I'll tell you a tale of the bottomless blue

[sassybird]

Mermaid AU Meme



Rules:
- Put down your character name and series in the subject header. Put down any preferences (romantic or if you're a mermaid/human) in the comment.
- Reply to other people! RNG a choice from the prompts below, or just come up with whatever on your own.
- This is not a strictly romance meme. Feel free to have whatever shenanigans you like.


Merfolk and Merfolk

1.
Little Mermaid it
♢ One of you is a merperson with something you want. (Power? Help figuring out what this weird human doodad is? Becoming human?) The other is a powerful sea mage of some sort... And for the first of you, you better hope they're the good sort as you venture forth to their lair...

2.
Exploration
♢ C'mon. What's the worst that could happen when checking out this enormous sunken ship at the bottom of the ocean? You're merpeople! What's the worst that could happen? (Besides sharks. Or giant squid. Or maybe worse.)

3.
New tides
♢ Hey... That person isn't from around these parts, are they...? Maybe one of you is from deep seas, or a swamp-mer way out of your territory, or just from simply a different ocean. Hopefully neither of you are particularly territorial...

4.
Hey there, Ariel
♢ So. Looks like one of you actually took up on some sea witch's deal and is living in some human settlement. The other? Is trying to help you deal with that. Whether it means puzzling out human culture and items with you, pleading with you to come back home, or even offering you a dagger just in case you need to stab your crush (what? it's a legitimate strategy), you two need to cope.

5.
Wildcard.


Merfolk and Humans

1.
For Science!
♢ You're a scientist, here to study a fascinating new creature. Although the 'creature' in question might take offense to you saying that... So are you searching them out for the first time in the open ocean? Keeping them in some sort of containment? It's up to you.

2.
Stranded
♢ There was a shipwreck, and you're the sole survivor... Although you very nearly weren't. Whether you've just woken up or have been trying to puzzle things out on this deserted island, well... It seems you're not alone, although they're not exactly on the island with you.

3.
Siren Song
♢ Merpeople aren't always good signs... Sometimes they lure sailors out onto rocks, or extinguish their stamina and drown them in the ocean's tumultuous waters. Is this another encounter that will end in tragedy?

4.
Chance Encounter
♢ You're nothing extraordinary, just a regular person in a beach town, and one way or another... You find something that's very much not regular. Maybe you just walked into the cove at the right time, or found something- someone- trapped or injured that needed your help. So now what?

5.
Wildcard

Comments

[panspermia]

[ There might have been a tiny bit of kicking at the start. By this point, he isn't thinking anything's going to be pulling him anywhere but down and out.

Quickly, though, his energy diverts towards keeping any more saltwater out of his lungs. His arms wrap onto whatever's got a hold on him, desperate to confirm there's anything solid at all in the relentless waves. ]

[naggysa]

[That...sure is a sight. Nagisa has to clap a sandy hand over his mouth to keep from bursting into laughter at the sight of Haru flopping over and then proceeding to just roll himself across the sand like it's no big deal. Well, at least it's marginally faster than the slow crawl he'd been doing, even if it is funny to watch.]

[showyouthesight]

How long?

[It's both a a challenge and genuine curiosity. Rin doesn't know how long the selkie had been exploring before he found him. And he knows that most water mammals usually stay closer to the surface in case they need to breach. This selkie sure looked like he was pushing it, going down as far as he did.]

Hoh, so you're interested in the two-legs too? The other sharks always say they're not worth the time. But they can make some pretty interesting things.

[showyouthesight]

Oi, answer one of my questions first.

[Rin crosses his arms and tries to bring himself more upright, quite a feat in water this shallow. His tail beats the water again.]

[showyouthesight]

[Rin can't help laughing again, as he swims to the flipped mermaid's side, sizing him up again. This time, he leans in enough to lean his chin against a palm, his tail pumping slowly behind him. He pokes Rei's side with a claw.]

I'm saying you came across a bored fish. Which actually works out in your favor. Because that means I might be in the position to... do something about your little problem.

[naggysa]

[Telling a predator something like that...it's a bad idea. But Rin wouldn't eat a fellow mer, would he?]

Half hour, usually.

[Rin thinks that they're interesting too...?]

...not many others thing they're interesting. Were you really looking too, or just looking for a snack?

wow this is rude

[blackedjack]

Mine is Grimsley, and it's a pleasure.

[Grimsley chuckles and gives him a little splash.]

Are you a good swimmer?

[nanaharu]

[Gradually gaining speed, Haru eventually rolls all the way back into the ocean with a huge splash. Shaking his head from side to side, he shakes out the sand out of his hair (and nose) before resuming his usual nonchalant look. As if he wasn't doing sideways pirouettes along the sand.

He holds out the strange object to Nagisa.]

Here it is.

[The object suddenly lights up, and a picture of a human with some hairy creature shows along with some symbols that Haru doesn't recognize.]

[naggysa]

[Nagisa takes the object from Haru just as it lights up, quirking a brow as he turns it over in his hands before zeroing in on the picture.]

This is weeird...can you read any of this, Haru-chan?

[shitopichan]

That's their own fault for not having proper teeth.

