OOC INFORMATION

Player Name: Mary Beth
Are you over 18?: Yes
Contact: PM, swanning
Other Characters in Game: N/A

IC INFORMATION

Character Name: Belle
Canon: Once Upon A Time
Canon Point: 4x11 - I had briefly considered 3x12 as a canon point and made mention of it in a single thread on the TDM, but the only reference was her location at the time of the summoning. I would prefer this canon point because I think it encourages her to be more receptive to the kingdom's request for help.
Background: here

Suitability: There are a series of similarities between Thorne and Belle's canon that make her a great fit for this game. While the fantasy setting reminds Belle of life in the Enchanted Forest, there is much more to it than that. Belle is an educated and clever woman. Her love of books is something more than just proof of her intelligence; she's often able to recall events, languages, magical items, and other relevant bits of information based on what she's read. Before she had traveled anywhere past her town, her love of books taught her about the world beyond her land. She's always been eager to experience new places and possibilities, while connecting those adventures to the knowledge that her stories offered her.

Belle is a character who has always dreamed of adventure. While she understands that the kingdom of Thorne must have been desperate for help to have summoned them (similar to her own kingdom seeking help from Rumplestiltskin in her canon), she is not the type of person who would refuse to get involved. She will seek to learn all she can about the kingdom and fight for all of the newcomers to be treated fairly, while also keeping in mind the people of Thorne and how to help them. Belle genuinely wants to help people because she believes it's the right thing to do. She wouldn't turn her back on anyone who needed support, and would use her research to try to help everyone get what they need.

What Belle can offer is something different than a soldier in a war. She's not a fighter in the traditional sense, but can outsmart characters who have a physical advantage over her. She understands the complexities of politics, has learned a great deal about magic, and would focus her thoughts on problem-solving and conflict resolution. She is also highly empathic and might be able to provide insights into how to the other side of a conflict is feeling.

In addition, while I'm hoping to have Belle welcomed into the city, she does know what it's like to be on the other side of the bars. Having been imprisoned for over twenty-eight years, she is a character who will seek to interact with those in the dungeon and with those who've been summoned to friendlier circumstances. She relates to people easily and will look for ways to unite those groups. Her belief is that they are all stronger together.

Belle will be interested in learning about the magic of this new world. In her world, all magic comes with a price. It hasn't stopped her from seeking out magical items or helping others with magic spells, but it does ground her in the understanding that magic is something to be used with caution. She will want to learn how to use magic because it is a way she might be able to help the people around her, and because she has enough faith in herself to believe that her good intentions won't be corrupted by using it. She's someone who will actively seek out ways to feel useful, and since magic is an area where she can study and learn from others, it is something she will be comfortable practicing under someone else's guidance.

Belle also has a history of going on adventures with other characters in order to gain information, a magic item, or to help someone. She travels with a famous warrior (Mulan) to help hunt a dangerous creature (the yaoguai). On her own, Belle discovers that the yaoguai is a creature seeking her help. She "defeats" the yaoguai by using fairy dust to turn him back into a man, breaking the curse he'd been suffering from. This would make her a great person to team up with on quests. She would be eager to participate and works well with others.

In her heart, Belle is a character who tries to leave people and places better than she found them. I think that she would provide hope and kindness to people in the dark setting of this game. She's not afraid of the darkness and isn't easily corrupted by it. Her focus would be on assisting others and learning enough about this world to leave a positive mark on it.

Powers: None. Though she has used magic before, Belle doesn't have any powers or magic on her own. Her own understanding of magic is limited to using it a few times, what she's read in books, and the experience of living with the Dark One.

PERSONALITY QUESTIONS

Describe an important event in your character's life and how it impacted them.

One loss that is frequently brought up in Belle's story is the death of her mother. The ogres were advancing on their castle, and Colette was desperately trying to get the most important books in the palace library to safety. She sends her guards away with a trunk of books to put in the carriage, and calls out to Belle. When her mother was trying to take books from the library, Belle had disappeared to find her copy of Her Handsome Hero. After a moment, Belle rushes back to her mother, but it's too late to do anything but hide. They hide from the ogres, but the ogres find them. Colette dies protecting Belle from the ogres.

