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fishyfishyfishtimes · 2 months

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Overview of mermaids

Many people who’ve been my followers for a while will already be familiar with Prince Ahti II. To those who don’t, here he is! The silly man in my profile picture:

Ahti II is one of my characters, and a merman. He’s a part of a bigger urban fantasy universe, one which I don’t talk about very often. Until now! I like reading others’ ideas and concepts and there must be others like me, so I have faith that perhaps my writings will entertain or inspire others. Here I’ve compiled my various thoughts and ideas about the merfolk of Ahti’s world, an overview of sorts! I try to summarise everything the best I can, but as you’ll see it is a bit hard, I have many thoughts and I’ll have to delve further into history and biology at a later date.

Memaids, mermen, mersons, or collectively merfolk or merple are humans whose ancestors were transformed into half-animal people some 10 000 years ago by a race of nonphysical beings. On the surface they’re half human upper body, ~three-quarters aquatic animal lower body, and are held together by a whooole lot of magic! Any biological weirdness is explained by the fact that they’re two incompatible parts desperately trying to make it work with compromises that are sometimes unpredictable — functionally they are a human shaped like another thing, with all-human DNA.

Merfolk have organs in both their human and animal halves. The heart and lungs are located in the upper chest cavity (the human chest) and are larger than in the average human. The esophagus is greatly elongated, and leads to the animal half where the rest of the digestive system, and the urinary and reproductive systems, is located in. The lower chest cavity contains a pseudo-heart that helps pump blood into a larger body. All merfolk have an internal skeleton throughout their whole body, even invertebrate-based merfolk. As an adaptation to the dim light of their environment, the eyes of merfolk are more sensitive to light and their pupils can grow and shrink very drastically.

Near the mid-back, aka just about where the two sides join together, fish and (many) crustacean merple have gills, and cetacean merple have a blowhole. What for? For second lungs! These lungs are connected to the upper chest lungs and allow cetacean merfolk to hold their breath for extended periods of time. Merfolk that take after fishes with swim bladders also have a similar lung-swim bladder connection, which is mostly used to control buoyancy — moving air to the upper lungs aids a merson in floating upright, for one. Sorry other aquatic tetrapod merfolk, you don’t have second lungs (…as far as I’ve decided) but I’m sure you can make do!

Due to their adaptations and limitations, merfolk tend to live underwater, in fresh, brackish, and saltwater environments. Merfolk settlements tend to be built in shallower water: most settlements are built in the first 50 meters from the surface, and their frequency dwindles down significantly after a 100 meters of depth. Merfolk prefer the warmth and light of the surface, humans as they are! Some merfolk-found, mostly underwater nations exist, all of them in shallow seas and in and around large archipelagos, but a good portion of merfolk live on the coastal areas of mostly terrestrial nations and in inland waters. In the open ocean, many nomadic merfolk communities exist too: they tend to migrate with fish schools and herd their own aquatic livestock, like fishes, krill and squids.

Underwater merfolk homes are large to account for their large size, and often very tall. In places where the surface of the water freezes over at some point in the year, many homes have one or a few topmost rooms that reach above water and function as a secondary exit and as a way to reoxygenate the water. Some merfolk homes are suspended above the water on stilts or on the shore with an underwater entrance, but the homes themselves are fully or half dry inside. These homes tend to be very low and wide instead! These are common in merfolk that need air to breathe. Between these solutions are homes that are partly submerged and partly dry at different ratios, common in so-called hybrid living conditions!

Merfolk as a whole are one of the most magical of all humans, having a lot of magic in their DNA and using a lot of magic in their daily lives. This is in part from necessity, as life underwater is very different from life on land. Contemporary merfolk tend to know at least four spells: waterspeak, lungspeak, return to form, and two-legs spell. Waterspeak allows a person to speak clearly with their vocal cords underwater, without needing to waste air from their lungs. Waterspeak is of valuable use underwater, but makes a person’s voice inaudible in the air! This is why there’s lungspeak, which creates the opposite effect and lets a person.. well, audibly speak like a in real life person lmao

The two-legs spell rearranges the organs of the merson and transforms their lower body from the human waist down into a pair of human legs. The upper body doesn’t really change in any significant way (…besides the lungs and heart becoming smaller and gaining new organs and bones and muscles) so the eyes are still tuned to see better in darkness etc. Return to original form reverses any physical transformation to the way a person was born, merfolk use it to go back to their tailed form!

The most glaring issue in the life of a merson is the fact that your body is adapted to swimming and diving, but the majority of people live on land. Even semiaquatic merfolk tend to have trouble walking great distances! Fortunately, there are solutions besides staying in your underwater or amphibious living community for your entire life (because that’s not a solution at all). One is the aforementioned two-legs spell! A major pro is that you gain two fine long distance walking legs, two cons however are the drastic transformation that must take place to become two-legged, and then learning to walk, run, crawl, jump, sit, anything and everything. Two-legs isn’t a painful spell, or even physically uncomfortable to bear. It’s just that… well. The merfolk body isn’t built as simply as head-arms-torso-tail, it’s really head-arms-torso-pectoral fins-torso-pelvic fins-tail, all parts working together and important with movement, expression and item manipulation. When a merson loses so much of their body and way of interacting with the world it is emotionally and mentally draining! Many merfolk do not want to go through the trouble of losing a big part of themselves.

Fortunately going on land as they are isn’t impossible! The upper chest cavity lungs are big enough to support merfolk just by themselves, and merple rarely, if ever, grow too heavy to exist on land. Fishy merfolk tend to have a slime coat, but on land as the slime coat dries and flakes off, the skin begins producing similar oils to the ones human skin has. Rapidly moving from water to air to water to air can cause damage overtime (eg. cracks and wounds in the skin, loss of scales), but effects can be lessened with moisturiser. Getting around on land is as easy as having a merson-fit wheelchair!

…The cons are just about the same as they would be having a wheelchair in our contemporary world, sadly. Most spaces are big enough for even a long merson in a wheelchair to pass through as humans on average are just bigger, but that doesn’t fix every other issue. Merfolk have a lot of societal pressure to change their form into a two-legged one instead of using wheelchairs, since it’s viewed as more convenient and less expensive — even transforming and using a wheelchair fitted for two-legged human is viewed as a better option. A good bit of merfolk are taught to walk on legs from an early age “just in case”, because they might just need it.

Enough of merfolk tragedies. Let’s talk merfolk joys! Traditional merfolk art is heavy on sculptures, dance and singing, three-dimensional art so to speak. Traditional merfolk cuisine meanwhile provides a diverse selection of meat from finfishes, shellfishes, cephalopods and aquatic mammals, supplemented with algae, fruits and underwater domesticated crops. Merfolk never stopped cooking and frying foods when they turned, but a lot of "bonkers" old meals can be served raw. Traditional celebrations vary a lot based on location and the seasons, but they encompass similar themes to terrestrial celebrations, like harvest. Ice covers melting in the spring to let in light and warmth is a big thing in the northern hemisphere, and fish schools seasonally migrating to a community's home area also calls for a great feast.

As magical and technological advancements have changed the world they live in, painting, drawing, and the use of instruments have gotten more common in the arts, and terrestrial cereals and vegetables in food. The gradual introduction of terrestrial delights into the aquatic world has birthed its own unique cultural quirks. One example is a niche genre of music where a merson plays a wind instrument with only the air in their lungs as long as they can, birthing a whole new form of short folk tunes when instruments started becoming common. Just about anything has been waterproofed physically or through magical means, so in the modern day there is very little difference in a terrestrial and aquatic person's quality of life.

#yippee! i did it :)#merfolk #merfolk lore #my art #art #long post

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pinkskytwst · 11 months

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A Witch's Siren

Azul/Siren!Reader (Romantic) Octatrio/Siren!Reader (Platonic Poly)

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Despite what many land dwelling races believed, there was more to merfolk culture and biology than what was written about in tourist brochures and grade school textbooks.

The Coral Sea, for instance, was only one of many diverse districts that had been built by their people. The tropical Emerald Coasts that bordered the Land of Pyroxene and had a vibrant culture that was closely tied to the nearby port city;The Great Chasm that was home to the deep sea merfolk who’s mysterious nature brought all kinds of unique trade and art with them; the Glittering Fjords where merfolk who preferred colder climates created trailing pockets of close knit villages that were a hub of textile traditions sought after even by land royals; and the Crystal Caverns where all kinds of rare flora and fauna that could be used for potions and alchemy were nurtured by the glowing, magic infused caves were only some of the most populous.

Another preconceived notion was that merfolk biology was a direct one-to-one with other sea life, while the truth was that while many merfolk forms did have recognizable similarities to, say, an octopus or a dolphin, they were not actually related to fish at all. In fact, they had more biological similarities to fae than any other living creature in the oceans and some ancient tales spoke of fae being merfolk who decided to leave their watery homes and take on legs to walk the forests.

Of course, for fae, the fables were the other way around, but whatever the truth, merfolk were incredibly diverse and more than simply ‘a part human fish’.

Sirens, for instance, were a group of merfolk who, historically, had the most interaction with humans. It was said that the princess that betrayed the Great Sea Witch was a spoiled, selfish siren who gave her voice to try and win over a human prince but when her attempt failed she tricked the witch and cruelly turned on the one that had helped her in order to regain her voice and put the prince under her spell.

In the end the Great Sea Witch had sacrificed herself to undo what the siren had done to the poor man. With her own siren powers she saved the human kingdom from being ruled under the princess’s demanding thumb. Incredibly inspiring. So inspiring, in fact, that it had been written and then refilmed so often almost every generation of merfolk had their own edition they had grown up with.

The films were so popular that they were even well received in land kingdoms and few children grew up without seeing it at least once. For the music if nothing else. Which also, unintentionally led to some common assumptions that fae, humans, and therianthropes had about merfolk.

It was widely known that music played a big part in merfolk culture. What those on land asusmed was that all merfolk could influence others with song, when in reality sirens were the only type that held actual magic in their voices.

