#The Paris Princess and the Pastry Prince

[vividxpages]

🩰 ♡ ⁺‧₊˚🧸💌 modern!prince Jacaerys who patiently attends all your dress fittings, travels with you to the most exquisite bookstores around the world and orders boxes of the finest chocolate and pastries up to your shared hotel suite.

24/7 princess treatment.

you like that one pretty dress? he makes sure the designer sends him the entire collection in your size. you would like some privacy to browse through the endless shelves of this one special bookstore? Jace happily rents out the place and buys every book you'll touch. you're still swooning about this cake you had last month in Paris with him? he makes one call and it's imported right to wherever the two of you are staying. ᡣ.⋅˚₊‧ 🜲 ‧₊˚ ⋅° ᡣ𐭩 . ° .

[marcmarcmomarc]

Paris 2029 Concert

Hosted by Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Delmar, Luka Couffaine, Markov, Max Kanté, Nino Lahiffe, and Socqueline Wang: Stagehands

Chloé Bourgeois and Sabrina Raincomprix: “Shake It Off”

Lila Rossi: “I’m Still Standing”

Zoé Lee and the Pixie Hollow Fairies: “Could Have Been Me”

Mylène Haprèle and Ivan Bruel: “I Say A Little Prayer”

Juleka Couffaine: “Set It All Free”

Alix Kubdel: “Fight Song”

Nathaniel Kurtzberg: “My Way”

Alya Césaire: “Umbrella”

Rose Lavillant: “Happier”

Kagami Tsurugi: “Confident”

Kim Chiến Lê-Ature and Ondine: “Don’t Let Me Down”

Marc Anciel: “High Hopes”

Fei Wu: “Unstoppable”

Jessica Keynes and Aeon Hill: “Break Free”

Adrien Agreste and Félix Fathom: “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”

Audience:

Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir (VIP’s)

Tom Dupain, Sabine Cheng, Gabriel Agreste, Nathalie Sancoeur, Wang Fu, Marianne Fu, Nadja Chamack, Nora Césaire, Nooroo, Duusu, Olympia Hill, Barbara Keynes, Émilie Agreste, Amelie Graham de Vanily, Su-Han, Manon Chamack, Chris Lahiffe, Ella Césaire, Etta Césaire, André Bourgeois, Audrey Bourgeois, Tomoe Tsurugi, Roger Raincomprix, Caline Bustier, Gisèle, Harmonie Bustier, Adrien’s bodyguard, Butler Armand, Jagged Stone, Penny Rolling, Denis Damoclès, Olga Mendeleiev, André, Gina Bianchi, Rolland Dupain, Wang Cheng, Marlena Césaire, Otis Césaire, Anarka Couffaine, Jalil Kubdel, Alim Kubdel, Claudie Kanté, Mrs. Rossi, Fred Haprèle, Aurore Beauréal, Mireille Caquet, Théo Barbot, Clara Nightingale, Wayhem, Jean Duparc, Mr. Banana, Alec Cataldi, Vincent, Vincent Aza, Armand D’Argencourt, Philippe, Chris, Sarah, August, August’s mother, Xavier Ramier, Véronique, Arlette, Jean-Pierre Monlataing, Chloé’s doorman, Hessenpy, Simon Grimault, and Clara Contard

Avatar: The Last Airbender (VIP’s)

Aang, Zuko, Katara, Sokka, Toph Beifong, Suki, Iroh, Mai, Ty Lee, Azula, Appa, and Momo

The Dragon Prince (VIP’s)

Callum, Rayla, Ezran, Soren, Janai, Amaya, Zym, Terry, Aanya, Corvus, Runaan, Ethari, Opeli, Gren, Barius, Bait, Stella, and the Baitlings

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (VIP’s)

Adora, Catra, Glimmer, Bow, Perfuma, Mermista, Entrapta, Frosta, Sea Hawk, Scorpia, Swift Wind, Wrong Hordak, Micah, Netossa, Spinnerella, Castaspella, Lonnie, Kyle, Rogelio, Melog, Imp, and Emily

The Incredibles

Bob Parr, Helen Parr, Violet Parr, Dashiell Parr, Jack-Jack Parr, Lucius Best, Edna Mode, Winston Deavor, Tony Rydinger, Kari McKeen, Voyd, Mirage, Rick Dicker, Krushauer, He-lectrix, Reflux, Brick, and Screech

The Loud House

Lincoln Loud, Clyde McBride, Lori Loud, Leni Loud, Luna Loud, Luan Loud, Lynn Loud Jr., Lucy Loud, Lana Loud, Lola Loud, Lisa Loud, Lily Loud, Lynn Loud Sr., Rita Loud, Howard McBride, Harold McBride, Bud Grouse, Ronnie Anne Santiago, Sid Chang, Bobby Santiago, Rosa Casagrande, Hector Casagrande, Maria Casagrande-Santiago, Arturo Santiago, Carlos Casagrande, Frida Puga Casagrande, Carlota Casagrande, CJ Casagrande, Carl Casagrande, Carlitos Casagrande, Sergio, and Lalo

Home

Oh, Tip Ticci, Lucy Tucci, Kyle, and Pig

Coco

Miguel Rivera, Dante, Elena Rivera, Enrique Rivera, Luisa Rivera, Berto Rivera, Carmen Rivera, Gloria Rivera, Franco Rivera, Abel Rivera, Rosa Rivera, Socorro Rivera, Benny Rivera, and Manny Rivera

Angry Birds

Red, Chuck, Bomb, Leonard, Silver, Garry, Courtney, Mighty Eagle, Matilda, Terence, Jay, Jake, Jim, Zeta, Debbie, Glenn, Ross, Mime, Stella, Bubbles, Hal, Zoe, Vivi, and Sam-Sam

Trolls

Queen Poppy, Branch, Biggie, Prince Cooper, Guy Diamond, Smidge, Satin, Chenille, DJ Suki, Queen Bridget, King Gristle, Viva, King Peppy, John Dory, Clay, Floyd, Spruce, Queen Barb, Tiny Diamond, Prince D, King Quincy, Queen Essence, Hickory, Dickory, Creek, Riff, Delta Dawn, King Trollex, Trollzart, Archer Pastry, Cloud Guy, Val, Demo, Holly Darlin’, Dante Crescendo, Lownote Jones, Synth, Legsly, King Thrash, Pennywhistle, Mr. Dinkles, and Fuzzbert

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Flint Lockwood, Sam Sparks, Tim Lockwood, Earl Devereaux, Brent McHale, Manny, Steve, and Barb

Gravity Falls

Dipper Pines, Mabel Pines, Stanley Pines, Stanford Pines, Soos Ramirez, Wendy Corduroy, Waddles, Fiddleford McGucket, Grenda Grendinator, Candy Chiu, Robbie Valentino, Pacifica Northwest, Gideon Gleeful, and Melody

How to Train Your Dragon

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, Astrid Haddock, Fishlegs Ingerman, Snotlout Jorgenson, Tuffnut Thorston, Ruffnut Thorston, Valka Haddock, Zephyr Haddock, Nuffink Haddock, Gobber, and Eret

Monsters, Inc.

James P. Sullivan, Mike Wazowski, Boo, Celia Mae, Yeti, Squishy Squibbles, Don Carlton, Terry and Terri Perry, Art, Tylor Tuskman, Val Little, Fritz, Cutter Sterns, and Duncan P. Anderson

Despicable Me

Felonius Gru, Dru Gru, Lucy Wilde, Margo Gru, Edith Gru, Agnes Gru, Dr. Nefario, and the Minions

Hotel Transylvania

Count Dracula, Jonathan Loughran, Mavis Dracula, Frank Frankenstein, Eunice Frankenstein, Wayne Werewolf, Wanda Werewolf, Griffin, Murray, Dennis Dracula-Loughran, Vlad Dracula, Ericka Van Helsing, Abraham Van Helsing, Crystal, Winnie Werewolf, Blobby, Baby Blobby, and Puppy Blobby

Teen Titans

Robin, Beast Boy, Cyborg, Starfire, Raven, Bumblebee, Aqualad, Speedy, Kid Flash, Jinx, Red Hood, Ravager, Más, Menos, and Silkie

Sing

Buster Moon, Rosita, Ash, Johnny, Meena, Gunter, Eddie Noodleman, Miss Crawly, Clay Calloway, Porsha Crystal, Nooshy, Suki Lane, Darius, Alfonso, Nana Noodleman, Big Daddy, Norman, Meena’s Grandfather, Meena’s Mother, Meena’s Grandmother, Stan, and Barry

Big Hero 6

Hiro Hamada, Baymax, Fred Fredricksen, Wasabi No Ginger, Go Go Tomago, Honey Lemon, Cass Hamada, and Alistair Krei

Inside Out

Riley Andersen, Jill Andersen, Bill Andersen, Grace Hsieh, Bree Young, Valentina Ortiz, Dani, Ally, Sofia, Nour, and Coach Roberts

WALL-E

WALL-E, EVE, Captain B. McCrea, M-O, John, Mary, and the Reject Robots

Storks

Junior, Tulip, Jasper, Alpha Wolf, Beta Wolf, and Pigeon Toady

The Croods

Grug Crood, Eep Croods, Guy, Dawn Betterman, Ugga Crood, Gran Crood, Thunk Crood, Phil Betterman, Hope Betterman, Sandy Crood, Belt, Sash, and the pets

Abominable

Yi, Jin, Peng, Nai Nai, Mei, Mr. Burnish, and Everest

Rise of the Guardians

Jack Frost, Tooth Fairy, North, Easter Bunny, Sandman, Jamie, Caleb, Claude, Cupcake, Monty, Pippa, and Sophie

Frozen

Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf, Sven, Dustin Mattias, Yelena, Ryder, Honeymaren, Grandpabbie, Oaken, Bulda, and Marshmallow

Tangled

Rapunzel Fitzherbert, Eugene Fitzherbert, Queen Ariana, King Frederic, Pascal, Maximus, Hook Hand, Big Nose, Shorty, Vladimir, Ulf, Attila, Sideburns, and Patchy

Moana

Moana, Maui, Tui, Sina, Simea, Loto, Kele, Moni, Heihei, and Pua

The Princess and the Frog

Tiana, Naveen, Louis, Charlotte La Bouff, Big Daddy La Bouff, Mama Odie, and Eudora

Brave

Merida, Fergus, Elinor, Angus, Fergus’ dogs, Lord MacGuffin, Lord Macintosh, Lord Dingwall, Maudie, Young MacGuffin, Young Macintosh, Wee Dingwall, and the Clan Dingwall Hunk

The Mitchells vs. the Machines

Katie Mitchell, Rick Mitchell, Linda Mitchell, Aaron Mitchell, Eric, Deborahbot 5000, Mark Bowman, Hailey Posey, Jim Posey, Abbey Posey, Jade, Hanna, Dirk, Noah, and Monchi

Mr. Peabody & Sherman

Mr. Peabody, Sherman Peabody, Penny Peterson, Paul Peterson, Patty Peterson, Ms. Grunion, Marie Antoinette, King Tut, Ay, Agamemnon, Leonardo da Vinci, Mona Lisa

Phineas and Ferb

Phineas Flynn, Candace Flynn, Ferb Fletcher, Isabella García-Shapiro, Buford Van Stomm, Baljeet Tjinder, Heinz Doofenshmirtz, Linda Flynn-Fletcher, Lawrence Fletcher, Francis Monogram, Perry, Jeremy Johnson, Stacy Hirano, Carl Karl, Norm, Vanessa Doofenshmirtz, Gretchen, Adyson Sweetwater, Ginger Hirano, Holly, Katie, Milly, Roger Doofenshmirtz, Suzy Johnson, Irving, and Melanie

The Boss Baby

Ted Templeton Jr., Tim Templeton, Tina Templeton, Tabitha Templeton, Carol Templeton, Ted Templeton Sr., Janice Templeton, Jimbo, Staci, Fred, Rick, Fredrick, and Precious

Disney Fairies

Lizzy Griffiths, Dr. Martin Griffiths, and Mr. Twitches

The Owl House

Luz Noceda, Eda Clawthorne, King Clawthorne, Hooty, Amity Blight, Willow Park, Gus Porter, Hunter, Camila Noceda, Lilith Clawthorne, Raine Whispers, Darius Deamonne, Steve Tholumule, Vee Noceda, Masha, Emira Blight, Edric Blight, Skara, Viney, Katya, Amber, Derwin, Eberwolf, and the Palismen

Vivo

Vivo, Gabi Hernández, Rosa Hernández, Marta Sandoval, Becky, Eva, Sarah, Dancarino, and Valentina

Wish Dragon

Din Song, Li Na Wang, Mr. Wang, and Ms. Song

Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous

Darius Bowman, Kenji Kon, Brooklynn, Yasmina Fadoula, Sammy Gutiérrez, Ben Pincus, Bumpy, Smoothie, Roxie, Dave, Mae Turner, Brandon Bowman, Mateo, Zayna Mballo, Cherise Mballo, Ousmane Mballo, Gia, Nonna, and Barry Sembenè

Luca

Luca Paguro, Alberto Scorfano, Giulia Marcovaldo, Massimo Marcovaldo, Daniela Paguro, Lorenzo Paguro, Grandma Libera Paguro, Ciccio, and Guido

Raya and the Last Dragon

Raya, Sisu, Namaari, Boun, Tong, Noi, Benja, Virana, and Tuk Tuk

Megamind

Megamind, Roxanne Ritchi, Ol’ Chum, Keiko Morita, and Music Man

Spirit Riding Free

Lucky Prescott, Pru Granger, Abigail Stone, Jim Prescott, Cora Prescott, Maricela Gutierrez, Kate Flores-Prescott, Snips Stone, Bianca, Mary Pat, Turo, Julian Prescott, Al Granger, Fannie Granger, Althea Bradley, Mixtli, Javier, Bebe Shuman, Urszula Lin Yang, Daphne Vissor, Rose Pendleton, Jack Ledger, Lydia Sterling, Alex Fox, Beef Wellington, Sahir Kapoor, Priya Kapoor, Polly Prescott, and the horses

Encanto

Mirabel Madrigal, Alma Madrigal, Bruno Madrigal, Luisa Madrigal, Isabela Madrigal, Julieta Madrigal, Agustín Madrigal, Pepa Madrigal, Félix Madrigal, Camilo Madrigal, Dolores Madrigal, Antonio Madrigal, Mariano Guzmán, and Sra. Guzmán

Turning Red

Meilin Lee, Miriam Mendelsohn, Abby Park, Priya Mangal, Tyler Nguyen-Baker, Ming Lee, Jin Lee, Grandma Wu Lee, Auntie Chen, Lily, Helen, Auntie Ping, Mr. Gao, Stacy Frick, Devon, Sammy, Lauren, Kat, Carter Murphy-Mayhew, and Jaiden

Shrek

Shrek, Donkey, Fiona, Puss in Boots, Kitty Softpaws, Perrito, Gingy, Pinocchio, Goldilocks, Papa Bear, Mama Bear, Baby Bear, Doris, Queen Lillian, the Three Little Pigs, the Big Bad Wolf, the Three Blind Rats, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Farkle, Fergus, and Felicia

Gnome Alone

Chloe, Liam, Catherine, Zook, Zamfeer, Alpha, Charlie, Bravo, and Quicksilver

The Bad Guys

Mr. Wolf, Mr. Snake, Ms. Tarantula, Mr. Piranha, Mr. Shark, Diane Foxington, and Misty Luggins

Fast & Furious: Spy Racers

Tony Toretto, Echo Pearl, Frostee Benson, Cisco Renaldo, Layla Gray, Ms. Nowhere, Gary, Julius, Palindrome, Sissy Benson, Wanda Benson, Tiffany Benson, and Tuco

Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken

Ruby Gillman, Agatha Gillman, Granmama Gillman, Arthur Gillman, Uncle Brill, Sam Gillman, Connor, Margot, Bliss, and Trevin

[jull-reblogs]

I guess this isn't what we call almond paste here in France then!

Oh wow congrats on reversing pre-diabetes!! That’s why I don’t understand how some people can call keto a fad diet, it has true benefits. Sure some people overdo it, but I think the science behind it is pretty solid. If taking Sundays off is what works for you then keep doing it your way :D

Thanks for the recipe!! It looks really good 👀

I like Zora-mae and Kakari-mae! Americanised sushi are pretty common in France as well and I honestly love it. Sushi are my go to for cheat meals ^^

Japanese pastries and flavors such as yuzu, matcha, or black sesame are also very trendy here.

