#he's either a merman or a princess

[kimi-co]

[hntnsshi]

Voice

Azul Ashengrotto had always have a peculiar fixation with your voice.

You weren't the one to talk much to begin with in public's eye. You answered with either physical gestures, hums, or grunts most of the time. You did talk at times when needed, but you preferred to shut your mouth if you are not familiar with who you were talking to from what Azul observed. It took you some time to be able to adjust working with the Octavinelle dormitory's students at Mostro Lounge because it was 'awkward' for you to communicate openly.

"It's tiring," you complained one day when Floyd nagged why you didn't really talk much if you weren't using yout phone, "I talk only if I have to, but shouldn't you feel grateful that I actually talk a lot with you guys? I love you afterall~" your laugh afterwards was supposed to be irritating, but Azul couldn't do anything but to get flustered merely out of your teasing (even if he knew that was probably only a joke).

Azul has a pretty light pitched voice. Everyone had praised him for his smooth way of talking. Afterall, he had worked hard to appear as a flawless figure in front of people. His expectation could be labeled as high, so he felt no remorse when he confiscated the Ramshackle dorm while stating that you, the magicless prefect, didn't have any royalty blood nor a melodious voice like how the young mermaid princess had to bargain with for a contract. The Octavinelle head dorm didn't feel any guilt whatsoever at that time. It wasn't his fault, you didn't talk much anyway, so he has no expectation towards the strange newcomer.

(Or in short, he was glad that there was an additional inferior mob character that he could crush under his power once again)

But the great seven really wouldn't going to let that slip by, would they? Azul couldn't remember when he started zoning out on his tasks just to focus his hearing senses on your low murmur when you were doing your assignments. He was left breathless when you lowly chuckled, or when you actually could laugh freely around him. And what the lilac young man loved the most, was when you called his name without any formalities each time the both of you were doing Mostro Lounge's paper works in his VIP room.

You couldn't sing, you stumbled upon your sentences a lot, and your intonation was mostly monotonous. But Azul wondered why his heart pounded each time you whispered in a husky way, presence lingering right beside him while your bodies pressed with each other just so you could reveal the true intents of his customers based from your observations.

Jade once sneered at him, enjoying how desperate he was just because you didn't come to the lounge for three days due to a team project with the two Heartslabyul first years.

"How does it feel to be hopeless once again, Azul?" The eel merman taunted, earning sharp glare from his childhood friend, "-oh? What's with the look? I was asking out of curiousity. No need to be that hostile." The sharp grin he sent was unnerving, but Azul was already used to the teal haired student's antics.

His obsession was getting to the point where desperately, Azul decided that making a deal with Idia for the sake of fulfilling his dreams of getting pampered by your voice would be beneficial for his mental health in the long run— which sounded extremely creepy and illogical if the old Azul were to know his intentions. The woes of a lovesick man.

"... You want me to do WHAT exactly?"

"You heard me loud and clear, Idia," Azul's gloved hand was raised to fix his glasses' position, he gazed right to the flame haired senior that was setting up a board game on the table in front of them (he also saw dices, but he would complain about that later after they had started the game), "I would like to ask for your service. Are you worried because I might not give an exchange you desire in return?"

Idia Shroud nervously bit his lip, "n-no, that wasn't what bothers me the most! I don't care much about payments!" He then pointed questioningly at the lilac haired male, "I was asking why would you ask me to make a synthetic voicebank of the prefect! That- isn't that considered as creepy if you don't have their consent?!"

The bespectacled student frowned, "rude," he remarked shortly, "you do not ask questions about your client's personal reasons."

"Yeah, but making a synthetic voicebank out of someone else's voice and not yourself..." Idia gulped, what's wrong with this guy's head? Why would he need someone else's voicebank for? "What are you going to do, Azul? Making the prefect say 'good morning honey' or 'I love you so much, senpai~' so you can hear it without having to meet them directly?".

The Ignihyde head dorm's question wasn't actually serious. He had only seen something like this in his otome games- especially the psychotic obsession ones. Idia didn't think his junior would admit or agree with his statement- it might be for business stuffs? He didn't want to pry further. He didn't know and he didn't want to know.

But the visible red dust on Azul's pale cheeks was enough to proof his blatant questions was pretty much spot on.

Idia paled. Oh for the great seven's sake, this was getting more awkward than it should had been.

[deathbyoctopi]

Another year, another rec list with some of the best xuexiao I've read these last 12 months!! >w<

And like last year's rec list, this isn't either exhaustive or limited to fics posted in 2023. It's just the things I have found, which I liked, and want to spread the love about ^-^

Here's, in no particular order, my favourite xuexiao (and occasional songxuexiao) fics. Also, take a look down below for other mxtx or danmei pairings!

You're mine by twilightshards. This is a phenomenal oneshot where Xue Yang does not wait patiently to take revenge on Baixue temple, but rather follows the annoying daoshi out of Jinlintai as soon as he gets off the hook. He catches up with them a couple of nights later, only to find Xiao Xingchen in a... compromised position. While moaning Xue Yang's name.

The tamed by @fieri-sentio-et-excrucior. Last year I recommended the wonderful The Prisoner of Jinlintai fic, and now we got a sequel to that!!! Exciting stuff, very exciting... Xiao Xingchen saves Xue Yang from his botched execution and Song Lan is there raging at what he thinks is a psycho taking full advantage of his friend's kindness. Absolutely loved it!

蛇 - shé by shoujorei. A spectacular oviposition fic with blind snake hybrid Xiao Xingchen and enemy-posing-as-housemate Xue Yang, who really didn't know what he was volunteering for when he offered to "help" daozhang with his next heat. An absolute delight!

good lies go bad by istilfearkanna One of the Yi City what-if's I like so much, showing what would happen if Song Lan is successful in killing Xue Yang and, as per canon, vows not to tell his friend anything. So naturally you have Xiao Xingchen happy about his rekindled friendship, but also deeply worried about his missing friend... breaks my heart every time T-T (thx lionfish13 for the rec!!!)

Down in the black sea by @10holmes. A mermaid AU which has to be the sweetest Xue Yang /Xiao Xingchen tale I've seen in a while, with xxc being a revered merman saving the life of a handsome pirate... without realizing that is the infamous Xue Yang, mermaid hunter and slayer of plenty of his kinsmen!! But of course, they fall in love. It's downright adorable (and deliciously angst-inducing!) Also, the worldbuilding in this one is marvelous!

promises, promises by an anonymous author. Time travel fic!!! This one follows Song Lan trying to right the wrongs of his life in the easiest way possible: that is, to eliminate Xue Yang before he has the chance to hurt anyone else. Except... he gets distracted saving the life of a poor child with a mangled left hand. Still ongoing, and XXC isn't in the picture yet, but the new chapters are highly anticipated and the writing style is so, so, so good.

the non-con opition by the same anonymous author. How do I know? None of your business!! But the awesome writing style continues here, as well as the song lan/xue yang being brought together by fate is just as awesome. It promises to be songxuexiao eventually, for now it's a delightful soulmates/omegaverse with alpha!Song Lan in rut nonconning the hell out of a mysterious omega with a foul mouth.

Sant Xingchen i el drac by @ergbolli45 A little sweet adorable spin of a traditional legend very dear to my heart. It's winter, the Yi City crew are bored around their campfire, and A-Qing wants a story. So, Xue Yang offers to tell a tale from some exotic land on the west about a little princess, a brave knight and a fearsome dragon.

sticking their dick in crazy by Sectionladvivi. I'm not generally one for modern AUs, but this one is such a stupid and shameless pwp that it skyrocketed through my rankings XD SongXueXiao, and oddly enough, the crazy one alluded in the title isn't Xue Yang!! Delicious and filthy. No thoughts, just horn.

Priceless by @fieri-sentio-et-excrucior. Another modern AU!! but how can I resist, when this is Xue Yang breaking and entering happily married songxiao's domicile, who were getting ready for a very sexy night... and end up, Song Lan tied up and forced to watch the criminal fuck Xiao Xingchen senseless (and unaware it's not his husband the one in bed with him!). Evil and sexy, another wonderful fic by such a wonderful author <3

hands, reaching out by @neriine. A retelling of Yi City but with mutation-like special powers, making it especially interesting when it comes to xuexiao's backstory (song lan is also there, in the background) and the night hunts. It's sweet, sweet, Xue Yang as always a murder gremlin who thinks he has it all under control when the first thing that he doesn't know half-way about is his own feelings... Very well-written, and creative in its worldbuilding!

THIS lovely picture is not from a fic (well, not yet, unless I manage to do something cute with it >w<) but serves as an example of all the wonderful pic manips @wangxianswuji has made, which maybe it's cheating a bit for a fanfic rec post, but. They're just so good. Go check their profile and drool with me ^-^

and speaking of art, I can't not mention @wrathyforest's art done for the fic Now that I see you, particularly one of my favourite moments with Xiao Xingchen defending Xue Yang from an undesirable... this fic was in last year's rec list, and very deservingly so!

ANd now for the other ships!

Love of my life, don't hurt me by @foreheadkissesforzewu-jun This is a delightful and spectacularly cruel tale of unrequired love by a gallant cultivator spiriting his soulmate away. At least, that's what Wen Zhuliu sees it, when in fact this fic is him kidnapping and brutally assaulting Lan Xichen, while following the events of the Wen war and the sunshot campaign. Loved it, but PLEASE read the tags.

Jade pillar, bending like reed by awkwardrecline. dark jades (and dark!Lan Xichen in particular) are so so sooo very dear to my heart... this fic has it all, a tyrannical Lan clan leader who will abuse his power left right and center, a jealous didi who wants nothing but possessive love, so much smut everywhere... Cloud Recesses is never as sexy as when the jades are so unrestrained, I love it! ^-^

My future mommy's mistake by tenwudzvrs. Is this fic pretty much what many people consider nono kinks? mpreg, noncon, xue yang being an utter dick? and do I love it precisely because of it? XD pregnant Wei Wuxian goes home one evening but comes across a ruffian in a back alley, who does everything to him up to and including speaking with his husband through the phone while nailing him to the wall. Lan Zhan isn't happy. I am delighted.

What brother needs, brother gets by @foreheadkissesforzewu-jun. a modern AU jadecest pwp which... to be honest, it's pure oral fixation Lan Xichen going to his didi after he got dumped by some idiot and Lan Wangji doing the best he can to comfort him. It's ridiculously shameless and incredibly enjoyable, just to see these two come to the conclusion that the best course of action is to fuck each other!! XD Wei Ying will find a surprise when he gets back home from his travels and finds his husband has collected another husband...

furious love by @alipeeps. From Till the end of the moon, a very nasty and wonderfully in-canon insight on the disastrous marriage between Ye Xiwu (the original) and Tantai Jin. Let's just say she decides to take her marital rights to the extreme, and using the very same lust potion that originally landed her in that marriage to begin with! Tantai Jin is one of those characters that truly suffer beautifully, and suffer he does here!

a fire, made high and wild by @judiwench. A fic for Sleuth of Ming Dynasty, which is a series that wormed its way into my soul. Sui Zhou desperately searches Tang Fan (him, please, him, not his corpse) only to find him... less than good. I was seriously debating between this one and is the festering that kills a man by the same author, but... Agh, they are both amazing snippets at their obvious mutual love, and the trauma that brings it to light. Highly recommend the series and these fics!

a long sleepless night by @dying-redshirt-noises. This one is from Mysterious Lotus Casebook, a wonderful three-way pwp in the Girls' Mansion where Fang Duobing gets doused with sex pollen... of course, Li Lianhua wants to help, but there is not much he can do with his yang disfunction. How handy to have someone like a-Fei nearby to rail the young master, then!! It is sexy and wonderfully in-canon, and I'm all for it.

And I'm probably still forgetting a few fics, there is nowhere near enough jadecest here compared to what I know I have read and enjoyed... Shame on me again for forgetting to bookmark more often than not.

I'm a bit sad that I barely found any of this year's authors on tumblr (don't know if they don't have accounts here, or do under different usernames) so if anyone knows about them, repost bc I'd like to engage and give them my most sincere praise.

