#marevi

Marili is the words marine and life put together, with their endings chopped off. It’s pronounced mar-EE-lie. The demonym is Mari, which is pronounced like marine, but without the end sound.

I’d like to change the names of Marevi and its locations so that it’s not based on any Latin words. How does Marili (mar-EE-lie, marine and life mushed together) sound?

Long post warning!

Marevian Values:

Life

Kindness

Respect

Courtesy

Cooperation

Community

Caring for the ocean

Living in harmony with nature

No harm to any living thing

Competition, for the most part, is frowned upon

They believe you should never take more than your fair share

Mythology, Folklore and Stories:

Baby pieces come from the earth itself. (In this world, people build babies with Lego pieces)

You are a part of the earth. There is no afterlife.

What other lands call ghosts are not called ghosts in Marevi. That’s someone’s life essence.

An octopus pulled sunlight and wind down from the sky so that the ocean could also experience weather. This is the reason why ocean currents exist.

Sea serpents are lucky animals to Marevians. They are also a prominent symbol of life and growth.

Marevian Naming Customs:

Names are much more proper, and they are not based on someone’s species or what they are.

Names can come from nature, something one feels connected to, attributes associated with someone’s species, or realistic proper names.

People have surnames that often indicate their species. (Waterlily’s last name is Coelenta; being a hybrid of two types of jellyfish, she is a coelenterate. Shelltop’s surname, Molluskas, is based on him being a mollusk. Spike’s surname, Cecae, is based on the word cecaelia, which is a common term for an octopus merperson. Cream’s surname, Pygmae, is based on him being a pygmy seahorse.)

Sea urchins in Marevi are typically named after sharpness, or things that are sharp. (Hence Spike’s name. His father is named Needle. He has an uncle named Spear and a cousin named Pin.)

The names of Marevi’s regions are made-up fantasy names, that are based on Latin words. I’d like to change that.

Nicknames are used. (Marcella nicknames herself “Butterpearl.”)

People can have middle names. (Spike’s is Lucian.)

First names are given by parents.

Middle names can be given by extended family.

Some Marevians’ names are similar to their parents’ (Waterlily’s mom’s name is Moonlily, and Shelltop’s dad’s name is Snailtop)

Geography of Marevi:

Located in the south.

Marevi is located out in the open ocean. It is very lush, and there are multiple undersea biomes that it plays host to.

Vigra is at the center of Marevi. It is a wide green field of seagrass. There are large rocks and giant seashells all around in it.

Basacan is a stony, rocky, craggy area with submarine volcanoes everywhere. It’s in the northeast.

Lankep is a kelp forest in the northwest. There are lots and lots of kelp stalks.

Orenas is in the southwest. It is a sparkly sand bed, where the sand is yellow like gold. It’s kind of like an undersea desert.

Gorel is a colorful coral reef in the southeast. It resembles a city.

Promor is a deep-sea trench, and Marevi’s widest, deepest and longest trench. People like deep-sea animals live down there. It’s somewhere between Vigra and Orenas.

Menthi is a biome of extensive undersea benthic caves. It is also a deep-sea region.

Negma Lagoon and Subra Atoll are part of Marevi. Negma Lagoon is a lush, bright, and sorta mysterious lagoon. Subra Atoll, which is Marevi’s only land area, is an island with lots of sandbars.

Flora and Fauna of Marevi:

Ocean animals of all kinds

Sea serpents

Ocean plants

Seagrass

Kelp

Seaweed

Coral

Algae

Ocean flowers

Bioluminescent/glowing plants and animals

Maybe they have their own marine versions of white water lilies? (They are a symbolic plant.)

Marevian Architecture:

Marevians are all about living with the ocean.

Interiors are built within coral, the sides of cliffs, colossal seashells, or other naturally occurring habitats.

No construction is done with anything except for stone, since stone is not a living thing.

They also use sand to make sandstone and glass to build with.

The Castle of Marevi is built entirely out of stone and glass.

Windows and skylights are common, and they are almost always round.

Dyed glass is used.

There aren’t any ceiling fans in Marevi.

Marevians like to decorate their homes inside and out.

I wrote that the Seagang sleep in beds, but I also drew them all sleeping on mats.

