#mergucket au

[elishevart]

Been talking with @thelastspeecher about her seahorse mer species and this is kind of the design i came up with.

They are reefs, shores and shallow waters dwellers and are the least human looking. They have short stubby back legs to crawl on the shore and look for shellfish, their first source of food. They only have 3 usable fingers as the others turned into fins on their arms.

Hope you like!

Ps: this is Stanford’s design.

[thelastspeecher]

Yesterday, I decided to open up my MerGucket AU Word doc to read some stuff, and found myself writing a bit more for the Egg Stan AU (I would summarize the AU but I'm too tired so here's a link to an explanation).

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              Ford swam into the living room, catching Angie cooing in Mermish at Stan, who responded by giggling and clapping his hands.  Stan was already six months old.  It felt like the time was flying by.

              “What did you just say to him?” Ford asked.  Angie looked up.

              “Oh, nothin’.  I was just sayin’ nonsense like ya do to guppies.”

              “Ah.”

              “Sorry, I reckon that confused ya, huh?” Angie asked.  Ford shrugged.  He was still learning Mermish; to his frustration, the language was very difficult to learn.  No human tongue was anything like it.  “This lil brother of yours is such a cutie.”

              “Not…” Ford started.  He trailed off.  Angie cocked her head curiously.  “Stan isn’t- he’s not-”  Ford rubbed his eyes.  “I’ve decided to raise Stanley as my son, not my brother.”

              “Oh.”  Angie looked down at Stan in her arms.  “May I ask why ya decided on that?”

              “There are a few reasons.  For one, I’m getting sick of correcting every single person who sees him.”  One of the activities Ford liked doing most with Stan was to put him in his sling, then go explore the surrounding area, pointing things out to Stan and explaining them.  Stan definitely couldn’t understand Ford’s short scientific lectures, but he seemed to enjoy them nonetheless.  Unfortunately, they often came across other merfolk, who cooed over Stan and expressed their condolences over Ford only having a single guppy.

              I effectively do.  I should stop trying to deny it.

              “The other main reason is that, well…”  Ford swallowed.  He’d already shared it with Fiddleford, but saying it still left a bittersweet taste in his mouth.  “Since Stan has a second chance, he might as well have a decent father this time around.”

              “Ah.”  Angie was quiet for a moment, an oddity from her.  “My condolences.”

              “For what?”

              “I don’t know.  Everything?  Neither of ya deserved this sit’ation,” Angie said.  Stan babbled happily at her.  She frowned at him.  “I ain’t ever heard a guppy make that sort of noise.”

              “Maybe his babbling is influenced by the fact he’s growing up in a multilingual household,” Ford suggested, swimming over.  He spoke exclusively English to Stan, but the MerGuckets tended to slip into Mermish.  Angie nodded.

              “That’s possible.”  She tickled Stan’s stomach, making him giggle and squirm.  “So, have ya decided what sort of career ya want to go into?”

              “Pardon?”

              “Well, yer welcome to stay here as long as ya like, but I figure you ‘n Fidds prob’ly will get yer own place once yer formal mates.  And ya need some sort of job once ya move out,” Angie said idly.  When Ford was silent, she looked up.  “Somethin’ wrong?”

              “I just…you dropped a lot of information on me all at once,” Ford said weakly, sinking down onto the couch next to Angie.  “Mers have careers?”

              “Uh, yeah.  Why do ya think I ain’t home all day?” Angie asked.  “I’ve got to go sink ships ‘n whatnot.”

              “You what?”

              “Sink ships.”  Angie rolled her eyes.  “I know I’ve mentioned I’m a siren.”

              “I was under the assumption that siren was the specific mer species you belong to.”

              “Uh, it’s also the specific mer species you belong to,” Angie said pointedly.  “And cute lil Stan, too.  But it’s also my career.  Someone’s got to protect mer territory from humans.”

              “Ah.”  Ford rubbed the back of his neck.  “I was unaware of that.”

