#So anyway just saw the remake of The Little Mermaid!!

[kindlythevoid]

Something about the way Ariel’s siren song saved Eric.

Something about the way Eric fell in love with her siren song first.

Something about the way that when Ariel gave up her song, Eric was finally given the chance to love her for her.

(And boy, did he fall hard.)

Something about the way that Eric’s love was finally made whole when Ariel herself became whole.

Something about the way Ariel was able to love him with her whole self after reconciling with her past with her father.

[jwcartoonist]

It feels like with the Disney remakes (and even some of the newer animated films) Disney feels afraid of any criticism aimed at their movies, so they want to make sure their main characters are as flawless as possible and that every single action they do is justified.

An example of this is the Pinocchio remake. In the original he skips going to school to become an actor, leading to him being imprisoned by Stromboli as punishment later on. In the remake he goes to school and gets kicked out, which is supposed to justify him skipping school to become an actor, but the whole plot of Pinocchio is that he's supposed to learn how to be a good boy. It's supposed to teach important morals; like go to school, don't go with strangers, listen to your parents, let your conscience be your guide, don't do stuff you know is wrong otherwise you'll turn into a donkey. In the remake they make the moral of "don't be bad" kind of pointless as Pinocchio did do the right thing, but he got punished for it anyway, so it feels like the moral of the new version is "Do whatever and you'll get the same results."

It feels like Disney saw all of those Cinema Sins videos with all the nitpicky critiques of their older films and took them all seriously, leading to the current state we're in where even "Poor Unfortunate Souls" the villain song in The Little Mermaid sung by the villain (AKA the character who is evil and we are not supposed to root for) has to be corrected to be "Progressive."

I'm all for progress and updating stuff, there are several pieces of media I love that fit in that category like Steven Universe, and the Netflix She-Ra series. Now some people don't like those, and I'll admit they have their flaws, but here's the thing... It's okay for media to have flaws, it's okay for characters to have flaws, you know why? Because people have flaws, it's what makes us human. It's how we deal with them and learn from them that makes us who we are, and what makes characters and stories so much fun and unique. If you give us nothing but main characters who never do anything wrong and already know the right thing to do... Well it's just kind of bland.

Are there elements of past stories in media that haven't aged well? Of course. Can some of these elements be seen as harmful? Yes. When retelling these stories should we try to update them properly? Yes. But we shouldn't try to avoid our stories and characters having no flaws whatsoever. Because to quote Duckman:

"The risk is better than the alternative: a steady diet of innocuous, child-proof, flavorless mush!"

Those are my thoughts anyway. Remember wether you're creating your own stories and characters or just a fan who enjoys them, it's okay for them to have flaws. Maybe it's accepting the flaws in characters which makes it easier to accept the flaws we have as humans.

Now to end this, a couple of Cartoon Network quotes which sum up my feelings:

[waltcrewlog]

Recently saw an article with quotes from Rob Marshall and Alan Menken about how og Eric has no personality, and I was so upset by that.

???

Eric has a personality! He’s adventurous, brave, kind, easygoing, wants to marry for love, generous...

It’s so strange... the article discussed the live-action remake writing a point of contention between Eric and his parents to give him some kind of goal or backstory, which idk man, isn’t Eric talking about how he didn’t want to marry some random princess in the beginning of the og movie accomplishing the same purpose?

Just because a character is virtuous and lacks an emo backstory doesn’t mean they don’t have a personality! A lot of people accuse characters from older Disney movies of lacking personality for those same reasons, and I disagree strongly with that.

Also, a lot of old Disney characters do have sad backstories!

With Eric, you can easily read his personality based on how he acts and reacts and speaks and emotes. Prince Charming from the original Cinderella is a prince character I do find lacking in personality (the movie overall is still really great), but it’s because he doesn’t act in a way that feels specific to him. His actions don’t seem motivated by his character; they seem motivated by the plot. While in The Little Mermaid, the plot is so clearly driven by the choices made by Ariel and Eric that are reflective of and consistent with their specifically written personalities.

Anyway, I was very bothered lol. Haven’t seen the remake and don’t plan to, but I’ve seen a lot of the past remakes (though I haven’t watched any of the ones released in the last 2 years or so), and they were all truly awful.

[lumiereandcogsworth]

hey lumi! I just thought of another question I wanted to ask you, other than batb, which live action remake do you think is the best? I haven't seen any and I want an expert opinion 😄

oh my gosh!!!!! i’m so honored. and i’m also SO autistic so i did so much more here than you asked. but anyway i wanted to wait to answer this until today because the little mermaid (2023) just dropped on disney+ and i JUST watched it for the first time. so i can include it in my list!!

of course prefacing with these are all my personal opinions, im not a film expert (and i pray to God i never am) i just like what i like! so without further ado: my thoughts! also this is just in chronological order, not ranked.

alice in wonderland (2010) - dude!! this was SUCH a hyperfixation for me when i was a kid. somehow, batb 2017 is NOT the first live action disney movie i’ve been utterly obsessed with. this movie is so good. i love the lightly gothic, mysterious fantasy aesthetic that is has. i love the wardrobe, i want to wear every outfit alice wears. i love how dark it is, like there’s such an edge to it while still being pleasant and fun enough to respectably be a disney movie. johnny depp does a fantastic job of course, (purely discussing his acting abilities here) he truly brings the madness into the mad hatter. all the acting is fantastic though. i highly recommend this film. you don’t really need to have seen the 1951 cartoon, i hadn’t, but it doesn’t hurt to! (i don’t recommend the sequel, alice through the looking glass, though. they really should’ve quit while they were ahead on this one)

maleficent (2014) & maleficent: mistress of evil (2019) - i enjoyed both of these!! i actually liked the second one more, but either way, it’s such a fun take on sleeping beauty. and this is coming from someone who LOVES sleeping beauty 1959!! it’s different obviously but it really is a good time, absolutely worth watching.

cinderella (2015) - beautiful! lovely!! not the most exciting film honestly but i do love the aesthetics and wardrobe. it’s a really pretty, pleasant movie. i’d love to rewatch it sometime! if only disney+ had it! which it doesn’t! for some inexplicable reason!!

beauty and the beast (2017) - i know you said besides my wife but obviously i have to still list it because. that’s my wife. anyway perfect film no notes!

the nutcracker and the four realms (2018) - i wanted to like this one so much more than i did. but it was just, so weird. it derails from canon in a way that isn’t enjoyable. ah. twas a let down, for me.

christopher robin (2018) - i don’t remember much honestly but it’s cute!! certainly worth a watch, but i don’t recall anything too special about it. it did make me cry though (that’s not hard for me to do at movies, to be fair)

mary poppins returns (2018) - CANNOT RECOMMEND ENOUGH!! THIS MOVIE IS LIKE IF JOY WAS TURNED INTO A FILM!!!! AAAHHH!!! :) SO LOVELY SO WONDERFUL!!!

the lion king (2019) - :/ genuinely not worth your time. it was TOO similar to the cartoon in terms of storyline, so it felt incredibly pointless to me. plus, it’s kind of boring that they look like real lions. i felt like i was watching animal planet but then pulled out of reality whenever they spoke or sang afjskfj

aladdin (2019) - ever since i saw this, i’ve only ever had three takeaways, and i’ll say them like a compliment sandwich. 1. visually STUNNING. the colors and the choreography, the people! all very beautiful. 2. the romance was… very flat? i honestly kept forgetting there was a love story going on. when they kiss at the end i was like “OOOHHH RIGHT!!” lmao. there’s just so much other stuff going on, jasmine & aladdin’s love story really fell to the wayside for me. 3. i LOVED that they gave jasmine her own song. she’s like the only disney princess that didn’t have her own song, somehow, so i was happy they gave her one and it was SO good. i remember it giving me chills on the first listen. — so, all in all, it was fine. not the worst but also not a personal favorite. worth a watch.

mulan (2020) - BLEGH sorry i almost threw up a little. maybe the worst live action remake of all time? let’s think: what are the best parts of mulan 1998? the music? mushu? shang’s bisexuality? shang, in general?? WELL LOOK NO FURTHER BECAUSE THIS HAS NONE OF THAT!!! :) it’s genuinely just… so bad. they took the basic concept and turned it into a freaky ass action movie. they make it so mulan was like, gifted from a young age with superhuman abilities (calling it chi, which, i don’t know the full story but i believe there was some major cultural appropriation that occured) instead of just being a normal badass human!!! and it wasn’t the villain from the cartoon it was a random witch. nothing made sense and it was stripped of everything that makes mulan one of the greatest disney films of all time. *godfather voice* look how they massacred my boy.

the little mermaid (2023) - so honestly i never really liked the original cartoon. it just never clicked with me. but i had every bit of hope that this one would maybe bring it to life for me!! and… well, it wasn’t bad! it was visually lovely and the music was fun. i just don’t think i’m a “love at first sight” kind of person. but eric was an incredibly likable nerd boy, sebastian the crab was funny, and ursula was SCARY. especially at the end oh my gosh???? anyway. worth a watch, but not my personal cup of tea. ariel and eric get points for dancing a bit AND they hugged at the end which was really sweet. couples Do Not hug enough in media.

lastly, i can’t comment on: peter pan & wendy (2023), the jungle book (2016), dumbo (2019), lady and the tramp (2019), and cruella (2021), because i have not seen them. i will absolutely note though that i despise cruella 2021 in solidarity with my friend @freakwiththeknifecollection because it blatantly disregards the canon of 101 dalmatians 1961 and they couldn’t even like?? train the dogs?? for ONE scene?? huge huge mess. i’m just scratching the surface. if you want a live action cruella, look no further than 101 dalmatians 1996. top tier live action that i loved as a kid!!

[pixiestickers]

i will be honest and say i had no intention of seeing ‘the little mermaid’ live-action remake bc it really wasn’t formative for me growing up. i liked it but it never held a special place in my heart. plus i’ve been burned by every other live-action remake, with only ‘aladdin’ being kinda okay enough that i didn’t dislike it, but still didn’t take up any space in my mind after i saw it. like just gone afterward.

but when i saw ‘the little mermaid’ getting good reviews i was all like, okay fine, i’ll go see what all the fuss was abt, not really expecting to love it. but maybe it would be the first time i actually liked a remake. 

anyway ... i just wanna say that i saw the movie yesterday and for the first time ever a live action remake has not left my head. i think it’s bc the movie excels when it deviates from the plot, creating a world with added ‘falling in love’ scenes where you actually believe the love story between the two main characters. their chemistry is what keeps this movie afloat (no pun intended). fleshing out eric as a character and love interest made the story better, and halle bailey makes ariel her own, which is to say she was amazing. so I guess what this all boils down to is that the romantic in me was able to look past some of the movie's faults bc they turned this into a romance I was actively rooting for and one that won’t leave my head ... enough that i felt the need to make this post.

[noxthesleepymoodyoverthinker]

Disney's Live-Action Movies are AU

I am an old Disney animated movies fangirl and I'm certainly not as enthused about the live-action movies they have been putting out of the same. (I might have had a different opinion if the live-action movies were actually different stories instead of remakes, tho.)

But despite being "remakes" the few live-action remake movies I have seen make no sense to me: As in, it's like they rewrote a lot of the old lore and plots completely, or didn't understand a lot of the nuances of the old scripts and plots, and that didn't sit well with me at all.

