Mer Betta

Don't panic!

noreply@blogger.com (Opal Lei) — Sun, 22 May 2016 07:34:00 +0000

Don't panic!

I'm closing down my last store inworld. But don't worry. Mer Betta is still available at the Marketplace.

Will this be permanent? I don't know. It doesn't make sense to keep a store inworld, if most sales are happening in the Marketplace.

However, if you absolutely don't want to purchase at the Marketplace, please contact me inworld. I'll set up temporary vendors for you and send you the landmark.

Moving again

noreply@blogger.com (Opal Lei) — Sun, 12 Jul 2015 04:36:00 +0000

My apologies, folks.

I'm moving the Mer Betta store again to a smaller plot, which is more sustainable in the long run.

The new location is at: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Surreal%20Orange/17/171/15

As usual, you'll find the most up-to-date information in my profile Picks and in the Marketplace listings.

Thank you for your patience!

Got a mesh body?

noreply@blogger.com (Opal Lei) — Mon, 27 Apr 2015 11:16:00 +0000

Got a mesh body?

If you do, the Mer Betta Merkini+Bettakini v4.0 are now available with appliers for the following mesh bodies:

Belleza Venus
Maitreya Lara
SLink Physique
#TheMeshProject (any version with clothing layers)

The old v3.x are still available for classic avatars.

More info here, including a comparison of v3.x and v4.0.

Find them at the Marketplace.

Anticipated FAQs

Q: Yay, Opal! Are you back?
A: I haven't really left. I've just paid attention to other projects, both in SL and in RL. Now, my attention is back on Mer Betta, but it's still part-time attention.

Q: Are you going to make the appliers for the clothing layers of the mer tails also?
A: I will, eventually, but I want to at least replace the sculpted thigh smoother with a mesh one at the same time. It will be an add-on pack. But I cannot promise when.

Q: Are you going to do more tails?
A: Yes, I have plans for new mesh tails and mesh add-ons. Again, I cannot promise when.

Q: Can you recommend which mesh body I should get?
A: Unfortunately, I cannot even make up my own mind about which one to get for myself. Each mesh body has its pros and cons. Eventually, I'll probably write a blog post with the comparisons, but here's a short (disorganized) list meanwhile, but please do your own research in addition to this and definitely try out the demos.

The #TMP has a free version, except you cannot wear clothes with it unless you get really, really creative, like wearing a moo-moo. So it's great for lovemaking and for hanging out at nudist beaches.
Of the ones that have an alpha HUD, the Maitreya Lara is the cheapest and #TMP's Deluxe version is the most expensive.
Only SLink and #TMP provide optional mesh heads.
If you choose SLink Physique, you need to purchase the hands and feet separately.
If you've invested a lot on SLink-compatible shoes, SLink and Belleza might be the better options, although I'm not sure about how seamlessly Belleza's SLink-compatible version connects with the SLink hands and feet.
If your entire wardrobe (or most of it) is made up of Maitreya clothing, most (if not all) the Maitreya clothes will fit the Maitreya Lara.
If you already wear a Glam Affair skin, the Maitreya Lara will easily match your face skin.
If you already wear a Belleza skin, the Belleza Venus will easily match your face skin.
Technology-wise, SLink is the best with an intuitive, feature-packed, well-organized HUD. #TMP's HUDs are designed to be pretty but they drive me nuts, because they take up a lot of screen space, the navigation reminds me of phone menus, you can't organize the clothes you purchased, and you have to scroll through swatches (6 at a time) to find what you want.
#TMP's underarm is a joy to watch when your arms are flapping. #TMP implemented that little part of the pectoral muscle that connects to the upper arm. That little detail is surprisingly sexy.

A new home in 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Opal Lei) — Sun, 18 Jan 2015 13:53:00 +0000

I just set up Mer Betta in a new home.

I've been thinking of moving for a long while because the neighboring sim in Dunbeath set up these gigantic skyboxes at various levels in the sky, so I see one of them no matter what altitude I set up my workspace.

Besides, I wanted more space to stretch out and more flexibility with the terraforming.

