their love remains, their love remains

AMITY-GRACE BRIGHT one hundred & fifteen. mermaid. barista. archipelago.

[amitygracebright]

INTRODUCING amity-grace bright !

character name: amity-grace bright

species: mermaid

character title: archipelago 

age & birthdate: 113 & 20 march

gender & pronouns: non-binary & she/they

birthplace: north atlantic (off the coast of north carolina) 

length of time in port vale: one year

occupation: florist

pinterest !

BIOGRAPHY !

THE OCEAN

Muirenn grew up hearing stories about the sirens—how they were ruthless, evil, born of everything the ocean didn’t want or need—and she had no reasons not to believe them. Renn often found herself listening to the stories of the oceans with a fascination. Out of all the mermaids she knew, she was the well-behaved one. She wasn’t curious, she didn’t push boundaries, and she certainly didn’t try and fight what was expected of her. Renn knew that she had to act perfect, or as perfect as she possibly could because she was scared of angering her kind. Growing up, Renn was friends with another mermaid who was quite the opposite of her in every way, a bit more rebellious, curious about the world around them, and often Renn would find herself being dragged around the sea more than she wanted to. She wanted to become a royal guard and she didn’t want to be thought of as someone not responsible enough to handle the stress of the job. Too often, Renn was considered a bit of a pushover by her friends, content with seeing them happy rather than standing up for herself—although that was something she was working on changing. 

One day, when she was out with her friend exploring a shipwreck off the coast, Renn found herself separated from her friend, exploring the parts of the sunken ship with great caution. When she got too close to a part of the ship that had collapsed in on itself, she started to swim away to find her friend when she heard a voice cry out. Without a second of hesitation, Murirenn went after the noise, pulling away collapsed boards only to see a siren, not her friend, that was under the rubble. The arm caught her before she was able to swim away, and the siren only muttered a thank you. Renn, despite her fear, could see she was injured and wanted to help. So she helped the siren get back home, chattering away as they swam through the sea together. While the siren didn’t say much, upon arrival at the edge of siren territory, she gifted Renn the locket she’d been after, leaving Murirenn shocked and speechless. And as the siren turned to leave, Renn did something reckless—she asked the siren to meet her in a few days at the ship. Then she left to go find her friend back at the wreck to beg her to go home. Once the three days had passed, Renn found herself at the ship, waiting wide eyed for her new friend to show up. She was surprised when the siren showed up, surprised by the way her heartbeat quickened, and fascinated by the other creature she’d been told all her life not to trust. Soon a friendship between them blossomed and Renn found herself sneaking around more and more often. 

Renn was content with the life she was living, though as she started to grow up, her goals in life began to change. She thought that maybe as she grew up, the court's opinions on sirens would change and her secret friendship wouldn’t have to be so secret. That wasn’t the case though and Renn struggled, but held her tongue as she heard other mermaids talking awful, terrible things about the sirens. Muirenn believed once she was a royal guard, once she was respected and had some influence over a princess, she could get them to change. That became her new goal to protect her siren. Although it took a while, after years of friendship, the two realized they had fallen for each other. From then on, Renn desperately tried to keep her mouth shut when others spoke of the sirens, but at one point it became too difficult—and she had hit her breaking point of listening to the propaganda that the other mermaids seemed to believe. So the two made a plan to leave without telling everyone. Renn didn’t care if she left behind the life she had always expected to lead because her life was better with sirens in them than it ever would be without them. 

ON LAND

For a while the two of them explored the oceans, but then she believed their chances on land would be better than if they stayed in the ocean. While she wasn’t a princess or anyone of note, she couldn’t guarantee that people wouldn’t be on the lookout for a responsible mermaid that left with no warning. It was better to be safe than sorry. With a new life on land, she decided to pick a new name: Amity-Grace Bright, more befitting to the person they wanted to be. The mermaid and siren pair decided their time would now be spent exploring the land, visiting and traveling to places they read about in the books they picked up along the way. Amity-Grace never expected to enjoy life outside of the sea, but there were so many places for them to explore. The two of them went all over the place, all over the world. When money was required, they’d work odd jobs until it was time to move on and explore a new place. While it wasn’t necessarily the life they’d have chosen, Amity-Grace loved it.

After exploring the land for a few years, Amity-Grace was eager to find a place that wasn’t quite the sea but wasn’t quite the land either—an island where the two of them could settle down. That’s how they ended up in Port Vale, the two of them were thankful for a place they could settle down and that had interesting lore about mermaids that honestly fascinated Amity-Grace. She has since learned how to blend into society, rather than stick out, so she’s begun to adjust to the simple life in a small town, but they know life doesn’t entirely go according to plan and that things will change along the way. To her, Port Vale seems like as good of a home as any, but they know her true home is the love of their life. She wants nothing more than for the two of them to live in a place where they’re both respected and their love isn’t considered a betrayal to both their kind, but Amity-Grace knows that’s just wishful thinking.

