Still shipping Bagginshield in 2021 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
oakensocks) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
bakerstreet2020-09-01 09:27 am
oakensocks) wrote in bakerstreet2020-09-01 09:27 am
Because you're my king, I'm your lionheart;
There's one truth you must know of royalty: though power may lay in their hands, the crown is a cage. Whether you've always been noble, came into this position recently by complete surprise, or a simple person caught in the fray, you're realizing that leaders actually lead very little - even down to choosing who they spend their most intimate moments with. From eternal bonds of matrimonies to the distractions provided by courtesans, the people behind the throne make the rules. They cannot risk losing control of their most elevated and strategically placed pawn with a match gone wrong, which could create a domino effect and doom possibly thousands.
So, what part do you play in this game?
- Lifetime Royal: This is what you've been raised to do.
- Sudden Royal: You just learned of your position, which has been secret from you your entire life, or you unexpectedly inherited the job.
- Spouse: You're to be married to nobility.
- Concubine or Courtesan: For the royal, you're to be a sexual diversion.
- Unaffiliated: You're either a lower-ranking noble or a peasant, but you're free from all the machinations of the shadowy cabal...for now.
How willing are you?
- Completely Willing: Either you love the person you know you'll be matched with, or you're excited about the possibilities.
- Wary: There's no choice in the matter for you, so you may as well approach this situation cautiously.
- Unwilling: You didn't want to be matched up with someone. At all. Ever.
What path will you follow, once you're set upon it (there is, after all, little choice for the chosen ones)?
- Prepared for This: Either you're a royal and have been one since birth, or you knew you'd marry or sexually entertain one.
- Make Up for Lost Time: This life wasn't the one you lived until now, but times change. You're important or will be a companion to a very important person, like it or not.
- A Sacrificial Token: Somewhere along the line, your people royally pissed off someone in a key position. So, in an attempt to smooth out relations, you've been given away as a gift to the highest power, either as a spouse for a political alliance or as a concubine or courtesan.
- Pomp and Circumstance: All proper, this arrangement. You're to be married, as you've been promised to each other by your respective families. Consummation on the wedding night is key. Perhaps it's encouraged that the two of you act as if this is really a love match, to add insult to injury.
- Genuine Love: Speaking of love matches, congratulations! You're one of the incredible few who gets to marry for love, so your lovemaking should be all the more enthused.
- Only a Plaything: Heavy is the head who wears the crown, so you're expected to take on some side entertainment even if that's not your preference. Or you could be the courtesan...such a pretty, perfumed word for what the role really is...
- Volunteered: You wanted this position, either of spouse or concubine. Your reasons are your own.
- Cruel: You're powerful. You can do what you want to this person, a mere ant in comparison to you.
- Forbidden: Even the most powerful can't have everything they want, such as someone who's promised to or with another; taking them for your own would create strife and destroy alliances, even to the point of tempting war.
- Work Your Way Up: There's always a right tool for the job and you find no shame in using your own special tools to better your life.
- Give Me an Heir: Whether you're legitimate or a concubine used as a surrogate, you must help in continuing the royal line.
- Mutual Benefit: Both of you are comfortable with this arrangement because you're either compatible or it takes the pressure off of you otherwise.
- Want to be More: Though you've been relegated to courtesan, you want to be there one and only spouse...no matter if that role is already filled or not.
- Growing Affection: It may have started as all puppet strings and power plays, but now, you lo- care for them.
- Loved Before: Before you became so important and powerful, before you became the focus of all the world, it seems, they were there with you. They were with you then, and you want them to be with you now. They ground you and they care about you for you.
- Because You're Normal: They're outside of all the court's nonsense, and that's appealing to you. It's like a breath of fresh air.
- WILDCARD
How to Play
- Comment with your character, preference, preferred role, and any other information.
- Reply to others.