Also, I will say I purposefully avoided tgcf fics for fear of spoilers until I read the whole book, so... next year I'm surely filling this with hualian and such!! >w<

Finally, since we're at it, I just will get a bit of self-promotion with the 5 fics I liked most of what I wrote on this year. I'm IMMENSELY PROUD to have produced 36 fics in this year of our lord 2023 (3 per month!!! omfg!!) and while I can't claim favourites, these might be the ones I'm most proud of:

Some kind of dream. Xuexiao roleplaying after a night hunt, with some nice power dynamics, very mutually enthusiastic consensual non-con, and Xue Yang all but confessing that he is Xiao Xingchen's worse enemy... Smut and fluff, all in one. I do love the 3 year bliss in Yi City, and all the in-canon opportunities it offers!!!

Incensed nights. An INSANE endeavor for kinktober, with WangXian dreaming each night a different cozy, cruel, smutty or simply crack-y scenario. 31 fics for the price of one!! multiple pairings, I can't stress how much Lan Zhan dreams of his brother, or wei wuxian's mind follows other ships... Extremely happy with this one, and I nearly went crazy, seriously.

Shards of morning nights and forbidden kisses. My attempt at jadecest, niecest and omegaverse, all in one. ANd quite successful, might I say! Both clan leaders Lan and Nie want to find a way to claim and marry their respective omega didis, but something something clan rules forces them to play a delicate and sexy political game. It ends in a very nice orgy XD

A Comedy of Yi City Errors. This one, I'm particularly happy with the sheer amount of planning and interlocking plotpoints it has, with Song Lan coming across Xiao Xingchen, a-Qing and Xue Yang without even realizing. I'm told it is quite funny... And I like it very much >w<

...what did you call it again? the only one not mdzs in the list, this is for Till the end of the moon and it's yet again Tantai Jin suffering in his so beautiful way! It was done for an exchange, following the premise: take a canon even and make it worse. Do you think ttj had it bad in the series, with the servants mistreating him in Ye Manor? Ya have seen nuffin!!!

Once again, thanks for reading, thanks to all authors for writing, and let's have a wonderful 2024 full of fics and love!!!

[beifong-brainrot]

ships

linumi - kyalin - bopal - pemzin - suzin - bumizumi - linmon - makopal - korrvira

Linumi:

Bumi is the werewolf (big hairy man lol.) and Lin's the hunter. I feel like this is the most obvious.

At first I was gonna go with Lin as a mermaid, but then I remembered that Bumi was a literal naval commander and also merman! Bumi is a fucking vibe. He'd slay.

Lin is the least whimsical witch you will ever meet and Bumi is the familiar. What animal can he shapeshift into I wonder?

Barista Bumi. Idk why but I feel like this man can make amazing coffee. I can see it in his forearms. Lin is a canon coffee addict in my heart.

Like with the mermaid one, I at first was gonna have Lin as the teacher but I found the idea of cool guy professor Bumi and really strict TA Lin really endearing

Bumi is the Knight and Lin is the surprisingly competent princess. But i also love the idea of rugged knight Lin and soft Avatar's son Bumi. So like. I can go either way.

Cool dad Bumi and Lin as the scary teacher Bumi's kid always complains about.

I can certainly see Bumi as a writer for some reason? Like he tells stories a lot, I think he'd be a decent writer. Lin being his editor would be really funny because I can imagine that Bumi just word vomits onto a page.

Kyalin

Oooh werewolf Kya! As a waterbender, she already has a connection with a moon, it's perfect. I think Lin would look cool with like, a Dawnguard style crossbow.

I mean. Kya feels more mermaid-y. Water connections and all. Also She's just so damn whimsical.

Witchy Kya! And Lin as her catlike familiar. Ooh...

Barista Kya and Lin the forever coffee addict lol

Yeah, Lin certainly has teacher vibes... and Kya is the TA everyone likes more than Lin.

Knight Lin... and princess Kya d'awww

Single mom Lin and Kya as the teacher who helps Lin connect with hwr kid.

Exhausted writer Lin and Kya as her editor who cheers her on

Sorry, no Bopal, since I really really hate that ship and don't like thinking about it.

Pemzin

Tenzin as a gentle as fuck werewolf. Pema is ready to get rawdogged by a monster with a huge knot but Tenzin is too much of a sweetheart.

Tenzin would probably be a mermaid and Pema is the overly excitable fisherwoman who caught him and keeps him in a bathtub. (I just feel like Pema would be a monsterfucker. I feel it)

Witch Pema who summoned Tenzin as her avian familiar. Monsterfucker Pema supremacy.

I'd say barista Pema and exhausted coffee lover Tenzin

I feel like their vibe already is Teacher! Tenzin/TA! Pema

Sweet gentle prince Tenzin and very excitable knight Pema who is here to rescue him. Please don't resist.

Single dad Tenzin and teacher Pema. They'd be cute.

Tenzin would be the writer and Pema would be the editor I think.

Suzin

I'd actually see both of them as werewolves for some reason? But uh if I had to chose I'd point Su out as the werewolf.

Suyin as a smitten mermaid and Tenzin as a baffled nad horrified fisherman

Ooh Witch Tenzin and Suyin as his familiar. I'm not surewhat animal she would be shapeshifting into.

Barista Suyin and coffee addict Tenzin.

Tenzin would be a stressd out teacher and Suyin would be his amused and unhelpful TA

Knight Suyin and Prince Tenzin. But I can see it going either way too.

Single mom of a gaggle of babies Su and Tenzin as Opal's airbending or whatever teacher.

Writer Su and Tenzin the editor

Bumizumi

Werewolf Bumi, per usual. Idk... he's just so werewolfy.

Izumi as a mermaid, she'd be so cool and pretty...

Witch Izumi and Bumi, her familiar aww...

Idk Izumi has such coffee addict vibes and Bumi should be allowed to coffee.

TA Bumi who stands up for the class when strict ole Izumi is tormenting the class.

Well um Izumi is already a princess so...

Single mom Izumi and Bumi the teacher who teaches her how to love again lol.

Writer Bumi and Izumi organising his garbled thoughts

Linmon

Amon as a werewolf and Lin hunting him down how intriguing. That would make a cool AU fic

Mermaid Lin and Amon as a fisherman who specialises in fishing for mermaids. He hunts her... how the turn tables!

Witch Amon and Lin as his familiar who hates him. Cat that bites you lovingly.

Barista Amon and coffee addict Lin again.

Lin as an exhausted teacher ans Amon as an equally exhausted TA. They argue. A lot.

Princess Lin and morally grey scary Knight Amon

Single mom Lin and Amon the teacher. God the Parent Teacher conferences have to be sexually tense hell.

Edgy writer Amon and his concerned editor Lin.

Makopal

Werewolf Mako and Opal hunting him ohh. Dw he's just misunderstood.

Mermaid Opal wanting to be part of Mako's world aww

Witch Opal and her fiery familiar Mako who is just. Not happy to be here.

I'd actually call Mako the barista, and Opal would be a coffee addict. Though Mako the barista is also addicted to coffee lol.

Teacher Mako and sweet TA Opal

I know it doesn't exactly make sense but Prince Mako getting rescued by brave knight Opal is in my head forever now.

Single dad Mako falling in love with his kid's teacher Opal

Writer Opal and Mako editing for her. But i think she doesn't leave much to edit.

Korvira

Hmmmm... I can see it going both ways. Kuvira just has vibes for both, y'know. But picking one it'd be Korra as a rather unproblematic werewolf. And Kuvira as the overzealous werewolf hunter who's very excited about commiting murder to clear monsters from the area.

Mermaid Kuvira actually. I know Korra being a waterbender should be more mermaidy, but like. Deep sea mermaid Kuvira lives in my head forever.

Witch Korra and her bitchy familiar Kuvira lol

Sexy dyme barista Korra and Kuvira the coffee lover.

I think Kuvira would be the really annoying teacher and Korr would be the likable TA

Princess Korra and Kuvira being her knight in shining armour aww.

Single mom Kuvira and Korra as a teacher, who really loves kids

Fantasy writer Korra and Kuvira as her editor

Whewww, that was a lot! Goodness gracious

[im-not-corrupted]

For my contribution to mermay, have the second chapter to like doves, falling to the currents aka my Mer!Hob fic! Read part one on Tumblr here or read the entire thing on ao3 here.

Tags: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Merman!Hob, Human Dream of the Endless | Morpheus, the fantasy is very vague but like. mermaids., Dream of the Endless | Morpheus has Depression, Grief/Mourning, deals with the death of Orpheus, and Dream and Calliope's divorce, Brief suicidal ideation, Near Death Experiences, Drowning, Touch-Starved Dream of the Endless | Morpheus, POV Dream of the Endless | Morpheus, Arranged Marriage, Dream of the Endless | Morpheus Saves Hob Gadling, Developing Friendships

—————

He rests for a good week or so. Not out of any true desire to do so—every part of him wants desperately to return to the beach, to see if what he saw there was real, to see if the merman waits for him. A foolish desire, that; if he was real, then the fact that he even bothered to save Morpheus in the first place was a miracle in and of itself. There is no reason for him to wait for Morpheus's return, especially when Morpheus gave no indication he planned to go back.

No, he rests on the orders of Unity Kincaid, the doctor who took one look at him upon his return to the palace and demanded he take some time to recover. At this point, he had yet to see his parents. Whether they had been alerted to either his survival or his arrival at the palace, he didn’t know. He also didn’t particularly care, and still doesn’t—their disappointed glances, the sternness in their faces during their last conversation, remains all too easy to recall. While he is still so exhausted, and questions his sanity just a little more whenever somebody tells him that his survival is a miracle as he only just manages to stop himself from mentioning his fish-tailed saviour, he doesn't want to see them.

Not only because he does not want to deal with their disappointment yet again, but also because he does not want to talk to them about the prospect of marriage again. Somehow, the two of them saw fit to bring it up before he left for Orpheus's funeral. It is your duty as prince to this kingdom, his mother had snapped at him. You failed with Princess Calliope. No matter. You may take another bride from a neighbouring kingdom and strengthen our ties to them, or marry some Lady of our own kingdom.

He can't comprehend how they might see fit to bring this up while the loss of both his son and his wife remain unhealed wounds to his heart. And when they brought it up, he had been made both angry and ashamed—ashamed for failing, ashamed for being selfish enough to not want to marry some other lady for the sake of his duties, and angry that these things were demanded of him. He is the third son in line to the throne. The chances of him taking the throne are slim. He should not matter in the grand scheme of things, yet his parents seem insistent on holding him to duties he doesn't want to follow through with.

After Calliope, the idea of marriage...he can't do it. Perhaps in another three or four years, if his title truly does call for it. And with no true argument to make—his parents do not sympathise with his losses and don't seem to see them as a reason for disregarding his duties—he has no way to avoid any decision regarding such arrangements.

So he hears Unity's orders to rest and locks himself in his chambers, glad for the excuse to spend time to himself, and more than glad that he has yet to run into either his parents or the siblings he has a more rocky relationship with than the one he has with Telute, despite the way he desires to run out to that beach again, to see if the merman is there, to see if any of it had been real.

Chances are, it was all some elaborate hallucination. By the time he wakes up the next afternoon after finally laying down to rest after what feels like years but really couldn't have been more than half a day, surely—he still isn't sure how long he was unconscious for, and vows to ask Lucienne at some point—he is half-convinced that the merman, and whatever conversation the two held on that beach, were nothing more than a product of near-drowning, and perhaps heat stroke too. He has the sunburn to go with that particular hypothesis, and after waking initially, much of his skin is red and raw and painful. He refuses to move for a good while when he realises just what price he now has to pay for laying on that beach for so long, feeling utterly miserable.

Heat stroke, then. Yes. Hallucinations is not a symptom he associates with such a thing, but he supposes there’s a first time for everything. He returns to Doctor Kincaid, who takes one look at his uncomfortable expression and too-red skin he knows will peel uncomfortably soon and hands him a salve she promises will help, then demands he returns to resting. He is not to overexert himself, after all, and he does exactly as she orders with minimal complaint. (The salve does help, a soothing chill that battles the fire of his skin. He makes a mental note to himself to thank the doctor the next time he sees her—which, he reckons, will not take too long. She has said already that she shall check on him soon.)

