Hello world!
4 years ago
Sunday, May 4, 2025
Been a long time...
It's been over a decade and woo, things are good yet they never do change do they?
I'm writing this as a bit of a vent today. Venting about how the world works and how we have to realize what is right and wrong in our worlds. I worked at a club, one I deeply like but felt very stuck in patterns and it's grown boring. It's likely me as the issue more than anything. Let me explain:
First, I was hosting there for over a year, the invitation to be a host was unexpected and pleasant. I enjoyed it very much from the get go and for a while, it was a BLAST hosting with a great DJ. Yet, you know over time, things change. I would talk to the DJ about themes for a set and they never gave me a lot of feedback, they were very vibe based and went with whatever the mood was of the group. Which, is great yet, they had their own thoughts and we fell into patterns, the same artists, the same tracks came up. The fans? They loved her, and we enjoyed some great popularity. I didn't feel good about it after a while, told my DJ that the mood seemed off but they shrugged it off. My partner went from loving the sets to finding them boring, and they did get boring at times, I could be a hype machine for 30 or 40 minutes but as hour two started? Bleh. I wanted to leave, it got slow and tiring.
Second, well, I already started, the music went from fun and up to bluesy and more introspective, dark at times and emotional. Good music for sure and the audience may have enjoyed it but part of it was this DJ being a celeb and they wanted to pay their respects to that DJ as much as anything. We all know DJ's that people like and hang with mostly to just, be in the room with them. When Trump got elected, hoo boy, shit went down. It's the holidays and all, the music went from hopeful and decent to bluesy, darker, introspective and emo. I would suggest things and my DJ would sometimes follow it, sometimes not. I tried suggesting themes and she would take some suggestions but also kind of....shimmy away from em.
The straw that broke it for me was her no longer being on consistently. For the last 3 months, I think, don't quote me, she simply wasn't my DJ. I hosted with at least 4 DJ's during her time slot and I believe 1 or 2 times we simply shut down the club instead of go on. It may have been a miscommunication but one time, I felt like it was dumped on me, last minute to find a DJ for the set with a few hours to spare, and yes, I found one, who was suggested to me by the owner and that DJ was TERRIBLE. When a DJ doesn't know how to switch audio streams? Color me suspicious, the song selection was attrocious too and the crowd was not loving it. I felt like the last few months were odd, random, not right. When my DJ returned and played, she was last minute, no plan, telling me she's frazzled. Where's the fun in that? I would be relentlessly positive: "You got this! I know you'll slay tonight!!" and positive comments during the set and after. She would thank me and log 1 min after the set. It felt so much like work and my parnter would look at me, and shrug, she'd long turned off the music of the sets because the mood was so sleepy but she supported me and when I said "I think I'm done" she agreed, it was time, the club was no longer as fun, it felt like things are on repeat and stuck. I needed out.
Wrote my DJ a note, being as nice as I could telling them the joy of hosting had gone for me and I was hanging up my host duties. For now, I need to be unemployed. My DJ sent a nice short note back and hugs.
it's odd, I needed to do this, the thought of going into monday night, not knowing if my DJ would be on or a fill in or who knows? Too much stress. And then my DJ is on and is frazzled? MORE stress.
I love that person to bits and realize, they are wonderful and likely have things going on which make it difficult but I couldn't always be there to handle the randomness they create.
Ah well, life goes on.
Friday, June 22, 2012
I always wondered...
Have you ever wondered what kind of life other people in SL must lead? It seems impossible to exist in SL without wondering this exact point at times. Where are they in the world, what do they do, are they young or old, is their life like mine or so very different? The questions go on and on.
Really, all we can go by is what they share and when they are online. I have a great friend who is from Norway and I get glimpses of her life and she's really been amazing - usually online at times which are not exactly daylight for her but she's on and we chat often. The bits of her life she has shared help paint a picture of the person I know through her avatar and it's been a wonderful experience that makes SL magical.
Privacy is one thing I've always respected with people. I rarely ask people personal questions, my one that I will ask is 'what time zone are you in?' because of the global nature of SL, it can be very hard to connect with people who live far away and interaction is limited. Not impossible, just hard.
The underlying thoughts I have are around the life people live. How similar or different is it from mine. That always is a crazy mystery to me. So many people have different views on things and I love that story in their life and if they share it, it's very eye opening both in good and bad ways.
It makes me wonder - do others think about other people they know in SL and what that RL person is going through, what they are doing and how much will I ever know?
I've never pushed someone to tell me details about themselves, usually it's volunteered as a friendship builds. Yet, there are some folks that I would like to know more about but my quiet respect never wants to push them.
I wonder if others do the same thing?
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Halloween Storytime!
Since it's that time of the year, why not share a little scary story? This is a quick look into some fear that I wrote for another project but it didn't quite get there so I figured I'd share it with the lucky peeps who venture in. It's not erotic, maybe not even that scary but I gave it a try and hope you enjoy it!
Just spend the night
Colleen felt the pit of her stomach pulling at her. She could literally feel her stomach move down inside her body in a full sense of dread.
“This is how horror movies start!” She thought as she walked up the farmhouse steps to enter the old abandoned place that was easily over a hundred years old. The sun was already dipping down in a cool grey sky of mid October. A gentle breeze blew which made an already cool night add in a bite of crisp cold to the mix. In this part of Michigan, the leaves had already turned and fallen. Bare trees stood stoic with branches reaching out to the sky which made the evening feel cooler than it already was.
It might have been in the 50’s during the day but at night, it would surely get into the 40’s and the breeze would not help. Colleen scanned the house as she stood on the long porch, most of the windows were gone and inside was an inky black that seemed endless. The house was big with 3 stories and had been abandoned for over 20 years according to the sorority sisters. Sitting atop a gentle hill, this house that once was majestic had fallen into disrepair.
This was considered one of her biggest tests to endure to get in. Up until this point, the party planning, memorizing sorority history and members, doing tons of menial chores had been pretty sucky but she wanted to be in this group. Popular and powerful on campus, the sisters of Tau Beta had it all and to be part of this group meant a great deal on campus and after graduation.
Colleen was here for the ‘Fright Night’ test as the other pledges had called it. Each year a few girls would go out to this old house and spend the night in the dark to prove they had the courage to stay all night. It mostly was a chance for the sorority sisters to prank them and scare the crap out of these young girls. Typically, they only stayed a few hours before one if not all the girls came out of the house screaming. Once they realized it was a prank, everyone would relax, the pledges would go back to the house and enjoy a drink and celebrate the hazing.
Colleen looked over and saw the other two girls that were going in with her. They each had a flashlight and a blanket with them and whatever they wanted to wear. Bundled up, the joined up and went inside. The house was mostly empty, with wood floors that were creaky and grey from the weather. The rooms were big and had papers from books strewn about. Going to the master staircase, they went upstairs and went to the rooms they each had been assigned. The pledge coordinator came in and gave them all some advice about what was going to happen. Of course she said they had to spend the night (although nobody ever made it through the night, they either left screaming or were brought out after a few hours by the sisters as a reward). They could talk to each other but had to remain in the rooms unless they wanted to leave and put their status in jeopardy.
With flashlights in hand, they all sat in their rooms and began to wait things out. At first they chatted a bit to keep things light. The rooms were cold and with the wind blowing through the windows making it downright chilling. The girls could not see each other but could talk as well as flash their flashlights out the doorway into the hall to light it up. For almost an hour, things carried on like this and darkness quickly settled and the entire night was black. With the cold temperatures, it was quiet except for the wind which had a lonely whistle to it. It creeped all the girls out. Colleen looked outside, she could see the two cars of the sorority sisters parked out there with the girls sitting by a nice fire. The four of them appeared to be drinking and snacking and enjoying the night wrapped in cozy blankets while sitting on folding chairs. She sighed and wished the night was over, even with the girls next door, it was creepy and she bundled up from the cold.
As she sat on the floor she could hear noise coming from another room. It was faint at first, the sound of something moving. A gentle scrape that was heavy but slow and stealthy. “Oh great, its scare the girls time” she thought to herself. The other girls in the other rooms didn’t hear it yet and Colleen moved next to an old end table to prop herself up against it. Her hand slipped as she moved the table causing her to drop her flashlight and it turned off, leaving her in pure darkness. That caused a quick chain reaction with the other girls.
“What was that?” Beth shouted
“Is that Colleen?” Sandra gasped
In the inky darkness Colleen tried to find her flashlight, hands grasping into the total black infront of her and the floor she could feel with her fingers.
“Colleen! Are you ok?” Beth shouted with fear in her voice
At that moment, Colleen found the flashlight and said to the others “I’m ok, just dropped my damned flashlight.” She clicked the switch but nothing happened. “Great” she thought, “Broken flashlight is totally worthless”.
She stood, working the flashlight switch and heard the sounds build. The sound that scrape was of feet shuffling slowly on the floor. Clearly, feet on loose pages of paper moving in a room probably next to hers. Heavy was the feeling to the sound as the floorboards creaked to each movement. It was getting louder and clearer and she was in pure darkness. Shaking her light gently and feeling her pulse race, it wasn’t funny, this wasn’t cool. In her mind, Colleen thought “Joke or not, this is not funny”.
The flashlight snapped on suddenly and she looked up to see her room lit and for an instant her eyes could see something in the hallway; a shadow cast in that space by the flashlights of the other girls and at that instant the combined screams of the other two girls. The screams pierced the night and Colleen felt her heart skip a beat as she was beyond scared.
At this point, any reason left her head and her feet moved like a blur, racing out of the room and exiting away from the other two girls’ rooms towards the stairs. The hair on the back of her neck stood up and tingled as she went down the stairs in an almost controlled fall. The screams of the girls pierced the silence and echoed in the house as she ran. Feet tumbling and barely touching the ground they moved with an adrenaline-fueled fear. When she got out of the house, out into the open where the sorority sisters were by the fire she found nothing but a fire with no trace of anyone. No sorority sisters sitting around it all cozy with cars parked nearby, both were gone. She was standing next to the fire, alone with her heart racing, thumping so hard her pulse could be felt on her face and lungs gasping in and out from terror. It was at that moment she realized it was silent again. Stone silent, as if the world had no sound. No more screams from either girl. Just the gentle wind on a cold night with darkness all around her as she stood there not knowing what was next. Turning, she looked back at the house and could see on the second floor a light in the hallway reflected off the old wallpaper. A shape stepped in front of the window, looking outside, silhouetted by the light behind it. A tall figure with square shoulders and ragged hair stood stoically at the open window. She could tell that this person was looking at her and in the blink of an eye, the light behind the silhouette went off and the window was inky black.
