How to Ruin a Wedding

The collaborative interactive story

[ruin-a-wedding]

Dying was the easy part. Staying dead is another matter entirely.

In another life you were sanguine: one of many blood mages employed by a prominent family of vampires to clean up the kinds of messes human trafficking so often makes. It was a quiet, uncomplicated life until the day your father dumped you, drugged and bleeding, hours from home.

What should have been a death sentence becomes a path to a new life when you’re rescued by the owner of a queer nightclub who has supernatural secrets of her own. One year, a new gender, and a stolen identity later, and you’ve crafted a life that is truly your own. For this one moment your past is truly behind you.

Unfortunately, a new life doesn’t make old problems nonexistent.

When your existence is discovered by the son of the woman who wants you dead, the two of you strike a deal: your services in exchange for his silence. Years will pass before he calls in your debt, but when he does it sets off a chain reaction that threatens to destabilize the region, break centuries-old alliances, and ruin one very expensive wedding.

Sophia Durand

[ PREVIOUSLY DECEASED ]

You were once a prodigy training to succeed your father as one of the Corbeaus’ head mages. Now you work in a club, oftentimes cleaning up messes that aren’t much different from the life you lived before. You’ve found a family among the outcasts of a mundane world and will do anything in your power to keep this life from being threatened.

Meliza Flores

[ REAL-LIFE FAIRY GODMOTHER ]

A former associate of one of the organizations in the Corbeau’s criminal network, her story echoes the ordeal Sophia is facing when she arrives at Meliza’s nightclub, The Broken Crown. She’s now devoted herself to protecting those discarded by society, but her cause is threatened with the arrival of a face from Sophia’s past.

Alexandre Corbeau

[ MOMMY'S FAVORITE SOLDIER ]

A high-level enforcer within his family’s organization, Alexandre’s propensity for violence is well known. Despite this, and much to his own dismay, he falters when face to face with his father’s alleged killer. This chance encounter with Sophia raises

Jamie Saint-James

[ THE BIG BAD WOLF ]

The youngest of eight siblings and a disappointment to his famous parents, Jamie’s only worth comes in the form of his engagement to heiress Desiree Corbeau. Though neither party is particularly pleased with this arrangement, he’s happy enough to oblige. That is, until he meets Alexandre’s new girlfriend and uncertainties about his impending nuptials begin to grow.

Collaborative story: follower votes determine story path, dynamics, and protagonist actions

Character customization: MC appearance and stats were decided by follower vote at the story's start

Romance paths: Options to romance multiple character, including opportunities for polyamorous relationships

Character relationships: Approval and disapproval scores shapes interactions, forming friendships and rivalries

Build alliances: an expensive wedding attracts powerful guests. build potential alliances with members of each faction

18+ scenes: romances include explicit adult content

Main account | Tip Jar | Patreon | Catch up via AO3

[ruin-a-wedding]

Good news: I'm getting back to writing this story

Bad news: I'm making it exclusive to my patreon

More good news: the lowest tier is only $2/month

The whole thing isn't being paywalled forever! However, I'm a struggling college student who needs money and supporting me on patreon is a good way to make it so that I'm not stressing about money as much and have the brainspace to be creative instead.

[ruin-a-wedding]

This was a question I'd asked last year but never got around to implementing due to my hiatus so here I am asking it again:

Do you want to see the impacts of your votes?

Example:

Go fuck yourself wins the vote.

"Go fuck yourself," Sophia spat, lifting her chin in defiance as if she were above his ultimatums.

[+2 Alexandre approval]

He quirked his head to the side, taking in her fury.

answer

No visible stat changes

Show the stat which changes, but not how much

Show stat and numerical changes

Voting ended onDec 19, 2024

[ruin-a-wedding]

This was a question I'd asked last year but never got around to implementing due to my hiatus so here I am asking it again:

Do you want to see the impacts of your votes?

Example:

Go fuck yourself wins the vote.

"Go fuck yourself," Sophia spat, lifting her chin in defiance as if she were above his ultimatums.

[+2 Alexandre approval]

He quirked his head to the side, taking in her fury.

answer

No visible stat changes

Show the stat which changes, but not how much

Show stat and numerical changes

Voting ended onDec 19, 2024

[ruin-a-wedding]

The semester of school is officially over! Next week the fun will start with some character creation polls.

[ruin-a-wedding]

Unfortunately since this story if free I don't really have time to make really involved surveys like I'm doing for my Patreon, but I will be adding questions with a little more zing just to keep things interesting

In the meantime, if you want to have some fun before things really get underway here we're halfway through more intensive character creation over on Patreon for our (more sexually explicit) exclusive story.

[ruin-a-wedding]

The semester of school is officially over! Next week the fun will start with some character creation polls.

[housedyke]

Next month on Patreon: Flower of Death

The Plot

Your name is Leila Karimova and you hate your mother. Well, she’s not really your mother. And hate is a bit of an oversimplification. Nevertheless, you’ve spent plenty of nights wondering about what life would be like if your father had never met his second wife.

