Friday, May 25, 2007

3 posts in one day??

Yes! Because I need your help. As you may have already heard, my girlfriend Chloe is going to be without broadband for a little while (hopefully not too long) during the time when our 1-month anniversary will be occurring. Because of this, we've decided to celebrate early. We want to do something romantic, and I was thinking of going to the Gardens of Apollo, but that's unfortunately the only place I can think of. I haven't really had an opportunity to do anything really romantic in SL yet.

So...here's how you can help me: if you have any ideas for a romantic destination in-world, please leave your suggestions in the comments. Chloe and I would really appreciate it. Thanks!

MySpaced

Don't ask me why, but I made a myspace page for myself here:

http://www.myspace.com/octoberhush

It's a band profile because I plan on uploading my music too. I already have a myspace page for my "other" music...but you don't get to know that one ;-) Heehee.

Feel free to add me if you also have a myspace page! RL avatars and SL avatars welcome!

I'll add photos, music, and info very soon, I promise.

Midian City Tober's Diary #6

Tober's diary is composed in a small, hardbound book that she keeps with her.

Yesterday I was sleeping and I awakened to the most frightening sound I've ever heard: the ship ran into something. It was a huge, long groan; almost a scream like a giant animal being being touched with a hot poker. I immediately sat up onto my bed, bracing myself for anything, but there was only silence, followed by sound of the crew and passengers yelling and screaming. I couldn't just stay in my room anymore. I had to see what was going on. I made sure my canned food was hidden away, and unbarricaded my door. Nobody was in the hallway and I made my way topside where most people seemed to be. There was a lot of yelling and the captain was trying to talk to the crowd. Everyone finally quieted down and he announced that the ship had drifted and run into something, a sandbar most likely. He said the ship's hull was intact and the ship wasn't in danger of sinking at this time. But, he said the electricity is still out and the navigation and communications are obviously not working either. People started yelling again, mostly about food and when we would be rescued. Apparently we are running out of food, but we still have plenty of potable water. I assume because we have no electricity, there is no refrigeration, and thus no frozen or refrigerated foods, which the ship relies heavily on. I saw this as my cue to head back to the safety of my cabin.

When I got back to my cabin, my door was wide open and it was obvious someone had been inside. All my things were messed up, and most importantly, my food was gone. I dropped to my knees and just started crying. I think I just crawled to bed, curled up in a ball and eventually fell asleep.

Today I woke up hungry of course, and went to the kitchen to see what the food situation was. Everyone was lined up and we were being served cold, small portions of whatever good food we had. I had a cupful of kidney beans, which I poured into my mouth. We must be nearly out of food if this is what it's come down to. I left the kitchen and walked by the infirmary, curious as to what has been happening with the sick people. I saw several people in there, and I overhead the doctor mention something about moving a body. I ran back to my cabin and barricaded my door again.

I need to get off of this ship. We must be close to land if we hit a sandbar. We can't see a damn thing through this fog, so we have no idea how close to land we are or where we are. God I hope we get rescued soon. This is really, really bad.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Midian City Tober's Diary #5

Tober's diary is composed in a small, hardbound book that she keeps with her.

I have to write this down first, because it's the most important part of this entry: There is something wrong with the ship. We've been caught in this strange fog for I think a couple of days now. It's hard to say because the clocks keep screwing up and the electricity is going in and out. And it's dark as hell most of the time. The fog stinks too...like sulphur and garbage. It's awful. People have been getting sick; not just throwing up over the railing (though there's been plenty of that) but like, fevers, some people have broken out in a rash, some people are shitting themselves...literally. I'm taking no chances, so I was able to take a bunch of canned goods from the kitchen and have more or less holed myself up in my cabin. I've been fine though. I don't know if it's my biology or if I'm just lucky, but I haven't gotten sick at all.

Whenever the power comes back on, the captain makes an announcement saying that they're making repairs as quickly as they can, and they know where they are and all that, but I can tell by the sound of his voice that it's bullshit. I don't know if he caused this or what, but I don't think he knows what's wrong or how to get us out of this mess. I'm also pretty sure the ship is drifting. I have no idea where we're drifting to or even where the hell we are right now.

