Arranged Marriage Meme

[atyourservices]

Marriage for love is a such a modern concept. In the past, marriage was
recognised as a social contract. Unions were entered into for many
reasons: to obtain property, to unite families, to carry on a bloodline,
et cetera. Whatever the reason, congratulations, you're getting married!

HOW IT WORKS:
❧ Post a comment with your character's name, canon, and any preferences.
❧ If there's a specific set of circumstances you like best, set the scene.
❧ Or leave your comment blank and let others use RNG to choose the scenario. Feel free to mix and match.
❧ Please note the prompts below are merely suggestions and you're more than welcome to come up with your own situation.
❧ Have fun!


POSSIBLE REASONS FOR MARRIAGE:
① Station → You come from a royal, noble, or otherwise distinguished family who has chosen a suitable spouse for you.
② Feud → You are being married to put an end to the bitter enmity between your two families.
③ Economics → Your economic state and/or your station will improve through the union, though one of you may be marrying down.
④ Empire → You and your spouse are merging your businesses and/or property to create something more influential or profitable.
⑤ Tribute → You have been offered as a gift or appeasement, alternately you're the spoils of war.
⑥ Bloodline → Carrying on your distinguished family name has fallen to you and the equally well-bred spouse of your family's selection.
⑦ Disapproval → Your marriage has been arranged to keep you away from the person with whom you truly wish to be.

POSSIBLE SCENARIOS:
① First meeting → This is the very first time you're meeting your future spouse.
② Courtship → To get to know each other and encourage affection, your family has approved of you going on dates.
③ Engagement party → Be it a huge, formal affair or a small, intimate get together, you're celebrating (or pretending).
④ Wedding day → The big day!
⑤ Reception → The big party!
⑥ Wedding night → Every meme needs a smut prompt, right?
⑦ Honeymoon → Where will you go with your new spouse and what will you do there?

Comments

[kingofrooks]

[ If Bruce is the kind of man who laughs easily, he would have chuckled at the sudden rush of questions. Kal-El's eagerness and curiosity makes his eyes shine brightly, and the Earth's yellow sunlight makes the gleam even brighter, like two gems set within bones and skin. No- Bruce corrects himself. Not like gems at all, for they are cold, and no sapphires have ever managed to capture as well as Kal-El's eyes.

He pulls himself back to the present, focusing on the questions. And finally, he does allow a small, wry smile to quirk his lips. ]

I have an extra set of clothes in the car. They're mine, however, so I don't know if it will suit you. [ They are there because he planned to go into the streets after screwing up this meeting, to gather information about Gotham's still-seething underworld and to figure out Batman's next steps. That's obviously not an option now.

Bruce tries to not think too hard about the ramifications of Kal-El wearing his clothes. ]

But no matter what you wear, you'll stand out. [ With those beautiful eyes of yours. With that striking face. ] But you don't have to worry: just stick with me and you'll be fine.

[ He has a feeling that Gotham will be... not kind, exactly, but at least curious about this stranger from another world. ]

[andaway]

Wear your clothes…!

[The startled question comes out before he can stop himself. Kryptonian clothes wear the symbol of their houses, so sharing them probably means a lot more to them than it does to humans. Kal knows that logically, but that doesn’t make him any less nervous at the idea of branding himself with Bruce’s clothes. Sure, he’d been thinking about kissing and courting earlier and they are to be married sooner or later. But that had been in his mind, and in reality taking this little step is making him more anxious than he had anticipated.]

Are you sure you want me to wear them? It is an honor, Bruce, and you have just met me.

[kingofrooks]

[ ... Ah, of course. The Kryptonians hold so much more significance over their clothes. It is on their clothing that their sigils is formed. Bruce is perfectly aware of that; just as he is aware that Kal-El will be putting a ring on his finger only due to Earth traditions. For the Kryptonians, Bruce's marriage will be finalised the moment he dons the robes with the El shield during the ceremony.

His lips twitch a little, and he reaches out and brushes a fingertip over the corner of Kal-El's mouth. ]

Relax. The clothes don't have the sigil of my house on them. [ A little wry. Because he's one of the few people on Earth who actually has a symbol for his family: the Wayne Enterprises logo. Not to mention symbol of the Bat. ] They look just like the clothes of everyone else on Earth.

[ A pause - he swallows back the you have no idea what I'd do to see you wearing my clothes- then he offers: ] But if you find it discomfitting, Kal-El, we can drive back to the Manor and we can get clothes that have never been worn before. Clothes that will belong only to you.

[andaway]

[ When he was little he had a tendency to bit his thumb when he was about to do something he knew his parents wouldn’t approve of. Lara told him, once he’d grown up, that often it was very easy to know when he was about to do something bad because of that habit of his. Right now he feels like biting his thumb again.

It’d be so easy to take him on his offer, to accept the brand new clothes. It’s extremely weird for a Kryptonian to wear clothes that do not have any sigil on them, it’d almost lie turning his back on their family but he knows he’ll have to adapt to that if he’s to spend time on Earth like he’s planning to. That’s fine, he’s ready for it- and part of his mind is giddy because it seems like so far Bruce has stopped being reluctant to marrying him. But wearing someone else’s clothes is going a step beyond. It’s… well, to his eyes it would be like announcing he belongs to the Wayne house as much as Bruce will belong to the El house one day.

Hm.]

It’s… fine, I suppose. And I would hate to make you go through that hassle. We don’t have long here in Earth anyway, and I don’t want to waste a second of our time here.

[kingofrooks]

[ Kal-El's hesitation has him freezing, if only for a moment. You've done too much, Matches mocks in his mind, sounding smug. Why would he even think about marrying you now that he's seen what you are? When he knows that you're filthy and broken inside?

It doesn't matter, he replies fiercely, keeping an effort to make sure that his internal battle does not show on his face. Whether or not he marries me doesn't matter, as long as I can stay in Gotham.

Even without Matches's raucuous laughter, Bruce knows that those words are a lie.

He barely manages to pull his attention back to 'reality' when Kal-EL speaks. And he finds himself blinking for a moment before he nods curtly. ]

Alright. If... if that's what you wish.

[ Taking out the car's keys from his pockets, he presses the button that unlocks the car. It chirps, lights flashing, and Bruce opens the passenger side door before sweeping out an arm. ]

Your seat, my lord. [ It's meant to be a tease, but my lord comes too easily to his tongue. And he can't stop the rest of the words from tumbling out either: ]

For your first visit to Earth, and may there be many others later.