TIDEBOUND - Help Raythe With A Story!

I would love to read this. Can't wait to read the first chapter.

I can’t wait to read this. The description so far is great, I can’t wait to see where the story goes. ( ◠‿◠ )

I can’t wait to read another story set in the Mer universe (this story in particular), which incorporates the aftermath of the Mer revealing themselves to humans. This story seems like it will have a lot of twists and turns- super excited to see where it takes us!!

OMG, I'm SUPER HAPPY and EXCITED about this, Raythe! I LOVE your Mers so much!!! I CAN'T WAIT to read this!

Well, Bex is clearly not afraid of water from your descriptions, so there's no issue there. Bex will need to find out that not all Mers are terrible, or to be feared, just like all humans aren't bad. And Bex will obviously need to teach/show Elaric that not all humans are bad, or automatically inferior to Mers, and some of the things that are wonderful about being human! (Reading and Anime, perhaps?) Those would be some cool hobbies/interests for Bex!

an arranged marriage story? I'm here! ♡

This sounds amazing! Cory guest appearance or is he in Greece now? Land food and art could surprise win over arrogant mers. Is there something Bex has or does that is land based that he would/might lose if he goes to the water?

Sounds amazing. What I would expect from a world in which humans suddenly find out that they are not alone:

Chaos, cults, religions running rampant crying that the Mers are Gods, Demons, angels, saviors, sinners, some questions of what else is out there (perhaps this could be a hook at the end of the book towards mixing the Mers with WH if you wish to, since I find it hard to believe after humans discover one supernatural creature that they do not uncover more, whther from Miskatonic telling them or other means).

Basically the whole social order thrown into chaos, look at the Aztecs and Incas, people claim the european conquerors killed them all, but that is not true. the truth is that many of those civilizations lost hope when they found out the world was not as they expected, that they were not the most advanced or powerful group out there, and mixed in with one of their religious calendars saying it was the end of an era fathers, mothers, sons and daughters often abandoned their families. (There were also internal revolts against the empires since they saw a chance to remove the ruling classes but those are other things).

As for the relationship between Bex and Elaric, it sounds like a wonderful beginning to a story. I'd vote for this to be a slow burn, and not them falling into each other's arms from the get go, but to do a slow dance. Or perhaps move towards each other without realizing, until maybe one of them is put in danger and they both realize that they love each other. I'd also like to see them get married while they still hate each other, unlike in other of your stories where such ceremonies are always the end of the path, here it would be the beginning. Maybe they could have a honeymoon or second marriage at the end when they decide they truly want to be together.

I'd also like for them both to have some blinkers, but for neither of them to be woefully naive about the world and be due to their circumstances and lives to be slightly jaded (Bex would have been in hiding all his life, Elaric would have the burden of knowing upon him could fall the responsability for so many Mers). They would probably both think the other is incredibly selfish (Elaric for Bex wanting to hide with his parents and abandon his people, and Bex for seeing Elaric as there to break the peace and happiness within his family).

Also...any chance to see a mini-story within the story of Cetus and Zed? -blinks innocently-.

Aside question, I assume the Mer coming out of the closet would affect all supernatural creatrues as humans would become hyper-paranoid. Would this be shown in other stories such as the one you intend to do later on of the Pact 3?

Eager to see whatever you write of this story, it looks like a great hook!

Interesting idea!!!! I like the start where they are married and hate each other will be interesting too see how that changes!!!! And I adore the mers so I’m glad they are back!!!! I really hope we will get to see a little bit Cetus and zed ^^ and mane meeting Cory when we are at misntronic? I would love to see him again!!!! I can’t wait to see what mysterious powers the Bexys have!!! Oh I ‘m so excited!!! I can’t wait!!! Can you already tell us when you are going to start this story?

I got so excited by Mers that I made my cat jump! I love your mers so I'm thrilled see a continuance in this world. Your story sounds good so far and when you flesh it out it will be even better

Oh how interesting! Of course I want to see how the rest of the world will deal with Mers... it's the same Raythe-TUO 'verse, so much potential for cross-over... other supernatural citizens must have opinions too!

And I'm so interested in the Sundering Deep. It would have to work within the given framework: anything bad happening in the deep has to do so with Cthulu's permission, right? That's his territory, and demons are prettty territorial! If Cthulu wasn't aware of it? Then learned about it? Godzilla of the Sea, baby! Uh, got overexcited there. But my point is, Zed & Cetus are game-changers, so there must be a reason why they are not interfering. I did see the "cost of calling Cthulu" being the reason House Silvyr is the bulwark--and that's true-ish? But that speaks to "standard callers" which Zed & Cetus are not. So. That's my quibble, I'm sorry. [side-note: I would buy that 'the Sundering Deep' is allowed by TUO/Cthulu to percolate for some inscrutable demon-reason, i.e., to get to a future TUO/Cthulu wants to see happen?]