They were also, unsurprisingly, the group of merfolk that interacted with land cultures regularly through trade, living in cities and towns nearer coasts and the ones most frequent to taking lovers or partners outside of their own kind. Mer-blood was potent, however, and nine times out of ten a child born of a merfolk would have all mer features or a combination where their genetic makeup still heavily leaned towards mer instead of human, fae, or therianthrope.

Sirens, unfortunately, had the hardest time conceiving but without fail, their children would be born with their hypnotic power of song.

This meant they were greeted by other cultures as well as their own with a confusing mix of reverence and distrust. Of praising them for their talents and captivating appearances while also whispering of unearned success and magically influenced business deals. A push and pull of opinions that would change as quickly as the tides but still could never quite overpower the fairytale of the alluring appearances and their enthralling voices that sang of happily-ever-afters.

Sirens were uncommon in the Coral Sea, however, far more comfortable in the warmer waters of the Emerald Coasts. It was quite a stir, therefore, when a family of famous sirens made the move to the capital. A trio and their child that was the same age as the youngest of the royal family.

At the time, Azul hadn’t cared much about the news. His mother was excited about the chance to host a dinner for them and possibly set up a deal of some kind for performances at her restaurant but he didn’t pay much attention. It wasn’t like it involved him and he already had to deal with horrible kids at school. He definitely didn’t want anything to do with a pampered siren that was used to having people fawn over their every move.

He got enough of that being in the same class as Rielle.

When the family accepted the special dinner invite his mother sent out, Azul prepared to hide for the night in her private lounge. It was where she held large business dinners and since she had closed the restaurant to all other guests for the night he knew she wouldn’t need it. He could slink away into there and work on his talismans or read.

What he normally spent his time doing alone since he had no friends.

He was used to it by now, though, and he was just grateful that his mother never forced him past what he was comfortable with. Because of that he was able to get away with a quick greeting where he did his best to hide behind her and couldn’t even lift his gaze, before he fled.

He only caught a small glimpse of the other kid and he was grateful to be able to avoid them.

With how breathtaking they were already, even at their age, he didn’t want to imagine what they thought of him or how willing they were to share their thoughts to his face.

To say that he was dismayed when he found out that they would be in his class as well was an understatement. He wasn’t surprised, however, when he barely caught sight of them before they were swarmed by the other kids in class and he did his best to try and block out everything going on around him. Instead he focused on trying to come up with a solution to why his newest talisman wouldn’t anchor the way it was supposed to.

Maybe - he thought hopefully - they will forget that I’m even here.

He should have known better.

His peace only lasted until lunch. As soon as the teacher left them alone for their ‘recess’ the more aggressive of his classmates turned on him. Maybe they were trying to show off, maybe they were just angry that they weren’t getting the attention they wanted. Whatever the reason, Azul only barely managed to press himself into the safety of his octopot before one of them managed to grab him.

Blood pounded in his ears. An unsteady stutter of three hearts racing against his ribcage. The familiar grip of panic and anxiety wrapping its claws around his lungs. Twisting and folding himself up as tightly as possible, he covered his ears and tried his best to hold in the tears.

It only ever seemed to make the bullies laugh and jeer louder.

One of the boys, though, had a growth spurt and his longer arms were able to reach deeper into his hiding place than before. Azul let out a cry as rough hands managed to catch hold of his hair and a tentacle. He felt the fingers digging in, the pain sharp as he thrashed uselessly to escape.

A whimper escaped his lips as he tried to cling to the worn surface of his ceramic pot but his panic and the growing number of hands yanking on him simply had his skin and flesh scraping along it uselessly. He hit hard packed sand as he was finally heaved out of his sanctuary. Coiling his tentacles around himself in a bid to protect against attacks, he prepared himself for the pain he knew was coming.

“I bet you’re the reason they don’t want to be here.” one snarled.

“Yeah, they probably don’t want to be in the same class as a stupid fat octopus.”

“Why would they want to let us hear their voice when something like you is here?”

Azul couldn’t stop the tears that bubbled from his eyes, biting his tongue to hold in cries and still trying to twist away from the grasping, bruising fingers.

He didn’t care what the siren did or didn’t do! He didn’t want anything to do with any of them! He just wanted them to go away! He just wanted them to lea-”

“Leave him alone.”

A ripple of magic washed over Azul’s senses, causing an odd shiver to trail down his spine as the most beautiful sound he had ever heard met his ears.

It was like the entire ocean itself stilled for a moment to listen.

Or maybe it was just him.

He looked up to see the new student not too far away. They almost looked like they were trembling harder than him, their beautiful eyes wide and panicked but glowing in the way he had heard their kind did when using their magic. It was clear they were as terrified as he was, but his addled mind couldn’t grasp why.

All it knew was that he wanted to hear that voice again.

The four students let their grasps fall away from him, all staring in awe at the mesmerizing siren.

“That was amazing!” one breathed, her eyes locked on the figure that was starting to curl into themself.

“Could you sing again? It was beautiful!” another begged, his hands reaching out to take theirs hopefully, his focus intense and near obsessed.

Azul watched the siren flinch, shrinking away from the touch and how the four that had previously been leaving bruises on him now looked like they wanted to embrace the terrified figure. They all started talking at once, trying to convince them to sing again. Not noticing or ignoring the very obvious trepidation and quickly building panic, they surrounded them, pushing closer and closer until he could barely see them at all.

“Go away!”

Azul’s breath was stolen again.

The song was just as lovely, just as enchanting as before, but the tone of fear was unmistakable to his ears. The call tugged on his mind this time, however, and he found himself slinking into his octopot again without thought.

There was a beat as the other students fell silent before they murmured goodbyes and left as well.

A heavy tension clung to his shoulders as he waited.

He could tell the siren hadn’t left and he was unsure why.

He also couldn’t forget how fearful they had looked, or how they had actually…helped him. Were they going to tease him themself? That didn’t make sense though, why wouldn’t they want the others there to watch if that was what they wanted? Why had they helped him?

After a minute and he felt the last of the influencing magic easing from his mind, he cautiously pulled himself towards the lid of his octopot and peeked out.

His gaze instantly met a pair of large, brilliant eyes.

The siren was right there, almost nose to nose with him.

A heavy, purple blush exploded on his face but his flustered panic was cut off by the startled sound the other made as they scrambled back, falling over themself. Their voluminous, silky fins rippled around them in a mesmerizing, iridescent show of color and shimmery scales. They flailed and darted behind a large outcrop of coral, leaving only the ends of their caudal fins and the tips of their hair swaying in the current.

Azul stared.

Were they…were they afraid of him? Him?

He watched as their fingers - not yet developed enough for the elaborate claws adults tended to sport - curled over the edge of the coral before they cautiously peeked out at him. Their face was just as flushed as his, eyes still bright, still as beautiful even if they were no longer glowing. Their expression was wary and nervous. It didn’t seem right for such a pretty face to look like that.

Azul continued to stare for a moment, confused and trying to figure out just what might be going on. Eventually, though, he opened the lid of his octopot just a bit wider so that he could lean his head out more.

“H-hello?” he managed a weak stammer.

The siren hesitated, still flushing darkly before they gave a small, shy wave from behind their hiding spot, pulling back a little embarrassed. As if they thought he would yell at them for responding.

The fact that they hadn’t lashed out or even seemed like they wanted to get near him helped at least settle some of his more immediate fears.

“Um…thank you, for…for making them leave.” he managed.

The other’s blush darkened even further but they didn’t reply. Their gaze skittered away shyly. He had expected an enthusiastic boast of their talent. Rielle certainly would have.

But they didn’t say anything.

“I…uh…my name is Azul.” he tried softly, uncertain why he thought this was a good idea or what exactly he thought would come of it. “What’s…what’s yours? S-sorry, I don’t remember.” he muttered, not wanting to admit that he hadn’t even bothered to try and register it in the first place.

He watched them shift, clearly uncomfortable and unsure as they chewed on their bottom lip. His spirits sank when they didn’t seem to want to tell him, or talk to him. The boy’s hopeful expression seeped away and he pulled back into his octopot, closing the lid.

Clearly they didn’t want anything to do with him, just like the rest. He shouldn’t be surprised. They were probably scared that he was an octomer. Most didn’t leave The Great Chasm, after all, and his bioluminescence wasn’t exactly common in the Coral Sea. It only made sense.

He was about to curl up in the back of his sanctuary, again, when a light tap came against the dark ceramic.

Azul blinked and warily moved to push the lid open again.

The siren was there, hanging back a little from the pot but at least no longer hiding. They were wringing their hands nervously, though, the finlets along their arms fluttering a bit in agitation. Their blush didn’t fade but they reached up to tap their chest lightly before pointing at the sea floor in front of the pot.

Azul looked down and blinked when he saw a name drawn in the sand.

“Oh…that’s your name?” he said, eyes widening a little as he looked back up to them.

They curled their shoulders in a little like they were trying to make themself smaller, but they gave a slight nod.

The small crest of hope bubbled again and he offered a timid smile.

“It’s a very p-pretty name.” he said before shifting and cautiously sliding his way out of the octopot, watching their reaction closely.

They didn’t look disgusted, in fact they edged a little closer and reached their hand out. They stopped before they got near one of his tentacles, though, and turned a questioning look on him silently. It took him a moment but he realized they were asking permission to touch him.

He didn’t remember anyone ever doing that before.

His flush returned but he managed a small nod, reaching up with the closest tentacle to brush against their soft fingers. They were gentle and their expression was filled with a sort of curiosity that was so far removed from the fear or disgust from others that he didn’t even mind when they prodded one of his suckers, letting out a quiet giggle that sent bubbles drifting from their lips.

Azul tilted his head a little as he watched them.

“Do you not like to talk?” he asked carefully, inwardly wincing when he saw them freeze. “I-I don’t mind! Really!” he said quickly, waving his hands. “I just…uh, I was going to ask if maybe…if maybe you wanted to…play…with me. B-but I can get something for you to write on!”

The siren stared at him, eyes going wide before a small, fragile smile bloomed on their face.

They nodded.

Azul was grateful for whatever luck or destiny had brought his siren to him. That allowed such a bright and warm friend to become a part of his life. To break through the bleak darkness that he had existed in before.

It felt like his whole world changed overnight.

