Medical technology Mermaid, what would you do if viable technology existed?

[blenny]

Become a mermaid permanently and never look back
Become a mermaid for 2 week vacations, then change back.
Become a mermaid once for the experience
Limit my mermaid experience to a costume tail
Just watch other mermaid experiences on YouTube

[Prince Calypso]

If i was like a combination of the mermaids from Pirates of the Caribbean and The ones from Lost Voices by Sarah Porter
I would happily be a mermaid and never look back. its actually always been my dream to actually become a mermaids
If i could have the traits of the POC mermaids to consciously decided to be human when out of water along with the Eternal youth and eerie beauty of the mermaids from Lost voices that would be the perfect life for me.

[Echidna]

Chose the first option because I had fantasized about this already when I was a child, BUT

it obviously would depend on a lot of factors if this were to become real.
Merely to have the ability to live underwater is only the beginning;
the following things would have to be known factors for me to make the decision:

1. Would there be a sheltered (think marine park) environment for the mers to live in/ sleep and rest, safe from dangers?
2. What would they eat? I'm mostly a vegetarian. Maybe some seaweed-field to work on, and make meals from those?
3. Free swimming in the ocean would be fraught with dangers (ships, fishing nets, marine predators, overzealous spearfisher dudes),
how would we protect ourselves?
4. Would there be some sort of underwater city with facilities for (example) testing the water quality regularly?
Pollution is a great danger in the sea.
You wouldn't want to "just swim there like a fish" when you have no idea whether the water is actually making you ill because of toxic waste and the like.

There's probably a lot more, but those are things I'd like to know before actually committing to a life-long medical change.

[blenny]

Yeah I would imagine if you really tried to live in the ocean as a permanent mermaid you probably wouldn't last long due to dangers and pollution. You might have to live some land based existence in a tank with assistance from trusted friends or spouse.

[Mermaid Varshana]

I had an Animal Parasitology course. You wouldn't BELIEVE the obscene parasite load that most aquatic animals carry. Two week vacation thanks.

[MerAnthony]

I don't think I would mind being a merman an not look back. But it would have it's pluses an minuses to go along with it.

[Mermaid Dottie]

Once. Just once, before the end. I would totally be okay as an 80-year-old, with a mermaid tail and dying that way.
Mostly, though, I just like my costume.

[SeaGlass Siren]

speaking of which, If I die young in a sudden freak accident I'd want to have a burial at sea in my mermaid tail.

Anyway, kakarotte, there's a lotta parasites everywhere. Lol..

[Echidna]

Anyway, kakarotte, there's a lotta parasites everywhere.

^this.
You might right now be carrying hundreds or thousands of parasites and not even know it :p

That said, I can imagine what you're referring to, I've taken quite a few marine biology classes dealing with fish parasites (ewww)
but then you have to realize fish are screwed when something parasitic attaches to them, even if it's just a lamprey or the like, because they have no hands to pull them off.

I'd give lampreys and other sods the same treatment I give to ticks right now.
Parasites are about the only animals I can't stand.

[Mermaid Varshana]

There are lots of parasites everywhere, and then there's a whale autopsy technician pulling lungworms out of a dead dolphin's lungs for 3 hours and still not getting them all. There are lots of parasites everywhere, and there's a 30 meter long nematode found in the uterus of a sperm whale. And that's probably not what killed them, because that kind of parasite load plus worms in every other crevice including sinuses is pretty normal in a water animal.

[Echidna]

there's a 30 meter long nematode found in the uterus of a sperm whale.

Nematodes usually are in the millimetre range.
I know there is one reference to a giant nematode (placentonema gigantisma) allegedly found in a sperm whale's placenta, which was supposedly 8 metres long.
Not sure if I buy that tbh.
However, parasites are pretty gross and dangerous, or even deadly, whatever their size.
In fact, most of the deadliest are also the smallest.

[Blondie]

I'm the kind of person who respects the art of mermaiding. The creation of tails, the myth, the community.

I personally don't think mermaids are "real". I think it's a wonderful myth to believe in and have fun with though.

[Mermaid Kelda]

I don't think anyone's saying they're real. It's more, if we had the technology to biologically change a person into what we call a "mermaid", would you do it?

