Where are the Merfolk? December 24, 2008
Posted by Azaiya in Journal, Mermaid Problems.trackback
Really. Where are all the Merfolk? What are you doing?
Why do I always find the abundance of mer-themed locations and shops on the grid empty?
Why is almost every group I find dead or inactive (save for the occasional announcement)?
You’re clearly out there. What are you doing?
It’s getting frustrating being a mermaid in SL. Mermaids are social creatures too. As fun as it is to swim and explore new places, I do it with the hope that other seafolk will find and enjoy those LMs, and perhaps even share that enjoyment with me, and around that, community will form. There is no mermaid community in SL. Maybe there are pockets among friends, but nothing unified.
I used to think that one never found many mers around SL because there wasn’t enough to do as a mer. Then I watched Solan Nightfire open Aquaria, who spent tireless hours creating creative events and activities for merfolk only, only to see it fizzle out after about a year. Aquaria was teeming with merfolk in its early days, but then they disappeared. Where did they go? There was always plenty to do. Aquaria is closing now mainly as a victim of the land-upheavals, but also due to a lack of interest and willingness to participate in the community.
Other commitments have kept me away from my exploits in Second Life in the past months (though I do plenty of swimming in my FL, just sans fins . . . /me sighs), but when I do rez in, I get bored fast unless I’m exploring a new place. When I do come on, I usually send out a message to the three big mermaid groups (MERGE, Mystic Mermaids, and SL Mermaid Community) inviting others to come swim with me. Despite lots of names being on the chat window, I’ve rarely had more than one or two replies.
So, what are you all doing? Really? I want to know. Do you feel my frustrations? Do you think I’m out of touch being only a casual SL user? What am I missing? Where’s the party at? Please leave a comment.
I think part of it is there isn’t enough VARIETY in what we do…there’s plenty to do, but we all know what to expect by now…there’s nothing exotic or new or unexpected.
My lady friend loved being a mer and I joined in to support her. We got all the outfit parts, swims and joined events. At our last event a Mer ran it and won HIS own event. That did not impress us, I was done wiht events. Still, she built her own mer area, on our sim and we would swim and ride the dolphins. She is the type that can make a group come alive and was overlooked. The Mers need a way to involve and give credit to all parts of participation. It just seemed like poor leadership to me.
Hi Azaiya,
I’ve spent my time looking for mermaid friendly roleplay because I like to engage in a little interactive fiction.
Mostly however, when I’ve come across groups of mermaids, they’re talking about FL stuff, or speaking in AIMspeak. In environments, sadly several of them that my husband and I have come across are populated with 2D mermaid cutouts haphazardly strewn about. Visiting the places you’ve spotlighted here on your blog has been a joy! Like you though, we never saw another mermaid.
We feel your pain: My kingdom for a beautiful roleplay experience with a friendly, literate mermaid/underwater community and more!
PS: when I briefly mentioned this desire in MERGE, I got abruptly stopped by spam-averse group members (I didn’t start that IM session) so thanks for the venue to discuss this issue with the SL mermaid community.
As social creaters, many have found ourselves shapeshifting back into our land legs. But there are those around the community of Merfolk that are trying to make it a better place. Remember sl started small and became a massive area for all types. As merfolk we are all trying to find away of making the feet dwellers entertainment underwater. its getting there, but only a handful of people have constructed their mark on the communtity. And remember, that cost them lots of linden, it comes out of their pockets not asking for anything in return. it takes all of us to make something great.
Azaiya:
Thanks for this blog! As has been commented, it’s a great idea.
I find that I spend most of my mermaid time out of water. It is not the ocean that makes us what we are; it is the fact (well, I think it’s a fact) that we are the most beautiful and graceful creatures in SL. I find that my mermaid completely disarms people; it brings out a love in them that they may not have even known they had.
I have also used the fact that mermaids are immortal, to help someone with an actual disease in RL. The process of Creative Visualization–the patient focusing on, for example, the killing of cancer cells–has been used in treatment for years. As a mermaid, I have guided more than one Av through a process of pushing her cells outward, into my mer-body, and then seeing them be destroyed within me. They have always come back telling me they felt better afterwards; whether that was physical or just emotional, my mer-self gave them some RL relief from their pain.
Can we, as mermaids, make others’ lives better? If we can, then we have all the reason for being that we need.
Tala, all! And a wonderful and wet new year to everyone.
