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

[showyouthesight]

Why shouldn't I? They usually make a good meal.

[When they're not half-mer.]

And you're admitting that you're just as crazy since you were wandering around there too.

[naggysa]

[...okay, he kindof does have a point. The selkie huffs, lifting a hand to brush his damp bangs out of his eyes.]

I just wanted to explore a little, that's all. I wasn't hurting anybody!

[Unlike soome people.]

And why should I have to explain myself to you, anyways?

[nanaharu]

[All these questions... well, if the shark's that curious, Haruka will indulge him. To at least a certain point, anyway.]

They're okay, but--

[Haruka tilts his head backwards and lets himself float down onto the sand, basking in the warmth of the shallow pool.]

I prefer to swim free.

[naggysa]

I dunno...I've never seen anything like it before.

[Nagisa continues holding the device while Haru prods at the symbols and causes the pictures to change, which prompts the selkie to tip his head curiously to one side.]

What's all that white stuff? Not sand, right?

[showyouthesight]

[Rin glances down at him, what a strange way for a mer to swim.]

Free? What's that supposed to mean? We have a whole ocean to swim in. What could be more free?

[giglio_madonna]

Dear...

[What'd she just say? Goodness.]

[Luce dips beneath the waves again, nudging herself beneath him for a better carry, and tries to get to some of the shallows. It won't be pleasant, but it'll be better than drowning.]

[showyouthesight]

[Rin smirks at how the selkie works himself up. Too easy.]

Calm down. I was just saying. You ever been down this deep before? Or is it your first time?

[It's only Rin's third, to be honest. Ships don't usually crash around here that often and there's little point in exploring these depths without a compelling reason. Sharks track by scent, not sight. And even Rin doesn't know everything about what lives down there. He's curious but not foolish.]

[naggysa]

...I've been down pretty deep before. Just...not quite this deep.

[It's totally his first time, which is why he overestimated how long he could hold his breath to be honest.]

[showyouthesight]

You'll have to go even deeper if you want to reach the ship's belly. It's all the way down there. But that's usually where the best stuff is too.

[He had wanted to add to his collection, but that's out of the question with his current injury. There's no way he'll be able to manage those powerful tail thrusts he needs to get down that far. And he has no idea how long his tail will be this sore. At least the rest of the day, until it gets some real rest.]

[shitopichan]

They burn the books during wars?

[Enraptured and actually being careful, she takes the light and watches as the flames eat up the paper at an alarming rate.]

To get rid of the information then?

[She's sharp, when she cares to be.]

[naggysa]

Even deeper?

[He was already so deep already...how much farther would he have to go? He did waste a lot of time and oxygen exploring the ship's deck, but he couldn't help himself.]

...well, I'll just have to go deeper then.

[musicalmenace]

[Sorry, uh, what was that Mukuro? She's a bit busy sliding the ring onto finger and finger until she finds the one that fits best so that she can hold it up to the sunlight. Ah, glimmering gold.]

[Shaping it into lovely wearable jewelry is the only other thing humans are good for, in her opinion.]

[And then suddenly, with no warning whatsoever, she pushes herself off of the rock and disappears in a twist of scales into the depths of the water.]

[BYE BITCH]

[....But not really. Mukuro is allowed a little around ten minutes to curse trusting a siren before a lone and tiny little rowboat suddenly comes from around the rocks. It's clearly in questionable shape... but it's still floating. That's something.]

[She pokes her head from around it.]

Ta ~da~.

[showyouthesight]

Is that stubbornness talking or is that something you can actually do?

[Rin's studying him more closely now. Maybe the day doesn't have to be a total wash after all. Not if he can get himself a courier.]

[naggysa]

I can do it! I just need to go straight there, and I'll be fine.

[He took too much time exploring and messing around before, but he could still hold his breath for a long time. Long enough to get back to that ship and explore it more thoroughly, at least.]

[showyouthesight]

[Rin pulls back and grins again, less viciously and more genuine excitement.]

Good. You can be my eyes then. Since it's your fault I have to take it easy for the rest of the day. I'm looking for anything you can wear. Or anything sharp.

[There are probably nicer ways to ask for this sort of thing, but Rin sort of fails at that level of politeness, especially while his tail still smarts.]

