Out of the ashes, the phoenix will arise.
In a brave, new world...
A couple of years ago, I signed up with IMVU, but never even got round to installing the software. In the summer, however, with the advent of broadband, I felt inclined to give the thing a shot. I installed the software, tinkered with my avatar, even found some great thigh-high boots - I even found a possible occupation as a dancer-for-hire...And then I heard stories of people falling prey to spyware and the like after using the "chat" program. I'd had a couple of questionable incidents, the IMVU program and website becoming inaccessible after my firewall blocked some port scan attempts, and my enthusiasm died. The last thing I need is some hacking bullsh8.
Just last week, I decided to take another look at IMVU, after receiving a positive report from a long-standing user, telling myself that one more suspicious incident would be the end of it.
Today, I was on the receiving end of the same screwy behaviour - and so, you won't be seeing my avatar in IMVU again. I'm done with it.
It could've been fun - but the cost was just too high to risk. So long, IMVU; it could've been memorable...
What I had hoped to be an opportunity for open resistance to the norm has come and gone, and whilst it wasn't quite the "festival" I had expected, with no need for a manifesto or anything like that, but it did have an effect much like I had desired.Local resistance to the CLAN operation is mobilising, from all over town, and several pieces of VERY interesting information have come to light as a result of my monitoring the site and a number of complaints made to staff on site.
I will NOT soon forget Monday, and being woken up at just gone 8 in the morning, on the day after the day I had desperately longed for a lie-in...
Coming soon... a new challenge for i.resist!
It's now ONE MONTH to Nightmare Time, as far as the countdown at my Codexed blog indicates, but I'm no closer to finding out just WHO gives the go-ahead for events such as this "Gathering". I have a phone number for some official in Glenrothes, but damn, I wanted to speak to someone face-to-face, so that they realise that this event will adversely affect ACTUAL PEOPLE.
I'll consider giving them a call, but the mechanism behind the decision really isn't that important to the "resistance movement". In the next few days, I'll be giving some thought to just how I'll be proceding with my "protest". Really starting to need a name, and a logo - the latter should be easy, now that I rediscovered Xara 3D and that Paint Shop Pro site I used to use a lot...
Also needing a firm "manifesto" - a statement of what I am, and am not, about. Now that should be interesting.
This service will play a key role in the forthcoming response to the return to my neighbourhood of some uninvited "guests", coming this summer...
"Akira" by Dorian Cleavenger
Apparently, she also comes in an "ivory" version, which while striking, doesn't quite "push the buttons" as much as the full colour original. My Akira currently enjoys pride of place beside my TV, having evicted several other items, including my Gogo Yubari figure.
I certainly "pushed the boat out" to acquire this, defintely exceeding my "pretty things" portion of my usual comic order budget, to the tune of perhaps a whole day's university invigilation, but damn, it was worth it.
I am The Patent Dragon, and I endorse this product.
In the meantime... Plans continue to ferment on a variety of fronts. Acquisition of broadband internet has opened my eyes to certain possibilities, and impending "pay-outs" should help considerably towards realising some of these. The evolution of The Patent Empire continues - stay tuned for further developments...
And finally... No, I haven't gone far. Other projects have been occupying my time recently, which are organised under the banner of DominiCore.com - and it looks like some kind of wholesale "intergration" may be required. Again, that's something for better times, hopefully just over the horizon. Once again, I can only say "stay tuned"...!
Something kinda big...
See where it all began!
The birth of Dominion...
The first encounter with Lady Talona, and the denizens of Shadow City...
The early adventures of Sarin Dragonchild...
Project: Revelation.
Check patentdragon @ LJ for up-to-the-minute news!
This organisation primarly represents the BDSM community - which isn't "my scene", contrary to the opinions of the severely under-educated "antillectuals" amongst us - but there is still a lot of common ground.
And if these laws get passed, wait and see how many of the self-righteous sudden find that they share that common ground as well.
Good luck, Backlash. Add one more supporter...
*** URLs now updated! ***
AN OPEN LETTER TO TONY BLAIR MP AND THE FETISH COMMUNITY OF THE UNITED KINGDOM...
I, as a law-abiding citizen of the United Kingdom, will NOT tolerate Tony Blair, or anyone else, dictating sexual expression to me. Not now, not EVER.
His plan to put in place a law against "obscene and violent pr0n on the internet" is the worst kind of "tabloid law". This isn't about stopping sexual violence, it's about headlines and column inches - Tony's own personal "fetish".
This "law" will be subject to very wide and misguided interpretation, and the "fetish" community will be next in line for Tony's big "social experiment" - and all that has done for this country is fill our streets with drunk schoolboys, pregnant teenagers and wannabe terrorists.
Do your worst, Tony - send your "big Brother" stormtroopers after me, and I WILL FIGHT. If you can find a way to stop the unspeakable trade in genuine sexual crime masquerading as "entertainment" on the 'net, then do it - but persecuting people because they do not conform, to the letter, with Judeo-Christian interpretations of sexual morality is NOT the way.
Tony is always so eager to tell us that the police aren't going to treat all followers of Islam as terrorists, but he won't shed a tear if fetishists are all branded as sex monsters - after all, they won't dare to speak out...
HEAR ME ROAR.
...Satooooo! She's the Empress of the universe!
Couldn't have happened to a nicer girl. Finally, my favourite character in Star Trek: Enterprise earns some respect in "In A Mirror, Darkly", this series's two-part tribute to my all-time favourite Trek episode and possibly my greatest single influence, "Mirror, Mirror".
Sorry if this comes as a bit of a spoiler, but I simply had to mention it. It would have been perfect if Hoshi had appeared on the bridge to proclaim herself Empress in a classic Mirror-Universe uniform, but sadly it was not to be.
Still, one can but fantasise wildly.