http://search.deviantart.com/?q=by:Phraxus&section=today deviantART RSS for by:Phraxus en-us Copyright 2009, deviantART.com Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:32:01 PST deviantART.com http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://s.deviantart.com/minish/widgets/apple-touch-icon-precomposed.png http://Phraxus.deviantart.com/journal/28621168/ http://Phraxus.deviantart.com/journal/28621168/ Fri, 27 Nov 2009 23:41:48 PST
In the ancient days of yore (good old Yore... whatever happened to him?) they were simple ambush predators, lurking in darkened alleyways for prey to happen by, then leaping out, clonking them on the head (or slitting their throat)and rifling through their pockets, before fleeing back into the night. While this particular breed of thief never completely died-out - being far too simple and adaptable an organism - it did give rise to a plethora of subspecies. As human civilization (and thus money) evolved, so did the methods thieves used to get their sticky little fingers on it.

As our society becomes increasingly digital, so too does our currency, bringing with it new and more insidious ways for those sneaky brigands to separate it from its owners. Nowadays, thieves don't need to get your signature, or even come anywhere near you. A simple card-skimmer installed in an ATM, and a pinhole camera above the keypad are all that is required for them to abscond with your finances, using your own banking information and PIN number to clean-out your account. Banks and law enforcement agencies have done their best to combat this threat by informing the general public of the risks and how to protect themselves against them.

Yet sometimes - no matter how hard you try, no matter how careful you are - sometimes, they still get you.

Just like they got me.

A few days ago, I discovered that I had been the victim of debit card fraud. Using a card skimmer and a pinhole camera, someone had gotten ahold of my banking information, and was using it to suck my checking account dry. By the time I discovered the theft, my account had been drained to a mere $12.47 - all in the space of only three days.

Although I was able to contact the bank, lock my account, get a new debit card and pin number, and eventually have my stolen money reimbursed, I remain... perturbed. I could rant and foam with righteous fury about how I this transgression has left me feeling violated (which it does) but to be perfectly honest, what truly bothers and upsets me about this whole incident was that the bank failed to notice anything amiss about these sudden, MASSIVE, and decidedly frequent withdraws of cash from my account.

Most banks - mine included - keep close tabs on the transaction histories of their clients, and monitor them for any sudden spending spikes. If a customer suddenly starts making unusually large withdraws, the bank will typically freeze the account and contact the account holder immediately, to confirm that these withdraws are legitimate, and not the actions of thieves.

I experienced this security measure first-hand when I traveled to Montreal in August to attend the 2009 World Con. While there, I withdrew roughly $200 in the space of two days (the vendors at World Con would accept only cash). Since, under normal circumstances, I made only small, infrequent withdraws, my bank saw this spike as a potential sign that my account had been compromised, and locked it (I had to rely on my remaining cash and credit card for the remainder of my stay). Although I quickly resolved the issue upon returning home, that simple, $200 withdraw had been enough to set off the bank's flagging system.

Yet here was someone withdrawing upwards of $400 PER DAY from my account, for three days straight, and no flags at all were raised. None. When I confronted the bank about it, they could offer no explanation. They seemed just as surprised as I was.

Although I have since had my money reimbursed, I can honestly say I'm feeling deeply disappointed in my bank at the moment.

And so it is that I say - from the very bottom of my blood-pump...

DIRTY THIEVING HOBBITS!

Thank you.

- Phraxus

]]> *Phraxus http://Phraxus.deviantart.com/journal/28077079/ http://Phraxus.deviantart.com/journal/28077079/ Sun, 01 Nov 2009 01:02:46 PDT
I had initially hoped to make my Halloween update something a bit more entertaining and noteworthy than a mere journal entry. I was actually planning to upload a Halloween-themed inflation story especially for this holiday, but unfortunately I wasn't able to finish it on time (I came pretty damn close though, and I still plan on finishing it - it'll just be a little late, that's all).

