#are born as male and become female! some fish carry both sets of reproductive organs their whole life and some are born as one sex and-

[fishyfishyfishtimes]

5

(F I V E)

5. What's your controversial marine biology take? Oh, have I been talking about my controversial takes these past few days! Ocean sunfish.... beautiful, so silly but so beautiful.

To name another thing, perhaps this is moreso something that grinds my gears rather than a controversial take but I haaaaate when people say that male seahorses get pregnant. It's what it looks like but it's not the case!!! He just has a pouch where the egg are deposited for safekeeping, it's like mouthbrooding but with a designated pouch!! He does not produce the eggs and all the nutrition the eggs receive was never from him!!! Perhaps I get too hung up on these aquatic animal technicalities, but it still makes me needlessly annoyed whenever in fiction there's like, seahorses, and they imply that the process of seahorse baby development is the exact same as human baby development but.... backwards for sexes..?

[merkissescanhealyou]

About

Edited on 12/3/2019; partial credit to sharp-eyes-sharper-teeth for the blood ritual idea.

Name:  Marius

Age:  35

Sex:  Agender/Intersex (prefers male pronouns)

Height:  5'8.5"

Weight:  183 lbs.

Blood type:  ???

Species:  Merfolk

Sexual preference:  Polyam homosexual

Birthday:  July 18th, xxxx (He doesn’t know what day he was born)

Voice claim:  Mitch Grassi

-Background-

Marius was born somewhere in the Pacific ocean to strict parents. He grew up with the idea that humans are dangerous and to never go near them. His parents, Cyreus and Talia, forbade him from wandering too far from the reef and expected him to follow each and every one of their rules. They wanted to shape him into the mer they wanted, fit the mold to their standards, but Marius was rebellious and wanted nothing to do with them. Unbeknownst to him, they arranged a marriage for him when he was just an infant. So he grew up without the knowledge of this traditional duty.

He was quite different from his brethren. He was born with the gift to heal with a kiss. Mers with powers such as this are revered as valuable and a great asset to their clans and communities. His parents wanted him to become a healer for the mers of his clan, but Marius wanted no part in that. If anything, the sea creatures treated him better than his own parents. He thought, maybe he could heal the wildlife instead.

By age 19, Marius was fed up of his parents and the society of which he was brought into. He kept to himself and avoided other merfolks, for fear of attachment when he planned to move away. He did, however, rescue a baby octopus from the looming predators in his reef. The poor thing was frightened and injured, and he sheltered it and nursed it back to health. He tried to release the little fellow, but he refused to go. So, he chose a name from a book he once found while collecting trinkets from a sunken ship, and kept him; he was named Aristotle.

His 20th birthday soon arrived and instead of receiving a warm celebration from his family, he was given the news of his arranged marriage, and his expectations of his parents. Marius, however, refused to marry. In fact, he was terrified of marriage. Mer marriages weren’t like humans’. When mers are married, it is the joining of two (or more, depending on the arrangement) families, and those in matrimony are subject to a blood ritual, to ensure the guarantee offspring. Lots of offspring. To strengthen their numbers and multiply. Said mers are bound to each other, and they cannot leave the relationship, or the effects of the ritual that bound them will physically torture them. Marius could not bear to go through it. The day of his ritual, he fought with his parents. Cyreus raised his voice, which his son mirrored back to him, but he slapped his own child across the face. That sparked an attack from Marius, and he sprang upon his father, attempting to strangle the life out of him. Talia tore him off of Cyreus by biting his shoulder. It worked because the mer reeled backwards. All that was exchanged between them was a threat. Marius threatened to kill them if they tried to find him. He was not sorry for what he did, and he didn’t care what his spouse would say. He swam far away from his reef, and never looked back. That was the last time his parents ever saw him.

It had been many, many years later since his escape from his prison. He survived on his own, with Aristotle at his side. They’ve hunted together and protected each other from the dangers of the ocean. One instance, Marius was being hunted by a shark and he had to fight the beast tooth and nail to live. He managed to kill the predator, but with great taxation. He never had any troubles with sharks, but this one encounter was enough to frighten him and avoid them at all costs.

