((EYO = Eight Years Old))

EYO!Eliot: -blinks, glances up at the lady- I'm good! Oh, I mean, ahem. I'm very well today, milady, thank you for asking! -looks around to see if Grumsby or his Father saw his politeness-

EYO!Esau: -huffs and looks away- What are we supposed to be doing here?

EYO!Edward: -plays with a strand of hair- I don't really like this cut... Oh, is the painter done? Can I go to the library now? -turns wide eyes to the person who summoned them, unblinking and unsmiling and generally just being a bit creepy-

EYO!Everett: -blasé attitude poofs away as soon as he notices he doesn't need to sit still anymore- Oh? It's over? YAAAAAAAY! -starts running around with boisterous laugh and tons of energy-

EYO!Evan: -fumbles with his glasses- O-oh! Well, we're doing fine, if I do say so myself. Um... -quickly notices they all seem about the same age- I... think there's something weird going on here?

EYO!Emery: -yawns loudly and stretches arms above his head- Aaah! Sitting still for a portrait is such a hassle! But did I come out fine? -grins- I wanna see my portrait!

EYO!Eric: -automatically hides behind Emery. He is by far the shortest, even when they are all the same age, and he easily shrinks behind Emery- Um...

Eliot: -nods- We really do clean it ourselves. It is Father's favorite room, and his favorite place to have heart-to-hearts if needed.

Esau: It's a very nostalgic place. After a particularly stressful day, I like dropping by to visit my mother's portrait. Going all the way to the royal graveyard isn't always the best idea, so I can talk to her there.

Edward: -frowns- I still don't like the cut I had when they painted that portrait... -trails off-

Everett: Haha, I love that place. And I love my portrait. I like to tell Eliot that I look more than him than me! I guess the same goes the other way around. I was just so bored for having to sit still for so long!

Evan: I usually avoid that room if its not my turn to clean it. When I do go, I avoid my mother's portrait. The ones of us at a younger age to bring back fond memories, though.

Emery: I hate having to clean at all, but that room deserves it. I only wish it was easier to get rid of the spiderwebs -- who decided castles needed to have such high ceilings?

Eric: It's a very dear place to all of us. And... well... That's the only place where I can find a portrait with my mother in it. Every other portrait of her was... mysteriously ripped... a short time after she died...

King Eliot I: It is my favorite place in all of the castle. -smiles fondly- I actually didn't ask my sons to clean up the place themselves. They decided to do it themselves. I'm very proud of them for that.

Eliot: I respect all of the Queens. I do have a special place in my heart for Mother, although I didn't get to know her very well. Father is a great role model and leader, and I hope to be more like him as I grow into the role of King.

Esau: I used to be spiteful towards Queen Caroline and Queen Hartley, actually. They were Queens only because my mother was dead, and I never got to meet her. I was also a bit cruel to my brothers, I'm told, probably because I was jealous they had their moms when I didn't. I was specially jealous of Eric, and it took me a while to realize that, due to his young age, he wouldn't remember much of his mother as he grew. Now that I've grown, I have equal respect for all of them. Like Eliot said, there's always a special place in our hearts for our blood mother, as well as for Father.

Edward: We usually avoid talking about Queen Caroline when Evan and Emery are around. Other than that, I suppose I respect them all the same. I can't really remember my mother. Father is very passionate when he talks about his wives, though, so I love chatting with him about them.

Everett: -shrug- The servants were always badmouthing Queen Hartley in front of us, but I could see that she was a good woman, I suppose. I never really disliked her, but I didn't get to know her, so they're all more of a faint memory, but I love them all the same. Well, maybe not Evan and Emery's mom. Dad is awesome!

Evan: -scowls- While I hold the other two Queens in high regards, my own Mother is not someone I enjoy talking about. Or talking TO, in the few Balls we do get to see her and her family. In fact, both Emery and I avoid these balls altogether. I dislike my mother heavily. I love my father deeply, but for all his good-will, I can't get on good terms with my mother.

Emery: Queen Hartley was really nice, I'm told. I always managed to slip from my caretaker's grasp, and Grymsby says she'd look over me and treat me just like she treated Eric, at least until the servants took me away from her. And I always hear good things about Queen Juliana. But Queen Caroline is a despicable person, and I'd rather not talk about her. Father may try to defend her all he wants and not hold grudges, but I'm never going to like her.

Eric: Hm, I didn't get to meet the first two Queens. But they look like really nice people in their portraits. Well, Emery will say some horrible things about his mother, but Father is always giving very touching and lovely tales about each of the Queens whenever he can...

Abigail: I actually think he did answer this himself... -huffs-

W-well, you see. It was when we were younger, around fifteen, I think. I was working in my parents' bakery even back then. And there was this boy. I had never seen him around, and he was extremely proper and a bit full of himself. So I took it as my goal to get his head down a notch. He bought bread and chatted with me and joked, and he was just generally very nice. I didn't find out until later that he was a prince, and he was disguised as a commoner mostly so he could come see me, after his initial adventures to town. By that point, if he got too familiar with me, the line between the Prince and my best friend Esau would just begin to blur...

-shakes head- I, haven't actually interacted with them too much. The one brother I do know well is Emery, because he once followed Esau to find out where he was going, and he came back by himself to talk with me. So I've talked to him a few times. Eric seemed like a proper young boy... M-mind you, I don't make a habit of listening to the town's gossip, but I'd imagined the seventh prince would be a spoiled brat or something like that... -flusters- Anyway. Esau promised I'd get to meet his family properly in a few days. He's going to take me to the castle before the wedding, and of course we'll go to the ceremony together!

