/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

sage

i cant coom to the one on the far left

>favorite designs/tailmakers (fin fun, mertailor, fin folk)
I love merbella, I think all her stuff is really nice.
>fabric tails vs silicone
I have never used a silicone tail, so I can't comment on that. But I prefer neoprene to spandex, and I love the neoprene tails with sequins sewn on as scales.
>the actual exercise component of swimming with a monofin
It's a good ab workout! I swim without a monofin regularly, so I find I get a more intense workout if I side swim with one arm out.

It's funny, I find a lot of parallels between the mermaiding community and the lolita community. There's a lot of subtle elitism and hugboxing, fats screaming about being fat, and the divide between fabric and silicone tail owners is similar to the divide between burando and taobao.

Also, what's the deal with mertailor? Is he cool now? Did he clean up his act? When I left the mermaiding community in 2015ish, everyone was screaming about how shitty he and his tails are, and recently I don't see any of that anymore, and even Mermaid Raina is endorsing him, what changed?

>>10854523
>but it's getting into the peak time of year soon
I missed the boat on mercosplay, so I have nothing to add; but, I do love observing it from afar. What do you mean by peak time of the year?

>>10854566
Huh, I didn’t know there was a mermaid community. I guess I just never really thought about whether something like that existed before. That actually sounds pretty fun! Do they have meetups and stuff like lolitas?

>>10854579
>What do you mean by peak time of the year?
nta, but summer obviously

>>10854566
I've never actually visited a comm in-person but there's a comm that's kind of starting like an hour away from me. From what I've seen I'm surprised the divide between silicone and fabric isn't even more pronounced than I see because you're talking like $100 or less vs upwards of $1000 easily.
>>10854579
Summer.

I love Mermen, i wish the men brave enough to wear a tail weren’t so scrawny or fat.


I heard john cena will appear as a merman in the new barbie movie

>>10854631
I'm actually a guy trying it this summer but yeah I'm an underweight manlet.

I wouldn't be brave enough to try it if it weren't for the fact that there's a comm close to me + I have a girl friend who loves mermaids and wants to try it with me.

>>10854631
>weren’t so scrawny
speak for yourself

>>10854683
im trying ….(pic rel is goal)

>>10854708
i can appreciate this, anon. hope you find your sexy himbo of the deep.

>>10854710
no I want to become the merman himbo

I'm probably starting on pic related (Atlantis Sea Dragon) because Fin Fun feels like the best tail company for a beginner and this is really one of their only designs that isn't too girly for a dude. Also all the other manufacturers seem to custom-make their tails and it takes at least a month.

>>10854566
I am also really curious about Mertailor, especially with Raina's complete 180.

They're called seaniggers.

i hope that new disney movie help spark interest

Tail prices be like cheap and shabby looking $80
or $1500 Neoprene movie quality looking tails

nothing in between

oh wait so I was near a shark the other day and saw that it was so close to me that it almost saw me and then I was fast and then I stopped so I was fast and then I stopped so I was fast and then I stopped so I was fast oh wait you're gone oh okay ariel I see how it is goodbye i guess oh sebastian she'll never grow up

>>10854523
>I know there are mers on here and I'm trying to actually take the plunge and get a tail this year.
(sei)profesional triton here. You might consider to go for the traditional triton look instead (separate legs ending in webbed feet) and get leggins and mermaiding bifins (yes, they exist - pic related) instead.
Because, let's get real, finding a mermen tail in a design that doesn't look like shit is a losing battle.

>>10854631
>>10854665
same triton as >>10856405 here
oh boy are you right on the brave part. I get so many hating for this hobby / sport, with the mandatory doubts about my masculinity, as male dancers used to suffer before the Billy Elliot movie.
But it's totally worth it.
Consider the following: you are in a hobby that revolves about looking good in your naked manly torso, while surrounded by girls in bikini, all while (potentially) holding weapons (tridents) in your hands. You are a flames background away from being a Manowar album cover image. Metal AF.

>>10856286
I wonder where are you getting those numbers, Anon. You can get cheap (if serviceable) lycra tails for as low as 8 bucks (agreed, it takes going past the first page of reults of Google) and a fantasy one of the same material for 100-150, you can get a quality, printed tail in scuba or 1mm neoprene for 150-200 (or a fantasy one for around 350), and the 1000-3000 ones are not neoprene but silicon.

>>10856407
People have been saying this retarded shit for ages. "I'm not gay for being a ballerina, I'm surrounded by women! I'm not gay for being a theater actor, I'm surrounded by women!" Like OK, you don't have to be gay to like those things. But a ridiculously high number of gay men go into them so stop trying to cope with this brainlet logic. You look like a literal fairy, just accept it instead of trying to turn it into some manly man Viking bullshit. Embarrassing

>>10856405
I actually ordered Mertailor leggings the other week, mostly because I wanted to have something less baggy to have on beneath my tail this summer. I don't know if I'd use basically normal scuba fins though.

