#the little mermaid

I have been playing a lot of Seduce me the Otome lately and it started a creative brainstorm I couldnt stop, so I made this. if people like it I think I may post more. This is my first fanfic I’ve ever posted publicly so please be gentle. I didnt know where else to post it. Any advice or comments would be appreciated. please enjoy

>//_//<

Characters from Seduce me the otome, Created by Micheala Laws @thebunnyofevil​

Prologue: Up Where They Talk

Blood. A constant horrific everyday element in a sea of death and misery, it was called the Decaying Sea for a reason after all. The smell drenched the atmosphere in an everlasting metallic odor. The taste of the liquid of life seasoned with the salt of the ocean depths was always on the back of one’s tongue. It never dissipated. The entire underwater kingdom was tinted in a rusty red color from which no forsaken water breathing inhabitant could escape from. One certain siren in particular had the worst of it : the bastard son of the Sealord, whose existence was constantly on the brink of being extinguished. He was born with an ability his father, mother and himself saw only as a curse: the ability to read minds. The poor merman was constantly bombarded by the cruel and clamoring thoughts of every fish and foe that was even remotely nearby. His only bit of warmth and kindness came from his half-brothers who protected and loved him unconditionally. They were the only single specks of light in his unending darkness that kept him going. However, his brothers could not be there for him today.

His eldest Brother Raestrao, who gave him the fatherly affection that was denied to him from birth had so many responsibilities as the heir and favored son. His duties had drawn him away as they often did. His second elder brother, Uzaeris, was a charming siren who perfectly fulfilled his duties as a sea dwelling seducer. He was being strictly tutored by his mother in the- art of enthrallment under her watchful eye. The third brother, Aomaris, was a rebel who did as he pleased. He would stir up trouble to ease the mundane tedium that filled his days. Without the other brothers, he would likely not think to keep him company, unless he was in danger or being antagonized by the servants of the undersea castle, which was often the case. He seemed to be safe for now, if not lonely. And finally his fourth brother, Zecaeru, despite being only slightly older, had the fun energy of a guppy and often played with him, when he was not comforting his mother. His Mother wallowed in sorrowful envy for her husband’s three over wives. Her son did his best to distract her with his ability to create. So the bastard son, Izroul, was alone to fend for himself in the darkness and solitude of the throne room. He had no mother to teach him or to comfort, not anymore. The very thought of her and her death was enough to make his heart wrench in pain. And so he sat at the foot of his ruthless tyrant father’s throne and wept at his own bitter loneliness, curling his arms around his ebony Tail. his only solace was there was no one around whose thoughts could invade his mind…or so he thought.

“Why are you crying?” A voice in his mind had asked abruptly . The voice was unfamiliar and strange. Unlike the siren voices that had an ethereal enchanting underlying quality or the other sea dwellers whose voices had a dark echo, this voice had none of that. It Sounded kind and elderly. He spoke directly to him through his thoughts. The fact he was using his speech through his thoughts on purpose frightened him.

“W-who are you?? What do you want?” The youngest siren son called out as his voice reverberated against the large tone walls. his defensive instinct was on high alert, assuming this voice had to be nearby. This kind gentle tone could only be a trick to get him to lower his guard.

“I just want to know if you are ok.” Such an excuse seemed almost impossible, no one other than his brothers would ever care about him in any way. The voice still did not answer the other part of his question, he would not let himself be taken advantage of and decieved by a stranger. But, at the same time, his curiosity peaked as he could not sense anyone nearby.

“Don’t be afraid, I’m just a friend.” Izroul had learned throughout the years to know when someone’s mind was being honest, even if their words were not. In this case the words from this odd man were true. He really meant no harm to him at all; he was sincere. “A….friend?” It made no sense, why would someone want to be his friend? This voice could not possibly be from a demon. but if not, then what?

The voice merely laughed, as if it was the one reading his mind. “That’s right, even if I wanted to harm you, which I would never do, I could not. I am not from your world, but I heard and felt your powerful sorrow even from the surface of the human world sea

The siren’s eyes widened, Raestrao had once told him of humans. They were beings from another world, a world ruled by peace instead of fear and brutality. Like the abyssal plains, the human world had a sea as well, vast and nearly endless. The humans however, lived primarily on the land in safety. He had always wanted to know more but could never find the time for Raestrao to explain. Perhaps this voice could! Despite his hesitation, he wanted to know. He wanted to trust the voice, he wanted to learn.

“The human world…are…are you a human? You don’t sound like a sea dweller…but if you are, I don’t understand…how can you be speaking with me now from another world?” He asked as innocently as a child who found out there were things far beyond what he knew. He had to know!

“I am, however I’m a bit different then most humans. I have been allowed to study magic which can allow me to speak to you as I am now. Am I the first human you have ever talked to?” The voice spoke gently and calmly, as though trying to ease his nerves and fear, taking things slowly. it reminded him of his brothers, no one else had ever spoken to him so kindly.

“Yes…although I know very little of them…but I know they are different then us.Can…you tell me about them?” He could hardly believe he had the courage to ask this he had only just met this human and knew nothing about him and yet he was already asking to know more, he felt a strong yearning in his heart steadily growing, if humans were as caring and benevolent to a siren and stranger like him, he wanted to know all about them.

“Of course I can young man, I can tell you everything you could ever want to know.”

hearing these words made the siren’s face form into a smile, his eyes were wide and eager. Ready to learn about these strange creatures known as “humans”

Chapter 1: Where the People Are

It was a gorgeous day in the human world. Clouds as white as snow floated through the sky lazily as the warm sun beamed down upon the waves of the calm seas. There was a large piece of land in the midst of the sea; filled with bustling crowds of people. They were shopping in marketplaces, or resting in their homes. Nobles and peasants, sailors and shopkeepers and everyone in between was enjoying the pleasant morning far and wide. But no one was quite as interesting and excited as a young woman named Mika Anderson.

Mika was a member of a wealthy merchant family., An heiress to an empire started by her grandfather: Anderson Toys. They created toys for children everywhere, even across the sea and around the world. The Anderson name was respected and recognized by anyone who heard it. Harold Anderson was said to have been a genius in make believe and an Artisan of childhood dreams. His company was not just a business but a passion, for he truly loved the joy his trade brought to the children who received their toys. He only had one child, a son, David Anderson, who worked with the family business. His son did not share the same passion for the toys and children as he was, he dedicated himself to the business side of the company. The two were said to be estranged from some unknown event, long in the past that no one knew of but them. The father and son still worked together to build up their empire of toys, but each in their own ways. They avoided one another and traveled different directions on the same path.

Mika, unlike her father, was very close to her grandfather. She preferred his kind, gentle and nurturing nature compared to her strict, overbearing and cold father, who only wished for her to marry a wealthy man who could help with the business. Mika had no interest in searching for someone to be with only to please her father. She had been well educated and was quite intelligent. Her father acknowledged her talents, but did not find it right for a young upper class lady to work. He feared she would not be taken seriously outside of a feminine field. As a young girl however, she did help her grandfather create some of his best toys . He often asked for her opinion and used her childish perspective to improve and create even better playthings.

The father and daughter had been invited to Harold Anderson’s newest ship. But when they had arrived at the dock they were told to go to, they only saw one boat, and it was not at all what they had expected. It was surprisingly small. It looked as though it was made for a crew of only about 10 at the most. A ship much better suited for short personal journeys rather than ferrying cargo for months on end. There were only one or two cabins to the right, and stairs leading down below. It was modest and quaint with only two lage sails. The woodwork was clean and polished, Painstakingly hand carved in Harold Anderson’s signature style. It was just like when he made his wooden toys himself when he first started out. It was painted in bright fresh colors and the coat looked painted and dried to perfection. It was almost like a toy boat that had become life sized.

