#flower shop au bedivere

[elstreem]

"And how are you, my little friend? Today is a good day."

I just wanted to draw a detailed chibi of my flower shop AU Bedi. Nothing I haven't drawn before, admittedly, this is one of those things I draw to relax myself.

His hair ribbons...are steadily getting bigger with every drawing...I wonder how far that will go lol.

[teamxdark]

Tis the season, I know Avalon doesn’t have a Christmas so I guess just normal gift giving. What would everyone get their loved one(s)?

(Can be office or TOA, whatever you’d like)

I've been trying to think about this for a while and I gotta say... I've been pretty stumped. Because as well as I know these characters and how they interact, I have very little insight as to what material items they'd enjoy. But heck, I'll try.

Office AU since they'll have different calendar holidays than the knights.

Arthur: He's the sort to leave gifts to the last minute, but he really does try to get something personal. He's not always successful but he'll stay up all night writing people songs if he has to.

Smithy: Makes everyone something. He likes making fancy letter-openers but he can't really explain why.

Nimue: 100% the person who makes all her gifts by hand and personalises them. She will remember the smallest hints people will mention in passing and follow through. An expert.

Lancelot: Usually buys his gifts, with the exception of some poems for very important people. Never lets himself break the bank. Has resorted to gift cards before.

Guin: A lavish gift-giver. She expects the same in return.

Gaheris: Buys treats for everyone. Usually it's chocolate but he takes care to make sure that no one gets something they can't eat/are allergic to. He has a list.

Gareth: Buys funny Hallmark cards and makes sure they match with the recipient perfectly.

Gawain: Tries way too hard to find the perfect gift for everyone, runs out of time, ends up signing Gareth's cards as well. People have received late gifts from him (we're talking mid-spring) because he found the perfect gift in March.

Lamorak: Asks you upright what you want and buys it for you if it's reasonable. Doesn't do gifts for everyone, only people he really cares about. That number is growing and he's started to complain about holiday shopping with Tristan.

Tristan: Does her holiday shopping over the course of the entire year and has wrapped presents since February.

Percival: Is a teen. Tries to budget her allowance for good gifts. Usually resorts to gift cards.

Galahad: Flowers. Hand-grown.

Kay: Tends to get people things that he thinks are cool. Sometimes it's a hit. Other times... It's the thought that counts.

Bors: Refuses to break the bank every year and every year, he treats everyone to a fun activity and breaks the bank. Experiences and memories mean more to him than material items.

Bedivere: Likes gifting food and knick-knacks from other cultures along with a reference sheet so people can learn as they enjoy their gifts.

Dindrane: Offers you one coupon for a car fix/tune up. They are always used.

Merlina: Somehow is right on the money with her presents every year. People swear she's magic or something.

Enid: Makes his own cards. Forces Geraint to sign them too.

Geraint: See Enid.

[elstreem]

Even in the garden of quiet, cloudy thoughts pass by.

Got stuff on my mind that's just been bugging me, but finally got around to sitting down and just drawing my flower shop AU Bedi helped.

[elstreem]

Find rest here. I really hope, you do.

It's not much, but I really wanted to draw a comfort piece of these two. It's something I often draw, I know.

There's something more comforting in the sketch, so I included it.

[elstreem]

Seeds of thought, now bursting into bloom.

Bedi from my flower shop AU! All my flower shop AU illustrations are pretty personal in their own way - I usually draw them for peace of my own mind, especially when I get bad thoughts kind of days. This was one of those...so I feel really happy about it. Just before I could finish it though, I got pretty sick - but I'm bouncing back and this is finally done!

I add all sorts of details for indulgent Bedi art, and while you can't see this in the "final" version above...I actually detail Bedi's face separately from his glasses.

He is seriously pretty all the time with those looks, but don't be fooled, he's definitely very sleep-deprived and has his own days of thinking too much.

[elstreem]

Fancy artsy comic about my flower shop AU Bedivere - this goes for canon Bedi too, but he loves deeply. While this love is not romantic in nature, he can, and has given all of himself to another person.

But he was ultimately unable to save the people he loved from dying. Artoria, of course, but also, Princess Helena, and his own brother, Lucan, who was the last person to die at Camlann.

Bedivere spent so long caring for other people, he forgot to care for himself. And when they died - it was all the more reason to deny any form of caring himself, feeling tremendous guilt. So in big and small ways he neglects himself, but unless one pays close attention you'd never notice, because he tries not to be a burden to anyone else.

Fortunately for him, he can still open his heart up and care for others again - and this time, all his care is repaid in full!

