Therian Water: found! There Philippines: merged!

So, last night I finally found the There water. Not like it should be hard, right? I mean, There is a series of ISLANDS surrounded by *ahem* water. But it did take me a while, maybe because I'm lazy.

So, I found the water by teleporting to where, a few Christmases ago, there was this amazing snowflake maze on the cement water. Sure enough, I was knee deep in water. With a skirt on. (That's pic one up there.) I tried to find something in my now meager wardrobe to wear, but was having trouble with it actually loading in. (That's the middle pic.) I tried a little retail therapy and bought something a little more appropriate. (Pic three...oh my goodness, check out that cleavage!)

I was trying to find a bikini or other swimsuit but there just didn't seem to be many options. I am loving the new skintone independent items, but there are soooo many in the catalog that aren't skintone independent. I noticed this most strikingly when looking through Mercuria's stuff...I was actually at that point looking for something my bf could (or would want to) wear in There when he visits it, something he has indicated an interest in doing. I figured he could just use the male avatar I already have...but what I forgot is that all that avie has left in his wardrobe is a navy sailor outfit and some pink boxers. 'doh!

So, while looking through Merc's stuff, which I adore, I couldn't help looking for myself at the same time. Of course she has new skintone independent tops, but all the old caramel, caramel, caramel stuff is still there, too. Maybe I expected it to all magically change or something. I think her inventory is much like the whole catalog, sure there is some amazing stuff...but as old items are still listed in auctions over and over and over and over, a lot of sifting has to be done to find the new stuff. It's really too bad the skintone independent stuff isn't in a separate section. Like, if it has a trans map, approve it into a slightly different path.

Speaking of a slightly different path, I read that There Philippines just merged onto the regular There servers. Not sure what that meant, I had asked Sonny if your avatar would be able to get from There Philippines to regular There or original There or whatever...he said he didn't think so. Still it's a bit confusing that they now, if their name is already taken in original There, have to have "_ph" appended on to the end of their avie name. It's like some kind of code telling the world you're a clone or a copycat or something. How could they merge, though...isn't the exchange rate different there? I mean...There? I mean...There Philippines?