MERMAY MEME

[pcrtiallystcrs]

It's May and you know what that means: it's gonna be mers.
From the traditional to the octopi and jellyfish to selkies to turtles, come one and come all- even you folks who just want to smooch a fish. ...... Or keep one.

Comment below and roll for scenarios and please tag appropriately!

If one is human...

1. Abandon Ship: Maybe you were exploring the sea, but suddenly debris started floating down. It looks like something is happening on the surface- and perhaps someone needs saving... but from the waters, or from you?

2. Up Above: What's that casting such a huge shadow on the ocean floor? It's not a whale, and it's moving so fast- clearly it's time to investigate. Now, will you see something grand? Or will you get caught in a net? 

3. The Saltwater Room: There's always been a strange window in the cliffside, and you never once knew what it was for. Every now and then you'll give it a look, but you never really find anything. Except this time. This time, the room has someone inside of it. And they just saw you, too.

4. O Captain: Maybe you aren't the mermaid. Maybe you're a sailor or a pirate on a journey, seeking something only a merfolk has the answer to... but will they help you? Or will you try to take your guide by force?

5. Captivity: Maybe you were captured recently. Maybe it was a long time ago. Maybe you've been in this tank all your life. A human keeps you on display, sometimes bringing guests in to see you and oh, they gasp in awe.... but maybe one doesn't. Or maybe your eyes are on your keeper instead. 

6. The House on the Sand: You grew up by the beach, and side by side with a human who lived in a house on the beach. You were their closest kept secret, their closest confidant- and they, yours. Until one day they vanished and the house was empty. Years passed... but now, the light is on in the window again. And you'd know the person at the shoreline anywhere, even after all this time.

7. The Little Mermaid: You fell in love with a human, and you'd do anything to join your love on the surface... or maybe, they could join you. 

8. Wildcard: Your city now.

If both are merfolk...

1. New Seas: All your life you've lived in the reef- and you know the ocean is huge, of course, but your little piece of sandy waters is all you've ever known. You know everyone in the school... until one day, you see a new face in the water. 

2. Shipwreck: Now here's something special- a long-since-downed ship, just full of all sorts of neat human treasures. Maybe you're curious, maybe human artifacts sell well back in the market at the reef- just be careful. You aren't alone.

3. The Sea Witch: Everyone knows about the banished witch in the depths- how the king of the seas cast them out. Everyone knows you shouldn't make deals with them, the cost is much too great. But you have a wish no one else can help you with.

4. Story Time: Sometimes you don't want an adventure. Sometimes, you just want to get snacks with the gang and tell outrageous stories about those weird leggy fuckers that can't swim very well. The more off-the-mark, the better- someone's always going to believe every word.

5. Undersea Temple: Maybe you shouldn't be here. But the long since empty halls are calling- perhaps literally. You and your friend are exploring holy grounds, be it once human or merfolk's. Maybe it's just eerie. Maybe you aren't alone.

6. Lord of the Sea: It happens rarely but sometimes the Ocean Deity leaves their territory and checks on the various undersea cities and reefs. Perhaps you are part of the procession, or perhaps you get to meet a god for the first time. Don't hide behind your tailfin too much.

7. Pearl of the Sea: Uh oh. You, a lowly commoner, fell in love with the Mermaid King's child. Whatever will you do? ... Other than give up. That's not on the table at all.

8. Wildcard: There's plenty of ideas in the sea!

Comments

Uraraka Ochako | My Hero Academia

[floatsaway]

[M/F preferred for any shippy prompts!! Can do either or on merm or human, too.]

[first roll was 7, second was 3, so let's go with saltwater room!]

[catinspats]

[Exploring while the ship he came on was docked, Guta wandered into various places, including this odd room where he could see under the sea! Maybe he wasn't supposed to be here, but it's hard to say no (... or, sometimes, anything at all!) to a little talking cat on two legs, all dressed-up and wearing a captain's hat (he wasn't the captain, clearly, but it looked cute, didn't it?).

