A little something I wrote about my oc Raven in my friend @simplydannie ās au!! She has a similar vibe to the under rageous vibe, so I thought sheād fit right in :) I had fun having our OCs meet and I already have an idea for a part 2 for this! I also introduced some of my other OCs still in the works. (Also to clarifyāRaven is polyamorous and her lovers are queerplatonic) Hope yāall enjoy Raven and her shenanigans!!
Thereās some mention of Mistress and Eros, and Eros makes me mad (A+ villain) so I feel like him and Raven would NOT like each other </3 but Raven is very interested in the former hehe (major red flag girl)
(also tumblr spacing is weird sorry abt that!)
The Auction: Part I
//
Ace of hearts, move the six to the seven, ooh! Two of heartsā¦
It was a rainy day in Midtown, and gloomy weather usually meant no clients. Estrella was gratefulāshe could play as much solitaire as she wanted at the front desk. She liked slow days, especially because she was just the receptionist at the tattoo parlor. She used to be a hair stylist, until her latest arrest. The salon wasnāt a fan of criminal records, but the tattoo shop owner had plenty of her own, so it seemed like the best move. Besides, she was also an unlicensed body mod artist, so she fit right in. (And being one of the ownerās lovers certainly helped.)
Boss was out back, probably having a smoke. She had told the boss that that grape flavored crap would make her sick, and that she should smoke a cigarette like a normal person.
Estrella perks up when she hears the door, but it must have been the wind, since no one was there. Good, she didnāt have to deal with customers.
But, there had been somethingājust not a person. At first glance, there appeared to be a spider crawling on the desk. Then, at a closer look, Estrella noticed that it wasnāt a real bug; it was some kind of bug shaped robot. Before she could react, it crawls onto her arm, then uses a laser to scan her face.
This couldnāt be goodāEstrella usually flew under the radar for any under city drama. Boss was usually the one in trouble, for stealing someoneās car or girl; both were pretty common for her. Estrella was about to crush the robot with a stapler, when the door opens, for real this time.
A fellow strobe rageon walks in. Similar to Estrella, he had yellow markings, and his color scheme matched the oranges of the robot. He carried himself with a smug confidence, that she immediately knew would piss off the boss.
āHmm,ā he starts, āāThe Bleak Decemberā¦ā Interesting name for a tattoo shop.ā
//
The shop was decorated with gothic furniture, and lots of art hung up on the walls. Some works were displayed in elegant frames, some were papers ripped out of sketchbooks and taped up.
Apollo looks down at the papers in his hands: a written address of the tattoo parlor he stood in, and a printed mugshot of a woman. The woman in the mugshot definitely wasnāt the woman at the counter, so he figured he should ask her.
Inconveniently, she was already glaring at him. Or maybe that was just her normal face; he couldnāt tell. She was a strobe, with dark brown skin and bright yellow markings. Her long hair in braids was a similar yellow, and she had two glowing star outlines under both of her eyes. Apollo was already intrigued; he had never seen a strobe with such intentional designs before.
As for her outfit, she had on a yellow bralette, accessorized with gold necklaces, and a few tattoos in between her strobe markings. Her labret piercing in the center of her bottom lip caught his eye, accompanied by her matching eyebrow piercings, and the chain across her nose that connected both of her nostril studs. She was cute, but Apollo had other interests. Besides, the giant lesbian flag on the wall suggested he wasnāt her type, either.
āYou dropped something,ā the woman says flatly, holding up the robotic bug on her hand.
āYeah, sorry about that. Just precautions,ā he shrugs.
āWhat do you want?ā
āIām looking for this lady. Does she own this place?ā
He sets the mugshot on the desk, and slides it over to her. He knew she owned this place, and he knew exactly who she was: Raven.
The queenāor king, he had heard her called bothāof automobiles all across Mount Rageous. If anyone ever mysteriously lost a vehicle, she was behind it. And if anyone ever unexpectedly pulled up in a fresh new ride, she was behind that, too. Based on what he had heard, she kept to herself and her crew, but she wasnāt to be taken lightly.