Mika couldn’t help but grin ear to ear with delight as her grandfather helped her on board. Her father, following close behind, could only sneer in obvious disappointment. It was clearly not at all what he was expecting. “What in the seven seas is this father?! Is this some sort of joke? You said you wanted to show us the Anderson Toy company’s newest vessel, the pride of our fleet! A ship of the highest quality and condition! You can’t really have brought us all the way out here for this little dinghy!” He crossed his arms, unhappy at his fathers deceptive exaggeration. “This is so like you…talking up the most meager and frivolous things as if they were made of pure gold. Typical.”

He turned his back to the old man in disdain and irritation. The elderly patriarch’s face fell at his son’s harsh words, disappointed he could not see the value of the ship the three of them stood on, but also had a look of resigned understanding, as though this reaction was not unexpected. Mika glared at her fathers back, he had always been so cynical and severe, especially her grandfather. She had no idea what caused their falling out, as no one would tell her, but she hated the way he treated him. Mika turned to her grandfather and gave a big reassuring and encouraging smile. “Well, I think it’s wonderful grandfather! It looks just like one of your toys brought to life. It’s perfect for you.” She put her arm through his affectionately and patted his arm, which lightened the mood considerably. She could still hear a loathsome scoff from her father at her adulation for him. “Thank you sweetie! I worked very hard on this and carved this boat by hand. It’s been quite a project for me but well worth it in the end. One of my greatest creations so far and I am so proud of it.” He put an appreciative hand over mikas and turned to face his sons back once more with a sigh. “This is only my own personal sailing vessel, I had already commissioned the company ship ages ago and it’s docked in the shipping port now.” At this new tidbit of information, David Anderson’s head turned back ever so slightly to glance at the two. “ The Good Ship Anderson, it is five times bigger than my little “dinghy” and can hold as much cargo as two of our regular vessels could together. It comes with all the bells and whistles. A full crew of 40 strong and ready able-bodied men. It can even cut the travel time by three days. Will that satisfy you son?”

Harold Anderson gave a tired sigh, knowing only the impressive assets exclusively for their business would appease his single-minded goal focused son. David turned to face his family again with a curt nod and raised a finger to his temple in frustration. “Of course it does father! Why wouldn’t you tell me this first instead of leading me on with this tiny thing??” There was relief in his voice at this new business prospects the other ship entailed, but found the run around of the conversation aggravating to say the least. “Because, I have something important to tell you. I will be taking this boat on a personal trip unrelated to business and I may not be back for a long while, perhaps not for months, I needed to inform you both. I will be leaving tomorrow and wanted to see you both before I departed.”

The son and granddaughter stared in shock. He had always been so dedicated to the company and any trips he took were solely for business or the occasional fishing trip, but those never lasted longer than a week. Mika knew he was once a great explorer, and traveled all over the world when the company was just starting out, He had just begun some dedicated customers that soon soared the Anderson Toy company to a household name. That’s when he decided to settle down and focus on his toy making full-time. Perhaps part of him yearned for that feeling once again. Mr. Anderson began to shake in anger at his fathers statement “are you insane!? You just bought a ship to improve trading and now you decide to just up and leave to god knows where on such short notice? How entirely selfish can you be?! What on earth is so important that you would abandon us at this intrigral point in our business dealings!?”

Mika instinctively took a step between her grandfather and father defensively. “Father stop! He must have his reasons! He has been working tirelessly for the past year, and he wouldn’t leave us if it wasn’t important. Even if it was for just a break, he deserves it! At least let him explain himself.” Her fathers angry stare immediately turned onto his daughter with a grimace of resentment. “Of course you would defend him! fine then! father, explain, but this had better be a very important trip.” The elderly man did not falter at his son’s tirade, only looked upon him with pity and sadness before clearing his throat. “It is, I assure you. It is to help a young acquaintance of mine in a bad situation, and perhaps, find a way to get him and his family out of it. The company will be fine, as I am putting you in charge in my absence. I won’t be gone for long, a few months at most. And I will resume my duties upon my return.” Although it was clear that Harold’s reasoning was not nearly enough for David, the businessman’s eyes winded with a startled glint at the bestowment of the company on to him, even if temporarily. He soothed his anger begrudgingly and straightened up, resuming his composure. “Fine then, as long as our enterprise does not have to suffer or fall into the wrong hands in your absence because of some charity case, do what you like, old man. But I hope this ‘acquaintance’ is worth it.” Harold Anderson only nodded in reply.

He turned to Mika who was still processing this. She envied her grandfather’s freedom to go wherever he liked and to pursue whatever interested him, she wished she had that kind of liberty as well. However, Her father would never allow that. “I wish I could go with you grandfather. I would have loved to see the sights with you and discover new places. I haven’t even ever been on a boat that was not securely anchored and docked in the port.” she looked down dreamily at the ship she was on, feeling it gently rock with the rhythm of the waves. She ran her fingers along the polished wood frame longingly.

“And you never will, not if I have anything to say about it.” her father interrupted her daydreaming and sternly crossed his arms again. “The sea is no place for a woman. You could be shipwrecked, get lost at sea, ambushed by thieves and pirates, fall overboard or any other number of things. You should be focused on finding a nice young man to help with the company. Settle down and get married. You are 18 now. It is the perfect time to present you. You are far better educated and intelligent then most of the airheaded young women your age around here and you come from a good respectable family. anyone who would not be interested in you would be a fool.” Mika frowned, Yet again he somehow managed to find a way to worm this topic into the conversation. She did not want to simply be some trophy wife or bait for her father to find a male heir. Mika was an only child and her parents could no longer have children so all their aspirations fell upon her to fulfill. Still though, she kept silent, knowing he would never change his mind, no matter how capable they both knew she was.

Her grandfather put a hand on the girl’s shoulder and smiled, attempting to sooth her frustration. “I can agree with my son on one thing, whoever you decide to be with, if anyone would be the luckiest man in the world, you are so strong, smart and a lovely young woman, even a siren couldn’t resist your charms.” Mika smiled and relaxed at her grandfather’s touch and held her hand over his, but what he said had piqued her interest. “Siren? As in merfolk?“ She had grown up hearing sailors tell stories of the mythical creatures who are said to live beneath the sea. Beings whose lower half were not legs, but a tail like a fish. They could breathe underwater and lived deep beneath the waves. Some sailors even claimed in their stories that many men’s lives have been spared and saved in shipwrecks. But some told a very different, morbid version of the tale, Men lost to sea from being seduced by their nautical charm. lured into a trance by an enchanting voice, only to be pulled below the water and drowned. But they did not exist. It was only an old wives tale. Her father had always claimed they were merely seals or manatees upon rocks. mistaken for merfolk by the bleary eyes of drunken sailors in storms. The so called enchanting melodies were nothing more than whale calls. As a child she was told not to believe such blather, but she remembered grandfather telling her about how he believed they were real. He told her that although some could cause great harm, others were kind and helpful. “Oh yes, I remember the stories you told me as a little girl.” Her grandfather gave her a nod and chuckled

“They are very misunderstood creatures. The ability to charm anyone with a voice that could make the heavens cry and play your heart strings like a violin. They can easily steal away the love of any young men..or maiden. but I believe there is far more to them than that. I even named my ship after them. You two are standing aboard ‘The Siren’s Song’.” She smiled at him indulgently. He was so imaginative and creative he always loved stories of magic and romance. Her father did not seem so amused. He only got agitated. “Bah! They do not exist! They are only the imaginings of reprobates and scallywags at sea who would rather believe fairy tales than pull themselves together and focus on what’s right in front of them. My daughter will not be so easily taken in by your fantasies as she was when she was a child. She is a woman now and she will be married to a real living human man. Not some half fish freak of fiction. Do not distract her with such rubbish and romanticized flights of fancy.”

