lyra-r05e

[lyra-r05e]

Chapter 4 of What Marriage Is For is FINALLY ready! Please enjoy Ducks in a Row.

I finally had a chance to finish and edit this one while the baby naps, so instead of a teaser I posted it right away.

I'm SO SORRY for the delay! Sleep deprivation with a newborn was more intense than I remembered 😅 I'll do my best to keep a more regular schedule, aiming for biweekly for the next little while. As much as I'd like to keep it weekly, with how long my chapters tend to be I think biweekly is more realistic.

I usually have a very strong and detailed outline for most chapters, but this one I had essentially nothing but "wedding planning." I really set myself up to fail trying to write a chapter from scratch while holding my new baby 😂

The next chapter outline is well thought out from before so I'm hoping for a much quicker turnaround. Chapter 5 will be titled "That's My Man" and will be inspired by Sam's 10 heart cutscene 🎶

Thank you for your patience!!

[lyra-r05e]

Morning! I've been struggling to find time for writing this week so I won't have the next chapter ready for a few days. Sorry 🥲 This coming week will be more relaxed so I'll do my best to get back on schedule. Thanks for your patience!

[lyra-r05e]

Hi there! Just saw you had your baby!! Big Congrats and hope you're all settling in well. Take care & lots of love

Charlotte

Awe thank you so much! She's a great baby so far, we're enjoying the snuggle time 🥰

[lyra-r05e]

Hi! Chapter 4 of What Marriage Is For will be delayed one week. My baby arrived last Friday and we are all happy and healthy, but naturally I've been a little preoccupied 😅 Thanks for understanding!

[lyra-r05e]

Hi! I'm posting this teaser a little early this week - for a personal update, I still haven't had the baby but I have an induction planned for Friday. So she WILL be here before the chapter drop on Sunday. If it's posted a little late this weekend, that's why!

Chapter 3 - Save The Date is ready to go. This week you and Sebastian take a trip to Zuzu city to share the news with your mom.

Please enjoy this teaser of you and Sebastian celebrating finalizing a date for the wedding. Excerpt below is only suggestive, but the fic is Explicit (ao3 link).

“Hmm…three months? It would be a Fall wedding.”

“I do like the fall…not too hot, and the valley is beautiful then…I think that's a happy medium,” you smile softly.

“Three months it is,” Sebastian returns your smile, pulling out his phone to look at the calendar. “Let’s see…how about this Saturday, the one before Abby’s birthday? It's early enough in the season you wouldn't have to worry about fair preparations.”

“Sounds perfect,” you lean in to give him an affectionate kiss on the cheek.

Sebastian reaches a hand up to your face, affectionately rubbing his thumb on your cheek. “It's starting to feel real now,” he says softly.

“It is,” you blush.

A twinkle crosses Sebastian’s eyes. “Let's get our money’s worth out of this hotel. See how thin these walls really are,” he smirks.

“Sebastian, so naughty,” you say coyly.

“Says the one already calling me by my full name,” he whispers in your ear, crawling a hand up your thigh. Sebastian grins deviously when your breath hitches. “Maybe there's a pair of handcuffs in these drawers hiding under the bible,” he reaches across you to rummage through the drawer of the bedside table.

“Handcuffs?” you raise an eyebrow in amusement.

“Yea. So you can't cover your mouth when you moan my name,” he smirks.

“Sebastian!”

“Like that. Louder,” He teases, crawling across you playfully to rummage through the drawer on the other side of the bed.

“I doubt you’ll have any luck with that.”

You're right of course, he knows this little charade is silly. But the glimmer of excitement on your flushed face as you watch him inspect the room is worth keeping up the act a little longer. “You never know, maybe a previous guest left something behind,” he opens the desk drawer, picking up a pen that rolled to the front.

“Guess we won't get fined after all,” you exaggerate a sigh, still smiling.

The closet by the door is the last place he’ll check before giving up the bit. Just as he starts brainstorming how to keep up the excitement after the inevitable failure, his eyes land on a bathrobe hanging in the closet. He looks over his shoulder at you and smiles deviously, pulling the drawstring free from it and snapping it in front of him.

“Are you serious?” Your eyebrows raise, but you’re grinning like an idiot.

“Hands together darling.”

You immediately obey his request, sending a quiver of excitement down his spine. He ties your wrists together, tightly but playfully, and raises your arms above your head, tying the other end to the bedpost.

[lyra-r05e]

Happy Friday! Chapter 2 - I'm Happy For You of What Marriage Is For will be posted on Sunday, May 25. Please enjoy the sneak peek below.

You enter Pierre’s, letting out a content exhale when the AC hits your face. Pierre greets you from the till, and you smile and wave back at him, spotting Harvey shopping for produce.

