10k posts...a retrospective (image heavy)

[AniaR]

OK so yes, I've reached 10k posts. I am the official loudmouth/wall o texter of mernetwork.

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This is what I look like when I am responding to drama

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This is what I look like when people post the same thing 10 times

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Here I am when I have something awesome to announce

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Here I am when someone brings up a bad tail maker

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when I get to the drama level that I usually get suspended ...

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writing tutorials!!!

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When someone brings up a topic I LOVE to talk about...

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When I reaaaallly want to prove someone wrong.

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When Sean gets fed up because I am paying more attention to mernetwork than real life...

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When someone actually stumps me and posts something super thought provoking...

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When I'm really into a thread and Sean says I start doing the tongue thing...

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Ok but it really wasnt me who posted that drama... my account was hacked I swear!

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When my post is FILLED with typos...

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... and when I take a simple 2 sentence response and turn it into a wall o text! http://www.proun-game.com/Oogst3D/BLOG/The%20Indie%20Marketing%20Plan%20Wall%20Of%20Text. jpg



I hope that made you laugh. Seriously though looking back on the years it has been a wild ride. I beta tested Mernetwork before it was launched along with a few others, and I was on Meryuku for quite some time too. I joined mer yuku in mid 2010. Before that I talked with other mermaids on DeviantART and Myspace. Lexandrian brought me to mer yuku and Nate and Iona invited me to mernetwork. I sorta got my start by posting that infamous review. But I made my first set of friends in the mer community too. Raven, Lexi, Iona, Anita, and a few other lovelies. I tried to find my first ever mernetwork post but everything from 2011 is Archived... I just thought it might be neat to see what it was haha.

I remember feeling so alone in my love of mermaids. I really feel like if it wasn't for the friends I made on mer yuku and mernetwork I wouldn't be doing this as a job. As much as people look to me for info, I learned from all the founding and original members. You may not know but when I first got started in the online world of mermaids I was bed ridden thought to have MS. It turned out to be an autoimmune issue that effected my mobility and having the online community helped me cope for that time period. I had dreams and got to share them with everyone.

I think part of why I get so crazy about tutorials etc is because I remember how hard it was to find anything out about how to do anything. Even making a fabric tail was a guarded secret. Seeing 1 mermaid once a year in pop media was a huge deal. Life sure has changed. I've always been a passionate personality and having been around so long I know the history of the community. It's why I get myself in trouble with drama sometimes because not many people are left active who remember how things in the beginning went down. It's all a part of the bigger picture I guess.

Thanks for being part of my journey, for reading my 10k posts, celebrating with me, crying with me, pushing me, and helping me reach my goals. Here's to another 10k :) I wish I could see how my posts are broken up in terms of categories. I really hope the teaching ones outweigh the drama but you never know haha.

And here's for retrospect for you...

Here's what I was like when I started on mernetwork and the last little bit of mer yuku...

There was the blonde hair phase... not a smart idea in the long run...

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Enjoying Canadian winter in a falling apart tail

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First magazine publication!

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Got my first bit of media coverage with a falling apart tail, horrible hair, and a top I couldn't get wet and one necklace... LOL

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Did my first parade and it poured rain...

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Did my first educational workshops

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My first world ocean's day

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My very first REAL gig (everything before was practice/vollunteering) at the end of 2010 back when I had the mertailor tail just after raven redid it but before I had to start repairing it

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Before that I did Mermaid gigs without a tail... here I am at talk like a pirate day dressed like a mermaid sitting in a pool playing guitar lol

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My first time modelling for dr sketchy

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First time guest speaking at a university

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My first tail back in I think 2009 or so

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When raven first remade my tail in early 2011 so it fit me and was painted better

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My first tail without a monofin even in it lol

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First photos of me in my mertailor before it was fixed

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First swim ever in a mermaid tail...

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I have come a long way!! It's crazy. I want people to see those photos and realize WE ALL START SOMEWHERE. And it takes a lot of hard work and without the help of the community I wouldn't have gotten here:

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THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING A HUGE PART OF MY JOURNEY.

[Elle]

Oh great wall of text, gif and photos.... I will get through this

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After a nap.

28658

[OrcaMatt]

Ha, Tamsin Greig in Black Books gif...good show!

[Saelyyia]

Wow. Congratulations on reaching 10k Raina and what an inspirational post to get to see your mer-timeline like that.

[AniaR]

Thanks :)

[PearlieMae]

You're awesome!

[Mizuko]

haha, love this post! :D And thank you for all your posts Raina! :mermaid kiss:

[Mermaid Galene]

What a sweet retrospective, Raina! It's fun to see your evolution. Congrats on your 10,000th post, and thanks for all your input!

[Mermaid Ruthie]

Wowsers, thats awesome congrats!!!:cheerleader::cheerleader::cheerleader: :cheerleader::cheerleader::cheerleader::cheerleade r::cheerleader:

[AnnaAbyss]

Aw congratulations! What a journey. And it's pretty much just started!

[Ashe]

Raina, I simply loved looking through this. You showed your ups and you confessed to your downs, but we really got to see a girl with a tail evolve into a mermaid, and I have enjoyed every minute of it. In my introduction post, I said that I had many inspirations, but that you were one of my biggest. That still reigns true to today :) Congrats!

[AniaR]

Awwww thanks :)

[Merman Arion]

I friggin' love this!! :D
Your gifs made me laugh so much it hurt. My boyfriend and I really enjoyed going through your thread.

Congrats Raina for this amazing journey. You definitely can be proud of how far you've gotten. :hug:

[Nyx]

Absolutely love this!
It's great to see mers talk about how much they've improved and grown through their journey. It makes me wonder where I'll end up one day.
Raina you are super inspiring, seeing all the hard work you put into everything you do makes me want to work twice as hard.
Congratulations!

[Joseph McGarry]

Great pics! I'm sure you'll have a great career for a long time to tome

[Vrindavana Starfish]

Awesome post! As for any "drama," it's pretty clear that you're passionate and protective of this industry and your friends, and this industry needs that. It's a good thing. You're not an actual drama queen.