#big mers name will be revealed eventually

[chaosduckies]

Rising Tides (Chapter 1)

So basically this is just a piece for Mermay. A very late piece, but if you guys like it, I’ll continue it! Honestly, this is very fast paced, and I’m very sorry, but it is STRESSFUL out here.

Word Count: 2.8k

CW: Mentions of Death, A little bit of violence (just getting chased my a shark), that’s pretty much it I think!

1-Nico 

The ocean was a dangerous place. Even for someone who has lived here their entire life. 

Living in the ocean meant knowing how to survive on your own. It meant knowing just how desperate other creatures were to survive. I knew that. I knew just how much of a light snack I was. I knew that I was small. Incapable of being strong or even giving one glare at someone and making them swim away with their tail fins behind their backs. 

Such is the life of a very, very insignificant, mer like myself. 

The little reef I lived in was small, but quaint. My parents love it. I don’t live very far from them. Occasionally I would go over and have dinner with them. Even if I wasn’t hungry. They would ask how my day was, and I would say: “It was good.” we would catch up since the last time we ate, and then they’d ask me if I finally made any friends. I would tell them no. 

Today, really wasn’t a good day. 

My job for the community was to gather kelp. Weird, right? Only some mers eat kelp, like myself. I’m weird. But that’s besides the point! I gather some at least once a week and give it to another person who just delivers it somewhere I don’t even know. I feel like I should probably figure that out, but I’m pretty sure that didn’t really matter- 

Everyone had their own designated job to do for the community. We didn’t have any currency, but the people who lead us told us to do our part, and usually mers are very reluctant to listen so, no one complained. It’s not like I didn’t like my job. Every time I eat I think to myself “Maybe this is the same patch I picked myself-“ Stupid, right? But, everyone has their jobs so they can keep on peacefully living in this community. Though, sometimes it’s not all that great. 

Some mers don’t like each other. When a fight happens, they like solving it civilly so it doesn’t encourage anymore to happen. That’s not it for my case. A lot of people don’t like me. Not because I did something wrong to them. Nonono. I could never hurt a person. Even if I tried. It’s mainly because people outcast people with brightly colored tails. Like mine maybe? They say it’s a liability. That it’ll only get me killed if I’m ever on my own. They’re probably not wrong either. 

Despite my parents having a dark purple colored tail, mine was a bright purple. It’s not good at all for camouflage, it reflects some sunlight when I’m closer to the surface, and it’s just basically like a sign to other mers saying “Hey! I can very easily be killed from a large predator!” And no one wants to be with someone like that. As for the soulmate thing? Despite humans having to find their one true love, mers just have to make a few friends, and if the universe decides that you were meant to be with someone, then there would be a matching tattoo on your wrists after a single contact. Again, weird, right? 

——————

I was swimming off to my small, but humble house hidden inside a huge piece of coral. I don’t even know how I found this place, but I remember loving it because it had a perfect view of the sun above the ocean, and it was far away from most people except for the occasional kid who was just exploring. It was a nice place. I just carried up some sand here made it look nice and decorated with some shells I find while gathering kelp. Turns out you can make a decent home if you really try hard enough. 

There were two shells I had today, a nice light blue one that was probably just a piece of an old clam shell, and a mixture of an orange and yellow one that came from a hermit crab that abandoned its home. I was going to give these to my parents later since they also love seeing the bright colored shells, but they were too scared to travel far from the little village we live in. There are predators out there that would love to snack on a helpless mer, and no one was going out unless they knew they could live on their own or they were hunters getting fish for the others. My parents were none of the above. They preferred the village life. They practically new everyone here and they were both soulmates. And here I am the entire opposite. What a great son I am, right? 

I grabbed a little satchel from my home and started to slowly swim off to my parents. The sun was setting, the water above reflecting a bright orange hue. It was a nice evening. Hasn’t been like this in forever because of all the storms happening above. It’s a wonder how those fishing boats humans have stay afloat when all the waves are just trying to rock them over. Well, maybe it’s because they have some help from other mers or something like that. It wasn’t unheard of. 

The path to my parents’ humble abode was lined with clumped up seaweed and some colorful rocks. Their house was dimly lit, but I knew that they were still awake. My mom was probably making some kind of bag while dad was eating happily in his chair. I swam in. 

“Hey mom.” I mumbled. 

“Nico! Your plate is on the table!” She cheered back at me. She was always happy to see me. Even if I came at least two times a week to visit. I was old enough to take care of myself. Or… at least in the community we live in. 

I looked at the plate on the table, shook my head and swam into the main room where they were doing just as I had imagined. Mom was almost done making a very small bag that she would probably give to one of her friends. I looked through my own bag, grabbing the two small shells I found and placed them on one of the side tables near my dad. 

He inspected them before smiling to himself. I knew he liked them more than my mom did. He said he used to bring buckets back home to his parents and just have a collection to himself. I see why he did. It was fun to find some. Better than sitting around the house all day and not having anything to do. 

I stared at the matching tattoos on both of my parent's wrists, slightly rubbing my own. I knew I wouldn’t find someone who would actually like me. I can’t even picture myself with anyone else. It was the sad, but indisputable truth. And I’ve accepted that fact. 

——————

The next morning, I woke up with my dark hair in my face and streaks of light I shining through some cracks in the little coral cave I lived in. I forced myself up, lazily rubbing my eyes. What should I do today? The question practically begged for an answer. I could just go swim around, but that does’t really sound all that fun if I were being honest. I mean, people would just sit and stare at me all day or do the exact opposite and whisper hurtful comments and rumors about me. Not that I really cared about that though. I said to myself that once I was able to, I would move away from here and just live on my own. 

Today I felt adventurous though.  

I grabbed my little satchel, and headed out, the morning sun still rising above the waters surface. The ocean felt great today. Today just felt like a good day. Something that’s rare to come by when you’re all on your own. 

Where was I swimming out to you may ask? Well, for your information, I was currently heading outside of the community I live in. It’s not like it’s prohibited, but most mers don’t find a need to venture out further when they already knew what was out there. Predators, other mers, food, fish, water. There really wasn’t anything new to find out here when you’re in this ocean. I guess what they really feared were the sharks that were found near the area though. But most don’t even bother with us. Mostly because no small mer like myself is crazy enough to venture out here alone. Yeah, I’m crazy enough. 

To a large shark, I’d probably be like, half it’s size. Most likely shorter. A purple tail is a sign that you’ll be a small mer, but big enough to be on your own. I was the exception though, given that I had a brighter color and was actually the size of like a small human basically. Yes, I was made fun of by some old classmates and sometimes my parents when I was still a pup, yes I know I’m small, and yes I can reach the top shelf on the counter (I mean I can swim so-) 

Swimming along the ocean floor along with the many overgrown plants and small anemones where I saw several clownfish leave to go get whatever is was that they needed. I had found a huge coral reef far into the ocean, there were tons of colorful fish everywhere I had looked. 

I want to say it was maybe an hour long of just roaming and admiring the many colors of the reef I had just found before my eyes drifted off to something big and dark in the distance. I squinted, slightly swimming closer where, for some reason, none of the fish dared to do. 

Filled by my curiosity, I swam towards the large object, wondering what it was. It was a long ways from the reef. It was dark, only seaweed and some kelp patches were the only plants. There were some starfish and snails, some crabs, but that was all the life I could find. It seemed like this part of the deep ocean was pretty much deserted. Strange. 

I kept going, seeing that the object I was looking at looked like those metal ships humans make, except it was wooden and had a bunch of holes. I swam cautiously in, minding that this was a place far away from home and there would basically be no hope in escaping a shark or something if I encountered one. I took a look at my tail, still bright when the waters here were dark and the sun was covered by a layer of seaweed. This would be fine. Nothing was going to find me here… Hopefully. 

The shipwreck didn’t leave much behind. Just some broken pieces of old wood and some old pictures. I doubt there would be anything of worth in here honestly, but I kept on looking, fueling my curiosity. What else was I supposed to do? If I do end up finding something maybe I can show it off to the mers back at home and maybe then they’ll stop ridiculing me and making fun of me for having a bright tail. There is no way I was the only mer in the entire ocean like this! 

There was a room that looked much like an office. Broken pieces of a desk, a little container that once held ink. What I was really intrigued about was the little open chest that revealed a round pice of flattened gold. I grabbed it, studying the rust colored piece of metal. Humans used this as currency once before, right? I’m sure they don’t use whatever these were anymore. Or if whatever I was holding was even a kind of currency. It just seemed like something a human would use. 

I stuffed the gold piece in my bag and continued looking. At least until I saw a large shadow swim fast in the corner of my eye. I kept my arms close to my chest, keeping my breathing controlled before I overreacted. It was probably just a big fish… yeah. Just a really, really big fish that can swim amazingly fast. 

I saw the same shadow swim by again, but this time it bumped into something, making me let out a little surprise yelp. I immediately clasped my hands over my mouth, hearing another thunk! Before I saw the full shadow of whatever the hell was outside. It was a shark. A huge shark. And it looked hungry. 

My hands were shaky, I couldn’t move. I wasn’t going to die, right? I didn’t actually think something like this would happen! I thought those were just rare occurrences that people were making rumors about. Was I actually going to die? No. There has to be some way out of this. 

Looking around, I found a small little crack I could probably fit in if I really tried. I swam slowly closer to it, noting that the thunks outside were getting closer. Please let me get out of here alive… I kept telling myself as I hurried to fit myself in the tiny crack. As soon as I was out, something fast was coming my way, and I was swimming just as fast to get away. 

It was hard to swim when you were in a life or death situation. I never realized that until now. I stole a glance behind me, letting out a weak yelp when I saw the sharks mouth open wide. Great. It seemed like I could fit perfectly in that thing. Imagine being killed by those sharp teeth- No don’t think about that. Not right now at least. 

The water around me only grew darker as we headed deeper into the ocean. There were some small caves, but I didn’t want to really trap myself in there. I had no idea why this shark was so desperate in the first place. It was so much bigger than a regular shark, couldn’t it find something else to eat other than a mer? Like a big fish or something? 

Eventually I realized why the shark seemed so interested in me. They like bright colors. I remember being told something like that when I was younger. It’s just great that my tail is just sooo bright, right? Wow I am so unlucky. My only hope to lose the shark (Who was gaining on me really fast, ohmygoshwhatdoIdo?) is to somehow lose it in a cave or something. Hopefully there was a small space I could get into that the shark couldn’t. And of course hope I don’t run into anything else that was hungry. 

There was a huge cave in front of me, and I took my chances. I felt the sharks jaws snap behind me, just mere inches from snapping on top of my tail. I shuddered, but kept swimming fast, trying to find some kind of small cave to fit myself into. Please oh my gosh I’m getting so tired I don’t want to die-  Stop thinking like that. I’m not going to die. At least not today. 

Just a couple feet ahead of me, I spotted a tiny hole that looked like it could fit me if I squeezed in fast enough. I stole another glance, seeing the shark right there behind me. I let out a scream, grabbing the bag around my neck and throwing it back at it. It slowed it down just a tiny bit, but it kept after me. Maybe just enough time to get myself safe. 

“Pleasepleasepleaseplease.” I muttered to myself, not noticing that something big moved in the dark. 

Right before I could fit myself through the crack hopefully leading to a small cave, I felt a sharp pain in my tail, The part I actually needed to be able to swim. I was forced out, seeing that it was caught in between the sharks sharp teeth. It let go for just a split second, before a loud growl was heard, making the shark almost instantly swim off. Tears stung my eyes (Weird because we’re underwater right?), but I blinked them away and stared at my tail fin, seeing all too many rips and tears. It hurt so, so much. 

That was when my mind had finally clicked and wondered why the shark had left in the first place. The growl. The two huge sets of dark blue eyes trained on me. The slight hue they gave off. Oh. It was just a really, really, really, huge mer. The ones that eat other mers? That destroy community’s for no reason? The one’s that were outcasted? That’s just wonderful. 

I tried swimming away, but the tears in my fins didn’t let me, making me whimper like a lost puppy. My breathing was fast, as I stared back into the eyes that would soon be the death of me. Oh I am so going to die. 

And suddenly I was encased in darkness again. 

——————

Yayyyy new characters. No worries, the giant mer is good. But oh noooo I totally didn’t hurt Nico’s tail on purpose for future purposes… Okay but I feel bad for my little mer. I’m not that sadistic.

But anyways, thank you guys for reading this little Drabble, and of course I know it’s not my best writing, but I was rushing and it’s just these last few days of school that are KILLING me. I hope you guys liked this, and thank you for reading!

[ihaveatheoryonthat]

No Mer is An Island

I didn't go out intending to revisit @monsoon-of-art's Mer AU this month, but seeing this piece in full really hit on something, and I had to get the words down. Happy MerMay, guys!

---

When they’d first met, the girl had stopped him to say that he looked kind of like someone she knew.

Given that Emmet had come all this way trying to find his brother, it sounded promising on its face, but looking past the initial wording, revealed itself to be a shallow hope. If she’d been talking about Ingo, she would have been more decisive. He wouldn’t look kind of like this person, but exactly. He’d been through the cycle of leads surfacing and then sinking often enough to know that the odds weren’t good, but it was the best he’d heard since arriving in Hisui and he couldn’t afford not to give it some cursory exploration.

As they moved away from the shaky hope of a rebuilding village, her story became more and more outlandish, but… somehow not less believable; unprompted, she’d mentioned the torn remnants of a subway car, and in a land that lacked rail transport, it lent her version of events a great deal of credence. Something much more worrisome was the claim that his twin had been found pinned beneath the wreck, trapped and slowly wasting away, before being discovered.

It was strange. When, inevitably, Emmet’s questions about a missing person failed, his next strategy was always the train car. People could move on and be forgotten, but an effigy of twisted metal should have been noteworthy.

The matter of physical resemblances had been both explained and complicated as Dawn led them to a rocky outcropping by the sea.

“Well, that’s… why I wasn’t totally sure at first.” She said, scouring the horizon. Eventually, her attention settled in one specific direction, and Emmet idly followed it to a dark little island in the distance. “The thing is, the parts of you that look the same totally look the same. It’s just that Ingo’s… not really human?”

...what.

She held her hands up in placation, grimacing at her own words. “I know, I know. Just hear me out. So the Pearl Clan found him under that big wreck and took him home to heal, only he… kind of sucks at being a merperson? The same ways I suck at it. We both keep getting hung up when we swim, and neither of us distrusted humans the way the other mers did, and you couldn’t pay us to eat raw fish or seagulls or anything like that. I've been wondering about it for a long time, but maybe Ingo was human, too?”

There was a ringing in Emmet’s ears. It took him a moment to realize that it was an actual sound coming from somewhere over the water. Something in the back of his head told him he should recognize it, but it seemed unimportant compared to the information Dawn had just dumped over his head.

“That is my brother’s name.” He eventually choked out, to the exclusion of the rest of it.

Dawn’s expression cracked into a smile. “Worth a shot! I’ll go grab him and come back-- just don’t worry, okay? Most people think he’s kind of scary.”

Despite the amount of time it had been since he’d had to field that particular criticism, Emmet felt himself bristle. “He cannot help it. His face is just like that.”

The girl paused in the middle of digging through her bag and tilted her head, “I thought it was just because he always seems kind of down, but that makes sense, too.”

Unsure what to say to that, Emmet remained silent as she took something out, unlashed the satchel from around her waist, and then brought a vibrant shell to her lips.

The notes resonated, briefly, with whatever it was coming from across the waves.

“What is that?”

“It’s a special flute,” Dawn said, adjusting her grip on it now that she was no longer playing, “I’ve had it since I got here, but I can’t remember why.”

“Not the instrument. The sound. What is causing it?”

“The… flute?” She asked, baffled, and slapped her tail against the rocks.

It took a second for Emmet to rewind and process that fact.

She had implied that before, hadn’t she? Back when she’d confirmed Ingo’s name. Strange how one piece of information could be so much more pertinent than the rest and simultaneously so much less important.

Emmet consciously had to rein himself in. If humans could turn into merpeople, this could be it. He might be about to see his twin for the first time in years.

Dawn departed shortly thereafter, handing him the flute as a gesture of goodwill, and took off in the direction she’d originally scouted. Emmet pocketed the strange shell for safekeeping and then moved her satchel to somewhere the waves couldn’t sweep it away.

The sound continued that entire time, carried from somewhere far away. When several minutes passed without interruption, he finally figured out what it was: whale song. He didn’t profess to be an expert in the matter, but now that he was listening properly, he was relatively certain of that.

After some time, it stopped, and he immediately found that he missed it.

In its absence, he returned to the water’s edge, wondering if the dark island in the distance wasn’t where Dawn was headed, where his brother lingered. It seemed too much to think that he might catch a glimpse of either when it was so far away, but the reassurance would be welcome. He had little doubt that Dawn would return, particularly given that he held the key to her humanity, but the low crooning over the water proved that there were predators about, and he wouldn’t want haste to lead her into danger.

When he scanned the ocean, however, he found that the island, too, had vanished.

---

Ingo spent a great deal of his time alone.

It was by choice, but at times, it also felt involuntary.

The Pearl clan was more gracious than he could have asked for, worried that his continued stints on his own might reignite the loneliness that had left him so fragile upon their first meeting; while he was happy for their company, it wasn’t what he was missing. That was the problem, though: he didn’t know what would fill the void in his heart. Their camaraderie was close-- had been rejuvenating when he’d first been ushered into the fold-- but only to a point. He felt that it was the right track, just veering ever so slightly off course; if he could figure out where his destination lay, he could course correct to reach it.

It had been years, though, and while he was no longer soul-sick, the ache of it refused to leave him.

When it became too much to bear, he would leave for the surface, to float on his back and close his eyes. The ocean air had become familiar, but it went deeper than that, the churning sea so close to making a connection somewhere in the recesses of his being. He was put in the mind of the artificial reef he’d awoken in-- pinned, scared and without a trace of memory-- but had no idea how they could be related. More than anyone, he knew how heavy the construct was; it seemed wholly antithetical to the gentle rocking that only occurred above the waterline.

Frustrated with his lack of progress, but not surprised, he let out a heavy sigh and pitched it halfway through, low in his throat. He didn’t know what purpose this ability served, as none of the other merfolk could hear when he dipped into this range, but it was cathartic; he could cry for the fact that the clan had been so kind, so welcoming, and he still didn’t belong. He could lament that there was something wrong with him, that he still felt sickness in between the beating of his heart, and he feared he would never escape it.

He could admit, in tones no one would ever hear, that he didn’t know how much longer he could bear the solitude before it consumed him whole.

Though he knew perfectly well that she was unable to parse his voice like this, it died in his throat as Dawn poked her head up from the waves. Unwilling to have a conversation with her in such an undignified position, he turned over and dipped back below the water so they could speak properly.

“Is rebuilding going well?” He asked, following up from the last topic they’d touched upon, “Has there been any recovering from the salt water?”

The humans weren’t bad, he knew-- and had known for as long as he could recall-- they were just scared. For as disastrous as the region’s flooding had been, the one silver lining was that it had given the clans cause to cooperate with the villagers and, slowly, the merfolk were beginning to make progress. He couldn’t be certain how the humans looked upon the situation, but they accepted aid, at least, and that was something.

“It’s...” There was a conspicuous pause. “Going. That’s not why I came to talk, actually.”

“No?” He asked, unable to find it in himself to be surprised. Dawn was like the sea itself at times, ever shifting, just shy of capricious.

“No. I don’t want to jump the gun or anything, but I think I met someone who knew you before! He’s waiting for us at the bluff.”

He blinked at her, the words sitting at the surface of his thoughts for several seconds before sinking in, “What makes you believe that this individual and I share any sort of connection? I don’t mean to cast doubt, but if even I’m unable to say with any certainty...”

