#thread 195 .

[completeoveranalysis]

[3]

Ooh yes I love that closer shot of the statue! How it feels like Sakura’s power and Sakura’s future, and yet it dwarfs her completely, leaving her tiny by comparison. How the weight of all these enormous things in the future all rest on this tiny child just doing her best. 

Meanwhile we have Lava Lamp lying to her WHICH IS SO INTERESTING. He does it to protect her and so she doesn’t worry - but is this the beginning of the lies? The first big lie that builds and builds until the entire Tsubasa family is weighed down by the endless lies they live to try and fix everything around them? (sans Kurogane, who rolls his eyes at all of them)

And I’ve mentioned this somewhere before but (mild spoilers for Cardcaptor Sakura) Lava Lamp here being ‘A Syaoran who lies to Sakura’ to try and help her behind the scenes and work things in her favour is also a thread that CLAMP play with in Clear Card. And it’s always fun to see which plots and themes are so easily paralleled in both series.

[ollieinoue]

Ollie has no idea when or where he is [ @magnolia-rhodes ]

The thing about Ollie was that he could actually literally fall asleep anywhere at any time. Especially when it was not time to go to bed. Exclusively when it was not time to go to bed, even. Monty always asked him how he woke up so early in the morning, and Ollie never really had the heart to admit to him it was because he very rarely ever actually slept through the whole night. Now, he realized with a pang, he'd never get the opportunity to tell him. Well, alright fine, that was a little overly dramatic and probably not true, but it felt like it was true in the moment. In the moment that he was being shaken awake and found himself … somewhere among scattered books, with his face laid out along his laptop's keyboard, and a doc that seemed to be filled with "lkj;lkjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj" (etc) on whatever paper he'd been writing.

"Oh fuck," Ollie said, sitting up, rubbing the imprints of his keycaps from his cheek, and wondering what fucking time was it?? Had he missed an exam? Had he missed the deadline for someone else's exam? Had he been sleeping for the entire week and he missed them all? Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. He was really dropping the ball this quarter. In reality it was probably fine but it had really been one of those kind of naps. In a quick motion he had most of his things in his bag, and was standing up to leave when he realized the person who had woken him up was still standing there, looking as sweet and concerned as ever. "Hey babe," Ollie said, with a breathless kind of forced smile at Lola, "What time is it?" What day was it?

[mercenarymage]

By the time Citrinne and him take a seat, Hugh has a general idea what Citrinne's role is in this operation.

At first, he suspects she's testing towards his loyalty to his employer. But, when Citrinne's eyes dart to and fro, he recognizes that she could be jeopardized by resting too. Add the fact that she never received an employee list, and…yeah, Hugh's positive she's supposed to watch him. But the offer of water and the lack of urgency to tattle tale informs him that she, too, is dealing with the complications this job presents.

"Ha, did I never tell you?" He thinks back to the wild encounter in the ballroom. Right, that's probably why. "Yeah, it's why I came to Fodlan in the first place! Plenty of opportunities to pick and choose."

He allows himself to pout. "Honestly, this gig looked good on paper, but the moment I stepped foot here, I knew it'd be....difficult. I don't like breaking my contracts though, so I'm sticking through it the best I can."

He unfastens the flask that Citrinne's provided him. "So, did they pay you to hand these out, or was this your idea?"

i feel like a yellow pikmin

mission task: affluence (authority+1) [200 wc challenge!]

[killyridols]

web of life 5 by fiker solomon, 2023, jute & cotton thread, 162 × 195 centimeters

[thugnificent714]

Here is a floor plan to better orient yourself to the floorplan of the Imperial Winter Palace that I used. I will show The Neva Enfilade of rooms 192 (The Anteroom), 191 (Nicholas Hall), 190 (Concert Hall), 193 (Fieldmarshal's Hall), 195 (Armorial Hall), 197 (Military Gallery of 1812)

192 The Anteroom-it formed the processional exit of the Neva enfilade, and presented their guests with a choice, either to descend the Jordan staircase and exit the palace, or to turn right and continue through the next enfilade.

191 Nicholas Hall - Originally known simply as the Great Hall, in 1855 a large equestrian portrait of the late tsar was hung from the wall, and the hall was renamed the Nicholas Hall. This hall served as the setting for many imperial balls and receptions.

