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bakerstreet2014-05-20 01:56 pm
pipefan) wrote in bakerstreet2014-05-20 01:56 pm
The Merfolk Meme
The ocean is a beautiful and mysterious place. Over 95 percent of it remains unexplored. So it isn't so unbelievable that things could exist in it's depths which the world believes to be myths. The most fascinating and well-known stories of things lurking in the ocean's undiscovered depths are the merfolk. Creatures with the upper body of a human and the tail of a fish. Stories of mermaids and mermen span the globe.
Are they real?
Well, that's for you to decide.
The Prompts
(1) The Siren's Call: You're out on the ocean. Perhaps you're a pirate on a grand adventure. Perhaps you're a fisherman Perhaps you're just on vacation. You hear it on the wind. A lovely voice that seems to be calling to you. Softly lulling you. Will you answer?
(2) The Little Mermaid: You know the tale, right? A mermaid who dreams of the world above the ocean's surface. You see a prince (or princess) and fall in love. What will you do to be at their side? What will you give? Everything has a price.
(3) The Fisherman's Soul: You spot them amid the waves and instantly you are hooked! You must be with them! But they say a human cannot survive the sea with their soul intact. Do you believe this? Will you cast aside your soul for the sake of your sea-dwelling love? Or will you see another way to be with them always?
(4) Ocean Magic: You find yourself captured and set to be a side show for a traveling circus. What will you do? Try to escape? Accept your fate? Maybe you're happy to be a part of the circus!
(5) Deep Trouble: Much like the above, you've been captured. But not by a traveling circus. Scientists who wish to study you--perhaps even dissect you! Or a someone has put you up for sale to the highest bidder! In some way you have fallen into human hands and they are the ones in control of your fate! Where will you go? What will become of you?
(6) The Selkie's Tale: Well, you're not really what people think of right off the top of their heads when someone says 'mermaid'. But hey, you are what you are. A creature which lives in the form of a seal in the ocean but who can shed your skin and walk on land as a human. Just remember that if someone finds your skin, they can gain power over you! (And if they burn it you can never escape!) So hide it well! And humans beware because selkies are known to display great powers of seduction!
(7) The Merrow's Tale: Basically "The Selkie's Tale" but with what we're more accustomed to when hearing the term 'mermaids'. Rather than shedding their skin, they possess a cap which allows them to return to the sea as a mermaid.
(8) Shipwrecked and Stranded: It's a strange set of circumstances which has brought mermaid and human together. A ship has gone down during a terrible storm and left a lone passenger stranded on a deserted island. This same storm has somehow blocked a stream between the island's lake and the ocean, also stranding a mermaid or merman. As the lake is the only source of fresh water for our stranded traveler, of course the two will meet. Where will things go from there?
(9) The Thirteenth Year: You weren't always a mermaid. In fact, this whole mermaid thing is pretty new to you! You've just reached a milestone birthday (Thirteen, the transition to teenager. Sweet sixteen. Legal adult 18. Your choice really.) and suddenly you're finding scales appearing on your arms and legs at random intervals! And that's not all! You can swim super fast, talk to fish and maybe you're even starting to find yourself capable of breathing under water! Looks like you were adopted and your mom might have been a mermaid.
(10) Monster From The Deep: Maybe you're not a very nice mermaid. Maybe you're after a meal or a human soul or even just like tormenting humans. Whatever the case, this isn't going to be a happy story...
(11) Nereid: They are the sea nymphs. Daughters (and sons) of Nereus and Doris. They accompany Poseidon as he travels the ocean. Often they help lost travelers find their way and protect sailors in perilous storms. Those who treat the ocean with proper respect at least...
(12) WILDCARD: Mix and match or make up your own!
Are they real?
Well, that's for you to decide.
The Prompts
(1) The Siren's Call: You're out on the ocean. Perhaps you're a pirate on a grand adventure. Perhaps you're a fisherman Perhaps you're just on vacation. You hear it on the wind. A lovely voice that seems to be calling to you. Softly lulling you. Will you answer?
(2) The Little Mermaid: You know the tale, right? A mermaid who dreams of the world above the ocean's surface. You see a prince (or princess) and fall in love. What will you do to be at their side? What will you give? Everything has a price.
(3) The Fisherman's Soul: You spot them amid the waves and instantly you are hooked! You must be with them! But they say a human cannot survive the sea with their soul intact. Do you believe this? Will you cast aside your soul for the sake of your sea-dwelling love? Or will you see another way to be with them always?
(4) Ocean Magic: You find yourself captured and set to be a side show for a traveling circus. What will you do? Try to escape? Accept your fate? Maybe you're happy to be a part of the circus!
(5) Deep Trouble: Much like the above, you've been captured. But not by a traveling circus. Scientists who wish to study you--perhaps even dissect you! Or a someone has put you up for sale to the highest bidder! In some way you have fallen into human hands and they are the ones in control of your fate! Where will you go? What will become of you?
(6) The Selkie's Tale: Well, you're not really what people think of right off the top of their heads when someone says 'mermaid'. But hey, you are what you are. A creature which lives in the form of a seal in the ocean but who can shed your skin and walk on land as a human. Just remember that if someone finds your skin, they can gain power over you! (And if they burn it you can never escape!) So hide it well! And humans beware because selkies are known to display great powers of seduction!
(7) The Merrow's Tale: Basically "The Selkie's Tale" but with what we're more accustomed to when hearing the term 'mermaids'. Rather than shedding their skin, they possess a cap which allows them to return to the sea as a mermaid.
(8) Shipwrecked and Stranded: It's a strange set of circumstances which has brought mermaid and human together. A ship has gone down during a terrible storm and left a lone passenger stranded on a deserted island. This same storm has somehow blocked a stream between the island's lake and the ocean, also stranding a mermaid or merman. As the lake is the only source of fresh water for our stranded traveler, of course the two will meet. Where will things go from there?
(9) The Thirteenth Year: You weren't always a mermaid. In fact, this whole mermaid thing is pretty new to you! You've just reached a milestone birthday (Thirteen, the transition to teenager. Sweet sixteen. Legal adult 18. Your choice really.) and suddenly you're finding scales appearing on your arms and legs at random intervals! And that's not all! You can swim super fast, talk to fish and maybe you're even starting to find yourself capable of breathing under water! Looks like you were adopted and your mom might have been a mermaid.
(10) Monster From The Deep: Maybe you're not a very nice mermaid. Maybe you're after a meal or a human soul or even just like tormenting humans. Whatever the case, this isn't going to be a happy story...
(11) Nereid: They are the sea nymphs. Daughters (and sons) of Nereus and Doris. They accompany Poseidon as he travels the ocean. Often they help lost travelers find their way and protect sailors in perilous storms. Those who treat the ocean with proper respect at least...
(12) WILDCARD: Mix and match or make up your own!
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