Oh these are great ideas for the Mogma! Yes I know who to ask if I need help with flora and fauna, thank you :D

I understand about Lanayru Desert, it’s often theorised that it’s the same place as Gerudo Desert. Here the idea is that Lanayru was once where the ancient Sheikah lived since we saw traces of a technological civilization in SS, while the Gerudo are native from Gerudo Desert. We also know the Zora originally weren’t from Lanayru, which fits perfectly with what I’m doing since my ancient Zora live in Lake Floria (as the Parella do in SS). 

I know Lanayru is located southwest of SS's map, but I don't really care haha. The map is clearly just meant to represent the Triforce and the different provinces are not even attached. Lanayru should also be close to the sea and BotW Lanayru has that. Someday I’d like to explain on my blog how my cartography of Hyrule works but it’s a bit spoilery for my story ^^

Oooh I see what you're getting at with Benjor and OoT Ganondorf, interesting!! It does make OoT even more tragic! Love that punchline about "no new sisters" ;))

Though I'd say a Hylian prince offering to marry a Gerudo is risky business. That would make his descendants Gerudo forever, would his people be okay with that?

Thank you!! I spend a few days at my parents' house from time to time, but it's not like living there. I always miss it, and I kind of hate Paris which doesn't help.

Ah yes Vilia! He was one of the NPCs I was very interested in seeing again in TotK and I was so disappointed that he just vanished. Don't know what I'll do with him yet but I'll avenge him 😤

Hmm yeah rising a Gerudo voe as a vai could maybe work for the first few years of his life, but then I don't think you can make Ganondorf pass as a woman by putting him in high heels and a bra :DD He's not exactly built like Link 😆 And I think he wouldn’t need to be told that he’s not a woman to come to that conclusion haha.

I just like the idea that Gerudo are natives of this land just like the other races, whether they had round ears or not. It’s also important for my lore that they are present from the beginning and battled against Demise, for various reasons. But they could also be from somewhere else and your version works perfectly!

There are immigrants in my version of Hyrule: the humans with round ears we see in TP ^^

By fairytale land I mean that Hyrule is a medieval kingdom with good hygiene and that kind of stuff (and magic of course). People live comfortably, you don’t see dirty streets or people emptying chamber pots out their windows, epidemics, etc. But it still has wars and dark/horrific stuff.

I'd say Fi really is emotionless though while Ghirahim isn’t. She might just not care and only focus on Link’s mission. But of course if Link was the kind of guy to treat her badly he would not be Hylia’s Chosen Hero ^^

I really like this explanation about soulmates, I agree! It could be fun to swap Link and Zelda’s origins but I think it makes a lot more sense symbolically as things are. Link is a better representation of Courage if he’s just some boy from the forest who becomes a hero, and Zelda being a princess/priestess makes her the perfect guide for him and a representation of order/Wisdom. But I still would be interested in seeing them swapped (though it might be awkward if the prince is never shown to speak).

Ah yes the infamous “ALttP Link and Zelda are siblings theory”. I had someone comment that under one of my drawings of them and it’s so weird, let me ship them in peace 😆

This version of ALttP is interesting! And I really have to read the ALttP mangas someday. I still prefer for Zelda to be the crown princess as always, but now I’m really curious. But that means Fable isn’t descended from Hylia/Sun in your version?

Haha yes I've seen a bit of your opinions on your blog and we definitely can get along on other subjects 😁 I don't really want to get too political here though, I’m just here to share my art and talk about LoZ. I know how people can get, especially here on Tumblr, so I hope you don’t get too much hate for your beliefs!

I would agree about Hylian women not doing traditionally male jobs, but I really think the Gerudo are a bit different. Sure they still retain very feminine traits but they also are physically as strong as men and they don’t allow them in their city, so someone has to do the work. And I mean look at Bolson or the OoT carpenters, they too look like they would enjoy shopping more than building houses haha. 

That’s exactly what I’m planning for Spoone, a clinic in Castle Town! And now that I've found a doctor I know who saves Link’s life in the beginning of my story by amputating his corrupted arm. I also want him to have students/apprentices, and I’m thinking of Malena (that one Gerudo who tends to her sick husband and asks Link for Molduga and Gleeok guts).

It was really interesting and fun to research all these NPCs, I recommand it! I could share my notes but they're mostly in French and also full of spoilers for my stuff :/ But I think I'll make posts about it when I'll be done playing matchmaker and working on all these characters 😁

And now I also have a lot more criticism regarding how TotK handled its NPCs. Some of them have completely changed personnalities for no reason between games, or on the contrary are stuck doing the exact same thing years later. I find it really sad and once again I think there was so much potential for more.

Sorry, “get rid of the Downfall Timeline” wasn’t clear haha. I meant that I would like to try and reorganize the games in a different way/order to avoid the “what if” scenario of Time’s death and keep only the Adult and Child timelines. OoT doesn't exactly transition smoothly into ALttP anyway and there are a lot of questions left unanswered, so that's another reason. I also have a hard time imagining Time losing to Ganon since I tend to see him as the strongest Link (and also, it hurts).

But I’m not sure I can manage to do something like this, I would just like to try. After I’m done with my rewrite though, so that’s not something I’m going to do next week 😆

You're right about the map, things shouldn't change too much ^^

@aikoiya The post was getting long again so here's a new one!

I knew you were going to answer that saying "this is unfair" isn't real life logic haha (and I agree that life hasn't been fair to Sky and Sun anyway). It's just that such an ending would probably leave me feeling unsatisfied and even a bit robbed, and I think it would require a lot of other changes to be made to the story in order for it to work properly. But anyway you're right, as things are now this would just be happening behind the scenes so what I'm saying doesn't really make sense. But just thinking about it changes my perception of SS in a way I don't really enjoy, so it's not a theory I favor.

Yes in that setting I'm pretty sure that the other Sun would not make herself known to Link and Zelda and would let them have their happy ending. But I think Zelda would likely suspect her existence and know that something is wrong. I guess even Link could notice that the Temple's doors are suddenly open and would ask Impa a few questions.

I had no idea Tingle called Farore the Goddess of Wind in WW, so I went on a little quest to see if I could find the same quote in the French version of the game. Apparently it's in Tingle's description of Outset Island and I never had the chance to play with the Tingle Tuner mode. I can't find the same quote in French anywhere and I don't even know if this was included in the HD remake (I guess I'll have to wait for a Switch version to find out… if they ever release one). This has me wondering if this quote isn't something exclusive to the English version, but I can't be sure and I'd like to know what the original Japanese text says. The French wikis mention that Farore is the Goddess of Wind in WW but don't provide any quote, it just looks like the pages were translated from English but that they couldn't find the same quote in French. It's really frustrating!!

Anyway that's a bit weird because WW already establishes Zephos as the God of Wind, and he seems to be a minor deity compared to Farore. The way I see it, wind is just the element that Farore tends to be associated with, and since a lot of myths might have been lost with Hyrule in WW this could just be a mistake on Tingle's part. I mean this is the game that gave us the Golden Triumph Forks haha.

I'm not limiting Nayru/the Golden Goddesses to a singular domain, quite the opposite ^^ To me Nayru being the Goddess of Wisdom includes different concepts such as order, law, science, magic, etc., and even time (since she's introduced as the creator of the world's fondamental laws), while calling her the Goddess of Time doesn't include all of that. That's why I wrote that I found it a bit restrictive. But sure she could have both titles, the same way Farore could be known most commonly as the Goddess of Courage and also called the Goddess of Wind in some situations.

Oh I didn't think of the blocks from OoT! I would say though that they don't really use any time powers, they're just random blocks that appear or disappear for some reason when Link plays the Song of Time (it's just as absurd as playing the Song of Storms to open holes in the ground haha). But yes they were blue and associated with time, and of course Nayru is too. The difference with Hylia in my theory is that Nayru created the rules of time (if that makes sense) among other fundamental laws, while Hylia's power specifically allows her to manipulate time and foresee the future. In a way I see Hylia as Nayru's spiritual daughter who inherited some of her powers over time (and that's why the color purple she's represented with is very close to blue).

The Master Sword has also been depicted as either blue or purple though, so that asks the question of the true color of all of these things! Nayru is definitely linked to time so it makes sense that the timeshift stones are in Lanayru (and Hylia also doesn't have a province named after her).

"From the edge of time" could definitely just be a poetic way to say that Hylia kind of recorded a message for Link before dying haha. But I find it interesting that she would phrase it like that, I like to see it as a clue.

Well if Zelda simply sent Link to a point further back in time, wouldn't there be two Links existing at the same time in the Child Timeline? But sure Zelda creating a brand new timeline also raises a few questions that kind of... make my head hurt. I'm not sure what happens exactly, I've always wondered! All we know is that Link finds himself in the Master Sword's chamber with the Door of Time already open, which hints at things happening in a different way this time (because he definitely doesn't have the three spiritual stones and the Ocarina of Time yet since this is before Ganon's coup, and the ending seems to imply that this timeline's Zelda doesn't know him yet). That's why I believe Zelda might have done something a bit more complex than sending him to a point further back in time, but there's no way to be sure. The Triforce of Courage is also visible on Link's hand during the ending, and we also know thanks to TP that the Triforce is still separated in the Child Timeline despite Link and Zelda preventing Ganon from entering the Sacred Realm this time. So maybe Zelda isn't able to change everything? It's complicated haha.

Anyway, whether OoT Zelda creates a new timeline or just sends Link further back in time, that's still huge time powers and that's not something Link is able to do by playing Zelda's Lullaby.

I also believe it is more likely that Talon inherited the ranch. True, Talon might not always have been so lazy, but maybe if that was the case the game could have hinted at hit. All we know is that he leaves his daughter alone with Ingo and only comes back after Link deals with the situation, which does not make him look so great. And he only promises to work harder after that.

I'm kind of bad with names so I'm impressed you're going through all of that trouble to rename the settlements!!

I haven't gotten to developping the technology that much yet, but I'm really interested in seeing what the different races could do with it! I love the idea of using the Sheikah to infiltrate the Yiga bases. I wish TotK had done something like that and shown the Sheikah helping Link that way.

Same, I was so excited when I heard about these pirates… and then so disappointed to find nothing more than a bunch of bokos with no backstory.

Vignoble is not related to noble (though I kind of make the association in my mind, especially since vignobles are sometimes called châteaux).

Yes I thought you could maybe use clos! Aquaticlos is funny, it can work! Though maybe you could use the same logic as for the raisins (I love this Raisins de Terre idea by the way, it makes sense!) and say that what the Zoras call a clos already refers to something that's underwater, since that's probably the case for most of what they cultivate.

I don't mind helping you with French, I'm glad to do so! You put so much effort and thought into this, it's really interesting.

[musicaldoodlebug]

The Paris Princess and The Pastry Prince- Chapter Two

Marinette was not expecting the peace and quiet that met her when she stepped off the plane. But she wasn’t complaining. It was nice to have a break from cameras.

She walked closer to the baggage claim, preparing to try and find her luggage when a voice called her name. She turned to see a young woman.

The woman, and who she presumed to be his son, were standing next to a cart, piled high with the pastel pink luggage. Marinette cringed. She didn’t like it when other people treated her like a famous brat. She would much rather do her own work.

“Oh my goodness. I’m so sorry you had to gather all of these. Here, let me-“ but Marinette was cut off by the woman. She laughed and looked at Marinette like crazy. As if she would be allowed to cart her own luggage!

“Oh nonsense Ms. Cheng,” Marinette inwardly cringed. She missed her dad so dearly, and it annoyed her that she was no longer Marinette Dupain-Cheng, but just Marinette Cheng.

Marinette was jerked out of her thought by the woman putting a hand on her shoulder. “I’m so sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Mrs. Francine Lahiffe. I’m your mother’s assistant. And this is my son, Nino.”

The boy, Nino, merely looked up from his phone to give the girl a nod. Marinette watched as his mother flicked the cap on the boy’s head and shot him a look. Nino immediately took off his headphones and pocketed his phone.

“How do you do Miss Cheng?” he asked, sticking out his hand for her to shake. Once Marinette shuck it, Francine seemed pleased.

“Well, I’m going to find this bodyguard of yours. He’s supposed to be here to carry out your luggage. Miss Cheng, Nino, stay right here. I’ll be right back.” And with that, she was off, typing on her tablet.

Once she was away, Marinette allowed herself to relax. She always was tense around adults. After all, most of them were judging her, trying to find any way to fault the girl.

“Okay, now I can talk to you for real.” Marinette looked up from the floor to see the boy smiling at her. “What would you actually liked to be called?”

Marinette felt her eyebrows raise in surprise. No one ever called her anything except Miss. Or the Paris Princess. But she honestly hated that name, Chloë was the one who should have it. If her father was still mayor...well, he probably was.

“Um...Marinette is fine.”

Nino seemed to be in a bit of shock. “Wait. You, you don’t have any nicknames?” Marinette shook her head. “Well, no offense, but Marinette is a bit of a mouthful. How about, Mari?”

From the look on his face, Marinette knew he was expecting her to be offended. But she only smiled. She really did like it.

“Mari it is.”

“So...Mari,” he said, giving her a wink. Marinette could only giggle. “What’s China like?”

Marinette immediately went into detail, telling him all about how crowded it was, but also about the interesting food she had tried that made it worth it. Marinette really felt herself relax around Nino. It was much more interesting talking to him than Chloë or her own cousins.

Nino would throw in jokes, and interrupt her when something intrigued him. He made her laugh and smile. And really smile, not something she whipped out for a camera. No, her cheeks were hurting.

Nino was just in the middle of telling her about his old school back in Lyon when his mother interrupted their conversation. She beckoned them towards the front, where Marinette could see people crowded.

She knew she was showing the disdain on her face when Nino shot her a smile from where he was walking behind his mum. It gave Marinette a little confidence boost. She straightened her posture, and plastered on a smile.

The second those glass doors opened, Marinette was swarmed with people asking her questions. There were so many flashes, all their own kind of blinding. But Marinette kept her head forward, still smiling.

Her facade didn’t break until she heard a kid crying. She turned her head to see that a child in a stroller had dropped a toy, and her parents were far more interested in getting pictures of Marinette than helping their daughter. Marinette stopped waking, and turned. She bent down, picking up the little plush cat. She handed it to the child, who immediately started smiling.

Marinette waved to the girl, before briskly walking, a lady never runs, to the waiting limo. She carefully climbed in, and felt relief when the door finally closed.

Nino could only shoot her a reassuring smile before he was ushered to the front to sit with Marinette’s bodyguard.

Marinette sighed as they pulled away from the airport, laying her head against the window.

Yes, it was good to be home. But Paris had defiantly changed since she had left.

——//——

Continue Reading on AO3

[oh-sweet-mama]

Have you been to Paris, pet?

Inspired by this post 😉

Pairing: Loki X Fem!Reader x Thor (no Loki x Thor 🤢)

Warnings: slight Dom!Loki/Sub!Reader, vaginal penetration, oral M! And F! Receiving, swearing, slight praise kink if you squint, established relationship (Loki x reader), threesome 😏

Description: y/n goes on a trip to Paris courtesy of Loki and Thor 🥳🥳🗼. Also y/n is a human, from the plant earth.

2,027 words ;3

Loki perched upon his favorite chair in the farthest corner of the palace library. Surrounded by the smell of old books, and his favorite, silence. The only sound being when he turned the page of his book filled with old Norse spells and writings.

His ear twitched at the distant sound of soft foot steps, only belonging to his beloved.

“Loki?” Y/n whispered through the shelves, only to be met with the silence of the books. Though as she turned another corner there he sat, in his usual position. “Scared me lokes”

Loki’s heart fluttered at the pet name Y/n had bestowed upon his, time and time ago.

“Hello petal, what brings you to seek me out?” Loki asked, setting his book down next to him, and pulling the girl onto his knee.

Y/n rested her cheek on the crook of his neck, subtly breathing in his scent. Sharp cinnamon, old books, and loki.

"are you okay?" she asked meekly, not wanting to impose the wrong thing

"I am unsure of what you mean my princess. Would you care to elaborate?" Loki held her tighter, pressing his nose to the top of her head.

"I dunno," Y/n adjusted herself "I guess the other day, after we hug out with thor, you seemed, angry? I don't want you to be angry, I don't know what I did."

"oh no my love, Y/n," Loki grabbed her and set her to straddle him, and force their eyes to meet, "I was not angry at you at all, you've never done anything wrong, do you understand?"

Y/n gave a silent nod. Before loki was given the chance to further to explain, Thor came bursting through the silence of the library.

"Ah! Lady Y/n! Brother! would you like to join us down in the court yard?"

"well-" Y/n hesitated.

"actually Thor, yes we would." Loki smirked at his brother, practically daring him to flit with Y/n in front of him.

