Describe yourself as three fictional characters

[dragonyphoenix]

It took me a while to get past one, but once I did I didn’t stop at three! Prompted by luscious2.

1. Rupert Giles (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Naturally my thoughts went immediately to BtVS. I once took a “which Buffy character are you?” and it came back with Giles. I was surprised. I would have said Willow, especially early Willow, because in high-school I was geeky, a study-holic, and not part of the regular crowd.

But dutiful as a youth, rebel around the college years, and then returning to the fold? Yep, that’s definitely me. Oh, and also that whole issues with authority - the Council in Giles’ case - as an adult. That’s me too.

2. Sleeping Beauty

I’d planned to number these in the order I came up with them, but this description helps explain some of the others.

I had anemia that had probably built up over decades. Over time I withdrew more and more. To the point that I had one group of friends left: the Sisters of the Silver Branch. We met once a month to discuss pagan books. I would have withdrawn from them as well but each time I was thinking of it Anne would say something that kept me going. Note: she was surprised to hear that; she didn’t realize that I’d been thinking of leaving the group.

So, I withdrew to the point that I can look back and feel that I was sleeping through my life.

3. Parker (Leverage)

Particularly in the early seasons, Parker just doesn’t get people. She doesn’t know how to have friends. From the anemia, most of my friends sort of faded away as groups broke up and people moved and so forth. I’m part of a group where three of the members are much closer to each other than they are to me. I feel like I’m on the outside looking in. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong, but I've been feeling like a misfit even around other misfits.

Or I did feel that way. Then my friend Anne (same on from Sisters group mentioned earlier) invited me over for dinner. She’s got a bunch of food from her garden and we’re going to cook Korean on Saturday. So now I’m feeling less like I don’t know how to have friends.

4. crazy lady in hospital waiting room (The Fisher King at 2:45 in the clip)

When I had anemia, I was slipping further and further into a bad mindset and them my mother passed away. My thoughts pretty much became a series of rants. It took 2 1/2 years of therapy to get me into a better mindset (and now the stress of trying to sell my house and find a new job at the same time is showing me how much further I have to go.)

5. Ekaterin (the Vorkosigan books)

Again this relates to the anemia. She was in an abusive relationship and withdrew to protect herself.

And I know it sounds crazy to say my last job (career) was abusive but they would literally give me no work and then scream at me because I wasn’t working. A friend described it as “basically you’re being payed to be yelled at.” My employers obviously didn’t say they were yelling at me because I had no work to do. They suggested that I was lazy even though when I did have work I jumped right in and got it done more quickly than they expected. (NB: my thoughts/feelings at this job relate to the crazy woman bad mindset I discussed earlier)

What I also related to is Ekaterin going through job listings and realizing she doesn’t have the experience to do any of them. And also she was down to almost no friends and had to build up from there.

Thoughts on:

And I don’t want to leave this at a downer. We only see the crazy lady for a few minutes so I can’t say what happens with her, but while I do sometimes slip into that level of ranting in my head crazy, I do come out of it and I do see a broader picture.

As for the rest of these characters, they all do improve their lives.

Comments

[dragonyphoenix.livejournal.com]

Thanks. The anemia was related to really heavy periods. Happily I'm in menopause now and I'm taking iron.