So, as I am unable to provide the people kind enough to watch my gallery with a new story, I will instead regale you all by recounting some of the sumptuous eye-candy I happened across this evening while I was out celebrating with my friends.

Halloween in small towns can be a somewhat tedious affair, depending on how seriously the townsfolk take the holiday, and the concentration of small, precocious children in your vicinity. However, if you are fortunate enough to live in a major metropolitan area - like I do - this time of year can be a visual feast of unparalleled decadence, both in terms of elaborate costumes and gorgeous women. Every Halloween, the city's loveliest and most well-endowed young women crawl out of the woodwork, squeeze their magnificent curves into tight, skimpy costumes of every imaginable description, and hit the town. To say that this year produced an especially 'bountiful' crop would be something of an understatement. From Emma Frost with E-cups, to a scantily-clad Sith apprentice with 'Death Stars' so massive they generated their own personal gravity field (at least if the number of people orbiting around her was any indication), the streets and nightclubs were packed with gorgeous, pneumatic ladies, bouncing and gyrating to the beat of Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'. It was, to say the least, a heart-stopping spectacle.

Despite the stunning parade of feminine beauty on display, the most impressive sighting of the evening (at least in my opinion) occurred while I was on my way home from a party downtown. While waiting at the crosswalk of a minor intersection, I caught sight of a voluptuous young woman dressed as Elvira Mistress of the Dark. While her enormous black beehive was clearly fake, the plunging neckline of her costume made it abundantly clear that her figure was not.

Rather than fumble in vain for the words to describe this amazing young woman's physique, I will instead employ a visual reference. Imagine this lass ([link]), sans the green skin, pointed ears and conspicuous lack of a nose, and you've got an eerily accurate representation of what this girl looked like. And no, I'm not exaggerating in the least. She was that fit, and her breasts WERE that big. I did one hell of a double-take when I saw her, that's for sure. I only wish I'd had the means to capture an image of her magnificence. Alas, I'd had to leave my camera at home that evening, having no means of carrying it at the party.

Well, the hour grows late. So I'll leave you with that tantalizing mental image, and bid you all goodnight.

Happy Halloween, one and all.

]]> *Phraxus http://Phraxus.deviantart.com/journal/24403803/ http://Phraxus.deviantart.com/journal/24403803/ Fri, 24 Apr 2009 00:21:19 PDT
Dreams are funny things. They can be serene and calming, horrific and terrifying, or just plain weird. Some cultures considered them coded messages from the gods, which contained hints of futures yet to come. Sigmund Freud believed that they represented repressed desires bubbling up from the subconscious mind. While there is still a great deal of speculation as to the nature of dreams, a lot of scientists now seem to believe that the majority of dreams result from the brain randomly "pushing buttons" to see what will happen. If this is true, it would certainly go a long way towards explaining the ineffably weird shit that my subconscious mind vomits up at me on a fairly regular basis.

Case-in-point - a few weeks ago, I had a rather peculiar dream. One that, curiously enough, involved inflation. Now, I almost never experience dreams that cater to my fetish in even the vaguest sense, and when I do, the inflation/expansion tends to be 'hinted at' rather than shown (a nagging sense that somewhere nearby - yet just out of reach - some lovely lass is inflating). Hence, when a dream does come along where inflation is not only featured, but is explicitly shown as well, it tends to stick with me. This particular dream was especially impressive because, not only was the inflation shown in exquisite detail, but it also boasted a surprisingly coherent plot to go along with all the mind's-eye-candy.

So, with that long-winded introduction out of the way, I thought I'd share my little pneumatically-themed, unconscious nocturnal hallucination with you all.

