Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!
01-06-2015, 04:37 AM
Not to flood the forum with Merfest reviews, but I did want to share my experiences.
So, after last year's reviews here, I was desperate to go to NC Merfest. I saved up, worked several jobs, and finally, after shopping around, ordered my first tail, plane tickets, and admission. I'd initially planned to room with Merboy78xy and one of his friends, but they each had to work, so I decided to go by myself. While my tail wasn't complete, it looked great so far and was wearable, and I loved the progress pictures. I gathered my costume pieces for the ball and the luau, and packed every mermaid or merman t-shirt and necklace I owned, plus some of my favorite mermaid books, figuring that I might not get to show them to anyone, but I could always read them to get in the spirit.
THURSDAY JANUARY 1ST
I set off for a short flight from Philadelphia to Raleigh in the evening, finally mostly over a cold that I'd come down with over Christmas and worried that it would keep me from enjoying the convention.
I arrived and took a shuttle to the Embassy Suites hotel, which was beautiful and lush, filled with an elaborate koi pond, waterfall, and dining area in the central courtyard. As soon as I checked in and made my way to the elevator, I ended up meeting Jerilyn, who immediately charmed me and introduced herself. After I unpacked my bags, hung up my costumes, and generally made the place homey. Then I went to explore, checking out the pool and gym, the ball and conference room areas, and the nearby shopping centers, exercising my legs after having crammed my 6'2" self into the airplane seats. I also ran into Merman Maksim and Julz when I returned, and encountered a few others. I didn't see anyone I recognized, though, and opted to go to bed and read a book (The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Córdova), which, though initially slow, turned out to be a good read. And yes, this might sound like a somewhat disappointing evening, but after recovering from a cold and the craziness of the holidays, relaxing with a good book after doing some exploring was very satisfying.
FRIDAY JANUARY 2ND
Unfortunately, I hadn't quite figured out how to work the alarm clock, and ended up sleeping through breakfast! Cursing my fondness for staying up late reading, I threw on my swimsuit and some clothes, packed a bag, and ran downstairs, only to have no idea how I was going to get to the Triangle Aquatic Center! I was starting to panic about missing John Jay's Breath Holding class when Marla of Weeki Wachee, her husband, Steve, and Echi came out, and invited me to come with them. I had no idea who I was traveling with, but their kindness and generosity impressed me, and all three of them are amazing people.
We arrived just in time for me to check in and get my folder, rubber band bracelet, and other NC Merfest Essentials and I made it to class... where I met Lotus, my tailmaker, for the first time! I enjoyed John Jay's class, and will definitely practice the strategies he taught (though clearly I have to work on the whole "getting plenty of sleep" part). Then the class broke up to change and reconvene in the pool... and I finally got to try on my brand new tail!
In hindsight, I probably should've waited until the class was finished. It took a lot of time to wiggle into the tail and figure out how it should feel, and then I was a bit behind on the actual find-a-partner-and-practice-holding-your-breath thing. Fortunately, John Jay partnered with me to watch as I tried to use some of his strategies, and I have to admit I performed rather embarrassingly at first, letting my brain get the better of me. Still, I learned a lot, and know what to do and what to avoid doing, and how to improve.
Afterwards, the class dismissed, and I climbed out of my tail and went over to the main pool, where Lotus helped me again get into it. The monofin for my tail had apparently broken oddly, and needed to be replaced, but Lotus networked to find a replacement, and so I ended up borrowing John Jay's monofin strap and Eden's monofin... the convention was only beginning and already I'd experienced so much generosity from people who didn't even know me! I immediately got a bunch of compliments on my tail, which Lotus had painted with beautiful and talented craftsmanship that exceeded my expectations, and at relatively short notice!
Swimming freely in my tail for the first time felt amazing... the fulfillment of a childhood dream, and, surrounded by other mermaids and mermen, I really felt like I had arrived and was part of something amazing! As I practiced swimming across the pool, I ran into Meraiah, who was using her underwater camera to take pictures of me! I felt like I was a star in the spotlight, and experimented with some tricks for her, and we introduced ourselves to each other and she promised to send me the pictures. Later, when she was swimming in her tail with her daughters, I took pictures and videos of them as well, and all of them were beautiful and adorable and so kind! I'd gone from only vaguely knowing a few people online and having an unfinished tail to getting tons of compliments and some amazing underwater shots and video of me swimming, something which I'd mainly thought only happened for professional mermaids and mermen! And I'd met a whole family of nice people in the process!
Speaking of families, I also was introduced to Serendipity Shimmy Fins, who had made a beautiful fabric tail from some old dress material, and her sons Airk and Jareth and Airk's girlfriend, Tai, along with the rest of their family. All of them made me feel welcome, and I got to swim with several of them, as Tai (and, I believe, Jareth) each tried on Serendipity's tail and swam in it. I admit that I had trouble hearing, though, and thought Jareth's name was Chris, but they still hung out with me on the side of the pool in between swims.
