as I’ve touched on briefly in some other hc’s - Marina is the current guild master & founder of Mermaid Heel. however this is an extensive look at Marina’s history, what led her to found Mermaid Heel as she did && some commentary on her character. trigger warning for death, alcoholism &&& abuse.
when marina was sixteen years old, her village began experiencing near nightly raids of a beast that’d wandered into the area. now, with a population of three sheep to every person, there wasn’t any way for them to fend off the monster on their own. too poor to put out a job request that any guild mage would take seriously - the town leaders opted to contract an independent mage named jayce hempton.
jayce was a twenty four year old practitioner of Plant Magic & despite his lack of guild affiliation was quite a powerful magic user. he often accepted jobs with smaller rewards, as they boosted his reputation && meant that various village &&& towns were indebted to him. however, when he arrived to rid them of this monster, marina caught his eye.
during his stay for the job, he was permitted to stay with marina’s family. as there were no nearby inns & they were among the only families with an extra room. jayce was charmed by marina’s beauty && her eager curiosity for his work &&& wasted no time in trying to charm her as well.
having never left her village for more than a few days, marina was immediately infatuated by jayce. he was handsome, powerful & lived what seemed to be an infinitely more exciting life. to be on the receiving end of his affections was thrilling to her. marina was devastated when he finally caught && killed the monster that’d been stealing their livestock. she was distraught at the idea of him leaving her, but jayce had other ideas.
the night he was meant to leave, jayce asked that marina come with him, proposed a life together because he “simply didn’t think he’d be able to live without her,” && marina was absolutely overjoyed. jayce was not only as in love with her as she was with him, but he was going to take her on his adventures. she accepted his proposal immediately &&& rushed home to share the good news.
unfortunately for the newly engaged couple, marina’s parents were vehemently against the idea. they refused to approve their only daughter’s marriage to a traveling mage she’d known all of nine days. in fact, they all but tossed marina in her bedroom & threw away the key - not willing to entertain their daughter’s foolish notions.
marina, always wild && stubborn threw an absolute fit &&& when jayce arrived to get her - she left with him. her parents threatened to disown her, but marina sixteen & furious, dismissed them. she felt as though they were just trying to hold her back, ruin her chance at a better life because they’d never gotten one.
so she left with jayce && when they got to the nearest city about two weeks later - they were officially married. it was a very small, private affair, but as far as marina was concerned it was the best day of her life.
now marina hempton, she accompanied jayce on every job he went on. the two owned nothing they couldn’t carry with them, but marina was overjoyed to be free from the bounds of the life she’d lived before. she was enchanted by this new life &&& by her new husband. when people would comment on his pretty wife, she glowed with pride - she had really done it, really gotten the life she’d always dreamed of.
the first few years of their marriage were joyful, even when they would argue with one another, jayce was always quick to come around when she let her temper settle & apologized. marina’s infatuation with him had yet to die - she was still so grateful for all he’d given to her. in truth, they were very happy together, something anyone who met them could see. but then, jayce suffered a severe back injury on a job && things began to change.
not all at once, not drastically, but things changed. in the beginning it was just that they travelled less, jayce unable to do the jobs he’d been able to before. which led to their savings dwindling, living from inn to inn with less income was difficult but still sustainable. it became less sustainable when jayce discovered self-medicating with alcohol. not only was it an expensive habit, but it made him widely unable to work.
now twenty two &&& thirty respectively, the couple began to have real arguments. that very quickly turned from exasperation & apologies to viciously cruel && eventually, violent. marina all too suddenly found that her perfect marriage, this wonderful thing that rescued her, had become a prison of its own. she felt helpless - now fully realizing that never settling down anywhere meant jayce was the only person in her life. she had no one else to turn to aside from her husband.
the love she’d once felt for him turned to fear & marina found herself living by walking on eggshells. as jayce was becoming more && more aggressive, there were still moments of who he’d been once - marina hoped that if they were able to regain financial stability, their marriage would return to how it’d been before. as such, she began working.
with no prior experience, constantly moving &&& a demanding husband - this wasn’t an easily accomplished task. but sure enough, marina was able to slowly increase their savings.
it didn’t help.
as jayce grew worse, grew more angry, more bitter - marina grew more experienced. she was finally having interactions with others that didn’t revolve around her husband, she was building skills & experiences of her own.
after a particularly violent night, a twenty four year old marina made up her mind. she was going to get out of this. having picked up on the basics of water magic in a trip they’d taken a while ago, marina began to seriously study and practice it. it took her six months, but sure enough - she gained power.
when attempting to leave, I won’t go to much into detail because I plan on writing a drabble in the future, but things went rapidly south. marina accidentally killed jayce & was left a widow.
unbeknownst to marina - jayce had a rather impressive inheritance he’d received from his fathers death that he’d never shared with her. it came as a shock, but in the end, it explained a lot in regards to his attitude. how he’d never truly seemed to worry how they were going to afford things like she had.
marina, a newly wealthy widow, opted to invest this money in a house on the beach of the first city she’d ever truly felt free - heather.
I rely on my iPad for on-the-go entertainment. I stock it with TV shows, like ‘Parks and Recreation’ and the British version of 'The Office.’ I’m reading a Charles Manson biography on it too, since I’m weirdly into true crime.
Everyone has faced some level of adversity, and it is what makes us the person we are today. I try not to dwell on the past, or even too much on the future, and be present in the current state that I am in.
get to know me [2/10] celebrity crushes ★ phoebe tonkin: being healthy is something I learned from a very young age. Looking after yourself on the inside helps with your energy, makes your skin glow, and changes your whole outlook on life.
get to know me: ten favourite actresses ≡ phoebe tonkin
her persistence in maintaining a level head in a not-so-ordinary world comes through loud and clear on her Instagram profile, where tonkin calls herself “professional cinderella,” a term from one of her favorite movies, girl, interrupted. “sometimes this life feels like that,” she says. “you do all these amazing things and you work on these incredible sets, you get to get all dressed up and you wear the crystal slippers, and then at midnight it all disappears. you go home and put your pajamas on and it’s just…reality.”
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