He was hoping to see water, maybe some fish he could imagine eating, but, he never expected to see what he saw outside the glass!!

At first, he thought he wasn't registering things properly... that was probably the tail of some really big fish back there, more importantly, there's a human girl in the water! He should call for help, there's someone... well, not drowning... just diving deep without any gear? ... those aren't two separate creatures, are they?]

[perfect!!]

[floatsaway]

[There are indeed fish that Guta can see in the water - the basic, ordinary fish that roam about where the ships dock on the harbor - large, grey, a bit dull...but the one in particular he saw was as vibrant and lovely as a shimmering piece of coral. Pink scales shimmering in the filtering sunlight and a long, billowing fin almost like a silk gown. Truly stunning.

But what's more stunning is the diver that Gua also saw...is actually attached to the tail end of that fish. Large, brown eyes, ringed slightly with pink and white scales, stare at him through the porthole, a mess of brown hair, fluttering in the surf. Where human ears ought to be are more fins, and they perk up when she sees him, blinking curiously at the little cat. She's never seen a creature like that before!! What is it? The humans are common, they galumph through the water like they own the place, but this...this is new.

Is that seagrass it's covered in? Kelp? Or just some long algae?? Gosh, and what a strange tail! How can it move around with such a flimsy thing? These surface dwellers are so strange.]

[her mermaid logic is sooo cute…]

[catinspats]

[What a beautiful, marvelous tail..! It’s so pretty, Guta doesn’t even think of food when he sees it, unlike the less striking fish, it really is like a beautiful gown…

He can see it now, the scales around her eyes, and the fins she has in place of ears! She looks human-like, but she’s really some kind of beautiful sea creature, isn’t she?

He finally manages to close his mouth (how long as he been staring, slack-jawed?!), and looks around in a panic, before looking at her with a pleading look, clasping his hands even.]
Please don’t go away! I want… to talk with you!

[Can she even hear him through all that glass? It has to be thick to withstand all that pressure, doesn’t it? He steps closer, slowly, as if any sudden movement might send her darting away into the depths, and places a hand on the surface of the glass while he wonders.

(A flimsy tail it might be, but he doesn’t use it to get around, it’s for balance, balance!! His sworn brother will steer him with it after Guta breaks his cane, but they haven’t met yet.)]

[hahaha, she's trying her best!!]

[floatsaway]

[Ochako can see this creature's mouth moving, but through the glass of the porthole, and the water surrounding her, certain vocalizations were hard... Her brows knit together, and she presses her face against the glass a little closer, smushing up her cheek a bit. Hm...nope. Even as he comes closer, she can only hear soft murmurs of sound on the other side.

But...oh!! Oh, maybe--]

Wait a second!!

[Ochako holds up a webbed, slightly clawed finger and then flutters her tail and darts back into the depths. She's gone about a minute or two before returning, holding what appears for be a woven bag of kelp and seagrass. Taking something out of it, it looks almost like an inkwell...and Ochako dips her finger into it and begins to write on the glass with squid ink.]

Hello!
What are you?
Not human??

[the cat brothers are sub-literate at best ^^;;; ]

[catinspats]

[She can write! Surprisingly, it's even in English... what luck!

He isn't the best at reading or writing... but it should be serviceable! He's a little better than Yota, at least.

Bright-eyed with wonder and excitement, he watches the letters forming and the mermaid's writing... clawed hands, a lot like his! He nearly forgets to reply, in his excitement, but then nods and searches his pockets for a pen, before dashing back to the coffee table in the middle of the room. Good, a complimentary notepad and pen! He snatches it up—hurriedly writes his response, not-so-discreetly looking back up and down from his notepad to copy words from her letter-by-letter—then brings it over to her, placing it against the glass, his tail swishing in excitement and a large, goofy smile spreading across his face.

"Hello!
I am a K C Kat!
I am Guta!"]

