Dark / Antisocial / Outcast Mers?

[Rebela Hunter]

I've noticed that this community is full of the "flashy" mers - sparkles, glitter, bright colors, and collecting the usual [seashells and etc.]

Is there any mer out there that does something anti-mer? Like, collecting trash [that pollutes the ocean]? Or is anti-social and prefers small meet-ups or pods? Or a mer that feels outcast by other mers and people for being so unique?
I have a mersona that I'd like to create, but this mer would be a dark force that collects recycle and trash, bones from various creatures, likes to hunt and fish, and yet still promotes saving and conserving the ocean. Such as the dolphin slaughter in Taiji and the anti-moral captivity of orcas.

I feel that, with my dark looks, nobody would really want to associate with me at all within the mer community...

If there are any, describe why you feel that way!
Or let me know if I'm just being too anxious and overreacting.
:)

[Slim]

I've noticed that this community is full of the "flashy" mers - sparkles, glitter, bright colors, and collecting the usual [seashells and etc.]

Is there any mer out there that does something anti-mer? Like, collecting trash [that pollutes the ocean]? Or is anti-social and prefers small meet-ups or pods? Or a mer that feels outcast by other mers and people for being so unique?
I have a mersona that I'd like to create, but this mer would be a dark force that collects recycle and trash, bones from various creatures, likes to hunt and fish, and yet still promotes saving and conserving the ocean. Such as the dolphin slaughter in Taiji and the anti-moral captivity of orcas.

I feel that, with my dark looks, nobody would really want to associate with me at all within the mer community...

If there are any, describe why you feel that way!
Or let me know if I'm just being too anxious and overreacting.
:)

This is the tail I plan to order in Feb if there enough fund left over after my nieces tail. I think that was kinda of the dark style I had in mind.

http://www.finfunmermaid.com/sids-barracuda-black-tail

[fishboy]

One of the things I love about the mer-community is the diversity of aesthetic. We aren't all the bright and bubbly disney merfolk you'd think. Darker merfolk are really neat, and there's lots of directions you can go with the concept! The flesh-eating siren, the grotesque circus sideshow attraction, the fearsome eco-warrior antihero, the horror from the depths... I personally like a more 'gritty realism', dull-colored scales with only the occasional hints of color, glittering scales and sharp teeth, beautiful but monstrous at the same time. There are all kinds of merfolk here, and all the different ideas and stories we come up with are what makes the community so fun! So, find your aesthetic and rock it! It's always fun to see something a little darker.

[Rebela Hunter]

I do like that tail, Slim! The darker tails are pretty epic - I'm sure you'll rock that!

Aww, thank you fishboy! <3
I appreciate the support !!!

[Aquos Savar]

I don't know if this counts, but in real life, i'm not that much of a social person. I try to open up once a bit, but doesn't work alot. I stick with my 3 best friends and that's who i hang with.

As a mer, i don't like people to know i have a tail (Imagine the look on the faces if they saw a guy with a tail...disgust...). I typically use my tail at the beach at night to avoid people looking at me, i might even say that i saved someone's life doing this habit. A woman who was caught in a bad tide and had trouble staying in the surface. I had my tail on, and saved her. She couldn't see my face, so asked for my name, i replied: "Aquos, the merman", and swam away.

She comes every sunday to the beach, hoping to meet again her savior.

Conclusion? Sometimes being an antisocial mer doesn't mean that you can't do good things, it just means you do good things in secret.

[Slim]

Fishboy, I 100% agree with that. I like the more realistic style as I'm the type of person that will run if I hear a musical. That right there takes me way from the Disney version of the Little Mermaid.

Rebela, thank you :D

Aquos, that is inspiring. It also has a feel good vibe to that. Congrats on saving her and giving her a storybook quota. That is just simply amazing.

[HamptonsMermaid]

She comes every sunday to the beach, hoping to meet again her savior.



That is so epic! Women can't help but fall for dark and mysterious ;)

I met a couple at Mermania who both bought Magictail Pros from my booth and when the merman was looking at colors he stated firmly that he only wears dark colors, nothing bright.

