#selkie silver au
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a very happy birthday to mica @0rchidm4ntis my beloved!! i wrote them a gift fic featuring our selkie silver au :D i hope you all enjoy it as much as they did!
When Silver comes to, it’s to the scent of salt in the ocean’s breeze and the chill of the night’s air against his exposed skin.
He shudders, teeth chattering as he hunches into himself, instinctively moving to hug himself. Something soft and heavy wraps around him, draped over his shoulders, the fluffy fabric shielding his skin from the cold night. Blinking in surprise, he glances up, watching as a face comes into view — crimson red eyes, black hair with streaks cut into a stylish bob. It takes a little while for his exhausted mind, muddled with fog, to catch up, but Silver eventually relaxes as he recognises the sight of his father.
“Silver,” Lilia murmurs, hands coming to rest on the fabric cloaking his shoulder. Silver drinks in the sight of him: dressed in a loose sweater and sweatpants, feet covered by boots. A warm hand reaches up to stroke his cheek; “How are you feeling?” his father asks him, voice low amidst the sound of the sea breeze.
“I’m…” Silver swallows, throat dry. “I’m fine,” he replies, leaning into the touch.
Lilia exhales, a small smile gracing his face. “That’s good,” he says, leaning away from him. With him taking a step back, Silver takes a moment to glance over his shoulders, to peer around where they are. He twists his foot against the ground, the grooves of the wooden planks below rubbing into the soles of his cold feet — they stand on one of the many piers along the beach their town is most known for, the silence only broken by the crashing of the waves against the poles of the pier they are on.
“Ah,” Silver breathes, eyes transfixed by the mesmerising pattern of the sea, swishing back and forth as though she were a graceful dancer. He turns away as he feels a hand come to rest on his arm, meeting his father’s concerned eyes. “Did it happen again?” At Lilia’s wordless nod, Silver stifles a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry, Father,” he murmurs, heat flustering his cheeks; he truly does feel ashamed. “How late must it be…? You should not have had to sacrifice your own sleep to stop me.”
“And let you walk into the ocean asleep?” Lilia retorts, a sudden fierceness seizing his words. Silver squirms as he feels a finger tap his forehead; “What must be going on in that mind of yours to say such a thing? I am your father, Silver. What kind of a parent would I be to let my son go sleepwalking off the pier?”
He presses his lips together, not knowing how to respond to that. In all fairness, his father has a point — if it were Lilia who was constantly walking off in a sleep-struck haze, headed each and every time to the ends of the creaking piers, Silver would gladly give up every minute of sleep to stop him and guide him back home. But because the situation as it stands involves the opposite — Silver walking, and his father stopping — Silver cannot help but feel bad.
He knows his father is not young, even if he does have an awful habit of staying up into the wee hours of the morning. Silver hates the thought of burdening him in any capacity.
A hand reaches for his own, fingers interlocking together before squeezing tightly. “Come now,” his father tells him, a soft smile on his face, the faintest etchings of wrinkles crinkling his features — even at his age, he still retains a youthful allure he takes pride in. “Let’s go home, Silver.”
And Silver obliges. He allows Lilia to pull him away from the pier’s edge, his bare feet — cold and aching, the extent of the abuse seeping in with each step taken away, his head and senses clearing as he comes back to himself — padding against cold, wet wood, before landing on soft sand and then a coarse path. His other hand creeps up instinctively to clutch at the soft fabric draped over his shoulder, and upon closer examination, glancing down as Lilia leads him away, Silver realises that his father’s coat is wrapped around his shoulders.
“Father,” Silver calls, as Lilia leads them across a deserted road, barely any vehicles driving about in the dead of night. Above them, the stars twinkle bright; here, with the lights switched off in this small town of theirs, with only some flickering street lights to guide their way, the sea of stars wink down from up high. “Are you not cold?”
“I’ll be fine, Silver.” His father waves his free hand as though dismissing his concerns. “Really, dear, it’s sweet of you to keep fussing over me, but you ought to spare a bit of concern for yourself.” Glancing over his shoulder, those dark eyebrows press together as Lilia looks at him. “Again you’ve sleepwalked to the beach on your own, and yet you continue to fuss over me. Ah, I should have brought an extra pair of shoes with me…”
“Father, it’s fine!” Silver blurts out when he sees him stop, moving to tug his boots off his feet. “Really,” Silver insists when Lilia gives him a hard stare. “I appreciate the thought, but I don’t think your shoes would fit me anyway…”
“Right,” Lilia sighs, abandoning the plan. Pressing a hand against his chin, he shakes his head morosely. “Really, why must you have grown so tall, dear? I do miss the days when you were much smaller than me; how adorable you were back then, toddling around in my shoes, trying to be taller!” “Father!”
A cheerful laugh echoes out in the cool night, and Silver cannot help but relax at the familiar sound, the sweet melody of home, of his father. Lilia continues to lead the way, their hands intertwined, low voice beginning to tumble into a tangent about how he wishes Silver were smaller, if only so he could carry him once again! Silver leans into the sound, allowing it to trickle into his ears and consume his thoughts; his heart fills with such a fierce warmth, the powerful love he holds for the man who took him in, who raised him into who he is today.
(And yet, with every step taken away from the pier, the beach, the endless rippling waves of saltwater, it is like something weighs down his every step. Some innate part of him struggles to go home, to leave the sea — come back, she sings to him, a siren’s song luring him back… back…
…What was he thinking about again?)
Click!
Warm lights flood the house as they step inside. Silver shudders, his feet sore and utterly cold, but he still forces himself to hang up his father’s coat as Lilia takes off his shoes, leaving them by the door. “You ought to go warm yourself up,” Lilia tells him, stepping over to press a hand all over Silver’s face, before glancing down at his poor, abused feet. “Why not take a hot shower?”
So Silver does. The warm water reignites him, muscles relaxing into the gentle spray of heat as he washes off any lingering traces of sand and sea. By the time he’s done, changed into a fresh pair of pyjamas, his previous ones dirtied by his unplanned excursion, he comes down to the kitchen to see his father brewing something with the kettle. “Here,” Lilia tells him, sliding a mug across their wooden dining table; Silver wrinkles his nose at the strong smell that wafts off the dark surface of the liquid, far too many intermingling scents overpowering his nostrils. “A nice cup of tea to help you sleep later.”
“Thank you, Father,” Silver says, pretending as though he doesn’t want to gag at the pungent stench. He holds his breath as he takes a sip, choking the hot liquid down. It isn’t as bad as his father’s usual blends, he discovers. Unless I’ve managed to get used to it?
For a while, they sit in silence. Lilia sits across from him, nursing a mug of his own, twin steaming cups of hot tea they both sip at periodically. There is no sound; the radio is off and the windows are closed. Silver finds that he doesn’t mind the quiet atmosphere, not when he can see the serene expression on his father’s face — a smile, intermingled with what Silver thinks is relief.
It isn’t until he’s managed to finish about half the cup and has slid it away from him that he hears his father speak. “How much do you remember of tonight, Silver?”
It’s a question Lilia asks him whenever this recurring incident of sleepwalking to the piers occurs, regardless of whether he brings it up on the walk home, while he’s tucking Silver into bed, or even as they stand at the edge of the wooden boardwalk. Silver reaches for the cup — not to drink, but rather to wrap his fingers around the warm ceramic, fingers tapping lightly on the smooth surface, a graphic labelled ‘World’s Best Son’ plastered across it (His father has a matching one). He wracks his brain, sifts through his thoughts, only to sigh and say, “I only remember going to bed. Then… nothing.”