She isn’t blind to all the recent seafolk coming to land and the tensions that have been building up between the sirens and mermaids. While there is a small part of them that wants to flee before they’re caught by someone they know, Port Vale is their home and she doesn’t want to leave it because of the brewing war that she can feel coming. Amity-Grace has picked a side, regardless of if she sees it that way—and if siding with the sirens will keep her and her love safe, then she won’t hesitate to fight those she was friends with in order to keep her place. While that’s not what they want, unfortunately, Amity-Grace knows that’s the position she’s put herself in and she won’t back down from what she believes in. She will fight for the sirens and hopefully doing so will allow her a life where she can feel safe in the ocean again. Though as much as they don’t want to admit it, Port Vale and the land is as much home as the ocean.

PERSONALITY

Sometimes it seems like Amity-Grace is trapped between two people and two places. Looking at her, there’s a certain sadness in her eyes that doesn’t quite produce a convincing smile to anyone who’s looking close enough. She has always felt like the person she was in the sea and the person she is on land are different people, but it’s just that she’s changed as she’s gotten older. While Renn might have been a pushover, Amity-Grace tends to be more stubborn. It isn’t that she has two different personalities, but that she finally found what makes her want to fight for something—and she’s willing to fight for it too. But as much as she wants to fight for love, Amity-Grace is still struggling with losing the sea. It’s apparent to the astute that Amity-Grace is struggling with something, but she’s not one to share her feelings with those she doesn’t trust. She isn’t cold or calculating like some people might think, but she does hesitate to tell anyone too much of her past, claiming the life of a nomad. Although to people not as intune with another’s emotions, Amity-Grace seems to be a rather friendly person and there’s a lively, albeit cautious soul inside her. She enjoys talking about her travels with people and it’s clear to others that traveling is a passion of hers, something that sparks a genuine smile on her face.  

Amity-Grace doesn’t find herself being as cautious about her opinions and life as she used to be now that she’s fallen in love. She’ll speak her opinion even if others don’t want her. Sometimes she’s quick to make judgements as much as she tries to give people the benefit of the doubt. Amity-Grace believes that everyone has a story to tell. She wants to know things about everyone else, not to use it against them, but because stories are important to learn and they help shape the person into who they are. Everyone has reasons for doing what they do and Amity-Grace knows that’s what drives a person. She has a lot of love to give people, even if sometimes she can come across as a bit too harsh sometimes. When she’s nervous, she plays with the chain on her locket—and has actually broken the chain on it several times. They’re a lively soul, always after the next thing, and never the type to stay put for too long—it’s almost surprising that she’s found Port Vale her home. She would much rather go out and have a good time than sit around feeling sorry for herself. Amity-Grace does a good job of covering up her feelings though. It isn’t a mask she’s put up necessarily, as it is a deep desire to be a carefree person. Although with all the new seafolk coming to land, there’s been a bit of a shift in her personality from someone that’s more open, to someone who feels like they have something to hide.

MORE INFORMATION !

seven roles: the sage

temperament: choleric

alignment: lawful neutral

enneagram: the challenger

myers briggs: INFJ-T

zodiac: pisces 

element: water

celtic zodiac: alder

CONNECTION IDEAS !

Friends. She’s been in Port Vale a year and in that time she’s made friends. This is mostly geared at connections with humans in town, but can be anyone that’s been in town as long or just about as long as she’s been here. Amity-Grace will talk to anyone about anything. She does not really enjoy silence, but she is rather strange to most people—not in the sense that she doesn’t seem human, but that she seems to contradict herself at times. If there’s someone that doesn’t mind a talkative friend who sometimes can be a bit judgmental, Amity-Grace is your best bet. 

Someone From The Sea. She didn’t necessarily have a reputation when she was in the sea because she wasn’t important, just a regular mermaid, but in her departure, that could have changed. Anyone that might have heard of her—either because they were told to look out or because she became a cautionary tale—might add some drama into her life. How this plays out can be different depending on what they know. If they knew her from before she left the sea, then they’d know her as Muirenn, not Amity-Grace. 

Siren With A Bad Opinion. Amity-Grace is under the impression that the sirens are going to like her because she fell in love with one of their own, but that doesn’t have to be the case. A siren or two who think negatively on the whole relationship might be interesting to have around. Or even someone that doesn’t think Amity-Grace’s feelings are genuine could be something interesting. 

