#also i like it when mers are actually fishy

[menuliso]

it’s…. merzuku… mer izuku….

[return-to-twisted-wonderland]

Imagine if Yuu was the tweels’ baby sibling. They were only a lil baby/fry when they disappeared. They could full on match Floyd’s manic energy but were able to be calculated like Jade. Instead of heterochromia their eyes are grey with a haunting gold ring around the pupils. They love squeezing and holding onto their big brothers (thus why Floyd has his habit) and were always curious about the world, especially the land (why Jade loves to explore and make terrariums). It was a horrible day when Yuu disappeared, it actually broke the Leech family. But now they’re back. And Yuu has to relearn their mer-folk ways, like how the octo-trio had to learn how to walk and other land things, cause the world they lived in had no magic/mermaids. But Yuu has always felt a pull to the ocean, especially eels and sea snakes.

Oh I could go on but I just love thinking of a trio of eels causing chaos. Especially how Yuu reacts to Azul (maybe a lil jealous of having the brothers attention but also Yuu could be just as manipulative). Omg Yuu flirts and the tweels get protective! Uh! I gotta stop now before I write a book :)

Poor Riddle, now there's a third one. Maybe they'll be tamer than their brothers-nope, nope, nope.

Jade and Floyd pick up the familiar scent even over the smells of everything else happening. But they're both doubting it until they hear that laughter that's a mix of theirs coming from the hooded figure watching everything.

"You're a hoot, little fishie!" The laughter is high like floyd's but carries that 'fufufu' of Jade's. "Causing all of this shit just because you wanna be a great mage!"

"I am gonna be a great mage!" Grim tries to avoid Riddle and Azul.

Floyd runs towards the figure with his arms high in the air. "LITTLE FRY!"

The figure whips around and Jade is met with the olive and gold ringed eyes of the infamous third leech sibling.

Yuu Leech grins wide, showing off their serrated teeth. "BIG FRY!"

Floyd scoops them up in a laugh as they swing around the still on fire room. Jade calmly joins them and snatches Yuu from Floyd.

"Yuu."

"J~" Yuu reaches for him and Jade wraps them up in a bone crushing hug. "I missed my brothers!"

Floyd joins in on the hug and the trio start laughing, very oblivious to the numerous frighten looks their way.

"T-there's three of them?" Riddle mutters.

"There's three of them." Azul sighs and places a hand on his fellow dorm leader's shoulder.

May the seven have mercy on anyone Yuu fancies. They have to deal with two overprotective brothers.

[mochiimadness]

hi 👋🏽 can I please request some hcs for Leo & Donnie (individually) with an S/O who’s a sea monster (like from the movie Luca)??

Sorry for the long wait! Hope you enjoy ^^

I love sea monster characters sm

Rise! Leo and Donnie (separately!) with a sea monster S/O!

Neon Leon

Leo thinks your sea monster form is amazing!

Especially if you have hair

You're telling him not only can you have wonderful locks-

It also turns into frills/scales?!

He will always stare in awe during your transformations

Or as he says

"Trans-mer-ations- eh, eh??? Get it? Like a mer-"

We get it, Leo.

Makes a ton of sea related puns

"Huh, something seems fishy here, and I don't mean you, S/O." *Wink*

If you like the puns, good for you! He'll make a ton!

If you don't, he legally cannot stop in accordance to the laws of the universe, sorry.

Just kidding!

He will stop if the jokes make you uncomfortable, don't worry ^^

He's also amazed at just how much faster you are in the water

Your tail looks beautiful but it packs a punch!

Leo leaps back when you slam your tail into an incoming angry yokai

They go flying

Literally gets sent past multiple buildings

And you??

You just turn back around with a smile like it was nothing

"How- you just- Woah!"

You've rendered him speechless, congrats!

He's thoroughly impressed.

Although he doesn't absolutely love the water,

He still enjoys it!

He likes to go swimming with you

And since he's a turtle, he can stay underwater with you for quite a while!

While underwater, he loves to do the red eared slider flutter motion

This means he'll gently tap his hands to the sides of your face

It's his way of saying he loves and appreciates you!

You two will also have mini competitions to see who could do the most tricks in the water

You usually win these,

Using your tail to help propel yourself into high flips

Kind of like a dolphin!

Leo still puts up a good fight though!

You both have a whale of a time

Don Tron

When Donnie first met you he double- no, triple checked his scanners because he couldn't believe his eyes

You're an actual sea monster!?

This is a scientific breakthrough!

He's absolutely fascinated with you

With you permission,

He takes down notes and runs tests on you

"How do your scales disappear? Are they still there but just a different color?? Where does your tail go????"

While you may not have all the answers, you still do your best to help ^^

He genuinely thinks your sea monster form is cool!

He's not that surprised at your strength

But he still finds it amazing

You just tipped over an entire boat like it was nothing!

"That deserves at least 80 cool points."

He actually has a tally of how many cool/scary/rad points everyone has

As a soft shelled turtle,

He feels at home in the water

Absolutely loves to go swimming with you

It's one of his favorite past times!

While he may not have a strong tail like you,

He's actually able to keep up decently well with you!

You both often have races and set up under water obstacle courses

You two compete so often, it's actually become a sort of challenge in the lair

The fam will place bets on who will win this time

Donnie does construct some water proof tech to help out,

And in return you get to pull out all the stops and swim without needing to hold back

"Loser has to buy pizza for a month!"

"Oh you're on!"

Hello! I hope you enjoyed. Sorry for the super long wait!

[the-trinket-witch]

PlayfulLand Theories before the event starts!

Everybody's excited for the New Twst Halloween Event coming to the JP servers, right? I am too. These bones been rattlin' since I found out. And my brain has been rotting with theories and predictions. Are they baseless? Likely. I would like to say I've seen enough of a pattern in this game to see a familiar plot coming down the pipe. Call it grasping at straws or pareidolia, but I'm having fun turning this all in my brain. Everybody in the Brainrot Buggie, we're making wild guesses and throwing shit at the wall to see what is right. 

(SPOILERS FOR TWST PLAYFULLAND EVENT, TWST CH. 6, BLACK BUTLER: BOOK OF CIRCUS. CW for Child Abuse, manipulation/loss of physical faculties, and general body horror)

Biggest takeaway from this theory dump: Fellow and Gidel aren't the main antagonists of this event. 

"But Trinket, they're the face of the event! How are they not the Big Bads?" I hear you wonder. It's because they weren't the Main Antagonists in their own source material. These two were:

Stromboli and The Coachman.

Assuming anyone reading has already watched the 1940 film, will note these two are connected to Honest John and Gideon/The Fox and Cat by their financial dealings. The Coachman in specific pays the Two for them to round up boys to bring to Pleasure Island to meet their fates. In most iterations of Pinnochio, Mangiafuoco/Stromboli and The Coachman are two separate entities. One adaptation, though, combines them. And while I will not delude myself to think it was an inspiration for the potential 'Actual Big Bad', an idea came to mind when thinking of the character from the 1996 The Adventures of Pinnochio, Lorenzini. A couple ideas, actually…

But before I get to that, where else in Toboso-sensei's work have we seen Charismatic Gingers in Circus Settings who are the bait-and-switch 'face' of a story arc?

That's right:

Joker. 

