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I am super pumped today! Becaaaause it’s Beautiful People time! I haven’t done just a good ol’ classic BP in ages. Beautiful Books was going down in October through January, and then I skipped February’s BP (oops). It was SEPTEMBER the last time there was just a normal BP for me to do. I HAVE MISSED IT.

I figured since I am (read: supposed to be) editing my Beauty and the Beast retelling, Burning Thorns, I should do a character from it. This month I was feeling the Dragon a.k.a the Beast himself. Because it’s too fun to dig deep into the inner workings of a character who adamantly does not want his life publicly displayed. *cackles*
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The Forest was once so bright.
A yearning fastened to his chest, constricting, throbbing.
With the greatest of care, he inched forward, not daring to make a sound, even breathe. But the moment his shadow cast over the happy gathering, like a spooked flock of birds, they fled. The fairies zipped back into the flower buds, the nymphs wisped away beyond the branches, the gnomes burrowed themselves in the earth. When the thumping of the stag’s great white hooves faded, only Rose remained. She sat unmoving in the midst of the rose petals, her back to the Beast.
Even still he held his breath, expecting her to dart away like the rest.
Finally, finally, she turned to him. She smiled, though something had faded in her eyes.
“Why do they fear you?” she asked. Not accusingly, not with bitterness. She simply wanted to know, and yet that confused him all the more.
He looked down at his gloved hand and crumpled the thick leather into a fist. “Everyone fears me.” Doubts niggled at his mind, thoughts he pondered every day since she came. He had to know.
Keeping his head down, voice low, he asked. “Why don’t you?”
He did not expect her chuckle. Something inside him lifted at the happy sound. He moved his gaze back to her and found the light had returned in her eyes.
She stood and brushed dirt from her dress. “Because,” she flapped her skirts and then looked him straight in the eye, “you’re not the beast the stories make you out to be.” Her smile and the twinkle in her eyes grew softer, sincere. “You’re kind.”
That constriction in his chest tightened, became more painful by the second. He studied her innocent face. So pure, so full of life and light and love. And him… Tainted.

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THE DRAGON
 
1.) What’s their favorite book/movie/play/etc.?
Well, TV doesn’t exist in his world (this is a medieval fairytale after all), and that’s quite unfortunate for him since he’s spent the past 30 years stuck inside a castle in the middle of the woods. Talk about boring. Luckily, he’s got a very extensive library, and one does not have to have TV when there are BOOKS.
His favorite types of books to read are deep and complicated adventure stories. If Lord of the Rings existed in his world, he’d be all over it. He likes to think. Nothing frilly or simple, please. He does also enjoy history books, but anything else nonfiction tends to bore him.

2.) Is there anything they regret doing?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Ahem.
The real question here is: Is there anything he doesn’t regret doing? His entire life is one big convoluted ball of regret. Let’s just say he manipulated someone, which turned into the death of someone, which turned into him being cursed forever, which turned into a whole pile of problems that extend way beyond his own little world. And that’s just before the story even starts.
His life is a mess, guys.

3.) If they were sick or wounded, who would take care of them and how?
…No one. He’s all on his lonesome. He’d have to take care of himself. *sniffles*
The good(ish) news is that his “curse” makes it where he never really gets sick and it’s extremely difficult to wound him. Not a recommended medical plan, but it works for him.

4.) Is there an object they can’t bear to part with and why?
There are two: A dagger and a hand mirror.
The dagger he keeps because it’d be bad if it fell in the wrong hands for…reasons. It’s also the key to breaking his curse so, yeah, he likes to keep it close and may or may not be grumpy about other people touching it.
The hand mirror is something he doesn’t think he wants, he thinks it’s just an annoyance because of, um, reasons again. But when he loses it he realizes how much he relied on it. Or should I say her. *COUGH*
Wow, guys, all these answers are so vague! These questions are digging into some seriously big spoilers…

5.) What are 5 ways to win their heart (or friendship)?

• Actually treat him like a human being and not a beast. (Cliché, yes, but don’t we all want to be seen as a human being and not some monster? That’s the point of B&B. Or one of the points.)
• Don’t let him be alone. He may think he wants to be by himself, but deep down he’s desperate for quality time. It gets him right to the core when someone actually wants to spend time with him.
• Keep things lighthearted. That may sound odd, but the Dragon has a lot of darkness in his life. He deals with a lot of depression and, as we’ve learned, a boatload of regret. He’s very endeared by someone who finds joy in the little things, who can make jokes, and just is all around gentle and kind and fun-loving, since those are all things he struggles to ever achieve.
• Any acts of pure, selfless service. He’s used to having to fend for himself and being treated badly. Someone doing something nice for him just because they want to, not to get something out of it, is foreign to what his life has been for many, many years. Being shown acts of kindness is something he needs.
• Most importantly, words of affirmation is his love language, so even more than acts of service, a kind word will go a long, loooong way with him. It’s hands down the quickest way to his heart.

Hm, now I wonder who has all these traits?

6.) Describe a typical outfit for them from top to bottom.
He’ll usually be found in dark clothes. Most of the time he’s in black trousers and a plain tunic. On the rare times he leaves the castle, he wears a full robe with a hood to cover himself in. He also likes to wear black gloves and a black mask that covers the right side of his face to cover his…deformities.

7.) What’s their favorite type of weather?
Bright and warm summer days are definitely his favorites. And he learns to appreciate the sun even more after he ends up living in a place where, well, there really is no sunlight.
He can’t stand the rain or heavily overcast days. They’re too depressing. Again, he loves the sun. Too bad he never gets to see it anymore… Ahem.

8.) What’s the worst fight they’ve ever been in?
Eheheheheh. Going back to #2 and his regrets. As I mentioned, someone dies. And it was because of a fight. Which was entirely his fault. And his curse happened. But I’ll just leave it there.
So informative, I know.

9.) What names or nicknames have they been called throughout their life?
Oh dear. Well, I suppose “Dragon” would be a…nickname? It’s certainly not his real name, but that’s what he prefers to be called over other things. Such as “Beast”. A certain person calls him “Beastie” which isn’t nice at all. I think he’s referred to as “the shadow” a time or two because of reasons. And then of course “monster” is a common one.
Ya know, all fun things.

10.) What makes their heart feel alive?
*points back up to #5* Any one of those things. Really, just making him feel loved. Showing him he can be loved and is not some evil monster. That he’s not a beast.

~ ~ ~

I have no idea if you guys got anything from that. That’s what I get for choosing a character whose entire life is one walking spoiler. Ah well. I do still love my Dragon.
 

Tell me your thoughts! What do you think of my Dragon? And have you joined the Beautiful People Linkup this month???