[allu]

mark,,

[tenturo]

⊱ ──────────────────────────────── ⊰
╔═══════════════╗
thaleia | female | nereid
'nereid of the blooming sea'
╚═══════════════╝
⊱ ──────────────────────────────── ⊰
i. prompt
disclaimer: kals are written as humanoid
simply for story/writing purposes
3425/5000
⊱ ──────────────────────────────── ⊰

The fear in her eyes, in that very moment, is what should have shattered my heart in two.
“No. This… this isn’t you.” The tremble in her voice should have brought tears to my eyes.
It’s not like I expected her to react much differently. She had no idea what would happen.

I think we both just wish I cared enough to fix it.

Seventh months prior

“Do they know we exist?”

A small group of seahorses darted around the young nereid. Despite being so young, she held one of the most prestigious titles in her kingdom - the princess. Though all of the nereids in the seas are exceptionally beautiful and elegant, Thaleia stood out amongst the rest, not just in her looks, but in her personality as well. She spent her days caring for the coral, kelp, other sea plants, and especially the young sea creatures.

“Of course they do,” her tender, angelic voice murmured in response. “They study the world we live in, because they can’t live here too. Some of them spend their whole lives doing research, tests, studies; trying their hardest to figure out how we live, and what all lives among us.” Her slender, delicate fingers brushed across the tops of the pale corals aside her, a faint glow illuminating from them as the color seeped into the corals, bringing them back to life.

“Well - if they know we exist, how come we don’t ever talk to them and just tell them what they want to know?” The runt of the group, Fiaroe, piped up as she swam quickly behind Thaleia’s fingertips, watching the corals come to life beneath her.

“It isn’t so simple, Fiaroe,” Thaleia began, spinning quickly to sit on a faded boulder, her hair following in slow-motion. “They know we exist but we’re still at risk. Have you heard of Pherousa, another nereid like myself?” The young seahorses all shook their heads in unison, hovering in the water as close to Thaleia as they could get.

“She’s one of my many sisters, and she helps the sailors, by bringing fish to their nets, and returning the lost sailors to land. They didn’t know it was her who was helping them, until one particular sailor wounded her when she brought him to the shore, allowing the rest of his crew to capture her. Ever since, we’ve all been more at risk of getting caught and harmed, or even killed.” A somber look settled in Thaleia’s eyes, her gaze drifting the floor of the ocean instead of at the seahorses.

“We’re safer out here, though. The seas their ships must sail through to get here are far too dangerous unless they come from the islands, and not too many of the humans there wish to bother us.” She explained, lifting her eyes to the group once more, only this time to reveal a much greater spark in her eyes. “It’s nearly time for you all to get home - shall we?” She lifted herself from her perch, smiling softly at the eager nods from the young seahorses.

Regular duties still occurred for the princess, after her down-time with the young was over, though her favorite was tending to her precious corals. The reef travelled all the way from the castle up to the sandbar closest to the main island. Upon returning the seahorses to their home, she set off to check on her corals, and expand the reef inland if need be. The most colorful corals thrived in the shallow waters, a favorite sight to the island-dwellers.

Rarely did she ever come across heavily damaged coral, and today had been no different. As she neared the sandbar, she noticed it had shifted inland a bit further. Settling herself, she began growing new ones, the same glow illuminating from her fingertips as the corals formed in front of her. The muffled sounds of splashing were distant but close enough that she could still hear them, so she made sure not to get too close.

Humming softly to herself, she continued with her corals, creeping closer and closer to the sandbar. Nearly an hour had passed, though it didn’t seem nearly that long. She observed the newest coral closely, absentmindedly admiring the coloration. Slowly, she kept moving away to finish up the last few, when she felt something quite solid bump against her tail. She spun around abruptly, realizing she had hit the sandbar and had barely been below the water’s surface, and that resting her hands on the sand to push her torso up, had nearly her entire upper half out of the water.

Her expression near perfectly matched the one of the girl staring right back at her - utterly shocked and confused. The only difference was the grin slowly creeping up on the girl’s face as she slowly leaned closer to Thaleia, observing every detail as intensely as she could.

