empatheias

[booksandroses]

⌈ PLAYER SECTION ⌉
Player: Riddle
Contact: tiger_eyes
Age: 33
Current Characters: Sansa Stark stonebird


⌈ CHARACTER SECTION ⌉
Character: Belle
Age: 17
Canon: Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Canon Point: During the final ball.

Background: In the village of Villeneuve...

Personality: Belle is a bright, opinionated, creative and well-read young woman. Much of her nature - particularly her strengths - can be traced back to her father, Maurice. He is a talented inventor who has openly shared his ideas with her - and included her in the making of his inventions - since she was a baby. After the death of her mother - due to plague - Maurice became Belle's world and he did all in his power to protect her from the illness that stole her mother away. Unfortunately that meant she grew to adulthood in a very boring and backwards village. Said village, Villeneuve, is boring and backwards because it adheres to old-fashioned gender roles: the men work their crafts or their farming and the women take care of the home. Belle wants far more from her life - she is independent and unafraid of delving into the unknown. Thus she tries to make the most of her home, reading every book she can get her hands on and supporting her father even if, by following her heart, she is seen as "a funny girl".

She is aware that her title as "a funny girl" isn't a compliment. The villagers' meaning behind such a title isn't lost on her. Because she has no desire to marry/settle down, she is one of the village oddities. Furthermore, her scholarly pursuits are seen as comical (or "funny"). After all, what use could a woman have for learning Shakespeare or Latin? Yet Belle is unafraid of flying in the face of convention and even guiding other little girls to follow in her footsteps. To her, there is no shame in daydreaming, curiosity, a thirst for adventure or a woman pursuing a scholarly education. What she finds deplorable are those like the villagers and Gaston, who would much rather see her fitting, nice and neat, into their world view.

Belle is lucky to have the support of her father and that is why, after the Beast kidnaps him, she understands that, in exchange for all the love and support he has given her over the years, she must become the Beast's prisoner instead. Belle reveals that even in the midst of true fear, she can be strong. She is not the sort that runs away from her problems - even if they are strangely enchanted or magical in nature. As a result, she is rewarded with a castle full of new friends who seem to genuinely care about her well-being. Of course all she can focus on is getting back to her father and seeing that he isn't worrying himself to death about her. She can't help worrying and spending her lonely hours crafting methods in which she can escape.

Some might say she is loyal to a fault - especially when she is willing to jump onto a rope made of sheets outside of a castle window in order to escape - however Belle does not give her loyalty or her heart easily. Thus it is understandable that she is taken by surprise when instead of detesting her warden - and wanting to be free of him - she comes to care for him. There is a side of Belle that she hides as best as she can from the villagers - though she is less cautious about her expressions with Gaston (he does deserve to be mocked). However she holds nothing back with the Beast - eventually showing him that she can match his mischief and his temper if she is taunted or pushed enough. For example, it seems entirely unlikely that she would have had a snowball fight with anyone in the village. And, over time, once she understands that she truly enjoys his company, those competitive, playful emotions become something deeper.

The Beast's care and support encourage Belle to finally speak her mind to the villagers when she rides out to rescue her father. She isn't afraid of them, though when they march to the Beast's castle, she is afraid for him. Belle is a brave, high-spirited young woman, but, unfortunately, she has no experience fighting combat. Thus there isn't much she can do against Gaston and the Beast's death awakens in her a grief so deep that she must tell him how she feels. Those three words are perhaps the bravest she has ever uttered and they prove that, despite her being a normal girl, there is power behind language; behind words.

With the spell broken, the Beast and his servants saved, Belle has blossomed into the woman she has always wanted to be. She is graceful, mischievous, sharp-tongued when need be (and when her temper is provoked) and infinitely kind to her friends/family. The love she has been given is returned to all who meet her. She isn't afraid to be different and she is finally in a place where everyone will accept her and support her no matter what she wants to study or invent. In a way, Belle and her father are finally home and she will complement her Prince well as they rule together.

Abilities:

- She is well-read/intelligent.
- She has a sharp wit/tongue.
- She is very brave when it comes to those she loves. Jumping around on a crumbling castle is no big deal!
- Her experience in the village has made her a little bitter, though now that she is quite happy with her Prince, she is letting those old issues go. However she will always have a short fuse with the narrow minded.
- Belle is not physically strong, but she that doesn't stop her from trying to do the impossible.

Alignment: Sosyne - Belle is a passionate young woman and she has a temper almost as bad as the Beast's. However, unlike him, she uses her anger to demand respect. All too often, she is treated as lesser in her village because she is a woman and because she has some odd habits. Yet, thanks to the Beast/Adam accepting her intelligence and her desire to learn, she has grown calmer and her defensiveness has transformed into contentment.

Other:


⌈ SAMPLE SECTION ⌉
Remember that we ask for samples that show 1) core character portrayal and 2) some use of emotions, such as environmental effect. You can also use the same sample source for both, just make sure to directly link or quote the emotion portion. We highly encourage using the Test Drive, and you can use prompts from the Test Drives, Intro Logs, and the Task board if you need them. Refer to the main application page for links and more suggestions.

General Sample: I have so many inquiries that I don't know where to start. To be polite, I will introduce myself: my name is Belle. [Surnames don't exist for Belle and her father. That would probably be problematic if they lived in a larger city.] It is my understanding that no one chose to be here, so if I can be of any assistance, just ask.

[Helping others will be a nice distraction from missing Adam, her father and the rest of the castle's inhabitants.]

Perhaps, in the mean time, you can tell me more about the places you call home? I am from France and currently I am living in a castle. I never expected I would end up in such a place. I'm not royalty, really. [Though she will be a Princess through marriage.] My father is an inventor and we lived, for most of my life, in a small house in a quiet village called Villeneuve.

Emotion Sample: Both TDM samples apply.


Questions: