YOUR FIRST TAIL?

[Mermaid Lohgan]

Hello,

I'm Nish, a bit new to the community, and was very interested towards the rest of the Merfolk that dwell within the forums. You see, my fins haven't grown out yet and I am very anxious to get them in! I was wondering very curiously, what was your first tail like? Here's a little question meme to fill out to make it easier to answer:



What did it look like? Do you have a picture?
What was it made out of?
When did you get/make it?
What inspired the look?/Why did you choose the look?
How often did you swim in it?
What waters did you swim with it? (ie: Lakes, Ocean, Rivers, Pool?)
What were people's reactions?
What was the monofin you used?
What were some malfunctions/problems/tune-ups?
Do you still use it?
If not, Where is it now?


I hope you could freely and honestly answer these questions, I would love to get an idea of what it's going to be like when my tail grows in! Thank you so much!

:$

*Mermaid Kisses!~*

~Nish

[Mermaid Fenicia]

What did it look like? Do you have a picture? my list of tails (http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?1389-SHoW-Us-YoUR-TaiLS-THReAd!!!&p=27588#post27588) ;)
What was it made out of? all of them are made in fabric.
When did you get/make it? a very long time ago.
What inspired the look?/Why did you choose the look? I don't know any more.
How often did you swim in it? As possible that I can,but as I'm not aloud to swim in a tail in our local pool, I only use my monofin to practice.
What waters did you swim with it? (ie: Lakes, Ocean, Rivers, Pool?): pool
What were people's reactions? grown-ups => you are to fat to be a mermaid, children => wow
What was the monofin you used? Wave from Finis and Sport from Leatherfin (only black tail and practice)
What were some malfunctions/problems/tune-ups? none
Do you still use it? some of them
If not, Where is it now? hang on my rack together with the tails I still use

[Mermaid Saphira]

1. My tail is dark blue with a dolphin cut monofin.
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2. My tail is made of fabric.
3. I got my tail maybe little over a year ago.
4. I love the color of blue, and the dolphin shape is one of my favorites.
5. I try to swim in it very often, but my sources are limited.
6. The pool and the ocean.
7. People are very intrigued by my tail. Adults will ask me where I got my tail and childeren will stare in wonder.
8. My monofin is a finis wave monofin, but it has been cut into a dolphin shape.
9. The tail has started to rip a bit and discolor.
10. I do still use it!

[Ilonka]

My first tail had two different paintjobs!
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It also has a small tattered dorsal fin that I recently added

My tail is made of neoprene and special fx latex

I made my tail myself about a month ago

I loved the shape of the fluke that one of the mertailors first tails had, I really wanted one like it so I made it !

So far iv swam in it three times and worn it four times, I use my tail for modeling.

Iv swam in a pool twice and in the sea once, the first photo was in a live reef in Puerto Rico.

People really stop to stare, and since I'm the first mermaid in Puerto Rico I'm going to be on tv!

I have a finis rapid which I has to modify cuz it was kinda big on me. It's also cut to fit the shape of my fluke

It floated really bad when I first tested it so I had to cut out allot of neoprene, also my butt showed when I would swim so I added a belt to keep the opening of the hips snug.

Of course I use it, its brand new!

[Mermaid Caidence]

1. It was normal gold fabric. http://i1107.photobucket.com/albums/h387/_Caitey_/My%20Mermaid%20Tail/DSCN0511.jpg
2. It was made out of normal lycra fabric.
3. I made it when I was 9.
4.I chose the fabric because that was what was available.
5. Atleast everyweek.
6. pool
7. The little kids were like: Woah a mermaid
8. finis shark monofin
9. The heel fabric starting going thin.
10. no
11. I'm about to sell the monofin, and the tail is in a chest of mermaid fabric and other tails.

[Mermaid Dottie]

Some grown-ups are pigs.

[Neria]

It was a glittery green fabric tail. I do have pictures but for some reason I can't download them onto mernetwork. It says they are too big :(

Fabric.

