Totes Adorbs!

Today Tomais, JJ, Wayne, Holter and I went scouting for a setting with craggy cliffs for a photo my hubby was going to do.

Somehow, we happened to make a stop at the Chouchou sim, which of course has no cliffs at all, just water and a beautiful - although rather harsh - Windlight.

I thought it would be a good time to take a picture to show off my new appearance, especially the legs and calves. Totes adorbs, dontcha agree?

Clothing: Dufaux - Sporty tank and shorts
Sandals: Illi
Hair: Stealthic - Rebellion
Body: Signature - Gianni
Head: Catwa - Daniel
Face: StrayDog - Shane

A Message From Our Dear Ebbe

I hope you all got this wonderful email from our darling Ebbe Linden.

Ebbe Altberg, aka Ebbe Linden, sexy as hell in scruff

Dear Second Life Residents,

It’s been an exciting summer at Linden Lab. Second Life celebrated its 14th anniversary, and shortly thereafter we also opened Sansar's creator beta to the world. In addition, we are 

thrilled to announce a set of investments into Second Life and its communities that will include enhancements to our engineering support, customer support, billing systems and upgrades, and customer acquisition outreach. In all, we’ve budgeted many millions (USD, not L$...) in the coming year to make SL even better, and we’ll keep everyone up to date on improvements as they roll out (or sooner).

This summer’s milestones have given us all another opportunity to reflect on just how strong the Second Life community is, what an incredible history SL has had so far, and what an amazing future lies ahead for the virtual world and its Residents.

For more than 14 years, you’ve created memorable experiences, diverse communities, close relationships, thriving economies, engaging art, exciting events, and amazing creations of all kinds. You’ve made the world, and we’re proud to provide the platform and tools that help you to do so. We at Linden continue to be impressed by what we witness from Residents every day, and we want you to know that we share that commitment to and love for Second Life.

Here are a few of the things you can look forward to soon:

• We are hard at work upgrading all of the SL infrastructure and moving it to the cloud, which will bring a wealth of opportunities to Residents near and far, and allow us, among many other things, to make SL more performant for Residents across the world from us. It may also allow us to introduce new products with more flexible pricing. 
• We’re working on several features to increase the value of Premium subscriptions. Most recently we gave Premium members priority access to near-full events, and shortly, we’ll be ready to unveil another bit of exciting news for subscribers. 
• We're building out a series of great extensions to Windlight (code name: EEP!), which will give value, flexibility, and new marketability to land, and will make Windlight settings tradeable assets. 
• We have an extension to the animation system in the works (code name: Animesh) that will allow non-avatar objects to use more powerful and efficient skeletal animations the way avatars can today, and even more changes planned for creators and merchants later in the year. 
• We’ve also got new experiences and events coming. An exciting new grid-wide gaming experience is coming soon! The team can’t wait to share the details with you in just a few days. Also in the works for this fall is an updated Halloween Haunted Tour, with new spooktacular events to celebrate. Not to mention, we’re turning 15 next year - SL15B, baby! That’s an incredible milestone and we are looking forward to collaborating with you to produce an amazing celebration. 

Long live Second Life and long live the creative process in the amazing worlds that you've trail-blazed! Thank you for filling SL with your creations and communities all of these past 14+ years, and here’s to many, many more together.

Best,

Ebbe Linden, CEO & the Second Life Team

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Well, what can one say after that breathtaking declaration of love, other than "We love you right back, Ebbe baby, and the SecondLife Team too!💗💗💗"

I hope you all noticed the remark about "amazing creations of all kinds", which we all know must certainly include my fashion-forward and spectacular "The Jester's Hat"! Nothing else comes to mind really so it must be Linden-lingo for Bock's creation.

It is also good to know that the Lab is going to keep on investing in, working with and improving SecondLife despite the doomsday prophets who for a long time have been crowing about how the Lab will lose all interest in SecondLife once Sansar is launched.