Making their way down to the luscious gardens of the palace where the flowers grew in almost every shade known to man. The three found a secluded bench and table to sit at.

Tea and fine wine was brought to the princes, small pastries were also offered, made with the finest sugars and ingredients.

Y/n wandered off, not far enough to be out of sight, but to sit in the small ring of milk week, where the butterflies were collected. Dozens of monarchs and swallow tails fluttered around, drinking from the flowers. Y/n watched them contently and in awe.

Loki sat on one of the granite arm chairs, slowing sipping on a cup of tea, filled with rich Asgardian herbs and honey. Engrossed in a novel of Midgardian fiction, which he rarely indulged in.

Thor on the other hand, was watching Y/n. Touched by her beauty as the sun hit her skin and made her glow. The flowers around her making her look like a goddess, and even more of a princess.

"Thor, stop staring at Y/n, I know how your thoughts wander, do not let them stray any further than they already have been." Loki stated, never looked up from his book.

Thor sat in feigned shock, how could he forget Loki could read minds?

"I don't know what you speak of brother."

"Yes you do." Loki shot back, turning a page in his book. "you imagine fucking Y/n senseless and getting her drunk off of your cock alone, do you not?"

Thor's face burned, his ears turning red, the blunt truth spilling out of Loki's mouth, produced by his silver tongue.

"I shall propose this brother, after I run it by Y/n first, I will you allow you one night with her, that's it, after that you must find a new woman to sought after."

"You would allow that brother?"

"well, we must ask the woman that is on both of our minds yes?" Loki said, finally putting his book down.

Y/n got up a couple of butterflies clinging her to hair. settling on Loki's knee, a buttered scone in hand. She leaned into his chest sighing in content as she ate.

"So y/n, I have a proposal, if you have any uneasiness please tell me, and we will forget about it okay?"

Sitting up and creasing her brows, y/n pondered, searching her mind for a moment.

"what do you mean?"

"well over the past couple of weeks, I've noticed my brother here, has had some lingering stares, and naughty thoughts," Loki shot a side glare to Thor, as he caressed Y/n's cheek bone. "Haven't you brother"

"Y-yes-"

"and in order to fulfil some of Thor's fantasies, which a few, I though were quiet interesting, I suggested that we could share a night together."

"like, as in sex?" a light blush dusted her face, tough it wasn't noticeable.

"yes Petal"

"then after it would just be me and you again?"

"mhm." Loki continued to caress her face

"o-ok, and you would be there?" Y/n fidgeted with the hem of her tunic

"of course."

"ok, one night."

"good, tell me, have you ever been to Paris pet?" Loki smirked, one of the few Midgardian terms he knew of.

"Paris? as in the city in France?"

"not quite pet, but me and Thor can take you."

her chest heaved, sweat beaded on her brow. Y/n had lost count of how many times she had came. All she knew was the feeling of Loki's fingers stretching her open.

"Hmm, Loki!" Y/n tugged on the green silk that held her wrists above her head. her thighs trembled, but were being held spread wide with Loki's free hand.

" Your almost ready pet, I know," Loki kissed the inside of her thighs "you're doing so good for me Y/n just a little more, can you be a good girl for me just for a little longer?"

"Yes! yes Loki, I can."

Loki's tongue licked bold stripes up her cunt, as she clenched around his three fingered that continued to scissor her open.

"ok, you're ready now pet, do you think you can keep going?"

"mhm, please, need your cock." Y/n needed him, needed more.

"Not mine this time my sweetness, Thor's"

The realization hit her, the reason as to why Loki spent more than an hour opening her up.

"how would like her brother?" Loki asked moving to her side and untying her wrists.

Thor was shirtless, his toned abdomen, and stocky upper half. The physical differences between the brothers was evident. Loki has a slim athletic build, but Thor was rippling muscles, and bulging biceps.

"Lady Y/n if you would like to back out now I would not be angry."

"No, I can handle it Thor, I have a safe word, and you know it. I give you my trust in this bed to not harm me."

Thor grabbed Y/n's hand in his, calloused palms, and rough fingers, he guided her hand to his chest. Where her hand roamed on his muscles.

"please, need you." Reduced to begging, Y/n needed something, the ache in her cunt was back.

Thor picked her up with ease setting her in the middle of the bed, on her hands and knees. Though Loki settled in front of her, his green leather tunic long forgotten. She caressed his ab muscles, relaxing at how soft he was compared to Thor.

Thor stroked himself a few times before lining up with Y/n's entrance, taking her hip in his other hand, and sliding in with a single smooth thrust.

"oh fuck" Y/n moaned. Loki was long, often hitting the very back of her cunt. Thor brushed right up into her cervix, but stretched her to what felt like past the limit.

Thor thrusted into her, his hips hitting her ass, she jolted forward with every powerful thrust. a shiver of pleasure ran through her body, causing her to clench around him.

"L-Loki-" Her stray palm wandered to the evident tent in Loki's leather trousers. "want you too."

Loki got onto his knees and leaned down to press kisses to her face, and brush any stray beads of sweat. Loki was gentle and sweet, his soft palms and nimble fingers providing the comfort she needed as Thor pounded into her.

"You want to take me as well, pet?" Loki asked.

"please-" She squeezed him harder through the green leather

in a shimmer of green light, Loki was naked in front of her. his cock red and painfully hard. A bead of precum wetting his tip. Y/n reached up and stroked him. Loki's abs rippled, "go on, take me pet."

Y/n pulled him forward by his hip, taking him into her mouth, and sucking his softly. Hollowing out her cheeks, and bobbing her head, the best she could in her position. She hadn't noticed how Thor paused, her focus on Loki.

"oh- Oh fucking hell, Y/n, you take me so well. You do don't you? You're such a good girl," Loki praised, struggling to hold back, as the feeling of her mouth wrapped around his cock, "Well brother, is this all you imagined? The feeling of her tight cunt wrapped around you?"

Thor groaned, as Y/n tightened around him, the taste of Loki and the feeling of him in her mouth, caused her to get far more wet than she was before.

"Oh, fuck, She's dripping," Thor muttered behind her.

"well, we are now in Paris brother." Loki chuckled

"what is this paris you speak of brother?" Thor resumed his rough thrusts.

"nothing-" Loki moaned as he softly fucked Y/n's throat.

she was close, Y/n has been close since Loki took his damned pants off. Thor's grip was bruising on her hips, and they could both feel how close she was.

"I know you're close Y/n, cum, cum now." Loki's hips was stuttering, trying to last out.

Y/n clenched around Thor, a high pitched strangled moan, that was muffled by Loki's cock. Thor followed soon after, coming deep in side her, and painting her soft walls with his seed.

Once Thor pulled out and watched for a moment while his seed dripped out of her.

"well, I guess I will just have to show you how it's done then." Loki smiled, pulled Y/n off of him by her hair, a small moan escaping her as he kissed down the expanse of her neck. before putting her onto her back and sinking back into her abused pussy.

"oh, Lokes." Y/n moaned, finally being filled by her one true love.

"still just as tight for me my love," Loki started a punishingly fast pace, slamming against the already forming bruises on her ass. "Can you take a little more pet?"

"yes, my king." Y/n moaned, as Loki's fingers wrapped around her throat, limiting the blood flow to her brain and making everything feel so much better.

"cum when you want pet, I won't last." Loki's pace was faltering, and his other hand wandered to Y/n's clit, slow hard circles, and she was falling over the edge. Loki came, hard, he filled her up. Loki pulled out and Y/n was in a state of bliss, pleasure still running through every nerve.

Thor stood back, pulling a lose pair of pants up his legs. Loki brought mugs of tea, and in a few seconds, Loki had changed the sheets, and dressed Y/n in a dark green slip dress made of silk.

"she is still awake brother, you may lay with her if you would like."

Loki knew, that Thor always got what he wanted growing up, and he got lucky. Loki got the beautiful sweet girl they both sought after.

Thor got into the bed behind Y/n, and laid with her softly. She cuddled into his far warmer chest. "You are not like any women I've ever met Y/n. Loki is truly lucky to have you, I wish you all the best."

"Thor you are acting like you don't see me every single day." Y/n murmured. Casing Loki to chuckle from across the room. "my King, join us, Thor is far to warm."

"I shall my love, once I get the tea warm enough to soothe your throat"

Though before Loki could get her that tea, filled with asgaurdian honey, she was fast asleep. Lulled by the warmth Thor provided. He slipped out shortly after, leaving her a kiss pressed to her temple and a sad smile.

Loki came to lay infront of y/n allowing her to wrap her arms around his torso and scotch into his chest.

Hopefully this will solve Thor’s wander thoughts, but some of those fantasies, Loki will surely have to try out.

[just-here-for-the-moment]

You just had to bring the symbol of Victory into this didn't you?!???? Is this some sort of euphemism I should look forward to or!??!?!?????

Yes!! Let me “paint you a picture” (groan)... Also, I sat down to draft my response and it's somehow *gestures at this whole mess* 2300+ words!?? And confession time! I’ve never even SEEN "The Mentalist"! Everything I know about Marcus Pike has come from cute GIFs and the Internet and fanfics… so… I don’t even know what’s going on with me today. But thank you! :D

(This is leaking over from this post if anyone needs to play catch-up)

Paris

Word count: 2300+

Rating: mature, 18+ only

Outline: Marcus Pike x “You” in Paris, reader is an Art History Professor (cis/het female reader; “blank canvas”/no physical description/no name/no use of “Y/N”)

Warnings: slow burn; cute Marcus Pike; coffee and pastries; kissing and stuff; public-ish sex in the Louvre after hours; spontaneous P/V sex (probably unprotected, idek) we're all adults here, wrap it before YOU tap it!

It’s like, you and sweet Marcus have definitely hit it off and you’re really into each other after that field trip meet-cute and your date, but you haven’t slept together yet. He gets called away for a case, so you wish him good luck and hope that you can see each other again soon.

A few days later it’s spring break and you have a trip to Paris planned to complete some research for your next publication. You email Marcus while you're waiting to board. You let him know that you’re going to be out of town for a few days, but that you hope his case is going well, and maybe when he's back you two can pick up where you left off?

You land in Paris and check your messages, and you see that Marcus has replied to your email. He says he can't share the details of his case, but that he hopes he'll be wrapped up by the end of the week, and that he definitely wants to see you again. He asks about your research trip, so you shoot a quick email back to fill him in on the details.

You get to your hotel and sink into a hot bath with your phone. You open your emails, and your brain tells you that you're just checking to confirm the details of your appointment with your research contact in the morning... but the little uptick in your heart rate tells you that you're actually looking for another reply from Marcus. And it's there. He says that he loves Paris and that your research sounds exciting. He asks where you’re staying? You give him the name of your hotel, and tell him that you haven't stayed there before, but it's cute.

Before the water even gets cold you have another reply, sending the butterflies behind your navel into a tizzy. He says that he's stayed there once or twice and that the café in the lobby has excellent pastries. You smile and let yourself imagine a vacation with Marcus, here in Paris, sharing pain au chocolat over a little table in the café. You refill the tub with hot water and sit daydreaming for so long that your fingers prune up.

You get out of the bath and wrap yourself in a plush robe, and sit on the edge of the bed. You email Marcus back, wishing him a good night and telling him that it's late where you are, but that you promise to try one of the pastries in the morning with your breakfast coffee. By the time you're in your nightgown and ready to sleep he's responded, wishing you sweet dreams and hoping that your research goes well. You smile and reply, "Thanks," and then drift down into pleasant dreams.

The next morning you take yourself to the little lobby café and treat yourself to a café crème and an almond croissant. Marcus was right, and you nearly moan aloud as you wrap your mouth around the flaky pastry. You open your email and send him a picture of your croissant with one bite missing, and you joke that you blame him for ruining you for any other boulangeries you might visit during your trip. By the time you're done with breakfast he's responded with a wink emoji and a quick "Sorry I ruined you," and you desperately want to email him back and boldly ask him to ruin you in other ways. You stop yourself, and your brain can't think of anything appropriate, so you just don't respond and you leave to go to your research appointment.

The day is long, and the dusty archives and a few misfiled papers cause small irritations. But you find a few of the things that you needed, so you call it productive enough. You break at 3 p.m. and decide to start again fresh in the morning. Maybe an early dinner and another scalding hot bubble bath will set you right. You decide that the weather is nice, and that your hotel is close enough that you can stroll back and people watch, disconnect your brain from your work and transition into relaxation mode along the way.

You arrive back at your hotel and go to your room to change. There is a card slipped under your door, the front desk letting you know that you have a delivery of some kind to pick up. You try to remember if any of your colleagues or your boss mentioned that they would send you anything? Is it paperwork? Some kind of file for your research? You decide to shower and change into a nice dress to lift your mood, and then head back out for dinner.

You take the card to the lobby desk and hand it to the desk clerk and he disappears into the back office. When he returns you're surprised to see that he's holding a floral arrangement, not huge or ostentatious, but lovely and cheerful and somehow your favorite color exactly. The clerk sets the vase on the desk. You reach for the card and open it.

"Good luck on your research. -Marcus"

You break into a wide grin and you practically float back to your room. You set the flowers on the room table and open your email to thank him. You send him a photo and an effusive "Thank you!" and a winky kiss emoji. Is that too much? No - if one little emoji scares him off then he's not the guy you thought he was.

He responds within minutes, a quick "You're welcome. Glad they arrived in one piece." and his own winky kiss emoji. Your heart flutters and you reply immediately, "They're really lovely. Thank you for thinking of me."

A moment later his next email pops up: "Can I take you to dinner and pick up where we left off?"

You reply: "Absolutely! I'll let you know as soon as I'm back in town!"

He responds: "No, I meant tonight."

You hesitate, does he want to call you and chat on the phone while you eat dinner? Some kind of video call, like a virtual date? Before you can type your reply, a new message pops up: "I'm actually in Paris. My case is here and I arrived a few days before you did. I didn't want to scare you off or come to your hotel unannounced, but I'm free tonight and I'd love to see you."

You throw your head back and laugh. This is definitely way more fun than eating alone and people-watching. You message back an enthusiastic, "Yes! I'm ready when you are!" and he emails you and says he'll see you in 30 minutes in the lobby. When you get downstairs he's waiting by the front desk, all soft scruff and loosened tie and warm brown eyes, just as you remembered. You smile and hug him, and in that moment you feel like a fairy-tale princess meeting her prince, being swept off your feet in the most romantic city in the world.

You have dinner at a cozy bistro around the corner, Marcus making you bubble with laughter as you talk. He listens to you moan about the missing pieces of your research, your pressing need to track down a letter from one artist to another that was mentioned in an old diary but which hasn't yet surfaced. You're sure it's around the archives somewhere, just waiting for you to piece it together with the rest of your project. Marcus tells you that his case is almost wrapping up, and if you want he can arrange to catch the same flight home as you. You smile and tell him that would be nice.

You finish dinner and he asks if you want to go to the Louvre, and you check the time and say that they're almost closing. Marcus smiles at you and says, "Don't worry about it," and he looks a little mischievous. You tell him you're up for an adventure, and he takes your hand and ushers you into a taxi.

When you arrive he asks the desk staff for someone he knows, and you make a quick run to the restroom. When you return, Marcus has two laminated badges, special access for professionals and visiting staff that allows you to stay for a few hours past closing. You can't believe your luck, being allowed to spend extra time in one of the most special places in the world, not to mention that your escort is the most handsome and charismatic man you've ever met.

You start in the Denon wing and wander through the museum, talking and laughing quietly, enjoying the opportunity to see things that you would normally have to fight hordes of tourists to see. And maybe "enjoy" isn't the right word, because if someone asked you how you were feeling right now, you would say you were "on cloud nine" or "elated" or "floating." It feels like a dream, and you're not sure if you're going to remember all of it later, but you desperately want to, and you're trying so hard to file every sight away into your brain.

When you reach the Mona Lisa, an odd hush falls over you, and you realize it's the first time you've ever seen it without a crowd twenty deep in front of it. Marcus seems to know what you're feeling, because he takes your hand, almost shyly. And he keeps holding it, warming your fingers as the two of you walk on. You stop in front of Delacroix, "Liberty Leading the People," and you tell Marcus that it's the first painting you ever fell in love with, a million years ago in high school during your very first art history class. You look at the painting and he looks at you, and when you finally turn toward him he captures your mouth in a warm, urgent, soft kiss. You can feel your eyes sparkling at him when he pulls away, and you don't say a word, you just smile and hold his hand as you walk through doorways and up and down stairs.

