Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN MAKO MERMAIDS! Oh and if you have not read Birthmark, check it out. Because you'll get unnecessary spoilers if you don't. Oh and bold italics are for the previews.
Are you guys ready to be shell-shocked? One of the most anticipated fanfics of the archive, Birthmark, is now opening its doors, because you're going behind the scenes with the creator herself, to get the inside scoop!
Izi: "Let's get this party started! First I'd like to say, thank you guys so much for giving Birthmark a chance! I'd never imagined that it would get as many followers as Kuro would have imagined. Especially fans like chelseagodwin18, , Teal'cIndeed, Isabean, ObsessedwithReading and Periwinkle Starfish. For Periwinkle, thank you for writing out Kuronique's request. She really enjoyed that. For , keep on writing, your stories are amazing. Your reviews have made Birthmark a story that Kuro has been writing for almost a year now, and they've inspired her to keep going now let's clap it out! Yeah! So thank you, boys and girls, dudes and dudettes, ladies and gentlemen! Thank you! (cue clapping). Now we have a lot of ground to cover today, we've got a lot of stuff to reveal and a whole list of secrets about Birthmark to share. But now please welcome the mind and genius that makes this story epic. Without further ado, let me bring up the creator of the Tails of a Half-Blood, Miss Kuronique Misaki!"
Kuronique or Kuro for short runs to the panel with a beautiful blue dress that reaches down to her feet. She has short dirty blond straight hair that reaches her neck and grey/blue eyes. She is 14 years old.
Kuro:"Hey guys! What's up? Thank you all so much! I'd never imagined that my story would be such a success! As Izi said, I'm going to be sharing some secrets about the story and a few previews of the sequel."
Izi: So, why don't we get this panel started? First off, I'm going to start with some questions about creating the story. Where did you get the idea for creating a story such as this?"
Kuro: "Well I was not really inspired by anything. But I was watching the original show and I just felt like something was missing. When I watched the series for a third time, it just came to me: why not add one more character? And that idea kept getting drafted, and re-drafted, until boom! And that's when I wrote my fanficiton. It's really interesting what an idea for a TV show with mermaids, cause it's a popular franchise and the fandom for the timeline of Australian mermaids has existed for 10 years now and you get to look back and see where it has and hasn't gone."
Izi: "How did you create a plotline like this?"
Kuro: "Well most of the plotline was my idea, but I worked some references from other franchises to get it more authentic."
Izi: "What is it about this story that you like?"
Kuro: "What I like about it is that, all the characters are individuals. But one of the things I set to do when I started creating this story was to give them all unique personalities that showed them who they really were."
Izi: "Was there a way you brought this series back to life?"
Kuro: "Yes there was. The way that I did was that I looked at the core of who these characters were. And I said to myself, "what really is at the heart of all these people?" and to me I thought that it was the sense and bond of a family that brought them together. As a kid, I think that's what I loved about H2o, it was this special group that almost anyone who watched it wished they could be a part of. We have a bunch of characters in this franchise, which are so distinct that it's hard for a viewer to not find one you can in some way, relate to."
Izi: "Why do you call it Birthmark?"
Kuro: "Well in the story, there's a girl who has this prophecy marked on her life since birth. So hence the name Birthmark?"
Izi: "What was the hardest part of writing Birthmark?"
Kuro: "The hardest part was to try to not make the story sound exactly the same as the original. Like I said, it took me about 8 months to draft the entire story and 4 months to write this. In all it took me a year to get this out. I think it's one of the difficult parts of a Fanfiction. Using your imagination, you have to create your own plot, subplot, climax, characters, and all that."
Izi: "Well now that part of the Q&A is out, I'm going to ask you some questions about the characters themselves. What can you tell me about Zac in this story?"
Kuro: "Well for starters, Zac is still there, but he's also a 16 year old kid who's not only dealing with being a merman but he's also looking out for his sister, who is his also one of his best friends. And when he finds out what she is, he starts to get a little more overprotective and a little cocky. But that is to be expected from his nature."
