The *SWEATY MAN CAVE* of Mercenary X99

[Mike Shagohod]

Yep, out of a 1500 square foot condo I finally finished working on the ONE room in the place that is ALL MINE to just chill in. When the stress of being a super dad gets to be too much, or the wife is pissing me off... I can just lock myself in this here walk in closet turned multi-media man cave. Basically a recreation of my room in the early to mid 90s really. I got the idea of turning a walk in closet into a place of Zen thanks to Bubbles on Trailer Park Boys who lives out of a shed.

After some trouble with the wife and having moved out for a week and a half, we got our shit together and I'm back, but this time I had to have a place of my own, of course my kick ass daughter Fyana loves the man cave, and I allow her to chill in there to watch movies, Japanimation and more, but if I lock the door, all bets are off and everyone can shit in a bucket. I know some of you here have whole rooms and what not, but for me I try to see how much I can cram into a smaller space.

THE PICS:
________

Now the wife can keep her HP Pavillion desktop now that I've got my
DELL flatscreen monitor to hook up to my ASUS Eee PC Netbook and
a solid WiFi Connection. Though of course I wouldn't be dumb enough
to use eBAY or other stuff unless on a land line.

Get a load of the portrait caricature a friend of mine (Mark Benavides)
did of me back in high school my Sophomore Year ['93/'94] of me with
some mega breasted chick with nuclear explosions in the background
with me holding an M1911 pistol, and wearing the Chow Yun Fat (Mark Gor)
trench coat and Alain Delon shades from A Better Tomorrow! He captured
me spot on even back then.

WELL THAT'S IT. JUST THOUGHT I'D SHARE A BIT OF MY GIDDYNESS.

 

[DanAdamKOF]

Damn Merc, nice! My new place has a walk-in in my bedroom, and I did (not very seriously) discuss making a "nerd cave" there with a friend, but I'm glad I didn't because it wouldn't hold a candle to the awesome niche you carved out. And I don't like being out-done on silly side projects.

 

[aria]

Well done, and --yes-- that caricature captures you even today.

 

[Lets Gekiga In]

Kick ass area, Merc.

 

[Phyeir]

Awesome room man, envious of that set up.

 

[Mike Shagohod]

Damn Merc, nice! My new place has a walk-in in my bedroom, and I did (not very seriously) discuss making a "nerd cave" there with a friend, but I'm glad I didn't because it wouldn't hold a candle to the awesome niche you carved out. And I don't like being out-done on silly side projects.

Well before tackling this project I had seriously considered living out of a tricked out shed (just like Bubbles) on a half acre of land I own, when it looked like I was going to be legally separated from the wife, rather than buy a full size house or piss money away on renting some over glorified apartment. One of those office type custom sheds, and BAAAAM, I'd have been set. But things cleared up a bit, as it became obvious my recent nervous breakdown stemmed from stress and not really having a place to retreat to. When I moved back in, I took a hard look at the walk in closet and said: "Why The Hell Not?"

Now if I'm not with the family doing something specific, I'm either out working a contract or in my Man Cave (Natorm H.Q, respectively). Seems the older I get I actually want less and try and be as stress free as possible.

Well done, and --yes-- that caricature captures you even today.

Yep.

And thanks to everyone who could share in this minuscule moment of happy, happy, joy, joy.

 

[Arcademan]

Nice man-cave you got there. Seems like I'm hearing this tearm almost on a daily basis. A guy this week bought out 4 remaining 13' skeeball lanes for his 'man-cave' though why someone would want a skeeball lane, let alone 4 for his personal use is beyond me.

 

[TurboCro]

Nice cave!

 

[IsamuBlue]

me = jealous

I keep telling myself that someday I'll have money and a house, and first thing I'm gonna do is build my own man cave.

 

[SuperDeadite]

You have a Dragon Knight III mouse-pad. Where did you find such a beauty?

 

[SPINMASTER X]

I want to craw into this cave and never come out.

 

[The Chief]

Very nice setup Merc. I especially like that caricature and Mazinger statue.