Eventually, Belle wakes up in her bed and is informed her mother has died in the attack. She seems to have blocked out the memory of it, and goes searching for a magical way to restore her memories. She tries and fails to find a solution, and goes home to her Papa, who tells her what happened. He explains how her mother stood in the path of the ogres, sacrificing herself so that the guards could get Belle to safety. Within the same conversation, Belle learns that the ogres are on the roads near their town and tells her father that their soldiers won't be enough to save them from the ogres. Belle says that, on her journey, she learned about a powerful wizard who can save them.

Belle says that her mother's death taught her that sometimes a hero has to sacrifice everything to save the people they love. Her mother's death is what inspires her to sacrifice herself to save her people. She agrees to the deal with Rumplestiltskin because she knows that her loved ones will survive if she goes with him. This is also the conversation where the idea of asking Rumple for help is mentioned, which is the beginning of their Beauty and the Beast story. Though her mother's loss is a tragic moment in Belle's life, it inspires her to live a life of purpose and to help others no matter how she might suffer the consequences for it.

Does your character have a moral code, or other set of standards they try to live by?

It's implied that Belle takes inspiration from the main character of her favorite book. She says that compassion and forgiveness are the things that make a hero, and admits to wanting to be a hero herself. We see examples of her showing compassion in canon when she decides she would rather let Robin Hood go than watch him be tortured by Rumple. She shows compassion for a young ogre by refusing to let Gaston harm him. Belle constantly shows compassion for Rumple by encouraging him to be a man instead of a monster, and trying to help him reunite with his son.

He is also the character who she constantly has to forgive for one lie or another, and she does. She forgives him, and Hook, and eventually even Regina throughout the course of the series. Belle recognizes change in others and is willing to forgive them when they're sincere in trying to become a better person.

Belle has a strong moral code. Her idea of right and wrong is inspired by qualities she believes are heroic, and by a desire to be brave. She believes that once you find something worth fighting for, you should never give it up. It's why she constantly fights for Rumplestiltskin's redemption and supports him in being more man than beast. She believes that true love is worth fighting for, even when it isn't always easy to love someone.

That said, Belle also seems to understand the complexities of war and battle. She doesn't object to fighting the ogres, just the innocent one who doesn't want to harm them. When she is attacked, she fights back because she has to. If the yaoguai had attacked, she had her sword ready and was prepared to end it's life. Belle does everything she can to avoid violence, but she seems to recognize that there are times when it is unavoidable.

What quality or qualities do they admire most?

Belle admires courage, integrity, and kindness. Her mother is the person who taught her how to read when she was a child, and her favorite book is the first one her mother ever read to her. The book is called Her Handsome Hero and Belle seems to define heroism by the actions of the main character in the book. Instead of wanting to find a hero like the one in the story (marrying someone who will take care of her), Belle wants to become a hero herself.

When Rumple asks her why she agreed to go with him, she tells him "I always wanted to be brave. I figured, do the brave thing and bravery will follow.". When she made her deal with Rumple, she was still afraid of him. Flashbacks show her sobbing about missing her family and being his servant. But when she saves Robin Hood, Robin offers to help her escape. Belle declines, saying she wouldn't want Rumple to harm her friends or family, even if she believes he wouldn't kill her for leaving. She shows she values courage by agreeing to go with him and honoring their deal, even when there's a way out.

This is also an example of how she values integrity by refusing to break their deal. She also holds Rumple to his word, and leaves him when he lies to her, showing she values integrity in others.

In a flashback, Belle and Gaston are engaged. They discover a young ogre in a trap. Ogres are the enemy that are slaughtering their town, but Belle sees it as too young to be harmful and wants to let it go. Gaston agrees to leave it until they know it is okay to release the creature. Belle trusts him, and goes to find a magical item to help uncover whether or not the ogre will harm them. Instead of leaving the ogre alone, Gaston tortures it until it attacks him. Later, Gaston leads a hunting party to chase down the ogre that he had provoked and tortured. When Belle finds out, she calls him a monster and protects the ogre from him. She realizes that Gaston has evil in his heart and that she can't trust him.

