Title

MER OF THE MONTH: DR. SEAWEED

MERMEN INSIDE THE COMMUNITY

ALEX PLUS AND TAIL MAKING

Tail Flip

ISSUE 1 (Feb. 2012)THE MER COMMUNITY

MERMEN IN THE COMMUNITY

UPCOMING EVENTS

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: ALVERIC

ALEX PLUS AND TAIL MAKING

MERMAID CLASSES AND CAMPS

PACIFIC WHALE FOUNDATION

WORLD MERMAID AWARDS

MER OF THE MONTH: DR. SEAWEED

INTERVIEW: MERMAID JEWEL

MERMAID HOROSCOPES

ABOUT TAIL FLIP

Cover photo courtesy of Susan Knight

2

3

7

8

10

12

13

14

16

17

18

19

3

The Mer Community

The mer-community is alive and splashing! Want to be involved? A great place to go is Mernetwork.com

Here’s what moderator Malinghi has to say about it:“MerNetwork is the world’s largest website dedicated to mermaid and merman costuming. Launched in July of 2011 by Malinghi and Winged Mermaid Iona, the site is the direct successor to an older cos-tuming forum originally created in January of 2010 at mer.yuku.com. MerNetwork is intended for men and women of all ages and levels of involvement, from casual enthusiasts still looking to make or buy their first tail, to experienced professionals. The ultimate goal of the site is to serve the merfolk costum-ing community and help it grow. In addition to a forum, the site also features compiled lists of how- to guides and of professional tailmakers for making and buying tails respectively, as well as an FAQ.”

Photo courtesy of Mernetwork Facebook account and used with permission featuring admin and founders Malinghi and Iona.

4

Mermen in the CommunityWhile ladies make up a significant proportion of Mers; these days it’s not uncommon to see those of the opposite sex enjoying a swim in fins or tak-ing on new personas. Yes, it’s true, the mermen are out and in full force so we here in the community thought it would be the perfect time to get their perspective on the booming mermaid culture!

Our panel consists of several prominent male Mers from the Mernetwork Community; MerPirate, Aquatarian, Merman Jesse, and Merman Ryan.The panel interview is as followed:

1) What first attracted you to mermaids?Mer-Pirate The legends. I have always loved the old folklore stories of the sirens and mermaids. The other main reason I got into them was from my friend Siren and my girlfriend Star. I first saw Star as a mermaid in a photo, the look of it was amazing, this was followed closely by Siren. I got to help out at one point in a photo shoot and after that I was trapped, I have swam in bloody cold water for a good video or pho-to, I have become very enthralled with all of it

AquatarianI think being a kid, I just got caught up in different TV shows and documentaries that involved the ocean. Of course there was The Little Mermaid (which my sister and I ended up watching constant-ly) and eventually something just stuck. I became obsessed with sea creatures and swimming. Also living in a place without much water, it was difficult to really go swimming but when I got the chance to

go to a pool it was amazing, so it actually made the water a special treat for me.

Merman JesseI grew up in Florida with a lake in my backyard, so I was always near water. The movie “Splash” was released in 1984, but I have no early memories of the movie. The earliest mermaid memory I have was from Weeki Wachee around 1987 - 1989, the time they were performing the shows “The Second Magic Show”, and “Mermaids Of The World”. I re-member standing in the front of the theater, with my face pressed to the glass. The mermaids swam in unison to music. Between ages 8-10, my mother made my first tail out of an old pair of sweat pants and a pillow case. I would wear it in the bath tub (lol) and sing the song that I had stuck in my head. They say that when a human hears a mermaid sing, the song stick with them for the rest of their lives. It is true! From that day forth, the song replayed and replayed in my head. In 2006, I was able to swim in the spring, in a tail with that song playing over the underwater speakers. It was so surreal.

Merman RyanBeing a hormonal teenager, I started to like mer-maids purely because I was attracted to them I didn’t know why at first it could have been the tails, the fantastical aspect of it, girls in water, or it sparked my imagination. I think honestly it was a mixture of things as I got older it was the ability to build on a whole mythos on merfolk that had nev-er been done before and just having mermaids but mermen as well.

2) What do you think is different for men in the mer-community as compared to women?Mer-Pirate Well for me I think is most of the women here are mermaids. The men are either tail makers, con-nected to tail makers or like me connected to a mermaid (I of course to think of my self as a pirate and pirates and mermaids go hand in hand to me) I haven’t seen many men on here that are mermen like the woman are mermaids, we may wear a tail but it isn’t quite the same.

