Ack, take two!

[kermit]

The Basics:

Name: Sean
Age: 22
Location: South Carolina, USA
Occupation: Woefully unemployed.
How did you find out about this community? (Specify usernames if you remember them.) ff_press linked to some essays and I ended up here.

Personality Questions:

1) List and expand upon your three best traits / strengths. (These should be personality-related, not physical.)

• Honesty. I'm the person people come to when they want an honest opinion on something. I'm not good at sugar coating things, which can make me seem crass, but I think it's better to say what you mean (and mean what you say). When I give someone a compliment, I mean it. When I have a problem with something, I let it be known.
• Loyalty. I would do just about anything for my loved ones. I've been close to most of my friends for at least a decade. I'm there for them when they need me, no matter what. Sometimes I might give them a little tough love, but they know that they can count on me.
• Inquisitive. I'm always eager to learn new things. This is probably why I read non-fiction more than any other genre and why I watch informational channels. I like learning how things work, or why people do stuff. I'm always interested in expanding my knowledge.

2) List and expand upon your three worst traits / weaknesses.

• Impatient. I'm not very good at waiting (doctors' offices can be unbearable). Sometimes I get frustrated when people don't catch on to things as quickly as I do, because I keep thinking that if I understand it then it shouldn't be hard to figure out. I also get frustrated with myself when I'm not understanding something as quickly as I think I should.
• Easily annoyed. I have a short temper and sometimes I get angry at things for no discernible reason, but when that happens it usually blows over just as quickly. This ties in a lot with my impatience.
• Withdrawn. I can actually be hard to get to know. I'm not very good at sharing my feelings and I usually forget that a lot of people like to be reminded that they're cared for. Sometimes it's really hard to show people that I care for them, which can create problems.

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 can go for months without feeling any need to hang out with friends. I've had a hard time learning how to socialize with people because I spend so much time by myself. I've been a very solitary person ever since I was a child. Being around large crowds is exhausting, so I avoid them whenever possible. I need a lot of "me" time to process my thoughts. Most of the time, I'm living in my head and it takes some work to pull me out of it into the real world. When I took the MBTI in college, I was ranked as an INTJ; the only variable that was scored as "very high" was the introvert variable.

Cheerful [ ] [ ] [X] [ ] [ ] Gloomy
Explain: Honestly? I don't know how to score it. I don't see myself as particularly cheerful or gloomy. I'm a realist, yes, and I'm often generally annoyed with people, but I'm no Eeyore. Sometimes I expect the worst and sometimes I just go with the flow and hope for the best. Some people (previous customers, friends, teachers, etc.) say that I'm cheerful, and others call me doom and gloom. So I dunno. I think it just depends on my mood, like most people.

Reserved [ ] [X] [ ] [ ] [ ] Impulsive
Explain: I've been called "standoffish" before and that I can be a bit cold. I like to make informed decisions. Being forced to make a decision without having the time to think about it makes me feel cross.

Energetic [ ] [ ] [ ] [X] [ ] Calm
Explain: I used to be extremely energetic, but nowadays not so much. I can get excited about some stuff, but for the most part I consider myself to be a calm guy. On the other hand, I can get annoyed rather quickly and I can be impatient. Once I've decided on something, I want it right then. I loathe waiting.

Feminine [ ] [ ] [X] [ ] [ ] Masculine/Tomboyish
Explain: I consider myself to be in the middle for the most part, occasionally veering over to the effeminate side. I doubt I'll ever be uber masculine. I like some things that might be considered girly, but all in all I think gender expression is too complex for either/or, or even a spectrum for the most part.

Grudge-holding [ ] [ ] [X] [ ] [ ] Forgiving
Explain: I don't know if I really hold grudges for very long. Little things blow over quickly for me. I try to be a forgiving person because I know that none of us are perfect, but I don't tolerate people who try to use me or treat me like crap. If I dislike a person, they'll know it. And once I've washed my hands of a person, that's it. I go on with my life and I don't care whether that person's still breathing. So I usually don't hold grudges for long periods of time. I either forgive you or cut you out of my life.

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 usually prefer working by myself. Working in group settings can often be overwhelming for me because there's a larger influx of information, which makes it harder for me to process. When I work in a group, I tend to just be quiet and let the other members decide, then do my part; but if I feel like they're being incompetent and that their incompetence will have some sort of negative effect on me, then I take over. At this point I become impatient and end up making most of the decisions myself. I can be a bit abrasive at this point, lol.

