The Blue Moon Pool

Welcome to the sparkling blue sea cave of Mako Island. If you're a lunar mer, you'll feel right at home.

[bluemoonpool]

Update on SIREN

For anyone following this game: It seems like SIREN (the game) is still on. It's a huge relief, because after 4 months of silence I was starting to fear the worst for the game. According to the most recent Patreon post, there was a major screw up with the game's version control (been there)— The game's project back up system. It ended up deleting such a significant portion of all that hard work, that it took a mental toll on the creator. Hence the months of silence. The good news is that the team is hard at work to get everything in proper order, and keep the development going. So far, they've migrated a few features from an old save on the previous engine version into the new, which— knowing how grueling migrating to new game engine versions can be, it probably took a good chunk of time. They've also upgraded to a new water system, that allows it to work together with the weather and lighting systems. SIREN is a game taking on the untouched mermaid genre, in a way that's more in depth (no pun intended) than dress-ups and other simple mobile games. The team is unseasoned, and they've bitten off more than one can chew (imo), but my goodness do I crave an actual merfolk RPG. With a healthy amount of skepticism in mind, I hope to see these developers push through to completion.

[deafchild2000]

Okay, a few years ago, my mind played with some crazy and unique ways to explore or rewrite H2O characters (at most: Lyla being Dr. Denman's adoptive daughter and healthily researching mermaid magic.)

But I've cooled down over the years and settled on a few that make sense (Charlotte being a mermaid again under dubious circumstances - being one of them and Kim actually being smart and figuring out the Secret using photocopies of Cleo's diary before it was destroyed).

Or maybe I'm not above writing stories with second chances, but not without taking liberties such as avoiding dumbing someone down or giving credit where it's due.

So, I had this idea for a story I attempted but didn't quite publish. The context: What if Charlotte, Miriam, and Sophie were mermaids?

Considering I go back and forth between Reddit and Tumblr, I was surprised (and not) by the Antis and the ones willing to indulge in the characters - I ended up joining in too. But this idea was me really pushing the envelope, so to speak, and thinking outside the box. And another thing, I'm kind of not afraid to go into mature themes that exist in real life.

So why these three? Because everyone hates them, and the exact challenge of making them worth reading about is what I strive for. And since I do believe being in the Moon Pool alone is why Charlotte got three powers, then making her part of a group & dividing said powers avoids some problems.

Charlotte is the easiest of the three, she deserved better in character development and writing (and I'm not above laying blame on the girls for creating her antagonism, to begin with). If H2O had started off with the story of a girl finding out her grandma was a mermaid, it would have felt fitting as it would involve her meeting Louise and doing the supposed job of tying both generations of mermaids together. Essentially doing what S2 chose not to due when introducing a former mermaid having left a legacy behind. On that note, Charlotte is Cleo's foil, so she does get Hydrokinesis.

Miriam is...so fascinating! Between her and Sophie, it's so easy to imagine Miriam disliking having a tail to begin with. At best, she's unilaterally Emma and Rikki's foil (everything Emma's not and Rikki hates). With the Mean Girl/Ice Queen persona she had going on, I'm not too against the trope of her using being a mermaid for popularity but I imagine having Charlotte involved means the worst gets curbed. However, I do imagine the "One Drop" policy getting old pretty fast, and sick of it as well. It was actually pretty difficult (and felt generic), but in the end - I settled for Miriam getting Hydro-cryokinesis.

Sophie, Sophie, Sophie...Not gonna lie, getting the one who destroyed the moon pool for financial gain (and more of a villain than the other two) was when I knew I had my hands full! Not to mention, she's an ADULT! Not an elderly or a parent - an adult with bills to pay and a brother to take care of. And that's where I feel her arc should be (adulting and a caregiver who now has to deal with a tail). But because I don't mind taking liberties, I traced her actress back to her previous role (Rachel Samuels of Blue Water High) and that's where things came together! Overall, she does have hints of Emma but could be more dangerous than Rikki. So hydro-thermokinesis for her.

There's so much to this dynamic of the 2000s mermaids not being like anyone expected and the potential. Charlotte is the first to embrace being a mermaid while Miriam fights it every second she can (Sophie being between the two). Given what happened in Red Herring, I'm particularly fond of the idea both Miriam and Sophie have dyes in their hair and the transformation reveals their natural brunette and blonde tones. As an anti of Will Benjamin and his behavior with Bella in canon, perhaps exposure and learning how NOT to treat a mermaid from the source could go a long way. I'm definitely LIVING for Louise adoring Charlotte yet meeting Miriam and Sophie and having difficulty adjusting to someone like them being mermaids & far removed from what she, Gracie, and Julia were. How Zane fits into this as without Rikki, Miriam's all that ties him to her. Sophie's past and why teenage drama dictates Miriam be such a bitch (as well as whether Tiffany has a place in her life). Or better yet, Lewis was the researcher, so is he obsolete from this AU or can he be brought in? Does Miriam have an Elsa episode where she freezes everything?

