Fae/fairy community

[Mermaid Harmony]

I just bought a pair of wings and am now Fairy Moonfire as well as Mermaid Harmony, I have a sneak peak pic18826

I was wondering (I've searched but couldn't find much) if anyone is aware of a fairy community online like ours, or sites or the like. I'm looking for more of those who perform as fairies, or believe they are, instead of the pagan sites about fairy celtic findings in different locations, (two different purposes of the different sites, and I'm looking for more of the first) :-)
Thank you!!
I also realized today, that all the (usual) things girl's dream of being when they grow up, a mermaid, princess/queen, and a fairy and I have now knocked all those off my list, I need to make a new one. :)

[Mizuko]

You look beautiful! ^_^ I have very similar wings- I think from the same place! :D I cant help with finding the fae/fairy community, but I'd also be interested! :) I have quite a few friends who relate to fae & elves the same way I relate to mermaids, it would be nice if there was a community for them too! ^_^

[Mermaid Harmony]

I got them from fancyfairy wings and things. :-)

[Mizuko]

ah yes, thats where I got mine from! ^_^ They are so beautiful, aren't they? :D

[deepblue]

I was wondering (I've searched but couldn't find much) if anyone is aware of a fairy community online like ours, or sites or the like. I'm looking for more of those who perform as fairies, or believe they are, instead of the pagan sites about fairy celtic findings in different locations, (two different purposes of the different sites, and I'm looking for more of the first) :-)



There are- have you Googled 'faery forum'? I haven't used any fae forum, so I can't recommend any, but yep. There are a few.

[Mermaid Harmony]

I did, most of those are about faery myths, or the celtic pagan side of things. There are two that look like they might be what I'm looking for but one only has two people on it, and the other one looked like a blog. I'll go back again and look through it.

[Mermaid Momo]

I've been looking or one as well. I even thought of making one when I couldn't find any. But I didn't know where to advertise the forum at if I made it because It's very hard for some reason to find Faery costumers and performers!

[Jessica]

Beautiful wings harmony!! I've been thinking for awhile now that I want to make a fairy costume one of these days, and after seeing your wings, I'm totally convinced I need a pair!! :)

[Merman Arion]

I intend to buy one pair as well for Gay pride this coming June. I still don't know which look I wanna pull off : merman or fairy :)

[deepblue]

You also might try asking on FAE Magazine's FB page. It's a beautiful magazine, full of lovely photos of people in faery wear, among other things.

https://www.facebook.com/FaeMagazine

And there are great faery wear clothing companies out there... TPF Faerywear, Alienskin, Gypsy Moon. And of course at Faeryworlds and Faerycon, tons of faery wings and clothes.

I'm trying to remember the forums I checked out a few years ago, some were pretty busy then. But, it's been so long, I cannot recall.

[MerEmma]

I intend to buy one pair as well for Gay pride this coming June. I still don't know which look I wanna pull off : merman or fairy :)

I vote merman! :D

[Jessica]

I intend to buy one pair as well for Gay pride this coming June. I still don't know which look I wanna pull off : merman or fairy :)

I vote BOTH! Why not wear a tail and wings?! You would make a great merfairy! ;)

[malinghi]

I'm pretty sure there's a fairy community. Considering that they had a magazine before the merfolk community it might be older and larger. Another thing fairies have going for them: fairies don't have to worry about being near water or public pools. Hopefully Iona will share her two cents in this thread. Pretty sure she's been into fairies for a while.

And Arion, I second MerEmma! Go with merman. There might be some other people there with fairy wings, but you'll probably be the only merman there.

[Winged Mermaid]

Fun story- I actually was into the fairy community before I found out there were swimmable mermaid tails! There was a whole community on Myspace, and I also ran the Fairy/Fae part of one version of Seatails for a while. I was obsessed with tracking down all kinds of information and even started a comprehensive tutorial on how to make every type of wings (there was extremely little info at the time, kind of like how making tails was, and they've both since evolved). But I dropped that like a sack of bricks when I found out about mermaid tails, haha!

I know there are tons of Ren Fairies and pro Fairies all over the place- a lot of pro mermaids are or use to double as pro fairies as well- but I've never seen a forum for them. If I hadn't gotten into mermaiding there probably would be one, but MerNetwork wouldn't be around :P I'd thought about making another forum for it but this place takes up so much of my time, no way I could do it all. Though we have the software and the hosting.. humm.. :thinks:

I know there's a LiveJournal group, but it's died sadly (like everything else on LJ it seems) :( I bet you there are lots of FB groups though!

[Winged Mermaid]

Also, the fairy look suits you Harmony/Moonfire! So pretty ^_^ I have a pair of Fancy Fairy wings, but they're the purple "retail" ones- the custom ones she makes are so much prettier! I'm jelly! ..fish :jelly: *ba-dum tss* teehehe ;D

[Merman Dan]

If I could find a pair of wings that looked like massive purple sea fans, I'd be all over that!

http://www.itchyfeet.org/florida/fans.jpg

[Meshy]

There's a guild at the Escondido Renaissance Faire (San Diego, CA area) called Willowglen. https://www.facebook.com/faeofwillowglen?fref=ts I bet if you can contact any of them, you'd be able to find out if there is a community like this one!

They're lots of fun, and if you were in CA, I'd ask you join me at faire with them! I personally won't join a guild as I like to change up my costume every year. ("regular" wench, pirate, gypsy, fantasy, and middle eastern/India are among my collection) But I'd totally join them if I did ever join a guild.

[Mary Marine]

One Halloween I made some dragonfly shaped wings out of 4 stretched out coat hangers covered in clear packing tape. I used a sharpie to draw on the veins, then attached them to a harness, and tada! Cheap and easy dragonfly wings!

[Merman Arion]

Arion, I second MerEmma! Go with merman. There might be some other people there with fairy wings, but you'll probably be the only merman there.

You might be right. I will get my tail around May, beggining of June at the most so I will have time to train and prepare my merman look for Pride at the end of the month. Thanks for sharing your opinions. Definitely merman then.

[Vixy]

I did, most of those are about faery myths, or the celtic pagan side of things. There are two that look like they might be what I'm looking for but one only has two people on it, and the other one looked like a blog. I'll go back again and look through it.

I had the same trouble in trying to find a forum like we have for mers. I think there might not be one which is a shame.

But oh yes, I look forward to getting some fairy stuff together. It'll be fun going around as a fairy.

[Echidna]

I had the same trouble in trying to find a forum like we have for mers. I think there might not be one which is a shame.

Couldn't find one either, which might be because it's a tad more difficult to impersonate a fairy than a mermaid.

As a mermaid, you have to look the part and swim well enough to look realistic to satisfy most people.
Fairies however are magical, ethereal, and hover/fly more than they walk, sooo...

This forum contains a ton of info on how to swim with a tail, where to swim, how to perform mermaidy, etc.
Now if we could somehow learn to fly and conjure sparkly balls, then I'd see a fairy forum flourish :p

Some who work with smaller kids might disagree, but the only way I've found it possible to impersonate a fairy halfway realistic was in dance and theatre performances.

[Ocean-Borne]

You look beautiful as a fairy~

[selkie13]

so jealous of your wings!!

Sent from my Hudl HT7S3 using Tapatalk

[mermaid_ashes]

Hmm, I might try one of the renaissance fair forums. I know there are sections for performers as well as patrons. Also you could start a facebook group and invite some fairy performers to it...then they can invite other fairy friends and so on and so on. That might be a good way to get in contact with folks, but yeah I dont think there is anyplace like this for fairys.

[Mermaid Kelda]

I'd be super interested in an actual fae forum if anyone decided to make one. I've run forums before, so I'd be happy to help out with it, too! :)

[Winged Mermaid]

I'd be super interested in an actual fae forum if anyone decided to make one. I've run forums before, so I'd be happy to help out with it, too! :)

MerNetwork is going through a transition here soon, but after that's done with there might be a consideration for one if we have enough interest, and some people wiling to volunteer for mods. I'll have to talk it over with Malinghi, but I kind of like the idea :)

[Anahita]

I'd be super interested in an actual fae forum if anyone decided to make one. I've run forums before, so I'd be happy to help out with it, too! :)

Same here... well, not about the running forums before thing (I've run FB groups before, but not quite the same thing), but everything else about the interest and willing to help out I second. Lol

[Mermaid Momo]

*just going to revive this thread here*
Anyone have any luck finding a forum or facebook group?

[Mermaid Lorelei]

I'll be ordering a pair of faerie wings as soon as I can. I hope to be both pro mermaid and pro faerie eventually. :3

[TaurielTheElementMerfairy]

I'm also wondering and interested about a fairy community like the mernetwork site.
Cause when I can I'm going to have 3 seperate looks so that I'm a mermaid in the water fairy on land and a Merfairy on land for parades or any thing else that I could be hired as a Merfairy on land.
I know what I would like to look like and get for my mermaid look but I haven't figured out what I would like to have as my fairy outfit on land and my Merfairy outfit on land.
I would like to keep both looks above to match my element name and I do know what my fairy wings are and the color of all 3 outfits but I'm not sure who could make my wings exactly the way that I would like them to be.
If you wanna chat with me about everything that I said above I'm always available on Facebook messenger under the name Rebekah Leigh and you can tell that it is me cause I always have a pic of my dresser up as my cover photo just let me know that you are from this site and that you can maybe help me with everything that I said above as soon as you can.
I hope to hear from you all as soon as you all can on Facebook messenger about everything that I said above so maybe you can help me with everything that I said above.
:D :) :D :) :D :)

[Mermaid Enora]

A fairy or faenetwork would be amazing!!
I tried to find a network a while back. I found a fairy something network slightly similar to mernetwork, but no one had posted anything for years.
I've been a real life fairy for about 6 years now at ren fests and I make all my own wings, clothes, shoes, double flutes, headdresses, pouches, etc.
A fairy network would have really helped me as I make everything from my own trial and error.
If anyone ever needs help or suggestions on fairy stuff feel free to ask.
I have a lot of experience making very large cellophane wings.