Mika’s father pulled her away from her grandfather roughly by the arm. “Come Mika, we should be going now. If he is leaving tomorrow, we will need to prepare and inspect the actual company ship. You should go home, I don’t want you this close to the water.” As the angry parent tried to pull and tug his daughter off the small colorful boat, She found herself not wanting to leave. She gripped the railing of her grandfather’s ship, a small burst of defiant courage burning in her chest. “What if I don’t want to get married!? What if I wanted to explore other options? Or maybe even take over the company myself someday without a partner.” Her fathers eyes narrowed as her grandfather’s widened in surprised delight at her standing up for herself, and her interest in the company. Her father stood over her trying to assert himself. David Anderson severed back around to face Mka and her sudden act of obstinance. “ You know as well as I you would never be taken seriously as a head of a major business like this! you are just a child, and female at that. Women can make fine entrepreneurs, I’ll grant you that but only in certain circumstances. teachers, house staff, governesses, occasionally tutors, cooking and mending…but I don’t want that kind of life for you even if you could, not my daughter. I don’t want to risk you being on your own with no one to look after you if you cant succeed and end up barely scraping by. You need someone who will take care of you and provide so you don’t have to. If you did take over, and people found out, nobody would respect you as a leader. You are better off finding a good husband who can do all that for you when I no longer can.”

Mika felt a fire in her stomach filled with rage and anger at his condescension and dismissal, all her life she had been treated like a burden and disappointment. Even when she was given the finest tutors and teachers. What good was all that learning if she could never put it to good use. She wasn’t just an investment! She was her own person. Before she could stop herself, she felt herself erupting at her father before her mind could catch up with her mouth to stop. “It sounds like you think I will fail regardless! I don’t want to be just a decoration on a man’s arm as he lives my life instead of me! I want to do things and go places! I don’t know what or where but I want the chance to figure it out for myself and prove I am worthy and able to achieve things on my own without someone doing it for me or sheltering me!” Both of her male relatives stared in absolute awe at her words. Once the adrenaline of her outburst subsided she was flooded by the impact of my words. there was no going back now. David Anderson gripped his hands fists. he was not one to concede when called out, and this was one of the very first times she had ever done so herself. “I WONT HAVE YOU EMBARRASS THE ANDERSON NAME AND ALL I HAVE WORKED FOR BECAUSE YOU DO NOT KNOW WHEN TO ACCEPT YOUR PLACE! YOU KNOW NOTHING OF HOW THE WORLD TRULY WORKS AND CLING TO THESE UNREALISTIC DELUSIONS! SOMETIMES YOU MAKE ME SO DISAPPOINTED TO EVEN CALL YOU MY DAUGHTER!!” silence…suddenly everything was silent as his voice practically froze the air around them. His eyes locked onto her, realizing the gravity of what he had just said, and released his grip on her arm. He was unable to say another word. Mika’s eyes filled with tears and wrenched her arm away from him and ran to her grandfather. Shenuzzled her head in her grandfather’s shoulder for comfort, as he looked silently away from his son in shame. David opened his mouth, as though wanting to say something but stopped himself. He rolled his shoulders and cleared his throat. “I will be going now to see this new company ship, The Anderson. Stay here if you like but be home by dinner. She did not answer or look at him as her grandfather patted her back comfortingly. His glance moved to his father with an envious glare but said nothing and walked off the ship and to the main port.

“Don’t cry my dear, he did not mean that. He just worries for you and your future. He wants what’s best for you.” She pulled away from her grandfather’s consoling embrace and wiped her eyes. “I don’t think so, I think he just wants me to be something I’m not. I can never measure up to his expectations or be good enough for him…I’m going to miss you so much.” she watched him as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief which he used to dry her eyes, which she appreciated. He gave her a warm smile and patted her head, making her feel like she was a little girl again, only this time he had to reach up a bit higher to get to the top of her head. “There now, no more tears. I have a surprise to show you! My latest toy, I know you’ll love it.” Mika was intrigued, she had always been the very first one to see his new toys before anyone, so he could help her improve them. She was also the first to get the final product before they even hit the shelves. She nodded, giving a silent go ahead for him to show her. Harold grinned and rolled up his sleeves. He placed the handkerchief on his empty outstretched hand and waved his fingers over it as if performing a magic spell. He had picked up many little magic tricks to reveal his toys to children at events, but they always felt extra special with her. There was always an odd magical feeling that buzzed in the air that made something in her chest tingle. He then removed the handkerchief and revealed a doll, a doll that looked just like her! Round shiny green buttons made its eyes and long black yarn to resemble her hair. It wore a blue dress with a vest draped over its shoulders, and at the collar, a little blue ribbon was tied in a perfect small bow around its neck. Mika looked down in awe and tenderly took hold of it in her hands. It was expertly crafted down to the last detail.

“This is amazing!” Harold smiled, relieved that she approved. “I want to sell them, you have always been my biggest inspiration after all. However I need your approval before I do so. This is only my first prototype and I already have the pattern for production. But, I also respect your autonomy. If you don’t want a doll that resembles you being sold, I won’t. Either way you can keep this little doppelgänger for yourself. Do you want it?” Mika ran a hand over the hair of yarn and hugged it close before handing it back. “I would love for you to make more and give them to kids who will treasure them. However I think she should stay with you. Even if I can not go on the trip with you, at least this little me can explore the seas with you and keep you company! By the way, who is this acquaintance of yours? Is it someone I know?” Mika knew most of her grandfather’s employees and her fathers close colleges in passing, but Harold only used the word “friend” and “acquaintance” to describe something more personal. Alas, he shook his head “No, you would never have met him. He lives far far away from here, almost another world away. I believe he is relatively about your age. From what he has told me he has lived a very tragic and painful life of abuse, he has never even been allowed a toy in his whole life, can you believe that?”

Mika gasped. She knew she was born into a privileged life but the thought of a child without a toy, was like a child without a childhood. That poor man, whoever he was, must be really going out of his way to help him, then again, that’s just how he was. It made her so proud of him. That kind generosity was infectious. Mika looked at the little doll in her hands, an idea forming. “Give him the doll. It can be one of his first, and keep him company. No one should have to feel alone.” her grandfather looked at her surprised. “Are you sure?” As Mika nodded, his face melted into one of pride as he put the doll away. “very well then. I know he will love it. Someday perhaps you two could meet. I think you would get along quite well.” Mika couldn’t help but laugh, even her grandfather was trying to set her up now. One thing was for certain, she trusted his tastes more than her fathers for someone compatible. If she was going to marry, it would be someone kind, sensitive, creative and romantic. Not one of the boring business men her father would choose for her.

“I really should be heading home now… I hope you have a nice time out there, and don’t forget to come back alright?” She wrapped her arms around him in a hug as they both laughed “I won’t dear, I promise…I love you.” As the two pulled away Mika smiled down at him, hearing the words her own father couldn’t even say filled her with joy. “I love you too.” Mika disembarked The Siren’s Song and waved her grandfather off as he went back into the small ship’s navigation room to plan his course. As she walked home she thought of all the kinds of adventures he would have and how much her heart yearned to go out into the world herself one day.

Harold Anderson had put down a very archaic map on his desk. As he stretched it open all the way out, he spoke in an ancient tongue of latin, waving his hand over the map. As he spoke the map revealed a second layer underneath. An ocean nearly identical to the one of his world, but much darker and deadlier, the decaying sea. his previous course he had traveled was marked. He had discovered a weak spot that had been close enough to a natural well of magic to connect to the decaying sea by his new siren friend by chance. However, he needed to be closer to the source. From what this boy said he was in constant pain and danger, he could not ignore his plight and wanted to do all he could to ease his suffering. He had such a curious mind and longed to know of the human world, and Harold was more than happy to oblige. According to his research, only one place in the entire ocean had enough legends, and magical aura around it that could be what he was looking for. A landmark not far from the spot he sensed it. He circled the point on the map and set his course to Open Wound Rock, the veil between the human ocean and decaying sea. That was where he would go.

