B!TC# IT OUT!

[Slim]

You must have a cat in that apartment that sneaking the stuff out.


Follow up, so in the crummy weather I taught myself to repair my vintage radio BUT
in all my cleaning this week I lost the components to build my AM radio transmitter. It never ends I tell you. Small apartment but many many places for things to vanish.

[gay-mermaid]

Why do so many cisgender people think they know more about my gender identity than I do? They have this idea that all gender non-conforming people should fit into this 'masculine, soft innocent smol person' and god forbid you don't wear a binder bc then you're just lying for attention... like, newsflash, I'm the genderqueer one, not the cis fuck who has this offensive, fetishizing idea of what I "should" be!

[mermaidrobynn]

Why do so many cisgender people think they know more about my gender identity than I do? They have this idea that all gender non-conforming people should fit into this 'masculine, soft innocent smol person' and god forbid you don't wear a binder bc then you're just lying for attention... like, newsflash, I'm the genderqueer one, not the cis fuck who has this offensive, fetishizing idea of what I "should" be!
So sorry that happens to you, I promise not all cisgenders are like that. Some are really ignorant people though :/

[gay-mermaid]

So sorry that happens to you, I promise not all cisgenders are like that. Some are really ignorant people though :/
oh, yea dude, i know some rlly great cis people, some of them are close friends of mine! queer cis people get fetishized as well by straight people all the time, just sucks, ya know?

[mermaidrobynn]

oh, yea dude, i know some rlly great cis people, some of them are close friends of mine! queer cis people get fetishized as well by straight people all the time, just sucks, ya know?
Yeah, I like not to generalise ^^" I prefer dividing the world by good and bad people than straight, gay, black, white and everything. And there are some really bad people out there, so sorry that you had to come across them :/ I hope they'll grow up soon enough.

[Keiris]

Yes please, time to move back to Crystal River FL right about now.

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using MerNetwork mobile app (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=95032)
Yes please...or further south. ;)

[Arking]

I got an email a certain fish-man quoted and replied to something I said but then poof it's not here. What kinda drama did you start up now Keiris? :P

Edit: Now I'm wondering if it wasn't drama but rather something so scandalous it had to be deleted. :mermaid kiss:

[gay-mermaid]

Yeah, I like not to generalise ^^" I prefer dividing the world by good and bad people than straight, gay, black, white and everything. And there are some really bad people out there, so sorry that you had to come across them :/ I hope they'll grow up soon enough.
Thats the thing though, i see this with adults quite often! Grown adults who think it's okay to see queer people as nothing more than a check on their 'so w0ke l0l!!!' list, its like when straight women desperately search for a 'Gay Best Friend', or when they have bachelorette parties at gay bars, and get upset when women flirt with them, because to them, queer people are nothing more than some spectacle..people like this don't realize they're being extremely offensive, they think they're 'true allies' by treating queer people as a sexual fantasy....sorry, it just makes me so uncomfortable, because i see it everywhere i go. even in the queer community, queer-cis people who fetishize trans* people... perhaps i should take this to the LGBT+ thread, but I dont wanna clog up a safe space with upsetting stuff...

[SeaGlass Siren]

I got an email a certain fish-man quoted and replied to something I said but then poof it's not here. What kinda drama did you start up now Keiris? :P

Edit: Now I'm wondering if it wasn't drama but rather something so scandalous it had to be deleted. :mermaid kiss:

oh it accidentally got moved when Iona was cleaning the thread lol

[Arking]

oh it accidentally got moved when Iona was cleaning the thread lol

Ah shucks, well there goes the mental images I had...

[Keiris]

[QUOTE=Arking;285007]I got an email a certain fish-man quoted and replied to something I said but then poof it's not here. What kinda drama did you start up now Keiris? :P

Edit: Now I'm wondering if it wasn't drama but rather something so scandalous it had to be deleted. :mermaid kiss:[/QUO

Hahahahaha! Yeah, I'm a shit stirrer, what can I say? Seriously, I do try to reign in my scandalous comments, hard as it is, and remind myself children may be here. I save the good stuff for PM's.

[mermaidrobynn]

Thats the thing though, i see this with adults quite often! Grown adults who think it's okay to see queer people as nothing more than a check on their 'so w0ke l0l!!!' list, its like when straight women desperately search for a 'Gay Best Friend', or when they have bachelorette parties at gay bars, and get upset when women flirt with them, because to them, queer people are nothing more than some spectacle..people like this don't realize they're being extremely offensive, they think they're 'true allies' by treating queer people as a sexual fantasy....sorry, it just makes me so uncomfortable, because i see it everywhere i go. even in the queer community, queer-cis people who fetishize trans* people... perhaps i should take this to the LGBT+ thread, but I dont wanna clog up a safe space with upsetting stuff...

Ah man, that is so disturbing :/ I grew up in like a super safe environment which I am endlessly grateful for and haven't encountered these people yet. I'll cling to the hope that even adults can grow out of this and realise they're doing more harm than good with this attitude.

[gay-mermaid]

Ah man, that is so disturbing :/ I grew up in like a super safe environment which I am endlessly grateful for and haven't encountered these people yet. I'll cling to the hope that even adults can grow out of this and realise they're doing more harm than good with this attitude.
we can only hope people can learn...

[AniaR]

You're so right Mermaid Memory.

[gay-mermaid]

You're so right Mermaid Memory.
<3

[Arking]

Hahahahaha! Yeah, I'm a shit stirrer, what can I say? Seriously, I do try to reign in my scandalous comments, hard as it is, and remind myself children may be here. I save the good stuff for PM's.

Lol oh goodness, maybe I should be checking my pm's now....:sweat drop: j/k j/k...

[Keiris]

Yeah, take a deep breath because when it hits your box, it's gonna be a good one.:jawdrop:

[Arking]

:fallover: *faint*

[Imogen Finnly]

I'm baaaaack

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

[Imogen Finnly]

The thread for rogue siren studios hasn't been updated but there is a Pinterest series that is using her tail photos and claiming them for their own


Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

[Arking]

Ok my first proper real b!tc# it out!

I have a pet peeve, its become a tick at times but let me explain. I work for a mens clothing store that specializes in mens undergarments (socks/underwear/undershirts) but we also carry swim, gym and casual attire as well. My store is about three blocks from my cities "gay village" so outside of it but close enough to be lumped alongside. Our clientele of course is predominantly gay men, and the film and entertainment industry but it's really close to 60/40 if you have to see it by sexual preference. Due to all of these things it's not uncommon for me to have customers who are at first shy, or unsure when entering our store. Now note this is not a sex store, we do not carry products of that nature at all. Shyness though is just something that's to be expected as much of what we carry is of a personal sort, and for the most part there can be a stigma associated when you're shopping for designer apparel of this nature.

My store goes to great lengths to not sexualize anything, our displays outdoors are always fully clothed and until you enter you wouldn't know that we sell men's underwear unless you peered in at the racks. Any who I do get customers who come in that are of course do not consider themselves to be our stereotypical clientele, straight men unaccompanied or with their girlfriends usually under 40 years of age. What's gotten under my skin is a sort of habit I've noticed of some of these customers, that they have a compulsory need to share that they are in-fact straight. Like a verbal acknowledgement, a out loud statement to assure me that they are a straight male in my store.

I do my best to assure them that we do get a mix of clientele, and that if they need I can assist them with any questions they may have. I'm not heartless and I do understand the stigma associated with being in my store for the first time, and I get when people are uncomfortable yet desire to try something new outside of the zone they've been confined too. It's not easy, I should know, so I do my best to assure the would-be unicorns that enter my store they more of an run of the mill pony and there's really nothing to be concerned about. The thing is a few have become frequent patrons and yet they maintain this desire to say things like "I'm like the only straight guy who comes here" when they visit despite my assurances they really are not and it's really just a clothing store.

What's become a bit of a bother is that this declaration which seemingly started as a desire to garner a form of understanding from me has become a bit of a mantra for a few and it's made me feel a bit uncomfortable. I get the need to let others know you feel like an outsider, but to latch onto that image of yourself alienates the person you are comparing yourself against in the process. I am a gay male, and quite honestly it took me some time to get over that it wasn't a bad thing. It makes me want to slap some of them upside the head and tell them to move past this notion that being straight in a "gay space" (it's not its a clothing store for pete's sakes) is somehow special or worthy of note. It says to me that they think being like me is bad, and they don't want to be mistaken and devalued like that.

In short, b!tc# please...that is all.

[Keiris]

Pity you can't turn to the insecure dumbass and say, "Look dick-breath, this is a clothing store not a sex shop. Grow up."

[gay-mermaid]

Ok my first proper real b!tc# it out!

I have a pet peeve, its become a tick at times but let me explain. I work for a mens clothing store that specializes in mens undergarments (socks/underwear/undershirts) but we also carry swim, gym and casual attire as well. My store is about three blocks from my cities "gay village" so outside of it but close enough to be lumped alongside. Our clientele of course is predominantly gay men, and the film and entertainment industry but it's really close to 60/40 if you have to see it by sexual preference. Due to all of these things it's not uncommon for me to have customers who are at first shy, or unsure when entering our store. Now note this is not a sex store, we do not carry products of that nature at all. Shyness though is just something that's to be expected as much of what we carry is of a personal sort, and for the most part there can be a stigma associated when you're shopping for designer apparel of this nature.

My store goes to great lengths to not sexualize anything, our displays outdoors are always fully clothed and until you enter you wouldn't know that we sell men's underwear unless you peered in at the racks. Any who I do get customers who come in that are of course do not consider themselves to be our stereotypical clientele, straight men unaccompanied or with their girlfriends usually under 40 years of age. What's gotten under my skin is a sort of habit I've noticed of some of these customers, that they have a compulsory need to share that they are in-fact straight. Like a verbal acknowledgement, a out loud statement to assure me that they are a straight male in my store.

I do my best to assure them that we do get a mix of clientele, and that if they need I can assist them with any questions they may have. I'm not heartless and I do understand the stigma associated with being in my store for the first time, and I get when people are uncomfortable yet desire to try something new outside of the zone they've been confined too. It's not easy, I should know, so I do my best to assure the would-be unicorns that enter my store they more of an run of the mill pony and there's really nothing to be concerned about. The thing is a few have become frequent patrons and yet they maintain this desire to say things like "I'm like the only straight guy who comes here" when they visit despite my assurances they really are not and it's really just a clothing store.

What's become a bit of a bother is that this declaration which seemingly started as a desire to garner a form of understanding from me has become a bit of a mantra for a few and it's made me feel a bit uncomfortable. I get the need to let others know you feel like an outsider, but to latch onto that image of yourself alienates the person you are comparing yourself against in the process. I am a gay male, and quite honestly it took me some time to get over that it wasn't a bad thing. It makes me want to slap some of them upside the head and tell them to move past this notion that being straight in a "gay space" (it's not its a clothing store for pete's sakes) is somehow special or worthy of note. It says to me that they think being like me is bad, and they don't want to be mistaken and devalued like that.

In short, b!tc# please...that is all.
I hate when straight people do this so much... they're so worried people might think they're gay, like its something shameful...just because they like something a lot of queer people do, or frequent a place a lot queer people do. Not to mention how offended they get when someone even IMPLIES they might think theyre gay...

Sent from my SM-G935P using MerNetwork mobile app (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=95032)

[mermaidrobynn]

Ok my first proper real b!tc# it out!

I have a pet peeve, its become a tick at times but let me explain. I work for a mens clothing store that specializes in mens undergarments (socks/underwear/undershirts) but we also carry swim, gym and casual attire as well. My store is about three blocks from my cities "gay village" so outside of it but close enough to be lumped alongside. Our clientele of course is predominantly gay men, and the film and entertainment industry but it's really close to 60/40 if you have to see it by sexual preference. Due to all of these things it's not uncommon for me to have customers who are at first shy, or unsure when entering our store. Now note this is not a sex store, we do not carry products of that nature at all. Shyness though is just something that's to be expected as much of what we carry is of a personal sort, and for the most part there can be a stigma associated when you're shopping for designer apparel of this nature.

My store goes to great lengths to not sexualize anything, our displays outdoors are always fully clothed and until you enter you wouldn't know that we sell men's underwear unless you peered in at the racks. Any who I do get customers who come in that are of course do not consider themselves to be our stereotypical clientele, straight men unaccompanied or with their girlfriends usually under 40 years of age. What's gotten under my skin is a sort of habit I've noticed of some of these customers, that they have a compulsory need to share that they are in-fact straight. Like a verbal acknowledgement, a out loud statement to assure me that they are a straight male in my store.

I do my best to assure them that we do get a mix of clientele, and that if they need I can assist them with any questions they may have. I'm not heartless and I do understand the stigma associated with being in my store for the first time, and I get when people are uncomfortable yet desire to try something new outside of the zone they've been confined too. It's not easy, I should know, so I do my best to assure the would-be unicorns that enter my store they more of an run of the mill pony and there's really nothing to be concerned about. The thing is a few have become frequent patrons and yet they maintain this desire to say things like "I'm like the only straight guy who comes here" when they visit despite my assurances they really are not and it's really just a clothing store.

What's become a bit of a bother is that this declaration which seemingly started as a desire to garner a form of understanding from me has become a bit of a mantra for a few and it's made me feel a bit uncomfortable. I get the need to let others know you feel like an outsider, but to latch onto that image of yourself alienates the person you are comparing yourself against in the process. I am a gay male, and quite honestly it took me some time to get over that it wasn't a bad thing. It makes me want to slap some of them upside the head and tell them to move past this notion that being straight in a "gay space" (it's not its a clothing store for pete's sakes) is somehow special or worthy of note. It says to me that they think being like me is bad, and they don't want to be mistaken and devalued like that.

In short, b!tc# please...that is all.
Ughh some people can be so annoying :/ but it's just because of their personal insecurities I guess, they aren't actively trying to discriminate right? In a way I pity them, that they can't understand that it does not matter whether you are gay or straight or everything in between. Must be hard to feel so insecure that they need to cling to that label.

[Arking]

I think you're right and it's definitely situated in a place of insecurity. However, rather than self analyze and consider why that is there is this knee jerk reaction to enable it and perpetuate the very irrational ideologies that kept them from exploring these interests.

For me it'd be like watching or participating in sports and loudly declaring amongst my friends I know nothing of sports because I'm gay. As if somehow being gay precludes me from any knowledge or participation in such activities. This just spits in the face of any persons I know who do love sports and have the same sexual orientation as myself, it's a weak argument that reinforces stereotypes and has absolutely no foundation or reasoning. Using your sexuality as an excuse for having not tried things or feeling insecure in spaces you're uncomfortable is a disservice. To first admit that you have unhealthy prejudices towards things due to the culture and society in which you are brought up is difficult to be sure, but it would focus on what's really going wrong rather than projecting your own issues onto others.

[mermaidrobynn]

I think you're right and it's definitely situated in a place of insecurity. However, rather than self analyze and consider why that is there is this knee jerk reaction to enable it and perpetuate the very irrational ideologies that kept them from exploring these interests.

For me it'd be like watching or participating in sports and loudly declaring amongst my friends I know nothing of sports because I'm gay. As if somehow being gay precludes me from any knowledge or participation in such activities. This just spits in the face of any persons I know who do love sports and have the same sexual orientation as myself, it's a weak argument that reinforces stereotypes and has absolutely no foundation or reasoning. Using your sexuality as an excuse for having not tried things or feeling insecure in spaces you're uncomfortable is a disservice. To first admit that you have unhealthy prejudices towards things due to the culture and society in which you are brought up is difficult to be sure, but it would focus on what's really going wrong rather than projecting your own issues onto others.
Yup yup, I agree with everything you said here. Really sad there are people like that

[Keiris]

So irritated. I photographed a new painting to post on my Mer-page and rehung it in it's original spot. Step out of the room and hear the unmistakable sound of something falling and then glass shattering. Unfortunately, I find the painting on the floor as well as my shattered 4' aqua mercury glass floor-length candlesticks that were given to me years ago by a dear friend for Christmas. I know they were just a material thing but they were so pretty and the sentimental value attached to them socked me in the gut.

[Arking]

4'! Oh dear Keiris that is horrible :( I didn't even know they made candle sticks that big...what a terrible loss. I hope theres some way to repair them

[Khaleesi Daenerys]

I'm sorry that sucks. Mercury glass is so pretty but expensive and things with sentimental value can't exactly be replaced like an ordinary object. I hope you are able to repair them or find someone that can.

[Keiris]

Thanks Arking & Khaleesi but they are gonners. That's the nature of delicate mercury glass I guess. :cry:

[Khaleesi Daenerys]

I'm sorry :sad eyes: Maybe you could use the pieces for an art project like a mosaic or something that way you still have them with you just in a new form, like they were reborn.

[Keiris]

Thanks Khaleesi, but you have far more patience than I. I'm just happy not to have cut myself picking up all the shards and glass dust. I enjoyed them while I had them. sigh....

[Arking]

Thanks Khaleesi, but you have far more patience than I. I'm just happy not to have cut myself picking up all the shards and glass dust. I enjoyed them while I had them. sigh.... :( how disappointing. I know the feeling all too well. Moving a few years back meant a losing a lot of sentimental things (they got lost in the move). I hope you're still close with your friend and can make more memories.

[Keiris]

The rain here has been relentless!!! Days and days of it! My street is completely flooded, so much that it looks like a canal! My convertible is too low to the ground so I'm trapped here and it's STILL RAINING! I think I am going to offer gondola rides up and down the street. Maybe charge extra for the obligatory serenade. If this keeps up I'll make better time traveling to work in the tail!

[Merman Dylan Zalrian]

I've been having a bunch emotions bothering me lately.

