Final Fantasy Stamping Application
The Basics:
Name: serenbach
Age: 26
Location: North Wales
Occupation: Sales Adviser
How did you find out about this community? (Specify usernames if you remember them.) Via toffeethesnob
Personality Questions:
1) List and expand upon your three best traits / strengths. (These should be personality-related, not physical.)
I think that one of my main strengths is my imagination. I am always thinking of new things to write about or something to do with my days off. I am never bored, even if I am by myself.
I am also pretty patient. Part of it comes from being the oldest of several siblings, the rest from working in customer services. I will listen to people and try and help them and find solutions, to the point where my colleagues send difficult customers over to me because they know I can deal with them without getting cross and irritable. I can also spend hours on intricate tasks without losing interest.
I also never stop trying. If there is something I am bad at I will keep going until I am at least passable at it. It took me three attempts to pass my maths GSCE and five years to hit the centre of an archery target but I eventually did it.
2) List and expand upon your three worst traits / weaknesses.
I am a terrible, terrible procrastinator. If there is something I don’t really want to do, or something that I know I really should do, I will put if off until the last possible moment and then panic about it.
I am also a little too sensitive sometimes. I occasionally read too much into situations or get hurt by things that were meant as jokes even though I know that no-one was intentionally trying to hurt my feelings.
I can be a little absent-minded sometimes. If I am focusing on something else when someone is talking to me I will not remember the conversation, nor will I notice if someone has a new haircut or something unless it is specifically pointed out to me. And I have forgotten my own birthday before now, I have no chance of remembering anyone else’s, even though I have set alerts onto my phone.
3) Rate yourself on the following traits by putting an 'X' in the box you think fits best. (E.g. if you are slightly more introverted than extroverted, put an 'X' in the second box.) Explain your choice as well.
Introverted [ ] [x] [ ] [ ] [ ] Extroverted
Explain: I find it quite difficult to make friends or to settle into new group dynamics. I am more comfortable in smaller groups. Once I am comfortable with people I get chattier but I would never describe myself as an extrovert.
Cheerful [ ] [ ] [x] [ ] [ ] Gloomy
Explain: I am usually cheerful, or at least placid, but on the days I feel gloomy everyone knows about it, even if I try to hide it.
Reserved [ ] [x] [ ] [ ] [ ] Impulsive
Explain: I over-think everything, even if being impulsive would actually be an advantage in a situation. I don’t take risks very often. I tend to be quite emotionally reserved as well, only showing a lot of emotion if I am especially happy or sad or if I am with people I know very well.
Energetic [ ] [ ] [ ] [x] [ ] Calm
Explain: I am usually pretty calm in my day-to-day life, but if something happens that I am excited about then I can be hugely energetic about it.
Logical/Thinking [ ] [ ] [x] [ ] [ ] Emotional/Feeling
Explain: I do tend to have emotional responses to situations, but I tend to think them through before I react to them. If someone hurts my feelings or makes me angry I will think through how I reply rather than going with my instinctive emotional response of crying or shouting.
Grudge-holding [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [x ] Forgiving
Explain: I never hold a grudge, even though sometimes I have to force myself to let it go. I grew up in a pretty augmentative family and I learned that if no-one makes the first move to forgive, the rifts can last for years.
4) Describe how you typically work in teams. Is it generally a good experience, or do you prefer working by yourself? Do you like to lead and make decisions or do you prefer to let others make decisions so that you can do the legwork? You may find it helpful to give an example of a team you worked on recently and how that went.
I don’t really like to lead (though it occasionally ends up that way at work if I am the most senior person on shift and therefore team-leader by default. I find these days a million times more stressful than days when I am not the leader. I am glad it doesn‘t happen very often). I like being part of a team though I prefer to remain in the background and get on with what needs to be done. For example, in the archaeological team I volunteer with I tend to do the bit-work (collecting, cataloguing, recording) rather than the excavation work itself, as the team has dozens of excavation volunteers and hardly any others for the rest of the work which is just as important.
5) Spider-Man Decision: If you had to choose between saving two dozen innocent children and saving your best friend/significant other/person closest to you, which would you pick and why?
This is a really hard questions. If my loved one was right in front of me when the decision had to be made I would probably save them just through knee-jerk reaction. If it was a hostage situation or another circumstance where I had a chance to think it through I would pick the children.
Either way, I would spend the rest of my life feeling horribly guilty.
6) Your friend has had their feelings hurt and comes to you for consolation. What do you do? Let's say, two days later they come to you again still upset over the same issue. What would you do in that case?
I would do my best to take their mind of their problems by taking them out to the cinema or shopping or something. I think that dwelling too much on being upset can make it worse sometimes. However, if they were still feeling sad after that I would provide the wine and ice-cream and let them talk as much as they needed.
7) What interests/hobbies do you have? How do you like to spend your free time?
I write a lot, both original and fanfiction, and read just as much, mostly fantasy and sci-fi. I enjoy fencing, archery and playing squash, and socialising with my friends, usually doing something pretty stupid and random.
Obviously, I enjoy gaming as well!
8) Describe one to three careers you would find ideal, with a little explanation of why it appeals to you.
I would love to be a full time archaeologist, it is what I did at university, but I cannot find a paid job in that field. I have always been fascinated by history, and archaeology is history that you can experience. I have a flint knife in my room that I found on a dig. It is thousands of years old and someone made it. Someone used it and needed it and I can touch it and hold it now. It is an amazing feeling, one I would love to be paid for.
If not, I would love to be a writer. Although I write all the time, original work as well as fan fiction, I haven’t yet produced anything I think other people would pay to read. One day, hopefully, if I keep writing and improving.