190 Concert Hall- As the name implies, this hall was used to host concerts, balls and grand receptions. On occasions the concert Hall would be reserved for the highest-ranking guests and members of the court as the beginning of any imperial processions.

193 Fieldmarshal's Hall- Built to honour the greatest military leaders of the Russian empire, this great hall and the adjacent throne room are part of the suite of rooms that were created in the western part of the winter palace for Tsar Nicholas I in 1833.

194 The Small Throne Room- I was unable to make this room as I am limited by the largest lot size, but I still wanted to share a pic. The room was built to commemorate Peter the Great. Lined with crimson velvet and embellished with silver thread, this room was used by diplomats to offer good wishes on New Years Day.

195 Armorial Hall- this vast chamber was designed for offical ceremonies and grand receptions. It sits between the Miltary Hall and the palace courtyard.

197 Military Gallery of 1812- The gallery is a setting for 332 portraits of generals who took part in the Patriotic Wat of 1812. Destroyed in the famous fire of 1837, all portraits were saved by palace guards thanks to the slow burning of the fire.

I hope you enjoyed my attempts to grasp the same beauty and grandeur as Eduard Hau was able to capture in his watercolours.

[angel-with-paper-wings]

for the truth & dare ask game: 🎱, 🛼, 🥑, 🍬, 🦴 :)

Thank you for these!! Sorry it took me so long to reply, these past few days have been busy for me. Thanks for your patience 🙏

🎱 post your AO3 total stats 

I still can’t believe these stats are all from my fics… thank you to everyone who has read my fics and contributed to these numbers, I’m endlessly grateful to every last one of you 🥹

User Subscriptions: 13

Kudos: 455

Comment Threads: 195

Bookmarks: 144

Subscriptions: 94

Word Count: 181,154

Hits: 14,330

🛼 describe your latest wip with five emojis

I’ll do the latest chapter of my fic since that’s the last thing I finished: 😰🎶👗🧺📔

🥑 you accidentally killed somebody, which mutual(s) do you text for help?

Hmm… first of all, you can’t prove anything 🤐 Second of all, I would probably contact @thelastsliceofcheese since I actually know her irl and she can help me hide the body and maybe even act as an alibi. And I believe @jennyfair7 once said that she was a lawyer(?) so I will need her help too.

🍬 post an unpopular opinion about a popular fandom character

This is kind of about both Christine and Erik, but I think Christine could have become a great singer even without “the Angel of Music” as her teacher. In the Leroux novel, her voice was said to have sounded like “a rusty hinge” before she started receiving lessons from the mysterious voice. Does this mean Erik has some divine power over her voice and he gave her the talent to sing well, and that if she leaves him then all her musical talent will leave as well??

In my opinion, OF COURSE NOT. At the end of the day, Erik does NOT have superpowers and he’s just a normal guy being a normal music teacher giving her lessons in normal opera technique. The only way Erik improved Christine’s voice beyond a technical level was the *idea* that the Angel of Music was teaching her. Ideas and belief are so powerful: we need to believe we can do something in order to actually do it. Since Christine *believed* that she was being trained by a supernatural force, she made “supernatural” progress. If it is true that Christine was not able to sing as well after she leaves with Raoul in the end (I don’t think we know that for sure), then the only reason for that was because the events she lived through in the story were harrowing and emotionally traumatizing for her (which we DO know for sure). She still has the ability and technique to sing well, but her mental and emotional fortitude has been so damaged that she can no longer sing with the same passion behind it.

🦴 Is there a piece of media that inspires your writing?

The fanfic I’m writing now is heavily based on the interpretations of Erik and Christine from the 25th anniversary performance of the ALW musical. Whenever I’m having a hard time writing, I always rewatch it in order to get a refresher on their dynamic. Rereading parts of the original Leroux novel as well as other recordings of the musical help out a lot too!

[higaneion]

Lilina’s eyes look him up and down, sizing him up. So it seemed she wasn’t the only one who was having a bit of difficulty getting into character. She would just have to try harder!

           “Oh! Pray forgive me, monsieur,” she bows slightly, placing a hand over her chest. Though she wants to keep in character, for this event anyhow, a smile threatens to crack her sly and smooth facade ( if there was one in place to begin with ). “Forward? No, I think… it’s important to establish good rapport. And I think we don’t give enough compliments, don’t you?”

           She wants to add something else, a thought comes to mind. She had heard the language before, so it shouldn’t be too hard.