Marevian Society:

Marevi is ruled by King Nettle Coelenta and Queen Moonlily. But, they consider themselves to be merely figureheads. They regularly interact with their citizens like Unikitty does, and they are viewed as cool neighbors with knowledge about the earth. They are called the Givers of Life. Their royal status is almost never acknowledged.

Nettle and Moonlily’s daughter is Waterlily. She is called the Young Giver.

They are assisted by Shelltop’s parents. They’ve been good friends with them for a long time. Waterlily and Shelltop themselves have been lifelong best friends since they were hatchlings. (They even consider themselves sibling figures to each other.)

The Givers’ child inherits the throne. It can be any kid who wants to. The kid can pass on the throne to a sibling, a relative, or to someone else if so desired.

Marevi is strongly allied with Botania. Their alliance is like a pair of unbreakable best friends.

Marevi is served by the stonespeople. They keep threats from ruining the kingdom, but don’t hurt anyone.

There are strategists that come up with ways to keep people safe and protect the ocean and earth

Instead of incarceration, Marevi sends their worst offenders to a banishment hold just outside of Botania to be rehabilitated

Marevi has SOME kind of legal system. It can handle divorces.

Marevi uses a different calendar than the Gregorian-ish calendar the Unikingdom uses. (I called it the Unicorny calendar for this AU.)

In Marevi, everyone is paid the same and is treated equally.

Their currency is shells, which are these dome-shaped coins and bills made of plants.

Marevians have no concept of wealth.

Marevians buy everything from outdoor farmer’s markets.

There are plenty of libraries

There are plenty of museums

Lots of restaurants, many of which are dinner theaters

Lots of bakeries and confectioneries as well

I had the idea that there was a theme park in Marevi themed around land biomes

People can be athletes

Explorers

Jewelers

Bakers/confectioners

Meteorologists

Engineers (which keep appliances running in earth-friendly ways)

Musicians

Artists (painters, potters, ceramics artists, etc.)

Filmmakers (animators, storyboard artists, cinematographers, screenwriters)

Directors (of plays and films)

Coaches (for sports teams)

Authors

Therapists? (The Seagang and their families often go to see a mako shark for help.)

Actors

Hairstylists and spinestylists

There aren’t that many astronomers. Marevians focus more on caring for the life of their planet than exploring faraway ones. That’s not to say that there aren’t any Marevian astronomers- it’s just not a very common or sought-after job.

People can live in the places they work at

Magic exists in this world, but it’s not called magic in Marevi. Marevians see it as manipulating the forces of life and nature to your will. Marevians call magic users lifewielders.

They have SOME kind of news program if people are meteorologists

Instead of taking baths and showers (since they’re in the ocean), people clean themselves in boxes that generate warmth and bubbles. They scrub themselves with exfoliating, earth-friendly towels.

Marevi is prone to sea monster attacks.

There are Going-on-Land Departments that make leg pieces for people to go on land with. They detach their sea animal limbs and put on the leg pieces, which gives them the ability to breathe air. Going-on-Land Departments were made for the purpose of Marevians visiting Botania, but now are used for any time Marevians would like to visit land.

I also had the idea that there are reverse Going-on-Land Departments, which make sea animal fins and limbs for land people who want to visit the ocean. When they put them on, it gives them the ability to breathe underwater.

Marevian Demographics:

Merfolk. They look like humanoid figures (i.e. they look like whatever Master Frown is), and they can be any type of sea animal.

Anthropomorphic sea animals. They don’t look like humanoid figures, looking like their non-anthropomorphic counterparts.

Anthropomorphic sea plants. They also look like their non-anthro counterparts.

Symbolism in Marevi

White water lilies. One of these managed to float out into the ocean long ago, and it’s an important symbol to Marevians. They call it the Persistent Lily.

Sea serpents represent good luck, life, and growth.

Weather symbols are worn by octopi and other cephalopods.

There are many different symbols, depending on what natural things people feel connected to. (Waterlily - plants and colors. Shelltop - stones and volcanoes. Spike - the sun and sound. Marcella - gold and pearls. Cream - seaweed and foods.)

Touching hands with someone symbolizes that you acknowledge their presence, you care about them, and you share the life of the world with them.

Trenches are associated with death, and the cycle of life and death.

