DeafChild2000

Writer. Realistic Blogger. Student. A fan of H2O: Just Add Water. MAJOR fan of CHARLOTTE WATSFORD, portrayed by Brittany Byrnes, PRINCESS AUDREY of Descendants, and creator of HARMONY MIKAELSON of the TVD Universe, face claimed by Laneya Grace.

[deafchild2000]

Character profiles for Inheritance:

Harmony Eve Kenner (REEDITED 07/23/2023)

Penelope Park

Alyssa Chang (REEDITED 07/01/2023)

Dana Lillien (REEDITED 12/03/2023)

Bartholomew Fell Jr.

June Moore (Fell) (REEDITED 08/23/2023)

Landon Kirby

Rafael Waithe

Josie Saltzman

Lizzie Saltzman (REEDITED 07/31/2023)

Adults:

Barry Whitmore (REEDITED 07/09/2023)

Tina Fell (REEDITED 09/26/2023)

Meredith Fell (REEDITED 12/01/2023)

Bonnie Bennett

Inheritance Species Profiles:

[deafchild2000]

It's been awhile since I posted something about H2O Just Add Water and that's ironic given I started this blog on the show...but now I'm gonna say something about a character I have nuance controversy with.

Christine Amor, who played Louise Chatham, is alive and 73 years old.

And while I normally see my fic ideas mentioning her having in showverse S1 AUs alive or deceased when the canon trio are adults. It's dawned on me: By applying the actress's lifespan to her character -

She's passed on the the baton to the next modern trio of mermaids.

Was never told or aware of Gracie's surviving family or Charlotte (and I don't care if you hate her, that woman was convinced she was alone and the tie of the 50s mermaids, it always felt shitty to me no one ever thinks how that exclusion Lousie from the knowledge of knowing Gracie had family would've made her feel or could've averted the mess of S2)

Technically witnessed all 3 of the girls' weddings (let's be real, she attended Emma's and gets regular visits with her surrogate great grandchildren)

Had to learn from Rikki that natural mermaids existed the whole time

And is living her life in a retirement village

Basically until she departs this world peacefully, treat Louise at 73 and still kicking it.

[A/N: The reason I have nuance issues with her is more in the fact that I treat all 3 seasons as context history with foresight and that means I don't think Louise was honest about everything and wasn't a good mentor - like all TV mentors have their secrets but comparing the years, she could have been utilized more and more forthcoming.]

[deafchild2000]

Drizella and the Tremaine Family Deserved Better Writing

(Author's Note: The one writing this post is African American woman in her 20s, so no one better claim racism in this as I go!)

You know, it's 2025 and I've had a long time to think on this and really consider it and honestly: I don't care now. I'm gonna say it!

Drizella Tremaine needed better writing as well as flushing out her Fairytale World, which according to OUAT - was basically supposed to be a whole new world with different reiterations of fairytales.

Before you guys go after me defending Ella, let me make this thing clear: I am not ANTI Cinderella/Jacinda Vidrio. In fact, as far as Cinderella stories go - I'm all for interpretation in between quiet strength to badassery like anyone else. But I have one pet peeve:

MAKE IT INTERESTING!

With all the flashbacks from S7, it's clear the Cinderella story followed & diverted in so many ways.

Before the marriage, Cecelia and Ella were a wealthy, noble single parent household. I don't know if Cecelia was a Viscountess or a Baroness (I honestly like the headcanons about her, even from GlassBeliever blogs), but at the end of the day, they were fine and doing fine on their own.

With Rapunzel's sacrifice - when she was worthy of being a mother and wife - helped Marcus and her girls achieve a better life where Marcus could take care of them and see them well. It's not time specified, but even if he hadn't remarried, Marcus, Anastacia, and Drizella would've been okay.

Drizella was the one who had a fascination with lanterns and had the initial idea to use them for Rapunzel to help her return home.

Marcus and Cecelia meet, fall in love, and marry - and thankfully the stepsisters get along well for the next 6 years.

Drizella's 14th birthday party - where Cecelia was poisoned by Rapunzel with Gothel's prompting after watching Drizella being happy with Cecelia, Ella, and Anastacia. (And I say 14th because Anna Cathcart was 14 during this time.)

Marcus chased after Cecelia, leaving all three girls in Rapunzel's care, for a year - making it all the way to Wonderland until his half of the enchanted locket stopped glowing. After which brokenhearted, he returned home to tell Ella and the girls Cecelia isn't returning.

Clearly sometimes, a year is my best estimate, Rapunzel and Marcus rekindled the flame & the sisters' recovered until Ella and Ana fell through the ice & Marcus is only able to get Ella and Rapunzel must've swam for Ana off-screen or how else would she had gotten her to Gothel.

Then, flashforward to the Cinderella story: Marcus is dead (later revealed to be murdered and only Ella suspected), Ella is a slave in her own home, Drizella was turned into the sole wicked stepsister, and Lady Rapunzel Tremaine is running the show.

I'll give OUAT credit: They kept it interesting, and I always wondered about renditions of Cinderella where the lesser/more flawed stepsister has more of a role.