              “I’m a bit surprised, but not too surprised.  Fidds tells ya mostly things what are relevant to ya.  And you wouldn’t be a good siren.  You’ve got the voice fer it, but not the dedication.  Sirens need to be all in when it comes to singin’ ships down.  As a former human, ya can’t be all in.”

              “No, you’re correct.”

              “Lil Stanley, though…”  Angie beamed at Stan.  “I think he’d be an excellent siren!”

              “Uh, if you heard his singing voice as an adult, you might disagree.”

              “Voices tend to change when species change.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he grows up to have a wonderful voice.”  Angie poked Stan’s nose.  “Especially with his Auntie Angie givin’ him some singin’ lessons!”

              “Speaking of you being his aunt,” Ford said slowly.  Angie looked up at him.  “What was it that you said about Fiddleford and I becoming formal mates?”

              “Well, the two of ya are basically mates already, but ya haven’t made it official yet.”  Angie cocked her head.  “By the by, any idea when that’ll happen?  There’s a bit of a bettin’ pool goin’.”

              “There is?”

              “Sure!  We’re all very eager fer it to happen, but we started gettin’ antsy, so we made bets to avoid pryin’ at ya too much.”  Angie paused.  “Though now I just ruined the whole thing by pryin’.”

              “I was unaware this discussion was occurring,” Ford mumbled.  He kneaded his forehead.  “I was also unaware that Fiddleford and I were not keeping our relationship discrete.”

              “Ya don’t need to keep it discrete!  Everyone’s very happy fer the both of ya to find some happiness after havin’ such a rough time in life.”  Angie smiled kindly.  “Ya don’t need to worry ‘bout anyone judgin’ ya fer bein’ with a fellow man.”

              “How did you-”

              “Fidds has told me a bit ‘bout yer particular kind of human culture.  I reckon yer not used to livin’ with folks acceptin’ of ya.”

              “No, I’m not.”

              “Well, like I said, we’re happy to house ya as long as ya want.”  Angie raised an eyebrow.  “Though from what I understand, humans move out much earlier ‘n mers do, so I wonder if yer time in this house will be endin’ soon.”

              “I wouldn’t mind having my own space,” Ford mumbled to himself.  Angie nodded.

              “That’s what I thought.  And don’t worry ‘bout anyone in the colony thinkin’ yer doin’ somethin’ odd.  Generally, mated couples move out once they’ve got too many guppies to keep livin’ with their parents.  But it’s becomin’ more common fer mated couples to move out once their first clutch hatches, and Stan’s yer first clutch. So, once you ‘n Fidds become official…”  Stan began to squirm and fuss loudly.  “I think someone wants his pa.”

              “I’m not his pa,” Ford said immediately.  Angie blinked at him.  “I- I’m his father.”

              “Is that what yer goin’ to have him call ya, then?”

              “…No.”  Ford held out his arms.  Angie carefully handed Stan over.  Stan continued to squirm.  Ford pulled a small piece of hardened seaweed out of the pocket of his vest.  He popped the seaweed, which mers used as pacifiers, into Stan’s mouth.  Stan settled down, suckling on the seaweed happily.  “I’ll have him call me ‘Dad’.”

              “Good choice.  Then Fidds can be his Pa.”

              “…Yes,” Ford said softly.  Despite Angie repeatedly insisting she was fine with his relationship with Fiddleford, admitting it still felt difficult.  He gently stroked Stan’s cheek.  “Stan will have two loving fathers.”

              “And maybe some younger siblin’s,” Angie suggested.  Ford raised an eyebrow at her.

              “Fiddleford wasn’t joking about your guppy fever.”

              “Aw, can ya blame me?  You ‘n Fidds would have the cutest clutch!” Angie protested.  Ford couldn’t help the small smile that curved the corner of his mouth.  “I reckon Stan’ll be a big brother by the time I find m’self a mate.”

