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bebepac · 2 years

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Six Sentence Sunday 09/25/22

Me at work like.... Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha haha Still plugging away. Trying to finish some stuff. Still not finished with anything. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha . Covid hit my pharmacy again, we’ve had 4 cases since my county changed to threat level yellow which means optional masks. And of course my tech that tested positive, this week was my weekend tech so I went from being off to having to work the full weekend. I haven’t gotten much writing done, but I have been randomly sprinkling some love.

Original Post: 09/25/22 at 10:47PM EST.

Slumber Party? The Book: TRR (no royals) Series: School Dayz Pairings: Liam x Riley Status: Still in the writing process.

A/N: This one is actually surprising me, it’s turning out to be a longer story than I initially thought it would be.

Riley put down her tray of food on the table and sat in her seat.

"Riley, what would you call it, if you invited friends over to spend the night and you eat lots of snacks and play games?”

“A Slumber Party?”

Taylor raised her eyebrow at Drake, crossing her arms over her chest and speaking in a matter of fact voice. “Exactly what I would call it too. But to add even more fuel to this fire, I bring to you Merriam-Webster online dictionary’s definition of the term ‘slumber party,’ since 1828 I might add.”

“Taylor that’s really not…..”

Taylor interrupted Drake, speaking over him: “Slumber Party, noun, origin North American , 'an overnight gathering especially of teenage girls usually at one of their homes.' Should I use it in a sentence?”

The girls at the table laughed. Including Penelope, and Madeleine, the guys at the table looked irritated, especially Liam.

“Babe!?!” Nico called.

Taylor jumped up from the table. “Gotta go.” She picked up her tray and ran over to sit with Nico and the popular crowd, including Leo.

“Why is your sister like a tornado Riley?

It’s like she falls from the sky with no notice and causes damage, death, and mayhem and two minutes later it's like she evaporated into thin air, leaving a trail of carnage in her wake? Why was she even sitting with us?” Drake inquired, exasperated.

Riley giggled.

"I thought you liked her Drake?"

"She likes guys with expensive cars."

“Tornado Taylor. That’s a good one!!!! Well if it makes you feel any better…. Sleepover, noun ‘an occasion of spending the night away from home or having a guest or guests spend the night in one’s home, especially as a party for children.’ Sleepovers aren’t gender specific Drake, and Liam, if that’s how you want to celebrate your birthday, I think you should. Given the choice again, yes Wheelz was fun to celebrate my birthday, but I would have wanted to do something more my choice.”

Liam smiled at Riley. Liam took Riley’s hand. “Thank you for understanding Riley.”

Meanwhile at the popular table Leo was rallying his troops.

"My little brother is turning sixteen, we need to have a big party for him.”

“You mean a party that happens to fall on the weekend of your brother’s birthday?”

“Maybe a little bit of both, but it needs to be huge.”

"How huge is huge?"

"Let’s just say, we’re gonna blow the roof off our house huge. But he can't know."

“I can be of assistance here.” Taylor said with a smile. “Parties are where I shine.”

“But babe, you always wind up in trouble.”

“But isn’t a good party worth a little bit of trouble?”

“Damnit I like the way you think, Double Vision. Think you can keep this from your sister?”

“Of course, she can be totally clueless at times.”

The Best Part The Rotten Apple 🍎: Chapter 15: The Finale The Book: TRH/TRF Pairings: Eleanor x Nico (Eleanor x M!OC) Liam x Riley Status: Still in the writing process

Nico's mother lightly cleared her throat.

“Eleanor, might I have a word with you?”

“Mother…..”

“It’s alright…” Elle glanced at his mother’s face. Her expression gave away nothing. “I hope.”

They stepped out onto the patio together. The last time she had been with Nico’s mother, it was calming and peaceful, this time, there was uncomfortable silence between them.

“He told you everything, didn’t he?”

“Yes, of course he did. He is my son, and we have always had a very close relationship. In spite of all, he still carried you in his heart all this time, and lovingly took care of the child the two of you conceived together.”

“I know, and for that I feel almost undeserving of that love, and at the same time, truly grateful.”

“Woman to Woman, I feel like I need to tell you this. I love my son and my granddaughter dearly. So….do NOT let them down Eleanor. If you don’t think you can really give them your all, you need to leave now.”

"That’s why I stayed in the hospital, I needed to stay there, because I would have let them down. And I don’t want to be that person anymore. I am here for them; I love them. They mean everything to me. I hope that in time you will begin to believe that, through my actions, and believe in me. I want to be here with them, and finally I am healthy enough to.”

The look on Nico’s mother’s face changed as Elle continued speaking.

“This is the first time in my life I've felt truly wanted by everyone around me. This place was where I was supposed to always be. Nothing feels like it. And I finally feel like I’m at home with my family.”

The Gift of Life The Rotten Apple 🍎: (Epilogue?) The Book: TRH/ TRF Pairings: Eleanor x Nico (Eleanor x M!OC) Status: Still in the writing process

A/N: Yeah I know.... #Drama Whore couldn’t help herself.... you don’t have to tell me.

Elle was putting away the last of the clothes when she heard a crash sounding like it came from Ana's room.

Nico was outside in their small vegetable garden when he heard Elle scream. Nico ran in the house towards Elle’s screams. Elle was on the floor cradling Ana in her arms.

“What happened?!?!?!”

“She passed out!!!! She won’t wake up Nico! What do we do?!?!”

"Is she breathing Elle?"

"I DON'T KNOW?!? She won’t wake up. What if she doesn’t?" Elle was on the verge of hyperventilating because of her fear.

“Elle, you have to breathe. We have to stay calm for Ana right now.” Nico’s voice was soft, soothing, calming Elle enough so she was able to take a few slow deep breaths as she continued to cradle Ana in her arms. “Please wake up baby. Open your eyes.”

Nico wiped his hands on his pants and quickly kneeled, pulling Ana closer to him, checking her neck for a pulse.

"Should we call for an ambulance?"

"We're not waiting. We're taking her to the hospital now."

Nico picked Ana up.

"Now Elle, we're leaving."

#bebepac writes #six sentence sunday #always more than six #cfwc sunday six #choices fanfiction #trr fandom #the rotten apple 🍎#school dayz #elle x nico #liam x riley

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azurebluuu · 10 months

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on the morning brew zine

hi everyone, i know i'm late to making this post but truthfully i'm not as active on tumblr as i am compared to my other active social media account, twitter. i am formerly a writer on the espresseleine zine, morning brew. i am credited under "azzy-m".

before i start on this statement, here is the link to my fic that was supposed to be in the zine, in case you are more interested in reading it than the drama around it (that's fair). originally i had a shortened version of this statement as an end note on the fic, but i was informed by the comments on it that not only was it against ao3's TOS to talk about fandom drama there, but also that it's wildly inappropriate, so i'm moving my thoughts here and i've removed the note already. very sorry that i put it on there in the first place, i wrote it on a whim and didn't realize that it would reflect poorly on me when i uploaded it.

if you are unaware, it has recently come to light that mooncake_madness, a contributor on the zine, was writing non-con fanfiction between cookie run characters espresso cookie and madeleine cookie. here and here are posts for more information, tw for mentions of rape and noncon.

none of us on the zine were aware, but the mods were 100% as they did background checks. people who are saying this is some bullshit regarding proship vs anti discourse is misreading the situation on purpose. no, i don't really care about that type of discourse as my approach is basically "i have my own personal boundaries, you have yours, let's just respect that + we have the right to ignore or block each other", but people have boundaries -- hell, even triggers -- that would make them understandably hesitant to work with someone who makes content that glorifies it. people have DNIs concerning this stuff, so it's annoying to me to see that people will say "don't like, don't read" until it actually comes to honoring that.

zines are a collaborative effort, so it is in the mods' best interests to ensure everyone is fine working with each other. this is more of a violation of trust than anything, and i at least hope they discussed the question of "should we allow someone in who writes noncon fics" behind the scenes.

i'm okay, though. in fact, i think other contributors have better reasons for being upset than me. currently the zine is on hiatus, and so regardless of what happens and how the newer version is going to look, please keep in mind that none of the contributors had a damn clue and we trusted that the mods were OKAY with the people they accept. none of the fault falls on the contributors, so i plead with anyone reading this to not go after anyone.

unless anything new develops, this may be my final statement on the matter. have a good one, everyone.

#morning brew zine

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lumosatnight · 1 year

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10 books to get the know me!

Thanks for the tag @schmem14 and @broomsticks!

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen — an oldie but a goodie. Forever one of my favorite love stories. And, swoon, Mr. Darcy.

A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking — a nice mix of theoretical cosmology and existentialism.

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote — read this in high school and will always remember it. Getting into the mind of a serial killer was fascinating to me.

A Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe — short story (technically) but almost all of Poe's works had an impact on me in some way.

Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson — this was quite possibly my favorite series starting in middle school. A backstory to Peter Pan about growing up, growing apart, and staying the same.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle — ngl probably started my fascination with time/time travel and alternate dimensions.

The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult — read this book semi-recently and loved the way she blended the different timelines. It even sparked a fanfic idea.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot — think I might have mentioned this book before but the science nerd in me loves it so much! A dive into some of the unethical origins of stem cell research and the lasting implications.

Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe — do webcomics count? I've fallen behind with updates, but this series always has me on the edge of my seat. I recently saw the printed version in stores and had to physically yank myself away before I bought them all.

Painter of the Night by Byeonduck — another webcomic. I still cannot comprehend how such a lovely, sweet creator could draw such complete and utter filth. Glorious smutty M/M filth!!

Tagging (if you wanna join): @nymphadoratonqs, @oknowkiss, @ladderofyears, @mkaugust, @ultimateundesirable-bwpp, @siriusly-sapphic, @waxwing-saint, @triggerlil, @crazybutgood, @sugareey-makes-stuff

#tag game #books #about me #asked and answered

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patrice-bergerons · 2 years

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Okay but speaking of the terrible union Jack bulldog, I'm thinking of its appearance in NTTD packed into a box in London in Bond’s garage.

His belongings are in storage and he stays with Q; he must have sold his flat. Did he do it before he set out with Madeleine I wonder, or was it after? Did he come back to London after Matera?

(Did he talk to anyone or did everything he had to do on his own and fucked off? And given that he fucked off and lost all contact, which one is worse, I wonder? What must a conversation with Eve or Q or Tanner might have looked like when his imagined future had crumbled like that in his hands?)

Did he pay somebody else to do it?

And this porcelain bulldog in its box in London--it says so much about Jamaica. He is cut off, by design, not only from the few people who genuinely care about him but also from his M. His past. (God, he is so lonely there it makes my heart hurt if I think about it too much.)

But at the same time, he has not moved his stuff to Jamaica and neither has he sold or chucked it. Did he know the job would always claim him back whether he wanted to or not? Or did part of him intend to come back to London, on some better, sunny day, but it got harder and harder the more time that passed? Man.

