Autism so strong already thinking of episode ideas… anyways giving the manataurs a use other than being dudebros now they get to learn the greatest lesson ever! FEMINISM!/j/j this episode is basically what happens if you’re toxic about masculinity and femininity with Gideon and the local faun teaching em that.
Also
This is what the leader of the manataurs looks like… so- you’re welcome for giving him hair. Baldy McGee lookin mfer…
which means it is time for Sirenians, aka mantees, aka manataurs, aka the first mammalian mermaids.
they're very strong and surprisingly stealthy, flipping boats and swimming past watchful humans with ease if they want to, but they're mostly harmless. they really just want to nap in warm waters, eat tasty greens, and go about their weird secret biz in peace. they don't use the super destructive side of their siren powers often if at all (sometimes a boat’s gotta get flipped. people don't listen) but humans are still wary of them because their voices have a weird normalizing affect. like, if they say anything and you hear it you still see them as big mossy water monster people but that is strangely fine with you. they look so nice and charming and everything is fiiiiiiiiiiiiiine. not mind control by any stretch but still. Weird. no one likes their perception messed with, even if it's by a chill and uncontrollably bewitching creature.
up top we have a sleepy lady pondering on a rock and below her there’s some floaty babs, a proud great auntie, a short lady trying to look Cool and Tuff, and a dude just having a nap. i don't have a ton of lore for these friends but i do know that every single member of the species (except the tiniest babies) wears seashell pasties or bras. they are strangely compelled to decorate their nips with shells and as True Mermaids it is their birthright. also i just find it delightful.
more info about the original prompt on patreon that had nothing to do with the creation of a whole dang new species which is now going in my Small Guide world with my goblin babies under the cut.:
so. Shannon Leigh Legler submitted:
"I asked my girlfriend what I should suggest for a prompt and told her it was Mermay, but her answer was nevertheless... "Ice cream." "
and ice cream made me think of cows which led to sea cows which made me think about minotaurs which for some reason reminded me that manatees belong to the order Sirenia and old reports of mermaids are believed to have been manatees instead. So of course then i had to draw a manatee minotaur who's species is considered the original mammalian mermaids.
i have NEVER gone so off the rails with a prompt. all parties seemed happy with the result though so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