#technically mermay but late

[illouistrations-pt2]

[the-nothing-maker]

Lazy and warm

[viovayo]

Fish Reej? Feej???

Mereiji.

[pauleonotis]

Forgot to post this-

Ko-fi | My other socials~

[smittyw]

dailies 5.21.24

animals postinggggg

marzy is ki's companion (u know her!).. mo is nat & Q's part time roommate.. unnamed snakey is ramona's beloved pet.. and fred is just going fishing. badly , dont worry about that

[cybernexus]

Rescue

[ezmerayrune]

So I found this searching for something and realized I never posted it when I did mermay a few years ago, so behold, @Saturn_Digital_ (twitter) as a flying fish mermaid. Also, if you have a twitter acc and know how to play Drama Dodge ball, go check them out, they’re one of my fav artists and they deserve the love and support.

Now I don't really remember why I didn't post it, but considering I had to add the background and watermark, I'll assume past me just didn't like the way it came out and gave up. Or maybe the thought of feathered wings being under water bothered me a lot more back then XD

[artist-ellen]

Historical mermay Prompt 8: Meiji Era -> Aztec Mermaid (Tlanchana)

So the last prompt for Historical Mermay was supposed to be Meiji era but.... last year there was a historical Japanese mermaid and a late Victorian mermaid so.... I decided to switch this one out with a different historical mermaid that had been on my list.

Aztec mythology has a mermaid-like figure, which is very exciting for me, but there's a full backstory so strap in for some lore. The origin for Tlanchana isn't Aztec at all, but instead originates from an Otomi goddess called Acpaxapo. Acpaxapo is a benevolent lake goddess who is half woman, half water-serpent. When she was adopted by the Aztecs her aspect evolved to Tlanchana, a much more mysterious and dangerous deity who would drown men with her tail.

I had hoped to make some more references to the original Otomi influence in my illustration but I was having a devil of a time looking for specifically Otomi artifacts (Otomi is technically a collection of languages and is an exonym for the peoples who speak Otomi languages ((if I've even understood what I 'm reading correctly))...and English websites barely cover the big 3) so I eventually pivoted, since I haven't done any siren-like mermaids for this challenge yet and was interested in doing something a little moodier. A description of Tlanchana described her as wearing only jewels and that sparked a lot of creative joy. And looking at all the jade ornaments in pre-colonial jewelry.... I dove right in. I kept a very serpent-like design for her tail, and made all her ornaments in jade... a series of necklaces, her nose jewelry (which I took some creative liberty with after looking at goddess depictions), and ear plugs. I wouldn't say she is accurate, there's a lot of artistic license salt in this stew... but I think she turned out pretty cool.

(And if you just had the thought that this is the most i have written in a description for ages... it's because this one had... new? research. Example: I've drawn redesigns with Ottoman fashion 3+ times, I don't have much new to say for the Ottoman mermaid. I've talked and researched a lot less on Aztec mythology so I had things to say.)

I am the artist! Do not post without permission & credit! Thank you! Come visit me over on: instagram, tiktok or check out my coloring book available now \ („• ֊ •„) /

https://linktr.ee/ellen.artistic

[dioscouroi]

Two happy mermen just floating around in their corner within the ocean 🌊

...

Am I late for mermay? I guess 🤔 (though it's still may so, this one's still on time... technically)

Well, my laptop is barely working, still ongoing thanks to glue and a prayer 🫠

[geibuffoonery]

I AM NOT LATE!! It's still technically Mermay oo; Lune baby as some- fluffy eel thing And My big grumpy ol man, Spade, is a tiger shark :3 these are old ish but do enjoy <33

[dapandapod]

Concept:

Geralt works in an aquarium, near the biggest fish tank.

Jaskier is a newly hired mermaid performer

Geralt was not told about this

In my dreams, it's still Mermay 2023. Husshhh time is fake. ANYWAY here it is! Thank you @magdelanesingerin helping me beta read <3 and thank you Ella-la for the prompt! It was a lot of fun! Please enjoy <3 On Ao3 here

Technically, Geralt does not work with humans. As in, he’s not there to provide care to humans.

Most of his coworkers are human, yes, but that is not the point. He did not start working here to serve people stale sandwiches and sparkling water.

Geralt knows every inch of the aquarium, knows every work position available.

He knows how to do everything, despite actually being there for the more excotic species of aquatic animals, usually with many teeth. Pros and Cons of working with the family, he supposes.

The years he has spent out in the field and all the late nights he worked with his doctor's thesis, all the scars from times he spent crawling through knee deep water that stank of sulfur and decay, only to find his arm swallowed to the elbow by something very small with big hubris-- all of that is put to perfect use as he wraps yet another dry, overpriced sandwich, or scoops yet another ice cream.

The reason he actually stays, despite the screaming children and the sweating parents and the bored teenagers and the entitled grandparents and the weird work tasks he gets assigned, is the way a young girl's face lights up when Geralt holds up a frog, big enough for him to have to use both hands.

Or the way the sullen teen beams when one of their rare giant butterflies lands on their hands. Or when he can hold an audience captive while showing them something new and exciting and incredibly nerdy about his sharks.

Geralt loves his sharks.

Due to every summer reason ever, Geralt has sadly been called away from his animal related daytime tasks to cover shifts where their usual summer employees are out sick. Which seems to be most of this month.

Where he stands right now, in the very small and very understaffed little kiosk, he has an excellent view of the shark tank, at least. As the aquarium has grown in popularity, so has their shark tank, his pride and joy.

Coën had explained to him excitedly that their new tank would have a much bigger viewing area, and seating area, almost like a little theater. To allow for future opportunities, he had said, and Geralt thought of the way he would be allowed to show off his beauties through the window and almost got excited himself.

It is unusually crowded today, and a lot of people are gathering around the viewing area and are chattering.

It's so loud, their voices bouncing around the room and amplifying, and it's hard to hear the woman in front of him inexplicably order their largest latte and a lactose free cheese sandwich.

Luckily, Milva is coming in soon to cover the rest of the shift, so Geralt can finally get back behind the tanks, out of sight of all the people.

But before he can, the clock strikes one, music blares through the speakers the speakers, and one of the employees he knows from birthday parties steps out with a microphone. It makes Geralt frown, because this is new.

Usually, the show around the big tank would involve a kid friendly lesson about the fish and aquatic animals in their tank, sometimes accompanied by a sweaty Lambert in a mascot suit.

This time, however, there is dreamy music, the lights are lowered even more, and the employee is talking about the magical beings living in the deep, out of sight of human eyes.

See, Geralt is a man of science.

He knows there are mythical and magical things in the depths, having been up close and personal with a few. But this sounds like they are setting up for some kind of misinformed children’s movie.

Which is why Geralt's jaw is somewhere around floor level, when an actual mermaid- wait no, merman, swims up to the glass, waving at the children.

Milva has to elbow him out of the way so she can serve the next customer, while Geralt stares at the Merman flitting around in his beloved shark tank.

The sharks stay clear, because even if the merman's tail is beautiful, it is still striped much like a dragon fish, warning all of them not only with his size, but also with his pattern and coloring, that he is dangerous.

Yet his smile is wide, his claws retracted to tap a smooth fingertip at the glass and wave at the crowd with a webbed hand.

His hair is chestnut brown, matching the pattern riding up along his back, with specks of gold dancing on his skin and in his blue, very blue eyes.

Geralt somehow finds himself by the rail to the seating area, and the merman's eyes lock with his.

As they do, they widen a fraction, and the smile turns into a smirk. The merman winks, and turns, swimming in a pirouetting circle as the employee narrates his movements.

As he swims, the light dances over muscle and bone and scale, the crowd around him making ‘Oooh’ and ‘Aaah’ noises. He is beautiful.

The merman keeps showing off, his many long fins twirling around him like ribbons in the calm water. It is mesmerizing, and as the show is coming to a close, Geralt hurries to the back area and towards the tank.

He gets intercepted by Lambert, of course, who steps in front of him with a shit eating grin spread wide across his smug face.

"Like the new show, did you, pretty boy?" Lambert says, sly eyes watching him.

"I didn't realize we had a new show." Geralt grumbles. "I need to-"

"-Go and ask our new pretty fish boy intrusive questions, yes I know. Just remember he is not a science project."

With a pat on Geralt's shoulder, Lambert walks past him and intothe guest area.

"Oh, and ask him for his number. Literally everybody in the room saw that wink," he throws over his shoulder as he goes.

Geralt feels his ears burn as he moves forward again, because yeah, that wink felt very... yeah. Words fail him, which is a bit unfortunate, seeing as he is just arriving at the stairs to the tank.

Climbing them, he tries to remember what he planned to do in the first place, other than, as Lambert called it, 'ask intrusive questions'.

As he reaches the top of the stairs, the merman is just climbing out of the tank, assisted by Eskel. Once again, Geralt feels his jaw drop, noticing that his tail is now legs.

Long legs. Bare legs, that goes up, up, and lucky for all of them, the rest of the view is quickly hidden by a towel wrapped around a slim waist.

"Figures," he hears Eskel snort, "Jaskier, this is Geralt, our aquatic expert."