Izi: "How did you depict the 3 girls in this story?"
Kuro: " Nixie is a little different than the original. She's kind of like a mermaid who at first glance seems like someone who likes to be in places she's not really supposed to be in. But deep down she's scared of what surprises her new life holds for her and when she finds out the truth about Thalassa being alive, she completely distrusts her because she doesn't really know her that well and that creates a little bit of a rivalry between them. Sirena on the other hand, is still a mermaid who is kind of like a little kid full of curiosity, she's best friends with Nixie and she puts a lot of faith in Thalassa. She likes to see the best in everybody and has a really beautiful soul. As for Lyla, she's still a little bit of a firecracker. She has a bit of a balanced trust for Thalassa, and has a little bit of a crush on Zac, as we know. And when she's thrown into this completely random situation where she's stuck with Nixie and Sirena, over time she learns to give people a chance for her to trust them."
Izi: "What can you tell me about Thalie's friends?"
Kuro: "Stephanie, is the brains of the outfit, she's usually the kind and gentle genius, but even the most silent are the most temperamental. In other words, she may be 14 years old, but she's got a temper of ice that you don't want to see. The nerd age is upon us and I think that Steph represents the teenage girl's side of it. Helen, is the tough girl, like Rikki from H2o. She's the sarcastic, tough, brooding strong girl. And in the sequel we get to see that she's a little vulnerable, because she has a pet turtle named Spike, which is her companion and a guy she can open up to. Because in the sequel, we see her going through changes and she develops a firey temper. And I mean fire. And Rosalina, is the comic relief. She's kind of like the baby sister, she's sort of the most immature of all the girls, but when she really puts her mind on focus, she's just really brilliant. She can keep you laughing in the most difficult of times. Like air she goes out into the world happy because she's free to laugh even when times are tough."
Izi: "What about Blair/Thalie?"
Kuro: "Blair was my major OC. She starts off as a character that seems like a normal 14 year old, one who has a very big secret. When she finally gains her tail, she begins to have questions about herself and who she really is. As the story progresses, her relationship with Zac grows when they find out about each other's tails. But when she finds out about the prophecy of her birth and the truth that her principal is her mother who is a mermaid, her questions about herself are taken to a whole new level. While she decides on her choice, she goes through a lot of stress as to not only who she is but where she belongs. And when she turns her back on Zac, we see a lot of love exchanged between her mother and her. Blair changes her name to Thalassa, to keep her late father close. After Zac almost kills her by accident, they grow close again as emotional brother and sister. At the end, when the prophecy is complete, a journey begins anew for Thalie. And that's when the sequel, Love will find a Way comes in. For an overall statement of her relationships, being a sole half mermaid, with your mermaid principal as your mom, your aunt who's the leader of a pod, and a brother who's a merman, what more could you want?"
Izi: "Anything about Rita?"
Kuro: "The leader and elder of the little pod on land, Rita Santos, is there, of course. But the difference between this Rita and the original is that we see her not only as a teacher but more as a mother. Instead of playing in the idea that she was this mermaid who left the pod I'm having a lot more fun with her in making her a strong anchor to the group. In the original draft, she was never supposed to be Blair's real mother, but once I realized that in the original show, the character of Rita did not have enough spotlight, I decided to add a little more drama to her."
Izi: "How is Thalie portrayed in this story?"
Kuro: "Having an eterothaleís in the moon pool or in the sea makes the characters taken aback, especially Lyla and her friends, because they don't exactly know what to do with the half-blood because there hasn't been one for a really long time and they're really rare."
Izi: "So, we're now done with the questions. As you guys probably know, the trailer for season 2 of Mako Mermaids is out! Which means that the season will come out soon. We don't know the exact date of the release date, but the soonest of dates, is in January 2015. Keep your fingers crossed that it comes out in that time! Now Kuro, can you give us a brief history on writing the first book?"
