Billy Beaverhausen
What's this? What's happening? What's going on?
Access aniversary gifts
One of the many popular monthly sales events in Second Life™, named ACCESS, is having an anniversary round this month and there are lots little goodies to grab for free. This round runs until July 8th, so you still have some time to sit it out for a bit until the lag has gone down somewhat, but in my experience, that’s when you forget about these things, so basically: hurry the frack up and get your derrière over there now!
Don’t go hoping for huge gifts like a mesh body, mesh head or skin, but do expect some bits and bops that will help you to put together a look. Above you see the Akuma tattoo by Dappa, Chuck’s Tristan shorts, the Bohemian headphones by Bondi, the Allan Money Bag by Noir, a Matcha to go by Amitie, a wrist watch and bracelets by Moonstone (I forgot to take a close-up) and Fanny Pack Slippers by Tiller. I also used a rosy cheeks tattoo layer by True Damage. That was part of their Jaden set which even includes brows and baggy eyes, but I only went with the bit of blush.
If you have a home in Second Life™, then I’m happy to report there are several gadgets, gismos and thingamabobs that might definitely excite a certain kleptomaniac mermaid, but which will probably look even better in your home than in her cave. Let’s see what we have here. There’s a float by Raindale which comes in pink and yellow and you get a candle holder with it (not shown in image). From Wrong we get a set consisting of a very bright turquoise chair and table with a tray, a bottle of whiskey, a shaker and a couple of glasses. Behind that scene you can see a set of vintage metal boards by Broken Arrow. There’s another lovely set by Kraftwork and this one has a stylish delicate lounge chair, a side table, a little frame to pop a picture in and lips to use as wall art (makes a nice change off all that ass kissing you’ve been doing at work, right?). Finally there’s some kitchen / coffee corner decor by YD (which stands for Your Dreams). I say “finally”, but in truth there are many more gifts, not to mention all the wonderful creations you can purchase at ACCESS. So go on, had of your lazy virtual bum and head over there.
For more information about the avatar look I’m using, you can check a previous blog post about the Signature event.
Constant evolution
The oldtimers who have been around in Second Life™ since the dawn of time, will have experienced leaps and bounds of progress and evolution in our beloved virtual world. Sure, every now and again things may appear to be at a standstill, but usually that’s just lag. Soon I myself will be celebrating my 5th rez day and even in that short(ish) time, I definitely have seen a evolution in the quality of clothing items, also in gay SL years, that’s like 55. Possibly the technology hasn’t changed much, but the people who create all this lovely virtual fashion for us are getting more experienced. In a game that isn’t really a game, without clearly defined goals, it makes sense that discovering new well-made items is a major part of the fun.
I don’t apply for a blogging position for brands that don’t really excite me. I mention Noche quite often, because I am part of their current blogger team AND I really enjoy their creations. I was a fan of the brand as soon as I got myself the TMP Deluxe body and needed some underwear, so as a customer I have been with them for a big part of their journey.
The new Jack Singlet that Noche released at the current round of Equal 10, is a nice example that showcases the evolution of the creator’s skills. While the Noche Wrestling Singlet of 2018 was already hella sexy (and it had a pull down party trick), and the more recently created Hope Singlet was very daring as basically it is a thong with shoulder straps, this new Jack Singlet is far more detailed. Give me interesting folds, ripples, pleats, piping and stitching combined with high quality textures and I’m down on my knees for you, so to speak. Of course the downfall of such fabulous new pieces is that quite often, they’ll ruin the old ones for you. In this case however, the old Wrestling Singlet is still perfectly serviceable and it has an ace up it’s non existing sleeve, because it was made in a time when Noche still supported the Signature Gianni body (note to self: must do another Signature Look blog post one of these days).