So thank God they got Adelaide Kane for the role. She killed it using what she had.

But there's so much an actress can do to save the storyline.

Why? Because all that I listed? There's so many holes in Cinderella's story and the character of Ella/Jacinda herself was great but also highlighted it.

For starters, even in the flashbacks, we never really saw Cecelia and Ella process the arrival of Rapunzel. To give credit to her, Cecelia was clearly willing and extended the olive branch to enter her life and reintegrate into her daughters' lives but there's a reason the writers' gave her a name that means "blind" - because she was blind to Rapunzel and what a woman would do if her child (Drizella) wasn't as receptive to her as her husband and eldest daughter are after being locked in a tower for years - and this cost her a happy life with her family and broke the hearts of her daughters of both blood and by heart (and all honestly, I refuse to believe she didn't figure who stood to gain the most from her absence). And back to Ella, we never saw her and her relationship with Rapunzel before everything went to hell - which is a big NO NO from an aspiring writer like myself. The writers shouldn't just assume because the viewers know the story of Cinderella that it fills in the blanks - we need to see it too. Was Rapunzel initially accepting or tolerant of Ella when Cecelia was in the picture? Had or could she'd come to care about her had Anastacia not been preserved in a frozen coma? Obviously why did she kill Marcus - I get him giving her the benefit of the doubt but your new wife leaves after the presumed dead one returns? Come on now! And what about Ella and Drizella's relationship? If flashbacks showed they were close - how the hell did Drizella go from being skeptical of Rapunzel and loving Ella to wanting Rapunzel's attention and turning against Ella (actually I do get it Maybe the crazy part is how no friends or concerned staff members or just someone on the outside to recognize the messed up situation Rapunzel made of their lives). Ella definitely deserved to get her punches in and tell Drizella off for aiding in Rapunzel's abuse over the years - no doubt about it, and I still wanna figure out when she learned swordfighting because that was a lost trove of knowledge to her adaptable, badass character (right next to stealing Henry's motorcycle). Yet, when it comes to the girl who knew life before and after the Tremaine as well as life before & after Rapunzel - something stinks. And because Adelaide and Anna did such a good job portraying both Adult & Tween versions of Drizella - they also made it so it was like Day & Night, and it's not natural.

I once said Drizella was a child who was isolated and manipulated until evildoers knew they didn't have to work hard to mold her into a pawn (there's a reason she related to Regina) - but now I question if the only thing that pushed her into Rapunzel's influence...was Ella herself. The thing about Cinderella, you know her story and know even when she's alone, she still has allies while the step family at least had each other. In this OUAT scenario, Ella and Drizella were all they had with the former being the last remnant of happiness from the past. Not with the way Ella was proven protective of her loved ones. And given the subtext that Ella was clearly more aware of things that Drizella didn't (like Marcus's death), then I have three guesses:

A misunderstanding Rapunzel took advantage of to draw the final wedge between them.

A fight broke out between Ella and Drizella, and Ella said something she regretted that pushed Drizella into Rapunzel's grasp.

(Literally just came to me now) Marcus's death. The final straw, the man that raised them, and now that I think about it - it's never stated HOW he died. But Ella suspected murder and there's nothing about Drizella's

So either a serious misunderstanding

Now, note this: I'm not blaming Tween!Drizella for Rapunzel's actions. In fact, if the narrative had built on that - the fact Drizella was the only one skeptical and distant about Rapunzel's presence when she's clearly bonded to Cecelia + Rapunzel's choice to act on poisoning the woman who raised Drizella in her absence ON Drizella's birthday. Yes, it was a moment's choice and opportunity - but I wouldn't put it past Rapunzel had done this aimed at Drizella back then either! As the saying goes: Hurt people hurt people - and I'm never not denying Drizella's actions towards Ella, but I have to say that there's so much UNSAID that it makes me wonder just what happened besides losing Ana, Cecelia, and Marcus + Rapunzel's manipulations.

And notice I don't have a specific section about Anastacia. Why? Because compared to Drizella, I should be more of a fan of hers by principle. She loved all three of her parents, she loved being a part of a trio of sisters (a girl her own age and her baby sister). There was nothing wrong with her holding out for Rapunzel and clearly she bonded with Cecelia over the years. She was the happiest of them all and clearly balanced out on what was important. But now imagine the last thing she remembers is falling through ice and plunging into a frozen lake and the next thing: she's waking up in a world that's not her own, her mom is older and her little sister is OLDER THAN HER (and apparently hates her) and she's asked to undo magic on someone having no idea it's her step-niece and being used in what? 24-48 hours give or take (that you can correct me if I'm wrong). I agree the writers having Drizella say Anastacia has more reasons to hate her than Ella is wrong - because the real person who should have lived to say that is Rapunzel, who destroyed the happiness of Anastacia's childhood and broke the relationship with her sisters all for what? To claim her "rightful" place when she could have learned to share? Yeah, Anastacia is gonna have issues I sympathize with. I stand with the idea that eventually Drizella and Anastasia would return, and she'd make it her business to fix what her mother broke like Henry at the beginning of OUAT.

And one more thing that I'm not gonna leave unattended: I ship StepBeliever. Yes, I understand what Drizella did and I said before, I held her to it. And do I think Drizella could be a lesbian? Honestly, I always pegged her as bisexual back then, closeted due to Rapunzel, But this is Henry! Henry Mills - the literal end product of two generations of heroes and villains and literally carried the title of Author - so he can change the fate of fairytales. He was born as the child of the Savior and the son of Rumplestilskin. My biggest gripe on him was his search for a love story like his grandparents - and that got old as soon as I heard it because that's no way to start a love story. Or maybe strictly speaking: Going for a "classic romance" for a guy who's descended & raised by them and has the power to literally alter storylines of "classic" tales? That was almost painful to listen to. With that potential, Henry could really just fall in love with anybody because he brings out the best of anybody. The fact that his wife ended up being Cinderella could have been charming if it wasn't for the fact my SHIPPER antenna wasn't picking anything up for nearly the entire season. As friends or co-parents, what was seen before and during the curse between Henry and Ella didn't inspire me as a writer or a shipper - and I'm very critical about that, for example, I'd never have put Nick and Adalind together in Grimm, so for all you OUAT fans that are stickler on rape culture? Look at them! - and the only thing connected to them that I hated was Lucy Mills herself (Too long to talk about!) Ella alone as a character was fine, great, she just should have had her own story to herself and the writers' should have kept it to her given the lack of flashbacks to memories we hear about but don't see & context pointing to unspoken moments in her story. Henry could have easily been that wildcard best friend to Cinderella and I still would've enjoyed it - but the romance angle...CRINGE! If you wanted me to see Drizella as just a layered but still wicked stepsister that I'd enjoy watching but not root for? The writers failed. Instead, while also lacking flashbacks to memories we hear about but don't see & context pointing to unspoken moments, we still get more scenes with her, which all leads up to...The Bench Scene. That one scene and set of dialogue that had my SHIPPER antenna blaring and I wasn't even expecting that! And I think it hit me because that scene was Drizella's most honest at her situation. It didn't need specific or mention of magic, they got to the core of her situation in a casual setting and Henry's moment with her that felt real, it was real. And kept me thinking it would've been her when Henry did that coin toss to see which "true love" would walk through the door of that bar and even when Drizella was having hot chocolate at his apartment before going to make things right with Anastasia (and even she's pushing him towards Ella in this scene) because she's right - Ella makes sense and is good for Henry and given the entire post above - it's not to say Ella didn't deserve Henry either. But Drizella is also right: Have he arrived in her life sooner, then he might have made all the difference in her choices had they met first.

I RESPECT Adelaide's opinion that Drizella and Henry would never happen... Yet I'm just not sure after purposely watching Henry with Drizella and Ella multiple times over the years and finding my antenna still leaning towards Drizella (and growing fonder of Ella/Jacinda).

Henry wants a "classic" character? With his history, a wicked stepsister with baggage - and crimes - made sense. (And let's be clear, she was clearly attracted to him but if she REALLY wanted him, Henry would've been cursed beau instead of thinking his family died).

And on the premise that Drizella likes girls? I definitely agreed, just don't think Henry and his positive influence should be ruled out regardless of any or type of relationship they have.

[deafchild2000]

You know, if Julie Plec wasn't an ass, it would have been more obvious that not only that the Lockwoods were important but essential to the town.

((First off, I did some serious research into finding out, or realistically name-dropping, who the unnamed Native Americans that lived alongside Ansel's pack and the village the Mikaelsons lived in (before it was officially Mystic Falls) and low-and-behold, my research led me to my answer: The Monacan Tribe. With thankful help from TVD Wiki establishing its location on a real-life map, the place where the fictional town would be is called Damon, an unincorporated community in Albemarle County, Virginia. And you know what, The Monacan tribe inhabited the Piedmont region of Virginia, particularly west of the fall line of the James River. So by 1000 A.D., while the tribe's presence in that broader region is well-established, they could've been in the vicinity of many present-day locations, including Damon. So establishing that the Monacans were the natives the siblings grew up with and likely had dealings with Ansel's pack, this also means they were the ones who secured the acorn from the parent tree the Mikaelsons destroyed and planted it somewhere safe.))

Now back to the Lockwoods...

Now after all hell broke loose, we got a pack of dead werewolves, Ayana - Bonnie's ancestor - had Esther's coffin, Monacan tribesmen that clearly knew more than expected, and villagers that more or less survived the first vampires. So who would take up the land and share the space - if not another pack of werewolves (pack or family in a separate tribe tbd). But yes, this new group comes in and basically gets filled in on what happened. This leads to the Apisi bloodline knowing about the caves and tunnels, the story of the Originals (with mutual help of the Monacans) secret survival of a second White Ash Tree. What I can't disclose is whether Ayana put Esther's coffin in that cave before or after the Apisi's bloodline arrived in the village.

