Merbellas Thread

[MerEmma]

Raina, I really don't appreciate you jumping to assumptions about me and who I am. I was unaware that you asked for a tail that would be somewhat baggy due to your health issues. I'm a new member but that doesn't mean I'm a new mermaid.

I think everyone here has very valid points. No tail will Be 100% perfect and it is nearly impossible to avoid wrinkles. However, a tail like the koi one or gold one should not be acceptable in my opinion. All tail makers have probably messed up at some point and made a baggy tail or two. I'm glad those who have recently purchased a merbella tail feel they got their money's worth.

That's the thing though...none of us are assuming the koi tail is or isn't Raven's fault. The koi tail is very recent; I'm certain Raven knows how to put measurements accurately into a tail. While accidents can happen, you are still putting the blame on Raven with:

However, a tail like the koi one or gold one should not be acceptable in my opinion.

We don't know. Maybe the customers gave wrong measurements. Maybe the customers wanted them baggy so they could be removed quickly/easily. We simply don't know. There are a lot of different reasons for a tail to be baggy. *shrug* It could be Raven's fault, but that is only between Raven and the customer. Not for us to decide what happened. What we do know is this: Raven reliably creates skin tight tails. She has made a LOT of tails and knows how to put the measurements together. That's about all we know for absolute certain.

[teeth4u]

Not to mention you keep blaming the tail maker for the wrinkles when it's all about the measurements they're given. A tail can only fit as well as it's measured and Raven is implementing new techniques for clients to measure tails with to make sure they fit better. But most mermaids report weight loss after recieving a tail and swimming in it for a while, even Raina whom I consider to be very slender lost weight on her first tail, which leads to baggage. You can't really blame us for getting defensive when you came in here with a comment that seemed to only be for the purpose of conflict and seemingly very little knowledge about how things like this works.

its very interesting that you view my comments as a conflict. That's not why I came here. I'm genuinely interested in the development of the mermaid community. I'm also not blaming the tail maker at all. It's a hazard of the job, not necessarily the creators fault. My comments are not a reflection on anyone's skills or talents. I was just stating an observation and wanted others opinions. I'm not heated about this at all. I'm a new member and so far I have received a lot of passive aggressive comments. You said yourself that you are being defensive. That's not necessary.

[teeth4u]

That's the thing though...none of us are assuming the koi tail is or isn't Raven's fault. The koi tail is very recent; I'm certain Raven knows how to put measurements accurately into a tail. While accidents can happen, you are still putting the blame on Raven with:



We don't know. Maybe the customers gave wrong measurements. Maybe the customers wanted them baggy so they could be removed quickly/easily. We simply don't know. There are a lot of different reasons for a tail to be baggy. *shrug* It could be Raven's fault, but that is only between Raven and the customer. Not for us to decide what happened. What we do know is this: Raven reliably creates skin tight tails. She has made a LOT of tails and knows how to put the measurements together. That's about all we know for absolute certain.

i should have clarified! It should not be acceptable if it is the fault of the tail maker but like you said, we do not know.

[AniaR]

Sorry but when the first thing you do when you join a forum is make ignorant statements about a tail maker it raises red flags. And before you jump to calling me biased I've said the same things about people who have joined and jumped right to bashing mertailor or others. You also seem to personally fixate on me which is also another red flag
I'm not buying it honestly. Imma just ignore you

[Mermaid Mystery]

Sorry but when the first thing you do when you join a forum is make ignorant statements about a tail maker it raises red flags. And before you jump to calling me biased I've said the same things about people who have joined and jumped right to bashing mertailor or others. You also seem to personally fixate on me which is also another red flag
I'm not buying it honestly. Imma just ignore you

🏻🏻🏻🏻🏻🏻


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[teeth4u]

I'm not making ignorant statements. I was just expressing my opinion. I don't see how I've personally fixated on you either but oh well. I'm really bummed that I've basically already been shunned by the most popular mermaid (and basically everyone that supports her) here for stating my opinion.

[teeth4u]

I'm not bashing anyone! Why is everyone getting so defensive? You guys really know how to give a warm welcome.

[Yulia]

I'm not bashing anyone! Why is everyone getting so defensive? You guys really know how to give a warm welcome.

Make an introduction and I'm sure this slate can be wiped clean.