“He was looking for someone called Ingo.” She said, and while there was a twitch of her tail that suggested it wasn’t the whole truth, Ingo was too caught up in that declaration to catch it. “He looks like you, too. A scary amount.”

“He’s also an orca?” It might be nice, he thought, to physically be on the same level as someone for a change-- unmarked as the odd man out in this regard, on top of everything else that made him feel so detached from the clan.

“Well… no, it’s mostly in the face. But your coats are basically the same!”

Interesting. That, more than anything else, lent credence to her theory. As strongly as he felt about his name, his complete lack of any other personal details meant that he couldn’t be entirely sure it was what he’d used prior to waking up beneath the ruins. The fact that this person was seeking someone of the same name was noteworthy, but not conclusive. The resemblance was also compelling, but could be explained by a mimic octopus or the like.

His clothes, however, had been a subject of bewilderment among the clan for some time. Drag caused his coat to hinder his movement and speed, and it was constantly becoming caught on bits of rock or other hazards. His hat was somewhat more practical, helping him see above the water on bright days, but beneath the waves, all it did was threaten to fly away if caught in the mildest of currents. Even if this was a misunderstanding and Dawn’s contact didn’t know of him, perhaps he could ask what the utility was.

“I see.” He narrowly refrained from breathing it out as a sigh; there was little use in speculating if confirmation or denial really was so near, “If he’s waiting, we ought not to leave him at the station. Are you ready to depart for the Clamberclaw Bluffs?”

Dawn took him by the forefinger and smiled at him-- and where he occasionally saw a flash of pity in it, there was nothing but anticipation.

“Let’s go!” She said, tugging him forward, a current all her own.

Ingo allowed it to happen, allowed her to be the force driving his tired cab onward. Maybe, when they reached their destination, there would be someone there to meet it.

---

The first indication that Emmet was no longer alone on the rocky outcropping was Dawn hefting herself up onto the edge with the grace of someone still adjusting to that specific workout. He refrained from commenting on that fact both because he liked to think himself polite and because something else stole his attention away shortly thereafter.

Offset from where she’d appeared, the water warped unnaturally, and it took a second for him to realize that it was because it was something else was surfacing, something massive enough to distort the water as it rose.

“Oh,” Said his brother’s voice, loud as one of his directing calls whilst somehow maintaining a sort of gentle surprise, “You’re human.”

Even though he’d been warned as much, as he blinked upwards, trying to process the reality he’d found himself living, he said, “You’re… not.”

“Was… was I supposed to be?” Ingo turned his head as he said it, a hand curling to rest against his lips-- and it was so achingly familiar that, for just a second, it was possible to overlook the fact that his forearm had to be longer than Emmet’s full height.

“Yes?” He half-asked, trying to keep his expression from dipping into anything too ridiculous in his incredulity, “To my knowledge, identical siblings are usually the same species.”

The animate half of Ingo’s face scrunched, puzzled, and he leaned over on his arms to put them on the same level. He spent several seconds silently assessing Emmet, before returning with, “We do look quite similar, don’t we?”

“Identical.” Emmet repeated, insistent, and he couldn’t keep his voice from crackling on it, “We are-- we’re supposed to be identical twins.”

“And I take it from your response that you were never an orca?” His brother said, a little helplessly.

“No.” At that, however, he stepped forward, emboldened both by the certainty that this was somehow his missing twin-- all but confirming that he had never been in any danger-- and a suddenly-consuming curiosity.

Ingo watched his approach, but did nothing to stop him. The only movement was that of one enormous, clawed hand tucking itself into the tattered remains of the opposite sleeve and, abruptly, Emmet realized he was still wearing his uniform’s hat and coat. The hat and coat that had been commissioned in tandem with the ones Emmet wore right now. Emmet, who was notably human-sized.

How?

The nearer he drew, the more clearly he could make out the black mass in the water beyond, a shadow that stretched and curved into an undeniably fish-shaped tail, floating just high enough for a dorsal fin to cut through the surface.

With a new clarity, he looked up, taking in the black patches that both camouflaged the actual lines under his brother’s eyes and made his weariness look orders worse, and asked, “Was the whale song your doing?”

The too-pale skin of Ingo’s face went faintly pink. “You were able to hear that?”

Emmet felt his face crack into a grin, “You are not quiet.”

“No, no, you misunderstand,” He tried, though the flush only intensified at the comment, “The frequency is inaudible to the other merfolk. I didn’t think anyone else was physically able to hear it.”

“Wait,” Said a mildly-familiar voice and, with a start, Emmet remembered they weren’t alone, “Is that what you’re doing when you float on the surface like a dead fish? You’re just screaming into the sky?”

“That is-- no. Not in the slightest!”

“If he yelled, you would know. Even as a human.” The commentary earned him a downward glance through narrowed eyes.

“Regardless,” Ingo said, transparently trying to get them back on a track that didn’t lead to further teasing, “I’m surprised that you were able to discern it without being a mer yourself.”

Emmet hummed, considering that, and then turned his head. “I’m not. Other people cannot read your face, but I can. It makes sense that I can understand you now, too.”

“Because you’re… my twin brother.” Ingo said haltingly, testing the words for himself as if to see if they were any more convincing in his own voice.

Emmet smiled, though not without an edge of melancholy, letting him reach a conclusion in his own time. That wasn’t disbelief, he knew, but it was plain to see how lost his brother was, and hurrying him wouldn’t help.

He wouldn’t push, but… but maybe it would be okay to make sure this was real, that he hadn’t hit his head upon arriving in Hisui and managed to fool himself into thinking this might finally be it.

Holding one hand up to indicate a lack of aggression-- as if something so small could do anything to hurt someone with the proportions of a killer whale-- he took a tentative, questioning step forward and asked, “Can I touch?”

Ingo blinked at him, focused momentarily on his palm, and then back on his face. In lieu of an answer, he rested his head on his arms in full, putting himself in range to reach more comfortably. His bright, bright eyes tracked the motion until he couldn’t any longer, and he breathed out, slow and impossibly long.

The skin beneath Emmet’s hand was dark, the stripe of it trailing up to a floppy ear and down below the line of a collar, but still warm and still undeniably human. He’d half expected it to feel rubbery under his touch, but the biggest difference was the subtle grit of drying salt. He was reminded intensely of the summer their family visited the Decolore Islands and specifically of when, as a joke, he’d tried to push his brother into the water, only for Ingo to clutch his hand that much more tightly and send the both of them tumbling in. Having to go on in wet clothes had been bad enough until they began to dry, contrasting outfits stiff with the residual salt on their persons. As children, it had been unbearable. He could only hope it didn’t itch the same way, now.

He only realized he’d spaced out at the renewed rumble as his twin began to speak again, “--not sure. Are you still with us, Emmet?”

For a second, he froze in place, and then drew his hand back, breaking out into an unburdened smile. Beaming up at his brother, he said, “Ingoooooo, I never told you my name.”

Ingo’s brow furrowed as he mentally played the conversation back, and then he glanced to Dawn, who held her hands up and shook her head. When that failed to yield any plausible explanation, his gaze flitted back over to Emmet, uncertain, as if he’d done something wrong.

“It’s good!” Emmet said before his twin could start to reverse down the tracks, “I do not know what happened, but you’re still you. That is all that matters to me.”

As quietly as he was physically capable of with such robust lungs, Ingo repeated “My brother,” to himself, already coming to terms with the idea, and Emmet stepped forward again.

He leaned into his twin’s shoulder, heedless of the water that immediately soaked through his coat, and, as best he could, pressed the side of his face to Ingo’s. Against his own side, he felt a pulse speed up, powered by a heart that was finally large enough to match the outpouring of love its owner had always put into the world.

A hand moved to cradle his back, painstaking in the care behind it, and within two beats of that massive heart, the whale song began anew.

[archetypal-archivist]

Azul-Yutu Thoughts 0.1

Concept stuff for Azul-Yutu as based around @yuri-is-online's world building. Go read their stuff, it's good.

As dictated by canon, this guy is big, brawny, and absolutely has more brain going on than people realize on first look. He's a little salty that people keep having the worst assumptions about him but he's also reluctantly pleased because it means they underestimate him. Much like dear ol' dad Azul, he adores getting the last laugh.

Unlike Azul, however, if shit's going sideways, he's going down with the ship and taking everyone else with him. Azul might bail if the losses are stacking up too high- better to live to plot another day and cut his losses, especially when the losses are a single limb and staying might mean being eaten up by your resident shark mers entirely.

Yutu had fewer choices; upon being dropped into Twisted Wonderland and having the spectacular shit show that is The Bad Future sprung upon him, he didn't have the option to leave. For Yutu, it was stick it out or die and Yuu put too much love into raising him for Yutu to anything less than paddle for his life in this sink-or-swim situation. He's part mer now, call it instinct.

(Yutu is more stubborn than a rock and he loathes being told to sit down and shut up by anyone less than Yuu. If this world wants him dead, by the seas he'll live on in the name of spite alone. He refuses to give up even though he can't really see a way out of this shit situation and his future is bleak.)

Ends up in Savannaclaw for his tenacity and everyone is either nodding their head about their assumptions being proven true or utterly shocked because this is Azul's child, hello?? Yutu ends up a little frustrated again because seriously, what's with all the assumptions when these people don't actually know him.

He ends up getting into a lot of fights his first week and it's a bloody war of attrition that grinds Yutu down a lot. He doesn't let it show on his face but he's really, really tired by the end of it. Still, due to his efforts he gains the respect of the dorm and that lets him set up into chess-maneuvering his way to a better set of circumstances.

Yutu has a really hard time making friends at first, in part because he's too focused on getting used to this new world and in part because he's too used to bullies and always being in guard to get close to others.

Gets his unique magic about a month in when he was mentally envisioning punching one of his more persistent annoyances in Savannahclaw in the face. He was very surprised when a jolt of magic was ripped from him as if he had been punched in the gut and the other guy went tumbling backwards, having been, you know, punched in the face by a tentacle of cosmic magic.

Eventually does end up with friends, to his initial chagrin.

A beefy Savannahclaw second year who kept trying to 'show him his place' but lost every fight is first. Yutu shoving him down into the dirt and listing every way he went wrong about this particular attack and how Yutu would have done it better but hasn't yet because he's so 'benevolent'? Yeah, that kinda dragged out the guy's latent respect for Yutu and now he has a big beefy minion of his very own. Yutu doesn't trust him for a while and has no clue why this guy is following him around but when he reveals he wants to be Yutu's disciple in the way of ass-kicking-through-brain, Yutu kinda goes '!!!' Then he puts the guy through hell to see if he really means it, finally achieving mutual respect after three weeks. The pair play Guess Who using the students around them as characters as practice reading people. It's fun. :) To simplify, let's call him Sav.

The next two minions are a pair of siblings: one a second year, one first year, both hummingbird beastmen from Heartslabyul. They're tricksy and annoying and have a grand old time rules-lawyering the heck out of Heartslabyul's many rules. They'd gotten bored and had decided to make Yutu their next mark for a prank, which ended poorly for all involved. (Mutually assured destruction, plus a couple cauldrons as collateral damage. Crewel wasn't pleased.) Second year wanted to be done with the mess but first year has gotten it into his head that the incident made him and Yutu friends now. Second year tagged along to keep his younger sibling out of trouble (he didn't trust Yutu not to fling his brother into another wall) and ended up being the reluctant voice of reason. He 100% hates his life, he wants to go back to playing pranks and slacking off now. (No he doesn't, he's just going grey from worry over Yutu and company.) We'll call the first year Fior and the second year Thrush.

The last of the group is an excitable mousy-looking guy, very short and nerdy, a first year from Ignihyde. Thinks Yutu has main character energy; wants to be part of his 'five man band' and he's already specced himself into the role of white mage so he's perfect for them! C'mon, pleeeaaassseee? Yutu is deeply weirded out that this guy is literally asking to be used and that in the literal apocalypse he thinks his life is too boring. Still, he's not one to look a gift horse in the mouth so he takes him on. The hero worship for Yutu between this guy and Sav is something the Heartslabyul first year, Fior, finds very funny. We'll call this guy Morry.

First time they run into an overblot monster is on a field trip that their combat and field first aid professor has planned. It was supposed to be a jaunt down to the abandoned dwarf mines for training against the penned up blot monster inside (it'd been weakened considerably by time since Yuu and company had last fought it).

However, it'd rained a lot the night before, which had weakened the rock blocking it into the cave. Agitated by the presence of the school group, it breaks through the barrier and goes on the attack. The professor is quick to drop the rocks on the monster's head and it squishes into multiple puddles. Thinking that the problem is solved, the professor turns his back only for the puddles to rise up into several miniature blot monsters, one of which jumps him to knock him out. This hydra-like effect is how the blot monster had kept reappearing, despite Yuu and company killing it twice years prior (once in the prologue, once at Vargas camp).

The students split off to fight and Yutu grabs his first year friends, Morry and Fior, to run for the treeline where they can't get attacked from behind. He then starts fighting back, mind caught halfway between panic mode and being tactical. He thinks he'll have to convince his buddies to do what he says but nope, Fior and Morry are actually worryingly eager to take his orders. Morry in particular is treating this like a video game and Yutu like the one with the controller, which Fior finds funny.

The three settle into a rough pattern of Yutu staying stationary and acting like a turret, calling attention to himself, Fior running in to backstab at close range, and Morry covering his retreat while Yutu sets up the next big blast. It works surprisingly well but Yutu knows the monster will come back if it's not destroyed properly, and hit and run tactics won't work for that.

He gets Fior to jab it full of flora magic while he and Morry pin it (Yutu tests the limit of his cosmic magic tentacles and finds out the hard way that it's based on his physical strength.) Then, using the flora magic as a wick, he sets the monster alight, upping the temperature with wind magic from Morry such that the monster burns down to almost nothing.

It's a very cool moment... And then Yutu, Morry, and Fior look around and realize that there's a lot more monsters and not all of their classmates are faring as well as they did. NRC attitude strikes again and way too many people are trying to solo their own personal bosses, which is going poorly. The trio's hearts sink and fear begins to catch up with Yutu and Fior as they realize this isn't a climactic battle, it's a war of attrition. They blew a lot of their power and hyped themselves up when they weren't even close to done.

Morry convinces Yutu and Fior to keep going, giving them a transfusion of magic with his Unique Magic, which is themed around Tantalus. It gives his power to others, thus fulfilling their needs, but it can never heal or replenish all the way- it's never enough. Worse yet, using it is addictive for both the receivers and the caster, so it's something Morry has to be very careful with.

It does give Yutu and idea though and he gets Morry and Fior on board with it quickly: they aggro all the monsters by running by and slinging spells at them, then shout taunts at the other students about how they're gonna kill the monsters before they will and other insults about being weak. They then converge so all the monsters are herded together and the enraged students cast their spells at the same target.

That much magic all together is enough to explode the blot monsters properly and Morry collapses with a cheer. Fior and Yutu share a look, then Yutu admits to being displeased with the results as that was way too close for comfort. Fior gives a little bit of a lore dump, explaining that blot monsters are a serious threat that they all train to defeat. As students, they aren't supposed to be fighting the monsters, but as living beings in a world out to kill them, they'll likely have to. Fior admits that he's glad Yutu was with him and at this point, Yutu blows his top and demands to know why Fior and Morry were so eager to follow him.

See, Yutu knows he's not well liked. He's got several latent self esteem issues compounded on the fact that his rise to prominence in Savannahclaw marked him as a threat, not a friend. People do what he says because he gives them no other choice, what made Morry and Fior follow his plans? They nearly died!

At this point, Morry sits up and points out that they didn't die. And that, in this world? When things go to shit like this? That's impressive. Yutu already has their trust by proving that he refuses to go down without a fight; Sav's dominance battles, out-pranking Fior and Thrush, putting up with transferring into NRC late? It grinds a person down and each and every time, Yutu has risen to the challenge.

Yutu points out angrily that he still nearly got them killed by not seeing the big picture, Morry calmly replies that he trusts Yutu to do better next time. And, if things go south again... Well, Morry has his magic. He wants to help, more than anything, and Yutu is his ticket to do that. Either Yutu screws up and Morry can make himself useful or Yutu succeeds and everyone gets out unscathed. Here Fior breaks in and points out that following Yutu led to the best possible outcome- no one dying- so he's gonna keep doing that, sorry if that's not what Yutu wants to hear.

And... (here Fior gets a little shy) Fior finds Yutu interesting. Pranking Yutu, getting pranked by Yutu, having the chance to fight by his side- it's the most fun he's had in a while. It feels nice to have something to enjoy, especially when death is a constant risk. So (and now Fior firms up, smiling) he's gonna keep following Yutu's orders. He trusts Yutu too, yeah? Morry cheers and Fior hauls him to his feet, steadying the Ignihyde student when he wobbles, laughing.

Yutu's mind is a mess at that moment, caught up how his parent, Yuu, suffered growing up and how Yutu couldn't do anything to solve the problem. His mitigation only went to far, and when they traveled to Twisted Wonderland only for his parent to die? He sat with them for what felt like trauma-packed ages doing nothing while the healers were trying everything they could to keep Yuu alive. Yutu... He's never felt like enough, not ever. And now he's being given the trust of these two? People are relying on him again? He's terrified.

However, and here Yutu is too grim and smart not to admit it, he needs their strength still. If Fior and Morry are so eager to do his bidding, he's not in any place to refuse. Yutu wants to survive, even if he doesn't have much to survive for other than spite and remembrance of his parent's love, and to do that he needs allies, people who can help him navigate this new world. He can only hope that he can be enough this time and they won't regret trusting him.

Someone conjures some ice water to dump on the professor and he wakes up with a splutter, hurrying everyone back to the castle where Crewel is waiting, thoroughly pissed off. Thrush and Sav are also there and they descend in the first year trio with a lot of worry. Thrush is darting around his younger brother looking frantically for injuries, Sav is vibrating in place trying to respect Yutu's space, and Morry is off to the side, looking on with a small smile.

Yutu explains what had happened and Sav calms down while Thrush froths up, furious that Fior didn't just run or climb a tree to go hide. Fior starts rising to his brother's challenge, arguing that Yutu knew what he was doing and Thrush grits out that it's not Yutu's judgement he distrusts, it's Fior's for going along with what Yutu planned. Surely Fior could have come up with a better idea? Something that wouldn't put him on the front lines?

Fior laughs back that Thrush should just come with next time, Thrush shouts that there should be no next time, but it's obvious that he's not turning down the whole 'coming with them' idea. Sav decides to funnel his energy into fussing over Morry, which seems to surprise the Ignihyde student... And Yutu begins to think.

This is a world where death is out to get them, blot monsters are roaming the world at large, and his parent lies dead with an empty grave at their side. His dad is still out there somewhere and Yutu has minions now. Friends. Or something. If... If he can get stronger. Smarter maybe, better prepared... Maybe he could do something.

Yutu's not sure what that something is, just yet, but the thought is there, niggling. Maybe he has hope for his future yet.

Maybe more to come as time and inspiration allow...

