#I guess. just not with the mermaid fish tail. he got a shark tail and leggies

[ghcstcd]

New sneaky peeky for my patreon members of a pinup of Rain :^)

[mr-styles]

Aube Perrie is doing his best to keep things slimy and gross.

Some excerpts from Aube Perrie's recent article with promonews.tv:

PROMONEWS/DK: I was going to say that you’ve had a busy year so far, but I guess that this run of work has been going longer than that…

AUBE PERRIE: I have a bad memory for these things, but it's been pretty continuous. And I guess it started around a year ago, when Harry's team, actually H’s creative director Molly Hawkins and Columbia’s SVP Bryan Younce reached out and we started to try to make something happen for the new album. That's when, among other things, I wrote Satellite and Sushi. Satellite was actually written first.

I mean, there were also a couple before that - it was a long process. Among many things, Molly Hawkins is a brilliant creative director. She’s very cautious about the work they put out there, and so is H, Bryan and this whole team. But I was very fortunate and spoiled enough for having them letting me explore on a couple tracks, being extremely open and supportive. The process spread on a whole year, but that was all to the benefit of pushing the creative, pushing the ideas, giving ourselves the opportunity to explore and use the time to make something that really feels right.

When Satellite was written, I think we all liked it, but it just stayed only as an idea, we kept exploring, maybe we weren’t going to do it. And then it came back like, months later - after Sushi. It was a busy year but giving lots of time to reflect, to develop.

What did they give you, to prompt your ideas apart from the music?

The briefs were very different. Satellite was completely open. For Sushi they actually mentioned just one thing: Harry wanted to be a fish. That was the brief.

And he went from a fish to sort of disgusting Tulu octopus - that's what I was aiming for. I guess I didn't want to make a classic mermaid figure. And we tried to make it as disgusting as possible. But somehow, I don't know, Harry is so handsome…

Yes. So it still ends up being quite glamorous...

Exactly. It's terrible! But we really did our best to really make this world very slimy and gross - I kept insisting on that, and we were lucky to have everyone very much on board to go for a world that felt sweaty and textured. The texture of the tail and the squid body part had fight scars, our brilliant prosthetic lead Chelsea Delfino added the ones that white sharks have, went for a skin marked with shells. We really tried to put some gross details in there.

I wanted to design a world and restaurant location as disgusting as possible, that had this very odd and long back story. My friend and producer Josh Sondock took me to this great location that was already pretty intense, it has this crazy backstory that has been untouched, an amazing kitchen to work with - and we made it ten times worse. Still, H’s beard is kind of hot...

Having said that it's glamorous, he's still a very convincing man-squid. How did you go about creating something that good, that really does look like it was captured in-camera? 

It was very much captured all in-camera. Time was challenging because we had very little time to build the tail, the prawn masks, in time to fit the schedule. H was in the middle of the craziest tour, to say the least. We presented two different options. Something more fishy - closer to the classic mermaid I guess, but still pretty gross and unsettling, more like a slimy eel– and the squid, which was more difficult to do, but got us very excited. And H, Molly, everyone went straight for the squid. So much fun.

Wow. Not much time to fit in a lot of narrative. Did you get a much of a chance to discuss with him beforehand what was going to happen?

H definitely kept an eye on everything and it was nice to have him excited and on board jumping into a huge slimy tail and catching fishes in-camera beforehand, so we knew the main challenge would be to make it through the days. But at least we were all super aware of the challenge and up for it including H.

A lot goes through Molly, but they're also very close, so if you're discussing with Molly, you're discussing with H eventually. But I guess there was not so much discussion, but more support, especially for Sushi. It was just very easy and supportive and went very smoothly. There was just a lot of trust. And we were all here to try getting something fantastic.

I think we were all very strongly convinced it was actually good to try going for what was not so much expected of him. And I think we all were very excited picturing a result that felt like it had the potential to be quite unique. Including H.

He's familiar with the film world, having done features, and I guess he's toying with his image in quite an interesting way. Obviously not all pop stars are prepared to do that.

More should - because…it’s fun. Take Sushi. The shot list was wild. We had one day with H. At some point, you have no time to always explain what you’re shooting all over the place with A & B cam, you just need to get on with it. I guess it was way more indie film than blockbuster. But H is blockbuster. So the day would be impossible without him being very much prepared to be on the same boat as everyone one else to get it, embracing it and having fun with it. There is just no other way.

But I’m so glad that’s who he is. Everyone saw that day he’s definitely amazing at doing that and getting it. He’s very much prepared indeed. And by focusing the energy on nothing but getting it, it allows space for fun. And more than anything, it was all a lot of fun. That’s how it should be.

You can read the whole article here!

[dragonmarquise]

BRC MerMay Ideas

And now for my BRC MerMay headcanons!! Like I mentioned in the poll, every year I try to do a drawing for MerMay, which is usually just a mermaid version of a favorite character. I’m hoping to do something for BRC next year, so I’ve got a bunch of ideas for mermaid versions for almost every character!

Benni, the Oldheads, and Berlage are not here, but maybe they can stay as humans in this… I guess it’s basically a MerMay/mermaid AU by this point, lol

Starting with the main cast:

Tryce = red snapper

Bel = floating bell jellyfish (Get it, bell, Bel, lol)

Vinyl = sailfish, probably the Atlantic sailfish in particular

Felix = coelacanth (for headcanons-derived-from-implied-lore reasons, hee hee...)

DJ Cyber = manta ray, specifically the giant manta ray because they're cool as hell

Solace = garden eel! He pops in and out of the sand.

Solace: *popping out of the sand* Hello friends! How are y-- Tryce: You get back in that sand hole, or so help me-- Solace: *going back into the sand* Oh, okay, sorry!!

I’m sorry, I just find the idea funny, lol

Some bonus BRC members plus Escher:

Rave = wahoo

Mesh = threadfin butterflyfish

Shine = sunshinefish (was originally going to make her a sunfish, but I decided to be nice to her :P )

Rise = leopard seal

Coil = rainbow wrasse

Rietveld = orca

Escher = whale shark with prosthetic tail (I headcanon that the original Escher has non-cybernetic prosthetic legs, below the knees, so that’s getting carried over to his MerMay design)

Okay so also! With Rietveld and Escher in this weird AU, they used to be humans (Cops? Part of a navy who tried to hunt mermaids maybe?) who said “Screw this, we won’t be the bad guys anymore!!” and found a way to turn into mermaids. I guess. :P

So moving on, for the rival characters from here, besides DOT EXE, the seasons in parentheses indicate which in-game palette corresponds to that character. Just so you know!

The Franks = stitched together of different sharks and dolphins!

Bill (spring) = common dolphin + lemon shark

Charles (summer) = dusky dolphin + blue shark

Michael (autumn) = Commerson’s dolphin + thresher shark

Larry (winter) = bottlenose dolphin + leopard shark

Flesh Prince = Atlantic spotted dolphin (Spots and freckles!!)

Eclipse = all octopi

Vela (spring) = common octopus

Aquila (summer) = blue ringed octopus

Lyra (autumn) = mimic octopus

Cassiopeia (winter) = giant pacific octopus

DOT EXE = Robo fish mermaids!! So not specific fish species here, just general shapes/appearances basically.

Twoson (two ball) and Fourside (four ball) = robo guppies

Cinco (five ball) = robo sailfish

Neun (nine ball) = robo stingray

Eight Ball = robo shark

Jūrō (ten ball) = robo eel

Quatorze (fourteen ball) = robo octopus

Cueball = robo dolphin

Devil Theory = all sharks (more specifically picked species that have been most commonly reported in shark attacks)

Sai (spring) = great white shark (the guy with the anger problems of course gets the shark with the most reported bites :P )

Nunchaku (summer) = tiger shark

Daishō (autumn) = blacktip shark (Not blacktip reef shark! That is actually a separate species)

Bō (winter) = bull shark

Fun fact! Leopard seals are apex predators, and are even known to eat sharks on occasion. This is why Rise is allowed in Devil Theory’s turf (waters?) in this MerMay AU, lol

FUTURISM = stingrays, like with DJ Cyber

Nyx (spring) = eagle ray

Jazz (summer) = bat ray

Veronica (autumn) = whiptail stringray

Quantum (winter) = electric ray (maybe the marbled one in particular?)

Bonus round of “Red is somehow a separate person from Felix and Faux” stuff because I like the idea of that (but not as a replacement for Felix, the hate I have seen against Felix just to prop up Red that I have seen in this fandom is ridiculous...)

Red = A red guppy! So then Faux was this before being defeated too of course. Red in this AU is like… a talking hermit crab taking shelter in the old Red helmet. Felix was putting the helmet back together to use as his new mask, and found Red.

He decided to let the crab have the helmet (especially since it needed it more than him, having a hard time finding an actual shell after being bullied by other hermit crabs) plus Faux's old body. Using the helmet and some advanced set up inside of it (probably with further modifications by the Flesh Prince and DJ Cyber), Red can use it to control the body just like any other mermaid! Huzzah!

Faux's head is found at some point later, miraculously still alive and well! He gets attached to a non-mermaid sea dragon at some point. Not an actual sea dragon, but a leafy seadragon. Basically the Flesh Prince and DJ Cyber tricked him into agreeing to the new body, omitting the “leafy” part, lmao

They promise to get him a proper mermaid body if he behaves and properly repents for what he did (he still killed Felix here and tried to kill the others before being stopped), but uh, suffice to say at the moment he's got a long way to go.

It doesn’t help that he keeps trying to outright steal his old body from Red. “Dude, you literally threw it away to try and steal Solace’s body!!” “Don’t care, give it back!!” lol

So yeah! That's all of what I have for MerMay ideas! Feel free to let me know what you think of these :D

[eveandtheturtles]

Donnie and a mermaid

Idk, I wanted a cute Little Mermaid-esque story, half way through the direction kind of derailed? Originally I was going to make it more violent and creepy but in the end that changed as well. Just weird shit going down in my brain. I don't think I like it but I'm still gonna post it, so.... Enjoy?

Uuuh, also I drew the mermaid, she's at the bottom of the fic.

Rating: Uh, I'll give it a strong T? Like be wary of the warning below but- yeah?

Warning: mind control.

tagging: @madammuffins @turtle-babe83 @thelaundrybitch @pheradream15 @dilucsflame33 @sharpwindow

What happened was just pure luck. They were patrolling the harbor. Making sure no Foot Clan wannabes were trying to move in.

The night was quiet though. It seemed no serious crime was going to happen that night. Donnie was somewhat relieved. He had some games and a project to get back to.

Suddenly they all heard a high pitched cry. It was not human though. If Donnie was to guess what it was it was closer to a whale.

"What was that?" Leo was immediately alerted.

"I think some whale got beached. I'll go check it out and alert the correct authorities," Donnie replied calmly.

"Alright, let us know if it's anything more serious," Leo agreed. "We'll probably be slowly heading out once you get back. The area looks clear."

Donnie nodded and jumped from a cargo container to cargo container trying to pin point the spot the poor animal was. It let out one more cry for help and that helped him finally find it.

But when he got there it wasn't a whale he saw. Humanoid from waist up and fish from waist down, barely reaching 5 feet in total lenght. It was green in colour from the top of its bald head to the tip of its tail. Gills on its neck and over the ribcage. Wiry arms with webbed hands, yellow eyes and sharp teeth. The tail could belong to a leopard shark species. It was beautiful in a way. There was a spear sticking out of it and the creature was wrapped in a fishing net.

"A mermaid," he whispered.

It's- her? His? Pointy, fin like ears twitched and the mermaid (or merman) looked up at him and hissed in warning, baring their teeth.

"It's okay, it's okay," Donnie said calmly as he carefully walked closer. He had his arms up. No weapon in sight. He hoped that it was universal enough of a sign that he meant no harm. "I want to help you." He hoped they knew human speech.

The mer-creature blinked slowly, confused with what they were seeing. They knew humans but this? This was new.

Donnie noted the nictitating membrane. Fascinating. Anyway. Task at hand. He decided to start first with the spear. The fishing net restraining them was probably better left on for now.

"I'm going to break this, okay?" He said out loud for the merperson to understand.

They tilted their head a little. They saw the hands reaching to the spear and the questioning expression on the strange land creature's face. They nodded. It still didn't make the pain less blinding when the turtle broke the shaft off.

The mer cried out and trashed a little, snapping it's jaw in Donnie's direction. He jumped back in time though. The mer creature made keening noises and his heart was breaking just a little for it. Them.

"It's alright," he tried to reach to them and comfort them.

She calmed down, shaking a little. She blinked slowly. He was helping her, he seemed sturdy and... kind. She opened her mouth and a song flew out of it. A sweet melody that soothed his mind.

He smiled. "Wow, that's magical..." He moved closer to her, entrance by the music.

Suddenly, Donnie's comm went off.

"Donnie, is everything all right over there, you have been gone for a while now!" Leo's worried voice broke through the tense silence.

The purple terrapin jumped up. He fumbled with the intercom, almost dropping it. "Yeah! Everything is fine! I'm good. I ah- am doing a bit of a rescue mission by myself," he replied.

"With a whale? Do you need help?"

"No, no! You don't have to! I got it! It's like a shark of sorts. Much smaller. It's just tied up on nets," he started explaining, trying to keep his brothers away. "You all should go home. I got this." He heard himself say.

Weird. He didn't want anyone else to know about them... Her. He looked at the mermaid. She was humming now, the music just for him. He knew it. It was so beautiful.

"I'll free you now," he said.

The mermaid stilled for him and he cut all the ropes. Once her binds were gone she rubbed her wrists. She looked at him, her big, fully yellow eyes drew him further in. There was a connection between them, he could feel it. Such a wonderful being she was.

He took her cold, webbed hands and marvelled at how smooth and soft they were. How small and perfect they were in his. "You're going to be safe", he assured her, "I'll protect you."

She hummed that beautiful sound again and he swore he couldn't be happier.

The next day Leo did a head count and was down one. He wasn't too concerned as Donnie tended to oversleep for various reasons (experiments, streams, working on gadgets). That was until he saw that neither the bed or the spot in the lab were occupied by the snoring purple turtle.

"Have you guys seen Donnie?" He turned to Mikey and Raph.

"Yeah, he was here for like five seconds," Mikey said, doing kickflips midair. "Grabbed a whole bunch of eggs and stuff from his lab. Said something about shark and then left."

"The nerd gonna open a full blown marine rescue at this point," Raph chortled. "I bet he's gonna install an acquarium right in the middle of the lair."

"Eugh, he better not," Leo sighed and pinched the bridge between his eyes. He let go of it now. Later he would come to regret that.

He didn't see Donnie for the next three days. Their dad was getting concerned. Leo expected this shit to happen with Raph or Mikey but Donnie? Logic driven Donnie? Like yeah even if he'd pull crazy shit (like jump out of an airplane with no shoot) he always calculated all the risks. His younger brother would never rush to things unprepared...

"Where the fuck have you been?!" Raph's yelling got him out of a morbid mood and his meditation.

"We all have been worried sick and you come back looking like a fucking ghost!!" Raph continued yelling.

Leo, with his heart in his throat went to see what the ruckus was about, although he already knew.

"Donnie," he said, relieved but also concerned and angry at the same time. "Where have you been? You turned off your locator."

"I'm fine," the tall terrapin mumbled.

Raph wasn't joking that Donnie looked like a ghost. He seemed exhausted, barely holding on his feet.

"I need to go back," he stumbled towards the kitchen. "Just get supplies," he droned out the words.

He looked sick, almost delirious. "I need to get back to her..."

"Her?"

"The fuck you do!" Raph placed his heavy hand on Donnie's shoulder trying to stop him but Donnie easily flipped him over on his back and knocked his lights out.

"Donnie-" Leo tried to say something but the cattleprod right in front of his face stopped him.

"I have to go back," Donnie repeated. "She needs me."

"Okay, okay." Leo raised his arms up. Something was so very wrong with Donnie. They needed to help him out. "You will go back. We just want to help, we are brothers. We help each other. That's what family does, remember?" He spoke softly trying to her his brother to calm down.

It was a wonder how did Donnie even got strenght to fight off Raph, while his arms trembled under the weight of his bō staff.

The purple brother hesitated. Okay, he was getting to him.

"You can trust us," Leo continued. The cattleprod was lowered. The eldest sighed relieved. "We're out of eggs so I'll call April and we can go all with you, okay?" Leo was talking as if to a toddler. Or Mikey. What a day.

He was lying though, they did stock up on the eggs when Donnie basically took everything with him. But if he could get Donnie to sit down and maybe nap a little maybe they could get some common sense and information out of him.

"I can't leave her..." Donnie's eyes watered up. "She's alone without me. What if something hurts her! I have to go back!" He spun on his heel, panic in his voice rising.

"Hey, hey, Donnie, Donnie!" Leo jumped to block his path but Donnie immediately jabbed him in his throat. "Donnie!" Leo choked and coughed. Damn, that was annoying. "It's broad daylight! Humans will see you." He managed to still grab him by the wrist.

"I don't care Leo! She is singing... I just have to go." Donnie tried to escape.

Who the fuck- Leo was so pissed off at whoever did this to his lil bro.

Unfortunately for Leo, Donnie had his bō staff, while he himself had nothing but his bare hands. He tried to find an opening in his brainwashed brother's defense but this was still Donnie. It was very hard and it seemed the Fearless Leader might lose.

Suddenly, something flew down and Donnie was knocked out unconscious.

"10 points to Michealangelo, whoohoo!!" Mikey spun around victoriously.

"Good job, Mikey," Leo praised him catching his breath. "Now help me tie him up."