Both his parents had mentioned her a few times; a trade here, some gossip there. They seemed to regard her as not a threat, although he thought he heard Eros refer to her as some words he probably shouldnāt have been saying. She frequented some of the clubs he owned, and based on what Apollo had heard, she brought in lots of profit.
In the mugshot, Raven had long black hair in cornrows, and gray skin covered in tattoos. She was sticking out her tongue in between two fingers in a V, and her other hand was flipping off the camera.
āAw, I remember that night,ā the strobe woman reminisces, looking lovingly at the mugshot. āYeah, sheās the boss. Iāll get her.ā
Apollo expected her to go get Raven, but instead, she stays seated. She takes in a deep breath, then performs a screechy bird caw, directed towards the back of the shop.
A disembodied caw answers, accompanied by the sound of someone stumbling around. After a minute, the boss saunters into the lobby.
It must have been a bit since the mugshot. Her long hair was free and wild, and she had a heart outline on her left cheek, and two ravens tattooed on her right. She was in an oversized anime t-shirt, and her baggy jean shorts were sagged so low he could see the waistband of her boxers. Her face was decorated with silver piercings, along with a stretched septum and black gauges in her ears. Her shirt hung off her shoulder, showing off a tattoo of a wing down her upper arm.
The voice that came out of her lips wasnāt at all what he expected. It was twangy and feminine, with a thick accent that must have been from somewhere south.
āHowdy!ā she greets with a big smile. āEstrella, are you beinā nice to the customers?ā
āNot really,ā Apollo answers for her. āI caught her taking a stapler to my property.ā
āWell, Iām sure she had a good reason for that,ā Raven shrugs. āWhat can I do for ya? My flash designs are over there,ā she points to a board in the seating area, āand I can whip somethinā up if you want a custom, uhh, I also do piercings but Iām pretty new at it so donāt sue me if it goes horribly wrong, and you can ask about Estrellaās services if you promise not to tell the cops.ā
Apollo had only come here for business, but now he was curious. āWhatā¦ āservicesā? And trust me, I donāt want anything to do with the cops either.ā
āBody modification,ā the woman at the counter speaks up. āI did these myself.ā
Estrella points to the glowing stars under her eyes. She contorts her face, and the lights in her face flicker with each adjustment. When she relaxes her face, the left star glitches and shocks her, making her flinch.
āOw,ā she reacts, unfazed. āI also do split tongues, teeth sharpening, you name it.ā
āShe did my coin slot!ā Raven tucks her hair behind her left ear to show off the stretched cartilage, which was styled with stacked silver hoops. āIt hurt real bad!ā
āUhh, Iāll pass,ā Apollo responds. āIām just gonna stick with normal piercings, thanks.ā
āAw, canāt handle it?ā Raven teases. āSays the guy with only one face piercing.ā
She was cocky, Apollo could already tell. Luckily, so was heāworking with this lady was gonna be interesting.
āNot true,ā he shoots back. His piercings probably didnāt hurt as much as some of Ravenās, but he had to stand up for his pride. He sticks out his tongue, and points out the stud in its center with an āahā sound.
āNice try,ā Raven smirks. āBut I got ya beat.ā She sticks out her tongue, showing off three silver studs arranged in a triangle.
Apolloās first thought was of the week-long diet of only soup he had to go on when he had his done, and how Raven must have gone through that at least three times. He had to admit, he was impressed, and a little scared of her dedication.
āOkay, okay, fine,ā he concedes. āAnyways, Iām not here as a client. My nameās Apollo Rios. Iām here forā¦ your other job.ā
//
Crap, who did I piss off nowā¦ Raven thinks to herself.
āOh great, whose husband is mad at me now?!ā Her cheerful demeanor drops at the thought of men being angry at her, which seemed to always be the case lately. āIs this about Irene?! āCause it aināt my fault her husband canāt treat a woman right!ā
To Ravenās relief, Apollo only seemed confused at her rant.
