muppenthings

[muppenthings]

How did gorm meet green?

I think Green might be someone assigned to study Gorm early on. So they'd be in any harbour area or ship in proximity to him. And since Gorm will pick up anyone he finds interesting, that's probably their introduction. Getting yoinked by an octopus arm and being lifted hundreds of feet into the air. xD

[muppenthings]

I said I'd show the moment Gorm started to let humans get close again. Here we are!

When Gorm realized that he was getting attached to Green he instantly wanted to distance himself from them, afraid of being hurt again. Thus he started to ignore and avoid them. With Green not understanding a thing, leading to them luring Gorm into picking them up so they could confront him.

It may have happened hundreds of years ago. But time is relative to Gorm and it may as well have happened a few months ago. For all he knows, the captain and crew are still out there.

If it's not clear; Gorm's catching Green with his nose so they don't fall. Green's a lil clumsy. But hey it worked in their favor! xD

[muppenthings]

So I had an ask about Merry and 1C for the expression prompt. I might have deleted it by accident. But. Here they are in all their glory, talking to Tide about something exciting. xD

[muppenthings]

Hiya! How are you? Hope your doing well this is my mermaid oc Riya ( she’s a bit lighter tanned than this btw) was wondering how Cetus would react to her? I’d say she would be exploring collecting stuff and would accidentally go too deep into the ocean lol. Hope your having a good day/night btw ^^

Heyo! I'm good thanks! I hope you are too! :)

How Cetus reacts depends on the other person. But he's generally very keen on interacting with a fellow mer and would try to be on his best behaviour! But that's no guarantee if the other is fearful; he'll get stressed in response (see what happened with Arion pff). xD

[muppenthings]

Imagine: your mer blorbos all stretched out on the beach sleepily sunning themselves

The beach is closed today (For Cuteness)

I am imagining it. And Keiki's slowly outgrowing the entire beach lolol! He regrows if he's relaxed and not paying attention. And basking in the sun is a recipe for a very relaxed mer! xD

Keiki, Merry and Runt all love to bask in the sun!

Tide tolerates it. He's mainly doing it for Merry. He's gonna get a sunburn oof

Gorm isn't interested in sunbathing. He got no time to waste if he's at the surface and there's a million interesting things to see! ;)

[muppenthings]

Number one wingman for Cetus.

Hahah he could use a peptalk after that! xD

Thank you so much for sharing! :D

[muppenthings]

Haha yeah, I'm confident that they'll figure it out. xD

And oh no that'd be so cute! Cetus would be so happy, soaking up all the contact! Not to mention how loud the purrs would be. Little Nuna kisses. ;o;

Eeyyyyy I'm happy you enjoy it! They're so fun to draw! x)

Can I be blessed with seeing how the freshwater mers ‘kiss’. With a certain two. (Cetus and Nuna) or just a regular kiss and how that would work out?

To fully appreciate the Cetus-Nuna "kiss" you first need to know how same-sized freshwater mers kiss. Here's an example:

They rub their noses and upper lips against their partner's skin. It can involve the lower lips too, it depends on place and angle. Their noses are very sensitive and has electroreceptors, allowing them to sense many things in this action; their partner's pulse, muscles, heat, scent etc. And for the other it's being vulnerable, allowing sharp teeth near weak spots. A complete trust and the soft sensation of the contact, their bonded being so close. An amalgamation of senses and energies. The neck is the equivalent of the "Hollywood kiss". A classic.

Here's Cetus' attempt to do that. But he's too big and ends up with a Nuna shaped mustache instead. He needs to work on his technique. ;)

Nuna belongs to @okminer07

[muppenthings]

Can I be blessed with seeing how the freshwater mers ‘kiss’. With a certain two. (Cetus and Nuna) or just a regular kiss and how that would work out?

To fully appreciate the Cetus-Nuna "kiss" you first need to know how same-sized freshwater mers kiss. Here's an example:

They rub their noses and upper lips against their partner's skin. It can involve the lower lips too, it depends on place and angle. Their noses are very sensitive and has electroreceptors, allowing them to sense many things in this action; their partner's pulse, muscles, heat, scent etc. And for the other it's being vulnerable, allowing sharp teeth near weak spots. A complete trust and the soft sensation of the contact, their bonded being so close. An amalgamation of senses and energies. The neck is the equivalent of the "Hollywood kiss". A classic.

