Draft:Castle Swimmer

Castle Swimmer is a fantasy webcomic created by artist Wendy Lian Martin. The comic is a fantasy romance set in a fictional underwater world that follows the lives of the mermaids Kappa and Siren. It began publishing weekly on the platform WEBTOON in 2019.

Publication
Publication of Castle Swimmer began in 2019 on the webtoon publishing portal Webtoon. By the end of 2023 it had 155 episodes across three seasons. The third season began on September 25, 2022.

Plot and themes
Castle Swimmer is a fantasy romance set in a fictional and magical underwater world that follows the adventures of the shark prince, Siren, and the Beacon, Kappa. The comic explores each of the character's stories both together and separately as both grapple with destiny and the implications of their duty to their people and the world. Episodes are often based around adventures in the magical underwater world and deal with themes of culture, generational trauma, duty, destiny, and balancing what you owe yourself vs. what you owe others.

The plot begins with The Beacon, Kappa, being drawn to Siren's city by the next destiny he is obligated to fulfill. As the Beacon, Kappa is pulled from one kingdom to the next to fulfill their prophecies and improve their lives, but in the Shark Kingdom Kappa learns their prophecy involves Siren slaying The Beacon to free his people from a curse. Although Kappa seems ready to accept his fate, Siren realizes he can't kill another living creature and the two of them begin to form a romantic relationship while Kappa is waiting to be executed. The plot expands into both characters eventually parting ways and undertaking their own journeys to find a way to escape their shared destiny.

Characters
The following characters are central to plot lines in the comic and make regular appearances:


 * Kappa is one the protagonists of the story and the fabled Beacon that must fulfill prophecies in every kingdom. He is guided by an unseen force from destination to destination and has little control over his own life and the lives of others. Throughout the series he struggles with the idea that he is merely a tool for the fulfillment of others and is often looking for his own sense of identity and agency. His breaking point comes when a prophecy calls for him to be sacrificed. He is portrayed as soft, kind, funny, naive, and determined.
 * Siren is the second protagonist of the story and the prince of the sharks that must slay the Beacon in order to free his people from a curse. He has spent his entire life sheltered from the world, as the prophecy calls for the prince to be without scars. Despite being raised for it, Siren has never wanted to hurt another living thing and finds that he cannot kill Kappa even for the good of his people .Siren is portrayed as empathetic, clever, sheltered, and emotional.
 * Suska is the shark queen and Siren's mother. She has spent her life protecting her son and preparing him for his eventual destiny. Although she is determined to see the prophecy through, she tries to be as accommodating as possible to her more gentle child.
 * Selki is one of the older sharks living in the Shark Kingdom and a voice of wisdom and reason for both Suska and Siren. She is eccentric and the other elders often ignore her.
 * Nim is an exiled sword master that Siren encounters in the wild. With her help, he begins to learn to survive outside of his kingdom. She also teaches him of the other kingdoms of the world and their struggles.
 * Neth is an octopus witch from an extinct kingdom. Kappa must help her fulfill her prophecy to kill the mini god that destroyed her people and she teaches him about the darker side of destiny.

Reception
In 2019 Comics Beat reported Castle Swimmer had 58 million views and was Webtoon's fourteenth most popular comic. In July 2021 it had a weekly subscription audience of about two million.

The series has been praised for its LBTQ representation.