[Because that's the issue here, right?]

[Gokudera's excitement has her perk up as well, fins twitching, and some pamphlets are already being snatched out from his hands.]

Maybe I should draw down what I've ate. [She starts to go through the pages, only to pause as she pries one webbed and clawed finger away from the paper.] They've chosen something sticky to write on.

[Oops, wet meet paper.]

[musicalmenace]

If I was going to kill you, I could easily have done it already.

[Her lips pull back, teeth bared and glinting ivory in the sunlight. It's a smile by human terms and a threat by everything else's.]

[giglio_madonna]

[Funnily enough, what his reaching arms and hands find feels rather like the shoulders of someone else. Only a moment after, a head surfaces out from the waves to match it.]

Ah, excuse me, dear, be careful not to choke.

[Besides the faint gargling because there's still water filtering through her throat and gills, and the faintest hints of iridescent scales creeping up along her jaw and shoulders, she'd seem like any other woman.]

[Just. You know. In a rip tide.]

ur rude

[warmskies]

[He tries not to yelp too much- or at least loudly- as he's splashed at, and Tsuna hops back.]

Oh, um- actually, I'm... not that great...

[thesmokingbomb]

Wait-

[The papers are already out of his hands, and he gave a small sigh, even though his expression was kind of fond.]

It's supposed to only stay on dry land. It's pretty fragile. If it gets wet it dissolves and fire-

[Oh, that was a thought. He grinned, even more excited.]

Fire burns it. Whole libraries have been burned down, look at this!

[He was going to take a lighter out from his pocket, picking up one of the books and lighting one of the edges of it. Yeah, it really didn't take long for him to become a pyro.]

[possedere]

And the others?

[Unmoved, one eyebrow raised. Because excuse him if he just wanted to cover all his bases so he wouldn't be torn apart by a pack of sirens.]

[showyouthesight]

Oi, sharks can be just as curious as seals! It's useful to know about the two-legs since those ships they travel on can cause some serious damage to anyone not paying attention. Besides, I didn't actually think there were any creatures crazy enough to be down there with me.

[It's silly to get so defensive over a mindless question, but Rin hates the implication that he's just some big eating machine. He has ideals too!]

[panspermia]

[ A few options come to mind: the salt has blurred his vision beyond recognition, he's hallucinating from confusion and fear, or he's actually dying. ]

...whaaugkkhg--

[ Attempts to question her are put to a halt by a rather poor attempt at following her advice. Greg stymies his coughing with a hand over his mouth, still sputtering between his fingers. ]

[nanaharu]

[Sigh, roll eyes. Haruka doesn't suppose that he can get away with a no comment.]

A little bit of both. And...

[Perhaps what he's about to say will make him sound like the most foolish merman in the ocean, but he doesn't care too much about how he sounds. It's not like Rin will take advantage of the fact.]

... being with the others all the time gets annoying.

[nanaharu]

[Haru shakes his head-- this is as bizarre an item to Nagisa as it is to himself. Something near the bottom flashes, and Haru follows an urge to poke it. It feels like a thin, finely refined glass, like fallen parts of ships. Some of the symbols slide to the side just a bit along with his finger.]

Huh.

[He keeps his finger pressed to it and moves side to side a bit... until a new picture shows up. It's the same human... on some strange rock formation, with some strange white stuff surrounding him. In the distance appears to be another rock formation that looks like the trenches underwater.]

What is this?

[naggysa]

Creatures as crazy as you, you mean? Do you go around attacking every seal you see, huh?

[He realizes he's probably being a bit unfair with that, but Rin very nearly scared a couple years off of Nagisa's life back there.]

[shitopichan]

[!!!!!]

[Disregarding any danger, she presses her palms against the rocks and pushes upwards to get a better look. If they were underwater, every fin along her body would be flared out in an interested display. Fire isn't a common thing to see when you're a water dwelling creature, after all. There are underwater vents, volcanic islands where lava flows into the sea, but those are different.]

Do they write things down just to see them burn?

[musicalmenace]

You mean the others who are eating the rest of the crew?

[A certain snappiness is lining her words now, claws tapping impatiently against the rock. She could be eating too, instead of bargaining with some smarmy human. It's tempting to just kill him and steal the ring now...]

They'll be busy, so are you going to give it to me or not?

[thesmokingbomb]

No, but sometimes when they fight or have wars they'll burn each other's books.

[Gokudera said it in a way the clearly says it's a waste, holding out the lighter and a book to her, scooting over so she can try.]

Be careful, it can hurt if it touches you.

[He'd learned that the hard way, but it had done little to deter his interest.]

[possedere]

[It was a fair enough point, and Mukuro handed over the ring easily enough, raising an eyebrow.]

How do you propose we leave?

[Mukuro was a strong swimmer, but he wasn't sure what direction land was in or how far it would be.]

[showyouthesight]

[Rin blinks again, slowing the lashing of his tail and moving back to Haruka's side.]

You don't like swimming in a group?

[He's never heard such a thing from a mer. Moving in groups is practically built into the genetic makeup of all mers. Mers without groups are good as shark food.]