              “I’m not sure about that,” Ford teased.  Angie tilted her head curiously.  “Lute has told me how much time you spend on land, flirting with sailors.”  To Ford’s surprise and amusement, Angie’s cheeks promptly turned the same bright pink as her fins.

              “Sure, I’m flirtin’, but I ain’t interested in any of ‘em bein’ my mate,” Angie said dismissively.  “And- and I ain’t there just to flirt, I’m there to learn more ‘bout humans!  I thought, as a fellow researcher, you’d support my endeavors!”

              “I do,” Ford said.  He smirked.  “Both your scientific ones and your romantic ones.”

              “Ugh!  Yer just as bad as Fidds!” Angie said, throwing up her hands.  She shook her head.  “The two of ya truly do deserve each other.”

[eregyrn-falls-art]

MerGucket AU! And a slightly-belated happy birthday to @thelastspeecher! (click to embiggen)

I really enjoy TheLastSpeecher’s AUs, and my favorite is probably the MerGucket AU and its various offshoots (see their work at the mergucket au tag here for an explanation).  I’ve been wanting to do art for it for a while (I did some portraits for it during Inktober), and this seemed like a good time to get off my butt and do it!  Thanks for all of the fun ideas and ficlets!

For all of the designs and details here, I’m completely indebted to @agent-jaselin‘s extensive work (see it at the mergucket au tag here).

[darfichihrenhundzeichnen]

🌁 MerGucket of choice

🌁 OC in a hoodie

I love all them gucks, but I had to draw Mer-Angie. She’s just so precious <3

Send me a character and an emoji

[thelastspeecher]

I love the Stan egg AU! It’s such a cute and angsty concept with the idea of little Guppy Stan growing up and raised by his father-brother!

Okay, but imagine the scene when he manages the courage to go see his mother and when he is about to leave comes face to face with his father, with a small Stan in his arms. Don’t know exactly how it would go, but i don’t think it would end well. I could almost see Ford jumps in the water to prove a point to him for some reason.

I'm glad you like it so much! The MerGucket AUs that agent-jaselin and I developed together really are quite fun. c:

Well, Ford would finally go see his mom when Stan's about eight or so. It takes him a long time before he caves to Shermie's nagging. To be honest, Ford probably just tags along when Shermie and Angie visit Caryn with their guppies (who may include Dipper and Mabel? I'm considering having Angie be the Mystery Twins' mom in this AU, rather than their grandma).

And yesssss, Ford's about to leave when Filbrick suddenly shows up and looks very pointedly at eight-year-old Stan standing right next to Ford. Ford doesn't even let Filbrick say anything. He can tell whatever it is, it won't be good. So before Filbrick can get out a single word, Ford uses his siren call to tell Filbrick to never talk to him or his son ever again.

Caryn's a bit disappointed, but she understands. Angie's had to use her siren call on Filbrick a few times. Mostly to get him to forget he found out about his son becoming a merman, because Filbrick did NOT respond well to it.

Ford keeps to himself that if he ever sees Filbrick out at sea, he'll personally sink whatever ship Filbrick's on. Sure, he's not a professional ship sinker like Angie, but she taught him some of the tricks of the trade.

[thelastspeecher]

In the MerStan and Ford au, do Ford still need his glasses underwater or are they fixed because of Merman transformation.

Second ask, if you don’t mind, do Ford can turn human like any other mer and does he take Stan to see his grandmother, Caryn?

Sorry for the many questions, I just love the idea. I hope you post them in AO3 in the same place, they would be easier to find.

As for your last point, you're in luck! I have a compilation of my MerGucket ficlets on AO3. It's specifically the OG MerGucket AU, so it doesn't include the Egg Stan AU that I was posting about yesterday. But I do have them on AO3, and you can find them right here!

(As for whether I'd put other things up on AO3...idk, it's a surprising amount of work and effort and at least for now, I don't have the bandwidth to do so. If enough people nag me about a specific AU, I might put it on AO3. Eventually.)