           “Like for example… Ma foie est dans ton sourire,” she says, bolstering more confidence than she ought to. Another pause, smile through the pain. She takes his outstretched hand in hers whether he meant for her to or not and leads them elsewhere. Anywhere but here, talk about anything else because she was pretty sure she did not enunciate enough.

           She turns to look at him over her shoulder. “To the gardens then?”

natural rizzaster

[animefeminist]

“If I Was Born As A Girl…”: Transfeminine desire in Stop!! Hibari-Kun

Content warning: discussion of transphobia

It was 1981. The smash-hit Urusei Yatsuradominated Weekly Shonen Sunday reader polls, while Pierrot’s popular adaptation of the interstellar sex comedy was just starting to take off on Fuji TV. The manga would eventually end in 1987 after thirty-four volumes, while the 195 episode anime would run until 1986. During this time, creator Takahashi Rumiko even found the time to pen another prolific romance manga: Maison Ikkoku.

At this time, artist Eguchi Hisashi had just wrapped up his bawdy detective comedy Hinomaru Gekijou and was on the hunt for a new concept. Living in this boom period for romantic comedy—which also included juggernauts like The Kabocha Wine and Kimagure Orange Road—Eguchi wanted to make his mark on the burgeoning genre. But the illustrator wasn’t interested in playing things safe or making a guaranteed hit. From the outset, Eguchi wanted to lampoon the genre and twist reader expectations by having the central love interest be “a boy who dressed as a girl.”

“As I was putting all my energy into drawing Hibari-Kun to be as cute as possible,” Eguch saidi to French program Toco Toco in 2017, “the story would become more and more twisted. There weren’t that many manga like this at the time.”

In a cafe, he drafted the first storyboard for what would become Stop!! Hibari-kun—its title a pun on Hisashi Sekiya’s hot-blooded boys’ sports series, Stop! Nii-Chan.

Stop!! Hibari-kun, at first blush, boasts a fairly conventional set-up for a screwball romantic comedy. After the death of his mother, Kosaku is sent to live with Ozora Ibari, a loud-mouthed, sleazy yakuza with four daughters. No sooner does the young man arrive, however, than he falls head over heels for Hibari: the playful and exuberant third daughter of the Ozora family. Hibari, bright blonde and full of tomboy energy, sticks out in comparison to her more reserved sisters. It’s fair to say Eguchi draws Hibari with more attention and care to detail than he does the other female characters, between her ultra-trendy threads and her numerous pin-up splash pages.

Read it at Anime Feminist!

[skygifs]

MECIA SIMSON GIF PACK**

[COMMISSION] find a payhip link in the source to access 195 gifs of mecia simson as  francesca findabair in the witcher season 3. all gifs were make by me from scratch. please reblog if using

tw include: blood, murder (person magically exploded all over her), fire

you may edit them, however permission and credit is required for redistributing. do not make into gif icons smaller than 100x100.

do not use to rp as real people (including historical figures) or against them/in groups with them

do not post in gif sets/gif hunts

do not use for smut threads

do not use to rp as/against minors

full rules, ko-fi,& commission information in pinned post. please reblog if using

[dirtydragonthoughts]

Transformers Yuletide Literary Fest - Day 10

Welcome to the Transformers Yuletide Literary Fest! I’ll be recommending one or two fics every day until Christmas. Feel free to join in if you’d like (I’m using the tag #tylf2023 for this.) All fics are complete!

(If I can easily find a Tumblr account for the author I’ll tag them. If you know of an author who has a Tumblr account and I didn’t tag them, please let me know so I can add it! )

Fics in my recommendations will come in two different flavours: tangy and spicy. 😄 As always, curate your own online reading experience, and mind the tags if necessary for your own safety. ♥

Tangy

Title: Spec Ops Mission 98: Jazz's Interrogation at Soundwave's Pedes

Author: @kc-anathema

Rating: Teen (contains plug-n-play interfacing)

Wordcount: 195, 290

Summary: Surrounded by the torrid fiction of his fellow Autobots, Jazz uncovers a Decepticon plot hidden amidst their written fantasies. Can the Spec Ops commander turn this plot of high treason into a narrative…of love? OR Jazz is surrounded by a bunch of perverted writers, and wouldn't you know it, one of them is a Decepticon.