Despite dismissing the merman on the beach as an hallucination and dismissing it as simply too much time spent in the sun after near drowning, the urge to return to the beach remains, lurking under his skin with such determination he fears he may go mad with it, and is worsened every time he looks out to his large, ceiling-high windows that face the sea and remembers the way the sun caught on the golden flecks of the merman's eyes. His imagination has always been particularly strong—his parents have always expressed disappointment over this, tutting and telling him firmly that he should not ‘spend so much time with your head among the clouds, Morpheus’—but there are some things, he thinks, not even he can make up. That shade of gold, for example—he wracks his brain and yet cannot come up with a colour that feels remotely similar to what he saw that day. It does not feel right when he tries to replicate the way the merman looked at him inside his own head, like his eyes were twin suns of their own and had the same pull, the same power, as the one that hung high in their sky. He was awed at the sight of them on that beach, and there are some things even his imagination cannot come up with. 

Each time he finds himself staring out at the sea and wandering down this tangent, he forces himself away. The sea still looks beautiful despite the storm he witnessed, despite the fact that he's now all-too aware of just how much brutality lurks beneath the waves. He pushes away the memory of the merman’s voice—one of the few things he can remember clearly, which only further reinforces the idea that the afternoon he spent with him was nothing but a figment of his own mind—and stalks away from the windows, swallowing down guilt and letting it tear open his trachea on the way down. It has not even been six full months since Orpheus's death, since Calliope left him for letting their son die. Yet in his weakest moment, he had somehow allowed himself to imagine up the merman in all his beauty, sun-bright and lovely. It feels unfair to those he lost to dream up somebody so objectively lovely despite his strangeness, cruel to think of him instead of those he lost.

Acknowledging that does not make the desire to find the merman again any lesser, but the guilt is strong enough he closes the window so he cannot hear the waves of the sea crashing against the rocks of the cliff. And for a week, he busies himself with reading as he regains his strength and his sunburn begins to heal, his discomfort growing a bit less by the day. There are many books in his rooms. Many of them, he has read before. Some he returns to for some modicum of comfort and lets himself drown in the nostalgia and longing they bring up. Some have yet to be read at all, and there is a new stack of books on top of his desk that he's never seen before.

When he approaches them, he spots a note written on white parchment in neat, swooping cursive he knows to be Lucienne's hand resting on the leather-bound cover of the first book in the pile. He picks it up and reads it quickly, chest swelling with gratitude as he does so.

Your Highness,

I figured you may be in need of some new entertainment while condemned to bedrest, my Lord. I thought you may enjoy them, and that they may ease the weight on your shoulders for a time.

Yours, Lucienne.

He places the note back on his desk, making a quick mental note to thank her whenever he sees her next, and then takes the stack in his hands. He follows Unity's orders and rests, slowly making his way through Lucienne's stack of books, which ranged from awful, trashy romance novels he consumes regardless of their quality and heart-wrenching tragedies that leave him feeling a little hollow and terribly lost, and resolves not to think about the merman with golden eyes who called him pretty even when he sat on death’s door.

+++

Not thinking about him doesn't work. His memory follows Morpheus through his rest days and then longer. After a few days, that memory is one of the few things that lingers from his near-death experience. His throat still feels scratchy, but his chest hurts less. With enough sleep, the physical exhaustion leaves him. (Despite that, he still does not feel truly rested. Without the bone-deep exhaustion that demands he lay his head to a pillow and sleep for the next ten years, all that remains is the more metaphysical ache in his chest. It is all so much, grief and misery overwhelming him in equal measures. It drains him, but he is not physically tired, so his body does not allow him rest. After a couple days, when his body is better healed, he falls back into the patterns he fell into before his journey for Orpheus's funeral, and sleep becomes difficult for him once more. Each and every time he closes his eyes, he sees Orpheus's face in his mind's eye. It makes sleep difficult.) 

He is called to eat with his family the day his ordered bed rest ends, who express their sympathies for his "difficult journey" and do not say much else. He is grateful for that—his parents have never been particularly good at caring about any of their children, so he expects nothing else from them as he sits at the grand table and is brought food he hardly touches. It is better that they offer him sympathies they didn't truly mean than bring up marriage or alliances or any other number of horrid things they could possibly come up with.

So Morpheus sits in silence between his elder sister and younger sibling's chairs, avoids Telute's searching, worried glances, and simply listens. Nyx and Cronos speak only to ask questions of the others, falling silent when they lose interest, which happens quickly enough until either sibling mentions something that may tarnish the family's reputation. He does not mind sitting in silence—there is little he wishes  to say either way.

After years of family dinners, he knows exactly how these things go. As soon as he opens his mouth, his younger sibling, Epithuma, will say something to goad him until he either grows frustrated enough to snap back or leave. Both of those options earn him their parent's ire; it is the only reason Epithuma has ever decided to bother him so. Telute claims it is due to him paying them a lack of attention, but Morpheus does not believe that to be true. Though the two of them were close when they were younger—as close as Epithuma and Aponia were now—as they grew, his sibling developed a hatred for him he still does not understand the origins of. They needled him, caused chaos that ended only in disaster for him, and have made little effort to hide their dislike of him. He misses them vaguely, in the sense that he misses only what they once had but would be reluctant to return to it if given the opportunity.

Yes, it is best he remains silent. The events of the last few months serve only as ammunition in his sibling's mouth. He does not wish to hear their take on Calliope's leaving of him, nor does he wish for them to detail his obvious failures. Those he knows well and has already internalised. He has no doubt Epithuma will find the most scathing way to word such things. He does not wish to hear it.

He manages to get out of that family dinner with his sanity only just intact, and without inducing anybody's frustration of him. Their parents do not call him back, and make no effort to talk to him, so he slips back to his chambers with the intention of disappearing until he is called out next.

That is interrupted by Telute, who manages to clutch onto his arm as he walks away. The touch is abrupt enough to startle him and he spins around, more than a little panicked until he sees it is his dear sister. She smiles at him, but it is a tentative thing too full of concern for him to find any comfort in it. "I didn't mean to startle you, brother," she tells him, and frowns. "Did you not hear me calling you?"

He shakes his head, and pretends he doesn't see the way her lips tighten in displeasure. "Can I help you, sibling?" And then, because he had forgotten that she, too, had been on that ship with him, he asks quieter, "How are you faring?"

She blinks at him, and the guilt he has become far too acquainted with grows thorns, tearing at him. It is selfish of him, to have not thought of her sooner. To have not asked after her. “As well as can be, I suppose. Though I didn’t nearly drown, so I have that going for me. Are you well, brother?”

The abruptness to her voice startles him. He does not know how to answer and stands in front of her, floundering, trying desperately to grasp for something to say that might soothe her. It is a difficult task, and in the end all he can think of saying is, “I am tired, sister.”

That one sentence can mean a good many things. When Unity Kincaid checked over him, he said the same thing—I am tired. Only at that point, he was talking about physical exhaustion, about his desire to sleep and not wake for another ten years so his body might not feel weighed down by lead.

Telute’s face softens in a way that suggests she understands, or at least knows, which way he means it in. “Would you like to walk through the gardens with me?” she asks. “I could use the company.”

It does not sound pitying, the suggestion. In fact, it sounds honest. His sister wants to walk through the gardens for a while, and she wants him to keep her company.

It is that honesty, and the lack of pity, that makes him move from where he stands in the hallway, holding an arm out for her. She threads hers through his, linking their elbows together, and gives him a warm, lovely smile. It feels out of place, that smile. Too bright when every part of his mind seems to be swallowed by dark clouds.

He does not complain. Telute’s presence soothes some of the ache inside of him, and he cannot help but be grateful for that. The two of them didn’t talk very much on the way to Orpheus’s funeral. That, he knows, was his fault entirely. When words came to him these days—and they so rarely did, whatever part of him that found joy from engaging in conversation with people like Telute and Lucienne disappearing almost entirely, making talking far more effort than it is worth—they tend to come out sharp. Weapons he doesn’t intend to use, weapons he doesn’t know are there waiting to be used, and yet weapons all the same.

He knows, in his grief, that he has been…particularly awful, he supposes. He is aching, and wonders why everybody else doesn’t hurt with him. It seems unfair, but he is aware enough to know none of those he is close to deserve his ire. If anything, it is only he who does—he who is responsible for Orpheus’s death, who drove Calliope away. He resolves, as the two of them walk out into the gardens, to turn those weapons inwards. If he bleeds from their impact, then all the better. At least it would be he and not those who are innocent in this, whose intentions are only good.

All the while, Telute talks to him. He is grateful for that, for the fact that he needs not engage in conversation. With anybody else, with any of his other siblings, he would be expected to speak back. To truly talk, instead of remaining a silent, impassive companion, regardless of how difficult it has become to find the words he wants to say. (It feels ironic, that. When they were younger, Telute used to call him the Prince of Stories, in reference to his love for reading. He had penned his own books at the time, too, whenever he had a moment to spare, filling journals with his own stories that would never see the light of day. It was an escape from his duties, from the binds of his family, and he relied on this escape heavily. He did not anymore—his parents demanded he grow up, and he saw the logic in that.

Now, he cannot even take part in a conversation properly without feeling terribly drained. Oh, how the mighty do fall.)

Telute does not speak of anything of particular importance, but that hardly matters to him. He hangs onto every word he can, listening eagerly to the stories she paints. She talks of the efforts Lucienne and Jessamy went into finding him, how grateful she was that he was alive and well, how terrified she had been to see him fall overboard. She talks a little about her own duties, avoiding mention of Calliope and Orpheus all together. On occasion, she asks questions for him—small things that are easy to answer. Have you healed well? and Have you read anything particularly great yet? and Have you returned to Kincaid for another checkup?

He answers all of those with small, one word answers. She beams at him, unfazed by how little he talks, and he is so very grateful for her, more than he believes himself capable of expressing in words. Whatever he can come up with now would not do her justice, nor properly express his appreciation.

Eventually, they make it out to the gardens. He has not been here in quite some time—beautiful though they are, they are wrought with memories he wishes to stay away from. Though the gardens are tended by the palace staff—and well-tended to at that, Morpheus always thought Mervynn deserved a larger pay for how much work he put into making this place so lovely and keeping it so tidy—there is a whole section of those that, once upon a time, belonged to his sister Del.

They are still her gardens, only they belong to her memory now. She found her death at her own hand. Morpheus had been the one to find her corpse, laying in a pool of blood with her wrists slit, an expression upon her face that was far too peaceful for such a horrifying scene. Their parents covered it all up—There can be no weakness in the House of de Endeles, Nyx snapped when he had protested, and she did not even seem to grieve for her youngest daughter at all—and resolved to have these parts of the gardens remade in their image.

It would’ve erased any memory of her. It angered each of them, one of the few things that he and his siblings agreed on unanimously. They are all so different, with varying opinions. They clash, each and every one of them, with their own favourites among them.

That time, though, they grew angry and it bonded them, just for a time. Long enough to work on the garden themselves, keeping it alive as Delirium imagined. Long enough to keep tending to the flowers and bother everybody their parents hired long enough for them to forget their plans of redoing them.

Now, it remains just as beautiful. Delirium had an eye for colour, and no new flowers had been planted in this area of the gardens since her death. They wanted to make sure it remained the same, how she wanted it to be, and so her area of the gardens is a riot of colour against the green hedges and the paved stone floor. She had gotten her hands on rather beautiful exotic flowers he would not know the names of had he not played a part in keeping the gardens like this, all of them various shades of blues and reds and purples. Lovely and wonderful, almost hypnotising to look at. They caught the sunlight with soft petals and glowed, turning their faces towards the sun to catch the most of it.

Telute leads him to a bench in the corner and urges him to sit beside her. He does so, and finds himself enjoying this moment of peace. The air is sweet, heavy with the scent of flowers. A gentle breeze messes with his hair, a lover’s caress against his face, and he closes his eyes to relish in it. The sun blesses him with its warmth, generous in its love, and he soaks it all in. Here, for just a moment, he feels…alive. It has been a long while since he has felt as though he is truly alive, instead of simply existing.

“Talk to me, brother,” Telute asks him after a couple beats of silence. When he snaps out of his reverie and looks towards her, her expression is open, compassionate. He does not like it. He does not like the earnestness, nor the idea that she perceives him to be so weak she has to ask this of him. “I understand you have been through…a hard time recently. I loved Orpheus, and though  I was only his aunt, I miss him dearly. I cannot begin to fathom what you must be feeling, Morpheus. Only, I know you well, and I know you’re going to keep everything to yourself until you can no longer handle it. I do not want this for you.”