[oh gosh welp xD]

[floatsaway]

[It is indeed!! Most shipwrecks have a wild collection of books littering the seafloor, and those that haven't completely withered away have been kept by curious merfolk for a long time. Eventually, various languages learned from numerous books cultivated all over the various oceans meant the language of sirens was bound to change and shift as well. Many merfolk were actually bilingual for this reason alone.

But this little...Kat he said? This Kat seems to be having some difficulty, so Ochako just waits patiently as he stumbles a bit with the writing. Her tail flutters behind her, and she does look around a bit, shifting and moving from the porthole to remain unseen as people come and go up above, but overall she stay close.]

My name is Ochako!
I've never seen a Kat before...only humans.
Staying long?

[She means is the ship staying long - most passenger vessels like this don't stay arounf for more than maybe two weeks at a time. She doesn't stray close, either, but there are times when humans come in large numbers...they drop some neat items into the sea. Ochako's a bit of a collector, and her satchel is stuffed with things she's collected, ready to be sold for goods back in her small, aquatic world. Her life isn't exactly easy there, too...and keeping food on the table gets hard, even out at sea.

Trading rare oddities from the human world is the best thing she can do to get food, goods, and necessities.]

[that is such a cute way of tweaking her backstory to fit!!]

[catinspats]

[Guta mouthed her name while trying to read it, them thought for a moment about the rest of her reply. True, the ship won't stop long... they were just going to restock and will likely set sail again by morning! But it was adventure he was seeking, when he head out, and riches and fame! A mermaid's already tons more exciting an adventure than just working on a ship! After a moment, he put on a toothy grin and tried to act casual about his reply:
Yes!

Maybe he could go an underwater adventure! Or get rich off of pictures of a genuine mermaid! Or something like that...]

6

[glitchinthesystem]

[ When he came to this beach house this summer he thought he'd be alone. Having been sent out here to attend a school to pick up his grades for the next year? Not exactly fun. At least the sight was nice.

He had gone to the shoreline at dusk, to watch the sunset over the water, skipping stones over the water. Homework during the summer. Schoolwork during the day. Shouldn't he be relaxing? Just skipping stones one after the other. ]

This summer vacation would only blow completely if I didn't get this fucking beach house to myself.

[floatsaway]

[Skipping stones, huh? Well, the surf usually isn't great for that, but even so the water is relatively calm, and Glitch manages a few decent skips here and there - his longest one going for four whole skips!! It looks like it may even be five, but seems to strike something else and then sink into the water again...alas.

Perhaps he's in the process of picking up another one, of determining the trajectory, where the rock fell into the sea, but...at some point, the rock shoots out of the water and will strke the shore with a decidedly soft fwomp! It doesn't go far, spraying up a bit of sand, but the splash of water in the distance, and the literal tail end of a billowing, coral pink fin accompanies the little bubble of a voice.]

--...tch where your aiming those!

[glitchinthesystem]

[ Of all the things to happen he did not expect the rock to go flying back out of the ocean. It's a good thing it hadn't come back at his face. Think of all the awful things that could've happened.

He blinks a few times, looking between the stone and the ocean wondering how that could've been possible. Right up until the point a literal freaking mermaid pops out of the water. He stares agape for a moment, as he just stares...and then finally;]

...What the actual fuck?

Are you one of those weird girls who buys the mermaid tails? Why are you in the fucking ocean with one? [ He thinks the tail is fake...the fool. ]

[floatsaway]

[Ochako was thinking about it, honestly, just light refraction in the water would have made her aim way worse. It's a marvel she hit the beach, really...

She's keeping low, close to where the shoreline suddenly drops off into the water, unwilling to go closer for fear of beaching herself. Ochako comes to the surface often, but tries to keep herself hidden. Humans are...nasty. They toss their filth onto the sand or in the sea, and Ochako's had to rescue poor gulls, turtles, and seals that have been caught in that grime countless times. The first few times were a fluke, but after a few weeks...she's started to come around and rescue or save various sea life from humans and their nasty nets, traps, and trash.