Donnie woke up later with a splitting headache. When he tried to reach his hands up to cradle his poor noggin he found out he was tied up.

"What..." He whispered confused. Everything was so blurry and painful.

"Hey there genius."

Donnie looked up. April. She was standing in front of him holding a glass of water.

"Here, drink some. You look dehydrated," she said offering him the drink with a straw in.

The sight of it made him realize just how much of an Arizona desert was his mouth. That first sip had him almost moan in relief. He never knew water could taste so good.

April waited until he drank at least a half of the glass and took a break to catch his breath. "What do you remember so far?" She asked.

"I- ah," his browridge furrowed as he tried to recall what the fuck was going on. "The last thing I remember was... The docks. There was this animal," the last word he said almost like a question. A vague shape was forming in his mind. "A shark..."

Something was trying to break at the front of his mind. Something important. Something....

"It... She- she was hurt.." Suddenly everything hit him like a ton of bricks. "She needs me. I- I need to go!" He started fighting against the binds.

"Donnie, Donnie!" She tried to call back to him but the look he gave her was nearly feral. So she did the only thing she could. She slapped him. "Stay with me!" She commanded him.

There was a shock on his face as he struggled to keep his mind clear. Panic was rising in him and the irrational need to leave was trying to get a hold of him again.

"April... I- I can't-"

"Tell me, what is happening with you? Who is 'she'?." She tried to get as much information as she could while he was still aware.

"A mermaid," he blurted out. "There's a mermaid. She's hurt. I wanted to help." He spoke quickly but it was clear he was slipping again. "She needs me."

A mermaid? What? Then again she was talking to a mutated turtle... "I know," April said cradling his face between her hands. "I'll help you." She promised. "But I want to go with you, okay?"

He was reluctant and she didn't know how long it will take for him to listen to her. So she untied him. He almost raced down the corridors but at least he was going to where she usually was parking her car.

When Leo saw them leave the room they stashed Donnie in April just waved at him. There was no time and this had to be dealt with immediately.

She let Donnie drive, while she prepared to meet the Hitchcock's version of Ariel. She googled mermaids trying to find something useful. Nothing but she saw reference to sirens and that gave her a clue. These bird like creatures would sing and drive men to jump into the ocean. Not very Little Mermaid friendly. Apparently only way to survive a meeting with them was to stuff your ears with wax.

April didn't have wax but she had stoppers. One useful thing coming from Casey's snoring.

"We're here," Donnie said. April quickly got the stoppers into her ears, hoping they would somewhat protect her and followed the terrapin out of the car.

The walk to the cave the mermaid was wasn't easy. A lot of rocks, tricky passage and broken concrete and a lot of water. April had to waddle in knee deep water, following Donnie who seemed to be on autopilot.

"She's here," he said softly, full of awe as they entered. April barely could hear him. "...Stay back," he added as if just remembering she was there too.

The cave was dark with just enough light coming through the entrance. There still was water in there but much more shallow, with few dry spots here and there.

"Holy Shit," April breathed out as the creature came into view. It looked nothing like the Disney certified being. Petite but definitely inhuman. Bald, in a wilted green colour, with markings on her body. No seashells on the androgynous torso. No singing crabs either.

April watched as Donnie knelt next to the mermaid, stroking her face. She chirped happily nuzzling his hand.

"I'm sorry, I didn't get you food," he whispered to her apologetically. "April," he called to her turning his head, "do you have food?"

The reporter was transfixed by the almost alien being, she barely missed the yell. It was so strange. The mermaid didn't seem hostile at all. Seemed young, but maybe it was due to her size. She hid behind Donnie as much as she could. April noted the bandages on the tail.

"I have a half a hot dog with me," she offered and pulled her uneaten lunch.

The mermaid looked at her warily but hungrily. Donnie took the food and handed it to her. She snatched it quickly, devouring it rather than simply eating.

In the meantime, Donnie went on to change the bandages on the tail and April winced. It was healing but the scarring would remain for the rest of the aquatic being's life.

April sat on a rock, closer to the entrance. She observed everything and realized the mermaid wasn't probably even aware she was harming Donnie. She seemed to have grown attached to him. She would follow Donnie with her eyes, want him close to her.

It only made April reel in disgust all the more considering that the responses from him were result of some strange mind control. It must have been the tune every now and then the mermaid would hum. It gave April headache.

Finally, the human stood up and walked up to the creature.

The sudden movement startled her, prompting Donnie to stand between them with his bō staff at the ready.

April tilted her head to look at the mermaid.

"I just want to talk with you," she told her.

A calming chirp and Donnie stepped to the side.

"Hi," April said. "I'm April." She put on her friendlies 'reporter' voice on. "I have never met a mermaid before."

The mermaid frowned. She didn't seem like trusting her a lot. April couldn't blame her for that considering the wound in her tail.

"I'm kind of Donnie's big sister," she told her. "Do you understand that? Sister? Family?"

A feeling of understanding washed over her. Ah, so that was how the mermaid was sentient and could communicate. Even if it was a bit dubious. The mind control must have been a form of self defense and probably a hunting method.

"Do you like Donnie?"

The mermaid looked at the turtle and a feeling of fondness reached April.

"That's what I thought," the human sighed. "You need to stop controlling him."

Alarm and fear.

April shook her head. "He offered his help freely did he?"

This time it was a nod.

"Why did you control him then?"

Frustration, uncertainty, pain, fear.

Ah. There was one more thing April was wondering about (there were more but those weren't urgent). "Can you read our emotions as well? Or thoughts?"

A negative headshake. So there was that. April sighed. Time to get to the main issue.

"You are hurting him, he needs his family, he needs rest. We can all help you better if you just let us. I know trust must be hard to come by but Donnie and his brothers protect people. I don't think they will hurt you if I explain everything and if you release Donnie."

The mermaid averted her eyes and was clearly thinking over what April said. She was obviously still on her guard but remained non hostile.

Finally she curled up in a ball, as if hiding and April a loud sound of a turtle collapsing to the ground. She turned around and Donnie was leaning heavily over the wall. His stomach grumbled loudly.

He blinked confused looking around. "April?"

April sighed with a smile. A victory.

It wasn't a surprise later that Donnie avoided the mermaid afterwards. They had her transported to the lair and she promised to not try anything. They all were wary of one another. Once everyone relaxed enough to realize no one meant anyone harm they started to try and get to know each other. Even started learning alphabet to communicate with them with more than just emotions. She was a surprisingly quick study and soon she was able to communicate with them through a whiteboard. They managed to even get a name for the being - Kara. She was very playful. Splashing water as pranks, swindling food from Mikey, and even trying to play shogi with Splinter. But every time someone walked in and it wasn't Donatello she looked disappointed and sad. She was recovering fast with proper care and was expected to be fully healed in two weeks.

April enjoyed coming over to talk with her. Kara liked telling April about her life in the ocean. The circumstances that got her to New York all the way from California. She wasn't going back there any time soon. She wanted to explore first.

Two days before her release Donnie finally came to visit her. At first he merely stood at the entrance to the room her tub was in. Then it seemed like he was about to leave, having changed his mind. She looked at him from over the rim of the tub. She didn't want him to leave.

"Ah!" She called. It was as far as she could go for spoken words. The whiteboard as in her hands and he paused. "I'm sorry." She wrote. "Do you hate me?"

"I... don't hate you." He walked up closer. "I wish you didn't force me to help you."

She nodded and tapped 'I'm sorry'. She felt like she might need it a lot. "I won't do it again."

"I know," he sighed.

"I'll bring you lots of fish," she offered and he snorted.

"Don't like fish, but thanks I guess."

She lowered herself into the water blowing guilty bubbles.

"You're doing the emotional bluetooth again," he said and the feelings stopped. "If it helps, I'm not angry at you either, it's not easy being around who manipulated your will like that. Do you understand?"

She looked like she wanted to understand and it was a start.

"Did April tell you about the concept of starting again?" He asked and she nodded.

He took a deep breath in. "My name is Donatello, Donnie for short," he offered her his hand.

Kara quickly recalled this human custom and extended her own hand. "Kara," she wrote then on the board. "Nice to meet you."

It was a better start.

Bonus!!

I drew her.

[psychotrope777]

i had a dream last night that i got cursed by god basically and was transformed into a mermaid thing. freak of nature doomed to be set apart from my own kind forever having minimal if any interaction with people and having to fight to survive in the ocean etc etc. I was kinda amphibious, i could still breathe air freely, but i had to be able to submerge myself in saltwater to survive kinda like a frog i guess? my flesh had become tough and scaly. my legs had been replaced with a tail ofc. i already have kind of a stocky build so my tail matched that and i think i may have looked kind of like a seal or a tuna from a distance. i had some patches of fur to insulate myself because the north atlantic is cold bitch... my tail was just long enough to coil around something like a snake if i wanted but it also created like more surface area for something to be able to attack me. the whole coiling thing didnt have a lot of application and just ended up being more dangerous than useful. i technically didnt have to eat or shit anymore though so that was cool.

i had to like fight sharks and other ocean predators to survive. there were few places for me to hide and i was basically just fighting for my fucking life most of the time. it mostly sucked but i had a friend who would come visit me at the beach and hang out with me. he would keep me updated on shit that went on on the surface world and i would tell him about what it was like to be a big fish monster i guess.

Anyway i ended up getting captured by this mad scientist cunt. They had this giant tank built for me which was kind of cool in concept because i got to hang out and not worry about predators but it wasnt furnished very well and i was bored most of the time. Plus none of the scientists wanted to talk to me. The head scientist guy wanted to do experiments on me but he fell into my tank and i mauled him. I dragged him into the water and death rolled him a bunch of times while everyone watched mortified it was sick lol. Idk what happened after that though maybe they killed me

[sdxstudio]

Chapter 10 (timeskip)

After some years, Patrice got really close to Jerry, Vince and Darren. Even after those years she is still an intern, but she likes it. She spends more time with Michael, Mahogany and even Vendetta. Vendetta even became Faith's babysitter. Life seemed to get better, but we all know that it can't last forever. Patrice was in her bed, hugging her pillow and sleeping. She then heard loud gasp and woke up. She looked who did it, it was Jerry.

Patrice: what? Jerry: oh gosh! Oh gosh! Patrice: WHAT JERRY? Speak big boi words. Jerry: y-your tail! Patrice: haha...funny... Jerry: I am serious! Look, you have tail AND ears! Patrice: what?

She stood up and walked up to mirror. She had small fish tail and fishy ears. She looked scared.

Patrice: what the-?! Jerry: that is just...so awesome! Patrice: WHAT?! No it's not! Jerry: you are like this mermaid from anime, but with legs! Patrice: Jerry, this is serious! Stop with the anime talk! I don't want Michael to see it! Jerry: hmmm. Yeah he would punch a wall again. Patrice: okay. Ummm. Jerry go and act normal. I'm gonna go seek help from someone who knows what to do. Okay? Jerry: s-sure.

Jerry then walked out of the room. Patrice created a portal to Dreamscape. She walked in and tryed to seek Vince. It was easy to find him, since he was usually in his house. She opened the doors. Vince looked back at her and waved happily.

Vince: heeey! What's up? Patrice: tail and ears, explain! Vince: you too? Cool! Now we both evolved and ranked up! Patrice: it's not cool! I have life in human world, how will I explain it?! Vince: you know what cosplay is? Patrice: Vince...you genius! I can say it's costume! Vince: hehe! Thanks! Also cool teeth! Patrice: those too?! Vince: yeah! Darren and Olivia are more ranks up than us, but we can keep up. Patrice: I rather not. After all, look at me. Vince: hey, it's half, not full at least. Patrice: I'm afraid of being something I'm not supposed to be. You know this. What if Michael don't like fishes? Vince: don't think so much, okay? It can give you a headache. Let's wait and see. I promise that it'll not be that bad. Patrice: okay. I sometimes overthink things. Vince: me too. But you know what? When you got here, I got closer to my own fear. Vinny like you called him is pretty chill. He is cheerfull and sweet. He even helped us. You helped me. I am really greatfull about it. You changed me for better. You changed Father Time for better too. He doesn't worry anymore about the time or being a human like machine. He believes in himself now. Thanks to you. Your words are sharper than a sword. You have heart of gold and fists of steel. I believe in you, like you believe in me. Patrice: you really think so? Vince: yeah! You are more than just a human fish. You are very straight to point. You never sugarcoat. We need someone like you. You are a great friend. Even Darren thinks so. Also if you ranked up, you got costume upgrade. Let's check it out! Patrice: sure.

Patrice then changed into her Dreamscaper costume. She now had a long dark and red colored dress with gold parts on it. It was dress that Mahogany once bought for her, but more fitting and shiney. She still had her deck of cards on the side. She also had new hair pin in shape of shark's teeth. Vince smiled.

Vince: congratulations! You are now a Card Master! A luck is on your side now, heh! Patrice: this dress...is from Mahogany and Vendetta. Vince: they picked good. Also Ven?! You know him?! Patrice: yeah. Why? Vince: we are related, somehow! Vendetta knows me so well! Patrice: I bet for poking. Like you did to me. Vince: you know me so well too then. Patrice: yeah. But what should I say to Michael about it? He will see that I have this tail everyday. Vince: well, then be honest with him. He will know it someday. Good luck with that. Patrice: thanks, I guess.

She then changed to her normal pijama outfit and opened portal to her world. She waved to Vince for a goodbye and she walked in. She then walked to living room where Michael was. He was reading a newspaper.

Patrice: uncle...I have something important to say. Michael: what?

He then looked at her and got shocked. His eyes widened. He couldn't say a word and was just looking at her. He then got up, walked to bathroom, splashed his face with cold water and went back.

Michael: nope. It wasn't a dream. What happened?! Jerry: told you she is going through changes. Michael: I was thinking like woman do, Jerry! What the-?! HOW?! It doesn't make any sense! Patrice: I was surprised by it too one day. After the day I found a face mask. This day changed me. I was scared, confused. There is this other world with magic. We are fighting people's phobias. I mean, me and Vince. Today I woke up like this. Vince and others changed me too as a person. I still don't know what I'm doing, but I'm trying my best. If you'll throw me out because of this- Michael: I am not like them! I would never do this! And I don't care about fishness or what you are! You are my family, like Jerry is! Patrice: really? Michael: yeah! Now don't say things like those. Because I would never give you up like some old tire. Now sorry, I'm gonna go punch a wall.

Michael then walked out of the room and they could hear a loud sound. Faith then looked at her.

Faith: Vince is real?! Patrice: yes. And he's my friend. Faith: wooow! So cool! So you are one of the Dreamscapers?! Patrice: yeah. Still I'm an intern. Faith: I met a real Dreamscaper! This is the best time of my life! Patrice: better day will be on your b-day. I asked Vince to meet you in person. Faith: no way! YOOOOO! Vince is real AND will be here! Thank youuuuu! AAAAA! I'm so happy! Patrice: I'm glad to hear it. Jerry: so everything is good, right? Patrice: I hope so. Jerry: how will you tell this to Miss? Patrice: I'll tell her in other day.

Night Terror DLC Redemption

Hey. So I'll be making a story about my new AU (it's be a bit diffrent from original Night Terror AU story, that's why I called it DLC. It's not canon to original story, it's more like fanon). So yeah. I hope you'll like it.

[soupbabe]

Hi can I order La squadra meeting a male shark mermaid that’s like huge and very intimidating but he’s like really nice when you get to know him?

All I can think about is la squadra having this giant shark man in their bathtub that they would have to eventually buy a kiddie pool for

Have a nice day/night!!

Can We Keep Him? (La Squadra + Male! Mershark! Reader)

The team finds a merman in their bathtub.

Please I love this shsjsn I love doing x creature readers/characters sm,,,also my bad if this is more Pesci and Formaggio centered 😅😅

Loud banging can be heard on the bathroom door, "Pesci! Get your ass out of there, come on!" Prosciutto's voice boomed from the outside, causing the younger man to squeak in surprise. You peered out from the bathtub and merely squeaked back, fluttering your gills in oblivious delight. "I'll- I'll be right out big bro...!" An annoyed groan could be heard followed by Prosciutto's footsteps.

Pesci quickly started pacing back and forth in front of the bathtub, anxiously murmuring to himself, only to be stopped by a splash of water in his direction. He turned his head towards the merman in the base's bathtub. "You need something?" In response you only chirped and pointed to the door, tilting your head in the process. Pesci looked toward the door, "No, you can't leave yet..it's too soon for the others to see you."

It was then a man with a grey buzzcut appeared seemingly out of thin air right behind Pesci, "See what?"

On instinct, Pesci screamed and quickly punched him in the gut. "Oh my god, Formaggio! Ho-how did you get in!?" The said man stayed hunched over laughing, only looking up once your much deeper laughter joined in. "I heard you talkin', got curious, and sneaked in under the door. Who's this guy?" Formaggio carefully stepped towards you and dark, fishy eyes met his own. Pesci gave a nervous laugh, "That's Y/n...I found him at a site on this hit I went on and he wouldn't leave me alone.. He's harmless though don't worry!" Formaggio glanced back at you and smirked, which gave him a sharp tooth smile in return. "I guess Sharkboy is kinda cute. Like a dog." Pesci nodded, "See! I couldn't just leave him by himself!"

As the two men were talking, they failed to notice the sound of Risotto picking the lock on the bathroom door with the rest of the team behind him. The Capo's gruff voice interrupted them, "What's going on here?" Immediately both men tried to block his view of the bathtub, but your dark tail peaked out from the rim. Illuso scoffed, "We aren't stupid, you know. Did you smuggle in a fish?" Prosciutto and Ghiaccio groaned, "All this bullshit for a fish? Really?" Ghiaccio was in the doorway before you quickly jumped up and spit water at him, landing not so gracefully back in the tub, splashing everyone close to you.