Credits (in the order of the avatars in the shot, from left to right)
- Noche Jack Singlet, Wrestling Singlet and Hope Singlet (left to right)
- Belleza Jake meshbody for each avatar
- Lelutka Alain, Gus and Andrea mesh heads (left to right)
- Stray Dog Hikaru for Lelutka + their body skin for Belleza (left)
- Clef De Peau Allan skin + their body skin for Belleza (middle)
- Stray Dog Breno for Lelutka + their body skin for Belleza (Right)
- Grant shape for Lelutka Alain & Belleza (left), Gus shape for Lelutka Guy & Belleza (middle)
- Exile Nox hair, Stealthic Reach hair and Stealthic Hysteria hair (left to right)
- Vale Koer V-3 trainers (group gift)
Virtual beach therapy 4
Sunvana calls itself a blend of sun and nirvana, probably because they were just looking for a cool name. Sarcasme aside, I do like this sim. Obviously it has a beach, or it wouldn’t have made it to this blog series, but it also has some other cool areas to hang around with friends.
In my opinion this sim beautifully balances a stylish hint of moodiness with the more usual tropical feeling you get from a sun soaked paradise. For the artistically inclined among you, there are the Art Pods. I’m not sure if the interior of these small buildings regularly changes and they don’t all have an art installation vibe, but I assume that is their purpose. You can find some shade under the modern gazebos at The Hideout, get an iced late at Daisey Coffee & Tea House and if swimming in the ocean isn’t your thing because there are creature in there that give you the heebie-jeebies, but still want to get wet, there’s always the pool.
Sunvana was also the perfect place to break out the new Alan Thong by Noche. I love the idea of a thong that is tight together on the sides and love even more that with the fatpack you can apply different textures to the crotch and trim. I’m so addicted to colour coordinating!
Credits
- Noche Alan Thong at Fameshed until June 27th and at the Noche main store after that
- Legacy Meshbody for both avatars
- Avi 1: hat is an old gift, so you’ll have to go look for your own wide brimmed hat if you like the look of this ● Josa glasses by Mulloy (Marketplace only) ● Armani mesh crop tank by Noche ● Sandals are a group gift by Versov (you need to use the unrigged ones with the Legacy body and resize them to fit your feet) ● Lelutka Alain meshead ● Modulus Bailey hair (worn under the hat) and Argrace Enju hair (worn in the pool because it has a wet look, no longer available but Argrace has a similar one named Natsume) ● Grant shape (originally made for Belleza Jake, used here with Legacy Meshbody) ● Stray Dog Hikaru skin for Lelutka Evolution mesh heads.
- Avi 2 (the one in the white thong): uses the same body, head and shape as Avi 1 but with the Alan skin by Clef The Peau and Stealthic Reach hair.
Virtual beach therapy 3
Picture it… The splashing sounds of the waves breaking upon the beach, the occasional not-too-intrusive cries of seagulls, a pool float gently rocking on the waves in a small area of the ocean that’s been cordoned off by a low wall, to stop you from bobbing off in your sleep and waking up in the middle off the ocean, miles away from shore, sharks hungrily circling you. The only sharks you’ll find here are of the human variety, and though they may be after your meat, chances are you won’t mind that so much.
Whiterock Military Men’s Beach has plenty of spots to park your avatar and emerge yourself into this virtual beach experience. It’s an adult (gay) men only sim with a very low tolerance for anything “fantasy” related, so I wouldn’t show up here in full fairy gear. As the name of the sim suggests, there are some military touches, but it’s not like you’ll feel like you’re in the army now when you land here. Expect a lot of men with oversized muscle wearing little or nothing just standing around, probably chatting with each other in private conversations.
There are plenty of opportunities for cuddles, heavy petting and full-on bow-chicka-wow-wow action here. The place has everything: a military tent, a grungy room with an old couch that definitely has seen some action, a romantic beach hut, outdoor showers, secluded spots and a secret basement if you know how to find it. If you’re looking for a good time, look no further. They’ve gone all out for you and this place is the answer to the question “whoat?”… Oh dear, I went on a Stefon riff again. It’s probably best to move on to the credits
Redhead
- Noche Plastic Crop and Clint Swim Briefs. The Plastic crop is a 60L$ Weekend item, but that deal ends at the stroke of midnight on Sunday May 30th
- Catwa Victor mesh head
- Belleza Jake mesh body
- Stray Dog Erwin skin for Catwa + their body skin for Belleza Jake
- Billy Shape
- Modulus Adrian hair
- L’etrê basic mesh ears
- N4RS Pool Float
You can find the details for the other avatar in a previous blog post.
Putting the “short” in shorts – Episode 2
The shenanigans with shorts that make you say “now that’s short” continue is this second episode of my mini series on shorty McShortems. I won’t make it too long.