>>10856445
I see it two ways: how guys react to it and how women react to it. For guys, it really depends on the context. Being alone and fat/out of shape/unshaved is a lot worse looking than putting in the effort to look good and be part of a group. I don't think being a merman is ever going to be seen by guys as manly the way being a quarterback or something is, but I think in the right circumstances and attitude it can be passable without getting too much shit for being "gay." If you're a decent looking guy in a group with girls who like you being there, any guy trying to give you shit is going to come off as a major douche.

And the right context goes into arguably the more important part of how women see it. Obviously you have to be properly in-shape and everything, but if the effort is there it shows that you're not insecure with yourself. It's something that's simultaneously not thought of as stereotypically masculine, but it requires a lot confidence and good looks to make work. If you're able to have that, and own it with a sense of humor, a lot of girls can even find it attractive.

>>10856481
Sure, you will find people who won't make fun of you for your hobby. Thats how having friends works. But stop pretending it's masculine like in >>10856407 because it's not at all kek

>>10856555
You sound like the guy that cares whether or not people think he is gay.

>>10856570
I'm not a guy. Your pathetic need to be seen as some masculine death metal cover is laughable when you are LARPing as a fairytale character

Has anyone actually tried the silicone tails? They seem heavy and since silicone "sweats" I wonder if it has thee same problems

>>10856575
I'm not the anon you were replying to.

>>10856445
cool story, bro

>>10856575
/mu/ here
having to stop you right here, Anon. Manowar is POWER metal, thank you very much.

I got pic rel tail a few years ago for $250

>>10856410
What is the difference between neoprene and silicone? It seems like most of the tails that use neoprene have silicone integrated into them as well.

>Normal price for tail
>$104 + free shipping
>Memorial day sale
>$85 + $12 shipping

>>10858408
what site?

>>10858842
Fin Fun

>favorite designs/tailmakers (fin fun, mertailor, fin folk)
Merbella for silicone! I just love her fluke/fin shapes, blending, and designs. I do like Finfolk's silicone tails, but they seem less sleek/bulkier in comparison to Merbella. I think Finfolk is top of the market for scuba knit fabric tails though--Mertailor's are nice in some regards, but instead of printing digital designs onto the fabric like other companies, Finfolk sculpt each tail in silicone first to photograph and print onto the tail. That's really what gives them the added depth and realism when compared to any other brand.

>fabric tails vs silicone
I use both, for different events/reasons. Fabric is SO lightweight and easy to take on/off--if you're doing a dry land event like a festival all day they're soooo much more comfortable, and you can quickly change without people seeing for breaks during the day. I love my silicone so much but it can take 10 minutes to put on and 5 min to take off, since I have to be careful not to tear any of the extra fins, and the monofin foot pockets are hard to slip into without using your hands. My silicone is also SO heavy, like over 30lbs, and moving the fluke around can be impossible in some situations. But the level of realism is insane, the texture/shine just don't compare to anything else. That being said, I got by just fine with a homemade + painted fabric tail for years.

>the actual exercise component of swimming with a monofin
I find it much easier to swim in a monofin than without at this point. As long as your form is good, they're just so propulsive, especially the Finnis shooter and competitor. I do like the linden for comfort and looking flowier in tails also. I used to use the Finnis wave before the shooter was released, but the ridges on it made it a lot more obvious inside fabric tail skins. I think I get less "exercise" for time spent swimming with one on, but it makes it more fun so I spend more time in the water, so maybe it balances out.

>>10857230
idk shit about mermaid tails etc, but neoprene is the material that wetsuits are made of and usually show up in dive boots too (around zipper/between laces). it's a water-porous, kinda spongy material, kinda stretchy that also works well as an insulator (letting wetsuits/tails keep you warm while still letting water through). neoprene is still a fabric, though, so id imagine some parts would need supports/wires of some variety
as for silicone, i'd imagine it is going to be less porous and more like a latex bodysuit in fitting and based off >>10858949 the latex integrated into neoprene is probably for visuals/texturing
silicone seems to my novice eyes like it would be mostly for visual appeal whereas neoprene seems more practical

>>10854566
>>10856064

I definitely don't know all the details here, but the 2012-2015 era of Mertailor was def a low point, obvious from all the online callouts. I think he was able to get by because he was one of the few tailmakers who would take orders from anyone, whereas Finfolk were just getting started, Merbella had huge waitlists, and a lot of mermaids had been burned by indie companies that went under and never refunded people's money. So people took the chance anyway. What I have HEARD is that things started to change when Eric and his then-boyfriend broke up, apparently that relationship was super toxic, and Matt was often the one posting to the forums on Eric's behalf and starting/contributing to the online drama. I think after their breakup Eric honestly did turn some things around, and with the switch to a majority fabric tail business model, their quality also improved--when production is standardized, you can't half-ass one tail and spend extra time on the next just because it's for your model not a rando. And with this he can also close silicone orders when needed to keep workload manageable. He also redid all his molds and the look of them went way up, though idk about quality up close.

