History Main / OurMermaidsAreDifferent

* ''Fanfic/WhatTheWaterGaveMe'': Mermaids are an all-female race of creatures that have a powerful, hypnotic song and a taste for human flesh (especially men). They lure sailors along, then they snatch them up, mate with them and then eat them. Despite this, they do possess intelligence and personalities close to humans, with the power to imbue humans the power to breath underwater through a kiss and the even worship a mystical force they call "the Water", which turned Hiccup, Valka and Astrid into merpeople. Hiccup is currently the only merman in existence.

* ''Series/{{Siren|2018}}'': Mermaids here are an aquatic humanoid race who are capable of transitioning into a form with legs when they have to come on land, but the transition (from land to sea, at least) is neither quick nor clean. Those who do step out of water have to eventually return to the ocean (and subject themselves to a PainfulTransformation), or their bodies literally break down and they can't change back. They have much denser bones and far greater strength than humans as a result of living in the ocean's crushing depths. Their eyes are larger than human eyes, but their pupils are smaller to compensate for the different way light behaves when traveling through water (as opposed to air). Also, only ocean water triggers the transformation, meaning Ryn can be in a bath or pool and still be in human form. Some mermaid tribes are also born [[OneGenderRace all female]], but can [[SexShifter change to male later]] for reproduction. They are apex predators organized in matriarchal tribes; their eye color marking which tribe they belong to. They have their own language and culture, but can quickly learn to adopt human ways. Their song, if used defensively, can cause severe brain damage and even drive people to commit suicide. Otherwise, it can enrapture them.

* The merfolk from ''Series/{{Siren|2018}}'' are apex-predators organized in matriarchal tribes; their eye color marking which tribe they belong to. They have their own language and culture, and are capable of assuming a human form on land through a [[PainfulTransformation painful transformation]]. They transform back to merfolk when in contact with seawater, though spending long enough time as humans will cause them to permanently lose their aquatic form. Their song, if used defensively, can cause severe brain damage and even drive people to commit suicide.

*** The merfolk of [[TheLostWorld Ixalan]], the River Heralds, are colorful, resembling tropical river fish. They are also nomadic in nature, use jade jewelry and armor and are aligned with Green mana as well as Blue.

* Website/DeviantArt:

[[caption-width-right:330:Often ''very'' different.[softreturn][-(Left: ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989'', Right: ''[[Film/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire Harry Potter]]'')-] ]]

* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10'': Ripjaws has a mermaid-like tail when he's underwater throughout the series. His tail can "retract" to form legs on land, with the tail becoming a sort of "loincloth".

** Vaporeon is a Pokémon based on a mythical creature in Singapore folklore called a "Merlion" (think upper body of a lion and lower body of a fish). It's also a walking VisualPun in the sense that it's a feline-like creature with fish-like traits. In other words, either a "Catfish" or a "Sea Lion."

* The merfolk from ''Series/{{Siren|2018}}'' are apex-predators organized in matriarchal tribes; their eye color marking which tribe they belong to. They have their own language and culture, and are capable of assuming a human form on land through a [[PainfulTransformation painful transformation]]. Their song, if used defensively, can cause severe brain damage and even drive people to commit suicide.

* ''WesternAnimation/Disenchantment'' has a whole island of Mermaids, who look like beautiful women with fish tails instead of legs. No mermen are shown or mentioned. While Mermaids look down on humanity, they aren't exactly hostile, and Bean even falls in love with one.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' has a episode with Merpeople dwelling in the lost city of Atlanta, who are [[HollywoodEvolution accelerated-by-caffeine-evolved-humans]] who can't switch. Fry falls for one and intends to stay with them until he discovers the MermaidProblem...
* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' features [[LatinLover Mermando]], a merman who served as [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Mabel]]'s most receptive [[GirlOfTheWeek Guy of the Week]]. He's a pretty standard "can't transform" type, who is completely unable to breathe on land and quickly suffocates outside the water, though we get some BizarreAlienBiology trivia--his voice changed when he was three, and he has seventeen hearts. ("Horrifying but true!") He wound up stuck in Gravity Falls' community pool and can't leave without suffocating. Eventually Mabel and Dipper help him get back to the sea, and in a later episode we find out that he's had an ArrangedMarriage with a manatee princess.

-->'''Captain K'nuckles:''' Mermaids are weird.

-->'''Nathan:''' "This one's called Murmaider!"\\
'''Murderface:''' "It's about mermaid murder."