I have found this problem since my first days as an SL mer. I was overjoyed when i got my fins, being a mermaid has always been my real life dream even after i finally came to grips with the fact that it was pretty much impossible, so becoming a mer in SL was simply fantastic. But i soon found myself swimming through empty sim after empty sim, hoping to at least find a human to tempt into the sea. Once and a while i would find small groups of other mer and those times were wonderful usually, but more often than not i was swimming alone. I used to think that maybe it was because we were all exploring and simply in different sims, after all, mer are curious and adventurous creatures.
Now, over a year later i still find myself doing the same thing and asking myself the same question you ask Azaiya, where are all the mer? Whenever there is a mer event there are usually so many mer that the sim is in danger of crashing and i ask myself where these people are the rest of the time.
Of course we all get dragged up on land by our footed friends, i too spend a lot more time with feet than i would like, but i do so love being finned that i rarely stay land dwelling for long, yet every time i leave my private cove i find myself alone.
I would love to see more events put together, nothing draws SL residents like a live DJ. RP is good, but sadly i and others simply don’t always have enough time to devote to an extended RP. Perhaps if there were more human/mer hangouts we would see more merpeople gather. I don’t know what can be done, but i do know that i would love to see more of a community than a few friends who swim together sometimes.
And of course if anyone is ever looking for someone to explore with, i am always up for an adventure
The only merplace i’ve found with a few people was elounda,but not always…and,i must admit,i don’t like it too much evenets like contests.
The same for the groups,i’ve leave some SL groups for mermaids ’cause are inactive even if they have more people in list…
At least,i swim alone…or with you when we can >.<
You know, this is the same question that I’ve asked myself a few times. SIMs that I have traveled to were barren aside from the 2D mermaid cutouts and a few fish, of course. But those don’t make good company. I’ve swam around SIMs, desperately seeking other mer who can actually hold a decent conversation with decent English (No AIMspeak! >.<). So, ultimately, I usually swim alone if my other mer friends aren’t around or if they’re too busy being legg’d… And I’ve actually thought about dropping my fins, but there’s something about being a mermaid that I just can’t ignore…
Recently I’ve stumbled across a place called Norwinge and there were a substantial amount of mer there when I first arrived. Had to be about twelve when I came and increased to eighteen as the day progressed! It was amazing! But other than there, I’ve never stumbled into a large gathered group of mers since. Well, besides Aquaria’s farewell party which was outstanding! I just wish that it could have stayed and that more mer would just come together like that more often to socialize.
One thing I have noticed is that a few mers that I have run into are usually shapeshifters while I’m a full-time mer, meaning that my chances of engaging in good role-play and actually swimming around to entertain one another are slim. So, what’s a mer to do?
I have to agree! I’m a full time mer & I’ll even wear my tail when I’m shopping or exploring or when I take inworld classes. I’m in a ton of mer groups and they seem lonely. The occasion of stumbling (swimmingly of course) upon another mer who is interested in being a mer and not just OOC in a mermaid tail is rare. Where are the mer who want to interact and meet and socialize IC? I don’t mean just for sex either or dances or endless battle meter combat. How fun would it be for a school of mer to swarm a pirate sim and actually be mer! Or to have seahorse races, or mer conversations and debates? 7 Seas fishing mer style? Cultural mer meeting and interacting from selkie to naga to sirens to mermaids/mermen.
I swim around the dry land with my tail simply because Im brand new and am so excited I can’t stand it. Azaiya inspired me into it from flickr and I went a little mer crazy the last week.
Here is the thing: I am deathly afraid of open water, especially dark water, and I am using sl mermaiding (besides the fact that I love being a beautiful mermaid and the mythology behind it has been something I have read about from a young age), as ‘immersion therapy’. However, this is wayyy to scary to do alone! I need mer friends to go swimming with until Im not too scared of the fake swimming sjarks I might come across <3 Help?
I am new to being a mer, but would love to find a place with free-form roleplay around a mer society. I agree with Shani Shi and others above that I would prefer a to roleplay within a context where there was a set Mer world, rather than just hang out with my tail and chat about the weather. Someone let me know if things every pick up somewhere.
It is sad how lonely it is being a Mer.
I haven’t joined any of the groups yet but i plan to for sure!
Azaiya, you are on my friends list, hit me up when you are online and we can go explore!
The only active Mer RP i have found is the one that I am currently in. We have a good sized mer community in Ravenscraig (Medieval Fantasy)
I have 1/4 of a sim that I am turning into a mall. I want an underwater area for he Mer but am lost. If someone has some ideas please feel free to drop them on me!
I hope things turn around and it becomes much more exciting for us all!