Lilia purses his lips, a shadow falling over his face. “So it’s just like every other time,” he murmurs.
Guilt gnaws at his insides. “I’m sorry, Father—”
“How many times must I remind you not to apologise for this?” His father interrupts him, voice stern, and Silver’s mouth immediately snaps shut. Lilia softens almost immediately after, the corners of his eyes creasing as he glances at him before saying, kindly, “This is not your fault, Silver.”
“B-but I know how much you don’t like me going to the sea—”
“If I found out you walked to the piers with the intention of jumping in while conscious, then yes, I would be mad.” A finger painted with black nail polish, chipped and peeling off, rubs against the rim of the mug. Lilia presses his other hand against his cheek, though he doesn’t pull his eyes away from Silver, staying focused on his son. “But sleepwalking there with no recollection of doing so? My dear, why would I ever be mad at you for doing such a thing? It would be punishing you for something you have no control over.”
“I wish I did.”
The words come spilling out before he can stop himself. Silver winces, tearing his gaze away. He stares pointedly off to the side, fixating on a potted plant tucked in a corner of the room, leaves flush with green health, a sign of how much effort Silver has put into tending to their houseplants. Eventually, he hears “Silver—”
“I know,” Silver sighs, shrinking into himself. “I’m sorry, Father.”
“Again, why must you continue to apologise?” Steepling his fingers together, Lilia narrows those crimson eyes at him, chin resting on his interlocked hands. “Issues of your health are not your fault, Silver. And while I can understand your frustration about having zero control over this situation…”
His eyes soften. “Try not to be so hard on yourself about it,” he tells him. “Alright?”
And despite the bile at the back of his mouth, the way his stomach twists itself into anxious knots over it, Silver nods silently. What else could he possibly say that wouldn’t cause Lilia to lecture him about his self-imposed standards?
Lilia leans back in his chair. “Good,” he says, satisfied. “It’s rather late. If you aren’t going to finish your tea, you ought to head to bed.”
Silver agrees. Which is why he pushes out his chair, attempting to bring the mug over to the sink only for his father to bat his hands away, assuring him that he will take care of it. But Silver winds up lingering in the kitchen doorway, watching as Lilia dumps the leftover tea down the drain before rinsing both cups and leaving them to dry. His hand wraps around the side of the doorway, hesitating to leave and go climb up the stairs, and it isn’t long before his father notices his presence, turning around and blinking at him with wide, curious eyes. “What is it, Silver?”
“Could you…?” Silver hesitates, glancing off to the side, a sudden swell of embarrassment seizing him. How old is he now, sixteen? And yet he still feels the urge to ask his father to accompany him upstairs to bed, as though he were a child… Really, if Sebek were to see him now, Silver would be in for a slew of remarks about how childish he’s acting. But all the same, Silver is exhausted and, strangely enough, sad; is it so wrong for him to wish for Lilia to bring him to bed?
In the end, he needs not voice any of his internal dilemmas. “Would you like me to come with you?” Lilia asks.
Silver nods.
So his father brings him upstairs, tucking him into bed as though he were a child again. He finds Silver’s old plush toy, the one he’s had since he was but a baby — a ratty little bat toy he’d affectionately named ‘Mr Batty,’ when he was old enough to ascribe it a title. “I remember when you were just barely bigger than him,” Lilia reminisces as Silver tugs the plush from his hands, a smile dancing across his lips. “Why, I believe I still have some pictures somewhere of that!”
He feels his cheeks pink, arms wrapped around the tattered toy — patched up with fabric scraps over the years and re-stuffed with cotton filling. Silver leans into his father’s touch as Lilia wraps his arms around him, before pecking a kiss against his forehead; it soothes the part of him that feels vulnerable and strangely sad, a feeling that has lingered with him ever since he’d left the beach. “Don’t go wandering off to the sea now,” he teases as he reaches for his table lamp, grabbing hold of the chain. “I doubt I’ll be able to wake up a second time tonight!”
And when Lilia leaves the room, his body a silhouette in the doorway, light from the hall streaming through the door, Silver raises his head. “I love you, Papa,” he calls out sleepily, the old name he’d used when he was but a child slipping out without thinking.
Tired as he is, falling asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow, he does not notice the way his father lingers in the doorway, one hand resting on the jamb as he gazes at his sleeping son. Nor does he see the expression of twisted regret that taints his features, shielded by the shadows of the room — his brows dipping downwards, lips pressed thin, a dull look entering his weary eyes. Guilt, that’s what it is, an emotion so strong it spreads throughout every inch of his body — his tense shoulders, quivering hands, and the almost obsessive way he seems to look at Silver over and over.
“Love you too, Silver,” Lilia breathes, after a while. He closes the door with nary a sound, and retreats back to his room, making sure the old baby monitor he’d dug out of storage is still working on his end — a way for him to detect sound, to tell when Silver’s begun sleepwalking again.
Remorse claws at him from within, tearing into him with deep gouges. Lilia detests it — the idea of deceiving Silver in any capacity, of the white lies that spill past his lips; he always wakes up because he’s been keeping a deliberate ear out for Silver through the little monitor he’s hidden amidst Silver’s numerous stuffed toys and pillows.
But for as long as that seal’s skin lays under Lilia’s bed, tucked away in its chest, Lilia will keep his secrets close to his heart. In the end, he will do whatever it takes to keep his son safe and by his side.
#my writing tag#tumblr drabbles tag#personal writing#twst#twisted wonderland#twst fanfiction#twst writing#twst silver#lilia vanrouge#selkie silver au#\o/ yaaaayyy!!! gift fics!! i love gift fics!!!!!!!#i love selkie silver au lots and mica n i have talked abt it lots#so you might see more of it in the future!!!!!
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Son of the Sea
#micas art#twst#twisted wonderland#twst silver#silver vanrouge#selkie au#ell's amazing fic and my trip to the ocean yesterday spurred this on!#i have a few ideas id like to explore with my art for this au but theyre gonna take me a bit of time to work out#i just thought id get this idea out first bc the image of baby silver all wrapped in his big warm comfy coat would not leave me alone#this niche little au means so much to me :'))
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Some people already asked ones I was curious about hahaha but one that caught my eye was Bell the Cat - what's that one about?
This one's my Ladyblanc Knight AU that I've been working with on and off for a while now.
Ladybug is the champion and sworn protector of the kingdom and has defended its people from the tyrant Hawk Moth and his akumas. That is until Hawk Moth is apparently slain by his own knight captain and champion, Chat Blanc. But even with Hawk Moth gone and Chat Blanc captured and on death's row, akumas are still running rampant.
Ladybug believes that someone has taken Hawk Moth's place, but with little to go on she needs help to end this reign of terror once and for all. So Ladybug invokes the heroic reward promised to her by the kingdom. Instead of choosing a place in the royal guard or wealth or an estate, she choses custody of Chat Blanc. As dangerous as he is, he's the only one who might be able to help her.
Ladybug looked at the murky reflection in her drink. Lies and deceit did little when one was chasing ghosts. Only the truth could put things to rest.
“So he was finally captured then,” she said, still staring into her cup. “And he’s now here in the city.”
Rena leaned back in her chair with a scoff. “‘Captured’ is an exaggeration. From what I’ve found, he gave himself up willingly. After bathing in the blood of his victims, of course. Though I think that last part might also be an exaggeration.”
“It does sound a little extreme.”
“Well, he managed to level an entire wing of Hawk Moth’s castle. Though that could be considered gentle in comparison to what he did to Hawk Moth himself.”
