Seeking Opinions on Finding My Niche Cause

[Dolphin Man]

At this point, I'm awaiting receiving my dream tail and thinking about opportunities. It still feels intimidating to brand oneself publicly as a merman because there are so many preconceptions about men in tails. I'd love to dive bars and perhaps a circus, in keeping with a niche message, like "everyone's unique" or "acceptance for being different."

Then I thought, since so many opportunities with kids come up, I could inspire something true to my heart: storytelling. In real life, I'm an aspiring screenwriter. I could read to kids, inspiring literacy, or tell stories of my mythical home. It worked for Superman and Krypton. I'm excited at the notion of building a whole character and world around that.

Any advice on how practical this would be? I'd appreciate what you all have to say. Many mermaids focus on keeping oceans clean. Maybe this is a way to stand out.

[Ligeia]

I can sympathize with you greatly! I am a novelist myself who started college with a double major in Theatre and English. While I have always adored mermaids, fae and all the other wonderful creatures of fantasy, I wasn't really a biology buff in school. I have only recently begun to learn about oceanology and the territory that comes with it. I don't feel capable of speaking in terms of ocean conservation because it isn't something I know well. While being a woman does make mermaiding easier for me, I'm not your typical run-of-the-mill mer. My thoughts about a future "lesson to the world" actually stirred around literacy as well! I'm pleased to see others piqued by the idea as well.

I think storytelling is a wonderful, fantastic way to share mermaiding. I've not met many mers with extended backgrounds (yet) based on their mersonas, though I think it would be a wonderful way to stand out and give a fresh feel to the activity.

That said, congratulations on purchasing your dream tail! I hope it works out for the best!