They are on separate ends of the room, the tank between them, but the world narrows down to just the two of them.

There is, and always has been, a specific mood to the rooms that houses the the big tanks.

The way the water reflects light, sending it dancing on the walls and ceiling, how it softens shadows, how it can be dark but bright at the same time; Geralt has always did found it a little romantic.

Which isn't something he would ever confess to unless he was swimming in alcohol, or so sleep deprived he didn’tt even know his own name, but it is there, simmering in the back of his mind.

Especially now as he is standing there in the soft, romantic light with a man, who was just a merman, looking back at him as if he has discovered the world anew. He can even pretend that the humming of pumps and gurgling of water filters and dripping of pipes are an orchestra, a symphony to accompany a first meeting.

Alright, that is overdoing it, but still.

Behind Jaskier, Eskel is rolling his eyes so hard his body moves with it.

"Every. Frickin. Time. Jaskier, good job, don't forget to wash off before you get dressed. Let's talk after... after. Later. I do not want to be here right now."

Eskel leaves, patting Jaskier's shoulder, who only nods and waves absently, eyes still fixed at Geralt.

When Eskel is gone, disappearing through another door leading to more, smaller tanks and the food prep area, Geralt finally finds he can move.

It is oddly silent, except for the metallic sound of his shoes hitting the maze of walkways hanging above the tank. He stops, even before he has turned the corner to the final stretch.

"Hi," he manages after a few seconds too long.

The corner of Jaskier's mouth tugs up into a smile, and he reaches for another towel hanging on a hook on the wall.

"Hi," he echoes, his voice just a little raspy. Jaskier wraps the towel around his shoulders, using a corner to dry his hair. "So, you are the Geralt that I have heard so much about."

Geralt blinks. He did not expect people to have mentioned him, but then again, they might actually have warned Jaskier of him.

"Ah. Sorry. I can be uh... less than tactful when something grabs my interest."

Jaskier tilts his head even more and takes a step closer to him.

"So did I? Grab your interest, I mean."

Shit. Fuck. Shit fuck shit.

"I have never met a merman before." Geralt says stiffly, ears burning something fierce, and Jaskier looks amused.

Jaskier steps closer; his feet probably hurt from walking barefoot on the metal grating of the walkway but he doesn't stop until he is close enough to Geralt to stretch out his hand.

"Well then. My name is Jaskier, as you might have gathered. Nice to meet you! Though, I am not full mer, actually."

Interesting.

Geralt shakes his hand, noticing the tips of Jaskier’s fingers are a little rough against the back of his hand.

"Is that why you have... uh..."

"Legs?" Jaskier supplies helpfully. Geralt is still shaking his hand. "In part, yes. Some Mer have a splash of elven blood, granting them the ability to choose."

Geralt should stop shaking his hand. He really should. Their eyes are still locked, and Jaskier is still giving him that amused smile.

"You can stop shaking my hand now," he reminds Geralt, but doesn’t pull his hand back.

"Right. Yes. Right. Sorry." Geralt manages to let go, and is infinitely happy Eskel has left the room, though no doubt Lambert will look at the security footage for later. Shit.

As soon as Geralt manages to break the stare into the man’s eyes, he notices the next problem. Jaskier is pretty much naked, barely covered by the towels, revealing skin, chest hair, and the hint of a tattoo along his ribs and on one thigh.

He wants to ask about that, if it transfers to his fins or not. But as he stares, he also realizes Jaskier is shivering slightly. He's an idiot.

"I uh. Should leave you to get dressed. There is a shower in the changing rooms. Uhm. Can I get you a coffee or something? Later?"

Jaskier smiles that amused smile of his while Geralt is kicking himself internally. Words never were his thing, no, but this is ridiculous.

"As in bring me a coffee, or drink a coffee together with me?"

"Whichever you are comfortable with. Sorry, I am not making a good impression here."

"You are very cute, if that helps." Jaskier says, and Geralt blinks, stunned.

When he fails to reply, Jaskier pulls his towel tighter around himself, and nods.

"Right. So, I'll go shower, and we’ll pretend I never said that. And I'll see you later. For coffee."

Jaskier’s ears are slightly red, and Geralt wants to pretend it’s from their conversation, not from being cold.

Geralt nods, and flees before he can put his foot in his mouth any further, and only after he is half way down the stairs does he realize that he forgot to ask if Eskel showed Jaskier where the changing rooms are.

Too late now, he absolutely won’t go back and risk walking in on a very naked Jaskier. Nope.

When Geralt steps into the public area again, the crowds are slowly thinning out, now that the show is over.