Proceed With Caution. Amity-Grace prefers to be cautious, although in recent years that’s changed a bit. She is not one to hesitate telling her feelings to someone, even if they’re not positive. I do want someone that she’s cautious around for whatever reason, maybe she doesn’t know or maybe she has a feeling. Amity-Grace just won’t be so forthcoming with this person as she is with most other people. 

Human Nature. She’s been on land for a while now. Longer than she wants to admit. But that doesn’t mean she understands everything about humans. Every day she learns something new, and it fascinates her by all the technology that they’ve invented to sustain their lives. This is another person that’s either from the sea or another human fascinated with the history of humans. She’s constantly reading non-fiction books, which are her favorite. 

psd by @chcrubs

[amitygracebright]

silvertarnished​.

Status: open to all  Location: beach

Her skin has been feeling like it’s too tight for days now.  A strange burning, a deep desire to get back to the water.  Even if it was dangerous.  Silver’s been standing with their feet in the waves for a good five minutes now, arms across their chest, hand spinning bracelet and it’s wearing clasp.  She’d probably need to get it fixed somewhere soon so it wasn’t lost.  But the tattoo shop was still training her and her so called ‘bad’ customer service.  As if sirens were supposed to respect humans.  Like they weren’t the ones responsible for everything along with the mermaids.   Feet dig into compact wet sand, water up to her ankles.  It soothes the ache a bit, but not enough.  She spins the bracelet again, rattles it to see if it would last in the water.  To it’s credit, it’s not the clasp that breaks but one of the tiny rings connecting the clasp to the bracelet.  Silver hisses, quickly snatching it from the ground before it was washed away.  Damn it.  Did Port Vale even have a jewelry shop?  They hadn’t seen one except for that antique store.   To worsen her mood, she’d been so focused on the bracelet she hadn’t heard someone coming.  Sand muffled the noise, air not carrying the sound as well as water did.  The siren jumps and glares at the offending party.  At least the person is looking at her so she doesn’t have to throw something to get their attention as her voice shuts down.  There’s no scarf this time to hide the marks over her throat.  It forces her to write in the sand ‘do you know some place I can get this fixed?’ while holding the even more broken bracelet.  Whatever decoration it had years ago had been dug out by salt water.  She really needed to get a phone to make communicating easier.

          Amity-Grace missed the sea more than anything and the more time she spent in Port Vale the worse the ache got. Although there was talk of the sea being dangerous, for her it had been dangerous for a longer time. She knew there were some mer that wouldn’t care if she had fallen in love with a siren, but there were others that they knew cared. Amity-Grace wanted nothing more than for it to all be okay. But she knew they not everyone would understand. Most people wouldn’t understand. 

          Most of the time she just watched the water these days, thought about what it would be like to get back in the water, to be theirself again. Sometimes they wondered if their girlfriend felt the same way. Was this prolonged absence from the ocean the right way to conduct their lives? Or was it just making it more difficult? There were days that Amity-Grace felt normal on the land. Port Vale was beautiful and she could at least watch the ocean. Sunsets and sun rises. Every day a new day, every day she was more Amity-Grace than she was Murieen. 

          The beach was mostly empty except for one other person. Pushing her red hair back, she walked closer to the water, knowing that she’d be interrupting the other person. They didn’t care. They needed to feel the sand under their feet, let a few tears fall from their face. It wasn’t her fault. Only half paying attention to what the other person was doing, they caught the meaning of the question. Amity-Grace nodded. “There’s a shop downtown,” she said softly. Once her own locket had broken and she couldn’t handle the idea of not being without it for long, so she’d gotten it repaired. Twisting her finger around the chain of her locket, she held the picture part in the palm of their hand. “I can show you.” 

[amitygracebright]

gabidrake​.

.

“I know nothing about flower meanings. Didn’t even know they had any further than whatever they need it for in nature.” Gabi’s tone was moderately disapproving. To a degree, she understood that the colors were nice, but any meanings couldn’t do enough to counteract how ridiculous she found florist things to be. “But I’m an artist. I work in wood, and I paint. I don’t paint the wood, though. Two different disciplines altogether.” If she had it her way, she wouldn’t need to expend so much effort into learning how to paint properly. But for whatever reason, it was her paintings that had made people want to actually buy something. If they wanted a novice painting for them when there were many more accomplished artists around the region, that was their prerogative.

          “I had to learn them and it took a while. Technically, some places have different meanings, but I think that’s kind of cool. Not everything is the same everywhere. One of the many fascinating things about different cultures.” Aamity-Grace had always loved plants. Even in the sea she had thought the different aquatic plants were neat. She nodded at the other’s words. That sort of art had never been here thing, but Amity-Grace respected someone that could take a simple piece of wood or a blank canvas and make it something entirely new. “Isn’t it neat how many different mediums there are? Even in paint there’s acrylics and oils and watercolors.” Going to art museums had been her favorite thing to do the first time she visisted somewhere new. “If you want, I can talk to my boss and see if there’s budget to buy something for you for the shop. It’s always nice to have local artists have their pieces on display in local shops.” 