This is really not good at all. I'm scared. I wish Tracy were here, but thank god she isn't, for her sake. I don't want to die here.

I'll write more later. I have to conserve my light, and I need to eat now too.

Best laid plans

Last night I went in-world with the sole intent of getting my roleplay on in Midian City. I had plenty of time on my hands to devote to it, and I hadn't been there in about a week and so I was really looking forward to catching up. So, I tp in, and start wandering around, looking for people I know so I could rp. And wandered around. And wandered around some more. Basically, I walked everywhere in Midian several times and there was just absolutely nothing going on. What a ripoff!

But, after wasting all that time there, I got to spend some nice quality time with my honey, Chloe =) So, that was a great way to end the evening, even if it did make me stay up a bit later than I wanted to. Whoops.

That's all I had to say, nothing terribly exciting. Except Chloe ;-)

EDIT: Oh, duh! How could I forget! I also started working on a neko kitten av of myself. So basically, a little Tober =) It was kind of strange to see myself like that, to be honest. But very cute, nonetheless. It'll need more work before it's ready for primetime though.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Midian City Tober's Diary #4

Tober's diary is composed in a small, hardbound book that she keeps with her.

Well, it took a lot of convincing, patience, persistence, and doing a few other things I'm not particularly proud of, but Tracy and I both got ourselves on the cruise ship. Well, technically, I'm on the ship and Tracy is still in Port One for now until next month when her position will open up. So, the ship will come back and pick her up and she and I can do what we really intended to do: get our asses out of Port One.

There's nothing left for me at home: Tracy is my only friend, I'm working a menial job, I'm on parole, and my dad is gone. Leaving Port One for good means I won't be able to visit my dad's grave, but as corny as it sounds, he is always in my heart with me. I know that if I stay in Port One, things will only get worse for me. I don't want to keep going on the path I am now. I want to start fresh. I want to start a new life.

I figure if we find an island that we like, we can jump ship and just disappear. Tracy and I are "resourceful" and we have cash we can bring with us to get us started. Nobody will bother to look for two young small-time criminals when there's way worse people out there. Or so I hope at least.

I have to say, I've only been at this job for a couple of days now and it's already much better than what I was doing back home. I was right; the food is good, the air is fresh, and the work is easier. And I get tips! If I liked being a maid, I'd be set. Actually, it's really not bad at all if you don't mind being a servant for others. I really need something a bit more intellectually stimulating, though.

Anyway, we're coming into port tomorrow to pick up a new group of passengers and then head back out to sea. I'll write more after that.

Monday, May 21, 2007

Midian City Tober's Diary #3

Tober's diary is composed in a small, hardbound book that she keeps with her.

It's funny the way world works sometimes...how life can change so drastically in such a short period of time. I never thought I would be doing any of this now. Tracy and I have been stealing things that people wouldn't miss. These are all rich people we clean for. They leave money in drawers and prescription drugs in their medicine cabinets, sometimes they leave real drugs in places that are easy to find. And it's not the shit you find on the street either...stuff like pure coke, high quality weed, ecstacy, K, some are even into dope too, but I won't touch that. I know better. We're not stupid, we just skim whatever people have so that they will never notice anything is missing. I let Tracy get rid of anything we want cash for, and we split it 60% to her and 40% to me.

Some nights she and I just sit out on the roof of the building, listening to music and getting high. I love taking K. I snort that and I feel myself melt away. Tracy pets me and holds onto me when I'm really out of it. Sometimes we'll take E, and instead of it being a happy time, it'll bring out all the stuff we've been holding inside. We'll just tell each other everything and cry like little girls. She thinks it's cute if I have a lot of nip because I start to act more like a cat than a person. Sometimes I don't remember any of it. It's all an escape anyway.

There's an opening for a couple of positions as maids on one of the cruise ships here. Tracy and I are trying to figure out a way to get on there. It would be a chance to get out of Port One, at least for a little while anyway. I've never been on a cruise. Even still working as a maid, it's got to be better than my situation now. At least I'll get sunshine and fresh air, maybe see some of the nicer islands that weren't affected by the war. They probably have good food. I'll bet the people on the cruise tip well too.