I guess not really 'bait and switch', but a lot of emphasis was put on him as a character when Book of Circus first came out. But then he and the rest of the Circus troupe began mentioning a man they called Father. Baron Kelvin. 

Before his obsession sparked for Ciel, he was a philanthropist who could have been considered a good man. But in the state we meet him in for the first time in BoC, he's a completely changed man obsessed with becoming physically appealing to Phantomhive, to the detriment of the children who had and would come under his 'care'. Their bones became the ceramic used to give prostheses to the rest of the circus. 

What if we're gearing up to have a similar figure 'pulling the strings' in this coming event? An amalgamation of Stromboli/The Coachman/Baron Kelvin…and Monstro the Whale? 

"Why Monstro? We already have a reference with Azul's cafe!"

Remember Lorenzini that I mentioned earlier?

He's also a combination of The Puppetmaster, Coachman, and Whale.  What if this Combination character… was a Whale merman? A merman looking for a different way to stay human, in a sense 'Become a Real Boy'? What if his transition to humanity has him stuck in one location out of the way? What if this is all a trap to sap the life/magic out of these boys so he can shirk his mer form for permanent legs? While it could be a stretch to say this is the case, lemme see if I can coherently explain…

@thecosmicjackalope posed the notion that the extraneous went characters might in some way be foils/parallels to the Overblot Gang. So far we have Idia getting a parallel with Rollo (two siblings dealing with the grief over the death of their brother), what if this is an event paralleling Azul and his dynamic with The Tweels? 

Shady fish men with (possible) varying degrees of disgust with their mer forms

Equally fishy business practices

Employ more physically capable individuals to do his 'legwork'

Plan(ned) on having the student body of NRC under their thumb of servitude

Employ magical tactics to entice and bind those they want into their grasp.

On top of all of this, what if his magic extends to both Fellow and Gidel? What if those two are just a regular fox and cat given sentience to do a whale's dirty work? Would they turn back after being defeated? That would explain the motivation, outside of just 'I'm getting paid handsomely to bring these boys in and not ask questions'. Even if this part is all thrown out the window, the idea that a shady Ringmaster lording over Playfulland just won't leave me. So then, what else can I guess about this event? (NOTE: THESE ARE ALL QUESTIONS AND THEORIES, not posed by much/any evidence)

The costumes/masks might specifically be used to control the boys. In a way similar to The Beast and the trees of Over the Garden Wall, thanks to @squidwen for the notion, maybe the masks progressively creep up on the NRC boys both subduing them, and eventually sapping them of life/magic? What if the incentive for the boys to act 'like jackasses' is how the mask takes root/grows? What if the end result (the host losing their life/stores of magic) their bones turn to wood?  What if the park is literally built of the Bones of Fairgoers Past?

Something I already began to theorize about when the announced SSRs came out was: why those three were picked.

Ortho we know shares A LOT of parallels/references to Pinocchio already. It's basically a given that he'd be a part of this. He is naive and fresh, so he could very well follow wanderlust wherever (by whoever) inspires it.  But why Kalim and Ace? Ideas for each:

Kalim:

He's a trusting person (played as 'To his own detriment')

A bit of a party animal

One to go with the flow, isn't quick to realize he's in deep shit til it's too late

Ace:

Brutally honest

Brother worked at a theme park. (Possible enticement to bring him in, on the promise of finding him somehow?)

One of the biggest liars of the cast-couple that with his immaturity and quick willingness to shirk responsibility, he's a prime candidate to pick off to someplace that promises leisure and fun away from school.

All three of the SSR boys are technically prime folk to lure off to the equivalent of Pleasure Island. Kalim with his weak will and shortsightedness, Ortho with his lack of experience both as a bot and now as a legit person, and Ace again because he has the most maturing to make for this arc. If anybody becomes a literal donkey in all of this: I can see it most likely being Ace. 

Assuming the rest of the Event Cast are only there on the premise of having drawn the short straw and not able to go to the Glorious Masquerade, I don't have any other theories for them. (Though I gotta say I'm digging the much more blatant Mad Hatter Ref in Trey's design.) A gameplay theory I had is that maybe we have to fight them to 'cut them loose', with eventually Ortho, Kalim and Ace being the 'final' bosses of the event, who defend the Puppetmaster in one final stand. 

For a TL:DR:

It's Book of Circus 2: Electric Boogaloo if it was written by Neal Shusterman (of Full Tilt fame). A Fishman wants to be a Real Boy, masks are terrifying, and Ace is an immature clown who's gonna get a lotta folks put in danger.

[jess-themess05]

Favorite fics?

oh geez. i’m gonna try keep it sweet and simple less i go on and make it unbearable to read. also these summaries are gonna be terrible but i think all of these are gonna be fnaf sun and moon fics i’m SORRY ITS IN MY HEAD BUT ANYWAYS- SHORT N SWEET LES GO

A Dose of Sunshine and Starlight - @give-me-your-monsters a slow burn w/ lots of angst and bittersweet-ness aww but you are all mentally ill.

Bug Love - @theohnocorral the boys are now bug-ified gods and take a liking to a mortal who probably apologies to inanimate objects

Universal Jesters - @lovelymoonmagic you accidentally become the handler to pair of bots with memory loss and mystery trauma

it was, in reality, not fine - @bones-of-a-rabbit you, the reader, have the self preservation skills as a bowl of soup. also oblivious to love hehe

Late Night to Early Morning - Loyal_Backstabber reader meets neglected robot clowns and vows to risk their life for them

Solar Lunacy - @bamsara its- ITS SOLAR LUNACY. anyways you meet certified murder robots and say i can fix em, they’re gonna fix u too.

copper cogs rusted through - @paper-lilypie “oh what’s this, one of these jesters tried killing me? eh it’s fine” then you fall in love

Rotating Shifts - LightningTriceratops protag mistakes sun for unconscious, jaundice ridden man and realizes he’s a robot with a not dead brother and separation anxiety

basically ANYTHINGGG by @naffeclipse , but the first story i ever read from them was In Deep Dreams Between the Waves very different fro, eclipse in sleuth jesters cause he’s actually decent. (also poor vanessa girl don’t get a break)

Clowning Around - EngageSage you overcome your anxiety to protect a poor jester, and are fueled by spite to fuck up moon man for being a certified bitch

Celestial hearts in a purple mind - @kabra-malvada *finds ominous object* *touches it* *is shocked to find they are possessed*

Twin Animatronics With Too Much Time on Their Hands - @twinanimatronics & @dana-chan-the-control-brain you fall in love and fight the temptation to resurrect a dead dude and kill him again

The Night Shift - @certified-handler oopsie you now work with a needy jester who sweeps you off your feet, even more oopsie he turns into a psychopath when the lights go out and triple oopsie you fall in love with HIM too

Star Crossed Souls - @faz-friendly-light-up-shoes reader said “god give me a sign i’ll find love.” gets the sign, and ignores it

404: Personal Space Not Found - CrazedAuthor anxiety filled individual thinks they will be fixed by a child supervisor, gets surprised by his stab happy twin

Celestial Syzygy - @echoingkarma you’re like the jack of all trades, including befriending animatronics who may or may not hate you (and want to maim you) you are probably underpaid.

