#my favorite bakery closed when i was 17 and u could just go in and buy a full cake on display whenever.

[skunkes]

There is a bakery near my house that I can buy cake slices from. U jealous?

Yes.

[saltymiraculer]

Ceremonial Kisses (Part 1 of 3)

Part 2

So I decided to try my hand at the “Marinette, the princess of China” trope and see how I did! Tell me what you think?

Also, the first chapter is going to be fluffy, the second chapter’ll have a sprinkling of salt, and the third chapter will be a mix of piles and piles of salt and some fluff. Be warned!

.

“I’ve got a big, big, big announcement for you today, class!“ Bustier chirped, clapping her hands to get their attention. “China’s princess will be coronated in a week and a half, the day she turns 18, as many of you know, and one class from the school will be selected to travel to China and watch the ceremony. Guess which class it was?“

“Uhhh…Mme. Mendeleiev’s!“

“Ooh, M. D’Argencourt’s? They’ve wanted that trip for weeks!“

“No, class, it’s ours! In three days, we’ll board the plane to Asia and have a few days to sightsee and explore, then attend the coronation on the second-to-last day!“

“Wow! Why our class?“ Kim asked.

Marinette knew exactly why. Marc had told her that the entire school was sick of Lila’s lies and wanted to enjoy the coronation without her butting in in the middle of the assembly to tell a ‘story’ about herself.

But she couldn’t just say that.

“You know, I actually know the princess,“ Lila said, immediately drawing the attention of everyone in the room. “But her identity is being kept a secret for now. That’s how we landed the trip!“

“Wow, Lila!“

“That’s amazing!“

“So cool of you.“

“They know that’s stupid, right?“ Alya stage-whispered, earning a glare from Lila’s new puppy–more commonly known as Kim. She shrugged. “I’m just tellin’ the truth!“

Alya, who was now her only other supporter next to Nino (and technically Adrien, but she’d discuss that later–it was very complicated), had decided to Google Lila’s name during a sleepover and found…some rather incriminating Facebook posts.

After that, she was 100% team Marinette and an amazing friend, along with Nino, who had decided that he needed a theme song. No one knew why.

But they loved him anyways!

So while Bustier was rattling off facts about Chinese emperors and kings and queens, Nino was showing them his latest idea to expose Lila.

“Okay,“ he started. “First, we go to China. Then we do our sightseeing and shit, and then. I did some research, and we can ask the princess questions if we’re with a national news channel. Alya’s blog counts. For real, we can talk to the princess of China. And we ask her if she knows Lila.“

“Brilliant plan, Nino. I wonder how the princess will react to a few teenagers in the middle of a crowd of famous people.“

Nino frowned. “The princess is only, like, 17. She’ll probably notice us, Als.”

“Oh, that reminds me, your birthday’s on the same day as the coronation, Marinette! Weird, isn’t it? That you and the princess have the same birthday?“ Alya asked, pulling out her phone and swiping through something.

“Huh, yeah. You’re right. Maybe we can invite her to my birthday party?“

“Ooh, the wiki page says she likes custard buns, and I’m not sure how they know that,“ Nino chuckled. “but make sure to stock up on those.“

“Noted,“ Marinette said drily as Bustier turned to them with a condemning look on her face. “Alya! I hope what you’re doing on that phone relates to the lesson!“

“China’s princess’s identity is being kept a secret because the last two were sent death threats, dangerous items, highly innapropriate items, and several other things that prompted them to not reveal the princess until it was necessary.“

“C-correct, Alya. Good job.“

“Nice!“ Marinette mouthed, high-fiving Alya, who flipped her phone around to reveal a website about the princess.

                                                           -🌸-

The final bell rang as several of the students cheered. One school day until the trip over, three more to go. Alya swung her bag over her shoulder and bumped Marinette’s elbow. “We goin’ to your place to hang out?”

“Yeah, my dad’s out anyways and mom closed the bakery for the afternoon. let’s go!“ Alya took Nino’s hand and walked the short distance to Marinette’s house. They entered and immediately felt something off.

Ah, there it was.

Sabine was leaning over the counter with a cup of very strong-smelling peppermint tea beside her. She was rubbing her temples and muttering to herself in rapid Mandarin.

“Maman? Are you alright?“ Marinette asked worriedly. Alya and Nino stood by the door–they had only seen her like this once before, when her cousin had been run over and killed.