She wanted to scream but, what good would that do?
Just spend the night
Colleen felt the pit of her stomach pulling at her. She could literally feel her stomach move down inside her body in a full sense of dread.
“This is how horror movies start!” She thought as she walked up the farmhouse steps to enter the old abandoned place that was easily over a hundred years old. The sun was already dipping down in a cool grey sky of mid October. A gentle breeze blew which made an already cool night add in a bite of crisp cold to the mix. In this part of Michigan, the leaves had already turned and fallen. Bare trees stood stoic with branches reaching out to the sky which made the evening feel cooler than it already was.
It might have been in the 50’s during the day but at night, it would surely get into the 40’s and the breeze would not help. Colleen scanned the house as she stood on the long porch, most of the windows were gone and inside was an inky black that seemed endless. The house was big with 3 stories and had been abandoned for over 20 years according to the sorority sisters. Sitting atop a gentle hill, this house that once was majestic had fallen into disrepair.
This was considered one of her biggest tests to endure to get in. Up until this point, the party planning, memorizing sorority history and members, doing tons of menial chores had been pretty sucky but she wanted to be in this group. Popular and powerful on campus, the sisters of Tau Beta had it all and to be part of this group meant a great deal on campus and after graduation.
Colleen was here for the ‘Fright Night’ test as the other pledges had called it. Each year a few girls would go out to this old house and spend the night in the dark to prove they had the courage to stay all night. It mostly was a chance for the sorority sisters to prank them and scare the crap out of these young girls. Typically, they only stayed a few hours before one if not all the girls came out of the house screaming. Once they realized it was a prank, everyone would relax, the pledges would go back to the house and enjoy a drink and celebrate the hazing.
Colleen looked over and saw the other two girls that were going in with her. They each had a flashlight and a blanket with them and whatever they wanted to wear. Bundled up, the joined up and went inside. The house was mostly empty, with wood floors that were creaky and grey from the weather. The rooms were big and had papers from books strewn about. Going to the master staircase, they went upstairs and went to the rooms they each had been assigned. The pledge coordinator came in and gave them all some advice about what was going to happen. Of course she said they had to spend the night (although nobody ever made it through the night, they either left screaming or were brought out after a few hours by the sisters as a reward). They could talk to each other but had to remain in the rooms unless they wanted to leave and put their status in jeopardy.
With flashlights in hand, they all sat in their rooms and began to wait things out. At first they chatted a bit to keep things light. The rooms were cold and with the wind blowing through the windows making it downright chilling. The girls could not see each other but could talk as well as flash their flashlights out the doorway into the hall to light it up. For almost an hour, things carried on like this and darkness quickly settled and the entire night was black. With the cold temperatures, it was quiet except for the wind which had a lonely whistle to it. It creeped all the girls out. Colleen looked outside, she could see the two cars of the sorority sisters parked out there with the girls sitting by a nice fire. The four of them appeared to be drinking and snacking and enjoying the night wrapped in cozy blankets while sitting on folding chairs. She sighed and wished the night was over, even with the girls next door, it was creepy and she bundled up from the cold.
As she sat on the floor she could hear noise coming from another room. It was faint at first, the sound of something moving. A gentle scrape that was heavy but slow and stealthy. “Oh great, its scare the girls time” she thought to herself. The other girls in the other rooms didn’t hear it yet and Colleen moved next to an old end table to prop herself up against it. Her hand slipped as she moved the table causing her to drop her flashlight and it turned off, leaving her in pure darkness. That caused a quick chain reaction with the other girls.
“What was that?” Beth shouted
“Is that Colleen?” Sandra gasped
In the inky darkness Colleen tried to find her flashlight, hands grasping into the total black infront of her and the floor she could feel with her fingers.
“Colleen! Are you ok?” Beth shouted with fear in her voice
At that moment, Colleen found the flashlight and said to the others “I’m ok, just dropped my damned flashlight.” She clicked the switch but nothing happened. “Great” she thought, “Broken flashlight is totally worthless”.
She stood, working the flashlight switch and heard the sounds build. The sound that scrape was of feet shuffling slowly on the floor. Clearly, feet on loose pages of paper moving in a room probably next to hers. Heavy was the feeling to the sound as the floorboards creaked to each movement. It was getting louder and clearer and she was in pure darkness. Shaking her light gently and feeling her pulse race, it wasn’t funny, this wasn’t cool. In her mind, Colleen thought “Joke or not, this is not funny”.
The flashlight snapped on suddenly and she looked up to see her room lit and for an instant her eyes could see something in the hallway; a shadow cast in that space by the flashlights of the other girls and at that instant the combined screams of the other two girls. The screams pierced the night and Colleen felt her heart skip a beat as she was beyond scared.
At this point, any reason left her head and her feet moved like a blur, racing out of the room and exiting away from the other two girls’ rooms towards the stairs. The hair on the back of her neck stood up and tingled as she went down the stairs in an almost controlled fall. The screams of the girls pierced the silence and echoed in the house as she ran. Feet tumbling and barely touching the ground they moved with an adrenaline-fueled fear. When she got out of the house, out into the open where the sorority sisters were by the fire she found nothing but a fire with no trace of anyone. No sorority sisters sitting around it all cozy with cars parked nearby, both were gone. She was standing next to the fire, alone with her heart racing, thumping so hard her pulse could be felt on her face and lungs gasping in and out from terror. It was at that moment she realized it was silent again. Stone silent, as if the world had no sound. No more screams from either girl. Just the gentle wind on a cold night with darkness all around her as she stood there not knowing what was next. Turning, she looked back at the house and could see on the second floor a light in the hallway reflected off the old wallpaper. A shape stepped in front of the window, looking outside, silhouetted by the light behind it. A tall figure with square shoulders and ragged hair stood stoically at the open window. She could tell that this person was looking at her and in the blink of an eye, the light behind the silhouette went off and the window was inky black.
She wanted to scream but, what good would that do?
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
It'll only get worse when you add Stalking
So it's been pretty clear that with my ex 'Babs' and her GF putting down the 'reality' I got pretty flippin creeped out. Personally, I didn't buy the whole comment from the GF who said that others were looking, it was Babs that was looking if anyone. Stalking is inside her and natural to her.
Around that time, I started talking to someone new in my world who I'll call 'Sunshine'. She was my contemporary who had been partnered to Babs' GF and was dumped much like I had been. Sunshine was quiet and I reached out to her for a common soul who might be in the same boat as me. Let me tell you, she turned out to be a very genuine and sweet person who was terribly upset by what the GF had done. Suffice to say, GF had really done a number on her and when I had mentioned to Babs before we got all full of venom that I was thinking of talking to her, she got SUPER sensitive.
Babs said that Sunshine was crazy and that talking to her would be a disaster. Yeah, ok. Basically Sunshine was able to help me and I helped her by talking about what had happened and she had done some similar searching and basically confirmed a lot of my suspicions about what had happened. Timelines matched, stories fit into place and for once, I had someone on my side that was happy to help.
The last few times I talked to Babs, she continued to say Sunshine was crazy but I just shrugged it off. What Sunshine was tho was highly suspicious of anyone after that. It's the price that is paid when you get burnt. Anyone in flickr or SL that she met, she worried was an alt of Babs or her GF. She didn't want games and was determined not to get played by them again.
However, after the little plurk event, our talking kind of went in the tank fast because I could tell it was just a game to Babs and the GF. I'm sure they had a good laugh at me trying to figure a way to be a 'good girl' and earn some trust back with them when they had no desire to see me back.
My contact with the girls that Babs had adopted in SL ended and I just plain gave up after a while.
After some time, a miracle happened. Babs and I had a series of IM's via Yahoo after a cooling off period. This is when she confessed to a number of things including the alts prior to our split. Maybe she was chilling out and with me out of her world, things were getting better.
I dunno but for a little bit, via Yahoo, we could chat and be a lot like how we had been when we were close. It's like, without the GF, she was her old self when we talked. Was it a trap? Was it something else? I couldn't tell! Sunshine said it was a trap and for a time, I felt absolutely confused about everything. Maybe Babs just needed to be away from her GF to be herself.
My defenses were up - I felt like I couldn't trust her and just left things be. Any chatting was not going to happen on a regular basis.
I had my magazine and hosted a party for an issue about BDSM and held it at Rouge as always. It was a great party because it was my way of venting off some energy and be with a lot of cool friends. Codie and Gabby host great parties and the tunes were great. What was most interesting was the one person who came in and stuck out like a sore thumb. In the middle of the night, Sunshine and I noticed a 'new' avatar with some really bad clothes pop in. She came in wearing some bad leather/latex gear and just walked in and spent her time looking at me without a word. For a few minutes I watched as this person walked around. No dancing, no interaction, just watching. Sunshine noticed and IM'd me. We chatted about the fact that it could be Babs.
I was just about to ask Gabby and Codie to talk to and possibly restrict or eject this person and they poofed. Within a short time, that avatar ceased to exist. A disposable avi that had been used to 'crash' my party? I would think so. Things after that got quiet and I tried not to think about it.
Focusing on me and my time in SL is what got me through things as I finally let go of the last of my hurt feelings about how our relationship had ended. Babs was happy with her GF and Sunshine and I were friends as well as a new person who entered my world and I spent more and more time with them. It seemed like everything was getting better as we all kind of moved on with life. But ending a stalker and their behavior is never assumed, it has to be driven out.
My next contact with Babs happened early in 2010, a full year plus after our split. I sent a message to her via yahoo because I'm sentimental as anything and I figured why not say something...and she came back with some harsh words, my favorite being an indictment on me about a myspace page that she had assumed was me. So just to paint this correctly, she got mad FAST about a myspace page that I had no control over. She said I had been 'talking shit' about her on there and to stop it immediately. Can you imagine this poor woman who is out there and enjoying life and somewhere in this world is Babs, watching on a computer screen and seething at it? Holy F*ck!
I had thought things were better but clearly she was swimming in the deep end of the crazy pool. Feeling awful for this poor woman that Babs targeted I convinced her that it wasn't me. Once satisfied, she and I talked a little again. She confessed to the alt from flickr with the snide remark and another of my suspicions was proved out. What bothered the hell out of me was her new tone. Before when we talked, she seemed like her normal self I had come to know but now, much more cold and calculating when we talked. She was now saying things about how we had 'gotten past' so much that I should give her more info about me. She was like 'what's the harm? Just tell me your real name'. Wait a hot second lady, you were furious at an innocent woman and now you want my real details?