[Mermaid Momo]

I've been a real life fairy for about 6 years now at ren fests and I make all my own wings, clothes, shoes, double flutes, headdresses, pouches, etc.
A fairy network would have really helped me as I make everything from my own trial and error.
If anyone ever needs help or suggestions on fairy stuff feel free to ask.
I have a lot of experience making very large cellophane wings.
Ah! That's why I really wanted a fae network! because I really wanted others input on wings and clothes and making shoes and putting a complete costume together.

Would anyone be willing to team up to create a forum like that? There are a few free websites where you can create your own forum around the interwebs. It's just that I'll be going to college soon and I'm sure I'll get pretty busy.

[Winged Mermaid]

Still thinking it over ;) I'd have to check with our hosting company to see if they'd allow a added domain, and if it would tax the server too much. Also if we are allowed to run 2 vbulletin forums on the same software license. If those are a go I'll come back to the idea. I would need a lot of help with mods, promotion, and people willing to write tutorials / generally contribute info. No way I can bear most of that for two forums ;)

[Mermaid Enora]

I would be interested in writing tutorials and tips and tricks info complete with pictures!

[Merman Dan]

I have a pending order with Fancy Fairy... looking forward to winged merman photos! :)

[Echidna]

Considering mermaids are waterfairies in many cultures, maybe we could add a subforum for fairies instead of doing a whole new forum?
I'd love to have one, btw.

[Mermaid Ixa]

I do know there is a fairy guild called the fantastikals at the Irwindale renaissance faire and Bristol Renaissance faire, I want to joing-you have to be 18 so I have a bit of time. One of them might know. They have a facebook page look them up :)

[Mermaid Wesley]

I'm thinking bout getting into this too actually


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mermaid Enora]

Fairies and wings are awesome and so much fun!!

[Mermaid Wesley]

I found some simple looking tutorials for cellophane wings and Ive been sketching out wing patterns for a few days now :) and then I realized that my costume WONT HAVE TO BE WATERPROOF and I got really excited. So many possibilities. I love it!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mermaid Momo]

Considering mermaids are waterfairies in many cultures, maybe we could add a subforum for fairies instead of doing a whole new forum?
I'd love to have one, btw.
This is a good idea, especially since there aren't that many of us interested to actually use a whole new forum just yet.

[Winged Mermaid]

I'm not sure the other admin would be okay with that- adding fairy costuming sections to the mer forum. Plus if I'm going to do this, I'd want to reach out to all the fairy costumers and there are WAY WAY more than mermaids.
On a related note, my husband told me, "If you make a fairy forum, I will smash your computer." until I promised him that if this were to be a thing, would have drama mods and other mods and would only be an overseer. He's seen what hell admining this forum has put me through, so I don't blame him for not wanting me to add to that! Haha, if you ever want to know how hard I really work for this form, ask my hubby, Malinghi, and Raina :P

[Mermaid Wesley]

I wouldn't mind helping out on a potential forum, but I'm not a faerie yet so yep


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mermaid Lorelei]

Just got my wings. :P Just thought I'd put that out there.

[Mermaid Wesley]

Hooray! I think I'm gonna try out making some once I finish my tail


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[AptaMer]

The fae and mermaids have an affinity for each other, and have often been seen together. Especially Nymphs and Sprites.

[SIF]

I just bought a pair of wings and am now Fairy Moonfire as well as Mermaid Harmony, I have a sneak peak pic18826

I was wondering (I've searched but couldn't find much) if anyone is aware of a fairy community online like ours, or sites or the like. I'm looking for more of those who perform as fairies, or believe they are, instead of the pagan sites about fairy celtic findings in different locations, (two different purposes of the different sites, and I'm looking for more of the first) :-)
Thank you!!
I also realized today, that all the (usual) things girl's dream of being when they grow up, a mermaid, princess/queen, and a fairy and I have now knocked all those off my list, I need to make a new one. :)


Harmony,
Google Fairy Princess Lolly. I grew up working with her in her band of miscreant Fairies against the horrible barbarian Wotan. She's a great gal, and can DEFINATELY help you in the right direction, if you're looking to go part-Fairy. Hope all is well in the sun! ~Nyssa :)

[Raayvhen]

I was actually a fae for a children's boutique last year. They hosted theme parties and I volunteered. I really wish I'd asked to be paid though... Here's two of my favorite photos. You can't really see my wings but that's okay....

[Mermaid Enora]

I know a fairy board would add lots of extra work, but if it ever does become a reality I know a lot of fairies who would be very interested in joining.

[Echidna]

There are several (semi-)active fairy forums, but they're not for costuming/performing, the members seem to believe they are fairies.:rolleyes:

[Vixy]

I went to a fairy festival recently, which was awesome.

I got tiny wings :D

I would willing to help if there was going to be a sub forum.

[Mermaid Belluine]

I have my wings and would be willing to help out on a forum! I'm very experienced, having run three of my own plus some major art groups on DA. :) love fairies too....that's my land-disguise when I can't swim everywhere ;)

[Echidna]

I'd be willing to help out also.
I have some wings (and waaay too many costumes)

22418

[Mermaid Enora]

found this fairy forum, http://www.renaissancefestival.com/forums/index.php/board,63.0.html
it appears to be mostly costuming and such.
Most of the posts are quite old, but still have some good info.

[Mermaid Mhara]

I'm going to be that person and revive this.

I've got a HUGE interest in this but I've yet to meet any guys who go to fairs or festivals dressed as winged Fae. Most who do dress up go as Elves or the sort...and it's really putting me down >.< haha

I really wanna get into going to fests and such dressed as a Faerie...I already have a faerie persona and the sorts, and designed many costumes and wings. Did anything ever come of the forums??

[Winged Mermaid]

Nah still too busy ;) summer mermaid madness and all that!

[Merman Dan]

I've got a HUGE interest in this but I've yet to meet any guys who go to fairs or festivals dressed as winged Fae.

I have a pair of wings, fashioned in the form of purple sea fans, on order from Fancy Fairy. :)

[Mermaid Wesley]

Elves are cool but a masculine winged faerie would be super cool to see!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Echidna]

Elves is actually just another term for fairy.
One is of germanic/nordic origin, the other latin/french.

But basically, they both mean the same thing.
Note also that many, if not most classic fairies were not depicted with wings.
Wings were all the rage in Victorian times, which is also when fae- supernatural, tall, awe-inspiring beings- were suddenly shrunk to butterfly-size :p

23659

[Mermaid Wesley]

I thought elves were a class oration of fae. I guess it depends on the lore huh?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Echidna]

It's more like when people begin to make up stuff.

Bet you can find loads of "guides" explaining the differences between a wizard, a magician, and a sorcerer
(mostly working with video games terms, probably), while all these names mean the same thing, just the language roots are different.

[Mermaid Enora]

I go to quite a few ren faires and have seen several male fae with wings.
They are few and far between, but they do exist. Don't have any pics to show of them though. If I ever get a future boyfriend to come he'll be in fairy attire with me.

[Lostariel Telrunya]

It is hard to find a definite line between fairy, elf, and, well, a lot of other things. I myself am a huge fan of elves, and all three of these kind of go hand in hand! I'm trying to make a dress that looks fairy-ish.

[Mermaid Kelda]

It's more like when people begin to make up stuff.
I dunno, I kind of feel like no one can really say what the true definitions are of fae/fairy/elf etc. Not only because so many cultures describe them as such different things, but because you can't really nail down a definition of something that doesn't exist. Who cares if someone calls elves and fairies the same thing or different things? Culture is fluid and changes all the time; so, too, does folklore. I'm all for people calling fairies whatever they like! :)

[Merman Dan]

...you can't really nail down a definition of something that doesn't exist.

Careful, there. Just because you have never seen a thing does not mean it doesn't exist. :) I am quite mindful of the things I can almost see out of the corner of my eye.

[Echidna]

I dunno, I kind of feel like no one can really say what the true definitions are of fae/fairy/elf etc. Not only because so many cultures describe them as such different things, but because you can't really nail down a definition of something that doesn't exist. Who cares if someone calls elves and fairies the same thing or different things? Culture is fluid and changes all the time; so, too, does folklore. I'm all for people calling fairies whatever they like! :)

I'm aware of the "modern" definitions, which probably paint "elves" as beautiful, tall, wingless people, and "fairies" as small insectoids :p
The problem with that is that it's not true folklore, but due to modern novels being very liberal with the lore for dramaturgic purposes, and influence of video games (and while fun, I wouldn't call video games "evolving folklore").

From your response, I gather you think ancient people knew both words and used them synonymously.
That is not the case.
Germanic tribes didn't use (and didn't have) the word fairy, which stems from Latin/French.
Instead, they had elves (or rather, alb), which were divided in roughly 2 categories (light and dark albs), lived underground, could be tall or small, were shapechangers, etc.