[wolf-and-bard]

The Geraskier (and Lambden) H2O: Just Add Water AU of my dreams (bc Mermay is almost over and I haven’t done a thing for it and putting Geraskier into my favourite teenage shows is too much fun; this got long and messy):

-Geralt, Eskel, and Lambert grew up on the coast of Australia on an estate that is very big and private with its own sectioned-off part of the beach; among all their surfer kid school friends they are definitely the outcasts; they keep to themselves a lot and everyone thinks it’s because of their overprotective father who keeps them from throwing the best parties and also doesn't want them to go out into the ocean or have swimming lessons

-Vesemir is overprotective, but not for the reason everyone thinks; whenever he and/or his boys come into contact with water, they turn into mer-boys, complete with shimmering golden tails; he hoped this genetic oddity would pass them by, but it didn’t and so he taught them to be very careful for fear of them getting hurt

-they all cope with this in different manners: Geralt and Eskel mostly use their ability to do good; they protect little turtles from falling prey to predators, they collect trash from the bottom of the ocean; they also wrestle in the water a lot; Lambert tries to forget this is a thing and stays as far away form any body of water as he can; he spends most of his time secluded in his room, listening to edgy grunge music; sometimes his brothers can lure him out for a round of waterball in their private pool

-Jaskier is one of the popular kids one grade below Geralt (together with Lambert). He always gets the lead role in theatre, he has dozens of friends and a cool band and his outfits are outrageously fashionable; he vlogs a lot, he vlogs so much that anyone who has half a mind to get invested in his life will know everything from his morning routine to the night cream he uses; his favourite cafeteria lunch, the name of his teddy bear and his least favourite cousin

-Jaskier is also determined to befriend Geralt and his bros; he grew up in the same street as them and ever since he discovered Instagram, he’s been dying to take some shots in that house; he’s been over once, when Vesemir made the mistake of inviting a few kids Lambert’s age to his birthday party which ended up in a cake-throwing disaster; little Jaskier thought it was a great idea to tow the garden hose in and clean everything which ruined Vesemir’s favourite rug and had Geralt turn into a mer-boy on the spot; needless to say, Jaskier attributes this memory to a fever dream

-So, Jaskier starts following Geralt and Eskel around (he knows he’ll have no luck with Lambert) and they brush him off every opportunity they get

-What Jaskier doesn’t realize is that Geralt is hardcore in love with him, like so much so that his poor teenage mind cannot stop producing hormones on overload; he spends a lot of time out in the depths to distract himself from this

-What Jaskier also doesn’t realize is that he is falling for Geralt; it’s only for the sake of the 'gram, he tells himself, and because his followers seem to love the chunky mysterious senior with his strangely white hair

-Jaskier’s followers figure it out, the whole school figures it out, Lambert and Eskel figure it out (Geralt lets the guy sit at their lunch table, of course they’re in love) and eventually, even Geralt figures it out. Only Jaskier doesn’t and Geralt has a big-ass secret to keep anyway

-and so, to get rid of his pent-up frustration, he dives deeper and deeper; Eskel starts to worry, Vesemir says it’s just a phase, Lambert plainly doesn’t care

-Speaking of: Aiden is the snarky rich kid / bully that spends way too much time obsessing over uncovering their secret (bc he thinks he’s smart and always thought something about Vesemir was weird and he doesn’t like how they make such a fuss over their privacy). when he invities the three to one of his pool parties, he tries everything to make them reveal what they have going on, but Geralt doesn’t even show and Eskel keeps disappearing to play with Aiden’s dog and so Aiden is stuck with Lambert whom he definitely has a crush on, but won’t ever admit it. they’re enemies, okay? there’s a lot of tension and they end up drunkenly making out behind garden shed, something they both regret in the morning; Lambert doesn’t leave his room for a week straight and feigns a flu so he doesn’t have to meet Aiden at school; Aiden and Jaskier are friends ofc

-one day at school Geralt and Jaskier hang out on the lunch break alone because Eskel’s on a zoo trip with his class and Lambert is avoiding Aiden so he spends all his time holed up beneath the seats of the football field writing angry poems; Jaskier’s forgotten to charge his camera battery so it’s just them, stealing fries off each other’s plates, actually talking for once and Geralt’s sweating because Jaskier sits so close their knees bump and he looks ridiculously cute in his pastel dungarees and there’s this spot of ketchup on his nose that Geralt’s just itching to reach out and wipe away

-Jaskier isn’t all that hungry and he watches Geralt devour a third slice of pizza when he remembers his stupid childhood fever dream; he tells Geralt all about it, the cake fight, the ensuing mess and how he distinctly remembers Geralt growing a fish-tail and flopping around on the living room floor while Vesemir was screaming at them all to get out. “Funny, isn’t it? What your brain can make up?”; Geralt turns chalk-white and splutters a fake laugh

-he isn’t at school the next day and neither are Eskel or Lambert

-nor the next

-they are all a bit afraid, cautious and they just need to spend a few days, just the four of them, throwing themselves into the waves and being free of the shackles of their secrets; they chase each other around, they play some water ball and Vesemir makes them hot cocoa and rubs them dry the way he used to when they were younger and still unable to handle their transformation well

-as he does this, Vesemir thinks about moving somewhere more secure where there are less people, but he can’t take the boys’ life away; Geralt is clearly happy with Jaskier, Lambert’s coming around to opening up to someone, even if that someone is a giant asshole, and Eskel’s too easily unsettled to move elsewhere

-by the third day the boys don’t appear at school - and answer none of his texts - Jaskier gets unsettled; his followers urge him to just go and visit Geralt (they also finally enlighten Jaskier about his own feelings) and Jaskier does. thankfully, his camera is still uncharged and he forgot his phone at home or he would have filmed what he saw as he climbed their garden fence very ungracefully (no one opened the door)

-Geralt went too far out, too deep and got caught in the undertow of some massive waves, then was pulled under and cut himself on some rocks; Jaskier just about catches Eskel and Lambert dragging their brother ashore, his tail flopping helplessly; there’s blood washing away in the waves; Geralt’s eyes are closed and Jaskier understands with rare clarity that somehow this is his fault

-he hurtles towards Geralt, kicking up mud, so afraid that Geralt is going to die and as he does so he calls for Geralt, ignores Lambert’s curses and Eskel’s glower. They gently lower Geralt to the sand where the other two are out of reach of the hungry waves and Lambert runs for Vesemir, Eskel crouches down by Geralt’s tail, inspecting his wounds; meanwhile Jaskier is completely unfazed by the mer-boy thing, he simply drags Geralt’s head onto his lap and strokes his hair, apologizing over and over

-once Geralt is transformed back into human form, his wounds are patched up and Vesemir has given him a thorough lecture, he and Jaskier cuddle on the back porch couch and Jaskier keeps altering between laughing and crying; it’s ridiculous, Geralt is a mer-boy, but also he looked so fragile being hauled out of the water and Jaskier just loves him so fucking much

-and Geralt loves him back. and that’s how a spot of angst orchestrates their happily ever after

-meanwhile Aiden finds out when he has Lambert over for some making out one day and thinks it’s a funny idea to deposit his not-boyfriend in the pool mid-kiss; Lambert just floats in the pool, arms crossed, tail beating, waiting for Aiden to call the cops on him, but Aiden is super turned on and jumps in the pool with him and there’s more making out

THE END

[ofmermaidstories]

just finished The Widening Sky and- holy shit. Your world building sits high up there on my favorite things to read, if not at number one. Putting your writing prowess aside, it’s just- I adore how the ending (while gut wrenching in its gauzy-ness) can be interpreted different ways through how you set up the world like- **spoilers!!** yeah maybe reader does die, however, considering that they go into the sea during the festival for the maiden, Id like to think they’re blessed- that the reader Is Magic, and that they transform into a mer-person. But I love (and am therefore anguished) by that there’s the possibility Katsuki Is dead, because they did see those orange scales in the shark, and even though there was a sighting of scales in the ocean, I mean- obviously there’s more than one orange scaled big fish out there. Though I think he’s alive. Idk I feel silly digressing to you about your own fic but I can’t help it!! It’s gorgeous and though neat endings are always nice (I read my fair share of angst with happy ending) it was so cool how possibilities are left open and how it’s settled and wrapped up neat without a conclusion?? If that makes sense. Idk!! Also I found it interesting how sero perceived us as partners, that little shift at the end was nice!!

Hi!! Hi!!! Oh my gosh, please, I don’t think I could name anyone on this platform that wouldn’t love a chance to waffle on about the things they make with others!!!!

Okay, so this is going to involve spoilers but have you ever read/watched Picnic at Hanging Rock? The movie came out in 1975 and is pretty much a cornerstone of Australian cinematography but it’s based on the novel of the same name. I know screenshots from the 1975 movie will sometimes float around tumblr—mostly of the picnic montage at the beginning of the film when the girls of Appleyard’s College are toasting to Saint Valentines—but the basic premise of the story is, on Valentines day in 1900, a group of school girls (accompanied by two of their teachers) from a Victorian boarding school for wealthy young ladies go on a picnic to Hanging Rock—and four of them go missing.

The story is all about the question of what happened to those girls (and their one teacher). It drives the remaining characters crazy—effects the lives of everyone left behind, and at the end of the story we don’t really get answers. Joan Lindsay, the author, even says in the beginning of the book that the solving of the mystery is unimportant.

But the thing is—there is an answer to Picnic at Hanging Rock. Joan wrote one, in a different version of the final chapter in one of her first drafts—where what happened to the missing girls is revealed.

I’m just gonna say it—the explained, original ending is bonkers LOL. Kudos to whatever editor managed to talk Joan off of that ledge because there is no way Picnic would have achieved the Australian Classic title it’s been given since if we’d been subjected to it. But!!! The reason I’m bringing it up is because I think Picnic works like it does because it was written with that ending in mind, even if ultimately the audience was never meant to be privy to it. And that’s how I (kinda) feel about Widening!!! I wrote it with one intended ending in mind, even knowing that the final hook (pardon the pun…?) would be that it was left ambiguous (hopefully, anyways, LOL). Idk… I guess I just thought it fit in with the idea of the island’s—the water’s—magic, and how much someone reading it wanted a happy ending (or not). It’d take a lot to take down our merman though, I reckon. 💪🏽

(Poor Sero—I like to think he was well and truly on his way to being in love, before the festival. Maybe if Reader hadn’t of been the kind of person to hold out hope, for something so far fetched—they could’ve eventually been happy)

anyways!!! i really waffled on with this one!!!!! i hope the week ahead is kind, Anon. Here’s to always holding out hope, regardless of what we find in some shark’s stomach. 🦈🌤🌊

[ressyfaerie]

I would love love love to see something along the lines of a Tyka mer au?? Especially if Kai is the merman!! I do love them ever so. Any age rating/idea I am so down for, pretty please!! 🥺🙏❤

Keep up with the great Tyka content it makes my day!

I know who you are and you always give me the best fic inspiration! I read your Tyka mer comics and I am INSPIRED. This might be longer than expected! But here I gooooo

So now that I finished it, I’ll be putting it in a readmore since it’s VERY LONG!!

It’s very rare that I write in first person! But this story definitely called for it, and I AM COMPLETELY IN LOVE. You’re going to want to ask for more, I can already tell.

So here it is:

When I was young, I was saved by a merman.

I remember how the cold seeped into my veins. My head was pounding from the force of hitting the water.

I was too young to know how to swim.

I couldn’t move even if I wanted to.

My body was numb, I descended into the dark blue sea, I saw the light glimmer from the surface, and felt water invade my lungs.

That’s when I saw him.

A flash of blue and milky skin. I felt the smooth scales wrap around my body. I saw his face, clear as day. His purple eyes, silver hair, and blue face markings. His face looked panicked, bubbles erupted from his mouth forming inaudible words. His face turned blurry, and my vision grew dark.

I woke up on the beach. No one believed me when I told them. Just a child’s fantasy gone overboard.

I always wondered how I made it back to shore without knowing how to swim, or how I missed all the rocks.

Someone must have saved me.

The more I visited the beach and saw no sign of a blue finned merman my belief started to dwindle.

Growing up I drew pictures, I even based my imaginary friend off my hero.

In my teens, my best friend Max reminded me of him.

“Tyson! I was just telling my friend about that mer-boy that saved you when you were a kid!”

I laughed it off, “it was a fairytale, Max. Nothing more.”

Years before, Kenny and Hilary sat with me on the beach one day after training.

“Could he still be out there?”

I cleaned my surfboard, looking off into the mysterious ocean.

Hilary passed me a bottle of wax for my board, “you know, I read at least eighty percent of the ocean remains undiscovered.”

Kenny looked up from his laptop, “every mermaid sighting has been proved fake. I still think what you saw was due to a lack of oxygen.”

I gave him an angry look, I didn’t mean to.

“Uh… but miracles have happened.” Kenny tried to reassure me.

I knew the truth.

Mermaids and mermen weren’t real.

After my Mom died, and my Dad left with my brother to explore the world, I had two things, my Grandpa, and my imagination.

Thinking of that boy was my playground. I’d bring sandwiches to the beach, and pretend to talk to him.

I made friends. And became a surfing champion. With my success my imagination drifted away.

I guess I really wasn’t ready for what came next huh?

“Tyson!”

Hilary and Kenny made their way towards my desk, I slammed my textbook closed, I was done with studying anyways.

“There’s a carnival in town! It’s close to your house, you want to come with us tonight?” Her eyes were bright.

I felt a pat on my shoulder, I looked to my right, Max’s blonde hair caught my eye.

“Carnival? Count me in!”

“I’m going too…” Kenny mentioned awkwardly, “Tyson?”

I rolled my eyes, carnivals were for kids. Besides I was planning on catching some waves tonight, but the weather was supposed to be really calm. I guess I could spare the time.

“Alright, sounds like a plan.”

I was right. Carnivals were for kids.

Doesn’t mean it wasn’t fun though.

We rode ride after ride. Kenny had to sit on a bench after he got sick, Hilary rubbed his back.

“Looks like it’s just you and me, partner!” Max slapped my back, “let's get some more snacks!”

Max pulled me towards another booth. I love food, but after a dozen different snacks, and a dozen different rides, I had to admit, I wasn’t feeling too well.

Max handed me a candy apple, I took a bite and felt my stomach turn.

“Bluh,” my lip turned in disgust.

“Wanna take a break from the rides?”

I nodded.

We lost Kenny and Hilary ages ago. Walking through the parts of the carnival with fewer people, we came across a mirror maze.

“Tyson, let’s go in!”

“Sounds fun!”

It was no surprise when I lost Max right away.

I could hear his excited giggles and him shouting my name, I tried to go in his direction, but eventually his voice faded out, and I found my way to the exit.

“Max!” I shouted into the maze, but there was no reply back.

He might have gotten out already…

I walked through the carnival looking for my blonde haired friend. No luck. There was a fortune teller, I made a mental note, Hilary would have liked to go back there.

Then something caught my eye.

ANASTASIA’S HOUSE OF WONDERS

It looked like a cardboard standee, with dark tents behind it. It couldn’t have been that big. I saw some people leave out the exit. There was someone in front of it. They were dressed in a creepy joker costume.

“Hey man,” I got his attention.

“Do you dare enter the house of wonders!”

“Uh, maybe? Is it cool? Like… what’s in there?”

“Things that will make your blood boil—”

“Things?”

“And creatures unknown to this world!—”

“Creatures!?”

“And above all—”

“Oooo what else!?”

“Look kid.” The grey haired joker lowered his arms and sighed, “can you just let me finish my speech?”

“Oh, yeah sorry.”

“I’m Bryan the sharpshooting joker! For only a few bucks—find yourself immersed in a new world!—”

“Okay,” I raised my hand, “that’s enough.”

“Oh thank god” Bryan’s voice dropped a few octaves.

The guy seemed kinda chill, so I leveled with him.

“So dude, is it actually worth my time in there?”

Bryan nodded, “yeah, it’s actually really cool.”

“Alright, sign me up.” I handed him a couple bills.

“Enjoy.” He counted the money.

Before I left I looked under his costume hat, “wait, don’t I know you?”

“Maybe?” He grumbled, accidentally revealing his true persona.

“Yeah! You were in the last surfing championship! You’re that crazy intense guy Bryan! What the heck are you doing here?”

“Uh, sidegig.” He lowered his mask, “have fun in there, kid.”

“Okay…”

I brushed off the awkward encounter and turned to the entrance. It was covered in two extravagant curtains. I pushed the fabric to the side and walked into the darkness.

Wait, is this a haunted house? Damn I shouldn’t have gone without Max!

The first thing I noticed was there was a lack of… people. Tesla coils and odd gimmicks littered the floor of the first hallway. I rolled my eyes, remembering carnivals were for kids.

The next room was bigger than expected, it was a dome with a button in the middle. I pressed it, who could resist a big red button after all?

Suddenly a snow storm picked up. I covered my face, “ah!”

It stopped before I could figure it out, I stared at the sleeve of my red jacket, where snowflakes started melting.

“Alright, that was definitely real snow! I’ll admit I have no idea how you did that one!”

I shouted to no one, but it still helped my nerves.

I—couldn’t figure out where the exit was.

I walked to the edge of the dome, it looked like a carnival tent, I tapped the edge, it rang back with a metallic sound.

“Uh.” I grew worried, “an exit would be nice?!”

I heard a sound from the other side of the room, and some fabric fell from nowhere, revealing another dark room, “thank you!”

Cautiously I made my way to the dark room.

I wish I hadn’t.

Inside were weird animals in green jars.

“Oof, these can’t be real.”

I tapped one, the baby bird inside moved.

“I assure you, they are all real.”

I turned to the corner. A.. man? He had a raven masquerade mask, and when Tyson locked eyes with him, he screamed and revealed massive black wings from his back.

“What the!?—”

I fell backwards, falling on my rear.

The bird boy made his way towards me.

“What are you?!”

“I’m Ian, the birdman.” He sounded tired.

“And in there,” he pointed to the next room with a black talon, “you’ll find my wolf friend.”

“You’re what!?”

I sat up, “naw, I’m done with this place. Your costumes are a bit too real for me.”

He shrugged, “that’s what they all say.” he sat on a crate with a loud thud, “enjoy the rest of the tour.”

I went to the next room because that guy was freaking me out. I really wanted to head back the way I came, but I couldn’t seem to find it.

Also, that guy seemed kind of familiar.

The next room felt colder than the rest. My heart raced when I saw a cage.

“Uh, hello? This haunted house is getting a little weird…”

I heard the clanking of chains, and a flash of red. On the floor of the cage was a boy, a bit older than myself.

“Are you okay?” I asked knowing it was an actor.

I heard a deep growl, and he lifted himself off the floor. I gasped when I saw his face.

A white wolf with a red mane bared his teeth at me.

I took a step back.

I felt the room grow cold, as the wolf tensed and growled.

It lunged forward and snapped it’s jaw, it hit the bars of the cage with a strength that boy shouldn’t possess, I turned and ran.

I ran through a wall tearing down fabric sprinting through tents.

It was dark, I couldn't see anything and didn’t know where I was going.

“Ah!” My foot got caught on a stone and I fell forward.

“How is this place so big! It did not look like this from the outside!”

In front of me was a curtain, it just barely touched the floor, I could see light shining from under it.

If I can’t find my way out… I might as well head for the light.

I lifted the curtain up and shielded my eyes from the bright white light.

In front of me I could just make out the wheels of a traveling train car. The front of it wasn’t metal, it was glass. Bright fluorescent lights hung over it. There was a sign next to me, I rubbed my eyes and could just make out the writing.

Newest exhibit! A rarity of its kind! Stay back, he splashes.

“What?”

Then I saw it.

The flash of blue, silver, and purple.

A merman threw himself against the glass repeatedly, tossing his fists against it. His wrists were in chains, and his constant assault against the glass only amounted to hollow thumps echoing through the tent.

I felt my body freeze.

It was the merman from my childhood.

Is this real?

I slowly made my way to the sealed aquarium.

The boy must have seen me enter the ring of light, because he stopped, he started floating, and stared at me.

“Hello?”

The merman didn’t move, he simply floated in place, I could see his chest move up and down.

“Do you recognize me?”

I made my way to the glass, getting a good look at the boy for the first time.

I placed my hand on the glass. I saw how red his wrists were from the chains.

He put his hand against the glass, only a thin separation between us. I smiled, and looked into his purple eyes.