[amitygracebright]

renzieanand​.

®

“What part of their mythology do you like the most?  Lemme guess - the drowning sailors part?  Imagine if you’re that siren who’s tonedeaf, so like.  You only lure the ugly sailors.  Or - sirens who rap!  Taking the whole singing luring thing into a whole new level of musical acumen.”

Had Steph ever confirmed that sirens were more alluring?  Renzie wasn’t sure.  Ridley was alluring but…that could just be Ridley.

“What’s your girlfriend’s name?  Maybe I know her too.  I have a girlfriend too,” Renzie grinned, then fully beamed.  “Emilia, she works at the tattoo parlour.  We were friends before, and then started dating recently…I’d love to take her traveling.  Granted, she’s seen way more of the world than I have.”

          “I don’t know. I don’t think any part of their mythology is interesting. Pretty women that lure sailors from their ships? Sounds very seductive and right up my alley.” Or maybe it was the idea that she was dating one. “Interesting thought. I don’t know that I’ve seen any mythology about that. Mermaids are interesting, but I don’t know which mythology I really like.” She couldn’t help but smile at the thought. 

          Sometimes Amity-Grace wondered what humans knew about them. She knew there were some humans that knew about mer, though most seemed to be clueless. I think it’s just a magical thought that we aren’t the only place we are species on this planet. The world is big after all and the oceans are very deep.”

          They wondered about that. Had the two met before? Amity-Grace was the more friendly of the pair. “You might know her. She’s less social than I am. Tends to stick around me.” Maybe that was stretching the truth a slight bit. “Oh, you should go see the world! There’s a lot out there. I don’t think I’ve met Emilia though. I haven’t been to the tattoo parlor before.”

[amitygracebright]

mikethompson.​

-

Mike’s first inclination was to ask why they wouldn’t trust her, but he waited instead - and sure enough, she let him know of the reason without any cajoling. “I mean, maybe not,” he agreed. Some folks weren’t particularly understanding or forgiving of people who tried to make a life for themselves on land. “But ya never know if ya don’t give it a shot, right?” It seemed like she had some pretty deep seated expectations of how her people would react though, so perhaps giving it a shot wasn’t on the table. “You don’t gotta though, of course. It’s a small town, but I bet ya can probably keep your distance, if that’s important to ya. Just let me know if there’s anything I can do to help either way, yeah?” 

          It made her nervous that there were lots of people here now that knew who she was. Maybe she would take a few days to herself, calm her nerves. If more mer were coming to land than it meant she had to figure out a new strategy for blending in because there had to be some sort of way for her to blend in. She didn’t think she really wanted to give it a shot, but she wasn’t going to say that out loud. There had been a reason she left the sea, a reason why she wasn’t like the rest of her species. “I will keep that in mind. Well, it’s good to see you around. I, uh, I should get going.” Amity-Grace put a bit of cash on the bar to pay for the drink and a tip then turned and walked out. 

[amitygracebright]

renzieanand​.

®

There was a tough one.  By this point, after learning about Isidore - who’d lived in secret for 15 years in Port Vale, along with his various brethren.  And the recent influx of newcomers to Port Vale (but how long back should Renzie trace a ‘newcomer’?  A week? A few months? A year?), he wasn’t sure who to believe was a sea people anymore.  Aside from the people who he knew where literally were birthed here, were genetic creations of their parents. Everyone else though…

“Ahhhh, they all have their own charms,” Renzie replied diplomatically.  Just in case Amity-Grace was…anything, other than human.  Maybe she was a siren? So he added,  “Sirens are super-cool though.”

He blinked in surprise.  “’We’?  You and someone else?” Ren didn’t know enough about Amity-Grace’s personal life, just that she worked at the flower store and had come to Port Vale about a year back.

          It probably was one of those things that she needed to stay away from, talking about mermaids and if she believed in them, but Amity-Grace couldn’t help herself. She really just wanted to fit in with the people in this town and if there were people that liked the idea of people believing in mermaids, then she was going to talk about it too. It wasn’t as if she believed that it would be a bad thing for some people to know what she was, but that was a different life, a different person. Her old name, her old life, there wasn’t a place for them here in Port Vale, even if her past was catching up for her. 

          “They do,” they nodded. Although they’d never seen a selkie before. Honestly, if they were here too, then Amity-Grace was really behind on her news. She wasn’t really paying much attention to any of the news. Not close enough anyways. That was more her girlfriend’s thing. “But yes, I think sirens are very neat. The mythology for them has always been fascinating.” She had loved learning about all of that.