What inspired this was a line from Laura Shigihara's new song, "When You Wake Up" - this line, especially: This lonely heart/Broke from its timeline, now it's falling apart

Which, you know, is just a really beautifully written line, but also applies to Bedi, so I just had to draw something about Bedi's loneliness and grief. One last thing, I headcanon Bedivere is a bit scared of the sea and deep water in general (he speaks admiringly in FGO's Chapter 6 if you mention you've conquered the seas in Okeanos, and his comment goes "I was confident of my travels, but the sea was...") And with his whole "loving others deeply without leaving enough for himself" lends eerily well to a drowning imagery...really sorry Bedi, but it's ok, Fujimaru is here to hold your hand when you go to the sea

[elstreem]

Snowdrops, hydrangeas. BediGuda with my flower shop AU versions of Bedi and Fujimaru!

Bedivere is usually content to wear his usual uniform every day, but Merlin being the meddling mage he is he made Bedi a fancier outfit for festivals, which is this one. When these two started going steady, Fujimaru helps Bedivere out with the festival stall, and they wear each other's symbolic flowers while outside.

I worked a bit too hard on this really indulgent art...I really do appreciate any like and tags these gets, I reread those every time I get one. I guess I just want to say thank you, to everyone who likes this. Working on this much indulgent AU art means I'm no longer drawing more proper fanart most of the time, so any interaction feels meaningful, for people who find them and actually like them.

I'll be taking a break from posting for now, hopefully can come back more cheerful again.

[elstreem]

A wish for one to be gentle to the self.

Doodle of my flower shop AU Bedi.

[elstreem]

Redraws of flowershop AU Bedi art I did, with art pieces I drew this year.

Not super exact redraws, though the concepts are similar, for each. Say, chibi Bedis being asleep and having a frog plushie.

I have a bad tendency to see other art and think how much cooler or cuter other people's works are than mine, but with side by side comparisons like this of my own I can see where I've improved and where I still need to improve.

I am glad I started using desaturated colors for Bedi's hair instead of straight up gray, for one thing. And I like the way I draw his hair better now. But my coloring skills and color selection skills need work...I still feel very stale in that area. I want to achieve a more painterly look in my art more consistently.

[elstreem]

Weave breath and sunlight into a melody, a song to bring forth blooms.

Kinda in a slump making art but as always, a chibi flower au Bedi to the rescue! This has been a long wip though, it was a counterpart illustration to the heart Bedi at the end of last year.

Just to clarify, Bedi isn't a super good mage or anything even having studied under Merlin and being surrounded by Avalon's influence. But he did pick up a few tricks mostly related to flowers. He can use a small incantation or a song to create flowers out of his mana. It's more of an illusion than anything and fades pretty quickly. If one is lucky enough, perhaps one can find the quiet florist singing to himself while in the gardens, surrounded by glowing petals...

[elstreem]

A chibi of my flower shop AU boy while I was trying to work out what I felt like doing.

I wonder if I draw him a bit too cutesy but oh well, Bedi deserves to be cute.

Also sneak peek at something I felt like working on after doing this.

more flower shop AU shenanigans.

[elstreem]

look at him, where could he be going?

...I have a dozen different ideas for things I want to draw, but settled on drawing a chibi of my flower shop AU Bedi doing a Mario run ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[elstreem]

Stand in a flower field, breathe in deep.

First of many chibi flower shop AU Bedi illustrations this year! Flowy hair is just so fun to draw... ...though why did I pick a flower shop au again when I am terrible at drawing flowers?

[elstreem]

Well, I can't leave Bedivere drowning forever, so here's some sequel comics to this.

I wasn't quite planning to add to it, but before I knew it I sketched out some panels I liked the look of, so here they are. The key idea in this flower shop AU is healing - Bedivere has trouble loving himself, and all his unprocessed grief really hinders that. But, he does make new friends, slowly and surely - friends who help remind him to take care of himself, too.

I know I mostly focus on Bedis' friendship and eventual romance with Fujimaru in this AU, but there is a lot more love for him in other places. Boudica and Arash, who runs a diner and a tavern, are Bedi's first friends in this AU. They love befriending other shopkeepers, and both of them have sharp instincts, so the both know Bedivere is carrying around a lot of weight even if he tries to hide it. Boudica often scolds Bedivere for missing his meals, heh.

Sieg and Astolfo run a delivery business together, so they meet Bedivere frequently - and Astolfo being a cheerful sweetheart, he likes brightening up other people's days, and he certainly does cheer up Bedivere with his energy and chatter.