It's pretty clear it's the same thing which the latin/french speakers just called by a different name (they, in turn, didn't have or know the word elf).

What is also lost to many is the fact that "fairy" used to be a general term, including all different kinds of the folk-
from the redcap to the banshee, to the sidhe (and sometimes also gnomes).
It's a term as broad as "mammal" or "dinosaur", if you like- which can comprise herbivores, carnivores, large, small, flying, or aquatic beings.

Sorry for derailing the thread a bit here, but it bugs me when people go "who cares if we use the terms liberally, it's all imaginary anyway."
It wasn't so long ago that folklore -along with mythology- was a serious matter people believed in, and many still do.

[Mermaid Kelda]

I wasn't commenting at all on what I thought ancient people believed or the words they used. I'm no historian, and I haven't studied ancient mythology as much as I'd like, so I have no place to tell you what they were or were not called. In modern times, "fairy" is definitely still used to describe fae things in general, despite more often being associated with little flying women.

I understand your annoyance, but I just don't think it's worth trying to correct people who use the terms differently from how you'd like. These aren't scientifically studied creatures with accepted taxonomic ranks. Of course it's important to keep in mind the original folklore and mythology (even if for no other reason than because it's fascinating), but culture does change, and people do start using words differently. Personally I think it's better to encourage it. The shifting of language is a beautiful and fascinating thing!

But if course, "that's just, like, my opinion, man"; you don't have to accept anything I say! I agree that being a stickler for these sorts of things can be important, and it's fun to be accurate with mythology! Heaven forbid we ever lose the knowledge of ancient mythology just because our modern usage has changed.


Careful, there. Just because you have never seen a thing does not mean it doesn't exist. :) I am quite mindful of the things I can almost see out of the corner of my eye.
Sorry, Dan, that was presumptuous of me ;)

[seakaren]

There are lots and lots of men with wings at Faerieworlds in Oregon.

[Mermaid Kelda]

Okay guys, so I've been thinking about this for a long time, and the other day I figured, what the heck, and I made a fairy forum.

www.faenetwork.com

So I'm looking for feedback from the community - is this the sort of thing people would be after? Have I included the right sort of things? Do you like how it looks? Is it easy to navigate?

I'm not big in the fairy community so I'm not 100% sure on what info should be collated and added. I'm sure there's tonnes of tutorials that already exist but I'm not sure where to find them so I'd need help from other dedicated people who know what they're doing.

I know Iona talked about hosting a site, but was too busy, and I'm using quite a good hosting service which is free anyway. So, now I'm just looking for feedback to see if it's worth putting any more effort into.

So, what does everyone think?

[Mermaid Enora]

I joined faenetwork!

[Echidna]

www.faenetwork.com (http://www.faenetwork.com)



It looks very good!
I'm not sure if a similar site does exist already- those I looked at seemed to be defunct or semi-dead-, but I'd love to see the faenetwork take off on its own!

One thing I'd change is the big size difference between the subforum titles, and their description.
The description text is tiny, I found it a bit hard to read.
I'm myopic tho, others might not feel the same way.

[Mermaid Kelda]

Thanks Echidna, the font size was something I wondered about so it's good to get feedback on that. I'll increase it by a few pixels.

Edit: I brought it up to 11px - if that's not enough, I can bring it up to 12, or even change it to a serif font as sans-serif can be difficult to read at smaller sizes.

[Mermaid Galene]

I love this! Thanks for starting Faenetwork, Kelda. I just registered.

[Mermaid Momo]

Okay guys, so I've been thinking about this for a long time, and the other day I figured, what the heck, and I made a fairy forum.

www.faenetwork.com (http://www.faenetwork.com)

So I'm looking for feedback from the community - is this the sort of thing people would be after? Have I included the right sort of things? Do you like how it looks? Is it easy to navigate?

I'm not big in the fairy community so I'm not 100% sure on what info should be collated and added. I'm sure there's tonnes of tutorials that already exist but I'm not sure where to find them so I'd need help from other dedicated people who know what they're doing.

I know Iona talked about hosting a site, but was too busy, and I'm using quite a good hosting service which is free anyway. So, now I'm just looking for feedback to see if it's worth putting any more effort into.

So, what does everyone think?
Looking good! I second the small text thing though, I have a hard time reading it too Other than that, it's easy enough to navigate.

[Mermaid Galene]

It would be great to have a What's New tab or section like on Mernetwork. That's where I always head first.

[Mermaid Lorelei]

Will it be possible to change the color scheme? It looks like Lavender is the only color option at the moment, and I find pages easier when the color isn't quite so pale. Otherwise, it looks wonderful!

[Merman Dan]

I go to quite a few ren faires and have seen several male fae with wings. They are few and far between, but they do exist.


There are lots and lots of men with wings at Faerieworlds in Oregon.

My wings popped out at FaerieCon East and NC MerFest... must've been the beer :)

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7574/16134116307_f92303a134.jpg

[Mermaid Enora]

nice wings dan!

here's my sister's wings at Middlefaire in Texas
27454
We call this photo 'Magnolia Fawn trying to buy shiny human trinkets'
She was too big to fit in the door, but wanted to look at the tiaras inside.

[Mermaid Kelda]

Will it be possible to change the color scheme? It looks like Lavender is the only color option at the moment, and I find pages easier when the color isn't quite so pale. Otherwise, it looks wonderful!
I definitely will look at alternative colour schemes - as it is, I just picked one and wanted to get feedback on the site before I did any more work.

[Sherielle]

I joined! Though I already submitted for a name change, lol.

[Echidna]

Enora, your sister's wings are incredible!

I'd love to join FN (get it?), but I've no idea which group I'd belong to :(
From the description, it'd be Nymph, but I sometimes use wings too.
I certainly have nothing to do with glitter and buzzing around though, so I dunno really.

[Mermaid Galene]

Yes, I'm not quite sure what group best fits me, either. I call myself a water faerie for gigs, but my faesona and costumes lean toward elven. (I do plan to always wear faerie wings, but most of those will be quite mothlike.)

[Mermaid Wesley]

I just signed up :)

[AniaR]

hmm too bad I know Iona was working on a Fae Network as she's also active in that community and was planning to make it a sister site with mernetwork. I know she was recently blindsided with some health issues so it had to get put on the back burner. Maybe chat with her for some possible collaboration. It was the exact name she told me about too :p I am just pretty sure she's already got loads of stuff she was planning to put on it.

I'm not really into the whole fae scene. I like the color scheme of the forum, but just be sure (if you havent already) that you have permission for the banner images etc.

[Mermaid Kelda]

I'd love to join FN (get it?), but I've no idea which group I'd belong to :(
From the description, it'd be Nymph, but I sometimes use wings too.
I certainly have nothing to do with glitter and buzzing around though, so I dunno really.

Yes, I'm not quite sure what group best fits me, either. I call myself a water faerie for gigs, but my faesona and costumes lean toward elven. (I do plan to always wear faerie wings, but most of those will be quite mothlike.)
I guess I was thinking of getting people to just go with either what fits best, or what they use most often. Echidna, if you don't use wings more often than you do, I'd say go with nymph. Galene, you don't have to be sparkly and glittery to be a fairy - moth wings count, I'm sure! There are tonnes of different fairy styles, so if that's what you're leaning towards, go for it.


hmm too bad I know Iona was working on a Fae Network as she's also active in that community and was planning to make it a sister site with mernetwork. I know she was recently blindsided with some health issues so it had to get put on the back burner. Maybe chat with her for some possible collaboration. It was the exact name she told me about too :p I am just pretty sure she's already got loads of stuff she was planning to put on it.
I wasn't aware she had actually gone ahead with it. I realise she's much more active in the fairy community than I am, and would make a better admin than I would - but she did say many times in this thread that she didn't have the time to do anything other than over-see, so I just went ahead and assumed. There is a reason I didn't put a whole heap of effort into the site, though, and it's for this very reason - I didn't know if the community would be into it, if I had done the right sorts of things, etc. It was just a big toe in the shallow end, so to speak. I'm super happy to collaborate with her, make her co-admin, full-admin, whatever she'd like. The only thing I own is the domain name, which I thought I should snap up before someone with nothing to do with the community did, haha. And I'm happy to pass the ownership of that across, too, if/when necessary or possible.

Essentially what I'm saying is, it's not an issue for me at all, whatever happens :P I just want to see a fairy community forum like we have here on MN!



I'm not really into the whole fae scene. I like the color scheme of the forum, but just be sure (if you havent already) that you have permission for the banner images etc.
The site's still totally under construction, so the images are just place holders. I absolutely was planning on looking for permission if/when the site opens proper.

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

I joined as Snapdragon, but I'm a bit confused about the member classifications... can we join more than one group, and if so, how many? I find Fairy, Faun, Nymph, Witch, and even some of the others intriguing, to say nothing of other groups like Djinni, Selkie, Dragon, Unicorn, Will-o-Wisp, Incubus, Centaur, etc.

[Mermaid Galene]

I kinda wonder why we are splitting this new community into "ethnic" groups. There's so much crossover among these fae traditions. Wouldn't it promote community cohesiveness if we just all called ourselves "fae" rather than pigeonholing? I actually think having geography-based groups, like we do on Mernetwork, might be more useful. That would help members find each other in the real world.

Just my two cents! I'm happy to comply with whatever forum structure works for other folks. Thanks for the work you've done in starting Fae Network, Kelda!