Melone and Risotto pushed through Formaggio and Pesci to see you staring back at them. Risotto's stern gaze made you put on a glare of your own and puff your chest out in response. "A merman?" Melone mused, he leaned in closer to examine your features. You mimicked his actions, soon becoming nose to nose with him. Melone's lips quirked into a smile and you followed, making him hum in amusement. Soon enough he pulled away and looked up at his capo. "He's cute, can we let him stay for a while longer?" Ghiaccio wiped off his lenses, his frustration evident in his voice. "Are you fucking kidding me? We can't afford to keep a merman! He already takes up the entire bathroom!" Although you couldn't quite grasp what the blue-haired man was saying, his tone and expressions toward you were enough to make you hiss and spit even more water at him.

"You little shit-! " Ghiaccio was quickly held back by Sorbet and Gelato, who observed the situation with amusement. Nervously, Pesci made eye contact with Risotto. "..But can we? He's actually harmless! I promise! I met him on a mission and he just wouldn't let me go and-" "Fine." The capo continued, "But he's your responsibility. Anything he does will be your problem. All I ask of you is that you get him out of the bathroom." For a moment Pesci paused, taking time for the goth's words to sink in. Formaggio playfully jabbed his teammate, "I'll help too! Give me a minute too, I think I already have something in my room for Sharkboy!"

Just as quick as he left, Formaggio came back dragging a bright blue kiddie pool. "Haha! There it is!" You peered around the men to look at the plastic tub, the bright hues alluring you the most. Formaggio smiled and puffed out his chest, "How ya like it, big guy?" You cooed at the gift and your gills fluttered. Illuso and Melone took a closer inspection of the duct-taped covered pool.

Melone's lips went into a firm line, "While I guess this is okay for now, I won't let him stay in this forever. The dear needs something that doesn't smell like shit." Illuso almost gagged, "Dear God, Formaggio. Do you ever clean this thing?" The man in question only gave a half-hearted shrug, "I just been using this as a place to store my dirty clothes." Prosciutto glared at Formaggio, "You're revolting.."

[sohin-ace]

Jolyne - No Ordinary Girl

Mermaid Y/N x Surfer Jolyne

Today was a particularly fitting day to go to the beach. Jotaro had taken Jolyne, Hermes and Foo Fighters to the shore. He mostly went for some observation and the girls decided they would take advantage of the nice weather for some surfing.

It was not long after they arrived and started installing themselves that Jolyne and Hermes' eyes fell into very familiar faces.

Annasui, upon seeing the group, walked towards the girls with a confident stance, making sure his long hair was flowing in the wind.

"Oh look who we have here. The ladies victory." Annasui exclaimed, before completely falling heart-eyed, his voice and tone softening, dreamy even, at the sight of his object of worship. "Hi Jolyne~"

"Oh! Weather Report's there! Hi Weas!" Jolyne called out to the older man arranging a parasol a few feet behind, her completely ignoring the pink haired-male that seemed to have come with him. He waved shortly at Jolyne in response.

"Anyways, what are you guys up to?" Hermes asked, sipping on some lime flavored granita.

"Well, as you can see..." He pointed at the ocean, "We just wanted to take a day to work out a bit, but the waves are real nice today."

He leaned in not so subtly towards Jolyne, despite Hermes' evident judging gaze.

"But you know what else is real nice today?" He brought his hand up to cup Jolyne's chin, but before he could even say or do anything, Jolyne leaned away and pointed behind him.

"Oh wow! My dad's coming back with drinks!" She called nonchalantly, looking behind Annasui like he was more transparent than air itself.

"...! DRINKS?! DRINKS!!" Foo Fighter gasped, pushing the feminine man off to the side with such force, he fell and slid against the sand.

"Hey, Jojo," Hermes tapped her friend's shoulder, "Let's show these pendejos how girls ride waves."

The Asian American smirked, eager to show who's boss and always ready to follow on her best friend's mischief. "I'm racing you then."

"Pfft, I won't go easy girlfriend." The Mexican cracked her knuckles and grabbed her plank.

After surfing for long enough and being outran by Jolyne's stamina, Hermes decided to go back and sunbathe next to F.F's who was playing cutely with sand.

Jolyne glided full speed over the water, the wind and droplets of salty water refreshing her skin. More than competition, Jolyne loved the acceleration, the adrenaline, the sweet fresh air through her long hair. When she was surfing, Jolyne's heart lightened up and her mind purged of any negative thoughts, anxiety, fears.

She was at peace.

Before she could enjoy the sweet taste of her peace of mind though, she caught up to a blond surfer in front of her who she recognized as she got closer. Oh god, not him of all people.

"Oh, hey! Isn't that the sexiest surfer in all Miami?" Romeo teased, admiring the girl who gained up on him, "Not bad, look at you go! Who knew my little Jojo would be so talented, hot damn!"

Jolyne frowned and clicked her tongue. She swore if she wasn't so focused on staying in balance, she would drown him on the spot. He laughed obnoxiously, satisfied with being a disgusting excuse of a human.

"Romeo, I swear to fuckin-"

Before she could even finish her sentence, something, a gigantic fish tail appeared out of the wave and flicked itself right accross the blonde, slapping him off of his plank with a painful sound.

"HUAARGHH-" He screamed before crashing into the water with the splash and disappearing behind Jolyne.

"O-OH MY GOD!" She gasped, both surprised by the sudden turn of events, and incredibly scared for her life, thinking some kind of hostile shark was in the shore currently, which was to report immediately.

The moment she decided to take a turn and leave as fast as she could, warning the others to get the hell out of here, a shadowy form within the water followed her along the wave.

Foolishly curious, Jolyne looked at it, not without her heart hammering in her chest at the potential danger she was facing.

What she saw was not a sight she'd have ever expected to ever see in all her 19 years. Her legs shook at the shock and she almost completely fell over her board.

Gliding along the water right next to her, right inside the tall wave, was the figure of... a girl.

Or was it a girl? It couldn't be. She looked human at first glance, but the more Jolyne's gaze moved sideways she noticed the long and impressive fish tail replacing what were supposed to be legs.

Jolyne's jaw felt slack. She felt like she was hallucinating. Believe it or not, she had not smoked or taken any recreative substances beforehand, but she truly wished she had because that would have at least explained what her eyes were showing her.

The girl swimming and following her only smiled, waving cutely with webbed hands, as if amused by Jolyne's disbelieving reaction and wide eyes.

"W-w-w.... What the fuck..???" Jolyne finally spoke after rebooting her entire brain, "No fucking way-...! A mermaid??!! A real one??!"

Like a bad trick from fate, the wave Jolyne was trying her hardest to not get swallowed by, seemed to grow weaker and weaker, shortening in size.

Jolyne saw the mermaid slowly retreat away in an elegant swim, her form vanishing into the deep blue.

"Wait, no!" The surfer called, almost desperate to have such a mystical meeting and ethereal moment be so short lived.

She reached her hand out to the creature, unsure of what she was even trying to do, but the force of the current got the best of her, and Jolyne lost balance, falling forward with nothing to hang onto for purchase.

Jolyne splashed onto the water and the wave died with her hope of ever living such a dream again.

"Ooohh dang it! You were almost there!" Hermes called out from the shore, her voice booming enough for Jolyne to hear as she broke into the surface.

"Fuck...." Jolyne cursed, hanging onto her board.

She felt defeated. Not because she couldn't ride that wave to the very end as she was expected to with her skill level, but rather because she couldn't immortalize that beautiful moment.

She blankly climbed onto her board again and barely even paddled her way back to land, too out of it to do so.

Was that even real? That had to be, right? She saw the mermaid. She saw her hair, her skin tone shined-on by the sun. She saw the scales over her skin, the fins along her arms and tail.

She saw her attack Romeo, he must have seen her too, Jolyne pondered.

"Aaah the champion is back!" F.F cheered as Jolyne finally walked back, drenched and with her plank under one arm. "I made a sandcastle for our ocean queen!"

"Thanks Foo..." Jolyne's small smile didn't not match her quiet tone.

"Hey, what's up, chula ? You look like you've seen a ghost, or something? You did great back there, so why the long face?" Hermes fixed the straps of Jolyne's bikini top and removed some seaweeds from her hair.

"It's just... I saw something weird it the water and I don't know..." Jolyne hesitated, "Maybe I was dreaming or something."

"Hum..." Hermes hummed in thought. "What do you think Féfé?"

"Maybe Mr. Jotaro can answer if you saw an animal? Damn, I'm thirsty." F.F stuck her tongue out, clearly expressing her thirst.

"Dude, there's water litterally everywhere here." The mexican grimaced before turning back to Jolyne. "But yeah, maybe you should ask your dad if that worries you so much."

"Uhh..."

Jolyne looked towards her father who was crouching somewhere next to some rocks, taking notes about mollusks, or so Jolyne guessed.

"Yeah, maybe not. It's fine though, no big deal." She smiled, waving her hand in dismissal.

Shrugging it all off, the girls decided to join Weather Report and Jotaro who brought food to finish the day at the beach with a relaxing touch.

And so, the day ended with an uncanny normalcy for Jolyne, who kept thinking more and more as the sun set, that it all had been in her mind. Mermaids didn't exist. It was probably a Stand user playing tricks on her.

That what she wanted to believe. When she thought of all the events that would follow, she truly wished she had spoken to her father about it. After all, if he had fought a very real vampire, then there would be no doubt that something as crazy as a mermaid could exist in her bizarre adventure.

Jolyne came back to the beach that same week. Alone, this time. She was careful to come by the time the sun started to lower in the sky and the temperature of the water and air dropped, knowing tourists and athletes would be gone by this time.

'What now?' She thought. Coming back out of sheer curiosity was a thing, but making sure she could attract the creature back to her was something else.

"Should I bring food? What do mermaids even eat? Does she like hot dogs...?" Jolyne thought out loud, looking around, secretly glad no one was here to hear her talk mad nonsense to herself like some insane crackhead.

She approached the water and drenched her feet in the small rocking waves, coming and going her way and gently splashing her. She hesitated for a moment, remembering that along with the legend of mermaids came the fact that these creatures were known to attract and enchant humans by their beauty, leading them to their inevitable death.

So maybe, Jolyne accepted, she was destined to die in the ocean.

Just as she came hip-deep into the sea, she felt a strange current shaking her legs, almost knocking her out of balance.

Before she could even process how strange it felt, she looked down into the clear water and saw no less than the same huge colorful fish tail she had seen that very day.

She gasped in realization and soon enough screamed as she felt calloused hands grab her thighs, the creature pushing herself out of the water to be met face to face with the human who had been, unbeknownst to Jolyne, her newfound fixation.

"Y-WHAAAAAHH!!!" Jolyne hollered, not expecting such a strong and surprising appearance.

The mermaid still halfway into the water, climbed and gripped up the girl's hips for leverage. She looked up at Jolyne's face, smiling wide and eyes glinting in both adoration and mischief.

"Greetings."

"HOLY CRAP-" Jolyne's voice cracked, "I mean- fuck yes! I mean-..."

Poor Jojo was completely out of it. But who could blame her, though? It was not everyday that one got to meet a real mermaid in the flesh. And certainly not such a handsy one.

She cleared her throat and mustered her most suave voice, pretending she wasn't completely flustered by the sheer beauty before her.

"Hi."

"I knew you'd come back..." The mermaid spoke, her voice almost ethereal and distant, "They always do."

Jolyne's heart wanted to stop. God, she felt burning hot and was sweating everywhere. Her voice stilled Jolyne to place in a way she couldn't explain. The legendary creature was so impossibly close to her, bodies almost touching.

She noticed she couldn't stay up overwater any other way than using Jolyne's lean body for leverage, her heavy tail anchoring her down. But the warm proximity between them and the sight of such a beautiful, rare and mystical creature right under her chest felt unreal and exciting.

Jolyne wanted to look her over for hours. Her hair texture, drenched and flowy, her skin tone glowing like gold, her holographic scales and fins shining like crazy diamonds.

"Why... Why did you...? Of all people...?" Jolyne questionned, now wondering if their first meeting in that wave was really a trick of fate, or if she was chosen in any way. "You attacked Romeo, yet you showed up to me... Why me?"

"I like beautiful humans." The mermaid smiled, her radiant features and smooth voice making Jolyne's legs weak, "You're beautiful."

The young surfer couldn't help her heart shaking and the wave of warmth spreading through her chest. If it was anyone else, she would boast her obvious beauty or maybe flip them off. But now she couldn't. Being complimented by a mythical being that was already the most gorgeous thing Jolyne had ever witnessed was truly something else

"What's your name?" Jolyne started.

"Call me Y/N."

Y/N, Jolyne's mind echoed. Cute. Even mermaids had names, she thought before realising that may be a very stupid thought to have. She didn't really know what else to expect.

"I uh, I'm Jolyne..." She looked down into the water, somewhat not daring to look at Y/N's adorable curious and sensual gaze. Oh god that was bad, she was entrancing.

"Not to be gay but...You look cute. Hot even. Can I say that? That's not weird, right? Since ya know... You're not exactly human, but you're not an animal either, like... I'm not gonna get arrested for this... I hope..."

"I'm not too familiar with human tongue, but I think Ms.Jolyne looks really pretty as well." Y/N moved to wrap an arm around Jolyne's waist, gripping her for better leverage and pointing at her chest, right in her reach. "Healthy mammals, great for feeding the young."

"Mammals...? Oh! You mean my boobs?" Jolyne glanced at her modest chest before grinning at the creature, "Aw thanks! Finally someone who likes them who's not some degenerate creep!"

Jolyne's chuckle died down and she finally took the time to look over Y/N's face. She ran a cold hand over her much warmer cheek, gliding it down to her gilled neck, mesmerized by her anatomy.

It truly was a one-in-a-lifetime meeting. Jolyne was slowly comprehending her luck to be met with a legendary sea creature like her. And a friendly one, at that.

How could this be even real? Our human knew that even though she was feeling relatively serene at the moment, the adrenaline would come down later and she would most likely cry herself to sleep.

"Hey uhm..." Jolyne was at a loss for words. There were so many things to say, but at the same time, she couldn't speak a word.

"Hm?" Y/N hummed and closed her eyes, enjoying the human's gentle touches.

Merfolks would express themselves via physical ministrations the most in the ocean, but she knew well a lot of humans did not share intimacies, or at least not before building a certain bond.

Glad that Jolyne was open to it, the sea-bound girl squeezed both her arms around the human's waist lovingly, forcing endearment on Jolyne, who felt her own heart tighten at the sweet and adorable embrace. The girls wanted to keep each other.

"Will we see each other again? I mean, I know you shouldn't be noticed by the public for your safety, but I don't know... Guess I took a liking to you or something." Jolyne mumbled, still resting her hands mindlessly around the creature's shoulders, fiddling with the ridges of her dorsal fin.

Y/N smiled, a smile that looked empty on her fish eyes, but sincere regardless. She let go of Jolyne who couldn't quite take her own hands off of her, clinging a little bit longer.

"Don't you know this, Ms. Jolyne? When human women die in the ocean, they relive as our kind."

"What? Really?" Jolyne let the mermaid get away slowly, ready to swim off to some unknown destination.

"If you want to see me again," Y/N called out cutely, waving her webbed hand like the very first time she saw Jolyne surfing, "Then perish in the ocean!"

She grinned, diving into the deep blue and splashing her tall tail strongly, giving herself a boost of speed, and disappearing away.

Jolyne could only stare into the horizon, darkening as the night arrived, stunned into place.

"...Ok, that was metal as fuck..."

H2O Just Add Water opening, but with Jolyne, Hermes and F.F

[a3hihi]

sun’s up 🐚

one shot

mer!omi fushimi/reader

word count: 1863

also on AO3!

Summary: You came to the beach to study the ocean, but you didn’t expect to get to know the locals this closely. Much less a local who shows up only as you dip under the water to look at coral. Much less a local who has a shark’s tail and fins, scars running up his body, and a bright smile, and oh no he’s attractive why is this happening to me.

———

“I think it’d be nice to hold you,” Omi chuckles. He pretends to not notice the blush blooming on your cheeks.

“Uh, sure,” you mumble wittily, swaying your ankles in the water, “What makes you think that?” 

At dawn, the breeze is cool at the pier, but the wood under you is surprisingly warm. Luckily, you had your swimsuit on today, camera and notebook beside you to check on the sea life. As you stand up and reach for the ropes at your side, its bristles tickling your skin, you feel a strong hand close around your forearm.

“It’s alright, I’ve got you.”

Warm honey-toned eyes smile up at you, and you find yourself wanting to pass out right then and there.

“Easy does it.”

Omi helps you step down into the sea with him until you finally plop into his arms.  You don’t know how to fall into the water with grace, exactly, but the merman seems to pay it no mind. To your relief, he laughs a little, eyes crinkled up in what you hope is delight.

As Omi keeps you in a firm hold, arms around your waist, you’re dangling in the water, motionless as the currents brush past your legs.

“You’re so cute,” he says, laughing quietly as your hands settle on his broad shoulders. Your mouth presses into a thin, wobbly line. There’s no way he’d say that unless you’d been seeing each other for a while, and you feel yourself blush harder.

“You haven’t answered my question,” you murmur, trying to avoid his gaze. To your horror, Omi softly cups your face and turns it to look at him.

It looks like he’s smiling to himself. You assume he is, because sharp teeth glint under his lips as he holds you close.