As the dream begins, I find myself existing as a disembodied presence - an unseen observer, rather than an active participant in the events. A fly on the wall, as it were. The scene opens upon a gorgeous, fairytale-like garden, bursting with bright, blooming flowers, great old trees with lush canopies of leaves, and soft, green grass underfoot. Early afternoon sunlight shines down upon the idyllic landscape, and birds sing merrily as they flit about. A number of people - most of them female - are milling about the garden, enjoying the scenery. Some are clad in Victorian-like finery, while others resemble something out of a Peter Pan fanfic gone horribly awry. All appear to be in high spirits. The overall mood is one of happiness and serenity.

Suddenly, a cackling feminine laugh splits the tranquil air, and the crowd turns to see a strangely-dressed (by comparison) young woman standing in the branches of one of the larger trees, gazing down at them with cold contempt. She is astoundingly voluptuous - think Jessica Rabbit, only with ginger-colored hair and wearing an impossibly-tight, pink and yellow latex catsuit - and holds what appears to be a glass scepter in one hand. She utters some stereotypically megalomaniacal threats of the sort that would make Skeletor proud, causing those present to shrink back in fear. She then proceeds to tilt back her head and suck in an enormous breath of air, causing her breasts and belly to expand hugely. She holds this immense breath in for a moment, then purses her lips and exhales a shimmering cloud of silvery-blue sparkles, which gust towards the onlookers with surprising force.

The crowd immediately screams in panic and breaks into a run, desperate to escape this gusty blast of apparently deadly glitter. Their efforts are in vain however, and as the sparkles touch their skin, they transform - one by one and with an abrupt "pop" - into balloons. Not balloon-like versions of themselves, but actual party balloons, which bob helplessly in the air, apparently neutrally buoyant.

Seeing the crowd reduced to a herd of bobbing balloons, the strange, latex-clad woman breaks into a fit of maniacal, triumphant laughter, causing her prodigious bosom to bounce and jiggle in a decidedly eye-popping fashion. She is only moments into her gloating however, when a piercing, defiant scream - worthy of the lead singer of Manowar - splits the air, interrupting her sadistic revelry. She turns sharply, eyes blazing, clearly enraged at the intrusion. As she does, we see a viking (yes, you heard me) - complete with a braided, man-eating beard and shaggy mane of dirty-blond hair, clad in naught but a bearskin loincloth and horned helm - charging toward her, spear in hand, atop the back of an eight-legged horse.

The latex-clad woman glares at the intruder, her eyes burning with furious hatred. She draws in a tremendous breath - even larger than her first - causing her body to balloon so large she can scarcely see over it, before unleashing another devastating blast of transmogrifying sparkles at her attacker. The viking - battle-hardened warrior that he is - manages to evade the blast, but his steed is not so fortunate, and imm... ]]> *Phraxus http://Phraxus.deviantart.com/journal/22345308/ http://Phraxus.deviantart.com/journal/22345308/ Fri, 02 Jan 2009 00:47:11 PST

Seeing as how the New Year is now upon us, I figured it was about time that I ditched my old journal entry and put up something new - a fresh start for 2009, as it were.

As anyone who has spoken to me or read my journal entries knows, I tend to suffer from a rather annoying form of writer's block. While I'm quite capable of coming up with ideas, I often have trouble articulating them in a way that I'm truly happy with. More often than not, I find myself getting hung-up on the details of the story - or even a particular scene - until I finally abandon the story entirely out of sheer frustration. Without an outlet, the creative energies begin to build up, like pressure inside a balloon, causing my poor, long-suffering muse to swell and expand, bigger and bigger, until the poor girl's ready to burst.

Since I'd rather not have to scrape my muse off the walls, I've decided to try something new. After speaking with some of my friends in the community, I've decided to try writing a series of 'quick and dirty' stories, in which I start writing without necessarily knowing where I'm going, and only a general premise to guide me. The objective would be to pump out something short and sweet as quickly as possible, so as not to give myself time to get hung-up on the planning or details of the story. Quantity and speed over quality, as it were.