          Amity-Grace blinked, wondering if her personal life wasn’t talked about that much. Sometimes it felt weird to be sort of anonymous in the world rather than know. “Oh, yeah, my girlfriend and I,” she replied. “Ever since we were old enough, the two of us have been traveling all over the world. We move every couple of years.” 

[amitygracebright]

gabidrake​.

.

A… florist. To Gabi’s recollection, florists sold dead flowers to humans for use at all sorts of events. It made sense to do that for funerals, she supposed, but Gabi couldn’t understand why a dying plant was meant to make anyone happy. If she couldn’t eat the flower, then what even was the point of it being around? Art? The temporary nature of the supposed piece just didn’t speak to her. “Do you like your profession? And if so, why?” It was probably a weird line of questioning, but she was genuinely curious and couldn’t help but ask. “I won’t ask about the other places because I think I’d just get jealous and that’s in the past.”

          Ever since coming to land, Amity-Grace had loved flowers, so she had quickly learned everything she could about them. She loved being a florist and working with them. Art that didn’t stick around for a long time except in photographs. Nature had always been the biggest draw to her about the land, just like it was to her in the sea. “I do enjoy it. Ever since I was little I’ve always really liked flowers. I love their meanings and colors.” She figured that not that many people would understand why she liked her job, but honestly, it was a good fit for her. “Flowers make people happy and I like putting smiles on people’s faces.” Amity-Grace nodded. She actually liked talking about her travels, but she had been a lot of really cool places over the years. “What about you? What’s your job?”

[amitygracebright]

arixdo​.

✤✤✤

“No way, really?” For a second, Ari looked at the woman with wonder as though she had just solved the greatest mystery in the world. After all, how could someone glean all that from such a simple interaction? Ari thought she was good at figuring out people’s behavior and yet this stranger was even better than she was. It was only the giggle that gave her reason for pause, wondering if she really did know or if she was just messing with Ari. “What kind of scandal do you think it was?” Ari decided, whether it was real or not, she was happy to play along. After all, it was far more scandalous to think they were hot shots rather than just regular folk. “Drugs? Fraud? Love?” The possibilities were endless.

          Her story was stupid and probably not right. It was probably just some teenage rebellion, but this was something that they did with their girlfriend and it was fun to make up little stories about the people around them, even if they weren’t true at all. “I think I’ve seen the older man in the paper once or twice,” she said with a joke. Amity-Grace knew that she was good at picking up on people’s behavior, noticing small things about them that they didn’t want to tell others. It’s how she had adapted to life on land and even in the sea. “Hmmm....” she said, taking another sneaking glance in their direction. “I’m choosing to believe it was probably love. It’s always love, you know.” 

[amitygracebright]

gabidrake​.

.

Out of the people that appeared to be younger (because obviously, looks were deceiving), the belief in mermaids did not appear to be especially widespread. It was all a gimmick at best for most. She had to assume that this person was a human or someone very persuasive. There was not a good way of knowing these sorts of things without having the potential to cause herself and others real harm. She didn’t need to give anyone ideas either. “All right. Well no need to discuss pasts.” She interlaced her fingers, and stretched a little bit. Having frustrating pasts wasn’t the best, so Gabi was happy to agree to no questions. “Let’s talk present. You’re not actually living on the beach, right?” It was important to get this information clarified; she wanted to figure out how far this belief went- but subtly.

          Amity-Grace knew that she was older than she looked. It was really strange that she looked so young when she was over a hundred years old. She knew it wasn’t common for people her age to believe in mermaids, but since she did know of their existence, she kept her opinions mostly to herself though. Her past was complicated and she didn’t want to talk about her own past. “Sure, pasts aren’t important,” she nodded. “No, no, not the actual beach, but close. I’m a florist.” Amity-Grace wondered if people didn’t suspect her as a mermaid because she blended into society now or because she didn’t wear her pearl. “Port Vale is probably one of the most interesting places we’ve lived.” 

[amitygracebright]

renzieanand​.

®

“Oh yeah?  Why sirens?  Everyone’s got their preferences, I suppose.  That what this town’s for - people with niche interests to differentiate their own niche within the niche, ha ha…not everyone likes mermaids, is what I mean.  Everyone’s got their own peccadillos.  You included.”

Or so Renzie was learning, given that Isidore tried to briefly brush on sea people histories, as vague and broad as he could in their brief discussion.  Of course Renzie was aware that conflicts were always too complicated for an outsider to ever truly grasp; you had to be living it.

“I use a flash drive, not gonna lie,”  Renzie admitted.  “My truck’s got a USB port and so do all computers, and stuff, so.  Flash drive holds all my jams, hit random on the music player and boom.”