#no time to die #james bond #i always think his jamaica retirement is a purgatory of his own design and everything else adds to it tbh #but also did the writers give this much thought to the bulldog? absolutely not #but that will never stop me lol

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karahalloway · 2 years

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I posted 1,327 times in 2022

That's 456 more posts than 2021!

115 posts created (9%)

1,212 posts reblogged (91%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@angelasscribbles

@aussiegurl1234

@harleybeaumont

@the-soot-sprite

@petiteboheme

I tagged 128 of my posts in 2022

#drake walker - 71 posts

#the royal romance - 69 posts

#drake x mc - 54 posts

#harper gale - 52 posts

#trr fanfic - 48 posts

#less than noble intentions - 35 posts

#choices fic writers creations - 31 posts

#kara halloway - 26 posts

#sleepless in new york - 20 posts

#uncommon attraction - 19 posts

Longest Tag: 51 characters

#denim shirt and biker jacket…what else do you need?

My Top Posts in 2022:

WHOOOO!!!

Just got a message from Tumblr support informing that my account has been restored and I am officially un-shadowbanned! (Apparently it was glitch at their end that was causing the problem... 😒)

But... it got sorted much quicker than last time, and I’ve got my account working properly again, so...

...PAAARTAY!

See the full post

65 notes - Posted February 16, 2022

100 Followers!😧

OMG guys... 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

Thank you so, so, so much!

It seems like only yesterday that I hit the 50 followers milestone, and now to have 100 lovely people who thought that the stuff I post on my account is worthy of their attention is just...

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68 notes - Posted March 7, 2022

TRR Round Robin - Part 9: Danger Zone

In the universe that The Royal Romance/Heir fan fiction inhabits, the people are represented by two not necessarily separate yet equally important groups: The Writers, who come up with these fantastical stories, and The Readers, who eagerly consume them. One writer, @sirbeepsalot, was struck with inspiration and came up with the idea of a round-robin story based on The Royal Romance/Heir.

This is that story.

What’s happened so far?

Liam and Olivia were plotting a plan which Leo interrupted; Queen Madeleine and King Liam are hiding at Drake’s cabin with Max, but Drake has disappeared with his motorbike bike while Max texted someone, who turned out to be Bertrand. Riley Brooks, Royal Communication Director, played her part for the King, by giving a press release with fake news of Queen’s miscarriage, but has unknowingly revealed the whereabouts of the King and Queen to Eirik. Leo shot Anton dead and fled away from the crime scene with his lover, Olivia, and the secret contents of the box. Barthelemy has extracted the whereabouts of the King and Queen’s location from Bertrand at the point of a gun. Leo and Olivia realise that Liam and Madeleine are not at Valtoria and Drake has found a note.

Catch up here.

Book: The Royal Romance/Heir

Pairings: Liam x Madeleine, Riley x Drake (sorry... not sorry! I’m an unabashed Drake stan so... 🙃)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Swearing, kidnapping, torture

Word count: 1,000. On. The. Dot.

I am participating in @wackydrabbles with this post. The week 135 prompt is “Why did I let you talk me into this?” and will appear in bold below.

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68 notes - Posted February 24, 2022

Sleepless in New York: Chapter 4 - Showtime, Baby!

Series: TRR

Pairing: Drake Walker x OC (Harper Gale)

Rights belong to Pixelberry, most characters and some dialogue belong to them.

Synopsis: This is a short-story series written from Drake’s POV that explores an AU where Drake meets Harper (my OC from (Un)Common Attraction) by himself before the boys come to the bar on the last night of Christian’s bachelor party.

Masterlist: Sleepless in New York

Chapter Summary: The sparks fly (in more ways than one!) as Drake faces off against Harper...

Word Count: 6,700

Rating/Warnings: M (swearing, sexual tension, Drake going all out - change of panties advisable 😆)

Chapter theme song:

Also available on Wattpad

Chapter 4 - Showtime, Baby!

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75 notes - Posted January 17, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

(Un)Common Attraction: Dive into the Deep End Comic

The amazingly talented @blueberryarts18 has done it again! 🤗 She created a jaw-dropping comic that brings to life a pivotal moment from (Un)Common Attraction - Harper and Drake’s first kiss!

I literally have no words... 😭 Every time she sent me a WIP of this comic, I squeed, loving watching the scenes come to life with more and more detail, until she sent me through the final, finished work and I was honestly rendered speechless...! It is a thousand times better than I had imagined it in my head - the colours, the facial expressions, the emotion in each panel... It’s seriously as if she looked in my head and saw what I saw when I wrote the scene... 🤯

Extract of accompanying scene below the cut.

Extract from Chapter 21: Dive into the Deep End

Warnings: Swearing, minor smutty moment, major angst

"Now there's a million-dollar view if ever I saw one," I remark, taking in the beautiful vista.

"Worth the climb, isn't it?" murmurs Drake, leaning against the wall.

"Definitely! You get a workout and a view! What more can you ask for?"

Drake glances at me briefly before looking back out over the water. "We should start heading back before they send out a search party."

"Back the way we came, I'm guessing?"

"Or you could jump."

I stare at him in disbelief. "You're joking... That's a 30 foot drop at least!"

"Don't chicken out on me now, Gale," he replies with a cocky grin, edging backwards.

In the next instant, he becomes a blur of motion as he dashes forward and leaping into the air, throws himself off the cliff. I gasp as he twists into a forward flip before straightening out and diving expertly into the water below.

"Holy shit..." I breathe as I watch him resurface a couple of seconds later to let out a loud whoop of exultation.

"You comin' or not?" he calls, treading water as he looks up at me.

I gulp nervously as I stare down at him.

While I really did not want to jump, the alternative was to try and make my way back down the way we had come... And unfortunately, without Drake's help, that option would most likely result in a sprained ankle, if not something worse.

So, despite every instinct in my body screaming at me not to do it, I back up as far as I can go. Closing my eyes, I heave several deep breaths to try and calm my thundering heart. Then, pushing my self-preservation instincts aside, I rush forward and throw myself over the edge.

My mouth opens to emit a terrified shriek as I flail my arms and legs in a vain attempt to slow myself down, before I remember that I need to straighten up to avoid seriously hurting myself when I hit the water.

Lifting my arms above my head, I press my legs together and point my toes just before I cut through the cool water like a knife. With my lungs crying out for air, I kick back up, taking a ragged breath as I break through the surface.

"Oh. My. God!" I exclaim breathlessly, every inch of me tingling from the sudden rush of adrenaline. "That... That was..."

"Pretty intense, huh?" grins Drake. "Though in all the excitement, you seem to have dropped something."

I gasp in horror as he holds up my bikini top with one finger.

"Give that back!" I cry, lunging towards him.

How the hell did I manage to end up basically naked with both Christian and Drake just days apart?!

"Or what?" he taunts with a wicked grin, swivelling easily out of the way.

"I'll...I'll..." I flounder. "Oh, I don't know! But if you don't give it back, this instant, I swear you'll regret it, Walker!"

"I'll take my chances."

See the full post

76 notes - Posted May 14, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #Spotify

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shadowlineswriting · 2 years

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The Ls!

That’s right, folks! We are SO CLOSE to being halfway done with the alphabet!

I should apologize in advance, though, because of all our books, we have the most with authors whose last names start with C, D, L, and M. The good news is, that means the second half of the library will go much faster than the first half (which, as of November 15, has taken 18 months). The bad news is, I’m starting the Ls and then going right into the Ms...so we will be on these two letters for quite some time.

There’s great stuff coming up, though. Given how many L books we have there’s a pretty broad range of genres to cover. I can’t wait!

L books that I’m going to skip...

The Snow Queen, by Mercedes Lackey: Perfectly good book, but one I prefer to read in the winter (it’s silly, but it’s true).

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson: I read this recently and it’s not the sort of book I can read too often given the severity of its material.

The King Raven Trilogy, by Stephen Lawhead: I would actually love to read these again soon, but every time I read them it takes me forever because there are so many historical points I want to look up and learn more about. Frankly, right now I just don’t want to take the time, but I will again one of these days.

The Call of the Wild, by Jack London: I do NOT like Jack London. I just don’t.

A whole bunch of stuff by C.S. Lewis: My husband and I both adore C.S. Lewis. At this point we own nearly everything he ever wrote, but I’m ashamed to say I’ve only read about half of it. As such, I’m going to skip most of the books of his I’ve already read so I can dedicate the time to reading the works that are new to me.

The Phantom of the Opera, by Gaston Leroux: I actually read this a few months ago when we introduced our friend to the musical.

To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman, by Harper Lee: I really like To Kill a Mockingbird and I’d like to read it again. Most recently I read the sequel, which I thought was absolutely dreadful and undid most of the work in the first book, so I’m not quite ready to bounce back yet.

Iscariot, by Tosca Lee: I think Tosca Lee’s Biblical fiction books are spectacular, so I’m still going to reread one for this challenge. I’ve only read Iscariot once, but it was tough...so tough. I’m not up for it right now emotionally, haha.

The Giver, Gossamer, and Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry: Lois Lowry is one of my favorite authors and always will be. Absolute genius. I’ve just read each of these about two dozen times each, so again, in the interest of keeping this challenge moving along I’m going to skip them this time.

Two-Part Invention and The Time Quartet, by Madeleine L’Engle: Everything I said about Lois Lowry applies here, too.

Let’s do it!

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yuesya · 2 years

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Much madness was one of my favorite One Piece works. I'm still not over your idea of m!Madeleine where he ends up in Tottoland bureaucracy as the most well adjusted one because canon Madeleine is.... a person with an unique mind. If you can write any more deftails on that whether it's how he interacts with siblings (i.e. Cracker), his daily life, or any of his true self that peeks out from his warm kind mask. I'm not picky.

Hello and thank you for reading! ... I actually had to go back and dig up that old post haha. But yes, m!Madeleine! In which Madeleine is a Well Adjusted Individual, but only if you compare him with his alternate Madeleine personas and, like. The Charlotte family in general lol.

More below the cut, since this got a little long:

So, m!Madeleine is very calm and mild-mannered in the day-to-day. Cracker still doesn't get along very well with him in the beginning ("Just look at him! How am I supposed to trust that face?" "... What kind of excuse is that, Cracker?") and it's precisely because of that affable front. He gets along with everyone, and Cracker refuses to believe that anyone can be that good-natured. His brother is definitely plotting something!

Eventually, though, m!Madeleine gets tired of all the pointed needling and snarky comments and pulls Cracker into a sealed area via Dream Dream Fruit. In the tried and true fashion of a lot of shonen manga out there, you become friends after beating each other up with your fists.

... Or well, not friends, but Cracker is definitely a lot less twitchy around m!Madeleine after finding out that he's a person who does have his own limits just like anyone else out there.