He was pleased with this tail, called "Deep Blue." Hard to tell from this photo but the color is black and blue and quite dark. I'll get a more close up photo of the fabric when I get a chance.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170128/858cfb66d141d20bf18692a7aa75abaf.jpg

20% off at magictail.net using my coupon code MISSMERMAIDUSA17.

[Rebela Hunter]

That's epic!

I'm glad to see so many non-traditional, Disney mers!
<3

[The Water Phoenix]

I'd say I'm a dark mer, because I'm designing my latest tail with dark colours. I wear a lot of dark coloured clothing.

[Slim]

I think if I have to pick a persona; it's going to be really unique. I knew someone in VT who say she was a Reiki healer and she did try to attuned me so I could heal people. She didn't finish the process leaving no control to actually do the healing. I never practiced it. So based on that incident, I think I should be more of the Healing robin hood persona. I always want to help people even if it something I can do; I will rise to the task but I rather be the fighter that gets dragged into battle at the same time. I guess kinda like a healing knight. Oh no, does that mean I'm that starter fairy/water pokemon?

[Neerai]

I'm not a "dark" type, but a pirate type. My mersona is the lover of a pirate captain, and guides his boat along the seas to find their "preys".

I love pirate histories, but I don't want to be the "white angel" who saves the bad guy. I'm the First Officer of the Crew.

My mersona is a badass mermaid.

[Echidna]

There are plenty of people who don't identify with the kid-friendly Disney type mermaid.
And "dark", as in having a dark tail, really isn't a prerequisite for that xD

Just look at how many different types of aquatic fairies there are, kelpies, waterhags, waterdragons, seaserpents.
Personally, I'm one of the latter.
I made several fullbody costumes as well, and I like to use my serpent tails most when I'm half-humanoid.

And in stories, most waterbeings like to drown and eat humans, regardless of their tail colour :D
The point is not being anti-social, but being not human.

[malinghi]

I like that this thread really unpackages the concept of a "dark" mer, and how many ways it could be interpreted. For some people it's about the an asthetic- not looking sweet and friendly. It can also refer to the story of the character you create, or to the actual personality of the person in the costume.

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[Slim]

I like that this thread really unpackages the concept of a "dark" mer, and how many ways it could be interpreted. For some people it's about the an asthetic- not looking sweet and friendly. It can also refer to the story of the character you create, or to the actual personality of the person in the costume.

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I agree with this very much. The concept of a dark mermaid and how different yet same & different it can be is like on Doctor Who where there will always be a different version of the doctor who is always the same person.

[Neerai]

I agree with this very much. The concept of a dark mermaid and how different yet same & different it can be is like on Doctor Who where there will always be a different version of the doctor who is always the same person.

And with that whovian comment you have all my atention, dear.

[Rebela Hunter]

I, too, agree with you, malinghi !!!
I meant it more of the kind of dark way, such as eating humans, looking more "emo", and hings of that sort. Just something that goes away from the sparkles, neon colors, and etc.
But it's so nice to see how other interpret it! I didn't know there could be so many different views and definitions for something simple like the complex of a "dark" mer!

I also appreciate the Whovian reference, Slim! :)

[MerGreg]

40141

So, I guess y'all would appreciate my license plate? :lol:

[Slim]

That is so awesome Greg. I am very much a whovian. I talk in person with influences from the 10th & 11th doctor. I somehow believe the doctor will be influenced into my merpersona. Don't worry everyone. With all the things I have seen, I can assure you it will be alright. I know because I'm the doctor ;)

[Mermaid_Anna]

ohh, I love all these 'mersonas', I definitely don't fully identify with the bright and cheery side of mermaid things but i'd have to say my 'mersona' is an irish coast mermaid who enjoys playing in the rip tides and collecting beat up treasures like old copper cups and such. I'd rest in kelp beds and prefer heavily overcast days to sit on rocks. I'm definitely the type to befriend an eel or stingray before a dolphin or otter. I love desaturated colors in general so I picked my tail to be that way too, You will never see me in a pink tail thats for sure haha (Nothing wrong with pink tho) <3

[Sepharina]

I am definitely not a glitz and glamour Mer , for sure. I do collect shells , just because I love nature and the patterns on some shells are so unique <3

I'm the generic "emo" trash , so I think that about sums all that up for me , just add a tail .But darker mers can be anything , sailor luring sirens , healers , scavengers , researchers , forbidden lovers , eco friendly mers , artisans , writers.