Ladybug set down her drink. Her eyes fixated on an uneven knot in the wooden table before her as she frowned.
She’d heard the horror story of what Raincomprix’s group had found. What had started as a scouting mission had turned to a bizarre nightmare. Almost a third of a castle reduced to cinders and its owner torn to shreds beyond recognition.
“Chat Blanc…” Ladybug murmured. “He really killed his master, didn’t he?”
Rena’s brow furrowed. “It would appear Hawk Moth’s most loyal knight wasn't all that loyal after all. If it had been under normal circumstances, his killer might have been hailed a hero.”
“Normal circumstances?”
“You know, if Chat Blanc wasn’t a merciless monster.”
Ladybug hummed in agreement. Even if Hawk Moth had been a villain and a tyrant, Chat Blanc had been an extension of - no - had been the main driving force of enabling that. Of the few that survived encounters with him, everyone was in agreement. Chat Blanc wasn’t human. He was a demon.
WiP Game
#ladyblanc going from reluctant allies to swearing undying loyalty for each other is all i dream of#i love this au so much#but it keeps getting knocked aside as my number of wips keeps increasing#i'll get it written someday#seas-of-silver#ask game#tag game#ask selkie
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so. hal gates walrus selkie and billy grey seal selkie au. it technically changes nothing but adds another cool layer to the. the misery
#I mean I'm already writing that flint selkie au and drawing that silver mermaid au so. might as well right!!#black sails
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do you think svs dazai will be a lil disappointed in tbft and gemzai for their relationship decisions? (imagine those two teaming up to scare the shit outta him though, theyre literally the same person as him except one is more fucked in the head and is a murderer doctor who has issues and the other is also fucked in the head BUT is a sentient rock covered in powder who is also creepy)
Hmmm well, SVS Dazai has done the terrible things in his past and is essentially living with them day to day. He has that riding on him from years of trauma, and even tho he does think of questionable things (ie obsessing over Chuuya) he has created a realistic relationship. He knows what boundaries are. TBFT Dazai just sorta bypasses any boundaries and makes them null or says “those are my boundaries too, we are married” but he is utterly devoted too Chuuya and beyond that. SVS would feel like TBFT Dazai is him if he had stayed in Yokohama, but at least he’s endeared to Chuuya just as much if not more than Hinz
As for hnk, Svs would just feel pity for him because he’s obviously fucked up. Maybe he would be a little envious of getting to spend an eternity with Chuuya, but not one where he wouldn’t feel the pleasures of life with him. Hnk can’t fuck or really kiss the way he can 😭 he also can’t feel the way it feels to be human and for the longest time that was Dazai favorite misery to pass time. Relationship wise though…leaving someone for like 100 years, SVS Dazai would be disappointed because his Chuuya doesn’t deserve to ever feel that loss, it’s like criminal to even think about.
#bsd#asks#soukoku#dazai osamu#chuuya nakahara#hnk au#silver soul#TBFT#hehehee#SVS Dazai is just whipped beyond belief because a sexy selkie bit him#TBFT Dazai….he’s basically Hannibal without the cannibal#hnk Dazai is “tear me away from this endless horror
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marine biologist/diver!ghost x selkie!soap au Thoughts
marine biologist ghost who, whenever he has spare time, will go diving with some colleagues to collect trash from the ocean—because maybe it doesn’t make a huge, immediate impact, but it still means something is being done.
then one day while diving, ghost is accompanied by a seal. at first it only observes, and ghost is plenty happy to admire from afar, but then the seal is cozying up to him. it latches onto his leg, nudges him with its snout—even directs ghost and his group to trash that’s otherwise pretty well hidden, wedged beneath coral and rocks and sand.
it saddens ghost, just a little, when the sky starts getting dark and they have to head back. he doesn’t want to abandon his new friend—it’s rare they have wildlife hang around for this long—but unfortunately it’s not safe to wait any longer before going home.
but then the next time they’re able to go diving, the seal is there again. it plays at the same routine, helping out and goofing around, sticking dutifully by ghost’s side even when there’s others along with him. and time after time, it’s the same thing. no matter where the group is, the seal somehow always finds him. they end up lending it the nickname soap, after the odd amount of empty bottles of cleaning products the seal seems to locate for them.
it’s maybe a few months later that soap doesn’t show up, and it’s an instant cause for concern; there’s no reason soap should be missing. they’re in a similar area that the seal likely frequents, there’s no reason for soap to have moved or be huddled away with other seals to have pups.
the group worries, but there’s nothing they can do but theorize and assume as they carry out their regular chore. it’s only a once-off, by this point. maybe soap just didn’t feel like coming out to play just this one time.
but it happens again and again. soap doesn’t appear once, and it has the group of scientists worried sick. but without a tracker, or even a real idea of where soap might frequent when he’s not helping the group, there’s nothing they can do.
they return to shore later than usual one night. it’s completely dark by the time they dock, and ghost waves everyone ahead to go home because they’re all tired, he can manage clean-up by himself.
ghost is just about finished packing up when he sees the figure at the end of the dock. the marina is like a ghost town otherwise, nothing but the sound of turning waves and boats gentle bumping up against the port. ghost approaches slowly, not knowing what other business one could possibly have at the water this late.
“you lost, mate?” ghost wonders cautiously.
the figure steps closer, silver moonlight revealing some of his features. the man looks about ghost’s age, maybe younger—only it’s hard to tell with the haggard look on his face, as he nervously wrings his fingers and avoids ghost’s gaze.
“i’m… sorry i haven’t been around,” he apologizes, and ghost frowns. “someone… someone took my coat.”
ghost’s brow furrows. “i don’t… your coat? i’m not sure i underst—“
“my coat,” the man affirms. “i need it to swim. which is why i haven’t been able to help lately.”
not certain how it’s possible, ghost grows even more confused. he doesn’t get it—a coat to swim? being able to help? nothing makes sense.
“you’ve lost me,” ghost says, shaking his head. “wish i could help, but—“
as ghost tries to push past, the man seizes his arm. he peers up at ghost pleadingly, and while ghost had wanted to conclude the man was drunk or high or something—he hesitates, seeing that look.
“have you ever heard of selkies?” the man asks, an edge of desperation in his voice.
ghost shrugs. “sure i have.” he’s hardly well-versed in mythical creatures, but he knows the gist.
the man doesn’t say anything—just continues to look at ghost with those sad eyes, a plea for understanding like an explanation couldn’t be spoken aloud. so ghost thinks on it a moment.
the coat, the inability to swim without it. not helping out and not being there starting to sound like a reference to soap. to the seal.
ghost’s eyebrows nearly raise to his hairline in disbelief.
“you’re not really saying you’re soap, are you?”
maybe-soap frowns. “who’s that?”
right. “i mean the seal that’s been following our diving trips,” ghost clarifies. “and you’re saying… because your coat is gone—“
“taken,” soap corrects, “i couldn’t go. i wanted to find you, but i didn’t know how, and… and…”
soap looks frazzled, like his brain has disconnected from his mouth and hands in empty gestures in words trying to convey what he’s thinking.
ghost tentatively sets his crate of gear on the wooden planks of the dock before placing his hands on either one of soap’s shoulders. maybe the story isn’t all there, and maybe there’s still doubt in ghost’s head about any of it being the truth—but ultimately, ghost believes the man. believes it’s soap.
slowly, ghost says, “calm down, and tell me how i can help. we’ll get your coat back, yeah?”
soap offers him a shy, watery smile—but a smile nonetheless. he nods and begins to tell ghost everything.
it doesn’t take long before they’re hatching a plan to win back soap’s freedom.
