badliifechoiice2 | mermaid oh murmur into my ear

mermaid oh murmur into my ear

MERMAID AU MEME

Rules:
● Put down character name and series in subject line.
● Add any preferences (romance and/or general, human and/or mer) in comment.
● Reply to other people!

Scenarios:

1 ♢ Little Mermaid
♢ Mer
♢ One of you is a mer person with something you want. The other is a powerful mage who can possibly give it to you. Can an arrangement be made...?

2 ♢ Exploration
♢ Mer and/or Human
♢ Whatever you are, your curiosity has gotten the best of you. Whether it's a sunken shipwreck on the bottom of the ocean or a mysterious cove hidden away along the cliffside... Venturing with a friend or running into something unexpected... What will you find?

3 ♢ Exchange
♢ Mer and/or Human
♢ Sometimes, territories are broached, but it's not always a bad thing. Whether you're of entirely different species, or just from different seas, you've met in peaceful circumstances- perhaps as a direct result of those! So it's time for a cultural exchange. Just ignore the fresh water mer.

4 ♢ For Science
♢ Mer and Human
♢ This is a one in a lifetime chance.... for at least one person. Are you on an isolated island? A ship far out to sea? A highly funded aquarium? Or perhaps even a laboratory with more than questionable methods... Either way, you have the chance now to study something rarely seen before. How will it turn out for both of you?

5 ♢ Ariel's Dream
♢ Mer and/or Human
♢ Some say it's impossible for a mer to live on dry land... except that's been quietly proven wrong. One of you has taken to living among humans, whether for years or still learning the ropes. As for the other... Are you a concerned friend, checking in on them from the sea? Or are you a landdweller, stumbling onto a great secret?

6 ♢ Sea Life
♢ Mer and Human
♢ While they have the legs for landdwelling, some humans seem to have more saltwater in their veins than blood, and those are the kinds of humans that end up with dealing with the mysteries of the sea the most. A surfer catching waves with shark mer? A pirate bartering with sirens for safe passage? A fisherman working together with those who know fish best? There's all sorts.

7 ♢ Stranded
♢ Mer and Human
♢ Well, fuck. Good job. One way or another, you're stuck where you shouldn't be. Whether that's a human lost in the tides, or a mer trapped against the land, you need help.... So don't be picky with what you do get.

8 ♢ Not Safe For Water
♢ Mer and/or Human
♢ The scenario made explicitly for Guillermo Del Toro and anyone who was extremely anxious for a xeno sex scene in The Shape Of Water. Get your smut on. Feel free to mix and match it with any of the other scenarios as well.

9 ♢ Siren Song
♢ Mer and Human
♢ Sometimes, there's a good reason people fear the too wide expanse of the sea, or how deep its depths an reach... Strange songs which string through coastal towns and cause disappearances... The sound of something slipping through the water around a ship in the dead of night... Unexplained shapes which flicker outside of deep-sea vessels or submarines or installations. Do you want to know what's out there?

10 ♢ Capture
♢ Mer and Human
♢ Sometimes, there's a good reason why people fear humans. You don't belong here, being gawked at through thick aquarium glass or trapped in a too-small freakshow tank, but what can you do? Is there anyone who cares for your plight, or are there only people responsible for it?

11 ♢ Chance Encounter
♢ Mer and Human
♢ Well, this is awkward. You didn't mean to stumble onto a mer just... there, doing whatever, on the beach or by the docks or tangled up in your fishing net, but, well. It's happened. Now what?

12 ♢ Transformation
♢ Mer and/or Human
♢ For one reason or another, you want to go where you've never gone before... A mer, venturing on the land either as a rare chance or every day business? Or a human, accepting some sort of trade or just to run away from the life you have now? Either way, it might get messy.... Feel free to mix in with other scenarios.