As to why Raina is all for him now... well. Around 2017 or so Raina had a BIG falling out with Raven of Merbella, who she previously stanned and wore/advertised all her gear from. She pretty much stopped wearing her Merbella pieces and sold them off plus her old tails in the last few years even, then never made up as far as I am aware. I think after that she wanted to buddy up to a tailmaker again, I guess? And decided to get over her past beef with Eric and now is an ambassador for him and all. So growth in some ways, but I think also definitely was kicked off by not having a bestie tailmaker anymore.

>>10857230

Like >>10858950 said, Neoprene is a fabric. Most neoprene tails for sale these days are printed, but back in the handmade era (pre-2015), you would buy plain silicone and paint your own scale and fluke designs on. It's flat fabric, but does provide nice insulation in colder water, and doesn't hug the body as closely as spandex/lyrca/scuba knit, so does a better job of hiding knees/ankles/heels.

Silicone tails are typically made by creating a model for a scale sheet, fluke, and fins out of clay, casting a reverse mold with fiberglass or plaster, and then pouring Dragonskin platinum cure silicone into the mold to cure. Then the scale sheet is taken out, each half is shaped to size, and attached to the fluke (and then extra fins added). This means it's actually textured, and painted with mica powder pigments that make them VERY shiny and sparkly in person. You can also thin out the silicone to translucence at the waist to give a more 'blended' look where it hits skin, unlike with fabric.

Not all but most silicone tails use a powermesh or scuba knit/spandex lining on the inside. In the old days, people used neoprene lining, but because of the way the fabric stretches over time it could cause cracking on the silicone on top with extended wear.

>>10858949
>I find it much easier to swim in a monofin than without at this point. As long as your form is good, they're just so propulsive
I've been under the impression that after the initial "kick" off the side of the pool (assuming you're at a pool), most of the propulsion comes from the abs rather than the legs/knees. What's the difference between bad and good leg form, considering the monofin basically locks both legs to be in-sync? Just the legs not moving naturally with the muscles of the rest of your body?

>>10859296
Yes, the motion should start in the torso not the legs. Usually with the core though for extra power you can even start in the shoulders. It's kind of like a body roll in dance, where the movement goes in a wave down from the top of your body. This reduces the amount of stress on your knees and ankles, where newer mermaids often kick from. This will hurt if you keep doing it for more than short adjustments. Another mistake I see is people doing an "inchworm" move where they scrunch their body up into a kind of N shape, pulling their thighs towards chest and knees to the butt, and then try to scooch forward in the water by pushing out with the feet. This looks awkward and doesn't get you much propulsion at all, you want your fluke to be moving up and down horizontally in the water.

A great video showing the body roll style is this one of Kariel's: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMrck28eC2Y

You can see her knees actually only ever bend slightly, and her ankles almost not at all while in motion. The flowyness of the fluke hides the fact that the calves/ankles stay straight when swimming forward (rather than posing, which is done with gentler motions). This is crucial for avoiding ankle injuries long term.

You can also see the "knee kick" I mean in 0:05-0:08. She isn't using it to actually swim there, just to keep herself under and mostly still for a product ad lmao. But if you were to try to swim any distance like that, it puts a ton of stress on your joints because the fin adds extra weight/pressure from of the water it's forcing out of the way.

merfolk beef is the least likely thing i thought id see in 4chan

Im still working on my upper body

>>10859432
>the movement goes in a wave down from the top of your body.
This might honestly be a reason H2O popularized swimming with arms in front, because having that extra space of the arms moving in front of the body gives more leverage for the kind of wave motion.

>I was told something about a meeting, taking place here?

>>10854523
So whatever happened to that World Mermaid Championship? It happened in 2019 and then you never heard about it happening again. I get that the pandemic happened, but...2023 is halfway through. Aren't y'all gonna have it again?

Has anyone been to either of the two main mermaid cons in the US? How is the vibe compared to something like a more normal con?

>>10860030
I think probably it fell to the same problem most mermaid events do--there's no central organization for mermaiding things so it's just groups of a few people dedicating all their extra time/energy to a project. Probably it was very expensive and effort intensive to run with not much in the way of profit/reward afterward, and the people who did it don't want to keep that up long term. Pageants like Miss USA have many full-time jobs for that kind of organization, with actual salaries. Mermaiding doesn't really have that yet, or maybe ever. Despite all the popularity growth in recent years it's still a super niche hobby.