#i can’t find the tiktoks rn but that’s what this was inspired by#ignore typos#simon ghost riley#john soap mactavish#soapghost#ghostsoap#ghost x soap#ghoap#alternate universe#writing
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Have I been thinking of a selkie or Finfolk Welcome Home AU trying to get my projects done? Absolutely. Is it one of the first things I'm writing once finals are over and some requests are done? You bet. Am I implying that Home is basically the equivalent of Hildaland to Wally and the others? Yup.
Am I making a short little drabble to tease people with? Hell yeah.
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Flashing scales shined beneath the moonlight as the creature leaned further in to get a better look at the intruder.
You weren't supposed to be here.
Home is a shrouded in his own magic that's supposed to keep outsiders out, you're not supposed to so much at see the island unless you were invited, only other finfolk and their families were allowed here, it kept humans out. Specifically humans like you. How did you manage to get in? Too many questions, not enough answers. He did not like this one bit, and judging by the strong winds Home didn't like this either. Perhaps he should investigate himself. The others should be able to sense the trespasser already.
Wally silently walked down to the shoreline allowing the rest of his scales to disappear from sight, he didn't want to alarm the human.
You lay there almost motionless save for your ragged breaths and shivering. Clearly you could not have swam here or gone by boat as he spotted no boat from which you sailed on. There was a chance you possibly got dragged in by a current...but it still would not explain how you are physically on his island and there was still the issue that this place was far out in the ocean, it would be impossible for any human to survive by swimming long enough to get here.
"Hmm...what to do with you." Wally hummed and stood back to his full height, spotting Frank and Eddie approaching.
"So, there is another human after all. At least I'm not the only one now." Frank stated flatly. Eddie leaned down examining your clothes. Frank leaned over to get a look as well.
"Well, that's a bit odd. Their clothes should be soaked."
Eddie looked to the side at your clothes, he was right, you were dry as if you hadn't been swimming at all, but he could sense you washed up here just a few minutes ago.
Frank crossed his arms and continued.
"Their clothes look off as well. If I'm not mistaken..." He knelt down to rub a hand through the fur. It was almost like heaven to touch, soft, silky, smooth, and fluffy all at once.
"This isn't a human." He gave Wally a stern look, as if Wally himself should have known this information.
"Pardon?" Wally looked from the couple to down at you with a puzzled face.
Frank moved over and prodded at your soft cheeks. "It's quite obvious really. The hood and coat is that of a seal's. Though it's softer and finer, and clearly unable to stay wet. And the face..." His thumb trailed from your forehead down to your neck, giving the silver bristles a feel. "While paler, there are a few bristles of silver at the edges of the face and neck, just recently transformed." He gave the rest of your body a quick look over. "And by the looks of it, they're a young adult, most likely not in a pod yet."
"Quite frankly, I believe we have a selkie here."
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Finfolk AU with selkie reader? This sure is interesting!
And poor Frank, at least he has a big strong Finfolk husband to take care of him on Home. :)
#welcome home arg#welcome home#fanfiction#wh#wally darling#my writing#wally darling x reader#welcome home fanfictions#Finfolk#selkie#selkie reader#finfolk au#welcome home finfolk#welcome home finfolk au#welcome home au#short post
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selkie ned low! his fancy silver coat is actually his seal skin and his seal form is a leopard seal~
and yes, i'm making this AU stede/ned becaue i want to lol
the basic premise is someone stole ned's coat, stede stole it back and returned it to ned (without even knowing what it actually was), and ned took that as a marriage proposal
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Modern fantasy au with Max in seal form sometimes getting stuck in his instincts? Maybe it's because he wasn't given enough pelt time when little so he didn't learn how to deal with it properly. And seal as prey animals so seal Max gets scared sometimes and hides!
Maybe Toto finding the little seal hidden under a merc motor home? He heard little shuffles and is surprised to see the silver seal when he ducks down. It takes some bribing to get him out but maybe Nico was a selkie too and he knows what they like! For a while he had Max snuggled eith his head on his lap before he manages to convince Max to get out of his pelt!
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a gift for @0rchidm4ntis based off their selkie!silver au that they told me about over discord! we have both become thoroughly enraptured by the tragedy of this au and as such, i had to write something for it TvT
“How are you feeling today, dear?” Lilia asks quietly, pressing his hand against Silver’s forehead. The boy is a little warmer than usual — not quite to the extent of a drastic fever yet, but bordering slightly on it. Perched on the edge of Silver’s soft bed, he reaches out to smooth locks of hair out of his son’s eyes as they flutter open, gazing at him blearily.
Silver’s lips press together as his face scrunches up, thinking through his words before he says, “‘m alright, Father—”
“Nonsense,” Lilia interrupts briskly, narrowing his eyes at Silver; that was not the answer he wanted to hear, his son downplaying his status for the sake of reassuring him, as he is wont to do. “You’re warmer than usual. If I allow you to head to school in this condition, you’ll surely fall properly ill!”
There is a pause, during which Lilia reaches out to adjust Silver’s pillows, rising from the bed to tuck him properly under his blankets. Eventually, he hears, “I just… wish I did not fall sick so often.”
And oh, Lilia’s heart twists at that, a pang of guilt burrowing its way into his chest, wedging itself between his veins. Bile rises at the back of his throat, a foul taste that he swallows down.
He knows why Silver is sick, why he is always sick. As the years pass by and Silver grows older, he has gone from a spirited and vibrant child, so full of energy, laughing and running about daily, to something… weaker. More prone to illness, his skin taking on a pallid hue. And to make matters worse, he was now prone to bouts of accidental napping, slipping in and out of sleep without noticing, dozing off at the strangest and worst of times.
Lilia knows the cause, even as the doctors don’t and Silver doesn’t. The answer to it lies in the bottom of a chest tucked below his bed, hidden behind dozens of boxes and containers that he has never quite gotten around to properly sorting. A soft coat of fluffy fur, dried after over a decade away from the sea, tinged in shades of grey and white, speckles dotting the darker patches of fur.
A seal’s coat. A selkie’s coat.
(A memory flashes to mind, unbidden, etched in the depths of his psyche: He is younger, sitting on the coarse sand of the beach, a sea of stars twinkling above as the waves lap at the shoreline. In his arms is but a baby, wrapped up in a coat far too big for his body, blinking open those big eyes to gaze up at him with nothing but pure adoration in those auroral pupils.
Lilia knew, at that point, that a part of him would be loath to ever let this strange, mystical child go.)
“But you cannot help it,” Lilia finally says, coming back to himself. He leans over, running a hand through Silver’s hair, stroking his head affectionately, feeling his dear boy lean into his touch. “I keep telling you to rest well and take it easy, lest you overstrain yourself and fall ill again. You must learn to be patient with yourself, Silver — otherwise how are you going to get better?”
“I know,” Silver mumbles, thoroughly dejected. The guilt stabs at Lilia again, but he smothers it, stifles it, shoves it down. A small smile graces his son’s face as their eyes meet. “Thank you for taking care of me, Father,” Silver says, a reverence to his words.
Lilia smiles back, stomach churning with a regret he buries under the weight of his love.
“Anything for my most darling son.”