He clenches his jaw. Against his will, anger rises. She does not know. She does not understand the constant agony in his chest, the thorns of guilt curled around his heart and his stomach until he fears he will be sick with it, until he becomes convinced that the thorns have punctured his heart enough that he is bleeding out. What right does she have to claim to know him when he does not even know himself? When he finds himself completely unable to differentiate himself from his own grief and regret and his guilt?

Perhaps, he thinks, perhaps that is who he is now. Perhaps he is only a vessel for agony and grief, both his and Calliope’s. Perhaps he is nothing but a place to store anger at both the world and the circumstances surrounding Orpheus’s death, and whatever he had been previously had been burned away.

He hates the idea that he lost himself so easily. He hates the idea that he does not know who he is without the agony that holds his hand through every waking moment of every damn day. And he hates, more than anything, how he does not know how to erase this from himself.

Does he even want to? To erase the guilt, the grief, would be to erase Orpheus, too. And he wants to remember his son. He does not want to let go of him, of the child he tried his best to pour all of his love into. It simply wasn’t enough, and now he doesn’t want to let go of his regret, either. He deserves this, for driving Orpheus away. For pushing him towards tragedy, towards an early grave. If he is to let go of his grief, his guilt and regret, it would be the same as saying goodbye to one he doesn’t think he’d ever be ready to say goodbye to.

“I miss Orpheus,” he tells Telute honestly. He does not speak of the void in his chest, consuming anything that isn’t exhaustion. “I do not see the point of any of this without him.”

Between them, silence grows, until his sister offers, “I know you do, Dream. Only—only you are still alive. There is no use in dwelling on the past. Perhaps performing your duties may…help you. To get out of your own head.”

Morpheus fails to understand how marriage would aid him here. It seems the kind of thing that would only put every wound that has yet to heal in full-focus, something that might carve them deeper. “Is that your advice?” he asks, and doesn’t manage to keep the poison from his voice. Later, he will hope his sister forgives him for that, or at least doesn’t think about it too heavily. For now, all he thinks of is, There is no use dwelling on the past, as though the two of them did not stand atop a cliff before a headstone with the name Orpheus de Endeles engraved into it. As though his son is not dead, a fact that can never be changed or made better. “To focus on my duties?”

She grips his hand, holds it tightly in hers. Her skin is so much warmer than his. “I have struggled too, brother,” she tells him gently. The tenderness of it is agonising. He wants sharpness. He wants knives to dig deep and bury themselves in his chest and hurt like the rest of him. He does not deserve tenderness to soothe him, to make things easier. He killed his son. He deserves the pain of whatever she might possibly be able to say. “Not the same as you do now, of course. But I realised I’m here to serve them, to make things better by performing my duties and acting the part.”

His shoulders slump, defeat weighing them down. He has never been particularly good at this part. At ignoring the way playing the part grates on him, even if he has always been good at it. “Very well, sister,” he says softly. There is not much to say to that. There is not much to say to her at all, now.

She places her hand on his and squeezes it gently. No doubt it is meant to be comforting; all it reminds him of is the way his duties feel like a cage, closing in around him at all times.

+++

He gives in soon enough. His mind keeps straying, no matter how much he tries to take his sister’s advice to heart. And he does try, truly. Yet there is nothing to stop the way his thoughts eventually turn towards the man on the beach, the merman, a being that should not exist and might never have in the first place.

There is a possibility that he does exist, though. And that possibility, however small, combined with the burning curiosity, is enough to send him out of the castle a couple of days after the conversation with his sister. He takes his horse and races down to the beach he was found on—it is not too far. In fact, he is fortunate to have washed up on a beach inside his kingdom, let alone so close to the castle itself.

It is the first moment of peace he feels like he’s gotten since he was deemed well enough to stop resting. His mare is fast and the air stings at his face and rips strands of his hair from the tie he used to pull it back and it is lovely to be aware of something that isn’t everything he’s lost.

It is freeing, the short journey. His heart soars in his chest the further he gets from the castle and perhaps, even if this trip proved nothing about the existence of the being who saved him, he might do this more regularly. Even if it’s for a handful of hours, the time spent away from the castle will no doubt be invaluable.

When he reaches the beach, it is quiet. That makes sense. It is late, and the beach itself is far enough from any villages or towns that it makes the trip…not unneccesary, but longer. He is moved only by his curiosity, a thing that burns inside him, and the desire to find out if anything he saw when he woke up on this beach a couple of weeks later was real. Inside his head, he tells himself that is impossible—the merman was not real, because such things are only fantasy. Yet his curiosity is a thing of fire, catching quickly, and it has burned away most sense of logic or rationality.

He ties his horse at the top of the beach, deciding to make the rest of the way on foot. Not for any great reason—really, he does so only because he wants to feel the air on his face and the setting sun on his skin unhindered. There is joy to be found in wandering towards the edge of the sea until the waves lap at his boots, in letting himself close his eyes and simply feel.

He does not remember much of this beach, for his only time here had been spent waking up after near drowning. But it is just as beautiful as he remembers. The simple act of standing at the edge of the water with the cool wind brushing his hair like a lover’s caress settled something within him he can’t quite explain, let alone articulate. It allows him to simply—exist, he supposes, without expectation or anything of the sort.

When he finally opens his eyes, the sight before him is breathtaking, and entirely different to seeing the sea from his chambers at the top of his tower. The setting sun glistens against the waves, making them almost blinding to look at, and the sky is so clear. It stretches out for seemingly forever, further than he could ever possibly discover himself, and there is something beautiful in that. He wonders if this is what sailors must feel when they set out to sea—if that is what all travellers feel when they head out onto an open road, no rules or companions save those of nature. Do they, too, feel like if they were to only take one step forward, they would obtain some kind of freedom?

It is easy to imagine, there at the edge of the sea, that this may be the answer to all of his problems. His way out of marriage, of his duties to a crown that will never sit on his head yet continues to bind him anyway, to a throne akin to a noose about his neck.

There isn’t even any fear as he stares out at the waves. He thinks there should be. He thinks he should not look out at the sea and yearn, not after it nearly killed him. Not when he can still feel water in his lungs, in his throat, like an echo. He knows what rage the ocean can be inspired to in a mere few minutes—yet the tranquillity of it now remains alluring, a call to home.

He is so far into his own head that he is entirely unaware of another’s presence until a voice calls out to him, “You aren’t planning on walking in, I hope?”

He blinks. Instantly, the voice is familiar to him, and Morpheus spins around. Except—except the beach still remains empty, the only sign that anybody is there the footprints he himself had left behind when walking down to the sea.

Panic claws at his insides, because—because what if this is some kind of trick, what if there is somebody here who intends to hurt him? Though he knows he should not, he had left the palace without warning anybody. Not Telute, not Lucienne or Jessamy. If—if there is somehow somebody hiding from him, if he is to be hurt or injured here, he would not be found for some time. Not unless somebody stumbles upon him by happenstance, and even then that depends solely on whether his hypothetical attacker would leave his slowly cooling body there on the beach.

A laugh pierces the air. It does nothing to soothe the panic, the urge to run run run rushing through his veins. “In front of you, pretty one.”

Though it doesn’t make sense, he looks back towards the ocean. It is as beautiful as ever. It is only when he turns to his left that he—that he sees him. The merman from before, from when he had woken up on this beach weeks ago. He looks exactly the same—chestnut hair framing his face, golden eyes shining in the light of the sunset.

The panic disappears, replaced by something kinder. “It’s you," he breathes, and despite himself, he feels awe bloom behind his ribs.

A smile curves his lips upwards. It feels warm, joyful, and Morpheus thinks he may be addicted to that look already. “Indeed,” he says, and his voice. It is the same voice, he realises now. And he had called Morpheus pretty one. "And it’s you."

“You are real,” he says, and oh, what a miracle this is. What a wonder.

“As real as you are,” the merman says with a shrug. He’s still further in the sea than Morpheus is, and they call across the water at one another. “Though you still haven’t answered my question.”

“What—? Oh. Right. No, I wasn’t planning on…walking in,” he answers awkwardly. He stares out at the distance between them and does debate it for a while, if only to be close to the impossible creature he had been unable to stop himself from thinking about since returning to the castle. It would be easy to cross the distance, he supposes—and if he underestimates the shallowness of the waters his merman currently looks at him from, well, he can always save him again.

The idea is almost enough to make him laugh. Almost. It bubbles up and demands to be let out, but he shoves it down. It is simply the sheer ridiculousness of the situation, let alone the idea that he might be able to rely on a merman to save him should he drown again. It is the kind of idea that belongs more in fiction books than any reality Morpheus knows of, and yet.

And yet the merman smiles further and looks glad to hear his answer. Yet he is real. That, or the sea simply sends Morpheus insane. Both, he supposes, are options. “Good. I’d hate to have to fish you out of the water again.”

That, then, is a no to being saved if he were to accidentally drown again. It is enough to dissuade him entirely from the idea of stepping forward and closing the distance between the two of them, though it isn’t enough to stop him from wondering. If he were to touch his fingertips to the sun-tanned skin of the impossible creature before him, what would it feel like? Would the merman like it? Would Morpheus?

He thinks he would. He is, foolishly, rather enchanted by this beautiful creature in front of him. He also thinks the ability to touch the merman properly would also confirm whether he truly is going insane or not.

“What are you doing here?” he asks after a couple of moments. It is a worthwhile question, he thinks—the ocean is a large place. He had spent only a handful of weeks on its waves, but he knows he hardly got to see even most of it. There is simply so much of it, stretching out so far. Surely there are greater things for this merman to be doing than waiting around this beach.

“Waiting for you, obviously,” the merman says, as though that makes any amount of sense.

“…Why?”

“Well, I wanted to see if you’re alright, is all. You were pretty out of it when we talked. It’s nice to see you standing on your feet and aware.”

“Yes, it is a…vast improvement on how I was then,” Morpheus admits. He at least isn’t dying, which is definitely some progress. He’s still convinced he’s going insane, though. “But still. How did you know I would return?”

“I didn’t. Just kept checking the beach for a bit to see if you’d return, when I had time enough to do so.” He shrugs again, a little half-hearted thing that looks, bafflingly, almost self conscious. A self conscious merman. Alright. It’s certainly the weirdest thing that has ever happened to him personally, but he isn’t going to complain. “What are you doing here?”

“I…Same as you,” he says slowly. “I wanted to see you. Wanted to know if you are real, or if I just…imagined you.” He certainly looks like the kind of thing he might come up with in the quiet of his own mind. Like a dream, he thinks, and the thought is ironic enough it makes him chuckle quietly. “Didn’t expect to see you, though.”

He grins. His teeth look…sharper, Morpheus notices, than his own do. He wonders at that. “Like I said, I’m as real as you are. So, what? You wanted to find me just so you can make sure you aren’t going mad?”

“Something like that.” If he was going mad, his parents would not take it well. Would they contain him within the walls of the castle, in his bedroom, like they did for Delirium? Cover up his disappearance in court with rumours, hide the truth beneath lies? Tell the world that he has simply fallen ill? There is no room for weakness among them—if he was to go insane, it would be as good as his death. The fact that the merman before him is real is a comfort to him, one he finds himself incredibly grateful for. “Though I think I wouldn’t mind a conversation with you, too, if you’re amenable. I have never met a merman before.”

“Ah, so that is what you want.” The merman’s face visibly sours, a bitter note creeping into his voice. “Knowledge. Secrets. Is that it?”

“…No? Nothing that you don’t want to share, that is. Just want to—know you, I suppose. You can talk about whatever you wish.”

The merman raises a brow, as though he doesn’t quite believe Morpheus is being truthful. “I see. And what do I get in return?”

“The same as I. Conversation.” When all he is met with is silence, he offers an olive branch. He has little clue as to whether it will mean anything to the other, but—“My name is Morpheus. Morpheus de Endeless. Though those I am close to call me Dream.”

“Dream.” He says it as though he savours it, that one single word. It sounds wonderful in his voice. Morpheus wants to hear it again and again and again. “Yes. This makes sense. I am Hob.”

Hob. It isn’t quite the name he would’ve expected from a creature as impossible, as mysterious, as this one. He hardly cares. It has a charming quality to it, and it makes him smile. “Then it is nice to meet you, Hob.” He steps away from the water. Hob watches him with hawk’s eyes as he steps far enough away that his clothes will not get soaked by the waves, until he sits on the sand. It is wet sand, which he knows will present its own problem, but he decides he will deal with that later. Better than returning to the palace with his clothes soaked through with sea water, anyway.

