So, anybody out there have any idea how a modern-day teenage girl, high-school age, would be able to turn into a mermaid? Any ideas on what an actual mermaid would look like, or how they would move (in water, or on land if they had to), or how this would mentally affect someone? Any information would be very helpful! (and please don't go disney on me; I'm not looking to re-write "a little mermaid" or "the thirteenth year". Be as realistic as you possible can with this!)
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"If no one ever took risks, Michelangelo would have painted the sistine floor."
~ Neil Simon
1,713 / 50,000
Okt 26, 2009 - 17 59
Given that your premise is in the realm of fantasy, I think you can solve these issues any way you want to. That said, I might read the original "Little Mermaid" by Anderson to get some ideas.
Basically, just imagine that it happened to you. What do you think it would feel like? How would you feel emotionally? Then share those feelings with your character....
----------From the Office of Chaos
23,407 / 50,000
Okt 26, 2009 - 18 09
If she keeps the same form all the time, then in water she'd swim by tail flipping like a dolphin, on land she'd be crawling like a seal. Would she have gills to breath under water?
----------She could turn because of a curse, other magic, a mutation, or is she a shapeshifter? Maybe she got bitten by a were-dolphin LOL.
14,007 / 50,000
Okt 26, 2009 - 18 16
Since this is essentially a fantasy story, you could have the girl touch/eat something that turns her into a mermaid, or meet someone who turns her into a mermaid. Alternatively, she could just wish for it and have it come true.
An actual mermaid would look exactly like they're portrayed in tv shows, I guess. She'd have no legs, obviously, and would probably be nude from the head to the waist once she changes. Mermaids are very good swimmers, but I'm not entirely sure how they'd go about moving on land. Maybe she could ask someone for help? Otherwise she'd be as helpless as a fish on land.
Whether or not swimming with her tail is a natural instinct once she turns into a mermaid or something she has to learn is up to you to decide. She'd definitely be able to breathe in water, but whether she'll be able to breath on land depends on how you plan to develop the story.
As for how it would mentally affect her, I think anyone would be distressed after losing the simple ability to walk. She might be unsure of how to behave, since she grew up as a human and is now suddenly a mermaid. She might even have issues with where she belongs and if she wants to stay mermaid. I can't think of anything else though.
Hope this helps!
0 / 50,000
Okt 26, 2009 - 18 51
Perhaps she could turn into one via a magic stone that she finds on the night of a lunar eclipse or something magical like that...you could do a 'wrong place at the wrong time' deal. Or she could meet some whacky senile elderly person that chants a few words in a foreign language, and it later becomes a curse.
How she deals with movement on land is determined by her condition--if she is able to switch back and forth from human to mermaid, for example, she could behave as a human on land. If she were stuck as a mermaid, however, she could not walk and would thus have to be carried or even use a wheelchair. (That would be interesting...)
Emotionally--does your character like water? If so, they might be excited and think it were really cool. Or they could have an extreme phobia of water and completely freak out. A lot depends on the character's background. Think of how it would affect not only her, but others related to her.
It's a concept that you could do so much with. I look forward to seeing the completed novel. Good luck!
PS-- oh, as to what she looks like, she could be either disney-like in appearence, or maybe you could do harry-potter type mer-people...very green and scaley. I'd advise you to look at old merpeople tales that could provide various descriptions for you.
----------I may not remember, but I never forget.
1,713 / 50,000
Okt 26, 2009 - 18 59
A lot also depends on whether you think mermaids/merpeople are benign or not. Myself, I somehow think mermaids are very mixed and in fact have some pretty dark sides to them -- after all, what about stories of mermaids/sirens calling ships onto rocks?
Also, did your character want to turn, or not. Do they like the water, or not, as a previous poster asked. Anderson's Little Mermaid couldn't walk on land, even when she got her legs, without excruciating pain; what would happen to your character? Is this a new form for them, or are they returning to something they once were in a dream or a previous life? (I know you said "ordinary teen," but what if....)
----------From the Office of Chaos
13,359 / 50,000
Okt 27, 2009 - 09 04
@Elaine Lies- Mermaids are not the same thing as sirens. I just feel the need to point this out, do to some, uh, stuff going on with someone-who-must-not-be-named-lest-I-insult-a-bunch-of-people.
Other than that though (sorry, I'm weird about those sorts of things), I agree with your point and just want to add that it also depends on the mood of your story and what you want the merfolk to illustrate.