In the 1800s, when Mystic Falls was a settlement, they eventually became the Lockwood Family (and I really wish we knew how that happened). By then, The first Lockwood Estate was build and the cellars became an entrance to the caves. Jacob Lockwood became one of the first mayors - which his family would continue doing until Carol Lockwood died in 2010. Benjamin Lockwood was mayor in 1864 and his son, George, triggered his werewolf curse while serving as a Confederate soldier during the Civil War (and here's something, George was apparently the first one in the Lockwood Family to discover his bloodline curse and except for keeping the moonstone safe in return for secrecy but never to disclose anything about the curse until his descendants, Mason Lockwood and his nephew, Tyler, were tricked into triggering their curses by Katherine - whom discovered George's curse to begin with). But the fact he was the first means that the Apisi/Lockwood line eventually either learned to avoid triggering the curse or they got incredibly lucky for the large gap in time there was a werewolf until George.

Next, but is kinda obvious - Mystic Falls High School, which given we have no idea when it opened, the fact that it's mascot Timberwolves, despite the fact the last grey wolves were killed off in 1900 and haven't been in Virginia since and coyotes moved into their territory (so a better option for a school mascot) implies subtle awareness or association with the werewolf curse.

And last but not least, it turns out the Lockwoods had been holding a piece of the Hollow's bones (the evil spirit witch that created the werewolf curse in the first place).

So basically, despite vampires and witches ending up more affiliated with the town, it's kinda amazing and heartbreaking to know there's open evidence of werewolf affirmation yet the family responsible had gone extinct by 2017.

[deafchild2000]

Thoughts on Sophie (h2o)?

Fair enough...

The very first time I registered Sophie, I knew she was trouble. Not the "in your face" way they did compare to...Zane, Nate, Miriam and Charlotte (they double-down on her) in their initial introduction. In fact, I'll give the producers props for keeping it low-key and waiting 6 episodes to introduce her as his older sister after letting Bella believe she might be a love rival for Will (fun fact, Luke is actually older than Taryn!). Short, simple, unassuming - how did I know she was a threat? Because of the TV show needing one while there was a bigger problem. As far as things go, I wasn't phased by the overprotectiveness, suspicion, or pushiness as bad as most phases do because of the need for a villainess. The only cringe thing was trying to get with Zane and the fact she clearly missed that Will didn't want to freedive anymore. So, it's actually quite telling if you have that detonation of Zane Bennett that she only JUST avoided finding out about mermaids and only about the moon crystals until Big Brother Ultimatum brings her greed to heel, and then all is well at graduation...as if forgetting that she's 50% of the reason the moon pool no longer worked (30% if you remember Cleo shares blame bringing a magic moon rock to a geologist!)

But that was my opinion as a teen. She was an unimpressive secondary antagonist with few redeeming qualities but only the moon pool was worth getting pissed at her for. And I stan Charlotte, the antagonist everyone loves to hate but when the girls pushed the creation of her villain arc! Not to mention, I also can't stand Will Benjamin.

As a near 25-year-old, and currently working on a story starring her, I'm basically forced to rewatch and rediscover her character and honestly - I'm finding a lot of holes and my writer's brain just can't follow with good conscience. Going back, I'm realizing that her unimpressive antagonist angle bothered me because we don't have a backstory on the Benjamins - she's a 20-something college student raising a diving athlete for a brother, how did that happen and how are bills being paid? - or on why she pushes Will so hard - I'm looking for details on what she gains with his success or why she's even coaching him - and I'm just omitting her thing for Zane because she likely gathered he's rich and just CRINGE! Like, I get complex characters, but she's so messy on a lot of things the fact she actually cared about Will is a redeeming quality that feels we know that's all she's got going for her. And somewhere in the process, I started to sympathize with her. My own twenties haven't been going to plan and I also am currently in the middle of a codependent relationship with a family guardian. And I can't deny that if you remove the magic hijinx, Sophie is basically watching this incredibly beautiful girl distract Will from his athletic career and acts like she knows him better (just putting this here: I like Bella, but I think both her and Sophie misjudged each other!) while constantly trying to find sponsors because diving gear ain't cheap - I looked at the prices! In my character building for my story, it didn't take a lot to reimagine her as a former sports competitor that had to bow out and is vicariously living through her brother and that there may be money troubles ahead she's shielding from Will. The twenties are supposed to be the more self-exploritory years until the real adult years hit and we've both had to forgo that for someone else's benefit. It ain't pretty or nice, but that's how life is. And to be honest, I wouldn't blame Sophie for feeling betrayed enough to keep a moon crystal to sell because there's what we know as the viewer and what Sophie the Character knows - so she's kinda screwed over without any real reason why, regardless if it's for the better, and left to accept things as is.

And to a teenager, that might seem like a good ending. But as someone halfway through their twenties, not so much. Even if I can't completely root or condone Sophie's character - as sure as can say there's a lot of potential in the idea of her that I just can't write off as her designated ending.

[deafchild2000]

https://www.tumblr.com/thestupidhelmet/745487670410723328/send-me-a-character-and-ill-do-this

Charlotte Watsford

Sexuality Headcanon: Initially straight. Bi, still into guys but attracted to girls.