[Echidna]

^^all of that.
I was about to say the very same thing, but didn't want to nitpick again :rotfl:

As we've discussed earlier, dividing the Fae (as a big group) in subgroups is difficult and problematic, because
-many fae cannot be clearly put in a subgroup
-most fae are shapechangers
-definitions vary greatly depending on country and language
-modern depictions of fae are very different from traditional lore
-many fae creatures are one of a kind

and so on.
I'm all for having the subgroups as discussion thread stickies somewhere, rather than member classifications.

I understand the appeal of it, but if for example MN had subgroups like mermaid, naiad, nixie, vila, rusalka, waterspirit and so on, I never would have found a category to fit in.

[Mermaid Galene]

I'm all for having the subgroups as discussion thread stickies somewhere, rather than member classifications.

That makes more sense to me, too.

[Mermaid Lorelei]

I joined as Snapdragon, but I'm a bit confused about the member classifications... can we join more than one group, and if so, how many? I find Fairy, Faun, Nymph, Witch, and even some of the others intriguing, to say nothing of other groups like Djinni, Selkie, Dragon, Unicorn, Will-o-Wisp, Incubus, Centaur, etc.

Considering I preform as a mermaid, faerie, and a faun, it would be difficult to pick just one to be defined by.

[Mermaid Kelda]

Well, there's also the option of sub-accounts, but that'd only be useful if people were posting in-character or wanted to keep the posts they made for their fairy stuff separate from their faun stuff, for example.
There's the option of having the groups there as an option for people who are "only" a fairy or whatever, but then it might feel like the boring old "members" were left out, haha.

I could replace it with a location-based system, but I'm not sure it's needed? There's the location section under everyone's avatar, and then I could just add "pods" as forums.

What about if I nix the group system all together, or at least until I think of a better idea, but leave the little banners for people to put appropriate ones in their signature? Or are people not really bothered with the whole idea all together?

[Mermaid Galene]

I personally would prefer to think of all of us as simply "fae." I think if people really want to label themselves as a particular type of character, that is easily done in profiles, introductions, and signatures. I identify my character as a water faerie, but that faerie has characteristics of many classes of mythological creatures.

[Mermaid Wesley]

I don't dislike the idea, but maybe leaving them as optional little badges might work better. you might want to make something based on location, just for the sake of regionally specific events, like they are used here. Also this could be silly but do you think this whole conversation might be had better over there instead of here?

[Mermaid Kelda]

I might make little buttons instead of banners, then, as optional pretties to put in signatures.


you might want to make something based on location, just for the sake of regionally specific events, like they are used here.
For specific events, though, can't they just go in a dedicated forum? Like the pod forums are set up here? What is it specifically about having pod groups that makes any difference, especially since we're not limited to only posting in our own pod?


Also this could be silly but do you think this whole conversation might be had better over there instead of here?
Well, that would require people to make accounts over there. It seems more appropriate to discus it where we already have a topic started!

[Mermaid Wesley]

Oh yeah. Regional forums should work just fine. and.... touché

[Mermaid Galene]

I like the idea of buttons to put in a signature, especially if we could choose more than one. That way, one could identify the unique combination of fae traits that go into one's character concept. So I would probably choose faerie, elf, and nymph.

BTW, not to be nitpicky, but could the "fairy" category be "faerie" instead, especially since it's "fae" network? To me "fairy" connotes the Victorian, Disney model, which is much fluffier (glitterier?) than the faeries of folklore. Fae faeries, I think, have a little more depth and a stronger connection to nature.

[Mermaid Kelda]

To me "fairy" connotes the Victorian, Disney model, which is much fluffier (glitterier?) than the faeries of folklore. Fae faeries, I think, have a little more depth and a stronger connection to nature.
The general consensus seems to be that "faerie" has a stronger connection to the Gaelic root, rather than the Latin root. Fairies are pure and young, whereas faeries are (generally) evil, or at least unkind and powerful and savage. I'm not sure which spelling came first, so I went with "fairy", since I gathered most people would be doing children's parties and such. If I'm just doing up buttons, though, I can do both spellings! :)

[Mermaid Galene]

Fairies are pure and young, whereas faeries are (generally) evil, or at least unkind and powerful and savage. Well, I can't agree with that as a blanket statement. I value the Celtic underpinnings of these legends; as a musician and artist, Celtic traditions inform my work quite a bit. But as a children's performer, I would certainly not represent my faerie character as unkind or savage. Some forms of faerie are depicted that way in the historic folklore of some cultures, true, but there are also traditions depicting "faeries" as harmless and appealing creatures.

Ultimately, I think those of who perform as fae characters, and/or as mermaids, are not obligated to depict those characters in strict adherence to any particular folkloric tradition. And the public isn't going to care one way or the other how we spell it.

Traditions evolve over time, and the notion of fae people has evolved in this century. The term "fae," which is, after all, the root of "faerie," is commonly used today to include beings with all sorts of appearances and temperaments, including the gossamer-winged, flowery incarnations that the public recognizes. The big fae conventions - Faeriecon, Faerieworlds, and Mythworlds - as well as Fae Magazine, all prefer the "Faerie" spelling and celebrate all the light and dark, paganistic, and nature-derived facets of the fae persona. You'll see plenty of glitter at those conventions, but the prevailing look is very naturecentric and pagan.

But the main point here is, each of us is a unique individual creating a unique version of these traditional characters, and we don't have to be defined by terms, spellings, or strict adherence to any historic tradition. We are artists and creators, not necessarily etymologists or historians. So if, on Faenetwork, I have to choose whether to define myself as a Victorian, glittery, Tinkerbelle "fairy" or a wicked, brutal, callous "faerie," well, I choose not to choose either or any of these labels.

[Echidna]

The big fae conventions - Faeriecon, Faerieworlds, and Mythworlds - as well as Fae Magazine, all prefer the "Faerie" spelling and celebrate all the light and dark, paganistic, and nature-derived facets of the fae persona. You'll see plenty of glitter at those conventions, but the prevailing look is very naturecentric and pagan.

That sounds awesome!
Wish we had something like that around here.

And I agree wholeheartedly.
The true nature of the fae was always incomprehensible to humans.
Classifications were made impossible by shifts in not only shape, but seemingly attitude.

Humans like to put things into a black-white perspective, and that is especially futile with something you cannot even comprehend.

The modern idea about who is "good" or "evil" comes from the notion, "if it's small and glittery, it cannot harm me, thus it's good; if it's large, it's potentially dangerous, thus bad".
Every biologist can tell you what bogus that is. ;)

[Merman Dan]

Tinker Bell was no saint ;)

[Mermaid Galene]

Yes, I actually like the multifaceted, pagan versions of faeries with both light and dark aspects to their personalities (faesonalities?). They are capable of good deeds and bad, benevolence and temper tantrums (even, as you point out, Dan, Tinkerbelle) and everything in between. And, as you said, Echidna, this more complex mythological creature more closely reflects nature and all its intricacies. I don't think the idea of "fairy"= good and light and sweet vs. "faerie" = evil and dark and mean really holds up to scrutiny. However you spell it, these are complicated individuals. I always find mythological creatures (and gods, for that matter) more interesting when they more closely reflect the messy complexities of nature and human nature.

[Aysun_the_Mermaid]

Seelie and unseelie?

[Echidna]

Seelie and unseelie?

Just as problematic.
Seelie usually means something fair to behold, unseelie dark and menacing, but it can also be the other way around.
It also was assumed the seelie were less prone to harm humans intentionally, but that's debatable.

Nature just cannot be predicted.
I think that is why humans always were afraid of nature and its powers/spirits, we like to be in control, or at least believe we are.

[Mermaid Kelda]

Well, I can't agree with that as a blanket statement.
Okay, except you made a blanket statement before, too:


To me "fairy" connotes the Victorian, Disney model, which is much fluffier (glitterier?) than the faeries of folklore. Fae faeries, I think, have a little more depth and a stronger connection to nature.
I was not stating "all fairies must be this" and "all faeries must be this". I was quoting the general consensus that I found when I searched online:


"As others have noted, fairy is the standard modern spelling, and faerie is a pseudo-archaism. However, in some contexts there is now a semantic distinction between the two spellings! In particular, fairy tales and the associated idea of fairies typically refer to the genre of folk stories printed by the Brothers Grimm, then sweetened and popularized for modern audiences by Disney et al. Faerie stories, on the other hand, are stories about the fae: otherworldly, unpredictable, and dangerous creatures who appear in the folk-tales and myths of England and Ireland. In origin, of course, the fairies and the fae are one and the same, but the connotations and usage of the words today are headed in opposite directions."

"First of all, you are going to get mostly opinions for this question. The word "fairy" is the American/British spelling of the Gaelic "faerie" also known as sidthe. Most practitioners of the craft will explain it this way; a fairy would be the little statues of the happy little people of the flowers. The mushroom fairies or flower fairy usually are described as having a very small 3 inch stature with two to four wings attached to their shoulder blades and are seen flitting around the flower gardens. The Faeries (or sidthae) (male or female) are described as anywhere from three inches to forty stories tall and don't necessarily have to be dawning wings. They are said to be the noble "guardian angels" of the plants and animals. Although some believe that humans can have guardian faeries if they have faerie blood or are reincarnated faeries. The other way the Gaelic culture used to describe faeries were as ruthless beautiful maidens whom loved nature and since humans were "destroying the earth" were always hating of them. They also were said to steal children in the night and feed them faerie food that was so rich that they would never be able to return to the human world."