Thirst has this rather fun Vintage Spring Outfit. If you choose the same texture for the shirt and shorts it almost looks like a romper, but when you choose a different texture for both items, it clearly becomes a separate shirt and pair shorts and those sure are short! Any shorter and you’ll have a testicle on display. Just the one! We’re keeping it tasteful here. This may be last years spring line for Thirst, but it’s still hot today and they’ve recently release an add-on pack for this outfit with a bunch of new textures, to turn up the heat some more. The espadrilles Deadwool launched not so long ago go nicely with this outfit, but as I splashed out on the fatpack, I think they’ll be going nicely with plenty of future outfits.
We’re staying with Thirst for a couple of see-through shorts. The See Me Shorts are made of a plastic see through material, showing a pair of briefs underneath. The Antonio Mesh Shorts are, as the name suggests, made out of mesh material. I mean the fabric, not mesh as in a mesh item created with 3D software to be used in virtual environments… Well it is that too. This is confusing. Anyhoo, you can see a jockstrap through the fabric. In both cases you can’t wear the underwear separately, it’s all just part of one item. The Thirst Crop Top seemed like a suitable top to go with these shorts.
Credits
- Thirst: Vintage Spring Outfit, See Me Shorts, Antonio Mesh Shorts & Jock, crop top
- Deadwool Espadrilles
- Mulloy Josa glasses
- Belleza Jake mesh body
- Catwa Victor mesh head
- Stray Dog Erwin skin for Catwa + their body skin for Belleza Jake (BOM)
- Billy shape
- Avatar lying on stomach uses skin by Clef De Peau, full ook can be seen in a previous blog post
- Modulus Adrian hair
Shopping for David – May 2021
For this episode of Shopping For David, I took the NX-Nardcotix David mesh body to the current round of the Men Only Monthly sales event to have a look around, but I was a little too early and it wasn’t open yet, so I started “just browsing” at some of the stores on the MOM sim. Several great brands have a small “satellite” store there and sometimes it can be nice to just see a sample of their range and not get overwhelmed by too much choice. Why is it called a satellite store though? As far as I can see they aren’t in orbit.
Legal Insanity is definitely a must-see store if you have the NX-Nardcotix David mesh body, because they rig their jeans and other trousers for the Aesthetic (Enzo) body. With a bit of a nip and tuck or a stretch and squeeze, you can make this size work on David for bottoms (we’re talking about clothing here, not a preferred sexual position), but keep in mind that tops in the Aesthetic size are too big on David. This time I was charmed by a shirt that’s wrapped around your waist, which works with plenty of Legal Insanity jeans. I like how this ads a touch of realism to my Second Life™ experience, as wrapping a hoodie or shirt around my waist is something I definitely do when it’s warmer outside than I thought it was going to be. It’s getting warmer here now actually and it would be good if I can get an early start with the day job, so I can quit at a nice time, which in term means that I should go to bed right away. I guess David will have to make do with just this one extra garment for now.
Credits
- NX-Nardcotix David mesh body.
- Lelutka Guy mesh head
- Birth Ripley for Lelutka and their omega applier used on the body for both avatars, in different skin tones obviously
- Stealthic Narcotic hair and hairbase
- Avi-Glam Solstice eyes (applied to mesh eyes that come with the mesh head)
- Legal Insanity: Bryan waist shirt, Steve denims and Massimo denim shorts
- NX-Nardcotix: Mecatl sandals and Darrel tank top (comes with a pair of briefs)
- Lelutka Guy & NX Nardcotix David Shape Travis. The look in Marketplace is totally different, but it is the shape I used for this blog post.
- Image shot at Missing Melody
Putting the “short” in shorts – Episode 1
It’s not often I see a guy in obscenely short shots in real life, but they tend to cause an hormonal rollercoaster of guilt, shame and lust. One knows one must not stare, but one’s gaze is attracted to that which bulges and one can not help it! What is this, a Charles Dickens novel? Great Expectations indeed! Sometimes I don’t know what I admire most. Someone with a gorgeous physique who can really carry off such a pair of shorts or someone positively Rubenesque who doesn’t seem to have any qualms about letting it all hang out. Anyhooo, I’m here to look at a couple of short shorts. Lust over them if you must.
