Billy Beaverhausen
What's this? What's happening? What's going on?
Taking David to MOM June/July 2018
Bravely going where no lag-avoiding avatar has ever gone before, I waded through the thick gooey invisible pixel river on the first day of the Men Only Monthly event to check out what’s happening, what’s going on and what I can squeeze the NX-Nardcotix David body into. (I’m talking about clothing!) There were plenty of items that simply didn’t work for David and there were one or two that did work, but I didn’t care for. Here’s what made the cut.
Invictus has a pair of jeans at MOM and it hasn’t escaped my attention that I already bought a pair from them at the previous round of MOM, so I deliberately went for light brown instead of more traditional blue jeans. Some minimal shape adjustment was needed to squeeze into the TMP size but all in all it’s a comfortable snug fit. These jeans pare quite happily with a tank top by FE Style, also present at MOM. The great news about that one is that FE Style recently started to offer items that have been rigged for a wider range of mesh bodies and a Nardcotix size is included. No fuss, no shape editing, just put it on! I went with an understated brown tank top, but there’s a number of very colourful striped ones to chose from. I’m keeping the outfit light with a pair of NX-Nardcotix sandals because my sim is in full bloom of early summer.
American Bazar has a pair of joggers at MOM, at least that’s what they call it. To me the texturing looks too much like a weave instead of a knit, so I’m viewing this as a comfortable pair of trousers with drawstrings. It could be cotton, it could be a light denim, but I wouldn’t go for a jog in these. With a bit of tuck here and a pinch there, I was able to make them fit. Both the TMP and Signature size can be pummeled into submission depending on which shape modification you personally find most acceptable. My NX-Nardcotix backpack holds whatever I may need for a day of discovering natural beauty and architectural splendor.
From Hevo there’s a shirt with rolled up sleeves at MOM and I didn’t have to think long about what I was going to wear with this, as I grabbed the Hevo camo shorts I recently bought. There are a couple of texture options for the t-shirt underneath and you can also leave it off. A sporty pair of sneakers from Semler finishes off the outfit. I suggest you try the unrigged version of these sneakers, hide your feet and adjust the shoe size and move them into place till they fit without showing a gap.
That’s it for David at this round of the Men Only Monthly event. He’s a happy chappy with another 4 new items in his wardrobe but I’m sure he’ll be off to another event soon enough.
Credits
- NX-Nardcotix David mesh body
- Catwa Stanley mesh head
- Clef De Peau Ivo for Catwa + applier for NX-Nardoctix
- Vango hair & hat
- Mandala mesh ears
MadPea Summer Hunt 2018 – Episode 2
The MadPea Summer Hunt is still in full swing and it sure has it going on. People are talking up a storm in their group chat and you’re bound to bump into fellow shell-hunting Peas if you join in on the fun. For just 100 L$ you get a shell hunting hud and a little bucket and spate. For that same price you also get the perfect opportunity to discover new sims and collect points to trade in for great prizes at the end. The fun continuous till 27th June, so what are you waiting for, join us now! If you’re more of lone hunter, that’s fine too. It can be all about just you and your wittle bucket.
- Credits: TonkTastic t-shirt and Riot shorts
- More details on www.madpeagames.com/madpea-summer-hunt.
Akeruka Group Gift June 2018 – Episode 2
This is day two with the new ‘Leon’ Deluxe mesh head from Akeruka, which currently is their temporary group gift. If you aren’t in their group yet, head over to the store and slap that group sign! The joining fee is 150 L$ and you only have until 1th July to grab this gift. Yesterday I showed my first styling exercise with this new head, using it’s original skin and the accompanying matching skin applier on Signature Gianni. Today I wanted to take a look at some other skins and different combinations with bodies.
First up is the enfant terrible of the male mesh bodies, the TMP Deluxe. I have dedicated a series of blog posts to this body ever since the price plummeted from 5000 to 500 L$. To understand the pros and cons of this body, I suggest you start reading ‘What’s Eating TMP’ and work your way through the related blog posts. While there still is a fair bit of clothing for this body available, skin options are dwindling fast. Akeruka does not have a TMP applier to match with their new Deluxe heads and trying to match the head to a standard TMP skin was an exercise I gave up on after 2 minutes. Before I get into talking about specific skins, I should mention that you need the Omega Relay to apply these skins to the Akeruka head. You’ll find one at the Akeruka store and they usually are 99 L$.