Art in Marevi:

Music is an integral part of Marevian culture. They see it as a way of spreading life essence.

Marevian opera is their most popular/well known performing art. Performers of Marevian opera tell stories about Marevi and its history with singing, music, dramatic makeup, and costumes.

They play music with orchestras. Each section (brasses, woodwinds, strings, percussion, conductor training) is taught differently.

Marevi’s traditional instruments are ocean drums, marimbas, conch horns, harp guitars, and upright string instruments. They are often combined with the orchestras.

I imagined that traditional Marevian music features fast marimba rhythms, called Marevian current movements…

I also had the idea that traditional Marevian music itself is called Marevian cherish

Orchestra teachers are not called directors, they are conductors

Singing

Flutes

Guitars

Drums/drumsets

Ukuleles

Trombones

Violins

Acting

Spoken word

Stand-up comedy

Poetry (Spike occasionally writes it)

Choirs, but they are different from Unikingdom and Frowntown choirs. Instead of choral risers, the singers sit down at tables. Instead of conducting them, the director (who is called the maestro) sings with them. There are lots of arm movements and call-and-response bits between the maestro and other singers.

Musical theater, but it’s different from Unikingdom and Elegancian musical theater. In this AU, the Unikingdom has a theater district called Hugway, and Elegancia has one called Spessartine Square. Marevi doesn’t have an equivalent to that. And in contrast to Unikingdom and Elegancian shows, Marevian musicals are mostly very action-heavy and sung-through. Also, it’s considered a subgenre of Marevian opera rather than its own genre.

They have personal music players (and phones) shaped like seashells. They also have undersea headphones and earbuds

Cultural Marevian dances include the Dance of the Waving Coral Fan (which involves two big fans) and the Dance of the Sunbringer (which involves a glowing stick)

Marevians put really heavy emphasis on supporting local entertainment.

Statues and sculptures (I imagine that they have a Persistent Lily statue)

Decorating your home (Marevians like to do that)

Painting

Ceramics

Pottery

Makeup art

Film

Traditions, Holidays and Customs in Marevi:

Touching hands is also a customary greeting in Marevi

Marevian New Year is anywhere from February 28 to March 3 on the Unicorny calendar. Their new year is at the start of spring.

People tidy up their homes and throw out things they don’t want anymore to represent their growth from the last year.

They celebrate with dancing and music from traditional bands.

The significance of the Sea Serpent Festival is people living in harmony with wildlife.

People ride sea serpents and race with them like horse racing.

Earth Day is a VERY important holiday to Marevians. They call it the Day of the Earth. It happens in the summertime, when the sea is most fertile.

People spend time with people they love and trust. If they can, they pay visits to the king and queen to thank them for sharing their knowledge of the earth with them.

Weather Festival is a holiday introduced by the cephalopods. It’s based upon the octopus weather myth I mentioned earlier.

It’s celebrated outside in the elements, dancing and eating weather-themed foods.

Halloween is there, but it’s not important or a major holiday. It was very recently introduced to them, and they just see it as a day to cosplay. That’s it- no spooky stuff.

I imagined that Marevi’s only winter holiday is their Children’s Day. It isn’t a very big holiday like Earth Day or the Weather Festival. It involves spending quality time with your family, particularly your younger relatives. It’s meant for Marevians to celebrate their faith in the next generation.

Birthdays are observed by connecting with nature and your loved ones. It’s focused on life, what makes that person them, and making their life the best it can be.

They do their favorite things, do-overs of something that went wrong or that they regret, or trying new things.

They put emphasis on how long someone has lived life, so nobody says how old they’re turning.

A week after someone is born, extended family comes to see them in a place close to where they were born. Here, the kid receives their name.

I already said how naming customs work. Parents give the first name, and extended families can give them a surname.

Marevians don’t take their spouse(s)’s surname(s) when marrying. Children can use whichever of their parents’ surnames.

Marevians have an entire engagement ritual. The proposer invites their partner(s) and their family(ies) to their family’s home. The families spend some time mingling and getting to know one another.

Then, they gather around. The proposer reaches out to the other(s). If they accept, they return the gesture, resulting in their hands touching.