After a moment, Hob creeps closer. He cuts through the water with breathtaking ease, which—makes sense. He sits in the shallow end of the water, so the waves still lap at his skin, but now Morpheus can now see his tail once more, with all its golden scales and delicate-looking fins.

“Would you tell me about yourself, Dream?” the merman asks of him. The request is startling. “I confess, I have always been…fascinated by the lives you lead on the land.”

He smiles, strangely glad for the request. The tide will come in properly soon, he knows that, but until then—until then, he may offer Hob a couple stories, and he need not go home until he has to. “Very well,” he agrees, and he clears his throat. For the first time in a while, words come easy to him.

+++

When he returns to the palace, the place he reluctantly refers to as home, he is…tired, but not terribly so. His throat is unpleasantly dry after so much talking—he cannot remember the last time he talked so much all at once. Not since Orpheus was young and still requested bedtime stories, surely, and that feels like an entire lifetime ago. The Morpheus of then is not the same Morpheus that exists now. Though he has only lived without his son for a mere few months, the difference is startling. He thinks of how he had been before—lighter, his smiles coming easier—and wonders how that had ever been him. Wonders if he might somehow return to who he had been once, though dismisses this thought almost immediately. If he returned to who he was then, it would be akin to forgetting Orpheus, wouldn’t it? If he didn’t hurt and ache, he would simply be forgetting his son, and he couldn’t do that.

But he talked to the merman, who seemed to hang onto every word, until Hob told him he had to leave. (He did not ask Hob to stay longer, but—but the merman requested he return to the same beach at the same time in seven days, and Morpheus is not immune to the hope that shines in the merman’s golden eyes. He crumbled under the look and agreed—not that he minds the idea of returning to see him. The very opposite, in fact. He thinks of the next week, of returning to the beach once more, and for the first time in a long while, he feels as though he has something to look forward to.) And the words came easy to him, the stories he told falling from his lips easily.

Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that the merman is, effectively, a stranger. Hob knows nothing of his plight, of the way he suffered these last few months, of the way he so easily failed at his duty. There is little judgement Hob can give him if he does not know Morpheus, and for that, he is grateful.

He did not talk about himself. He avoided that. Hob did not complain, and so his stories revolved around his siblings and gossip from the palace he overheard. Sometimes, he talked about Orpheus—he mentioned not that Orpheus was his son, nor that he currently lies inside a coffin buried under the ground. Those two facts are irrelevant to the stories. Instead, he mentioned his son’s love for music, the way he had the ability to move anybody in his nearby vicinity to tears. He mentioned the way his son’s laugh had been infectious—a trait he gained from Calliope, of that Morpheus has no doubt, for his own laugh is something harsher, grating and ugly—and the fact that he cared, so deeply.

It felt good. It still feels good as he leads his horse to the palace, refusing to acknowledge the way it feels a little like he rides to his own execution, instead thinking of the coming week. Hob’s companionship was—it was lovely, and calming, and he wants more of it. He wants it desperately, with a fire he recognises but refuses to think about directly. That is a fire that has brought him only pain and ruin—he would not subject Hob, who seems so good, so bright, to that. (He thinks he will not subject anybody to that again. He thinks of the last few times he has loved. His love is a terrible, brutal thing—it cannot be a coincidence, surely, that all those he has ever felt something for finds themselves miserable. His love is a curse. He will not subject any to that again, not while he can help it.)

Thankfully, he is not questioned as he leaves his horse by the stables, as the stablehand takes her inside. He is not questioned as he makes his way up to his chambers, and he does not even gain any confused or curious looks. That, he supposes, is due to the fact that he holds his cloak tightly around himself in case he failed to brush off all the sand that clung insistently to his clothes when he left the beach. There was little to be done for the sand on his boots, however—if he is careful about it, he will not be questioned about that, either.

When he makes it to his chambers, he changes into his nightclothes quickly. He is tired, yes, but it is not the kind of tired that would allow him to sleep just yet, not while the moon is still low in the sky. But he lets himself relax and rest, and when he does sleep eventually, for the first time since he left for Orpheus’s funeral, Morpheus falls asleep with a soft smile on his face.

[rocksandrobots]

Mermay Week Day 2: Pearl

Spoilers for Season 4 Under the Cut

Varian hated wishes.

Wishes, especially ones that came true, were too much like magic for his liking. And magic always brought trouble.

It certainly brought trouble to this little undersea grotto.

Five different kingdoms were fighting over the priceless Mariner's Pearl. An ancient artifact that was supposed to grant the owner's deepest desire.

Sea monster, mermaid, and human alike fought tirelessly as each group chased the other around the cavern, and under the water, to grab hold of the priceless pearl.

Varian didn't know which outcome would be the least disastrous.

The Saporians would no doubt wish for the subjection of Corona and its populace, and he'd seen enough of Andrew's rule to realize what that would entail. Even with Cassie supposedly in charge now, he still didn't know if the woman could be trusted with her violent temper.

As for the kingdom of Corona, well its princess was at least less vengeful than her former best friend. But Rapunzel was also an idiot, and she was liable to wish for something well meaning but stupid that would backfire horribly... Like 'world peace' that turned everyone into zombified drones with fake smiles permanently plastered on their faces.

No that wouldn't do at all.

Then there were the three ocean kingdoms to contend with.

The Atlanteans and the Sharkanias hated each other, and each would destroy the other if given the chance. While the Vodniks were supposed to be a mediating party who had agreed to keep the pearl locked away in order to maintain peace. Yet this was the third time they had failed to prevent the jewel from being stolen right out from under their noses... by the same person no less!

As for Hookfoot's girlfriend, Varian had no idea what she wanted. Seraphina had seemed sincere about wanting to redeem herself, and yet she had been the one to cause this mess to begin with.

Varian shook his head as he watched the chaos around him unfold. There was no other option. He would have to destroy the pearl himself and prevent anyone from using it.

That was easier said than done however. 

For starters, being magic, it wasn't as simple as dissolving the item in vinegar. The molecular structure of the thing was probably different to that of a normal pearl. Secondly, he would have to obtain the jewel before anyone else did, and right now it was a battlefield out there.

He took a deep breath, waited for his chance, and then darted out from under the outcropping he had been hiding under. He slammed into a poor Vodnik who had just picked up his prize and they both went rolling into the water.

Twenty others dived in right after them. Some naturally better swimmers than others.

Varian found himself racing neck to neck with Urichin; the Atlantean he had befriended earlier in the tunnels. He didn't seem like a bad person either, but his loyalties obviously lied with his own king and country.

The fair haired merman shot Varian a smug smile of satisfaction and then flew ahead easily with a short burst of speed. While Varian had to remind himself not to gasp while underwater.

He was a fool to think he could outswim a fish. Yet no sooner did Urchin reach the pearl, then so did Seraphina and the two of them went twirling in circles, trying to yank the precious stone out of the other's hands.

Varian's lungs burned.

He needed to think of something fast.

In a blind panic he ripped a chimball off of his belt and squeezed it till it busted open. The sea grew dark as black smoke poured from it.

----------------------------------------------

Varian broke the surface with a heaving gulp of air.

The other combatants soon followed, human and sea creature alike. Each coughing and sputtering from the now tainted water.

 Varian ignored them. He pulled himself up onto the ground of the cave, clutching the pearl tightly.

He'd won, but what was he to do now?

He stood up on shaky legs and desperately hunted for a chimball that might help. An acid or a bomb or...

Oh how he wished Honey Lemon was here. She'd know what to use.

No sooner did the thought cross his mind than the pearl in his hand started to glow. 

He barely had time to comprehend his mistake before a portal began to open up before him, and he saw the silhouette of a lithe figure floating in the middle of the blue. 

The figure became ever more distinct as the portal grew ever larger. Long limbs, flowing red hair, soft lips… Varian felt sick. 

How long had it been since he'd last seen her? Heard her laugh? Held her?

Instinctively he held out his arms to catch her. 

He had given up hope of ever returning to San Fransokyo. Given up hope of seeing his loved ones again. Given up hope of ever kissing his beloved Honey once more. 

His heart raced as he stepped closer to the portal. 

And now she was coming here! Soon they would be together. One minute more- 

Varian stopped.

She was coming here! 

She was going to be trapped in this world of magic and nightmares with him! 

His heart leapt into his throat. 

That was the last thing he wanted. She wouldn't be safe here. She'd be separated from her family and friends. She'd miss out on her future… 

He stood there; torn with indecision. Every fiber of his being desired nothing more than to hold her close, but the rational part of his brain was screaming at him to close the portal. To keep her safe. 

The choice was made for him when a Saporian staff knocked the pearl out of his hand. 

The portal disappeared as he clutched his now sore arm and the battle for the wish granting artifact resumed. 

He cursed under his breath, mentally kicking himself for being so weak. He'd missed his opportunity to destroy the pearl and lost his love yet again. 

With a hiss he unhooked another chimball from his belt and ran back into the fray. He wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. 

-----------

From above the battlefield, unseen by the warring soldiers, the demon that was always watching smiled knowingly.

[maddsmallow]

finally!!! my month and a half late dutp mermay pic is DONE. i have a whole, like, story idea for this pic, which you can read here on my twitter! EDIT: fuck twitter, i deleted it, so the story idea is now under the cut if you're interested! i think signy and audwin from time princess' swan lake story can work really well with a mermaid twist on their characters. also i just want mermaid audwin and human signy to smooch a lot uwu

also. nothin' like drawing mermaids to kick your ass into figuring out how tf to draw water lmaooo

the story goes something like this: signy is the daughter of some rich guy and they've always been by the ocean (maybe the company has something to do with the ocean?), and i haven't quite figured out what he does, but either he or uncle arthur start getting into some shifty shit and maybe get into offshore oil drilling, or something that will hardcore pollute the water. she's expected to take over whatever the company is, but she doesn't give a shit and like, just wants to be a marine biologist. she has her own boat (bc rich people privileges) and often goes out into the water to just get away from it all and chill, and maybe she does some diving to look at the fish and coral n stuff. idk how any of this works irl lmao. but anyways, audwin has been watching her for a while, because humans are very interesting, before she finally spots him. after freaking out, she decides to keep him a secret because even as a marine biologist or whatever, she knows a find this big would be more dangerous to the merman himself than beneficial for any research. so she goes out to their meeting spot to hang out with him most days, and even though they cant communicate, she talks to him and he seems to understand. he brings her gifts and she brings him human stuff to look at. eventually she says something like, "i wish we could talk, i so badly wish to know more about you," and audwin's like. welp that's enough consent for me. so he uses his magic to turn her into a mermaid. and of course she FREAKS but then she's like!! oh fuck!! we can talk now! i can explore without needing air!! tell me and show me EVERYTHING. so they explore and they talk. audwin explains, a bit vaguely, about how he "doesn't belong with the rest of the mer people" even though they are a social species, so having to fend for himself for his whole life has left him a bit scrawny and, while he would have been riddled with scars from having to fight with other creatures on his own, has become very good at magic to defend himself. and now that they can understand each other and have an actual mutual conversation, audwin's like. oh heck. i like this girl a lot (assuming he didn't already consider her his mate because of the constant exchange of gifts).

just before she's about to be like okay this was fun but i gotta get back to my life on land, they spot a body floating in the water, and before audwin can pull her back signy goes to it and pulls the unconscious man to the shore and performs cpr and brings him back. he looks weirdly like audwin. she can't speak in any human language anymore (mermaids in this universe don't have the right vocal chord structure or whatever to speak human language), having taken the form of a mermaid, but he seems to understand what she's saying anyways? how could that be? she turns to audwin for an explanation and he's like, yeah so uh, the magic i used to give you a tail actually just swapped your human parts for another mer person's mermaid parts. so i guess this is the guy you swapped with and he's actually a mermaid, so he knows what you're saying. and signy is of course PISSED she's like this random other mermaid dude coulda died just for me to have a bit of fun?? that's fucked dude. and audwin's like, "why would i give a shit when i was cast out as a baby from the rest of mermaid society? YOU are my only friend." and then the other guy, who introduces himself as aldous (and i guess a side effect of audwin's magic is that he can fluently speak english or whatever now lmao), is like. yeah that's cool and all but, this is actually terrible fucking timing. some dude just came into my kingdom and is fucking everything up hardcore and i need to be there to fight him off. but even if audwin switched their tail/legs back, aldous would be too weak from, yknow, almost dying from drowning to actually fight whoever is fuckin shit up. so signy is like ME AND AUDWIN WILL DO IT and before audwin can even say anything, she grabs her cell phone from her shorts (let's just assume her clothes are on her boat and the boat is nearby lmao) and has aldous call her friend ben (the guard from the story!) and relay a message to him to meet her at the shore. he does and he sees the situation, and with aldous translating, signy tells ben to take care of this random dude she found on the beach. "dont ask questions its just REALLY IMPORTANT." and he's like. fuck okay sure. and just before signy and audwin go off to see what's going on with the mer kingdom, aldous gives audwin a pendant that will grant him access inside no matter what. every mer person has a pendant that has magic to allow them into their respective kingdom, but aldous had always had two of them, a gold and green one and a silver and purple one, and he feels that maybe the purple one belongs to audwin.