My Neighbor Mr. Roboto - @kagedbird oh what’s this? you think moving into your new apartment will be simple and boring? WRONG there’s a robot in your closet. and everywhere- why are there so many-

Apology Flowers and Blooming Hours - @daunsun you’d think sentient flowers would have no angsty backstory huh? well actually...

Our Orbit is Elliptical - @sycopomp like your intrusive thoughts came to life, and you choose to ignore them

Lost and Found - SmolShampoo technology is so cool right guys? you got ai, and that ai can get traumatized! how cool??

Stare at the Abyss; It Might Look Back - @characcoon reader becomes a human punching bag and finds new rusty robot roommates. once they escape a deteriorating child’s play place they walked into

Ventura Highway - @madamemiz says “hey is anyone gonna take this robot?” and doesn’t wait for an answer.

Repaired Unstable - @blonde-fraumell you decide to work alongside your childhood friend! oh how non threatening he was- hey why’s this man TEN FEET TALL. and why’s this other man so kickable.

also, obligatory mer may fics! even though it’s no longer may these are still being updated :D

Luminescent Charm - @finfiprince reader finds the fishy dudes they saved as a kid in a cage, continues to spite god until they can save them

Celestial Omens (that really like Fishsticks) - @bamsara (again yes) you save two scared bastard fish and feed them in your bathroom, a decade later they see u and go “well they gave us fishsticks no drowning for them”

The Sea Jesters are Real Science - MatosaurusRex & sixty_nine13 your idol hires you to take care of real life mer! wow! unfortunately being their therapist wasn’t in the contract

Pisces Caelestis - S_V i’m a little scared of reader. they got attacked by a mer and passed out for 3 days and said “yeah lmao i’ll be fine” nO YOU WONT-

[fitzs-space]

I absolutely love ur mer designs for Etho, Grian and our lovely sea monster ofc lol. Do you have any more in depth refs for their designs, id love to see more of how they look if possible! /nf ofc

only really had the couple rough sketches for their designs unfortunately! given its how I work with most of my stuff with just quick sketches like this. But I'll give the couple details I remember adding into their designs! Main notes will be I spent more time on Etho because I knew they'd be seen the most,, also that this this Is a default of how I've always drawn mermaids, with the whole dark eyes and covered in scales and fins, more siren esk in a sense.

with Etho the main things I remember adding is chancing the headband and gloves to be more like kelp being wrapped around/ braided, because In general I like drawing mermaid outfits with a more found object type vibe to them. the other main thing was intentionally giving them 9 fins in their design, 6 on the tail, 2 on their fourarms, and the one on the back. Cause I enjoy drawing Etho with the kitsune vibe. even though I;ve only ever drawn them with the full ears n tail like,, once or twice? who knows.

Also! points points, finally had an excuse to draw their tattoos!

only notes I really had for Grian was wanting him to have the rounded Fins cause feather vibes. and I never really looked up actual fish or animals when I draw quick designs, so I go off pure vibes and vague memory of what I think the animal looks like,,, and we end up with stuff like this.

and drew them with the void damage again! thought it would look pretty to have a tail and scales that looked like a void/spacelike. and It wouldn't have been a good colour pallet to have him in just pure red with the poncho and tail bein the same colour. I did also try the white hair too, even just being streaks like my s5 Ex design, but It wasn't really working out.

I looked at my old design of Xb and went, "what can I do to make this being even prettier." and here we are /hj the full sea monster style Is something only like five of the hermits would have seen, so its not a common thing. I'd like to think Xb also like triples in size when like this, but its hart to show that when its just a single character shot like this. the default Xb design I will use is the "just some guy" kinda thing with only a couple fishy details if you look close enough. the whole a couple scales around the eyes like freckles and a vague impression of gills that are mostly covered up buy the hoodie anyways. the third eye is something Xb always keeps closed, and is normally hidden behind bangs

yada yada, I draw my Xb design as a character who just does everything to act as "Just some guy" and not as a full on monster of the deep sea kind thing only other design notes would be me adding the runes into Xb's horns, cause I've got some random magics lore Ideas, and I've been meaning to also add some to Tango's design as well and I originally had drawn Xb's earrings as a way to match with Hypnos, forgot that I drew this one with just a teardrop,, but I know my Hypno design does have both a eye and a bell on his earrings. Silly reference to a cool fic that was a good chunk of inspiration to how I characterize my Xb

Idk, not as many thoughts behind these designs as I had in the ties comic, but still a couple none the less!

[weekend-whip]

📓❕️❕️❕️

Source Prompt

wELL for starters there's ironically the lack of plot for the mermaid au that's been giving me brainrot since last year (in which that's still the technically bare-bones plot I've got lol), and only this snippet has made it to the internet, with everything else just being a general blob of barely connected bleh...on top of the fact that I changed up/expanded some of the concepts:

Zane and Pixal and now fully human (for irony), not just Zane, and they run a bakery/coffee shop together! On the side they work as volunteer beach conservationists, as they are of the belief that merpeople walk among them (also they somehow know Cole's secret but don't confront him about it until he's ready), but it's also this open comfort and concern for merpeople that draws Cole to them in the first place

Cole's still a hobbyist artist and dj by night, but in the day he helps out around Zane's shop (working extra for free cake) and assists with beach clean-up every now and then too (along with Sunni, who is a very vocal advocate for the environment in this scenario). He's always stuck watching how perfect Zane and Pixal are for/with each other and starts to desire something like that for himself. (i've also debated him on making him a pirate-without-being-a-pirate for the aesthetic, but maybe I'll just give him a hot adventurous sea-outfit instead)

The reason Miranda has her disability in this au is due to a fisherman attack, which translates to her mermaid form missing one arm and half of her tailfin. It's still easier for her to move around in water than it ever would be on land, so she's somewhat confined to the ocean, and Jesse feels obligated to stay with her because of it (despite how much she knows he wants to explore/live more of his life on land) and keeps trying to push him into joining Cole's adventures in the city

Harleigh actually gets to be kind of an antagonist–as its via her boat that Jesse and Miranda get caught up in when Cole makes his daring rescue, but I'm still chiseling out some of her motivations. Just know she gets to be a full pirate here hfgdfgd

Kai and Nya are now the children of two half-mers, resulting in their genes getting a little...weird. Neither of them are able to transform like their parents (or if they are able, it causes them a lot of pain), and as a result, Nya has a full mermaid form with more humanoid features, while Kai is a human stranded on land but has a lot of fishy features.