13 ♢ Fantasy Meets Fantasy
♢ Mer and OTHERS!
♢ Who's to say that humans are the only other creatures in the world? Maybe people living beneath the sea's waves aren't the only strange things. Maybe there are centaurs who travel along coastal roads to watch the night sky along with mer astronomers. Perhaps selkies are just distant cousins. Or who's to say that mer can't be a host of things unto themselves? The ocean's the limit.

14 ♢ Sci-fi
♢ Mer and Human
♢ Some say astronauts are nothing more than sailors venturing off into another unexplored sea, one that's above instead of below. And, befitting those same sailors of older days, they seem to tell tails of strange melodic frequencies coming in over the radio to their ears, and strange comets that look like tails passing them by on a landed planet. Do they not know what's accompanying them in space, or is that what they're actively chasing?

15 ♢ Divinity
♢ Mer and Human
♢ There are stories told of what exactly it is that could be both human and fish... So it's not surprising that, eventually, one would land upon calling them divine entities, either gods of the sea or lakes, or just their messengers. Is that true, or just a very clever, long lasting ruse?

16 ♢ Afterlife
♢ Mer and/or Human
♢ Some say mer are just humans, wrongfully forced overboard by superstition or cruelty and welcomed by the sea into something more. Others say that they're the spirits, haunting a particular sea or lake town for a wrongful death. What's the truth? Time to find out.

17 ♢ Peaceful Living
♢ Mer and/or Human
♢ Not everything has to be a dramatic mess. Sometimes, things just... work out for the best. These are better times, and mer are just another part of life. Water-side towns where everything is built around those that share the waters with them, or huge metropolises with water tubes and sprouts for mer to travel through. How will you imagine this sort of life?

18 ♢ Wildcard
♢ follow your dreams, make up whatever

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It's kind of stunning how fast he's picking up each word, even if Ginko can't be sure how well he understands what they mean. And, of course, if he wants to make sure he does figure out what they mean, he's going to need to pick his words a little more carefully.

Unfortunately, never having had kids or anything, he doesn't exactly have a lot of experience with teaching people Japanese. If he wants to be able to communicate with this merman, he'll just have to do his best - and see how much of his companion's communication he can figure out in turn.

"Careful not to tip it-- the boat." He pats the side that Joker is hanging onto with the hand that's not occupied with holding onto a fish. "I need the boat to stay upright."

He guesses he should just treat it like talking to a kid?? Who knows how long that will last.

Spoilers: Joker barely has a fucking clue what he's saying. Ginko should probably watch his language, but it's very likely that he won't.

Flipping himself onto his back, because that's definitely a life choice this dumb fish won't regret in five minutes, Joker tears off a piece of the fish he still has thoughtfully. It doesn't take as much chewing as one might think before it goes down. Still, some chewing is definitely different than just shoving in guts wholesale.

"Boat?" he echoes back thoughtfully.

Well, if he doesn't get it now, that's all the more reason for Ginko to try and teach him. Who knows how much new information about the ocean, about this whole new species and this individual member of it, could be gleaned if Ginko can figure out how to communicate more smoothly with him?

...Also, if he's going to be stuck out on the ocean for an unknown period of time, he'd like to be able to communicate more smoothly with the one other sapient being in the vicinity. Just, you know, a personal preference there.

Ginko is a little concerned about that choice of positions, seeing as how it... will probably end up meaning he'll have to flip Joker over and push him into the ocean again. But he can't really advise against it just yet. Speaking of communication. He just... gives him a faintly worried look before taking another bite of fish.

"Boat." He sweeps his hand down its side and onto the deck, then nods to the other side. "We're on a boat."

"Boat," he repeats, tearing a little bit more fish to chew on contemplatively. So that's what it is. It's a good thing to learn, considering how often that they see similar sort of things going across the surface of the water. Now he has a proper name for it, instead of just, you know, "that big fuckin' thing up there". Today has been very informative, even with the part where he got caught in a net.

Well, maybe it's time for him to explain things, or see how far he can get. Swiping away some of the blood from his mouth, he points over at the fish Ginko is still working on, followed by gesturing outwards with an open palm. If he had another palm, it would be the clear gesture of 'that but bigger'. With that done, he points at his mouth and grins nice and wide to show off those sharp teeth of his.