Gender Headcanon: Female

A ship I have with said character: OC x Charlotte, Lewis x Charlotte (in AUs where Lewis treats her better and/or he and Cleo break up & he moves on)

A BROTP I have with said character: Bella Hartley, Miriam Kent (in another life)

A NOTP I have with said character: Cleo x Charlotte, Rikki x Charlotte

A random headcanon: As she gets older, she still misses being a mermaid, but everything that happened taught her serious lessons about herself and how she deserves to be treated (wanted and respected).

General Opinion over said character: Most people hate Charlotte, but I think she has massive potential as a character - with or without her tail - that's both good and bad, and also worthy of being a main character with deep consideration to her story & development. She's the first & only grandchild of the 50s Mermaids and clues left behind by Gracie, with the unwitting efforts of Cleo and co, helping her find out the truth about mermaids.

[deafchild2000]

@piperslovebot

I just saw your tags. And Emma/Charlotte is complicated - mostly on my end because there's too much potential on Emma's end to see the pointlessness in her friends issues with Charlotte. Fine, not being able to help Cleo with her parents' divorce - I could see Cleo going to Rikki. But not helping Cleo (or rather, Lewis) understand the break up wasn't really valid and to just talk to each other is something I could see her doing. Even more, the diary incident with Charlotte - did she forget what happened with Kim? Even if that was higher stakes, if it was bad enough Kim even read her sister's diary, why was she not condoning Cleo for doing that to Charlotte, whom she only heard of but hadn't really met or tried to get to know (Rikki is worse on this)?

I could make a lengthy blog post on this, but let's settle for the basis: Cleo is the medium to Rikki's fire and Emma's ice, but Emma is the defacto leader and most logical thinker of the group (when she's not a people pleaser). If it wasn't so obvious that it was strictly loyalty to her friends and had just been open to the idea Charlotte would have been a nice addition - then I would agree that there's some correlation to a relationship between her and Charlotte.

But Emma let me down. Because while she's not a bad friend, she wasn't a great friend either imo. Great friends don't dogg the trustworthy human ally they have like the girls treated Lewis, help friends humiliate others they don't know because of their insecurities, help attack other people's mothers for unreasonable reasons (hell, with parents like Lisa, Emma asking Don about his relationship with Annette Watsford for Cleo's sake makes sense), not laugh at other people's fears or think it was okay that her friends did so. Outside of Lewis's birthday episode, where Emma finally had her reason to be on the Charlotte-hate train, there were things on her end that could have avoided it long before that!

Or, if I really had to go to the jugular: Miriam Kent's character existed to be Emma's foil because we expect that shitty attitude from Miriam. So when Emma - the main character - is acting no better than her, maybe worse because she has friends that aren't registering that maybe Emma wouldn't act like them, you know Emma's gone downhill as a character. And we like character for the little things they do just as much as the major stuff.

So I'm being merciful to say Emma/Charlotte is neither OTP or NOTP.

[deafchild2000]

You know, as a Deaf person - or specific, partially Deaf (in utero, my hearing canal in the right ear fused together - it's weird), and it never occurred to me:

In the H2O verse, how would one manage if they were a merperson and Deaf? There's deaf at birth, deaf later in life, and deaf through accidents - each handled differently between types of hearing to types of ways to cope with hearing loss (sign language to hearing aids to cochlear implants). It's a lot and it has me thinking about applying that with supernatural means - and in this case, being a mermaid in H2O.

So how do you guys think that would work? (I think it's a no-brainer that hearing aids or hearing implants disappear with the transformation).

((Also considering Mako Mermaids into this: Would as natural mermaids fail to thrive or would the pod work out ways to communicate/develop their own sign language with time?))

[murdockhawkeye]

same here, i'm partially deaf myself from birth (completely deaf in one ear, while i still have some hearing left in the other) and i think about this a lot

i think the pods from mako mermaids def have to had developed their own sign language - not just to accomodate the deaf mers, but also because it's a very useful skill to have (i'm pretty sure i've read somewhere about indigenous tribes having had sign language that they used on the regular so there's a basis for that) and also especially when you consider that they live underwater and can't really speak to each other verbally

on that note, i can also see the h2o girls developing something like that or learning sign language, they've already used hand gestures to communicate with each other in canon if i remember right?

[deafchild2000]

Oh my God, you're deaf too! This probably sounds scatterbrained for saying this, but I'm so glad - and feel surprisingly heard - to find another deaf person on this site...and even more, having unilateral healing loss like me!

I'm guilty of admitting to only knowing so little sign language due to using hearing aids and taking full advantage of still being able to hear (though not without it's disadvantages)! Whenever I did go swimming, I knew I was only operating with one ear hearing underwater and that played a good part in why it took me into my teens to figure out how to swim properly.

Writing the OP post was a long way off, I wished I had written it sooner because swimming is a huge part of the H2Overse and I kinda feel bad that, aside from sight, hearing is just as important. Honestly, if I was swimming in the ocean with no hearing or partial hearing, I would have to rely on visual sight and maybe feeling a shift in the water (like a crash through the surface) to navigate and hope I don't come across any dangerous sea predators - though I love Charlotte, I take my chances with asking dolphins for help!

