Living my best life in the "arranged marriage au" tag

[lumeria]

Arranged Marriage Turned More To have and to hold, you said, till death do us part, all while the sharp, swinging pendulum of obligation hung overhead. But how could you have truly meant those words? This union has been tainted from the start, forever bearing the chains of an arranged marriage. It would be understandable if you couldn't bear to look at your new life partner, eternal reminder of your stolen future that they are, much less like them. Much less love them... Still, things can change. You could realize that they are in the same boat as you or, that when compared to others around you, they are the lesser of evils. Perhaps you even open up to the idea of a friendship; at the very least, an alliance may be in order to become a power couple in a perilous world. From that innocent decision or sense of self-preservation, a new feelings sparks. Something like affection. Something, you realize in the wake of speeding heartbeats, like love. Will you acknowledge this? Can the two of you have a happily ever after - happier than if you'd met in another fashion - or will you hold firm in your distaste? how to play. - Everybody loves "couples forged by less-than-ideal circumstances" tropes! - Comment with your character, prefs, all that good stuff. - Reply to others. - IDEC where you set your threads, it's wide open. Fantasy world with hairy hobbits, old-timey lands, future AUs, do a space marriage for all I care. I'm sure they're still getting married in Star Wars or whatever.

Comments

alina starkov | grishaverse

[solmate]

[ both book and show familiar ]

sungki | original | ota

[sungki]

[bloodbomb]

[ they'd been promised to one another long before either of them understood the idea of marriage.

lin can't say he'd ever been unhappy about it, though it always raised questions as to why. why couldn't someone else do it? why did it have to be them? why were they so important to their families? but everyone usually brushed it off as childish intrigue and nothing more. it hadn't been until he'd been older and he'd started properly courting sungki that he realized it had absolutely nothing to do with either of them. their families just wanted the alliance for more financial, illegal reasons than anything else. it didn't matter how either of them felt or what they wanted; it was just expected.

now, several hours after they'd just married, lin is sprawled out on a bed in a hotel they really didn't need to be in. all their plans had been arranged, just like their wedding: spend their wedding night there and then fly out in the morning for a week. a supposed gift from their families. he isn't even sure where they're going, but as long as it's away from the city and with sungki, that's all that matters.

it's that thought that prompts him to sit up and glance around the room. ]

Hey. [ calling out to sungki, he absently fluffs one of the pillows. ] You should try this out. It's really not that bad.

Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd | Fire Emblem: Three Houses | M/F

[asaviorshand]

Molly Hooper | BBC Sherlock | OTA

[wealldosillythings]

[Ideas:

-Some kind of fake wedding sting operation to lure out a criminal and then ~feelings~ come to light.
-Promised to someone else in her youth, they bailed, died, or just disappeared. Now must marry another: either suitor #1 shows up to complicate things, or suitor #2 IS suitor #1 looking to find out if they can fix their past mistakes.
-How to Offend a Woman in 5 Syllables or Less: basically drawing from The Swan Princess, but instead of someone getting kidnapped they actually have to address the 'What Else Is There' issue via conversation.

Victorian version of her cross-dresses in order to be a mortician and thinks herself too peculiar a woman to merit any decent match. She gave up on romantic love a long time ago - it's for stories, not real life. Maybe she's a regular class woman, or maybe she's been trying to avoid upper middle class expectations.

If she could find a partner that respected her and whose company she enjoyed...that's the dream.

FUN IDEA THAT A FRIEND PITCHED: Victorian!Molly disguised herself as a man, enrolled in medical school, now is a Doctor at a hospital or some similar public institution. It's far more fulfilling than her options available as a woman (maybe she technically has a fiancée somewhere or is promised to marry someone in the future).

One day while still disguised, she meets a man - maybe a club where intellectually-minded men are gathering for thought-provoking discussion and general good times. A friendship starts, sparks start to fly as things bring the two of them closer, and what should be a bromance becomes something much more than either anticipated.

Final Notes
-Am open to writing sexual scenarios but probably need some tension/slow-burn build-up.
-Willing to explore the 'We shouldn't do this but I want you' elements
-Consent is super fucking necessary.

Yennefer | Witcher | ota

[powerbeautydesire]

Alina Starkov | Shadow and Bone | ota

[suncalls]

[Show verse]

cersei lannister | game of thrones/asoiaf

[skirka]

[lotusandlies]

(a wealthy, charismatic priest-king from Yi Ti? I haven't fleshed the au out a lot yet but lmk if you're interested! )

elia martell | asoiaf | ota

[veryfond]

Caleb Widowgast | Critical Role | ota

[born_in_flame]

Xingqiu ☙ Genshin Impact ☙ ota

[sharpestverse]

( Xingqiu is the youngest heir to the family that owns and runs the Commerce Guild in his home city; very prestigious, but canonically, the family business is going into the hands of his slightly older brother. yours can be arranged to marry Xingqiu for the lucrative aspect as what's meant to be primarily a transaction; nothing personal, just business. (until it's not.) he has his own secret pieces to his life that he cultivates, such as being an unknown author under a pen name, studying a dying martial art, and having elemental powers. Xingqiu has no official canon age, but he's estimated at being about 17, so I can happily age him up to 18 and perhaps call that the particular milestone for this arrangement to be happening. older characters happily welcome as much as peers in age.

castmates and cross-canon welcome; pseudo-fantasy and/or pseudo-modern setting fine if you aren't canon familiar with Genshin. for castmates, I especially love Traveler (either,) Zhongli, Childe, Albedo, Barbara, Bennett, Chongyun, Diluc, Fischl, Noelle, but anyone else from the game is very welcome. if you'd like a starter made, just ask. )

[affectueux]

( i am only familiar in passing with genshin but i think these two could work well as two Extremely Noble Boys! serge is also turning 18 and set to inherit his family estate. he’s from a realistic 19th century france setting, but i would be happy to play along with a more genshin-heavy setting if you don’t mind my gaps in knowledge. :) )

Bucky Barnes l MCU 616

[not_a_commie]

Henry Sturges: The Last American Vampire / Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter

[whichisit]

Tonks / HP

[metamorphical]

zoya nazyalensky | grishaverse

[groza]

[ let me know if you want me to avoid kos spoilers because of (redacted backstory item) ]

jean gunnhildr | genshin impact

[gunnhildr]

Jin Ling | The Untamed

[jinlingers]

sansa stark | asoiaf/got | ota

[eyried]

[solgeneris]

[Mael here is an archangel! Is Ainz ambitious enough to go for the Supreme Goddess?]

diluc ❥ genshin impact ❥ ota

[diluced]

princess zelda | the legend of zelda: twilight princess

[bloodofthegoddess]

( Could be a political-driven marriage, a union to strengthen the bonds between kingdoms. Could also be a marriage for love, so going against duty (most likely eloping), or a love that has to end because she’s putting the needs of her kingdom first. )

( r63 ) Nie Huaisang | The Untamed

[secretplots]

Lan Jingyi | The Untamed

[unlanlike]

Nie Mingjue | The Untamed

[unmercifully]

Wen Ning | The Untamed

[wenningit]

Wu Xi ( Word of Honor )

[wu_xi]