Here's Cetus' attempt to do that. But he's too big and ends up with a Nuna shaped mustache instead. He needs to work on his technique. ;)

Nuna belongs to @okminer07

[muppenthings]

Inspiration struck and I drew a scene from @okminer07's latest chapter of "Nuna" (see here)!!

Look they're adorable and it checked all of the boxes of things I love to draw. So yeah, just a little something! :,)

Nuna be like "What is this feeling?! I must be getting sick!" xD

[muppenthings]

I just suddenly had a fanfiction idea in my head I have the urge to write about... Where a group of K-pop group go visit the beach in another country (Where Gorm lives I think it's the USA?? 😅) and Gorm is just in awe seeing not only new humans to be friends with but their also foreigners! And their super prettyyy and the k-pop group aren't surprisingly scared instead, they make him as their inspiration for their new music video and in return he receives alot of love and praise 🥹

Just a little headcanon where Gorm gets really excited meeting foreigners and their super different and have a different language and all 😊

I wonder how Gorm would feel about being famous now 😂

Ooh! Gorm has a hard time telling humans apart, like he can't tell us apart by faces alone (too small xD). He needs bigger visual ques, smells and sounds! But I think he'd definitely notice a group speaking a different language from the one he's used to/is kinda learning. I have left the location ambiguous, so it doesn't have to be the USA! :D

But woooh if they're happy and energetic to meet him? He'd love that and respond with the same energy! Just a very excited octomer!!

Also if he's featured in a video, and made aware of it, he'd demand to see it. If being famous makes him meet more people, he's all for it! Humans are such fun! xD

[muppenthings]

Since you changed Tide’s character design do you think you’ll change how he meets Merry? Or is he the same loner that loves snacks? 🤭

Nah the meeting stays the same! I've fleshed out the characters, backstory and world since! I remember making that story on the go haha! xD

I'll summarize his backstory and their meeting. Because it's been years and I could use to have it in one post haha! Mentions of injury!

Tide being the "Ocean Menace" for a while, was a direct result of feeling rejected and out of place in the world. He'd tried to please the pod he grew up in his entire life, to feel like he belonged. But it just wasn't gonna happen. He realized that when they abandoned him in an event involving a large fishing ship that left him badly injured. And the humans, they just dumped him back in the ocean, bleeding and harpoons still embedded into his body. (They thought he was a whale, as he wasn't done growing yet he was much smaller then. They only realized their mistake when they'd begin pulling him to the surface. And it's a crime to kill or injure merfolk unless it's in self-defense, like with humans. So they just cut him off, not taking any responsibility for their actions either.)

Washed up on a beach, he was absolutely heartbroken. Abandoned. But a small community of humans helped treat his injuries over the course of a few weeks and giving him food despite his protests, just wanting to be left alone. (And yet not).

He was very conflicted after that. He still decided to start stealing food from merfolk and humans, justifying his actions by telling himself that nobody would accept him, a leviathan, anyway. He already tried that and it ended up with him bleeding out alone on a beach.

Putting on a front of snark and confidence, he was living up to the title of "Ocean Menace". And the mer communities and humans were getting very fed up with the constant thieving. The consequences of his actions were about to creep up on him.

Tide and Merry still met with him being in the area, ready to raid their community at any moment. Merry decided to try and talk with him, see if he could be reasoned with. And they made the deal of Merry bringing him food so he'd leave their storages alone. All the while they had hope.

Merry is very kindhearted, and by treating him like anyone else, they got him to open up more and more during those meetings. They saw the hurt in his eyes, so they commited to turn him on the right path again. But despite making a deal with Merry, he raided nearby communities instead. Since he was more frequent in an area well... it was time for the consequences to happen. Like ambushing Tide and forcing him to face them. Merry being an unknowing pawn in the plan.