Parents are herding kids towards bathrooms and other viewing areas, and Geralt decides that he needs to find something just a little better than the staff room coffee machine.

It feels a little cheap to go with the aquarium café, and he realizes he doesn't even know how Jaskier likes his coffee. Geralt himself has a sweet tooth, and very few ever believe that at first sight.

He decides to stand and awkwardly waits until Jaskier comes back out.

He manages to work himself up as he waits, overthinking until he’s standing there frowning and glaring at the wall when Jaskier emerges at last.

Quirking an eyebrow, Jaskier hoists his dufflebag a bit higher on his shoulder.

"You good?"

"Hmm. What kind of coffee do you like?" Geralt asks, before he can say something dumb.

"Black as tar, so anything is good." Jaskier smiles. See? You never know what to expect, even with sunshine incarnated.

Geralt nods, and leads the way to the little kiosk where he was working just a few, life-changing minutes before. .

Milva smiles gleefully at Geralt when it's their turn, and hands them a coffee black as tar, and for Geralt, coffee with milk and three sugar cubes.

Instead of sitting down, they put away Jaskier's bag and wander around the aquarium. It turns out he never had the chance to look around before diving in for his first show.

Geralt tries to not ask all the intrusive questions bubbling up in his head, his scientific curiosity temporarily pushed down by the way Jaskier coos at tiny crabs and little fishes in weird shapes and colors.

At last, Jaskier informs him that he can't stay any longer, that he has band practice after his show, and should have gone already.

"But I'll see you again, Geralt," Jaskier promises with a smile. "Next week. Unless you want to grab a bite sometime?"

Jaskier's ears are red again, and Geralt can feel his own face getting warm.

"I'd like that," he mumble, and Jaskier beams. They exchange numbers, just in case Geralt had anything else to ask.

Not one minute after Jaskier leaves, waving over his shoulder, Lambert is on him.

"Getting some tail, are you, pretty boy?" Lambert grins, and Geralt elbows him away.

"If you say anything ever again, I'll show Aiden all your drunk texts," he threatens, which he knows will only work for a few days.

Geralt risks sending a text that same night, and Jaskier replies only a few minutes after.

They have a lunch scheduled in a few days, and Geralt doesn't dare call it a date, not yet, no matter what Eskel says.

When Geralt goes to sleep later that night, he dreams of blue eyes, of chestnut brown and gold specks glimmering in the underwater light.

[lostonehero]

I'm late to mermay, but well, uh, no excuses have Siren! Martin doing such a great job in the archives.

Tim loved going to the ocean. He loved the water in general, and when Danny was still with him, he would try and fail to convince him to try to go with him during the winter. Danny always quoted old legends, but Tim didn't believe in them. Well, he does now, but that's besides the point.

The reason Tim believes is the 6ft5inch man in his apartment who is technically his husband or mate in his words. Of course, this happened years ago he's now a much more jaded man. He works for the insistute now trying to get answers for his brother, and somehow, his husband works there too. He really doesn't understand how he lied about everything on his CV.

"Tim?" A male voice pulls Tim out of his thoughts. "Should I wear this one or this one? We work together now in the archives, and you don't want me to match you."

"The blue one is fine, Martin." Tim smiles softly. Martin wasn't human, and he's honestly surprised nobody has figured it out. He's also grateful for the face that he's his husband, even if he keeps it secret.

"Are you sure? You want our mate bond to be kept secret. I don't know if they can smell it.... I should wear one from the dryer." Martin sighs.

Tim chuckles. "Just because I wore that to bed doesn't mean you can't wear it. We humans don't have the same abilities as you guys."

"Yeah, but I don't know if everyone there is human." Martin huffs.

They have this argument about once a week, which is fine. It's better than the raw meat debate. Tim smiles softly. "Alright, alright, won't wear your jumpers anymore."

Martin huffs. "I didn't say that! You always do this."

Tim chuckles. "Maybe I like seeing you riled up. Seriously though, it's fine as long as we don't arrive at the same time." They've been together years at this point, so they both know when they are joking.

"I know the drill, Tim." Martin sighs. "Can we share the same bed tonight?"

"I'm not sleeping in the tub with you again it took weeks for my skin to heal, and before you suggest it no I'm not going in the ocean either we were both incredibly late to work." Tim raised his brow and pauses. "Oh wait, you meant my bed."

Martin rolls his eyes. "Forget I asked."

"No, wait, yes." Tim moves closer to Martin. "Then I don't have to wear things that smell like you."

Martin smiles. "You're already my mate. You do not need to scent yourself of me."

"What if I want to?"

"I suppose that can be arranged."

......