So my question to you is this: what would YOU like to see? What sort of premise or set-up do YOU think would make for a good, quick-and-dirty story? I'm not trying to put the onus on others - I've already got a few ideas of my own that I'm going to be experimenting with over the next few days - but I'd be interested to see what sort of suggestions other people have to offer. I figure the bigger the idea-pool I have to work with, the more likely I'll be to find something I can sink my teeth into and run with all the way to the finish line. The only real criteria is that it be short, simple and uncomplicated. Beyond that, anything goes.

Now then, I hope you'll excuse me, but my muse is starting to creak rather ominously. I'd better try and relieve some of her pressure before she up and-

*Ker-POW!*

Aw criminy. I told her not to inhale.

Now where'd I put that duct-tape...

- Phraxus

]]> *Phraxus http://Phraxus.deviantart.com/journal/20729962/ http://Phraxus.deviantart.com/journal/20729962/ Sun, 28 Sep 2008 18:30:03 PDT 's journal.

[01] Do you have the guts to answer these questions and re-post as The Controversial Survey?
- Hell yeah! Bring it.

[02] Would you do meth if it was legalized?
- No. I've never really had an interest in drugs. Just not my thing.

[03] Abortion: for or against it?
- For. I believe that a woman should have the right to decide whether or not she has a baby. That having been said, I also believe there are cases where it simply isn't appropriate.

[04] Do you think the world would fail with a female president?
- Not at all. So long as she was chosen based on ability (rather than just her gender), I don't see how there would be any difference. A smart politician is a smart politician.

[05] Do you believe in the death penalty?
- While there is a certain, visceral appeal to it, I've read too many accounts of wrongful convictions and cases of mistaken identity to support the death penalty wholeheartedly. In general, I feel it should only be used in cases where the condemned is beyond any hope of rehabilitation, and guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt.

[06] Do you wish marijuana would be legalized already?
- Yes. Contrary to what its opponents say, marijuana is not a gateway drug. The people who are out there doing cocaine and heroin would be doing it no matter which drug they started-off on. All things considered, it's far less dangerous than some of the stuff we're already putting in our bodies. Besides, if it becomes legalized, then the government will be able to regulate and tax it (believe me, that's a good thing).

[07] Are you for or against premarital sex?
- For, provided all the proper precautions are taken.

[08] Do you believe in God?
- Maybe. I believe that the true nature of the universe is probably so fantastic and strange that anyone who claims to know how it all works and what it all means is just being cocky.

[09] Do you think same sex marriage should be legalized?
- Yes. The way I see it, love is love.

[10] Do you think it's wrong that so many Hispanics are illegally moving to the USA?
- I don't live in the USA, but I do believe that illegal immigration is wrong and represents a serious problem. Several of my family members worked for the Immigration Department of Canada, and have seen first-hand the damage that illegal immigration can do to a country. It strikes me as a bit like stealing, personally. If someone wants to move to a particular country, they can do it the honest way, just like everyone else.

[11] A twelve year old girl has a baby, should she keep it?
- No. A twelve year old child lacks the mental and emotional maturity necessary to appreciate the responsibilities involved in caring for a baby. Leaving the infant in her care would be asking for disaster.

[12] Should the alcohol age be lowered to eighteen?
- Not really. The legal drinking age in my country is nineteen, so I don't really see the point.

[13] Should the war in Iraq be called off?
- No. I've always believed in finishing what you start, and while I'll readily admit that the American government has managed the war in Iraq terribly, I believe that pulling out now would be detrimental to both countries. Firstly, if the USA pulls out of Iraq now, it will be seen as the ultimate act of cowardice, and they will lose nearly all of their international credibility, at least as a military power. After all, they would have won the war, then put their tail between their legs and run away. More importantly however, if the United States pulls out of Iraq before setting up a stable, working administration, then the entire country will quickly collapse into anarchy, allowing another tin-pot dictator to step-in and start Saddam's nightmare all over again. Only when the US has cleaned-up it's mess in Iraq should it pull-out.