Bedivere develops a soft spot for Mash, with her being a knight in training, and he accidentally let slip he used to be a knight around her, but he doesn't mind it, really. As with Fujimaru, Mash looks up to Bedivere as a senpai.

And Fujimaru, being the kindhearted person we all know, drops by the flower shop regularly on errands but also to see Bedivere.

And there's a lot more folks, like Fran who repairs Bedi's arm when he breaks it, and former Knights, who though they bring up complicated feelings, Bedivere feels happy seeing them leading more fulfilled lives, too.

[elstreem]

Kinda trash at drawing locations but I felt like trying to sketch out what the actual flower shop space looks like in my flower shop AU Bedivere!

This one is gonna be long because I also want to describe how it works as a space and also talk about Bedivere's excellent work habits but also dismal life habits lol.

(oh yeah, just a quick background in case none of this makes sense, the premise of this AU is that after the events of Arthurian mythology, rather than living out the rest of his life naturally, Bedivere takes Merlin's offer to travel to a time and place where his old comrades have been reborn. So he became a florist, quietly living with memories of a past life that his comrades don't).

So first of all! The actual flower shop, Flowers of Avalon (originally I had it named Garden of Avalon but I realize it might end up getting confused with an actual Fate work, so I'll go with Flowers of Avalon now).

From the outside, what you actually see occupying the space is just the main flower shop and the counter on the side of the building - the whole thing was constructed by Merlin and to be accurate about it, Flowers of Avalon is something of a mage's workshop. So the whole thing is bigger on the inside regardless of what it initially looks like.

The flower shop opens at 9 am and closes at 7 pm - when it's open, the white curtains on the front doors and windows are pulled open, and when it's closed the curtains are also shut.

Inside the shop, most of its space is unsurprisingly filled by flowers on display. Lined along the wall in two rows are metal buckets holding flowers, with each bucket holding a type. On any given day customers can find typical blooms, such as roses, mums, lilies, and anthuriums in a few colors, as well as a variety of decorative leaves. In the center of the shop is a table which holds sample arrangements and bouquets. On the wall opposite to the flowers is a bench where customers waiting for their flowers or magio botanical supplies can sit down.

Yep, in addition to making flower arrangements, Bedivere also sells magio-botanical supplies, which includes roots, petals, seeds, and the like. So whether a customer wishes for a specific flower arrangement, or to have some pharmaceuticals prepared - they have to go to the counter to speak with Bedivere.

Behind the counter, where customers generally aren't allowed to go, are all of Bedivere's tools. On the flower arranging side he has a shelf where he has scissors, shears, twine, decorative paper and the like, while on the magio-botanical side there are equipment like mortar and pestle, burners, beakers, etc.

As can be expected of Bedivere, the place is very neat, and he always takes extra time in the mornings to clean up before opening the shop.

My scribbles are really terrible lol so here's a recreation of what it might be like with Animal Crossing haha.

Now for the next part - it's a space most customers don't see, which is kind of a shame, as it really is a spectacular sight - the walled courtyard in which the live garden is kept.

This is where Bedivere grows the flowers sold in the shop. This space especially is constructed and maintained by magecraft and is tied to the actual garden of Avalon. Because of that, plants in general grow and bloom easily here even without interference, but Bedivere maintains the needs of the live gardens all the same. And yes, gardens - Merlin made it so that there are different gardens available to Bedivere and even provided an easy way for him to access which one he needs. Think of it as shifting layers in an art program - each garden is stored in a particular pocket of space, but whichever Bedivere chooses will appear within the patch of land within the courtyard. This is useful for getting plants and flowers from a particular season - there are four gardens, one for each season, so Bedivere can get almost any flower a customer needs by using this garden.

When things are slow in the flower shop, Bedivere leaves a bell on the counter and usually spends some time here to trim and water the plants. When the shop closes in the evening, he'll do a round check of every garden to see everything is in order.

The live garden is also where Bedivere's "little friend" lives, a red-orange butterfly that loves to hang close to the florist. She's not quite a normal animal, and probably drifted in from Avalon, so she's probably a magical creature of some sort...Merlin thinks she's the spirit of someone's affection, perhaps from another world. Who knows? But she's harmless and in fact quite fond of Bedivere, so Bedivere is fond of her in turn.

(she's something like an embodiment of Ritsuka's love - this AU has male Fujimaru in it, so "little friend" is a nod to Gudako).

In addition to little friend, lots of small critters also live in the gardens, like other butterflies, bees, dragonflies, and the like. It makes Bedivere happy to see the gardens flourishing with life, though he does try to be careful none of them escape to the main flower shop.

