daringtosing - Tumblr blog

[daringtosing]

I don't know when I don't know how But I know something's starting right now! Watch and you'll see Someday I'll be PART OF @chivclry's W O R L D !

Someone's daring today.

Assuming it was a private beach, she's laid against the sand, tail glimmering in the sunlight. Clouds rolled across the sky, sometimes temporarily masking her shiny tail. But she loved the way shadows worked, they didn't quite work the same underwater. Not as deep as Atlantica was.

Colors were different on the surface, too. Rather than faded greens, and blues, everything was so crisp. Like an undersea apple!

For the moment, she was going to enjoy this. Due to sand's malleability, she wouldn't have heard any footsteps even if someone were stomping. That could be dangerous, but surely no one was around here, right?

[daringtosing]

"Do you really think so?"

Joyfully, she swirled around, laughing. She didn't care that he was metallic, he was a friend as far as she was concerned. Very gently, she picked one of those flowers, swimming up and offering it. It was glowing a gentle blue, and it was in the shape of a bell.

"This one's called the Sea Lily. It glows blue, like the bell of its namesake. They say that when when someone gives it to another, they're destined to be friends forever!"

More laughter. Flounder may have been her best friend too, but he wasn't always available. Unlike royalty, who went to private tutoring, Flounder had actual school to go to. It left her by herself sometimes, which was why she was so happy to have someone here.

"Gosh, we haven't even exchanged names, have we? I'm Ariel! What's your name?" She held out her hand. "Come on, let me show you my swing!"

             High Tide couldn’t believe what he was seeing at the moment: it was a fully grown garden underwater, and so full of life as well! He carefully went around the flowers, a metallic hand gently caressing its petals with a smile. And there was even a fruit tree too! He couldn’t remember the last time he saw a garden like this out of water, let alone one so pretty...

             “Gotta admit, ye got th’ perfect gist for gardenin’,” he smiled and glanced at the swing, “I can easily see the amount of effort ye poured into it.”

[daringtosing]

"Well that's one thing we share. Merpeople don't generally eat the leaves off of trees under the sea, either, though they are sometimes used for decorations."

Granted, a core difference between the two worlds was autumn. Trees in the ocean stayed the same color year round, their color only changed with age, unlike surface trees that changed color every year when it got colder.

"I bet it'd be fun to climb a tree. But you probably need legs for that, it's not like climbing a rope up to a sailor's ship."

Curious as she was, there was still steady movement, and she'd allow Meowth to explain everything to her. Ariel was absorbing all this knowledge like a sponge. This was a once in a lifetime experience, and she was going to make the most of it.

He's had some seaweed-- the crackers, or nori, which is rather delicious when it's wrapped in something-- rice, meat, that sort of thing. Seaweed is more....goopey than grass at it's natural state. He can see why it's strange to her.

Meowth just watches her still, smiling softly to himself as she points things out, her smile beaming as strong as the sun.

"The bark here's harder-- and not just from the dogs up here--" he laughs at his own stupid joke. "Sometimes I think some have flowers, in the springtime. Most of 'em have leaves! You can't eat em." A caution, there.

[daringtosing]

I don't know when I don't know how But I know something's starting right now! Watch and you'll see Someday I'll be PART OF @captainseamech's W O R L D !

"What do you think?"

Of course, she'd brought him to her garden. A garden said to be the most beautiful of all her sisters. Golden flowers were aglow, as were violets, and blues. Greens, even reds. There was also a fruit tree, with two vines of seaweed, supporting a plank of undersea wood. Her swing, one of her favorite parts of the warmer months.

"I have so much trouble staying awake when the water's warm, and the garden is in full bloom. But I bet that with you here, it'll be much easier! Oh, I just love making new friends."

[daringtosing]

I don't know when I don't know how But I know something' starting right now! Watch and you'll see Someday I'll be PART OF @ssealsskinned's W O R L D !

Was that a human?

