goddamnfishppl

[goddamnfishppl]

coelcanth already showing off his bubble nest skills

[goddamnfishppl]

big fan of stories that, while undoubtedly being about the power of friendship, acknowledge that the power of incredible violence is just as important

the love was there. the love changed everything. the crowbar helped also

[goddamnfishppl]

I watched Kiryu do his smol wiggles, and I gained 50000 exp! I feel stronger now! 

[goddamnfishppl]

That feel when you remove tons of plants from your tank and suddenly see your animals again lol

[goddamnfishppl]

三门海sanmenhai, guangxi province in china

[goddamnfishppl]

Matter of Time- part 3

first – previous – next

story under the cut

Keep reading

[goddamnfishppl]

a small fraction of the Matter Of Time cast (i had so much trouble trying to find ONE green fish tho OTL theyre all red or blue

[goddamnfishppl]

Sorbet enjoying the tannins and sunset lighting✨

The pothos is artificial dw💕

[goddamnfishppl]

Matter of Time- part 2

first/previous -- next

full chapter under the cut! warning old 2018 writing

The sun of the late morning filters through the silty lakewater, making little particles sparkle like glitter. The deeper the water gets, the darker it becomes, and it’s easy to miss the kingdom built into the lake floor. 

Looking closer, the kingdom isn’t really all that big. Its small size must be why it’s still a secret. There’s a palace and a market and villages and the like, but further to the edge, near a steep shelf, rests an old manor of stone. There were others like it closer to that magnificent palace, but this one has a history that shows in its weathered walls. 

It must have been built generations ago, before the native dynasty was overthrown. Now it houses a family of eight. 

————

Chaiyo knocks on the frame of his father’s doorway and peers inside. 

“Papa? Are you in here?”

A bearded merman leans into view and smiles warmly, a reed stylus in hand.

“Just working on documents. Is there something you need?”

“Oh- I’m just going to Malian’s match soon… unless there are more chores to do,” Chaiyo says, his voice dropping at that last part.

“No, nothing else.” 

Chaiyo smiles and turns to leave. 

“Actually-“

And Chaiyo sulks again. 

“Go ask your siblings if they want to come to the match, too. The support could give Malian an edge on his opponent. Who’s he fighting again?”

Chaiyo leans on the doorway, thinking for a second. “Some new guy backed by the rukran. He’s native, though.”

Teerasak sighs and shakes his head, and his son looks at him funny. Immediately Chaiyo’s father looks a little guilty. 

“Youngsters like that don't understand what they’re doing. They think their own careers matter more than our history.”

“I know that, but I dunno why you make such a big deal out of it when it’s just- It’s just a fighting match, papa.”

The gentleman waves his hand and dismisses the whole thing begrudgingly. Chaiyo goes over to him to kiss his cheek. 

“I’ll be back soon. Uh, do you know where Kosum is?”

“She’s in her room. Actually, I wouldn’t bother her.”

“Oh, is she working on reports too?”

He nods, making Chaiyo giggle a little.

“She’s just like you!”

“On your way, child! Or you’ll be late!” His father pokes him with reed stylus to prod him away. Chaiyo snickers and flits out of the study room, going off to find his other siblings. He passes Kosum’s room, decorated with pretty strings of stone beads, and hears nothing. Maybe she’s asleep instead of studying. Wouldn’t be the first time she read until she passed out. 

His red tail traces along the walls of his home. Not far beyond, he can hear the shrill laughter of a couple of young mermaids. Unmistakably Dara and Isra, his other sisters. Chaiyo rushes to the window overlooking the back of the manor. Sure enough, he can see two other red tails dashing through the water, chasing another tail, a copper one. The young copper-tailed merman, the current object of their affection, narrowly escapes their clutches as he hides behind a large stone. It looks like Dara and Isra are very busy and won’t be able to make it to the match. 

Chaiyo turns away from the window with a funny little smile, then goes to find his last present sibling.

“Ruuuuuuuune!” Chaiyo calls down the hall, thumping on the walls rhythmically. The walls thump back. A mess of black hair pops out the door at the end of the corridor. 

“Hi!”

“Hi yourself! You wanna go to Malian’s match?”

Scarlet eyes blink at him, and Rune tilts his head. “Y’know, I’d love to, but watching him fight makes me all nervous, and- but-”

“Yeah, no worries, I’ll just tell him you said good luck.”

Rune gives his brother a thumbs up and Chaiyo’s on his way.