(I mean, OK, there were some changes that didn't miss the plot-point that I liked or were fine with --

(and some that I didn't like at all --

(which a lot of movie-goers and Disney fans also felt like in varying and respective levels, I presume.)

But, I mean, if, after the characters and movies went into the public domain, and other studios re-told/remade them, it would be understandable. Like how a bunch of writers -- old and new -- redo/retell old fairytales. And that's fine, cuz different entities, different creators with little to no access to the original creation process.

But Disney redoing all their own old animated classics into live-action kinda smacks of lazy writing as well as arrogance. And they're not even that good...More like doing well because the movies' old reputation encouraged people to go see it.

But I digress.

What I meant to mainly say is that Disney has twisted their own lore so much with these remakes that now, the only way my plot-concentrated brain can reconcile them at all, is by firmly thinking of the live-action remakes as AU (alternate universe) stories.

To me, the animated movies -- Cinderella, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, 101 Dalmations, The Lion King, etc. -- all happened in different alternate universes to the live-action remakes.

Which would also explain a lot of the varying plots and different details -- like additional characters, differences in storylines and character behaviors, and extra details that would not have fit with the original storyline.

Cruella, to me, is a prime example of this.

(It's also about the only Disney live-action remake movie that I actually enjoy, love, and rewatch. <3)

Because you cannot tell me that the Cruella who adopted a dog she found in the trash -- someone who had her mother's (Catherine's) murderer's Dalmations captive (Dalmations who assisted in said murder, no less) but trained those Dalmations to listen to her instead of making a coat out of them, even though a lot of people thought that's what she did anyway -- would actually decide to buy and steal 99 Dalmation puppies just in order to make a coat out of them!

Horace and Jasper had their own dog too, before Cruella joined them with hers. And they treated those dogs like partners, like family. Quite a jump from that to what we saw in the animated 101 Dalmations movie.

I mean, come on. There are evil villain origin stories, and then there are origin stories of anti-heroes or chaotic characters with the potential-to-be-evil but not turning out that way.

And 2021's Cruella, Jasper, and Horace are definitely the latter.

[babyspacebatclone]

So, I saw a great post I cannot find right now argghh!!! about how in The Little Mermaid Ariel was willing to give up her voice because she never felt like people listened to her anyway.

The 2023 movie definitely makes this explicit in the ending, but after listening to the soundtrack on loop there’s a great subliminal example on top of that!!!

Halle Bailey sings in “Under the Sea,” a bit of a reference to versions like found in Kingdom Hearts 2.

But listen to Ariel’s lines here:

With a single exception, “A lot of sand,” she’s only ever repeating Sebastian, and the sand line is continuing his thought.

She’s literally just telling him what he wants to hear.

And how do we know?

Her voice is practically falsetto, compared to even the higher parts she sings when being honest:

(live version because awesome)

Outside of Flounder, the movie never shows Ariel singing in front of anyone - except Eric, when she’s trying to save him.

Her voice is her true self.

When she’s around an extension of her father, all she feels she can give is a false voice that merely repeats back what is said to her.

And why not?

We see how well her father does listen the rest of the time.

(spoiler below cut)

I love the movie for addressing this in the clearest way possible, this is why you make remakes:

Ariel: Thank you... for hearing me.

Triton: You shouldn't have to lose your voice for me to hear you.

[hyzenthlayroseart]

Since my third fursona Tiffany is a homicidal maniac I figured she's good for vent art.

Anyway here she is killing live-action Scuttle (kinda based on the scene in The Lighthouse where Robert Pattinson killed that sequel) as a metaphor for how I hate the live-action remake trend so much that it actually gives me suicidal thoughts.

Studying Disney has been my passion since I was a kid, I loved researching Walt Disney's life story, his early work with the Alice Comedies, then Oswald, then Mickey, the start of Disney animation, the history and making of their Silly Symphonies and all their animated films, learning all about Walt's Nine Old Men, learning about the history of Disneyland, reading books about Disney, watching documentaries about Disney...

It all fascinated me so deeply that I used to dream about becoming an animator. And now the exact same studio that inspired me after studying it for decades is the one responsible for me giving up my dream of becoming an animator. Because they don't give a shit about their own legacy. They don't give a shit about Walt Disney's legacy.

All their animated masterpieces are being lazily remade into live-action just for money and because animated films aren't "real" films so they need to make them live-action so they can bring them to life (except those stories were already brought to life by all the animators who put their heart and soul into them by bringing them to life with animation). They're not "looking at the stories in a new way", they have zero creative intentions behind any of them, they just need to make money AND unfortunately it works because idiot audiences see the trailers and say "MUH NOSTALGIA" and flock to see them when they could just rewatch the originals if they love nostalgia so much.

It's such a bleak time right now. AI is trying to replace artists, animation if being lazily remade into live-action, Disney almost took a documentary about Howard Ashman off of their streaming service (the man who made the music for The Little Mermaid, Beauty and  the Beast and Aladdin and was one of the people responsible for saving Disney with the Disney Renaissance), they actually DID remove the show Prop Culture (a show dedicated to searching for props from famous Disney films and preserving them, so basically a show about preserving Disney history is now gone forever, further proving how little Disney cares bout their legacy), mindless franchises are still shitting out movies, and Pixar just fired 75 of its employees including the woman who saved Toy Story 2.

I'm so glad I saw Across the Spider-Verse a few days ago, it was something that actually gave me hope for the future of animation.

And don't bother commenting with "WELL I THOUGHT (insert live-action remake here) WAS GOOD" because I don't give a shit.

[courtneysmovieblog]

Ending 2023 with "The Color Purple"

No matter how bleak life seems, there's always hope for better times.

The new musical movie adaptation of The Color Purple reminds us of this, so maybe it's fitting that it was the movie that I wound up ending the year with.

Let's get this out of the way: it is NOT a remake. It's a movie adaptation out of the Broadway musical that was indeed made out of the movie, no different from Hairspray and the upcoming Mean Girls. Do not dismiss it as a cash grab when director Blitz Bazawule clearly puts his heart and soul into this film, and so did the cast.

Although in fairness, it is hard not to compare it to the original 1985 movie when it had such brilliant work from the likes of Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah, and Danny Glover. The fact that it lost out on the Oscars remains a travesty to this day that I neither forgive nor forget.

Yet this cast is just as spectacular. Fantasia Barrino's Celie more than lives up to Whoopi Goldberg's legacy while making the role her own. Her emotionally charged performance reminds us all why she won American Idol, and while she hasn't had the best of luck since then, I hope this film helps turn that luck around.

Taraji P Henson wows as Shug Avery, Celie's lover -- and yes, this version makes it crystal clear that they ARE lovers while the original movie just alluded it to it. I have to admit, part of me would have liked it if Jennifer Hudson reprised her Broadway role just so that we could have seen her and fellow American Idol alumni Barrino play a couple, but oh well. Danielle Brooks fearlessly takes on Sofia -- the role Oprah originated, and she couldn't have done a better job.

A special shout out goes to Halle Bailey, who plays Celie's sister Nettie (the teenage version, anyway) and proves that her Little Mermaid was no fluke. I can't wait for more from her.

Despite the horrific and heartbreaking events Celie and other characters goes through, the movie manages to be a pretty uplifting musical, with vibrant visuals and songs. It pulls this off in a way that feels genuine without being corny.

My only problem with the movie concerns the resolution between Celie and her abusive husband Albert (Coleman Domingo). For those that never read the novel or saw the Broadway musical, Celie winds up becoming friends with her abusive ex-husband. With all due respect to Alice Walker, I just can't get behind that. Not after everything he did to her. I preferred how the 1985 version ended it: with Danny Glover's Albert discretely doing right by Celie and nobody except Shug knowing. That, I felt, was believable: it didn't make up for everything he did to her, and he didn't expect it to. True redemption is doing the right thing without getting anything out of it.

But that's my opinion.

All that aside, The Color Purple deserves all the awards and acclaim that original deserved and never got. Your move, Oscars.

9 out of 10

[lady-knight-]

I’ve once supposed this: https://lady-knight-.tumblr.com/post/186046772388/how-the-little-mermaid-live-action-will-look

Now I’ve seen the remake of The Little mermaid? Spoilers! But movies are out earlier in Europe (wednesdays instead of fridays in France). Anyway...

I did not had access to any leaks, but based on how Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin remakes looked like, I ‘m starting to see a pattern…So, very probably:

-Scenery, special effects, musics and costumes will be gorgeous. Costumes will be more detailed and diversified.

(I picture Ariel in stuff like this as a mermaid. it will very likely preserve her modesty more).

- Scenery, special effects, musics were indeed  gorgeous (especially during “Under the Sea”), except that Scuttle’s rap was cringy and Eric’s castle prettier in the original.   Costumes on the other hand were not that spectacular and no new ones, Ariel has the same blue dress when she wore the pink princess dress, the town outfit, or the purple magic dress. 

It resembles, in color, the teal dress she have in parks and merchandising since tough.

 Sadly, she just have an organic bra (how?) not the elaborated bra I thought of.

-Eric and Ariel will likely met more than once, to avoid the scandal of “She change herself for a man-and she never actually spoke to him.” Eric will certainly don’t get she is a mermaid, if he just see her bust out of water.

-Wrong, they met once! Finally they go with “Screw it with the unrealistic love at first sight, we’ll play it straight”,  albeit Ariel has the time to overhear how much Eric have in common with her. Wish it was did for Aladdin and Jasmine as well.

-There will be new characters (Eric’s parents?) or ascended extras (Ariel’ s sisters?).

-I’m right, we see Eric’s mother! But the sisters, not much more, finally.

-Small details will be revealed (such as Eric’s kingdom name).

-We still have no idea how it is named. But we know what Eric was doing on a boat for his birthday (he’s back from a trip to Europe, and he’s an adventurer in contrast of his secluded king father).

-His palace will be more crowded. The dinner scene from the cartoon will turn into a reception scene.

-It’s more crowded, as there are the queen, servants in the kitchen, guards, and another maidservant in addition of Carlotta, who was renamed  Lashana. But the dinner scene was cut.

-We will notably learn how Ariel’s mother died.

-We do, but it’s vague, apparently an human killed her. Certainly a fisherman who thought she was a giant fish?

-Problems of of logic will be explained (for instance, merpeople ‘s alphabet is  very different form the human one, explaining why Ariel, who did not learn it, cannot write who she is to Eric once she is muted.)

-It's not explained out loud (nobody ask Ariel to write down her story in human world), but she can't write, period. It's implied when she gives a scale to Ursula  instead of signing her contract. Also and like in Once upon a time, she compares the fork to a mini trident instead of reacting like she never seen such an object before. 

-And others problems will be created. For instance, if Eric and Ariel saw and actually speak to each other before she is turned into an human, how on earth he does not recognize her face then?

-Ursula cast a spell on Ariel so she forgets the necessity to kiss Eric while on land, and Sebastian, Flounder and Scuttle have to act secretly to bring them closer. Uh, why? That's the biggest new plot hole to me. Was it to justify that Ariel do not tries anything except during "Kiss the girl"?  Well, as a "true love kiss" is needed, of course Ariel could not just randomly forcibly kiss Eric, certain circumstances were needed. Plus it’s borderline cheating for Ursula.