Chapter 2: Treasures Untold

A siren with a tail of scales that shimmered in a deep shade of gold swam through the empty halls of the sea lord’s undersea castle. He had just gotten out of yet another study session, one of many throughout the day. However, he had worked more diligently than usual to complete his duties, to finally have the freedom that gave him the only happiness he had ever known while being over encumbered with his responsibility. He wanted to be with his brothers. It had been weeks since they had all been together. Finally he had made it to their usual meeting spot, but only found his brother Aomaris. His younger brother was lazily stretched out against a heavy and flat sea stone that made an excellent perch for him to rest against. He was eating a clam from its shell, ripping the meat out with his sharp teeth into his mouth and chewing loudly. Once he had what he wanted he crushed the now empty shell and tossed away the broken shards over his shoulder without much care. Upon hearing his brother approach he turned and sat up to face him.

“Oh Raestrao, it’s you. Finally done with those boring lessons? Did our slave-driver of a father finally release you for the day?” The siren with a green shark-like tail ran his hand through his spiky brown hair and smirked at his older brother. His emerald eyes staring into his brothers half lidded and leering whisky shaded ones. “Is it just you? Where are the others? I thought we had all agreed to meet here today. ” After picking up another shell from his little pile on a platter (which he most likely stole from one of the servants) he pried it open with just a flick of his finger. “well hello to you too. It’s Just me so far, sorry that isn’t good enough for you, your high and mightiness.” he spoke sarcastically as he lifted the shells to his lips. Raestrao rubbed the back of his neck with a sigh.

“I…I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just I didn’t expect it to only be you, not that I’m not pleased to se..” Sslllurrrrrrp. Before the sentence could be completed it was interrupted by the very loud, and very deliberate sound of Aomaris sucking the clam meat out through the tiny opening of the shell. Although annoyed, Raestrao attempted to continue. “ I only meant to say it’s been so long since I was last with ALL of my brothers. I was just hoping all of you would already be waiting for me to…” Slllurrrp. Once again an intentional interruption. A wide mocking grin appeared on the rebellious younger brother’s face at his successful bid to get under the others’ scales. “Will you please stop that and let me finish!? That’s so immat..” ssssslllllluuuurrrp. “AOMARIS!! Knock it off!!” The angry outburst was enough to stop the unsavory sound as the offender finally pulled the whole thing into his mouth very easily without a sound. He swallowed it with a victorious grin. One could practically see the boiling water bubbles forming from Raestao’s ear fins. An amusing sight indeed.

“I know, I know, calm down, I’m only messing with you. I know what you meant, loosen up a little. you are as wound up as an anemone that’s just been poked.” He twiddled the now empty shell with his fingers playfully, but instead of crushing it he flung it at his brother. “hey, think fast!” Without a bit of hesitation the target of the flung shell lifted his golden glimmering tail and flung the mollusk away, sending it flying in another direction with ease. A yelp of a particularly annoying snivelly servant could be heard in the distance. “Yowch! Who did that!?” The two boys flinched before Aomaris let out a snicker, his brother giving him a glare in return. “you’re so reckless!” With a shrug the younger brother slid back down to a resting position. “Whatever, anyway to answer your question, Uzaeris is off with his mother in harp lessons and Zecaeru was off somewhere with Izroul.“ The moment he finished speaking his posture stiffened ever so slightly, and his brow furrowed. “you know…come to think of it, Izroul hasn’t been around that much lately, and when he has been, he’s been acting…weird.”

“What’s weird?” The two noble sons turned to see the second son approach, elegantly swimming up to them. His eight long red tentacles with the ends streaked in purple pushed against the water, propelling him to his older and younger brother. “So sorry to be late, mother just wouldn’t let me go until I got my melody just right on a particularly complicated piece. I managed as soon as I could. So, what are we talking about, what is so ‘weird’?” Uzaeris lifted a hand to his face and delicately flipped the long bangs that covered his right eye as he integrated himself into the conversation effortlessly. “Ah, good to see you again Uzaeris, glad to hear you are done for the day as well. No need to apologize, we were just waiting for you and the others. Aomaris was just noting that Izroul has been acting strangely lately, which I have to admit I have noticed as well. He is usually the first one to wait for the rest of us and yet, I haven’t seen much of him either. That’s one reason why I was so surprised to see Aomaris here first, well that and he is never punctual for anything.” Aomaris sat up and crossed his arms obsitently.“Oh shut up Raestro! At least I dont have to be stuck in those stupid lessons like you.” Uzaeris placed a hand on his hip and the other to his chin contemplatively.

“That is uncharacteristic of him. He values our little brotherly get-togethers more than anything, especially in the rare moments when it’s all five of us like today, but you are right. He is nowhere to be seen.” Aomaris pushed himself off his makeshift lounge and stretched “ I wouldn’t get too worried just yet, he is probably just avoiding the castle staff and our blowhole father…ever since his mom…you know…they have been even crueler and more sadistic than ever before. He might just be taking some time to…make himself seem stronger for us.” The middle brother’s green eyes focused on the ground, avoiding the gaze of the other two, who grew silent as well. They didn’t like remembering that horrible and tragic day, or the aftermath that came from it.

However, their empathetic moment of silence was broken by the youngest noble brother arriving. His blue dolphin-like tail wagged as he sat upon the flat stone Aomaris had previously rested upon. “Hey guys! What’s with all the long faces?” He beamed at his brothers and tilted his head curiously. Of all the boys, his face was the most youthful, despite not even being the youngest. “It’s nothing Zecaeru.” Raestrao turned to him and smiled “We are glad you could make it…but…where is Izroul? Is he not with you?” The eyes of the three older brothers darted around searchingly, their concern slowly rising once again. Zecaeru’s eyes nervously checked behind him and his voice became higher and unsure. “oh uh! Yeah he is! Or…well he was. He was right behind me but um…we…we were having a race! I guess I won! he just hasn’t caught up yet! Yeah! Heh heh…” Three pairs of suspicious eyes bore into the black haired merman unconvinced. He was always an awful liar. “Really?” Aomaris raised an eyebrow, his voice dripping with dubious derison. This only made Zacheru defensive in turn. “Yes really! What? You don’t believe me?” He sat up staring down his toughest brother defiantly, who only puffed out his chest and placed his hands on his hips, speaking down to him, towering over the shorter siren.

“No! I don’t. Somethings going on with Izroul and it almost sounds like you know what it is, and are covering for him.” Aomaris narrowed his eyes at his brother’s baby blue ones, which glared back up at him. “Are you calling me a liar?!” “I’m not calling you a truther!” “That’s not even a real word!!” The tension between the two was quickly heating up, before Raestrao pulled Zecaeru away. “ That’s enough!” Uzaeris pulled Aomaris back. But,knowing that he was the strongest and could easily escape his grip to lunge back into the fray, he held him back with his tentacles as well. They were instantly slapped away in disgust by the brutish brother. “Hey! Get those off me man! you know I hate it when you touch me with those things!” Aomaris snapped at the red haired brother as he rubbed at his arm, making sure no sucker marks were left behind. “ There is no need to fight! But Zecaeru is right, that really isn’t a word.” As the most intelligent one, Raestrao couldn’t resist correcting him, which only made Aomaris growl in annoyance. “However! Aomaris is also right! We are only worried about Izroul, and you seem to be the one who has spent the most time with him lately, is something bothering him?”

Zecaeru turned away as Raestrao put a hand on his shoulder, silently encouraging him to come forward, out of concern for their youngest brother. Before another word could be said, a voice called out to the four of them. “Wait! I’m here! I’m here! A siren with bright vivid orange hair and a tail with scales as black as the inky ocean depths swam forward. He was panting and out of breath as he finally arrived at their brotherly reunion. “W…wow Zecaeru, you sure are fast, you left me in your bubble trail. Congratulations on winning our race.” The exhausted merman glanced over at his blue-tailed brother with his knowing indigo eyes. He gave a subtle affirmative nod to him before turning to the rest of his brothers, once again speaking before they could even get a chance to. “I’m sorry I was so late, and that I haven’t seen you all as much, I’ve been avoiding …father, and the castle attendants. It’s been hard ever since the marriage arrangement was made. Everyone has been on edge. I know it’s been in all your minds and I didn’t want to burden you, or get you in trouble with Father, so…I’ve been doing other things on my own…I hope that’s alright.” He placed his black coated hand on his chest in sincerity.