“Yes, dear, everything’s okay, it’s just–there’s something I need to tell you.“

“Oh, no, did something happen to someone?“

“No, no, everyone’s just fine. I can’t not tell you without there being serious problems.“

“So what is it? What’s so important you had to close the bakery?“

“You’re the princess. China’s princess. The one nobody knows about.“

“I’m what?!“ Marinette screeched, grabbing at her hair. “I’m the heir to the throne of the most populated country in the world, and you waited until a week before the coronation to tell me?!“

“Holy shit.“ Alya and Nino said simultaneously. Sabine stared at them, likely just realizing they were there.

“Oh. They know now, too. Perfect, that’s just what we need, a reporter knowing who–“

“Maman! Alya wouldn’t tell a soul, I know she wouldn’t.“

Sabine turned to Alya. “I’m sorry, dear, I’m just stressed. With that trip to China in a few days and all that, we’ll have to close down the bakery for about a week.”

“And we never close down the bakery.“ Marinette finished, putting a steady hand on her mom’s shoulder. “But I know just the person to run it while we’re gone.“

As she was about to say who exactly would run the bakery, Nino backed into the door, wide-eyed.

“Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit. My best friend…holy shit.“

“Nino, I know this is a lot, but we’ll have to stay calm,“ Alya said, grabbing his hand. “So we don’t spill her secret. That’s top priority, all right? Don’t–tell–anyone.“

Nino sighed. “Sorry, babe. This…“ he turned to Marinette. “Do you have any cookies?“

Marinette grinned and led them into the kitchen. “Of course! Chocolate chunk or raspberry frosted?“

“Raspberry, all the way!“

“There’s the Nino I know!“

After a quick cookie interval, Marinette pushed her plate away and sighed. “Anyone up for an impromptu sleepover? You all left a bunch of your clothes here the last few times.”

“Marinette. If you know us, you will know our answers.“ Alya said solemnly.

“Hell yeah. Wanna go choose which terrible rom-com to watch this time?“

They ended up settling on The Kissing Booth, one of Marinette’s personal favorites (”To lighten the tension, you know?” Alya had said. “Although the tension in here probably weighs the same as an obese hippopotamus at this point.”) and made a bowl of caramel popcorn, with a tiny bag of sea-salt Skinny Pop for Nino.

“Sugar on popcorn is a crime, man. I ain’t touching that.“

“You’ve tried it once, Nino.“

“Yes, and I hated it. Is there anything else to be said?“

So they spent the next two hours in a blanket fort that was made almost entirely of throw pillows laughing over Elle and Noah and Lee being idiots, with a few highlights such as the iconic “Ninth grade skirt, eleventh grade body” scene, where Alya snorted and said “You know, Lila’s skipped so much school, might as well be ninth grade brain, eleventh grade work.”

“Too true,“ Nino agreed. “The other day, she called Chloe’s mom Aurora Bourgeois. That was a pretty major mess-up.”

“Shhh! Let’s just watch the movie!“ Marinette said, effectively quieting them down.

They watched the rest in silence with the usual laughs., ending up falling asleep halfway through the second movie, snuggled up on their respective couches. Marinette mother shook them awake the next morning, telling them to take showers and eat breakfast and get dressed and for god’s sake, Marinette, finish your homework.

“Crap, crap, crapcrapcrap! Nino, we’re going to be late if we don’t get ready fast!“ Alya shouted as Marinette ran up the stairs to change. “Can I use your shower, M?“

“Sure!“ was the muffled reply.

After about 10 minutes of running around and shoving waffles in their mouths, they grabbed their bags and ran off to school.

They burst through the door in the nick of time, the bell ringing just as they plunked down their things.

Bustier wasn’t there five minutes into the class, so they started talking.

“Marinette, you have to listen to Nino’s latest track, it’s–“ Just as she was about to describe Nino’s latest track, a bouncy-ball the size of a walrus snashed through the wall, nearly taking off Kim’s head.

There was a cackle from outside. “I am Gradack! You will all feel the same sorrow that I did!“

                                                          -🌸-

The fight was over relatively fast, and everything was calmed down and restored before their next class. Turns out Chat Noir didn’t show, so Marinette had to ask Alya for assistance.

In hindsight, she probably should have picked a better place to transform.

“Tikki, spots on!“ After she transformed, she was about to go to Fu to get one of the Miraculous, when she heard a strangled gasp.

“…shit.“

“My best friend is the princess of goddamn China and Ladybug? What the fuck?! Who are you? How did I not know? When did–“

“Alya, I know the feeling, but you can’t tell anyone. Got it?“

“Nino?“

“Well,“ Marinette paused to think. “Yeah, I guess. I trust him enough. Now, take this and transform!“ she tossed Alya the hexagonal box, and after a quick transformation, they ran off to defeat the saddened graduate of an akuma.