[deafchild2000]

You know, as a Deaf person - or specific, partially Deaf (in utero, my hearing canal in the right ear fused together - it's weird), and it never occurred to me:

In the H2O verse, how would one manage if they were a merperson and Deaf? There's deaf at birth, deaf later in life, and deaf through accidents - each handled differently between types of hearing to types of ways to cope with hearing loss (sign language to hearing aids to cochlear implants). It's a lot and it has me thinking about applying that with supernatural means - and in this case, being a mermaid in H2O.

So how do you guys think that would work? (I think it's a no-brainer that hearing aids or hearing implants disappear with the transformation).

((Also considering Mako Mermaids into this: Would as natural mermaids fail to thrive or would the pod work out ways to communicate/develop their own sign language with time?))

[deafchild2000]

How and what would you do to fix Will's character? In a positive light that is

There's two ways I could go about this: Internal forces and external forces.

External forces means that people are reacting to Will and Internal forces means Will is processing and thinking on what he's done.

Basically, he's a character that would fit in perfectly with the mermaids if only his words or actions didn't cause issues.

If I had to fix Will, internal forces would be hearing and understanding his side of things. He's a diver on the verge of burn out who just discovered mermaids exists. Of course he wants a piece of the action. But he bulldozed his way in and nobody questioned it, and that's a problem - alongside fetishizing Bella about being a mermaid. The dude traveled himself before putting roots down, I would think he picked up some unique skills (aside from making Zane insecure) that he could relate to Bella.

External forces says Will should have gotten chewed out or threatened in some way for forcing Bella to reveal her secret and using Rikki's kidnapping to get the truth from the others as well. Once this happened, he could have realized he made himself hard to trust and actually tried to fix things ahead of time. Also I would dive into his relationship with Sophie because I don't think he understands that Sophie is struggling and could have easily chosen money over her relationship with him and realizing why Sophie pushed him.

[deafchild2000]

Anyone ever thought of a pairing of Will × Emma? I mean, I can see similarities and what with their environments they might have the potential to find a kindred spirit in each other. Maybe Will could help Em feel more "free" and more easygoing, and I have no doubt that Emma would be the one who keeps him from behaving as he did in canon. Really makes you wonder?

When I was working on my fanfiction idea, it actually easily popped up. But I never took it more than a friendship - and someone she tolerated more on her level without being too competitive. If Sophie was a mermaid, she'd probably put him on the swim team to make up for diving training. And besides, competitive diving and competitive swimming actually make their swimmers better.

[deafchild2000]

Catch of the day from season 1 its one of the wildest episodes, not only Rikky its kidnaped by some randoms that act like a mafia just by selling exotic fishes on the dock, but those people clearly saw the girls using their powers and neither of the three seem a bit concerned

Catch of the Day is one of those episodes that should've come back to haunt Rikki (and maybe push the envelope if this wasn't a kids show). It's just as surprising how simple looking the fish smuggling ring was as well as how easily Rikki got roped in it. I wish the guy she used her powers on came back because it's worth the vendetta episode.

[deafchild2000]

Hey, weird ask but I was wondering what your thoughts were about the stones in each of the lockets? I know the theme of colors matching their powers but I still can't help but think. What stones were actually used for them? I've heard of red coral, white moonstone, and blue tiger's-eye but that feels a bit inconsistent. Plus the lockets were supposed to be made in the 1950s, so I feel like Max would've had to research everything to make them. Also, I'm not surprised by the fans who believed Gracie's locket had a purple stone since you can see in close-ups that it did not look blue at first in season 1. Most people say the stones are diamond, ruby, and sapphire, but I have my doubts.

(Btw someone on TikTok had a custom replica of Rikki's locket made by a friend but couldn't identify the gemstone used, so that doesn't help much.)

I don't know...what do you think? Got any ideas? Any theories or headcanons?

I actually haven't thought about it. Considering the question would be WHERE and how Max got his hands on the gems and how he learned to make jewelry in the first place...

Given that Lewis is from a big family & slowly shown to be a modest, humble ace of spades, let's take some context and say Max was from a humble social status but a member of his family was in the jewelry business - which he was meant to take after. He probably learned some metal work and it's not uncommon that jewels and gems were used. Maybe when Max noticed the girls were having difficulty with being mermaids, especially Gracie, he might have used his skillset to create the lockets. As for the gems, I'm crossed between two ways:

1. He more or less took small gems no one would notice were missing.

2. He worked off the small gems to pay for them.

There's plenty of fanfiction material in an episode of Gracie thinking Max is ignoring her while he's literally creating the lockets in secret or his jeweler relative sees the designs and tries to steal them.

The balls in your court!