"“Fairy” is a word that has been derived from Latin word “fatum,” which can mean “fate.” Fairies are considered to be a group of young and pure spirits. These fairies are considered to elevate to higher levels through their impartial and loving service. Generally, a fairy refers to the young spirit which is in the mid-level of growth. They are considered to be lower to “sylph” and higher to “elf.” “Faerie” is a word that has been derived from Gaelic “fear shidhe,” which means “man of the shee.” Unlike the fairies, faeries are considered to be evil, horrid, and mischievous creatures. These mythical figures are portrayed as spirits that know easy ways of stealing. For example, faeries steal children and keep them as slaves or pets."

"Here’s the story–while both were derived from the same root word “fae,” the word “fairy” is often used to refer to the small winged, Victorian, pixie type fairy. This would include fairies in fairytales, children’s stories and Disney characters such as Tinkerbell. These fairies tend to be gentle and kind, maybe a bit mischievous and tempermental, but nothing too scary. The word “faery,” usually refers to be a more adult type faery, the legendary faery with origins in the ancient times and places. These “faeries” are not necessarily sweet and cute and playful all the time. In fact, some of these faeries can be quite scary and dangerous."

Like, be whatever the heck you want to be, and use the words however you want. But don't get mad when I quote a different definition from what you prefer. "Faerie", in old French, didn't even MEAN a fae creature at all - it was the place where they lived - "fairyland" if you will.


The word fairy derives from Middle English faierie (also fayerye, feirie, fairie), a direct borrowing from Old French faerie (Modern French féerie) meaning the land, realm, or characteristic activity (i.e. enchantment) of the legendary people of folklore and romance called (in Old French) faie or fee (Modern French fée). This derived ultimately from Late Latin fata (one of the personified Fates, hence a guardian or tutelary spirit, hence a spirit in general); cf. Italian fata, Portuguese fada, Spanish hada of the same origin.

Fata, although it became a feminine noun in the Romance languages, was originally the neuter plural ("the Fates") of fatum, past participle of the verb fari to speak, hence "thing spoken, decision, decree" or "prophetic declaration, prediction", hence "destiny, fate". It was used as the equivalent of the Greek Μοῖραι Moirai, the personified Fates who determined the course and ending of human life. To the word faie was added the suffix -erie (Modern English -(e)ry), used to express either a place where something is found (fishery, heronry, nunnery) or a trade or typical activity engaged in by a person (cookery, midwifery, thievery). In later usage it generally applied to any kind of quality or activity associated with a particular sort of person, as in English knavery, roguery, witchery, wizardry.

Faie became Modern English fay "a fairy"; the word is, however, rarely used, although it is well known as part of the name of the legendary sorceress Morgan le Fay of Arthurian legend. Faierie became fairy, but with that spelling now almost exclusively referring to one of the legendary people, with the same meaning as fay. In the sense "land where fairies dwell", the distinctive and archaic spellings Faery and Faerie are often used. Faery is also used in the sense of "a fairy", and the back-formation fae, as an equivalent or substitute for fay is now sometimes seen.
So, traditionally, the two words meant different things anyway. Can we just agree that everyone uses the words differently and you can use whatever spelling suits you?

[Merman Dan]

Can we just agree that everyone uses the words differently and you can use whatever spelling suits you?

I'm in! ;)

I recall a prior thread where someone suggested all merfolk should share a common origin story, for consistency. It did not end well.

[Mermaid Galene]

Honestly, I'm not mad, Kelda, and I have no wish to annoy you. I really don't, and I am sincerely grateful for the work you have done in setting up Faenetwork. I was merely stating my disappointment with being asked to affiliate with a group without having any say in the descriptions that define those groups. We can all endlessly discuss our individual definitions of "fairy, faerie, elf," etc, because those terms are open to interpretation. But such discussions can become inflamed, as we have found here on MerNetwork whenever someone tries to pin down what a mermaid is or isn't. Discussions of this nature so easily sprial into disagreement, and disagreement spirals into hurt feelings -- all over something that's purely academic. This is exactly why I think it is a bad idea to ask forum members to label themselves. That's the point I'm trying to make, and I don't believe I'm the only person who feels this way.

But it's not really worth fighting about. I hope, however we choose to define our characters, we can all just enjoy sharing a common interest in a new venue. And if some of us don't choose to adopt the labeling system you've devised, that's a just a choice. It's not a call to arms! Really!

[Mermaid Kelda]

Sorry, it was more a figure of speech tbh, I didn't actually think you were mad!

It really is a case of semantics. Since I'm nixing the groups all together, it's not really an issue anyway. I can include both spellings, as I said :)

Edit: I don't think I was clear on why you were particular on the definitions - I realise now that it's because of the list of creatures and their definitions on the site. I hadn't actually planned on keeping that there, so to me it seemed like a big hoo-ha about nothing. I was thinking, it's just a word on a button in your signature, define it as you like! But I had forgotten that of course I had already defined them by my terms.

I'm so sorry! If I do keep the definitions, I will certainly amend them to be more inclusive!

[MerShasha]

I'm joined the forum :-D ,
In the spring i,m gonna have a fairy photoshoot with my miniature horse as a unicorn :-) .

[Echidna]

To be fair (no pun intended!), I normally use the term "Faerie" in the sense of "fairyland", and "fairy" for its inhabitants.
I took up the other spelling because people expect the aforementioned glitterladen honeybee if you say fairy :p

Anyways, I'm sure each of us finds the word that suits them most.

[Mermaid Galene]

Thanks, Kelda! It can be so hard sometimes to convey intent in an online conversation! Yes, it was just that I felt like multiethnic folks probably feel when being asked on a form to pick "caucasian," "african-american," "asian" OR "hispanic," when that person is biologically and culturally a blend of several of those groups. I think one easy solution to the problem of identification of character type, whether it be groups or a badge, is just to include a category labeled "hybrid." That would cover people who conceive their character as a blend of the traits of the other categories.

I've actually found our discussion of fae traditions and traits quite interesting, and I've learned from it. That's one of the benefits of having a forum devoted to the fae!

Anyway, all's swell that ends swell! :group hug:

[Mermaid Galene]

Oh, MerShasha, that sounds wonderful! I love miniature horses. Can't wait to see those pics!

[MerShasha]

27546
This is my little sweetheart :-D my little unicorn haha ,
I most make the unicornhorn for her :-) .

[Mermaid Galene]

She's a beauty!

[AptaMer]

I have some wings (and waaay too many costumes)



22418

Off the thread topic, but I just had to say- those are seriously cool wings, Echidna!

[MerShasha]

Thanks :-)

[BriannaPixieDee]

Off/On Topic: I'm actually working on a pair of Toothianna wings - with all 10 wings with a rig to open and close them.

I was going to do cellophane or fantasy film, but it was too heavy. May recycle the already made wings and make smaller pairs to use. Like TinkerBell and Navi wings in style.

So, I'm getting thing gauge wire and iridescent netting fabric *Kinda like tulle, but smoother* It's a small project that I'm doing with my tail just so if I get frustrated with one I can jump to the other.

I love Fae and I'm glad to see a forum for them on MerNetwork.

I feel like one day I can actually go to MerFest and it not feel like a big deal if I don't have a tail. (Silly I know).

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

So, how come I'm the most common poster on the faenetwork? We need new blood and new activity!

[Mermaid Kelda]

Well, technically it's not open yet ;) I'm still waiting to organise things with Iona, since she's got a lot of content planned. I also need to get the mechanics of the site down, graphics, some extra coding stuff. You're free to keep posting on the site, but I'd prefer people didn't invite anyone from outside the mer community just yet, since it's not really ready for viewing. At the moment it's just in the testing phase.

[Sherielle]

I lost the link and have to search to find it.

[Mermaid Galene]

I've been really busy gigging the past few months, but I'm delighted that FaeNetwork is still being developed. I will have a lot to share soon! For now, here's a song I wrote this morning. It's for children, so very Disneyesque, but I will sing it for the kids who attend our faerie naturalist programs:

FAERIE FAE

Faerie Fae, Faerie Fae,
what a beautiful world!
Morning’s kiss on sleeping lilies
makes their blooms unfurl.

Bluebirds laugh and foxes play,
ducklings swim and willows sway.
Dewdrop diamonds shine in the sun
among the Faerie Fae.

inst. break with siren song

Stories told in faerie rings,
while sylvan folk all gather round,
say, “Hold the wild things to your heart.
Don’t let them vanish without a sound.”

If you notice, if you care,
and learn to love what’s already there,
you’ll find, some spring,
you feel your wings
among the Faerie Fae.

© 2015 by Diane Rains. All Rights Reserved.

I've also finished my song, Wood of the Fae, which is a more mature take on the faerie world. I'll post that later.

[Mermaid Dottie]

I miss way too much when I'm away for long periods of time.
Did Someone say faeries? :)
I made my own bouncy wings once...
28718
Not a very good pic, since it's a screenshot from my instagram video...

[Mermaid Dottie]

Here's a better one. Low-budget, wire hanger wings...

28791

The fabric actually has a nice, rainbow, shimmer effect to them, but the photo didn't catch it, or how translucent they are.

[Mermaid Kelda]

The attachment link isn't working for me, Dottie!

[Mermaid Dottie]

The attachment link isn't working for me, Dottie!
So sorry, hon! Is it working now?

