004 to sleep, perchance to dream

[theladyofwinterfell]

Who: Sansa Stark
Action: Marsiva like everyone else, alas.
When: 7 February

( Being a social sort of person, Sansa's current confinement on the Marsiva has been more than trying on her patience. She's had her memories invaded and hasn't been able to spend time with Tyrion the way she likes to at night. She hasn't been able to have training with Jim or Bucky. She hasn't been able to meet Kogarasumaru for tea or Leia to chat. She hasn't even been able to work on Akeldama's fine coats as much as she wants.

She is, overall, wholly unhappy with the situation.

The Atroma, being a cruel sort, had not provided her with any of her needlework to occupy her time. They did give her a warm shawl she'd gotten in the last system, though, and a pair of fuzzy slippers. She takes both with her to the main room and tries to find a book that catches her fantasy. Unlike Tyrion, she's no reader, and she wishes there were cards or a cyvasse board to better occupy her time. She picks one and pages through it. It turns out to be unwieldy, though, and not the romantic fantasy she'd prefer. And, as such, she ends up falling asleep with the book on her chest, startling when she hears someone come up alongside her. )

I'm awake, I swear it! I only dozed off for a moment.

Comments

[unbearablynaive]

[He inclines his head, smiling back at her friendliness.]

Well, I suppose that would depend what sort of stories or music you like. Adventures, mysteries, romances. Stories about finding true friendship as part of a team, or political intrigue and suspense. Stories about proving your worth and being accepted despite adversity. [Those are his favorite. Can't imagine why.] Something light with a satisfying ending, something a little darker that makes you think, something full of monsters where the hero may or may not win.

[His smile quirks a bit.] Or something full of gratuitous violence and nudity with much entertainment value but little in the way of story. Those are rather popular in my time.

[theladyofwinterfell]

Oh, no, I don't want anything violent. I actually rather favor romances, even if my life has been arduous enough to quell any notions of romance from it. Do you know any romantic songs or romantic books, Vision?

( Perhaps Sansa will stumble upon one that Tyrion hasn't heard or read, even, and it'll be something she can teach him instead of the other way around. These things happen very rarely but when they do, it does delight her so. )

[unbearablynaive]

Certainly. Let me see what I can find.

[Truthfully, romance isn't the first thing he looks for in a story - but with his own life being what it is, he's at least fond of the genre and picks up a few books from the shelf. Looks like they have Jane Eyre and The Notebook, and how can one forget Pride and Prejudice? One a little more to his personal taste is The Time-Traveler's Wife, and his hand hovers over a fifth book before closing without picking it up.]

These will be good to begin with, I think, and each different from the last. But this last one--I must say, the movie version of it is superior, and considered a classic in my time. Would you like to watch the video on the large screen?

[Cause he sure wouldn't mind, and is in fact already scrolling to find The Pincess Bride.]

[theladyofwinterfell]

( Sansa often forgets about the medium of film, since it isn't something in Westeros, and the idea that she might be able to watch a romantic story rather than force herself through the tedium of reading it delights her. She gives Vision a quick nod. )

I would absolutely love to watch it with you. We do not have video where I hail from so I even forget it's an option sometimes, except for communication purposes.

[unbearablynaive]

Excellent. One of the advantages of the format is that it can be paused at any point if you feel you need a refreshment, so don't hesitate to interrupt it if anything comes up.

[But he has an inkling that she'll enjoy it too much to notice the time passing, especially since there shouldn't be too much as far as unfamiliar culture; it does take place in an imagined setting, after all. Still--]

Do let me know if you find anything too unfamiliar, however, and I'll be happy to give a brief explanation.

[With that he starts up the film and sits back. It's a charming tale, and pretty straightforward as far as romance goes (despite the grandfather's assurance in the beginning that it's "not a kissing book").]

[theladyofwinterfell]

( What pleases Sansa most about this film is it seems to be set in an era and a place more like her home and is, therefore, more relatable to her. She never had a childhood sweetheart, no, but she knows the pain of forced marriage. )

It's so much better to watch it. I'm glad you suggested this one. Oh, but I do hope Buttercup doesn't have to marry him.

[unbearablynaive]

[For his part, the Vision enjoys animated work the most, but something with real actors is probably much easier for someone unfamiliar to the medium to get hooked with. And besides, it's one of the most highly-rated romance films of all time.

Most importantly (to Wanda, who is his primary source on these things), the conflict between the two lovers isn't based on bad communication that they could just solve by having a frank discussion with one another.]

The Prince is quite a piece of work. But she's stronger than she seems.

[But he's definitely not going to give anything away. That would be cheating.]

[theladyofwinterfell]

I like the idea of a woman who knows what she wants and isn't afraid to seek it. Buttercup seems to be that sort of woman.