So I'm renting a quarter of a homestead. I get twice the size and half the prims, but I don't really need that many prims anyway. And the cost is US$8 cheaper each month.

For a homewarming, I've set the prices cheaper in the inworld store than in the Marketplace. I haven't decided for how long yet. :)

I've updated my profile and the Marketplace with the new location. Soon I'll be updating the Mer Betta website.

I don't know how long I'll stay in the new place, but, when in doubt, just look up the Picks in my profile. That will always be up-to-date. :)

Mer Betta price reduction on tails

noreply@blogger.com (Opal Lei) — Mon, 22 Dec 2014 06:21:00 +0000

It has been 3 years since I last created a new product for Mer Betta. Still, I would see an occasional sale so I couldn't really take it all down entirely.

To keep up with the market value of the old tails, I've reduced all tails and associated accessories by 50%. I also reduced the Simplicity gowns by more than 50%. I might reduce the prices more eventually.

I might also get rid of my inworld store altogether and just keep everything in the Marketplace. We'll see.

Happy holidays and a wonderful new year to you and yours!

Nominated for the 2013 Avi Choice Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Opal Lei) — Fri, 06 Dec 2013 06:25:00 +0000

"Congratulations! You have been nominated by your fans for the 2013 Avi Choice Awards in the category of Favorite Merfolk Creator. The voting period ends on Dec. 13th and the awards show will take place at the Xmas Expo 2013 regions on Dec. 15th @ 3pm SLT."

I received a notecard with this message from AviChoice Resident yesterday.

At first, I thought it might be one of those voting contests where you had to pay to vote, but I went to the website (avichoiceawards.com) and saw names of some avies whom I trust. And the voting didn't cost money. In fact, you vote right at the website (The "Favorite Merfolk Creator" section is near the bottom or just search the page for "Opal Lei"). So, it's probably legitimate.

But, well, I'm in a conundrum.

First, I have not created any new Mer Betta product for at least two years now. I have been focused on other projects, including my book, so I haven't had time. And I may not have much time for a long while, because my RL is very different now.

Second, I had been toying with the idea of creating mesh tails when I would have time again, but then the TOS issue came up, so I am actually in the process of recreating my products in Kitely and other OpenSim grids. The lack-of-time issue is also a factor in that.

Third, my Mer Betta mailing list has pretty much dwindled down.

So, I really am reluctant to ask my customers for a vote, when I have not done anything for them lately.

On the other hand, the Avi Choice website said that the nominees had to receive at least three nominations to be included in the list, so I also feel reluctant to withdraw from the contest and disappoint those 3+ fans (and who knows how many more) who honored me immensely with their nominations.

So, I am leaving it up to fate and to you, my dear readers and fans and customers and friends.

If you choose to vote, please vote with honesty and integrity. If you choose to vote for me, thank you very, very much. If you choose to vote for someone else who deserves your vote, thank you very, very much too.

What I truly value is not the vote or the award. What I truly value is your confidence in me, your decision to purchase my products, and your friendship. For that, you have my deepest gratitude.

An upgrade and a gift

noreply@blogger.com (Opal Lei) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 23:02:00 +0000

As I'm writing this, the Mer Betta courier is going through the list and checking it twice. A bit late for Christmas, but better late than never.

First, it is sending out the Mer Betta Eddy base pack to all customers from history. Yes, even those of you who own Series 1 and Series 2 tails. I'm sure a number of those people are no longer in SL, but, oh, well.

I've decided to be more generous to Mer Betta collectors who own four or more tails (base packs) from Series 3, Series 4, Series 5, Series Bridal, and Series RFL. They get the base pack with the HUD.

After it's done with that list, it will send out the Mer Betta SkimSurfaceSimple script v2.0 to customers who purchased the script separately or a tail that includes the script. THIS IS AN OPTIONAL UPGRADE. But v1.0 works well with your AO (that is, if your head and shoulders are above water when it is turned on), then you don't need this upgrade. But save it anyway, in case you get a new AO later and you need to adjust the hover height.

