Mersona-ing Start to Finish

[theMerFanc]

So from the beginning of my time her on MerNetwork, I have gone under the alias of the MerFanc. The Afanc is a Welsh lake beat and something that is very close to heart for many reasons. It is my everything and because it was already an aquatic creature, i was going to also develop it into my mersona. But after spending some time int he water with my monofin and already having great reactions from the humans around me, I want to develop my swimming for the possibility of making a business out of it. Unfortunately, I don't think the MerFanc will get a lot of interest for parties as...well it's not exactly attractive XD

So my thoughts from here on is to still make my MerFanc tail and use it for practice and my own personal experiences but then to also have an actual Mermaid Sona that I can take to more professional gigs. But I don't really know where to start in terms of design or name or back story or anything else. I took a 'what kind of mermaid are you' buzzfeed quiz and I got an Arctic Mermaid which I think is great. But I won't always be living in the snowy mountain peaks I do now and when I have my business up I certainly won't be so I'm not sure that would work out. I think I want to go with something more fun and playful and childish then say an elegant and gorgeous type sona. I plan to have short hair for awhile and the 'pixie cut' thing just screams playful to me. I am also a contact juggler and I wanted to try to incorporate that and other accessories and props into my works.

My future career will be in exotic animal training and I want to eventually work in Hollywood with bears and hooved creatures and alligators and whatnot and I think it would be MAJORLY cool to be able to entertain and teach about aquatic animals and their living situations and health. Because Alligators are one of my favorite animals, I think it would be really cool to incorporate them into my design and even to bring younger (safer) gators with me to more public events (eventually) but I am worried that it wouldn't be as inviting to children.

Help, I am at such a loss. I want to be bright and cololurful and fun and adventurous but I also want to teach responsibility and safety >.< And I don't even know where to start with a name...

[Rebela Hunter]

Well, I can definitely try to help!

I constantly make new characters as I am a graphic designer and writer. :)
When I name a character, I look for names with meaning. I found a few for you, so we can start there:



Amatheia - Greek sea nymph, one who 'rears or nurses' the fish.
This name would fit with your trying to teach about and protect wildlife! This Greek sea nymph was very avid on taking care of the creatures around her, just like you will hope to do!


Melody - a tune sung; also referenced in mermaid lore as a song that lured in sailors.
This is something easy to remember and kids will love! It would also work if you have a soft, smooth voice compared to others.


Amity - friendship.
Part of your backstory could somehow fit with the meaning behind this name! It's unique but not too difficult for children to say or remember!

Okay, now for backstory!
I have an idea, but you don't have to use it! Feel free to change part of it to fit your needs! It's just something I came up with based on your interests and passions!


Backstory 1 -
My name is _______ the Arctic mermaid. When I was young I was friends with many fish and sea creatures. I played with them beneath the waves for hours and hours. These friends told me about another race of creatures called humans that were polluting and destroying our oceans, including the cold waters of the north. When I grew up, I promised to help my friends and the ocean by educating and showing humans the wonders that they were blindly destroying. So, here I am, going against the tide and protecting the great, deep blue!



If you want me to help you some more, feel free to PM me!< 3

[theMerFanc]

I actually REALLY like Amathia. When I was younger I loved the name Amy so if the full name is too difficult for kids, Amy could be a great nickname.

I guess my biggest concern is being playful and fun conflicting with being responsible and a teacher. I don't want any playful nature to come off as immature and therefor the knowledge I try to impart being not worth listening to.

[Rebela Hunter]

Ah, I see! Well, kids actually learn a lot more when things are fun, to be honest! The more fun there is, the more they'll remember it growing up :)
And I'm glad I could help you name-wise !< 3

[MermaidSasha]

Shadow Hunter I really like your ideas ^.^

[WaterDragon]

I am still in the process of building my mersona but I have decided a few things about her by thinking about my own likes/dislikes and my body.
For example: I have no internal temperature control, what its hot out I am a miserable lump with a headache and when its cold I have to wear layers or I shiver and my fingers turn blue. I also love bright “cool” colors (blues, greens, purples). And modesty is important to me; all my swimsuits have been 1 pieces or tankinis.
From that information I decided that my mersona is a tropical mer who fell in love with a human and decided to stay with him even though the ocean and lakes near him are much colder then she grew up with, she now wears warmer tops when swimming and is slowly adapting to the colder waters of Northern California.

my husband’s “mersona” is simply a human who fell in love with a mermaid and built himself a robotic tail in order to swim with me.
I haven’t picked names yet, I figure they will come when they come.

[theMerFanc]

I am jealous that you can share this with your partner. My mate has no interest :(

[Rebela Hunter]

That's sad to hear, MerFanc!
Why isn't your mate supportive of your idea? :C

[theMerFanc]

He is supportive, just not interested. We do a lot of things that are very seperate and that's totally ok. I just want someone I can swim with or that can help me at events in a future business side of things.

[Rebela Hunter]

Oh, I see! Well, if you're ever in the mid-Florida areas, I'd love to have a swim with you sometime :)
I'm kinda new to all this so I'll be looking for people to swim with so I don't feel out of place !

[MermaidSasha]

My mate is sort of the same way. He has no interest in ever getting a tail lol, but he will swim with me and even help me in the water when I need it. He understands that this is a very serious hobby of mine, like playing air-soft is to him. Neither of us bash the other for what we enjoy doing ^.^

I'm still working on figuring out more of my mersona

[theMerFanc]

Mine has said he will go swimming with me just as soon as th semester starts and he no longer has to pay to get into the pool. So we shall see!

[J.Nigma]

I just went through this phase myself. My modeling name is Nigma, it's used so much that some of my friends only know me by that.

I didn't think Nigma sounded "pretty enough" to be a mermaid name, even though the name had a special place in my heart.

I tried to think of a new Mersona then one of my cousins pointed out to me that
"You don't need to blend in with the rest of the group. You want to stand out, be different, and be true to yourself. You want a name that you can live with for as long as your career lasts, and even after because your fans won't forget you. You want a name that means something, that is memorable."

He went on to tell me that Nigma wasn't just my model name, it is a part of my identity and be in cosplay, boudoir, or a mermaid tail, Nigma is who I am no matter what.

You need to pick a name, or keep the name, that means something to you. Don't have a name because it's pretty, don't feel pressured into changing your name based on others. MerFanc is different, unique, and memorable.

I say keep it, that's you. It's the first name you chose for yourself and it has a special place in your heart.

Don't sell yourself out to be just like everyone else when you strive to be in a business that need you to stand out and be noticed.

[theMerFanc]

I appreciate it Nigma. And for what it's worth, I think that name is beautiful :) I will still be the MerFanc around here and I plan to still make my Fanc tail some day but I don't want to use that name while in a tail that has 0 representation of the Afanc itself. So it would be sort of like a difference between a casual mername and a professional one. I have multiple fursonas, I don't see why I can't have two or more mersonas as well.

[WaterDragon]

I am jealous that you can share this with your partner. My mate has no interest :(

I'm sorry your mate isn't interested :( is he willing to be your mertender?

[theMerFanc]

I'm sorry your mate isn't interested :( is he willing to be your mertender?
Maybe? I haven't really talked to him about it a whole lot. We will see what happens when I actually have a tail and need tending.

I really want to build a side swimming shark tail and I was talking to him about design details. At that point he agreed to be my 'merchanic' but that was a bit ago.