He's My SecondLife

I was modeling for my hubby Tomais today, and has become my habit I take snapshots and play with Windlight settings while he photographs us and touches them up with Photoshop.

"He's my SecondLife_1" by BMcM

"He's my SecondLife_2" by BMcM

These two turned out rather nicely I think.

At Trace Too

Yesterday I visited Kylie Jaxxon's sim Trace Too (SLurl) together with hubby.

Tomais has been there several times before and has posted a three beautiful photographs from there to his Flickr photostream, I'm sure there will be more. All of the photographs are - uniquely and highly imaginatively - named "Trace Too". (Yes, I have scolded him viciously. *smirk*)

I must agree with my Tomais and everyone else, Kylie Jaxxon has done a phenomenal job designing this sim. It truly is beautiful, inviting and serene, so I felt inspired to take a few snapshots, which I am sharing in this post.

All my snapshots from Trace Too are using the sims own Windlight settings.

Mate! Mine!

Well, with that title to this post, I am sure a few of my readers will soon surmise that I have been reading too many gay shifter novels recently. They wouldn't be completely wrong, but not completely right either.

Sure my Tomais has gotten me into reading loads of GayRomLit (Gay Romance Literature) by downloading books from the Kindle Store to my iPad, but it's not only been shifter romances.

No, the title of this blogpost jumped to my mind when I thought of posting this shot that I snapped while I was modelling as a werewolf for my Tomais and listening to him muttering to himself while he was going through a few of his 65,000,000 windlight settings.

"Mate! Mine!" a.k.a. "Hunger"
by snapshooter Bock McMillan 

To occupy myself during these sessions I sometimes like to take my own pendant version of the picture my photographer hubby is working with. This one turned out quite well, so I decided to post it for your enjoyment.

"Mate! Mine!", is what a shifter roars when he sniffs the smell of his fated mate - the one and only, the man the four gods and the universe created for just him. They fulfill each other's needs, wishes and wants.

My Tomais' scent is that of honey and almonds.

EXCLUSIVE Laird Confesses; "I Use Windlights"

The Much Honored Bock McMillan, laird of Southern Charm, prince of Cascade Falls, Sovereign Ruler of the Commonwealth of Southern Enchantment Region and Outer Territories and finally UN appointed Protector of the Mount Whitney sim in SecondLife, today made a surprising confession during an exclusive interview for this blog.

"Turn Away from the Light" by Bock McMillan

"During most of my life I have been fascinated by photography. When I came into SecondLife some eight years ago I was thrilled by the handy photo-tool in the various viewers. I have used them to the fullest throughout my existence here.  Until recently I have always worked with the natural or preexisting light settings on the sim I have been on, but lately - under the influence of my consort H.R.H. Prince Tomais, I'm sure - I have begun playing around with the Windlight settings when I take pictures. 

"As I am not an accomplished photographer like the prince of my heart, but a mere snap-shooter the extent of "my art" until lately has consisted of snapping the picture at an angle I like and then do some creative cropping. Now I have started playing with the Windlight settings too, just like I have always teased Tomais for doing, but it takes me even longer than it does for Tomais because I have to go through them twice before I can decide on which light I like best.

With a slight shudder a a beautiful blush on his cheeks, the laird continued "I felt a need to make this shocking revelation considering how I have been teasing Tomais for his trying out of all Windlight settings and then some (he has a shitload of extra settings that don't come with the viewers). I have considered founding a Windlight Anonymous (WA), but I am not sure if I will go through with those plans."

All three pictures in this post were shot by the laird himself at the IN SILICO sim. The outfit is The Soft Suit from Shu Mesh and the poses are by Finn Millar and Spencer Roncales of Vice Poses.

Stalking the Talent

On Sunday my man and I visited the beautiful Southern California (SoCal) sim (SLurl), because the talent in the family wanted to take a picture there.

"Stalking the Talent" by Bock McMillan

Tomais at first had a completely different picture in his mind, but as the owner wasn't online he could not get permission to rez the car he needed for that. However, there is no way of stopping a talented man who is inspired so he came up with another idea.