          Amity-Grace shrugged. Going into that topic was probably too close to admitting she was from the sea. “I don’t know. I’ve always liked the stories of them. Luring sailors to their death with their voice? Seems so powerful,” she smiled. Best to go with the Greek stories of sirens. “Mermaids are fine, I guess. I’ve just always been interested in sirens. What about you then? What’s your pick?” she tilted her head to the side and looked at Renzie. 

          The mermaid was trying to keep a low profile now that her own kind was showing up here in town. They had always said they didn’t have a home. They had lived in far too many places, they were a nomad, but their past was past now. Amity-Grace wasn’t that person anymore. She was someone completely new, completely different than how she used to be. But she didn’t want the humans to figure out what she was. She had to protect her girlfriend. 

          “Mine has a cassette player, but I never drive it. We move too much and sometimes it’s expensive to send it overseas.” They had it in Port Vale, but the town was small enough that walking just seemed easier. “I think I’ve just never been a fan of convenient things.” 

[amitygracebright]

isaacarchaya​.

“Oh, okay. If that’s fine with you,” said Isaac as he took the packets to sweeten his coffee. It wasn’t necessarily vital for his drink either way, more than ready to give up the packet of sugar. “I’m sure they’ll bring more out, I mean I can wait.” That’s what he got for staying in his own little world when the man should have payed more attention around him. Especially when it affected other people. That was Isaac unfortunately. It was the one flaw he was well aware of.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t even paying attention about it. My head was somewhere else, with work and all.”

          “Yeah, sure it’s fine,” she said, waving her hand. She was actually quite happy with the option to not have sugar. She only grabbed it because it was on her way out the door. “It doesn’t matter. It wasn’t necessary for me to grab any anyways. I just like to have extras on my person for anyone else wants it.” It was honestly just an automatic thing at this point for her to grab sugar. “I really don’t use it at all.” Amity-Grace smiled at him. She vaguely recognized him, but then again, Port Vale was like that. There were people all over that looked like people they’d come across before. 

          “Neither was I. It’s almost amazing how many things just become automatic once you’ve done them a million times. Brushing my hair for example, seems so automatic these days.” The mermaid nodded. “What do you do for work?” 

[amitygracebright]

silas-waters​.

Silas didn’t have a record player at home, himself, but he quite liked hanging around the shop to listen to the music playing while checking out what was trending. Holding up records while pretending to read the list of songs on the back was also a great conversation starter, for the most part. Although, he much preferred Spotify for the convenience of having it on his person all the time and the ability to make his own playlists that suited his moods. For someone who claimed he hated all humans, he was a big fan of their technology. 

He was browsing through an odd mix of titles when a voice beside him chipped up. “You mean Twenty One Pilots? Oh, I quite like Marina, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance and Halsey, but if you want along the lines of emotionally damaging, there’s always Adele, Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran. What’s your poison, my girl? My music taste is a hodgepodge of whack, so we might be here a while if we can’t narrow things down,” he said with a chuckle. “What are you listening to?”

         Music was something that was incredibly important to Amity-Grace. When she first came to land, it was the biggest thing that drew her into human culture. It changed depending on the people, the place, the area, and the more she learned about culture, the more she became entranced in their music. Perhaps that said something about her, but she didn’t really think it was a bad thing. And while they had their issues with humans, music was one of those things that they had and would always appreciate. Although Amity-Grace understood that not everyone felt the same way about music, it was different for her. She was one of those people that enjoyed listening to music on a record player rather than online though. That would probably never change, since she had known about those things before moving to land for good.

         “Yeah, that’s not really my style of music, but there are a few songs I enjoy.” She did like more traditional, classical music. There wasn’t anything she wouldn’t try once. Whenever they watched television or a movie, they loved the way the music made the scene. Without it, the piece didn’t work as well. “Honestly, I’ll try anything. I’ve noticed that a lot of the music I listen to or like to listen to ends up being something that’s regional. Like when I lived in France I got big into Vanessa Paradis, but in Italy it was opera. So it really does just depend. And I’ll give anything a shot too,” they smiled at the stranger. “I was listening to a musical. No one’s heard of it that I’m aware of. But it’s called & Juliet. Very good. Jukebox, so all the songs are from other bands. Like there’s some Britney and Backstreet Boys and Katy Perry.”

[amitygracebright]

arixdo​.

