Oh gosh I'm finally caught-up! This is so wonderful, I hardly know what to say!
You've done a fantastic job developing these characters and their relationship (I cannot tell you how much I'm glad this is a slowburn!!!) and handling the dark undertones while still having these CUTE CUTE CUTE scenes oh my gosh I'm all giggly, and that's telling. :) Can't wait to read more!
Huh, the second panel makes me think of the emotion of greeting an old friend you haven't seen in while but still harbor feelings of affections for after all your time apart.
Oh! Brainstormed idea of mine! About later on in the story—near the end—Beauty finds the book in her room and inside is a letter Beast wrote to himself confessing how he's got feelings for her. Just a thought. But what do you think, Ms.Megan?
Ps. I love this story! :)
Beauty would find that letter, and be all "Oh, look, some little kid was practising their letters! Isn't that sweet!" and The Beast would evade like a pro, and never, ever, ever acknowledge his terrible handwriting and extremely florid declarations or love.
Hey, MsMegan. I have a question. Is there gonna be a rival for Beauty's affections later on in the story? If so, that'd be cool. But there doesn't have to be. It's your story anyway, I'm just a fan is all.
Ps. I'm the one who wrote about the idea with the letter…I…forgot to add my name.
I read this comment just before getting on the streetcar, and then it sort of brewed away in my head all the way home.
Beauty isn’t much of a romantic, frankly. She’s intellectually frustrated by her life, and can’t really connect with anyone in their village. She values education and book learning in ways that no one else around her does, and it makes it hard for her. In a way, she looks down on the population of their village, and they know it. She’s an outsider by merit of having been born elsewhere, having come from the merchant class rather than the peasant class, and having received a very good education.
So I don’t think there’s anyone who piques Beauty’s interest. She needs someone who can match her intellectually, and challenge her views. She has a rich inner life and any partner of hers would need to have an equally complex personal world. Virtue, by comparison, puts less value on philosophy and education. She’s a caretaker and a worrier by nature, so her husband, Claude, a sturdy, straightforward and reliable man, is a very good match for her. They’re happy despite very different backgrounds. As for Temperance, I doubt anyone meets Temperance’s standards. She has her own stuff going on.
I think Beauty’s been able to get this close to The Beast almost by merit of NOT seeing him as any sort of potential romantic partner. After the initial fears passed, his otherness sort of made him “safe”. That starting to change could be very scary for Beauty. We’ll see.
The Beast still seems to be in a light mood, though not certain what to make of the book. I wonder what he's writing...is he trying to see if his handwriting matches? I doubt it, with those hands. And goodness, this is the halfway point? Nooooooo, I don't want us to be this far along! It feels too soon!