-Sebastian, Scuttle,  Flounder, Flotsam and Jetsam will certainly be cameos. If not, they will be muted. Under the sea and Kiss the girl will be sung by others characters.

-The casting of  Jacob Tremblay and Awkwafina proves that Flounder and Scuttle will talk. I thought of a gender bender (because of Kaa example) but I wasn’t sure.

-Ok, I've already said I was wrong here...But I'm actually half wrong. Sebastian, Flounder and Scuttle still talk (and sing) as speaking for a mute heroine is obsiously needed. But every other beast does not, including Flotsam and Jetsam (Ursula speak through a magical projection to Ariel in her grotto, to tempt her). Background animals are muted as well: "Under the sea" is sung by Ariel and Sebastian, and "Kiss the girl" by  Sebastian, Flounder and Scuttle only.

-There will be a new song, very likely a Eric’s solo (like Her voice in Broadway.)

-He does! But I still prefer "Her voice" (don't ask). And a new Ariel solo.

-Ursula will certainly be afro- american (like in  Once upon a time.) Maybe, she look purple by CGI. And much prettier than the original. 

 -Ursula will not be played by an afro-american actress. Really? Until then, Lizzo was totally who I had in mind.

-Ok, wrong for her ethnicity. But she is purple and much prettier indeed.

-She will have a strong backstory and motivation. Either she will be Ariel’s aunt (it was considered in the cartoon), or suffer fantastic racism towards cecaelias (octopus mermaids).

-And she is Ariel's aunt, but the latter state that Ursula brought troubles between merfolks and humans. And? That's evasive. The reason why Ursula was banished remains a mystery.

- Maybe the same actress will play Vanessa.

-No! But she is still a white actress.

 It surprised me as I thought the habit to cast African-american actresses to play Ursula would be reused here. Plus, she looks misplaced: it's a west Indian kingdom, and Eric appearance is explained (not necessary according to me) by the fact he was adopted. Apart from him, a few sailors,  and a justified Jodi Benson cameo, everybody else have more or less Caribbean features.

-Ariel will be motivated by something else (like an immediate danger) , in addition of  Eric, to accept Ursula’s pact.

-No. Still, she hesitate more, and come very near to renounce to the pact with Ursula.

-Ursula won’t be giant.

-She will transform Flotsam and Jetsam instead.

-Ah! The stupidity of Maleficient and Jafar turning Diaval in a dragon and Iago in a sort of rock bird was not done here. Flotsam and Jetsam die the same way, and Ursula turn into a monster.

-Ariel will kill her, not Eric.

-She does! I should have took bets.

-Ariel and Eric will be emotionally very distant. When she’ll definitively gain legs, no twirl of love or kiss, just: “Ok, cool, what’s for dinner?”

-Much more attention, alchemy’s construction  and screen time will be put into a secondary couple, like for instance the one of Sir Grimsby and Carlotta (they are not a couple, but could become one in the remake if it keeps the same pattern).

I’m taking bets!

-Belle and the Beast and Aladdin and Jasmine being emotionally very distant was irritating. Fortunately Ariel and Eric seems more convincingly in love. Except, perhaps, when he see her as an human for the first time. It's  very short and fell flat (because it's a random fisherman and not him who finds Ariel as an human just after she transformed). When she definitively gain legs, no twirl of love, but they kiss. It was irritating as well to see more focus put on the story between the Genie and the maidservant. Fortunately, no beta couple here, not even  Sir Grimsby and Lashana.

-But, by the way…a mixed race Ariel go hand in hand with another possible prediction, that I had in mind since Aquaman came out:

-Triton will be younger, hotter, and played by an afro american or Maori actor, covered in tattoos and with dreadlocks in his hair. Basically, he will be Jason Momoa! Aquaman? Exactly.

Despite he’s a Maori and seems far from the shaved, blond, and white Arthur Curry, Momoa have  still bleached hair, and Aquaman had a beard in the 90′s, so…

Another possibility is that the story will be relocated in the Caribbeans islands.

-Ok: Triton is not that younger or sexier, with my due respect, have no tattoos nor dreadlocks, nor he's  Afro american or Maori. But he's Spanish still. 

And the story  relocated in the Caribbeans islands? Exactly! ! I should definitely  have took bets.

We complain, but we can’t say Disney never learn when it come to remakes. It’s not identical (notably because of the   Caribbeans settings). But not too different. It did not try to excuse the villain, nor avoided to play straight love at first sight because it’s not realistic and blah blah blah (I wish they realized this when Aladdin was remade). Ariel still change herself “for a man” (or not, she already was obsessed by human world before, remember?), it’s true love played straight, deal with it. A notable difference, is Ariel not only killing Ursula, but also tearing and breaking her necklace to get her voice back instead of Scuttle. Some regret the more proactive princesses of today, and the fact that the prince do not save the princess. The act of saving someone is seen as an act of true love...But I don’t mind,  as even if it is the princess who saves the guy, it’s still true love.

Eric was the damsel, but I don’t mind. 

[baerryjj]

Good morning everyone I just woke up for the second time and I had a fucking wild elden ring dream I wanna share . First I was like on this spaceship and I was like woo let's leave this country, and then I saw the Elden Ring manga updated I stopped the entire procedure just to read it. Anyway in this new imaginary chapter they expanded upon Malenias backstory and lore cus she was apparently gonna be the main goal of the tarnished (not becoming Elden Lord apparently LMAO), and I'm her youth she was a water fairy? She was *the* fairy that the blue dancer charm depicts, and the reason she started to rot is because the water in her body went still due to some curse and it began to infect her. As a matter of fact she was the vessel of the outer god of water, then the water went still and it became the outer god of rot. Then it went even further and suddenly she was A MERMAID (probably cus I fell asleep thinking about the little mermaid live action remake💀), for like no reason and I fucking panicked cus I love mermaids. And in the manga they drew her so pretty and they also expanded upon her and Miquella's relationship like I legit started bawling 😭 anyways I woke up and realized it wasn't real so I'm gonna go get out of bed now and think about mermaid!Malenia for the rest of the day

[cosmermaid]

Fuck it I’m going to talk about my feelings about the Little Mermaid remake. (Or what we know so far since it’s not out yet.) BTW heads up, I am a white woman. If you’re flat out tired of white opinions on this, I completely understand and there’s no harm done if you decide to keep scrolling. That said, I love, love love what I am seeing so far from Halle Bailey. If you don’t know, the original Little Mermaid movie is older than I am. Ariel was my idol pretty much from birth, and is an incredibly impactful and important character to me. The movie has pretty much defined my aesthetic tastes as well as my personal sense of style. I had the Tour of the Kingdom song playing during my wedding ceremony.

Ariel isn’t just important to me based on what she looks like however. Her determination to chase after the life she wants and loves despite the disapproval and rejection of her father is something that I’m sure a lot of us can relate to. Ariel is a commonly misunderstood character. I see her criticized from all angles that she threw her identity away for a man, that she’s shallow and doesn’t appreciate her family, that she is just a damsel in distress. And I’m pretty sure these braindead takes come from the same people that will pull some random red-haired actress and claim that she should have been cast as Ariel instead.

Congratulations on remembering nothing about the character besides her hair color. I hate most fan castings. A lot of them pick one superficial trait about a character and then they pick out an actor that either played a similar role or has that trait. It got us Emma Watson as Belle (because Belle and Hermoine Granger are totally the same character anyways, right?) and would probably have Tom Hiddleston as everything else if fans got their way. The horrible adaptation of Belle kind of hurt but Belle is not the most special icon from my childhood. Ariel is. And Ariel is a curious, passionate and loving character. Even before Eric enters the picture, Ariel has her interests and does not dial it back. She likes what she likes and wears her heart on her sleeve about it. It comes out in her smile, it comes out when she sings. And when I heard Halle Bailey was cast as Ariel the first thing I did was look her up. And I saw her singing.

She’s got it. Every quality I adore about Ariel is naturally shining through Halle like the sun through the ocean’s surface. Honestly I wouldn’t have cared if they kept her hair red or not, if they changed her tail, it doesn’t matter. (Not that they did the character design is almost identical.) Halle nailed it.

I’m glad that they cast based on Ariel’s spirit rather than what she looks like. I’d rather she be brought back as a breath of fresh air rather than something stale pulled out of the attic because they’re too scared to change anything. And as far as the race thing goes, I’ve always been drawn to feminine fantasy. Unicorns, princesses, mermaids, the whole shebang. It kills me out there to know that there’s young neurodivergent girls out there that want to embrace fantasy but are under the impression that it’s not for them because they’re black. I’d rather the door be opened for those kids so they can maybe dream of being a mermaid when they grow up. Or know that if they want to write a book about a black fantasy princess they’ll have an audience. (Or if they want to be an anthropologist since Ariel absolutely is one.) TL;DR Fuck yeah Ariel was my princess and I am thrilled that more people might have an opportunity to connect with and see themselves in her. And maybe take up mermaiding one day IDK.

(Photo is of Quintessence the Mermaid)

[lauralot89]

I saw the new Little Mermaid

Disney really saw Mera eat a flower and said, "That scene alone is what netted Aquaman a billion at the box office, we're putting that in our movie" and you know what, they were right

anyway The Little Mermaid (1989) is my favorite animated Disney film and I'm not going to pretend this is as good as it but it's far and away the best live action remake since Disney decided that the live action remakes were going to be functionally exactly the same as the originals

(It's been years since I've seen live action Cinderella and Jungle Book, I don't remember well enough to say how those compare to this)

Halle Bailey was amazing and sometimes her voice was so close to Jodi Benson's when she spoke that it threw me for a loop

I was really surprised by Melissa McCarthy's performance, she nailed Ursula's vibe and mannerisms. I still think the part should have gone to a drag queen but she rocked it

I guess there will be spoilers below the cut but also it's The Little Mermaid and y'all already know how it goes

was anyone going to tell me that Anton Chigurh from No Country for Old Men was Ariel's dad or was I just supposed to see this movie for myself

why can Scuttle breathe and speak underwater

I thought it was really cute that Jodi Benson had a cameo to give Ariel a dinglehopper

this went overlong, the original told the whole story perfectly at like an hour and twenty-two minutes and this added fifty-two minutes to that, how long do you think a child's attention span lasts

That being said while a lot of the added stuff wasn't needed, there wasn't any garbage put in that fundamentally changed what made the original story work (looking at you, Mulan remake) so that was nice

the girl who played Vanessa/Ursula in disguise looked so much like Melissa McCarthy, great job casting department

The new songs are fine, I don't see them becoming classics but they're all right and I feel bad for any song that has to go up against Howard Ashman's originals

The colors in this movie are gorgeous, I could watch Ariel's iridescent scales all day

I thought it was cute that in Eric's expanded back story, they gave him the same Special Interest in collecting that Ariel has

I have seen Eric's actor somewhere before and I have no clue where, I thought he was in Bridgerton but he wasn't and nothing on his imdb looks familiar, this will haunt me

Somehow we had to get rid of "Don't underestimate the importance of BODY LANGUAGE" because that's not a good message and we can't trust the audience to understand they're not supposed to take the villain at face value but the lyrics to Kiss the Girl remain unchanged as far as I could tell?

anyway it was fun, if you've got two hours and fifteen minutes to kill I recommend it

[thecandywrites]

Kinktober Day 25- Threesome/Moresome

Ok, so opposite end of the spectrum from Day 24 about Chastity Cages as far as Micro-mermaids because mating balls, aka orgies are a norm for breeding anyway. And what better way to show the other end of the spectrum than middle gens as opposed to last gen/first gens.