I would explain my mersona here , but its too long and complicated and im not going to bore you guys with it :P

[Mermaid_Anna]

I am definitely not a glitz and glamour Mer , for sure. I do collect shells , just because I love nature and the patterns on some shells are so unique <3

I'm the generic "emo" trash , so I think that about sums all that up for me , just add a tail .But darker mers can be anything , sailor luring sirens , healers , scavengers , researchers , forbidden lovers , eco friendly mers , artisans , writers.

I would explain my mersona here , but its too long and complicated and im not going to bore you guys with it :P

please do though! i love reading different mersonas <3

[MermaidSasha]

Tell you what, you need to friend me right now cause I'd be happy to have a mer friend like you! Personally I prefer the darker aspects of mermaids as well so I say go for it!! Your mersona would stand out in a good way simply for the fact that you care about our oceans by being against any harm to it. You are awesome ^.^

[Slim]

I also want to hear more detail. It's so unique.

[Misty Lau]

I'm more of a siren myself... although, I do like seashells. I love nature's beauty, not man-made sparkles. That being said, my teeth are like a vampire's, I have poison in the spikes in my fins, and a fish skeleton in my hair. My actual tail is very natural, no bright colors. I'm a lionfish mer, a more brown than red one, even though the specific species is called a red lionfish lol. I have some claw-like nails, and webbing between my fingers. I suppose I also should mention that I find skeletons attractive in a sort of metaphorical way, and I'm drawn to dangerous beauty.

My siren's call is used to guide sailors away from rocks and cancel out the danger oriented songs of my fellow sirens, but that's only so the sailor's blood and trash doesn't dirty up the mer people's ocean. XD

So I guess that means that I'm a siren with a bite. I prefer to be alone, and I treat you how you treat others. If you're nice, I'll help you out. If you're selfish or cruel, I may slap you with a poisonous fin spike.

[Aquos Savar]

Aquos, that is inspiring. It also has a feel good vibe to that. Congrats on saving her and giving her a storybook quota. That is just simply amazing.



She's just one of many. It would be surprising the number of people that wander alone into the ocean at dark without any proper safety. As mers, we have tails, they help us propel faster, stronger, and swifty. Legs lack the strength needed to get out of of bad tides, at least without flippers.

In the last 2 years, I helped 3 drowning people, a pair of kayakers, a diver, and a fisherman (Supposedly, fish swim around merfolk. At least i learned by trying). The woman was the only who kept coming looking for me, while others just reported the story to newspapers. I appeared in the curiosity section of a newspapers once XD. All they know is my name "Aquos the Merman". Kinda like one of those mermaid youtube series, but real...in a sense XD.

[Slim]

She's just one of many. It would be surprising the number of people that wander alone into the ocean at dark without any proper safety. As mers, we have tails, they help us propel faster, stronger, and swifty. Legs lack the strength needed to get out of of bad tides, at least without flippers.

In the last 2 years, I helped 3 drowning people, a pair of kayakers, a diver, and a fisherman (Supposedly, fish swim around merfolk. At least i learned by trying). The woman was the only who kept coming looking for me, while others just reported the story to newspapers. I appeared in the curiosity section of a newspapers once XD. All they know is my name "Aquos the Merman". Kinda like one of those mermaid youtube series, but real...in a sense XD.

That is so extremely awesome. Like mind blowing awesome.


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[Slim]

I'm more of a siren myself... although, I do like seashells. I love nature's beauty, not man-made sparkles. That being said, my teeth are like a vampire's, I have poison in the spikes in my fins, and a fish skeleton in my hair. My actual tail is very natural, no bright colors. I'm a lionfish mer, a more brown than red one, even though the specific species is called a red lionfish lol. I have some claw-like nails, and webbing between my fingers. I suppose I also should mention that I find skeletons attractive in a sort of metaphorical way, and I'm drawn to dangerous beauty.