As she said, it was an easy fight.

They comforted the victim with four minutes (each) to spare, then ran back to the locker rooms to transform back.

                                                   Time Skip!

It was the morning of the flight to China, and she was ecstatic. Of course, she had to get up at 3:45 in the morning, but it was worth it–the flight took off at six in the morning, of course.

She could see the logic of wanting to arrive at 12:00, but she would’ve much preferred a red-eye.

Then she wouldn’t have had to stay up all night reading, because no way in hell would she just wake up at 3:45 in the morning.

The alarm would’ve had to go off for hours.

But back to the morning, she poured herself a sasquatch-sized mug of coffee, with about a gallon of cream and enough sugar to put an entire city of diabetics into shock, she started getting dressed.

Trudging around and haphazardly pulling out shirts, she finally decided on a simple red-and-orange flannel, a white t-shirt, and a pair of cropped jeans.

The she downed the rest of her coffee with an apathetic “Bottoms up!” and slapped her cheeks.

She grapped her suitcase and walked outside to where her mother was typing away on a laptop in the pitch-black night.

“Mom, why are you up?“

“Because I have to drive you to the airport, that’s why. And no alarm would be able to wake me up at 3 in the morning.“

“Preach. I’m ready to go, so can we get in the car now?“

After driving to the airport and saying goodbye to her mom, she walked into the airport and immediately saw the group of sleepy teens (and a certain disheveled teacher) leaning on their suitcases, trying not to fall asleep.

Nino and Marinette were already there, their eyelids drooping. The only person who looked properly awake was Sabrina, who was–inevitably–holding a saucer out to Chloé, who was sipping from a teacup.

Alya rolled her eyes and walked over to Marinette and Nino. “Who’re we missing?”

“Kim and Rose. They’re carpooling, so they should be here any minute.“

Just as Marinette had said, a few seconds later, Rose and Kim walked into the airport. Kim was still wearing pajama pants.

                                           Another Time Skip!

“Marinette.“ Alya groaned, shaking Marinette’s shoulders. “Marinette, wake up, we’re here.“

Marinette’s eyes fluttered open. “No. Five more minutes.”

“Everyone else is already off the plane!“

“Shit. Let’s go!“ Marinette said, jumping up, grabbing her purse (which she had recently learned concealed a kwami) and scrambling out the door.

Alya picked up the mini-backpack she now carried (which held Trixx, cookies, and some grape jelly) and followed her out the door.

Almost as soon as they stepped off the plane, they heard a loud wail.

“Great. She’s back on her bullshit.“

“I just can’t believe she would steal that, Lila! It’s so unlike her!“

“M-maybe, but there’s p-proof! Look!“

“Oh, great, what did we do this time?“ Alya asked exasperatedly. They watched as Lila held out the remains of–from what they could see from a meter away–a sketch of an orange mermaid gown with a black lace collar, ripped into quarters and laid out on the ground.

Marinette gasped beside her.

“That’s your dress, isn’t it?“

A small tear made its way down Marinette’s face. “It was going to be for you,” she said softly.

Alya threw her arms around Marinette and rubbed her shoulders. “It’s okay, sweetie. Once you’re princess, we’ll sue her for all she’s worth.”

Marinette detached herself from Alya and wiped her eyes. “Yeah. Yeah, thanks, Alya.”

                                                         -🌸-

Nino stormed up to where Alya and Marinette were standing with a furious expression on his face.

“That fox,“ he seethed. “that bitchy little fox of a liar stole your drawing.“

Marinette chuckled wetly. “Yeah, we know.“

“Are you okay? I know how important they are to you.“

“I’m fine, Nino, and o–who the hell are you?“ A man in an oddly formal suit was standing next to her, holding out a small red envelope.

Marinette plucked the envelope from his fingers, opened it, and read the contents. She looked up and nodded at the suit-wearing guy.

“Good. In that case, Miss Dupain-Cheng, I’m going to need you to come with me.“ Alya and Nino immediately stepped in front of her in a protective shield.

“She’s not in trouble, is she?“

The strange man looked surprisingly amused. “Not at all–but you might want to come with us, too. You as well, headphone-boy.”

Nino put a hand on his chest and gasped in offense.

“Nino. He’s going to drive us to the palace. You’re coming, too, ya doof!“ Nino made a noise of realization and followed them out to where a black limousine was waiting.

They climbed in and drove off.

About five minutes into the drive, he moved his foot to the side, accidentally kicking a black box.

Just as he was preparing his final goodbyes, it sprung open, and inside was a junk food lover’s heaven.