It’s a bit of a trek to the center of town, since the family manor is on the outskirts, but Chaiyo knows these waters like the back of his hand. Every plant, every algae-covered rock, every little fish swimming by, he can name them off the top of his head, which makes for a decent pastime as he makes the little journey into town.

The market’s busy, as always. Dozens and dozens of vendors shout and yell to reel in customers, and customers hem and haw about prices. Rukran and natives alike mull about the shops. Chaiyo has to shove his way up and through the crowds of merpeople to get through. A couple of them exclaim, not very happy with being pushed around, but Chaiyo ignores them and continues on his way.

Until someone grabs his tail from behind and pulls him back.

“Watch where you’re going, prick.”

Chaiyo looks behind him to see a very large fellow with a crooked nose glaring at him, and another smaller fellow to his side. 

“Why don’t you watch yourself?” he snaps back. He doesn’t have time for every pale-faced brute that has a problem with his hurrying. Chaiyo jerks away and starts to go, but he’s turned around yet again. The merman with the crooked nose gets right in his face.

“I think you’ll want to try again. I don’t think I heard you right the first time, punk.”

“Sorry, what I meant to say was, get the fuck out of my way! Is that better?” Chaiyo stares him down.

The guy’s gills flare and his bright fins spread. He looks like he wants to hit Chaiyo. The other guy seems surprised at Chaiyo’s gutsiness, and looks him up and down. The one with the crooked nose is about to start swinging, until the other nudges him and murmurs something, pointing to Chaiyo. Both of them side-eye him and talk in hushed voices

The interaction is taking much too long for Chaiyo’s liking, and he doesn’t care to see the end of it, so he just leaves. He’s gotta get to that match already. 

Behind him he can hear the angry dude yell something about being lucky, or blah blah blah. Chaiyo rolls his eyes. 

See, violence is only fun when you’re not the one getting hurt. 

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

i actually have these guys as stickers on my redbubble if u like fighty fish boys!

[goddamnfishppl]

[goddamnfishppl]

[goddamnfishppl]

guangxi province in china

[goddamnfishppl]

Matter Of Time Masterpost

A secret lake in Thailand cradles a kingdom of merpeople with the tails of betta fish. Chaiyo is the son of a poor rural lord, and he's caught in the middle of sociopolitical turmoil. The crown prince takes an interest in Chaiyo while a coup is trying to overthrow the current dynasty of invaders. Change is brewing in these waters. It's only a matter of time.

This story features Guys In Distress/bondage/kidnapping/whump. Obligatory warning for violence, profanity, sexual themes, overt racism/colonialism, etc.

PLOT SYNOPSIS

CHARACTER GUIDE

TAGS:

#story (official chapters with writing/drawing)

#my work (non-reblogs, my original drawing/writing bits)

#worldbuilding (notes for the setting)

#story notes (narrative details)

#pretty fishies (reblogs of other ppl's betta fish!!) also sorted by colors (#reds, #blues, etc)

#setting inspo (reblogs of aesthetic locations)

#dress inspo (reblogs of outfits)

#movement study (reblogs of fishy swimmy gifs/videos for drawing refs)

#other merms (reblogs of fish of the non-betta variety)

#info info (reblogs of IRL fish facts)

[goddamnfishppl]

some yantra tattoos for my thai mermaids!

malian and vo both have tigers but different because. thematic parallels. prajadhipok (blue tail, malian's trainer) is a very minor character but hes toooo cool so he gets included. i like veera's moon eater tattoo best so im gonna try to show it off more. meanwhile sirikit's golden swan tattoo will probably never be seen but. i love her. literal queen

[goddamnfishppl]

teerasak and all his fuckin kids

clockwise: dara, kosum, chaiyo, malian, rune, isra

pose ref by @null-entity

[goddamnfishppl]

Matter Of Time Character Guide

A list of all characters in my mermaid GID series. Organized by family/allegiance? sorta. whatever. there's like 30 gay ass fish floppin around here

CHAIYO AND FAMILY

Chaiyo

20 yrs, super gay, Thai. Brown hair with magenta tips, scarlet eyes. SMALL and PETITE. Magenta and scarlet tail.

Snarky lil thing. Frequently bitchy and gets into fights. Often bites off more than he can chew.

He works as a wildlife biologist but doesn’t seem to actually do much work

Born to a low noble family. He’s vaguely aware of his family history, but he thinks it's not really a big deal.

Teerasak

44 yrs, straight, Thai. Brown hair and beard with grey streaks, crimson eyes. Crimson and white tail.

Chaiyo's father. He's the lord of a little rural district. Highly educated. An underdog in the royal court.

He and Phanumas are long-time friends.

