Daring to be different.

Galaxy Paper Lanterns / String Lights

And the deal Ariel made was meant to be an impossible task that she was tricked into taking AND STILL Ariel was smart enough to almost achieve it if Ursula wasn't playing dirty and directly interfering in with it all.

URSULA is the one who says Ariel’s doing it all for the guy.

According to Ariel herself, what she wants is:

—to be where the people are

—to see dancing and walking

—to ask her questions about the human world and get answers

—to not live in the ocean

—to be part of the human world

—to explore the human world

WHERE DOES ERIC COME INTO ANY OF THIS?!

AND ANOTHER THING

Her first impression of him is a dude who is both attractive, capable, and willing to jump back on to a burning ship to save his dog.

Later, dude climbs aboard a SHIPWRECK that's caught in a WHIRLPOOL so that he can RAM IT into a 150-foot-tall MAGIC SEA MONSTER in order to save her.

Ariel didn't need the man until Ursula made her need the man. Ariel wanted the land and the sun and the bipedal locomotion, and Eric was only a bonus.