#the modern au (tm)

[tenoart]

Your honour they're silly

[poopiefart420]

Finally did my modern au jack sheet

There’s more little head canons I have but I couldn’t think of em

[biowaredisasterbisexual]

A Word With Friends

Thanks so much for the tags @woundedsoul12, @nevesserialwriter, and @mythals-whore! And thanks for the game, @hedwigoprah!

The word for the week is:

Prodigious

Very big in size or quantity; gigantic; colossal; huge;

extraordinarily exciting or amazing;

ominous, portentous

I’ll send some gentle tags to, if they want to and haven’t done it: @sandcastlekings, @bestboyargos, @jouskaroo, @antivan-sprig, @himluv, @mageofquandrix, @bygonesigh, @dymme, @hyperions-light, @grimrevolution, @aetherflowers, and YOU! If you want to play, jump in and tag me so I can read your brilliance!

Also, if you want me to tag you in stuff like this, you can let me know HERE.

My effort, whatever this is from the Modern AU, below the cut.

If seeing him in uniform earlier had thrown Neve for a loop, seeing Rook glad-handing Altus politicians and military brass with a polite (though, to her eyes, strained) smile was even more jarring. His expression didn’t reach his eyes, which were tight at the corners, and that little dimple he got near the left corner of his mouth when he grinned was absent.

When had she started paying so much attention to him, exactly?

The ceremony’s conclusion was apparently the invitation the magisters and upper-level bureaucrats had been waiting for; an opportunity to stand for photographs with Rook and his comrades in front of the new memorial to show their undoubtedly very sincere support for the largely Soporati military and the ancient city of Ventus.

Rook seemed to grow dimmer with each flash of a camera, magical and mundane alike.

He was dragging a bit when they finally allowed him off the dais, and Neve began snaking her way unobtrusively through the crowd to join him.

But it appeared she wasn’t the only one who’d been lying in wait for him to be approachable, as Octavian planted himself in Rook’s path.

Neve hadn’t been planning on providing first aid today, and doubted she reasonably should given Rook’s recent injuries; she sped up.

“Micah,” Octavian greeted with an audible sneer. “I’m surprised you graced us with your presence on this prodigious occasion.”

As she drew closer, Neve saw Rook smirk. It was…off, though. Not teasing. Not good-natured. No, he was a sharpened blade flashing in the light, not a warm sunbeam, as he stared Octavian down.

“Someone had to uphold the honor of the family name,” Rook said, to any potential observers indifferent to his cousin’s dig. His tone was distant, his manner formal. It was so foreign that Neve hardly recognized him in that moment. “Your father seemed to think I was the best choice to do so.”

Octavian’s sallow complexion began pinking at an alarming rate, and as Neve pulled along side Rook she could see a muscle jumping angrily in Octavian’s jaw.

He too was in uniform, though despite being Rook’s age (or near too), he’d either seen less action or proven far less if the awards on his chest were anything to go on. His straw-blond hair was slicked back with something that allowed not a single strand to move as Octavian shook his head in frustration, glared at Rook a long moment, and stormed off.

“Someday, I’ll learn what exactly you did to make him hate you so much,” she commented idly as Rook turned to face her, and for the first time in hours she saw his eyes crinkle with genuine amusement.

“Let me know when you find out,” he chuckled. “I’ve always wondered.”

[frystsnow]

but what if i tell you that jack is a history professor in a modern au! what if i tell you that he's far from an intellectual but he finds fascination in history because they're just another form of storytelling, of the multifaceted heart of man, and that it's not a matter of intellect but of preserving memory and understanding humanity? He's the type of professor who asks his students to choose a topic, reenact it like a mini-theater in his own classroom, so his students can situate themselves in the shoes of figures from the past and further their understanding and empathy for events of the past, as well as why actions are morally right or wrong. and what if i tell you that outside of being the Coolest Professor(TM) there is, he takes care of preschool kids and volunteers at community programs because his love for stories began because of the fairytales he'd tell his little sister at night? he's quite literally everywhere at once bc he likes to be involved and try out different interests. what then. what then!