“Morning!”

“Morning,” Harvey greets you with a kind smile, “how is the summer crop changeover treating you?”

“Good! Everything is in the ground now, I'm just stocking up for the next wave of seeds we’ll need. How are you?”

“Oh, pretty good. Beautiful day we’re having.”

“Definitely…” you glance at his shopping basket, filled with vegetables from your last spring harvest. You don't feel like you need to avoid Harvey anymore, but it's still a little awkward talking to him now.

“So…” Harvey glances at your necklace, “marriage, huh?”

You touch the shell pendant, blushing slightly. “Yea.”

“To be honest, I was surprised. It seems a little…soon.”

“Yea, well…I know how it looks. But we've actually been uh…close…for a long time. It's just been official recently.”

“‘Close?’ Friends aren't the same as romantic partners, Farmer,” Pierre chimes in from the counter with that all-knowing smarmy look.

As if you're the expert on romance, you look at him with a poorly stifled frown, catching a glimpse of his ‘daughter’ coming up to the counter. You didn't hear the door open…maybe she's been there for a while. She doesn't greet you warmly like usual.

“Yea, I know-”

“You’re not saving yourselves til marriage are you?”

“Uh, no.” Is he serious? You glance at Harvey who looks deeply uncomfortable.

“Dad,” Abigail hisses.

“I didn't think you were the religious type, and I know Sebastian isn't-”

“Dad!!”

“What? I'm just saying, it's good to get to know each other physically before committing to marria-”

“DAD. They've been fucking for over a year. She doesn't want to broadcast it to the town. Read the room, for fucks sake-”

“Language,” he scolds her.

Abigail scoffs and rolls her eyes, pushing past Harvey to stomp out the door. You and Harvey watch her leave, stunned into silence. Pierre scoffs, grumbling to himself at the till.

After a few more moments of dumbfounded awkwardness, you glance at Harvey to try and break the silence. “I-”

“I'm happy for you,” Harvey says simultaneously.

“Oh, uh. Thanks.”

“Yea. You seem happy, and so does he.”

“I…yea. We are.”

Pierre scoffs. “I don't know what you see in that punk. I mean come on, Harvey is a doctor-”

“Ohhhkay,” you turn towards the door.

“Bye Pierre.”

You and Harvey quickly leave the store without purchasing anything, sharing an awkward chuckle once outdoors.

You look at him, guilt gnawing at your stomach. That can't have been the first time he's heard comments like Pierre’s lately. “I'm sorr-”

“Don't. It's okay. I'm okay, I promise.”

“I…okay. I’m glad.”

“Me too. Truly, I'm happy for you,” he smiles softly.

“Thanks, Harvey. See you around.”

“See you.”

[lyra-r05e]

What Marriage Is For (Explicit) has been posted on ao3!

Thank you for your patience :) I'm aiming for weekly chapter releases again, and will post updates and teasers here. Enjoy!

[lyra-r05e]

Hey everyone! I'm sorry for the lack of updates on 'What Marriage Is For.' I have a pretty good excuse, I'm actually super pregnant right now (baby is due any day).

BUT I think I need to start posting these chapters to keep up the motivation to keep writing. My writers block isn't for lack of ideas, it's just for actually getting them on paper. So I'm going to try and give myself a weekly schedule again to keep myself accountable.

I'll be posting here with any updates on releases and chapter teasers, so stay tuned!

Chapter 1 of What Marriage Is For will be dropped TOMORROW (Sun, May 18th). If you need a refresher or to finish part one, please check out What Friends Are For (Explicit) on ao3.

For now please enjoy this brief teaser for Chapter 1 - Seriously?

The sky rumbles as thunder shakes the air around you. Heavy raindrops linger on your eyelashes before rolling down your cheeks. The white noise amplifies as the downpour increases. It's loud, wet, and cold.

None of it bothers you in the slightest. The warmth of Sebastian’s lips against yours drowns out all other sensations. Your heart pounds against your chest that's pressed as close as physically possible against your boyfriend’s soaking wet hoodie.

No, not boyfriend. Fiancé.

Your heart skips a beat. It doesn't feel real. You press closer against him, feeling the gorgeous shell pendant snug against your sternum.

He really just did that.

He wants to marry you. Marriage. It seems so surreal, it couldn't possibly be your reality. You’ve never considered marriage before. Not seriously. It never crossed your mind in any past relationships.

Fuck, I love him so much.

You've never felt like this before. Not this intense. Not even close. How would you even describe this feeling? Not just happy, ecstatic. There's an almost desperate, yearning feeling. There's…anxiety. Nervousness. But not in a negative way, you're…confident. You know he feels it too. The lightning illuminating the sky is nothing compared to the sparks flying between you.