They touch hands with their family members. Then, the family members proceed to make a ring around them with things they like or feel connected to, officially marking them as engaged.

Leading up to a wedding, and on the day of, people eat zesty, tangy foods to show their anticipation.

They parade down the road on their wedding day with nature-themed decor in tow.

There are no officiants at Marevian weddings. The marrying people do everything themselves.

They decorate a spot where they’ll be living together with their nature decor. They touch hands with their relatives, all of them doing it at the same time. The marrying people will eat fruits from the biomes they’re from, and they’ll touch hands with something from the earth between their hands.

Afterwards, the newlyweds will spend fun, celebratory nights with each other’s in-laws before going to the place they’ll live in.

In Marevi, when people die, they return their pieces to the earth so that they can be a part of it again. Pieces are not washed or embalmed; nothing is done with them so the person can return to the earth as they were.

The dead person’s family goes to the nearest trench. They hold onto their pieces, and they touch them one last time, thanking the earth for giving life to the dead person.

There are no officiants at funerals either.

The person’s family lets their pieces sink to the bottom of the trench, as well as any prized possessions they wanted to be thrown down with them.

Someone swims down to put an image of the dead person on the trench wall.

Afterwards, they touch or sit by whatever they can sense the dead person’s essence in.

The person’s family has an intimate night celebrating the dead person by singing their favorite songs, eating foods they liked, and doing their favorite activities to remember them.

Mannerisms and Etiquette in Marevi:

Marevians customarily treat others like friends and family.

It’s considered polite to treat everyone as your equal.

Touching hands with others is very polite, as was implied

Light fin/hand taps is much more likely done by people who just met, but people who are close with one another casually do it as well.

Holding hands and pressing palms are done by family, friends, and lovers.

Groups put their arms in to show that they care about each other and signify their friendship.

But, it’s not that team thing where they stack their hands and then raise them in the air while saying something in unison. I imagine Marevians really don’t like it when non-Marevians assume it is.

”I am with you.” is a polite and caring phrase.

Education in Marevi:

Children first go to what’s called a general school, where they learn important things for daily life, as well as how not to be a jerk.

After that, they attend schools entirely based around what their interests are. There are schools for athletics, food, language, visual arts, performing arts, science, and more.

They can attend one interest school, more than one, or none at all.

The Marevian school year starts in the middle of spring and ends in the middle of autumn/fall.

Elementary, primary, middle, junior high, high, secondary, university, and college are not terms used in Marevi. None of them are a thing here.

Any Language?:

I’m going to remind you that Unikitty is set in a world where Everyone Speaks English™️, or whatever language you’re watching the show in.

Marevians have pronoun terms unique to them. This will be explained in the Queer Culture section.

Fighting Styles and Weaponry:

Marevians are about defense and keeping threats at bay while also not hurting the attacker.

Their styles attempt to calm their opponent down or scare them away. The goal is to subdue them without harming them.

In Marevi, they’ve got thin swords that look kinda like katanas, but not really. These swords can’t stab anything or anyone. They’re made of stone, hence why Marevi’s defenders are called stonespeople.

Wrestling? Boxing? (Shelltop’s into that stuff.)

Celina, Spike’s mom, used to be a swordswoman. Her style in particular consisted of stealth, blending in with her surroundings (she can camouflage, by the way), swift movements, and illusory techniques.

Food in Marevi:

Seaweed hugs. They’re arguably the most Marevian food ever. They serve them in restaurants and shops for people to take for free. They’re served on round trays right by the door, and you don’t even need to eat at the restaurant to take one. They’re very easy to make; they’re seaweed bits rolled and folded into a bread bun. People who can’t cook for crap can make them. They’re named that way because eating them is like receiving a warm embrace from someone.

Lots of seaweed is used in the foods that Marevians cook and bake.

Mixed-fruit pies

Cookies

Golden batter cake

Tiramisu?

Cream

Heavy whipping cream (the basis for the names of Cream and his older brother, Whip)

Yogurt

Meringue (Cream’s dads are named Yogurt and Meringue)

Donuts (Marevians call them sand rings)

Pasta (angel hair)

Noodles in soup

Noodles (in general)

Flatbread pizza

Honey

Gyro? (I once had Spike say he enjoys it)

Lavender fruit (a fruit endemic to Marevi)

Mango juice

Yes, there are drinks in Marevi. They are very thick and paste-like so that people can drink them in the ocean. They are served in glasses.

