badliifechoiice2 | I'll tell you a tale of the bottomless blue

I'll tell you a tale of the bottomless blue

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Well maybe he isn't trying to stay hidden anymore...

What Rin says next though does get Nagisa's attention, his flippers slowly moving as he treads water to keep himself afloat. He's just bluffing, isn't he? There's no way he could catch a speeding seal in his condition...

But he's already been down here for a while. At most, he's only got a few minutes of air left, meaning he will have to make for the surface pretty quickly.

The seal's eyes move as he sizes Rin up for a moment, his nose wrinkled in displeasure. Then, without warning, he ducks behind the rocks again.]

[Rin blinks at the display. It looks like he struck a nerve.

Wait! Can the seal really understand him? He's never been able to talk to mammals before. Isn't there supposed to be some species language barrier? He's probably just reading into it and the seal is just readying itself for another escape attempt.]

Those rocks aren't going to help you when it's time. But hey, keep fooling yourself. I like a show before dinner.

[The seal doesn't reappear right away, keeping hidden behind the edge of the rock as he weighs his options. If he tries to make a break for the surface now, Rin will cut him off. But if he stays and tries to wait for him to get bored of this, he'll drown long before he wins that standoff. There's really only one thing he can do.

As the next minute slowly ticks past, the seal doesn't reemerge, though the steady stream of bubbles trailing from behind the rocks signals that he is still hiding back there. Every now and then his tail floats into view as he pumps it through the water to keep himself aloft.

But then, just as it's starting to get close to the time that he'd be starting for the surface, the tail pulls back behind the rocks again. A second later, a pair of hands reach up and grip the top of the rock formation as Nagisa pulls himself up so he can peek just over the edge of it, only his eyes and mop of blonde hair visible now.]

[Rin has been subtly inching closer as more time passes, anticipating the seal's last-ditch sprint for the surface. While he doubts he'll be able to match his speed, if he can catch him as he shoots forward, that should wound the seal enough to prevent any real escape. Then he can just follow the trail of blood back to his meal.

The last thing he expects to see when he approaches are hands. Hands not too different from his own, although with much shorter and blunter claws. The webbing between the fingers also isn't as extensive. But even more surprising than the hands are those pinkish eyes. Nothing like a seal's eyes. He stops short, eyes widening, along with his mouth.

It can't be. A mermaid? But what mer-creature can transform itself into its non-hybrid brethren?]

What the hell are you anyway?

[Nagisa doesn't answer, instead just glaring at Rin from behind the rocks. He can't, not unless he wants to actually drown. He's not sure if Rin has ever met or seen a selkie before, but they're a breed unique from your average mer-creature. Not only do they possess the body of a seal, but they have the ability to shift between seal and human form. Rin just happened to catch him as a seal because he can hold his breath longer as one.

Speaking of which, Nagisa just shakes his head a little, putting one hand over his throat before pointing up toward the surface. He only gives Rin a moment to register his meaning before he shoots upwards, his cheeks starting to tinge red a bit from lack of air.]

[In his shock at discovering his intended meal is, in fact, another type of mer, Rin shoots after Nagisa, only to be brought to a jarring halt by the pain in his tail. He curses loudly and stares back up at the surface to which the mer-seal(?) disappeared, unable to do anything but hope for a return. But he hasn't really given the creature much reason to come back after that whole attempting to eat him thing. Which was totally understandable since the mer looked like a seal? Why hadn't he changed back sooner once Rin made his intentions clear? This whole mess is obviously the mer's fault.

He lightly thrashes his tail in frustration, wincing again.]

[In hindsight, Nagisa probably really didn't think this through. But he's never been one to ever plan ahead. Everything he does is spontaneous, and it's lucky that he finally saw how serious the situation was getting and finally shifted forms. He can hear Rin chasing after him, but he doesn't stop for anything, not until his head breaks through the water's surface and he can take a deep, long breath of air. Upon looking back down, he sees that he wasn't followed all the way up, at least...he must have done more damage to the shark than he realized.

He wades for a moment, weighing his options. He could just leave, escape now while he has the chance...and that would be the smart thing to do. That's what anyone in his situation would do.

Naturally, that isn't what Nagisa does.

Minutes later, Rin will see a figure approaching him again from above as Nagisa swims back down, now with enough air in him to last for some time. He keeps his distance though, stopping above Rin several yards away. Now, his features are clear for Rin to see. Just like any other merfolk, except his is the lower half of a seal.]

[Rin blinks in surprise to see the mer-seal again. He was certain he would have fled the second he reached the surface and had just been about to turn around and attempt to trek back home when he heard the dive from above. He's not surprised that the mer-seal's keeping his distance from him. It's the least he can do after putting himself back in this precarious position.

That doesn't stop Rin from trying to carefully close the gap though, eager to see more of this strange creature. He sure looks like any other mer, except for the seal part. What's the point of mer that actually needs air anyway? That seems horribly counterproductive.]

Oi, you still haven't told me what you are.

[Like before, Nagisa shakes his head a little, his hand rising to his throat again. It's probably a really bad idea for Nagisa to be doing this...but after getting the shark hurt, he feels like he owes him a little explanation.

But seeing how he breathes air exclusively, he can't talk down here. He points up again before turning to start swimming away, glancing back over his shoulder to see if Rin's following him.]

[Still wanting his answers, Rin does his best to swim after him. He hopes the merseal is willing to wait for him, as he takes his time moving with his sore tail. When he finally reaches the surface, he's ridiculously exhausted, his gills flaring wildly. He's sure he looks like a total wreck, shifting his tail to keep afloat, his head just above the water so his gills can still easily filter it.]

So... spill? What's your deal? How could you change like that?

[He does wait at least, not zipping straight to the surface without giving Rin much opportunity to follow.

Nagisa brushes his damp bangs out of his eyes before he replies, his gaze narrowing at Rin from a distance- a safe distance.]

I'm a selkie. Selkie's can turn into seals. Haven't you ever heard of one before?

What the hell's a selkie?

[Where did this guy come from? He's sure he's never heard any of his kind mention that word before.

Once his breathing calms, he pushes himself up a bit more out of the water to get a better look at the... selkie.]

[Nagisa blinks once before huffing, suddenly splashing some water in Rin's direction.]

Weren't you listening? I just said! I'm a seal! Like how you're a shark? But I can turn into one, too. A real one.

[Rin splashes him back on reflex, unsure what just happened.]

Seems kind of pointless. You still have to breathe air. Which reminds me, what were you doing all the way down there anyway?

So? I can hold my breath for a long time. Doesn't matter.

[It matters less to him than other mers. It's seen as weakness, but Nagisa doesn't think so. Can they turn into a seal?

Yeah, he didn't think so.

At Rin's question, he sinks down into the water a little.]

...I was exploring that ship.

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.

[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?

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!]

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.]

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.

[...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?

[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.]

...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.]

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.]

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.

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