A collection of the events in the form of a poster (2019).
The Little Mermaid II: History Repeats is the original The Little Mermaid sequel rewritten.
It stars an older Melody and the son of Ursula, who targets her for his revenge scheme after learning about his mother's celebrated death, which her parents are to blame for.
Melody is blind for his bad intentions and believes he is a friendly witch who came to fulfill her wish of exploring that which had always been withheld from her; the deep sea.
The remake was conceived in April of 2019, and artwork first released at Tumblr on May 9, 2019.
Story
Introduction Ariel is living her happily ever after with prince Eric, but after their kingdom started attracting tourists seeking to confirm the existence of the merpeople who attended their wedding ceremony, contact with Ariel's side of the family is broken off as to reinstate Atlantica as a myth and keep it safe from the ill-intended.
Her daughter, Melody, is kept clueless as well, but is born with a natural attraction to water and always pushes herself down in bath tubs and the sea nearby, despite not having the lung capacity for it. Her almost suicidal tendencies worry Eric and Ariel, who try to distract the young child with her royal education and events, but Melody doesn't fit in with the snooty aristocrats and can't concentrate on her work. Her disregard for time and given responsibilities remind Ariel of her old self, yet she can't figure out a solution for her daughter's restlessness.
As time progresses, she becomes less of a danger to herself, but still hungers for the ocean and thinks that becoming a mariner like her father is what she desires. As the only heir to the throne, this wish is not supported and she is again showered with talk about her future as queen. Ariel wonders if she's being fair or becoming too much like Triton, but Eric's support convinces her that Melody's situation is not similar to hers. They agree that telling her about merfolk won't make things better, either.Meanwhile, an octopan named Orson is looking for his missing mother; Ursula. His last customary family visit changed his life forever and he moved into her abandoned home, whereafter he spent years trying to learn what happened to her. When Orson comes across a group of merchildren reinacting Eric and Ariel's victory from the last movie, he goes mad with grief and plans revenge.
By this time, Melody is 17 years old and being prepared for adulthood. After a failure of a ball -intended for her to meet princes for marriage- Melody spends the next morning at shore feeling listless. The spying Orson sees his chance to offer the daughter of his enemies an invitation to sea and reveals to her the secrets that lie underwater by showing off his octopus body. As if she were visited by a fairy godmother, she absorbs his tales and excitedly signs his contract in exchange for fins. She doesn't care to read the details and accepts Orson's summary of it, making his job easy.As he's not a trained witch, the contract is a pre-existing scroll of his mother's he slightly managed to edit and awfully similar to the deal made with Ariel. It speaks of sharing a true love's kiss within three days if the client wishes to keep their new form, but as it seemingly asks no trade or payment, Melody believes she's given a trial version. Orson earns himself the title of a friendly witch, despite his looks and behaviour.
When turned into a mermaid, Melody is ecstatic, but the large deep sea intimidates her and she's unable to choose a direction to explore. Because swimming is even more difficult, she expects Orson to help and be her guide, but he refuses to do work that's not in his job description and leaves. Back at his mother's home, his eel Sam is waiting and expresses confusion for his strategy. She argues he could've dragged Melody underwater back there and have it count as revenge, but Orson insists that the irony is what makes it worth it. Sam mutters he and his mother care too much about creating underlying messages no one will be able to read into.
Since Melody can't control her tail, Orson believes the three day rule won't be in her favour and she'll turn back into a human at the bottom of the sea. Her disappearance will be used to lure her worried parents to shore, who'll receive the treatment Sam suggested. Sam then points him to the contract's details and thinks the attractive Melody will be found and get enough pursuers to receive a true love's kiss from, but he doesn't believe the short time span could make anyone fall in love that quickly.
She insists they should keep an eye on her regardless, but when Orson goes off to find her, he sees her still floating in the same spot he left her. He's angered by her lack of effort, but Melody greets his return with glee.He decides to drag her away from shore under the guise of giving her a tour, further decreasing the chance she'll find her way back home. Melody spots merpeople along the way and Orson takes the opportunity to send her off to the palace for the upcoming music show, hopefully motivating her to go her own way from there. She asks him to join her, but he explains people like him aren't welcome. The idea awe-inspiring merpeople are racist makes her less eager to mingle, but he wants to get rid of the energetic human and says the experience is worth it.