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? Oh gosh, I don't know. I've been sitting here for a few minutes trying to decide...I guess at this point I wouldn't be able to save anyone. I think I would try to save the children, but either way I'd feel incredibly guilty about not being able to save all of them.

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 let my friend vent. I'd offer advice if they needed it, but I'd probably just be a sounding board for them. I always feel incredibly awkward during these situations because I want to go out and fix whatever's wrong, which is usually something I can't do. If I offered advice and they didn't take it, then came back with the same problem, I would be annoyed. I had a friend who kept asking me for advice and wouldn't take it, and after the third or fourth time I told her she was gonna have to grow up and fix her problems. I can't stand it when people cry about things they can actually fix.

7) What interests/hobbies do you have? How do you like to spend your free time? I'm two steps above a recluse, really. I spend most of my free time playing video games or reading. I've recently become interested in pressing flowers, and I might start making picture arrangements for them once I gather enough. I'm not really an outdoors person, but in the evenings I try to go out for a 30 minute walk. I live out in the country, thank goodness. I really enjoy swimming, but we don't have a pool anymore so I don't get to go as much.

8) Describe one to three careers you would find ideal, with a little explanation of why it appeals to you. I think I would make a good librarian. I like being around books and quiet, and I also like organizing things. I do like to help people whenever possible, so I would gain satisfaction from being able to assist the patrons. I can be strict when necessary so enforcing the rules shouldn't be too hard.

FF Questions:

9) List one to three favorite Final Fantasy games and why you like them. Sequels/spin-offs/non-numbered/KH/Dissidia games are okay.

• Final Fantasy VIII. I love the characters and the battle system (the Junction system is incredibly easy). Squall and Rinoa are two of my favorite characters, so naturally I'm a bit biased towards this game! I genuinely like all the party members, and the music is gorgeous. And Triple Triad!
• Final Fantasy IX I love the plot, the characters, the music, the sidequests...pretty much everything. I adore Zidane and Dagger's relationship and watching it develop throughout the game. The ending gets me every time.
• Final Fantasy Tactics The plot has so many twists and turns, and so many memorable characters. Tactics was my first Final Fantasy, so I've always been fond of it. Ivalice is an amazing setting, and I'm always fascinated by the artifacts and missions. They put so much detail into the world.

10) List one to three of your favorite Final Fantasy characters and why:

• Squall Leonhart. I enjoy his moodiness, and that he actually told Quistis to go talk to a wall. As much as I love her, that was hilarious. He can be incredibly devoted, which is admirable. He cares about his friends, even if he's not very good at showing it. On a more shallow note, I just really like his design.
• Rinoa Heartilly. She's bossy, opinionated, and she's one of the few characters that actually calls Squall out on his crap. She can be a little naïve at times, but I like that she tries to do the right thing. She fights for what she believes in, but she's also afraid of losing the people she loves. You can see her actually care about people, which is sweet.
• Yuna. She's one of the strongest characters in the series. The fact that she's willing to lay down her life to bring happiness to others is incredibly touching (even if it's a little morbid). But she's also so strong-willed and doesn't let people use her. She's soft-spoken but she's no push-over. Her story is bittersweet because she doesn't get to have it all (ignoring the super happy ending of FFX-2). She fights so hard to save Spira and in the end she loses the one she loves. I'm a sucker for stories like that.

11) One to three characters you relate to (you may reuse answers from #8 if applicable) and why: I'd have to say that I relate to Squall the most. We both have a tendency to live inside our minds, which can make it hard for us to open up to other people. We can be a bit cold, but at the same time we're extremely devoted to our loved ones. We're quiet and we're both social disasters, but somehow we've managed to find friends we can count on.

12) The FF game you liked playing least: FFIII on the DS. I just couldn't get into it.

13) One to three FF characters you dislike and why: Hm, probably Vaan. I tried to like him, but he was too boring for me.

14) Favorite 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): Yuna's Nirvana! I like the name and the design, it's so pretty.



15) Your favorite Final Fantasy summon (e.g. Ifrit, Carbuncle, Bahamut, etc.): Hmmm, probably Anima. I love her backstory and how flippin' powerful she is.

16) Your favorite 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.): Squall's Renzokuken! Now I hit R1 when attacking no matter what game it is, haha.

17) A Final Fantasy mini-game/sidequest you invested entirely too much time into: Chocobo Hot and Cold from FFIX. -_- Entirely too much time.

18) Your favorite Cid: Hmm. I think FFIX's, just because he made me laugh a lot.

19) Optional: Up to one class you think does not fit you, with reasoning why. Um, I don't really know. I think I can see myself in all of them.