This might take me a few days to do, because the service I use to resolve names to UUIDs has a limit per day. So, please be patient.

If you have not received yours after Jan 15, please contact me (Opal Lei).

... swirling ...

noreply@blogger.com (Opal Lei) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 05:02:00 +0000

... ribbons of clear water ...

Mer Betta™ introduces the "Eddy," the graceful alternative to the water bubble.

I've announced this in the SL group and in the subscribo group, and I had held back on blogging about it, because, well, the HUD had a really hairy bug, so I had to fix that first. My apologies.

Leslie Beaumont was the one who brought my attention to it, when I sent her a sample. At first, I thought it was just a simple problem, but it turned out to be a permissions issue. The basic functionality of the Eddy itself is not affected. It's only when the Eddy communicates with the HUD.

So, the first good version with the HUD is version 1.2. If you're not using the HUD, any of the first two versions would also work fine. If you ARE using the HUD, the Eddy must also be version 1.2.

The Eddy alone (basepack) is on sale for 25L. The Eddy basepack WITH the HUD is 200L.

I'll be sending out the basepack as a gift to Mer Betta customers sometime before end of January. I'll also be sending out the version 2.0 of the SkimSurfaceSimple script. I just need to get through a deadline for the book I'm writing.

RFL Fantasy Faire 2011 is open!

noreply@blogger.com (Opal Lei) — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 10:31:00 +0000

You've waited for it all year and it's finally here! The RFL Fantasy Faire is open from April 2 to 10. Eight sims dedicated to fantasy realms!

The booth

Come and visit the Mer Betta store at the Faire.

The landing point gazebo is just in front with a strip of land connecting it to my S-shaped "dock". It has two levels: above water and underwater. The newer products are all above water with the vendors sprouting out of islands.

The arch on the left leads to a lily pad with some of the broad leaves slowly descending underwater. There's a pair of water tunnels that lead away to the center of the sim.

Ember Farina gave me a preview of the mer sim beforehand and she introduced me to Elicio Ember's work. Elicio is the creator of Cerridwen's Cauldron. The Fantasy Faire crew had used Elicio's work on the mer sim, and he himself designed the sim next door called "Exotic Worlds".

I went back to Elicio's store the next day, bought half the store, and asked him to marry me. He said I actually bought more than half his store. He didn't accept my marriage proposal, but he gave me a couple of products for free to thank me for my shopping spree. So, when I have time again, I'll be redecorating the main Mer Betta store with these goodies.

The products

I already mentioned the new Mer Betta Simplicity mermaid gowns, which I released at the Fashion for Life clothing fair.

I'm also resurrecting the Mer Betta RFL2010-Owain tail and its add-on packs, because I'm told that people are asking about it. If you missed it last year, you'll find it underwater at the Fantasy Faire. It will only be available there, nowhere else, not even at the Mer Betta main store. So, go and grab it this week.

And if you've seen the Mer Betta machinima ad on YouTube or on the MODA Spotlight shows on Treet.TV, the full version of that song, "Mermaid Fantasy" by Capos Calderwood (www.AlexWhitmore.com), is now available for sale.

The piranha jail

On April 5 Tuesday at 7pm SLT / Pacific, I would be jailed in a giant piranha right in front of my store at the faire. *sigh* Please rescue me! All "bail" monies go to the Relay for Life.

I'll be Twittering my "incarceration", so please follow me at http://twitter.com/WildOpalLei.

No water? Make puddles!

noreply@blogger.com (Opal Lei) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 05:41:00 +0000

All done!

Well, at least for the Fashion for Life clothing fair. All the sims are in monochrome, so the only colors are the vendors and other stuff that the merchants have set down.

Because of my tight schedule, I was hoping I could use an existing store layout, like the ones I have at the new Sirens Mer Mall and the Female Tribe Mall. But, the rules for the Fashion for Life event was that we weren't allowed to cover the walls with colored prims.

The Mer Betta store is by the edge of a sim connecting to another, but there was no water in sight. So, I had to create some.

