Merbellas Thread

Raven is so mezmerizing! I wish I could be half as graceful as she is in the water!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FfK6lMhEnQ

Some more videos :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVZdnwvmJGw&feature=share&list=PLz 0FvbfKQ5 j_NgsiKYtw9xn47xfmNHq5X&index=10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9-asBj4clU&list=PLz0FvbfKQ5j_NgsiKYtw9xn47xfmNHq 5X&f eature=share&index=9

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3BfddbyNZU&index=13&list=PLz0FvbfKQ5j_Ngsi KYtw9xn4 7xfmNHq5X

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZBsNp2TPFQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R06MgyYlZIQ

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Originally Posted by Merman Arion

I have been told that she stopped filming her performances at the gigs because of some professional mermaids copying her at 100%. It's a shame because I used to enjoy watching her on youtube and be inspired by her natural abilities to spread the magic to the children. Tyler was very good as a pirate, he had a lot of charisma when some journalists interviewed him for a report about festivals and mermaids.
But yeah, she's busy with something that she's passionate about and not many can say that.

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Originally Posted by Anahita

Seriously? WTH? That's so messed up. I was kind of wondering why she didn't post any videos of her performances, but now that I hear that, I'm not surprised.

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Yup. I've seen it. I've called a few people out on it even, and they denied and kept on with it, saying they got their "inspiration" from somewhere else. -_- Uh huh. The most popular things that people copy is the mermaid speak or "mermish". Which the idea of it is certainly awesome, but there's no pride in ripping off someone else's act.

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Originally Posted by Winged Mermaid

Yup. I've seen it. I've called a few people out on it even, and they denied and kept on with it, saying they got their "inspiration" from somewhere else. -_- Uh huh. The most popular things that people copy is the mermaid speak or "mermish". Which the idea of it is certainly awesome, but there's no pride in ripping off someone else's act.

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Ahh.... Yeah, that seems like a really obvious rip-off, too.... You'd think people might think twice about doing that, but I guess not.... I'm glad I'm fond of sticking to singing rude sailor songs and babbling silly things in Farsi, at leas then I'm not ripping anyone off. :) (er, that I know of... please don't let me be ripping someone off, I love the bawdy sea shanties!)

I do "mermish" sometimes, not often because I'm fond of talking to kids. If asked I always say I learned from Raven. And I've actually had a kid that watched the Merbellas say that I wasn't a mermaid because they can't speak English! :-( Of course, compared to them he's right, so...yup.

And yeah, Anahita, I sing a couple of sea shanties in my rotation, but they're not in Farsi so I think we're good. ;-)

I saw her eprform live 2 years ago, it was amazing. there's a video on my fb. I know her, I know she's in a costume, and I was every bit as excited and believing as the kids. THey do all these subtle things!

And yup, people copy her constantly, everything she does. :/ she's always working so hard to be original.

First of all: Congrats Raina on getting new tails for you and your mermaids. And about the monofin thing: I got my rapid fin in today and I must say; what a HUGE diffirence compared to the competitor in my tail!

Second; Nice to know why Raven isen't posting any performing videos anymore. I watched them a thousand times when I was waiting to put my order in. <3 And Ravens performances are the only one I've seen that makes me really BELIEVE in mermaids. It would be so friggin' awsome if they could come to Europe once!! I would do anything to see her perform live!

I don't like talking to people all the time as a mermaid because I get all shy and flustered, then swim off and get all playful like "Jump in with me!" So, I just rely on my dolphin noises and any related sounds. Or sea lion once in a while. I certainly hope no one thinks I'm copying her. I'm just not always good at coming up with what to say when I'm "in character," so I babble on in clicks and whistles. I know only one other mer who can do this and we "talk" to each other in it sometimes. :-P

I want to start working at faires, and I like the idea of having someone talk for you because it gives you more time underwater and to interact with people as a "creature" or whatever. Though, I don't want to be tagged as a copy cat, which always makes me second guess some of my ideas. I have no idea if someone has done it before.

Ok, I don't want to be the one to say this.... But how many things can a mermaid do in a tank? Swim in circles, blow bubble kisses and bubble rings, maybe some flips? There is a very limited number of things that can be done in such a small space, and there will definitely be some overlap between performers. As for noises, if you are copying sea creatures, I don't see how it can be said that is copying Raven. I've always thought that mermaids would likely be fluent in 'dolphin-speak' and 'whale-speak' (those creatures are intelligent enough that it is possible they have a language). Perhaps I am clueless about this, and I certainly don't mean any disrespect for Raven, but I just don't see how doing similar flips in a tank or squeaking like a dolphin is copying Raven. *Ducks and hides, fearing she started a flame war*

it was more so that the group were copying Raven's act pretty much moment by moment. And then defended their actions. You can make the statement "how much can you really do that's different" for anything. Aerialists all use the same basic technique, synchro swimmers, dancers etc. But yet, acts still find ways to build off of the common and be unique. This was a blatant ripoff of her act. Not so much a few general animal squeaks.