I think he smiled at me. He opened his mouth slightly and a few bubbles popped out. I chuckled, and he looked back at me.

I stared up at the top of the tank, the lid was thick glass. A massive padlock kept it down. He saw me look at it, and he shook his head frantically.

I nodded, and placed my head against the glass, “you’re not supposed to be here.”

I jumped and hit the lock with my hand gauging how tough it was.

The merman waved his hand and mouthed words shaking his head.

“I’m gonna get you out of here!”

I looked around the room for a tool to use to break the lock. The only thing I could find was the sign I had seen previously.

I grabbed it, and tossed it to the ground, ripping it off its base.

The merman kept throwing his fist against the tank to get my attention, I ignored him knowing I had to help him.

I climbed the edge of the train cart so I was standing on top of the glass looking down at the silver haired boy. He floated on his back and kept banging on the glass with both hands.

It seemed like he was mouthing the words ‘get out get out!’

I used the stick tool I had made and bashed the lock, making loud sounds through the room. I kept doing it, but it didn’t budge.

The merman was banging on the glass mouthing the same words.

“I’m trying!”

I jumped down, knowing I would have to find a different tool, but I bashed it again in frustration.

The merman was frantically pointing now.

“What? What is it?” I watched his lips.

‘Behind you!’

I felt someone grab my shoulder, before I could scream they grasped my shirt and yanked me to the floor, dragging me away.

“Hey! You’re not supposed to touch people in a haunted house!”

I kicked and screamed while watching my merman frantically swim in circles and hit the glass with his tail. He was trying to get to me, but I knew it wasn’t going to work.

The man threw me into another room. I couldn’t see anything in the dark, I was tossed on a chair and sat up. He turned on a light with a click, and an old fluorescent bulb hung from the ceiling. I blinked a few times trying to find my way in the new surroundings.

A silhouette of a man sat on the opposite end of a table.

“You think you can try to take one of my treasures?”

“He is not yours!”

“Months ago I captured him. He’s rightfully mine.”

“Who do you think you are?!” I screamed at him, knowing full well this full grown man could cause me serious harm.

“He’s a rarity, I won’t let him fall into the hands of some snot nosed teenager with a superiority complex.”

I spat, “do you own this crazy place?”

“I do.”

“Don’t think I didn’t recognize your workers. I surfed with most of them in last year's competition.”

The man simply laughed, I finally got to make out some of his facial features. He was an older man.

“And why does the world champion desire my merman?”

“I don’t desire him, he needs to be free!”

“Ha!” The man’s voice bellowed.

I frantically searched for answers, for a way out—for the both of us.

“I’ll buy him from you!”

“Like you could afford him.”

“If I win the next competition—”

“You won’t.”

I grinned smugly, “you don’t know that.”

“You won by luck, my team is far superior.”

“Your team of monsters? Isn’t that cheating?”

“And you think being a descendant of a storm dragon is fair?”

“I’m a—what?”

The man shook his head.

“I know who you are, Tyson.”

“You gonna tell me who you are?”

The man chuckled in response to my anger, making me even more furious.

“The name is Boris. I take care of these boys—”

“By imprisoning them? Leave my merman alone!”

“Excuse me? Yours? Did you not just meet this creature?”

“Let’s say I’m feeling friendly.” I crossed my arms.

“He seemed to react to your presence, what did you do?”

I panicked, “how long were you watching for!?”

“Long enough. I’ve had him here for a few months, yet I can’t seem to break him.”

“Break him?” I was in disbelief, my childhood hero was not some horse at a stable!

“Yes, perhaps you could help—”

“No.” I grimaced.

Boris tapped his fist on the table, “well, it seems we are at an impasse.”

“You’ll never have my help.”

“I think I can live without it.” He stood up, he was much taller than me. “Please leave my circus, and don’t come back.”

“I’m not leaving without the merman.” I stood my ground.

“That’s a shame.”

I felt something heavy hit my temple—

I woke up on a grassy hill. I rubbed my head.

When I managed to sit up I overlooked the carnival from across a field. The lights were all out. It had to have been late for it to be completely closed.

Boris…

Now that I knew my merman was real, and that he was captured by such an evil man I had to find a way to get him back.

I’ll steal him. I’ll figure something out…

You better watch your back Boris.

I stared in the direction I thought my blue finned saviour would be in.

Hold on, I’m coming for you.

[longitudinalwaveme]

Longitudinalwaveme Reviews Some More Old Comics (and One New One), Part 3

 Batman #353, “Last Laugh”

The Joker walks into his hideout at the abandoned Tatch Hotel, where his goons are gambling. He promptly kills one of them by snakebite for disrespecting him. 

Batman scares a corrupt city council member into revealing that the doctored photos that “revealed” Batman as a crime boss came from real crime boss Rupert Thorne. Apparently, Thorne ensured that Reeves would lose the election...meaning that he wanted Hamilton Hill to be mayor for some reason. 

Also, Gordon is currently not the Commissioner---someone named Commissioner Pauling is, and Batman suspects both he and the new mayor are corrupt. 

The next day, as Bruce Wayne, he accompanies Vicki Vale to the destruction of Gotham Central Station. Apparently, Vicki was witness to an interaction between Rupert Thorne and Morton Monroe that culminated in the latter’s suicide. 

The computer being used to manage the explosions that will preserve the landmark while still clearing space for new development malfunctions has been stolen...by the Joker! 

Because Batman and the new police commissioner are on the outs, Batman hadn’t known about the Joker’s escape from Arkham, and he’s not happy about that. He does, however, quickly work out that the Joker has bought some land in the Palisades under the pseudonym of Mr. Harlan Quinn. (No...seriously!) 

Batman heads to the location in question...only to be caught off-guard by the Joker, who shoots a drugged arrow at him. When he wakes up, he’s tied to some rocks and surrounded by dynamite. 

Joker is upset that Gotham is constructing a statue for a Broadway star and not for him, so he’s going to use the dynamite and the computer he stole to create a monument of himself (and kill Batman). 

Batman manages to break free and jams the computer signal by way of a device he brought with him for that purpose. 

The story is then interrupted for a weird He-Man comic! Hi there, He-Man, Teela, Man-at-Arms, Battle Cat, Sorceress, Mer-man, Beast Man, and Skeletor! And, uh, Superman, too, I guess! Why not? 

I can honestly say I did not expect this Batman comic to contain a Superman/Masters of the Universe crossover where Superman fought Skeletor. 

And now back to Batman, who’s fighting Joker’s goons. While this is going on, the Joker shoots at Batman while his back is turned-only for the explosions to go off. It temporarily creates Joker’s memorial of himself, but it lasts for only a few seconds before collapsing. The issue ends with Joker frowning and Batman smiling in a really unsettling manner. 

The issue also has a backup story, starring Robin and Batman, the latter of whom is undercover as Matches Malone. They work together to defeat some con-men, and Dick uses an inflatable suit to dress up as Batman. It’s pretty amusing. 

Batman #355, “Never Scratch a Cat” 

Why does Catwoman own what appears to be a pet panther? 

Apparently, she’s not happy abut the fact that Vicky Vale is also romantically interested in Bruce Wayne. We then cut to the latter two on a date. 

Their date is suddenly interrupted when Catwoman uses her car to send their car off a cliff and into a river. She immediately regrets it and dives into the water after them to save them.

Bruce fights her off and makes it to the surface with Vicki himself. Two days later, she wakes up in the hospital. 

The police have been staking out Selina’s house, but so far, there hasn’t been any sign of her. 

That night, Batman leaves to track down Catwoman, telling Dick not to come with him as Robin. They have a fairly heartwarming conversation, and then Batman zooms off, leaving Dick and Alfred worried about how angry he seems. 

Batman breaks into Selina’s house...and is promptly attacked by her pet panther. They fight, and he defeats the panther. He then discovers that Selina hasn’t been home for at least 2 days. 

Batman looks through her bills and discovers that she’s rented an apartment somewhere. 

Ex-Commissioner Gordon talks politics with Mayor Hamilton Hill. There’s a petition to remove the latter from his position, since he’s connected to Thorne and Thorne was arrested for murdering his own appointee for police commissioner. Also, Hill makes him commissioner again. 

Batman tracks Catwoman to her new apartment and the two fight, verbally and physically. Eventually, though, they make up and hug each other. It’s kind of weird, but I guess it works.

Flash #324, “The Slayer and the Slain” 

The Reverse-Flash is dead! But the real horror of this issue isn’t that he’s dead or that he died attempting to murder Fiona Webb...it’s the fact that this issue will kick off the Trial of the Flash arc; otherwise known as the Arc That Never Ends! 

Some really weird nurse tells a baby the story of her favorite soap opera...only to lose her grip on the carriage, which goes hurtling towards a pane of glass! Kid Flash manages to save the baby, but not the glass. 

Kid Flash then rushes to what he believes will be the wedding of his uncle to Fiona Webb, changing into a tuxedo along the way. 

Unfortunately, when Wally arrives at the church, there’s no sign of Barry. Dexter Miles, Barry’s friend Mack Nathan, Mack’s son Troy, and Ralph Dibney, the Elongated Man, are at the church, though, as are Barry’s parents and Fiona herself. 

Before Barry’s first name was Bartholomew, it was Barrence. No, seriously. 

Fiona is naturally very upset, believing Barry stood her up at the alter. Henry Allen is less than sympathetic. “Nora and I aren’t ready to give up on our boy just yet, Fiona. And if you really love him...you’re not about to either!” Way to guilt-trip her, Henry. No wonder Barry got along better with Roscoe-pretending-to-be-you than he did with you. 

Barry and the Reverse-Flash have a fight/race around the world, Eobard yelling about how mad he is about Barry trapping him at the end of time for four years. 

Officer Frye and Frank Curtis are also at the wedding. 

Apparently the Guardians of the Universe stopped Wally from helping Barry fight Eobard for some reason. Okay...

Eobard, being Eobard, makes a giant ice sculpture of Iris in the Himalayas just so he can troll Barry. Then they fight some more as all the wedding guests wonder where the bridegroom is. 

While the two are fighting/racing, Eobard creates a big wave at Miami Beach, which Barry has to stop to rescue some swimmers from. 

Captain Frye is starting to believe that Barry’s been murdered. 

Eobard and Barry end up in Cape Carneval and take a rocket into outer space. After they return to Earth, Eobard taunts Barry by writing “Guess who’s going to kill your wife again” in the sand. This naturally makes Barry very, very unhappy. 

Equally unhappy is Fiona, who is now completely convinced she’s been stood up and is leaving the church. 

The wedding photographer pops up over thirty-five minutes after the wedding is supposed to start; conveniently already filming with his camera.

Eobard runs towards Fiona, murder on his mind...only for Barry to grab him from behind by the neck as he shouts “NO! Not again!” 

Barry tries to comfort Fiona to no avail as Frye discovers that Eobard is dead. 

And on that grim note, the issue ends. 

Batman #362, “When Riddled By the Riddler...” 

Why was Riddler working at a winery? Is it just because one of the processes involved in making wine is called riddling it? Whatever the reason, the appearance of a film crew at the winery apparently gives Riddler an idea for his next crime spree.

Batman is summoned to police headquarters, where Harvey Bullock is arguing with Commissoner Gordon. Apparently, Bullock’s working with Mayor Hill, and the Riddler has been sending Gordon puzzle boxes.

This puzzle box prompts Bullock to ask about the Riddler, which in turn prompts Gordon to tell Bullock and the reader about the Riddler’s M.O. and backstory. 

When he finishes the story, Batman finally arrives and kicks Bullock out. He and Gordon proceed to try to solve Riddler’s latest riddle as Bullock eavesdrops on them both from outside the door. The riddle seems to point in the direction of the Mother Goose Amusement Park, but Batman tells Gordon to keep thinking of other possible meanings just in case. 

Bullock plans to outwit Gordon, Batman, and the Riddler, showing an impressive degree of self-confidence (or self-delusion). 

Batman goes to the park and is promptly ambushed by a machine-gun wielding Riddler. 

Then they fight, Riddler escapes, and Batman learns that the amusement park has been closed all season, so it would have no money around to steal. 

Gordon, Bullock, and Batman reconvene to do some Bat Deducting in order to figure out the Riddler’s real plan. Because Batman’s true superpower is his ability to understand the insane ways in which the Riddler uses riddles to plot his crimes. 

Apparently, Riddler is going to steal the loot of a game show being filmed in Paradise Theater. The show in question is called “Enigma”, which is a terrible name for a show filmed in Gotham. It’s beggining the Riddler to show up. 

The Riddler actually wears a suit in this issue! That’s unusual for Riddler at this point, and it looks really good. Of course, he immediately takes it off a few panels later, but still. 

Apparently, the game show consists of getting contestants to answer riddles and...seriously, who decided it was a good idea to film this in Gotham? 

Then the Riddler pops himself out of the riddle drum used in the game show. It’s hilarious. He steals the money and walks out the door, gloating. 

Batman then appears and starts chasing Riddler, who hijacks a bus. Batman follows him and uses gas to force the bus to stop. 

Then Batman literally kicks him off the bus and captures him. 

The issue ends with Bullock deciding to drop the charges he’s managed to get raised against Gordon (after Gordon uses a riddle to threaten him). Hill is not happy about this. 

Batman #373, “The Frequency of Fear” 

The issue opens with Jason Todd having a freaky nightmare about his parents’ deaths (since this is pre-Crisis, the deaths happened at the hands of Killer Croc). 

A really stupid psychologist wants to meet Jonathan Crane so that he can analyze the effects of fear on the human mind. Unfortunately for him, Crane has been released from Arkham, because everyone in Gotham is stupid. Even the stupid psychologist thinks so! 

Meanwhile, a couple of people at Gotham University wonder if they really did see the Scarecrow heading for the old Marston House where Crane once lived. 

Julia Pennyworth, Alfred’s daughter, asks Vicki Vale for a position at Picture News (is this different than the Picture News where Iris West-Allen works?) Vicki is opposed to the idea until Julia insists she’s not interested in Bruce Wayne. 

Apparently, in an earlier issue a number of Batman’s Rogues dragged Scarecrow around while he was mostly incapacitated by fear. He’s not happy about the fact that they did this and is plotting revenge against all of them. 

A guard at the courthouse demands to know why he’s there. In response, Scarecrow uses a skull to emit his fear frequency, and the guard predictably starts hallucinating. He then continues to use the frequency to get the location of the lock-up. He’s then lead the the solitary cell of the Joker.....and then Batman shows up. 

Scarecrow proceeds to use the fear frequency on both him and on Robin, when the latter shows up. Batman manages to fight off the worst of it, but when Jason chases the Scarecrow out of the building and onto the rope Scarecrow was using to escape, the frequency overcomes him, he loses his balance, and he starts falling. 

Batman manages to rescue him, though. 

On an unrelated note, Child Services are worried about the fact that Jason keeps falling asleep in class. 

Gordon and Bullock go out for dinner and have a little chat; Mayor Hill hires a hit out on Bullock.

Meanwhile, Batman tells Crane’s backstory to Robin, who suggests that Crane might be hanging out at his old house. Batman dismisses this, which is unfortunate, since Crane is, in fact, hanging out there. 

Crane is reading his psychology textbook to his little skull head. The man is really weird. I’ll also note that his textbook does actually contain a few words I’m not familiar with, which is impressive. 

Crane then determines that he’ll have to get rid of Batman first if he wants to kill off all the other villains, and goes out to do just that. 

Commissioner Gordon calls in Batman and Robin and tells them that the Scarecrow is attacking a zoo. Batman tells Robin to go home; he thinks the case is too dangerous for Jason. 

Batman goes to the zoo, and is increasingly affected by fear. When he reaches the crocodile pit, the fear is so overwhelming that he loses his balance and starts to fall in. 

Meanwhile, Jason has disobeyed orders and gone to Crane’s old house. The Scarecrow promptly attacks him as Batman falls into the crocodile exhibit....and the issue ends on a cliffhanger. Ooof. 

Flash 2021 Annual 

SPOILERS!

Man, Wally West makes the weirdest faces in this confessional. 

Barry, Ollie, and Mr. Terrific talk technobabble. 

Good news! It turns out Wally’s not a murderer anymore! HURRAH! 

Roy is alive again! YAY! 

Barry and Ollie are also making weird faces. 

Ollie really wants to save Roy from the speed force explosion that will kill everybody at Sanctuary, but Barry says there’s nothing they can do. Ollie doesn’t like this explanation.

Also, Barry’s powers suddenly start fading. 

Wally makes another weird face as he and Roy talk. 

Hey, Savitar’s back! And looking a lot more attractive than the last time I saw him. 

Turns out that he’s been causing all the weird problems with the Speed Force in this arc. It’s appropriate for him, I think. 

Roy and Wally team up to fight Savitar, who goes on a villainous monologue about how he’s going to eat the speed force so he can become it. 

There’s some more technobabble about the Speed Force. Apparently, if they don’t cause the explosion that kills everyone at Sanctuary, Savitar’s plan to eat the Speed Force will destroy the Omniverse. 

Roy ends up setting up the necessary explosion to save the Omniverse. Good work, Roy! 

Aww, Roy and all the heroes are dead again....:(

Oh, well. At least Wally still isn’t a murderer now. 

Wally and Savitar arrive in the present, Wally decides to continue being the Flash, he and Savitar have a fight/race, Wally wins, and Savitar disappears. 

After Wally takes a nap, he and Barry have a cute talk, and Barry gives poor Ollie, who’s been through a lot, a hug. 

Wally goes home and reunites with his family. HURRAH!!!!

Heat Wave’s going to be in the next arc. It’ll be interesting to see how that goes. 

[danceworshipper]

Ida Sommer - HPHL MC

Info subject to change as more game information is released. All of my HPHL ocs exist in the same universe

[profile template by me]

Personal

Full Name: Ida Marie Sommer

Gender: Female (cis)

Sexuality: Pansexual (closeted)

Birthday: August 20th

Birthstone: Peridot

Zodiac Sign: Leo

Age: 14 (at beginning of game)

Blood Status: Pureblood

3 Positive Traits:

- Charming

- Spiritual (nature oriented)

- Resilient

3 Negative Traits:

- Childish

- Uncommunicative

- Vain

Usual First Impression: When first meeting Ida, people often assume she is immature, ignorant, and easy to take advantage of due to her sheltered nature and cutesy appearance. This impression is highly incorrect

Location

Birthplace: Germany (exact location TBD)

Current Home: Her father's estate in one of the richest areas (Germany)

Future Home: A beautiful cottage secluded from the world, near a mountainside (Germany)

Favorite Place: A cliff overseeing the sea in Japan, close to the little shop where she got her wand

Disliked Place: Her maternal grandparents' home, simply because she doesn't enjoy their company

Appearance

[image created using the Live Portrait Maker app]

Face Shape: Roundish jaw, soft features with a strong brow bone

Eye Color: Yellowish green

Hair Color: Light blonde

Hair Style: Ida wears her hair down or in a single braid. Her hair is mostly straight with side bangs, and is parted in the middle

Skin Tone: Light

Freckles/Spots: A few freckles on her cheeks, more visible when she's been out in the sun

Scars: None during her schooling. After graduation, Ida marks her arms with runes only she and Sebastien can make sense of to strengthen her connection to the world around her

Piercings/Tattoos: Single earlobe piercings.