āHuh? Whoās Irene?ā he asks. āAnd why are all these husbands mad at you?ā
āIreneās my lawyer,ā she answers, and hands him a business card from the counter. āActually, hereās her card. Sheās real good. And sheās goinā through a divorce right now, so she needs all the money she can get.ā
āā¦Is the divorce because of you?ā he asks, arching his eyebrow.
āThatās what her husband says,ā she seethes. āBut itās really his fault for beinā such a huge ass to her for ten years. She says our affair was the best thing that ever happened to her.ā
āOkay, thatās definitely not what Iām here about.ā
āGood.ā
Raven crosses her arms, putting up her defenses. If one of her lovers was in trouble, she wasnāt about to let this guy get to them. And if she herself was in trouble, then sheād get it settled one way or another.
āI was actually sent to ask for a favor,ā Apollo continues.
āYouāre one of those lead mafia guys, right? What kinda favor?ā
āI guess you could say that,ā he flaunts. āThe auction. Me and my people are gonna be there, and we want a deal.ā
As the boss of all vehicle-related theft and illegalities in the city, auctions were a huge part of Ravenās job, and one of her favorites. Under Rageons would pay good money for the kinds of cars she dealt in, especially if they were taken from up in Mount Rageous. Celebritiesā cars were the most sought after, with one of Kid Ritzās cars getting Raven enough money for a whole new apartment.
A big auction was coming up, which meant Raven was about to become a lot more relevant for a bit. She had acquired a mix of vintage cars, luxury limousines, and everything in between, and was expecting a huge turnout. (And hopefully the event would bring in some cute girls, too.)
āYeah, Iāll be there,ā Raven offers. āIāll be the oneinthetuxedotalkinārealfastlikethis. Whatcha want?ā
āI need one of those cars. Well, not me. Do you know the Mistress?ā
Estrella groans from the counter. āOh no, here we goā¦ā
Raven knew the Mistress alrightāor at least knew of her. She had had a run in with her goons about a year ago; something about Raven stealing her underlings. Raven didnāt really care if her crew had other business or bosses, but she had kept better track of who she got involved with since then.
As for the Mistress herself, Raven had seen her a few times, usually an auction or a club. Mistress always had bodyguards around, so Raven had never gotten the chance to talk to her. But that didnāt stop her from having eyes for her, even from all the way across the room.
āOHH, that gorgeous scary lady?ā Raven perks up. āYouāre one of her people? Oh my god, sheās so fine,ā she sighs dreamily. āGotcha. Iāll do anythinā she wants, uhh, for a kiss.ā
āRave, we talked about this,ā Estrella scolds. āKissing hot older women isnāt worth getting mixed up in some mafia mess, babe.ā
āSays you,ā Raven refutes. āI think kissing hot older women is totally worth it. This guy agrees. Right?ā
//
āUhmā¦ā
Apollo cringes, but of course Raven wouldnāt know she was talking about his mother.
āNot really my thing,ā he shrugs.
āYouāre missinā out,ā Raven tells him. āI bet I could rock her world. Is she into girls?ā
Apollo had only ever seen Mistress with guys, and he didnāt know her preferences, and he didnāt want to. Raven did share quite a few similarities with what he knew to be her type, though.
āShe does like guys with tattoosā¦ā he contemplates aloud, eyeing her ink.
āSweet! Iām one of those things,ā Raven cheers. āAnd the guy part, uhh, Iām butch so close enough. Anyways. So she wants a trade?ā
āYeah. Sheās had her eye on that red Thunderbird convertible. Any way you could set it aside?ā
āMm, thatās a nice one. Mayyyybeeā¦ It depends. I rented out the ballroom from that Vaughn guy and I have people settinā up now, but I can probably move stuff around. Hang on, I have a binder with all the info,ā she turns to Estrella, āBabe, could you be a dear and find that for me?ā
Estrella lets out a dramatic sigh, then schleps to the back of the shop.
Oh great, of course she has business with Vaughn, Apollo silently sighs. Actuallyā¦ she didnāt say anything other than renting a venue. It didnāt seem like that would be an issue, at least he hoped so.