Merman Christian made me feel very welcome and gave me a big hug, and we became fast friends. I'd heard about how so many people had raised money for a Finfolk productions tail, and had to bite my tongue whenever someone brought up Mermaid Creations in his presence (which seemed to happen a lot... people must not have been very subtle, though we did all manage to keep the secret, thankfully). I was also impressed by how ChristoMer Starfish, who I'd seen running around and who I'd introduced myself to only to be told "Oh, of course I know who you are" before he had to hurry to deal with some other aspect of running the convention, had lent Merman Christian some of his beautiful and elaborate tails. As if being known by the man running the convention wasn't ego-stroking enough, I got to see how people took care of each other that day, and I was impressed by Merman Christian's attitude about his tail, which clearly bothered him, but that he was determined to have a good time despite the recent setbacks.
I met MermanDan, who was really sweet and has this manner about him where he focuses on you and engages you in conversation and really expresses interest in you. I hung out with him throughout the rest of the convention, and it was rally amazing to watch him talk with different people and find a topic about which they were passionate about that let them shine and show off how interesting and beautiful they were. It was through him that I found out about Mermaid Marla's experiences at Weeki Wachee, and he had a long conversation later that evening with Laura about being a professional mermaid and spreading that kind of business through hard work, professionalism, self-improvement, understanding children of different ages and showing businesses the advantages of having mermaids.
I met Severn, who sat perched on one of the ledges with his flukes in the water, and talked with him briefly, before getting back in and swimming.
I also was interviewed by some of the Merfest Staff, who were very thoughtful and asked some interesting questions. I do hope that they use the footage, but I was mainly flattered just to be asked.
I also got to briefly meet Raina, who unfortunately had badly damaged her thumb and was experiencing a disappointing day, but who still greeted me with an enthusiastic hug as soon as she saw me. It was so cool, because while I'd had conversations with Raina here, I'd assumed she'd be as busy as the actual staff, and yet she still was delighted I was there and recognized me.
And then there were the tails: Dottie's beautiful Cutthroat Trout tail with its dotted blue-green-yellow grace, Echi's amazing goldfish outfit and gem-encrusted swim mask/goggles, Maksim's blue-ringed octopus inspired tail, Julz's wicked dorsal fins and tiger stripes, Caribbean Pearl's brash pirate-treasure colored tail, Lotus' dark and emotional wavy tail, Cicero's long green tail with flowing flukes, Ed's dramatic dorsal fin vest and webbed fingers and purple tail, the little girls swimming by in rainbow tails, the colorful and tropical finfolk productions tails (like the leafy sea dragon tail), the sculpted mertailor tails (and that dramatic lobster-esque one), and so many others, too fantastic and varied to name. Everyone I saw I tried to compliment on whatever made their outfits unique and wonderful, and there was always something that stood out. Some people (I believe they were with the Mertailor) even had Weeki Wachee-like air hoses from S.C.U.B.A. tanks and performed graceful underwater movements that I envied and marveled at... I'd never thought to be in the same pool with people who could actually do something like that.
Eventually, after spending more hours in the pool than I think I ever had, it was time to head back, and I helped Lotus and Jerilyn carry their things to the car in exchange for a ride back to the hotel. I showered, got dressed, and came down to the mixer, where I got to see a bunch of the people I'd met at the pool earlier, and finally ate my fill (I'd skipped visiting the lunch trucks in favor of swimming in my tail). I was wandering around a bit aimlessly when Raina saw me from where she was sitting and waved me over to join her table with MerWrangler Sean and John Jay. She was so welcoming, and I finally got to officially meet Sean (he'd been a bit busy running around trying to help people at the TAC).
Then the announcements began. Finfolk Productions presented the Mermaid Marla (not the Weeki Wachee one) with the tail she'd won at last year's raffle, and its sunset colors were beautiful... Caribbean Pearl even teasingly tried to run off with it :) Then they brought Merman Christian up and announced the impressive amount of money they'd raised for a Finfolk Productions Tail, and made him speechless. Then, after some dancing, the karaoke began.
I had been looking forward to this for awhile, so I started with The Devil Went Down to Georgia, then impressed everyone with my version of Under the Sea, and finally doing a duet of Under Pressure with Anita Rainbow (though I had to hear that one on her phone first to remember more than just the chorus). Raina was just as frequent a singer, if not more so, and it was wonderful to see that she was feeling better. Marla's (who won the tail) husband Steve led us in a rousing version of Les Poissons! Finally, late into the evening, the party ended, but some of us eventually regrouped in the pool and hot tub. I eventually went upstairs and went to sleep, looking forward to the next day (and setting my alarm so I'd be able to wake up in time for breakfast)
SATURDAY JANUARY 3RD
I woke up and made it downstairs in time to get breakfast right before it closed, and ended up with a rather impressive spread. While I'd initially planned to eat by myself while watching the koi from the deck, I ended up being invited to join the others, and really enjoyed myself, eventually getting a ride over to the TAC with Serendipity and her family.
I had been a bit torn, though, since I really wanted to do the pirate sword fighting lessons, but didn't want to miss the open swim with Hannah Fraser or the fashion shows. I eventually decided to skip the Q&A but hang out in the main pool, and caught up with a lot of the people I'd met the day before.