Sasha rolled her chair closer to Tim. "So Jon totally has a crush on Martin. I was talking to his ex, and she totally agrees. How about a wager? I mean, Martin is totally into him. Have you seen how aggressive he is about taking care of Jon?"

Tim chokes on his tea. "W-what?" He wipes off the mess the best he could. "Sasha, he's that way to everyone."

"Not you, and nowhere near that way to me or anyone else in this building. Besides, the timing is perfect. We have that mandatory institute day out on the beach. Sure, we're picking up trash and sending flyers out about the institute, but there's also games and food. We can totally set them up." Sasha claps her hands together with a smile on her lips.

"No." Tim could feel that green eyed monster rear its ugly head. Danny always made fun of him because he insisted he felt nothing of their marriage. Danny was right, of course. He was about to out them, and he had to think of something. "No, I mean well, what are the stakes? Is Jon's ex going to be there?"

"Oooo, that could be even better." Sasha smirks. "She can help us, and she is bringing her girlfriend. Tim you're a genius."

Tim gave a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

......

Sasha pushed Martin and Jon together. "You two can start at one end, and Tim and I will start at the other. Then we'll meet up and get some American fair food they have."

Jon raised a brow. He was in a binder with a loose tank top above it and a pair of shorts. He was also in boots and long socks. "Ok? I don't understand why Elias has this to be mandatory."

Martin looked like he was about to growl and hiss. They were so close to the ocean that the instincts to take his mate to the ocean screamed at him. "Yeah, it's an odd choice."

Tim grits his teeth as Sasha pulls him away. He was still mostly human, well it was slowly changing but he was still mostly human but even he could feel the pull of the ocean he can't imagine how Martin feels.

......

Jon rubs his brow as he looks over to Martin, who is carrying about six full bags of trash without breaking a sweat. It was impressive and kind of depressing that there's that much trash. "Martin, we can stop and drop those off, we have a ways to go."

"Why?" Martin tilted his head in a way that Jon thought was adorable.

"Isn't it heavy?" Jon sighs he only had two half full bags since Martin keeps taking the full ones away from him.

"No, not really. Are you alright? Do you need more sunscreen? We are nearly done with our side." Martin puts the bags down and takes out a bottle of sunblock.

"I'm dark skinned Martin I don't need that much." Jon, let's out a noise of surprise since Martin already started to put on a fresh layer.

"Dark skin still burns." Martin is quick but thurough. "It's better to be safe."

Jon blushes a deep red. "I uh right, of course. Let us continue. We're almost done."

.....

Sasha and Tim waved from the start of the stands. "Took you guys long enough!" Sasha laughs.

Jon frowns. "Martin insisted I drink some water and put on another layer of sunscreen. However, we did collect the most trash."

Martin nods. "Yes! We found a big pile someone buried under the sand. Also your health is important."

Tim looked between them, and something clicked. The green eyed beast was dead, and Martin was treating Jon like a pod member who couldn't care for themselves. He did this before with Danny when he was really into extreme sports. He felt the tension drain from his shoulders. "How about some weird American food? Heard double boss man got some cool stuff like pickled lemonade, and fried oreos."

"Good lord, that sounds like a heart attack." Jon scoffs.

"I would like to try that. Sounds like a perfect hangover cure." Sasha chuckles.

.......

Martin somehow ended up on a cliffside. He loved watching the waves from this high up, Tim was behind him talking to Jon's ex, um Georgie was her name. It was very nice and he really wanted to jump.

"Pretty view." A old man was next to him. His white hair was wind swept back. "You can get lost in just how vast it is."

Martin nodded, not realizing he was moving forward until he was tumbling over the edge. Well, he wanted to do this anyway.

Tim did a double take before he started to run. "MARTIN!" He went over the edge as well, and he could swear he heard an old man laughing.

Georgie and Sasha ran to the edge. They saw Tim hanging on grabbing Martin on a ledge.

"Holy shit are you two ok?" Sasha stared down at them wide-eyed.

Tim huffs. "I know you're making that face. I'm not dropping you." He did not hear Sasha, but she can hear the two men.

"But Tim, the ocean! Pleaseeeee I wanna go with you." Martin huffs.

"No, Martin, you're going to out us!" Tim groans his grip was strong but not enough for their combined weight. "Grab onto a ledge! Use your damn claws."

"I will bite you." Martin holds his hand out and then slams it into the side of the cliff and lets go of Tim. "You owe me!"

"We can go swimming when it won't out us." Tim rolls his eyes and adjusts his grip with both hands. "Now focus, we need a way back up."

"I'm not helping you." Martin sticks his tongue out and climbs the clifside like he was a lizard and stops above Tim. "You're also banned until I see fit from taking my clothes."

