I mentioned before, and I don’t mind repeating myself: I appreciate all your positive feedback or review comments. To those who have responded to my posts on Facebook or here on my blog I have already replied. Those who have written reviews on fanfiction, thank you so much for your patience. I will respond to each of the comments here for both chapters 46 and 47.
I did notice that I got more visitors to chapter 47 than to the wedding chapter. To those who have skipped chapter 46, I’d like to ask you to give it a chance. Thank you! 🙂
Before I start, I’d like to share with you some interesting facts about swimming suits and undergarments in WWI era. First, I found it fascinating that women in those days had to wear layers of underwear! Just imagining it makes me sweat! I’m so glad women nowadays don’t have to dress like that anymore!
How about men? Ever heard of union suits? A union suit is a type of one-piece long underwear, allowing the person to eliminate bodily waste without removing the garment. It was very popular until early 20th century, but soon men started to wear separate underwear: undershirt and undershorts. In particular, the U.S. soldiers in World War One were issued shorts that buttoned in the front as underwear, and the new design began to replace the union suit as standard underwear. Briefs didn’t come on the market until 1930s. For your interest, you can read more on Wikipedia or here.
Therefore, as written in chapter 47, Candy had layers of clothes under her wedding gown! Similarly, Albert wore undershirt beneath his shirt.
Remember I told you about the history of men’s swimming suits in one of my earlier posts? Now it’s time to talk about the ones worn by women about 100 years ago. You can’t believe the clumsy Victorian-style bathing suits women wore to beaches back then. It was burdensome to say the least. Fortunately, by 1915, women didn’t have to wear heavy fabric when swimming. Yet, matching stockings were required even in 1920s. Swimwear began to get smaller in size, so more and more flesh was exposed from the bottom of the trunks to the tops of the stockings. If you like, this page provides many vintage photos with detailed descriptions.
Anyway, I suppose people back in those days would collapse if someone told them that in a matter of decades later, women would wear bikinis to swim. 😀
Enough of that, below is my heartfelt response to your reviews to chapters 46 and 47 as of today. (SPOILER ALERT!)
Thank you very much to all of you for following me till this day. To me it’s a very long journey to write this story, squeezing my spare time here and there writing or doing research, but I must say I have enjoyed the thrill of the ride all the way from the beginning to the end. Please accept my sincere gratitude for your continued support. Without that, I wouldn’t have been able to complete the story. As I said at the end of chapter 46, I intended to end the story earlier! I thought of ending it on Candy’s birthday, when she vowed her undying love for her prince on Pony’s Hill.
You might ask why Candy didn’t throw her bouquet like most brides do. For your interest, I got inspired after reading this article, The Bride Didn’t Toss Her Bouquet and I Loved It.
Also, I know some of you thought my Candy was a little too bashful on the wedding night. Well, I can’t use today’s standards when girls know way more about men from friends, media and books. Though Candy was a nurse, growing up with Sister Lane and Miss Pony who were single, she only knew men and reproduction from textbooks. Hence, I consider Candy basically clueless. Not to mention that people were very conservative back then, and sex was a taboo subject (still is in some culture).
Besides, I don’t expect Candy would be able to freely express herself sexually without feeling awkward even though she loved Albert with all her heart and knew that he committed to love her forever. After all, since puberty she had trained herself to keep her sex drives in check, and she needed to “unlearn” that. Of course, you don’t have to agree with me. It’s just my humble opinion. 😛
sayuri1707 (ch 47):
Muchas gracias por leer! Hijos? Por favor, espere a que el epílogo.
CandyFan72 (ch 47):
Thank you so much for your eagerness and kind words, but I think you must have missed my notes at the end when I mentioned that I would write the epilogue. You take care too, and thanks again for reading.
Reeka21 (ch 46):
Hi Reeka dear, it’s the end. Glad you like my version of Albert and Candy. So you knew that Terry would come? I debated with myself a couple of times before I finally let him show up lol! In a sense, it was a closure to him so that he could move on. I mean he was just a man, not a saint. He too would want a company in life. After all, the time he had spent with Candy was so short that it shouldn’t impact him this much. It was almost implausible that he would never get over her.