Why I love it: This story left me stunned... in a good way. I started reading it as a WIP because the premise sounded hilarious (hahaha, the bots and cons are writing RPF fanfic about each other, hahaha). But as the story went on, it turned into a LOT more. It became a story about love and trust, and forgiveness and boundaries, set against the backdrop of a brutal war. And then when it ended and we got the wrap-up of all the threads that we hadn't even known existed... Wow. This was an amazing story, and I will definitely read it again someday.

Spicy

Title: The Angel Breaker

Author: @altraviolet

Rating: Explicit

Wordcount: 62,452

Summary: Mysterious, deadly creatures descend on the population of Cybertron, spreading a disfiguring, brainwashing disease. The wealthy retreat underground while the rest try to survive a dangerous and disrupted aboveground society.

Years after suffering a great personal loss, Drift works for Flatline doing menial tasks. But when Flatline sends him to find someone who has done the impossible – survive an attack – Drift finds himself swept up in a continent-spanning plot. To save the Cybertron they love, Drift and his allies must find out what these creatures are, who made them, and if they can be stopped.

Why I love it: One thing that I've always loved about Altraviolet's work is the worldbuilding. (If you've been paying attention at all to my recommendations over the past 10 days, you'll know that I LOVE me some good worldbuilding. 😄) This story has a wonderful amount, specifically focused on geology and botany, and their relation to culture. BUT ALSO it has a gripping story that sits on top of all that worldbuilding, with a "rare trio" that I never would have thought of myself, but it really works well here. The author has an excellent way of making sure each character has their own voice, and motivations, and hopes and fears, and then wraps it all up in story that somehow wouldn't feel out of place in a Mythology of Cybertron collection.

[fancyfade]

Wonder Woman 1987 runs ranked

Greg Rucka's Run (#195-226) - This is my absolute favorite run on WW1987. Rucka's got a good handle on Diana's character, and is very good at creating plots with lots of threads that are interesting to read. I think the way that Greek Gods are re-imagined (except for Hera and Zeus) reflects well in other DC-universe stuff at this time with regards to magic, which is the idea that old gods change with humanity to survive.

Eric Luke's (#139-159) - creator of devastation, my all time favorite wonder woman villain!!!!! So much good just for that! And we also have Artemis training cassie, what is not to love?

George Perez's run (#1-62) and Messner-Loeb's (#63-100) - these two both have bits I really like and bits I really don't. they're this high, because the fact that they each ran for so many issues means that the good parts outweigh the bad parts, and it's easier to forget about those. George Perez does very strong worldbuilding for the Amazon's and Diana's initial cast of supporting characters, Messner-Loebs introduces some very fun plots and characters (like Space Era Diana, Donna Milton, and Artemis).

Philip Jimenez's (#164-188) - Jimenez's run I feel bad putting down here, though I did like it. It started very strong, and I loved the way he retconned the worst bits of Messner-Loeb's Hippolyte. With Hippolyte's actions in the contest no longer being tied to Messner-Loebs trying to make her partially responsible for what Heracles did, and almost vicitm blaming her, it made it feel much less just 'pile on hippolyte' to see the next part of what he addressed, which is the way that the amazons of bana mighdall were treated as second class citizens. the de-establishing of the monarchy was great. in general, my only complaint about jimenez's run is i feel like a lot of the plotlines are rushed, and we don't really have a lot of time to see the cool worldbuilding stuff he was setting up. And Villainy Inc was boring and wasted time we otherwise could have spent on the interesting worldbuilding stuff.

John Bryne's (#101-136) - reading this run was like pulling teeth. It was so boring. the only positive part is that he created Cassie. For that he ges one (1) right.

I did genuinely enjoy all of these runs except for Bryne's, it's just a ranking of which one I remember enjoying more.

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (26 May-1 Jun 2024)

Lady Parts are BACK and I am beyond delighted!

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

🥰 The Red House Mystery (AA Milne, author; Simon Hester, narrator) - a really entertaining golden age detective story. Genuinely sad he only ever wrote the one.