This deep? Or perhaps, she was too shallow. Regardless, she was fascinated. There wasn't really anything to hide behind, nor did she feel any sense of danger. There wasn't much a human could do against a mermaid when both were in the ocean, as far as she knew. That humans used hooks to catch fish, but that was on those things called ships.

Swimming closer, Ariel's face reflected her inquisitive nature.

"Are you part fish, or just a really strong human?"

[daringtosing]

"Created by the ocean? Well gosh, I don't know, I think that falls under history tutoring."

It also came into the subject of philosophy. How did life truly start? Was it science, was it magic? Was it by chance? She wasn't sure, despite her interest in history. Ariel didn't think too much on whether or not there was a higher power that had created life. If there was, that was really cool, but even if there was, she would never experience it.

Her grandmother had been very firm on that notion. Merpeople lived for three hundred years, then would turn to seafoam. Unlike humans, who had natural souls, merpeople did not. Higher power regardless, merpeople did not have an afterlife.

"Anyway, it's just a title. I'm the youngest of seven sisters, it's my title because I'm a princess! But I don't need to be called by some formal title or anything, I'd rather just be a regular mermaid most of the time."

Thank goodness, she wasn't going to be heiress to the throne. She had the freedom to become whatever she wanted, so long as she kept up her duties as a figurehead of the kingdom, just as her other sisters did.

"My oldest sister, Attina, she's the one who's going to be queen someday. I want to become a humanologist!"

⋘ ──── ∗ ──── ⋙

He nodded, still smiling, as he stroked his mane slowly. “My parents are quite rich, and naming me how they decided to their financial status to other Hippocampi. I’m glad that you liked it.”

His ears perked up at the interaction, with his eyes gleaming as fiercely as the necklace he wore. Even though she laughed afterwards, Ariel managed to make herself look very important while speaking. Damn dude, he almost bowed down!

“I’m from the Southern Ocean, but I love swimming away from the home. I’m happy to meet you, too, Ariel!” Diamond explained while moving his head towards her face, with flickering ears. Sure, he too heard the stranger danger talk from his parents, but he was a big boy now! And he could create a whirlwind to defend himself if Ariel tried something suspicious or risky! Basically, he trusted that he could protect himself if things went sour; therefore he had no problem coming closer to Ariel.

“By the way, what do you mean by "Seventh Daughter of the Ocean”? Did the ocean created you or something?“ The horse asked her naively. His parents knew how to wield many magic types with zero problem. He watched them do many different spells since he was a young colt, which exposed him to many different magical things and objects. Therefore, Diamond wouldn’t be surprised if she said yes as a reply; he was just curious.

[daringtosing]

"That's a huge difference. While we don't really eat grass itself underwater, seaweed is a staple in almost all of our meals."

Seaweed was much, much more common than grass. Just as mineral baths, and drinks, seaweed was very important for shiny hair, glimmering scales, and strong teeth. That was something she didn't realize, as well. A merperson could chew through what most surface dwellers would consider hard.

Their teeth were naturally stronger. It was part of their biology.

"This is something you don't get underwater at all."

The wind blowing her long, fiery red hair. That was one of her most remarkable traits, next to the color of her tail being just as unique from her sisters. Lowering a hand, she felt the grass as they moved. It was... so soft. And then... those brown things!

Pointing to surface trees, the question draws in her mind.

"Hey, those look like trees! But they're brown, and where are the flowers? Trees are always a more green color, and they've always got flowers growing among the bark!"

The feline laughs with delight as he watches her-- take to it like a fish to water, if you'll excuse the saying-- he's proud, both of her quick thinking, and his own invention. He knew if anyone could figure it out, land or sea, Ariel would.

Meowth oh so loves being right. He continues to watch her, slowly sauntering up to her side and beaming at her.

"Yep, that's grass, alright! There's a lotta that up here. But don't try and eat it or anything, it ain't that type, trust me."