Kuro: "Yeah well for Birthmark, I did a lot of writing. The writing of Birthmark went far back as mid 2013. In the finale I did a lot of thinking in that. We got to see the prophecy finally being fulfilled, which foreshadows a whole new set of surprises for her and the rest of the characters. Over time in the story, there was a lot of drama, and at the finale, there was a lot of excitement and moral that I wanted to bring into the story itself."
Izi: "So now that the first book is out, anything you want to tell us about the sequel? Also fans, note that because season 2 has not come out yet, some of the plot in the sequel may change."
Kuro: "Yes. Izi is right. Keep in mind that a lot of the plot may change. I'm just gonna give you guys a brief synopsis. But I don't wanna give any spoilers so I'm just going to give you guys a little sneak peak. The previews are coming up. As you guys know, a year has passed since Zac has turned into a merman, Zac is now 17, and Thalie is 15, Sirena, Lyla, and Nixie have ran off to live in the pod, and just because the trident was destroyed, it does not mean that there is more mermaness coming. 2 new mermen will come to town. That's right, 2 mermen, Erik and Caleb are coming to Australia. But when Caleb tries to infiltrate the mermaids, he falls in love with a certain red-head half blood, and she falls in love with him. And so it turns into Romeo and Juliet. I've got a lot more characters coming for the sequel as well as new mermaids, even some new part-time mermaids, and I'm not talking about just Evie, because there will be more land people who get turned into mermaids on the same night as she does, and no it's not Cam. I'm not saying who but I am saying how many, and there are 3 more land girls who get turned into mermaids by accident, and no, it's not the H2O characters, although they will probably appear in the sequel. When Evie is turned into a mermaid, along with three other girls, Thalie is completely horrified of that because she blames herself. Why that is, it's because on that night, she was kidnapped and used as bait to lure Zac. Actually I have a preview for you to show. This takes place on the night Ondina and Mimmi arrive to the Gold Coast. So Izi, fire away." The panel turns dark as a screen appears displaying the preview.
No one's POV, in the moon pool…
"Ondina." Mimmi said. "You're more cunning than I thought. Holding an eterothaleís hostage." She points out to an unconscious Thalie, in her mermaid form, lying on a rocky ledge in ice chains.
"Trust me Mimmi." Ondina replied. "I have no intention of harming her, or keeping her hostage for long. She is bait. When that merman attempts to rescue her, I will bind him to the wall. Then when he is trapped in the energy, I will shatter his tail." Suddenly, Zac pops in the moon pool. He swims to the ledge and checks Thalie's breathing. He sighs with relief, for she is alive and well.
"I'm here girls." Zac announced with bravery. "Now let her go." Ondina devilishly smiles.
"Sorry land boy." Ondina hissed. "There's been a change of plans." She raised her hand and Zac was flown into the wall, facing front. His hands are raised above him, bound to the wall in ice blobs, while his tail stayed in the moon pool.
"She will be fine." Mimmi pointed to Thalie. "But your tail won't."
End of preview...
(cue clapping)
Izi: "Yeah! Now that my friends is one of the many scenes in "The Seventh Cycle." Now Kuro, according to the finale, you stated that you would be writing a short story called Vengeance is Mine. How is that coming along?"
Kuro: "About that, I had originally intended to make it a short story, but I have decided to make it into an episode which will probably come out in the sequel or the story after that."
Izi: "So guys, we promised previews of the sequel, and you're about to get some! According to Kuro, Thalie, Evie, and Zac are on the roof of Thalie's house playing a certain type of dodge ball. And this is after The Seventh Cycle."
Once again the panel turns dark, introducing another clip…
"Ha! Ice dodgeball!" I exclaimed, as she caught the floating ice ball with her powers. "Missed me again Zac!" I threw the ice ball at Zac, who sent it to Evie.