At first, there was only uncertain silence. Zecaeru then broke away from the hand on his shoulder and went to the side of his kneeling brother. “See I told you! He just got left behind in a race. He’s fine.” The three elder brothers looked at each other. They could tell there was still something amiss, something that still seemed off, but it wasn’t their place to question him further or refute his claim. Izroul might be able to read their minds, but they could not read his. “Very well then Izroul, if you say nothing is wrong then we believe you.” Raestrao was the second to speak up and held his hand out to him. “But just remember, you can always trust us with anything, we are your family. Now come on, let’s catch up.” The youngest siren couldn’t help but smile at his older brother and took his offered hand. Soon they dove back into their favorite pastime of telling each other about their lessons or adventures and not wasting a single minute of the precious time they so rarely had to spend together. Soon hours went by, and their time for brotherly companionship had to come to an end. The siren quintet had to part ways as the noble sons were called for by their mothers. Before Zecaru left, he gave one last glance to Izroul, looking at him thoughtfully, as if saying something to him in his mind. Izroul affirmed with a nod. Having his answer and seeming pleased with it he swam off back to the castle. The other brothers took notice of their exchanged looks, wariness and suspicion still weighed down on their minds. Knowing what his brothers were thinking, the non-noble son just smiled reassuringly and waved them off with a cheerful farewell until they were gone. Soon, he was entirely alone. He wasn’t allowed a real room in the castle. There was no place for a Bastard child like him, only kept alive at his brother’s behest. Oftentimes it would greatly upset him, until recently that is.

Once he was sure he was out of his brother’s line of sight, he made his way out of the boundaries of the castle and through an old forgotten and hidden route shrouded in darkness and shadow. It was likely thousands of years older than anyone knew of, but Izroul had stumbled upon it by sheer accident, or perhaps by fate, shortly after he first heard the human voice. He finally reached the end of the long narrow tunnel and pulled aside the heavy rock that blocked the entrance to his hidden place. Once he was inside he pushed the boulder back, but not all the way. Just enough so that he could pull it aside again to leave without getting trapped. At long last he was back in his secret grotto. All around him were the items he had either collected or was given by the man from the human world; trinkets and gizmos, maps, paintings, tools and many, many toys. The crevices and crags of the rocky cavern walls around him made natural shelves to store his vastly growing collection. Directly above the grotto were cracks and gaps in the rock, allowing patches of light to shine through and illuminate the undersea cave.

One crevice in particular however, did not reveal glimpses or points of light from the rest of the perilous ocean. It was in fact an actual tear between the decaying sea and the human world’s waters. It was barely big enough to put just one arm and a shoulder through, and it would be impossible to traverse through it being the size he was, he had already tried. Only the very tips of his fingers could reach out on the other side, and for the first time he had felt air, a cool blowing and refreshing breeze blew against his fingertips that made his skin tingle.

It was in this place the voice was the strongest and loudest. Since then he had spoken to him many times in secret, reading his thoughts from beyond the threshold, and responding back to him. He was a kind old human man, a warlock! One of very few allowed to use magic in his world. The warlock taught him so much, told him of humans and how they walked on land like crabs scuttled across the sea floor. How there was peace among many countries, lands and people. There was war occasionally but it was never constant, and only among certain groups, but for the most part, instead of massacres and conquering, the humans attempted to solve their problems through diplomacy and compromise. There was no danger lurking at every corner. Humans could even sleep without fear of being prayed upon if they closed their eyes for too long and let down their guard. Apparently when humans slept they dreamed, visions occurring in the unconscious mind that could be absolutely anything and have various meanings, just like humans could be anything. The more he learned the more he wanted to know and the kind man was more than happy to teach him. He had learned so much in the past month and a half talking to him. He had only stayed a few days when they first spoke, before he had to return to his home and family. But he promised he would return to teach the lonesome siren all he could about humanity and even bring gifts. And he was good to his word.

Every so often an object small enough to fit through the tear between the worlds would slowly float down from above and into his awaiting hands. Then the man would explain what it was in detail and answer any other questions he had. He had found happiness at finding his very first friend outside his brothers, and a new passion to go along with it, something he was forbidden from having. The only other person who knew was Zecaeru. One day he had followed Izroul to offer to play and spend time with him. He noticed his brother sneaking off someplace, and unable to resist his curiosity, he followed him and discovered his secret. Upon finding that his private grotto had been compromised, Izroul was terrified he would tell their other brothers. He did not want any of his brothers to get involved, to protect them from the consequences of any punishment that could come with being found out. Izroul made him swear to keep it a secret and tell no one. Thankfully (surprisingly) he did, on the condition he could come visit as well sometimes. Izroul agreed to his terms and he shared his new hiding place and secret friend with him, acting as an interpreter for the man’s thoughts, speaking for him. His youthful older brother was just as interested and fascinated by the humans too! Most of all the energetic merman enjoyed the talk of toys that the old man made and sold. It was something the two could share together.

However, it could only be between them, he could not burden his other brothers with this secret. Raestrao already had enough to deal with as the heir, and now after getting betrothed to a powerful siren princess from another kingdom, he will soon become the new Sea Lord, and he knew how heavily that weighed on him. He could not add any more to his plate. Uzaeris May find it interesting but he may tease him about it. His mother also had high expectations of him to be the perfect siren, so he may see humans as only a form of energy, playthings or something to charm rather than be charmed by, he wouldn’t understand. Aomaris would be the most against it for certain. He has always been his greatest protector and defender of the abuse he had suffered at the hands of his father and his underlings. He would always be grateful for the support… but, he knew his elder brother would see what he was doing, communicating with another world, as a threat. it was indeed dangerous, especially for him! If their father ever knew, Izroul would surely be killed or tortured, his collection destroyed and his human friend may even be put in danger as well. No, he could not risk it, he trusted his brothers and loved them more than anything, but this was a path he had to travel alone.

The little merman lay against the sandy floor of his grotto and looked at one of his favorite treasures, a book. He could not read the words but he loved the pictures. Reading was a grand privilege only for his brothers to have. Acquiring knowledge and learning of new places and information was not to be wasted on the bastard son. He was forever forbidden from any pleasure or advantage. But it wasn’t the same for humans! They have the freedom to learn whatever they like whenever they want. His fingers traced along the inky black symbols that made the letters and words he could not decipher. At least the man was kind enough to read it to him and his brother earlier that day, so he could understand the context of the illustration and think over the story in his head, again and again.

It was the story of a sad girl whose parents had died and only had a cruel stepmother and stepsisters who made her sit by the cinders of something called a fire, a hot and painful element not found in water but gave off a light that danced and swayed like seaweed . He felt so lucky his brothers were good to him unlike these sisters, even if the stepmother did remind him of his father. Her name was Cinderella. She wanted so desperately to go to a grand ball but she was forbidden from going and the dress she made was destroyed and torn apart by the ripping claws of her jealous sisters. Just when all hope was lost a fairy came and rewarded her for her kindness and good heart by giving her a new dress, a means to go, and the demeanor of a princess. But, the spell would only last until the night turned into a new day. She had a wonderful time and met the prince and danced with him, falling in love with each other, but when midnight came she had to flee as the spell faded away and left behind a slipper, an odd piece of garb that humans wore on their “feet” to keep them clean and protected from the earth they tread on. But this one was made of glass. He wondered if most shoes were made of glass, one would have to be very careful not to break it as they walked. The prince found the slipper and searched everywhere for the maiden, claiming whoever could fit the shoe would be his bride. The prince looked all over the kingdom and eventually tried the shoes on the stepsisters but it would not fit either. Then he saw the poor Cinderella covered in black from the fire and dirty. He offered for her to try, it was a perfect fit and he recognized her once. He made her his princess and lived happily ever after.