The best was when she wanted to send a surprise to my office and asked me to give her an address so she could share something from her company. Guess what I said? You got it - 'er, thanks but I'll pass'. That's when the alarm bells rang again. Babs was in a space that seemed angry and obsessed. She pressed a few times to get my real info and somehow convince me that since Second Life was kind of over for us both, we should be friends.
Well, I put Lacie to rest around that time and didn't log on with her for many months. Letting her sleep safely was the thing I felt would bring total peace. No more Babs, no more of that crap. Babs has a twitter account and I did look at that from time to time, just to see what was going on but that was about it.
Then it got scary.
I signed Lacie back in one night and took some photos. Within less than a day a new avatar messaged me offline. A secret admirer. One I had never met or known. One that wanted to talk and 'had waited so long' for me. WTF is this!?!? Obviously someone with a script to report on my login had put it into place. Immediately I shrank back and wanted to throw up. Yahoo email account was given to me so we could message and I felt terrified by this crazy action. I tried to find out who it was and they said 'now what fun is that' when it came to revealing their identity.
But I had 2 good friends go into defensive mode and they quickly found a myspace page with some info and confronted her. She got spooked by this and quickly was gone. Deleted her myspace and the avatar. These friends of mine had dealt with stalkers many times before and didn't take it lightly, they wanted to go after them. They even found a flickr page and I had missed the friendship offer from months earlier. They told me enough information about what they found that I felt it had to be Babs. It was peculiar that the language this secret admirer used was the EXACT same words Babs had said to me when I became romantic with her in SL. Indeed, she is a creature of habits.
But wait....it gets worse
Babs loves myspace. It's her little place to put her avatar up and make a comment or two. No adults use this anymore but she did. She became a cyber bully and that's when I nearly lost it. Her avatar profile had her myspace profile link in it. Anyone visiting could see the link and simply click to view it. Knowing that this admirer had a myspace page and seeing a myspace profile in Babs profile made me curious so I clicked.
There I was - or at least she tried. By IP tracker, she had 2 maps showing 'stalker home' and 'stalker work'. In an attempt to show where I lived and worked. I couldn't believe it and nearly threw up. Now I was the stalker. Her twitter account had comments about a stalker and I didn't put 2 and 2 together right away but here it was. I was her stalker. How fitting, she does all these things and to put icing on it, she's the innocent one that is playing victim.
But this isn't a game or a joke. This was real and she was really trying to show where I live and work. This is cyber bullying at it's purest form when someone is putting up personal information about another without consent. It's against TOS for myspace and many other places including twitter. It hurt to see that and feel violated in this way.
At first I freaked out and told friends. They wanted me to get a lawyer and get on this. I shrank back and stopped having Lacie on once again.
Yes - I would look in on her Twitter after that to see if she was saying anything more because I was considering legal action and even talked to one about it. Babs has made her twitter private and public back and forth over time. I really don't care now because she took down her myspace page with her SL avatar that had all my details.
I did make one poetic move that I know she saw. A bottle I called 'stalkerjuice' was my litle artistic ode to her. For the first time I did something directed at her. It was my clear message that I knew she was a stalker and that she must be drinking this evil concoction. Making my own label it was a Second Life original.
She didn't like it one bit. Babs was sure to note on her myspace that she had taken some action based on it.
I took it down some time ago but the message was sent. She's seen it and got the message. She has subsequently taken down her myspace and potentially left SL. Good for her, she can go and exist in her little rotten life torturing someone else. I have no desire to ever hear from her ever again in life. After all these years of knowing her and spending the majority of it as her target, as her stalking victim, there is a sense of relief in getting this off my chest.
Of course, she's somewhere in the shadows, reading all this now and fuming, can you hear the crackle crackle of her fuses about to snap from all the heat?
The conclusion on this for me is that being stalked has been one of the worst experiences in my life. Knowing someone is watching has made me paranoid and less trusting. It shattered my belief in what an online friendship can be, especially from someone I thought I could trust.
When you see signs of this behavior, protect yourself. Don't rationalize it away, make a stand and don't get walked on like I did. My relationship with Babs ended but it never went away as we went from friends and lovers to emotional torture.
At times I felt like I was being nosey but it was always to protect myself and to figure out events in the past, not plan for the future, not to harass anyone. That final moment when I posted 'stalkerjuice' is when I finally made a stand. That's when I took control and that's when it stopped.
Babs has to look at herself in the mirror and answer to her God at the end of it all about how she has behaved. I'm not especially proud of making that picture but it served it's purpose and gave me strength. Now, so many months later I sit here typing up this memoir of stalking and close it hoping none of you experience this like I have. Either through luck of friendship or from blissful ignorance. I had to be too much like a stalker at times to protect myself and that is not who I am.
Babs - get some help. Get a life.
Around that time, I started talking to someone new in my world who I'll call 'Sunshine'. She was my contemporary who had been partnered to Babs' GF and was dumped much like I had been. Sunshine was quiet and I reached out to her for a common soul who might be in the same boat as me. Let me tell you, she turned out to be a very genuine and sweet person who was terribly upset by what the GF had done. Suffice to say, GF had really done a number on her and when I had mentioned to Babs before we got all full of venom that I was thinking of talking to her, she got SUPER sensitive.
Babs said that Sunshine was crazy and that talking to her would be a disaster. Yeah, ok. Basically Sunshine was able to help me and I helped her by talking about what had happened and she had done some similar searching and basically confirmed a lot of my suspicions about what had happened. Timelines matched, stories fit into place and for once, I had someone on my side that was happy to help.
The last few times I talked to Babs, she continued to say Sunshine was crazy but I just shrugged it off. What Sunshine was tho was highly suspicious of anyone after that. It's the price that is paid when you get burnt. Anyone in flickr or SL that she met, she worried was an alt of Babs or her GF. She didn't want games and was determined not to get played by them again.
However, after the little plurk event, our talking kind of went in the tank fast because I could tell it was just a game to Babs and the GF. I'm sure they had a good laugh at me trying to figure a way to be a 'good girl' and earn some trust back with them when they had no desire to see me back.
My contact with the girls that Babs had adopted in SL ended and I just plain gave up after a while.
After some time, a miracle happened. Babs and I had a series of IM's via Yahoo after a cooling off period. This is when she confessed to a number of things including the alts prior to our split. Maybe she was chilling out and with me out of her world, things were getting better.
I dunno but for a little bit, via Yahoo, we could chat and be a lot like how we had been when we were close. It's like, without the GF, she was her old self when we talked. Was it a trap? Was it something else? I couldn't tell! Sunshine said it was a trap and for a time, I felt absolutely confused about everything. Maybe Babs just needed to be away from her GF to be herself.
My defenses were up - I felt like I couldn't trust her and just left things be. Any chatting was not going to happen on a regular basis.
I had my magazine and hosted a party for an issue about BDSM and held it at Rouge as always. It was a great party because it was my way of venting off some energy and be with a lot of cool friends. Codie and Gabby host great parties and the tunes were great. What was most interesting was the one person who came in and stuck out like a sore thumb. In the middle of the night, Sunshine and I noticed a 'new' avatar with some really bad clothes pop in. She came in wearing some bad leather/latex gear and just walked in and spent her time looking at me without a word. For a few minutes I watched as this person walked around. No dancing, no interaction, just watching. Sunshine noticed and IM'd me. We chatted about the fact that it could be Babs.
I was just about to ask Gabby and Codie to talk to and possibly restrict or eject this person and they poofed. Within a short time, that avatar ceased to exist. A disposable avi that had been used to 'crash' my party? I would think so. Things after that got quiet and I tried not to think about it.
Focusing on me and my time in SL is what got me through things as I finally let go of the last of my hurt feelings about how our relationship had ended. Babs was happy with her GF and Sunshine and I were friends as well as a new person who entered my world and I spent more and more time with them. It seemed like everything was getting better as we all kind of moved on with life. But ending a stalker and their behavior is never assumed, it has to be driven out.
My next contact with Babs happened early in 2010, a full year plus after our split. I sent a message to her via yahoo because I'm sentimental as anything and I figured why not say something...and she came back with some harsh words, my favorite being an indictment on me about a myspace page that she had assumed was me. So just to paint this correctly, she got mad FAST about a myspace page that I had no control over. She said I had been 'talking shit' about her on there and to stop it immediately. Can you imagine this poor woman who is out there and enjoying life and somewhere in this world is Babs, watching on a computer screen and seething at it? Holy F*ck!
I had thought things were better but clearly she was swimming in the deep end of the crazy pool. Feeling awful for this poor woman that Babs targeted I convinced her that it wasn't me. Once satisfied, she and I talked a little again. She confessed to the alt from flickr with the snide remark and another of my suspicions was proved out. What bothered the hell out of me was her new tone. Before when we talked, she seemed like her normal self I had come to know but now, much more cold and calculating when we talked. She was now saying things about how we had 'gotten past' so much that I should give her more info about me. She was like 'what's the harm? Just tell me your real name'. Wait a hot second lady, you were furious at an innocent woman and now you want my real details?
The best was when she wanted to send a surprise to my office and asked me to give her an address so she could share something from her company. Guess what I said? You got it - 'er, thanks but I'll pass'. That's when the alarm bells rang again. Babs was in a space that seemed angry and obsessed. She pressed a few times to get my real info and somehow convince me that since Second Life was kind of over for us both, we should be friends.
Well, I put Lacie to rest around that time and didn't log on with her for many months. Letting her sleep safely was the thing I felt would bring total peace. No more Babs, no more of that crap. Babs has a twitter account and I did look at that from time to time, just to see what was going on but that was about it.
Then it got scary.
I signed Lacie back in one night and took some photos. Within less than a day a new avatar messaged me offline. A secret admirer. One I had never met or known. One that wanted to talk and 'had waited so long' for me. WTF is this!?!? Obviously someone with a script to report on my login had put it into place. Immediately I shrank back and wanted to throw up. Yahoo email account was given to me so we could message and I felt terrified by this crazy action. I tried to find out who it was and they said 'now what fun is that' when it came to revealing their identity.