Among the many emotions I feel. I feel like I'm falling into a black abyss. I just want to hear someone tell me something my heart wants to hear. Sometimes I want someone to tell me that I'm not a bad person. I want to be told I'm caring and kind and helpful. However, all I've been is an egotistical, condescending barnacle brain. I feel among other things a nagging thought. I don't try hard enough. I'm not helpful enough. People tell me I'm helpful, and I just can't believe it. I can't believe the compliments. A part of me just won't let me. I feel like time has scattered the pieces of who I am across the sea floor as the currents carried them to the four corners of the world.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh3Au31Mqmo&amp;index=189&amp;list=PLiX-4TIJ0PtmyijcfZuJyTr3jao92BxNS

The following song is another one that gets me. The lyrics "Are we having fun yet?" really hit me hard. Bipolar is like living with a monster that's hell bent on wrecking havoc and chaos in my life. That monster is like another me consumed by emotions. When the dust settles, I almost want to say to myself sitting next to me in a bipolar episode "Are we having fun yet?" "Is this really me?" "Is this what I really am?". I don't have split personality, but at the same time, I feel so lost in a bipolar episode.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps-mZ5BQQDY&amp;index=188&amp;list=PLiX-4TIJ0PtmyijcfZuJyTr3jao92BxNS

So, I feel like I'm just having one of those bad days...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKWtYOswmyk&amp;list=PLiX-4TIJ0PtmyijcfZuJyTr3jao92BxNS&amp;index=173

I've had this feeling of guilt for what I've said in this thread. I really feel like I've been facing that guilt alone. I keep having this thought haunt me. So many first impressions went so bad because I had one of 2 manic episodes triggered by the accumulation of stress from within this community, at home, and at work. I still feel bad for what I said even if I wasn't in control of my words. I know that the world isn't always forgiving, and I know that I have to own it even if it wasn't me because the world won't look at it differently.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sgycukafqQ&amp;index=216&amp;list=PLiX-4TIJ0PtmyijcfZuJyTr3jao92BxNS

Sometimes I feel like I'm slipping into a coma. Not like a real coma, but I feel like I'm slipping into a shadow of darkness weighing on me. Sometimes I really feel like fighting my inner demons is too much. However, in that moment I feel like I'm slipping I feel something in my heart. I remember my friends, my family, my cat, and everyone I'm connected with. Honestly, I think that the memories of those I care about are the difference between overcoming Bipolar or not. I am not consumed by it. It does not control my life because I have the strength I can only get from friends and family.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZNCrLV8W_M&amp;index=218&amp;list=PLiX-4TIJ0PtmyijcfZuJyTr3jao92BxNS

I feel like there is so much pain around me. I almost got triggered into a mood swing by the drama on Facebook. The following video has a couple lines that really gets me. "I know your lost when you run away, into the same black holes and black mistakes." I feel in my heart that we are in running away from friendship, family, unity, and etc., into something dark. I feel like we need someone to bring back, away from those black holes and black mistakes.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUTzZGR64mI&amp;list=PLiX-4TIJ0PtmyijcfZuJyTr3jao92BxNS&amp;index=223

And deep inside, I want all of us to stop fighting. I feel like I feel so broken because of all the fighting. I just wish there was a reset button.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0zdqeivGaU&amp;index=190&amp;list=PLiX-4TIJ0PtmyijcfZuJyTr3jao92BxNS

I'm sorry about the long post. The music is the best way I know how to express my emotions when they start to get so chaotic.

[Merman Dylan Zalrian]

Also, I seem to be having a lot of trouble posting anything with my Merman Dylan account.

[Mermaid_Izzy]

Also, I seem to be having a lot of trouble posting anything with my Merman Dylan account.

No one has to hold all that pain. People can change and there is always hope. I am sorry that you feel that way. If you ever need someone to talk to, message me. (I might not be able to answer right away, but I'll get it)


Sent from my ShellPhone using Tapatalk

[Merman Dylan Zalrian]

Even when I feel as bad as I do, I find music is capable of showing light in the dark. Music reminds of those who are still with me in my heart. I feel like I owe it to them to not less this funk consume me. I almost cry because I feel like they are with me fighting the darkness.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF8rLj7Mmdc&amp;index=254&amp;list=PLiX-4TIJ0PtmyijcfZuJyTr3jao92BxNS

I know I'm ranting, but I kinda feel a need to somehow share what I feel more than speak.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3fOGrhlZ_g&amp;index=253&amp;list=PLiX-4TIJ0PtmyijcfZuJyTr3jao92BxNS

[Merman Dylan Zalrian]

I'm sorry about going off. I just had to express my emotions somewhere somehow.

[Merman Dylan Zalrian]

No one has to hold all that pain. People can change and there is always hope. I am sorry that you feel that way. If you ever need someone to talk to, message me. (I might not be able to answer right away, but I'll get it)


Sent from my ShellPhone using TapatalkThanks. It's probably a part of being bipolar. Something about how my brain works drives me to over extend myself emotionally and physically. I'm feeling kinda useless as I see fighting, and I want to step in to stop it. However, I don't know if there is anything I can do to change things and stop the fighting.

Sent from my LG-TP450 using Tapatalk

[Keiris]

Hi Dylan. First of all, your avatar picture is great! You look so happy!
I am sorry that you have been feeling drained emotionally and physically because of your Bipolar. I have a friend that was diagnosed as bipolar. He is a very distinguished oncologist (cancer doctor) with a long term practice and reputation of excellence in this city. Although he feels his diagnosis, which was untreated for most of his life, led to his divorce, he was able to reclaim his life with therapy and medication. The therapy to talk through his problems with someone who was patient and understanding and the correct medication to heal his body. He has since then married the love of his life, continues to see MANY patients in his thriving practice and has gone on to be a very happy, healthy, successful man. He's quite a bit older than you are.
The reason I bring this up is there is ALWAYS hope for someone in your situation. You have your whole life ahead of you. You're young, attractive, passionate, with a big heart waiting to share it with others. When I see pictures of you in your tail it makes me smile because of the obvious joy you experience swimming in it. Remember, there are many people on The Mernetwork that have all kinds of physical/emotional problems but are determined to overcome them and live life on their own terms. I know you can be one of them. Good luck to you and know there are people here that care. :)

[Merman Dylan Zalrian]

Hi Dylan. First of all, your avatar picture is great! You look so happy!
I am sorry that you have been feeling drained emotionally and physically because of your Bipolar. I have a friend that was diagnosed as bipolar. He is a very distinguished oncologist (cancer doctor) with a long term practice and reputation of excellence in this city. Although he feels his diagnosis, which was untreated for most of his life, led to his divorce, he was able to reclaim his life with therapy and medication. The therapy to talk through his problems with someone who was patient and understanding and the correct medication to heal his body. He has since then married the love of his life, continues to see MANY patients in his thriving practice and has gone on to be a very happy, healthy, successful man. He's quite a bit older than you are.
The reason I bring this up is there is ALWAYS hope for someone in your situation. You have your whole life ahead of you. You're young, attractive, passionate, with a big heart waiting to share it with others. When I see pictures of you in your tail it makes me smile because of the obvious joy you experience swimming in it. Remember, there are many people on The Mernetwork that have all kinds of physical/emotional problems but are determined to overcome them and live life on their own terms. I know you can be one of them. Good luck to you and know there are people here that care. :)Thank you. I just needed to get my emotions off my chest. I guess I just need to let out and just say it once in a while. I'm trying to express things better. I feel like just saying what I said has helped. Sometimes it feels like the pressure of a volcano is building inside. It doesn't help that all the recent fighting on social media has, not quite triggered, but it has made me feel very similar emotions to everyone fighting. That's the best way I can explain it.

Sent from my LG-TP450 using Tapatalk

[Merman Dylan Zalrian]

I hate to be back, but can everyone send me positive vibes. My mom recently had a major surgery, and things have been kinda stressful helping out more around the house. My siblings are helping, but I feel like my stress is getting to me. My cat also isn't feeling well. His medicine to help with the Urinary Crystals is also making him much more upset about getting touched. It might be a sensitivity thing. Please, what would help the most is good vibes sent to my mom and cat. I know that once they feel better I will feel better. I'm losing my mind with worry.

Sent from my LG-TP450 using MerNetwork mobile app (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=95032)

[Mermaid Clara]

So I skip my class today, to come see my friend early because she won't be home when I'm off of school. She texted me when I'm leaving school and tells me not to come until 10:30 because she's needs to get as much sleep as possible before we take her cat to the vet. She stays up all night and sleeps all day. I'm tired of not being able to hang out with her except for a couple hours in the evening when she's off of work. I'm tired of being tired when she's wide awake.


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[Keiris]

I rarely post in this thread unless it's to support someone else but I have to admit I am feeling VERY anxious right now as Hurricane Irma comes barreling down my throat. I am in Naples, S. Florida on the gulf coast. Although I have been through 5 or 6 hurricanes while living here, nothing as huge and powerful as this one! Category 5 is CATASTROPHIC. I feel terrible for my friends in Miami, Lauderdale, Puerto Rico and Cuba. Please say a prayer for all of us here. Our power will be gone for who knows how long so you may not hear from us Florida Mers for awhile. :cry:

[Slim]

I rarely post in this thread unless it's to support someone else but I have to admit I am feeling VERY anxious right now as Hurricane Irma comes barreling down my throat. I am in Naples, S. Florida on the gulf coast. Although I have been through 5 or 6 hurricanes while living here, nothing as huge and powerful as this one! Category 5 is CATASTROPHIC. I feel terrible for my friends in Miami, Lauderdale, Puerto Rico and Cuba. Please say a prayer for all of us here. Our power will be gone for who knows how long so you may not hear from us Florida Mers for awhile. :cry:

If you don't feel safe there, come to Lakeland. I'm confident my family will open the house for an extra person


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[Merman Dylan Zalrian]

I feel the same way. Although the worst possible thing has already happened to me. My cat, Rocky, had a stroke a few days ago and passed away on Tuesday. I stayed with him until the end. I'm just happy he didn't get stuck in pain and suffering while the Hurricane went through. Him passing away when he did was almost a blessing. I don't know how messed up I would have been to have him pass during the Hurricane. I live in an area that might get it's power up sooner because of the emergency services within walking distance. I will try to give any updates when I can.

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[Mermaid_Izzy]

I rarely post in this thread unless it's to support someone else but I have to admit I am feeling VERY anxious right now as Hurricane Irma comes barreling down my throat. I am in Naples, S. Florida on the gulf coast. Although I have been through 5 or 6 hurricanes while living here, nothing as huge and powerful as this one! Category 5 is CATASTROPHIC. I feel terrible for my friends in Miami, Lauderdale, Puerto Rico and Cuba. Please say a prayer for all of us here. Our power will be gone for who knows how long so you may not hear from us Florida Mers for awhile. :cry:

Prayers sent y'alls way, I love storms, but I don't like the damage and devastation they leave.


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[Keiris]

Thanks Izzy. This is no regular storm though. It's circumference covers our whole state!

[Merman Dylan Zalrian]

I created a thread called Natural Disaster Check in and Status Update.

There are fires in the west, flooding and damage in Texas, and 3 hurricanes in the Atlantic with Irma headed straight through Florida. I thought having a thread for us to let each other know we are alright might be helpful.

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[Hydra1337]

Stuck at home in Lake Worth, FL with my husband, two year old (well, she's two on the 8th), and our two cats. I'm trying not to be anxious about it by venting my emotions through making memes like this. Even so, I find myself unable to sleep easily. :(

[Slim]

Hydra, the governor required that ALL hotel allows pets in the state of Florida during the hurricane. If the hotel are safer, go to one with your pets and family. You can find hotel that are still open by a link they told on the news. https://www.expedia.com/florida Only the hotel that has space available shows up within that extension.

[Hydra1337]

That is appreciated Slim but I can't afford to stay at a hotel. I even had to call out of work tomorrow so I could save on gas (I work almost a half hour away) because lines are ridiculous IF you can even find gas. My husband is getting up at 6:30AM so he and our next door neighbors can go find nails and other supplies. They managed to find shutters for the windows but they don't fit right and the outer walls are too weak to just nail/screw them in. We're good on food and such but it's the damage we're mainly worried about.

[Arking]

Thanks Izzy. This is no regular storm though. It's circumference covers our whole state!
They are pretty rare on that side, but hazards do occur. I recall a few damaged roofs in my time :/ You better stay safe handsome, don't make me come down there

[Mermaid_Izzy]

Thanks Izzy. This is no regular storm though. It's circumference covers our whole state!

I know, that's exactly what gets me so excited about it!

I don't understand why, but I just naturally love hurricanes and tornadoes. The bigger they are the more excited I get. I wish I didn't because I don't like to see everyone in a panic or injured or devastated. There's just something about them that gets my adrenaline pumping.

I haven't been able to sit still for weeks because I have been so fidgety about Harvey and now Irma and Jose. The worst part for me is that I am still in high school, so I can't do much to help with the aftermath.


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[Arking]

Shipping times. I hate shipping times. So I'm making costumes for the holidays and doing full armour as well as some Game of Thrones embroidered brocade capped doublets ...but it was so very hard to find the pattern. Now it seems it'll be three weeks until I've got my pattern on hand to get going. In the meantime I'm designing all the complex machine embroidery and hand dyeing the brocade to suit the house colours. But three weeks time will put me right into Halloween season and I just got a second job that's taking up every free day I've have until November. I need the money but I feel a little caged in by the whole experience. After this I am starting a gig in the film industry and lending my talents to some shows in the area so it's just up up and away for me.

I'm stressed. :rollover:

[Arking]

Keiris you better be getting out of there right now. I'm checking the news and it says it's heading right for you I better not hear that you opted to wait it out...😡

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[Keiris]

Keiris you better be getting out of there right now. I'm checking the news and it says it's heading right for you I better not hear that you opted to wait it out...

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Yes, Arking, I stayed. Had to help my sister and others pack up there homes. Gas hard to come by. It would be worse to be stranded on 75. My place will not likely survive the storm because the roof can't withstand more than 100 mile winds. I closed the door on it last night and pretty much kissed it goodbye after 17 years. Took the bare essentials. So many art/costume supplies, furniture, clothes, paintings and treasures left behind but what can you do? They are just material.
Thank you for thinking of me. This will most likely be my last post for awhile as once we lose power they estimate weeks before it could be returned.
I saw your post too late. Guess I will have to make it up to you somehow for threatening to have to come down here. lol (Although I wouldn't wish that on anyone, there are worse things I could think of than having you here in my clutches, pretty boy.):eyebrows:
For my fellow Mers in Florida, and the other areas affected by this Bitch, Irma, you are all in my prayers and thoughts. Stay safe and we'll reconnect soon.:mermaid kiss:

[Arking]

Oh Keiris, I'm sorry. I was concerned as I was reading about the storm surge heading directly towards Naples. A friends family owns a house not a kilometer away from the gulf and the city is so low to the water, google claims it's elevation is only 90cm. With a 15ft surge wave expected they too have to grip the reality that this disaster is going to unleash. I hope that there's a miracle and the winds and surge are clipped off the shallows near the Keys and Everglades and things make it out alright. Take care :(

As a final note I do hope I'm understanding you correctly and you didn't just say you're staying in Naples during this...

[Echidna]

Stay safe, folks.
This is the downside of living in a tropical paradise: you also get taiphoons/hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis...
it's always been like this.

I hope you all will be well.

[Mermaid Clara]

Dear God,
Please just fucking end my life right now. I don't know if I can't take this much anymore. If there are any more suffering I have to go through with because of her please just end me now so I don't have to go through so much pain anymore because of her. I now know I'm meant to be alone. Please I don't want to be in anymore pain because of her.


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[Merman Dylan Zalrian]

Dear God,
Please just fucking end my life right now. I don't know if I can't take this much anymore. If there are any more suffering I have to go through with because of her please just end me now so I don't have to go through so much pain anymore because of her. I now know I'm meant to be alone. Please I don't want to be in anymore pain because of her.


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I don't know what's going on, but know that I'm here for you. Also, remember that no one can make you feel pain. Stay positive and keep looking for the light in the darkness.

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[Merman Dylan Zalrian]

So, apparently I'm racist for doing my job.

I commented on a post on Facebook about an owner of a business being racist towards someone. While I did not defend her, I did share my experience as a cashier in which someone who was black jumped into acting like a victim of racism. My job expects the cashiers to make sure nothing is at the bottom of a shopping cart a customer might "forget" to pay for. The fact that I am white she was black had nothing to do with me pointing out the obscured shoes in the shopping cart she did not indicate she would buy.

Ironically, I've caught a white lady trying to sneak out Yoga pants in a large dog bed. I've also caught an Asian lady stashing merchandise in a suitcase. I spotted an associate doing markdowns he wasn't supposed to, and I cleaned up sewage a guy caused to back flow in the men's bathroom as a distraction to steal.

In every situation, race was never an element in identifying the theft. The customer either refused customer service or I did my job checking everything at the register.

So, apparently my friend's friends decided I was racist for doing a job I will continue to have to do. They even had the ghaul of saying I was being the predictable racist stereotype without even knowing me.

I'm sorry. I had to vent.

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[Arking]

So, apparently I'm racist for doing my job.

I commented on a post on Facebook about an owner of a business being racist towards someone. While I did not defend her, I did share my experience as a cashier in which someone who was black jumped into acting like a victim of racism. My job expects the cashiers to make sure nothing is at the bottom of a shopping cart a customer might "forget" to pay for. The fact that I am white she was black had nothing to do with me pointing out the obscured shoes in the shopping cart she did not indicate she would buy.

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This sounds like a misunderstanding.

I think your friends were likely more upset at your need to defend a person you may not know (you never clarify) with stories of your own experiences than whether you were doing your job or not. You may not have intended to justify or defend the owner, but by commenting in such a manner you could be perceived as doing just that. Context is everything and your defense of a store owner while admirable isn't fully explained here so it's hard to know what it is about this situation that prompted you to interject. On one hand it could just be as you say, your friends feel you doing your job is tantamount to racism. On the other it could simply be that they don't like that you've equated your personal experiences as universal truths applicable to this or any other situation that may be perceived as racial prejudice.

[Merman Dylan Zalrian]

I am of the belief that both sides in this situation are correct.

My job has a word called BOB or Bottom of the Basket and LISA Look Inside Anything. We are expected to check merchandise and the Shopping cart for merchandise for EVERY customer.

I honestly believe the customer I had was screaming Racism because I pointed out the shoes partially hidden in the shopping cart. As a cashier, I was forced to endure her going on a rant about racism which is not an acceptable or dependable behavior. Especially since I was doing my job.

The owner is a different story. I actually said the owner went too far.

The point I was hoping to make is that not everyone accuses people of theft because of their race.

That all being said, I do believe some people abuse complaining about racism that never happened as much as racism that exists. I feel like the people complaining are taking away from what's real. I do believe there is a little bit of both in the world. I don't even think I experienced reverse racism. I do feel like she was being incredibly rude for getting offended over something that never happened.

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[Merman Dylan Zalrian]

In light of being (in my opinion) wrongly called out for racism. I have begun to have second thoughts about creating a character with a dark skin tone to represent people of color in the mercommunity. I thought it was a nice idea, but now I have some serious doubts. This recent situation was overwhelming and more harmful towards building bridges than I can begin to express. I want to create a character of color that could represent other merfolk, but I do not want to go through this drama again.

The idea for this possible character of color was to have her and her brother in a world that did not discriminate because of skin color. In my world, the events in our world that created racism don't exist. Merfolk are united as merfolk. The only thing was that the character's skin color would be the same as the skin color of those with darker skin tones. I wasn't going to make changes to her character because of her skin color.

She was going to be smart, educated, and, the love interest of another character with a lighter skin tone. (Edit: the extent of the relationship is undetermined at this point in the stories development. They are the equivalent of kids even if their age is around 50 years old)

I can't believe I'm getting second thoughts, but what if someone tries to call me out for nothing again. I mean, with Rocky gone and my emotions becoming more unstable... I honestly don't know if I can handle someone trying to tell me how I am racist again.

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[Arking]

I guess I misunderstood, it was hard to tell from your post whether or not the situation the owner was involved in was at your work place. If you were present for the situation than it's reasonable for you to have provided some commentary on it so people understood both sides.

With regards to the abuse of terminology and the leveraging of ones victimhood, it does happen sure. But again context helps to shape each and every situation. My perception of how an event takes place, will not be the same place as those around me. A great example is in the retail environment itself, where I've gone shopping and felt scrutinized based on what I happen to be wearing, identified by employees as a potential shoplifter. Being self-aware of my appearance and that I'm being watched and judged I internalize all the insecurities going through my mind and act accordingly looking even more suspicious. That's just for wearing clothing, now imagine feeling like that for simply being a minority?

