#the merboy's cry

[sosoribro]

oc lore Thingies™

[beanibon]

Mer!Livio x Reader Headcanons

I have slowly been accepting my Livio simpage, so why not add him alongside the merboys.

Reader owns a home at another section of the lake, not a holiday home just a normal house. Reader prefers solitude and often fears interaction with other people, her pass time is clearing the lake of trash that holiday goers leave. You also have a sausage dog called Mildred, cause I said so xD

TW: smut, cockwarming, borderline exhibitionism, mating mark, slight oral (f!receiving), biting, slight overstimulation, over all a very soft boy.

Livio lives in the same Saltwater lake as Wolfwood, who has taken it upon himself to be his unofficial big bro. He shows the younger merman the ropes, how to avoid the family that holidays at their lake, and how to hunt with their pod. Overall, Livio has become family, often found clinging to his brother.

You would imagine his shock upon seeing Wolfwood mating with a human late at night, mouth agape as he shyly observed his brother mating with the creatures he swore he hated. It was awkward to say the least, especially when he was dragged to meet said human.

Since then Livio has opted to try and become more independent, exploring further sections of the lake. During these times he'd hunt with his and Wolfwoods pod, until one day he noticed the sharks branching off at an interval.

Curiosity got the better of Livio as he pursued them, resulting in a rather unusual sight.

You were collecting trash left by holiday goers when the sharks approached, familiar with your presence. Of course that didn't stop a few from charging you, Livio went to intervene, stopping as you outstretched a hand to redirect the sharks.

This confused Livio, never before had his brother's human done something like this, let alone be found anywhere within the water. However you on the other hand allowed his family to swim around you, unbothered by their company unless one got too close. It intrigued him, yet he would not approach.

He watched with disappointment as you left, stripping off the gear and dumping the garbage in its respectable bins. Livio began to get more curious, so his visits to this side of the lake became more frequent, observing you as his passtime.

There was an odd creature that followed you around, one that Livio watched like he would prey. You fondled this creature with affection, throwing sticks into the water for it to retrieve. Surely if it could swim that meant it was fair game?

Livio lunged at the small mammal, fangs bared as he screeched. As his claws went to dig into this animals soft flesh, something hard smacked him square in the face. Whimpering chirps sounded from the merman, rubbing timidly at his bloodied nose, lunch now on shore besides you.

You had your other shoe in hand, aimed at inhuman man above the waters surface, you were confused as it began making drawled out chirps as if it were crying.

Guilt surfaced in your gut, so you entered the water, slowly approaching this oddity. With a gentle touch, you wiped the blood off his face, pinching his nose to stop any bleeding.

While you were close, you took the opportunity to study him, as if to confirm what you were seeing. Livio watched you, nervous like you were to hurt him again, but your touch was warm. Was this what dragged his brother away? You smelt nice?

Livio braved a few shy sniffs, circling you before appearing before you again, eyes wide as he gaze into your own. Yet as quickly as it happened, Livio screeched and vanished, leaving you alone in the water.

From that point on you saw the young merman frequently, sometimes during your dives, other times when you spent your time outside. One time Livio was found basking on your dock, asleep as the early morning rays warmed his flesh. You approached him, running a hand along his tail, abruptly waking him.

In his startle Livio fell back into the water, he seemed displeased as he resurfaced, a few disgruntled chirps sounded from him. You were even splashed by his tail, which you couldnt help but laugh at.

That sound had Livio hooked, head tilted this way and that like Mildred would when presented a treat. He climbed back onto the dock, circled around you then resumed his nap, damp tail soaking your clothes. It was as if he was saying "go ahead".

For the next few weeks this became a regular ordeal, until Livio decided to try something new. You were snorkelling, collecting trash like usual when Livio approached, nuzzling against you and chirping with delight. Yet when you went to greet him back, you were gently shoved into the ground, his larger form pressed into you.

Pointed teeth nibbled at your shoulder, then went lower and lower until he was grazing your clothed sex with his canines. Livio pressed his face into you, yellow eyes studying for any sign to stop, only you urged him forward to which he tore your swimsuit to devour you.

For weeks watching Wolfwood please his own human, Livio thought he'd gain enough experience to do the same. But without having done it before, you could tell he was a little rusty. Though it was the thought that counts.

Livio lapped at your folds, suckling them as his teeth brushed against the fragile skin. Your legs kicked as pain exploded from your inner thigh, blood escaping the bite mark that Livio innocently licked.

You were brought to the surface, placed ever so gently upon the dock as your lower body dangled over the edge. The cold, wet member that was Livio's cock slithered between your legs, causing moans of anticipation to escape you.

Those sounds only had Livio chirp in excitement, gently entering you, stretching your walls with his foreign cock. You stayed like that for ages, the merman practically purring as his cock twitched inside you. You tried begging Livio to move, he only growled and wiggled further into you.

You could've sworn your stomach had bulged, pressed beneath him as Livio squeaked and whined as your walls contracted around him. That's what caused him to move, thrust after thrust until you were drooling onto the polished wood of your dock.

The water splashed at each collided of his hips against your ass, strong arms on either side as he sunk his teeth into your soft flesh again and again. His chirps were restrained, quiet as you felt his lips brush your ear, as if Livio only wanted you to hear him.

An arm wrapped around your waist, hoisting you up as he slid onto the dock fully. Carefully Livio turned you around, slitted yellow eyes staring into your own as he bred you.

Even when he was done, satisfied with the end results, Livio didn't pull out. No. Instead he snuggled into you, body wiggling as you protested due to his cock still inside you. With a tired yawn, Livio cuddled into you with his weight pressing you against the wooden dock, familiarising himself with the soft walls of your cunt.

It was something you could get use to, snuggled next to your cuddly water cat. A sweet creature that adored the way you ran your hand along his body, touching you with such care whenever the opportunity arose.

First time writing for Livio, so feel free to give me any feedback! Thank you all, had hope you enjoy!

I'll be getting back to requests now!

[eldritch-spouse]

So what would the merboys do if their s/o was afraid of one of them but fine with the other? I think I would genuinely freak out if I saw Magus swimming closer to me

[I'm assuming you're keeping a poly thing in mind.]

It's easy for people to deem Glauk nothing more than a happy go lucky kind of puppy monster and for Magus to be categorized as a scary, brooding giant. And, to a degree, both of them kind of expect that reaction nowadays. Sure, if you asked Glauk about it, he'd say there's nothing scary about Magus, but he does have a weird effect on people... *Shrug*

In reality, your opinion on both is likely to change drastically once you see Glauk ripping jellyfish and several other extremely dangerous species apart and repeatedly throwing people into the aquarium to give chase to them. In comparison, Magus is a sweet little angel that just wants to watch people and maybe perchance steal their shiny things. He's just quiet and still often, that spooks people.

When it comes to you, Glauk is going to be visibly upset if you refuse to come within Magus' vicinity, but the bigger mer doesn't seem too offended or upset. He'll give you space actually, observing you from below. Occasionally, his tendrils will brush against your legs and you'll definitely see glimpses of him swimming circles around you, but he'll only surface from time to time, keeping most of his body obscured.

Nothing will save you from being held against his chest while he leisurely floats however. You can kick and scream and cry, you're still his mate and he's going to have contact with you. Glauk can get on top of him too if you're that scared of the bigfin mer.

Ultimately, Magus isn't wounded by your attitude, so much as he expects you to eventually get over it.

[11queensupreme11]

I got to think.

If Poseidon wants a friend for Percy. With Sally in Atlantis. I don't think he would ask, he would just grab Geir and pull her with him.

Let's be real, her siblings wouldn't dare to do anything in fear of being hurt or worse killed.