But I had 2 good friends go into defensive mode and they quickly found a myspace page with some info and confronted her. She got spooked by this and quickly was gone. Deleted her myspace and the avatar. These friends of mine had dealt with stalkers many times before and didn't take it lightly, they wanted to go after them. They even found a flickr page and I had missed the friendship offer from months earlier. They told me enough information about what they found that I felt it had to be Babs. It was peculiar that the language this secret admirer used was the EXACT same words Babs had said to me when I became romantic with her in SL. Indeed, she is a creature of habits.
But wait....it gets worse
Babs loves myspace. It's her little place to put her avatar up and make a comment or two. No adults use this anymore but she did. She became a cyber bully and that's when I nearly lost it. Her avatar profile had her myspace profile link in it. Anyone visiting could see the link and simply click to view it. Knowing that this admirer had a myspace page and seeing a myspace profile in Babs profile made me curious so I clicked.
There I was - or at least she tried. By IP tracker, she had 2 maps showing 'stalker home' and 'stalker work'. In an attempt to show where I lived and worked. I couldn't believe it and nearly threw up. Now I was the stalker. Her twitter account had comments about a stalker and I didn't put 2 and 2 together right away but here it was. I was her stalker. How fitting, she does all these things and to put icing on it, she's the innocent one that is playing victim.
But this isn't a game or a joke. This was real and she was really trying to show where I live and work. This is cyber bullying at it's purest form when someone is putting up personal information about another without consent. It's against TOS for myspace and many other places including twitter. It hurt to see that and feel violated in this way.
At first I freaked out and told friends. They wanted me to get a lawyer and get on this. I shrank back and stopped having Lacie on once again.
Yes - I would look in on her Twitter after that to see if she was saying anything more because I was considering legal action and even talked to one about it. Babs has made her twitter private and public back and forth over time. I really don't care now because she took down her myspace page with her SL avatar that had all my details.
I did make one poetic move that I know she saw. A bottle I called 'stalkerjuice' was my litle artistic ode to her. For the first time I did something directed at her. It was my clear message that I knew she was a stalker and that she must be drinking this evil concoction. Making my own label it was a Second Life original.
She didn't like it one bit. Babs was sure to note on her myspace that she had taken some action based on it.
I took it down some time ago but the message was sent. She's seen it and got the message. She has subsequently taken down her myspace and potentially left SL. Good for her, she can go and exist in her little rotten life torturing someone else. I have no desire to ever hear from her ever again in life. After all these years of knowing her and spending the majority of it as her target, as her stalking victim, there is a sense of relief in getting this off my chest.
Of course, she's somewhere in the shadows, reading all this now and fuming, can you hear the crackle crackle of her fuses about to snap from all the heat?
The conclusion on this for me is that being stalked has been one of the worst experiences in my life. Knowing someone is watching has made me paranoid and less trusting. It shattered my belief in what an online friendship can be, especially from someone I thought I could trust.
When you see signs of this behavior, protect yourself. Don't rationalize it away, make a stand and don't get walked on like I did. My relationship with Babs ended but it never went away as we went from friends and lovers to emotional torture.
At times I felt like I was being nosey but it was always to protect myself and to figure out events in the past, not plan for the future, not to harass anyone. That final moment when I posted 'stalkerjuice' is when I finally made a stand. That's when I took control and that's when it stopped.
Babs has to look at herself in the mirror and answer to her God at the end of it all about how she has behaved. I'm not especially proud of making that picture but it served it's purpose and gave me strength. Now, so many months later I sit here typing up this memoir of stalking and close it hoping none of you experience this like I have. Either through luck of friendship or from blissful ignorance. I had to be too much like a stalker at times to protect myself and that is not who I am.
Babs - get some help. Get a life.
Welcome to Stalking
When Babs and I had split, that funny feeling about how fast everything happened would not leave me. In the span of a week, I went from her partner that lived on the land she carefully created to out of all of her groups and staying at a friends SL home. This is when my curiosity got the best of me and I indulged in what some would call snooping and others would call stalking. I used one of Babs favorite methods to investigate: the groups. Simply looking at her profile and groups I could see her land group and with a click, a list of people that were in her new land group.
Babs had told me long ago that she found her ex girlfriend by this manner and used it to find out what alts had been created and were hanging out at the land. I didn't need to do anything more but click on two profiles that existed in her new land group. There were two people I had never heard of in there and that's when it all became clear. My Babs had an alt. Now, I'm not dumb, I knew she had a few alts, hell, even her avi I partnered with was an alt from her original that I met.
It was clearly her avatar with brunette hair. Not even really trying to be different. The picks had some of her favorite saying in them and was filled with love for another avatar. The one bit of information that jumped out at me was the date that she 'collared' her lover. It was from only a few weeks earlier and I remembered it instantly. That was a night that Babs had said she wouldn't be online that night.
I had gone online that night and hung out with my BFF and we were at her place talking, dancing on a new stand and dancepole she had modified and watched a Youtube video thing. Several times during the night we saw someone on the fringe of our radar but no name could be seen and each time they appeared, they were gone within seconds. Now, my BFF is about the most liberal person on the planet, clothing is purely optional to her and while dancing, it's typically topless. What's funny is that if someone saw us, they saw two topless women dancing and if they saw our conversation during that time, it was about music, food, current events and politics - not exactly 'steamy'.
The night ended and I went home and was about to log off when Babs suddenly came on! I said hello and she was in a fit! Not knowing what was up, I asked if everything was ok but she gave me the cold shoulder and didn't want to meet and have a hug which we always did. What the heck was up? She was so cold and I couldn't figure out what was up. So I logged off and went to bed wondering.
Now I knew after seeing this alt and the collar date. That night was the collaring date! She was in her alt, collaring her 'girl'! (Babs confessed to me a few months later that yes, she did snoop on me and my BFF from a distance and grew furious watching us.) Seeing that date, and not yet knowing the truth, I guessed that she had spied me, and either in a fit of revenge or as part of the night, she collared her girlfriend.
This leads me to my moral dilemma question. Is what I did snooping or stalking? My reason for doing this was out of curiosity and wanting to know the truth about something. Was it underhanded to look at groups and profiles? I'd always felt that profiles were public domain and if someone wants it private, they keep it private and don't share it with the world. However, I could be justifying it to my benefit, y'know? So I gained some peace from knowing it but it also made me mad realizing that Babs had apparently done this. It wasn't this innocent 'oh we didn't expect this' like they had tried to explain to me when they described the sudden onset of their relationship. Nope, this was something they both had plenty of time with.
After our split, things got snarky. Babs had a Flickr account and she promptly put up a number of photos of her and her new GF. Her GF didn't have a Flickr account so it was meant for my eyes since I went to Flickr daily. Is that stalking? You know, seeing new photos from a contact? I tend to think that it's not but yes, it involves seeing a contacts photos are updated and it's essentially in your face. To me, that's broadcasting new pics to your circle of friends which is beyond private.
Not to be outdone, I had a little Flickr drama of my own to indulge in. I took some new pics that were suggestive and included my BFF. This is when things took a turn to a new chapter in stalking. A new account made a comment on one of these pictures saying my BFF had a 'freaky avatar'. Now, if someone makes an unwelcome comment on a flickr picture, isn't that over the line? Isn't that inappropriate? It was an anonymous profile, but Babs has the subtlety of a punch to the face. (Again, she confessed to me later about this account so I know that my suspicions are factual.) The best part is that the profile existed for maybe a day or two max. She had tried being friends with about a dozen of my close friends in flickr before deactivating the account.
I saw all this and talked to 2 friends who had been contacted for friendship from this account. They had no clue and wondered what was up. Sadly, Babs had elevated from observing to now interacting and there was no turning back.
The kicker happened via Plurk. A social posting/twitter type thing that a number of SL friends use. I had been active in plurk for a while and when we split, I tried being good about venting my frustration and the things I was learning. Finally, one day I made a few choice comments about Babs and what we'd experienced. It was healthy to vent but not exactly the most classy moment I've had. The last thing I needed to do was feed her fire but I had held it in and wanted to blow off steam.
Things culminated in a venting email to Babs where I called her a coward for what she did. Knowing what I knew about her alts and the fact that my first partnership died because of alts, I had enough.
At that point her new GF stepped in and said that I was over the line. We set up a meeting and talked to try to bury the hatchet. It actually went really well and though I don't like her style, the GF appeared to make an effort to bring some peace. When Babs joined us after a long talk, she was pissed. She lashed out at me and ripped me up and down for what I had done. What the heck had I done? I couldn't figure it out until the comment from my Plurk was brought out.
That's when I was told that I was constantly being watched. The GF said something like 'you're not the only one with lots of friends online'. To which I asked 'is that a threat' and I got the equally cold response of something like 'it's a fact'.
Ok Lacie - guess what? You're being watched not only by Babs but by whatever army of others her and her new GF had. Things were just getting going.
Babs had told me long ago that she found her ex girlfriend by this manner and used it to find out what alts had been created and were hanging out at the land. I didn't need to do anything more but click on two profiles that existed in her new land group. There were two people I had never heard of in there and that's when it all became clear. My Babs had an alt. Now, I'm not dumb, I knew she had a few alts, hell, even her avi I partnered with was an alt from her original that I met.
It was clearly her avatar with brunette hair. Not even really trying to be different. The picks had some of her favorite saying in them and was filled with love for another avatar. The one bit of information that jumped out at me was the date that she 'collared' her lover. It was from only a few weeks earlier and I remembered it instantly. That was a night that Babs had said she wouldn't be online that night.
I had gone online that night and hung out with my BFF and we were at her place talking, dancing on a new stand and dancepole she had modified and watched a Youtube video thing. Several times during the night we saw someone on the fringe of our radar but no name could be seen and each time they appeared, they were gone within seconds. Now, my BFF is about the most liberal person on the planet, clothing is purely optional to her and while dancing, it's typically topless. What's funny is that if someone saw us, they saw two topless women dancing and if they saw our conversation during that time, it was about music, food, current events and politics - not exactly 'steamy'.
The night ended and I went home and was about to log off when Babs suddenly came on! I said hello and she was in a fit! Not knowing what was up, I asked if everything was ok but she gave me the cold shoulder and didn't want to meet and have a hug which we always did. What the heck was up? She was so cold and I couldn't figure out what was up. So I logged off and went to bed wondering.
Now I knew after seeing this alt and the collar date. That night was the collaring date! She was in her alt, collaring her 'girl'! (Babs confessed to me a few months later that yes, she did snoop on me and my BFF from a distance and grew furious watching us.) Seeing that date, and not yet knowing the truth, I guessed that she had spied me, and either in a fit of revenge or as part of the night, she collared her girlfriend.