"Seriously? We're literally hanging from a cliff." Tim huffs.

"You are. I am climbing." Martin kicks off his shoes then his socks. "Last chance."

Tim looks up at the two women staring at them, and of course, they see Martin sink his claws into stone. "Fine. Not because I want to, but because Sasha and Georgie already saw you sink your hands into the cliffside." He lets go of the cliffside and falls with his arms crossed.

Martin follows in a diving position.

Sasha and Georgie screamed.

......

"Now, Sasha, let's not be hasty." Elias hums, walking by the bottom of the cliffside. "You also said Martin pushed his hands into the cliffside."

"I'm sorry, Sasha, but he's right." Georgie frowns. "I believe in the weird, but that's like impossible, and to fall at that height."

"Well, I hope the supernatural exists." Jon mumbles. "They could survive the fall right?"

"Not likely, water becomes -" Elias is cut off by laughter.

"Martin! Bloody hell!" Tim said through laughter.

Martin was carrying Tim. They were walking out of the waves. "Oh, I love cliff diving. We should do that again!"

The four people stared at the two with jaws open.

[tennessoui]

may ko-fi: mer au part 3!!

ok so technically it is june now and officially no longer mermay but a girl was busy last night and watched challengers instead of writing mermaid sex and she's very sorry (disclaimer: there is no actual mermaid sex in this final part)

but i'm only a day late and i consider it a solid win!! the last part of the mer au fic has finally been posted on my ko-fi for monthly supporters to read and it puts the whole mer au at a completely unintentional 19k (that's not a special number i just thought the original fic would be like. 6k. so. whoops.)

here's a little snippet!:

“Yes,” Obi-Wan agrees. “For mers, usually when they’re courting, they—well. I suppose you know how mers court their intendeds.” Anakin blinks. “How would I know that?” Obi-Wan can feel his lips thin out for a moment, his eyes tighten. “You were the queen’s intended,” he reminds him carefully. “She must have courted you in the only way she knew how.” “Oh! Oh,” Anakin says. “Yeah, alright. She brought me things, yeah. Pearls and jewels and, uh. Fish at one point. So I gave her, like. A fork?” Obi-Wan closes his eyes for a moment and lets out a long breath through his nose. “She really liked the fork,” Anakin adds, defensive. “I’m sure,” Obi-Wan says, and the truth is he thinks she probably did love the human object. The queen has always been fascinated by the human world. Perhaps if she were born as any other mer, she would have tried, as Obi-Wan had tried, to live among them. Anakin looks over him critically. “You don’t have a fish, right?” he asks, sounding hesitant. “Only it was all bloody, and I’m not really…hungry. Right now.” “No, Anakin,” Obi-Wan says.

as a quick reminder to how these ko-fi fics work, every month i post at least one new ficlet (from 4k to apparently 19k) to ko-fi in the gallery section - each gallery post contains a link to a google doc in its image description, and you have to be a monthly supporter to access those image descriptions! there are quite a few at this point if you're interested but this is absolutely not at all something i expect or demand or any other hard action verbs from anyone who likes my writing (but im so so grateful and thankful for anyone who does ofc)!! im still posting fics on ao3 and on tumblr. it's just new and different fics up on ko-fi! they're all a bit silly, like superhero anakin x journalist (maybe villain?) obi-wan, jedi werewolf obi-wan and jedi anakin, divorce lawyer obi-wan x serial-groom anakin, etc etc

[watatsumiis]

A Friend in the Shallows - a Mermaid!Kaveh x reader drabble

Pretty much exactly what it says on the tin! An extraordinarily late Mermay drabble!!

Content: Mermaid!Kaveh and gender neutral reader. Not inherently shippy or romantic, just a little drabble! A very light helping of angst towards the end.

It’s a relief, finally making it out to the forest again after nearly a week of constant storms. It feels like a brand new place, with a fresh coat of lush green paint to match. Branches and debris are scattered about everywhere, and you almost get lost a few times before finally recognising the two crossed trees that signal the clearing your safe haven rests in. 

The water seems to be calm and still as you approach, barely a ripple on the surface. The azure pool is much deeper than it looks from the surface most days, but today you can clearly see just how far the depths go, even around the leaves and sticks scattered about. 

A soft breeze blows through, disturbing the water and pulling you out of your thoughts. You look around for a few moments before spotting your preferred place to sit - a broad, flat rock nestled amongst the roots of a large, twisted birch tree. You clear some leaf mulch from it before sitting down and opening up your book, settling in to read.

