#ruby as the beautiful selkie from the sea

[heatherfield]

And me too!!! Redcricket selkie au please and thank you 😊

I knew you'd see that.

Like, doesn't this just scream Red Cricket?!?!!?

Definitely a little treasure to tuck away and see what I could do with later...

[healeroflightanddark]

Enchanted, Chapter 1: Mersong

A young elf peered over a large rock, looking over the water towards a skerry just off the shore. Every night he heard someone singing from the area, and it was always the most beautiful sound he had ever heard. The singing seemed to have an effect on his garden too, as his plants appeared to enjoy the sound. It made sense to the elf, after all, plants grew very well with music. The elf wanted to know who or what was singing every night. Perhaps he could bring the singer to his home so that he could hear them more often.

As the young elf peered over the rock, he saw a sight that made his heart flutter. There, sitting on the skerry, was a beautiful merfolk. The merfolk had red and green hair like a tomato, and soft pale skin. His tail was a shimmering red one with scales that sparkled like rubies, and five emerald fins, two pelvic, two dorsal, and one caudal. He was wearing nothing but a necklace around his neck.

The merfolk’s beauty took the elf’s breath away. He had never actually seen a merfolk before, having lived in the deep forest until his recent banishment. But he had heard stories about the various merfolk. Sirens were dangerous, luring land dwellers into the sea to eat them. Lorelai were their freshwater counterparts, though they looked human save for patches of flesh-colored scales scattered across their bodies. Sea nymphs looked completely human out of the water, but looked like humanoid water currents in the sea. Kelpies were shapeshifters, taking the form of horses on land and having the head and torso of a human with the front half of a horse and the back half of a crocodile in the water. Selkies were also shapeshifters, humans on land and seals in the water. Merrows looked entirely human, only identifiable as merfolk when they had their red hats on in the water.

There were many different kinds of merfolk, but they all had a couple things in common. They were all immortal, and they all had the most beautiful voices in all the known worlds. The young elf felt a bit silly for not realizing before that the lovely singing he’d been hearing every night was from a merfolk. Now, he needed to figure out exactly what kind of merfolk this pretty little singer was. He might be a siren, which would mean the elf would need to exercise caution in order to avoid getting eaten. Or he could be a different kind of merfolk entirely.

The elf slowly began making his way toward the beautiful merfolk, creeping silently as only an elf could. The waves crashing on the shore masked what little sound he made as he climbed onto the rock behind the merfolk, edging ever closer. After several minutes of studying the merfolk and planning his next move, the elf sprang into action. He wrapped an arm around the merfolk, pinning his arms to his sides, and grabbed the merfolk’s throat with his free hand.

The merfolk’s singing broke off into a yelp of terror, and he froze, holding perfectly still apart from his sudden trembling. The elf chuckled. “Well, well, well, what have we here? A pretty merfolk! But what kind of merfolk, hm?”

The merfolk whimpered in terror. “P-please! L-let me go!” The elf raised an eyebrow. “And risk losing such a pretty singer? Not a chance!”

The merfolk’s trembling intensified. “W-we don’t taste very good! So if you’re planning on eating me—”

“Eating you?” the elf was shocked by the very idea. “Why would I eat you?”

“That’s why you humans are always trying to catch us, right?!” the merfolk started crying. The elf blinked, then smirked. “I’m an elf, not a human. Silly little mer! I’m not going to eat you, I promise! I just want to keep you! Your singing helps my garden thrive!”

The merfolk sniffled, trying to calm down. “Y-you promise?” he asked, still trembling. The elf smiled, “I promise. Now, what kind of merfolk are you? I know you’re definitely not some of the subraces I know about. But which subrace are you?”

“I-I’m a ningyo,” the merfolk said quietly. The elf blinked, recalling the stories he’d heard about ningyo. They were a rare and elusive merfolk who were associated with good luck, and legend had it that eating their scales or flesh would grant humans immortality. The appearance of a ningyo could be an omen of good fortune… or impending disaster. They lived in the depths of the ocean, often near rocky coastlines or underwater caves. Their mersong was hauntingly beautiful, captivating and mesmerizing any human who heard it. It could bring good luck, calm storms, or even heal the sick and injured. It could also draw sailors to them, causing the mortals to shipwreck or drown. But unlike sirens, ningyo didn’t use their singing to hunt humans, but to communicate with them.

The elf beamed with pride at having been able to encounter a ningyo. They were amongst the rarest of all merfolk, having been hunted to near extinction by mortals for their scales and flesh. Most land dwellers would never get the opportunity to meet one, not even the immortal land dwellers. Oh, the rest of the elves would be so jealous of him if they ever found out!

“I’m Yuri,” the elf said, stroking the ningyo’s side. “What’s your name, pretty ningyo?”

The ningyo’s cheeks flushed. “Y-Yuya…” he mumbled, squirming a little at the light ticklish sensations he was experiencing from the stroking. Yuri seemed to notice, and began deliberately tickling his side. “Well, Yuya, why don’t you come home with me? My precious garden would benefit greatly from a closer proximity to your singing, and I would love to hear more!”

“EEK!” Yuya giggled at the tickling, squirming frantically. His pelvic and caudal fins flicked, and he tried to move his arm to shield the spot that Yuri was tickling. “Hey, nohoho ticklihihihing! Heeheeheeheehee! Stohohohop!”

“Aw, is the pretty ningyo ticklish?~” Yuri cooed. “That’s cute!~”

Yuya squealed, wiggling like a fish on a hook. “Stohohohop! Pleaheaheahease! I’ll gohohohoho with youhouhouhouhou! Just stohohohohop! Hahahahaha!”

“Oh, are you suuuuure?~” Yuri teased. “I could tickle you all night if you’re not sure! I don’t mind at all!~”

“Yehehehehes! I’m suhuhuhuhuhure! Yuhuhuhurihihihi, pleaheaheaheahease!” Yuya pleaded, tears of laughter streaming down his face. Yuri chuckled and tickled him a little more before stopping. “Well, in that case, let’s go home!”

[donteattheappleshook]

She Came From the Water Chapter 6/?

Summary

Between his dissatisfying job, a constant battle to keep seeing his daughter, and a history of mistakes, losses, and broken dreams, Killian Jones has no place for magic in his life. But when he pulls in his fishing nets one evening only to find a woman caught in them, his life becomes infinitely more complicated. Is she a siren, a selkie, like his daughter believes, or just another lost soul like himself? Suddenly, his life is a thing of fairytales; beautiful women hidden away in cottages, selkie husbands coming back to claim them, and, just maybe, a chance at happily ever after.

A Captain Swan AU based on the film Ondine (2009) for the @captainswanmoviemarathon

Rated M for eventual smut.

I’m going to stop guessing at how long this fic is going to be.

Read it on Ao3  or Tumblr 1 2 3 4 5

Thank you so much @ultraluckycatnd​ for helping me through all my insecurities about this fic <3 you’re such a lovely beta and person <3

Big thank you as well to @elizabeethan​ @the-darkdragonfly​ and @xhookswenchx​ for letting me brainstorm out loud to you!

Finally thank you to @itsfabianadocarmo​ for this lovely aesthetic that made me start writing this fic again. 

****

Part 6

"Someone’s here." 

She looks outside again and Killian tenses. Nobody ever comes out here. Not unannounced. “Go into the bedroom," he tells her, absentmindedly stroking her arm. "I’ll see who it is.” 

He does his best to stay calm. Surely it’s David or Mary Margaret come to say hello. They just forgot to call. But he can’t shake the feeling that her past has finally shown up, that someone has come to break apart this little world they’ve created for themselves over the last three days and he grieves it already. 

Once she’s shut the door to the bedroom, Killian heads across the kitchen. He can hear it now, someone coming up the drive, steps light and quick like someone sneaking up, trying to avoid being seen. He opens the door, stepping outside in an attempt to keep whoever it is from coming in when suddenly the mystery visitor ducks out from the treeline. He lets out a sigh of relief. 

“Alice,” he calls and her head snaps up. “What are you doing here? You know you’re not allowed to come without your mum’s permission.” The words burn in his throat as they do every time he has to say them, every time Alice disregards the custody rules set in place. 

“Mum’s not home,” she shrugs. “Besides, I wanted to hear the rest of the story. Did she get her memories back?” Alice continues, ducking right under his arm and into the house behind him. He whirls around. His daughter might not be a threat or someone from Swan’s past coming to take her away, but she doesn’t want to be seen. 

“Alice, wait,” he starts but she’s already headed into the kitchen and dragged a chair to the counter so she can boost herself up and reach the cabinet. She beams when she finds the Poptarts. She’s climbing down and ripping into the bag before he’s even reached her so he can make sure she doesn’t break her neck on the way. “Careful,” he warns but is, of course, ignored. She’s utterly unphased as he scoops her up under her arms to set her safely on the ground. 

“So did she?” she asks again.

“Did she what? Who?” Killian’s head is spinning. 

“The girl in the net,” Alice clarifies, rolling her eyes in exasperation. “Really Dad, isn’t this supposed to be your story.”