I got it two years ago from mermagica.

I chose the color because... well I just thought it was pretty. It was actually prettier and a bit bluer on the website, so I was a bit disapointed when it arrived and was much greener than I thought. But I grew to actually love the green color.

All the time. Every day.

Our pool.

Well, not many people saw me because I was just swimming in our backyard. But my family and friends all just thought it was super cool.

I had to get the rapid because of my big feet :p

The fabric in the heels wore down, the sides became unsewed, it became really big and stetched out, the color faded, the fabric somehow got all crusty (I have no idea how) and it started to smell like mildew. It really was a great tail though! It just got really worn down after so many uses. It is retired now :p It is unswimmable but I just can't bring myself to throw it away.

No. Like I said, it is retired.

It is in my backyard... it is so gross and full of bugs that I don't want to bring it inside. Plus I just don't have a place for it inside.

[Bellasea]

Purple Glittery 3960
fabric
This past June from mermaid parties
I love purple!
At least once a week
Lake Michigan mostly
Mostly stares. Once there was this one group of girls, being all like omg! she's a mermaid. Another girl was at the beach wiht her grandma who recorded us as we talked. it was sweet!
A Mermaid Parties custom made
The monofin, is comming apart, but I think i habe it fixed now
Yeppers!

[Mermaid Momo]

dark purple with a tattered fluke
some horrible un stretchy material XD
about 5th (6 years ago)
i was using the design that you mostly saw on youtube in those days (seriously, almost every tail had the same tattered fluke that trailed)
i swam in it once but since it wasn't stretchy, it was really hard to use and i couldn't afford a monofin so it was extra hard to swim in XD but it was still the most magical experience in my life (so far)
pool
my family all thought i was bonkers
none
wasn't stretchy, very hot,no monofin
nope
the garbage.i have kept a small swatch of the fabric for the memory though.

[LittleTreasure]

What did it look like? Do you have a picture?
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It was made of swimwear fabrics.

I made it last summer.

I chose the look because as I was searching for mermaidy fabrics to use, there just weren't many that caught my eye until I saw this one. And I think it fits with a facet of my personality that I want to express - the childlike part of me who wants to be free to play and frolic. I thought the pink was adorable.

I only got to swim in it twice last summer, because it took a while for me to make due to life getting in the way, but I swim in it more often now.

I've only used it in my family's pool. I'm afraid the dirty water from our local lake could damage it more, but I may be wrong.

Well, I'm pretty shy about wearing my tail, so only family and a couple of close friends have seen it. My best reaction was from a friend: "this is AWESOME!" and "I've never swam with a mermaid before so this is pretty interesting!" The worst reaction: "Are you serious?"

I use a sanded Finis Wave with my tail (see the first picture) but I would really like to make a custom monofin for this tail to make it easier to swim in.

When I first made the tail I hadn't made the side fins. I had originally made it to fit my hips, but it was hard to keep up on me, and after I sanded my monofin down I had enough room to get it up higher, so I had to cinch it in a bit which caused the 'elastic waist' look but eh, I can live with that. It is also just a lot of fabric, which causes a LOT of drag. :( I can go way faster with just my monofin which is how I'd prefer to be. I really want to make a custom monofin for mine. My top also likes to flop around everywhere and some beads fell off of it so I'm rethinking that idea. ALSO: this ridiculous fabric that I chose LEACHES pink dye when it's submerged in even lukewarm water :doh: so I've gotta be in cold water.

I still use my tail, because it's the only one I have! I love it despite all its issues. Although I am dreaming of making a new tail when I get the money for it, that is very different from this one.