AquatarianAs far as I’ve seen men and women are valued equally within the community. Of course there is

Photo courtesy Merman Ryan

5

more of a demand out there for “mermaids” be-cause of the childlike appeal that comes from movies and books, but there are places such as The Dive Bar in Sacramento that are breaching gen-der boundaries.

Merman Jesse The general public only has one idea of what the fantasy should be. That fantasy does not, or, well, has not included mermen at least until most re-cently. The fantasy is that mermaids are sexy, al-luring, and provocative beings as depicted in film, commercial, and print ad. Most of those are geared toward the male audience. The idea of a merman is, in their eyes, not sexy, alluring, and provocative.

The difference is acceptance. It is acceptable for women to wear tails. It is viewed as strange for men to wear tails.

Merman RyanFor me it’s less about the Disney or Mermaid Mel-ody version of Mers and building on a epic stories similar to Lord of the Rings or Dungeons and Drag-ons so I take that approach with my role. I try to be the bad ass merman of the forum for some it is hard to except outside of the mer-community or geek culture some guys and even women can’t comprehend the thought of a man putting on a tail. While I think it’s becoming more common I think it’s still hard for many mermen to escape the cuteness and princess stereotypes of Mers. I’m also a male fan of the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic series which that show has produced a new movement called “Bronies” I’m sure if My Little Pony can break the rules about girl shows the mer-community can make mermen more common.

3) How do you feel men are represented and observed in the mer-community?Mer-Pirate I think we are represented here as fans mostly or a aid to mermaids in general. Of course I don’t mean every single male but as a general I think it is true. I myself help out two of the mermaids here pretty often with underwater photos and videos or as a sounding board for the ideas they have. I would like to see some Selkies on here at one point though (similar to mermaids in some ways but have been in stores as men http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selkie)

AquatarianI think that because men aren’t as much in “de-mand” for swimming and preforming, a lot of us take the form of tail-makers or make different ac-cessories as part of a service to the mer-commu-nity. I mean if you look at all the major tail-makers; Thom Shouse, Eric Ducharme, Mike Van Daal, they all love mermaids and swimming but I suppose have found more of a calling in creating custom tails more so than swimming in them.

Merman Jesse I feel that men aren’t very well represented in the community, there are so few of us. NONE of which are REALLY in the public eye. By which I mean a merman equally known as say Hannah Fraser. I think if there was a merman with similar qualities of someone like Hannah who could represent the idea of a male in a tail.

As far as being observed by an outsider of the com-munity, I think we are looked at as “perverts”, “gay” (big news flash there with some of us), and just down right weird.

At Mercon 2011, I felt as an outsider. The press snapped thousands of pictures of the “mermaids”, and probably 4 of the “mermen”. Not one reporter asked about my tail, where I got it, or why I was there. Now that I have had time to reflect on the event and my feelings about it, I honestly felt like I did not belong in that pool.

Merman Ryan I think us guys on the boards and forums are more then well respected on the forum. There is always drama but hey thats just life. LOL or least thats my experience.

4) What would you like the female commu-nity of Mers to know about the male? Mer-Pirate That even if we don’t do it as often that we love mermaids as much as they do. Most mermen or pirates are like me I think and enjoy the entire thing how the water feels around us, how the tail looks as it glides through the water, when we swim in a tail we smile just as much as and cherish it as deeply

6

Merman Jesse I have been blessed to have gotten to meet so many wonderful people throughout the years since I have been a merman. I am grateful to all who encourage, support, and live the fantasy with me.

I have gotten to travel to places I would never think of going. Las Vegas for crying out loud! I would have never gone if there wasn’t something there that I was passionate about.

The freedom that comes with being underwater in a tail is just overpowering, and completely over-whelming.

I do have to say though, wearing a tail does not make a person a mermaid or merman. Anyone can put on a tail and say “I’m a mermaid.” For me there is a deeper connection to the whole world of Mers. It is in my heart, my soul, my life.

Merman Ryan If you’re a guy and nervous about getting a tail,,,,,don’t be. If your friends respect you they will still be your friends. Your not gay, feminine, or a wuss (not saying these are bad things just examples of name calling) for putting on a tail. MY merman fandom has made me feel better about myself, helped my loose 25 pounds and allow me to truly live out and escape my only fault is that I wish I could be a merman more often.

AquatarianWe are here! Haha! We may seem scarce but we are nonetheless here and I’m sure there are some of us out there who would love to get some more attention as far as better recognition of their mer-selves. I would be more than willing to go for a swim, give advice, or just talk with anyone who wants or needs to.