Trauma for sisters.

While Geir has after a time joy of her life in Atlantis, blue food from motherly Sally, a friend in Percy and a douchbag "father-in-law" Poseidon.

But as long not alone with Poseidon she is safe. And think of tiny silver mermaid Geir and tiny merboy Percy playing "Under the Sea".

goll's sisters would be crying screaming and shitting while she's having the time of her life (until Poseidon steps in ofc)

[iasonspet]

Day 19 of Mermay! #mermay #mermay2018 #feels #merboy #chibi #icecream #fish #octopus #crying #art #anime #manga #drawing #illustration #ink #zigmangaka #mechanicalpencil #mossery

[gamerbearmira]

Mermaid AU Story huh⁉️⁉️⁉️

This is. Just a rewrite from an old snippet I wrote back in May. And some art too????

I don’t know what I was trying to achieve here,,,,,at all,,,hopefully y’all don’ recoil too much

Anyway Les get it

—————

Little Antonio was asleep in his crib, snoring peacefully. Mirabel had just put him down. She was worried; he had been having trouble breathing all day. The just turned 2 year old was so small, and it worried not only her, but the others and Pepa as well.

Dolores had brought up the chance that maybe he had developed his gills early. Which was a possibility; After all, from what Isabela and Dolores had said, Luisa had developed hers at 3 rather than 5. It could be the same with Antonio.

Antonio suddenly started to breath hard again, breathing pattern becoming irregular. Mirabel rushed over, already expecting this. She saw that Antonio indeed did have gills, three slits on each side of his neck. The toddler wriggled and whined, beginning to cry.

Mirabel was quick to act, she had been prepared to do so all day. Doing exactly as Isa had told her, she pulled his pajama shirt off, giving him more room to breath. Taking the large cup of cold water (that she always kept on her bed side), he dumped it onto Antonio top half.

The small boy sputtered at the sudden splash of water, but quickly took in a deep breath. Mirabel sighed as she picked him up. She moved quickly and quietly into Casita's hallway, going into the bathroom.

As soon as she opened the bathtoom door, she saw a worried, slightly thundering Pepa, and Dolores, who was standing next to the bathtub.

"Tia? Lolo? When did you...?" Mirabel started, before Pepa gently took Antonio from her arms. Dolores ushered both over to the tub.

"I heard Antonio earlier and thought that I should prepare a bath. I didn't wanna take any risks," Dolores said, to which Mirabel nodded.

"Is he going to be ok? W-What do I do? How can I help?" Pepa shot the questions quickly, clutching her now gasping 2 year old. She noticed his struggle and immediately started pouring on the 3; not that they minded. It had actually seemed to help him, as Antonio had started to breath regularly again.

"Mama, its ok," Dolores carefully guided her scared mother over to the bathtub, which had been filled almost to the brim. "Just put him in the bathtub."

Pepa snapped her head towards her daughter, eyes wide and rain coming down harder. "What?!" She yelled, before softly apologizing to her daughter. "Lo siento...but...there's too much water! He-He'll drown!"

Dolores and Mirabel giggled. "That's the point Tia. He needs to be submerged. I promise, Toñito will be fine."

Pepa looked at the two before looking at her youngest toddler. She...could trust them. They knew what they were doing and besides, she couldn't let any of the other adults know, it was too dangerous.

"Ok..." Pepa lifted her son into the tub. Slowly, she let Antonio sink deeper and deeper, until he was on the very bottom, and was completely underwater.

Pepa jumped about a foot in the air when the boy took in a deep breath of water, tail and mer-features forming as he somehow, continued to sleep.

"What's happening? Is that supposed to happen?" Pepa asked worriedly, petting her braid as she looked at her newly turn merboy son.

"Mama, its fine, its supposed to happen," Dolores grabbed her mothers hand, setting them down in her lap.

"Look, he's fine! He's just sleeping," Mirabel said, pointing into the bathtub. Dolores looked into the bottom and smiled as well, gaining Pepa's attention.

The woman slowly made her way over, carefully looking over the edge and into the water. Her cloud suddenly disappeared, and a rainbow appeared. Pepa practically melted at the sight.

There, laying in the bottom of the tub, lay her youngest, two year old son. He was curled up, yellow tail curled up near his chest, glowing under the dim bathroom.

"Ay, look at mi hijo," Pepa reached a hand into the water, gently caressing his face. Antonio grabbed her arm, cuddling into it. Pepa smiled brighter as she produced a double rainbow. Mirabel and Dolores gave each other a knowing look and a smile as they watched Pepa gushed over her youngest.

This wasn't so bad.

—————

Little baby…I lob him…I love them all 😩🤲👊 ❤️❤️❤️❤️ ANYWAY WHAT Y’ALL THINK. HOW WE FEELING????

[goji-pilled]

Random domestic witch thoughts I had part 9:

At some point when Anthony was four he had a cold. Poor guy was coughing and sneezing and mostly sleeping throughout the day.

One day while he was sick though Mami, Oktavia and Kyoko hear him scream, like highpitched, totally panicking. Obviously they think something happened so they storm off to his room, weapons drawn and ready to fight an intruder only to see that their son managed to shift his bottom half into his witch form's tail, but without the upper half doing the same.

So there he sits, flopping his tail and crying about how he sneezed and somehow turned himself into a legit merboy you'd usually see in stories, totally scared that he can't reverse it and is gonna have to live in the ocean now.

All while his mothers stand there not sure how to handle this because this is new.

(Later they place him in the bathtub to calm down and relax while Oktavia tries to replicate it and figure out how to go from there. Thankfully it works, and thus becomes a new addition for the "Witch-Quirks" list Mami has. Kyoko and Oktavia just ask her, "You have a list???")

[s0s2]

Ngl I almost started crying when they freed merboy. I love him so much ;A; too good for this world

It took long but better late than never C:

[totiredtowrite]

Pirate!Karasano (platoniclly or just Daichi) x Mermaid!Reader(this might be a long one so bare with me)

Maybe when Daichi was little he and reader met and became best friends, Daichi would visit him everyday but one day reader stopped showing up. Fast forward years and Daichi is now a pirate (never forgetting about his best mer-mate) captain with his own crew, either when raiding another ship he finds reader locked up, or his crew went to a village/shopping district (or whatever they’re called) and saw reader locked up (either way reader was captured). Daichi makes a plan to steal reader back (the team probably just thinks he wants the mermaid man, half of them or like “who would do that to a living creature???”). When he successfully gets back reader reader just think that these humans captured him for their own entertainment but then realized it’s Daichi and he’s (Daichi) just crying ‘cause he finally got his best mer-friend back

This is probably too long/confusing so I won’t blame you for not doing it/changing it!

🎆-anon

Pirate Daichi - Merfolk Reader

『4』『4』『4』

"Daikkun!"

Daichi turned his head down towards the water. You had your arms resting on a rock, (f/c) tail slightly visible in the water behind you. "You look distracted," you laughed and swam closer to him. He bit his lip and kicked the water.

"Dad says I should start focusing on my studies." He sighed. "But I wanna keep coming out here."

You just shrugged. "Study out here then," you smiled, hauling yourself up on the rock to comfortably sit across from him. The wind ruffled the fins on your back, your scales shining.

He picked at a piece of wood on the dock, smiling softly. "You really want me out here?"

You nodded vigorously. "The other kids don't like me much. You're waay better than them! My favourite even!"

Daichi's smile widened. "You're my favourite too, (y/n)."

Sawamura jolted straight up. These random memories in the form of a dream were starting to feel more like nightmares. The day after that encounter, you didn't show up. Then the day after, then the day after, and eventually Daichi just stopped waiting.