“Sweetheart, now isn’t a good time.”

“Why not?” she asks and just then the kettle goes off. Alice looks at it and then at the two mugs next to the stove. Killian casts a slightly frantic glance at his bedroom door and her gaze follows him. “Do you have a friend over?” she cocks her head. “Is Ruby visiting? Why is she hiding? Are you doing grown up things again?” 

Killian is going to have a heart attack. “No,” he answers, hoping that Swan didn’t hear anything. “What are grown up things?” 

“I don’t know. You said you’d only tell me when I was older.” 

“Alice I-” The door creaks open and Swan pokes her head out. Killian whirls around, shocked, and wondering how much of the conversation she overheard. She smiles shyly and Killian looks between her and Alice, who beams. How is he going to explain-

“Hello,” his daughter says, setting down her snack and heading over to greet the woman now stepping out of his room. 

“Hello,” Swan answers. Killian stares at them both, unsure what to do or say, worried that this will make the woman staying with him feel betrayed, that it will traumatize his child in some way. But neither of them seem particularly angry or prone to holding this over his head in therapy, so he hesitates. 

“Um, Alice, this is Swan. She’s staying with me for a bit.”

“Oh, we’ve met,” Alice says. Killian’s eyes snap to Swan who nods, looking guilty. When had they met? Why had neither told him? Selkies. Suddenly it makes sense. “Oh, don’t be upset,” his daughter continues dismissively. “I asked her to keep it a secret.”

“Do you think you could keep me a secret?” Swan asks then, casting a glance at him, as though asking for permission. He nods. “I don’t want anyone to know I’m here.” 

“Why not?” Alice asks, frowning. And then her eyes widen in understanding. “Of course! Because of your seal coat!” Both the adults look at her in confusion. “You wouldn’t want anyone to know you’re here if you can’t remember where you left your seal coat. They could trap you.” 

She casts an uncertain glance at Killian. He doesn’t want to lie to Alice, but he also doesn’t believe that he’d be able to talk her out of her certainty about Swan being a selkie if he tried. He clears his throat, absentmindedly stroking the back of his daughter’s hair. “Right. So let’s not tell anyone just yet, okay, love?”

Alice nods. “I did some research you know,” she starts. “Selkies aren’t dangerous. They’re not like mermaids. They save sailors from drowning rather than pulling them under. Which is strange since in this case it’s you who was saved from drowning. Although, I don’t know if you can actually drown if you’re a seal-woman…” 

She continues on, rattling off facts and theories and rambling and Killian casts a hopeless, affectionate glance at Swan who is watching his daughter with patient interest. Alice has it backwards; he might have been the one who pulled her from the water, but it was he who’d been drowning. She’s reached through all the misery and the darkness he’d let himself surrender to and pulled him back to the surface, breathed air and life back into his lungs.

“And of course you can swim very fast and very long since you can breathe underwater,” Alice continues. “I wonder if you swim as fast as a seal? Although you were swimming without your seal coat. I don’t know what the rules are for a selkie in human form.” She frowns at Swan then. “Is it much much different? Swimming with human legs? It must be more difficult -”

“Do you swim, Alice?” she asks then and Alice shakes her head. 

“No. I’ve never had lessons. And Dad can’t teach me.” Killian glances awkwardly at his feet and shrugs when Swan looks at him in surprise. But she doesn’t pry. Instead, she turns back to his daughter. 

“Would you like to learn?” she asks. “... Unless you’re afraid of the water,” she suggests when Alice hesitates and there’s no challenge in her voice, no taunt, just understanding, like maybe she understands that fear. 

“I wouldn’t be afraid of the water if I had a sea creature with me,” the girl beams and Swan returns it. 

“I can teach you. If it’s okay with your dad.” 

Killian had been watching the interaction between the two in stunned disbelief. The way she’s watching Swan, with awe and admiration and enchantment, he’s never seen Alice so taken with anyone in his life. He wonders if everyone who meets her instantly falls in love with her or if it’s just Joneses. 

“Aye. It’s alright with me. But won’t you be cold?”

“It’s not that cold!” Alice insists and he can already see that there’s a tantrum brewing under the surface if he dares to deny her the chance to swim with a sea creature. 

He tries to hide his smirk. “Alright, but the second your lips turn blue we’re coming in.” 

He doesn’t think she’ll last very long. While the wind is mild today the water was still cold against his skin. No harm in a few minutes in the sea, he reasons, children here grow up with the cold in their blood and the water in their veins. He likes the idea of Alice learning to swim; he thinks he’ll sleep better knowing he doesn’t have to worry about her every time she wades out too far or is on the boat with him. 

Swan reaches out and Alice takes her hand and the two head off out the door towards the shore. They’re still on the steps when Swan turns back to him. “Aren’t you coming?” she asks, as though it should have been obvious that he was invited. He’d assumed this was girl-bonding. He smiles, happy to be included. 

It’s not until they reach the water and Alice kicks off her shoes and socks, dipping her toes in the chilly water that she turns to them both in panic. “I don’t have a swimsuit!” she realises. 

“That’s alright. Neither do I,” Swan consoles her. 

“What will we wear then?” 

Swan considers this for a moment and then shrugs. “Underwear,” she tells her and then pulls her dress off over her head. 

Killian’s mind suddenly goes blank, every thought and sound drowned out by the racing of his heart as his eyes cast over the long lines of her legs. His jaw drops, in shock, in awe, in disbelief. He watches the way her hair falls softly over the curve of her back, every smooth, pale inch of her on display and beautiful under his gaze, smile bright and shining as she laughs. She can’t be real. 

It’s only when she turns to look at him, and her smile falters a little with curiosity, lip catching between her teeth, that he realises he’s staring. He’s suddenly far too aware of his limbs, feeling awkward and clumsy and like he’s taking up far too much space. 

He darts his eyes away, staring fixedly out at the horizon as he tries to calm his racing heart. He squeezes his eyes shut and shakes his head as discreetly as he can to try to clear it. But he can’t get the image of her out of his mind. 

He tries to focus on Alice as the two of them wade out into the water, his daughter letting out a shrieking giggle when the cold reaches her knees, her fingers white knuckled against the woman’s. Killian’s certain that if he just stays right here and doesn’t move, doesn’t let his gaze stray from the spot right in front of his feet, that he can get through this without making a fool of himself. 

“Aren’t you coming in, Dad?” Alice calls and the blood drains from his face. 

“It wouldn’t hurt you to learn too!” He glances over at them and Swan throws a look at him, the challenge in it raised with her brow. 

He’d really, really rather not. He can barely handle the effect this woman has on him with all her clothes on. But he notices again the way Alice is clutching her hand, the slight nervousness to her posture despite her incessant bravery and he knows he has to. He kicks off his boots and his socks and leaves them on the shore before wading out after them. As soon as he reaches Alice, she clings tightly to his hand. 

“You swim with all your clothes on?” Swan teases and he smirks.

“I don’t swim.” She rolls her eyes, clearly not letting him off so easily. “Little girls and selkies might not get cold, but fishermen do.” She laughs and, as the water reaches his hips and shoots ice up his spine, he’s glad he’ll have at least one less thing to worry about. 

“Too bad.” She says it so softly he almost doesn’t hear it but his gaze snaps to hers, eyes wide. She’s focused on Alice now, asking if she’s feeling scared, and he wonders if he imagined it. 

“Okay, lie back,” she instructs and lets go of the little girl’s hand so that she can brace one arm under her shoulders and one under her legs, Alice squishing his fingers between both of her hands. “You’re doing great,” Swan encourages even as his daughter flounders a little nervously, letting herself be held up. After a long moment, she finally lets go of his hand and tentatively trails her arms through the water, toes kicking gently and untested. 

“I’m swimming!” she exclaims, nervous laughter bubbling out of her and Killian grins at her proudly. 

“You are!” Swan agrees proudly. “Look at you go, you’re a sea creature!” 

“You’re a natural, love,” he smiles at her. The two of them wade out a little further, Swan guiding the girl in circles, always holding her steady as she gets the hang of floating and he watches, amazed by how taken Alice is and how taken Swan seems to be as well. He’s never even dreamed of letting a woman into his life, not when that life includes Alice and he doesn’t even know if there’s room for someone else in his heart. But seeing them together, he can’t get over how perfectly she fits, or how much he likes it. 

Suddenly, Swan stops, gaze darting down to her foot beneath the waves and he worries she’s maybe cut herself on a rock. She continues to stare, brow furrowing further as she shifts her feet under her. He can see the anxiety building in her and he comes towards them, calling her name softly in question.

“Go to your dad for a second,” she says quickly and Alice must sense her change in mood because she practically leaps across the small space into his arms. He hoists her out of the water and onto his hip just as Swan takes a deep, gasping breath and dives down beneath it. She’s under for a long moment, just long enough that Killian fears he may have to go after her, but panics knowing he can’t do so with Alice out this deep. 