so aldous goes with ben to ben's place to rest and recoup, and signy and audwin go to the kingdom to see what their deal is. i dunno what's going on there, i haven't quite figured it out, but basically the king, aldous' (and audwin's) dad, is losing his marbles and made some kind of pact with a human who ends up being signy's dad or uncle, but then her dad/uncle was just going to betray the agreement and kill them all for access to an oil drilling spot? i dunno. but i have a scene in my head where they hide in what seems to be some kind of abandoned prison with one cell, and there ends up being one mer woman in there who ends up calling audwin's name when she sees him. audwin is shocked, and approaches carefully, and she cries while she explains she's so happy to see him alive and well. she tells him that his father separated him from his family just a bit after she'd birthed him and her brother because he was certain he was going to fulfill some kind of prophecy and overthrow him, and then he cast her into prison because she was so heartbroken that she was deemed "mad." the king brought up aldous as an only child with no memory of his twin brother or his mother, but always had an inkling that something was missing because of the second pendant he'd always had, which was given to him as a baby by their mother before she was taken away. audwin despairs at the fact that his mother and the life he should have had were ripped away from him by one man, and hugs his mother tight before swearing to take the king down.

some big climax happens and they take down the mer king and throw him in the cell that used to house the queen (cuz im not creative enough to come up with a non-prison sentence even tho fuck prisons and also acab irl), who then takes her rightful place back at the throne, and they also take down signy's dad/uncle or whatever, i dunno, i haven't figured this shit out yet lmaoo. but anyways, they sort it all out and they fall in love n all that shit. audwin speaks to his mother and tells her, he's never belonged to mer society and trying to integrate now would majorly suck, especially without signy at his side, who has to go back to land to give aldous his mer body back. he'd rather be by signy's side, separated by land and ocean, than not be near her at all. she's his one true friend. his mother understands, and bestows a new pendant to signy that, when worn, will allow her to understand the mer language even as a human, and allow her back into mer society should they ever return. they go back to the surface and they get ben and aldous back to the shore and audwin swiches signy and aldous' human and mer bodies back. it's a sad occassion. signy doesn't want to leave audwin behind in the water, and it's clear that aldous and ben have developed some kind of feelings for each other (do i have aldous and the guard fall in love in every dutp swan lake story i've ever thought up? YES). ben suddenly pipes up and is like, audwin switch with me!! and everyone else is like HUH?? ben explains that he doesn't really have anything in the human world to miss, he's not leaving behind much [insert some kind of tragic story for ben that i haven't thought up yet], and if they switch, they can both be with the people they want to spend their lives with. so they switch. audwin becomes a human and ben a merman, and then signy's like. welp, guess i don't need this anymore, and gives ben her pendant. they're all smiles and hugs, and then before they say goodbye and leave, audwin turns to aldous and says, "hey, say hi to mom for me." and aldous, who doesn't know they're brothers, is like WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED WHILE I WAS GONE--

and anyways. aldous gets to meet his mother (who will know exactly what happened with signy and auwdin the second she sees ben with her pendant and it makes her smile) and stay with ben who adapts to mer society fairly easily, and audwin gets to stay with his best friend and love in the human world. signy's dad's company tanks which she is glad for, and maybe she and audwin use the money she has to open up some kind of ocean clean-up project or something. standard cheesy barbie-like plot haha. wham bam, signy x audwin mermay story

will i ever write it? nope. if anyone wants to yoink this idea, go ahead! just credit me (and also @ me so i can read it hehe) !!!

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i based the boat off of this pic of a greenline 39 yacht

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consider supporting me on ☕ ! ko -fi. com / maddsmallow (without spaces)

[lilyfraci]

Merman Kokushibou x Fem! Reader (PART 2)

PART2 IS HERE👑

You can't feel anything and you felt like you were floating on clouds 9. Blood drooling down to your temple. What happened? Where are the sailors? Are they okay? Where are they? Is max okay?

I dont remember…

"Don't forget me… And I won't forget you either… "

Huh? A voice? It sounds so different but i know its clearly a guy type. Who is it? It sounds like a melody to my ears.

You tried to process everything even in this unconscious state, trying to connect all of your cells back together.

"I would forever stare into your enchanting eyes… So beautiful.. Just like you… "

This is so heavenly to listen such a soft song, but am i dreaming? If not… Then who is it?

You feel yourself finally getting consciousness as you groaned a little, alerting the person who was singing. You pry yur eyes open slowly but your vision are still blurry and your head starts to get a headache making you even groan louder and louder by any seconds.

Suddenly you hear someone screaming, its man's voice and you recognize it. It was the knights and to mention, you hear a loud splash.

"She's alive! The princess is alive! Alert the king!"

👑

"I got myself weak again. " "… " "I wanna be yours, and you'll be mine. "

👑

Everything was going smoothly, birds singing and a sun was pretty bright outside making the flowers bloom beautifully. An unconscious princess was laying down to her bed, comfortably and peacefully.

You woke up with a headache and a bandage on your head. The sunlight illuminate the room brightly making you squint your eyes and groan in tiredness. Yur body felt weak and a little bit of in pain.

"W-what happened..?" You groaned before rubbing the temple of your head.

You hear your door slowly opening as you turn your head to it and saw your dad peeking his head and was shocked to see you fully awake as he immediately rushes at you with a grateful and a guilt expression and held both of your hands.

"My daughter!! You're awake! Dear god… Thank you! Im glad that you made it out alive.. " He spoke with such happiness and tears running down to his cheeks before looking down.

"I'm so sorry, my daughter… I'm so sorry that this happened to you because of me! If this stupid of mine didn't existed then you would be fine and good! I felt so bad for what you've gone through… "

He looked down as he sobs quietly, trying to gulp down his breakdown.

Your face went soft as you smiled before putting a hand on your father's head and patting it.

"I'm fine dad…. And i already forgave you, please don't ever feel ashamed of it." You said gracefully.

And that, both you and your father hugged, enjoying this moment together.

👑

The ocean was always so beautiful and bright, as if it was a second version of heaven. But deep inside, there was dark and evil under it and it's true,

The ocean can be both good and bad.

. . .

"You know… That human will never ever loved you back! Just look at yourself!"

"Shut your mouth, ugly eyes. You're annoying me. "

"Awhh!! Why are you both always so cold and mean to-"

"That doesn't matter to you, if i loved her then do not interfere because you're not apart of this."

"Oh… Is that so? Besides… Don't you think humans are all the same? Imagine if she sees your eyes! Would she be terrified?"

"Ugh, im leaving. This is just a waste of time. "

HII!! IM BACK! SORRY IF THIS WAS SHORT BUT TRUST ME, I'LL WORK EVEN MORE FASTER AND HARDER FOR YOU GUYS!!

PART 3 is in progress 👑

[sabo-has-my-heart]

Your Greatest Desire

A fic for 'Two Part Anon'. Still working on one other request before I get to the other 2, but needed to take a break from it.

"1. Merman!Ace x fem!Reader where Reader is a princess of a country by the sea and ever since she was a kid she has always love sailing. Reader met Ace by the sea and was intrigued by him. Ace would tell her about the undiscovered places, the city under the ocean floor, etc, making her even more excited about setting sail on an adventure. However, as reader's father wanted her to get married with the neighbor kingdom for the relationship between the two nations. Ace knew and tried to get reader to leave with him. You decide the ending, either reader denies Ace and fulfill her duty, while still thinking of Ace as a farfetch dream, or she ditches everything and goes on an adventure with Ace, not knowing what is waiting for both of them."

Warnings: Merman!Ace, Princess!Reader, 

Word Count: 1830

     Tucking a lock of hair behind your ear, you closed your eyes. The sound of the waves as they crashed against the beach was like sweet temptation to you, calling you out to sea. They freed you from the life of a princess and from the responsibilities that you were forced to endure. Like a bird from a cage, the salty water as your wings, it allowed you to soar without restriction or binds. It was your deepest desire. The sound of someone calling you drew you out of your reverie, drawing you back to the real world, yet not the world of ball gowns and duties, but the world of the ocean and its call. 

     Looking out, you smiled as you spotted him, his familiar black hair bobbing above the water as he waved at you from the dock, muscular arms grabbing onto the wood and hefting himself onto the small platform. Running over, you couldn’t help the smile on your face, laughing by the time you reached him, eyes once more taking in his muscular arms and torso, traveling down till they landed on the sparkling scales. Oranges, yellows, and reds, like a fire, one that could exist below the water’s surface.

     “I brought you something cool today!” Ace said excitedly, reaching into the green bag you’d given him. The young merman seemed to treasure the bag, always taking it with him. Honestly, you’d just wanted to help him out, watching as he always carried everything by hand. Armfuls of wondrous items from the depths. Finally, he pulled out a small item. Taking the item, you couldn’t help but giggle, making the boy tilt his head in confusion.

     “This is a comb, Ace. They’re usually used to brush hair but this one is decorative. Let me show you.” you said, taking the golden comb, brushing some hair back and placing the comb in your locks, pinning the hair down. Ace stared at you, stunned. You’d always been beautiful to him, but with this ‘comb’ in your hair, you looked especially good.

     “Will you bring me one of your combs next time? I want to know what it’s like to brush my hair like you!” Ace asked excitedly.

     “Of course, whatever you’d like. Oh! Thinking of bringing you things, here, I got that belt you wanted. I even got it specially made for you.” you said, handing him an orange belt with a metal belt buckle. Ace’s eyes lit up like fireworks, taking it from you and wrapping it around his waist. You’d showed him how they worked last time before offering to get him a nicer once. The buckle had a red A on it, for his name, he assumed. 

     “It’s perfect! Thank you! Oh, I know you also like things from the ocean, so here, I found some abalone shells and dead coral… uh, are you sure you want these? You… you do realize they’re dead animals, right?” Ace asked, pulling the items out of his bag, giving you an odd look.

     “Of course I want them. Don’t worry about them being dead, it’s a human thing.” you said, gently taking them and admiring them. You knew people who displayed all sorts of ‘dead things’, so it wasn’t a lie, humans seemed to like displaying dead things more than Ace described the merfolk as. 

     “I wish I could go out with you, sail the seas, be free to roam, see the world under the water.” you said, staring wistfully out at the sparkling waters. But you couldn’t, your father had found a prince for you to marry, one that would ‘unite two kingdoms’. 

     “You still can! Come on! You’re not married yet, we can still go!” he urged, grabbing your hand in his. You’d told him about everything back when you’d gotten engaged, fuming and ranting to the boy about how dare your father do this to you! “We can leave together! Find the magic from all the old fish tales! It’ll be great! Just you and me on an adventure. I don’t even care if we do or don’t find anything, just please, leave with me!” he pleaded, his eyes desperate, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. You stared at him, your heart breaking. Part of you knew you needed to stay, you had a duty to your kingdom and expectations as a princess. But you wanted to go with him, you wanted to leave all of this behind, to be free to do as you wished for once. The only time you got any sort of freedom was your daily trips to the shore to see Ace and even then, your time was limited. To see him everyday for as long as you wished, to travel the world with him by your side, such a thing could surely only be found in heaven. 

     He hadn’t said anything yet, but he had another reason for wanting you to stay, a reason that wasn’t just because you were friends or because of the interesting things of your world. He wanted you to come because he loved you, he loved you so much. He didn’t care about the differences between humans and merfolk, didn’t care about the rumors surrounding humans. The rumors weren’t even true. You were kind and sweet and gentle. Nothing like those violent stories of death and horror. They were just old fish tales, nothing more. Sitting down next to him, you stared into his eyes.