Awww… so I made you cry, my friend? I spent quite a bit of time working on their wedding vows with personal touch. I didn’t want to use those standard ones from existing templates lol! About the speeches, thank you! Again, I wanted the speeches to be special. I’m happy you like the treehouse idea too! Candy didn’t struggle… she was way too nervous to react to Albert’s advances… lol.
Yes, epilogue for sure, but sequel? No, I don’t think so, but never say never. Hee hee hee. 😛 Bahamas? It’s a great suggestion. Have you been there before?
Hugs to you too!
Patty Castillo (ch 46):
Muchas gracias por leer, querido Patty! I’m very happy you love the wedding, the vows and the speeches. I spent a lot of time writing them (and rewriting them), and my hard work has paid off! I’m so glad you love the island and treehouse idea. I want something special for Albert and Candy, and yes, he was her man from now on. Perfect place with perfect man? Awww…. thank you thank you thank you!
Patty Castillo (ch 47):
I’m so glad you love this chapter and found it beautiful! Yes, in my story Albert lost his virginity to Candy too. I know many people didn’t expect that, but it’s my story I can write whatever I like! 😀 I found that very beautiful for two people to love each other and experience physical ecstasy together for the first time! It’s very romantic, isn’t it? ^_^
Nicole (ch 46):
Thank you very much for your eagerness, and I’m very happy you love my story this much. Glad you have read the manga and CCFS spoilers, and isn’t it clear with whom Candy ended up? About the epilogue, it won’t be very long (I hope… but I don’t know yet). I hope I’ll start writing it soon so that I can mark the story as officially complete. Thanks again for your encouragement!
Antlay (ch 47):
Muchas gracias por leer! You’re so kind, and your encouragement touched my heart! Thank you! I’ll take a break from writing, and I don’t know what I’ll write if I start again. About CCFS, I’m so convinced that Candy was married to her prince. No doubt about it! 😀
Josie (ch 46):
Thank you Josie. I think I have seen your name since the beginning, am I right? I can’t believe I’ve spent so much time writing this story, but it was worth it. My dream has come true, that I have written a long story with my own plot (even though it’s a fanfiction). Thanks again! I hope you will like the epilogue.
Albertcraze (ch 47):
You’re very welcome, and thank you so much for bearing with me since the very beginning. You’ve been with me all this time, and please accept my humble bow.
Quevivacandy (ch 46):
Happy tears? Awww… my friend! It’s a big compliment to me! Tell you what, when I wrote “I’m all yours”, I liked that idea very much myself… lol. They belonged to each other, and that would help Candy relax more, don’t you think? That means she could do anything she liked… hee hee hee… being naughty here.
About the wedding chapter, I didn’t plan to write this much, but I couldn’t stop myself, and I had some parts removed because I didn’t want to bore my readers. So glad you like the vows. About Terry, were you surprised that he would come? Also, about Archie proposing to Annie, I wanted to include that because in CCFS they got engaged too.
I’m glad I didn’t stop the story earlier either. I changed my mind, so I wrote more, and it means so much to me that these two chapters were well received. Thanks again, my dear friend!
CKati (ch 46):
Yes indeed, my friend! Albert and Candy were married! No longer required to hold back their emotions, and they could fully enjoy each other! As you said, every story has to end somewhere, and I think this was the best place to stop. You’re among the people who have continued to encourage me, and your support still means a lot to me. Thanks again for being there for me, my dear friend!
I’m surprised you didn’t mention Terry at all though, but anyway, he moved on and made peace with his past.
CKati (ch 47):
Yes, bonus is the right word! I did struggle how much to write, and to what extent. Yet, I think I’ve got a good balance to express the beauty of their physical enjoyment without being too detailed. Next story? I’m not sure. Writing M-rated stuff is really not my thing, lol.
Love and hugs to you too, my dear!
Guest (ch 47):
Thank you! Are you Pupee?
Quevivacandy (ch 47):
Making a vow of chastity was common among Christians, even nowadays. I can imagine Aunt Elroy’s strict upbringing too. Of course, it didn’t stop Albert from learning the “basics” from his peers when he was in college… lol. 😛 😛
Cold shower? I needed it every night when I was still writing this chapter. Thanks again for your unflagging support, my dear! You kept cheering for me, and I appreciate it a lot.
piky (ch 46):
Thank you for reading! The more I write about Albert and Candy, the more I love them too, especially Albert! He’s almost perfect, isn’t he?