The side counter! A service Bedivere started for those who rise particularly early in Chaldeas and need some magio botanical supplies before morning classes. This counter is only open from 5:30 am to 7:30 am on weekdays. Afterwards, Bedivere uses the time between 7:30 and 9 am to prepare the main flower shop.

Customers can buy basic supplies here, and some regular customers Bedivere remembers and even sets aside their orders as parcels for pick-up. Want to know what Bedivere's schedule looks like? Something like this.

He wakes up around 4:30 am, drinks some tea and takes a bite of breakfast, and prepares for the morning rush at the side counter. When it's 7:30, he heads back inside to cut fresh flowers, and takes those inside the main flower shop, where he also cleans up and does a dozen more chores (replacing the water for the flowers, cleaning up tools, etc.) The shop opens at 9, and he works until 12:30 pm to eat lunch, and then open the shop again at 1 pm, and closes at 7 in the evening. After closing, he once again cleans the shop and packs up, and then spends quite a bit of prep time on the magio-botanical supplies he's going to sell in the early mornings. Even though he's got a pretty good order of tasks to do it's still a lot for one person, so he usually goes to sleep around 10 pm, only to wake up early again.

I did say he has dismal life habits, and leaving little time for himself is something he does somewhat on purpose...

So as for the remaining rooms, these are the storage rooms, kitchen and Bedi's own bedroom.

The storage room is mostly for odder supplies that don't get as much use, like stands for big flower wreaths.

As for the kitchen, it is a small, rather cozy space where Bedivere takes his meals, and if he really has extra time, where he makes a cup of tea for himself. He is again, very bad at taking care of himself and really the only reason he keeps going the way he does is he has a naturally strong constitution and that the flower shop space provides him with energy since it does have something of a healing aura.

So when I say Bedivere takes a bite of a meal, it sometimes really is that, he just eats a bit of bread most of the time. When he does make a meal for himself it's usually something plain but at least nutritious, soup or vegetable dishes (which he also gets from his gardens).

Fortunately for him, fellow local shopkeeper and sharp-eyed cook with motherly instincts, miss Boudica, suspects Bedivere isn't eating well and often brings him a meal. Ritsuka, too, notices Bedivere doesn't often eat in the afternoons, so he sometimes brings along some food to share.

When Ana (Lancer Medusa) started working in the flower shop, Bedivere did realize not having a snack break for employees is bad, so the kitchen started getting more use with her coming. They usually take a tea break in the afternoons, and Bedivre got her to open up by serving her favorite butter cake.

Now for the bedroom!

There is something of a pattern here that places necessary to one's living are pretty small and sparse, and yep, it's because Bedivere himself wasn't looking for anything more extravagant in terms of living arrangements. Merlin repeatedly asked Bedivere if he was sure having a small bedroom and kitchen was alright, because even he had the feeling Bedivere was kinda getting harsh on himself, but alas, he couldn't make Bedivere budge.

So for Bedivere's bedroom, it's pretty small and practically just a place to sleep and change clothes. For a while he didn't even decorate it, but eventually he does get some gifts from friends that he gets to place in his bedroom.

He does have a lot of books for studying in his room - before the shop opened he buried himself in studying, especially so when he wanted to qualify as a merchant able to handle sales of magio-botanical supplies. About that, Bedivere is able to sell and handle supplies that can be sold in a stable form, and even sell some things that can be poisonous, but only in small amounts. People wanting to seek more dangerous botanical supplies should visit other witchcraft stores, and Semiramis at the Particular Poisons shop sells the most dangerous substances. Bedivere isn't a genius who can do everything, but what new trades he picked up in this second life are things he seriously studied for and practiced at. He's nothing if not a hard worker, for sure.

He does actually still have his knight's equipment, complete armor and sword - for convenience's sake Merlin stored Bedivere's armor into the pendant he used to wear on his ribbon. Bedivere keeps the pendant on hand just in case he does need it. As for his sword, it does have the same enchantment on it so when Bedivere summons his armor he can also summon his sword, but sometimes he carries the sword around, as a reminder of old days. When it isn't in the courtyard, it's in Bedivere's bedroom.

Whew that took a long time. Anyways, things are still very much subject to change in my AU, but I'm pretty sure on what the flower shop itself looks like and how it works and it really is a dear space to me, too, so I hope someone else finds this interesting.

[elstreem]

Trying out a little pumpkin carving.

Probably the only seasonal art I'll make this year. I've been doing so many chibis of my flower shop AU Bedi, but I am working on a more proper illustration now!