 

[Mike Shagohod]

You have a Dragon Knight III mouse-pad. Where did you find such a beauty?

Well IT IS Dragon Knight III and isn't. That particular mouse pad came with the domesticated translation retitled Knights of Xentar for the Pre Pentium era PC by a company called MegaTech. That game along with Cobra Mission (as seen on the poster) were some of the first Hentai RPG games to come out over in the USA. Not wanting to bother with Dragon Knight 1 & 2 (for whatever reason), MegaTech decided to re-title the game. Picked both those games up in 1994 for play on my then TANDY 1000.

Most of what is in my Man Cave is kept from the 90s. But then that's me.

Very nice setup Merc. I especially like that caricature and Mazinger statue.

Thanks. But the toy is actually of UFO Robo GRENDIZER not Mazinger, though both were Go Nagai creations and both fought one another in some wacky late 70s single shot animation. I'd kill (well maybe not kill, but...) to get my hands on an actual Grendizer toy like the one across from it which is Gettar Robo G in DragonStar configuration (called Starvengers here).

I want to craw into this cave and never come out.

Well if you ever come to SATX, you're more than welcome to kick it 1990s style at Natorm Headquarters, though it is a bit cramped obviously. Basically no more than (2) ppl at a time. Hell without that fan in there I'd roast alive.

 

[Maury V.]

When I come down to SATX, i'm going to experience this epic man cave. OH YEAH! IT'S GOING DOWN!

 

[SouthtownKid]

Grendizer, motherfuckers!

 

[Takumaji]

Thanks. But the toy is actually of UFO Robo GRENDIZER not Mazinger, though both were Go Nagai creations and both fought one another in some wacky late 70s single shot animation. I'd kill (well maybe not kill, but...) to get my hands on an actual Grendizer toy like the one across from it which is Gettar Robo G in DragonStar configuration (called Starvengers here).

When I was in Spain in 1980 with my parents, the toy shops in the little town we stayed (Calella) were full of these Grendizer and Mazinger things, back then I had no clue about their names or animation/cartoon background, just found them interesting. That's why I took half of my vacation money and bought one of the larger hollow plastic models and three small die-cast versions (about 5-6" high). The large plastic robot (20") could shoot small arrows from his hands and cost the equivalent of about $25.

Back home I traded two of the small robots for a box of fireworks, the third one I accidentally dropped into the sea on our last day in Spain. Then the shooting mechanism of the large robot broke and so I lost interest in it and swapped it for a bunch of Matchbox miniature cars... ah well.

I never really was a fan of these robots but wish I still had them, guess they'd fetch a pretty penny these days.

Oh, and nice room!

 

[kernow]

man
cave

 

[Lagduf]

Nice man-cave you got there. Seems like I'm hearing this tearm almost on a daily basis. A guy this week bought out 4 remaining 13' skeeball lanes for his 'man-cave' though why someone would want a skeeball lane, let alone 4 for his personal use is beyond me.

There is a show on DYI Network called Man-Caves. Basically they build wicked awesome man-caves for people suited to their tastes.

@Merc - Natorm HQ is looking good! Glad you found a place you could relax and be stress free.

 

[SPINMASTER X]

man
cave

you know you want to be inside of it....

 

[Steve]

Merc, nice setup it totally fits you. The irony is, while it is largely a multi-media blitz up in there, you can of course also use the Man Cave as an area of meditation (and even prayer) as you see fit.

I'm glad to hear things worked out for you and your wife. And wow, your daughter has grown up since the days of the bike pictures where she seemed sooo small still. Time flies doesn't it!

 

[Bibliophile]

Nice setup!

For some reason, I expected you to have all this in a stainless steel reinforced concrete panic room, stocked with M16's and beer.

 

[thirdkind]

I don't have kids, but whenever I lived with a woman, it was necessary to have a space like this. It was usually a home office, but I was lucky on one occasion to have a separate media room just for movies and games that was pretty much mine.

Is that the original G1 Prime? Looks like it based on the exhaust pipes.

Glad you worked things out with your wife. Your cave is exactly what you need, and your setup is awesome. Enjoy it.