Final Height: 5'9"

Final Weight: 137lbs

Physique: Thin with long legs, slightly wider than average shoulders

Clothing Style: Ida is a rich kid, so her clothing is always of high quality material and her jewelry is noticeably unflawed. She dresses modestly until she turns seventeen, when she stops caring what her parents think. Her favorite colors to wear are pastels

Carried Items:

- her wand

- a locket with a picture of her and her parents in it - not worn, but kept in her satchel

- a silver pocket watch stuck at 11:18 pm, handed to her by the same Seer who told her where to get her wand

- a handful of candy

- extra quills for her roommate who keeps forgetting hers

- a book from the Restricted Section about Elementals, written by Elementals and charmed so no one other than an Elemental can ever figure out what it says

Magic

Wand: 12 inches of firm Ebony wood with a koi-mer hair core. A pitch black, rounded wand with a pattern of scales carved into the handle. This wand was custom made in a small, almost unknown shop in Japan after a Seer she bumped into on the street told Ida that her perfect wand would be created there. It would seem foolish to go all the way from Germany to Japan on the word of an unknown Seer, but it was Ida's turn to plan the summer trip, so she picked a place in Japan close enough to the mentioned shop

Animagus: Loon

Boggart Form: A headless figure easily recognizable as herself, crumbling away into dust. A failed attempt to merge with nature resulting in her demise

Riddikulus Form: A statue of her like the one in her parents' back garden, over glorifying her features, that has been attacked and is crumbling away. She hates that statue

Amortentia (to others): Someone smelling Ida would smell lime juice, fresh water, and static electricity

Amortentia (to her): TBD

Patronus: Ida has never been able to cast a Patronus. Not for a lack of happy enough memories, but because of her powerful soul. The Patronus can never escape her magical core

Patronus Memory: N/A

Mirror of Erised: A tree so big it grows up an entire mountainside. The tree bark is covered in swirling patterns Ida recognizes as Elemental runes. She doesn't yet know what exactly this tree is, but she feels an undeniable longing for it

Family Spells: The Sommer family has no special family spells

Inherent Magic: Elemental

- Ida has all the magic of a normal witch, but on top of that has a deep connection to the earth and the magic stemming from it, even beyond the earth into the universe. If not properly trained (or if driven to a great enough temptation), an Elemental could vaporize the entire planet, or bend it to their will. They could also leave humanity behind if they so wished and become nature itself

- Elementals are theorized to have fragments of Merlin's soul fused with their own, hence why they feel strong connections to each other and can't ever fatally harm one of their own. Most Elementals also fall in love with each other as well, and the connection is thought to be stronger than a normal human's love could ever be. These connections help ensure no Elemental gives in to whichever temptation has the strongest pull on them. Only one Elemental has ever yet gone evil, and this is how it was discovered that they cannot kill one another

- This special magic is not hereditary. In fact, no one knows what causes someone to be born an Elemental, only that there have been less and less of them in the recent centuries. There are only two known Elementals left: Ida and Sebastien

Family

Mother: Lina is a warm hearted woman who wants the best for her daughter, misguided though she might be. She often has to shout at her husband to trying to hold Ida back, or discourage Ida's dreams. She noticed Ida's growing power long before her husband did, and was the one to finally contact someone for help when Ida grew so strong and uncontrolled she couldn't stop floating

Father: Elias is a business oriented man who, though he loves his daughter, up until her reveal as an Elemental wished she was a son. He's the reason Ida was homeschooled for so long, as he didn't think a girl was worth the tuition money. He refused to believe that Ida was anything other than ordinary until a man in a high position told him otherwise

Sisters: None

Brothers: None

Pets: A screech owl named Goldig, meaning 'cute'

Other Important Family: Ida's paternal aunt, Ingrid, is one of the biggest influences in her life as a child. Ingrid is an independent witch who lives fabulously by herself with her dead husband's fortune. Ida used to yearn for a future where she wasn't tied down by a man and could do as she pleased

Family Values: The Sommer family as a whole is mainly concerned with two things: remaining pureblooded, and growing richer. Most of the Sommers are decently good people, but they have period-appropriate prejudices and are willing to leave someone behind to save themselves, metaphorically and literally

Opinion on Family: Up until entering Hogwarts, Ida really only knew her family, so she loved them and thought very highly of them. As she becomes more socialized and learns more about the world, she starts to notice her parents' many flaws and though she never stopped loving them, she does resent them for homeschooling her and ignoring the signs of her being abnormal, because she used to think she was broken when in reality she's nearly a god

Friendships

Introverted or Extroverted: Extroverted

Best Friend: Sebastien Parr - another mc of mine who is also an Elemental, and an exchange student from Beauxbatons

Worst Friend: TBD

Friend She Didn't Expect: TBD

Who She Wishes Was Her Friend: TBD

List of Casual Friends:

- Sophia Burton @gcldensnitch

- Charlotte Grant @weasleysandwheezes

- canon friends TBD

Romance

Current Crush: None

Current Partner: None

Past Partners: None

Future Partners: TBD - will likely be picked from the game's characters, but could possibly be someone else's mc

Her Type: TBD

Hogwarts

House: Slytherin

Prefect Status: No

Quidditch: Never played, but loves to watch

Clubs: None

Organizations: The fake Headmaster's Apprentices organization that she and Sebastien use to hide what they're really doing

Favorite Class: Herbology

Least Favorite Class: History of Magic

Favorite Professor: TBD

Least Favorite Professor: TBD

Timeline

Young Childhood: Ida is kept at home. She knows no children her age, and spends most of her free time roaming her father's land. No matter how far she wanders, she never seems to get lost. Ida has strange dreams where she watches the world as an outsider. After being told by a Seer that her ideal wand would be created at a small shop in Japan, Ida convinces her father to spend a month there over the summer, and her mother takes her to the shop to get her wand. Ida sneaks out one night and climbs a cliff that looks out over the ocean. In later years she can't remember whether rising up over the waters and hearing the stars call to her by name was a dream or not, but she knows the moon smiled at her.

First Year: N/A

Second Year: N/A

Third Year: Ida's uncontrolled Elemental magic reaches a breaking point, and Ida explodes her little study room as she lifts up in the air, unable to come down. Her mother sends for help: two healers, a historian, and three government officials later, Ida is brought down and informed that she will be enrolled in Hogwarts the following year. She is not informed why, though her parents are

Fourth Year: Ida enters Hogwarts with no social skills. She meets Sebastien and they're both informed of their true nature. As Ida struggles to catch up on her studies as well as train her Elemental magic, she also learns just how wonderful having friends her age is

Fifth Year: TBD

Sixth Year: Ida grows suspicious of Sebastien's "friend" Dorian. Other details TBD

Seventh Year: TBD

Post Graduation: Ida marks herself with ancient Elemental runes and her father gifts her the cottage. She spends a year and a half where almost no one hears from her, before appearing back in her friends' lives as if nothing happened, looking healthier and happier than ever

Career(s): Ida doesn't live long enough to have a career

Marriage and Children: Ida marries (TBD) from school, someone who had always had a crush on her that she eventually returned the feelings for. They spend a beautiful three years together before her end. Ida manages to give her love a son, but only after she's gone

Death: Ida sacrifices herself to stop Sebastien and Dorian from destroying the world. Ida's biggest temptation as an Elemental was always to leave her humanity behind and become nature, so she does. She traps the two men inside of a ridiculously large tree that grows out of the mountainside near her cottage. This tree forms from her body, and has a notch where her favorite necklace can be inserted to be allowed entry to the chamber Sebastien and Dorian are trapped. However, she hid the necklace in Japan, where no one will find it until a century has passed and her friends have passed away. Ida can occasionally gather her spirit into a physical form to communicate with her love and child that she left behind

Notable Facts Not Previously Mentioned

- Ida is the ancestor of my main hphm mcs, Gracie and Tessa Chiva, on their father's side

- The reason Ida is sent to Hogwarts and not Durmstrang is the fear of bad influences. No one wanted to risk her being corrupted

- Ida does feel guilty about leaving her love behind, but since she couldn't kill Sebastien and she still loved him and wanted him to be happy, this was the only way she could think of to stop him

- Her love watched her leave humanity behind. As they wept, Ida's spirit gathered to say her goodbyes, and point them to their son, who had been born from Ida's final breath at exactly 11:18 pm

- Ida thinks very highly of herself. This is both from being praised so much as a child and hearing so much about the good she can do as an Elemental

- She throws a graduation party so extravagant that it's talked about for decades after her death

- No one but her love knows what truly happened to her. All anyone else knows is that she and Sebastien disappeared at the same time

[yukipri]

On Koala and Fishman Karate - a One Piece Mermaid AU Story

Not an ask response, but here with another story which was posted last month on Patreon!

I never actually intended on writing this, because this was originally supposed to just be exposition leading up to Marco's Bauble 2, and kinda explaining why Luffy's being tutored in Fishman Karate. But, it ended up being too long and going off on WAY too many unrelated tangents, so I chopped it off and made it its own thing ^ ^;

Mostly introspective, with Koala x Luffy, mention of Sabo x Luffy, and some thoughts on Nami from Koala's perspective as well.

~~

~~

Koala gently nudges Luffy's hand a little higher, and the mermaid makes a tiny whine of frustration as she sways on her tail, trying her best to maintain the posture she's been taught. Luffy glares at her own fist with such adorable determined ferocity that Koala doesn't have the heart to tell her that she doesn't need to try so hard, and that if anything, staying relaxed is the point.

Koala's been trying to teach Luffy Fishman Karate during the few lulls between their adventures. She knows that the disciplined martial art is probably not Luffy's style, but Fishman Karate focusses fishmen and merfolks' innate sensitivity to water. It's honed for combat in this case, but it can be applied to daily life as well, which is why fishman karate is a regular part of grade school curriculum on Fishman Isand. When one lives surrounded entirely by water, ten thousand meters below sea level, it's remarkably beneficial to be in tune with it.

Even if Luffy never fully masters it, Koala's sure she can gain something of value to apply to her regular fighting style, and even if not, it's part of her heritage. It's why Koala had insisted on teaching her, and Sabo had grudgingly agreed (Koala knows the grudging part mostly comes from Sabo still being petty about being terrible at it himself. Which, shouldn't come as a surprise since fishmen arts are difficult for non fishmen and merfolk, but it gives Koala something to rub in his face, which is always wonderful).

It's nice, Koala thinks as she sings praises in Luffy's ear while fixing her posture once again. It's nice because even though Koala'll do any assignment thrown her way, and will do anything to further her primary goal of achieving justice for fishmen and merfolk, being an assistant Fishman Karate instructor is her actual formal position in the Revolutionary Army. It's so easy to forget, with the number of missions she's been on with her acting support for Sabo and others, and the increasing amount of time she spends away from Baltigo and her students. But suddenly, she's given an unexpected opportunity to actually practice and share her passion, and to someone who could really benefit from it too. It would be an utter waste for Luffy to not learn from Koala while they travel together.

(Even if it means Sabo sulks and stews with pathetically transparent jealousy over losing sibling bonding time. He can deal. He'll have plenty of time later.)

And well, Luffy's honestly a joy as a student too. Even if explanations mostly go over her head, she's got amazing physical intuition and picks things up fast. And she's so dedicated, staring at Koala with wide eyes like she holds the secrets to the universe when Koala shows her something new, always blurting out her awe exactly as she feels it and--it's endearing.

Luffy, everything about her, is honestly endearing.

The fishman karate tutoring sessions are honestly the only times Koala can have alone with the mermaid (or as alone as one can be, on the deck of a small vessel like Merry), especially without Mr. Nosy Possessive Big Bro butting in between them. So yes, maybe Koala enjoys spending time with Luffy for reasons other than just getting to do karate together, but she'll confess that to Sabo over her own dead body.

Not that Koala thinks it really matters; Sabo's already giving her the Suspicious Stink Eye (though to be fair, he gives that to everyone other than Ace). And yeah, in hindsight she honestly should have expected his suspicion, given how well her partner knows knows her dating history.

I'm warning you, Koala, Sabo'd grouched when they were alone, dropping his Cool Big Bro act to reveal the Shitty Little Dumpster Brat that Koala knows and grew up with. Don't even think about it with Luffy. Even if she's infinitely cuter than what were their names...Marinara and Cartwheels.

Their names were Marina and Kara. And I don't date every mermaid I meet!

Koala's honestly offended, but decides to let it go; Sabo's overwhelmed by his sudden wave of previously repressed Brotherly Love, and he's still not entirely rational (not that rational's a particularly good word to apply to him at any time). And she doesn't have a thing for fishgals and mermaids, she swears. She just happens to spend a disproportionate amount of time working with them, given her specific focus in the Revolutionary Army. It just makes sense.

Or fine, maybe she has a slight thing for them. And, well, maybe Luffy's her type. Just a little bit. On top of being, well, a super cute pupil. But Koala's not going to do anything, other than enjoy spending time together! Is she not allowed even that?

But, the point is, Sabo's being ridiculous! Koala's been his partner for years! Doesn't he trust Koala enough to know that she'd treasure Luffy, in the very hypothetical situation they ever dated?

(Koala knows the answer to that, knew it the moment she saw Sabo's expression melt as he cupped Luffy's face, and sighs. She never imagined she'd be love rivals against Sabo of all people, but well, shit happens.)

Anyway, Fishman Karate times are Koala's times with Luffy, and if Sabo comes poking his snooty little nose into their sessions, well, Koala's happy to volunteer him as a punching bag. Which he knows, hence why he's not here.

In fact, the deck is mostly empty, the other members of their limited crew occupying themselves elsewhere. Their sole observer is the navigator, sitting by the rail and marking up some maps, seemingly not paying attention.

But Koala knows that Nami's very much attuned to their lesson, her head jerking every time a particularly hard smack lands.

Koala doesn't blame her. She's aware of what Arlong did, had had to swallow bile when she accessed the full report when it came through, days before their fateful meeting with Luffy and the ASL pirates. She knows what Nami must think of fishmen, and to know that her impression came from former Sun Pirates leaves Koala feeling a special kind of numb.

Because that isn't what they're like at all, she wants to say. The Sun Pirates, to Koala, are a gleaming example of why fishmen deserve better, and are victims of human prejudice and ignorance. It's terrible that they mean the opposite to Nami. But given her experiences, Koala knows she has no right to preach at her. If anything, she just feels sad, and bitter, knowing that the cycle of hatred can come back to hurt those so very far away from where it started.

Koala guides Luffy's arms into position again, and despite Luffy struggling to remember everything mentally, the young mermaid's body easily accepts the form. It's an art designed for her kind after all, unlike the marine martial arts that Sabo said their grandfather had beaten into them. Koala's sure Luffy struggled with those, unable to fully copy moves that require certain feet positions, and an assumption of a more human perception of the world. But this, Fishman Karate, was made for her.

Nami twitches again, and Koala makes a note of it. She knows Nami has likely seen the form before; there were several martial artists in Arlong's group.

She knows it's difficult to watch, but admires Nami's stubborn determination in doing so. Koala's sure that part of Nami's reason for watching is to make sure Koala doesn't teach anything unsavory to Luffy, and she respects that wariness, because they haven't known each other long enough for Nami to open up to Koala and her history of friendship with fishmen.

But, and it's only a guess, but Koala thinks Nami also watches to try to learn and accept this part of her captain as well. Koala might not be important, but Luffy is the captain Nami's pledged to follow, for all that Ace is also her captain. And whether she likes it or not, Luffy's a mermaid, which, while not the exact same as fishmen, has plenty of things in common.

Now that she's no longer isolated on an island in East Blue, heading closer to Fishman Island which they'll inevitably have to cross in order to enter the New World, Luffy's learning more about herself. Specifically, the mer part of herself. And she'd be doing that, regardless of whether Koala's there to help her along.

Koala thinks it wise that Nami's forcing herself to learn alongside Luffy, so that there are no surprises, and that one day, she doesn't wake up and realize that her captain shares far too much with her tormentors for her to handle. Koala hopes that Nami's love and acceptance for Luffy will plant a seed of hope that eventually helps her accept other fishmen and merfolk, to see that they're not all Arlong--but Koala can wait.

~~

~~

Thanks so much for reading if you got through this~! <3 As always any comments/thoughts are super appreciated!

❀ ❀ Send YukiPri an Ask! ❀ ❀

~This ask has been added to the Mermaid AU Text Headcanons Compilation post~

[somegirlsnerdywords2]

Anime i’ve Watched

That begin with a N (Part 2)!

Yep this is how i’m going to bring over all the anime and manga i’ve watched and posted about on the old blog. It’s not so detailed but it will have to do. Anything new I watch or read from this point on will have their own posts.

Net-juu no Susume  (Recovery of an MMO Junkie):

Genres: Game, Comedy, Romance, ONA 

Synopsis:  For the first time since graduating high school, 30-year-old Moriko Morioka is unemployed—and she couldn't be happier. Having quit her long-standing job of over 11 years, Moriko quickly turns to online games to pass her now-plentiful free time, reinventing herself as the handsome and dashing male hero "Hayashi" in the MMO Fruits de Mer. With the pesky societal obligations of the real world out of the way, she blissfully dives headfirst into the realm of the game, where she promptly meets the kind and adorable healer Lily. Befriending each other almost instantly, the two become inseparable just as Moriko herself becomes more and more engrossed in her new "life" as Hayashi. Eventually, Moriko adopts the reclusive lifestyle in its entirety, venturing out from the safety of her apartment only when absolutely necessary. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Moriko, a timid 28-year-old corporate worker named Yuuta Sakurai has also logged onto Fruits de Mer from the other side of town. Coincidentally bumping into each other at the convenience store one night, both write off their meeting as no more than just another awkward encounter with a stranger—however, fate has more in store for them than they think. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 8/10

Finished airing in 2017 with a total of 10 episodes

My Thoughts: The male lead wears glasses! In case that’s something anyone but me cares about... Aside from that I can’t remember much about this one which is never a sign of an amazing anime so it’s up to you friends! Will you watch it or leave it?! 

Nijiiro Days:

Genres: Comedy, Romance, School, TV Short, Shoujo, Slice of Life

Synopsis:  Nijiiro Days follows the colorful lives and romantic relationships of four high school boys—Natsuki Hashiba, a dreamer with delusions of love; Tomoya Matsunaga, a narcissistic playboy who has multiple girlfriends; Keiichi Katakura, a kinky sadist who always carries a whip; and Tsuyoshi Naoe, an otaku who has a cosplaying girlfriend. When his girlfriend unceremoniously dumps him on Christmas Eve, Natsuki breaks down in tears in the middle of the street and is offered tissues by a girl in a Santa Claus suit. He instantly falls in love with this girl, Anna Kobayakawa, who fortunately attends the same school as him. Natsuki's pursuit of Anna should have been simple and uneventful; however, much to his dismay, his nosy friends constantly meddle in his relationship, as they strive to succeed in their own endeavors of love. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 8/10

Finished airing in 2016 with a total of 24 episodes. Each episode running about 13 minutes in length. 

My Thoughts: Love the manga, which I keep meaning to finish because it is a completed title... and I should probably finish it before manga gets even harder to find online with the way things are currently going... 

Anywho, the anime! Pretty good. The episodes are about half that of a normal anime but you have a 24 episode count so it’s basically the same as having a 12 episodes run with the usual running time!  I’d watch it is you want more content after the manga, but keep in mind that the anime does not cover the entirety of the manga! 

No Game No Life:

Genres: Game, Adventure, Comedy, Supernatural, Ecchi, Fantasy

Synopsis:  No Game No Life is a surreal comedy that follows Sora and Shiro, shut-in NEET siblings and the online gamer duo behind the legendary username "Blank." They view the real world as just another lousy game; however, a strange e-mail challenging them to a chess match changes everything—the brother and sister are plunged into an otherworldly realm where they meet Tet, the God of Games. The mysterious god welcomes Sora and Shiro to Disboard, a world where all forms of conflict—from petty squabbles to the fate of whole countries—are settled not through war, but by way of high-stake games. This system works thanks to a fundamental rule wherein each party must wager something they deem to be of equal value to the other party's wager. In this strange land where the very idea of humanity is reduced to child's play, the indifferent genius gamer duo of Sora and Shiro have finally found a real reason to keep playing games: to unite the sixteen races of Disboard, defeat Tet, and become the gods of this new, gaming-is-everything world. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 7/10

Finished airing in 2014 with a total of 12 episodes. 

