#isther

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are we still doing these gang

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mermay + pride month double feature voted best 2 months of the year

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(X)

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ib @gg-is-a-loser <3

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what do you think like . so since so many maelstrom characters die do they have any significant thoughts ,,,, like are they relieved . scared . upset. angry. do they think of anyone dead that they think they’re going to see or alive that they think they’re going miss

I should tell you there isn't really a mermaid "afterlife" like. funeral practices vary (working on this) but most people will just put your body into the gash at the centre of the world with the assumption that the nutrients of your body will feed the creatures who live there. some people think a small vestige of your consciousness enters the water and you are in an unknowing unconscious constant state of calm forever. and even fewer people (usually groups who live close to the surface) believe the same thing happens only with the void above instead. Enough about this tho this only means that nobody thinks "oh I'm going to see X again". In terms of final thoughts I will go in death order for the main characters

enith doesn't have any death thoughts bc she never realises she's going to die she just gets chomped with no time to even process anything. Last thoughts would be "can I really kill my friend"

melyde does see her death coming but for a moment she still thinks she can make it. when she realises she can't it's just kind of like not fair not fair not fair not like this not like this

io is kinda disbelieving when she realises. "is this really what it's come to" and an urge to laugh kinda thing. she's spent the past few hours in irrational levels of desperation so it's like. of course. of course. hahaha. give her a bit more time and she would start to feel cheated and angry but ofc. she didn't get any more time

isther. after she puts her 'plan' into action the anger fades to determination fades to a mix of fear and resignation. this is the only option for her because she couldn't turn around and live with herself after this but she doesn't really want to die either. she's like. lost. but also very sure of herself. idk

selma's kind of preoccupied for most of her death with making sure that anemone knows that a) she can perform the final song and b) she has to sacrifice herself to make sure teagan can get home. after she's 100% done with that it kinda kicks in that she's dead. and she's really sad about it but putting on a brave face for ane/teagan. she wishes she could've rebuilt her childhood town like she wanted to and she wishes she could continue to protect her students and she wants to stay she wants to stay she wants to stay

anemone is the only one who we are actually in her perspective as she dies. and for her it's like. peaceful. because she knows she's doing this for teagan and for her people. also most of her friends are dead so there isn't anything really. left for her here and this is where she has been heading all along. she'll miss her brother and teagan and she knows they will miss her but. she's at peace

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PLS EXPLAIN THE ISTHER RESTRAINTS PELOPSSEEE

okiedokie

ok so. Isther's restraints are designed to be very very heavy to stop her ever escaping the big cave. they aren't magic (yet) just heavy. they are also designed to fit a 2 year old. how will 17 year old Isther overcome this?

welllll she won't for two years. this is why her wrists and tail are kinda fucked(?) in a way I have yet to conceptualise. ok. so for two years she's just kind of. lying on the ground because her restraints are too heavy to move and barnacles are growing on her restraints and she's being fed by the monster parasites and obviously. she's suffering. and one day 4 year old Isther has reached her absolute limit and the presence of the monsters she can feel around her isn't as comforting as it used to be and she lets out this quiet little sob using her Chorus. and idk how much I told you about how people bond with magic jewellery but. if you sing/scream/cry with any kind of strong emotion or intent while you are wearing a piece of magic jewellery you'll probably form a bond with it. aneeway. Isther's desperation and exhaustion are strong enough to bond her to her restraints (something something symbolism idk) which means a) their weight is being magically negated and she can move around okay and b) she can slightly shift the shape of the metal to be cover more of her arms/peduncle etc but allow space for her to grow. after this she can find food for herself and move around the cave and yaknow. bond with some of the monsters more or whatever. this lasts another 13 years until the questing group find her

it's worth remembering that while the weight of her restraints does not affect Isther, it does affect everyone else. this is why Io can't just physically push her off at the end of the story. Isther's restraints are toooo heavy lol rip.

in terms of what they look like they're (horizontally) thin, blackened/tarnished metal rings that cover most of her neck/wrists and peduncle. also they have barnacles and limpets on them idgaf that's not accurate ok.

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hm.