There are no frozen foods in Marevi.

Bowls

Spoons

Marevians have their own utensils. They’ve got these sticks with round bottoms that let you wrap things around it.

Fashion and Dress Code in Marevi:

Marevi is usually warm, so people usually don’t wear clothes, except for jewelry and accessories.

Many people have skin on their bodies that act as clothing. If they go on land and put on land legs, it’ll actually turn into clothing.

People in the deep-sea areas (or visiting them) DO wear clothes like coats, since it gets colder the deeper you get.

Wristbands are a popular fashion choice. (I had the idea that they represent someone holding onto you even when they aren’t there.)

Waist sashes

Glasses

Sleeveless tunics

Wavy, jellyfish frilly collars on Nettle’s tunic

Pearly diadems

Nettle wears a water lily-shaped crown

Moonlily and Waterlily wear pearly diadems. Moonlily’s has a water lily-shaped charm on it

Pearly necklaces (Moonlily’s has another water lily-shaped charm)

Pearly earrings

Belts

Chokers

Necklaces

Whistles on necklaces

Headbands

Hairbands/hair ties

Hair clips and hairpieces (can be sea plants, shells, starfish, or something else)

Augment glasses

Gloves

Armbands

Sleeves that aren’t attached to any top

Dorsal fin piercings?

Lip/beak piercings?

Pearl strings

Pebble strings

Wearing flowers

Satchels

Striped, long-sleeved shirts

Sleeveless sweatshirts

Sleeveless sweaters

Bandeaus/tube tops

Tail/leg tubes (that they wear on their tails or legs like leggings)

Skirts

Hats

Ponchos

Tied skirts

Scarves

Vests

Aprons

Loose, sleeveless shirts

Suspenders

Bandoliers

Goggles (that function as glasses)

Jackets? (Leather jackets?)

Buttoned shirts?

Bow ties? Top hats? Tailcoats? (I drew Spike wearing these as his formal clothes. It’s meant to blend those fashions with traditional Marevian clothes.)

Sleeveless dresses

Strapless dresses

Bonnets (Waterlily’s land form outfit is a strapless dress and a sunbonnet, with her sash and necklace. I was thinking of changing the bonnet to some sort of hat.)

Shirts/T-shirts

Pants

Shoes (Shelltop’s land form outfit is a shirt, his shell as a hat, some pants, and shoes that look like seashells.)

Unitards (Spike’s land form outfit is a sleeveless dance unitard, with his sash and wristbands.)

Maxi dresses (Marcella’s land form outfit is a long-sleeved, floor-length dress with her necklace and hair clip.)

Sleeveless suits (Cream’s land form outfit is a sleeveless jumpsuit.)

At weddings, Marevians’ families dress them up in what they’ll be married in. They can wear traditional robes, or whatever they like.

At funerals, people wear robes with trench patterns on them. They also wear robes with things the dead person felt connected to on them.

Formal clothes:

Marevi’s traditional clothes are robes made of light fabrics. They have different hem and sleeve lengths. They’re not based on any real cultural robes; I gave them robes because I wanted their traditional clothes to be flowy like ocean waves/currents.

The robes are patterned with nature patterns. People customarily wear makeup of matching nature patterns with them.

Some people get land swimsuits to swim in freshwater with when they go on land. They can only breathe normally when they’re in saltwater.

One-piece swimsuits

Full-body wetsuits

Swim trunks

Tank tops

Pajamas:

Night slips

Transparent garments that sea snails wear to bed to absorb the mucus they shed

Tank tops

Spine guards (worn by sea urchins and other spiny animals)

Shirts

Hair bonnets (Cream sleeps with one)

Winter/deep-sea clothes:

Ponchos

Headbands

Long coats

Round caps

Jackets with puffy collars

Double-breasted coats

To Marevians, tacky/stereotypical tourist outfits are diving gear with tacky swimsuits, or bad seaweed haircuts with tacky sundresses.

Marevian Queer Culture:

Some Marevians use it/its and they/them.

Queer people can marry and have kids.

Some Marevians are unlabeled.