The first skin I really wanted to look at was ‘Cain’ by Lure. At 1400 L$ this isn’t a very economical choice, but for that price you get body appliers for TMP, Slink, Signature, Adam and a generic Omega applier. To top it off you even can chose between a six pack or a less sculpted stomach. The head applier works with Akeruka, Catwa, Signature and Adam mesh heads. An Omega applier for heads is included as well and you even get one for TMP heads. It’s safe to say that if you have the TMP body now, but will switch over to another body later, this skin will be moving along with you. The skin tone is used here is named ‘Cypress’ and the neck seam is near invisible.
Next up is 7 Deadly S(k)ins with ‘Brent’ which is one of their newer creations. Their appliers are all omega and their newer skins now automatically include the head and body applier. However, as TMP is not Omega compatible, you will have to purchase a separate TMP applier for your body. The Brent skin sells for 850 L$ and the matching TMP applier is 350 L$. Seeing how the Omega skin includes head and body appliers, when you switch to another body you will not have to purchase a new skin. I’m using the Cotton skin tone and the seam is definitely visible but not the worst I’ve ever seen. Make sure to take a look at their group gift. The joining fee is 225 L$ at the moment and for that you can grab the Ake skin, so your total price would be 575 instead of 1200 L$. There’s a nice group gift every month at 7DS, but be advised that sometimes they do revert to a system skin for that.
I’ll be showing more head and body combinations with different skins soon and you can find some useful tutorials on Akeruka’s site.
Other credits
Akeruka Group Gift June 2018
Good news everybody, it’s group gift time again at Akeruka and in their case that means they are temporarily giving away a free fully functional bento mesh head. With the previous generation of Akeruka heads you had to purchase the animation hud separately, but the Deluxe range is all-inclusive.
- Limited time offer! You have until 1st July to grab this group gift, after that it will be available at the normal price for an AK Deluxe head, which is 4999 L$.
- Joining fee for the the ‘[AK] Heads, News & Support’ group is 150 L$. You’ll find a join sign on the wall to the right of the Deluxe heads.
Akeruka Leon is a fresh-faced handsome son of a gun and responds nicely to the shape sliders. If you first put on this head and it looks weird, keep in mind that while your shape might be fine for your system head or another mesh head, it doesn’t mean it will work nicely with this one. I created my own shape for Leon, but if you feel unsure about that, you can start with the shape that’s included in the package. If your start playing with it, make sure to save it as a copy! It’s always good idea to do that first.
You’re seeing him here with his original skin and combined with the Signature Gianni body. The package includes appliers for the Signature Gianni, Belleza Jake and Slink male mesh bodies. TMP bodies are no longer supported, but that’s not going to stop me from looking for options. These appliers have also been updated when compared to the ones that came with previous generation heads. It’s an improvement from my point of view, as the shading is more subtle and the skin is overall more detailed.
Also included are mesh eyes, teeth with a separate styling hud, braises, a tongue piercing and an animation hud. Well done Akeruka! And well done on making some tutorial videos available.
Other credits
Dabbling with Geralt V
7 Deadly S(k)ins just released their June group gift and I applied it to the Signature Geralt mesh body and head straight away. 7DS used to work with separate appliers for heads and bodies, but their newer skins now come as a packaged deal. The gift includes a skin with and one without eyebrows, which is great. For the time being there is a little hiccup. When I tried to apply the skin with eyebrows, it only applied to the body and not the head. That’s just a little hiccup, right? I raised the issue in the 7DS group chat and a friendly admin reached out to me and the wheels are set in motion to fix this. Meanwhile I used the browless skin and applied brows, hair base and beard from the Signature hud.
The difference between this skin and other 7DS skins I have tried on Geralt isn’t extreme, but it’s just different enough to stand out from the crowd, providing you personalize your shape, get some good hair and eyes. As always I’m happy to report that nipples and toes are where they’re supposed to be and you don’t need an Omega relay with the Signature body, as it’s naturally Omega ready. (Hair: Vango ‘Matt’. Eyes: NSS Vermeer mesh eyes).
I had a quick look around for something new for Geralt to wear and found a super tight buns-hugging pair of trousers and equally form fitting t-shirt with rolled sleeves from David Heather at the current round of TMD, which runs till the end of June. After that it should be available from the David Heather main store. If you check out the demos of other items there, you will notice that the more resent releases support the Signature Geralt body. Let’s hope they keep it op, because I like that sharp tailored look. The flip-flops are Signature’s own for this body and the hair with the hat is from Vango and currently shown at Uber till 23th June.