Huffing, she flutters her tail and narrows her eyes. The nerve!! Her tail is as real as any! And even if it's not the prettiest or shiniest with abalone belts and seaglass loops that the more luxurious merfolk have...it's fine! But...w-wait. Buying them?? Do these humans...cut off mermaid tails to sell?! Hah...haha!! That changes things COMPLETELY.]

Y-Yeah!! Yes, it is just a real nice fake! I am a human. Like you. ...Enjoying human things. Eh...ehehe. How...um, h-how do you do, fellow human?

[Nailed it.]

hi it's Chris, I decided you get my OC. RNG gave me captivity

[caudal]

[ ooc: info in journal! ]

[ Callum has long since stopped keeping count of how long he's been in this tank. You would think, having grown up around humans, he would know how to avoid them better. But he got cocky, he let his guard down. He strayed too far from his pod. And it led to him being caught by some eccentric guy who collected strange and valuable keepsakes in his own private gallery, showing them off to the wealthy elite at lavish and one hundred percent illegal parties.

As far as Callum knows, he's the only "pet" in the collection that's actually sentient, but then, he's got a limited view from inside his large tank— it takes up one whole wall of the room he's in, but doesn't give him much sight of anything outside of that room.

He hates it here. He wants nothing more to get out and get back to the ocean. But what Callum doesn't know yet, is that the collector keeping him captive is about to be raided by a team of pro heroes. He hears a loud noise echoing from another room, and swims up to the glass, pressing his palms against it, not sure if he should be worried or excited. ]

[floatsaway]

[The scene before him is definitely a bit chaotic. There are people running, trying to grab goods and valuables as quickly as possible while making their escape. Others are fighting back, trying to fend off the Heroes to protect themselves and their ill-gotten gains. Exotic animal snuggling was rife in the world, and when the authorities caught wind of a particular "carnival" or sorts, a full investigation was put in and the Pros and their sidekicks/interns were called in to halt the operation entirely.

Mostly because there was word that a person was being held in captivity as well. Ochako didn't know everything, just was she was told, but there's already people fighting, gunshots ringing out as well as other forms of battle-quirks, and just a flurry of movement. Poor Callum will be shocked when a body hits the glass rather suddenly, having been grabbed, spun, and flung into it by a young brunette in a somewhat spacey-looking getup. Thankfully the glass is thick enough that it barely even makes a dent, but that no-good baddie is down for the count.

Panting, Ochako grabs some cuffs from her belt and ties the man up, looking to the tank and gasping.]

Oh!! You're the one they have hostage! I'll get you out, don't worry!!

[caudal]

[ Oh, now there's some action! Callum flinches back as a body thuds against the thick glass of his tank, but he grins when he sees that it's the body of one of his captors. He always hated that guy, so he's glad to see him in cuffs.

He shoots an excited smile at his savior (how lucky is he to be saved by a cute girl?) and swims over to the side, gesturing to the door at the side of the tank that will lead to the back room and the stairs up to the top of his tank. There is a cage over the top, close enough to the water line that Cal can't fully breach, which has been so annoying, because it's always hard to yell profanities at the assholes keeping him caged up through the water. ]

[floatsaway]

[With the one big guy cuffed and out for the count, Ochako follows the gestures of the captured young man (ugh, that brings back some bad memories...) and nods her head. She can still hear a fight not too far off, so either her friends are busy at work, or she's about to have some bad company soon. Hoping it's the former, Ochako moves fast, trying the door on the tank and breathes a sigh of relief in finding it unlocked. Good, seems these guys never thought anyone would bust their operation like this.]

I'll be there in a second, hang on a little longer!!

[Ochako hurries up the stairs and toward the metal cage, frowning at it before touching her communicator located in the headpiece of her costume, muttering some quick message to a "Froppy" about needing some assistance with hostage rescue soon. The Frog Hero would be better suited for getting this, uh...fishman? Aquatic quirk?? Young man out of the water. Hopefully he'd be okay with being hefted out by her long tongue, but something tells Ochako that it's the far more favorable option than being stuck here.