My Thoughts: I have a laundry list of things i’m meaning to watch, read or do. Watching the No Game No Life movie on Netflix is one of those things. Anyways! I recall this one being alright, nice art/ animation/ character design and an interesting premise but too short and underdeveloped. One of those animes that may have benefited greatly from a longer run or second season. 

No.6:

Genres: Action, Sci-fi, Mystery, Drama

Synopsis:  Many years ago, after the end of a bloody world war, mankind took shelter in six city-states that were peaceful and perfect... at least on the surface. However, Shion—an elite resident of the city-state No. 6—gained a new perspective on the world he lives in, thanks to a chance encounter with a mysterious boy, Nezumi. Nezumi turned out to be just one of many who lived in the desolate wasteland beyond the walls of the supposed utopia. But despite knowing that the other boy was a fugitive, Shion decided to take him in for the night and protect him, which resulted in drastic consequences: because of his actions, Shion and his mother lost their status as elites and were relocated elsewhere, and the darker side of the city began to make itself known. Now, a long time after their life-altering first meeting, Shion and Nezumi are finally brought together once again—the former elite and the boy on the run are about to embark on an adventure that will, in time, reveal the shattering secrets of No. 6. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 8/10

Finished airing in 2011 with a total of 11 episodes. 

My Thoughts: Just read the manga and watch this as extra, I can’t remember if the anime covered the entirety of the manga’s story but either way check out that source material first! The manga series is also completed which is a huge bonus. High point: The relationship between the two leads. 

Noragami:

Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Supernatural, Shounen

Synopsis: In times of need, if you look in the right place, you just may see a strange telephone number scrawled in red. If you call this number, you will hear a young man introduce himself as the Yato God. Yato is a minor deity and a self-proclaimed "Delivery God," who dreams of having millions of worshippers. Without a single shrine dedicated to his name, however, his goals are far from being realized. He spends his days doing odd jobs for five yen apiece, until his weapon partner becomes fed up with her useless master and deserts him. Just as things seem to be looking grim for the god, his fortune changes when a middle school girl, Hiyori Iki, supposedly saves Yato from a car accident, taking the hit for him. Remarkably, she survives, but the event has caused her soul to become loose and hence able to leave her body. Hiyori demands that Yato return her to normal, but upon learning that he needs a new partner to do so, reluctantly agrees to help him find one. And with Hiyori's help, Yato's luck may finally be turning around.

My Rating: 8/10

Finished airing in 2014 with a total of 12 episodes. 

My Thoughts: Yes! Watch it! Love it! And also read it. Big downside: The updates for this manga are slow and the story is unfinished obviously. Upside: Two whole seasons of anime goodness, and if we’re really lucky we’ll eventually get another? Ok maybe not... but a girl can dream! Also this anime has one of my all time favourite opening themes! Amazing! 

Noragami Aragoto:

Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Supernatural, Shounen

Synopsis:  Yato and Yukine have finally mended their relationship as god and Regalia, and everyone has returned to their daily life. Yato remains a minor and unknown deity who continues taking odd jobs for five yen apiece in the hopes of one day having millions of worshippers and his own grand shrine. Hiyori Iki has yet to have her loose soul fixed by Yato, but she enjoys life and prepares to attend high school nonetheless. Taking place immediately after the first season, Noragami Aragoto delves into the complicated past between Yato and the god of war Bishamon. The female god holds a mysterious grudge against Yato, which often results in violent clashes between them. It doesn't help that Bishamon's most trusted and beloved Regalia, Kazuma, appears to be indebted to Yato. When lives are on the line, unraveling these mysteries and others may be the only way to correct past mistakes. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 9/10

Finished airing in 2015 with a total of 13 episodes. 

My Thoughts: Another amazing opening theme! Seriously this series really knew how to pick them! Also have crushes on a solid chunk of the cast... so there’s that. 

[aion-rsa]

Masters of the Universe: Revelation Shows Kevin Smith’s Classic Inspiration

https://ift.tt/3bqzyLr

Masters of the Universe will once again have the power, this time on the platform of Netflix, which has unveiled a new animated series shaped under the creative auspices of geek royalty in showrunner/executive producer Kevin Smith. Consequently, the latest iteration of the Mattel Toy property, which dominated pop culture during the 1980s, is carrying classic-inspired sensibilities, as the new show’s first images clearly prove. It’s a retro direction—in stark contrast to other revivals of the property—that Smith confirms was no accident.

Two years after it was announced, Netflix animated revival Masters of the Universe: Revelation has officially revealed a first array of preview images (seen just below), with a release date set for July. Said images (mostly) check off a “who’s who” lineup culled from the franchise’s famously deep well of characters. However, the aesthetics appear to be an artful amalgamation of the 1982-launched property’s early era—notably Filmation’s 1983-1985 He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series, which remains its most famous version—and Mike Young Productions’ 2002-2004 contemporary reinvention of the same name, the latter of which stylistically leaned into the technology aspect of the property’s traditional medieval-meets-sci-fi motif.

“Narratively, our show is set up as the next episode in the legacy ‘80s animated series,” explains Smith in a statement. “This is a continuation of that story. We’re playing with the original mythology and characters, and revisiting and digging deeper into some of the unresolved storylines. Visually, we also made the conscious decision to lean into the Masters of the Universe line of toys for inspiration as well.”

Netflix

Netflix

Netflix

Netflix

Netflix

Netflix

Netflix

Smith certainly chose the right property from which to draw inspiration from toys, and, naturally, Mattel already has an impressive-looking 7” scale Masters of the Universe: Revelation action figure line ready to hit toy shelves (complementing its current retro-styled “Origins” line,) upon the show’s release. The classic-minded, toy-friendly visuals create a formula that could make the series into a worthy revival; a notion compounded by the star-studded voice cast the series has put together. Indeed, the presence of characters such as “the most powerful man in the universe” himself, He-Man (voiced by Chris Wood), and his blue-skinned, bone-faced, fists-shaking rival, Skeletor (Mark Hamill) are a given, but the show’s list of iconic-in-their-own-right supporting players makes it worthy of attention even from those uninitiated with the franchise or who still choose to see it through the satirically flamboyant lens of the Prince Adam “What’s Going On?” meme.  

Mattel

Revelation’s list of toy-destined characters consist of Evil-Lyn (Lena Headey), Teela (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Man-At-Arms (Liam Cunningham), Roboto (Justin Long), Trap Jaw and King Randor (both voiced by Diedrich Bader), Queen Marlena (Alicia Silverstone), Moss Man (Allen Oppenheimer, the original voice of Skeletor), Sorceress (Susan Eisenberg), Orko (Griffin Newman), Cringer (Stephen Root), Mer-Man (Kevin Conroy), Tri-Klops (Henry Rollins), Beast Man (Kevin Michael Richardson), Scare Glow (Tony Todd) and Stinkor (Jason Mewes, you know, since it’s a Kevin Smith joint). Additionally, the series will introduce some newcomers like Priestess (Cree Summer) and Andra (Tiffany Smith), the latter of whom seems to be inspired by an obscure character from the 1980s-era Masters of the Universe comic book series published by Marvel under its kid-friendly Star Comics label (which simultaneously published a title for its currently movie-bound rival franchise, ThunderCats).

“I watched all of the TV series growing up, it was everywhere in the ‘80s,” continues Smith. “These characters started off as toys and ended up becoming part of the global pop culture fabric. So much of this show has been possible because of the love and affection for this world at every level of production and the fandom surrounding this franchise. A big reason we got such top tier voice talent is because people genuinely want to be a part of this world. So many of us were touched by these stories and these characters early in our lives and were so happy to come back to Eternia.”

Read more

TV

Masters of the Universe: Revelation Cast Revealed

By Mike Cecchini

Movies

The Masters of The Universe Movie and Its Wonderful Worldbuilding

By Mike Cecchini

Indeed, Masters of the Universe may have initially been conceived as a hybrid boy’s toys franchise that drew upon ideas from Star Wars, Conan the Barbarian and Jack Kirby’s Fourth World comic titles, but its amenability to world-building remains its bread and butter. Even in the initial, eventually-apocryphal versions of the mythology showcased in the earliest mini-comics included with the figures, the setting of Eternia was simultaneously savage, mystical and technologically wondrous; an idea that would be maintained across every iteration (even the cult classic 1987 live-action film flop,) throughout the ensuing decades. “Even if you’ve never watched a single episode of the show or don’t know this universe at all, you can jump right into the story,” lauds Smith. “It’s a really classic, universal action-adventure epic about growth, discovery, magic, and power. This series explores destiny in a fresh way. There’s a lot of reconciling with secrets, betrayal, trust, acceptance, love, and ultimately, loss.”

Of course, Masters of the Universe: Revelation won’t be the only recent representation of the Mattel IP in the pop culture panorama, seeing as Netflix ran five seasons of an animated revival for He-Man’s estranged spun-off sister, She-Ra and the Princess of Power, from 2018-2020. However, the continuity of that hyper-stylized series, which garnered a new generation of fans, is unlikely to be carried over here (although Revelation might eventually introduce a new She-Ra). Additionally, in 2019, Sony Pictures was deep into long-gestating plans for a new live-action Masters of the Universe movie from directors Aaron Nee and Adam Nee, based on a screenplay started by David S. Goyer, with Noah Centineo cast as He-Man. However, like many projects during the eventual pandemic, its lofty plans are currently derailed, and Centineo reportedly exited the picture this past April. Thusly, at least for now, Revelation will be the primary flier of the franchise flag.

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Masters of the Universe: Revelation is scheduled to premiere the five-episode first part of its inaugural season on Friday, July 23.

The post Masters of the Universe: Revelation Shows Kevin Smith’s Classic Inspiration appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/2R9ewu8

[tttinytrash]

Imma be real, the initial kernel of an idea came from a dream. Maybe it’s a weird mix of characters, in that Swap Pap is a normal skel and Fell Sans is a big mer. Whatever, I hope you enjoy anyways.

Papyrus (Or Stretch, as most called him) was ahead of you, casually walking toward the coast. You followed behind, curious to see what he’d wanted to show you. He was unsurprisingly cryptic about the whole thing and seemed happy to keep you in suspense. As he ambled along the unkempt path he was absently tossing a bone attack between his hands.

You path ended up being pretty winding, and he even had to shortcut you both over a few more treacherous bits of the route atop the seaside cliffs. Eventually, you did make it down to the water level to a mostly flat rock acting like a false stone dock with the waves lapping at the edges. The cliffs you’d just climbed down created a secluded cove.

Stretch hurled the bone attack he’d been fiddling with end over end out to sea. The magical construct hit the surface of the water a ways out and disappeared from sight. 

After a long moment of silence you ask “This is a pretty cool spot, especially since it’s so private. I cant even see any of the beaches around here. Is this what you meant to show me?” You can’t help but feel this trip was a tad anticlimactic.

“nah. just gotta give him a sec.” The lanky skeleton answered, still looking out to sea.

“Give who...?”

“me.” a new voice cut in.

You whirled around to the voice, finding a large skeleton lounging in the water. You could only see his bare ribs from the base of his sternum up and his arms draped on a nearby rock, but you had to figure three or so Stretches stacked atop each other would be what it took for the two to see each other at eye level if they stood next to each other. And you only came up to around Stretch’s chest, so he seemed pretty huge to you.

His build reminded you instantly of Stretch’s brother Blue, except Blue distinctly lacked a tail. The new skeleton, on the other hand, had a red fish tail cresting through the water that clearly matched his red eyelights.

You belatedly realized you’d been gaping for a few seconds and finally managed a weak “Uh... hi.”

The two skeletons chuckled, and the large newcomer said “name’s red. nice ta meet‘cha. stretch was excited for this meetup.” He offered you two fingers held out, which seemed like a handshake gesture.

You took the offer up, finding your whole hand did wrap around his two fingers in a comfortable approximation of the typical handshake given the scale difference. Damn. He was huge. Regardless, you gave him your name and chuckled “I did pick up that he was excited to bring me here, but I had no idea I’d be making a new friend today.”

That earned you a genuine smile from Red.

Stretch finally cut in “so remember when i mentioned aus awhile back?”

All the new information immediately clicked into place, and you perked up. “Oh, so he’s an alternate Sans. Good to know I’m not skeleton racist for thinking of Blue the second I saw him.”

Both skeletons seemed to find great amusement in your assessment, and you felt victory in making a good first impression.

A good first impression turned into a fast friendship, and you and Stretch came back to the cove often to hang with Red. The cove offered a prime swim spot (Stretch had to wear floaties to join but didn’t seem to mind much) or on lazier days, you’d just stay on the rocky not-actually-a-dock and Red could perch on the nearby submerged rocks. Conversations easily flowed between you three, and even if they didn’t the silences were comfortable. 

Today was one of those lazier days, your feet dangled into the water (Stretch had put your shoes into his inventory for safe keeping) and the lanky skeleton lazed lying flat on his back. Red floated belly up on the surface, talking about how the reef fish were out in force lately and that the little guys were pretty cute to watch flit about the coral.

“That sounds so gorgeous, and honestly I’m pretty jealous. I just get to see clogged traffic when I go out anywhere.” You chipped in.

“you wanna see it? i can show you guys if ya want.” Red offers casually.

Out of the corner of your eye, you see Stretch no longer looks like he’s on the edge of sleep, sockets open and looking at Red in the water. The smaller skeleton had a more mild version of an “oh shit” expression going, much to your confusion.

“How? Do you have scuba gear on hand or something?” You asked of the mer.

“wha? nah, the hell else is this thing good for?” Red pointed at the part of his belly that poked up out of the water where he still floated lazily.

You felt like you were trying to put together two and two and coming up with five. You felt your face twist in utter confusion.

Your expression seemed to convey that, as Red reoriented in the water and grabbed the side of the stone “dock” you and Stretch were sat on. He seemed to find this whole thing hilarious for some reason, gaze flicking between your baffled face and Stretch’s embarrassed one as he asked “Stretch, have you not done it yet?”

Stretch looked put out and embarrassed, but played it off. “nah.”

“hah! first alternate and first to take em in.” Red was clearly enjoying this.

You turned to Stretch, hoping he might be able to enlighten you without all but giggling over it. “Take what in where?”

Stretch finally sat up, facing you. “taking someone in is a skeleton thing. basically, we can safely swallow people.”

You straightened up yourself, leaning away from the two before you.

Stretch made a “calm down” motion with his hands. “safely. for us it’s kinda an all-over hug. we just use our magic rather than our arms. our bodies can’t process physical matter attached to a soul.”

“in this case, i’d be the glass bottom boat for you two. obviously, i’ll bring you back and let you out after.” Red added, humor gone as soon as he’d seen you get nervous.

“I-I don’t know, guys. How can you be sure it’s safe?” you ask, gaze flitting between both of their faces.

“easy, we’ve been doing it as a species since forever.” Stretch said. “here, would it help if i went first?”

Clearly this is merely cultural clash, but your adrenaline-addled brain doesn’t want to accept this. Now you’re guilty on top of terrified, great. You do end up giving the two a reluctant nod. Maybe visual proof will help your heart stop pounding.

“alright. you sure you can fit us both, red?” Stretch asked as he stood up and approached the edge of the stone dock.

“yeah. you two will be close, but it’ll work.” Red said, propping his elbows on the rock on either side of the smaller skeleton and putting his hands behind the smaller monster’s torso, but not touching yet.

Then Red opened his mouth.

You felt your breath hitch as Stretch leaned down, bracing his hands on Red’s lower jaw. The mer gently ducked the smaller skeleton’s skull down, avoiding scraping his cranium on his upper teeth. Chest now laid atop a glowing red tongue, Stretch visibly went mostly limp, just keeping his legs raised. Red swallowed.

You breathed in sharply when that dragged Stretch’s head out of sight, but you forced yourself to relax when you saw Stretch giving you a thumbs up. Another gulp and most of the lanky skeleton’s torso was gone, Red supporting Stretch’s dangling legs with one hand. Red’s other hand was placed at his throat, where you could see distinct lumps in the red tubing that had manifested. A last swallow left you to watch in fixated horror as the lumps moved and slid out of sight. The tube was gone as soon as the bumps indicating Stretch inside slid down past Red’s clavicles, so you looked up to see Red’s reaction to the ordeal.

Red meanwhile sighed, and a hand disappeared below the surface of the water, possibly to touch his submerged belly. He looked calm, a stark contrast to yourself.

You trusted him, of course. But the adrenaline still rampant in your system was still begging you to run. Instead, you edged closer to the skeleton and asked shakily “Y-you both are ok?”

“yep. you wanna see him?” Red’s tone was surprisingly soft for him. 

You nodded emphatically.

Red motioned for you to move, so you scooted back. This allowed him the room to haul himself up onto the rock. Surprisingly, he honestly didn’t look any different bulk wise than he did any of the other times you’d gotten a more full view of his body. The red membrane between his ribs and pelvis went transparent before your eyes, revealing a lounging Stretch.

“Stretch!” you called his name and scuttled forward, before realizing your overeagerness and backing off.

They both chuckled (you assumed, unable to hear Stretch but seeing his shoulders move), and the contained skeleton maneuvered until he was able to put a hand to the front wall and press out.

You put your own hand over where his metacarpals laid and pressed in. You found the opposing pressure was surprisingly grounding. You took this moment to take in the situation.

Stretch was utterly calm. He was looking at you with amusement, now that you weren’t so panicked. Red had made no move to stop your interaction through him, arms casually propping up his torso and tail lazily swinging in the water. 

You felt the fear simply roll off you, its hold was gone from over you. You were being ridiculous, there was no way these guys would hurt you to begin with. Besides, they’d even said this was a skeletal tradition. You cycled a deep breath and saw the responding relief from both monsters.

You were good.

“feeling ok?” Red asked.

“Yeah. Yeah, I am.” You smiled up at him.

“it’s your turn if you’re up for it, then.”

“Yeah, I’m up for it.”

Red’s smile could almost be described as proud, and Stretch gave you one last thumbs up before the red barrier between you two went opaque. You stepped back again, and Red took the opening to slide back into the water.

Red put his elbows up on the rock, arms open for you to approach. You stood and shuffled forward, seeing his hands loop behind you just like he’d done to Stretch.

“easiest way in is hands clasped over your head. think of it like diving position, actually. if you let yourself fall forward like a dive, i can catch ya and guide ya in. alright?” Red had that soft tone still, and you couldn’t help but think you liked that rare softer side of him.

“Ok, I trust you.” you nod resolutely, pressing your palms flat together.

“good. ok, just go ahead when you’re ready. no pressure.”

His maw opens before you, and you feel yourself waver. His tongue comes forward, folding over his bottom teeth as a cushion. You appreciate that.

You take the moment to look at what you’re getting into, and end up using the reflection of yourself in his gold tooth as your point of focus for the moment it takes to cycle another breath and regain your determination.

You close you eyes, and let go.

You instinctively tense at the sensation of falling of course, but Red’s fingers adeptly guide you into place. Your landing is squishy but that’s honestly the worst you can say.

You hands and arms up to the elbow have ended up squished into his throat already, which is a bizarre sensation you don’t get to contemplate too long before the first swallow drags your entire torso in to join your hands. 

It’s tight for sure. But not crushing since the material around you is highly pliable. The warm tubing presses in around you with a wet sound and you feel the sunlight no longer on your legs. You sprawl into a more open space in moments, landing mildly hampered as you are reunited with the boney form of Stretch.

“heya, thanks for joining me.” he greets, amused.