The actual performances of the different fashion shows were fun, though I think perhaps they suffered from a lack of a traditional stage or seating arrangement to promote viewing each of the ladies and their costumes, in or out of the water. It wasn't anyone's fault, really, just a problem with the range between places viewers could perch on the poolside and places where the models could show off their lovely fashions. The water models sadly seemed somewhat few in number (perhaps because of the impressive water ballet skills they required), and I confess to having difficulty distinguishing the differences between each of the land models' outfits, since they were all made of the same fabric and color, and I struggled to pick out the differences in cut, tightness, flow, and so forth while each model was walking across the stage. Admittedly, fashion isn't my strong suit, and all of the ladies were beautiful and moved with grace and style, but I felt like it was difficult to fully appreciate it given the restrictions of the location. It was also extremely difficult to hear the announcements, even when they spoke over the microphone. I might also have been mentally comparing this fashion show with the pictures from last years, with all the elaborate, fish-themed costumes, and was therefore unable to get into the proper mindset to focus on the cut of each costume and the synchronized swimming performances. Hannah Fraser's appearance was impressive and she and her tail were lovely, but I think that skipping the Q&A might've been a mistake, since it made it harder to focus on her and relate to her. I love the videos of her swimming with various sea life, but again, the venue made it difficult to watch her movements.
Swimming with everyone together was fun, though, and I got photographed for the local newspaper. I also saw a bunch of mermen, including some younger boys. It is so cool to see the next generation getting into the hobby of swimming in tails, and I am loving the increase in mermen. The girls shouldn't have ALL the fun, after all ;-)
We also took a bunch of pictures on land, and I was flattered when Caribbean Pearl asked me to join her for a photo. The various posed pictures of everyone on the side of the pool were a lot of fun, too, though I'd had no idea just how heavy monofins and tails could be until I was asked to hold the yoga bow pose in them for several minutes while photographers took the best shots they could. Still, it was a lot of fun, and Meraiah made sure I had a spot next to her when the wall started to fill up, which was very nice of her.
It was also cool to see some of the kids get to enjoy swimming with various mermaids. Raina's mer-adoptee from last year clearly loved her, and the children seemed to be having a blast, dressing as pirates or mermaids, or taking pictures with Ariel, or simply swimming.
I also got to meet Eric and Matthew, and they both were polite to me despite being extremely busy. I think I would have enjoyed it more had their crew blended with the rest of the attendees more, since it always felt like they were somewhat distinct from the rest of us, but that might just be their work ethic and focus on completing various projects (and maybe I just wasn't paying attention when they mingled). It was nice to see that they weren't ogres, even if they have struggled with interpersonal and customer service issues in the past and made their share of mistakes. It at least served to get rid of my guilt at admiring their impressive monofins.
It was around this time that I heard of Severn's complaints, and after thinking it over (and wrestling with sadness, pity, anger, fear that his comments might hurt the convention I was enjoying so much, etc), I decided that no one should be having a bad time at the convention if I could help it. I tried to engage him in conversation more, introduced him to Raina, and didn't press him to swim like I had the day before. Unfortunately, he (and Cicero) ended up missing the Mermen group photos, which upset him even more.
I rode home with Sean and Ed, after helping John Jay carry some of his supplies to his car, and got to know all of them a bit better. I ended up napping for a bit and then having to scramble to shower and get ready for the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Ball. I wore a mask I'd decorated myself, a nice buttoned jacket and khakis, with iridescent fin-like wings, a tie from the Baltimore aquarium, and tentacles on my fingers. I was extremely impressed by everyone's costumes, though... it seemed like each was more elaborate than the last.
The night progressed into a great deal of dancing, and I helped Lu keep up with the Samba steps (I admit, I'm not the best teacher, but she courageously kept up with it). I even got Lotus to dance for awhile. And I had fun twirling everyone! I did get very sweaty, though, and ended up retreating to change into a swimsuit for the pool/sauna/hot tub again.
At said pool/hot tub/sauna afterparty, I had a long conversation with Raina, Sean, Dan, and Merman Christian, and it was great to see everyone relaxing. Dan's wubble was a hit, and it was fun to bounce it around with Echi and Marla and everyone else. The dry ice was a bit alarming, but still really fun, and the disco lights mysteriously appeared in one end of the pool without anyone seeming to be aware of them. I even gave in and tried a sip of Mermaid Punch, though I still think it's not my thing. The night ended very, very late, however.
SUNDAY JANUARY 4TH
Waking up in time for breakfast was rough. By this point I was running on very little sleep, so I tried to compensate with food and rehydrating myself. Breakfast was nice, though, because everyone drifted in, and I got to share the mermaid picture books I'd brought with me (Hansy's Mermaid, Mermaid Tales from Around the World, Sea of Fallen Stars, and the Charles Santore version of The Little Mermaid) with basically everyone who got within three feet of the breakfast table where I was sitting. Everyone was very nice in humoring my book-craziness, but they all seemed to like each of the books as well, and I read the final lines of Hansy's Mermaid to a number of people who took it all with good grace. After that, I got ready to go to the TAC with Merman Christian.
It started off somewhat slower, since everyone seemed to be moving gingerly and sleepily on Sunday, and I have no idea what happened with the underwater modeling class that was supposed to happen at the main pool. It was nice to relax and swim, though, and I found out that the newspapers had printed an article with my picture, which was pretty neat (though, of course, it was very difficult to find a copy).
