#whalemack

[emry-stars-art]

Wymack be careful your luscious flowing hair is dangerous for a single dad like you to have

Find the mer aus masterpost here 💕

[emry-stars-art]

It is… May 🦈

Find the mer aus masterpost here 💕

I'll reintroduce the made up little script and add the translation below:

Go my children write silly little codes and messages on things. Anyway what they’re saying:

Wymack: I don't know if I can convince him.

Betsy: that's okay.

Abby: I think he's earned being a little scared.

Betsy: maybe he'd like something sweet.

[emry-stars-art]

sorry to bother you, but….

if statled jelly!niel stings, does sleeping jelly!niel sting? Because it seems to be a conscious effort for niel to not sting? Or did I misunderstand this?

what are the scientific implications of sleepy jelly cuddles?

Great question! Thank you for letting me put on my more beach-appropriate baseball cap and do more mer research hehe

So I asked the shark and he told me to mind my business I think.

Unfortunately for him, the manta ray will spill just about anything in exchange for pretty human stuff and I am great at taking notes.

Basically? It seems to me like it’s expected touch vs unexpected, combined with the jelly’s maturing self-awareness. When it’s younger, a jelly mer will start getting control of its sting by ‘turning it off’ consciously. As they get older, it can become closer to “will not sting unless actively startled or for good reason” as the jelly chooses! Think of the sting response like a knee-jerk, throwing-elbows response. Anything less startling isn't worth the effort. Or in jellyneil's case, maybe more of a nervous person's flinch response.

So at this age when jellyneil is awake, it generally won’t sting unless really startled - unfortunately for most mers, the poor thing is a little jumpy and most unexpected touches are startling 🥲

When jellyneil is asleep, there’s more of a “base state” idea happening - however it goes to sleep is how it’ll peacefully stay. So if it falls sleep with someone else touching it, no stings! If it falls sleep in traditional jelly fashion (wedged between rocks or otherwise anchored down) the tentacles and stingers are instinctively in defense mode and I cannot advise getting too close.

If it gets startled awake though? I can only assume it would sting then as well but I can't tell you for sure because the whale and the one shark twin are usually very good about not letting that happen.

There’s some point to be made here about the fact that the stinging is only ‘turned off’ while cuddling/sleeping on other mers - clearly, brushing up against rocks doesn’t desensitize the stingers to other outside stimuli. In open water, the sleeping jelly knows to fend for itself. The presence of another mer seems to be instinctively calming.

But I am not here to wax poetic about it, that’s your job, I just provide the research 🤲

Find the mer au masterpost here 💕

[emry-stars-art]

Keep an eye? 🌊🌊

Maybe something soft of Whalemack and Andrew ? or whalemack and Neil 🥺🥺

Hi Odd 🥰 of COURSE, I don’t have anything specific for the boys in this scene but also just Whalemack being his usual dadmack is something I hold near and dear to my heart. JellyNeil and Whalemack tho! I might eventually be back with another ask for that hehe

20 sep 2023 [wip Wednesday game]

Andrew’s look turned incredulous.

“Are you sure you’re not seeing things, old man?”

“Oh, I saw something,” Wymack said. “It let me come right up to it. A little cut up and nervous, but it wasn’t scared at least. I don’t think it can talk. When you take off today, do me a favor and keep an eye out for it.”

Andrew made a small noise of mock disappointment. “I know you like to use me as your errand boy, but I regret to inform you I’m not as good of a sniffer shark.”

“If the thing’s bleeding, then you’d better find it before some other shark.”

Andrew rolled his eyes. He’d go look, of course.

Wymack spoke both their thoughts. “You know how rare they are. I want to figure out where it came from. How many folk do you think can say they’ve talked with a jellyfish?”

“None,” said Andrew. “Jellyfish can’t actually talk.”

[emry-stars-art]

Oh noo i tripped and fell and hit the button for keep an eye out. @jtl-fics

Oh what a shameeee 👀👀

20 sep 2023 [wip Wednesday game]

I’m not going out of my way to find it, Andrew remembered as he swam, a little frustrated with himself. He didn’t have any personal stake in this, but he was definitely going out of his way.

It was his own curiosity, of course. He just wasn’t about to give Wymack the satisfaction of admitting it aloud.

So the path he took was winding, lazy, and constantly searching. It was a stretch to find anyone in this ocean, but at least this wasn’t some little tiny thing. Andrew could sweep his gaze over the water and know more or less that it wasn’t in the area. Wymack had told Andrew where he'd last seen it. That didn't tell Andrew where it would be now, but it gave him a place to start looking.

It hadn't gotten near as far as Andrew had expected.

[emry-stars-art]

Keep an eye!!! (@stabbyfoxandrew)

Here you go aerie!! 💕

20 sep 2023 [wip Wednesday game]

Wymack continued as if he hadn’t heard. “You can hold onto your conjecture and guesswork. I’m going to keep an eye on this thing and see what happens. If you don’t want to help, I won’t make you.”

Andrew glared a little. Wymack knew Andrew’s interest had been piqued as well as Andrew himself did. He just liked calling Andrew out. It was a habit Andrew had yet to manage breaking the whale of.

“I’m not going out of my way to find it,” Andrew said dismissively. “But if I do, what do you expect me to do about it?”

“I’d hate to put you out,” Wymack replied, heavy with sarcasm. “Just make sure it’s still around and at least looks healthy.”