You laugh “Hey yourself.”

You two are in quite the tangle, and you’re trying to extricate your limbs from Stretch’s without pushing too much against Red. After a moment Stretch takes pity on you and offers a simple “c’mere” before bundling you to his chest. Stretch’s finagling leaves you both in a quite comfortable position, but you are essentially in his lap, his sternum acting as your backrest.

You blush, but thank him as this was the optimal arrangement given the space available.

“you two done in there? everyone ok?” Red asks. His voice is all around you and sounds simultaneously very close and sort of muffled.

“All good, sorry for the squirming.”

“nah, it’s fine. expected it. no panic, yeah?”

“No panic.”

“just cuddles.” Stretch added, wrapping his arms around you.

You felt your face heat as Red laughed “hey, no canoodling in there.”

You groaned in mortification, leading the boys to outright laugh at you suffering. The laugher made the stomach around you move, which got you laughing too.

When the chuckling died down, Stretch released you and you took a look around. There was some folding in the bright red walls around you, and if you looked you could make out the shadows of his ribs moving as he breathed. The air was warm, but not stale. You also got the sensation of floating, but that was probably the water outside doing it rather than your current container.

You felt pressure on your side, and realized quickly that Red must be rubbing at you and Stretch, which pulled your lips into a fond smile.

Red’s voice brought your focus back to the original task, however. “alright, i’ll let you guys see and we can get going. reef aint that far.”

The wall on the same side Red’s hand had been went clear, and you gasped. The view was slightly red tinted, but so clear. The sunlight beaming through the water was gorgeous even on its own.

“alright, let’s scoot if ya don’t mind.” Stretch suggested, gesturing for you to rotate.

“Right.” you agree, and you two begin an awkward shuffle as Red sets off.

You’re not getting much traction on the slick walls, and can’t figure out how Stretch is doing it.

“you can push as much as you need, don’t worry. big guy loves squirming.” said skeleton advises.

“Really?” you ask.

“oh yeah, squirming, pushing, rubbing, all of it.” Stretch’s tone took on a healthy dose of teasing.

“shut up, stretch.” Red groused.

By now you’d managed to face forward and resettle into your comfy position, so you were free to focus on the brewing banter.

“what? you tellin’ me i’m wrong?” Stretch said, hands out and rubbing at the walls.

Red was pretty obviously suppressing purrs, and the glow in the material around you ramped up. It reminded you of how their cheekbones could take on color like a human blush, which caused you to laugh.

“you’re lucky y/n is in there with you or i’d be dumping you out.” Red threatened, pressing in firmly, squishing the two of you pretty thoroughly. Both you and stretch were giggling, happy little “nyeh heh”s coming from behind you. 

“fine, i’m hands off.” Stretch finally managed.

“good. y/n, you can do whatever since this is all new for you. handsy, however, has to behave.” Red relented, going back to swimming and stopping the pushing in at you two.

You were in fact curious, so you reached out and lightly pressed at the walls. They were pliable to pressure, and your fingers sunk in. The surface was slick without being wet, somehow. Stretch started to play with your hair and you let him, just as Red didn’t complain about your exploration. 

You were brought back to the present when Red called “we’re here.”

He settled on the ocean floor a bit off from the reef, which was indeed gorgeous and vivid. No fish, though.

“Where are all the fish?” You ask, confused.

“they got scared into hiding when i showed up, give em a minute to forget i’m here.” Red said.

He was right, and after a few minutes the fish seemed to materialize out of the nooks and crannies in the coral.

You three made quiet observations to each other, and eventually Red actually dozed off. Stretch didn’t last much longer, and you shook your head in resignation to the fact that you’d be here awhile. The barrier in front of you slowly shifted to be opaque again now that Red was no longer aware, but just before you totally lost sight of the outside world you saw Red fold his hands protectively over his belly. You smiled, what a dork.

Well, you may as well join these two dorks for a nap.

And that’s exactly what you did.

[queenmuzz]

Deep Blue Sea; Chapter II: Steel Grey

A bit of a wordy chapter today.  The full story is also available on Ao3 for easier reading

******

You attempted not to look too eager as you walked up the stairs to the stage as your name was called, to receive your diploma. Ten years of hard work, sleepless nights, typing up essays, studying, and research had finally paid off to reward you with your ultimate reward: a PhD in Marine Biology. Of course, you knew you had it easier than most, bankrolled by your wealthy father, you never needed to worry about going hungry and studying, or risking a fail mark in order to deliver pizzas or something.

But you couldn't help but feel proud, you'd finally done it! You'd been wanting to study Marine Biology since you were a little girl, especially when you found out that there were creatures that lived even in pitch darkness on the ocean floor. What amazing discoveries must be waiting for you down there! Of course, you were realistic in that you'd probably never be able be the crew member of ALVIN, or any of the other deep-sea-submersibles, but your assistance would be invaluable to understanding the farthest edges of earthly exploration.

You paused for a moment while the Dean handed you the parchment, and you stared out at the the crowd. The lights shining down on the stage made the audience completely invisible, but the flash of camera lights from a certain section was a good indication where your family and loved ones were. You posed and smiled for their cameras for a few moments, before getting off the stage, terrified you were going to trip on your long flowing robe. So you sat down and politely clapped as each of your fellow graduates had their moment in the spotlight.

After the ceremony, it didn't take long for you to find your guests sitting right where you guessed they were. Your parents, as per usual, were sitting as far as part as possible, but had remained civil to each other, so that was good. Between them sat Sarah, your best friend, and... Frederick, looking as dapper as always, yet nervous as hell. You'd met via your dad's business connections, he was the son of a wealthy fish processing company that your father did regular business with. You always sensed that both your and his parents were gently nudging you to be with each other. Fredrick (never Fred, always the full name) always seemed to be invited to gatherings that your mother or father arranged, and vice versa with his parents and you. So, eventually... you both started dating, much to the delight of everyone. He was pleasant enough, always a gentleman, but there was something missing...

“I'm so happy!” Your mother placed her hands on both of your cheeks and squeezed to an almost uncomfortable degree. “You've done it!”

“Now, now Carolyn, let the girl breathe, she's had a busy day today.” and your father pushed her aside (earning a slight scowl from his ex-wife) before enveloping you in a big hug. “You've made me a very proud father today. I know I can expect great things from you.” He pulled away and joked, “Now, you can work on that Bachelor's degree in Business.”

“Charles!”

“It was a joke, Carolyn”

“OHMYGAAWD! THIS IS AWESOME! Now you can tell people to address you as 'Doctor'!” Sarah screeched as she nearly bowled you over.

“Yes, because I spent a decade of my life just so I could get 'Dr.' on all my stationary,” you remarked dryly.

“Oh yeah, we better get on that. You could design a whole new template!” she replied, completely oblivious to your sarcasm. You loved her to bits, but sometimes... you wondered about her.

Fredrick pulled you away from her into a polite embrace and a chaste kiss. “I'm so happy for you, my dear. You've finally achieved your dream” his smile was sincere and you couldn't help yourself from pulling him closer to you. Having him near you made the rest of the bustle of the world dim slightly.

But of course, things like this could never last, as your father's voice intruded..

“As much as I'd like to stay here and celebrate, I've made reservations at Figaroni's in an hour. We should be able to beat the traffic and get there in time.” Semi-reluctantly, you separated from your boyfriend, and the five of you made your way out of the auditorium past the multitude of families of every shape and size, each celebrating the achievements of their loved ones.

  *****

  “Ever since I've known you, you've always been in love with with mermaids” Sarah said, standing up and regaling the table with an embarrassing tale disguised as a toast. This had to be her third drink, if the fact that the champagne sloshed a bit from side to side indicated anything. “Brittany was known as 'horse girl', Jessica was known as the 'Ballet girl',” and you,” she grinned, “you got the name of 'Mermaid girl' once Timothy got a hold of your note book, filled to the brim with mermaid drawings.”

She wasn't wrong, you'd had a lifelong fascination of anything mer-related since your childhood. Mermaid figurines, mermaid dolls, mermaid movies were things you were obsessed about Of course, everyone thought it was one of your endearing quirks. But no one knew the real cause of your fascination with them....and to be truthful, you weren't sure you were, either.

“That's not a bad thing!” she clarified “Because of that obsession, you've pushed yourself to greater, and greater heights, and now...” she dabbed her eyes with the linen napkin as she sniffled “I'm so happy I got to see your entire journey. A toast to your future, and I hope it will be 'fin-filling'!”

Polite 'Hear Hear's', and the clinking of glasses followed, and you took a tiny sip of the bubbly drink. In truth, you were ready to go home. Usually you preferred the solitude, only shared by close friends and family, and only for a limited amount of time. But this was an exception, and you would deal with it, just for tonight as you smiled politely at your guests. Your mother and father had been on their best behaviour, even if they were sitting on the opposite sides of the table, separated by Fredrick's parents. You weren't quite sure why they had been invited, but they had been polite guests, and provided the social lubricant to keep the friction down between your parents.

Fredrick's father slapped his son's back, “It's your turn, my boy.” he said with a sparkle in his eyes. Hesitatingly, Fredrick got up, and licked his lips “So, uh...I met you back at one of your mother's charity fundraising dinners, to be fair...I don't even remember what it was about. It really wasn't that important in hindsight it seems. But what I do remember was the moment I met you, and that gorgeous blue dress you wore. And how you were able to discuss topics about practically everything. When you said yes when I first asked you out, I thought I was the luckiest man in the world.... but..uh.. I think I was wrong...”

Your throat closed, and your eyes grew to the size of teacups as he got down on one knee. You could hear the sound of cell phone cameras being whipped out and pictures being snapped. Even the surrounding tables quieted down to observe you. You were beginning to understand why your father hadn't booked a private room, like he usually did for dinners out. He wanted the spectacle.

Fredrick pulled out a black velvet box and it opened it, revealing an obscenely large jewelled ring. You could barely see the gold underneath the beautiful assortment of light pink diamonds.

“Will you now...” he said, “make me the luckiest man in the world?”

You stared, your tongue caught in your throat. You felt the eyes of the table, the restaurant, the world on you...and you knew how you should should answer, but did you really commit to this man for the rest of your life?

The air was pressing down on you as you struggled to answer. Any longer and it would get intolerably uncomfortable

  “I... yes... of course... I'd .. love to...!”

  And with that, the entire place burst out into cheers, and Fredrick pulled you into a passionate kiss. This was supposed to be the happiest time of your life so far....

  So why did it feel so wrong?

  *****

  By the end of the meal, you were frankly exhausted, and you were happy that your father offered to drive you home, alone After saying farewells to your mother, friend, fiance and future in-laws, you made your way to your dad's car.

You were less than pleased to see a well dressed, yet unsavoury looking individual standing by the car door. Your father seemed more than delighted to see the man.

“Ah, Doctor, apologies for making you wait so long, it's been quite an eventful day.”

“None needed,” he smiled, a bit too widely for your comfort. He turned “By the way, congratulations on your impending nuptials” Did everyone know about your engagement before you did?

You politely shook his hand, as your dad made the introductions. “Sweetheart, this is Dr. Griffon, a marine biologist I've been doing business with. He's been highly helpful with the surprise I've been planning for you.”

Your eyebrows raised questioningly, you had known your father had been renovating (with your permission) your house the past few months as an upcoming present for your graduation, but why did he need the help of someone such as this doctor?

“You'll see very soon, and I think you'll love it..” your father murmured as he held the door open for you.

You all got into the black Mercedes-Benz E-class (your father had just recently purchased yet another one... the man loved buying luxury cars like you love mermaid themed stuff), with you in the front passenger seat, and the Doctor sat in the back.

As you drove off, your guest attempted to make some small talk with you, “So, what are you specializing in, my dear?” “I'm planning to study deep sea life, there's so much we don't know about down there,” you responded politely.

His hands clapped together in glee, “Oh good, a fellow lover of the quest for the unknown! You'll have a banquet laid out for you”

“And you, Dr. Griffon, what's your area of focus?” you asked, truthfully intrigued. The Marine Biology community, even worldwide, was rather small, and it amazed you that you'd never heard of this man. Hopefully your father wasn't being swindled about a con artist.

“Ah, I'm in a rather niche area of study, focused mainly on what the general population terms as 'Cryptos'. For example, creatures such as the Loch Ness monster, although I prefer the ocean based versions, as opposed to freshwater.” He looked at your obviously doubtful face, and smiled. “Ah, I've seen that look a thousand times, but trust me, you'll understand soon.” You wanted to ask more questions, but you resigned yourself to relaxing into the leather seats.

“I'm so proud of you today, sweetheart” your father spoke after a few minutes of silence. “Well, I've been wanting to do graduate into this field for so long, it feels like the end of a journey, and the start of new one...”

“Oh yes, that.. of course, getting your degree is wonderful and all, but I was talking about your engagement. Fredrick's a good match for you, and together I know you'll be able take over the business when I retire. In fact,” he said as he pulled onto the private driveway that led to the family estate.” I was thinking you could spend the next year just relaxing, no pressure. All you would need to do is focus learning the ropes on how to run the business, and...of course, preparing for the wedding. That's going to take a lot of work on your own, even with your mother constantly butting in.” “Ah...I don't know, I was really hoping to start work, there's a lot of offers I have to sift through, and there's a research vessel of the coast of Puerto Rico I was hoping to join...”

“Sweetheart,” your father interrupted, as he pulled into your driveway. “I understand you're eager to put all your knowledge to good use, but you deserve a break, especially with all the upcoming excitement. Look, I'll pay for all your living expenses for the year, and after that,” he turned off the ignition, “You'll be able to focus on your profession, all refreshed”.

You sat there for a second, thinking of his offer, it was very generous, but... you had really wanted to start the journey about studying the newest discoveries on the sea floor... but your father's business, the thing he had carefully crafted to give to you...” “Alright,” acquiesced, and your father grinned as he ruffled your hair.

“Excellent, you've made your old man proud... now... for that surprise. I need you to close your eyes....”

You felt him lead you gently up the steps, heard him jangle the keys, and as you struggled to take off your high heels, (so thankful you didn't have to wear them for a while, your feet were killing you), he gripped your hands as he led you down the living room... “Alright, open your eyes.” and the sight that unfolded you took your breath away.

Replacing so much of your admittedly massive living room was an aquarium. No, an aquarium was an understatement. You'd have mistaken it for an Olympic sized swimming pool, if it weren't for the fact that there was glass panels allowing a full view of the water, as well as an assortment of fish, rocks, and coral. A miniature ocean habitat. You pressed yourself against the glass, your eyes darting this way and that.

“This...this is wonderful! Thank you so much, dad!” you embraced your father.

“Ah...” the Doctor butted in “All of this pales in contrast to the main attraction...although it doesn't seem to be friendly right now...” his eyes surveyed the scene, before his eyes lit up and he pointed to a craggy rock. “There it is... watching us from behind the rock.”

Your eyes followed his finger to the said mentioned rock, and your breath momentarily stopped. There, glaring at the three of you was a pair of piercing grey eyes... a human torso, connected to a dull grey fish tail....a real live merman.

“Is that...” you struggled to form a coherent sentence.

“It is indeed, one of the few ever documented, let alone captured alive, you are a very lucky woman” the Doctor crossed his arms, obviously proud of his achievement. “Your father's help in acquiring it will have my undying gratitude.”

“I'm just glad it's no longer a threat to my ships.” your father grumbled “nearly a dozen of the company's vessels damaged by it, and one sunk...” he paused and looked at the Doctor, very seriously. “You are certain it won't be a threat to my girl? It was extremely hostile to everyone so far”

“I assure you” Dr. Griffon smiled, “I've spent decades researching these creatures, I know how they can be controlled. It won't lay a finger on your daughter, if it knows what it's good for it.”

“Does he have a name?” you interjected, feeling uncomfortable at how this conversation was going.

“I've been calling it 'Angelo' as it is a rather ethereal creature... although in hindsight, Diablos would have been a better name. Until it was restrained, it was a fiendish creature...”

“He hasn't told you his name?” you asked, perplexed.

“My dear,” the Doctor said patronizingly, “It doesn't speak, they don't have the intelligence to, besides,” his hand tapped the thick glass. “Even if it could, you'd never be able to understand it. I do believe that they have some rudimentary form of communication, perhaps via colour change. When it was first captured, it's scales were a bright blue. Unfortunately, it seems to have gone a sickly off white, which I can't understand... his vitals are within normal range”

He can talk, I know he can! You wanted to scream back at them, but you bit your tongue, preferring to remain polite and silent.

It didn't take a Marine Biologist to see that he was in some sort of emotional distress. The defensive posture, the way he attempted to hide, and the hate in his eyes. The hatred blazed out at your father, the Doctor, and even you. It was obvious to you, but neither of elder men seemed to notice anything. They saw 'it' as merely yet another fish, albeit an extremely rare one, one without any emotions, just the will to survive. As your father discussed... something, you kept your eyes locked on him. Had he been a human, going by his torso, he'd probably push six feet, but with the long flowing tail, he almost reached seven and a half. And despite your disdain for the doctor, he was correct, he looked healthy, although the bags under his eyes might mean he'd been sleep deprived. Not that you could blame him. What emotional turmoil had he been going through, for ...how long? You'd heard rumours of an inordinate amount mechanical failures of the ships for the past few months, but you didn't recall when they stopped, so focused on putting the finishing touches on your thesis. To be treated like an animal for any length of time would be torture...this 'gift' seemed worse and worse the more you thought about it. And his eyes, they glared at you, but now they were tempered a little bit with... fear? The mere thought he might fear you made you sick to you stomach.

“Sweetheart, are you listening?” your father asked, oblivious to your emotions. “Dr. Griffon is giving you important information on how to take care of it.”

“Now now,” the slimy old man smiled “I can't say I blame her for being fascinated with it, she's the only person in the world to possess one. If I only had the resources.... but your father has assured me that I will be able to take examinations of it on it's monthly check-ups. For it's health, of course... we wouldn't want such a marvelous specimen to sicken and die. Now, if you both would be so kind and follow me, I've got a notebook full of information to help you take care of it, as well as when the filters need to be changed....”

  ******

  You approached the aquarium glass again, alone at last. It was almost midnight, and both the men had finally left, leaving you with an enormous book of notes that reminded you of being a freshmen in university again.... You'd perused only the basics, feeding and water temperatures, you would focus on the specifics later on.

He hadn't moved an inch since you'd left him, still glaring at you. Although, you noticed the fear was gone... that was good, you'd rather him hate you than fear you.

“Hello,” you cautiously said, introducing your name, and his pale eyebrows moved minutely... so he could at least hear you, that was a good sign.

“I don't believe them at all, I know you're not stupid, you're able to understand what I'm saying, and even talk....” you paused, this was a delicate time, you couldn't push him too much, “I'm not going to ask you to talk if you don't want to...I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to. I just... I just want to make sure you're okay...like is the water too warm or too cold? Is it too salty, or not enough? Or food... what do you like to eat? I can try to get you whatever it is you want, and while it might not be as fresh as if you got it from your home...”

There was no response, but his glare had softened, just slightly. You were hopeful, that perhaps some dialogue could be established.... perhaps he had been more talkative prior to his captivity.

“I'm going to sleep right there,” you pointed to your living room couch, “If you need anything....don't hesitate to tap the glass, I'm a light sleeper.” you hesitated for a moment, “I don't want to be your jailer, I want what's best for you”

A swing and a miss, you realized as his gaze hardened...and you decided retreat was the best option now. There would always be tomorrow...and the next day... and the next day...as long, and as much as it takes for you to learn to trust me...

  And as you drifted off to sleep on the plush couch, you could still feel his steel grey eyes watching you.