Her pale pink skin, double set of eyes, glowing horns, and whirlwind of hair was all highly unimaginable to any human, not to mention the tail end of Thaleia’s body. She sat motionless, her eyes wide enough to see the whites all around them. The girl was incredibly close, mere centimeters from her face. Her eyes locked with Thaleia’s for a moment, their sharp breaths grazing across one another’s cheeks before the girls eyes widened once more and she pulled back a bit.

“Wow - are.. Are you..” she murmured, tilting her head every which way to fully examine the princess. “Are you real?”

Still utterly speechless, Thaleia slowly nodded, only her eyes moving to follow the girl’s every movement.

“I thought you were just an urban legend… the people on the island talk about you so much but I didn’t think there was any way you could be real.” She continued on, still taking in everything happening. “How are you real?”

Thaleia hesitated before responding, the words slowly trailing from her lips. “I’m just… real. I exist, just like you.” Her voice was soft and smooth, each word nearly drizzling from her mouth like hot caramel. As she spoke, she could instantly see a relaxed, almost dazed look settle in the girl’s expression.

“It’s uh… Talia, right? That’s what they call you?” The girl asked. Thaleia unintentionally paused before correcting her, admiring how interestingly beautiful she was. Her near-black, almost blue hair was long and wavy, nearly to her hips. Her complexion was like that of dark chocolate, warm and soothing, and her skin was clear as could be. However, her eyes were her most captivating feature, big and blue, so pale that they nearly seemed to lack any color at all.

[b{“T-thaleia, actually,”[/b] she shook herself as she woke herself from the trance the girl had put her in, nearly as captivated as the girl was when she first saw Thaleia. A soft smile crept across the girl’s lips as Thaleia spoke, a light giggle following.

“That’s so pretty.. I’m Merissan,” Finally, a name. Thaleia’s eyes seemed to beam with interest, her voice repeating over and over in her head, ‘I’m Merissan… I’m Merissan…’

“Merissan…” Thaleia murmured softly, her expression falling, infatuated state, but only for a split second. She immediately tensed up, realizing how dangerous this could be.

“I um- I’ve got to go,” she whispered, so quiet that she wasn’t sure if Merissan had even heard her, but she turned and slipped down into the depths of the water, disappearing into the deep blue hues before the girl had a chance to say anything more.

Four months prior

“Oh, do tell me all about her!” Excitement and anticipation lingered in the voice of Erato, the ‘lovely’ nereid, chirped up. She was the sister nereid living closest to Thaleia, and the one she’d bonded with the most over her years.

“She’s absolutely lovely…” Thaleia began. “Her hair is so long, and has these big beautiful waves - nearly blue it’s so black. And there’s so much of it, I don’t know how it looks so beautiful dry.” She said, a light chuckle breaking up her last few words. “Her complexion is much darker than the rest on the island but so… so beautiful. Rich, soft… she nearly looks painted, it’s so smooth. And her eyes! Gosh, her eyes are such a pale, pale blue that they look like they have nearly no pigmentation at all. They’re captivating.”

Erato’s expression was dumb-struck, clearly envisioning the picture of Merissan that her sister was painting. “Oh, she sounds so beautiful… tell me you know her name,” she replied, a soft smile resting on her lips. “Don’t tell me you’re so in love with this girl and don’t even know her name.”

Thaleia’s head tilted back as she laughed, a faint glow humming against her skin. She always seemed to illuminate a little when she was with Merissan, or even spoke about her. The infatuation was off the charts, despite being so risky for the safety of Thaleia, her sisters, and the creatures that call the ocean their home. But, none of that was really bothering Thaleia. She’d been safe about all of their meetings so far - keeping them late at night, so few people would be around to see them, and to avoid sparking the interest of any trappers nearby.

“Of course I know her name,” Thaleia retorted, her delicate laugh breaking up each word. “Merissan…” she murmured, the same way she always spoke her name. As if it were something so precious and special that it could only be uttered softly, as if it would be dangerous for anyone else to hear.

