#1 Favorite moment in all of ASOIAF so far? Why?
When Oberyn and the Mountain fight. It's such a...thrilling moment. You just have Oberyn, who is just as deadly as he is charasmatic, he isn't called the Red Viper for nothing after all and he's fighting for such noble reasons, though I think he makes the mistake of playing with his food too much. He gets what he wants, he gets the Mountain to admit the horrible things that he did to Elia. A sense of grim satisfaction, but he's killed shortly after. I just love this moment because it shows that the dashing, swashbuckling character with all the noble motives still isn't guaranteed success, that life doesn't owe anyone anything. Even when you feel it does.

5. In your dream-world, how would you like to see the series end, and why?
I want to see the throne destroyed, I honestly don't think anyone is capable of such absolute power without being thoroughly corrupted.

Gotta Win or Die, Y’feel?

2014-03-10T10:55:07Z

Name: Dorothea, or Dolly
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!): Over on tumblr, marthappants wanted me to help sort her and so here I am doing the thing.
Age: 19
Location: Canada
Occupation: Student/File Clerk (ah, me)

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’m always torn, but the main features I’d like are probably a Victorian or Edwardian style home with a front porch, definitely a bay window (overlooking a bay would be a plus). I wouldn’t want a really big place, maybe just a small living floor with an open kitchen/dining area, water closet and parlour, and then just a larger bathroom and my own room upstairs. Having a big family really isn’t a priority for me, I really want just a cozy, safe place for myself. Hardwood floors, an affectionate cat, a sunflower-yellow kitchen with hanging pots… Somewhere like Prince Edward Island or Ireland would be nice. And floor-to ceiling bookshelves. In at least one spot, anyway. A spiral staircase would be great, too. Call me tacky, but I’d like some of that striped floral wallpaper accenting the parlour or a front hallway, and a carved hat/coat tree. Ooh, and in the parlour definitely a big, soft chair with a cozy throw blanket, and an overstuffed chesterfield heaped with pillows.

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!
After arguing with the genie for a while as to WHY infinite wishes are not permitted, I’d probably wish for a more androgynous look (taller, leaner, more elfin) and for a lifetime of steady work as an actor. Because the former is impossible to do conventionally, and the latter is so highly unlikely for even the best of us, and I’m far too fond of easy solutions. And since that’s all I’d think to want, in my selfish way, I’d wish the genie to be free. In part, it’d be because I wouldn’t want anyone else to get that chance, or take what I wished for away from me.

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. ;)
Unfortunately I have trouble deciding not because I have too many, but in my eyes too few, and not much of significance. I suppose I was proud when I got a $5k per year university scholarship, and that was the only time I ever cried from happiness. Of course later I lost it within a semester because I didn’t meet the courseload requirements. I couldn’t do it. I’ve got a habit of losing things that are important to me, that way.
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.
Friendship is first, because those bonds are closer, more fulfilling, and most importantly chosen rather than part of a genetic happenstance. You only need a few to feel you’ve got a lot.
Pleasure comes second, I’m very fond of creature comforts like soft beds, long showers, and good food.
Money comes third, since you can’t get a lot of good comforts or the time to enjoy them without a surplus of the stuff.
Knowledge would be fourth, as I like to be in the know, have information, and pretend I’m the smartest one in the room, though I know I’m likely not.
Adventure comes fifth. Though on paper and screen it’s well and good, adventures on a whole seem to entail danger and discomfort, which I can only handle in small amounts.
Family comes sixth. I don’t like all my family, and the ones I do I would rather consider friends, and my group of friends is close enough to be family for me.
Love, romantic love anyway, comes last, and I could do without it entirely.
5. What's one quote (or passage, song lyric, etc.) that effectively describes you and your values? Explain.
“Don’t Panic”, from the cover of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. On one hand because I do tend to panic, frequently and seldom for good reason, and it usually turns out to be nothing. If it’s NOT nothing, however (as the guide intends to advise), there’s a likely chance that a) you will likely survive or b) worrying about whatever’s come up will just make your imminent demise uncomfortable and undignified.
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.
I am at once stingy and extravagant. In my current situation I don’t need to worry about the larger strokes of finances, rent, utilities etc, and so my small income is almost entirely disposable. I don’t like to spend money very often, and electronically spending (with a debit card, credit etc) only makes me unaware of how much I’ve got left, so I try to take out physical currency for day to day expenses, and keep regular tabs on my savings. However, if I do want something, I’ll either just buy it without thinking or decide to abstain entirely, and so I’ve made a few larger purchases that in hindsight were probably inadvisable. Financial security, and a degree of affluence, matter very much to me, and it’s one of my greatest worries that I’ll inevitably no longer be so comfortable as I am.

7. Name (and elaborate on) some of your hobbies. What are your favorite things to do outside of school/the office?
I’m (obviously) an avid reader, of fantasy, humour and science fiction (and mixing of the genres is always approved), and watcher of historical, fantasy, science fiction, and comic media (some of my current favourites being Community, Game of Thrones [though dubiously], Elementary, Hannibal, and Sleepy Hollow). I also dabble in crochet, though I’m not good enough to do much more than flat scarves yet. I enjoy confectionery/baking, too! I work occasionally in the kitchen of a chocolate shop, so I’ve learned how to make ganaches and fillings, and make my own truffles occasionally to share with people. Additionally I’ve been training as a singer for nearly five years, and I’m still working up the courage to preform publically but I’m fairly strong, in my own biased opinion.
8. Name three things you are afraid of. Explain.
On a superficial scale, spiders. They’re awful little beasties who are far too fond of appearing and landing on me directly before or after going into the shower, they have too many legs and eyes, and they skitter around like they’ve something to hide.
Failure. I am so terrified to fail or be rejected that usually I will abstain from participating or trying at all, it’s a problem and I have attempted to no avail to fix it. I’m so ruled by this fear that I’ve become cowardly and passive, and I realise that my final, self-absorbed fear is likely true.
That I am not extraordinary. It’s so narcissistic of me. But I’ve had so much time to spend in my own head and my own world that there’s at once a stark realization that I AM very uninteresting and unremarkable and will live and die so, and this overwhelming urge to ignore that and continue in a delusion that I am more important than I know myself to be.
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 qualities? I’m fairly eloquent, and I can try to argue a point succinctly (though it takes a good deal of work for me not to go and elaborate on the opposing view and its merits, and effectively undermine my own arguments). I have a solid vocabulary and I love language, just the way words sound and feel on the palate and ring with acoustics, mental image, and meaning. I am generous to my friends, evolving from a point in my life when it was only through gifts and favours that I even had friends. I’m often so keen to pay for dinner, buy gifts, or make things to cheer my friends up that (I’ve been told) it’s sometimes uncomfortable and they feel like a burden to me. Which I admit, I don’t understand, because it’s me wanting to do these things for them. Maybe I guilt people that way. I’m a good listener. Not having a great wealth of my own stories to draw on and talk about at length, I prefer to hear and percolate others’ words, instead of waiting for my turn to talk. Often, though, I’ll forget what was said to me later on.
Worst qualities I can think of far more easily. I am lazy to the point of slothfulness, staying in bed for hours when I have no pressing reason not to, procrastinating until it is absolutely impossible no put a job off any longer, cutting corners and taking shortcuts whenever I can. I can be very caustic and quick to judge people and write them off as incompatible, assuming they’ve no interest in me, so I’ve no reason to have interest in them. So I come off as cold and misanthropic, which is probably true. I’m also very petty and I hold grudges over the most flippant things, waiting for apologies that won’t come because nine times in ten they’re not at all warranted. Now I think on it it’s probably best phrased that I’m passive aggressive in practically every way. But just not that good at it.

A Song of Ice and Fire Related

1.How many books from the series have you completed?
I’ve read all through AFFC, and I’ve started ADWD, though I’ve spoiled myself on a lot of plot points from it already.

2.Who are your favorite three characters in the series? Why?
In case the username didn’t tip you off, Petyr Baelish! He’s an inspiration in a lot of ways, from his ability to roll with punches almost ALWAYS to his benefit, to his ease with people and incentives (and puns). He came from humble origins and climbed to greatness almost entirely on his own merit, which is much more than can be said for the majority of characters, who were born to great privilege and status. He managed to gain the trust, if not respect, of a great number of influential people on faith in his abilities rather than his reputation or any archaic feudalist traditions, which in my eyes is pretty much unprecedented outside of the Night’s Watch.
Sansa Stark. Probably one of the few PoV characters I’m at all invested in! She has time and again impressed me with her ability to survive with grace and dignity through hardships, to keep true to her kind nature and still in her own small ways rebel against those who held power over her. She’s much smarter than some fans would give her credit for, and she will only improve, . Probably one of the few PoV characters I’m invested in! She has time and again impressed me with her ability to survive with grace and dignity through hardships, to keep true to her kind nature and still in her own small ways rebel against those who held power over her. She’s much smarter than some fans would give her credit for, and she will only improve, becoming one of those richly nuanced women of history along the lines of Lucrezia Borgia or Catherine the Great.
Samwell Tarly. He’s one of the most genuine and book-smart people in the series, and I relate to that notion of being more learned on paper than in life. His backstory is one of the most upsetting, and in a way similar to Sansa, I’m so proud of him for being able to remain who he is, even in adverse settings like his abusive household or the barracks of the Night’s Watch. He is afraid, but he admits it and recognises it, making him braver than the boldest knight, for me anyhow.
3.Who are your least favorite three characters in the series? Why?
I’m gonna get flak, but the three that come to mind all have similar reasoning, so this’ll be short. Daenerys, Jon and Tyrion. I don’t hate them—I find it very difficult to hate anyone in the series given its very subjective and fluctuating morality, but these three have just been lackluster to read about. The former are very much in the Cambell-esque Hero’s Journey camp, which in a series that glories in its subversion of tropes and convention, is out of place and makes for dull reading. The latter I felt has been very much overhyped, and his humour falls flat.
4.#1 Favorite moment in all of ASOIAF so far? Why?
Goodness. Hm, hm, hm. I really liked Jaime and Brienne’s duel. Some (including the narrator) made the connection between their sparring and sex, but I felt it was more like a dance. All passion, skill and grace, it never felt remotely allegorical to sex. It was much more dynamically written than any of the actual sex scenes, at least. Which we could do without, I’ll be honest.

5. In your dream-world, how would you like to see the series end, and why?
Well, I’ll grant Stannis, Jon, and Daenerys heroic deaths on the War of the Others. The dragons are necessary for eliminating them (the Others), there’s no question. Hopefully after that someone will recognize the massive destructive capability of dragons and realise the power imbalance they’d bring and promptly rid the world of dragons again. I can’t see them being anything but bad news. I look forward to seeing Sansa in a close but not necessarily romantic relationship with Petyr as Queen and Hand in charge of an allied kingdom of the Vale, Riverlands, and North. The Iron throne as it stands I cannot see maintaining power without the rule of terror the Targaryens had, so the continent will dissolve, if not into its seven kingdoms, into at least three smaller divisions (the North/Vale/Riverlands, Crownlands/Stormlands/Westerlands/Reach, and Dorne). I couldn’t possibly cover the fates of every character, so I think I’ve covered my bases. Thank you for reading!
(Side note, I may be the onlyone here who wishes there was a Frey option.)

win or die

2014-03-03T06:30:39Z

Name: Martha
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!): Through dear moderntrickster.
Age: 21
Location: Malta
Occupation: Student

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!. Having lived for the entirety of my life this far on a tiny Mediterranean island, I have always had somewhat of an idealised view of mainland Europe and Britain (being a recovering Anglophile), as erroneous as that view might be. The small bit of travelling I've done in Europe made me understand that I don't see myself as a city-dweller, but I would rather live in a less busy town/city. My favourite city I have visited so far has to be Nuremberg, in the southern Bavarian region of Germany. Nuremberg is probably the model of a city I'd love to live in. Not as busy as, say, Munich, but still a sizeable city with a vast array of things to see and experience. I do see myself living in a moderatory sized apartment there. I am lucky enough to live in a large-ish house with my family, so something smaller seems to me a rather pleasant change. My ideal apartment would have ample space for shelving, good wi-fi connectivity and possibly an outdoor area where to have a small garden or some potted plants.

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. Unlimited money. Honestly, who wouldn't wish this? Money doesn't grant happiness, but it sure helps. I'd probably use quite a lot for travelling. Seeing all the great things there is to see. All the art and all the natural beauties, that is not to mention all the shows and concerts.

ii. Confidence . I have missed so many opportunities by lacking confidence in myself, and have a low self-esteem, that I would really think it would make a great difference to my life if I did have it.

iii. Motivation. Because I find it rather hard to look forward to my future and not shudder slightly.

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. ;) Probably overcoming past difficulties and getting to university. Early in my life, I did terribly at anything school-related, due to bad teachers as well as family problems. For the longest time I thought I wouldn't really amount to anything. But then I slowly discovered literature, and that developed into a more all-encompassing interest in the arts. I am now in my final year of a B.A. in History of Art.

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. This isn't difficult at all. I think one needs a degree of each in life. But because I have to answer the question I'd say the most important for me is Love, and by that I don't just mean romantic love (sadly rather lacking where I'm coming from), but merely knowing that in the end of the day there are people who love you. I guess this would be connected to Family in my case, as I rely heavily on them, mostly my mother and sister, with whom I live. Probably the least important to me would be adventure, as in the obvious sense of the word. Frankly, I would rather stay in and watch documentaries.

5. What's one quote (or passage, song lyric, etc.) that effectively describes you and your values? Explain. “You'll never be a first-class human being or a first-class woman, until you've learned to have some regard for human frailty.” - Cary Grant as C.K. Dexter Haven in the 1940 film The Philadelphia Story. I don't really have anything to add to that, just that I love Cary Grant (but that's beside the point). ~~And let's be honest, it's better than the obvious Oscar Wilde or Siddhartha Gautama quote.~~

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. Not very well, to put it blankly. When I do have some money in hand I tend to spend it rather quickly on various things, like clothes, shoes, sushi, drinks and so on. When I do not have money I cope. I do still live with my mum, so I guess that helps, although I don't really depend on her financially. But of course it helps that I don't have to pay bills. Despite what I wished for, money isn't all that important to me. We were never truly well-off, so I got used to sort of coping and adjusting to circumstances early on.

7. Name (and elaborate on) some of your hobbies. What are your favorite things to do outside of school/the office? Well, I spend most of my time on my laptop, watching stuff~~, and things~~. Shows, films, documentaries, kind of crap British panel shows, and what have you. I love to compile mixtapes and just browse tumblr for hours and hours. Outside of the internet I enjoy going for sushi, the occasional play, and because of my line of study I go to quite a number of exhibition openings (mostly for the free wine, but also for the art of course).

8. Name three things you are afraid of. Explain.
i. Being judged. I absolutely despise being put in a position where I am being judged or put under scrutiny. So I try my best to avoid activities that involve public speaking, as I always get very nervous and shaky when I have to give a presentation or the like.

ii. Rejection. I am a total people pleaser and find it rather hard to speak or act my mind when scared of being judged and rejected for what I've done or said, so I often just suffer in silence.

iii. The future. Do I really need to explain myself? I mean, I am (hopefully) going to graduate with a B.A. next year. So...what then?

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 (As you can see in the length of these, I found this rather hard):
i. Compassionate. I do take pride in being a good listener and caring for people, while trying to be as supportive as possible. Also, it's quite a good tool to have for roleplaying.

ii. Open-minded. I'm pretty much open to discuss anything and everything, and I owe this to my wide range of interests. I can really blab on about anything. I think everyone has a right to speak their mind, as long as they're not hurting anyone.

iii. Funny. At least that's what people tell me. Oftentimes I use comedy to diffuse tension or change the subject. The best ~~(and saddest)~~ jokes are always about myself. I don't really know what that says about me.

Worst:
i. Laziness. This is really problematic when it comes to assignments and exams. I am one of those of people who leaves everything to the very last minute. I study for most of my exams the day/night before (and yet still do reasonably well most times). This is probably tied to my lack of motivation problem. I find it rather hard to close my laptop and sit down and work. The fact that I still have time to work on the task at hand some other time keeps nagging at me and I end up not doing anything. Every time.

ii. Anxious. Especially when I keep lazying about and procrastinating on things. I also get terribly anxious before meetings and in crowds. I'm terrible at interacting with other people when in a group. I'm fine when it's a one-to-one interaction, but get me in a group and I pretty much cave in on myself.

iii. Insecure. This goes hand-in-hand with the anxiousness.

A Song of Ice and Fire Related

1.How many books from the series have you completed? All five.

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

i. Sansa Stark. Where to start? I actually wasn't much of a fan of Sansa in the first book, as many others weren't. But I quickly grew enamored of her. Martin develops her character so well, that you can see her grow and mature from chapter to chapter. And I find that in the Eyrie, under Littlefinger's guidance (putting aside the dark, but rather fascinating to me, underbelly of that relationship), she is truly flowering as a player of the game, something we've only seen hints of for now.

ii. Petyr Baelish. ~~Because I always fall for the evil ones.~~ I adore the pure anarchy that is this character. There is a degree of admiration in the way he scaled the ladder, from an insignificant minor house to Lord Protector of the Vale, through sheer cleverness and cunning. He's the one figure in the King's small council that I always looked forward to reading about, and laughing at his cheeky quips at Eddard and others. His character dynamics with Sansa are also a source of fascination to me. Yes, there's the fact that he might have been instrumental in her father's death, and that his interest in her is beyond platonic and stems for his infatuation with Catelyn. However, I realized that the two characters had a number of similarities in their development. From what we know, both Sansa and Petyr began as rather naive (Petyr's duel against Branden) and grew into players of the game. We've already seen how Sansa seems to be Petyr's weakness, and I hope that will develop further, as I would love to see Petyr be bested by Sansa, beaten at his own game (more about that in the last question).

ii. Samwell Tarly. A hugely underrated character, I think. Unlike any other character in the books. I love how he's an unlikely hero, without even knowing so, being the most unlikely candidate for a hero in the context of the books. I'm really looking forward to see how his storyline develops in the coming books.

Honorable mentions: Olenna Tyrell, Asha Greyjoy, Roose Bolton, Stannis Baratheon, Cersei Lannister, Fat Walda, Myranda Royce (fuck yes, minor characters).

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

i. Daenerys Targaryen. I don't really know why, but I was never drawn to her storyline.

ii. Walder Frey. Just nasty. And not even in an entertaining way.

iii. The Sandsnakes. This is probably another rather unpopular opinion, but I never really got the appeal.

Dishonorable mentions: Victarion Greyjoy, Euron Greyjoy, Randyll Tarly.

4.#1 Favorite moment in all of ASOIAF so far? Why?
Probably the purple wedding. It was all so finely staged. with all the lavish courses and entertainment (and the whole Tyrion debacle), I felt rather tired after reading all that, until the shock came and I was left staring open-mouthedly at the page. Who was expecting that? I mean, really. And then I went back and read it twice and thrice over.

5. In your dream-world, how would you like to see the series end, and why?
Oh, Christ. Can it not end?
In the first place, I definitely don't want Sansa to die. But I want her to reconquer the North, by Harrold Hardyng's side (who hopefully turns out to not be a jerk).
I don't really know what should happen with the Iron Throne. I don't really want or think Dany will reach Westeros.
(Yeah, sorry, I'm not very good at this. Frankly, I'm not really interested in what I wish would happen in the story, being neither the creator of the world and character nor a master storyteller.)

Attention please!

2014-01-20T07:01:29Z

Despite the very same thing spelled out in big friendly letters right above the application questions in our community's user info, recently we've had more applications come in with coding problems than usual, so let me repeat some things.

Dear new applicants -- the application questions provided for you in our handy textbox are already in HTML. You don't have to fix anything there or delete the first line because you find it irrelevant (because it's not, and it's there for a reason); the only thing you need to do is make sure you fill in your answers without losing any of the original coding and then copy-paste the entire thing into the HTML tab of your westerosorting entry, and not RichText. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!

