Stamped; Soundtrack Theme
Basics
Name: Tomoyo Ichijouji
Nickname: Tomoyo-chan
Gender: ♀
Personality
Describe yourself (how you perceive yourself -- can be as short or as long as you want! ;) ):
I think I’m a person who’s very kind at heart, but isn’t always sure how to best express that. There’s times when my train of thought is quite different from others, so often there’s misunderstanding, usually minor but sometimes it’s a problem. Although I’m very forthright and I can’t lie or deceive to save my life, I am very sensitive to people’s reactions to me. Yet sometimes it’s hard for me to interpret what I sense, so I don’t know if what I said or did made someone uncomfortable or even angry at times. That’s why I am very polite and mannerly to strangers or people I’ve just met, to try and make them feel comfortable, since that way you can’t go wrong and make them feel bad. Of course a little later I’ll try to find connections between us and find something in common to talk about. :D
Another way I’d describe myself: curious. I always am the one asking questions on a tour or in class while others may be kind of lost or not really interested. I read articles online about various scientific discoveries or current events, so I know what’s going on in the world. I watch shows on the Discovery channel and PBS for kicks, and I read the newspaper and Time magazine for fun sometimes too XD I get excited when there’s a new episode of Nova on (a science TV show). In other words, I’m a geek ^_^ And lovin’ it!
Despite being interested in world events, I’m not interested in going into politics (being forthright to a fault ^^;;). I’m the type that likes to converse with people and discuss philosophical issues (recently I was talking about the place artificial intelligence would have in a future society, and about the sentience of non-biological beings).
But I do have a daring side. I love roller coasters. Recently when I went to an amusement park I tried going on the front seat of each one, and I would so totally do it again. XD It’s like you’re flying! I also learned something new: when you’re falling straight down, if you tense up, you’ll feel sicker than if you just relax your muscles and let yourself follow the drop. Before I thought if I did that, I’d throw up, but I tried it and I didn’t. ^_^ I think that’s also something that can be applied to life in general for me, that I need to relax and things will be all right if you strap yourself in right and don’t eat right beforehand. Now I just need to convince my anxious side. :P
BTW, I don’t know if video games count as ‘daring’, but I have lots of fun fighting monsters with friends and letting off some steam that way. I like platformers, which has interactive fighting, but also RPGs, which have very rich stories, characters, and especially worlds; compared to a TV show, which is linear, a game can go much more into the world the characters live in, and even have more character interaction.
Haha, I totally didn’t expect to make it that long, sorry. XP (That’s almost a page…^^;;)
You've heard people say you are:
Nice, smart, hardworking, creative, honest, cute (^^;;), anxious, efficient, someone with strong opinions.
Overall, would you say your life is:
Peaceful/Full of conflict? My life in of itself is quite mundane, if not stereotypical (I’ve grown up in an area that is probably atypical from the rest of the country). Consists of school, family, friends, homework, yadda yadda, although I think mine is more concentrated on academia than social. I do deal with conflict among other people on teams, like for projects, or within friends and family. But, I think psychologically I make a lot of conflict for myself, even if in the big picture it’s not really that big a deal I suppose. Loads of it is because I am an incredibly anxious person. I also am surprisingly insecure and unsure of myself for being so forthright. So, yes, conflict is present; mostly internal, with myself and at times with people close to me. But I guess everybody has conflict, right? :P
Filled with other people/Full of Solitude?
There are lots of people that play roles in my life, certainly, especially when it comes to work and projects (whether for school or for ourselves). I enjoy being with other people, especially if they’re interested in the same things as I am. :) It’s just very few of them do I really get to know, or feel like they know me. Or many times, I’m not sure if they know me or not…or even if I know myself. ^^;; So in that way, there’s a lot of solitude. A lot of my life consists of me thinking by myself, whenever there’s a spare moment.
In general, would you say you are (expound if you can, please)...
Loud/Quiet? With strangers or co-workers, I’m generally even-volumed; if an issue comes up or things get emotional (or if my anxiety crops up XP ) though, I might get loud. With friends, I can get quite loud when I’m excited. Many times notably I get loud without meaning to.
Faithful/Skeptical? Skeptical. Being into science, you’ve got to be skeptical of anything, no matter where or who or what it comes from. That’s the only way to get to the truth if there is one.
Realist/idealist? I’m probably an idealist, but that might be because I’m surrounded by realists, so that’s who I compare myself to. A skeptical idealist may seem like an oxymoron, but that may have to do with my optimism. Thing is, I’m also a cynic, and this can be evinced by how funny I find the social commentary of South Park XD;; Still though, even though I hate people being stupid and mean and suspect that people are many times, always still I hope and believe in the people that are thoughtful and kind, and in the thoughtfulness and kindness of those that don’t seem to be. Maybe I really am a realist, but just a very optimistic one.
Shy/outgoing? Outgoing. Even if sometimes I might be quiet, especially to strangers, it’s usually lack of motivation to interact rather than just reluctance to do so. If I find we share an interest, I become a veritable chatterbox. :P And if there’s conflict…well, once my robotics team was about to be dragged along by a small group in it who wanted to do things their way. I thought that it was going to hurt the team badly, so I stood up several times to argue against it, and was the only one that did so besides the advisors. I did feel very vulnerable, and thought I was foolish for being so worked up, but I felt really incensed and desperate. But we avoided doing what the small group wanted, and I think we ended up doing all right (we were having a rough time that year). Although I don’t know if what I said actually kept us from going the wrong direction, the advisors really seemed impressed with me and they still reminded me about it years later. ^^;;
An extrovert/an introvert? Probably an introvert. Mind you, that doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy being around people; what this indicates actually is what reenergizes you. If being around people gives you energy, that’s extroversion; if instead you need to recharge after going out with friends (even if it was really fun!), that is introversion. I go with the latter, since being alone I can regain strength to go have fun with people again. ^_^ Again, I also really tend to want to think a lot.
