I ended up thinking that there really needs to be a modern romcom version in which everything ends up happily ever after because the young woman is really into what she assumes to be the Beast's commitment to his surprisingly realistic fursona.

Have you read “Fandom for Robots?” https://uncannymagazine.com/article/fandom-for-robots/
It’s a lovely and touching story about writing fanfic when you can’t get enough representation from the canon media – but also, by the end of the story, Computron’s new friends still think he’s just *really* committed to his online role-play.