But for the characters: I'd like to see Elaric in "fish out of water" situations. How appropriate! Like, going shopping for clothes. Or going to a concert. Or dealing with Bex's pet (yes, more Raythe-pets!--I'm partial to cats of course), who loves him for some reason. His life sounds pretty grim. I'd like to see him realize that Bex makes him happy. Strange situation!

I want the two main characters fall deeply in love with each other. I also want the characters from the main books of Mers to be involved in the story. I think by getting everybody involved humans also it will make a great story can't wait to read it

Bex floated gently in the water, his tail keeping him in place as the currents swirled around him, pulling at his short hair. Elaric watched him from a few yards away, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. His larger tail twitched in agitation as he swam in tight circles. Bex sighed, bubbles floating to the surface above, before turning back to the wonders around him. He’d never been this far out, too afraid of drawing attention to his family. Now that the worst had already happened, however, he was finally free to enjoy the sea as he never had before. Sinking further to where he was almost sitting on the ocean floor, Bex ran his hand along the coral, watching as it came to life and either wrapped around his fingers or curled away from his touch. Starfish in various colors clutched to the rocks around him while clown and angel fish darted back and forth, creating a kaleidoscope of color that was both amazing and exciting.
Noticing a deeper shadow further out Bex reached out, gently touching on its thoughts. It a dolphin and it’s young. Their minds were curious and playful so Bex pulled slightly and began to hum. The dolphins zipped forward, darting to and fro before deciding Bex wasn’t a threat. They played for a few short minutes, the baby doing lots of loops and twirls to show off his skills before the mother eventually urged him away to rejoin their school. Bex smiled watching them swim away. Elaric had watched all this silently. Never joining in, but for once not judging Bex on his many inadequacies as a merman.
Turning toward him, Bex went to tell him he was okay to continue when a large eel shimmied up from one of the rocks between Bex and Elaric. It turned toward Bex, it’s mouth wide, razor sharp teeth in full display. Elaric’s eyes widened and he began making his way toward them.
Bex merely smiled before humming again, singing some gentle tune before lightly grazing the side of the eel with the back of his fingers. The eel’s eyes lowered, and his mouth closed. It’s body shivered in pleasure at Bex’s touch before retreating back into it’s cave.
“You should be more careful of what you invite near you. That eel could easily have bitten you.” Elaric scolded, grabbing Bex’s arm and pulling him away from the eel’s hidden home.
“Possibly.” Bex said, before turning to face Elaric. His handsome face was scrunched up, caught between some expression of anger and concern. “Or maybe not. If you treat a something like a monster, then that is all it can be. If you give it a chance, however, it may surprise you.” Pulling out of Elaric’s grasp, Bex continued in the direction they had been heading before he’d had to call for a break. He continued humming as he went, his hums turning into words until he was full out belting color of the wind.
“You can own the earth and still, all you’ll own is earth until… you can paint with all the colors of the wind…” Turning with a flip of his tail Bex caught Elaric giving him the side eye, a strange expression on his face.
“What?” Bex asked, “Not a fan of Disney?”
“Your song teaches a powerful lesson.” Elaric finally said, his expression thoughtful.
“It’s not mine, but it’s taught to many small kids on the surface. If we learn to look beyond on own view, sometimes we can be so much more then we ever were. We can see how life is for others. It makes us more compassionate and more able to compromise to make situations better for all parties involved, not just our own.”
“I see.” Elaric turned forward and swam for a moment. “Maybe there are a few surface dwellers that we might learn something from. This Disney seems to be a wise person for a human.” Elaric admitted grudgingly.
Bex smiled, imagining all the cartoons he had watched as a kid. He very much doubted that this was what Elaric meant. “Walt Disney was quite wise for his time. He’s gone now, but there are several kingdoms on the surface that still honor him today. Maybe I’ll take you to one, one day?” Bex grinned at the thought of Elaric and his stuffy attitude as he was pulled about one of the Disney theme parks. Maybe a few roller coasters and doll whips would loosen him up.

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I'm so excited for this new serial! It sounds amazing. My hope for it is that the Bexys actually did mate and intermingle with the creatures from the trench. That they were open to all walks of life, both land and sea, and were almost like ambassadors of peace. They're gentle nature made them many friends and allies, making them powerful for who they knew more than their own power. Now that the trench is 'alive' again I hope Bex can show Elaric that sometimes just because something is different doesn't mean its bad, just different. Also I think it would be hilarious if Bex took Elaric to a Disney theme park to show him the 'wonders' of being a human.