Finally, she breaks the surface, swallowing air in heavy swallows and the relief washes over him so forcefully that he’s made dizzy for a moment. She’s clutching something. It’s dark and leathery and covered in moss and seaweed. 

“What’s that?” Alice asks and Swan stares hard at it. 

“I don’t know. Just… something I found.”

Her eyes go wide suddenly. “Is it your seal-coat?” she asks excitedly.

“Maybe.” Her voice sounds far away.

“Are you going to bury it?”

Swan looks at them then for the first time since before she dove under the water, uncertain. But as her gaze turns to Alice, her expression softens, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Should I?”

“Yes. Then you could stay for seven years.” 

Her smile softens even more. “Would you like that?” Killian can’t help the way his breath catches when her eyes flit to his beneath her lashes. 

“Very much.” He hopes she knows, even if he can’t say it, how much he’d like it too. 

She clutches the leather and weeds to her chest. “Well then, I guess we better bury it.” 

Killian carries his daughter back to shore, Swan following closely behind them. Alice goes on at length without need for an audience about how and where they should hide the ‘seal coat’. Every time he glances back at the woman trailing in their wake, she’s fixated on the item in her hands, her expression unreadable. 

It can’t be her seal coat. That would be impossible, ludicrous, the stuff of fairytales. He appreciates that she’s doing this for Alice, letting her play make believe, indulging her games and fantasies. But the way she’s staring at the waterlogged bundle, like it’s something overwhelming and terrifying and familiar... it makes him doubt everything he believes. 

Maybe she is a selkie. Maybe she did swim here to escape a selkie husband and wind up in his net and in his life. All he knows is fairytale or not, figurative or not, her burying it means something. ‘Would you like that?’ she’d asked. She didn’t have to ask. If she wants to stay, seven years or a hundred, he won’t send her away. 

When they reach shore, Alice wiggles her way out of his arms and, after a small battle over the fact that she had to put her jeans and sweater back on (which she only agreed to when she saw that Swan was dressing as well), she begins leading them off back towards the house. 

“Where are we burying it?” Swan asks, still clutching it carefully. 

“I know the perfect place!” Alice insists.

Killian watches the woman carefully. Every now and then her eyes dart out around her, like she’s expecting someone or something, like she’s being watched. He tries to settle the chill in his bones, the worry that something is coming, that it’s on it’s way now to take her away and ruin this. He fears it; he can’t lose her, not yet. He hasn’t had enough time. He’ll never have enough time. 

Alice runs off ahead of them, disappearing around the back of the cottage. He doesn’t worry. She’s spent years getting lost and found on the grounds and the cliffs and the woods around his home. She knows every inch. When he looks to Swan again she’s frowning, gnawing at her lip as her fingers scratch at the moss and the mud that cover her package. 

He reaches out, fingers brushing gently along her spine, hesitant in his desire to comfort her. She glances up at him, snapped out of whatever train of thought she’d gotten lost in for a little while. He knows the feeling well. 

“Are you alright?” he asks, fingertips still barely touching the dampness of her dress, droplets falling from her hair and onto his knuckles. She watches him for a moment. They’ve stopped walking. He can’t make out her expression. She looks torn, pained and confused and so lost and he wants to help, but he doesn’t know how. 

Her eyes are uncertain as she looks down at the would-be seal coat and then back at him. “I -”

“Come on!” Alice shouts and her mouth snaps shut. Killian turns to wave at his daughter who rolls her eyes in exasperation, waiting with arms crossed. When he looks back at the woman beside him the helpless expression is gone, hidden behind some wall he doesn’t know if he can climb. 

“Swan?” 

She smiles, bright and shining and a lie. “I’m fine. Let’s go,” she insists, heading off after Alice and leaving him no choice but to follow. 

They find her in the greenhouse, an old, broken down thing that had been here when they bought the cottage and that his mother had always meant to turn into something beautiful. She’d run out of time though, and while Killian once swore to himself that he’d finish it for her, the decaying wood of the foundation speaks of his empty promises and forgotten good intentions. 

Swan looks around in wonder, eyes wide and mouth agape as she takes in the overgrown structure. Nature has overtaken it, moss and weeds and late season flowers climbing along the beams and covering the cracked stone floor. “It’s beautiful,” she breathes, gazing up at the canopy of leaves that wind around the remains of the ceiling, some trickling down so low that she reaches out to brush them with her fingertips. 

He’s taken in by the sight of her, by the way she finds beauty in the things he’s grown to loath and makes them magical. It’s as though the light she carries flows from her hands and into the room itself, turning the dark and shaded ruins into something wonderful. Strange and wonderful, like everything about her. He wonders if this is how Alice sees the world, remembers what it was like to see adventure and magic where others saw nothing. Perhaps he could see it this way again some day, or maybe it’s enough to surround himself with those who do. 

“Over here,” Alice calls and they both follow her to the far end of the structure. She’s trying to get a piece of cracked stone loose, the floor crumbling beneath them. 

“Here, let me,” he insists and kneels down to pry it free before she hurts herself. The rock lifts fairly easily, revealing soft, damp earth beneath it and Alice grins. 

“Right here,” she says, kneeling down beside him and beginning to dig. 

Swan finally sets down her burden and joins them on the ground, fingers sinking deep into the soil as she helps Alice dig. She looks at him, brow raised meaningfully and nodding at the ever growing hole. He shakes his head, laughing but complies, scooping mud and dirt and worms until it’s deep enough and she stands, picking up the bundle and setting it carefully inside. He’s never seen Alice so excited, and that’s saying something. 

“Will we remember where it is?” Swan asks as they pile dirt over it. “In seven years?”

“Should we mark it?” Killian asks, trying to remember if he grabbed his pocket knife or left it on the boat. “We could put something in the wood.”

“No, that’s too obvious,” Alice shakes her head. “Someone could find it!” 

Swan bites back a smile and turns to him. “Yeah, come on, Killian,” she sighs with a smirk. “Way too obvious.” He raises a brow at her, a disbelieving grin pulling at his lips. Is she teasing him? 

“I know,” his daughter says, standing. She walks out where the back door would have been, feet carefully placed one in front of the other until she reaches a giant oak tree that’s been on the grounds longer than Killian’s been alive. She turns to them. “Seventeen steps to the fairy tree.” 

“Brilliant,” he tells her and she looks very proud of herself. He doesn’t bother to question the fact that her feet will grow; he doubts she’ll remember this in seven years time. By then she’ll be too grown up, so for now he lets her believe in magic, hopes she continues to for as long as possible. 

“Thank you, Alice,” Swan says, taking her hand when the girl returns to them. 

“Now your selkie husband can’t make you go back!” 

“I have a husband?” she asks. 

“Of course. All selkies do. But now he can’t make you go back to the water for seven years. Not so long as your coat is hidden.” The excitement in his daughter’s eyes is unparalleled and he hates to break this up, but a glance at his watch tells him they need to get going. Alice needs to be home when her mother returns, and he still needs to go to the fishery. 

“Time to get you home, love.”

“Dad, no,” she starts to whine and while it tugs at his heart that she wants to stay, he knows she can’t. 

“Come on, your mum will start to worry.” She won’t. He knows that. She probably won’t even notice Alice is late or gone - who knows where Eloise is anyway - but if she finds out that Alice was here, she’ll make them both suffer for it and he won’t have her keeping his daughter from him any more than she already does. 

“Do I still get to come this weekend?” she asks, stepping back as though she’ll refuse to leave unless he promises. 

“Aye,” he smiles. “For the whole weekend.” Only then does she begrudgingly agree to come with him. The three of them head back out to the cottage, Swan sitting on the front steps and saying goodbye to Alice, saying she hopes she’ll see her soon. 

“Will you still be here Saturday?”

Swan looks at him quickly before answering. He only gives her a hopeful smile. “Yes,” she promises and he has to duck his head to hide his pleased grin. 

“Okay,” Alice agrees and then heads towards his extended hand. She’s only about halfway there when she stops. She turns suddenly, rushing towards Swan and wrapping her arms around her neck in a fierce hug. 

The woman looks stunned for a second, thrown back by the force of the small girl crashing into her, but then she smiles, eyes almost watery as she squeezes her back. Alice whispers something in her ear that he can’t hear and he won’t ask about. Let them have their secrets. One more kind woman in his daughter’s life is not a gift he takes lightly. 

Alice hangs on to his hand for longer than normal on their walk home, regaling him with tales of selkies and what exactly it means to bury her seal coat. He raises an eyebrow at some of the things she tells him she’s read in the books she found at the library, really hoping she doesn’t actually understand some of the stories about women and male selkie lovers. 

“Why seven years?” he asks and she rolls her eyes. 

“Because those are the rules. If she buries her seal coat she can stay for seven years. But burying it just means she has to stay. She can stay if she wants to. Unless her husband decides he wants to take her back. That’s why we had to make sure it was hidden. If he finds it, he’ll take her away.” There’s a hint of heartbreak in her eyes. 

“Then I guess it’s a good thing we hid it so well,” he says, squeezing her hand and her smile is back. 