[ussthunderquack]

Merfolk AU

Natasha Romanoff: A classic siren. Lures men to their deaths, often ripping out their hearts and eating them. She feels guilt for her bloody past, and now focuses on saving innocent humans from drowning, and only rips hearts out of vicious pirates and assholes who deserve it. 

Valkyrie: Similarly, a professional siren who lures men to their doom. But her heart hasn’t been in it for a while. It’s just a job for her. She mainly keeps doing it so she can loot rum from the pirate ships she totals. 

Gamora: No interest in the usual siren-crap. She just wants to defeat the evil sea-king Thanos.

Nebula: Blue-skinned, fin-headed mermaid. Much more hostile towards the humans (and everyone) than her adopted sister. 

Mantis: A siren of the innocent and largely clueless variety. She lures sailors and puts them to sleep with her empathic powers, and drags them to the bottom of the ocean because she doesn’t understand that they can’t breathe underwater. 8\

Shuri: The mermaid with all the shells and pearls and crab claws and whatnot woven into heir hair. Often carries enchanted magic-blasting fish skulls on her hands. Like Skuttle, fancies herself an expert on the humans, but gets a few things hilariously wrong. 

Tony Stark: Flamboyant red and gold lionfish merman, with a glowing blue sand dollar fused into his chest to keep poisonous puffer-fish ink away from his heart.

Used to take pride in the storms he conjured, until he realized how many innocent humans were getting harmed by them. Then he devoted himself to saving humans from drowning, and, bing a diva, revealed himself to the land-lovers, basking in the adoration of the bedazzled humans. 

Wanda Maximoff: the Scarlet Siren. Her parents were killed by human mer-hunters, and she blames Tony Stark for revealing himself, and thus, the existence of merfolk. 

She conducts the waves and wind with her hands, and drives sailors mad with illusions of their worst fears, as she drowns them. 

Pietro Maximoff: He swims really fast. 

Thor: A rare mer-man who excels at conjuring lightning storms on the sea. Carries a tridant that only he is worthy to lift. 

Falls in love with a human woman named Jane, but she isn’t willing to trade her legs for fins to be with him. She eventually breaks up with him. He gains some weight, and hangs out on the beach with his big Poseidon-beard and sunglasses, drinking beer. 

Loki: Powerful seawitch. Er, sea-warlock. Male siren, male sea-witch. Illusions, transformations, destruction, glam, he does everything your typical siren seawitch does, but better. Or anyway he thinks. 

Ava Starr: Sea nymph/Sister of the Air. Once a regular mermaid, she died trying to save her parents. Because of her heroic sacrifice, she did not entirely dissolve into seafoam, as most dead merfolk do. Instead, she became a Sister of the Air, a mer-spirit who can alternate between solid, wind and liquid form. 

Steve Rogers: The Siren of Disappointment. After you’ve stupidly attempted to cut corners by sailing through a hurricane, or go through siren-infested waters with cotton in your ears (because you forgot that it’s less the singing that lures men and more the boobies), as you drown, he will appear, with his blue tail and merman beard, holding a giant sand dollar shield with a starfish in the center, and the last thing you will hear is his song: 

“SO.... you tried sailing through a hurricane. You weren’t patient. And now, all you have is disappointment....” 

T’Challa: King of the most powerful undersea kingdom, that still remains a secret from the humans. Black tail that glows with purple patterns in the dark, wears a necklace of sealion tusks. Can transform into an all-black killer whale.

Nakia: Mermaid who has visited surfaces all around the world, is fascinated by the land-lovers, and wishes her King would allow his people to reveal themselves to the humans as well. 

Bucky Barnes: One arm is a shiny plated crab-like appendage with a claw at the end. He wears a red starfish on the shoulder. 

Carol Danvers: A mermaid transformed into a human and given amnesia. Eventually rediscovers her fishy origins, and unlocks her weather-related powers.

Bruce Banner: Alternates between a docile merman and a giant green hammerhead shark. 

The only humans he’s comfortable around are the Beatles, who he once met as a child when they sailed through his sea in their Yellow Submarine.  

Stephen Strange: Bright red and blue stingray merman, and the most powerful sorcerer in the seven seas. 

The Ancient One: Not all mermaids need long pretty hair. This one taught Strange everything he knows. 

Thaddeus Ross: Mer-walrus 

Clint Barton: Foul hunter. Humans have fishermen, and merfolk have bow hunters who swim to the surface and shoot down seagulls and other tasty treats. 

Scott Lang: He’s a minnow-merman chillaxing in your martini, or the giant Poseidon crashing up from the waves who everyone on the boat is trying to snap pics of on their phone  

Hope Van Dyne: Flying-fish mermaid. 

Olivia Octavius: Octo-mermaid with neon-green tentacles 

Storm: Just another white-haired, white-eyed, mermaid controlling the weather. 

[andesite-slabs]

It’s Hard to Rescue Someone When You’re a Spoon

fic I wrote at 1 AM for @cloud-craft’s Hermaid au, which is very very good and if you don’t look into it die by my sword jk lol

Wels stifled a yawn as he lazily walked the aquarium grounds. The day was slowly winding down, and golden rays filtered their way through the roof-top windows. They would begin locking up within an hour or so, which Wels was looking forward to. Ever since Cleo had been brought by Joe to the aquarium, he hadn’t been getting his best night’s sleep. The security guard anxiously shifted on his feet at the thought. It had been a week since Joe brought an actual mermaid to the aquarium, and six days since he’d been told by Joe and Doc of her existence, but he was still shell-shocked. Apparently mermaids were real, and there were more of them just existing, secret and hidden, just below the waves. It felt like too big of a secret for a small group like them to handle, especially as he was responsible for keeping people out of the staff areas here. He once again pulled out his phone and opened the private app which connected to the security camera footage, swiping to the staff wing camera which showed the medbay door. Still locked. Wels let out a sigh and slipped the phone back into his pocket, returning to scanning the room. Nothing had changed, a few families walking abou- his eyes did a double take.

Standing by the adjacent wall was an almost unnervingly tall man with a dark mustache. He wore a white dress shirt and loafers without socks. Most unusual, though, was the large, heavy gray fur he wore (it’s summer!!???) enveloping his form like a cloud. His hair was wet, probably from sweat, and his hands were shoved deep into his pockets. Wels blinked, before bringing out his phone again and opening the staff group chat.

    WelsKnight: Hey, has anyone else see the guy in the huge fur coat?

    WelsKnight: I think he’s gonna use it to smuggle stolen gift-shop merchandise in it @Zedaph

    Welsknight: As there isn’t any other reason to wear a coat in this weather

    @joehills: I can say my eyes did spy this guy you’re talkin about

    @joehills: I asked if he was worried about heat stroke and he said he was fine

    Falsesymmetry: wait who? Ive got admission duty this afternoon and I didnt see anyone with a fur coat walk in

    Zedaph: i didnt see him either, does he look like there’s snow globes in his coat?

    Falsesymmetry: what does he look like

    Welsknight: The man with the fur coat and the mustache, you didn’t notice him?

Wels looked up from their screen to look back at where the man was standing, but he was gone. He paced over to the next room over, hoping to catch him walking away, but he had completely vanished. Worriedly, he opened up his camera app and flipped through the screens, looking for where the stranger was. It was probably just his nerves getting to him, that’s all. Nothing, nothing nothing.. wait.

The medbay door was ajar. He quickly reached for his key ring, only to find the cold metal was no longer at his hip.

    Falsesymmetry: nope didn’t see him

    Welsknight: Hey @everyone did anyone leave the medbay door open y/n?

    Falsesymmetry: no?

    @joehills: that isn’t right

    Docm77: n

    @joehills: no one should be in there right now

    Stressmonster: No, nobody is I believe?

    Iskall85: yeah were all preparing to close soon

    @joehills: Wels?

    WelsKnight: Can somebody meet me outside the medbay door stat?

    WelsKnight: My keys are missing.

---------------------------------------------------------

Mumbo took a deep breath, and then another, and then another. He decided that maybe he could keep on taking deep breaths forever and then one day he would die without having to go inside the aquarium ever and everything would be fine. But he felt guilty, he knew that being the only one with a shift-form he was the only one who could safely check the aquarium and make sure Cleo wasn’t in there. She probably wasn’t, though everyone feared the worst. So he decided he should probably check it out. Nobody asked him too, but they were probably all thinking it, and it would be really bad if no one found her after a week of her being missing. So he found himself swimming towards the coast, and eventually behind the aquarium, breathing in and out. Stalling, probably wasting valuable time, judging by the setting sun. With one final breath, Mumbo shifted into his full otter form and crawled through the vent-space he’d found, ignoring his fast-beating heart.

The next few minutes went by very fast, and he felt like he was running on autopilot. He managed to get into the building through an indoor-outdoor pool which housed some sleeping turtles, and thankfully emerged into an empty room. He began sneaking around the building, hiding under ledges and between chair legs. He managed to snag a set of keys from a tired looking employee, how he managed he didn’t know. The adrenaline kept him moving, pushing the possibility of getting caught to the pack oh his mind. He hid behind a wall and, after looking for any cameras or people, shifted back into human form, pocketing the keys within his coat so they wouldn’t jingle. Walking back out, he saw the guard look up, and quickly diverted his eyes. He needed to get done here, fast. Mumbo turned a corner and began to speed-walk away from the room, following a sign which read “staff only.”

He listened and looked under each door, cautiously looking behind him to make sure the coast was clear. Most rooms were unlocked and empty, though a few with the lights shining through he made sure to avoid until he had no choice. Halfway down the hall, he turned to open the medbay door only to find it locked, which certainly seemed odd. Wouldn’t you need immediate access to this room in case of an emergency? Sighing, he reached for the keys in his pocket and quietly fit one into the lock, hearing it click to his surprise. Pausing a moment, he braced himself and turned the handle, cracking open one eye to peer into the room.

The room was large yet cramped, with a white-square floor and countertops with organised tools upon them. A few cabinets lined the walls, and several water-fill glass tanks resting on the floor, including one central large one which contained…

“...Cleo?”

Cleo stares back at him shocked, only her tentacles moving in the water. He noticed a long strip of gauze wrapped around her waist.

“Mumbo? What, how are you here? Why are you here, for goodness sake?” She whispered.

“Well you were gone for so long, and no one heard anything from you! We were all worried, and we’d already checked everywhere else you could be in the ocean, so I decided that I should maybe check here, just to be safe.”

“Ok, but Mumbo I-“

“So I managed to sneak in and I don’t know how but there was a guard and I stole his keys and I’m not sure if he noticed so I just ran in a direction.”

“Mumbo.” Cleo tried to interrupt.

 “And eventually I got to the staff area and I looked through the cracks underneath the doors and I wasn’t sure which ones were safe to go in or not. And at this point what I was doing was definitely against the rules so I began to panic more and I wasn’t sure if anyone would be coming but-

“Mumbo! Shut up, I-“

The cephalopod mer’s yell-whisper was cut off by the sound of the door to the medbay creak open.

Standing outside the doorway were Wels, Stress, and Joe, all looking in worriedly. Joe was the first to walk in, lightly pushing past the others towards a frazzled Cleo.

“Cleo, Wels saw that the door to the medbay was open, and we came as fast as we all could. Is everything alright?” He gave a glance around the room, scanning for any other person but saw the room to be empty of intruders.

Cleo pauses a moment, considering her choices. On one hand, she knew she had already broken a big rule, accidentally telling the aquarium staff about the existence of mermaids. Telling them the names of specific mermaids probably wasn’t great too, and she knew Mumbo at least had a chance of hiding this out if she lied.

On the other hand she’d had a really shit week, and this would probably be funny. Sorry Mumbo.

Cleo crosses her arms, leaning against the rim of her tank. “No, actually, everything is not alright. This room has been broken into.”

(Mumbo could feel the gears turning in his head, but not correctly, like an engine running on overdrive about to break.)

Wels stepped it. “Was it a man in a fur coat? What happened, did they see you?”

“Oh no,”’she sighed, pretending to faint. “It’s so much worse!” The mer pointed dramatically towards the floor, everyone following her finger to underneath Joe’s cluttered desk.

“Behold, the dastardly culprit!”

Stress walked over, kneeling to get a better view. The others craned their necks in anticipation.

“Oh?” Stress reached into the space, shuffling for a few moments before standing up and turning around. A cheerful smile spread across her face as she revealed a very still otter in her arms. “False alarm guys, one of the otters just managed to sneak in here somehow!” Cleo has to clap a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing.

Wels sighed in relief, letting the tension leave his clenched fists. “Oh, well that is certainly better than what I was expecting. I wonder how it got out, though. And that doesn’t explain what happened to my keys. Did someone unlock the door?”

Joe looked at Cleo, who was struggling to hide her grin beneath her hand. It wasn’t hard to piece two and two together. “Is something else going on, Cleo?”

The octopus mer held off a moment, before letting her giggles come through and wiping a tear from her eye. “Oh my god, this is so evil. Mumbo I’m so, so sorry but the past week has been kind of garbage and this was too good to pass up.” She sighed the rest of her chuckles away, resting her arms on the tank rim. All eyes turned towards the otter in Stress’ arms, who after a moment quickly set it down on the nearby desk.

“I’m.. guessing this isn’t a normal otter, then?”

“No, he isn’t. Mumbo you didn’t let me tell you, this is important.” She looked at Mumbo, who seemed to think if he stood still enough everyone would forget about him. A serious look filled her face. “They..know about us.”

“...What?”

Joe took a step back. “There’s magical talking otters too. They exist and we’re officially in a Disney movie now. Honestly I’m not sure why I am surprised, this seems like the next logical step.”

“Does Doc know about this too?” Asked Wels.

Cleo shrugged. “Hope not, cause that’s not what this is. Kind of. This is silly, can you just show them Mumbo?” she pleaded.

The otter paused a moment, before reaching its paws towards its neck in a very human-like way. Suddenly a faint swirl of mist enveloped him, before whooshing away, revealing a tall man with a mustache, hands nervously holding the collar of a large fur coat. Wels pointed a finger. “It’s him, that’s the man I saw earlier!”

Mumbo slid off the table, plunging his hands deep into his pockets. “I.. I hate this.” He turned towards Cleo. “You told them about this, about all of us?” He grasped at his hair, eyes in worried panic. “How could you, Cleo? This is dangerous! This is horrible!”

“I was on tons of drugs! I didn’t know what I was saying or where I was!”

“You drugged her?!”

“She has a giant hole in her stomach, that's what you’re supposed to do!” Joe gestured towards the bandaging at Cleo’s hip.

“Besides,” said Cleo, “even if I did tell them about the existence of mermaids, just now I said that they know about us, not all of us. If I hadn’t, you would have been the one to tell them just now!”

“Aaaaahhhguuhh!” Mumbo let out a frustrated yell towards the ceiling before hitting his head with the palm of his hand. “Stupid, oh my word I’m such a spoon.” He fell back into the side of the desk and rested his head in this hands, the room going quiet around him.

After a few moments, Stress piped up. “So, Mumbo, right? I’m guessing you're a friend of Cleo?” She gave a friendly laugh. “It’s nice to meet you!”

Cleo sighed and gave her friend a reassuring pat on the shoulder. 

“I guess there’s going to have to be a lot more introductions soon.”

[introverted-character-town]

It’s been a bit since I’ve had a funky dream. Had to record this right after I woke up so I would remember. Below the cut is the story if you desire to give it a read!

Michelle, who does not go by that name anytime possible unless people are really bugging him about it, was a pirate. He was the first mate of a terrifying pirate captain that dominated the seas. Michelle saw an opportunity against his captain and took it. It lasted a few short days until the captain was able to recover and take back control. The captain liked Michelle too much to kill him outright, so he began to starve Michelle. Michelle had been starving for two weeks when the captain finally accepted that he was no longer to be trusted. The captain started rumors of a great undersea treasure amongst the rest of the crew, and let them spread it between themselves. The rumors got to Michelle's ears and he was so desperate to get back on the captain's good side he went to him and pleaded. The captain agreed that if he could find such a treasure that all his wrong-doings would be dust in his mind. The captain said that he had been canvassing the area and this was where the treasure would have fallen. Michelle, not realizing there was no treasure, believed him. The captain told him to jump over the edge of the ship and to swim to the bottom of the sea and to not come back until he had found gold. Michelle gladly took off his shirt to reveal his scrawny frame and jumped into the water. As soon as his head was below the water the captain demanded that the sails be lowered and the anchor took up. Ether, surprised by all the commotion he could hear through the ripples of the water, swam to the surface to investigate. Another gang of pirates, nothing new or interesting. He would be safe as long as he stayed away. Michelle had lost his breath when jumping into the water from the boat, so he surfaced to take a deep breath before going back under. Ether and Michelle looked at each other for a moment before Michelle wrote it off and dove deep, deep under the water. Michelle managed to get far beneath the surface to Ether's surprise, but eventually, Ether realized he was far too deep to make it back to the surface. Ether's mind began to race, he didn't want to let this poor sap die. Michelle was running dangerously low on breath, but he was determined to find something to be forgiven by his captain. Something barreled into his back and wrapped its arms around him, sending whatever air was left in his lungs spilling out. Michelle almost passed out but forced himself not to as the scenery whizzed past his eyes. Ether was hurrying as fast as he could to the only safe place he knew of this far under, the crossroads. The crossroads were an entryway to the mer civilization that he had grown up in. He didn't know if they would accept the pirate boy or if they would send him back out into the deep waters to die. Ether shoved both of them under the strange pillar and began banging on the doors that lined the walls. Michelle could feel his vision darkening and his face turning blue, he grasped at his neck trying not to breathe in the water. His body hurt, his eyes burned, they were too deep under the water. A sophisticated mer woman emerged from the door that Ether had been pounding upon and glared at Michelle. Ether and the woman drug Michelle's body into the haven. As soon as the doors were shut water spilled out of Michelle's lungs and Fresh air repopulated them. A violent coughing fit emerged, filled his grasping and squirming the entire way. The woman looked angrily at Ether. "What do you think you're doing bringing someone here." "I... I didn't want to see him die" Ether mumbled quietly almost to himself. "We can't let him go now even if we wanted to! He knows where we live Ether!" She crossed her arms across her chest and shook her head. A few minutes of silence passed with nothing but the pained breathing and wheezing of Michelle to fill it. "Are you going to let him die?" his voice quavered at the thought. "Well... he's already here. If he doesn't cause any trouble we'll see." A small party went off inside of Ether's chest. Hopefully, the pirate boy wouldn't hate him, that would be a terrible turn of events. Michelle partially lifted his body off the ground he just discovered he was laying on. A loud grumble escaped him as his arms gave out and he recollapsed onto his back. He licked his lips and hoarsely whispered something unintelligible. The mer woman leaned in closer to his face. "I bed you... you have food..?" His entire body shook, whatever energy that was left he had used. The woman whisked away from the two and hurried off to an unknown destination. In only a few short moments she reappeared with some sort of breakfast slop, probably oatmeal, porridge, or grits. Michelle ate it up in quite a hurry and thanked the woman in a weak voice. Ether helped him sit up so he could look the woman in the face. "What's your name then, lad?" She quizzed, trying to look at him from all angles at once. Michelle's face twisted in disgust at the question, but then it relaxed. He leaned in close to her ear. "I don' like m'name. I'll tell yeh, but you have t' promise not t' say it out loud." The woman thought for a second and then nodded. "M'name is... Michelle." He said with some hesitation. "I have 'em call me Bloody." He said loud enough for Ether to hear. The woman huffed, finding the nickname a little bit grosser than she would have liked, but nodded. "You're going to have to make some big adjustments to your life Bloody." The woman said, looking down at him like a piece of trash. Her eyes then bolted up to Ether. "You're taking care of him. If he does anything outrageous its falling on you, you understand?" Ether only shook his head in agreement.