#little mermaid x twisted wonderland

[itsmekalou]

kiss the girl animatic but it's azul and yuu, and it's jade and floyd urging azul to make the move while they're out on a "friendly" hang out on a lagoon 🥰🥰🥰🥰

[thecoolsquirrel]

The Little Mermaid AU w/Azul

Bonus:

<3 Tags for Little Mermaid Au:

@a-very-werid-mirror @twistiraki @azulashengrottospiano @pianostarinwonderland @fjshii @cowboy-rowlet @femmefaeryboi @savanaclaw1996 @taruruchi @thehollowwriter @thefiasco-onyourblock @the-trinket-witch @@adorable-person

[blanketorghost]

[OC x Canon Week 1]

Historical Fashion + "Yeah. It'd be totally weird if we kissed... Totally."

Circa 1837 A.D, Sakoku Era;

During this period, Japan closed its doors to all international trade, with the exception of China and the Netherlands. Pictured: a dutch salesman conversing with one of his clients, a heir of a wealthy Kabuki troupe that survived the prohibition. With Rangaku becoming a popular past time of the upper classes, trading of Dutch literature translated to japanese became common-place.

Some dutch merchants even choosing to stay in Japan and settle down.

[squidwen]

💡Brace Yourself, Glassfish💡

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Summary: You can’t stand Floyd Leech. Who does he think he is, squeezing you within an inch of your life all the time? You question whether you’ll be able to last much longer and devise a plan to deter the eel for good. 

However, perhaps you go a bit too far? After all, ending up in a back brace is never a good thing, and Floyd isn’t unscathed by your antics either. 

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Floyd Leech was a bear trap in a blazer: sharp teeth, powerful arms, and a proficiency for clamping them around anyone he fancied. When he swaggered down the NRC corridors everyone made way for him. It was the only time Riddle was grateful for his shortness, using it to hide amongst the crowds.

However, you were Floyd’s favourite thing to hold. A human from another world? How fascinating. How far could your bones go without breaking? How hard would you fight to get away from him? Were humans built differently in your world to Twisted Wonderland? There was only one way to find out, and Floyd used every opportunity to answer his questions.

•~•~•~•~•

The lamps dimmed across the Monstro Lounge, blanketing the polished surfaces in milky blue light. The end of your shift was minutes away. Your hands ached from cleaning tables, your socks pooled about your ankles, and condiments stained your waiting uniform. You couldn’t wait to slide into your broken bed back in Ramshackle. Lumpy mattresses and sharp springs are surprisingly comfortable when you’re exhausted.

“Ne, Shrimpy~”

You winced. No, not him. Not now.

Floyd’s voice sounded like a cheese grater was being rubbed against his larynx. Not wanting to provoke him in any way, you spun on your heels – a smile prepared on your face. But Floyd was closer than you thought. Your nose stopped centimetres from his chest. He towered over you, a dish rag slung over his shoulder and a serving tray tucked under his arm.

How could you have forgotten?

Floyd had his shift after you on Tuesdays. Usually you would have bundled your things into your bag and slipped away before the eel could make it onto the restaurant floor. But Monstro Lounge had been so busy this evening that you’d not had time.

“You look tired, Shrimpy.”

You shrugged, cracking your neck. Bad move.

Floyd’s fingers twitched at his side, like they itched to get a hold of you. “Ne~ you’re like an instrument. Oh! Does your neck make one note, and perhaps your back another? Could I play ‘Under the Sea’ just by squeezing you a certain way?~”

You jumped back. “No. Floyd, please. You grew up underwater. Your bone density is greater than mine. You can’t bear hug humans and expect them to hold out as well as Jade, or Azul.”

“I’m human now, too.” His voice became dark. “Compared to my eel form, I barely have any strength.”

You took another step back and collided into something. An identical pair of gold and grey eyes stared down at you, cruel and calculating.

“Floyd, you shouldn’t tease our colleagues,” mused Jade. “Azul needs all the help he can get on busy nights such as this. We can’t have people resigning because the conditions aren’t workable.”

Floyd slouched and rolled his eyes. “But look at them, Jade. Shrimpy looks so tense and tight.”

Jade glanced at you briefly. There was no pity in his face. In fact, there was nothing at all. Just bland contemplation, as if dealing with his brother’s whims was written into his genetic makeup. “You can play chiropractor tomorrow.” Your eyes widened, pushing a tiny grin onto Jade’s face. “For now, Y/N is free to go. Azul doesn’t pay people for working over their contracted hours. This isn’t a hostage situation.”

Floyd grit his teeth.

“Is it?”

You took the opportunity to slink away. Inside the kitchen you bumped into a student cooking pasta. He cursed as uncooked shells fell to the floor, snapping under your shoes like bones. After apologising you threw your dirty rag into the laundry bin and made for Ramshackle.

•~•~•~•~•

Your mind buzzed.

You had to do something. Anything. You knew Floyd would never respect your boundaries not to be squeezed. What was it about Jade that always made his brother listen? Both brothers were sadists, that was for certain. But Jade got inside people’s heads - even his own brother’s. Perhaps you ought to take a leaf out of his notebook, and traumatise Floyd into leaving you alone?

You had your plan before you got home. First, you needed to visit Ortho Shroud.

•~•~•~•~•~•

Tomorrow came too quickly. After washing your serving uniform you returned to Octavinelle to put it to your locker - a perfect excuse to be near the kitchen.

The packets of uncooked pasta were where you remembered them. Checking that the coast was clear, you slid a handful into your pocket and slipped through the door into the Monstro Lounge in search of your target.

Despite being closed for service, Octavinelle students still used the lounge as a communal area. Third years swilled alcohol in tumblers, while younger students contented themselves with mocktails and table snacks. The hubbub was cordial and gentle with profanity occasionally coming form the snooker table.

Floyd was draped across the bar as Jade mixed drinks. You paused to study him: he couldn’t have looked more bored. Periods between lessons – excluding club time – left the man with very little to occupy himself. Perfect, you thought. He’d likely jump at the chance to make good on his brother’s declaration yesterday.

You discreetly slid two of the pasta shells inside your mouth, positioning them over the molars.

“Hey gents,” you cooed. Jade’s eyes widened with surprise as you sat on the bar stool. No doubt he was stunned that you’d place yourself near Floyd so willingly.

“Ahh, Prefect. Can I get you anything?”

“Just a cup of ice, please. I need to put something on my neck.”

Floyd snapped up, like a rake handle when the bottom is stepped on. “Still having trouble with it, Shrimpy?”

You pretended to seethe as you rubbed it. Floyd didn’t need any further provoking. He slid off the stool and wrapped his long arms around you. You feigned panic, shifting to try and get away from him. As effortlessly as picking up a chair, Floyd swung you into the air and pressed you against himself. You felt his muscles tense around you, practically solidifying into stone.

He held you tighter, and tighter, until-

CRUNCH!

You bit down on the pasta.

Jade dropped the glass he was polishing. The whole room stilled. No one dared breathe as they watched you go limp in Floyd’s arms, thinking the worst…thinking Floyd had finally snapped someone’s spine.

Floyd was deathly still. But then his arms started to tremble. Shake.

“Well don’t just stand there!” cried one of the students. “Get them to the infirmary!”

If you hadn’t been looking straight at him, you never would have guessed the person holding you was Floyd. His arms drew you so tenderly to his chest, cradling you as if you were made of glass. He tried to keep you as straight as possible in fear of making your condition worse. You felt wicked but if you didn’t follow this through things would never improve.

Within moments Floyd was heading for the portal mirror. Jade took off his apron and followed him.

•~•~•~•~•~•

Ortho was waiting in the infirmary as you’d instructed. The school nurse was often absent, so it wasn’t uncommon for the robot boy to take up her shifts. Idia had installed endless medical data into his hard drive. Acting ones, too.

“Y/N!” Ortho gasped when Floyd brought you in. He was white as a ghost, his heart thrumming in his chest as if it might burst out of him.

“Set them down,” Ortho instructed. “Gently.”