He found out that he had a knack for healing animals, not merfolk. The whole time, he thought of himself as a failure when in actuality, his calling was to heal marine life. From his studies and travels, he has healed and saved many creatures big and small. A patient of his led him to the discovery of humans, and Marius was enraged that they attempted to harm wildlife. He became obsessed with studying humans from afar, and learning that not only do they intentionally harm wildlife, they do it unintentionally too. He hated the humans in the huge boats with the nets, hated the ones with the big spears that took down whales, hated the ones who maimed sharks and turtles, hated the ones that drilled and spilled black, toxic sludge into the ocean, hated the ones that kidnapped wildlife and never returned them to their home. He observed them from a distance, and no matter how far away he was, he could feel their greedy hands around his neck to yank him from the sea.

As the years passed, Aristotle’s lifespan was coming to an end, the normal life expectancy for an octopus. Marius was aware of it and he dreaded the day he had to say goodbye. Sooner or later, it happened. He woke up one morning to find his little friend snuggled up in his arms, but paler than the moon. He checked for signs of life, a standard procedure nowadays, but found none. The shock hit him like a wave against a jetty. He cried and cried, and held his friend close for hours until it was time to lay him to rest. He dug deep in the ocean floor and buried him, marking his grave with a heavy rock and kissed it before swimming away.

Marius wanders the ocean, in search of knowledge and marine life who need his held. He has had close calls with humans and predators. One day, he drifted into the bay of a busy fishing town. He watched the boats go in and out of the harbor and he felt nothing. That is, until a human had captivated his eye. It was tall, lanky human with yellow glass over the eyes, and a peculiar shape on the head. He kinda looked….grumpy. Something was on his left hand, an accessory he had never seen before. And this human was covered in cloth! So much cloth! He didn’t understand why, for merfolk don’t wear cloth. But he was so…handsome. Marius was smitten with the human, and it brought him such confusion because he was supposed to hate and fear them. But this one? He doesn’t hunt marine life, he doesn’t drill into the seabeds, he doesn’t do anything like that. He was so enraptured by him that he started to follow him whenever he could see him from the water. His heart pounded in his chest, his cheeks were tickled pink, and his eyes sparkled when he saw him. But he knew he could never be with him. Merfolk and humans are not supposed to be together. All he could do was pine for him.

-Anatomy-

The merfolk have evolved to include both male and female reproductive organs to reproduce. The male reproductive organs are internal, but when aroused, it pokes through protective folds and becomes erect. Outwardly, they all appear to be female because of placement of the male organ. It is slightly above the middle of the hips, and is hidden beneath the skin. The female reproductive organ appears on the underside of the tail, marked by a slit. Breeding had become difficult and scarce among the merfolk, therefore making it necessary to find a way to reproduce. Merfolk are genderless, but they are intelligent enough to choose if they want to identify with a gender. There are two types of species of merfolk:  masculine and feminine. For example, some feminine merfolk prefer to have she/her pronouns, some prefer they/them, and some prefer he/him; the same with masculine merfolk. The only difference between them is their appearance and physical attributes. The feminine ones have more breast tissue and are usually shorter in length, but those are the only two differences. Because of these differences, they are classified into two types, otherwise they are basically the same. They cannot reproduce on their own, they need to mate with another merperson. Either type can carry offspring.

They have two sets of lungs, one for water-breathing and one for air-breathing, both in the chest cavity. They are half the size of human lungs for the sake of space for both pairs. The gills are located on the sides of the neck, in three slits. It is not known by many merfolks that they also have a pair of legs. When the tail is dried entirely, it splits into two legs and the scales and fins disappear. When they are wet with a foreign substance other than their own bodily fluids, the legs will pull together and merge into a tail fin, and the tail will remain unless it is dried again. The reproductive organs remain in their places, but only the female organ changes in appearance when the merperson has legs. It takes the shape of a human female’s vulva instead of a slit on the underside of a fish tail.

