Any merfolk around here?

[mermaid-dna]

Hello, I'm making this thread to see if there's any other mermaidkins or merfolk on here that I can chat with. I've been wanting to get to know other merfolk for a while now. So, if you are a mermaid or merman and you come across this thread, please comment a hello! :)

[Mermaid Ankhali]

Hey, it's worth noting that many people in this community use the term "mermaid/merman/merfolk" to mean "someone who is a part of the mermaiding community." Therefore, almost every person on this forum will consider themself a mermaid/merman to some degree. For what you're looking for, it's probably best to stick to "otherkin merfolk" so people will understand who you mean!

[Mermaid Ankhali]

Personally, I found the mermaiding community first, and since I happen to be a mermaid, I identify as such and with the community first and foremost. I have been told by others that my mermaid identity is very similar to how otherkin mermaids identify, but I just claim to be a mermaid, and people can interpret that as me being mermaidkin and/or as being a part of the mercommunity. There is truth to both statements!

[MidsummerMermaid]

I'm probably gonna regret this but what's a merkin? :/

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[Kwilena]

Merkin I think in this context means kin of merfolk, not the slang term commonly used for "Americans" in some cultures. And definitely not the archaic usage, that just wouldn't work at all for merfolk at all oh no no no.

[Mermaid Whisper]

Er, I hate to be that guy, but merkin is something WAY different from mermaidkin. Google at your own risk.

Being mermaidkin is a touch different than typical mermaiding as otherkin believe they were that creature in another life or that their spirit takes that form.

Those who simply swim in tails recognize that it's akin to a costume to put on and take off and does not consume their identity. They "dress up" as a mermaid, so to speak, but we all just call ourselves mermaids for ease of use as well as keeping the magic alive for children.

[MidsummerMermaid]

Ok

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[Mermaid Ankhali]

Er, I hate to be that guy, but merkin is something WAY different from mermaidkin. Google at your own risk.

Being mermaidkin is a touch different than typical mermaiding as otherkin believe they were that creature in another life or that their spirit takes that form.

Those who simply swim in tails recognize that it's akin to a costume to put on and take off and does not consume their identity. They "dress up" as a mermaid, so to speak, but we all just call ourselves mermaids for ease of use as well as keeping the magic alive for children.

This is true, but it is fair to say that there is crossover between the communities. I don’t know how strongly I identify with the label of otherkin, but I do know that mermaiding is more than “dressing up as” a mermaid for me, and calling tails “costumes” just feels wrong. (Don’t get me wrong, I know that that’s what they are, but for me, the term “prosthesis/prosthetic” feels more accurate, even for fabric tails). As far as I’m concerned, I am a mermaid. Mermaiding just provides a convenient outlet for expressing that and an excuse to refer to myself as such (since that is the norm in our community) without having the additional baggage of attaching -kin to the label. But, now the OP can see what I meant when I said most people on the forum will call themself a mermaid/merman but many of us will mean it differently.

EDIT: And there are also professional mermaids, like Mermaid Melissa, for example, who has legally changed her name to “Mermaid Melissa”, and another famous mer (I can’t remember who right now) that has turned her house into a grotto. I feel like, for these such people, it is fair to say that mermaiding does consume a very large part of their identity.

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[Mermaid Ankhali]

Er, I hate to be that guy, but merkin is something WAY different from mermaidkin. Google at your own risk.

Being mermaidkin is a touch different than typical mermaiding as otherkin believe they were that creature in another life or that their spirit takes that form.

Those who simply swim in tails recognize that it's akin to a costume to put on and take off and does not consume their identity. They "dress up" as a mermaid, so to speak, but we all just call ourselves mermaids for ease of use as well as keeping the magic alive for children.

Also, this is hilarious! I did not, in fact know of this word, but it is very funny how language, being modular, can end up at the same place from two very different roots!


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[inanna]

Er, I hate to be that guy, but merkin is something WAY different from mermaidkin. Google at your own risk.

i googled this, then proceeded to laugh hard enough i coughed. NSFW! but now i know what the difference is.

anyways, mermaidkin is just a category of otherkin, and there are some on here who likely identify in that fashion.

[Mermaid Velos]

I shouldn't have looked it up... I didn't know that anyone did that *-* I think I am just gonna stick to tails XDDD

[Kwilena]

English, the language that keeps on giving! Even when you wish it wouldn't!

[MidsummerMermaid]

The number of revisions to the poor dictionary

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[Kwilena]

One of my favourite quotes is from James Nicoll the noted SF reviewer - https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/

"The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that the English language is as pure as a crib-house whore. It not only borrows words from other languages; it has on occasion chased other languages down dark alley-ways, clubbed them unconscious and rifled their pockets for new vocabulary."

[MidsummerMermaid]

Ah, my favorite. But back to topic. By merfolk does the person mean lgbt mer or all mer?

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[ChelseaSelkie]

Ah, my favorite. But back to topic. By merfolk does the person mean lgbt mer or all mer?

Sent from my shell phone using MerNetwork mobile app (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=95032)To be honest, it seems like they are asking for anyone who spiritually identifies as a mermaid/merman instead of human. (I.e. Otherkin)

Correct me if I am wrong...

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