So this is basically smut but with lots of feelings.

A million thanks to @starsandskies for her kinktober prompts that yes, I know it's now practically middle of November. But damn it. I will do all of these. ALL. OF. THEM. Even if it takes me till Dec-fucking-ember.

Kinktober Day - Threesome/Moresome

Micro- Mermaid Mating Ball

Big Daddy and Skinny Daddy

Echonah, Aurorahanna, and Omega. 

“Ok guys, here are some mating gifts to choose from.” Vivian offered as she dumped a bag of assorted little shells and beads and little trinkets in a huge line down the tank’s bottom as you and your siblings eagerly gathered everything you thought would appeal to a mate as a courting gift. 

You and your siblings were at the last adolescence stage before you were all considered full fledged adults. And you and your siblings were middle batched. Of only 53 eggs that were laid, successfully hatched and raised by your parents. It was considered your parent’s true middle batches. It had 27 males and 26 females. Which was normal. Most middle batches were split 50/50 males vs females plus or minus 1-3 for either side. 

You had all spent the whole day yesterday knitting a whole quilt’s worth of patches with your individual names knitted right into the patch like square- they were to accompany all the gifts you were currently collecting to appeal to a future mate. Although the prettiest of the beads usually were quickly snatched to go into your hair as decoration to also decorate your seashell bras that you and your sisters were just now finishing budding breasts to fill. Some of your sisters actually had to be on their second and third bra by now because their breasts kept growing and overflowing the previous shell bras while others had yet to even fill their first ones. 

You were grateful to be in the middle. You filled your seashell bra nicely and to the point you had decent cleavage but not to the point that you needed to remake it and redo it. 

Once every mini pocket you had weaved into your own bag was filled with a gift and a patch you swam around the pile as did your siblings, all of you making sure you didn’t miss anything special or anything useful before you found a shard that looked like a perfect match to the three you were already wearing. 

You wore one on a lanyard around your neck to keep for personal protection and you had two more on a special belt around your hips that you hoped would be the perfect gift for your potential mate once you went through the preliminary courting phase where you met everyone in the tank and got to hand pick who appealed the most to you. But this would match with your first shard so now you had two sets before you saw yet another set and without thinking, took those with you too as you quickly spun your seasilk about the handles so that the shards themselves resembled stone age weapons but the seasilk would keep your hand and the hands of your potential mate from cutting themselves on the shards.  

Once everyone had thoroughly picked through everything, you all simply sat and continued to eat and talk about what kind of mate you would hopefully find in the mating tank. 

“So what are you looking for Aura?” Your brother Luray asked. 

“Just…someone balanced. He doesn’t need to be the biggest micro in the tank and he doesn’t need to be the smartest. But, just balanced between the two.” You shrugged. 

“What about you?” You asked him. 

“The same. She doesn’t have to be the prettiest or the most well endowed or the smartest, but just, something in the middle. A good balance.” He answered. 

“Well, I hope we all find what we’re looking for, but especially you.” You offered to your favorite brother who incubated and hatched right alongside you as you hugged his arm and laid your head on his shoulder as you both basked in the special sunlamp to digest what you had eaten while also keeping your bags close for when the net would be brought in to take you and your siblings to the mating tank. 

And sure enough, only several minutes later, the special container meant to house all of you and your siblings were put in as you all said your last goodbyes to your parents before you all eagerly and happily swam into the net and hung onto each other before the container was tilted up right and pulled out of your parents tank before it was carried over to the large mating tank where two huge swordfish were already hanging in there as you could see all the males gravitate to one while all the females gravitated to the other. 

But since you and your clutch mates had already eaten, you instead made the priority to find good nesting sites as you found the perfect one and immediately claimed it by hanging the curtain with your name knitted large and wide across it was put across the top as you put that over the opening but no sooner had you done so before another male came over. 

“Dang it, I knew I should have claimed this when I saw it.” He snapped his fingers as you could tell by his tone he wasn’t angry but still playfully disappointed. 

“Sorry, you snooze, you lose.” You called out with a laugh from behind the curtain as you were still putting it in place. 

“Well it’s not a complete loss, at least this one is similar.” He said as he claimed the one immediately next to it as you looked over to see a very skinny, scrawny male immediately try to claim that one by using his seasilk to make a bigger curtain outline that what he had previously woven before. Like a spider, spinning a web, he slowly knitted the top of it before he knitted more of the edges to the others to at least try to claim the space as his own but you could see when he would be done, it would be perfect and custom made just for the opening as you admired his ingenuity. Maybe he just needed to be fed better. 

“So did you try to save all the food for your sisters?” You asked as you used one of the edges that was between your nest site and his because the space shared a little space that both of you could easily swim through to get from his site to yours as you used your own patch to help knit the corner over to where he had it as you marvelled at the silky softness of his own silk. This was finer than even your own. And it was downright gorgeous. He had to be the prettiest micro you had ever seen, just on the skinny side.

“No, I’m just the runt of my clutch. I’ve always been small and skinny. No matter how much my siblings tried to feed me to help me catch up. I can eat more than any of my clutchmates can, I eat until my stomach pouches out like I’m the female with an egg laden pouch but my stomach only stays that way for a little bit and quickly enough my stomach finishes it off and by morning, or even only a few hours later, I’ve already digested it and passed it and ravenous for more food. But, I’m still just always thin. I guess I just have a high metabolism. I still digest all the food but my body just does so very quickly.” He answered. 

“Oh, I see.” You nodded once you finished and moved onto the next one to help him continue trying to claim the space as his own. 

“I’ve already been labeled in the system as a high metabolism runt anyway and I’m being tested to see if I have hyperthyroidism among other things.” He grunted as you realized that while he was rather skinny, the muscle he did have- while it didn’t have bulk, was just as strong as any other you supposed. He just didn’t have a lot of excess fat on his body or more bulk to his perfectly strong body. 

“Do you feel sick?” You asked thoughtfully. 

“I wouldn’t know. I’ve just always been this way. I’ve just learned to live with it. But I wanted the best nesting site in the tank just to try to show I’m not a bad mate, or a bad choice for a mate, I’m just…small. And my siblings gave me all the prettiest gifts just to make up for it. But…” He grunted in frustration as he finally finished that corner before he came to see that you had used your own patches down the side to attach that whole side to where he had laid the anchor seasilk strand. 

“Oh Aurorahana, you didn’t have to use your own patches to help me.” He tried to say as he saw the way they were knitted into place and appreciated how you had done so but you saw the reverent way he touched the patches themselves as he traced your name. 

“But I wanted to. So I did.” You grinned. 

“Thank you.” He thanked you earnestly. 

“You’re welcome Echonah.” You offered since his name was already weaved into the curtain. 

“But your patches are able to be seen from the outside, the other males will think you’re already paired with me.” He realized. 

“So? Tell you what, if you find another mate, you can replace her patches with mine or you can weave another layer of seasilk over it if you’d prefer. But if not. Then let me be the first to offer you a courting gift.” You offered before you took the belt around your hips and put it around his waist before you had to cinch it smaller since his waist was smaller than your own but he just hugged you and started crying. 

“Thank you so much. I was so scared. I thought every girl in here would take one look at my body and write me off and I’d have to go into singles or something.” He cried into the crux of your neck and shoulder.

You hugged him just as tightly as he was hugging you as your back cracked, but in a good way as you comforted him. He was as long as you but half your size. It was like he was still prepubescent or something but he still smelled full grown and fully mature and otherwise his facial features showed he was an adult. Just a skinny one. Which didn’t bother you at all. He was obviously self conscious about it, but sensitive and sweet otherwise. And you were sure that whatever was wrong with him, was fixed, he’d be just fine in no time. 

“So you don’t have an owner yet?” You asked as you pet down his head and back as he seemed to relax and melt into the soft corals were you two were laying, side by side on the little space between his nest site and yours. 

“No. All of my siblings do already. Ethel was going to hold me back into the micro-long term care tanks until the tests come back. But I don’t know if anyone will be willing to take me on if whatever might be wrong with me, costs a lot in medication. So chances are, I’ll either be a charity case or stay here at the center. And I’ve always been terrified I’d be culled because I wasn’t worth the investment in my care.” He confessed. 

“Oh poor Echonah. I’m so sorry you’ve felt that way and had to carry that mental burden. That’s not right or fair. Maybe it’s the stress from all that, that’s made this worse. But I’m sure once they have an answer and get you the care and attention and even medications that you need, you’ll be fine. It’s going to be ok. I’m sure it will be.” You reassured him. 

“But I hate to drag you down either. I don’t want you to feel like I’m keeping you from finding a better mate.” Echonah admitted before you kissed him sweetly. 

“Hush, stop that. All I wanted in a mate was someone who liked me for me. I’m not anything too special myself. And if you need extra help, then you need extra help. I’m sure if our positions were reversed, you’d probably be doing the same thing right? You wouldn’t look at a super skinny girl and think that she’s a lost cause would you?” You asked. 

“No.” He shook his head. 

“Well I don’t think you’re a lost cause either. You’re sweet and kind and caring. And that’s all I was looking for, was the personality. The body doesn’t matter much to me, even if that body needs extra care.” You reassured him before he used surprising strength to pin you down into the soft corals to kiss you and kiss you like a micro-merman starved as you practically melted into place. 

“You need these, and these and these.” He finally pulled himself away to get into his own bag and pulled out the most gorgeous pearl jewelry you had ever seen in your life, a choker, a necklace, a belt, arm bands and bracelets. 

“Oh my goodness.” You couldn’t help but giggle in delight as you were now more decked out in jewelry than you thought you’d ever be as you noticed that the seasilk used to make it was especially fine and silky and beautiful and looked like it had an iridescence too before you looked over at the half hung curtain and realized it was made from the same. 

“Is this your seasilk?” You asked. 

“Yeah, it’s really thin.” His shoulders rose in a little anxiety. 

“It’s gorgeous and really soft. You could probably make seasilk lace with it. And your owner could sell that for a fortune. 

“But I don’t know the patterns for it.” He admitted. 

“Then I’ll show you. But first we need to put up the rest of your curtain. So here. Use these for the rest of the border, I’ll go get us some lunch while you do.” You offered as you gave him a huge stack of your patches to use. 

“Thank you, Aurorahanna.” He thankfully took them. 

“Aura, just call me Aura, only my parents used my full name when I was in trouble.” You reassured him before you emptied your bag into the little cubby that was there as you offered anything and everything in it to him if he wanted any of it, but he insisted that the patches were already more than he could have ever hoped for before you left and used your spare set of daggers on another belt and put it under the belt that the pearls were on before you kissed him sweetly goodbye before you would leave to get him some brain or eyeballs from the head of that swordfish. 

“Ok, you can call me Echo for short then too, please be safe Aura.” He offered as he was happy and you could tell, practically love drunk just kissing you softly yet earnestly all the same. 

“You too, when you’re done, we’ll work on taking down this excess soft coral between your nest and mine so that it’s all one big nest, how’s that?” You offered. 