😊 Someone who cares (Just_my_latest_hyperfixation) - cute, entertaining single dad Steve/nanny Eddie fic

😐 Strange Medicine: Dr. Maxwell Thornton Murder Mysteries (S.C. Wynne, author; Matt Haynes, narrator) - p much a standard but entertaining cozy in thoroughly fictional small town. Until the surprise fatphobia in the epilogue! And the epilogue was literally just setting up the next murder so it was TOTALLY SKIPPABLE! I wish I'd known bc I would have just stopped and not had my mostly pleasant experience tainted. I do have to say that the narration was really stellar on this, doing a great job with the buttoned-up, tense voice for Maxwell and the relaxed drawl for Royce

💖💖 +102K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

What’s Your Order? (JJK) - 9-1-1: Buck/Tommy, 18K - "5 Times Buck Guessed Tommy’s Coffee Order + 1 Time He Didn’t Have To"

eight ways to say i love you (middyblue (daisyblaine)) - 9-1-1: Buck/Tommy, 8K - "Homemade tomato sauce; a team barbecue; a drunk dial; getting ready to meet the parents; a basketball sub; sex; oranges; a stolen sweatshirt. Whatever he’s feeling, he doesn’t need to put a name to it right now. He can keep an eye on Evan’s tomato sauce and enjoy dinner with him and cradle this warmth in his chest until they’re ready to say it out loud."

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

The Brokenwood Mysteries - s10, e5

Thousandaires - s1, e1

D20: Misfits & Magic - "Class Conflict" (s10, e2)

D20: Adventuring Party - "True Facts About McDonald's Apple Pie" (s5, e2)

D20: Misfits & Magic - "Family On Six" (s10, e3)

D20: Adventuring Party - "Wet Fire (and Bad News Brooms)" (s5, e3)

D20: Misfits & Magic - "We're The Heroes" (s10, e4)

D20: Adventuring Party - "That's The Squad" (s5, e4)

D20: Misfits & Magic - "Misfits and Magic Holiday Special" (s10, e5)

Doctor Who - s1 (series 14), e4-5

We Are Lady Parts - s2, e1-6

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

⭐ What Next: TBD - Why Hospitals Keep Getting Hacked

Re: Dracula - May 26: Count Me in Every Time

⭐ Working - A Classic Opera Gets an Overdue Update

WikiHole - Saving Private Ryan (with Jason Mantzoukas and Paul Scheer)

Re: Dracula - May 28: Despair Has its Own Calms

Pop Culture Happy Hour - Terrible but bingeable TV shows

The Allusionist - 195. Word Play 5: 100 Pages of Solvitude

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Canada Obscura: The Feral Horses of Sable Island

Shedunnit - Dylan's Whodunnits

Shedunnit - Bonus: Poets, Politics and Popularity

99% Invisible #352 - Uptown Squirrel [update]

Vibe Check - Your Fate Has Been Decided

⭐ Code Switch - White evangelical Christians are some of Israel's biggest supporters. Why?

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Canada Obscura: The Giant Orange Sphere

Pop Culture Happy Hour - We Are Lady Parts rocks with bracing honesty and nuance

Consider This - How these newly included MLB stats recognize the legacies of Black players

Twenty Thousand Hertz+ - Nursery Rhymes

Ologies - Anagnosology (READING) with Adrian Johns

Short Wave - A Silky Shark Named Genie Swam 17,000 Miles, a Record-Breaking Migration

Re: Dracula - May 31: New Scheme of Villainy

NPR's Book of the Day - Two books trace the social and historical impacts of food

Dear Prudence - I’m 39 and in Love With a 67-year-old. I’m Concerned About Judgment From Others. Help!

⭐ Pop Culture Happy Hour - Best Fictional Bands And What's Making Us Happy

Endless Thread - SwordTube, En Garde!

t's Been a Minute - Is it time to re-name "summer?" Plus, prom fashion is all grown up

⭐ Slow Burn - Gays Against Briggs | 6. The Murders at City Hall

⭐ Slow Burn - Gays Against Briggs | 7. Turn Around. Fight Back.

Welcome to Night Vale #249 - Rifts

Welcome to Night Vale - Bonus Episode: Behind the Scenes (May 2024)

Hit Parade - The Bridge: Girl Groups (Lindsay’s Version)

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

Bonnie Raitt Radio • Chill

Pop Radio • Upbeat • 1970s

Shaun Cassidy radio

The Partridge Family radio

Pop Radio • Romance

We Are Lady Parts (Music From The Original Series - Seasons 1 & 2)

[tatteredslipperdesigns]

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TWILIGHT PRINCESS - LINK VS STALFOS CROSS STITCH CHART

Full coverage cross stitch chart of official artwork for Twilight Princess featuring Link surrounded by Stalfos.