“Dude.“

[subtlesmile]

Get to know me/20 questions tag yaaaaaaas thanks for tagging meeee Cande @quickpauseinconversations!!

what do you prefer to be called name-wise? Audge! Or Audrey it's interchangeable also... Dont mind all the variations either but only if we are close Ve gotten audgey audgerry audgery audgie audgee audey etc etc

when is your birthday? February 20th :D

where do you live? New Jersey

three things you’re doing right now? Listening to Beyonce. Doing this and thinking about the schoolwork I have to do tonight

four fandoms that have piqued your interest right now? Ok other than HL ... I am listening to an abundance of Lady gaga so I am a little monster now. Rihanna as always but obvi i'm her biggest fan cuz we're married going on 5 years. Hmm what else?? I'm rereading Carol again so that is one.

how is the pandemic treating you? N/a just the same weird feeling as everyone else LOL I've been lucky enough and young and still dependent enough that I haven't gotten hurt as badly as many others but. Whatevs

song you can’t stop listening to right now? Everything on this playlist hunnayyy

recommend a movie THE KING OF STATEN ISLAND w pete davidson omg watched it the other night for the first time and it's so genuinely good like. Omg

how old are you? 17

school, university, occupation, other? I work in a French bakery and go to high school. I also have my own print shop that I run independently

do you prefer hot or cold? Cold mamaaaa

name one fact others may not know about you. I love music with violins in it specifically old jazz from the 1920s-30s with artists like Al Bowlly and Eddie Lang! Also ever since I went through my music phases I am in love with folk music :)

are you shy? Yeahhh its weird like I'll be open when I meet someone new but if I get a vibe that they don't want to reciprocate I shut down and get all whoasdfasjhfaksjdfh idk I get weird around ppl unless they're friendly to me idk. I'm very passive too so that might be one and the same

do you have any preferred pronouns? they/she/he interchangeably!

any pet peeves? When people pronounce "syrup" like sir-up instead of how I pronounce it seer-up. Thats just me though. On a more serious note I hate narcissism and when people talk and talk at someone without asking questions or caring about an answer I find it disrespectful.

rate your life 1-10. 1 being really crappy and 10 being the best you could ever be. 7-8 I don't like to complain about my life

what’s your main blog? this one

list your side blogs and what they’re used for. @jerkseyshore used to use this for memes and funny stuff and such but kinda stopped

is there anything you think people need to know about you before becoming friends with you? In fandom I really don't like hyper-sexualization of my favs (esp Harry bc hes my favorite and I am not attracted to him) idk when i entered this fandom I realized how strange the dynamics are like. the way that people treat their favs and I just like to keep a distance from people who wont shut up about someone's genitals or hole or sex life or very personal private details.

Anywhere else: More active on twitter @ subtle_smile I am kinda strange and I get that my humor turns ppl off cuz of how strange it can be D: No worriessss

I tagggggg Mehar @littlespoongf and Jay @tv-c15 and @swimmingleo and @anotherjupiter ONLY IF U WANT TO LOL no pressure

[sapphicwizzro]

oh dang its a syoc form

@iguessihavemore bet u werent expecting me b i h

all relevant stuff is UNDER THE READMORE YEE BEE

everytime ive submitted an oc to something something BAD happened so like let’s hope that doesnt happen again

Name: Paulie Rio (Paulie is short for Pauline) Stereotype: Punk... or Baker. Depends on the time of day p much Reason For Competing: money money money money motherfucker

Gender: Baby Girl... She/Her Ethnicity: idk shes black i made her at a time when i dont think about WHERE these people came from she just EXISTS and lives in CANADA Sexuality: Lesbab Age: Anywhere from 17 to 24 Audition Tape:

Paulie adjusted the camera, sticking her tongue out in the process. She's standing in her kitchen, wearing her pink apron.

"Is this thing on?" Paulie muttered to herself, before noticing the blinking red light, "Oh! Okay!"

She took a step back. She's standing behind a counter.

"Hi! I'd really like to be on Total Drama! I'm really cool and strong and I bake really awesome cookies-"

Paulie picks up a pan of cookies, forgetting the fact that they are freshly out of the oven and she isn't wearing any oven mitts. She shouts as she drops the pan, and shouts as it presumably hits her leg.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" She chants as she hops around, "Oh, I'm so stupid-"

Her hopping around shakes the camera, which falls over and breaks.

"Oh, dangit!"

You can see her shuffle in front of it.

"Uh." She says, "My name is Paulie, by the way."

Cut to black.

