Page 42 - Fins Magazine: Fins Magazine Issue #4

F
Family
amily

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“ “ I live in a constellation of
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There is nothing in life that can quite compare i intimates, and the shape of us is
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to the feeling of flying underwater, except
a family. We touch base and check
perhaps if you multiply that feeling by every mer a f a m i l y . W e t o u c h b a s e a n d c h e c k

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swimming alongside you. It is without a doubt, i in, with each other and also—I

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one of the best things about being involved in am so gratified to report—they
the Mer Community. Its also something I didn't s o m e t i m e s c h e c k i n w i t h o n e a n o t h e r .
sometimes check in with one another.
always have. C o r r e s p o n d e n c e s h a v e s p r u n g u p
Correspondences have sprung up
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When I first started Mer’ing, I was alone, like and friendships have started to form
beyond my influence. Family has
many of us. I’d gotten into the hobby through b e y o n d m y i n f l u e n c e . F a m i l y h a s

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sheer chance, and a Merbella Youtube video. begun to take on a transitive property
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as well.“
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It took no time at all to then dive eagerly into — S. Bear Bergman
ARTICLE: Family in Fins by Mermaid Whimzsea and The Illinois Merpod the online Mer world, reading and watching
everything I could` find. From Raina Mermaid’s the established pods, and how to get in touch
“So You Want to Be A Mermaid?” Youtube with them. When I was looking, the only ones
series, her “Fishy Business” books, straight that seemed active wereon the coasts... and that
through the archives of MerNetwork on how to definitely didn't help laand locked midwest mer!
build silicone tails. Nerdmaid Faith, Courtney How do you find something that doesn’t exist?
Mermaid, and Merbella became familiar names You make it!
to me, and I highly recommend all of them if
you are just starting this journey. It is, of course, incredibly easy to actually start a
Pod. The making of a Facebook group is the work
I had joined my local YMCA and begun a of a few moments. What is harder to define, and
slow mer-vasion on their pools until I was what will make your pod really successful in your
finally allowed to use my tails unbothered. own eyes, is knowing your deeper motivations,
Being the only mer in my pool didn't feel quite having a solid foundation you can build up
right, though. So back I went to the forums of around and use to guide how you grow.
MerNetwork, Facebook, and Google. If you
are conducting your own Pod search, a browse Of course, I almost didn’t start the Illinois Pod.
through MerNetwork online will yield most of Taking on that role was very intimidating. Every
‘what if ’ that passed through my thoughts was
a very convincing reason not to put myself out
there. Mer’ing was on the cusp of a popularity
explosion, and I was certain that if I waited,
someone who was much better suited to
“running” a pod would come along.
What changed my mind was an encounter where
I had a woman stop and chat with me, absolutely
fascinated with the tail I was swimming in. As she
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