Billy Beaverhausen
What's this? What's happening? What's going on?
Dabbling with Geralt – Episode XV
Poor little Signature Geralt has been left with his latest look for about three months now, impatiently waiting his turn for a revamp. It’s fun to imagine that the various mesh bodies in my inventory are actually fighting for my attention. Recently Signature dropped an update for both the Geralt body and head and that’s as good a reason as any to have another go at it.
The Signature Geralt mesh body and head now are both BOM-ready. The body has a button in its hud to easily switch from applier skin to BOM and for the head there is a separate BOM activation hud. It’s not easy to find a nice new BOM skin that works with the Geralt head and Recycling an old skin isn’t a good option either. With the November issue of L’Homme Magazine there was a group gift at a place called DNA. It contained one skin in 64 skin tones, suitable for Signature and Legacy with some options for eyebrows and hair bases. One of the cool things about BOM is that you can combine it with Omega appliers. If you were to take my Geralt apart, this is what you would find:
- Signature Geralt mesh body and mesh head (yes, he’s smirking, it’s an animation)
- DNA male skin base, tone 30 + Phenotype North-East layer (BOM)
- Eye brows No. 2 from the Geralt mesh head hud
- Avi Glam Solstice mesh eyes (using the alpha to hide system eyes)
- Avenge Face Freckles applier for Signature
- Stealthic Haunting mesh hair
- Stealthic Faided Hairbase tattoo (BOM)
- L’etre Basic Mesh Ears
- Mister Razzor Facial Hair Luigi Omega Applier
- Modulus Body Hair Set 1 Omega Applier
- Facade Gojun tattoo (BOM)
Geralt doesn’t get the same level of creator support as his big brother Gianni, but there probably is always at least one new item in his size at any of the ongoing men’s fashion events and plenty more at stores across the grit.
- Kalback Casual Shirt @ Man Cave till February 11
- Kalback Casual Jeans @ TMD till January 31
- Visit the Kalback main store if you’ve missed the events
- Odney Sneakers by Not So Bad
That’s it for now. My conclusion is that the Geralt head isn’t as malleable and arguably less refined than for example the Catwa, Lelutka and Akeruka mesh heads, but with some TLC it definitely is possible to create an interesting look with it. It’s worth noting that at L$3500 the Geralt head is L$1500 cheaper than the other two brands.
Just Here For The Scenery
Let’s face it, we’re half way through January and at this point you’re back on the smokes and booze and while you are still going to the gym, it’s mostly for the scenery. Que sera sera oh la la.
Left
- Clef De Peau Allan skin on Lelutka Guy mesh head
- Clef De Peau Tight body applier on Belleza Jake mesh body
- Stealthic Reach hair
- Thirst Varsity Singlet @ Equal10 until February 5th
- Vale Koer Retro Dunks
Right
Skin Is Key
The combination of three key components in SL allows for the creation of some wildly different looks. One Component is the mesh head, another is the shape which manipulates the mesh head to a certain extend and of course plays a big part in the look. Equally, if not more important is the skin. Apply different demo skins to the same head with the same shape and you’ll notice what a difference it can make. With that in mind, Clef De Peau have a rather clever name, as it literally translates to “skin key”.
I particularly favoured their skins on the Lelutka Andrea head I’ve been using for some time with my alt. Every now and again he makes an appearance in my photo shoots when I need a second person. Because I lack the patience and time to collaborate with other people, I find “alting” the best option (yup, I just turned that into a verb). So far I have always been using Clef De Peau’s Clint skin…
…but now I treated my (other) self to the newer Allan skin. I also got myself the Lelutka Guy head while I was at it. In for a penny, in for a pound, right? If you really want your avatar to look like the store poster for Allan, then you need to use the Guy head and the shape that comes with the skin. Personally I enjoy playing with shapes too much to go for that approach.
Clef De Peau also has some nice apparel. I’m sure their Miles Outfit is the kind of thing you’ll see people wearing at (some) clubs, though I suppose they strip down to this when they get there. On the other hand, London does have that yearly No Trousers On The Metro Day. So yeah, there’s that. Of course you don’t need to go out . Maybe there’s someone at home who will greatly appreciate you prancing around the place, doing the dishes and some light dusting in this “uniform”. I’ll leave you alone with that thought now.
Cheerio.