That was his favorite part. Happily ever after. He wished he could be like Cinderella, witha magic spell to turn him into a human. He would explore that world, and get away from this one. Perhaps he could find love of his own. Sirens were known for being the best lovers and fed off sexual energy of other merfolk and even humans, using their beautiful voices to charm them into giving themselves freely to them, that energy was their main food source. It is said to be the most amazing thing any siren can experience. He wouldn’t know though…he was often left to starve while his brothers were given the energy freely by the noble merfolk and servants, or given banquets of the finest foods. He had to survive on the weak and meager energy of any leftover scraps and crumbs of ingestible food that he could find, or whatever the noble sons would save for him. His brothers would also give him some energy with their familial affection and attentive care. But love, that is romantic love, seemed different than the passionate lust and desire his kind was known for. Love was unconditional and special, it was hard earned and was based on connection rather than attraction alone, it was deep and more meaningful and could persist through the hardest of trials and tribulations. He wished with all his might to one day find someone to love. A human to love, who would be kind, who would not shun him as a mistake or pity him, someone who would willingly support, trust and share a life with him. Someone proud to call him theirs. But, that was only a fantasy Only a dream that was only a wish his heart made. For now, he was pleased with the idea of love. Izroul started up at the small swirling whirlpool portal above him that led to the human world where love existed. He quietly rested, Imagining what it was like, if he were a part of that world.

Chapter 3: of Fish and Family

Harold Anderson awoke from his bed in the captain’s quarters of his little ship. The gentle waves of sea had rocked him into a calm sleep that night, just as it had done for the past few weeks. He got himself dressed and ready for the new day. Before heading out, he opened a standing birdcage beside his bed, releasing the two pure white doves that were inside, to stretch their wings and flap about as he filled their dish. The doves eagerly flew over to feed on the seeds that their master had left for them, as Haolrd went to the galley to make some breakfast for himself and his fish-tailed friend. Eggs, bacon, fruit cheese and potatoes. He made two plates, stacking on extra food on the second plate. He picked up the two morning meals and went back above deck. His boat was anchored within the cavern of Open Wound Rock, one of the weakest points of the link between the two ocean worlds. In the very center of the cave, there was a small fracture that kept the two worlds apart in the form of a small whirlpool. it was no bigger than a bucket rim, and it was far easier for things to enter the fathoms below, than it was to come up from them. Local legends told of siren voices that could be heard echoing from the hollow echoing walls, and of treasures that were lost to the bottomless depths around these parts. This was the largest and most accessible of the leaking gaps. He had been fishing in the area nearby when he first heard the mournful sobbing of his new friend, there must have been a smaller leak below where he fished which allowed the two to connect.

He was immediately drawn into, and sympathetic, to the child’s plight. It had been a long time since he had delved back into the world of magic and merfolk, but he could not turn his back on this boy. He was so eager to learn and was starved for kindness outside of that of his brothers, he had mentioned once or twice. Harold took things slow, he knew the boy would not reveal his name, knowing how powerful and personal a siren’s name can be to those who know it. He had instead taken to calling him by terms of general endearment such as “friend, young man, my boy, and son.” The latter of those options is what the young merman favored most in particular. He did not speak much of himself, only why he had been crying so bitterly that day. He had told Harold that he was the widely despised and disparaged son of a powerful merman, who was cruel beyond mere words. He only had his four older brothers to care for him. He said nothing else about himself since, which was perhaps for the best. He was much more interested in listening to Harold speak about himself and humanity, then dwell too much on his predicament. The old man could just picture the starry look in the siren’s eyes as he spoke the more he found out. He was indeed special, mind reading abilities were rare and powerful, but could easily be very overwhelming. Especially when most of the thoughts you hear are of great quantity and negative quality, which seemed to be the case with this lad. He pulled up his deck chair and sat down on it with the plates on his lap. He sat in front of the ship banister and began to let his mind form the start of a conversation, as he began to eat his breakfast. “young man…son? Are you there?”

Below in the grotto, Izroul had stretched from his resting as he heard the kind man’s voice appear in his head. He grinned and sat up, calling out to him before giving a gentle yawn. “Yes sir! I am here! Good morning!” The sweet but low toned voice of the merman responded back. “I have some breakfast for you, and your brother. Is he with you this time?” The siren licked his lips ravenously at the mention of breakfast. He was very often famished, and food was far and few in between whatever energy his brothers could give. But since he met the man, he had offered him some whenever he felt his energy low. He had never experienced such flavor and indulgence before. Zecaeru loved it even more, most of his questions aside from those about toys, games and what humans did for fun was about their food. His imagination had been sparked and his taste buds had been enlightened, as he was given the scraps that fell from above. Apparently he had even been experimenting with his own food with what he could find from the castle kitchens.

“Thank you! No, he is not here right now, it is just me…but he promised to come back and see us again later this evening! would it be alright if you could save it for him, until he comes back? please?” Izroul was normally not one to ask for anything, as it was never given to him, or his brothers already did their best to provide it, but he still did not want to burden them by asking. The only things he truly asked of them was their company, when they could give it. But, with thekind man it was different, he liked his questions and curiosity, he did not scold or scorn him for doing so and often happily complied with his small requests. “Yes! Of course. I will make more for him later, but you should still take the food I made for you both while it’s still warm. An old man like me needs that extra strength, so do you. Are you ready?” Izroul quickly swam around looking for one of the plates the man had sent him,scooped it up and swam upwards just below the portal “ready!” And with that, Harold raised the plate over the edge of the ship, and tilted the steamy and savory contents off the plate and into the whirlpool below, before it completely vanished out of sight.

Once the food had been sucked down through the swirling water, it manifested out with a twirl into the decaying sea and onto the awaiting plate the siren held out. He leaned down and sniffed the enticing aroma of the lovingly prepared meal, floating back down to the sandy sea floor to eat. He scooped careful handfuls of the food into his awaiting mouth before melting into the flavor. As starving as he usually was, he took great time and care to eat and savor each mouthful and bite to make it last as long as possible. He knew what some of the foods already were. Cheese and fruit were easy to identify even in the decaying sea. The odd white and brown chunks known as “potato” tasted earthy. It was the inside of some kind of root or vegetable. And the red strips were some sort of meat, but not like any fish he had ever eaten, it was juicy and hearty, the flavor was richer and crispy, he had a feeling his brother Aomaris would love it. The only things he was still confused by were the fluffy yellow lumps. “ What are the yellow things called again?” He asked as he lifted some to his mouth and ate them. “Those are eggs, I’m sure you are used to fish eggs, but these come from a different kind of creature, a bird called a chicken. Izroul tilted his head, “Bird? What is a bird?”

Harold leaned back in his chair, looking over at some gulls that had built a nest within the cave crevice, he could hear the chicks quietly calling for their mother to bring them food and picture the sight in his mind’s eye. “Well, a bird is an animal, they have a beak somewhat similar to a squid. They have wings of feathers while fish would have fins. They help them fly through the air as a fish would swim through the sea. I myself have two birds of my own as pets. They deliver messages for me while I am out at sea.” Izroul admired the image in his mind. It all sounded so fascinating. He would love to see one in person someday. They sounded so free.“so little one, what would you like to learn about this time?” Harold peered down into the swirling water, allowing him to choose the topic of the day. Izroul thought, what did he want to know about? His mind wandered to his brothers and seeing them yesterday. Were human siblings as close as they were? Or, were the families cruel and disjointed as his brother’s mothers were? Or as monstrous to their own children as his father was. “Family…what are humans family like…do you have a family?” Harold looked surprised as he asked this of him. A rather complicated question, but he considered his words carefully “Family is your kin, but it is not always by blood. Family is those who you care for and love. Mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, grandparents and cousins. Some families are large, and some small. But even if you are not related, you can still choose your own family if you feel that familial love, and they return it.”

