Profile for Flannery
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Flannery
Viper
Quote: "Give a man a candle, he'll be warm for an hour. Light a man on fire, he'll be warm for the rest of his life."
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"If I hadn't made me, I would've been made somehow..
If I hadn't assembled myself, I'd have fallen apart by now.
If I hadn't made me, I'd be more inclined to bow.
Powers that be, Would have swallowed me up,
But that's more than I can allow.
But...
If you let them make you, they'll make you Paper-Mache,
At a distance you're strong, until the wind comes,
Then you'll crumble and blow away."
-Brandon Boyde "Make Yourself"
* Please note:
All art in this profile (including the avatar!) is mine, except for the picture under the sign of Cancer of the woman and the giant crab in the sea. Do not steal! *
I will not impose upon you an extremely fancy background or my music preferences. I prefer to keep things simple.
Isn’t it interesting to know that no matter how clearly I define myself in this
fancy text box, people will walk away from this with their own impression of
me that may be very different from my own? Being as such, I think I’ll abandon
all elaboration at the beginning and just give you a...
A Bare-Bones Biography
Who am I? Ahhh, the ultimate question.
I wish I were more interesting. I wish I had a lifetime of interesting tales to
attract you and keep you here, but as it is, I am leading the quite ordinary life
of a twenty year old.
So what makes a Flannery?
I like art. I am a creative person. Art is my lifeblood. I almost always have a pen
in hand to satisfy my compulsive need to doodle. I enjoy painting, drawing,
photography, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Flash. I also have been known to write
on occasion when I have the focus, and I model as a hobby. If I weren’t tone-deaf, I’d probably play violin or sing. As it stands though, I sound like Brody Armstrong from the Distillers, so it ain’t gonna happen.
I am an intensely lustful person. I want to see everything there is to see, I have an appetite for knowledge that can never be satiated. The idea of being stagnant kills me. I always want to see wonder and magic in the world, I never want to become jaded or unimpressed. I will never stop learning or creating.
I have a fiendish love for good books and good movies.
I am a pretty reserved, awkward person in real life. I tend to put my foot
in my mouth. Well, not the whole foot perhaps, but at least a few toes on
a regular basis. I’m a hardcore nerd. Sometimes I’m pretty shy, and I
tend to keep to myself. However, with the people I consider my friends I am loyal,
animated, and quite the conversationalist and jokester. If there is one thing I have
learned in life, it is that blood does not dictate the line between family
and friends. I decide where that line stands. There are some members of my
family that will never feel like family, and some friends who have never
felt anything but.
I’ve been in love with the same guy since I was 15, and we’ve been together and
happy for almost three years now. He spends most of his time blowing raspberries on me. He says it’s what they do in Ireland. Eat potatoes and blow raspberries on people.
Sometimes I'm a bit like Lewis Black and I launch into a cynical rant about the state
of humanity and how stupid everyone is, but really...
....I'm all about niceness....
.....unless you're a dolt/cad/asshole/schmuck/bitch etc...
....Then I'll either tolerate you or trip you down some stairs. ;)
I have never been considered a typical person for my age.
I guess I’m “traditional.” I’ve been told I belong in a different era. I’m not a
square or anything, I just have manners and enjoy drinking tea.
I like bookstores more than department stores. I rescue insects from the
middle of sidewalks so nobody will tread on them. Popular culture
does not particularly interest me.
That's pretty much it. I think you'll find out that, despite being a
little weird, I am a really nice, down-to-earth type person. I'm a left-handed,
right-brained, grumbly little nut. :)
"Come ride with me
Through the veins of history
I'll show you how God
Falls asleep on the job
And how can we win?
When fools can be Kings
Dont waste your time
Or time will waste you..."
-Knights of Cydonia, Muse
My Beliefs
I do not confine myself to any organized religion or any organized political party (Or to any manner of organization at all....) I vote based on the competency and honesty of the candidates and whether they are going to protect and advocate the things I believe in personally. I take my issues as they come, and try to read between the lines and see things from every angle. I do not vote for anything unless I have digested it thoroughly.
That being said, my political boner seems to lean left with most issues, the most important ones being the protection of scientific endeavors from religion, gay marriage rights, women's rights, and the war in the Middle-East.
