#hopefully I can clean up Kolver and Tsek's refs at some point

[gadzooksgalore]

At some point down the line, I'm hoping to write three short stories which take place in my own universe of merfolk, essentially creating what could be described as a Mer Anthology. So I wanted to officially introduce the main characters of the first story in that collection!

This story, tentatively titled "Stronger than Blood," takes place in the Gulf of Mexico and focuses on the unexpected familial relationship that develops between Mip and Ardyn. Mip is a young seahorse mer whose coloration mimics that of the blue ringed octopus, a detail she uses (or tries to) in order to fool predators into thinking she’s poisonous. She's a poor swimmer and somewhat small for her age, which she presumes are the reasons why her family abandoned her. Mip's three moods generally include shy, nervous, and scared - but she can be incredibly brave when the situation calls for it. Prove to her that you're trustworthy and you might catch a glimpse of her sweet side. Oelardyn (or Ardyn for short) is a predatory mer who shares similarities to the spotted ragged-tooth shark. The son of a fierce mer-eater, Ardyn rejected his father's ways and broke ties in an effort to lead a different life. Because of this, he tries to not come off as intimidating or scary to smaller mers and tends to remedy his frightening appearance by joking around, but he's very observant and often notices more than he lets on. All things considered, Ardyn is a pretty chill guy. Yet some aspects of his predatory instincts frighten him more than he's willing to admit...

I don't know exactly when this story (or the others) will make their way onto paper, but I plan to post them online whenever that time comes. I'm certainly looking forward to it! In the meantime, thanks for reading about my fish kids :>