My siren's call is used to guide sailors away from rocks and cancel out the danger oriented songs of my fellow sirens, but that's only so the sailor's blood and trash doesn't dirty up the mer people's ocean. XD

So I guess that means that I'm a siren with a bite. I prefer to be alone, and I treat you how you treat others. If you're nice, I'll help you out. If you're selfish or cruel, I may slap you with a poisonous fin spike.

This is so very awesome. Love the detail in this. I haven't truly figured out my back story yet. Maybe it would make sense if I took a skeleton to Slim merman back story due to being a healthy skinny (6'3" and 125 lbs for those wondering). Probably like a skeleton that absorbed a soul in the sea. Any suggestions?


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[Mermaid_Anna]

This is so very awesome. Love the detail in this. I haven't truly figured out my back story yet. Maybe it would make sense if I took a skeleton to Slim merman back story due to being a healthy skinny (6'3" and 125 lbs for those wondering). Probably like a skeleton that absorbed a soul in the sea. Any suggestions?


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Ooh thats cool, A lot of deep sea creatures have a skin and bone look so maybe you are a deep sea mer since you are naturally skinny and have a black tail. you can even use glow in the dark plastic stickers glued with E6000 on your tail.

Deep sea mer (http://orig11.deviantart.net/f22f/f/2013/165/4/1/deep_sea_mermaid_by_toilet_llama-d693etx.png)

[Slim]

Ooh thats cool, A lot of deep sea creatures have a skin and bone look so maybe you are a deep sea mer since you are naturally skinny and have a black tail. you can even use glow in the dark plastic stickers glued with E6000 on your tail.

Deep sea mer (http://orig11.deviantart.net/f22f/f/2013/165/4/1/deep_sea_mermaid_by_toilet_llama-d693etx.png)



That is freaking amazing


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[Sepharina]

Aquos , that's amazing. Like , fairytale amazing.

And Slim , Anna , if you insist lol
(Omg halfway through this I realized this is the most complicated message I've ever posted.)