“Oh,” the word was drawn out, raising in octave the longer the vowel was stretched. Erato’s hands were clenched together, drawn close to her chest. “I’m so happy for you, Thaleia. From what you’ve told me, she sounds perfect.” Her words sent a warm feeling through Thaleia’s body, enhancing the glow from her horns and her fingertips, deepening the colors of the life around them.

“So - when can I meet her?” Erato continued, a bright, anticipated expression lighting up in her eyes, at the same time a concerned, stumped expression crossed Thaleia’s.

“W-well, I don’t know,” she began, fiddling with her fingers as she struggled to avoid telling her the truth about Merissan - that she was human. “She isn’t too keen on strangers, she’s a bit shy.” she continued, averting her gaze to anywhere but Erato’s, which was locked on her.

“I can see what you’re doing,” Erato replied, her tone stern but not patronizing. “What are you not telling me?” The glow had dimmed so much from Thaleia that it almost seemed nonexistent at this point. A slight monotone ‘uh’ sound drew out from Thaleia’s lips, clearly stalling answering the question once more.

“Thaleia, I’m your sister. Just tell me, you know I already like her. Oh! Is she kin with the sharks? I know they’re always really weird about us, since they’re like, the apex predator or something,” her voice rambled, slowly fading out from Thaleia’s head. A roaring sound began slowly building, until it was all she could hear, causing her to tense up more and more.

“She’s human!” Thaleia snapped, suddenly accompanied by absolute silence, the kind that brought an unsettling feeling along with it. Her gaze drifted back to Erato, who’s expression seemed frozen in a state of shock and fear.

“Human?” she whispered the question, distrust lacing her tone. “Thaleia - you’re joking, right? Do you understand how insane that is?” A sharp, angered tone filled her words, sending a chill down Thaleia’s spine.

“They’ve captured fourteen of us so far, Thaleia. Fourteen.” The words were precisely enunciated, still echoing with that same distrustful, demeaning edge to them. “You realize how dangerous that is, yeah? You’re putting your own safety at risk, all of our safety at risk. Literally every single creature that lives in the oceans - you are compromising their safety by giving yourself so much exposure to a human,” she sneered, her body shifted away from Thaleia’s.

“She isn’t like them, Erato-” she began, only to be abruptly cut off.

“But she is. They’re all the same. They want us dead, and you’re serving yourself up on a silver platter for her.” Erato’s tone was no longer as spiteful, but more saddened and disappointed. She stared at the seafloor for a moment before finally lifting her gaze back up to meet her sister’s. “I think it’s best we don’t meet anymore, and I hope you realize why. Don’t put the rest of us at risk for your little crush.”

“Good luck, Thaleia,” Erato replied softly before turning, swimming away until her figure was consumed by the deep blue depths of the sea.

One month prior

“How bad is it?”

“Bad.” Thaleia’s voice quivered ever so slightly, her gaze avoiding Merissan’s. “There’s only six of us left, I don’t know how they managed to capture so many of us in such a short amount of time but… it’s getting so risky. I don’t know what to do.”

Merissan gently placed her hand on Thaleia’s shoulder, though she quickly drew back at the shock of how cold to the touch she was, which was abnormal for her as she was usually quite warm. She hesitated a moment before placing her fingers underneath Thaleia’s chin, tilting her head up to face hers.

“They can’t get here, my love. The seas are always far too rough surrounding the islands,” she tried to reassure the princess, who let her gaze sink back to stare at the water. Merissan nudged her head up once more, bringing Thaleia’s eyes back to her. “Hey. You’re safe here.”

Thaleia nodded lightly, her tense expression softening as she gazed into Merissan’s pale eyes, a warm, comforting feeling settling inside her. The soft waves gently washed over the bright pink and blue hues of Thaleia’s tail, the ends of her hair swirling up in front of her. Everything around them seemed to stand completely calm, until an odd smell faintly wafted into the air. Thaleia’s eyebrows furrowed before she glanced down, seeing a faint black strand slowly flowing between them, and the distant sloshing sound filled her ears, causing them to perk up. She abruptly turned her head, spotting the ship in the distance, with dozens of barrels of oil draining off the side of the ship.