I can't promise Linda Denman or other likes in canon, but like lightning - some things don't happen twice without reason.

But main question: Why would these three meet? Charlotte and Miriam make sense, Charlotte moving a year early isn't hard to do as well as placing Miriam with Zane & Nate and having her steal the spark plug. Given the lack of background on their folks, Sophie and Will moving to Queensland is easy to arrange with the right backstory. So in the end, it all goes straight to the beginning - the Pilot.

(And where are the original girls? Given the effect this AU would cause, a lot gets undone. Cleo and Emma were already friends, just not likely to meet Rikki - whose actions triggered the events of canon to begin with! So at best, side characters who interact but don't influence the narrative as much...possibly.)

[deafchild2000]

I don't care how you guys feel about Charlotte, if there's one thing I'm glad S2 (in it's prime) explored - it was generational merfolk magic.

(Admitting Charlotte truther here) I find it fascinating exploring Mako Island and the generations of mermaids over the years for many reasons. Let's be honest, there's plenty of H2O fanfiction on Fanfiction.Net that tried exploring the H2O gang growing up and having powers to various degrees. Some focus on adulthood and drag it out while others get to the marriage and children phase a bit too quickly, but a few stand out just right (and by right, I mean "I could read this as if I'm watching it on TV"). But what I gather trying to read is Next Generation fics. Some writers opt to say the girls had normal children and don't tell them the Secret - which leads to history repeating and the daughters and/or sons finding their way onto Mako and going through the Metamorphosis. Others say the children are born with their powers, therefore automatically in on the Secret. And I think I recall a fic that ventured into the girls (or maybe just Cleo) becoming grandmothers themselves.

(FYI: It's a lot more telling how long ago a fanfic was written if the mermen in them have orangey-gold tails or any other colors pre-Mako Mermaids.)

Overall, I do appreciate those stories, but that doesn't diminish my preference for the past mermaids or what they could've/would've done if taking the present canon into account. I wanna explore how being mermaids in the 50s had worked out, if Gracie's choice was what split the group up, or if it was the tip of the iceberg. But mostly, I wanna know why Gracie was the only one to have a family and the implications of her ties to Mako after no longer being a mermaid. Did Gracie leave and never look back? Could Annette have been an 80s mermaid if she had returned? And regardless of how she came in, was Charlotte being drawn to Mako and becoming a mermaid really shocking?

Or what about Julia? The only reason we found out she died was because her locket sold at an estate sale and ended up at a jewelry shop. But did that have to necessarily mean she was alone or could it be implied she did have family and they sold her stuff without realizing the significance of the locket? What if someone did try to look for it and couldn't track it down? Maybe, if not directly a grandchild, but a grand-niece or nephew?

So in that hypothesis, out of the 4 known members of the 50s group, Gracie and Julia had more reasons to have had families in their lives while Louise (an elderly widow) and Max (a recluse hermit) didn't.

I understand we got used to the iconic OG girls, but there are too many holes and plots to be left unexplored.

((Before I end on this note, let me send this off that next-generation tropes don't necessarily have to apply to children and grandchildren. I'll fan the flame that Kim Sertori could have received the torch and become a mermaid. Cleo and co. were off the college and with the moon pool supposedly damaged, it wouldn't be like more mermaid hijinx could occur...that they'd be aware of. And what if Taryn Marler (Julia in S2 and Sophie in S3) had been brought on as a twenty-something woman who endured Metamorphosis, unlike the teenagers before her? Her character - Rachel Samuels from Blue Water High S2, free to watch on YouTube - had a much more preferable persona for H2O, so why not combine them into someone fleshed out? Instead of the main characters having children or having them help out the next random group of teenaged Merfolk - why not focus on a narrative of a mermaid's siblings finally stepping into her shoes and a woman entering her adult years as a mermaid?))

[bluemoonpool]

Back from hiatus just to post this game prototype, because the concept looks great! I've always wanted a mermaid game. Mermaids as a game concept is uncharted territory, so it's nice to see someone take interest in it.