Jay, an octopus, thinks he's a full-blooded fish, but turns out he actually has a human dad. Might not be able to transform though, because eight underwater legs don't translate well to two human legs (okay just got the hilarious image of him trying to pull something off like that one octodad video game shgfdgfd), but again, still workshopping this

Lloyd and Skylor are powerful full-mers who can still transform regardless, but they still look remarkably non-human/fishy even when on land. Skylor spends more time on land, while Lloyd spends more time in the ocean. And I know we've deliberated on it in the past, but I still haven't nailed down what kind of fish I want Lloyd (and Skylor) to be just yet either. I don't even know if they're even going to have a big enough role in the story to warrant a full-on backstory—I just wanted them to be included xD

[14dayswithyou]

Sorry Ren/Redacted (actually not sorry), how could I love and be with you when I have Mer Ren? Look at him, he's so squishy and soft and says 'plz' and 'yoo' and gives me all the fish and shells I want. He's also packing double if you know what I mean. *lipbite*

✦゜ANSWERED: For a bit of context, Winndy is the CEO and creator of Mer Ren, and there's even a discord bot with silly lil prompts dedicated to him!! They're meant to come across like Mer Ren is texting you (or at least, trying to), which is why he sometimes uses "plz" and "yoo" ^^

Also just a small note: there's going to be slight 14DWY spoilers/references that allude to Ren's bad end if you squint hard enough!! This also isn't proofread because I need to stay on brand hehe

"Is... Is that what you want? W-Would it make you happy?" There's a hint of sadness laced within his tone before Ren's bittersweet expression turns into a fabricated smile. So... you've already moved on from the Haruko hyperfixation and wanted something more fishy?

Consider it done.

Ren would've walked to the ends of the earth if you asked him to. Hell, he'd even rip out his own heart and put it on a platter if it brought a smile to your face. There was nothing he wouldn't do to make you happy, and if altering parts of himself was necessary, then he'd do it without any hesitation.

But it was altering your memory that had him second-guessing his actions.

Shaking his head to steel his thoughts, Ren offers you one last look of reassurance before he takes a step back and closes his eyes. And just like that fateful day when you met him in the library, you can only stand there helplessly as reality begins to flicker, bend, and glitch around the both of you.

But just when you thought you were getting accustomed to the unfamiliar feeling surrounding you; a blinding white light envelopes your vision as you feel everything snap back into place.

Blinking once, twice, then once more, you notice that everything remained much the same as you remembered, except...

Wait.

Did Ren always have dark hair and wide, beady eyes? Has that jellyfish-like bell cape always sat atop his pale, purple shoulders? And since when were you inside a dimly lit bioluminescent grotto?

You're pulled away from your thoughts when Ren — your Ren, you remembered; who you rescued from a tangled mess of netting all those years ago — reaches a webbed hand towards your face to gently cup your cheek. That very same bittersweet smile rests on his countenance as you watch it slowly morph into that of melancholy, turmoil, and finally, dedication.

Well, it seems that just a single glance at your awed expression was more than enough to calm Ren's racing thoughts and put his mind at ease.

"...Happy now, yes? You'll stay here with Ren forever? Please?" Ren's voice comes out hoarse (almost like he wasn't used to talking in your language) as his other webbed hand moves to rest on your arm and anchor you close to him — though you knew you could easily brush it off if you really wanted to.

"Ren—" A shake of his head, "Your Ren will always make you happy! Ren promises! So stay here forever and ever and ever! ...Please."

[the-ninja-legacy-whip]

hey! this is chance & here’s week 3’s prompt. share an excerpt that you’re very proud of from any of your wips.

(I'm a little late to the party but shhhh—) (maybe this will help me actually finish the wip—)

@gloomiermood-so tagging u since I know you really enjoyed the mermaid!au before :3

. . .

Cole’s life is hilariously ironic.

He knows down to his very soul that he's a man of the earth through and through. He loves the feel of a cliff against his palms while climbing mountains, the crunch of dirt beneath him as he hikes along a trail, and even finds himself enthralled whenever there’s a quake rippling through the ground. Regardless, it’s easy for him to understand why his mother had been so drawn to it all as well.

And yet, he was still inexplicably drawn to the sea.

He uses the excuse that the sea is his muse: he does his best thinking here, gets inspired for new setlists for his nightclub DJ gigs, finds a renewed motivation to draw whenever he gazes into the mysteries of the waves…but, while all of that is true, he knows the real truth.

Normally, he’d put his headphones on while he draws, to really zen out while getting lost in his sea of creativity. But lately…there’s a certain subject of the sea that he can’t help but have his eye on.

...and also an ear.

Cole's gaze falls shut, letting his hearing become the dominant sense. It takes a few minutes, but Cole catches it—mellifluous notes born from a voice of velvet, copying the ocean waves as they both crash against the shoreline. Though no words are formed within the melody, there's still a...beckoning sort of quality to it, one that has pulled Cole's attention since the very first time he'd been privy to it.

And with a song that magical, it could only be conjured up by a creature both musician and magician in equal parts.

Hoisting his bag closer to his body, Cole moves stealthily down to the rocks beneath the pier, down to a secret spot he's been visiting frequently for the last few days.

From this vantage point, he can see—the mermaid that sings the song of sirens.

In a rather cliché fashion—if Cole does think so himself—the lithe merman lies himself upon his favorite rock at the crack of noon, basking in the unmarred rays of the sun. The scattering light makes the pink scales of his tail glitter like the stars of a late evening sky. The tip of his translucent tail-fin traces absent circles in the water, in time with the beat of the ethereal notes tumbling from his lips. The song floats along the sea breeze, capable of fishing in boats just as boats fish in...well, fish.

A lesser human, certainly, would fall victim to those dulcet tones in a heartbeat. Cole would claim he is not a lesser man, but…not even he is immune to the charm.

Still, the merman seems to only sing for his own pleasure and amusement; the notes aren’t loud nor intense enough to truly drag a sailor into the depths. No, Cole can tell—the creature’s only singing for the joy of it…and when fueled by the pure act of creation, that’s when the most memorable art is made.

Perched upon his own rock, though one bathed in cool shadows as opposed to the welcoming sun, Cole sketches the scene before him–the latest in his growing batch of mermaid illustrations. He's a bit upset that he can’t capture the song itself in strokes of charcoal, but he does his best to put the rest of the mer’s striking features to paper—the silly swoop of his pink-tipped burgundy hair, each fishy prong of his extra little fins, the delicate droplets that cascade down the expanse of his back, the way the scales of his tail fade into smooth sun-kissed skin, and those iridescent fuchsia eyes…

For lack of an actual name, Cole decides to nickname this mystery mer Fuchsia.

Cole never makes a move to draw the mer’s attention, nor ever get any closer. The days when he catches even a glimpse of Fuchsia are rare—as the merman is a rather jumpy one, and flees at the first sign of potential trouble—but the potency of his music keeps the pencil gliding across Cole’s page anyway. Even without his so-called muse sitting directly before him, Fuchsia still manages to inspire Cole.

The thought makes a certain warmth bloom in Cole’s chest, but he crumples it into a ball and stamps it down. Alluring, mystifying, and pretty though the mer may be, there’s no way he’d want anything to do with Cole, especially if the siren song isn’t being used to lure anyone in. Fuchsia's got his own world to live in, just as Cole has his.

Yet...a certain amount of longing remains present in the notes. For what reasons, however, Cole can't place.

It's simply a feeling that resonates in his heart...and, if Cole could, is a tune he'd like to resonate back.

A boat honks in the distance, cutting Fuchsia's song short. He flails in a startled panic and immediately dives—well, tumbles—back in the water with a resounding splash, while Cole sighs with disappointment. But, he's still faintly amused at how skittish his little mermaid muse is. It’s endearing.

Cole lingers, waiting for the boat to pass and waiting to see if Fuchsia will return for an encore. But Fuchsia appears to have had his fill of singing for the day, and Cole catches no glint of shimmering scales beneath the waters.

That’s fine, though. Cole’s seen and heard plenty enough today to work with…and daydream about.