Westeros Sorting Application

2014-01-20T06:39:29Z

Name: Marija Tena
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!): Some sweet person recommended it on deviantart.
Age: 16
Location: Croatia
Occupation: Student

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!.
Let's start with the house. House doesn't have to be very large,just very cozy and warm.In fact,i like smaller places.I'm obsessed with fireplaces and cozy rugs.Everything would be in earth,soft tones because then i would feel loved and protected.Big flat TV :D Wooden furniture,for sure. I would like luxurious kitchen,cause i love cooking for my family.I would like to have a large yard and garden,or/and little forest close to my house ( fresh air :D ) Beautiful view is important too. Library could be great. House should be in some smaller,peaceful but interesting town which is full of historical places.

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!

First wish would be to secure enough money for me and my family so we can live happily ever after.
Second wish would be that all animals on this world could stop suffering because of people's cruelty.My heart is breaking everytime i see some abandoned,hurt animal. :(
Third wish is happines for me and my loved ones.

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. ;)
In my short life i haven't done anything that i could be proud of.In fact,i screwed up a lot of thing and missed a lot of chances.Only thing that i'm proud of is all those cats i raised. But i would like to die peacefully one day knowing that i did something good,that is my wish. :)

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.
Family,because family will always stand by you.No matter what you did,their love and guidance should last forever.
Least important is friendship.Probably because friends always betrayed in my life and i learned to not trust so easy.

5. What's one quote (or passage, song lyric, etc.) that effectively describes you and your values? Explain.
Ouh,i can't remember anything at this very moment.
Can we try with this : Everything that kills makes me feel alive.

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.
I never had to care about money in my life,cause i'm 16 years old. Money/financial security is very important to me. Because in this world people are unhappy without money,they can't get what they want/need.If i'll ever had to care in my life about that,i would make sure for my family and me to get everything what we need/want/deserve.

7. Name (and elaborate on) some of your hobbies. What are your favorite things to do outside of school/the office?
Walking in the woods,sniffing around interesting/mysterious/historical places. I like to dance,it's great way to express all the emotoins and to be passionate. And i like to read,when something bad is happening i just go to the whole new world,to the whole new life.

8. Name three things you are afraid of. Explain.
1. Height,yeah.How can i explain ? I just feel like ground underneath me is moving.
2. Sound of a owl,it sends chills down my spine.But i kinda like it too.
3. Losing people. I'm afraid that people will abandone me. :(

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'm very compassionate.It hurts me so much to see when other people and animals are suffering.Especially for my loved ones.
I'm direct and honest. I always tell truth to the people's faces,it gets me in trouble. But i don't care,truth has to be told,no matter how ugly it is.
I'm a good leader. I can motivate people and make them do thing that are necessary.

Worst : Jealousy. STRONG jealousy.I always have to know EVERYTHING about the people i love,when were they,why were they then,what were they doing and things like this.I tend to ask thousand questions ! It's very annoying.
Anger : Just a little thing can cause a great flame inside of me. I'm yeling,i'm crying,i'm destroying and i'll probably be mad at you forever because of that if i don't get a proper apologize.
Unfocused and lazy : about the things i really don't care for.School is an example,a lot of things we study i don't care about so i can't make myself study. But if something is worth my attention,HERE I AM :P

A Song of Ice and Fire Related

1.How many books from the series have you completed?
I've completed 5 books.Currently i'm on second part of Dance with dragons.

2.Who are your favorite three characters in the series? Why?
Jon Snow. From the very beginning. He's an outlaw all of his life,can't find his place in this world so i feel for him. Also,he is balancing beetwen love and duty which is worth of respect. And it melts me when he thinks about his sister Arya. And ler's not forget he is very capable leader. I enjoy his POV's very much.
Eddard Stark : Long dead i know,but that man still makes me feel proud of house Stark and the North. Man full of honor and fairness. Westeros would be so MUCH better place if he was king / hand of a king.
Oberyn Martell : For such a short time he was present at the books i've grow to like him very much.Wish that he could slay The Mountain. I like that man cause he represents Dorne and his people. I like bravery and his honesty. Such a passionate man :)

3.Who are your least favorite three characters in the series? Why?
Daenerys : Do i really need to explain ? Poor leader,i mean of course because she is child but she obviously thinks too high of herself.And how she treats her dragons is CRAZY ! I mean,the only thing that makes her different then others pretenders to the throne are DRAGONS ! But,she locks them down,and gives no fuc*s about them. She is supposed to spend ALL her time with them and trying to figure out how to train them. She calls herself mother of dragons ? Ouh please,the only thing that she cares for are some slaves that never saw her and Daario.
All people related to the Red Wedding and to the and killing Starks.
Stannis : Better king then most of them,but so IRRITATING !

4.#1 Favorite moment in all of ASOIAF so far? Why?
Fight beetwen Oberyn and Gregor. Why,because i thought that Oberyn will win and that Elia and her babes will be avenged. And all of the moments in book 1 when Starks were together and happy. :(

5. In your dream-world, how would you like to see the series end, and why?
Well,can we wake some people from the dead ? If yes,then Ned would be alive. He would support his son and Robb would rule as KING IN THE NORTH ! Iron throne should be destroyed and Seven Kingdoms could have their own kings. Just like before Aegon the Conqueror.

westerosorting @ 2014-01-09T19:10:00

2014-01-13T07:53:47Z

Name: teshara
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!): lj search
Age: 37
Location: New York
Occupation: Writer

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!.

:: cough cough ::

Seriously, that's the house I've wanted my whole life.

You walk in the carved front door to a cozy little parlor with a table for eating, a potbellied stove, and bookshelves. A winding staircase goes up and down. If you go down you realize the roots of the tree have created a dome underground and now form the walls of the underground kitchen/cellar with a wood burning stove and an ice box. If you go up the stairs, you reach a landing with a large, comfy bed and wardrobe. There's a desk with a computer, and a door leading to an all-inclusive bathroom. (You walk in naked and press a button and it cleans both you and the bathroom, so no shower or tub.) The windows are stained glass and lights dance over everything. If you continue going up the stairs it leads to a storage area that could be used for an artists studio.

I'd want it to be in a forest because the trees are nice there. I want the forest outside to have wild animals prowling around and thunderstorms happen often. I would like to make friends with some sort of scary animal, like a bear. Maybe he would humor me and let me ride him.

I grew up near the redwoods and I like the Riverrun Godswood.

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!

The ability to speak to the dead. Either the power to speak to spirits or the ability to make corpses talk. I'd really like to have my grandfather's advice from time to time.

The ability to fly, the ability to harness electricity and project it through my fingertips and toes. I want to fly above battles and zap people.

Forget riding a dragon, I want to BE a dragon. I know, I'll have to wear a princess for a fascinator. I'm OK with that.

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. ;)

Getting published. It was a short steampunk story, and it wasn't my greatest, but they liked it!

Holding it together when my partner died.

Pushing myself onstage and ending up playing with Henry Mancini.

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.

The most important is Knowledge, because I am lost without it; the least important is Family because family drama is a pain in the butt.

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

I'm in love with illusions, so saw me in half; I'm in love with your tricks, so pull another rabbit out of your hat.

I value cleverness and illusion.
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.

Manage? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! As long as the bills are paid, I'm OK.

7. Name (and elaborate on) some of your hobbies. What are your favorite things to do outside of school/the office? writing, knitting, cooking (but I'm not very good at it), baking (which I am pretty good at), doing random research on any given subject

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

losing my balance - it's not heights. I rather like heights, I just need to have a railing. (Stairs and escalators also fall under this) I don't even have to use the railing, it just has to be there.

feral dogs - was chased as a kid (a lot)

dying unnoticed - someone has to feed the cats!

EDIT:
My Fears are More Complicated

It's a long story but here it is:

My partner died unexpectedly in October. And it turns out he was a harmless, yet completely thorough, compulsive liar. In the past few months I've faced down every fear I've had since I was a kid, except for being home invaded and held hostage, which got crossed off the list of fears when I was 27 and it happened.

How compulsive?

People at the funeral were asking about children we do not have. There were people there that had known him for 30 years, 20 years, 10 years... and each of these groups of friends had different stories with different details that he kept straight for decades. I knew him for 7 years. I lived with him for 4 1/2. Not a damn clue. I wrote on the computer, he watched car shows on the couch. We lived together, we worked together, we were apart for 2 hours a day.

Machiavelli wished he could think up machinations this grand.

What a spectacular fictional life we led! Vacations and trips, fun family holidays with the non-existent children! My parents visited us! (They're elderly and live across the country. We go to them.) We owned our house! (The landlord was standing behind me and was rather amused.) We were moving to California! He had bought me a car!(One group had it as a Malibu and another, an Impala.)

I heard anecdotes and stories and grand claims.

Little stories about my fictional son, Will. About mowing the lawn and weekend trips and troubles a normal 12 year old has.

The same for his fictional daughter, Ash, who was in actuality, his old roommates daughter. He was a close friend to their family. I'm listening to these stories about us and I hear gasping from behind me. From Ash's grandmother, my next door neighbor. Because Ash has a father, and it was not my partner.

It's also why I'm scatterbrained. I will be for a bit longer, so it should probably be a factor in my choosing.

So, I have been bewildered for so long the hard grieving is starting to end. I said his name Saturday and for the first time, I wasn't reduced to a weeping mess.

I realize that if we had led a normal life I would have been destroyed completely, but he gave me plenty of material to keep me occupied for months. (And not one thing I found out was bad. It was all meaningless.)

So, thinking how smart he must have been keeping all of this straight for decades, I can only conclude that he gave me just enough real info to go off of, so when he died I'd have something to do to keep me occupied.

And it is amazing and enchanting and wondrous and I am completely floored.

I am also pissed since I am a struggling writer and he could have at least helped me out! I mean, seriously!

And why would he tell me the car had a different size engine than it does? What on earth was the point of that?

I'm pretty sure that says a lot about my boundaries and temperament.

It also means that I've been shaken up so much my personality isn't so cut and dry anymore.

After this latest kerfuffle the fears I have left are pretty primal. Eaten by wild animals, falling to my death, the inability to provide for loved ones. These will probably turn into things less petty over time, but that's where it stands now.

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: Curious, articulate, bold

Worst: Suspicious, jealous, lazy

A Song of Ice and Fire Related

1.How many books from the series have you completed? I've finished all 5 books.

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

Tyrion: because his mouth gets him into nearly as much trouble as mine does with me.

Bronn : Because I love Jerome Flynn and I've projected it onto Bronn and now I can't undo it. I'm doomed.

Littlefinger: He made an entire continent a giant Rube-Goldberg Machine. Just in the hopes that it would get him laid. WOW, dude. Just... wow...

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

Catelyn: because she's mean to Jon. (We bastards stick together, screw that chick.)

The Mountain: for obvious reasons. (Does he even count? I think he might just be a given. Hmmm...) Mostly the rapey bits. And the horse. Poor horse...

Balon Greyjoy: Because he abandoned Theon. Twice! (Seriously, in all those years not a freaking emissary to pop in from time? No letters? No birthday card?!)

4.#1 Favorite moment in all of ASOIAF so far? Why?

I know it's really stupid, but it's in the scene where they're releasing the pair of dragons from the pit and one of them shoots off a crossbow like a doofus and it hits the dragon. The dragons blood, glowing gold and red. It's Valyrian steel. That's why no ones been able to make it: because it can't be made.

I also have a side daydream where the dragons died out because they were all being bled out, and it all ties into R'hllor and the Fire and Blood theme. They're a dragon cult.

Honorable mention for Roose Bolton talking about how fond he's become of his fat little wife and her 'enthusiasm' because it makes me think of this.

Every. Damn. Time.

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

I want to see Bran on a Weirwood throne.
I want to see Arya as a Faceless Assassin, or even the reincarnation of their God to counterbalance the Red God.
I want to see dragons, but not all in one area. One for the north, one for King's Landing, and one for Dorne.
I want to see Harrenhall rebuilt by, and for, the giants after the war. Just one title for Won-Won. Just a little one? No giant love? Phooey.
Giant on a dragon? No? Humph.
I want Jon Snow to get the black dragon.
I want them to find an occupied underwater city. Water dragons?
I want something mean to happen to Walder Frey. I don't know what yet. And Ramsay Bolton. I've given Roose a pardon because of the squirrel thing.
I want to see Sansa on the Iron Throne. And Arya has to kill her. Boom.

win or die

2014-01-06T10:28:27Z

Name: Julianna
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!): just by searching the internet
Age:17
Location: Poland
Occupation:student

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!.
My ideal house would probably be situated somewhere in France , for example the Loire Valley. I would like it to be surrounded by a wild landscape with lots of trees and maybe a lake or something. It would be ideal if I could live in some kind of 16th century castle , though that would not be very practical and I guess it would be hard to integrate some 21st century objects such as TV etc in such a house. SO instead of that I would like to live in a not very big mansion inspired from late 19th century architecture and adapted so that I could live in it. It is very important that it won't get hot in summer because I cannot stand very warm weather. Actually I prefer to have a rather cold climate inside my house. The furniture would be in dark shades and made from beautifully crafted wood , while the curtains , the sofas and the beds will be in cold but deep colours ( blue , green , velvet) . I want it all to look very airy , with high ceilings , big rooms , tall furniture and no unnecessary frills. There will be beautiful paintings on the walls ( I would love to have a painting by Van Gogh) and I will pay special attention to the library, which will probably be the biggest room in the house. I hate over-crowded places so I will make sure that the rooms are ,,empty enough ''

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!
1) be part of a magical world , such as that of Hogwarts. As a child a part of me somehow hoped this would come true one day and I liked to imagine myself learning all the interesting stuff Harry did at Hogwarts.This is a rather strange wish because it involves creating an entire new world with new people etc, but I could not help mentioning it.
2)a perfect job. I am very indecisive and I do not really know what is best for me . I would like it if I was given a job that fits my personality and takes advantage of my talents and qualities , so that I will be able to be an expert in my domain and leave something behind.
3) become a better person. I know this is a bit foolish , as it is my duty to change that but it would be really nice if I were a better person.Not that I consider myself bad but I believe I still have some things to change . I would also like to get rid of my insecurities and constant fear of failure. People perceive me as confident but deep inside I am not .
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. ;)
Right now what comes to my mind is my success in school and the fact that I went to international Olympiads in science.
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.
It was very hard picking between Love and Knowledge , but I finally chose Love because nothing has meaning without Love. And by Love I do not only mean romantic love ,but also love in general , for family , friends etc. Love is the only thing that can make us better and knowledge , for example , is ,,dry’’ and does not produce anything if it is soulless. After Knowledge I would add another value and that is Freedom , especially spiritual freedom. Money means nothing if you cannot have Pleasure or Freedom so it comes after that.I guess the least important is Adventure .
5. What's one quote (or passage, song lyric, etc.) that effectively describes you and your values? Explain.

“Most men will not swim before they are able to.” Is that not witty? Naturally, they won't swim! They are born for the solid earth, not for the water. And naturally they wont think. They are made for life, not for thought. Yes, and he who thinks, what’s more, he who makes thought his business, he may go far in it, but he has bartered the solid earth for the water all the same, and one day he will drown.” Herman Hesse
I do not know if these quote describes me , but they have a lot of meaning to me.

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.
As I have stated before I would like to have enough money so that I can have freedom to do what I like and maybe travel , but money in itself is not very important to me. Sometimes it gives you power and that is nice but I am not sure if I would like it that much. I like to buy expensive make up and fine quality clothes and I am very picky with everything but I would not say I spend that much money because I do not buy a lot of things. Anyway , this is very subjective because even though my family is not very rich I would say I have a little more money than the average so I never suffered from lack of money.

7. Name (and elaborate on) some of your hobbies. What are your favorite things to do outside of school/the office?
1) Reading + writing: I like reading anything from psychological novels to historical fiction .I am also trying to refine my writing. I do not know if this tells anything about my personality , but my favorite writers are Dostoyevsky and Thomas Mann .I also love historical fiction and my favorite writer from this category would be Maurice Druon. I do not like Fitzgerald and Hemingway( I appreciate their good writing but I just can’t relate to their works in a subjective manner )

2) I do not know if this is a hobby , but I really like to observe people and their behavior and I am quite good at figuring out their character. I am really interested in psychology ( I am now reading Jung an find it very interesting) and I want to spend even more time researching this subject , because I consider having a career in this field.
3)I spend a lot of time taking with my friends( I guess everybody does that) and I really like to discuss my idea on books and other things with them
4)clothes +makeup: I love beautiful things and I have a weakness for expensive makeup . I like to combine colors and look slightly different from the others , while at the same time being appropriate for the occasion. I sometimes draw the clothes I want and go to a tailor , when I cannot find them in the stores.
8. Name three things you are afraid of. Explain.
1) The most important fear I am facing know is that I will choose a wrong career and I will be stuck in a boring routine all my life and fail to exploit my talents.. It would be absolutely horrible for me to have a job that I will not like ,or find boring ,because for me career means something more than money and I always liked to do things with passion
2)I hate being ordinary and I am afraid I will never prove my worth not necessary to the others , but also to myself , by doing something with my talents.
3)I will not find people to love/be loved by or they will die. The worst thing that can happen to anybody.

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.
I do not know if this is relevant , but I am either an INFJ or an INTJ
Best
1) I am very curious and inquisitive about everything and I learn very quickly. I am not satisfied with superficial explanations and I like to get to the core of things. I like to know everything I hear about and I do so without getting tired. This is why it is very easy for me at school . I just listen to the teachers and try to find the interesting part in what they say and I learn it without realizing .Then when I go home I do not have to do my homework and I can instead study what I like and read books. I like logical things and in the past I thought I would do something related to Maths but now I realized humanities and creativity are really more important to me.
2) Determined. If I do something , then I like to do it well , to be outstanding. I have always been afraid of mediocrity and I am constantly trying to avoid it. I am also very passionate and put a lot of soul in what I do. Although I completely reject doing things that bore me , when I like something I can spend a lot of time and energy doing it and get a little ,,obsessed" sometimes , to the point that I sometimes ignore things that I see as having little importance.
3) I am loyal to the people I care about. My friendships usually last very long and I have deep feelings for a few people. They can usually rely on me. There is not much to be said about this , but I believe it is a very important trait.
Worst:
1)I am very intolerant with people ans sometimes I am arrogant . I get very easily annoyed when people are stupid or superficial and I tend to despise them when they do not have the same values as I do. I lose my temper very easily when somebody annoys me and then I regret it. I do not keep grudges or things like that and in the end I like helping people and listening to their stories but people usually do not see that due to the fact that I get annoyed so easily.
2)I am very indecisive. It takes a lot of time for me to take a decision , no matter the topic. I have a lot of doubts about everything and I like to overanalyze and sometimes this is very bad for me. I guess this also comes from a lack of confidence in myself and general pessimism , so that I am always afraid I will make the wrong choice. I am also very internally conflicted and I do not have a very clear image of myself from certain points of view. It ‘ s sometimes easier for me to describe other people and predict what they would do than to this for myself.For people who do not have this problem it does not sound that bad but it is truly horrible
3) I am too honest and I have a very big mouth. I usually stand for what I believe in , sometimes to the point that I hurt people’s feelings. I tell people bluntly what I believe or if they annoy me and this got me into serious trouble because of that. I also tend to make ironic jokes that I do not intend to be mean , but people sometimes do not perceive them as being so.
I do not know if this is a good or a bad trait , but I also tend to be a bit idealistic.

