Tuli Skins for Black Swan

Inspired by Philip’s journey in transforming his avatar in Second Life, I decided to embark on creating a male avatar. How difficult could it be? I felt quite nervous, as I hadn’t made a male avatar in over a decade. I have lots of knowledge about female fashion, but I am not well-versed in male fashion, aside from knowing that if I ever created a male alt, he would wear Deadwool. I have always thought Deadwool was perfection, so I made a male avatar just to wear it.

I created my alt last month during the Thanksgiving holiday, tried on a bunch of demos, and then logged out because I wanted to wait for the free LeLutka head. I had a general idea of which body I wanted to buy, and it would definitely be one of the bodies supported by Deadwool. Last night, I logged in again and decided it was time to give my newly created alt a makeover.

Meet George. Yes, that’s right; he is named after Gorgeous (Gogo), and he’s quite the shopper. I gave my alt L$10,000 lindens to spend on his wardrobe. Since the LeLutka 12 Days of Christmas event was underway, I didn’t need to purchase a mesh head, which saved me some money. When making an avatar in Second Life, it’s important to have both a body and a head before making any additional decisions. I am wearing the free LeLutka Camden head, which also included a very nice skin. Normally, I am quite picky about skins, but after trying a couple of free gifts from brands in the 12 Days of Christmas event, I thought that the default skin was the nicest. I wanted George to have manly vibes rather than look like Gogo’s twin; some of the other brands were simply too pretty.

With the head sorted, I needed to choose a body. I can’t recall why I opted for the Signature Gianni body over the Belleza Jake body, but it cost me L$3,900, which accounted for the majority of my budget. Deadwool supported Belleza, Gianni, and Legacy bodies, if I remember correctly. I opted not to purchase the Legacy body because it requires enabling media in Second Life for the HUD to function.

The remainder of my budget was spent on Deadwool clothing, with the most expensive item being the L$2,590 fatpack of Dean Jeans from Deadwool. I wanted a specific color in the fatpack, meaning George will have to wear these jeans forever since they were expensive.

The most challenging aspect of creating a male avatar was finding a suitable hairstyle. I have always loved Wings hair, so I visited the store and, for the first time, tried on male Wings hair. Last night was a night of firsts for me; I experienced multiple new things, such as trying on a male LeLutka mesh head and purchasing from Deadwool. I also felt insecure about my height, as many male avatars I encountered were significantly taller.

My friend suggested that I visit the Man Cave event, because the brands there are giving away lots of gifts for this round. I was already at Man Cave last month gathering demos, as it is one of the events that caters specifically to men. It seems this will become my go-to event for George whenever I want him to go shopping. If you know of any other similar events, please let me know in the comments! I’m a freebies junkie, so I grabbed a bunch of gifts and actually found a really nice suit, a couple of free tops, and some very usable cosmetics.

Initially, I was anxious about creating a male avatar, as I did not want him to resemble Gogo or appear as though he was made by a woman, although that might be inevitable. To minimize the similarities, I chose a tan skin and darker hair for my alt. The entire process turned out to be easier than I anticipated; everything came together in just one night. I think my experience with Second Life fashion (for women) helped, as the underlying concepts remain the same. I will try not to overthink the details, because I think George turned out really nice for now. Alting can be costly, but now I might be able to take the photos I want with Gogo, featuring outfits I want to showcase without relying on someone else’s help.

What’s next for George? An Animation Override, so he can stand and walk better. Additionally, I look forward to introducing him to Gogo! Are you interested in seeing male fashion covered on JuicyBomb? Please let me know in the comments!

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