>>10862307
I've never been to either though I hope to make it to the California Mermaid Convention next year. My podmate who went to MerMagicCon liked it but said it felt kind of cliquey, especially as a newer mermaid, but still managed to have fun/meet people.

Well, I wasn't expecting this! Finfolk x Merbella collab to produce fabric tails. I'm pretty excited to see them, I hope they start sharing photos of the designs soon.

>>10858951
I'm glad Eric got his shit together. Not that I'm excusing him, but everything with his quality variations to his mom answering customer service emails really pointed to him being overwhelmed. I didn't realize how much he'd shifted toward fabric tails!

aw, it's a shame to hear Raina and Raven had a falling out, they seemed so close, and I really love Merbella's stuff, I feel like it's some of the best around. Kinda gives me the ick that Raina just buddied up with another tailmaker so soon- it feels like she did it for the free stuff, but what do I know

Oh my gosh, a mer thread on my favorite board.

What do you guys think it would take to get this hobby to grow the way it felt in 2012-2016? I was into the hobby back then and it seems much more fractured now. I even remember the forums I was on back then. How's the scene now? Larger social media presence?

bump

>>10864223
>2012-2016
I get the impression that back then it was way more common for tails to be 'homemade' whereas now there are enough actual makers of tails where any 'homemade' tail that doesn't look bad will have to be, like, actual silicone and stuff by someone who knows what they're doing. The comm seems older and more professional now?

Wtf do you even do at a mermaid meetup? Where do you hold them that has the space? I'm imagining being trapped in a pool for an hour with a bunch of fat women, nursing a drink in a plastic cup over the edge, because it's a pain to take your tail on and off to go get more food or drink

>>10867252
>Where do you hold them that has the space?
...a pool or a beach?

A lot of mermaid stuff happens at dive shops because to get into it you typically directly or indirectly pick up on a lot of actual stuff about how to just be underwater and know how underwater movement works.

>>10867220
We still had Merbella, and a few other personal neoprene tail makers back then! It definitely did have a much more homemade feel, and it felt like interest was mostly seasonal (likely the same now, however). Some mermaids/men did aquarium shows during the summer but there were still meetups if you were lucky and lived in the right areas. I'm going to look around my area now and see if we have an active mer community.

>>10867252
The beach, usually. Private beaches or large lakes are the best. You also usually bring a friend or lover to help you get around. It's an exciting time, and when I was last in the community, most of the mermaids were quite slim or athletic. You have to remember most of us spend several hours a week at the pool because we really enjoy the activity, not just the aesthetic. I went to very few meet ups but I'm much older and have much more income and was hoping the community was larger than it used to be.

>>10867267
>>10867315
How do you get in and out of the water at a beach with a tail on? That sounds so dangerous since the waves could blast you in the face and you'd be unable to get up. Also sand in between you and the tail sounds uncomfortable

>>10864223
I think the accessability of tails that exploded in the 20-teens was a huge part of it. Not just finfun, for example Finfolk bringing the first mass printed neoprene tails in high quality. Whereas before most spandex and neoprene tails were handmade, you could now buy them. The switch to scuba knit and more companies offering printed tails made them even easier to get and at multiple price points.

Nowadays, you want a tail? If you've got $100-600 you can choose how fancy to purchase and get it in a few weeks (or months depending on the company). You don't have to do it yourself, befriend someone with better painting skills, or get on a professional's multi-year waitlist anymore. I don't think we'll ever see as big a jump as that period again because for a long time it was the inaccessibility that kept the community small, and that part's gone. As much as people complain about Finfolk's tails being "limited" or creating "artificial scarcity" by not offering all their designs on demand, they did a ton to move the community forward in making good looking large-scale production fabric tails, for a team of just 2-10 people over the years.

>>10867252
I'm landlocked so my group gets together and local pools that don't care if you swim in a fin/tail, and we just swim around. Or we drive to cool natural water places in the area like springs/lakes. Or craft nights where we don't wear tails but work on accessories or whatever. Big conventions are held at places with giant pools or big natural springs, or there's destination retreats to like cenotes in mexico or whatnot.

>>10867366
you put the tail on close to the water. then either someone helps you, or you scooch yourself forward on your butt, or you lay on your side and roll. It's not graceful. There's a reason we cut that part from video clips... but yeah a lot of mermaiding is uncomfortable at times and you just deal with it

>>10867315
Merbella only made like premium $1000+ silicone back then I think. Maybe I'm wrong

>>10867376
Tails that actually look good (as opposed to just looking like a kids' costume) being available on a larger scale definitely made mermaids a lot more mainstream.