[Mermaid Wesley]

Those are cute! also, Dottie, your avatar pic hurts my back.

[OceanWhisper]

Hey everyone :) I did (a terrible version of) a Tinkerbell cosplay for my athletics carnival (we have faction colors, and I'm in green) and the dress kinda sucked, but I'll post a picture of the wings I made. They were my favourite part! Except because they were only made from a type of foam cardboard, they only just lasted the day. ( the wings themselves just got a little bent, but where they joined onto my back with a base, the foam got weak and tore, so they weren't wearable in the end) But now they look beautiful on my wall :-D

[SeaMonkey]

hey, im a faerie and a wood nymph myself!!!! also an elf hunter

[OceanWhisper]

awesome :-)

[Echidna]

hey, im a faerie and a wood nymph myself!!!! also an elf hunter

that's so cool!
Which level is your elf hunter, mine are 100 :cool:

[SeaMonkey]

as of right now im putting together a wood nymph and a faerie costume for ren fests. its so much fun. as for wut a faerie should be called, there are so many variations of fae folk i think just about any would be correct. i like faerie cuz i like ye olde spellings.

[SeaMonkey]

i mean elf hynter irl as well, but mine are 67 and i think 65. 65 is parked and not used anymore

[Mermaid Galene]

Working out a costume for my next library program in April.

28912

[ShyMer]

I joined just a little while ago- I'm willow.

I have a bunch of butterfly/moth inspired wings I've made myself. I'll put up photos when I get a chance.

I don't actually have it other clothing for a fairy costume though. I struggle with overall costume design, so I put it off.

[Merman Chatfish]

I intend to buy one pair as well for Gay pride this coming June. I still don't know which look I wanna pull off : merman or fairy :)
A fairy merman!

[Mermaid Strega]

/interupts

I have a pair of gorgeous fairy wings from Fancy Fairy Wings and Things (I think is the shop name). They're super gorgeous! It's really neat seeing faerie and mers her :3

[Miyu]

Gearing up to join FaeNetwork... Just gotta decide on a fae name! I'm waffling between a few, LOL :doh:

[Anahita]

I joined.....

My username is Pari.... I know, very unoriginal (it literally just means "faerie" in Farsi, lol) but I figured I could go from there.

[Merenneito Nerissa]

Hi, didn't know we had a whole fairy community here :) I'm making these fairy/elven style tiara's, also custom orders, if you want to check out I have this etsy shop;
https://www.etsy.com/shop/Lumotivation

Also if you have ideas/suggestions, what I could do in future etc. what fairies desire you can share it if you want, I would be so thankful :)

[Lucinda]

Woah! Fae Network must be fresh from the oven. Only 18 members when I registered.

[Mermaid Kelda]

It is fresh from the oven, Lucinda! You're free to post there if you wish, but keep in mind that it's not officially open yet (and probably won't be for a while).

[Nyx]

Woop I joined, probably going to lurk until I get my fairy side together ;)
Super excited for this though!

[Ashe]

Alright, I joined :)

[MermaidMerida]

I wanna join but I feel like I need to get my faesona together before I do >.>

[ShyMer]

You should just join anyway! You could share your journey as you assemble your fairy self. It might be fun!

[Ashe]

I wanna join but I feel like I need to get my faesona together before I do >.>

What ShyMer said. I joined before I had any real idea what the heck this community was. Now I have my persona and am planning my costume (Harpy wings hell yeah!) Just join and then you get the bragging right of being one of the original members :cool: There's not too many yet.

[Elodea the Mermaid]

Ren and fantasy faires are how I got into mermaiding. Flying on fairy wings, cavorting on my faun hooves... all of it because I hadn't realized I could swim like a mermaid!

I'm usually a faun... but I also made some pretty neat laser cut aluminum wings :-)


29003
29004
29005
29006

[Mermaid Galene]

Great costumes, Carabosse!

[Mermaid Enora]

Love the costumes also Carabosse!

[Elodea the Mermaid]

Thank you so much, Galene and Enora! I didn't mean to picture dump, I just get super excited about faeries, lol!

[Mermaid Lorelei]

Quick question: Will anyone be attending Faerieworlds this year? There's a chance I'll actually be there and I wanted to see if I might have the opportunity to meet any of you lovelies!

[Elodea the Mermaid]

Ohhhhh, I want to go so bad! I went to Mythic Worlds, which is by the same event company and it was AWESOME. Plus I hear the new venue is really cool. Sadly, it's the same weekend as PAX this year :-(

[Mermaid Enora]

I'm a fairy first and a mermaid on the side so I totally get the excitement with fairies. My fairy persona has been around for almost 6 years now and the mermaid hasn't even had its first birthday yet.
If you google the Westwood Fairies you can find us on Pinterest Twitter and Facebook to see what we look like.

[Elodea the Mermaid]

Ditto, Enora. Faeona the Faun is the character I take to most faires. Sometimes I'll even find myself shopping in the real world and think, "This is totally something Faeona would wear." She's like my weird sister or something.

Your wings are so huge and beautiful! I bet they stop people in their tracks!

[Mermaid Enora]

Ditto, Enora. Faeona the Faun is the character I take to most faires. Sometimes I'll even find myself shopping in the real world and think, "This is totally something Faeona would wear." She's like my weird sister or something.

Your wings are so huge and beautiful! I bet they stop people in their tracks!

all the time, lots of people want to take our pictures.
My sister's wings are even bigger. The oldest sister has the smallest wings. Our wings go smaller to larger from oldest to youngest. :)

I'm always on the lookout for things that Lavendyre or Enora would wear!

[Lucinda]

Great pictures, Carabosse. Oh and btw, the biologist in me absolutely digs your signature!

[Mermaid Galene]

Hey, fellow faefolk! I've been a busy little faerie lately, working on some costuming ideas. I wanted some wings that were easier to maneuver and travel with than the large back-mounted variety. So I devised what, I believe, is unique in the fae community: faerie armwings based on real butterfly species. Here's an example:

29037

I've made four so far - two butterfly species and two moths, with more to come. The current wings are mounted on a soft, stretch lace armband. I'm planning to also do a line mounted on metal filigree arm cuffs.

I wear these at my library storytime programs. I'm just getting into rearing live silkmoths for use in nature education and release in native habitats, and these armwings really create the perfect atmosphere.

I am also selling these in my newly revamped Etsy shop, FaerieMermaidGalene. Check the Classifieds thread for more on that.

[Raayvhen]

Faerieworlds in OR? I might be!

[Mermaid Galene]

The hubbie and I will be attending FaerieCon east in November, and I'm really excited! The music lineup looks awesome, and I'm already working on costumes for the two balls (Good Faerie and Bad Faerie). Such fun!

[Lucinda]

That arm wing design is beautiful, Galene. The different elements come together so perfectly.

[Mermaid Galene]

Thanks, Lucinda! For the first bunch, I stuck with species that live here in Wisconsin, since I use these to teach kids. But I'm excited to do some of the more exotic tropical species - clearwings, morphos, spectacular swallowtails. Next up: luna moth wings for my summer library program. Hoping to have some live moths to show the kids at that point.

[Merman Dan]

The hubbie and I will be attending FaerieCon east in November

See you there!

[Mermaid Galene]

Awesome, Dan!

[Merman Dan]

When I found out Faun was playing last year, I got tickets immediately. THEN I got my wings! :)

[Vrindavana Starfish]

Commenting to keep up with this thread.

[Mermaid Galene]

Faun looks fabulous! I wonder if there will be jam sessions or open mics at FaerieCon.

À propos, today Neptune's Keep debuted our faerie song for children, Faerie Fae:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNZIGjwMVlc


FAERIE FAE

©2015 by Diane Rains, All Rights Reserved.

Faerie fae, Faerie Fae,
what a beautiful world!
Morning’s kiss on sleeping lilies
makes their blooms unfurl.

Bluebirds laugh and foxes play,
ducklings swim and willows sway.
Dewdrop diamonds shine in the sun
among the faerie fae.

Stories told in faerie rings,
while sylvan folk all gather round,
say, “Hold the wild things to your heart.
Don’t let them vanish without a sound.”

If you notice, if you care,
and learn to love what’s already there,
you’ll find, some spring,
you feel your wings
among the Faerie Fae.

You’ll find, some spring,
you feel your wings
among the Faerie Fae.

[MermaidMerida]

What ShyMer said. I joined before I had any real idea what the heck this community was. Now I have my persona and am planning my costume (Harpy wings hell yeah!) Just join and then you get the bragging right of being one of the original members :cool: There's not too many yet.
Lol okay then I'll join I just gotta sort out a name :3

[Elodea the Mermaid]

Great pictures, Carabosse. Oh and btw, the biologist in me absolutely digs your signature!

Thanks, Lucinda! My mom is a biologist and a botanist, and I accidentally minored in biology. It was just such a big part of my life that I kept taking bio classes and labs as almost-electives while I got my English degree. Elodea/waterweed reminds me of my mom. Elodea and nudibranchs. I had an interesting childhood, lol. Had to throw Nymphaea in there because my mersona often wears a ridiculous orange waterlily as a hat.