You come around a corner and there it is, probably the most famous statue in the world: the Venus de Milo. She takes your breath away, and then Marcus does, too, stealing a kiss when you least expect it. And you're torn completely in half, unsure if you would rather keep kissing him or just stare at the curves and planes of her body. So you try to do both; you kiss him and keep one eye on the Venus and you start to feel dizzy, like you've overloaded on sugar, but it's just the impossible circumstances that you've found yourself in.

And you break apart from him, and take his hand again, leading him into a corner that's a little more private. You back yourself against a wall and pull him to you by his tie, and you kiss him the way he deserves, with your full attention and precision. Minutes pass slowly, and you only come up for air because you're afraid you're going to faint. Your thigh is blazing hot where Marcus's hand has raked up under your skirt, and the only reason you don't fuck him right there is because of a security camera keeping watch on the alcove.

You tell him that you both should finish your tour and go back to your hotel, and he agrees. You try to keep your mind on the art, and you tell Marcus about how awestruck you were as a student when you learned about the way that sculptors could depict every curve and dimple of a woman's body through the wet drapery technique; the sensuality of the human form made only slightly more modest when viewed through a veil of fabric; the sheer awesome impossibility of marble carved to look like gauze.

You both get lost in the conversation, and you wander up a staircase and around a corner, and there it is: your absolute favorite piece of art, the piece that you have studied and memorized and dreamed about. And you've seen it before: you've been to the Louvre a handful of times, but this time there are no noisy footsteps echoing off the marble, no tourists trying to capture the glory of it with their tiny and unworthy cameras and phones when there are perfectly good books and postcards available in the gift shop... the Nike to end all Nikes, the Winged Victory of Samothrace. You are, quite simply, blown away.

And if it had been a normal weekend walking tour of the sacred Louvre, if you had been there with anyone else... you wouldn't have ended up wedged against the wall of the archway to her left, skirt hiked up as Marcus pounded into you, one of your bare legs hooked over his hip and your arms wrapped around his neck. If it had been any other day or any other time, you would have stopped him before he unzipped his fly and pulled his erection out; you would have had some remaining shred of propriety, of decency. But it wasn't a normal day and he wasn't a normal man, and you really weren't yourself.

You had gotten carried away by the late hour and the thrill of being allowed to wander the empty museum, and if you were being honest, you really wouldn't have wanted to stop it. You wanted to give in to the romance of the city and the priceless treasures on display and the heady conversations with Marcus. You wanted to be exactly where you were, with exactly who he was, doing exactly what you were doing and feeling exactly how you felt as he thrust into you and grunted your name like a chant while you traced the lines of the Nike with your lust-blown eyes.

You didn't make it to the Richlieu wing until a year later, on a sunny Saturday morning with your new husband Marcus.

--- Just-here-for-the-moment’s masterlist

Roll call: please message me if you don't want to be on my "all fics" tag list!

@221bshrlocked @danniburgh @starlightmornings @honestly-shite @spacedilf @anaaaispunk @silverwolf319 @greeneyedblondie44 @maxwell–lord @nicolethered @the-queen-of-fools @driedgreentomatoes @juletheghoul @dihra-vesa @anxiousandboujee

[amantesmultorum]

The curly-haired child smiles brightly at @ofantine. Her heart was always so full of love when she was with those who were dearest to her. Especially her mother. The birds and her imaginary friends and Marguerite were loved and adored, but not nearly as much as Maman.

The small girl nodded her head as she looked at her mother, now much closer to her level. " Okay Maman ! " She said with a soft and gentle chuckle falling from her lips. She swayed slightly as she stood in front of her mother, as happy children always found it difficult to stand completely still. She had so much energy now that she was with Fantine, her favorite friend, and playfellow.

She stops swaying as her mother pulls her close to hug. " I missed you too Maman ! I wish I could always be with you. " Though she was glad she got to at least be with her in Paris. " I am wonderful ! A little hungry. Marquerite wouldn't let me eat any pastries when we walked past the bakery. " Her swaying continued now that her mother pulled back slightly. The toddler shook her head. " I slept good. I had the best dreams ! Clouds, castles, and princes and princesses ! "

⠀⠀the days she spends in toil are well-worth it when cosette is concerned. fantine's hands ache from the factory, her feet drag with every step, but her heart is light in her chest — she had her daughter, her precious little thing, waiting at home with marguerite in the next room over. that was more than enough consolation for the mother. while it is not a true home, only a temporary rented flat to get their bearings & allow fantine to quickly make it to the factory & back, cosette fills the dismal space with so much love.

⠀⠀upon entering, she hears that tiny voice; instantly all weariness fades from fantine's face, instead replaced by a soft, indulgent smile. her heart aches faintly. it was for both of their safeties that cosette was to call her something else, that fantine should present as a family member merely trying to help an abandoned child... it does not stop the initial pang of hurt, but she reminds herself that cosette had no way of knowing when it was appropriate to call her which name.

⠀⠀fantine removes her heavily patched bag from her shoulder, placing it aside on the small, squat chair by the door. she bends down on a knee, arms already open, eager to hold her little one close once again. ❝ you may always call me maman when it is just you & I, ❞ she beams, tucking a stray hair back behind cosette's ear. ❝ I hate asking you to pretend, ma petite. but it has kept us together... ❞

⠀⠀a sigh. fantine shields her pain from view as best as she can, instead opting to content herself on the sensation of cradling her daughter.

⠀⠀❝ how I have missed you, ❞ she whispers. gently she brushes back cosette's hair from her forehead, giving a soft kiss there. she pulls back slightly to take her daughter in fully. ❝ how are you feeling? are you hungry? did you sleep enough? ❞

[josefavomjaaga]

Another incognito story

Albrecht Adam was a former pastry baker turned battle painter (and it's so sad Soult was in Spain at the time - those two could have talked shop when it came to baking) who in 1809 followed the French army from Bavaria to Austria in order to hopefully find some interesting scenes to paint and make some money there. He seems to have been very successful and to have caused quite some stir; enough for even Bavarian king Max Joseph to mention in a letter to Berthier that there seemed to be a very good young painter with the army and that Berthier would do him a geat favour if he found the time to have his portrait done and sent it to him. Berthier seems to not have been among them but young Adam, staying in Vienna on invitation of one general de Bonti, surely had lots of customers, even more than he liked:

More than once an officer came, whom I turned away under the pretext that I had no canvas at home; but he came again and brought the canvas spanned on the frames. This happened to me more than once. The French are very resourceful and soon knew where to find such materials. Now an equestrian portrait was to be made - but in what a strange way! Without any preparation, I painted the head of the person who had forced me to do the painting, so to speak, in the middle of the canvas and then hung it on the wall until I had time to complete the picture. Many of these things, however, never came to fruition; even today I still have several small, very similar portraits of interesting personalities, which I cut out of the canvas when I left Vienna and took with me.[...] 

One evening (it was the 16th of September), two officers in blue overcoats without any signs of distinction entered my studio, only the hat of one of them indicated that he was a general. De Bonti's valet, standing in the antechamber, opened the door to them with deference and disappeared. They asked permission to see my pictures and my portfolio; I moved a small table next to the easel, placed the latter on it, offered them chairs and excused myself if I continued to work, for I was afraid that darkness would overtake me, which they accepted. First they looked at the work in progress on the wall, amused themselves with it and recognised all the portraits at first glance. Then one of these two gentlemen sat down at the table and looked through all my drawings up to the last sheet in the portfolio with great interest, but the other thanked me for the chair and remained standing. While I was looking through them, they asked me various questions, one of which was whether I had never been to Italy. I answered in the negative, whereupon one of them asked if I would like to go there, he knew the Viceroy very well and wanted to recommend me to him, the vicequeen was a Bavarian princess and I would be very well received there. I thanked him as obligingly as I could and replied that I would gladly go to Italy, but Monsieur de Bonti had promised to take me with him to Paris, and without his consent I would do nothing.

The seated man then rose, patted me kindly on the shoulders and said that was quite good of me, that gratitude always dresses a man well, and that he would speak to de Bonti himself about the matter.

Then they departed, greeting me kindly, the valet opened the door for them again, which he usually did not do, and after they had gone, he looked very smart without saying another word about the visit. These two gentlemen were none other than Prince Eugène and his aide-de-camp, Colonel Bataille, who spoke tolerably good German. De Bonti summoned me to his bedside very early the following morning and laughed heartily that I had not recognised the Prince. The Prince had spoken to de Bonti that very evening after the theatre at Schönbrunn and told him that he wanted to take me to Italy with him. [...]

Which of course Eugène then did. The result of this were paintings that gave a job to two generations of Adams (as Albrecht’s sons still worked on the same subjects for Eugène's son in Russia) and the memoirs that this is taken from: A. Adam, "Aus dem Leben eines Schlachtenmalers"

My favourite person in this anecdote is de Bonti’s valet, btw, grinning and thinking “Well, I could tell you something. But I’m just a servant; it’s not as if I’m allowed to talk without being asked...”

[miraculous786]

My Miraculous Ladybug Salt, Maribat & Adribat Requests and Prompts - Masterlist

All Miraculous Ladybug Works

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A Visit to Princeton Academy

Summary: Miss Mendeliev and Bustier’s class take a trip to the expensive private school Princeton.

Wait, the principal there is your best friend’s uncle? Wow, Lila, that’s amazing!

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A Grandfather’s Love

Summary: Curious as to why his granddaughter missed one of their weekly baking sessions, Roland Dupain decides to figure out why.

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The Assassin - The Protector

The Protector’s Vengeance

The Protector’s Entrance

The Protector’s Plan

The Protector’s Battle

The Protector’s Defeat

The Protector’s Past

The Protector’s Aftermath

The Protector’s End

Summary: He was tasked to assassinate the girl.

Not devote himself as the Protector of her and her best friend.

Fox!Felix (Arctic Fox) Art by @i-will-be-your-ace

Arctic Fox Redraw by @krissykat0207

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Listen

Summary: Ladybug has had enough of Chat Noir’s pestering for a date.

Too bad they argued about it in public.

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Disappointed

Summary: Alya remembers the time she was severely disappointed in Marinette.

But she didn’t expect the tables to turn - and a strong sense of déjà vu when they did.

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I’m Surprised You Don’t Recognise Me

Summary: Lila decides to blame Marinette for prank calling the Fire Department.

Luckily her friends and family are ready to defend her.

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Angel in Disguise

Summary: Lila’s a demon.

Luka’s an angel.

One wants to steal souls - the other, protect them.

It just so happens the two are targetting one soul in particular.

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Cupcake?

Summary: King Monkey, or Kim.

The boy with a crush on one Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

And hero that is terrible at keeping his identity secret.

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It’s Your Birthday

Summary: Adrien knows she's been tormented by the whole class - all thanks to a liar.

Wouldn't you know, it's Marinette's birthday, and he has the perfect present.

The downfall of Lila.

After all, Princesses deserve to spoilt.

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Of Brothers And Beverages

Summary: Marinette, along with her co-worker Adrien, notice an exhausted teen at the coffee shop they work at.

Naturally, they decide to see if he's okay - leading to a sibling-like friendship between them and Tim.

It's no surprise that the delicious pastries Tim bring home catch his brothers' eyes...

...and they decide to investigate.

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Domestic Anniversaries

Summary: As a surprise for their anniversary, Damian takes Marinette to the local pet store to adopt some animals.

And man, do they adopt.

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An Awkward Reveal

Approvals And Explanations

Headcannon

Summary: Who can blame Edward Nygma for being protective over his adopted daughter?

The very daughter who was dating Damian Wayne right under his nose.

It was only a matter of time until Marinette's dad and uncles found out, along with her boyfriend's family.

Now they want to meet her in person, much to the annoyance of the Riddler's overprotective instincts.

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I Expected Business, Not...Babies?

Summary: Tim only wanted to complete his work in Paris - easily, peacefully, and most importantly, safely.

He didn't expect to come across a villain turning people into kids.

Or one of those very kids thinking of him as their "Bwuda".

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A Familiar Melody

Summary: Luka can hear a heart's tune.

And can tell who's is who's - with or without the mask.

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Crazy Coffee Conspiracies

Summary: A theory about Ladybird and Red Robin dating...

...and both being aliens?

All it takes is an oblivious Adrien Agreste and one sleep-deprived Tim Drake to prove the theory true.

If it is indeed true, that is.

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A Mother And Her Instincts

Summary: It's a mother's instinct to protect her children.

And if said children happen to be Paris's heroes?

Well, that only means that there's more to protect them from.

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The Teeter In Your Tune Is Destined For Disaster

Summary: For as long as Luka could remember, he had possession of an ability that no one was aware of.

It was both a gift and a curse.

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You Were To Babysit, Not Abandon

Summary: Lila thinks that babysitting Alya's sisters is a great way to manipulate the reporter.

Too bad she doesn't realise what little devils they are.

Nor how a certain Adrien Agreste is so keen on keeping his friends, and their relatives, safe from her.

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A Bat Protective Of A Cat

Summary: Bruce Wayne, as the godfather of Adrien Agreste and practical brother of Emilie, takes it upon himself to save the boy from Gabriel and his emotional neglect.

Only, he didn’t anticipate the ladybug-themed heroine to barge in and try to bring back the partner that she thought to have been kidnapped.

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The Bad Get Outed In Bad Ways

Summary: You know the saying: 'Liar, Liar, Pants On Fire'?

An akuma strikes Lila, with their goals unknown to most. It comes as a big shock to all when said saying ends up being true.

After all, she is a liar.

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The Demon And Her Angel

Summary: The demon Marinette Dupain-Cheng comforts her angel boyfriend after a falling out with his father.

And perhaps gives him a reason to think about if he truly wants to stay in heaven.

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Her Boyfriend, My Girlfriend

Summary: Marinette's class is insistent on her turning up to a date with Adrien that Alya prepared.

What they don't know is that she already has a date, with a boyfriend that none of them would expect.

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A Frisbee Flying At A Fiancée That Fled

A Dinner And Domestic Discussion With A Designer

Headcannon

Summary: Marinette and her partner Kagami flee Paris in an attempt to escape Adrien Agreste, and find themselves relaxing in a Gotham park not so long after.

Only for a stray frisbee to disrupt their date.

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My Cousin

Summary: By accident, Marinette and Adrien change Harley Quinn into a young teen using their magic.

What follows are shenanagins involving a jester, a liar, a dumb class and two hyenas.

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Queens Have No Need For A Prince

Knights Are The Ones That Save Royalty

Summary: Queens don’t need a prince.

What they want is a king.

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A Hidden Hades Hunting For (Hopefully) Her Husband

A Willing Persephone Is Welcome Whenever

Summary: He said he'd love her no matter what domain she ruled over - so why did he leave? Why did he not return to Earth?

Marinette makes the decision to make sure he does, and who knows? Maybe he'll be okay with that.

-----

[emu-lumberjack]

Don’t answer the phone tired part 4

Time to plan some revenge, plus its time to find out how they met (Partly)

-------------------------------------------

Hello All I decided to write part 4 before work and edit after. the pig latin at the start just translate to “Nix on the identity talk” for those who don’t know piglatin. also I hope y’all like it I decided to stop it where I did for slight evilness. (Sorry not sorry.) 

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 5

Ixnay on the dentityiway alktay. I have another idea to tell them that.

Damian typed to Marinette as they walked into the restaurant. He felt his phone vibrate and looked to see Marinette's responding message

Chat, Ryuko, and Viperion have to be involved, and no one gets seriously maimed.  

Deal.

Lunch went smoothly, until of course Dick asked about how they met. Marinette took a moment then said “Damian and I made a bet that if Damian won in a video game we would go prank Lila if I won then they’d go have some fun with a water balloon fight to blow off steam.” Not super far off from the truth, just missing a few key facts.

“It was a bad day for both of us. Lila was being Lila, and we hadn’t played that fighting game yet. Needless to say she was a lot better than I expected.” Damian finished her tale.

“I guess I’ll have to play you sometimes, I’m currently undefeated at the manor.” Jason said through a mouthful of rice.

“I guess so.” She said. Anyone else would think of her tone of voice as soft but Damian knew that voice, it was the innocent voice she used when she wanted people to underestimate her. He looked forward to the prospect of watching Todd fail miserably. Marinette’s phone started going off, she looked at and answered. “Yeah Adrien.” Damian couldn’t make out what he said but it was enough to startle Marinette. “Crap I completely spaced. I was caught up at lunch, can you stall Madame Bustier for me? I swear I’ll be there soon.” she shoved her phone in her bag while leaping out of her seat. “Thank you guys lovely meeting you. Let me know how much I owe you for lunch later.” With that she was out the door.

“We’re not having her pay us back. Right?” Tim asked.