“You know, Dad,” she says when they’ve been walking a little while. He looks down at her. “Sometimes selkies do stay on land forever. They say that selkies can often find happiness with a…” she frowns, certainly trying to remember whatever book she’s quoting. “A landsman! That’s it. Selkies can often find unexpected happiness with a landsman.”

“Is that so?” he asks, deliberately not acknowledging her meaningful look. 

“Do you think Swan will stay?” she presses.

“I don’t know, love. That’s her choice.” 

“I think she will. I think she likes it here. Maybe you can marry her and then she can stay forever.” 

Killian winces, not ready to get into why he can’t go marrying a woman with no memory who he’s only met three days ago. Especially when even now the thought makes him smile. “Alice…” he starts.

“Why not?” she asks, more to herself. “It makes sense. She’s already living with you, and she likes you.” 

“You think she likes me?” he asks before he can stop himself and regretting it the moment he says it. Alice gives him a sly grin. Killian clears his throat, making a point to sound less excited this time. “What makes you think she wants to stay?”

“She could have taken her seal coat and left.” 

He knows it’s not a seal coat. He knows she’s not obligated to stay for seven years because she hid it in his greenhouse. But he can’t help but hope when he thinks of the way she looked at him when she said they should bury it. It felt like a promise. Maybe not a promise, but the suggestion of one at least. 

“Besides,” Alice says, breaking him from his thoughts. “I’m not oblivious, you know. I’m seven. I know things.”

***

Please let me know if you want to be added to the tag list! Or removed, I won’t take offence!

@kmomof4 ​ @snowbellewells ​ @teamhook @resident-of-storybrooke @stahlop @hollyethecurious @artistic-writer @gingerchangeling @bubblegum1425 @jackieorioncat @darkcolinodonorgasm @xhookswenchx @lfh1226-linda @searchingwardrobes @winterbaby89 @whimsicallyenchantedrose @xsajx @thejollyroger-writer @elizabeethan @carpedzem @spartanguard @tiganasummertree @demisexualemmaswan @itsfabianadocarmo @courtorderedcake @the-darkdragonfly @ouatpost @ultraluckycatnd @sailtoafarawayland @zaharadessert @allons-y-to-hogwarts-713

[katsukibakugouprompts]

Selkie AU, strangers to lovers, krbk, bkdk/dkbk,tdbk etc.

[Author’s choice] has always watched the boy with the blond hair who lived with the old man in the shack by the sea. He often stares out longingly at the sea, like it’s some sort of forbidden fruit that he may look upon, but never touch. There’s something mysterious about him, something that draws them near.

The boy  had been beautiful, once. When he’d first been seen with the old, creepy man in the shack by the sea. He’d been all yellow hair that shone in the sun like the whitest gold you’d ever seen, all ruby red eyes full of fire and determination, all strong shoulders and sinewy muscle. He’d been lithe, sensuous, even charming, in a dangerous sort of way.

He looked sickly now, no more than skin and bones, dark shadows under his sunken eyes. He moved slower and stiffer, like each breath took something from him, and always that wistful look, like he wanted just one more taste of the waves before he wilted away into nothing.

or,

Katsuki is a Selkie, and the character of author’s choice decides he’s going to help him find his coat and escape to the sea before he wastes away on the shores of men.

[river--glass]

Reylo Fic Recs Long Ass Fics pt 2: Alternate Universe

Someone asked for fic recs 100K or over, so here they are. See Pt. 1 for Canon Verse or Alternate Canon Verse fics. (I haven’t read all of these- my personal comments are in bold)

Equilibrium by AttackoftheDarkCurses & thebuildingsnotonfire. (modern, E, 479K)

When Rey works up the nerve to ask Grand Master Luke Skywalker to train her, she makes friends and finds something deep and wonderful in the martial art known as Taekwondo.

She never thought the choice would change her life.

Alternatively, a (long) story of love, family, and Martial Arts.

The Heartbreak Prince by diasterisms. (Harry Potter, E, WIP) 

I swore I would never read Harry Potter AU’s or Works In Progress, but for this fic I broke both rules. This is, pun not intended, so magical in every way. It has me SHOOK and if somehow you haven’t heard of it yet, do yourself a favor and check it out!

In Living Memory by SpaceWaffleHouseTM. (multiple times, E, 221K)

Ben and Rey are rendered immortal after being struck by lightning at the precise same moment, and keep running into one another as the centuries drag on. Waffle’s stories are all amaaaaazing and you need to read ALL of them.

Hit Me With Your Best Shot by SageMcMae. (modern, E, 214k)

MMA fighter, Kylo Ren is suspended from the league and sentenced to community service at his uncle’s martial arts academy. There he meets Rey Niima, a recent graduate with a natural ability and incredible potential.

Soul Searching by OptimisticBeth. (AU, Modern, E, 205K)

A Soulmates AU in which Ben is horrified to find out he’s soulmates with his 16 year old student, ten years his junior. (no underage shenanigans) This fic fucked me up. The world building is so stunning. The story is rich with love and fluff, but oh the angst. Soooo much angst and emotional anguish and two people who are trying their best but just can't communicate for shit. The overall story is so beautiful and worth every heartbreaking moment. A happy ending WILL come!

Satan Wears a Rolex by AquaWolfGirl. (Modern, E, 205K)A Devil Wears Prada AU. Unfinished, but it’s fascinating and it ends well where it is.

Hiraeth by Ferasha. (1990′s, E, 204K)

An absolute angst and pain train of a historical war fic. This is not a comfort fic. It will fuck you up. But if you’re into that, the way they’ve woven canon plot in with the Yugoslav Wars is a masterpiece. It’s dark and gritty and will make you feel things.

Le Fin Du Fin by QueenOfCarrotFlowers @leofgyth. (Victorian, E, 196K) A Crimson Peak AU!!! This writer has never let me down.

A Proposal by Any Other Name by Lucidlucy. (Modern, E, 188) A Leap Year AU.

Salt in the Blood by Hagen. (9th century, E, 169K) Featuring pre-Norman invasion Ireland, selkies, love of the sea, and mythical creatures.

The Great Big No by dietplainlite. (1990′s, E, 165K)

Kylo Ren is third generation rock royalty, a reigning brat prince starting to feel the burn of the fame he reached for with both hands. Rey is an aspiring singer on the verge of a big break, provided her A&R guy still has a job by the time she reaches LA. Their paths have crossed briefly, disappointingly, before. What happens when they collide?

The Trail Bride by SecretReyloTrash. (AU, Wild West, E, 160K)

Rey Niima finds herself in a perilous situation when her husband dies at the start of their journey West. From the few bachelors on the trail in her party; she attaches herself to the best of her options- mysterious Banker Ben Solo. A really interesting, amazing piece. Lots of introspection, and a heart wrenchingly real look into abuse and recovery. I emotionally digested for days.

The Sacred Texts by Eskayrobot & Poaxath. (Modern, E, 159K)

Doing the Unstuck by slipgoingunder. (Modern, E, 158K) A When Harry Met Sally AU.

The Mating Service by AlbaStarGazer. (Modern A/B/O, E, 146K)

If Rey had known how quickly she would find her biological mate and alpha through the world wide mating service, 'Match,' she might have considered signing up years ago.

Unravel Me by UnderTheCancerMoon. (Modern, E, 145K)

Rey and Ben push and pull their way through their 20's, experiencing the love, success, loss, and challenges that make life rich.

Fire Away by Daisyflo. (Modern, E, 141K)

The Witch in the Wood by HarpiaHarpyja @thisgarbagepicker & Inmyownidiom. (Fantasy, E, 138K)

I cannot say enough good things about this fic. It’s serving you knight Kylo and witch Rey and so so many good feelings. Sure there’s some angst and dark magic and some struggles but mostly this is a lovely Ghibli-esque story about two people living in a treehouse and talking to animals and having a really good life! Everything HarpiaHarpyja writes is magic.

Snow Without Winter by neonheartbeat. (Renaissance, E, 138K) 

If you’re into serious historical fics (this once features catholicism and Rome in 1492) this is for you.

Lemon-hot Summer by IshaRen & pr3tty_g1rl5. (Modern, E, 130K).

In which Ben is the horniest virgin alive and Rey is bored and looking for something (or someone) to do.

Stranger Than Fiction by daxcat79. (Modern, E, 127K). Grumpy writer Ben and sunshine muse Rey.

Like Red But Not Quite by @kylotrashforever. (Modern, E, 126K) KTF is a god-tier reylo writer and you need to do yourself a favor and go read everything they have ever written.

Dark Water by LinearA. (1950′s, E, 125K)

The North Shore by @strawberrycupcakehuckleberrypie. (Modern, E, 125K)

Notting Hill vibes. Actor Ben meets shop owner Rey, and both their lives are changed instantly. It’s mostly about them both being smitten and starting a really good life together!! Lovely!

Stars In My Pockets (Wear Daisies In My Hair) by LostInQueue. (Modern, E, 125K). A Reylogan fic.

we could plant a house, we could build a tree by like_a_dove. (Modern, E, 124K).