[Silva]

I'm on FaeNetwork! I'm Merfairy Shimmer, although I'm pending a username change to Faresia, which will be my faun name! I accidentally mistyped it as foraosia, so I have to wait until that gets approved before I can change it to the correct version. I also feel like I'm posting way too much lol

[Mermaid Kelda]

SeaStar, I've changed your name to Faresia for you :)

[Mermaid Enora]

Just got my fairy group facebook page fixed up.
Check us out! and like us please :)

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Westwood-Fairies/1711465405747225

[Mermaid Galene]

Nice FB page, Enora!

[Silva]

Thanks Mermaid Kelda! :)

[Mermaid Kelda]

I'm having some trouble getting a hold of artists to get permission to use their photos for the site.
What would people think about submitting their own photos of their faesona for a rotating header/general use around the site?

[Mermaid Wesley]

That would be cool!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Silva]

I'm having some trouble getting a hold of artists to get permission to use their photos for the site.
What would people think about submitting their own photos of their faesona for a rotating header/general use around the site?
Yes! Maybe drawings too?

[Elodea the Mermaid]

Definitely! Makes me wish I had some better pictures.

[Mermaid Galene]

Great idea, Kelda! What resolution would work best for the pics?

[Mermaid Kelda]

As large as you can manage! For the header, it'll show at 850x320, but depending on where else I use the images, I might need different resolutions.

[Mermaid Galene]

Shall we post them here or email them? I think the image size restriction here is 1500px.

[Mermaid Kelda]

Shoot me a PM here or on Faenetwork with a link to the image, or the image attached if it's small enough. I'll collate them and re-host them offsite.

[Mermaid Rillia]

I love this. I just joined, nymph rillia.

[Silva]

This probably should go over there, but welcome to FaeNetwork! Not many people have posted in the last few days, it's great have new members!

[Mermaid Kelda]

Keep in mind the site's not officially open yet, SeaStar, so that's why posting is low. It's only members from Mernetwork at the moment. Once it's open to the public there'll be more members flowing in, I hope!

[Silva]

Is this drawing I did ok for a header? This was the best shot I could get, it is a bit blurry (I don't have a scanner)
file:///D:\WIN_20150427_214255.JPG

[Mermaid Galene]

Welcome, Rillia! Love your name!

[Silva]

Keep in mind the site's not officially open yet, SeaStar, so that's why posting is low. It's only members from Mernetwork at the moment. Once it's open to the public there'll be more members flowing in, I hope!
Of course! I'm just an impatient person haha :shame:
so tired.
:bed now:

[Mermaid Kelda]

Is this drawing I did ok for a header? This was the best shot I could get, it is a bit blurry (I don't have a scanner)
file:///D:\WIN_20150427_214255.JPG

You'll have to upload the image using the little square tree image and uploading it from your computer that way. IMG tags only work for linking images on the internet - it doesn't work for files on your computer.

[SeaMonkey]

i wanna join as soon as i decide on a name

[Silva]

29313
Here, is this ok for a header? It's a bit skechy and a little smudged though. It's of a dryad.

[Mermaid Kelda]

It's lovely! A bit small for the header, but I've created some image galleries on FaeNet where you can post things for now. There's one for artwork :)

[Silva]

29338
Is this resolution better? It's 850x356, and it doesn't matter if a bit of the top or bottom get cut off. BTW I love the new arcade :)
I edited it with PicMonkey.

[SeaMonkey]

i joined. im Kai over there

[Silva]

Welcome to the FaeNetwork!

[Mermaid Rillia]

Thanks for the welcome :)

[Silva]

I love the new skins, but when I select one, the screen goes all weird and looks like this:
29434

[Mermaid Kelda]

The new skins aren't finished yet ;)

[Silva]

Oh ok.

[Ashe]

For those of you on FaeNetwork, I just posted a thread about a topic I want to hear some feedback on :) This could help many people with their personas and can apply to mermaids in some cases as well. Here you are! (http://faenetwork.com/index.php?act=ST&f=5&t=55)

[Silva]

That thread should be a sticky, if there were stickys... :) I think it's actually a great topic to discuss. Personally, 'fae' means everything mythical to me.

[WaterDragon]

I signed up for the Fae network a few days ago :) (same user name)

[Silva]

Yay!

[Mermaid Galene]

Hey, fellow Fae ~

I've just listed 5 new products in my Etsy Shop, FaerieMermaidGalene. Check here (http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?10735-FaerieMermaidGalene-on-Etsy&p=191443#post191443) on MN for details, or pop on over to Etsy! Here's a sample of my new wares:

29621

I've also listed a new Neptune's Keep song, Faerie Fae. Listen to an excerpt on SoundCloud (https://soundcloud.com/smart-small-fry/faerie-fae-sample-excerpt).

Enjoy!

[Silva]

All your designs are beautiful Galene!

[Silva]

Just made my first wings with untwisted coat hangers and clear contact paper! The veins are meant to be jagged, and although the contact paper has a lot of bubbles and creases, but it looks pretty cool when light shines through. Here's a pic:
29712
It's not perfectly symmetric tho.

[Mermaid Galene]

They look great, SeaStar!

[Mermaid Kelda]

I've added three new skins (well, three colour options of one new skin) to the forum and I'd love to get people's feedback on the UI, readability, aesthetics, usability, etc. Leave me comments here or PM me on the Faenetwork if you have any comments or suggestions. It's my plan to possibly remove the original skin and roll with these ones instead, so that everyone's viewing the same things in the same places, which will save me headaches when bug-fixing and answering skin-related questions. Plus, it gives the site a sense of uniformity and familiarity.

Let me know what you think!

[Mermaid Galene]

Nice work, Kelda/Juniper! I like all of the skins except Blueberry. It's just a little too gray for my taste and seems harder to read. I love the "Today's Active Topic" link on the bottom of the page and the "View New Posts" and "Active Posts" links under the header. On Mernetwork, I always go immediately to the "What's New" tab. The FaeNetwork equivalents are really useful options. (I'm slightly confused, though, about the difference between "View New posts" and "Active Posts.") I also love the little Easter egg popups on the header. Fun!

All in all, FaeNetwork is shaping up nicely! Thanks, Kelda!

[Mermaid Galene]

I'm probably just missing it, but I can't find a way to order a topic with newer replies listed first and older ones after (so the topic reads newest to oldest as I scan down the page.) Currently I can only see the newest posts after scrolling past older ones.

[Silva]

I think it's a default fourm thing, idk if you can change it.
I love the new skins!

[Mermaid Galene]

You can choose the order of posts in a thread here on MerNetwork and on other forums, so I'd be surprised if it were not an option on FaeNetwork.

[Mermaid Kelda]

I like all of the skins except Blueberry. It's just a little too gray for my taste and seems harder to read.
Thanks for the feedback! I did intentionally make the skins to suit different tastes, and I plan on adding more in the future. My idea was to make skins based on different "fae habitats"; so at the moment it's mountains, forest, meadow. I figured it'd be a nice thing for people's faesonas to visit on the forum from their favourite habitat.

The text and text backgrounds on all the skins are the same, so technically the text should be no harder to read on Blueberry, but it's very possible that the more washed-out surrounding colours don't make the text "pop" as much. I'll keep that in mind!


I'm slightly confused, though, about the difference between "View New posts" and "Active Posts."
"View New Posts" shows you any new posts you have not seen since the last time you logged on (similar to "New Posts" on MN). So, depending on the last time you visited the site and how often people are posting, this could be pages and pages of posts, or none at all. The issue with this feature is that if you click View New Posts but don't actually click on any of the links to read them, the site will still mark them as "seen" and won't show you them again next time. This is different to how it works on Mernetwork, as here you'll be shown every link every time you click "New Posts" until you actually go in and read them.

That's where "Active Posts" comes in! Clicking on this will show you any new posts within the time frame you specify, up to a month ago, regardless of whether you've read them or not (this works the same way as clicking "What's New?" on MN, which shows you the Activity Stream). Using both "View New Posts" and "Active Posts" should mean you never miss anything new.


I'm probably just missing it, but I can't find a way to order a topic with newer replies listed first and older ones after (so the topic reads newest to oldest as I scan down the page.) Currently I can only see the newest posts after scrolling past older ones.
"Active Topics" lists by newest post, whereas "View New Posts" lists results by newest topic. So if Thread A was created at 3pm and posted in at 8pm, and Thread B was created at 4pm and posted in at 5pm, "View New Posts" will show you Thread B first since the thread's creation date is more recent than Thread A's, but "Active Topics" will show you Thread A first because it has the most recent post. It's not really an ideal system but that's just how the forum software is engineered. If you're a fairly regular visitor to the forum it might be best just to use Active Topics on its own, since it shows newest posts regardless of when the threads were created.

[Mermaid Galene]

Thanks for clarifying, Kelda. Within a thread/topic, is it possible to choose to order the replies from newest at the top to oldest at the bottom?

[Mermaid Kelda]

Ah, I see what you mean, now. No, unfortunately there is no way to do this. It may be added to the forum software in the future, but I haven't heard anything about it. If I do, I will let everyone know!
If you're viewing new posts since your last visit, I believe there's a little arrow next to the thread title which will take you to the most recent unread post, but that's about it. Sorry!

[Mermaid Galene]

Got it. Thanks!

[Mermaid Aika]

I just joined Faenetwork! My username is Aria.

[Silva]

Welcome to Faenetwork!

[A_Koi_Mermaid]

*Prepares to read through 11 pages of posts* So is the short version, as I suspected, was "there wasn't really a non-facebook related fairy network so we made one"? I'd love to join and network with other fairies.

Btw, Galene I love your butterflies! They look very realistic!