Credits
- Clef De Peau Allan skin on Lelutka Guy head
- Clef De Peau Tight body appier on Belleza Jake mesh body
- Stealthic Reach hair (browns or fatpack)
- Avi Glam Solstice eyes (applier for Lelutka eyes included)
- Clef De Peau Miles Outfit
- Legal Insanity Linus Overall
- Pose by WRONG
Fire In Your Eyes
Birth have been branching out from skins into mesh eyes lately and interesting animated eye textures. In my previous post I went shopping for the NX-Nardcotix mesh body at TMD and In every shot I used the Birth animated eye texture that’s available at the event right now till the end of the moth. I didn’t zoom in enough to make it really noticeable, so let’s remedy that here and now.
I like the idea of having a flickering flame in my eyes, as if I’m constantly staring into a campfire on a chilly night, maybe with someone softly strumming a guitar, marshmallows for toasting and hot cocoa that’s ever so gently spiked. Put that whole scene in a snow globe and put it somewhere far out of reach of reality.
- Mesh head: Catwa Stanley
- Birth Ryu applier for Catwa mesh heads and Birth Omega body applier, skin tone #2
- Birth Glimmer Custom Eye System and Smouldering Effect @ TMD
- Modulus Nial hair @ TMD
- L’etrê basic mesh ears
- Mesh body: NX-Nardcotix David
- Kokoro Poses – Fabio fatpack
- Dance Hall photo booth by Fox City
Taking David to TMD January 2020
The current round of TMD is a rather good one for the NX-Nardcotix David mesh body. There’s nothing in his particular size, but there are several items in other sizes that can be combined with each other or with something else I happen to have in my wardrobe.
The gorgeous leather (faux sheepskin?) Maverick jacket by Minimal at TMD comes with a built-in T-shirt, but it makes me happy to see that the shirt can be taken off to show a little skin. I’m using the Signature size for the jacket and luckily there are some jeans that work well with David in the Aesthetic (Enzo) size. The Gary rolled blue jeans by Legal Insanity are a good example. You just need to adjust your shape slightly, so your legs don’t look much bigger in the jeans than when you are naked and also to stop you from glitching through the waistband. You’ll effortlessly slip on the NX-Nardcotix Jude Ankle Boots under these jeans and in the words of a magician with a lisp: “hey pesto!” you’ve got yourself an outfit. What? No laughs? Tough crowd.
For this next outfit you could be working with pretty much any mesh body or even no mesh body, because you’re totally covered up. The MGMen’s jacket, sweater and scarf, L&B Havoc Ops tucked jeans and boots are all from TMD, so right now this is a one-stop outfit. I find it cheeky from MGMen that they charge extra for the sweater, as it’s not possible to wear the jacket without it because then you have a gap between the sleeves and the pockets of the jacket, where your wrists should be.
You’re ass will look like a new world wonder (where are we with the count on those these days?) in the L&B Havoc Ops jeans, especially in this outfit. If you attempt to wear the jeans shirtless, you’ll have to suck in your cheeks, expand your tummy and saddle bags and overall show a lot of willingness to play with your shape. You’ve got to massage the numbers a bit, so to speak. I’m using the Signature size, but it’s a shame that L&B no longer seem to support the Aesthetic size, because chances are that would have been a better fit for David. Still, this doesn’t look too bad though, does it?
The story is pretty much the same for the Aitui Chino Wrap at TMD. Some love and care and a thicker core is needed to make them work. I find the TMP size is your best option here. The NX-Nardcotix Mecatl are a good fit with these chinos. They help to tell the story of a surprisingly warm spring day on which you found yourself taking off your shirt cause you were schvitzing like a schmendrick.
Now for something smart casual. As much as I like underwear, I also get a kick out of seeing my avatar in a sharp suit or that sexy combo of a suit jacket and jeans. There are two options for this kind of look at this round of TMD. On the left you see the Not So Bad Erwin suit jacket and on the right there’s the Tori Torricelli Byron jacket. Both are worn with the L&B Havoc jeans (available at the L&B main store, not to be confused with the tucked jeans they have at TMD now) and the NX-Nardcotix Jude ankle boots.
That wraps up this styling session with David and with those last couple of outfits he looks sharp enough to go have a martini in a fancy hotel bar. But in reality, I’ll just be going to bed. *bubble burst*
Credits
Quench Your Thirst 18
Time to wrestle my self out of that holiday fog and back into reality… NOT. In Sweden we’re blessed with yet another bank holiday on December 6th, which this year happens to fall on a Monday. Nevertheless I thought I’d return to some normalcy with one of the two underwear items from the December Jockd set at Thirst.