A quick search gave me these pictures:





Baggy =/= Bad

I totally agree that the Koi tail looked very big, but we don't know why it is big as others have said.
Sometimes models not used with wearing tails don't put their feet in the footpockets, and that usually lead to a baggier look.
Unless there's a tail story with proof that a tail was made bigger than measurements sent to the tailmaker I don't think there's arguments that the tails are badly made or that a tailmaker is bad. It's just a big tail.

[Fifi Tigg]

Sorry but when the first thing you do when you join a forum is make ignorant statements about a tail maker it raises red flags. And before you jump to calling me biased I've said the same things about people who have joined and jumped right to bashing mertailor or others. You also seem to personally fixate on me which is also another red flag
I'm not buying it honestly. Imma just ignore you

I've been reading this whole thread and it seems as though teeth4u was baiting AniaR from the start

[Mermaid Wesley]

Yeah it came off as very accusatory and aggressive when you said: "I have seen a decline in the quality of her products" there's nothing wrong with the product, other than fit. This suggests that you thought something she did was wrong. And again: "I think it is safe to say that anyone paying $3,000 for a tail would not want their tail to be baggy or wrinkly anywhere." Assuming again that somehow Raven is the one messing up the sizing. And of the photos that you posted, as mers who are experienced in silicone can tell you (not meant as a backhanded thing I swear) all but one tail fits perfectly. I believe that you didn't mean to start anything, just explaining why everyone kinda jumped.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[shimmygoddess]

What a surprise to see all my pics posted here..LOL...I don't mind though All the beach photos posted were a photoshoot in Mid May 2014. My non photographer husband was taking them ( I had to set it, give him the camera, then take it and check to make sure pics were coming out) Being both model and photographer are not easy. It was at sunset and we had limited time due to light. I had to work fast, the water was super cold, so my tail was not on properly. I gave Raven pretty accurate measurements and it fits very snug. Tails are going to be a little baggy in the back side, simply b/c we have a butt and it sticks out and the silicone cannot cling to all parts like spandex. Even my spandex tails are a bit baggy in the back of the legs. If you have a curvy butt, you cannot avoide that. It bunches a bit by the heel, but from what I see that is pretty normal when sitting. Also probably bc I have small ankles and the monofin is just huge. There will be creases and wrinkles in certain positions, very normal. All this said, I am very happy with my tail.

[Mer-Crazy]

They're actually discussing wrinkles over in the mer nation thread too haha and basically same thing, everyone has it now and then. The mernation girls even said it has to do with ankle width. If your ankles are thinner than the monofin/ foot pockets this can also cause distortion and wrinkle.

[shimmygoddess]

NCmermaid is on the network though and she didn't leave an official review that I saw (may have scrolled past?). I feel like the image you posted was very soon after she received her tail; I remember it being one of the first few I saw of it although I'm probably incorrect haha!

Nonetheless, though. I think it's just not pulling it up high enough or the way she is laying. Look how well it fits in other pictures of her tail (although photoshop could often be at play in any mermaid's photos):


SAME photoshoot. Wrinkles happen, and I'm not saying that none of Raven's tails are ever baggy (there is evidence supporting that they are sometimes) but Shimmy's I think is a case of a VERY well fitted tail. Most of her images on her Facebook (credit! https://www.facebook.com/MermaidAmara/ ) are wrinkle-free and beautiful.

(Also, despite wanting to NOT be speculative...I feel like I was. If this post has stepped out of line in some way, I apologize.)

EDIT: Also! Wow. That gold tail, the updated one, is beautiful. Gahhh. The first one was a partial with neoprene lining I think, that may have influenced it some. Who knows, though.

No worries about sharing the pics. Yes, this photoshoot was less than a month after receiving my tail...I didn't have it on all that well...just fast enough to get these pics. Heck I still have a hard time getting it one. LOL. the water was freezing and was trying to hurry. Honestly, my heel bulge I think b/c the monofin is just big and my ankles are really small. You can see the monofin in that last photo it is much bulkier than my feet are...there is nothing to do about that. These particular pics were only edited for creative effects but I didn't alter my body or the tail in any way.

[shimmygoddess]

They're actually discussing wrinkles over in the mer nation thread too haha and basically same thing, everyone has it now and then. The mernation girls even said it has to do with ankle width. If your ankles are thinner than the monofin/ foot pockets this can also cause distortion and wrinkle.