But it worked out in the end. He was sentenced to community service with Merry as his aid/witness. After he's made up for the theft, he'll get to be a part of Merry's community. :3

[muppenthings]

2A with Tide, pls?🤧😳✨

Not the finger guns! 😂

[muppenthings]

I've returned with more questions and hypothetical scenarios! I hope you'll have fun answering them. 🙂

1) How would your OCs react to kaiju films? The different versions of Godzilla and the various monsters he faces? What about Pacific Rim? King Kong?

2) Do crustacean merfolk exist in any of your settings? If so, how would your merfolk OCs react to one based on a peacock mantis shrimp? Besides the vibrant colours, these animals are known for their quick and powerful punches. I think there have been reports on said punches being able to break glass. Hypothetically, imagine they meet one that is friendly but when they spot a "threat" (could be legitimate or misunderstanding), they punch something nearby with enough force to easily break the object as a warning.

3) Which of your OCs would do this with someone?

Heyo! It's always a pleasure to answer one of these! 😌

1. Their reactions depends on the movie I think. I don't think Merry would be too interested in any kaiju movie tbh. The newer movies like Pacific Rim and Godzilla monsterverse would probably make Runt uneasy; monsters from the depths are scary. Not to mention the horrors that were on Skull Island. And then there's the violence/people getting got. So it's a pass from Runt too!

Gorm and Keiki would be enthralled and think everything on screen was awesome. Like those Jaegers are so cool, wishing they had one. Tide wouldn't say it out loud, but he'd enjoy kaiju movies. Thinking to himself which one of the kaijus/monsters that he could beat and how!

Cetus would just be sleeping through them, jolting awake whenever there's a loud kaiju screech, look around in a daze and fall back to sleep again. xD

2. The only crustacean based/inspired mer I have is the mer au version of Coby. But I don't have them as a species/variant in any worlds if that makes sense! :) It'd be hilarious if they came across one like a peacock mantis shrimp and they see them punch a rock in two lol! Would make anyone think twice before messing with them. xD

3. Is 100% a Cetus thing to do. But also Keiki, he'd mostly do it as a joke. xD

[muppenthings]

Aaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhhhhuuuuuu goodness they're so cute! ;v;

Love love love to see Nuna starting to take initiative for interaction! Like how she guided Cetus' hand in the water! And how happy she was to learn sign language too so that she can have a conversation with him! And Cetus is super motivated and his joy from learning the 'Yes' sign! So precious!! :,3

I'm just gonna sit in my corner now and wait for Nuna to understand what she's feeling. Cause I think Taniel might be onto them if anything. xD

Nuna Pt 7

The sun beamed down, making the sand sparkle. Nuna dragged her finger through it, drawing another image. She glanced to her right, along the beach where several other drawings in the sand lay, many of which depicted other sea creatures.  

Though right next to the water that she lay half submerged in, the waves never were able to creep up and wash them away, due to the massive green arm, blocking the way.   

Not long after she’d started, Cetus had awakened and joined her on the beach. At first, she had been a little unnerved by how he constantly followed her, but she’d grown used to it. It was even a little comforting, never having to be alone.   

She had for the most part ignored him and continued on with her drawings. That was until a wave created by a simple flick of Cetus’ tail had come up and washed away everything she had done. Her annoyance was short lived though since not a second or two later, he let out a low whine and placed his arm down where it was now, blocking any waves, created by him or not, to stop short.   

Nuna had muttered a short thanks and had begun redrawing everything that had been lost.  

Pulling her finger away, she smirked down at her latest figure. A low rumble that rattled her bones came from behind her and a warm breeze blew forward her hair and gills. She turned and flinched, her entire vision filled by a pair of dark green lips.   

She gulped, leaning away and looking up. Cetus gazed down at her, the membrane over his eyes pulled back, showing off the amber orbs beneath. He tilted his head and hummed, slowly blinking.   

Nuna stared back, confused. There it was again, that strange feeling. It was like nausea but somehow not as unpleasant, and maybe a bit like fear perhaps? It made her throat go all tight, but she didn’t feel like screaming or swimming away.  

She cleared her throat and looked back down at the sand, her face feeling unnaturally warm. Why did she always react like this when they made eye contact?  

“Ah, I'd hoped I’d find you two here.”  