School was still filled with awful people but with them at his side no one was willing to do anything. The first few times they tried his best friend would unfailingly send them off in a daze, no matter how frightened they were themself or how they always hid against him afterwards. They never abandoned him.

It was only a few months later when a pair of twin eelmers would wiggle their way into their sphere and suddenly life…life wasn’t so bad.

His Pearl taught them all the hand language at his behest and he didn’t stop practicing until they could share silent conversations for hours without the use of a notepad or tablet.

The tight hug they gave him and the kiss on his cheek had sent Azul fleeing into his octopot, but they just waited patiently for him to feel comfortable enough to come out again. Not once did they tease him about it or even act like it was odd.

Most of his free time was spent with them now.

They would listen and offer up suggestions about his talismans, finding the whole idea fascinating. Their own interests became a focus for Azul as well and that was how he found out that they were terrified of performing for others. They loved music but they preferred quieter hobbies, solitary ones until they met Azul.

Attention focused on them was overwhelming and when they were scared it was like their ability to speak was stolen and the words would get caught in their throat.

It was how he realized just how much they had pushed past to help him that first day.

He vowed to get strong enough and powerful enough to ensure they never felt scared again. They never had to share their voice if they didn’t want to but he wasn’t going to let others steal it from them against their will. He would show them that they were wonderful, no matter what their parents wanted them to become, and if others didn’t see it then he would make them see it.

They were his Pearl, after all. His Angelfish, his Siren.

His everything.

And he would do anything to protect them.

Octavinelle was the house of the Great Sea Witch and was founded around her benevolent nature.

Azul was the pinnacle of everything Octavinelle stood for. Handsome, talented, a genius. Unfailingly humble. Able to convince the Headmage to allow him permission to build a lounge on campus. He had taken over the position of Housewarden before midterms of his first year and no one dared to question his ability to do so.

He was also terrifying.

Not only did he hold his housemates to the highest standards, he insisted that each one become fluent in sign language within the first semester of being there. He held exacting requirements and lots of fine print in the contracts that he made with students and was ruthless in their payment. That wasn’t even mentioning Jade and Floyd who easily took care of any…troublesome clients.

Their sharp smiles could be even more intimidating than the Heartslabyul Queen’s rage.

The only exception was the Octavinelle Siren.

It was said they turned down not only a placement at RSA but also an engagement with the youngest Atlantean prince. They were breathtakingly beautiful despite their attempts to blend in, and everyone had expected them to be placed in Pomefiore the moment they stepped up to the mirror.

Instead they were sent to Octavinelle and the blinding smile they turned on Azul before hurrying to his side had caused more than one student to fall in love instantly.

They were quiet to the point of being near silent most of the time, communicating through their hands and a tablet much like the Ignihyde Housewarden. Shy and timid, they only seemed to open up around their three protective friends, hardly ever being seen from the side of at least one of them.

It didn’t stop them from gaining a fanclub within days of arriving.

When Rook Hunt threw himself at them out of nowhere with loud, flowery prose that sent them into a panic attack, Floyd sent the Vice-Housewarden through a wall.

A long, very tense meeting with Housewarden Schoenheit behind closed doors ended with a golden contract that assured Rook wouldn’t be caught within fifty meters of the siren unless required specifically for classwork.

In return, the blonde human wouldn’t become a missing persons case.

The fact that Rook continued to stalk Leona Kingscholar but refrained from doing more than tip his hat politely at the silent mer in greeting from across a room spoke for itself.

After that only very very stupid students tried anything with the siren. Considering more than one mysteriously dropped out of NRC after badgering them too much or saying anything about them refusing to talk or sing…well they were idiots and the school was better off without them.

They had a special, reserved table, at Mostro Lounge where they could watch when Azul would hire a special musician. They helped Floyd cook in the kitchen sometimes, as long as they didn't have to work as the waitstaff. Most of the time, however, they spent in Azul’s office. School work and helping him come up with ideas and plans for the lounge were all done behind the privacy of silencing wards. It was one of the rare few places that they felt secure enough to speak, trusting Azul and the twins after years at their side.

They never pushed their Angelfish, never tried to force or coerce them into singing for the lounge despite the undeniable truth that it would bring more money in a single night than they made in a whole month. They would never force their Pearl into a situation that made them uncomfortable or that upset them.

They knew this. It was why they never feared Floyd, always holding their arms open in invitation for his notorious ‘squeezes’ and bringing him snacks and drinks during club. It was why they always tried Jade’s mushroom dishes and braved the more tame hikes with him despite being terrified of insects. It was why they looked at Azul like he hung the moon whenever the Housewarden would skillfully step into any conversation or moment where they felt overwhelmed and instantly force the attention away from them and onto himself.

Why they helped whenever he would have too much work, shuffling the octomer off to sleep to recover. Why they left notes on his desk, in his room, tucked into his uniform pockets, slipped into his textbooks, always with words of praise and compliments. Why they helped temper his more ruthless plans to something that wouldn’t taint his reputation.

Why they were willing to be disowned by their family just for the chance of remaining at Azul’s side just a little longer.

Because they knew that even without their voice, Azul and the twins loved them. They never had to fear that love being taken away because they didn’t sing. Didn’t enthrall audiences and build an empire on fake adoration for the hope of a shred of affection. They knew that even if they never sang again they would never be abandoned.

It was why, every once in a while - long after the lounge had closed and the rest of the house was meant to be in bed - the enchanting song of the Octavinelle Siren filled the VIP office as they sang for the ones they loved.

The only ones they trusted their voice to.

It was why they threw themself into Azul’s arms on their graduation day when he presented them with a very special contract.

One that came with matching pearl rings.

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Hope you all enjoy! I kind of panicked when I realized I almost missed MerMay again! lol Hopefully this is good enough. <3

Part of @rose-tea-and-strawberries childhood friend! AU

#twisted wonderland #twst wonderland #pinkskytwst #disney twst #twst fanfic #azul ashengrotto #octavinelle #twst azul #twst jade #jade leech #twst floyd #floyd leech #platonic poly #sign language #situational mutism

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nerves-nebula · 9 months

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You do not have to answer all of these but these questions have been circulating my mind and I have been writing them down.

What would a gorilla shifter look like in human form, maybe just like a human but really hairy?

Do women moose shifters have beards?

Do women hyena shifters have pseudopenises or would that disappear because the biology has to translate to be human?

Can fish shifters become merfolk so they dont drown 500 ft below the surface?

Can all species have kids together and would they be hybrids or instead it would be a 50/50 chance between one of the 2 species of the parents?

Do they lay eggs in human form?

Would a pregnant person's fetus shift into an egg and then they can lay it early? Or would it not shift with them so they have to wait until they give birth before they can shift again?

Do they ever shift in the sleep and then like die because they were crammed into a tiny hole as a roach or something?

Does their human size relate to the species size? (As in msot elephants would be tall as humans)

Are the human body shapes always going to resemble the animal so that you can kind of guess what species they would be broadly?

Can anyone turn into a bacteria colony?

gonna adress these in order

a gorilla shifter in human form would look like a human. ive prolly done a bad job of showing this cuz i like giving characters animal traits, but their human forms are 100% human, and are only affected by their animal traits if they choose it to me. so wells in his human form would only have a tail if he decided he should, similarly Avin has simply decided to keep his sheep eyes at all points of time

some women moose shifters would have beards because some women have beards period, but i can see it being a cultural thing to keep some aspects of your animal form like that. so really it depends.

see above answers, they would be 100% human in their human forms and if a shifter had any genital differences in human form it would be unrelated to their animal forms

fish shifters can become mermaids if they want to, but they wouldnt look like fantasy mermaids and it would be kind of culturally weird. its not uncommon for shifter to mix human and animal traits, but living full time as a mermaid would definitely be seen as a strange alternative lifestyle

all species can have kids together in human form, and there's no chance of mixing the species unless you're animal forms could mix. so for example, a wolf and a coyote could have a coywolf kid, but a panther and a sheep could only possibly have panther OR sheep kids. about 50/50 is probably right.

i dont know. maybe if they really want to??? it's not a solid NO from me tho lmao

you do have to wait until your not pregnant again to shift, unfortunately. most people choose to stay in human form, especially if they're a mixed species couple. but if you were both dogs i think you could stay in dog form for however long dog pregnancies last. and some ppl chose to do that cuz the birth is easier that way.

no, your body would wake up or stop before that happened. though you can shift and partial shift in your sleep, its just not a sudden enough process to kill you.

not really? i mean from a design perspective i have a habit of taking inspiration from their animal forms to design them, but canonically i dont think the correlation is 100%. like you might have spots if your animal form does, but i dont think being a big animal necessarily means your gonna be a big human and vice versa.

also not really. sometimes they will, sometimes they wont. i think originally when i made this, they kind of did, but now i think itd be more interesting if the body types were more varied.

SADLY no. nothing that small

anyway, THANK YOU FOR BEING INTERESTED FASHDFSADFHSDAGA i was obsessed with this story when i was like 12 and i thought no one would ever care about it agsdhugshd

#nnstuff #ask #shifters story

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royalreef · 5 years

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(( Sometimes I think a lot about the worldbuilding of the Merkingdom that I’ve made and the biology I’ve worked out for Miranda and ALL OF THE LITTLE DETAILS I’VE PUT INTO THIS. But also. I can’t reveal those things yet. Not until they come up in writing.

So I suffer.