“Definitely not. It’s on me this time.” Dick responded. “Also Bruce asked all of us to check up on the Wayne enterprises building while we’re here. Let’s head over after we finish up here.” A chorus of agreement followed.

------------------------------------------

After the trip to the Paris office the four bats went back to Damians residence. Damian secluded himself in his room taking that over talking with his brothers, plus he had to finish his plan for tonight, he’d tell Marinette the rest of it after she got out of school. He’d been at it for a couple of hours when a knock at his bedroom door tore him away from his work.

“What.” he said curtly annoyed at being interrupted. Jason poked his head through the door, he looked tired.

“Nice to see your still alive demon spawn, we hadn’t seen you in a few hours. Anyway Dick went to the store, and Tim and I are gonna crash. Actually Tim’s already crashed on the couch and I’m about to follow. Wanted to let you know in case you needed something.”

“Yeah yeah I’ll wake you up if I do.”

“Yeah that was actually my warning. Wake us up and you will get a fist to the face, fancy ninja skills or not.” Jason held his fist up for emphasis, Damian just laughed.

“Sure Todd, if you can catch me you can hit me.”

“Wow that Marinette really has loosened you up, before I don’t even think you’d respond to me.” he paused for a second, “oh speaking of which did I mention she’s at the door?”

“You could lead with that!” Damian said, throwing on his sweatshirt. He scooped up his notebook and a pair of shoes. He shoved his notebook in his messenger bag and started hopping on one foot down the hall trying to put his shoe on and get to the door as fast as possible. That was until he lost his balance and planted face first into the rug, notebook landing like a tent on top of his head. He lifted it up slightly to see Marinette trying to stifle a laugh and failing, miserably. The Kwamii at her side no doubt doing the exact same.

“You’re welcome!” Jason called from Damians room.

“I’m gonna kill him.” A very red Damian muttered.

“Oh don’t do that just yet, we have to plan tonight don’t we. anyway he’ll get his due tomorrow when I play him.” She was still smiling as she offered a hand to Damian to help him up, he could forget sometimes how ruthless she could be behind the sweet smile, he liked it sometimes.

“Yeah you’re right, anyway ready to head out? Are we doing Andre’s?”

“Sure we can meet the others in the park. Also is your brother ok, because it looks like he’s about to fall off the couch.” Damian looked over to see Tim’s sleeping head practically touching the floor, with his feet still laying horizontal. Damian gave him five minutes before crashing onto the floor.

“He’ll be fine, lets go.” The two walked out of the residence hand in hand.

-------------------------------------------------------------

“Everyone clear on the plan?” Damian asked, it was a couple hours after he and Marinette had left the apartment. The ice cream they got from Andre was long gone, and the sun was setting.

“I mean it sounds simple enough, my question is what you want me to do?” Luka said from the corner still strumming his guitar.

“If you could use your lyre for ominous music when we start, that would be perfect to freak Greyson out. He may not be religious but he still believes in ghosts. Also in case they ever catch on before we get to do the rest of it you can use second chance and we can do it again.”

“Sounds good, and I have just the song.” Luka may be a kind kid but he wasn’t above pranks on siblings, especially if it was for a friend.

“So when do we start?” Kagami was pretending to study while she talked to them over phone, her mother wouldn’t let her meet up with them.

“Same question over here!” Adrien was simultaneously stuck in his room so Marinette had him pulled up on videochat.

“After sundown, think you two can sneak out by then?” Damian responded.

“How bout ten that when my mom is asleep and I can sneak out even easier.”

Kagami offered.

“Sounds good to me if it is for everyone else.” A chorus of yeahs confirmed the ten time. “Perfect Kagami, Adrien see you then.” With that Damian and Marinette hung up their respective phones.

“I’ve gotta go get some homework done before then, so I’ll see the two of you at ten too.” Luka  got up and put his guitar in its case, which he then slung over his back. He grabbed his bike handles and started walking it out of the park.

“We’ll see you then Luka, oh say hi to your mom for me, and tell her I’ll have those pastries to her by next Tuesday!” Marinette called to him. He was already halfway out of the park so she had to shout a little louder.

“Will do!” he called back. Marinette and Damian waved bye as he disappeared around the corner.

“So Dames, what do you want to do now?” she turned to him.

“I don’t know but we’ve got a couple hours to kill, you have any ideas?”

“I have one.” She said slyly, he looked at her face to see mischief in her bluebell eyes and a smile on her lips.

------------------------------------------------------------

Game Over. Player 1 wins.

It was their 7th game and Marinette had wiped the deck with Damian every time. He got maybe two kills over all the games. The duo were killing time in Marinette’s room and decided to play some video games.

“Well that was a fun game, play again?” She said setting her controller down and stretching her arms up. Damian had gotten slightly more use to being so thoroughly crushed, so he only gaped for a minute rather than everyone else’s 15 minute long gaping session.

“Mari I love you, but I don’t think I can lose to you again.”

“Come on you might win the next one.” She said lightly.

“Mari don’t tease me it’s unbecoming of you.”

“Doesn’t mean it’s not fun!” a buzz from her phone stopped her from saying another thing to annoy him.

Where are you guys, it’s already ten -Adrien

Sorry was beating the ice prince in video games. Be there soon. -Marinette

“You ready to blow off some steam, ten o’clock is upon us.” she gave a mock bow towards Damian sticking with her Ice Prince theme from the text.

“If you cut it with the royalty shtick I’ll even buy you some new fabric afterwards.” “Hmmmmm tempting but unlikely to happen.”

“I figured, but thought I’d try.” he held out an arm to her, “then are you ready to go mess with my brother's princess?”

“Let’s suit up.” She grabbed his hand, their excitement palpable.

“This will be fun.”

tag list: @ur-average-reader  @k-laconia-bug1 @smolplantmum @dast218 @pirats-pizzacanninibles @acoursedprophetwithasmothie @g-arya @loysydark @mewwitch @itsemeanne @hauntedstudent99 @pawsitivelymiraculous @clumsy-owl-4178 @shippernaturalsanderspjoandscifi @purplesundaze @zotinha456 @t1dwarrior-of-earth @chocolateherringtacofan @abrx2002 

[mcheang]

Let it go

Marinette has had enough of Ms Bustier’s better example, of Adrien’s high road, and everyone else’s nonsense. She had been pushed to the breaking point and had snapped. It pretty much happened when planning for a skip trip, Lila had suggested a resort recommended to her by a famous skier she knows, and Chloe had insisted that they go someplace high class. Marinette is frustrated because it would mean the large pile of paperwork she had recently completed would be for nothing and too much fundraisers (that Chloe would not even help out with) just to meet the drama queen’s standards.

Marinette stands up to Lila, calling her out for her lies. She also protests when Ms Bustier does nothing regarding Chloe’s lack of effort in school work. This results in her classmates shunning her and replacing her with Lila as class president, though Adrien still tries to be her Friend even if Marinette refuses to listen to his advice.

“A kingdom of isolation, and it looks like I’m the Queen.

Despite what Marinette has done for the class, despite how she thought they were friends, they had completely abandoned her and refused to give her the benefit of the doubt.

“Be the good girl you always have to be.”

Well, now that she was no longer class president, now that she had no more friends, Marinette no longer had to please others for their sake. Especially since they weren’t really her friends if they just turned on her like that.

“It’s funny how some distance makes everything seem small.”

Without friends and class rep duties, Marinette has more time to truly let her creativity flow and soon her business begins to boom, especially once Jagged hears about it.

Soon even Ladybug is seen wearing her accessories in winter.

“It’s time to see what I can do, to test my limits and break through.”

Meanwhile, Lila dumped her responsibilities on Alya, who is super stressed that by the time they manage to get enough money, the ski resort Lila recommended is already fully booked. They end up having to go a normal ski resort. The mayor had only donated enough money so that his Daughter could be treated like a princess.

While the class goes on their field trip, Adrien is not allowed to attend and Marinette goes on a joint tour with Jagged and Clara as their stylist. Along the way, her fame grows and she even attends celebrity shows and galas.

When Adrien mopes about missing all the fun, Nathalie informs him it was a good thing he didn’t attend because the ski resort his class has settled in is currently in a snowstorm. By the time the storm would be over, the resort would be buried. Between all that and the time it would take to shovel out of the resort, the class won’t get to ski at all and only Chloe is able to take full advantage of the indoor facilities.

Adrien: yikes!

At the end of the ski trip, Marinette returns to Paris too, and is interviewed by Nadja because she is now a well-known designer. Marinette admits she has more free time now ever since Lila became the class president. Marinette mentions that Lila claims to have saved Jagged’s kitten, is friends with Ali and is even Ladybug’s BFF. But Marinette doesn’t know whether that could be true or not. The interview moves on, but Nadja is interrupted by a FaceTime from Jagged claiming he has never owned a kitten and that his beloved Niece should take what that boastful liar said with a lot of salt.

The next morning, Prince Ali’s manager makes a public statement denouncing Lila’s claim.

When class begins, Ms Bustier is noticeably stressed because for some reason, the school board had been conducting inspections and found her inefficient and incompetent. (They did so on Ladybug’s expressed concern of the akuma class.) the final nail was the disastrous field trip because she didn’t help Alya plan. Ms Bustier is currently on probation and thin ice.

The classmates gang up on Lila for her lies and because they were feeling sullen about the lousy ski trip, what a waste of time! Ms Bustier tries to stop them but is uncertain what is the right course of action.

To be honest, Lila was going to skip school as soon she saw Jagged exposing her on the news. But Marinette’s interview had sparked unwanted interest in Lila and Mrs Rossi had been notified of it. The principal and school board actually called her hotline to check on Lila’s disabilities and, in the process, her truancy is exposed. Lila is forced to attend the rest of the school year and will be repeating the grade. She is also given detention until the end of the year.

“Here I stand in the light of day!”

The class tirade is interrupted when Marinette herself struts in, dazzling in a new outfit of her own design. She pauses, takes in the scene. The classroom is in chaos. Rose is crying. Alya’s face is blotchy with rage. Adrien is failing to keep the peace. Chloe is absent for some reason (ahem she’s suspended for bullying. She got the news on the ski trip and had sulked in silence in the sauna) Lila is cowering against an angry mob. Ms Bustier looks near tears and her hair is a mess.

As one, the class takes in Marinette. Cool and regal as an ice queen as she stares at them, unaffected. They all know she had a glorious tour with celebrities, that she had finally made it big.

Then with a toss of her hair, Marinette heads out the door with a “I’m going to get help” to her once favourite teacher.

The door slams behind her.

“The cold never bothered me anyway.”

The class realizes their mistake. They had been manipulated and pushed away a good Friend. Now Marinette was on top of the world, and had left them behind for good.

For the record, after the next akuma fight, Nadja manages to interview Ladybug about Lila, and Ladybug shrugs that she already told Lila to knock it off. Honestly she was disappointed that the Ladyblogger believed what some random stranger said about her.

The class tries to get Adrien to convince Marinette to forgive them since he is the only one who is still her Friend. They had tried to talk to her at first but felt intimidated and guilt-ridden. Adrien does make an effort to mend the bridge but Marinette firmly stops him because now she feels free and she has decided to let her so-called friends go for good. If they want to mend the bridge, they need to prove themselves and face her themselves, not send Adrien like a messenger boy and hope to forget all the old grievances. Marinette is done being the perfect girl (aka doormat.)

As Marinette thrives and makes new friends, Aurore replacing Alya as her BFF and the new fox miraculous wielder, the class truly feel the loss without Marinette. They find school life harder. Alya’s field trips weren’t as impressive (she became class president and made Sabrina her deputy), no more free pastries to brighten their morning, no free help in designing costumes and banners. Ms Bustier wasn’t a big help either. She had become such a wreck that she was soon replaced with a stern substitute.

Adrien remained a passive middle ground. He was still friends with everybody but he missed the old times when everyone was happier. The class weren’t happy he had let Lila manipulate them but didn’t want to ostracise another innocent Friend. He has decided not to push Marinette to forgive the class. It just isn’t in his nature to push, if it was, he would have taken a firmer stance against Chloe’s meanness and Lila’s deceit.

❄️ ⛄️ ❄️ ⛄️ ❄️ ⛄️ ❄️ ⛄️ ❄️ ⛄️ ❄️ ⛄️ ❄️

[dessarious]

Misconceptions, Miscommunication, and Misinformation Pt72

Inspired by @ozmav Maribat AU

AO3   Beginning   Previous   Next

Bruce waited impatiently in the living room surrounded by his family and Diana Prince. He’d been surprised to see her in her civilian form but once she got over the initial shock of the Miraculous users being teenagers she’d been staunchly on their side. He still had no idea if the Ladybug and her team were showing up transformed or not. He had no idea how many were even coming.

Barbara seemed more tense than the rest though he wasn’t sure why. He knew she’d spent a lot of time talking to Tim the last couple days though he had no idea what about. Dick and Steph were both about to vibrate off the couch in their excitement. He wasn’t entirely sure why but he’d heard them mention something about Ladybug hopefully having black hair and blue eyes in her civilian form so they could get a new sister. It was nonsense that he could only roll his eyes at. Jason was calm and that honestly worried him. Cass was… well Cass. She wasn’t very emotive on her best days and right now was no exception. She never participated when they discussed Paris’ Heroes so he wasn’t certain what she thought of this whole thing other than she’d agreed to be here not suited up.

When the portal finally opened he almost let out a sigh of relief. The first through were Tim and a horse themed holder who were arguing about various things from the sound of it. Next came a boy with teal hair and a blonde girl, both of which just seemed done with the other two. When the portal closed behind them he was a bit surprised, slightly less so when the horse themed hero turned into Damian. Neither one of the other two looked like Ladybug, both were too tall for starters, but perhaps the transformations could change them more drastically than they’d thought.

“Father I’d like to introduce Luka Couffaine, who holds the Snake Miraculous as Viperion.” The boy with the teal hair smiled calmly and nodded to them all. “Chloe Bourgeois, who holds the Black Cat Miraculous as Discorde.” The blonde girl had been sizing them up the entire time and was still just looking at them with an air of calm disdain. “And…” Damian let out a string of curses. “Is she seriously asleep?” Luka looked amused but Chloe just turned her annoyed glare on his son.

“She has been ever since you two refused to stop arguing about things that had already been decided. She’s had an extremely taxing week and none of this is helping.” She was speaking through gritted teeth, as though trying not to yell, and Bruce finally noticed that she was carrying someone on her back. Damian just glared back at the girl but Tim immediately looked guilty. While Chloe and Damian continued to try and stared the other into submission Luka reached behind Chloe to the person she was carrying.

“Come on Maribug, time to wake up.” They all heard a groan and saw matching fond smiles on Chloe and Luka’s faces. There was a hint of movement before a face appeared over Chloe’s shoulder, one hand rubbing sleep from her eyes. Bruce couldn’t help but notice how worn down the girl looked. It wasn’t having just woken up either. Her face was pale and she had dark circles under her eyes. Her eyes were another story entirely, and that made him pause. That haunted look of having seen too much that was normally reserved for soldiers coming back from war had no business being prominent in one so young. He had hoped that the Miraculous magic made them appear younger than they were but it was painfully obvious the two girls were the same age as Damian, and the boy not much older. He looked over at Diana and she was staring at them with horror and pity. Damian cleared his throat.

“And this is Marinette Dupain-Cheng who holds the Ladybug Miraculous.” The girl offered a shy smile and wave before dropping her chin to Chloe’s shoulder. Damian went through and introduced all of them as well, noting the looks of interest when he got to Babs but no one said anything. Once he was finished Marinette offered them all a bright smile.

“It’s very nice meeting you all officially, and I would like to apologize for our last interaction. I was very pressed on time and I couldn’t afford to have any unknowns making an even bigger mess of things. It was necessary but I still feel bad about how short I was with all of you.” Trying to reconcile this exhausted ray of sunshine with the hero who had appeared in the Batcave was simply not working. Chloe being Discorde made sense. She was still staring at them all, daring them to screw something up so she could lash out at them, though he had no idea why.

“You can put her down you know. No one here is going to attack you.” Luka winced as Chloe actually growled at Diana’s words. Bruce was just thankful it hadn’t been one of his family to cause that reaction and he watched Marinette whisper in Chloe’s ear, obviously trying to calm the girl down. When she finally turned to Diana she just looked resigned.

“She can’t put me down actually. I was paralyzed in the last confrontation with Hawkmoth in a way that Tikki couldn’t heal.” Diana’s astonishment was written all over her face and she didn’t seem to be able to respond. Suddenly their interest in Babs made a lot more sense.