“You got it.” He reassured you. 

“Hey, have you ever had eyeballs or brains before?” You asked him. 

“No.” He shook his head no. 

“Oh they’re the most nutritious and fattiest parts of any animal, especially fish. So I’ll go get you some and I’ll try to wrap it in regular flesh just in case it doesn’t taste too good.” You offered. 

“I will eat anything you give me, I trust you.” Echo reassured you. 

“And I trust you.” You reassured him before you left and nearly got swarmed and bombarded by Echo’s sisters who recognized their brothers handiwork. 

“Oh may all the gods bless you, thank you so much for choosing Echonah, we were so worried about him! Thank you so much. We know he’s skinny but he’s the best possible mate as far as personality goes.” They all thanked you, as you could tell he was very beloved among his sisters at least as they were obviously very worried about him as his sisters were probably the prettiest girls in the tank. 

“You’re welcome. He’s great and you’re right about the personality part. He just needs extra care. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Actually I need help. Has he ever had an eyeball or brain or even liver or anything like that?” You asked them. 

“I don’t think so, those things usually don’t taste the best though.” They frowned.

“Well they’re the most nutritious parts of a fish. Can you help me harvest those on these fish for him? And perhaps the neck and throat and belly too since those are usually the best and fattiest meat on the fish too?” You asked hopefully.  

“For Echo and his mate? Anything.” They readily assured you as they all swam and helped you harvest the eyeballs at least from the girl’s swordfish since such things were already harvested from the boy’s already. So the girl’s swordfish was the only one available that was left. So all of you worked together to get the two eyeballs too. As well as all the throat and belly meat and liver and put them in their own bags which were actually on the small side. 

“So why are your courting gift bags so small?” You asked them. 

“We all agreed that until Echo got paired up, we wouldn’t pair up. And therefore didn’t think many would be interested in us once they saw him and think we’d have sons just like him.” They admitted. 

“Oh, I’m so sorry you’ve all felt that way. I take it, all of you are protective of him?” You asked. 

“Yeah, he’s our littlest brother and our big brothers teased him relentlessly that he’d be culled every time the employees would come to feed us so Echo would hide in the nest actually. And it made us really angry and really upset that they did that.” They all admitted. 

“Well point your other brothers out to me so that none of my sisters choose them.” You offered. 

“Only if you’ll do the same but for the opposite reason. Are your brothers as nice and sweet and caring as you?” They asked hopefully.  

“Well I guess so. Granted we didn’t have any runts or anything like that in our clutch. But my parents taught them to be good partners, both protective, yet caring, thoughtful, sensitive and helpful and to be very involved fathers and while they used to roughhouse a lot, they were never mean or cruel or anything like that.” You answered. 

“Can you please point them out to us?” They asked. 

“Of course, especially, once we get to this brain and give it to Echo, I’ll bring you all around to them, hopefully they’re still single.” You offered as you used your biggest dagger like a spike and a piece of gravel like a hammer to widen the entrance from the cord that connected the eyeballs to the brain that you had hollowed out as you sat in the now empty eye socket to do so with your bag with the eyeballs bulging from the bag and hanging from your tail as you used the bracelets to tie up your hair at least to keep it out of your face while you worked before there was an audible crack as the skull itself broke and the skull broke apart and revealed that sweet, fatty brain to you as you carved as much out of it as you could and put it in your bag. 

“Here, try. Tell me what you think.” You offered as you took the first hunk and sliced it up into bite sized pieces and passed them around as they looked unsure at first but once they took a tentative bite, then they practically inhaled it. 

“It’s so good! Like pure fat but better!” They all realized. 

“Yup. My father always fed my mother the liver, the eyeballs, the brains and the throats and bellies because he said those were the best parts and that my mother deserved the best because she’s the one who laid all the eggs and needed the extra nutrition from those parts.” You answered before they all awwed in adoration. 

“Ok, I will need help carting more of this back to Echo, could you please help me?” You asked before they all were eager to get a hunk of brain into their own bags for their brother along with the best pieces of the fish for him too while others got pieces of the leanest parts just in case it was too fatty for his taste buds too. 

“Oh sweet you got the brains!” A huge micro-merman praised when he heard the crack and came over to investigate as he had already devoured those parts from the skull of the boy’s fish himself and was coming over to feast on the girl’s one, thinking such delicacies would be overlooked and ignored. 

He was, at least five times the size of Echo. He was big, fat, but hulking practically. His fat overflowed most of his features actually. But you supposed he was kind of cute, in his own way.

“She did! Are you a brother of hers?” Echo’s sisters answered brightly before you paused and looked out at him curiously as you could see the fat practically dissolve off of him as he smelled like he had been practically rolling in brains himself. 

“Nope, no relation, at least that I know of.” You informed them. 

“Oh.” They nodded before they turned away from him to eagerly keep getting the hunks of brain you were slicing into as more and more of your body could fit into the brain’s compartment before you were able to carve out a space just for you in the skull itself and drop off hunks into the eye socket as his sisters took turns getting the hunks for Echo. 

“So I take it you’re introducing these lovely ladies to the best parts of the fish?” He guessed as he addressed you. 

“Yes, in a way. I'm harvesting them for my mate who needs them and these are my mate's sisters who are worried about him. My father always said these were the best parts and always gave them to my mother since producing and laying eggs was always the hardest on her body and he always wanted to make sure she was full and healthy whenever we ate and taught all of my brothers that the best way to take care of a mate was always offer the best of everything to her.” You beamed happily. 

“So when she’s done harvesting all of this for our brother, who needs this, she’s introducing us to her brothers.” Echo’s sisters told the newcomer before they closed in around the socket to take the new hunks of brain you were putting there. 

“Oh.” He said as he flushed and self consciously swiped the fatty residue off of his own arms and chest and dug into his chins to get the rest. 

“Mega!” Another micro-mermaid said as she came over to him and took refuge behind him. 

“Can you please tell this man to get lost? He won’t take my 'no' for an answer.” She pleaded with her biggest brother as Echo’s sisters were mortified that it was one of their other brothers. 

“That’s one of our brothers, Azal.” The closest sister muttered to you as they all glared at their brother. 

“You heard her! She said no! So go be a fish dick somewhere else!” Echo’s sisters yelled at him as they shoved him away themselves.  

“Oh shut up and go coddle Echo, wherever that runt is hiding out so he doesn’t get culled.” Azal sneered at them. 

You growled before you swam out of that skull and outright attacked him. 

“You blatant disrespectful bastard!” You screamed as you used the piece of gravel to hit him in the head repeatedly as Mega and his sister were stunned and Mega practically was ready to propose for that display of aggression and clearly - self defense. 

“Do you really think anyone gives a piece of fish shit what you- sea cucumber brained idiot thinks?!” You hollered as your brothers recognized your yell and came over to see you beating this guy before they intervened before you actually slit his throat or stabbed him to death. 

“Woah, woah, woah, Aurorahanna, woah. Easy!” Lauray said as he gently restrained you to keep from actually killing this bastard. 

“What did he do to you?” Your brothers asked worriedly as they checked you over for injuries but didn’t see any while Azal’s brothers came to make sure he was ok before they recognized the jewelry you were wearing and immediately connected the dots as to why and how you were wearing it. 

“Oh you dumb bitch! Really? You’re really going to fall for the most pathetic micro in the tank?” Azal’s brother’s taunted you. 

“Woah!” All your brothers were outright offended that you’d be insulted and were ready to beat this guy’s fins into the gravel. 

“He is not pathetic!” You and his sisters screamed angrily in unison. 

“He is sick and needs more medical attention than your tiny little sea cucumber brain can comprehend. He is already a hundred times the man you are. You’re his brother! You should be a good big brother and look out for him rather than make fun of him and scare him to death his whole life! The lot of you should be ashamed of yourselves! What? Your parents loved and cared for him more than they ever cared for you so you felt the need to take that out on him? Are all of you that petty in your jealousy?” You taunted right back just as angrily and just as defiantly as your brothers had to hold you back from actually finishing him off. 

“And your parents are so inbred that you and all of your siblings are stupid enough to dump your backwater genetics into deadends?” They taunted right back before Mega’s brothers who were only slightly smaller than himself came over to see you, covered in another micro’s blood and being held back by other males as it appeared you just beat the shit out of another micro but had overheard the exchange and came over to curiously investigate.

“Oh you motherfucker!” You wriggled out of your brother’s hold to throw your dagger at him and it lodged into his shoulder, but missed his heart as he screamed in pain and agony. 

“You psycho bitch!” Azlar’s brothers yelled before Mega’s brothers came between you and Azlar and his brothers. 

“Hey, you disrespected her and you disrespected her family. You got what you deserved.” They insisted as they surrounded Azlar and his brothers before Mega came and dislodged your dager, but not before twisting it and moving it around until he looked like a sea urchin spike had lodged itself into his shoulder. 

“Get lost and quit giving her and her family trouble or I will have no problems hunting each one of you tonight myself and handing your heads over to her for insulting her and her honor and her family’s honor.” Mega snarled before Azlar and his brothers slinked away before Mega handed you your blade back. 

“Are all your sisters like you?” Mega asked. 

“Yeah. Each one feistier than the last.” Lauray laughed as he gestured to where they had come to see what was going on. 

“And these are my brothers.” You told Echo’s sisters as well as all of Mega’s sisters eagerly began to take up with your brothers too as the two groups immediately started chatted each other up and began to immediately try to pair up before the sisters came and oohed and awed at the “curtain” Echo had made with all your patches as they dropped off all the food you had collected as Mega hung back to see what micro had captured the heart of the greatest female in the tank.

He could only smile bittersweetly to see the little scrawny, but otherwise very handsome guy. But you had been right. He did look sickly skinny but really nice and the smiles of adoration between the two of you made his heart twist and ache. Because the way you were with Echonah was what he had wanted for himself.

But seeing as how none of your sisters were left, he felt like he had missed his chance as every other micro female he looked out at just didn’t seem to compare. So he simply put his things in the next nest on the other side of you, hoping that one of Echo’s sisters would perhaps take an interest in him.

But they were already with all your brothers and practically competing with his own sisters for their attention. So he just dumped his bag of gifts and put them in the nest but otherwise went back to the skull and used his own tools to chip out a bigger opening for you to enter and excavate the skull of it’s brain as he filled one eye socket with a heavy rock to keep anyone else from entering and tunneling from the other side and stood guard over the other. 

Echo, tried, really hard to get over the ick of the eyeball. But he just, could not eat the eyeball itself, he was ok with eating the fatty flesh that surrounded it but the eyeball itself, he couldn’t do, but the brains, he readily gobbled that up. Never having anything that fatty before. 

“I’m gonna go get you some more.” You assured him as his sisters told him about what you had done and how much you had defended him against his brothers. Which was great because it showed how close and strong of a connection he had already made with you. And how deserving you were to wear all that beautiful jewelry he had made for you, that you graciously left there in the nest so it wouldn’t get harmed while you mined for more brains from the skull as Echo felt unworthy but grateful for it. 

“What are you doing?” You asked when you approached Mega when you saw the other eyeball was filled with a rock you couldn’t squeeze around. 