Just keep on dabbling people, I know I will.
MadPea Summer Hunt 2018
Last year MadPea kicked off their Easter Hunt and started what would become a series of popular grid-wide hunts, as it soon was followed by a Summer Hunt, a Halloween Hunt and a Christmas Hunt. These aren’t the traditional hunts where you search for an item which contains a prize. To participate in the MadPea Summer Hunt you need to purchase a hud for 100 L$. You will be hunting for shells using this hud and each shell you collect earns you a number of points. Once you have collected enough points you will be able to trade them in for prizes, which are of a much higher standard than what you usually find in hunts and are well worth the 100 L$ you spend on the hud. You have until 27th June to earn points and usually the prizes stay out for another 24 hours after the hunt has ended, so you have a little bit of extra time to pick them up, in case you need to go rent a moving van or something.
As this hunt is grid-wide and anybody can purchase shells to hide at their sim, it is a great opportunity to explore highly imaginative places and meet interesting new people. Don’t feel pressured into being sociable though. Personally I feel that if I want to be a ruthless shell hunting beast, then that’s my prerogative.
Here and there you will find a special pearl oyster that gives you a direct gift. The only one I found so far is a lawn sprinkler at Convair, but it’s early days yet. Happy hunting y’all! May your buckets be full of shells and your hearts be light.
Credits
equal10 June/July 2018
Men in SL often complain about the uneven divide between male and female items at the various events that keep the avid shoppers among us well occupied and the virtual economy healthy. Of course we have a couple of events devoted to male avatars only, but hey what can I say, we’re greedy? equal10 has the ambitious approach to split everything right down the middle. 10 male clothing designers, 10 female clothing designer, 5 female hair designers, 6 male hair designers, etc. If you want to see the full list and equal10 philosophy, check out their site. Not tying myself to shopping for any particular mesh body this time, I made this a nice relaxing shopping experience, getting things I really liked.
This summer suit isn’t the only item Gabriel is showcasing at the event, but it is an exclusive for equal10. I assume that means it will not be available once the event has ended. I can’t wait till someone asks me where I got it and I can go “you will never get this, you will never get this” in an annoying sing-song voice. This casual chic suit is a great option for staying true to the season without wearing t-shirts and shorts all the time. Belleza Jake and Signature Gianni sizes are included. Price 380 L$.
(Body: Belleza Jake. Head: Catwa Stanley. Skin: standard skin for Belleza body + matching applier for Catwa head, all included with body. Hair: Stealthic ‘Hysteria’. Footwear: Belleza ‘Andrei’ sandals.)
ExalteD also stays true to the season with a sleeveless denim jacket complete with a collection of patches to choose from to put on the back of it, or you can just leave it blank of course. I like the frayed armholes, suggesting that this vest may have been a jacket at some point and the sleeves have been rebelliously torn off. Belleza Jake and Signature Gianni sizes are includes. Price 249 L$.
(Body & Head: Signature Gianni. Skin: Stray Dog Owen for the head, is not available. You can get the body applier and one of the few appliers that will work with a Signature head, like ‘Roman’ for example. Appliers for Catwa heads will NOT apply to the Signature head. Hair: Tableau Vivant ‘Dagon’. Jeans: Riot ‘Wade’ jeans. Footwear: Deadwool ‘Chase’ sneakers.)
Gutchi takes us to the racing track with this jacket for a sporty chic look. It comes with a hud containing 8 colours which can be applied individually to the main fabric, pockets, stretch fabric and patches. You can also take off the patches to transform it to a much simpler, cleaner look. Bellezake Jake and Signature Gianni as well as Geralt sizes are included. Price 389 L$.
(Body, head, skin, hair and jeans same as with ExalteD vest)
Noche makes a splash with a new pair of swimming briefs a.k.a. speedos. I had been hoping for something like this ever since I got the Belleza body, because Noche’s older swimming trunks were made for TMP only. These new ones include Belleza and Signature Gianni versions with four bulge sizes to choose from and while we’re on the subject of choice, the fatpack hud has 19 textures for the speedos, 10 for the drawstrings and 4 metal options for the eyelets and drawstring ends. Materials are enabled, so you can see some very nice folds, shadows and outlines. Price for fatpack 1399 L$.