This leads me to my moral dilemma question. Is what I did snooping or stalking? My reason for doing this was out of curiosity and wanting to know the truth about something. Was it underhanded to look at groups and profiles? I'd always felt that profiles were public domain and if someone wants it private, they keep it private and don't share it with the world. However, I could be justifying it to my benefit, y'know? So I gained some peace from knowing it but it also made me mad realizing that Babs had apparently done this. It wasn't this innocent 'oh we didn't expect this' like they had tried to explain to me when they described the sudden onset of their relationship. Nope, this was something they both had plenty of time with.
After our split, things got snarky. Babs had a Flickr account and she promptly put up a number of photos of her and her new GF. Her GF didn't have a Flickr account so it was meant for my eyes since I went to Flickr daily. Is that stalking? You know, seeing new photos from a contact? I tend to think that it's not but yes, it involves seeing a contacts photos are updated and it's essentially in your face. To me, that's broadcasting new pics to your circle of friends which is beyond private.
Not to be outdone, I had a little Flickr drama of my own to indulge in. I took some new pics that were suggestive and included my BFF. This is when things took a turn to a new chapter in stalking. A new account made a comment on one of these pictures saying my BFF had a 'freaky avatar'. Now, if someone makes an unwelcome comment on a flickr picture, isn't that over the line? Isn't that inappropriate? It was an anonymous profile, but Babs has the subtlety of a punch to the face. (Again, she confessed to me later about this account so I know that my suspicions are factual.) The best part is that the profile existed for maybe a day or two max. She had tried being friends with about a dozen of my close friends in flickr before deactivating the account.
I saw all this and talked to 2 friends who had been contacted for friendship from this account. They had no clue and wondered what was up. Sadly, Babs had elevated from observing to now interacting and there was no turning back.
The kicker happened via Plurk. A social posting/twitter type thing that a number of SL friends use. I had been active in plurk for a while and when we split, I tried being good about venting my frustration and the things I was learning. Finally, one day I made a few choice comments about Babs and what we'd experienced. It was healthy to vent but not exactly the most classy moment I've had. The last thing I needed to do was feed her fire but I had held it in and wanted to blow off steam.
Things culminated in a venting email to Babs where I called her a coward for what she did. Knowing what I knew about her alts and the fact that my first partnership died because of alts, I had enough.
At that point her new GF stepped in and said that I was over the line. We set up a meeting and talked to try to bury the hatchet. It actually went really well and though I don't like her style, the GF appeared to make an effort to bring some peace. When Babs joined us after a long talk, she was pissed. She lashed out at me and ripped me up and down for what I had done. What the heck had I done? I couldn't figure it out until the comment from my Plurk was brought out.
That's when I was told that I was constantly being watched. The GF said something like 'you're not the only one with lots of friends online'. To which I asked 'is that a threat' and I got the equally cold response of something like 'it's a fact'.
Ok Lacie - guess what? You're being watched not only by Babs but by whatever army of others her and her new GF had. Things were just getting going.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
A Stalker is Born
Felt like it was time to do a little story about something that has truly bothered the hell out of me in the past. What is Second Life without a little dramarama, right? This is my account of actual happenings during an extended time in SL. The whole idea of stalking, especially from the side of being stalked is something I didn't expect and yet, it happened to me and probably has happened to you all at some point in your web exploits. This'll probably become several entries as the story unfolds but it's all from actual events in my experiences. For now, this is the first entry, which will be known as 'A Stalker is Born'
Early in my SL, I met someone who I spent a tremendous amount of my time with and to be kind, let's call her 'Babs'. Me and Babs met early on and had a close and intimate friendship from the start. From those first days, there was something she openly shared with me - the fact that she liked to find out about who the people behind the avatar were. It seemed somewhat harmless to me at the time, I was so flipping new to SL, it was just a ripple in a sea of new experiences.
Babs had a close girlfriend that left her. Claimed she left SL but Babs was convinced that she didn't really leave, she thought that they were ducking her and she proudly told me she could figure people out, she loved to search online for people and find them. She'd find them in SL and in RL if they were going to give her enough information. It didn't creep me out at all but there was a red flag when that girlfriend left. Babs was obsessed with finding her and find her she did, she searched and found a very similar avatar with a lot of the same info in her profile and caught her in places her old girlfriend would hang out and confronted her.
I tried being supportive and yet felt awkward the whole time this happened. It was hard enough being left in SL but then to track someone down, it just seemed to make it worse. She'd tell me her tactics on how she'd find her and then keep checking until she found another alt account that was started. This wasn't a one off experience either. Babs would search out anyone she was close to and would proudly tell me where the RL person was from, age, job, anything she could learn. That bothered me and I felt like this was a warning, not to give out personal information to someone, even someone I felt I could trust because nothing good would come of it. I didn't need random calls or letters or worse, a visit from a person from my SL unless I wanted it.
This continued with Babs as she met new people, it was always an inevitable story of how she'd learn about them and share it with me. Mostly I sat and listened and said 'oh really? Wow!' a lot. It just felt weird and sometimes, but not very often, I'd say 'do you have to look into who they are' and she brushed it off as harmless fun. The thought would creep into my head though, was she thinking about me and how much had she tried to find out?
Ontop of all this, she had this quid pro quo approach that made it easy for her to try to get info. She was open about who she was to those she got friendly with. Her first name was volunteered to me, then she shared where she lived and worked and even sent me her cell phone and finally gave me her full name and even her birthday. Shoot, I even had some video she shared of her from a program she had been on. The catch was 'well, what can I know about you?' and that scarred the f*ck out of me. From early on, my rules were clear - my first name and city I live in are pretty easy to share but beyond that - no way. I have never given out my actual birthday to anyone with accuracy. Sorry, being a target is harder when the details are vague.
Our friendship grew and as we became more exclusive with each other, her details about 'snooping' on people got quieter as we did more and more together. It sort of melted into the background but she had made it clear that she loved knowing about the people she met.
I'll pause before the end of this 'chapter' and just say that stalking is a weird thing. It's hard to exactly pin down but I define it as the activity someone takes which monitors and follows a person in an obsessive and unwanted fashion. It clearly is done in secret for the most part and has a socially unacceptable and creepy factor. The 'sniff test' on stalking to me is: If you were to tell the person you are following about the activities you're undertaking and they are uncomfortable, then it is potentially stalking.
So it was clear that I had fair warning about her and her behavior and chose to ignore it for the most part. I believed as long as we were close friends and lovers, it would overcome any of that. Yet, I was very wrong.
We became partners in June 2008 and our time together was the culmination of many months of close friendship. After a wonderful summer together, the fall gave way to things not working out well and by the time December of 2008 rolled around, we were splitting up as she had found someone new and I was replaced. It was a sudden change for me and surprised me how quickly I was out of so much of her life. The new girlfriend was very bossy and I got uncomfortable around her right away. Something didn't add up, I couldn't figure how Babs had met someone so fast and developed feelings as they both claimed. Even for SL it was fast and something was fishy. At that point, I did some detective work and learned a lot.
Early in my SL, I met someone who I spent a tremendous amount of my time with and to be kind, let's call her 'Babs'. Me and Babs met early on and had a close and intimate friendship from the start. From those first days, there was something she openly shared with me - the fact that she liked to find out about who the people behind the avatar were. It seemed somewhat harmless to me at the time, I was so flipping new to SL, it was just a ripple in a sea of new experiences.
Babs had a close girlfriend that left her. Claimed she left SL but Babs was convinced that she didn't really leave, she thought that they were ducking her and she proudly told me she could figure people out, she loved to search online for people and find them. She'd find them in SL and in RL if they were going to give her enough information. It didn't creep me out at all but there was a red flag when that girlfriend left. Babs was obsessed with finding her and find her she did, she searched and found a very similar avatar with a lot of the same info in her profile and caught her in places her old girlfriend would hang out and confronted her.
I tried being supportive and yet felt awkward the whole time this happened. It was hard enough being left in SL but then to track someone down, it just seemed to make it worse. She'd tell me her tactics on how she'd find her and then keep checking until she found another alt account that was started. This wasn't a one off experience either. Babs would search out anyone she was close to and would proudly tell me where the RL person was from, age, job, anything she could learn. That bothered me and I felt like this was a warning, not to give out personal information to someone, even someone I felt I could trust because nothing good would come of it. I didn't need random calls or letters or worse, a visit from a person from my SL unless I wanted it.
This continued with Babs as she met new people, it was always an inevitable story of how she'd learn about them and share it with me. Mostly I sat and listened and said 'oh really? Wow!' a lot. It just felt weird and sometimes, but not very often, I'd say 'do you have to look into who they are' and she brushed it off as harmless fun. The thought would creep into my head though, was she thinking about me and how much had she tried to find out?
Ontop of all this, she had this quid pro quo approach that made it easy for her to try to get info. She was open about who she was to those she got friendly with. Her first name was volunteered to me, then she shared where she lived and worked and even sent me her cell phone and finally gave me her full name and even her birthday. Shoot, I even had some video she shared of her from a program she had been on. The catch was 'well, what can I know about you?' and that scarred the f*ck out of me. From early on, my rules were clear - my first name and city I live in are pretty easy to share but beyond that - no way. I have never given out my actual birthday to anyone with accuracy. Sorry, being a target is harder when the details are vague.
Our friendship grew and as we became more exclusive with each other, her details about 'snooping' on people got quieter as we did more and more together. It sort of melted into the background but she had made it clear that she loved knowing about the people she met.
I'll pause before the end of this 'chapter' and just say that stalking is a weird thing. It's hard to exactly pin down but I define it as the activity someone takes which monitors and follows a person in an obsessive and unwanted fashion. It clearly is done in secret for the most part and has a socially unacceptable and creepy factor. The 'sniff test' on stalking to me is: If you were to tell the person you are following about the activities you're undertaking and they are uncomfortable, then it is potentially stalking.
So it was clear that I had fair warning about her and her behavior and chose to ignore it for the most part. I believed as long as we were close friends and lovers, it would overcome any of that. Yet, I was very wrong.