An optimist/pessimist? Despite any of the above, I’m an optimist, and I think I always will be. I feel that if you always expect the worst, then you’ll always get the worst, and you’ll never be able to obtain a better result, or even see it when it’s there. It’s kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy to me. More than anything, I want to live with sincere hope that even if it might waver or momentarily disappear when I’m feeling upset or weak, it will always come back stronger than ever.
Music-Related
Favorite song/s: I’ve got several favorites (it was already kinda hard to narrow it down ^^;;), and unless you’re familiar with lots of anime or video game soundtracks you probably haven’t heard of a lot of them (but you’ve likely heard some! :D ). Going from my playlist:
Final Fantasy IX: “Ruins of Madain Sari” & “Place of Memory”
Final Fantasy XII: “Eruyt Village”
Asatte no Houkou: “Sincerity” (Magokoro) (btw I don’t even plan to watch this show but I love this song, it sounds just like its name)
.hack/liminality: “Epitaph” and “Sweet Memories #2” by Yuki Kajiura
Kingdom Hearts 2: “Dearly Beloved” & “The Afternoon Streets”
Pirates of the Caribbean: “He’s a Pirate” <- many of you know it, right? XD It’s the main theme.
Utena: “Revolution” & “The Sunlit Garden - Illusion”
Mario Party 3: “Select File” <- a cheerful, magical song, yet somehow strangely mysterious to me XD
Tales of the Abyss: “Zao Ruins”, “Aramis Springs”, & “The Floating Imperial City”
Favorite artist/s and/or composers: Yuki Kajiura, Hikaru Nanase for anime soundtracks; Schubert and Tchaikovsky for classical (Schubert composed the Unfinished Symphony and the Rosamunde incidental music, which are some of my absolute favorites of classical).
Favorite lyrics:
The only song with lyrics above is Revolution from Utena, but I also have another favorite song that I don’t listen to very often but I consider it my personal anthem. :D I haven’t found another song that inspires me like this one.
“I’m a Pioneer” (English) from Tenchi Muyo OVA (a bit long, so here are a few favorite snippets):
“Can’t you see that I am a pioneer
Unlocking the greatest mysteries
My key is a fearless heart, so pure and strong”
“If you’re tired of everything come here to ride with me
You’ll cry out with joy when you realize you’re free
It’s a trip like no other for your heart and mind
leaving all but the future far behind”
“Hand in hand we’ll journey as pioneers
unlocking the greatest mysteries”
“They can’t stop you when you’re a pioneer
for truth is your greatest weapon
Out there in the cosmos where we both belong”
And my favorite part from “Revolution”, the last lines:
“And even if the two of us should be separated
I will change the world.”
The whole song has the same spirit; even if the show itself isn’t my absolute favorite (although I really do like it a lot), this song I’ll always remember.
What sounds (e.g. birds singing) do you find pleasing to the ear? And vice versa? I like the sounds of leaves rustling and the wind, birds singing, the sounds of the ocean, rain, music boxes, but also quiet chaos like the sound of a lot of people talking casually in one place. I also like wind chimes, and the sound of choir voices. Although I don’t exactly find it pleasant, thunder is something I find fascinating and perhaps thrilling. I don’t find it frightening, at least.
Sounds I don’t like are usually some kinds of scraping sounds and paper being ripped. I also don’t really like the sound of something viscous bubbling (water bubbling on the other hand sounds nice).
What genre/s or type/s of music do you prefer? Which ones do you dislike?
I like instrumental for the most part. The music I usually listen to would be ones that are good for studying, so quiet songs, usually with an air of mystery, affection, cheer or often a mix of the three. I also have a strange penchant for somewhat childlike songs, as a few Mario Party tracks on my playlist can attest :P
But if I’m not working then I also like ones full of adventure and intrigue, and ones with determination and hope. I also like some music with shadowy edges (not exactly dark). Danse Macabre is an example people might be familiar with here.
However, I’ve never liked heavy metal or loud, cacophonic songs that have no discernable tune ^^;; One somewhat exception for the heavy metal part might be Otherworld from Final Fantasy X, and that’s because it has this strength-with-desperado atmosphere that struck me strongly, and it does have a strong melody.
If your life had a soundtrack, what songs would be in it? Why? Well, there would have to be some scholarly sounding songs, because school is a big part of my life, but interspersed there would be many contemplative songs, since inbetween busy moments I start thinking and imagining things. They’d vary in cheerfulness and somberness, but it would often be overlaid with anxious overtones, sometimes getting very overwhelming. ^^;; I guess I can’t be totally specific, but I know one thing for sure: it will always end with a song full of adventure, excitement, hope, and looking into the future.
If you were trapped in a room (feel free to enhance on this scenario) and had to listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Well, if I was trapped in a room where I could do anything I wanted, it would be a good quiet study song, so I could do a number of things in there without getting too distracted. At the same time, I’d want something encouraging so that when I’m feeling depressed or insecure, the gentle cheer of the song would help keep me going. I looked through my playlist carefully and I think the song that this would match is “The Afternoon Streets” from the Kingdom Hearts 2 soundtrack. If all I could do was listen to the song, and nothing else, then I would pick “Eruyt Village” from FFXII for its beauty, tranquillity, and enigma.
Links to 3 apps you voted on (update as you go on):
I, II, III
Anything else? Oh, and because a recent app reminded me, I love things that shine and sparkle as well. ^o^ That’s why I like a lot of songs that sound very sparkly, too.