It's a vicious circle and to me it's easy to see how anyone in that situation can automatically feel like they are being treated unfairly or with racial prejudice. You can argue that it's all internal and that store employees are just doing their job, but it doesn't erase or invalidate the subjects perception and experience of it. I think that's the disconnect really, whether or not one or both parties get to designate whether something is or is not as extreme as racism.

[Merman Dylan Zalrian]

"But words are subject to infinite nuances of meaning and interpretation which make any verbal utterance both ephemeral and subjective." (King of the Celts: Arthurian Legends)

"The real is what exists. The truth is our judgement about what exists." (King of the Celts: Arthurian Legend)

The reality is that in my situation race was never a factor, and racism did not exist as far as why I asked about the shoes in her shopping cart.

In the other situation, it might be best to drop it per the wishes of the original poster.

I believe that in some way an assumption was made about me over a misunderstanding with the nuance of words and circumstance.

I stand firm in my belief that the people calling me out were wrong because they did not know who I am and jumped to conclusions about my own understanding anyways.

The question is still up in the air. If someone has the nerve to try and call me out for racism that is merely a truth they acquired from a lack of understanding of who I am and what I lived through in the past, then should I try to represent people with darker skin tones in my story? Should I risk more drama in the future? I could create representation in the mercommunity, or someone who forms baseless assumptions could call me out for misrepresentation.

The person claiming to call people in actually did a pretty good job making me feel so sick that I wanted move as far and as fast as possible away from building any bridges.

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[Arking]

Might be a good time to step away and take a breather for a bit. I say this because your sentence structure is no longer really making sense to me and that tells me you're typing emotionally rather than considering your words carefully. Do something you enjoy for awhile and get your mind off of this facebook argument and then go back into doing what you want to do.

You're never going to find people agreeing with you 100% of the time, and when you're dealing with issues such as race you're bound to find yourself on the receiving end of sharp criticism and critique especially when you don't identify with those groups. When it comes to your own writing, your authorship is your own and consider the successes of other fiction authors and how they've handled race in their works if you want to avoid drawing comparisons to contemporary race issues.

[Slim]

After 10 years, I decide it's not worth being friends with a long time friend. This goes on many levels but I'm going to leave out most of the details because it's not really worth the time complaining. I'm not mad at her introducing me to my ex gf however I will remain disappointed on what the person allows. People get block and life moves on however it's not that easy. I keep a simple rule that the pictures and videos I take are for whatever the person want to use them as long as they are not mean about it however if there is a block, I must be credited or take the picture down. That person will not take them down and even put it on her bf page which is fine if he would just give credit. I ask nicely and basically got the f u from him. I was told I would need to reply back with him of certificate of ownership to the picture. I told that friend of 10 years of how she can show her roommate how to view that information but she remain quiet. If a person will not help keep a person work protected, there no sense being a friend to that person. There is another reason why after 10 years I'm ending that friendship but that one issue I got to handle within myself and find the light. Yes I'm bitter about this but I'll get over it. I mean how does a person not be bitter when the ex friend tells off other mers in the community because a merman message her and tells me fu in a group chat with another mer. It's not professional and it way I feel I need to protect my reputation as I get better with photographing within the community. However it's lesson time for everyone on how to find a digital ownership on a photo you taken when people claim you got no proof of ownership:

The EXIF info is information your camera and cell phone automatically put within the media file unless you tell your device not too. It's recommended to name the device after your full name or your business to prove ownership easier. The camera I used to take my ex mermaid pictures with had my name and camera information saved within the settings and can be extracted if you right click the file and click on properties. It's important to keep a copy of the pictures and videos you take and leave them on the computer. I say this becauses sites like Facebook actually remove the exif/metadata when you upload the file (which is a good reason why people should be watermarking their pictures on social media). You can use the form method of reporting on Facebook to request the pictures/videos to be taken down however you will need the information within the exif data (which is reason I say to keep a copy of the original file) as that information is your proof of ownership to the file when no contract or written agreement exist. The exif data would need to be saved as an image to upload to Facebook.

I'm going to attempt to be more active and helpful in the community. I shall be stronger than ever after all of this.

[Merman Dylan Zalrian]

I did it again. I feel like a barnacle brain. I'm too darn emotional.

First I would like to say that there is only one person connected to the mercommunity that I have negative opinions about. Allen Sherod earned these negative opinions over a pointless argument that started out with me sticking my nose into something I shouldn't have even if he posted something EXTREMELY racist and continues to publicly share things so incredibly filled with hate... but I digress.

I have this impulsive behavior that usually involves me arguing with someone that I say sharing something that I perceived as negative... I'm not wrong with how I feel, but I just can't seem to stop myself from getting mixed up in stuff. So, I don't know... this time I got in an argument over tail maker thread.

I do not want to restart any of the discussion that happened in the past. I just... inside my heart, I just want people to get along and be nice, and I sometimes feel like I need to balance out negativity with something positive or at least defend someone or a group of people when I see something I think is wrong. I've never actually felt like anyone except that one person was ever someone who intended to be malicious. Not once. Even in my mood swing the summer I joined the community. I felt in my heart that everyone was good... that they did not have ill will towards me... I guess that's why I spent more than a year feeling guilty for what I did when I lost control...

I'm someone that's very quick to defend someone, but I can be really dumb about it. I'm just a guy overflowing with strong emotions. The desire to see people get along and to make good friends... I want to be helpful and supportive. I want to move mountains for people if it would help them. A wise guy once told me I spread myself to thin trying to extend myself to support others... My job is to clean up after customers and coworkers, I've been spreading myself thin as I try to help my mom while she's recovering from surgery... I shoulder more financial burdens than I would need to. I don't let my mom help me because if I can't do something for her I want her to be able to do something for herself... I made myself sick with worry the day leading up to Rocky's death. I...I expended almost my entire savings to make him feel better... When I try to help, I give it everything I have until nothing is left. Even though I feel drained... I'm still overextending myself... I'm trying to help... I'm trying to do good, but I keep getting consumed by my emotions.

You see, I give and don't take. I sometimes make mistakes trying to do good. Sometimes I am doing good, but I give everything... I expend my emotions, my physical strength, my will, my health, my soul for others... I know it's a problem, but I can't stop myself. I can't ignore stepping in where I perceive a problem, negativity, or something exists... I'm a barnacle brain, an emotional guy. A guy that has his heart dragging him around from one thing to the next... Shadow, Rocky, and Ezie have always returned what I have given... I don't know where I would be without them... I'm tired, and I need sleep. I need to stop expending myself for others. I need to somehow stop caring about stuff that I should just stay out of.

[lotusauriel]

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[Merman Dylan Zalrian]

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Thank you. I should probably try to concentrate on myself for now. Losing Rocky took a lot more out of me than I thought. I really wish I knew how to walk away from stuff.

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[Princess Aegean]

Hun, you're good. I don't think anyone took it personally. It's gonna be okay, okay?

[Merman Dylan Zalrian]

Hun, you're good. I don't think anyone took it personally. It's gonna be okay, okay?
I guess I'm complaining because I feel like I made a mistake that I seem to repeat over and over again. So, I'm upset with myself.

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[BlueCorvidae]

I did it again. I feel like a barnacle brain. I'm too darn emotional.

First I would like to say that there is only one person connected to the mercommunity that I have negative opinions about. Allen Sherod earned these negative opinions over a pointless argument that started out with me sticking my nose into something I shouldn't have even if he posted something EXTREMELY racist and continues to publicly share things so incredibly filled with hate... but I digress.

I have this impulsive behavior that usually involves me arguing with someone that I say sharing something that I perceived as negative... I'm not wrong with how I feel, but I just can't seem to stop myself from getting mixed up in stuff. So, I don't know... this time I got in an argument over tail maker thread.

I do not want to restart any of the discussion that happened in the past. I just... inside my heart, I just want people to get along and be nice, and I sometimes feel like I need to balance out negativity with something positive or at least defend someone or a group of people when I see something I think is wrong. I've never actually felt like anyone except that one person was ever someone who intended to be malicious. Not once. Even in my mood swing the summer I joined the community. I felt in my heart that everyone was good... that they did not have ill will towards me... I guess that's why I spent more than a year feeling guilty for what I did when I lost control...

I'm someone that's very quick to defend someone, but I can be really dumb about it. I'm just a guy overflowing with strong emotions. The desire to see people get along and to make good friends... I want to be helpful and supportive. I want to move mountains for people if it would help them. A wise guy once told me I spread myself to thin trying to extend myself to support others... My job is to clean up after customers and coworkers, I've been spreading myself thin as I try to help my mom while she's recovering from surgery... I shoulder more financial burdens than I would need to. I don't let my mom help me because if I can't do something for her I want her to be able to do something for herself... I made myself sick with worry the day leading up to Rocky's death. I...I expended almost my entire savings to make him feel better... When I try to help, I give it everything I have until nothing is left. Even though I feel drained... I'm still overextending myself... I'm trying to help... I'm trying to do good, but I keep getting consumed by my emotions.

You see, I give and don't take. I sometimes make mistakes trying to do good. Sometimes I am doing good, but I give everything... I expend my emotions, my physical strength, my will, my health, my soul for others... I know it's a problem, but I can't stop myself. I can't ignore stepping in where I perceive a problem, negativity, or something exists... I'm a barnacle brain, an emotional guy. A guy that has his heart dragging him around from one thing to the next... Shadow, Rocky, and Ezie have always returned what I have given... I don't know where I would be without them... I'm tired, and I need sleep. I need to stop expending myself for others. I need to somehow stop caring about stuff that I should just stay out of.

I had the same problem and still relapse from time to time when I see people post really dumb stuff. But ultimately I found keeping these things in mind helps a lot;
>A lot of these people have already been in similar arguments and they aren't going to change their mind because I tell them to.
>Even if they would they won't want to if you're I'm pushy about it.
>How would my employer react if they ever saw it?
>What if the situation's more complicated than I realize and I'm the one who changes my mind down the road? (I wouldn't about race issues but I have about politics.) Would I be proud of myself for how I conducted this argument?

Ultimately, a lot of these people have no real power over anything and are a vocal minority. You don't have to engage with them to prove to yourself that you're better than what they're saying.

[Merman Dylan Zalrian]

I had the same problem and still relapse from time to time when I see people post really dumb stuff. But ultimately I found keeping these things in mind helps a lot;
>A lot of these people have already been in similar arguments and they aren't going to change their mind because I tell them to.
>Even if they would they won't want to if you're I'm pushy about it.
>How would my employer react if they ever saw it?
>What if the situation's more complicated than I realize and I'm the one who changes my mind down the road? (I wouldn't about race issues but I have about politics.) Would I be proud of myself for how I conducted this argument?

Ultimately, a lot of these people have no real power over anything and are a vocal minority. You don't have to engage with them to prove to yourself that you're better than what they're saying.
I don't want to prove that I'm better. I just hate seeing people be negative especially when that negativity can just be summed up to an opinion. The main reason I'm upset with myself is because even though I believe I made some fair points I allowed my emotions to cloud my judgement and started to take things way too personally. I should have just said my peace and moved on.

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[Slim]

I thinks this is more of a pet peeve but I really hate when people think their hate justify keeping money. I never got the conch shell back when the person said to not worry and I'll be shock of I ever do but do NOT keep the money that was meant to send it back or at least give it to a local friend of mine so can send me my money back. Ugh, whatever happen with people doing the right thing. $15 is two hour of work at minimum wage. 2 hours lost that could had done doing something else. Rant off

[lotusauriel]

I thinks this is more of a pet peeve but I really hate when people think their hate justify keeping money. I never got the conch shell back when the person said to not worry and I'll be shock of I ever do but do NOT keep the money that was meant to send it back or at least give it to a local friend of mine so can send me my money back. Ugh, whatever happen with people doing the right thing. $15 is two hour of work at minimum wage. 2 hours lost that could had done doing something else. Rant offJason. You intentionally tried to scam me. You used me. You then tried to ruin my reputation. You got me in trouble with the moderators, and got other people to attack me as well. You did all this after I figured out why you kept asking about my credit rating and financial information. At which time you moved on to someone else, who I see the same pattern with.
As far as the shell goes, you did tell me to keep it. But since you then had someone else ask me about it, I did agree to let her have it. What she does with it, IF she picks it up, is up to her. I asked you for that $15, to cover shipping back to you, because I otherwise was going to do it for free. As the whole transaction was cancelled, since you were scamming me at the time, and did try to ruin my reputation within the community, I am keeping that pocket change, because after the stress and damage you caused, I really don't owe you anything. If anything, it's on hold for any legal fees I may need to pay in case you try anything else. Also. The only reason you are saying anything here and now, is because you saw that I commented on something a while ago, and I have blocked you and changed all of my personal accesses to protect myself from you. You need to leave me alone. At some point people will figure you out.

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[Slim]

The first paragraph I'm just going to straight up ignore as I'm not that brilliant to affect the minds of over at least 10 people. You are right at first I did tell you to keep it however you INSISTED you are going to do it anyways so I put good faith back into you and believed you at your own word. I however wasn't notify that you changed your mind after the fact because of the blocks. If the shell is coming back, then I don't want the money. I figured for over 2 months that if the shell was going to come back, it would had done so by now. A reputation is all on the person and a person can instantly fix that. Athena is proving that by making quality tails now and showing the tests to prove they are now quality. Sorry I had to ask someone because of your blocks but at the very end, I do believe you got honor to your words and that you would ensure it got back to me like you insisted.


Jason. You intentionally tried to scam me. You used me. You then tried to ruin my reputation. You got me in trouble with the moderators, and got other people to attack me as well. You did all this after I figured out why you kept asking about my credit rating and financial information. At which time you moved on to someone else, who I see the same pattern with.
As far as the shell goes, you did tell me to keep it. But since you then had someone else ask me about it, I did agree to let her have it. What she does with it, IF she picks it up, is up to her. I asked you for that $15, to cover shipping back to you, because I otherwise was going to do it for free. As the whole transaction was cancelled, since you were scamming me at the time, and did try to ruin my reputation within the community, I am keeping that pocket change, because after the stress and damage you caused, I really don't owe you anything. If anything, it's on hold for any legal fees I may need to pay in case you try anything else. Also. The only reason you are saying anything here and now, is because you saw that I commented on something a while ago, and I have blocked you and changed all of my personal accesses to protect myself from you. You need to leave me alone. At some point people will figure you out.

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[lotusauriel]

The first paragraph I'm just going to straight up ignore as I'm not that brilliant to affect the minds of over at least 10 people. You are right at first I did tell you to keep it however you INSISTED you are going to do it anyways so I put good faith back into you and believed you at your own word. I however wasn't notify that you changed your mind after the fact because of the blocks. If the shell is coming back, then I don't want the money. I figured for over 2 months that if the shell was going to come back, it would had done so by now. A reputation is all on the person and a person can instantly fix that. Athena is proving that by making quality tails now and showing the tests to prove they are now quality. Sorry I had to ask someone because of your blocks but at the very end, I do believe you got honor to your words and that you would ensure it got back to me like you insisted.Wrong. I texted you. You know all this. I have screen shots. We are done. This is obviously just another show to try to convince people that you have been wronged. YOU have not. YOU are the perpetrator here, and probably always. Stop trying to lie to people. I'm done with you. I am done with anyone that actually puts creedence to your lies and attacks. Leave me alone.

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[Mermaid Whisper]

Future rants involving other members, vague or not, are best left in the drama thread.

Best wishes in finding a resolution to all this.


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[Slim]

Not a problem and sorry. I assumed the drama thread was more for facebook or other social media platform.


Future rants involving other members, vague or not, are best left in the drama thread.

Best wishes in finding a resolution to all this.


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[Khaleesi Daenerys]

So I made two HUGE batches of enchiladas last night and some are too spicy but they are all together in two 5qt casserole dishes so it's like a Russian roulette of spicy. :( lol

[Saelyyia]

So I made two HUGE batches of enchiladas last night and some are too spicy but they are all together in two 5qt casserole dishes so it's like a Russian roulette of spicy. :( lol

Oh man. That is rough. I've definitely been there. Is there perhaps a way you could cool down the spicier ones in the event you pluck on of those for your meal instead of the others?

[Khaleesi Daenerys]

Oh man. That is rough. I've definitely been there. Is there perhaps a way you could cool down the spicier ones in the event you pluck on of those for your meal instead of the others?
We bought some premade guacamole (because I was being lazy) it tastes like lemon but it helps a bit. Lol

[gay-mermaid]

The amount of wlw TERFs makes me very reluctant to date cis women.... as a genderqueer lesbian i know there are plenty of women out there who would either try and tell me im not really a lesbian or im not really genderqueer.... the fact i broadly id as queer makes me even more nervous about it...

[Yeka]

The amount of wlw TERFs makes me very reluctant to date cis women.... as a genderqueer lesbian i know there are plenty of women out there who would either try and tell me im not really a lesbian or im not really genderqueer.... the fact i broadly id as queer makes me even more nervous about it...
I'm so sorry that TERFs are abundant in the wlw community. I can't speak to the community, as I'm straight, but for what it's worth, I know number of cis women who are bi/lesbian and accepting of those who are trans. I hope you'll find such a person someday, if only to redeem your faith in humanity. :)

Uuuuuuuugh I made some delicious brownies....that got stuck to the pan. Grrr.

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[gay-mermaid]

I'm so sorry that TERFs are abundant in the wlw community. I can't speak to the community, as I'm straight, but for what it's worth, I know number of cis women who are bi/lesbian and accepting of those who are trans. I hope you'll find such a person someday, if only to redeem your faith in humanity. :)

Uuuuuuuugh I made some delicious brownies....that got stuck to the pan. Grrr.

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I hate when good brownies do that!

[Mermaid Holly]

When you eat a piece of cheesecake, and then are stuck with that nasty taste in your mouth until you can get home and brush your teeth.

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[Mermaid Momo]

Dyed my hair today. It was supposed to be purple and pink... But it's purple and NEON pink. I'm hoping the pink fades down over the next few days but the purple is exactly how i wanted it.

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[AniaR]

k but I bet you look fly lol

[The Water Phoenix]

Here's a b!tch from me.. You know how I've been working on my silicone tail project for absolute months now and I made a fluke mould based off the h2o tails, WELL GUESS WHAT!?! IT BROKE IN HALF!! I'm just so angry with myself because I've spent months and months and months working on this project and it feels like all my hard work is worth nothing :cry: I started this project so I could finally live my childhood dream of owning a silicone tail but I feel like giving up. Why do I even try? :cry:

[gay-mermaid]

Here's a b!tch from me.. You know how I've been working on my silicone tail project for absolute months now and I made a fluke mould based off the h2o tails, WELL GUESS WHAT!?! IT BROKE IN HALF!! I'm just so angry with myself because I've spent months and months and months working on this project and it feels like all my hard work is worth nothing :cry: I started this project so I could finally live my childhood dream of owning a silicone tail but I feel like giving up. Why do I even try? :cry:
God, that sucks,, :( dont give up, make another mould and add chicken wire to it for support! I know stuff like that is frustrating, but it will be worth it in the end!!