(Body, head, skin, hair and jeans same as with ExalteD vest)
All in all equal10 is a pleasurable shopping experience, especially if you appreciate an 80’s computer game backdrop with a touch of Miami Vice to it. The event runs from 10th June till 5th July and if you fancy any of the four items I’ve just shown you, there are a couple of boards with transporters to the individual booths so you don’t have to drag your pixel feet through a stream of rubbery lag.
New twist on the Noche Riley U-briefs
It doesn’t always take much to make me happy. For example, when Designers take an already great piece and put a nice twist on it, you can bet your ass I’ll respond positively to this with an involuntary throb in my nether regions. Noche has evoked such a reaction with the release of a new version of their appetizing Riley U-briefs. The original briefs were made of a seductive silky sheer material whereas this new version gives us sexy breezy sporty mesh. The thirst is real y’all!
As usual with Noche underwear there are a number of bulge sizes, from a flat-fronted size 0 to a ‘Wowza!’ size 4. Belleza Jake and Signature Gianni versions are included and the fatpack offers 10 colours, letting you individually pick a colour for the bulge, waistband, piping and mesh. You’ll be having a whole lot of sexy fun making every possible combination. I think I just found my new favorite waste of time.
- Noche Riley U-briefs are available inworld and on Marketplace.
- Shown on the Belleza Jake body with Stray Dog skin (Signature Gianni size included).
Dressing the EXMACHINA mesh body 2
One of my previous posts about dressing the Exmachina ‘Davide’ avatar has been viewed by several people who were looking for things to wear with the free version of this body. Alas there’s no such thing as a free lunch, or a fully functional free mesh avatar. Back then I was showing some clothing on the version of the body that has all the bells and whistles and that’s what I shall be doing this time around as well. The free version doesn’t come with an alpha hud and trying to dress it without being able to blank out body parts is just madness! The SL fashion market isn’t exactly overflowing with items that include a version that’s been rigged for the Exmachina body, but you definitely will find some pieces that work nicely. You Simply need to demo everything till you find something that fits. I paid a last visit to the current round of Men Only Monthly, which will end on 15th June, to double check if I had missed something on my previous visits that would look nice with this body.
The camo shorts from Hevo at MOM are a snug fit when you use the Signature size. Personally I had to fiddle with my shape a little, but nothing too drastic. I searched my inventory for a top to go with it and decided on the Deadwool ‘Henley’ shirt, using the standard size that has “waist 2” in the name. For footwear I went with the L&B Swear low top sneakers.
For the Invictus jeans and t-shirt with suspenders, currently shown at MOM, I used the Signature size. I find these jeans troublesome when it comes to easily finding a pair of shoes that goes with them without clipping issues. In this case I’m using the Deadwool chase sneakers in standard rigged size. To wear these I had to take off my feet and then socks were needed to bridge the gap. Aha, I hear you say, don’t the Chase sneakers come with a built-in sock option? Yes, but they’re too high and the little buggers poke right through the jeans! So the solution here is to leave them off and use Deadwool’s ‘Dandy’ socks (fitted for shoes, no leg/foot). Perhaps the unrigged resizable version of the sneakers is a better option… no YOU test it!
Then I got bored of MOM and remembered that Legal Insanity recently released some items that included the exmachina size, so I headed over to their store and found myself buying a kilt… I say it’s a kilt, but I’m not sure Scottish people would agree. Truth be told, I don’t care if you call it a skirt, cause it looks good either way. With some careful placement you may even be able to place a ding-dong underneath. Then again, you need to blank out your thighs if you want to do any walking in this, so the poor penis would be kinda floating in midair. In a test with several AO I did notice that if you have one where the walk animations take smaller steps, you just about get away with it. Even if you don’t care about what’s going on underneath the kilt, the good news is that it has a built-in boner bulge which you can make appear by clicking in that area. From footlong we swiftly move on to footwear and the ‘Ulrich’ boots with socks from Deadwool.
Legal Insanity currently have a pair of sweatpants at Fameshed (till 27th June). I’m happy to report that these sweatpants do come in an exmachina size! Moreover, you get two for the price of one. There’s the long pair that comes down over your heels for hanging out at home barefoot and there is a slightly shorter version for when you want to wear shoes.