Nuna whipped her head around, a bit thankful for the interruption. The human, or Taniel, as she had insisted she be called instead, was making her way down the beach towards them. Nuna had come to… tolerate the human. She was for the most part quite harmless it seemed and didn’t appear to have any ulterior motive. There were even times where she might find herself thinking that she was… nice, but only sometimes.  

Cetus raised his head as she approached and let out a low rumble. She gave him a relaxed smile as she got near, looking up at him as if there was nothing odd about him. In her arms, she was carrying a book, which made Nuna perk up slightly. Perhaps it was another book for her.  

Taniel stopped just short of Cetus’ looming shadow, “How’re you guys doing?”  

“Alright.” muttered Nuna, “What do you have there?”  

“Oh, glad you brought that up.” She looked up, “Cetus, remember the conversation we had a few days ago?”  

The giant mer thought for a moment, seemingly coming up blank.  

“You know, about being able to communicate better?”   

He thought for another moment. His eyes widened and he nodded his head, breaking into a smile.  

Taniel chuckled, “Well, how about it?” Nuna flinched as Cetus let out several loud happy chuffs and his tail began to flick, creating waves that crashed onto shore. Taniel backed away as the water crept up to her, “Alright then.”  

Nuna looked between the two, a puzzled look on her face, “Uh… what’s going on?”  

“The time has finally come for Cetus to learn some sign language.”  

She narrowed her eyes, “What?”  

Taniel sat down on the sand and opened up the book, “There are some humans who are unable to hear or speak, so a language that wouldn’t require someone to be able to hear or speak was created. We call it sign language.”   

Nuna tilted her head, pulling herself further up out of the water and closer, “A language that doesn’t require sounds?”  

“Yup. Just hand movements or signs.” She held the book open for Nuna to see. The page had several pictures of humans, each of which was doing different things with their hands.   

“These hand movements… do they all mean something?”  Taniel nodded, “So… so if Cetus was able to learn these hand movements-”  

“He would be able to better communicate.”  

Her eyes widened, looking up at Cetus. He smiled down at her, nodding his head, “So I could… actually have a conversation with you? You know, not just a one-sided one?”  

“That would be the goal,” said Taniel.  

“Wait, then why hasn’t he already been taught it?”   

Cetus rumbled above and the faintest hint of pink appeared on his cheeks. Embarrassment, perhaps?  

“Well, we have thought about it for a long time but never got around to actually doing it. But, he’s shown a lot of interest in learning it lately.” She flipped through the pages of the book, towards the beginning, “Shall we get started?”  

The two mers both nodded.   

“Great, alright. Let’s start with two very simple ones, yes and no.”  

Nuna tilted her head in confusion, “Wait, but can’t he just say that by nodding or shaking his head? Why is there a sign for those?”  

Taniel shrugged, “Well, those two words can also be used in a variety of sentences like ‘no thank you’ which requires more than one gesture to finish the thought.”  

“But he could just shake his head to say that too. Isn’t it a bit redundant?”  

She sighed, “Look, I didn’t make this language and these are two of the very first signs it says are important to learn so we’re learning them, okay?”   

Nuna shrugged, “Okay.”  

“Good.” Taniel put the book aside and held up one of her hands, “Okay, the sign for yes looks like this,” she curled her hand into a fist, her thumb tucked in front of her other fingers. She flicked her wrist up and down, making her fist look almost like a head nodding.  

The sand shifted beneath them as Cetus leaned in closer, squinting down at Taniel. Nuna looked from him to her. How was he supposed to learn this if he couldn’t see what Taniel was trying to show him?  

Her eyes widened when an idea popped into her head. She scooted back towards the water and over to Cetus’ arm, “Could you uh… let me by?”  

The limb slowly rose, a light sprinkle of sand falling from it. Nuna nodded her thanks before sliding into the water. She swam as far back as she could till she was met with a wall of green and white skin.  

She breached the surface and looked up. Cetus’ form towered over head, his body blocking out the sun. He had his chin tucked against his chest in order to keep her in his sights, “Bring your hand over here.”  

He complied, slowly dragging one of his hands through the water and over to her. The small wave his movements created broke against her but she didn’t falter, she had begun to get quite used to them.  