#Most secret royal advisor || OOC #(( one day yall will see feral miranda #(( see her being the predator that she is #(( and i can FINALLY detail all of the fun things about merfolk biology and their evolutionary history #(( and the WEIRD BIOLOGICAL TRICKS they have #(( and you will all be sorry #(( also hello im having a rough day so #(( no replies/asks today #(( just rly exhausted tbh #(( low inspiration and drive #(( but yeah i live for the day i can sink my teeth into the meat ive been hiding behind the sugary outer shell of miranda #(( and that'll be a trip

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escher-room-with-a-view · 2 years

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building on the speculative biology based redesign thing, i was considering doing the entirety of the dwarf and horned beast species inspired by, yet again, star-nosed moles and megatherium. as we see in the RPG it’s suggested that knights of yore resemble small mammals but i want to base them exclusively off of different fox species and possibly dog breeds for the sake of consistency. i think it’ll be a really interesting contrast actually- having most of the main species based on mammals, whereas the goblins themselves are heavily inspired by birds and theropod dinosaurs. this could have implications regarding the origins and evolution of different labyrinthian species but i dont know at the moment. either way it’s really cool for me to think about

also, this passage from brian froud’s companion book seems to imply that the labyrinth has existed for millions of years. i really like this idea because even if it’s far from canon, the combination of:

this,

the fact that merfolk exist in the labyrinth (as cible mentions in coronation), and

the mention of aquatic fossils in the (albeit unofficial) practical visitor’s guide

leads me to imagine a plethora of possibilites. chief among these is the idea that this universe went through its own version of the cambrian explosion, which is an extremely intriguing thought- given the presence of artifacts dating back millions of years, i find it especially interesting to consider whether or not these cambrian-esque lifeforms might have been sapient. but also, it arises questions- where did the labyrinth come from? did it occur naturally? was it sentient enough to change its shape back then, even in the absence of a ruler? did it evolve as a living thing evolves? could it be that before the collapse of good governance, the labyrinth was autonomous, and its word was law; but after that, it lost that degree of autonomy when tyranny became the law of the land instead?

#this went from spec bio to spec history REAL fuckin quick #im here for it tho #labyrinth #labyrinth au #speculative biology #spec bio #spec evo #labyrinth headcanon #headcanon worldbuilding

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nazrigar · 1 year

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Mermay 2023 - Marine Biology Influenced Merfolk: Odd-Bodied Edition

Continuing this month’s theme of Biology Influenced Merfolk, this week I did a theme of “weird-bodied Merfolk” inside and out. Be it fish with see-through heads (the Barreleye) or fish with literal urea in their systems (the Greenland Shark). There’s a lot of fun things to apply from nature!

Top Row:

- Old Man Ulrikson - Greenland Shark: The oldest person in town, clocking in at 499 years old. While most Greenlanders stay up north and act as sages, he likes it where he lives in Tridentsfall thank you very much. Also, no parasites in the eye for him!

- Bob Sunfish - Sunfish: A Sunfish Merman with a crippling fear of predators and the dark. The Sealions meanwhile think he’s an odd curiosity.

Middle Row:

- Benny and Fred - Halibut and Flounder: Criminal Masterminds, Master and Apprentice... at least in their heads. They’re more harmless than anything.

- Orville Colddweller - Barreleye: The guy who greets shallow-water Merfolk into the depths. He kinda wonders if he could have taken a different path in life, but decides against it.

Bottom Row:

Anat the Unlucky - Tully Monster: The unluckiest girl of the Primeval Age, whose unique look and looooooong list of misfortunes were something to behold. Tried to look for an apprenticeship and got one... who was the worst possible option.

“Honest Nasir” - Opabinia: Anat’s “mentor” and perhaps one of the most infamous conmen of his age... who kept his long list of complaints just because. Based on the knife one of said tablets... he may have gone too far one day.

#mermay #mermay 2023 #mermaid #merfolk #greenland shark #sunfish #marine biology #halibut #flounder #barreleye #tully monster #opabinia #biology inspired merfolk #character design #creature design #my art #nazrigart #beast fables

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6480n · 3 years

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Looking for fellow creatives for a fantasy project!!

Hi all! I’m looking for other people who might be interested in collaborating on a hobby world-building project. !!Please help me find people by reblogging this post!!

[ID: Sketch of someone waving cheerfully at the viewer. end ID]

This world is designed to be the basis for a magic-based, multiplayer platformer fantasy game similar in ways to Maplestory and Fantasy Life, where the player character travels throughout various cool and magical realms. If you want to learn more about the world, please check out the information under the “read more” (I didn’t want the post to get too long).

Some stuff about me: I’m a Thai-American genetics student/researcher with heavy interests in evolutionary biology and Southeast Asian culture. I like to draw/design in my free time. I’m looking for people who are interested in contributing (to any degree), especially those who have an interest in biology, ecology, or sociology/anthropology. I would love to be able to work with other people from cultures that are underrepresented in the fantasy genre (though ofc not a requirement). No skills necessary!!! I'm able to handle all the art and visual design load on my own, I'm just looking for anyone imaginative!

I tend to be very realism-focused, so I’m hoping that input from others will help this world blossom into a more fantastical, wondrous setting. You don’t have to commit to anything--if you want, you can just hang around a bit and see if it interests you, or just provide input once in a while.

This is currently just a fun side-project that I work on in my spare time. I want to make it clear that even though I’m designing it with a videogame in mind, there really is no guarantee that it would ever get to that point, and I don’t want anyone to join with the hope that it would eventually pay off monetarily. I’ll make sure that anyone who contributes heavily will get a say in where the project eventually goes, if it turns out to last long.

Please contact me on Tumblr or Twitter to get involved! I plan on making a Discord server to keep all our collaboration in one place, invites given by PM.

[All images described in alt-text]

The premise of the world is that flora and fauna are not separate beings, but instead that all animals start their lives as plants, turn into animals, and then at death they create seeds which sprout into new plants. People also go through this life cycle--when they start out life they’re the huge, slow-growing plants that provide the structure for complex ecosystems (pine trees, kelp, huge cactuses), and then when they become people, their community cares for the ecosystem in question.

--MAIN GOALS-- - To build a work in the fantasy genre that rejects the overwhelmingly common eurocentric and often colonialist setting, as well as incredibly popular westernized systems of fantasy morality (light v. dark, demons v. angels, etc) - To portray fictional cultures in a way that highlights the incredible diversity of IRL cultures without stereotypes or homogeneity - To show the interconnectedness of everything, including showing different groups of humans as being connected with each other and showing humans as part of the environment; actively rejecting contemporary notions of “mastery over nature”

!!Everything below here is subject to change!!

Since I’m heavily interested in evolutionary bio, I built the biology of this world on the premise that life evolved much like it did on our world, starting from a single organism and blossoming out into different branches. Humans, or rather “people”, evolved multiple different times whenever a complex, dense ecosystem arose. Here are the groups of people I’ve come up with. The player chooses which species they want to start out as, and the dominant weapons or magic style of that culture determines the combat style they first learn to use. (Each group of people has multiple different subcultures, but there would be one “main” subculture that players start out in.)

Merfolk/seafolk:

Perhaps some of the earliest peoples, seafolk start their lives as kelp and inhabit the thick kelp forests that surround many coastlines. They have a love for exploration and discovery, but generally avoid encroaching on land. Their magic generally has to do with water, and the weapons they use are mechanical crossbows and heavy blunt weapons (blunt weapons integrated with controlling/redirecting the flow of water to lend force to blows). I haven’t figured out which real-world cultures to draw on for inspiration for seafolk societies, since nobody IRL lived underwater, of course. This is probably the most open-ended group of people. They’re visually based on fish and salamanders.

Frostfolk:

These people start their lives as conifers and thus inhabit the taiga and tundra. Their magic mostly has to do with ice, cold, or wind, and their main weapon of choice is spears. In this group of people, I want to have different societies: a nomadic hunting/fishing society, a nomadic pastoral society, and a more sedentary river/forest-based society. They’re based visually on dinosaurs, specifically theropods, with perhaps more bird-like features.

(No name yet):

Related to frostfolk but now geographically isolated from them, these people start their lives as cycads and live in the tropics, especially on chains of islands. Some subcultures would be highly seafaring, while some would be more sedentary and involved with metal-working and smithing. For the sedentary cultures, their magic would revolve around utilizing fire, and weaponry would be small blades made from obsidian. They are also based on theropods, but would have more vibrantly colored feathers like tropical birds.

Dustfolk:

Based on carnivorous mammals, mainly cats, foxes, and coyotes, these peoples start their lives as succulent plants like giant cacti. They inhabit the deserts and canyons of the world and live a largely nomadic life. Their magic has to do with wind/sandstorms, and their main combat styles are focused on hand-to-hand combat, utilizing claw or knuckle weaponry.

Plainsfolk/brushfolk(?):

These people start their lives as deciduous trees, generally as part of savannas, or sparse forests on mountainsides. They are based visually on ungulates, mainly deer/antelope, goats, and pigs/boars. I plan to have a semi-nomadic subculture in the dry savanna, a more sedentary agricultural society in the tropical savanna, and a mountainous society. Their weaponry would use a combination of sword and shield, and they would utilize light magic by way of reflective metal or glass.

(No name here either... they’re humans):

Finally, there would be a species of primate-based people that start their lives as broadleaf evergreen trees and inhabit the tropical jungles of the world. Many of their societies would be agricultural, with some fishing river-based cultures. Their magic would be related to monsoons and thunderstorms, especially lightning magic, and they would use long, thin blades for fighting.

---

In addition to the "main" cultures of the world, there would be many cultural centers where multiple peoples meet and trade food, goods, and technology. People will not be divided by nation borders or "species".

Currently, my idea is that combat is used to battle metaphorical representations of disease, malaise, generally bad and imbalanced things. I haven't developed this part of the storyline too much yet, I just know some thematic goals I might have.

In addition to combat (either physical or magical-based depending on the player's preference), players would be able to pursue a few different skills, like farming/breeding using a robust genetics system, tailoring/clothes-making, furniture/crafts-making, smithing, healing, cooking; as well as more "meta" hobbies like making maps and puzzles for other players to use.

Again, if you're interested in getting involved or have any questions, you can reach out to me here on Tumblr or on Twitter. If people do end up being interested, I'd like to make a small community on Discord to chat with! Edit: We do have a discord server now, you just have to ask to join!

#artists on tumblr #world building #fantasy #character building #speculative biology #brainstorming #game design #fantasy world #can't think of any other tags #ive never tried putting out a post like this before so i wonder how much of a long shot it is #spec bio #speculative evolution #ecology

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chimeride · 4 years

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Index

The Éphéméride des Chimères has its own vocabulary hidden in the tags. The Index allow a thematic rather than a chronological exploration of the bestiary, but also underline some mechanisms of inspiration. Tags are not always comprehensive, and this masterpost will be updated if needed.