An absolute classic. It’s about growing pains and growing feelings - the transition from childhood into adulthood and all the messy bits in between. God, it will hurt you. Badly. But it’ll be so, so worth it.

go i know not whither and fetch i know not what by voicedimplosives. (1990′s, E, 118K)

Russian Mafia AU!! A truly beautiful piece of work. Great plot,great smut, great Bendemption arc. It’s an emotional rollercoaster that’s fully worth the ride.

Souviens-toi de moi by Maniable. (Modern/historical, E, 117K)

Disconnect by Weatherbug02. (Modern, E, 115K) 

Candyleg by 5cents. (1950′s, E, 115K)

The girl was too young, but old enough to have a hustler’s-eye view of her own bleak future. The boys were paying her to do a snow job on a candyleg, but she was beginning to love her work and love Solo, and she decided to stick with him till death did them part...

Baby, It’s Just Biology by polkadotdotdot. (Modern A/B/O, E, 112K)

Only If You Want To by Violetwilson. (Modern, M, 111K)

Personal security expert (and occasional under-the-table hitman) Kylo Ren has a strong feeling about the cute dive bar waitress with the strange bruises and the vicious wit. She's either a victim or the weirdest criminal he's ever met. Possibly both.

Ileenium Manor by WaterlilyRose. (AU, victorian, E, 109K)

Leia’s maid Rey instantly hates Lord Ben when he comes to take over the household. She can’t hate him for too long as he starts to pursue her. If you’re in the mood for a sweet but angsty Lord/Maid fic, this is for you.

Kohelet 3:16 (Call Me A Cab) by LinearA. (Modern, E, 108K)

Ruby Woo Red by HeartSabers. (Modern, E, 107K) Featuring makeup artist Rey and TV star Kylo.

Sixth Year by witheyesclosed. (Harry Potter, M, 107K)

The one where Ravenclaw Rey gets paired with Slytherin Ben in Potions and ohmygod he’s hot now

Lockjaw by bitterbones. (zombie apocalypse, M, 106K)

A Song of Trash and Fire: Ben and Rey Make a Porno by HarpiaHarpyja & sunshineflying. (Modern, E, 106K) 

With the help of rich Unca Wanwo, flagrant misuse of Ben's creative writing degree, and copious amounts of coffee, Ben and Rey put together the porno of the century, starring themselves and their friends . . . with interesting results.

The Hypnotist by Pandora_Spocks. (Modern, E, 104K)

From a galaxy far, far away, soulmates Ben and Rey have been reincarnated on Earth to resolve their karma. Dr. Ben Solo is a charismatic hypnotist to whom present day Reychelle Lumen has been referred to for help with her nightmares.

Score by SpaceWaffleHouseTM. (Modern, E, 104K)

Ben's friends convince him to take the Rice Purity Test, but when he and Rey are revealed to have the highest scores of their friends, they quickly form a pact to beat Poe's out by the end of the semester. I loved this! Its so so sweet and funny and all from Ben’s POV. Sweet, sweet pining Ben.

The World Shifts (And I Am Better Here) by lachesisgrimm. (Fantasy, E, 102K)

Once upon a time there was a beggar girl whose parents sold her to a thief, and she was very unhappy.--In which prophecy is used with malicious intent, and the universe exerts itself to correct the problem.

for @scarletvizhlovers

[lesserfandomappreciation]

What would it be like for Lapis and the crystal gems to have an s/o who is a selkie?

Selkie S/o (Steven Universe)

Lapis

Lapis is a hard person to get a read on. She likes meep-morp and singing and generally relaxing. She also has a penchant for not being easily amused, being extremely difficult to impress and having trouble getting some things. 

She likely thought they were joking when they said they can turn into something.

Then she sees those dark, round eyes. The absolute unit of roundness. The little fins-! Lost. Sold. Instantly in love. 

This exists?! They’re one?! There’s more than one?! They’re all in the oceans?!

After this any time they’re in the sea she’s with them. If something so utterly cute lives in the ocean, maybe it’s not such an awful place to be in.

It still takes time for her to really get comfy being around the sea depending on the point in the timeline, but this helps. A lot. 

Pearl

Oh, Y/N. It’s a lovely thought to think that there are humans who can transform just like gems can. But it’s simply not possible?!

They had been talking just two second before like everything was normal, then suddenly they grab a cloak and now there’s a round sphere of flesh with big eyes in the middle of the floor what is going on?!

Once she’s back down from her frenzy, oh the questions will start. 

“Have you always been able to do this? How did you learn how to? There’s more than one of you? How did you never run into any gems? You need your cloak to change? Wouldn’t that make you vulnerable to being stuck in one position? What do you mean that’s happened to some selkies before?!”

If you thought she was concerned before, boy oh boy you’ve seen nothing yet. The idea that someone could rob her s/o of their free will by taking their cloak worries her a lot. 

She will admit that their seal form is very adorable though. 

Amethyst

Immediately transforms to match her s/o.

What, you thought she’d be shocked? Out of the people on this list, she is the one who thinks this is a prank or a joke the most, even more so than Lapis (albeit it more in a good-natured way). The fact that they wind up telling the truth and now being much, much rounder than before delights her more than anything. 

She wants to learn everything about being a selkie from her s/o. As the gem who likes transforming the most, she’d have no problem keeping up with them in the water, dancing and swimming between the waves with them as they show her their world. The beautiful world below the waves. 

She is going to use this to scare Pearl at least once. How? She’s not sure yet, but she will think of something. 

Garnet

For once her future vision fails her. Out of all the future possibilities she saw of her s/o approaching her and wanting to “have a talk” this was not one of them. 

“That’s... unexpected.”

This is Garnet. She’s not going to have a particularly strong outward reaction to this reveal. 

Ruby and Sapphire though are very different stories. 

If Garnet unfuses and s/o happens to be in seal form at that time the two of them are going to be absolutely losing it. They knew their s/o was cute but they didn’t know they could be cute in other forms too!

[jade-island-lives]

Merlia Holidays: Dec 13th: Holly Day

No one asked for this, but with the holidays in motion, I’d think someone would be interested in a Merlian Holiday.

As a quick run down, the seafolk all believe in four goddesses. Solaria the Bold, Luniaria the Reborn, Estellaria the Martyr, and Holly the Hopeful. All the kingdoms believe in them, but they all have their own interpretations on how they look like and such. But for the sake everything, let’s focus on the Jade Island interpretation. 

Holly Day is a particular holiday that is marked by the first snow fall on the island. Usually on December 13th, but it has been known to come earlier or later depending. However, despite it being called Holly Day, the holiday lasts a week.

Holly Day is to mourn Holly the Hopeful’s death and pray for a safe rebirth and spring on April 1st, during the first rainfall of the season. 

The legend is a tragic one, but a hopeful one. The story goes as follows:

THE LEGEND

Holly the Hopeful was a precious goddess with a kind heart and a caring nature. She was easily the most beloved of the goddesses. Everyone adored her and was enamored by her grace and her beauty. Mortals would bring her gifts and gush over her, and there were many who were jealous such attention. One being Luna herself. 

But there was one mortal, a mer by the name of Sunstone. He was so in love with her. He not only brought her gifts, but he attempted more than once to court her and even went so far as to stalk her. Watching her from below her tower each night and watching her tend to her garden each night. 

The other Goddesses found it rather disturbing, and attempted to keep him away. But Holly was not bothered by it, and said there was no need to harm him as he was a mere mortal and harmless. 

Sunstone kept up his behavior, becoming more greedy and longing to have the goddess for himself. But when he found out that Holly’s heart belonged to that of Solaria. He became blinded with jealousy and greed, and armed with a weapon lined with the lilac poison of God-Cleaver, a flower that grew in Holly’s garden, he planned to kill Solaria while she was out lighting lanterns for the lost. 

However, Holly caught him red handed. And as she attempted to stop him, pleading with him to see what his was doing, that greed and jealousy had blinded him. And that she could never love someone who lived with such horrid thoughts of murderous ambition. 

This flew Sunstone into a rage, and before he knew it, his blade lined with the nectar of the Cleaver, had run through the goddess. 

Realizing to his horror what he had done, he attempted to flee the garden, only fo the other goddesses to be alerted of his crime. Sunstone met the blade of Estellaria’s scythe, but they were too late. Holly’s body turned to stardust, leaving behind a sprig of Holly. 

Some say Solaria’s cries could be heard across the world that day. 

Solaria, being the goddess of the sun and harvest, found herself unable to do her duties due to her grief. The world grew cold and her heart became stone. With no sun, the rain began to freeze and snow swallowed the earth for three months. 

All that time, the mortals grieved for the lost goddess, and brought gifts to the garden, sang songs of hope and peace, praying for the days of good hunting and harvest. 

Solaria would spend days in her garden, weeping for her lost friend and lover. Whispering sweet nothings and promises to the mound where the sprig of holly was buried.