Ginko smiles and gives a small nod as he eats what remains of his fish. Now that he feels less like he's starving, he wish he had let this thing bleed for a while longer beforehand. He'll just... try and avoid the bloodiest bits.

His brow creases as he watches Joker's gestures, then he lifts the fish up and then points at his own mouth. "You... eat bigger fish than this?"

He's... trying.

But the bloodiest bits are the best part?

Joker makes a sharp high cackling noise in the back of his throat, almost near enough to the sound of a dolphin, before he shakes his head. He can't entirely understand what Ginko is saying, but he's pretty sure they're not on the same page.

...Although, if he did know, he could definitely confirm that he does occasionally eat bigger fish than this. Even for some things that aren't fish. After a moment of thought, he tries another series of gestures. First, pantomiming eating, pointing from himself to the fish. Then the same first gesture, but out to the ocean as a whole... and then himself.

Not if you're a human and you don't want to get a blood-borne disease from raw fish, they're not.

He considers that for a few seconds longer. Joker, fish, eating... a big fish... wait. "Are... you saying something tried to eat you?" He points at his mouth, then at Joker.

Edited 2019-02-08 06:38 (UTC)

He thinks he gets it? Joker isn't entirely sure. Still, he looks sufficiently surprised enough, maybe, and he's pointing at his own mouth now, so they're probably close enough! At least, for the time being. That's fine, right? Beaming, Joker nods his head.

It's half right, at least, although he has no idea.

He... sure hopes he was actually right about that. It's kind of hard to say; he doesn't know how much of what he's saying Joker can understand, and he can only understand so much of what Joker says in turn, so there's inevitably going to be some guesswork involved.

Ginko nods slowly, and lets out a breath before setting down what little remains of the fish. It seems like they're making some progress, but-- he should really make sure he's still on track. Not much point to setting a course for the boat if he's not going to maintain it. "Gimme a second - don't want to go in circles. Uh-- thanks again." He gestures at the fish's remains, and gives Joker a quick smile.

Oh, he's getting up? Joker perks up with interest, tracking Ginko carefully. When he manages to push himself up and drag himself a little bit to the edge of the boat, it's with some more ease than the first time they'd met. Joker being still freshly wet helps a lot with that, along with the rest of being in the ocean again and getting something to eat. It all lends him some strength to proper himself up, watching Ginko as he gets to work.

There are some things he wants to ask about, best as he can, but clearly the other is going to be doing some sort of damn thing. What, he can't imagine.

Ginko is, generally, pretty good at focusing on his work while being watched. It happens from time to time, when someone takes interest in his research. Or, in this case, in his efforts to steer his boat.

The fact that he's effectively shirtless does make it a little less comfortable, but, what can you do.

He checks his compass again, relieved to find that he's still more or less on-track. It's just a matter of pulling a couple ropes, adjusting the angle of the sail just a little, to get him back in the right direction. With that done, he sits back down, and holds up his compass for Joker to see. "Shows me where I'm going." He points at the needle, then in the direction it's pointing. "That's north."

Leaning closer, Joker seems to take a minute to process exactly what Ginko is trying to tell him before he finally gives a small whistle, apparently impressed. What will these peculiar creatures come up with next! He stays a little while longer, curious, before finally getting either too dry or too bored. Just like that, he slips back into the water, apparently perfectly at ease despite whatever warning messages he might have given Ginko before.

After that, he follows after Ginko fairly regularly, always seeming to track him with what looks to be decent accuracy. Whenever he shows up, it's usually a night or early in the morning. Midday isn't common, but he seems to manage well enough there as well. Most of the time, he comes with gifts of fish, flinging them unceremoniously up onto the boat. There's plenty in the ocean, and he manages well enough... So why not? In return, he often hangs on the edge of the boat, sometimes slithering and struggling onto the deck itself when he's particularly covered in fish guts (you're welcome Ginko) or curious. The workings of the boat seem to especially have his interest, along with puzzling through Japanese.

