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

[Rin is too puzzled by the action to resist it, letting Nagisa pull him along if just to understand what the selkie is up to. He notices that as long as Nagisa's leading him, he can propel himself with only brief strokes of his tail, preventing the majority of the pain that moving it brings. But there's no way Nagisa can come with him to his home. Mer or not, sharks would not be welcoming to a creature that's half prey. Especially one they've never seen before.]

Where are we going?

[Of course, Nagisa can't answer, so instead he just shakes his head slightly and keeps leading Rin until they swim through the hull and out into the open sea again with all of their previously gathered treasures in tow.

He might not know where Rin lives, much less be able to get him there, but that doesn't mean he's just going to leave him trapped in a sunken ship on the sea bed. If allowed, Nagisa will keep leading Rin along, steadily rising closer to the ocean's surface so he'll be able to breach and take a breath if he needs to.

Where Nagisa ends up taking Rin is probably a place he's never been before, at least not this far. It looks almost like Nagisa is bringing him to the shore as the water gets shallower and shallower, more and more coral reefs and rock formations visible from this vantage point.]

[Rin glances around them, as Nagisa pulls them along. He's not crazy enough to pull himself free and be left adrift with a serious injury and a bum tail. But he's also totally lost as to the selkie's motives anymore. First, saving him while Rin attempted to tear him to pieces and now bringing him to the shallows, a place sharks instinctively avoid because of the proximity of humans. They were fine on their ships, but their nets could be a real pain in the ass. ]

Why are we all the way out here?

[It isn't until they're close enough that the ocean floor can be clearly seen below them that Nagisa breaks through the surface of the water so he can talk, looking back over his shoulder at Rin.]

Do you really think I'm just gonna leave you out there like that?

[If Rin looks, he'll be able to see that Nagisa didn't bring him all this way for no reason. To their right, there is a cliff face with an open cave on one side. The water seems to lead into a pocket in the side of the cliff, leading further in toward a sandbar that's been naturally created there. The sand is scored with markings that are clearly Nagisa's, deep furrows left from his body and flippers pushing their way over the sand.]

You'll just have to stay here for a while.

[Rin frowns as he peers around him, taking in the sight of the cave and the sand with the familiar drag marks. This can only mean one thing: the selkie actually brought him to his home. Why would he do that? Rin's shown him nothing but a predator for most of this adventure. Why would he risk himself this way?]

Why shouldn't you? We're not the same species.

We're both mers, aren't we?

[Nagisa retorts in a tone that says that he isn't interested in arguing about it. If Rin stays, he stays. But if he's stubborn enough to try leaving, then Nagisa won't really be able to stop him. As he speaks, he continues pulling Rin toward the cove where the water is lapping gently at the rocks.]

And anyway...you wouldn't have gotten hurt like that if I didn't get stuck.

[Rin just gives him another bewildered look, but he's not exactly up to swimming off by himself either. He needs the rest.

Still, what the hell sort of mer is this guy? Why does he feel so responsible for him? They're not even friends. He snorts in exasperation.]

Tch, will you quit blaming yourself for that? I wanted the treasure too. Helping you was the easiest way to get it out.

[He glances down at the trinket still clenched in his hand.]

I've never had this much trouble with one before though. Sousuke would probably be telling me right now that it wasn't worth it.

[Nagisa doesn't let Rin go until he's fairly sure that the shark can carry himself the rest of the way. Rather, the current will. Water seems to move into the cove and back out with the tide. The water washes right up onto the sandbar, making it easy for Nagisa to move in and out when he wants.

He ends up doing that before he answers Rin, pulling himself up onto the sand with a heavy sigh. Going down so deep so many times in one day has worn him out, and it shows in the way he carries himself as he drags through the shallows.]

Didn't you say you had a buncha those things already anyways?

[Rin doesn't mind moving with the current. It feels more natural than being dragged along, albeit gently, by someone else. Rin's more accustomed to doing the dragging. He lets the current carry him close to the shallows, where the water is still deep enough to pass over his gills if he lowers himself a bit.

He can't hype the tiny smirk, as he matches the selkie maneuver his blubbery half through the sand, even though he well knows he'd be much worse on land. It's still an amusing sight, considering how smoothly Nagisa had pushed himself through the water earlier.

Rin flicks his tail fin, finding his mood lift a bit.]

There's no such thing as too many of them. Don't you have multiples of your own favorites?

Well...I guess.

[The selkie sighs, immediately rolling over onto his side once he's pulled himself out of the water. Whereas Rin might find the sight of him inching along the sand amusing, it's pretty normal for him. This body allows him to move pretty efficiently on land and even faster in the water, which is more than can be said of most merfolk. Of course, most aren't quite as...blubbery as he is. But that's never something that's bothered him too much, either.]

I keep all my stuff hidden. Someplace where the tide can't wash it all away.