[deafchild2000]

Briefly taking a break from H2O Rewatched (S1) and already established some things I wanna work on:

Probably a no brainer, but the friendship group with the parents. Let's be honest, Harrison wants Lisa Gilbert and her family life to the point he's neglecting the the only family he has left (also kinda wanna pick up on Zane's mother). And what was going on with Bev and Harrison when Cleo was "dating" Lewis - she was fine, but when it "revealed" to be Zane, both parents took offense immediately to that? The Gilbert Family is awesome but slowly introduces them to imperfect situations. And just meeting the McCartney Family - we earned it

Exploring the OG girls friendship without powers or secrecy. It's a lot more telling Emma might be resistant to Rikki but Cleo still glued them together.

Discovering the home life of the Kent's and Miriam dealing with this as a mermaid.

Figuring out how to write Sophie as a college student and semi-legal guardian with a mermaid secret in 2006. Especially writing her in a way that isn't 2010 Sophie but still recognizably her.

Writing Charlotte in a similar way but no room for immediate bashing. Main Protagonist aura with a lot on her plate but more leeway than she got in canon.

Writing Louise and orchestrating the 50s mermaids realistically. Definitely mentioning Max before showing him.

(Hopefully) golden interactions between Lewis, Byron, Zane and Will. Will do Will a favor and use the insecurity he inspires in S3 Zane where it matters most - humbling S1 Zane.

⬆️ Actually looking forward to a Emma and Will Friendship that inspires jealousy (from others) but feels good and refreshing with each other because they are alike. Emma might recognize burnout in Will, what he brings to her is pending.

Keeping Lisa Denman longer because I don't underestimate her nor think she was on long enough in canon to be a threat - even more now that Lewis would be in association with mermaids (Charlotte and Miriam) but not experimenting with their DNA, therefore unlikely to risk exposing the AU girls...for a while.

Dealing with magic. OG girls strayed for it, AU girls dabble in it - with consequences of course.

Doubling up the fact Charlotte and her mom, Annette, are new girls in town with their own advice and perspective within long time friends. Plus actually using Annette's restaurant and her past growing up with Gracie.

Annette and Harrison beefing with each other, as their children do, and Lisa having to be the mediator.

Addressing Charlotte's fear of dolphins but not shedding it completely. Especially with Ronnie. Maybe trolls her.

Underwater mermaid rescues are equal here. Period.

Growing mermaid lore, especially applying science.

Honestly guys, if I'm missing something, tell me.

[deafchild2000]

Alright, I'm planning on deleting this later, so please feel free to leave comments!

Alright, see I have a boatload of headcanons personal to me about the Watsford Women (enough for three generations) and a lot stems from their childhoods to teen years to adult/motherhood.

But one I'm fond of is the idea of names where Annette and her daughter, Charlotte, are concerned.

Let's start with Annette. I initially imagined Gracie named her because it rolled off the tongue, and she would be the only one calling her "Nettie" while everyone called her "Annie." But then, I learned of Annette Kellerman - an Edwardian Australian swimmer and silent film actress who did more than one film as a mermaid. Considering I imagined Gracie struggling with her first year as a mermaid, I imagined her watching the 1952 film "The Million Daughter Mermaid" based on her and felt compelled to research her, coming to admire the then 69-year-old woman as a feminist icon, trendsetter, and unlikely help in learning to embrace mermaid identity. After giving up her tail, Gracie still admired her and somewhat lingering on her mermaid past, so she decided to name her daughter after her.

With Charlotte, it's a bit different. While I think the book, "Charlotte's Web" and her father being named Charles has some role in Annette naming her that, I believe Gracie was the one to give her grandchild her middle name - Madison. In 1984, the movie premiered in Australia and Gracie & Annette loved it - especially the later for it's comedy and on the tail moments about her own time as a mermaid. Then, towards the end of her last years, Gracie began to think she was right to make the 80s character Charlotte's middle name as she'd begun to suspect her grandchild might end up following in her footsteps and subtly prepared her before she died.

So, what do you think?

[deafchild2000]

So, I guess it's safe to say we all know Bella Hartley was underdeveloped as a character, also namely in hobbies. So, I decided to list what we do know about her hobbies vs what I think her hobbies could be if expanded.

Canon

Singing

Songwriting

Swimming*

Deep sea exploring*

Traveling

Expanded Headcanons

Photography

Scrapbooking

Yoga

Learning new languages

(International) sign language

Journaling

Moon-Watching**

Thrifting

Volunteer work

Collecting postcards

Hiking

Puzzles

Studying sea myths***

* = More in line with being a mermaid

** = Basically tracks lunar cycles and phases of the moon, including full moons

*** = She was turned into a mermaid as a child and traveling, hard to believe she didn't look into the mythology sea creatures.

[deafchild2000]

Updates for my H2O: Just Add Water AU starring the OG trio's character foils (for those who actually are interested in this fic ideas):

First order of business: I'm pushing beyond the PG rating of the original show. I'm going for obvious nostalgia but I also prefer my common sense and realism - so expect a lot of call outs!

I'm bringing the parents in. Like, me and the fans get why they were on the outside of things , but as I get older (even in my mid 20s), I find myself thinking there should have been more moments with the adults being adults & parents.

