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sunnysidezblog · 5 hours ago

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Posting this here too because im proud of it and it took me a long time

Siren world building!!!! Whatcha got so far?

Ok so....my notes are all in one place so I'll do this off the tops of my head. Buckle up tho cause this'll be long. Edit: I lost a lot of the lore as I was compiling it so this might be shorter than I intended it because I cant remember everything I put down. Fml.

SIREN PHYSIOLOGY:

1. Types? Scales?

Sirens come in three types, Tropical/Coral Reef, Open sea, and deep sea.

Tropical sirens have cylcoid and ctenoid scales, as they typically aren't migratory at all. Depending on the type of tail they could have both ctenoid and cylcoid (ctenoid on the back facing parts and cycloid on their bellies/undersides) but most only have very colorful and patterned cylcoid scales. They also have very flowy and frilly fins like betta fish and angel fish. They also appear the closest to how the myths are about beautiful half human half fish people but the difference is that all sirens are covered in scales. Majority of the sirens bodies are covered in scales besides some of the chest area, head, and scalp, especially in the case of tropical sirens.

- side note, the different types of sirens aren't different species of sirens. Its more like morphological and cultural differences like Darwin's finches or the races we humans have made up for ourselves. If anyone sees this and doesnt know, race is NOT biological. If it was then we wouldn't be considered the same species.

Open sea sirens have shark-like placoid scales, which help them move easily and silently in the water to be speed-ambush predators. These types of sirens are also migratory and travel in pods of close family members. They have a tendency to have dull patterns or no patterns at all and have sharklike fins. Since they are migratory they mingle a lot with other open sea pods and have strong family bonds. They have scales all over their bodies and have little hair because it interferes with their swimming.

Deep sea sirens, on the other hand, are scale-less and tend to resemble deep ocean fish, particularly anglers and eelpouts. These tend not to have extensive patterns and are all solid colors. Their fins also tend to be reminiscent of eel skin. These sirens typically also never venture to the surface and it is very rare for any other sirens to meet one as deep sea sirens tend to live alone.

2. Genitalia? If they're mammals, how do they produce milk.

Sirens, no matter the form, have internal genitalia. This leads to male sirens in their human form often being mistaken for human females.

As for the production of milk, they do the same thing that whales do. They also give live births instead of laying eggs.

3. Size and biological sex?

Female sirens are much bigger, stronger, and tend to be bulkier than male sirens. As such females typically cap out at 12-13 feet long in siren form and males tend to cap out at 10-12 feet in siren form.

The biological sex of sirens can only be visually determined by the size of the siren. Otherwise there is no physical distinction between the two. They all tend to have the same or consistent patterns between them, they have the same body builds, etc. Its just that females are bigger and typically stronger than the males. However siren males tend to be faster than the born females.

4. Siren songs? Strength of their voice?

Siren songs have the ability to control human minds and make humans of any gender or sexuality jump off their boats, thus making their ships or vessels ghost ships.

The strength of a sirens voice is determined by their confidence. Older sirens tend to have stronger voices because they are more confident in their uses.

The volume of the songs though is around the volume of a whale call, which is LOUD. Out of the water if a siren uses its call it would be louder than a jet engine.

5. Siren eyes

Siren eyes are unusual because the irises are pearlescent and come in any color that pearls do. They also have fisheye lenses. The shinier the eyes the better. Why did I make them this way? Because its cool thats why.

Also, most deep sea sirens are blind since its dark where they live. They usually use their vestibular senses, smell, and touch in order to tell where they are and where their prey is.

6. What foods can they eat?

Sirens eat mostly fish, shellfish, kelp, seaweed, sea urchins, whale falls, scavenged meals, etc. They can also eat most human foods, but they have an intolerance to fruits and nuts. They can eat them, but its similar to a human thats lactose intolerant. Not that thats ever stopped my OC and his kids from fucking up a couple of mangoes.

7. Human forms, gills, and breathing

All sirens can disguise themselves as human and thus have human forms. Since the sirens size is impacted by their biological sex, female sirens disguised as humans are typically 6-7, sometimes 8, feet tall while male sirens typically come around 4'5-6' even in human form. It is typically only slightly painful to shift forms, but becomes extremely painful if the siren is already ill or exhausted. Most sirens, even if they shift forms often, find it slightly annoying but not much else.

Sirens have two modes of breathing that allows for this to happen. They have a set of human lungs, nostrils, and two sets of gills. Their sets of gills are located on the neck and just below the ribs so that even if one set is above water theres another as a backup. Their gills can also close up the entire way, which to the untrained eye makes them look like scars when in human form or not in use. Their nostrils, when in the water, also automatically close and their gills automatically open.

Switching from nostril breathing to gill breathing and vice versa is typically painful for the first few breathes. As such, young sirens prefer to stay in one form over the other until their teenage years.

Most young sirens after birth will stay only in their siren forms until they are around 5 years old, and then they will begin shifting forms (if applicable to the type) and learning how to walk on two legs guided by a parent siren. Most deep sea sirens never do this, as they tend to stay in the deep ocean. Some open sea sirens do it and the majority of tropical/Coral Reef sirens do this.

8. What do land sirens need to do to stay healthy?

A siren can stay fully out of the sea for up to 3 months without physically damaging themselves past the dulling of skin, hair, and scales. But most sirens will go back to the sea every month during the full moon (because that is when the tides are the strongest) to revitalize themselves. This is what my OC and his children do to stay healthy.