[PearlieMae]

Here's a b!tch from me.. You know how I've been working on my silicone tail project for absolute months now and I made a fluke mould based off the h2o tails, WELL GUESS WHAT!?! IT BROKE IN HALF!! I'm just so angry with myself because I've spent months and months and months working on this project and it feels like all my hard work is worth nothing :cry: I started this project so I could finally live my childhood dream of owning a silicone tail but I feel like giving up. Why do I even try? :cry:

How broken is it? What did you make it out of? Can the two halves be put back together easily? It might just be a set back and not a lost cause!

[The Water Phoenix]

How broken is it? What did you make it out of? Can the two halves be put back together easily? It might just be a set back and not a lost cause!
It's a plater mould. I've been told to put some of the plaster on the two halves and stick it together but I'm worried it's gonna keep breaking in the same place. It's a clean break though.

[The Water Phoenix]

This is just a petty complaint, but sometimes I just hate having siblings. I can't sleep when there is ANY source of light coming into my room but my sibling likes sleeping with the hallway light on.. which is right outside my bedroom door. Even when it's closed, I still have light coming in from under my door and around the sides. She still sleeps with the hallway light on and she's almost 13.. I never acted the way she did when I was her age. She keeps saying that she's scared of the dark, whereas she's slept without that light on many times and she hasn't been diagnosed with anything. She throws a fit whenever I turn it off and cries and plays the victim and always says I have to have everything my way (which I don't) she's the kind of sibling that never listens to me and just walks all over me.


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[gay-mermaid]

This is just a petty complaint, but sometimes I just hate having siblings. I can't sleep when there is ANY source of light coming into my room but my sibling likes sleeping with the hallway light on.. which is right outside my bedroom door. Even when it's closed, I still have light coming in from under my door and around the sides. She still sleeps with the hallway light on and she's almost 13.. I never acted the way she did when I was her age. She keeps saying that she's scared of the dark, whereas she's slept without that light on many times and she hasn't been diagnosed with anything. She throws a fit whenever I turn it off and cries and plays the victim and always says I have to have everything my way (which I don't) she's the kind of sibling that never listens to me and just walks all over me.


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Oh, i understand this. My brother always plays x-box in the living room while im trying to sleep (we live in a very small house, my room is right down the hall) and is always screaming into his headset! Im a light sleeper so most noises wake me up, so when he yells i tell him to be quiet and he just keeps it up,,, i swear i get no sleep because of him!

[The Water Phoenix]

Oh, i understand this. My brother always plays x-box in the living room while im trying to sleep (we live in a very small house, my room is right down the hall) and is always screaming into his headset! Im a light sleeper so most noises wake me up, so when he yells i tell him to be quiet and he just keeps it up,,, i swear i get no sleep because of him!

Aww, I feel you. Our house is medium sized but her bedroom is right next to mine. With that hallway light on, it's hard for me to fall asleep and I'm usually a heavy sleeper. Sometimes I don't get to sleep until midnight because of her. I don't know how she manages to sleep with the hallway light on and have her door open because I think it's way too bright! I really hope she grows out of this soon because it's getting ridiculous!


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[Lexicious]

After 7 months of only cell internet we finally got stable internet so I could game with my friends back home in England...Then I fell and ripped some tendons in my wrist, so that's not happening....ugh.

[Mermaid Alea]

Oww I hope you make a full recovery and I also hope you aren't in too much pain. :hug:

[Lexicious]

Oww I hope you make a full recovery and I also hope you aren't in too much pain. :hug:

Thank you, the pain isn't too bad at all as long as I keep taking ibuprofen, just very annoying that I can't game haha.

[MissLunaBelle]

Guys I'm getting pissed, and my patience is usually that of a saint. I ordered a basic silicone tail from merrowfins, and after 3 months I get contact that "your tail is almost finished!" I'm elated! A few months go by and i keep checking his insta, and nothing. I think maybe hes just not posting as much, whatever it is what it is. Month 5 rolls around and I ask for a status. Nothing. Ok?? I dont want to pester him (I've read horror stories of this) so I just let it be. Month 7 rolls around (you read that right, month 7), and get the "your tail will be shipped out this week!!" Awesome!!! Super pumped. Fast forward to today. It's been over 8 months since I ordered the tail. I understand people get busy, and after a poll within his clientele, it seemed like his turnaround time was roughly 4 months. But I'm at 8 months and 5 days. MONTH 8. And no shipping information which leads me to believe he didn't ship it at all. I'm frustrated at this point and I ended up snagging a seethroughsea tail instead (a used one, but new enough for me). Now I'm fully intending on selling this merrowfins tail immediately to pay for my STS tail (the prices were almost identical). Lets be honest, a full silicone tail for a basic silicone tail? Theres no comparison. While im more than thrilled and happy with my STS tail, I'm still a mix of betrayed, upset, frustrated, ect with merrowfins. Is this a justifiable thing to be frustrated at? Ugh.

[Mermaid Whisper]

It is absolutely justified to be upset about something like this. Basic silicone tails typically take a matter of weeks on up to 3 months because, well, they’re basic. No custom molds, super detailed paint jobs, often no bells and whistles either. That’s why they’re inexpensive as well as why they go out fast.

Unfortunately, this tailmaker has a history of long wait times and questionable output. All the same, I’m sorry this happened to you, but I’m glad you got a STS to help make up for it!


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[Mermaid Momo]

Woow lunabelle I'm sorry that happened :( did he ever even send you photos of it? I would leave a negative review tbh. AND review how the tail comes in (whenever it actually does).

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[MissLunaBelle]

Woow lunabelle I'm sorry that happened :( did he ever even send you photos of it? I would leave a negative review tbh. AND review how the tail comes in (whenever it actually does).

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I got 1 photo last month, and honestly every month it's not here, I edit my rating by 1 star. I feel like I've been taken advantage of tbh.

[officialmermaidkelly]

I’ve had the hardest half a year of my life. I moved far away to help a friend then had a falling out was homeless and then finally got things together and lined up for me and two hurricanes devastate my new home i worked hard to create. I lost my home and had no cell service or internet for months. I’m crashing at boss’s place and now I’m making hardly any money at work because business is low and we are all struggling really hard and i haven’t worn my tail in 3 months. I’ve only been swimming twice since September when i used to swim weekly and mermaid every other week. I’m really frustrated but somehow holding it together. Life sucks sometimes and i just need to vent it out. I said i was leaving the mermaid community because the first time i get internet for an hour all i see is mermaid bullshit and bullying and i couldnt take it. After going through the worst storms of the Atlantic in history and seeing my new home destroyed and in ruins then no contact to the outside world and no power or running water (even now we still don’t have it back yet) i couldnt take it and i left the community. I’m not sure what to really do from here honestly i still feel like I’m stuck in September living day by day :(


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[officialmermaidkelly]

Oh yeah and my cousins girl (the family who took me in when i was going through my hard time when i first moved here) committed suicide after irma and we flew to the states for her memorial service when the airports actually opened back up.


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[Mermaid Kane]

I wouldn't normally post on here about things that are going on in my life, but something that happened recently has upset me quite a bit.
As some of you may know, I'm a closeted nonbinary/"lesbian" (I like girls and other NBs) living in a rather strict Christian home.

A few days ago, my parents and I were going shopping. We were standing in line at the cashier, when my dad must have noticed the lesbian couple in front of us holding hands (one of the ladies was also wearing a backpack with several pride pins on it). As they were finishing up at the cashier, my dad suddenly said "Hope you enjoy Hell". The couple was immediately shocked and started to argue with him. It blew up a bit, and I just stood there helplessly wishing I could stand up for them.
It really upset me on a personal level knowing my dad would hate me if he knew I was gay. We'd already recently established that I wasn't a Christian, and it turned out horribly. My parents are still pressuring me to "prioritize my life for God" and banning me from any non-Christian extra astronomy and science classes I was taking online ("bad influence"). I have no idea how they'd react if they found out. My best friend and partner was the one who brought me out of my own closet to accept myself, and my parents know they are LGBT. I'm scared that they'd ban me from talking to them.

I know there are a lot of Christians on here, and that's okay. I don't hate Christians, but I'm guessing they will probably not fully understand my concern. Please don't try and use the God card in response to this, that's all I ask.

Alrighty, that's all I have to say...

[Ransom]

I wouldn't normally post on here about things that are going on in my life, but something that happened recently has upset me quite a bit.
As some of you may know, I'm a closeted nonbinary/"lesbian" (I like girls and other NBs) living in a rather strict Christian home.

A few days ago, my parents and I were going shopping. We were standing in line at the cashier, when my dad must have noticed the lesbian couple in front of us holding hands (one of the ladies was also wearing a backpack with several pride pins on it). As they were finishing up at the cashier, my dad suddenly said "Hope you enjoy Hell". The couple was immediately shocked and started to argue with him. It blew up a bit, and I just stood there helplessly wishing I could stand up for them.
It really upset me on a personal level knowing my dad would hate me if he knew I was gay. We'd already recently established that I wasn't a Christian, and it turned out horribly. My parents are still pressuring me to "prioritize my life for God" and banning me from any non-Christian extra astronomy and science classes I was taking online ("bad influence"). I have no idea how they'd react if they found out. My best friend and partner was the one who brought me out of my own closet to accept myself, and my parents know they are LGBT. I'm scared that they'd ban me from talking to them.

I know there are a lot of Christians on here, and that's okay. I don't hate Christians, but I'm guessing they will probably not fully understand my concern. Please don't try and use the God card in response to this, that's all I ask.

Alrighty, that's all I have to say...That actually happened??? My own views on sexuality aside, there's no defending that kind of behaviour to people just minding their own business, or that insistence you live in a bubble.

Some encouragement from Robert A Heinlein:

When any government or church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, "This you may not read, this you must not know," the end result is tyranny and oppression, no matter how holy the motives. Mighty little force is needed to control a man who has been hoodwinked in this fashion; contrariwise, no amount of force can control a free man, whose mind is free. No, not the rack nor the atomic bomb, not anything. You can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him.

Let me know by PM if you want to talk :)

[Yeka]

Hey mermaid Kane, maybe we could talk more in discord. I'm so sorry that happened to you. I was raised in a Christian home, too, although my parents were not super strict. I ended up going to a Catholic college, ended up majoring in religious studies. Ironically, this college was extremely accepting of LGBT people (shock, we even had an LGBT club!), And I learned a lot about how it is way more important to love each other than try and condemn others.

I'm so sorry that you are feeling like you can't be yourself in your own home. I would be happy to talk with you anytime if you need a place to vent.

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[Mermaid Kane]

Hey mermaid Kane, maybe we could talk more in discord. I'm so sorry that happened to you. I was raised in a Christian home, too, although my parents were not super strict. I ended up going to a Catholic college, ended up majoring in religious studies. Ironically, this college was extremely accepting of LGBT people (shock, we even had an LGBT club!), And I learned a lot about how it is way more important to love each other than try and condemn others.

I'm so sorry that you are feeling like you can't be yourself in your own home. I would be happy to talk with you anytime if you need a place to vent.

Thank you for the offer, but I'll probably pass. :) I try to keep my ''gay footprint'' as small as possible. No need to have all my electronics disappear one day and see Mom & Dad waiting for me to ''talk''.

[The Water Phoenix]

Another petty complaint from me... We're hosting an exchange student and she's been awesome but whenever we sit down to watch a movie, my sister and mother ALWAYS choose an effing horror movie. I've never liked horror movies because they always make me uncomfortable but I really want to sit with my family and watch a movie, but it's always been horror movie this...horror movie that.. I just want to sit down with my family and watch something that we all enjoy but of course not. I can tolerate action movies like Game of Thrones, Barbarians Rising, those movies with lots of violence in them, but just not horror movies. I'm not scared, I just really don't like them..

[Arking]

Here goes...

So for the past few months I've been trying to take a big life step and apply to reside in Canada Permanently. It's been a lingering issue since late September early October about whether I'm even eligible to apply and the process which is traditionally straightforward has been anything but. Long story short my eligibility hinges on the cooperation of a former employer that I left on amicable terms with. I'd worked there for 5 years and the desire to continue had waned and I wanted to pursue work in my field of study and passion. I admit I was happy to leave and the job itself had caused me a great deal of anxiety, stress, and depression over the course of my employment I made sure to leave on good terms.

Now two years later I needed something from them, a record of my employment with the company. This record of employment would help me find an NOC classification that fit my job description and allow me to hold an eligible position with the federal government. It's taken two months now of trying back and forth to get this information with no budging from this employer. They insist they mailed out my information but nothing came, and then they said it was emailed yet I received none. Finally after insisting I hadn't received word as of yet they let me know that I needed to apply for Employment Insurance (Unemployment) but I needed a code to access it. No such code was provided and I was facing a wall, to add salt to the wound the information they claimed I could access was my tax information and not the record of employment I had been requesting.

Today I finally finished my taxes, and was cleaning out old paperwork and found a benefit statement from 2013 which had a little code on it for EI records. Out of curiosity I used this code and managed to grant myself access to the information they claimed to have filed. Sure enough there was my Record of Employment filed two years late and woefully inaccurate, stating that I only worked for the company for 4 months when my employment spans years. Required to be eligible is not just a sufficient position and title, but 12 months of full-time employment or the equivalent in part-time hours and in one fell swoop my chances at applying have vanished and set me back.

I'm going to pursue it just the same as the information is inaccurate and I have tax forms proving my employment dates back years. Hopefully that will be enough, but it's just really frustrating to get so far and find yourself unable to go further with what you've been given.

[MissLunaBelle]

I just need to vent. I hate feeling like I have to be a certain type of mer in order to perform at renaissance festivals. It feels like to me that renfest mers have to fit the traditional body type, and have one particular brand of tail (no hate to the tail makers). For one, I've been battling eating disorders for years and it is simply impossible to have the same body shape as these ladies. And two, those special tails cost upwards of 4 grand. I mean, I've got a secondhand seethroughsea tail and a genesis tail (combined both tails cost around 2500, but that's besides the point). All I want to do is perform at festivals but it's so so disheartening to be turned away every time. Could it be my tattoos that are the issue? I hope not, I acquired them during my military service and am very proud of them.. I don't know. I'm just frustrated I suppose. [emoji17][emoji17]

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[Arking]

I just need to vent. I hate feeling like I have to be a certain type of mer in order to perform at renaissance festivals. It feels like to me that renfest mers have to fit the traditional body type, and have one particular brand of tail (no hate to the tail makers). For one, I've been battling eating disorders for years and it is simply impossible to have the same body shape as these ladies. And two, those special tails cost upwards of 4 grand. I mean, I've got a secondhand seethroughsea tail and a genesis tail (combined both tails cost around 2500, but that's besides the point). All I want to do is perform at festivals but it's so so disheartening to be turned away every time. Could it be my tattoos that are the issue? I hope not, I acquired them during my military service and am very proud of them.. I don't know. I'm just frustrated I suppose. [emoji17][emoji17]

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I didn't realize ren faires were so exclusive. :O I've been wanting to attend one as a guest for years but the nearby ones have all gone away. I'm disheartened to hear that you've encountered a bit of elitism amongst that community and it's certainly making me reconsider my own ideas.

As for your tattoos, maybe? I could see anachronism being an issue. There's makeup for that though and they should be clearer in their guidelines with you if that's the case. My recommendation is to set out and ask a faire in advance what their expectations are for those applying to perform. Get a feel for how strict their mandates are and if it doesn't fit with you then at least you know you're the one making the choice to not get involved rather than the other way around. I normally do this as an artist so I get a feel for whether I want to apply to exhibit my work, that way I know I'm not wasting my time or theirs.

The bummer is that if you find nothing really meets the standard you're willing to involve yourself with than you're still excluded from participating but it's a twist on the situation that you are the one with knowledge and the power of choice to have put yourself there.

[Mermaid Momo]

Sometimes it's just that one mermaid or ome company has a monopoly in your area and companies have a contract with that one mermaid, or they just simply undercharge for theor services and the faire will always go with the cheaper option. For example i the AZ merpod had a talk about how a certain out of state company has a monopoly on the big gigs here like the ren fair and aquarium gigs because they are very very cheap.

But there is alsk the image issue which i also have troubles getting over when trying to land gigs.

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[Mermaid Momo]

Oh and my bitch: i finally got an underwater camera, time to go swimming, free access to an olympic pool and i can't go swimming... Why? Because i decided to get my nipples pierced back in January and it takes 6-9 months to fully heal And i can't submerge them in any water at all without bandages over them (and even then i don't trust the bandages to keep them nice and dry and clean in water) also on that note i caught one of the barbells on my watch last week and tore the piercing a bit (thankfully the tear was small)

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[Arking]

Oh and my bitch: i finally got an underwater camera, time to go swimming, free access to an olympic pool and i can't go swimming... Why? Because i decided to get my nipples pierced back in January and it takes 6-9 months to fully heal And i can't submerge them in any water at all without bandages over them (and even then i don't trust the bandages to keep them nice and dry and clean in water) also on that note i caught one of the barbells on my watch last week and tore the piercing a bit (thankfully the tear was small)

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My skin crawled reading that last bit. At least you'll be all set for summer maybe, that really bites that it takes that long :( I wonder if you can use a silicone adhesive or something instead but I'm with you on not wanting to take the risk.

[Mermaid Momo]

My skin crawled reading that last bit. At least you'll be all set for summer maybe, that really bites that it takes that long :( I wonder if you can use a silicone adhesive or something instead but I'm with you on not wanting to take the risk.Yeah it hurt a lot lol. I stare sadly at the aquatic center every time i pass haha. And there's a dive in movie event next week i wanted to go to :( me and my dang love of body mods..

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[Arking]

Long day at work. Short and sweet of it is I've had another bad run of customers and encounters.

1. Dude saw me walking my dog across the bridge, she's small and scared of loud noises so flinches when loud cars go by her on the sidewalk near the bridge. I walk her 10km every day with me into work and normally would carry her in my backpack across but I'm trying to help her build confidence so once every two weeks she takes it on and is getting better. Guy see's her flinch and takes it upon himself to berate me about how I'm a cruel person not carrying my small dog in my arms as clearly she's terrified etc. In 15 seconds of seeing me he knows more about the mentality of my dog than me with three years of experience and I'm on the receiving end of a reprimand which follows me as I try to reassure him it's alright and she's fine. This continues for about 200ft or more until he starts flipping me off and decides to finally not follow me.

2. Customer insults me because a sale item he saw several days ago is no longer available (we sold out due to limited supply) demands compensation for the loss of the sale and when I'm not sufficient in providing for him he asks where the attractive staff are and why it is I'm here instead of them. Doesn't buy anything and continues to make snide comments about me under his breath.

3. Customer mocks all the products in the store, probably a little buzzed as it's about that hour but approaches my dog and sets her off. She growls and steps out of her box and he flips out in dramatic fashion threatening me and demanding that I remove her. She's harmless and is more afraid of him and has never bitten anyone and easily responds when I ask her to back down which she does. not enough I'm suddenly on the end of another reprimand and the suggestion she shouldn't be here because he'd not hesitate to kick her.

