The 12 Days of Christmas of 2023 - Day 9

On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: nine ladies dancing!
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree!

 

There are many theories about what the nine ladies are supposed to represent.

 

One such theory is that they represent the Nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit, as explained in the Book of Galatians. These fruits are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

 

My fantasy version:

 

On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: nine mystic mermaids!
Eight hearty hobbits,
Seven dwarves a-mining,
Six flying horses,
Five magic rings,
Four mountain trolls,
Three phoenixes,
Two forest fauns,
And a unicorn as white as the snow!

 

In some cultures, mermaids are seen as protectors and guides of the ocean and its creatures, representing the power of nature to nurture and sustain life.

 

In my world, merfolk are fiercely protective of their territory. They won't hesitate to attack anyone who harms their environment or any of the undersea creatures living in it. Then again, they'll handsomely reward anyone who helps them.

 

As much as I love Disney's The Little Mermaid, I do make a few corrections here and there.

 

2023 Inktober 8 - Terence Meets Ariel

Terence has a lot in common with Ariel. They're both fantasy creatures, they're both impetuous (though Terence is a bit more cautious and not quite as gullible) and they both fall in love with a human. 

Both lost their mothers at a young age, and both their fathers harbor an understandable if excessive hatred toward humans. Humans were even responsible for the deaths of their mothers.

By unicorn standards, Terence is the equivalent of a 19-year-old, so he would only have a few years over Ariel. That's why I often refer to him as "the white-haired youth."

And even though Terence doesn't live in the water, he'll take any advantage of getting good and wet. He can never resist the opportunity for a swim in unicorn or human form. Furthermore, it's because of the merfolk in his world that he got access to those special shells that let you breathe underwater for as long as you like. He becomes a very talented singer, too.

Small world, innit? Or in this case, small ocean. 

Disney Musical May 19 - Under the Sea

Ariel, listen to me
The human world, it's a mess
Life under the sea
Is better than anything they got up there 

The seaweed is always greener
In somebody else's lake
You dream about going up there
But that is a big mistake
Just look at the world around you
Right here on the ocean floor
Such wonderful things surround you
What more is you lookin' for?

Under the sea
Under the sea
Darling, it's better
Down where it's wetter
Take it from me
Up on the shore, they work all day
Out in the sun, they slave away
While we devotin'
Full time to floatin'
Under the sea

Down here, all the fish is happy
As off through the waves they roll
The fish on the land ain't happy
They sad 'cause they in their bowl
But fish in the bowl is lucky
They in for a worser fate
One day, when the boss get hungry,
Guess who's gon' be on the plate?

Oh, no, under the sea
Under the sea
Nobody beat us
Fry us and eat us
In fricassee
We what the land folks loves to cook
Under the sea we off the hook
We got no troubles
Life is the bubbles
Under the sea
(Under the sea)

Under the sea
(Under the sea)
Since life is sweet here
We got the beat here
Naturally
(Naturally-y-y)
Even the sturgeon and the ray
They get the urge and start to play
We got the spirit
You got to hear it
Under the sea

The newt play the flute
The carp play the harp
The plaice play the bass
And they soundin' sharp
The bass play the brass
The chub play the tub
The fluke is the duke of soul
(Yeah!) 

The ray, he can play
The lings on the strings
The trout rockin' out
The blackfish, she sings
The smelt and the sprat
They know where it's at
And oh, that blowfish blow!

Yeah, under the sea
(Under the sea)
Under the sea
(Under the sea)
When the sardine
Begin the beguine
It's music to me
(It's music to me)

What do they got? A lot of sand!
We got a hot crustacean band
Each little clam here
Know how to jam here
Under the sea 

Each little slug here
Cuttin' a rug here
Under the sea
Each little snail here
Know how to wail here
That's why it's hotter
Under the water
Yeah, we in luck here
Down in the muck here
Under the sea 

"Ariel? Awwww, somebody's got to nail that girl's fins to the floor!" 

Whenever someone mentions The Little Mermaid, chances are this song or "Part of Your World" will spring to mind first.

Which is no surprise. "Under the Sea" has an incredible rhythm and is great fun to sing along to. No surprise that it won an Academy Award (the first time this happened to Disney since Mary Poppins's "Chim Chim Cher-ee" in 1964) and a Grammy Award.

It was also one of Howard Ashman's personal favorites. You can tell he had a real ball with this.

I don't know how they're going to pull off this number in the 2023 facsimile, and I've not the least desire to find out.