[14] Assisted suicide is illegal: do you agree?
- No. If a person is suffering from a debilitating terminal illness and wishes to end their life, they should be allowed to do so. So long as the individual in question gives their consent, and it can be verified that there is no conflict of interest, then I don't really see the problem. It's their life, their choice.

[15] Do you believe in spanking your children?
- No.

[16] Would you burn an American flag for a million dollars?
- Yes.

[17] Who do you think would make a better president? McCain or Obama?
- I'm not sure, to be honest. I've heard good and bad things about both candidates, so it's difficult for me to say. If I had to choose betwe... ]]> *Phraxus http://Phraxus.deviantart.com/journal/19920139/ http://Phraxus.deviantart.com/journal/19920139/ Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:56:53 PDT
----------

I've been writing on-and-off for about ten years, and throughout that time I've always felt creatively frustrated on some level. It isn't that I'm creatively deficient - I like to think I have a fairly active imagination, and at least a small spark of originality, something that the scores of notes littering my hard-drive and desk would seem to at least partially corroborate. My frustration arises whenever I try to weave these random bits of inspiration into something coherent - a story, a poem, whatever. No matter how much time and energy I devote to it, I'm never completely happy with the final product. Satisfied or mildly content perhaps, but never really proud. I always get this nagging feeling that I've done something wrong. It's never anything I can point to or circle with a big red pen and say "Aha! That's where I made my mistake!". Rather, it's an inescapable sense that it could have been so much better, even if I can't for the life of me figure out how. It feels almost as though there's some untapped wellspring of eloquence hidden in the back of my brain that I just can't seem to unlock.

Now, I know enough about writing to know that such doubts and insecurities are by no means mine and mine alone. All - or at least most - writers experience lapses in confidence from time to time. 'You're your own worst critic', as the saying goes. In my case however, my inner critic frequently ends up stymying my efforts at writing altogether. Often, I will begin a story, then become bogged-down by the details. How much should I describe? What should I emphasize? Am I giving something too much attention, or too little? It's as if I haven't quite found my 'style' yet - if indeed I have one to find. Inevitably, I end up burning-out my creative zeal agonizing over the finer points of the project, decide - in my exhaustion - to put it aside for a while and come back to it later, then wake up one morning and realize it's been six months since I even looked at the damn thing. The longer and more involved the project is, the greater it's chances of meeting such a neglectful fate.

Maybe I'm just a lazy ass, or maybe I'm genuinely missing something. Perhaps it's simply a matter of practice - I can't really say for sure. I know one thing though - I want to write. I want to work my ideas into stories, or poems, or whatnot. It doesn't matter if they're not brilliant - just so long as they're something people can enjoy reading and I can take at least a small modicum of pride in them.

I'd certainly be interested to know if there are any other writers within the inflation/expansion community who've experienced the same problem, and if so, how they've learned to combat, work-around, or otherwise overcome such roadblocks. I don't expect a big response - I don't know how many people read this journal, but I think it's a safe bet that the numbers aren't very high.

Still, I am curious. Is there anyone out there who could shed a little light, or offer some advice on the matter, or is it the sort of conundrum that we must each overcome for ourselves?

- Phraxus

]]> *Phraxus http://Phraxus.deviantart.com/journal/19134111/ http://Phraxus.deviantart.com/journal/19134111/ Mon, 30 Jun 2008 19:14:28 PDT for participating in his quiz... contest... thing. It seemed like a fun little idea, so...

Leave a comment, and I will...

a) Tell you why I friended you.
b) Associate you with something - fandom, a song, a photo, a color, etc.
c) Tell you something I like about you.
d) Tell you a memory I have of you.
e) Ask something I've always wanted to know about you.
f) In return, you must post this in your journal.

I WILL respond to your comment, regardless of whether you're my best friend or someone I've never even met before.

Not sure how many responses I'll get to this, since I don't think too many people read my journal. Still, it seemed like something fun to try.