As always when the talent goes into his creative mode, i.e. trying out various angles for the shot or all his 8,653 Windlight settings, all the while mumbling to himself and from time to time asking my opinion, I went off on my own excursion looking at the sim and my man.

As I sometimes do, I decided to take a snapshot of my lover at work and do my own variation on the same theme. Above you see my take and below is Tomais wonderful photo (posted on Flickr).

"Pretty in Pink" by Tomais Ashdene

On the Beach - Three Aspects

"On the beach - vertical"

"On the beach - square"

"On the beach - horizontal"

While I was modelling for my Tomais yesterday I played around with Windlight settings and taking snapshots to create my version of the same scene. 

What I wanted to achieve was to contain the central part of the picture and present it in differently cropped versions. It can possibly be seen as a comment on "truths".

For Tomais' vision, please visit PhotoMonkey SL:  "Together" (Possibly NSFW).

Photo Safari

My Tomais and I went on a photographic expedition yesterday to Kaelyn Alecto's "It all starts with a smile..."-sim, because there is an ongoing photography contest on Flickr which Tomais is taking part in. (It all starts with a smile... - Photography Contest).

"Lazing together at the dock..." Photography by Tomais Ashdene

Tomais found a nice spot and started playing with his Windlight-settings (He actually has more than the 20,000+ than I have in my viewer, apparently it is possible to download a a shitload of other settings from somewhere.) While Tomais was doing that and taking pictures I was chatting away at him on Skype to his muttering responses.

I eagerly followed Tomais work process in Photoshop with his picture. It is always fascinating to see how he detects and corrects glitches and how he can enhance his pictures seemingly without effort. The effortlessness of course comes through skill and practice. Although many people often tell me that I am the most patient man in SecondLife, I do not hesitate to admit that I would never have the patience - or talent - to learn how to do it.

Anyway, after awhile I started to take a few pictures myself and I submit to my version of the same scene.

"Bock's version" by Bock McMillan

As you may have noticed, I am now using it as my blog header.

If you wish to see more of Tomais awesome photography you can visit his Flickr Photostream or PhotoMonkey SL (NSFW).

I also posted my picture to my own Flickr Photostream - it's the only one there so far - and joined the Flickr group "It all starts with a smile..." - Photo Contest to submit it to the contest.

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Furthermore, I consider that Dejerrity Mycron must be partnered soon. The wonderful man's single status is an utter mystery to me and he certainly needs other things to occupy his mind. Interested parties should contact me a.s.a.p. for additional information.

Boxing Day 2013

Noblesse oblige, so on boxing day it was time for the laird to go out and about on Southern Charm to - as tradition bids - meet and greet the hoi polloi, i.e the lowlier nobility inhabiting the home sim.

The journey is usually performed with me being drawn in the royal sleigh drawn by six white Ardennes stallions, but this year I wanted to show off my new studly boyfriend so I had Tomais pull me around the sim instead.

"Sleigh Ride" Photography by Tomais Ashdene

It was a great success and the cheering of the crowds seemed never to cease. My people loved the man, for his good looks and charm and because they saw he makes me happy.

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Enough with that fantasy about my noble lineage, which I mostly keep on with because it amuses me and annoys a few others (that I do not mind teasing as often as I am able).

Tom had seen this beautiful pose and it made him think of a picture (thats the way of the artists). I think he may have played a little with the pose I am on, but I am not at all sure.

Yesterday the brutish artist made me suffer for art and had me sitting out there in the cold for hours on end while he played about with lighting and Windlight settings. Although I am the most patient man in SecondLife, which Tom repeatedly told me yesterday, I would have been freezing my beautiful derriere off sitting there and listening to the artist mumbling to himself had it not been for my sweet brother Dej joining us on Skype for a while.

You can see more of Tomais' photography either on Flickr - Tomais Ashdene and also on his Tumblr page Photomonkey SL (NSFW). Enjoy!