*inhales for truly traumatic storytelling*

Once , of the coast of Georgia , a young siren had been born. She had 4 other siblings , 2 of which were grown and had their own families. This siren also had a twin sister , although this twin were the complete opposite of her. This little mer had hair the color of a pearl , and a tail of the Fire Fish Goby. Little decoritive fins adored her tail , her fluke in the shape of a spade. Her name were Sepharina.
Her home consisted of just a few trinkets and materials , inside a rocky cove.
For a while her life were very good. No trespassers or predators stalked them. No humans had ventured into their chosen territory. But that's when the worst happens , when everything seems to be going swell. A human , with a party of others , had clearly consumed a poison humans were known to drink. The leader human , had somehow obtained a long black and brown stick like machine . Little did little Sephar know , her father had been shot by that machine , protecting them. He had always said that humans liked to kill any marine life they could find , including all kinds of MerFolk. Sepharinas mother relocated her family of 4 to the shallowest part of the beach she could find. Her new home were surrounded by rocks , enough to keep humans at bay.
Years passed and Sepharina grew. Her hair grew ever so longer , her voice had become beautiful like the rest of her fellow siren kin. But something still nagged her. Sepharina were quite shy and timid , and would be startled at the faintest sound. Her life contined to be consealed by anxeity and paranoia. Sepharina couldnt make friends in her school , until one day while she were shell collecting (her chosen hoard consisted of skulls and shells) , she met a human not much older than younger her . For 2 years they met in secret at sunrise and sundown, and Sepharinas feelings for "her" human intensified. Sepharina could not understand English , but despite this her human continued to stay friends with her. ((And often bringing her Whataburger chicken because who can resist-- Anyway))
One day , while going to visit her human friend , a passing boat had noticed her red and white tail. They were fishermen , and this particular spot where home to a great number of fish . She happened to be in the worst spot at the wrong time. In seconds she were out of the water , hearing the shouts of the men. She reached into her bag for a sharp shell to cut the fishing net , but there were none . Sepharina were taken immediately to a research facility , then to a aquarium to be put on display. For 5 long months she suffered the claustrophobia of being in a tank , and home sickness. Her voice were broken from her sorrow. Her thoughts wandered back to her human , who she affectionately nicknamed Kiwi , as Kiwi had shown her a green piece of food , called Kiwi (, even though it made no sense to Sepharina ) and she wondered how worried Kiwi would be. Had she gotten another friend? We're she grieving? We're she searching for her?
One day humans in white coats came to her prison. They stared for a very long time. Not long after this , Sepharina were released back into where she were captured. But this were not the end. The white clothed humans had put a yellow tag on her fluke. She could feel the presence of them everywhere she swam , and Sephar couldn't pull it off no matter how hard she tried. She had developed a case malnutrition from being in a tank for so long with food not suited for her metabolism. Her whole body shrank in size , so her arms didn't have the strength to pull anything .
Days passed Sepharina didn't see her human friend. On one especially warm day , Sephar spotted Kiwi. She swam as fast as her bony tail could go. But all is not as it seems. Kiwi had become close to another human that had hair like driftwood and a very bad attitude. She tried and tried to catch Kiwis attention , and she finally did when Kiwi started to swim. Sepharina dove under the water and pulled her feet out from under her. A sirens way of saying 'OH MY GOSH YOUR BACK HI'. Thsi action forced Kiwi to open her eyes in the salt water , and when she seen Sepharina she were more estatic than ever.
They both went to the opposite end of the beach , away from prying eyes. Kiwi eventually noticed the tag , and tried to pull it out , but even she couldn't. But all along Kiwis friend had been tagging along .
Kiwi went to bring Sepharina her favourite food , she always kept some in case she seen her again . Sepharina had turned away from the shore to go look for shells , and her fluke lay right in the path of Kiwis friend , Byranna. She were jealous of Sephar , and this jealousy caused her to rip the tag very forcefully.
Fast forward , Sephar never trusts humans again , and now only trusts Kiwi , and has killed to protect her. Sephars mom finds out , they fight , yadayada , and some how it works out because a sirens love is very strong .

And now I'm here , using Kiwis phone to type this to you wonderful MerFolk.

My hands hurt. Oh Neptune.

[Rebela Hunter]

Whoa, Sepharina! That's epic :D

[Slim]

Sepharina, that's such an amazing read. Whattaburger chicken got me though. I never had one but I want one now. Did you thought of all that at one time?

[Sepharina]

Rebela ,
Thank you so much!! 💜

Slim,
Thank you too! :D
Yeah , Whataburger chicken is heavenly lol , even though it's quite pricey.
And kinda. Some parts I just along with , but most of it is based on my personal life
^-^
However unfortunate that may be.

[Misty Lau]

I assumed some of it must be derived from your personal life, and I'm sorry about the hard stuff. You're mer backstory is really amazing though.

[Sepharina]

Misty Lau ,
It's alright ^-^ It doesn't bother me though , ironically.
And thank you :D

[PrincessNymphiaoftheSea]

Honestly we need more Dark Mers in the community. Yeah the glitter and glamour is nice, but it really depends on the type of mer you want to be. I actually have a few friends who consider themselves sirens instead of traditional mermaids/mermen. Plus I think from a storytelling dynamic, I'd love to see what you'd be able to come up with for a dark mermaid background.

[Shelley]

40228
I have a dark, and by dark I mean DARK mermaid personna because life isn't always glitter and rainbows. When I'm feeling snarky, I don't want to put that on my 'happy mermaid' page, so I created a new character to express all the darkness that exist in counter-balance. If that interests you I have a fb page for Merticia Siren of the Darkest Depths, come 'like' it if you will. https://www.facebook.com/Merticia-Siren-from-the-Darkest-Depths-1550039118561692/
As Shelley Opearls I do feel disregarded by a lot of mers in the community. I'm never quite sure why, and could spend time worrying about that, asking 'am i too old' 'am i too heavy' 'is it because of rumors and lies spread by a devious tail years ago'? Ultimately, I can't let that matter. I try to focus on the fact that I am embraced by my local pod, who are truly the best friends I could ask for. And the audiences that I entertain seem overwhelmingly delighted, so I go ahead and do my own thing. I'm a very creative, active, and I'm told, talented person, who is just doing my thing to make the world more interested and fun. And to satisfy my own soul with play.
So, just be YOU. 'Your people' will find you, and when that happens, making memories with them becomes your focus, and it will be satisfying.