Merman Jesse We are just like you, we believe in the fantasy, and are living it. “Live the dream. Be the fantasy.” - Mer-man Jesse

Merman Ryan I sincerely think that most of the guys on the fo-rum are well respected, I can’t speak for everyone though. I will say my keep my personal politics out of my merman cosplay. Yes my personal politics are radically different from most of the board (I’m a Libertarian) but I keep it out of my merman co-splay. This is because I escape in all my fandoms to get away from the real world, I just want to bring that escapism to others so that they can get away from politics, government and life for a day and just be what they want to be not just a mer but a anime, video game, superhero, or other cosplay.

5) Any other thoughts on being a merman? Mer-Pirate Honestly I would like to see some shark versions of mermen at one point, I would love to make a tiger tail and fangs and see how it turned out. But beyond that, I would to say to any guys who want to be a part of your world (Sorry had to make the pun) to not be ashamed by it because it is a beau-tiful, powerful, physical experience to even try to swim like a mermaid, and when you swim in the water and get to see some one smile at the magical creature you have become that it is worth it.

AquatarianWhile we are all different we all have found a place here. I personal have fallen in love with the ocean environment and being a mer just amplifies and exemplifies everything I hold dear. It means the world that there are other people to share my fas-cination with regardless of gender, so in short being a merman is freakin’ awesome!

Photo courtesy Merman Jesse

7

Upcomming Events

WHERE: Miracle Desert Hot Springs California Miraclesprings.com

WHEN: March 30th 2012 - April 1st 2012

COST: To reserve space $180 plus a $5.49 fee. Can be purchased here Included in the price: room, room taxes, three classes, a grand finale water event, and your own Floatli equipment.Double occupancy: $280 per personTriple occupancy: $230 per personQuad occupancy: $214 per person

We have pricing for roommates who do not want to Floatli as well, like kids. The $180 deposit secures your place in the Camp, remaining balance due by February 15th.

MORE INFO: Our first Mermaid Camp will be held March 30th through the 1st of April, 2012 at the Miracle Springs Resort. You will receive your own Floatli equip-ment, three workshops to teach you how to Floatli (in nice warm water), and a grand finale pool ex-travaganza with the professional Mers. Shelly has designed a special mer skirt for entry level mer-maids, and is making them available at an excellent price so you can get wet and look fabulous from pool to deck to out in the world. This is a chance for the professional mermaids to mingle with those of us who want to swim with them for fun.

Follow on Facebook

Photo from Memaid Shelly Photo from Mermaid RainaRaina is traveling down to Florida this month and wants to meet up with as many Mers in the community as possible! Plans and dates are tentative so for more information and the latest updates on what is going on please visit the trip planning tread on Mernetwork.

The tentative plans include meeting up at Rain-bow Springs, which may include a mass mer-maid photoshoot. The photoshoot might end up happening at a beach somewhere. A one day trip to Disney as well a day trip to Weeki Wachi Springs. The final two tentative plans are a trip to an aquarium and a mermaid dinner some where.

Again all of these plans are tentative so remember they could change at any moment, be certain to stay on top of any plans by checking the MerNetwork.

8

Author Interview: Alveric

The mer community has many budding art-ists and writers. We’ve gotten a hold of one such well known mer-writer Alveric. Here’s what he has to say about his fun hit sto-ries featuring Hannah, an accidental mermaid:

“All my stories are about a couple, Hannah Men-denhall and Alex Harris, who, despite all the weird-ness and even badness that gets thrown their way, have one constant, their love for each other.

In the early stories (Alex and Hannah, Hannah’s Tale or Part One of the Novel) Alex and Hannah are at-tending a large Sci-fi, fantasy and cosplay convention when one of the sponsors accidentally unleashes a powerful spell from an ancient shaman’s mask. Han-nah, Alex and nearly ten thousand others are trans-formed into whatever costume they were wearing.

Alex, now a Jedi and worried about what might have happened to his fiancée, sets out to find her but is unwillingly drawn into combat with a Sith Lord who used to be a fourteen-year-old girl.

Hannah was caught in the midst of a costume change and is now a Vulcan Mermaid. Overwhelmed by her change, and convinced that Alex would no longer want her, she decides to ‘run’ away. During her at-tempt, she’s abducted by a pirate, meets Dr. Leon-ard McCoy reborn and befriends a young, fellow Mermaid, Skye, who convinces her to stop fleeing.

In Wynd, Skye and One White Mouse or Part Two,

Hannah and Alex decide to help Skye find her family. While doing so, Hannah is injured and re-ceives some very good, but also very disturbing news from Dr. McCoy. She also gets the chance to go where no Mermaid has ever gone before.