And then, they changed the rules yesterday to allow merchants to cover the walls with colored prims. This, after I had already spent a whole day designing and implementing a new store design. *sigh*

Come and see the puddles, as well as the new gowns. Three colors of the gown and a new sexy photography prop are on sale to benefit the RFL.

The Fantasy Faire store will be different, because that's a different configuration, so it's worth going to both events.

If you missed the purple Mer Betta RFL2010-Owain tail last year, I'll be resurrecting it in April at the Fantasy Faire and the main store.

Mer Betta loves Darwin

noreply@blogger.com (Opal Lei) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 05:21:00 +0000

You've seen it before. You're driving along in real life and then you follow a car or an SUV or a truck with that witty evolutionist's response to the Christian fish symbol.

Those things always make me smile.

But growing legs is an everyday occurrence in Second Life. And even mers love to dance cheek-to-cheek in the moonlight under a canopy of stars. But does a mermaid have to lose her identity when she's swept off her tail?

Introducing....

The first of (hopefully) a long line of Mer Betta On Land mermaid gowns. It comes in thirteen colors.

A very contemporary design incorporating details from Mer Betta tails. If you look closely, the fabric has a hint of scales throughout, and the "ruffles" are made of betta caudal fins, specifically, the caudal fins of the Mer Betta RFL2010Owain tail that went on sale at last year's Relay for Life.

At long last, Mer Betta ventures beyond the beach and goes far inland. How's that for Darwinism? ;)

But, wait! Hold your seahorses!

It won't be available until March 12, when the Fashion for Life clothing fair opens. (See below for details.) And two of the colors (RFLOwainLavender and RFLOwainOnWhite) will be available only until this year's Relay for Life of Second Life fundraising season ends.

Mer Betta will be in TWO Relay for Life events this year:

March 12-22 is the Fashion for Life. This is the first year that Mer Betta was invited to participate in this event, so it's a big deal for me.
April 2-12 is the Fantasy Faire. I am sponsoring the mer sim again this year as I did last year.

Back in Sirens Mer Mall

Mer Betta is back in the Sirens Mer Mall. It's under new management. I've met with Matisse, one of the owners, and he's a funny guy, so I'm gonna stick around there for a few months and see if he could bring up the traffic to make it worth the rent.

Go check out what I did with the booth there. It's the same way I did the booth at the Female Tribe mall. I might do the booths for the RFL fairs the same way; I haven't decided yet.

Getting organized in social media

Because of a book I'm writing and a new RL venture I'm starting, Opal is no longer anonymous and I've had to reorganize my social presence. It's a big mess, but, suffice it to say:

The Mer Betta website has a new look. Check out the "Blog, etc" page.
Please "Like" the Mer Betta page in Facebook.
The Twitter account formerly called "Mer Betta" is now "Wild Opal Lei", due to Twitter restrictions on accounts. I'll still post Mer Betta stuff there; you just need to keep an eye on the "#MerBetta" tweets.

The economics of rentals

noreply@blogger.com (Opal Lei) — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 19:47:00 +0000

Sirens Mermaid Mall has been sold. I received the group notice today and my prims have been returned. The new owners say that they will reopen the mall again in the future. I don't know if I will go back.

Mer Betta started at the Mermaid Mall in 2007, when it was still owned by Akasha and Duck, and I will never forget their generosity. But the Mermaid Mall has switched hands twice since then, and sales there have been very slow. I've pulled out Mer Betta from other locations as well, where the return on investment was negative or too low.

I thought of moving the main store to a new location as well, but I have been too busy with other things, so the new location is only half-done. Therefore, the main store will remain in Dunbeath for now, and I may even move my Ms.O.Lei-ny store in the same location.

My apologies for not having new products lately. Real life health issues and a real life project have been taking up more of my time. Hopefully, I'll find time around the spring to work on Series 6, or at least on new add-on packs.

I hope your holidays were joyful and that your new year is starting bright.