[spottedcatfish]

I went with the first option: Become a mermaid permanently and never look back
For me, there's really only two options, do it fore real, or not at all. If you could change back into your human self, and not be disfigured or anything, then that would be a miracle of technology, and I'm sure many people would participate. But unfortunately, if something like this did exist, I doubt it would be reverse-able. So, really the question for me is live your life now and dress up as a mermaid, or take a chance and become one for real, and accept all of the side-effects and complications that come with it. If this technology did exist, either the Navy and/or a marine science lab would house the participants. I doubt they would ever be let out into the open ocean.

[Prince Calypso]

I went with the first option: Become a mermaid permanently and never look back
For me, there's really only two options, do it fore real, or not at all. If you could change back into your human self, and not be disfigured or anything, then that would be a miracle of technology, and I'm sure many people would participate. But unfortunately, if something like this did exist, I doubt it would be reverse-able. So, really the question for me is live your life now and dress up as a mermaid, or take a chance and become one for real, and accept all of the side-effects and complications that come with it. If this technology did exist, either the Navy and/or a marine science lab would house the participants. I doubt they would ever be let out into the open ocean.

I agree with this. its the whole "Go Big or Go Home" thing.
I mean yes there would be cons. i would miss dancing, jumping, running and somewhere down the line even walking.
If there was a way to go back and forth without any disfigurement then hell yeah i would do it in a heart beat but even if not if i could look like i see myself as a mermaid then i would take the chance and never look back

[Mermaid Varshana]

Nematodes usually are in the millimetre range.
I know there is one reference to a giant nematode (placentonema gigantisma) allegedly found in a sperm whale's placenta, which was supposedly 8 metres long.
Not sure if I buy that tbh.
Your faith is inspiring. With me? Nature is such a scary (though wondrous) place, the idea of something that disgusting and terrifying allegedly existing arises no doubt at all in my noggin lol

[SeaGlass Siren]

I agree with this. its the whole "Go Big or Go Home" thing.
I mean yes there would be cons. i would miss dancing, jumping, running and somewhere down the line even walking.
If there was a way to go back and forth without any disfigurement then hell yeah i would do it in a heart beat but even if not if i could look like i see myself as a mermaid then i would take the chance and never look back

Legs are required for jumping, dancing, strolling along down the-- what's that word again?-- street!!

Up where they walk, up where they run, up where they stay all day in the sun, wandering free...


Whoa broke out into a musical number...

[spottedcatfish]

Legs are required for jumping, dancing, strolling along down the-- what's that word again?-- street!!

Up where they walk, up where they run, up where they stay all day in the sun, wandering free...


Whoa broke out into a musical number...

Versus being in the ocean (hopefully) and swimming all day? Hmm, now you've made this decision harder. Not to be morbid, or depressing, but how I see it is: If this technology not only existed, but I was able to be a candidate for it (very important consideration), the choice for me would be: do I want to pass on as a human, or as a mermaid?

[Mermaid Varshana]

I'd think if they've reached the point where this is a legal elective surgery that obeys the Hippocratic oath, then switching you back to human would be no issue. They'd just print off a copy of your lower half using your own DNA. And they'd attach it the same way they attached your fish tail. Reverse engineering - it works ;)

[Mermaid Annariea]

i said two week vacations every once in a while. i have too much on land (family, friends, boyfriend of 6 years) to just leave it all.

although i would love to go without shaving forever. xD

[SeaGlass Siren]

I'd want to push Dolphin and whale hunters off the boat and drown them :| and fishermen. Mainly because we're overfishing and noone wants to stop. Hey gotta regulate both somehow lol...

[Mermaid Varshana]

If the transformation came with H2O powers, you could stop them even more efficiently ;)

[roamingmer]

It is very tempting to never look back. But many things would need to be changed. Extra eyelids to allow vision under water. Removal of the pelvis to allow the sacral joints to match with the new spinal cord. Rearrangement if the existing muscle groups in the legs (which are preprogrammed for walking combinations with efferent feedback loops). A when rehabilitation program where you lean to use core muscles and leg muscles differently. Almost undoubtedly depression at some point. Rearrangement of the biological functions - slightly easier for men than women. Then the skin needs adapting to cope with the saline seas. Finally a warm layer of blubber... Because seas are cold.
Enjoy eating sushi unless you want to build fires every night.
Oh you only want to be a pretty Disneyesque mermaid on the side of a swimming pool... Looking pretty
Perhaps one day we will reach the option of being placed in a pool of gloop - sleep for a few months and emerge without muscle wasting.
With the current ability to grow artificial bone scaffolds a unethical Doctor and very well paid team could do something to permanently destroy your legs and give you a quasi tail...
As with the Genies - be careful what you wish for...
But I know if magic transform existed I'd probably enjoy #1