We became partners in June 2008 and our time together was the culmination of many months of close friendship. After a wonderful summer together, the fall gave way to things not working out well and by the time December of 2008 rolled around, we were splitting up as she had found someone new and I was replaced. It was a sudden change for me and surprised me how quickly I was out of so much of her life. The new girlfriend was very bossy and I got uncomfortable around her right away. Something didn't add up, I couldn't figure how Babs had met someone so fast and developed feelings as they both claimed. Even for SL it was fast and something was fishy. At that point, I did some detective work and learned a lot.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Expanding on some thoughts
Okie - so I'm going to revive this blog if my intentions can actually come out. It's been a Hell of a long time but I've got some things inside that are ready to come out.
The first thing I'm going to share is what I call 'stalker tale' which will be a bit of an excursion into RL and SL mixing in a strange cocktail. Not to go into all the finer points but it's a safe bet this will be my most serious writing in a long time.
The story is about friendship and love which turned to obsession and some dangerous and illegal behavior. Hope that everyone who reads the story get out of it something valuable and necessary in this day and age of information.
When it's time to write, my mind typically races and gathers the whole story and I spend time just 'setting it free' in a word document as my fingers type. This is very different. My mind is focused on the subject and every day on the way to work and on the way home, I think about it and talk it out. It's been simmering for some time now and it just feels like it's time to share it here.
So please be a little patient as I gather it all together for sharing. It'll be a bit long, that's for sure, so look for the next post to either be the whole 'shebang' or a healthy first installment.
A lovely night to you all
The first thing I'm going to share is what I call 'stalker tale' which will be a bit of an excursion into RL and SL mixing in a strange cocktail. Not to go into all the finer points but it's a safe bet this will be my most serious writing in a long time.
The story is about friendship and love which turned to obsession and some dangerous and illegal behavior. Hope that everyone who reads the story get out of it something valuable and necessary in this day and age of information.
When it's time to write, my mind typically races and gathers the whole story and I spend time just 'setting it free' in a word document as my fingers type. This is very different. My mind is focused on the subject and every day on the way to work and on the way home, I think about it and talk it out. It's been simmering for some time now and it just feels like it's time to share it here.
So please be a little patient as I gather it all together for sharing. It'll be a bit long, that's for sure, so look for the next post to either be the whole 'shebang' or a healthy first installment.
A lovely night to you all
Monday, October 19, 2009
Happy Halloween! Issue 9 is here!
Happy Halloween all you ghouls and gobblins!
The 2nd annual Halloween issue is now available for your erotic enjoyment as we get the season into full swing. This time it's a little of everything, some futuristic sexcapades, a haunting or two and what would the season be without a vampire's sweet kiss?
The writers and photographers are a great bunch for sure...
The words come from:
Skye Donardson
Salvatore Otoro
Sword Triellis
EnderV Snoodle
and yours truly!
As for the images, we had a first, a Mystery photographer who asked to go by the identity of: Velvet Petals
The others are:
Bebe Boyd
Fin Flanagan
Kalle Contepomi and
Agea Capalini
Mamaz Felwitch
A wonderful group of writers and photographers and a big hug to my editor Aeva! She helped me select the stories and made sure they were frightfully good!
So, want a copy?
So, that's it. Enjoy it, read it before bed, in bed, or wherever you wish. My only request is that you read the last few pages from me for a special little message.
Thanks so much to all of you who have been a part of this for the last 2 years. I couldn't have done it without the amazing support of friends and strangers alike.
Be good to each other and lets have lots of treats and only a few tricks this year.
xo Lacie
The 2nd annual Halloween issue is now available for your erotic enjoyment as we get the season into full swing. This time it's a little of everything, some futuristic sexcapades, a haunting or two and what would the season be without a vampire's sweet kiss?
The writers and photographers are a great bunch for sure...
The words come from:
Skye Donardson
Salvatore Otoro
Sword Triellis
EnderV Snoodle
and yours truly!
As for the images, we had a first, a Mystery photographer who asked to go by the identity of: Velvet Petals
The others are:
Bebe Boyd
Fin Flanagan
Kalle Contepomi and
Agea Capalini
Mamaz Felwitch
A wonderful group of writers and photographers and a big hug to my editor Aeva! She helped me select the stories and made sure they were frightfully good!
So, want a copy?
So, that's it. Enjoy it, read it before bed, in bed, or wherever you wish. My only request is that you read the last few pages from me for a special little message.
Thanks so much to all of you who have been a part of this for the last 2 years. I couldn't have done it without the amazing support of friends and strangers alike.
Be good to each other and lets have lots of treats and only a few tricks this year.
xo Lacie
Saturday, October 10, 2009
A Story that needs pics
I have a wonderful story that is an orphan. It needs photos to go with it. Read it and see if you think you'd want to do pics and have them back to me by Sunday the 18th.
I'm looking for 3-5 pics that would enhance the story with some erotic visions. It's all up to you and I'll put it together for my magazine.
Any Takers??
Savior
He hovered in the alleyway, preparing for the night's feeding. This was prime hunting territory...a part of town where the forgotten and disenchanted gathered. No one ever raised an alarm when another homeless person or prostitute disappeared. Allegiances among them were few, and most times it was figured that they'd simply moved on.
He was about leave to find his next victim when a young woman - a whore from the looks of her - minced into the alley and leaned against the wall of a nearby building. She let out a sigh as she slipped a foot out of one of her high heeled shoes, and idly massaged it, then the other. Once she was finished, she dug into her jacket pocket and fished out a pack of cigarettes. She lit one and took a drag, rested her head back against the wall, and let out the smoke with a sigh.
He looked at her closely. Despite her disheveled appearance, she was quite lovely...another one of mankind's forgotten children. As he felt his hunger start to take over him he rustled his leathery wings. Time on the streets had made the woman keen to such little disturbances, and her head shot up as she looked around warily for the source of the noise. She caught sight of him then, and his muscles tightened as he readied himself to pounce on her the second she ran.
But instead she regarded him coolly, taking in his dusky chiseled form gleaming in the moon's faint light. He saw her eyes taking in his black wings, then move down his nakedness to his cock, and back up to his face. Their eyes met and held for a few moments. Then to his surprise she stood up straight and dropped her things onto the concrete, took a few steps in his direction unbuttoning her cheap satin blouse just enough to expose her neck and the tops of her creamy breasts, and calmly opened her arms out to him, tilting her head back.
"I know what you are," she whispered, "save me from this."
He was suspicious at first, used to the cattle panicking at the sight of him, and wondered what she was up to. Then with his keen senses he could smell her desire to be used by him, and advanced cat-like towards her, a low growl emanating from his throat. But this woman was no mouse, trembling in fear. She just waited...wanted...her eyes challenging him to take her.
He smiled, and once she was in reach he stretched out a hand, and stroked it softly down her side. She gasped at his touch, and shivered with anticipation. He wrapped his arm around her waist, and launched them up into the air. Her laughter tinkled in his ear as he landed them gracefully on the top of building's roof.
With one hand he ripped her blouse to shreds. With the other hand, he reached under her short skirt and tore away her skimpy thong. She arched against him with a cry. He picked her up like she was naught but a feather, and she eagerly encircled his waist with her long legs.
With one swift movement he shoved his cock inside her, stifling her moans with his mouth. He breathed in the scent of her - a combination of sex, tequila, cigarette smoke, and breath mints - and strangely intoxicated by it, he shoved her up against the wall of the enclosed stairwell. They bucked against each other in a perfect rhythm, her hips meeting his every savage invasion of her body.
She shuddered with each of his thrusts, gripping him tightly inside her. His mouth moved to her breasts, and he sucked hard on one nipple, and then moved up to her lips kissing her roughly, cutting her tongue with his fangs. Upon tasting her sweet blood, he moaned. Her hands beat against his back weakly in false protest, but as she neared her climax her nails dug into him, leaving little crescent shaped marks in his flawless midnight skin.
He moved his mouth down to her throat then, the sharp tips of his teeth pricking her skin. She entwined her fingers in his hair, and tugged on it to get him to look at her. Her gaze was beseeching. Quietly she whispered, "Please?"
Filled with need for her, he ripped into her neck. They both came at that moment, his moans stifled by her neck, while she let out a wail of pleasure and pain. Her blood flooded his mouth as their juices streamed down his thighs. He drank greedily from her, feeling her body cool as it drained, felt her heart slowing. He stopped drinking then and looked at her. She was conscious, but just barely. She lifted her head and kissed him gently, licking the blood from around his mouth.
He hadn't created a companion for many years, but she was different. She was fearless, and that led him to believe that she would be worthy of his gift. With a nail he scratched at his throat opening a vein there, and placed her lips against it. She took to it like a babe to a teat, mewling softly as she sucked. The feel of her mouth on him galvanized him...made him feel like every nerve in his being was on fire. Yes, this would be his new bride.
Once he determined she'd had enough, he pulled her mouth away, and the wound quickly healed. Her eyes were glazed, her pupils vast black pools ringed with a blue as pure as the sky, and she smiled at him beatifically before resting her head on his shoulder and falling into an exhausted sleep.
He gently stroked his hand through her dark hair. "You, my darling," he whispered into her ear, "will be saved."
I'm looking for 3-5 pics that would enhance the story with some erotic visions. It's all up to you and I'll put it together for my magazine.
Any Takers??
Savior
He hovered in the alleyway, preparing for the night's feeding. This was prime hunting territory...a part of town where the forgotten and disenchanted gathered. No one ever raised an alarm when another homeless person or prostitute disappeared. Allegiances among them were few, and most times it was figured that they'd simply moved on.
He was about leave to find his next victim when a young woman - a whore from the looks of her - minced into the alley and leaned against the wall of a nearby building. She let out a sigh as she slipped a foot out of one of her high heeled shoes, and idly massaged it, then the other. Once she was finished, she dug into her jacket pocket and fished out a pack of cigarettes. She lit one and took a drag, rested her head back against the wall, and let out the smoke with a sigh.
He looked at her closely. Despite her disheveled appearance, she was quite lovely...another one of mankind's forgotten children. As he felt his hunger start to take over him he rustled his leathery wings. Time on the streets had made the woman keen to such little disturbances, and her head shot up as she looked around warily for the source of the noise. She caught sight of him then, and his muscles tightened as he readied himself to pounce on her the second she ran.
But instead she regarded him coolly, taking in his dusky chiseled form gleaming in the moon's faint light. He saw her eyes taking in his black wings, then move down his nakedness to his cock, and back up to his face. Their eyes met and held for a few moments. Then to his surprise she stood up straight and dropped her things onto the concrete, took a few steps in his direction unbuttoning her cheap satin blouse just enough to expose her neck and the tops of her creamy breasts, and calmly opened her arms out to him, tilting her head back.