Those newspaper articles were very effective, since a large number of families visited. Surprisingly, I found myself really having fun, and the kids and parents both seemed to enjoy my presence. I would swim around, give rides, have races (where the kids insisted I not handicap myself), and discovered that monofins made "dolphin wiggling" (rapidly moving your body vertically in a serpentine dolphin-kick-like full-body motion while rapidly using your hands to tread water and raise your torso above the surface of the pool, similar to a dolphin "tail walking") possible. The kids loved it!
There was one family there with a little girl who had just bought at fabric tail. Unfortunately, her feet were so tiny that they kept slipping out of even the child-sized monofin. MermanDan and I helped her and served as lifeguards, coming up with a variety of ways of tying the monofin straps or adding socks to thicken her feet area, and each time letting her go a bit further before we had to rescue her. Ultimately, she seemed really down, so I swam over to Meraiah, and asked if I could borrow one of her child-sized monofins for the little girl. She tried it and got further than ever, but even then her feet kept slipping out. In the end, her parents thanked us and she seemed to have a good time over all, and I joked that while she might be struggling as the little mermaid, she made an excellent Cinderella, and they seemed to get a kick out of that.
Afterwards, I swam over to return Meraiah's monofin. Since she had left the room for a bit, I asked a lady standing nearby to place it over near my bag so I could return it safely. After she did so, she asked if I knew anyone with an underwater camera to film her daughter swimming in a tail, and right then, Meraiah returned. After a thank you for sharing her monofin and explaining the situation, Meraiah shrugged off the woman's offer of payment and handed me her underwater camera, and I submerged to record the girl swimming in her tail, then handed the camera back to Meraiah so that she could email the video to the girl's mother. I thought it was both fun and rewarding how all that helping helped everyone out. Oh, and Meraiah also came through for Merman Christian and I by sharing some string cheese and bottled water when we were starving.
I also spent a lot of time diving down with my goggles and finding lost things that had drifted to the bottom: shells, costume seaweed, hair clips, necklaces, crowns, etc. It did a number on my ears, though, what with all the water pressure in the pool, and afterwards my hearing was muffled.
The tail competition was difficult to follow, but the tails themselves looked amazing. Unfortunately, the large space and the echoes made it difficult to spread news or suggestions, and so there was a lot of shouting and confusion. Still, Marla's full-body orca costume was really cool, and I agree with the judges that choosing between Eric's lobster tail and Finfolk Production's leafy sea dragon tail was impossible. I admit I didn't get a good look at the others, however, since I was distracted by everyone moving from one spot to another. The final photo shoot with all of us lined up across the causeway was really awesome, and when everyone was kicking and splashing with their tails to make waves, it was a lot of fun... though we had to keep going for so long (in order for each photographer to get enough shots and for the news to reach us from across the pool that we were done) that it was a relief when we all dove in and swam towards the cameramen en masse. Afterwards everyone got out, and I returned my borrowed tail pieces to their owners (or tried to... there was some confusion which I do hope got sorted out) and returned to the hotel with Merman Christian.
I joined Raina and Sean and Anita and several others as we drove to the luau (while I was decked out in hawai'ian santa clauses). The Corner Tavern seemed like a nice place, but it wasn't really meant to deal with so many of us, especially in January. The raffle and awards went off nicely, though towards the end it became confusing figuring out which ticket was which. The announcement that the next Merfest (or Merfest-related event) would take place in Cozumel in September was a bit surprising, but intriguing. Then karaoke began, and I tried to sing one of my favorite songs, Something That We Do by Clint Black. Unfortunately, I think my waterlogged ears were working against me because I had trouble hearing how I was singing, and I refrained from any more karaoke after that (I also started to tear up a bit at the lyrics, which probably didn't help). I did get to talk with Mr. and Mrs. Short, however, and they were both very kind and conversational. I also went around with the NC Merfest poster collecting signatures from the various friends I'd made.
Soon the party wound down and we all returned (some of us more wildly than others) to the hotel for a final pool/sauna/hot tub afterparty. Dottie was very nice and favorably compared me to a selkie. I was feeling a bit out of it from lack of sleep and heavy duty swimming that afternoon. I figured out the shuttle schedule and went upstairs to pack and go to sleep after bidding goodnight to everyone (and teasingly reprimanding everyone who'd been hogging the sauna... it had been packed all night).
Oh, and I arranged a wakeup call and set my alarm, just to be safe... I didn't want to sleep through my flight home.
MONDAY JANUARY 5TH
I woke up, finished packing, got cleaned up, and went to breakfast. Things were going well (and I got some last-minute signatures) when I checked my phone and saw that I'd missed the shuttle I'd planned on taking!
I said my goodbyes and gave my hugs (since I was already late) and rushed upstairs to get my bags and return to the lobby to check out. It turned out that the next shuttle would still get me to the airport in plenty of time, and I had miscalculated in order to try and give myself as much time to get ready as possible.
I ended up taking a shuttle to the airport with Sean and Raina, who gave me a fluke necklace she'd gotten from Mermaid Raven as a gift. After splitting up to check bags and go through security, we eventually regrouped, and Sean and I talked Dungeons and Dragons and compared pictures and videos from the convention while Raina caught up on the internet stuff going on. I got to see them off on their flight before mine took off, and soon arrived home.
All in all, NC Merfest was a great time with some amazing people... I hope the rest of you had a good time and that those who didn't make it can join in next time.