Marevians have pronoun terms unique to them:

Mer-Se (Mr./Male/He/Him)

Mer-La (Mrs./Ms./Miss/She/Her)

Mer-Nul (Mx./Gender neutral and nonbinary prefixes/Nonbinary/They/Them/It/Its/Anything that isn’t he or she/Anything that isn’t female or male)

Mer (No pronouns/No gender/Agender/Genderless/Unspecified/Person doesn’t want to specify pronouns or identity)

Marevian History:

The earliest merfolk and sea animals didn’t take good care of the earth. What is now Marevi weren’t very safe waters to live in.

They were concerned with taking and surviving with no concern for their environment. A viperfish pressured them into doing this.

One day, they saw a very strange something bobbing along the surface.

It’s a white water lily, and everyone’s shocked at how gorgeous and healthy it looks.

It shriveled up sometime later. But a mermaid tells them it couldn’t have lived that long, especially not in saltwater, without proper care. She said that people need to nurture the life of their world, and it will give them as much energy as that lily had.

People treated each other and their ocean with more respect from then on. It weakened the viperfish’s influence.

As the kingdom grew, they realized that the different biomes needed to be cared for in different ways. For instance, a kelp forest would need to be given more attention than a golden sand bed. So, the biomes became the different regions.

Back in the 20s, Marevi was ruled by a harsh king who wanted to bring the kingdom back to a pre-technological state. He thought the ever-advancing tech was “not respectful of life enough,” even though innovation and research were genuinely benefiting the people. He treated them badly and discouraged them from it “for the greater good of the land.” During this time, the people turned to electricity and electric eels as symbols of rebellion, freedom, and goodwill. Waterlily’s great-grandparents took the throne right after that king was made to step down.

Multiple species have ruled over Marevi over the years. Waterlily’s jellyfish family are the current rulers. They are called the Medusozoa Royal Family of Marevi.

Sports and Games in Marevi:

Volleyball

Wrestling? Boxing? (As I said, Shelltop’s into that)

Badminton

Cricket

Board games. I never established any specific ones that they play, but they have them.

Sports are the only competition you will see in Marevi. Like I said, it’s discouraged for the most part.

Transportation in Marevi:

Marevians usually swim around from place to place.

They also get around with undersea bikes, trikes, and other eco-friendly vehicles.

Marevians are really big on public transportation, such as their undersea monorail system.

[Image Description: A drawing of Marcella and her family exploring ruins in a biome of golden sand beds. Marcella and her father Pierre are on the right side. Marcella has her film camera out, holding it in her left hand, and she is eagerly recording footage. Pierre has his satchel on. He is holding a map while pointing at something. On the right edge of the drawing is a bunch of thin pieces of gold that look like the number six. In the middle, Marcella’s mother Elena is holding a golden rock in her hand and examining it with a magnifying glass. Marcella’s siblings, Dominic, Felicia and Julien, are on the left side. Dominic is curiously swimming around behind everyone else. Felicia is sitting on a fallen column, hugging a small yellow octopus she found. Julien is on the ground watching a crab pop out of the sand. Behind the family, there are more fallen columns, small ancient buildings, and golden rocks scattered all around. On the bottom of the drawing, “Happy Golden Birthday, Big Bright World!” is written. The word Golden is written in squarish golden yellow bubble letters. /End ID.]

Today, January 6th, is the anniversary of when I first started to develop Big Bright World, as you may know.

This year, the AU turned 6! What better way to observe that milestone than by doodling the golden butter mer-gal and her gilded family?

Golden birthdays aren’t a thing in Marevi, but I still thought this would be fun to do. So, here are Marcella, her parents and her siblings exploring some ancient workshops in their home province of Orenas.

Whether or not I finish my stories, one thing’s for sure- my love for this AU and all I’ve created for it is much more than worth its weight in gold. (GET IT?!)

Way to go, Jezabat. Because of your affinity for drawing Lego sea animals, and because you have too many ideas for the Marevi quintet, you had to expand this land's citizens into multiple pages!

Eh, whatever. Let's dive in!

Well, they’re Legos. How do you think? All they do is take their bottom parts off and put on legs.

Once they do, there’s a little “poof” that gives them land clothes and makes them able to breathe air.