About this cage, though...]

I can lift it off easy, but I think they have it bolted on... But there has to be an opening for feeding and cleaning the tank somewhere...

[caudal]

[ Callum brings his body up to float parallel to the surface of the water so that his face can breach and he can better hear what she's saying. Sounds always get muffled when they pass through water. He catches the tail end of her words, something about an opening... ]

Oh, over here!

[ Dipping below the water once more, he swims over to the side of the cage's lid, where the thick metal bars are held shut with a padlock. He points at it as clearly as he can, before popping his face up once more— barely having any room, but enough to speak... ]

They keep the key on a ring at the far wall. Behind you!

[floatsaway]

[Ochako jumps a little when she hears the voice, half thinking it was someone else coming in to attack, but beams as she realizes it's the kind in the tank, helping her out. Thank goodness, that little tip was a big, big help!! Throwing in a quick thumbs up, she whirls around to begin looking for the indicated key.]

On it, thanks!!

[And in no time at all, Ochako find the keyring hanging by a nearby (and very messy) desk with papers and other documents. She'll leave that to the clean up crew and investigators once all the villains are rounded up and secured - it may be further information and clues in case they had even more illegal sites and rings somewhere, or their "providers" of illegal items. The more info they can get to bust the entire operation, and everyone involved, the better.

Snatching up the key and racing back to the locked door, Ochako crouches by and begins working on getting the lock undone, talking swiftly but professionally to the boy in the water.]

There are Heroes above fighting to capture all the people involved here. I'm Uravity, training under the number ten Hero, Ryukyu. You're going to be out of here fast, and we can get you back where you belong after a health evaluation. [Gotta make sure he's healthy before being let back to his family and stuff.] Did they ever hurt you?

[caudal]

I'm alright. Just want to get out of here! [ The truth is, his captors (or rather, his captors' lackeys) did hurt him from time to time, kicking him, prodding at him when he came too close to the top of his tank, denying him food when he wasn't "behaving" the way they wanted him to. He's probably a little underweight, if anything.

While he waits for her to fetch the key and unlock the lid of his tank, Callum bobs just below the surface, tail flicking anxiously. So close to freedom... he knows he's getting impatient, but he can't help it. Finally, as she inserts the key into the lock, he swims in a circle in celebration at the sound of the lock clicking open, before surging back to the surface to try to push the lid open.

It's heavy, though. Too heavy for him to lift by himself. ]

Fucking... Come on—!

[candyapplechild]

[ Life as a runaway from an abusive situation was, as Eri was now discovering, not easy... especially as a small, young Mermaid swimming aimlessly through an impossibly large ocean. Swimming away from her captors, swimming away from mean sea creatures... she had thought that she could find help, but the ocean was bigger than she realized... and she was running out of luck.

At this point, even if she decided to go back, she couldn't. She's completely lost, and she doesn't want to go back there anyway. She's hungry, tired, cold, and running out of hope. She was free, but she was hopelessly alone... the fact she's lasted this long is about as good as her luck can get.

Being as tired as she is, she can't hold on much longer... and inevitably, her eyes drift close as the exhaustion takes over and she passes out.

Which is how an unconscious and pale-skinned Mermaid, clearly but a young child, washes up on a beach, right next to a lone beach house. ]

[floatsaway]

[The beach house itself is...old. Like a lot of things Ochako owns, the small cabin was given to her to rent when she moved out of her parents' home to alleviate some of their financial stress. She was no better off than them, really, but thought she could handle herself a bit with some grit and hard work! It's been a rough ride, and she's had to resort to combing the beach for lost jewelry to pawn off sometimes when oyster diving, or clam digging, didn't turn out much of a profit, but...it's fine!! She's got this!

She's out in the somewhat early morning - about six or seven - and stretches a bit before picking up her bucket and trowel to do some digging in the shallows. Hopefully there'll be enough of a find this time for a profit and some tasty breakfast. She's had to skip a few breakfasts over the past few days, or just have a small bit of fruit like an apple or banana to tide her over until...d-dinner. She's uh...not expecting to find a person on the shore, let alone a child. A merchild.