Floyd slipped you onto a hospital bed, still giddy with worry. Sensing his fragility, Jade dropped a hand onto Floyd’s shoulder. The weight helped to steady him, but by no means distracted from the situation. Stale sunlight filtered through the dusty windows, catching on Floyd’s dewy eyes.

Ortho took your hands and laid them palms-up at your sides. “I’m going to x-ray you now, Y/N. You don’t have to respond. Just stay very still.”

You obeyed. The robot took to the air and hovered above your bed, his eyes turning blue as he scanned you from head to toe. It was a challenge not to laugh at his grave little face. 

“It’s not good news,” he sighed, blinking off the scanner. “Y/N has two ruptured discs.”

Floyd let out a mournful wail and dropped to his knees. His shaking fingers found yours and curled around them, a silent beg for forgiveness. “Can you fix them?”  

You could see the guilt on Ortho’s face from this charade, but a discreet wink encouraged him to keep up the act. “Hard to say. Big brother is clever, but he doesn’t know everything. And so, nor do I. I’ll have to start working while the injury is fresh. So if you two wouldn’t mind leaving-“

Floyd bounced back up and dragged Jade by the collar out of the infirmary.

•~•~•~•~•~•

You didn’t move until their footsteps – and Jade’s irritated scolds – fell quiet.

Sighing with relief, you spat the pasta shells into a glass by your bed and high-fived Ortho. The little robot seemed very pleased with himself. “I suggest we put you in a back brace to make it seem extra convincing.”

“If you want to be an actor I can put a good word in to Vil for you. That performance was seamless.”

“Oh stop!” The tips of Ortho’s hair turned a bashful pink. “That was luck. I still don’t understand the nuance of faking emotions. I’m still trying to understand them in general. But, I have to say, Floyd did seem very distressed. Which is…bad?”

That made you chuckle. “Not at all. You still have much to learn.”

•~•~•~•~•~•

If you thought Floyd wouldn’t leave you alone before, he certainly didn’t now. While you were around him he watched you like a hawk, offering to carry you up flights of stairs and hold your books. He could also barely get through a sentence without sliding in the word ‘sorry’.

You’d returned to working at the Monstro Lounge a few days later and Azul had rewarded your tenacity with a dinner on the house, complete with dessert. Did your lies make you feel bad? Not at all. You’d become quite the celebrity around NRC. Many students had come up to thank you for ‘taking one for the team’, because apparently Floyd hadn’t squeezed anyone since the incident.

“Maybe Glassfish would be a better name for you, Shrimpy,” he teased as he brought your free meal over to you. You’d gotten to sit in a booth right by the fist tank, the most comfortable and aesthetic in the house.

But…

Perhaps the universe wanted to punish you for traumatising the poor eel?

Suddenly, Floyd skidded on a serviette. He clumsily set the plate down before falling onto you, throwing his hand out to stop himself. You’d forgotten to take the spare pasta shells out of your pocket.

When Floyd’s palm struck it there came that familiar crunch.

“Did I do it again? Are you alright?" Floyd staggered back, mortified. "Was it your hip? Your leg? Do you need Ortho? Shall I get Azul? Or even Malleus? I don’t care if he’s big and scary, he’s good at healing magic…”

He trailed off when he saw your face. Why weren’t you writhing in agony? You just looked shocked. Like a deer caught in headlights. Floyd raised his eyebrow as he stalked forward, bracing his hands on the back of the booth and the table to block your escape. 

You jerked backwards at his closeness, a move far too energetic for someone with a damaged back.

Floyd didn’t ask permission before diving into your pocket. At first he seemed bemused to find uncooked pasta, but then he stared ruefully into your eyes as he slowly clenched his fist.

•~•~•~•~•~•

You didn’t remember hearing the pasta break. Within seconds you’d vaulted over the back of the booth and were running towards the Monstro Lounge door. Your cover was not only blown, it was in ashes.

Floyd stared after you in bewilderment. How cunning and clever you had been. How exciting...

“When I get my hands on you,” he cried, jumping out of the booth, “I’m dragging you back here and squeezing you in my eel form!” A crazed smile was on his face. “I bet I can play ‘Under the Sea’ with your back, but there’s only one way to find out.”

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Author Note: My second favourite Octavinelle now takes the stage. I hoped you liked this :)

Something silly…violent and deceptive…but still utterly ridiculous.

Do let me know what you think by commenting/reblogging with comments. Reading your messages always makes my day!!

Squidwen x

[da-birb-writes-sometimes]

HI HI DOVE!!!! :D you were so thorough with the rules of your event (I NEVER THOUGHT TO ASK PEOPLE FOR BACKUPS HELP?????????)

but ofc ofc you can probably guess who i was going to ask for LMAO but i promise my backups will NOT BE FOR AZUL PROMISE!!!!

i was immediately intrigued by the prompt "By the babbling brook" so i would like to request azul and that!! maybe friends to lovers vibes because im a suck for that??? AS FOR BACKUPS HMMM

"Caught in the rain" WITH VIL WOULD BE SO CUTE :((( I CAN IMAGINE HIM BEING CONCERNED FOR HIS APPEARANCE??? even though his makeup is probably waterproof LMAO

"Stargazing" with trey sniffle cough cough.,.,.,. it would be so soothing AND ACTUALLY I DONT REQUEST TREY CONTENT LIKE EVER EVEN THOUGH HES MY BESTIE?!?!?!?

so yea atcually i think ALL of these are cute so i dont even really have backups LMAO JUST WRITE WHICHEVER ONE STRIKES YOU!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH OF HOSTING TIHS DOVE IM GOING TO BE SCREAING IN YOUR REBLOGS WHENEVER YOU POST WHWAHAWHAWHWAH <3333

By the Babbling Brook; Azul Ashengrotto

Content; Gender-neutral reader, friends-to-lovers, a smidgen of hurt/comfort

Word Count; 700+

AN: Auburn, why did you give me so many good ideas /hj. But I hope you enjoy your Azul. Everyone coming for the Fish Mafia content (3 more are lined up). As a reminder, do not put my work — or others for that matter — into AI as it steals. Link to Masterlist

You sat on a large boulder sitting in the middle of a shallow brook, dipping your legs in as an attempt to try and escape the heat of the day. Even from under the shade of the willow tree from above, the heat and humidity was still oppressive. And the chirping of cicadas only underscored the fact. And sitting on the boulder just a few centimetres away was Azul, pant legs rolled up to his knees and his legs in the water as well, trying to cool off as well.

The two of you had arranged a day to hang out, since the Coral Sea isn’t really the most hospitable place for anyone without fins or gills. So Azul had agreed to set aside some time in his schedule so that he could spend some time with you, and this time there was no Grim or nosey Leech twins to interrupt you. But why, why did today have to be so insufferably hot.

“Why couldn’t we go someplace cooler,” he groaned, pushing his hair out of his face. “Somewhere with… air conditioning?” At least the water was cold, which helped break the heat a little bit. Plus the shade from the willow tree kept the harshness of the midday sun at bay.

You flicked some water at him, and chortled at the dirty look he gave you. “Just wanted to check this out, see where it led,” you say in a chipper tone. You slipped down the boulder a bit, getting further into the water. The brook was shallow, only reaching about mid-calf.

Your hand brushed against Azul’s and he could have sworn it felt like an electric shock rather than a soft caress. “It led to a tree and some rocks,” he sighed.

You hummed, splashing a bit in the water as the stark coldness of the brook was finally breaking the sticky heat. “Well I think it led to an opportunity.”

“For what?” He didn’t really want to say it, but today, other than the Sevens forsaken heat, was nice. The two of you had just walked together, and had some nice conversations that melted into each other seamlessly.

A mischievous smile spread across your face and you splashed Azul in the face. “For that,” you laugh.

Azul spat out water, and the faintest bit of ink, blue flushing his cheeks. But his brief flash of anger mixed with embarrassment of being bested faded just as quickly as it had arisen. You looked so happy, sitting in the brook with the swaying branches of willows behind you. And Azul felt a lump form in his throat. They look… ethereal.

