[J] - Shu Lai (cupcakette) and Jiang

[cupcakette]

koi-cyprinus carpio
Carp is a common name for various freshwater fishes of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fishes that dominates the fish faunas of Eurasia and North America. Some consider all cyprinid fishes carps and the family Cyprinidae itself is often known as the carp family. In colloquial use, however, carp usually refers only to several larger cyprinid species such as Cyprinus carpio (common carp), Carassius carassius (Crucian carp), Ctenopharyngodon idella (grass carp), Hypophthalmichthys molitrix (silver carp), and Hypophthalmichthys nobilis (bighead carp). Carps have long been an important food fish to humans as well as popular ornamental fishes (see koi and goldfish). As a result, carps have been introduced to various locations where they are often considered pests.

Koi, Rōmaji: koi, pronounced IPA: [kɔɪ]) are ornamental domesticated varieties of the common carp Cyprinus carpio, originated from China and widely spread in Japan. They are very closely related to goldfish and, in fact, the style of breeding and ornamentation has become very similar, probably through the efforts of Japanese breeders to emulate goldfish. Koi and tattoos of koi are traditionally considered lucky.
The word "koi" comes from Japanese. The original Japanese word koi simply means "carp," including both the dull grey fish and the brightly colored varieties. A homonym of koi means 'love, affection' and koi are therefore symbols of love and friendship in Japan: a good example is the short story Koi-san by Mukoda Kuniko.

Nishikigoi : "brocaded carp," pronounced IPA: [niɕikigoi]) is a more specific term for the ornamental carp. This article is about nishikigoi and uses the English word koi to refer to the colorful fish.
While a Chinese book of the Western Jin Dynasty (4th century) mentions carp with various colors, koi breeding became popular in the 19th century in the Niigata prefecture of Japan. Farmers working the rice fields would notice that some carp were more brightly colored than others, capture them, and raise them. (Normally the brighter colors would doom the fish to be more likely eaten by birds and other predators.)

By the 20th century, a number of color patterns had been established, most notably the red-and-white Kohaku. The outside world did not become aware of the degree of development until 1914, when the Niigata koi were exhibited in the annual exposition in Tokyo. Some of them were also presented to Crown Prince Hirohito. At that point, interest in koi exploded throughout Japan. The hobby of keeping koi spread worldwide after plastic bags and shipping of koi became both fast and safe for the fish. These factors enabled koi to be shipped worldwide with low mortality rates. Koi are now commonly sold in most pet stores, with higher-quality fish available from specialist dealers.

Koi varieties are distinguished by coloration, patterning, and scalation. Ghost koi, developed in the 1980s are metallic hybrids of wild carp and Ogon koi and are not considered true Nishikigoi. Butterfly koi, Longfin koi, or Dragon Carp were also developed in the 1980s and are notable for their long and flowing fins. They are actually hybrids with Asian carp and, like Ghost koi, are not considered true Nishikigoi.
credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koi

 

[cupcakette]

Name: Jiang Lai
Gender: female
Appearance:
Body: Milky white skin that appears iridescent in the sunlight. Black, orange, and red scales cluster underneath her eyes as well as across her chest, arms, back and legs like freckles. Two thin slits that resemble gills reside upon Jiang's chest and give her the ability to breath under water. She has a thin veil like fin tail and a pair of tiny fins that resemble wings sit on her back. A pair of fleshy nubs are placed right above her eyes, they are almost like horns but are very small.
Hair: black: for baby years.x
toddler: some variation of a bang, and two buns on the side of her head
Eyes: very dark seaweed green.
Personality: In Japan the koi is viewed as persistent, strong, and independent; thus Jiang exhibits these characteristics in some way or another. Jiang is the type that will by no means give up, she tries her hardest in whatever she does. Whether it be winning an argument or climbing a tree; Jiang never says never and will accomplish the task to the best of her abilities (which usually means by winning). She is very competitive. If she loses, sure Jiang will put on a plastic smile, but in reality she is quite the sore loser. Jiang prefers to do things by herself but enjoys the company of others, especially if they are cheering her on. She does not follow a crowd or do things that are expected of her. At home Jiang is stubborn, always pushing for 5 more minutes or requesting to sleep in the tub, sometimes Jiang can be hard to deal with.
Abilities:
likes: spring, winning, pushing for things.
dislikes: clingy people, losing, cold weather.

 

[cupcakette]

Name: Shu Lai
Ethnicity: ½ Chinese ½ Japanese
Age: 35
Occupation: retired mistress, now lives off the fortune she made

Appearance:
height: 5'2
body: small with delicate features
skin: fair
hair: black, reaches down to her shoulders and is often not styled.
eyes: oddly enough for her ethnicity, light teal.


Personality: Some may argue that Shu is not fit to be a parent considering her previous occupation. But the truth is Shu is very maternal.

Brief background history:

clothing style: a lot of oriental fabrics, antique Japanese/Chinese pieces paired with modern day items.

 

[cupcakette]

 

[cupcakette]

Quote:

official art



baby



concept art

 

[cupcakette]

the aquarium

 

[cupcakette]

 

[cupcakette]

Quote:

 

[cupcakette]

 

[cupcakette]

 

[cupcakette]

 

[cupcakette]

 

[cupcakette]