Normally I'm calm and collected but I'm feeling a little exhausted and tired today and it got to me. I don't like it when people come for my dog of all things and for me it's just a little too much in one day. It could be the eve of a very important test for me that's making these out to be more than they are, or just the sum of it all together. In either case I could use a cold beverage and a soak in some warm water.

[Mermaid Danielle]

Long day at work. Short and sweet of it is I've had another bad run of customers and encounters.

1. Dude saw me walking my dog across the bridge, she's small and scared of loud noises so flinches when loud cars go by her on the sidewalk near the bridge. I walk her 10km every day with me into work and normally would carry her in my backpack across but I'm trying to help her build confidence so once every two weeks she takes it on and is getting better. Guy see's her flinch and takes it upon himself to berate me about how I'm a cruel person not carrying my small dog in my arms as clearly she's terrified etc. In 15 seconds of seeing me he knows more about the mentality of my dog than me with three years of experience and I'm on the receiving end of a reprimand which follows me as I try to reassure him it's alright and she's fine. This continues for about 200ft or more until he starts flipping me off and decides to finally not follow me.

2. Customer insults me because a sale item he saw several days ago is no longer available (we sold out due to limited supply) demands compensation for the loss of the sale and when I'm not sufficient in providing for him he asks where the attractive staff are and why it is I'm here instead of them. Doesn't buy anything and continues to make snide comments about me under his breath.

3. Customer mocks all the products in the store, probably a little buzzed as it's about that hour but approaches my dog and sets her off. She growls and steps out of her box and he flips out in dramatic fashion threatening me and demanding that I remove her. She's harmless and is more afraid of him and has never bitten anyone and easily responds when I ask her to back down which she does. not enough I'm suddenly on the end of another reprimand and the suggestion she shouldn't be here because he'd not hesitate to kick her.

Normally I'm calm and collected but I'm feeling a little exhausted and tired today and it got to me. I don't like it when people come for my dog of all things and for me it's just a little too much in one day. It could be the eve of a very important test for me that's making these out to be more than they are, or just the sum of it all together. In either case I could use a cold beverage and a soak in some warm water.

I'm sorry to hear your having such a difficult time. I went through a phase like that at work, and it really sucked. In regards to the things that happened:

1. First of all good on you for challenging her to do better. I know it's not an easy thing to do, and the fact that you are trying is a big Kudos to you (my 113 pound, 9 month old, Irish Wolfhound is terrified of stairs, boisterous people, and anything he doesn't understand, I totally understand the struggle).

So the guy on the bridge: I'm not sure what was said, but if you try acknowledging his concern for your dog, and your appreciation of it (even if your only saying it for the sake of comforting his ego) and then follow-up with something like "she's currently in training", it might help negate the "reprimand" phase of the conversation. People tend to respond best if their efforts are acknowledge first, prior to contradicting them, or offering a view they might not have thought of.

If you did these things, and he still was berating you, try to take it with a grain of salt. Some people really can't help themselves, and you were a justified target (to them) because "OH THE CRUELTY! DOG IS SCARED!".

In regards to the training, you might want to consider that dog's memory is very short in comparison to humans. If you are trying to train her specifically to cross the bridge and minimize fear, forcing her to walk it daily will help cement the idea better. She's might be forgetting the other times she's walked across it if you are going 2 weeks in between. If it is safe to do, I would even recommend stopping on the bridge for a while, and giving her treats and toys to try to normalize the environment. Keep up the great work with your dog, I know it is a challenge, especially when fear is involved.

2. I'm sorry. People are annoying, and rude, and ridiculous. The older I get, the less I like "people" in general- for this reason. I don't know what the laws are in Canada, but in the US, if a customer is in anyway harassing an employee, that employee has the right to ask the customer to leave, and call the police to enforce it if necessary. I had to do this several times with customers while working at the Dairy Queen as a teenager. I'd warn them once that if they did not leave the premises immediately, I would call the police and, usually the moment I picked up the phone to do so, they would leave without delay.

3. I'll preface this again by saying I do not know the laws for Canada on the matter but, in the US typically the following applies, or has a strong social expectation:

A dog owner is always responsible for the reactions of their dog, regardless of stimulus or location of the incident. If the individuals involved did not have reasonable warning, prior to engaging the animal (e.g. a "beware of dog" sign), the owner is responsible for the outcome.

Basically, your dog growling at the customer could have been interpreted in two ways:
1. Back off human, your making me uncomfortable
2. I will attack you human, your making me uncomfortable

Unless someone is highly familiar with the dog itself, most people will take growling as a warning for "I will attack you", and will back-off because they are threatened, not because of the communication of "your making me uncomfortable".

I can't fault the customer for interpreting it as a threat and demanding her to be removed (especially if she wasn't in anyway restrained), regardless of what he did to upset her. He does not know the dog well enough to determine what her next actions would be.

I imagine since she's there with you daily, she's not bothered by people just walking by, so I can and do fault him for upsetting/harassing her in the first place, and being an a** about "kicking her" after (that's just unacceptable). It takes a special kind of rudeness for a person to behave in that manner, and I'm sorry you had to deal with it.

Something things to consider:

- If she is willing to defend herself by growling at an agitator, instead of coming straight to you, for you to fix it, she may someday feel threatened enough to bite someone- even though she has never done so previously. In many areas of the US, that would result in her being put-down, unless you had irrefutable proof (like a security video) that showed the customer was actively harming the dog before she bit them, and she acted in self defense.

- Dog owners (myself included) are very comfortable saying "my dog would never do that" however, to the public that phrase is irrelevant. Statistically, there is always a chance of an "off day" and the public does not want to be the injured/frightened/discomforted party when that happens. Negating the perception that she is a danger when she growls, by not allowing it to happen at all, may be the best bet for both you, your dog's, and your customers' comfort.

My family trains our dogs to come to us or back away, instead of growl, when they are uncomfortable. They are only allowed to growl at other dogs when they are trapped. It's really difficult to train, and the dogs get upset when they are reprimanded for trying to communicate "I'm uncomfortable" by growling, but eventually they figure it out. With two Irish wolfhounds in the family, and a 55 pound golden doodle (that looks like a small bear), that technique has been critical to prevent the "OH MY GOD THAT GIANT DOG IS AGGRESSIVE! LEAVE NOW!" perception.

4. Maybe the solar storm is agitating you (in addition to everything else)? Personally, I've had a ton of weird "I'm wide awake! Let's go do life!" at like 1:00 am the last couple of days, lol. I haven't changed anything (outside of the one hour adjustment for daylight savings), so I've attributed my energy to that.

I totally understand the "don't come after my dog" mentality. I got so mad at puppy class the other day: we were training out in the store, and the teacher took my dog so I could practice directing him to his pillow from a different angle, and this 14-15 year old kid comes up to him, while the trainer has her back turned, and runs his hand over my dogs head as he walks by. I wanted to tell him off so, so badly. How DARE HE touch a strange dog without first asking the owner's permission, or greeting the dog appropriately!

Anyway, I hoped some of this helps you, or at least offers a different perspective on the matter.

Good luck with your test! And take some time for yourself to help yourself unwind!

Best wishes!

[Arking]

Oh definitely and you make many valid and good points.

On the first, you are correct that I attempted to talk to the guy and told him she was ok and tried to reassure him and it sadly did nothing to stop the lecture.

The second it's just store policy to put up with that kind of language and I get it a lot being around the bars. I also work in a business and industry that prizes model looks and youth, and I'm lacking in both so it's something I should be used to by now.

The third is sadly another statement you're correct on. She's restrained, behind a counter and does do the run and hide behind me when she can, sadly behind the counter her box is in a corner and she often doesn't move fast enough to get out of it when people approach her. When people first notice her I make sure to let them know she's a rescue and not to make fast movements towards her as she gets uncomfortable, and to let her come to them. We've been doing a "feed me a treat" trick to get her more used to strangers. This time was different only in that the customer approached faster than I could warn when noticing her and she didn't have the time to escape. He called her out but stood up too fast and she did her little "you're too big" growl and he started yelling at her which I think is the first time anyone's done that. She immediately backed off when I told her, went into her box behind me and that's when the confrontation with me began, telling me I should pick her up and remove her etc.

I admit that everything that happened is all about my own perception and how I handled it and have failed to communicate. The sense of defeat is pretty high this week.

[lotusauriel]

Unrelated irritation comment. I'm not here to argue. I have become an occasional lurker, because I got tired of being attacked for any and everything I say, feel, or do. Everyone wants to pretend this is a safe and positive space, but it isn't. A lot of you are obsessed with your own point of view, and most of the people who actually say anything are only here to force themselves on everyone else. Nobody stops to consider that what they are interpreting may NOT be what the OP intended. Everyone's life experience is different. And NOBODY knows everything about anything. NOBODY has the right to assume that any person's experience is better, more, or worse than anyone else's. We are all still humans, and we should all still be trying to respect everyone else, but I don't see that here. People listen to who they choose, and gang up on anyone they don't like or feel threatened by, and that just isn't right. At the same time, you all seem to think that everyone has to be the same and get along on the same level. We aren't, and we don't. Just wearing a fake tail does NOT make us all compatible. There should be a lot more to everyone than whether or not you have a tail, and what kind it is. Or who you "support". We are people, in costumes, that like to swim. Yes, it can be more than that, but that is NOT the only thing. It is not ok that certain people in this group are allowed to harass and beat down anyone they feel like, while those people being harassed are not even given a chance to be heard. This is not a community. It 's a battleground for people with no empathy, and a playpen for children that don't have a clue. I did not come to this group so people that don't know me can make judgements and tell me how to be. I also do not need to hang out with kids that I only have a tail in common with. It's just not enough, and I have MUCH better things to do with my life, and so do all of you, actually. Not that being young is bad, I just have a small problem with the concept that everyone can just be the same, and swim together, when the behavior on this forum very clearly shows that it just is not happening. This group should be a meeting ground where we can talk and see what works, but not be forced into awkward or unpleasant conversations or situations. This is generally a fantasy escape from regular life, and it shouldn't be so negative or uncompromising. I put this in the bitch thread because it is meant as a basic statement of my feelings. As such, no response is needed. Think about it. Fix it if you understand and want to. Or don't. I don't care. What I won't be doing is responding to any more attacks. On anyone. Thanks.

[Sabrina the Selkie]

Unrelated irritation comment. I'm not here to argue. I have become an occasional lurker, because I got tired of being attacked for any and everything I say, feel, or do. Everyone wants to pretend this is a safe and positive space, but it isn't. A lot of you are obsessed with your own point of view, and most of the people who actually say anything are only here to force themselves on everyone else. Nobody stops to consider that what they are interpreting may NOT be what the OP intended. Everyone's life experience is different. And NOBODY knows everything about anything. NOBODY has the right to assume that any person's experience is better, more, or worse than anyone else's. We are all still humans, and we should all still be trying to respect everyone else, but I don't see that here. People listen to who they choose, and gang up on anyone they don't like or feel threatened by, and that just isn't right. At the same time, you all seem to think that everyone has to be the same and get along on the same level. We aren't, and we don't. Just wearing a fake tail does NOT make us all compatible. There should be a lot more to everyone than whether or not you have a tail, and what kind it is. Or who you "support". We are people, in costumes, that like to swim. Yes, it can be more than that, but that is NOT the only thing. It is not ok that certain people in this group are allowed to harass and beat down anyone they feel like, while those people being harassed are not even given a chance to be heard. This is not a community. It 's a battleground for people with no empathy, and a playpen for children that don't have a clue. I did not come to this group so people that don't know me can make judgements and tell me how to be. I also do not need to hang out with kids that I only have a tail in common with. It's just not enough, and I have MUCH better things to do with my life, and so do all of you, actually. Not that being young is bad, I just have a small problem with the concept that everyone can just be the same, and swim together, when the behavior on this forum very clearly shows that it just is not happening. This group should be a meeting ground where we can talk and see what works, but not be forced into awkward or unpleasant conversations or situations. This is generally a fantasy escape from regular life, and it shouldn't be so negative or uncompromising. I put this in the bitch thread because it is meant as a basic statement of my feelings. As such, no response is needed. Think about it. Fix it if you understand and want to. Or don't. I don't care. What I won't be doing is responding to any more attacks. On anyone. Thanks.Yup! This thread is absolutely for complaining about your regular day to say life. Which is why your post in it is better suited to the Drama Thread, as it pertains specifically to the community!

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

[lotusauriel]

No. Because I am just bitching about what I am seeing and experiencing. I did not post this to become just another argument. The fact that you think it has to be "drama" so that people see it says a lot.

[lotusauriel]

The fact that we have a "drama thread", just so we can argue instead of discuss, and invalidate the people we disagree with, says everything.

[lotusauriel]

Meant to add this to my original statement.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180323/3329973b1107a6f267ef0d9e87033907.jpg

[Keiris]

^^^ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Khaleesi Daenerys]

I agree with you and I have seen these same things you talk about happen here. Good luck to you.

[Mermaid Yuki]

i agree.


People listen to who they choose, and gang up on anyone they don't like or feel threatened by, and that just isn't right. At the same time, you all seem to think that everyone has to be the same and get along on the same level. We aren't, and we don't. Just wearing a fake tail does NOT make us all compatible. There should be a lot more to everyone than whether or not you have a tail, and what kind it is. Or who you "support". We are people, in costumes, that like to swim. Yes, it can be more than that, but that is NOT the only thing. It is not ok that certain people in this group are allowed to harass and beat down anyone they feel like, while those people being harassed are not even given a chance to be heard. This is not a community. It 's a battleground for people with no empathy, and a playpen for children that don't have a clue.

drama thread 4 community complaint. This thread no mer stuff bad thing.


Yup! This thread is absolutely for complaining about your regular day to say life. Which is why your post in it is better suited to the Drama Thread, as it pertains specifically to the community!

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk


Sabrina right ---> she show you de wey


No. Because I am just bitching about what I am seeing and experiencing. I did not post this to become just another argument. The fact that you think it has to be "drama" so that people see it says a lot.

She no think this. admin said b4 that this thread is not mer just outside community. :rollover:

[BlueCorvidae]

Alright, which one of you ladies inspired this meme? You should be worried if:
>You have red hair
>You're an animator
>You made your new boyfriend watch the entire series of H2O shortly after meeting him.

https://imgur.com/gallery/alkj9km

[PearlieMae]

Alright, which one of you ladies inspired this meme? You should be worried if:
>You have red hair
>You're an animator
>You made your new boyfriend watch the entire series of H2O shortly after meeting him.

https://imgur.com/gallery/alkj9km

http://replygif.net/i/1293.gif

[Khaleesi Daenerys]

LOL :lol: best post ever

[Echidna]

whoever is meant by that: girl, ditch that shoddy bf.
He doesn't care about you and your interests, he's just there because you are "hot".

Find a diver, underwater TOG, or merman instead! ...You can thank me later.

[BlueCorvidae]

Eh, I can understand anyone's frustration if they got into a new relationship and it turns out that their new partner only ever talked about one subject. It was dumb that he went to imgur about it rather than talking it out with her though. I think both parties can learn from this. They either need to work some things out or go their separate ways.

[Mermaid Clara]

ok so i'm at college and im waiting in the lounge of the math building and this couple next to me literally starts making out its been like this for almost 3 minuets now.

[KTMaggs]

I hate it when guys mansplain things. They r like explaining a JPEG to me while I’m working at APPLE. Wtf


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[Mer_Adella]

So this is something I need to get off my chest. I have worked as a mermaid entertainer at pirate festival, local festivals, ren fairs, photoshoots, a few kids parties, for my own pleasure, and was even on tv once and published in magazines. I am in NO WAY as famous as some of you other lovelies out there, but I feel at least I can call myself a mermaid entertainer. I have gotten away from the mermaiding on an entertaining level because of some rather horrible people trying to use my mer group as their "outs" to be at a festival and drink and be naughty in a tail.

Skip ahead to now when I have my own small business making custom tumbler cups, shirts, and decals. One of the ladies who admins a group I am a part of (being of the cup/shirt crowd) is proud to make a cup for a Singapore professional mermaid. Awesome! I am about 98% sure I know who it is based on what this person wants their new cup to look like. Someone commented "thats so awesome to be a cup maker making a cup for a mermaid!" one of my friends replied "How would you like to talk to a mermaid who makes cups?" then tagged me (mind you over half of this group--3k+ people-- have seen my tails) I do not agree with her comment fully as it can be considered rude. However, what transpired after is worse. The person making the cup blatently told her friends in private chat and in offhanded comments that if I was a mermaid, how come I never get hired or I am not well known to the public. She has tails but that doesn't mean she uses them!

I was shocked. I wanted to respect this person so much as a leader in the business arena. But now......

Anyways I just had to get that off my chest. It has made me question everything. Do I sell my tails since I only enjoy it for myself and exercise now? Do I get out of the small business I have started because she just makes me detest going and looking at that page now, etc etc. Thank you all.

[Ransom]

So this is something I need to get off my chest. I have worked as a mermaid entertainer at pirate festival, local festivals, ren fairs, photoshoots, a few kids parties, for my own pleasure, and was even on tv once and published in magazines. I am in NO WAY as famous as some of you other lovelies out there, but I feel at least I can call myself a mermaid entertainer. I have gotten away from the mermaiding on an entertaining level because of some rather horrible people trying to use my mer group as their "outs" to be at a festival and drink and be naughty in a tail.

Skip ahead to now when I have my own small business making custom tumbler cups, shirts, and decals. One of the ladies who admins a group I am a part of (being of the cup/shirt crowd) is proud to make a cup for a Singapore professional mermaid. Awesome! I am about 98% sure I know who it is based on what this person wants their new cup to look like. Someone commented "thats so awesome to be a cup maker making a cup for a mermaid!" one of my friends replied "How would you like to talk to a mermaid who makes cups?" then tagged me (mind you over half of this group--3k+ people-- have seen my tails) I do not agree with her comment fully as it can be considered rude. However, what transpired after is worse. The person making the cup blatently told her friends in private chat and in offhanded comments that if I was a mermaid, how come I never get hired or I am not well known to the public. She has tails but that doesn't mean she uses them!

I was shocked. I wanted to respect this person so much as a leader in the business arena. But now......

Anyways I just had to get that off my chest. It has made me question everything. Do I sell my tails since I only enjoy it for myself and exercise now? Do I get out of the small business I have started because she just makes me detest going and looking at that page now, etc etc. Thank you all.That IS awful, Adella :( I'm sure you'll have a good customer base outside that page though, I don't think you'll need to wind up just because of one person. If her friends are decent people, they'll know that what she's saying is totally irrelevant.

We both know a possible motive, but I hope they'll see through it.

You could "fight back" by posting throwbacks of your past events, but on the whole I hope the group has enough people who'll see the truth--and have the common sense to know a pro career isn't going to last forever.

All the best!

[Mer_Adella]

That IS awful, Adella :( I'm sure you'll have a good customer base outside that page though, I don't think you'll need to wind up just because of one person. If her friends are decent people, they'll know that what she's saying is totally irrelevant.

We both know a possible motive, but I hope they'll see through it.

You could "fight back" by posting throwbacks of your past events, but on the whole I hope the group has enough people who'll see the truth--and have the common sense to know a pro career isn't going to last forever.