She realized the crew were pointing at her and Merissan, causing her to turn back to look at Merissan, who had the same baffled expression written across her face. Fear settled in a deep pit in Thaleia’s stomach quickly, and she slowly shook her head as she backed away before turning sharply, darting away into the depths of the ocean.

Two days prior

I need to see her. I need to know if she’s okay. They need the fish to eat, to survive. But I can’t bring them back to life.

Thaleia floated in front of the mirror she’d stolen from a sunken ship, staring back at her reflection. Her once pink, luminous skin was now black, covered in purple-pink hued swirls from the damage the oil had done. Her hair was straight, jet black, hanging limp from her head. Everything about her that once screamed life and beauty from the ocean, was now dark and dreadful from the oil and pollution the trappers infested her waters with.

She refused to surface, to give them the satisfaction of capturing her.

They’re all gone. All of my sisters, all of the fish, my corals. It’s all gone.

She sunk a mere foot to the seafloor, resting on her back as she gazed up through the endless murky waters, tainted to ugly hues from the toxins.

I need to see her so bad. What if she isn’t safe? What if she misses me? God, I miss her so much.

Everything was gloomy. She lifted herself off the seafloor and slowly swam to the closest cluster of dead corals, her dark fingertips brushing against them gently. This time, there was no glow, no magical healing, no restoration of bright colors. She’d given up.

Go see her. No, don’t. What if they’re waiting to try to capture you? Go at night, they won’t be able to see you. They’ll be asleep.

Don’t go.

Go.

present

“Thaleia..? Are you out here?” Merissan’s voice spoke out against the deafening silence. The water was far too murky to be able to see, even with the moonlight shining off of it.

“We need you… I need you. There’s no fish, and we’re running out of resources on the island. Everyone’s getting sick from the oil.”

Thaleia’s head barely poked out of the water, slightly to the right of Merissan. She watched as she dropped to her knees, sloshing the water around her. Tears slowly formed in her eyes, then fell down her cheeks accompanied by faint sobs.

A sharp pain struck in Thaleia’s chest, forcing her to swim over closer to her, but still barely out of the water. She hadn’t been back to see her since the oil dump, for fear she wouldn’t love her anymore now that she looked so different.

“There’s nothing I can do, Mer,” her voice murmured softly, breaking the silence around them. Merissan’s head lifted abruptly, her pale eyes scanning the water to see where Thaleia was at. Spotting her, she edged a little closer.

“Thaleia..? Is that you?” Her voice was soft, a little timid. Her eyes widened in surprise as Thaleia lifted her head from the water, nearly still blending in with it. She nodded ever so slightly, sending small ripples through the water around her.

“You look, uh… different.” Merissan said with a light chuckle, wading closer to get a better look at her. “Your eyes! They’re.. glowing. Is that oil?” she reached for Thaleia’s face to wipe the oil dripping from her tear ducts, her touch light and delicate.

“The oil, the pollution. It’s killing me, I don’t know what to do.” Thaleia’s voice was flat and soft, expressing nearly no emotion.

“You heal things, right? Make new life in the oceans? Why can’t you just.. heal the water? Reverse the damage?” Merissan questioned, pushing a lump of Thaleia’s hair behind her ear.

“What’s the point?” she began, lifting herself up to sit next to Merissan, resting her head on her shoulder. “They took all of my sisters. They killed everything I’ve spent.. centuries, creating and caring for. Even if I wanted to fix it all, even if there was a point, I don’t think I have enough power to do it.”

Merissan looked at her, a near disgusted look on her face. “What’s the point? Seriously?” she retorted, her tone sharp and disapproving. “The ocean is literally your home. It’s home to thousands of other creatures, it’s how we eat to survive. Without it, everything and everyone would die. You seriously don’t see a point? What about me, my family? We’re all starving up here because there’s no more fish and the crops are all going too fast.”

Thaleia shook her head slowly, letting out a long, drawn out sigh. “I just can’t. I know you want me to fix it but it isn’t in me.” she whispered, her gaze lost in the water. Merissan pulled away from her, turning to face her directly.

