Someone was hating on mermaid costumes in the bad costume thread, so let's get a mermaid thread going.
OC's are welcome, bonus points if you can actually swim in it.
I have five yards of neoprene and a monofin that I'm too scared to touch and start anything with right now. This thread haunts me.
>>9248604
go for it, anon! be the merperson of your dreams. it seems to be a pretty friendly community, and you can just mess around in your local pool until you feel comfortable going to meet ups/cons
>>9248669
Mer comms are insanely friendly. I actually talked to the local one while visiting a natural spring a few hours away. I didn't know they were gonna be there but they were all just super awesome people
I want a monofin so bad, but I don't even know where I would start. Most of the premade silicone ones are thousands of dollars. I don't mind spending the money if I decide that's what I really want to use it for. It's just a huge commitment.
Sorry for the blog. Hopefully someone from the mer-community will stop by and talk about how they got started
>>9248686
>>9248696
There are whole communities of people with mermaid tails? I'm a lifeguard and there were a few little girls at one point who came to my pool a lot who had these tails and would swim around in them. I didn't realize this was like a big hobby with a giant community of adults. What do they do at meets? Just swim together?
>>9248696
Magictail.de is a German company that sells pretty nice monofins along with the handmade tail sleeves. I'd recommend them for beginners. Mermaiding is really not nearly as easy as it looks and I'd recommend seeing if you even enjoy swimming in a tail before dropping several grand on one of the nice silicon tails (also those things are heavy as FUCK)
>>9248816
In defence to nami, there isn't much you can do to hide it so people make the wave she always has under her.
I think though, one of the skins has her recall animation as her singing on a rock
What are some of the cons related to this? I heard there was one in California held at some large poolside, but are there any other "big" mermaid related cons?
>>9248855
thanks!!!
I figured there were options out there, but my only experience with the mercom were professionals who where lowkey selling for a silicone tail company.
as far as swimming with them goes, I've been a swimmer my whole life so I figured it would be an adjustment. I had seen suggestions online about getting a swimming monofin and practicing with that first. mostly I was just wondering where to go from there.
>>9248855
oh cool! I looked them up and it looks like I can buy a monofin now for workouts and the tail skin later in case I want to full-on pretend to be a mermaid like a normal adult. thanks!!
>>9248742
Oh fuck, Adekan? This is great!
>>9248465
>tfw when you were the anon hating on that shitty "steampunk" costume
>tfw i actually love mermaids
my salt has brought me this thread bless
I love this thread!
It literally made me finally buy my first tail.
>>9250174
wtf I'm the OP of the bad cosplay thread and while I think merfolk are nice, this steampunk cosplay still sucks. An expensive monofin and random steampunk corset does not make a good costume.
>>9248739
Wish I could get a mermaid tail and swim in the pool with it without other people thinking I'm some sort of child rapist.
>>9248465
oh my god, you're a crybaby
>>9248855
I have a magictail tail and can voucher for them being good. It is quite a learning curve to learn to swim in a monofin though. Admittedly I'm not very dedicated at practise but it is challenging and takes a while to get the hang of. Super fun though!
this aint cosplay or cgl
get out
>>9250719
>cgl
>as if that's it's own thing
oh honey... also this thread has plenty of cosplay in it, and the whole thread is costume focused.
if larp can stay so can the mermaids.
>>9250711
Good to get a review, thanks. I swim regularly, so I can see myself just swapping out regular fins for monofin practice. I go to a con with a pool every summer, and there are typically a few mermaids. It would be nice to join them so I might take the plunge (heh).
>>9250517
Just tell them you are an actor trying to get gigs as a mermaid for like parties and stuff. bonus: you might get hired.
Anyone have experience with wigs & water? I've got tons of crazy makeup + water experience, but nothing with wigs. Should I just go wigless and design a nice OC with my own hair?
>>9250199
thank you. I wasn't hating on mermaids or steampunk either. just like you cant slap on a bow and call yourself lolita, you cant slap on a corset and call yourself steampunk, its not that hard to understand.. yet its sad a majority of people don't get it.
>>9251181
use double the bobbypins you would normally use for a wig, and then use even more. Styling depends on your skills, but if you use hair cement/glue a style can actually hold up pretty well in water.
Using your own hair really depends on your hair- if you have super thin hair it won't look that nice under water, but if you have thick hair anyway, go for it!
>>9248855
I'd like to get a monofin and make or buy a lycra fabric tail to test just that, how hard it is and how much I'd enjoy it before sinking $$$ into it. Feet are women's size 9US so that affects monofin size?
Some recommendations, please?
I know >>9248465 tails are heavy and expensive and they are beautiful but I just can't see shelling out several thousand before I test to see if I like the monofin swimming part pretty well first.
>>9253749
Thank you, they are pretty and the price is reasonable. Now I should read up on the 2 monofin types, one is much lighter weight but looks less rigid, I think? I wonder which is easier to swim with?
>>9253772
Hey anon, just wanted to give you a heads up, if you're just wanting to try a mermaid tail you can get them really cheap on aliexpress, it's where I got mine for like $50. I've never tried a magictail so I can't comment on any quality differences but if you end up liking it you can always upgrade to a better tail, plus you'd have the monofin already.
>>9253749
i had a model use a magictail.de tail and it behaved very well during the photoshoot. it took her a little time to get used to it but the print on it is nice and it looks very good and is worth the money we thought.
>>9250719
Cry no more, here's a magnificent Riku.
It's a merman and is also a cosplay. Be happy now.
>>9254339
>man
The focus isn't on the tails in this photo but it's really cute.
former competitive synchronized swimmer here: if anyone needs advice on keeping shit attached to themselves while swimming/waterproof makeup Im glad to help
some con/meetup pics
>>9254995
I always feel the need to get rid of the water over my eyes to when I come up, even if I had them open while underwater, any tips to fight my own instincts? I know this sounds stupid but it's literally my biggest issue
>>9250226
I love everything about this except for the visible shoulders and straps. How do you overlook that detail?
>>9255884
How often do you swim? How often without goggles? When I work with little kids who are learning not to do this, it's a matter of practicing until they get used to it.
Try swimming without your goggles regularly, especially with your eyes open under water. Laps of full strokes should help you get used to it or kicking with a board and dipping your face in & out of the water. Anything that's repeatedly coming up & down with your hands busy.
If your eyes hurt from the chlorine later, put some milk in a pair of goggles, put them on and open your eyes. It will make them feel better.
Also avoid waterproof mascara until you are used to this. Rubbing + waterproof mascara + chlorine = flakey painful hell.
>>9257256
Thanks! That was really really helpful! It's getting warmer where I live so soon I'll be able to put this in practice
>>9258252
always glad to help a future mermaid