He sighed, wiping the sweat off of his forehead and sitting up. The gentle rocking of his ship was making him feel more uneasy than safe in the moment.

He turned to look out of the small, circular window to his right. The sun was just starting to peek out of the horizon, so at least he didn't loose too much sleep. Or oversleep. He sat up straight and rubbed his face. Even now, at twenty three years of age, he was plagued with memories of the merboy he met when he was thirteen.

He decided to not let it faze him though, and went about his morning as usual. By the time the sky was blue, the whole crew was up and working.

"Hey captain!" He turned his head to see Nishinoya waving at him. "Why're we pulling into port?"

Hinata looked down from the crows nest, expecting an answer the same as Yuu.

"We need more supplies," Daichi called back, "We'll only be docking for a short while."

The bustling noise of the city wasn't something Karasuno was used to. The marketplace especially. Vendors everywhere, people pitching that their products were better than the other stalls selling the same. Daichi huffed. It's been about an hour, most of the supplies they needed were in sacks over their shoulders, though they were still missing some things. Daichi was going to turn in a different direction, until-

"Come one come all! Ever seen a half human, half fish freak? Now you have! Hell, he's even for sale!"

Daichi paused, slowly turning. His breath caught in his throat.

You. Older now, mature in a way that made Daichi forget almost everything. Everything, from the small scar on your tail to the colour of your skin, was the same.

He staggered forward. The man, stout, real crafty looking, spotted Daichi moving towards his booth. "You there! Are you interested in taking this one off my hands?"

"How much," Daichi said without hesitation. The crew had gathered with him.

"He isn't seriously going to buy a merman, right?" Yaichi's eyes were wide. Kiyoko just patted her on the shoulder.

"I'm sure he has a reason."

The man was pondering the price. You were in the corner of the tank, a glare on your face. Daichi looked familiar, but you still weren't sure of who he was. You knew they were pirates though, and that was never a good sign.

"For a pretty one like this, I'd have to charge you twenty gold!" The man winked.

Daichi wordlessly dropped a small pouch into his hand. "Hand him over," he still looked kind of dazed. The man shrugged, pushing the wheeled tank towards him.

"It's all yours. Pleasure doing business with you!"

The crew was sitting around the tank now, the ship long since gone away from land. "He actually did it," Yaichi squeaked.

"So?" You snapped at him, seated in a shallow hole in the center of the ship that was filled with water. "What the hell did you want from me? Huh?"

Daichi walked towards you, causing the team to shuffle back. He sat cross legged in front of the pool. "Is it you?" He asked softly. You tilted your head, confusion overtaking the anger. "...(Y/n)?"

You narrowed your eyes, taking in his appearance. Then it struck you. "Daikkun?"

Tears started to fall from him, staining the deck. You moved closer to him. "It's been a while, hasn't it?" You smiled.

He lurched forward and wrapped his arms around you in a tight hug. He didn't seem to care that his shirt was getting wet. "I missed you," he said, small hics leaving him in between words. You moved your semi-scaled arms up around him, clutching his back.

"I missed you too."

『4』『4』『4』

Note - So this was longer than I thought it was gonna be uh oops? I wasn't sure about the plot progression so sorry if it's a dumpster fire 😭

[softpadawan]

How would Ezra and Kanan react if Ezra suddenly got turned into a human from an evil sorcerer (aka the Emperor or Maul)? I'd be fascinated to know how they'd handle it.

I actually have a WIP (unrelated to this particular AU but still in the Merpeople genre) about this exact thing, although it’s more of a less fanciful Little Mermaid fusion with a hearty dose of buyer’s remorse and “maybe trading my tail and voice to be with some human* I’ve had a crush on for all of 24 hours wasn’t such a good idea”. 

*Not Kanan

But generally speaking, I think we can all agree that in this type of situation, Kanan would be 1000% supportive of Ezra, drying his tears (because who wouldn’t cry after losing the ability to breathe underwater and swim like a dolphin), reassuring him that he’ll find a cure, or if he can’t, making sure that Ezra is taken care of for the rest of his life. I’m sure eventually Ezra would get the hang of being human, and he and Kanan would be able to have a somewhat “normal” relationship full of love and compassion and all those wonderful things, but Ezra would never stop longing to return to his home. You can take the merboy out of the sea, but you can never take the sea out of the merboy.

Also, Sea Sorcerer Maul would be so awesome. I can just see him leering over poor unfortunate merboy Ezra and sealioning him (ha!) into a shady deal, and his epic battle in the finale against Kanan while a helpless Ezra is forced to watch.

[sosoribro]

what am i?

[elsonambulo]

So I saw this post on @ecc-poetrys blog, where you can see this piece by her:

(It's a mistranslation. The Spanish version tells the story of a curious mermaid who is mutilated by a presumptuous fisherman, and it ends with her singing her forgiveness to him.) And I thought to myself, "This could totally apply to Kreese and Johnny's relationship - how we know, and Johnny and his allies know, that Kreese is a monster who twisted Johnny (and other young men and women) up and used what he could against them to mold them into what he wanted. But Kreese thinks he's justified the whole time. He believes he is right, he feels a certain affection for Johnny, and he believes he has been betrayed without due cause." All that is to say here's an outline for @ckhalloween's Deep Blue Sea prompt. I think Guillermo del Toro would agree when I say it's not the "other" that is monstrous.

Two chapters - one from Kreese's pov and the other from Johnny's pov

First chapter

John Kreese lives in a seaside town, where certain things (supernatural things) are technically known about and believed in but are publicly treated as fiction. So even if everyone knows the neighbor's new sugar baby is a vampire, no one says it out loud, least of all the neighbor or the vampire. No one is going to really do anything about it either, except maybe take extra precautions. One day as Kreese is walking on the shore, he happens to spot a merboy-maybe-man (tkk age) struggling out of the water. His curiosity gets the best of him and he walks up to it, and as soon as it sees him, it trills at him, a series of strange noises. He figures it's speaking its own language. And the thing is, he doesn't understand it, but he does understand what longing and distress look like. The thing probably wants to join human civilization - luckily for it, Kreese's best friend is Terry Silver, who is both incredibly rich and incredibly fascinated with otherworldly creatures and their lore. Even has a pet of his own, a selkie he calls Daniel, whose seal skin he keeps locked away in a chest. The point is, he knows all about how to turn something human and keep it human, or at least human enough, and he shared that knowledge with Kreese. And with merpeople, well - the process is pretty simple, in that it's just one step. It's just really grisly. But Kreese has never shied away from gore or difficult situations, so he tells the creature to cover its eyes. Some mercy should be had when giving a gift. Of course, it doesn't understand him, so he just covers its eyes with his own hand, unsheathes the always-sharp knife he keeps with him, and gets to work. The creature thrashes and screams, tears leaking out of the sides of Kreese's palm, but if it really didn't want to be made human, it would have thrown Kreese off. Everyone knows creatures like these are stronger than they look. Finally, he's done and the new human lays there shuddering, blood running down his transforming legs. Kreese gives it his jacket to preserve its modesty, and then gestures at it to follow him. It stands shakily, keeping the jacket wrapped around its waist, still crying, but looking at Kreese with awe. It makes its little trilling noises again. Kreese knows it's a thank you. He takes it back to his house, and from there teaches it all about how to live like a human. Gives it its own clothes, its own room. Gives him a name. Johnny. He's the one who saved him, after all. He teaches Johnny the human language, teaches him to read and write, even teaches him a little karate, just to keep him fit. And also so he can have the moves to dispatch anyone who wants to badmouth Kreese - Kreese has made a few enemies in his day, and he could take care of them himself, but using the extra power he now has at his disposal is just smart. Because everyone knows creatures are stronger than humans. Terry does warn him against trusting Johnny too much though. Creatures like Johnny, they're fickle little things, and you have to have a firm hand with them if you're going to keep them at your side - which you're going to have to, for their own good, really. That's what he does with Daniel - he found Daniel years ago, and the boy still tries to pick the lock on the chest to run off with his seal skin every so often. The rest of the time he's perfectly pliant, if a little feisty, but sometimes he gets that itch to betray and run out on Terry, who's only ever given him the best. If Terry trusted the boy more, he might have escaped by now and probably would have gotten himself into trouble. He's a bit of a talker.

