MooncalfWaltz

What Determines What Merfolk/Finfolk Look Like?

It's essentially magic-based camouflage! They're sapient magical creatures and where they're conceived determines what other aquatic species they'll resemble.

A family staying in the same location for multiple generations might resemble a single species, but so long as biological diversity exists in the area, variants can crop up. Because this magical reflex takes place early in utero (or in egg depending on how swiftly eggs are expelled after fertilization, there's a period in which travel is 100% non-advisable. If the unborn is unable to "lock-on" to its environment, it runs risk of miscarriage, or birth defects.

Given that Ronen is an GPO and these will take place along the coast of the UK, that means he's a LONG way from where he was born.

Can Merfolk Resembling Different Creatures Have Children?

Because of the WIDELY varying bodies of merpeople, so long as egg and sperm can meet in some manner, all variants are able to reproduce with one another. How that manifests mechanically will depend on the mother/carrier parent.

Also, were Ronen's wife (seahorse) to have children with someone else, because of her ovipositor, without a parent to carry them internally, they would develop as eggs outside of a body.

Whether or not someone was a product of a live birth or hatching determines if they have a navel (Fig does, Ronen and Teodoro do not).

How Do Names Work? How are Histories Recorded?

Socially, Merfolk identify themselves is two core groups: clan and community. Clan refers to your biological family, and community is the immediate group around you that you contribute to and rely on. As most clans are small and fragmented, community is generally seen as the most important of the two.

Clan defines where you are from. Community is where you are now. Members of a community are free to come and go as they please from place to place, and while treated with hospitality, are levied with a heavy responsibility to contribute wherever they are.

While most have their own individual name, as Merfolk are almost entirely oral record-keepers, clan names are used to remember deeds. Only when enough individuals from the same clan (five or more is usually the threshold) reside in the same community group, is a distinction made and individual names used in conversation. Eleazar and Miriam chose to carry his clan name, whereas the intentionally childless Abraham and his mate identify with separate clan names.

Outside of low-oxygen conditions, the sea breaks down most materials, so clan histories are primarily recounted through song. Every individual in a clan is expected to flawlessly memorize those who came before, as any information forgotten is an incredible loss to their society.

An issue here arises with young orphans. Those too young to have memorized the songs of their parents are seen as a void and an ill omen. Teodoro, who was discovered very young, not only lacked his parents songs, but had no idea of his clan name either. Though the community that took him in collectively raised him, until Fig and Ronen took the reins, he was treated a bit more like a lost animal than a person.

Why do They Have Human Names?

Much like with Muggles and wizards, when left unattended, someone is always going to forsake a boundary for the sake of curiosity. So whether or not their names came first and humans adopted them later, or whether their communication with humans ended up in Merfolk adopting human names is up for debate.

In more current generations, while Merfolk have their own language and sprawling dialects, many have adopted land-based individual names. It's a bit of a fad. Most clan names that overlap with human ones are entirely coincidental.

Anatomical Details in the Core Cast

Ronen

Can feel, smell, and taste with his tentacles, though the latter two are intentionally enabled, not automatic.

Gill slits are located on the sides of his torso, though are only seen if expelling something from his siphon, inking, or mechanically exhaling. Despite being able to breathe through his skin as well, prolonged removal from water without use of magic to sustain him will eventually result in suffocation.

No visible ears, though he's able to change the topography and texture of his skin, allowing him to mimic the shape of this. This is mostly done to tease Sharp.

Has the most inhuman genital configuration of the trio. Instead of a more mammalian phallus, his third tentacle on the right covers that role. About 2-3 feet of it lack suckers and can be safely used for just about anything he can imagine plunging into (albeit, not that whole length). While capable of orgasm, does not ejaculate like the vast majority of other merfolk. Like the GPO, he would have to physically remove his spermatophore from his body (located in his mantle/torso, accessible via gill slit openings) and insert that into someone to potentially get them pregnant.

Unlike the GPO, waste is expelled through an opening beneath him, where a beak is found in cephalopods.

Teodoro

Incredibly slimy from the waist down. This acts as protection against sun, parasites, and more.

Can open his mouth unsettling wide, and does in fact have a pharyngeal jaw back in his throat.

Though based on the Black Moray, shares traits with the California Moray, in that his teeth are almost entirely depressible and able to fold backward.

No visible ears.