Lilu (ch 46):
Thank you for catching up so fast, Lilu! I’m very happy you enjoy the ride, and I’ll write again if I’m inspired enough. God bless you too!
Reeka21 (ch 47):
Yes, “finally” is the word… after all this sexual tension buildup I decided to give my readers a treat! 😀 This was my first time writing a love scene, and I was nervous all along. I wanted it to be romantic rather than cheesy or dirty. About her screaming “my prince”, yes why not? He was her prince right? 😛
Glad you love my idea of having them relaxed on this island (their private Eden), and the scene in the stream was brief but I liked it a lot myself. It also showed how Candy had changed. She had been extrememly shy initially remember? Yes they were meant for each other indeed.
About WAA and first time… well, it’s all up to your imagination. Contraception wasn’t bullet proof and not very common back then after all… hee hee hee.
Finally, about Albert changing Candy after rescuing her from drowning, it is based on CCFS, Volume 1, pages 141-149 with the subheading “Waterfall Scene”. Mizuki changed that in CCFS, so different from the manga/anime. Hope this helps! 🙂
Lilu (ch 47):
Glad you like the title! I changed my mind at least three times! I like my final decision. 🙂 Thanks again for reading!
Angdl (ch 46):
Thank you so much for your kind words and compliments! I think if I continue the story, I would have to introduce drama, which I don’t want to at this point. New points of view? Did you mean new story? Well, I will see.
Angdl (ch 47):
Thanks again for reading! So happy to know that you like this chapter and agree with my point of view! As I said, I think the love between a man and his wife can be very beautiful, and through physical enjoyment of each other, they would become closer and closer, body and soul.
Tiny 12 (ch 46):
So you also like the ceremony and the island/treehouse! It’s all in my imagination, but I’d like to go to a place like that with my loved ones! Yes, it’s the end, and thank you so much for following this story to this day! Thank you for your compliment.
Tiny 12 (ch 47):
Thank you very much!
MK (ch 46):
I expect this would surprise some people, but yes, it’s the end.
About the wedding, I was afraid my readers would find it too long, but so far I haven’t had any complaint. About Terry, yes, he came with a disguise. Glad you like what happened to the other characters and the bonus chapter about their intimate moments! I was hesitant if I should write about it, but I’m very happy that I made it!
I know you’ve been following since the early chapters, and I’m grateful for your support. For now, I’m not sure if I will start another story, but I’ll take a break. Thank you so much for your compliments!
Florcita (ch 46):
Muchas gracias por leer! Yes I did write the wedding, for which I’m glad. Originally, I thought other fanfic writers have already written their wedding, so I didn’t want to repeat. However, I changed my mind. Thanks again for your kind words!
SweetCandyAndley (ch 46):
Dearest SweetCandyAndley, thank you for your kind words. When I started writing this story, I never expected it would take this long to complete, but I felt so blessed to have support from you all, some even for a long time. Your long review comment touched my heart beyond words, and judging from the way you summarized my chapter I knew you had seriously read my chapter and even thought ahead what to write to me. Thank you my dear friend! As I said to others, I’ll take a break from writing for now. I don’t know when I will pick up my ‘pen’ again, but thank you for your encouragement indeed. 😀
SweetCandyAndley (ch 47):
Dearest SweetCandyAndley, what can I say? I can’t help blushing because of your compliments. This chapter wasn’t easy to write, and I wanted to emphasize their love for each other more than anything. One reader asked me why I spent so much time describing how they undressed each other. I actually did that intentionally. I wanted to show that Albert and Candy savored every moment by taking it slow, and that this first time for both of them would be cherished forever.
May God bless you too, and wish you all the best in your adventure of writing your own story!
Lissette LN (ch 46):
Muchas gracias por leer! So you like the wedding and the tree house! When this idea came to my mind, I was so happy and couldn’t wait to write it down to lead you guys into my imagination, just like Albert taking Candy to explore the island and the house he had prepared for her! Glad that you like their tender moments with each other too!
Lissette LN (ch 47):
Muchas gracias por tus cumplidos! I’m speechless, Lissette! Your review nearly moved me to tears especially because this was my first time writing a love scene. I didn’t want to write too many details, but rather, I focused on their love, affection, understanding and tenderness when sharing their bodies for the first time as husband and wife. Thank you for adding my story to your favorite stories!