If this is what love is, you’re going to have a heart attack before either of you say ‘I do.’

[lyra-r05e]

Sorry to bother but after re-reading what friends are for way too many times I gotta ask (respectfully and patiently) how’s what marriage is for? Is there a sneak peek maybe? 🥹🥹🥹

I think it's a perfect time for an update! Since you asked so nicely 🤭

Thank you for the push, I was meaning to post this soon anyways 😅

What Friends Are For recently passed 30k hits on AO3 which is INSANE to me!

I am plugging away at What Marriage is For, and I'm happy to share I have the first major arc outlined which will be the wedding arc. For now I can tease the chapter titles (subject to change) for the first arc, which will be 10 chapters total:

Seriously?

I'm Happy For You

Save the Date

Ducks in a Row

That's My Man

Hen Party

Something New

Moonjelly Farm

I Want to Think About a Wedding

I Do

My next step is to write out these chapters fully, and then once they're done I'll resume a weekly posting schedule and keep going on the next two arcs. I'm still happy to take suggestions/requests/questions in the meantime.

Thanks for your patience! 🥹

[lyra-r05e]

Hi there!!! I found your story “What Friends are For” on Ao3 and I just wanted to share how much I enjoyed it! I read the whole thing in less than 24 hours; I was too hooked on your writing and storytelling. Thank you so much for sharing with us! I absolutely loved every second of reading it <3

Wow you crushed it! Thanks so much for reading, I'm so glad you liked it 😊

[lyra-r05e]

i would like to warn you that this may be a lengthy tell and i apologize for yapping a lot. i started playing stardew valley not so long ago. and surprise surprise, i fell in love with sebastian. i made it a mission to read any sebastian fic i come across on and sadly i might’ve already read everything on tumblr. UNTIL I FOUND YOUR STORY THROUGH HERE, POSTED ON AO3! gosh i just love your story so much! i binged in 2 days while playing stardew on the side… might’ve binged too hard i forgot to sleep n got a really bad nosebleed… ok back to my point for real😭

first of all, congratulations on finishing this lovely fanfic! you deserve all the love and recognition! your hard work is evident in each chapter you published and the other readers can back me up on this!

secondly, the story flowed beautifully between farmer and sebastian <3 there are so many features of the story that encapsulates the reality of city life and farm life. some parts really resonated with me and i bet it’s the same for the other readers as well! farmer’s dynamics with the people in pelican town was such a sweet treat to read as well! i love her relationship with haley and shane the most! i felt horrible about what happened with harvey and his unrequited feelings for farmer but i understand that farmer means well and didn’t want to rope him in a relationship she wasn’t sure to be in.

and finally the request/suggestion part for the sequel! AHHH IM SO EXCITED!! hear me out!

- someone mentioned something about sebastian trying to find ways to help farmer with her farm through his programming skills.

- this will probably take place a little later on in their relationship

- one day, penny or sam asks farmer if she can cover penny for a day and tutor jas and vincent on her stead. of course farmer agrees.

- they do the usual things they often do during their lessons with penny in the library.

- forgetting that today is the day that farmer is occupied with tutoring the town’s kids, sebastian thought about checking the books in the library’s collection to see if there’s anything he can find helpful with his little project. farming wise of course because the library was probably filled with older books anyway.

- he sees farmer laughing and getting along with the kids and gets hit with a whiplash of baby fever 😁

- later on, in their bedroom, he tries to bring up the idea of having kids but is too shy to do it. he tries to round up points to back up his thoughts. like the spare crib in one of the rooms and “it’d be nice to see the creation of their love” reasoning. farmer ends up noticing and asks him about it!

- MAYBE after this discussion, there comes a point where they eventually agree to having a family of their own. the day they try, farmer tells him that she stopped her birth control pills and is ready to start a family. which makes him spiral (good way) that’s a BIG MAYBE though!

the rest is up to you! of course this is just a few ideas and you can always change anything to your liking! or not implement it at all! it’s your story at the end of the day and i’m happy to read everything!

before i bore you with my yapping, i wish you luck on writing the sequel! take the well deserved rest and have fun during your free time as of now! we’ll be here supporting you through and through <3

Awe, thank you so much for sharing! So glad you enjoyed it 😍

Ooooooh, loving the idea to rope in Farmer interacting the kids to give Sebastian ideas. Noted for sure!

[lyra-r05e]

Hi, I saw your last response to ideas/wishes and wanted to add some as well! Also wanted to add, thank you sm for this fic, easily one of my most favorites like EVER! 💗

- Definitely would love to see Seb programming the farm computer somehow/ Seb learning ways to contribute to the farm work. Saw this in the last ask and it sounded so awesome!