[Mermaid Marissa]

Yeah I would imagine if you really tried to live in the ocean as a permanent mermaid you probably wouldn't last long due to dangers and pollution. You might have to live some land based existence in a tank with assistance from trusted friends or spouse.

Assuming that if your were to become a mermaid and not have any rehabilitation at all. Like in Avatar how they tried to prep them before they could just pop into their avatars and run around pandora.

[lasserine]

Where do I sign up? There are always wheelchairs to get around on land with.

[Mermaid Marissa]

I picked the first choice only if I could transition between human and mermaid if I was wet or if I could control it that'd be a plus :D

[Mermaid Varshana]

^^^ Haha, H2O style ;) I'd want to turn into a mermaid only if I was totally submerged. Just getting wet? Naw. Think...the H2O girls could NEVER wash their hands after they used a public restroom O___________________O

[Mermaid Muir]

I'll go with 2 week vacations because while there is much to explore in the ocean, I still have my family, friends and the places I would like to visit on land. I wish it could be something like the h20 girls where you would be fine until you touched water

[Merman Dan]

I cannot help but wonder if somewhere the fish talk with one another on message boards and dream of this:

http://www.motenai.com/images/Concept/Misc/ReverseMermaid.jpg

[blenny]

I guess i would say that this thread wouldn't be based on magic, but based on a possibility of medical plastic surgery. I would think that a real possibility of technology creating a mermaid lower half, could eventually be a real possibility. However... would u be willing to risk the real hazards the ocean would present, or live in an artificial tank permanently. Or would you fantasize to just sneak away on mermaid vacations for 2-3 weeks then resume your career/ life?

[spottedcatfish]

I cannot help but wonder if somewhere the fish talk with one another on message boards and dream of this:

http://www.fangraphs.com/not/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/reverse_mermaid_rene_magritte.jpg

Picture broken... Please re-post.

[telzey.amberdon]

It works, it is not a mermaid, it is a maidmer.

[Aziara]

I'd only do it if I could go back and forth at will....not touching water ever would be a big hassle...I could never wash dishes, mop the floor, take a shower standing up, or jump through a sprinkler. And I'd probably want to be able to breathe water instead of holding my breath. Imagine getting trapped somewhere underwater (fish net mishaps--happens to turtles all the time)--you'd drown if you were holding your breath.

[spottedcatfish]

It works, it is not a mermaid, it is a maidmer.

Or diamrem...

[Prince Calypso]

I'd want to push Dolphin and whale hunters off the boat and drown them :| and fishermen. Mainly because we're overfishing and noone wants to stop. Hey gotta regulate both somehow lol...

I second this!

[SeaGlass Siren]

oh man i forgot about this thread LOL

[Mermaid Jaffa]

If there were some kind of immunity pills or medicine against fish parasites, I'd choose the first option.

If there is partial immunity medicines, I choose 2 weeks.

If none, I choose the costume.

[Sammyantha171]

Definitely switch back and forth, if that were possible. If not, then I really have no idea because I'd need to do a hell of a lot of research and preparation as to what living in the ocean permanently would be like as a mermaid, I'd probably never be able to reach a decision in that case.

[Mermaid Mhara]

I would never turn back. I would live in a sea cave and eat shrimp and prawns for the rest of my life <3 What an amazing life that would be.

[MermaidMichelle]

I picked the first option because I am about as headstrong and adventurous as a certain Disney mermaid princess, albeit perhaps a little wiser.

Since we are dealing with science, the thought of at-will transformation is nigh-impossible, yet intriguing. Placing your legs together and concentrating would be a difficult and delicate thing; one wouldn't want to be wearing a pencil skirt or slip in public and suddenly find the result of a bit of mermaid daydreaming! Involuntary transformation due to submersion of the legs is more reasonable, yet also more dangerous.

