#and yes this is the illusive tattoo artist au friends

[skyfallscotland]

Before that, I was writing tooth-rotting fluff. So here 💖

“Don’t cry.” I comfort her as best I’m able, rocking slightly on the spot. “I’m sure daddy didn’t mean to yell.” The last few words are pointed, a scowl on my lips as I eye him critically, certain that’s who he must be. He’s the spitting image of her, or well, she is of him. He’s beyond gorgeous—windswept black hair, high cheekbones and full lips, and tawny brown skin covered in tattoos. His eyes are a gold-flecked onyx I’ve never seen before and I’d say he’s the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen, but…he just made his three year old daughter cry.  He knows it too, judging by the way his face crumples as he reaches for her and she shies away. “It’s ok.” I try, brushing her hair back from her face as she releases a hiccuping sob. “I’m sure he’s sorry.” I glare venomously over her head, implying that if he isn’t already, he’s about to be.

[luckyarchivist]

Touchstarved LIs and Fanfiction AUs They Should Be In

Haven't been able to stop thinking about the people who said Ais is "always the tattoo artist in tattoo shop/flower shop AU". I don't even like tattoo shop/flower shop like that but it was such a correct thing to say and I have to acknowledge that. So here's that plus AUs I've seen that I think the LIs should be in.

Ais

Flower shop/tattoo shop, as mentioned. This one is TOO good. Come ON. Ais as the hot-ass owner of the local tattoo shop? Him listening to your idea for a tattoo and then smoothly and easily inking it into your skin and telling you you're good when you don't cry? I don't even need to explain this one. It makes sense in like every way.

NASCAR/Formula One AU. The idea of him getting out of that car sweaty as hell in the full racing suit after crushing a track record? Like, taking off the helmet and shaking his hair out and looking like he couldn't give less of a shit about winning first place? Yeah. I am not immune to vroom vroom

Mermaid AU but he's a bull shark or an octopus, not a fish. IDK if I want his claspers or his tentacles more, but either way he should be lurking in the briny deep and protecting me from the real ocean monsters and threatening to eat me even though he probably doesn't mean it, probably.

Vere

Magic/Witches AU. - C'monnnn, he's already so witchy! He's got the sleeves and everything. And yes I know TS already has magic in it, but you know what I mean. He, like, lives in the spooky forest and the people of the village are deathly afraid of him, but you need his magical help, so against the wishes of family and friends you seek him out. And he forces you through a series of dangerous illusions as a trial and, when you successfully pass them, finally agrees to help you for a price...

Royalty AU as either the capricious king of a powerful nation or that king's advisor, formal or informal (smart concubine). I've never seen Game of Thrones but that kind of castle politics, shadowy backstabbing shit seems right up his alley.

Modern AU as an artist: I already talked about this with Vere as an artist and game dev, but I think it'd be so funny if Vere was just sitting in a coffee shop (local, Starbucks is below him) trying to finish his commissions in peace because his roommate(s) are annoying and/or distracting. Honestly, Vere would also rock as a modern AU witch, like urban fantasy type.

Leander

Barista/Bartender AU. He's so extroverted and congenial I have to put him in a drink service AU. He definitely has a "time to mix drinks and save lives" type of work ethic behind the counter. He remembers regular customers and their drink orders, he is LIBERAL with discounts, and he leaves little notes to the people he thinks are cute.

Serial killer AU. I am so basic and even though I have no desire to watch or listen to true crime now, I was raised on the Investigation Discovery Channel and I've never lost that. Look at his fucking face. He's asking for it to be covered in blood. Even better if this is combined with the above AU and he's a sweet server by day and a ruthless murderer by night but he keeps the same wide, pleasant, and genuine smile on because both things are things he loves to do. Even BETTER if he has an obsession with one of his regulars and starts killing people around them in an attempt to get closer with them.

Theatre AU. Siiiighs. Yeah, I'm a theatre kid. And I just know this guy would be one of those actors who wants to be a mentor/older brother figure for any new troupe-members. He's walking you through all the vocal warmups. He's offering to help you run lines. He's driving you home after rehearsals. He is a triple threat, but he doesn't prefer musicals because he doesn't like singing in front of an audience (even though he's an amazing singer). And I just know props absolutely hates him because he keeps touching shit that isn't his.

