Appearance

Venus is a mermaid; just like in traditional folklore, merfolk in Abirelle are partially human with fish-like features. In Abirelle, merfolk can live in any large body of water, and are not exclusive to the ocean; in fact, merfolk from different bodies of water vary in appearance to match their surroundings. Venus was born in a bayou, hence her green coloration and leaf-like fins.

Venus' skintone is primarily spring green in color, with her belly being yellow. Venus' fins and ears appear similar to plantlife in appearance, allowing her to hide amongst the lilypads and submerged plantlife. Bayou merfolk such as Venus make their homes in patches of pondweed or eelgrass, which blend with their skintones and fins.

Venus' hair is ginger, typically tied into a bun to prevent tangles. Her eyes are dark orange.

Design Notes

• Venus has a few blonde highlights in her hair.
• Venus has a small thigh gap, but she can be drawn without it if you want to give her a whole tail instead.
• Venus' blood is orange, giving her blush a similarly orange hue.

About

History

Venus is a gentle, nature loving mermaid with a specific passion for flowers. The borders of Venus' previous home in the marsh were decorated with water lilies, each carefully curated by her own hand. Venus has a keen interest in flowers that bloom on land, and often bribed visitors to her bayou to bring her plantlife from the nearby wooded areas.

Venus' muteness hindered her ability to protect herself; merfolk use their magic via singing, but Venus' inability to speak left her vulnerable. As a peaceful swamp dweller however, Venus felt she had little reason to worry about potential dangers. Animals left her be and mortal travelers rarely stumbled across her neck of the woods.

Merfolk are valuable in Abirelle's black markets, however. Not only are they rare, but they are also usually dangerous and difficult to get close to. Once Venus had encountered a small handful of adventurers, rumors spread of a mermaid dwelling deep in Doom's Morass. Trinkets she used as barters evidenced her existence. Despite imminent dangers in the bog, it wasn't long before Venus found herself in real peril that she was not prepared, nor skilled enough, to save herself from.

Personality

Since Venus has found herself in Tricky's circus as a cruel display piece, she has grown bitter. Visitors are enthrawlled by witnessing a mermaid up close, and sometimes will tease her as they know she is defenseless. Still, Venus refuses to perform for guests. She will even actively scare them away if possible. Her defiance and general stubbornness is an annoyance for Tricky, but she is stubborn herself; far too stubborn to sell Venus or free her, given the hassle she had just getting the mermaid to her circus in the first place.

Venus despises being gawked at. She has little to no privacy, and hates that she is viewed simply as a display piece by circus goers. Though she once found mortals to be fascinating and strangely adorable, she has grown resentful towards them after much teasing and bullying. Venus still feels as though she is a peaceful being, but feels a hatred towards mortals that has somewhat soured her gentle nature.

Although Venus pretends otherwise, she is very sad and lonely. She misses the free and open waters of her swamp, and the aquatic animals she had befriended during her stay there; the tank provided for Venus at the circus is far too small, leaving her restless and uncomfortable. Most of all however, Venus misses her carefully tended water lily garden. Gardening was Venus' passion and hobby, and without it she is painfully bored.

Trivia

• Since Venus is mute, she communicates using sign language or written word.
• Venus' favorite type of flower is a lotus.
• Many of Venus' fellow circus performers are unaware of her existence, including Lucy and Heather.
• Venus' muteness is caused by vocal cord paresis.
• Venus' color scheme is meant to resemble a dragon roll, a type of sushi dish.