“I mean,” he starts, curiously bashful as he hoists you up so you’re face to face (earning an “oop!” from you). “Holding you just feels fun. I like it.”

“I don’t know how to process that, Omi.” 

You came to the beach to study the ocean, but you didn’t expect to get to know the locals this closely. Much less a local who shows up only as you dip under the water to look at coral. Much less a local who has a shark’s tail and fins, scars running up his body, and a bright smile, and oh no he’s attractive why is this happening to me.

Needless to say, you’re not too sure how merfolk show affection.

“Aww, come on. Trust me a little bit?” Omi teases. 

He takes a moment, working up the confidence to nuzzle your collar. 

“I like having you close like this. I know you’re safe that way, you know?”

“Point taken,” you nod, “it’s calming.”

“Besides, it’ll help you study.”

“More like the opposite.” You’re about to laugh, but Omi takes your hand and presses his lips to it and now you want to burst. Looking up at him means seeing his torso, too, and that doesn’t help at all.

“Ah… we need to get you a shirt.” You mumble, hiding your face in his neck. 

You feel his chest rumble to match his laugh. 

“Yeah? What’s a shirt?”

Omi knows exactly what a shirt is.

You lightly smack his chest. His laugh bubbles out even more, even louder, making you laugh brightly in return.

“Omi, seriously.” You try to rasp something out while you catch your breath. Concern flits in his eyes as he peers at you, lifting you slightly above the water.  

“I’m not drowning. It’s okay.” You pat his shoulder, your other hand resting on his cheek. The last thing you want right now is to startle him.

Waves lap at your legs as he melts into your touch. You’re glad he’s reassured, swiping your thumb at the scar on his chin. 

The both of you settle there for a while, warming water curling around you.

“Sun’s up.”

As you get out of your daze, Omi beams at you, how you look in the light. 

He’s not sure how humans react to seawater, but you mentioned something about skin wrinkling. He guesses you needed this special type of clothing to stay with him for longer, and he blushes at the thought. You also needed this weird ointment— sunscreen, he thinks you called it— that wasn’t too different from the lotions some of his fellow merfolk would use to stay smooth and avoid burning. He winces at the thought.  

Omi never really paid attention to skincare and all, so he should probably take a page out of your book for this one. He tries not to smile, remembering how you’d remind him to take care of himself, marvelling at the scars he’d try to hide sometimes. It’s not like he could— at that point, after all he’d done, the lighter colored lines curved all around his body. And even if he thought his hands were too rough, you’d take them in yours, run your thumb across his knuckles.

Ultimately, he remembers the shock in your eyes, seeing him underwater. It’s not his first time seeing people from other than his species, but it was most probably yours— judging by how you spluttered and how he had to rescue you from sinking.

By the time you recovered on the shore, you had to let the truth about mermaids’ existence sink in, pun intended. The one in front of you was wide-eyed, not used to seeing a human up close— at least a human he wasn’t picking a fight with, which you would later learn was an old hobby of his. (Oops.) 

You even remembered explaining what “research” was to him, watching his eyes widen as you asked to touch his tail, pointing out how much he could help with that. Obviously, you wouldn’t let any harm come to this new friend of yours, and you assured him that your crew wouldn’t either. You vibrated with excitement at how a fairytale creature was living and breathing right in front of you (and was really cute, but you wouldn’t tell him that just yet). 

It was during that time of silent study that he tried hiding a cough, clutching his side, and you realized it was your turn to take care of your rescuer. 

As the sand warmed beneath you both, you found yourselves meeting almost every day at the same spot. What started as introductions to each other’s worlds led to you learning about each other as people. Question and answer sessions turned into showing him human books and hearing his stories. If your third time washing your picnic mat was any indication, spending time there was suddenly a relief. At the same time, Omi’s friends teased his visiting the surface more often, packing shells he hoped were “someone’s favorite.”

That wasn’t his favorite part, though.

An especially bright ray of sunlight glares at you and you swat at the air, squirming.

Omi chuckles, and you hum in interest. 

“What’s so funny, mister?” 

He smiles down at you, raising a hand from carrying you to cup your cheek again. “Like I said, you’re really cute.”

The look on your face must also be funny to him, because his smile is wide, fully proud of what’s glinting under his lips. He murmurs your name, “I’m serious!”

“Ah, uh, thank you,” you sputter, feeling warmth in your cheeks and seeing him trying to stifle a laugh.

Being like this in his arms is convenient for him, apparently— he uses the opportunity to gather you in a tight embrace.

“This isn’t too tight, right?” You wrap your arms further around his neck, waving your head in a quiet no. At the warmth of his hug, you definitely needed the support.

“You too.”

“Huh?”

“I mean! You’re cute too!” You squeak, looking up at him. Big mistake— Omi softly presses his forehead on yours, nose almost bumping yours before he pulls away.

“Thank you.”

A beat passes, and you hear the ocean all over again.

“My favorite part was confessing, you know.”

It takes some time for you to close your mouth. “What?”

“Telling you I liked you. A lot. That was my favorite part of meeting you.” He shakes his head. “You’re my favorite human.”

You really wish you don’t look like a blown-up puffer fish right now. 

“Itwasmyfavoriteparttoo!”

You snap your lips closed, and you frown at Omi’s easy, amused grin. 

“Come again?”

“I liked it too! I couldn’t stop thinking about it!” You sound like you’re arguing, proving some point in a debate, and your voice shakes with laughter at that.

“Also thank you for holding me!” you yelp, and Omi gives his most recent smile for that morning. You hope you get to see it more from now on.

“Wouldn’t want you slipping.”

The fins in place of his ears flutter a bit. You’re about to ask what’s wrong but notice the warmth rising to the tan of his cheeks. Add flustering a merman to your list of achievements.

You feel yourself moving with him, realizing he’s gliding to the side. The tail under him shifts in the water as he plants you on a nearby rock. 

“There’s a merman like me who sells potions nearby.”

You tilt your head, wondering where this was going.

“I think he can give me legs for a bit. Harmless, I swear,” he holds his hands up as you begin to protest.

“Gaining legs was never really a problem for us, I promise.” “I guess the stories I’ve heard weren’t the most accurate,” you say.

“That’s why you’re the scientist.”

The water is pleasant against your leg, cooling as it hits the rocks crusted with shells beneath you. Omi hoists himself up next to you, elbow bumping yours. The sea has his hair hang damp against his forehead, dark brown under the sun.

“Why are you doing this?” you whisper, voice fond like the crabs around you are listening in. “Is there no potion I can take? How do you know it’s safe?”

“Not that I’ve heard of.” He shrugs.

“Again, trust me a little.” There’s a glint of mischief in his eyes, and you squint. “Some of us already work on the shore, if I’m being honest.”

“You’re kidding.”

“No, I’m not.”

Omi snickers as you gawk at him. Merfolk walking on legs, on land, crossing paths with unsuspecting people. At this rate, they could even be at the aquarium or in your crew.

“I’m not surprised,” you tease, crossing your arms. “One of my coworkers is suspiciously good at swimming.”

“Uh huh.”

Omi waves his tail in the water, pointed fin stirring up invisible lines around smaller fish. “I want to see you more.” 

You scratch your nape. “I’ve always wanted to show you around the boardwalk. I think actually talking to people is a nice change of pace. You’d like the crafts they make up here,” you say, remembering the objects he’s tinkered around with underwater. He deserved better equipment.

“It’s a date.” He smiles. 

You find yourself smiling back this time. “I’d like a date.” 

You peck Omi’s cheek, and both of you feel the sun reach its peak.

[yandere-daydreams]

since its may, you know what that means mermay, imagine being a fisher person that some how gain the attention of giant shark mermen, always following you no matter how far you go, just to get you're attention

I did make this a bit of a Pirate AU for My Hero Academia, if only because I can’t resist the temptation to shove Siren!Todoroki into every oneshot I can. Roll with it. The ends justify the means.

Title: Stranded.

TW: Implied Drowning, Blood, Physical Violence and Mentions of Canabilism. 

~

Loneliness could do strange things to a person.

A month ago, you wouldn’t have considered yourself much of a dreamer. You would’ve laughed off the idea of sea monsters and fairies and anything could only be verified by a handful of eye-witnesses. You weren’t the type to talk to the walls or gaze out into the sea with anything more than mild loathing, and yet, you’d only refused to acknowledge Shoto’s existence for a day or two, three at most. Maybe he was a figment of your imagination, maybe he wasn’t. At the moment, he was real to you, and that was all that mattered.

If he was a hallucination, he was a lovely one. In the dim light of dusk, rays of orange and pink spread across his scales, just beginning to glow in the soft darkness. He was a predator, judging from the fiery red dotting his otherwise stark-white form, and a rather efficient one at that, the sharpened teeth poking out from thin lips always varnished with the blood whatever he chose to bring you, that day. Mindlessly, you leaned over the side of your lifeboat, letting your fingers skin through the surface of the water, drawing Shoto’s attention. You watched as he began to circle the disruption, a strong tail propelling him ever-closer. He wouldn’t attack, you knew that, by now. You almost wished he would. An injury would be proof of his existence, even if it came in an unpleasant way.

Just as Shoto was about to break the surface, a voice drew you to the other side of the rig. “The minnow’s back, isn’t he?”

You frowned, slightly, scanning over Katsuki. He was leaning against the opposite side of the lifeboat, eyes shut and head tilted back, his white tunic unbuttoned to escape the heat. Back on Izuku’s ship, the two of you hadn’t been the best of friends, but relationships didn’t matter when you were fleeing a sinking haul, attempting to escape a water-logged grave by whatever means necessary. He wasn’t bad company, either, just… quiet. Skeptical. You couldn’t blame him, you were a stranger as much as he was. “You really shouldn’t call him that,” You mumbled, turning your attention back to the swirling colors. “He hunts for us. It’s the least we could do to be nice to him.”

That got you a glance from the corner of his eye, but you were preoccupied, by then. Shoto had gotten over his initial shyness, and after a thorough investigation of your raft, he was making himself comfortable in the palm of your hand, rubbing his cheek against your skin in a sloppy attempt to gather as much affection as he could. You guessed he had to be partially human, in that aspect, desperate for intimacy from any source that would be willing to give it up. You just smiled, petting through long, wet hair as Katsuki shifted behind you. “It’s an animal who found someone to scratch behind its ears. It probably thinks it can, like, lay its eggs in you or something.”

You pursed your lips, narrowing your eyes towards Shoto. He mimicked the gesture, poorly, and you ruffled his hair as a reward. “Do mermaids lay eggs?”

“Hell if I know,” He grunted, beginning to sit up. “And hopefully, we’ll be rescued before either of us have to find out. If the fucker’s even real.” The boat rocked as Katsuki stood, carefully making his way to your side. The lifeboat dipped, but the wind was dead and the waves were calm enough for him to lean over with you, watching as Shoto temporarily drew back, slitted eyes flickering momentarily towards your companion. The bioluminesce below his pale skin grew a little brighter, and clawed hands came up to take your wrist, clinging to you protectively. You laughed, and Katsuki bristled, as put off by this action as any other Shoto had taken. “Because we are going to be rescued, soon, and your little pet isn’t coming with us.”

You didn’t respond, not verbally, but he must’ve seen the concern that spread over your expression, the doubt. There was a sigh, exhausted and drained, but soon, Katsuki’s head was resting on your shoulder, a small, reassuring sign, one that went further than any words of affirmation he could summon ever could. “It’s going to happen,” He assured, that mocking drawl absent from his weighted tone. “I know this trade route like the back of my hand. Eventually, a merchant is going to pass by and we’ll be on-track for the nearest island. We can figure things out, from there.”

“That, or our supplies run out, and we have to draw straws to figure out which one of us gets eaten first,” You counter, only half-joking. “I’ll even give Shoto one of your kidneys.”

“Fuck off,” He spat, but he was grinning, an elbow soon jabbing at your ribs. “You’re eating the fish before you’re eating me.”

Something in Katsuki’s voice must’ve bothered Shoto, the creature’s tail beginning to move a little faster, churning the water around him. He let go of your arm, sinking just below the surface, but he didn’t move to swim away. If you didn’t know better, you’d say he was pouting, getting ready to throw a fit like an unattended toddler. You nudged Katsuki’s side, nodding towards Shoto’s oncoming tantrum, hoping his goodwill would last. “You should try comforting him, this time. I think you two would get along, if you made an effort.”

He grunted, shooting you a glare, but with only the slightest bit of reluctance, he was rolling up his sleeves, mimicking the way you traced your fingertips over the surface, trying to lure Shoto upward. There was a moment of stillness, Shoto looking towards the display wearily, and you opened your mouth, prepared to tease Katsuki for the cold dismissal, only for your breath to hitch in your throat before the words could ever make it off your tongue. Without warning, Shoto lunged forward, his jaw closing around Katsuki’s wrist and jerking him over the lifeboat’s wall, or attempting to, at least, Katsuki barely catching himself. Reflexively, you scrambled backward, attempting to keep the raft balanced, but there was little you could do to help Katsuki as he grappled with the creature, cursing and clawing blindly, fighting, only inspiring Shoto to be more bold with his efforts. There was a hollow thud from the bottom of the boat, a final, wordless scream from Katsuki, and he was dragged into the sea, a cloud of something cloudy and dark following the pair as they spiraled downward.

You were too stunned to act, for a moment, but reality hit quickly and it hit hard, your heart racing as you frantically searched the water for a sign of either man. There was a faint light in the distance, but it was distorted, deep, already leagues away from the surface, and the only traces of Katsuki were scraps of clothing and strips of disembodied flesh, torn loose in the struggle. Time seemed to slow, your breathing labored, halting completely as Shoto rose back to the surface, alone.

Painfully, painfully alone.

You didn’t say anything, you didn’t move, but Shoto didn’t seem to care, staring up at you expectantly. If he could smile, he might’ve, but you couldn’t seem to focus on the thought.

Not when those jagged, awful teeth of his were coated in a fresh layer of red.

[twisted-imagines]

Octavinelle with a mer-shark!MC who's anxious about showing her true appearance.

Hi there! 👋 I'm mod Mel, this is a new writing blog dedicated to Twisted Wonderland by Disney. I'm it's sole moderator and this is my first work on here. It's only Floyd for now, but more boys are sure to come.Please enjoy yourself!❤

Floyd Leech🦈

It should have been just a simple excursion to the Coral Sea, which Floyd unbeknownst to you proclaimed a 'date', but clearly something went very wrong. The first time you came here, more like was thrown right into it, you weren't able to observe and enjoy the brilliance of the underwater world, more so had to flee from human-turned-mermen Leech brothers. Even after Octavinelle boys invited you all to the sea again, you thought, sadly, that it would be the last time you visited it. But apparently Floyd had other ideas, spontaneously dragging you to the teleport and handling you a "breath-in-water" potion along the way. With you barely registering what he was attempting to do, you two were already submerged, the boy beside you swiftly changing his appearance to his "usual" one. Looking at that face, him all giddy and eager to show you around his homeland, you couldn't get angry with him, vice versa you were really happy at the possibility to spend time with him. Maybe your first meeting was quite disastrous, and you clashed a few times after that, resulting in his friend's overblot, but your relationships have improved a lot afterwards. It seemed Floyd got really interested in the new magicless student from the other realm and you in turn... Well, in rare moments at night, when you couldn't fall asleep plagued by your thoughts, you sometimes quietly admitted to yourself, that maybe you had a tiniest crush on the ever smiling, carefree, ambiguous eel twin. You too, were very interested in him, since the day you saw him appear with his brother in all their glory to get in your way. You remember like it was just yesterday, how you didn't want to leave and just gaze at his beautiful form. You were not prepared to see something so familiar in this new world, somebody who had brought your thoughts back home so sweetly and yet so painfully close.

Oh how you wanted to tell him that, to share your own stories and see his face lit up, but you couldn't. The nagging fear of rejection, of what he would think of you didn't allow you to do. Times and times again you told yourself that he of all people would understand and accept you, but every time you tried to start the conversation you ended up closing and opening your mouth like a fish, unable to say anything. And so you kept silent.

With Floyd being so enthusiastic, basically telling your ears off, he didn't require much of your own input at the moment. You were listening attentively, picturing in your mind two young eels and a cecaelia merkids exploring the sea together, their hands entwined. This relaxing, tranquil, as much as it was possible with Floyd, dive was bringing a peace to your mind and body. You felt every sway of water, every little wave that tiny fishes caused swimming past you. The smallest thing, you could feel it reverberate within you.

It was abrupt, a state of total harmony suddenly crushed, disturbing noises filled your ears. It was obvious that Floyd felt it too, for he took a defensive stance right away, moving closer to you. One would say it was already too late, when you saw them - several orca mermaids quickly approaching you two. You were concerned, mostly because of how Floyd had reacted: he looked genuinely distressed.

"Hey, koebi-chan, it's better for you not to leave my side."

He sounded totally serious, unlike his usual cheery self. And so you obeyed, the anxiety in you growing with every second.

One of the newcomers approached you, from what you could judge she was the eldest female of them all. She looked smug and confident, leisurely briefing you about how this was their territory, how unwelcomed you were there, offering you a "deal" since they were so generous today and would gladly let you get away with your "trespassing".While Floyd was fuming with rage he still patiently listened to them. He understood, that was he alone it would not be a big deal to get away, but he could not allow you to be harmed, not on his watch, not his precious koebi-chan. He couldn't make a more displeased face while speaking with them.

"Fine~ What a pain in the ass... What's your conditions?"