Ariel: I recently found out I can still sing. I hadn't sung since my mother died... it was usually her who sang, and I sang along. love cheers you up!

Sebastian: I can't sing, or play any sort of instrument, although I can read and write music. I like all types of music.

Flounder: I can sing! A bit. And play drums!

Scuttle: Even though I'm a bird, I can't sing at all. xD I like any sort of music they play in the ships that come around. Quite cheerful!

Ursule: I can't sing. And I don't play instruments either. I have no time for that! Music's too distracting:

Floatsam & Jetsam: -shake their heads-

Eric: I can't sing very well, but I can play the harp. Big brother Eliot taught me.

Emery: I can play the flute, but I don't like it much: I prefer the tambourine. But as long as the music is catchy, I'll go with it.

Evan: I can play the clarinet, but I don't fancy it. Alas, each of us was required to play an instrument for cultural purposes... We'd also play all together when we were younger.

Everett: I can play the cello! But I can't sing. I think I'd be too loud!

Edward: I was taught to play the piano, and I can sing pretty well. Seems like I'm unable to do both things at the same time, though.

Esau: Yes, I play the violin. But I can't sing at all.

Eliot: I like playing the harp. It is very relaxing. But outside of that, and hearing my younger brothers play their instruments, I prefer the atmosphere to be silent.

Eliot: -jaw dropped, shell shocked-

Esau: E-eric... Please cover yourself... -begins taking off his own shirt to offer it to his brother-

Edward: Yes, you should indeed change your clothes. -averting his eyes, red-faced-

Everett: -slaps his forehead, muttering:- ...too much time with Emery...

Evan: You should take the kinky top off, it will look less perverted if you wear no shirt at all. -Deftly ignores the whole situation by pretending to read a book-

Emery: -raises hands- I didn't touch your closet! I don't want you to look like jailbait.


Ariel: -jaw dropped, shell shocked, nose bleeding-

Ariel: The truth is you have all been reading my mind thus far. -serious face-

No, really. The same way you guys can magically summon ghosts of our past to ask weird questions.

(Kuda: So yeah. xD They react as they would in the comic, given how far it is at the time of the question. But that doesn't mean they are tied to their comic conditions.

And a bit of fourth wall breaking, too.)

Ariel: I think Sebastian has answered this 'reproduction' question before.

"Sebastian: -sigh- ... Well, I can't say much for myself. When my own species becomes merfolk instead of simple crabs, our anatomy is so human-like that our reproduction is the same as theirs, once we take off the exoskeleton. Of course, when we DO take it off, we're at great danger, because out bodies are much more frail and sensitive without them.

Merfolk such as Ariel, Flounder, and even Ursule, I guess, are different. Now, let's see first how normal fishes reproduce: the female lays eggs, the male fertilizes them, and that's it."

[Ariel: for most types of fishes. Mammalian ones not included.]

"Merfolk are just slightly similar. A mermaid also has eggs inside her, but they develop slowly, like a human female's.

Now, reproductive organs are well-hidden under protective sheathes of scales on the front. The genital area works, but doesn't look, similarly to that of humans. In the case of males, there is a protected penis that doesn't come out when urinating, it just comes out for reproductive means, even if the duct for both urine and semen is shared. Then, somewhere bellow the spot where the penis is hidden, a second well-hidden sheath protects the anus. The excretory system in merfolk works a lot like a human's.

Then, for females, it's something similar: a protective sheath protects the vaginal area. That area serves the same purpose as a human female's, but it doesn't look like it much. Like in the males, the anus is protected by a sheath somewhere under the vaginal area.

I guess we could say merfolk reproduce more like dolphins do, and less like fishes: the male will penetrate the female's vagina with his penis, and you know the rest. Now, when a male fertilizes the egg inside the female (usually just one is available, but multiple pregnancies are not unheard of), it is most recommended that the egg stays INSIDE the female through the growth of the embryo, as it gets best nurture and is well-protected. However, if there should be any complications (such as the female being too young, or being unable to cope with the physical illness that usually comes with a pregnancy), it is possible for her to push the egg out, provided it's over a month old and placed in a safe spot. The egg will develop normally, so long as it gets enough air through fresh currents of air and is watched over.

It is also common to "alternative parenting" to let the egg grow outside the mother so both mother and father can watch it develop -- those hippies think this creates some sort of bond.

However, the act of pushing the egg out and then abandoning it is heavily frowned upon, and the act of pushing the egg out only to destroyed is penalized in Atlantica.

Is that informative enough for you?
"

Ariel: Because I'm pretty like that. -flutters eyelids- No, joking aside. I don't think wearing a dress is weird at all. I understand that mostly women wear them on the surface, but we don't really have dresses in merpeople societies, so I can't really be awkward about it. I really wouldn't mind [canonically] putting one on.

Besides, I could wear a dress and still 'top' if I wanted, don't you agree?

(Kuda: -nods fervently, somehow finds crossdressing semes hot- xD]

Eliot: I like a woman. So, I'm straight.

Esau: Straight.

Edward: I'm pretty sure my romantic thoughts have only gone to ladies so far.

Everett: I like chicks, thank you! -laughs-

Evan: I really could care less about love at this point in my life.

Emery: ...Seriously? I don't think I need to answer to this.

Eric: Eh... um... Bi...? G-gay...? I never thought of it before...

Eric: Octopi? Well... I ate some of that one, I think. It was tasty? Why?

Ursule: -rages and faints-