...and besides, he likes to think he’s very good at keeping a seaborn secret.

[moonliched]

What are the "procedures" for then AI developes sapience ? Is Bon Bon in danger?

Sidenote: I love him and our characrer dynamics. 💕

I am melting a little every time Moon goes confuzed.

Cutting hair -*panics*

Removing mask - beak but detechapble??

Bon in a sub charging with battle cry GET LOST YOU FISHY PERV!! -cheeze and crackers WTF?!

Is Moon aware that he acts like a slut? (If mers don't wear clothes at all then I suppose they can't phantom what humans think of sticking hands in somebody's pants XD )

oohhh fic questions🥰

so it's not unheard-of for AIs to develop sentience, but the law is kinda imbalanced. essentially if an AI is found to have already developed sentience, it is then classified as a person under the law, and is then allowed to act independently of its intended purpose and even receive compensation for the work it does. it can't be non-consensually tampered with or deactivated. however, if an AI has early warning signs of developing sentience without having reached actual sentience yet, it's still company property and can then be altered or deactivated to prevent it from reaching personhood. some unscrupulous people may try to deactivate or alter sentient AIs to avoid having to pay them or source a new AI to use, if they think they can get away with it. so BON-BON is absolutely in danger, but it's a nebulous one - it could be that if he speaks up he'll receive assistance and support from Base, but he can't risk them potentially deactivating or lobotomising him. basically the procedure is to first establish sentience through tests, and then go through the legal process of granting him personhood if he passes. but the test is at their leisure, so if they decided to just fail him and shut him down, they could. the system is flawed, and a lot of ppl know it. (also me too i fuckignfnnfjd LOVE him, and i wasn't expecting to😭)

i think alien/human cultural misunderstandings are like the most fun things to explore in this genre, esp if it's just a bit silly! Moon may not fully understand clothes, but he's absolutely trying the whoreish approach at times - look at when he's trying to draw Y/N close with smiles, humming, or the gentle approach. he's got a vague idea of the whole clothing issue from Y/Ns responses now, but understanding clothes absolutely won't stop him from continuing on as usual asdffghjkkl😅

[nonhumanhermitheadcanons]

Helloo there blog! I just recently checked out one of your fics about the mermits! It was interesting that I came up with a silly headcannon:

Every season of Hermitcraft, there’s always been this underwater place where mermaids exist. Every hermit is welcomed. It cost like a diamond to become a mermaid and experience being a mermaid! ( I remember it was in one of the fics)

I feel like at least all of the hermits experienced being a mermaid once!

I could probably go on and on about this lol

Helloo there anon! That's an interesting headcanon! The mermits have probably always had a place to go, and yeah, once they've revealed themselves to the other hermits we're sure the other hermits would be welcome!

For context, in this au the mermits are: Etho (who is the one that can cast a temporary mer spell on people), Grian, Hypno, Iskall, Impulse, Mumbo, Scar, Wels, and xB. We've done a few fics that include Etho turning other hermits into merpeople before; his spell lasts multiple days, during which the subject can't turn human again until the spell ends or either they or Etho die and respawn. Bdubs in H2DoubleO, Keralis in Sweetlips, Cub, Zedaph, and Xisuma in the main au fic, Deep Secrets, and Jevin in There Are Many Benefits to Being A Marine Humanoid. And may more Fishy adventures can be found in the full series.

See our list of hermits as Mers under the cut!

Bdubs would mostly visit a lot because Etho is there a lot - despite Etho always teasing him about his lovely pink mer tail. Bdubs insists that it's salmon-colored, to which Etho always points out that salmon aren't actually that color.

Beef wouldn't hesitate to get himself into the water, get a crash course on being a mer from his good friend Etho, and then insist that he taught him everything he knows :P

Cub would visit the mer palace frequently, too - he'd have fun as a mer. His tail is bright blue with highlights of white.

Doc's cybernetics may be waterproof, but that doesn't mean he necessarily likes to spend a lot of time in the water. It doesn't help that his merform is a bit unconventional. a ‘Leaf Sheep' sea slug to be exact.

False's tail one one of a sword fish, but she doesn't spend much time with the mers, she's busy being the queen of hearts and body parts. But once a Conduit was added, she's happy to pop by as a human.

Gem also doesn't really spend much time with the mers. She's visited once or twice; under Etho's spell her tail is very pretty and spotted, and her antlers turn into coral! But being stuck in the water for days with no legs is a little too disconcerting for her.

Jevin gets to be an octopus whenever he drops by! This is generally very conducive to him being a menace.

Joe is happy to stop by every now and again. Not to often but you know being a fish is quite conducive to building underwater. His tail is a pinstriped zebra fish.

Keralis has to stop by to see xB. All the time. His mer form is based on a very specific type of goldfish.

Pearl hit it off with a number of the mers when she was part of the Boatem crew, so she's happy to drop in whenever she needs a break. Maybe her mer form is based on a bogue - its scientific name is Boops boops :)

Ren very much prefers to keep his paws dry, but he's joined them a few times, as a dogfish shark of course

Tango doesn't like being a fish. He hasn't had a very good experience with it. Impulse and Zed did manage to peer pressure him into hanging out at the mer palace one time though. Never again, he tells them.

Cleo's mer form is a glass fish, meaning her spine is on full display within the tail. She's gone to the Mer hang out a few times but prefers to not get wet so she stays on land.

[darcymariaphoster]

Any characters, Mermaid AU where one character finds the mermaid character while fishing and has to secretly take care of them?

Hi! So, I uh, delayed on this long enough that I have actually written this for mer-May. Thank you so much for this prompt! I had a bit of fun with this one, and so I have to break it into two parts. Here is the first part!

Hope it's worth the wait! ❤

(Minor warning: There is a lot of swearing.)

It’s half past one in the morning and Tino is beyond annoyed at this point as he drags his…catch up the hill towards his home. He’s honestly not sure how he ended up with the creature he did, why the hell he’s hauling it up to his house of all places? But that’s just his luck. 

His job requires him to go check on reservoirs, make sure the pipes are still good for irrigation nearby. This one had had reports of clogging, and that the farmers who relied on the reservoir weren’t getting the water that they needed. So off Tino had gone, inspecting the pipes and watching the waters. At first, nothing seemed to be amiss and he thought he’d been sent on a job for laughs. And then he saw the fin. This giant fish fin, just out in the middle of the reservoir, where the biggest fish were no bigger than his foot. 

“What the hell,” he’d muttered and gone back to his truck to see what he could find to attempt to, well, catch this thing. He’s always been prepared for little things, but this was clearly beyond his paygrade. Still, he managed to find an old (and rather pathetic looking) net buried in the back of his truck bed and fought to untangle it as he made his way back down to the water. 

Tino hadn’t had high expectations for what he was going to find. In fact, he was really anticipating some sort of prank from the locals as he tossed his net in and sat down on the shore. The last thing he expected was a fucking merman to get caught up in his net. The miserable thing had surfaced tangled in the mess of a net, his expression very mopey and unhappy. Tino stared at him long and hard for several minutes as the merman struggled to make his way towards him, motioning for him to remove the net by pushing his hand up and tugging at it.