Kreese, however, brushes this off. Johnny's nothing like Daniel, he stays quiet most of the time, for one thing, and for another, Johnny follows all of Kreese's orders to the letter. He's seen how Daniel complains and whines when he gets in one of his moods, and he's seen how impatient he can be even when he's feeling obedient and nice. The worst thing Kreese ever had to cure for Johnny was the nasty crying habit. Boy cried at the drop of a hat in the beginning. Not anymore. Still though, as a precaution, he doesn't teach Johnny to swim, and he never lets him near the ocean. Aside from that though, Kreese knows Johnny wouldn't let him down. He even trusts him enough to leave him alone with Daniel when he and Terry get to talking and drinking and smoking and...other things, ostensibly to let off steam. He and Terry commandeer Terry's parlor, and they leave the boys locked in a lounging room, free to entertain themselves however they wish. Time goes on, and the thing is, Daniel's been getting in more of his disobedient moods lately. Terry confides in Kreese, tells him that Daniel's been out sulking by the sea more often than not, and that he even tried to knock Terry out with the glass of wine Terry offered to him in the spirit of generosity. He tells Kreese, "I didn't want to ask, but I've seen how your Johnny-boy takes care of certain problems you have. You mind loaning him out to me, to take care of mine?" Of course Kreese doesn't mind. So he tells Johnny he's going to have to rough Daniel up a bit, or maybe more than a bit, who knows, as a two fold lesson. One: Terry has the resources to keep Daniel in line, and Two: he should aspire to be more like Johnny. Johnny swallows, looking a little nervous, but ultimately says that of course he'll do it, just like Kreese knew he would. So he takes Johnny to Terry's house, and the kid seems kind of agitated, but Kreese thinks it's natural - this is the first time he's going to have to take down someone he knows. Terry wants a show, so they go to the entertainment room, and Kreese sits down while Johnny remains standing, always ready for a fight like Kreese taught him to be. Terry goes off to get Daniel and returns shortly, dragging him in by the back of his neck and practically throwing him at Johnny. He sits down and waves a hand like, "Begin," and there's a moment where Daniel looks up at Johnny, a question clear in his expressive eyes, and Kreese almost hollers in delight when Johnny pushes him off himself and to the ground. Terry does not hold back. Johnny stalks over to Daniel, standing over him for a moment and baring his teeth, and Daniel looks scared, and Kreese just knows this is going to be a beautiful thing to witness, and then - And then Johnny suddenly whirls around and lunges at Terry, letting out an almighty scream as he claws at his face and manages to get him to the ground. Kreese jumps up, ordering Johnny to stop, and when he doesn't listen and keeps brutalizing Terry's face, Kreese tries to manhandle him away only to be met with nails across his own face. And you know what - Terry was right. These creatures can't be fully trusted, can't be given too much leeway, or else they unleash the monstrosity that is lurking just beneath the surface. This time, he simply jumps on top of Johnny instead of just trying to pull it away. It works. His weight stops Johnny from being able to flail around and he wrestles it away from Terry, who looks terrible and bloody but is still breathing. With a shout that he'll be right back, he drags Johnny kicking and screaming out of the house and through the town and down to the beach. No one is in the streets, everyone undoubtedly hiding away in their homes. No one wants to be caught in the storm of a creature's temper. Kreese finds a little rowboat and some rope by the dock, and he ties up Johnny's hands before he rows them out to sea. Johnny is still breathing hard, still panicked, but doesn't do anything to capsize the boat. Thank God Kreese didn't teach him to swim. Once they get out far enough, he gently unties

Johnny's hands. Johnny looks at him, confused, while Kreese says, "There's an old saying. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice..." He looks up at Johnny, letting the rope fall. "There won't be a twice," he says, before giving a great shove, spilling the creature back where it belongs. It flails - of course it does, the little monster doesn't know how to move with legs in the water. Kreese is already rowing away, feeling lighter than air. Except - he glances up. The not-quite-human is giving great splashes in its panic, not knowing what to do, almost certainly drowning. Kreese experiences a pang of sympathy. Maybe this can be a lesson learned. Terry kept Daniel obedient for so long, and Kreese won't be so foolish as to give third chances. But a second one - well Johnny had been so well behaved until now. Kreese rows quickly back, and extends a hand, intending to grab onto Johnny. But Johnny's panicking too much - grips the side of the boat instead of the offered hand, and tries to heave itself up with too much strength. The boat capsizes and Kreese falls in, and Johnny grabs onto him now, still trying to stay alive, and Kreese can't get to the surface, he's no match for a scared creature that he's kept in shape. His last thought before he passes out and drowns is, "Fool me twice indeed"

Chapter 2 outline coming another day because I'm tired now

[paperuniverse]

I wish you'd write a merfolk fic with Ludwig as a merboy adopted brother to human Gilbert

I wish you would write…

Here’s a little one-shot for this really cute prompt :)

****

Gilbert laid the boy in the tub and gently ran his fingers through his hair.

It had been a weird night. He had been walking on the beach after a shitty day to distract himself, when he hah heard crying. He had followed the noise to under a pier, where he’d found a merpup lying in the sand on his stomach.

The merpup had a long tail that was a pale blue with darker blue markings on it, which paired well with his blond hair and pale skin. Being human, Gilbert didn’t know much about merfolk, but he knew that the kid had to be at least six and should be with his family.

Looking around he saw no one else though, and slowly approached the merpup.

“Hey, are you okay?” He asked gently, leaning down so he didn’t look so threatening.

As the kid looked up, Gilbert saw he had eyes the same light shade of blue as his tail, and was covered in scratches. Some healing and some bleeding fresh blood. “I want my mom.”

“Do you know where she is? When did you last see her?”

The merpup shook his head and sniffled. “We got separated a few days ago after something attacked us, and she was hurt really bad so she told me to swim away but she hasn’t come to find me yet! And then I got tossed around by the waves and I just want her back!”

Gilbert got closer making noises of comfort. “Hey, it’s okay, it’ll be okay.”

It sounded like his mom was probably dead if she had been seriously injured and hadn’t yet come to find her son, but he couldn’t break the news to him now. First he needed to clean and bandage his injuries. “It looks like those cuts hurt pretty bad, why don’t I take you to my house and I’ll clean them up. Sound good?”

The kid wiped at his eyes and gave him a dubious look, “But what if my mom comes back and doesn’t see me?”

“I’ll come back to the beach in a bit and if I see her I’ll come back and bring you back to her, but I think your mom would be worried if you let those injuries get infected.”

The merpup seemed to think it over before nodding. “Okay.”

“Okay so I’ll have to carry you, I’ll give you my jacket to wrap your tail in and try not to draw attention to ourselves.”

It hadn’t been easy carrying the boy back to his house, his tail weighing a ton, but Gilbert had managed and fixed him up and put him in the tub full of water. He would have to find something bigger for him to swim in, but for now it would do.

On his way back he learnt the boys name was Ludwig and he was six years old like he had guessed. He and his mom had been trying to find a new home when they’d been attacked.