You noticed him staring and waved a hand in front of his face. “Helloooo,” you called, “ear- erm, Twisted Wonderland to Azul? You good?”

“YES,” he sputtered, getting up from the boulder and trying to get back to the banks of the brook. “I am perfectly fine, Prefect!” But the slight crack in his voice betrayed him. He was very much not okay, no. Why did he feel like there were butterflies in his stomach? Why did he feel weird around you? Why do you make me feel like this? Like a fish out of water?

You got up and followed him, a few paces behind. “I can tell when you’re lying, you know? Come on Azul, be honest with me. We’re friends after all.”

We’re friends after all. That line, why did it hurt so much? “I’m not lying,” he could feel you behind him, but he dared not to look back.

“Now you’re just lying to yourself,” you huff. “Come on, Azul, just say it.”

“Say what?!” He turned around and looked at you. The dappled light, and glittering water behind you only made the lump in his throat grow even more. “That I love you-” He snapped his mouth shut and held his breath.

That I love you. That’s what the feeling was. Love.

Your eyes widened, and you opened and closed your mouth, trying to decide what to say. “Well,” you say softly, “I love you too, Azul. I have for a while now.”

And who would have guessed that seeing where the brook led would lead to this. Two friends confessing that there was indeed something more between them.

[linkemon]

Part of your world (Azul Ashengrotto x Reader)

Friendly reminder that English is not my first language. You can check my Masterlists both in English and Polish here. Consider supporting me on Ko-fi. You can also check out my commissions if you're interested.

Other oneshots can be found here.

"ʙᴜᴛ ᴀ ᴍᴇʀᴍᴀɪᴅ ʜᴀs ɴᴏ ᴛᴇᴀʀs, ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇғᴏʀᴇ sʜᴇ sᴜғғᴇʀs sᴏ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ᴍᴏʀᴇ."

ᴛᴡɪsᴛᴇᴅ ᴠᴇʀsɪᴏɴ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ғᴀᴍᴏᴜs sᴄᴇɴᴇ ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴍᴇʀᴍᴀɪᴅ sɪɴɢs ɪɴ ᴀ ᴄᴀᴠᴇ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ. ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪғ ɪɴ ᴘᴜʀsᴜɪᴛ ᴏғ ᴀ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴛᴏ ʟᴇᴀᴠᴇ sᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ ᴅᴇᴀʀ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ? ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ sᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ ʟᴇғᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ғᴀᴄᴇ? ᴀᴅᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ɪɴғᴏʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ:

ᴛʜᴇ ǫᴜᴏᴛᴇ ᴜsᴇᴅ ɪs ᴀ ғʀᴀɢᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴏғ "ᴛʜᴇ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴍᴇʀᴍᴀɪᴅ" ʙʏ ʜᴀɴs ᴄʜʀɪsᴛɪᴀɴ ᴀɴᴅᴇʀsᴇɴ.

Azul looked around his workshop. He couldn't say he had made it but compared to what he started with, it was a step forward. The great cauldron glowed with a dark purple glow. The smell of the potion coming from inside was foreign. No matter how many times he prepared it, it was always the smell of something he had never experienced before. The books said that the potion should smell of earth. Not that Ashengrotto had a chance to tell what it really smelled like.

He carefully measured out the seaweed, poured in a few tears, and sprinkled some ground grains of sand from the surface. He grabbed a large ladle and began to mix carefully. The eight tentacles certainly made his work easier but the work still required his full concentration. It was one of the few times in his life that he didn't completely hate his arms. After all, they were useful.

He slowly poured the still shimmering liquid into the vial and capped it.

— A beautiful night to escape from home! — The loud voice startled him and he barely grabbed the vial before it could shatter against the rock.

He saw [Reader] at the entrance to the cave. Not that he expected anyone else. This was her haven. A place she discovered a few years ago. So far, the only person who visited it, apart from her, was him.

He set the potion aside next to the others and pulled out the carefully prepared box to put them all away.

— You're not saying anything, Azul. — The girl tilted her head in that unique way.

Ashengrotto never talked much. So her worry surprised him.

— What would you like to hear? — he replied calmly.

— It's not what I want to hear that matters, it's what you want to say — she said.

Azul didn't answer. He just curled his arms closer to himself.

What was he supposed to say? What was he thinking? People never wanted to hear what he actually had to say. That's why he preferred to stay silent. Otherwise he would end up bruised. Like because of the mean friends who teased him when he was younger. Although, now that he thought about it, he probably could have taken them out with one swipe of his tentacle back then. However, he preferred to curl up in a ball, cry and allow himself to be kicked mercilessly. Crybaby. That's what they called as he snaked through the old clump of seaweed behind the school. Salty tears mixed with the sea water. And with the crying came the ink. The dark, sticky goo that was his greatest embarrassment and appeared when he was too stressed and sad.

[Reader] wouldn't laugh at him. The logical thinking part of him knew this perfectly well. After all, she had already seen him in this ugliest form possible. The day he first appeared in this cave. As an uninvited guest. Splashing and spreading ink around. He saw a glow amidst the murky and dirty water. The first thing he saw were the scales, shimmering with all shades of gold. Seeming to catch the sunlight coming through the hole above his head. Then he saw the mermaid's tail. Something he himself would have died for at the time. Only at the very end did he see a face. A little scared but curious.

No, she wouldn't laugh if he told her. She would be sad though. And Azul couldn't stand that.

— I'm thinking about your trip up there — he confessed.

It wasn't a lie, just an avoidance of the truth. He slowly became a master at it.

— I'll miss you but at the same time I'm so excited! — [Reader] seemed to be beaming.

It all started with his experiments. If he hadn't been here that day, maybe his mermaid friend wouldn't have wanted to come up at all. She wanted to help him, so she lent a place for a workshop among her finds. And she had plenty of them. The Coral Sea often washed up things that people on the surface weren't necessarily interested in. Garbage for some, priceless treasures for others. Some were found, others were bought at auctions from people who had contact with the surface or still inhabited it. The latter, however, happened rarely. The costs (including shipping) were usually astronomical and exceeded the budget of many adults underwater, let alone a child.

Between all these treasures he was stuck, with the start of his magic potion business. It wasn't much. A board, a half-decaying shelf and a leaky cauldron. [Reader] somehow found the rest over time. They patched up what they could and he started creating potions, which until then he only knew from books in the underwater library. Sometimes he managed to sell something and for some change he bought ingredients that were inaccessible and difficult to obtain. He swam, cried and spread ink around. So on the surface, not much had changed but now he swam, cried and spread ink in the company. And [Reader] was very grateful company. With her shiny tail, beautiful hair and a wonderful voice that he could listen to for hours as she talked about the world above. He seemed to be an incongruous companion for her. A purple monster with eight tentacles.

Maybe it was this sort of inferiority complex created in his mind at that time that made him devote so much time to help her fulfill her dream. He tried to brew a potion of transformation into a human with one's own hand (or rather tentacle). And he succeeded. After many tries. He couldn't remember if he had been so proud of himself before. Probably not. It was the most expensive vial he had ever held in his life. And he gave it back to [Reader]. So that she could go to the surface and see with her own eyes everything she had only dreamed about before. But when she came back, there was hunger in her. She wanted desperately to go back upstairs for more. Especially after she met SOMEONE upstairs one time. Her father was not happy, not to mention furious. He tried at all costs to bring the dreamer down to earth. It was then that for the first time in their history, Azul stood over the worried mermaid and not the other way around. In a fit of determination, he promised that he would make a whole stock of potions for her if necessary. [Reader] took this promise very seriously. Since then, all their collaborative efforts have led to this moment. To get a sufficient supply of money and potion so that she could somehow arrange herself on the surface. Just enough for her to be sure that she will be able to find a job and save up to buy more vials of the magical potion. Eventually, she also had to rent an apartment and constantly pay the bills.

The help Azul gave her was an adventure of sorts. However, it was difficult for him to get used to the thought that it was coming to an end.