#my writing tag#tumblr drabbles tag#personal writing#twst#twisted wonderland#lilia vanrouge#twst silver#twst fanfiction#twst writing#selkie silver au#just in case i write more for it quq
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Shifting forms
#micas art#twst#twisted wonderland#malleus draconia#selkie au#<- we are so back#a bit of context: malleus is also a selkie in the au!! but unlike silver he grew up in the ocean and is very much aware of what he is#i imagine having legs for the first time has to be a bit odd when youre used to having none as a seal kdkdkd#he'll get used to them eventually. probably
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Selkie! Tristan Thorn x reader
Summary: Having to move back home to help your grandfather as his health declines, your life changes forever when you meet a mysterious stranger.
Notes: This is my contribute for The Moon in May challenge and the word i chose for the first week was "shift".
Also thanks to @albatrossandivys for the idea and shoutout to @firefly-graphics for the beautiful dividers.
I had to make this an AU (and a modern one) for obvious reasons. Hope that's okay 🤣
Warnings: None? Talk of floods, ocean and seals, so maybe triggering for people with thalassophobia? Also some fluff.
Words: 2.3 K
You needed the break. Life had been so damn hard lately after the breakup that you just needed to escape. Disappear for a while. Everything back home reminded you of him, of the life that you no longer shared, so when your mother mentioned your grandparents needing help, you volunteered instantly.
The move had been easier than you thought, switching out your hectic life in Edinburgh for a quiet village on the shore. Your grandparents had lived there their whole lives, your grandfather managing the little lighthouse. Now that he had gotten sick, you had taken over much to his dismay.
But you did a good job and when you weren’t helping out at home, managing the lighthouse or reading, you often found yourself looking out over the sea. Captivated by the waves, the soothing sound finally giving your soul some much needed peace.
At the end of the day, just when the sun would start to set, you would walk along the shore. Listening to the waves gliding over the sand, feeling the breeze in your hair. You’d always loved the sea, been drawn to it for a long as you could remember.
Growing up, you had spent every summer here. Spent the days bathing in the sea, fishing by the pier. Some days you could even see the small colony of seals that lived here sunbathing on the rocks. They are still there today, curious heads breaking the surface, curious eyes following you.
Sitting down for a while, you watch them in the distance. The older seals snoozing as the young ones play, splashing in the surface. And then… there’s one of them, just standing stagnant in the water. Eyes and snout just above the surface, eyes fixed on you.
You recognize him immediately. He’s been around for as long as you have, a mere seal cub when you were a kid. He had special markings, they all did, so you could easily tell them apart. This one you call Bangs, because of the longer tuft of fur on his head. Very unusual for a seal, you’ve been told.
Actually never been up close with them, curiosity takes over and you slowly walk closer to the rocks near the pier, climbing them carefully. Bangs are still watching you, inching closer in the water as you struggle on the wet rocks. You lose your footing, falling down towards the cold water when suddenly everything goes black.
Waking up, you feel a throbbing pain in your forehead and… a hand on your cheek. Looking up, you see a man hovering over you, his hazel eyes looking at you in concern. You should be scared, screaming and wondering how you were completely alone on the beach a few minutes ago and now find yourself in the arms of the most beautiful man you’ve ever seen.
“Are you alright?” He asks, his soft voice enveloping you like a warm embrace. He helps you sit up, eyes never leaving yours.
“I-I guess…” You groan, your body aching. You probably hit more than just your head in the fall. And then it dawns on you. You could have drowned. If this stranger hadn’t come by, you could’ve… You look into his eyes, hazel eyes so deep you could drown in them, and shiver.
“Thank you for saving me.” You say, voice almost breaking. His hand is still caressing your cheek, the motion so soothing. He just gives you a nod in return, his fingers slowly making their way down the column of you neck, stopping to inspect the silver chain that adorns your neck. You shiver under his gaze and his touch is so timid, so curious, that you don’t even question why this stranger has no apparent knowledge of personal space.
“Of course, Mo Ghráidh.” He counters softly, eyes again finding yours. It’s odd. Somehow, you feel like you know him, feeling weirdly at peace in his embrace. His… naked embrace.
You flinch back an inch, realizing he’s sitting naked before you. “You’re naked!”
“Well, yes. I suppose I am.” He looks down, smiling when his eyes return to yours. There’s a sweet innocence over him that you can’t help but love. Which is crazy! You don’t even know this man, besides him being your savior. A beautiful, sweet and naked stranger, but a stranger, nonetheless.
“Where did you even come from?” You smile, still not sure whether all of this is a dream and in a few minutes from now you’ll wave up gasping for your life in the water.
“Oh, I come from Wall.” He smiles gently, fingers playing with a strain of your hair.
“Wall?” You huff out, almost snorting. “That’s not possible.” Everyone had heard tales of Wall. A city in England, just on the other side of the border, which had been swallowed by the unforgiving waves of the ocean hundreds of years ago. Some say there’s still ruins down there today, though now its only sea creatures residing in them.
“Christ lassie! Are you okay?” You see your grandfather walk as fast as he can down the stairs to the beach. Behind you, the water slashes as something breaks the surface and when you turn, the mysterious stranger is gone.
“I saw you fall down the rock and hit your head.” He falls to his knees with a groan, inspecting the cut on the side of your head. “We need to get this checked.”
“Where did he go?” You ask, looking between your grandfather and the ocean. All that was left of your stranger, was his footprints in the sand, disappearing into the ocean.
“Who?”
“The man.” You touch a footprint before the waves wash up and remove the last trace of your encounter. “The man who saved me.”
“I didn’t see anyone, hen. Come on.”
With some difficulty you both get on your feet, making your way back to the house. As you reach the pier, you look back towards the sea and see Bangs looking at you, his little face barely above water. His kind eyes keeping an eye on you, never leaving his spot before you reach the house.
The next week you find yourself looking out over the ocean more than before, wondering if you could catch the stranger walking around on the beach. You had even borrowed some books at the local library about Wall, feeling silly as you skimmed through the pages as if they could give you an answer. When a few weeks had passed, you had given up hope of seeing him again, boiling it all down to the head trauma.
Distracted by some seal cups playing in the ocean, you barely notice the footsteps beside you, until someone sits down beside you. With a smile, you greet the stranger, relieved that he was in fact real and not just a figment of your imagination.
“Hello again.” He smiles softly, mimicking you by swinging his legs out over the pier, letting them dangle like yours. You instantly see that he is less naked this time, a pair of worn trousers hanging low on his hips.
“You’re not naked this time.” You say, seeing how his cheeks flush red.
“No. You… You didn’t seem to like it.”
“It’s not that I didn’t like it. You’re very han-” You stop, closing your book before looking at him again. “It didn’t bother me, but thanks.”
He looks down at your book, his fingers running along the spine, tracing the delicate letters. “What is it?”
“My book?” You question, smiling wide when you see his curious nod. You show him the front page, watching as his eyes go wide in wonder. “It’s Treasure Island.”
“It’s about the sea?” He looks at the cover, captured by the little pirate ship on the blue waters.
“No. Well, sort of.” You giggle softly, giving him the book to hold. “It’s about a young man named Jim Hawkins who finds a treasure map, so he goes on a journey to find it. On his journey he meets this pirate called Long John Silver.”
“Could… could you tell me the story?” He asks, his wide puppy like eyes staring into yours, making it impossible to say no. So that’s what you do. Over the next few days, you meet the stranger, who you’ve come to know as Tristan and read to him. Every day around sunset you sit on the pier, Tristan listening as you tell the tale. In between, he asks questions, and you ask yours in return.
There’s much you don’t know about him, but as the days go by you get closer to Tristan, feeling yourself drawn to him. Thinking about him when he’s not there. Such a kind and warm soul, his smile always brightening your days and the small fleeting touches sending shivers through you. You know you shouldn’t, but you feel yourself falling for him.