[daringtosing]

Anonymous said: If you could go on the land whenever, and still return to the sea- what would you do? What are your aspirations amongst the walkers? Do you want to mingle in a city? Dance with a ballet troupe? Eat food from the surface? Do you think you'd be disappointed by anything? Would you love every moment?

"Oh, being able to live in both worlds would be a dream come true!

I'd love to do all those things! I don't think I could be disappointed, not at the chance at learning what a lot of the human objects do that I've collected over the years. I want to find similarities between our worlds, a place we can come together. That's my biggest goal. It's not just to be where the people are.

It's to bring our worlds together.

Learn about each other's worlds, and cultures. Share in those things. I'm sure any surface dweller would be understanding of the kinds of things we do, and I know I'd be excited to learn what they do up on the surface! It's just that no one I've met on the surface seems to believe merpeople even exist.

How can we be friends, if they don't even believe in our existence?"

There's a pause in her words.

"Someday, everyone will see.

We'll all truly be a part of each other's world."

[daringtosing]

"I can hope so."

The idea of her father softening his viewpoints seemed impossible, but she wanted to hold faith. Faith that someday, their worlds would be united. That was her ultimate dream, to live among humans and merpeople alike. For as much as she wanted to learn ballet, her devotion to her family were more important to her than her own wishes.

"If that person tries, no matter who, I'll fight 'em!"

Ariel took on an offensive stance, though it was all in good nature. Almost amusing.

"It's not used much these days, but I've actually been taught in the art of sword fighting! I'm told our swords are much stronger than any sword on the surface, we make our swords out of strong jewels! Nowadays, they're more for decoration, but if something ever did happen, we could definitely raise arms."

"Oh, I just have to say it again. You're so beautiful!"

With his hand accepted, the mermaid began to move, gently bringing him with her. But rather than just moving in a circle, as a mermaid, she could twirl in ways a human couldn't, or somersault with zero effort whatsoever. Murk was an excellent dance partner, she felt. Just like before, Ariel's tail glowed like a jewel all its own in the sunlight.

That was how well she took care of herself.

Moments pass, before, on top of the dancing, the princess begins singing an aria. The beauty of her voice was indescribable. She was having the time of her life, just dancing with... a friend, or, who she felt was a friend. She could feel it, deep down, Murk was a good person.

She knew nothing about his past, but all that mattered was building a bright future.

To Murk..it was the only way to think. He was accustomed to being the 'other'- the outsider looking in on a world he had no hope of interacting with, not in the way that was expected. Even normal experiences for those he worked alongside seemed alien to him. Hanging out after work- going for drinks, or dropping by arcades- going to the marketplace for goods...it was all... Different.

"I will try, but I cannot guarantee that I will find it." Unlike Dark Gaia, who had been letting her aura seep into the planet- all over its surface from her avatar, a few hundred miles away...the Chaos Emeralds would be far more difficult to unearth. Their Chaos Energy did not 'seep out',- not very far anyway. Unless he was close to one, even his finely-honed senses would be unable to detect them... And he'd never had a need for them, for that matter.

His head tilted. The Trident...it sounded similar to the Chaos Emeralds and the powers they possessed- godlike, in a sense...but not enough.

"It would seem we both have powers we cannot afford to let fall into the wrong hands, then..." The Trident, and the Chaos Emeralds...he sighed softly. "Give it time- perhaps your father will lift his restrictions,...some day." Waiting things out was something that seemed ingrained into his life. Waiting to escape- waiting for revenge- waiting for the birth and rise of one of its victims,...waiting for his purpose.

"Do be careful, though. I know of at least one who would attempt to raid your world, should he ever hear of this 'Trident' your father possesses." Eggman finding out about it would certainly be quite the issue...

The hedgehog blinked, his eyes flickering down to the extended hand. He found a faint smile crossing his muzzle- unsure just what would result if the two attempted it. But, all the same...he'd not had a reason to dance in many a century- and all this talk...it was tempting. Slowly, his guise lifted- the veil transforming into smoke that floated away on the open air, before slowly dissipating.