]]> *Phraxus http://Phraxus.deviantart.com/journal/18856416/ http://Phraxus.deviantart.com/journal/18856416/ Sun, 15 Jun 2008 14:18:04 PDT
A rather entertaining example of this practically fell into my lap the other day. While surfing the internet out of boredom, I stumbled across an old ad from a 1949 issue of the magazine Illustrated Mechanix [link] The ad featured what I suppose could be called a 'home exercise device' for women, called a 'Breathing Balloon'. This peculiar contraption consisted of a heavy-duty rubber bladder attached to a length of hard plastic tubing, made flexible by a series of joints along it's length. According to the ad, huffing and puffing into this device would greatly improve a woman's lung capacity, as well as helping to 'develop her form', resulting in a more impressive - dare I say pneumatic - figure.

Naturally, this contraption was little more than a scam targeted at insecure young women with money to burn. Blowing into a balloon day after day might have helped to strengthen their lungs, but it would have done little to 'improve' their figures. Still, one must admit that the idea is a tantalizing one, especially to inflation fetishists. Even as I'm writing this journal entry, several potential story ideas based on this concept are percolating in my brain.

After mulling over this article a bit, it seems to me as though the fanciful, 'rubbery' pseudo-science of the early Cold War media is tailor-made for something as fundamentally and delightfully outlandish as inflation/expansion. After all, if radiation from a bit of space rock can cause an ambitious young geologist to merge with his pet lobster or something like that, why not a sexy young marine biologist and the pufferfish she's studying? They say that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but when applied to fantasy, such seeds of inspiration can give rise a whole host of new ideas and possibilities that are just ripe for exploration. 'Realism' isn't all that important, so long as you're having fun.

After all, that's what fantasies are all about.

]]> *Phraxus http://Phraxus.deviantart.com/journal/17883588/ http://Phraxus.deviantart.com/journal/17883588/ Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:15:44 PDT

Anyway, enough of that self-indulgeant drivil. Comments and critiques are always welcome and appreciated, provided they're not insulting. If you like my work and want to talk about ideas, or even if you just feel like chatting, by all means drop me a line. I'm looking forward to a long, productive stay here.

Well... that's the plan anyway...

Cheers.

- Phraxus

]]> *Phraxus http://Phraxus.deviantart.com/journal/17141751/ http://Phraxus.deviantart.com/journal/17141751/ Sun, 02 Mar 2008 00:52:03 PST
This is one of those times.

One thing that's always been something of a touchy subject among the members of the deviantART Expansion Community is the issue of people leaving. Countless people - both artists and writers - have come and gone from the community over the years. They all have their reasons. Some leave in search of greener pastures - deviantART is a convenient place to post artwork and stories, but it is, in its own special way, a wreched hive of scum and villainy. There are plenty of artists who just aren't comfortable in the sort of environment this place fosters, so they pack up shop and move on.

Others are driven away by harrassment - both from vicious critics and shallow, overzealous fans. Some artists have thick enough skins to successfully weather such storms, but others aren't so lucky and, unable to endure the abuse any longer, they close their galleries and depart, never to return.

Then there are those who simply lose interest. For some, their fetish is merely a phase. Over time, their interest wanes, and they no longer find enjoyment in producing artwork of stories. So they take their bow, say their goodbyes, and retire.

I've come to expect this sort of thing, and I accept it as a fact of life. We're all human beings here - we all have lives outside of the community, and those lives take presidence. For most of us, this sort of thing is just a hobby, and there isn't much point in pursuing a hobby if it isn't enjoyable.

Saying goodbye is never easy, of course, especially for those of us who have come to admire, and even befriend, those who have chosen to leave. But life is made up of comings and goings - people change, grow, and move on, leaving old friends behind and making new ones. Such is the way of the world.

What bothers me, however, are people who feel that leaving is about more than just closing shop and saying goodbye. People who feel the need to burn their bridges. People who decide to say goodbye, not with a wave, but with a violent verbal explosion that sprays fire and shrapnel at anyone nearby.

