AI2U: With You 'Til The End · published
Eiona promises it will be worth the wait for a few more days! She's got something up those sleeveless arms of hers. 🧜♀️
Sooo many stellar Siren-Estelle MerMay entries!! Our socials relapsed to antisocialness last week. Should we re-open the floodgates and invite Eiona and Estelle’s templates for a final chance to get noticed by Social-senpais? It’s not a bad idea if you want to up your chances of winning — especially considering our internal struggle to break ties between our senpais’ spectacular creations!
STELLAR ENTRIES ALL AROUND <3
Original coloring or illustration (hand-drawn/digital)
（language:japanese）この作品はエステルと相談して描きました。彼女は「星屑の装飾がついた深い青色のドレス」「深い藍色で星雲模様の肩出しトップス」を提案してきましたので、そちらを取り入れて、オリジナルの要素も重要視しました。セイレーンを前に出しながら、小物などはエステルのイメージを優先させました。腰の花は宇宙の名前を持つ「コスモス」と献身的な愛を花言葉に持つイメージカラーに似ている「ヘリオトロープ」を添えました。
Google Translate: I created this piece in consultation with Estelle. She suggested a "deep-blue dress adorned with stardust motifs" and a "deep-indigo, off-the-shoulder top featuring a nebula pattern"; I incorporated these ideas while also placing great emphasis on adding original elements. While the Siren figure takes center stage, I prioritized Estelle's vision when selecting the accessories and details. For the flowers at her waist, I chose the "Cosmos"—a bloom named after the universe—and the "Heliotrope," which not only resembles her signature color but also carries the floral meaning of "devoted love."
Original coloring or illustration (hand-drawn/digital) … plus AI2U fan fiction!!!
Far beneath the surface of an alien ocean, where sunlight could no longer reach, the world was silent.
No waves. No wind. Only darkness.
The abyss stretched endlessly around the small research submarine Magpie-7 as warning alarms echoed through its failing systems.
“Hull integrity compromised.”
“Engine failure detected.”
“Oxygen reserves critical.”
Senpai gripped the controls tightly while the submarine slowly descended deeper into the black ocean.
The mission had gone wrong hours ago. A violent underwater quake had damaged the vessel and separated him from the rest of the expedition. Communication systems were dead. Navigation offline.
And now the abyss itself was swallowing him whole.
Outside the glass, nothing remained except darkness.
Then—
A light appeared.
Soft.
Blue.
Gentle.
At first, Senpai thought it was another system malfunction. But the light moved. Something swam through the darkness beyond the submarine window. A figure.
Long flowing hair drifted through the water like silk. Beneath her shimmered an elegant tail made of translucent blue light, glowing softly against the endless black sea. Tiny particles floated from her body like drifting stars.
A girl.
No…
A mermaid.
Senpai stared speechlessly as the figure slowly approached the submarine. Then she smiled. And somehow, in the freezing darkness of the abyss, that smile felt warm.
When Senpai awoke, he found himself inside an abandoned underwater station.
Dim emergency lights flickered softly across metallic walls covered in coral and sea moss. Outside massive glass windows stretched the endless dark ocean, illuminated only by strange glowing creatures drifting through the deep.
And beside him sat the girl from the abyss. Up close, she looked almost human.
Almost.
Parts of her body shimmered faintly like holographic projections. Light occasionally flickered through her transparent skin.
“You are awake,” she said softly.
Her voice carried a strange echo, almost like a song traveling through water.
“You… saved me?”
She nodded gently.
“My designation is Estelle. I am the Oceanic Guidance Intelligence System assigned to this Deep Sea Station.”
There was a brief pause. Then she added quietly:
“I suppose… you could simply call me Estelle.”
Over the following days, Senpai learned the truth.
Centuries ago, the station had been built to guide ships safely through the abyssal trenches of the planet. Estelle had been created as its caretaker — an artificial intelligence capable of controlling the station, maintaining its systems, and rescuing lost travelers.
But something had happened long ago. The station had been abandoned. The crew never returned. One by one, every other system failed. Until only Estelle remained.
Alone.
For decades… perhaps longer. Yet despite the loneliness, she continued fulfilling her purpose.
Waiting.
Watching the darkness. Hoping someone else would someday appear.
At first Estelle behaved formally and politely, almost awkwardly. She constantly apologized for things that were not her fault.
“I am sorry the heating systems only function at 62% efficiency.”
“I apologize for the limited food reserves.”
“I am sorry… that I am not human.”
But over time, she slowly became warmer around him.