Their answer made his blood boil, you could see how agitated he was, in the way he glared daggers at them, the way his fists clenched. Truth to be told, you started to feel angry yourself, their demands being just ridiculous, smirks irritating you to the core. The little skirmish was quickly escalating to a full-blown clash, even though both sides perfectly understood who had the upper hand. And maybe some of them got just a tad bit arrogant because of it.

A younger orca surged at Floyd, being confident that his sheer strength would be enough for the moray eel to cave in. You easily gauged his mistake,and your body acted on it's own.

"Don't touch Floyd, you scum!"

The last thing the orca heard was your chilling growl, before his hand was swiftly chewed off. "No mercy for foes and food", - if any motto deserved the attention of an apex predator it would be this one.

Your changing appearance took by surprise every present creature. You could feel the strain, muscles not accustomed to the process of transformation after a long period of not changing, but you tried not to mind it, the only thought in your mind being protecting the person precious to you.

When the bloody mist from fallen orca finally subdued they could take in your full image. Strong tail, just like their, but much bigger; sharp claws, just like their, but more deadly. In the reflection of their eyes you knew how you looked. Intimidating.

Even the eldest orca gave up her position and shifted back. You could clearly see the gears in her head turning: was it worth sacrificing younglings just for the chance of overpowering you. Since you too were a very "kind" person, rivaled only by your very "generous" opponents, you decided to give her a time out to think her actions over, and hopefully reflect on them.

Knowing that her choices weren't numerous, the leader orca suddenly stirred back to life, giving the group a barking command and hastily retreating with them, hoping that her luck wouldn't let her down, that you wouldn't chase her.

Which you indeed was about to do, when you remembered about your companion, who was still behind you. You felt confidence slowly leaving you, you wanted to turn around before it evaporated into nothing, but you were given no time to spare. Floyd was suddenly before you, pure delight on his face. He had this toothy smile while he was fully taking in your appearance.

"Who would have thought that koebi-chan was actually a same-chan, ahaha!~ Hey hey, how did you manage to hide it, you were so tiny just a moment before! It's super cool, that jerk definitely didn't understand what hit him!"

He definitely was enjoying himself, being very upfront with you, all in your personally space, grabbing you and giggling excitedly. You were happy one moment and totally bawling your eyes out next. You didn't even know you could cry in this gigantic, powerful and terrifying form. Floyd somehow moved even closer to you, taking your face into his hands, caressing your cheeks and fins, tracing marks and lips. Unable to piece together a coherent speech, you just clinged to him.

"Y-you are... not afraid of me, right? Floyd?"

The merman just squeezed you tighter, a light laugh escaped him.

"It's quite easy with sharks. If they want to gobble you up, they do it. Not only I'm in one piece, you actually protected me. And you know, same-chan, when you're like this you're not scary at all."

At this point, you weren't sure if he was mocking or cheering you up with this smug smirk of his. You were just glad that your worst fears happened to be nothing but fears, the Floyd's embrace melting the remains of them.

You were suddenly well aware of your position. Even attempting to pull back would be futile, the clutch of merman's tail around yours was hard.

"Oh, going somewhere, same-chan? I don't think so, you didn't tell me everything, did you? And I'm not in the mood for guessing games right now."

A wicked note entered his voice, was he toying with you?

"Same-chan, do you like me that much to willingly blow up your cover, ahaha?~"

The question he voiced was a crushing force that presses on your gills. You were stunned. You didn't know what to answer, how could you if you never allowed yourself to dwell on it for too long in fear of a very obvious answer being formed. But right now, your mind was freed from your worries, from fear, from intrusive thoughts. A crystal clear answer echoed in it.

You tentatively reached with your hands, hugging the small of boy's back, nestling further in his chest, mumbling those words earnest words more to yourself than to him.

"I do. I do like you, Floyd."

Only silence surrounded you for a moment, before your companion forcefully made you look at him. Were your imagination playing trick on you, or it really was a deep green blush on his face? Merman's heterochromatic eyes were fixated on your face looking for a hint of a joke or a lie, but neither the crease of your brows, nor the tight line of your lips told him anything except for how serious you were.

"A-are you like for real? Ahaha~Ahahahaha! Same-chan, so cute!♡ I like you too~"

You don't see him so happy very often, and mighty sea, was he beautiful. You couldn't help but join his joyous laughing. No matter, what happened prior to this, this day you will remember as the of your happiest ones. Overwhelmed with excitement, Floyd squeezed you even harder, and you were grateful to be in this form, since your chances of surviving this embrace would be close to zero in your human body.

But the feeling of his lithe body against yours, boy's cheery voice feeling your ears and undeniable warmth spreading though you from the realization of the mutual nature of your feelings, all of this was priceless.

"Nee~[Name]-chan? I don't want you to keep silent about your thoughts and feelings from now on, 'kay? They're so entertaining, and you're so impressive, I want to aaalways know you're thinking about. I won't let you leave me now, I want you to stay with me forever! But you feel the same way, right?♡“

• He's definitely telling about it to Jade and Azul!!! Boy is so excited, even if you beg him, he won't be able to contain himself so his twin will definitely know this sooner or later.

• But there's nothing to fear, while initially suspicious, Octavinelle boys are generally positive of this revelation. Somehow, you feel much more comfortable with them now.

• The news about apex predator in their school definitely gets the spotlight when Floyd drags you to his dormitory, and it's not until the later, when Jade questions Floyd's rather strong grip on your hand, that you two remember how much the status of your relationships has changed. Cue you two looking quite embarrassed and Jade with Azul just instantly understanding what is what.

• Jade is definitely supportive of his twin. "Yes, Azul, they can probably swallow the three of us at once, but they didn't." He knows how much their ability to make friends is impaired but their intimidating appearance, he's not the one to hold it against you. Jade is the one that notes, how you hadn't transformed to fight them when they were interfering with your task, but risked it to protect his brother. For that he's very grateful.

• Azul is more apprehensive of you and it's definitely not because he's frightened by the mighty "apex predator" title you have!!! Not a-at all! All it takes is just Jade reasoning with him for a bit for him to start feel ashamed of his initial reaction. It hurts very much when people judge you for your appearance and prejudices they have against you, isn't it so?

• You four are definitely going to Coral Sea together, Floyd really wants them to see your shark form. More likely than not, it was the first time any of them saw a mershark up-close and not trying to eat them. They appreciate a possibility of staying alive after such an encounter, Azul even trying to touch your fins out of sheer curiosity and Floyd quickly swatting away his hand with the most fake, passive-aggressive smile ever.

• Yes, no matter your size, race, actual strength or anything else Floyd will still stay possessive of you. You're his, and his only significant other. All will probably soon figure out that the two of you are dating now, with how much he throws himself at you and hugs you close. The smiles he gifts you are too, nothing alike of those others see.

• Since you are a powerful specie, standing in the food chain much higher than himself, he will relinquish in this, forgetting quite often to control his strength, biting and scratching much more often, and looking so happy while doing it. You'll probably need to have a chat with him about that~

• He actually can't get used to the thought that you're actually way scarier than him. Your demure looks just don't channel it at all, and he still tries to scare or intimidate you from time to time. It doesn't work. Pikachu meme but make it eel boy.

• He would LOVE to learn about your homeland, he's starry-eyed when you tell stories about you world to him. It's so interesting to him, he can't help but wonder how he managed to find such an interesting person, mermaid, fall in love with them and actually date them. He only heard about such stories in his childhood and never thought something like that was possible in reality.

[starlithan]

I Promise

Part 4

Siren Han/ Reader (Ft. Choi San ATEEZ)

Word Count:3350 words

Warnings: None so far

Summary: I'm not good at it so lets just begin

prev...….next

________________________________

Part 4:

Minho’s POV:

I can't believe this, why, why of all the people I have to be the one who sees these messed up things?, “you sure that was a mermaid?” I asked the person for like the fifth time, the guy was terrified, “yes I swear it had a blue tail and black hair, and red eyes, I don't know the exact way she looked, do you think I'm crazy too?” I sighed again and rubbed my temple, “no sir, for the last time I don't think you're crazy, trust me they very much do exist.. And I'll take your case and investigate don't worry” with that I got up and left the buzzing coffee shop.

A few days ago if someone told me that mermaids existed id likely slap there face, but now *sigh* id believe them, totally not giving another minute of thought, I walk on the pavement the sun setting on me, mind thinking of my next destination, but my mind was now clouded with weird thoughts

What if Y/n is in danger?

What if I made a mistake in judging Han ?

What if he's the one who's behind all the killing and disappearance?

And why in the world was this all hidden?, why did the police not investigate this, my head was spinning and I realized that I had walked all the way to the beach, obviously I cant investigate this, the murder was like a month ago there might be no evidence, I got to head home, the file was in my hand, the cold breeze was blowing through my hair, unlike Y/n she gets relaxed when the cold breeze hits her but not me i get more anxious of what's gonna happen next.

I got home and just stood before the door for a minute. I needed to collect my thoughts before I saw him.

______________________

Han ’s Pov;

She ran away, SHE LITERALLY RAN AWAY…….. I mean I was kind of expecting it but still, I sigh as my hands go on my neck, did i…. Did I perhaps mess..up?, did she not like it?, or was it too soon?.... Come on Han Jisung, how could you not have read the mood? As I was about to swear at myself again, the door opened, I turned to see who it was and saw Minho Hyung standing outside, glaring at me. I swear if human eyes were replaced with laser beams, I would have been dead long ago.

Taking that as a clue to leave, I turn around and slowly walk to the bathroom. “We need to talk,” He said, “gosh I'm dead” I whispered under my breath “not yet” he said and went outside 

ears of a bat .

I followed him outside and we walked for a while, after several minutes of walking Minho Hyung stopped dead in his track, and i did the same, mind filled with endless thoughts of what's gonna happen, he turns around and looks at me, no he stares at me, he gives me a full scan and then opens the file in his hand, and then shoves it in my direction, I take the file and blink a bit.

Why would he give me this?

Putting my thoughts aside, I scan my eyes over it “was it you” he asks, i look up “what?” I ask giving him a full confused look, “wait you cant read” he says and brings his hand forward, but I retreat a bit “I can, we sirens learn how to read and write, for crisis like this” I say “and this file is talking about a mysterious murder at sea by a mermaid, so what do I have to do with it” I ask, He looks at me again, this time with a look of confusion “well your the only mermaid I meat so…. Be honest is it you”

To be honest at that exact moment I wanted to pick up a rock and hit it hard on the nearest jellyfish, but this is not the proper moment to lose it Han  so I sighed instead “I really don’t know why humans compare us with mermaids, “look Hyung mermaids and Sirens are different mermaids are scarier and are more close to a fish and we Sirens look more like humans, and I can tell you this was done by a mermaid because mermaids eat human hearts in hopes to become like them they are highly stupid….if you need my help to crack this case I’ll help” I said moving my hands in many ways possible, he looked at the floor and then went in a deep trail of thought, which trust me was a long wait.

“Okay fine I trust you for now, and yes I need your help tomorrow at 5 pm k” I nodded and we headed back. I hope whoever was the victim did not die in the sea or near it

______________________________

Y/n’s POV:

I was startled, confused, happy many emotions in one and who wouldn’t be after that kiss especially, I look at Darong who was sleeping peacefully while I sat at the chair at the corner of my room mind drifting in my thoughts, in moments like these I wanna take a walk by the sea but I can’t cuz he might be sleeping on the couch which is near the door to be honest I don’t have the guts to even pass by there. God. No 

If Minho found out about this he is gonna kill him. I shook my head, sweet thoughts Y/n sweet thoughts, I mean by now everyone should know that I’m an over thinker. An over thinker of extreme level. I slowly opened the door and peeked outside to see the lights off, which meant it was pretty dark, so I can slowly sneak out and make my way to the beach.

I do exactly that, in the execution of my plan I slowly tiptoe my way to the door and lucky me I make it, now the challenge was opening the door cuz the damn door makes too much noise for mere simple movement, let’s just hope he’s a deep sleeper, I slowly open the door a little and squeeze my way outside, I close the door and sigh in relief and make my way to the beach and sit down in the cold soft sand.

It’s so peaceful, that I never realized it, suddenly I feel a small sting in my right hand I look at it but can’t see anything, must be a muscle pain I sigh and divert my attention back to the sea, the reason why I’m afraid of the sea is sharks lol I think everyone has the same reason. “It’s nice isn't it?” a voice behind me says I turn around to see my brother standing and smiling with a blanket in his hands, he sits down and places the blanket on both of our shoulders.

“Hey” I say softly as he replies back with a smile “nice to see you enjoying the moment” he says and I smile we both sit there silently staring at the endless sea “what really brings you here if it’s me I should tell you I’m perfectly capable of handling myself” I say he laughs and ruffles my hair “I know, I know and no I didn't come here because of you I was posted here” he says and I give my eyes a little squint to indicate that I don’t believe you “what?” He says laughing, I sigh and look at the sea “I don’t know why they would send Korea's greatest detective to a place where crime hardly happens” I say as I hear him sigh “same I don’t even know too but hey isn't it good I’m here we’ll get to spend some quality family time” he says “yeah” I answer silently. 

Then we go back to being silent, after few moments of dead but peaceful silence “if there’s anything that’s bothering you, know that I’m waiting throughout the season” he says and I stop remembering the story of the flower that waited for the Prince through all the seasons, I smile

He remembers 

“And I will always be there for you, waiting through all the seasons” I smile and put my head on his shoulder.

“I’m Glad your here”

____________________________

The next day comes by pretty quickly, as we all get dressed up and sit on the table, barely meeting eyes with Han , but I could make out the blush on his face and I chuckle a little, so I’m not the only one.

“I’m hungry what should we eat” after a whole day of being locked in my room reading, skimping breakfast we all sat down to decide what to eat, after moments of brainstorming I come up with an idea “I know a good chicken place here” I say as both Han  and Minho’s eyes light up, I laugh a little they look like small puppy’s wagging their tails at the sound of treat.

We all got up and headed to get ready and wear our shoes. The sky was clear today, our walk was as silent as the grave itself but none of us complained.

“We’re here” I announced as I hoped in front of the door, nothing makes me more happy than chicken itself, I pushed the door open and made my way in the shop, the shop was quiet not a soul in sight 

Is he not here?

Suddenly a loud thud came from the kitchen and I ran, my first guess was that halmonie fell, my second guess was it was a ghost. As I got to the kitchen San sat on the ground looking at the dishes which were now half broken and half not, “Are you okay?” I said as he looked up at me surprised, I went to his side, “yeah I’m fine, how come your here you should have called me up is everything okay?” He asked as I helped him up, he brushed his knees with his hands, I smiled at the kindness and nodded my head “we came here to have some chicken” I said San placed the last dish in the bin and gave me a questioning look “we?” He asked and glanced behind me to see Han  leaning on the door and my brother looking at the now cleaned floor with awe, “uhhh hello Han  and…..officer Minho?” He said, I turned to my brother as he smiled and waved at San, “you guys know each other?” Me and San said at the same time to each other, I smiled “yeah he’s my brother” I said, “ohhh well we met at the grocery store he helped me drop some heavy boxes to the shop” he said, which pretty much cleared up everything.

The table was filled with chicken and we all sat down including San, “thanks for the food” we all said and San smiled, the chicken was so good, I reached out for another one but my hand touched something I looked up to see Han ’s hand was upon my hand and his eyes were now on me, I silently withdraw my hands, and stare at my plate, Han  picks up the chicken and silently places it in my plate and gets up “Minho Hyung let’s go it’s 5pm”. I stop and for the first after a while I stare at him and then my brother, “where are you guys going?” I asked, Minho got up and placed his chair back “I have something I need his help with, bye San '' he smiled and they left.

“So they look close” San said and to be honest I wanted to laugh at that thought, “you think?” I said as I went back to eating my chicken, San looked up, ��what they aren't?” he said but I'll leave him to figure that out

________________________________________

Han ’s POV:

It was now 6, the sun was almost about to set and yet we found nothing, to be honest how could we, the mermaid would have escaped a long time ago, but still we looked around the beach again and again, “I guess that sums up our search, we found nothing” Hyung said and kept on walking at a steady pace, “we still haven't checked out that cave yet” I said and pointed at the cave in front of us, he looked at the cave then back at me, “you sure?” he said and I nodded.

The cave was dimly lit, we looked not to sharply, but found nothing, “let's go home” Hyung said as he sighed, I nodded as we started to head back, when we heard a voice, the voice sounded like someone was struggling, the both of us turned our heads towards the sound, Hyung started to walk towards it when I stopped him “let me” I said as I told him to close his ears as tight as he could, and he gave me a questioning look but did what I said. I opened my mouth and started to sing, a siren's voice can also enchant mermaids/merman's, my words coming out as a sweet command, this was the same song I used to enchant Y/n but it somehow didn't work on her, my voice echoed in the caves, I played with the words and started to slowly walk towards the now quiet struggling sound, and as I thought we found our culprit, a mermaid stuck in a fishnet, her eyes were now yellow gold, hypnotized by my song, with my hand I motioned for Hyung to come, when he came near and saw the mermaid his eyes widened, not at her beauty (cuz they aren't pretty), with that we carried her home still hypnotized.

________________________________

Y/N’S POV:

I came back home tired, but me and San had lots of fun, I walked in and Darong came running but then she stopped and looked at me and then went back “HEY WHO DID YOU EXPECT” I yelled, she must have been expecting Han  for sure the two of them are close now I guess, I rubbed the back of my neck, boy was I tired, I went to my room and placed my bag on the bed and went to the bathroom.