FF Questions:
9) List one to three favourite Final Fantasy games and why you like them. Sequels/spin-offs/non-numbered/KH/Dissidia games are okay.
The First Final Fantasy game I ever played, the first real game I ever really played, and my favourite partly for that reason, is VII. I fell in love with the story, the characters and just the whole world. I really cared about those little Lego people and wanted to know what happened to them. Even the optional party members have well developed backgrounds and side quests, and I cared as much about how the characters felt as whether or not they would save the world. I wanted to know what was going on in Cloud’s head or whether Cid would ever get into space as much as their fight with Sephiroth. The whole world just felt real, full of people who had their own fears and hopes and battles. I had never experienced anything like it and even now it is not just my favourite Final Fantasy game, but my favourite game ever.
I have just finished IV as well, and it very quickly made its way to near the top of my list. I really liked Cecil and his journey from Dark Knight to Paladin, and the way he came to terms with the darker events of his past, as well as the revelations about his family. I also loved Kain’s struggles between his friendship and his jealousy. I loved how each of the many characters bought their own personalities and perspectives to the plot - and how the seemingly horrific death count isn’t really that bad at the end (which came as a huge relief!)
I also love X. It is a beautiful game, and I love the whole concept of the plot. It starts of pretty typical: there is a big terrible monster that needs to be beaten, but all the plot twists and turns, all of the revelations they discover and the solutions they find and how they all grow really moved me and kept me involved. I also love the battle-system and the little touches like the characters staggering to their feet when they are low on HP.
10) List one to three of your favourite Final Fantasy characters and why:
Yuffie Kisaragi has been my favourite FF character since the first time she tried to beat up my party in the woods outside Junon. I like her because she's a brash, hyperactive, kleptomaniac, smart-ass, ninja princess. What's not to love? And yes, she steals their materia but a) she's doing it for her country, and b) it's really no worse than being an eco-terrorist, spy, mercenary or assassin like the rest of Avalanche. She really grows throughout the game, she goes from saying things like 'it's nothing to do with me but I guess I'll help out' to actually correcting Cloud when he says it's his task to defeat Sephiroth. She tells him that it's 'our task.' According to the Case of Yuffie she's the one who really doesn't want the group to split up, so she does clearly care about them. And if you have her in the party during Aerith's death she cries her eyes out all over Cloud's shoulder. I had her in the party the first time I saw it and that, along with the pagoda side quest, cemented her role as my favourite character.
I also love Basch. Partly because he used the phrase 'it wasn't me, it was my evil twin' in all seriousness. Also partly because of how loyal and devoted he was to Ashe and to Dalmasca, and how he helped his brother out at the end, to the point of giving up his own identity. I also really liked his friendships with Vaan and Penelo and his mentorship of Larsa as well.
I really like Rydia as well. I love the fact she starts off as a child that needs protection, then comes back all grown-up and powerful to do the saving and refuses to be left behind at the end. Her relationship with Edge is really amusing. It also makes me laugh that she is quite often the voice of reason in the group.
11) One to three characters you relate to (you may reuse answers from #8 if applicable) and why:
I totally relate to Penelo. She doesn’t set out to be a hero, she is not a warrior or a princess or the type of person that you would see as a freedom-fighter. She gets involved by accident and then tags along to help out Vaan and the people she cares about. I can understand that.
I also relate to Vivi quite a lot, and his journey to discover who he is and coming to terms with the concepts of fear and death and the loss of innocence. I think he is one of the bravest Final Fantasy characters in the whole series.
12) The FF game you liked playing least:
I am not a big fan of VIII. I didn’t like the Junction system much, I don’t enjoy messing with time as a plot devise and I didn’t like the way Squall went from “… Whatever” to “I’ll blast off into space to save you!” towards Rinoa without much in between. It is the only FF game I have started and not finished.
13) One to three FF characters you dislike and why:
I am not a big fan of Squall (which disappointed me a lot as I played Kingdom Hearts first and loved Leon). He is just a bit too cold for me to really feel sympathetic towards and as mentioned above, I didn’t enjoy his relationship with Rinoa which is the biggest part of his character development.
I was also really irritated by Snow. How many times do you have to try and punch someone only to be repulsed by an invisible force field before you stop doing it? It annoyed me every time it happened in a cut scene. Also, I don’t like his hat.
14) Favourite weapon in a Final Fantasy game (either the name if you liked the name, or a picture if you liked the look of it, or a description if it had awesome stats/abilities):
I really liked Yuffie’s Conformer. It's very un-ninja-y coloured, which made me smile, and if you put a mastered double-cut materia in it, it did an unbelievable amount of damage.
15) Your favourite Final Fantasy summon (e.g. Ifrit, Carbuncle, Bahamut, etc.):
I would love a pet Carbuncle, to be honest, but it terms of attack power and back story I would have to say Anima.
16) Your favourite spell/ability/technique that can be learned in a Final Fantasy game (e.g. Esuna, Steal, special finishes/overdrives such as Tifa's Final Heaven limit break, etc.):
My favourite overdrive is Rikku’s Mix. I always got everyone to Entrust their overdrives to her. It was just so useful, since you didn’t have to spend lots of turns buffing everyone and it can then be used to cause quite a lot of damage.
17) A Final Fantasy mini-game/sidequest you invested entirely too much time into :
Dodging the lightning in X. I was so bad at but it got to the stage where I couldn’t bring myself to give up.
18) Your favourite Cid:
Cid from Final Fantasy X. He tries to protect the Summoners, even if it doesn’t go well, and he is willing to destroy the Home he built to protect his people.
19) Optional: Up to one class you think does not fit you, with reasoning why.
I think I would be far too clumsy and noticeable to make a good thief. But Yuffie manages it, so who knows?