His crystalline form on display, Murk stood- the pointed ends of his legs not quite touching the rocks as he reached out his hand- placing it gently into Ariel's.

"You say that as if I wouldn't, Ariel." Since he assumed she would be taking something akin to ballet, he would do so in kind- albeit, using a land-dweller's style...but it wouldn't be hard (as far as he knew) to try to find a dance that would match with the other's movements. "And it has been far too long since last I danced, regardless."

[daringtosing]

"I am! I've been told humans don't believe in us, but merpeople are as real as you are!"

Then she laughs.

"A seahorse is something some of us ride, to get around faster! Some choose dolphins, too. My seahorse's name is Peanut Brittle, I wouldn't trade him for any other seahorse in the world! You have to have a strong connection with any animal you become friends with!"

A monster rider, oh, how exciting! But before she could question that, she shook her head.

"Actually, it's forbidden for merpeople to surface. Let's eee... how did we learn it in biology?" Her smile falters, a moment is taken to think. Ariel wasn't the best student in things that didn't interest her. "It's a form of magic that is innate to merpeople. While we're underwater, we use the gills on our tails to process oxygen, while our heads are guarded by magic. Then when we're above water, we use lungs, just like humans!"

It was the truth, that even her own father couldn't deny. No matter how much he hated them, it still stood: Merpeople were half human. But that could wait, her grin returning literally seconds later.

"Oh gosh, what's a monster rider do? I've heard amazing stories about beings that live on the surface, do your ride monsters that can fly? Or maybe, they can run super fast? That's something we can't do at all! I'd give anything to ride on something that could run!"

Once again, her expression fell slightly.

"...But that's something I can't do. I can't be out of the water, my tail will dry if in the sun too long. That's fatal for any merperson."

"I—" WHOA, THAT WAS A LOT. Forgive her, Ariel. Mari wasn't always the brightest of bulbs even at the best of times, and she has to take a pause to process some of what she is told. " . . . Yeah?" Some of it made sense. But she's never heard of a society that chose not to wear armor on their torso . . .

Things started to line-up in her head when the girl—Ariel—addressed her as a human. At first, Mari found herself taking a second glance. This red-haired teen didn't seem to have any particularly wyverian features. No long ears . . . hmm, she couldn't tell if those hands had five fingers or four. Then she remembered that this girl had popped out of the water quite literally, and the dots began to connect—

Curling her lip some with confusion, Mari looks down at the waterline concealing Ariel's tail. She then looks up at her, brows arching, mystified and hoping that her assumption was correct. "You're . . . from underwater? That's a thing?"

Then the rider softens a bit, tugging on her glove with her other hand and keeping a bewildered look, though she fixed it with a smile. "I don't even know what a seahorse is." She titters. "I'm a monster rider . . . ? How do you live underwater? You gotta come up for air sometimes, right? Is that why you're here?"

[daringtosing]

"Oh, dancing is one of my favorite things! I think you'd be an amazing dancer!"

There's laughter in her voice, as she jumps out of the water, twirling around as she did so. If he weren't asleep, she'd have probably been accompanied by her boyfriend. Oh, how thankful she was, that Eric had accepted her as a mermaid, even though it meant they were from two different worlds.

Raising up once again, she seats herself on the grass.

"If you want, I could put on my magical pendant, and we could practice dancing. But you don't have to if you don't want to. I think it's important for people to realize that dancing, and singing for that matter, are both forms of self expression. It's not about being 'good', it's about expressing yourself!"

❝ I'm not much of dancer since I don't think I'm good at it... but it's always nice to watch, though! And it looks like you're having tons of fun, too. ❞

[daringtosing]

Taking the device, it was unbelievably fascinating. She'd never seen such a thing made out of... metal? The most commonly used construction item under the sea was marble. Metal was often reserved for weapons and armor, which were all for decoration these days anyway.

There hadn't been a war since her father was very young.

Merpeople put on plays of wars from centuries past, during a time when the ocean wasn't quite the utopia it is today.