"I know what you are," she whispered, "save me from this."
He was suspicious at first, used to the cattle panicking at the sight of him, and wondered what she was up to. Then with his keen senses he could smell her desire to be used by him, and advanced cat-like towards her, a low growl emanating from his throat. But this woman was no mouse, trembling in fear. She just waited...wanted...her eyes challenging him to take her.
He smiled, and once she was in reach he stretched out a hand, and stroked it softly down her side. She gasped at his touch, and shivered with anticipation. He wrapped his arm around her waist, and launched them up into the air. Her laughter tinkled in his ear as he landed them gracefully on the top of building's roof.
With one hand he ripped her blouse to shreds. With the other hand, he reached under her short skirt and tore away her skimpy thong. She arched against him with a cry. He picked her up like she was naught but a feather, and she eagerly encircled his waist with her long legs.
With one swift movement he shoved his cock inside her, stifling her moans with his mouth. He breathed in the scent of her - a combination of sex, tequila, cigarette smoke, and breath mints - and strangely intoxicated by it, he shoved her up against the wall of the enclosed stairwell. They bucked against each other in a perfect rhythm, her hips meeting his every savage invasion of her body.
She shuddered with each of his thrusts, gripping him tightly inside her. His mouth moved to her breasts, and he sucked hard on one nipple, and then moved up to her lips kissing her roughly, cutting her tongue with his fangs. Upon tasting her sweet blood, he moaned. Her hands beat against his back weakly in false protest, but as she neared her climax her nails dug into him, leaving little crescent shaped marks in his flawless midnight skin.
He moved his mouth down to her throat then, the sharp tips of his teeth pricking her skin. She entwined her fingers in his hair, and tugged on it to get him to look at her. Her gaze was beseeching. Quietly she whispered, "Please?"
Filled with need for her, he ripped into her neck. They both came at that moment, his moans stifled by her neck, while she let out a wail of pleasure and pain. Her blood flooded his mouth as their juices streamed down his thighs. He drank greedily from her, feeling her body cool as it drained, felt her heart slowing. He stopped drinking then and looked at her. She was conscious, but just barely. She lifted her head and kissed him gently, licking the blood from around his mouth.
He hadn't created a companion for many years, but she was different. She was fearless, and that led him to believe that she would be worthy of his gift. With a nail he scratched at his throat opening a vein there, and placed her lips against it. She took to it like a babe to a teat, mewling softly as she sucked. The feel of her mouth on him galvanized him...made him feel like every nerve in his being was on fire. Yes, this would be his new bride.
Once he determined she'd had enough, he pulled her mouth away, and the wound quickly healed. Her eyes were glazed, her pupils vast black pools ringed with a blue as pure as the sky, and she smiled at him beatifically before resting her head on his shoulder and falling into an exhausted sleep.
He gently stroked his hand through her dark hair. "You, my darling," he whispered into her ear, "will be saved."
Sunday, September 6, 2009
A Touch of Lace - Ninth Edition call for writers
Welcome readers, writers, and photographers!
You're likely here because of a classified post or you stumbled onto the location at Tastefully Erotic and were interested either way.
A Touch of Lace is an erotica magazine focusing on Bi & Lesbian women's erotic stories written by amateur writers in Second Life. Each issue will deliver stories that could come from anyone within Second Life. The goal is that this magazine provides those who either write or wish to write an opportunity to present stories to a wider audience.
Each issue has a theme - the fifth issue focusing on Halloween! So if you've got an erotic story in your mind that involves vampires, werewolves, ghosts, goblins or even some wicked costume party ideas.....now is the time. The bite of a vampire, the change of becoming something so powerful under a full moon, things that go bump-bump-bump in the night. The kind of erotica that has a mystical tinge to it, that's what this issue has to offer. It's also clear that we have all seen someone at a party in an amazing costume that made us want to know more, maybe now is the time to put that down to share.
Deadline for entries will be September 28th.
The editors review all stories and consider them for publication. Ideally, each month, we'll select 5 stories for publication and then the magazine will hit the stands for the world to see. Now, we can't offer any kind of pay as a reward at this time. But, it is my sincere hope that once this magazine finds a footing, I'll be able to pay the writers that are published as well as the photographers for each issue you appear in.
We're trying to combine some great photos with the stories and since an evolving entity, some stories will have a few images where others will have more Cover artwork will reflect the theme of each issue and I'd like to have a photograph of each writer and the photographers for each issue shown so we can all recognize the community that helps to make this publication a success.
Advertisers are allowed but we're not going to try to go 'ad crazy'. I only want to have people I know and wish to support listed within the magazine. That way, you know that there's something really of the highest quality when you read the stories, see the images and use the links within.
So -- the guidelines...
Story length should be between 1500 and 2500 words in general. This is a magazine, not a novel! If you have something that is significantly larger or smaller - please give some background on it and why it should be considered. This is a general guideline but it's also meant to keep consistency for the readers. Multi-part stories should not be submitted as the magazine will likely change subject from issue to issue which would wreck continuity.
Pictures are not accepted at this time. For consistency sake, please let the magazine take pictures. We want great text to be the focus of the magazine with wonderful images to be inspired by the stories. If you're a photographer, drop me a card or IM and let me know of your interest.
The publisher and editor will make changes to your submission on an as-needed basis for flow and grammar.
Please, no real-names in the stories. No youth (under 18) or objectionable material. A Touch of Lace reserves the right to refuse to run any story it finds objectionable. Please send stories to me via notecard in-world or via my yahoo email account: lacie_babenco@yahoo.com. By submitting a story for consideration, the writer consents to allow it to be published. All writers will receive notification prior to publishing that the submission has been accepted to run.
Let's see what kind of talent there is in SL. If the topic of the issue isn't your bag, be patient, there will be future issues and I hope to cover a wide range of topics for everyone here in SL.
So to recap:
Story Theme for the Ninth issue: Halloween Issue - Vampires, supernatural, costume parties!
Story length: 1500-2500 words
No pictures with the submission
Send submissions via a notecard to Lacie Babenco -or -
Send submissions via email to lacie_babenco@yahoo.com
Make sure your name and story title are in the notecard body text and the notecard title
Not all submissions will be used - it's up to the editorial staff
The editorial staff may edit your story for flow and grammar.
****REMEMBER THE DEADLINE! I AM SETTING September 28th, 2009 AS THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS - MESSAGE ME EVEN IF I'M OFFLINE IF YOU NEED MORE TIME!*****
You're likely here because of a classified post or you stumbled onto the location at Tastefully Erotic and were interested either way.
A Touch of Lace is an erotica magazine focusing on Bi & Lesbian women's erotic stories written by amateur writers in Second Life. Each issue will deliver stories that could come from anyone within Second Life. The goal is that this magazine provides those who either write or wish to write an opportunity to present stories to a wider audience.
Each issue has a theme - the fifth issue focusing on Halloween! So if you've got an erotic story in your mind that involves vampires, werewolves, ghosts, goblins or even some wicked costume party ideas.....now is the time. The bite of a vampire, the change of becoming something so powerful under a full moon, things that go bump-bump-bump in the night. The kind of erotica that has a mystical tinge to it, that's what this issue has to offer. It's also clear that we have all seen someone at a party in an amazing costume that made us want to know more, maybe now is the time to put that down to share.
Deadline for entries will be September 28th.
The editors review all stories and consider them for publication. Ideally, each month, we'll select 5 stories for publication and then the magazine will hit the stands for the world to see. Now, we can't offer any kind of pay as a reward at this time. But, it is my sincere hope that once this magazine finds a footing, I'll be able to pay the writers that are published as well as the photographers for each issue you appear in.
We're trying to combine some great photos with the stories and since an evolving entity, some stories will have a few images where others will have more Cover artwork will reflect the theme of each issue and I'd like to have a photograph of each writer and the photographers for each issue shown so we can all recognize the community that helps to make this publication a success.
Advertisers are allowed but we're not going to try to go 'ad crazy'. I only want to have people I know and wish to support listed within the magazine. That way, you know that there's something really of the highest quality when you read the stories, see the images and use the links within.
So -- the guidelines...
Story length should be between 1500 and 2500 words in general. This is a magazine, not a novel! If you have something that is significantly larger or smaller - please give some background on it and why it should be considered. This is a general guideline but it's also meant to keep consistency for the readers. Multi-part stories should not be submitted as the magazine will likely change subject from issue to issue which would wreck continuity.
Pictures are not accepted at this time. For consistency sake, please let the magazine take pictures. We want great text to be the focus of the magazine with wonderful images to be inspired by the stories. If you're a photographer, drop me a card or IM and let me know of your interest.
The publisher and editor will make changes to your submission on an as-needed basis for flow and grammar.
Please, no real-names in the stories. No youth (under 18) or objectionable material. A Touch of Lace reserves the right to refuse to run any story it finds objectionable. Please send stories to me via notecard in-world or via my yahoo email account: lacie_babenco@yahoo.com. By submitting a story for consideration, the writer consents to allow it to be published. All writers will receive notification prior to publishing that the submission has been accepted to run.
Let's see what kind of talent there is in SL. If the topic of the issue isn't your bag, be patient, there will be future issues and I hope to cover a wide range of topics for everyone here in SL.
So to recap:
Story Theme for the Ninth issue: Halloween Issue - Vampires, supernatural, costume parties!
Story length: 1500-2500 words
No pictures with the submission
Send submissions via a notecard to Lacie Babenco -or -
Send submissions via email to lacie_babenco@yahoo.com
Make sure your name and story title are in the notecard body text and the notecard title
Not all submissions will be used - it's up to the editorial staff
The editorial staff may edit your story for flow and grammar.
****REMEMBER THE DEADLINE! I AM SETTING September 28th, 2009 AS THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS - MESSAGE ME EVEN IF I'M OFFLINE IF YOU NEED MORE TIME!*****
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Issue 8 is here!
A special, unplanned issue of A Touch of Lace is now available! This 'From the Vault' issue features some stories I've had for a while and wanted to feature! It's only 4 stories compared to the regular 5 but these tend to be a little longer and just as hot as previous issues.
So look here and enjoy!
Next issue details coming in a few days. Stay tuned!
Much love!
Lacie
So look here and enjoy!
Next issue details coming in a few days. Stay tuned!
Much love!
