melody-the-unwritten

[melody-the-unwritten]

“Looking out over the vast ocean, the wind whipping at my curls, I felt like a bird myself. I felt free. I felt like home.”

Born of the Sea: The Untold Story of Anne Bonny and Mary Read by Kate Castle

#inspo #goodbye spam

[melody-the-unwritten]

⊹ ִ࣪ এ credits on twitter ִ࣪ ⌁

like or reblog if you save! ♡ ¸. • *

#face #goodbye spam #//this is the confidence mel kind of has now

[melody-the-unwritten]

#inspo #goodbye spam

[melody-the-unwritten]

#inspo #goodbye spam

[melody-the-unwritten]

studies of La Piccola Sirena from a book of vintage illustrations

Edit: I found the source!

#inspo #goodbye spam

[melody-the-unwritten]

Lily Collins

#face #goodbye spam

[melody-the-unwritten]

Lily Collins

#face #goodbye spam

[melody-the-unwritten]

Lily Collins for Alexi Lubomirski for Lancôme x ELLE Québec 2021

#face #goodbye spam

[melody-the-unwritten]

Forget Me Not {Self Para}

Melody and the Merfam take off to New Zealand to break the curse a second time. They also drag some boys with them.

When: Last Weekend of March

Triggers: None

The Triton’s were a family that stuck together, Of course not everyone could be there but everyone that could was. 

Back in the AirBnB Melody and her friends had rented out years ago. The same place that she felt that tug of magic and in the middle of the night went searching for it. Even now with the sun setting, Melody could feel it in her bones. Calling to the necklace she still wore along her neck.

With the girls and two of the spouses everyone looked over the map, going over what Melody remembered, what her Journal said and what was written down. Of course you couldn’t imagine a magical cave with a magical lake was written on the map but they had a general direction.

Attina double checked that everyone was geared up with water and snacks, Fully charged phones and with Roman and Jake back in the house waiting them out they were good to head out.

It wasn’t a hard path though it was untraveled. The branches cracking beneath their feet as they moved steady but it was only Arista that was able to break the silence and heavy air behind them. Giggles could be heard even as everyone glanced back to make sure Melody was still with them when she slowed down and when she sped up they all made sure to keep pace with her.

Melody didn’t remember the path, not just because of how the spell had affected her, but because the last time she was here, she wasn’t fully here, no the magic had tugged on her and if it wasn’t for the others Melody was sure it would have felt the same.

The cave’s entrance was hidden by vines but Melody knew. The memories flicked back to her as she steps in and for a moment all of her memories returned, well everything before Swynlake, before she knew she was a mermaid and before she had forged those bonds with the Triton girls. Back when they had to lie to her to keep her ‘safe’ back when she didn’t realize just how tragic her brother’s death was.

Blinking at the girls that followed at her heels, it was Aquata that shook her head and took Melody’s hand. Murmuring words of encouragement, that they would be fine and they were in the right place.

Even when she tried to disagree, Alana chimed in with a smile leading the girls forward and while Melody didn’t really know them, as distant cousins don’t know each other she followed with a shrug. Family was family after all.

The lake inside the cave sparkled and it you looked up you could see the moonlight shimmering and reflecting in the lake.

“What are we doing? I don’t know how to swim. Plus we’re not really dressed to be swimming?” Melody questioned looking at the girls as they all exchanged grimances, the ring around her eyes completely gone again. This time without flickering to say it would come back at all.

“Trust us?”

“I mean yeah?”

Alana was the first one to strip and jump into the water. They already discussed that it was safe knowing Melody had already swam in it and broke her curse. Arista was next and Melody was dumbfounded as the two tails appeared under the surface and she looked at the remaining Triton’s with wide eyes.

“I’m sorry what?” 

Attina was the one that reassured her it was fine, dropped her supplies, Aquata on her other side ready to jump in when Melody flinched back. She had told them no matter what to get her into the water.

And well that was Aquata’s job. Fully clothed, Aquata pushed Melody into the water and even though Attina chastised her the remaining mermaids joined them all with tails except for her.

But Alana held her up and the girls all looked at each other.

“What now?”

“She did say it just happened? Do we have to wait?”