[But even then, there are plenty of signs of life here. Fish bones bleaching in the sun, seashells scattered about, pebbles that Nagisa no doubt has played with by rolling them in the sand and seeing how far into the ocean he could toss them.]

[That comment instantly piques Rin's interest. A secret stash, just like his own. His red eyes light up with intrigue, as he pushes himself up on his hands, his fins flicking faster.]

Let me see! I want to see how your collection compares with mine.

[This is clearly very important.]

[What a change of tune, all of a sudden...]

Eeeh? And I thought you didn't want to stay here!

[Rin huffs and folds his arms across his chest, gills flaring again.]

I'm not staying. I just want to see what you got. It can't be as good as my set.

[Nagisa rolls his eyes a little, shaking his head as he pulls himself up onto one of the big rocks flanking the water. They're constantly wet from the waves lapping up over them, the familiar coolness against his belly a calming thing in comparison to the excitement of the day.]

There's little holes in the walls at the back of that cave. That's where my stuff is. We can go look after you're not bleeding everywhere.

I'm not bleeding everywhere.

[Rin can't help the petulant note in his voice or the moody slap of his fins. He's always hated being told what he can't do. Nothing's impossible if you want it bad enough after all.

But he also knows as well as Nagisa that forcing himself will only make things worse. He needs to rest if he hopes to be able to return to his shiver anytime soon.]

... what, do you have something that will stop it?

Well, not moving will prolly help.

[He supplies with a grin, folding his arms over the rock so he can rest his head on them.]

I might be able to make something to wrap around your tail though, if you want.

Easier said then done. Sharks have to keep moving in some way or we'll drown. We're not mammals.

[He gives a full body wiggle in the water to emphasize his point.]

Oh yeah? What have you got in here?

Mmm...hang on.

[Without much more explanation than that, Nagisa rolls over again so he can slide off the rocks and back into the water, so quickly and smoothly that he doesn't even make a sound when he does it. The path he takes to the back of his cove is marked by the bubbles he leaves in his wake, and he's only gone for a few minutes before he returns.

When he comes back, he's holding what looks to be a cloth shirt that's slightly damp and very salty. He looked to make sure it was one he didn't mind parting with, because as soon as he gets back, he starts using his claws to tear the shirt into long strips.]

[Rin immediately recognizes the item as one of those strange mass of reeds the two-legs wear. He's never found any spare ones himself, as the cloth didn't mix well with the depths where one usually found sunken ships. Anything left behind was more scraps than something resembling the two-legs' choice of body covering.

He practically yelps when Nagisa starts to destroy the rare item.]

Wait! What are you doing?

Eh?

[Nagisa blinks, pausing in his work to look over when Rin suddenly shouts at him.]

I'm...making bandages?

[Rin sheepishly draws back at that. Of course. Nagisa had said he would look for something to stop the bleeding.

But ripping up something so precious? For a shark he barely knows? Why?]

A-Aren't those really rare? You shouldn't...

[You shouldn't do this for me.]

[Nagisa shrugs, turning the shirt in his hands.]

No, not really! I mean, humans leave these on the beach all the time...you haven't really been on the beach before I guess, have you?

[He's got the physiology for it; Rin, however, can't actually leave the water like he can. He probably hasn't seen very many artifacts like this one, ones that wouldn't really make it that far into the ocean.]

You've been on a beach?

[Okay, yeah so Nagisa just said that. And obviously a seal would be more capable of land travel. But the idea of a mer spending each time on land to traverse a beach is still mind-boggling. Even the mammal-like ones are still water-bound. What would it be like to explore an area like that? He can't help envying Nagisa right now.]

Sharks don't do well on dry land. They tend to get stuck.

[He's seen enough of his other brethen beached or heard tales from other mers to understand that much. He also doubts he'd be able to move even half as fast as he does in the water. Not with only something as rough as sand to swim through.]

Mhm! I mean, technically I'm on one right now.

[He says as he resumes carefully tearing the shirt into long strips, placing them on the rock so they won't get sandy before he has a chance to use them.]

I usually go to look for stuff at night when humans aren't there, but it's a lot more fun to watch them from the water. You wouldn't believe some of the weird stuff they've got! They don't always leave everything behind though...the coolest stuff they always take with them.

That doesn't count. It's inside.

[Rin watches what Nagisa's doing more closely, taking note of the care Nagisa is displaying with the strips. He's clearly done this sort of thing before.

But his head shoots up when Nagisa talks about exploring the beach. He's always considered himself to be a two-leg expert among his kind. He's investigated more of their ships than anyone. He's even spied on them a few times when they took to pushing their strange wooden plants into the waves. But to be able to get a hold of stuff that isn't damaged? Rin's never been able to even dream of such a thing outside a great deal of luck. This selkie could help him figure out exactly what he's been missing out on, being limited to only the water.]

What sort of cool things? What do they leave behind on the beach?

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