His hand floated in front of her. Nuna swam over to his pinky finger, nearly three times as long as she was. She placed her hands on it and began to pull it, trying to encourage it to bend. 

“Make a fist with your hands, but keep your thumb out over them.”  

The water around her shifted as his fingers began to move. She swam out of the way as his hand closed into a fist. Once his fingers had stopped moving, she swam back over and grabbed the tip of his thumb before guiding it into place.   

“Alright, now, hold your hand up like this.” she ducked beneath his fist and pushed up against it. He responded by bending his wrist up. Nuna swam up and over the top of his hand. Placing her hands on one of his knuckles, she pushed again, “Now move your hand up and down, like it's a head nodding.”   

She backed away as he began to move. Her eyes lit up when he moved his hand almost exactly how Taniel had done.  

“Yes!” she crooned, swimming up to the surface, “Yes, that’s yes!”    

Cetus beamed down at her. In the blink of an eye, his hand unclenched and shot towards her. Nuna gasped as his open palm appeared beneath her and rose upwards, bringing her along with it. She floundered against his skin as his hand began to tilt but before she could tumble off of it, she was squished against his cheek.  

Cetus let out a low rumble, almost like a purr, and nuzzled his face against her. Nuna’s heart began to slow down only to continue to murmur and her cheeks to turn a deeper shade of pink. A smile crept onto her smushed face and she relaxed against him.  

Far below, she heard a faint chuckle, “Alright Cetus, good job. Now put her down.”  

He let out a short chuff of annoyance but slowly pulled away. She fell back into the palm of his hand which began to lower back down to the water, the sensation making her stomach drop. She hadn’t realized how high up she’d been. 

The hand beneath her dipped into the water and Nuna swam out of it. She swam back over to the beach where Taniel was waiting.  

“Not bad thinking on your part. You think you’re up to help him learn some more signs?”  

She smirked, “I don’t think you could without me.”  

Taniel rolled her eyes, “Alright, alright. Next is obviously no.” 

She consulted the book before showing Nuna the sign. Nuna nodded and slid back into the water. Cetus’ hand waited for her, his fingers ready to be guided.  

The sun began to set and the three were still on the beach together, Cetus determined to learn as much as he could in one lesson. So far they had been able to teach him yes and no, please, thank you, sorry, more, all done, help, and stop.  

Nuna flopped on top of Cetus’ pointer finger, sighing. All that swimming back and forth, moving fingers, and learning the signs herself had really drained her. She still wasn’t entirely used to swimming so much.  

A rumble vibrated beneath her and the finger next to her slid beneath her tail and nudged her into his palm.  

“I think that’s enough for today. What do you two think?” asked Taniel. 

Cetus raised his other hand and signed yes.  

Taniel nodded her approval, standing up and tucking the book under her arm, “Alright. How about we have our next lesson a week from today. That will give you some time to get used to signing.”   

Nuna yawned and nodded. Cetus looked down at her and rumbled softly. 

“Well, I’ll let you two get to bed. See you tomorrow.”  

She gave a tired wave. Above her, Cetus’ other hand came down upon the other, cupping them around her. Her surroundings lurched as he began to move and water wooshed by through the cracks of his fingers.   

The low but strong pulse beneath her lulled her into a calm. She laid against one of his fingers and hummed to herself.    

It wasn’t long before they reached the nest. Nuna was set down on the sandy floor and the hands around her pulled away. Above her, Cetus swam around in a few slow circles before sinking down, his long, gargantuan body curling around her on all sides like a wall. He flopped down on the sand, sending a misty cloud into the water.  

He laid his head down a foot or so away from her, his breaths disturbing the sand around his nostrils. She closed her eyes and sighed, allowing the mer to gently press his nose against her as she drifted off to sleep. 