Gilbert sighed as he continued petting Ludwig’s hair, looking at his webbed fingers and gills on his neck as he slept peacefully. Dad wouldn’t be happy when he came home, but there was no way he could have just left him there.

He would have to try and find out as much as he could about merfolk to take good care of Ludwig, but for now he would just wait until his dad came home and make sure if Ludwig woke up he was comfortable.

[gallavichfanficlibrary]

Day 3

1.  Do you think fluff has over taken angst since Ian and Mickey got married?

Absolutely. Season 6 era fics produced some favorites of mine with the whole post season 6 divergence kind of angst with a happy ending fics, but in return the fandom itself was going through it. People hated Ian with a passion (thats thankfully died down a lot) and missed Mickey enough to cause a mass removal of fics (and also all that high emotions caused a lot of drama from what I’ve heard, which naturally ran off others).

Nowadays there’s so many fics of just them being happy and in love. So so in love. And of course people are still going to be inspired to write some sad pieces (we’re all working through something) but the energy in the writing part of this fandom just feels more balanced. And yes, I do have my fair share of complaints about the fandom, but it’s still way more pleasant now than when I first joined. - MMW

***

The fandom was definitely going through it when I joined. I was going through it. It was so painful and people have created the most heart-wrenching stories based on that emotional pain. I remember using the phrase "canon-like brand of heartbreak" while writing comments and it was meant as a compliment for recreating this angst the canon gave us. Fluff definitely prevails now. I still don't know if I like it or not. On the one hand - I want #feels. On the other hand - I think I cried all my tears out in 2017-18. Am I ready to cry more? -CJ

2. Is there an underrated or rare trope that you wish more people would write about?

I would like more AUs based on other media, but not strictly based. Does that make sense? I love when people love another show, book, or movie so they write an AU verison (not crossover) with the Shameless characters, but give it their own Southside spin.

Also Sci Fi. Robots/Space/Aliens, etc. So fun. Especially if you can flawlessly explain why a robot verison of Mickey or an Alien Ian would have their canon personalities lol. -MMW

Rec:

What’s Your Name Trooper? A double whammy, both a movie/game AU and Sci-Fi 😉. I was so hoping Jedi Fallen Order would inspire more Star Wars works and it really hasn’t (to the level I expected)! It breaks my heart because there’s so much potential. In this particular work, Mickey’s a storm trooper while Ian is basically Cal.

***

I agree about Sci-Fi! Space is so cool, come on :D But also, anything with magical creatures that is not about werewolves or vampires. Not that there's smth wrong with these tropes, I like them! I just want to see more. Mermaids, shapeshifting, all that jazz. Give me Urban Fantasy AUs. Give me a monster vs. monster hunter fic where the monster turns out to be a hot shapeshifting boy :D I'll just leave this art here (NSFW). -CJ

Rec:

The Ocean has its Secrets Mama Milkovich takes her babies on a trip to the ocean where Mickey meets his best friend Ian for the first time and is utterly fascinated by the merboy and his tail. AKA the one where Mickey falls in love with Ian in all forms, even fishy ones. (Had to think about that rec a lot, because as I said - not enough fics!)

🌟Which fanfic era do you prefer - angst or fluff? What is your favorite underrated trope you wish more authors wrote about? Leave a comment or send us an opinion🌟

[shining-red-diamond]

Shallow Waters (Part V)

Words: 1.7k

Pairing: Hendery x Brittany (OC) (feat. WayV and Louis)

Rating: PG-15

Genre: fluff, some angst

Warnings: mentions of sex and mating, blood, mentions of abandonment and infidelity

Brittany’s lunch consisted of ham, broccoli, and mac & cheese, while Hendery chowed down on some raw salmon. He hated that he wouldn’t be able to try the foods that she or other humans enjoyed, but he was grateful she was willing to find him a variety of different fish. That way, he didn’t feel as if he was eating the same thing over and over again. The drinks, however, didn’t affect him, yet he preferred to drink just water.

The weather cleared up by the time the couple had finished their meals. While still cloudy, the rain and thunder had come to a halt. Hendery glanced out the window and watched the ocean as Brittany cleaned the dishes.

He then thought about his siren friends. It had been almost two months since he last saw them, and he figured they had to have been finished with helping the other sea creatures. What better opportunity for Brittany to meet the sirens?

Turning to Brittany, he asked her, “Would Brittany like to meet Hendery’s friends?”

She paused midway through loading the dishwasher when he spoke. There was a moment of silence before she answered, “Oh, the sirens?”

“Yes.”

“Of course, I would,” she smiled as she closed the dishwasher and started it. “When?”

“Would Brittany like to go now? The storm has stopped.”

She glanced out the window to see he was right. The clouds still looked heavy as if the bottom might fall out again, but if they were only gone for a few minutes they should be fine.

“Alright,” she nodded. “I’ll go change.”

Knowing they might have to swim again, Brittany went back to her room and slipped on her blue bikini before putting on a loose cover up. Hendery was in awe of her when she returned to the kitchen.

“Let’s go quickly before it rains again,” she said as she grabbed the merman’s hand, almost ignoring his admirations of her.

When they reached the beach, Hendery transformed into his merman form. He led her out in the same direction of where they first hung out about two months earlier; but instead of stopping there, they swam a little further until there was what Brittany could describe as an oasis. Palm trees as tall as a two story building produced coconuts, golden sand surrounded the sapphire-colored lagoon, and various birds inhabited the surrounding trees. A few stray cats and dogs drank from the water, but they never bothered the couple.

“Wait here,” Hendery instructed his lover before swimming off into the ocean.

Brittany sat down on the beach and patiently waited. Looking around, she spotted a shaded area by the lagoon and decided to wait under there. The moment she sat down a soft mew came from her left. When she took a glance, the sound had come from a Siamese cat sniffing at her wrist before licking her right on her dove tattoo. The cat then stared up at her with large blue eyes and sat down.

“Where did you come from, little buddy?” Brittany giggled. “You don’t seem to have a tag on you.”

Holding her hand out with her palm facing up, the cat sniffed her hand again and nuzzled its face in it. She scratched his head and smiled. The cat purred as he (she checked) brushed against her hip before resting his head on her stomach.

“Am I warm?” Brittany asked as she pet his back.

For a few minutes, she bonded with the cat, petting his head as he purred happily. She even named him Louis, despite him not being her pet.

“Brittany!” Hendery’s voice called to her, followed by a few splashes.

His head emerged, followed by his body and tail crawling up on the beach. He looks so gorgeous soaking wet from the ocean, Brittany thought as he adjusted himself in a comfortable sitting position.

The cat didn’t mind being carried in Brittany’s arms as she walked over to where her merman was sitting. When she sat down, the feline leaped out and scurried over to Hendery’s tail.

“Did Brittany make a new friend?” Hender chuckled as the cat tried playing his scales.

“He just came up to me as if he had known me for a long time,” she explained. “He’s a very social kitty.”

Hendery pet the furry friend for a second before he told Brittany to look out towards the ocean. “The sirens are about to appear.”

Sure enough, six heads popped up and moved closer towards the couple. Frightened by the sudden movements, the cat jumped and ran off.

“Funny creatures,” the merman commented before turning his attention back to the six sirens, who were now seemingly wading in the water.

“Hello, Brittany,” a siren with round eyes and a broad nose greeted with a friendly smile. “Hendery has told us great things about you. I’m Kun.”

All of them were well built with toned abs and strong biceps, but in a way that was pleasing to the eye and not so much body builder. It was more of them gaining strength and being fit from doing whatever it is they do. They each had a distinct tattoo somewhere on their arms, neck, or torso. Kun had a fatherly presence as he seemed to be the leader figure of the group and sported a mark shaped in a sort of sun with rays on his shoulder.

