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]

[Rin scoffs at that, making a loud clicking sound with his tongue.]

Tch, most people don't see hanging out with your companions as "stuck." You're all working together to get a job done or fend off a potential threat. Striking out on your own is dangerous to the group. You could lead a predator right back to them, without even knowing it.

[At this, he gives another sly, toothy grin.]

Or you end up in a net.

[shitopichan]

[Oh ho, this is new, and her fins flick ever so slightly. Gokudera inquiring about her, instead of rattling on excitedly about all the new human things he had learned.]

The trouble gets involved with me, Gokudera-kun, you should know that. It was only a few sharks that got a little too pushy near our reef.

Besides that, it's been a little boring now that you've gone chasing after some strange human.

[Her little clan, Enma and Adel and all the others, they're good of course and Shitt P is happy to stay with them... But having someone else outside of it had been fun as well.]

[musicalmenace]

Which shore?

[Letting him adjust to the little boat, she twists in the water until she's floating on her back, staring up at him impassionately.]

The ocean touches all of them eventually, and it's not like I know a lot of the names for them. Most humans I come across don't exactly last long enough for that sort of talk.

[On account of being devoured, you know.]

[giglio_madonna]

Oh, I suppose so.

[A pause.]

Did you not want that to happen?

[Humans are very odd creatures at times. Luce has been told that by her mother, and no doubt she was told the same by hers. It's the kind of knowledge that just tends to get passed down.]

[panspermia]

No--I did. I... Thank you.

[ His chest is burning, his eyes stinging, his head spinning. It feels utterly miserable, but he's alive. ]

If you hadn't been here, I would've... ah! [ He sits up as best he can, leaning on his hands. ] I... I heard someone out there, was it... was it you?

[nanaharu]

[Haru looks it over, scanning over all the details. Something that look like seaweed, but on land, growing out of the dirt. He turns away to look at the ocean.]

Is it really anything that different from what we can see in the water?

[Everything can be compared to life in the ocean. The only difference is that it's on land. So a pointless venture. Well-- he's heard stories about things that the sea witch can do. But that's risky and far too much trouble. Haru would rather point at the root of the issue... that being that the ocean's superior anyway.]

[nanaharu]

I'm more careful than that--

[Uh.]

Usually.

[Still, despite how much Rin may make sense, Haruka isn't swayed. It's just all so dull to be so focused on the group-- and he doesn't mean to be selfish. Aside from all that, he considers what Rin says. He cares about them and doesn't want to put them in danger, so...]

But maybe I should just strike out on my own. I'll just remember to avoid any nets.

[naggysa]

[While Nagisa could retort and say that it was all in self defense, he really didn't mean to hurt Rin or anything. Even if that was deserved. And he really does want to explore the ship a bit more, even if it means having a shark in tow.]

....okay. But I get first pick of the treasure if we find any!

[naggysa]

Of course! There's gotta be! You don't see humans walking on the seafloor, or fish on land! They're both two totally different things!

[And worth exploring, in his opinion, even though his opinion isn't entirely correct.]

[showyouthesight]

[Rin's intrigue for the merman grows. He's toyed with the idea of going on his own adventure, far beyond the shiver sometimes. But he's always been held back by a sense of responsibility. He has authority, he can't just swim off whenever he wants to. Who else could train the young pups like he can? Still, it is really tempting to imagine what could be out there, the sights he could be missing.

He settles down next to Haruka, on his belly.]

On your own, huh? Any idea where you'd go? The mackerel run all over the ocean. Even into the whale waters. No telling what might be out there. Maybe even something more threatening than a few nets.

[showyouthesight]

Depends what it is. You have to show me first.

[Rin doesn't mind giving up some of his prize, but not if it's something really good. He knows more about human ships anyway. He can tell Nagisa the best places to look for things, the ones he can't reach in his condition.]

[naggysa]

Fiiiiiiine. But if we're gonna go, let's hurry up and go already! Whatever's down there might be all gone by the time we get there.

[It really is highly unlikely that will happen, since there didn't seem to be any other mers exploring the wreck.]

[showyouthesight]

Someone's in a rush. Keep in mind that I can't go that fast right now.

[But Rin's doing his diving thing, ever so slowly and kicking his way back to the ship. He has to stop after every minute or so and give his tail a rest, usually glaring at Nagisa in the process, before moving again. It hurts, but he does his best to keep most of his whimpers to the back of his throat, where they're harder to catch in the water.]

[inspireition]

[It really shows that he's not accustomed to being touched when he attempts to shrink away by pulling himself back. He doesn't move much at all though, given that his arms are still crossed.]

Please just get over with whatever it is you wish to do with me! I can't take much more of this floundering. [He's already dying from embarrassment alone. Better a quick death, if anything!]