As far as religion goes, I am respectfully agnostic, split right down the middle. I can argue for the existence of God just as well as I can argue against it. I can see the good and evil in organized religion, and I defend everybody's right to believe what they believe, as long as it doesn't interfere with the well-being of others. I think religion needs to be taken off the shoulders of the delusional masses and be given to the individuals to keep within their own homes. In other-words, I think religion should be a personal matter. Only then can people of all religions and beliefs coexist peacefully.
I strive to live a Buddhist way of life. Beyond the things I can control, whatever will be will be. The best I can do is be true to myself, respect the lives of all things, and live a life of integrity and fulfillment.
I am always interested in near-death and out-of-body experiences, as well as all things supernatural. I am a skeptic, but I like to maintain some hope that there is magic and mystery in this world, and I know that there is infinity beyond our physical perception and mental comprehension.
Christopher Langan, Mellen-Thomas Benedict, and Deepak Chopra always keep me wondering and thinking.
I believe in constantly challenging your own beliefs. Questioning your truths, arriving at new ones, and then questioning those in turn. Never become too comfortable in your opinions or too stuck in your ways. Keep an open mind always.
When it comes right down it it, my motto on religious and political issues is merely:
"Respect my stupid beliefs and I'll respect your stupid beliefs."
"The soul should always stand ajar, ready to welcome the ecstatic experience."
-Emily Dickinson
Peace Is...
The idea that there is still magic and mystery out there.
Walking my dog with my headphones on, daydreaming.
Escaping into the books and movies of my childhood.
The first few days of any season.
The smell of fresh air after being in doors.
The smell of coffee in the morning.
Random stories of heroism or kindness.
Night storms and rain on the roof.
Fantasy and otherworldly places.
Being in Ireland.
Epic mountains, beautiful forests. Nature.
Photographs of the universe.
Watching insects on a sunny day.
A perfect or perfectly bizarre dream that is remembered all day.
My Heroes
Aung San Suu Kyi, the rightful leader of Burma, who has sacrificed so much for the sake of her own people.
The Dalai Lama: As someone who deeply respects Buddhism, how can I not admire the Dalai Lama? He is kind, wise, and despite it all, has a fantastic sense of humor. I got to see him in real life once, and I will never forget it.
My great-aunt Lauretta. She was a woman's rights activist in her younger years, and continues to be a world-traveler, teacher, and activist to this day, well into her 80's. She exemplifies strength, compassion, and a life well-lived. I love her dearly.
The selfless people who work with Médecins Sans Frontières. (Doctors without Borders.)
This woman. She is impossible to pin down and categorize. She is humble yet wise, strong, yet the first one to point out her own flaws. I hope one day I can grow to become the type of woman that she is. I am lucky to know her.
Likes
Books: I go in mainly for fantasy, science fiction,
dystopian, as well as gritty books with flawed
characters, weird situations, and an interesting
message. Some books I enjoy: The Lord of the
Rings series, Children of Men, Brave New World,
Harry Potter Series, Good Omens, anything by
Roald Dahl, Jane Eyre, Dracula, Junky, Finn
Mac Cool, David Sedaris short stories, Tokaido
Road, 25th Hour, A Clockwork Orange, Clan of
the Cave Bear, 1984, His Dark Materials series,
Grendel, Tigana, as well as mythology from all cultures.
Movies: I take my movies very seriously. I do not
see movies to see well-known celebrities or “hotties,”
I appreciate it all. A good script, cinematography,
direction, acting, set design. I really like Alan Lee's
set design work in Lord of the Rings. It is his work
that sparked my interest in illustration/art direction.
Some movies I like are: Lord of the Rings trilogy,
The Fifth Element, Luc Besson films, 28 Days Later,
Alien/s, Airplane!, The Breakfast Club, Garden State, Brick,
Harold and Maude, Batman, V for Vendetta, Ever After,
Billy Madison, The Wind that Shakes the Barley, The New World,
Wes Anderson's films, Children of Men, Little Miss Sunshine,
Superbad, Knocked Up, Anger Management, Studio Ghibli/Hayao
Miyazaki films, Name of the Rose, Fight Club, In Bruges, Man on
Fire, American Beauty, Slumdog Millionaire, Clint Eastwood
movies, Juno.
