They could've been a happy family!! They were once! It's so sad I can't--
Do you think Kheii intentionally styled his hair like Qariev's used to be?? He looked up to his brother so much ugh...
Also baby Kheii is adorable I love him. I need more mer-people they're so fun to draw. Also my returning obsession with them happened to coincide with mermay so uh convenient I guess.
Anyway. I'm going to take thks as an opportunity to discuss the visual/design differences between Kheii Jahl and Qariev, since they do look similar (especially young Qariev)
First off, Kheii is heavier set while Qariev tends to be very thin (perhaps representing how Kheii is more healthy/well-adjusted while Qariev is constantly on edge, and contrasting Kheii's comforting presence with the edge that Qariev brings, especially the way August views them). Qariev has a lot less stripes and the patterns on their chests/torsos are very different (Qariev's is more of the dark blue, more "closed off," while Kheii's chest is more open-looking and mostly the off-white color). Qariev's face is longer and more angular, while Kheii's is short and square. Overall, Qariev is just visually sharper. Kheii's eyes are often wide open and have a very visible eyeliner wing looking thing; Qariev's eyes/lashes are darker/heavier around the edges but without the exagerrated wing. Qariev's nose is longer, with a slight curve. The ends of Kheii's hair are more upturned (you can't really see here) while young Qariev's hair has one defined swoop with the rest more slicked down, and older/current Qariev's hair is grown out and put in a braid. The stripes on Kheii's face stop at his eyes, while Qariev's continue to a point between his eyes and eyebrows. Their ear fin things are different, too. Qariev's are longer and thinner and the second projection down has the curve, while the top one for Kheii does.
I think that's most of the differences. At a glance, they might not be easy to pick out, but generally I'll draw Qariev fully grown with his braid and usually with a stern expression that would be uncharacteristic for Kheii. Their circus outfits also differ, with Qariev having a longer coat.
Aaaaanyway
If anyone needs me I'll be screaming about how adorable little Kheii is and how sad it is that they didn't get to be happy. Even in this drawing you can see that Qariev is on edge (upturned eyebrows = worry, close posture/arms held close to body) while Kheii doesn't have a care in the world. I love them. They make me sick. Favorite brother characters right here.
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I draw and yap about Kheii Jahl plenty, but I don't think I give his brother nearly enough attention for the role he plays in Kheii's life and the story as a whole.
So... this is Qariev when he was young. (Kheii would've been just a toddler at this point.)
Yapping:
Kheii Jahl's past doesn't get brought up much because it didn't affect him much. The same cannot be said for Qariev.
Fun little piece of background information: wealthy Gryffonei (bird ppl) families often hunt Threllys for sport. You may notice Kheii's parents never get brought up, and this is why. Qariev was with his parents were taken. It wasn't quick. It wasn't painless. They fought to protect their son, and in the end Qariev escaped... He was the only one.
Qariev would've been a young teenager at this time, and Kheii would've been too young to really remember. Qariev was thrust into a parental role, caring for and protecting his young brother, with the help of the other Threllys in their village (Threllys young are often raised by the community rather than just their parents), and he devoted himself to keeping his one remaining family member from harm. He protected his brother obsessively, never letting him out of sight.
The loss of his parents at the talons of Gryffonei left Qariev paranoid. He kept away from the surface. He was always on edge. He would snap at the slightest provocation. Everyone noticed, but nothing they tried to do seemed to help.
In the end, it was this constant fear that drove him to the surface. Gryffonei didn't target surface dwellers. He and his brother would be safe there.
That fear never left, though. Even now, he lives every day with a terror and paranoia he refuses to show. Every gust of wind. Every flap of a bird's wings. Every sudden noise or too-fast movement could be waiting to rip everything he loves from him all over again.
Kheii remembers none of this. He has a few small memories of his parents, but no idea what happened to them, and no real interest in finding out. His life is happy and care-free, and that's how Qariev wants to keep it. He never tells Kheii what happened. He doesn't want Kheii to live with the constant fear that he does. So he tells him nothing and hides his own terror.
Qariev is a complex character especially because of his relationship with the two main characters, August and Kheii. Kheii is his younger brother that he's very protective of. August is a Gryffonei, and Qariev's fear and distrust leads him to be awful to August and try to keep him far away from Kheii, who loves August. Qariev doesn't want to lose any more family to the Gryffonei. His actions and attitude toward August shouldn't be dismissed, and is a major conflict in the story; you see how cruel Qariev can be. But then in the moments between Qariev and Kheii, you see how much he cares about his brother and how kind he can be. It's that conflict between his two sides that makes him so compelling, and in the end he does learn to accept August, even if the sight of his wings makes Qariev's heart race. He can't help the fear, but he can change his attitude, and when he sees how much August means to Kheii, he tries his hardest to do just that.
Concept I'm messing with for the Kajaudi (striped marlin based fish people):
Jewelry was already established to be an important part of their culture, especially when it comes to families, and as it stands Kajaudi don't have traditional last names. I'm thinking about each family being tied to a particular stone or gem and having a sort of last name that means "of the [family's stone]".
This could also tie into the name of Kheii Jahl and Qariev's circus, which might be the Jewel Brothers Circus or just The Jewel Circus (haven't decided which yet). The jewel part is in direct relation to their family and culture without it being too clearly foreign that it turns away potential patrons (which is stupid and it shouldn't but land-dwellers are generally shitty toward Threllys/aquatic species and Qariev was smart enough to know that when he named the circus).