“That’s why you’ve been hounding me about wheelchairs and everything else related to my condition.” Tim just nodded and Barbara turned a sympathetic gaze to Marinette. “You need anything you call me. It’s rough, especially at the beginning, but it helps to have a good support system.”

“I definitely have that.” He noted the way her arms tightened on her partner. “And once my parents stop freaking out about everything I’m sure it’ll get even better.” Chloe let out an amused snort but Luka looked concerned.

“You never did say how telling your parents about all this went.” Marinette let out a sigh.

“Well their immediate reaction was to ground me. I told them I’d appreciate the break as soon as the meeting with the Justice League is over. They didn’t really seem to know what to do with that information. It’s a lot to take in and honestly I would have rather eased them into it, but with the way things happened…” Her guilt as plain but it took a minute for Bruce to really catch on to the meaning.

“Wait, are you telling me that you’ve been Ladybug for over two years and your parents didn’t know?” She just nodded but Chloe started glaring at Damian again.

“No one knew until your son decided that his temper tantrum was more important than Mari’s privacy.” All eyes turned to Damian and he just scowled at them all.

“What?”

AO3   Beginning   Previous    Next

Ko-Fi

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[a-solitary-marshmallow]

Do No Harm Take No Shit Chapter 5 - Home(room) Coming

They discussed how best to break the news to everyone, while feeding each other ice cream. (call Adrien a sap, he didn’t care, this was the best day of his fucking life) It seemed a bit obtrusive to walk into class and announce, ‘Hello Marinette is my girlfriend now, any questions?’

On the other hand, Lila would probably take advantage of any ambiguity. Not to mention Adrien’s fans – they would throw a tantrum when he and Marinette went public.

In the end, the simple approach was taken. Adrien took a selfie of them sharing their couples’ cone, one in which Marinette’s face was scrunched up adorably as he dabbed strawberry ice cream on the tip of her nose. Her hair was out and tumbling in the breeze, slapping Adrien on the cheek while he laughed and held the camera up blindly. It was his favourite shot – he was almost loathe to share it with the world. A quick caption. Magical ice cream with my magical girlfriend – best day of my life. Adrien posted it on Monday morning while the Gorilla drove them to school.

“Aaaaand… done.” He leaned his head against Marinette’s shoulder and watched the comments start to filter in.

“That was fast.” Marinette said.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure I’ve got a few stalkers on here.”

“You don’t say.” She teased.

Paris flashed by, and then they had arrived. They walked into the school hand in hand – Marinette’s hand was an honour Adrien held with pride. In the hallway Mylène glanced at them, glanced away casually, and then her gaze snapped back, accompanied by unashamed jaw-dropping. She elbowed Ivan, who looked around and blinked at the two, before grinning excitedly. They started to whisper between themselves. Adrien stifled a laugh.

“So,” He murmured as they walked, “How many people know about your huge crush on me, exactly?”

Marinette groaned. “No.”

“Because if Alya and Nino were shipping us…”

“Please, there are too many names to remember. You are the one person who didn’t know.”

“Was everyone on team Marinette-Adrien?”

“Adrienette.”

“What?”

Marinette looked away, face blushing a lovely shade of red. “Nothing.”

Adrien hummed and swung their joined hands. After a moment, Marinette gathered her courage and spoke again.

“Most people were on the team. Except for Chloe, of course.”

“Chloe’s always the exception.” Adrien noted.

They stepped inside the class, and Rose began to squeal. Adrien jumped at the pitch of it – all eyes were on them suddenly. He smiled nervously at the wide-mouthed stares.

“Uh, hi?”

“Congratulations!” Rose squealed. She rushed down from her chair to hug Marinette and Adrien in turn, swiftly followed by a grinning Alya who slung an arm around her best friend’s shoulder.

“Mari! Why didn’t you say something earlier? Congrats you two!”

The class was loud with cheers and excited voices. Kim laughed from his seat, “Adrien, bro! We thought you were gonna be oblivious forever.”

“Well, what can I say?” Adrien shrugged, fingers still tangled with Marinette’s. “I saw the light.”

“Oh, this is wonderful!” Rose cried. She glanced back to the very stiff figure sitting at her desk, “Lila, I told you they would figure it out!”

“Yes, you did.” Lila’s voice dripped with saccharine contempt. Adrien could feel her glare drilling into him from across the classroom. He suppressed the animalistic urge to bristle and hiss, instead sending a sweet smile towards the teeth-gritting girl. ‘Look out. You have no idea who you’re messing with.’

“So, when did this happen?” Alya urged. Marinette shrugged.

“This weekend. We went out, and talked, and… well.” She slightly lifted their joined hands, and the girls cooed. Marinette’s cheeks were flushed with happiness – even Lila’s presence didn’t seem to impact her. Adrien wished she could be this happy all the time. Damn it if he wasn’t going to try and make it so. “I’m expecting some rabid fangirl lashback though.”

Alya crinkled her nose. “Ew. Don’t worry Mari, we’ve got your back.”

“I know. Thank you.”                

“Soooo,” Alya leaned in towards the new couple, “I was wondering, would you guys object to a slight seat change today? I really want to sit next to my boyfriend, and – gosh – that leaves you two together in the front row!”

“Real smooth, Alya.” Alix elbowed her with a snort. Marinette laughed.

“I’d like that. Adrien?”

“Definitely.” He said fervently.

“Oh, and do you guys want to have lunch at my house?” Marinette offered Nino and Alya. Nino sighed happily.

“Ah, Dupain-Cheng pastries. It’s been too long.”

“So that’s a yes.” Alya clarified.

 The classes went quickly, with Marinette by Adrien’s side. When she was waiting for the other students to finish up with their note taking, she would doodle in the corners of her sketchbook. Adrien picked up her pen to draw a little love heart on her cast. She returned the favour on the back of his hand. At lunch time he, Marinette, Alya and Nino met outside the classroom to walk to Marinette’s house. They were about to start off when a voice called out.

“Oh! Would you mind if I joined you?” Lila’s sickeningly sweet cry made Adrien stiffen. Marinette bit her lip, hard, as Alya and Nino turned to see the brunette hurrying over. Alya tipped her head with a confused smile.

“Of course, girl, but I thought you were busy? You said you were having lunch with… a special someone?” Alya pointed surreptitiously to her earrings. Lila sighed, an impressive show of disappointment.

“Oh, I was so looking forward to having lunch together, but she had to cancel! Her partner got into trouble and she had to go and bail him out again. Honestly, cats can be so troublesome can’t they?”

Oh. Cats, earrings. Was Lila really talking about Ladybug? Having lunch with Ladybug? Not only was that an incredibly stupid thing to brag about, given the whole being-targeted-by-a-supervillain thing, but Lila had picked the wrong people to boast to. Adrien was almost ready to give her a cataclysm to the face.

But he wasn’t suited up right now, and Alya had already invited Lila along with a smile and a reassurance that she was sure it wasn’t personal, Lila’s bestie was a very busy person after all. A quick glance at Marinette’s uninjured arm revealed the way her fists were clenched. Adrien threaded his fingers through hers and squeezed her hand. I know. It’s bullshit.

“Are you guys coming?” Nino called from up ahead. The others had already started off. Adrien pasted on his model smile.

“Yep! We’ll catch up to you in a sec.”

“Adrien.” Marinette whispered. He turned to her, allowed his smile to drop into a scowl that mirrored hers. “I don’t want Lila in my house.”

He shuddered. “Ugh, I know, I’ve already had that experience. She’s creepy.”

“No, you don’t understand.” She whispered desperately. “Lila hates me. What if she gets her hands on something important? What if she finds the miracle box? Or lies to my parents? Or spills paint on my ball gown commission? She knows I’m being commissioned by Clara Nightingale, she asked Alya about it the other day. I’ve been working on it for weeks, if she ruins it I’ll have to start again and buy all the fabrics with my own money and the bakery will go broke and Maman and Papa will have to sell and I’ll never get a job in fashion and I’ll live on the streets and get stabbed in a mugging and-”

Adrien squeezed her hand, and Marinette trailed off.

“It’ll be fine.” He promised. “We won’t go to your house.”

Marinette looked up at him with such desperation, that Adrien felt his heart break. Had he really made her feel like this? That no one was here for her? Adrien lifted her hand to kiss it before turning to call after the three students on the footpath ahead of them.

“Guys, hold up! Marinette forgot about a huge order her parents have at the bakery, if we go there we’ll just be in the way. There’s a cool café down the road we can go to instead.”

Lila’s eyes widened like a kicked puppy’s. “I-I don’t have any money with me, I gave it all to Prince’s Ali’s charity for disabled orphans.” She put on a pained smile. “It’s okay, though. I don’t need to get anything – my diabetes won’t be a huge problem if I skip a meal or two. It’s enough to just spend time with my favourite people.”

Alya ‘awww’ed and slung an arm around Lila’s shoulder. “Mari, are you sure we can’t just stop by your place? Your folks have plenty of food they don’t sell, right?”

Marinette squeaked. Adrien spoke over her smoothly. “Don’t worry, Lila! I’ll pay for your lunch. It’s the least I can do, after how good you are to those disabled orphans.”

He could feel Lila’s glare, and it was hilarious. She said sweetly, “Oh no, I couldn’t possibly take your money!”

“I’m literally rich. Besides, wouldn’t it be the same if you took Marinette’s food?” He smiled at the fuming girl. “Please, let me treat you. I’d do the same for any friend.”

He was really laying it on thick now, he could tell from Marinette’s stifled giggle. At Lila’s side, however, Alya hadn’t picked up on the passive aggressive note. She was beaming as she linked arms with Nino and Lila. “Great! Let’s go, before lunch time runs out.”

Marinette and Adrien followed behind. As they walked Marinette leaned in to murmur, “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.” Adrien whispered back. “Your knight in shining leather is always here to help.”

She snorted and bumped him. Adrien grinned.

“It’s a tail as old as time. Fur as long as I can remember, it’s always been the princess and her alley cat against the world.” Marinette groaned, but the sparkle in her eye betrayed her. “What’s wrong, Milady? Are you feline okay? You didn’t catch a cold or something, did you?”

“What secrets are you two whispering about?” Nino joked. Adrien sent him an innocent smile.

“I have no idea what you mean. I’m just complimenting my beautiful girlfriend.” He leaned in to Marinette to add, “Let me know if all the whiskering is bugging you.”

Marinette laughed out loud. “Please, Adrien. Please get some new material.”

“Why would I, when I have the purrfect puns already?” He lowered his voice again. “Seriously though, if I am annoying you or if Lila’s making you feel uncomfortable, just let me know.”

“I will, kitty.” Marinette smiled. Adrien was thrilled that he could make her smile like that. He would tell awful puns every day for the rest of his life if it would make Marinette smile.

They walked together, with a liar, to go get lunch.

  ­­­Two months later

“Are you sure about this?” Adrien asked for what seemed like the umpteenth time as Marinette shoved her bag into her locker. She still held her newly-uncasted arm carefully against her body, out of habit. “I can do it instead, it doesn’t have to be you.”

“Yes it does.” Marinette closed her locker firmly. “I have to do this. You just make sure to get it all, okay? You have an important part.”

“Of course, Milady.” Adrien wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her hair. Marinette hummed happily and buried her face in his jacket. And everything was wonderful for a short, blissful moment.

There was a faint zipping sound, and then Plagg stuck his head through the wall of the deserted locker room and barked, “She’s alone in the courtyard. Now’s the time, Pigtails.”

Adrien wished this moment would never end. Alas, he could not hold the love of his life forever. Marinette proved that when she lifted her head.

“Okay.” She pulled in a deep breath and smiled up at Adrien.

“You’ve got this.” He told her. She nodded.

“Yeah. Okay. Tikki, spots on.”

  When it was over Adrien rushed to meet Marinette in the garden behind the school, tucked away between trees and bundles of flowers. She had beaten him there and had already detransformed, Tikki sitting on a nearby branch and munching on a cookie. When Adrien arrived she looked up at him with tear-filled eyes and lifted her arms.

“Hey, hey.” Adrien ran into her embrace and hugged her tightly. She was shaking. “It’s okay. You did it. You were amazing Marinette, and now it’s all over.”

“I know.” Marinette mumbled again him. “I just can’t believe…”

“I know.” He held her firmly and Marinette returned the gesture, clutching at his back. “You’re done. You can relax now.”

Marinette made a muffled sound. Adrien stroked her hair.

“Do you wanna go home?”

She nodded, not lifting her face from his chest.

“Do you wanna be alone?”

She shook her head.

“Do you wanna cuddle and watch cartoons?”

Marinette nodded again.

“Do you wanna watch the Ladybug and Chat Noir movie and laugh at all the stuff that they got wrong?”

Another nod. Adrien kissed the top of her head.

“Then that can be arranged. And we’ll deal with tomorrow when it comes.”

“When it comes.” Marinette mumbled.

  Adrien walked to the front of the class the next morning just before school was due to start. Most of the students were already in their seats – including Marinette, who Adrien had insisted was due for a break. She had already done the heavy lifting of the plan, now Adrien could see it through. Besides, she didn’t need Lila targeting her even more for this. Speaking of Lila, Adrien could feel the girl’s suspicious glare drilling into his back as he spoke to Ms. Bustier.

“Excuse me miss, is it alright if I show the class something before the lesson starts? It’s urgent.”

She frowned from her desk. “Can it wait? We have a lot of important information to cover this lesson.”

“Ms. Bustier, this is very important information. I think everyone should see it as soon as possible – including you and the other teachers.”

She shook her head. “Mister Agreste, I really don’t see what could be so important that you must interrupt my lesson. Why don’t you go and sit down, and talk to the principal at lunch?”

“Because it concerns my classmates and-”

“All the more reason for it to be dealt with discreetly – we don’t need a spectacle.”

“You didn’t give Marinette that luxury.” Chloe called mildly from the front seat. Adrien turned to stare at her in disbelief. “You called her out in front of everyone during that whole cheating scandal. Why not give Adrien the same luxury? Or do I need to bring my daddy into this?” She pulled out her phone threateningly and Miss Bustier whitened.

“That will not be necessary, Chloe. I’m sure a… a few minutes is fine.”

“It won’t take long.” Adrien assured, sending Chloe a grateful look. She smiled smugly. Adrien quickly plugged in his USB and opened the document, taking a breath to raise his voice to the whole class.

“Thank you all for your time. At first I wasn’t sure if I should share this – but after doing a bit of research, I’ve found some worrying things that I think everyone here should know about.” Adrien could feel Lila’s glare searing through his forehead. He resisted the urge to smirk at her, instead schooling his expression into hesitance and worry. He had a part to play – the innocent bystander. After all, a malicious witness wasn’t very trustworthy. “I sent a copy to Mr. Damocles and the Ladyblog – Alya, you probably haven’t seen it yet – but I think it’s important that you all watch it before anyone else.”

Marinette met his eye, and nodded. Adrien smiled at her and pressed play.

[2manyfandoms2count]

#LadynoirJuly Days 4 and 5

To avoid being too late on the prompts, I’m just going to combine some of them from now on! Hope the banter is satisfactory, I wasn’t quite sure I was doing it right... Enjoy! xxx

@ladynoirjuly2020

Read the previous entries: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

---

Days 4 and 5: Disguises and Banter

Ladybug waited outside the hospital, comfortably swaying in her long red and black dress. She was pretty satisfied with the design; she thought she’d nailed the elaborate XVIIIth century style, complete with small train, frills, ribbons and slightly puffy sleeves. The rich damask cloth, combined with the petticoat, kept her warm in the crisp October night air. It was going to be a cold winter.

Shrill sirens echoed from nearby streets, bringing her back to the matter at hand. She tried to ignore their meaning as she checked her Miracuphone for a sign of her partner. Out of all the days he could've chosen to be late, this one was possibly the worst. The children in the hospital weren't expecting the two Paris Heroes (they'd made sure to keep their visit under wraps to surprise them), but they were definitely waiting for their Halloween treats. And she wasn't going to disappoint them on that front.

As she was about to head inside, anxious to get to her mission, Chat Noir casually walked around the corner. In the semi-darkness of the street, she thought at first that he hadn't dressed up, but then she noticed his bandana and his large black shirt, taken in at the waist by his belt, from which his baton hung like a sword. 

"'Evening, m'lady." He bowed as he approached. "Your nickname is particularly fitting tonight, may I presume I was a source of inspiration?" He quipped as he took in the majesty of her dress. As a designer's son, he could appreciate how much work must have gone into the gown, not to mention its accompanying feathered hairdo.