Belle shows she admires kindness in how she treats others. Until she has a reason not to trust someone, she offers them friendship. In fact, even people who have tried to harm her in canon are often on the receiving end of her kindness. For example, John and Michael Darling were sent by Pan to destroy Pandora's Box. They threaten Belle and Ariel, but when Belle gets the upper hand, she quickly discovers that they're only working for Pan to save their sister. Instead of punishing them for trying to harm her, she helps them to understand that getting the box back to Neverland is the best way to help their sister.

Belle is also the one who helps Robin Hood escape from Rumplestiltskin's castle, and who convinces Rumple to spare Robin Hood's life. She also shows kindness to Ruby when the woman is afraid she's a danger to Storybrooke. It's also important to note that Belle doesn't only value kindness by showing it, she also seeks it out in other people. There is nothing that brings out her sassy side faster than someone being rude to her or someone she loves.

Do they have a part of themselves they dislike?

At her current canon point, Belle dislikes the part of herself that wants so badly to support Rumple that she loses herself in being his support system. She tells him that she didn't care about his power or his magic, she just wanted him. Belle knew the overwhelming darkness he was facing, and she tried to face it with him. The problem was that he loved his darkness more than he loved her.

Belle's faith in people, particularly in Rumple, makes it difficult for her to suspect when they might be lying with her. She was heartbroken when she realized that the thing he loved the most was his dagger. Earlier in canon, she also didn't realize that the lengths her papa would go to in order to keep her away from Rumplestiltskin were so extreme that he would arrange to have his own daughter kidnapped to protect her.

Most of the time, Belle stands by her belief in people. Overall, she'd much rather see the best in someone and hope that they will learn to see it in themselves. She believes in (and ultimately gives both Rumple and her papa) second chances. However, there are times when she loses herself in trying to fix people who aren't ready to change. She stands by wanting to help them, but it takes her a lot of time and heartbreak to understand that her belief in someone isn't enough to save them. They have to want it for themselves, too.

What is their sign, and why?

There are a number of signs that could work for Belle. Ultimately, I kept coming back to Strength being the best choice for her. I chose this for many reasons, but the one that makes it feel the most appropriate to me is based on the moment when she agrees to go with the Dark One in exchange for him protecting her kingdom from the ogres.

In that moment, she exemplifies the qualities of "Strength". She sacrifices her freedom for the safety of her family and her people, not knowing anything about the Dark One beyond his awful reputation. She has explained this as feeling like it was her opportunity, as a woman, to do something brave (in a time where those opportunities weren't presented to women very often). Belle has the heart of a hero, even if she doesn't have the combat or physical presence that might be typically expected for a defender of those in need.

She is also strong in an emotional sense. Though Rumplestiltskin could kill her when she steps out of line, she speaks up to him anyway. She looks past the darkness that his magic has created in him and finds the man beneath all of his power. Instead of treating him like a monster, she treats him like a person.

Belle has suffered through tragic events, like losing her mother and being Regina's prisoner, and she still treats people with kindness and approaches the world with a sense of hope and optimism.

Her strength, at times, also means rushing into danger when she shouldn't. It means she's so sure of the right thing that it puts her in danger when she voices it. An example of this is when Regina takes as a prisoner and holds her captive, both before the curse and through its entirety. Eventually, when Hook tries to rescue her (attempting to convince her to help him in his quest to get revenge on Rumplestiltskin), she refuses to participate. Playing along would have at least gotten her out of her cell, but Belle immediately shut him down and he changed his mind from wanting to help her to wanting to kill her. She has no interest in lying for self-preservation, even when she should.

SAMPLES & ARRIVAL

Samples: Test Drive samples

Arrival Scenario: Belle canonically was imprisoned by Regina for over twenty-eight years. I would love it if she could be WELCOMED here, instead.