Melody enjoys the songs performed by Triton's remaining daughters, yet doesn't engage with anyone in the audience and loyally returns to the spot where Orson sent her off. Orson, who was planning to spy on her after the show, is surprised to see her look him up. Melody believes he was waiting for her, which leads to the misconception he is her friend.As she still doesn't know anybody, she insists on staying at his house for the night. His objections fall onto deaf ears and her retorts make it hard to send her away. Knowing better than to enter a rage, he allows her to stalk him to the dubious lair that, again, raises no suspicion and even receives a compliment. Because there is only one space available to sleep, Melody is ungraciously granted the floor, which her good mood has her accept.
On the second day, Melody gets up early to practise her swimming and destroys the room while doing so. Orson is upset to see his mother's belongings being flung around, but again takes on a passive aggressive demeanour and suggests she should go explore the sea by herself this time. Melody doesn't have the confidence yet and asks if he can take her to where his people live instead. He replies the trip would exceed the duration of her transformation and she should stick with her own kind. She remarks merpeople and octopans should have no reason to be enemies and mingle freely, but Orson has nothing to say to something he heavily disagrees with.
Her attention goes back to the strange-looking stuff she knocked over and the appearance of the "house" itself, earning her the knowledge of his mother and how good she supposedly was. Not much else is shared and Orson exudes an aura of irritation, but she doesn't pick up on it and gives a few statements back concerning her own parents; mainly how they tried to keep her on a leash and are constantly worried about her, even now she's considered an adult.When she keeps pestering Sam to be her guide, Orson gives in and takes her to see various locations and animals. While looking for a place to dump her at, Melody's curiosity peaks and she asks him why he's going through the trouble of helping her in the first place. He carefully thinks his next words through, then agrees with himself that revealing her roots is a safe enough strategy to draw her to the Atlantican palace and forever release him from babysitting duty.
With this mentality, he gives his reply a pleasant start saying that anyone who loves the sea belongs there and she was destined to be a mermaid. This kind of support is foreign to Melody and moves her. Before he can add onto his false care, she gives him a kiss and expresses gratitude for his help and words. Orson finds the growing attachment she has for him startling and not beneficial to his plans, thus casually ignores it and further explains she's the daughter of a mermaid princess who rejected the seas long ago -making it logical she should take her place. This revelation shocks Melody and she has trouble believing her average mother had this past, but her doubt crumbles when confronted with the fact she's been transformed and changed realities herself.The gears in Orson's head keep turning and the thought of Melody drowning in front of her aunts and grandfather becomes a delightful addition to his revenge. He suggests she should meet and stay with her family for the remainder of her trial. Melody is unsure about barging in with heavy claims, but he promises her face will be enough for them to know who she is. With little to lose, she agrees to test it out and is dropped off at the palace, but naturally not allowed to see the king. Nevertheless, the guard confirms Orson's story when she asks him about the princess named Ariel. Startled by this, she gives up on getting in and heads back to find Orson, who already left to wait near the shore for Eric and Ariel to show up. He only finds castle staff looking for the missing princess, much like yesterday.
Sam then shows up to inform him a distressed Melody is looking for them and seemingly doesn't know the way to the lair. Before she disappears off their radar and/or a handsome character ends up being her hero, they leave to find her. Melody embraces the two with great relief and tells them what she learned. Orson doesn't understand her reaction, so she clarifies it entails her mother is a hypocrite and neither parents chose to take her feelings seriously. She then insists wanting to stay a mermaid. Orson repeats the requirement, but she can only think of asking her new family to help her find love by organizing an event for her, much like her parents did. Orson doesn't think such a forced setting will allow for real love to blossom; so naturally supports it.
As the sun is setting, the odd trio return to Ursula's lair. Melody expresses her disappointment some more and asks what his parents were like. She learns his mother was a famous sea witch, but mistreated by merpeople and his own father. Melody can't handle more negativity and requests happy stories, so they share better experiences with their respective parents until it's time for bed.