500 W x 679 H 14 CT: 37,7" (90,6 cm) x 48,5" (123,1 cm) 18 CT: 27,7" (70,3 cm) x 37,7" (95,7 cm) 25 CT: 20" (50,8 cm) x 27,1" (68,8 cm) 32 CT: 15,6" (39,6 cm) x 21,2" (53,8 cm)

Available in DMC (178 colors) and Anchor (195 colors)

Compatible with Pattern Keeper, but color codes may have to be entered manually.

Estimated thread usage not included, but it can be calculated here.

$5,00 ON GUMROAD

You can also support me by buying me a ko-fi!

[endawn]

okay also, also — what if threads in pax’s emperor verse that’s always in my head. ocato gets assassinated way sooner and the people of cyrodiil cry for their champion to take the dragon throne. he does not deal with the vampires personally; unable to take the risk with the empire leaderless and the elder council in turmoil. does not get ensnared by mol..ag bal. still gives up the divine crusader mantle, but his gods are more understanding of it. lives out his mortal half-elven lifespan. 230 ( long lived for even a half elf due to lingering vitality from being the divine crusader ) when he finally has a midlife crisis after ruling for 195 years. fucks off to faerûn and gets tadpoled. his honor guard eventually tracks him down but has to go along with him playing knight again. they REALLY don’t want to explain how they let their emperor turn into a mind flayer. has a beef with king squidy ( at least SOMEONE here is an actual emperor ).

[onekisstotakewithme]

Fic Stats Tag Game

thanks to @nimuetheseawitch for putting this on my dash! 💜 this is a fun one that I hadn't seen before.

Rules: A list of my fics with the most hits, most kudos, most comments, most bookmarks, most words, and the least words.

Most hits: 'ye who are weary, come home' is the far and away winner with 6,055 hits as of today (Sept 3/2023), and I really can't complain (maybe 6k hits isn't a lot, but I do write in small fandoms and usually for niche pairings!) because I do love this story. It's the story of the first 4077 reunion, involves all the canon pairings, a few fan-favourite minor characters, and the triad getting together. I love this one.

Most kudos: "Ties That Bind" aka my Journey to Babel tag. It has 419 kudos. I'm delighted by this one, as it was my first K/S day fic! (And only my second Star Trek fic!)

Most bookmarks: "ye who are weary, come home" wins again with 133 bookmarks.

Most comments: 'ye who are weary' again, with 195, and since this answer is geting a bit old, maybe, "Off The Record" (aka my "one missing scene for CJ/Danny from each episode of s1 of TWW) is a better answer as the distant second place, with 104 comment threads.

Most words: of my published works, it's 'no love less perfect than a life with thee', which is sitting at 98,043 words. It's the Charles/Donna wedding fic, and part IV of the verse that starts with 'ye who are weary' (my longest fic ever is part V of the verse, but it's not published. It's 125k).

Least words: The story with the least words is "Tired", a short fic I wrote about Hawkeye from 2018 or so. It's 220 words.

Thank you again, this was fun!

[ali-annals]

5: isn't it just so pretty

Invisible String Masterlist PREVIOUS NEXT AO3

On June 24th, Red Robin popped by Lucky Charms, but it was closed.

He then headed to 195 Andes Plaza but saw Damian glaring at him from the window and left.

Marinette was finishing preparing for her upcoming album release/tour and didn’t need to deal with inquisitive birds and bats right now.

The second story had a large room for the kwamis to play around in. The spacious garden out back, tended by Tikki, Pollen, Nooroo, Fluff, and Wayzz, was lush and blooming abundantly.

Tomorrow Fairy would release the album cover and name, then in a week the tracklist and another MV for her second single, Threads of Time. With the new info released, there would be more interviews. One would be with Clark and Lois.

So Damian protectively shooed his brother away from Marinette. 