     “Tell me about the things you’ve seen?” you requested softly, sorrowful eyes staring into his. You always loved hearing about the places he’d been, the things that had sunk to the bottom of the ocean, the mer-cities that towered in the waters. Ace hesitated for a moment before starting to tell you various stories as you’d requested. Busy ‘streets’ filled with merfolk coming and going, ‘lanterns’ filled with glow fish at night and strange buildings that stretched towards the surface. All of it hidden from human eyes in the depths of the ocean, away from the dangers of the world of humans, dangers that Ace was convinced were simply mere fish tales. By the time he was finished, your legs were drawn close to your chest, your head resting on your knees as you smiled at him. You loved his tales, lost in his words as you imagined the world that he spoke of. Could you truly leave though? Your father had said that your kingdom needed you, that you needed to go through this marriage. “They’re our closest neighbors” he’d said, “We must ensure we do not become enemies” he’d said. But why you? Why were you being used like a simple pawn to further your father’s goals? A relationship between countries, what a lousy excuse to force you into a marriage. What would it take to escape? A ship large enough to carry what you’d need yet small enough to man on your own, supplies to last you until you hit the nearest port, a few items such as clothes, cooking utensils… a hair brush. That thought made you chuckle, confusing the poor boy in front of you. Could you even find a ship like that? Your father owned fleets and fleets of ships, but none small enough for what you needed. You could have one built, but your father would likely find out, destroying it before you had a chance to use it. Perhaps you could have it built in secret? Paid for by an anonymous buyer? How long until you would be forced to travel there? How long until you had no choice and time was up? Could a ship be built that quickly? Looking up at the setting sun, you sighed, for today at least, your time was up and you had to leave.

     “I’ll… I’ll have an answer for you tomorrow, Ace.” you said softly, giving him a small smile as you stood up. Ace nodded silently, watching as you walked away. 

     It was a week before you managed to get back out to the docks, a worried look on your face as you searched for the mop of black hair and brilliant fiery tail. Your heart almost skipped a beat, tears running down your cheeks as you saw him on the docks, staring at the water mournfully, his tail swishing back and forth. You ripped layers and layers of your skirt off as you ran, your heart pounding as you finally reached the wooden platform.

     “Ace!” you cried, falling to your knees, tackling a surprised merboy into the water as your momentum carried you both over the edge. Ace wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you back up to the surface, surprised etched into his face as your hair dripped with water, “I’m so sorry, I’m so, so sorry. They found out I was meeting someone, they tried to lock me away, I’m so, so sorry.” you sobbed, wrapping your arms around his neck, your tears falling against his already wet shoulder. Ace gave you a small smile as he wrapped his arms around you, holding you close. This is what he’d wanted, what he’d yearned for for months now.

     “It’s okay, I was just worried you left without saying goodbye.” he said softly, taking a moment to just hold you.

     “Everything’s ready! I’ve had a shipwright and his men working day and night on a ship. It’ll be loaded up with everything I need and ready to sail in a couple of days. I just need to hide from my father for a couple of days.” you said frantically, clinging to him. One way or another, you were leaving now, even if you had to swim to the nearest town and buy a ship there. Nodding, Ace shifted you so you were on his back.

     “I know of a small cove, it’s hidden because you have to go underwater to get to it, but we can get to it if you hold your breath.” Ace offered, making you smile and nod. You’d do it, you’d do anything to get away! Holding onto him, you let him take you out to the cove, everything would be finished soon, you’d officially set out to sea, you’d stay with Ace. To hell with your father and his plans for you. Looking out at the crystalline waters, you leaned your head against Ace’s shoulder. This would be your life from now on. Not just a view from your balcony, but every day, at sea with Ace. Sighing happily, you pressed a soft kiss against his shoulder, not able to see the blush that spread across his cheeks. Ace, your greatest desire. Not the waves, nor clear blue waters, but the young man in front of you, free to go where you wished, to be with him as you desired. Whatever the sea threw at you, you were certain you would be fine, so long as he was by your side.

[keithisbae1]

The Mershark & Mermaid - Part 2

Sakura knew she shouldn’t be doing this.

“Your back?” The mershark trailed around her, his glowing red eyes peering right through her soul. The same eyes she gets lost in and likes to watch whilst they-

“I said I would be.” Her hands traced his chest with a smirk.

What would stop him from eating her once he was satisfied?

Her brain was telling her, no, to be rational but her body moved on its own as did his when his lips descended upon hers grasping the back of her head and roughly pulling her closer.

His tail wrapped around her small frame.

“Where’s Sasuke?”

Sakura froze at the voices nearby but then his fangs moved down to her neck grazing it and distracting her.

“You're his best friend, shouldn't you know?” Another voice cut in. One was a white shark whilst the other was orange.

“Yeah but the bastard's been more distant than he usually is. It's like he's distracted or something.”

Oh, how right they were.

Sakura licked her lips letting out a low moan as his claws glided down her tail.

“Shh, you don't want them to see you like this do you?”

At least they were well hidden.

~~~

“What the hell happened to your back?” Sakura knew she should have healed herself before coming back home.

It was the perk of having Tsunade as her mentor and was the reason she was able to keep the meetings between her and Sasuke a secret for so long. Not every mermaid had the ability to heal.

“Uh…it’s nothing. I got caught up in a current that’s all.”

“Right, like I believe that. Seriously forehead, they look like claw marks. Did you almost get eaten?”

“No! I told you-”

“Sakura, there is no current. We both know that. I'm your friend, you can trust me.”

It wasn't like she would blab about something like this anyway, not with how serious the matter was.

“I went to see him.” Ino knew fully well who the 'him' in question was.

“And by seeing you mean…”

“We… we mated...” Sakura fidgeted with her hands watching as Ino's eyes grew wide taking in the information.

“You did what? Your crazy forehead. He’s a shark!”

“So?”

“So? SO?! He’s a predator.”

“He's different from them, he saved me!”

“Oh, you mean from that time you almost got yourself killed because you wanted to explore the deep sea. Sakura he’s using you.”

Admittedly it had been a thought that crossed her mind, what shark would mate with a mermaid with no other intentions in mind. However, Sakura still sneaked off to see Sasuke.

The visits never started off as anything inappropriate, she was curious about him and although he had often referred to her as an annoyance he would answer her questions and humour her.

Of course, neither had made their little friendship public. If either of Sasuke's friends or family caught on, she would be their meal. Yet somehow Sasuke always managed to put them off their scent.

If he wanted to eat her, he would have by now, right?

“And okay, let’s imagine he doesn’t plan on eating you. What are you expecting out of this? For him to make you his official mate? Your only setting yourself up to get hurt.”

Perhaps Ino was right, but what could she do? She couldn't just end... whatever it was they had.

“Besides there's plenty of fish in the sea, why don't I introduce you to a few. I'm sure they can distract you.”

Them distract her from Sasuke? If only, maybe then Sakura wouldn't be in this situation.

~~~

“Sakura this is Hiroto, Hiroto Sakura.” The blonde was pleased with matchmaking her friend with such a fine merman, better than any shark for sure.

“A pleasure to meet you Sakura-san, Ino's told me a lot about you.”

“Likewise.”

However, when Sakura awkwardly smiled shaking his hand she swear she could feel eyes glaring daggers at them. Or maybe that was wishful thinking on her part as Sasuke never leaves the deep sea.

~~~

“You shouldn’t be here Princess.” The sinister smirk didn’t go unnoticed by Sakura from the white male shark and Sakura felt pale. How didn’t she feel their presence?

“It’s rare for mermaids to swim this deep underwater. You must either have a death wish or be really stupid. Works for me.” Normally Sakura would blow up at such an insult but fear overtook with the three of them surrounding her, she was as good as done for.

Why did she go back?

“Hey, Jugo, what’s your favourite part of a mermaid.” He laughed menacingly as the two circled around her.

“Urgh, don’t make too much of a mess.” Was all Karin said, however, something seemed… off? First of all, why was a mermaid down here in all places?

It was almost as if she had been there plenty of times and had been expecting someone.

Then there was her smell, Karin had smelt it before.

She smelled like-

“Wait, Suigetsu don’t-”

Too late, because the next thing they knew Sasuke had Suigetsu's arm in his claws and was ready to snap it in two.

“Sasuke?”

“Don’t touch her!” He snarled glaring daggers at the shark. “She's my prey! Understand?”

All he could do was nod dumbly and when he finally released him Sasuke turned his attention to Sakura.

“You, follow me.” She wasn't really sure what to make of his attitude but being with him was safer than being with them.

“Gee, what was that for? He could have said something sooner.” Suigetsu scowled muttering to himself. Karin decided to keep quiet, they may have been dense and believed Sasuke but she knew it was far more than that.

Sasuke would probably talk to her about it later.

~~~

“What were you thinking?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realise they were…”

“You should have stayed back home.”

“I… I know.” Sakura looked down ashamed, she usually wasn’t so distracted but everything Ino had said. From what she wanted out of this and finding someone else...

Except no one could make her feel the way Sasuke does.

“But I wanted to see you again.”

“See me? Why? Isn’t your merman enough?”

“My… my what?” So it wasn’t her imagination?

“You came to see me?”

“You haven’t been here for the past few weeks, what else was I supposed to do?” Ah, so he did care. Inside she was happy but also dreaded. What did this mean if their feelings were mutual?

“We should stop this...” Yet her body betrayed her and Sakura found herself leaning towards him.