All the best!

thats what I am hoping that if I just take the high road people will “see” the bad parts for themselves. I would never tell a person that they weren’t a pro for doing something they love and/or is unique. It boggles the mind.

[Arking]

It's 5am on the west coast and I'm awake. Either it was too humid, or nightmares kept me up. I havent been sleeping very well because of stress, too many things on my mind I guess.

Some time back, maybe April or March my parents took legal action against each other. My father decided that my siblings and I staying silent, and staying out of it meant we were taking sides, disowned the lot of us. Got his hands on personal items and destroyed them and then one by one began spreading vicious lies and rumors to our extended family about us. This is spurned on by a new girlfriend of his whom I can only assume knows he's got a sizable inheritance coming his way and wants as many people out of the picture as possible. The antagonism is admittedly hard to avoid and I got drawn into it, so much so I was told I needed to take a paternity test to prove my legitimacy.

This is partially why I vanished from March until recently, and while I'd like to say I'm largely past it, it's something I still think about when I sleep from time to time and leads to me waking up much earlier than usual. I can safely say I'm really not in the trenches on this one, just a unwilling target that's caught in the crosshairs and easy to hate on for some obvious reasons. My response normally is to turtle up and pull into a shell but for some reason yesterday I snapped and said "nope". Posted some pictures of myself in my mertail (something I've not done in the two years I've had it) for my family to see, and just decided to be me hoping to regain ground on spaces that I made my own online.

I guess this is less of a b!itc# than I initially thought, more of a reminder to myself and anyone else. Never give up bits of yourself even if you think it'll save you grief. Sure there's times where it's good to dim the lights a bit to get out of a dangerous place but I regret doing that on my social media, allowing people into areas of my life that made me feel like I needed to moderate who I was has been one of the most toxic choices I've made.

[PearlieMae]

Arking, I am so sorry to read about your stress...money turns people into assholes. Kind of makes me glad that my family was always poor - no one had anything to fight over except little, dumb crap.

But good for you! Photos of you in your tail makes you happy, then damn what everyone else thinks! I hope you post them here so we can all see how fabulous you look! :mermaid kiss:

[AniaR]

I feel like everyone in this thread right now could use a nice glass of wine (or maybe hot chocolate if you don't drink) and a backrub. Im sorry everyone's dealing with such stress!

[Arking]

Money does yeah. My parents have always been poor, but rich on paper. It's only as my grandmother is aging and the divorce settled that things have turned rather sour. There was nasty evictions from the family home, videos of my dad mowing down plants I'd planted years back gleefully burning my belongings in photos he sent me and then the paternity thing. I admit I laughed about most of it, partially because I knew one day it was a possibility which is why I moved 3000 miles to the pacific away from them. The paternity test thing just made things worse as we all did 23andMe instead and yeah...things got ugly.

Raina is right though wine and chocolate. I brewed 35 bottles of Blackberry Merlot I could just pour into the tub and submerge myself in lol.

Off to the photoshoot thread now to resize and upload silly pics.

[AniaR]

I brewed 35 bottles of Blackberry Merlo

that. sounds. amazing.

[Arking]

that. sounds. amazing.
It would be if I were a big drinker. It's kind of become a curse and I give bottles to guests to take home as I really only enjoy a glass once a month...well until Halloween then I get out the cast iron cauldron and mull a few bottles in seasonal spices and that I can totally enjoy on my own.

[AniaR]

I am not a huge drinker it's too hard on my body because of my chronic illness. I have 1 wine that is a weaker wine. I can drink the whole bottle and just get a comfortable buzz lol. it's the best

[Takahao]

Ahg, I hate having my sleep schedule messed up. It's to the point where I'm not even sleeping at night, I'm napping from like noon to five. I have to pull an all nighter and try to stay up if I want to fix it, but so far I've failed.

[Echidna]

it's incredibly hard to change your sleep schedule if your inner clock is set to nocturnal.

I struggled hard with that all my life, it's impossible to change.
Not only is that a huge problem with finding employment and running errands/appointments, but when I'm disturbed during the day by noise, I'm getting a killer migraine.
And oh joy, where I live right now, there is a big contractor din with machines and crap almost everyday, another one going to work on our house for the next few weeks.
I've no idea what to do, although I'm prepared to move out on shortest notice because there's always the risk of suffering a stroke if you're disturbed in your sleep repeatedly and regularly.

[Keiris]

Mersen, of all places to introduce yourself and promote a mer-dating link the "Bitch-it Out" Thread is probably the LAST thread on here to do that. lol

[Arking]

Mersen, of all places to introduce yourself and promote a mer-dating link the "Bitch-it Out" Thread is probably the LAST thread on here to do that. lol
*snort* :rotfl:

[The Water Phoenix]

Mersen, of all places to introduce yourself and promote a mer-dating link the "Bitch-it Out" Thread is probably the LAST thread on here to do that. lol
:lol::lol::lol:

[Ransom]

Greetings Dear Mermaids and Mermen. I am new to this , just wanted to say hi and let you all know Mermaids dating is up and running and free to join :) Now all the single mermaids around the world can go deeper, search and find whoever they are looking for :)
IOS users : https://goo.gl/Fo9QUG
Android App: https://goo.gl/5uRGSJ
Hope to see you there ...Know your market and target platform, Mersen. This profile and post wouldn't look any spammier if Monty Python sang it in the Hormel Foods factory.

[Mermaid Mystery]

can i bitch about mermaid dating pls k thanks


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[Mermaid Kane]

Be our guest.

[AniaR]

I have endo. One of the lesser known symptoms of endometriosis is losing teeth. The combination of the medication used to treat it, and the constant inflammation, is a bad time for teeth. I work really hard on my teeth (especially after the braces) regular brush and floss with special toothpaste, a mouth spray, and I use a water pic. Well, just got back form the dentist and I have FOUR cavities! Dentist says she sees this all the time as a side effect of my meds https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/fcb/1/16/1f641.png?_nc_eui2=AeFgVnyR1SRoRzJ17pKLDU88YYt47__ Mc7W_URz1ky35anXAE1niULB2F6uOD1YantevpzmwrnM805YDf aUwpJcaFFZwPkCUAOYQEHkM_xu6jQ:( but they're the ONLY meds that work. So she's changed up my products again and I'm coming back next week and the week after for fillings. Some days I feel like it's 1 step forward and 2 steps back with this stuff https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/fcb/1/16/1f641.png?_nc_eui2=AeFgVnyR1SRoRzJ17pKLDU88YYt47__ Mc7W_URz1ky35anXAE1niULB2F6uOD1YantevpzmwrnM805YDf aUwpJcaFFZwPkCUAOYQEHkM_xu6jQ

[Mermaid Danielle]

I have endo. One of the lesser known symptoms of endometriosis is losing teeth. The combination of the medication used to treat it, and the constant inflammation, is a bad time for teeth. I work really hard on my teeth (especially after the braces) regular brush and floss with special toothpaste, a mouth spray, and I use a water pic. Well, just got back form the dentist and I have FOUR cavities! Dentist says she sees this all the time as a side effect of my meds https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/fcb/1/16/1f641.png?_nc_eui2=AeFgVnyR1SRoRzJ17pKLDU88YYt47__ Mc7W_URz1ky35anXAE1niULB2F6uOD1YantevpzmwrnM805YDf aUwpJcaFFZwPkCUAOYQEHkM_xu6jQ:( but they're the ONLY meds that work. So she's changed up my products again and I'm coming back next week and the week after for fillings. Some days I feel like it's 1 step forward and 2 steps back with this stuff https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/fcb/1/16/1f641.png?_nc_eui2=AeFgVnyR1SRoRzJ17pKLDU88YYt47__ Mc7W_URz1ky35anXAE1niULB2F6uOD1YantevpzmwrnM805YDf aUwpJcaFFZwPkCUAOYQEHkM_xu6jQ

I'm so sorry, AniaR, I can't imagine how frustrating that is.

I've heard of some type of coating to help protect against cavities (sealants?). I wonder if that would be an option for you that might help in addition to the product change?

[KTMaggs]

Ahg, I hate having my sleep schedule messed up. It's to the point where I'm not even sleeping at night, I'm napping from like noon to five. I have to pull an all nighter and try to stay up if I want to fix it, but so far I've failed.

I have adhd so it makes my brain “hard to turn off”. If I go to bed before ten I’m waking up at Four AM or earlier. Go to bed later than ten and wake up at 6-8.


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[inanna]

arrrrgh! why does facebook have to strangle views for people?!

:mad: i decided to follow raina's page and i'm so annoyed that she's not getting views anymore. every time i see her posts i comment so that way she shows up in my feed more often, but nooooo facebook doesn't care so i have to search her page out!

also raina your page is lovely and amazing <3

[Arking]

I followed Raina's page too, then the first post it showed me was her saying something about friend requests etc for people she knows personally and I was "omg am I being a stalker... >.> <.<" and then politely unfollowed and followed her on instagram instead.

[deepblue]

The 'just universe' and 'just be stronger' theories that people use to approach those having trouble with health, physical or mental.
(The 'Just Universe' theory is that thing where people think if you 'just do everything right' everything will be great, and so if you're broke, or have a chronic illness, etc., you must have done something wrong or you deserve it, because it's a just universe, darling.) And the assumptions that someone living with hardship hasn't thought of this miracle piece of advice someone just HAS to give even though they've never been in the same circumstances.

It's crazy that anyone still thinks that way, but they are out there.

Or the people who don't understand how someone whose every moment is spent controlling what their mental illness is trying to do, along with living with physical ailments and challenges, might talk about it a lot. You know. As if it affects every part of their life. OH wait, it does. A friend of mine is going through that right now, as she tries to work with yet another team of doctors who can't figure out what is wrong with her, and her parents (who she has to live with because of her illnesses, even though she's an adult) are telling her 'nobody wants to hear about that all the time.' Well, bite me. I want her to talk about it if she wants to, I want to be the friend who can let a friend get everything off their chest because it helps on some small level. And she does talk about other things, too, but FFS, most of the last ten years of her life has been spent trying not to let this mystery illness take her out, of COURSE it's a big subject.

Oh and mermaid bitch: the tail I hoped to order in the next couple months is not going to be produced for... who knows how long. Boo. I'll look online, but I really wanted a new Mythic, not a pre-owned one.

[Echidna]

people think if you 'just do everything right' everything will be great, and so if you're broke, or have a chronic illness, etc., you must have done something wrong or you deserve it, because it's a just universe, darling

that's repugnant and so stupid it should be illegal.
I know so many very sick and dying children who had to go through more suffering in their short lives than some 80 year olds- and also too many criminals and mass murderers who live to an old old age and have great health throughout.

I'm sorry to hear about your friend.
I went through something eerily similar, and we too regularly get people who think they have to comment about it even though they have no clue.
"Oh, you were so long sick with a tick-borne disease? I had a tick too once, but it wasn't a great deal at all, you should really blablabla" [insert completely useless health advice].

If you have something serious that the doctors are clueless about, you're in a bad, bad spot.
Of course, if you happen across the one rare doctor who isn't an overpaid charlatan who finds out what it is, but there is no cure and no real treatment for it- that's almost as bad.

[Mermaid_Rain]

The "just universe" people can bite me. I have lupus, and it doesn't matter what I do. I will always have it. Sometimes good people end up.with bad health and to wave it away as though they simply must deserve it is bull.

Just knowing what I go through makes my heart break for others with issues. Especially knowing how people can look at you for it.

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[Mermaid Oracle]

I need to rant and this seems the safest place. My husband called my "mermaid thing" my midlife crisis. Okay 1. I'm only 31. 2. I've been at this off and on for a few years (3-4 or so). I'm so mad. He meant it as a joke I think, but it's hurtful. Honestly I like making things. Making a tail seems like a fun thing to make and it has been so far. Just. Aaaargh.


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[Sabrina the Selkie]

That is so rude.

I'm sorry he said that.

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[TheChimera]

That's very mean, I hope he comes to understand that it brings you joy , I'm sure he does things that he enjoys that other people don't necessarily get. Best of luck to you [emoji8][emoji225]


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[Mermaid Momo]

So I've been staying with a friend for about 3 weeks because his place is closer to my job. I come home Sunday and the room wreaks of cat pee. We think maybe it's the litter box. Well i come back from work today set to clean the carpet under My bed because after sniffing around i realize the pee smell is coming from under there. It takes an hour to get the smell just faint. Fast forward to dinner time, i order Chinese and head to eat it in my room. I then sit and watch the cat go under my bed, i run over and lift the sheets and...... She's peeing.

I don't want to ask her to her Rid off the cat since she says its an emotional support animal but i have too much valuable things That i store under my bed, and not to mention i do cosplay commissions and do not want to have to email a customer about cat pissy costumes. ( I'm also scared she'll ruin my corsets or lolita dresses, i mean she's also already scratching my desk chair that i borrowed from a friend)

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[Mermaid Momo]

To clarify, the cat Belongs to my roommate aft my apartment, not my friend's place. Me and the girl also share a room so i can't lock the cat out.

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[The Water Phoenix]

Eww, that's gross. Have you talked to your friend about the issue? Because I know cat pee is not easy to get out things. I had that issue when I went on an exchange and my host's cat peed all over my suitcase. Luckily it was plastic so the smell didn't hang around for long.

[Mermaid Kane]

We have a cat that recently started peeing (a few months ago) and the vet had some tips.

If you can come to an agreement with your roommate, ask to keep the cat out of the room first.
Then ask to buy some "happy pheromones" from the vet.
Maybe plant another litterbox in the room?

Sorry to hear that. Such a frustrating issue.

[KatieScottArt]

To clarify, the cat Belongs to my roommate aft my apartment, not my friend's place. Me and the girl also share a room so i can't lock the cat out.

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Ugh, cat pee on anything is the worst thing ever. The smell is so hard to get rid of!
Figured I'd chime in case this helps?? When I want to keep one of our kitties out of a corner of the house or off of the coffee table, I use a motion sensor spray canister called Sscat (30 bucks on Amazon) to train them. Its just pressurized air but it startles them and teaches them NOT to go in that area again. Something like this could be an option for sticking under your bed since you most likely wouldn't be triggering the sensor by walking through your room. Its not a fantastic solution by any means but its something you could consider I guess :p.

[Mermaid Momo]

Thanks everyone, honestly I'm ready to ask her to send the cat to her parents. Last night when i was getting ready for bed i again saw the cat go under and take a leak. I got some boxes and closed off under my bed. Then when i got off from work today while i was sewing i saw the cat go NEXT to the bed, between the bed and the tote i have there and squat and pee again. The smell is so bad i can hardly sleep and not to mention the smell is now on everything in my area and i can not take this and won't risk my rep as a cosplay commissioner.

What makes me more set on getting rid of the cat is that i am certain she knew the cat was doing it. The room, and my bed in particular smelled like hot piss so badly my eyes watered when i came back a few days ago. How does someone not notice that? And when i told her she said " we can put the litter box by your bed" um, how about no? And the litter box has been empty since i came back. Not one drop of pee or poop. ( I'm actually worried she'll be pooping on something else of mine)



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[Mermaid Oracle]

Momo, you can spray a scent on there that puts the cat off of peeing in that spot. It's a hormone spray. We had to use it for our cat and it worked well.

And thanks to everyone for the supportive comments. I talked to him about it and he apologized. He meant it as a joke. He said he's very proud of what I've learned and complimented what I've done so far.


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[Azurin Luna]

Thanks everyone, honestly I'm ready to ask her to send the cat to her parents. Last night when i was getting ready for bed i again saw the cat go under and take a leak. I got some boxes and closed off under my bed. Then when i got off from work today while i was sewing i saw the cat go NEXT to the bed, between the bed and the tote i have there and squat and pee again. The smell is so bad i can hardly sleep and not to mention the smell is now on everything in my area and i can not take this and won't risk my rep as a cosplay commissioner.

What makes me more set on getting rid of the cat is that i am certain she knew the cat was doing it. The room, and my bed in particular smelled like hot piss so badly my eyes watered when i came back a few days ago. How does someone not notice that? And when i told her she said " we can put the litter box by your bed" um, how about no? And the litter box has been empty since i came back. Not one drop of pee or poop. ( I'm actually worried she'll be pooping on something else of mine)



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We used double sided tape to keep our cat from things he wasn't allowed to get on or touch. Cats hate things sticking to their paws, so maybe you can put strips of tape on places you don't want the cat to get too. Else I would try the hormone things as some suggested.

[PearlieMae]

The cat is peeing because it sees you as an invader and is trying to assert its dominance. Put all your stuff in plastic tubs with lids for the time being, cover your bed with a plastic dropcloth (don't want pee on your pillow!) and pick up a Feliway collar or room diffuser (https://www.google.com/search?q=feliway+diffuser&oq=feliway&aqs=chrome.3.69i57j0l5.4077j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 ) to help calm the kitty.

Unfortunately, it may take a long time for the cat to accept you, but the pheremones in the Feliway may slow down the peeing. Good luck!

[Echidna]

If a cat avoids her litter box, she will do so for a good reason.

It could be a myriad of things- something simple like the box being put in a place uncomfortable for the cat, or the box not being cleaned regularly- or something more serious, like stress due to the fact she is forced to live with someone who dislikes or mistreats animals, extreme unhappiness, and so on.

It could also be an illness. When a cat is in pain or sick, one often can't tell except for very small signs, and she WILL avoid using the litterbox if she is feeling pain while relieving herself.

Sad to see how unempathethic some people can be.
The only animal that does things for no other reason than to be a jerk is called "human".

[Mer_Adella]

This isn't really a "bitch" but irritating. I keep trying to upload pictures for different things here on the site (on my laptop) and no matter what I get the error code. "your image exceeds the quote by 16.4MB" it never changes from that specific number. I have edited pictures to smaller Jpeg size, png size, web image size....changed the pixel height and width....nothing!!! Does ANYONE have any suggestions ? It used to work fine for me back long ago, but now ......its just so irritating, I can't post pictures of my new tail for a review, I can't post pictures of mermaids I have photographed, or even the silicone work that I am doing :( or the cup that I need to sell because the buyer backed out. Help!

[Saelyyia]

You can’t upload direct to the site anymore. That’s why. Upload it elsewhere and link it.


Sent from my shellphone.

[PearlieMae]

I was having that same issue. Nice of them to let us know we can't upload directly to the site.

[Saelyyia]

I think Iona said something about it a few months back somewhere. I don't remember where. Basically it had to do with the site running out of server space. It was around when they deleted all the user albums too if I recall.

[Mermaid Whisper]

The announcement was from June of 2017 but wasn't clear at the time regarding individual image uploads:

http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?t=15279

Waves and wishes,

Mermaid Whisper

[Saelyyia]

Thanks for linking the post Whisper! You're right that it was a bit vague. i think I just ready this part:

"Also, that when uploading photos to threads, when possible, please do so via URL, and uncheck the box that says, "Retrieve remote file and reference locally".
Doing this will use the space on the host's site, instead of uploading the photo to our server, which of course takes up our server space."and made the assumption on the logic that if it was eating so much server space, followed by the part where there were still people re-uploading the albums after that it would probably be a feature that got turned off entirely in the long run. I tend to be a "worst case scenario" thinker on such things because there are so many of us here and the activity feed can scroll by so fast that sometimes announcements get swallowed into the depths before too many folks see them.