On m!Madeleine's part... y'know, I kind of feel like we should probably stop calling him that by this point. Macaron? Let's go with Macaron.

Anyways!

So, on Macaron's part. Even though he'd been unwillingly stuffed into the bureaucracy things by Peros at the start, he still does his job well. And he comes to take a certain sense of pride in watching over his siblings and keeping everything running smoothly on the island. It also helps that Big Mom is very much Not Interested in paperwork or anything of the sort, so she's never around the administration buildings. Win-win for everyone all around!

Macaron is content to ignore Big Mom for the most part, but he eventually grows to care for his siblings. Bloodthirsty idiots, the whole lot of them. He loves them anyways.

Katakuri and Cracker and all the others out there, constantly fighting so others in the family do not have to... it's not a job Macaron would ever wish to take upon his own shoulders, he doesn't think he has the stomach for it. But he can respect his brothers for the sacrifices that they make, for the sake of the family.

It means that siblings like Macaron and Brulee can remain safely within Totto Land and support them from the back. Keep everything in the territory running smoothly. Take care of all the younger siblings that they have, give them a safe environment to grow up in-

Macaron is a fairly laidback person, by and large. It makes him the number one Charlotte that people want to use as their point of contact with the Big Mom Pirates. He's the only one in that insane family who's not insane! Who will sit down and talk to you all reasonable and polite and you'll never have to worry about Macaron getting irritated and pulling a sword on you out of nowhere when he suddenly loses his temper.

Looking at you, Cracker.

... Anyways. There's a lot of things that Macaron can overlook and politely pretend to forget -as long as it doesn't threaten his family.

He's not a fighter like Katakuri or Cracker, but he's far from helpless, contrary to the impression that most people have of him. When Urouge and his crew breach the nursery, Macaron is actually reading a story to the young ones. The young man lifts his eyes, and very carefully does not frown, knowing that his impressionable little siblings are watching him -knowing that they take their cues from them, and so he has to remain calm and unruffled- but it doesn't stop him from clicking his tongue.

He'll have to go over the island's security measures with Peros after this.

"You have," he says flatly, "Exactly five seconds to turn around and leave. If not... I won't be responsible for what happens next."

Armed with nappies and toys and holding a colorful picture book, Macaron certainly doesn't cut a very imposing figure. The Fallen Monk Pirates laugh at him.

Macaron nods, and closes the book. Then, wholly ignoring the enemies in the room, he turns towards his little siblings.

"Let's play a game," he smiles. "Close your eyes and count to thirty. No peeking! Good children who listen will get an extra treat in their afternoon snack today."

"B-brother, what-?"

"Shhh. There, there. Be good, hmm?"

Then, Macaron turns.

Sleep, he commands, and the power of his Devil Fruit flares to life around him with a nightmarish glow.

...

"Oh, I'm really out of practice... Brulee is going to be so cross with me for making a mess like this... ah, Pudding! Good timing, sister. Will you run a message to the Head Chef for me while I do a bit of cleanup here? Put in an extra order for some extra treats to be delivered to the Nursery today. Eclairs will be nice, I think.

... What's with that look on your face? Run along, now. There's nothing for you to worry about here.

...

... Did you not hear me? Pudding. You have nothing to worry about."

#QA #Writing #some m!madeleine stuff!#or rather #macaron now i guess #technically i guess we could've had the name stay madeleine #but madeleine is very much a feminine name?#and in my mind it's associated with f!madeleine so #macaron!#hopefully that works too #and there isn't already a canon one piece character called macaron lol #that would be fun #;;;

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shineesltm · 3 years

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if you wanna see my #tbt superm in san jose spam, check out my ig @shineesltm 😊💖

#madeleine parle #super m #super m in sj #i might share some stuff here later #but rn i have to work so i only had time to upload to ig #it’s easier there for concert clips anyways

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angelasscribbles · 2 years

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Unlikely Alliances 2: Closure (A Bad Romance Two-Shot)

Series: Bad Romance

Bad Romance One-Shots

Fandom: The Royal Romance

Pairings for series: [(Riley x Liam x Max) + (Riley x Drake)] + (Riley x Rashad)

Paring this chapter: Drake x Kiara (past), Riley x M!OC (past), Liam x Madeline (past)

Rating: MA

Warnings for this chapter: none

A/N: The conclusion to how Madeleine got the press secretary job. In part one, Madeleine intercepted some compromising pictures of Liam that were missed by both the current press secretary and security. Riley promised her the job as long as she doesn't turn out to be involved with taking the pictures in any way. Drake is off to the states to chase down leads. Find part one here.

Word Count: 4,640

My other stuff: Master List.

New York, Drake and Kiara

Kiara grabbed her drink from the bartender and turned to make her way back to her table. She ran right into the big oaf blocking her way. Just standing there, arms folded like he owned the damned place. “Oh merde! Regarde ça, gros crétin ! Tu penses que tu es propriétaire de l'endroit ou quoi ? ”

“We need to talk.” The voice was deep, rumbly, sexy, familiar and oh so annoying.

She glared up at him, “Well hello to you too. How have you been for the last three years? Oh, fine. How about you, Kiara? How have you been? I’m good. Nice to see you. What the fuck do you want, Drake?”

She shoved her away around him and headed back to her table, her friends and the rest of her night.

He swooped in front of her again, “If you want to do this in front of your friends we can, but it would probably be less embarrassing if we do it in private.”

“Do what?” Her eyes traveled up to find his, hers filled with defiance.

“I’m here on crown business, Ki, you might want to listen. I don’t want to have to drag you into the embassy for questioning, but I will.”

“Questioning? For what?” She gaped up at him. His steely gaze met her stormy one.

“I told you. Crown business.”

Anger flickered through her eyes, “Oh, you’re here on behalf of your girlfriend! What the fuck does she want? I don’t work for her! I work for Liam!”

She tried to shove her way around him again. This time he grasped her firmly by the arm and pulled her to an empty booth, shoving her into it, then blocking her in with his body.

“What the actual fuck, Drake?” She seethed.

“I’m here on Liam’s behalf!” He hissed at her.

“Ki?” The voice was hesitant.

Drake glanced up to find a nervous looking man with ebony hair falling past his ears fidgeting next to their booth. Drakes eyes raked across the other man dismissively, “Can I help you?”

“Ah…” The man cleared his throat, “Kiara, is everything alright?”

Kiara’s gaze went from the man to Drake then back again, “I’m fine. Just catching up with an old friend.”

“You sure?”

Drake gave the man a mirthless smile, “She’s sure. She’ll come find you when she’s done. Bye.”

The man looked from Drake to Kiara and back again before nodding and reluctantly walking away.

“That was rude. You’ve always been rude, you know that, right?”

“You never seemed to mind before.” He smirked down at her.

She felt herself flush, “Fuck you! If you have legitimate business, spit it out or I’m leaving!”

Drake slid a photo across the table to her.

Her eyes flicked down in annoyance then widened in shock, “Who took this?”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”

A slow smirk crawled across her face, “What happened? Liam finally get tired of her shit? Decided to cheat on her? Good for him!”

“Someone sent this, and a few more like it, to the press.” Drake said through a clenched jaw.

Kiara’s face dropped, “Who would do that?”

“It wasn’t you?” His gaze bored into her.

She drew herself up in indignation, “How can you ask me that? Of course it wasn’t me!”

“You sure about that? You hate Riley. Some people would consider that motive.”

“I may hate Riley, but I don’t hate Liam, or Cordonia! I would never do anything to compromise my country! You used to know that about me, Drake.” Her voice was full of recrimination.

His eyes scanned her face, searching for clues as to the veracity of her statement, the purity of her intentions. He found nothing but honesty, and anger, there.

He pulled the photo back with a sigh, “Ok, I believe you.”

“Great. If there’s nothing else?”

“Listen. I’m sorry if I hurt you-“

Kiara’s eyes rolled so hard she was sure she’d see the inside of her skull, “Do not flatter yourself!”

Kiara’s pride had been damaged, not her heart. The feelings she’d had for him weren’t of the romantic variety. But he had hurt her. Her voice was softer, lower, laced with bitterness as she said , “I thought we were friends.”

“Ki…” He trailed off as a sliver of guilt panged through him before his memories reminded him why he shouldn’t feel too guilty, “Friends don’t take bribes from people to come between them and the person they love!”

She flushed with shame at the memory of how she’d obtained her job, but the stronger emotion was anger, “You told me you weren’t with her! You told me you didn’t love her! You told me she was a lying, cheating whore!”

“I….” His eyes dropped to the tabletop, “I did say all of those things. I lied to you, Ki. You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Except for the lying, cheating, whore part.” Kiara replied with venom, “That part was true.”

His eyes snapped up to her, full of fury and indignation, “Don’t talk about her like that!”

“You defend her, even now?”

“Especially now!” He leaned toward Kiara, lowering his voice, “I love her, Ki! I am still in love with her! I’m so fucking sorry I hurt you and drug you into our mess. I used you to hurt her and there’s no excuse for it. I didn’t think she really loved me back and I was lashing out and seeking comfort where I shouldn’t have. Things were….complicated back then.”

“Oh, and they’re simple now?”

“Yes, they are.” He replied quietly, his face softening, “I love her, and she loves me. Her marriage to Liam is mostly political, though I know she loves him too and any idiot can see how much he loves her. Then there’s Max….”

“Doesn’t sound simple.”

“But it is. We all love each other, my love for Liam isn’t romantic or sexual, but it’s there and it’s real. If you could see Liam and Max together, you’d know their connection is deep and it’s strong and I don’t quite get being in love with more than one person, but I can’t deny what I see on a daily basis. Liam loves them both, deeply. The three of them together….I’ve seen very few couples in my life that can match them for genuine affection.” He shook his head with a smile, “I’m happy, Ki! Happy to be a part of the family we’ve created, however unconventional, and happy to be so unbelievably blessed to have the love and attention of such an extraordinary woman! I know you don’t see her that way, but I do and isn’t that all that matters?”

“I…wow. You do seem happy. Huh.” Kiara had never seen Drake Walker smile quiet like he was smiling, had never seen such tenderness in his eyes, or his voice, as when he spoke about her. Who was she to judge?

“I am. How about you? Are you happy, Ki?” His gaze was honest and earnest as he peered into her eyes.

“I am.” She gave him a tentative smile, “I love my job, New York agrees with me, and I’m engaged!”

She held her left hand up and thrust it toward him. He took her hand in his and let out a low whistle as he took in the princess cut diamond on her ring finger that had to be at least ten carats. “That’s quiet an impressive stone. What’s your fiancé do? Rule a small country?”

She snorted, “Close.”

Drake raised an eyebrow, “Who is it?”

“Gordon Price.” She answered.

“The prime minister of Terrana?”

“That’s the one.” She was glowing with satisfaction and happiness.