[Merman Dan]

Less than four months until FaerieCon East! :)

[Mermaid Kelda]

That's pretty much the gist, Koi!

[Mermaid Galene]

Yay, FaerieCon! I'm getting excited and thinking about final touches for my ball outfits.

Thanks, Koi! I have a bunch more butterfly products coming later this summer. I'll have more time to work on Etsy stuff when my library performance series winds down at the end of this month.

[MerFairyCelestiaPearl]

I'm new here but have been lurking for a while. I've played the fairy queen at Utah festivals for several years, and run my own group of fairy characters. I'm finally branching out as my real passion, mermaiding, and will debut a merfairy queen very soon. I joined the Fae Network as Queen Kailania! Nice to meet all of you.

Kailania
Facebook.com/kailaniathefairy


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Merman Dan]

Is anyone else attending FaerieCon East in Maryland this weekend?

[Saelyyia]

Well I just joined Faenetwork. Had wings long before I grew fins. Looking so forward to seeing the site grow.

[Mermaid Kelda]

Just wanted to remind everyone who's joined recently that the site isn't open, it's a work in progress and I only posted it to see what people thought of the layout. You're very welcome to post on it as much as you like, but I can't guarantee activity.

[Winged Mermaid]

Well, technically it's not open yet ;) I'm still waiting to organise things with Iona, since she's got a lot of content planned.

Okay, so it's time I actually posted about this... so I was super excited about this becuase I had been collecting material for a fairy community or website for YEARS. Like, since pre MerYuku, before I even got my first tail. I use to spend days at a time on google scouring for all kinds of resources, and looked through other smaller fairy communities (like on LiveJournal and such), and was even writing a comprehensive tutorial on making all kinds of different types of wings, which was a looot of info.

So, I don't know if you guys recall me posting about having external hard drive issues. I think I brought it up in a vlog at some point if not on here. I thought I would lose everything on there, but luckily after getting a new casing for it, all seemed well. Well SEEMED being the key word there. Turns out, a hand full of folders were corrupted. This included some video files and project files that I was doing for myself and for Raven, some backup files of different applications on my laptop, some tax and other documents, and... the compiled information for the fairy stuff.
I looked everywhere for how to restore the files but whatever I tried I had no luck. Had my husband deal with the external HD situation (in the end he bought a newer bigger one). He says it's possible a big drop could have scratched the disk of the hard drive itself and corrupted the files, but it could have been other things too. The new HD is flash based so this doesn't happen again. If that's what did it anyways.

So... I had a good cry over it and was generally royally pissed at myself for knocking the damn thing off the table in the first place. But all that work gone.. I really just am not over it. I find that all my motivation for collecting that information is gone. I just want to forget about it. I essentially rage quit I guess. I didn't say anything on here for a long time because I felt really stupid and frustrated and angry and sad, even ashamed. Especially when I had made such a big promise about delivering all this great stuff for this new community.

Honestly there's so much going on with my health issues I'm not sure I could have handled another forum anyway (I know my husband said the thought it was a really bad idea but I ignored him cause, hello, fairies!). I was going to go ahead with it anyway as long as I had other folks helping so I didn't get too stressed over it. But now I just don't have the interest in helping lead it anymore. I hope it doesn't sound like I'm having some kind of stupid tantrum over some lost files...

Anyhow, I want to apologize for taking so long to say something. I hope this hasn't held up things too much. I will still probably sign up and participate though. I still love fairies, just.. this whole thing.. urgh.

[Ashe]

Oh, Iona I'm so sorry :( I know you must have been working so hard! ugh that makes me frustrated as well... Just take a break and maybe regroup. In a year or so you may want to come back!

I'll definitely message Kelda and see what I can do to help. I would really love to see this site and community go live...

[Saelyyia]

Same here. I understand the health issues and how disheartening it can be to fight that and then have something that heart breaking happen after that much work. I hope in time it stings less dear and that you can find some peace with it all in time. I'm with Kalani. I'm in a situation I can step up and offer my help as well.

[Mermaid Wesley]

We understand <3


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mermaid Galene]

No worries, Iona! We all totally understand. You don't need additional responsibilities and aggravation. You need hugs and faerie dust, and we will always have that for you! :group hug:

[Merman Dan]

After attending FaerieCon last weekend I was hoping the fey community was a bit more like the mer community, with regional pods and whatnot. It would be nice to supplement the weekly merfolk swim with a monthly faerie gathering. :)

[Saelyyia]

After attending FaerieCon last weekend I was hoping the fey community was a bit more like the mer community, with regional pods and whatnot. It would be nice to supplement the weekly merfolk swim with a monthly faerie gathering. :)

Hehe I was thinking the same thing. My cousin and I have been toying around with setting up one for the fae in our local area.

[Mermaid Wesley]

CAN I COME??


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mermaid Enora]

After attending FaerieCon last weekend I was hoping the fey community was a bit more like the mer community, with regional pods and whatnot. It would be nice to supplement the weekly merfolk swim with a monthly faerie gathering. :)

I love that idea! My fairy (and mermaid) friends and I usually Facebook each other to see who's going to be at what ren faires and then we hang out and chat at faire.
But it would be nice to have a texas flock (my group calls ourselves a glimmer) like the texas pod per se.

[Ashe]

I'd love to be there! Currently I have no fae costume or accessories but I would love to pull something together :)

[Saelyyia]

CAN I COME??
Of course. It wont be for a while, probably next year in the spring we will start working on it alot more after all the holidays are over. Just drop me a line either here, on faenetwork (same name) or I'm in the pod of cali fb.


I'd love to be there! Currently I have no fae costume or accessories but I would love to pull something together :)
We haven't put together the ones we are working on all the way too. We just have a couple of garden faerie ensembles I put together for last year.

[Mermaid Galene]

Love this idea! If there are any fae types in the Minneapolis-St.Paul area, I'd love a meetup!

[Mermaid Neri Elvina]

Just found this and love it. I love this sort of thing, Elven and fae folk :fallover::dance:I have an etsy wishlist full of wings lol

[Saelyyia]

Welcome to the party Neri, what type of things are you drawn to? I tend to lean towards elemental based esembles and such and my wings often reflect that.

[Madison MerFaerie]

I joined FaeNetwork a couple months ago and haven't posted yet. Just lurking for now!

I love to see mermaids who love faeries as well! I got a gorgeous pair of wings for my birthday in December, but it's too cold in Wisconsin to go out for a proper photoshoot. This spring or summer I'm hoping to make it out to our local arboretum to take some nice photos.

I really want a big fae con to come to the Midwest. I'm sure that Chicago would be a very successful location!

[Mermaid Neri Elvina]

Welcome to the party Neri, what type of things are you drawn to? I tend to lean towards elemental based esembles and such and my wings often reflect that.
I have always felt close with water and animals. I love dark and light colours. Idk what else lol

Sent from my XT1021 using Tapatalk

[Saelyyia]

We could use more people actively posting on FaeNetwork. Even with it under-construction when it is just Setorin and I posting its just less fun that if others would join in.

[Mermaid Neri Elvina]

We could use more people actively posting on FaeNetwork. Even with it under-construction when it is just Setorin and I posting its just less fun that if others would join in.
I'm gonna start a thread for shops that sell wings and other stuff that may be useful I have a ton on etsy favourite

Sent from my XT1021 using Tapatalk

[Saelyyia]

Sounds like a great idea. When I get my new shop up and running I will have to let you know so you can add it to the list.

[Mermaid Neri Elvina]

I put the the thread in the babble subforum but I would recommend a subforum for resources or something

Sent from my XT1021 using Tapatalk

[TaurielTheElementMerfairy]

I would love to be able to join the Fae/Fairy Community FaeNetwork site when it is up and ready since my Mer name is Rebekah The Element Merfairy.
Please keep me posted when it is up and running so that I can join it since I'm trying to get my Fairy looks going as well and I might need help getting them going since I'm a beginner Mer who just got her fabric tail that is her first tail in October 2014.
If anyone who would like to chat about it and my ideas till the FaeNetwork site is up and running please let me know because I'm also on Facebook and I'm always on once I turn my iPad mini on and when I'm not on it is because I'm in bed sleeping and my iPad mini is off.
On Facebook you can find me under my name Rebekah Leigh because since I'm a beginner Mer I haven't made my Mer Facebook page yet but as soon as I have everything that I need for both of my blue looks I'll be able to make my Mer Facebook page as soon as I can.

[Mermaid Momo]

I think my account was deleted because I got an email about it but I'm going to make another because I need help with my wings

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Tapatalk

[Mermaid Momo]

Thttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/16/01/24/7274e3b92dd6a44fffd371918ed35be2.jpg

This is one of the wings I tried making but I don't like how thick the veining is but it's the best I could do with the poster board I used. Does anyone have other suggestions for what I can use for cellophane wings? (Besides wire because I suck at wire wrapping)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mermaid Jaffa]

How bout those sheer and shiny spandex that you'd use for tails? With some clever sewing, you won't have that wrinkly look like cellophane has. Unless you are going for the wrinkles?

[Mermaid Kelda]

I can't imagine how your account could have been deleted :/ I'll check for you in the morning!

[Saelyyia]

I would love to be able to join the Fae/Fairy Community FaeNetwork site when it is up and ready

Feel free to make an account now. Even though the site is not officially up there are still active members on it in the mean time. Plus it allows you to give Kelda helpful feedback about the functionality of the site while she is getting it up and running.