 

[Mike Shagohod]

When I come down to SATX, i'm going to experience this epic man cave. OH YEAH! IT'S GOING DOWN!

Yhap, if you'd actually make it into SATX though. Was going to meet up with you and Dan Adam that one time up in Austin for that Japanimation Con, but my wife's gall bladder almost ruptured the night before and was with her for emergency surgery the next day. Between kicking it at Gunstar Manor (my condo) and hitting up the ranch/tactical range, I'm sure you'd have a blast.

Merc, nice setup it totally fits you. The irony is, while it is largely a multi-media blitz up in there, you can of course also use the Man Cave as an area of meditation (and even prayer) as you see fit.

I'm glad to hear things worked out for you and your wife. And wow, your daughter has grown up since the days of the bike pictures where she seemed sooo small still. Time flies doesn't it!

Yeah I'm glad we worked it out. Well to be honest we're still working it out. Basically neither one of us have personalities suited to be parents and while we love our kids, both of us seem to want to kill the other over their rambunctiousness and especially when Fyana decides she wants to be a little miss bitch. She's almost 4 now (in November) and admitted to trying to break up the family because she figured out how to rile both me and my wife up if you can believe that. Thing is, she just wanted me to move out because she thought I'd live at my father's house and then it be fun all the time. She confused my role as a super cool dad with being her best friend and figured Mom was in the way.

I put a stop to that though. I guess the only person that was ever able to get one (in this case three) over me was a 3 3/4 year old little girl, because with hoods, terrorists, and anyone and everyone with nefarious intentions I usually see "the angles" from a mile off. The room that the man cave/Natorm H.Q. is in was originally mine but has since turned into a second living room and where the main computer is. Due to a fit I had once when I round housed the door off the hinges, there isn't a door to that room so I lost my own sense of privacy from then on. The nervous breakdown I had was bad though. Right now I'm still floating the walls and replacing doors and have to buy a new dining room table. Ontop of that I had a minor heart attack from too much adrenaline caused by a panic attack the night of the major fight. I had never done anything like that and I'm not proud of it. Getting some counseling for that. SHOULD HAVE BUILT THIS ROOM SOONER!

Nice setup!

For some reason, I expected you to have all this in a stainless steel reinforced concrete panic room, stocked with M16's and beer.

To be fair *The Arsenal* is another part of the condo. Not steel reinforced but fortified and with enough stuff I'd look like Colonel John Matrix if I put everything on including the Threat Level 2 bullet proof vest. Since I quit the SERAC/SEO field 7 months ago after 6 1/2 long years I haven't even been to the ranch/tac range as of late. Probably should though, but I want time to deal with other things. I'm usually home all the time save working contracts for office buildings and what not in the Indie Contractor field. Which is why such a room of zen and all things manly was needed for me.

I don't have kids, but whenever I lived with a woman, it was necessary to have a space like this. It was usually a home office, but I was lucky on one occasion to have a separate media room just for movies and games that was pretty much mine.

Is that the original G1 Prime? Looks like it based on the exhaust pipes.

Glad you worked things out with your wife. Your cave is exactly what you need, and your setup is awesome. Enjoy it.

#1> With as much as I love women (and my wife) I'm beginning to
think they're more trouble than they're worth. But dammit if we can't
live without them. Thus such a room is necessary for a primal male
especially.

#2> Yep it's a Generation 1 Optimus Prime. But it was just for show
in the picture (as was the Decepticon jet on the TV, forget his name)
because I gave all of my G1 toys to my daughter who treasures them
and her Bayformers Bumblebee toy. ~The girl is more obsessed with
Transformer than even I was as a kid. She wants to be Bumblebee for
Halloween. I'd be concerned if she wasn't so girly-girl at the same time.

 

[Comrade Porn King Mikhail]

Nice one, Merc! I love personal time and I pretty much have always tried to take the smallest room in any apartment I had and cram stuff in there for a personal private "cave" space. Nothing like just chilling and doing your thing (games, books, porn, whatever) and not being bugged

 

[Domino-chan]

That's a damn awesome man cave!