A Song of Ice and Fire Related

1.How many books from the series have you completed?
5

2.Who are your favorite three characters in the series? Why?
1)Doran Martell: I know he is a minor character and we do not know very much about his life but even those few things I read about him were enough to impress me. What I admire most about him is his wisdom that makes him to be a truly good leader . In spite of his physical frailty his mind is extremely active and he sees and understands things that others do not. Often underestimated and thought to be weak by others he is instead plotting and trying to help his family , but unlike the others , who want immediate results , he is always realistic and waits for the prefect moment to unveil his plans. He even surprises his own daughter when he reveals to her the true nature of his actions . Unlike other rulers in Westeros he values peace and he tries to be loyal not only to his family , but also to his people.he manages to be a good man and at the same time keep himself and his family alive , while other lords tend to be either very unscrupulous or very honorable ,but unpractical . Some might think that he lacks pride , but I believe he is just trying to avoid war , seeking revenge for his sister in a more subtle way .I also like his meditative , melancholic nature , his love of solitude and thinking and his capacity to understand other people's characters. He is the kind of man I would like to go to and ask for advice.
2) Jon Snow : I see Jon Snow as a more interesting and complicated version of Ned Stark. From the beginning I liked his modesty , which was obviously coming from the fact that he was a bastard and the fact that he always seemed to be more mature than the other Stark children. I know these are all fairy-tale traits but I cannot help admiring them ,together with his strong moral sense and his honorable nature. He does not only follow a moral code in a cold , unbending manner , like Stannis Baratheon but seems to know naturally what is right and wrong. He helps Samwell and actually makes him find a way in which he can be useful .. When he becomes Lord Commander he shows great wisdom and courage, leaving prejudice behind and allying with the wildlings. He is one of the few who understand that the true enemies are the Others , and not the wildlings , risking everything because of this.
3)Jaime and Tyrion Lannister : They are both brilliantly written characters and I just cannot decide upon one of them. In a way , I believe their evolutions are related and it is very interesting to compare them , because even though they are opposites from many points of view , they were raised in the same environment and there are many situations that bring them together. I believe it is obvious why I like Tyrion. In a way , each one of us finds or would like to find similarities between themselves and Tyrion : an intelligent , essentially good person who constantly searches recognition and love , but is cruelly rejected due to rather superficial reasons. I also love his sense of humor and his very sharp intelligence that allows him to almost read people’s minds) . Jaime is very different from Tyrion in the beginning : a spoiled , charming and superficial man , who takes everything in life for granted , but it is captivating to see how he turns in a completely different person. I love how his great capacity for love and his devotion are finally put to a good purpose and how he becomes more thoughtful and complex. I also cannot judge him for his affair with Cersei. He actually gave up Casterly Rock for her and he was faithfull when he could have had any woman he wanted. How many nobles from Westeros could claim that?
Other characters I like are the Sand Snakes ( especially the one who is probably at the Citadel) , Rhaegar Targaryen( his story is so appealing in a strange way + the fact that he was so good at everything , but he was actually a melancholic who did not actually wish to be a king ) , Maester Aemon (I admire him for giving up the throne to be a maester , realizing this was what he was good at- it makes you smile given that so many people fight and die for that throne) and Myrcella Baratheon(actually Lannister)- If she grows into the proud , intelligent yet gentle woman she seems to be she's going to be very interesting , especially given the environment in which she was raised and the fact that she is the result of an incestuous affair. I know this is not going to happen but I would see her queen rather than Dany )

3.Who are your least favorite three characters in the series? Why?
I do not like the Freys , the Boltons and Craster , but I guess this is obvious so I will list some characters that are not completely evil or mad.
1) Victarion Greyjoy : I find him very boring and uninteresting. He is not only stupid and limited , but also very mean. A mediocre and mean person. What could be worse??? He just respects some traditions and rules without knowing exactly why , keeping a lot of hatred in his heart , that makes him hurt even the people he claims he loves ( his wife ) .
2) Lysa Arryn : She is another very stupid character that felt overshadowed by her older sister and turned into a very bad person. In the beginning I could feel sorry for her because she failed in the 2 things that she , as a woman , perceived as being the most important in her life :love and family.But her actions are still very bad and thoughtless. Instead of trying to raise her son properly she betrays her husband and her own sister and becomes part of a plot that she cannot even understand , so she ends up being fooled by Littlefinger. There is still an excuse for her , and that is the fact that she does all these things for love. Nevertheless , she is very annoying.
3) Mace Tyrell and his daughter : I see them as wanna-be Lannisters. And unlike the Lannisters, they are also hypocritical and want so seem good ( especially Margaery , Mace is just dumb)
4.#1 Favorite moment in all of ASOIAF so far? Why?I
I have 2 favorite moments : the one in which Jaime helps Tyrion escape and they have that discussion and the one in which the Sand Snakes swear loyalty to Doran Martell. I find the first one very deep and the second empowering.

5. In your dream-world, how would you like to see the series end, and why?
I would like Jon to live and become Lord of Winterfell and maybe marry one of the Sand Snakes. I love Tyrion and Jaime so I wish at least one of them lived and became Lord of Casterly Rock. I hope things will end well for the Dornishmen and people like the Boltons will be finally punished.

win or die

2014-01-06T10:28:09Z

Name: Pozhals ;)
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!): Just searched 'a song of ice and fire'
Age: 21
Location: UK
Occupation: Student!

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 on the outskirts of a major city, but close to the countryside. Preferably in a non English-speaking country. There would be a lot of other houses nearby, and small local shops. It would be a little way back from the road, with a front garden and preferably a large back garden. Vines would frame the sash windows. Inside, it would be light in the day and cosy in the evening. A piano would be absolutely imperative! There would be cycle lanes nearby so I could ride my bike without worrying about the roads.

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!
1) to be able to cope with depression – I can become very sad, and sometimes parts of my life really suffer. I put on or lose weight, work doesn’t get done, I can’t venture to the pub or whatever because I get too anxious. It really takes over my life.
2) to be able to help others to cope with depression – It’s something that many members of my family have struggled with at some point and it breaks my heart seeing a loved one not smiling for a long time. The dark moods I’ve encountered are something I wouldn’t wish on anyone.
3) Never-ending motivation – I suppose this is a bit like coping with depression, but I wish I had the motivation to write more and play my instruments more, and maybe compose something. The problem is, all my motivation is taken up by my degree.

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. ;)
Probably the fact that I can get by in four languages without having been brought up in another country. Being able to speak four languages isn’t necessarily impressive, but as a British 21-year-old whose entire family speaks nothing but a little French and a smattering of Spanish, it’s something I’m proud of. I worked hard to get to this standard but still have a long way to go.

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.
I think family is the most important because I wouldn't be able to carry on trying to do life without them. I'm not usually very sentimental, but I well up at the thought of not having their support. I have a huge extended family and we meet up every so often, sometimes with new additions. These gatherings are usually a highlight of my year. Friends come very close behind, because I know a lot of really kind people.

Money is the least important because that comes and goes.

5. What's one quote (or passage, song lyric, etc.) that effectively describes you and your values? Explain.
"You will one day meet again and on that day that you meet again, your smiles will stretch for as wide as the distance that you have been apart” – Chris (Simpsons Artist) on Facebook. My best friend sent this guy a message when I moved away to another country for a while. I never know which country I’m going to be in in a year’s time but when I go back to the places I know people, it feels like I was never away. I loved this quote so much that I wrote it on my door when I lived in Canada.

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.
Oh I really can't manage money. I always start a little red book where I write down everything I've spent really anally and then give up after a few weeks. It is important to me, but not as important as it probably should be. I'm sure that when I'm older I'll regret spending so much!

7. Name (and elaborate on) some of your hobbies. What are your favorite things to do outside of school/the office?
I like to play music in a wind band and meet people. I also like to go out to clubs and bars to dance, but I probably need to stop drinking so much.

8. Name three things you are afraid of. Explain.
Being alone - I need support a lot, especially in the past few years. I think the scariest feeling is when everything feels wrong and you’re not sure to whom to turn. I hate being in an empty house!
Never going back to Russia - I spent 4 months there and it just wasn't long enough. I miss it every day I spend in the UK.
Feet - gross.

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 (this feels so weird!):
I get on well with people. On the whole, I am quite chilled out and non-judgemental. I try really hard to understand why people do the things they do, and try to be understanding.

I don’t take any shit. Although I try my hardest not to be confrontational, if someone tries to put me down or do something that I don’t think is OK, I will tell them. Usually tactfully.

Sometimes I say funny things and people laugh.

Worst:
I need people around me. It isn’t so much that I like having people around, I need to have people around. I cry and get all melodramatic like a lonely dog. As soon as someone comes in the front door when I’m home alone, I will run up to them and greet them and lick their face. I imagine this comes across as a bit needy, as sometimes other people need alone time.

I talk too much. Especially when I’ve had a drink. I say everything I think without a filter. If there’s a silence, I’ll fill it by saying something inane like “what colour bath towels do you like best?” and people realise it’s awkward. Once, I was with a group of strangers and during a lull in conversation, I made some comment about someone having sex with a horse. No one liked me after that. I’ll lump in ‘swearing too much’ with this one as well. I accidentally said the ‘c’ word in front of my parents and their friends while at the pub and just about melted of embarrassment.

I beat myself up (metaphorically) over everything and it’s really unattractive. It can be about anything: the way I look, if I don’t do enough work in a day, forgetting to do something… It’s a bit self-centred and probably incredibly annoying for the people around me. See, I’m beating myself up for beating myself up!

I really could go on; it was hard to pick three things!

A Song of Ice and Fire Related

1.How many books from the series have you completed?
All of them so far, so spoiler alert!

2.Who are your favorite three characters in the series? Why?
TOO HARD! I love them all.

Arya because she's just awesome. I wish I was as brave as her (and not as squeamish!). I love the way her character develops. she isn’t always a moral young Stark; she becomes a character who’s really shaped by her experiences.

Sansa because she's exactly how I would be if I were put into these situations. I would squeal a lot and probably wouldn’t have had the guts to push Joffrey onto those spikes either. Can’t say I’d be happy if Littlefinger snogged me, though.

Varys because he's a sneaky bugger and you don't know what to expect from him. I like how he plots and schemes and he’s so clever.

Also going to put Jon Snow in here because I really, really fancy him and can’t explain it. Not even Kit Harrington (although he is an attractive young man). Jon Snow.

3.Who are your least favorite three characters in the series? Why?
This is even harder! Maybe Joffrey because he’s so hateable. He’s such a good character though.

The Sandsnakes, just because I can’t remember all of their names and get them all confused.

Lysa Arryn for being so irritating and having cringey sex.

4.#1 Favorite moment in all of ASOIAF so far? Why?
When Littlefinger pushes Catelyn's sister out of the moon door because it's so unexpected. I just read it and shouted "WHAAAT?!" George R R Martin is bloody clever. I was also chuffed because Lysa was being horrid to Sansa and I was getting uneasy and kept imagining her shagging Littlefinger, which was grossing me out quite a lot.

5. In your dream-world, how would you like to see the series end, and why?
Jon Snow wins and marries me.
They wake up and it was all a dream.
Or, my massive theory: it turns out that it was just some kids playing with their toys all along. They made up this whole world.
Maybe I should leave this to George R R Martin… I genuinely don't want to say, because I could ruin the surprise! Also, he has a way of surprising us, so if and when it does end, I expect it will be pretty incredible.

Anyway, I’ve been as honest as I can – hopefully you’ll know where to put me because I really don’t know! Cheers :)

win or die

2013-12-09T06:31:14Z

Name: Lor
How did you find out about the community?: le_chatnoir
Age: 20
Location: Philippines
Occupation: Student

All About You

1. Describe your ideal house/home.
Having the sort of fettle which reacts strongly to erratic climates, I'd like to live in a country with a more stable climate. Friends from Europe suppose that I would do very well living in Paris or Barcelona due to the culture, although I'm not quite sure about the stability of their climate. As to the sort of house I'd like to live in, I'd certainly like my house to be at least near the city. I love the country and the peace it brings, and I also once courted the idea of living in a beach house, but I think those are best saved for holidays and maybe even renting out if I wanted the money.

The house (in a large estate, if I were to be so lucky) would have two or three storeys, with neoclassical architecture and interior design inspired by Ancient Rome, 4th century India (BCE) and the Regency style. I'd like the estate to have a garden with a rose maze. By the rose maze is an elevated beige gazebo which overlooks the lake (or if I can't have that luxury, a small lily pond with Koi fish and maybe a couple of turtles). The summer beds in the gardens are filled with all sort of flora, particularly lemons, tomatoes and all the other plants one can use for gourmet cooking. One garden in particular will have walls covered in ivy and have a locked door—an homage to Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden, which is one of my favourite novels. Pine trees line the back of the estate, the prologue of a forest wherein one can hike and hide from the sun when it is too overbearing.

The house, tall and elegant, bears a white stucco facade with large double hung windows crowned by arched windows. The entryway to the main door is framed by two Corinthian columns. I'd like the interior walls to be in warm colours, with cream-coloured foyer walls and the balusters of the grand double stairs in camel brown. The rooms would have flowery chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and candelabras lighting up rooms, filling them with the scent of either sandalwood, peppermint or patchouli. Because I love snakes, dragons and deers, the arched double doors opening to the terrace would have entwined snakes (or dragons) etched on them, and the walls of some rooms (most likely the drawing room, my bedroom and the end of the long gallery) will have deer heads on them. Unadorned velvet drapes hang over windows. The chairs will be of leather, silk and wool upholstery, all unadorned to maximise elegance in simplicity. Only the library would deviate from the Regency-inspired theme—having lots of what people would call 'horrid' novels, I'd love for the library to be a bit more gothic-inspired. It would be perfect for reading Leroux, Wilde or Poe on rainy days.

Generally, I'd love for my house to look like this, except perhaps mine will be more colourful (I really would appreciate warmer colours in my house as I am actually easily depressed, so maybe Sara Crewe's room in A Little Princess could also be an interior design inspiration). What I want is to feel as if I'm in a mixture of an Austenian novel and the fairy tale The Snow Queen, or like a well-traveled Regency lady whose interior design consists of souvenirs she had bought—I would have everything from Venetian masks to Persian rugs and Japanese paper fans.

2. Imagine you’re given the classic opportunity: a genie granting you three wishes. What would you wish for?
1) Unlimited income/money. I cannot deny how important it is to have money in order to survive. For me, though, it's more than just for survival. Being a lover of travel and culture, I would love to travel the world and just keep learning different tongues and histories, but I cannot do that of course if I've got no money to back me up especially in this day and age. I'd also like to be able to use this money to build a farm to be managed by my parents wherein the less fortunate can find work. I firmly believe in teaching one how to fish instead of spoon-feeding them, so I dream of building such a farm someday.

2) The ability to travel through time except for the future. I'd definitely love to walk down the streets of London during the Regency era, maybe sneak into masquerades thrown by the era's high society or work for milliners and tailors in order to study the fashion of the times. I would also see if I can travel to Ancient Persia to watch the beginning of Sufi poetry, and afterwards see if I can go back further to 4th century India because of Ramayana. See, if I had this ability, I wouldn't need a master's degree and what's even better is that all my historical sources will be primary.

If not this, since I realise my wishes have been self-centred so far, I'd like for human rights to be granted to all the marginalised and the minorities. I'm a woman and a Filipino at that, so I know how it is like to be marginalised. I am appalled at humanity for letting prejudice and discrimination continue up to this day, appalled at the rape and massacre stories I hear everyday, and I am willing to give up the dream of time traveling if the world were to become a more equal place.

3) Unfailing health and safety for my loved ones. I don't want to go on adventures without at least the assurance of my loved ones being safe and living a good life. I would happily stay anonymous if it keeps them safe because it does not matter to me if the history books do not know me by my birth name. If it were up to me, I'd love to be remembered as an icon, a figuratively masked figure whose actions are more memorable than her mere name.

3. In your life so far, what accomplishment are you the most proud of? Why?
I'm rather proud of rising above my station in life, staying strong throughout depression and oppression and continuously doing so. One would think years of bullying can break someone, but not me. I used my isolation to my advantage—I read more, I traveled more with my parents instead of seeking to fit in, I allowed myself to be different and when I had the chance I applied for a top university I knew none of them would go to. I'm not exactly the healthiest person mentally and physically, having experienced academic pressure and received death threats. However, with all I've learnt, I feel as if I'm a step closer to living a life of traveling and adventures.

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.
Most Important: Adventure
(Clarification: Adventure for me is to travel the world and discover, to immerse oneself in different cultures and to live an unorthodox life.)
Whilst I do acknowledge the importance of all the aforementioned, I have recently discovered that one of my biggest frustrations in life is that I live quite normally. It's not a bad life and I'm grateful for all the good things that happen, but it also honestly makes me feel as if I am destined to live a cumbersome life—always working for someone else, never really knowing how it's like to have lived. I'd like to travel, see the world, make a name for myself and rid myself of this ennui. I want the intellectual stimulation of being in unfamiliar places, the challenge of doing something memorable and the chance to participate in engaging quests which say goodbye to the mundane.

Least Important: Pleasure
(Clarification: My definition of this involves constant parties, drinking and drugs.)
I do not and perhaps never will understand hedonism. I don't think lowly of people who subscribe to that philosophy, but I also can't help but wonder what they gain from it. I feel as if pleasure loses its point when you seek and have too much of it. Is pleasure not sweeter to have when you're not constantly seeking and having it? I put it at the bottom of my list because as someone who easily experiences boredom, I do not want to be bored of pleasure. I do not want to wake up one day feeling like I've already had too much Nutella in a lifetime. I do not want to look for drama just to create variety in my pleasure-filled life. I think I'd rather be surprised by moments of pleasure. If a friend invites me to join them for Just Dance 2014 after a stressful day, or if my boyfriend surprises me with a two-day trip out of town, that would be highly preferable over having drinks after school every day. There would be instant gratification from the latter, yes, but ultimately, such an obsession with pleasure is a waste of time. I prefer to spend my time learning something new or discovering new places even if it gets rather challenging.

My ranking would be this: Adventure > Love > Knowledge > Family > Money > Friendship > Pleasure

Explanation for all the others: I believe love can come in different forms and therefore it's important. Knowledge is important in dealing with all the aspects of life, not to mention it's the closest not-so-rich people like me can have to proper adventures. Family includes people who aren't related but treat you as a brother or sister all the same. Money pays for expenses, but it's not a priority. Friendships can weaken when you are not figurative brothers or sisters.

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

Make this not just another poem that I write. Not just another poem like just another night, that sits heavy above us all. Walk into it, breath it in. Let it crawl though the halls of your arms, like the millions of years of millions of poets coursing like blood, pumping and pushing, making you live, shaking the dust. So when the world knocks at your door, clutch the knob tightly and open on up. And run forward. Run forward as fast and as far as you must. Run into its widespread greeting arms with your hands outstretched before you, fingertips trembling though they may be. (emphasis mine)

Shake the Dust by Anis Mojgani is what I would call my soul's poem. It embodies how I want to live my life. I live to shake the dust—I don't want to be like one of those toys which serve their purpose only to be forgotten and acquire dust years later. I'm also not afraid of being different. I like to think I question the world's silliest conventions. I want to live beyond the 'nine-to-five' life and I want to show the world that they are their own revolution, that we are made of living, free and (some) creative souls and not of subservient machines.

「Is there any meaning to this repetitive life?」
AH I shout...
JUMP OUT and GO

My soul's song would be Glamorous Sky by Mika Nakashima. To an extent it is like Shake the Dust. It's about going after your dreams and living the life you want.

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.
I like saving money and spending them on good investments like books and durable (but still fashionable) boots. I suppose I could call myself an impulsive spendthrift—I prefer to save money and not spend too much, but when I see dresses I like in thrift stores I seize the opportunity before someone else gets the dresses. The same goes for books found in secondhand stores. However, despite such impulsiveness, I like saving money to spend on the holidays, so I barely go on these shopping trips. So whenever I discover something I really want to buy, I don't waste time in acquiring it. Afterwards, I restrain myself from indulging in more shopping and focus instead on coming up with ideas for clothes and jewellery I could make on my own. As for the books, if I can't buy them at the moment then I just borrow from the library and from friends.

7. Name (and elaborate on) some of your hobbies. What are your favorite things to do outside of school/the office?
Because reading, writing and watching films seem like commonplace hobbies, I suppose I'd name another three.
1) Acting. Acting is the closest I can have to having adventures like my favourite literary heroes, so whenever I have the chance I participate in acting and roleplaying. I don't do theatre (although I wish I had the time to do so), but I do like participating in Live-Action Roleplays (LARPs) and other games that require a certain amount of acting.

2) Learning foreign languages. I think it's easy to explain this—it goes with my love for traveling and culture, plus I just love how an object (the signified) can have so many signifiers, most of them inaccessible to people who do not speak many languages. For me, speaking foreign languages is like speaking in code, another hobby I really enjoy.

3) Costumes/period fashion. I absolutely love studying historical fashion, particularly late Georgian / Regency clothing and Ancient Persian clothing. I'd definitely love to be a costume designer especially in costume dramas or fantasy shows and films (like in Game of Thrones).

4) Horseback riding. I don't do this as much these days due to being busy with university life, but for quite awhile I fancied myself having a career as an equestrienne in the future. Since that does not seem like a possibility right now, I suppose I'll be content with having a house with stables in the future and being able to ride whenever I'm stressed out by life's demands.