How to use the search function : go to “chimeride.tumblr.com/tagged/???” and replace ??? by what you are looking for. For example if you want to see every chimeras made with part of cows go to “chimeride.tumblr.com/tagged/cow”. Shortlinks are embedded here most of the time.

About : about the stories and the rules of the Éphéméride. Accompanied by new drawings. Often posted as milestones every 400 new followers, or through asks.

Alterego : based on an username. Done spontaneously, but you can ask for one if you want.

Animal : each animal included in the chimera is mentioned in the tags. You can ask for the Latin names of each species used (not always available).

Ars chimera : about techniques, concepts and creature design of the Éphéméride as a whole, mostly though asks.

Ask : responses are sometimes accompanied with quick drawings. You can ask anything here.

Bell : birds in shells, yes, here it’s a thing.

Biology : inspired by chimeras from our world. Science might be as strange as fantasy.

Bug : mostly based on arthropods.

Centaur : hexapedal creatures with two or three distincts torsos.

Cephalopod : limbs directly connected to the head.

Chimera : creature made of animals that currently exist in our world.

chimeride : portmanteau word for Éphéméride des Chimères.

Chimera Quest : an art challenge for people who loves monsters ! Full prompts here, also check #chimeraquest on tumblr.

Color : digitally colorized chimeras.

Compendium : thematic or chronologic collection of chimeras, they are the fastest way to explore the Éphéméride.

Creatuanary : challenge created by Fran Garcés, Rafael Teruel and Joshua Cairos.

Cycle : There are eight chimeras in an octem. There are eight octems in a quartile. There are four quartiles in a cycle. The quartiles are : Ignis, Terra, Aqva and Aer and repeat themselves in the next cycle.

Cyclop : one eyed.

Dragon : from all kinds. I tried once to explain what is a dragon and how to make one.

Fae : flying insectoid, probably small.

Fauna Focus : monthly challenge that showcase endangered species. Official site here.

Gastronomy : when food and meat inspires creatures.

Ghost : flotting creatures with disturbing faces, patterns and tentacles ; wait what is a ghost ?

Goblinoid : mostly quadrupedal and mammalian, probably small.

Goblin Week : our last week of January is dedicated to goblinoids. Officiel site here, hosted by @evandahm.

Gryphon : winged hexapedal creature, front avian and rear mammal.

Harpy : the face of a woman, the body of a bird, and a feeling of discomfort.

Hellpig : twisted pigs and boars.

Homonculus : humans fused with humans.

Inktober : yearly challenge with precise prompts partially followed. Official website here, hosted by @mrjakeparker.

Isomer : retake on an old chimera, often Known Ones.

Lemures : spirits with larval masks and simian silhouettes.

Merfolk : swimming creatures, front mammalian and rear sea creature.

Mermay : our month of May is dedicated to merfolks. No prompts followed.

Metachimera : chimeras made of several concepts merged in one. Mostly done with suggestions when they occur during an event (e.g. : Mermay)

Minor demons : before starting the Éphéméride, i wanted to do chimeric demons and I started to sketch some ideas. It’s after having lost and find back those sketches that I’m putting them back in the project.

Music : chimeras inspired by music.

Number : unique for each of them, and given chronologically. It is the most convenient way to designate a chimera.

Notes : commentary for specific chimeras, it can be explanatory diagrams, references, original models, etc. You can ask anything about every specific chimeras.

Octem : a chronological set of eight chimeras. There are eight octems in a quarter, and four quarter in a cycle.

Phyla Challenge : creatures based on 30 phylums, according to @dimetrodone ’s challenge (prompt here).

Pokemon : fan arts (tagged as Known Ones), bootlegs and pokefusion-derived creatures. My first word wasn’t “mama” but “Pikachu” and that tells a lot.

Pseudoartifact : chimeras that looks like an object.

Pseudofauna : chimeras that looks like an animal.

Pseudogiraffe : somehow there are enough creatures that fall into this categorie.

Pseudophyta : chimeras that looks like a plant.

Pseudopaleo : chimeras that looks like an extinct animal.

Pun : chimeras based on a pun.

Quarter : a chronological set of sixty-four chimeras, so eight octems. There are four quartiles in a cycle. The quartiles are : Ignis, Terra, Aqva and Aer.

Reverse : classical creatures but upside down, ridicullous.

RPG : creatures from other bestiaries, contributions by rollists or anything related to RPGs.

Sea creature : seems more adapted to live underwater.

Seven Deadly Sins : not the most original prompt.

Shell : full of surprise.

Smaugust : our month of August is dedicated to dragons. No prompt followed.

Suggestion : chimeras suggested throughs asks, prompts, or friends. If they are a Tumblr user they are tagged. Guidelines are explained here. You can suggest a chimera here. Let me talk you about four users who contributed in their ways to the Éphéméride :

@shittycryptids (posts) : a big collection of prompts submitted by other users that I randomly take. Not that shitty.

@kaptainkatsura (posts) : they asked for a short dnd project involving their personal take on the Seven Deadly Sins.

@probablyfunrpgideas (posts) : one of the most prolific Thinker, they write incredibly good backstories for the creatures.

@james-silvercat (posts) : contributed a lot and since a long time, with fun suggestions and some asks.

@a-book-of-creatures (posts) : a great Thinker, who engages interesting discussions about various creatures.

@thecreaturecodex (posts) : another brilliant Thinker, who wrote Pathfinder RPG statistics based on chimeras.

@coolclaytony (posts) : contributed a lot and since a long time, with fun suggestions and Pathfinder statblocks.

The Known Ones : chimeras I didn’t imagined myself. More explanations are given here and here. Let me share certain categories with you :

continents and countries : Known Ones come from everywhere, their origin is often specified.

Rogue taxidermy : chimeras based on taxidermy, including work of arts of Joan Fontcuberta (without whom nothing of this project would have start), Sabrina Brewer (@rogue-taxidermy-of-sarina-brewer), and Thomas Grünfeld.

Artists on tumblr : tribute to other artists I love and want to share with you !

Demons : mostly Goetic but not only

Heraldic : Known creatures used in heraldry.

The Thinkers : volunteer contributors, interpret and study chimeras through texts, drawings, or any medium they chose.

The Unknown : original creatures, unknown chimeras of our world until then.

Unicorn : creatures with one horn on the forehead.

Vampire : weird bloodsuckers.

Zooanthrop : humanoids with animal features.

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xinnamoon · 4 years

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Oceablu (Twst Ocs)

As seen in this post, I thought of a whole new school called M.M. High. This is the first studies I got so far.

Oceanblu, focus on adventure and risk taking. Founded by the exploration of the tiniest yet mightiest captain. Unlike it NRC counterpart, it students are more fish folks as they are less magical oriented compare to merfolks. Because of this, parts of their true fish form will appear when they have strong emotions. Their uniform are meant to resemble ship crew members. Oceablu also developed new tools and technology to help fish folks like a boat oar for flying class since it float more similar to water waves, which fish folks are more use to.

Characters details down below:

Neo Swimcaster

Captain of Oceablu

Neo is bold and confident, traits necessary to be a good captain. Due her disability, many had look down on her. However, this did not deterred her and made her work harder for her position. She hopes that she can inspire others to do the same. She loves all the students of Oceablu and willing to help out the best she can. Her true form is a clownfish with a stubby fin, contrasting Pinky and Shelly who true forms are more magical. Because of her stubby arm and her bad sense of direction, her single father is worried about her and everyday they exchange letter.

2nd year Dislike: Getting lost Hobby: Boating Talent: Making puns Club: Marine Biology Club Unique Magic: “Way back home” is a reversal spell. It can reverse time up to a minute, can reverse memories to help memories lost, and reverse others’ magic back onto themselves

Pinky Loveland

Friendly freshman

Outgoing and boy hungry, Pinky is the new recruit to the Oceablu crew and she can’t wait to experience the land above. This is her high school debut and she is not going to mess it up! Pinky is from the bottom of the ocean, not only a place filled with monsters, but also gloom and loneliness. When she was younger, many feared Pinky since she is technically a kraken. Her only friends were octopuses grandmas who like to talk and gossip with her. But she is really nice, and just want friends her age...and maybe a boyfriend. Because she is new to the bright side, she get scared easily. Sometimes when its really bad, she will “ink” herself.

1st year Dislike: Getting scared Hobby: collecting toy ships Talent: Camouflage Club: Photography club Unique Magic: “Release the Kraken” is a powerful but deadly skill. Pinky can summon huge tentacles that can attack opponents, however this drains both her physical and mental health.

Shelly Flo

Chill Vice Captain

When you think of relaxing, you think of Shelly. She always have a cool head and a chill personality. Her true form is actually an island turtle, a sea turtle that can grow plants on its shell. The older the island turtle the larger it will be, which is why they can be thousands of years old and be gigantic. Shelly is still a child, thus is no bigger than a normal sea turtle. And like all sea turtles, Shelly always goes with the flow, letting things just happen to her.

2nd year Dislike: Pruning the plants off her shell Hobby: Vacationing Talent: Multilingual Club: Swim club Unique Magic: “Go with the Flow” allows Shelly to control waves and tides of water.

As you can see, they are suppose to be somewhat foils to Octavinelle.

Also fun fact, the two groups know that they are sea folks but they don’t know what type. Oceablu know that Octavinelle are merfolks, but don’t know that Azul is an octopus and the twins are eels. Likewise for Octavinelle. Pinky has a huge crush on Azul but is scared that he would like her octo-form as she hear rumors from her octofriends that merfolks don’t like octopuses, exceptionally kraken type. Sorry, I just find misunderstandings kinda funny.

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chiyuki-hiro · 4 years

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A handful of years back I was pretty obsessed with the Monster High series (I still have all my dolls, though I don’t rewatch the movies much anymore & I stopped buying the dolls when they changed the design.) At one point, I decided to make my own oc. I was really into the concept of taking two different monsters & combining them into one. (Based off Monster High Freaky Fusion) I got inspiration to create a monster that was half zombie, half merfolk, because my cousin @lilluka has always loved zombies & mermaids. And that’s when this boy was born.