Most probably, any transformation will be difficult and permanent, and it would be most prudent to remain affiliated with the people who transformed you. One would be wisest to remain in a tank under medical supervision most of one's time; only going on the occasional open-ocean mission (I'm reminded a bit of the aquatic character from Hellboy; though hopefully no dangerous sewer missions would be in store!). Dual respiration (through caudal gills in the tail) would be ideal.

Given all of the above, I would probably be willing to undergo the procedure, but then I'm a hermaphrodite and thus not terribly fond of what I have below the waist....

[azaiya]

Most probably, any transformation will be difficult and permanent, and it would be most prudent to remain affiliated with the people who transformed you. One would be wisest to remain in a tank under medical supervision most of one's time; only going on the occasional open-ocean mission (I'm reminded a bit of the aquatic character from Hellboy; though hopefully no dangerous sewer missions would be in store!). Dual respiration (through caudal gills in the tail) would be ideal.

Yes to all of this. I can't imagine such dramatic changes to a persons body being something that is painless, let alone reversible.

I think I would agree to change permanently (option 1) if I knew I wasn't going to be alone in the experience, maybe if it was done in a group. There'd probably be all kinds of weird stuff going on with our new bodies, so I'd want access to doctors and scientists that would understand the process better than me, otherwise we might not be around very much to enjoy our aquatic-bodies anyway.

Some seas might be better than others, though. Would tropical waters still have all of the nastiness? Surviving in waters like that might be more feasible.

There's all kinds of nasty stuff in the sea, so even if we went out into it we'd probably need to go with some protection, like specially made wetsuits. I agree with roaming mer: we'd probably need some other kinds of adaptations (double eye-lids) to actually live in water full time. Saltwater would be too hard on the skin, so really we'd want scales covering most of our bodies. Remember how your hands get raisin-y after being in water too long? Yeah, I wouldn't want that all the time. So, in order to be functional aquatic animals/mammals, we'd probably need to end up looking much different.

19161

19162

19163

(These are from a Japanese movie called Acri. I actually think the mermaid in is way more feasible of a transition for a human. We're much closer to dolphins than fish!)

Or maybe something like this:

19164

or this


So yeah, you'd get to be a mermaid, but if you just wanted to be fish below-the-waist and human above, you probably wouldn't enjoy being in the water all the time.

If I could be whisked off to a magical land where none of this was a problem however, that would make for a much easier decision. But I still wouldn't want to do it alone!

[Echidna]

Remember how your hands get raisin-y after being in water too long?

I know most people believe that's the skin shrivelling because of too long exposure to water, but if that were the case, it'd happen all over the body ;)

In fact, this particular detail is a fantastic adaptation to water, just like so many traits human display when their body remembers it once was in the water a lot.
When your fingers have this drilled surface, your grip becomes less slippery, thus enabling you to grasp things underwater more easily.

[MermaidMichelle]

Azaiya, you have given this a lot of wonderful thought; which is not surprising as you write such beautiful stories! :mermaid kiss: Tropical waters are more hospitable, but that also means more life forms - a number of them dangerous - can easily dwell there as well!

Caltuna, merci pour pointing that out; I did not know that! The human body does have a bit of "genetic memory" if you will; scientists have examined human fetuses in the early stages and actually found the residue of gills!

[azaiya]

I didn't know that about human skin! That's amazing, caltuna! I had it wrong all these years… I'm kind of embarrassed! I'm still not sure how I feel about living with perpetual raisin-hands, but I'm curious how human bodies might keep adapting if they never leave the water.

Still, human skin is so fragile! It's one of the main reason we clothe ourselves: warmth and protection. I feel like in the sea we'd need either thicker (or scalier) skin since we'd be perpetually in the elements.

Thank you for reading my stories, Michelle! It always makes me really happy when someone does. Even when I write something for myself, I always secretly hope it might resonate with someone else. I'm very thankful for the internet (and Mernetwork!) today.

[Miyu]

Haha Caltuna beat me to it :D Yup, that's why it only happens on the contact surfaces of your hands and feet :)

And I pretty much agree with everything Michelle says! :3 Though if it were magical, I would do it for 2-3 weeks every few months :)