The creatures of the forest make for nice companionship, despite the chill in the air. It’s not long before you recognise the cacophony of the duck family that has come to recognise your presence here, and smile in relief upon realising that they seemed to have made it through the recent storms just fine. 

A while passes, and the wind begins to pick up a little more, and eventually you mark your place and set your book down beside you to regard the ducks, floating around in the pond. They seem to be focused on one area in particular, underneath a large clump of branches and bushes that seems to have grown since you were last here. They’re floating by it, pecking at the low-hanging branches and occasionally fluttering their wings. 

You can’t help but frown at the sight, wondering if there might be something wrong. It takes you a while to muster up the courage to approach. You can just make out a figure in the shadows underneath the heavy layer of leaves, and redouble your pace. 

Your heart drops as you wonder if it might be a body, some unfortunate hiker caught out in the storm, and you quickly begin to pull off the layers of branches from the other side, while the ducks nip and fuss about from the water. 

“Hey, hey, hey!” A voice comes from within the bushes, startling you out of your stupor. “You hooligans!” They complain. “That is enough!” You hear a splash and freeze as the ducks scatter, quickly beginning to question if this is when you should be starting to run. “I was asleep!” You take a few steps back as the makeshift shelter shudders, and something large slides out from under the leaves and into the pond with a shimmer. 

“That’s what I thought!” The person in the water shakes their fist at the retreating ducks. “You are not very nice neighbours you know! This happens again and I’ll be cooking one of you up for dinner!” Though, even as he speaks, you see him adjust the direction of his waving to help spook one of the ducklings off in the direction of its family before it can get lost in the reeds. 

“Uhm.” You begin awkwardly, unsure of how to confront this situation. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were in there.” You take another few steps away from his shelter. 

“Oh!” The person whirls around quickly, seemingly just as shocked as you are to see someone else here. “I-uh. Hello there.” His brown eyes meet yours, and his perfect eyebrows arch upwards. “You’re a human.” He observes, before you can say anything else. 

“And…you’re not?” You respond dryly, setting your hands on your hips.

“Yes. Well, no - actually, kind of - I mean - I’m not human. Technically.” He stumbles over his words as he gestures vaguely. “Does being partially human count for anything?” 

“What do you mean?” You frown at him as he flounders, twirling his long blond hair around his fingers, showing off the brown tips as he tilts his head to the side.

“I’m a mermaid.” He announces, with no preamble or beating around the bush. “Well, merman, I guess, if you want to be pedantic. I have yet to meet any mer who uses that title.” His chattering increases in speed, giving you no chance to butt in. “Humans made it up, actually, which is like - that’s fine, I suppose, but our biology is much more complicated than that, and-” 

“A mermaid?” You manage to echo after a few moments, and the man in the pond stops in his tracks, looking up at you in a way that could either be mildly offended or somewhat amused. Now he’s still, you can see white, gold and orange scales beneath the surface of the water, shimmering softly in the light. Sprawling fins swish back and forth absently, though the mermaid is sitting in the shallows, his weight resting on the rocks and plants. 

“It’s rude to stare, you know.” He narrows his eyes, a hint of a smile pulling at his lips.

You quickly avert your gaze. “Sorry.” You mumble sheepishly, cheeks warming.

He shakes his head good-naturedly and flicks his hair back. “Anyways,” he says, perking up. You brace yourself for another rant. “What’s your name?” 

You introduce yourself, and the mermaid practically beams. “That’s a lovely name.” He comments, then falls silent for a few awkward moments before he remembers his manners. “I’m Kaveh, by the way. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” 

“It’s nice to meet you too, Kaveh.” You offer a small smile, and the surface of the water ripples as Kaveh’s tail flicks about, stirring the small plants growing in the shallows. 

“What brings you all the way out here?” He adjusts his position, turning his back to you as he moves towards the deeper part of the pool. “The nearest human village is…” He gestures somewhat vaguely in a direction that you most certainly did not come from. “A while away.”

You walk around the outskirts of the pool to stay in his line of sight as you answer. “Well, I come here a lot.” You inform him. “To read, do papers, write, those kinds of things. It’s…quiet.” You shuffle your feet and look down to watch the crisp green grass spring up where you’d been standing just a moment ago. “What are you doing here?” 

“Well, I…ah, I’ve been hanging around a while since that big storm, y’know. Taking in the scenery, helping out, waiting for inspiration… That kind of thing.” Kaveh smiles airily and waves one dainty hand about.

It doesn’t take long for you to see through his charade. “You’re stuck, aren’t you?” You raise an eyebrow. 

Kaveh seems to wither in on himself a little, crinkling his nose up in distaste. “Perhaps just a little.” He admits after a few moments.