Lacie
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
A new part of the Team!
It's with great pleasure I welcome someone new to the staff of A Touch! This new person is a great writer that will be a big presence in keeping everything on the up and up. Please welcome Aevalah Nikolaidis in as the new Chief Editor of A Touch of Lace.
She's going to be the one I turn to for all story reviews and the daunting task of making sure grammer is correct. Except the blog..this is all me and I can fook it up however I wish!
Thanks Aeva - you're gonna be awesome!
She's going to be the one I turn to for all story reviews and the daunting task of making sure grammer is correct. Except the blog..this is all me and I can fook it up however I wish!
Thanks Aeva - you're gonna be awesome!
Monday, July 27, 2009
Call for Writers!!
Hello all you lovely ones! Issue 7 is out and it’s time to officially put out the notice that we need writers for issue 8!
Have you ever written erotica? Maybe you’ve tried it and wanted to share it with others? Or, maybe, you haven’t written yet but have some killer idea just waiting to be put down for others to read? You could be a photographer that has done this kind of work or wanted to and need a new challenge!
Whatever the situation, A Touch of Lace is an amateur publication where your story or your images could be published. We strive to find the best stories for each issue. The selected issues have a central theme and it’s really up to the writers and photographers to make it happen. The stories are of the highest quality, erotic to read which means it can be sensual, exciting and exhilarating. This is erotica.
Now you’re asking yourself; ‘what do I have to do?’
Simple, the next issue theme is about “Sci-fi” stories. So think about the kind of hot things that can happen in space or at warp speed. Start writing about how pleasure can leap into a digital age with the assistance and enhancements that that technology can give us! Sound good? Mmmmm then get writing!
Next: the guidelines
For writers, that’s easy. The stories should be ‘short’ roughly 1500 to 3000 words. Please, no multi-part stories, I can’t guarantee that I can place you in each issue. That’s pretty much it. Stories get reviewed and can be edited for grammar and pacing. Any story submitted is given with the intent of being published and the writer acknowledges that when they submit the story.
Photographers: what about me?
That’s easy. We always are looking for photographers of just about every level. The key is, do you have the interest and desire? Stories are matched to photographers based on comfort with the subject matter. So there is give and take, sometimes stories are shuffled around a bit before the proper match is found. The images are meant to enhance the story, complimenting the words that go with it. As few as 2 images could be used and we’ve used over a dozen with some stories. As publisher, I suggest 4-5 as the best way to go so they can be used in the layouts with good sizing.
So what do you think? Interested? The deadline for story submissions is August 22nd. Send me a notecard in-world with your name and story title in the card. Or, send me an email with the story including your SL name in it as well please! My email is lacie_babenco@yahoo.com.
Don’t be afraid to message me with questions, but if my IM’s cap, it is always best to send notecards or email me or even find me in Plurk!
Thanks for reading and get writing!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Issue 7 - Now released!
That's right gang! Welcome to summer with a hot new issue of A Touch of Lace! 5 stories of intimate fun between Women and Men! That's a first for us since we usually focus on the affairs between women. So look at the pages and have some fun and smiles as the heat gets turned up with some good fun!
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Reissue - Halloween 2008
Issue 5 is now available on Issuu.com and here in my blog for everyone to enjoy!
Saturday, April 11, 2009
You're invited! Party to celebrate issue 6!
On Wednesday the 15th, join the fun with a little party to celebrate another issue of A Touch of Lace. Dress code: BDSM. So wear whatever you feel comfy in! There will be a DJ spinning tunes and a best dressed contest. Good reason to have a little hip swishin fun on a Wednesday!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Call for writers and photographers for issue 7 of A Touch of Lace.
Hello all you lovely ones! Issue 6 is out and it’s time to officially put out the notice that we need writers for issue 7! Did you read the last issue? Be sure to use the link in the previous post to see what we’re all about.
Have you ever written erotica? Maybe you’ve tried it and wanted to share it with others? Or, maybe, you haven’t written yet but have some killer idea just waiting to be put down for others to read? You could be a photographer that has done this kind of work or wanted to and need a new challenge!
Whatever the situation, A Touch of Lace is an amateur publication where your story or your images could be published. We strive to find the best stories for each issue. The selected issues have a central theme and it’s really up to the writers and photographers to make it happen. The stories are of the highest quality, erotic to read which means it can be sensual, exciting and exhilarating. This is erotica.
Now you’re asking yourself; ‘what do I have to do?’
Simple, the next issue theme is about “Hottest of the hot” stories. I’ll leave it up to you to determine what that means but it’s about having an amazing story to read. Something that is so hot it burns! Issue 7 will come out in the late spring, perfect time to think about summer and hot weather and even hotter fun. If it’s on a tropical beach or just the most amazing experience that left you out of breath, you get the idea. Let’s have some really hot fun to get the summer started.
Next: the guidelines
For writers, that’s easy. The stories should be ‘short’ roughly 1400 to 2500 words. Please, no multi-part stories, I can’t guarantee that I can place you in each issue. That’s pretty much it. Stories get reviewed and can be edited for grammar and pacing. Any story submitted is given with the intent of being published and the writer acknowledges that when they submit the story.
Photographers: what about me?
That’s easy. We always are looking for photographers of just about every level. The key is, do you have the interest and desire? Stories are matched to photographers based on comfort with the subject matter. So there is give and take, sometimes stories are shuffled around a bit before the proper match is found. The images are meant to enhance the story, complimenting the words that go with it. As few as 2 images could be used and we’ve used over a dozen with some stories. As publisher, I suggest 4-5 as the best way to go so they can be used in the layouts with good sizing.
So what do you think? Interested? The deadline for story submissions is May 22nd. Send me a notecard in-world with your name and story title in the card. Or, send me an email with the story including your SL name in it as well please! My email is lacie_babenco@yahoo.com.
Don’t be afraid to message me with questions, but if my IM’s cap, it is always best to send notecards or email me or even find me in Plurk!
Thanks for reading and get writing!
Have you ever written erotica? Maybe you’ve tried it and wanted to share it with others? Or, maybe, you haven’t written yet but have some killer idea just waiting to be put down for others to read? You could be a photographer that has done this kind of work or wanted to and need a new challenge!
Whatever the situation, A Touch of Lace is an amateur publication where your story or your images could be published. We strive to find the best stories for each issue. The selected issues have a central theme and it’s really up to the writers and photographers to make it happen. The stories are of the highest quality, erotic to read which means it can be sensual, exciting and exhilarating. This is erotica.
Now you’re asking yourself; ‘what do I have to do?’
Simple, the next issue theme is about “Hottest of the hot” stories. I’ll leave it up to you to determine what that means but it’s about having an amazing story to read. Something that is so hot it burns! Issue 7 will come out in the late spring, perfect time to think about summer and hot weather and even hotter fun. If it’s on a tropical beach or just the most amazing experience that left you out of breath, you get the idea. Let’s have some really hot fun to get the summer started.
Next: the guidelines
For writers, that’s easy. The stories should be ‘short’ roughly 1400 to 2500 words. Please, no multi-part stories, I can’t guarantee that I can place you in each issue. That’s pretty much it. Stories get reviewed and can be edited for grammar and pacing. Any story submitted is given with the intent of being published and the writer acknowledges that when they submit the story.
Photographers: what about me?
That’s easy. We always are looking for photographers of just about every level. The key is, do you have the interest and desire? Stories are matched to photographers based on comfort with the subject matter. So there is give and take, sometimes stories are shuffled around a bit before the proper match is found. The images are meant to enhance the story, complimenting the words that go with it. As few as 2 images could be used and we’ve used over a dozen with some stories. As publisher, I suggest 4-5 as the best way to go so they can be used in the layouts with good sizing.
So what do you think? Interested? The deadline for story submissions is May 22nd. Send me a notecard in-world with your name and story title in the card. Or, send me an email with the story including your SL name in it as well please! My email is lacie_babenco@yahoo.com.
Don’t be afraid to message me with questions, but if my IM’s cap, it is always best to send notecards or email me or even find me in Plurk!
Thanks for reading and get writing!
Monday, March 16, 2009
Issue 6 is published!
If you're not familiar with the concept of the magazine, each issue has a central theme and written submissions are taken in from amateur writers and reviewed. 5 Stories are chosen and given to some talented photographers to express visually.
The collaboration is meant to be fun and interesting for all parties. The key is that it comes from individuals in SL.
So for this issue......
The writers:
Ruin Quan
Neroli Inhen
Robin Fabre
Elizabeth Weinberg
Khrys Bailey
Lizbet Loening
Lacie Babenco
The photographers:
Dain Rexen
Queen Coronet
Arcadia Nightfire
Shui Shui
Michela Benazzi
And Yours Truly.
This is a watershed publication for me because it was bittersweet. Sweet in that it was a wonderful collaboration with some good friends I've known for a while and many new faces, some that are now so special to me. Each issue is a journey and this journey was of new beginnings and many new feelings. This issue just felt so right and assembled so easily, I'm really stunned.
The bitter came from not having my magazine partner Isabelle Kostolany by my side for the first time ever. She had some computer issues and also needed a break from writing so I dedicate this effort to her. I may be the brains or the will of this magazine, but she is the heart and soul. Each issue has been built by her until this one. From the stories to the layouts, this was my first ever 'go it alone' effort without the daily talks with Isa. You are an angel sweetheart and I've missed your smile.
The magazine returns because it has been good therapy for me by letting me focus on my passion in Second Life. There are so many wonderful people that I've met because of this and now, I look forward to making this bigger and better with all the kind souls I've met. It's still an amateur publication but the look and feel is nothing less than amazing. The writers do a great job, the photographers bring the stories to life and all I can do is smile all day as it is now ready for you to view.
Enjoy...
Many kisses
Lacie Babenco
Founder & Publisher
Monday, March 2, 2009
6th Issue!
The stories are in and the photographers are busy! So what's coming next? Well, once all the photos are in, the layouts begin and then there will be a first time event...the publishing of A Touch of Lace in Issuu.com!
If you haven't been to Issuu, it's really a remarkable bit of technology and it's free! So look for an update in the coming weeks, I'm trying to get this pub up by end of March so cross yer fingers and toes and it'll be ready!
XO
Lacie
If you haven't been to Issuu, it's really a remarkable bit of technology and it's free! So look for an update in the coming weeks, I'm trying to get this pub up by end of March so cross yer fingers and toes and it'll be ready!
XO
Lacie
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