Secretly seething with rage and hates the king with all his heart. He's too polite to ever show it though.

Yanisa

46 yrs, bi? Thai. Wild black hair with magenta streaks, magenta eyes. Violet and magenta tail. lots of scars

Chaiyo’s mother. She’s a member of a volatile group of warrior women.

Pro-Violence. Extremely tired of all ur shit.

She and Teerasak don't live together anymore, but they're not 100% broken up and are still on great terms. She mostly sticks around the manor for the kids.

CHAIYO'S SIBLINGS

Malian

22 yrs, bi (ace??), Thai. Wavy black hair with purple streak, purple eyes. Red, purple and lilac tail. Buff.

Professional sport fighter and the eldest of Teerasak and Yanisa's children

Absolutely fuckin gorgeous and a total gentleman. Even though he's physically formidable, he's a total softie sweetie pie.

Kosum

22 yrs, ace lesbian, Thai. Curly brown hair, purple eyes. Purple, magenta and red tail.

She’s a total NERD. Very into politics. She has high ambitions and looks up to Teerasak and Phanumas.

She believes in the power of changing the system from the inside.

Dara 

20 yrs, Thai. Wild curly brown hair, magenta eyes. Magenta and red tail

She and Isra are almost identical, but not technically twins. She takes after Yanisa

Likes to chase boys with knives

Scavenges for weapons and shiny things in the Wilds. Often trades with humans.

Isra

20 yrs, Thai. Wavy brown hair, red eyes. Magenta and red tail.

A little more shy than Dara but still definitely chases boys with knives.

She’s trying to find her identity apart from Dara

Actually, a strong resemblance to Chaiyo

Rune

18 yrs, pan, Thai. Curly black hair, red eyes. Red tail.

The baby of the family and Chaiyo’s favorite sibling.

a lovely singer on the autism spectrum.

Very shy. He doesn't like watching Malian fight

ABIDAN AND FAMILY

Prince Abidan

24 yrs, bisexual, white. Curly golden brown hair, blue eyes. Blue and yellow tail.

Heir to the throne and surprisingly down to earth

He wants to help. He’s a good listener and goes out of his way to show he cares.

Guilty about his shitty dad.

a lil kinky

King Jonam

58 yrs (which is Really fuckin old for the species), white. Long platinum hair and beard, dark blue eyes. Dark blue and yellow tail.

A TOTAL ASSHOLE. Racist and uncaring. A fascist.

Stubborn. He has a stranglehold on the kingdom for selfish reasons

Has no guilt about killing his wife, since he got all the potential heirs he wanted

Queen Shalisa

42 yrs at death. White. Curly light brown hair, pale blue eyes, freckles. Blue and white marbled tail.

Daughter of the previous king. Jonam killed her 14 years ago

Cold and disciplined. She probably knew her death was coming. That’s just how it is. And the kingdom doesn’t miss her anyways.

ABIDAN'S SIBLINGS

Princess Madee

24 yrs. Curly blonde hair, light blue eyes, light blue and white tail

Ashamed but also glad to step back to let all the responsibility fall on Abidan's shoulders. She doesn’t envy all the expectations placed on him

Wants to change things but terrified of King Jonam

Prince Kalman

17 yrs. Platinum blonde hair, dark blue eyes, blue tail

He aims to make his father proud. If Abidan won’t follow in his ancestors’ footsteps, Kalman will.

Truly horrible. Guilty of multiple sexual assaults but he’s the prince so there’s never any  justice

Just like his great great grandfather Koloman who invaded the lake in the first place

Princess Cera

17 yrs. Round glasses, curly brown hair, periwinkle eyes, white and periwinkle tail

Enjoys being a princess. Nothing is bad! Ignorance is bliss!

Likes to read, but only romance novels. Nothing that makes her confront reality

Prince Javen

17 yrs. Caramel colored hair, blue eyes, blue and yellow tail

He's accepted that he’s probably not going to rule, so he’s become lazy

indulges in all the luxuries available to him as royalty

doesn't care for much else. coasting through life.

Prince Edan

14 yrs. Square glasses, blonde hair, blue eyes, blue and yellow tail

Crushed under the weight of the guilt and knowledge of his family history.

this child feels all the shame that the rest of his siblings seem to lack

Princess Mariyana

14 yrs. Platinum blonde hair, blue eyes, blue and yellow tail

Likes violence. she got a cool spear. thankfully she doesn't specifically target the poor peasants???? would get along great with Dara and Isra

only afraid of King Jonam

Prince Johan

14 yrs. Light brown hair, blue eyes, blue tail

King Jonam's least favorite child. He always criticizes him for the tiniest things.