[Slim]

Shelley, that 2nd photo is amazing.

[Shelley]

Thanks Slim, That was an epic trip to Mexico and my photographer Matt Demmy was so instrumental in getting the effect I was going for with the shoot. He did awesome photography and edit work. I'll be grateful forever to him for his help.

[The Magic Crafter]

Rebela! Your mersona sounds like it is going to be awesome!!! I love that you're aiming to take an alternative approach to mer life. :) While I'm mostly one of those "collect seashell" types myself, I do have a darker side hidden within too, though it doesn't get to come out much... Hehehe! :cry:

[Rebela Hunter]

Ah thank you so much! <3
I'm really hoping to have multiple mersonas, but I want one of my main ones to be a darker type that can still be a beautiful mer like the rest of the sparkly, Disney-esque mers out there!
I feel like not many of them exist because of the stereotype that you HAVE to be sparkly and stuff to be a mermaid. I want to break that stigma and show people that you can be a mer, no matter your personality, fashion choices, color, size, disabilities, etc.!

And, on a side note, that little intro video on your Youtube made me smile, especially when you hit yourself in the face with your fluke by accident <3 So funny!
I definitely subscribed !!!

Have a wonderful day <3 !

[PrincessNymphiaoftheSea]

40228
I have a dark, and by dark I mean DARK mermaid personna because life isn't always glitter and rainbows. When I'm feeling snarky, I don't want to put that on my 'happy mermaid' page, so I created a new character to express all the darkness that exist in counter-balance. If that interests you I have a fb page for Merticia Siren of the Darkest Depths, come 'like' it if you will. https://www.facebook.com/Merticia-Siren-from-the-Darkest-Depths-1550039118561692/
As Shelley Opearls I do feel disregarded by a lot of mers in the community. I'm never quite sure why, and could spend time worrying about that, asking 'am i too old' 'am i too heavy' 'is it because of rumors and lies spread by a devious tail years ago'? Ultimately, I can't let that matter. I try to focus on the fact that I am embraced by my local pod, who are truly the best friends I could ask for. And the audiences that I entertain seem overwhelmingly delighted, so I go ahead and do my own thing. I'm a very creative, active, and I'm told, talented person, who is just doing my thing to make the world more interested and fun. And to satisfy my own soul with play.
So, just be YOU. 'Your people' will find you, and when that happens, making memories with them becomes your focus, and it will be satisfying.

Also I love that your dark mername is Merticia. :D I got an Addams Family flashback just now after reading it. I followed you as well.


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[Rebela Hunter]

Does anyone else here have a super cool dark mer backstory? :P
I'd love to read some !!!

I'd adore a book with the bio's of different mers - that'd be such an inspirational read!

[Meerihua]

Meerihua won't be sparkly and glitzy, although I don't know if she counts as truly dark.*

I'm going to make her colors very plain--just a silver tail, with any accents in a very dark teal. She's a traveler of all the seas, so she collects human items that are usually brass and copper. I might indulge in a few pearls, but not all the time. She's dark in the sense that morals mean little to her. Meeri doesn't actively seek to kill humans, but killing one isn't THAT bad.*

I'd love to have two more mersonas. One that's fully dark and sirenesque, sleighted by some human and eager to sing and slice her way to revenge. And one who's sparkly and glitter just for my seaglass and pearl obsessions.*

[Rebela Hunter]

@Meerihua - I've had the same idea! I have a mersona I want to use that isn't totally flashy, but she sure isn't all prissy and cutsie. :P
I'd love to have multiple mersonas / tails for my business to fit the themes of the parties or etc, and I think that idea would fit nicely. :)