5) Figure skating. I stopped taking lessons when I was 13, but I still do this every now and then to help me clear my mind whenever I am upset.

I also fancy reading up on material culture, personality theory and going on shooting ranges, but I can't call them hobbies yet. I would also want traveling as a hobby but I haven't got the money to afford it.

8. Name three things you are afraid of. Explain.
1) Enclosed and small spaces. I'm rather claustrophobic and sometimes riding elevators makes me feel really uncomfortable. If one were to look for organic unity in my life story or even just one characterisation, one would find that I detest being in places wherein I cannot leave or escape. I always look for the exit sign or the fire exit every time I enter a place or a situation. It's not that I cannot commit—I can, and I pride myself on my loyalty. But I need to be assured that I will always have a choice no mater what I do, and enclosed small spaces leave one without a choice.

2) Failure/incompetency. Sometimes I fear failure so much I end up not doing anything at all. It is my pride, I suppose, which tells me that if I am to do something, I might as well do something completely brilliant or do nothing at all. Again, the same goes for my view of life. If I can't live the successful life I want, what's the point? I'm quite the extremist this way.

3) The general feeling of helplessness and desperation (as an effect of poverty or other similar things). Call me a spoilt brat but I don't think I can live life without a comfortable bed, three or more meals every day and the money to afford my hobbies, books, makeup and clothes. In fact, there have been times when I thought to myself I'd rather die than live like that. Perhaps it's craven of me, but aside from the fact that I don't want to not be able to afford anything the feeling of helplessness will also make me hate the world. And why would I not? Despite not having a degree yet, I've always thought of myself as someone with the skills to get a lucrative job. It's incredibly frustrating how despite these skills I need to prove it with a piece of paper from institutions who force you to go through circles even when you're obviously a triangle (I stole this analogy from somewhere but I can't remember whose it is, sorry). And because of my inflexibility and my inability to adjust to the deadline-loving and unjust real world, I fear that someday despite my skills I will have no job to get me by and no one to rely on. And I fear the depression and the self-hatred that will definitely come with that hopelessness.

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 traits:
1) Clever. I'm not the best in school and I'm not a walking encyclopedia of information despite my love of books, but I learn quickly and I apply what I learn well. I suppose that could be attributed to my being observant and my ability to see patterns and predict outcomes. This way of thinking helps me deal with strict parents, confusing streets and shopping centres, troublesome people etc. One of my favourite characters in literature is Sherlock Holmes, and even though I'm not as brilliant as him Sherlock inspires me to use my brain the best way I can use it. After all, in this day and age, it helps to be alert and have a quick mind.

2) Courageous (in my own way). I'm not necessarily heroic, as I'm not exactly the most benevolent sort of person, but I've got a certain courage that allows me to state my opinions and protect those who I deem to be marginalised. I actively call people out on sexism, racism and other sorts of prejudice (Would if I could I'd be a vigilante against prejudiced leaders/politicians). I have always believed myself to be cowardly, but the recent turn of events in my life have shown me that I'm courageous even if sometimes the bravery is misguided. I'm not brave about everything, of course. I actually have anxiety and I consider myself to be one of the most cowardly people I know, but I suppose therein lies the paradox. The fact that I face my fears despite their existence makes me think that maybe courage and willpower are some of my defining assets.

3) Survival skills. I pride myself on my resilience. Whilst I won't say no to luxury, I won't be found complaining about having to rough it up (such as in camping etc) because I'm resourceful. As for the 'metaphysical' survival, if I weren't resilient I wouldn't be alive and typing this right now. I've gone through certain things that are certainly not healthy for my mind, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't let those things affect me. In fact, I don't function as well as I'd like to. I am, however, still here, fighting, and I suppose this fight has helped me see how I am strong in my own way. I'm full of cynicism, disenchantment and the general feeling of loneliness, but despite that I manage to hold on and stay alive. Maybe it's just because of my escapist methods. Maybe I'm also just too cowardly to end my problems permanently. But what I'm sure of is that right now, I do my best to survive, and though I still make lots of mistakes I believe that I can pick myself back up and try again. And that those years of constant fear and self-hatred has given me inner strength somehow.

Worst traits:

1) Perfectionism. Some would say perfectionism is a good thing. To an extent, I think it is. The desire to do or produce something of good quality helps in ensuring I won't be making a fool out of myself. However, the problem with this is that because I fear I'm not prepared enough, I end up running away. To those who watch Glee, you could say I'm rather similar to Emma Pillsbury in that way. Emma, fearing she wasn't prepared enough to be married, becomes a runaway bride twice in the show. Replace the altar with school requirements et voilà, I become the runaway bride.

2) Attention-seeking/coquettish. I like attention way too much, and I particularly like it when I know it's out of admiration or something along those lines. I don't think I'm flirtatious, but I suppose I do like to act in that way because I know I would be able to get compliments and little mind games. I acknowledge that this is a terrible trait because it means I base my confidence and self-love on the appreciation I receive from people.

3) Procrastination. I'm impulsive and easily distracted (If I were a queen of something it would be escapism). There are exceptions to this. If I'm reading for my own pleasure or studying a foreign language, you can get a big band to play right in front of me and I still won't be distracted. In fact, I once had the lovely experience of reading a book in a concert. The band wasn't too terrible but I can never resist a good book. If, however, I'm doing something and it's a requirement for school (or something of the sort), my perfectionist thoughts happily welcome the distraction. Also, if I don't enjoy the work assigned to me, it's hard to concentrate and not feel like I'm a sellout. Ugh.

A Song of Ice and Fire Related

1.How many books from the series have you completed?
I've finished reading all the five books, although I've yet to read Tales of Dunk and Egg.

2.Who are your favorite three characters in the series? Why?
Sansa Stark - Sansa is the one character I am very protective of. Sure, she was quite infuriating in the first book, but people forget to consider how she is a child. Up until Ned Stark became the Hand, Sansa was never exposed to court intrigue and politics. She was raised on stories of princesses and knights in shining armour, mere stock characters meant to romanticise royalty and heroism (to an extent). Instead of the luxury, beauty and romance she wishes to find in King's Landing, she finds betrayal and a dagger constantly dangling above her head.

Sansa is the epitome of a disenchanted dreamer, the fallen princess. And yet, despite her fall, Sansa chose to remain strong. She's not submissive like people say she is—she's still learning how to play the game, and yet she is playing it well. She could have killed herself out of hopelessness when they took Ned Stark's life, but she chose to stay strong and keep hope in her heart despite the ugliness of her environment and the seeming hopelessness of her situation. She also could have chosen to be free much earlier in the game. Sandor had, after all, offered to take her with him. But Sansa chose the wise decision despite wanting so badly to be free. She stuck with the plan, even if it meant being stuck with Littlefinger. Sansa's strong sense of self-preservation has helped her learn and get closer to getting justice for the Starks. And at the rate she's learning and applying what she's learnt, it is highly likely she will go far (unless GRRM decides to kill her off).

Margaery Tyrell - I know we don't really see Margaery that much, but for some reason I really like her. Maybe the TV show helped in forming this bias, but I've always loved strong women who can use their femininity to their advantage and get what they want. Of course, one could say the same for Cersei Lannister, but the difference between them is that Margaery would most likely fall under True Neutral in the old D&D Alignment system whilst Cersei's more recent actions fall under Neutral Evil. The Tyrells, though a cunning lot, prefer to do a clean job (and maybe even spare innocent people) whenever they need to off someone. Coming from a line of people who value chivalry, one can say that ridding Westeros of Joffrey was indeed a chivalrous ploy (although the credit to that should probably go more to Lady Olenna than Margaery).

Arya Stark - I've got to admit, there were times when I disliked Arya. Initially too stubborn, impulsive and belligerent for my liking, Arya was a nice character but rather hard to relate with. However, as she grew up in the series, I started to feel a deep sense of respect for her. She is, after all, barely a teenager and yet she's surviving through horrible things most children would not. I also like her sense of justice. I can relate with her being vengeful as well. Though she admittedly wasted her two kills on two insignificant men, the fact that she had no qualms having them offed due to their actions said a lot about her. She's ruthless, courageous, resourceful and determined, but underneath all that is a heart which remains golden despite the number of times life has tried to tarnish her. She's got this willpower I'd want to have myself.

Runners-up: Brienne of Tarth, Daenerys Targaryen, Arianne Martell, Jaime Lannister

3.Who are your least favorite three characters in the series? Why?
Walder Frey and Roose Bolton, because I detest them for similar reasons - I've got no love for people without loyalties, and it's even worse when they're the sort of self-serving lechers who will do anything for power. Playing politics is bad enough (I really hate politics, to be honest). I know practically everyone plays politics in ASOIAF, but at least some of them (the Tyrells, the Martells, Jamie Lannister, Dany) play with a benevolent goal in mind (If not a neutral goal, at least). The same cannot be said for these two creatures. They play dirty and they play for power. There is absolutely no justice in what they do. Roose Bolton and Walder Frey are of the lowest sort of people in ASOIAF, vile opportunists who deserve a slow, painful death.

Lady Lysa Arryn - As much as I detested Joffrey, Cersei actually wasn't the worst amongst the mothers in the Great Houses—Lysa was. Robert Arryn is, after all, much worse than Joffrey when it comes to being a spoilt brat. But Robert's not the real problem here. He's sickly, he's a child, and as irritating as he can get, you've got to consider these points when judging his character. Lysa, on the other hand, was mental. Due to her ridiculous infatuation with Littlefinger, she let herself be manipulated to the point of poisoning her husband, a move that eventually lead to the downfall of House Stark and the beginning of the war. She was too craven to help out the Tullys in the war, and she even threatened to throw her own sister out the Moon Door. When she caught Littlefinger kissing Sansa, she reacted so emotionally and almost threw her own niece out of the Moon Door. She was ridiculously and utterly foolish. She had no sense of priorities, she was easily manipulated and she liked to play victim just because of an undeserved grudge she held against her sister. As mean as this may sound, she deserved the way her life ended.

Runners-up: Stannis Baratheon (not a bad character but please form your own opinions instead of being used by Melissandre), Melissandre (reminds me of people who won't stop bothering you to join their religion), Bronn, all the characters who dissed Lollys after she got raped, the Mountain

4.#1 Favorite moment in all of ASOIAF so far? Why?
No moment can ever match the birth of the dragons for me. The birth of the dragons was a very beautiful way to show how much has changed in Dany's life. From subservient younger sister, she has become the khaleesi, mother of dragons and queen of her own destiny. I particularly like what the three sacrifices symbolised for her rebirth. Mirri Maz Duur had played her for a fool, Rhaego was stillborn, and Drogo was her khal and her sun-and-stars, the man who had shown her how to be strong. Out of the fire Dany was reborn a wiser woman, mother of dragons and khaleesi of Drogo's now-disbanded khalasar. Gone was the abused younger sister who always relied on the men in her life. Dany is now completely responsible for herself, her dragons and her khalasar, and along with that responsibility when she steps out of the flames you just know that she will stand by her words—she will take what is hers with fire and blood.

In short, it was a very 'You go, girl!' moment.

5. In your dream-world, how would you like to see the series end, and why?
Dany, Jon Snow (I really like the theory of him as Lyanna and Rhaegar's son) and the third head join forces to defeat the Others and take back Westeros. I'm not too fond of Tyrion being the third head, but all the theories make so much sense so I suppose that could work for my dream ending. Samwell Tarly helps Jon Snow strategise. All the Greyjoys die except for Asha and Theon. Bran wargs and leads a wolf army. Arya assassinates someone important—Petyr? I'm not sure how I want him to die, but I want him to at least have the throne for quite a while. Maybe the throne will kill him 'accidentally' or maybe Sansa stabs him in the back. Oh, poetic justice. The Tyrells and the Martells unite against the Lannisters (They take care of Southern politics as Dany, Jon Snow, Stannis and possibly Tyrion unite to fight the Others). All the Lannisters die, which will be the greatest tragedy considering how Tywin wanted a legacy. Jaime is the one who kills Cersei. Dany is forced to choose between her dragons and ruling Westeros. Dany decides she would rather keep her dragons. She cedes the Throne to Sansa Stark but helps in rebuilding Westeros. If Sansa doesn't get the Throne, she goes back to Winterfell and rebuilds it whilst Jon Snow rules Westeros. I want these scenes not out of personal feelings towards characters, honestly.

I choose these endings because they make sense in the storyline. Wouldn't it be the cruelest punishment for Petyr if Sansa is the one who kills him in the end? And wouldn't it be ironic for Jaime to be the brother who kills Cersei just because she always thought it would be Tyrion? If I made a dream ending out of my personal feelings towards characters, it might get rather Disney-fied (with Jaime marrying Brienne and Dany ruling Westeros with her dragons), but after all that's happened in ASOIAF, a Disney-fied ending just feels completely boring and unpoetic.

win or die

2013-12-09T06:31:05Z

Name: Rebecca
How did you find out about the community? If it is through an LJ user, please tell us who it is (individual user if possible, not just a community name!): using a search engine for something unrelated, strangely
Age: ...28, ehh
Location: New York City
Occupation: Radiation oncology therapist

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!.

My perfect location would be somewhere near an ocean; I was raised near the ocean and was a competitive swimmer for most of my life, and I have a really strong connection to it. Sometimes I have to play water noises (I particularly like the sound of water drops echoing in a cave) on a sound machine to fall asleep. I also don't like humidity or heat so I'd prefer somewhere dry and cool. But I'm not sure you can get both an ocean and arid climate without leaving the northeast US. I'd like to live in a house, 1 floor, and a quarter acre of land would be enough space but not too overwhelming to take care of. I like trees but I've had many some experiences with woods; I've been covered in hundreds of ticks at once and have suffered from permanently acquiring a few tick-borne diseases. I've also had deer huff at me (scary!). But the quiet of a pine forest is special. Basically I like where I grew up; the pine barrens of long island.

That said, I'm going to be moving to Toronto within the year, a place I've always considered living in. So realistically, I have to give up the ocean, but I think I'll be happy with trees and the winters. I used to hate snow but after a 2 hour hike in knee deep snow I guess I got over it. Also, I heard up there they don't have a tick epidemic like long island does.

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've learned that the only thing important to me is happiness, so I would wish for that first and foremost. As vague as it is, nothing specific is likely to get to achieve this, and I have been trying most my life to get it.

I'd also wish for good health, because even if I'm happy and sick, I'd like to at least live to enjoy my happiness. Working in oncology I've seen a lot of sick, happy people. I don't want that.

My last wish would be for my fiance's good health because I don't think I could live without him. And since I can only have three wishes, I will be selfish and wish for his health rather than his happiness. Sorry buddy, you're on your own for happiness.

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. ;) It's hard for me to feel proud of anything I've done. I have some sort of extreme aversion to pride. It makes the interviewing process very difficult since I don't know how to sell myself. Anyway, I guess what I'm most proud of is how many things I've done in my life, although I used to be ashamed of it. I thought it made me a flaky sort of person, but when people (accidentally) find out, they all seem awed. A lot of people have told me they wish they could do as much, although it all seemed very mundane stuff to me. I still don't really like talking about it.

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. At this point in my life, love. I thought I was incapable of feeling love for anyone or anything for a very long time, and I worked very hard to change it. I am so glad I did. Everything in life is better with love. And I don't even mean romantic love, just love in general. It's so much better than hatred. Although I still have a lot of that.

Least important to me is family. While my immediate family might be very important to me specifically, the idea of family is not. My parents are important to me because of who they are as individuals, not because they are my parents. I feel no familial loyalty. If family members have done nothing for me, or worse, done things to hurt me, why should they be of any importance?

5. What's one quote (or passage, song lyric, etc.) that effectively describes you and your values? Explain. Oof, I've never been good with quotes. I can't remember them. I'd have to spend a lot of time looking up quotes to find something to answer this. I remember underlining some lines in Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky because I felt like they spoke to me at the time. I was young and educated but was stuck in a situation I didn't want to be in, contemplating my worth in the universe and basically hurting myself. My life is a lot different now, and I find that reflecting too much on my emotions, values and general self causes too much pain so I don't do it.

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. I kind of don't. I make money and it auto deposits into my bank account and I never really check it. I autopay my bills, and I buy things occasionally. Every so often I make sure I have money in the bank and it always turns out I have so much in my checking account I have to deposit a few thousand into the savings. I guess financial security is important but even when I made almost no money, I spent a lot less so again it never seemed to matter. I don't know, I hate thinking about finances and money and whatever. As long as I have enough to live.

7. Name (and elaborate on) some of your hobbies. What are your favorite things to do outside of school/the office? I walk a lot. Not hiking, just walking. Hiking is OK too, but I have some injuries that prevent long periods of hiking.

I enjoy volunteering as a firefighter. Nothing quite like the feeling of taking a shower after hours of being around smoke and flame and then still being able to smell the burning wood. I wouldn't say I get an adrenaline rush from fighting fires, most times it is tiring from all the focusing and concentration. Only a handful of times I felt anything of a rush, and it was always fear based, not anything positive.

I like going to hockey games! Following my teams is a big hobby for me. I like going to away games. Nothing really more to that, though.

I like traveling but it is expensive and I have difficulty taking days from work, so it doesn't happen as often as I would like for it. I like immersing myself in something different for a while. Just kind of makes life seem less boring I suppose.

8. Name three things you are afraid of. Explain. Easy, there happen to be three things I am very much afraid of. Borderline phobia.

Moon: I am so disturbed by the presence of the moon I'm not sure how I've lived on this earth as long as I have. I used to have dreams about the moon as a child that I would love to describe to everyone but I think I'll panic if I try. I avoid looking at it whenever possible. I do like the stars.

Deer: They're so creepy. They stare at you and huff at you and I swear they could kill you in a second. Whenever I see one I can't move. It's like.. I BECOME the deer. The irony.

Sunflowers: Again, very creepy things. They grow far too large and they move too much. Something about sunflowers isn't right. I avoid them.

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. Again, it is hard for me to say best qualities, as I find it difficult to like anything about myself, but I'll do my best.

Best
I'm cool under pressure. Certain kinds of pressure, anyway. I've done many jobs, many of them relating to emergencies and healthcare. I've seen a lot of craziness, and a lot of situations where the answer isn't clear. I have yet to panic, and I think that's a good thing. I think when an emergency type situation occurs, my mind just switches to some tactical mode that ceases to exist once the emergency situation is gone. Because tactics are just not my thing otherwise. It's like my coping method, which is cool I guess.

Tolerance. As I mentioned earlier, I still have a lot of hatred for almost everything, but I internalize nearly all of it. No matter what I'm feeling, I am able to treat people with respect and tolerate a hell of a lot because of it. I've had people verbally assault me for no reason other than that they are dying and angry, and I've had to return it with a smile and help them. I put up with a lot of bad behavior from co-workers too, and I think sometimes this becomes a fault of mine when it goes too far. I brush off almost everything people do or say. I am incapable of holding grudges.

work ethics. Despite all my personal beliefs and whatever, I know I have amazing work ethics. I don't know why. All I know is I've always been an extremely dependable and hard working employee, and I often was (and still am) taken advantage of because of it. As a ridiculous example, in 8th grade I told my mother she couldn't take me to Disney World because I couldn't get the week off from work. I was a lifeguard. One of many. She eventually forced me to take off, and I was still a lifeguard when I came back. More recently, I was afraid to ask to leave work an hour early to visit my father in the hospital. I thought that leaving an hour early won't really do much of anything, so it would be seen as taking advantage of the situation. To this day I constantly am going far beyond what my job requires of me, and I don't even do it out of compassion, because I don't really have that. I do it because that is just how I work. I work. and work. But I hate work. ?!??!?!

worst
No discipline. Outside of work, I can't get myself to do anything that isn't immediately gratifying, no matter how important I know it is to me. I have rarely have suffered serious consequences from it, so I am guessing that is why my behavior continues.

anxiety. I have so much anxiety about certain things, it is ridiculous. I show up an hour early for everything because I'm afraid the train might be delayed. Or I might walk too slow. Or traffic if I'm driving. I can't sleep at night because I'm afraid about going in to work the next day. I sometimes want to drop everything in my life so I can feel like I can relax and let my anxiety go. But that wouldn't be good for me so I haven't done that. I'm pretty sure my anxiety causes me to be a scatterbrain. I can't think straight under normal circumstances. I forget where I put everything, all the time. I constantly lose things. I can't do mental math because my mind is in 10000 places at once, which is unfortunate because my job requires continuous math. My poor fingers.

nihilist. I wasn't sure whether to put this in positive or negatives, but since most people would see this as negative (I think) I decided to put it here. I don't really assign any meaning to anything, or to life in general. It's just stuff that exists and things that happen. Ultimately, nothing is important and our actions do not matter. My behavior is a result of choices I make that I think will lead to a happier life. This type of thinking helps me get through tough days, but it also gets me into these depressing thought patterns that I find unhealthy and unwanted. I don't know how to balance it, I guess.