[Mermaid Star]

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/307238_164435326981625_562412319_n.jpg




What did it look like? My first tail was a test tail for my latex tail that I made and was just a plain straight blue. Do you have a picture? Picture shown above
What was it made out of? It was made with a bathing suit material
When did you get/make it? I made it in 2011
What inspired the look?/Why did you choose the look? I liked the full fluke look. My latex tail was to be simple so the design for the test tail was simple as well
How often did you swim in it? I didn't swim in it often as I made a second test with new measurements.
What waters did you swim with it? (ie: Lakes, Ocean, Rivers, Pool?) I swam in the pool with this particular tail. The second test tail visited the pool, the springs and the ocean!
What were people's reactions? Mostly people were interested in taking pictures with me and asking me questions about where to get tails for them selves.
What was the monofin you used? I used (and still do use) a Finis Wave
What were some malfunctions/problems/tune-ups? The main issue with my first tail was sizing. It was too big and the color didn't thrill me. So I made a new one. I will how ever be adjusting this one for more swims as my second test tail is wearing out and needs to be replaced.
Do you still use it? I do not currently use it, but I can. I usually keep it for others that might want to try swimming in a tail
If not, Where is it now? My tail is currently in a bag with my other tail. It is just my preference that I use my second tail as it has a more athletically pleasing fabric (IMO)

[Mermarie]

Ps: keep in mind that I have ordered my tail, but it hasnt arrived yet ;)



What did it look like? Do you have a picture?Im on my iPad but theres a pic on my profile. Its pink and purple!
What was it made out of? Fabric, hehe ;)
When did you get/make it? I ordered it off of magictail.de 2 days ago, but I live close to Germany, so it should be here soon! :DD
What inspired the look?/Why did you choose the look? I really dont know actually, I was originally going for blue, but I felt this awful regret so I just went with pink, its stunning :)
How often did you swim in it? Well, I will be bringing it to my italy vacation where I will be for 2 weeks, so hopefully its here by then, but regularly I cant swim that much in it cuz I dont have a pool, only a public one :/
What waters did you swim with it? (ie: Lakes, Ocean, Rivers, Pool?) Haha only pools I think, anything else would be too freezy, I am not a very warm person :(
What were people's reactions? I think kids will walk up to me and be all adorable and people will take pictures, cuz heck, everyone takes pics here in norway xD
What was the monofin you used? The one that comes with it :)
What were some malfunctions/problems/tune-ups?nothing, hopefully!
Do you still use it? Haha, yeah!
If not, Where is it now? In the mail :)



I hope you could freely and honestly answer these questions, I would love to get an idea of what it's going to be like when my tail grows in! Thank you so much!

[Seachelle]

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What was it made out of? Purple Fabric
When did you get/make it? I bought it from Mermagica at the beginning of the summer.
What inspired the look?/Why did you choose the look? I try to add little things to the outfit. I had been swimming for years and always loved mermaids so I finally got a tail ^_^
How often did you swim in it? As much as possible!
What waters did you swim with it? (ie: Lakes, Ocean, Rivers, Pool?) So far I've only worn it in pools, soon my cousin that is a lifeguard and professional diver is going to take me with her to practice swimming in a lake then the ocean once she is convinced I can swim in it for a long amount of time without getting overly tired.
What were people's reactions? The children and adults that see me in it at the public pools are always amazed.
What were some malfunctions/problems/tune-ups? I got the shoe size that I wear in a monofin but it tends to get lose and slip off of my heels.

[Mermaid Lohgan]

This is sooo cool! I've read every single one of your responses to this. I hope to get more soon! I love reading about Mer's tails! They're so lovely. I love the vibrant colours you all have!

[MerAnthony]

Well lets see. My first tail it is blue, light blue an tye dye effect. It is made out of swimsit fabric. I got started because of a few mermaids that I know on Facebook an they sortof got me hooked you might say. I wanted something different than you normal look but also to contrast with the water. I swim when ever I can. There are not to many places that I can swim in my tail, but I do when I have the opertunity in lakes around when I live. The reactions I get are mixed. But there was the first time I swam in my tail and when I was swimming I heard a life guard say ( LOOK AT THE MERMAID ) an she pointed towards me . Well then I heard a little boy say (LOOK MOM HE'S REAL ). He was about between 7 to 10 years of age . I laughed so hard I thought I was going to pee myself. Well he and the mother came over an they started to ask me all types of questions (I tried to answer the best I can). An the OOOOO's an AAHHHHH's I got were fantastic. The monofin I have is home made. I did a lot of reading and research and how to's and looked and looked for all the information that I could find before I even tried to put it together. I still swim in it and I still get alot of fantastic reactions to it an people still come over and ask me all the time where I got it and how much, an I tell them all the time that I made it and I give them places on where they can buy them or tell them that they can make there own and where to find the information.4880