Sometimes, looking at HIS photo on Magicam, where the mermaid had set up an account, he had the impression that the boy from the surface was like a statue. Beautiful but empty. However, he stood proudly on the pedestal she had placed him on in her mind and he refused to come down. He might think so but he wouldn't say it out loud. He even caught himself going to his profile and comparing himself to him. But no matter how hard he stared at the screen flashing in the dark room, he could never see anything he was better at. He took off his glasses, looked in the mirror and used ink to cover his pimpled face that he didn't want to see. On nights like this, he was glad that the reception in the Coral Sea was rather poor. Otherwise, he would spend his days staring at people he considered prettier than himself.

When he thought about it later, it occurred to him that at least in potion-making he had surpassed this two-legged opponent. If he couldn't be beautiful, at least he had a chance to be rich. In a while. But with whom was he to enjoy the shiny thaumarks? What else could he spend it on apart from the workshop, if he wasn't interested in anything else in life? [Reader] wouldn't be around anymore so she could use them to buy a new statuette from the surface and he didn't need much of them. Azul, unlike the boy from above, helped her fulfill her dream. At least he could take that much credit for it.

Azul wasn't entirely sure what he and [Reader] talked about that night. The memories slowly faded away like waves crashing against the shores above their heads. Maybe they were remembering old times. Perhaps she also mentioned something about how to get rid of mean kids, even though he hadn't had problems with them in a long time. He vaguely noticed a round, purple shell being pressed into its tentacle. The last collectible from the surface for the collection here. The same one that he attached to his hat some time later and that he didn't have the heart to part with. He was the one who would take care of the cave from then on. At least until [Reader] can visit her father again after his anger has passed. And even though Azul sometimes felt like he didn't fit in the small cave with his grand, slowly growing ambitions, a lump rose in his throat. The thought of being alone. Without this ubiquitous warmth and laughter.

— I will miss you, so much. — These were the last words he heard from her underwater. The next ones were only by phone.

Azul handed her a casket decorated with shells. The purple glow of the vials shone between them. Without thinking much, the mermaid placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. It meant nothing, as he well knew. It was a form of thanks. The real one was reserved for the lucky guy on the surface.

Despite this awareness, his tentacle involuntarily moved to the place where her red coral lips had rested a moment ago. It was like payment for a contract, even though he hadn't signed any at the time.

— Stay. — Came out from his lips. However, it was silent. Too quiet. It sank somewhere in the depths as [Reader], clutching the box tightly, swam to the surface. The glow of the world above them that her scales reflected that night seemed to be what he remembered most. They stood out amidst the dark ink as on the day he met her. He was a crybaby again in a clump of seaweed.

He couldn't then see the pained look on the little mermaid's face as she left her friend.

"But a mermaid has no tears, and therefore she suffers so much more."

[ambigrueity]

surprise i actually like my art sometimes

This might be the first and last time i post my art on this account but this was too good not to share.

[7deadmushrooms]

My obsession with mermaids isn't over. And I don't think it will end soon...

Redraw of moment from the little mermaid when Ariel turned back into a mermaid on Eric's and Vanessa's wedding and Ursula got her. I lost screenshot...

[zjmaeve]

[🌟] my favorite cosplays : Hu Tao, Ariel, Anya, and Floyd Leech

[simpforsimeon]

*Yuu meeting the great seven and a immortal person, which their family knew for generations somehow*

Yuu: Wha- THE GREAT SEVEN???

Maleficent, chuckling: Why hello dear, you must be Yuu (Last Name), right?

Scar, grumbling: So that’s the brat who we have to stay with?

Ursula, laughing and nudging Scar: Oh come one, 'great king of the beasts', look at how cute they are, such an unfortunate soul that we have to teach to be the best, just like us!

Evil Queen, sighing: Ursula, tone it down a little.

Ursula, pouting: Oh come on, EQ!

Jafar, annoyed and done with everything: Shut up, for the love of God, Ursula.

Hades, ready to teach this kid the ways of the underworld and how to kill your rich spouse and take all their money: Heya, kiddo, names Hades, blah blah, I'm the king of the underworld and stuff, just be sure to let me know when you need my help, kid.

*Yuu, overwhelmed a little by everything, nodded their head*

Yuu, looking towards Queen of hearts: Umm, hello your majesty..?

Queen of hearts, ready to take this kid and Riddle under her wing: Why hello, my dear child, I do hope you know the rules of my red kingdom~!

Yuu, nervously, but still knows the rules: Y-Yeah!

William, watching everything unfold while looking calculative towards the situation with a knowing smile, and laughed at Yuu's facial expression: Pffft-- hahaha -- my, my, our little Yuu has -- hehe-- such adorable -- hihii-- reactions~!

(William is my twst oc, I'll show you more about him later on, and Call him Liam, Willie or Wille!)

[aetheve]

warnings: ( drowning, near-death, implied trauma, mermaid! reader not fully proofread )

what about pirate! azul who found you on the shore, admiring the sights of sand and clouds, taking in the cool breeze of the wind against your skin that the firm ocean currents couldn't replicate. the wind took your song farther than the water could and returned it as it echoed back to you from the steep walls of rock that set the boundaries of the beach.

like you admired land, he admired you. he didn't notice the long tail that replaced your legs to make swimming easier or the paleness of your skin from years deep in the sea; no, he was too taken by your beauty to acknowledge that.

your being alone reminded him of life on the water, from the way your wet hair swayed like a ship's sails in the sun after a night of heavy rain to the way the pearls of your necklace shined under the sunlight like new jewels being exposed to the fire of his lantern after years hidden in old chests with more jewels of the like.

your song was like the whisper of waves against the bow of his boat when it reached his ears. it held all the answers about the ocean that maps and books could not provide him, all at his disposal if he only got close enough. it left him with a determination as he tried to get closer to hear more, to learn more.. but he didn't, as he knew such knowledge came with a price.

your eyes sang a different tune than the melody that left your lips, a warning he so quickly forgot at the sight of temptation. they were dark and gloomy, much like the depths of the sea that not even the sun could access. they were filled with the loneliness and solitude of a mermaid starved of the knowledge about humans she longed for, a longing he could never understand but knew all too well. the same darkness that pulled him under during a recent enemy attack, nearly drowning and suffocating him in its beauty, the same solitude he felt as he could no longer feel the sun's grasp or hear the surface's whispers as it pulled him deeper in her mind.

all the answers he wanted were at the tips of his fingers as he swallowed unhealthy amounts of saltwater.

such knowledge came with a price and he nearly paid it, finally the gravity of his near-death experience weighed heavy on him. it was so heavy that it held him in place, keeping a distance from you and the danger you lived within.

but fear wasn't the only thing that lingered.

an adrenaline not even the most dangerous of jobs could evoke returned to him; a fire he thought he lost in deep, blue ocean behind you was rekindled.

he backed away until your song was only a memory in the back of his mind, it wouldn't be for long though. he'd return to the sea and finally get the answers he wanted. this time he was a man with determination, a pirate will an 'x' on his uncharted map. he didn't know where he was going, but he was sure you'd be there waiting for him.

he didn't know how he knew this, but something told him you would be. you were apart of the ocean, after all.

[syrensocks]

Dont let your Goldfishie drown Floyd ♡

[thecoolsquirrel]

The Little Mermaid AU w/Azul Adeuce!

THIS WAS SO FUN TO DRAW

Bonus:

they eventually did get their cake

<3 Tags for Little Mermaid Au:

@a-very-werid-mirror @twistiraki @azulashengrottospiano @pianostarinwonderland @fjshii @cowboy-rowlet @femmefaeryboi @savanaclaw1996 @taruruchi @thehollowwriter @thefiasco-onyourblock @the-trinket-witch @@adorable-person @twistedcece @ukkipeach @lilyalone @g0ul666 @cecil-garlicbread @girl-nahh-two

Masterlist for this AU

[domxmarvel]

4 year celebration

For this year I decided to only use songs

Guidelines & Characters

Note: I somehow ended up accidentally deleting the original,so this is a new one

There I was again tonight Forcing laughter, faking smiles Kamala x Female!Reader

All I can say is, it was enchanting to meet you Rook x Gender neutral!Reader  

The lingering question kept me up 2AM, who do you love? Ariel x Female!Reader

Please don't be in love With someone else Please don't have somebody Waiting on you  Vil x female!Reader  

He's only here for one thing But (so am I) Hobie x Female!Reader !Smut!