30 years ago, and hundreds of miles from your home, a fey king was found dead in his bedchamber. This would have little impact on your life if it weren’t for the fact that your father married the killer.

In order to escape undetected, Zera Karimova made a deal with one of the king’s most trusted advisors: her first-born’s hand in marriage in exchange for her life. Except Zera loves her son. So she's decided to offer you up in his place.

The Characters

Leila: Our protagonist. A free spirit who has come to learn that the ones who can be trusted the least are often family.

David: Leila’s brother and the family’s golden child. An artist by trade with an interest in wealthy older men.

Motya: An elderly woman with a reputation that ranges from witchcraft to murder. Leila’s mentor.

Nico: A member of the fey resistance who calls the nearby forests home. Leila’s intermittent lover.

Vita: A mysterious woman whose chance encounter with Leila will complicate both of their lives in ways no one anticipated.

The Format

Every other week, patrons get a story update. For most tiers, this comes with the ability to vote on key decisions that will shape the story’s path. It’s a sort of cooperative roleplay; patrons will even have a vote on character appearance and personality. Decide if Leila will be a victim of circumstance trying to make the best of things or a revolutionary taking the opportunity to strike from inside the royal court.

— Click here to check out individual tier perks* —

And get 20% off your first month with the code REGICIDE until January

*this story is 18+ due to voting on potential sex scenes

[ruin-a-wedding]

Two interactive stories are better than one! In addition to what I'm doing here for free, I have a patreon-exclusive story that's a little more complex and comes with votes on sex scenes

[ruin-a-wedding]

coming next month: character creation

I haven't forgetten my plans to revive things here! School is still winding down, which is why we haven't started quite yet, but once things cool down there we'll pick back up.

we'll have three different rounds of votes concerning:

appearance

personality

starting stats

If you were here the first time around, it'll be really similar to what we did previously. We're just doing it again as part of the restart.

[ruin-a-wedding]

phase 1: a matter of perspective

And the slow start begins. First up, we have the most basic part of any story: narrator point of view. Kind of hard to write anything without that. Winner decides whether the story will be written in first, second, or third pov

pick a pack of pickled 'spective

"I went to the market."

"You went to the market."

"She went to the market."

Voting ended onNov 20, 2024

[ruin-a-wedding]

phase 1: a matter of perspective

And the slow start begins. First up, we have the most basic part of any story: narrator point of view. Kind of hard to write anything without that. Winner decides whether the story will be written in first, second, or third pov

pick a pack of pickled 'spective

"I went to the market."

"You went to the market."

"She went to the market."

Voting ended onNov 20, 2024

[ruin-a-wedding]

coming soon

Our return is imminent! However I have just a little bit of plotting and planning left to do before reviving the corpse.

and now the patreon plug

Anything relevant to the plot is going to main free. However, members of my Patreon will be able to get bonus, sometimes 18+, stories. Which is largely code for (not necessarily canon) sex scenes I write as character exercises.

I'll also be running a patron-only interactive story alongside this one for anyone who wants a double dose. This will be something completely independent from what's going on over here. Patrons also get access to a discord server which I have inexplicably themed after a royal court.

How to Ruin a Wedding as an overall story will remain free. I'm never going to lock anything important behind a paywall. However, the less time I spend worrying about money the more time I'll have to devote to making sure the story runs smoothly.

If this sounds like something you're interested in, you can check it out here!

[ruin-a-wedding]

Long time no see!

Hey y'all.

Last year I sort of dropped off the face of the earth after I started school. But I've been putting a LOT of thought into this story still. I can't make any promises about timelines, but I've been thinking of picking this back up.

Of course, as time has passed I've gotten a better understanding of where things are going here. It's not a huge change from the previous story so much as it is giving it more of a noir slant. Really, just making characters a little more hardened.

So here's a poll to kinda get a feel of things:

Which would you prefer?

return to the story where we left off like nothing happened

start over from the beginning

Voting ended onNov 10, 2024

[ruin-a-wedding]

And here's another poll! Because there are multiple considerations to be made. To be clear: this is about where it's easiest to follow along; it's gonna be free to read no matter where.

Where would you prefer to read this? (for free still)

tumblr still

patreon

ko-fi

ao3

some other place

Voting ended onNov 4, 2024

[ruin-a-wedding]

Long time no see!

Hey y'all.

Last year I sort of dropped off the face of the earth after I started school. But I've been putting a LOT of thought into this story still. I can't make any promises about timelines, but I've been thinking of picking this back up.

Of course, as time has passed I've gotten a better understanding of where things are going here. It's not a huge change from the previous story so much as it is giving it more of a noir slant. Really, just making characters a little more hardened.