-Personality-

Marius is a kind, gentle soul that has seen the harsh reality of mother nature. He tends to root for the underdog, or the weak species. He can be found lurking around the reefs, looking for sick or injured animals and fish to help. He’s not the type to start fights, but he can and will defend himself when he needs to. He comes across as timid, but curious. He wants to learn about the many mysteries the ocean has to offer, but he can sense danger and knows when to retreat. He doesn’t have much of a temper and doesn’t come off as intimidating. When angered, he tries to hide it but he’s not very good at hiding emotions. If he feels threatened, like any cornered animal, he will strike or attack. In the past, he has had two encounters where a predator backed him against an inescapable area, and he killed to save himself. He has never “snapped” and killed for the thrill of it or out of anger.

[merkissescanhealyou]

About/Bio

//Basic info for Marius. For details about the ‘mun, see “mun’s info.” Sorry for the wall of text.//

Name:  Marius

Age:  ??? (appears to be anywhere between the age of 45-55)

Sex:  Agender (prefers male pronouns)

Height:  5'8.5"

Weight:  183 lbs.

Blood type:  ???

Species:  Merfolk

Sexual preference:  Pansexual

Birthday:  ???

Voice claim:  Mitch Grassi

-Background-

Marius was born somewhere in the Pacific ocean to strict parents. He grew up with the idea that humans are dangerous and to never go near them. His parents forbid him from wandering too far from the reef and expected him to follow each and every one of their rules. They wanted him to marry a merperson of the alternate kind, and they arranged a marriage for him when he was at the young age of 11, but they were not to be wed until the age of 20. The merperson he was to marry had no interest in him, and neither did he have feelings for them. One day, he planned to leave and never return, to escape his fate and from the clutches of his cold parents.

His parents forced him to take up a medical practice for the merfolks, but he discovered he did not have a knack for it. He was never satisfied with the study and profession, and other merfolk regarded him as “the worse doctor in the pacific.” As the 20th year of his life approached, he became more anxious to leave his place of birth.

By age 19, Marius was fed up of his parents and the society of which he was brought into. He kept to himself and avoided other merfolks, for fear of attachment when he planned to move away. He did, however, rescue a baby octopus from the looming predators in his reef. The poor thing was frightened and injured, and he sheltered it and nursed it back to health. He tried to release the little fellow, but he refused to go. So, he chose a name from a book he once found while collecting trinkets from a sunken ship, and kept him; he was named Aristotle.

His 20th birthday soon arrived and instead of receiving a warm celebration from his family, he was rushed to the Temple of Neptune to meet his soon-to-be spouse. Marius, however, hadn’t planned on marrying that day and took off with his pet octopus. His parents were outraged and embarrassed, both apologizing to the family of his suitor for their child’s behavior. But he was not sorry, and he didn’t care what his spouse would say. He swam far away from his reef, and never looked back. That was the last time his parents ever saw him.

It had been many, many years later since his escape from his prison. He survived on his own, with Aristotle at his side. They’ve hunted together and protected each other from the dangers of the ocean. One instance, Marius was being hunted by a shark and he had to fight the beast tooth and nail to live. He managed to kill the predator, but with great taxation. He never had any troubles with sharks, but this one encounter was enough to frighten him and avoid them at all costs.

He found out that he had a knack for healing animals, not merfolk. The whole time, he thought of himself as a failure when in actuality, his calling was to heal marine life. From his studies and travels, he has healed and saved many creatures big and small. A patient of his led him to the discovery of humans, and Marius was enraged that they attempted to harm wildlife. He became obsessed with studying humans from afar, and learning that not only do they intentionally harm wildlife, they do it unintentionally too. He hated the humans in the huge boats with the nets, hated the ones with the big spears that took down whales, hated the ones who maimed sharks and turtles, hated the ones that drilled and spilled black, toxic sludge into the ocean, hated the ones that kidnapped wildlife and never returned them to their home. He observed them from a distance, and no matter how far away he was, he could feel their greedy hands around his neck to yank him from the sea.