I've heard of a love that comes once in a lifetime And I'm pretty sure that you are that love of mine  Loid x Female!Reader x Yor  

'Cause I'm in a field of dandelions Wishing on every one that you'd be mine Mermista x FTM!Reader  

I think that you are the one for me Cause it gets so hard to breathe When you're looking at me Miles x Gender neutral!Reader

I still have the letter You wrote when you told me That I was the only girl you’d ever want in your life Tatsu x Female!Reader

Cause sometimes I look in her eyes And that's where I find a glimpse of us Gwen x Female!Reader

Does he laugh the way I did? Charlie x Female!Reader

Don't pretend it's such a mystery Think about the place where you first met me Carmen x Female!Black cat!Reader

I got that red lip classic thing that you like Agent 47 x Female!Reader

Cat and mouse for a month or two or three Now I wake up in the night and watch you breathe  Tanjiro x Gender neutral!Reader  

I hate accidents Except when we went from friends to this Pavitr x Gender neutral!Reader

See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns See you make your way through the crowd And say, "hello" Sea hawk x FTM!Reader

Escape this town for a little while Miles!42 x Female!Reader

I could be a better boyfriend than him Ben gross x Female!Reader

I wanna ruin our friendship We should be lovers instead Hobie x Gender neutral!Reader

We're dancing 'round the kitchen in the refrigerator light Loid x Gender neutral!Reader x Yor

[diasomnia-dreams]

Fathoms Below

an Azul Ashengrotto supplementary short story

—————-

It was night. It was always night when he snuck in here. There wasn’t a single Octavnielle student to spot him, to catch him in the act.

One would assume that he was sneaking off to get a midnight snack, from the dorm kitchen…but the way his barefeet collided against the sea foam green carpet floor, you would think otherwise.

Azul Ashengrotto HATES his feet. The feeling of sinking them down beneath him, and although he was sensible and well, practical…his feet were never on the ground unless they had to be.

He quickly entered the dorm bathroom, and locked the door. Being the house-warden of such a dorm, he couldn’t risk his own dorm-mates to become skeptic. Floyd would never let him hear the end of it.

Now that he was all alone, in his thoughts, he began to focus. Focusing on the thought of home under the sea, no longer part of this world. He removed his glasses from his face and unbuttoned his uniform pants, as they dropped the floor with a clink of his belt, he then unfastened each little button upon his uniform jacket and quickly slipped off his necktie. Leaving himself in only his underwear.

Azul made haste of this procedure and, quickly opened one of the mahogany colored cabinets under the dorm sink, and revealed a bucket which had a white lid tightly secured. He made sure to open it slowly as possibly so not a single grain of salt was spilt out and then he emptied the bucket into the large bathtub in the middle of the bathroom. Taking a slight whiff of the salt.

That’s what it was. The strangest thing one could ever witness when it came to Azul. His baths are always cold and usually with mineral salt. This time he raided the cafeteria’s storage when Jamil Viper was busying himself to creating some new sort of confection for Kalim Al-Asim of Scarabia House.

“Kosher salt would just have to do, huh?”Azul muttered to himself, and with a swift flick of his finger, using some of his elemental wind magic, the faucets of the bathtub turned. Only the cold faucet.

Azul then removed his underwear and stepped one foot into the bath, his eyes closed quickly and he took a deep breath. Trying not cry or let a tear stray from the corner of his eyes. Stepping another foot into the water he felt the water which feels so cool against his skin, trickling and rippling as he began to settle down. There's a salty tang in the air, which you can taste as you breathe it in. Maybe you can smell seaweed. If only he knew to grab some from the kitchen, but that would be too risky, Jamil was an observant student. He probably was already skeptic about him taking a great amount of salt.

“Whatever!” The Octavinelle students would say one time amongst themselves when noticing their housewardens odd behavior. This happened often. “He’s stealing from the kitchens and pantries of the school to finance his stupid desires and his stupid baths!”

“Shhhh! Keep your voice down!” Another Octavinelle student would say. They once chanced a look at Azul through the cracks of the bathroom door, and sometimes as he passed, they would try and guess what did he do in there every night with all that salt.

From the moist air that hit the bathroom a moment later it was obvious that Azul was in the middle of one of his fancy baths right then. The mirrors fogged up with musk and the reflections of whomever would look at themselves no longer visible. Good. It gave Azul time to be his true self. He knocked tentatively on the top of the bathtub to ensure that no one else would come, this was to make noise, hoping that no one would hear. If anyone noticed that sound, they would surely notice the rest.

Alas no one came to the bathroom, much to Azul’s pleasure. He then relaxed and reclined into the bathtub and began to transform. His bipedal appendages ripped apart into fours, and then into eights, violent and muffled winces were released from Azul’s full pink lips, he then cupped his hands onto his face, trying to keep himself from shrieking in pain. The human magic was wearing off and he was returning. He was Azul Ashengrotto again, the young Cecaelia from the deep dark depths of the Oceans of Atlantica.

Unlike Floyd and Jade Leech, confident in their Moray Eel form, it took a-lot of willpower, self love and courage for Azul to commit to transforming into his true self. Being alone in the bathtub with his own reflection was a step up for sure.

And while he was alone, there were other things that filled Azul’s heart with joy. Things he wouldn’t air out to the rest of the Night Raven College student body, other than his joy of board games with Idia Shroud, he did like to sing. And oh boy did he have the pipes. Maybe it’s because Cecaelia are so prone to stealing the voices of poor unfortunate merfolk, but his was special and it was also his own voice from

“heartless witch of the sea…heartless indeed, ensorcelling me…” The air was luxurious bath which could be obvious that Crowley spent über amounts of Thaumarks and funding to this school was obvious and the way his voice echoed against the wall but never allowed the sound to seep through proving how much the headmage put into it.

“Oh, let him see me for who I am, for without a voice, my face alone must speak for me…” his voice was airy and gentle and it gave off an aria of unspeakable siren like notes. Azul and any other sea-being had the biology which could write them as sirens, bringing down forces of nature with their very voice.

Azul’s pajamas were thrown sloppily over a lavender colored hamper which indicated that any of the clothes within it belonged to him. Something he didn’t think he would have to do but merfolk like Floyd existed, so he had to label it.

“If I could dance with him but once, I know he would love me….One waltz in the sand; I would be free…. I don’t know, it’s really not so great. Not much to write home about. The sand, I mean. It gets positively everywhere and feels nasty in your foldy bits.” Azul lamented about his distaste for many of the human things that he’s come to adapt to while he was on Sage’s Island as he continued a song he heard once or twice by a Cecaelia woman when he was a young cephalopod in the sea.

“What a lovely little bride I'll make, My dear, I'll look divine! Things are working out according to my ultimate design! Soon I'll have that little mermaid, and the ocean will be mine!” Azul gave out one of his famous cackles as he sighed dreamily, clearly enjoying his bath. That verse was engraved and carved into an old relic he found one day under the sea during one of his many excavations as a child, and he couldn’t help but wonder whose words were these? The words sent him into a nostalgic state although he had never heard of them before.

His lavender hair when it wasn’t styled in such a way was slippery and flowed straight down to the middle of his neck. The one bang which would remind anyone of a purple tentacle hung loose atop his head. Fathoms of bubbles and suds filled the top of the tub and spilled out onto the floor, slowly dripping down like the tentacles of his octopus counterparts , Azul was splashing and talking to himself and playing in the bath almost like a child.

His tentacles sprawled out against the waters and his back reclining against the porcelain tub. The purple and black colored appendages contrasting greatly. Azul remembered, the stories his mother told him about the Little Mermaid and the amazing Sea Witch Ursula. He was told of the wonders—the truth of what foam and bubbles and suds meant in theory to his merpeople. When he was in the bath how could he forget? Foam represented death to the ocean people, their bodies would reduce to foam like a human to ash. And to think he’s flailing and squirming within it for fun, not out of mourning but for ‘cleanliness’. It was a strange concept.