So here's a poll to kinda get a feel of things:

Which would you prefer?

return to the story where we left off like nothing happened

start over from the beginning

Voting ended onNov 10, 2024

[ruin-a-wedding]

And here's another poll! Because there are multiple considerations to be made. To be clear: this is about where it's easiest to follow along; it's gonna be free to read no matter where.

Where would you prefer to read this? (for free still)

tumblr still

patreon

ko-fi

ao3

some other place

Voting ended onNov 4, 2024

[ruin-a-wedding]

Long time no see!

Hey y'all.

Last year I sort of dropped off the face of the earth after I started school. But I've been putting a LOT of thought into this story still. I can't make any promises about timelines, but I've been thinking of picking this back up.

Of course, as time has passed I've gotten a better understanding of where things are going here. It's not a huge change from the previous story so much as it is giving it more of a noir slant. Really, just making characters a little more hardened.

So here's a poll to kinda get a feel of things:

Which would you prefer?

return to the story where we left off like nothing happened

start over from the beginning

Voting ended onNov 10, 2024

[ruin-a-wedding]

A week later you're alone

in the back office going over the club’s books when Meliza walks in.

“Guess who,” she says as she holds out a matte black box tied with a crimson ribbon.

You frown, taking the box from her. The bar is tentatively under Alexandre’s protection from the other families so long as you remain an asset to him, but you’d still prefer not to be reminded of your debt. It’s unnerving to think that he can find you now whenever he likes.

There’s shouting in the hall, and Meliza leaves to break up a fight between two dancers. You stare at the box, and for a moment you consider denying whatever’s inside and, in turn, the role Alexandre is asking you to play in whatever he’s planning. Doing so may very well come at the cost of your life, but at least it won’t be at the cost of your freedom.

Eventually, however, your curiosity wins out.

“Write me sometime,” a handwritten note inside reads. You wonder if he wrote it himself or had someone else do it for impact.

When you see what’s beneath the note your breath catches in your chest: this kind of book is rare and, more importantly, prohibitively expensive. Most sanguine will go their entire lives without ever having seen one, much less using it. Fumbling in your excitement, you scramble to find the small blade you always keep on hand for moments like this that require a touch of blood.

REACT

it's a disgusting display of wealth

🩸 you're thrilled to have such a rare opportunity

💕 despite it all you find yourself impressed by the gift

Voting ended onJul 11, 2023

[ruin-a-wedding]

Oh these results are delicious

[ruin-a-wedding]

A week later you're alone

in the back office going over the club’s books when Meliza walks in.

“Guess who,” she says as she holds out a matte black box tied with a crimson ribbon.

You frown, taking the box from her. The bar is tentatively under Alexandre’s protection from the other families so long as you remain an asset to him, but you’d still prefer not to be reminded of your debt. It’s unnerving to think that he can find you now whenever he likes.

There’s shouting in the hall, and Meliza leaves to break up a fight between two dancers. You stare at the box, and for a moment you consider denying whatever’s inside and, in turn, the role Alexandre is asking you to play in whatever he’s planning. Doing so may very well come at the cost of your life, but at least it won’t be at the cost of your freedom.

Eventually, however, your curiosity wins out.

“Write me sometime,” a handwritten note inside reads. You wonder if he wrote it himself or had someone else do it for impact.

When you see what’s beneath the note your breath catches in your chest: this kind of book is rare and, more importantly, prohibitively expensive. Most sanguine will go their entire lives without ever having seen one, much less using it. Fumbling in your excitement, you scramble to find the small blade you always keep on hand for moments like this that require a touch of blood.

REACT

it's a disgusting display of wealth

🩸 you're thrilled to have such a rare opportunity

💕 despite it all you find yourself impressed by the gift

Voting ended onJul 11, 2023

[ruin-a-wedding]

wilkommen, bienvenue, welcome

Since I've had a recent boost in followers I figured I'd recap some information for people just joining. This story is 18+ due to adult content, and readers are advised to participate at their discretion. I won't be providing content warnings.

For the past year I've been running stories like this on Patreon, and I decided to do a free version as well so people can have an idea of what we get up to over there. Occasionally I'll throw in links to my ko-fi and Patreon, but it's never expected that followers give me money; I'm doing this for fun and will keep going for as long as I enjoy it.

ways to read

on AO3: to catch up on previous chapters or have a poll-free experience you can read How to Ruin a Wedding on AO3

#How to Ruin a Wedding: if you want story updates without the clutter of other blog posts or want to make sure you don't miss a poll, you can follow the hashtag

this blog: you can also follow @ruin-a-wedding for story updates and other fun tidbits.

Additionally, people who are curious about the person behind the account can follow me @cumkills for looks at other projects and general shenanigans

the future

I know that generally people running these kinds of project accounts have some sort of twine game for people to demo. Eventually I'd love to make this something people can play on their own, but that isn't coming any time soon. For now this is simply a draft run where I play with mechanics and try to decide if this is better as a static story or interactive game.