[lolathelooptyloop]

bro my dad is a literary fiction professor and he just told me that one of his students submitted a jayvik fanfiction for him to grade 😭😭 he's never watched arcane should i explain the lore to him

[buff-muffin]

I’ve been slowly brewing up little One piece canon compliant head canons. These could be used to write little stories if I or someone else wanted. But I just want to get them out of my head so here you go.

Just an FYI. I’ve only finished pre-timeskip so spoilers for till the end of marineford ig and if something is proven different by Oda or later on in canon. I want y’all to know I really don’t care.

1. When Shanks was visiting Foosha village he had never actually heard of bug fighting neither had almost any of the crew. To little Luffy that was essentially a hate crime and he ran out of the bar so fast all of them thought they had upset the boy. He returned around an hour later with two large bugs in his hands and the crew got to watch them fight. Thoroughly smashed and here to enjoy Luffys interests they got WAY too into the fight and started placing bets and were screaming, cheering for their chosen bug. Never had the town seen so many grown adults so worked up over two bugs on a bar table.

2. Nami helps Usopp with his hair care. Back at Syrup village he normally had the kids help out when it finally needed to be washed. But now on the Going Merry he didn’t exactly trust a man with three swords or Luffy near his hair. And Sanji wasnt much help either. He was scared to ask at first but after Arlong Park Nami agreed and it soon become tradition for them to kick Sanji out of the kitchen for Usopp’s hair day and spend the whole time talking and gossiping. Sanji was and still is jealous about it but it’s completely platonic

3. (continuing after 2) Chopper was the next member to join the ‘hair care club.’ While his hooves aren’t the best for helping out with washing or braiding, and his human form’s hands were too big. He liked hearing about what went into caring for different hair textures. And he just liked to be helpful. However it was through being in the hair care club did Chopper realise that being part human because of his devil fruit meant his fur needed to be washed way more often than it did. And after some trial and error with wash frequency and products, they found the perfect combo that leaves him adorably soft.

4. (also continuing after 2) Robin was the fourth member and was invited to join before the events of Skypia. Nami asking if Robin could braid her hair while she did Usopp’s. But Robin just quietly confessed she had no idea how to braid hair. Seeing as no adult in her life wanted to sit down and teach her at Ohara. Seeing that as an atrocity, the hair care club had their first offical meeting. Where they showed Robin all sorts of braids on both Nami’s hair and Usopp’s

5. (continuing after 4) Robin quietly found herself very proud of the knowledge of knowing how to braid. And on quiet hours on the ship while she was reading and everyone was doing their own quiet things. She often used extra hands to add little braids to Luffy’s hair while he either fished or napped. Luffy is completely aware she is doing this yet never thought to bring it up. He loves little acts of affection from his crew and waking up to braids in his hair never fail to make him smile.

6. (continuing after 2. This is the final one I swear) Brook is the last member of the hair care club. While he lets Chopper check his ‘roots’ and general hair health he actually knows how to do different hair styles for Usopp’s hair texture and happily teaches him as well as the others and now Usopp can finally branch out in hair styles

7. one of Luffy’s favourite pass times is to listen to his crew mates talking about their dreams. He sits at the table listening to Sanji tell tales about the all blue. Or listen to Franky and Robin ramble about work. He listens to Zoro talk about people he wants to fight, and the islands Nami wants to visit. He’ll listen to Chopper’s doctor mumbo jumbo and Usopp talking about plans for new weapons. He loves listening to Brook’s songs but he’ll also hear tales about the skeleton’s old crew and stories of Laboon. He tries to ask questions to sound interested but it normally just gives people the idea he’s not paying attention. So instead he gives them encouragement. Because his favourite part, is seeing the way their eyes light up talking about something their truly passionate about, and the shameless smile they give him knowing their captain would never once make fun of their dream.

8. Robin quickly found comfort in Luffy after joining the crew and for a while she couldn’t figure out why. Until she realised his ‘shishishi’ laugh sounded just like Jaguar D. Saul’s, the giant she met growing up. And when she realised it was the first night she slept soundly on that little boat.

9. After loosing his arm Shanks went through a really annoying yet hilarious adjustment period of getting halfway through a task before realising he needs two hands. His crew always laughed when Shanks did his ‘wait how am I gonna do this’ pause. And while they always help him out when he needs it. They know he will figure out how to open things himself. Hopefully without his teeth.