On the third day, Melody boldly enters Orson's "off-limits" seashell bed to directly wake him up and have their day begin. Still groggy, he barks she should stop wasting her time with him and needs to get that kiss if she wants to stay a mermaid. He flinches upon hearing himself give his victim a heads up and she admits to had forgotten it's her last day.
He takes her to the palace and says his goodbye. She again asks if he can't come along, and he confirms nothing has changed since last time. Now that the royal family is available to speak to outsiders, Melody asks the guards to see king Triton, but is assigned to the youngest princess instead. She introduces herself as Ariel's daughter, and as predicted by Orson, is immediately believed.
A large chunk of the day is used to catching up with her many aunts, who explain to her the events that lead to her mother leaving and the family separating. Before it gets late, though, Melody informs them of the time limit her transformation has and being in need of a true love's kiss. The familiarity of the situation worries them and they ask how she became a mermaid in the first place. Melody describes Orson, which turns their faces sour. She insists he's a friend and asks if he may attend the welcome ceremony planned for her. They say that not to be a good idea, especially around Triton, and if the contract signed truly has no repercussions, she should return to the surface.
Their reluctance to accept Orson or help her stay a mermaid upsets her and she goes off to find him and extend her transformation as proof of his alliance.At his lair, she only finds Sam. To see the noisy girl intruding once again tests Sam's patience and she intends to kill Melody during her neurotic ramble, but after hearing her desperation to see Orson, she feels sorry for her. Sam gives her the advice to forget about him and never return. Melody doesn't understand why she's being sent away, but goes off to find him elsewhere.
After being lost and chased around by a shark for a while, she finds Orson holding two humans captive in his tentacles, seemingly trying to drown them. Upon closer look she sees it's her parents. She wastes no time and tries to make him stop, but gets no response from him as he keeps moving her parents out of reach whenever she wants to pry them loose. Melody becomes more desperate and confused as precious seconds pass, while he pretends not to notice her.
When everything has failed, she feels forced to grab a rock shard from the ground and stab him, but her clumsy swimming and moment of hesitation allows for Orson to grab hold of her. He comments on how inappropriate her action is towards a friend, but she's not interested in playful chatter and begs him again to release her parents. He replies that they killed his mother and it's fair punishment. After all the bits and pieces of story Melody acquired listening to him and her aunts, she figures his mother was the same witch who approached hers 18 years ago.When the sun has almost set, Orson announces to have lost interest in her and she should go to the surface if she wants to live, but she refuses to abandon her parents. Nevertheless, she doesn't turn back to normal when night falls. Orson is puzzled by his failure, but discovers a flaw in his contract when he reevaluates the layout. It mistakenly requested Melody's true love's kiss to be given to him specifically; and the kiss she gave the day before matched this requirement, also revealing the both of them are fated lovers who've already fallen for each other.
But as his mind is set on disposing of his mother's murderers -and the fact being he's been found out by Melody- he urges himself to forget about her.Melody won't stop and manages to break his stubborn silence by profusely apologizing for his mother's death, though it doesn't soothe him. Orson says her apology means nothing, since she has nothing to do with it. She continues to speak to his empathy and asks him not to make her go through the same by taking her parents.
Her crying pays off and he strenuously submits by launching his unconscious victims towards the surface, as if spending more thought on it would change back his mind. Melody hesitates on whether to say something or follow her parents up, but Orson makes the choice for her and tells her to leave him alone, as he disappears into the darkness of the deep. The rejection is received and she heads up to check on her parents.At the beach, she finds the servants taking care of their king and queen. Melody gives them an embrace and has trouble speaking through the tears, but Ariel manages to light things up by saying she can hold her breath at least a second longer than the average human. The comment insinuates she guessed her fish-tailed daughter to have learned of her background, which Melody confirms, and Ariel apologizes for her insensitive parenting. Melody no longer feels that's the right way to look at things.
Eric and Ariel suggest she should come to the castle and not return to the ocean as long as their attacker is still down there, but Melody starts arguing he's a misguided good guy. The comment stuns them. Though she admits to fear him and wonders if she ever knew him, she tries to reassure herself by appointing Orson's attack to grieving the death of his only family. She recognizes he aborted his villainy for her and Melody continues to confess her love for him. After their near-death experience and being told he's the offspring of the manipulating Ursula, neither one of her parents look excited to hear this. Melody insists on his genuineness and tells them to have signed a timed love contract in exchange for her tail, yet is still a mermaid, while the only person she kissed was Orson. Her father doesn't know what expression to take in response to the two having kissed, while Ariel knows the meaning. Still, she's unsure on what's the appropriate reaction to give and Melody doesn't know how to progress, either.