Music: Of course I enjoy music. Who doesn't?
I won't say the usual "I like everything except for
rap and country." I can generally appreciate the art
behind any genre of music, even the ones I don't care
for myself. I usually gravitate towards
rock/blues/instrumental. The bands I listen to most
often: Placebo, Garbage, Muse, The Mars Volta,
Joe Satriani, Incubus, The White Stripes, Tom Petty,
Green Day (Old stuff before they turned emo.) Muse
is probably my favorite. Matthew Bellamy is the
most beautiful tenor in the world, and a passionate,
great musician. I have yet to hear a bad song by Muse.
Television: I don't watch a lot of it, but there are some
shows I really dig. Rescue Me (Before it became
Politically Correct), Family Guy, Stand-up comedy,
Avatar-The Last Airbender, Animal Cops, No Reservations
with Anthony Bourdain, South Park, Futurama,
Blood Plus, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert,
Survivor Man, King of the Hill etc.
Video Games: They rock. 'Nuff said. Oblivion=Hell Yeah.
Puzzles: I am a puzzle fiend. Anything from
crosswords to Mensa to kakuro.
Art: Ahhh, my love of art. I love drawing and
painting, especially working with the human
form/faces/surrealism. I also experiment with crafts,
like beadwork and card making. I like twisted
surrealistic art, comic art, anything unique and
distinctive. Some artists I like are: Ayami
Kojima, Lucian Freud, Salvador Dali, H.R. Giger,
Tsuchiya Koitsu, Hieronymous Bosch, Alan Lee,
Jim Fitzpatrick, Norman Rockwell, Sam Weber,
Alex Andreev, Ron Mueck, J. Teal, and the
Artwork from Juxtapoz Art and Culture Magazine.
Comics: I ignore most manga, but I selectively
enjoy it. Vagabond, Deathnote, Chobits,
Wolf's Rain etc.
Cooking: I love being in the kitchen,
cooking/baking, what have you. Oh, and food
shopping.
Modeling: I don't consider myself to be a
professional model, but it's something I enjoy,
for reasons I can't exactly place myself.
Travel: Seeing new and different places.
Documenting them, taking them in. Escaping
from the norm is my drive in life.
Writing: I always have a million ideas bouncing
around in my head. Getting them down on paper
is another story, but I try to when I can.
My boyfriend: Definitely my other half. My nerd.
Just as crotchety and cynical as I am. Ours is a unique
love story involving an 8-hour time zone difference,
a student-visa, a change in residence from one country
to another, a few flight cancellations and
alterations, oneemergency landing, a
cross-dressing session, and a massive puppy.
My dogs: They are everything to me. No matter how
bad the day is, a happy tail wag is enough to make me
smile. I have three of them. A stinky ol' pug, a
fatn'happy labrador, and a huge, gangly great dane.
Hates
Cellphones and the poor etiquette that comes with them.
Modern country music (old stuff I can appreciate)
Rap culture (bling and hoes)
Kids and their increasingly superficial lifestyles. (Makeup on 8 year olds? WTF?)
Huge gas-guzzling vehicles
Religious intolerance
Smog
Censorship
The state of the world as a whole.
Apathy
The gradual extinction of libraries and the importance of books.
Closed-mindedness
Retail Jobs
The presumption that your opinions are actually universal facts.
On a shallow note, itchy sweaters.
The Sign of Cancer: Ruled by the Moon
The sign of Cancer witnesses to the importance of a sense of belonging in human life. It is, more than any other, the sign of home and family, but, fortunately in view of the conditions of modern life, not necessarily home and family in a literal sense. Having the Sun in Cancer, what you are striving for, whether consciously or not, is a sense that, whatever your circumstances, there is a place on earth, or an experience, or a group of people, or an interest, which can give you a sense of belonging, where you can feel at home and that you are a member of a family.
The sign of Cancer also witnesses to the importance of roots, or origins, of considering the present in relation to the past. Many people feel they can ignore the past, yet feel something is lacking from their lives. Cancerians enrich the present by honouring its links to history.