“Making sure your mate could get all the brains for himself. It looked like he needs it. I didn’t want anyone else taking the food supply you had already claimed for him.” Mega said as he graciously moved aside to show you that he had already cleared a way for you. 

“Oh, thank you.” You thanked him graciously. 

“You can go pair up with another, there’s not a whole lot left for me to get.” You answered as you took the eyeballs out of your sack but weren’t sure what to do with them. 

“He won’t eat those?” Mega asked. 

“No, he uh, he’s squeamish about them.” You admitted as you held them in your hand and looked at it a little dejectedly. 

“Have you ever eaten one?” He asked. 

“No. My mother always said that of all the acquired tastes, this was one of the hardest ones to acquire.” You said as you simply sat in the socket and still held the eye. 

“Here, do what I do.” He said as he took the eyeball very gently from your hands so you could get the other. 

“Now usually the liquid inside has a peculiar taste and texture, which if you’re not used to it, can be a little unsettling, cause it’s thick like goo. But, if you cut off the lens and the iris, and then cut the back of the eyeball up into strips, it doesn’t taste too different from much of anything else but it is extra nutritious.” He coached you as he gently took it from you to point to the various parts of it before he took his own dagger like shard and expertly pierced it and began to suck on the fluid inside before you did the same, making a face as you did so. It wasn’t so much the taste, as it was the texture. It wasn’t necessarily slimy, just, thick goo. 

“Taste bad?” He guessed as he read your overly adorable expression.

“It’s not necessarily the taste, it’s the texture.” You answered as you smacked your tongue and lips together as your face wasn’t sure if you liked it or hated it or what. 

“There’s nothing quite like it is there?” Mega asked with a grin. 

“No, no there isn’t. Jellyfish maybe?” You shrugged. 

“I wouldn’t know, I’ve never eaten one.” He shrugged before he finished off the liquid easily, sucking out the rest until the eyeball practically shrivled up on itself as you drank more of it, the taste and texture growing on you the more you did. 

“Ok, so we don’t need this outer lens, so cut this off.” He offered as he cut it off as you did the same, mirroring his movements before he cut the iris out too which you did the same. 

“Now, you take your blade you cut it into one long loop in a spiral.” He coached as you followed his movements as you did the same before you were both left with one long continuous strip of flesh which you both rolled back up before gave it to you. 

“Thank you Mega, for showing me this. I really appreciate it.” 

“It’s Omega actually. I was the born the runt too.” He admitted sheepishly. 

“Really?” You asked, in pleasant surprise, because he didn’t look like it. 

“Yeah, that’s Alpha, the first born son in my parent’s clutch. But because I was the runt, I was fed the eyeballs, the fattiest parts of the fish and the liver and heart and all that to help me catch up. And then not only did I catch up, I surpassed them. And then I just grew to really enjoy the taste of those things, so I just kept on indulging in them. Obviously.” He shrugged as he looked down at his own bulging belly rather shamefully as it was apparent, he too was self conscious about his own appearance too. 

“So, chances are, in a few cycles, your mate will catch up no problem.” Omega tried to reassure you. 

“Thank you. I really appreciate the reassurance.” You thanked him gratefully as he seemed to find an excuse to leave but was reluctant to. 

“Just, curious. Why did you pick your mate? Just so when I do find a mate, I can tell them what to try to make themselves out to be to catch any child of yours' eye.” He asked as you blushed prettily and bashfully and smiled fondly. 

“That someone is not their appearance, nor their health. Echo is sick. It’s plain for me to see. And the fact that his own brothers made fun of him and cruelly teased him for it. Just makes me think that maybe it wasn’t about Echo at all, it was about Echo getting all the attention from his parents and his sisters, leaving the other sons to- I guess, fend for themselves and it was obvious that their parents poured everything into Echo, not wanting him to be culled. But in doing so- ignored the whole other half of their clutch which wasn’t really fair to them either because obviously, they didn’t learn any kind of manners or decorum.” You sighed rather defeatedly as you simply laid down in the socket like a hammock as Omega came closer. 

“Obviously.” Omega readily agreed. 

“Obviously, your parents did though.” You appraised. 

“They tried. They mainly noticed how big I was getting and urged me that if I was going to be big, I should have as much muscle as I did fat. So they had me and my brothers regularly strengthen ourselves by moving all the parts of the tank around. 

“Wow.” You blinked in surprise. 

“I mean, it obviously worked.” You gestured to him, since you could clearly see there was huge, hulking muscle underneath the thick layers of fat. 

“Yeah, a little too well I think. Most of the girls looked at me and my brothers and thought we were gonna crush them I guess, even when our sisters showed that they were just as strong as we were and just as bulky and that we weren’t aggressive, just…big.” He admitted as he folded his arms over his chest, only accentuating how big they were even more before he looked over to see Echo’s brothers watching him closely. 

“Get in the skull. We’re being watched by the brothers of your mate, I don’t want to cause any problems between you two.” Omega urged you before he swam away towards them only to see them scatter as you leaned forward to see them do so and smiled sadly at Omega’s back, wishing there could be two of you. One for Echo and one for Omega only to find his bag with a message carved just inside where he had made room for you to show his bag. 

‘For the girl who has everything, may she always have everything she wants and needs and may this food help her mate make a full recovery.’ He carved into the skull before you saw his bag there with nothing but more shards of all kinds in here as you sat there, with the light filtering through the opening and looking at the carving and crying bittersweet tears. He was just as sweet and just as kind as Echo was. But just, vastly different body.

You managed to use the shards he left in his bag to carve out the rest of the remaining brains but spent extra time to weave something extra special for him as thanks for the message as you paused in watching him swim around rather aimlessly, most of the girls scattering the moment he had any kind of line of sight with them which broke your heart to see, feeling angry and upset that these other girls were doing by avoiding him. 

So you did something about it. You got his bag and brought it back to him. 

“I just wanted to say thank you again for all the help you gave me with helping me get the best food on the swordfish for my sick mate. You’re the best friend anyone could ever hope or want. Thank you. Here, I made you this. So that you can always have everything you need to protect your future mate from whatever dangers she might face. But with you as her mate, I doubt she would ever have to worry about much of anything.” You loudly said as you put one end of the large belt into one hand and swam around him to loop the large belt around his belly, hoping and praying you made it wide and long enough for him, with all of his shards placed into various spots as you had organized them and added extra flourishes to the handles too, hoping the other girls who were hiding behind the swordfish itself were hearing and watching you do so.

Then you surprised him with a gentle kiss to the cheek and hugged him as you felt like you could sink into the pillowy softness while be warmed by the heat radiating from his body while he did so as he gently but reverently hugged you back. 

“You’re welcome.” He replied. 

“No worries. The right one will see you for you. It’s not the form that counts, but the heart and soul beyond them.” You reassured him in turn.

You reluctantly had to pull yourself away from him as he too seemed reluctant to let you go before he forced himself to withdraw only to feel frozen still as he watched you swim away with a sweet smile and unshed tears glazing your eyes over your shoulder. He could only smile bittersweetly as tears glazed his own eyes as you swam back to find Echo.

But when you did, he was no longer eating the brains, but simply sitting there, looking rather despondent. 

“Echo? Are you ok?” You asked him. 

“Are you coming back to just collect your things?” He asked. 

“What? No. I came back with the rest of the brain for you, like I said was going to.” You answered. 

“Really? With Mega?” He asked as there was an edge to his voice, apparently his brothers had seen it and came to plant seeds of doubt into his mind. 

“No. There was no way for Omega to fit in there with me. He helped me make the hole for me to access the rest of the brain easier but otherwise he kept guard over it for me so no other would harvest it before I could. Then once I came, he left me to work gathering the rest on my own. He even let me borrow his special shards to do so. So I just got done returning them to him. And now I’m back.” You explained. 

“So you’re not leaving me for him?” Echo asked. 

“No, not unless you want me to leave. Do you want me to leave?” You asked, just as hurt and wounded as he was. 

“My brothers are right. I’m a deadend…” He began before you grabbed him by the shoulders and grasped them firmly. 

“No you’re not Echonah! You are not a deadend. You never were and you never will be.” You reassured him as you shook his shoulders to try to shake some sense into him after you put the bag down and knelt in front of him before you moved your hands and reached out to grab his hollowed out cheeks with your hands and cradle them gently and reverently in your hands, your thumbs rubbing over the apples of his cheeks wiping his tears away that were starting to fall away. 

“Just because they say that lie over and over and over again, doesn’t make it true. Your brothers are jealous jerks who were jealous of the affectionate attention you got from the rest of your family.” You tried to justify.

“What affectionate attention?” Echonah frowned. 

“Your parents didn’t shower you with affectionate attention, trying to help you get better instead of being decent parents to your other brothers?” You asked before he shook his head no. 

“Not really. My dad said ‘if he lives, he lives, if he dies, he dies’. My sisters are the only reason I got to live at all because it was only my mother and my sisters who took care of me and fed me. My dad showered my brothers with all the other love and attention and affection while my mother tried to teach my sisters what to look for in a mate, using me as a physical example of what to avoid.” He admitted as it was your turn to look horrified and gutted at that revelation. 

“Oh good gods, please tell me that you’d never raise any of our children like that.” You pleaded with him. 

“No.” He shook his head adamantly. 

“Oh good, thank you so much.” You thanked him as you clung to him and held him as he clung to you so tightly, you feared he was going to break his own arms clinging to you like that. 

“Gods, I was so worried you’d take one look at the biggest micro in the tank and second guess your decision and decide to renege.” Echo admitted. 

“No, never. I chose you. You chose me. That’s all there is to it right?” You reminded him. 

“But what if there is nothing wrong with me and this is just the way I am going to always be?” He asked. 

“Then so be it. My parents told me, that the secret person of the heart and soul matters more than the body they inhabit. And that looks can be very deceiving. Omega right now is fighting to prove he isn’t a brute, because most micros in here take one look at him and his size and his big belt with many shards of all kinds. And that’s not true. The truth is…�� Your voice grew thick with emotion. 

“The truth is, he was born a runt just like you. Only his parents did everything they could to make sure he caught up by eating the very same foods I’m feeding you. Only he grew accustomed to the very acquired tastes and then he not only caught up, but surpassed all of his siblings and then some.  Which means these foods will help you. So then his parents urged him and all his siblings to build strength if they were going to be big, might as well be strong right? That’s all. He is just as nice and sweet as you are. And yes, he was a great friend to me today by guarding the rest of the brain until I could get back there and lended me his tools to do so. All so I could do so- for you. He told me plainly he has no interest in causing trouble for me or get in between us. He respects me and my decision about you. Which is a mark of greatness on his own character that he would even go that far. That’s all it was, he was just being a friend to help me with my mate, which is what and who you are. But that’s all he can be because I have you and I’m perfectly happy and content with you. You, kind of called dibs. Finders keepers right?” You recalled with a small laugh which got him to finally ease up. 

“Besides, you are trying to prove that you’re not a deadend, which you aren’t. You just need the tender loving care you are owed as a person and a sentient being.  And I’m determined to be that person who gives you that. Even if you weren’t given that as a basic right that any and all children should have from their parents. And hopefully you’ve learned from your own parent’s examples of how not to be a parent. Right?” You implored as he laid back on the soft pillowy corals and happily had you lay over him as you pet his head and this super soft, silky yet fine hair. 

