“the unexpected fanfic AU that charmed the internet” by ColeyDoesThings
Transcript by CCKN is under the cut
[0:00] [ColeyDoesThings Intro Music]
[0:02] Hello!
[0:03] Today we'll be taking a look into
[0:04] an adorable if somewhat niche AU,
[0:06] alternate universe for those not familiar with the term,
[0:09] that's captured the heart of many a fandom dwellers
[0:11] since its seemingly random inception online.
[0:14] I hope you like flowers and
[0:15] aren't too afraid of needles
[0:16] because we're talking about the
[0:18] flower shop / tattoo parlor AU.
[0:20] Got a flower handy.
[0:21] And I kinda wanna show off my tattoos
[0:23] but they're all on my leg in odd positions to show on camera
[0:27] So i'm not sure how to do that.
[0:28] I do want more in the future.
[0:29] I’ve designated my legs as the tattoo zone but anyway,
[0:32] let's talk about this cute AU.
[0:33] But before we begin
[0:35] I want to give a very special thank you to
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[1:48] Thank you so much, Opera GX!
[1:49] Now let's get into this AU.
[1:51] So...
[1:52] how the heck did this AU become a thing?
[1:54] Compared to staples like high school AU’s,
[1:57] college AU’s, modern AU’s, supernatural AU's,
[2:00] soulmate AU’s,
[2:03] it feels kind of out of the blue and oddly specific, right?
[2:05] Well it's a pretty simple story actually.
[2:07] In 2014 a Tumblr post started gaining a lot of traction online
[2:11] in which the user remarked that they passed by a flower shop next to a tattoo shop
[2:16] before inspiration hit and they realized the potential of a florist x tattoo artist AU.
[2:21] The idea charmed Tumblr
[2:23] and soon enough the fan-art and fanfic started pouring in.
[2:25] Granted this was happening at the same time as the peak of the flower crown Tumblr craze,
[2:30] so just flowers everywhere.
[2:32] And then the idea caught fire on other platforms as well like Wattpad, AO3, fanfiction.net, DeviantArt.
[2:38] I actually was online when all this went down and
[2:39] it was like a sudden flower shop tattoo parlor explosion.
[2:43] I was totally down.
[2:44] There was a lot of cute content for it.
[2:45] I just was mostly confused as to why it was suddenly all over my dashboard.
[2:49] There are several different names for this AU to boot.
[2:52] There's flower shop / tattoo shop AU, flower shop / tattoo parlor AU, florist x tattoo artist AU,
[2:59] but generally if you search up any adoration of flower shop and tattoo AU
[3:04] you'll find yourself in the right ballpark.
[3:06] Okay so that's the origin of the AU but why do so many people like it?
[3:10] What is the appeal?
[3:11] Oh boy, where do I begin?
[3:12] For starters you have the aesthetic differences.
[3:15] Think of that house meme where you have this
[3:17] super dark kind of spooky house
[3:19] next to the colorful pastel cheery house.
[3:22] Between the two different establishments the flower shop and the tattoo shop or parlor,
[3:26] the characters, their personalities, their wardrobe, the style, the color palettes,
[3:31] it's usually very visually distinct from one another.
[3:34] Basically it's another flavor of opposites attract.
[3:37] It's very visually satisfying for a lot of people seeing all those aesthetic differences.
[3:41] One character could look very soft,
[3:42] dressed in cozy sweaters and lighter colors.
[3:45] Maybe they're shy or super sweet or a ball of sunshine
[3:49] compared to your other character who maybe looks more intimidating!
[3:52] Maybe they've got leather on and piercings and a darker color palette.
[3:55] Perhaps they're more reserved
[3:56] and aloof with a serious case of resting bitch face.
[3:59] Again playing up the opposites and the differing dynamics.
[4:02] Oh! So the soft one works in the flower shop and the tough one works in the tattoo parlor, right?
[4:06] That's definitely an option and I guess it's the most intuitive one.
[4:09] But another great thing about this AU is that there's a lot of wiggle room for trope subversion.
[4:14] If you want to have this super soft happy-go-lucky pastel character as the tattoo artist,
[4:19] you can do that in fact a lot of people might be drawn to it because of that added layer of contrast.
[4:23] Do you want the tall super intimidating stoic character as a cutesy florist?
[4:28] That works perfectly fine too.
[4:29] Maybe the tattoo artist looks kind of scary but they're actually a sweetheart,
[4:32] whereas the florist might look super cute but in actuality is a feral gremlin.
[4:37] With the flower shop and tattoo shop AU
[4:39] you can go as by the book trope-y or
[4:42] as off the wall as you want.
[4:43] There’s really no right or wrong answer.
[4:45] It’s just up to your preference and people get really creative with it.
[4:48] Another reason for this AU's popularity is that
[4:51] working in a flower shop or as a tattoo artist are
[4:53] professions that are often romanticized in fiction,
[4:56] similar to working in a coffee shop or a bookstore.
[4:59] There's always that image of the protagonist going about their shift,
[5:02] gazing out the window longingly, and wondering
[5:04] when their life will begin,
[5:06] when they'll find that special someone.
[5:08] Maybe it's the rom-com or the Hallmark effect, I don't know.
[5:11] Well Hallmark usually has like the
[5:13] cold business woman falling in love like a small town...
[5:16] guy, right?
[5:17] Uh, I don't know. [laughs]
[5:18] And the flower shop and tattoo parlor AU offers a lot of meet-cute options.
[5:23] There's a bunch listed on Tumblr.
[5:26] Maybe all the local shop employees have a block party and
[5:29] the florist accidentally spills their
[5:31] prized pot roast all over the tattoo artist's leather pants.