"Don't worry, they're not real. Wouldn’t want you to sneeze all over a bunch of kids, would we Chaton?" She smirked as she caught him looking apprehensively at her hair accessories. "Also, I like your costume, Westley, but couldn't you have gone for something a little more… original?" She asked. Not that it wasn't a good costume; she did very much like the Princess Bride and its hero. She also appreciated how handsome her partner looked with a more rugged look.

"Sorry, Bugaboo, it's been a busy week." He shrugged apologetically. "Also, I thought we were making our own costumes, sans the help of actual designers. I would've asked Marinette too, otherwise." He said pointedly, indicating the designer's embroidered logo at the bottom of the skirt. 

Ladybug swore internally, while noting how much her partner paid attention to detail. She'd absentmindedly signed her work on her sketch, and forgotten to remove the gold stitching when she made it. She'd realised it a minute before leaving, and had counted on its discretion rather than risking being late. Oh well, as long as Chat believed she'd hired Marinette…

Chat continued his rant. "Plus you have it easy, as a woman. You can just slip on a dress to cover your costume! How am I supposed to cover all this leather, even a kilt wouldn't do." He pouted.

"What about a cape?" She winked at him as she slung her arm in his, directing him towards the hospital entrance.

"But Edna said no capes!" He gasped as they walked in, enjoying their proximity and giddy at the thought that she'd initiated it, for once. 

She rolled her eyes and shook her head in response, the small smile tugging at her lips giving her amusement away. 

She reluctantly (because it was slightly cold in the hall, of course) let go of Chat's arm as they approached the main desk and greeted the receptionist. Although the latter tried to keep a straight face, she could tell he was torn between surprise, internal fangirling (she wondered if there was a more gender neutral term for it) and a detached attitude. 

"Good evening sir," she smiled warmly. "I believe you have something for us." She looked behind him and pointed at the large hand trolley, on which were piled Tom and Sabine cake boxes. It wasn’t necessarily very traditional for Halloween, but then again, it wasn’t a very celebrated holiday in France, and she doubted the children had access to pastries very often.

It had been weird casually striding into her parents’ bakery as Ladybug and pretending to not know very much about their products, when she knew exactly what she wanted. She’d ordered enough to cover the sugar needs of all the Paris hospitals, complete with diet restrictions, so when Sabine had told her the order was on the house, she’d almost slammed all her money in the tip jar anyway. The way her Mum had looked at her then reminded her of when she talked back sometimes, and she knew better than to open that door. She had respectfully backed down on the payment front, but had been particularly zealous in the kitchen as Marinette to compensate. Marinette had also insisted on delivering the order straight to the hospital earlier in the afternoon, despite her parents’ reservations at the idea. It was the least she could do. 

“Oh yes, of course! Let me bring it out for you.” The lad almost tripped as he stood up, but thankfully didn’t crash on the trolley. That would have been awkward. As he wheeled out the bounty, Ladybug noticed how hungry Chat’s eyes looked as he followed the movement of the food. She smiled lovingly and leaned towards his ear. 

“Don’t worry, I saved you some.” She whispered, and he shuddered in delight at the thought of Tom and Sabine’s passionfruit macarons, chouquettes and croissants. 

“You sure know how to get to a man’s heart, m’lady.”

“By getting to his stomach first?” She asked cheekily.

They were interrupted by the receptionist clearing his throat, uncomfortably wringing his hands as he waited by the lift with the goods. Ladybug jumped away from her partner and made her way towards him, Chat hot on her heels.

“Thank you so much…” She trailed, waiting for the man to give his name.

“Patrick.” He completed, grinning. Ladybug knew his name, now. 

“Thank you, Patrick.” She smiled.

The heroes took their leave and ascended to the children’s ward. When the lift doors opened, they were greeted by a group of pirates, princes, princesses, witches, wizards, and even Miraculous impersonators, little treat bags at the ready as they waited with nurses in what Ladybug assumed was the ward’s lounge. The kids gasped and cheered as they walked out.

“Trick or treat!” Chat called out, earning himself a round of giddy laughter. Giving each other an understood glance, Chat and Ladybug separated into the small crowd, each going to one side of the room.

“You look like a princess!” A little Rena Rouge fan in an arm cast squeaked as Ladybug approached her.

“Thank you, Rena! But what happened to your arm? How will we fight the Akuma without your help?” Ladybug asked with her best shocked expression.

The little girl giggled in response, which made Marinette smile. She gave her some pastries “to help her recover quickly”, and went to join Chat. Her partner was having a pretend sword fight with a pirate. He was surprisingly good with children, she noticed. And he looked great laughing as he parried an attack. Did he fence, like Adrien? Maybe she could ask him to give her lessons. Not to spend more time with him, and definitely not to see him in a fencing uniform, which she had to admit would be particularly fitting on his muscled figure. It could just… prove to be handy if they ever swapped Miraculouses again.

She felt a small tug at her skirt, originating from the hand of a ten year-old boy wearing a Ladybug costume, sitting in a wheelchair.

“Hello there, Bugaboy!” She squatted down to be at eye level with him, her skirt sprawling out in a corolla at her feet. Some children bent down to touch the elaborate fabric. “What’s your name?”

“I can’t reveal my identity, or the Guardian will take my Miraculous away.” The boy grinned as she handed him a macaron.

“And you dare tell me you don’t say it that often.” Chat leaned on the back of a nearby chair, smirking. “Well done young man, you’ve done your research.” He winked at the kid.

Ladybug shook her head, refraining from saying that he was the one preventing them from knowing who was behind the mask now. She couldn’t say it out loud, there was some press around to record their visit, and even when they did sit down and talk about their identities, it would be best if the general public was kept in the dark about that knowledge for as long as possible.

“I want to be Ladybug when I grow up.” Mini Bug said proudly. 

“You’d put me out of a job?” Ladybug said with a fake pained expression.

“Not if you don’t want to!” The boy’s eyes went wide at the thought he might have offended his favourite superhero. “I just assumed you’d want to rest in the future. It must be very tiring to battle against Hawkmoth all the time.”

“He’s got a point there, Bugaboo.” Chat acquiesced. “She won’t listen to me when I tell her she also deserves some time off.” He fake whispered in the boy’s direction.

“That’s because you always want it to be time off for you too!” She scoffed. “You’re always inviting me for ice creams or movie dates at the same time, how am I to relax knowing nobody competent is watching over the city?”

Chat’s heart sung at the compliment. “If that’s the only thing keeping you from going out with me, I’m sure I can find a solution, m’lady. You know, Rena and Carapace would certainly do a grand job.” He tried to keep a detached demeanor, but knowing he was so close to her accepting to go on a date with him was making his heart go haywire. 

She pouted pensively, twirling a strand of hair that had fallen out of her hairdo, then shrugged. “As you wish, farmboy.” 

Her heart skipped a beat as she waited for his answer. It felt like time had slowed. Was this too soon? “Kelly” had only been out of the picture for about a month now. Was it enough time to get over someone?

A stolen glance at him answered her question. Looking at him, she could tell Chat was repressing a smile. His eyes twinkled as he looked at her like protagonists look at each other in romantic comedies. The way everyone should be looked at at least once in their life. He gave a nod in the direction of the room, reminding her they were not alone. She nodded back, their brief exchange imperceptible for common mortals.

If the warm hug and lingering kiss he left on her cheek as they parted after remaining a little longer with the kids were any indication, she knew she’d said the right thing. Although it could have also been credited to the bag of pastries she’d handed him a minute before.

[musicaldoodlebug]

The Paris Princess and The Pastry Prince- Chapter One

Marinette Dupain-Cheng had grown up like every other normal girl.

Okay. That was a lie. Most girls hadn’t been modeling since they could walk, could play the piano practically perfectly, and were fluent in Chinese.

These were perfectly normal to Marinette. After all, when your mother is the head of Cheng Designs, you’re also expected to uphold those standards.

——//——

Marinette had grown up in Paris. Her home was full of so much love. Her mother sewed and drew, weaving beautiful works of art. Her father baked, making treats, and cooked, creating the best dinners in the world. There was never need for a chef in the Dupain-Cheng home.

Marinette grew up so loved. She was daddy’s little girl, playing in the kitchen, helping him ice cupcakes to take to mummy’s office. But she also loved drawing. Her mother had been thrilled to discover her daughters interest in fashion.

And so the flour covered girl became polished with glitter. She began modeling for her mother, designing her own clothes in her spare time. She filled sketchbook after sketchbook, receiving critiques from her mother. Her designs began to appear crisper, more of what was expected of someone much older. And when Marinette was only ten, she began sewing her own clothing.

It started off sloppy, sure, but Marinette was proud. She gave homemade presents to everyone. Chloë, Marinette’s best friend, even asked for her clothes. So, Marinette made them. And each stitch got better. Each hem became straighter.

And by the age of twelve, Marinette Dupain-Cheng had released her first clothing line. Under her mother of course. And she continued to model. She had also picked up ballet along the way. Something that her mother suggested to “make her more graceful.”

Hey! She did kind of need it. But Marinette’s life was perfect.

Until it wasn’t.

There was a break in. Sabine was off on a business trip. The alarms weren’t working. And that was how Marinette was found, locked in the embrace of her father. He had taken a bulletin for her.

The cameras of course had caught everything. And Sabine became frightened. She was terrified for her daughter’s safety. So what was the best option?

Send her to live with Sabine’s family in China.

Marinette was sent away immediately following the funeral. Sabine stayed in Paris, rebuilding her fashion empire. She cleaned up the messes, and made herself stronger. But in doing that, she pushed her daughter away.

Of course, Marinette still continued to model. After all, her mum had fashion locations all throughout Europe and Asia. But she was lonely. She behaved, did what her mother asked of her. Picked up the piano and let her grandmother homeschool her.

After all, public school was no place for a famous designer’s daughter.

——//——

Marinette had to keep a pleasant smile on her face. She was raised better than to squeal. Squealing was for pigs, not young ladies.

“Yes Mother. I understand Mother. I will see you soon. Have a wonderful day.” She kept her voice nice and even. /She was going home!/

A year was a long time to stay in China with her grandma. Not that she didn’t love her. Oh no. She was someone Marinette wanted around all the time. But her mother would never approve of some of the things she was allowed to do here.

Looking towards her grandmother, she saw she was finished with the phone. Grabbing it, she placed it back on the stand. Then she turned to await what her grandmother would say.

“Of course you can go home, Mari!” the old woman responded to Marinette’s stiffness. “You are not a tree, you don’t have to be so straight. Go ahead, up to your room, and gather your things.” The old woman chucked when her granddaughter burst out a huge grin. She heard the door fling open, and then another door.

Oh that girl was something.

——//——

When the day came for Marinette to go back to Paris, her grandmother went with her. The old woman seemed to have something planned. But as to what it was, Marinette had no clue. It didn’t bother her either. She was bouncing with anticipation of going home.

Security was a breeze, and both made it to the gate together with an hour to spare. They sat down, and Marinette straightened her outfit. It was from her mother’s new line, just released. She had to look presentable when arriving in Paris.

Her pink jeans were warm, but not overbearing. They were styled with a white shirt, a dark grey jacket, and her favorite flats. She looked presentable, and it wasn’t uncomfortable.

Finally, the intercom announced the boarding, and Marinette spring out of her seat. She gave her grandmother a hug, kissed her cheeks, and grabbed her bag. She began to walk towards the door.

“Marinette wait!”

Her grandmother beckoned for her. She hug in her pockets, before pulling out a box.

“This is a sacred family heirloom. I want you to wear them all the time. You’ll find that they really are special. And you don’t want to lose them either.”

“Yes grandmother. But-“ she looked at her grandmother with her eyebrows risen, “if I don’t want to lose them, maybe I shouldn’t wear them?”

“Oh you must! You have to wear them! Oh-“ she lowered her voice, “Marinette. Only try them on when you are alone.”

And with that, her grandmother walked away. Marinette watched her, definitely confused. She was a crazy old woman.

Oh well. She couldn’t dwell on it now. She had a plane to board!

She was going home.

——//——

“Today’s news is exceptional. There is...” the television droned on. Adrien sat at the table, eating one of his mother’s fresh baked croissants. He heard footsteps running up the stairs, turning just in time for his mother to kiss his forehead.

“I’m gonna be running the bakery today. Your papa has been baking so many cakes for that one delivery, I swear we’ll never get the fondant out of that apron.” She stopped her running around the kitchen, shooting Adrien a warm smile. Adrien just grinned back. He really loved his mom.

“Oh, Adrien. When you finish eating make sure to get the laundry folded. And don’t you even try folding the clothes they way your father does. There is only one way clothes should be...” she continued ranting, finally finding her apron and running back downstairs.

Adrien heard a grunt and a hiss. His mom often missed a few steps going back down. He just smiled.

His croissant had gone slightly cold, but that didn’t stop him from shoving the whole thing into his mouth. He heard running footsteps again, and waited for the sweet sound of his mother’s voice to tell him to do something.

He wasn’t expecting the weight of another body slamming into him, knocking him off of his seat.

“Hey! What’s the big idea-mmmpph-“ the mop of red-brown hair put her hand over his mouth.

“Oh my goodness Adrien! Guess what!” Adrien’s good friend, Alya, asked. Or more like stated. Adrien knew by now to let the Girl continue talking. She often answered her own “questions.”

“Adrien! Do you remember the Cheng fashion incident? Like about a year ago? Oh of course you do! You listened to me ramble about it for a week. Well, Sabine Cheng’s daughter is coming back to Paris!”

Alya was always obsessed with celeb drama. Of course, any of it that didn’t include Chloë. Adrien didn’t even fight as Alya dragged him over to the couch, where the news was already playing. She browsed around a few channels, finally settling on one and pointing.

“Good Morning Paris! I’m Nadia Chamak, bringing you some breaking news. Paris’ own fashion princess herself, Marinette Cheng, is rumored to be returning to Paris. After the death of her father, the girl went to stay in China with her family, causing many to speculate that-“

Alya hit mute, and turned to Adrien with a huge grin on her face. “She’s coming back! The Paris Princess is coming back!” Alya continued chanting, bouncing up and down in her seat.

“And why is this so important, Alya?”

“Well, duh!” She looked at Adrien like he had no clue what was going on. “It means more gossip for my blog!” Adrien rolled his eyes. Of course.

Alya nudged him. “I’m kidding. Okay. I’m mostly kidding. But you forget, sunshine, I used to know her.”

“You didn’t Alya.” He received a elbow to he ribs for that one.

“First off, you need to eat more. Like you live above a bakery, and you are skin and bones. And second, uh, pretty boy, I took dance with the amazing Marinette Cheng.”

“Alya. You took the hip hop and tap classes that were always after hers.”

“Yeah, but...” she seemed lost for a moment. Then the fire sprung back in her eyes. “But I actually talked to her. And I shared a shoe cubby with her.”

Adrien could only roll his eyes. He began picking himself off of the couch, and went to the kitchen to wash his dishes. Alya trailed him like a sad puppy. She was going on and on about how Marinette would be an awesome friend for her.

“Look Als. You know I love you, but isn’t she friends with Chloë?” The nod he received was more than enough to continue. “Then she’s probably just another stuck up rich kid. And besides, we won’t have to deal with her. So, let’s just enjoy the last day of summer, ok?”

Alya, looked disheartened, before a grin lit up her face.

“Bet I can frost more cookies than you!”

“Oh you’re on!”

——//——

[bad-at-names-and-faces]

Another Secret

Chapter 25

Chapter Index

As Frederick walked toward the family's wing of the castle, he saw Nanny carrying Baby Linne toward the nursery. 

"Hi!" Frederick called out, then put his hand to his mouth when he realized the baby was sleeping. He managed a stage whisper. "Are Mother and Father in their room?" 

"Yes, dear," she told him. "Be sure to knock first."

Frederick approached his parents’ bedroom, and realized that Nanny must not have closed the door all the way.  There was hushed talk between his parents, and as he approached, he began to hear what they were saying.

"...but there's no way. We have to do something about him," he heard his mother say.

"But why?" his father insisted. "It's not his fault, and besides, people like him. You're the one who wanted to avoid a scandal. Sending him away-"

"Might be better than trying to pretend everything is perfectly normal when you know it’s not… not now."

"You're right, I know. We need to figure something out. But-"

Frederick had the feeling he wasn’t supposed to be hearing any of this, and as much as he thought they might be talking about him, he didn’t feel comfortable eavesdropping, so he loudly knocked on the door and cleared his throat somewhat dramatically. 

His father opened the door a crack.  “Oh, it’s you,” he sighed in relief. “What is it, Frederick?”

“Is Mother there?” Frederick asked, already knowing she was inside the room.

“Yes,” Kristoff opened the door to let his son in. “What’s the matter?”