Traditionally ballet dancers wear a so called dance belt and not a jockstrap, but fork it, I’m running out of interesting things to do in my underwear so I’m going to ballet-pose the hell out of that Thirst Tommy Jock. It’s fitted for Belleza Jake & Legacy mesh bodies and comes with 10-colour hud.
Shown on the Belleza mesh body with Birth skin and Stealthic Psycho hair. Pose from Body Language set and Dance Hall photo booth both by Fox City. I added the framed ballet photographs myself and dropped a city skyline in front of the booth for a more interesting view.
Wrapping up the holiday season
If you find yourself at a loose end this weekend, you can still have some holiday spirited fun with the MadPea Christmas Adventure Calendar till January 6th. Many of the smaller and bigger prizes are distinctively festive, so you probably will want to store those till next year, unless you’re one of those basket cases that are a few sandwiches short of a picnic who enjoy an all year Christmas theme. Get Help! Yes, I am being judgmental. It’s MY blog. Anywhooo, some of the items have more of a travel theme to tie them in with the MadPea adventure and others are just nice winter decor, so you can still get some SENSIBLE use out of them for a couple of months.
Two of my favourite prizes of the MadPea Christmas Adventure Calendar are the pile of pillows on a stool by Krescendo and the luggage by Sempiternal. One’s great for cozy times, the other one has you dreaming of a long slow scenic journey by train and ship… Iceberg! Ding ding ding ding! Uh-oh. Better hope that trunk floats cause there’s not going to be any room on that door. Rose needs it all to her self… Ah yes, Titanic is the perfect New Year’s Day movie. Mostly because it’s so fekking long and you can just space out on the couch, nursing yourself back from that cheap champagne hangover with pizza and naps.
If you haven’t picked up the free gifts at the current round of Man Cave yet, make sure you do before January 6th. This comfy cardigan by Etham is just one of the many very usable items from that stash of goodies. I did a long post about the Man Cave gifts earlier.
Head over to the current round of Fameshed which more or less only just started and will rund until January 27th. There are couple of gifts up for grabs there too, among others a set of very versatile bracelets by Noir.
And it’s a wrap people. *Picture a scene of everybody rushing out of the room cause they’ve got somewhere better to be*
The look: Catwa Travis mesh head, Belleza Jake mesh body, Stray Dog Erwin skin and body applier for Jake, Stealthic Narcotic hair, L’etrê basic mesh ears.
Partridge In A Pear Tree – Episode 25
So Christmas day came and went and I wasn’t really bothered with it. As a child I used to buy into the magic of it all. Not that Santa ever paid a visit, because growing up in Belgium, I got presents from St Nicolas on December 5th. I think it was mostly because there would be something good on the telly which could be enjoyed by the whole family and we’d eat festive food. Some of it quite quirky, like hot chocolate and a mountain of pastries (a.k.a. danish) for dinner on Christmas eve. Maybe my family was (is) just weird.
Anyway, I spent Christmas day not doing much for most of it, just hanging out at home in sweatpants and an old t-shirt, binge-watching Supernatural (I’m only getting into that show now). Then near the evening I all of a sudden decided I should get some work-work done and I made the trip to the office, where I propped up my ipad to stream some episodes of Escape To The Chateau while I tinkered with product images for some hours. On my way there I grabbed something to eat from a Newsagent’s (they actually don’t have any newspapers or magazines anymore, it’s just food!) and when the guy at the till saw the tattered stated of my old re-usable linnen carrier bag, he spontaneously gave me a new one for Christmas… Dear diary, are people starting to take pity one me?