So, after last year's reviews here, I was desperate to go to NC Merfest. I saved up, worked several jobs, and finally, after shopping around, ordered my first tail, plane tickets, and admission. I'd initially planned to room with Merboy78xy and one of his friends, but they each had to work, so I decided to go by myself. While my tail wasn't complete, it looked great so far and was wearable, and I loved the progress pictures. I gathered my costume pieces for the ball and the luau, and packed every mermaid or merman t-shirt and necklace I owned, plus some of my favorite mermaid books, figuring that I might not get to show them to anyone, but I could always read them to get in the spirit.
THURSDAY JANUARY 1ST
I set off for a short flight from Philadelphia to Raleigh in the evening, finally mostly over a cold that I'd come down with over Christmas and worried that it would keep me from enjoying the convention.
I arrived and took a shuttle to the Embassy Suites hotel, which was beautiful and lush, filled with an elaborate koi pond, waterfall, and dining area in the central courtyard. As soon as I checked in and made my way to the elevator, I ended up meeting Jerilyn, who immediately charmed me and introduced herself. After I unpacked my bags, hung up my costumes, and generally made the place homey. Then I went to explore, checking out the pool and gym, the ball and conference room areas, and the nearby shopping centers, exercising my legs after having crammed my 6'2" self into the airplane seats. I also ran into Merman Maksim and Julz when I returned, and encountered a few others. I didn't see anyone I recognized, though, and opted to go to bed and read a book (The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Córdova), which, though initially slow, turned out to be a good read. And yes, this might sound like a somewhat disappointing evening, but after recovering from a cold and the craziness of the holidays, relaxing with a good book after doing some exploring was very satisfying.
FRIDAY JANUARY 2ND
Unfortunately, I hadn't quite figured out how to work the alarm clock, and ended up sleeping through breakfast! Cursing my fondness for staying up late reading, I threw on my swimsuit and some clothes, packed a bag, and ran downstairs, only to have no idea how I was going to get to the Triangle Aquatic Center! I was starting to panic about missing John Jay's Breath Holding class when Marla of Weeki Wachee, her husband, Steve, and Echi came out, and invited me to come with them. I had no idea who I was traveling with, but their kindness and generosity impressed me, and all three of them are amazing people.
We arrived just in time for me to check in and get my folder, rubber band bracelet, and other NC Merfest Essentials and I made it to class... where I met Lotus, my tailmaker, for the first time! I enjoyed John Jay's class, and will definitely practice the strategies he taught (though clearly I have to work on the whole "getting plenty of sleep" part). Then the class broke up to change and reconvene in the pool... and I finally got to try on my brand new tail!
In hindsight, I probably should've waited until the class was finished. It took a lot of time to wiggle into the tail and figure out how it should feel, and then I was a bit behind on the actual find-a-partner-and-practice-holding-your-breath thing. Fortunately, John Jay partnered with me to watch as I tried to use some of his strategies, and I have to admit I performed rather embarrassingly at first, letting my brain get the better of me. Still, I learned a lot, and know what to do and what to avoid doing, and how to improve.
Afterwards, the class dismissed, and I climbed out of my tail and went over to the main pool, where Lotus helped me again get into it. The monofin for my tail had apparently broken oddly, and needed to be replaced, but Lotus networked to find a replacement, and so I ended up borrowing John Jay's monofin strap and Eden's monofin... the convention was only beginning and already I'd experienced so much generosity from people who didn't even know me! I immediately got a bunch of compliments on my tail, which Lotus had painted with beautiful and talented craftsmanship that exceeded my expectations, and at relatively short notice!
Swimming freely in my tail for the first time felt amazing... the fulfillment of a childhood dream, and, surrounded by other mermaids and mermen, I really felt like I had arrived and was part of something amazing! As I practiced swimming across the pool, I ran into Meraiah, who was using her underwater camera to take pictures of me! I felt like I was a star in the spotlight, and experimented with some tricks for her, and we introduced ourselves to each other and she promised to send me the pictures. Later, when she was swimming in her tail with her daughters, I took pictures and videos of them as well, and all of them were beautiful and adorable and so kind! I'd gone from only vaguely knowing a few people online and having an unfinished tail to getting tons of compliments and some amazing underwater shots and video of me swimming, something which I'd mainly thought only happened for professional mermaids and mermen! And I'd met a whole family of nice people in the process!
Speaking of families, I also was introduced to Serendipity Shimmy Fins, who had made a beautiful fabric tail from some old dress material, and her sons Airk and Jareth and Airk's girlfriend, Tai, along with the rest of their family. All of them made me feel welcome, and I got to swim with several of them, as Tai (and, I believe, Jareth) each tried on Serendipity's tail and swam in it. I admit that I had trouble hearing, though, and thought Jareth's name was Chris, but they still hung out with me on the side of the pool in between swims.