@muppenthings @alserm @mirror2thespirit

[muppenthings]

Oooooooouuuuuuhhhhh!! Niiiiiiiiceeeeee! :O

Poor Hound, having to switch hunting strategy isn't easy! I can imagine him sitting in Cetus' palm, sopping wet and feathers all flat. All he wanted was a fish. A little one. Maybe even a medium one. Not a huge mer all up in his face! :,)

But at least he was provided with a fish! So that's a win! ;)

Thank you so much for sharing!!! :D

i'm allowed to write on this blog if i want to god darnit

anyway,

hound and cetus

cetus belongs to @muppenthings

Hound really didn't feel like leaving his den. His wings ached and his head hurt and he was tired. But more pressingly, he was hungry. The humans that had set up near the bay had been scaring all of his potential prey away, and he was hungry. He groaned and sat up, almost knocking his head on a stalactite.

He spread his wings. They still hurt from that fight he'd gotten in with a stag a few weeks ago. He'd be fine. He could still fly. He cautiously stepped out of his cave, folding the small wings on his head over his face to keep the sun out of his eyes. He'd have to try fishing. All the berry bushes near his cave had been plucked clean long ago.

He carefully made his way towards the edge of the bay, where it met the ocean. As far away from the humans as he could be. He ran a clawed hand over the patch of red on his chest and took a deep breath. In and out. He would live a few more weeks. Carefully, slowly, he stepped out of the treeline onto the sand. Farther into the bay, something huge moved under the water. Hound shivered. Hopefully that thing wouldn't come any closer.

He spread his aching wings, ignoring the pain, and took off, watching the water below. Shapes moved under the water. One of them looked like a fish. He tucked his wings in and dived, claws outstretched-

his wings seized up.

No, no, no no no- of all the ways to die, did he really have to drown!? The fish swam away from his thrashing, as he fought futilely to make it back to the surface. He coughed, water spilling into his lungs, as he realized he was going to die. He shut his eyes as the light of the surface got farther and farther.

Something changed. Walls pressed around him. Was this death?

He could breath again. His eyes shot open as he coughed and spluttered and stared into the face of the largest person he had ever seen. He glanced down and immediately let out a terrified screech, scrambling backwards. This gigantic person- likely a mer, given the location- had grabbed him. Hound was sitting in the hand of a beast at least fifty times his size. The mer growled, curling in his fingers as if to trap him.

Hound stared at him, shaking, still barely able to breathe. The mer tilted his head, his expression morphing from anger and distrust to concern. He brought his other hand up- large enough to crush a car- and carefully outstretched one finger, poking Hound in the chest. Hound glanced down, warbling nervously as the mer poked at the patch of red on his chest. Did he think that was... blood...?

Hound shook his head, shoving the mer's finger away. The mer growled again, poking his chest more insistently. Hound shook his head vigorously, standing up and spreading his arms, trying to show he was okay. The mer furrowed his gigantic brow, bringing Hound a little closer to his face. Hound was knocked over by the movement, scooting backwards frantically as his field of vision was engulfed.

The mer huffed, seemingly upset, and poked his nose against Hound's chest, inhaling deeply. Seemingly satisfied- had he been checking for the smell of blood?- he pulled away again and stared at Hound expectantly. Hound stood up and ruffled his wings, testing his mobility. He'd definitely torn or pulled something, he probably wouldn't be able to fly for a few months at least. He groaned in despair, sinking to his knees. He couldn't forage like this, he'd be starved by the time he recovered.

The mer tilted his head, growling softly in what might have been concern. Hound paused. This... beast... hadn't killed him. It was worth a shot, at least. He pointed to his stomach and shook his head. The mer paused, considering what he meant, then turned. Hound sat down hard again as the mer plunged his other hand into the depths of the bay, bringing it back up with a huge- for Hound, at least- fish clutched in its palm. He set it down at Hound's feet and nudged it forward hopefully.

Hound stared at him, dumbfounded.

Maybe he wouldn't starve.

[muppenthings]

hi um is it okay if i do writing like with what @/okminer07 did with nuna and cetus

like fanfic of Your ocs

(please feel free to ignore this if it isn't /gen I just keep thinking about hound and cetus ever since i drew them)

Hi! Aaaaaah yes it's absolutely fine! I love to see how others interpret my characters and have fun with them!!! :D

[muppenthings]

waiting with excitement to see more Gorm backstory 😌

Awwh so cute! The happy smile and little paws! ;o; I hope you're comfortable cause it's gonna take a while since I've got about 7 pages to make! I'll have a little snack table readily available! 🤭