- Thirst Crop Top V2 @ Man Cave (till January 11th)
- Thirst VPL Sweats from November JOCKD set
- Catwa Travis mesh head, Belleza Jake mesh body, Stray Dog Erwin skin and body applier for Jake, Stealthic Narcotic hair, L’etrê basic mesh ears
- The reader armchair by Serenity Style @ Man Cave (till January 11th)
- Consignment & Floorplan radiator bookcase
- Varonis Noel Books & Candle and Dahlia Holiday Love Mittens both are a gift @ Shop & Hop 2019 (till January 6th)
- Bazar fluffy carpet
- Heritage Christmas Tree by Apple Fall
- Serenity Style Christmas Wooden Boards from the MadPea Christmas Adventure Calendar (adventure can be played till January 6th)
- Zerkalo basket (group gift)
- Jian sleeping kitty from Kitten Collection
Partridge In A Pair Tree – Episode 24
Just like last year, there’s a veritable treasure trove of gifts at the Man Cave event which started on December 17th and will run till January 11th. Due to their beer bottle Christmas tree with all the gifts underneath it, the event is a little bit busier than usual at the end of its first week. So make yourself small, lower your graphics settings, activate your Man Cave group tag and go grab those cans… The cans underneath the tree! Let go of that lady’s bosom you pervert!
From Rebellion we get a bullet necklace. Personally I think it would be a good idea to have a bullet with your name on it, cause you know how they say that there’s a bullet with your name on it out there? Well if you had it on you, you’d always know where it was and you wouldn’t have to worry about it… but I Digress. In case your Christmas becomes somewhat apocalyptic or you had one too many Brussel sprouts, BAMSE has you covered with a gas mask.
Luckily Thirst has a more positive outlook and hopes you’ll have time to lounge around in your pj’s (rigged for Belleza Jake only). Now that’s what I call winning at Christmas.
SL photography enthusiasts will be happy with the neon launderette backdrop by Bearded Guy. It comes with various neon signs you can either add to this backdrop or use as decor in your home. Those of you with a bit of building experience probably will be able to slot in the whole room in a building. Meanwhile, the balloons and confetti clearly indicate a party is going on here, so I’m gonna bust a move while I’m washing my shirt.
You can have yourself an ice cream float party thanks to Krescendo, providing you rez out more than one of course.
More good news for photography enthusiasts: Motiv8 has a nice couples pose under the tree… No, the pose isn’t under a tree… Frak this is confusing.
It’s easy to loose track of time when you’re tinkering with all these gifts, so the watch by Midna is a very practical gift.
If colourful tattoos are your thing, you can definitely go all out with the Tatsuo tattoo by Mister Razzor.
Moonstone gives us another timepiece, lest we should forget time is fleeting and waits for no man.
Apart from a descent pair of shoes, you’ve got yourself a whole outfit with the Val’More beret, Mossu winter jacket and Clef De Peau loose jogger pants in stylish herringbone fabric. The jacket and pants are both rigged for various mesh bodies. Even the pose is a ManCave gift by IDK.
Now we’re back to decor items with this promising looking barrel by Bondi. While we’re at it, let’s stick with the booze theme and take a look at the wine gift by Serenity Style. The party doesn’t stop there people, cause we got ourselves a lovely tasty wine and snacks tray by Heart Homes.
There are some items among the gifts that are rigged for Signature Gianni only and coincidentally they’re all in line with the frak-this-winter philosophy, so I switched to my favourite Gianni look and headed for the nearest tropical beach.
So what do we get? A pair of baggy shorts by Narcissus, a cute pair of swimming trunks with a subtle snowflake patter by Matova and an even cuter tank top by Oxe (I love that print!)
FYI: Up to the point where I switched to Gianni, I was using the look I created yesterday.
That’s it people, here’s were I wrap up. There are MORE gifts at Man Cave and the fact that I left some out doesn’t necessary say something about those gifts, it’s more a reflection on me running out of steam. This has been a lot of unpacking, picture snapping and yap-yapping.
Merry Christmas (it’s official now)
Partridge In A Pair Tree – Episode 23
It’s not often that we get a chance to grab a Catwa mesh head at a reduced price. Right now, on December 23, 24 and 25 you can get the Travis head at half price, so that’s L$2,500 instead of the usual hefty L$5,000.
I’m used to the Catwa Stanley and Victor head, but I’m happy to add Travis to my collection at this reduced price. I can’t quite put my finger on what exactly is different with this one, but as always with Catwa Bento heads, Travis reacts very well to the shape sliders, making it easy to create a unique look, especially when combined with one of the many skin options available for Catwa heads.
Catwa Travis head shown with Stray Dog Erwin skin (brows, no-brows versions included with or without freckles), Stealthic Narcotic hair and Stealthic hair base, L’etrê Basic Mesh Ears (because I really don’t like Catwa’s original ears), Moncho eyes by Madame Noir, Belleza body, Legal Insanity Dirk jeans.
The backdrop is a group gift at Minimal.