“Sirens who are opposite of the myth,” the tallest one with a deep voice jokes.

“I’m aware,” Brittany nods. “What’s your name?”

“Lucas.”

One by one, the sirens introduced themselves to Hendery’s lover. Lucas’s skin was more tan than the others, and he had a sort of flower tattoo on his left side. Xiaojun was well-mannered with sharp eyes and a mark of a starfish shape on his hip. The second tallest, WinWin, had a unique ears shape where one was more pointed than the other and a softer jawline with some sort of mended heart shape etched the center of her sternum. A feline faced siren of the bunch called himself Ten and sported an intricate tattoo on his right forearm; and the smallest siren YangYang was the youngest and had a more boyish aura about him while his tattoo was displayed over where his heart would be.

“Hendery has told me how you took him in,” said Brittany as she sat up a little straighter.

“We were all very young,” Ten explained. “YangYang was almost one and Kun was five. When we were all swimming around the Gulf of Mexico one day, we saw a tiny, two year old merboy so weak and crying.”

“So, you raised him when you guys were basically children?”

“Sirens’ brains age differently from humans and merfolk,” WinWin added. “However, we still lived with another mermaid who cared for us until Kun was fourteen.”

“Once Hendery turned eighteen, he ventured off around the world,” the merman finished. “He settled in Florida, because his friends lived there.”

“And that’s where he found you, Brittany,” Kun finished.

The sirens continued telling their stories about adventures with Hendery and updating their friend on what they were doing in the ocean. Each of them were extremely kind and didn’t hesitate to help others in need, even going to war to protect a race of sea nymphs in the Mediterranean. Yet, whenever Brittany asked what makes Hendery different from the other merfolk, they just gave her the same answer her lover did: sharp teeth with an appetite for only raw fish.

“I mean, who were his parents?” she asks.

“Well, we know for a fact his father is the king of a mermaid city off this coast,” Ten answered. “We found that out about a year after we took him in. The king was infamous for sleeping with other creatures before he crowned a mermaid his queen. So far, Hendery was the only result of his affairs. We’re not quite sure who his mother was.”

Brittany examined Hendery as he chomped on a flounder YangYang had caught for him, fish blood trickling down a little bit.

“He could be only half-merfolk,” she concluded.

“That’s what we have thought as well,” Kun agreed. “But we never brought it up as to not make him feel that he wasn’t worth anything by being different.”

“He is different” -she looked at her lover once more- “but special.”

His cheeks blushed as he wiped his mouth.

Louis returned to the small gathering, and he immediately wanted some of Hendery’s snack. The merman happily tore off a piece and fed it to him.

“So, are you guys mates yet?” YangYang asked as he tried to reach out and pet the cat.

Brittany was confused. “In what sense?”

Kun thumped the youngests forehead. “You can’t just ask couples stuff like that.”

“Sorry,” the youngest yelped. “I just noticed she doesn’t have a mark yet, and I was curious.”

“Brittany and Hendery are lovers,” Lucas added. “There’s a difference.”

His comment is what switched on the lightbulb in Brittany’s brain.

“Wait, mates?” she repeated. “As in, have we...done the deed? And what’s a mark have to do with anything?”

Kun explained everything to Brittany. For merfolk, the mate’s mark was given to females in the space between the neck and the shoulder, and the male would have an imprint of the wound in the exact spot on his skin. In a sense, it was like a marriage ritual between the two beings who truly loved each other.

“But as you have guessed,” the eldest siren finished, “it’s done during intimacy.”

Brittany nodded. Hendery held her hand and kissed it. He knew sooner or later they would have to follow through with the ritual, but he respected his lover enough to go forward with it if she was ready.

“I apologize if I said anything out of turn,” YangYang piped up. “I say things without thinking sometimes.”

“You’re fine,” she reassured him.

WinWin glanced behind him towards another end of the beach. “We have to go,” he informed.

Kun nodded. “We’ll hang out again, soon,” he promised. “YangYang put the cat down.”

WIth a finish trick splash, the six sirens swam off to whatever task they had been called to do, and Louis shook himself dry.

-

Tags: @fantasywayv​ @ezralia-writes​ @dearyongs​ @strawberryguema​ @daybreakx​ @neocitybyday​ @jaekissd​ @not-majestic-bluenicorn​ @queen-of-himbos​ @lilhwahwa​ @philosopher-of-fandoms​ @the32ndbeat​ @dreamystuffers​

[takerfoxx]

Blood Island Fanfic (pt. 1)

magic5ball submitted:

(Well, long story short I started writing a little headcanon about one of your OCs and like last time, it kinda spiraled into a full fledged fanfic. Really not sure what to do with this, so I figured why not post it here, if only to see how much I got right. Anyways, enjoy.)

                                                    .   .   .

Ever since she was little, she knew something was wrong with her. Mama always insisted otherwise, that she was fine the way she was, and the others never made a fuss about her, but she could tell from the way they looked at her they thought she was a freak. From the way her eyes glowed green in the dark to her too pointy teeth to her too long tail; dark grey with fins sprouting all over the sides, instead of the triangle fin at the tip of the other mermaid’s tails, there was nothing normal about her.

She had a twin, once. A twin she had eaten in the womb. The matriarch had insisted there was nothing odd about that- these things happened sometimes- but she knew the others whispered about it behind her back. And her twin wasn’t entirely gone, either. Sometimes, her twin’s ghost whispered in her ear. You’re a demon, she would hiss, a depraved monster who ate her own sister. Why don’t you eat your own mother while you’re at it?

That was the hunger. She could feel it, always, deep in her stomach, gnawing at the edges, crying, demanding FOOD. A demon, the matriarch insisted, but one that could be forced out. So it came she was fed only jellyfish, kelp, and sometimes, bitter concoctions that would make her cough up all the contents of her belly. Mama promised it would make her better, that she would be cured. Mostly, though, it made her feel weak, and confused. Why couldn’t she eat fish like the others? Yet even without food, as years passed she grew longer, her body stretched thinner and thinner with each passing day.

But worse was when the others came after Mama, blaming her for infidelity and other sins she was too little to understand. She would yell at them to stop, but even her own Mother demanded she stay out of things while the grown-ups screamed at each other.

It wasn’t all bad, at least. There was Mama, who sang lullabies and told stories of the Papa she never met. Mama who made her a belt of sea silk and shark teeth while assuring her that she was wonderful as she was. Mama, who always hugged her when she was scared and pulled her along when she was too exhausted to swim.

 There was also, at times, flotsam. She loved looking through the strange wooden debris as it bobbed across the surface of the ocean, heading for an unknown destination. It would always be covered in strange barnacles, snails, and other hard shelled things she would try to collect, only to forget about later. If she was lucky, there would be things clambering across the top, too: brown hairy creatures with no fins and long tails, scaly green things that licked the air with forked tongues, and the things Mama called BIRDS!, which came in so many beautiful shapes and colors. These discoveries would always lead into tales from Mama about the things that lived out of the water, which were always her favorites because they were always, so odd, so strange, so DIFFERENT from her life of following currents across the ocean, even if she was certain Mama made them up.

The end began when Mama had a second baby. A precious little merboy with inky black hair, just like hers. A new baby for Mama to sing lullabies and tell stories too. A new baby for Mama to adore. One without a demon inside them. From that day forward, she swam a little further away from Mama, so she didn’t think of eating him, too.