Ari was hyper focused on the argument that was going on between the two rather irate men, one much older than the other. There were two traits of hers that seemed to always get her into trouble. One, she was far too nosy for her own good and two, she could not be discreet to save her life. So as Ari watched them, she narrated the sequence, along with what she wanted to see. “Tell him he’s an idiot,” she muttered quietly, silently cheering when that was what the older stranger said to the younger one. “You don’t know anything old man,” she mouthed along with him, nodding at the language she had used plenty of times herself. Ah, teenage angst and overconfidence. The elder pulled his fist back and Ari’s eyes widened. Was he going to clock him? Instead his arm looped around the younger boy’s shoulder. “Let’s go, young stud,” she chuckled at the description. “Before your mother kicks you and this old man out.” What an odd turn of events, Ari thought, looking for any stranger who shared her wonder and confusion. “Did you just see that?” 

          When Amity-Grace and her girlfriend had first come to land, they had come up with a game when they spotted people arguing where they tried to guess the relationship between the two people and figured out why they were arguing. It was a fun game they played to pass the time and was always fun with tourists. She watched with fascination as two people argued, though she couldn’t hear what they were saying this far away. Still, they watched in fascination as the two of them continued to argue and started to make a scene. Possibly if she concentrated, she might be able to figure out what they were saying, but she didn’t have the energy for that. Apparently, they weren’t the only person watching when someone else asked if she had seen that. Turning her attention to the stranger who asked, Amity-Grace grinned. “So the older man is actually a US Senator and his son, who’s trying to get into politics... you know later in life, just caused something that potentially be a scandal and now they’re arguing on their family vacation about it because it’ll reflect poorly on his father’s career.” It wasn’t true, but the mermaid giggled at the thought of it being true. It was more interesting than the truth of it probably just being a family squabble over something stupid. 

[amitygracebright]

renzieanand​.

®

“That sounds incredible…”  Renzie said, living vicariously through everything Amity-Grace described.  What he usually did, when he listened to people talking about how much they travelled, that freedom of exploration.  Something Renzie would never get to do, not now, not when he was younger.  Not ever…he shook his head and smiled.  “Oh yeah?  You into the whole mermaid thing, big fan of mermaids?  Or sirens, they’re gaining popularity too.  Oh - and now there’s a new kid on the block: selkies.  New to Port Vale, anyway.”

Renzie didn’t care at this point, if he was talking a bit recklessly.  Sea people wouldn’t turn into seafoam for it, and if they tried to gaslight him, he’d just say he was talking fantasy and foolishness anyway.  He’d been struggling, trying to figure out how to reconcile being a liar, being lied to, pretending there wasn’t a huge elephant-sized hippocampus in every room he walked into.  The best way, Renzie decided, was just to talk blithely about sea people like they were real, then laugh and say they weren’t real.

Why not.  They were all living one big lie now.

He nodded along as she explained music, things he already knew but he didn’t mind her passion.  It was always nice to hear someone be interested in something, even if he wasn’t particularly interested himself.  The joy was important, not the objects of said joy.  “Burn!  Ha! Like what, on a CD?”  Renzie chuckled.  “Isn’t it all playlists on Spotify these days? Ha ha.”

          Living above land had given her a new thing to care about other than the goal she had before she’d run away: traveling. She adored visiting new places and seeing new cultures. It gave her a huge appreciation over human culture and it helped not feel as much like a fish out of water like some people were when they first came to land. “It was.” But they had settled in Port Vale now for good. “I wouldn’t say I’m into it, but I like the magic behind it.” Amity-Grace felt strange as a mermaid talking about how she didn’t believe in mermaids, but it was better that way. “I think I’m more interested in sirens,” she replied with a twinkle in her eye. “I think I’ve read about selkies maybe?” 

          She didn’t want to discuss her beliefs on the different species with Renzie, so it was probably best to change the subject. Amity-Grace knew that they blended into human society better than they probably liked to, but they’d been on land long enough to know they acted mostly like a normal human. Still she didn’t want any human to suspect her because she already had problems with the other mer, she didn’t need problems with humans. 

          “Well, yeah, but sometimes you just have to do things old school.” Of course CDs were not that old school. “Anyway, I’m not a huge fan of those streaming sites. I don’t like them as much. I think it’s way more fun to burn CDs, then you have a finite amount of things you can put on it. Makes the playlist seem like more thought than just... throwing a bunch of songs onto a virtual playlist. But I don’t know, my opinion is probably not normal.” 

[amitygracebright]

theluminousnorth​.

-

lumi did not like to think of it as an interesting topic, she thought everyone should look upon it with fear in their hearts. she had to admit to being a little more glum than usual, which was proven to her when the woman said something seemingly innocent, but she noted her way of phrasing it. “you think it sounds terrible?” she repeated with a dark chuckle, but before bitterness gripped her, she managed to take a deep breath and allowed apathy to wash over her. she had meant nothing by it, after all. “well yes, it is terrible.” lumi supposed terrible would have to cover it, but it did not feel like a strong enough word to use. “hopefully you’re reading something more joyful,” she commented flippantly. 

