Here's a fanfic I wrote about Harold, a deleted character from The Little Mermaid. I really liked his backstory and wished they kept him in the movie or show at least what happened to him in the end. There's gonna be some body horror in this (perfect for spooky season), but don't worry, there's a happy ending.
Please, just give me more time!...
The last thing I remembered was a whirlwind of sickly green light swirling around me. Then, the slow, painful grinding of my bones and tearing of my muscles. It dragged me down to the floor where my fins split apart and dug into the ground like roots. My fingers slowly shrank. Then, my arms. And finally, my skin felt like it was squeezing my insides out until I was nothing more than a tiny lump of flesh. A polyp.
Being a polyp, nothing feels warm anymore. Just a never ending coldness. I couldn't move my body anywhere because the roots that used to be fins had me stuck to the ground. And even if I try, and everytime I try to move unlike a polyp, it hurts. Even whenever the current sways me, it hurts. All I can do is swallow water for plankton to eat, and watch in horror as other poor, unfortunate merfolk fall under the Witch's spells.
The Sea Witch. Ursula. Before all this, she was once a wealthy octopan living under the same roof as the Sea King; a rarity since octopans were disliked by typical finned merfolk. But what was more frowned upon was her magical skills. Only the elite or royals were allowed to perform magic by decree of the King. Hence, he had her banished, despite her status. Now she lives in the bones of a leviathan as her lair, concocting her plan of usurping the kingdom.
She had plenty of desperate or unhappy clients, who come to her to fulfill their needs or wants. However, she uses what she calls "contracts" which she could use to transform merfolk into polyps against their will. Like me.
I was a scrawny, naive, penniless little merman when I came to her. She offered to make me more handsome and more muscular so that I could impress the ladies. In exchange, I was supposed to find a fresh water lily. Only, they were out of season at that time. I was only her little test subject for her next spell.
How stupid of me! I could've just joined and trained in the royal guard instead if that's what I wanted! Unless…
...there's something else.
Something else that I wanted.
I couldn't remember anymore.
Now, I can hear her laughing. She's talking to her eels, Flotsam and Jetsam, from afar. She often uses them to lure any merfolk into her "business." Moments later, I see them with their next victim. She looked young, almost as young as I was before I was turned, her hair was a deep red, and her eyes as blue as the sea.
Red hair. Blue eyes. I knew who it was.
The princess!
I hurriedly wrap my polyp body like a sea snake around her arm to stop her. But she keeps pulling, so much so that it felt like my insides are being torn apart. That's because they are. That's how some of us died, often on purpose. I want to scream "Stop! Don't sign the contract! Get out of here while you still can!" but all I can do is wail and moan. Not long after, she loses my grip and I was thrown back to the floor.
I lie there in pain assuming the worst: the Witch will offer the princess a contract, she will sign it, and she will be able to take advantage of her to take over the kingdom. And I'll be stuck here, forever trapped in the garden along the other polyps, waiting to die.
The other polyps tried to move me if I'm still alive but every time they do, it hurts. I wanted to scream them to stop. I wanted to cry. I should just rip myself off the ground just to end it all!
Some time has passed. I can't really figure out how long since it's so dark. So dark except what appears to be shining dust falling towards the garden. What is that? I feel drawn by it, as if it's calling me.
Suddenly, there is a brilliant flash of light, then, a flash of warmth spread across my body. I've never felt heat before in my time as a polyp. Also, all the pain was gone. Am I dead? More flashes ensue followed by a cacophony of voices. I hear screams, laughter, and cries around me. I look up to see fins and faces. So many merfolk filled the garden.
Has the King come and find us? Or are these her victims? Is the spell gone? Are we-
My insides are throbbing. No, my chest is. No, my heart is. It's beating. It's been so long since I've had a heartbeat.
I look down and realized I unknowingly pressed my hand on my chest. My hand! My hands are back! I see my skin is no longer wrinkly and discolored but rosy and shiny with scales as it used to be. I begin panting in anticipation.
Further down is my tail, orange-gold and shiny, and my fins, marigold, translucent, and finally free from the ground. I put my hands on my face. I can feel my hair, nose, and ears back again.
I give my tail a kick. It doesn't hurt at all! I start quivering in joy. I wrap my arms around myself and began laughing. Then, I started sobbing. So much emotion is flowing in me that I just couldn't keep it in.
It's over. It's finally over.
I jerked and accidentally hit a merman in the face. He was quite big and intimidating.
"I-I'm sorry-" The first words I've ever spoken since being a polyp.
But the big merman gives me a hug instead and starts laughing with me. Plenty of merfolk join in and wrap their arms and tails around each other in joy. We never knew each others but at that moment, it was as if we did for years. I stopped thinking. I just laughed and cried with them, to the point I fainted.
I wake up shortly still in the arms of fellow merfolk. My heart almost skipped thinking it was all a dream. I look down. My tail, hands, everything is still here.
This is not a dream. This is really happening. I'm back to normal now.
Something must've happened. Did the princess or the King stop her? Whoever it is, I want to come and wrap my arms around them. Or bow down before them. Or marry them, perhaps? I scoffed at the idea.
I look around and see plenty of merfolk swimming out from the lair, with some still inside calming down from the excitement. I swim further into the lair. I don't know why I wanted to go there but at least it felt good swimming again.
I enter the main hall, where I remembered I was turned. There's a mirror at the far right which I come closer and see my reflection.
I still look scrawny, but taller now. My hair is longer. There's stubble on my face. Wow, I'm starting to look like my father.
Father... mother...
We were living a happy, sheltered life. My parents cared and provided so much for me. And yet, I wasn't satisfied. I wanted people to like me. I wanted more.
My father died when I was young, and I left home to live on my own years after. I asked my mother to offer me some money and she gave me plenty, all of which I've wasted. Broke, I came to her, to the Witch. And the rest was history for me.
I hang my head in guilt. I've been so careless and selfish. I couldn't bear coming back and facing her after everything I've done.
No! Shut up! I tell myself in the mirror. You're gonna go back to her and you're gonna make things right this time!
No turning back now. I leave the lair, swimming as fast as I can, kicking as hard as I can. Then, I get tired. Then, I continue swimming again. I never thought I'd miss getting tired of swimming yet here I am.
After a few hours, we finally saw the glistening lights of Atlantica. I almost forgot about the lair, but it didn't matter.
In honor of the fifth anniversary of the release of Moana, my favorite Disney movie ever, I drew my favorite underrated character of the movie, chief Tui of Motonui.
I imagine this to be his post-movie look when he learns to sail again. I even made his hair messier probably from getting wet with saltwater more often. (also cuz it looks cool)
Also sorry if this sucks. I've yet to buy me a tablet, hopefully I do better digital.
Disney+ better give him screentime in the series and not kill him like Disney loves to do with parents. this man deserved better
Some drawings I've made a year (or two) ago. I know they look messy since I used to use colored pencils and tend to erase a lot. I have plenty more fanart but these are the ones I feel most comfortable sharing with here.
This one was basically like a post-movie headcanon where Moana, Maui, and her tribe travelled throughout the Pacific and learned to fight as well (hence, the Hawaiian and Samoan clubs, and the Maori taiaha).
The Kujos: Jotaro and Jolyne. I sort of made them Disney-esque in design, mostly based on Big Hero 6 and Mulan.
I've never played Undertale, only watched the Let's Plays; and I absolutely loved the backstories of Asgore, Gerson, and Undyne as badass warriors, so this was also sort of a post-Undertale headcanon too.