Appearance

Body Type: A little thin, but you can see that she has muscles. Got abs. Skips leg day lol Height: Not like too short but like? 5'2? Idk Skin Color: Dark af Skin Markings: General "I get into fist fights sometimes" scars across her body. Eyes: Very round and open red eyes (or a reddish brown if you prefer) Hair Color: Light lime green Hair Length/Texture: Neck length! I like to imagine its very coily?? Is that the word? like you look at her hair very closely and its a bunch of very tight ringlets Typical Hairstyle: It just sort of. Exists. She doesn't style it, it's just. short!!! Face: Round!! Has a silver nose ring and several other rings in her ears!! Always has at least one bandage on her cheek.

Default Outfit: Black bandana with a flame pattern near the bottom. Black t-shirt. Ripped blue jeans. Black converse with pink accents. Might occasionally go out with black cuffs and a collar. Sleepwear: She's that kinda person who sleeps in a t-shirt and undies and all the girls resent her for it cause like "OMG PAULIE PUT ON SOME PANTS" Swimwear: If she could get away with just wearing trunks, she would. Instead, she just wears a black one piece with some skeleton pattern on it or somethin Their Fashion Sense: Dark punk bullshit with bright accents. Just very punk rock. She also wears a pink apron with a cat pattern on it when she's baking. Other Hairstyles: Sometimes she eschews the bandana and goes for a ponytail. Some girls think she looks hot like that.

Extra (optional):    

Their Voice: She definitely has a Slight Accent(tm) but its like. a lil androgynous and cracks sometimes. Rhondolite from Steven Universe maybe?? How They Smell: Cookies with the slightest hint of Axe body spray

Personality

Personality: Very kind and loving and SOFT. Full of energy. Vocally supportive of her peers. Mushy romantic who believes in the kindness of people or whatever. She's a little stupid sometimes and is the kind of person to try and climb onto the roof of places and fall off. She used to be a bad person, and she sometimes lets people step on her because she's afraid of regressing into that.

Biography: Paulie came from a Bad Neighbourhood(tm) and used to be the Baddest Bitch Around(tm), breaking noses and taking names until she accidentally hurt someone so bad that they went into a coma. The sudden introspective that moment gave her forced her to rethink her entire life. Since then, she's turned her entire personality around, turning from "I'll cut you" to "Let's bake cookies!". She doesn't talk about her past much, but she still lives in the slums lol!! Family: A dad who's probably nice. Idk i dont think about family much I always prioritize friendships Strategy: PSHAWWWW who needs that?? Paulie's strategy is to just make friends and be nice! It worked for Owen, right? What They Want the Money For: Moving away from her bad neighbourhood and opening a bakery! Fears: Nobody liking her, accidentally losing her temper, deep water, unfamiliar animals being just a LITTLE too close for comfort (she enjoys animals when she knows them) Life Goals: Moving to a nice little suburb and opening a cute little pastel bakery!!!

Type of People They’d… Be Friends With: Everyone! As long as you're nice and kind. She'd be Extra Friends with someone who can match/keep up with her energy and go along with her Fun Schemes Consider an Enemy: Assholes. Disloyal and dishonest people. Debbie Downers when they bring others down. People who remind her of what she used to be. Be romantically Interested In: A girl who'd validate her and make her laugh and bake with her. Someone who'd eat her cookies and cuddle and watch horror movies.

Favorite Flower: She actually loves pink flowers! It doesn't matter what kind, she just thinks pink flowers are cute. Cherry blossoms feel like something she'd love Favorite Season of the Year: Spring, at least when it doesn't feel like Winter's hangover Favorite Drink: Hot chocolate (she drinks it year round!) but otherwise she just drinks water because it's HEALTHY!!!

Skills Strengths: She's kind and caring!! She's full of energy!! She's like the mom friend, she cares so much about everyone around her and she's full of determination and love Weaknesses: She sees the world as black and white with no moral grey, she's a little ditzy, blunt af, extremely gullible because she's such an idealist, she worries a lot about things that are out of her control, worries that others secretly hate her Hobbies: Baking!!! She also likes to play on her Gameboy Advance and watch horror movies. Her favourite movie killer is Chucky or Freddy Krueger. She thinks a killer with personality can carry a movie well. Things They’re Good At: Running, baking, fist-fighting (much to her dismay), carrying things, climbing, most Physical Shit Things They’re Bad At: Swimming, anything that requires fine balance like dancing, physically incapable of singing or any fine arts

look i just finished drawing her!!

EPIC ART drawn by ylvaliiw on instagram and this is EXACTLY how i picture her in my head

ive also been throwing around an oc concept exclusively to audition for garden (paulie’s been my oc for years now) so keep ur. eyes. open.