He’d heard of merpeople before, of course. Who hadn’t? But he’d grown up thinking they were like the “Little Mermaid”, and the top half wasn’t so…fishy? He was a rather washed out murky blue, and he clearly had gills on either side of his neck, which he was mindful of and continued to sink beneath the water’s surface after just a few moments above it. His eyes were this unnatural blue-green that were so deep, they appeared almost black when the sun hit his face just right. The kicker was the stupid fin, also tangled up in the net and very clearly attached to the man in front of him. 

And after the initial shock of having a merman in front of him, the panic set in. What the ever-living fuck was he supposed to do with a merman? He couldn’t call his boss -- he’d be laughed at. He couldn’t just leave the thing here -- he was causing problems, and he wasn’t supposed to be there. How did he get there anyway? He assumed the flooding that had happened recently; maybe he had come in with the rising rivers or something. Maybe someone really had tried to prank the town after finding him and dumped him here. All he knew was that the merman was not supposed to be there, and he could not stay there.

So Tino had hauled his net to the shore and dragged the merman up to where he could reach him and deal with the net. He had no idea what he was supposed to do at that point, just that he needed to get this thing out of the reservoir and somewhere else. But the thing clearly couldn’t breathe above water, and he didn’t want it to just die. It was a mess and a lot of work to get the merman back into the water but still within reach, and get the bed of his truck lined and filled with enough water that the merman could partially submerge himself and wouldn’t suffocate. By the time he’d gotten everything figured out and finished, and hauled the merman into the truck, the sun was starting to set. He’d untangled him from the net and climbed into the driver’s seat, taking a moment to sit there and realise that he had a merman in his truck. What is he supposed to do with him? 

So he does what any haggard, overworked person would do when they are overwhelmed -- he takes the damn thing home. 

And here we find him hauling the merman up the hill to the back of his apartment building, the merman wrapped in the tarp he’d used to line his truck bed, with water steadily leaking out. His apartment building is on a hill, sure, but he’s so grateful that his actual apartment is on the ground level. 

Tino is all sorts of sore and annoyed as he manages to smuggle the merman into his apartment and to the bathroom, where he drops the tarp and starts filling the bathtub with water. He doesn’t wait for the tub to fill all the way before he helps the merman into the tub. Luckily, the creature seems eager to get back into a decent level of water and does his best to help Tino rather than hinder and so it doesn’t take them long before he’s laying on the bottom of the tub, happily letting the water run over his head. 

Tino sinks to the ground, watching him and contemplating his next move. He doesn’t really have one. He’ll have to move him when it’s dark. But move him where? Is this thing freshwater or saltwater? Merpeople are supposed to be myths so is he going to get into trouble for keeping one in his bathroom? He rubs his face tiredly, groaning under his breath and banging his head on the wall behind him. He doesn’t get paid enough for this.

“Why did you take me from the water?” the merman suddenly asks and Tino starts rather violently, looking at him with wide eyes. He’s still mostly under the water, though he’s moved so that he’s on his stomach, his fin now under the faucet. 

The tub is full enough that he’s probably going to have a mess to clean up later, so he moves to turn the water off before he answers, his heart thudding heavily in his chest. “It wasn’t safe there.” And he had been causing problems, but something tells him that the merman probably would care less about that. 

He tilts his head in consideration as he watches Tino move to lean against the wall again, his eyes a bit brighter. “Am I safe here?” He keeps his mouth and nose below the water’s surface, and yet Tino can hear him perfectly. 

Yeah, sure. He has no idea. Even if he’s safe, is he comfortable? Probably not, if he had to guess. “Safer, for now,” he settles on answering. They’re quiet for a bit, and Tino decides that he’s probably a freshwater merman. What a fucking weird thing to think. “Do you have a name?” he finally asks, shifting slightly to look at him easier. 

The creature stares at him unblinkingly for an uncomfortably long time, and he stays perfectly still -- not a single ripple interrupts the water. “I suppose Mads,” he finally replies and Tino starts again, grimacing this time as he rubs the back of his head. “I’ve heard it here and there, and I think you can say it.”

“I’m Finnish, complicated names aren’t that hard, usually,” Tino retorts, though he doesn’t think that the merman had actually been trying to be rude. And then, he huffs, adding, “My name is Tino.” Mads makes a sound that’s akin to laughter, bubbles carrying the sound to the surface of the water. “How did you even get there? Where am I supposed to take you?” 

He has to think of a better way to transport him, too, because that was such a pain. “I… Don’t know?” Mads replies, his brow furrowing in thought. “I got caught in a current…” It’s a strange thing to say, but Tino gets this idea that Mads had been uncertain, a little frightened by the new place he’d found himself. But he doesn’t express this, and Tino doesn’t know how he gets that idea. 

He’d been right, however -- the rains must have caused the river to overflow into the reservoir. So, he thinks, it stands to reason that he should just be able to take Mads back to the other end of that river and he’d be able to swim his happy ass back home. But, like, in a couple of days because his muscles are already aching from this first adventure. He just has to keep this thing occupied and safe until he can get a better idea of how to transport him. He runs a hand through his hair and says decisively, “I need to go to bed. Please don’t make too much of a mess.” 

Mads lurches up, peering over the side of the tub as half the water sloshes out. Yeah, like that. Holy fuck. Tino scrambles up and starts pulling towels out of cabinets to dump on the floor in a feeble attempt to clean it up. Another good reason to be on the ground floor. “Is this the biggest water space you have?” Mads asks, a slight strain in his voice. He’s definitely uncomfortable… 

“I’m sorry,” Tino says, pausing in his stomping on the towels. “It is… I’ll come up with some way to move you tomorrow.” Okay, so he doesn’t get a couple of days. He gets one. Which means he really needs to get some sleep. Mads doesn’t say anything, and instead sinks back under the water. Tino sighs and turns on the faucet to get the level back up again. “I guess I can only ask that you try not to splash too much water on the floor?”

It feels a bit unfair to ask, as Mads’ tail is sticking well above the surface. If he had to guess, he was a few inches…taller? Longer? Than himself, and Tino never fit in that bathtub comfortably. “Okay,” Mads mumbles, and Tino turns the faucet off before heading out. “Sun off?”

Tino pauses, registering the question and glances over his shoulder at him. “The light?” He flicks the switch and Mads hums contentedly. Tino shakes his head as he goes to his room to change. He has a merman in his bathtub. 

[ey-there-little-guy]

Hi hello I come with a cbeeduo g/t mer AU I've brainrotted about on and off for weeks now!

So, giant mermaids, leviathans? gotta love them. Ranboo is this. Tubbo is a human who gets caught in some current and nearly drowned. Tommy also shows up later and is a normal mer but i can talk about that later. here's some worldbuilding.

Leviathans were thought to be long-gone. They caused a lot of trouble for all kinds of sailors back in the day, especially for sailors looking to make some money off shiny mer scales, so humans got rid of 'em!

Humans see leviathans as these giant beasts merfolk tamed, but to merfolk leviathans were their protectors and friends.

there's a myth among merfolk that leviathans originated long ago from mers who wished to better protect their pod, so they were granted that wish by becoming giants with incredible enhanced senses.

When humans invented big ships and started scooping up mers, leviathans fought back and focus shifted to them. but humans were strong enough that leviathans were forced to go into hiding, with or without other mers depending on those pod's confidence in living w/o their protector.