“We should.” Then why was his tail wrapping around her? This was too dangerous yet neither made a move to stop it.

~~~

Meanwhile back in the present, little Sarada was asking Sasuke a ton of questions.

“I have so many questions, what kind of food do we eat? If I’m good my Mama makes my favourite seaweed spaghetti. Will I grow as big as you? What’s it like being a shark? Are there others too, is this where we live? Why hasn’t my Mama taken me here, she said it’s full of pre…pre…preditators and that there are a lot of creatures that want to eat me? Do baby sharks get eaten a lot?”

Yup, she defiantly took after Sakura.

[tadpal]

if you were a mermaid... what kind of tail would you have?? (species, colour, vibe, etc)

this is such a contentious question for girls who grew up on a beach so i do have several answers prepared bc obviously it was needed at the time ESPECIALLY since 2000s mermaid trend was ON TREND anyway

all that to say when i was a kid i would pretend to be a dolphin girl. yeah fr. i had several glass figures and when i was learning to surf i got a board with a dolphin on but this was all a ruse to impress the girls in my surf class. although i have seen dolphins often in the cove and off the rocky beach and i did and do think they're incredible honestly i preferred to watch for blue whales and thought dolphin mermaids weren't very cool. dolphins are cool companions for mermaids but i was kind of a mermaid purist: mermaids should be fish with obvious scales. but for the dolphin girls all the boys in their games would be sharks and i hated sharks as i was deadly afraid of tiger sharks which in fairness, did swim up the river to breed every year and attacks did happen but. yeah i thought the shark boys were also lame. so when trying to fit in with this lot i made the decision to be an orca mermaid who had lost its pod and was trying to live with the dolphins. the dolphin girls hated this until they realised that they could do a storyline in which i never move past my evil orca hunger and end up killing and eating several girls in a bloodlust that would then fade and i weep over their bodies. in real life this looked like a game of tag with biting and theatrics.

so that was probably my first mermaidsona and it was definitely a poser moment for however it was not the only poser sona i had. outside of my swim+surf classes i had friends who were also mermaid girls but who weren't sporty or into The Ocean like the dolphin girls tended to be. they thought the dolphin girls were weird and wanted to be Mermaids like you would see in Barbie mermaidtopia, but with them, the personas tended to be less in depth. my tail was aquamarine or blue, with white fins, and i can swim really fast and crest the waves without being easily seen. i was not usually a royal but sometimes i was a middle sister if we were all princesses. often i was was the boy or prince merman. my best friends were a school of flying fish and a sperm whale. i was really good at hiding (bc of the wave thing) and my romance plot was often the princess noticing the weird hiding prince when no one else would and i show them all the magic of the seas etc. if we were playing mermaids who were are landpeople, my land job would be guy who cleans/owns an oceanfront hotel/bnb and sneaks out to water at night when hes not working. while this was More Me than the dolphin girl persona, it didnt really feel like me either, i disliked the vagueness and how none of them cared about the ocean only using it as a setting with no curiosity for it. (alas ive always been a bit of a snob)

my TRUE MERMAID SELF was this: yellowfin tuna

idk why i just felt a lot of kinship with them. at the time i was so scared of sharks and seals and everything really. just a very fearful child and i remember really longing for that school (of fish) mentality of just moving as one and that keeping them safe. i also knew that i had to be a migratory species bc we moved so constantly and i needed a fish that never really had a home. the yellowfins would come yearly to the coast i lived on and that was important to me. mostly i felt like they had a desperation to the way they move I remember seeing one in the bottom of a boat and it just fighting for its life choking to death and thinking oh hell yeah me too brother. i loved their reputation for tourists coming to fish them and then snapping their shitty lines. I loved their sleek cool bodies and their sick long fins (cooler and longer than all the other tuna). i liked that they were fast as hell and Big. i liked how they tasted fresh! i was so convinced that i was Destined to be a tuna mermaid but god. that was so lame to both my groups of mermaid friends. i drew it once i think and petitioned my Barbie Mermaid friends to be a flying fish mermaid, which was the better design i think but had less soul... ack well. being a kid a weird

[void-chara]

almost forgot the due date for @simplepotatofarmer's 4k follower event was approaching so i speedran drawing doomsday trio mermaid au in 4 days, yippee! just in time for the end of mermay too woah. also i did not forget that the due date was may 31st i just forgot that time passed and the day was getting closer lol. i probably could have finished it in even less days but ive been busy taking care of the new puppy my family got so i havent had much time to draw because that creature needs constant supervision. anyway ignore the lack of faces i did not want to draw them. also just in general ignore how messy it is. i was trying to get it done, not make a masterpiece.

rambling about ideas below the readmore

SO honestly i dont have much in mind? ummm. just. doomsday trio. i NEED more doomsday trio stuff. maybe they are exploring or somnething? also i have a vague idea for phils backstory which is that before he met either of them he was some sort of sailor or something and somehow he met a deep sea goddess (kristin) and they were sooo inlove and then he died for some reason drowned probably and kristin was like nooooo dont do that :( and she revived him and made him a merman so he could stay with her yay! so he is alive now but he still kinda looks like a corpse lol. also the reason he is bigger than the other two is because mermaids grow throughout their whole life(tho more slowly as they get older) and he is like immortal or something as a result of kristins meddling. im not even really That much of a philza enjoyer idk why hes the only one i have a backstory for it just came to me in a vision.no need to include any of the phil backstory in the fic i just thought it was fun. anyway uummmm. Yeah! they are having a time just hangin out and vibing. do whatever u want for the story really

edit: OH i also wanted to mentionthat i didnt plan for dreams tail to look so much like ariel from the little mermaid But after noticing it i really like it! he is sooo disney princess. also the little mermaid was one of my earliest fixations and mcyt stuff is one of my latest so thats fun. anyway yeah the colors are like exactly the same as ariels tail and it wasnt intentional but i like it

[julymarte]

leggooooo i have a  basic plotline in mind for this pirate/treasure hunt AU revolving around the relics from the second part of the plot, i think i came  up with a nice plot for Ameera but i'm still unsure on the design so i didn't add her yet SO BASICALLY i’m trying to keep loosely faithful to the main story , shari’s still a princess who’s  got enough of  court life , this time she  found  out  there’s three mysterious legendary treasures that no one’s ever been able to find, she’s not after them for power or riches  but wants to experience the thrill to be the first one to find them, too bad she’s not the only one looking for them (see the bad pirates as the  cult guys) and her father refused to let her sail a royal marine ship cause it could get political if  shit happens so she  remembers about this commoner boy who  used to sneak in the palace and claimed that his father was a pirate so she  goes looking for him(aka nakir)accompanied by her attendant(ajmal, fun fact he suffers from sea sickness in canon) and  finding out  he has a ship of his  own she offers him and  his  crew(including taru) a contract as corsaire/privateer to help her out, they also sneak uri on board since he’s very  knowlegeable of old myths  and legends(instead of being a chicken god) they’ll find  pravaal and ameera on the  way... pravaal is   well yeah  he’s just a merman (i was thinking merfolk here could switch freely between land and sea buut  if they spent  too much time on land  they wouldn’t be able to revert or something like that idk, it’s an au, whatever) ameera is either also a princess or a nblewoman who shipwrecked on a seemingly deserted island and is looking for her husband and son who she lost in the  shipwreck (it will turn out that the island  she found herself on  was the place where the ice relic was hidden and the island was calling for her) .... still unsure if uri will die  here cause of the relic too.... maybe  he  will, maybe he  will get cursed who knows who knows

[bridgertonbabe]

I’m guessing it’s a certain merman by the name of Gareth who keeps having to rescue Hyacinth whenever she throws herself off the ship.

Newly-recruited for the position of guarding the land folk on their sea voyages, Gareth had been forewarned about the challenges he might face due to stormy weather and choppy waters although he had been assured those conditions didn't happen as often as he'd expect. The biggest task at hand however and one he'd been informed he'd be faced with on an almost daily basis would be volleying the youngest human princess back onboard any sea vessel she could stow her way onto.

And sure enough on his first day on the job within minutes of the ship he was ferrying setting sail, someone splashed into the water beside him and he stared in awe at the human princess with an affinity for life under the sea and merpeople. He dutifully chucked her back up and was thanked by an exasperated King Anthony, but that was just the start of his many encounters with Hyacinth.

However Hyacinth didn't just stop at hurling herself from ships. She constantly snuck out from the castle down to the cove and explored the underwater realm as best she could. She had built up an impressive record of holding her breath underwater and she tried her best to swim after the merfolk she spotted in the vicinity. It didn't matter how many times her mother and Anthony scolded her for showing up late to balls or how she constantly ran about the castle dripping wet in her chemise and pantalettes from her continuous swims in the sea, Hyacinth couldn't be deterred from having her aquatic adventures. It reached a point where during his weekly meeting with King Richard, Anthony wearily asked if it wasn't too much trouble if the merpeople could simply keep an eye on Hyacinth should they spot her around the shallows of the island kingdom. Richard vowed that they would and assured it was no trouble, with most of the merfolk more than accustomed to Hyacinth and having grown fond of her love for their world.

One time Gareth was summoned by his grandmother, who asked him if he could take over supervising the princess as she explored a coral reef. Gareth dutifully did and every time Hyacinth pointed at a sea object and looked to him expectantly he provided her with the answer to her unspoken question. From that meeting onwards Gareth somehow ended up as Hyacinth's personal aquatic companion as he supervised her wherever she swam. He had never met anyone quite like her from either sea or shore, and whenever she resurfaced for air she would breathlessly witter away about everything they had just explored which only made him admire her more.

Then one evening Hyacinth asked him to meet her in the lagoon and when she arrived he was mesmerised by the ballgown she wore and her perfectly styled hair, looking a far cry from her usual appearance. Hyacinth informed him she had ditched her own birthday ball, having no interest in any of the young nobility she had been introduced to; all she wanted to do was spend her birthday with Gareth. Before he could stop her she had jumped into the lagoon and he held her by the waist, keeping her head above the water in fear of her losing the tiara she wore. Hyacinth wrapped her arms around his neck, caressed his face, and told him there was no other person she'd rather spend time with than him; and with the moon shining down on them they shared their first kiss.

[wildunchartedwaters]

@seafoamseashells ·.¸¸.·♩♪♫

Ariel narrowly escapes the shark that was chasing her, but she managed to outrun it. When she turned around, she saw a SPEAR striking the predator, then it swam to the opposite direction. Her eyes scan to see where the weapon came from. She looked up and noticed a MERMAN WITH DARK HAIR. She never saw him before, she did not think another sea creature would dare travel in shark infested waters. The princess swims upward and smiles.

🔱 → ❝ Hi! Thank you so much for saving me--You're not hurt are you? ❞

A school of tropically colored fish flurry by Eric's face in a panic and dart for cover inside the shipwreck to hide. His own shipwreck to be exact. If the MYSTERY GIRL hadn't saved him he'd be among the debris. Searching for the source of danger, he spots the sleek silhouette of a shark chasing a quite magical prey. A jagged bar of iron -- he guesses from the grid of the ship's cabin window panes -- would have to search as a makeshift javelin. The shark is too focused on the mermaid to take note of Eric swimming above. With careful aim and the elemental of surprise, he manages to hit the target.

Thankfully the shark doesn't round on him for its revenge, but relief lasts only a second before she greets him. Eric feels akin to the tropical fish: desperate to hide. He hasn't engaged with anyone or anything since his bargain with the sea witch for fins. Etiquette classes didn't include conversing with merpeople. Eric blinks as if she's something blurry he's attempting to focus, but she remains. Grimsby's voice acting as his subconscious sternly reminds him it's rude to stare.

I'm not hurt, he starts to say, but the words mouth without sound.

Oh . . . right. His voice was the personal treasure he traded for the transformation potion. It was his voice or one of his five senses and Eric puts those at the top of his necessity list. After no luck at finding his savior on land, he's grown desperate. Enough to seek out the coastal black lagoon where witches are rumored to dwell. A handful of days and he'll have his voice back along with his legs under the condition he find his anonymous rescuer and bring her back to the shore where they met. A few days are all he needs, Eric assures himself, to search for unknown islands or a rogue ship. SHE may live on either.

Eric resorts to basics and shakes his head to answer her. He gestures at her to return the question. Is she alright ?

[dragonmasterhiccup]

She smiles, squeezing his hand back. “Not at all. Here-” Melodía gently runs a hand down his back, and the dorsal fin painlessly collapses on itself, kind of like an accordion. “You can fold it up when you need to, like that. You won’t need my help, once you’ve practiced enough.”

“Of course, my love.” The mermaid kisses his forehead. When he asks about Toothless, her expression softens a bit. She caresses his cheek. “Well, I’m sure he misses you as much as you miss him. But I wouldn’t worry. He’s safe on Berk with your father, and he has Perseus to keep him company. Maybe next time you visit, Papa can turn Toothless into a sea dragon or something so he can come too.” She giggles.

The girl takes one last good look at him, smiling softly before giving him a quick kiss. “Goodnight, Hiccup. I love you.” On her way out, she stops by a little shelf by the door, where a little glowing cuttlefish had been sitting the whole time to illuminate the room. She gives it a kiss on the head, to which it turns its little light off, getting comfortable on its little roost. The princess waves to Hiccup before leaving to go to her room.

(Feel free to have Hiccup come in for anything if you want. If not, thats fine too, just keeping the options open 😊)

He nearly gasped, having no idea it could do that. "Huh! Who'd have thought?"

He smiled at the thought. "I'd really like that. We're not often separated from each other... actually, we're never apart, really...so, it's a little strange, I must admit..."

Kissing her back, he said, "I love you, too."

His eyes stayed on her until she passed through the seaweed curtain, and then, for the first time in a very long time, he was alone.

-----------------------

It had taken him some time to fall asleep, and while the sponge bed was soft, he wasn't used to it. He ended up curling up on the sandy floor, finding it closer to the wooden bed he had his whole life.

It seemed cruel though, that tonight of all nights, he'd have a nightmare of a memory from a few years back, when he was on Dragon's Edge...

He was working to free the Submaripper, and now he was trapped in his own invention.

Hands pressed to the Deathsong amber window, he tried to keep calm as the water poured in, seeing Toothless on the other side, his eyes full of sadness.

"I wouldn't leave you either, bud."

But then, a large figure approached.

"TOOTHLESS!"

And suddenly... everything went black.

Hiccup felt weightless, floating with the current, losing consciousness ---

"Toothless!"

He woke with a start, sitting up straight, breathing rapidly. Where was he? Where was Toothless?

Why did he feel like he was underwater still?

Where were his legs?!

Getting his bearings, he started to calm down, the events of the day before coming back to him.

He was in Triton's castle.

Triton made him a merman, so he could visit.

Toothless was still on Berk.

Toothless was still on Berk...

His eyes stung, missing his best friend. Toothless would often comfort him after his nightmares, and Hiccup always fell asleep quickly to the sound of the dragon's breaths as he leaned on the Night Fury.

But he couldn't do that tonight.

He just needed a friendly face, maybe that would be comforting enough.

He swam over, separating the seaweed curtain so he could slip though, and paused outside Melodía's room.

He wasn't going to wake her. He just needed to see her, that's all. Then he'd go back to sleep.

Parting the curtain, he perked inside, seeing her sleeping frame.

His expression softened as he saw her, feeling better already.