Kuras

Hospital AU and Angels/Demons AU is too easy. Instead, I'm giving him the flower shop owner in flower shop/tattoo shop AU. Anyone here like KurAis? Anyways, I think it would be sweet to have him be the super-tall, kind but a little awkward and very knowledgeable owner of a flower shop. He probably enjoys crafting bouquets that have meaning in flower language. And yes, he knows about the nice meanings and the rude meanings, so you can get a "fuck you" bouquet from Kuras.

Detroit Become Human AU as an android. I barely remember D:BH but it was one of the first things that occurred to me when thinking about AUs for Kuras. Maybe because he'd be the kind of android who was like, "Don't worry, I'm not a real person, it's okay if I get shot repeatedly," and wouldn't understand why someone would be concerned about him anyways.

Elementary school teacher/single parent AU but I don't know if I want him to be the teacher or the parent. Do I want him to look after a group of children, making efforts to understand their silly little words and communicate with them so they learn and feel cared for? Or do I want him to be the struggling single parent who is so happy to see their child finally getting the attention they deserve outside the house? IDK, but I'd be happy either way.

Mhin

Superhero AU. They're kinda already halfway to superhero gear with the hood and the cape and the tight pants, but I think it be cool for them to dart from rooftop to rooftop, saving civilians and fighting crime. IDK if it'd be cooler if they were half-hero half-villain (controlled by their bird-monster side and wreaking havoc) or if it'd just be nice to have a crow hero motif. Anyway they save me and I'm a reporter who uses my reporter contacts to try and track them down not knowing they're actually my upstairs neighbor who I bring shepherd's pie and strawberry cupcakes to sometimes.

The other tattoo artist in tattoo shop/flower shop. You know how there's always some other character working in one or both of the shops? Ayeah that's Mhin. Number one, I think it'd be hot if they had tattoos. But even if they don't they're still hot when they give the tattoo because focus and skill are attractive. They're talented enough that Ais keeps them around even though they hate him. They never talk to him even though he's their boss. Over the course of the fic Mhin and Ais get closer b/c Kuras is friends with both of them and he wants them to like each other.

Angel/Demon AU as an angel because I want them to be corrupted :) I want them to be forced to submit to their own worst impulses :) and eventually realize that being evil makes them feel good and more importantly liberated and in control :) also maybe they can get wrecked by a demon please :)

Aaaand the DLC cast gets one as a treat!

Sen

Pacific Rim AU but PLEASE don't ask me why. I don't even REMEMBER Pacific Rim. But the clarity with which I could imagine Sen in a Pacific Rim AU is startling. She's gruff and she doesn't want to partner up with you, a rookie, but somehow you have perfect chemistry in the mech she doesn't want to acknowledge. She's too reckless out of disregard for her life, and you reel her in; you're inexperienced, and she fixes your mistakes. Then one day she starts to notice that she's guarding her own life more fiercely than ever before...because of you.

If that's not what Pacific Rim is about shhhh don't correct me /j

Elyon

Easy answer is pornstar/industry AU or camming AU but I'll never take the easy way out. And I know we don't know shit about the guy but I think reincarnation AU would kinda hit with him. His promo talks about wanting things money can't buy? Like possibly the ability to save his soulmate from dying and forgetting him over and over while he retains the memories of every life they've both shared and lived separately, as friends, lovers, enemies, and strangers? That would go hard imo.

If you read all of that, thanks! I hope you enjoyed~

[theshinsun]

WIP Roundup

I was tagged by @taigainside and @izukillme, thanks guys!! <3

I’ve already laid out my full list of WIPs for this prompt, so I’m going to take this opportunity to talk about a few I didn’t get to touch on, as well as discussing some of my currently updating fics.

everything under the sun 

the massive, self-indulgent pastel/punk college AU I’ve been waiting to write for over two years now. I think I’m finally going to tackle it next month for NaNoWriMo (at least to try and get it to 50k, the structure and milestones might motivate me and help me along). I’ve talked about it a little before, drawn some things for it, and made a playlist, but I still don’t think y’all realize just how deep this thing goes. the logline is “Kagami doesn’t realize what he’s getting into when he agrees to meet the rest of Kuroko’s friends”, but the real gist of it is trying to capture the impact people have on each other’s lives, the wonderful weirdness of the college experience, the feelings of being young and in love... it’s the most ambitious project I’ve ever taken on, part of the reason it’s taken so long to get to the point where I can actually write it, and let me tell you *slaps roof of 14-page outline doc* this baby can fit so much self-projection in it. I’m excited and terrified and you should be too.