10. Ace very proudly has a scar on his arm from where Luffy accidentally bit him once way too hard while fighting. When Dadan patched him up and told them it was probably gonna scar Ace was pissed, Luffy was wailing in apologies and Sabo had been dying of laughter that Ace’s first ‘cool fighting scar’ was his brothers teeth mark. Now though? Among the other battle scars Ace’s skin bares. That scar is his favourite story to tell. And all of the Whitebeard pirates know to. Never let their fingers near Luffy’s mouth.

[cute-ellyna]

Ooooh I wanted to do that “OC wardrobe” thing so much but… how the hell did you guys searched/found plausible canon clothes? I mean I don’t even know what keywords to use ç_ç

[backpackingspace]

I cannot decide if I want Helen and Odysseus to have a full out screaming match in the next chapter (both are triggered and pissed. ) This would derail the fic but could be fun with Helen and Odysseus now having to work together to either convince the group to let them back or find a new one. On one hand bonding and look at that plot! On the other hand I feel like this would take away from the seriousness of the fic. The other option is them having a serious whispered fight by the snack table until Jessica comes and is like :) This is a safe space :) keep your outside problems outside :)

[tenoart]

Getting to draw these two for a commission is a dream come true. Not to mention free reign to make it truly zesty

[ctommy-chileno]

c!molly. what a concept

[biowaredisasterbisexual]

Post-Neve Week Round-Up

A poor title, because I am never post-Neve anything on this blog, but good enough. 😂

WHAT A WEEK! I had so much fun, read so much fic, saw so many amazing pieces of art, incredible gifs, and gorgeous screenshots. There was Neve-based fiber arts and music. Truly, I am still mind-blown by this past week.

Absolutely fantastic.

For my part, in the lead-up to Neve Week 2025 I wrote around 16k words for it, and honestly parts of it may be some of what I like best of my own writing. And here it is all in one place!

For Neve Week I wrote a ficlet series, as I have for all of the @datvcompanionweeks events so far:

Neve Week Ficlet Series

Rating: E (chapters 1-6 are T, chapter 7 is E)

Pairing: Neve/Rook

About: Each chapter is based on one of the daily prompts from Neve Week, and for the free day I took a poll here on tumblr and let democracy decide what I wrote. (The democratic process leads to smut. Noted.)

I think one of my favorite things I’ve written, in all seriousness, is Trouble | Contentment from this series.

I also decided to write a full-on fic for the week, a first for me during one of these weeks, and I did it as a 5+1, which I’d never tried before. The result was:

Cool. Calm. Collected.

Rating: T

Pairing: Neve/Rook

About: Five times Neve kept her cool, and one time she didn’t.

I really liked getting to play in the area of Neve’s emotional control, the depth of her emotions and tight hold on them, and examine that from her childhood through post-Veilguard. Plus, I got to do something really self-indulgent at the end, and I love that for me. My favorite chapter is probably Chapter 4 - The End, but I am fairly happy with the whole thing.

Don’t forget to check out the Neve Week 2025 AO3 Collection for great stuff!

Now I rest in my post-Neve Week delirium, and probably won’t read or write much, if at all, for several days at least. Unless the raccoons get knives again.

But, below the cut, some additional info about what I’ll be working on when I get back to it!

Gifset made by the incredible @hyperions-light

The Ventus Job

Rating: E (future smut)

Pairing: Neve/Rook

Summary:

The Evanuris have been defeated, the blight is in retreat, but there is still work to be done. The destruction of Minrathous and the precarious position of the Tevinter government are a singular opportunity for the Venatori. No rest is available for the weary Shadow Dragons.

With concerns arising not only in Minrathous, but in Ventus — a city Rook has a complicated relationship with — he and Neve have their work cut out for them. Old enemies have come out of the woodwork to avenge prior losses. Family tensions that were buried have risen to the fore. Facing their pasts is inevitable if they’re going to have a future.

Rook said he’d bet on himself and Neve every time, but was his bet a winning one?

The Ventus Job is a sequel to my Getting Into Trouble series, and both fics are part of the same universe as my Neve Week works.