Eric tries to console her by saying there'll be someone else to sweep her off her feet, not entirely understanding the definition of a true love, and Ariel decides to adapt the same mentality, since there's little else left to do. Melody asks how she can turn back into a human, but before it can be discussed, a light transforms her lower half back to normal. This makes the three assume it was a delayed effect and Orson wasn't Melody's true love after all. It somewhat relieves Eric and Ariel, though visibly disappoints Melody.A month passes, and after the royal family has rested and digested the incident, a party is thrown for Melody's return and safety. Nevertheless, the attendees use the event to either flirt or introduce her to their sons. Many polite and clean-cut boys try to lift her spirits, but Melody isn't feeling festive and her thoughts are still with Orson.
Further in the evening, a tall man too grey for his age approaches her for a dance and she immediately recognizes him. Orson asks if she's happy, but she can't find the courage to respond. He picks up on her discomfort and plans to leave, but Melody keeps his hands in hers. She answers to feel like before her underwater adventure began, but worse, and misses him despite everything that happened.
He says to have spent a month trying to turn himself human and believes he can make her a mermaid without the need of a contract. He offers her three days to make up her mind, and says to wait for her at shore every night. Melody ponders if it's part of another scheme, but doesn't think it makes sense for him to go through the trouble if he already had her in his grip just now.
Now that he sought her up and shown his face, she can't restrain herself and heads outside after a mere 15 minutes.Orson crawls out of the ocean uncharacteristically happy when he believes Melody has made up her mind that quickly, but she wastes no time ordering him to apologize to her parents. He refuses and says they are the criminals. She explains Ursula changed into something that had to be stopped, otherwise it meant the death of her parents and she would've never even existed. Orson shows understanding for her points, but doesn't believe his mother's brutal take-down was necessary.
He wants to know if that's all she came to see him for, and she replies her answer depends on whether he'll improve. He admits to act how he looks, but is willing to do and try more things for her. Melody responds flattered, but the fact he could've orphaned her still doesn't sit well. Orson asks her to give him this chance and argues he's never had someone look at him with kind eyes. She becomes more persuaded and they gradually lean in for a kiss, until a sneak attack from Eric violently breaks them up.Ariel grabs Melody to drag her away, while Eric keeps slashing at the beached octopan with his sword. The surprised Orson can't find his bearings and utters sounds of agony as his many limbs take the hits and fall onto the sand. Melody yells at her rampaging father to stop, to which Ariel says they came to save her.
Orson uses his five remaining legs to immobilize Eric and begins to tightly squeeze his neck, but Melody sees this frightens her mother and she calls out to him. He fumes with anger, but obeys and releases her father. Orson is quickly jumped by Melody before he can retreat into the ocean.
While locked in her embrace, she begs everyone to stop and insists not to be in danger. Her parents claim it undoubtedly looked like he was intimidating her, but Melody disagrees and informs them she's thinking of returning to the sea with him. Eric and Ariel are baffled, but begin to think they might've jumped to conclusions.
She turns her attention to the wounded Orson, who reassures her the arms will grow back. He mutters wanting to leave, but Melody wants everyone to make amends first, though he's visibly less eager to do so now.Their low-volume squabbling is audible enough for Ariel to hear and make her apologize for his mother's death, whereafter Eric follows for ambushing him. Ariel wishes to show off her good faith by inspecting his damaged body, but he doesn't want her anywhere near and says not to forgive so easily.
Ariel reassures the embarrassed Melody that her choice doesn't need be influenced by whether or not everyone befriends each other. Melody asks if that means they're fine with him. Her mother admits to had expected they'd meet up again, and by showing restraint after their cruel mistake, he's earned himself more trust. Eric gives a more general statement saying they need each other to become better people if they're indeed soulmates.