A Song of Ice and Fire Related

1.How many books from the series have you completed? I have completed 1 - 4. I'm about a quarter through 5.
2.Who are your favorite three characters in the series? Why?
Petyr Baelish. Probably my number one favorite at the moment. From the very beginning I thought he was an entertaining character. His untrustworthy characterization only assisted in the entertainment, as he was a bit of a mystery for a time. I like his cleverness, but most of all I like his calm cleverness. He has managed to successfully do what is best for him without becoming a complete maniac like Cersei did. And I had such high hopes for Cersei.

Arya Stark. She is one of the few characters that don't make me want to yell at her. She has made some choices I didn't agree with or thought were stupid, but she's a young girl and she is doing a damn good job at existing in such a hostile environment. I don't think I would have made it as far as she did, even though when I was her age I was very similar to her. I guess that's another reason I like her; I was a very aggressive, athletic youth full of energy and very much against tradition. I got myself into a lot of trouble as a kid. :)

Stannis Baratheon. I dunno man, he seems like a decent guy. He's not someone I'd like to be around or anything, but I think he means well and would do well for the kingdom. He's the only guy who was willing to fight wildlings after all, right? Melisandre makes me a bit nervous as I kind of associate her with our world's monotheistic religions which have never sat well with me (being raised with both judaism and christianity and liking neither). But if I was in ASOIAF and I saw her magic; well, I'd probably want her on my side. So I don't blame him.

3.Who are your least favorite three characters in the series? Why?
Robert Baratheon. I don't know, just everything about him irritated me. He seemed like a perfect example of why monarchy is a stupid idea. He was a man who cared little for his kingdom and only for himself, and nobody seemed to notice it. SO FRUSTRATING. He didn't deserve that much power. He would have been better off as a knight or something. Too bad his wife cared about the kingdom even less.

Lysa Arryn. Another character who just irritated me endlessly. I can't stand children to begin with, so her ridiculous doting to such a pathetic excuse of a character really got on my nerves. She also seemed to me to be portrayed as a lunatic. I hate when people seem blind to logic, ARRGH.

ALL OF THE FREYS. Seriously, what an awful family. Now, I'm not one who values honor and all that, and the red wedding incident isn't really what got me hating them. I think it was the absurd lying that went on afterward. Own up to your deeds, man. If you're ruthless and vile, let the world know. That's got to be worth something in their world, eh? And that someone hasn't killed the lord frey is astounding. They're like rabid Sheep.

4.#1 Favorite moment in all of ASOIAF so far? Why?
My favorite moment was when Theon took Winterfell because I am a cruel, evil bastard sometimes. I didn't like Catelyn Stark, Eddard Stark's stubborn honor was more irritating than endearing, Brandon and Rickon just never seemed meaningful characters to me (although I do enjoy all the Brandon chapters, his character doesn't do it for me).. What I mean to say is most the Starks were not on my people I like list, so seeing the ward they had foolishly released stab them in the back was just very satisfying for me. Not surprisingly, reading that first Reek chapter in ADWD was probably the most disturbing thing for me in the entire series so far and actually haunted me all day. ALL DAY. Ugh. That is my second favorite moment is ASOIAF, by the way. Tee hee.

5. In your dream-world, how would you like to see the series end, and why? It would never end!!
I'm a sucker for bad endings, so I'd like some sort of dystopian ending where nothing is resolved and everything is awful. Some sort of sick pleasure of mine. Or maybe everything can be resolved but everyone will be dead. More than anything I want something I don't expect, or something that will give me a strong emotional reaction, good or bad. I want the ending to stay with me forever.

AHH, ok. Thank you to everyone who read all this rambling nonsense! Sorry if I sound ridiculous or didn't answer something properly or upset anyone! I'M VERY NICE I DON'T INTEND TO SOUND LIKE I'M NOT. :)

win or die

2013-12-02T07:58:31Z

Name: Emily
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!): I just searched through the 'Game of Thrones' interest page
Age: 18
Location: Australia
Occupation: nothing lol

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!. probably a really swanky penthouse apartment with a garden in a large city, ideally new york, seoul or london. it would very modern and multi-storied, and i'd have a whole seperate room for my animals to play in!

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) To be perfect in every way. I am really insecure and perfectionistic and the only way I could be comfortable with myself would be to be absolutely perfect.

ii) The world was free from all kinds of prejudice and oppression. Everybody was happy! Yay!

iii) I can eat anything and never get above my ideal weight.

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. ;)

This is really sad but I don't think I have anything to put here? I am a perfectionist with no discernible talents, meaning I don't do well at much, and what I do do well in, I automatically think its not good enough. Thats very woe-is-me, I know, but its this or make something up.

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.

The most important to me would be pleasure. All I really want is to be happy (which I've never really been) and that seems the closest. I feel like if as long as I was happy, nothing else would really matter which is probably very naive but there you have it.

The least important would be family. I don't feel largely connected to my family, and I don't get anything particularly enriching from having them in my life. I'd much rather have close friends or loved ones than biological family.

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

To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering - Nietzsche

I'm sorry thats so depressing, but after racking my brain this is the only one I could think of. I guess I have a rather cynical view of the world, but even after all of that I do believe that life is about growing stronger from the things you go through and improving as a person and finding things that make you happy.

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.

All of my money goes into a savings account. I have a decent amount of money, but I'm very finicky and anxious about it. I'm always double-checking the amount, and I have a hard time letting myself spend it on things I want, even though I have enough. On that note, I have no trouble buying useless crap like a a bottle of soda, but if it was a bottle of nail polish for the same price, I'd have to seriously debate with myself before I bought it. Financial security is very important to me, and I am always afraid of how much I spend, and running out of money.

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

I honest to god don't have any hobbies. I really don't enjoy doing anything. I'll put down watching movies/tv, since its what I do the most of. I also love animals, so if 'animals' can be a hobby, I'll add that.

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

i) Never being happy or feeling validated for my existence. It would absolutely crush me if I'm still as miserable at 50 as I am as 18. Heres hoping!

ii) Being immobilised. This extends from being paralysed, to be imprisoned by some sort of serial killer (modern day Ramsay Bolton maybe?).

iii) Somebody breaking into my house while I'm sleeping. This has always been a big fear of mine, though we've never had a break in so I'm not quite sure why.

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) I am very open minded about almost everything, I am willing to learn about things I don't understand and educate myself to the fullest extent before casting a judgement on something.
ii) I am very calm, it is very rare that I would lose control of myself, and I am very good at keeping my head on straight in chaotic and stressful times
iii) i've been told that i have a good sense of humour, and if i am in my element i can usually make people laugh quite easily.

Worst:
i) I am very judgemental about very minor things (people's personalities, their intelligence, their bodies). Whenever I meet new people I automatically assess them and make a very critical list of flaws. It is very rare that someone passes my internal testing and I like them, and when if I do like them I hold them to a impossibly high standard.
ii) My very deep insecurity, which ties in heavily with my first flaw. I have a cripplingly low sense of self esteem and almost no self confidence. I am afraid to be around people as I fear they will dislike me.
iii) I am very detached from my emotions, and have a hard time relating to other people. When other people are distressed or excited, I do not know what to say and they often mistake my actions as me not caring about them.

A Song of Ice and Fire Related

1.How many books from the series have you completed? All five!

2.Who are your favorite three characters in the series? Why? that's really hard but:

i) Sansa. She's a lil cutie who has an incredible amount of quiet inner strength, and no matter how much crap she has to go through she's still polite and gracious and kind. I'm totally here for her everybody who has ever wronged her dying horribly while she smiles prettily and eats some lemon cakes then does some kickass needle work.

ii) Margaery. She is mastering the game so far, and she has the perfect mix of intelligence and charisma. She's also a very intriguing character as we have no idea of her true personality and intentions, which adds a sense of mystery and danger. I think she has a very strong chance of winding up on the Iron Throne and Matriach of her family which I would be thrilled with.

iii) Ygritte, my perfect wilding princess! I love how refreshingly different she was from the majority of ASOIAF characters, and her dialogue and interaction with Jon was one of my favourite parts of ASOS. I also appreciated that although Ygritte comes from a very primitive culture, in many ways she is much more liberated and advanced than other noble born characters.

(Special mentions: Asha, Fat Walda, Ramsay & Roose Bolton - I appreciate them as good villans, Dacey Mormont, Theon, Val, Jon, Myrcella, and Dolorous Ed)

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

i) Randyll Tarly. Gross misogynist, huge contender for Worst-Father-of-the-Year. Enough said.

ii) Victarion Greyjoy. Horribly misogynistic rapist and murderer (which, granted, is most of the Greyjoys but w/e) who has a huge victim complex and thinks he's really the good guy who has been horribly wronged by his brothers. Umm.

iii) Arya Stark. I most certainly don't dislike her, at most its just indifference. I've never really been overly into tomboy-warrior characters, and a lot of the time I feel like she's a hugely unrealistic character. She has her moments, but mostly its just blah.

4.#1 Favorite moment in all of ASOIAF so far? Why?

The Purple Wedding. It was flat out exciting from beginning end, from the tumbling dwarfs to the very satisfying end of King Joffrey. I love the meddlesome matriach that is Olenna Tyrell, so to find out she had masterminded the whole thing was terrific. It was also great for Sansa to seize her chance at escape, even if she didn't exactly wind up in the best of circumstances.

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

In my dream world, first and foremost - Margaery is the sole ruler of Westeros. Unfortunately Cersei will probably have to die for this to happen (and in light of Maeggy's prophecy, it would be at Jamie's hand). Tommen would be sent off as a ward of another noble family, and live happily. Dorne would become a free and independent land, with Myrcella as (though she would ultimately be a puppet for the Martells, namely Arianne). Sansa would be queen in the North, after she had disposed with Littlefinger with the help of Brienne. Cersei would realise at some point that Sansa is in The Vale and send Robert Strong after her. Sandor would come to her aid and die trying to stop him, but ultimately it would be Sansa who defeated him.

Daenerys would finally get to Westeros, and she and her dragons would go to The Wall to deal with the White Walker threat. There would be a huge battle, and both she and a resurrected Jon would be killed, though all of the White Walkers would be destroyed. Tyrion would be pardoned but sent to The Wall, and become the next Lord Commander. The wildlings would successfully settle in The North, with Val as their leader. Val would also marry Rickon Stark, who had been rescued from Skagos, to solidify her loyalty to The North. Beyond the wall, Bran becomes a tree-zombie.

Both Stannis and Ramsay Bolton would have been killed in the battle for Winterfell, however Roose and Fat Walda escaped and are still at large. Asha Greyjoy is exiled from the Iron Isles, and ends up bending the knee to Margaery and becoming Captain of the Royal Fleet. Theon and Jeyne Poole survive, and live happily in a little cottage somewhere.

Arya becomes a faceless woman and she is ultimeately the one who puts an end to Lady Stoneheart. She and Gendry become leaders of The Brotherhood Without Banners. Jamie, Brienne and Podrick will renounce their titles and wander the countryside, helping out smallfolk in need.

win or die

2013-12-02T07:58:07Z

Name: Steer (I don't go by my real name on the Internet.)
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!):

I was mainly googling for a "which soiaf house do you belong in" and the available quizzes were hardly to my satisfaction.

Sorting has endlessly fascinated me since the topic was first breached in works like that of Harry Potter. The notion of being grouped together; sharing similar characteristics with people you don't necessary like or love is quite enthralling, really. In "A Song of Ice and Fire" and in reality, the complexity of this situation becomes even more obvious when one considers how people are frequently born into their houses and hence lack that element of explicit choice that makes the situation in Harry Potter slightly more unrealistic, in my opinion. The notion of the "house" as your family renders it a concept that is largely inescapable; determining your socio-economic situation, interactions and even beliefs in the world you live in, with far-reaching consequences and implications. In fact, the trajectory of one's life can almost (but not completely) be determined by the house and the family that one is born in.

Individuals who are so similar greatly dislike each other partially due to the fact that they recognize the ugliness and the flaws in others that are also found within themselves. It's easy to isolate out the "bad things" and project them onto an external body in order to direct some level of that self-hate away from oneself.

The last time I checked, I happen to be an ENFP (which I might not agree with exactly but it is admittedly close enough), a Type 4 (the Individualist) on the Enneagram and I was stamped as a Ravenclaw over at a Harry Potter stamping community a while back (although I almost always obtain a Slytherin result in internet quizzes; goes to show how much you can trust the damn thing).
Age: 18
Location: Singapore.
Occupation: Student.

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!.

My ideal house/home would certainly induce images and feelings of escapism; of a certain self-imposed isolation that manages to be quite romantic at the very same time.

My ideal house would mainly be a decently sized building that seems so completely plain on the outside but speaks volumes about me as one enters the apartment or establishment. The interior and the architecture of the place would carry about it a sense of rustic charm that soothes and makes people comfortable and I would certainly love to have guests coming over from time to time. I don't believe it necessarily has to be extremely large or luxurious (although some form of luxury is certainly needed for it to sufficiently pose as a restful place) but it has to be mine most of all. The items and the furnishings inside the house would need to speak out to me, almost, and carry over some element and flavor of how I perceive myself to be.

More interestingly, I would certainly love to live in an idyllic and quiet sub-urban location; away from the sheer noise that comes from the cities. I have always fantasized about simply running off to live in a cave (although I probably would not be able to live properly like that in real life) and to some extent, it would be an equivalent of a man-made cave. A geographical position where people hardly notice or go to but harbors within itself a sense of inner peace that is calming, almost. I would certainly love a temperate climate which rains and snows relatively frequently. Where I live in, it happens to be summer all year and while it certainly is convenient, the sheer romanticism and musicality of a rainy, snowy night is far more exquisite as compared to the warm rays of sunshine. Or perhaps the scarceness of snow in my eighteen years of life (I have only experienced one night of snow and it was the most picturesque event ever) happens to make the occurrence that much more precious in comparison.

In fact, it would be a place akin to the Snowspire Village in the original Fable game; which visually succeeds in replicating the essence of what I struggled to convey through words. (I really struggled with this question, I think. I had the essence of the house and the location in my head but the words seemed insufficient and inadequate in conveying my inner thoughts).

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!

First wish: To be far more capable and competent than my current limitations.

I believe that my fundamental sense of identity and self-worth is built around how much I can accomplish as compared to other people. I have a great deal of inadequacies and limitations and it does eat into my feelings of self-esteem whenever I fail to deliver on whatever I set out to accomplish. Perhaps it ties into the Asian values that I have been raised by - that of the need to excel (academically or otherwise) in order to truly be someone - and while I struggle and try to rebel against that notion on some occasions, ultimately I try to live up to the expectation that people place in me and that attempt to do so is ultimately what drives me in doing what I set out to do. So yes, I would want to increase my abilities (preferably intellectual) and that would be important enough to wish for, indeed.

Second wish: To be more socially competent and comfortable around other people.

This wish is quite important to me, I think. Despite the veneer and facade of an extrovert that I show to the world, I would think that social interaction and its accompanying rejection is what frightens me tremendously. I would say that I'm the sort of person that happens to have many acquaintances but few close friends and it does feel as if I am limited in that aspect - as compared to the many others who seem to be able to befriend effortlessly. I seem to be putting on a mask every time I interact with people and I think that ultimately boils down to my social awkwardness and my fear of being rejected.

Third wish: To accept myself more for who I am.

This last wish might seem to be contradictory, almost. My first two wishes seem to be concentrating on my inadequacies and failings as a person which would imply that I don't fully accept myself in order to wish for such large changes in my personality and my ability to achieve. True enough, I have often lived life wishing that I could be someone else and that there seems to be a great lack in self-worth due to that mentality. Ultimately, I recognize that I cannot be truly perfect and I would want to have the wisdom to accept myself for my failings - something that I largely cannot do so at this moment in time. I need to have the love and affection of other people in order to truly cement and validate my own sense of identity, and I think such a mentality can be tremendously crippling in life.

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. ;)

Currently, it would be the fact that I have managed to do well enough to enter my ideal high school in the national examinations two years prior. The school has always been a firm idealized notion for me; with a few members of my family hailing from that relatively prestigious institution in my country and going on to carve out a great career following graduation. The institution does require good scores in tests and examinations before admission; and the fact that I have managed to qualify and am belonging to the institution itself would be arguably the largest accomplishment in my eighteen years of life.

However, it must also be said that my years in the aforementioned institution was not exactly the fondest ones in my life. I was never fully accustomed to the school and I was always quite distant from the extremely competitive go-getters that made up a large amount of the people I interacted with. Such an experience warned me against becoming overtly attached to an ideal and becoming sorely disappointed in the actual result.

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.

Most important: Love.

I think a large part of my actions are motivated by the need to be loved by others. I want to carve out a great career because doing so would make me more impressive and hence more likely to be loved by the people around me. I would love to be far more socially competent and charming in order to be surrounded by people who care for me and love me. A huge part of my life, I think, is built upon the premise that I need to do and to have in order to be loved. I'm not good-looking nor athletic so why would anyone ever offer me the love and affection that they do for those who are comparatively more attractive? I build my identity upon the need to fulfill this external mask that I present to the world of being intelligent and extroverted because doing so would make me more accepted by the people around me. Family and friendship, which are important things to me, are offshoots from that innate desire and wanting and hunger to be loved, I think.

Romantic love does tie into this as well, I think. I've never had a significant other and hearing about how blissful and happy people are with their romantic partners evokes a certain sense of envy deep within - wondering if someone would ever love me in that same manner. Comparatively, I think it's a smaller part as compared to the love and the admiration that I would need to receive from my loved ones, especially.

Least important: Money.

I don't think I ever fully understood the obsession with money in our current culture. I perceive it to be merely a means to an end; which implies that they are necessarily other alternatives in achieving one's desires besides simply making money. Sure enough, I would value money enough to ensure a decent standard of living for myself and my loved ones but placing that much material emphasis on money is probably not something I would see myself doing. If I ever wound up pursuing a six-figure salary, it would be chiefly due to the respect that people would offer knowing that I am that accomplished in life. So yes, I perceive it mainly as an important instrument and not as an desirable end in itself.

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

"I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." - Invictus.

I believe that we are all masters of our fates and that we always have a choice in life. We occasionally might make the wrong decisions but we are still given that same choice to turn back and to start anew. It's only our pride, our failings and our inadequacies that really stop us. While circumstances do have a part to play, I would argue that the human will has demonstrated that it is capable of miraculous things with the sufficient resolve.

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.

I'm actually not financially independent as of yet, still depending heavily on my parents for much of my income. I have to say that I don't really manage my money well at all. I spend quite heavily on books and video games and I think a common complaint from my family is that I don't truly recognize the importance and the value of money. In fact, I think I hardly save. My parents are largely the ones taking a portion of my money and saving it in the banks on my behalf. Sometimes I hardly realize that the money's gone.

I think money does have a certain level of importance, especially considering how people can hardly attain any desired product without having some form of currency by their side. I would value money enough to maintain a decent standard of living but as I said before, I view it as mainly a means to an end. If I wished to attain better academic results, I would enroll myself in private classes and the money would be of little notice to me. It's only when money starts running out in which it starts becoming a problem because options and avenues are now cut off and you begin to frantically worry because you now lack the instrument - money - to achieve your desired objectives.

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

Play video games - I belong to the minority who view video games to be as legitimate an art form as books and movies; functioning as a possible medium through which amazing stories can be told. Games, arguably, are even more successful as compared to these other mediums because it is in video games through which audience involvement is truly captured. Books are typically limited through the fact that they only allow the audience to stand by as an observer, prompting a certain sense of disengagement because the events of the story, no matter how gripping, are not happening to you. That belief, however, is stripped away in video games because you happen to be the ones making choices. I enjoy video games which allow you to make choices and options because that's what happens in real life. You feel invested in a particular scenario because it is happening to you. Your avatar in the gaming reality is dying because you have been making flawed choices without taking note of the consequences.

