>"Again, I'm sorry it took me so long to read, but... Well, I was kind of saving it up. Yes. I was hoarding fic. Silly, isn't it?"
Thank you very much for reading it, and for letting me know! And I completely understand about hoarding stories. I have a few barricades of new-to-me tales, preserved pristine for need. I'm honored to have had "Starwort" play a brick in such a structure. :-)
>"The fact that Fleur can make deductions and play with subtleties, and match Lacroix at his own game of manipulation, that's what really makes this story."
Thank you! I think Fleur must be at least potentially Lacroix's equal in order for the romance to have appeal. If he were able to dominate her (as he is able to dominate many characters), it would be just another simple tragedy, and unworthy of the attention they all pay it.
I wanted to show her running her life successfully, on her own terms.
>"Which, of course, goes a long way toward proving my point that Lacroix likes Natalie, at least as much as he likes any mortal, if not a little more, but he sees the parallels to Fleur..."
Over the years, I've become convinced that Diane Carey's core concept for "Be My Valentine" was that parallel between Fleur and Natalie. Fleur's astronomy is meant to say "scientist like Natalie" to us. Her attention to Lacroix's injuries is meant to say "doctor like Natalie." Her reaction to the revelation of vampirism echoes Natalie's. And then Lacroix makes the parallel explicit, giving it his seal of recognition by designating Natalie for his very specific revenge-in-trade.
Of course, one pivotal difference is that Fleur is not a resister, while Natalie, as we generally interpret "Only the Lonely," is. Endless canon debate there...
Anyway, I absolutely agree that Lacroix sees the similarity, and in ways I think Nick wouldn't have if Lacroix hadn't pointed it out so, um, emphatically. :-)
I wonder, come to think of it, to what degree Janette sees that parallel. She has met both Fleur and Natalie, and has known their value to Nick and Lacroix. Hmmmmm. I once wrote a story in which Janette brought Fleur across, but I don't think I had even imagined that question at that time! Hmmmm. Thank you for opening the path to this new-to-me thought!
>"but I wanted to tell you how much I love this story. It's really a beautiful slice of Fleur's life,"
Thank you so much! That's encouraging and reassuring and delightful. I really appreciate it. Again, thank you for reading!
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Thank you very much for reading it, and for letting me know! And I completely understand about hoarding stories. I have a few barricades of new-to-me tales, preserved pristine for need. I'm honored to have had "Starwort" play a brick in such a structure. :-)
>"The fact that Fleur can make deductions and play with subtleties, and match Lacroix at his own game of manipulation, that's what really makes this story."
Thank you! I think Fleur must be at least potentially Lacroix's equal in order for the romance to have appeal. If he were able to dominate her (as he is able to dominate many characters), it would be just another simple tragedy, and unworthy of the attention they all pay it.
I wanted to show her running her life successfully, on her own terms.
>"Which, of course, goes a long way toward proving my point that Lacroix likes Natalie, at least as much as he likes any mortal, if not a little more, but he sees the parallels to Fleur..."
Over the years, I've become convinced that Diane Carey's core concept for "Be My Valentine" was that parallel between Fleur and Natalie. Fleur's astronomy is meant to say "scientist like Natalie" to us. Her attention to Lacroix's injuries is meant to say "doctor like Natalie." Her reaction to the revelation of vampirism echoes Natalie's. And then Lacroix makes the parallel explicit, giving it his seal of recognition by designating Natalie for his very specific revenge-in-trade.
Of course, one pivotal difference is that Fleur is not a resister, while Natalie, as we generally interpret "Only the Lonely," is. Endless canon debate there...
Anyway, I absolutely agree that Lacroix sees the similarity, and in ways I think Nick wouldn't have if Lacroix hadn't pointed it out so, um, emphatically. :-)
I wonder, come to think of it, to what degree Janette sees that parallel. She has met both Fleur and Natalie, and has known their value to Nick and Lacroix. Hmmmmm. I once wrote a story in which Janette brought Fleur across, but I don't think I had even imagined that question at that time! Hmmmm. Thank you for opening the path to this new-to-me thought!
>"but I wanted to tell you how much I love this story. It's really a beautiful slice of Fleur's life,"
Thank you so much! That's encouraging and reassuring and delightful. I really appreciate it. Again, thank you for reading!