I really want to get on that ship. I need to get out of here.

Saturday, May 19, 2007

Midian City Tober's Diary #2

Tober's diary is composed in a small, hardbound book that she keeps with her.

The justice system here in Port One is complete and total bullshit. It's so obvious and blatant, it's unbelievable. Even though I told my parole officer what my skills were, they assigned me a job working as a maid. He said that this was the "only suitable job for me, especially being a neko." My housing was assigned according to my job, so I'm now housed with another convict-cum-maid, a human girl named Tracy, in one of the government housing buildings downtown. We share one room which has a small "kitchen" against one wall and an asian-style wet bathroom with a squat toilet. Our building has a curfew of 10pm. We don't have to be in here by that time if we don't want to, but if we want to get in after 10pm, we're shit out of luck. So basically, it's like prison, but not really. So it looks like I'm stuck here for the next two years.

Thank god Tracy is cool. She's 20, and was convicted on multiple counts of shoplifting and petty theft. I guess it's a good thing I don't have anything valuable in my possession. She did offer to give me some tips on how to steal, though I don't know how useful that would be considering she got caught in the end. But, I guess it could come in handy if I get really desperate one day. Ugh, once upon a time I would have never considered theft, now it actually seem like a viable option.

Anyway, we both work for the same maid service. The ultimate irony is that Tracy and I have to clean the mansion of the judge that sentenced me, along with some other places. My parole officer said he requested me specifically because he "thought I was a very cute kitty". Gross! Tracy and I are under watch at the judge's place, so it's not like we can pinch things from there, but Tracy seems to think we might be able to do it at the other places we clean. She doesn't think we'd get caught. It doesn't seem like it to me either, but what do I know?

I can't believe this is what my life has devolved to. It wasn't supposed to be like this. God, I miss my dad so much. Fuck.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Midian City Tober's Diary #1

Tober's diary is composed in a small, hardbound book that she keeps with her.

I probably shouldn't be writing down any of this at all, but fuck it. A couple of days ago I was convicted of posession and distribution of narcotics. My dad would be so disappointed in me if he were still alive to see this day. But, he's not. I don't know what he would think if he knew I did it for him...just to keep him and I alive. That didn't work out so well; the cancer got him anyway and now I'm a convicted criminal. Way to go.

At least I'm not going to jail. They gave me a suspended sentence of 2 years, with parole, because the prison is filled over capacity with criminals far worse than me. Even as I write it down on paper right now, it doesn't seem so bad, but then I think about all the other ramifications of my conviction: I have no money, I'm ineligible for student loans to go to college now, and most universities won't even accept someone with a criminal record. Nevermind the fact that I'm a neko and most humans look down on me like I'm inferior to them. They can deny me entry to college just because of what I am. But, I was smart enough to graduate high school a year early, which is more than what most of them can say.

I can't even think about it anymore...I have to put it out of my mind because if I don't, it will really get to me. My life has totally changed now, and I just have to accept that. Part of my parole is that I have to get a job–one they'll assign me–partly to pay for the court and "incarceration" fees and partly to just keep myself alive and a "contributing member of society". They're assigning me to one of the government subsidized housing units tomorrow once I get out of this halfway house. I can't wait for that. God, I really hope I get a decent job. Maybe I should have worked for my dad like he wanted me to before... Maybe I can get a job working on some mechancial things. I have a little knack for that. Or like, in a hospital or something since I have emergency medicine experience. We'll see soon enough.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Midian City Tober's Character Sheet

Inspired by Archer Braun's Blog, I've decided to write some diary-style entries here from my character's point of view in Midian City, beginning with before she arrived in Midian. Before I write that, though, I wanted to post my character info sheet for people to get an idea of what "I" am like. So, here it is:

