funnygirl | 002 | Video/Action

[To say the past couple of weeks have been strange would be an understatement. Even though Belle had been forewarned about the kinds of things that happen around the time of new arrivals, nothing could quite prepare her for losing all her memories so suddenly, or getting them back just as fast. At least during that week she hadn't been aware of the mistakes she made and now that it was all over she felt too embarrassed to talk to anyone...besides Beast. But in that she really had no choice since she lived with him. But even so she's been careful to keep the subject of that strange week out of their conversations and-hopefully-out of Beast's thoughts as well.

So in the following week she takes to cleaning up there house, just as she told Beast she would. She wipes down every inch of it, clearing away the dust and the grime. And one day in the middle of the week she leaves the house to pick up some food to stock the kitchen. And she also makes a quick trip to the library to pick out a few new books to read and to return the others.

But this afternoon finds Belle once again at the library. She's standing in front of one of many bookshelves, scanning the spines of the books. There's just so many to choose from, she doesn't know where to start. She's mostly been reading stories she recognized from her own world, but she can only re-read those so many times before she's in the for something new. Finally she flips open her journal for the first time since the Shift and addresses the network.]

Good afternoon Luceti. For those who don't know, my name is Belle. And I was just wondering if any of you would be so kind as to recommend some books to me. There are so many I'm unfamiliar with in the library and it's a little bit daunting. I really would appreciate your recommendations. I enjoy reading fairy tales, if that helps. But really, I'm sure I would enjoy anything.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The ones you recommended, are they tragedies? It's just that I'm quite fond of happy endings.

[Which is why she so loves fairy tales, which...usually end happily.]

Hamlet does not have a happy ending, so best to avoid that. The Tempest is quite happy, I think. And the others are history... so there is some happy, some sad, as one might expect.

Of course. I think I might begin with The Tempest. Could you tell me a bit about it? A quick summary would be fine.

'tis about a scholar and magician named Prospero, who has been stranded on an isle by men jealous of him, one of whom is his brother. His daughter Miranda is with him in this exile. His brother is later stranded on the island with him by a storm, and the story proceeds from there.

It sounds like a case of the brother getting what he deserved. But of course that doesn't help Prospero and his daughter.

Thank you for the recommendation. I'm now intrigued.

Once you have read it, I should like to know what you think. Though I will warn you, Miranda is not a terribly compelling character. I was rather disappointed by her.

I shall let you know once I've finished it then. But...what is it you found disappointing about her?

She's rather... passive.

I...see. In what way?

Utter compliance with the wishes of her father.

...which admittedly is not terribly uncommon where I am from... but I don't find it all that charming.

I'm afraid I can't say it's uncommon where I am from either. Women don't have many options in society. We're to marry young and have children-preferably male of course. [There's absolutely no hint of bitterness in her tone, nope. You're hearing things.]

That sounds rather eerily familiar.

Occasionally women run off to join the Valkyrie and escape that sad lot, though that requires they forever swear off men... which I imagine to some may seem quite appealing. I've only known one woman who escaped either of those fates. [And that might be just a little bit of wistfulness in his tone.]

And what is the Valkyrie? I can't say that I haven't had similar thoughts myself at times. [Gaston would put any self-respecting woman off men. Handsome or not.]

Female warriors. They have their own territory in which no men are allowed.

Women are allowed to be warriors where you're from? They sound like they are quite distrustful of men.

Only among the Valkyrie are they so allowed. They are their own independent... tribe, I suppose you could call it. Society. Women are not warriors among the Aesir.

...except for Sif.

She must be quite strong to be the only exception.

She is. She... showed everyone, I suppose you could say.

[Better to not think about Sif, though. She's part of a life that is no longer his, but he still misses her.]

She sounds like an exceptional woman. But very different from the women of my world. Honestly, I wished more of them could be like that.

She is. I wish... [No, he doesn't. No he doesn't wish she was here. For so many reasons, including what she might now think of him. It's better to keep that illusion.]

'twas not easy for her. She worked twice as hard as any of the boys, I think. And had to fight her father every step of the way.

After a while, I think many tire of fighting. And I cannot place blame for that.

[And neither could Belle really. In her time women were ruled by their fathers until they were married. And then it became their duty to follow after their husbands. And to ask for independence would ruin their reputation, and the reputation for their family. It was rarely worth it.

But thankfully her father had never been like traditional fathers. Which is probably why, at least in part, Belle is nothing like a traditional woman.]

Neither can I. But I have hope that things will change for us one day. So many people here seem to have different ideas about women. They see us more as equals. Even if this is simply the way of other worlds, that doesn't mean it won't be adopted by our own one day.

I've noticed this, myself. The attitudes on Midgard had changed much since the last time I spent any time at all there. [He isn't impressed with or enamored of mortals, like Thor, but he has to give them that. It's an uncomfortable thought.]

That's what I would call progress. For good or bad I think we would all be quite lost without it.

Without progress, you'd be quite boring, that's certain.

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