[giglio_madonna]

[Then that's good. She should probably take her leave now, while he's still a bit off, and Luce begins to push herself up.]

[It's the question that has her pause. Oh, if only she weren't a sucker for conversation.]

Oh, yes! I've sung here every day since I can remember.

[Her, and her mother, and her mother's mother, on and on. This has always been a part of their territory.]

[showyouthesight]

[Rin laughs and nudges the merman hard so that he flips back over and then immediately snatches his wrist, pulling him closer.]

What's the rush? These things usually take time, you know. And I have plenty today. By looks of it, so do you.

[naggysa]

[It's a little frustrating, having to go so slow, but Nagisa deals with it as best he can. He doesn't turn back into a seal, even though doing so would give him some extra time under the water. If they did find anything, he wanted to be able to use his hands to examine it, which he couldn't really do in seal form.

Swimming down again, it really underscores just how deep down it is...it seems like it takes forever before they ever reach the ship. If the selkie hears Rin's whimpers at all, he doesn't comment on them. He really hopes there are actually treasures to find though, because that would make this whole experience worth it.]

[showyouthesight]

[Once they're back to the ship, Rin directs him past the deck and toward the doors that lead into the ship's hull. The pressure down here has already burst them open so they don't have to worry about the further trouble of smashing against them. Instead, they have to navigate through an area that's even darker than the rest of these depths, its enclosure robbing any of the remnants of light that might have filtered down from the surface. Within the room are the ruined remains of several bunks and various furniture strewn across the water-warped flooring.

Rin searches a hand under the lowest bunk, slowly pumping his tail, while he gestures Nagisa toward a bit of flooring with a strange hard ring attached to it.]

They use it for hiding their best stuff.

[thesmokingbomb]

Yeah, you're right. [It was rare for Gokudera to admit he was wrong, but more often than not, he was incorrect when it came to Shitt P. Being stubborn with her was an exercise in futility, anyway.] Sharks though? Enma and the others okay?

[Because for better or worse, the Tenth had become close to Enma too. He wouldn't be pleased to hear if anything bad had happened to him.

The thought that Shitt P. would find the lack of his presence 'a little boring' made him laugh slightly, raising on eyebrow in amusement.]

It almost sounds like you miss me. What happened to loving only yourself and being entertained only by yourself?

[Omg was this little shit trying to flirt please put him out of his misery.]

[possedere]

The closest one.

[Mostly because Mukuro was sure his followers would have been tracking that ship in order to try and break him out. That and being chained up for so long had left him a bit weaker than he would like, and he didn't want to collapse and die before making it back to actual land.]

[naggysa]

[Nagisa takes his time exploring the inside of the hull, his curiosity piqued when he sees the bunks and pieces of furniture strewn about. So these were the kinds of things humans kept around...he wondered what might have happened to cause this ship to sink like it did.

He looks over when Rin speaks up, venturing a bit closer to the floor. Without thinking, he reaches his hand out to touch the ring, giving it an experimental tug before looking over at Rin questioningly. Should they try pulling it open together?]

[showyouthesight]

[Rin stops his bunk-searching at the look and floats over to Nagisa, with a wry grin.]

Ah, too heavy for you? The water pressure can make it harder than it looks.

[He reaches out to grab the ring alongside Nagisa.]

I usually kick back a bit to open them. So you're going to have to cover that part for the both of this. Think you can handle that?

[shitopichan]

Adel-chan took care of it.

[That's how things usually are- Adelheid, Kaoru, or Koya taking care of any threats almost immediately, so long as they're around or near enough. Shitt P does when it she's there, of course, which is more reliable than counting on Julie to not be lazy.]

[Gokudera's sad flirting sass just makes her grin. Hopefully he wasn't expecting her to act like blushing shy human girls.]

I still love and entertain myself. But that doesn't make Gokudera-kun any less cute and interesting and hard to understand.

[He wasn't expecting that lighter back, right? Because she immediately dips beneath the water before surfacing again, effectively having put out both book and flame at the same time. Not-sorry, had to test something there.]

[musicalmenace]

[Works for her. With a flip, she disappears beneath the water and resurfaces behind the boat. It takes a bit of pushing to get it away from the rocks.]

I hope this is worth it, you know.

[thesmokingbomb]

Still as scary as ever, I take it.

[Which... was almost a compliment considering he viewed any capable, strong woman as 'scary'. It was a lot better than 'useless' or 'annoying' at any rate.

Also don't worry, most human girls annoyed the crap out of him so he didn't bother flirting. Besides, human mating rituals and dances were literally alien to him, and trying to figure out why someone kept bringing him gifts and laughing and giggling before scuttling away was too much work.

He flushed at being called 'cute', scowling.]

There's nothing cute about me- hey!

[Well he wasn't expecting it back now, and really he should know better than to give anything to Shitt P. to boast about and not expect her to test it out.]