Billy Beaverhausen
What's this? What's happening? What's going on?
Man Cave anniversary gifts
If you thought the gifts at the current anniversary round of Access were good, you’ll be even more pleased with the goodies Man Cave has for you to celebrate their Birthday. Isn’t funny though, in Second Life™ people give YOU gifts for THEIR birthday. Well, I suppose some real life stores do that as well. Unpacking everything and taking a look at each item kept me busy for a good while. Putting together things to create a look was yet another way to mercilessly kill some time.
For my first look the black and yellow striped Bruno trunk by Varsity made me think of the Dalton Brothers in the Lucky Luke comics, so I decided to go for a “fantasy jail ” look with other bits and pieces from the gifts. The collar is by Alantori. It says “bitch”, but several other options are included, such ass bad ass and good boy. There are quite some thing going on with my mesh head. I’m wearing a zebra striped hair base by GA.EG, a scar with the name “you are missing this one” by The White Crow, and “Martin” facial hair by Not Found. All of these are Man Cave gifts of course. Wings donated their ON1111 hair (white, grey and black only) and we got earrings from Andore and PosESioN (wearing just one of each). Finally the look is finished off with arm bands (or an arm harness, as the creator calls it) bij Fujico. This jail uniform doesn’t seem in accordance with regulations at all and our boy clearly has trouble raining in his… enthusiasm.
If you prefer to venture out slightly more dressed, then the Man Cave anniversary gifts have got you covered too. Why not wear a beanie by Kalback in the middle of a little heatwave (actually temperatures just dropped about 10° C from one day to the next here, so maybe not that crazy). If you wear it with the Gym tank top by Millo Copperfield and the Osman shorts by Imagine Moda, you’ll look summery enough. Flip flops by Invictus is the kind of footwear you want with this outfit and the L&B Swear Jett Coin necklace makes the perfect accessory. Not soo much into shorts? Maybe the Street Samurai pants by Gutchi are something for you and you can wear them with the Summer tank by Thirst. With this outfit the sporty Diamond sneakers by Crimen were the best option among the gifts. You never need to feel lonely when you’ve got the Libellune Chameleon by SEmotion and when you’re carrying the covered surf board by Flow, you always look ready to catch some waves, with or without your chameleon buddy clinging to your arm. The only kind of surfing I’m doing in RL involves WIFI and deleting my browser history… Oh I said that out loud!
There are way more gifts at Man Cave, but this is all I’m going to show you for now. You have until July 11th to go snatch then all up. You need to be in the Man Cave group, but there is no joining fee. Note that I’ve been using the Legacy Meshbody for this post. There are items among the gifts that don’t include a size for this body. For more information on the heads, bodies and skins I used in this blog post, check out this previous sunny little post.
Constant Evolution 2
Here’s a funny thing! Not funny as in “OMG I can’t breath rolling-on-the-floor laughing-out-loud”, but funny as in: “oh, that’s interesting” with a bemused smile. So only a few days ago, or was it a week already, because *exclamative* time is so *exclamative* illusive… Anyhoo, I did a little post on the evolution of items in Second Life™, using some (wrestling) singlets by Noche as an example. Now Noche has added proof to my pudding (cause if the proof is IN the pudding then surely someone must add it first?) by remastering their Hawk Crop Tee.
The textures are updated to match the quality Noche gives us presently and it is a very nice improvement. Of course ever since I saw the first Borat movie (so long ago!) I can hardly use the words “very nice” without adding “how much?” in a funny accent. Well, this crop tee is currently part of the Happy Weekend deals, so it’s available now at 60L for single packs and 449L for a fatpack until July 21st. That’s right, Happy Weekend includes Mondays in Second Life™… If only that could catch on in flipping real life!
Of course if you’ve already purchased this item, you can hit the redelivery terminal at the Noche store to get the update for free. Note that this item used to come in the Gianni size, but as Noche has dropped this body, this size is no longer included. You get the Belleza Jake and Legacy Meshbody sizes now. Well, nuff said about that. Let them boys get on with their cuddle. ‘t Is Pride Month, innit?
Credits
- Noche Hawk Crop Tee and Alan Thong on both avatars
- Legacy Meshbody
- Lelutka Alain mesh head
- Redhead: Exile Nox hair and hairbase. Stray Dog Hikaru skin for Lelutka + their body skin for Legacy. Beard, brows and freckles come with the head. The shape I’m using is Grant, originally made to be used with Belleza, but it works with Legacy too.