Kalman keeps manipulating him.

Harlan

22 yrs. White. Blonde hair, green eyes. Black, silver, and green tail

Abidan’s cousin. Good-humored, but careless and arrogant.

The son of a noble who lets him get away with anything. His parents have covered up several of his scandals.

PHANUMAS AND FAMILY

Sukanya

19 yrs, lesbian, Thai. Black hair, turquoise eyes. Turquoise tail.

Phanumas adopted her after her family died (illness, accidents)

Chaiyo's best friend. Extremely socially conscious. Admires Yanisa and Sirikit.

her gf's name is Chanthara

Phanumas

37 yrs, Thai. Curly dark brown hair and short beard, amber eyes. Black tail with coppery orange fins

The rightful king. His great great grandfather was murdered by the invaders.

Quiet and kind and sad. Focuses most of his time and energy on helping those around him.

It’s like he’s given up on the throne

Niran

17 yrs, straight, Thai. Curly dark brown hair pushed back, amber eyes. Black tail with dark coppery orange fins.

The eldest of Phanumas’s bio children. His twin Witaya was killed when they were 12

Extremely angsty. He’s navigating this fucked up world with fire in his gut. He desperately wants his father to be brave and take back the throne. If Phanumas won’t resort to violence, then Niran will.

Has a crush on Isra. Friends with Rune.

Sirikit

38 yrs, Thai. Black hair, grey eyes. Black and silver tail.

Phanumas’s wife and mother of their 7 bio children

Activist and social worker

It was her idea to adopt Sukanya after the accident that killed Witaya and Sukanya's birth family

Other bio children: Witaya (12 years at death), Apinya (13 yrs), Sasithorn (10 yrs), Duangkamol (10 yrs), Tukata (10 yrs), Rutna (8 yrs), Sunan (8 yrs)

OTHERS

Rachotai

28 yrs, bisexual, Thai. Long shiny blue-black hair, gold/turquoise eyes. Black tail with turquoise iridescence

Leader of the coup and descendant of a displaced noble

Lots of hatred, but very calculated and precise.

Manages a million evil plots all at once

Veera

30-something years, Thai. Choppy black hair, crazy silver and red eyes. Dark brown tail with copper fins.

Rachotai’s cousin

The muscle of the Coup. Argues with Rachotai a lot, but isn’t as smart as him. He follows his plans anyways.

Maren

26 yrs. Golden hair, bright blue eyes. Cream and apricot tail.

Abidan’s betrothed. King Jonam himself hand-selected her.

Perfect manners. It’s hard to tell if she actually likes you or if she’s just being nice.

Walden

Almost 50 yrs, white. Brown hair in a ponytail. Green tail.

Lead of the royal guard.

Has it out for Chaiyo

Under secret orders from King Jonam to terrorize all who are deemed to be a threat to the kingdom.

Vo

25 yrs, white. Close cropped light brown hair, bright blue eyes. Lots of scars. Brown tail with red and blue iridescent fins. LARGE.

A professional sport fighter for the rukran since he was very young. Malian's fated rival.

He’s been pushed through harsh “training” (aka abuse). It made him physically powerful, but also extremely fragile. His trainer is named Reto, and she answers to King Jonam and Walden.

bad at talking to people. Reto prevents him from making friends

Prajadhipok

30-ish yrs, Thai. Short black hair, deep blue eyes. Black and blue tail.

Malian's trainer. Extremely knowledgeable and strategic.

A long-time friend to Phanumas's and Teerasak's families

Channa

Age: ???? not a betta fish. She’s a snakehead monster

Greyish skin with brown splotches, long stringy black hair, black eyes with brown/gold irises. Lots of tiny pointed teeth and a jaw that can sort of unhinge itself.

How did she get in the lake?? Where did she come from??

Constantly torn between KILL KILL EAT and I SHould Be nice To Ppl. She’s shy but wants to be good

okay i think that's all for now???? the cast may fluctuate during the Actual Writing Process but whatever THESE ARE MY GUYS

[goddamnfishppl]

A WHOLE BUNCH OF PORTRAITS FOR THE MATTER OF TIME CHARACTERS

first pic top row: malian, chaiyo, rune first pic second row: kosum, dara, isra second pic: teerasak and yanisa third pic: rachotai and abidan fourth pic: maren and jonam

i started these mostly to show the family resemblance with chaiyo's siblings, but i figured i should do non-family members for a frame of reference LOL this isnt my usual style but i rly like these