“Maybe we needed a full moon?”

“Or at a point in the sky?”

“We should have double checked where the moon was on the day Melody went last time.”

“Last time? I was here before?” Melody chimed in although no one really listened to her. 

Yet waiting was the right answer as the water bubbled below them and Melody was pulled under the surface, the girls following quickly it was almost immediate how the ring around her eyes returned and soon after her tail flicked along with her cousins.

She could now not drown as the locket around her neck glowed and shattered the pieces dropped like cement to the ground before bubbles rose and surrounded each of the girls.

Each of the bubbles were crystal clear and although they should have rose to the surface quickly they all hovered around Melody. Reaching out none of them popped on contact and instead Melody heard the echo as if they were crystal and her nail was tapping on it.

Glancing around at each of them she spotted images of her brother, times all the girls had tried to say mermaid and were hushed and taken away.

She saw her first swim and all the ones with her brother. She saw the reason she kept seashells, and all the beaches they had traveled to.

Melody saw the confidence her parents had before and the fear they had after.

She saw newer memories, meeting Ting and finding out Gil was a mermaid. Attina’s wedding, the nights out with the girls. Her first kiss with Tod. Things she had been forgetting they were all there.

The necklace glowed around her neck and Melody closed her eyes as one of the bubbles popped around her.

“You know what’s funny.” Melody questioned her feet outstretched into the surf giggling every time the water rose enough to lick at her feet cooling down the summer waves of a Australia spring.

“What’s Funny Mellie?”

“People who learn to surf.” There were no flags out on the beach but that didn’t stop the surfers from going out there strapping rope to their ankle and diving in. “Why do they need to attach that board to themselves? It’s not going to save them look at the riptide and the waves, The water would sooner break that board then let them surf on it.” Melody huffed burying her feet into the sand.

“I guess because they think they look as cool as mermaids do when they swim. When else are people going to look as graceful in the water comparative.” Marius teased nudging his sister. “Even now look at everyone so scared to go in.” 

There was only one family on the beach other than them and they hovered so far back that even thirteen year old Melody knew they were scared of the water without the lifeguards around.

“Do you want to go in?”

“Yes! What’s the point of being on a beach if we can’t.” Melody pouted at her older brother jumping up with him to follow him to their parents. It was still early enough that the beach they were on wasn’t packed but unlike the humans here Melody and Marius knew this beach better than any of the locals. They could get a lot further and farther down than any of them.

“We’re going around back okay?” Marius proclaimed and their parents nodded.

“Watch you sister and make sure no one sees you but that’s alright.” It was early enough and the siblings knew the rules as soon as it got crowded they would have to head back in or they would head out far to sea until they could come back in. But for the family that travelled around the world and went to as many beaches as they did it was no problem.

Marius took off but Melody wasn’t far behind him even with her shorter legs Melody was as graceful as she was in the water. Laughter filled the air but both of them quieted as they reached the coves. With the shoes back at the beach they had no worries as they crawled into the coves away from anyone.

Marius didn’t wait for Melody but the boy didn’t have to, he knew his sister was right behind him as they both jumped in. Stripping they tied their clothes to themselves as each of their tails popped out. A salmon red for Melody and a teal for Marius. Both kids ducked under water to the ground speaking in mermish to one another.

The surfers wish they could do this.

They don’t even know what they could be doing.

The siblings laughed at each other as they found rocks under the waves to pretend they were surfing themselves, killing themselves with laughter as they pretended to fall off and be swallowed by the waves. 

Do you ever wish you could live in the sea? Melody questioned as the pair swam out of the cove to watch the surfers and the beach slowly get more people.

It’s the best of both worlds. I’d never give up my tail but I like the food. I really really like the food. 

Melody rolled her eyes at her brother. You always tie it back to food but the ocean is so wide and unexplored. Think about everything that it could be, all that we could see. No one has explored the ocean like people have explored the world.

But does the sea have fried chicken. I think not.

Melody threw her hands up letting out a giggle air bubbles escaping from her lips to the surface. Fine, I mean think about all the cupcakes we wouldn’t get.

Or the strawberries

Or pineapple!

See that’s the best reason to live on land.