Today.... There is a squid being flung onto the deck.

Even if it weren't for the fish Joker has been providing, Ginko really does appreciate having... well, anyone else around. He's grown accustomed to being alone for long periods, but that's usually with some idea of how long it's going to be, and when he'll be returning to shore. He genuinely kind of hates the idea of being stuck out here, alone, with no idea of how long he'll be adrift or when the next time is that he'll see someone else.

In fact, he finds himself adjusting his sleep schedule a little, making sure that he's up when Joker is around. ...Partly because he doesn't want to get a fish thrown into his face when he's asleep. It works out nicely, though; if he sleeps during the day (just a couple hours at a time, generally, too worried about drifting off-course to sleep for longer), that's just that much more time that he can cover himself up with his tarp and keep the sun off. His potable water isn't going to last forever, the fish Joker brings him can only make up so much of the difference, and, all in all, the less sweating he does, the better.

In return for the fish, he's done his best to work through explaining the workings of his boat to Joker. It's been slow going, which is no real surprise; he's still trying to teach Joker as much Japanese as he can, a bit at a time, and working on figuring out what Joker's whistles and clicks mean - and how to imitate them. He's only got that mishmash of languages to use for explaining things, which... it's a pain in the ass, but it'll have to do.

The wet splat of the squid on the deck gets his attention, pulling him out of the dozing state he'd settled into as he waited for Joker. He shakes himself and moves over to the side of the boat, pulling his tarp over as usual so he can clean the squid. He leans over to spot the merman, breaking into a grin and attempting a semblance of a whistle he's heard from Joker a couple times that he... thinks might be a greeting. If he's wrong, he's sure he'll find out soon enough. "How're you doing?"

Frankly, the pitch Ginko makes his whistle at isn't quite right... But it's not a swear or an insult, so Joker figures it's fine if he keeps trying. He whistles back encouragingly before smiling. "Not fish!" he announces, some of the two words he'd been best acquainted with in the few days he's spent with Ginko.

'Not' has been especially helpful in ruling things out, honestly. It's more than a little clumsy, but it gets the job done. That's the best he could ask for.

Honestly, Ginko isn't that great at whistling even by human standards, so that's no surprise. He nods and holds up the squid, examining it in his hand. He's not sure he's ever prepared one of these, so... better be careful, he guesses.

"Yeah; this one's a squid." He wiggles it slightly before setting it down to get to work. "Do you have a squid for you, too?"

"Squid." The pronunciation isn't entirely right, but that's fine. Joker repeats it a few times, even as he watches Ginko casually start to figure out just... what the heck is up with squid. Joker can also not explain how to prepare the creature, but they've both learned that kind of thing by now. It goes in just as it is, but. You know. Dead.

As for his question, Joker shakes his head before pointing at his own mouth. "Eat!" He's good for the night, trust him.

He's close enough, at least. Meanwhile, Ginko gets to work, pulling the squid's head and tentacles free of the mantle.

"Ah, that's good." He squints at the pieces of squid in front of him, then slices the head and eyes away from the tentacles. He'd rather not eat those, thanks. He holds the discarded bits up. "You too full for these?"

"Eat!" In other words, he'll gladly shove squid eyeballs into his endless gullet. It'll help hold him out for a little while longer, especially if he's going to be hanging around here with Ginko. With his one eagerly grasping hand, Joker has no hesitation in taking them to go into his gullet. Tearing through the squid's head at least gives Ginko a little time to continue preparing the rest of the squid, free of any probing questions.

Only a little, however, before Joker is popping his head up again. "Why?" slips out, the most common word between the two of them no matter the conversation or situation.

As usual, Ginko keeps working while Joker eats what he can't; he pops the beak out of the mass of tentacles, then cuts a tentacle off to chew on while he examines the body to figure out... what here he can eat. Probably not that hard bit, he'll just pull that out real quick.