[5:36] You can get as sappy sweet romantic or as horrendously awkward as you want.
[5:41] Common tropes tied to this AU are often
[5:44] strangers to lovers or mutual pining.
[5:46] Misunderstandings and miscommunications sometimes are sprinkled into this AU as well.
[5:51] Like maybe one shop worker sees the other shop worker “flirting” with another employee or
[5:56] talking to a customer and they're like,
[5:58] ″Oh, they don't have feelings for me” or
[6:01] “Oh, maybe I'm misreading this whole situation.” Bonk!
[6:04] You can really get jazzy with it.
[6:05] This all ties into another draw of this AU in that
[6:08] it's just a simple slice of life.
[6:09] You don't really have to worry about complex world building, political intrigue and drama,
[6:14] building an intricate mystery
[6:16] unless you want to incorporate a flower / tattoo shop AU
[6:19] into a dystopian space world on the brink of collapse.
[6:24] That's an idea.
[6:25] Character motivations can be straight to the point, not super lofty.
[6:28] Like maybe the tattoo artist is living paycheck to paycheck and wants to open up commissions to save up money
[6:34] to buy their dream apartment or set up their own tattoo shop.
[6:37] Maybe the florist takes over their grandmother's flower shop
[6:39] after she passes and they want to revamp it in their own style.
[6:42] This AU is more rooted in the day-to-day sort of activities
[6:46] and for readers who want
[6:47] something a little less... expansive?
[6:49] Fantastical?
[6:51] Then this is perfect for them.
[6:52] Unless of course, again,
[6:53] your flower [shop] / tattoo shop AU takes place in a dystopian space world
[6:57] on the brink of political collapse.
[6:58] And the last big appeal for the flower shop / tattoo shop AU is that
[7:03] it is a sensory feast and great for those who love schmaltzy symbolism.
[7:08] People really enjoy the vibes of a good flower shop / tattoo shop AU.
[7:12] They're [chef’s kiss] immaculate.
[7:14] From smelling the fragrance of the flowers
[7:16] to hearing the buzzing of tattoo needles
[7:19] to seeing all the different colors and flower varieties in a flower shop
[7:23] to seeing all the cool designs in a tattoo shop.
[7:25] The soft touch of flower petals
[7:27] or maybe someone pricks their finger on a rose's thorn.
[7:30] The intimacy of the tattoo artist character getting in real close as they're doing their thing.
[7:34] It's a sensory overload, and there's ample opportunity
[7:36] to get really big on the details and the imagery.
[7:39] Lots of ways for the reader to
[7:40] feel immersed in the story and feel like
[7:42] they're almost in the flower shop or tattoo shop and getting romanticized.
[7:46] And of course, the language of flowers,
[7:48] symbolism.
[7:50] In practically every story with a flower shop,
[7:53] there will be a scene where the florist arranges a bouquet or
[7:56] some sort of arrangement that
[7:58] incorporates various meanings of different flowers.
[8:01] It's a great way to add more emotional impact.
[8:03] Maybe it's almost like an open secret like
[8:06] one character is totally oblivious to the meaning of the flowers
[8:09] and the other character’s like
[8:10] biting their fists.
[8:12] I mean flowers are already synonymous with romance so why not add more depth to it.
[8:16] It's romantic!
[8:17] And hey, if romance isn't your schtick then you can have the florist arrange
[8:20] platonic bouquets.
[8:21] That's also really cute.
[8:22] Maybe some sort of good luck arrangement for the new tattoo artist next door.
[8:25] But yeah, in a nutshell this AU ended up being beloved by those who
[8:29] want a neat cute environment with some cool contrast, good vibes and aesthetics,
[8:33] room to play around with tropes and symbolism,
[8:35] something simple and more rooted in reality,
[8:38] and an AU where the mundane can be romanticized suddenly and funnily enough,
[8:42] there actually are a fair amount of posts out there by
[8:45] actual florists and tattoo artists offering their two cents on how to make the AU feel more
[8:50] immersive and realistic and fleshed out.
[8:52] Extra resources! Woot! Woot!
[8:53] So if you're ever curious and want to give the flower shop / tattoo parlor AU a try,
[8:59] then check in with your local fandom and see if they have any of the AU in stock.
[9:03] Maybe try putting your own spin on it.
[9:04] But thank you so much for watching this quick history / presentation
[9:10] on the flower shop / tattoo parlor AU.
[9:12] If you have any other AU's you'd like me to cover in future videos,
[9:15] then let me know in the comments.
[9:16] What's your personal favorite take on this AU?
[9:18] Let me know, I'm curious.
[9:19] Thank you so much again for watching, guys,
[9:21] and I'll see you in my next video. Bye!
[9:23] [ColeyDoesThings Outro Music]
YouTube Channel: ColeyDoesThings
Video Description:
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what is your favorite part of the flower shop/tattoo parlor AU? :3
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Thanks for watching!
📌 Disclaimer and Preface: None of the videos I transcribe belong to me. They belong to the content creators and the crew behind the videos. My transcripts may not be 100% as I am not a professional. I'm just someone who wants to provide video transcripts for people to understand and enjoy these videos. For this video, I focused on the speaker. If there are any corrections you would like me to make, let me know in the comment section of the post.
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📝 Personal Notes: I was really hesitant to transcribe videos from YouTubers that are on Tumblr because I was anxious on what they would feel about me transcribing their videos. Heck I was afraid to @ her because I don’t want her to find out about this blog space. Sorry that was the anxious side of me talking. But I really like her videos and has been one of my gateways into learning about fandom culture, and thus launched me to transcribe one of her mid-oldish-recent videos. But I do want people to know, if the video creators do want these posts to be taken down, I’ll do it.