The merman was amazed, you could choose a family, as long as they cared for you and you felt it in your heart. a pink hue graced his cheeks as he timidly asked another question with hesitance. “L…like you and I? We are not of the same blood, or even the same species, and we have only known each other so long but…you feel like family to me…” Harold was taken aback at the endearing confession, but his astonishment quickly dissolved into a warm tenderness. “Yes, I suppose so, like you and I. I’d be honored to call you family, son.” Izroul’s heart leapt in his chest as he felt a warm sense of belonging enrapture in his being, at his acceptance of him.

“Now, to answer your other question, I do in fact have a family back home as well, my son and his wife, and my darling granddaughter. Who is likely around your age, in human years at least if you are as young as I think you may be. She is a lovely young woman. They are all very dear to me.” Izroul’s purple blue eyes were shining. He wanted to know more about the kind warlock’s family, surely his family was loving and kind as he was, “Do you all get along? Do you treat your son well? What are they like? Can they use magic too?” For a few moments he was met with silence, his mind was hesitant and went blank, blocking him for a split second, before he relented into honesty. “unfortunately, my son and I are estranged. He knows of my magic and fears it and the risks that come with it. Terrified and distrusting of it’s chaotic nature. People fear what they do not understand, which has led him to resent me. I have tried to raise him well and still love him very much, even if he distances himself and pushes me away. He has refused and denied his magical blood, however, my granddaughter has potential. She and I are much closer.” Izroul could feel the sorrow that came with these thoughts, so not all human families were perfect, but he empathized with his friend. His son sounded like his father but not nearly as bad obviously. But at least he had his granddaughter, his thoughts were very positive towards her.

“What is she like then?” Harold smiled as his memories of her flooded his recollection, knowing the young mind reader would see them. From innocent childhood to her inquisitive adolescence, He watched her grow and age. Izroul watched the thoughts with captivated attention as the images played out. His admiration and fascination with the beautiful girl with long sleek black hair and vivid green eyes only increased as he saw her transformation from a starry eyed child to a strong and smart and independent young woman. She was so complex. She was clever and witty but also refined and charming. She was courageous and resilient but still playful and good natured. And just like him, she was curious about the world and had a longing to find her purpose. She was so many wonderful things, she was so perfectly…human. “She…she is astounding!” Suddenly a warm feeling in his chest overtook him as his heart raced and heat rushed to his face. “Yes, she is…in fact, that reminds me, I made a gift for her, but she insisted I give it to someone who needed it more. Someone just like you.” 

Harold stood up from his chair, setting the now empty plate beside him and reached into his bag. After finding what he was looking for, he unfolded the doll from his handkerchief and brushed it off. He straightened the bow on it’s collar to make it presentabl

Smallville really just took its formula from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (as did the revival of Doctor Who, same as Angel: the Series doing the same for Torchwood by Russell T Davies’ own admission), which also has a superhero in high school origin story and a strange town overrun with freaky things happening. Smallville’s meteor freaks were exactly like the Hellmouth and the high death rates of their respective student bodies.

Roswell is another show that had a similar setup and was actually the first WB show about aliens with magic powers in high school. Max Evans is not too subtly Clark Kent-like, right down to the famous moment of transforming a lump of coal into a diamond. The alien/human hybrid quartet of Max Evans, Michael Guerin, Isabel Evans and the infamous Tess Harding are reincarnations of alien royalty/elite from a destroyed planet, so the connection is obvious.

Except that show went far further with what would happen if the government found out than Smallville dared beyond a few episodes here and there. Max certainly had more done to him (the White Room and going on the run in the finale) than Clark ever did in that regard. Humans who get a little too close to the inhuman with plans for science or personal gain certainly is a trope that pops up in other genre shows (often humans desiring eternal life at a cost or captive experimentation/torture).

Sheriff Jim Valenti (who was the villain of the Roswell High books the shows were based on!) turned out to be the kids’ fiercest protector, not unlike Lionel Luthor, despite being initial antagonists. Lionel being the king of horrific fathers contrasted hugely with Jonathan Kent. Jor-El’s A.I. practically martyred Jonathan in a trade for Lana Lang, so this version is absolutely not comparable to the Christopher Reeve version’s relationship with Marlon Brando’s! Smallville’s Clark is nearly a reversal of the old films in regards to farm boy Clark being the real deal, not the mere disguises of Superman and the hapless reporter (this is also true of Dean Cain’s iteration), as well as the nurture over nature message of the Kents being his true parents in all but blood, whereas the focus is strictly on Jor-El over Jonathan as the father figure in the 1978 and DCEU versions.

Closest to danger Clark ever got outside of Lex Luthor’s experimentation (only with the anonymous blood vial that eventually led to hybrid Lex/Clark clone test tube baby Conner Kent) was from General Sam Lane and the anti-vigilantism plot, but Clark never got nearly so exposed. Max also told his secret in the first episode, so it’s a stark contrast to how long it took for Clark to tell his love interests and friends. Clark and Lucifer Morningstar are the kings of the long-delayed reveal! By contrast, Angel waited seven whole episodes and most of the rest of the characters mentioned here did so in their first episode, if not their first scene.

The WB was already a home to many shows like Smallville, though it certainly started DC adopting the channel as their home to drop their properties into that already-established format.

Angel: the Series, Smallville and Supernatural were the more masculine side (Angel: the Series and Supernatural are definitely the most mature, horror-based shows, as well) on a channel that also had Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the original genre show on a channel that was heavily just sitcoms and 7th Heaven prior to 1997 and quickly transformed the whole channel), Charmed and Roswell (not to mention Dawson’s Creek and other more soapy, non-genre offerings).

Shows like The X-Files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer were the ones that pretty much formed everything we expect from a modern fantasy/sci-fi/supernatural/horror series now, including the mix of overarching long-form story arcs and soap opera/relationship dramas mixed with the Monster of the Week and seasonal Big Bad formats. Monster of the Week (Smallville used Freak of the Week) and ‘shipping were terms coined by The X-Files’ fandom (yep, the biggest controversy of that show was whether Fox Mulder and Dana Scully should remain platonic colleagues as intended by the creator or become a romantic relationship, which took an interminable slow burn of seven seasons), while Big Bad (and thus arcs surrounding that Big Bad seeded throughout the season) was coined on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. All these terms are used for discussing nearly every subsequent genre show today. Television prior to these shows did not have these formats, minus the old-as-dirt episodic Monsters of the Week, but not using that terminology yet.

Smallville was a marriage of comic book superheroes into the genre show format that was already going strong on the old WB. Some of these other non-comic-origin characters wouldn’t be out of place in the comic world either. Definitely true for Buffy Summers and Angel, as they basically are superheroes. Buffy has the more straight-forward Peter Parker-esque origin story, while Angel’s is told completely non-linear (often through a slow drip of flashbacks–his soul was returned a century prior, not during the course of the show, yet he most certainly didn’t become a hero then).

It’s surprising that Supernatural never quite went all-out with a real comic tie-in presence beyond some short runs early on. Neither the comics or the novels use Castiel much at all, who is the most super-powered main on the roster (so much so that the show writers were terrified to put him in Monster of the Week episodes and even tried to kill him off in seasons 6/7 due to him making the Winchesters irrelevant). Castiel is the Eldritch being-level angelic equivalent of The Little Mermaid trying to understand humanity, but with the tragic ending of the novel.

Clark himself has a mix of Dorothy Gale (check out that Over the Rainbow shot on the bridge in Smallville’s pilot, which is an image also echoed in Luke Skywalker’s binary sunset, followed by him doing an Ariel pulling Lex Luthor from the water) and Peter Pan (more than just the flying boy–he also has an immortality problem) in his DNA.

It’s that little piece of inconvenient canon (alluded to numerous times through Smallville) that is at the heart of the adverse reactions of many Superman purists who were horrified by Smallville’s Clark choosing to live a human life and have a family with Lois in the CW’s Crisis on Infinite Earths. It wasn’t just because Tom Welling still refuses to wear tights, but because it was the real unsolved existential crisis facing the character. Conversations with the Kents, Dax-Ur and General Lane all exposed this issue as an insecurity he had quite early on in the series. It’s hardly teen angst, nor was it with Angel and the Doctor saying it repeatedly to Buffy and Rose; it doesn’t make it teen angst just because they were teenagers. Clark likewise shares the tragedy of many other inhuman immortals (and yet, they keep doing it!) in that he can’t father children naturally with humans without some kind of sci-fi workaround (like Blue or Gold Kryptonite).