First are the Noche Jordy shorts, currently launched at EQUAL10 (event runs till June 5th). You can wear them with or without the belt and with a click you can open them up to show off your underwear, which is built-in. The single colour versions also comes with texture options for the underpants, belt and metal rivets. These shorts are rigged for Belleza Jake and Legacy Meshbody. The “Brendon” tank (pink) and “Stringer” tank (yellow) are both by Noche as well.
As the days get hotter, it’s not totally unexpected to see a guy running past me in a pair of sporty shorts that are dangerously short. I’ve definitely seen some of those bouncing around in the leafy outskirts of Stockholm. For that kind of thing in Second Life™ I’m staying with Noche , with the Kaiden shorts. Again this is an item with some built-in action. Click once and the shorts go down to your knees, click on your crotch again (you’re body’s crotch, not the shorts!) and they disappear. Click once more and they’re back where they should be. I found that you can just about get away with wearing the size 2 James thong by Noche underneath these shorts, but size 1 works even better, depending on where you stand on the need for an eyewatering bulge. The Stringer tank top can also be removed by clicking it, so basically you can strip down to your thong at the beach without even having to change your SL outfit. Oh we have come along nicely!
Check out my blog post about the Akeruka Advanced M03 mesh head to get the credits for the (bottle) blond avatar. The derelict room in the first shot is a group gift at Minimal and the building you can see through the window is also by Minimal. The second shot by the water with the dolphins was taken at Serendipitous Sands.
I’ll be back soon with a second episode of Putting The “Short” In Shorts.
Akeruka advanced M03 Mesh head – Look no. 3
At last, spring has truly arrived in Stockholm, or at least for a couple of days. I dare say I’m even experiencing a slight temperature shock. One evening I was still putting on my wintercoat for a last-minute grocery run because it was only 7° and raining and before I knew it, I was having lunch by the lake in a balmy 22°, not even using the word “balmy” ironically (well maybe just a bit). That’s all in Celsius of course, as we can’t be bothered with Fahrenheit over here and I personally certainly can’t be bothered with the conversion. Anyhooo, I thought I’d better take another look at the Akeruka Advanced M03 mesh head, before my face melts off. *chuckles* See what I did there? Mesh head… face melting off… get it? No? Nobody? Ouch! Tough crowd!
I broke out the more mature looking Damon skin by Birth for this look and I do believe we’ve got another winner. As mentioned before, the current range of Akeruka Advanced mesh heads now all come with two versions in the box. With the version that has “LEL UV” in its name, you’ll be able to use many of the skins that have been made for Lelutka Evolution mesh heads, as they share the same UV map. This is what I have done for this particular look and as you can see there are no awkward shadows around the nose or eyes. Obviously we are talking about BOM skin here. It’s no use trying to faff about with appliers. Forget about them for goodness sake! Just pop on your head, do NOT wear an alpha layer and the skin will “magically” appear on your head. The only alpha layer I’m wearing here, is the one that hides system eyes, because I wanted to use an Omega applier on the rigged eyes that come with the head. That’s the kind of applier you don’t need to forget about, but you will need the Omega relay for Akeruka, cause otherwise your pretty eyes will never appear. That’s pretty much all I needed to say about this.
Credits
- Akeruka Advanced M03 Mesh head
- Legacy Meshbody
- Birth Damon skin for Lelutka mesh head + their body skin for Legacy
- Joel Shape
- Stealthic Like Lust hair (not wearing the separate side, I never do)
- Avi-Glam Solstice Eyes applied to rigged eyes that come with head (remember to get the Omega relay from Akeruka if you want to use an applier for the eyes)
- Noche Stringer Tank (can also be worn pulled down, not revealing your midriff)
Akeruka Advanced M03 mesh head – Look No. 2
After publishing the previous post I pretty much jumped straight into the deep end for a second look with the Akeruka Advanced M03 mesh head. You know the saying, “once you go black you don’t go back?” That doesn’t quite hold true for me, but I do enjoy putting together a black avatar and I hope people have found this ethnic diversity helpful.