More winners!

noreply@blogger.com (Opal Lei) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 22:26:00 +0000

Well, there weren't many responses to the YouTube and the blog contests. Apparently, people prefer to buy. ;)

Anyway, if you entered the YouTube contest or the blog contest, you win! There are six entries in the YouTube contest and three in the blog contest. So, still a multiple of three. :D

And the winners are:

YouTube contest:
* Merewyn Farshore
* Blue Alderbury
* Melvin Starbrook
* Duchess Steadham
* Mz Marville
* kyota Spitteler (Kyota, you already own everything in the store! I have no idea what your prize would be!)

Blog contest:
* Merewyn Farshore
* Blue Alderbury
* Melvin Starbrook (Melvin got the name wrong, but, what the heck.)

Congratulations, everyone! If your name is in both contests, you get to choose two add-on packs.

Please send me a notecard with the following information:

Your name:
Choose from:
___ Byzia Mutation Alpha
___ Byzia Crescent Intimates
___ Byzia Merkini+Bettakini
___ Halimede Mutation Alpha
___ Halimede Crescent Intimates
___ Halimede Merkini+Bettakini
___ Lilaea Mutation Alpha
___ Lilaea Crescent Intimates
___ Lilaea Merkini+Bettakini
___ Melite Mutation Alpha
___ Melite Crescent Intimates
___ Melite Merkini+Bettakini

You can view pictures here.

Week 3 of 3-week celebration

noreply@blogger.com (Opal Lei) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:56:00 +0000

And the third winner in this 3-week celebration of Mer Betta's 3rd anniversary is Beaverhousin Yorkiv, who purchased Byzia on August 29. Congratulations, Beaverhousin!

The contests are still going on until tomorrow night (Tuesday). Three winners from YouTube and three winners from the Mer Betta blog will receive a Series 3 add-on pack of their choice (Intimates pack, Mutation Alpha pack, or Merkini+Bettakini pack).

Right now, there are three entrants in YouTube and one entrant in the Mer Betta blog. Unless there are more entrants, they are guaranteed winners.

So, if you want to give them a run for their money, here are the rules again:

For the YouTube contest:
1. View the machinima on YouTube.com.
2. Leave a comment there with the following information:
* the name of the tail that I'm wearing in that machinima
* your SL name

For the Mer Betta blog contest:
1. Look for the Mer Betta full-page ad in the latest Second Style Magazine issue #38.
2. Leave a comment in the original contest announcement with the following information:
* the name of the tail I was wearing in that ad
* the page number where you found it
* your SL name

All entries must be received by August 31 at 11:59pm.

Good luck!

Week 2 of 3-week celebration

noreply@blogger.com (Opal Lei) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 05:26:00 +0000

And the second winner in this 3-week celebration of Mer Betta's 3rd anniversary is Clifton Monday, who purchased Halimede on August 22. Congratulations, Clifton!

The third winner will be selected on Aug 30.

And here's another contest:

Mer Betta has a full-page ad in the latest Second Style Magazine issue #38. Same contest rules as the machinima with a few differences: You must leave a comment in this blog entry with the following information before August 31 at 11:59pm:
* the name of the tail I was wearing in that ad
* the page number where you found it
* your SL name

The comments in the blog are moderated. So, to make it fair, I won't approve the comments for publication until Sept 1.

Again on September 1st, I will pick three names randomly and the winners will get their choice of any Series 3 add-on pack (Intimates pack, Mutation Alpha pack, or Merkini+Bettakini pack).

That's a total of six winners on that day, for a total of 9 winners in this three-week long celebration.

Good luck!

Week 1 of 3-week celebration

noreply@blogger.com (Opal Lei) — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 02:32:00 +0000

And the first winner of the 300L rebate is Laconia Vedrina who purchased the Mer Betta Halimede on August 8. Congratulations!

If you haven't gone to YouTube to watch the new machinima ad, please do. Don't forget to leave the name of the tail I'm wearing and your SL name to be entered in the contest. That contest ends on August 31.

Mmmmmmmmm... Mer Betta!

noreply@blogger.com (Opal Lei) — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 12:05:00 +0000

Mer Betta's very first machinima ad!

This has been in the works for a long time and I've set it aside many times in favor of other projects. But it's finally done and released! It's not as smooth as I hoped it would be, but I think it's a decent first-try effort.