[bluemoonpool]

As a fan of the original series that started it all, I was over the moon when I saw Rikki walk into the scene! It was so nice to get that nod to the older fans. I know all good things have to come to an end, but I still wish there was more to explore. I loved the myth, the adventures, the secrets, and the friendships! 🧜‍♀️🧜‍♀️🧜‍♀️

[may-or-may-not-be-me]

rewatched some episodes of H2O and I think Chleo was supposed to be ditzy?? Did not pick up on this at all as a child but definitely getting that vibe now

[just-friend-a]

I’m rewatching H2O: Just Add Water and can I get an F in the chat for my boy Lewis bc he’s so great and I love the girls but they do not treat him well at all even though he does so much for them he deserves better

[cleo-serotonin]

does anyone know what happened to the lockets? like did the girls get to keep them or did they just get stuffed in a box in a warehouse somewhere

[bluemoonpool]

I personally believe the girls would have kept them. They maybe had them on display somewhere where they could look at them and reminisce. They did go through a lot together and formed a bond strong enough that a year, or a few years, away from each other wouldn’t easily break.

[cleo-serotonin]

oh i meant did the actors get to keep them but ya i think the characters would definitely keep them safe in a jewelry box or still wear them!!

[bluemoonpool]

Oh. In that case, I doubt the actors get to keep them. Production props are hardly ever allowed to be given away, mostly because of copyright reasons. Though in some cases, actors do tend to sneak off with props or even whole costumes. It’s almost tradition. The only way, as far as I know, that props can be given out is if they’re heavily modified or if enough time has passed and the copyright license has expired. This is all based on personal knowledge, though. I did receive formal production training for film, but that was a while back and I’m not sure if the rules have changed since. Take this with a grain of salt.

[cleo-serotonin]

does anyone know what happened to the lockets? like did the girls get to keep them or did they just get stuffed in a box in a warehouse somewhere

[bluemoonpool]

I personally believe the girls would have kept them. They maybe had them on display somewhere where they could look at them and reminisce. They did go through a lot together and formed a bond strong enough that a year, or a few years, away from each other wouldn’t easily break.

[bluemoonpool]

Meet the luckiest girl in the world! The story I’ve heard about her is that she was able to buy one of the official mermaid tails from the series, because she’s close friends with one of the artist who makes them. Of course, only under the condition that she had to modify the tail a bit so it wouldn’t go against copyright. What I wouldn’t give to own one myself...

[h2ogifs]

ash’s reactions to the girls being mesmerized.

[cleo-serotonin]

sketches of the mermaid costume design from the behind the scenes

[mako-and-tails-and-stuff]

Some people are gonna get me for this, but I just wanna say it: Zane fucked up, but he wouldn't have gone so far off in season 3 if Rikki paid attention to him! A relationship works two ways and Zane obviously tried catering to both Rikki's human and mermaid side. Rikki should've been held some of the blame, because had she'd paid attention to him, she would have noticed his insecurities as well as the fact that Sophie was after him! Cleo fought for Lewis in S2, Rikki should fought for Zane too!

I will admit I haven't watched s3 in quite a while so I can't comment accurately on this, but I agree that relationships are a two way thing. Both parties have to work for it. If only one person does the work then what's the point?

[makoislandconfessions]

“I hate how Rikki and Cleo replaced their original lockets for the crystals in season three. It was the only thing they had left to connect them to Emma.”

[makoislandconfessions]

YOU ARE NOT ALONE, DEAREST ANON. When I saw the episode when they did that, my mouth dropped. It’s like the writers of the show regretted ever making the first two seasons and got rid of the lockets. I mean, I know it was character development and brought their friendship closer, but it wasn’t worth it. They completely forgot Emma in the third season and I did NOT approve.

[cleo-serotonin]

h2o icons :)

[mako-and-tails-and-stuff]

Mako Headcannon

Mermaids can withstand high temperatures. As seen by them literally boiling the water off of them to dry off.

[swiftlythebest]

Rikki’s feelings toward Charlotte in season 2 are incredibly valid.

[bluemoonpool]

Rikki’s pretty no-nonsense. She wasn’t afraid to say out loud what everyone’s thinking. This was most apparent during that episode where they were planning to throw Lewis a birthday party. Charlotte wanted to have her way, and the girls didn’t like it one bit. Emma and Cleo didn’t say anything, but you could see it on their faces! They were trying so hard to be more inclusive towards Charlotte, by not arguing with her about the plans. That scene would’ve been so frustrating to me, had Rikki not expressed what everyone else was feeling at that table.