The Birth Ozias skin was made for darker skin tones and I love the freckles/birthmarks that are part of it. This handsome devil fits beautifully on the Akeruka Advanced M03 mesh head and I really played with the shape quite a bit to make it different from the previous look. I went for a pointier chin, a rounder face, wider nose and fuller lips and I’m happy with how this turned out. I’ve shopped around for new dreads and settled for something from Camo, cause they specialise in dreads and do a pretty good job.
Besides heads and looks, another thing I like to experiment with, is combining jeans or any other kind of trousers with underwear. Being able to combine anything from two different makers in SL is a small triumph, but succeeding to do this in the underwear department is a frekking godsend. What really helps is that Noche includes a size 0 bulge with many of their underwear items. In this case it means that the Noche Noah jockstrap fits nicely under the Legal Insanity Wrynn denims, leaving a teasing little gap to accentuate your butt cleavage. It’s very much a love it or hate it thing, though whenever people say that, I can’t help but think that there probably are an awful lot of people who don’t really care either way. Surely some people just kinda like marmite? But I digress, so let’s get back to our garments. At the front the jockstrap just lightly pokes through the waistband of the jeans, but the belt covers up that issue. These days with clothing items that have a reasonably well behaved built-in auto-hide function, which works with your body’s hud to hide any bits of your mesh body that might poke through the clothing item, you’ll find it quite easy to change from jeans and jockstrap to just jockstrap. Your leggs will quickly reappear as you strip off the jeans. Simply save it as two different outfits and gracefully get undressed, as you follow it up with a third (naked) “outfit”. For the jockstrap only outfit, you probably will want to switch over to something with a larger bulge, or not. It’s none of my business what you’re working with down there.
Credits
- Akeruka Advanced M03 Mesh head
- Legacy Meshbody
- Birth Ozias skin for Lelutka mesh head + their body skin for Legacy
- Jay Shape
- Camo Wes dreads
- Birth Glimmer mesh eyes and Speckled eye texture
- Noche Armani crop tank and Noah jockstrap. The crop tank includes a version that’s worn more straightforward, without the so called nip slip
- Legal Insanity Wrynn denims (includes the chain)
- Deadwool Chase sneakers (I like the pink that was added when they updated these sneakers)
- Marked Hunter pendant
- Midna Zara watch (includes the beaded bracelet, group gift)
- Noche chain bracelet (group gift)
Akeruka Advanced M03 mesh head
When Akeruka announced that they were having a flash sales for their newest M03 mesh head I pounced on that like a cat on eeehm… whatever cats really like to pounce on. Mice? Unsuspecting birds? Your bare feet as you walk past just as unsuspecting as that poor (now dead) bird? Of course as you are reading this now, it’s no use rushing off to Akeruka trying to catch this flash sale, because it has flashed by already. You’ve missed it. But lets focus on how nice it looks and also on how, at its full price of L$3900 it definitely isn’t the most expensive mesh head on the grid.
I experimented with a square-jawed look this time and I beefed up the shape a bit more than usual, going for that all American jock type. When you open up the box with this head (oh, that sounds creepy), you’ll notice it contains two versions. One uses the standard SL UV map and the other one uses the same UV map as Lelutka Evolution mesh heads, which means there’s a good chance that any skin for such a Lelutka mesh head, will work nicely with the Akeruka Advanced mesh head. I’m using a skin by Stray Dog made for Lelutka and as you can see, everything appears to be were it should be, without any awkward shadows anywhere. I can even use the skin with its own eyebrows. It’s rather interesting how on some heads the particular skin I’ve used looks quite Asian (intentionally so) and on other heads this is totally lost. That’s Second Life™ for you though, any combination of mesh parts, skins and shapes has the potential to give you a completely different outcome. I freakin’ love it!
Credits
- Akeruka Advanced M03 Mesh head
- Legacy Meshbody
- Stray Dog Hikaru skin for Lelutka Evolution mesh heads + their body skin for Legacy
- Matt shape
- Wings TZ0525 hair
- Birth Glimmer mesh eyes and Speckled eye texture
- Noche Brendon leather tank and Kaleb chinos. The tank can be worn pulled up a little, as shown in the image above, or more decently dressed pulled down.
- Versov Nardov sneakers (Legacy size not included, but the Signature size works a treat)
- Marked Infinite necklace
- Real Evil Industries Berserker bracelet
- Noir Lovers bracelets