I'm very very excited about this machinima. Not only because it's the first machinima I've ever made, but also because of its historical significance.

It's a collaboration with my dear and long-time musician friend, Capos Calderwood (Alex Whitmore irl). You can learn more about him at www.alexwhitmore.com. I've known Capos since January 2007 and have been going to most of his shows since.

This song, which we titled "Mermaid Fantasy," is a re-recording of his original song "Spanish Fantasy" with new lyrics, and Mer Betta has exclusive rights to this mermaid version. I have an agreement with Capos, so I'm setting up a vendor to sell the full-length version for personal non-public use, which is the same as the typical music rights.

The 30-second ad will be aired in future MODA Fashion Spotlight shows that are taped by Treet.tv, due to the generosity of Jujudoll Dancer, CEO of MODA.

I'll have to check my facts, but I'm almost sure we hit a lot of firsts with this project:
* The first theme song to be written and recorded exclusively for a commercial business inside Second Life.
* The first song targeted towards and about a specific roleplaying group/species in Second Life (or maybe even in any MMORPG).
* The first niche machinima ad to be aired on a mainstream television show.

And Mer Betta is three years old!

This month is Mer Betta's birthday, celebrating three years in Second Life. No new tails this month, unfortunately, because of other projects and commitments. But, yes, there is a sale!

And I'm making up the details as I write this. So, here it is:

* The sale will be for three weeks, starting today.
* During those three weeks, one of the Series 3 tails (base pack only) will be on sale for 333L (regular price is 650L). Every couple of days or so, I will change up which tail is on sale for that day. If I make a mistake, I might have two on sale on the same day. If I go crazy, I might have three, who knows. I will not announce which tail it is or when I change it. You'll just have to swing by and check.
* At the end of each week (Sunday midnight), I will look through the sales for that week and randomly pick a winner, who will get a rebate of 300L (effectively getting their new tail for just 33L). I will announce the winner each week through the group notices.
* The sale will only be at the main store.

And here's a contest: View the machinima on YouTube.com and leave a comment with the name of the tail that I'm wearing and your SL name before August 31 at 11:59pm. On September 1st, I will pick three names randomly and the winners will get their choice of any Series 3 add-on pack (Intimates pack, Mutation Alpha pack, or Merkini+Bettakini pack).

Mer Betta in Second Style Magazine again!

noreply@blogger.com (Opal Lei) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 22:51:00 +0000

This is the third time Mer Betta has been featured in Second Style Magazine and I am really honored!

You'll find the article on Mer Betta on page 58 and 59 in Issue #37:

Last call for the RFL2010-Owain tail

noreply@blogger.com (Opal Lei) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 07:37:00 +0000

This weekend is it... July 17-18, the final Relay for Life event. THE event. THE relay.

After this weekend, all RFL vendors will be taken down, and you will no longer get a chance to purchase the RFL-exclusive products, unless the merchants decide to set them up again next year.

I, for one, will not set up the RFL2010-Owain tail and add-ons up for sale again after the RFL is over this year, no matter how much you beg. So this is your last chance.

It's available at the Mer Betta main store and at the RFL relay track.

MutationAlpha for S3 and S4, and more news

noreply@blogger.com (Opal Lei) — Fri, 21 May 2010 19:47:00 +0000

There are four sections to this announcement:

1.
The Mer Betta MutationAlpha add-on packs for Series 3 and Series 4 are now available! I will send out a notecard individually to people who own one or more Series 3 or Series 4 tails, whether they are in the Mer Betta groups or not.

2.
There are extra gloves in the new MutationAlpha packs to help with lag. If you're using the barechested undershirt/shirt, then use the matching barechested gloves. If you're using the pasties undershirt/shirt, then use the matching pasties gloves. You won't see a difference visually, but you (and people around you) download one less texture. Just like the socks matching the underpants in the Crescent Intimates add-on packs.

If you purchased a MutationAlpha add-on pack prior to today (May 21), you will automatically receive a new pack with the extra gloves. Please be patient as I work on that distribution.

