#Benjamina gagarina

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olympe shifted back into a merman to save her from drowning

(is she still alive???? he can’t tell!! 😨)

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shrinking is more fun with a friend

He LOVES being human-sized. The hugs are the best part of being this size

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I love one(1) sassy giant merman and his crossdressing sailor friend who’s addicted to speed

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Olympe learns that his best human friend, Ben, is a crossdressing woman

Olympe is bisexual and has found himself in love with Benjamina twice over, in Girl Mode (“Mina,” the aerialist) and Boy Mode (“Ben,” ship’s rigger). He finds her utterly enchanting.

Being an androgynous merman (he isn’t even necessarily “male,” people just tell him he is), Olympe doesn’t really understand gender or sex differences or why they matter so much- he just knows they matter to humans. And that there are taboos and social rules involved. 🥲

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tending to a hand injury using her binding fabric

shamelessly inspired by a post by @so-very-small

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Ben shares her astronomy studies with Olympe 🔭🌌

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They’re both overworked, overextended….but overjoyed to see each other !!!! 😤🥺😭

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olympe has a lovely singing voice (he’s shy about it)

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Only you know my true nature, mermaid.

(So there’s a period of time where the only person who knows she cross dresses is this giant mermaid, who found out while trying to save her life. She is cool with him knowing. It’s a relief, in a way, to share the truth with someone, anyone, even if it’s a monster of the deep.)

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hand holding ✨ by the sea 🌊🐠

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Whether he’s a merman or a human, he’s playing a cello the wrong way (he sings love songs)

Olympe has a lovely singing voice. It’s definitely different pitches at different sizes, but in my mind it’s not unlike the difference in sound when transitioning female to male and going on testosterone. Lyrics from “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea” by Neutral Milk Hotel

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Whether giant or human, Olympe finds himself looking ✨up✨ at Mina a lot

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Olympe loves both Ben and Mina ❤️

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can olympe crawl around on land while in merman form?

He totally can, it’s just exhausting!!

Pictured: (1) Olympe uses his hands to walk along the kelp forest floor (Octopuses do this!) and glide along effortlessly.

(2) Olympe trudges along the cliff side, fighting for his life as Ben walks alongside him.

If he burns enough calories on land he’ll straight up shrink into a human - he can’t crawl around on land for very long before transforming!

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Benjamina (in Boy Mode and Girl Mode) and Olympe (secret merman)

Benjamina goes by “Ben” in boy mode and “Mina” in girl mode. Olympe thinks Ben and Mina are two different people.

For a while, Ben doesn’t know that the twink and the sea monster are the same person. So together they’re caught up in a monsterfucker gender fluid love rectangle (is it just a triangle? Am I going insane?) Anyway, here’s some Olympe X Ben and Olympe x Mina!

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Are there other merpeople/mythical creatures in Ben and Olympe’s world?

Yes; but there aren’t many like him- just Olympe and his hundred odd sisters. He keeps company with other real sea creatures - his friend is an octopus he couldn’t eat (he tried, but it wouldn’t let go of his hand!)

Olympe and his hundred odd sisters are the offspring of an eldritch fish monster from the deep- which one of the first deep sea missions in the Atlantic had the misfortune of encountering in the mid 1800s.

Their mother ate a deep sea explorer and, curious about humanity, inseminated herself with his seed. She then traveled to a cove to lay all her eggs; most of the eggs weren’t viable, but about a hundred or so yielded half-human, half eldritch fish monster children. They are all siblings, and they are all infertile. Olympe and his sisters are the only merpeople ever - and they will never reproduce. They will all die out by the 1970s.