[Ayla of Duluth]

I've ordered my tail from Mermaid Raven, once I send her the last thousand dollars she'll start making it, until then I thought it might be fun to participate.


What did it look like? Do you have a picture? Its a white tail with purple and pink spots that will blend out with the white base, the left and right sides will be lined with black seams and spikes, like Raven's orange and white tail, the fluke will be trimmed with black, and it will fade from purple to pink to white, and there will be a glitter overcoat on the whole thing. here's a rough sketch I sent to her: 4884
What was it made out of? Its made out of platinum cure Dragonskin silicone [I think that's what it's called...] and a finis monofin. The one that's not a competitor. Seriously, the competitor and the foil are the only distincive ones. Maybe it's a rapid...Its the yellow one with the ridges. :s
When did you get/make it? Ordered it last month, i'll send her the rest of the money on the 1st or 2nd of august, and i'll be getting it in october I believe.
What inspired the look?/Why did you choose the look? That's a hard question to answer. I guess I was trying to find colors that you don't see a lot of in tails, also colors that go good together. i knew i always wanted a white glittery tail, so I started with that. My favorite color is black, and I liked Raven's spiney things on her orange tail, so I put those in as well. I also figured the black color would hide the side seams, if there were any. Then I added pink and purple because they go well with black and white, and I once made a bracelet out of those colors that was really beautiful. I didn't know I had that much talent. :)
How often did you swim in it? I plan on swimming with it in the summer when I don't work, maybe weekends. I'll do what's called a "Suprise appearance," where I'll lay on the beach and meet kids and hand out business cards to promote myself. No one will know when I'll be down at the beach, hence why its a suprise appearance.
What waters did you swim with it? (ie: Lakes, Ocean, Rivers, Pool?) I plan on swimming in the lake, its freshwater and rather sparkly clean. The rocks help pull all the gunk out of the water and down to the bottom of the lake. I also plan on swimming at local motels, such as the Radisson, because their pool is the deepest I've seen for a public pool, and you don't need a key to get in it. Also, they're extremely accomodating, my school was able to hold a prom there for free.
What were people's reactions? I imagine they'll be fascinated. I can't imagine any of the people here having a negative reaction, maybe some teenage boys might shout some random vulgarity from across the parking lot, but no one ever pays attention to haters around here.
What was the monofin you used? I think its a rapid...The yellow one with the ridges on the middle. I wanted her floppy fluke look.
What were some malfunctions/problems/tune-ups? none yet, hopefully I won't need to do any.
Do you still use it? I plan on using it for a long time to come
If not, Where is it now? Hasn't been made yet. :P but when it's seen the last of its days, I might hand it down to someone.

[Mermaid Lohgan]

Oh! I can't wait to see your tail fully done! I wish I had the money for one of her tails. Did you do a lot of saving?

[Ayla of Duluth]

I tried saving, but I wasn't getting anywhere. I also tried fundraising, and only one person donated money. My parents felt bad because even with my carriage job, I wasn't going to earn enough money that year for one. So they footed the bill for me. :)

[Mermaid Celissa]

I'm new too :P



What did it look like? Do you have a picture? It's blue and sparkly, don't have a picture
What was it made out of? Lycra, I think?
When did you get/make it? I got it from Fin Fun on Ebay
What inspired the look?/Why did you choose the look? Blue is my favorite color, so...:P
How often did you swim in it? All the time, even in winter!
What waters did you swim with it? (ie: Lakes, Ocean, Rivers, Pool? My in-ground pool, and a deep bathtub (not really swimming there)
What were people's reactions? "Aren't you a little old to pretend to be a mermaid?" "No."
What was the monofin you used? Fin Fun doesn't provide monofins
What were some malfunctions/problems/tune-ups? Well, it stretches too easy, and due to the lack of a monofin, the fabric in the back drags
Do you still use it? No, I'm giving it away. I have a Magictail now
If not, Where is it now? ​In my bedroom, on my bed