Drake gave her a real smile, “I’m glad, Ki. You deserve to be happy.”

“Thanks.” She said, withdrawing her hand. “So, you see, I haven’t been sitting here pining after you for the last three years, plotting my revenge on Riley. You think too highly of yourselves, both of you.”

Drake let out a wry chuckle, “Point taken. So, that definitely wasn’t Gordon Price earlier, the guy trying to come to your rescue?”

“No.”

“Who was he? He looked familiar. And he seemed nervous. Is he someone you know well? Trust?”

A frown of confusion crossed her face, “Nick? He’s harmless.”

“Nick?” Why did that name sound familiar? “Nick who? Where’d you meet him?”

“Here. He’s the owner.”

Drake looked over to find the guy shooting daggers at him from behind the bar. “So, his interest in you is just professional? It seems like more than that.”

“He’s sort of a friend. I’ve seen him a few times outside of this place.”

“Where?”

“He runs a catering business out of the back. He’s good. We’ve used him for events a few times.”

“Like what kind of events?”

“Most recently, I referred him for the welcome dinner the night before the UN Gala….” Her eyes widened. “You don’t think….”

Drake sat up straighter, “Ki, you saw the photo. It was taken at the hotel the night of the welcome dinner!”

“How do you know it was that night?”

“I asked Liam when he picked up that particular woman. Surprisingly he remembered her.”

“Right.” She still did not understand their relationship, any of it.

Drake turned to stare hard at the man behind the bar. Something tickled at the back of his memory. Nick…. Recognition suddenly flooded over him. He turned back to the woman next to him, “Ki, I’m going to need your help with something!”

“What?” She asked suspiciously, “Don’t forget, we’re not friends anymore.”

“I know and that’s on me. I’m sorry, again, I sincerely am. But Liam is your friend, right?”

“Yes…” She conceded carefully.

“So, what if I told you that you could help catch the culprit that tried to ruin him in the press?”

“I’m listening…..”

Fifteen minutes later Kiara approached the man at the bar, “Hey Nick.”

“Hey, Kiara. Everything ok with you?”

“I’m fine. I wanted the thank you for your concern. I could tell you would have intervened if I’d needed you to.”

Nick flushed, “Of course I would have! We’re friends and I don’t like that guy!”

Kiara feigned surprise, “You know him?”

“Yeah.” Nick glowered, “I’ve met him once.” Fucking bastard didn’t even remember me!

“How?”

Nick fidgeted, “Ah….mutual acquaintance.”

“Oh? Anyone I know?” Kiara tried for nonchalant as she stirred her drink.

“Her name is Riley.”

“Riley? Riley Rys? The queen?”

“I….don’t want to talk about it.” Nick finished drying the glass in his hand and put in up on the shelf behind the bar.

“So have you also met the king?”

“Once.” He admitted.

“You sound like you don’t like him.”

“I fucking hate him!” Nick snarled, “He stole my girlfriend! And he’s not even worthy of her! I don’t give a shit that he’s a king! So what? He doesn’t deserve her!”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because he fucking cheated on her!”

“How do you know that?”

“I saw him! At the welcome dinner for the UN gala! And again, the night after that and again the night after that!” He grabbed another glass and started angrily drying it.

Kiara was stunned. Drake had told her about Nick showing up in Cordonia after Riley’s engagement to Liam made international news. She still hadn’t thought him capable of what amounted to stalking, but clearly he had returned to the hotel on at least two more occasions after the event he was hired to cater. She decided to play dumb, provoking him was the best way to get an ill advised outburst, and possible confession, out of him. “Oh, no! Liam would never cheat on Riley!”

“He did!” Nick’s voice rose as he slammed the glass in his hand down on the bar top, “And I can prove it!”

“How?” She tried for calm, but didn’t quite achieve it.

“I….” He seemed to realize his mistake. He shook his head in denial.

“I’d like to know the answer to that myself.” Drake stepped from the hallway back into the main part of the bar. He’d been listening from a receiving unit. Kiara had been fitted with a transmitter. The conversation was recorded.

Nick’s face paled. Shit!

“It was you.” Drake stated, “You took the pictures and sent them to the Cordonian press.”

“I….” Nick’s eyes went wide as they flew from Drake to Kiara then back again. Resolve and anger hardened his features as he gave a careless shrug, “So what if I did? What are you going to do about it? It’s not against the law to take pictures, or to mail them.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. While there’s no law against photographing people in public places, these…” Drake tossed photos onto the bar that showed Liam and his companion inside a hotel room, “U.S. law says it’s illegal to photograph people in places where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy. I’d say a hotel bedroom is one of those places. Wouldn’t you?”

Nick gave him a smug grin, “So? To prosecute me, you’d have to turn over those photos and you obviously don’t want them going public. Tell your friend to make sure the curtains are all the way closed next time.”

He had him there. Drake slid a glance over to Kiara, “You might want to look the other way.”

“Why?” She asked.

“Plausible deniability.” Drake said before reaching over the bar and dragging Nick across it.

“What the fuck?” Nick yelped as he crashed to the floor on the other side.

Drake pulled him to his feet then pushed him toward the storeroom, “We’re going to your house or wherever you might have any copies of these photos. I’m going to need your cell phone.”

“You can’t just-“

“Oh, I can and I will!” Drake told him with a smug grin of his own, “I have diplomatic immunity. I can beat the hell out of you, and nothing is going to happen to me. I can literally kill you, and nothing will happen to me. So, you might want to consider your next move carefully.”

An hour later Drake had possession of Nick’s cell phone, laptop and hardcopies of the photos in question. The two guardsmen he had brought with him to New York thoroughly tossed the apartment.

“Are you sure there are no other copies?” Drake demanded.

“I’m sure!” Nick answered.

“If these show up again, anywhere, I’m coming back here, and I will find you. You understand that, right?”

“Why are you helping him?” Nick glared at him.

“What do you mean?” Drake frowned.

“I mean……She tossed you to the side too! I know I was just a bartender back then, but I own my place now. What do you do? Whatever it is, it wasn’t enough, was it? But I guess it’s hard to compete with a king.”

“Riley didn’t marry Liam for his title or his money.” Drake said.

“No?” Nick laughed, “Are you sure? Maybe she’s just a gold digging wh-“

Drake’s fist connected with Nick’s jaw and Nick crashed to the ground. Drake knelt next to him, “I think you need to come with me.”

“Where?” Nick sat up, his hand going to his mouth.

“Cordonia.”

“Fuck no, I’m not going to end up in a Cordonian prison! That king guy hates me! He’s jealous of the connection Riley and I share!”

Drake snorted. “Right. That proves my point. You obviously need to hear it from her directly that nothing you do is going to pry her away from him. We won’t go to Cordonia though, you’re right. Liam would probably throw your ass in a cell and forget where he put the key.”

Nick brightened, “I’ll get to see Riley again?” In person, not just on TV or his cell phone.

“Come on, we’ll meet on neutral ground.”

France, Riley and Nick

Drake shoved the man forward through the door. He stumbled into the room and came to a stop in front of the king and queen or Cordonia. He lifted his head.

“Nick?” Riley’s jaw dropped. She spun toward Drake, “You didn’t tell me the culprit was Nick!”

Drake grinned at her like he was proud of himself or something, “Nice to know I can still surprise you.”

Liam looked around the room in confusion, “Your ex-boyfriend was spying on me?”

“He was cheating on you, Riley! I was helping you!” Nick yelled, pointing his finger accusingly at Liam.

She stepped close to Nick, cupping his face in her palm. He closed his eyes and leaned into it with a sigh.

“Nick, I’m sorry I hurt you.”

His eyes popped opened, “What?”

“I’m sorry I hurt you. I wasn’t exactly a good person back then. More to the point, I was shut down emotionally back then, in order to protect myself and I hurt a lot of people. I was careless with the hearts of others. I didn’t realize just how awful I was, how badly it felt, until someone shattered my heart into a million pieces.”

“Who, Riley? Who did that to you?” Nick asked her imploringly, as if he would personally seek out vengeance for her.

Her eyes flicked to her husband.

“The greatest regret of my life.” Liam said.

“But…but you’re still with him! You….forgave him?”

“I did.”

Liam smiled softly, “Greatest miracle of my life!”

Nick’s frown deepened, “But he cheated on you…..I saw him with those women….”

“No, Nick.” Riley stepped away from him, “He didn’t cheat on me because we have an agreement….an arrangement, that allows him to seek physical comfort from others when he travels.”

“But…why would you agree to that?” Nick shook his head.

Riley couldn’t help the smile that crossed her face or the way her eyes flicked to Drake. “I have my reasons.”

Nick’s eyes followed hers and took in the sappy grin that spread across Drake’s face as well. Understanding washed over him, “So…you two…you’re still….”

“Nick, I need you to understand that hurting Liam is the same as hurting me! You weren’t helping me. He’s my husband and I love him. I’m going to take his side no matter what. I’m asking you, for the sake of what we used to have, if you ever cared about me at all, please stop this. Don’t come after my husband again.”

“What about me, Riley?”

“What about you, Nick?”

“Since the two you apparently have an open relationship, what about me? I can do it! I’ll share! Let me be part of whatever the hell this is you have going on!”

“Oh, Nick, no. I’m so sorry, but no.”

“Why not?” He sounded heartbroken and she felt bad for him.

“Because I don’t love you.”

“You did! You said so!”

“Did I?”

Nick thought for a minute, “Well….no, you never said it back…..”

“Could you give us a moment alone?” She asked the other two men.

“You sure that’s a good idea?” Drake asked, glancing at Liam.

“I’m sure.” Riley answered.

“Ok, love.” Liam nodded to Drake, “But we’ll be right outside that door.”

Once they were alone, Riley took Nick’s hand, “I owe you so many apologies. I’m sorry that I was reckless with your heart. I’m sorry I ghosted you, that was unforgivable. I’m sorry that I didn’t return your feelings. I can’t be with you in any capacity Nick. I’m not in love with you but you obviously still have feelings for me so even if I were inclined to, I can’t have casual sex with you either, because that would be cruel and unfair to you. Surely you see that?”

He sighed as he contemplated that, “You never loved me?”

“I’m sorry, no. I shouldn’t have moved in with you. I liked you, Nick. A lot. But I had no clue what real love was, not back then.”

“But you found it immediately after me?” He asked bitterly.

A self deprecating laugh escaped her, “Yes and no. You have no idea the drama and trauma we all went through before coming out on the other side. It’s not a reflection on you. You just weren’t my person, but I know your person is out there, somewhere and I have faith that you’ll find her.”

He lifted his eyes to her, “Thank you. I think…I needed this. Closure. They aren’t the answers I would have liked, but they are answers and maybe that’s what I needed in order to move on. Being ghosted is the worst feeling in the world. It was a shitty thing to do. I deserved better.”

If he wanted an argument, he wasn’t going to get it, “It was, and you did.”