However, I can just as easily see how this that could be misleading into thinking this only effected the user albums and not images in our forum thread posts.

[Mer_Adella]

Nice to know. Thank you for linking that so we can read it :) I definately would not have known, but I swear people keep adding pictures in the "I just had a photoshoot" section lol. Oh well. I guess if people want to see the types of mermaid shoots I photograph they can go to my page LOL. But thank you for linking it!

[Neerai]

This is not an angry post. It's a sad one.

Some months ago I came in the UK for working until the end of summer. I'm coming back to Spain the next month.
I left my dog in a nice residence/hotel for dogs, until I come back home.

Two days ago, my dog had a multiorganic failure and died suddenly.

I'm angry with the full Universe, and sad, because I couldn't even say her "goodbye".

I will miss her a lot.

[Kwilena]

My condolences. Can you tell us a bit about her?

[Yeka]

I'm so Neerai. Losing a pet is so hard. I lost my dog very suddenly earlier this summer, and she was at the vet without me when it happened. I didn't really get to say goodbye, either. It hurts and I are so sorry that you're going through this.

I agree with Merleece, tell us a bit about her if you can. It's nice to remember the good times.

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[inanna]

sorry for your loss, neerai.

[Neerai]

Thank you everybody.

Her name was Morrigan. She was a mixed breed, black, very funny and energetic. Her caregivers said they did not detected anything because she was playing until her last breathe. She was intelligent and funny. I found her in a diffusion webpage six years ago, and I fell in love with her. When I was suffering for anything, she was there always.
This was the longest time I left her in a dog hotel, until I come back to Spain, and it breaks my heart thinking she will be not with me anymore.

I'm really sad with this.

[inanna]

she sounds like she was amazing

[Neerai]

she sounds like she was amazing


Yes, she was great. But it does not discourage me. I'm going to adopt another one once I come back to Spain.

[ChelseaSelkie]

Angry.
I wrote a strong email to the YMCA today. I was told on tour I could bring my monofin. Signed up. Got all the way to the water two days later and was stopped by a lifeguard and told no, no Y allows them and the regional swim manager and boss told the lifeguard it wasn't allowed at ANY Y, which from reading on here I know is untrue. I do not like runarounds. I also do not like being THAT person.

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[Ransom]

Angry.
I wrote a strong email to the YMCA today. I was told on tour I could bring my monofin. Signed up. Got all the way to the water two days later and was stopped by a lifeguard and told no, no Y allows them and the regional swim manager and boss told the lifeguard it wasn't allowed at ANY Y, which from reading on here I know is untrue. I do not like runarounds. I also do not like being THAT person.

Sent from my [device_name] using MerNetwork mobile appDon't know which is worse -- to see an org with its left hand so utterly ignorant of what its right hand is doing, or be reminded how quick pools are to clamp down on anyone who might be having fun in the name of 'safety'.

In any case, here's wishing you all the best! Hope you find a place you can swim quickly.

[Ocoree]

I feel you guys on that one. I tried to swim the other day with my Sandtail betta at a municipal pool with a friend. We weren't expecting as many folks, but happily shared one lane... until they put a third person in from the swim team/class in the open area "because he was a slow swimmer"

It made the already narrow lane cramped, but I could manage it, until I was called over and told by the (at least apologetic) lifeguard that the supervisor felt the fluke was a hitting hazard, and if I had a smaller fin. I was ok with just using the Mahina anyways, since I wasn't in strong enough condition to handle the betta skin at the time. NOPE - her reasoning was the flared tips would still hurt someone, even though I clearly turned sideways or dove under passing people to avoid hitting them. They then tried to push their free-to-use smaller bi-fins on me, but I refused knowing they would not be strong enough for what I wanted to do that night, and we promptly left.

Friend was a bit appalled as well, saying they weren't as busy when he swam before, but that it also wasn't OK to shove a third person in an already full lane when the others only had one person in them when it was clear the two people using it were going quite fast along the lane.

>:\

[Mermaid Delphinidae]

Angry.
I wrote a strong email to the YMCA today. I was told on tour I could bring my monofin. Signed up. Got all the way to the water two days later and was stopped by a lifeguard and told no, no Y allows them and the regional swim manager and boss told the lifeguard it wasn't allowed at ANY Y, which from reading on here I know is untrue. I do not like runarounds. I also do not like being THAT person.

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Ugh, why is so hard for places to just settle on a monofin policy instead of every employee and manager saying something different?


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[ChelseaSelkie]

Okay, so updating here... i just got an email this morning:
Hello Chelsea,
*
***** Thank you for contacting the YMCA of the USA. YMCA of the USA is a separate consulting organization for Ys across the country. The programs and services offered by Ys across the country vary from location to location. Policies are made on the local level by the Executive Director and volunteer leaders. YMCA of the USA does not have the authority to override any local branch decisions. Please contact management at your local YMCA in regards to your inquiry/concerns.
*
Sincerely,
*
Brittany Pickens
Application Support
YMCA OF THE USA
101 N. Wacker Dr., Chicago, IL. 60606
(Toll Free) 800 872 9622 **(W) YMCA.Net
*
The Y: We’re for youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility


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[MissLunaBelle]

So I've worked for the YMCA faithfully since 2010. This last year, I obtained my CNA and told my aquatics director (the area I work in) that with my new job as a CNA, I'd have to drastically reduce the hours I took, like a shift here and there, max one or 2 per month. She neglects to tell me that the policy is working 5 hours per month and you get to keep your membership. I go in to see if I can make any hours work with my schedule, and the computer system says my account has been deactivated. I told my boss that I had issues getting in and she said it was because I wasn't taking any hours (false, I've picked up here and there and I flat out told her and she was ok with this new arrangement because of the new job). Well after picking up what was left of my scattered free hours per week, I'm feeling more and more depressed. I've been mermaiding to combat my depression and this really set me off. I wish she knew what I go through on a daily basis and adding on trying to fit more hours in on my own behalf.. long story short, I need to find a new fucking pool to swim in because I'm sick of all this tail chasing and all the bullshit shes put me through throughout the years. Here's to hoping that the hotels with pools in town offer day passes.

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[Ransom]

So I've worked for the YMCA faithfully since 2010. This last year, I obtained my CNA and told my aquatics director (the area I work in) that with my new job as a CNA, I'd have to drastically reduce the hours I took, like a shift here and there, max one or 2 per month. She neglects to tell me that the policy is working 5 hours per month and you get to keep your membership. I go in to see if I can make any hours work with my schedule, and the computer system says my account has been deactivated. I told my boss that I had issues getting in and she said it was because I wasn't taking any hours (false, I've picked up here and there and I flat out told her and she was ok with this new arrangement because of the new job). Well after picking up what was left of my scattered free hours per week, I'm feeling more and more depressed. I've been mermaiding to combat my depression and this really set me off. I wish she knew what I go through on a daily basis and adding on trying to fit more hours in on my own behalf.. long story short, I need to find a new fucking pool to swim in because I'm sick of all this tail chasing and all the bullshit shes put me through throughout the years. Here's to hoping that the hotels with pools in town offer day passes.

Sent from my [device_name] using MerNetwork mobile appWishing you well, LunaBelle! Let us know how it goes reaching out to pools near you.

[Echidna]

And another pool bites the dust.
Just returned from the one I frequent the most often because you can use any fins or tail you want.

Right after setting foot in one of the 3 pools, I see a brown spot on the bottom in the middle of the pool.
There are often kids who will drop stuff there, so I swim over aaand, it's a piece of shit.

Reported it to the guards. They didn't tell anyone or do anything but send someone over who took about 10min to fish it out.
Other than that, nada.
I asked them whether they didn't want to rope off the pool and do an extra chlorination (vs crypto or other parasites), they said naaa, not needed.

Another pool off the ever shrinking list :(
I just hope I didn't catch something to boot.

[Ransom]

And another pool bites the dust.
Just returned from the one I frequent the most often because you can use any fins or tail you want.

Right after setting foot in one of the 3 pools, I see a brown spot on the bottom in the middle of the pool.
There are often kids who will drop stuff there, so I swim over aaand, it's a piece of shit.

Reported it to the guards. They didn't tell anyone or do anything but send someone over who took about 10min to fish it out.
Other than that, nada.
I asked them whether they didn't want to rope off the pool and do an extra chlorination (vs crypto or other parasites), they said naaa, not needed.

Another pool off the ever shrinking list :(
I just hope I didn't catch something to boot.🤮 🤮 🤮

[Mermaid_Rain]

And another pool bites the dust.
Just returned from the one I frequent the most often because you can use any fins or tail you want.

Right after setting foot in one of the 3 pools, I see a brown spot on the bottom in the middle of the pool.
There are often kids who will drop stuff there, so I swim over aaand, it's a piece of shit.

Reported it to the guards. They didn't tell anyone or do anything but send someone over who took about 10min to fish it out.
Other than that, nada.
I asked them whether they didn't want to rope off the pool and do an extra chlorination (vs crypto or other parasites), they said naaa, not needed.

Another pool off the ever shrinking list :(
I just hope I didn't catch something to boot.



Ewwwwww. I can't argue with you striking that one from your list!

[Sammi_Ray]

I really need some advice.. :-( i cried this morning in disbelief..

My local pool said yes before i placed my order. Then it got closed down and rebuilt within months. They have a new manager who point blank refused and said because its against their "pool policy"..

I finally found a pool but its miles away and very expensive to swim. So i thought i would send my local pool a social media messege with videos and a lengthy explaination. They got back to me and said that their pool manager would like to discuss this with me (i held hope this would be possitive). I left my number and three days later, no reponse.

So i call myself to see if its ok for them to discuss this with me over the phone. She came back to me with "we are now doing our own mermaid lessons so you can't swim here"

I was absolutely gutted.. and anrgy that in Aug it was against their policy and now its not but you can't swim here.

I don't know if i am over reacting but i am feeling very delicate. Is this a thing? Am i being a douche bag? I am feeling heart broken. I have swam once since Aug..

[Echidna]

She came back to me with "we are now doing our own mermaid lessons so you can't swim here"



this is just a dick move and sure sign they are money grabbers.

I know a pool as well which has a strict "no nothing"-policy, yet they did their own mermaid courses all of a sudden (the entire pool was clogged with hair, glitter and dirt afterward so I always knew when they'd been there...).
If they still refuse mermaids to swim when not in their own course, it just means they want you to pay extra, as the course is surely super expensive.
$$$

My advice: forget this pool. Wherever the managment is too greedy, the upkeep of the pool is often terrible as well and sometimes even hazardous, because they think money >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> people's health.

see my experience 3 posts above!
It's just not worth the risk. Better to drive longer and pay more than to put up with crappy, greedy pool staff.

[Satine]

Ok so this is something I’ve been trying to let go! I recently joined the pod squad in the beginning of November! Most posts have been amazeing but there was one recently about someone buying a Finfolk tail! ( was not a Finfolk) posting they were excited and the put a pic up! And someone pointed out that was a Finfolk silicone tail! Then the original poster said no it was fabric and she got it on another sight! Knowing that it was a fake rip off of a Finfolk tail! It really bothers me knowing someone would be totally ok with a rip off tail of a artists hard work and a mers dream tail! And then she started defending her choice! And she thought it was ok to post about it in the company she ripped off! And the mer who’s personal tail it was commented on her post and she didn’t even say anything!

This makes me terribly mad and sad !!!

I know the hoops I am going through for my silicone tail and know how heart broken I’d be if mine got ripped off !!!

How do y’all feel about this I’ve been trying to let it go but it bothers me so much I can’t !!!!


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[Mermaid Clara]

So I just got laid off by text message...


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[Ashton]

Ok so this is something I’ve been trying to let go! I recently joined the pod squad in the beginning of November! Most posts have been amazeing but there was one recently about someone buying a Finfolk tail! ( was not a Finfolk) posting they were excited and the put a pic up! And someone pointed out that was a Finfolk silicone tail! Then the original poster said no it was fabric and she got it on another sight! Knowing that it was a fake rip off of a Finfolk tail! It really bothers me knowing someone would be totally ok with a rip off tail of a artists hard work and a mers dream tail! And then she started defending her choice! And she thought it was ok to post about it in the company she ripped off! And the mer who’s personal tail it was commented on her post and she didn’t even say anything!

This makes me terribly mad and sad !!!

I know the hoops I am going through for my silicone tail and know how heart broken I’d be if mine got ripped off !!!

How do y’all feel about this I’ve been trying to let it go but it bothers me so much I can’t !!!!
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A few of my friends have knock off tails, and it REALLY bothers me as well. I am part of the Pod Squad as well, and I have tried to talk to them about it. It really bothers me more that they contacted Ali Express (where they got their tails) and even sent them photos so they could be 'showcased' as 'clients' . It just makes me unhappy to be around the knock off tails.

[MermaidLiara]

So I just got laid off by text message...


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*Hugs* you are worth more than that.

[Mermaid Delphinidae]

Ok so this is something I’ve been trying to let go! I recently joined the pod squad in the beginning of November! Most posts have been amazeing but there was one recently about someone buying a Finfolk tail! ( was not a Finfolk) posting they were excited and the put a pic up! And someone pointed out that was a Finfolk silicone tail! Then the original poster said no it was fabric and she got it on another sight! Knowing that it was a fake rip off of a Finfolk tail! It really bothers me knowing someone would be totally ok with a rip off tail of a artists hard work and a mers dream tail! And then she started defending her choice! And she thought it was ok to post about it in the company she ripped off! And the mer who’s personal tail it was commented on her post and she didn’t even say anything!

This makes me terribly mad and sad !!!

I know the hoops I am going through for my silicone tail and know how heart broken I’d be if mine got ripped off !!!

How do y’all feel about this I’ve been trying to let it go but it bothers me so much I can’t !!!!


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Yeah, it's not fair to the original creators of the tail. It's not even like you can make the excuse that tailmakers are huge, evil corporations that already have billions of dollars.

[Imbrielle]

I have one of these fake finfolk tails, it was a gift from my husband who has no idea about brands and knockoffs. I felt the right thing to do is hang it on my wall as decor and possibly take a few photos for personal use but never use it for swimming or preforming. I am saving up to buy a real finfolk tail to be my feature tail.
I feel that that is a horrible thing to do trying to pass the cheap Chinese fake as an authentic finfolk tail and even worse to post it on the page of the company they ripped off! That’s deplorable!��

[TheChimera]

Since we're in the spirit of sharing, I utterly hate it when someone is so immature and unaware of their own bad attitude that when you confront them about their rudeness they turn it around and try to blame it on you despite you giving them the benefit of the doubt, and despite you being very polite about their disgusting behavior. Had this happen to me today with a colleague who is utterly lazy and rude to everyone and with who I've tried to reconcile the situation just to maintain a healthy work environment, that is just the kind of person that grates me. [emoji35]


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[mermaidamathiea]

Thank god I found this thread. I am so sick of mers who think they are so much better than others, along with mers who come along and shit all over your post when you're actively trying to achieve something and they comment nothing but negative crap instead of being encouraging and positive!!!!

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[Mermaid Jaffa]

Thank god I found this thread. I am so sick of mers who think they are so much better than others, along with mers who come along and shit all over your post when you're actively trying to achieve something and they comment nothing but negative crap instead of being encouraging and positive!!!!

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All we did was make helpful suggestions on how to improve your business proposal, your approach to business and how to run it successfully.

Time to grow a thick skin. Running a business is not all sunshine and rainbows.

As they say, if you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen.

[mermaidamathiea]

All we did was make helpful suggestions on how to improve your business proposal, your approach to business and how to run it successfully.

There are much worse people out there in the big wide world who WILL poop on your parade. Time to grow a thick skin. Running a business is not all sunshine and rainbows. As they say, if you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen.I wasn't referring to you. You were very helpful

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[tealmermaid]

I'm sure I will be corrected if I'm wrong, but I believe she was referring to me.

The business proposal as it currently stands sounds like a little kid who wants to be a mermaid when she grows up. Oh, and there will be parties with mermaid cupcakes, balloons, and hair clips!

A lot of little kids want to be mermaids when they grow up. Some do it. Some don't. If you don't plan properly though, it definitely won't happen.

[Mermaid Jaffa]

I'm sure I will be corrected if I'm wrong, but I believe she was referring to me.

The business proposal as it currently stands sounds like a little kid who wants to be a mermaid when she grows up. Oh, and there will be parties with mermaid cupcakes, balloons, and hair clips!

A lot of little kids want to be mermaids when they grow up. Some do it. Some don't. If you don't plan properly though, it definitely won't happen.

Yes. It seems that way. A whole bunch of ideas but no real plan.

She needs to outline every step and what/how she is going to achieve them. And saving up her own money for it.

You don't go up to strangers and ask for money, so why would you do it online with no real rewards.

[mermaidamathiea]

Yes. It seems that way. A whole bunch of ideas but no real plan.

She needs to outline every step and what/how she is going to achieve them. And saving up her own money for it.

You don't go up to strangers and ask for money, so why would you do it online with no real rewards.Thank you both for making me feel small and if this is what the community is like I want no part of it. I have not felt welcome at all since getting into the comnunity 4 years ago. I will be deactivating my acount.

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[Mermaid Jaffa]

Thank you both for making me feel small and if this is what the community is like I want no part of it. I have not felt welcome at all since getting into the comnunity 4 years ago. I will be deactivating my acount.

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See? There you go again, taking everything to heart. Talking it out, its called criticism.

You will come across it in every field of work. Suck it up! This is real life. You won't survive in the business world, (yes, even mermaiding as a job is considered a business world because, duh, you're running a business), if you're going to throw a tantrum and cry in the corner each time things don't go your way.

Learn to stand tall and learn from others. This is how you become a success.

[Mermaid Delphinidae]

I'm sure I will be corrected if I'm wrong, but I believe she was referring to me.

The business proposal as it currently stands sounds like a little kid who wants to be a mermaid when she grows up. Oh, and there will be parties with mermaid cupcakes, balloons, and hair clips!

A lot of little kids want to be mermaids when they grow up. Some do it. Some don't. If you don't plan properly though, it definitely won't happen.

I didn't want to come off as discouraging to her, but I totally agree with you. When it comes to any kind of "cool" job you see a lot of people who want to get right into the business without a plan and without knowing what they're doing. I think mermaiding is especially prone to this because it looks like one of those jobs that's based entirely on appearance, that all you need are some makeup skills and a nice silicone tail. But in reality, you need a lot of skills to be successful. And if you can't even take basic starting out advice while fundraising, are you going to be able to handle the demands and criticisms of paying customers? If you went to a job interview or applied for a business loan, it's up to YOU to explain why you can do this. Crowdfunding for a product or business is no different. Not many people are gonna give money to a stranger in exchange for nothing, especially in the mermaid community where most people wait a long time to save up to buy their own tails.

Even if I did want to give people money for mermaid businesses (and I don't) I'd only give it to someone if I were confident that they knew what they were doing. Otherwise it's just a waste of money, and if I'm gonna waste my money I'll waste it on myself, lol.

[Echidna]

Happened by and read the thread.
You guys weren't rude, you were giving realistic advice.