“Right.” Echo nodded. 

“So don’t worry. Besides, I don’t know if you heard, but I did throw a dagger into your bitch ass brother for talking shit. Because I was taught that if you ‘talk shit get hit’. And so he got hit. Hard. And had my own brothers not held me  back, I probably would have killed your brother. Which I don’t know if you would have ever forgiven me or what about that. But he’s still alive and for the first time, he got what was coming to him.” You insisted. 

“He was just repeating what my father always said.” Echo admitted. 

“Well then your dad shouldn’t have been a father. Being a parent means you love all of your children. Even if they are gifted, talented, special or need special attention and as a parent, it's their duty to get their child's extra special needs met. And while we are protected, in a way- from inbreeding, things still happen. And usually in the wild, it’s the survival of the fittest. But that’s the beauty of being in domestication. Is that we have evolved and advanced so much farther than that kind of thinking. Besides, all it should have taught you is how to be kind. How to be creative. How to be smarter than any and all of your siblings. Surviving such an incredibly hard environment with hostile siblings and parents. Which means you’re very resilient to survive such things. So now, don’t worry about surviving. Just rest. And know that I’m not going anywhere. And that as long as you draw breath, I’ll be by your side, no matter what.” You reassured him before he couldn’t help it and kissed you deeply before you started to mate but he finished way before you did and because he was so thin, his cock was thin like he was. 

“I’m so sorry My Love.” Echo apologized as he rested over you. 

“It’s ok. We’ll get there and get better, practice makes perfect right?” You tried to encourage him as you did your best to bury your disappointment. Surely once he would get the TLC he needed, he would get better, just, not right now perhaps, as he laid beside you and soon fell asleep. 

“I’m sorry Aura.” You heard a whisper before you partially rolled over to see Omega in the next nest over, still alone, barely fitting in his own nest actually. 

“For what?” You whispered back. 

“He couldn’t get you- your pleasure. That sucks. For all you did for him today, he owed you that much at least.” Omega murmured softly. 

“It’ll get better. He just needs time and practice. No one starts out being an expert.” You tried to excuse. 

“No but he should also learn to use what he has to his advantage, the guy still has two hands and a mouth, he could have used those before he fell asleep.” Omega noted.

“What?” You asked as you laid on your back to see him better. 

“My father always used all three to please my mother. So she got three pleasures for every single one he got.” Omega revealed. 

“Lucky woman.” You hummed. 

“When he wakes up, I can try to teach him if you’d want me to.” Omega offered. 

“Please?” You requested. 

“Sure, just one thing.” Omega began before he moved from his nest into yours. 

“What?” You asked as just his presence so close was making your heart race as you couldn’t help but wonder if he was just as well endowed in his manhood as the rest of his body was. 

“I have to learn you first so I can teach him how to please you right.” Omega murmured. 

“Oh but…” You started to contest as you did not want to be unfaithful to Echo. 

“I promise not to cum in you, all of your eggs will still be fertilized by Echo. I’m just going to give you pleasure with my mouth and hands, that’s all. Then once I learn you, I can teach him how to please you in the future, just in case he doesn’t get bigger and better.” Omega reassured you. 

“Ok.” You caved as you made sure Echo was wrapped up in both his blanket and yours and comfy before Omega gently reached around your waist and pulled you flush to his chest before he left the most tender and loving kisses on your neck and shoulder as you melted into him while one of his hands wrapped around your chest to caress your breasts while the other reached into your sex.

Just his fingers were bigger than Echo’s manhood as they found that nub that elicited the greatest pleasure before his fingers swirled and tapped around before delving deeper and before you knew it, he had stuffed his whole hand into you and found a second spot that you didn’t know was there as the heel of his hand continued to rub and swirl around your nub while his fingers practically danced around that inner spot.

You hazily realized that his own cock was pinned between your rear and his own belly. Your assumptions that it matched the rest of him was right. He felt huge, to the point, you’d doubt he’d fit at all into you. But his mouth on your neck and shoulder and whispering sweet nothings in your ear as you were completely surrounded yet, in a way filled, with love and affection as he seemed pour all he had into you and in mere moments you nearly bit your tongue in half to try not to scream in pleasure and instead whimpered rather pitifully as you ground into his hand to ride out the epic orgasm before your whole body relaxed as pleasure soaked every millimeter of your body. 

“Good?” Omega asked as he had kept an eye on Echo to make sure he didn’t wake up for any of it. 

“Great.” You whispered, a pleasured smile plastered on your face. 

“Well good, that’s one, lets get two.” Omega insisted before you rolled your head and just needed one kiss. Just one. Just to indulge in the 'might have been'. He tasted amazing and your whole body was eager to take in every drop of love and affection his body was willing to give you.

His mouth soon pulled away to kiss his way down your body before his mouth stopped at your already engorged sex that was starting to deflate as he wiped all the mucus that always coated the sex during mating to keep the sex clean from the surrounding water. The moment he had it sloughed off and moved by his tail fin to his own nest before he buried his face into your sex and began to eat in a way you had never thought possible.

You nearly yelled, both in shock that it would feel so good yet delight as you had to use both of your hands to clamp over your mouth to keep any noise from leaving your mouth but a whimpering keen still escaped through your nose as his mouth lapped and sucked and gently nipped at your bud before his hands returned as he was able to get not one, but both into you as you realized, there wasn’t just one spot, but two, one behind your nub on the inside of the pouch in the entrance and one below it on the bottom.

Omega made a deep rumbly noise that your ears barely heard but you definietly felt in your bones that only made you arch yourself into his mouth, wanting more while your hands went to his hair and grabbed fistfulls of it while your body writhed in pleasure. You did your best to stamp your voice down and as pleasure stuck you too many times for you to keep track of. But you enjoyed every peak, wanting each one to last forever, or at least just one small eternity while you could smell Omega’s pheromones in the water as he released his seed into the soft corals beneath you Since his tail wrapped under your own before you realized your back entrance opened up to suck his ssed in before you could stop it. 

In all mermaid biology, because there were no legs to open to reveal a womanly canal. Mermaids had two entrances for thier womb. A front entrance, usually large enough to accommodate one cock, or even two, three at the most. It was uncomfortable but could be done. And usually during a mating ball, that’s when the back entrance opened up and it was a much larger entrance, meant to accommodate at least three to five cocks all by itself. Usually the back entrance had a flap, usually put in the down position to allow waste to exit the body. But in cases of mating balls, the flap could lift up to reveal the backside of the accordion-like structure of the egg pouch so that the eggs could be fertilized both from the front and the back.

And that is what just happened. Your back entrance instinctually opened and sucked in Omega’s seed anyway. Omega’s features were vastly different than those of Echo’s. There was no way you were going to be able to hide the fact that some of your eggs just got fertilized by Omega. 

“Fuck.” You gasped. 

“What?” Omega asked. 

“My back entrance opened and sucked all your seed in.” You gulped as you flushed and all the previous pleasure replaced itself with panic and guilt. 

“Whoops.” Omega grimaced as his face and chest was completely covered in your essence and pheromone rich mucus as he looked, actually quite funny as you couldn’t help but laugh as he tried to scrape it off with his hands. 

“I should uh, get back to uh, Echo.” You tried to move yourself away. 

“Yeah, yeah, sweet dreams.” Omega said as he moved himself off of you so you could go back to your mate as you used the soft corals to try to clean yourself up too before you returned to Echo’s side who was still sleeping so soundly.

You felt guilty for him being none the wiser as you enveloped him in your arms as his bony face used your breast as his pillow as you ran your fingers through his hair and felt could do nothing but pray the eggs that got exposed to Omega’s sperm were already fertilized by Echo but watching your belly be so much larger than it was only moments before, you doubted that. You knew that probably Omega's sperm just fertilized twice as many eggs as Echo’s sperm did. Fuck. How were you going to explain this to him as you fell into a fitful sleep.

Come morning, you woke up alone, wrapped in blankets, both your own, Echo’s and a third that was distinctly Omega's judging by the scent. You damned yourself for burying your face into Omega's and taking in a deep breath as flashes of your lustful union blissfully tortured your memory as you were now no longer in Echo’s nest, but yours as you realized, the spaces between Echo’s nest, yours and Omega’s were now all openned up and just one huge nest. 

“Good morning Beautiful.” Echo and Omega greeted you before they both came into yours with huge bags of food for all three of you to eat and share. 

“Good morning.” You answered as you grabbed your top and tried to fit into it only to find that your breasts, along with your egg pouch had both grown quite considerably overnight as it was obvious the eggs, were now fertilized and now speedily developing inside you. 

“Won’t fit?” Echo asked as he watched your face blush darker and harder the more you wrestled in the blankets to get into your seashell bra that barely covered anything now.

“Uh, no, no it won’t.” You admitted.  

“Here. We made you this then.” Echo offered as he pulled something from just out of your view and showed it to you as you recognized it was a blend of Omega’s seasilk and Echo’s. Echo’s seasilk was on one side and Omega’s offered more structure and support while Echo’s offered comfort as you put it on and realized it contained your now bountiful bosom quite nicely. 

“We?” You repeated. 

“Yeah. We worked together on it. So listen, I was woken up early by Macy, the pairing tank manager and she gave me some news, some good news and bad news.” Echo began. 

“Which was? What’s the bad news?” You asked. 

“That I’m suffering from hyperthyroidism. And that I need to start taking medication for it. And that if the medications doesn’t fix it, I will need to have surgery.” Echo informed you as your eyes grew wide in fear. 

“So that’s the bad news. Here’s the good news.” Echo began with a sweet reassuring smile that showed he wasn’t that upset by such news. 

“So, all of your brothers double mated.” Echo began as you blinked in surprise. 

“They what?” You balked. 

“Yeah, apparently, each of them took one of my sisters.” Echo began. 

“And one of mine.” Omega revealed as he was already digging into the blood line flesh from the tuna that had been dropped into the tank that morning since Echo was woken up early, Omega had woken up too and helped Echo figure everything out. 

“Oh.” You answered as you wrapped your head around that. 

“Which actually worked out because this mating session was girl heavy anyway, but since a whole clutch of males double mated, that meant that now the only males who don’t have a mate are the rest of my brothers.” Echo revealed as you couldn’t stop but smile happily at that news. 

“Good.” You nodded in understanding. 

“And my sisters and his sisters get along really well and are happy to share your brothers with the other. And frankly your brothers are over the moon to have both. So we have a question for you.” Omega began before he looked at Echo to initiate asking it.

“Would you want to double mate too?” Echo asked you and you were beyond shocked and just stared rather blankly yet in disbelief as you looked between them. 

“Look, here’s why I want you to.” Echo began. 

“I know I have a lot going on with me and my health and if I don’t survive surgery, then you’re out of a mate and left to raise a clutch by yourself and I don’t want that.” Echo explained. 

“But what if you respond to the medications and don’t need surgery in the first place? Isn’t that the worst case scenario?” You asked.

“It is. But it's still a strong possibility, which is why we need to talk about it. If I do, then at least you have Omega. And if I don't then you can hopefully be happy with both of us. But, in the meantime, it’s obvious, there’s still a ton I have left to learn, especially about how to happily and properly please my mate. Which I’ll happily learn, over and over again until I figure it out. But it’s too much to ask of you to sacrifice yourself and your own health to take care of clutch after clutch of eggs while also taking care of me. And honestly, you deserve to have the love and adoration of an entire clutch of males.” Echo began. 