Aaaaaand last but not least: I am working on a Modern AU. Here’s a snippet of Chapter One:

She found Rook holding court with some of the soldiers and veterans they’d been seated near earlier. “How was I supposed to know it was a hallucinogen?!” He asked, and his new friends laughed. “It was tea!!”

“I leave you alone for fifteen minutes, and you’re already dabbling in mind-altering substances?” Neve said dryly as she drew closer.

“Not tonight. Yet. But we have time,” he joked, smiling mischievously as he turned towards her. She shook her head, and he laughed. “Need me for something?”

She let herself smirk. “I can think of a use for you.”

Her eyes, entirely without her permission, followed the way his tongue swiped across his lower lip. When she pulled them back up to meet his gaze, his eyes were dark and earnest as he offered, “Use me however you want.”

She was not going to think about the insinuation there.

“See you later, fellas. Gotta help out my friend here.”

One of the men snickered. “If that’s how you look at your friends, I think we probably shouldn’t hang out again.” Rook flipped him off, laughing, before following as Neve led him towards her targets.

“So what’s the plan?” He asked her sotto voce.

She glanced at him over her shoulder and smirked. “How are you at dancing?”

So plenty to do! Just as soon as my brain works again!

Awesome Neve Week everyone! 💕

[hjemne]

Babygirl I have 38 thousand words of incomplete trigun fic spread across 8 wips and have no idea how to even start dealing with it

[song-linked-from-nine-verses]

/anyway, here's wonderwall

(plays the rick roll opening that segways into weezers riff)

[full---ofstarlight]

modern au concepts that i will never write my beloved.....

[astralcat]

Designs for a HS/Modern AU I'm writing

These are the four "main" characters aka the ones with the most focus, but there are some other characters (mainly from 0079/Zeta/ZZ) that show up

If you're wondering about Amuro's name, his parents divorced when he was 8 (due to disagreements over lifestyles and Kamaria cheating) and just a few weeks prior to the main story, his custody agreement changes from living with Kamaria full-time (with Tem visiting on the weekends) to living with Tem full-time (also i am a Good Dad Tem truther, canon doesn't exist and no Tem slander is allowed here!)

Fraw lives with her single mother (her dad died from medical complications while Fraw's mother was pregnant with her) and her grandfather (her mom's dad, moved in because he didn't want to enter assisted living) and in the very first chapter Fraw's mom agrees to foster three kids ages 7, 6 and 4 (these are the kids ⬇️)

Fraw also has three older siblings who have all gone off to college at this point: Liz, Ethan and Melissa

(bonus: I designed Kamille in fucking Gacha Life 2 💀)

(Fraw's previously-mentioned older siblings too, I am being consumed by the cringe)

Edit: Some more characters!

[unproduciblesmackdown]

spinning off of "winston being fantastically (literally fantastical (literally related to fantasy)) clairvoyant (he is also figuratively clear-sighted / figuratively preternaturally perceptive just like, in the show. which is where this all comes from. plus him calling himself cassandra, always seeing the future. he really has always / continued to be thusly) and taylor literally has a broadsword" type fun and games that are very loosey goosey b/c billions aus go spinning off into their own separate dimensions super easily when billions canon is so rooted in its specific Stage Settings of modern day US law n finance battles in the office, sidewalks, and eateries:

the thought of winston & tuk and winston gets to be a fairy. jokes, please. changelings are right there with the common theory of "was this to explain disabilities & go 'something could go Wrong and the baby's not a Person and get rid of that,' unlike nowadays where people do that but go 'b/c that baby's disabled'" and also one goes Thinking Emoji about how apparently New Mothers and New Brides were susceptible along with New Borns to become swapped out with a fairy and now something's wrong with them and get rid of that. had to be about Something given that people apparently did act on changeling lore and martin luther is taking a stance like yeah another thesis, it's important to kill them And okay to kill them b/c they don't even have a soul anyways. okay thanks martin luther....meanwhile also witchcraft and getting after anybody for that too. and fairies generally as Problems, the etymology going back to [fate], the range like "ooh hehe causing funny little inconveniences just because" to more so "yeah they could cause life-threatening illness for that" and "yeah they'll just kill you"....and i think fairy/fey as respective noun/adj re: being gay is of Unknown Origin, like "gay" also is. and you never know, if being fey is like, well something's not right and it's dangerous, whether this is the inspiration....though by the time this slang starts turning up, and even in the time of prior possible origins / the roots in other usages / potential inspirations, theoretical actual fairies are surely becoming more Fanciful, this being around like, the 18th century, rather than "here's martin luther telling you to immolate! that! baby!"