Gill slits are small circular openings on either side of his neck. Like a moray, he's most often seen with his mouth at least partially open to facilitate breathing. Can breath on the surface for small periods of time. Prolonged removal from water without use of magic to sustain him will eventually result in suffocation.

Closer to the end of his tail, a long anterior slit houses both the genitals and anus. The phallus egresses for intercourse.

Fig

Is the only one of the trio who needs to physically surface to breath, but though use of magic can sustain himself much longer between trips. He's also the only one who can breath entirely unaided if removed from water.

Does not have a blowhole.

Has visible ears, albeit they sit much closer to the body.

Past the halfway point of the body, a long anterior slit houses the genitals, while the smaller posterior slit below houses the anus. The phallus egresses for intercourse.

Claims to have befriended an orca once.

Teodoro Tesoro: The Empress

In 1895, Teodoro is two years graduated, and five since his crash-course introduction into the wizarding world. He's struggled, he's fought, and through those trial, he's come out much stronger than ever. In 1895, Teodoro is personified by the upright Empress card.

Upright Keywords: divine feminine, sensuality, fertility, nurturing, creativity, beauty, abundance, nature

When it comes to relationships, this card also heralds a stable, serious and committed relationship. Because the card also represents motherhood, sometimes it can also signal marriage or pregnancy, or at least a new family.

[...]

—this card can point to a comfortable financial situation. You may also be feeling very generous with your money now, wanting to nourish your friends and family with your abundance and good luck.

[...]

The arrival of The Empress signals a surge of creativity and emotional fulfillment in your life. You may feel more connected to your desires and instincts than ever before, fully embracing the joy that comes from self-love.

In his relationships, Teodoro has both strengthened those with his friends, as well as put down roots within his community—both immediate, in Aranshire, and in business, in Hogsmeade. He both offers himself in support of others, and leans on them in return—no longer hesitant to reaching out. His senses of self-esteem and self-worth have both solidified. He knows he's skilled and capable of impressive growth. He's not trying to seek approval from anyone, spare for maybe customer satisfaction (but that's on a vastly different scale of things).

He works with animals as his primary career, and rather than work toward peak efficiency, he goes out of his way to study and research them to offer better care. Spending extra time with ailing creatures is commonplace, including bringing struggling Mooncalves into his home to hand-rear.

His uncertain and fledgling relationship with Aesop Sharp is in its third year, and going strong. This is the year they will marry.

Aesop Sharp: The Fool

For several years, Aesop was stuck in a rut shaped by guilt and fueled by the fixation to return to a state of being already long out of reach. In 1895, though he's made some attempts to move on, this is when he finally cuts free and chooses a new path for himself. In 1895, Aesop is personified by the upright Fool card.

Upright Keywords: beginnings, freedom, innocence, originality, adventure, idealism, spontaneity

The arrival of The Fool signals your own desire for freedom and exploration. You feel invigorated at the thought of stepping outside your comfort zone or starting a new chapter in life.

[...]

Since the Fool represents the start of new journeys, it's tarot meaning in love can be an indicator of new relationships and signals that you'll need to experience new things in order to find the romance that you desire. Be willing to take risks, be bold and expand your vision of the world and you may end up finding love in the most unlikely places. Surprises are in store for you.

[...]

It encourages you to let go of fear and take a leap into the unknown, suggesting that now is the time for exploration and new experiences. This card also urges you to adopt a fresh perspective; view challenges as opportunities rather than obstacles. Allow yourself to be playful and curious, engaging with life in an open-hearted way. Trust your instincts, take risks, and enjoy the journey ahead without overthinking it.

Three years ago, he tentatively began a relationship with Teodoro. For several months, guilt surrounding his age and academic position dogs him. But as he slowly sheds that and realizes the joy there is to find, he embraces things. With both incredibly independent and busy, theirs' is a quiet romance where they come together for both peace and intellectual stimulation.

As time goes on and he gains confidence, despite the ugly and painful event that initially revealed their feelings to one another, Aesop wants nothing more than to keep moving forward. He's never seriously considered marriage until now. It's new. It's intimidating. But he's not letting go.

This is also the year when his health issues reaches a critical crux; with his mobility in a downward spiral and chronic pain more intrusive than ever, he makes the decision to amputate his leg. The removal will mark not only the end of his search for a cure, but effectively bar him from ever resuming his former career as an Auror. It's not a decision made lightly, but one made after serious consideration and communication. Wanting desperately to keep up with Teodoro, or at least not watch his life turn into a cascade of growing accommodations-made, Aesop makes the call, and for once, sticks to his recovery plan with the tenacity and drive he carried as an Auror. By the time they're wed in summer, he attends standing strong, already well-practiced on a custom-made prosthetic.