Full-Frontal (or, “draw me like one of your American boys”)

AoKaga nude model AU. they... say write what you know? I’ve got this one outlined and have started to draft it out, but I haven’t made any serious progress just yet. it’s just a oneshot, and it’s very self-indulgent, but it’s a nice simple project to come back to when the others get too stressful.

beards (re: playing it straight)

I’ve had the idea for awhile now of writing a real fake dating AU, in which the fake pairing never actually get together, and help each other get with other people instead. basically, Aomine and Momoi are each other’s beards, it’s a mutually-beneficial arrangement since Momoi is secretly with Riko and is tired of fending off hopeful straight guys, and Aomine is still in the closet and doesn’t want to deal with relationship advances of any kind. things get complicated when Momoi suggests breaking off the deal so she can be with Riko in the open, but Aomine is still in denial and clinging to the illusion, despite having finally met someone else he actually wants to be with.

worst kept secret

part of my Aomine/x collection... there is no plot whatsoever, the only thing you need to know is the working title for a long time was “the glory hole fic”.

Crazy = Genius (+Balls To The Walls)   

I’m planning on writing an Aomine/Oikawa crossover someday, just you wait. these two titles refer to what would essentially be two parts of the same concept, the first from the alternating points of view of Momoi and Iwaizumi, who are at turns completely baffled and weirdly understanding of Aomine and Oikawa’s nonsensical relationship. the second would follow the boys themselves, and show exactly what kinds of insane scenarios they get themselves into. 

The Night We Met

the AoKuro time-travel fic nobody asked for, inspired by a song of the same name by Lord Huron. in the middle of Aomine’s post-Teiko slump, he’s suddenly transported back in time to the moment he and Kuroko first met. he’s then forced to essentially relive middle school, with all the memories and knowledge of how things will eventually pan out still intact. I’ve got this one about half done already; it should be around four or five chapters long by the time it’s complete, I’m just trying to wrap up one or two existing fics before I publish any more WIPs.

and speaking of wrapping up existing fics...

Hoist the Colors

the AoKaga pirate AU I started to take my mind off being trapped in quarantine, after binge-watching the entire Pirates of the Caribbean series back to back and listening to the soundtrack for several days. chapter one (out of five-ish) is already completed, and I’ve got a very clear outline for the rest of the story, I just need time between projects to string it together. 

Bring Me Roses

why yes I am still planning on finishing my AoKuro Florist/Tattoo Artist AU, thanks for asking! I’ve got foreshadowing and subtext to follow through on and more flower symbolism to write, I can’t just leave it hanging forever. I’ve got about half of the second part already written out, and I know exactly where it’s going, I just kind of lost steam somewhere in the middle and have to find the motivation to pick it back up.

I’m tagging: @bakugoukatsuki-rising, @hybristophilica, @meiyanaalexia, @hadenxcharm, @spaztictwitch, @homiro and anyone else who’d like to give this a go! 

[rvlwrttn]

Time’s Up

Joy x Reader

Request: Pairing : Joy x female reader genre : angst , fluff , tattoo artist!au , soulmate!au plot : Joy was a happily single tattoo artist, she covered her soulmate mark with tattoos (Joy kind of hates the idea of soulmates and rejects the idea of it.) Until she met her soulmate, a college student who has a reputation for having planned out and being successful.

Note: This is late, but it’s finally done! Thanks for requesting, and hope you all like it! (P.S. There is some fluff, but this turned into mostly angst.)

It was Valentine’s Day, and Joy was feeling a bit pissed off.

All these smiling couples walking by her self-owned tattoo store, hand in hand, making lovey-dovey eyes at each other.

‘Soulmates.’ Joy thought, distaste evident on her face.

But she knew it was all fake.

These people just thought it was love. But it wasn’t. It was all an illusion.

From the moment Joy had found out about ‘soulmates’, she had believed it was both stupid and unfair. Why couldn’t she pick the right person for herself? Surely she knew who was best for her, instead of this so-called ‘destiny’.

She didn’t need some useless mark on her wrist to tell her who she was ‘destined’ to spend her life with, if she was ‘destined’ to spend it with anyone at all.

Out of curiousity, she looked down at said wrist, studying the set of numbers seemingly engraved into her skin. Though she had done her best to cover the damn mark by tattooing a very intricate flower design over it, the numbers were still visible through the ink. According to everyone else, these numbers represented the amount of time your soulmate had left to live…

Joy, of course, scoffed at the idea.