Exactly!! Was typing this at the same time..you beat me

[teeth4u]

I guess I need to be more specific. I was making a comment on her product not her abilities to create. I love her tails and think their gorgeous and I was bummed to see some of these baggier tails. I still stand by my statement that if someone was buying $3,000 for a tail you would want it to fit pretty perfectly but obviously most tails don't for whatever reason. I think we can all agree that wrinkles are inevitable and very normal, especially at the ankles.

It makes me happy to hear that I was wrong about a decline in quality!

[AniaR]

In my 7+ years experience dry gigs produce wrinkles thanks to lube that dries up and an inability to smooth the tail out in the way you can when its wet. But what do I know lol.

[Keiris]

I guess I need to be more specific. I was making a comment on her product not her abilities to create. I love her tails and think their gorgeous and I was bummed to see some of these baggier tails. I still stand by my statement that if someone was buying $3,000 for a tail you would want it to fit pretty perfectly but obviously most tails don't for whatever reason. I think we can all agree that wrinkles are inevitable and very normal, especially at the ankles.

It makes me happy to hear that I was wrong about a decline in quality!

First of all, WELCOME to the forum, teeth4u! You are certainly entitled to your opinions and comments just as much as any one else here. Those tails do look baggy in some of those unflattering photos! Whether it be the fit , the pose, weight loss, incorrect positioning, whatever. I agree, if one is paying 3000 bucks for anything, the best you can get for that is not unreasonable. I think MVD, Raven, Finfolk and a few of the other artists really try to create the very best product they can because they are in fact, artists and their name is on every piece so to speak. Raven, in particular, takes her time to make sure each thing she cranks out is as beautiful as she can make it and from what I have heard is VERY concerned that each person be happy with their purchase. If only more businesses actually functioned like that!

Most here that have worn silicone will tell you they have some degree of wrinkling but it is usually minimal in a well-fitting tail.

Hope your swim with us here is fun!

[Theta]

I guess I need to be more specific. I was making a comment on her product not her abilities to create. I love her tails and think their gorgeous and I was bummed to see some of these baggier tails. I still stand by my statement that if someone was buying $3,000 for a tail you would want it to fit pretty perfectly but obviously most tails don't for whatever reason. I think we can all agree that wrinkles are inevitable and very normal, especially at the ankles.

It makes me happy to hear that I was wrong about a decline in quality!

I think that's the point I was trying to make earlier. The tails that fit absolutely perfectly, the Splash tail, the H2O tails, are not practical for general consumption. They're not safe to use without a whole team in the water with you, and they're hideously expensive. I think the closest any solo mer has come to a wrinkleless, completely form fitting, natural looking tail is Linden, and she worked with a Hollywood SFX team and sunk 10k into it. See below:



Also, most tails do fit very well! I think you need to adjust your expectation of midlevel silicone tails (and yes, Raven, Mertailor etc. are midlevel, when you include all the true SFX tails.) The tails R, M, etc. make are not only not made from body casts, they are made without the recipient even being in the room, so there's no from life tailoring going on.* They are absolutely worth every penny of $3k to $6k. They are not worth $10k. The reason the $10k+ tails aren't brought up much on this forum is because they're prohibitively expensive for 99% of Mernetwork users.

*generally. There are probably a few instances where customers are within driving distance, so the measurements/fit would be more precise, and I think Pearlie has customers send her a form of themselves for her to work on, but that's unusual in the tailmaking world. I think Eric's Famous Adult Tail was sculpted from life, but I remember hearing that that tail cost around $9k.

[Theobromine]

I think everyone is bringing up some really interesting and important points about silicone tails and fit and expectations here! I'd love to add my 2 cents as well, but I also feel like maybe this discussion should be in its own thread (both for easy reference and also so we don't totally hijack the Merbellas thread--I'd post some examples of how even my perfectly-fitted tail still wrinkles in certain positions and not others, but I have a Finfolk tail and I'm not all territorial about tailmakers, but it would be nice to have a more neutral place to discuss everything).

[Vicky Mermaid]

You know you can't avoid wrinkles. It happens with every tail. In some positions it will happen even if you have a perfect fit tail My Thom Shouse wettail (made from latex and urethan) wrinkled too in some postions. And also... Raven is not to blame anything, because she makes what her customers provide...

By the way, i just payed the shipping invoice So my tail will finally come home!!!!!!