He's examining the inside of the mantle for any guts that didn't come with the head when Joker pops back up. Ginko's brow creases before he holds up the mantle and knife, indicating that he's been doing. "Is this what you're wondering about? Why?"

"Yes!" What a good other word to learn, almost as much fun as 'no'. With just those two, they can navigate through most conversations. It's certainly not easy, but, with the most basic of words, they can manage eventually.

Basic words and body language can count for a lot, it's true. There's also the matter of Ginko's tendency to ramble when he gets stuck on a topic, but he hasn't even fooled himself into thinking that actually helps Joker understand much of anything.

Which is why, in this instance, he'll try and keep it simple. He hums thoughtfully and looks down at the squid pieces in front of him, then picks up the beak and quill and holds them up. "Because... if I eat these, they'll hurt me."

He taps at his throat, and-- conveniently, it's then that the recent dryness in his throat catches up to him and he coughs a couple times. Ginko winces, but sets down the inedible pieces without commenting on that. Joker doesn't need to know that wasn't intentional (assuming he can't figure it out from Ginko's face), it's fine.

Instead, he squeezes the remaining guts out of the mantle and holds them out to Joker. "And the guts make me sick. I cut out what I can't eat."

Can't eat, huh? Some of it is still a little difficult to make out, but he's caught onto that much. Sort of like how some things can't be eaten because they're wildly poisonous. He hadn't thought that Ginko would be that delicate... but he doesn't live in the water, so Joker guesses it makes sense.

But more important than that... Joker takes in the guts without hesitation, staring at Ginko the whole while even as they slither down his throat. Once they've passed the last bit of his gullet, he doesn't hesitate in putting his hand to his own throat. "Ginko?"

Ginko does his best not to look Joker in the eye, though that's a little harder when he has to lean over the side of the boat to dunk the squid's mantle in the water and finish cleaning it up. It's clear enough that he noticed something, there, but... well. Ginko has never been a fan of addressing his own health if it can be avoided.

Even if he's trapped on a boat out on the ocean, getting increasingly worn-out and dehydrated as he lives off fish and nothing else, and the merman currently staring at him is literally the only company he's got. It's... fine.

...Then again, if he's going to die in this stupid boat, it's only fair that Joker have some warning on that.

"My... throat's just dry." He can't remember if they've gone over that word before, so he leans over the side of the boat, tapping at the wood - first where it's been splashed with seawater, and then where the water can't usually reach. "Wet - and dry. I... can't drink this water."

If they were on land, where he could set up a fire, that would be one thing; he'd at least have a way to boil the water, separate it from the salt so he could drink it. But, uh... like hell he's setting up a fire on a wooden boat.

Wet and dry... That's a concept Joker can grasp fairly quickly, and perhaps even quicker than Ginko might expect. After all, the very first time they met, it was because Joker was struggling with a lack of water in his own way, although it was very different. A lack of water would have killed him, which is something that he knows for a fact. While he's struggling to see how it would affect Ginko when it's only his throat... He can get that it's dangerous.

A rare thoughtful expression is on his face as he bobs in place, frowning a little as he looks over the boat and Ginko. "How?" he asks at last, splashing one hand in the water to show what he means. Then, he quickly ducks his head down as if looking for something under the water before bobbing up again.

"Um... remember this?" He leans over to one of the supply boxes strewn over the deck of the boat, and rummages around in it for a bit before producing his empty water bottle. He mimes drinking from it, something Joker had certainly seen him doing now and again before it ran empty.

"The water in it was... different." He emphasizes that word, carefully, halfway for Joker's sake and halfway as he considers how to elaborate on that. Just the fact that he can't live surrounded by water isn't quite enough to get across how it is that he can be dehydrated out here.

Eventually, he sets his bottle down and leans over the edge of the boat. He holds out an arm, uses his thumbnail to scrape at the layer of salt that's encrusted on his skin from the air and water all around him. "This is salt. It's... very dry. And it's in the water."

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