Then came the fateful day her pod discovered a sunken ship. One by one the mermaid’s lithe bodies slipped through a crack in the ship’s hull, entering dark rooms coated in grime. The pod huddled together, weary. But her? She was FASINATED. What creatures had made this thing? Where did they live they? Did they have tails, like them? Or have hands where their tails should be, like the fuzzy things she’d seen on the driftwood? What did they eat? What were their families like? An older mermaid shushed her up real quick, saying they were to get a few important items, then GO. She nodded, but did not stop staring at everything they came across, until at last they reached a room the Matriarch referred to as the ‘Captain’s Quarters’. The mermaids ransacked the place, grabbing any seemingly useful thing they came across and jamming them into makeshift bags made of discarded shark eggs. But while the other mermaids made themselves busy, she sensed something… off. At first she thought it was just her- that sunken ships always felt this way, but then she smelled something odd, something… tasty. The walls of the room shimmered, revealing the largest octopus she had ever seen. The beast unfurled its’ tentacles, forcing the terrified pod into a corner, save one terrified individual who, trapped in the vice grip of a meaty red tentacle, found herself being drawn towards the beast’s massive beaked mouth. But while the others stared terrified, with a burst of speed she didn’t even know she had, LUNGED at the befuddled cephalopod, gripped the tentacle holding her podmate, and.. bit down. Later, the others would recount how they had seen a ten year old start ripping chunks out of the giant octopus with her teeth and swallowing them whole until, bewildered by this turn of events, the would be-monster had fled into the ocean. For her part, she mostly remembered the taste: a chewy and meaty texture, satisfying to bite into, with a clean, savory flavor. Afterward, she’d felt a soft, warm sensation radiating from her belly. So THIS was what feeling full felt like!

Victory, however, was short lived. From that day forward the rest of the pod kept a great deal of space between her and them, even the mermaid she’d rescued. Despite this, the Matriarch monitored her relentlessly, ensuring she only ate jellyfish and kelp. It was strange, really: even as they starved her, her tail grew longer and longer, her body thinner and thinner until, from head to fin tip, she was a full foot longer than Mama.

Face it freak, her sister whispered, there’s no place for you here. Best head out before Mama ends up in that belly of yours. And under the cover of night, that’s exactly what she did.

.   .   .

            So began a life of following the rich, fragrant smell of fish, travelling from island to island after vast silver schools, getting just enough energy to keep her going. She had mixed feelings about her predicament: on one hand, it was nice to be away from the judging eyes of her pod; never accidentally hurting someone she loved. And she liked travelling from island to island, seeing all the strange creatures she never would have seen if she’d just stayed with the pod: slugs the colors of rainbows, fish that jumped out of the water when she got too close, sharks with too long tails, just like hers, they snapped to stun their prey. Those were exciting.

But on the other, catching fish was much more difficult on her own than she had imagined. They were just so fast! It took all her energy just to snatch the tiniest morsel, and by then she’d be so exhausted she couldn’t hunt until the next day. At those times she’d sleep free floating with one eye open, so sharks couldn’t get her. There she would stay until her hunger woke her up again. Sometimes, a passing pod of dolphins would offer her something to eat, but their pity stung.

That all changed the day she found the sea turtle. The scent of mackerel had brought her right into a cloud of jellyfish, and as much as the things brought up bad memories, she was really in no condition to pass up a free, slow moving meal. Neither, it seemed, was the largest sea turtle she had ever seen. First she saw the head, easily big as her torso and wrinkled with age. Enormous black eyes gazed at nothing as it casually munched on jellyfish. Then the rest of the body revealed itself as it parted the cloud with massive gray flippers covered in large, stony scales. From these she carefully swam away from, lest a stray paddle accidentally shatter her bones. At first, she marveled at it- the thing must have been ancient! - and before long an idea popped into her head. Grabbing onto its’ barnacle coated shell, she consigned to letting the giant take her wherever it went. Tired, she let out a yawn, drifting with a barnacle grasped firmly in her hand.

.   .   .

She awoke to a very familiar, irresistible smell.

Octopus! Her stomach rumbled from the memory. Parting from the turtle, she sped off in the direction of the scent, licking her lips at the thought of her meal-to-be-! But she didn’t quite expect a school of some of the oddest things she had ever seen. Not octopus at all, but squid. They had tentacles, but these were short and close to the head. Bad for grabbing things (thank goodness) though opening and closing them seemed to move them through the water. And on top of their heads, they had a long, conical shell, perfect for cutting through the water. Or anything foolish enough to stand in their path, no doubt. Carefully, she navigated around the school, until she was directly behind one. With a kick of her tail, she lunged-

Only for the creature to shut its’ tentacles, darting away-

Right into the open maw of an even stranger creature.

When she saw it, her breath caught in her throat. They were in the open ocean! How could something so massive stay hidden?! Like a whale, it had smooth grey skin with a white belly and a long, sinuous body that ribboned up and down as it swam, like an eel’s. Opening a mouth of curved fangs (just like hers!) it bit down on the octopus-thing’s shell, shattering it into a thousand pieces. At the sound the rest of the shelled squids darted out into the ocean.

Great.

It wasn’t long before the whale-eel, sated by its’ meal, turned its’ attention to the strange intruder on its’ territory. She took the hint, swimming in the opposite direction of the beast as fast as she could go. Not fast, enough, apparently, because five seconds later the beast was ribboning after her, open jaws drawing incredibly close incredibly fast. She forced her long tail up and down as hard as it could go, but it wasn’t enough: the whale-eel was gaining. But desperation has a funny way of breeding ideas, and this moment was no different. Looking at the surface, she recalled the strange fish she had seen on her journey. With one final kick of her tail fin, she broke the surface of the water and launched into the air! Her heart beat quickly as, for the first time in her life, she felt the strange sensation of air on her skin. More importantly, though, she could see an island ahead of her, covered in lush jungle with mountains toward its’ center. And where an island was, there was bound to be shallow water. Too shallow for something the size of the whale-eel. Plunging back into the deep, she breached the surface, keeping up her momentum until, at last, the island loomed over her, vast and mysterious. But it wasn’t until she was nearly on the beach she finally checked behind her to find the whale-eel, thankfully, nowhere in sight.

She should have felt safe. She should have felt relief. But mostly she just felt exhausted. Exhausted, and hungry. With what little strength she had left, she swam across the shallows, trying to sense something moving through the sand.

.   .   .

For once, luck was on her side. Granted, the thing she uncovered scuttling beneath the sand- a flat oval with far too many eggs underneath- didn’t have much of the way of meat, but food was food, and there were more than plenty of them scuttling just beneath the sand. Now that there was food in her belly, and no danger in sight, she could let her situation sink in. Or rather, her sister.

So here you are, in an island full of ravenous monsters. Maybe one will eat you. Wouldn’t that be fitting?

She tried so swim, which usually helped her shake off bad thoughts, but these were firmly lodged in the back of her head.

Then again, better you get eaten than you hurt someone else.

But at the same time, she couldn’t just hide out in the tidal zone, she couldn’t just hide out in the surf scavenging for oval shaped crab-things forever. And so what if she died? Not like anyone would miss her. Which is how she found herself just a few days later, tepidly swimming back where she had come. The squids with shells were long gone, in their place a school of fishes whose heads seemed to be covered in hard bony plates she’d never seen before. They brushed past her, indifferent. Tailing them, she thought back to the squids, recalling their strange shells, and the odd crabs she had eaten near the shore. Seemed armor was a popular thing in these parts. Though considering what kinds of things they shared the sea with, it wasn’t hard to imagine why.