“Sorry,” he walked over to his mother sitting on the bed.  “Our Ambassador to America quit to get himself a farm out west. I guess they're giving them out free?"

"Wait," his mother began, "What are you talking about?"

"Inga said you need to meet the council yourself to pick a new ambassador," Frederick explained.  “Also we were wondering how much longer you’d be leaving us on our own.”  

“Oh…” Anna sighed, looking up at Kristoff.  Frederick wondered what he’d done wrong, since he wasn't sure who else they might have been talking about. 

“I’m sorry,” Frederick apologized, “Inga’s the one who told me to come here.  I can go. I didn’t mean… whatever is wrong.  I’ll go now.”

“No, wait,” Kristoff told him, walking over.  “Is that the letter?”

“Yes,” Frederick replied, realizing he was almost eye level with his father. He slouched a bit. For all the times during the summer that he had tried to act more grown up, he suddenly felt unready.

“Can you leave it with us?” his father asked.

“Of course,” Frederick said, handing it over. “It’s not like I can really do anything with it.”

“Thanks,” Kristoff sighed.  “Why don’t you go take a break now?”

“No, really, it’s fine,” he insisted. “And Inga will be expecting me, anyway.”

“Thank you, Frederick,” his mother smiled. “Do you need anything else?”

"Um, if it helps," Frederick spoke before getting to the door. "Admiral Sorensen told me he'd like to take me out on the training ship this spring. I told him I'd have to ask you first."

"That's fine, I guess," his mother replied, seeming somewhat distracted. 

"Great, thanks!" Frederick replied, making sure to close the door completely and latch it as he left.

***

With Frederick out of the room, Inga pulled out the envelope she had grabbed a few minutes earlier. She realized she didn’t know what Henry’s handwriting looked like, and hoped the letter wasn’t going to be some generic official thank you for attending the coronation, especially after going to the trouble of hiding it from her brother.  Opening the letter, she wasn’t disappointed.

Corona, September 4th, 1864 Dear Inga,

Thank you for the letter you gave me before you left Corona. I hope your trip home was uneventful, and that it was as quick as you said it would be.  You still need to tell me what you meant. 

I won’t be able to answer most of the questions from your letter just yet.  I’ll need to find a chance to talk to my parents alone, since I get the feeling there might be things best discussed in private. Forgive me if I’m jumping to conclusions. As far as the other part of your letter, don’t worry, you didn’t offend me at all. I’d like to think I have a thicker skin than that. I hope you’ll write back.  I promise I’ll write more when I can.  If we can’t talk, this will be the next best thing.

Sincerely, Henry

Inga stared at the letter, very glad that she’d kept it away from the official correspondence, even if there wasn’t anything that could actually be evidence for any rumors. She realized she wanted a more private place to write a reply.  Folding up the letter, she placed it in her pocket, and got up to leave the room.  Just then, Frederick was returning.

“Finished already?” he asked her.

“I need a break,” she told him. “It’s getting late.  Let’s go into town and get dinner.”

***

“I’m a little cold,” Elizabeth told Lars.  He wrapped his arms around her as they looked at the fire.  

“It does get cold earlier here,” he admitted, “especially up here in the mountains.”

“I think I’ll get used to it,” she smiled, leaning into him.

“So,” he began, “you really don’t mind that my mother will be so close?”

“I’m the one who suggested it,” she insisted. “I just hope that you don’t mind.  I…I know not everyone gets along with their parents.”

He kissed her head.  “No, it’s fine. More than fine, in fact.  I love that you get along so well with her, and… there might be times when I’ll be busy, and I don’t want you to feel lonely, or overwhelmed.  We can’t always count on having help.”

“Thank goodness you seem to have learned to cook,” she laughed, “or else we might all starve!”

“You’re much more talented than I am,” he assured her.

“I can bake some fancy pastries and cakes,” she told him.  “That will hardly feed a family.  Your mother taught you how to make broth.  Our cook always did that, and she liked to keep us out of the kitchen when she was making dinner.”    

“Well, it works out nicely, doesn’t it?” He kissed her again. “It’s all worked out rather nicely.”

***

Inga was up early walking down the hall, meaning to get something from the kitchen before heading to the study. Turning the corner, she heard someone playing the piano in the corner of the ballroom.  It hardly ever got used, especially since she had stopped playing a few years back. The twins preferred violin, and Sofia wasn’t yet old enough to sit down for anything formal for very long. Frederick never put in much effort, but even then he seemed to play better than she did.  Every so often someone in the family would say that they should try to find a way to fit the piano into the library so they could actually play it, or find a smaller piano for a corner of the library, but it never felt urgent enough to change anything.

Frederick was, in fact, the one playing.  Inga stood by the door so she didn’t interrupt him, then walked over when he was finished.

“That was nice. What was it?” 

Frederick startled a bit. “Inga, I didn’t hear you coming in.  It’s just… some piece my friend Edvard sent from Bergen.” 

“Well, it’s nice.  I didn’t know you were still practicing,” she smiled.

“I hadn’t been, not really.  This morning I just decided I would try again.” Frederick shuffled around the sheet music. “It’s a break from the correspondence.  Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind helping you with that.  I’m just happy that I remember how to play.”

“You know that’s annoying, right?” Inga teased. “Being able to just sit down after the better part of a year and just play like that?”

Frederick gave a satisfied smile.  “I played at Christmas last year, so I guess you’re right.” He shuffled through the stack of music on top of the piano. “Here, this one has something to sing.  Why don’t you join me?”

“You know I hate singing,” she protested.

“No you don’t, you just hated the voice teacher you had maybe a total of three lessons with,” Frederick insisted.  “Besides, I can’t sing this high anymore.” Frederick gave her a pitiful looking frown.

“Fine, but I can’t promise I’ll sing it well,” she conceded, and Frederick began playing.

They needed to start over once or twice, but eventually Inga had to admit it sounded nice, especially if Frederick played loud enough to overpower herself. He insisted she sounded fine, and made her sing a second song.

At the end of the second piece, they heard someone clapping from across the room. Inga swung around, nearly knocking the music off the piano, and Frederick caught the pages, making sure they were secure before standing up and looking toward the far door.

“Very nice,” said the man standing there.  He was perfectly groomed and clean shaven, tall and tan, with jet black hair in the latest style from Paris, and what looked like a fashion house’s take on a military uniform. “I had no idea the prince and princess of Arendelle would be so talented.”

“And you are…?” Inga looked at him skeptically.

“Oh!  I had thought you had been advised of my presence,” he replied.  “I had informed Her Majesty of my interest in meeting you.”

Inga looked back blankly.

“Prince Tarkan of Maldonia.” He gave a ceremonious bow as Frederick and Inga looked at each other trying not to laugh.

“Prince Agnarr Kristoff Frederick of Arendelle,” Frederick replied, giving a very spot-on recreation of the Maldonian prince’s bow. Inga was finding it hard to control her expression now, but quickly lost the desire to laugh when the prince was still looking expectantly at her, having barely acknowledged her brother’s reply.

“Your Highness,” she curtseyed.  “Princess Anna Idunna Ingeborg of Arendelle.  And I’m afraid that I must excuse myself, I was on my way…  elsewhere.”

“Where were you going?” Frederick whispered at her.

“Anywhere,” she whispered back, hurrying to the side door toward the kitchen.

***

“Your Highness,” Prince Tarkan bowed to Frederick after his sister had left the room.

“So,” Frederick hemmed, “have you had time to see the countryside?”

“I cannot say that I have,” replied Prince Tarkan, “and I did not come here to make idle conversation.”

“You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to, but there’s a lot you can do around here,” Frederick insisted. “Just because my sister isn’t interested, doesn’t mean your trip needs to be a waste.”

“You seem very certain that she isn’t interested,” Prince Tarkan sneered.

“Well,” Frederick laughed, “usually if someone starts the conversation by telling her they want to meet her, that’s the end of it.”

���Perhaps in ten years she will regret being so quick to judge,” Prince Tarkan sniffed.  “I’m surprised that your mother is not more active in getting her children settled. I, for one, will be glad to have forged an alliance so that I may get on with the rest of my life.”

“Um, I thought we were talking about getting married, what are you talking about?” Frederick stared at the other prince in confusion.

“Surely, someone in your position understands the importance, and isn’t blinded by romantic notions.”

“Well, I guess maybe for you?”

“I’m not sure what rumors about me have traveled this way, but I assure you they are all false,” the Maldonian prince huffed. 

“I really have no idea what you’re talking about.  I had to dance with your sister when I was in Corona, but I don’t think she mentioned anything.” Frederick frowned as he tried to remember any conversations he’d had at that party.

“Well, my sister knows when to hold her tongue.  Still, I thought your family might be more amenable when the ambassador was explaining…certain things.”

“Certain things?” Frederick was confused.

“I am sure you are aware, there were irregularities? That is, irregularities with the marriage of your parents.”

“Why are you trying to sound so mysterious?”  Frederick asked. “They got married by the trolls first, sure, and then they got married in the cathedral by the bishop because everyone expects that.  So?” 

“You’ll beg my pardon, Your Highness, I did not mean to be rude.  Apparently all is explained.” Prince Tarkan bowed and left the way he had come in.

Frederick shook his head and sat back down at the piano.

***

“I think this is where you tell us congratulations.” Anna told the silent council.  “I’ve certainly been hearing enough whispers about the impending succession crisis for the last few years.”

The council sat silently for another moment.  The Bishop spoke up first.

“Your Majesty,” he began hesitantly, “it truly pains me to say this, and no offense is meant, but as far as the law is concerned, you are not legally married.”

“Well, you could vote to change the law,” Kristoff interjected.  “Isn’t that what you’re here for?”

“Sir,” the Bishop said, giving a small bow to Kirstoff, “I’m afraid that changing the law would introduce… complications.

“Complications?” Anna asked.  

“Yes, you see…” the Bishop sighed. “Legally, if your recent ceremony were recognized, the entire thing could be annulled due to bigamy laws.”

“Wait, what?” 

Anna could feel Kristoff’s hand squeezing hers painfully tight.  

“If everyone would excuse me,” Anna spoke slowly and deliberately, “I would like to speak privately with the Bishop for a few minutes.  The rest of you are dismissed.  Thank you.”

With much grumbling, the remainder of the council pulled together any papers they had brought in, and left the room.  Anna placed her free hand on top of Kristoff’s hand, and he relaxed his grip on her hand slightly.

“Your Majesty,” the Bishop began once the door had closed and he was alone with Anna and Kristoff.  “It would be very difficult to write the law allowing other ceremonies but not… claims of private exchange of vows.  Your sister changed the law for exactly that reason.  It’s been the practice to look the other way for ordinary citizens, but in your case... I know you roundly denied having exchanged such vows at the time, but if, God forbid, anything were to happen to you, Prince Hans might bring up this marriage claim again.”

“I understand,” she sighed.  “There could be bigamy claims, making any children Kristoff and I have illegitimate, and no living witnesses to deny it, and if there are no legitimate heirs, the legal spouse takes the throne.  And they have… more warships than we have, even with Corona’s navy.”

“I am afraid so,” the Bishop nodded.  “I can perform the ceremony first thing in the morning, if you wish.”

“That would be good,” Anna looked up at Kristoff, who nodded quietly in agreement.

***

Inga grabbed herself a pastry from the kitchen following her escape from the ballroom, and ate it slowly on her way up to the study.  She walked in without knocking, in the middle of a bite.

“Good morning,” her mother greeted her.  “Did you bring any for me?”

“You’re back?” Inga spoke with a full mouth, swallowing a little too quickly.  “And you might have warned me about that prince from Maldonia, you know.”

“Who?  Oh…sorry,” Anna laughed a little.  “He was definitely obvious about his intentions. He asked directly if you were attached, and as upset as you seemed to be about those rumors last week, I had to be honest. Did he… behave himself?”

“I suppose he was fine, just… rude, I guess?" Inga sighed.  "I left Frederick alone with him before I came up here just now.”

“How is Frederick doing?” Anna asked with some concern.

“Fine.  He was playing piano this morning.”

"That's nice to hear. He seemed to think he had done something wrong yesterday," she sighed. "I'm sorry about the past few days."

"Is everything okay?" Inga asked. 

"I think everything will work out," Anna replied, standing up to leave. "If you'll check the schedule, there should be a few meetings that don't require me to be present. Would you be able to attend those?"

Inga glanced at the book. "Ugh. You won't make me meet with Maldonia, will you?"

"Oh! No, I'll take care of that one. Thank you for reminding me. Now, your father is expecting me to join him for breakfast.  Don't forget to eat a proper meal, please!"

***

Anna sat in the garden, a newspaper open on the bench next to her.  She stared off absentmindedly, not wanting to read the paper she’d brought with her.  She was happy for the headline she read, but it had awoken memories she thought she had put behind her.  It had been two months since her twenty-first birthday, a little more than two months, in fact.  It was almost September.  Olaf wandered over and looked at the headlines. “Oh! The Crown Princess and Prince from Corona! I remember them! They had twins? Wasn’t she the one you and Elsa were traveling with?  And her husband, I remember he stayed here for a while.  Anna?”

“Sorry, Olaf, what was that? I was a bit distracted.  Hey, let’s go for a walk!”

***

Kristoff was sitting at the table by the window with the breakfast set out when Anna came into the bedroom without knocking.  Nanny had taken Baby Linne to the nursery for the morning. As she sat down, Anna pulled out a stack of papers she had hidden in the folds of her skirt.

“Inga came in just as I was finishing copying out the page from the law book,” she told him. “She was focused on running into the prince from Maldonia, anyway, so I don’t think she would have asked questions, anyway.”

“Anna,” Kristoff began, taking her hand.  “Shouldn’t we tell her?  She’s going to ask questions.”

“But when?” she sighed. 

“Maybe now?”

“Somehow, I had always imagined it being some kind of deathbed confession…”

“Really?” He looked at her.

“No, of course not,” she told him.  “It’s just, you know, we lucked out not having any rumors about this. Our children aren’t exactly good at keeping secrets, either.  It would just take one of them saying something to Olaf and pretty soon every kingdom would know, and even if we’ve fixed the legal danger, we still don’t need that kind of talk.” Anna took a breath.  “Maybe Inga could be careful now.”  

“I think she would be.”

“But how do we tell her? It was a shock enough for you and me, and we knew… part of it.”

“It was a shock enough the first time you told me.”

“I kept questioning when I was going to tell you.  Even after I told you, I second guessed myself.  You seemed…angry.”

“I was never angry at you, I hope you know it was only…him.”

“Hans.”  Anna said it as if it were a curse.

Kristoff bristled at the name, closing his eyes.  “And I don’t think there would have been a perfect time.” He looked across the table with a slight smirk.  “Well, I suppose I’m glad I’m not just learning about it now.  I have to say, a lot of things suddenly made sense after you told me.”

“Honestly, I’m amazed there were never any rumors about the real reason for the trip to Corona."

"Trust me," Kristoff sighed, "everyone was convinced that you were going to be set up with a prince, it was only a question of which one.  I almost believed it..."

"That still amazes me. It was the last thing on my mind during that trip,” she paused.  

Kristoff smiled a little. "That's what Elsa said when she returned the first time, before she disappeared again. I have to admit, it was hard to believe, since she didn’t tell me why you would be hanging around in Corona for that long if you hadn’t… met someone else."

"Sorry, I know it must have been confusing, not knowing anything…" she looked at him sadly.  “At any rate, I wasn’t just talking about what they were saying here. I suppose Elsa made sure that we never stayed in one place long enough for anyone to catch on that my dresses kept needing to be let out.  And a princess getting new dresses certainly doesn’t raise any eyebrows. But even in Corona, we only stayed in the capital for three weeks, and that was the longest we stayed anywhere, and then they were joking that the food was too good for me.  Elsa and Rapunzel didn’t say anything, of course, they kept quiet.  And then Rapunzel found the house in the countryside not long after that.  The story was that we needed a break from court life.”

Kristoff sat silently the entire time Anna was talking.  Twenty years after the fact, this was the most he had heard her talk about that time.  He was still holding her hand, and the other one was nervously gesturing as she reminisced. “How much did Rapunzel have a hand in all this?” 

“She knew how to keep us away from rumors in Corona.  And she obviously has kept an eye on Mrs. Nilsen all this time.  I hadn’t realized when Elsa told me they had found someone that it was someone from Arendelle.  I figured it would be someone from Corona, or maybe somewhere near Corona. It makes sense, though.  She didn’t need to explain a pregnancy that nobody had seen, and her husband was dead, so she didn’t need to explain why the boy looked so different from his brother, and so much like-”

“He takes after you more.”