Sometimes I think I’m missing something you know. Like i could be going on this grand adventure. Maybe I’m destined for bigger and better things.

You are Mellie. For the best things but just on land. 

Yeah yeah Mari.

He wasn’t wrong, their parents allowed them as much time to explore their mermaid side being as careful as possible. Much more than some of the family they knew. But it was something they all had to be aware of and made sure their kids were aware of. Being a mermaid was dangerous. 

That danger was far from either one of their minds. It was a shame that the reminder of just how dangerous being a mermaid was wouldn’t be a nice and gentle reminder. It wasn’t far off either.

The tears slipped into the water and Melody remembered just why they needed her to forget.

But she wouldn’t forget again. She would remember for him.

Melody gasped as she reached the surface taking a deep breath of air and for the first day in months Melody’s mind was clear. There was no fuzziness around the edges, the confidence she had grown into felt like hers again and all those memories of her brother felt within her grasp. In her hand was the locket and Melody held onto it tightly before putting it back on.

Looking at the other girls all with different expressions, sadness, joy, relief, Melody let out a small laugh as tears fell down her cheeks.

It hadn’t felt this good the last time, she had been left with more questions than answers before but this time it was if the puzzle was complete and Melody knew that it was.

She had long ago found everything she had been missing it was just a piece was left in this lake. With that back, there wasn’t anything stopping Melody from moving forward, from excelling in the way she knew that she could.

The same way she knew she was home when it came to Swynlake and she would call it her home for many years. After all it was the home of most of the girls with her in this lake and where else could she want to be. 

“Come on, I think we have some boys waiting for us and we’ve probably worried them for a few hours too long.”

#self para #//and fin

[melody-the-unwritten]

Penny For Your Thoughts {Self Para}

Melody realizes something went wrong when she found that locket in the lake... actually a lot of people realized things went wrong when she found that locket in the lake.

When: Set over Late Feb/Early March.

Triggers: None

It hadn’t seemed like a big deal. Not at first.

A Phone call to Attina that Melody didn’t remember or a swim scheduled with Aquata, a meeting she had with her boss. Easy things that were fixed with a good night’s sleep and a notebook with all the things Melody had to do.

Forgetting to talk to her parents about the necklace her and Aquata found.

The next week was harder. The fact she was supposed to go shopping for Arista’s Birthday with Alana. It was Alana that had to remind Melody of the things Arista liked with a raised eyebrow and Melody brushed it off. Just a long week at work, it was period end and everyone was scrambling.

Two weeks in everything was foggy, Melody forgot her standing date with Tod, and for a moment when she went out to Pixie’s for a moment she almost flirted with someone else. It was a glance in his direction that sobered her up and she stopped drinking for the night. 

Week Three, Melody had to cancel a session of practicing Mermish with Ariel because she couldn’t remember the motions or sounds. Presenting at work became more difficult and Melody started to stumble over her words as if she was underprepared.

Take a few days off, relax, come back fresh and ready for the week. That’s what they had said.

She booked an appointment out of town and was referred to therapy after scans showed nothing of concern. 

Brain fog with a stressful job, that was all. She was fine.

Those few days, put Melody out of practice and when she went to work it was Ting who saved her, after walking into the Marketing department instead of the Accounting side, Ting lied through her teeth and pretended they needed something before guiding Melody back to their department.

It was there that Gil paused meeting her eyes, probably wondering how and why the ring around her eyes started to flicker but leaving a mermaid to her own business.

But the real kicker is when Melody and Aquata planned to go swimming and Melody couldn’t remember code to the secret pool. Aquata stumbled onto her staring at the door and when Aquata put the passcode in and Melody gasped in surprise. They all knew something was wrong.

Melody came clean, how memories would go and come back. How it had gotten worse. It was Aquata that reminded Melody of the necklace and it was Aquata that pushed Melody to talk to her parents.

It was Attina that reassured her that night everything would be okay.

It was Arista that provided the tightest hugs.

It was Alana that ran the bath and lit the candles.

It was Adella who called to check in.

It was Ariel who tried to bake cookies the way Attina used to.

It was Melody who ended things with Tod. She needed the space, and she needed to figure this out. They had been coasting with the stress of new jobs and new courses.