"Eat this!" He exclaimed.
"Hey!" Evie exclaimed as she sent it to the archway. My mom than came in with her hands on her hips.
"What are you three doing?" She asked with an eyebrow raised. Behind her, I threw the ball to Zac, who wasn't paying attention. And he was going to regret it, very soon and very painfully.
"Playing dodgeball, Rita!" He replied just as the ball struck him with a low blow on the soft spot. He groaned in pain. "Oh I am hurt! I am very much hurt!"
"With an ice ball?!" Rita exclaimed as she froze the ball in mid-air before turning it back to water and landing it on the ground with a splat. "This is very dangerous!"
"Don't worry Rita." said Evie. "We're mermaids; we can take care of ourselves over a block of ice, right Thalie?"
"Um what about me?" Zac winced in pain. Obviously he was still hurt from the low blow.
"Sorry Zac." Evie smirked. "I didn't count on you with you still being in pain and all."
"I can still stand you know!" He exclaimed in irritation.
"Ok." I spoke. "We can take care of ourselves Mom, even if a certain player doesn't pay attention before getting a low blow. So if you want to pin the blame on someone here, blame it on Zac." Evie and I giggled, while Zac fumed with embarrassment.
"I will get you for this." He mumbled.
"Sure you will Zackie." I taunted. That seemed to set him off edge, because he started running after me. But I was faster.
"You're so going to get it!" He shouted. You see, when we were kids whenever I would tease him, I would call him that nickname. He hated every moment I called him that.
End of preview…
Izi: "Don't worry guys. There's more to this story than this scene. Trust me, you're going to see a lot of cray-cray in this sequel. Such as the arrival of Caleb. Kuro, tell us more about this Caleb."
Kuro: "Caleb is, for standard view, this rebellious teenage merman…who just so happens to be Erik's little brother. Shocker I know. So apparently, Caleb tags along with Erik to help him in his conquest for power over Mako. But while doing so, he meets Thalie who then falls for him. While he doesn't realize it, he has a crush on her too. He kind of flirts with Thalie, instigating Zac and Erik because they don't want their siblings together. It's not that they fall for each other at first glance, they just build a secret friendship which builds into romance."
Izi: "For the sequel, I heard that there will be a team of 4 girls called the Syreni Sisters. Who are they?"
Kuro: "I'm not so sure I should tell you all of the secrets. I will tell you though that they are a group of teenage girls who face everyday teenage girl stuff, with one twist: they're mermaids. 3 were transformed by accident, one was born. Even though all 4 girls have similar mermaid abilities, they each wield a specific element. The leader wields power over water, the brains wields the power of ice, the rebel wields the power of fire, and the comic relief wields the power of air. That's all I'm going to tell you. Oh and readers, if you have figured out the Syreni and who they really are, don't tell anyone, even in the reviews, it'll spoil it."
Izi: "Oh and readers, if you have any questions, about the series or the stories themselves, review your questions or PM Kuro them. Because after this chapter she's going to do a 'Q&A from the readers' chapter."
Kuro: "Yes I am. And guys, there will be more singing not just from Sirena!"
Izi: "Now that you mention it, it seems that there's simple nothing left of this chapter to reveal!"
Kuro: "Yes I am sorry to say that my time here has come to an end for now. But don't worry, I'll come back from the dead with other new chapters, with trivia and more! And guys thank you so much for giving Birthmark a chance! Be on the lookout for the sequel. And remember, the sequel will take awhile to write, but I will try my best to write it as quickly as possible. And this archive needs more stories, so if you have any imaginations about this show that you want to just get out of your system, I encourage you to either write that story or sign up for Fanficiton. Trust me, it doesn't hurt. And be sure to check out other fanfics, like"
Izi/Kuro: "On that note GOOD NIGHT AND THANK YOU!"
Don't miss the season 2 premier of Mako Mermaids!