With their promise she's welcome to come back whenever, Melody casts a look at Orson, who returns a somewhat nervous one back.She jumps up for a kiss, whereafter she turns into a mermaid and they disappear into the ocean. Eric asks if they did the right thing and Ariel thinks it might've been the only good they've done.
The contract explained
The contract Orson set up states:
I hereby grant onto Orson, the Witch of the Sea, a true love's kiss within three days in exchange for a sea body for all eternity.
which translates to: I'll give Orson a true love's kiss within three days if I wish to stay a mermaid forever.
Even though Orson kept in his mother's title as "witch of the sea" -making it a false statement that would normally void the contract- the spell was cast without issue, since Orson had inherited his mother's title of witch of the sea after her death, as it appears to be a genetic role.
Characters
Melody
Melody (2019).
Melody is the daughter of Ariel and prince Eric, and a canon character from The Little Mermaid 2. In this version, she is 17 years old.
Because of her royal position, she has little to no friends and her obsession with water is seen as awkward to outsiders and worrisome to everyone else. Her parents decided not to tell her about Atlantica after their kingdom started getting dubious visitors, but they often questioned this decision.
When Melody learned of her mother's background, she felt hurt by their silence and was quick to give up on her old home to live in the sea.
Melody is an upbeat, just, and loyal person; made most clear when she chooses to stick around with the villainous Orson, who she sees as a supportive friend. His dark appearance and curt answers are glanced over. Even when she finds him attacking her parents, her body stalls at the thought fighting him could result into his death and he stays on her mind weeks later.
She shows understanding for his hostility and allowed herself to forgive him after he spared her parents and ensured their survival.
Orson
Orson (2019).
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Orson is the son of the late Ursula.
He was conceived when Ursula was still the ruler of Atlantica, then spent the last few years of his childhood in exile with her. By the time she targeted the young Ariel for her grand scheme, Orson had already moved out, meaning he's in his late 30s by the time he meets Melody. He's considered a 20-year-old because of his slow ageing process as an octopan.
Orson is a rather joyless person, but shows off slivers of his mother's flamboyant side when he's revelling in his own success. Still, he prefers silence and solitude, making it a chore for him to be around the bouncy Melody. He grows to like her for her optimism and unbiased view on everything, though tends to call her foolish over it to her face.
His biggest struggle in the story is to admit he likes her, since she is the daughter of his enemies and a mermaid, who are already his enemies. In order to respect his mother's passing, he keeps himself in a state of anger so he stays focused on the plan. Not until Melody surprises him by apologizing for her death does he allow doubt to enter his mind.
Other than that, Orson goes through little character development and keeps most of his traits throughout the story. He refused to apologize for targeting Melody's parents, though has shown to regret the outburst that decreased her trust in him.
He took some unnecessary risks that could've led to a premature end to his plans, which his overconfidence and disinterest in others are to blame for. He didn't want to keep track of Melody, as he considered her a mere means to an end, and had differing opinions on what kind of settings could lead to her finding "genuine" love. Typical for male octopans, he's a bad schemer and more inclined to tell the truth.
Sam
Sam (2019).
Sam is the younger sister of Ursula's twin eels, Flotsam and Jetsam.
She was given to Orson as a home departure gift and has been his companion ever since. She has no magic eye like her brothers and was presumably useless to Ursula in general. As her two brothers perished as well, she supports Orson's revenge, though is inclined to let him deal with it however he wishes to.
Like her owner, she loves silence and unapologetically swims away whenever the overly cheerful Melody shows up. While she tolerates her as much a cat does a violent toddler, Sam ends up feeling sorry for Melody when her crush on Orson becomes undeniable.
She has sickly pale scales and dark-blue wavy fins on her back and chest. She speaks with a tired, raspy voice.
Ariel
Ariel (2019).
Ariel is the mother of Melody, and a canon character from The Little Mermaid franchise. She is 34 years old.
Her life as a human with the man of her dreams made her content and there's little else she wishes for. Her wild 16 year old self seems like a far away memory, making it surprisingly hard for her to connect with her daughter. She knows to be dealing with a reversed replica of herself, but multiple factors force her to act like a sedated version of her father, Triton.
When she learns Melody's soulmate is the offspring of a dreaded enemy who tried to kill her, she feels conflicted between accepting this fact or ensuring her daughter will never get to experience what she has with Eric in order to keep her "safe".