[naggysa]

Eeeeh? You want me to help you?

[Well color him surprised. And also suspicious.

Nagisa squints a little, folding his arms over his chest again.]

...this isn't just a 'help me and I won't eat you' thing, is it?

[panspermia]

[ At least he learns his lesson this time around, through great effort. It's not until he finally feels the sand underneath him that he lets himself start gasping down air again--or, gasping between hacking coughs. There's going to be a bad time getting out that seawater.

Even through his sputtering and his spinning head, he looks to his savior. ]

Y-you... th--kff

[ He wants to get enough air down to speak to her--to question her, maybe, but more importantly to thank her. He's sure he must have seen wrong, but she did save him, and that's what matters. ]

[giglio_madonna]

[One thing can be crossed off his list, and that's "possible delusion". The smart thing to do would be to vanish back into the deeper waters again, but she's worried for the poor thing.]

[So she stays, laying in the water while still mostly submerged. There's the soft swishing sound of a fin occasionally breaching the surface.]

Your kind is supposed to cough it all out first, isn't that right?

[Human anatomy is a bit strange to her, but that much she's somewhat confident on.]

[thesmokingbomb]

[That was one of the main things that Gokudera liked about Shitt P, was that despite her eccentricities, she was smart. Maybe because of her odd ways, she had a different view point than others, which was helpful on more than one occasion.

Gokudera sat back on the rock, crossing his arms over his chest as he frowned.]

Yeah. Humans are so wasteful.

[He paused, realizing that he'd been jabbering about what he'd been up to this whole time, and the Tenth had been trying to instill some manners in him.]

How have you been? You haven't been getting into any trouble, have you?

[possedere]

[ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS. Mukuro's face was shocked when she pushed off without another word, before it turned dark with anger. He was going to spend the time hunting for something sharp to defend himself with and/or throw after the useless siren. He had gathered up a few workable ones when the boat came drifting by.

He still pocketed the sharpest rock, smirking as he stood, an eyebrow raised.]

I'm impressed, siren.

[He stepped into the boat gingerly, boots squelching in some water.]

What direction is shore?

[They'd taken all of his navigational tools, and had locked him so far below deck he hadn't been able to judge by the sun or the moon or the stars.]

[nanaharu]

Me neither...

[Haru presses more of the strange symbols, suddenly bringing up a series of images. Pictures of the man and the beach, but small images of other places as well. More of that place with all the white stuff, but something with other bright lights and such. What are all of these things?]

It doesn't look like sand.

[But he almost feels curious now. Are these kinds of places that humans can go to?]

I think it's some kind of land thing.

[nanaharu]

Not when you're stuck with others all the time.

[he answers, simply. Being bound to anyone else's movements, clinging to each other out of fear-- that doesn't sound like his idea of what "free" is at all. Even the consequences of that catching up to him sounds more appealing than having to constantly huddle around and go where others want to.

Closing his eyes, Haruka lets himself lie here, cracking one eye open to peer up at Rin.]

I can make my own choices like this.

[panspermia]

[ He keeps hacking in reply. It's a painful few minutes before he finally spits up what feels like half the ocean. ]

Oorgh... not my... best first impression. [ He pushes the sodden, sandy mass of hair out of his face, and looks over at her. Wow. Yeah. That's... that's a fish tail there.

He really, really hopes he's not the first human she's gotten a good look at. ]

You, uh. [ He coughs again, prying his eyes away from the fin of her lower half. ] You saved my life.

[showyouthesight]

[Rin also folds his arms over his chest and huffs.]

Well, you're the one that made me bruise my tail. It's only fair.

And I don't eat mers.

[Even if this one does have an especially plump and tender looking shift.]

[naggysa]

Hmmm...

[Nagisa leans in closer, but doing so doesn't really make the images make much more sense to him. Where were all these places that this human had gone? It just makes Nagisa even more curious (and confused) than he was to start with.

He turns to face Haru again once he's gone through a couple more of the images.]

This must be somewhere on land, far away from the sea! That's the only reason we wouldn't know what it was, don'tcha think?

[Suffice it to say, whatever poor soul lost this device is probably never going to see it again.]

Maan...I wish there was some way we could go see...