- RNG or choose your options.
princess serenity | sailor moon | f/m
either or! ]
Claire Bennet ∞ NBC's Heroes ∞ OTA
Rey | Star Wars | OTA
Nico Acosta | OC | M/F
azula ♛ avatar the last airbender ♛ ota
Evie Montgomery | OC | OTA
Rykan | OC | m/m
felix hugo fraldarius | fire emblem: three houses | m/m
Sansa Stark, Lady of Winterfell, Queen of the North | Game of Thrones
margaery tyrell | asoiaf/got | ota
Pero Tovar | The Great Wall | ota
Jon Snow • Game of Thrones
Padmé ⋆ Star Wars
éomer éomundsdottir | tolkien legendarium
Wei Wuxian | The Untamed
Cain (Marcus Pierce) | Lucifer
Ben Solo | Star Wars | OTA
Zuko | ATLA
Maven Calore | Red Queen
ben solo || star wars || ota
no subject
Except, Rey had no clue what it meant to be a royal. Her parents had sent her away when she was younger, and lived as a servant rather than that of high status. Until her Force abilities were known and then she was trained to harness her power. Rey was on the path of becoming a knight when it was discovered she was the long-lost child of the Empire. Thus, she was ripped from her training and placed back to "where" she belonged, in a castle with no one she knew. The poor thing was fed to the wolves and served up on a silver platter to her betrothed.
All to "save" a kingdom she knew little to nothing about.
Endless nights were spent pouring over the history of the Empire, and that of Ben's (the name of her betrothed) kingdom. Many days and nights spent reading and rereading books, scrolls and texts for her brain to memorize. More hours spent on training her to be a "proper" lady up until the day of their first meeting. Which, went as well as could be expected, no one died, so that was a positive.
Now, she was living in Ben's castle as the wedding was months away, trying to learn more about him. Not what was just on paper, but who he was as a person. Something that could be used to her advantage or...possibly aide her in other duties later on.
At least he was easy on the eyes, and didn't see her as an object. Not as something for him to conquer, least he wanted to test her patience/temper.
Sadly, the same could not be said of the wedding planner who was asking for the hundredth time what color the napkins should be.
"Does it really matter?" Rey asked through gritted teeth, sitting at a table with the timid wedding planner sitting across from her with a datapad in hand. Ben was....well, he was somewhere, and honestly Rey wished they could trade places.
"Of course it matters, the color of the napkins must match the table runners, the flowers, the plates, the cutlery--they could throw off the entire theme of the wedding!"
Fuck, was there was supposed to be a damned theme to this too?!
it's my thing, apparently, showing up one million years later to things with apologies
He had known, of course, since he was small that this was one of his most important duties. But that didn't mean that he had to like the idea of being married off to a complete stranger as a way of uniting two kingdoms that had been embroiled in a seemingly never-ending war. Why was it his responsibility to see it to an end?
He didn't know Lady Rey. And while he wanted to believe that she wasn't scheming to thrust a knife into his belly and take the throne for herself, he didn't trust her not to. It didn't help matters that they hadn't been allowed any time in which to make an attempt to get to know each other.
Rey was far too busy being shuttled back and forth from lessons designed to teach her all there was to know about being a lady of high status, including history, elocution and Maker knows what else. Ben had obviously been raised from birth and taught his place, he could only imagine how difficult it was for Rey to have to learn it all as quickly as possible before their wedding day arrived.
He felt for her in that regard, truly, but didn't know how to express it, or even if she wanted any of his sympathy. Still, the last thing he wanted was for her to feel so desperately alone in her new home, with no friends or family to help her through.
Which is precisely why Ben's been standing outside the entrance of the sitting room that Rey and the planner have been using, waiting for the right time to make an entrance. Not that there is right time to interrupt. But the more annoyed Rey's voice becomes and the more incessant the questions are thrown at her, he feels like he doesn't have much of a choice.
It's now or never.
Ben takes a deep breath and slowly exhales it, standing at his full height before sweeping into the room, his gaze stony as it's turned upon the planner, who seems to wither under Ben's steady perusal.
"We've gone over this already with my mother", he intones softly. "Midnight blue with the corner star motif. Now if you don't mind, I've come to invite Lady Rey to lunch - perhaps it's best if we take a short break."
He turns to Rey then, his expression softening somewhat, extending a hand slowly, as though he's afraid of scaring her off, like she's some skittish doe and he's a predator out to get her.
"If that's to your liking?"
Cassandra de Rolo | Critical Role