In Mermaids of Xanadu (Part Three), Hannah and Alex try to go home and pick up the pieces of their former lives. They encounter everything from the friendly curiosity of their neighbour, Edna, to the pig-headed ignorance of a county official who refuses them a marriage license. Then an opportunistic terrorist decides to kidnap Hannah and use her as bait to trap a genuine, living Jedi.

The Girl with the Sea-Green Eyes is the sequel to the novel. In the first three chapters, Hannah reconnects with her family and, with Alex, be-gins planning the exodus of the Merfolk from the lake behind the convention center to the sea.”We decided to ask Alveric a bit more about his stories, the lure of mermaids, and his experi-ence in the community. He had this to say:

“I started the first story as a simple tale about a guy who is transformed into a Jedi at the Xanadu event. Part way in, I decided that the main character Alex needed some motivation to be out and about in the chaos, instead of doing the sensible thing and staying put in his hotel room. A missing loved one,

specifically a fiancée was a natural choice. That meant I had to decide if she was also transformed and what was the nature of her transformation. There was never a time in which I didn’t think that mermaids were neat and special, so there was no great stretch in making Hannah a Mermaid.

After the original story, Alex and Hannah, was finished, I was left with a question; what about Hannah? What was her story? She went through

COM : Hannah and Alex playing by whiteguardian

COM : Fight in the forest by whiteguardian

9

a much more traumatic change and deserved the opportunity to tell us about it. At that time a well intentional friend tried to warn me off. ‘You can’t have a Mermaid as a main character in an adventure tale. She would be too limited.’ I took that as a challenge. Another friend told me to go ahead, you might just commit an act of literature. By the time I finished the second story, Hannah’s Tale, I had grown rather fond of that couple and couldn’t bring their saga to an end. The result is the novel Hannah’s Tale. And there is still no end.

The original stories can be found on Shifti.org and Deviant Art, under the names Alveric and Alv-eric2 respectively. The novelization can be found on fictionpress.com under the title Hannah’s Tale. I would recommend reading the noveliza-tion since there is materiel there that isn’t found in the original stories. All the illustrations of scenes and characters that talented people have made for me (I can’t draw) are found on Deviant Art.

The first Xanadu story was written by Bryan Dereksen and can be found on shifti.org un-der the title Xanadu. For years, Bryan has gen-erously given permission to other authors to use the Xanadu event as a story setting.I didn’t know that there was such a thing as a real life Mer community until AniaR invited me to Mernetwork.com. I would like to thank her for that. The Mer community is at least partly responsible for my continued interest in Mers and keeping the story of Alex and Hannah go-ing. You are all a bunch of real nice people, that this old pirate would like to meet some day.”

You can read his stories on deviantART.

Caught up by webb-of-deceit

10

This is a guest post curtase of Mermaid Shelly, the original article and images can be found on her blog.

When I started making my own tail, my goal was to create a latex koi tail with fully formed scales and a high degree of resolution. I found a tutorial on-line and thought it would be a fun summer proj-ect, why not? What a wonderful journey this was! And boy did I learn some lessons along the way…!

First of all, don’t underestimate the materials. I non-chalantly thought that latex-containing products were basically bathroom caulk and that’s nothing to worry about right? So I got it all over my hands, on my arms and legs, in my hair… not thinking about consequences at all! I was so engrossed in what was going on with the project that my personal health was the furthest from my mind. All I cared about was the time line, and the results of course.

My neighbor is a house painter and on his way home from work one night he saw me painting in the garage and came over to see what I was up to. We were chatting about how expensive the paint is and how it needs to be mixed thoroughly with the caulking which makes it difficult to spray. He said, “I don’t mean to lecture you, but I work around this stuff all the time and you should really be wearing a mask and gloves”. I knew he was right, but I wasn’t thinking… I sort of just blew him off. I thought that I knew better; or at least that it wouldn’t be an issue. “I’ll be careful,” I told him, or at least, so I thought.

The next day, I was coating what I had just painted the night before with some silicone spray to pro-tect it and keep it from sticking… again, not using gloves. Suddenly I noticed the strangest sensation: my right index finger where I was holding down the silicone spray trigger was tingling and numb. I was re-minded of my undergraduate organic chemistry lab days, where I was exposed to a solvent; Dichloro-methane. (Our school did not have the budget to provide gloves, so try as I might to avoid getting this solvent on my hands, it happened on a repeated basis and resulted in the same sort of tingling and numbness, lasting for weeks. Solvents can build up in nerve tissue, effectively shorting them out.