But at some point it had to give and Melody was the one that pulled the plug.

With more mental energy Melody approached her parents with bated breath, explaining how her and Aquata found the necklace and the grimace on their faces was everything she needed to know.

The spell had been attached to the locket. Holding all of the taken memories but when she opened it, not only did the trapped memories escape but there was a tug on her own memories now. 

It was ugly magic. They had hoped hiding it in a place no one but a mermaid could go and somewhere they never needed to go, that no one would find it. They did what they thought they needed to do.

Melody wasn’t mad, she had seen the way people worried, she had worried herself. She had watched her cousins grow and let people in, had watched them get burned and watched them succeed. She watched herself hold back from Tod and knew her parents had never wanted this.

They had only wanted her safety. And Melody understood that. But now they needed to break it and everyone in the house knew it.

Her parents explained the spell, and told the girls where Melody’s trip had taken her, they helped pull her journals out of storage and stayed up while everyone went through them looking for the itinerary.

It was all of them who had booked a flight out of town.

But it would be Melody that needed to break this spell.

#self para

[melody-the-unwritten]

Midnight Plunge {Melody & Aquata}

aquata-the-champ​:

“I think it’s worth looking into,” Aquata said cautiously. She had to admit, her curiosity was piqued, and as with the rest of this evening, Aquata didn’t want to come off as the coward here. 

But she was wary of random enchanted objects. Wasn’t this how all the cautionary tales started? Picking up something you didn’t understand and ending up cursed?

“I just think, let’s be careful with it. Maybe we could, uh, talk to a sorcerer?”

“Maybe.” A sorcerer would be a good path but there was just something tugging at Melody, That she knew there was more too this and she was the key. It tugged and tugged as if she was missing something. Just one piece of the puzzle.

But this was hers, and Melody knew that. This locket was always meant to be hers.

“Let’s just get home and sleep. Or well to your place I don’t think I wanna be alone tonight and Reggie is being looked after by a friend so it’s all good.”

#aquata the champ #//we can wrap this one up probs

[melody-the-unwritten]

Melody always took time to get ready, there was still that nerve that had never settled since dating Tod. The worry that things would tumble and considering how busy they all had been sometimes it felt like it was right on the edge.

But then they hung out and he kissed her and all those worries went away.

Just like now when he stood at her door with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers.

“Come in, let me put this in water. You know you didn’t have to get me anything.”

i’ll be seeing you / tod & melody

*   STARTER   /   @melody-the-unwritten  .

Tod knew to arrive with flowers. There could be no better way to begin a big date like this than with flowers. He had taken his time in his grandmother’s garden, carefully selecting each piece and wrapping it delicately in brown paper, creating a much more homebrewed bouquet than most at the store, though he thought it would have to do. These flowers were special to him and he figured because of that, she would find them just as special.

His palms were sweaty. He couldn’t really understand why, there was no particular reason why it would be, though he figured he was always in the realm of how lucky he was that she liked him. That mattered. It mattered still as he pulled his fingers into a fist and knocked on her door, awaiting patiently for a response. 

#fallcntrees

[melody-the-unwritten]

Midnight Plunge {Melody & Aquata}

aquata-the-champ​:

Melody’s parents?

Aquata was about to shake the water out of her hair but paused, the suggestion catching her off-guard. Melody and Aquata didn’t talk about parents much. She wouldn’t have brought that up unless she had a real reason to say it. 

“…Maybe,” Aquata said hesitantly, swimming on toward the beach. “What makes you say that? I mean, it could be a charmed– or cursed– item that just ended up at the bottom of the lake. Did they ever mention having an enchanted necklace or anything?”

Melody shook her head pushing her hair back as she followed Aquata and when they reach she was quick to grab her things and get up and on land. “No but you saw me right? So I have to think it was something to do with them?” Melody had no clue but there had to be something about this. Something that was specific to her.

Melody just didn’t know if she was reaching too much for that to be true.

“I don’t know it’s just- it has to mean something.”