I washed my face and stared at my reflection, black hair coming out of my headband a little, I should take a bath. I thought and went to the bath to fill it up, but what I saw there was unbelievable.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH”

_________________________________

Y/n’s POV:

THERE WAS A FREAKING MERMAID IN MY BATHTUB, I tumbled back about to slip I close my eyes, but that contact with the floor never came I slowly open my eyes to see myself in Han ’s arms, I look up to see wide eyes as if he was in shock, Minho came running “WHAT WHAT!?” he said, as Han  lets go of me and I stand up, clearing my throat I look at the creature now glaring and hissing at us, “why is there a mermaid in my bathtub?” I ask pointing at the creature, and looking at Han , he glances at my brother then at the mermaid “well…..ask your brother” he says turning away, Ask my brother, why I mean why would he…

I turn to my brother, and he gives Han  a panicked look, then scratches his head “well it's complicated but, there was this unsolved case I got and it involved a certain mermaid killing people, so I asked Han  to help me crack it and we found her and so here we are now” he said, his voice getting faint after every word, after that he looks at the ground like I've scolded him for stealing candy or something.

I sigh averting my gaze to the mermaid, “okay fine but .. both of you .. stop looking like kicked dogs” I say as my brother, Han  and I head outside the bathroom i carefully close the door, “*yawn* I'm gonna go sleep then, night” my brother says and runs away after ruffling my hair, I blink sometimes i wonder What exactly is happening in his head?.

I turn to look at Han , he was staring at the door, trying to make sense at what just happened, I smile, he looks more paler today, pale and tired, like the stupid idiot I am without thinking I reach up and touch his forehead, he turns to me, when my eyes meat his, I saw those eyes loosing there color and he was definitely cold, way cold for a normal person, or siren.

“Are you … feeling okay..?” i ask he nods and stares at me, his hand comes up, and cups my face, my freaking breath stops, we just stay like that for a minute, suddenly the color of his eyes change to yellow and then back to his normal eye color, he hisses and places his hand on his head, “Hey! Han , Han ” I panic, he recovers quickly and then gets up and heads out of my room, “Han !” I say, he turns around and smiles, “I'm fine” he says and leaves.

I hope he really is alright.

__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__-__

Han ’s POV:

shit , shit, shit, I tumble my way to the sofa, this is bad this is super bad, my head hurts so freaking much, I breath in through the nose trying to calm myself down, but I cant my ears are buzzing and I'm hearing voices.

Born of sea turns to sea form

Born of land bleeds and turns to sand

But cursed to be a part of the sea, doesn't break easily

Does Not remember anything 

Love can break the biggest spell

Can tame the curliest of beasts

My eyes widen, these are the same voices I heard when I was a siren, back in the sea, I hiss as the pain sharpens, I rush out of the house and to the sea, breathing I try to concentrate on the cool breeze, the pain stops but I can still make out those voices, like a faint whisper, what does that even mean?.

After a minute or two the voices die down too, and I take a sigh of relief, I take out my necklace, the vile, half or less the half of it was filled, but I had made my decision, I can't and I wont hurt her and at that point it hit me, “Gosh love sucks!!” I sigh and ruffle my hair .

_____________________________

Y/n’s POV:

I hear hissing and mumbling, my eyes snap open and I glance at the time 3:00AM, I sigh, whoever it is better shut up, I get up and focus on the voice and it surprisingly lead me to my bathroom, I carefully open the bathroom door to find the mermaid, her eyes were glowing yellow, just like how Han ’s were, she was saying something, I came near her to see what she was mumbling on about,

Finish the job, kill her, Finish the job…..

She kept repeating that on and on, and then suddenly she goes still, eyes back to their original shape, she looked at me and I could make out tears in her eyes she whispered to which I made out “help me” and she repeated that again and again, I came near her and she suddenly  pulled me closer, when I looked in her eyes they were yellow again “seeeeee” she hissed 

Flash's came in front of me, moments, all those horrible memories, I tried to escape from her grip or escape from those moments but I couldn't, the more i tried to pull away the more horrible those memories became.

When she finally let go of my arm I tumbled back, my back hit the wall of the bathroom, cold, that's when I realized I was shaking, tears coming out of my eyes.

“You see?” she said 

“W-what… a-are you t-t-trying to s-show me?” I ask trembling

__________________________________________

[ericsonclan]

The Mystery Snack

Summary: Renata and Sophie prepare to sneak up to the surface when suddenly another merperson appears wanting to see the land dwellers again.

Word Count: 2876

Read on AO3:

Renata swam forward, her yellow tail cutting through the water with ease as she twirled amongst the seaweed. A large grin was on her face as she continued onward, not a care in the world. Her brown eyes glanced up at the waters above, noticing the small schools of fish and the warm sunlight that pierced through the surface of the ocean and highlighted the waters below. There really was no place to live like under the sea. Still, the surface was so mysterious with the land dwellers running around on things that looked like sticks and with their weird food. Renata still wasn’t over how disappointing that black block tasted.

“Stupid stale box,” Renata flicked her tail and did another small spin, instantly regaining her joy. Whatever, she was planning on meeting up with Allison today and after that she would finally go on that stealth mission that she and Sophie had been playing for ages. In fact, Renata was already forgetting sections of the three hour old plan. Her nose scrunched up in concentration as she continued forward before she shrugged it off. It couldn’t be that important if she forgot it.

With a happy, upbeat tune Renata made her way forward, dancing upon the small little pulls of the ocean below. Until her eyes caught sight of Allision; her blood red tail stuck out clearly in the water as it moved this way and that. The ends of her fins brushed against the sands of the ocean floor, moving at such an anxious pace that Renata grew curious at what could be getting her friend in such a mood. With a playful smile she swam forward and tackled Allison with a hug. “Surprise hug attack!” Renata declared loudly and spun the two of them around in the water for a few seconds.

“Renata!” Allison squirmed around in her friend’s arms for a moment. “You distracted me from the hunt!”

“Oops, sorry there. Whatcha hunting?” Renata’s eyes scanned the area and her smile faltered for a second when she saw a big shark. Without thinking twice she guided her and Allison into a hollowed out rock. “That was close! Mr. Grumpy Teeth almost saw us,”

“That's what I was hunting,” Allison mumbled, her tail flicking in anticipation of Renata’s disapproval.

“Allie, just because you got a badass shark tooth necklace doesn’t mean you won’t be this grump’s appetizer,”

Renata’s words made Allison glance down at the necklace that Renata had gifted her during their travels together before they found the place that they now called home.

“I know,”

“I mean, we snagged that off some shark that was totally dead. I’m pretty sure a whale sat on that shark or something but this one is bad news.” Renata’s tail curled around a little rock and began to whack it softly up and down.

“It could be a threat though,” Allison’s eyes watched the shark for a moment then looked over at Renata.

“It could or it could just be passing through. Best thing we can do is stay here for a little bit then head back home. If it decides to show its ugly mug in our home, then it's gonna learn what merpeople can really do!”

Allison was quiet for a moment, her hand playing with her necklace. She trusted Renata’s judgement here; she usually always listened to Renata’s decision when they revolved around things like this. Not when it came to dumbass matters though - that’s when Allison knew to not have a fin in those sort of things. Usually. “Okay, fine,”

“Wooo! Alright, I found some neato sticks so we’re playing tic-tac-toe!” Renata beamed over at Allison who nodded and took the stick.

It was an hour or so before the shark moved far away from them and off in a direction opposite to their home. Once the coast was clear Renata led the way before swimming around and around Allison. “Glad we made this a game day and not a hunting day!” Renata smiled over at her friend. The red-tailed mermaid gave a small smile in response.

“Yeah, I guess it wasn’t bad,”

“That’s the spirit! Now come on, let's get back home!” Renata grabbed Allison’s hand and pulled her forward as she swam. Soon the two friends were swimming side by side, happy and carefree. It wasn’t a long swim before they arrived back home to the giant sea stone that held dozens of caves that the merpeople had turned into a beautiful home with the help of rocks, shiny shells and the occasional hermit crab.

As Renata and Allison made their way through the entrance they spotted Oakley who was staring rather intently at a patch of seaweed. The merperson’s chestnut brown tail swayed slowly, moving with the ebb and flow of the thought process of their inner mind. After a moment or two of pondering Oakley opened their mouth with a pronounced ‘Ah’ sound and bit down on the seaweed. Chewing thoughtfully, Oakley went from a somewhat blank expression to one of disgust. With a ‘bleh’ sound, bits of seaweed swooshed away with a well-timed current. “Bad seaweed.”

Before Renata could go over and comfort her friend for their terrible loss of potentially good seaweed, a new merperson spiraled forward. His firetruck red tail stood out loudly against the softer colors of the creatures nearby him.

“Knox!” Duck moved forward, abruptly stopping and causing a small whirlwind of water with his tail nearby. “I found a new patch of seaweed that we haven’t explored yet! Wanna go?” Oakley gave a small nod which made a happy smile appear on Duck’s lips. Interlocking his pinky with Oakley’s, Duck swam forward, slowly guiding his love away. Renata and Allison watched them for a moment when suddenly a loud voice appeared nearby.

“Allie!” Willy swam forward, his hands cupped together. “I found a super cool stone!” Revealing the stone, Willy watched as awe danced around in Allison’s eyes as she studied the smooth blue rock that changed from lighter shades to darker ones. “Pretty cool, huh?”

“Yeah, really cool,” Allison carefully took the rock and examined it for a moment longer before pressing a kiss to Willy’s cheek. That romantic gesture made Willy beam with happiness and twirl in a circle a few times in a row.

“I found a whole area like this! Come on, we gotta check it out!” Willy grasped Allison’s hand. The positive smile on his face made a new smile appear on hers.

“Okay,” Allison began to swim away then looked back at Renata. “See you later,”

“Okay! See ya!” Renata gave a wave then was off like a shot after moving her tail with a strong flick.

Twirling about, Renata made her way through the merpeople’s land. As she swam by, she noticed Nurgul’s lavender tail and saw that she was making seashell necklaces with Gabe before stealing a quick kiss from him. Both of them were overwhelmed by that action and their faces only became redder when Gabe returned Nurgul’s affection with a kiss of his own. Nurgul smiled softly at that and swam around Gabe and his orange and yellow tail twice then took his hand in hers. Renata smiled at the happy couple then swayed her tail back and forth at a fast pace, propelling herself forward.

Her eyes caught sight of Ruby who was beside Aasim, her azure tail curled around his black tail that held red accents. Ruby watched Aasim with a warm smile as he tried to carve some sort of writing into stone. After a moment she caught sight of Renata and gave a small wave. Renata returned it in kind then continued forward, her gaze turning to the water above and picking up on the fact that night was fast approaching. She had to find Minnie for some quality snuggling time before she went on this top secret mission with Sophie.

Moving her fin at an alarming rate Renata cut through the water and made a beeline right towards her and Minnie’s home. There, already relaxing, was Minnie. The redhead’s eyes brightened immediately when she spotted Renata, her smokey grey tail happily swaying. “Hey there, Ren,”

“Minnow!” Renata swam forward and immediately wrapped her arms around Minnie. Peppering Minnie’s face with kisses, Renata pulled back with a warm smile. “Did you miss me?”

“Yeah, I did,” Minnie held onto the hug. “Did you have a nice time with Allison?”

“Yep! But now I want cuddles!” Renata nuzzled her face against Minnie’s. The action made MInnie’s face heat up.

“Oh, okay. Yeah, I’m down for that,”

Minnie’s answer made Renata’s smile grow and soon the two of them were cuddling up close to each other, their tails gently intertwined as Minnie gave Renata a kiss before falling asleep.

Renata’s eyes fluttered open and she gave a loud yawn, smacking her lips together for a moment. Glancing over, she saw that Minnie was fast asleep. It would be tough to sneak out now. Minnie wasn’t exactly a heavy sleeper. Giving a soft kiss to her girlfriend, Renata then got to work, wiggling and squishing her body together to slip out of Minnie’s arms. It took some awkward movements and a weird sound or two but soon Renata was free.

Giving a gentle goodbye kiss so as to not wake up Minnie, she started to swim off. Then she suddenly paused. Her eyes traveled over to Minnie and she resisted the urge to give her love another kiss. She quickly failed. Renata swam over and kissed Minnie one more time then used the end of her fin to tickle her face before leaving.

It didn’t take Renata long to spot her best friend. Sophie’s shimmery white tail swayed ecstatically with her anticipation for this secret mission. Her eyes soon found Renata and a smile appeared on her lips. “Heya, Ren! I see you succeeded in step one,” Sophie swam over to meet up with Renata.

“Yep! And I only gave Minnie two goodbye kisses so she won’t be waking up unlike last time.”

“Yeah, midnight swimming with dolphins would’ve been a blast,” Sophie’s tail stopped for a moment. “Oh well, that will be the next mission but this one first! I gotta see if this black block was really stale or if you’ve been hiding secret tasty land dweller food,” Sophie’s eyes narrowed at Renata playfully.

Renata gasped. “I would never do that to my best friend! That black block is gross but I guess we'll just have to go up to the surface to prove it to you,” She shared an excited smile with Sophie until suddenly the two mermaids heard the flick of a fin slicing through the water. Spinning around, the two of them spotted the familiar evergreen tail and the freckled chest of Louis.

“Hey, I’m here for the mission!” Louis grinned over at the two mermaids, his tail swaying excitedly.

“Hmm, I don’t know,” Sophie crossed her arms and shared a secret look with Renata. “Can we trust him?”

“Hmmm, nah,” Renata answered and swam away with Sophie for a second before turning around and grabbing Louis’ hand. “Kidding! Okay, let’s go lick some weird land dweller food and see that stick lady that Louis likes!”

Louis sputtered a response but neither of his friends heard him in their excitement.

“Okay!” Sophie smiled and led the way. The three of them tried to be stealthy as they snuck out. They were less than successful. Sophie ran into a rock structure, accidentally knocking it over, and Renata got distracted by a funny looking crab while Louis tried to grab a fish in his teeth as a gift for the land dweller he was sweet on. Luckily for them though none of the merpeople woke up and so the trio soon swam up to the surface and towards the spot where Renata, Louis and Violet had run into those two weird-speaking land dwellers. Once they arrived though it was clear that the two stick folks as Renata called them and the stale black block were nowhere to be seen.

“Are they hiding?” Sophie’s face was barely above the water as she scanned the area.

“No, they love to be out and about,” Renata looked around. Louis nodded and started to speak but the fish in his mouth muffled his words. Spitting it out, Louis tried to speak again.

“Renata is right. Maybe they have a sleeping spot though. These rocks don’t look comfortable,”

“Yeah they look like real jerkfaces,” Sophie nodded in agreement to Louis’ words.

“Well if they do have cool sleeping rocks, then I wanna find them. That’s gotta be where their stash of stale food is too,” Renata dove down underwater and soon Sophie and Louis followed suit. The three of them searched around the area for a little bit before Sophie spotted a weird-looking wooden log in the sea. It had sticks poking out of it draped with strange white long seaweed. Without hesitating Renata and Sophie dashed forward, jumping and splashing into the water as they made their way forward. Meanwhile Louis was studying his fish gift.

“This is stupid, I can’t give a fish twice!” Louis frowned and tossed the fish over his shoulder. The dead fish plopped into the water then traveled along the surface’s currents. Louis thought deeply about what he wanted to give the land dweller who made him feel all warm and fuzzy. After a moment his eyes shone with the answer. “A jellyfish!” Louis jumped up in the air and dove back down into the water, determined to find the new gift.

Sophie struggled to get onto the weird floating wooden log. Her fin floundered about as she tried to get her full body onto its flat top. Once she was on the log she leaned over and helped Renata who gave herself small encouragements as she struggled along with Sophie to get onto the floating log. It took a few more moments but soon both of them were on the log and rolling about to see what they could find.

Sophie’s light blue eyes looked around for the supposed snack Renata had licked. Looking back and forth and back and forth as she rolled around, Sophie finally found it - the black block. “Heheh, found ya!” Sophie grinned then licked the shiny black item. Her smile immediately faded though and a small pout pulled on her lips. Renata was right, it was stale. Sophie continued to pout, upset by this news when suddenly she found a white, tiny three-pronged item. “Ooo! Ren! I found something!” Sophie whisper hissed over to her best friend who was currently busy sniffing a bag full of what looked like pebbles and sand. Rolling over, Renata stopped by Sophie.

“Look! Look! I think this is a tiny weapon!” Sophie held out the three pronged item.

“Ooo! Or a thing to help your hair be super smooth!”

Renata’s suggestion made Sophie’s eyes grow large and the redhead immediately began to run the three pronged item through her long red hair. She made a happy sound as she continued to brush her hair while Renata clapped along. Sophie was about to start up another round of brushing when her eyes caught sight of the bag again. “What's that?”

Renata followed her friend’s gaze and looked at the bag. “I don’t know but I hope it's tasty!” She pulled open the bag and dug around. Tossing a handful in her mouth, Renata let out a small gasp. “It’s good! It's tasty sand!”

Sophie immediately snatched some up and her tastebuds were bombarded with distinct sweet, salty and crunchy sensations. “It is tasty sand! This is amazing!” She smiled over at Renata who returned it and the two began to high five again and again and again. When suddenly they heard some sounds from inside the log and the strange dialect of the land dwellers.

“We’ve been compromised!” Renata yelled. She and Sophie began to roll over to the edge of the log. Both of them were in the middle of helping each other escape when Louis emerged from the water, a small pink jellyfish covering his eyes.

“Guys! Bad news! Jellyfish aren’t good gifts!”

“Not now, Louis! We have to get back home with the tasty sand!” Sophie jumped into the water, the food in the bag closed and secured.