Otherwise, they have boosted immune systems and rapid healing and do not need to do much to stay healthy.

CULTURE OF SIRENS:

1. Money? Economy?

Most of the economy is based on a trade and barter system. An ill do this for you if you give me this or something like that. "I'll give you these fish i caught if you make me a basket" or "I'll make you a fishing net in exchange for this ring" that sort of thing.

Though there is currency for when trade is unavailable, whether it be because the item or service you want is too expensive to trade or because theres no trade etiquette for it. These consist of pretty shells (the more symmetrical, uniform patterns, and unbroken the better) or perfectly shaped and colored pearls.

2. Matriarchal or Patriarchal?

This society is majorly matriarchal with a focus on protecting and raising children. The emphasis on raising children isnt based on social pressure, but more so of the expansion of the pods because giving birth is a rare occurrence. Most sirens only have one to three children in their lifetimes, of which consist of around 100 to 150 years.

The reason that sirens are matriarchal is based on the fact that they are the ones that bear the children. The sirens see this as a divine feat worthy of worship, and also because matrilinial lines are easy to keep track of.

3. Jewelry and tattoos

Most deep sea sirens do not have any jewelry or tattoos because they are mostly solitary and unsociable. However tropical and open sea sirens have lots of tattoos and jewelry to explain.

Jewelry is usually made of braided seaweed, kelp, shells, metals, sea glass, and pearls.

The more expensive materials like metal, pearls, and sea glass are usually reserved as gifts for loved ones or to show family status. Matriarchs and patriarchs (the head matriarch and her first husband) tend to be the receptical of the more elaborate pieces of jewelry. The matriarch of course, receives the *most* elaborate pieces as is pod tradition.

Tattoos on the other hand have meanings. Different tattoos (that i still need to design) have different meanings in the pods. A lot of the tattoos signal different pod families and branches of those family. For example, my OC comes from the key pod even if he branches off and starts his own, so his tattoos contain base elements of the key pods designs. The tattoos must contain the latest pod you belong to. Meaning his children would have the elements of his current pod, and not from the key pod. Does that make sense? This is done so that when children break away from their parents they can start their own distinct family structures while still keeping their roots and easily tracing family trees.

These family tattoos are usually tattooed onto the backs of the sirens, as they cannot be easily hidden or taken away. The other tattoos like warrior tattoos and honor tattoos are placed on the arms.

The most important tattoo anyone could ever get in this society, though, is the tattoo of the child bearer and the child rearer. These tattoos are placed on the stomach around the area of the womb on a female and below the naval on a male and they signify that these two have produced and raised children. Different lines signify how many children you've given birth to or raised.

For example, my OC is a Trans man siren who has given birth to three siren babies but has adopted more children, making his grand total of lines to be 10 because he has raised 10 children.

4. What do they use pearls for? What do they use siren scales for?

They use pearls for many different things. They use it for jewelry, ceremonies, and money. The most common use for pearls is for jewelry that shows status among pods and marital status.

For most jewelry, imperfect pearls are used. That is pearls with unusual shapes, sizes, and colors. Since sirens are matriarchal, the head matriarch of the family will have the more perfect pearls while the rest of the family pod will get the more imperfect ones. The higher in pod status you are the more perfect the pearls.

To propose many sirens will give the sirens of their affection their shiniest scale. If the other siren accepts the proposal, they will wear the scale on a belt. The number of partners a siren has will be shown on the belt (with the different scales) and will be accompanied by a braided seaweed and shell bracelet. The amount of shells on the bracelet, accompanied by a small scale to show who the partner in question is, will show how many years the siren has been married to the other. It is often a big deal when the amount of years on a siren pairs bracelets can't fit on a bracelet and has to be made into a necklace instead.

Perfect pearls are often used as currency or offerings to the divine feminine sea on shrines. More on that in a later post if y'all want.

5. Clothing

It is dangerous for sirens to wear traditional human forms of pants or forms of underwear as theres a risk of their tails being tangled/hurt while ripping the fabric in need of an urgent transformation (because clothes dont change with them) so they usually wear flowy and light things that can be easily untied or tied.

Also, because of the fact that sirens have internal genitalia, sirens are not particularly prudish or ashamed of their genitalia. They often get in trouble with humans for being too exposed because sirens don't have the same version of modesty that humans do.

Most outfits that sirens wear when in human form is similar to these pictures here:

6. Different romantic relationships taboos.

Deep sea sirens do not have much in the way of social lives, so they rarely form romantic attachments to any other sirens, much less aby sirens outside of their own type. It is exceedingly rare to see a deep sea outside of their natural hunting grounds.

Intermixing between siren types isn't taboo. it's just uncommon because of all the different behavior types. Two types of sirens are usually stationary while one type is migratory. The most likely to encounter each other are tropical and open sea sirens.

What *is* taboo however is siren and human romances. Mainly because historically humans have, and in this world still do, hunt sirens and make trophies out of them. There are safe villages that I can elaborate on later in another post if anyone is interested, but they are not the norm. Very rarely do sirens and humans form romantic relationships unless the siren is mostly on land, and when they do form those relationships the older generations of sirens are typically opposed while the newer generations are typically more accepting.

#worldbuilding #sirens #mythology and folklore #my writing #writers on tumblr #fanfiction #fanfic

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