“You spend so much time looking out over the water, I’m fearing you’ll get lost in it.”
You tear your eyes away from the waves to find your grandfather standing next to you, leaning on the railing. For some time, you just stand there silently, listening to the waves.
“I just-” You start, but don’t even know what to tell him. That you meet Tristan every day and you believe he lives in the ocean? He’d have you admitted to a psych ward in no time. “Could you tell me about Wall again?”
“Hen, I’ve already-” He looks to you, seeing the quiet plea in your eyes. He just sighs, pointing out over the water. “Hundreds of years ago, there was no ocean here. Instead, just on the other side of the border, was the small town of Wall.”
“According to the stories, it was a wonderful place. But sadly, one day, the entire town was swallowed by the sea.” He pauses, nudging your shoulder before pointing over at the small colony of seals on the rocks. “Legend has it there was magic surrounding the place, turning all the inhabitants of Wall into Selkies.”
“Selkies?” You frown, looking at the seals. “So… seals?”
“No, no, Hen. A selkie is a creature that can shed its seal skin and become human.” He states, laughing when he sees the disbelief on your face. “Aye, it may be old folk tales, but stories of the selkies have been around for hundreds of years. They are rumored to be so beautiful in their human form, that we can’t resist them.”
He talks a little more, but you don’t hear a word. It couldn’t be real, could it? This had to be tales for children, dreamers. Your grandfather had always been a little superstitious, so you weren’t even that surprised that he’d believe something like this.
When he leaves you alone once more, you sit down on the pier, looking at the seals. Just below your feet, you see Bangs break the surface, his big eyes finding yours. With your grandfather’s tale still fresh in your memory, you just smile at Bangs.
“So tell me, Bangs… Are you really a selkie?” You giggle, feeling silly. But when you see him nod, you freeze. Wait, did he nod? No, you’re just imagining things. “Did you just nod?”
Raising his head just a little more above water, he nods again and… smiles at you? Okay, it’s official. You’ve lost your mind. You’re talking to a seal.
“Right… Okay…” You say as you get up and walk away, muttering under your breath how you must be tired and this is all just results of banging your head all those weeks ago. But at a large thud, you stop, feeling the wood vibrate under your feet.
You turn around to find Bangs on the pier, never truly realized just how big seals are. Or is it just him? Taking a few steps closer, you timidly close the distance to him. in the next second, he rises to his feet and if it weren’t for the railing, you would have fallen into the sea again.
Gently, like shedding a coat, the beautiful grey fur falls away, making way for human skin. There in front of, naked as the first time you met him, is Tristan with a pile of seal fur at his feet. If you hadn’t just witnessed it yourself, you’d have thought you had gone mad. Well, maybe you had.
“Y-you’re a-a selkie?” you stutter, frozen in place. Tristan just smiles, stepping closer to you, leaving the seal skin behind him.
“Yes. Please don’t run away.” He steps closer, gently taking your hand in his. His beautiful hazel eyes find yours as he closes the distance further, cupping your cheek with a tenderness that makes you shiver.
“I’ve wanted to tell you for years, but I was afraid you’d never speak to me again.”
You reach out to touch him with trembling fingers, your hand lands on his chest. Somehow, you still need to feel him to know he’s real.
“I’ve watched over you for years, missing you when you weren’t here.” His free hand reach for a loose strain of your hair, tugging it gently behind your ear. “Waiting for the day I was brave enough to tell you.”
And it’s true. For a long as you can remember, he has been there. Always watching on the rocks, swimming playfully by your side whenever you’ve ventured into the ocean. Like a guardian angel, making sure you were safe.
“Would… Would it be okay if I kissed you?” He asks nervously, almost as if he expects you to say no. And you should, because of what he is. There are a million questions in your mind about how you could make this work, but every thought is drowned out as he looks into your eyes.
The whispered ‘yes’ barely leaves your lips before he kisses you, the touch of his lips as sweet as him. But the sweetness soon gives way to a hunger like you’ve never known before. Tristan has ignited something in you, a fire only he can soothe. And just like that your fate is sealed.
Tagging: @itwasthereaminuteago @e-dubbc11 @mattmurdocksscars @lavenderursa @yarrystyleeza
#the moon in may writing challenge#selkie!tristan thorn#tristan thorn x reader#tristan thorn fanfiction#tristan thorn
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The ship will be the equivalent of PotC's Flying Dutchman but it is sailed by Silver and Flint, and the characters from PotC are not present in this fic
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Fic inspired art
Small masterpost for the Soukoku fanart I made for my favorite fics, take this also as a recomendation!!!
Silver Soul by @nacaharachuya, Selki x Lighthouse guaridan fic, it would warm your soul and the worldbuilding is so good!! Dana's writting gives me chills: Here
And Sekie Chuuya desing here
Sheep in the Breast also by Dana!!!! Hunger Games au and it made be go back to my feral 12 yo shelf!!!! Art for this fic:
Chuuya inspired by @imsofrancey desings, and VIntage magazine styles skk, the rulers of the Capitol: 1, 2
Akai by @itotypes: Atla au, revive your childhood as your soul gets crushed!! Weeee!!!! MCD, love how atla lore mixes so well with the plot, 10 out of 10 writting: Skk first metting, Chuuya, and Skk dramatic demise
Music for our funeral Chuuya here, I did this one before seeing that the fic is already posted, so idk if it'll be acurate but djats skk is been living in my head since January, Ito just made me finally post it
#bsd#chu draws#bungo stray dogs#bsd fanart#bsd fanfic#chuuya nakahara#dazai osamu#skk#soukoku#double black#dachuu
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monster au 👀 do you have any lore, any at all I’m not picky lol. please & thank you!
Monster lore monster lore monster-
Included are brief summaries of each character and some small notes of world building things at the bottom.
The reader is a monster hunter from a small village. They joined a hunters guild to protect their family and friends but soon found that they were very good at monster hunting. Traveling across the countryside with their guild, they are creating their own little monsterpedia based on their encounters.
Risotto is a thousands of years old eldritch being who was summoned by a novice sorcerer. Suffice it to say, he killed that mfer and decided to take over the old castle he was summoned in. Somehow has to take care of eight other monsters who found him. Begrudgingly does so because of the relentless pursuit of supernaturals that has become popular among humans, but he loves his little ragtag family.
Ghiaccio is a juvenile ice dragon shifter, one of the last ones remaining. In order to preserve his species, he searched far and wide for a mate but came up empty. Eventually, he happened upon the huge Castle on the Hill™️ where Risotto was housing damaged supernaturals. He quickly became the favorite of the cold blooded purple haired naga who seemingly made it his duty to annoy the ever loving shit out of Ghiaccio.
Melone was hatched in the laboratory of the old castle. Risotto was surprised when he found a little grubby purple naga failing to slither on the hardwood flooring. Since naga are typically abandoned at birth and made to fend for themselves, Risotto just let him live and sustain himself off of the many books in the alchemy lab and a diet of cantaloupe (hence the name) and assorted small creatures.
Prosciutto used to live underground in one of the many jorogumo colonies. He was one of the few of his parents’ brood that survived the lengthy hatching and returning process that all younglings go through (think sea turtle babies going to the sea after hatching). After a few hundred years of living with his noble parents, he went to the surface as an act of rebellion. He made his living translating underground languages for surface dwellers before he found his way to the Monster Sanctuary™️. His silk is and Melone’s potions are the main sources of income for the house. He spins his silk onto spools and dyes them for Sorbet, Gelato, or Pesci to sell at the closest marketplace or traveling caravan.