Two generations before Tubbo's time they were finally declared extinct. With their giant protectors gone mers were also far less likely to come near shore, meaning humans rarely see any sign of them anymore unless they're involved in fishy business.

haha, fishy.

Ranboo has never met another leviathan. They are unsure if they're the last or they just have to move to a new area to find someone, but they're too scared that they wont find anyone to actually go confirm. They live a little close to shore, a good secluded area that goes pretty deep, but closer than other merfolk would be comfortable with unless Absolutely Necessary so they don't even meet any mers.

Basically they are very lonely, so sometimes they observe humans on shore. This has happened so much they've learned human language, but they can't replicate the sounds to actually speak it.

Cue saving Tubbo, Tubbo's 'oh shit i nearly drowned oh shit a leviathan all great granddad's horror stories are coming back to me i'm dead' moment, and Ranboo just nervous as all hell trying to be helpful holding Tubbo up on a palm. They bring Tubbo back to shore, who tries to process just how? polite? this leviathan is? HUH?? Then once he's on shore Ranboo leaves.

Insert a visit or two where Tubbo tries to find Ranboo again and get evidence of their existence this time. He wants to figure out what makes this leviathan so docile and calm.

Maybe mers trained those past leviathans to be like guard dogs? Maybe they learned to attack humans because humans attacked first? Maybe leviathans without either of those race's influence are just, like, chill creatures and don't need to be exterminated?

Ranboo is just surprised the little human keeps coming back, and they stress about the human drowning if they're not there to keep an eye on him so they stick around and indulge some of Tubbo's curiosity. He seems harmless enough and always comes by himself, so it'll be fine, probably.

And this is where plot starts to get ????, for this part anyway, so I'll end this post here! but I still have Many Thoughts lol :]

[emcscared-whumps]

WiJ 2023 - 04: Share Whumperflies Media

WiJ 2023 Navigation Post

A Show/Movie/Book/Series that Gives Me Whumperflies

Honestly? I'm far too picky about whumpees and I don't consume all that much media (especially not these days since i have my own purpose-built character who is capable of hitting just about EVERYTHING I like) to have many items to rave about ^-^'

HOWEVER.

That does not mean that there is nothing :)

I'll go right back to the start, in fact (in rough order)... just keep in mind that I don't watch for whump, and these aren't whump recommendations except for one lmao, they're just what have managed to give me whumperflies in the past.

Cybergirl (2001-02)

An Australian sci-fi superhero T.V. series that was airing in the morning when I was a young kid, maybe 6 or 7, back before I understood how T.V. scheduling worked lol. I don't often get whumperflies from media, but I think this time, I did, and it's actually my earliest memory of whumperflies.

Cy ended up trapped in a Big Fancy House by the Big Bad, Rhyss. It's been many years since I last re-watched the show so I don't remember a whole lot except there was a lot of urgency and a zappy barrier that Cy couldn't pass through, and I definitely got some kind of feeling about that :)

The writing was very average, not very substantial for an older viewer, but it was excellent for a kids' show. There was so much lore that just never got expanded on, and it didn't go particularly hard with the whump :')

H2O Just Add Water (2006-10)

To no one's surprise, I ADORED this series as a kid. My obsession with mer had just started, and honestly, this shit FED ME. This was another Australian show that I watched when I was fairly young (again, 6-7 and onward), but I don't recall watching it when it aired. I instead had a collection of DVDs.

The girls and co got into some pretty interesting hijinks while trying to guard their fishy little secrets, but shit got REAL in season 6 when a marine biologist coworker of the friend of the girls' Lewis managed to leave a sample of their skin/scale in the lab... OOPS.

You can guess where that lead-- the scientist trying to track down the owner of the magic scale that could turn back into skin (somehow lmao, ~magic~), and she eventually trapped the girls in their little grotto with a gate that she had installed at the underwater entrance of their grotto spot on Mako Island.

Here's where I mention that I did not actually get whumperflies from this lmao, but it was a close one (the scientist didn't go far enough lmao). That's okay though :) One self indulgent decision just under 10 years later sure fixed that :))

Vampire Knight Anime (2008, English Dub aired in Aus in 2011)

The whole show. Every episode. I'm not even kidding. (Well, just about every episode lol, there was maybe only one where I didn't). As many problems as I have with the series, (mainly that every time I see Yuuki or hear her voice I want to strangle her), Zero was just so. fucking. scrunchy-- almost the perfect whumpee ^-^ And the English voice actor does such a glorious job of voicing Zero's pain, the whole series is ABSOLUTELY worth enduring Yuuki's stupidity.

Iirc, my favourite episode was Crimson Chains-- full of spoilers, a lot of plot bits come together at that point, so I can't say much other than that Zero's lost his shit and has a whole big scene where he writhes and pants on the floor with the agony of his hunger. I am convinced the author ALSO liked that XD

I would sit at night and watch that episode over and over and over because man, those whumperflies were something else, super intense, 11/10 lmao

Doctor Who (1963-present)

Nine had that one episode where he got caught by some collector dude and tortured to figure out what made him tick, or rather that he had TWO hearts that made him tick... Fun times, that DEFINITELY gave me whumperflies and had me furtively returning to the episode to keep watching that scene.

A lot of Ten's run had me by the throat, most memorably his regeneration at the start of his run, and his regeneration at the end directly after an hour (approximately) of whump was. AMAZING. I kept coming back to the start and end 😅

There were a couple more times I got whumperflies throughout his run. The main episodes that come to mind are Midnight, set on the planet of sapphires and lethal radiation, and 42, involving a spaceship hurtling toward a sun.

There was only one more whumpy instance, and that was that one movie they made. I forget who, when... EVERYTHING except the dude that played looked like Gene Wilder and it took place on NYE of the new millenium. It was another shitfight with The Master. ANYWAY. The whumperflies were at the START of the movie when The Doctor wasn't doing so well, I think he got shot?? And then rushed to the hospital, all while trying to avoid that and trying to communicate that they'll kill him

Supernatural (2005-20)

Ok. This one is weird in two ways. I forget which episode it was, but it was season 2 where Sam and Dean were trying to kick a group of vampires out of a town, but they were actually cool/chill vampires...?

Or at least some of them were...

ANYWAY.

This other hunter had this vampire chic tied to a chair baaaasically torturing her...? Memory's a bit foggy on what exactly what they were doing (the brainworms wouldn't stop wriggling about AUs), but I got these itty bitty whumperflies from that vampire lady getting hurt. That was weird because 1) I've only had whumperflies off the ladies once before watching Cybergirl which was SO long ago, and 2) I never have had them from watching a side-character, I usually have to be emotionally invested.

Weird right?? Absolutely wild though!

Anyway, that's pretty much everything, even though I've seen and read a fair few things lol, hope you enjoyed my rambling!

[sootyships]

More questions about the mers!

How many fingers do they have on each hand? What are their teeth like? Are their heads more fishy or humanoid (what's the neck configuration)? Where are their gills located? How many head fins does sunny have and how are they connected?