46,380 / 50,000
Okt 27, 2009 - 10 27
The ability to “turn into a mermaid” (I suppose you would call it a “were-mermaid”) is an interesting concept. I think the biggest problem is to decide on the transformation triggering mechanisms and how much control the character has over it.
I would use the classic mermaid model; scales starting around the waist going down, normal skin going up. I would make the tail generally flexible, at least more so than legs, but probably not good for walking. In the more modern world they would be able to get along just fine on land with a wheelchair. (And with a long skirt, no one might even notice.)
If you want to get “realistic” I think the biggest problem is the lower plumbing. Basically a mermaid is like a dolphin with scales, so dolphin genitalia would be in order. That would put it right in front where it should be, but that means on land, the handicapped girl would have a hard time using the toilet, even a handicapped one.
Other than that, the general trauma of involuntary shape shifting, and the general trauma of puberty in general, I don’t think the general emotional stress would be exceptionally severe.
By the way, if you really want to go for a plot twist, you could have her involved in mermaid form paralympic sled hockey. A romance with the head of the high school hockey team would also make the plot twist points link up well.
----------Christopher Beattie
Co-ML - Long Island Region
3,370 / 50,000
Okt 27, 2009 - 10 33
All of a sudden, I want to go watch Splash again.
Mentally, I think it would depend on how she felt about water, swimming, etc. Is this the girl who holds her nose when she jumps in the pool, or is she as comfortable in the water as out?
8,423 / 50,000
Okt 28, 2009 - 01 06
Erm. I don't know if this is any help, but I think my first question upon turning into a mermaid would be 'where did my reproductive organs go?' followed by my being squicked out by my new scaly parts.
30,000 / 50,000
Okt 28, 2009 - 08 38
Have you read any stories about Selkies? That's a good place to look. There are stories about stealing the woman's seal-skin, forcing her to stay human, marry, and have children, and there are also stories about a male Selkie seducing a woman and then taking the child. One of your character's parents could be a mer-person, or she could have been stolen from her parents/given up for adoption/lost and somehow trapped in her human form. She might need a talisman to transform, or a magic phrase.
How she reacts will depend a lot on her back story and how she finds out. Does she find out by accident or do her parents confess? Do other merpeople kidnap her and drag her under the sea to take her rightful place among them? Has she always loved the sea or has she spent her whole life inland and never seen a body of water larger than a swimming pool?
20,005 / 50,000
Okt 28, 2009 - 08 50
When you say be as realistic as you can, are you thinking of a non-magical way of a teenage girl turning into a mermaid? Could this maybe be a horrific experimentation process by a crazy doctor?
What theme are you going for? How about a sick, perverted, kidnapper who steals children and conducts crazy experiments on them trying to turn them into animals? Maybe this girl was kidnapped and was one of the doctor's first successful experiements (or not, depending on what your story calls for). Then, she escapes or is rescued, only to find that most people are horrified and disgusted by her.
Lot of different ways you could go.
Good luck.
11,007 / 50,000
Okt 28, 2009 - 20 38
Thank you for all these wonderful, interesting ideas. I have read a wonderful story (7 tears into the sea) about a girl falling in love with a guy who turns out to be a selkie, which may be helping to inspire this in some way...
----------But yes, I do know most of this (and I love the movie Splash!); just wanted to see how many different perspectives I could get here. Sometimes I'm not sure what I need for inspiration, but you guys have definitley provided me with some! Thanks, and keep sharing these great ideas!
"If no one ever took risks, Michelangelo would have painted the sistine floor."
~ Neil Simon
83,099 / 50,000
Okt 29, 2009 - 01 45
I have a mermaid in my story and she's going to be able to keep up her human form by way of a glamour and returning to the ocean once a day. Which wont be hard as she lives by the sea.
----------2005, 2006, 2007 - WON
2008 - FAILED
2009 § The Sidereal Rose
http://thesiderealrose.blogspot.com/
42,313 / 50,000
Okt 29, 2009 - 15 09
What first came to my mind is that while swimming around in the ocean it will be very tranquil, quiet, soothing, she'll be completely alone with her thoughts in this beautiful watery world, (unless, I suppose, wherever she goes to swim isn't beautiful. XD ) and then she comes on land and there are people and more noise, light, and energy. I guess it depends on what kind of person she is, I would prefer the peace and solitude in the water. But if she's more of an outgoing person she may prefer being out in the world with friends and music and such, whereas the water would be more lonely and depressing. Either way, going from land to whatever would be a big change in surroundings, so that would affect her a little.