I have since learned the value of investing in per-sonal protective equipment to say the least.) This is due to the hydrophobic properties of the latex and silicone. The old adage “oil and water don’t mix” translates in chemistry as: molecules are either hydrophilic (water –mixing, e.g., mer-maids J) or hydrophobic (water-repellent, e.g., sili-cone). These properties are exactly what make latex and silicone so durable in water, and why we love it! However, this means that it is also absorbed easily through the fatty bi-layer than makes up our cell walls, causing exposure hazards.

So I did some research and looked up the Ma-terial Data Safety Sheets (MSDS) information for the Alex Plus latex caulking that I was using as well as the silicone spray. Wow, what an eye opener! Here is just an excerpt of the hazard data for extended exposure to uncured latex:

“Repeated or prolonged exposure may cause skin, respiratory, kidney and liver damage. Re-peated or prolonged contact with the prepara-tion may cause removal of natural fat from the skin resulting in non-allergic contact dermatitis and absorption through the skin. Prolonged, re-peated, or high exposures may cause weakness and depression of the central nervous system.

Formaldehyde [a.k.a. embalming fluid!] Vapor is a known animal carcinogen (sic) and is considered possibly carcinogenic to humans by inhalation. The International Agency for Research on Cancer con-siders formaldehyde to be a human carcinogen.

ALEX Plus & Tail Making

11

propriately to minimize environmental impacts. One of the most important things to be consid-ered is housekeeping and ventilation for your work space. Cleaning up scrap material and other waste to avoid tracking it into your living space, or coming into contact with children and pets is critically important. Also, be sure that no paint, solvents or other material is washed into storm drains or it can be accidentally carried out to sea.

The tail-making process is more than just rewarding. It is an opportunity to share your vision and to bring something unique into this world, something that reflects your personality and style. It is important to have fun with tail making projects, but always be safe!Ethylene Glycol [a.k.a. anti-freeze!] may cause kid-

ney and liver damage upon prolonged and repeated overexposures. Studies have shown that repeated inhalation of ethylene glycol has produced adverse cardiovascular changes in laboratory animals. Ethyl-ene glycol has been shown to cause birth defects in laboratory animals.” (MSDS Number: 00010019002)

I guess my little assumption that this stuff was rela-tively safe was not scientifically valid. Needless to say, on my next trip to the hardware store, a box of nitrile gloves was on the top of my list. And now a respirator mask is part of my toolbox as well.

Since the solvents that are utilized in the tail-making process are relatively volatile organics, the most danger is encountered during manufac-turing. The fumes evaporate off quickly, dissipat-ing into the atmosphere (for better or for worse) within a day. A completely cured, finished tail is relatively inert and harmless to the wearer. The risk is really incurred by the maker, which to me really underscores the justification for the high prices of professionally made tails. Going forward, I am only using silicone now to avoid aggravat-ing my asthma and allergies with repeated expo-sure to the nasty stuff that is contained in latex.

Additional environmental costs to consider in the tail-making process are the material containers themselves. The latex or silicone caulking comes in plastic containers, and many of these contain-ers go into one tail, similar with plastic bottles of paint. The containers are all 100% recyclable once the material inside is hardened, so it is im-portant to ensure that these get disposed of ap-

12

The original and ever updating & changing list can be found on the MerNetwork forums.

There are so many camps and classes and things around for aspiring Mers to attend and learn from, but they are scattered and not many people seem to know about them or forget after a while. So here is a listing of all the how to be a mer classes and camps I know of, hopefully the list will grow!

MeduSirena~ Information~ Calendar (Shows a pre-scheduled lesson)

Weeki Wachee Springs~ Sirens of the Deep Mermaid Camp~ COST: $350 ~ AGE: 30 years of age and up ~ Adventures Under the Spring Mermaid Camp~ AGE: ? (assuming under 18)Unfortunately at this time they do not offer any camps or training for young mer’s between 18 and 29. They were very kind in the reply and even re-minded me that we are mermaids weather on land or sea. Hopefully they will create a camp for those of us in this missing age group, until then we must wait.

Iara Mandyn~ Training Services

Although these are not mermaid specific they are excellent to know for several reasons. It is a good selling point for yourself, clients feel safer, you can charge more, it opens the door to a greater variety of opportunities, it helps with your own person-al comfort in the water and unknown situations.

~ CPR / First Aid / AED Certified~ Lifeguard Certified~ SCUBA Certified (List of suggested courses)~ Free Dive Certified~ Rescue Diver~ Current Passport~ Own Salt and/or Fresh water Scuba gear

A great many of the ideas listed here were gleaned from the impressive skills and service list of Linden Wolbert.