It is said that all that hope and love, the hope that things would be better in spite of all the pain and misery, was the thing that caused Holly to rise from the dead once more. Some say that Solaria’s tears, filled with the hope and love of mortals and herself, watered the holly and caused Holly to return to life. 

Needless to say, on the first of April, the mortals found rain washing away the snow. And they wept with relief as the Earth finally began to heal. 

Unfortunately, Holly’s soul was forever damaged and could no longer give the endless prosperity it needed. So every December, she rests until the beginning of April. Flowers wilt, leaves fall, and crops fade. And Solaria stays with her to care for her, rarely doing her duties during this time

But with hope, she will return all strong again. 

TRADITIONS 

Holly wreaths and Holly salt is placed upon the doors of mer’s houses to ward off the cold winter depression. Foods like Salmonberry Pie, JellyTube Soup, and Ice Fish Roast, filling food that feed hearts as well as stomachs are made. Midnight Drops are pickable, and are perfect on ice cream for they taste like fizzy blue raspberries. 

It is common for lovers to become closer during the season. But platonic relationships also grow closer. Fighting is seen as disrespectful and wrong, and it is believed that if you pick fights during the winter season, you will have a bad harvest. 

Ruby Crabs will scuttle out of the sand and back into the water to migrate to warmer waters. Some would describe it as a sea of red meeting the silver sea.

It is also believed that mers who lay their eggs in this harsh weather will give birth to strong willed mers, should they survive the cold (which these days they do). This is evident as Jade was born in December. 

The biggest things done during Holly Day is gift giving. You can only give a gift to only those you truly care about, and one gift per mer is customary.. Meaning you can give many gifts out to people you love, but it;s customary to give them only one gift per mer. Lest you want to follow in Sunstone’s example.

It’s also more customary to make the gift yourself or seek it out yourself, as it means more to the both the giver and the receiver. 

People sing carols about Holly’s Death and Rebirth, they sing about the love between the sun and nature, they sing about the snow and most of all they sing about hope and love. 

It’s said that the Selkie kingdom holds a play about Holly’s Rebirth that is only done once a year. And it’s popular enough to have sea creatures come near and far to see it.

It’s by no means a fancy holiday, but it is one about pain, tragedy, grief, and hope in dark times. 

@toboldlywrite @lady-redshield-writes @futureauthor-mabye @soul-write @spellboundinks @miniaturemagic @rachywritessomething @the-crafty-fox @namingtoohard @wineandpensareallineed 

[firesign23]

WIP Wednesday

WIP Wednesday, WIP Wednesday! And a snippet from my selkie AU, below a cut because I couldn’t cut it down enough. Including the rephrased version of the “wise in chivalry but dumb in ass”, which I still maintain was a DELIGHTFUL line.

The moon was full and bright as he descended the secret stairs that led down the sheer cliff face to the beach below. He heard the mysterious visitor before he saw him, his haunting, indefinable words carrying across the empty sand; the visitor's voice was neither high nor low, but carried such a sweet grief that Jaime found he wished to weep at the beauty. 

As he drew near to the figure he realised that it was not a man at all, but a woman. A tall woman, broad in shoulders, but a woman all the same.

Pardon, good lady, a noble man might have said, but Ser Jaime was wise in chivalry but foolish in the ways of sense, and so proclaimed, “The ghost of Casterly is a woman?”

She turned, and even in moonlight Jaime could see that she had the bluest eyes he’d ever known, as blue as the sea; not the waters of Casterly, lingering in the last vestiges of sunlight, but the pure blues he’s seen once before, when he’d travelled beyond the sight of land.

“I am no ghost,” she said, “and am hardly a woman.”

“You are woman enough,” he said, his eyes roaming over her. “Though I’m not certain how I can tell.”

She drew to her full height--taller than he--and her eyes flashed like the storming gales that tore ships apart to sink them below the waves. A woman, yes, but one with the fury of the elements behind her, with a regality that his dear sister strove to echo.

“Be gone,” she commanded.

Ser Jaime smiled insolently.

“I don’t believe I will,” he said, “for Casterly Rock is mine, and I will know why you come night after night and sing such a song.”

The command had gone from her as quickly as it had come, and there was a flush to her cheeks as she looked to the sand.

“I seek my brother, my lord,”  she said, “and I beg you leave to return until I have found him or resigned myself that he is truly lost.” 

“And why would a missing man find himself upon a beach and not elsewhere?”

“It matters not why, just that it is so.”

“You intrigue me, my lady.”

“Brienne.”

“Pardon?”

“My name, it is Brienne. There is no need to call me a lady, for I hardly resemble one.”

His own words had barbed at her so, but he found there was no enjoyment at her resigned tone. She was enormous, yes, and would be found less than his sister by any reckoning of beauty save her astonishing eyes, but her palpable grief at her lost brother did her much merit, and there was a strength of unbendable steel in the lines of her body.

“Be that as it may, my lady, I believe I shall. Now, as for your brother, might I ask his name, so that I may inquire of his whereabouts?”

“You may not,” she said. “Excuse me, but I must leave.”

She bowed to him as a man might have, and strode away, her voice once more rising above the waves as she sang. Jaime watched her leave, intrigued by the strange woman and her plaintive songs, and vowed he would return.

And so he did. Night after night, even as his father slipped further towards his final meeting with the Stranger. On the third evening she told him her brother was named Galladon, on the fifth that he had been gone for 11 moons and she despaired of finding him before the twelfth moon had come and gone. His days became consumed with finding the missing man, and his nights with Brienne. 

“It is strange, dear brother,” Cersei said one evening as they supped, “but I feel you care little for the Rock of late.”

“And it is strange, dear sister, that you might think so when you hardly leave your chambers save to dine.”

But, in truth, Jaime did care little for Casterly Rock, or the Casterly Rock of his sister’s estimations. For he found that as he sought the absent Galladon, he came to know his subjects better, was able to render them such aid as was in his purview. He came to desire Lady Brienne’s company, for she was good-hearted and determined, and to his immense surprise adept with a sword. He came to spend more time with his learned brother, for Tyrion knew things not simply read in books. No, the value of Casterly Rock was not found in gold as his father had always claimed, and Ser Jaime found that he preferred sapphires to rubies and emeralds.

[yoyoplisetsky]

what are some of your favorite fics for yuri on ice?

i assume since i already answered the “favorite of my own fics” ask, this is a “favorite in general” ask? i’m gonna pick like 10 because i could go on forever this fandom has some amazing fics

Beside the Dancing Sea - lily_winterwood - @omgkatsudonplease​ - He’s finally here in this lovely and quiet little beach cottage, and the rest of the year seems to stretch out infinitely before him. Time will pass, though, and it will pass faster than he realises, but in the meantime he will stop worrying about writer’s block and deadlines and not even having the foggiest clue what his next novel’s going to be about, and live.New York Times-bestselling author Viktor Nikiforov arrives in the sleepy seaside town of Torvill Cove to cure his writer's block. After encountering local wallflower Yuuri Katsuki at a party, he discovers that this mysterious dark-haired man has a couple secrets up his sleeve.And Viktor will be damned if he doesn't find out just what those secrets are.(selkie au and author au which i’m crying about forever. fun fact that this is the first fic i ever read for this fandom. forever in water cryptid hell, and lily knows this now. i plan on rereading this fic. soon.)

Eros, and Other Love Stories - FullmetalChords - @phoenixrei​ - Eros. Yuuri understands it in theory, of course. He’s seen what must be hundreds of movies about the very topic, but never really understood them. Never understood why the protagonists of these films make such fools of themselves for sex, or why they fall head over heels in love with the first pretty face they see. He nods and smiles and sighs along with the rest of them… but he’s never related to those characters’ struggles. Not even a little.What is wrong with him?--A character study of Japan's ace, Katsuki Yuuri.(meg already knows that her ace!yuuri character study made me cry, but that doesn’t keep me from reccing it. it’s so beautifully written and amazingly well characterized and executed and all the little details;;; this story will forever be one of my favorites.)

even sinners have hearts - seventhstar - @pencilwalla​ - Alexei Ivanov is watching Yuuri as he lifts the cup to his mouth. His lips part to drink; Yuuri has never wanted to be a mouthful of sake more.I have to kill him, Yuuri thinks, and he stands up and announces to the room the time and place of the tour he’s giving tomorrow.Or, the one where they're powered criminals in love. (so this story is very different from a lot in the fandom because of the dark elements to it but i ??? love it so much. yuuri will do anything for viktor and i just ??? it’s so well characterized. give it a try.)