Jade brought the topic up once. Under the sea, they didn’t have such thing as Air Baths or Air pools like they do here. Not for fun or cleanliness. So what was the human’s deal? Azul knew that he shouldn’t question everything the humans on dry land did. He tried not anyways. So he sat down in deep thought for the remainder of his bath, basking in the makeshift saltwater ocean beneath him, he let himself go too easily, he became too vulnerable, thinking that he was in the real thing.

For a slight second—so quickly that Azul could have dismissed it as a shadow or a trick of the light and bubbles if he didn’t know better—a tentacle snaked out of the water, then quickly back in, like it had forgotten itself for a moment.

————-

inspired by Part of Your World by Liz Braswell and Disney’s Little Mermaid

[neoninky]

TWST Fanfic "Her Lost Voice": Chapter 16

Strap in, readers - this rollercoaster is just getting started lol

Chapter 16: A Turn of the Tide

"Hello, Father."

His Majesty froze for a moment, thinking he had seen a ghost as soon as Elise appeared. She looked so much like her mother all on her own but seeing his late wife's pearl hair pins in her dark hair played further tricks on him. 

"Daughter," he said it as if he were bringing himself back to reality, "You look well." 

Elise's father had become a man of much fewer words in recent years. This never changed regardless of how long they had seen each other. It was strangely comforting in a way.

"Thank you, Father. I will be much better soon. There's something very important I need to talk to you about." 

The king sat in a nearby armchair and gestured to the matching one across from him. This was an unspoken formality that all of his subjects, family included, knew well: when the king invited one to sit in front of him, he also gave them permission to speak. Elise curtsied and took her seat before continuing, "Father, something has happened to me this past summer."

"Edward has informed me to an extent, yes," he said dryly as he leaned back into the creaking leather, "And some nonsense about you giving up your status as my daughter?"

Elise took a deep quiet breath, "That is probably the only true thing he told you, Father. Half true anyway. I will always be your daughter, but I no longer wish to be a part of the royal Coralette family. There's somewhere else I want to build a life of my own now. So that is my intention." 

In place of the angry outburst or cynical condescending remark Elise fully expected, she watched as sadness and grief broke through the grey expression on her aged father's face. King Erik suddenly looked the same as he did on that day when Elise's mother didn't come back to them. 

"May I know why you have decided this, my dear child?" his voice shook but he was still ready to listen. And he did. The king listened to every part of his daughter's journey that led her up to this point: her transformation, her time under the sea as a mermaid, losing and gaining her voice back, all of it. He frowned when this young man by the name of Ashengrotto kept cropping up. 

"Am I to understand that you hold deep affection for this...merfolk boy I've never laid eyes on, Elise?" 

His daughter couldn't help but stifle a laugh at her father's sudden protectiveness, "It's more than just infatuation, Father. I love him. And given your past approach to merfolk, can you really blame me for not bringing him straight to you to ask for your blessing...?"

The father groaned not because he thought Elise was being ridiculous, but because he knew that she meant every word. Elise left her seat and kneeled at her father's side, "Father, please I beg of you. I know how much you fear the sea and its people ever since Mother died but-"

"Not another word, Elise," his sudden change in tone caught her off guard, "I confess...you're even more like your mother than I realized. Stubborn and restless as the sea itself. She always had an insatiable fondness for it and the merfolk that inhabited it. Nothing frightened her like it did me and your siblings. She was fearless and full of compassion. Out of all my children, you are the most like her."

He suddenly stood and walked away from her. Erik crossed the room and stared down at a familiar box that stood out among his things. It greatly resembled the music box Elise's mother had given her. He silently opened it and concealed its contents in his hand with a deep sigh, "And that is exactly why I must let you go on your terms instead of trying to hide you away any longer..."

He returned to his daughter's side and showed her the small vial in his hand, "Your mother was a master ambassador and potion maker. She excelled at making temporary potions that allowed merfolk to come onto land. So much that she tried to make another that would do the opposite for humans. I see now how much of a pity it is that she could never finish it but...I believe she would want you to have this even if it is incomplete." 

Elise gingerly took the vial into her hands and stared at the scrap piece of paper wrapped around it, listing its contents, "What is it lacking?"

"Certain ingredients that could only come from very specific region of the Coral Sea. One that most humans cannot reach without a great deal of help, I recall her saying. If this Azul Ashengrotto is as brilliant as you say, I imagine he can and will complete it."

Elise gasped as she looked into her father's eyes. They were sad but he was smiling for the first time in years. She leapt up and threw her arms around him with a sob, "Thank you, Father!"

"My sweet Elise, I can only hope that you can forgive your family for our foolishness. I hope the next time we see each other; it will be a far happier occasion." 

There was only one problem left now: how much they would miss each other. 

-

The ceremony itself was lovely. Emily had never looked more radiant or happy. Had she not known better, Elise would almost buy it. But honestly...what did it matter anymore? Elise smiled and applauded with the rest of the crowd as the bride and groom kissed. While all eyes were on the happy couple, Elise was bursting with a deeper radiance that couldn't be explained. Not that it had to be to a certain onlooker. 

After the wedding concluded, the reception was held down on the lower deck and Elise suddenly felt like a new person in the best and worst way. She mostly floated about through the crowd making polite small talk to those that noticed her and knew who she was despite her distance from the wedding party. Most of the guests were clamoring around the bride, groom, and their two families either giving genuine congrats or just trying to brown nose into the royals' favor. Elise recognized other royals and noblemen in attendance but was overjoyed when her distant observer smiled her way before gracefully separating herself from a small cluster to approach Elise. It was none other than her old friend, Her Highness Reine Castilene. 

Elise nearly ran straight into her friend's open arms, "Oh Seven, how I've missed you!"

The ivory princess chuckled, "I was told by my little sister prefect to give you a big hug so here I am to deliver," Reine released her bestie with a mischievous grin, "Well, that's only half true...I've also been hearing quite a bit about your summer adventures."

Frankly, Elise should have known. As much as she loved and adored Cowrie, the eel was a chatterbox to the right person and that person was Reine. All she could do was burst into a pink blush and laugh, "I'm glad at least it was you that cornered me..."

The two girls, somehow, broke away to speak privately back on the upper deck. Though the guests down below could no doubt hear their laughter. It had been too long, and they were both in riveting spirits.

"What's with that look?!"

Reine was grinning like Chenya on National Strawberry Tart Day, "Ooh you're just reminding me of when I realized my feelings for Riddle darling. It's so cuuuute." 

Elise snorted, "Ah yes, you and 'Riddle darling'. The Legendary Sacred Night Raven power couple."

"And look who's joined our ranks. I wonder what you'll call your smitten beloved in time," Reine's grin quickly turned to full snark as Elise's face turned pink once more.

"I haven't really called him anything special. Just Azul. It all happened so quickly...and then I left." 

Reine watched as Elise's face fell into something between sadness and longing, "Hmm. A princess who became a mermaid. Fell in love with a merman only to turn back into a princess again...it must have been heartbreaking for you both." 

Elise laughed bitterly as a hot wave of tears pricked at her eyes, "I'm not even a princess anymore. I'm just...Elise, a human missing a life she had for a short while-"

She halted all at once and remembered the vial that she had kept in a hidden pocket this entire time, "Reine, I need your help now more than ever. You're always going to Night Raven to visit Riddle, right?" 

"Yes, I'm actually going tomorrow-Oh!" Reine chirped when Elise suddenly grabbed her hand and folded the vial inside her palm.

"Please give this to Azul as soon as you get there. I will forever be in your debt if you do this!" her glassy eyes were wide and pleading. How could Reine refuse? The ivory girl smiled gently before taking the vial and holding it to her heart. 

"As a future queen, I would be honored to help a mermaid find her way home. So long as she agrees to visit every once in a while, and maybe even be my future daughter's godmother, of course."

"Absolutely!" Elise cried out in pure joy as she hugged Reine to her. 