[Merman_Shawn]

What did it look like? Do you have a picture?My first one disintegrated,and no pictures. However I made this a few years ago for Halloween 4926
What was it made out of? Iridescent lame` and Scale print spandex.
When did you get/make it? 2007?
What inspired the look?/Why did you choose the look? I needed to convey Mer-folk, but I still needed to be able to walk and run the streets of Hollywood.
How often did you swim in it? Never.
What waters did you swim with it? (ie: Lakes, Ocean, Rivers, Pool?) Does the washing machine count? lol
What were people's reactions? <3
What was the monofin you used? N/A
What were some malfunctions/problems/tune-ups? Ripped seams(a good double stitch fixed that though.).
Do you still use it? No.
If not, Where is it now? In pieces. I dismantled them, used them to pattern a different pair of pants.

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

4927

1. What did it look like? Do you have a picture?

It was a faintly lavender with oil-spill iridescent and a paisley design that I thought looked scale like. It was technically just a skirt with fins wrapped around my feet so I could go trick or treating. I don't have a picture of me wearing it, but I did dig it out and take a picture of me holding it.

2. What was it made out of?

Fabric from the fabric store.

3. When did you get/make it?

It was made for one of my earlier Halloween costumes... maybe when I was 7, perhaps. My mom did the making with a pattern (I think from Simplicity)

4. What inspired the look?/Why did you choose the look?

I wanted something shiny and I've always liked purple, and the overall look was inspired by King Triton (I had a burger king crown and a devil's pitchfork that my dad spraypainted gold so that they'd look more regal and trident-like, respectively).

5. How often did you swim in it?

Never... it's not a swimmable tail, just a walking one.

6. What waters did you swim with it? (ie: Lakes, Ocean, Rivers, Pool?)

Again, none... though it might've rained that Halloween... it was so long ago I can't recall.

7. What were people's reactions?

"Oh, look at you, aren't you cute, are you a mermaid-man? Here, have some candy!"

8. What was the monofin you used?

No monofin, just the fabric layered and stitched following the directions of the pattern to make the fins.

9. What were some malfunctions/problems/tune-ups?

Parts of the design have faded. No other problems.

10. Do you still use it?

For GLBT nite at one of the local bars, there was a birthday for one of the drag queens, and she suggested that everyone else come in dressed as a lady while he remained in his male alter-ego that night. I came as "What happens when you kiss too many frogs" and basically wore the tail (around my knees, since I am much taller now), a pair of wings from my sprite costume, a butterfly mardi gras mask, a snarky "Your shirt may say princess but your face says troll" t-shirt from Hot topic and a magic wand, along with false breasts made by bunching up a pair of t-shirts in rubber bands and sticking them in a gym backpack worn under my shirt... they weren't the most stable of falsies, but eh, it looked good momentarily. Otherwise, there hasn't really been much reason to wear it.

11. If not, Where is it now?

I mostly keep it in my halloween costume chest/closet.

[Mermaid Lohgan]

OMG Merman Shawn! I'm so digging that look!

and welcome Mermaid Abby! How is the Magictail working for you now?

Joy&Raptors, . . . hey, we all have to start somewhere right? The colouring is awesome though! Will you have that same colour for a swimmable tail?