#aquata the champ

[melody-the-unwritten]

Midnight Plunge {Melody & Aquata}

aquata-the-champ​:

Maybe, Aquata considered, looking into Melody’s eyes nervously, maybe Aquata was the one freaking out. Maybe everything was fine, and Aquata was just overreacting, or maybe she was the one who had hallucinated. She balked, a little embarrassed now, and stopped making her concussion-test-hand-motion.

“Yeah, let’s go,” Aquata said, nodding and swimming toward the surface. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure Melody was following. “What is that locket, though? When you opened it, all this weird stuff came out of it. You saw that, right? I’m not just going crazy?”

Part of Aquata was afraid of the answer to that question. She wasn’t going crazy, right?

Melody nodded, “Yeah I saw it. It kind of resembled me which is super weird. maybe Its something of my parents?” Melody questioned with a small shrug as she followed Aquata up to the surface.

There was something to it. It felt warm in her hand and Melody knew she couldn’t leave it behind. She just didn’t know what it meant.

#aquata the champ

[melody-the-unwritten]

Midnight Plunge {Melody & Aquata}

aquata-the-champ​:

Melody looked lost, like she had just spun around or hit her head on something. And that just worried Aquata more. There had to be some kind of magic in that locket. And not all magic was safe. What had just happened.

“I asked if you’re okay,” Aquata said, figuring they could get to the other question later. “I don’t know what just happened, but you… don’t look too good. Do you feel different? Does anything hurt?” She held up one finger, trying to remember her coach training, and moved it back and forth. “Can you follow my hand?”

Melody nodded, she was fine, she felt off but she was fine, One tail, two hands, 10 fingers and no blood, It seemed like a good day.

“I’m okay Aquata. I promise. Though maybe we should get out of here?” Melody stated holding the locket tightly. She wasn’t going to let that go even as she followed Aquata’s hand to show her she was okay.

#aquata the champ

[melody-the-unwritten]

Midnight Plunge {Melody & Aquata}

aquata-the-champ​:

Of all the things Aquata imagined could be at the bottom of the lake, it wasn’t that.

She swam backward on instinct when the blue light emanated from the locket, but then closer to try and get a better look. Melody’s eyes were glowing, there were images of mermaids and– was that Melody? A younger Melody?

The locket shut and Aquata stared at her cousin in shock and confusion. “Melody? What was that? Are you okay?” She swam to her and grabbed her shoulders, examining her face like she was about to do a concussion test on one of her swimmers.

Melody blinked at the light and the visions? Memories? Honestly she wasn’t that sure what had just happened. Even when Aquata’s hands touched her shoulders she had to take a moment to focus on her cousin.

“What? Sorry what did you ask?” Melody’s eyes flicked back up to the surface. How long were they down here? Everything felt a whole lot more disorientating than moments ago.

#aquata the champ

[melody-the-unwritten]

Midnight Plunge {Melody & Aquata}

aquata-the-champ​:

Aquata was on alert, though it seemed like, tonight at least, there shouldn’t be anything to worry about. She hadn’t seen anyone out and about on the surface, and it wasn’t like a night in February would be ideal conditions for scuba diving. So she felt pretty confident. But she still kept an eye out… just in case there was some kind of scary monster down here.

(Really, though, Aquata thought everyone was blowing this out of proportion). 

Not really, Aquata signed, squinting through the darkness. Her mermaid form helped her see a little bit better in the dark, but not by much. At least the moon was full tonight. See? There’s nothing to worry about. Everyone’s freaking out over nothing. She swam ahead. Maybe it was just some tourist messing around, trying to go viral or something.  

Melody pursed her lips at the thought, that was so much worse, Someone pulling a prank could have endangered all of them without them even realizing it and that was the worse thing.

As the moonlight glinted, there was a spec of gold and Melody paused at the glint waving at Aquata to get her attention as she swam a little lower to see what it was. Stuck in the cracks of the rocks was a little seashell necklace. Too far for anyone to get to without a tail.

Brushing off the dirt, her fingers ran across the hinge and without think she opened the small trinket and a blue light engulfed Melody, her eyes glowing with it and for Aquata, the images of small mermaids swimming around her as it all disappeared within the water. An image of her brother and melody in their mermaid form before everything faded and the locket resealed.

#aquata the champ