Katsuki Yuuri: Ascended Fanboy - DefiantDreams - @gia-comeatme​ - “And wow, that was a beautiful Viktor—I mean, a beautiful Quad Flip by Viktor.” Yuuri visibly winces and he momentarily covers his face. Morooka glances at him in concern but Yuuri shrugs it off quickly and shakes his head as he continues, “Really, others try to do it, but no one does a Quad Flip quite as well or quite as clean as Viktor—if they even manage to land it.”Or:AU where Yuuri goes into commentating instead but he still has a Huge Gay Crush on Viktor Nikiforov and everyone can tell.(WHAT A SURPRISE CARY IS RECCING ASCENDED FANBOY AGAIN no but i love this fic so much and i have read it like at least 4 times so. go give it a shot)

all the world’s a stage - braveten - @actualyuuri​ - Everyone has a guilty pleasure.For Yuuri, it just happens to be romance movies starring famous heartthrob Victor Nikiforov.(And, honestly, on the spectrum of guilty pleasures, he figures that his is on the far, far more innocent side.)(i’m weak for actor aus and this one is super well characterized and i love that yuuri isn’t also an actor but still a skater and just ??? everything about this au is great)

never tasted rubies - ebenroot - @ebenroot​ - Phichit puts up a poll on the radio website. It reads ‘What Do U Think About Yuuri K. from Hasetsu Nights and the Mysterious Caller Victor?’Seventy-five percent of listeners said ‘lol they should just f*ck already tbh’.--in which Yuuri is an unwilling radio host and Victor won't stop calling in to chat with him(i’ve read this fic two or three times, actually, too. it’s such a fun fic and a different concept and i love it)

set sail from sense - spookyfoot - @katsukiyuuristrophyhusband - Though he’s rarely seen them framed by the chunky blue glasses he knows Yuuri wears, Victor would recognize those eyes anywhere. His hand instinctively flies to his pocket and palms his phone where his @viknik Twitter account is still open. Thank god his phone has a passcode.(It's Yuuri’s birthday).“Katsuki,” Yakov nods, one word conveying enough impatience to render the rest of the sentence necessary.“Our marketing department’s noticed the popularity of two—" Yakov looks down at the paper in front off him and frowns, mouth faltering around the unfamiliar words, “role-play accounts on The Twitter for the both of you. They’ve advised me that we should,” he looks at the paper again, “ quote ‘catch that social media lighting in in a bottle,’”.On The Official Yakov Feltsman Scale of Exasperation it’s a solid 7.5._______________________Dancer/Choreographer Katsuki Yuuri and Singer/Songwriter Victor Nikiforov are finally Twitter official. The catch? It's for the "fake" role-play accounts they use to escape the pressure of their official images — and neither of them know that the "fake" celebrity they're talking to is actually the real deal.(hi i’m cary i’m weak for fandom aus and spooky’s fandom au is unreal. this fic is adorable and perfect and i’m so glad to be reading it basically)

Let Me Sail Across the Sea for There is Never One Who Loved You More Than Me - tothebatcave53 - @tothebatcave53 - Victor has always loved the ocean, he is drawn to it's beauty and it's power. He sets out, a simple day in a simple boat with a simple desire to just exist in peace out in the ocean. When Victor wakes it is to the turmoil of the waves, desperate to sink him and his tiny boat into it's murky depths. It is only the most beautiful hallucination that keeps Victor sane in what he assumes are his last moments.(I LOVE MERMAID AUS and i absolutely adore this one. they took the prompt and just made it literally perfect. thank you for cpp for getting this fic into the world, we needed it)

Shooken, Not Stirred - MariaMediaOverThere - "I'm- I'll- I mean," Deep breaths, deep breaths. Don't look directly into the cute bartender's eyes- it's like looking at Medusa! He'll turn you rock solid!Shit- wait. That's not... "I'd like a-"Seung-Gil frantically reads from the menu pinned underneath his elbow."-blowjob."(i love seungchuchu and this fic is hilarious. it takes normal seungchuchu/seung-gil tropes and flips them all over. seriously, gve it a shot)

If U Seek Amy - thesleepingsatellite - “YOU SAID NO?” Phichit exclaimed, his voice rising in tone and hysteria. Yuuri turned and watched as Phichit took a deep breath, as if trying to compose himself. “Are you crazy? I mean, you turned down the sex god himself, Christophe Giacometti?”In which Yuuri and Chris discuss Britney Spears and Yuuri's sex life, or lack thereof.(hi i really love yuuri/chris, and this fic is a really really really great take on this ship.)

btw any author with a fic on this list who has written more than fic - they’re all amazing. even the ones i haven't read yet. check them all out. some of these were me “i love the author i need to pick one fic by them tho they didn’t ask for authors”

and like i said i could go on for 5000 years

[inkybarracuda]

loose lips sink ships - 003

She wrinkled her nose at pants. I figured at first it might have just been she didn’t like the color of it, but she didn’t look impressed with anything spanning from leggings, to jeans, to sweatpants. She’s sitting on my bed with her knees tucked up under her chin, rolled up in my quilt, snug as a bug in a rug, and with a pair of my underwear cutting across her hips. I didn’t ask if she wanted a bra. Finally, I sigh, and I tug open the bottom drawer.

I rotate my drawers around depending on the season. My good clothes, the fancy ones that need to stay pressed and clean, hang up in the closet, but everything else I fold and toss in the dresser. Four drawers, one for each season, and when time comes that I gotta rotate them around , I just tug it all out, drawer and all, and shuffle it up. I dig in the second one from the bottom, searching for my summer dresses. I hold one up over my shoulder first: it’s got a pattern in gold like fishes breaking through the surf, the dress itself a soft gray. I look over at her, and – just as I thought, now she’s interested.

“Not a big fan of pants, are you?” I ask.

“They seem to be like nets – I don’t trust them.”

Fair enough.

I ball the dress up in my hands, and she lifts her arms obediently, like she knows what has to happen. She’ll do this often enough the next coming days to make me wonder when the last time she met another human was. At first, I’ll feel curious about this, and then I’ll just feel jealous, like I had to share her with someone. It’s an ugly feeling, and I’m not proud of it, but she told me once she thinks of me as her human, so I guess we’re on the same page there. She stands up and straightens the dress, tugging it snugly over her frame. She’s shorter than me, but she isn’t thinner. I’m all elbows and knees, but she’s lean muscle and wide hips.

“It looks good on you,” I tell her, and I’m about to say more – ask her if she’s hungry, actually- but then my eyes fall on the nightstand behind her. More importantly, I’m looking at the stack of mail I have to send out today. Shit.

“Shit.”

She looks at me curiously, but I drag a hand down my face. It makes her giggle, and she catches my wrist. She tugs my fingers down in between us to look up at my face, and I can’t help but smile at that. “What?”

“I need to go back into town,” I mutter softly. “I’ll…it’ll only take an hour or so. Are you- I mean- I can stay if you need me to. I’ll figure it out, but I…”

She saves me by pressing her finger against my mouth. She’s like that; she touches freely. It’s another thing I’ll learn over the week. “Can I go to the sea while you are gone?” she asks. I don’t ask her if she’s going to leave. She’s free to, but I know she won’t.

“Yeah,” I grin. “No problem. Oh, but if you do…” I break away from her grasp and head out of the bedroom and to the living room. I hear her pause from the way the floorboards creak (the house is old, what do you want from me?) as she shifts her weight, but then she follows me. I sort through the boots on the rack by the door, tugging free a pair. I hold them up for inspection, the laces coiling around my wrist. “You’ll need these, or you’ll probably hurt your feet on the rocks.”

She shoots the boots an unamused, distrustful glance. I laugh.

“They don’t bite,” I promise.

“I do,” she mutters, but she steps over as I set the boots down. I kneel down before them, and hold one hand out, making an indicative gesture with my fingers. The selkie balances on one, slim, pale foot and she places the other one in my palm. I grip her ankle, and guide her foot in. First the left, then her right, and she stands there frowning down at the boots until I laugh again.

“They have strands,” she snorts.

“Shoelaces,” I correct. “Here, like this.”

I show her how to loop them, and she raises her eyebrows as they tighten around her feet. She makes me show her twice more, and on the second time, she starts running her hands through my curls again. She snags them, twists her fingers through my strands. Usually this sort of entitled inspection would get on my nerves really quickly, but from her – I don’t mind it. I know she’s doing it out of curiosity only, for one, and I’ve also seen seals all bunched together on the rocks before, basking in the sun in huge piles of dark, speckled flesh. She’s used to touch; she’s used to treating bodies like they’re an extension of her own. Otherwise though? If it wasn’t her, it wouldn’t happen.

I rise to my feet, and step back from her. She bends down to pull the shoelaces open, before tying them back up. She’s a quick learner, and a smug, little smile touches her lips. She steps out of them. I call her She a lot, but I’ll never learn her name, and I’ll never give her one. It wasn’t right of me then, it’s not right of me now. I step back towards the door, hooking my jacket and my car keys, bouncing the latter in my hand. “If you get cold, you can use Nan’s cardigan.” I tug on the woolen thing, before heading back to the bedroom to grab the mail.

I stutter, stop. I still by the door. “Are you sure you’ll be okay?” I ask her. She blinks at me with dark eyes.

“Why would I not be?”

How the hell do I argue with logic like that?

The town’s busier than I thought it would be. I think everyone’s trying to shack up for the storm, and that’s proven true when I get into the post office.

“You should really think about getting some extra supplies,” the girl behind the counter tells me.

