OMG SONI IS A LITERAL SAINT PLS IM SOBBING TY FOR ALL UR PATIENCE <33333333333333 the pmv isn't done until you see the ending art!! theres some wait for the sound effects :)) im very proud of editing together the whale, underwater, song and tsunami sounds!!!! enjoy the long story and visuals :D - - a long time ago, when the ocean was quieter, deeper, and more serene, sea creatures ruled the animal world. large, majestic whales swam through the waters, humming their deep song, sharks would swim by, surveying the ocean floor for food, schools of pink and blue and yellow fish varying in all shapes and colors would cloud the ocean. but most important, there were the jellyfish. delicate glowing creatures that illuminated the deep blue sea. though fragile, they were enormous, and not many animals dared to attack them as they were the most protected species by the ocean gods and goddesses. these were powerful, mythical beings who had full control of the land, or in this case, all bodies of water. the gods and goddesses were used to having full control over their area, being respected no matter what. so, you can imagine their panic when the humans began to arrive. the ocean began polluted, horrid clouds of oil spreading across the sapphire blues. plastic and waste would sink to the ocean floor and suffocate plant life. the ocean gods were losing control of the sea, and the ocean was dying. soon, humans had unknowingly taken control of this vast blue expanse, and one by one, species went extinct and gods would lose their throne. soon, there was only one sea god left. so many mighty species had become endangered, and she could feel her own power fading. she knew she didn't have a lot of time left on this earth. but someone had to carry on the legacy, right? yet who? everyone was dead. she couldn't rely on a single sea creature to survive the fight alone and bring the ocean back to what it once was. and then, she saw a child. a poor child, only around 3 years of age, sinking slowly down through the water, with chestnut brown hair and a slim figure. her eyes were softly closed, limbs limp like she had given up trying to swim through the water. as the sea god watched, she knew this human would soon drown in the water. as she looked up, she spotted a boat. how foolish, had this child jumped out of it? what was she thinking? the ocean god swam closer. now that she thought of it, it wouldn't be that bad of an idea to pass on her powers to a human, right? this child could be an advocate for the ocean. she could help bring back peace! yes, of course!! that'd be it! the ocean wouldn't die, right? normally, she would've known this was absolute nonsense to grant a 3 year old mortal child the powers of the entire ocean. but the goddess was tired and panicked, sick of holding this bloodline as the only one left after the pollution of their once-beautiful territory. so the goddess would make this child the ocean's advocate in the human world. cross her fingers that it works, because she was ready to be far gone off this planet's surface where her loved ones were erased. it seemed that the human's parents were looking for her, as the goddess could hear shouting coming from above the water. the huge boat that she assumed the child fell off of was moving faster, faster towards her. she didn't have long to do this. she gently cradled the little girl and swam farther up to the surface, laying her down on a flat rock that jutted out near the boat, where her parents could find her and nurse her back to health. removing her pendant, she, the last goddess of the earth, who took her form as a glorious mauve stinger, pressed her lips against her forehead and smiled as she felt her body disperse, and disappeared. mauve stingers, beautiful yet delicate, were the last to survive, even above the great white sharks and the humpback whales. and zharia, who now held the indescribable legacy of the old ocean creatures, unknowingly. - - - 13 years later zharia, age 16, was your average teenage introvert. your typical teenage girl with hands that were always cold, and a habit of forgetting to study for her tests or apologizing much more often than what was needed. zharia was often the short-tempered quiet girl in class, known her shy persona and her long pink hair that almost reached her knees. zharia had one close friend, hana. she and hana had been best friends since they were children and could barely speak. with neighbors and close parents, they were inseparable and began to depend on each other. zharia especially, after her father drowned in a rogue wave when she was four. that memory was also fresh in her mind, as it was the same year the pacific ocean was declared to be highly toxic, and multiple tourist
attractions and beaches were closed. gone were her old memories of crashing those same waves with her father, who was now forever lost in sea. an hour away from her house, however, was a small beach that would lead to the atlantic ocean. her father had bought out a small hut on that beach that was him and her mom's honeymoon location. after he was gone, zharia's family began having financial issues, and they depended on multiple part-time jobs that her mom worked around the clock for money. zharia took on a job at a fast food restaurant while she was only 15 to help pay off bills. hana, her friend, however, stayed in zharia's old neighborhood which wasn't far from her new apartment (surprisingly.) unlike zharia, hana's family was doing much better in finances, and they often helped split electricity or water bills with zharia's family as a token of gratitude for lifelong friendships. it was one sunday night when hana visited zharia's apartment and invited her to on a vacation to the last beach near their area that was open. she knew how hard her friend was working, and it broke her heart to not do anything to help. she decided that zharia needed a break... and a shopping spree. the duo sped through the shops, buying ice cream, laughing and exchanging jokes, renting surfboards to ride the waves just like old times. hours sped by like seconds, and before they knew it, dusk had fallen and the sun was a rosy mooncake settled along the horizon of the tainted orange ocean. soon it would be high tide, and both girls knew they needed to leave soon. hana went off to retrieve towels, while zharia stayed in the calming ocean waves and closed her eyes. a bright smile was stuck on her face like a tattoo. this might've been the best day of her life, spending and playing with no worries on her mind. eyes still closed, zharia heard a faint roaring sound from behind her and heard footsteps. "hana!" zharia yelled out, spreading her arms with her surfboard in one hand. "a huge wave is coming, watch!" there was no reply. did hana not hear her? "hana?" zharia yelled again. it was strange. by now, the roaring was almost deafening. why was the wave not hitting her yet? zharia finally opened her eyes. a few meters in front of her, hana was yelling, shouting frantically, her eyes blown so wide that they were tearing up from the wind. but zharia couldn't hear a thing over the roaring from behind her. finally, zharia looked over her shoulder, but deep blue was the last thing she saw before a 10-foot wall of ocean water slam down on her and washed her away. she couldn't even scream. couldn't flail, couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't swim... hana! her head knocked against something shark and solid as she flung her limbs around trying to find balance, and darkness clouded her vision. - - chattering. ugh, so annoying, who was making all that noise? zharia's left eye twitched. she tried to open them, or move SOMETHING, but it was like her stubborn muscles refused to listen. was she floating? no, she couldn't be. there was pressure all around her. in fact, it felt like she was underwater. underwater? but wasn't she on the beach a second ago...? realization struck her like a thunderbolt. oh, so was she dead..? experimentally, she flexed her fingers, then her arms, then her legs. it felt so weird, like she was threading water. she dared to open her eyes, just a peek, maybe to see who the HECK was making that noise. she opened her eyes, and nearly choked. or, as much as you could choke underwater. all around her was a wide, endless expanse of sea blue, turquoise, deep navy and colorful coral reefs. schools of fish swam busily around her, and she could hear their chatters like banters or conversations. she extended her legs and this time, they touched the ground. she scoped the sea floor in wonder, and touched her head, which felt heavier than usual. sharp horns jutted out like a demon's, and she gasped in awe. she was clearly underwater, yet she was breathing just fine. her long, blanket-like hair fell down around her and she discovered her ears were pointed and her fingers were finned. it reminded her of those mythical sea myths in greek legends that she had learned about in 8th grade. what exactly was going on?