As for the other stuff, you'd think changing from legs to tail would be AT LEAST uncomfortable, unless she goes numb from the waist down for a few minutes. That might be interesting, you change back into a human and you can't feel your legs, change into a mermaid and you can't feel your... tail. For a little while.
Is it a permanent change, it happens for a set period of time, she can change at will, or it's caused by a trinket which she can use whenever, but can't change back without it? As for how, it doesn't really matter, however fits your plot. In the little mermaid it was a spell, another story it was at a certain age, for another I read it happens every time she is submerged in water. If it's a trinket or spell, it can be whatever you want, if you want a 'scientific' reason... well... make up some science! It'll still be fantasy, unless it's mermaids in space or something. (which would be TOTALLY AWESOME!!!)
Ways for her to change that might make things interesting would be a) it's a trinket that might be stolen, so she's stuck in one form until she gets it back, b) something she has to ingest, which might also be stolen, taken by someone else, or used up, c) something that just happens at a certain time, sunset, every other day, a few times a month, and can't be reversed until the time is up. So, she has to be near water/near the surface of the water, or she'll drown or turn into a mermaid in front of everyone. But, it's your story, your pick.
----------Of course I'm mad, it's the only thing that keeps me sane!
36,666 / 50,000
Okt 29, 2009 - 16 07
I always thought there weren't enough mermaid novels out there! Go for it!
One of the interesting questions about mermaids, IMO, is how they manage the details of everyday life. For example, dinner. Obviously they won't be able to drink beverages or eat soup, since those things would just diffuse away into the water. Bread and crackers would dissolve. Salad would float away... and how would you add dressing?
Without soup or drinks, they wouldn't have much need for cups or bowls, or spoons for that matter. Forks and knives... without the ability to create fire, how would they melt and shape metal to form these things? Hot underwater vents maybe? Or would they be using stone knives and coral chopsticks to eat?
Mermaid dinner tables would probably lack placemats and tablecloths (they wouldn't lie flat), and salt and pepper shakers (everything is salted in the ocean, and pepper would get clumpy and not pour out the little holes.) Chairs may or may not be necessary; if your mermaids have gas bladders like many fish, they wouldn't sink, and could just float at their spot at the table. (This also brings up interesting possibilities for mermaid architecture, with doors on the ceiling and so on.)
So many possibilities! Good luck!
44,150 / 50,000
Okt 29, 2009 - 16 17
There's a series--Powers That Be, Power Lines, and Power Play by Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough--where the hero is a selkie and switches between human and seal. Being caught in transition by villains is not a good thing...
----------Aliens, Animals, and Adventure
44,150 / 50,000
Okt 29, 2009 - 16 18
Btw, the Powers That Be series is science fiction.
----------Aliens, Animals, and Adventure
66,188 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2009 - 10 21
Oooh, someone else who is going all fishy with NaNoWriMo this year. I was just wondering if there was anyone else doing that.
I am also doing a merfolk story with a teenage boy who finds that when he comes of age he becomes a merman (and he, of course, takes offence to the idea of being called a merMAID).
Even though my character was given advance warning (since it is genetic in his case) he was confused, scared out and there is a lot of anger at being, in his words, a "freak".
I am going with the route of legs out of the water and fins in the water (just like in Splash - which I love, too).
I am also creating a whole underwater community that using a special form of magic to hold back the sea/ocean so that they can live in places built under the water, but that have vast pockets of air, where the merfolk can take human form beneath the sea. Since it is fantasy we can get away with doing an awful lot, especially when mermaid legends vary so much.
76,707 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2009 - 10 35
Is she capable of moving about on land or would she start suffocating the way fish do when they're yanked out of the water? Does she look like the typical cartoon version of a mermaid (woman from the waist up, fish below) or is she more flat-faced like an actual fish without nose or lips and possessing gills instead of lungs?
Is her transition into being a mermaid the result of a wish or a curse? Does she insult a witch and find herself doomed to finnyhood forever or is it something she can assumed in time of danger (she's being kidnapped on board a ship and throws herself off, apparently drowning but becoming a mermaid to escape her captors)? Does she spend time seeking out other mermaids and getting assimilated into their culture or does she try to make it back to land?
These are some questions you might want to pose for your character and a few things I thought of off the top of my head.
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