After studying the water of the local lake and some underwater shots of fish from other Ohio lakes, I realized that from a distance, lake water looks bluish-green with white sun reflections. Swimming in the water it looks brown, from the sand kick up. If the water is calm and sun is shinning, the water ranges from green to teal and blue-gray, some brown and such.
I also studied channel and flathead catfish, and then started sketching...
Lake Mermom by Foxlyn
June 4, 2026
She's on her back, looking up at potential prey. A better smile than the last Mermom. Even though Merfolk have no shame (why would they?), since I planned on sharing this, I covered the boobs.
Which...mer-boobs. I go back and forth on, because breasts are used to feed young, so it bothers me when aliens, like reptilian females, have breasts--purely for the sexual satisfaction of humans. Like Yuajta--Predators--makes no sense why this RETIPLIAN ALIEN has tits. It's almost like the male artists don't actually understand why humans have breasts.
BUT according to the lore, mer-creatures lure in humans to feed on, so it makes sense for them to have human-like breasts, even if the only use is mimicry (which is something that's not on a female Yautja's mind).
Sex sells.
Again, since I was sharing this to the interwebs--namely my family--I covered up the boobs. Honestly, due to back-to-back pregnancies and other hospital things, I don't care about nudity. If you've seen one naked body, you've pretty much seen em all.
It's also weird when people have no problem wearing barely anything at pools and beaches, but have problems being seen in their underwear. Make it make sense. Perhaps it's just my Au-DHD brain, but I don't get it.
Plus much to a photography and a drawing teacher's/peers chagrins, my Big Naked Ass has been on display in nude self portrait drawings and photography forms at university. Because I loved to challenge beauty standards in art school, and I was tired of the thinner women being praise and for the plus size folks to be shamed, their project plans "redirected". In one photography class, two of us--thin and fat--decided to do a series of nude portraits. The women/fem presenting folks found my nude portraits empowering and brave, where as the men/male presenting were disgusted and overly critical--seeing a scary, angry fat woman, instead of a beautiful and strong woman. Even my Come Hither ones made them uncomfortable, but a Come Hither from the thinner artist was seen as gorgeous.
Big surprise!
All the more reason why I did what I did--to challenge and to show other forms of beauty, and to show off the blatant sexism. Needless to say, the thinner artist got an A, and my work was torn apart by the male teacher and I got an F. Which I fought and won, as the female admins paid more attention to my work than to the fat.
Back to the mermoms. Knowing how nasty the internet can be, I also shared Lake Mermom to a couple FB pages that I like. Most comments were kind--a couple not so, of course from male-sounding profiles. To which I responded, aquatic life comes in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Why can't merfolk?
Plus just because that projector doesn't find me attractive, doesn't mean other people don't. My husband's already offered himself up to Ocean Mermom, lol.
Lake Mermom is creepy, uncomfortable, and yet alluring. She's a predator, not your hook up. Her job is to lure you close enough because she has gills and you don't. She feeds on humans...she's fat, I'd say she's a very successful and smart predator. Perhaps the fat merfolk are the ones you should be looking out for?
Fat merfolk are more like sharks and thinner ones are more like dolphins, in terms of what people wants to get close to (to be fair both are smart and powerful predators)? Prey know the sharks are dangerous, but dolphins are safe...right? According to pop culture? Dolphins are friendly, horny, and definitely not gonna kill anyone....right???? ;-D
Also just because you're gravity challenged on land, doesn't mean you're weak in the water. I'm one of the strongest swimmers on both sides of my family. And I have the highest swimming endurance--I can tread water for hours and not get tired.
I also intentionally didn't give her a belly button because most fish don't have them, but some do give live birth and have them. I guess in my world, merfolk have cloacas and lay eggs, and do not breast feed. In other people's worlds, its different. Mine are more fish-like, whereas others may be more whale/porpoise-like--Mammals. Mine aren't mammals, at least not yet.
Merfolk aren't physical corporeal beings in this world, so there's really no point in arguing with others. Just make your merfolk make sense to you. These are your creatures, get creative.
Aquatic life is extremely diverse.
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Thanks for the support!
Face to the Sun.
Trust in Joy.
Watch the Shallows...
Trust in Joy.
Watch the Shallows...
- Priestess Foxlyn