āSit down! Relax!ā Raven urges, leading him to the lounge chairs in the waiting area. āWhile she finds that binderāI actually have no idea where it is, good luck Estrella!ācan you tell me if this ad looks good? Itās for my lawyer. Itās still, um, in the works.ā
While Raven takes out her phone, Apollo flips through the portfolio on a coffee table. There were all sorts of styles, and each picture of a finished tattoo was marked with a date and location. There were way more than just Midtown; apparently, she had tattooed in all the districts, and even Mount Rageous.
Eventually, a phone is shoved in his face. The clip opens with a woman behind a desk, in a professional looking office. She had indigo skin with a mix of blue and purple hair done into a bun, half moon glasses, and the edges of a neck tattoo peeking out from her suit.
āHi, Iām Irene Lavish,ā she begins. āDid you know that you have rights? The Constitution says you do. And so do I.ā
āCUT!ā a twangy voice yells from off camera. āThat oneās taken!ā
Another take starts:
āHello, my name is Irene Lavish. Have you been injured in an accident? Good. You deserve it. Wait, no, I mean, uh, you deserve compensation-ā
āCUT!ā
And another:
āHi, Iām Irene Lavish. Do you know what to do when your piece of shit husband walks in on you having an affair with your client and your client ends up hitting him with a lamp and knocking him out and now you all have to go to court? Thatās right, you call me, and Iāll help-ā
āCUT! Too personal!ā
If this lawyer could mostly keep Raven out of jail, Apollo knew exactly who heād call if he needed that kind of help. Her ads needed work, but something about Ravenās enthusiasm told him her lawyer was no joke.
āItās definitely a start,ā Apollo comments. āItās very well lit.ā
āThank you! All camera work and staginā done by me,ā Raven flaunts. āI saw you lookinā through my portfolio; anythinā ya like?ā
āYou work in Mount Rageous? I mean, duh, your auto ring, but also as an artist?ā
āOh, yeah! They love me up there. I was up there last Pride, and I got to meet Kid Ritz,ā she flips to a page in the booklet. It was a light purple wrist, with a fresh tattoo of two rainbows: one was pink, purple, and blue; the other was blue, pink, and white.
āHe was super chill,ā she reminisces. āWe bonded over how hard it is to get an official name change. And Iām cis, I just wanted a cooler nameāthat sucks he had to go through all that paperwork just ācause heās a guy. Then we got high and he started cryinā about likinā some famous pretty boy that went to jail. Then I stole his car!ā
Apollo had only known Raven for a few minutes, but he already knew her well enough that he didnāt expect that story to end any other way.
āHeās rich, he has, like, ten,ā Raven adds with a shrug. āI donāt think he cared that much.ā
A few minutes later, Estrella comes back with the binder. She joins them in the lounge area, and hands it to Raven.
Raven flips through it, while Apollo tries to discreetly look over her shoulder. He knew his parents didnāt like how unpredictable and mysterious Raven was, so any information he could get on her might be valuable.
Apparently, he wasnāt discreet enough, when Raven slams the binder shut.
āSooo, that car she wants is already at the venue, but I can mark it reserved and get one of my girls to move it,ā she tells him. āBut before I do that. What do I get?ā
āWhat do you want for it?ā he asks in response.
āYour mom,ā she answers, as if the response was automatic. āSorry, couldnāt resist. Hm, what do I wantā¦ā
If only Raven knewā¦
//
What did she want? Money, always, but she had an opportunity to ask for something else. She kind of had everything she wanted, though.
Eventually, Raven had basically circled back to her original request for a trade. Only now, she had a revised idea.
āHm, lemme meet the Mistress,ā she answers. āSheās the one who wants the carāIāll talk about it with her.ā
Beside her, Estrella sighs and shakes her head disapprovingly. Raven could feel her cheeks go warm, but she didnāt really careāher crush on Mistress was already pretty obvious.