And with that it’s time for me to casually pick a book from my personal library and go be all cultural and stuff.
Credits
- Exmachina Davide full avatar (3200 L$)
- 7 Deadly S(k)ins ‘Ivar’ in Caramel skin tone (with trail), the nipples are out of place for this body, but apart from that this skin is pleasing to the eye.
- Burley ‘Oto’ hair with hat
- Stealthic ‘Hysteria’ hair
- Mandala ‘Season 5 Steking’ mesh ears
- Location image 1 & 2: Boystown (A)
What’s Eating TMP 7
whispers: This is your trusty reporter Billy Beaverhausen visiting yet again The Shops to see if there’s any change in the situation. It looks like everything is still as first reported on February 21st in my “What’s Eating TMP” post. Bodies, heads and skins are sold at 500 L$ each and all the clothing from The Boutique is free. If this is the first post you’re reading of this series, I suggest you go back to the start to get the necessary “buyer beware” information before you go buy a TMP body and/or head.
TMP Deluxe mesh body and “soft” mesh head with “Axel” skin in tone #3, Tram F1011 hair and Noche swim trunks. Be careful with the Noche range, the newer items do not support the TMP body. Make sure to demo first.
Right, I’m back on my platform so I can quit the conspiratorial whispering and tell you loud and clear that you need to keep in mind that the bodies are not Omega compatible, so if for instance you want to combine it with a Catwa mesh head, you need to look for a skin creator who creates Catwa appliers and a matching TMP applier for your body. Aeros is an option which I used in the previous blog post of this series and they even have a couple of appliers for the TMP head, which you can find in the area where they keep their classic skins. With a bit of searching I’m sure you’ll find more options.
TMP Deluxe mesh body and “soft” mesh head with ‘Leonardo’ skin by Swallow, the Chae hair by Aeros and 4BIDDEN underwear. Total cost of body, head, skin and hair is 1551 L$.
If you’re looking for a bargain and like something youthful, then I recommend you take a look at the Swallow Marketplace store. They have the Leonardo Ivory Freckles TMP Head Applier for just 1 L$ and the full compliment of appliers for the TMP body in 9 skin tones will set you back only 250 L$. This skin has it’s own eyebrows, which is great because it means you don’t have to purchase and apply any, on the other hand it does mean you’re stuck with them. The brows are quite light though and will look good with most hair colours. Speaking of hair, this skin does not come with a hair base, so you will have to go look for one. The rather wild ‘Chae’ hairstyle from Aeros comes with a very nice hair base applier for TMP. A word of caution in case you fancy another hairstyle from Aeros: not all of them include a hair base.
That’s the basics taken care off! Now let’s see what’s at the current round of the Men Only Monthly event to get an idea of where we are with creator support for the TMP body. If you’re reading this after June 15th, just go look for the items at the respective main stores instead.
Invictus T-shirt with suspenders and jeans at MOM, worn with Deadwool Chase sneakers. This set includes a TMP size, but it was made to be worn together. Wearing the jeans without a top is problematic.
Hair by Vango and jacket with shirt by Aitui, both at MOM. The jacket includes a TMP size, but depending on your personal shape you might have to flatten your pecs a bit to make it work and there’s quite a lot of tenting going on in the back, so a smaller bum probably is preferable too, so the fabric comes down somewhat.
Work overalls by Gild at MOM, worn with sneakers from a gacha set at Semler. The overalls don’t come in a TMP size, so I’m making do with the Slink version and some shape adjustments.
Sweater by Etham at MOM, paired with chinos also from Etham. Most of Etham’s range works well with the TMP body, but you need to decrease your but size for some of their items, or your ass will be arriving at the party 5 minutes after you’ve made your grand entrance.
I’m keeping it simple for the next outfit by swapping out the sweater for a lighter shirt by FE Style at MOM. They have only recently started adding the TMP size to their range and the chest area of this shirt is just slightly too much moob and not enough chisel. The drape of the fabric is fabulous though, as are the bold colour choices and you can of course decrease your pecs for a flatter effect.
Considering that these three quarter pants from Bebop at MOM don’t come with in TMP size, I think they fit quite well. I suggest you try the NX-size and take it from there to make some adjustments to your shape if needed.
That’s me done for this episode of What’s Eating TMP. Who knows what will happen with this body and head in the (near) future, but I still like taking it out for spin every now and again.