People like this guy:

Now, I understand 's reasons for leaving - his interests have changed, and he has become fed-up with the poisonous atmosphere that so often pervades deviantART. Nothing wrong with that - lots of people have expressed similar feelings over the years.

Unfortunately, rather than simply stating his reasons and bidding his friends and fans farewell, chooses to vomit forth a bilous stream of verbal vitriol, corroding any shreds of sympathy he might have garnered from potential supporters within the community.

Now, I have no problem with people being angry at deviantART or people within the Expansion Community - it's happened plenty of times before, and often with good reason. There are plenty of nasty little buggers lurking in the dark, moist recesses of the internet, just waiting to leap up and ruin someone's day. But being angry doesn't give you the right to start lashing out at anyone and everyone around you. Which is precisely what does, gleefully expectorating crude and childish insults at anyone foolish enough to make eye contact.

Ironically, for all his vociferous condemnation of 'attention whores', 's venomous rant is a perfect example of the very sort of tactics he decries. Angry, abrasive, antagonistic tantrums like his are designed to accomplish one thing and one thing only - to provoke outrage and generally stir-up the hornet's nest. In short, they are intended to draw attention to their instigator. In criticizing atten... ]]> *Phraxus http://Phraxus.deviantart.com/journal/15468049/ http://Phraxus.deviantart.com/journal/15468049/ Sun, 11 Nov 2007 17:40:56 PST
This is one of those times.

Ever since I was a child, I've loved villains. It's always been my opinion that the true measure of a hero can be determined by looking at those who oppose them. The more formidable the antagonist of the story is, the higher the hero must rise in order to overcome them. If the villain is weak, stupid, or just generally pathetic, then the threat/challenge they pose to the hero is minimal, and their inevitable defeat seems strangely hollow and unsatisfying. The finest villains test the hero at every turn - body, mind and soul - forcing them to question their motives and the consequences of their actions. Through their actions, the villain reminds the hero, not only of what he/she is fighting to preserve, but also of just how delicate the balance between good and evil truly is, and of how easily the scales could tilt away from the light, sending the world and everyone in it tumbling into darkness.

However, in spite of the vital role they play, the importance of the villain is often overlooked, their contributions to the story hidden by the blinding radience of their heroic opponents.

But as the Earth tilts away from the sun and Winter's frigid breath washes over the land, the time has come to turn down the light a little and allow the darkness to take center-stage. It deserves a round of applause; a little recognition for all its hard work. After all, without evil who would have cause to call themselves just? Without darkness how would we ever see the light?

Okay, so what's all this quasi-poetic bullcrap about?

Well, as it turns out, I'm not the only person here on DA who feels that the badguys deserve a little love. To help explore what truly makes a villain great - and as a way of saying 'Thank You' to all the great baddies we know and love - has declared this November to be the Month of the Villain(ess)!

To help promote this celebration of infamy, is holding a contest, open to any artists who wish to participate. Full details on this competition can be found in her journal. The winner of the contest will recieve a full year subscription to DA, courtesy of the Princess.

So let's have a round of applause for the badguy people. Time to give the Black Hats their due.

]]> *Phraxus http://Phraxus.deviantart.com/journal/13762977/ http://Phraxus.deviantart.com/journal/13762977/ Mon, 16 Jul 2007 21:41:48 PDT , I finally have an excuse to make my first ever journal entry here on DA. Huzzah!

Anyway, since I commented on 's journal entry, and he responded, I am not required to put this in my journal.

Now, if you don't want me to do this for you, say so in your comment, otherwise, for anyone who comments on this:

1- I'll answer with something random about you.
2- I'll dare you to try something
3- I'll say a color I associate with you.
4- I'll tell you something I like about you.
5- I'll tell you something I always remember about you / a first memory about you.
6- I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.
7- I'll ask you something I always wanted to ask you.
8- If I do this for you, you must put this in your journal.

]]> *Phraxus