A few of my favorite games include visual novels like Remember11 and Ever17 (stunning narratives that make full use of the medium to tell great stories), RPGs like that of Suikoden and Tactics Ogre for the reasons stated above. My favored narratives usually involve a large deal of war and political intrigue; the worst sides of humanity are just so endlessly fascinating to me. Recently, Crusader Kings II has hooked me as well, due to its excellence in capturing the intricate mappings that make up much of medieval history.

Playing tabletop games - Tabletop board games have fascinated me as much as their video game brethren but for slightly different reasons. Video games present you with a narrative and ask for your investment in the storyline. Tabletop games, like Risk, allow you to craft out that narrative on your own. When playing against my cousins, I tend to imagine that we are but conquerors each seeking to create a large imperial power that dominates the globe. The diplomatic maneuvering and the politicking further reinforces that narrative, allowing you to make choices that you ordinarily would not be able to do so. In fact, I would love to have a go at the "A Game of Thrones" board game, although it does seem a bit too complicated and large for my own tastes. "Diplomacy" is another game I would love to experience. The backstabbing and intricate weaving of alliances just intrigue and interest me oh so much and I would argue that nothing's as satisfying as that moment in which you complete an intricately weaved plan that snaps shut in your opponent's face - either through a well-timed backstab or a shifting of alliances that dramatically changes the political climate of the board altogether.

Reading - I enjoy historical fiction most of all, I would say. I have a huge number of books about the conquests of Napoleon, for one, as well as that of Caesar Augustus and Ancient Rome. Books, like video games, offer us a perspective on an entirely different world and an entirely different set of rules and none of which is exemplified as amazingly as the Song of Ice and Fire series. I especially appreciate the use of many POVs to tell a story - a structure that video games cannot hope to accomplish because of the need for a main protagonist to function as a player avatar. In books, there doesn't seem to be that limitation and it is in the dramatically different POVs through which Martin makes his world come alive. In fact, I would mention here that I first got into ASOIAF due to the fact that someone once mentioned that it was rife with politicking and the intrigue that I am so endlessly fascinated by. Fantasy appeals much less to me and I would argue that I am part of the group that reads ASOIAF as a historical novel more so than as a fantasy novel.

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

Heights - Definitely, it scares me. Even reading about the Eyrie and how high it is above ground in the Tyrion and Alayne chapters in AGOT and AFFC respectively was quite frightening to behold, actually. I don't want to imagine how Sansa felt when Lysa tried to throw her off the Eyrie. I think that must have been an especially frightening experience.

Rejection - To the point where I actually fret about rejection more than failure. I cannot bear it when people inform me of their great dislike towards me. I mean, I certainly know that it's impossible to make everyone love you but being told otherwise is a huge hit to your self-esteem and self-confidence. I fear rejection to the point that I'd rather avoid meeting them altogether as opposed to actually meeting people and facing their scorn.

Failing to live up to expectations; be it in terms of academia or otherwise - I would mention that I'm the sort of person to obtain a firm sense of self-esteem from external perception as opposed to internal ones. For example, if I were to do extremely badly for a test; my mind would register it as if I was incompetent and stupid and I would be feeling greatly depressed about myself. I would say that I'm a bit of a perfectionist; wanting to be the best and flawless however much I can. It places a lot of stress on myself and hence I can hardly relax as a result.

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 qualities:

Intelligent - I would mention that I am relatively intelligent. I am greatly interested in literature and history and I do score relatively well in tests. However, I would claim to be more book-smart as opposed to street-smart. I am, unfortunately, quite uncomfortable with anything that isn't found in books and I am absolutely terrible when it comes to technological knowhow. Nonetheless, peers and teachers have mentioned that they expect good things from me in terms of academia and hence I would claim that I possess somewhat above-average intelligence.

Ambitious - It is my secret wish to be a great conqueror rivaling that of Alexander the Great, Caesar and Napoleon. Okay, not really but I would identify mostly with my ambition. To be fair, my ambition is quite atypical. I don't have a desire for six figure salaries nor to advance quickly up the corporate ladder but I would want to be remembered throughout history for contributing significantly to my country. Politics is an avenue that I might consider, alongside academic study. I want to do something great that benefits not just myself but for many others. I want to be remembered to have left a legacy larger than myself. It's quite out-there as of yet, but it's not entirely impossible.

Gregarious - Apart from interacting with those whom I'm uncomfortable with, I would say I'm largely a friendly, personable individual who isn't shy around other people and can actually thrive on social events. It is very dependent on the person I'm with, however. With others, I'm extremely sullen and quiet but with the right people, I think I can be quite loud and witty. Hence, I would mention that I have a great deal of acquaintances but I keep a very tight, a very close circle of good friends.

Worst qualities:

Duplicitous - I think I can be quite deceitful in order to achieve my objectives. For example, there was this project that I was involved in with several other individuals. There was a mini civil war going on within the members and it broke into two separate factions. Despite bearing great dislike for the leader of one of the factions, in order to make sure the project went well, I went over to her side with her while still maintaining contact with the other faction. My teacher remarked that I was essentially the glue and the bridge between the two factions and that there was some semblance of peace with my diplomacy. It was nonetheless duplicitous because I did phrase my words and actions according to the faction that I was with but it was for a good cause and we all did well in the end. I am also notorious when playing tabletop games with my cousins for being the one who would broker alliances and backstab at the most opportune of moments to win. It's not a part that I'm especially proud of, but it's there nonetheless. I think I would enjoy playing the game of thrones.

Egotistical - I have been told that I can be egotistical at times, unknowingly. I focus a great deal on my problems, my worries and my insecurities and forget to be sensitive to the plights of other people. It's more of a crime of ignorance, but yes. I do admit that I am self-centred and selfish when it comes down to it but I do have a basic semblance of morality and ethics still (or so I would like to think).

Perfectionistic - I have once written a history paper three times because it didn't live up to my standards and I didn't like my work (it takes me about six hours to write a good paper, so you can imagine the time it took me to complete my work). I want to be perfect and flawless in my work all the time as it would largely be a sense of validation for me. My teacher called me a nerd once because I went to consult him before a homework assignment for fear that I would get it wrong with my new structure. So yes. For things I care about, I can be quite perfectionistic and anal.

A Song of Ice and Fire Related

1.How many books from the series have you completed?

I've read "A Game of Thrones" to "A Feast For Crows". I have "A Dance With Dragons" in my possession and I'll certainly read the book following my upcoming midterms. I read the first two books a year ago and I just recently finished "A Storm of Swords" and "A Feast For Crows" and I have to mention here that despite the flak that AFFC gets from most of the fandom, I especially appreciated the fact that it functioned much like a sandbox game, allowing our view of Westeros to become that much more three-dimensional in comparison. While the earlier novels largely centered on the Starks, the Lannisters, the Targaryens and the Baratheons, I think the introduction of the Martells and the Tyrells into the already intricate web of political alliances further shakes the conflict up even more and offers us another new perspective through which we can possibly view the events in the series.

Also, it seems apt to mention here that the backstory in the series, especially revolving that of the early Targaryen kings, are as compelling if not more so as compared to the War of the Five Kings that erupted in the book series. I would give anything to read more about the exploits of Aegon the Conqueror, the Blackfyre Rebellion and the Dance of the Dragons Targaryen civil war (I'm hoping that we'll see a lot more of these psuedo-historical references in ADWD) and it prompted a surge of interest in English medieval history as well (whereas I was largely interested only in Ancient Rome and Napoleonic Europe before reading ASOIAF).

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

I would name Rhaegar Targaryen, Jaime Lannister and Doran Martell as my three favorite characters thus far.

Rhaegar - It must first be mentioned here that second-hand storytelling is a literary device that I am extremely partial to. We are given so many contradictory accounts of the last Targaryen Prince. He is perceived as a no-good rapist by Robert Baratheon, exalted as a great would-be king by Ser Barristan Selmy and Jorah Mormont and favored by much of the nobility even after the collapse of the once-great Targaryen dynasty.

There seems to be a subversion of the usual fantasy prince stereotype here; while Rhaegar is described to be good at anything he sets his mind out to, he isn't perfect as everything as most fictional princes are. He is described as an above-average swordsman at best and is most famously remembered to have lost the Battle of the Trident - the legacy that the seemingly perfect prince left behind is one of defeat and humiliation at the hands of his vassal and romantic rival.

Similarly, we are also given a hint of his political inexperience as can be clearly observed from his "abduction" of Lyanna Stark. While certainly audacious as befitting one of his stature, the act clearly was a PR disaster on the part of the Targaryen dynasty and served to kickstart the War of the Usurper while simultaneously undermining the Targaryen-Martell alliance that would be instrumental in the lead-up to the fall of the once-great Targaryen kings.

Despite his failings, however, Rhaegar is almost universally regarded to have been a great heir to the throne. While the conquests of Aegon the Conqueror inspired much respect from the other powerful houses, I'm pretty sure that Aegon did not inspire love amongst his subjects. It takes a very special individual to be able to do so; an individual that should have - on all accounts - been loathed and hated for being an offshoot of the Mad King Aerys the Second. He is clearly enigmatic and hence clearly a character that fascinates me so much.

Jaime Lannister - He's pretty much the character that I always love in narratives. A character that is presented to be one way at first, and then revealed to be another when we truly get into his skin and his mind. Which is really realistic. Most of the people we know clearly don't see themselves in the same way as they are often perceived by others. It is undeniable that the two clearly do influence each other, of course, but they are usually dissimilar.

Furthermore, I think the "cutting off of the sword hand" is one occurrence that most of us can empathize with. To be stripped of an identity marker that previously defined your existence (Jaime, before his handicap, was arguably but a glorified sword arm for both the Targaryen Dynasty and the Lannisters) and being forced to reconstruct your sense of self bit-by-bit following one's humbling is clearly an experience that inspires much empathy, respect and admiration from the audience. The juxtaposition of Jaime's newfound vulnerability and weakness with his triumph in the act of jumping into the bear pit is certainly one of the most epic and inspiring moments in the series with good reason.

Beyond the Cersei-Jaime relationship (which is probably mentioned countless times by now), I find the relationship between Tyrion and Jaime endlessly fascinating. The two Lannisters, strangely enough, frequently wonder about what the other would do in the many crises that they have come across. I think the person of Tyrion has allowed Jaime to become more measured, restrained and strategic. With the loss of his sword arm, the person that he was before is no more. The new Jaime Lannister must behave in ways in which he would have never previously imagined. Jaime, like Tyrion, would now have to endure the scorn of many who regard him as a has-been cripple and cope with the fact that his father no longer perceives him to be his perfect son following his handicap and his insistence to remain in the Kingsguard. In fact, he is forced to learn from Tyrion to survive; the same way in which Tyrion was forced to become more impulsive and Jaime-like in the Eyrie in order to have a fighting chance out of the situation.

Doran Martell - We haven't seen that much of him thus far but Doran clearly seems to be an intriguing individual already. The act of putting on a front of weakness and helplessness to shield others from recognizing his cunning and his intelligence is very Claudius-like, if you will. His relationship with the Targaryens intrigue me greatly; he would certainly be a strong ally that would prove instrumental in Dany's claim to the throne. Essentially, Doran speaks to me of a Vito Corleone or a Emperor Claudius of Rome and it is precisely these people that frequently come on top in the Game of Thrones.

Other favorites are: Tyrion and Tywin Lannister, Arya and Sansa Stark, Margaery, Loras and Olenna Tyrell, Littlefinger, Varys. (I would be sorely tempted to place many of the early Targaryen Kings here but we don't know enough about them to really make any judgement on their character. Aegon is clearly inspiring as an expy of William the Conqueror though...)

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

Gregor Clegane - There hardly seems to be any redeeming factor about him whatsoever. He seems to be the typical animalistic brute who loves violence and bloodshed. Very simplistic and reductive, yes, but it is my belief that Martin and Tywin merely intended for him to pose as the animal that strikes fear in the hearts of the Lannisters and make it that much more unappealing to cross them.

Joffrey Baratheon - I'm pretty sure you're meant to greatly dislike him and Martin succeeds at that. His insecurities are noticeable - the fact that he often repeats that he should be allowed to do whatever he wants simply because he is king functions as a telling sign that he doesn't believe that he has fully consolidated his power and obtained the support of his vassals, hence resorting to lording his position over them to maintain his facade of dominance. I was quite appalled at the manner in which he was able to bully Tyrion in his wedding when it was the stratagems of Tyrion Lannister that helped him maintain his kingdom from Stannis in the previous book. When it comes down to it, essentially he's supposed to be a loathsome boy who got too much power for his own good.

Walder Frey - My reaction following the Red Wedding was strangely muted - I never really liked Catelyn and Robb Stark to begin with - and I do recognize that it is necessary to play dirty to win the Game of Thrones but Walder Frey is simply a petty, disgustingly vindictive individual who goes above and beyond sheer pragmatism - unlike a Tywin who does what he must to win and uphold the Lannister name - to mean-spirited cruelty. I actually Wiki-ed to see if he does get his comeuppance and I'm hoping that it would be Stoneheart that ultimately deals him her final revenge.

I don't dislike many of the characters in ASOIAF, strangely. I'm occasionally appalled at a few (Cersei) for their stupidity and it is my opinion that Jon Snow and Dany Targaryen are a little bland at times but yes. Most of them are real characters that one can empathize with.

4.#1 Favorite moment in all of ASOIAF so far? Why?

The bear trap scene is clearly one of my favorites and it cemented my love for Jaime Lannister. Even the dream scene in which Jaime confronts his conscience is stunningly well-crafted in allowing the audience an attempt at better understanding the psyche of Jaime Lannister.

The Purple Wedding; Joffrey's death, Sansa's escape from King's Landing and Tyrion's imprisonment are largely one continuous sequence for me and it was undeniable how fast and furiously the plot moved during the latter half of ASOS. Jaime breaking out Tyrion from prison and the subsequent kinslaying of the Lannisters are also especially evocative in my mind. It further adds on to the guilt that Jaime feels; he is indirectly responsible for murdering his father, after all, and it dramatically shapes Tyrion that would only be further revealed in the next book.

OH and Dany's conquests of Astapor, Yunkai and Meereen are certainly insanely epic and awesome to behold. It probably is similar to the War of Conquest fought by Aegon the Conqueror as well as especially evocative of great conquerors throughout history like that of Alexander the Great and Caesar. Dany's arc in ASOS is stunning especially when considering how plodding the arc in Qarth was in my opinion.

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

I'm actually less excited about the combat against the Others and the White Walkers as opposed to dynastic civil war. While the plot arc about the Walkers would certainly be finished near the end of the series, I think I would prefer to have that discussed by half of the characters; Jon Snow, Stannis Baratheon and several other allies leading a charge to combat the White Walkers while the second Dance of the Dragons emerges with the new Targaryen claimant in ADWD (I spoiled myself, sorry) and Dany fighting for the right to rule over the Iron Throne. At that point in time, Cersei and Tommen and the Lannisters would largely have been deposed, the Tyrells and the Martells (both Targaryen loyalists in the War of the Usurper) would probably be on opposing sides - the Tyrells supporting Aegon VI and the Martells supporting Dany for example. Sansa would be the next Olenna Tyrell, possibly killing Littlefinger and manipulating events just as he did but to bring order to the Seven Kingdoms and Arya would be chiefly putting her skills with the Faceless Men to good use as an assassin. OH and the dragons would be fighting each other or sent to aid Jon Snow's crusade against the White Walkers to melt them forever.

The final scene, imo, would be Dany sitting on the Iron Throne, the loyal houses bowing all below her and there being peace in the Seven Kingdoms following the restoration of Targaryen rule at long last.

win or die

2013-12-02T07:57:39Z

Name: Fay
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!): I saw it mentioned on a Jaime/Brienne rec list on tumblr.
Age: 24
Location: California
Occupation: Student

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!.
Clever, fun, function-driven. I love the Marshmallow House because it's colorful, bizarre, airy, and made for watching movies. My home could be small and simple, but I'd like a kitchen on the fancier side. Having two ovens and a top-of-the-line blender would be heaven. The ideal location: I've never been to Scandinavia, but golly, it sounds delightful. Social services and cold weather? Yes, please. But I'd also love to live in or near Portland, London, Paris, Seattle (in case it's unclear, I like cool, rainy, overcast places).

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!
a) Magical mastery of self-discipline/time management!
I'm a really inefficient writer. When I'm afraid of writing, which is usually, I let research expand to fill all the time I have. I take frequent breaks, procrastinate, and go on a fun roller coaster of self-loathing. Maybe this is just my process. I hate it, and I'd love to instantly have the ability to manage my time well and keep to the tasks I've set myself.
b) Ability to breathe underwater (without visible gills).
Pretty straightforward.
c) End injustice.
Too broad? Okay, how about ending global oppression in healthcare? Everyone should be able to access high-quality care, regardless of income, gender identity, race, sexuality, etc.

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. ;)
I'm proud of my reproductive health activism. Some of what I do is direct service, which means I get to witness how my efforts help people. That feels really meaningful and gratifying. Recently a college friend e-mailed me to say that I helped him learn about social justice and become more politically active. I hadn't been in touch with this guy for a few years, and reading that made me feel super proud.

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.
Friendship is tops. It feels the most constant, most consistently rewarding. I'm dissatisfied with a lot of things in my life, but I always feel grateful to have kind, funny, supportive friends.

I guess the contenders for least are money, family, or adventure. Though I'm often reclusive, I do sometimes go out into the world and have adventures, and I value that. Wouldn't want to give it up. I rank family lower because I only feel close to three members of my family; usually I feel alienated from everyone else. But those three people are very important to me, so... money. Money feels the least important to me, but then again, I'm not living hand to mouth right now, so that's easy for me to say.

5. What's one quote (or passage, song lyric, etc.) that effectively describes you and your values? Explain.
"I was going to die, if not sooner then later, whether or not I had ever spoken myself. My silences had not protected me. Your silence will not protect you." --Audre Lorde, "The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action"

I'm not sure this describes me, but it certainly describes my values and the kind of person I want to be: brave, uncompromising, committed to speaking my truth and carving out space for other people to do the same. The whole essay is beautiful--I really recommend it--and I could just as easily have picked another quotation from it, like "We have been socialized to respect fear more than our own needs for language and definition, and while we wait in silence for that final luxury of fearlessness, the weight of that silence will choke us." Audre Lorde, dude. You know?

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.
Carefully. Until recently, I had a job that paid enough that I could save up money to live on while I focus on finishing my degree. So I'm pretty lucky. Financial security (as in, being able to afford essentials like rent, groceries, and gas) is important to me. Having disposable income would be nice, but it's not a high priority.

7. Name (and elaborate on) some of your hobbies. What are your favorite things to do outside of school/the office?
a) Cooking/baking. I make mean vegan food, especially soups and pies. Although I've cooked since I was a kid, I didn't start baking until two years ago.
b) Watching TV and movies with friends. I threw a big party for the Game of Thrones season three premiere, complete with vegan pigeon pie and lemoncakes.
c) Swimming. When my roommates and I went apartment hunting, we thought, "oh, it would be nice to have a swimming pool, but it's not a big deal." Now that we live somewhere with a pool, it turns out it is a very big deal. It's unbelievably nice to be able to swim every day for free. I would love to learn open-water swimming--I mean, I've swum in oceans before, but I couldn't swim distances without getting lost and probably drowning.
d) Board games. I like playing euro games (like Settlers of Catan, Twilight Struggle, Dominion) with friends. I've tried out gaming groups several times, but so far I've always gotten tired of the gender ratio and the sexist trash-talking. During my misspent youth, I played tabletop RPGs, and I'd love to do that again--if I could find a group I liked.

8. Name three things you are afraid of. Explain.
a) Falling. I don't mind heights if they feel secure. The top of the Empire State Building is fine. But I'm always really slow and cautious when I'm hiking downhill, and I hesitate when I step onto down escalators. I used to be afraid of walking down stairs, but I got over that when I lived in New York.
b) Sickness. I was chronically ill for about seven years, and my symptoms could resurface any time. So that's fun.
c) Police. They have guns and almost never face consequences for perpetrating violence.