"Let's see..."

The button was pressed, and sure enough, the tub started moving! Just as if she had legs of her own!

"It works!" So much excitement, and laughter in her voice.

It didn't even take long to reach the edge of the beach. These were metaphorical waters she'd never tread before. As there wasn't enough moisture in the air, she couldn't draw upon her magic to swim.

"Is that green stuff... grass? You have grass up here? It looks so different, the color! It's like seaweed, but shorter! Where I'm from, grass comes in so many colors!"

He doesn't know if that's true-- well, maybe everyone has the ability to- but do they have the will? Meowth isn't so sure about that. But he is sure that Ariel's optimism is refreshing, always has been.

The feline grins at her.

"I thought you'd never ask!" He presents her with a little remote that has some buttons, but it looks pretty simple.

"You can use this, cause it's you in this thing, you should be in charge of yer own roller coaster. That's go," the green button. "That's stop," the red of course. "You can go faster too, if ya want."

[daringtosing]

"All about myself? Well that's not something I hear often, back home, everyone knows me!"

Though she was more than willing to oblige. Perhaps a flaw, but she trusted easily. Believed in the good of people and merpeople alike. Her father could say cruel things about humans all he wanted, she'd never believe they existed solely for the sake of hunting fish.

"Well, my formal title is--" And she put on an accented, proper voice. "Ariel Triton, Seventh Daughter of the Atlantic Ocean. Youngest Princess of Atlantica."

She couldn't hold the voice for long before laughing, along with a grin that rivaled the sun.

"But you can just call me Ariel! I don't care about the whole princess thing."

There's a moment of thought, before she leaned in, head tilting.

"Oh! I i wish I had brought something to write with! I've never used a human object for it before, they don't seem to work at all underwater. We use special, magical ink for our texts, books, and scrolls!"

►    —     ❛     Yes    !    Yes    ,    we    can    be    friends    !    ❜     He's    got    lots    of    questions    and    research    to    be done    now    !    This    is    exciting    ! After    a    few    weeks    of    nothing    groundbreaking    ── being    the    first    person    to    discover    a    real mermaid    is    exactly    the    inspiration    he's    needed    ! ►    —     ❛    My    name    is    Dexter    ...    boy    genius    ! Ariel    ,    you    must    tell    me    all    about    yourself    !     ❜ What    kinda    kid    takes    a    notebook    to    the    beach    ? Him    ,    obviously.    He's    already    got    the    pencil    in position    ──    ready    to    take    all    the    notes    !    

[daringtosing]

"Don't you just love dancing by moonlight? Oh, it's okay if you don't have a tail! All forms of dance are beautiful."

[daringtosing]

"I don't know about the Scuba part, but I'm definitely diving!"

There was a rock, not too far deep from here. Though maybe not obvious to him, breathing in the water was no issue whatsoever. Above the sea, she used lungs. Below, gills on her tail, while the magic of merpeople made it so that they could speak coherently, even underwater.

"I wanna get super fast! But that means working really hard, so hard my best time is five seconds!"

Moving closer to him, she took his hand.

"Come with me!"

Perhaps too forward, that was part of the friendly type Ariel was. Of course, this was also at a period in her life when she didn't realize humans actually couldn't breathe underwater. Given that her entire life, she'd been able to breathe in both worlds, it felt only natural to assume humans were the same. She wouldn't force it on him, however. Her grip on his hand was loose, not difficult to pull out of.

"My name's Ariel, by the way. What's yours?"

To say the very last thing Natsuya expects to see whilst enjoying a refreshing dip in the open ocean ( his small sailboat anchored nearby ) is another person, a woman, who definitely wasn’t there before he’d dived underwater a few minutes ago – Would be the understatement of the century! Hazel eyes round with shock as he blinks away the salted drops from his lashes, he slaps a palm to his dampened brow, checking if sun exposure wasn’t causing him to hallucinate or lose his mind.