Want:
Cameos by the characters from The Merman 1 & 2
Bex should have a close friend or friends, perhaps unexpected companions from the Silvyr house.
There should be a (slight) threat from a rival for Bex's affection to fire Elaris up!
Maybe even a party/ball where Bex has an intimate dance with the rival!

Don't Want:
Don't want Elaris to do a complete 180 in personality once he falls for Bex. His character should be strong enough to change while remaining intact in most ways!
A creepy/crazy guy like that military grandma's boyfriend in Merman 1.
No intense love triangles! I end up liking the 'loser' of the 3 way too often!

You seem to have put a lot of thought and detail to this story. I can't wait to see what happens between these two characters. And I can see some Cthulu mythos, and am open to the idea of some secret back door cross breeding happening. It's always a surprise what you get.
But one thing concerns me...
The sketch you have of Bex looks an awful lot like Milo from Date a Vampire.com. I would advise to make a few tweaks in his designs, maybe a bit different hairdo or even a tattoo.
In any case, looking forward to this new story.

I think Bex would seem like a man who constantly wanting to understand why Elaric thinks the way he does. I think he not only would defend humans passionately but would also be calm and wise enough to listen to and actually want to discuss this obvious racism and prejudice and its place within Mer society. I see Bex as a mediator, or a diplomat, wanting everyone to make an effort to live and educate each other about each race, whilst also secretly feeling far more frustrated at Elaric for being so blatantly cruel and dismissive of the people he grew up around.

I would like to see a character like Bex actually not see Elaric as a problem to fix but rather a means of peace for his family and an opportunity to discover his heritage and encourage peace between the races. I'd like Bex to act decently towards him and Elaric feel ashamed of his own bad behaviour and attitude as he learns and changes and have him fall in love with him first. A bit like if Bex is like Disney's Pocahontas and Elaric is a bit like Ratcliffe personality-wise. Then only after he realizes this that he has to win Bax over, who could easily love him back, if he wasn't so hateful and learned to accept the value of humankind.

Now this serial peaks my interest. I admit, I read the Mer series; while nice I concluded that I was a dragon-vampire-shifter-elf reader. But something about all of the elements and background you presented for this series makes me want to read it. Pretending that the series begins with Bound - it clearly lends itself for the reader to ask why ? And also allows you to go forward and backward in time from that point. I like the way you weave backstories into a current reading. TBH if I had to slog through to many details...I'd die readers-death. I know all series can't begin with a Bound kinda plot -however for this one it feels right. I like to just jump into the deep water and swim back to shore. So I can't tell you what want from the characters because once you put fingers to keyboard your characters are in charge..you just type ...LOL But I like the Universe you have created.

This is so exciting!!!! I'd love to see cameos from Merman 1&2 !!! And definitely a slow burn for between Bex and Elaric. I hope they both remain themselves and not change when they do fall for one another. Or maybe they just tolerate each other enough to make it work in the end. I'd also love to see a Mer wedding!!! That would be awesome!!!

And Elaric needs a younger sibling or cousin that adores him and sasses him on occasion. It might break the ice a bit with Bex to have one around.

Hey, I know how you asked to give advice to the new merman series, and one of my ideas is a background story on how Aemrys met Tabitha. My other is maybe a wedding involving Gabriel and Casillus. But if that’s not what you had in mind I could think of something else.

As for Elaric and Bexs, obviously this is a arrange marriage that starts out in hate but eventually they’ll Learn to love eachother. But with my imagination there’s is plenty that could happen.
For starters, they don’t want to get married but get married for safety reasons and they’re complete opposites. But maybe Bexs gets in trouble one day and Elaric saves him, that’s gains sympathy sooner or later they start communicating and getting along and realizing that they have a few things in common, maybe even add a third person who’s obsessed with Bexs because he’s beautiful and Bexs liked him too but is starting to love his husband, that triggers something.

Secondly I think the first time they kiss should be in the ocean, Bexs convinces Elaric to join him in skinny night swim, with a couple checking out bodies of course, they swim splash make smart remarks that Elaric could love the sea as much as Bexs and in that moment they kiss, with a few touches and maybe a cockblock moment when an unwanted guess shows up? There could even be a moment were Bexs joins Elaric in the shower helps wash his back and they look into each other’s eyes and kiss.

Another first love scene I can’t decide were there in a moment and realize how much they love each other and they make love in a mid Twilight surf, or a rainy day we’re they have a huge fight and Elaric takes Bexs in his arms and take him in his beach cabbin they shed their clothes of all the way through the halls up the stairs and on to the bed.

So far that’s all I got, but I many other ideas but I hope you can think about it and love them, I understand if you say no. Thx u