I really don't understand why many people who want to get into mermaiding start with asking others for money.
You want to be a mermaid, become one (that is on yourself) and then just do it. You will get mermaiding jobs.
Go forward from that.
Don't give me the "but I need to have a silicone tail first, someone give me the money please".
No, you don't need a silicone tail.
You don't become a mermaid because you have a fancy tail, you are a mermaid if you have all the skills to convince people you are the real deal.
You can do that in almost any kind of tail. And some are really cheap.

People who DO have experience know that.
Best of luck.

[tealmermaid]

I agree about seeing this a lot in the mermaid community. Becoming a mermaid is about maintaining the illusion of being a real mermaid (especially for kids), not the price tag on the tail. Work with what you have if you don't have the funds for a fancy tail. Fabric tails aren't expensive if you make them yourself.

Furthermore, getting into the mermaid business is not just having a tail and being able to swim in it. A good business plan spells out who you are, where you come from, why you are interested in this, how long have you been doing this, what supplies you have, and what do you plan to do with any incoming money:

Hi, I'm [Name]. I have a degree in [Subject] from [Whatever] University. My primary hobby is Mermaiding [insert explanation of mermaiding], and I have [however many] years' experience in this hobby. My skill list includes [these relevant abilities]. I also have experience in [related field such as modelling].

I am planning to start a business as a professional mermaid. However, I need funds for these items [include estimated cost of each item]:
* Tail, top, accessories, props (Note: Multiples would be good so they can dry out between uses).
* Promotional materials (web site including design, advertising, business cards, flyers, etc.).
* Travel expenses (Do you have a way to get to a gig? You have to pay for gas, insurance, & maintenance if you have a car. Do you have funds for a hotel if your gig isn't nearby?).
* Office space, rented storage for supplies if you have a lot of stuff.
* Any other expenses.

These supplies will total roughly [amount of your funding beg, hopefully].

[insert whatever rewards you are offering for donors -- with good, current photos]

Thank you for your support.

--------------
That said, you should be able to fund your own basic supplies such as a tail and accessories as a hobbyist. If not, you probably aren't financially ready to run a business.

(Apologies if this sounds preachy. I have run several small businesses of my own over the years with my own funds, so I'm trying to speak from my own experience on how this process normally works.)

[Mermaid Delphinidae]

Happened by and read the thread.
You guys weren't rude, you were giving realistic advice.

I really don't understand why many people who want to get into mermaiding start with asking others for money.
You want to be a mermaid, become one (that is on yourself) and then just do it. You will get mermaiding jobs.
Go forward from that.
Don't give me the "but I need to have a silicone tail first, someone give me the money please".
No, you don't need a silicone tail.
You don't become a mermaid because you have a fancy tail, you are a mermaid if you have all the skills to convince people you are the real deal.
You can do that in almost any kind of tail. And some are really cheap.

People who DO have experience know that.
Best of luck.

Well, it's hardly exclusive to mermaiding. A lot of people want to start businesses or create products without saving money or taking on the financial risk. (and I'm thinking, if you can't save up for or get a loan for a small amount of money, I'd question your ability to manage the finances of your business) There are also a lot of people who crowdfund businesses or products more as a way to gauge interest than anything else. But mermaid businesses aren't a new idea, plus they're localized so it really limits the base of interest. And as has been said, you need to treat your campaign like a serious business pitch.

And I second the tail thing. Someone who is skilled and talented in a FinFun clearance tail will be more successful than someone who doesn't know what she's doing in a silicone tail.

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Its like any job, skills are of far greater importance than image.

Its no point perfecting your image first, cos without those skills you can't sell yourself.

And when you can't sell yourself, the business fails. Its simple logic.

[Echidna]

Its like any job, skills are of far greater importance than image.



and here's the problem: too many aspiring mermaids do not understand they will need skills.
It's probably not even limited to inexperienced young people.

You can see comments like "what, THAT is a job? I'm gonna do that too, that's easy" under so many mermaid show videos.
And I mean show, not lounging in a pool and waving.
Stuff like Weeki Wachee, or one of the shows in Asia where a bunch of synchro swimmers performs choreographies in a depth of 5-10 metres.

There is a surprising number of clueless folks who think anything that looks easy and effortless, must be child's play for everyone.
Just look at how many "athletes" make fun of synchro swimming, or any kind of dancing, like ballet.
How it isn't a sport, etc. Not even realizing they themselves wouldn't able to do a single technique without breaking their leg, or drowning.

Hence the idea of "just gimme the outfit, and I'm good to go".

[Mermaid Delphinidae]

and here's the problem: too many aspiring mermaids do not understand they will need skills.
It's probably not even limited to inexperienced young people.

You can see comments like "what, THAT is a job? I'm gonna do that too, that's easy" under so many mermaid show videos.
And I mean show, not lounging in a pool and waving.
Stuff like Weeki Wachee, or one of the shows in Asia where a bunch of synchro swimmers performs choreographies in a depth of 5-10 metres.

There is a surprising number of clueless folks who think anything that looks easy and effortless, must be child's play for everyone.
Just look at how many "athletes" make fun of synchro swimming, or any kind of dancing, like ballet.
How it isn't a sport, etc. Not even realizing they themselves wouldn't able to do a single technique without breaking their leg, or drowning.

Hence the idea of "just gimme the outfit, and I'm good to go".

Since mermaiding is so niche, I wonder if a lot of people like that think that it will be really easy to get work since there isn't much competition in a lot of places.

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Since mermaiding is so niche, I wonder if a lot of people like that think that it will be really easy to get work since there isn't much competition in a lot of places.
They do. You'd be surprised how many actually think that. There's more to it than just swimming around and playing games with kids.

Many skills come into play. Planning, arranging the day, good communication, ability to interact with different levels of people, written communication must also be good. These are some of the skills I can think of that would be beneficial to a working mermaid.

If one goes into the fray without much thought or planning, those kids and their parents will eat you alive! If you can't handle this, then its better just to stick to being a recreational mermaid, where mermaiding is just for your own enjoyment.

[Mermaid Delphinidae]

They do. You'd be surprised how many actually think that. There's more to it than just swimming around and playing games with kids.

Many skills come into play. Planning, arranging the day, good communication, ability to interact with different levels of people, written communication must also be good. These are some of the skills I can think of that would be beneficial to a working mermaid.

If one goes into the fray without much thought or planning, those kids and their parents will eat you alive! If you can't handle this, then its better just to stick to being a recreational mermaid, where mermaiding is just for your own enjoyment.

Sometimes when people find out I do mermaiding, they suggest I do it professionally. And I think "hahahaha no". I have the looks and I have the (fabric) tail, but not much else. Just cause you can do something as a hobby doesn't mean you can make money from it, I'd be a horrible professional mermaid even if I had the most expensive silicone tail you can get. I'm guessing that a lot of the people who go into it without the knowledge get a lot of encouragement from people who also don't have the knowledge, feeds the ego a bit. I write as a hobby and I spend some time in online writing forums, I see the same thing there. (really, you see it in any creative hobby and any job that looks glamorous)

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Sometimes when people find out I do mermaiding, they suggest I do it professionally. And I think "hahahaha no". I have the looks and I have the (fabric) tail, but not much else. Just cause you can do something as a hobby doesn't mean you can make money from it, I'd be a horrible professional mermaid even if I had the most expensive silicone tail you can get. I'm guessing that a lot of the people who go into it without the knowledge get a lot of encouragement from people who also don't have the knowledge, feeds the ego a bit. I write as a hobby and I spend some time in online writing forums, I see the same thing there. (really, you see it in any creative hobby and any job that looks glamorous)

So yea, to all those wannabe mermaid professionals...

Think. Really think about. Do you have the skills and financial backing to do so AT YOUR OWN EXPENSE?

Because when it comes down to it, you're a nobody. Nobody knows who you are, you're not a famous nor well known mermaid. Everything you do has to be on your own steam. Noone is going to fund a nobody, especially one with no set goals in mind. Are you prepared to put everything and everyone on hold just to get your business going and making it successful?

Its not easy money, it is a lot of work. Don't go into it only thinking of the financial gain because it will reflect on the quality of you as a person. You need business skills as well as business sense. This way, if things fail, you can easily get back on your feet and get going again.

[Mermaid Delphinidae]

So yea, to all those wannabe mermaid professionals...

Think. Really think about. Do you have the skills and financial backing to do so AT YOUR OWN EXPENSE?

Because when it comes down to it, you're a nobody. Nobody knows who you are, you're not a famous nor well known mermaid. Everything you do has to be on your own steam. Noone is going to fund a nobody, especially one with no set goals in mind. Are you prepared to put everything and everyone on hold just to get your business going and making it successful?

Its not easy money, it is a lot of work. Don't go into it only thinking of the financial gain because it will reflect on the quality of you as a person. You need business skills as well as business sense. This way, if things fail, you can easily get back on your feet and get going again.

Yeah. And shoot, this doesn't just apply to mermaiding, it applies to any self-employment profession. Asking internet strangers for money when you're a beginner isn't likely to get you anywhere. Those successful professional mermaids you see, I guarantee you that they worked hard for YEARS to get where they are now. It's good to have a dream, but if it's something you really truly want, you should be willing to work for it, ya know?

[The Water Phoenix]

It's with great sadness that I learnt that my beloved grandad passed away in the early hours of this morning :cry: He left this world happy and calm and most of all, no longer in pain because he battled with bad circulation in his legs for ever. He was scheduled to be released from hospital tomorrow, after undergoing a leg amputation and subsequently recovering well. I just don't know what happened, because the operation went smoothly :cry: The nice thing is that my grandad was able to see me get my pilot's licence, and before he left this world he found his father's Air Force wings badge, and he wanted me to have it. He was so happy and supportive of my strive to become an pilot and he was so supportive, despite living on the other side of the world. I've known my grandad my whole life and I'm 18, but it feels like I haven't known him for long enough :cry:

[PearlieMae]

I am so sorry for your loss. I'm happy that he got to see you achieve your license and it was a lovely gift for him to gift you with a family heirloom. He will live on in your heart always. I hope he rests in peace.
:hug:

[SirenGita]

Im sorry hun. Grandparents are so special. In my family i only talk to my grandma as my grandpa passed when i was in high school. Without my grandparents unconditional love i would not be here today!

Yours sounds like he played a huge role in your life too. Best wishes and sending love <3

[AniaR]

I'm sorry, my step grandpa died this week and my grandma died the week before! lots of people leaving this world right now

[MissLunaBelle]

I'm hella pissed off right now. I do me and if I dont need to involve others, I dont. Recently, I've been under the scrutinizing eye of my extended family. Usually I dont give a flying fish, but the gossip and talking behind my back is getting INSANE. I've been used primarily as a target against my immediate family from the extended family. Simply stated, my dad, his brother, and two sisters are in a huge fight and I keep getting brought up as the "family failure". Why, might you ask? Because I did an "implied topless" shoot and because I'm pagan/wiccan. I usually dont let it get to me, but the two things I absolutely love are falling under attack and it's really dragging me down. More backstory~ after some college I enlisted in the USMC. I did a fair amount of time, but due to a severe mental health crisis, I had to get out. I turned to mermaiding as a coping mechanism and its helped me gods only know how much.. it saved my life at least once. It was shortly after beginning my mermaid career that I turned to a combination of paganism and wicca as I found even more comfort in that vs the religion I was brought up in. I've been improving daily ever since my discharge, holding steady and equally impressive jobs, becoming more tolerant of my body and my self image, and I figured if I'm comfortable, why not try a shoot that empowers me? Plus, it's not like anything explicit can be seen anyway. But someone in the extended family found the image on my personal Instagram and took offense to it. And now I'm the "disgusting whore" that "doesnt believe in (their) god" and I'm "going to hell". I wouldn't let this bother me, but I'm at a low point right now, struggling to balance school with a full time and part time job, as well as trying to not let my inner demons return. I'm going through the grieving process as I just lost two of my very close residents (I'm a CNA) and one of my school mates all in the same day. The last thing I needed was this bull from the family. I'm just really upset right now and needed a safe place to rant. 43663

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[SirenGita]

Hugs! My family treats me like that too. I'm "the satanist druggy" because I'm HINDU and have to use medical cannabis for my extreme pain conditions!

You're not alone, and you are not bad just because you found a different path!!

Also, that's a gorgeous picture <3 i really like the way the lighting came out and the high level of contrast in the composition ^_^

[Azurin Luna]

*hugs both* Sorry to hear that your own family has the guts to think badly about you. You are wonderful people, never forget that

I really love the picture

[SirenGita]

Aww thank you but that's water under my bridge a long time. I'm also technically a bastard, which is actually the real reason my parents both hate me. Its sad bc i have almost no connection or ties to my huge family but... I've made a much better one ^_^

[Naiadele]

I'm hella pissed off right now. I do me and if I dont need to involve others, I dont. Recently, I've been under the scrutinizing eye of my extended family. Usually I dont give a flying fish, but the gossip and talking behind my back is getting INSANE. I've been used primarily as a target against my immediate family from the extended family. Simply stated, my dad, his brother, and two sisters are in a huge fight and I keep getting brought up as the "family failure". Why, might you ask? Because I did an "implied topless" shoot and because I'm pagan/wiccan. I usually dont let it get to me, but the two things I absolutely love are falling under attack and it's really dragging me down. More backstory~ after some college I enlisted in the USMC. I did a fair amount of time, but due to a severe mental health crisis, I had to get out. I turned to mermaiding as a coping mechanism and its helped me gods only know how much.. it saved my life at least once. It was shortly after beginning my mermaid career that I turned to a combination of paganism and wicca as I found even more comfort in that vs the religion I was brought up in. I've been improving daily ever since my discharge, holding steady and equally impressive jobs, becoming more tolerant of my body and my self image, and I figured if I'm comfortable, why not try a shoot that empowers me? Plus, it's not like anything explicit can be seen anyway. But someone in the extended family found the image on my personal Instagram and took offense to it. And now I'm the "disgusting whore" that "doesnt believe in (their) god" and I'm "going to hell". I wouldn't let this bother me, but I'm at a low point right now, struggling to balance school with a full time and part time job, as well as trying to not let my inner demons return. I'm going through the grieving process as I just lost two of my very close residents (I'm a CNA) and one of my school mates all in the same day. The last thing I needed was this bull from the family. I'm just really upset right now and needed a safe place to rant. 43663

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OMG that sounds so rough! Don’t let it get you down, you should be so proud of all those things you are doing!
If someone thinks it’s ok to tell you that you’re going to hell for not believing the same thing as them, they are the one with the problem. And that photo is not even remotely slutty, it is beautiful and artistic! It’s only showing your back which is something that would be seen when mermaiding normally!


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[Imbrielle]

Don’t hate me for this, but if I see one more video of a mermaid blowing kisses I’m literally going to throw up lol.
Btw I think Luna’s photo is gorgeous

[Echidna]

Don’t hate me for this, but if I see one more video of a mermaid blowing kisses I’m literally going to throw up lol.


:lol:
I can so relate.
However, if you're doing some kind of show, sometimes you're starved for ideas what to do.
And smiling, waving and kissblowing is so much easier than other things, not to mention it might go down easier than menacing snarls or gestures :rotfl:

[SirenGita]

When you finally use your monofin, love it, and then somehow blow out discs in your back (based on my symptoms, omggggg)

[deepblue]

I'm convinced some of y'all are really good with mermaid wishes due to the fact that so many mers post videos of themselves in gym pools but they are THE ONLY ONES IN THE POOL. Or at least the only ones on camera. My bitching about that isn't at them, it's at the chronically crowded state of public/gym pools where I am. Seriously. I need some of that fairy dust you all must be sprinkling in your pool's water.

[Mermaid Vee]

Coming back from Hawaii my tail bag (with the tail inside) disappeared.... I am so pissed and scared. Its a Merbellas and i was wondering if anyone has tips for what i can do. i have already filed a missing bag report with the airline but i have to wait until the wednesday to file a repot if they have not found it.

the worst thing is that it says it arrives at the baggage claim, i didn't see it even though i was the first person there and it didn't show ups at oversized (where it usually come out) so i don't know where it could be...

[the.tattooed.mermaid78]

Coming back from Hawaii my tail bag (with the tail inside) disappeared.... I am so pissed and scared. Its a Merbellas and i was wondering if anyone has tips for what i can do. i have already filed a missing bag report with the airline but i have to wait until the wednesday to file a repot if they have not found it.

the worst thing is that it says it arrives at the baggage claim, i didn't see it even though i was the first person there and it didn't show ups at oversized (where it usually come out) so i don't know where it could be...Omg I cant believe its lost. A couple things could have happened dont panic just yet, (I'm saying dont panic, I would have been crying my eyes out and screaming like a mad woman) I'll be hoping it comes back to you. Keep us updated


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[Merman Dan]

Don’t hate me for this, but if I see one more video of a mermaid blowing kisses I’m literally going to throw up lol.
Better? :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8x-NXdLZV1g

[LunaRose]

When you finally can pull your monofin out of storage (linden) and the bags all ripped up and the tips are chewed to heck ... #livingwithpets43702

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[Mermaid Delphinidae]

I'm convinced some of y'all are really good with mermaid wishes due to the fact that so many mers post videos of themselves in gym pools but they are THE ONLY ONES IN THE POOL. Or at least the only ones on camera. My bitching about that isn't at them, it's at the chronically crowded state of public/gym pools where I am. Seriously. I need some of that fairy dust you all must be sprinkling in your pool's water.

Maybe they go on days and times when there aren't many people. That's how I do it, anyway.

[Trade Winds]

Today I saw a girl swimming in what I am pretty sure is a knockoff tail...without a monofin. Ok cool, kid, you can get around the pool in a tail and no fin with your kick. Still made me a bit concerned. She also struggled to get the tail on far from the pool edge, and DRAGGED herself to the water.What kills me is she had TWO knockoff tails...and the kids flocked to her. Like hello what about me in my good, expensive tail? She kept trying to stealthily swim around us but never said a word.

[Lucien]

Today I saw a girl swimming in what I am pretty sure is a knockoff tail...without a monofin. Ok cool, kid, you can get around the pool in a tail and no fin with your kick. Still made me a bit concerned. She also struggled to get the tail on far from the pool edge, and DRAGGED herself to the water.What kills me is she had TWO knockoff tails...and the kids flocked to her. Like hello what about me in my good, expensive tail? She kept trying to stealthily swim around us but never said a word.

A girl about 12-14 showed up at my pool the other day (I’m a lifeguard). Her mother proceeds to tell me (while laughing about it) that she can’t swim. And then not ten minutes later, the kid is putting on a knockoff tail with no monofin. I don’t understaaaand why people doooo that.

[Azurin Luna]

Do they seriously have no clue how dangerous that is? *shakes her head and sighs*

[swordwhale]

;) I hear your pain. Yeah yeah we have more time and experience, but we might not have the same experience. I know plenty of young people who are friggin brilliant. But I also occasionally get that same sort of condescending thing from them...

so bottom line is you never know what someone might know...

Once in a martial arts class, the sensei asked a question... even the black belts stood around going...eh...uh.... then a kid with a white belt answered it. "See, you can learn something from a white belt..."