We might like to see these characters be Peter Pan forever, but sometimes even Peter needs to grow up (as in Hook), lest he forever remain a tragedy. Make no mistake, the immortality trope is always a tragedy, which is why so many of these characters either run away from seeing it played out or they most desire to live human lives. Having duties greater than themselves and a need to save lives they’d never be able to as mortals are often the reasons for these sacrifices, but it still remains a sacrifice and ultimately a damnation, not a gift. These characters are either doomed to lose everyone they’ve ever loved or go out in a blaze of glory, which is what television shows using the trope are actually daring to show more recently.

Not being a tragic horror story, Superman tends to avoid it, but it’s the same problem. That brief scene in Crisis on Infinite Earths was more in line with Smallville than Superman purists wished.

The Doctor is Peter Pan. It’s most obvious with the imagery of little and big Amelia Pond in her nightgown, but the story with Rose Tyler juxtaposed beside Sarah Jane Smith also shows his Peter Pan-esque tendencies. He’s the immortal who keeps picking up new companions to take on far-off adventures, only to leave them behind over and over again before he has to face their human mortality. Although the Doctor is older than Spock, he has picked up many Spockisms over the years like touch telepathy (yup, the Vulcan mind-meld), the half-human aspect of the 1996 TV movie that fans and the show do their best to ignore and the 10th Doctor’s sacrifice via a glass case of radiation (see The Wrath of Khan).

Angel, of course, is Pinocchio (with a big dollop of Highlander’s Prize), the Beast, the immortality of Peter Pan, Louis de Pointe du Lac and pre-retcon evil!Lestat de Lioncourt (the retconned one is, of course, Spike) morphed into Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and a touch of Steve Rogers meets Clark Kent, but with the aesthetic (not character) of Bruce Wayne (that mix is all there). Like Pinocchio and the Beast, there are those major elements of temptation, redemption and atonement.

The Buffyverse definitely borrowed heavily from the sympathetic vampire begun by Varney the Vampire, Nosferatu’s plagiarization of Dracula that gave birth to death by sunlight (see the whole aesthetic of the Buffyverse’s Master), the antiheroization (quite evil initially) in Dark Shadows, the archetypes of Anne Rice (the entire Master + Fanged Four are her lineup–Akasha, Gabrielle, IwtV!Lestat/Louis, Claudia and retcon!Lestat vs. the Master, Darla, Angel(us), Drusilla and Spike), the prosthetics of The Lost Boys and the vampire detective setup of Forever Knight (which copied Barnabas Collins’ cure for vampirism arc, while Angel’s Shanshu borrows more from Highlander’s Prize). Blade and Angel added apocalypse-fighting/comic superheroes to that mix.

Ironically, the more recent examples of the good vampire have gutted their mythologies of evil-default vampires entirely (making the exceptions to the rule far less alienated and unique amongst their own kinds) and certainly kicked out the apocalyptic superheroing for soap opera. The Buffyverse is ironically closer to Anne Rice’s full-blooded, evil, murderous inhuman creatures (no matter the guilt and eating rats in alleys) than it is Twilight and The Vampire Diaries in spite of the human/inhuman romance plots, marking a strong separation between the WB’s era and the CW’s.

That’s a strong example of how the genre show environment has changed in the last two decades, so it’s not just the differences between the eras of Smallville and the Arrowverse/DCEU.

Supernatural is a particularly weird example in that it ran for so long with the same cast (unlike Doctor Who, which is fast approaching its 60th anniversary and has gone through many changes, not just its format) that it was still following the same show format and catering to a generation who grew up along with it (not to mention the actors going from young to middle-aged) from 2005 through 2020. The format all the way to the end (though never again as desaturated, jump-scare horrific as that first season was–its inspirations from The X-Files showed) is most certainly pre-streaming and owes much to its old WB origins using a formula born in the 1990s, despite the CW’s rebranding in 2006. Castiel’s ushering in of the whole angel mythology was the most seismic change in Supernatural’s history, though even he was like a horror creature early on. The show certainly had early comedy episodes, but they definitely got more frequent later. One only has to look at the season 15 premiere’s handling of the Woman in White and Bloody Mary’s returns to see how alien the season 1 atmosphere was to the show by then.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer likewise shed its gothic horror atmosphere and went into the sunlight (not for the better) around the time Angel took his gothic fairy tale-turned-noir with him to L.A. See Lucifer aiming for the same aesthetic in its first season. Smallville was likewise a show that spanned the WB and CW, but before the television landscape completely left that late-'90s/'00s aesthetic. You can definitely start to feel similar differences in the change from Smallville High to Metropolis and Lana to Lois. There’s a pretty stark generational shift in the shows aimed at late Gen-X/older Gen-Y (Millennials) and now Gen-Z (Zoomers). That’s the biggest shift between the WB and the Arrowverse-era CW.

Castiel, despite him learning how to love, is the ultimate example of free will in a mythology that has none by design (he truly did have a “crack in his chassis”) and even adopts a son whom he can finally relate to, ends with him tired, very sad and unloved in return. Not a single character in the history of Supernatural ever tells Castiel that they love him. Frankly, Meg and Crowley, who kept saving his life, showed more care about and affection for him than the Winchesters, particularly Dean (who belittled, refused to help and abandoned Castiel for years before the Jack and Mary drama shattered the relationship irrevocably). Sam, who used to feel the same othering from John and Dean as the Boy with the Demon Blood that got heaped on Castiel if he dared remind Dean he wasn’t “human, or at least like one”, had a bad habit of following his brother in questionable acts like putting Jack in the box. Castiel says he loves others several times, but he never once hears it back. As in The Little Mermaid, Castiel sacrifices himself for someone who will never love him back, except in place of sea form is the black goo of the Empty. At least Jack cared, but you’ll notice Castiel is nowhere to be seen when the Winchesters reunite in Heaven. Not even Sam (who was equally sad and tired at the end, while Dean was just angrily lashing out at everyone while blaming everyone but himself) bothered to place a single photo of Castiel amongst his shrine to John, Mary and Dean. Sam literally knew Castiel longer than he ever knew Mary and his relationship with John was so bad that he left his father and brother to go to Stanford. Boy, did that final episode say it all about Castiel loving, but never being loved in return. Bobby Singer was wrong; it turns out that, for the Winchesters, family did end in blood.

The alienated outsider archetype who doesn’t quite fit in amongst human society (often with an immortality/lifespan problem on top of other interspecies differences), but often desperately wants to find human belonging, love and family, is true of characters like Clark, the Doctor, Spock, Connor/Duncan MacLeod, Angel, Castiel, Lucifer, etc… These are subsequently the shows and storylines that borrow most from the Superman mythos.

See the many takes on Superman II’s Pinocchio plot, except having to give it all up for a higher purpose (not to mention many other Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Pinocchio and Peter Pan parallels), such as Angel’s I Will Remember You, Smallville!Clark’s Arrival/Mortal/Hidden, the Doctor’s Human Nature/The Family of Blood and Castiel’s season 9 arc.

That’s Superman and Clark’s real impact on the television landscape.

The Little Mermaid was my favorite growing up and I wanted to use that as inspiration for a RWBY OC! I’ve been trying to finalize this design for a while now, so I might just make a whole turnaround for him now that I’ve settled on his look! I’ll definitely have a name for him then too!

@freckled-cosmos-art

Me: ugh it’s so unrealistic that they have Ariel fall in love with a guy she’s never met and basically puts her life on the line for a high risk bet

Me, ten seconds later: anyways, I fucking love Ryan Ross and he can kill me if he wants you know just for fun even lmao

The Little Mermaid