>>10864223
I think the rise of social media over forums also makes the community feel both bigger and less connected to each other. Like, I see tons of mermaids posting photos on facebook/instagram, but there's barely any kind of discussion on less personal post topics now. I really miss all the DIY/progress threads on Mernetwork, and the loss of resources from people no longer making tutorials for others. It feels like the hobby really changed from something mostly based in crafting like cosplay to one thats just about purchasing the latest tails and posting photos as though you're an influencer. Not saying I haven't fallen into that same trap myself, but it makes me enjoy it less over time really :(

Pic unrelated but i hate people who tag their pics #merman without actually wearing a tail :/

Standing beside a lake,beach or the YMCA pool doesn't make you one

>>10868989
To be fair women will tag their random tailless beach/swimsuit pics "mermaid" too, but maybe it's not as noticeable because the mermaid tag is probably way bigger. Bigger not only in terms of breakdown of the merfolk community but also just a lot more art that's made of mermaids than gets made of us guys.

>>10862603
The fabric tails are up, and they're $285 with no monofin. They look good but for that much you could also probably just get a higher-end mertailor.

>>10869932
The Signature tails all sold out in the Pod Squad hour, about 50 minutes after release. I think this has happened with a seasonal sale in the past but this volume must be their biggest sale yet.

Why is men's masculinity so fragile it's threatened by fabulous merpeople tails? Hilarious. You guys should stop taking yourself so serious and get a fun, extravagant tail instead of limiting yourself with what you think is "masculine".

>>10870628
not that guy but extravagant tails look heavy.
I would like something pic related though

>>10870628
Aren't mermen already challenging toxic masculinity enough just by larping as a race of mythical creatures only girls are socially allowed to express interest in? Some people will already assume it's a gay thing no matter what, and if the tails are pink or rainbow or whatever it'd only feed into that assumption.

>>10870714
Yes but to be fair, most men that keep themselves in shape enough to look that good are usually gay, so there's the double whammy. I also wish we had more mermen about.

>>10871825
>gay
>Keep in shape
god i wish. I dont care if mermen are gay but a lot i see on insta have pot bellies or rail thin enough to look smaller than the tails they are wearing

>>10870714
>toxic masculinity
Just saying this buzzword makes me think you should kill yourself.

>>10872012
They're mocking the idea of it you inbred chYmp.

bump

>>10854523
show me maermaid the mermaid pussy or this makes no sense

Let's have some more convo questions then!

>have you ever made your own tail or modified ones you own?
>same with accessories--make your own tops? jewelry? gap wraps, etc?
>what do you think of the concept of a 'mersona'? do you consider yourself to have one (or multiple)? do you think of mersonas as separate 'characters' with their own backstory who you play as a role, or as facets of yourself, or something else?

this shit is so gay, I just don't get it

>>10872797
One of my friends showed me earlier that she modified one of her tails to have glow in the dark spots. I thought it was kinda pointless because you can't really see it in the water but idk I guess she just likes the craft.

>>10872798
Not sure how it's any gayer than the rest of cosplay, hell it's honestly less gay because imo merfolk stuff is more self-aware and less serious than normal cosplay.

>>10872798
You are in a board about grown ass women wearing frilly dresses

>>10872797
>>have you ever made your own tail or modified ones you own?
I was a cheap ass motherfucker (and also 15) so I made 2 tails from spandex. For both, I made the fluke and side fins in a complimentary colour (instead of the whole thing being one fabric cut a la shitty mermagica) so ti would look slightly better. My dream is to make one out of neoprene and sequins. once life gets less hectic and busy
>>same with accessories--make your own tops? jewelry? gap wraps, etc?
Yes!! I make all my tops. I use well-fitting bikini tops as a base, then go crazy with the e3000. Willing to post pics if anons want to see (I will not be wearing the tops in the pics u fuckin coomers). I also make a lot of sea-themed hair accessories and jewelry for daily wear that happen to go with my mermaid looks as well.
>>what do you think of the concept of a 'mersona'? do you consider yourself to have one (or multiple)? do you think of mersonas as separate 'characters' with their own backstory who you play as a role, or as facets of yourself, or something else?
I was young and stupid and wanted to be one of those party princess mermaids for kids birthday parties, not realizing the headaches around liability and insurance, so I had a "mersona" as my business persona, if that makes sense. Also, I'm kinda bad with kids under the age of 6, which is kind of the target audience. Anyhow, I don't see my mersona as a different person or anything, it's just me, with a different name for anonymity.

>>10872797
>have you ever made your own tail or modified ones you own?
No. I entertained the thought of making my own silicon tail and realized the materials make it way too expensive unless you're making multiples.

