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

[400wins]

[ooc: SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG, the AC season struck like a monster]


[Sakura is not what one would call a "beach person". It's not that she hates the beach. She finds it to actually be an interesting training spot. She simply doesn't go for the reasons other people tend to go, especially in her own age group.]

[However, Naegi had been kind enough to invite her and, with all their (his) friends, a volleyball game had started up. She'd never played before, she'd gone to hit the ball...]

[There had, maybe, possibly, been a bit more strength put into the hit than had been necessary. As in, the ball was nowhere remotely in the vicinity of the net, now.]

[It's her responsibility, so that's why she's now searching among the more rocky areas of the beach- it had gotten hit far, after all. Sakura only hopes that it hasn't gotten washed out to sea amongst all the coves and saltwater pools.]

[amphibian]

(ooc: NO WORRIES I AM NEVER IN ANY RUSH)

[There's the perfect spot for lounging in the rocks, jutting just far enough out into the deep water that she doesn't struggle to haul herself onto it, close enough to the beach for her to watch any nearby going-ons from around corners but nestled enough in crags that humans almost never bother approaching.

From her hideaway, Aoi remains oblivious to a certain beach volleyball game occurring well out of sight until its ball flies right over her head and lands with a splash on the water behind her.

She pushes herself off the rock and back into the water, swimming over to grab the ball before it has the chance to float away from her. They've washed up in her beachside spots popped and deflated, but never whole and solid like this.

The ball should come into Sakura's view before Aoi does; thrown high over the tops of the rocks, dropping back down to where it came from, being launched up into the air again with the thud of an impact and a giggle. Aoi's so caught up in her one-woman game, hitting the ball up against her fists and arms like she's seen before, racing through the water to meet her own serves, that she doesn't notice anyone's meandering around the rocks until she turns around and makes eye contact with her.

The ball uselessly drops onto the water next to her.

She pulls her tailfin back underwater, drawing herself up a little straighter as she does, like the matching red scales up her arms and back and chest, thinly spread and translucent against her skin, don't mark her as something entirely other anyway. For half a moment, she's struck silent, uncertain of how to proceed.]

Hey! Um. [She glances around, notices the volleyball slowly floating away from her, and reaches to grab it again. When she turns back to the human who she probably shouldn't be anywhere near but would so much rather socialize with, she's grinning.] Did you lose this?

[400wins]

[At first, the sight of the ball bouncing up and down past the rocks is a faint relief. If someone has found it, after all, that means it both wasn't in a difficult place and that it will be easier to retrieve.]

[What she's not counting on is the strange sight waiting for her in the water.]

[For a moment, Sakura can only stare at the scales which shimmer in the sunlight and the liquid movement of the long tail which seems to take up the space where a normal person's legs should be. It's not a sight which should exist in the world besides illustrations in books or perhaps cartoons and movies. When the fish girl finally spots her and makes her small exclamation is when Sakura jolts into a much stiffer way of holding herself.]

Yes. I misjudged my own strength and hit it too hard.

[The answer comes automatically as she tries to come to terms with what she's seeing. After that, well, there's nothing really immediately for her to say. Unfortunately, this means she goes quiet, which is... Well, with her build, it can sometimes come off as intimidating.]

[amphibian]

Is that how it got all the way over here?! That's amazing! [Even for a girl regularly interacting with all the creepy nonsense near the bottom of the ocean, Aoi isn't all that easily frightened, and her beaming expression only brightens. Just the thought of the feat distracts her entirely from her worry over being caught.] I didn't even see you guys, I didn't notice this thing until it was here! How far from here's the game? [She zips forward a little, leaving the ball behind to put her hands against a rock and lean forward, trying to peer out towards the beach. From here, she still can't see any volleyball nets.] It's gotta be a ways from here, yeah?

[She turns back towards the human and pauses.] Oh, here. [With a flick of her tail, she darts back so she can pluck the ball out of the water again.] I wouldn't wanna ruin the game. Heads!

[With a giggle, Aoi tosses the ball into the air and springs up a little to send a solid serve to her.]

[400wins]

It is merely the result of dedicated training.

[Considering the trouble she's caused her friends, Sakura definitely won't allow praise to get to her head so easily.]

[...Still.]

Thank you.

[For both the compliment and the return of the ball, which she easily reaches up to catch. She could just go now, but it seems... rude, somehow. After an awkward moment, she gives a slight bow.]

I am Oogami Sakura.