Merman Christian made me feel very welcome and gave me a big hug, and we became fast friends. I'd heard about how so many people had raised money for a Finfolk productions tail, and had to bite my tongue whenever someone brought up Mermaid Creations in his presence (which seemed to happen a lot... people must not have been very subtle, though we did all manage to keep the secret, thankfully). I was also impressed by how ChristoMer Starfish, who I'd seen running around and who I'd introduced myself to only to be told "Oh, of course I know who you are" before he had to hurry to deal with some other aspect of running the convention, had lent Merman Christian some of his beautiful and elaborate tails. As if being known by the man running the convention wasn't ego-stroking enough, I got to see how people took care of each other that day, and I was impressed by Merman Christian's attitude about his tail, which clearly bothered him, but that he was determined to have a good time despite the recent setbacks.
I met MermanDan, who was really sweet and has this manner about him where he focuses on you and engages you in conversation and really expresses interest in you. I hung out with him throughout the rest of the convention, and it was rally amazing to watch him talk with different people and find a topic about which they were passionate about that let them shine and show off how interesting and beautiful they were. It was through him that I found out about Mermaid Marla's experiences at Weeki Wachee, and he had a long conversation later that evening with Laura about being a professional mermaid and spreading that kind of business through hard work, professionalism, self-improvement, understanding children of different ages and showing businesses the advantages of having mermaids.
I met Severn, who sat perched on one of the ledges with his flukes in the water, and talked with him briefly, before getting back in and swimming.
I also was interviewed by some of the Merfest Staff, who were very thoughtful and asked some interesting questions. I do hope that they use the footage, but I was mainly flattered just to be asked.
I also got to briefly meet Raina, who unfortunately had badly damaged her thumb and was experiencing a disappointing day, but who still greeted me with an enthusiastic hug as soon as she saw me. It was so cool, because while I'd had conversations with Raina here, I'd assumed she'd be as busy as the actual staff, and yet she still was delighted I was there and recognized me.
And then there were the tails: Dottie's beautiful Cutthroat Trout tail with its dotted blue-green-yellow grace, Echi's amazing goldfish outfit and gem-encrusted swim mask/goggles, Maksim's blue-ringed octopus inspired tail, Julz's wicked dorsal fins and tiger stripes, Caribbean Pearl's brash pirate-treasure colored tail, Lotus' dark and emotional wavy tail, Cicero's long green tail with flowing flukes, Ed's dramatic dorsal fin vest and webbed fingers and purple tail, the little girls swimming by in rainbow tails, the colorful and tropical finfolk productions tails (like the leafy sea dragon tail), the sculpted mertailor tails (and that dramatic lobster-esque one), and so many others, too fantastic and varied to name. Everyone I saw I tried to compliment on whatever made their outfits unique and wonderful, and there was always something that stood out. Some people (I believe they were with the Mertailor) even had Weeki Wachee-like air hoses from S.C.U.B.A. tanks and performed graceful underwater movements that I envied and marveled at... I'd never thought to be in the same pool with people who could actually do something like that.
Eventually, after spending more hours in the pool than I think I ever had, it was time to head back, and I helped Lotus and Jerilyn carry their things to the car in exchange for a ride back to the hotel. I showered, got dressed, and came down to the mixer, where I got to see a bunch of the people I'd met at the pool earlier, and finally ate my fill (I'd skipped visiting the lunch trucks in favor of swimming in my tail). I was wandering around a bit aimlessly when Raina saw me from where she was sitting and waved me over to join her table with MerWrangler Sean and John Jay. She was so welcoming, and I finally got to officially meet Sean (he'd been a bit busy running around trying to help people at the TAC).
Then the announcements began. Finfolk Productions presented the Mermaid Marla (not the Weeki Wachee one) with the tail she'd won at last year's raffle, and its sunset colors were beautiful... Caribbean Pearl even teasingly tried to run off with it :) Then they brought Merman Christian up and announced the impressive amount of money they'd raised for a Finfolk Productions Tail, and made him speechless. Then, after some dancing, the karaoke began.
I had been looking forward to this for awhile, so I started with The Devil Went Down to Georgia, then impressed everyone with my version of Under the Sea, and finally doing a duet of Under Pressure with Anita Rainbow (though I had to hear that one on her phone first to remember more than just the chorus). Raina was just as frequent a singer, if not more so, and it was wonderful to see that she was feeling better. Marla's (who won the tail) husband Steve led us in a rousing version of Les Poissons! Finally, late into the evening, the party ended, but some of us eventually regrouped in the pool and hot tub. I eventually went upstairs and went to sleep, looking forward to the next day (and setting my alarm so I'd be able to wake up in time for breakfast)
SATURDAY JANUARY 3RD
I woke up and made it downstairs in time to get breakfast right before it closed, and ended up with a rather impressive spread. While I'd initially planned to eat by myself while watching the koi from the deck, I ended up being invited to join the others, and really enjoyed myself, eventually getting a ride over to the TAC with Serendipity and her family.
I had been a bit torn, though, since I really wanted to do the pirate sword fighting lessons, but didn't want to miss the open swim with Hannah Fraser or the fashion shows. I eventually decided to skip the Q&A but hang out in the main pool, and caught up with a lot of the people I'd met the day before.