>same with accessories--make your own tops? jewelry? gap wraps, etc?
Not yet, but I'm going to be making my own tops since making molds for them is way easier. I've been getting into 3D modeling to make it easier for myself.

>what do you think of the concept of a 'mersona'? do you consider yourself to have one (or multiple)? do you think of mersonas as separate 'characters' with their own backstory who you play as a role, or as facets of yourself, or something else?
I don't have one but I think the idea is actually really cute. But I'm a huge fan of "sonas" in general. I can't see a perfect mersona unless you get a custom (expensive) tail though. Kind of want to design something and hope for the future.

>>10873997
I would love to see pics of the bikinis and other acessories. It's good motivation to see what others make. I'd love to get a start on making my own stuff but I'm not sure where to start. I've made some concepts but I guess I'm not sure whether to use a base for jewelry/hairpieces or just start sculpting things/collecting thingd randomly. I'd guess it's case by case though.

>>10872797
>have you ever made your own tail or modified ones you own?
I handmade my first tail out of swimsuit fabric and paint. I've done some small modifications to Finfolk fabric tails (changed fluke shape, added internal support to side fins), but have never worked with silicone before. I would really like to try someday but I definitely don't have the space for it right now.

>same with accessories--make your own tops? jewelry? gap wraps, etc?
I've made my own seashell and seaweed tops. I still have the first top I ever made, had to reglue one of the shells last year but almost everything I handsewed into place so it's held up surprisingly well over the years. But I mostly wear silicone tops I've bought now as they are just comfier.

>what do you think of the concept of a 'mersona'? do you consider yourself to have one (or multiple)? do you think of mersonas as separate 'characters' with their own backstory who you play as a role, or as facets of yourself, or something else?
I personally don't have a mersona that I think about as a separate entity from myself. I do have little facts I've made up for interacting with kids though, who ask me where I sleep/what I eat/etc. I try to stay consistent at an event but I don't always remember what I said in previous years... I think probably a mersona is most helpful for consistency when interacting with children. I have friends though who are way more into mersonas as a way to make a character and tell stories about them though... but at the end of the day when I'm mermaiding I just feel like 'me' not someone else.

>>10876470
>I definitely don't have the space for it right now.
How much space does silicone take to make? Does it need to actually air-dry while it's toxic to inhale like some substances do? I have no plans to make anything with silicone but it's just interesting.

>>10879154
I think what takes up the most space is the molds. Most people use plaster or resin for those for durability/level of detail, i think, so they're not flexible, and have to be bigger than what you're pouring into them. So like a 5ft x 2-3ft mold for a scale sheet or thereabouts, another big one for the fluke, then smaller ones for side fins etc. And curing for large ones can take many days depending on weather yeah, so the molds have to sit out flat that whole time. I do think you're also supposed to do it somewhere ventilated--you're supposed to wear a respirator (and similarly not supposed to use silicone to repair glass terrariums/aquariums while things are still living inside them).

Bumping the thread.

Does anyone itt have experience swimming with tridents? Is it more just a prop for on-land/shore? It probably makes swimming way harder.

>>10882196
I don't but now I really wish I did. You probably can make a trident that's hydrodynamic or really light, but not enough to make swimming harder. I'm wondering what the ideal material would need to be.

>>10882196
i don't but i think it'd be fun to swim with and see how it affected things. I wonder if it would make me feel lopsided to be holding something only in one hand, especially trying to make turns.

>>10882637
If it was plastic that would be dumb, and if it was all-metal it'd be heavy. Maybe it could be hollow metal to have the feel and look of metal but not be heavy?

It seems like the cheapest metal tridents you can get are like $100~ which is honestly not that expensive compared to the cost of a decent tail.

>>10882718
i guess i was automatically imagining construction similar to pitchforks, where it's a hardwood handle with a metal head. which is less heavy than solid metal but would perhaps be tricky with the handle part trying to float and metal part trying to sink.

i would be careful with all metal since it would heat up so fast on a beach and probably burn your fingers. pretty and fine when submerged but perhaps not the most comfortable photo prop otherwise.

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Some more questions then:
Do you swim in pools, lakes/freshwater, or the ocean? Which do you like best?

If you could make a full-time career out of mermaiding, what kind of events/appearances/interactions would you want to be the majority of your time?

How many tails do you own (or want to own if you don't have any)? Do you have a specific color or palette you like to get them in, or all different colors/designs?

>>10884352
>Some more questions then:
>Do you swim in pools, lakes/freshwater, or the ocean? Which do you like best?
I love the ocean, but I'm way too scared to take my tails to a pool if it's chlorinated. Salt water pools are great though.