I think Kheii Jahl and Qariev's family stone might be ocean jasper and their family name may be "ua Jakii" ("ua" meaning "of the" and "Jakii," pronounced with a soft j/g, being the Kajaudi name for the stone).
Kheii didn't exactly join the circus. His older brother (and guardian), Qariev, founded it. Kheii was maybe around 10 at the time, and Qariev always kept him close, so Kheii was there as Qariev built up the circus, found entertainers to join, and tried to gain a reputation for their travelling act. Qariev was naturally very business-minded (although it took him a bit to get used to the way things worked on land, as it was different from the business of the sea, where him and Kheii and originally from) and did an excellent job at making the circus something spectacular. Kheii was always cheerful and friendly and, as his brother owned the circus, he spent all his time there, cheering up the performers, mingling with guests, and helping where he could. His cheerful, friendly nature kept up morale and made the circus feel a lot more like a home than a job.
Qariev was the original ringmaster, but as Kheii grew, he began wanting to take a more direct part in the circus, and eventually, Qariev agreed. Kheii's natural charisma (and good looks) made him a perfect ringmaster, and the success of his first performance secured him the position without a doubt, allowing Qariev to focus on the business side of things and increasing the overall reputation of the show. Qariev was an alright ringmaster, but Kheii was practically made for the stage.
Side characters for the Jewel Circus (story w/ Kheii Jahl)✨️
August (top; he/him)- depressed + anxious; works at a hotel after escaping his manipulative/abusive mother; Kheii's boyfriend :>
Orchid (bottom left; she/her)- August's sister and the only other decent person in their family; quiet and clever but avoids confrontation; often seems cold but cares for August
Qariev (bottom right; he/him)- Kheii's older brother and the owner of the circus; incredibly protective of Kheii and the circus, but especially Kheii; doesn't like August and is often outright mean/rude to him; sort of parental figure to Kheii (parents aren't in the picture; haven't figured out why/how yet); is very caring toward the people he cares for but doesn't often show outward affection
** I did not figure out/plan Qariev's outfit in advance, so that will likely change (I hate how it looks in this drawing ;-;)
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To any that don't know, Threllys is the term used by most land-dwelling species to refer to humanoids that primarily dwell underwater (in my original fantasy world). While there are as many undersea cultures as there are land-dwelling ones, they tend to be lumped together (which is problematic in its own ways). My OCs Kheii Jahl and Qariev are Kajaudi, which are based on the Striped Marlin fish. Kajaudi have the most cultural development as it is relevant to the story, and so I will be primarily discussing them, but much of this information is true of many, if not all, Threllys.
The focus of this post in particular will be the speech habits and language of Kajaudi, and Threllys in general.
One notable thing all Threllys struggle to pronounce is the "th" sound, making their very name somewhat of a cruel joke, especially since many Threllys also struggle to pronounce the "s". Kajaudi, like Kheii Jahl and Qariev, tend to replace the "th" with a throatier noise that sounds more like a gurgled "h" and the "s" with more of a "sh".
Kajaudi language is more back in the throat, as opposed to English (especially American English), which tends to be a very mouthy language. Their "j"s are pronounced more like an "h" and their "r"s are pronounced more like the French might pronounce it. They also make use of noises not utilized in English, and several noises that only Kajaudi and certain other Threllys can make, like clicks, whistles, and whines (like dolphin noises but more). There is also very little tongue movement in Kajaudi speech as much of it depends on the shape of the mouth and the noise produced from the throat to form sounds rather than the position of the tongue (leading them to struggle to pronounce the "r" "th" and "L" sounds as they're pronounced in American English, which I use as my standard because it is my native language and the only one I'm fluent in).
Also, Threllys communication in general tends to depend more on expressions and body language that actual speech (as it's more convenient underwater). Some Threllys don't have a spoken language at all, some even being completely mute, not having proper vocal cords necessary to produce the sounds (which furthers the prejudice toward and stigma around Threllys).
Final notes and disclaimers: I am not an expert in linguistics and I don't know logically what an underwater species's language would be like. This may be a bunch of gibberish and I'm still figuring it out, so it is subject to change. I know Kheii has a lisp, something he's very insecure about, and I know many Threllys struggle to pronounce the "th" sound for certain, as they both have relevance to character, story, or background information, but past that, much of this is vague ideas and may be altered in the future. Regardless, I hope you liked my completely unnecessary yap about a worldbuilding detail that is barely relevant to the plot of a story I'm not even really making :)
Also, Qariev has a fairly heavy accent, as he spent most of his life underwater, while Kheii sounds almost just like the land-dwelling people around him, only with a lisp he's gotten quite good at hiding. Kheii often avoids words with "s"s because of this insecurity, which also led to him give August the nickname "Auggie" so he doesn't have to deal with that tricky s. Kheii is the only one that calls August this, and August has become quite fond of the nickname. He also doesn't mind Kheii's lisp, though, even finding it rather endearing. Kheii often trains before performances to make sure he'll be able to pronounce whatever "s"s may come up, and does his best to avoid words with them when possible.
**I am not an expert in linguistics or cultural development; please don't take any of this too seriously.
