story - focused roleplay a song for the emperor. [ M4M ]

this story is loosely inspired by the little mermaid, but doesn't exactly follow the classic story that we all know.

the default setting is historical china ( no specific period because i'm a noob in history ; more of a fictional setting, that's inspired by danmei novels ), but another location can be discussed if you're not familiar with ancient china. my character is a former elemental god, who fell in love with a human daoist priest and attempted to make him immortal by breaking the rules of the heavens. thus, the heavenly emperor banished him and turned him into a merman. every night, his magnificent tail turns into a set of legs and he's allowed to walk upon earth again. as soon as the sun rises, he returns back to his merman form. walking is rather painful, for his feet feel like he's stepping on coal. he lives in the ocean, right next to the royal palace of an independent human kingdom. one day, he comes across the royal ship. the emperor of the land is returning from his war journey and my character is caught in the net the crew has left out to capture fish. the emperor happens to be the one to see my character and instead of capturing him and using him as an attraction for his people, he frees him. thus, the merman falls in love with said emperor.

i'm aiming for a long term story, with lots of ups and downs and lots of drama and angst. as mentioned, the location doesn't have to be ancient china, but it is preferred as it's a setting i'm familiar with. if you prefer a more western location, we can replace the emperor with a western king. historical era is mandatory, as modern stories don't keep my attention for very long.

i have an idea as to how this can play out :

the merman prays to the heavens, albeit being a fallen god, to regain his human form once more. the heavenly emperor agrees, but warns him that this favour comes with a hefty price. the merman can become human, but his feelings will be forever unrequitted and he will suffer from a well - known disease, named hanahaki disease. where the sufferer coughs up flower petals, until their love interest falls for them too or when the sufferer dies from internal damage. the aim is for the emperor to fall in love with the merman, but not without him suffering in silence for far too long.

i prefer discussing the details with the ones interested in this plot, instead of laying out headcanons and expecting the other party to follow. it feels a little one - sided, if the other person's ideas and opinions aren't heard before the story is written. please, check my preferences in regards to my kinks and turn offs ! if something isn't mentioned there, feel free to shoot me an ecchitext and ask if i'm into what you're thinking. you must be able to write a dominant character, as i prefer writing the submissive counterpart.

this is what the merman looks like :

yes, another genshin faceclaim. sue me, but he's perfect for this story.

don't hesitate to send an ecchitext if interested !!
i will update this post, once someone has claimed this story.