Pesci was separated from his selkie colony and found himself on the icy shore below a towering castle. He was quickly adopted by the supernatural beings within, becoming the favorite of the snooty jorogumo and the crazy blond faery. He’s unfortunately the baby of the group, both in age and physical size, so he does get picked on. Somehow he became the unofficial chef for the nine of them, sometimes making desserts for the maids and other servants as a thank you.
Illuso was a very vain nobleman. He was cursed to live in the mirror after the mother of a woman he was courting had enough of his attitude. Everything he touches in the mirror world moves it in the regular world, which leads to mishaps like a floating glass seemingly spilling into nothing yet not messing the fine rugs. The day before, of, and after a full moon are the only times he’s allowed to leave the mirror due to the thinning of the natural and spectral worlds. Can pull people into the mirror world, but their presence doesn’t replace his in terms of the curse.
Formaggio was a monster hunter before he was bitten. He knows the tools of the trade and still has some of his skills. Now he’s doubly dangerous. Instead of swords and blunderbusses full of silver, he has a mouth full of knives and a heightened sense of smell, not to mention his incredible hearing.
Sorbet and Gelato are faeries who lived in the castle before everyone, even before Risotto was summoned. They’ve gone through so much and seen a lot of shit since they left their colony. Gelato made his money by swindling travelers, and Sorbet was there to clean up just in case Gelato was found out.
All supernatural beings are heavily connected to the moon. Regardless of what species, as the full moon approaches, their appearance morphs into a more primal, ‘monstrous’ version of themselves. After the full moon, their features slowly fade until the next cycle. Melone’s scales extend up his back and arms, Formaggio gradually becomes more hairy and bulky until he fully transforms into a big fluffy werewolf, Prosciutto grows thinner and his appendages become spindlier, etc. Notable exceptions are Pesci and Illuso. Both are humans with supernatural ‘abilities’ (Pesci’s sealskin and Illuso’s curse). A full moon is also when monsters are the most powerful, both physically and magically. Many hunters have to work on full moons.
The castle where our lovely monsters live is a huge structure overlooking an icy sea that is perpetually frozen. Because of its heavily enchanted nature and Risotto’s presence, it’s very difficult to find. There’s a huge, overgrown garden where Sorbet and Gelato’s little fairy cottage and mini castle are. The main spire’s attic is where Prosciutto spends most of his time. The entire west wing is heavily influenced by the many spells cast there dating back hundreds of years. The hallways and doors constantly shift, which makes finding things difficult if you don’t know the pattern. The east wing houses most of the residential rooms, with Risotto’s being the expansive master bedroom. The dungeon/basement is a huge cavern that houses Ghiaccio in his full sized dragon form and is covered in icy stalagmites. Melone is usually in his alchemy lab experimenting and brewing, while Formaggio and Illuso are more partial to staying in rooms with the most activity like the study or common room.
#monster au#la squadra di esecuzione#la squadra x reader#la squadra headcanons#risotto nero#ghiaccio#melone#prosciutto#pesci#illuso#formaggio#sorbet and gelato
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Nuts n Dolts week: Day 8
@nuts-and-dolts-week
Prompt: bonus au day
It’s the final day. I’m so glad I got to participate, and a huge thank you to the admins of the week for hosting this great event.
This final day is special, my favorite one that I wrote. It’s a retelling of the first part of the movie ‘Song of the Sea’, about a girl who is a selkie, a girl who can turn into a seal. Except this time, it’s a little different. Plus, there are two girls.
Children of the Sea
Ruby Rose had always felt particularly captured by the water. The vast, blue sea that could just up and sweep her away. She couldn’t seem to tear her eyes away from it.
She stared out at the lapping waves, her silver eyes reflecting the seaside scene like wet shimmering panes of glass.
The seals were out today. Their high pitched squeaks and cries sounding almost like words to the young girl. They were calling to her.
Slowly, she took one step into the water, the cold waves lapping over her rubber rain boots, the ones she always wore.
She took another step, and another. Before she knew it, she was waist deep in the water, but she barely felt the chill, unable to tear her wide eyes away from the seals. They were calling her…
“Ruby!”
Yang came crashing into the water, hot on the heels of Zwei, the family dog, who was paddling into the waves, barking madly.
“Ruby get back here!”
Ruby didn’t stop, only kept going. She was enraptured, and she barely heard a word her sister spoke, no matter how loud she raised her voice.
“Ruby!!”
Finally a hand caught the back of her dress, yanking her backwards roughly. Yang dragged her sister back to shore, scolding and yelling a mile a minute. Her voice shook from anger and fear.
Ruby tried to pull away, but Yang just yanked her harder, tossing her out onto the wet sand.
“Do you wanna die, huh? You wanna end up like Mommy? Do you?!”
These words, at last, got through to Ruby, and the little girl burst into silent tears. Zwei sat next to her, concerned, and tried to lick the tears from her face. She only shoved him away, her hands leaving sandy wet patterns in his fur.
Yang shook her head, pulling Ruby all the way up the stone stairs built into the cliff side, and back to the lighthouse. This was where the girls lived, alone with their father. They were the only inhabitants of this lonely little island. Yang pulled her crying sister all the way up to the top lookout deck of the lighthouse, where their father, Taiyang, stood and looked out at the sea, his eyes blurry and faraway.
“Dad!”
“Oh, welcome back gir- you’re soaked,” Tai said slowly, “What happened? And why is Ruby crying? Is she hurt?”
“No! She tried to go into the water again, like an idiot! She’s going to get herself killed, and I’d rather she not drown me along with her! I’m not watching over her anymore.”
Taiyang sighed, burying his head in his hands. Then he leaned down to pick up his youngest daughter, leading the girls downstairs, back into the lighthouse.
“Look, Ruby, I know you want to go to the ocean, but it’s just not safe, kiddo. I know you love the ocean, but I only say this because I want what’s best for you.”
“You say that like she can even say anything back!” Yang snapped angrily, crossing her arms.
The doctor had said that Ruby would talk on her own time, but after six years of being alive, there was still not a word, and the young blonde was starting to doubt that her tiny sister would ever speak.
“Now Yang. You have to be good to Ruby. Remember the promise you made to Mommy? To always protect her?”
“Yeah, well Mommy left!” Yang screamed, running into her room and hiding under the covers.
Tai just sighed again, helping Ruby change from her wet clothes.
“Let’s just try to rest until dinner, okay?”
The little red haired girl nodded, her tear stained cheeks glistening in the low light.
She curled up under the blanket, her heartbeat still fast, her thoughts only those of the sea. She longed for it in a way she had never been able to explain.
Soon, she fell asleep. When she awoke next, the sky was deep blue, almost black, the stars out.
Since they had already eaten a late lunch, Tai had decided to leave his two exhausted and upset children to their rest.
But Ruby was awake. She went to the round window and gazed out, the blackness of the waves sparkling in the night air. She could hear their rush, the sound invigorating her. Breathing life into her spirit, making it brighter.
She padded softly into Yang’s room, stumbling around in the dark until she found what she was looking for.
It was Mommy’s shell, the one she had given Yang before the sea had taken her away. It had swept her into its waves, never to be given back again, only the shell and baby Ruby left behind.
The shell was large, large enough that Ruby had to hold it with both hands as she gingerly lifted it down from the shelf. It was in the shape of a spiral, swirling from inside to out, where there was a mouthpiece to blow.
Carefully, Ruby tucked the shell under her arm and rushed to the bathroom, sitting down on a stool. The wood was cold beneath her legs, the thin nightgown she wore not enough to protect her from the nighttime chill.