“Well, thank you for that. That…that actually makes me feel a little better.”

“I promise, it wasn’t you, Nick. It was me. I was the fucked up one. I hurt you and I’m sorry.”

“Thank you, Riley.” Nick smiled softly then his head jerked up, “Fuck! I guess I tanked my catering business by stalking your husband, huh?”

“What?”

“I own a bar and a catering business in New York now. The Cordonian embassy sometimes hires me, that’s how I spotted him at that dinner that night. Kiara knows now, so I assume that’s the end of my business. I’ll be blackballed.”

Riley considered that. “Well, yeah, clients aren’t going to hire you if you try to spy on and blackmail their guests, but if you’re truly sorry and can be trusted not to do it again…..”

“I am and I can, Riley! I promise!”

She nodded as she squeezed his hand, “Then I’ll make sure Kiara knows not to tell anyone about this. Your business shouldn’t suffer because I broke your heart four years ago. Just promise me you’ll never do anything like that again.”

“I promise!”

“Ok, Then no harm, no foul. But Nick, as sorry as I am for hurting you, if you come for my family again, all bets are off. I won’t be forgiving a second time and you don’t want to know the things Drake is capable of. Do we understand each other?”

A chill went down his spine as he stared into her eyes. Who was she? Maybe he hadn’t known her at all. He nodded in agreement, “We do.”

Cordonia, Liam and Madeleine

“It has been brought to my attention that in order to move forward with your employment, you and I need to hash out our issues.”

Madeleine tossed her blonde hair back with a smirk, “Riley made you come make nice with me, didn’t she?”

Liam flushed, “Ah…it was her idea, but she is correct. If we’re going to work together, we need to have at least a cordial relationship.”

“Nick wasn’t the only casualty of our bullshit, Liam. We both hurt people who got in the crossfire.”

“Yes, love, I know.” He agreed. Standing between him and Riley was not a smart place for anyone to be. Not then, not now, not ever.

“I think you have your own apologies to make to someone.”

“Sit down, Liam.” Madeleine invited.

Liam pulled out a chair and sat across from her at the well appointed table in the private dining room of one of Cordonia’s most prestigious restaurants. “Just water please.” He told the waiter.

“Liam, let me just stop you before you begin. I know you didn’t love me; I didn’t love you. I never wanted to marry you; I was simply doing my duty to Cordonia. But….”

“But?”

“Yeah, but! You were one, a big one.”

“I…was?”

Madeleine stared at him like he’d just grown an extra head, “Seriously Liam? Were you so blinded by love that you couldn’t see what you were doing to me? To your own reputation?”

“I-“

“I agreed to marry you for Cordonia’s sake and to protect the woman you loved! Do you remember that? You told me all about how you had to reject her to protect her blah blah blah and I agreed to give you a Cordonian arrangement, to look the other way while you made her your mistress. I agreed to a loveless marriage in order to serve Cordonia, give you a wife with proper lineage and protect your precious Riley but did you ever stop to consider what I was giving up? No, you just assumed I was a crown chaser! Then you repaid me by disrespecting me at every opportunity! You flaunted your relationship with Riley in my face and worse, in the publics! You didn’t even try to be discreet with your puppy dog eyes and longing glances and using the king’s guard to track your errant lover down every time she ran away from you! It was pathetic is what it was, and I was just expected to endure it!”

Liam flushed, “I loved her, Madeleine!”

“I don’t care, Liam!” She hissed, leaning across the table, “I could have cared less if you were banging her every fucking night, discreetly! I gave you the fiancée you needed, and I would have made a good queen! I offered you an open relationship with no strings attached, and all I asked in returned was discretion! That you not embarrass me publicly, but you couldn’t even do that, could you? You didn’t care who knew that you were still in love with your precious Riley, did you? No. Which begs the question, why the fuck didn’t you just chose her in the first place?”

“I…I made a mistake! Ok? Is that what you want to hear? I was in love with her from the very beginning and I never wanted to choose anyone else! I felt compelled by circumstances to enter into our little agreement, and I hated every minute of it! Not because I had to be with you, but because I couldn’t be with her! I thought I could do it; I really did. Right up until the moment she walked through the ballroom doors of your estate on the arm of another man! I realized right then and there the enormity of my mistake, the colossal mess I had made of things, and I didn’t know how to fix it! I wanted out of our arrangement in that moment and every moment after, but I didn’t know how to go about it and still protect her, so I acted foolishly, I made one mistake after another and I embarrassed myself and you and I’m sorry for it, ok?”

A smile curved up the corners of her mouth, “Okay.”

Liam’s mouth went slack, “Okay?”

“Yes. That was an admission that you were a bumbling asshole and that it wasn’t me! That’s exactly what I wanted to hear! I mean, I already knew it, but I needed to know that you understood it! We can work together now.”

“Great!” Liam stood, “I’ll leave the official job offer and details to my wife. I’m not going to be the one to hire my ex. I’m not the PR expert here, but I imagine that would look a little….irregular.”

“Quite.” Madeleine agreed, “I approve of the offer coming from the queen. I can spin that quite nicely as two women putting aside their differences and coming together for the good of Cordonia. It should also put to rest any lingering rumors that I’m bitter or holding ill will over the broken engagement.”

He caught the accusation in her tone.

His voice was soft as he replied, “Madeleine, I am sorry. I realize that I damaged your reputation when I drug you through my crap that had nothing to do with you.”

“Thank you, Liam. I appreciate that acknowledgment.”

His lips quirked up into a smile, “Guess I’ll see you at the office.”

She smiled back and it was the first genuine smile she’d given him in years, “Looking forward to it.”

#unlikely alliances #bad romance #angelasscribbles #trr #the royal romance #choices #the royal romance fanfic #drake walker #liam rys #choices stories you play #choices fic writers creations #cfwc fics of the week #drake x mc #liam x mc #why choose #trr poly #liam x maxwell #maxwell x mc #maxwell beaumont

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pilferingapples · 2 years

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In Which It Will Not Be Explained How Marius Jumped to Conclusions

Just trying to figure out how Marius reached the opinion of Valjean he’s got in the chapter where Thenardier shows up, which is:

“Jean Valjean, as you have said, is an assassin and a thief. A thief, because he robbed a wealthy manufacturer, whose ruin he brought about. An assassin, because he assassinated police-agent Javert."

Not getting into the Javert stuff yet, let’s start with the Madeleine stuff

... We borrow the first from the Drapeau Blanc. It bears the date of July 25, 1823.

“ An arrondissement of the Pas de Calais has just been the theatre of an event quite out of the ordinary course. A man, who was a stranger in the Department, and who bore the name of M. Madeleine, had, thanks to the new methods, resuscitated some years ago an ancient local industry, the manufacture of jet and of black glass trinkets. He had made his fortune in the business, and that of the arrondissement as well, we will admit. He had been appointed mayor, in recognition of his services. The police discovered that M. Madeleine was no other than an ex-convict who had broken his ban, condemned in 1796 for theft, and named Jean Valjean. Jean Valjean has been recommitted to prison. It appears that previous to his arrest he had succeeded in withdrawing from the hands of M. Laffitte, a sum of over half a million which he had lodged there, and which he had, moreover, and by perfectly legitimate means, acquired in his business. No one has been able to discover where Jean Valjean has concealed this money since his return to prison at Toulon.”

The second article, which enters a little more into detail, is an extract from the Journal de Paris, of the same date. “ A former convict, who had been liberated, named Jean Valjean, has just appeared before the Court of Assizes of the Var, under circumstances calculated to attract attention. This wretch had succeeded in escaping the vigilance of the police, he had changed his name, and had succeeded in getting himself appointed mayor of one of our small northern towns; in this town he had established a considerable commerce. He has at last been unmasked and arrested, thanks to the indefatigable zeal of the public prosecutor. He had for his concubine a woman of the town, who died of a shock at the moment of his arrest. This scoundrel, who is endowed with Herculean strength, found means to escape; but three or four days after his flight the police laid their hands on him once more, in Paris itself, at the very moment when he was entering one of those little vehicles which run between the capital and the village of Montfermeil (Seine-et-Oise). He is said to have profited by this interval of three or four days of liberty, to withdraw a considerable sum deposited by him with one of our leading bankers. This sum has been estimated at six or seven hundred thousand francs. If the indictment is to be trusted, he has hidden it in some place known to himself alone, and it has not been possible to lay hands on it. However that may be, the said Jean Valjean has just been brought before the Assizes of the Department of the Var as accused of highway robbery accompanied with violence, about eight years ago, on the person of one of those honest children who, as the patriarch of Ferney has said, in immortal verse,

". . . Arrive from Savoy every year, And who, with gentle hands, do clear Those long canals choked up with soot."

This bandit refused to defend himself. It was proved by the skilful and eloquent representative of the public prosecutor, that the theft was committed in complicity with others, and that Jean Valjean was a member of a band of robbers in the south. Jean Valjean was pronounced guilty and was condemned to the death penalty in consequence. This criminal refused to lodge an appeal. The king, in his inexhaustible clemency, has deigned to commute his penalty to that of penal servitude for life. Jean Valjean was immediately taken to the prison at Toulon.”

These articles obviously take different approaches, but they’re both very clear that Madeleine and Jean Valjean ARE the same person, and that the money he got from Lafitte WAS his own money, deposited there earlier. That’s what’s on the public record! And these are given as representatives of what all the papers are saying.

So how does Marius get to THIS:

“(Madeleine) refused the cross, he was appointed Mayor. A liberated convict knew the secret of a penalty incurred by this man in former days; he denounced him, and had him arrested, and profited by the arrest to come to Paris and cause the banker Laffitte,--I have the fact from the cashier himself,--by means of a false signature, to hand over to him the sum of over half a million which belonged to M. Madeleine. This convict who robbed M. Madeleine was Jean Valjean.”

Like--he talks to the cashier, but how did he know to do that? All Valjean said about it was “ As for the six hundred thousand francs, you do not mention them to me, but I forestall your thought, they are a deposit. How did that deposit come into my hands? What does that matter? I restore the deposit. “ Where did Marius learn about the Lafitte stuff (inaccurately!)? Why did he do absolutely zero follow up on anything else? It’s no good saying he couldn’t have found the newspaper accounts; he found out about Madeleine and the bank account, and Thenardier was able to track down the newspapers, it’s clearly not at all impossible! It’s one thing for Hugo to say (and he does say!) that Marius made up his mind about Valjean based on extensive research he made up in his own head; that’s unfair but about right for Marius at this point. But then he did SOME research and somehow never looked at the newspapers?

As for the Javert stuff, that’s even more confusing, because it’s recent! and the police are right there! Marius, good rich bourgeois Marius, could have walked in and asked about an officer; or he could have just checked the recent papers, which include, as Thenardier found:

...a Moniteur of the 15th of June, 1832, announced the suicide of Javert, adding that it appeared from a verbal report of Javert to the prefect that, having been taken prisoner in the barricade of the Rue de la Chanvrerie, he had owed his life to the magnanimity of an insurgent who, holding him under his pistol, had fired into the air, instead of blowing out his brains.