3.
Series 4 and Series 5 Merkini+Bettakini packs have reduced prices. I was looking at my price structure and realized that all other S4 and S5 packs were only 50L more than the corresponding Series 3 packs, except the Merkini+Bettakini packs. So just to make things consistent, I've decided to reduce the price on the S4 and S5 'kinis. With only a 50L price difference from S3, the S4 and S5 tails are really a much better value for the money.

4.
Mer Betta products will now be delivered in a new "box". In the past, Mer Betta vendors have delivered the products unpacked and ready to wear. The main reason being that some malls do not allow rezzing on the land to avoid griefing, so customers would have to rez the box somewhere else or in a small area. (Yes, I really *do* think through every small decision I make. :D ) Also, I personally like to see what I get before I buy, particularly the permissions. However, since the packs are getting bulkier and bulkier, it takes SL longer to open up the list of contents when you buy. And people are forgetting to make a copy of the product before making any changes to it.

This new packaging has several benefits:
a. Buying from a vendor with only one item is faster, especially in laggy sims.
b. It's wearable so you don't have to be on a parcel that allows rezzing on the land.
c. I publish the permissions on the vendor texture anyway, so you know what permissions you get. And, currently, all Mer Betta products are Mod/Copy, except for scripts which are Copy only.
d. You can easily get a factory-fresh copy of the items, if you messed up your copy beyond recognition. ;) The packaging itself is NoMod to preserve the integrity of the items.
e. Important links are right on the prims: the SL group joiner, the Mer Betta website, a map to the Mer Betta main store. If you rez the packaging, other people can click on those buttons, but not on the center panel, which gives away inventory only to the owner.
f. And, finally, there's the "cool factor". You get a nice static mermaid animation when you wear it or sit on it.

I'm still not entirely happy with the design of this packaging. And the SL camera is still messed up. I'm also waiting for some technical updates, like LSL scripts having access to the HippoGroups. So, there will be iterations of this packaging as I go along. I am also thinking of tweaking it for other uses, but that idea is still simmering in my head.

And the winners are...

noreply@blogger.com (Opal Lei) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 05:21:00 +0000

Okay, here's how I came up with the winners....

1. I took the list of survey-takers and looked up their purchases both inworld and in XStreetSL, since Mer Betta's inception in 2007. I didn't find transactions for two of the survey-takers and they didn't respond to my IMs, so I had no choice but to cut them out to be fair to everyone else.

2. I filtered out the non-tail purchases, such as add-on packs and the SkimSurfaceSimple script. I ended up with 104 transactions sorted by customer name.

3. I created this randomizer script that would randomly choose three numbers between 1 and 104.

4. I had two (unrelated) people click the prim containing the script. The second drawing was in case there were dupes in the first one. The numbers that came up were 40, 43, 56, 70, 38, 42, in that order.

And the winners are:
#40 - Maia Beltran, for purchase of the Mer Betta Byzia Gold Delta v3c on 2010-04-06.
#43 - Melvin Starbrook, for purchase of Mer Betta Eione Midnight Version 2c in XStreetSL on 7/26/2009.
#56 - Peaches2U Camino, for purchase of Mer Betta Galene Orange v2c on 2009-09-14.

If you didn't win, keep reading below.

Instructions for winners
You can do one of two things:
a) You can go ahead and purchase the Series 5 tail you want at the Fantasy Faire and send me a notecard with the transaction record and I'll send you a 700L refund.
b) You can send me a notecard with the color/name of the Series 5 tail you want and I'll send you the base pack directly.

Instructions for non-winners
If you are a qualifying survey-taker (i.e.: you had at least one Mer Betta tail purchase prior to Apr 12 and you filled out this survey), you're eligible to receive a rebate on your first purchase of a Series 5 Mutation Alpha add-on pack. Send me a notecard with the transaction record and I'll send you a rebate of 200L.

Survey results
Most of you prefer the built-in editing tools and some had no preferences, so I'll leave the items modifiable with no resizing scripts. If I choose to include resizing scripts in the future, the items will still remain modifiable so you can remove the scripts, and the scripts themselves will offer an option to be deleted.