- Brunette: Stealthic Reach hair and hair base, Clef De Peau Allan skin for Lelutka (brows and freckles included) + their body skin for Legacy. Stray Dog Alexei facial hair. Noche pride face paint (group gift). This avi is also using the Grant shape and yet they don’t look like twins… the secret is in the totally different skin.
- Soy Reclining Lounger
- Location: Rainbow Reef
Tip: if you’ve ever bought one of my shapes, keep an eye out for the name of this shape (or do a search on it, you’ll find the search function at the bottom of the blog). I recycle my shapes all the time, using them with different skins and hair to create a new look. This means that while you’re already getting a note card with the shape that tells you where you can go buy everything, you’re actually getting a lot more for your money if you follow my blog.
Shopping for David – June 2021
I was banging on David’s bedroom door, shouting at him to get out of bed because he was going to miss the best part of the day. “The early bird catches the worm,” I told him. “I’m not a bird,” he muttered. “Go on, we’ll go shopping,” I offered. “Ha, the never have anything in my sizes anyway,” he responded. He is right of course, very few clothing creators have ever bothered with the NX-Nardcotix David mesh body, but there just happens to be a 50% sale on at Tori Torricelli this weekend, so at the very least it was worth checking out.
Of course the NX-Nardcotix David mesh body, just like any other mesh body that is worth mentioning, comes with so-called alpha cut options in it’s HUD. If you’re kinda new to Second Life™ and don’t know what this means, basically it’s a part of the HUD that shows you a representation of the mesh body, cut into many small areas you can click so they become invisible. This is extremely handy when you find that bits of your body ar poking through an item of clothing. It won’t help you every single time, because when you’re wearing something like an open shirt, you’ll find that it won’t let you hide parts of the body that are problematic without also hiding parts that should remain visible if you don’t want a Death Becomes Her “I can see right through you!” situation.
From the sale at Tori Torricelli I got the Manhattan Shirt & Vest and the Tribeca Jeans, which comes together as a tried and tested smart casual outfit, all worn in the Gianni size on David. The label on the back of the jeans may poke through the bottom of the vest a tiny bit if your bum happens to be far from tiny, so some mild shape editing may be appropriate. In other a words: tighten that ass!
You can very easily dress that outfit down by getting rid of the shirt, tie and vest and popping on the Tori Torricelli cardigan, which is like a posher version of a hoodie. There are more discounted items at Tori that will work with David and I’m sure I’ve used the brand before, so I urge you to simply try things. Don’t get your hopes up too much when it comes to tank tops, because those are usually a disaster for David (drama queen!). Some shorts and trousers may work better in the Enzo/Aesthetic size if you intend to wear them shirtless. That’s it for now. I’m fresh out of tips. You’ll have to come back when the new batch is done baking.
Credits
- Shirt & vest, jeans and cardigan all by Tori Torricelli as mentioned above
- NX-Nardcotix David Meshbody (on all three avatars)
- Lelutka Guy mesh head (on both of the seated avatars)
- Birth Maverick in skin tone #7 for Lelutka mesh heads. I’m not sure how well this particular skin works with the newer Lelutka Evolution mesh heads, but it sure looks nice on the slightly older Guy mesh head. For the NX-Nardcotix body, you need to get Births Omega body applier and you will also need the Omega relay from the NX-Nardcotix store.
- Camo Blaze Dreads (shown on a female avatar in the store, but works just as well on a male avatar, in my far from humble opinion)
- Avi-Glam Passion eyes, applied to the rigged eyes that come with the Lelutka mesh head
- Billy Beaverhausen Troy shape. I made this shape using different skins, but obviously it works just as well, if not better, with the Birth skins. Keep in mind that the shape was adjust to work better with the pants
- WR 112 wrist watch and bracelets by Moonstone, currently an anniversary gift at the ACCESS event until July 8th. No idea where you can find it afterwards. This creator doesn’t seem to have an inworld store, nor do they have this kind of item in the Marketplace store. *shrugging shoulders emoji*
- Messenger bag from the Winter Vibes outfit gacha by Thirst, which doesn’t appear to be at their store, so just do a search in Markeplace on Thirst Messenger Bag
- Jude ankle boots by NX-Nardcotix
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.