Chloe and Icarus would be going on tour as well, in the States and Europe. At least Bruce hadn’t questioned him when he requested to not begin working at WE till January, taking a gap half-year. There was the tour, the wedding, and planning the functions to do. He couldn’t be there for Mari and keep an eye on her health while he was busy acclimating to working at WE as well.

~~~~~

June 25th the Waynes were stunned by the cover of Fairy’s new album, Golden Ties. It was different from her debut album, Gossamer Wings. Gossamer Wings’ background was an iridescent, shimmering background with golden lines like butterfly wings curving up from the surface. Black italics spelled the title.

Golden Ties was a black background with loopy gold letters all connected spelling the title.

Fairy’s picture on the back of Gossamer Wings showed her back, with fairy wings attached. (Actually, they were her Ladybug wings and the background of the cover.)

On the back of Golden Ties was her profile in black, wearing her signature red lipstick and a plain gold masquerade-style domino.

July second, the tracks –all sixteen of them�� were released, plus Threads of Time (MV). 

Damian, as Icarus, appeared in it.

One of the songs, Emerald Eyes, was about him, though no one except him, Mari, Jagged and Penny, and Chloe knew that.

~~~~~

Fairy began the American leg of her tour in Gotham with Jagged.

The Waynes came, of course, minus Damian again but including Bruce this time.

Fairy sent Chloe with a note inviting them backstage after the show.

Chloe reported that they were happy to join her and that they had all (minus Bruce) squealed in excitement.

Once the backstage fans left, Icarus escorted his family to Mari’s dressing room. 

“Hi! How have my ‘biggest fans’ been doing?"

“Great! This album is even better than your debut, and the concert was amazing!!”

“Thank you! Icarus inspired a lot,” she smiled at him in a way that the Bats could *tell* was reserved for him only.

"Did you know MDC was engaged to someone?” asked Bruce, not foregoing his detective tendencies even in the face of his children’s favourite artist.

“MDC is engaged? I didn’t know she made a press statement,” Fairy played dumb. “I did notice a lovely ring on her hand, though. She also seems quite close with whom I believe is your younger brother...Damian?”

“That’s him. Unfortunately, he had a previous engagement scheduled and couldn’t come tonight. I do know he actually quite enjoys your music.”

“High praise! I’ll have to tease him about it if MDC brings her man around!” Fairy giggled like her namesake. She turned to Icarus. “Remind me next time we see him?”

“Of course, Cherie. ”

~~~~~

Gold was the color of the leaves when I showed you around Centennial Park

Damian asked Jon to cover for him while he followed Marinette around the US. In return, Jon got MDC clothing and signed Fairy and Jagged Stone merch.

Jon was introduced to the kwamis, and Trixx was enlisted to create illusions of Damian and Marinette as needed. Kaalki was the MVP, opening portals regularly so Damian could maintain his presence in Gotham. 

At the end of August, Fairy headed to Europe for the next leg of her tour. She hit all the capitals, saving Paris for last. Luka, Jagged, and Clara all joined her at different parts of the tour for surprise collabs. 

Finally, the day came when Marinette arrived in Paris again. She hadn’t been since she wrapped up her and her parents’ affairs two years ago, and she was glad she was only there for a short while.

Damian portalled over, thanks to Kaalki, and they disguised themselves to go sightsee.

Marinette showed him Master Fu’s shop, the Couffaine houseboat, her grandparents’ house, and at last, the park by her old house, where she used to sketch.

The sunlight filtered golden through the leaves, the warm air blowing Marinette’s hair in her face.

Damian brushed it out of the way and handed her an elastic off his wrist.

She took it with a smile, grateful one of them could keep elastics close at hand.

They came out at the other end of the park, standing facing the corner where the bakery used to be.

Marinette’s grip on Damian’s hand tightened, and she wiped a tear away from her cheek.

“Let’s head back, mon ange .”

~~~~~

Hell was the journey but it brought me heaven

“Bonjour, Paris!” called Fairy the next night on the catwalk. “As many of you know, I’m originally from here. It’s good to be back!” And it really was, as she thought about it. With Damian by her side, her return had been much less painful than she had originally thought.

“As I wrote Lady Luck to pay homage to the Miraculous Team, I’m proud to perform it in their city! If you’re watching this, I hope you know how much we appreciate your hard work and selfless sacrifices!”

She knew the Couffaines were in the audience, and Chloe was backstage. Adrien and Kagami were planning their wedding for the week she was back, so she was unsure if they would be too busy to come or not. She had sent them tickets anyways.