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:
a) I'm a good conversationalist. I read widely, listen well, and I'm funny.
b) I go out of my way to help people, including strangers. This doesn't extend to every human being every minute of the day--I have boundaries--but when someone needs help I can provide, and when I feel safe doing so, I will put that ahead of other commitments or activities.
c) Emotional resilience. I think my capacity to withstand stress and hostility is pretty high, which is useful!

Worst:
a) My depression. Sometimes I'm fine, and sometimes there is no point to anything and why would I get out of bed. I'm getting better at distinguishing between how I feel right now and reality, but it's still challenging for me to get things done when I'm depressed, rather than giving into the habits that prolong my depressive periods.
b) Flightiness. I get obsessively interested in something until I find a new thing, and then I usually abandon my old uncompleted projects. It's a bummer.
c) I can be selfish and mean. I don't think I'm very instinctively kind. It's something I have to consciously consider and deliberately work on.

A Song of Ice and Fire Related

1. How many books from the series have you completed?
The main five.

2. Who are your favorite three characters in the series? Why?
Brienne is METAL AS FUCK. She's so tough and sweet. I love that she teaches Jaime that you can believe that the world is garbage and still reject nihilism. I know a lot of people don't like Brienne's AFFC chapters, but I really disagree. I loved seeing her quest and her views get more complicated, seeing her self-doubt develop.

I wish we had at least one long-running smallfolk POV, but Davos is the closest we get. I like that Davos sold onions to the people under siege at Storm's End not out of the goodness of his heart or political calculation but because you can get a better price for onions when your customers are starving. And it's kind of admirable, but mostly sad, that Davos stops being self-interested when he's knighted (or, at least, it becomes more complicated for him to figure out what his self-interest is).

Ned and Cat really screwed the pooch with Sansa, huh? Don't let your daughter grow up believing that honor exists and knights are cool! Chivalry kills! Sansa has my absolute favorite arc in the books; she starts out spoiled and sheltered and becomes so perceptive and strong. Of course, lots of characters have great arcs, but I love that Sansa's struggle isn't showy. She isn't on the road having adventures. She's just enduring, and quietly learning. I'm so excited for her chapters in TWOW.

Honorable mentions. Arya, Daenerys, Mirri Maz Duur, Septon Meribald, Missandei, Mance Rayder, Margaery (though my judgment may be clouded by Natalie Dormer's performance at this point; she's so great), Olenna, Varys, Littlefinger (he's a fun villain, and I'm sure his gruesome demise will be extra fun!), Sam, Asha, post-amputation Jaime, pre-POV Cersei.

3. Who are your least favorite three characters in the series? Why?
I think I found Ramsay interesting once, but at this point, I feel like he just takes up space. He loves doing torture. Got it. Can we check out something else now? What's the deal with Valyria? Let's wander around the ruins.

Victarion was boring as hell from his first appearance. When I read AFFC, I wondered if making him a POV character was supposed to be some kind of punishment for readers. He's joyless, stupid, and, hold on, he feels bad for himself because he had to murder his wife? Bluhhhhh. That said, he'll probably be a dragon snack soon, so whatever.

And then there's Tyrion. I used to love him. I made excuses for his misogyny and his Nice Guy TM self-pitying schtick because he was funny and clever and his life did genuinely suck (for a noble from one of the most powerful families of his continent). Then he murdered a sex worker because she hurt his feelings! Ha ha! Very cool, bro!

Dishonorable mentions. For being terrible: King Robert, Joff, Tywin (Rest In Toilet), Euron, Walder Frey, Roose, Gregor. For being tedious: Ned, Stannis, Robb, Jorah, TV!Podrick's Magical Penis.

4. #1 Favorite moment in all of ASOIAF so far? Why?
I love the scene during the Battle of the Blackwater when Cersei gets drunk and tells Sansa how much it sucked to be Jaime's twin sister: "We were so much alike, I could never understand why they treated us so differently." And Septon Meribald's speech about broken men. But, real talk, my favorite moment has to be the bath at Harrenhal, because in the end I am a marshmallow.

5. In your dream-world, how would you like to see the series end, and why?
I would love to see Sansa on the Iron Throne, having clawed her way there over Littlefinger's corpse. I don't think anybody can rule a feudal society well, but Sansa seems like she'd be comparatively kind to the smallfolk. Plus, fuck the haters.

I like Daenerys, but her liberal imperialist excursion through Slaver's Bay made me lose enthusiasm for her as a leader. And as cool as dragons are (they are very damn cool), I'm not sold on the asymmetry of one political actor holding a nuclear option and making any revolt suicidal. So I guess it would be ideal for me if Dany ended up heroically dead or heroically off on adventures.

Tyrion gets killed by a woman, very suddenly, in a surprisingly anticlimactic chapter.

Stannis, he of the boundless entitlement, gets nothing he wanted and learns that he's not Azor Ahai reborn. Deserve's got nothing to do with it.

The Knight of Flowers kills Tommen--it's not that I want Tommen to die, but it's gonna happen, and I'd like to see Jaime-hating Loras become a Kingslayer.

Sam reintegrates magic into the Citadel.

I'd love to see Jaime and Brienne happy in Tarth together; failing that, they confess their love, he dies in her arms, and Brienne joins the Queensguard.

I DON'T want a reenactment of Azor Ahai killing Nissa Nissa. If we absolutely have to go through that, l hope Dany will be Azor Ahai, and her NN will be Daario or Jorah or Jon. Just don't make me read about a heroic man stabbing his girlfriend in the heart, you know? I read a theory suggesting that Jaime will end up sacrificing Brienne, which would make me angrier than any other ending possibly could. I would honestly prefer that the series end with the Others exterminating humanity.

Win or die

2013-12-02T07:57:32Z

Name: Jordan (female btw)
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!):
I am not entirely sure, but I believe that it was through Tower of the Hand (maybe their Sorrowful Men podcast?) that I heard about it and I thought that it sounded awesome.
Age: 16
Location: Brighton, United Kingdom
Occupation: Student

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!.
My ideal house would definitely have to be just on the edge of a town/city centre because I really don’t enjoy being right away from things in the middle of nowhere for any longer than two weeks. It would most likely be in the South East of England because (and this might be unusual) but I do love the weather, even the drizzly cold days. The front of it would be painted completely white, with a big black door with a brass knocker. It wouldn’t be huge because I like to feel cosy, but there would be space for friends/family to come and stay. The furniture would be a totally random mix up of different styles and colour, but it would still manage to co-ordinate and not look like a mess. In particular the hallways would have tables in the corners with lots of little ornaments on and the walls would be covered with vintage gilded mirrors and lots of old random photographs.

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!
1) To be to be able to fly. I just absolutely love the idea of being able to go pretty much anywhere you want without having to get in a car or wait for a bus or train, and to be able to go really long distances too. And I don’t just mean to be able to fly but just to have wings as a purely aesthetic thing, how great would that be? I’ve always had a slightly odd obsession with pretty much any kind of wings but especially great big white feathered ones.
2) Unlimited access to the stock in a giant fabric/haberdashery store. Being able to have as many different fabrics, patterns, dyes, buttons and ribbons as I wanted available to me whenever I wanted is basically my idea of heaven. I would love to be able to create the clothes I wanted without the usual constraints of money or not actually being able to find exactly what it is I want. I love dressmaking so this would just be...indescribably amazing.
3) Complete confidence in everything I did. Obviously not an obnoxious extent like this people who literally think they can do anything, but just so that whatever I was doing I wasn't plagued by doubts about whether I was doing right, or was good enough to do it at all.

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. ;)
It isn’t much of an accomplishment but I would say that the thing I am proudest of is having pretty much taught myself to sew my own clothes. I’ve always enjoyed it and when I was younger I used to try to make clothes for my toys. More recently however I have started it properly and I can now make pretty much whatever I want. It isn’t something I do for all my clothes of course but it is satisfying to be able to make something at a fraction of the price it would have been if I had bought it.

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.
Most is easy, love is the most important out of these things, not always of the romantic kind but all sorts of kinds, including friendship and family, which is why I wouldn’t put those down. Love encompasses so much and it can also include having a love or passion for an activity, film or book. Also with love you can experience so many different things, including all the things on this list (except perhaps money).
Least is also pretty easy for me; adventure isn’t something I value greatly for myself. I can see the appeal for others but I lead a relatively unadventurous life and honestly I don’t really want that to change. This is mostly just because I am not a big fan of the unexpected and am bad at putting myself in situations which are completely foreign to me. Although sometimes I think it would be good if I was more adventurous, it isn't something I've ever actually enjoyed.

5. What's one quote (or passage, song lyric, etc.) that effectively describes you and your values? Explain.
"Most of the people who will walk after me will be children, so make the beat keep time with little steps." - Hans Christian Anderson
I wasn’t really sure what to put for this one and I've changed my answer several times now but I've stuck on this one. I chose it because I was struggling to find something that sums up me and my values, in fact I struggle to sum up my values myself let alone find a quote to do that for me, but I really like the idea contained in this one. I interpret this (and I could be way off here) as saying that we shouldn't just run off doing what whatever we can because it's important to allow those who might be less capable time to catch up. Also, as cheesy as it is, it reminds me of the importance to educate children because they are the future.
I feel this was badly explained but you know when you just can't get your thoughts straightened out enough to write them down?

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.
I try to have as little cash on me as I can, this way I spend less. I find that if the money is there it is very easy to just pick something up and say “I’ll just buy this”, whereas if it is in an account I find it easier to pass over something I don’t really need. Security is very important to me, although I don’t have loads of money and am still at school I like to make sure that I have a certain amount of many in the bank at any one time, this way if there is something I really need/or want to start saving up for, I have a head start.

7. Name (and elaborate on) some of your hobbies. What are your favorite things to do outside of school/the office?
As I sort of said in the achievement part I really love dressmaking. I enjoy the whole process of it as well, from coming up with a design/concept (usually taking inspiration from designers), to picking a pattern fabric, to putting it together. The best thing about this is that it gives me the freedom to tailor my clothes to exactly how I want them.
Reading is something that I just love so much; the idea of just reading a whole book in one day is heaven for me. I love being able to get lost in a story so that you completely lose all track of what is going on around you, I am one of those people who can read anywhere and just zone out all distractions. Also I find re-reading books great as you can pick up on little details/foreshadowing that you missed the first time

8. Name three things you are afraid of. Explain.
1) Loneliness. Although I am not naturally the kind of person who loves being surrounded by friends and couldn’t bear the idea of being completely isolated (not in a geographical sense). For me knowing that I have the network of friends and family behind is a kind of safety net, even if it isn’t something that I always appreciate as much as I should.
2) Insecurity. Whenever I find myself out of my depth and completely unable to deal with a situation I really can’t bear it. I guess because I have often been a high achiever in an academic sense I feel really uncomfortable when I find myself completely unable to do something, so I start to get stressed out and doubting abilities I am otherwise confident in.
3) Rejection. In any kind of sense really whether it's asking someone out or submitting a piece of work I'm proud of I hate that I could (and have been) let down. Putting myself out there isn't something I'm good at for this reason and so my fear of rejection can limit what I push myself to do.

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:
Easy to get along with- I like to think this is what I am like, given that I don't think I have ever had any kind of major argument with, well anyone it seems accurate. I am able to be friendly with those I might dislike by just avoiding any possible reference to something that could cause a stir and will do anything to avoid arguments.
Trustworthy- if people tell me something I will keep it to myself, I don't gossip about things that people have confided to me. This is partly because I couldn't bear the idea of someone else doing that to me.
Caring- I will go out of my way to make sure that the people around me are happy. At the end of the day I will sacrifice my own contentedness if it means other people are pleased.
Worst:
Unconfiding- not sure if this is actually a word but basically I am terrible at telling people things and confiding my problems/worries/insecurities to them. I bottle my emotions up and although I'm not entirely sure why I think it is partly because I don't want to appear vulnerable to others.
Lazy- I am a terrible procrastinator and if there is an easy way out I will take it.
Loner- this is not to say that I have no friends and hate all socialisation, just that often I prefer to be alone. When it comes to meeting up with people I have to make a real effort to commit to something and often find myself wanting to make excuses to not go. This can be a good thing in that I don't require constant company, however I think I would be a better friend if I was sociable more of the time.

A Song of Ice and Fire Related

1.How many books from the series have you completed?
All of them, several times.
2.Who are your favorite three characters in the series? Why?
Such a hard question, I'm going to try to pick some less obvious minor characters because who doesn't love Arya and Tyrion?
Podrick Payne. Because he provides some great lines from Tyrion but also more. When he is first assigned Tyrion's squire it seems like one big joke, with his stammering and witlessness, but it soon turns out he is fiercely loyal, when he saves Tyrion and also his hurt when he believes he has been abandoned by his master. Pod has his own special kind of brave and I think it is the only kind that is truly admirable, he may not be able to look you in the eyes but he will follow a terrifying lady in chain mail to find your wife for you.
Olenna Tyrell. Because she is a badass old woman. She is one of the few ones who will speak her mind whenever is suits her and has no respect for the pompous men trying to lord it over her based purely on their gender. The Queen of Thorns is quite possibly the best role model that any young lady in Westeros could have and I wish that she was my granny. Also she helped kill Joffrey which makes her a hero in my eyes.
Myrcella. Narrowly beating out Jaime for his wonderful redemption, I chose Myrcella because she goes through so much, leaving home, losing an ear, at just the age of eight and yet she is still smart, kind and generous. Those last two points being especially important given her mother is Cersei Lannister.

3.Who are your least favorite three characters in the series? Why?
Quentyn Martell. This guy is an idiot. What on earth possesses him to try and take a dragon? I mean really could you be more stupid. He annoys me so much because he seems to expect things to be handed to him. It doesn't occur to him that Dany might already have some other plans up her sleeve, or that maybe fire-breathing reptiles aren't going to happily walk away from their mother. Quentyn is a fool and moreover he doesn't mind putting his friends' lives in peril whilst he's at it.
Ramsay Snow. I'm not sure if there is anyone who likes Ramsay, if there is they may need some kind of help. Probably the sickest and most twisted character in the books, even beating out Joffrey, whenever his name turns up my toes just curl.
Lysa Arryn. Oh my God this woman is crazy. As if the constant making excuses to get out of the war in which her nephew desperately needs help in isn't enough there's also the breast feeding of her insanely irritating six year old. But what really gets under my skin is the line about her sending away servants for 'making up tales' of Marillion forcing them to have sex with him.

4.#1 Favorite moment in all of ASOIAF so far? Why?
When Jaime and Cersei essentially 'break up'. The reason I love this so much is because by this point Jaime has managed to pretty much entirely redeem himself to me, except regarding his relationship with Cersei. When they have sex in the Sept I was furious that despite all he had gone through he still loved this woman. But when he later completely denies both her sexual advances and pleas to return to Casterly Rock with her, well I couldn't love him more.
5. In your dream-world, how would you like to see the series end, and why?
Sansa totally manages to destroy Littlefinger having been given such an insight into how he works. She will use her currently developing 'playing the game' savvy to give him a taste of his own medicine and make me eternally happy.
Tyrion returns to Westeros (ideally riding a dragon alongside Dany but that part's negotiable) no longer a depressed sot, makes up with Jaime because they are the best of bros and it turns out they are BOTH Cersei's valonqar.
Jon doesn't give up his vows. There's a part of me that desperately wants him to marry Dany and become King of Westeros but I really, really, really don't like that fact that to do so he would have to give up his vows. One of biggest reasons for admiring him is the commitment he has always shown towards the Night's Watch and so for the reason I want him to remain at the Wall.

Win or Die

2013-12-02T07:57:27Z

Name: Kaye
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!): erellim is a friend of mine, and we've been fangirling over ASOIAF together
Age: 26 in a few days
Location: Philippines
Occupation: Marketing Copywriter

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 like space and light, so I'd like a roomy house with large glass windows that give me a beautiful view of the sunset in the ocean. I want it to be minimalist enough not to be cluttered, but lush enough to be comfortable - couches you can sleep on, beds and duvets you can stay in the entire day. The white walls will be adorned with artwork, and in the living area, there will be a black grand piano which will serve as an accent piece. The dining area will have a dark brown, almost black, oval hardwood table with padded chairs, and modern chandelier lights hanging above. I saw these lights once, very simple, just chrome tubes and at the end of each tube is a spherical shade which houses the bulbs. I'm no interior designer, so I'm terrible at describing these lights, but that's the idea. At night, I want the light of the room to have this honey glow - white is too painful to the eyes, and the honey makes everything look prettier.

The bedroom will have a big bed with a duvet and plenty of pillows. I will have a walk-in closet and when you enter, doesn't have to be big but you'll see my things organized. I'm a bit obsessive-compulsive and I like things a certain way, so my clothes will be organized according to type and color. I will have dedicated racks for shoes and bags so it will be easier for me to pick out an outfit. One wall will be a floor-length mirror so I can see when I'm trying things on.

The bathroom should be elegant and pretty, and clean. Most importantly, it should have a bathtub where I can spend hours and hours reading, thinking, and just unwinding in general.

The kitchen will be the most important part of my house, because that's where I'm in command all the time. I want it to have the latest kitchen equipment, complete cooking utensils, and always, always a stocked pantry. I love to cook, and this is why my kitchen should have a counter in the middle with stools in front so I can entertain guests as I prepare delectable dishes for them.

I need to have two things in my house: a library, where I can read and store my books and spend my days writing, and a gym where I can do boxing, yoga, and Muay Thai. I tend to seek out physical activity when I'm stressed.

My grandfather had a green thumb when he was alive, and I seem to have been the only grandchild to have taken after him. I want a garden outside where I will plant fresh ingredients, because I love to cook. I also want patio recliner chairs where I can sit and watch the sun as it melts into the ocean every day, and where I can gaze at the stars at night. I also want an outdoor shower, but away from the prying eyes of the public, where I can shower after taking a dip at the beach in the morning. I want a really nice barbecue grill outside too, just because it's great for cooking.

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!

First wish: I wish to see the world. I love traveling, and I would like to see as much of it as I can. I'd love to go to places that people don't usually go to, and I love an adventure. It would be very interesting to learn other people's culture, study (and hopefully become fluent at) their languages, and see what else is out there outside my comfort zone. Then again, I guess traveling is my comfort zone - it's never bothered me to travel, although I've only traveled locally and have yet to extend my adventures outside the country.

Second wish: I wish to be given the means to help less fortunate children and neglected elderly people. I have an aunt who celebrates her birthday by holding a party for orphan children in an orphanage just outside the city, and she checks in on them regularly to make sure they get books, clothes, food, and toys. When I found out about this, I swore I'd do the same thing one day, when I have the means. I want the children to get food, clothing and proper education, and I want the elderly people to be taken care of - medical requirements, activities to keep them busy and happy, one-on-one time so they don't feel so lonely. I don't know what specifically to ask for - could be money (endless supply please), could be a position of power, could be people who are willing to help - but I wish to be given the means to do this.

Third wish: Probably the most difficult wish to grant, and the most selfish one too. I wish for peace of mind. I wish for this every year on my birthday, and here's hoping a genie can grant it. But yes, I wish for peace of mind, because I have so many things going on in my head and around me that I can't seem to get enough rest.

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. ;)

I could choose something career-oriented, or boast of the school I survived to get to this point, or some other life-altering turning point, but my greatest accomplishment is something very simple. I'm most proud of the way I maintain my friendships. My friends keep telling me I've taught them what friendship should be like. Others say I'm too caring and nice to my friends to a fault, but I don't care. If I care about someone, I put in the effort to show it, and if they do something wrong, I make it a point to let them know and help them out of the rut they're in.

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.

The most important one for me is friendship. Love fades, and when it does, friendship is what gets you through. Family, from my experience, isn't always the best - in my case, I do not want to be like them because I'd like to be much better. We have many differences, and while I do value them dearly, if I know they're not good for me, I don't really listen. Knowledge can be acquired regardless of your situation, pleasure is temporary, and adventure... well, you choose your own adventure. Friendship matters to me because you get all the others mentioned in this list when you're in a good, strong friendship.

The least important to me is pleasure. I would say money, but then there are some things I wouldn't be able to do without money, and in today's world, money is power. Pleasure isn't a right - it is a privilege and a consequence that comes with the other things on the list, which is why I don't have to prioritize it for me to experience it.