“Okay! I just need help getting Mr. Jelly off my face!” Louis blindly swam forward, bonking his head on a rock a moment later. Sophie quickly pulled off the jellyfish then looked back to see that Renata had the three pronged item in her mouth. With a jump that Renata would describe as nothing short of godliness, although in actuality it was anything but that, Renata belly flopped into the sea.

“Ren!” Sophie called out to her best friend as she slowly sunk into the sea below.

“Haul ass, ladies! Back home we go!” Louis led the way back under the sea once Sophie had successfully grabbed Renata. The three of them successfully disappeared without being seen by the land dwellers. As they swam forward all three of them had one single hope: that they wouldn’t get caught sneaking back into the merpeople’s land.

[sweetcircuits]

I would love to hear about your design for the HypMerForce AU! Ramble away! :)

Thank you for enabling me, Acara! :D I'm not sure how much of this is new info for you, but it'll be good for me to at least get this all down in a post so I don't forget it!

Let's start with the Robot Mer-Monkeys!

To preface, I really wasn't sure how much of the mer-monkeys I wanted to change from the regular mer-monkeys! so there isn't really much difference. I mainly streamlined the designs some (to make it easier to swim, I guess? to smooth out the designs so they're not so sharp and sticking out? idk)

ANYWAY

so I did smooth out the designs, the antennas don't have the round tips that stick out, they're more compact! same for the points on the top of their heads, they're a little more smoothed out! and same for their shoulders, they don't have the ball-joint shoulders in this design.

I gave them all different types of tails, and there is no deep meaning for each tail, I just wanted them each to look unique! since their canon designs are all the same.

You probably noticed for Sparx that he has a lightning bolt design on the back of his head! That's something I did design for each of them, something a little decorative that I wanted to add for these mer-monkeys!

No rocket packs, since they don't need to fly, and they have fins and can swim already using those! so instead of rocket packs I added a bonus dorsal fin on their backs!

Each of the Monkeys has a little accessory, that was something else i wanted for this design, something special for each of them!

Antauri - a special Power Primate crystal

Nova - a shark tooth - she picked a fight with the shark and won!

Sparx - a flute (in this au I thought he would be a good musician since he can't be an ace pilot!)

Otto - a bunch of washers and gears on a string (in this au, Otto isn't so much a mechanic as he is just an all-around handyman? and he also likes exploring and picking up human things - like Ariel does in The Little Mermaid - hence the metal washers!)

Gibson - a satchel (still a scientist of some kind in this au, he needed something for storing samples of things he picks up here and there!)

Chiro/Amber/Jinmay

Mermaids are fun because you can take any combination of human or fish traits and cobble them together in a design you like! So for Chiro, Amber, and Jinmay, they have a few interesting traits to their designs!

Chiro still has his yellow comm, but instead of being pinned to his shirt (bc he doesn't have one) it's tied around his neck like a necklace instead!

He also has a little orange cloth tied around his arm, it's reminiscent of his Hyper Form scarf and it added a little something to his design!

He has little freckles on his face and down onto his shoulders, blue because of his tail color! He also has a bunch of these little dashes down his spine, and the idea I had for those is that they would grow into spines as the merperson got older!

Chiro and Amber both ended up with blue tails (similar color, since they're siblings) and have two small fins on the side of their 'hips.' (fun fact, I had a REALLY hard time deciding what tail color Chiro should have, whether it would be orange as reminiscent of his Hyper Form design, or blue to match his sister!)

Chiro DOES have a Hyper Form in this au! I just still have to design it XD

Amber has her usual silver comm necklace, and her shells are white to contrast her black hair, and bc of the white shirt in her standard design!

Jinmay has a differently styled fin, a single large tail fin instead of two smaller ones like Chiro and Amber; and that doesn't have any deeper meaning except that I wanted her to have a slightly different design than Chiro and Amber!

She doesn't have any freckles (for a slightly "cleaner" design? again to contrast Chiro's design) and I also had a hard time deciding what color her tail should be, since her canon dress has pink, white, orange, and green all in it! and I think the green tail and orange shells was a good compromise!

Her little shell earrings were really cute, and I wanted her to have a little something like Amber's pearl earrings and Chiro's gold earrings!

[thewritingstar]

In The Depths of the Deep Sea

Pairing: Blossucth (Blossom x Butch) 

Fandom: Powerpuff Girls

Notes: Prob one of the fluffiest things I've written and I’ve had this idea for months now and finally its here. After rewriting more times than I care to admit, I actually like it. Also go check out @lisathefan she made the most stunning art work for this!!

Tag list: @shellielyzabeth @unvalley @over-under-through1

Enjoy! 

---

“Never go past the Crystal Reef.” Her father said to when she was just a young mermaid.

Naturally she listened to the rules. As the eldest of her sisters, it was her duty to make sure they did the same. Even if she had to scold Buttercup for getting too close or urge Bubbles not to because of the scary monsters, no one went past the reef.

It wasn’t a hard rule to follow though. Crystal Reef was massive and was filled with a city of sea life and other mermaids that kept everyone happy. They lived in the ocean and were free to travel the lengths of the sea, but the Deep Reef as it was called, was off limits.

She had heard the stories many times. Disgusting creatures lurked in the murky waters and even mermaids had a hard time swimming it's currents. It was ice cold as the legends told and no one made it out alive to tell the tale. There were messages of mermaids becoming food for the massive predators that lived there and even said to be home to blood thirsty sharks and fish who were more bone than flesh. It was creepy and distasteful to even think about and Blossom rarely had any desire to swim out and down below.

But one evening after her father told her about the treasures pirate ships could hold, she found one. It was just short of the edge of the reef, only a few meters down, the water was still clear enough but she knew that any further and she could be risking her tail. But as she grew older, her curiosity got the better of her.

So she swam and found it. The massive ship that had been sunken years before she was born. It was breathtaking even with the mass of water damage eroding its boards. Her mind had drifted further out to sea, her judgment foggy as she wasted the daylight in the boat.

It became a habit of hers. She would leave for hours to go towards that ship and each time, there was something new for her to see. She never had trouble there before, but her luck could only go so far.

The water had turned colder towards the night but she wasn’t worried, wasn’t afraid. Her tail guided her along the outside and she had decided maybe that was enough exploring for the day. Her family would get worried if she wasn’t back soon but then again the giant shark looming over her didn’t care too much about her time.

She gulped as the creature stared at her. Her breath being held in her throat as its eyes locked on to hers, daring her to make a move. Her blade in her bag was out of reach and even if she had it, there was no way she could fight off a shark ten times the size of her.

Perhaps this was it. The day she would be eaten alive and never found. And if she were to die, her sisters better keep their fins off her stuff! She shut her eyes tight as she felt the shark move closer. The torment of feeling the bubbles around her was making her uneasy and thought if she remained still, then it would leave. But her eyes, she decided to open them all too soon.

She only saw white. Rows and rows of exposed sharp teeth were only merely inches away and she couldn’t help herself from losing her cool. She screamed at the top of her lungs causing the shark to open its jaws and bite down at her spot where she just managed to get away.

In her younger years she had been deemed the smartest of her sisters, speed was not the attribute that she had been gifted and she wished in these very moments that Buttercup's ability to swim faster than anyones was here.

She circled the corner of the ship, hoping to lose the shark but one more mistake of looking back cost her time. She didn’t know this area well and made the mistake of swimming past the boat and towards the darker side. Her eyesight became cloudy as the water merged with the fading light and soon she could only see a few feet ahead of her.

The shark's nose grazed her tail and she let out a scream as she found a giant rock rounded to the back pressing herself to it hoping the creature wouldn’t find her. She covered her mouth with a shaky hand. She shouldn’t have ventured this far, shouldn’t have let the mysterious be her guide.

She could see the shark a few feet away, it had lost her scent for a second and she knew that if she dared to swim, it would all be over. She had spoken too soon, those beady eyes turned and locked onto her frame and she swore she could see the sickly smirk of its teeth before it bolted towards her.

Her eyes tightened close and she took one final break, her bag dropping to the ground as her hand was pulling to the right and down. In a matter of seconds she felt the cavern shake from the impact of the shark, yet she was still alive, and wrapped around warm seaweed?

Blossom opened her eyes, now inside of the hidden cave, she looked down to see an arm holding her waist and hand, that was not hers, covering her mouth.

“Don’t move.” A voice came into her ear. It was deep and hoarse as if someone had just woken up.

Another jolt of fear ran through her as the shark bashed its head against the rocks. She let out a muddled squeak and the arm tightened slightly on her body.

“It can’t get to you, don’t worry.” The voice tried to reassure her.

For when the arm loosened on her after moments of waiting and he told her the shark had left, she turned and was met with vivid green eyes and an uncertain expression. Her eyes went to the top of his head. She had heard of mermaids that adapted to their surroundings but she had never met one with a light stand of an angler fish. It bobbed in the water giving off a faint glow.

“Thank you.” She said, trying to hide the fact that she was staring at him. She didn’t mean to be rude but he was so

“It's uh, no big deal. You should probably leave.” He said but when he swam away, that wasn’t the last he saw of her.

--

His first thought was to leave her there to die, just like all those other pesky mermaids who don’t know what lurks below. He knew that they all thought badly about the creatures here, serving them the right to try and test fate. But by all means if they want to risk their stuipd lives and dive down deep then they are in a rude awakening for a game of predator or prey with the creatures that feast on the oblivious.

But for some reason he couldn’t allow it to happen, not this time. It wasn’t his fault that he had stumbled across her, just a curious mermaid looking through an old sunken ship. Maybe if she knew that he was hidden behind the rock staring at her like a creep, she would have wished the shark ate her up. It was just...he couldn’t take his eyes off of her.

He had seen countless mermaids and sea creatures, nothing special new about them. However her electric magenta tail brought his memory to the glowing anemones he used to pick as a little fish. The heart swirled on her tail was oddly cute and he found himself drawing closer and closer to her.

Did he spend weeks going back and forth between the ship hoping that she would come back to explore? Did he maybe place items he found in there so that the presence of new things made her come back? Maybe. It wasn’t creepy. He was just...curious. His brothers had no idea that he would spend his afternoons and even evenings wandering over to the shipwreck. They hadn’t had a clue about what was so interesting that he would be gone for hours but when he came back with some fish, they didn’t bother to ask any questions.

Sometimes he wondered if he should keep to himself. He had been told to never mingle with a mermaid of pure blood. Those whose fins and tails were fully fish and mermaid-ie, unlike him who looked mostly pure blood but had the light of an angler fish bobbing out of his forehead. He didn’t care, though he looked cool but it became his own worst enemy at some times.

She however thought it was adorable when she would place a sweet kiss to his cheek and the little light would brighten to an illanecent green and his cheek as pink as his tail.

“It's weird.” he would grumble.

“I think it's cute.” She would respond and give him another kiss to increase the brightness. “You’re like a lighthouse, always guiding me right back to you.”

He laughed. “You’re a sap.”

---

She found herself swimming deeper and closer to the murky water, even her ability to see in the dark wasn’t holding up but there was no fear within her even as the water altered to a colder climate. Hesitation was something she knew of often, always second guessing herself to make the right choices and be the best version of herself but with this, there was none of that.

It was certain that within these twilight waters was something for her. Something that could offer her more than the crystal reef and the same school of fish. Something unique and intriguing. Something of her own.

She knew better than to venture to the darkest part of the ocean. She knew about the horror stories where creatures go but don’t return, but there she was, following the path that others dared not too.

Her excuse was the ship and her desire to excavate it, but her family didn’t need to know that she was only going there to see him. It started with just a few questions and friendly chatter.

“What are you doing?”

“Finding treasure.”

“Think you could search me next?”

“You’re a riot.”

But even with the not so subtle stares and the blushing of her cheeks, she found herself gravitating to him as if he were a magnetic field and she let herself drift to him. Those sly comments turned to pamper kisses as their conversations formed into topics of their hopes, dreams and fears. And how she knew he had placed those items for her to find.

Sharp teeth left shivers all over her body as they caraseed her neck and lips so delicately like that as a whisper. His eyes, how enchanting. The deep green was viid against his greyish skin that faded into a beautiful black at his fingertips. She never thought eyes could shower her with  adoration even when she was just rambling. He held her close, chin resting on her shoulder as she would go on and on about the items she would find. She found his voice appealing and safe and he had comfort whenever she spoke.

Kissing him was like being plunged into cold water., A rush that left her head dizzy as she begged for more and wanted to never leave his side. At first he treated her as if she would break. Soft touches and feather light kisses but she loved when his hands would tangle into her locks and kiss her senseless as if she needed to forget her own name. His fingers would trace along the patterns that form on her skin and she would kiss the scar on his chest.

When their time to meet was coming up, she would swim towards the darkness, never looking back, hoping that he would always be waiting, perched on the rock just her. And sometimes she would get there and he would play his game of cat and mouse

“Caught you.” He whispered into her ear, a tingle running up her spine.

She giggled as she turned in his arms and threw her own around his neck. She gazed into his eyes for a second. The brightest green she had ever seen, like that of emerald from the world above. Her lips came onto his and even with her eyes closed, she could sense the light coming from his head. Its precious green glow just for her eyes, like her own little star in the dark sea.

She ran her finger along his sharp jaw and when he tilted his head to deepen their kiss, she felt those teeth that were just as dangerous. She was addicted to every part of him, no matter how hard the warnings were, she would find herself back in the dark surrounded by his warmth and that bright light.

---

She never understood the others. How could they say that everything below the reef was cruel and dangerous, well she knew why. All stereotypes hold a sliver of truth but when she was here with him, bodies slumped against the coral as they relaxed and watched the fish passing by, she had never felt safer, more comfortable, more free than when she did up above.

She brought him to the surface and showed him the reef, though he did better in the colder waters, he couldn’t comprehend just how gorgeous she was as the sun breached the water and her scales were like drops of sunlight. The pink of her iris sparkled and he found himself falling deeper and deeper in love with her just as she did with him.

They would collect sea glass together and he showed her the garden of anemones and sea flowers that bloomed with vivid colors. Sometimes they would swim to a hidden shore and look at the humans above before returning to water to snuggle in the kelp. They would treasure hunt and find other sunken ships.

“What's your favorite treasure or item you found?” He would say and without skipping a beat, her lips would linger over his, pink looking into green before whispering “You.”

She was told to never leave the reef and he was scolded to stay away, but within the darkness and the cold currents, there was a flash of green that guided her heart to her other home, to her other half.

--

I hope you enjoyed and thank you to miss Lisa for making art!!

[rina-writes]

Calm Waters (Part 2)

Part 1: x

A/N: Thank you for all the kind comments on part 1 :D Please continue to give me feedback on this fic as this is my first multiple part fic in a very long time haha

Summary: Grayson suspects that something fishy is going on and enlists his brother, Ethan, to track down everything they can find out about “Aurora”.  During their search, they find out more about the real you.

Warnings: Same as the last one...mentions of abuse, captivity, and bullying.  Also lots of fluff.

During the day, their tank opened up to the entire park aquarium, so they had a bit more room to swim.  It still sucked in comparison to the ocean, but like you, they appreciated their freedoms.  Nelson, Doris’ mate, made a figure eight with his nose when he saw you coming toward them.

You’re late.

You clutched your chest lightly.  

I’m sorry.

Doris came up and tapped her tail fin three times. 

Mate.

Nelson let out a squeaking sound that you recognized as his laughter, making you blush.  You realized that Doris must have brought him up to speed about Grayson.  

Dolphins thrived off of gossip.  They spread it like wildfire and had great memories to boot.  You tossed them their fish, and moved around the area to give the other dolphins there share as well.  You made sure to give the new recruit some extra.  You hadn’t give him a name yet.  Dolphin names were quite difficult to understand, because they were in their tongue, and did not translate well into to sign language.   You often gave them human name equivalents and you would use them in the shows. You would teach them the signs for their name, once you made up, so they knew who you were calling on during the performance.

Doris was your first friend, so her sign was three taps on top of your heart.  Nelson, being Doris’ mate, got two taps on the heart and one on the stomach.  You hoped to give the new dolphin something strong to uplift him.

You moved on to the hammerheads.  They did not talk as much as the dolphins, but were always polite.  They spun in counter clockwise thrice in order to say thank you and always asked about your day.  Occasionally, Hunter, the hammerhead that was “rescued” when you first arrived would inquire more if you seemed sad, but sharks really didn’t like to talk about feelings.  

You didn’t mind because it allowed you to think about Grayson more.  How his finger tips were so rough, but his hands in general felt soft.  How he laughed loudly, but then would always stop himself short before he would start to snort.  How he lit up when he talked about his family, especially his twin brother. You wished you could see him again.  

When the park was closed.  You walked over to the shed that when you were in a good mood you called your closet.  You hung up your uniform, and changed to your other pair of underwear.  You washed the one you were wearing in a sink nearby with hand soap.  You hung the underwear to dry in your closet and went to wash your mouth out.  One of the scientist that would experiment on you would periodically bring you travel size toothpaste and a toothbrush.  You figured it made them feel like less of a monster.  

You stood in front of your reflective glass and looked at yourself. You looked different today.  Your skin was more radiant and your dyed red hair didn’t look so bad. You realized it was because you were happy.  You hid your toiletries and your drying underwear so no one would find it the next day.Then just before the top of your cell closed automatically, you jumped in.  As you sunk to the bottom, you heard the top of your cell click.  About three minutes later, you heard footsteps that walked by to make sure no one was upstairs.  The steps stopped by your cell, the person most likely looking for you red hair.  Upon spotting it, the person walked away.  You looked up and to your surprise saw the gap on the corner of your cell was still there.  It must not be noticeable from up top.  You smiled to yourself as you curled into your ball.  You didn’t have to rock too much to fall asleep as your mind was excited to dream.

