Hello! I just finished this picture of a mercreature from my ocean world, Alaer. It took me most of May, not that I spent most of my time on it, but figuring out how to do the ocean was a real challenge.

Alaer boasts two aquatic semi-humanlike creatures. One of them is somewhat dolphin-like, breathing air but able to stay underwater for long periods of time, and with dolphin-like tails. They have limited vocal ability, but they have echolation like dolphins, and they have limited telepathy. Eshekign is one of these. Her hair isn’t technically hair, either. It resembles feathers, ferns, and hair all in one. I had a lot of fun with this picture, though I rather think I am much better at doing forests and trees than I am at doing oceans and water! She is the only one of her kind who appears in Kindred of the Sea, after the humans from Areaer have been trying to figure out life on Alaer for some time.

Here’s what Eshekign says about herself in Kindred of the Sea:

She shook herself in an amazingly human gesture. “I am a wanderer and a hermit, an explorer. I have nothing to do with the agreements of society, and they do not bind me.”

Kindred of the Sea comes out on June 24th. You can preorder here.

More content related to Kindred of the Sea will be coming every week (though I might miss a few) between now and then, so stay tuned! Here is last week’s post.

Areaer Novellas and Standalones