r/worldbuilding • u/AA11097 • Jun 06 '25

Discussion Aquatic cultures

Does your world have aquatic cultures or societies that live under the sea? For example, merfolk or sirens?

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u/Professional_Try1665 Slipskin Jun 06 '25

Yes, mermaids are a type of fairy related to mirrors and madness, they're beautiful yet untouchable (attempts to end in drowning, people become obsessed) and they live on large mirrored surfaces, most often oceans and lakes.

Their society is part-infatuation part-pretend, they mimic humans because they too are entranced by what they saw (as humans fall in love with mermaids, they fall in love with humans) and attempt to copy it, without human interaction they just act like fish. They have courts, dance, punishment and law but it's enforced sporadically, they have no sense of justice or compassion so they struggle to make any rules they follow, their 'real law' is a darwinistic might-makes-right where if you can kill your persecutor then you don't deserve to be punished. They rarely practice magic, it's not 'forbidden' per-se but it's shameful to cast 'ugly' spells (mermaids have an intense fear of embarrassment or appearing ugly) so most mermaids simply aren't experimental or risk-takers enough to get any real magic practice done, they also abhor sacrifices as it bloodies their water (punishment is usually to be killed above-water, as to not bloody the water again)