āGotcha,ā Apollo replies. āI can get you a meeting. I canāt promise anything more than that, though.ā
āDonāt worry, Iāll handle anythinā else,ā Raven responds with a wink, which makes Apollo shudder. āChill, I just wanna see if sheās interested. Business or otherwise, whatever. Iām very charismatic with women. Right, Estrella?ā
āUgh,ā Estrella groans, covering her face to hide her blush. āYeahā¦ sometimes. I guess.ā
āExactly!ā Raven cheers. āAlso,ā she turns back to Apollo, āBring all your people to the auction! After the actual auction, weāre gonna have dancinā and drinks and stuff. And jazz. Itās basically gonna be a huge party. Black tie, very fancy ballroom, all that. ā¦Oh, and if you see anyone you got issues with, take it outside ācause I aināt payinā for no property damage.ā
āNoted,ā he nods. āCool, weāll be there. Eros is gonna be there, too. You know him?ā
āYeah, Iāve met him,ā she frowns. From their few brief interactions at clubs, she regarded him to be mostly unpleasant. āYou can tell him my nameās Raven, not a word that rhymes with bike.ā
āYikes, sorry about that,ā Apollo apologizes. His eyes softenāRaven could tell he was sincere, and he didnāt approve of Erosās behavior. āYeah, he can be a real jerk.ā
āDonāt worry, I can handle jerks,ā Raven assures. āSorry you have to deal with him. So, see ya Saturday?ā
āMhm. Weāll be there.ā
āAnd the Mistressā¦ā she adds with a dreamy sigh.
āYeah, sheāll definitely be there,ā Apollo confirms with a strained voice.
āPerfect. Dress your best! Oh, and the bandāll be takinā song requests. And uh, one of my bouncers is really mean so donāt take it personally.ā
āGot it, thanks,ā he nods, and starts making his way to the door. āSee you there!ā
āLater!ā She smiles and waves, then turns back to Estrella once he had left. āBabe, are you hearinā what Iām hearinā?ā
āThat youāre gonna get wrapped up in some scheme with the Mistress and probably end up in trouble? Yeah, I heard,ā she responds sarcastically.
āWorth it.ā She crawls over the couch to Estrella, and sprawls over her in a lazy snuggle. She traces over her strobe markings, in an attempt to distract her lover from worrying about her.
āYou got a plan?ā
āIām gonna seduce her while respecting her boundaries, of course,ā Raven schemes.
omg yay!! I made her kinda recently and her name is Raven <3 im gonna yap abt her
In just the normal universe sheās in prison for running an auto theft ring, so she meets the twins when they go to jail and befriends them (+ more than friends with velvet š¤)! Sheās also a tattoo artist as her side job (and uses the tattoo shop for money laundering lol). Sheās kinda tall and heavily tattooed so she looks intimidating (and can be) but sheās actually super bubbly and a huge sweetheart!
I feel like she could kinda fit into your au bc sheās kind of a crime boss, and I feel like sheād have lots of connections from traveling for either tattooing or her other job (theft). Sheās also non-monogamous and kinda flirty, and she gets crushes a lot but sheās also on the aromantic spectrum which makes things interesting! She likes making friends/connections so sheād totally try to befriend some of your ocs, it depends how theyād react lol š¼
Oh she totally has that under city vibe!!! You have a visual of her!? Iām super intrigued!! What would she personally think of all my OCs: Neena, Vaughn, Vivian, and Apollo.
Iām curious on her take. I feel her and Apollo might get along. He looks like a jerk, but heās really not lol
omg yes! I doodled her the other day, Iām not much of an artist so i made her chibi
And her interactions with them could be super fun! It kinda depends on ages bc I headcanon Velvet as like 18-19 when they meet and Raven as early twenties, but that could easily be changed for aus
Iām gonna go under cut bc im a huge yapper lol, also im behind on your fics so i hope this is accurate!