Like! Even without the mention of the insurgent saving Javert’s life, the very fact that he gave a verbal report to the prefect after the barricade proves it wasn’t Valjean (at least, it wasn’t Valjean at the barricade!). This was in the paper! one of the biggest papers! Marius!! How did you miss this?!? ...these are the research skill that got Marius a law degree. Bahorel makes more sense all the time.

#Marius talk #Marius . Dude. WTF.#Long Post

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pollyna · 3 years

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Headcanon post-No Time To Die: contains spoiler.

Q asks for report because Bond is the middle of his first mission after Safin and everyone is there, watching and listening as carefully has they can. M and Moneypenny are drinking their tea while Tanner reads him mails and doesn't answer a single phone calls he receives. Even Nomi is there, faking the most bored expression she can master but trying to follow his fingers on the keyboard.

He asks 007 to report and Bond, sounding out of air in his lungs, answers yes, love? and just for a moment a Siberian winter falls in to the room: M and Eve stop drinking from their cup, Tanner puts his phone down and Nomi almost falls down her chair. It's just a split of a second but it seems to last an eternity and then Bond is speaking again, asking if he is okay. The Quartermaster find himself laughing and reassuring him that yes, darling everything is okay on his side.

The funniest part, or maybe not so funny because it makes Q heart ache a little, is that they aren't dating or even flirting? Between Bond's reinstatement for his last two mission before retirement and Madeliene disappearance with Mathilde, Bond probably went home, or to the place he has his stuff now, twice and said hello to Q three times. So begin called love and answering with darling hasn't a romantic connotation. The problem now is making everyone else understand that because M made Moneypenny deliver three modules to file, in double copy, for a change of relationship status between coworkers. No one bothers to give them to Bond and Q doesn't know if he should be feeling relieved or offended.

Q put away the modules, Bond continues to call him all love over the comeline once in a while and starts taking back souvenirs just for his Quartermaster: sometimes is a particular kind of tea, sometimes it's little tinkers he sees around and, on very blessed days, he takes back even is equipment. The day he comes back with everything at once Q makes R buy a calendar to circle that particular date so everyone can remember about it. When Bond sees it he laughs and says oh darlin' I'm greatful my hard work is appreciate before disappearing behind the elevators door.

They should talk about it, about the pet names, the presents, about Bond tendency to wait for him after a long shift to take him to dinner in some restaurant he didn't even knew it exited and they should probably talk about how they started sleeping together. Actual sleeping together, like falling-asleep-on-the-couch-and-waking-up-cuddling kinda of sleep. But Q finds tiring even thinking about that particular talk considering that James has just called him sweetheart, kissed his hair and it's Saturday, they have anywhere to be and James's new bed is too comfortable to really wake up. He cuddles against the other man's chest and fall asleep again.

(They end up talking about it: even if it's about them and not about some random subject. It happens a week before Bond is shipped for a two weeks training with the new cadets in Canada, because he's officially retired and Nomi is the new 007 but that doesn't mean James Bond could ever stop begin who he is. They're sitting around the breakfast table, Q wearing one of James's sweather and working on coding a new processor while Bond reads the paper. Madeleine wrote two days prior to let James know they both are alive and well, Mathilde is growing up everyday but it's still not safe to see her, considering that he couldn't even touch her.

It's not a particular lengthy conversation: James puts the key of his apartment in Q's hand and is this okay love? Q smiles and kisses the other man's knuckles before going back to work. If both if their eyes are a little more shiny than usual is nobody's business.)

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floreleine · 3 years

Note

Floreleine getting caught! I just had this vision of them being caught in the halls of the Library by Anna May, who they thought didn't know about them. I leave the caught doing what up to your creative muse he he.

I'm procrastinating the longfics I'm trying to write and thought I could have a look at my inbox again! Thanks for the prompt :)

This is a standalone, but I think it can be read as a follow up to this fic, coincidentally also prompted by you! :D hope you'll like it!

~1k words, rated M, established Floreleine pre-canon

~~~

Madeleine washes her hands, hides her ruined panties in her pocket and carefully readjusts her skirt as she steps out of the bathroom.

She shouldn't be sneaking off to touch herself in the middle of the work day, but goodness, she had to watch Florence be all incredibly sexy while assembling guns, sharpening knives and polishing gold bars, without being able to do anything about her building arousal, and it has been driving her crazy!

Looking left and right, she quickly sneaks back into the front of the library, hoping that Anna May hasn't noticed her longer absence - she really doesn't need her asking any questions. She and Florence are trying to keep their relationship hidden from their leader, as Florence is quite certain Anna May wouldn't approve of their being together, and Madeleine trusts her judgement.

Taking the next stack of returned books she is working on, Madeleine checks them each for damages, inside and out (and whether they still hold what they should hold in the first place), before carrying the complete ones over to Florence, giving her a tight smile and trying not to watch the way Florence's hands work on the rifle she is currently handling.

Oh, how Madeleine would like to be the one under these fingertips right now...

Florence puts down the weapon and hands Madeleine a few of the finished books to shelve. Neither of them speaks, but their fingers brush, and heat shoots through Madeleine's body.

They repeat the process a few times, and Madeleine's hands are so sweaty, she has to brush them on her skirt so as not to stain the books, or have any metal objects slip from her hands.

When Madeleine is shelving a few books in the foreign section, humming to herself as she imagines Florence there with her, working side by side as well as they were fighting side by side the day they met... She is almost done with her work now, and hopefully Florence will finish early as well, so they can have a little date night at a restaurant Anna May doesn't frequent, or just disappear to one of their rooms to make love all evening until they are exhausted and have to sneak out to the kitchen for a midnight snack...

So lost in her thoughts and the by now familiar motions of stepping up ladders and pushing books into their assigned spaces, Madeleine doesn't notice that she is no longer alone until an arm sneaks around her waist just when she steps down from a ladder again.

"Ah! - Oh, Florence, love, you scared me!"

"You should learn to be more vigilant," Florence murmurs before pecking Madeleine on the lips. "That's an important skill in our line of work, darling."

Giggling, Madeleine lets Florence crowd her against a shelf, happy to find a moment alone together. "I know, I know. But I was distracted, thinking about you..."

"Yeah?" Florence's lips are on her ear, and then her tongue touches the shell of her ear before she withdraws enough to look Madeleine in the eyes. "Good thoughts?" Her right hand slides down Madeleine's body, touching her through her skirt.

"Florence!" Madeleine gasps in shock. "We can't - what if -"

"Anna's gone to meet with a possible new client in the diner, she won't be back for a while, I'm sure," Florence murmurs, her hand not moving away. "and I had to look at you walking by in that tight thing all day..."

"I had to look at your hands," Madeleine whimpers. "That's worse!"

Florence laughs, and then she moves her hand away from Madeleine's core, making her whimper again at the loss of contact. "So you agree, then, that we definitely deserve a bit of a break?"

Madeleine nods shakily. "If you're sure that it's fine?"

Florence nods. "Now where the hell is the zipper on this thing?"

Giggling, Madeleine pushes the elastic down her thighs, then moans when Florence's fingers immediately meet her bare mound.

"Oh, please!"

A not insignificant time later, they are both sweaty and sated, breathing heavily as they are trying to put their clothes back into order.

"Finally! I was thinking I'd have to get the garden hose," a voice comes from the corner of the shelf, and Madeleine and Florence jump apart as if burned as Anna May steps into view.

"I swear, I came by three times already! Florence, I need one of the old guns for our new client, is one finished yet?"

With slightly shaking hands, Florence pulls one out of the pile that Madeleine had been shelving. "Here."

Madeleine twists her hands behind her body, looking at Anna May worriedly.

Anna May catches her look and raises an eyebrow, looking from her to Florence and back.

"What, did you think you were so slick that I wouldn't notice that you're fucking? Or that I'd tell you to stop? No, I get it, you're constantly around each other and no-one else, why not spend the time that way... Hell, do you really think I care what you're doing, as long as you still get the job done? You could be fucking 24/7 for all I care, as long as these books still get done and you get it out of your systems! Just don't get attached or emotional about it, that way lies trouble."

With that, she puts the book under her arm and disappears again.

Florence and Madeleine look at each other.

Madeleine knows that they must have both had the same thought: guess they still have something to hide from Anna May, after all...

"You're not so vigilant either, apparently," Madeleine finally tries to lighten the mood, "if Anna May already walked past three times..."

"Oh, she just said that," Florence grumbles, opening a button on her blouse that had been in the wrong buttonhole. Madeleine watches hungrily as the movement exposes her flushed skin. "And besides, I had a very good reason to be distracted, don't you think?"

"For sure!" Madeleine giggles, then turns hesitant. "...do you want to go to the small French restaurant we meant to visit, once we're done with the books?"

Florence smiles. "Date night? Sure."

"So... We're good? About what Anna May said..."

"Anna can't dictate our lives. We're good."

"I'm glad."

Florence leans in to press a kiss to Madeleine's lips, skillfully erasing the last of her doubts and fears.

"We better get back to work," she murmurs against her lips, "if we want to make it to dinner on time..."

"Good idea," Florence pulls back and winks. "I can't wait for tonight."

~~~

Might turn this into something rated E for Ao3 at some point, we'll see!

Also, am I wrong or do these fics also work as the backstory to the also pre-canon works with baby/kid Sam I have on Ao3?

Feel free to reblog!

Still taking prompts! If you reblog my stuff and ask off anon you're more likely to get a quick reply, tho it still depends on me liking the prompt idea of course :)

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trainsinanime · 3 years

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No Time To Die

Alright, now for the long post. This was a good movie. It was not a great movie, but I had fun. It was a competent action thriller, it did nothing to really annoy me, and it had lots of fun little moments. Let’s discuss, with some very intense spoilers.

First of all, I gotta give props to this movie for knowing its aesthetics, something that the first two Craig Bonds really struggled with. This one perfectly commits to its own brand of dirty and gritty that still feels like a heightened reality. There’s exotic locales but they’re generally shot from street level; there’s almost no luxury here. That might not be very Bond-like in any classic sense, but it works perfectly for this movie.

Beyond the aesthetics, the movie is big on themes and meaning to stuff, and it generally works well. As the last movie of its era (and wow do they make sure you know that), it’s full of callbacks to older Bonds, weirdly enough Lazenby and Dalton specifically, and it deals heavily with the concept of legacy. Bond gets a successor as 007, and a daughter, of all things. The question of “what’s life after Bond” is explored in a lot of detail. Seeing him in M’s office with a visitor badge is just delightful.

