Meet Murdock! (Patreon)

So a quick break for the pride posts, this is Murdock! I modeled him off of the Gaelic folklore surrounding selkie: people who can shapeshift into seals and sometimes syncretized with merfolk. Originally they were fully human who would put on seal skins in order to turn into seals, but the idea of seal-human hybrids seemed like a fun concept!

A gentle but mischievous soul, the young seal-man enjoys observing humans and playing harmless pranks on those in the harbours. He hopes one day to befriend humans, but is often clever enough to slip away, only giving sailors and fishermen glimpses of a seal's tail. 

However, there are also folk tales surrounding the waters he lives in that a seal that appears in terrible storms can guide sailors safely to shore.