“No. This… this isn’t you,”

“It is me. But this? This is all so much bigger than me. I can’t fix it, and quite frankly, I don’t want to. I lost nearly everyone and everything that mattered to me, and cleaning won’t bring them back, Mer. I’m done.” Thaleia snapped in response, her tone sharp.

“Done? With what?” Merissan questioned, almost as if she was challenging her.

Thaleia could hear commotion from the nearby ship that’d dumped the oil, waiting for the opportunity to capture her. She flicked her ears in the direction of the ship, and slowly sunk down under the water.

Merissan watched, a deadly silence filling the air around them for what felt like forever, but was only a mere minute. Before she realized what was happening, Thaleia’s body leapt from the depths of the water in front of the ship, and a roar of shouting erupted as the men launched the ship’s spear, landing perfectly in the base of Thaleia’s tail. As soon as she splashed back into the water, she was reeled right back out, her gaze locked with Merissan’s, black tears falling down her cheeks as she disappeared onto the ship’s deck.

⊱ ──────────────────────────────── ⊰
ii. environment & closing
⊱ ──────────────────────────────── ⊰

something my family and i do that, while isn’t major, is consistently re-using plastic bags, to avoid throwing them away, or to at least decrease how many we use. any place that we absolutely cant use a re-usable bag for, we try to repurpose the plastic bags they give us. we do keep a couple of re-usable grocery bags that we try to use as often as possible.
i also try to stick to many natural products for my hair & makeup, which also isn’t a super big thing, but it means my money is going to companies that aren’t creating and using harsh chemicals that the plants will also inevitably be releasing into the atmosphere.


i ended up deciding to complete my form pretty late and didn’t get the chance to do the art that i wanted to do, but i had a ton of fun developing thaleia and her story <3 best of luck to everyone entering, and best of luck to the staff in reading through and judging all of the forms!

[Nightcrawler.]

Mark holy woah y’all went ham

Character ideas:

She was a gentle fae that lived in a lake/river. For centuries the forest and her lake were kept in the balance of nature, untouched by mankind. This peace however, wouldn’t last any longer. The men in suits came, looking for somewhere to dump their excess of trash and filth. They plowed through the forest, taking the trees, uprooting them, churning the soil. Many of the forest dweller’s homes were lost, most didn’t make it. Listening, she heard the noise of the forest dying around her, but there was nothing she could do. She was peaceful, and she thought that maybe they would stop and leave once they took their chunk of the forest. She would find out that people were greedy and would never stop. Something heavy and slick seeped up her fur and into her hair. It smelled foul and acidic, and when she looked down, she was covered in a black liquid that shone in the sun. Part of her thought it was beautiful, so many colors that shimmered in the light, she didn’t even realize when it had covered her completely, filling up the entire lake. She couldn’t put her head back underwater, she would risk her eyesight, though some of the liquid had already gotten into them. Her vision was blurry, she bumped into the bank and tried to crawl up on land. She yelled for her forest friends to aid her, to help escape, but nobody came. With what she saw, everything had been destroyed. Large machines had plagued the dirt that used to be covered in trees, tubs of the liquid had spilled over leaving large puddles scattered around. She was quick to realize that even something as colorful and pretty as the liquid could cause this much harm. She returned back into her lake, wallowing in sadness as her friends had all gone, her home destroyed, and now even the men in suits had left her. The forest would regrow, but it was misshapen and dark. The water was murky and the air became damp. The forest wouldn’t ever become fully healed again, but nobody came to destroy it. Sometimes though, people would wonder into the forest, either they were lost or wanted to explore, but every single one of the stragglers had always made the same mistake. They would throw a piece of garbage onto the ground, or into a dark lake. They would continue on their way, trying to find their way back, but before they could get too far, something would grab their legs and drag them into the lake, never to be seen again.


Idk possible story idea. It was done real quick so I can’t wait to start actually writing!

Kinda lowkey Last Unicorn vibes in the way she used to act before the spill

[f1owercrown]

i might,, do this?? if i have the time hnghhhhhhh mark

[astral.]

Mark ❤

[jiㅤ]

mark-- whoa
jiai

[Liliette]

Mark

[hellb0und]

Mark.

[mellifluous]

res/mark

[sun struck]

Mark