I don’t remember all the details for my oc (’cause for some reason I couldn’t be bothered to write them down) but from what I do remember, his name is Keith Seawalker. Keith’s dad was a zombie & his mom was a mermaid. He’s an older student at MH who is a member of the swim team. He has two forms: a land & water form.

On land, Keith has bad posture & walks with a stick. His only merfolk traits on land are gills, scales & fins. He also naturally oozes some unknown liquid (meant to keep his scales, gills & fins from drying out). In the water, Keit’s legs change into a fin. He has better posture underwater & he moves at a faster pace than on land. Keith prefers being in the water & pretty much only leaves the water to go to attend classes at Monster High. His expertise is marine biology. Personality-wise, Keith is pretty quiet. Though not unfriendly. Favorite food: any kind of meat really, he’s not picky. Color scheme: light greens for his skin, I believe his hair was either teal or dark blue(maybe it was both, I’m lucky I’ve remembered this much). T-shirt was black (with a Betty Boop stylized depiction of a mermaid on the front just because I had to put something related to animation/cartoons in his design.)

#monster high #monster high oc #monster high freaky fusion #liluka #heroforge

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joeys-piano · 5 years

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50 for the writer’s asks, I’m sure you have plenty ;)

50. Weirdest story idea you’ve ever had.

I’m gonna share you the strangest, most ambitious one that inspired all of my other strange, ambitious story ideas. Because if I didn’t do this idea, I wouldn’t be the writer I am today. Nor, would I be the experimental writer I am today xD

Back in the Fall of 2017, I was writing for a non-discreet fandom that I used to love and during that period, I dipped my toes into urban fantasy. Fascinated by the concept of a mer!AU but unsure of how to tackle it, I created my own original lore. You’ll see this is a running trend where I’ll just make stuff up in worldbuilding and somehow tie it all together in the end.

The concept I went with originated from the earliest version of the Little Mermaid, I believe. Remembering that the Little Mermaid didn’t have a soul, I decided to work that into my lore and this was the earliest worldbuilding draft that I have of this idea (it’s on AO3, it’s pretty obvious to find):

Merfolk were humans who had died at sea. While their souls may go to Heaven or Hell, their bodies transform. Scales protrude across the skin, a vicious tail is all that remains of what once were legs, slits span down the neck, and the body is reanimated. Driven by wild instincts and led by ravenous hunger, Merfolk patrol the waters like zombies.

In the open waters, these creatures feast on fish and are quite the catch for a shark or lone predator that wander so willingly into their territory. But near coastlines and against shores, Merfolk are on the prowl to satisfy another hunger. Without a soul to call their own, these solitary creatures congregate on the edge of civilization and are on the prowl for any who bear the misfortune of falling into their waters.

Over the next few weeks and subsequent months, I began to expand that lore. At the time, for the project I was working on, I only focused on saltwater mers. I hadn’t considered freshwater or other variants yet. I didn’t consider aquatic species of mers or the different body compositions and characteristics depending on where these mer originated from or where they live. However, this was 2017-Joey, and he wasn’t thinking of these things. He didn’t think about it because he wasn’t worried about it. He was more focused on the lore than the biology, ecology, and whatnot that goes behind this.

I believe in the November of 2017, I began to expand the mer!concept from a a group perspective than an individual one. This was when I started to consider what were the ecological and behavioral characteristics of these creatures. Mer are solitary but then I considered, many aquatic species are solitary but they congregate and show up in mass populations during certain or special events. So I thought to myself: wouldn’t it be scary if you’re out at sea and you see a school mer trying to yank you from a ship so they can do away your soul?

And thus, I added that to the lore:

Merfolk are notorious for creating storms. A passing boat or a humble ship could easily find itself in the eye with nowhere to run, with nowhere to hide.

The storm appears normal at first: torrential rains, lashing winds, and with the vessel rocking back and forth over the mounting waves. Those who have survived to tell the tale often report of hearing voices, ghostly wails luring the ships and boats closer to the centre of the storm. Suddenly, the ocean is at peace, but a gray veil cloaks the sacrifices before the grooms stroke it back. Bobbing in the water are Merfolk. Tails swishing and their scales glistening like gems. They bring color to the chaos and sing their songs.

And then following that passage is a rather graphic scene of shipmates getting tangled in sea nooses and being yanked into the water, where the surface bubbles over with red and thrashes as mers are picking a shipmate to the bone and are snarling at each other to consume his soul. Because a mer understands that they’re lacking something that’ll make them feel whole. They lost their souls when their human selves died. So in order to truly come back to life and escape this Hellscape they’ve been surviving it, they have to steal and kill for another chance at life.

Even if it means sacrificing an innocent and having that innocent exchange places with them. For a young writer who had been writing pretty safe content for 5 years at that point, this was a stepping stone into more abstract and darker ideas. This began my journey into writing about the human condition and what it meant to be alive.

So you’re probably asking me: it’s been a few years, how did the idea and lore change over time? Back in May of this year when I thought about participating in MerMay, I decided to take my notes and polish them. I moved away from the sea and moved inland to incorporate freshwater mers, and I researched on the different body compositions and structures of how these characters would look like. I developed and fleshed out a more human side to the lore and talked about how some mers transitioned into society and are living comfortably amongst people. I wrote about mers that don’t want to be human, mers that are domesticated, mers that are wild, mers who couldn’t care less about having a soul, and about mers who’d do anything to have a soul and be human again.

I developed the mer!language. It’s not extensive, but it gets the point across. In addition, I included accommodations on how mers could live amongst humans and what were the challenges in doing so. Humans aren’t very tolerable of a lot of things. If we have trouble tolerating each other, imagine how difficult it would be for a mer that used to be human and who’s now living amongst humans and are having to adopt what humans expect of them when they aren’t able to do certain things that humans consider normal.

So I’d say that over the years, what started off as a curious pet project turned into a catalyst that made me become the writer and worldbuilder that I am today. It helped me approach and develop different worldbuilding styles and techniques, how is fictional reality intertwined with real reality, and how I can use stories to tell a bigger picture of an issue or problem that I see we as a society are still struggling and trying to find common ground and understanding on.

And since this is the end of the ask, I’m gonna share a little snippet from my most recent mer!notes. This one is for Dazai, who I turned into a freshwater betta fish mer:

After drowning in a familiar river near a bridge in Yokohama, the suicide ironically sparked the beginning of Dazai’s life as a Mer. Was he disappointed? Absolutely. He learned quite quickly that it was a lot harder to die as a Mer than it was as a human.

To visit him at the Armed Detective Agency, Dazai is typically seen wearing soaked, fettered, and messy bandages sprawled around his neck as he spends the majority of his day soaking in a kiddie pool. A pool that was a little smaller than himself so he’d be half-drying and half-dying while still having enough water to keep him from completely dying. If it wasn’t morbid, seeing a fully-grown Mer in such a tiny space was actually quite entertaining. Especially when Dazai would get his antsy fits and try to squish himself into the corners of his kiddie pool to completely submerge himself. Alas, it wouldn’t work and he’d silently curse himself for damning his existence to an inadequate space.

While Dazai does wear his signature trench coat, he’s merely draping it over his shoulders and the fabric spills behind him while he soaks so it doesn’t get wet. He does live on his own in the Agency dormitory, where he commutes from the office to the apartment and vice versa. Because of the soaked bandages meandering across his body, Dazai doesn’t dry out quite as quickly as other land-dwelling Mers. Although traveling on land doesn’t bother him as it would for others, he does prefer to have assistance merely for ease and to conserve his strength.

#this is pretty much the backstory of how i became the worldbuilder i am today #if you like mermaids or mers this ask is for you #i also include snippets of my worldbuilding notes #i also include a bsd example towards the end

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broken-clover · 5 years

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wow, this is it, I love your AUWhat kind of merfolks will be Testament, Dizzy and Fanny?I'll wait

thank you! It’s lots of of fun to make. And I’m loving the Fanny appreciation, too!

Originally I wasn’t sure what kind of mer to make the three of them, but I ended up deciding all three of them as humans to fit better in the story. Dizzy is an old college roommate of Dr. Valentine’s and still keeps in touch with her (to the point where Jack-O calls her ‘cousin’). Both Dizzy and Testament are professional artists and work for a lot of different companies, and for the Aquarium Dizzy creates designs and patterns for things like the shirts they sell at the gift shop and the flyers that get posted around town. She’s a total hippie and always makes sure all the mer are happy and healthy when she visits

Testament works more in designing the plushies and little figures the shop sells, which are ridiculously popular both with the younger children and adult visitors. He also makes special limited-release designs for certain events and holidays (like a reindeer Chipp and Sin sleeping, having eaten the entire Christmas dinner) which are known to sell out remarkably quickly. He’s also a photographer, and can usually manage to get photos of ever the shier mer. Testament is a kinda quiet and broody goth-type, but he’s really a huge softie.

Fanny was Faust’s old handler, and she did some studies on seahorse behavior and pioneered several medical techniques for treating mer that better suited their biology. She wound up running out of funding and couldn’t afford to maintain Faust’s habitat, so she had to find a new place for him to live. She’s busy, but she still checks in regularly, and Faust is always happy to see her.

(I like the idea of incorporating most, if not all of the characters in this! Might as well include more as long as I’m here!)

Kuruwaba Crow is a creepy man who kept showing up, staying a long time, and tried to stay after-hours. He makes literally everyone uncomfortable and they eventually had to call the police and get a restraining order because they found him trying to sneak in and break into Johnny’s tank.

Dr. Paradigm is an associate of Asuka’s who shows up every so often to check in or to consult when they’re dealing with an issue they don’t know how to fix. He’s typically followed by his deadbeat assistant Izuna, an undergrad student with a love of fried tofu and a bizarrely encyclopedic knowledge of Japanese mythology.

Vernon is a retired politician who likes to visit the Aquarium as a form of relaxation. He can usually be found sitting by Potemkin’s tank and watching him swim for hours.

Tyr and Mizuha are a couple of schoolkids who started visiting frequently after coming for a school trip. Mizuha’s grandfather brings them and doesn’t mind letting them explore, since they like Axl and will listen to his instructions. Their favorites are Anji and May.