“But I don’t want…” You began to argue. 

“But you do want both of us. Right? And both of us want you too. We both love you. We both are happy to share you with each other. Omega can take care of the both of us and a huge clutch of eggs, probably all by himself. I mean look at him.” Echo said as he gestured to Omega who laughed around his already bulging cheeks. 

“And you’re not upset or betrayed or…?” You asked Echo. 

“Nope. Relieved honestly. Because if there was anyone I would and could ever trust to take care of you the way I want to and the way you deserve to, it’s Omega. Plus he’s being put on a special diet to bring his weight down and bring my weight up. So really, it’s us that need each other to balance each other out and for you, you deserve the perfect mate, even if it takes the two of us to give it to you.” Echo reassured you. 

“Really?” You asked, as tears began to well in your eyes as you wanted to pinch yourself because this was almost too good to be true and more than you ever thought you could ask for. 

“Really.” Echo and Omega answered. 

“So, just…the three of us? Together? Happily ever after? No guilt or bad feelings or jealousy or resentment or…?” You tried to ask them, making sure they were still perfectly ok with it. 

“No bad feelings, only good.” Omega reassured you. 

“Oh thank you.” You thanked them as you hugged them both at the same time and were just so happy and over the moon that you literally got to have them both!

And before you knew it, you were in a mating ball, all between you, Omega and Echo. Omega reached around you and put his fingers over your womanly mound and finally between Omega’s fingers, and Echo’s cock, it was just right. And your rear opening was happy to flip up and to feel all of Omega’s cock finally slide into it, as it was actually a perfect fit for him as you were happy that between Echo’s hold on your waist and one breast while Omega had a hold of your pussy from the front and the other breast and between both of their mouths on you and both of them assuring you and reassuring you of their whole hearted love, and devotion and affection before they moved and actually kissed each other which both intrigued and thrilled you to see for you as it was clear that they both liked it each other both for your sake and yet for their own as well. Which you supposed was a good thing if the three of you were going to be living together and cohabitate happily. 

Omega got you to cum from the top spot just as Echo got the bottom spot to get you to orgasm too before they both filled you full, Omega getting all the folds that Echo hadn’t already gotten himself and you were beyond happy, pleasured and satisfied, leaving you in the middle between them as they both hugged you and each other as Omega’s arm was the perfect pillow for you and for Echo. 

“That, that was way better than last time.” Echo grinned as you and Omega laughed. 

“Yeah,” you both readily agreed.

Once you all recovered, you were happy to eat what they had gotten before it was announced that all paired and mated couples- to please get ready to go as all of you got all of your things and waited as you saw all your sisters happily wait with Omega’s brothers while your brothers were happy with their pair of wives as they were all wore big happy smiles before you, Omega and Echo were picked up and put into a special home that was clearly meant to to keep the three of you in a kind of tank that was both meant to be something of a micro-mermad hospital but also for a mated pairs so that Echo could start treatment for his ailment while Omega got on a diet. 

And to your utter relief, Echo responded very well to the medication and didn’t need to have the surgery. Before the three of you got moved to Mandy's home since Mandy was Ethel's go to for special micro care. Mandy's collection housed all of the other micros who had special needs, either health, like diabetes or other ailments. And Ethel subsidized all of Mandy's medication needs and dietary needs of her collection. And while all of Echo's kids would have to be marked to keep an eye out for hyperthyroidism in the future, otherwise they'd be perfectly fine and perfectly healthy.

And by the time you were ready to finally birth the clutch. both Echo and Omega looked perfectly healthy, even though Omega’s size was still bigger than that of Echo but otherwise they had both evened out gorgeously and you couldn’t be happier about it. Now most of Omega's fat had been exersized and dieted away, but left a vast majority of his bulk and strength and they were both given great bills of health.

And watching both of them working together, especially as you laid in the nest as they took turns in putting each precious egg into it's socket with the perfect amount of incubation goo to stick them together and into the socket. 

And when the eggs hatched, they were happy to call Omega ‘Big Daddy’ and Echo ‘Skinny Daddy’. And thanks to you having two very loving mates meant that everyone had two fantastic and excellent examples of what great fathers could be and what to look for in perfect mates, but not in physical attributes, but in mind, heart and soul. Because that's where a person's true nature was, and if that was beautiful or handsome, the rest of them wouldn't and shouldn't matter and to that they needed to look past physical appearances to see the true person of the heart beyond them.

[walliam-ribbiton]

ok…so the live action little mermaid…

i saw some review videos and i have like, two points i wanna share.

halle bailey doesnt deserve to act in a really poor production like this, actually change that- none of the actors, even awkwafina of all actors, do not deserve to partake in a very crappy remake. sure I understand that there was effort put into this, but the cgi tho…and *ursula voice* BODY LANGUAGE…sorry, but the original movie had more expression than the actors. halle you tried your best, and i wish your career recovers after this 🙏🙏🙏 (we dont talk about scuttlebutt)

im sure nobody even cares about these characters because they die in the og movie, but im gonna talk about them anyways. so, flotsam and jetsam…they don’t even talk in the movie, THEY’RE JUST EELS. literally WHAT is the purpose of them being in the remake if they’re just speechless and all they do is tag alongside ursula and just, make vortexes, like literally in the og their voices added so much charm and character to them, not to mention THEIR EYES!!! THEIR YELLOW EYE FORMS AN ORB!!! does this happen in the live action??? well, no, dont think so.

[varianwinchester]

You know following @thestorytimeguy has made me realize of all the stories and history that have been neglected from different backgrounds. Latino and Aztec/Mesoamericano stories but also African and African American stories. But neglected I mean we hear so often iterations of the Brothers Grimm, Aesops Fables, Hans Christian Andersen, etc. and not those stories. Stories from a racially diverse background.

We are getting a new The Little Mermaid.

I’ve always been distant with these live action remakes because they seem like a downgrade to the beautiful original. Flawed as some of them may be these originals have worth. It is way much more worth than these live action remakes that offer more often than not poor soundtracks, extra time and for what? The same exact story! Nothing new is really not added! And if things are altered the changes feel weird because you know they are changes! And the special effects although props to all the workers, they just don’t have the same freedom animation has and can’t do the scenes already done good justice. They cater to the nostalgia of their older audience and leave their new audiences confused on these attempts sometimes.

I digress, anyways… this “Ariel” is black and yk the rest of her sisters are racially diverse too (I hope this is given a purpose like each sister comes from and rules a separate ocean of the seven seas, that would be cool) but like when Ariel’s actress was announced I wasn’t one of those people who were like “that’s not how Ariel is supposed to look like” but I also don’t see their reasoning. Is this supposed to be representation? Because even though there’s not really a “supposed to” for a mythical creature this is a white story. I do hope there’s a purpose like the aforementioned because then you have your POC with a story that is not their own. That is not REPRESENTING them.

I mean unless you do something exciting with a remake or retelling. Because Disney is doing both with this Little Mermaid- remember Hans Christian Andersen’s little mermaid was some different. I think like despite the story of The Frog Prince being German, the remix The Princess and the Frog put on it- showing the culture of New Orleans, putting role model relationships and a role model princess- is representation going right. Although yeah I agree the whole half a movie as a frog is a bit of the opposite of representation you still have the cast diverse (the crew could use some work but through the movie you can at least tell they did their research). There’s a new trailer of the upcoming Little Mermaid out… and the first teaser was honestly exciting I had hopes anticipating what they might do for this remake. How naive I am. This new trailer showed the EXACT SAME SCENES AS THE 1989 MOVIE. Dude the EXACT same dialogue. I know because I know it like the back of my hand! (Ariel was my sister’s favorite princess) How disappointing it was! I will say maybe a wider view “I-can-show-you-the-world” Under the Sea sequence sounds cool and the way Ursula’s tentacles lit up was real cool.

I had some disconnect when I saw Halle Bailey react to her Ariel doll. Which is amazing don't get me wrong! I really don't know why I felt this, maybe because she said Ariel was her favorite Disney character and now it looks like her. I hope I am not insensitive in saying that I don't quite understand that?

I mean when it comes to dolls I know there's like a whole other history and issues- some I am sure linked to film, so that is a whole other branch in topic. But my feelings I am referring to is besides dolls. More of referring to the argument that it is good for Ariel to be a POC for the young generations to see “themselves” in roles they would want to emulate. I do hope that kids aren’t limited by skin color. I hope that they don’t look at these animated princesses and think “I can never be them, I’m not white.” Be whoever you want to be in heart and outfits/dress-up. (A different story if literally working in parks of course.) It’s not like I don’t understand though what it means to see your color on the screen. Even despite dressing up as Cinderella and Snow White when I was young, having a favorite princess in the former, I still had felt this ethereal connection to Pocahontas. Although not my culture (not anyone's really) it meant something that she looked like me.

I guess that is what they are striving for with this remake. But we have on come so far from the thinking of the 90s to just take that now. On the matter of it doesn't matter what the princess or hell superhero looks like, let me clarify: yes that is a bit of a “colorblind” statement and I still stand by that for I contend it is the right kind of clot blindness for a child to have. But as adults, as movie creators, and occupants of this society that race was built into, we can't be colorblind because you neglect the trials, tribulations, and triumphs behind the race. And that is what this "representation" does.

That's what this new Little Mermaid is. I applaud the representation of movies like Moana and Encanto, their flaws still present, these films gave the adventure and role models and lessons and culture behind the ethnicity of these characters. The cast and characters delivering their own new stories. THEIR OWN.

Like aside from race representation, what I think would be a bit more than surface level representation would be casting queer actors in the roles of Ariel and Ursula. This movie and story is a queer allegory through and through. The mermaid who had body dismorphia, who didn't belong. That was the story when (possibly queer) Hans Christian Andersen wrote it and that essence remained in Disney’s 1989 adaptation – of course in their version the mermaid gets the happy ending well in the OG she did not. As far as I can tell Halle Bailey is not queer. Melissa McCarthy is a strong ally, and in fairness she has performed as a drag queen. Which if you didn’t know the design for Ursula was inspired by drag queen Divine. And she apparently "stays true" to animated Ursula. Which again- mixed feelings after all if you are going to make a live action, make it your own! Not a copy, not Will Smith trying to be Robin Williams’ Genie. Make it Will Smith being Will’s Genie.

But Ursula I think they went the safe route because although the queer community has pretty much claimed the sea witch as their own, the issue of and complexity of queer coding villains arises. Yet I’m still in favor for Alex Newell playing Ursula. That’s based on merit too! Like did you HEAR their performance on Disney’s Pride celebration?? Since maybe with that fan-cast other issues might come about, hear me out, instead of a live action Little Mermaid, what about- another Alex Newell featuring project- Once on This Island?!

Once on This Island is a musical adaptation of 1985 novel “My Love, My Love; or, The Peasant Girl” by Rosa Guy, a Caribbean retelling of Has Christian Andersen’s fairy tale The Little Mermaid. It was nominated for 8 Tony Awards back in 1991. It would be an excellent story to put to the screen! A fact that Disney even acknowledged. Disney+ announced a pro shot of the stage version back in 2020 and no one’s followed up, so here’s me following up!