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

Just part of the lyrics won't be enough - the entire description Jason Mraz wrote in the song "A Beautiful Mess" pretty much describes me. I have no other way of explaining it except that people have described me very similarly in the past, and some of the lyrics there I know for a fact I am, like "You're the kind of girl who can take down a man, and lift him back up again / You are strong but you're needy, humble but you're greedy", "the kind of words you say / Kind of turn themselves into blades", or "Your comebacks, they're quick and probably have to do with your insecurities / There's no shame in being crazy".

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.

I come from a household that is very strict when it comes to money, and so I used to follow a strict budget. I wouldn't buy something unless I absolutely need it, wouldn't go out if I know I didn't have resources, and I was never one to be swayed by what was trendy and what people wanted to have. Today, I do still follow a budget, but I find it more difficult to manage money just because it's scarcer than it once was.

Financial security is important to me not as an end but as a means to an end. The things I want to do with it - charity, travel, further education, discovery - I am passionate about these things, and money plays an important part in making these dreams come true. At the same time, however, I've seen how money ruins people. My dad's family is one such case - they're fighting all the time because of money, and I don't want money to change me the way it has changed them. This is why I value money very much, but not as the end goal itself, but as a means to achieve the things that will help me live life to the fullest.

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

I love to cook, and would like to open my own bakeshop or restaurant in the near future.

I also love traveling, but none of the fancy stuff - I like adventure, which is why I go for the travel-for-less kind of approach.

I'm also fond of taking pictures, but I don't claim to be a photographer - I'm a hobbyist is more like it.

I love to sing, and you'll usually find me jamming with bands performing every Friday/Saturday night somewhere, but I've never been in a band. I also love theater and am a frustrated musical theater actress, doing theater until high school but not pursuing it further because of studies.

I love reading books (well duh), which is why I have a degree in English and majored in Anglo-American Literature.

I go to the gym to train for boxing and Muay Thai. I used to play basketball and was a member of the varsity team in high school. I was a so a girl scout, and a contributor in our school newsletter. And I did choir, in school and at church. And I volunteered as a peer tutor and ended up tutoring our valedictorian and salutatorian in trigonometry and physics.

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

Flying cockroaches, or even if they're not flying, because they're disgusting. Plus I'm bitter that they're the only ones who will survive a nuclear fallout.

Losing people I love so abruptly without giving me enough of a chance to say goodbye. I've always had trouble with this, I would like to at least know that I've said everything I needed to say before we part ways for good.

Not having a voice, and not being respected. I've had one too many instances where this has happened, and it's made me feel powerless. I don't like not having control over things, and I don't like not having a say at things. That's why I'm mostly very assertive and aggressive - I want people to see that I'm someone who's not to be taken lightly. This backfires often though: my best friend's friends call me The Nazi, and many people are afraid to joke around with me because they say I'm too serious.

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. Loyalty - I am loyal to my friends and to those loyal to me, which is very helpful when I'm stuck in a rut and I need support.
2. Resourcefulness - When I am left in a rut with no one else to help me, I find my own way. Learned this very early on, as I was left to be taken care of by my grandfather when I was young and my parents didn't give me anything I ever wanted.
3. Stubborn streak - Being stubborn has proved of more use to me than harm. My being stubborn pushes me to be resourceful and industrious, and I do trust my instincts. It's led me to quite a number of successes in the past, and there's no changing this trait for as long as I know it's useful to me.

Worst:
1. Temper - I don't really react unless I'm provoked, but when I am provoked, no one can stop my temper from blowing off the lid. It's gotten me into a lot of trouble in the past, and it still does today.
2. Unforgiving - They say forgive and forget, and usually I'm quite forgiving, but I have a list of non-negotiables. Some of these are reasonable, some of them are not. You do one thing in this list of non-negotiables and I will never forgive you, and I will not stop until I get my revenge.
3. Decisive - This is a problem because some decisions you can't take back. Once I make up my mind, I don't listen to reason - I go through with my decision, and leave it at that. If it backfires, then I turn to my resourcefulness to make my way out of it.

A Song of Ice and Fire Related
1.How many books from the series have you completed?

Five

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

Daenerys Targaryen - She's the real deal. She's a badass who knows what she wants, who doesn't pursue too much - she only wants what's fair and really, she wants to settle down and rule so she can do people good. She has her flaws (she's a Targ - she still has the temper, AND her judgment gets clouded at times by love), but she's one of those people I'm rooting for in the book.

The Sand Snakes - Technically, they're three and not one, but take the sisters collectively and you have my second answer. They're feisty, they don't listen and follow rules, and they know how to use their sexuality to their advantage. What's not to like about them? I'm pretty excited to see where their story will go and how their characters will develop in the following books.

Arya Stark - I think Arya has that potential to be someone great and someone bordering dangerous at the same time. She's feisty and she's not your typical girl who wants to be a lady, marry a knight or a lord, and live happily ever after (excuse me Sansa, lol). She's very resourceful and instinctive and at times impatient, but she's willing to do whatever it takes to learn what she needs to get what she wants. She's a fighter, and I like that she is, because someday that will make her one of the characters other characters in the book should watch out for (given that George RR Martin doesn't decide to kill her off like the rest of the Starks haha).

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

Catelyn Stark - Book Catelyn is feistier than TV Catelyn, but that doesn't mean I like her any more than the other. Although it's perfectly understandable for Cat not to love Jon Snow because he reminds her of Ned's infidelity, it was utterly immature and selfish of her to treat him the way she does. I don't like the way that she talks to him and talks about him. It also annoys me how she blames her not being able to love Jon for every other misfortune that falls to the Starks. Cat also doesn't listen, and she mostly has her mind made up already when it comes to issues concerning her family. When she is brought back by Beric Dondarrion as sort of an undead Cat and she puts Brienne to the blade, I was angered by her refusal to listen to and understand reason.

Lysa Arryn - I already dislike Catelyn Stark for being such a doting mother to a fault. Lysa Arryn is in a class of her own. As a young woman, she was so desperate for Petyr Baelish that she actually slipped into bed with him and lost her virginity. She became very paranoid after the death of her husband (which she was responsible for anyway, although that was Littlefinger's doing), she babied her son too much, to the point of him becoming spoiled rotten and unbearable, and in the end, her death came for being such a child and STILL pining for Littlefinger. I say, serves her right that she died that way.

Ramsay Bolton - This one I'm still debating in my head because he's so screwed up in the head, you can't help but admire how brilliant his crazy is. But that's just it - he's so screwed up in the head, for me he beats Mad King Aerys in my book. He basically turned Theon from someone who felt entitled to a puppy dog, and his conditioning of Theon's mind was so thorough that Theon still feels he has to be the same puppy dog even when Ramsay is not present. I'd say he's my least favorite for the same reason I admire him - he's just too disturbing.

4.#1 Favorite moment in all of ASOIAF so far? Why?

Daeny emerging from the funeral pyre of Khal Drogo with the dragons. I know there are many other great events that have taken place since then - four books' worth, in fact - this remains to be my favorite moment because of the dragons.

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

I would like Arya to come back from Braavos and use her training in the House of Black and White to get revenge on everyone who's still left alive by the time she finishes her training. I also want her to be reunited with Nymeria, who I think has had similar training but with a pack of wolves, and I want them to carry out the revenge together. I think that would be badass.

Game Ten is coming

2013-11-19T03:47:41Z

Greetings, westerosorting!

We are sending ravens to inform you that the Long Break is almost over. Game Ten (our jubilee game, as mauvais_pli so aptly noted, will begin on December 1.

As of 12:01 AM ET US, we'll open up westerosorting and release the first 7 applications in the queue. (There are currently 10 applications, which means that not all apps currently in the queue will be released the first week. If you want to know whether or not yours is likely to be in the first or second batch, feel free to comment here. :)

And if you've been watching the comm and waiting to apply until the start of Game Ten, now is probably a good time to start polishing your application.

Looking forward to meeting and welcome our new applicants soon!

- westerosorting Mod Team

Your friendly reminder

2013-06-17T17:59:23Z

Currently there are a few sorting applications in the queue, so I would like to draw the applicants' (and those who are considering applying to the community) attention to the fact that, as Game 9 ended in May and we are currently more or less on hiatus, your applications will not be voted on until Game 10 starts. The exact time has not been determined yet, but it should not be long, so not to worry :)

a new sun!

2013-05-31T12:42:20Z

We sorted one new member this week, please welcome the last sortee of Game 9!

Greyjoy:
None
Lannister:
None
Martell:
gehayi
Stark:
None
Targaryen:
None
Tully:
None
Tyrell:
None

Welcome! Hope you have fun here!

reminder; batch 184

2013-05-29T09:15:47Z

Last application of Game 9! Please vote on it by the end of Thursday:

Gehayi

When voting, please put your house name in [square] brackets either in the subject line or the body of your comment, and bold both your house name and your vote.

Win or Die

2013-05-27T18:41:46Z

Name: Gehayi (I don't like my real first name and rarely share it online.)
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!): Tumblr. I think I heard about it through a user called thestarkathighgarden.
Age: 50
Location: Connecticut
Occupation: Freelance Editor

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 want my house to be located in the tropics, where it's always, always warm, and I want the electric wires leading to and from the house to be underground. (Where I currently live, it can snow, sleet or hail anywhere from October to May, and I am very, very tired of having to worry about snow and ice eight months out of twelve and windstorms blowing down above-ground wires the other four.) And if the house ever does require heat, I'd like it to be heated with geothermal energy, so that I won't ever have to worry about running out.

Other than that, the house would be one story tall (so that I needn't bother about stairs), light, airy and cool of temperature without being downright cold. At the west end of the house, there would be an enormous library, so big that you could get lost in it, equipped with an extremely knowledgeable librarian—I've always envisioned Lucien from Neil Gaiman's Sandman series—and several small robots who will be able to fly/levitate to the upper shelves and get me books that I want to read but can't reach.

There will be a pool inside the house, so that I can swim in complete privacy and not ever have to worry about people laughing at me because my body is stocky or because my legs are twisted.

I don't much care about the rest, so long as the furniture is sturdy and built for someone with wide hips and swollen legs. It doesn't matter if the house is fancy or beautiful—I just want it to be comfortable and not be a problem.

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!

Oh, this one is EASY.

a) Perfect health for the rest of my life. I'd ask for this as I have two conditions that are considered totally disabling, a familial tendency toward depression, and very bad eyesight. I would like to be healthy and NOT disabled.

b) Permanently self-perpetuating riches. The constant struggle to pay bills and debts and taxes out of Social Security disability is exhausting; I feel like Sisyphus perpetually pushing a rock uphill. I am very, very tired of being poor and being depressed about it. I want to be obscenely rich. Yes, I have heard that money doesn't buy happiness—but since most of my unhappiness stems from not having enough money, I'll take the chance.

c) Politicians all over the world to stop denying people rights just because they're i) women, ii) some ethnic/racial minority, iii) a minority religion/unpopular religion, iv) somewhere on the QUILTBAG spectrum, v) suffering from some form of physical, mental or emotional disability, or vi) any combination thereof. (I would say that I’d wish for politicians to stop being douches, but when it comes to wishes, I think it’s better to be as literal and as specific as possible.)

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. ;)

Surviving an infection that was supposed to kill me, learning to walk again, writing a novel-length work (granted, a fanfic novel, but a novel) and parlaying beta-reading fanfic into a career as a freelance editor.

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.

I'll give these to you in order:

a) Friendship. I wouldn't have survived most of the hell of the past decade without my friends.

b) Knowledge. This is a given. I'm a geek—I'm always reading or researching. I research even when I don't have to because I'm curious.

c) Money. I did explain why money is important, yes?

d) Pleasure. Well, of course I want things in my life that'll give me pleasure. It's slightly below money because it's impossible to obtain most things that give me pleasure—like heat or books—without money.

e) Adventure. Adventures are uncomfortable and often expensive things, and I've had quite enough challenges in my life so far. At this point, I just want my life to go smoothly. I would rather read about adventures than have them.

f) Family. Family is of very little importance to me. My blood relatives have not bothered to acknowledge me for fourteen years, and only did so before that because they thought my aunt would leave them more money if they did.

g) Love. I assume this means "romantic love" and/or "sex", as those are the ways that love is generally defined in fandom. Neither is my thing.

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

I've been trying to think of a quote or passage that describes me in some way for about two months, and I honestly don't think that there is one. There are a lot of quotes that I like, but they don't have anything to do with me.

I don't know what to do about this question. I can't answer it honestly; I don't know anything quotable that fits.

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.

I try to save some while paying off bills. This is not easy, as Social Security is peculiarly not designed to allow anyone to live on it, and I can only earn limited amounts of money per month in additional to Social Security…which I cannot afford to give up or lose, because freelancing =/= steady salary. This is probably why money and financial security are so overwhelmingly important to me—I have neither.

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

Reading is a big one. I love genre fiction—fantasy, science fiction, mystery and some young adult—as well as biographies, non-fiction history, literary criticism, and science and inventions now and again. I also love poetry, but I would rather read it on the Web these days; I tend to find more poetry there that's by modern poets, many of whom are women and/or people of color and/or people from countries other than mine. I also love logic puzzles—again, this is mostly an online thing these days—and playing Fallen London (formerly Echo Bazaar), which…you have to play it to understand how weird it is, but check out the TV Tropes page. I also spend a lot of time watching Blip.tv (mostly reviewers), Hulu (mostly Rifftrax) and Netflix Streaming (for anything that the reviewers recommend). Oh, and I watch two shows a week on the television: Once Upon a Time and A Game of Thrones.

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

Darkness. I have very poor eyesight and virtually no night vision. Darkness scares me because I'm afraid that someday I'll open my eyes and not see anything at all.

Mice/rats. I'm terrified of both to the point where I can't even look at pictures of them.

Insects/arachnids/cephalopods. I think that the main issue with the bugs and octopodes is that they have too many legs/limbs. Looking at them literally makes my skin creep. Having the ceiling of my kitchen invaded by a massive colony of wasps a couple of years back did NOT help matters.

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:

a) Determination. In my normal state of mind, I just don’t quit. This helps me fight the tendency toward procrastination that’s one of my worst traits.
b) Loyalty. If you and I are friends, I’ll be loyal to you no matter what. This doesn’t mean that I’ll agree with you about everything—far from it—but it does mean that I’ll stick by you and try to help you, whatever you’re going through.
c) Kindness. Though I strive to be both honest and kind, it isn’t always possible to be both, so when I have to choose, I generally go for kindness. Honesty can be honestly ruthless.

Worst:

i) I don’t forgive people who betray me or mine, no matter what happens. I don’t cut deliberate malice any slack. (Note that cruelty isn’t enough; you have to be intentionally cruel.)

ii) I procrastinate. I shouldn’t, but I do, and sometimes it gets me into trouble.

iii) I’m prone to depression. I don’t mean unhappiness; I mean the black, crushing, utter despair that’s clinical depression. It reduces me to a grimdark state that makes Martin’s world look blissful by comparison.

A Song of Ice and Fire Related

1. How many books from the series have you completed?

The five main books and "The Hedge Knight", "The Sworn Sword" and "The Mystery Knight".

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

This is very tough. Tyrion and Dany WERE my favorites until ADWD. Now…no. After that book, it became a case of "Who do I still like?"

a) Sansa Stark. Sansa gets huge points from me for adapting to a number of horrific situations and even managing to grow. She also has a great character arc. She's kind. She's patient. She's becoming very good at spotting patterns in people's behavior. And after all the awful things that have happened to her, I just want to hug her and bring her somewhere safe. I'm torn between hoping that she learns from Petyr Baelish, outsmarts him at his own game and builds a good life for herself somewhere (whether at Winterfell or not) and being terrified for her because this is Martin and you KNOW that nothing goes well for any character in Martin's works.

b) Samwell Tarly. I love Sam. I love him for being a hero who doesn't realize it—a guy who admits to being frightened of almost everything (which takes courage of a special sort in his society, not that he realizes it), but who'll take a stand even when it isn't popular, who'll save a girl and her baby because it's right, and who'll understand how different people think and why. He's a genuinely good person who won't make false promises and who will do his utmost for those he cares about. AND he's fat. There are so few heroes who are fat.

c) Asha Greyjoy. Asha strikes me as one of the better choices for leader, as she's figured out that her people can't hold the North and that peace and prosperity are more valuable than warfare, especially in a very brief autumn already marked by snowstorms. She's also able to see the value in reading (which most of her people don't) and the importance of having intelligent, powerful and wealthy allies. She's also bright and snarky as hell. It just makes me tired that the Iron Islanders passed her over for Euron. (I knew it would happen, as he was so obviously awful, but it still makes me tired that the main thing disqualifying her was, "But you're a GIRL!)

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

a) Walder Frey. I'm Scottish. I was brought up on the importance of guestright. Hell, Scotland has both history and songs about what happens if a host betrays and kills his guests. (See also: Massacre of Glencoe.) So he upsets me on a visceral level; it was drilled into me from a very young age that something like the Red Wedding is treachery so fundamental that it does not compute. It hurts—like when it thunders or when a huge truck goes by, and you feel the vibration in your bones. It's that basic. So Frey sickens me.

And yes, I know that people have done far worse in this series, but those don't involve ideas I heard from the time that I was a toddler.

b) Ramsay Bolton. I hate him. It's that simple. He doesn't intrigue me. He doesn't interest me. He is a vicious torturer and mutilator who hurts people for his own entertainment and for his own sense of power, and I want him dead. If I were allowed to choose, I'd have him eaten alive by one of the Others.

c) Theon Greyjoy. Let me get this out of the way right now—no, he did not deserve what happened to him. What happened to him is the stuff of nightmares and guarantees that I will never willingly re-read A Dance With Dragons.

That said, I never liked him. Even when he was living in Winterfell, I did not like him. He came across as snotty and entitled at Winterfell; back home, he was snotty, entitled and confused as to why everyone in the Iron Islands wasn't bowing to him; he was self-righteous and odious as the conqueror of Winterfell and the killer of two small boys; and as Reek, he was positively repellent. (Yes, I remember him trying to redeem himself; I wondered for a long time if that was a dream or a hallucination.)

4. #1 Favorite moment in all of ASOIAF so far? Why?

I'm torn between Bran waking up, Jaime saving Brienne in the bear-pit and Sam fixing the election for Commander of the Night's Watch. I can relate to waking up from a coma and having to rebuild your entire life from there. The scene in the bear-pit shows Jaime's and Brienne's courage and quality to great effect. And Sam had to figure out what everyone wanted from a leader and how to get them to agree—something that few people ever bother to do in this series…including the candidates for commander. It was nice to see someone using their intelligence for everyone's good.

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

Tyrion ends up learning, over time, that his philosophy of blaming slaves for being slaves is completely wrong.

Tysha turns out to be the Waif that Arya met in the House of Black and White (her backstory was a lie and her age an exaggeration). After this is revealed to Cersei and Jaime, there's a big scene in which Myrcella and Tommen are in mortal danger and Tysha just has to stand back and do nothing—and she saves them. "Tywin Lannister taught this woman how cruel and petty it was to make war on children." Jaime is convinced that she wants revenge, and she admits that she does, but since she was gang-raped because of Tywin's orders and Tywin is dead, let it end with him. Jaime protests that he wronged her as well. Tysha smiles. "When this one came to the House of the Many-Faced God, she made an offering and asked that the false knight whose lies cost this one so much learn the cost of lies and what it is like to be unable to defend himself. She asked that her husband learn what it is to be poor and helpless, with every man's hand turned against him. The god has accepted. This one has had her vengeance." She glances at Myrcella and Tommen. "They will need their parents in the winter. You will need them in the spring. Take care of them." And she vanishes.

Sam Tarly becomes a healer at the Citadel and marries Gilly; Sam and Gilly go back to the Wall and become absolutely crucial in the War against the Others. Bran becomes a wizard without turning into a tree (Coldhands and the Reeds save him from that).

Brienne saves both Stark girls and becomes a member of Dany's Queensguard. Jeyne Poole is spirited out of the North and joins Brienne and the Stark girls, Arya putting her skills to use as a dragonrider-in-training and Sansa gaining political savvy for her eventual role as Queen of the North. Asha Greyjoy becomes Dany's Master of Ships and has masses of adventures before being crowned Queen of the Iron Islands after the Winter of the Others.