“Is something funny?” Joy whirled around; she hadn’t even heard anybody come in. Then again, she’d been really caught up in her thoughts.

Her eyes came to rest on you. Considering you were wearing a jacket with the nearby university’s mascot and colors, she guessed you must be a college student.

You were also quite attractive, which she didn’t fail to notice.

“Can I help you?” Joy wondered what a college student like yourself would be doing alone at a tattoo shop on Valentine’s Day.

“Um..yes. I want to get a tattoo.” You proclaimed. Joy smirked.

“Then you’ve come to the right place.” She grinned. “Do you have anything in mind for what you want to get?”

You quickly pulled a piece of paper out of your back pocket and brought it up to show it to her. Expecting some complicated design, Joy found herself confused by what was actually on the page. Not much had been drawn on there, except for a number.

“You want to tattoo yourself with the number 57?” You also looked surprised, and took the page from her.

“Wow, they went easy on me!” You said, turning to look outside. Joy looked over your shoulder, seeing three more people. They laughed, and seemed to cheer you on with several, excited thumbs up.

“My friends,” you gestured to the others outside, “dared me to get a tattoo. But they had to be the ones to choose it. They gave me this piece of paper, where they told me they’d drawn the tattoo they’d chosen.”

“You hadn’t seen it yet?”

“No, they told me not to look.” You seemed relieved. “Thankfully, they didn’t pick something too extreme. Otherwise, I might have had a panic attack.”

You added, “I don’t usually do spontaneous things like this.”

Joy took the paper from your hands. She traced the number with her thumb.

“Why the number 57, though?”

You turned to look at her sheepishly. “Well, it’s the number that’s currently on my wrist.”

You pulled up the sleeve of your jacket, and showed her your wrist. Sure enough, the small numbers 57, followed by several other numbers keeping count of the months, weeks, day, hours, minutes, and seconds left before your soulmate would die, were now visible on your exposed skin.

“I see.” Joy didn’t want to linger on the topic, so she motioned you to follow her to the back. You trailed behind her until she stopped at the entrance of a well-lit room.

“We’ll do it in here.” She didn’t catch the unintended innuendo, only noticing the misconstrued meaning of her words when she saw you blushing and clearing your throat.

“The procedure.” She clarified, although she had to admit, she did enjoy your nervousness. It was endearing.

As she prepared her equipment, she had you sit down on the chair in the middle of the room. Once everything was ready, she turned to you.

“Where do you want the tattoo?” You hesitated as if you hadn’t considered it before.

“I guess…on my other wrist?” Joy nodded. She approached you, bringing a chair of her own to sit on.

“Pull up your sleeve.” You did as told, probably wanting to get the experience over with, like many first timers she had worked on. She began the procedure by disinfecting the area on your wrist. Once she was done with that, she could visibly see you tense up.

“Look, um…what’s your name again?” She asked.

“Y/N.”

“Y/N. This is going to hurt, I’m not going to lie.” She said, looking into your eyes. “But it’s not the worst thing that’s going to happen to you.”

You took a deep breath.

“You’re right.” You said agreeing. “Just…do it.”

You turn away as Joy inserted the needle into your skin. The sudden pain caused you to yelp involuntarily. Not wanting to focus on the sharp pain coming from your wrist, you decided to ask her a question. Something that had caught your attention before.

“So…I got the feeling you don’t like talking about soulmates.” You began.

Joy didn’t answer right away. Instead, she chose to focus on her work. You tried again.

“I haven’t met my soulmate yet. Have you?”

“Not that it really matters, but no, I haven’t.” Joy finally answered, although a bit begrudgingly.

You took a moment to think about what to say next, before asking another question.

“Do you want to find your soulmate?” Joy sighed, beginning to wonder if taking you as a customer had been a mistake.

“Let’s just say that I don’t expect to find one and I don’t care if I find one.”

You contemplated her answer. From Joy’s serious expression, you could tell she didn’t care for the idea of having a soulmate.

“Hey, if it’s of any consolation, the soulmate thing doesn’t exactly thrill me either. Even if I did find my soulmate, I’d doubt I’d be happy about it. Much less be able to maintain a serious relationship with them.” You winced after Joy worked on a particularly sensitive spot.