The actual performances of the different fashion shows were fun, though I think perhaps they suffered from a lack of a traditional stage or seating arrangement to promote viewing each of the ladies and their costumes, in or out of the water. It wasn't anyone's fault, really, just a problem with the range between places viewers could perch on the poolside and places where the models could show off their lovely fashions. The water models sadly seemed somewhat few in number (perhaps because of the impressive water ballet skills they required), and I confess to having difficulty distinguishing the differences between each of the land models' outfits, since they were all made of the same fabric and color, and I struggled to pick out the differences in cut, tightness, flow, and so forth while each model was walking across the stage. Admittedly, fashion isn't my strong suit, and all of the ladies were beautiful and moved with grace and style, but I felt like it was difficult to fully appreciate it given the restrictions of the location. It was also extremely difficult to hear the announcements, even when they spoke over the microphone. I might also have been mentally comparing this fashion show with the pictures from last years, with all the elaborate, fish-themed costumes, and was therefore unable to get into the proper mindset to focus on the cut of each costume and the synchronized swimming performances. Hannah Fraser's appearance was impressive and she and her tail were lovely, but I think that skipping the Q&A might've been a mistake, since it made it harder to focus on her and relate to her. I love the videos of her swimming with various sea life, but again, the venue made it difficult to watch her movements.
Swimming with everyone together was fun, though, and I got photographed for the local newspaper. I also saw a bunch of mermen, including some younger boys. It is so cool to see the next generation getting into the hobby of swimming in tails, and I am loving the increase in mermen. The girls shouldn't have ALL the fun, after all ;-)
We also took a bunch of pictures on land, and I was flattered when Caribbean Pearl asked me to join her for a photo. The various posed pictures of everyone on the side of the pool were a lot of fun, too, though I'd had no idea just how heavy monofins and tails could be until I was asked to hold the yoga bow pose in them for several minutes while photographers took the best shots they could. Still, it was a lot of fun, and Meraiah made sure I had a spot next to her when the wall started to fill up, which was very nice of her.
It was also cool to see some of the kids get to enjoy swimming with various mermaids. Raina's mer-adoptee from last year clearly loved her, and the children seemed to be having a blast, dressing as pirates or mermaids, or taking pictures with Ariel, or simply swimming.
I also got to meet Eric and Matthew, and they both were polite to me despite being extremely busy. I think I would have enjoyed it more had their crew blended with the rest of the attendees more, since it always felt like they were somewhat distinct from the rest of us, but that might just be their work ethic and focus on completing various projects (and maybe I just wasn't paying attention when they mingled). It was nice to see that they weren't ogres, even if they have struggled with interpersonal and customer service issues in the past and made their share of mistakes. It at least served to get rid of my guilt at admiring their impressive monofins.
It was around this time that I heard of Severn's complaints, and after thinking it over (and wrestling with sadness, pity, anger, fear that his comments might hurt the convention I was enjoying so much, etc), I decided that no one should be having a bad time at the convention if I could help it. I tried to engage him in conversation more, introduced him to Raina, and didn't press him to swim like I had the day before. Unfortunately, he (and Cicero) ended up missing the Mermen group photos, which upset him even more.
I rode home with Sean and Ed, after helping John Jay carry some of his supplies to his car, and got to know all of them a bit better. I ended up napping for a bit and then having to scramble to shower and get ready for the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Ball. I wore a mask I'd decorated myself, a nice buttoned jacket and khakis, with iridescent fin-like wings, a tie from the Baltimore aquarium, and tentacles on my fingers. I was extremely impressed by everyone's costumes, though... it seemed like each was more elaborate than the last.
The night progressed into a great deal of dancing, and I helped Lu keep up with the Samba steps (I admit, I'm not the best teacher, but she courageously kept up with it). I even got Lotus to dance for awhile. And I had fun twirling everyone! I did get very sweaty, though, and ended up retreating to change into a swimsuit for the pool/sauna/hot tub again.
At said pool/hot tub/sauna afterparty, I had a long conversation with Raina, Sean, Dan, and Merman Christian, and it was great to see everyone relaxing. Dan's wubble was a hit, and it was fun to bounce it around with Echi and Marla and everyone else. The dry ice was a bit alarming, but still really fun, and the disco lights mysteriously appeared in one end of the pool without anyone seeming to be aware of them. I even gave in and tried a sip of Mermaid Punch, though I still think it's not my thing. The night ended very, very late, however.
SUNDAY JANUARY 4TH
Waking up in time for breakfast was rough. By this point I was running on very little sleep, so I tried to compensate with food and rehydrating myself. Breakfast was nice, though, because everyone drifted in, and I got to share the mermaid picture books I'd brought with me (Hansy's Mermaid, Mermaid Tales from Around the World, Sea of Fallen Stars, and the Charles Santore version of The Little Mermaid) with basically everyone who got within three feet of the breakfast table where I was sitting. Everyone was very nice in humoring my book-craziness, but they all seemed to like each of the books as well, and I read the final lines of Hansy's Mermaid to a number of people who took it all with good grace. After that, I got ready to go to the TAC with Merman Christian.
It started off somewhat slower, since everyone seemed to be moving gingerly and sleepily on Sunday, and I have no idea what happened with the underwater modeling class that was supposed to happen at the main pool. It was nice to relax and swim, though, and I found out that the newspapers had printed an article with my picture, which was pretty neat (though, of course, it was very difficult to find a copy).
