alohamoon

[alohamoon]

daffodil, symbolize new beginnings, hope, and quiet resilience.

[alohamoon]

[alohamoon]

So because I’m autistic about merfolk/merfolk adjacent creatures, I like to categorise them. Here’s my comprehensive guide on aquatic humanoid creatures.

NOTE: obviously, from culture to culture and myth to myth specifics can change. This is just a loose definition on what is and isn’t a merperson, and if they’re not one, what they may be instead.

Nymphs/adjacent:

More human than fish.

Humanoid body, human skin although may have patches of scales.

Fins on arms and legs.

Ears can be human, pointed or webbed

Could be gilled or have a large breath hold.

Smooth skinned for hydrodynamics, hair is just on the head/light body hair.

Humanoid reproductive system so they have breasts and give live birth.

Typical water spirits/greco-roman nymphs fall under this category.

Merfolk/adjacent:

Half humanoid, half fish.

Human skin and scales. Or if tail is an aquatic mammal like a dolphin, then the skin of that animal.

Hair on head/light body hair for hydrodynamics.

Can be gilled or have a large breath hold.

Arms and back can be finned.

Ears can be regular or webbed.

Humanoid reproduction, has breasts and gives live birth (amabs would have ahem… retractable appendages like marine mammals do)

Selkies, sirens, tritons etc. could fall under this category.

Finfolk/adjacent:

More fish than human.

Tailed OR legs that are heavily finned to help propel in the water when swimming dolphin kick.

Finned appendages.

No hair at all, but can have fins/tentacles/tails that resemble hair.

Gilled.

Scaled or aquatic animal skinned.

Could have either human adjacent reproduction or fish adjacent. Typically has no/small breasts.

The Zora from LOZ would fall under this category although they can breathe on land, they’re more fish than human.

Other water creatures:

Spirits made up entirely of water

Mythical aquatic animals like the kraken, kelpies etc.

Water deities can technically fall under any category depending on the form they take, but given most deities can shape shift their form or they’re considered a spiritual being they’d more fall under the other category.

I love me a water based mythical creature man. So yeah there’s definitely a lot of variation depending on the myth, but in general you can broadly categorise them as less fish, half fish, more fish or entirely fish.

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[alohamoon]

Its almost like the reason ND people identify with/as animals and mythical creatures is because we live in a world that treats us like we're not human to begin with...

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💖 Kawaii Shop 💖

Use code "TUMBLR" for a discount

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♡クリーミーさん♡

[alohamoon]

Mermaid jewellery my beloved.

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John Yuyi by Zhong Lin for Vogue Singapore (2023) Photography: Zhang Ahuei 

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[alohamoon]

Nymphs by American artist Bryce Cameron Liston ~ https://www.listonart.com 

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My mom took these

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Koi tail idea, I want to look into custom printing fabric to make tails.

[alohamoon]