- Maybe this selfish but I’d definitely like to see some clearing up between Abby and Seb and what happened between them? Like, they both apologize etc. with farmer present and maybe even farmer wants Abby to be her bridesmaid of honor while Seb wants Sam to be best man? Omg that’d be so cute

- Cat dad Seb! Kiki is the cutest little thing, maybe they come across another kitten? <3

Your writing is absolutely amazing. I mean it when I say this is probably one of the best SebxFarmer fics ever! I hope you get great recovery and rest time!

[lyra-r05e]

Ideas/wishes for when the fic continues (take your time of course and thank you so much for your amazing work!!)

- Farmer and Seb finally dancing together at the flower dance and maybe even enjoying it a little?

- Sebastian and Maru become closer, talk it out, who knows? Maybe Maru can be a little sister and come over when it gets too much to be alone with her parents?

- Harvey would never wish on somebodys failure but of course he was hoping a little bit that Sebastian would fuck it up again… and now, Marriage? Really?

- Seb programms the Farm Computer for Farmer? Helping him feel like he’s contribuiting to the life?

Sorry I hope this isn’t too much or overbearing haha, just had these ideas come to mind. Take care and happy writing <3

This is all great stuff, thank you!! Adding to my idea list 😊

[lyra-r05e]

The final chapter of What Friends Are For (Explicit) is officially posted! A huge thank you to everyone who took the time to read my story.

I'm now taking a break to recoup and plan out the sequel, 'What Marriage is For.' In the meantime, my requests are open.

Feel free to share your hopes and desires for what you want to see in 'What Marriage is For.' More fluff? More smut? More drama, or more slice of life? All of the above? I look forward to hearing from you :)

[lyra-r05e]

Happy Friday! This Sunday, Jan 19th will be the final chapter of What Friends Are For. I can't believe we're finally at the end. I'll save the sappy appreciation post for Sunday - for now, please enjoy this sappy teaser of Chapter 27 - Commitment.

Sebastian has been spending more and more nights with you as well. It started with Friday nights, which quickly became Saturday nights too. He always reluctantly goes home on Sundays. Lately, you'll miss each other enough to sneak in a Tuesday or Wednesday sleepover. This Sunday, he seems especially resistant to pack up and head home.

“You don't have to go, you know.”

“I know, but…I feel like I should? My work is there, and I don't want to impose…”

“Impose? Never. You know I want you here, right?” You worry he feels like he doesn't belong here.

“I can't be here every day-”

“Why not?”

He looks stunned. Maybe this is too much, you don't want to scare him off. But he needs to know how much you want him around.

“Look, I know you need alone time. And so do I, we don't need to be joint at the hip constantly. I know neither of us want or expect that. But I don't want you to ever feel like you’re imposing on me. I want to be with you. To share my life with you. I don't want you to feel like a guest here…” You trail off. Shit, it sounds like I'm proposing. It's way too soon for that…right?

Sebastian rests a hand on your hip, the other tilting your chin up to face him. He's smiling cheekily, but his face is flushed. “You’re that serious about me?”

“We're not fucking around anymore,” you smirk, “I mean it when I say I love you. You know that, right?”

“I do,” he leans in to kiss you, pulling you close.

Your heart flutters wildly from his touch. Hundreds of kisses later, and sparks still fly between you. This one feels different, though. It's electrifying.

[lyra-r05e]

Hi!! I just re-installed my tumblr app to send this message. I found your fanfic last night and well… binged it all over the last 24 hours! Feeling like I’m 15 again, being on tumblr, staying up until 2am to read fanfic :’) not complaining tho. It’s so so good and I enjoyed every second of it, wanted to thank your for taking the time to write it. I will always imagine that this is the backstory of my farmers life with Sebastian on the farm ! Anyway, felt like writing you this! Can’t wait for the last chapter and of course hoping their story will continue somehow.

Sending you love to wherever you are, Charlotte (was a funny moment when I read my name im your story while also working in the same field as the Charlotte in the story, what a funny coincidence 🥹) ok now bye ❤️

Awe thank you so much! 🥰 You came at a great time! I had a feeling there'd be at least one Charlotte reading, it's such a pretty name ❤️

[lyra-r05e]

Hello! Not an ask.

Thanks for your hard work on What Friends Are For

Since it’s coming to an end soon, I wanted to let you know I ate that up and I always looked forward to your updates!! The inclusion of other characters not just Seb, Sam, and Abby made everything feel a lot more alive. I think there was already 20+ chapter when I got around to it and I definitely binged all the chapters that were out and stayed up till 2am. Glad I found you on tumblr recently to send my appreciation!! :)

Awe thank you so much! 🥹