(And yes, giving him a five year old daughter sounds corny, and indeed it is. But it is the kind of corny that works in the heightened reality of this movie. I wouldn’t say they handled this sub-plot super well or interestingly, but it was perfectly okay, unlike all the weird “family” stuff in Spectre.)

That said, there are definitely limits to how far the themes and meaning really go. Yes, he does get his successors, but we don’t really explore what impact he has had on them. His daughter gets no character at all, and the new 007 grows warmer towards him, but she doesn’t seem to have been influenced by him in any meaningful way. I feel like that’s okay in the finished product, but this is also something that could have been even more interesting if they had been willing to go there and maybe flip fewer Land Rovers. Everybody likes a Land Rover being thrown on its roof, but after the fifth one (count them!), it gets a bit old.

This movie produces a very human Bond, which has been a core theme of the Craig era of course, but I would argue that this and Skyfall are the only ones that actually succeed. Bond is still not a particularly interesting character with a lot of depth, but this movie knows that, and instead pairs him constantly with colourful more interesting supporting characters that really make him shine. His relationships with Felix, Paloma, Q, Moneypenny, M, 007 and so on are all a lot of fun, and all very distinct and interesting.

In return, this is easily the weakest Bond villain ever by far, and I’m okay with that. This is a rare Bond movie that is really nota bout the villain or even about set pieces, but about character development, and it makes sense for the villain to take a step back here. That means the movie does have the classic Marvel problem of charismatic heroes (or here support characters) and utterly forgettable villains, but it’s a trade-off that the MCU keeps making for a reason.

If there is one part of the movie that really drags it down - a bit, it’s still perfectly okay - then it’s Madeleine.

At its core, this movie isn’t Bond, it’s Madeleine’s. The villain, in particular, does not actually have a relationship with Bond, despite a particularly weak attempt at a “we’re not so different you and I” thing at the last moment. The two men are only connected via Madeleine. Her relationship with the villain is meaningful and is the literal start of the movie; it’s what drives the plot. At the same time, her relationship with Bond is the emotional core of the movie, even if he does get quite a bit of subplots of his own.

I think that’s a great choice in theory. Compare this to Days of Future Past, an X-Men movie where technically Wolverine is the main character, but he’s really only here as a tour guide through other people’s arcs. This is the perfect way to make a Bond movie actually about something. Other Bond movies have tried similar things, of course, but this one takes it to a new level.

The problem is that Madeleine’s relationships with these two men don’t actually work that well. Her relationship with Bond was set up in Spectre, and even though I watched that movie, I cannot remember anything about it. What little I see here doesn’t really work for me. Yes, she’s pretty, he’s Bond, they’re in an Aston Martin on Italy, you know the rest, that’s good enough for an opening. But it doesn’t go beyond that. I don’t get the impression that there’s any actual intimacy here. They don’t seem to have anything in common, and they don’t seem interesting on screen together.

This is especially notable towards the end of the cold open, where Bond flies into a full-Connery style rage mode and goes essentially, “what did you do, you silly untrustworthy little girl”. Not gonna lie, I found that very uncomfortable. If that’s how close they are, then I fully support them breaking up. Their break-up definitely did not feel like the movie’s defining tragedy.

A good comparison might be Franka Potente in Bourne Identity 2. There’s a very similar setup in that movie’s opening, but it actually works, and I actually buy their relationship. This is not the case.

A related issue is that Madeleine’s main agency in this movie is choosing to lie to Bond. She does not tell him about her tragic backstory, or how that could have led to people shooting at him, or her daughter, or that she’s being blackmailed. Now, I think it’s perfectly valid for her to do so. If she doesn’t trust Bond enough to tell him this, that would be interesting and I’d definitely believe it. If she’s too traumatised, yeah, I get it (that seems to be what the movie is going for but it doesn’t really commit to this). But the movie doesn’t establish anything like that. She lies to him, well, just because, I guess.

Her relationship with the villain (yes, I do not remember his name, well spotted) is a similar waste of potential. The two don’t really talk. He is fascinated with her because… he didn’t kill her that one time, I guess. But this isn’t explored in any way. Meanwhile, her relationship with him is that he threatens her and her daughter, and she’d like for that to stop. For all the weight this relationship has been given at the start of the movie, it doesn’t actually end up going anywhere once they meet. And that’s particularly notable because she is a psychoanalyst; the opportunity for her to explore what makes him tick was right there.

I’m making this sound worse than it is. It’s still perfectly enjoyable. But I feel like there’s a hypothetical extended cut of this movie that’s three times better, where Maddy gets five minutes of screen time to just talk with the men, and where she actually makes choices about what she tells them and why.

The final issue is that the theming, already not super strong, breaks down at the end. The movie actually seems to think that there is a sort of meaningful parallel or connection between the villain and Bond, and even goes for a particular deep and meaningful plot point where Bond can’t be with his family because he’ll literally kill them if he touches them. You know, he’s a killer, he brings death to the ones he loves, it’s what passes for a metaphor in these parts. Except textually speaking, that’s just not the case. Felix was killed by someone who Felix dragged along, and the villain here was after Madeleine, not Bond. He is 100% a force for good here.

Is that a huge problem? Nah, but again, it’s something that could have been better.

The real main problem with the movie is something else: Throughout the film, it is clearly established that explosions don’t harm James Bond, they just disorient him. It starts at Vesper’s grave, then Felix’s ship gets sunk, then there’s the hand grenades in the video game section in the final bunker, and it’s always absolutely clear: Explosions may stun Bond, but they don’t actually hurt him. Only bullets can do that.

And then they go and kill him in a huge explosion. That’s just sloppy foreshadowing.

#james bond #007 #no time to die

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konglindorm · 4 years

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The Missing Half

So if you’ve been around for a while, you’ve probably heard me talking about Prince Lindworm, and not just recently, as I prepare to release my book. I’ve been obsessed with this story for a long time, I’ve written several blog posts and essays about it, and it’s even the source of my username on many websites—konglindorm.

But today, I’m going to talk about something new: the second half of the story.

I honestly didn’t know until very recently that this story did not end with the lindworm being transformed and everyone living happily ever after. I’ve been working for a long time on my own translation of the story, from a 100+ year old Danish book, and last month I finally reached the end of it.

And then saw that there were three more pages.

Now, I’m preparing to publish my first novel, and I don’t have the time or the energy to translate another three pages. But I did a quick read-through, enough to get the basic idea, and I did some more research. Then I ran it through Google translate, which produced something that’s…pretty rough, but it’s useful to having something in English to glance back at as I work on this post.

So it’s not relevant to my retelling at all, and it’s actually a really common fairy tale type that I’ve encountered many times before, but I’m really excited about this. Quick recap, before we start: Barren queen wants baby. Queen is instructed to eat one flower if she wants a son, another if she wants a daughter, but not, under any circumstances, both. Queen eats both. Queen gives birth to lindworm. Lindworm eventually demands bride. Eats her. Demands second bride. Eats her. Demands third bride, third bride does some really weird stuff that somehow turns him into a human. Great rejoicing, etc., etc.

Now on to part two. I’m gonna be honest; some really weird stuff happens here. Which shouldn’t be surprising, coming from the same fairy tale that brought us “To turn a snake into a man, make him molt ten times, dip some whips in lye, whip him a bunch, and dunk him in a tub of milk.” My understanding of the story is hindered somewhat by lack of a complete and accurate English translation, but it looks like at some point our girl helps break the spells on two other enchanted princes by feeding them her breast milk? It’s, um. It’s something, and something I’ll need to fully translate eventually to understand better. I think I’m missing a fair amount of context and nuance.

(Between the two halves, I ‘m thinking I need to do a lot of research on the healing properties of milk in folklore. Is that a thing? Does it come up elsewhere? This story is Danish; anyone from Denmark know if there’s some cultural element to this or something?)

But for now we’re going to focus on the main thing, the basic plot of the second half.

Our girl gets pregnant. Lindworm and his dad go off to war, leaving pregnant girl with Lindworm’s mother the queen. Now, normally, that would cause some trouble in the fairy tale world, because usually, old queens are not fond of their daughters-in-law, and often try to frame them for horrible crimes.

But not our queen. She gave birth to a monster. Her only heir was a dragon, and he was eating people. Then our girl came along and turned him into an upstanding member of human society. This queen loves her daughter-in-law. So we need a different bad guy.

Our girl gives birth to twins. She sends a letter to the lindworm, letting him know. Normally, in this story type, the queen swaps it out with a letter saying she gave birth to something else, but not our queen, so that role is filled by the Red Knight. No information on who this dude is, what he has against our characters, or why it’s his job to run letters back and forth between the palace and the war zone.

He gets rid of the letter saying our girl had twins, replaces it with a letter saying she had puppies. Lindworm gets the letter, thinks, “well, that’s super weird, but who am I to judge, my mom didn’t give birth to a human either.” Sends back a letter saying, “Okay, we’ll sort that all out when I get home.”

Red Knight was apparently hoping for a less go-with-the-flow type answer, because he replaces that letter with one telling the queen to set our girl and her babies on fire.

The queen gets the letter, and I guess she’s probably thinking that maybe the transformation didn’t quite work after all, maybe her son still has some monster in him, because what the heck, dude? I’m not burning my grandbabies.

So she doesn’t know when the lindworm is coming home, and she’s afraid of what he’ll do to his family when he does; she sets our girl up with some supplies and sends her and the babies out into the world where they’ll be safe.

(This is when she turns a couple birds into princes by nursing them, and apparently hangs out with them in their palace for quite some time. Not clear on the nature of their relationships, a little concerned, will update you guys someday when I’ve sorted it all out; if anyone’s read this entire story in Danish and fully understands it, or if you’ve encountered a complete English translation, please do let me know!)

Lindworm comes home, looking for his wife. Queen is pissed at her son. Son isn’t sure what she’s so upset about; he thought he was pretty chill about the whole gave-birth-to-puppies thing. Queen isn’t sure what puppies have to do with anything, but setting your family on fire is in no way chill. They argue for a while, eventually get to the bottom of things, Red Knight is in big, big trouble. Lindworm goes looking for his wife and kids. Eventually finds them hanging out with these two other princes.

This is where Google translate really breaks down on me, and things just make less and less sense, and I can’t go down to the source material with my Danish-English dictionary and sort it out right now; I’m on a bit of a tight schedule. But it’s looking like the Lindworm and the two other princes sort of fight over our girl, all three of them drink her milk (it seems like it’s been long enough that she shouldn’t be producing milk anymore; it also seems like these two dudes are drinking her milk regularly? I am so concerned about so many things.)

Somehow the conflict is resolved, the other two princes marry other princesses, and our girl and the twins go home with the lindworm.

Now, there’s a lot to unpack here, obviously, and a lot of it is going to have to wait until another time. It is nice to know that King Lindorm is consistently just absolutely bizarre through both halves.