          Amity-Grace didn’t know what kind of person came into the library to research climate change. That seemed like something someone would research on the internet. By the time books came out information had changed. She did what she could to not hurt the environment, but humans had made it near impossible. It was a grim topic to think about though on a random day of the week. “No, I don’t think it sounds terrible, it is terrible. But it’s not something I’d be doing research on in a library, rather on the web.” It was a terrible thing, but it wasn’t something that she could solve in a day or two and Amity-Grace had her own problems to worry about. “I think what people are doing to the oceans is terrible.” They thought a lot of what the humans were doing was terrible. “Uh, no not really. I’m reading this book that’s apparently inspired by William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and I really don’t like that story, but I didn’t know it when I picked it up.” They put their book down. 

[amitygracebright]

gayathri-kumar​.

─── ∘°❉°∘ ───

Gaya only gave a small nod at Amity-Grace’s statement. “That’s fair, I can understand that. I would like you to know that I came here to have this conversation to try to understand. Not to judge.” It was hard not to, granted, but Gaya was trying. And the mermaid wasn’t making it easy with her snapping and feeling of entitlement just because she was with a siren.

What Amity-Grace didn’t seem to realize that she was judging too, just her own kind. But Gaya wasn’t going to get into that.

And she had to hold herself back not to point out that if the pair wouldn’t have cared what the ocean thought, they wouldn’t have left it behind in the first place. Leave the ocean seemed like running to Gaya, seemed like something that they were trying to hide their own lives and feelings, but getting into an argument like this felt pointless.

It was an interesting story for sure, sounded right out of one of the romance stories for the ages, and yet it felt so strange to Gaya to think that it happened between a mermaid and a siren. “That’s quite the adventurous meeting you had. And a lovely locket. How did you two go from a friendship to falling in love?”

          But she knew better than to believe that she wouldn’t be judged either way. Both the sirens and the mermaids were going to judge them. That’s how it always had been and always would be. There were bad people everywhere. That didn’t make them all bad though. “There’s a reason I left the sea.” And she’d wanted it all to stay behind her. “I’ll face judgement no matter what.” Most mer weren’t going to sit and listen to her. 

          Maybe it wasn’t fair that she hadn’t given her own species time to react to the news. Hadn’t given them the benefit of the doubt at the time. But that was... well... how was she supposed to do that? It had been easier to run. It was still easier to run. 

          She’d lived in Port Vale long enough. Anyone who knew things would have known she was a mermaid, but she had done a good job at blending in. She was doing a very good job at learning to blend in with humans and learned more and more each day. Though she hadn’t wanted anything like this to happen. It had and she wouldn’t change it. 

          “I don’t know. We were friends at first, I guess. She wouldn’t talk to me, but I got her out of her shell eventually. And then I realized that things sort of just... brightened whenever she was around the way they didn’t with other people. I started thinking of her as home and missing her whenever she wasn’t around. That’s how love is.” If it hadn’t been love, then they wouldn’t have left the ocean. “I don’t know how to describe falling in love, but I felt enough that I couldn’t handle being away from her anymore. And we decided a life on land was better than navigating the politics of being together in the sea.” 

[amitygracebright]

mikethompson​.

-

“Yeah, I mean - doesn’t seem like anything formal’s goin’ on with everyone involved, but I’ve been seeing folks talkin’ to each other around town. Heard of others chattin’ too,” he explained. There were a few different examples of sirens and mermaids he knew of that seemed to be in communication with each other. He wasn’t sure if that alone would be enough to fix things, but he figured it was a good first step to further communication. When Amity-Grace went on to explain that there had been a reason why she’d left the sea, he couldn’t help but wonder what it was. He didn’t ask though - he figured she would let him know if she wanted to, and if she didn’t then it wasn’t really his place to pry. He nodded thoughtfully instead. “Well, hey. Even if that’s true - things seem different up here, y’know? Whatever it was, maybe it’s somethin’ that folks won’t be so fussed about, what with everythin’ else goin’ on.”

          “Well, they’re going to leave me out of all of it I’m sure. Why would they trust me?” After all, she left the sea, she made a choice to leave the sea and it was the right one. It came with problems though. Now she felt so detached to everything from the sea and it felt weird. “Others might be communicating with each other, but I think it’s different with me.” She was worried more for her girlfriend than she was for herself. She wanted things to go back to normal if they could. Amity-Grace didn’t want to think about the ocean any more than she had to anymore. But she lived in a costal town with people who had come from the ocean. There was no escaping it unless she moved and she didn’t want to do that. “I still don’t think, no matter where we are, sirens and mermaids at peace... will only last a short amount of time.” Because that’s how it felt. “I don’t think I’ll be forgiven from running away from home. Just disappearing onto land and not coming back.”