Everything was falling into place, as bittersweet as the taste it left behind but Elise couldn't be happier! She would be eternally grateful for her father and Reine's kindness and repay it tenfold the minute the opportunity arose. It was only when the ship suddenly started to rock that Elise's joy turned into panicked confusion. The guests down below cried out first in shock and then in horror. The two girls quickly peered over the edge and saw two things at once: the waters below were full of shark fins circling the ship and that those weren't normal sharks. Emily's piercing shriek forced Elise's eyes to the bow of the ship. Something had crawled onto the deck and was now crouching down on its arms...its long-finned tail whipping back and forth, igniting more panic amongst the people below. 

Prince Edward swiftly jumped into action. He and the security circled the creature, with weapons at the ready as Emily continued to frantically scream, "Kill it! Kill it and throw it overboard!" 

The creature looked familiar. It was a merman but not a shark. It was an eel with bright yellow spots on its stormy blue-grey skin and ice blue eyes. Elise's feet were on fire as she bolted down the steps. Her heart rammed against her chest as she forced her way through the crowd, praying that the eel wasn't who she feared it was. Her voice pierced the air as it flew from her throat. But nothing compared to the split second their gazes met, and Elise saw how blown wide the eel's eyes were with fear. It wasn't Indigo like she had thought, thank goodness but he was still petrified as the aggressive ring closed in on him. He wasn't attacking, he was trying to escape one predator and was about to be caught by another. 

"DON'T HURT HIM!" 

Her brother and the guards suddenly reeled back as Elise flew past them and shielded the merman. Any outcry Edward made, she ignored when she realized that the eel was badly injured and running on nothing but adrenaline, "He isn't trying to attack us! He's injured and needs help!" 

Edward grabbed Elise by the arm and tried to pull her away from the beast, "Elise, forget your obsession with these things and listen-"

His wrist was suddenly locked in a firm grasp and yanked away from his sister. When the prince turned to deal with the interference, he was met with his father's stern face. Before anyone else could try and stop her, Reine stood between the prince and her friend. She addressed the crowd in a commanding voice as her own bodyguards flanked her, "Please stand back! This merman is in need of immediate medical attention and antagonizing him will only make the situation more dire!" 

Prince Edward shriveled under the sharp gaze Reine suddenly thrust upon him, "Your Highness. With all due respect, your subjects' safety is at stake because of what is in the water, not above it. You might want to take action where needed." 

She didn't bother giving him time to argue but instead turned around to see Elise trying to soothe the eel. Elise had jumped straight into a first responder mindset.

"You are safe. It's alright. No one is going to hurt you," she spoke clearly but gently, "Please, let me help you." 

A weak, raspy attempt at a hiss came from his scarred throat before he was overcome with fatigue. He couldn't speak but he didn't fight the human girl as she caught him in her arms and gently lowered him to the deck floor. His eyes were wild at first as he carefully watched Elise for any sign of betrayal. When he found none, he remained still as Elise desperately tried to seal with his wounds with healing magic. She gritted her teeth in frustration when they didn't show any evidence of recovery, "It's not working!"

Reine left crowd control to her guard and dove down next to Elise to try and help. Even with their combined efforts, the eel was still fading fast. The damage was too great, and he had lost a lot of blood already. Elise heard Reine cry out for any possible medical mages in the crowd, but her eyes were locked onto the moon shaped trinket the dying eel held in his grasp. He clumsily tried to show it to her once he saw the look of recognition, but he could barely lift his hand. Elise felt a fire in her gut as the aged crescent moon pendant fell into her lap: it looked just like Luna's or her mother's. It was cracked and covered with splotches of the eel's blood. It was broken...broken? A spark...an idea.

"Hold on! Please!" Elise put her hands on the eel and took a deep breath, " Return to what you once were! Undo the harm done and try again! Second Chance! "

Elise's unique magic poured into the merman's wrecked body with sluggish pops and crackles at first like a dying circuit, but she recited the incantation once again with more vigor. Over again until she could feel the magic flowing out of her like a fountain.

" Second Chance!! "

The magic began to pick up pace, flowing more smoothly like a whirlpool. She cried out in relief once the wounds started to close back up, even his scars began to fade, and the eel's breathing began to stabilize as if it were being turned back on a dial, "Yes YES!" 

She did what she had thought impossible, and the world suddenly lost all its baring. Seconds later, she lost all feeling in her body and began to fall back. Before she could hit the hard wooden planks, Elise was floating, lighter than air. At least that's what she would have thought had she not heard her savior's rough whisper as he caught her.

"Thank you, Miss..."

-

Had it been hours or days? Elise was too disoriented to know for sure. The overpowering scent of roses was the only thing pulling her back to reality. She nearly toppled over when she woke with a start in an elaborate red and white room that she didn't recognize. It was nighttime and she was on land...somewhere. Fortunately, she did know the man sitting at her bedside fairly well. Reine's father smiled down at the girl as he helped her steady herself, "There, there, Elise. Take it slowly now."

She could barely form the words to ask any sort of question but putting two and two together, she figured it out. She was in the Rose Queendom. 

"Please rest for now, my dear. You burned through your magical threshold at an alarming speed," The king gently lifted her mage stone ring from the nightstand and showed how clouded it was from the blot, "I am very impressed by your determination, Elise, but such power requires discipline." 

Elise tried to speak but her throat nearly ripped apart in harsh coughs. She was quickly handed some water and laid back down to rest as soon as her fits calmed down. Reine was nowhere to be found and neither was the eel. The gentle father answered her searching eyes with a reassuring smile, "Do not fret. Reine left you in my care and departed for Night Raven immediately after. Said she had a very important message to deliver to a friend of yours, I believe. And your merfolk friend, he is here. Waiting for your recovery." 

Elise followed his hand as it pointed out the nearby window. He helped her sit up just enough to look out into the gardens. To her relief and surprise, Elise saw the Roman eel she had healed as he rested in a large pool. His body seemed to be in near perfect condition. King Revon called down to him and he looked quite pleased to see Elise again, safe and well.

"He was quite worried about you. He refused to be left behind when Reine suddenly took you onto her vessel to bring you here. The poor young man swam after it the entire way here." 

Elise felt her heart thump with gratitude and a bit of guilt. After everything he must have gone through, the merman still pushed himself to follow after her despite the danger. Elise finally found her voice again after drinking more water.

"Mr. Revon, sir. What day is it? How long was I asleep?"

"About a full day. It's late now, or early I should say, the rest of the palace went to sleep hours ago. But don't worry yourself, my daughter promised she would return very soon. In the meantime, she told me about what you accomplished, and I would like to help you."

Elise wasn't entirely sure what the noble royal meant but he took a seat across from her bed once more once he was sure she was settled back in properly, "Before I became The White King, I was a studied and well-practiced healer. There are many avenues to healing magic but so very few mages come by it as naturally or as powerfully as you do, dear Elise. Reine told me everything that happened before her very eyes: that merman was on the verge of death and with your unique magic alone, you didn't just heal him - you almost reversed the damage entirely as if rewinding a clock. I believe you have the power to become an incredible healer. If you so desire that path, I would gladly be your mentor." 

Elise felt as if she may faint again. The King of the Rose Queendom wanted to mentor her?! A hardy chuckle flew from his large smile as soon as Elise's jaw went slack, "My goodness! Have I thrown you for a loop, my dear? Don't be so modest. Why my own daughter and future queen insisted. How could I refuse to take on such a talent?"

"Reine...gave me a recommendation, Your Majesty??" her voice sounded as soft as a child's.

Revon Elfern's eyes sparkled with the same warmth and affection Reine's often did, "You have been a very precious friend to my Reine since you were children. I've often felt you were my second daughter of sorts. From what she has told me, it seems that you are currently out in the world without an anchor. You've found your way but got lost within the twists and turns freedom sometimes throws at us. It isn't in my daughter's nature nor mine to abandon those most in need of our help. I shall do whatever it takes to honor that. So, what do you say? Will you accept and become my student? I doubt Sacred Crown would reject a formal internship, even a late one, with a licensed professional, much less with a royal!" His laugh filled her heart to the brim.