I've responded individually to most of the comments. Thank you so much for the great feedback.

And thank you for participating in this survey.

Fantasy Faire 2010 - All systems go!

noreply@blogger.com (Opal Lei) — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 04:46:00 +0000

All done!!! I've just finished setting up the Mer Betta booth at the Fantasy Faire. And, as promised, here's the SLURL.

There are two levels to the Mer Market sim this year, and the focus is in the abovewater area. Apparently, it was because the mer sim didn't get much attention last year. I guess people saw the water and thought there was nothing to see there. So this year, we're above water with underwater sections.

Here's how the Mer Betta booth is set up. The abovewater area is dedicated to the new Series 5 tails and is set up somewhat like a fairytale castle with a pond in the middle. You'll find the familiar mermaid sculptures, the pet seal, and the hungry pelican and his wife, all hanging out around the pond. The pond is actually the opening to the underwater area, which has the Series 3 and Series 4 tails and is set up like a cave.

All the underwater sections under each booth are interconnected so you can go as a mer and never get out of the water.

But if you want to just hang out and watch people go by, you can also flop your Mer Betta tail into the chandelier.

Mer Betta is mutating

noreply@blogger.com (Opal Lei) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 22:47:00 +0000

The Series 5 tails are packed and ready to go, as well as the add-on packs. Here are the names of the new tails:

* Mer Betta Grenikos Green Patina Crowntail
* Mer Betta Istros Lemon Halfmoon
* Mer Betta Kaikos Aqua Orange Halfmoon
* Mer Betta Sangarios Red Black Rosetail
* Mer Betta RFL2010-Owain Purple Rosetail, which will be available only for the Relay For Life

And here's a teaser:

I know, I know, it doesn't show the whole tails, but it wouldn't be a "teaser" if it did, would it? ;) If you click the picture, it will take you to Flickr and you can view a larger version and squint your eyes and imagine the missing parts. ;)

But the pièce de résistance is the new Mutation Alpha™ add-on pack. It will be available for each Series 5 tail, as would the Crescent Intimates™ pack and the Merkini+Bettakini™ packs. Mutation Alpha add-on packs for Series 3 and Series 4 tails will be available in May/June.

All these new products will be available only at the Fantasy Faire while the faire is going on. I'll send the landmark to the Mer Betta group and the HippoGroup after I set up the booth. And the RFL tail will be available only while the RFL fundraising is going on.

NOTE: If you participated in the survey and you can't wait until after the Fantasy Faire to get your Series 5 tail, you can go ahead and purchase your favorite tail(s) and I can just refund you the purchase price if you're one of the winners. The raffle prize only includes the base pack, and the RFL2010-Owain tail is not included in the prize selection.

Enter a raffle to win a Mer Betta Series 5 tail

noreply@blogger.com (Opal Lei) — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 22:11:00 +0000

I'm working on Series 5 tails to be released to the public on April 19 at the Fantasy Faire.

You can win your choice of tail from Series 5 (you'll get the base pack, not the add-on packs), simply by filling out a survey before April 12. You must own a Mer Betta tail or purchase one before April 12.

You only have to fill out the survey once, but you'll get one raffle entry for every Mer Betta tail you purchased. If you purchased a tail for someone else, they can fill out the survey and put both your name and their name in the appropriate box at the bottom.

Important dates:
April 12 - Deadline to fill out the survey and purchase a Mer Betta tail if you don't already have one.
April 19 - Fantasy Faire opens. Series 5 will be introduced to the public.
April 25-30 - Three winners will be drawn and announced.

Mer Betta in La Performance's "Back to Black" show

noreply@blogger.com (Opal Lei) — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 23:32:00 +0000

La Performance (produced by Jie Loon) will premiere their new show "Back to Black" tomorrow March 28 at 2:30pm SLT at the Shakespeare sim.

One of the acts features the Mer Betta Pasithea and dance animations by Kamihitoe (Sala Snook).

If you miss it this week, they perform every Sunday at 2:30pm until May 9.

Come and see this show!