(Sorry if any of these are already answered :p)

Sun and Moon should have 5 digits like their canon counterparts, but if for example the Glamrocks were to ever show up, they should "logically" have 4. I guess there are multiple subspecies in the region? Or maybe they're from further away. 🤔 Or maybe Sun and Moon are... I haven't yet decided if the Glamrocks will eventually play a role, and if they will, what role that will be, so.

Also, same as in canon, their fingers are super long. Additionally, they have claws and their hands are webbed. The fin on the forearm connects to the pinkie finger.

Teeth: Low key think anglerfish/crocodile. (Teeth peek out even when their mouths are closed!) They have palatal teeth as well!

Their heads are fairly humanoid—certainly not attached to their shoulder girdles like those of fish! (Aka, they have mobile necks!) They have no auricles/external ears, only ear holes (well, I keep considering spiracles, but—), and no real noses on their snouts, just two external nostrils. (They also have internal nostrils like tetrapoda and lungfish via convergent evolution.) Oh, they also have a parietal eye! It's not readily apparent, of course, but it helps with their circadian rhythms and stuff. It senses light amplitude only.

I'm thinking their necks are longer than those of humans in comparison, just bc it "looks cool" to me. XD Their neck attaches to their head at a different angle than that of humans, because they're not adapted to bipedalism like humans; they're usually at a more horizontal orientation while swimming.

Their gills are on their necks! There's a reason why waterfolk are all but obligate air breathers; their gill surface area is too small to maintain their body alone outside of torpor. Also: baby waterfolk have external gills like bichirs, lungfish and axolotls. 🥹

Sunny has 9 head fins, and they make him look like a sunflower, same as his canon version. :') They're—they should actually be lobed; I just realized my earlier attempt at drawing Sun didn't illustrate this. But they should be lobed, which helps make them highly mobile and expressive.

Thank you for your questions!

[spacexseven]

OHHHH TUNA I HAVE FINALLY BEEN ABLE TO READ UR ANSWER TO MY ASK U ARE SOOO GENIUS and now im VERY curious to hear about ur mermaid chuuya thoughts, if you happen to have any on hand? and since dazai has been ruled out as our siren, who do you think would fit better? maybe chuuya could do it? fyodor kinda seems like the type to me as well. hm siren! chuuya/fyodor and a pirate captain reader.... imagine the tension.

I am so messed up about ur sea monster dazai interpretation what a little aquatic asshole.... I've been thinking of a slight alternate scenario where he might get a bit ahead of himself in his excitement to eat darling, they get just a bit too close and smell SO good. can you really blame him if he goes for the kill a little earlier than planned? but, alas, his little human actually manages to get away from him! him!!!! of all sea creatures this human actually managed to wiggle out of HIS claws! his ego is pretty bruised for a while (as well as his FACE you KICKED him and it REALLY HURT and he thinks it was a bit uncalled for honestly) but then he actually does start to feel lonely, for the first time. not the fake sad fishie routine he pulled on you, genuinely alone. you Were pretty interesting to talk to, he supposes.... and kinda cute, for a human. it rubs salt in the wound when he can occasionally see you walk near the water, hiding behind some human, not daring to venture too near. maybe at first, you fear was funny to him and he'd threateningly flick his tail in the water to watch u lock up, but now if he sees you he goes completely still, wondering (hoping) if you'll get closer. you never do.

anyway, imagine sea monster dazai realizing he has feelings for u and trying to win u back, to very little avail. why do all his presents he leaves for you on the shore scare you? isn't bringing your mate things you've hunted for them a standard courting practice in most species? I mean, he eviscerated them, sure, but don't humans PREFER when fish have their organs and heads removed? hes really not sure what hes not getting right here. what do you MEAN slaughtered sharks aren't gonna work, chuuya?he thought grand gestures were the way to go, should he go for something even bigger? meanwhile ur SHITTING yourself thinking that this awful creature you barely escaped from is gonna crawl up on shore and turn u inside out. well, I mean, you're half right. figuring out how to walk among humans and find you himself IS the next step hes considering, if you keep being stubborn.

- 🩹

AQUATIC ASSHOLE you know i have a huge soft spot for alliteration i love it so much this makes me so giddy

cw yandere characters (chuuya, fyodor, dazai), obsessive behavior, mentions of dismemberment, stalking

here's the thing about siren chuuya...he's literally irresistable. it's not just his singing voice or his pretty eyes or his overall perfect existance—something about him is almost addictive to people. even he doesn't know what part of him it is that makes people swoon so hard for him. so when he meets a regular little human (that is actually the captain of a pretty big ship. he is impressed.) who just Doesn't Care about him, it hurts his pride and goes against his very existance. it makes no sense!

and because chuuya can't have other mers knowing about this and his indisputed title of Best Siren Ever to be taken away, he starts following you around. a lot. what he doesn't know is that he's not the only siren you've got on your tail. from somewhere far away during one of your adventures, you caught the attention of another reknowned siren, because again you didn't seem to be affected by his charm either. no amount of singing or spells or staring into your eyes changed your feelings towards fyodor and it won't change anything towards chuuya either.

so they're left with only one other option.

making you fall for them the human way.

which also means no underhanded tactics, no singing (not that it had any effect on you before) and no contacting any sea witches to help. what they could do was try to court you like humans did each other.

every morning you wake up and you find unnaturally huge fish gutted and waiting for you cook, priceless items from deep under the sea (you're sure, one time, that that was a bag of real gold coins waiting for you), and a few times even dismembered hands and feet. that was a terrifying sight, even for you. coincidentally you'd find out someone who was giving you trouble just happened to lose a limb or two that same day...

it's very likely dazai will lose his patience and try to eat you (very literally) before he realizes he kinda wants to keep you whole. just another day on your boat talking to your poor little victim sea monster friend and all it takes is for you to come a little too close and leave your hand on his claw for a little too long before he's snatching you and dragging you over the side of your boat and into the cold water (his waters, where nobody would help you, little human) ignoring the way you scream and struggle, using his unnaturally strong limbs to hold you in place while he goes for a bite. what he doesnt expect is for you to jab him in the eye, so hard he's sure it will look all ugly and swollen, before scrambling back onto your boat and going back to shore. damn motorboats and their violent little propellers.

and then you don't come back.

he gives you some time, thinking maybe you got a little bruised up and needed the rest (though he would happilly nurse you back to health if you had asked). but you don't show your face near the water for days and days on end, until even he knew it was far too long to be just because you were injured.

it comes to him through the form of chuuya (who considered himself a master at understanding human behavior, having spent a lot of his time around them, watching them gush over him) that you were probably scared of him. which was really nothing new, anyone with any survival instinct would know to be scared, but when it was you who had been so genuine and unbothered by his demeanor, he was a little distraught.

maybe he should apologize.

it was hard when you rarely came near the beach except when you were with someone else, but he managed to leave gifts for you after waving at you, pretending to not see the grimace on your face or the way you shrunk into yourself.

it was even more painful when you just ignored the things he left for you, no matter how much stuff he left or how luxurious of a gift he left, you would just ignore it. he wondered if he deserved such treatment. how was he to know you would get scared so much?

and you wouldn't even let him explain himself. how was he going to apologize if you didn't hear him out? he didn't have any bad intentions, really.

well, if you weren't going to approach him, then he'd have to approach you, right? luckily, he knew some people who owed him some favors—favors big enough to even change his form temporarily.