Erica Bartholomew is an up-and-coming political candidate who comes to the Aquarium for inspiration and as a place to think. Interestingly, her favorite is Chipp, because she admires his cheery attitude and determination.

(Many thanks to nana for the concept help! She’s been super helpful in coming up with ideas for the AU and she deserves some of the credit, too!)

#ask #guilty gear #Illyria Aquarium AU #Dizzy #Testament

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belzinone · 5 years

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verses

This is a running list of all the verses I’ve written for bel. First are her fanon (canonical) verses, followed by modern, fantasy, crossover, other fandom verses, & lastly, her Wallflower verses (+ link to a more in-depth description of my concept). I’m more than happy to create a verse that is compatible with your muse, let it be giving her a new modern occupation or adapting her to your muse’s universe (if you’ll be patient with my learning ) However, I’ll be applying her to new universes selectively because I’m not a fan of everything nor do I always have the energy/patience to invest in it.

hello it’s mz. hyde . undetermined // verse

~FANON VERSES~

HELL IS FOR CHILDREN . underground child // verse

a bright, curious, cross-dressing child who goes by the name “bailey” & gets into more trouble than her mother & older brother can handle. in attempt to control her behavior, risa lets her stay with a trusted doctor in town (former colleague of her late father) & he starts teaching her basic medicine & biology (which quickly turns into epidemiology come the shiganshina outbreak). she proves gifted with the material, a trait she shared with her father.

BIRD IN THE CAGE . underground citizen // verse

past adolescence, a teenage bel selectively relents to the feminine gender role designated by her mother as the small Zinone family works towards building a large enough fortune to buy surface citizenship. she does her homemaking & continues to pursue her medical apprenticeship while at home & in the clinic, but occasionally dons drag to explore the rest of the city under her family’s nose. when her brother enlists in the scouting legion for a vast sum of money (to those in poverty), he takes the light behind her eyes with him.

SLAVE TO THE GRIND . shiganshina citizen // verse

a languid young adult who maintains a modest medical practice as well as helps with her mother’s homemaking business. she makes the occasional secret trip to scout hq to volunteer her medical expertise, where she momentarily rediscovers her lust for life.

TWIN ROSES . garrison soldier // verse

giving up on her dreams following the year 845 fall of wall maria, bel dons twin roses & secretly composes her plans for 3dmg modifications. she lives a quiet, uneventful yet peaceful life with her mother & squad members.

LA GUILLOTINA . sentenced to scout // verse

having lost the majority of her squad during the year 850 battle of trost & committed murder to defend her mother during the retreat, bel finds herself with a accolade she detests, but would decide her fate as she faces her sentence

& TO DEATH WE SAY ; NOT TODAY . medical officer // main verse

bel settles into the scouting regiment & lives out her dream of saving lives on the front lines. this verse leads up to the uprising arc.

FAMILIAR TASTE OF POISON . war criminal // verse

the uprising arc. forced to face the demons of her mother’s past as well as her legion being marked a criminal organization, she is also forced to come to terms with taking lives rather than saving them.

GRACE PERIOD . scout redemption // verse

this verse spans the time between the resolution of the uprising arc to her amputation. the scouts experience renewed glory as they return the rightful heir to the throne & prepare to reclaim shiganshina.

LA TRAVIATA . retiree // verse

soon before the return to shiganshina, bel loses her foot to the leader of the underground mafia & is forced to retire from her military service. she departs for the snowy mountains of the north to research titan spinal fluid.

alternatively, she’s crushed by a boulder during one of the preparatory expeditions & amputates her foot to save her life either single-handedly or with the help of another soldier, i.e. yours?

LA RESORTA . amputee // verse

bel hangs up her lab coat & returns to her soldiers, where she comes to rediscover is where her heart lies.

RED SWANSONG . postwar // verse

paradis is clear of titans & the world is free of war. bel retires her military service for good & continues to care for the remaining military veterans while mourning the fallen. she dreams of settling with a family at this time.

~fanon divergent verses~

FELINE TITAN . shifter // verse

bel reawakens with the memories of a former queen who once ruled humanity before Paradisian allocation. her 10 meter titan is skinless, spotted, & sports long claws. [aimless meta]

AS ABOVE SO BELOW . noble // verse

instead of being born in the underground to a poor homemaker, bel’s born in the sina capitol to a rich socialite. she nonetheless dreams of becoming a scout soldier & practicing medicine like her father.

~modern verses~

CODE BLACK . emergency responder // main verse

as used in los angeles county hospital, “an influx of patients so great, there aren’t enough resources to treat them.”

G. O. M. E. R. YOU P. I. T. A. nurse // verse

nurse slang for “get out of my emergency room, you pain in the ass”

LIONESS . mother // verse

bel becomes a mother, let it be via adoption or a fertility miracle.

SO CLOSE ; AND STILL SO FAR . medical tech // verse

bel leaves medical school & lands a less than satisfying job

GLORY AND GORE . clinical doctor // verse

a cutthroat doctor who rose to her status by playing the game of the social ladder.

PRETTY HUGE DICHOTOMY . medical student // verse

bel studying for her phd & finding a stark divide between clinical & the average life.

BETA EPSILON LAMBDA . undergraduate student // verse

although not part of a sorority, the lack of social life experienced by this iteration could very much use a pledge.

VAGABOND . homeless // verse

after dropping out of high school, bel leaves her family & takes to the streets, convinced that she is better off on her own. she makes a living through stealing, odd jobs, & street performing.

YOU LOVE ME FOR EVERYTHING YOU HATE ME FOR . escort // verse

bel engages in transactional sex to survive.

RED LIGHTS PAID SIGHTS . sex worker // verse

cam girl, stripper, exotic dancer, nude model: bel engages in all these things & more, finding comfort in sensual attention.

SICK INDIVIDUAL . high school student // verse

a rebellious young woman spends her days challenging authority inside & outside the classroom while maintaining grades reflective of her interests.

IF IT AIN’T BROKE; IMPROVE IT . mechanical engineer // verse

rather than pursue medicine, bel finds a rewarding career in her other passions.

IT’S SUPPOSED TO HURT . personal trainer // verse

bel makes a living out of training others to thrive.

BODY LANGUAGE . professional dancer // verse

she started out as a street dancer before making her way through club after club & finally landing a contract with mainstream talent. belly dancing, burlesque, & pole work are her go-to styles.

~fantasy verses~

ABERRANT APOTHECARY . witch // verse

a life witch or necromancer? this woman manipulates the energies of life to do her bidding.

SEIS SEIS SEIS . concubus // verse

unbound by position & generally unaffected by a thirst for intercourse, this nonbinary asexual demon finds thrills elsewhere.

DON’T FALL ASLEEP AT THE HELM . merfolk // verse

a rather terrifying as opposed to conventionally beautiful mermaid, bel passes her time defending her territory & rummaging through shipwrecks

conversely, she’s an obnoxiously colorful mermaid that makes an easy target for predators

HURT LIKE HELL WHEN I FELL . angel // verse

bel’s an angel much like those from cw’s supernatural sans the dryness

SINGED FEATHERS . caladrius // verse

this magical bird takes blight unto herself & flies into the sun like a phoenix, dispelling the plague & curing her benefactor. feathers naturally sprout from various parts of her body. she uses a cloaking spell to appear human, but she nonetheless sheds feathers.

~crossover verses~

ONE STEP CLOSER TO THE TRUE WORLD . the115project // crossover verse

Commander 115′s army lands in Paradis & brings a new battlefront to the island (original multiverse concept from the115project)

FELINE FAUNUS . rwby // crossover verse

the transition from Paradis to Remnant brings out cheetah-like characteristics similar to her titan form her aforementioned fanon divergent verse. human skin with full body markings, ears & a body-length tail with fur

~other fandom verses~

MITOTIC REGENERATION . naruto // verse

a failed student of a legendary shinobi & excommunicated from her clan, bel wanders the ninja world in search of a way to revive her fallen brother as a missing nin from tsukigakure. she specializes in poison art jutsu, is developing her own version of mitotic regeneration, & agnostically practices jashinism.

GOLD DUST WOMAN . rwby // verse

subject to the discrimination of being a faunus, bel finds herself a member of the White Fang but begins to question whether their endeavors are really what’s best for her kind. her semblence is life transfer & manipulation while her weapons are dual-wield blades similar to those from her snk verse.

I WANT TO BE CONNECTED . sarazanmai // verse

bel, a fresh Wallflower devotee, soon throws herself at the mercy of the otters to save her brother, a police officer who died on duty. as punishment, she’s made to keep an eye out for kappa activity but maintains a dual relationship with those duties alongside her obligations as a Wallflower agent. she keeps her loyalties to the otters blurred while seeking to protect the sara trio as an undercover school nurse.

FAIRY; WHERE ARE YOU GOING? . fairy tail // verse

bel’s a caster mage from the Wallflower dark guild & specializes in disease & organic link magic

GRAND DUCHESS . anastasia // verse

anastasia (1997 film) plot inspired

FACE DOWN IN THE DIRT . fruits basket // verse

her work as an international Wallflower brings her to the Sohma clan, a hotbed of mysterious cries of abuse from its most closely guarded family members. quickly recognizing the fragility of the job, bel takes a much lower profile during her investigation. she takes on whatever role she must to get to the bottom of the sohma family curse & support its victims.

HALF GOD; HALF DEVIL . bnha // verse

[fandom verse profile]

THE DEAD SHALL SPEAK . atlus trauma team // verse

inspired by dr. naomi kimishima. bel’s a medical examiner that can hear a victim’s last words upon interacting with their body.

DANCING ON GRAVESTONES . dnd // verse

tiefling, bard, necromancer, commander of life energy & tells stories through percussion & dance. she uses magic to mask her tiefling features in order to escape prejudice & avoid scaring away her audience.

-wallflower verses-

BAD GIRLS’ WORLD . wallflower // main verse

[about] this verse traverses all universes, from fandom to modern to fantasy as well. i use it to designate her criminality/gang affiliation & the belief system she was raised in. whether or not she remains loyal to her cult (as well as the severity of the cult itself) will vary greatly by thread.

