so i've been playing co-op stardew with a friend recently and we've certainly been having conversations

Random AU Idea I'll Never Write

Hey, someone may have, already? I'm not big on AUs, so it's actually amazing to me that I keep coming up with these thoughts.

The Idea: Counting Cars/American Restoration AU.

Ed restores classic cars and bikes at Blackbeard's Body-and-Something Shop, many of them custom jobs. Unfortunately, he has a bit of a hard time focusing on a healthy number of projects at once, much to the horror of his second in command and accountant, Izzy Hands. ("Edward, don't you think we should consider finishing the Continental, before you buy the Firebird?"). His crew consists of project manager Ivan, who is well-organized, and very much on-task; Fang, who handles all of the clerical work, in addition to being handy as hell with painting; and Calico Jack, who... Well, let's face it. He's useless, but he's an extra pair of hands, so.

A job comes in that requires a fair amount of restorative work, some of which Ed doesn't have the proper equipment for. Buy, hey... Stede just might.

Enter Stede, curator of antiques and rare finds (or, as Lucius calls him, a junk hoarder). His motto is, "Sometimes the old things are the best things", and his business has quite the reputation for lovingly reviving someone else's forgotten tatters into something for another to enjoy. Stede sometimes gets a bit extravagant with his ideas, which are quickly reigned in by project manager Lucius. (He's even gone so far as to tell the rest of the crew to ignore what Stede has rambled off, because it's going to be godawful, and he'll never remember it, anyway). Frenchie takes care of the front, clerical, and customer service; Black Pete is the best damned sand blaster in the business; Wee John is magic with detailed painting; Oluwande and Jim are the only two Stede trusts to scout for new finds when he can't get away from the shop; and Buttons and the Swede are in charge of the curated items in the yard (mostly so that Buttons can be outside to feed the birds).

Ed brings a couple of pieces down to Stede's shop (I totally mis-typed as 'ship'), Revenge Restorations, or some jazz. Izzy pitches a fit, because, Edward, we have a sand blaster, and this is a waste of time and money. To which Ed is keen to reply, Yes, but we don't have STEDE'S sand blaster. This work is delicate, and Stede's machine has options for finer settings. He doesn't see Stede right away, disappointed that he won't get to see his friend on this trip. (Because, yes, he has the single biggest crush on the beautiful blond man with a sharp eye for beauty, and no little amount of love reserved for life's unlovable things).

He's about to leave everything with Frenchie, when Stede and Lucius step in from one of the back rooms. Ed beams brighter than the sun itself, and maybe Izzy is hoping he'll get sunstroke and die right there - it'll serve Bonnet right - because he can't take another of these two-hour ventures where Ed is positively mooning over this fucking moron. But, that's exactly what happens, as Stede just has to show Ed his latest finds. Izzy groans, not only for being left to wait for Edward, who has the keys to the truck in his pocket, but because he's stuck with the full effect of Lucius' smug smirk. Everyone sees it, what's going on between their two fearless leaders, but only Izzy is in denial about it. So, naturally, Lucius takes every opportunity to get under his skin about it all.

"I hear June is a popular month for weddings."

Izzy decides to walk home.