Beauty and the Beast

I wanted to do a beauty and the beast story for some time, as ultimately it is a story about not being an incel creeper who can never save himself, and instead becoming a person who looks to others for inspiration on how to grow and improve. Having a Main Male Character (MMC) who needs the Main Female Character (FMC) to survive, either to encourage him to better himself, is a theme I dearly love.

To me, the idea that someone would improve themselves for the sake of love is deeply romantic.

Fathom touches on that, where the MMC has already acknowledged the need to change, and tried to break ties with the toxicity in his life that was holding him back. He is in that budding state of growth when he meets the FMC, and she is the catalyst that really helps him escape.

Now, don't worry, my FMCs get to grow and be characters as well, but her growth isn't about being a better person, it is about acknowledging her inner beast.

The thing is, the first book doesn't cover the most important idea in the beauty and beast archetype: letting go. In a good beauty and beast story, the beast has to let go. He has to accept that love that cannot leave can never be love.

That is a character arc that needs three books to complete.