Her guitarist played the opening riff, and she started the song.

~~~~~

Adrien and Kagami were married with Marinette and Damian in attendance. They planned to honeymoon in Osaka, then fly to Gotham for Marinette and Damian’s wedding. Two days later, Fairy and Icarus returned to Gotham. 

Marinette and Damian’s long absences had been chalked up to wedding planning, which was true. Mari only wanted a small wedding–just friends and her few family members– and Damian didn’t want lots of fuss either. His family attending was enough fuss, considering all their drama, he grumbled to her once. She simply giggled and told him she was sure they would be on their best behaviour.

Wayne Manor had much larger grounds than Marinette’s house, so the ceremony was set to be held there.

Tikki, Wayzz, and Pollen definitely never snuck over to encourage the lush grass and flowering blossoms, and Trixx never aided and abetted by illusioning them. The greenery was all Alfred’s green thumb.

In between concerts, Mari sewed her wedding dress and Chloe’s maid of honour dress. 

Damian’s tux and Jon’s suit were already prepared, and she collected what had been Gina’s veil while she was in Paris.

The final touches of embroidery were added in the last weeks before the wedding, and all the preparations ran smoothly, thanks to Chloe and Damian’s combined terrifying ruthless efficiency.

October 10th dawned clear and bright, sunny for once in Gotham.

(Marinette bet it was something to do with Tikki’s luck and cleansing accumulating in breaking down the curses on Gotham.)

As Chloe helped her dress she reflected that maybe she should be nervous, but she only felt happy and content. She was marrying her romantic soulmate today, what more could she ask?

(The whole week before she carefully avoided even thinking of anything that could go wrong, lest Plagg’s bad luck jinx them.)

Marinette surveyed herself in the mirror by the door as Tikki and Pollen slipped into their Chosen’s bouquets.

Her veil was her ‘something borrowed’, Tikki’s earrings her ‘something old’, her dress her ‘something new’, and the sapphire necklace Damian gifted her for her birthday her ‘something blue’.

The dress was scoop-necked white tulle over white silk,  the layers creating a slightly flouffy skirt. It was simple and understated, but when the light shone on it, gold threads embroidered throughout the fabric became visible. The patterns ran from her slightly pouffed sleeves, down her fitted bodice, and branched off in the skirt. Many little mementoes and details important to her and Damian were stitched in it. Ladybugs, the league of assassins and the bat symbol, a needle and thread, masks for Fairy and Icarus, dates important in their relationship, like their first meeting, the day Damian proposed, the day they found each other in her shop.

Damian’s suit was black, but another gold thread wound throughout it, spots and feathers trimming the edges. Plagg had taken a liking to Damian, and she had occasionally let him practice with the ring, just in case he needed to use it, so a tiny pocket for Plagg was sewn into his suit as well. 

The car pulled up to the flower strewn aisle, and Marinette gripped her bouquet, preparing to step out. The door opened and Bruce extended his hand.

She took it with a smile, sad that he wasn’t her own father but pleased that she could incorporate Damian’s into the programme.

Alfred, as the officiant, was waiting at the end of the aisle with Damian and Jon, Damian’s best man.

Damian’s jaw dropped as he saw Marinette walk down the aisle like a pageant queen, but he quickly closed it when Jon nudged him.

His eyes fell briefly to Tikki, hidden in the bouquet Mari held. She and the other kwamis had given him the equivalent of a shovel talk, which he took quite seriously, as he should. They all walked away from that conversation satisfied (and a little unsettled, on Damian’s end).

Damian met Marinette’s love-filled gaze and smiled widely at her, causing Dick, Bruce, and Alfred to tear up a little.

Tim, Steph, and Babs were a little surprised at how outwardly happy Damian was acting, but were pleased for him. Cass watched closely as Marinette took Damian’s hand and joined him in front of Alfred. Her hypothesis was confirmed when a faint golden glow appeared as they exchanged rings. Soulmates .

Bruce eyed his new daughter-in-law’s bouquet. He was sure something in it was watching him.

Plagg cackled quietly in Damian’s pocket.

After a lovely reception provided by Alfred and Wang Feng and Marinette’s cousin Fei, the newlyweds departed for parts unknown on their honeymoon.

In reality, they moved into 195 Andes Plaza. Relaxing at home sounded much better than jetting off after they’d just been on an extended world tour. Now was the time to be quiet and put down roots. 

(It also had the added benefit of keeping the Batfam’s prying eyes off them, as the Bats didn’t expect them to be under their noses, still in Gotham. After all, who decided Gotham was a prime honeymoon destination? Only Damian and Marinette.)