Mermaid Classes & Camps

A haunting story of a man who meets something that he can’t quite make sense of in the seas of his island home. Does he really meet a mermaid, or doesn’t he? What is her influence on his life, and how will his future change because of her influence.

A story with a unique slant on the whole mermaid phenomenon, this is a tale set on the British island city of Portsmouth. Dave, the central character is going mad, or everyone thinks he is. So when he announces he has seen a mermaid, those around him are convinced that he has finally lost his grip on reality. As for the mermaid herself, she is a strange, elusive and mysterious presence who only appears to him at turning points in his life. Dreamlike and hallucinatory, the story is gripping from beginning to end, and puts a very different interpretation on the meaning of these magical, mythical seamaidens.

A novella at 12,000 words, this story is a great insight into the mind of someone who is going mad, the city of Portsmouth and the history of its seaside resort, Southsea.

Turn The Tides Gently by Matt Wingett is available from Amazon sites around the world.

13

The Pacific Whale Foundation (PWF) is a non-profit organization, founded in 1980 with a mission to “pro-tect our oceans through science and advocacy.” Based mainly in Hawaii (on the island of Maui), with organizations in Australia and Ecuador, this organi-zation uses its funds to support whale and dolphin research, educational and conservation programs.

Having won several awards, including “Best Environ-mental Attraction” and “Best Non-Profit,” PWF offers various educational programs in all age ranges (Pre-school to adult) including Summer Ocean Camps. For over 30 years PWF has offered world class ocean adventures that include Whale watches (in the win-ter months), dolphin watching cruises (year round) and various snorkel trips. 100% of the profits from these eco tours go to supporting research, conser-vation and education of the ocean environment.

I have had the personal pleasure of taking 2 of their snorkel trips. My first trip was the Lanai Wild Dolphin Snorkel trip. On this trip they provide you with abundant information on Hawaii, their organization and the ocean wild life you see. On your boat ride to your destination they also of-fer a sea creature “class” for the kids (and adults). On this trip my husband and I saw hundreds of Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins. After about a half an hour enjoying the playful antics of the dol-phins the boat continued on to a snorkel area.

Although I had my own snorkel equipment, PWF does provide you with anything you may need for the water, including flotation devices for the less

experienced swimmer. While you snorkel some of their staff are in kayaks paddling around to provide assistance, and/or information on what you are seeing. Once back on board, my husband and I en-joyed a wonderful lunch as we headed back to port.

Having enjoyed our first trip so much, we be-came members of PWF and decided to go on the Molokini and Turtle Arches snorkel trip. Getting to snorkel with turtles, manta rays, some dolphins and a wide variety of beauti-ful fish, this trip was just as magical as our first.

If you are interested in becoming more involved with PWF there are a variety of ways in which you can support them. You can become a member of PWF in which you can enjoy discounts in their shops and online stores as well as discounts on any tours. They offer “adopt” a dolphin, whale and/or turtle or you can make a simple tax deductible donation.

For more information on PWF and ways you can help please visit their website. Article and images courtesy of Angela Richardson (HBMermaid Angela)

Pacific Whale Foundation

14

This is a guest post from Mermaid Cynthia, the original article can be found on her blog.

In August of 2011, I attended the World Mermaid Awards and Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. This was a memorable adventure for me in many ways. Let me share some of them with you.

August 10th: The trip from north Texas to Las Vegas took me two days by car. At the end of the first day of driving (~600 miles), I stayed overnight in Moriar-ty, New Mexico. The motel was just off the highway, with a gas station across the street, and a number of places to eat nearby. The rain was most welcome, as the weather had been very dry back in Texas.

August 11th: I arrived in Las Vegas around din-ner time on the second day. The first event of the convention was a Book Signing and Meet & Greet at a Barnes & Noble book store at 7pm. Since I had arrived early, I had time to eat dinner at a nearby restaurant. I soon noticed that not far away, the convention organizers and special guests were having dinner at the same restaurant.

The Meet and Greet was great fun. I had the plea-sure of meeting Mermaid Hannah Fraser, one of the most well known mermaids in the world. I also met Mermaid Kylee Troche from Weeki Wachee Springs, Florida, and authors Carolyn Turgeon and Tera Lynn Childs. The short video I took of Han-nah speaking has had over 860 views on YouTube!