LA MADONNA HYDRANGEA . wallflower madame // verse

bel reigns over the wallflowers as madame, presiding over an immense, international criminal underworld.

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thelastspeecher · 6 years

Text

NaNoWriMo ‘17 Day 27 - It’s a Deal

Day 01 Day 02 Day 03 Day 04 Day 05 Day 06 Day 07 Day 08 Day 09 Day 10 Day 11 Day 12 Day 13 Day 14 Day 15 Day 16 Day 17 Day 18 Day 19 Day 20 Day 21 Day 22 Day 23 Day 24 Day 25 Day 26 Day 27 Day 28 Day 29 Day 30

Summary: Stan makes an arrangement with a merman who has homicidal tendencies. Inspiration from here. [Variant of MerGucket AU] Word count: 1531

“Hey, Ford, you didn’t say there’d be mermaids here!” At the sound of his twin’s shout, Ford’s head jerked up.

“Mermaids?” Ford muttered to himself. He rushed out of the cabin and joined Stan on the deck. Stan was leaning over the side of the ship, ogling at something. “Stanley, did you claim you see mermaids?”

“I’m not claiming nothin’. They’re right there! Check it out.” Ford walked to Stan’s side to peer overboard. His eyes widened.

“Sweet Moses, I thought you were hallucinating.”

“What?!”

“Sailors hallucinate when they’ve been at sea long enough,” Ford said dismissively. “That’s where the myth of mermaids comes from. Lovelorn sailors longing for company, who saw manatees.”

�� “Rude!” one of the mermaids scoffed, diving back underwater. Stan glared at Ford.

“Way to piss the pretty fish girl off.”

“Mermaids aren’t real,” Ford insisted.

“Sixer, we literally fought a kraken the other day. You’re obsessed with bigfoot and aliens and all that nonsense. Are fish people that difficult to believe?”

“Those are all based in scientific fact!” “They’re based in bullshit.”

“The biology of merfolk simply isn’t feasible. Half-human, half-fish? Humans are so removed from fish, it’s- it’s unconceivable. What sort of diet would they have? How could they have evolved? How would reproduction work?”

“That’s a mighty personal question,” the remaining mermaid drawled.

“And don’t even get me started on the ability to control men via song,” Ford said. His eyes suddenly widened as he registered the voice of the stranger. He looked back at the mermaid. “Stan, that’s not a mermaid, that’s a merman.”

“They’re not all called mermaids?”

“No.”

“I don’t care what ya call me,” the merman said with a shrug. He grinned crookedly. “Just don’t call me late fer dinner!”

“He has a southern accent,” Stan mumbled.

“I’m from the deep south. Get it?” the merman said. He laughed loudly. Stan cracked a grin.

“Heh.”

“Stop engaging in wordplay with our mutual delusion,” Ford snapped. He walked over to the helm of the ship. “I’m taking us back to shore.”

“No, yer not!” the merman shouted. The ship ground to a halt. Stan stumbled back from the edge, nearly landing on his butt.

“Did we hit a reef?” Stan asked Ford.

“We’re in the middle of the ocean!”

“So, probably not.”

“It wasn’t a reef,” the merman called. “It was me.”

“What?” Stan got up and leaned over the edge of the ship again. “You fucker! If you hurt our boat, you’ll wish you weren’t born!”

“Hatched.”

“…What?”

“I hatched.”

“Sweet Moses,” Stan muttered. “Fine! You’ll wish you weren’t hatched!” He looked at Ford. “It doesn’t sound as good. Uh, Ford?” Ford was standing wobbly, his eyes glazed over. “Ford?” Ford abruptly bolted across the deck of the ship. “Sixer, what the fuck are you doing?” Stan shouted. Ford leapt over the side, landing with a splash in the ocean next to the merman. Stan gaped. “Stanford!”

“Hmm, you’ll do might nice,” the merman said to Ford, looking him over. The merman’s tailfin flicked Ford’s nose. “Got a big honker. Let’s make sure ya have all yer fingers and toes. That’s where the flavor’s in.” The merman picked up Ford’s hands and spread his fingers apart. The merman’s eyes widened. “Whoa! You’ve got extra!” The merman looked up at Stan. “Do you have extra fingers, too?”

“No!”

“Aw, a shame. Guess we’ll just eat this ‘un, then.”

“Eat him?! No, no, don’t!” Stan shouted desperately. The merman made an exaggerated sigh.

“Fine, make yer case as to why I shouldn’t.”

“He’s a person!”

“So?”

“He- you don’t eat people!”

“Maybe you don’t,” the merman retorted. He shook his head. “Honestly, I was hopin’ fer a better argument. Ah, well. Yer…looks like yer brother, maybe? Yer brother ‘ll make a fine dinner.”

“No, dude, seriously, please!” The merman froze.

“Dangit. Ya said the magic word.”

“Wait, ‘please’ is actually a magic word?”

“Duh! Why do ya think people call it that?”

“I thought it was to get kids to be polite, but clearly, that was an insane assumption,” Stan said drily. The merman narrowed his eyes.

“It don’t pay to be sarcastic with folks yer tryin’ to convince to give up their dinners.”

“Um…”

“Nah, it’s whatever,” the merman said with a shrug. He flicked his tail. “Yer pretty attached to this feller here, huh?”

“He’s my twin brother. Of course I am.”

“He’s yer twin?”

“Yeah.”

“Darn,” the merman muttered. He sighed. “Between that and ya usin’ the magic word, fine. I’ll hand him back to ya.”

“Wha- really?”

“I don’t like to eat twins, since I’m one. And yeah, if ya ask nicely, I have to at least offer an alternative.”

“What’s the alternative?” Stan asked. The merman grinned, showing off a myriad of thin, needle-shaped teeth filling his mouth. Stan quelled a shudder.

“Pay me fer passage through these waters.”

“What- what sorta payment?”

“Favors. Visits. Shiny things.”

“Do I have to do all of those, or is it all right if I just do one?”

“At least two.”

“Okay…favors and shiny things,” Stan said. “Now, give me back Ford.”

“Nope. Ya pay me, first.”

“Shiny thing, then you toss back Ford. After he’s on the boat, I’ll give you that favor.”

“…Deal,” the merman said after a moment. Stan undid his wristwatch and tossed it overboard. The merman caught it with one webbed hand. He sniffed it idly, then nodded.

“This suffices. Here’s yer brother.” The merman lobbed Ford at the ship. Stan took a few steps back, but managed to catch his twin. Ford blinked at him woozily.

“What’s going on?” Ford mumbled. Stan patted Ford’s head.

“I’ll tell you later. Gotta finish paying this merman.” He set Ford down, took a knife out of his pocket, and cut off a chunk of his hair. “Here!” Stan shouted, tossing the hair to the merman. “I paid you, now let us pass!”

“I asked fer a favor, not hair!” the merman protested. Stan grinned at him.

“Don’t you know what us land people call a lock of hair? A favor.” A moment passed. The merman laughed uproariously.

“Yer a clever one! What’s yer name, human?”

“Stan Pines.”

“Lute MerGucket. Yer ship’s got safe passage through these waters. At least, this time.”

“What about when I come back this way?”

“You got to pay me again.” Lute grinned toothily at him again. “Later, sailors.”

-----

“Great, we’re crossing into that merman’s territory again,” Ford muttered. He sighed. “Stanley, do you have the bribes?”

“They’re not bribes, they’re more like tolls,” Stan said, walking onto the deck, carrying a small bag. He set it down and began to rummage through it. “But yeah, I’ve got the goods.”

“Mermaids and mermen exist,” Ford said with a shake of his head.

“That’s still eating you up? Ford, there are a lot better things to get upset over.”

“The science behind their existence is troubling. That’s all.”

“Uh-huh. You’re just angry that you were wrong,” Stan said. Ford glared at Stan. “I’m right. Just like I was right about the mermaids and mermen.”

“…Shut up.”

“Mature.”

“You’re one to talk.”

“I recognize that boat!” a voice shouted. Ford groaned.

“Sounds like your friend is back.”

“Like I’d be friends with a homicidal fish,” Stan scoffed. He walked over to the edge of the ship. “Lute, right?”

“You bet!” the merman said cheerfully. He grinned up at Stan. “What’d ya bring me, sailor?”

“More shiny things, and another favor,” Stan replied. He tossed a set of gold earrings overboard, as well as a locket. “Keepin’ it classy.”

“Hmm,” Lute murmured, running the chain of the locket through his hands. “A necklace.”

“Open it,” Stan said. Lute opened the locket. His eyes widened. “Yeah, that’s a picture of me. That’s what makes it a favor, not just a shiny thing.” Lute stroked the picture inside the locket, a small smile spreading across his face.

“Yer a handsome man.”

“…What?” Stan said, wondering if he’d misheard.

“I said yer handsome,” Lute called up to him.

“That’s what I thought you said.” Stan rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh, you’re not gonna try to eat me or somethin’ now, are you?” After a moment, Lute shook his head.

“No, I won’t. Yer still a twin, and anyways, I keep the deals I make.” He cocked his head at Stan. “But I am changin’ what I require. I looked into what the human definition of a favor is. It’s fer lovers. Significant others.”

“Oh, boy,” Stan muttered. Ford choked back a laugh. Stan shot a glare in Ford’s direction.

“So, it just seems fair that ya make good on yer favors,” Lute continued. He grinned at Stan. “Meet me at the atoll a few miles west of here. Anchor yer ship, then disembark. We’ll have ourselves a nice lil visit. Chat fer a bit.”

“Uh…”

“I could always revoke yer ability to travel these waters,” Lute said. He grinned, showing his nightmarish teeth. “Would ya like that?”

“…I’ll meet you at the atoll,” Stan said.

“Great!” The merman dove back underwater.

“Sounds like you’ve got a date,” Ford said to Stan. Stan grimaced.

“Yeah. With a homicidal fish.”

#I hope you're happy with the Stute nour #wrote this thinking of you #bc gotdamn do you love that ship #MerGucket AU #Stute #Lute McGucket #Stanley Pines #Stanford Pines #my writing #ficlet #NaFicWriMo #speecher speaks

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