His temperature feels normal…

Perhaps she was a diver, then? It wasn’t uncommon for people to come around these parts to scubadive and admire the thriving marine life of the deep blue.

That's the only logical explanation as far as he's concerned.

“Uh...Yeah it is.” He agrees, still in shock from the unexpected encounter, Natsuya offers the young women a strained smile and a swift wave of his hand in greeting.

“Sure sounds good, you’ out hear scuba diving or something?”

With no gear?? The situation was getting stranger by the second.

[daringtosing]

Her singing was interrupted, but she didn't mind in the slightest.

"Well gosh! Seems like its been tides since I saw you! Let's spend some time together!"

Anyone could be a friend to her, even those she didn't particularly know well. They fell into that category, as long as someone wasn't deliberately trying to hurt people, she wasn't concerned with how they looked, no matter what. After all, she was friends with a sea monster!

Sometimes she wondered how Simon was doing these days, traveling the seven seas to make friends with every kingdom.

"Oh, I'm the exact opposite!" Raising a hand to her mouth as she laughed, a grin was on her face. "I love the warmth of the sun! It's not nearly as strong in the ocean as it is on the surface, but it still makes me so sleepy! The warmer tides, I always fall asleep when sitting in my garden."

The ocean was a utopia. A world with no worries. Oh, the amount of times she, Sebastian, and Flounder had just spent the afternoon napping among flowers. She maaaaaay have missed a few rehearsals here and there due to it, but no harm done!

"I've actually never really experienced what it's like when it's cold on the surface."

Clasping her hands together, she looked ot them.

"What's it like? I heard that there's such thing as solid water, that isn't ice! But only from stories from sailors here and there, don't tell them I was listening in on their conversations!"

It had been a while since Bedeku had gone out for a walk on the beach, having forgotten how nice the sea breeze felt.

It wasn't until they heard a familiar voice that they perked up, instinctively switching their aimless walk and now heading towards where the singing was coming from.

Just like that, they ended in a secluded area of the beach, soon catching sight of the mermaid.

“Oh…! I-it's you…!” They carefully sat on a nearby rock formation, barely above sea level.

“It is a nice day, isn't it.” Mostly a mindless observation, as they gazed up to the clear sky, then back down at the mermaid. “Honestly though, I don't really like it when it's this warm… I prefer it chilly. But it's not unbearable...!” They often just felt insecure when not wearing much, like now in their swimsuit. But they still tried not to let it get to them.

[daringtosing]

"You have wind powers?"

Oh, how cool! Ariel possessed no power over the wind herself, she'd have to use the Trident for that. All seven daughters were to learn how to use the Trident, just in case a need arise. But she hadn't quite mastered the art of controlling the weather. Most of what she knew revolved around heating things up, and electricity.

"Diamond? Like the jewel?"

Jewels were hardly difficult to find in the ocean. Ariel must have had at least a dozen different pieces of jewelry that were diamond studded. Pearls would always be a requirement at any formal affair, but it still stood that this mermaid had a ton of jewelry. It was a massive part of merperson culture.

"Well I think that's a really good name."

She puts on her most official looking face.

"I am Princess Ariel, Seventh Daughter of the Atlantic Ocean."

Most official voice she could muster, as well, before she broke out in laughter.

"Just call me Ariel! I'm happy to meet you!"

⋘ ──── ∗ ──── ⋙

Diamond loved exploring all around the ocean. Not only because seeing surprised humans’ reactions was funny; but also meeting with other aquatic creatures excited him. That was why he was very willing to approach the Mermaid.

“Yup! I wanted to practice my powers this noon! I hope you wouldn’t mind some blows here and there!” The dark horse replied cheerfully as he swam closer to Ariel. To prove his words, Diamond pulled his hoof out of the water to draw a slow circle at the air; which the wind current responses by taking a circular turn around them because keep blowing to its original direction.

He dips underwater to take few breaths, before popping out to look at the Mermaid. “Hello there,” The Hippocampus greets with a smile. “I’m Diamond, who are you?”