But what I really, really like about the second half is that some new dude is our bad guy, and the queen is fully and firmly on our heroine’s side.

Before I made any effort at even the crappiest translation of the second half, I did some research on what it was about. And I was so concerned about it as soon as I found out what story type it was, because some sort of mother figure is almost always the bad guy. (Shout out to the Grimms for not doing that in “The Girl Without Hands,” too.) And it just seemed really awful that the queen would turn around and try to sabotage our girl after she fixed the lindworm. So I was really relieved to find the Red Knight in my first quick skim-through.

I’m just really impressed with Grundtvig, Adjunct Levisen, and Maren Mathisdatter for deviating from the norm here.

(Another notable deviation, aside from “The Girl Without Hands,” listed above, is the French fairy tale “Bearskin,” by Marie-Madeleine de Lubert; I doubt it’s a coincidence that women were definitely involved in the telling/recording of 2 of these 3 stories where people are not out to get their daughters-in-law.)

Also, like. Can we just take a moment to appreciate the incredible stupidity of the Red Knight? The lindworm was born as a giant snake monster, and for some reason Red thinks he’ll be shocked and horrified that his children were born as puppies? The lindworm is pretty much the only person in the world who has no right to be upset by that. He, of all people, should know that these things just happen sometimes, and they’re totally fixable, though not, perhaps, without bloodshed.

(Also, also. As I said above, I don’t know who the Red Knight is or what he has against our characters. It’s possible that the text does tell us and it just didn’t come across in my incredibly quick and crappy translation. But my theory is that he’s somehow connected to one of our two dead and eaten princesses. In which case he’s entitled to be upset, even if he’s handling it poorly.)

Preorder my book here!

#lindworm #prince lindworm #king lindworm #king lindorm #kong lindorm #folklore #fairy tales #svend grundtvig

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meta-squash · 4 years

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Brick Club 1.5.8 “Madame Victurnien Spends Thirty-Five Francs On Morality”

Hugo does this with so many of the societal tragedies in this book. He sets everything up like everything is great and everyone is happy, only to have the facade crumble. It happened with the students/grisettes outing in 1.4 and in the description of the Thenardier children at Montfermeil, and it’s happening now with the description of Montreuil-sur-Mer’s prosperity. Everyone’s so happy and has good income and pays taxes! Oh wait, here’s how the people of this town fucked over one poor woman. (And how many other women have had something similar happen to them because of the nosey people.)

I’m really stuck on the line that Fantine “forgot many things.” She admired her appearance and thought about Cosette and the future and was almost happy, but she also forgot many things. What did she forget? Not Tholomyes, I don’t think, because on the next page he says she thinks of him. It’s such an odd little phrase. I just can’t think of what “many things” she could forget.

Hugo says she rented a room and furniture on credit, “a remnant of her former disorderly ways.” Fantine thinks she’s getting herself back on track, that this renting stuff on credit will be the last time she’ll have to do something “disorderly” and that now that she’s making a living with her own work she’ll be fine. The Hapgood translation is “improvident,” by the way, which I think makes more sense. However I find it interesting that Hugo calls her renting a room on credit a lack of foresight, when really it’s just a necessity out of extreme poverty. She had 23 francs when she left Montfermeil, and I can’t imagine she has much--or any--left when she arrives. Her behavior in Paris, of not taking job opportunities when they arose because of her affair with Tholomyes, I think that makes at least a little sense to call improvident. But not her renting and furnishing her rooms on credit, which seems desperate rather than prodigal.

The townspeople whisper that Fantine “put on airs,” which is the same accusation Favourite had of her back in 1.3.4 while on the swing. Something about Fantine’s odd sort of innocence makes people think she feels superior to them. I was going to say I wonder if this is another way of Hugo insinuating her goodness, but I don’t think Fantine’s “goodness” is the same as Myriel or Valjean’s. Hugo called Fantine “wise,” and I think an aspect about her is that she’s wise on an emotional level, not on a social level. She understands the importance of emotional connection and devotion on a level we don’t see with the other grisettes or with the people of M-sur-M. She doesn’t seem to have any idea about the whisperings going on around her, she has no idea that her child has been discovered until she’s fired. And yet even when she hardens due to her suffering, she never loses the softness about Cosette. Her wisdom is about sacrifice, which is exactly the kind of wisdom that these nosey townspeople (and probably Favourite) lack.

I love Hugo’s condemnation of gossip and rubbernecking. It also makes me laugh because it’s so similar to the way that cops act. This feels like a condemnation of both gossips and cops. What’s the phrase? Kill the cop inside your head? Anyway, he sounds so frustrated and exasperated here. I haven’t read very much further into the Hugo bio, but I’m wondering if there was some rumor or scandal that he personally experienced that made him feel so strongly here.

Hugo’s really hammering home the beauty of Fantine’s hair and teeth here in preparation for two chapters ahead. Weirdly, this reminds me of the Bishop’s silver. Back in 1.1.6 we learn about Myriel’s silver, and it’s mentioned multiple times afterward. When he gives it up, he’s giving up the last thing that connects him to his past life and is put on the same level as any of the poor parishioners or citizens of Digne. When Fantine gives up her teeth and hair, she sacrifices the last two things that tie her not only to her old life in Paris, but to the possibility of success in society as a woman.

So from what I can tell, the Bernardines are a Catholic order also called “Cistercians.” Originally they tried to observe the Rule of St Benedict and focused mostly on manual labor, but later become more focused on intellectual and academic rigor. There was a semi-successful reform movement to go back to old ways in the 17th century. By the 19th century it seems it was mostly dissolved. The “Bernard” of Bernardine was Bernard of Clairvaux, a powerful French abbot who actually wrote up rules that allowed Templar knights to pass through all borders freely. He also encouraged the Second Crusade, though it failed. The Jacobins were anti-royalist republicans who encouraged dechristianization of the country. The Jacobins spoke on behalf of the people but many were bourgeoisie.

So Mme. Victurnien’s ex-monk husband went from being a monk of a fairly intellectual order who observed pretty strict Benedictine rules to joining the fairly atheistic, republican, radical Jacobins.

Madame Victurnien was strict and harsh because her husband was strict and harsh to her. Something I’ve noticed about the way Hugo writes about toxic/abusive/bad relationships between people is how children are affected versus adults. Victurnien and her dead husband, the Thenardier parents, even Gillenormand (with his spinster daughter) to some extent, are all horrible relationships where the treatment of each other means they both turn out pretty awful. However, the same treatment to children (Thenardier parents to their children and even more so to Cosette, Gillenormand to Marius) actually creates an opposite personality. Eponine and Gavroche are both pretty rough, but they’re also both fairly kind in certain ways, which their parents are definitely not. Marius is socially awkward but happy to help when he can. Cosette defies her childhood completely. It’s just an interesting observation that adults abused as adults become abusive themselves while children who were abused have the chance to end the cycle.

“She was a nettle bruised by a frock.” Does Hugo use “nettle” in this metaphor as a verb or a noun? Because to nettle someone is to annoy them, which works, as Victurnien seems to be an extremely annoying individual. But also we have nettles as prickly, stinging plants and as a metaphor from a few chapters ago for the way people become hurtful when neglected. Here we have Victurnien, this nettle bruised by a frock, hurt and damaged by this ex-monk, who becomes prickly and abusive herself. Perhaps with better treatment she would not have turned out this way; but she continues the cycle, beating down others and turning them into stinging nettles rather than them becoming useful.

Fantine is given her fifty francs upon her termination “on behalf of the mayor.” Madeleine is not even Madeleine at all in this chapter. He’s just “the mayor,” as Fantine had been just “the mother” back in 1.4.1. To her he’s this entity that has power over her, that even hates and persecutes her the way the townspeople are. She doesn’t see him, and neither do we; by this point he seems to have relegated factory admin jobs to others, who are then able to make the choice about who to dismiss and why. Again this presents a problem to his rules. People can make up any old rumor or reason to dismiss a person they don’t like or see as morally unfit, and because Valjean doesn’t seem to play as much a part in the running of the factory as before, there’s no way to dispute, except to go to him. And who’s going to go to him, if they feel the same shame that Fantine does?

Fantine is in limbo; she’s told to leave the city but she cannot because of debt. Hugo’s characters in limbo are usually on the edge of an emotional or ethical breakthrough, as with Valjean leaving Digne, Marius just outside the barricade, or Javert at the bridge. Fantine’s limbo doesn’t seem like the edge of a breakthrough, more like the edge of collapse. She really doesn’t have many avenues open to her anymore.

Also, what about sex workers who are more obvious? Later, we see Fantine walking the street in a ballgown. That’s very unsubtle. And, I don’t know, maybe it goes with her sort of social innocence that she would do something like that, but surely there are other desperate women who blatantly walk the streets like that. They haven’t been kicked out of the city. Surely they don’t--or can’t--hide their trade completely. It must be some sort of open secret. I understand that the reasoning for her being banished from M-sur-M is that Valjean has very strict rules, but it still seems so weird to me to set these rules up for some of the city but not all.

Fantine feels shame more than she feels despair. Which. Is a lot. It’s just awful that she has to feel ashamed for this thing that she would have kept hidden if the townspeople weren’t so awful. She has to feel ashamed for the one thing in her life that she truly actually loves and sacrifices for. Which is another parallel between her and Valjean. Fantine feels ashamed not because of her love of Cosette, but because of the “mistake” and stigma that Cosette’s existence implies. Valjean loves Cosette but he always feels a little bit ashamed, not at loving her, but because he feels she doesn’t deserve his love. Despite both of their shame regarding their love for Cosette, both Fantine and Valjean will sacrifice anything for her. It’s definitely a statement about the power of Love, but I think it’s also a good illustration of how both Valjean and Fantine seem to think of themselves as people meant to Suffer For The Good Of Another.

Fantine was “advised to see the mayor; she did not dare.” She believes this was his decision, and not some foreman’s. This is a failure on her part and on Valjean’s part as well. It’s a failure on Fantine’s part because had she gathered her courage and gone, she could have avoided everything that soon comes. But Fantine is so optimistic and sees through rose-tinted glasses, all the way until the moment everything collapses on her, and then she can’t go on. Her optimism doesn’t get her far enough to stand up again immediately; it has to rest first. But more than Fantine’s failing, this is Valjean’s. I assume he gets notified of who is hired and fired at his factory; does he not reach out when someone is dismissed to make sure they’re okay and to see if he can help? Even more of a failure is this rigid system he’s set up combined with his kind-but-mysterious air. He’s so nice and fair that the townspeople see these rules as kind and fair as well, when they’re very much not. But no one--including Fantine--is going to question it because they assume it’s set up in the spirit of kindness. Which I suppose it is, from Valjean’s point of view, but it’s misguided and twisted and ends up being far more damaging than it could ever be helpful.

#les miserables #les miserables meta #brickclub #lm 1.5.8 #les mis #les mis meta

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