Awww..."beautiful and unexpected things" indeed. And lilacs are one of the things I miss most since moving south. One variety does a poor imitation of survival down here, but that's nothing compared to the backyards and walkways and parks filled with them that I remember from Chicago.
Aaah! I just love lilac! We used to have lilac bushes in our backyard when I was little and we would always pick them while in bloom and put small vases of them all around the house. I feel so nostalgic whenever I smell lilac now.
Anyway! I love the character development. Beauty was so hesitant in taking the flowers he offered her in the last Act and now... Just too cute! :D
This page makes me ridiculously happy. And you did it with one line of dialogue and some very evocative, beautiful art. A captured gaze, two hands... You are GOOD at showing something beautiful with expert subtlety.
Thank you for this, it's going to make my day tomorrow better.
Oh, I understand. I struggle with it, too. I have to treat myself like a nervous animal when I'm changing my schedule -- lots of promised rewards and things that smell like home, haha.
Lilacs are the source of fond memories for me. We had six bushes of them in the backyard of the house where I grew up. They were beautiful, but also untended. As the years passed, they grew bigger and wilder (and did I mention BIGGER?)
When they started brushing the power line into the house, Mom declared that they needed to go.
Ah, that breaks my heart! I've always dreamed of having mature lilac trees -- but, as The Beast pointed out earlier, if you don't keep them well-pruned, the healthy new growth gets choked out.
I just found this and I think it's wonderful! B&B is my all time favorite fairytale and I always enjoy finding new re-tellings of it. (Rose Daughter and Beauty by Robin McKinley are my favorite novel forms) You are doing a great job! I love the character development and the Beast's back story. One question (don't answer if you don't want to)... How much older is the Beast than Beauty? I know in both of McKinley's versions he was a bit older than her and I suppose it only makes sense for him to be in his enchantment for many years... but every story is different. Your Beast refers back to the time when he was "young"... does that mean he is a lot older than Beauty? Does this/will this effect their relationship? (Btw... love the slow and sweet development of their relationship... especially Beast's shy but increasingly hopeful demeanor) Keep up the good work! I look forward to the rest of the story!
I don’t think he’s that much older than she is, but he has been there a long time —longer than even he could say with certainty. I think he’s been “stuck in time” since becoming entangled in his enchantment, and a lot of what has happened since then has served to give him a weariness and gravitas he might not have developed otherwise.
Beauty is someone who is young for her age, and The Beast has become a bit old for his.... They're good for each other in that he grounds her and encourages her to be a bit less impulsive and a little more analytical, whereas she has an earnestness and optimism that keep startling him out of his tendancy for melancholy and gloomy self-reflection... she's growing up, and he's opening up.
Thank you for the thoughtful question and the lovely comments!
Oh, it's so nice to hear people having wonderful memories and thoughts for lilacs. I honestly cannot remember the last time I was graced with its fragrance. Never had it growing up as my mother is actually allergic to them! I think I happened upon some one day wandering a farmers market, and now that I'm living in the desert they're not exactly plentiful down here either. Oh I miss real trees that aren't cacti or palm. I shall have to go searching the nurseries in the area in hopes that one may have something.
Yay subtleties of the heart! I wholeheartedly agree with everyone else that such is beautifully done and it just makes one want to squeal with joy and hug them both together. I think it also shows the great respect each has for each other. I so envy your talent and thank you eternally for sharing your vision and beautiful art with the world.
Even a cage can be gilded - and something "unexpected and beautiful" could bloom between those kept inside. It's so cute that he gives her that sprig of lilacs(?) and that she seems to be accepting it.
