Out-of-universe, basal Ñejutë matanu like Pope are based on Ipê (Romvri: Ipee) and, by extension, Midefis' association with jellyfish. Back in 2009-2014 when cownanu, muwanu, hunänu and matanu were all treated as the same kind of being, Ipê was conceived as an immature tree of life (nowadays a miye-type huna matanu) that functioned as Midefis' wig. Now, matanu are a specific phylum of telinu with Rojenö specifically being those created by Miçera and Midefis plus their descendants. In early 2023 I remade Yenu's model, another Ñejutë matanu, and a few months later Pope's final design came to be. Yenu, as a character, was created in 2016 after a series of dreams featuring them which also seemed to be recalling an even older dream from around 2005. So although Ñejutë matanu existed in some way since 2009, Pope was only the third Ñejutë character properly created as opposed to being an anonymous creature defined only by their species. Pope's creation also served to cement Rojenö matanu as a phylogenetically-defined group, as Pope has features that are now considered ancestral such as eyes, USB (ulnar subcutaneous bus) ports and hunämara-like leg design. I was proud of their creation back then as it showed how much telinu as an idea had matured over time. Of course, I also wanted to feature Pope in some scene as part of the celebration but my fursonas' rather plain designs always struck me as not artistically intricate enough. In November 2024 I got around creating Mast who combines an old faceless character (Miguel's roommate) with now-non-longer-canon lion dude from 2009 (back when Woka as a cyborg furry tiger from Pramaya who had a jock lion and a tiger as rivals). Colored dynamically and possessing the stripes of certain ancestral matanu and hunänu, Mast's design pleased me enough that now I mainly use him in scenes like this one. It also helps that, as a character, Mast has no real attachments to living in society and a zen-like tolerance to hardship.
Pope of Rome, Frautate enjoying vacations in the stratrosphere of Sukrate with Mast in tow. #Ñejutë #ñejutë #paona #paonö #matanu #blender