As the years passed, Aristotle’s lifespan was coming to an end, the normal life expectancy for an octopus. Marius was aware of it and he dreaded the day he had to say goodbye. Sooner or later, it happened. He woke up one morning to find his little friend snuggled up in his arms, but paler than the moon. He checked for signs of life, a standard procedure nowadays, but found none. The shock hit him like a wave against a jetty. He cried and cried, and held his friend close for hours until it was time to lay him to rest. He dug deep in the ocean floor and buried him, marking his grave with a heavy rock and kissed it before swimming away.

Marius wanders the ocean, in search of knowledge and marine life who need his held. He has had close calls with humans and predators. One day, he drifted into the bay of a busy fishing town. He watched the boats go in and out of the harbor and he felt nothing. That is, until a human had captivated his eye. It was tall, lanky human with yellow glass over the eyes, and a peculiar shape on the head. He kinda looked….grumpy. Something was on his left hand, an accessory he had never seen before. And this human was covered in cloth! So much cloth! He didn’t understand why, for merfolk don’t wear cloth. But he was so…handsome. Marius was smitten with the human, and it brought him such confusion because he was supposed to hate and fear them. But this one? He doesn’t hunt marine life, he doesn’t drill into the seabeds, he doesn’t do anything like that. He was so enraptured by him that he started to follow him whenever he could see him from the water. His heart pounded in his chest, his cheeks were tickled pink, and his eyes sparkled when he saw him. But he knew he could never be with him. Merfolk and humans are not supposed to be together. All he could do was pine for him.

-Anatomy-

The merfolk have evolved to include both male and female reproductive organs to reproduce. The male reproductive organs are internal, but when aroused, it pokes through protective folds and becomes erect. Outwardly, they all appear to be female because of placement of the male organ. It is slightly above the middle of the hips, and is hidden beneath the skin. The female reproductive organ appears on the underside of the tail, marked by a slit. Breeding had become difficult and scarce among the merfolk, therefore making it necessary to find a way to reproduce. Merfolk are genderless, but they are intelligent enough to choose if they want to identify with a gender. There are two types of species of merfolk:  masculine and feminine. For example, some feminine merfolk prefer to have she/her pronouns, some prefer they/them, and some prefer he/him; the same with masculine merfolk. The only difference between them is their appearance and physical attributes. The feminine ones have more breast tissue and are usually shorter in length, but those are the only two differences. Because of these differences, they are classified into two types, otherwise they are basically the same. They cannot reproduce on their own, they need to mate with another merperson. Either type can carry offspring.

They have two sets of lungs, one for water-breathing and one for air-breathing, both in the chest cavity. They are half the size of human lungs for the sake of space for both pairs. The gills are located on the sides of the neck, in three slits. It is not known by many merfolks that they also have a pair of legs. When the tail is dried entirely, it splits into two legs and the scales and fins disappear. When they are wet with a foreign substance other than their own bodily fluids, the legs will pull together and merge into a tail fin, and the tail will remain unless it is dried again. The reproductive organs remain in their places, but only the female organ changes in appearance when the merperson has legs. It takes the shape of a human female’s vulva instead of a slit on the underside of a fish tail.

-Personality-

Marius is a kind, gentle soul that has seen the harsh reality of mother nature. He tends to root for the underdog, or the weak species. He can be found lurking around the reefs, looking for sick or injured animals and fish to help. He’s not the type to start fights, but he can and will defend himself when he needs to. He comes across as timid, but curious. He wants to learn about the many mysteries the ocean has to offer, but he can sense danger and knows when to retreat. He doesn’t have much of a temper and doesn’t come off as intimidating. When angered, he tries to hide it but he’s not very good at hiding emotions. If he feels threatened, like any cornered animal, he will strike or attack. In the past, he has had two encounters where a predator backed him against an inescapable area, and he killed to save himself. He has never “snapped” and killed for the thrill of it or out of anger.

****************

If you’ve managed to make it to the end of this, congratulations! I thank you for taking the time to read about Marius. When you’re ready, send the message “I hope you know what ambergris is” in the form of an ask or a dm. Hope to hear from you!