Excuse me, do you know who I am?
Basics
Name: Alyssa
Age: 17
Location WI
Hobbies: Drawing, baking, experimenting with my hair
Likes: Thinking, observing, doing things my own way, coffee, water, change
Dislikes: Algebra, whining, excuses, being looked down upon, rules/boundaries
Favorite Movies: Gone with the Wind, Pulp Fiction, Clue, Treasure Planet (and other Disney movies), the Lord of the Rings trilogy, A Love Song for Bobby Long, Spirited Away, Domino
Favorite Music: The Pixies, The Decemberists, M.I.A., Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash, Tom Petty, Outkast
Favorite Books (other than HDM): The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld, Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice, A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
Job/career aspirations: There are so many things I want to do, it's hard to focus on just one area, just one dream. In the near future I would like to get some sort of short-term job on a farm or in hospitality/tourism that provides housing. It would also be a plus if I have to travel far to get there. It's harder to pin down what I'd like to do in the future, for the rest of my life. The more realistic career paths I'm interested in are publishing/editing and filmmaking. But I kind of hate the idea of being tied down to one career for the rest of my life.
Would you like to be stamped a female ,male ,or it doesn't matter?: No preference.
Personality
What are your strengths? I don't let myself get intimidated by any situation; I have a "just do it" attitude. Likewise, I am not intimidated by any person. I feel I can interact with people very effectively, because I don't see my status "lower" than anyone else's, so I can talk to everyone as an equal. I don't need others' approval to be comfortable. I'm very independent and rely only on myself.
What are your weaknesses? I don't think things through enough; my overconfidence causes me to kind of just saunter into things without any sort of plan. Sometimes I have trouble being realistic because I believe problems will just magically work themselves out in the end. It's hard for me to stick with a decision; I don't like to think that my fate is sealed, I want my options to remain open as long as possible. It's a problem because other people seem to expect me to commit myself much sooner than I'd like (college, anyone?). I am also very secretive, very few people really know me.
Describe yourself in five words. Independent, confident, creative, aloof, fickle
How do you think others see you? A stranger once told me I had a look in my eyes like I wanted to shoot something and kill it...? Really, there could be many answers to this question. I feel like I'm a lot of different things to a lot of different people.
Are you a leader or a follower? Loner? Neither? Both?
Are you more outgoing or shy? Reserved. I'm not quiet because I'm shy, I'm probably just not interested in talking to you.
What causes you stress? How do you relax? I have a no-stress policy. No matter what's going on, I don't let myself worry about it, I just deal with it. And if it's really bad, I just laugh it off. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Or maybe I'm just ridiculously laid-back.
How do you deal with conflict? I just roll my eyes and think about how absurd the other person is. I don't like to get into it with people, so I just walk away; they can think what they want about me afterwards. Trying to provoke me is a complete waste of time.
When do you feel most comfortable? I suppose when I'm alone. But even if a certain situation did make me feel awkward, I would never admit it.
Who or what is most important to you? My independence. I would never give up my personal freedom, and the thought of really needing other people is not attractive to me.
What are you good at? Getting my way, lying
What do you wish you were better at? Everything. No matter how good you are at something, you can always be better.
What do you hope to achieve in your life? Physical security. What I want most is to be able to support myself financially.
The Books
When did you first read His Dark Materials? When I was 11. I got the whole trilogy as a gift.
What do you like about the books? I always like books that create a whole new unique world. I had never read a book before that had anything like daemons, or different worlds coexisting quite the same way they do in HDM. Mostly, I love the fact that it's a children's book that doesn't insult the intelligence of children. I think more kid's books should deal with deeper, more important themes. Not to force opinions on kids, but do it in a way that gets them thinking for themselves. Those were the kinds of books I wanted to read in elementary school.
Who is your favourite character? Why? Will. That is a kid who is IN CONTROL. I love that he is so mature at a young age. He takes care of his mother and himself, and he also made Lyra grow up a little too. The addition of Will made her character much more likable to me. I also love how street-smart he is.
Who is your least favourite character? Why? I can't think of one off the top of my head.
Of all the worlds mentioned in the books, which would you most like to visit? I could live without meeting my daemon; I would rather visit Cittàgazze. I have been absolutely in love with that place ever since I read The Subtle Knife. I am partial to places with a Mediterranean atmosphere, but just the lonely beauty of the place really captured me when Will first arrived there. Sometimes I just think about what would happen if I woke up one day and everyone was gone (I daydream about weird things :P). And even when the other kids showed up, it was almost as cool. Who didn't dream about a place with no adults when they were little?!