The next day, you awoke as usual to the sound of the cover leaving your tank.  You swam upward and pulled yourself out. You jiggled your legs a little bit and took a deep breath to let the air fill your lungs.  After years of being under for 12+ hours, holding your breath was second nature.  However, there was nothing like feeling air.  

“Oh my god…”  You heard from your right. That was the door that led to the roof. 

You turned slowly, goosebumps appearing on your skin.  Your eyes met Grayson’s hazel ones, and your jaw dropped.

 You were too afraid of the conclusions that Grayson had made from seeing you crawl out of a tank that him seeing you half naked was not that big of a deal.  Grayson started to back away, slipping and causing himself to fall on the ground.  Your heart sunk to your stomach as you squeezed your chest to cover yourself.  You couldn’t tell what worried you the most:  the fact that you secret was out, the thought of what would happen to Grayson if your uncle found out, or, your own punishment that would be waiting for you.  No, the worst thing was that now, the one person who you thought could understand you realized what you really were and you were going to die knowing you were a freak.

“I-I should have knocked…” Grayson stammered, as he tried to look away.  “I had a suspicion you were living here, but I wasn’t expecting you to be naked.”

You were stood there, paralyzed by fear, holding yourself as you stared at him blankly. 

Grayson did his best to tear his eyes away from you.  There was a part of him that was terrified by what he just saw.  He could hear his heart thundering in his ears and his legs were itching to run away.  However, staring in to your eyes and seeing his Rory with an even more petrified expression, he just wanted to hold you.  He wanted to protect you and save you, just like you saved him.  His eyes wanted to continue to scan your body, for multiple reasons, but one in particular stood out.  He angled his body towards the view that you admired each morning when you woke up.  He stared straight ahead and signed.

“Your skin is so beautiful.” Grayson remarked, still avoiding your eyes.

Your skin?  You looked down and suddenly remembered the one thing that marked you differently from “normal” humans.  When your skin was wet, parts of your body as part of the drying process turned a turquoise blue color, that almost looked like gems.  They kind of looked like the scales with reflective property that made them look like part of a rainbow from certain angles.  Looking at it now, it was clear to you how the myth of mermaid fins came to be.  They were irregular shapes all over your body from the tops of your thighs, the sides of your legs and even down the middle of your chest.  You learned from the “experiments” that this attribute of your skin also helped you to rebuild more skin cells quicker. 

You finally snapped out of your “deer in headlights reaction” and walked over to your closet and pulled out your uniform.  You put on your clothes and waited for Grayson to say something.   You attempted to look on the bright side.  He didn’t gasp or take pictures of you like your uncle’s colleagues did.  He seemed more embarrassed to see you naked.  You weren’t sure if it was a compliment or insult.

For the first time in the 48 hours you knew Grayson, it seemed like he didn’t know what to say.  He just stared at the view as if trying to gather his thoughts.  As you got dressed, you took the opportunity to look at him.  This could be the last time you ever got to see him.  You wanted to etch his image into your mind.

Today, he was wearing a cap backwards with his uniform.  He always had his lifeguard whistle around his neck, but today, he also had his red lifeguard towel draped over a shoulder.  Around his waist was a fanny pack that matched his towel and he was wearing white vans to go with the uniform.  He looked like a model, especially turning to the side like that.  

“What are you thinking?” You asked, breaking the silence.  You stood by the sink as you attempted to tidy up your hair.  “Aren’t you afraid?”

“I wouldn’t say afraid...” Grayson said after a long pause.  “I mean, I legitimately thought you were an angel when you saved me that night.  How else could I explain how someone who was nowhere to be seen before it happened saved my life when I needed someone most.”

Grayson smiled and turned to look at you.  His eyes seemed to reflect the orange and pink hues of the sun.  He was the one who looked unreal.  

“I guess,” Grayson said with a soft smile. “I should have guessed you were a mermaid.”

Your mouth got dry and you walked over to him.  “I’m not a mermaid.  There is a logical explanation for all of this.” You realized that saying there was a logical explanation for something did not make it anymore believable. However, you needed to buy time to think of something.

Grayson bit his lip.  “I know you’re not Aurora.”  Grayson said, sadly, looking up at you as he sat up with his legs stretched out.  “Because there is no one in this town named Aurora.  But I do know of someone named Y/N Y/L/N, who was said to be at boarding school, but is not registered at a single one in the country.”

It felt like the ground beneath you was shaking. You hadn’t heard your name in so long that it brought tears to your eyes.  You eased yourself down to the ground and slowly crossed your legs.  

“H-How much do you know?” You asked, finally.

12 hours earlier - Gray’s POV

Grayson waited by the gate of Pete’s Ocean Land until closing in hopes of running into Aurora before she left.  He knew he was being annoying.  After all, Aurora clearly stated she did not want to walk home with him.  At the same time, he could see how happy she looked around him.  He loved the fact that she was able to open up to him and everything he was able to learn about her.  She was funny, charming, and a little weird, but in a good way.

There were a lot of mean rumors about her that Grayson assumed was started by some of the female workers.  Things like she didn’t shower, she was poor, she talked to the animals, anything to explain why no one saw her outside of work.  The threat of Aurora was that  most guys admitted that there was a beauty to her that they couldn’t place. However, no one want to confess to liking the “freak show of the park.”  So, the rumors piled up, and everyone kept their distance.

It wasn’t just employees either. Guests adored her character during performances, but still would treat her like crap when asking for favors outside of her job description.  On Grayson’s first day, he even witnessed someone pretend to bump into her and toss her drink on to her and her food.  She just sat there with a blank expression before she took off running.  It was a little comical, like watching a cartoon. Grayson was ashamed to admit that he chuckled himself. Making fun of her was the norm and like everyone, Grayson just wanted to blend in.  While he didn’t partake in her bullying, he didn’t do anything to stop it. 

And then he was the butt of the jokes.  A couple girls asked him out and suddenly he was the guy everyone was trying to put down.  He was stupid to think that when they invited him on one of their late night adventures that it was an olive branch.  They were all drunk, deriding him for not drinking with them.  In order to prove himself, they said would have to stick his hand into this tank. It was supposed to have some monster.  It was closed off, and not even people who worked there could see what was inside.  They all had done it,they said, he just had to do it too. Everything told Grayson this was a dumb idea, but if it meant that the teasing would stop, he was willing to do it.

They pointed to a crack in the retractable cover that was quite large.  As Grayson stuck his hand in he felt a push.  He lost his balance and another push sent him into the pool.  He was paralyzed by fear and the unknown darkness surrounding him. 

He blacked out and then next thing he knew, he saw her.  She was staring at him in the tank, and she was glowing.  Her skin looked like aquamarine crystals, and her eyes were reflective.  He assumed it was the oxygen slowly returning to his brain that made him hallucinate, but he couldn’t deny that even without the sparkle she was beautiful.

Now that he spent lunch with her, he knew for sure that she was the most beautiful person he had met inside and out.  He was going to convince her to be his.  He would protect her from all those assholes and he would make sure that she got out of this dump amusement park and doing what she really loved.

Except, she never came out.  As the security guard closed up the park, Grayson asked if there were any workers staying behind.

“Nope.” The security guard confirmed in a gruff voice.  “Even Pete’s gone home.”

Something didn’t sit right with Grayson.  Because when he looked up at where the tank of the “mysterious creature”, the dolphins and the hammerheads opened up, he saw a man standing on top surveying the tanks.  And that man looked like Pete to him.

When Grayson got home, he immediately enlisted his brother Ethan to help him research everything on Aurora.  Ethan, Grayson’s twin brother, with shorter brown hair, narrow hazel eyes and a chiseled jaw, was only awake for four hours when his brother stormed in. 

“You could knock.” Ethan groaned, pulling off his gaming headphones.  He was only wearing a pair of red shorts when he swiveled around in his gaming chair.  Today was Ethan’s day off from working at the bicycle store in town where he fixed all non-motorized vehicles.  Ethan was hoping to enjoy it by sleeping in and playing games.

“Can you look up a girl named Aurora?” Grayson asked, about to sit on Ethan’s bed.

“Please don’t sit on my bed with your dirty clothes.” Ethan complained.

Grayson knew Ethan was just cranky about him ruining his afternoon plans.  He figured he would be equally obnoxiously and just strip down.  If you aren’t petty with your brother, then are you even siblings?

Grayson shrugged.  “Fine.  You’re lucky I showered after work.” Grayson stripped down to his boxers and socks before sitting on his brother’s bed. 

Ethan had already begun typing, “Any last name for Aurora?”

“Nope…” Grayson said.  “No idea.”

Ethan hummed as he started his search.  He was quiet for a bit despite clicking on various links and searching for different keywords.

“There’s no Aurora who was born in the last 16 to 20 years anywhere in our county, or the nearby one” Ethan informed Grayson.  “Did she just move here?”

“No…” Grayson shook his head, thinking back to this afternoon.  “We talked about the park near our house and how one of the swings was always broken.  There’s no way someone who just moved here would know that.”

“Well she’s definitely from our area. Is she our age?” Ethan asked.

“Yes.” Grayson confirmed.  “18.”

The sound of Ethan typing filled he room.  Grayson laid back on the bed and closed his eyes, trying to think of information that could help Ethan’s search.  The last of the sun was peaking through Ethan’s windows and warming Grayson’s abdomen, making it harder for Grayson to fight back the tiredness of being by the pool all day. 

By the end of the summer, he and Ethan would have enough to live anywhere.  They were hoping to move to Los Angeles and now, Grayson wanted to take Aurora with them.

“Do you remember that girl Y/N Y/L/N?” Ethan asked, breaking Grayson from his thoughts.  

“As in Peter Y/L/N? The owner of Pete’s Ocean Land?”  Grayson asked, sitting up on his elbows.  “Not really….”

“Remember like 5 years ago, her house burned down and her parents died in it? Then Pete adopted her and sent her to some cushy boarding school so she could have a new start?” Ethan backed away from the computer to gesture to a newspaper article.

“Not really...” Grayson said, sitting up suddenly.  

Ethan slid over to unblock the monitor and Grayson leaned in to see to read. His eyes scanned the page with a furrowed brow.

Local Tragedy

The house of {Your Father’s Name}, brother of Peter Y/L/N,  was caught on fire by which, police speculate, was caused by a cooking accident. The house was engulfed with flames, prompting the {Your Father’s Name} and his wife, {Your Mother’s Name} to toss their 13 year old daughter out the window, sacrificing themselves.  Their bodies were not found, but firefighters claim that with the intensity of the flames and the rubble, it’s not surprising.

Y/N Y/L/N is currently in the custody of her uncle Peter who has decided to give her a new chance.  “It can’t be easy for a kid to lose their parents.  I can’t replace my brother, but I can give her the life I know he would have wanted her to have.  I’ll make sure she has the best education money can by and the opportunity to have a normal adolescence.”  Peter said to news on Monday.

Grayson sucked in a breath.  “I don’t really remember this, but it’s terribly sad.  You don’t think that has something to do with Aurora, do you?

Ethan nodded as though he was hoping Grayson would ask that question.  Ethan opened another tab, and continued to flick through multiple tabs for Grayson to see. The first tab was some cushy boarding school Grayson had never heard of where Ethan had searched Y/N without any results.  The next was another boarding school.

 Ethan looked up over 20 boarding schools across the country, none with a student with the name Y/N Y/L/N.

“How is it possible that the only results for her are these news articles, but nothing about her at schools?” Ethan asked. 

“Well, maybe she got a fake name to make sure that she wouldn’t get connected with the case.” Grayson suggested.

“Exactly.  Like Jenna, or Kirsten or…” Ethan trailed off.

“Aurora…” Grayson continued.

“Exactly.”  Ethan pulled up a yearbook picture of the middle school you attended.  He found a few photos of you including you in your class photo and a few pictures of you in a musical.

“That’s her!” Grayson said, squinting.  “Sure, she looks a lot older now, and her hair is that red color, but that’s definitely her.”

“Now, why would Pete lie about sending her to boarding school and force her to work at his amusement park?” Ethan asked.  “I mean it doesn’t make sense, right? He could have just sent her to school and then had her work part time.  No one would have found that strange.”

“Unless she couldn’t leave the park…” Grayson said mostly to himself.  He grabbed Ethan by the shoulders.

“Dude, you’re scaring me, what’s going on?” Ethan asked, startled by the sudden movement.

“This is going to sound crazy, but what if Pete is keeping Aurora...err, Y/N, captive in the park because she’s different…” Grayson said, not sure how to find the right words.

“What do you mean different?” Ethan asked.

Grayson explained in detail what happened two nights ago when you saved him, including your bedazzled looking skin.  He was impressed that Ethan didn’t crack a smile and only nodded to show he was still listening. 

“To summarize,” Ethan ruffled his hair with a sigh.  “You think Aurora is being held captive in a water tank where she can somehow breathe over night and has reflective scales on her body.”

Grayson paused.  Was that really what he was saying?  

“Yes.” Grayson confirmed out loud.  

“You’re right that is crazy.” Ethan nodded.  But he didn’t laugh.  Nor did he dismiss it. Instead Ethan sat on the bed, coaxing Grayson to sit down as well. 

“You know Travis?” Ethan asked.

“Yeah, the owner of the bike shop?” Grayson asked.

“Yeah.  Apparently, he comes from a long line of fishermen.  Since our town is so close to the water, a lot of them would live here and then travel by sea to catch fish and sell them in other areas.  His family believes in mermaids and they said…” Grayson cut Ethan off.

“Okay, I know my story is crazy, but I don’t think she has a fin dude.” Grayson said, putting up a hand.

“Wait for it…” Ethan said, “That’s the thing, they don’t have fins.  Instead, their skin and hair blend in to the color of the bottom of the sea like chameleons. The only time you can see them is when they come up for air.  Apparently, they do breathe air, but they can hold their breaths for crazy long times.  The legend was that if one of these maidens fell in love with a fisherman, she would bring him all the fish that he needed.  It was seen as a badge of honor because they only trusted men that were kind and good to the sea.  There are other legends where they would cast doom on fishermen that brought harm to the ocean.”

“So you think Aurora...err Y/N is one of these water creatures?” Grayson asked. He let out a long sigh as he looked at his brother blankly for moment. This had to be the most ridiculous thing they had ever come up with and that was saying something.  “I mean, it’s a little far-fetched don’t you think?”

“Sure…” Ethan agreed, nodded slowly.  Up until ten minutes ago, Ethan and Travis only discussed the legends while Travis got high on his break.  Ethan never expected for it to be the missing piece to a mystery involving the girl of his brother’s affection.

Ethan took a deep breath.  “At the same time, it connects a few dots, doesn’t it?  Let’s assume that Pete isn’t one of these creatures, then his brother probably isn’t either.  That leaves Y/N’s mother.  So, she’s one of the water creatures and her daughter becomes one too.  Pete tries to convince his brother to put the ladies on display, his brother says no, and then he mysteriously dies.  But, custody of the daughter suddenly becomes local news and Pete would look like a monster if he put her in a tank.  So, he keeps her there, probably pimping her out to the government, while using her for free labor.”

“Because she can talk to the animals!” Grayson said.

“Okay...that’s a bit far-fetched.” Ethan said, putting his hands up in surrender. 

“No come on.” Grayson explained.  “People used to hear her talking to the animals..  Maybe that’s why she does all the shows, because they trust her.”

“Dude,” Ethan grabbed Grayson’s shoulders.  “Do you realize how insane this is? If any of this is true, you’re practically dating a real life mermaid.”

“If it is true.” Grayson said, grabbing Ethan’s arms. “Then, I have to save her.  I can’t let her suffer in that place anymore.”

“Well, we can’t just bust in there with the police.”  Ethan reasoned. “At least not without proof.”

Grayson thought for a moment.  The last time he went to find her, he went straight to the roof at the beginning of his shift.  She was already there with her uniform on.  He wondered if he got there just a bit earlier if he would be able to run into her.  The morning security guard was really laid back, so as long as you were quiet, he would let you in.  He was sure he could sneak in Ethan as well.

“We could go there tomorrow morning.” Grayson suggested.  “See what time she arrives.”

“Yes.” Ethan said, slamming his a fist on his open palm.  “Tomorrow morning, we’re going to Pete’s Ocean Land bright and early to see if she emerges from that tank.  Or, maybe we just go late at night and wait it out.”

Grayson tapped his chin.  This was the most insane thing he had ever done, but he was willing to give it a try.  “Alright, let’s do it.”

Present moment - Your POV

You felt overwhelmed with emotion as Grayson explained the events that led to this current moment.  Part of you was mildly impressed.  To job to those conclusions you had to be just the right combination of observant, resourceful, and a little childish.  You weighed your options.  You could deny it, but there was so much of your story that you would have to build up.  You never spoke to anyone before, so Aurora didn’t have a back story.  There was also the fact that he saw you emerging from a tank of water with scales on your skin.  You could pretend that you were just doing some performance, but that was even more unbelievable than his theory.

You let out a shaky breath. “Is Ethan here now?”  You asked.

Grayson pointed with his thumb behind him to his brother who took a “mini-nap” and was now completely knocked out.  You chuckled softly, a weak laugh, but it made Grayson smile as well.

“So uh...how crazy are we?” Grayson asked. 

“All I can tell you is that you’re not crazy.” You said in a measured tone. “But you can’t tell anyone what you learned.  Pete is not the nice guy everyone thinks he is and you two are in grave danger with everything you know.”