Ariel was briefly convinced to be mistaken he's her true love, because Orson ended the contract off-screen, but Melody's gloominess was a sign to her they might've been tricked. She considered the possibility her daughter would return to him and tried to find some peace in that before it happened.
Her introduction to Orson was unfavourable, but like Melody, she came to understand his side and sympathized with his position as an orphaned son.
Eric
Eric (2019).
Eric is the father of Melody, and a canon character from The Little Mermaid franchise. He is 36 years old.
He shows great concern for the safety of merpeople and decided after 2 years of harassment from tourists and "trophy hunters" that the secret of their existence should stay with them and the wedding guests who witnessed it also. Ariel's family agreed not to visit anymore and it took years to convince outsiders that the rumors spread were just that.
Eric accepted that Melody, as the child of a mermaid, can't be reprogrammed and suggested they'd distract her with her education and other hobbies, which never worked.
One day she surprises him saying she wants to follow his footsteps as a sailor. As it's not a job for a young princess to take, he tried to erase the flattering idea from her mind, yet couldn't resist taking her along on sailing trips. When Melody abused these pastimes to jump off the ship into the dangerous seas, it had to come to an end.
Like Ariel, he's clueless on how to help his daughter without it requiring life-changing measures. After having experienced the life of a mermaid and leaving the sea, and in addition Orson, she became unconsolable and he started to rethink his approach.
Songs
This World is not a Part of Me
(Performed by Melody. Intended genre: musical, new age.)
The feeling
of your own home not being home, can I explain it?
A feeling's just a feeling
and they ignore the facts.
My place is here
or so my parents said.
Or so I have been told.
Or so it has been claimed.
If everything is fine
why do I feel pained?
This air I breathe is foreign.
What is it with this sand?
This world is not a part of me.
What lies under the sea?
Please, can someone say
say I'm not crazy.
A feeling's just a feeling
and they ignore the facts.
My place is here
or so my parents said.
What lies under the sea?
Please, can someone say
say I'm free to flee.
Beyond what I can see
is there something there?
Is it just more fish
or is it more water?
I can't, but feel I must.
What's on the ocean floor?
My heart's pounding so fast
when I sit at the shore.
This air I breathe is foreign
and I feel
this world is not a part of me.
Sign Here
(Performed by Orson. Intended genre: musical, classic rock.)
Save your doubts for later.
Here's your chance to see a world you've missed out on all your life.
The door is open.
Let the sea swallow you!
(I mean,) follow your heart.
Ready if you are.
Your adventure can make its start.
..Are you still unsure?
(..You don't look unsure..)
Then lets fulfill your request.
Just sign here!
You know how to write, dontcha?
Take too long and I'll be gone, you want this or nah?
Do it~!
Just sign here!
Need me to hold your hand for you?
First name, last name, really, either one will do.
Do it~!
Is It the Same
(Performed by Ariel. Intended genre: musical.)
Once
I was just like her.
Never on time, always away, what can I say.
Once
I was just like her.
But why
why can't I say
"Yes, it is the same".
...
It's Good to See You
(Performed by Ariel's sisters. Intended genre: yet unknown.)
There's none, tiny fool.
Gallery
(Tumblr upload, March 18, 2020)
(Tumblr upload, May 20, 2019)
――――――――
Non-canon comic starring Orson and Melody, talking about his tentacles (includes previous name for "octopan").
(Deviantart upload, April 12, 2020)
(Deviantart upload, May 10, 2020)
(Deviantart upload, October 10, 2020)
(Tumblr upload, April 20, 2021)'
Trivia
- Melody never tried make-up before;
- Around the third day of her transformation, Orson allows her to experiment with his mother's left-overs.
- When Melody chooses the life of a mermaid, she asks Orson's help with her clamshell top, opposed to her Atlantian family. She dyes it with his ink and the top rim is decorated with a semitransparent piece of his skin;
- Because her style is so influenced by octopans, it's not entirely appreciated by other merpeople.
- Melody eats fish, unlike other merpeople and despite their disapproval.
See also
- I Can't Remember (Threequel/spin-off)
- Pass Slowly (Music video)