Speaking of the devil, surely enough the whale-eel couldn’t resist such a tasty looking school, and burst in, this time from the side to snare a hapless fish, biting down until it ceased struggling and then swallowing it whole. Part of her wondered what it must have tasted like, but at the moment she had bigger priorities. She screamed, and at first the beast ignored her, almost deliberately so. For better or worse, it didn’t. Soon they were squared off: on one side, a sharp toothed mermaid with an unusually long tail. On the other, an impossibly long killing machine that could easily shatter every bone in her body with a single flick of one of its’ flippers.

And they weren’t alone. From behind the mother happily swam another whale-eel, maybe a quarter a size of the other, staring with round, black eyes.

Her heart sunk. Mama.

The mother whale-eel tried to push her curious child away, to no avail. After all, who could resist the strange new potential playmate that had just come into the area? Of course, her mission had just become that much more complicated. It was one thing to face a monster, it was another to face her knowing she was a mama just looking after her baby. The scene was enough to make her consider going back to the seashore, when she noticed something rocketing out of the ocean depths. Like the whale-eel, it had flippers, a long tail; a pointed head full of teeth. But whereas the whale-eels were long and thin with smooth skin, this thing was covered in scales and absolutely massive. So much she felt herself being pushed upward by its’ movement. And it was headed right for the baby. Without a moment’s hesitation, she lunged for the baby, pushing the bewildered thing out of the path of danger. Once she slowed, she released the young whale-eel, who swam, panic-driven, away. Mama was nowhere to be seen. As for herself, she felt the glare of two baleful yellow eyes on her back, turning around just in time for the scaly monster to lunge again. But whereas she had qualms attacking a mother, she had no issues attacking a child hurting demon from the deep.

You’re a monster. Might as well act like it.

She charged the demon, stopping just before its’ wide, hungry jaws. Then, with breakneck timing, she spun around, flicking her long tail with a Snap! Right in the creature’s eye. An ocean-shaking howl rang out of the demon’s throat as she gripped its’ massive, muscular neck and bit down. HARD. The meat was too tendony and firm for her liking, breaking a few of her teeth, but she got her desired effect: blood seeping into the water.

Just like that, the energy left her body. It shouldn’t have been surprising, really, with how little food she’d been getting compared to how much energy she’d been using. Getting worn out was inevitable. And what better way to get worn out than by becoming part of the food chain? The last thing she felt before going unconscious was something powerful pushing against her.

.   .   .

            When she awoke, it was to the pleasant realization she wasn’t dead. Rather, she was being nuzzled by the very same baby whale-eel she had rescued earlier. Shoving its’ poking face away, she found herself riding on the back of none other than the mother. Somehow, the beast had carried her away from the scaly demon, into yet another strange school of creatures. They were not unlike the shelled squids, but their ridged shells coiled into a tight spiral rather than pointing forward. Her rescuer tossed her a dead one, its’ shell crushed by massive jaws, which she eagerly inhaled, the soft flesh sliding smoothly down her throat and into her belly. Sated, she clung to the back of the Mother whale-eel as it took her to the shallower waters on the coast of the island, where she’d (probably) be safe and sound. Letting go, she felt almost… sad to leave the majestic beast behind. Then again, maybe she didn’t have to. An idea raced through her head as she recalled her life back with her pod; how they would work together to catch fish.

But how to tell the whale-eel? She called for the creature, directing her attention to the sandy seafloor. Then, taking her index finger, stabbed it into the sand, drawing a picture of herself and the creature. The whale-eel and her child stared intently.

They understood. Good.

More drawings. Shelled squids. More whale eels. Herself.

They still looked, enraptured.

More complicated things. Movements. Ideas. Formations.

.   .   .

The dark grotto rested at the base of the island, and it was here she hesitated, its’ mouth ominous and disturbing. Still, this was where the whale-eel had directed her, and it was too late for her to back out on her word (metaphorically speaking). At the top of her lungs, she bellowed, surprised by how her voice vibrated off the grotto’s walls. It was strange, hearing her voice again after so long. Soon, another sound followed, this one the rapid movement of water as something vast as any whale but far more bloodthirsty surged through the grotto and eventually rocketing into the open sea. She did not wait for this moment to pass before she darted away fast as her sinuous tail could take her.

Long, tense moments passed. Maybe seconds, maybe minutes. She didn’t dare look behind her.

Justkeepswimmingjustkeepswimmingjustkeepswimming…

Until, at last, curiosity got the better of her, and she turned her head around to see those cavernous jaws wide open.

Now!

With a shriek she jerked upward, each flick of her tail rocketing her ever so close to the surface until-

Splash!

Her skin went cold as she popped into the open air. It was amazing how much she could see from her height, the vast ocean stretching out below her, birds circling some unseen prey above. Her heart beat ever so more quickly, all breath leaving her breathless. Crazy, how different everything looked from above!

A sharp pain rang out from the tip of her tail, dragging her away from ecstasy.

Oh. Right.

The force of a tidal wave dragged her back into the blue, no dount with the intent of swallowing the pesky girl whole.

It never got the chance.

From all sides lunged a quartet of whale-eels, the Mama and three others that had been coaxed into joining the plan. Normally, such a maneuver would have been reckless: the scaled demon would have easily ripped one of them to shreds. But with an adequate distraction, the four normally solitary predators rended the flesh of their adversary without mercy. A great bellow shook the ocean as the demon fled, massive plumes of blood spewing from its’ wounds.

Now, she wasn’t an expert on big, scaly demons, but she had a strong feeling it wouldn’t be coming around anytime soon.

As for the whale eels…

They formed a ring around her, staring intently in a way that made her nervous.

How fitting an end, to defeat monsters only to be betrayed by others. Can’t say I blame them; probably frightened to death of your grotesque, horrid…

But the whale-eels made no effort to devour her. Instead, they bowed their triangular heads, and went their separate ways, like friends at the end of a playdate.

.   .   ,

When the astonishment wore off, a single question bubbled to the surface of her mind:

What now?

Well, for starters, there was the vacant grotto, and it would be nice to have a place to hide out…

The floor of the dark cavern was littered with the pale bones of a thousand different types of sea creatures. Amongst them, he noticed several crab-things skittering about, picking what flesh they could from them. She smiled ever so slightly at this. Exploring the dark cavern with creepy crawlies was better than being alone. Fortunately, it seemed these would not be the only things keeping her company: there were fish here too, albeit ones with something… off about them. Maybe it was their large, fleshy fins, of which there seemed too many. Maybe it was their broad, spade-like tails. Maybe it was their scales, black peppered white like the night sky, or their large, milky eyes, round as a full moon. But they moved rarely, content to float in place, so she let them be.

The bones, on the other hand…

She had never seen so many. And from so many different creatures, too! Turtle shells and squid shells, the skulls of whales and of fearsome, carnivorous fish, it would take weeks to sort through them all. An especially large skull of some toothy predator caught her attention first, and with all her strength she dragged it to the entrance of her newfound home. She could already see those empty eye sockets gazing fiercely from above the grotto’s entrance. It was going to look awesome!

No sooner had she reached that point, however, than she noticed someone had beaten her there. Scattered about were large, colorful shells, along with hunks of meat from all a matter of creatures, so fresh their blood was still seeping into the water.

Her eyes lit up as the scent entered her nose. A moment later, her instincts kicked in.

.   .   .

A few minutes later, a very full and satisfied mermaid let out a belch; a fat, lazy bubble escaping her mouth and wobbling ever so slowly to the surface. As the effects of a food coma set in, she shut her eyes and grinned. Crazy as it seemed, even with all the monsters around, maybe, just maybe she could make a home in this crazy place. 

There’s some real good stuff here. Admittedly I don’t have much planned for the mermaid and thus haven’t given much thought to her backstory, but while I can’t promise that I’ll use all of this, some might make its way in.