Dropping her bucket and trowel, eyes wide and mouth open slightly - much like a fish herself - Ochako stares a moment before racing over.]

H-Hey!! Hey, c'mon, wake up! Are you okay?! You can't be on the beach...someone might f-find you and... [And Ochako doesn't want to think what'd happen. She tugs off her windbreaker and gently wraps the girl in it, trying to hide her fishy bits as best as possible in case someone wanders up the beach.]

[candyapplechild]

[ She's largely unresponsive, only groaning a bit in response to the sudden feeling of being wrapped up. Her skin is pale and thin, having not had anything close to a proper meal for a while now. Truly, the universe must be giggling about placing a famished, exhausted merchild into the hands of Ochako of all people.

Though, as Ochako may have already imagined, there are worse people to be found by.

For hiding a Mermaid's fishy bits, one would usually need more than just a windbreaker... but with Eri being as small as she is, bundling her up—thick tail and all—is much more possible... though her long and swishy fins at the end of her tail do poke out a bit. ]

[floatsaway]

[Oh jeez, this is...certainly a lot, that's for sure. Ochako doesn't know what to do - she can barely take care of herself, let alone a kid, and a mermaid kid!! But she can't leave the poor girl, either. So...so it just means that she has to eat less for a few more days. It's fine!! It's totally fine... If she finds more seaglass, other little nicknacks, or gets really lucky and finds lost jewelry in the sand or surf like she did that one time...she can pawn it off and get a decent about of cash to live off for a while.

She can make this work. At least until the little thing can swim back to wherever she needs to go to. Surely someone this young...she has to be lost. Someone must be looking for her, right? Her mama and papa...a family or some kind. Ochako wants to believe that.]

You're going to be okay, I promise. I won't let anything bad happen...

[Hefting the girl into her arms, Ochako hurries back to her little sea cabin as fast as she can, easing her into the bathroom's tub and turning on the faucet so it can start to fill with some cool water. And she's also grabbing a first aid kit from under the sink, too. Just in case.]

[candyapplechild]

[ If only that were the case, having a mama or a papa... or even any kind of family that she could go back to. The fact is that Ochako's hold on Eri is the kindest thing she's felt in a long time. In her current state, that's all it takes. She unconsciously nuzzles up against Ochako, the gentle hold registering as something safe in her mind.

The tub is strange by comparison. Cold, smooth, dry... until water starts to fill the tub and she relaxes. Even as the tub fills and starts to submerge her, she seems to "breathe" just fine, her chest rising and falling, breathing through the water the same way she had been breathing on land.

Fortunately, it doesn't look like there's much need for the first aid kit, aside from a few scratches, she largely just seems like she hasn't had anything to eat in a while, and the fatigue is evidently being handled now as she rests. The scars on her arms probably qualify as concerning, but they aren't new. ]

[floatsaway]

[It's so bizarre, watching what Ochako would have initially thought to be a human child just taking to the water as easily as her fishy bits. She lingers close by the tub, making sure the water's not too cold or too warm, and goes to grab some (undeniably old and kind of ratty) towels from the closet by the sink. Obviously, Ochako's bathroom is a Japanese style one, with a large area for cleansing with the removable showerhead, and a tub for soaking. The sink and toilet are past where the divider is.

As she putter around, Ochako is talking to herself a little bit, getting things prepped and pulled over with a stool. A first aid kit is popped open a second later, and Ochako looks at the young merchild with concern.]

I can fix up people no problem, but...I've never tried to fix up a mermaid... Didn't even think they really existed out of fairytales. Ne, how come you washed up on the shore, huh? Such a young thing, too... Did you get lost? [She's not realy expecting a response, just filling the silence, and her hand reaches out to tenderly pat the girl's head through the water.] You're be okay, you can stay here a while until you're better - I'll just use the showerhead to wash off.