Okay so I’ve been putting off writing my essay for two weeks I can do it for another twenty minutes but something I really wanna bring to the table in the Miraculous Ladybug fandom:
Tips for Fanfic Writers About Paris/France
I know a lot of y’all are Americans/non Europeans and I could never fault you for not knowing what life in Paris is like, but with some fics out there it’s like I’m in the Midwest instead of the capital of France (if I have to read one more fic where Nino says y’all..) So, here are some writing/culture tips if you want to make your fic more authentic:
try not to reference to American brands unless you know for sure they are international. McDonald’s is universal and a-okay, Target really is North-America only. Research French franchises/brands/corporations.
On the other hand, a lot of American/anglophone media is consumed by Europeans, so referencing American pop culture is less out of place.
For the clubbing/college fics: teenagers/college students/people barely or never take a cab in Paris. It’s the most expensive way of getting around and even adults won’t even consider it. Alternatives: subway (used a LOT), buses, bicycles. Also, teenagers start driving at 18, so if your fic is set in high school, no using cars to get around! For trips to the rest of the country/europe: the train system is pretty good and widely used, even to get to other countries. Planes if it’s a distance that can’t be breached within 12 hours, usually. We’re not as used to long car rides.
we pay with euros, not dollars. Yes, I’ve seen authors use dollars. coins: 5 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents, 50 cents, 1 euro, 2 euros. bills: 5 euros, 10 euros, 20 euros, 50 euros, 100 euros, 200 euros, 500 euros.
If you’re writing about the high school system, don’t use the American one. So, no seniors/AP classes/SATs/middle school. Be ambiguous or do research. It’s all on Wikipedia, folks.
Croissants are a breakfast/lunch food, not a pastry. They’re more like buns than like cupcakes or macarons and aren’t really considered snack food. Also, it’s not the only French food in existance, people. Try switching to madeleines, baguettes, foie gras or escargots (joke) every once in a while.
if you wanna be really hardcore about it, switch to the metric system.
campus housing is not a thing. Students mostly/exclusively rent out small rooms/apartments throughout town. Tuition is often not nearly as expensive as in the USA and students get government funding so student debt isn’t that big of a deal in France as it is in the USA.
Keep in mind that Paris is a city that’s centuries old. Layers upon layers of history are all compiled into one place. Within one mile you might see a cathedral that is from the 11th century and a townhouse from the 18th. That people still live in. If you like to be descriptive, mention the neoclassical or baroque buildings Marinette might encounter on her way to work. Especially in the center of the town, around the Seine, there’s little to no skyscrapers bc of building restrictions. The historical buildings as well as the view need to be preserved.
France has a large North-African population. When making OCs, maybe a Moroccan or Tunesian one is something to consider?
Most Parisian/European houses don’t have separate bathrooms per bedroom. Marinette does not have a bathroom adjoining her room as seen in the show, yet people still like to give her one in fics. Also, houses in the city are usually quite cramped. Adrien is a rich kid and therefore an exception.
replace every coffeeshop you’ve typed up in your fic with café. Don’t let your characters order takeout, it’s not nearly done as often as in the US.
when mentioning clothing sizes, stick to L/XL/M/XS etc. The number system works a bit different here: women’s sizes are about 32-46, jumping even numbers (36-38-40 etc.) Same goes for shoe sizes: women wear about 35-42 and men wear 38-46.
Paris is divided into 20 parts called arondissements. the numbers follow the same swirl as the shell of a snail, which is an easy way to remember it. Neighbourhoods are called quartiers. BC Paris is a historical city and was grown instead of planned like most American cities, the streets are a maze instead of a roster. There’s no such thing as numbered streets or blocks.
the river is called the Seine, not La Seine. La means the (feminine), so the La Seine river means the the Seine river.
Again, if you wanna go hardcore: don’t use AM or PM but military time, as that is used exclusively in europe. (except for the UK but we don’t count the UK. Fuck Brexit) So 2 PM becomes 14:00, 11 PM becomes 23:00 etc. In speech the regular numbers are still used however, bc context shows whether it’s AM or PM.
Any other questions, ask me or other french/european miraculers! Feel free to add more French culture stuff you come across, I’d love that! I’m going to Paris for the fourth time next week, so I pretty much know what I’m talking about and can help with landmarks etc.!
I’M EDITING THIS POST CONSTANTLY SO CHECK UP ON IT
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