Mermaid_Namaka
12-26-2016, 10:53 PM
Hello! I am Mermaid Namaka Kiana Luna, or Mermaid Namaka for short. My persona's backstory is that she was born on a vacation to Hawaii, hence the first name choice. Her parents were from the Norwegian pod (a nod to my Norwegian heritage), but she grew up in the Chesapeake Bay area, raised on land due to a "medical condition".
The fish my tail will be based off of is a Half-Moon Betta, with black and blue coloration. Betta fish are anabantoids, which means that they have a special organ that allows them to breathe atmospheric air, as well as use their gills to get air from the water. My mermaid's "medical condition" is that she was born without gills, and can only get water from the air.
The real reason I am a land based mer is that due to childhood abuse, being submerged in water causes me to have flashbacks and panic attacks. I am trying to work through that, and have been slowly making progress. This past year I managed to swim to the deep end and back using fins and a wave board. That may not sound like much, but I've never been in the deep end before, so this was huge. I also have Autism Spectrum Disorder and Sensory Processing Disorder, and getting water in my ears and on my face is incredibly uncomfortable and sometimes painful, so that also contributes to me being land-locked.
I want to be a professional mermaid, but due to my issues with water, that is very unlikely. Instead, I want to open a mermaid school and teach others how to become professional mermaids, and share my passion in that way. I hope to prepare mers so well for careers in professional mermaiding that my school will be well known and recognized, and graduates would be actively sought out as performers, like having a kind of "Mermaid Degree" or something. I think that would be super cool, and give me a chance to make a real difference.
I first got into mermaids upon watching Disney's The Little Mermaid (original, right?), and then realized I that prosthetic mermaid tails were a thing after watching Aquamarine . It was right then and there I decided I would be a mermaid.
I am currently in college, and created a small pod on campus with other mermaid lovers. I want to volunteer at libraries and hospitals and shelters in my area as a mermaid and read to children, and bring joy and inspiration to them. I currently have an orange and yellow fabric tail, but I want to get a fabric/silicone hybrid to volunteer in, as it is much more realistic and believable, and since my fabric tail is not anywhere near what I would like my betta tail to look like, and is the wrong colors. I am currently saving up for a silicone hybrid tail, and hope to someday own a full silicone tail.
The fish my tail will be based off of is a Half-Moon Betta, with black and blue coloration. Betta fish are anabantoids, which means that they have a special organ that allows them to breathe atmospheric air, as well as use their gills to get air from the water. My mermaid's "medical condition" is that she was born without gills, and can only get water from the air.
The real reason I am a land based mer is that due to childhood abuse, being submerged in water causes me to have flashbacks and panic attacks. I am trying to work through that, and have been slowly making progress. This past year I managed to swim to the deep end and back using fins and a wave board. That may not sound like much, but I've never been in the deep end before, so this was huge. I also have Autism Spectrum Disorder and Sensory Processing Disorder, and getting water in my ears and on my face is incredibly uncomfortable and sometimes painful, so that also contributes to me being land-locked.
I want to be a professional mermaid, but due to my issues with water, that is very unlikely. Instead, I want to open a mermaid school and teach others how to become professional mermaids, and share my passion in that way. I hope to prepare mers so well for careers in professional mermaiding that my school will be well known and recognized, and graduates would be actively sought out as performers, like having a kind of "Mermaid Degree" or something. I think that would be super cool, and give me a chance to make a real difference.
I first got into mermaids upon watching Disney's The Little Mermaid (original, right?), and then realized I that prosthetic mermaid tails were a thing after watching Aquamarine . It was right then and there I decided I would be a mermaid.
I am currently in college, and created a small pod on campus with other mermaid lovers. I want to volunteer at libraries and hospitals and shelters in my area as a mermaid and read to children, and bring joy and inspiration to them. I currently have an orange and yellow fabric tail, but I want to get a fabric/silicone hybrid to volunteer in, as it is much more realistic and believable, and since my fabric tail is not anywhere near what I would like my betta tail to look like, and is the wrong colors. I am currently saving up for a silicone hybrid tail, and hope to someday own a full silicone tail.