Since Cancerians have a need to feel they belong, they can be very reluctant to let go of or move on from situations that give them a sense of emotional security, and sometimes it is necessary to move on. Cancer is ruled by the Moon, and to have the Sun in the Moon's sign can indicate a reluctance to leave the realm of Mother, childhood home and family in order to undertake the solar task of becoming an individual in one's own right. This task is symbolised by the move from Cancer to the next sign Leo, which is ruled by the Sun.
Cancer is a water sign, and the psychological opposite is air, the thinking function. If you chart is lacking in planets in air, you are likely to find it difficult to view emotionally complex situations in which you may find yourself with any detachment. This can lead to compatibility issues in love relationships. You may be described as 'over-emotional' by people whose charts are dominated by the element of air - and maybe you see them as too detached!
Moon in Taurus
Emotional security is very important to a Moon in Taurus person. They seek reliability in both friends and lovers. Establishing this reliability takes time. However, once formed they are very loyal, affectionate, kind and thoughtful. Change really aggravates them and they like things to stay the same and are usually something of a traditionalist. They can form emotional attachments to ideas, routines, people and places. Once the attachment is formed they can become very possessive of it; possessive and jealous and unreasonable. There is often no reasoning with them and they have a tendency to become obsessive. Moon in Taurus people are extremely sensual and take great enjoyment out of material and sensory experiences. These individuals are quite practical and very capable when they set their minds to something.
“There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people.”
-Bumper Sticker
The Things I would do as President
1. Expose the real processes behind fast-food production. Strip them down, clean them up, tighten their regulations extremely, both for the welfare of the animals and the health of the people. Also, before you step into a McDonalds, you have to step on a scale. Sorry fatty, no cheeseburgers for you today.
2. Gay marriage will be legalized. A church can refuse to preform wedding services on the basis of religious opposition as it wishes, but this will not dictate the legality of the marriage.
3. Stop being allies with Israel. Try to establish peace between Palestine and Israel neutrally. No more dehumanizing Muslims!
4. Raise the driving age to 18. Teenagers don't even have fully developed brains yet. Can we really trust half a brain behind a ton of metal going 70 mph? Nope.
5. No TV Censorship. The tools are available to privately censor (I.E. Television controls, locks etc.), so if your children are being raised by the TV, it's entirely your fault.
6. Pot will be made legal and placed under the same restrictions as alcohol. No smoking under 21, and high-driving etc.
7. Religion, science, and politics will be kept entirely separate, none impeding on the processes of any of the others.
8. Place restrictions on the amount and types of gun private citizens can own. Nobody needs to own an AK-47, and nobody needs to have an arsenal of hand-guns. Place stricter regulations on who can own a gun and who cannot.
9. The justice system will be about justice. Not a game of who can afford the better lawyer. The right price will not allow a person to get away with anything. End of story.
10. Furthermore, a different prison set-up. They are nothing more than a cesspool for criminals and the perpetuation of their habits. Prisons need to be set up with the actual hope of rehabilitating criminals, not giving them free housing and food to ride out their punishment with their buddies, only to get out and repeat themselves.
11. Socialized medicine. Nobody will be denied the right to medicine or a cure based on how much money they have. Nobody should have to face death or suffering or pain because they run up short financially. You cannot have progress in a society that allows things to be this way.
12. Focus on disarming the world of nuclear weapons.
13. Harsher punishments for those who abuse animals. No more bullshit $200 fines. Dog-fighting gets twenty years, minimum.
14. On a similar note, ban BSL. It has no basis in fact, and is nothing more than discrimination.
15. More vehicle regulations. If you want a large, gas-guzzling truck, you need to prove you need it for a job, for farm-work, or to drive on rough terrain (for instance, if you lived in the mountains.) Cars over a certain size have to use deisel and pay more for parking. Increase the production of electric and hybrid cars, try to eliminate the need for fossil fuels. Also, no Hummers, dear God.
VR Pet Peeves
1. People who think it's cool to hit on me online. I don't date people online. And even if I did, first impressions are everything, and anyone who messages me with crap like this doesn't leave a good first impression. Ask yourself this: Would a girl pepper-spray you in the face if you said it out loud? Yes? Well, I might not be able to pepper-spray you, but you will get a rude message in return and will probably end up blocked. So please don't inquire about my "hot vampire pussy." Okay? Okay.