Those newspaper articles were very effective, since a large number of families visited. Surprisingly, I found myself really having fun, and the kids and parents both seemed to enjoy my presence. I would swim around, give rides, have races (where the kids insisted I not handicap myself), and discovered that monofins made "dolphin wiggling" (rapidly moving your body vertically in a serpentine dolphin-kick-like full-body motion while rapidly using your hands to tread water and raise your torso above the surface of the pool, similar to a dolphin "tail walking") possible. The kids loved it!
There was one family there with a little girl who had just bought at fabric tail. Unfortunately, her feet were so tiny that they kept slipping out of even the child-sized monofin. MermanDan and I helped her and served as lifeguards, coming up with a variety of ways of tying the monofin straps or adding socks to thicken her feet area, and each time letting her go a bit further before we had to rescue her. Ultimately, she seemed really down, so I swam over to Meraiah, and asked if I could borrow one of her child-sized monofins for the little girl. She tried it and got further than ever, but even then her feet kept slipping out. In the end, her parents thanked us and she seemed to have a good time over all, and I joked that while she might be struggling as the little mermaid, she made an excellent Cinderella, and they seemed to get a kick out of that.
Afterwards, I swam over to return Meraiah's monofin. Since she had left the room for a bit, I asked a lady standing nearby to place it over near my bag so I could return it safely. After she did so, she asked if I knew anyone with an underwater camera to film her daughter swimming in a tail, and right then, Meraiah returned. After a thank you for sharing her monofin and explaining the situation, Meraiah shrugged off the woman's offer of payment and handed me her underwater camera, and I submerged to record the girl swimming in her tail, then handed the camera back to Meraiah so that she could email the video to the girl's mother. I thought it was both fun and rewarding how all that helping helped everyone out. Oh, and Meraiah also came through for Merman Christian and I by sharing some string cheese and bottled water when we were starving.
I also spent a lot of time diving down with my goggles and finding lost things that had drifted to the bottom: shells, costume seaweed, hair clips, necklaces, crowns, etc. It did a number on my ears, though, what with all the water pressure in the pool, and afterwards my hearing was muffled.
The tail competition was difficult to follow, but the tails themselves looked amazing. Unfortunately, the large space and the echoes made it difficult to spread news or suggestions, and so there was a lot of shouting and confusion. Still, Marla's full-body orca costume was really cool, and I agree with the judges that choosing between Eric's lobster tail and Finfolk Production's leafy sea dragon tail was impossible. I admit I didn't get a good look at the others, however, since I was distracted by everyone moving from one spot to another. The final photo shoot with all of us lined up across the causeway was really awesome, and when everyone was kicking and splashing with their tails to make waves, it was a lot of fun... though we had to keep going for so long (in order for each photographer to get enough shots and for the news to reach us from across the pool that we were done) that it was a relief when we all dove in and swam towards the cameramen en masse. Afterwards everyone got out, and I returned my borrowed tail pieces to their owners (or tried to... there was some confusion which I do hope got sorted out) and returned to the hotel with Merman Christian.
I joined Raina and Sean and Anita and several others as we drove to the luau (while I was decked out in hawai'ian santa clauses). The Corner Tavern seemed like a nice place, but it wasn't really meant to deal with so many of us, especially in January. The raffle and awards went off nicely, though towards the end it became confusing figuring out which ticket was which. The announcement that the next Merfest (or Merfest-related event) would take place in Cozumel in September was a bit surprising, but intriguing. Then karaoke began, and I tried to sing one of my favorite songs, Something That We Do by Clint Black. Unfortunately, I think my waterlogged ears were working against me because I had trouble hearing how I was singing, and I refrained from any more karaoke after that (I also started to tear up a bit at the lyrics, which probably didn't help). I did get to talk with Mr. and Mrs. Short, however, and they were both very kind and conversational. I also went around with the NC Merfest poster collecting signatures from the various friends I'd made.
Soon the party wound down and we all returned (some of us more wildly than others) to the hotel for a final pool/sauna/hot tub afterparty. Dottie was very nice and favorably compared me to a selkie. I was feeling a bit out of it from lack of sleep and heavy duty swimming that afternoon. I figured out the shuttle schedule and went upstairs to pack and go to sleep after bidding goodnight to everyone (and teasingly reprimanding everyone who'd been hogging the sauna... it had been packed all night).
Oh, and I arranged a wakeup call and set my alarm, just to be safe... I didn't want to sleep through my flight home.
MONDAY JANUARY 5TH
I woke up, finished packing, got cleaned up, and went to breakfast. Things were going well (and I got some last-minute signatures) when I checked my phone and saw that I'd missed the shuttle I'd planned on taking!
I said my goodbyes and gave my hugs (since I was already late) and rushed upstairs to get my bags and return to the lobby to check out. It turned out that the next shuttle would still get me to the airport in plenty of time, and I had miscalculated in order to try and give myself as much time to get ready as possible.
I ended up taking a shuttle to the airport with Sean and Raina, who gave me a fluke necklace she'd gotten from Mermaid Raven as a gift. After splitting up to check bags and go through security, we eventually regrouped, and Sean and I talked Dungeons and Dragons and compared pictures and videos from the convention while Raina caught up on the internet stuff going on. I got to see them off on their flight before mine took off, and soon arrived home.
All in all, NC Merfest was a great time with some amazing people... I hope the rest of you had a good time and that those who didn't make it can join in next time.