Neena: I think theyād be friends, but Neena might be kind of intimidated by her at first but sheād warm up! When sheās not in jail Ravenās also heavily pierced so she could tell Neena about her studio. I could see her doing ASL tattoo studies so she might know a bit, and sheād totally want to learn so they could talk! I could see her taking her under her wing (pun intended)
Apollo: Sheād fall for one of his scams, realize it too late, then chase him down š¹ Seriously though I think theyād get along but have a little rivalry, especially when Velvetās involved! They might be connected through gang stuff, so I could see them being like colleagues
Mistress (had to include her lol): Immediate gay PANIC. Ravenās usually pretty charismatic so sheād try to flirt with her, and it would go absolutely horrible. Mistress could slap her and Raven would probably thank her š Raven is usually kinda the assertive one in relationships/in general so when she sees a super powerful/intimidating woman she loses her mind
Vaughn: She kinda reminds me of him appearance wise! Sheās masc and has a lot of tats, and sheād definitely tattoo him if heād let her. Sheād also be envious of him bc he can pull lol. Theyāre opposites in personality, but theyāre both crime lords so maybe they know each other! With her being bubbly and him being reserved that could be a funny business interaction
Vivian: Gay panic again, but she could actually talk to her lol. I could see Vivian being intrigued by alt style so Raven would totally offer her a discount at her studio! I think they have gal pal potential. Also Raven might try to flirt with her in front of Vaughn just to see what would happen/cause chaos. If they ever needed to launder money sheād help them out!
hereās a few doodles of her! Her and her tattoos are super simplified bc im not an artist š« she also has a heart on her right cheek that she hates, and two ravens under her left eye that she loves!
omg yay!! I made her kinda recently and her name is Raven <3 im gonna yap abt her
In just the normal universe sheās in prison for running an auto theft ring, so she meets the twins when they go to jail and befriends them (+ more than friends with velvet š¤)! Sheās also a tattoo artist as her side job (and uses the tattoo shop for money laundering lol). Sheās kinda tall and heavily tattooed so she looks intimidating (and can be) but sheās actually super bubbly and a huge sweetheart!
I feel like she could kinda fit into your au bc sheās kind of a crime boss, and I feel like sheād have lots of connections from traveling for either tattooing or her other job (theft). Sheās also non-monogamous and kinda flirty, and she gets crushes a lot but sheās also on the aromantic spectrum which makes things interesting! She likes making friends/connections so sheād totally try to befriend some of your ocs, it depends how theyād react lol š¼
V&V fandom my fic is back after my really long hiatus ā¼ļø if you love putting gay twins (+ ritz and orchid) in situations and dilemmas youād love starstruck bc plot is plotting š (and random author projections every so often ofc)
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
I hope this message finds you and your family in good health. My name is Eman Zaqout from Gaza. I am reaching you out to seek your urgent help in spreading the word about our fundraiser. I lost both my home and my job due to the ongoing genocide in Gaza and we are facing catastrophic living conditions. š
I kindly ask you to visit my campaign. Your support, whether through donating or sharing, will help us reach more people who can make a difference. Thank you for your continued support for the Palestinian cause. Your dedication brings us closer to freedom. šš
Note: Verified by several people as 90-ghost and aces-and-angels. ā
I really wish we could see more of Velvet and Veneer's childhood. We only get that their parents are dentists and that they grew up in the suburbs. But I want to know what specifically happened to Velvet, since in a couple scenes (driving off the highway to get away from the trolls, and when she tried to grab the bottle that Floyd was in during the perfect family harmony), it's shown that she will risk her own life to keep her fame. Even when she's singing, she's saying that she wants people to remember her name. I sort of wonder if she has some sort of trauma that caused her to be so desperate for attention and being remembered.
REAL i think abt this a lot. I think she definitely wasnāt popular as a kid/early teen and lacked attention from her peers, then once she got famous and people actually started liking her it went to her head. Like she had never experienced that kind of excitement towards her until fame so once she got it she couldnāt let go
(also ive always disliked the headcanon that she was popular in school bc she calls herself a ānobodyā like girl def did not have friends (other than veneer) or any romantic attention š)
iām thinking about velvet and veneer on hot ones. i have a hc that theyāre both not very good with spicy foods. veneer especially is the type to think salt is too spicy.
wait no bc ive actually thought abt this and i think veneer would have no spice tolerance while velvet is just unfazed. and ritz would be the interviewer ofc so he and velvet would be having a perfectly normal conversation while veneerās just dying on the side š