[Mermaid Lei Loni]

What did it look like? Do you have a picture? My very first tail was black, with tiny scale-like iridescent sparkles. :) There's a picture on my profile page. It's the one without the coral fins. It had a cut fluke, that I had a TON of problems with because it wasn't cut very well. I ended up having to sand the fin down and cover it with duct tape. :)
What was it made out of? Spandex swim materials.
When did you get/make it? I purchased this tail from the2tails.com. My first handmade tail is also black, but has coral colored organza fins running from the tail tips to my knees. I also hand sewed on sequins to the organza too.
What inspired the look?/Why did you choose the look? I honestly just bought the tail because I liked it, and it was relatively inexpensive. I mainly used it to "work out" in. I chose black because I'm plus-sized, and it helped slim the look down a little bit. I loved the cut monofin look too (even though it had a ton of problems).
How often did you swim in it? Before I had to "retire" the fabric of the tail because it was wearing thin, I probably logged in 120 hours of swim time in 2 months. I would swim 3-4 times a week for 2-3 hours each time.
What waters did you swim with it? (ie: Lakes, Ocean, Rivers, Pool?) Swimming pools. I live in the desert, so there really aren't any lakes or rivers that are swimmable nearby.
What were people's reactions? There aren't a lot of mermaids in Utah, so the people that I run into love it. I get a ton of compliments, and even more curious children following me around the pool. To be honest, I was a little afraid to do it at first, being plus-sized I didn't want to come off as a "whale" (even though I think whales are beautiful and majestic animals). But quite the opposite happened, and I've had no negative comments from parents or children. In fact, I had a lot of people ask me if I hired myself out for events and parties...so as a result I started a small business.
What was the monofin you used? Finis Rapid. It was cut to have a mermaid fluke shape.
What were some malfunctions/problems/tune-ups? Oh boy. I learned sooo much about how a monofin works in this tail. I have a full monofin now (with the fabric cut to a fluke shape), and I noticed that with the cut fin, I couldn't move or maneuver as well as I can with a full fin. The fabric had a decent life to it (and I wore it a lot, and really beat it up), but it was too thin. I would always have to have my mertender adjust the fabric at the bottom of my fin so that the fluke would fit properly. And since the cut edges were sharp (it came to me that way) it tore holes through the fabric at the bottom. I was always having to stitch up my tail. There were also sizing problems. Swimming that much did make me lose quite a bit of weight, so the tail became too big, and it stretched out. The very last swim I had in it, I swear I was wearing a balloon or a pillowcase. It looked awful. :)
Do you still use it? I use the monofin, but I made quite a few alterations to it. It has a new skin over it, that looks similar, but I jazzed up the design a little, added some color, and took the thing in so it fits me properly! :)
If not, Where is it now? The jazzed up version is in storage, I mainly use it for events. I kept a piece of fabric from the old skin for memory's sake, but the rest I threw away. It was becoming threadbare and had holes all over it, so there wasn't anything to salvage.

[~Molly~]

holy sea cow merman shawn!!! aside from the print on your pants - did you raid my wardrobe from my high school years!! rock on! :)

[Mermaid Lohgan]

What waters did you swim with it? (ie: Lakes, Ocean, Rivers, Pool?) Swimming pools. I live in the desert, so there really aren't any lakes or rivers that are swimmable nearby.

Ah!~ The Desert. . . I'm stuck in Nevada and I don't trust Lake Mead. . . Us Desert mermaids must stick together and join the hunt for swimmable waters!
On the flip side, it's amazing what you learn from malfunctions of your tail. That's great that you were able to grasp all that. I feel like you have a little 'fin' expertise now. :) And that's really cool that you got to start you own business from it! That's fantastic!

[Mermaid Lei Loni]

I feel like you have a little 'fin' expertise now. :) And that's really cool that you got to start you own business from it! That's fantastic!

Thank you! I don't know that I'm any "fin" expert, but I sure did learn a ton about how they work! :)

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

Joy&Raptors, . . . hey, we all have to start somewhere right? The colouring is awesome though! Will you have that same colour for a swimmable tail?

I like the shimmery iridescence, but I'm thinking of going with something white and shimmery for my first swimmable tail. If foxmoon productions is still open, I'm considering their "white sparkle dot" mer-terial: http://www.merfolktails.com/Sparkle%20White.gif