#merfolk generally are very tolerant of irritation. and theres a lot of different methods they might use to exit a situation

[rxttenfish]

oh shit right i forgor to say

chin tilting down for merfolk = dominant

chin tilting up for merfolk = submissive

of course this is speaking in the very VERY general body language terms of dominant vs submissive, and is more about how threatening or aggressive they might be in any given situation. generally head lowered is also dominant as well, and head turning back/away is submissive, but head lifted can be either submissive or dominant based off of the chin position.

mostly its about showing the gills and the soft spot of their neck underneath their jaws. this is an incredibly delicate area on merfolk not just for the gills and fins (which, again, glorified lung tissue), but also because this area is very lightly scaled, making it easier to harm than nearly every other part of their body.

if a merfolk tilts their chin up, theyre exposing that bit of anatomy, thus implying either trust towards whoever theyre making this gesture towards that they will not hurt them, or going "please dont hurt me, im not being threatening to you, i will do what you ask if you dont hurt me". it can also be seen as polite to do for certain positions and roles like mirandas, implying that you arent going to try and threaten her and her position by showing that youre already on your back foot. it can also be done between merfolk who are extremely close to each other, including touching each others throats, as a gesture of trust and love and knowledge that the other wont hurt them (going back to the mutual sort of belonging that defines a lot of merfolk relationships, an "i am yours and you are mine" that goes in both directions. an "i am submissive to you and you are submissive to me" kinda thing). but merfolk might also tilt their chin up towards pups or younger merfolk that are around, both making a submissive gesture towards them and proving that they arent going to hurt them, something which is highly approved of as a means of getting the parents involved to relax and know that said merfolk isnt going to try and hurt the pups.

if a merfolk tilts their chin down, theyre covering that spot and making it harder to access without putting yourself at risk of getting bitten by them first. it can be a gesture of fear and stress, sort of as a bracing for impact and making sure they arent exposing any soft places on their body, but it can also be a very aggressive gesture, implying that theyre willing to fight for whatever they stand for in that moment, and that they do not plan to make it easy for anyone else. lowering their head is seen as very dominant and aggressive for this reason, especially because it has the context of already aiming for the soft places on the other merfolk's body, and with a flare of their fins it can be some of the most intense and directly confrontational poses merfolk can take with other merfolk. lifting their head but lowering their chin can imply confidence, a total awareness of themselves so certain that they arent even afraid that the other party might try something — while lifting their head and lifting their chin exposes as much of their neck and gills as possible, making it an incredibly submissive and fearful gesture.

turning their heads away is also seen as more submissive, but is usually done with tilting their chin down. in this case, it means moreso along the lines of "you are stressing me out, im giving you a chance to leave while you can". it also puts them in a better position to turn away and flee if they need to (they swim facing the direction of their head), so it also indicates a want to leave or a separation between them, sometimes intentionally built up as a wall. other stress indications like tightly closed eyes, intensely focused eyes, fins flattened back against the neck, jaw held open, lips pulled tight, "panting" even moreso provide red flags that the other party needs to back up or provide space or else there might be consequences. when theyre on land, merfolk will also pull their tail between themselves and the other party, also helping to build up that wall and separation, to try and build space between them and the other person.