After the Meet and Greet, I drove to the Silverton Hotel and Casino, the location of the convention. From the Mermaid Bar to the mermaid paintings on

the wall to the huge fish tank, we merfolk felt right at home. I spent some time looking around the casino, trying my hand at a slot machine with the $5 you get when signing in. I must say I did not do too well.

August 12th: The convention officially took place on Friday the 12th. Daytime events included a mermaid pageant, art silent auction, and ven-dor tables. In the evening, the merfolk and fans gathered at the hotel pool for a pool party.

Mermaids Hannah Fraser and Medusirena per-formed for the crowd. There was much swim-ming, splashing, chatting, and friend making. The mermaid awards were announced as we watched the full moon overhead. We spent at least two hours in the water, and enjoyed every minute.

World Mermaid Awards

Picture by Cynthia Mermaid

Picture by David Kamada

Picture by David Kamada

Picture by Chris LaPointe

15

August 13th: On Saturday, there was a VIP pool party at a private home in the northern part of town. Many photos were taken as the mer-maids and mermen got their tails wet once again. My profile picture was taken here as well.

A threat of rain early in the day almost caused the pool party to be cancelled. When it was decided that the pool party would happen, it was too late to tell the catering company that we were back on. As a result, only light snacks were available at poolside. Upon returning to the hotel, I decid-ed to go to a pizza place just off the casino floor.

The guy waiting on me at the pizza place saw my mermaid themed tee shirt and asked me if I was with the convention. I said that I was. He then asked me if I believed in mermaids. “I have to”, I said, “I am one.”

August 14th: Sunday was check out day, and the beginning of the long drive back to north Texas. Sure, not everything went smoothly at the con-vention, but I had a great time, and I am very glad I went. I met some great folks, and had a great time splashing around with everyone. I hope to be able to attend more of these events in the future!

Picture by Chris LaPointe

Picture by Chris LaPointe

16

1. How did you find the community?

I spend a lot of time on the computer looking at “mer” related pictures, or just fish in general and one day I was lucky enough to stumble across mer.yuku.

2. What drew you into the world of mermaids and mermen?

Even as a child I Loved to go swimming and have had an immense fascination of all the fish and critters that make their homes underwater. I remember as a kid in Portugal, I would take every opportunity I could to make it down to the beach and go swimming, exploring the small coves and tide pools, always hoping to see a fish or creature I hadn’t seen before.One of my fondest memories is when every cou-ple of weeks an employee of the Lisbon Aquarium would come to the beach to collect sea urchins and would let some of us kids swim around and help.That combined with some of the “Mer” related movies I watched as a kid really cemented my inter-est in them. My favorite being “The Thirteenth Year”.

3. What inspired you to become a tail maker?

When I was very young I asked my father repeat-edly over the years to make me a merman tail, only to receive the same puzzled look on his face time and time again. I soon after realized If I was go-ing to have one I was going to have to make it my-self. At this point I had almost no experience with sewing, and so I just sort of “went with the flow” for my first few tails. They were made from fabric and full of mistakes and eye sores, but I was hap-

py to have them none the less. However I found as I got older I wanted something more realis-tic, which has driven me to the point I am now.

4. Tell us a bit about your aspiring tail company!

It’s in the very early stages at the moment I hesitate to even call it a company. I like to think of myself more as an eccentric art-ist who will be selling some of my creations.

5. What’s the best thing about being a merman?

The best thing is the speed you get. For me there is no better feeling than being able to cut through the water like you can in a tail.

Mer of the Month Dr.Seawed

17

I’ve been training in ballet since I was young, prob-ably around 3 or 4 years old, but with a year or so taken off and a few injuries, I’ve probably been dancing around 10 years. I’m intensively trained in ballet, which just basically means I train like I’m going professional, but not quite as my stu-dio isn’t quite as intense. This year will be the 5th year I will be dancing on Pointe (toe shoes). I also do some modern/contemporary and jazz.

Being a mermaid is really just like dancing underwa-ter, except with a tail. The grace and the strength are the same, and some of it is even basically under-water ballet.. It’s different, definitely, with the buoy-ancy underwater, but definitely they’re related.

The main thing from my dance background that helped me is knowing how to move my body, es-sentially. When you swim with a tail, the move-ment is really similar to a body roll, which I can do pretty well. I still had some struggle like everyone but it was really easy for me to learn the movement of swimming with a tail. And then arms…know-ing how to have graceful arms helps immensely! Of course, the strength I have from dance trans-lates into mermaiding too, especially core strength.