She continued working on your tattoo, not giving any indication of listening to your words. But internally, she felt confused. The more you talked, the more she felt drawn to you. It was unlike anything she had ever felt before, even with any of her past boyfriends or girlfriends.

She didn’t like it.

“So, yeah. I have too much to think about right now to meet my soulmate. My future, school, work…my future. I mean-“ Joy loudly cleared her throat.

“All done.” You seemed a bit surprised, even inspecting the currently sore area. Sure enough, the number 57 now appeared to be permanently marked on your skin.

“Now I just need to bandage it.”

“Bandage it?”

“Yes, so it won’t get infected.” Joy said matter-of-factly.

“Infected!?” Your worried tone brought a smile to her lips. She began to gently bandage the area of your new tattoo.

“Listen, Y/N. You’re going to need to take care of this area, at least for a bit. Try to avoid being in the sun for too long. And if you see any signs of infection, come see me again.” As you were about to answer, she interrupted.

“You know what? Why don’t we just meet later this week? That way I could check up on you.” Joy didn’t know what had possessed her to say what she had just said. It was too late to take it back, it was already out there.

“Um, sure, I-“

“Great, here’s my phone number. Just text me yours later.” Joy assured herself she was just being friendly and concerned for her customer.

After sheepishly waving goodbye, you walked out of her store, and into the cold.

“Can you believe this one guy wanted me to tattoo a photograph of his cat?” Joy mused, while taking a sip of her drink.

A month had passed, and this was now your fifth get-together with Joy after your initial meeting at her tattoo shop. You’d both spent the last hour talking about something silly, about the weird things people had gotten tattooed on their bodies, according to Joy.

“That doesn’t sound too crazy.”

“Yeah, but he wanted to get it tattooed in a place he wouldn’t be able to see it.” She added.

“Oh. Oh!” Your grossed-out expression had Joy smiling into her drink.

She admitted it. She had a crush on you, as cheesy as she thought that sounded.  

Screw her soulmate. She knew she would rather spend all her time with you instead. She had fallen for you. For your humor, for your kindness, and for your heart. This was way more real than any love she could ever feel with a soulmate, she felt sure.

“Well, I better get going.” You stood up, gathering your things. “My mom’s expecting me in half an hour.”

“I’d better go too. My break should have finished 20 minutes ago.” Joy followed you outside, noticing you lingering a bit longer than usual.

“Listen, Joy. I want to tell you something.” You began. “I really like you, like really, really, like you, but I’m worried that you don’t feel the same…if you don’t it’s-“

You had suddenly felt Joy’s lips on yours.

She’d only been paying attention to your lips, which had been moving a mile a minute, and she knew then she had to have them pressed against hers.

To Joy, it felt as if her life had been leading up to this moment. Right now, the only ones that mattered were you and her. Until you broke away.

“Joy…”

“Sooyoung. Call me Sooyoung.” She breathed.

You were conflicted. You really wanted to stay with her, but then again, your mom was waiting for you.

“Sooyoung,” you said softly, “I have to go.”

She didn’t want to let you go, but she understood, so she reluctantly released her grip on your jacket.

Kissing her quickly, you assured her, “I’ll see you soon.”

Seeing you go, she could feel a sudden sadness creep into her heart. Instinctively, she checked her wrist. Her soulmate mark, the group of numbers, was now telling her that her soulmate had 20 seconds to live.

Wherever, they were, she felt sorry for them. Hell, she could even feel tears forming in her eyes. But why would she feel this sad for somebody she hadn’t even met? Unless…

It couldn’t be. You couldn’t be her…soulmate…could you?

10 seconds.

Joy could feel her heart constricting now. Her feet, as though moving on their own, began to run after you.

5 seconds.

There you were, standing at the edge of the street, waiting for the light to turn green.

4 seconds.

You took a step onto the street, seemingly unaware of the car speeding towards you.

3 seconds.

Joy opened her mouth to call out, to warn you, but all that came out was a cry.

2 seconds.

You stopped in your tracks, trying to figure out where that shrill sound had come from.

1 second.

You turned your head, finally aware of the danger that was already there. You raised your hands, as if to protect yourself. But it was too late.

Joy knew this.

With a broken heart, she turned away, not wanting to witness her soulmate being taken away from her.

She fell to the ground as she began to weep, mourning the loss of her love. The love that had been ripped from her grasp before she’d even realized what she’d had.

On her wrist, the timer had reached zero.