Ruby brought the shell to her lips, her fingers going to the little holes carved on the top like she’d done it a million times. First, she played one note, startling even herself with the sound. She played it again, before playing a little tune that she only vaguely recognized, like something out of a dream.
Slowly, tiny glowing lights drifted in through the window, coming in from the sea, their sound like the tinkling of shell wind chimes. They were guiding her.
Ruby followed them, up the cold staircase to the higher parts of the lighthouse. Her shadow seemed vast, cast upon the wall in the moonlight.
She followed the trail of lights up to her father’s bedroom. He wasn’t there. He seldom was. The girls didn’t know where he went all the time. It seemed the sadness had consumed him since mother died, leaving him a shell of the man he used to be.
The lights guided Ruby to the low dresser, where a portrait lay facedown beside a large gold key, whose metal seemed to sparkle in the darkness. She picked up the picture frame.
Her mother’s face stared back at her, the kind-eyed gaze of a woman she had never known.
She set the picture down, lifting the key into her small hand.
The lights led her next to the closet, and she pushed aside coats and sweaters, until at last, she found what it seemed she had been looking for the whole time. Maybe even her whole life.
It was a heavyset wooden chest, the patterns of swirls and lines actually glowing, bright white in the dimness.
Ruby inserted her key into the lock, and the chest opened. Inside, the contents glowed. It was a coat, a coat just Ruby’s size, and it glowed so bright it seemed to the young girl as if it had captured the essence of the moon itself.
She slipped the coat on, pulling it around herself as it seemed to mold onto her tiny body, becoming a part of her very flesh, covering even her toes. She pulled up the hood, wispy red bangs falling into her face. The coat was thick, comfortable and warm, and it felt right to Ruby. Like a part of herself that she just hadn’t found until then.
Leaving the key with the chest, and tucking the shell into her coat, the young girl began to follow the lights once more. This time, she knew where they were guiding her—she could feel it in her very bones—and that place was not in the lighthouse.
She followed the lights outside, the nighttime wind blowing through the dark grass at her feet, and making her bangs blow, too. She took the stairs down, down, down the cliffside, sure of where she was going now. She hopped down the steps with a spring in her step, the night air filling her lungs, making her feel alive. She danced across the sand, her padded feet, now covered by the coat, making small prints on the sand.
The lights lit up the surface of the waves, calling her into the sea as if it was her home. And there, riding the waves as they called out to her, were the seals.
Ruby gave a bell-like laugh, paddling into the water after them. She flipped her hands like flippers, trying to imitate the sounds the seals made, their squeaks and barks and cries feeling better to her than human words ever had.
She waded out until her feet could no longer touch the bottom, and began to paddle. She was almost there, almost to the seals that called her, when something made her stop.
In the center of the pod was a single white seal.
This seal was tinier than the rest, her face more expressive than all the others, and somehow Ruby could tell she was a girl. This seal bobbed in the water like the rest, but she was special somehow. The young girl could feel it.
This seal glowed with the color of the moon, the same as Ruby’s own coat.
Ruby swam closer, until she was almost nose to nose with this seal. The seal nodded at her softly, and Ruby smiled. Her tiny hand met a flipper, and at last, she broke through the surface, disappearing below the water.
Ruby changed.
Before the seals’ widened eyes, she changed. They were surprised, for they knew what she was, but it was more a knowing like that that Ruby held, a knowing deep down, that one couldn’t put into words or memories. Something like a dream.
The little girl had become a seal, glowing as brilliant white as her coat, and the other little seal beside her.
Ruby flipped over with a flourish of her fins, reveling in her newfound power. It felt like home. She was right at home here, right where she belonged. Just like her mother.
She could swim faster now, and with grace and ease, as if it was nothing. She was one of them.
The other seal called out to her, and Ruby followed. The two stuck close, side by side, as they swam among the other seals, deeper and deeper.
The very sea seemed to glow with lights, those same little twirling lights that had led Ruby here.
She followed her new friend through the sea, in and out of hollows, through the seaweed, and among schools of fish for which Ruby had no name. It all felt familiar, though, as if she was returning to a place she had once known.
The other seal nudged her, as if to say, ‘look!’, and Ruby looked.
She gazed at the giant whale beside them. A whale of the deep, mysterious sea. A whale that had been around for much longer than Ruby would ever be.
The seals swam alongside this magnificent creature, gazing ahead at the glowing, murky waters they all shared.
Ruby and her friend began to swim faster, becoming encircled by the other seals as they twisted and turned through the water, never seeming to tire.
Together, the two young seals leapt from the water. In the split second that the water’s hold broke, Ruby changed back to her young girl self, and as she did, she felt, not a fin, but another small hand clutch hers.
Then they dove back below water, and their seal forms took hold again. Ruby faced her companion, gazing into her clear, dark eyes. The little seal nodded again, nuzzling her small nose against Ruby’s.
I am a selkie, like you.
Ruby’s heart beat faster.
I am like my mother, she realized.
She was her mother’s daughter, and in more ways than just her pale skin and dark hair. More than just those glowing silver eyes than only Ruby seemed to posses.
Ruby was a selkie.
As she dove through the waves with her friend by her side, she felt as though she belonged. It felt like home in a way her life on land never had, in this sea of glowing lights.
She was a seal.
It couldn’t last forever, though.
As the dawn began to break, a small girl washed up on the shore, but she wasn’t alone.
Ruby blinked away the brightness in her eyes, and the tickling sting the seawater brought to her human form’s silver orbs.
Beside her on the sand was another small girl, almost exactly her size. They lay curled up together, side by side on the sand, and for a moment, they just gazed at each other. This girl was important. Ruby could feel it.
The little girl began to sing, her eyes, teal as the sea, falling shut, hidden by dark lashes.
Idir ann is idir as
Idir thuaidh is idir theas
Ruby’s breath caught in her throat. She was captivated by the small voice. It was low and quiet, a bit scratchy, too, but to Ruby, it was clear as glass. This young voice was the most beautiful voice she had ever heard.
Idir thiar is idir thoir
Idir am is idir áit
Ruby knew this song. She knew it, deep down. It was a song her mother had sang. A song she sometimes heard Yang whisper when she thought Ruby was asleep. She had heard her, still half in a dream.
This girl knew it, for it was the selkie song.
As an sliogán
Amhrán na farraige
Ruby’s eyes fell half-lidded, watching the girl before her. She could still see her lovely face, framed by puffy orange hair, the hood of her selkie coat pulled down for now. She clutched Ruby’s hands, their faces close. She kissed Ruby’s forehead softly.
Suaimhneach ná ciúin
Ag cuardú go damanta
Mo ghrá
With those final words, a wave swept in and carried the girl back to sea.
Ruby could have followed her, gone back to the sea and never left. A part of her yearned to go, to never look back.
But she didn’t do it. She didn’t have the energy. But she also knew she could never leave for good, as her mother had. Even though she was tied to the sea, she knew love on the land, as well. Her family, her home, was there, too. For now, she still belonged to both worlds.
She would return to the sea again, but not now.
Now, she laid her weary head down on the sand, and listened to the sound of the waves as they lapped against the shore, and over her tiny body. Somewhere, she heard the seals calling to her. These were the last sounds she head as she drifted off to sleep.
Somewhere, it seemed as if the other young girl still sang her song. Ruby could hear her.
Ruby could hear the song of the sea.
#nndweek2023#nuts n dolts#rwby#ruby rose#penny polendina#yang xiao long#sisters#selkies#alternate universe#song of the sea
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