You can’t help but laugh, and his tail flicks back and forth, shimmering in the dappled sunlight coming through the leaves as his pointed ears take on a distinct downward tilt. “Well, where did you come from? Can’t you go back?” 

Kaveh lets out a long-suffering sigh. “Theoretically, yes.” He waves a hand about. “I’m drawing up a schematic for a device that will be able to carry me through the forest and back home.” He taps a pouch on his hip. “There are just a few bits and pieces I need that I can’t find here. Wheels, elastics, those kinds of things.”

“Oh.” You mull over the problem for a few moments, scratching your chin in thought. “Well…Maybe I might be able to help you with some of it.” You run over your budget in your head, and vaguely wonder where you’d be able to source the cheapest wheels from. 

“Really?” The way his face lights up is akin to watching the sun come out from behind a cloud, and his fins flare out in excitement while his tail all but wags, sending a few small fish darting back towards the outskirts of the pond. 

“I mean, I don’t see why not.” You manage to smile, though you’re a little preoccupied with trying to figure out the exact way you’d go about all this, when you’d come down to help. “I couldn’t just leave you stuck here.” 

“You know, I think my housemate would like you.” Kaveh informs you with a cheeky smile that suggests that perhaps his housemate is a touch more judgemental than he’s letting on. 

“Mermaids have houses?” You ask, before you can stop yourself. “And housemates?” You try to picture it in your head, but all you can come up with is an image of a mermaid palace from a book you read as a child. 

“What, did you think we just flop upside-down and float down the river like dead fish when we get tired?” He scoffs, rolling onto his back in the shallows with a dramatic flourish, sending a spray of water showering over you as he flicks his fins, his piebald-patterned scales glimmering in the dappled light of the clearing.

You yelp in surprise and shield your face from the cold droplets. “Hey!” You scold him lightheartedly. He gives you a grin that’s somewhere between apologetic and mischievous. 

“Come on, let me show you the schematic.” Kaveh tells you suddenly, pulling a rolled up scroll of something that looks akin to paper, but a little more sturdy. “Come on, get over here, I’m not drying myself out sitting in the dirt with you.” He waves you over. 

You both spend the next few hours poring over his schematics - he shows you a few other projects he was working on before the storm, while you both exchange details about your own respective lives. You share a bit of the lunch you packed, and he offers you some interesting little edible plant wraps from one of his satchels in return.

Before you know it, the sun is beginning to set, and the clearing is getting darker faster than you’re comfortable with. You sigh regretfully and make to pull yourself into a standing position. “I’m sorry, Kaveh, I should go.” You look up at the sky, splotched with light grey clouds. 

“Wait.” Before you can straighten out, you feel Kaveh’s cold hand around your wrist, and his brown eyes fix you with a doleful look. 

“What is it?” You ask, a little worried that he was under the impression that you were going to stay here overnight, or come back with his supplies today. 

“You…” His voice seems to die in his throat, which comes as a bit of a shock to you - even though you’ve only known him for a couple of hours, it seems like he’s always got something to say, and no measure of impulse control to stop him from saying it. “You’ll come back, right?” He tries for a smile, but it comes out a little wobbly and nervous. 

“Of course. I said I would, didn’t I?” You return his smile, though the intensity in his gaze feels almost intimidating. 

“I- well, yeah, yeah, you did.” Kaveh lets you go, shrugging his shoulders as if he’s shedding a heavy backpack. “Just, be safe, won’t you?” He tilts his head to the side. “I mean, you’re my ticket out of here.” He runs his fingers through his hair and lets out a little laugh that turns into an awkward cough as you don’t laugh along. 

There’s something in his gaze, some sad sort of longing that makes you realise for the first time that he’s carrying a heavy loneliness within him, one that stems from something more than the few days he’s spent isolated in this little clearing. It makes your heart ache. “I’ll be back.” You assure him. “I promise.”

Please don't repost, steal, copy or otherwise plagiarise my writing! I do not consent for my works to be translated and posted elsewhere, or used to teach bots!

[the-honey-badger-boi]

Okay I know it’s late for MerMay but TECHNICALLY I drew them in May I’m just bad at posting hahaha

[ains-art]

hi! I love your griffin work, and I was wondering whether this was a challenge you set for yourself or if it came from somewhere? would you be okay with other people following a similar concept for their own art?

It was (technically) a part of Decembird, i saw the challenge existed like 2 days too late so i created my own prompt list for it in an hour since i couldn't find the official one at the time

The griffin part is just because i like giving my own twist to these things :)c like when during Mermay, i designed them based off moths

Go ahead and do it aswell if you'd like!! I hope you have fun with it