HoppingVermin

Get in the lobotomymobile everybody

Wings of Fire Mud+Rain hybrid I made recently. Name's Iguana.

Today I'm gonna talk about mermaids, sirens, and finfolk.

First off, I think that mermaid variations should be way more similar to how different actual humans should be, like, not everyone has waffle abs or watermelons, and not everyone has perfect, luscious locks of hair. Some should be "ugly" (tbh, that word literally only depends on what an individual thinks), some should be "average" (again, depends on how you think of it), and yes, some should still be pretty or handsome. Make variety, and don't give everyone same-face syndrome!

Aside from appearance, something I like to add to mermaids is distinct and specific kinds of fish tails, depending on where they're from and their family genes. I also generally tend to either give them really short hair for convenience or really long hair for style; that part is just something I personally like to do.

As for sirens, I think they should have more predatory looks, sharp teeth, and bodies built for either speed or strength, for pursuing or drowning prey. They would mainly stay around foggy, low visibility areas, so their silhouette and voice could trick men/women into getting closer. I don't have much to say about sirens aside from that, mainly because I barely ever see depictions of sirens in media that are much different from what I described.

When it comes to finfolk, though, they're a bit more niche than the other two. I myself had to do a bit of digging to find out about them. They're sea creatures that can be humanoid, but can also shapeshift, and are predatory. I like depicting them more like "sea monsters" than general fish-tailed humanoids, giving them expressive frills where ears normally would be, shark fins, sharp teeth, and generally very dark, almost black eyes. If you haven't heard of finfolk, I recommend looking them up, because they are very interesting once you get to know about them.