But there's also there's a lot of "mermish" that isn't whale or dolphin sounds. The squeeks or "eek"s yeah, but the cooing and all the other sounds where they roll their tongues isn't. Also even the clicking is different from dolphins https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8b_I5IjNE4 If you want to do sealife noises there's no problem with that, just listen to actual recordings of sealife and try and imitate that instead of listening to other acts and going off of them :)

That's what I do! :-) I might make a coo or a horseback kind of "click" to save my voice.

A moment for moment rip off? Tsk tsk.

But yeah, like in dance it's all the same moves usually, but put in millions of different sequences. Same with aerial performances, you just have to find *your* way of doing it!

Ok, yeah, I totally get it now. I just thought maybe someone was doing something similar to a Raven performance, I didn't realize someone literally used her performance as a script! That's just awful.

Now I'm curious as to the different ways people make sea sounds. *goes searching to see if there's already a thread on it*

I'm glad I saw this >.< I LOVE raven's performing, and watch them all the time. But, for some reason I never watched them with sound (Not sure why). I Didn't even know she was making noise, listening to it, it sounds a lot similar to the noises a couple was making at me during one of my performances last summer :/ They told me it was skrit and I had planned on using similar to them during my performing. Knowing this, I'm not going to be doing that. Now to squeeze out an idea for performing before summer starts :headwall:

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I have been told that she stopped filming her performances at the gigs because of some professional mermaids copying her at 100%. It's a shame because I used to enjoy watching her on youtube and be inspired by her natural abilities to spread the magic to the children. Tyler was very good as a pirate, he had a lot of charisma when some journalists interviewed him for a report about festivals and mermaids.

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So Raven just got home from her gig and I asked her about this (because before she left I asked her to take video/photos of the gig). She's never said this. She's not sure who got that idea :p The only reason she doesn't have more videos is that it's usually only her and Tyler at a gig, and sometimes 1 or 2 other mermaids, and they are busy the entire time. They cant film themselves while they're doing stuff. I suggested setting up a camera on a tripod but for a lot of gigs with the logistics of the people around that doesn't work. A lot of times they only get footage either from the media or a family member or someone like me comes and takes it :p So yeah, it's not that she's not posting them because she's afraid people will copy- she's just too damn busy :p

EEE Just paid for my new tail! Raven said if she is able to stay on track (barring any unintended delays) I should get my tail late July Early august. Which for us is the last bit of summer. So I should still have it if I'm lucky for a bit of summer. I also just want to make sure people know that I am on the bottom of the list, I haven't been bumped ahead of anyone, and I don't want anyone to think I'm getting special treatment. I know many of you are also waiting.

Raven has a design idea and she ran it by me and I'm like ahhh that's amazing. She's doing some sketches up for me to approve, but I wont be posting anything. I think it'll be cool to leave it as a surprise ;)

I am also thinking it would be cool for me to do a video comparing the two tails so people can see just how far she's come since the first one!

I am just so excited. This is going to take a lot of weight off my shoulders. Like I said earlier there's been a lot of anxiety about making my tail last and fears around not having a back up. I really wish I had the funds to have more tails just so all my girls can be in them and come this summer that may actually be a reality so who knows we'll have to see :)

There are huge things happening with my company, a few I havent said yet on mernet because they're in the final pending stages and I'm afraid to jinx things... but if all goes as planned this will be our year! <3

Omg Raina, I'm so excited for you! And that video is a great idea, MUST MAKE!

I've been really wondering about the "Mermish" noises, too; I've been trying to figure out what my character Starfrit would be like in terms of vocals and things like that. I'm really not good at talking to people, and I stumble over my words a lot when talking to people in-person (plus I have a pretty minor speech impediment that I'm super self-conscious about), so I've been practicing these various little noises to use instead; warbles, clicks and coos, trills and whistles, and I've got this sort of feline-ish throat purr that I do out of habit sometimes that could be either a purr or a growl, depending on how I do it. I got a lot of inspiration from Raven and her mermaids, but I'm also trying to sort of twist it around into my own variation of it, instead of trying to mimic the Merbellas entirely. Now I'm really nervous about people thinking I'm ripping off of them. D:


On that note, yay Raina! I'm so excited for you, I can't wait to see those new tails and I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for your company! <3