but that like, you can have it all ways out here. the Always Small fairies i think being a later kind of victorian deal, rather than "fairies are shapeshifters & can become animals e.g. & May have a 'tiny little inches or millimeters high mode' but that's just a mode & the fact that generally though they just look like people, maybe with some stylistic variations and tells, means watch out" and i think wings came up ever, across yknow the various centuries and regions of folklore out here lmao and possible origins / influences yet further across time & regions & cultures, but again "always small and always winged" being a very relatively modern victorian deal. but we can draw on that to be sure when, additionally, a Potential mutual [would prefer to avoid] between fairies and humans (as opposed to "if your house or some shit is on a fairy path bestie just build them another door to walk straight through cuz they're Gonna") becomes "no, fairies mostly avoid humans more than the other way around" type of imbalance of any threat means like, well hey sure, the Real Self could then become a tiny little magical guy having fun with wing designs who is shy and elusive but maybe another fun little guy can accidentally become aware but then have a secret little hidden friendship hmm....

but then also just thinking of the version where you just look exactly like everyone else and live amongst them, changeling style. and potentially don't Know you're different, or at least not Why, b/c this is a "from birth" thing like hmmm ya don't say. and the whole thread where in some folklore fairies Aren't nonhuman, the difference is only about the separate fairy Realm you live in, which is different, with like "yeah sometimes fairies come from people who died." and alongside / overlapping with everything like "yeah you could disappear for a few days to that realm and then be like 'don't wanna / can't talk about it'" and whatever all various like "watch out for the liminal and unknowingly wandering or being taken into the fairy world and Then watch out for communing with them b/c then you could be Permanently affected, or permanently continually affected or vulnerable, or just stuck there. and we wouldn't want that" like well don't let them know your name but maybe try to find out their names b/c you can get at them in turn that way, don't get in on any food, don't get in on any parties. though variations, sometimes people getting whisked away for particular tasks that apparently Only humans can do. or forever potential for helpful / sympathetic fairy interventions in life. like fairies raising humans b/c their human parents were awful

also, that some classic Tests for "is your baby a changeling?" were very like, "well i guess if we drowned or burned that person and they just died about it....our bad," in the way that like apparently the way to go could be "put them in the fire. where they'll either burn or fly out the chimney." or "start going tf beating them with objects. so that they go away" like and they never stop beating winston with hammers out here!! or the classic "idk abandon them in the forest so fairies can take them back" like well they do also like [i prefer to pretend winston doesn't exist / forget that he does] lmao. this isn't really related. just the ol "ballpeen hammers kind of goated when it comes to putting someone in a sack and beating them to death" factor out here for your local changelings

also sure thinking of like ohh watch out for winston and his gayass Realm he exists in which is wrong and not of our own and potentially will forever change you with its gayass ways. uh oh don't get corrupted into a whole other powerful magical mode of existence if you commune with him in some deep fundamental nourishing ways. oh nooo watch ouuuut....one of the "you might be a changeling if" moments being "when they think they're alone do they act up?? dance??" like yeah i'm stimming and bursting into motion and making noises and existing wrong when i think i'm alone. Old Souls (theory as well that newborn changelings were secretly elderly fairies)....existence in the Fey Realm just making you different and out of place huh. and it would just be a guy though like either [undetectable except by already trying to kill them] and/or [actually just a human, fairies are just humans, fairies b/c they're in/from the fairy realm] but uh oh don't let him corrupt you. don't go hanging out with him and talking with him and partaking in his activities and embracing his ways. you'll be changed. you'll never fit in around here and be able to do things right ever again. we'll have to start beating you with hammers. and all for what. your weird gayass little guy and a whole possible other dimension of existence? vs all This? smh