Okay, now to get to the first part of your question, lmao. Ford does not need his glasses underwater, but on land, he does. I actually went and dug through my blog to find a fanart to confirm this. If you haven't seen the amazing MerStan and MerFord that agent-jaselin made, you can find it here.

The second part of your question, yes! In all my Mer AUs, the merfolk can turn human. Some variations have a better human form than others, but they're all able to go on land. The born mers have to be careful, though, since they don't have belly buttons and thus shouldn't let any humans see their torso unclothed. Since Egg Stan AU Ford was genetically rewritten to be effectively a born mer, he is missing his belly button as well.

I think eventually, Ford might let Stan see Caryn. When Stan's about five or so, Shermie reappears in Ford's life because he became Angie's mate, and Shermie works hard to pressure Ford into at least letting Caryn know he's not dead. Caryn knows everything about Shermie being a mer now, so Ford won't even have to explain the whole mer thing.

It does take a long while before that happens, though. Ford tries to block out most reminders of his past life, and that includes his older brother and mother. But eventually, Shermie gets through to Ford, and Ford makes a very rare trip to human territory to introduce Stan to Caryn.

[thelastspeecher]

Now I’m curious about that merFord au with guppy Stan. What was the first moments of Ford’s new life under the sea? I bet he panicked for a few hours with an egg in his arms wondering what to do and how to survive. I bet he also hid in a cave for a while, until he muster up the courage to go to the Mergucket.

Well, you're in luck! Because I actually have already written the first moments of Ford being a mer, discovering what had happened to himself and Stan, and getting help from the MerGuckets. You can find it here!

But I don't want that to be the only thing I say in the ask, so I'll say a little bit about the first few days and weeks of Ford's stay as a merman.

Ford has some issues adjusting, obviously. Every morning he wakes up for the first month or so, he tries to fool himself into believing that what happened to him and Stan was a dream. Fiddleford coming back home (he was gone on an internship) is actually the thing that makes Ford stop doing this. Not because Fiddleford talks to him about it or anything. It's just that Ford goes from dreading leaving bed to practically jumping out of bed so he can see his new friend/burgeoning crush.

Not all the MerGuckets believe his story. Lute 100% thinks Ford was born mer, and Angie also feels the same way for a little while. So that's difficult for Ford, too, as Angie and Lute talk about things that they assume Ford knows about, but Ford has no clue about, since he wasn't born mer. They also slip into Mermish a lot, a language that Ford has literally never heard before.

At first, Ford is eager to explore the merfolk colony and surrounding waters, but he changes his mind when he starts getting attention from the other merfolk. A strange merman appearing with a single egg? That's a tragic story that every single merson is dying to hear.

Thankfully for Ford, his mer instincts for little egg Stan kick in pretty quickly, and he doesn't spend much time being confused about what to do. He somehow knows instinctively how to care for the egg, keep an eye on it, and even take the egg on trips outside the house. He comments on this to one of the MerGuckets, who informs him that when Stan eventually hatches, he'll have the same sudden surge of instincts to guide him.

[thelastspeecher]

elishevart replied to your post: "In the Egg Stan AU, how many younger siblings..."

Who laid the eggs? Since Ford is the one that got turned, him being the one that laid them would be hilarious, since his old human brain would have a short-circuit

Fidds is trans in just about all my AUs, including this one. So he's the one that lays the eggs. Ford isn't a seahorse kind of mermaid anyways.

(I mention in a MerGucket ficlet at one point that a seahorse type of mermaid, where the male mer gives birth to the guppies/lays the eggs exists, but like I said, the Stans and MerGuckets aren't that kind of mer.)

vulpixen replied to your post: "In the Egg Stan AU, how many younger siblings..."

I vote one clutch.

Yeah, one clutch probably makes the most sense. Fidds wouldn't be opposed to two clutches, but Ford's old human brain is v overwhelmed by being the father to twenty children. He can't handle any more.