>If you could make a full-time career out of mermaiding, what kind of events/appearances/interactions would you want to be the majority of your time?
Would this even be possible in current day? Are there any personal mermaiders who could give their experiences and expectations? I'd love to try this one day, a hobby I can get paid for.

And I only own one tail. I kept telling myself I'd learn to make my own silicon one but it's been years of me not doing it...

Is mermaiding more difficult for overweight mers? I'd imagine fat being more buoyant would make going under and staying there more difficult.

>>10885185
I doubt fat mers swim at all.

>>10885185
I'm average/slightly low weight as is the person i most often swim with. but she is very buoyant naturally whereas i just sink. so some of it just depends on body type, though I imagine once you hit a certain % fat you become more likely to float. I've never used weight belts just let out some air to stay down but I imagine those would help.

>>10885185
I feel kinda hypocritical for this cause I'm not a huge fan of fat women but I'm very smitten with the larger mermaids. I just think they look so cute, the tail takes them from disgusting to endearing for some reasons to me.

>>10888245
Samefag, reading this back this sounds really mean... But what I meant was that chubby mermaids look super super cute to me compared to if they were not mermaids. I probably shouldn't have used to word disgusting, that was cruel.

>>10888256
All fat people are disgusting.
Do not apologize for them.

>>10888245
>>10888277
Merfolk tails are just pretty enough to make anyone beautiful regardless of if they're fat or not.

>>10888876

Does anyone know if the Merbella tails are ever going to be restocked?

>>10889403
If you mean the signature (large fluke) fabric tails from the Finfolk x Merbella collab, then no. Finfolk's Spring, Summer, and Fall sales are all limited production only. They close the orders when they hit the production limit number or at the end of the night.

However the Manta tail (the black one) will be available all month as the tail of the month for November. If they continue the collab, they may rerelease others as tails of the month eventually, though that isn't guaranteed.

>>10889403
If you mean the smaller fluke, no fins Discovery tails, the ones from this sale are listed on the website and will be available for 30 days. After then they will be retired (unless rereleased later, but there have been no hints this may happen as of yet). The discovers from the Summer sale are no longer available.

>>10885169
>Would this even be possible in current day? Are there any personal mermaiders who could give their experiences and expectations? I'd love to try this one day, a hobby I can get paid for.

I guess I would call myself semi-professional, becuase it's not my full time gig (nor do I see it becoming one). I just do it when I have more time. Honestly getting paid to mermaid is so hard, especially now that the community has really grown. I only occasionally book gigs that are just the show up + collect fee type. I have had a lot more luck with applying to things as a vendor and negotiating providing entertainment/experiences in exchange for waiving the booth fee. Then I do free photos with visitors but let them pay for upgrades, have merch on hand, and put games/activities in my booth that also cost money for people to pay/do.

In my experience working for tips isn't very profitable. And what people are willing to buy or spend money on differs drastically on the crowd/location. I do most of my work at small weekend ren/fantasy faires or other events, markets, etc (aka, booth setups just sitting in a chair, no water involved).

beyond this I have some luck with fine art modeling work, but most of my mermaid pics are trade work not paid also.

i don't really see it as a possible full-time career unless you luck out and get some kind of exclusive regular gig, join an existing group that has large contracts for aquarium/casinos/major ren faires, or are doing lots of other freelance art work at the same time like dance/crafting/etc and mermaid is just one component of that.

>>10891618
That's what I figured... Thanks for sharing. I had the dream of doing it as a hobby but the work you need to put in just to make a slim return seems pretty high. I was thinking maybe working at an aquarium could result in a full time gig but even that's tenuous.

>>10892492
well, you can always mermaid as a hobby--swim on your own, meet up with other mermaids, do fun photoshoots, make accessories, etc. just don't expect it to be a side hustle you somehow also earn money from. but it still is fun and rewarding on its own. but if you don't have the passion to already do it for no money, def don't go into it for profit instead of love.

Aquariums are some of the hardest gigs to get, you usually need your own silicone tail already + freedive certification to be considered. They also don't usually pay well anyway, plus conflict with day job hours since thats when they're open to public. there was a scandal a few years ago with an aquarium taking advantage of/harassing their mermaids also, though I don't remember who.

Did anyone here watch that Netflix documentary about this? What did you think?

>>10893823
>Netflix documentary
Who would watch such a thing?

>>10893823
Can you drop the name? Haven't heard about it but I love mermaiding content!

>>10894358
nta and I haven't watched it but it's just titled Merpeople.

>>10893823
Every mermaid I know has watched MerPeople, since so many from the industry are in it. One of the mermaids in my pod was in a bunch of background shots from the convention footage even. I'm surprised it got a lot more popular than the 2 amazon mermaid documentaries but I think Netflix pushed it a lot harder.