“Oh yeah, I went shopping this morning.”

“Uh-huh.”

The look she shoots me has me grudgingly squaring my shoulders against the rain and the wind as soon as I get out of the post office, and I’m heading to the car. I drop my keys into a puddle, because that’s exactly what my luck is. On the one hand, I don’t want to leave her alone in that house for long, but on the other hand…My grocery shopping had been half-assed at best. It couldn’t hurt.

I’m used to the curt looks I get here sometimes. Small towns like these: if you aren’t family, or a tourist, then you’re just here to steal jobs. I haven’t lived here long enough for anyone to really trust me, but it’s not like I’m getting bricks thrown at my house. It’s mostly just a polite form of passive-aggressiveness, and I can’t be bothered to care. Right now, I just want some soy milk.

And for water to stop sloshing into my boots. That’d be swell.

I’m thinking as I drive back. I’m wondering if I shouldn’t be so calm about this, if I should be worrying a lot more. I’ve got a woman in my house, a creature; my brain likes to remind me, that shouldn’t be there. For all I know, once I come back, she’ll be gone, but I can feel in that part of me that doesn’t listen to human reason that that isn’t true. She couldn’t leave without her pelt. She wouldn’t either; she said so. Somehow, I don’t think she really bothers lying. I reach home, wheels screeching on water-slick concrete and I sit in the driveway for a bit, massaging a line above my temple. Nana used to say you can’t have anything forever, eventually all things gotta go back to where they came from. You just have to cherish them while they’re there. Nan said a lot of things; I try to live by most of them.

Except for that one about wearing socks all the time because cold feet makes for a cold cunny. I never quite got where she was going with that.

I shove the door open with my shoulder, closing it and not bothering to lock the car. Car thieves here are about as rare as polite seagulls, only you’d probably want to meet one over the other. I hope the storm passes, but at the same time I don’t, because I know in the marrow of my bones, soon as the rain and the wind comes to a halt, I’ve gotta let her go. I’m met by a curious sight on the way up the porch, and I pause, frowning, standing in a puddle swiftly forming on the wood. She’s asleep in my hammock. I don’t bother taking it down during the fall and winter. It seems too much work, and I’d rather have it to take advantage of any sunny day. I wonder why she’s out here. She’s still wrapped in Nana’s cardigan, her knees tucked up to her chest and I have to smile, because the boots I showed her how to put on are tucked together, side-by-side, neatly on the ground.

She did the laces back up after taking them off, the ends of the neat bows drooping. Clever, beautiful girl.

I carefully pry open the screen door, heading inside. I drop the extra groceries onto the counter and then I grab the throw blanket from the couch. I don’t want to wake her to bring her back in, and she doesn’t seem to feel the cold like I do, but still, I can’t just leave her there. The screen door creaks as I push it open. Although, you know: I should have really given this more thought. I lean over her. She’s breathing through her mouth like a little kid, that splash of dark, mottled freckles across her nose obscured by long, flyaway hair. I throw the blanket over her, and then tuck it in, bracing an arm by her head. Of course I should’ve considered what an animal does if you scare it when it’s asleep. It’ll attack, because it doesn’t know what else to do, and I woke her, and I scared her. Her teeth sink into my wrist and pain shoots up my arm. Her teeth are sharp, sickle-sharp, sharper than any human’s should be, and I jerk back with a cry, throwing blood in an arc. I grip my arm, and I know right away it’s deep. There’s a little whimper at the back of my throat, a faint “oh no.” I’ve never been really good with blood, and watching it drip, dark and ruby-rouge from my arm makes me want to pass out.

I’m in the house before I can think and the water in the kitchen sink is running. I’ve smeared blood on the counter, but I don’t notice because I shove my wrist under the spray. Blood wells up, dilutes, and pours down my skin with the water, the sound discordant as it hits the metal basin. Stupid. So stupid. My own stupid, goddamn fault. I can hear the screen door slamming against its frame, caught in the wind’s embrace and then the sound stills. The door is latched, and I look over my shoulder as she approaches. She either drank my blood, or spat it out, because her mouth is clean, and somehow I can’t find it in me to be mad at her, or worse scared.  She approaches, and then bends down, putting her cheek on the counter next to me.

“I’m very sorry,” she says softly. I wonder at the people who say animals can’t feel remorse or shame, that they can’t love or hate, or suffer or feel bliss like a human can. I’ve always had an abrupt feeling of anger when people say animals are just dumb and simple. It’s made me want to punch them in the mouth. She’s watching me, waiting for me to say something, but instead I just smile. “My fault,” I whisper back, flexing my fingers under the stream. The pain’s a dull throb, and my skin’s gone numb from the cold. “Why were you sleeping outside?” I asked, eager to change the subject, to remove that guilt from her eyes.

“The sea,” she says simply. That’s all I needed to know.

She’ll put a scar through my tattoo. She’ll mar the ink so it’ll never be the same till the day I die. I dragged her out of the ocean and I took her home, so I guess, when all’s done and gone and everything’s weighed on the cosmic scales…we’re pretty even.

[deannalaurend]

Silver Millennium Headcanons: Planets

Pluto is a dark and cold world because it is so far from the sun. Pluto is called “the underworld” by the other worlds because of its darkness and the associations with death. Pluto is the home of the Spacetime gate, and was guarded by Hades for centuries until his daughter took up the mantel as the First Sailor Pluto. There is a Cerberus that stands guard at the gate and there are other creatures around that are considered “dark”. The souls of those not ready to pass on also haunt Pluto. There are great trees that have glowing veins and fruits grow on the trees (particularly pomegranates). There are five great rivers that converge into a sea and there are beautiful flowers in reds and violets. The planet if foggy and the sands of time swirl around the gate.  

Neptune is almost completely covered in water, with a single sandy beach in the center of the world with a coral castle where the royal family lives. The people of Neptune are very talented artists and have a love of beautiful things.  There are some underwater cities and floating cities, and coral cities where the merpeople live. There are many beautiful sea creatures and some birds and dragon-like creatures that can breathe above water and underwater. Neptune is a very happy planet, but the people there are known for having very volatile tempers. Near the castle there are beautiful gardens of lilies and bright colours. There are sea shells all over the beach and the sand is so so soft. The underwater gardens are beautiful and the entire world is beautiful.

Uranus’ cities all float above the surface in the clouds. The surface of the world is turbulent waters and great forests, some truly epic mountains and sandy beaches. Uranus is patriarchal. Uranus is very windy and there are lots of great flying creatures like dragons and pegasi. Uranus’ people are known for being extremely skilled warriors and tend to be tall, powerful looking people.

Saturn is beautiful and full of fields and cities rich with life. Saturn has the best crops and fruits of all the SilMil worlds and the people are happy. There are lakes and the odd small forest. There are lots of birds and other animals. Saturn is the only world that doesn’t have a guardian to protect it and so makes up for it’s lack of guardian be providing food and technology to the other worlds.

Everything on Jupiter is huge! They have lots of dragons and Abraxan flying horses, as while as other creatures (magical and not) in a large scale. The giant butterflies are especially beautiful. Jupiter’s people are what started the myths of the Amazon’s on Earth. The world is full of forests and mountain ranges, and is known for it’s massive storms. There are beautiful gardens and the royal family live in a beautiful castle called Themyscira. The people are generally very tall and are strong and fierce warriors. Jupiter has a turbulent relationship with Uranus - sometimes they are on great terms and other times are bitter rivals.

Venus is very volcanic and there are great deserts and diamond oceans. Veela and other fairies and Nymphs are common on Venus and other desert dwelling and mountain dwelling creatures. Venusians are often rather vein and have a love of beautiful people and things. LIke Neptune’s people, Venusians are often very talented artists, particularly in music. Venus is beautiful in an almost desolate way - there are few plants but there are gardens of glittering gemstones. The sun reflects off of everything and the planet seems to shine with the sand made of orange diamond dust.

The Moon is absolutely beautiful. Everything is bathed in silver light and the architecture is ethereal with gauze and lace in the windows. Unicorns, mooncalfes, pegasi and other ethereal and bright creatures. There are crystal gardens and silver lakes that freeze over in winters for skating.

Mars is a savannah with trees that have hanging branches. There are lots of grasslands and the odd mountain range. There are giant cats and lots of birds. There are lots of phoenixes and dragons, lots of crows and ravens. The people of Mars are very spiritual and have strong connections to divination magics. People on Mars are known for having volatile tempers, as well as being extremely passionate. The royal family live in a castle of stone with rubies inlaid in the walls and the cities look relatively plane but are sturdy and the buildings are made of red stone.  

Mercury is tundras and deserts and low trees with mosses and small creatures that skitter around under the ground cover. There are lots of oceans and lakes that freeze over on the dark side. There are centaurs and dragons and selkies. The cities are domed and regulate the temperature and the light on the slow rotating world. Inside the domed cities are gardens and warm pools of water, beautiful trees and so many libraries. The people on Mercury are curious and love to learn, they create some of the best technology and produce the best doctors.