2. People who, without ever having introduced themselves, send me a message with three words or less, usually along the lines of, "hi, how r u?" Y'see....a good message is like a good book. Those first few words should draw a person in and make them want to keep reading. They should spark curiosity and a desire to continue, not make a person go "GUH!" and turn on the television instead.
3. People who insist on sending me custom bites even though I've turned off normal biting for a reason. If you have something to say, say it, don't send me a giant-ass stamp that screws up my inbox layout. All you're doing is honing my delete and block skills.
4. People who, despite the giant leaps in spell-check technology, still insist on typing like a two-year old. u taipin liek dis no imprez me n i block u so fast srsly omg. Internet-speak is the bane of my existence. Please avoid it for everyone's sake.
5. Similarly, people who TYPE IN ALL CAPS WITH NO PUNCTUATION or use thy keyboard as means to express thyself in Shakespearean Tongue. Thou art living in the 21st century, dolt.
6. Role-playing aside, you are not a vampire. Or a Lycan. Or any mixture of the two. Or any mixture of the two plus a dragon. You are not one of the Cullens, and you are not related to Vlad Drakul. If you stop eating food and only drink blood, you will die, not live for thousands of years and become a tormented Master Vampire. Similarly, you have not lived for thousands of years already as a tormented Master Vampire, you are probably only fifteen, and you probably have homework to do.........Woah! That was a heavy dose of reality, I know.
7. Cancer is not Beetlejuice. Mentioning his name three times in a row, or even constantly, will not make him miraculously appear and think you are awesome. I saw an actual snatch of Vamp-box conversation in which somebody said, "In two years, you'll be as old as Cancer!!!" WOW! Really? I doubt anybody else in the world is ever the same age as Cancer is. You're amazing! Truly.
8. Don't bitch about a rating I gave you. It wasn't for nothing, and it's not set in stone either. When you put something more than an angry sentence about your hair color and how you don't care if people don't like your hair color in your profile, I'll come back and give you a higher rating. Just ask. I don't mind people asking for a rerate, and am happy to give highly generous rerates. Incidentally, even if ratings were set in stone, the world will not come crumbling down because I gave you a five.
9. Go ahead, revenge-rate me. Hell, tell all your little friends to sign up for VR so they can revenge-rate me too. Oh my God, I have a 9.4 profile now? All my friends on VR think I'm totally uncool, nobody will talk to me anymore, and despite all appearances to the contrary, my profile must suck because you rated me so low! Whatever will I do?!
10. Don't message me telling me how insulted you are because something you enjoy doing falls under my pet-peeves list. I'm honestly not going to blow a head vein if you think you're really a vampire. This is just for laughs. So lighten up. :)
“Three passions have governed my life:
The longings for love, the search for knowledge,
And unbearable pity for the suffering of humankind.
Love brings ecstacy and relieves loneliness.
In the union of love I have seen
In a mystic miniature the prefiguring vision
Of the heavens that the saints and poets have imagined.
With equal passion I have sought knowledge.
I have wished to understand the hearts of people.
I have wished to know why the stars shine.
Love and knowledge led upwards to the heavens,
But always pity brought me back to earth;
Cries of pain reverberated in my heart
Of children in famine, of victims tortured
And of old people left helpless.
I long to alleviate the evil, but I cannot,
And I too suffer.
This has been my life; I found it worth living.
-Bertrand Russell"
Desiderata
Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let not this blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams; it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
--- Max Ehrmann
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Profile Created: Feb 18 2006
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Last on: September 8 2010 at 12:18 BST
Times Viewed: 14510
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| Times Rated: | 1336 | | Rating: | 9.816 |
Rate this profile
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17:30:48
Sep 03 2010
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I do not grant automatic 10s. You have to earn it. Message me once you have updated and I will return to re-rate you. Refer to my profile if you have any questions as to why you were rated less than a 10. Click the stamp to be reverted to my profile.
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13:00:20
Sep 03 2010
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...Just stopping by to sink My Teeth in...Don't be a stranger...I don't bite too hard...I'm really just a basic Milk n' Tuna type of Gal..
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21:50:24
Aug 29 2010
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