Everything was coming together. Elise had been so afraid, angry, and alone before but now...yes, the horizon she sought was right there at the end of her fingertips. Her smile and eyes lit up the room like the dawn.

"When do we start?"

-

The eel's tired eyes squinted at the first bit of sunlight drifting over the surrounding hedges. Sleep had taunted him for hours, but his anxious heart refused to admit defeat. So here he was, plagued with robust yawns that neither satisfied nor bolstered him. He had almost sunk back to the bottom of the pool when a sweet, familiar scent greet him. He perked awake all at once as he saw Elise entering the poolside courtyard. 

"Miss!" his voice was barely anything more than a frantic croak, but his tail still wagged with joy as his savior hurried to his side. 

"You can speak after all!" Elise's laugh burst out of her like a song.

He shyly rubbed his throat where the scars once were, "It's thanks to you and your blessing, Miss...I couldn't speak at all before you healed me." 

Elise carefully sat down at the pool's edge and dipped her legs into the water as she observed him in wonder, "I have so many questions. I'm not entirely sure what happened honestly. I've never done...this," she gestured to his body that lacked any of the wounds or scars it had before. In fact, now that he was mostly healed and with his color back, he looked barely any older than she did. "I've fixed broken items, sure, but I had no idea what I was capable of!"

The eel shyly swam closer to her and gently pressed his forehead to her bare legs, "I am forever in your debt, Miss. Thank you." 

The girl just smiled as her heart was moved by his kindness, "You can call me Elise. Honestly...I don't know who you are. You look a lot like Indigo."

His head whipped up with alarm, "You know Big Brother?" 

It all started to make sense now: the necklace, the sharks pursuing this young eel, the similar coloring to his brother Indigo. He had to be a part of the Muraeni family and not the part that was on good terms with the Don...

"You're a Muraeni then. What's your name?"

His ear fins twitched awkwardly as he looked away from her and mumbled, "I don't have one. I'm not a proper Muraeni son, just the youngest. I don't even have a number, Miss Elise." 

She thought for a moment, looking him over, searching for some sort of tell, "Then...can I give you a name?"

He gently placed his chin on top of her knees with a soft innocence in his eyes, "I would be honored, my mistress." 

He took her hands in his and guiding them to his ear fins and only then did she realize what he was trying to do. Cowrie and eventually Luna had done a similar gesture in the beginning of their friendship. It had to be some sign of trust or loyalty between humans and mermaids, specifically eels in this case. The former princess giggled as the young merman melted into her touch that softly caressed his fins. He was practically purring like a kitten. He was fascinating! Just how differently he was colored and built from his snowflake eel sisters and even the large moray twins. Even compared to Indigo, the coloring was near identical, but his sheen was more silvery lavender instead of his brother's namesake color and his body type was more svelte. Elise noticed the needle-like spines that hoisted his webbed fins up like sails on a ship. 

"How about I call you Spindle? Do you like that name?"

It did have a nice ring to it. Spindle nuzzled his cheek into her hand to show his appreciation, "I'll answer your call whenever you may need me, Mistress Elise."

"If you insist," Elise bent forward to give him a sisterly kiss on top of his head, "I could use your help, Spindle. For starters, what happened to you and what were you doing with that necklace?"

His expression darkened as he sank further into the water, "Big brother is in trouble. I wanted to help...Proteus didn't like that." 

"It's because of Luna and Cowrie's mother, isn't it? Did he use his magic to trap her and use her as bait?"

There was some hesitance in Spindle's eyes, a long-guarded secret finally able to come to the surface, "He did trap her a long time ago. He used a special magic like you have. It was my magic, Mistress...he stole it from me." 

The morning air was soft and quiet, only disturbed by a fair off songbird as the sunlight painted itself over the two of them. Elise felt a deep chill crawl through her skin as Spindle's confession rang in her ears. She quickly grabbed her phone and set it to audio record before holding it tightly in her hands between the two of them. 

"Please tell me everything you know, Spindle."

-

It was a free day on Night Raven's campus and the grounds were eerily somber. Perhaps it was the crisp chill of the air but even club gatherings and the cafeteria crowds seemed muted today. Impending exams surely didn't help either. Azul conducted business as usual as he and the twins prepared to get the Lounge ready for the evening rush. Well, Jade was present and accounted for but Floyd was still moping, holed up in his room. Normally Azul wouldn't stand for this kind of slacking but tonight he just wasn't in the mood to make any unnecessary fuss. A knock interrupted his routine paperwork, but he didn't bother looking up either.

"What is it?" he called flatly.

"You have a special guest, Azul," Jade's courteous tone sounded a bit more insistent than normal. Strange.

"We're not even open yet how-" Azul immediately did a 180 right back into hospitality extraordinaire when his office door opened to reveal Jade and the charming Heartslabyul Queen herself, Reine, "Your Highness! What a lovely surprise!" 

"Mr. Ashengrotto, it's been too long," she entered with such grace and poised charm even Jade felt embarrassed at not having tea and refreshments at the ready for her. He settled for a quick redemption by escorting her into the office and immediately guiding her to the most comfortable seat. She rewarded him with a warm smile, "Thank you, Jade." 

"Of course, Your Highness. I'll let Floyd know that you are here as well. I'm sure your gentle, kind heart would lighten his immensely." 

Azul had to keep his eyes from popping out of his skull due to how hard he rolled them while Reine wasn't looking. 

"Oh, that would be nice. I have missed his affectionate hugs and pet names," she giggled, "however, I must speak plainly with you, Mr. Ashengrotto. My visit today is extremely urgent. I bring a gift from Elise." 

Azul nearly leapt from his chair like an excited puppy at the mention of his new sweetheart. He couldn't form words fast enough as Reine fished a small box from her bag before handing it to Jade to give to Azul. Jade nearly lost a hand with how quickly the octopus snatched it from him. The prefect's stormy eyes grew into wide circles once he saw the vial inside, "This is..." 

"A key to your reunion. At least that is her hope."

Azul's head snapped up and Reine met him with a sure glint in her eyes, "It was given to her to pass onto you, Mr. Ashengrotto, in good faith that you could finish the serum that can and will turn Elise back into a mermaid permanently. If anyone can, I and Elise believe it is you."

Jade had never seen Azul look more bombarded with emotion in all of their years of knowing each other. In a flash, he was on his knees before the princess, singing her praises and kissing her hands like they could turn water into liquid gold. Had Jade not been frozen in shock, he would have thought to get this on camera.

"Ahhh, Your gracious, beautiful, glorious Highness! You are a heaven-sent ANGEL!" Azul only paused to place more enthusiastic kisses upon her dainty hands, "How can I possibly repay you?"

Azul felt a sharp dread fill his veins as Reine's sweet smile suddenly had a foreboding edge, "Oh that is simple enough, Azul Ashengrotto. Don't keep Elise waiting too much longer. And be good to her...after all, she is not only my father's newest student but the future godmother of my future daughter, the next Rose Queen herself. I will find out if you are not." 

There was no octopus pot big or deep enough to hide him from the princess' shrewd gaze, "O-Of course, Your Highness. As if you even have to ask such a thing!" Azul's laugh was shaky at best. Jade was frozen to the spot, internally howling with laughter at Azul's expense. He immediately texted his brother who burst into the office minutes later.

"Mantiiiiiieee!!" He was all smiles in spite of his disheveled appearance. The poor eel looked like he fought his way through a tornado just to get there.

"Hello Floyd! It's so good to see you again!" Reine was pure sunshine, a far cry from the imperious threatening royal she had been seconds before. Seizing the moment of her distraction, Azul turned to Jade with a deadly serious look in his eyes.

"Jade, I need to return to the Coral Sea and get the ingredients I need immediately! You're in charge until I come back. Make sure Floyd doesn't wreck anything in the dorm AND that the Lounge runs smoothly!" 

In the literal blink of an eye, Jade Leech's polished grin was on like a fresh suit, "Of course, Azul."

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