( Her name might be a bit frivolous but, in some places, Sansa might be a frivolous name. Sansa won't judge based on that. She'll make her judgments, instead, on actions and actions alone. )

[unbearablynaive]

She's a bit constrained by her fiancee's political power and her kidnappers' weapons, but that's to be expected.

[And here she is trying to swim away from the boat, showing how she's not going to let them take her without a fight! He glances at Sansa to see how she'll take the fourth-wall-breaking moment when the narrator snaps out of the story to reassure the boy that Buttercup does not get eaten by the eels.]

[theladyofwinterfell]

( It is strange that the narrator seems to be able to address the audience. Sansa wonders if that's common in these videos or if this is unique only to this story. )

Lucky for Buttercup that she knows how to swim. I confess that I do not, or, rather, have been taking lessons but I never learned before coming here.

[unbearablynaive]

Especially while wearing a dress like that, though I admit I've seen worse as far as maneuverability is concerned.

[He's remembering the scene in the pirates movie where the pirate has to cut the corset off the young lady after she falls in the sea. Maybe that would be a good movie to follow up with, if Sansa likes this one.

But speaking of pirates, here comes the Man in Black. He won't spoil it for her. It's too good.]

The swordfighting scene is particularly well done.

[theladyofwinterfell]

My brother is quite a swordsman. He would enjoy this, I think.

( Sansa, for her part, is at the edge of her seat with her chin propped in her hand, watching with interest. Oh, but she hopes everything turns out all right. )

[unbearablynaive]

[There's just something so very satisfying about the part where the Man in Black reveals that he's not left-handed either. The fight ends well, with one man knocked out rather than slain, and the movie progresses.]

I never tire of that scene, no matter how often I watch this.

[theladyofwinterfell]

I don't think you could, really, with how exciting it is. I was on the edge of my seat here, quite literally.

( Sansa thinks she likes films better than books by far. It seems so much more life-like and interesting when it isn't words on a page. )

[unbearablynaive]

It's one of the very best swordfighting scenes of my time.

[Okay, so it's technically almost thirty years older than he is, but it still counts. Besides, if he wanted to give an example of film to someone who's never watched it before, what better place to start?

But now they're getting to the meat of the movie, and he rests his chin on his hands, grinning, when the Man in Black is revealed to be the long-lost farm boy after all.]

[theladyofwinterfell]

( Sansa keeps close to the television screen and she's delighted when the Dread Pirate Roberts is actually Wesley. Oh, what a wonderful twist! )

Oh, but he's not dead! He's alive!

[unbearablynaive]

I did promise a romance.

[And what kind of romance would it be if there wasn't True Love? It is the core of the story, after all, no matter what the grandpa narrator tells the little boy.

He continues watching, curious what she'll focus on.]

[theladyofwinterfell]

Oh, but I thought she'd lost him. He's not dead! Still, though, there's the matter of her marriage.

( Sansa knows all too well how arranged marriages aren't so easy to get out of. )

[unbearablynaive]

Not an easy matter, when it's a Prince against a pirate.

[Indeed, as soon as they're out of the Fire Swamp, the Prince's men take them captive - Buttercup back to the Palace, and Westley to a dungeon. He has to hold himself back from telling her everything will be all right - because soon the young boy in the framing story will have exactly that reaction.]

[theladyofwinterfell]

Ah, but he could at least fight for her. Granted, that's only if it's one on one, though. Not against an army.

( Sansa is eager to see if it works out, though, and she gasps when it seems things won't work the way she wants them to. )

[unbearablynaive]

[For a while there, it seems like he's dead - but this is a fantastical story, and the miracle man delivers with one of the best lines in the movie.]

You see, he's only mostly dead.

[theladyofwinterfell]

( Sansa giggles in spite of herself. Perhaps she shouldn't, considering people end up very dead in her world all the time, but it's quite comical here. )

Ah, yes, only mostly dead. A great distinction.

[unbearablynaive]

[It doesn't quite work like that in his world, either, but this is a story, after all.]

It is convenient how all their objectives align, at least as far as getting into the castle. But here, I like his solution to the guarded gate.

[It's why he likes Westley, really; he's clever.]

[theladyofwinterfell]

I like when things work out. They so rarely work out in my world, not to everyone's benefit, and I don't know. It's nice to escape that.

( That, and she'd be cross if Westley didn't get a chance to be with Buttercup. People deserve happiness, even fictional ones. )

[unbearablynaive]

The stories we tell are important. If we believe that true love can overcome all obstacles, we're more likely not to give up on it.

[Besides, what kind of jerk would he be if his recommendation for a romance didn't have a happy ending? But that's still a bit away, and the "mawwidge" ceremony skips to the end.]

--Ah, you may not be familiar with this, but in our society, both parties have to verbally agree to the marriage for it to be legal. He's skipped an important step here.