At a glance, these don't seem like light-hearted choices. However, coming out of a state of survivor's guilt and slow-burning self-destruction, these are all huge improvements to his life. Shedding anxieties and obsessions, he embraces the joy in his life and chooses to care for himself. These routes are new to him, untraveled, and bold, and to everyone on the outside looking in, utterly insane.

Abraham Ronen: The Hierophant

While at any earlier point, both Teodoro and Aesop would have been described with different cards, Abraham holds strong. As early as 1890, Abraham is personified by the upright Hierophant card.

Upright Keywords: tradition, social groups, conventionality, conformity, education, knowledge, beliefs

The Hierophant card suggests that it’s better for you to follow social structures which are established and have their own traditions. You might be involved in certain ceremonies, rituals or other religious trappings. This particular card is most commonly representative of institutions as well as their core values.

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To see the Hierophant in a reading is to embrace the conventional, for it suggests that you have a certain desire to actually follow a process which has been well established. It also suggests that you want to stay within certain conventional bounds of what could be considered an orthodox approach.

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The Hierophant upright reveals a profound respect and admiration for you. This person values tradition and stability, viewing your connection as meaningful and aligned with their beliefs. They likely feel a strong desire for commitment or guidance from you, appreciating the wisdom and support you bring into their life.

[...]

The Hierophant love meaning in tarot can also represent the more spiritual aspects of love, and a reminder that our partners should be treated morally, and lovingly.

"Tradition" is many things to Abraham. It exists as his father's stern teachings and his mother's prayers. So too is it a broadly-reaching sentiment. Tradition to him is not strictly to repeat actions for the sake of repeating them, but to seek patterns that support and uplift. His teaching methods are not seen as traditional, but he agrees. However, to him, education itself is a tradition, and so long as necessary skills are safely imparted and instilled in students, should the methods matter?

In the wake of the Amortentia incident, though the Ministry of Magic has failed Teodoro in many ways, Abraham finds their ruling separating the young man and Aesop as much as possibly ultimately correct.

To counter those wrongdoings and to ease the ethically correct imposed distance, Abraham leans hard on tradition as a means of providing structure and support. He offers guidance to Teodoro to worry less about rushing into adulthood, and gives him a safe place to vent his frustrations, free of judgement. Care of the Ministry investigation he was a part of, and thus, fully aware of Aesop's original intentions to never so much as speak his attraction to Teodoro, Abraham gives Aesop unflinching backing, frequently reminding Aesop of the man's stalwart moral backbone.

He continues to act as a mentor through all of Teodoro's school years, and when the other reaches the age of consent, only gives his blessing for the young man to remind Aesop of his romantic interests when Abraham is certain Teodoro has reached a state where he's able to stand up for himself and not merely pursue for the sake of filling an emotional void.

As well, while Abraham is a married man, others would consider his union non-traditional. He and his wife pursue others separately, though they consider themselves fully committed to one another. Writing frequently when apart, the pair are extremely honest and communicative with one another. Like with his ideals of education, so long as your spouse or partner is given genuine love and enabled to seek their interests, and so long as your relationship is one full of earnesty and honesty, with concerns open and addressed...why sweat the other details? To him, he is acting as proper husband and finds joy in treating his wife as an equal.

In times prior, Aesop had expressed sexually interest in Abraham. However, in 1890, Aesop is, largely, a mess. By 1895, settled in non-conventional, but very strong relationship, Aesop has also started taking his health seriously. So, seeing his friend reinvigorated and very serious about his changes, knowing that Teodoro is also interested, Abraham reconsiders his refusal. Together, Abraham is a transient piece in their relationship. He comes and goes as time allows. With all three existing in overlap as friends, mentors and mentee, coworkers, and mutual annoyances, even with the pronounced difference in ages between them, they balance each other well.

Guidance is not only for the young. Friendship and community create the strongest support nets. These are the truths he lives by and will continue to stand for, even if the methodology get a bit muddled in the middle.

Cards are from 1909, created by Pamela Colman Smith under direction of Arthur Edward Waite

Information is taken from Labyrinthos