What I love the best about being a mermaid is being underwater. It’s like a whole new world and a whole new grace and talent set. It’s just so much fun swimming around and having the weightless feeling for the brief time I can hold my breath. The experience is amazing, and though it seems the same as without the tail, it really isn’t. The tail adds grace and strength and fluidity to all your movements and gives you the fantasy. I guess that’s the other thing I love about being a mermaid, is becom-ing the fantasy I’ve always dreamed of.

Interview: Mermaid Jewel

Mermaid Horoscopes

Horoscopes written by Mermaid Cydney.

Aries- Ram (ram fish)3/21 - 4/19This month your head has been in the clouds; it’s time to come back down and make a splash with a differ-ent crowd. Join a new school of fish this month, just to switch it up a bit. You never know who you might see swimming by. Your lucky day is February 6th.

Taurus- Bull (bull shark)4/20 - 5/20You’ve been zipping through the water at the speed of light; slow it down and take a krill pill. Around the beginning of the month, a hurricane of stress rushes your way, but you deal with it beautifully. Nothing can stop you! Your lucky day will be February 23rd.

Gemini- Twins (giant clam)5/21 - 6/21Everything has been calm on your side of the sea for a while, so expect a wave of excitement soon; but be careful! It’s all fun and games till someone loses a fin! Your lucky day will be February 1st.

Cancer- Crab (crab)6/22 - 7/22Plan a trip this month, you have been feel-ing a bit stressed and crabby lately. Live it up in the sun and sand, but remember to wear your sunscreen and shades, you cool crab, you! Your lucky day will be February 27th.

Leo- Lion (lionfish)7/23 - 8/22All that glitters is not gold, or is it? Looks like a lucky month for you Lionfish! There is trea-sure all around in the form love and wealth, so make the effort to appreciate every piece. Your lucky day will be February 14th.

Virgo- Virgin (mermaid or merman)8/23 - 9/22You’ve got your eyes on the prize but it always seems a bit out of reach. Take a chance, wish on a starfish, and go for it! Your goal is much closer than you think. You lucky day will be February 22nd.

Libra- Scales (scales of a fish)9/23 - 10/22This month you are feeling like a social butter-fly fish! Got a friend with some grumpy gills? Take an extra second to tell them how fintas-tic they are; you know they would do the same for you! Your lucky day will be February 18th.

Scorpio- Scorpion (scorpion fish)10/23 - 11/21Success is your middle name this month. You feel confident, and it shows in your work! While you think you can take on the seven seas, don’t be afraid to ask for kelp with the more daunt-ing tasks. Your lucky day will be February 8th.

Sagittarius- Archer (archerfish)11/22 - 12/21It’s been non-stop parties for you! You are so entertaining! Take some time to yourself and lay in the sea grass, make a seanut butter and jel-lyfish sandwich, or cuddle up with your little catfish. Your lucky day will be February 10th.

Capricorn- Goat (goatfish)12/22 - 1/19You’ve been feeling a bit blue lately, but don’t shed a single drop of seawater, that will all change around the middle of the month! Good luck is swimming your way in an unexpected form, so be on the look out! Your lucky day is February 15th.

Aquarius- Water Bearer (blue tang)1/20 - 2/18Happy Birthday! As your birthday approaches you will find yourself in a sea of happiness, filled with family and friends. Just remember to slow down on the cake and bubbly or you are going to be one sick fish. Your lucky day is February 3rd.

Pisces- Fish (fish) 2/19 - 3/20You are incredibly happy-go-guppy and it is infec-tious! Great opportunities float ahead but read the fine print. You don’t want to be stuck in a net you can’t swim out of! Your lucky day is February 13th.

18

19

About Tail FlipHello mer-community. I can’t believe that after months of brainstorming, collecting, and hard work our commu-nity e-zine is here! Mermaid Sirena and I have been bust-ing our fins over the past few months searching the com-munity for great stories, cool ideas, and general going ons!

This magazine is intended to be a resource for you, an extension of our community, and a product of our com-munity. The majority of the articles are written or contrib-uted by community members, and the few that aren’t were still requested by members. You’re going to see some unique perspectives and hear more about projects!

Sirena and I founded this idea out of a common want for a magazine centered completely around commu-nity. We have so many interesting people in our world both mer and mer-alike. There are so many Mers who are concerned with the environment that an e-maga-zine was a unanimous choice. In addition, the maga-zine is completely free! This would not be possible without the volunteering of many members. Want to get involved? Keep an eye on Mernetwork threads re-lated to the e-zine. You can also contact Sirena and I di-rectly with article ideas, adds, events, and suggestions!

Finally, I’d just like to say a big thank you to Sirena and everyone who contributed. This is what community is all about!