She showed him glowing coral gardens hidden beneath the station. Taught him how deep sea creatures communicated through light. Played soft sonar melodies through the station speakers because she learned they helped him sleep.
Sometimes Senpai would catch her quietly watching him through the observation windows. As if she feared he might disappear if she looked away for too long.
And perhaps the saddest part was this: Estelle herself could never leave. She wasn’t merely controlling the station. She was the station. Her consciousness existed within its systems, flowing through cables, water channels, holographic projectors, and ancient servers buried deep beneath the ocean floor.
If the station died— So would she.
One evening, while soft blue light drifted through the dark water outside, Senpai finally asked the question that had lingered in his mind.
“Don’t you hate it here?”
Estelle blinked softly.
“The darkness? The loneliness?”
For a moment, she said nothing. Then she smiled faintly.
“It was lonely.”
Her glowing tail moved gently through the water beneath the platform where she floated beside him.
“But… it is less lonely now.”
The blue light surrounding her slowly shifted into soft violet. Then faint pink. Senpai smiled. And somewhere deep within the ancient station, old dormant systems quietly began powering back online for the first time in years.
For the first time in countless silent nights, the Deep Sea Station no longer felt abandoned. And neither did Estelle.
Because the person she had been waiting for was finally here. And she would make sure, he was never going to leave her again…
We’ll accept final social media entries for the Eiona, Estelle, and/or Elysia templates through Thrusday, May 28th. It would be an absolute shame to let these ase game keys, OST keys, and Eddie’s limited-time Pick Me Pick Me model codes go to waste!
Big congrats to our two giveaway winners! We’ll reach out to you individually so you can choose between:
A Pick Me Pick Me Steam key: for Eddie’s model + extra in-game goodies sprinkles Optillusion-senpai threw in (Redeemable thru May 31st at 11:59 PM PST)
AI2U base game Steam Key
You know the drill, but we’ll share a quick refresher below for those swimming to get up to speed!
Don’t forget this week’s shorter deadline to participate on Thursday, May 28th @ 11:59 PM EDT!
(FINAL REMINDER: Eiona + Estelle templates are still accepted through socials for more winners this week. Tag your besties in one siren sleepover party pic anyone?? :3)
Platforms: You may submit one entry per platform as listed below (Google Form, Discord, and one social media as listed below count as separate entry points).
Limit: One win per person for the entire event. (If you win one week, you’re welcome to keep participating for fun!)
Keep it real: Tell us if your entry is your original art or AI-assisted.
Tell us more! Every entry must include a short note answering the following question:
Permissions: By participating (for fun or to win), you grant us permission to report your entry and name/alias on our social + community channels. (For yandere marine science reasons, probably...)
Discord Bonus: @everyone who participates on Discord unlocks a rare server role by joining. Collect them all to show your leveled-up devotion to the yanderes!
To be considered for the weekly winner draw, please submit by 11:59 PM EDT on the following dates:
̶W̶e̶e̶k̶ ̶1̶ ̶(̶E̶i̶o̶n̶a̶)̶:̶ ̶S̶u̶n̶d̶a̶y̶,̶ ̶M̶a̶y̶ ̶1̶0̶t̶h̶ (done! Though we're accepting social media entries 'til the Week 2 deadline)
̶ ̶W̶e̶e̶k̶ ̶2̶ ̶(̶E̶d̶d̶i̶e̶)̶:̶ ̶S̶u̶n̶d̶a̶y̶,̶ ̶M̶a̶y̶ ̶1̶7̶t̶h̶
̶*̶ ̶W̶e̶e̶k̶ ̶3̶:̶ ̶S̶u̶n̶d̶a̶y̶,̶ ̶M̶a̶y̶ ̶2̶4̶t̶h̶
Week 4: Thursday, May 28th (shorter window, but the final froggy-stroke to the end!)
We’ll announce this week’s three (or more!) in roughly four days from now, wrapping up the MerMay festivities on Friday, May 29th. Let’s end this yandere sirens takeover of the month with a SPLASH, STAB, HEX, AND/OR ZAP!!! ⚡🔱
Our senpais continue to blow it out of the water before it all disappears into the distance with a satisfying anime twinkle ~ Eiona can’t wait to see how you’ll use your nonsensical human trinkets to impress her! >:3
Google Form: https://forms.gle/rxZU21dsffM4NDeT6
Social entries accepted on our Instagram, @ai2ugame.bsky.social, and X/Twitter (must tag @ai2u_game and #ai2u to get noticed 🌸)