I'm definitely expanding, or in some cases CRAFTING, better background stories for Charlotte, Miriam, and the Benjamin siblings. (I said this once and I'll say it again) Charlotte had the perfect potential for characterization if she'd been in S1, Miriam Kent is iconic in her own right and deserved more screentime for me, and the Benjamin siblings are a combination of good potential and messy execution that I'm fixing so hard without making them unrecognizable. The OG girls not being mermaids is me experimenting on how their road to friendship would go, with others butting in. (Full disclosure: I'm not a fan of Rikki, so it might show!)

I'm gonna expand the mermaid lore and abilities. Not only is there room for that in 2024/2025, I studied the H2O wiki to find there's opening for it such as physical strength, I may be borrowing from H2O RP Tumblrs because fans can always be trusted to be better content creators.

Because I'm rewatching H2O for ideas, one thing I knew I was getting rid of, under TV Tropes, Louise Chatham's "cloudcuckoolander" trait. I'm not sorry, it was fun to see as a child, but after watching Lilia Calderu in AAA, I'm 90% sure Louise would've dropped the act as Charlotte, Miriam, and Sophie are a different group and would want full disclosure or they won't trust her. Thus, Louise has to see beyond the rose tinted glasses the OG trio let her get away with and help these girls in need of guidance. Plus, she's meeting Gracie's surviving family - which means I definitely can see her take an active role in knowing Charlotte and Annette.

(FOLLOWING ABOVE) Imma explore the 50s mermaids because not only did they deserve it, I hated that Louise and Max had control of Gracie and Julia's narrative in OG. I'm definitely exploring Gracie Watsford because this girl gave up her tail and yet is the only one of her group to have a family - there's so much in that to Louise (a lonely widow) and Max (a hermit) worth talking about as well as the fact she left paintings of Mako Island and the moon pool for Charlotte to have and ended up using in Canon. Julia is gonna be a doozy because she's compared to Rikki but not a lot after that, nor did we find out anymore about her beyond her death in the show. I reiterate again, I have to expand the 50s mermaids because letting two lonely old people tell the group story isn't great.

Surprisingly or not, I'm expanding background characters and adding new ones because it's definitely needed. Charlotte moved a year early, so her mom's restaurant and employees need proper acknowledgement. Miriam is definitely high class like Zane and Emma, so her world is coded for new people. And Sophie is the only one in the group that an adult and active mermaid - she clearly needs some friends outside Will.

Speaking of Will... I'm gonna do my best to make him tolerable since he's physically around the same as Byron, getting more time with Lewis and Zane. Not gonna lie, he's gonna need guy friends and ALSO not gonna lie, we both knew his character existed to make Zane insecure and I'm living for it! Watching him easily become popular because he's him and forging friendship with the other characters (some he never met) is gonna be fun while distressing for Zane.

I'm keeping Lisa Denman along for the ride (and extending it) because I don't think anyone appreciates just how well-written her character was - and just how useful she could be in the narrative. Like if you wanted to combine Lewis and Emma, make her someone important and well-established that people PAY her to go study marine biology anywhere in the world and easy to get along with, then Dr. Lisa Denman is definitely worthy of a threat - but in a way that she sneaks up on you and is worth more than three episodes. And I'm definitely not making light of underestimating her intelligence like canon did.

Two sides of one coin, Mother-Daughter edition. I'm surprised no one realized that if Charlotte was the new girl in town, the same could be said about her mom, Annette. Because of this, in expanding their relationship (and their lives before Gracie died), I'm building potential relationships - especially Annette, dealing with the Sertoris, Gilberts, Bennetts, and Kents (whose friendship goes back years) - just as Charlotte is dealing with Cleo, Emma, Zane and Miriam. A family duo who are outsiders with fresh perspectives. Though I will spoil the idea that the Watsford Women constantly beef with the Harrison Men (a lot of context in bad first impressions and generally unimpressed).

Another thing is the acknowledgement of time, events, and media because S1 of H2O happened in a duration of 8 months since the OG trio became mermaids on Valentine's Day. I'm definitely all for making shout outs for known mermaid media at the time, but definitely holidays and birthdays as well.

In place of episodes that can't happen in this AU, I'm either rewriting or creating original "episodes" as if the show would do. I'm also not shying away from important and serious topics, some not child friendly but definitely issues that could happen in the world.

Small bit: I'm never not using Kim Sertori and Elliot Gilbert. I think there are still fun uses in the narrative for them, but I'm not having Kim entirely intolerable as the fans see her. There's plenty of room for her to grow imo, and I don't believe in underestimating her either.

[deafchild2000]

So, I'm rewatching S1 of H2O for ideas for my fanfiction and something about The Siren Effect had me going to Google this and I realized:

Unless it ended up sounding like her realistic bad singing, radio stations actually keep recording of callers when they're on the radio. So does that mean a radio station has a legit record of Cleo's siren call to this very day? Or is it just possible the record of her singing swapped into Cleo's average screeching voice when the moon spell ended?

Honestly, I wanna think that if such a recording did exist, it kept the exact sound of the Siren call because that's something that could've really come back to bite them at any moment.