I have a lot of thoughts about the specific things and people in the show but i'll skip that and say in general, I am impressed/happy with the doc. It went out of its way to showcase mermaiding as a legit profession, sport, and hobby, and didin't take the easy way of framing the thing as "look at these weirdos!". It was more like "Look how passionate people can be about something you hadn't thought existed before."

I do think that the documentary hyped up drama in areas where it doesn't really exist (like, friends/family might roll their eyes, but it's honestly very rare for people to be negative about mermaiding rather than interested/baffled) and glossed over the areas where it is much more prevalent in the mermaid industry (drama between tailmakers and clients, different groups, individual big fallouts in the community everyone knows about, etc). So it kind of portrayed it as a dramatic community but not quite in the ways I actually think is true lol. The one part they seemed to hype the drama up especially was the cruise which is funny because they played up like there was big drama between Hawaiian merman and Andy when it was more like friendly rivalry, they even dated for a while.

But I did really appreciate that one of their features was Sparkles. I think she has a really relatable story to a lot of us mermaids--living somewhere landlocked, trying your best to make it work while also having a full time job, pouring your effort into something not sure if you'll ever see big returns from, etc. There's way more mermaids living that life than those who become big social media influencers who own 10 silicone tails and run freedive retreats.

more muscle merman please

Bumping with Fin Folk's January tail, because I might as well.

Does anyone here have experience with Jacquard Lumiere fabric paint "colorless extender"? I would like to add some paint details to my scuba knit tails, but I want it to be more translucent. I was planning on just watering them down into a wash but then I saw this exists. I'm considering trying it out but I don't have much scrap to work on for scuba knit. I was thinking about buying a finfolk pillow or tote bag to practice with.

>>10899698
And the February tail because why not, I really like this one.

While the Saphira isn't my colors I'm glad to see the dragon scales make a return. I like the shape, the red version the Dragonheart was the first fabric tail I ever purchased rather than made myself.

I have really been wondering if the spring line will be just Finfolk tails, or another Merbella collab. My wallet would like a break but I can't help hoping for some brighter, more tropical themed Merbella tails for spring. I looked up last year's spring sale and it was March 18th. The previous two collab sales they announced a month in advance to give everyone time to get ready... so if it will be another collab, I'd expect them to announce it sometime in the next 3 weeks. The fact that so many recent tails of the month have been new design not rereleases makes me think the Finfolk team is spending more time on them because they don't have to be constructing/painting the spring tails... or is that too much wishful thinking on my part, perhaps.

>>10902116
I know they're optional and more expensive but I don't really get the appeal of all these extra fins on premium tails. Sometimes they can be done well if they're small, like Fin Fun's Atlantis tails, but all these giant dangling fins just kind of take away from the aesthetic form of the fish tail.

>>10902169
I mostly agree with you. I prefer the streamlined minimalist look for fabric tails, especially since the fins that are just fabric only sort of flop around aimlessly in the water. I did make an exception for the Merbella collab tails because I really like the shape and pattern of the fins, and I put inserts in so they'd be stiffer and stand out better from the body. But I think most of the finfolk fin designs take up too much space and are too blobby... especially with calf and hip fins both. they kinda make the body look shapeless.

Do older finfolks ever get cycled through again or is every single month a one-time deal?

>>10904826
Most of the time, the tail-of-the-months are scuba knit ("new fabric") rereleases of older tails. Esspecially designs that were only released in the original neoprene ("old fabric"), or the early scuba knit ones that didn't have extra fin options. However this past year since the summer and fall sales were all Merbella collab tails, they broke away from that trend and have been releasing a lot more new/original designs as tails of the month, i assume so they can still have their "own" designs from this year. Plus they have the time to make new ones since Raven took on the silicone sculpting/painting for summer/fall. I suspect that once this collab ends they will return to more rereleases instead of new designs for tails of the month. I know they also use it as a chance to color-correct some of the original neoprene designs where the colors were less saturated or off what they intended (see original vs rerelease dragonheart).

Older designs that have had rereleases (some even rerelased twice, as scuba knit without fins and later with fins) are: Classic Cleo, Eternal Ember, Sea Sapphire, Shoal Green, Dragonheart, Starcrossed Silver, Glaucus Atlanticus, Madison, All Hallow's Eve, Oracle... actually it'd be a lot faster to list the ones that HAVEN'T had rereleases yet honestly. Though they do prioritize designs and colors that people request most often.

I will note they have said they won't rerelase collaboration tails after the collabs have ended though. So for instance they won't rerelease the Kariel collab tails again, because they're no longer in a partnership with her and she has her own business selling tails. Not that they parted on bad terms it just would be weird contract/copyrights wise I think.

my merman tail is probably very dusty now

>>10904973
Really wish I could have gotten one of the merbella ones. Sigh.