October

Name: October Hush (aka "Tober")
Race/Species: Feline (Leopard Neko)
Gender: Female
Age: 19 (according to her...she may actually be 18, or even younger)
Marital Status: Single
Sexual Orientation: Bisexual
Occupation: Former Cruise Ship’s Maid
Education: High School Graduate
Military/Public Service Record (if any): 1 year as a Domestic Relief Worker (like Red Cross or Peace Corps)

Criminal Record (if any): possession of narcotics, possession of narcotics with intent to distribute

Social Class (present and childhood): lower class (present) and middle to lower class (childhood)

Likes: Cats, other Nekos, urban environments, giving & receiving care and affection, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, catnip, alcohol, and other drugs

Dislikes: Large dogs, the police, guns, rich people

General Appearance: A bit of a ragamuffin; kind of a cute punk. But she cleans up nicely when necessary.

Characteristic Jewelry or Accesories: a collar on her neck, lots of bracelets or a pair of cuffs

Ambitions/Desires: To live with some kind of assurance of safety, to be close to others, to trust others.

Moral/Immoral Code: Do the right thing whenever possible…failing that, do the lesser evil.

General(Predominate) Emotional State: Laid back, cautiously friendly but somewhat guarded. Warm to others once she gets to know them.

Inner Conflicts: She is a good girl at heart, but she knows she needs to do bad things sometimes in order to survive in this world. She will probably be grieving the loss of her father for some time.

Fears/Phobias: Drowning, Jail

Reaction to Threat: Try to work through the threat calmly, failing that…try to escape the threat.

Reaction to Emergency: Visibly stressed but focused, sometimes breaking down emotionally after the fact.

Habitual Mannerisms: Kicking pieces of trash with her foot, scratching herself behind the ears, grooming herself, and sometimes unintentionally flirting with others.

Habitual Expressions: A faint look of amusement, rolling her eyes, sticking out her tongue, sometimes a look of longing or sadness.

One line that best describes your character: Cute, caring and bright, but also willing to bend her moral code in order to live.

What will people most remember about your character? Sometimes quiet and observant, but insightful and usually friendly to others. She’s also funny and pretty sarcastic.

Catchphrase: "Don't worry, I can take care of myself."

Skills: First Aid & Emergency Medicine, fixing mechanical devices. October is a quick learner and can learn how to do almost anything if she puts her mind to it.

Background:

Ancestry: October does not know anything about her ancestry beyond her father's (Johnathan's) parents. Both of her grandparents on her father's side were leopard-spotted stray nekos. October's mother (May) did not know her parents and was a solid tan-colored neko who was a stray for as long as she could remember. October's parents met as strays and took on menial jobs for humans to make enough money to get off of the streets so they could start a family. Eventually, Johnathan took over the shop he was working in when his boss passed away.

October was born on October 17th (hence the name). Sadly, her mother died while giving birth to October, so she only had her father to raise her. Her father was a very caring man who worked hard at his car and motorcycle repair shop, and saved most of the money he made to pay for October’s education. He sent her to a respectable private high school and she did extremely well, graduating a year early, despite her reputation as a bit of a clown and a prankster.

Unsure of what to study in college, she took a year off to be a domestic relief worker to help out others who were worse off than her. Shortly after coming back home after her year away, her father was diagnosed with lung cancer. Since her father did not have health care, October used her school money to pay for her father’s treatments until it started to run out. Her father’s repair shop had to be closed because he could no longer work, and the lack of any sort of income forced October to make a difficult decision. With the help of some unscrupulous neighborhood connections, she began selling drugs in order to make ends meet.

After months of treatment, her father suddenly died of complications due to his cancer. October spent what money she had on a proper burial for her father. Distraught from the loss of her only parent, she began to be careless in who and how she sold her drugs and was soon caught by the police. Having no prior record, and due to severe overcrowding in the local prisons, she was given a suspended sentence of 2 years, on parole.

As part of her parole, she was given a job with a maid service, working for wealthy people, but then the opportunity to work on the cruise ship came up. Feeling she had nothing to lose, she applied for the job and was accepted (obviously, they did not check her background). She saw this cruise as her way out of what her life had devolved to…she planned on getting off of the ship at a destination that appealed to her and simply disappearing. She knew the police would probably never come after her for jumping her parole and would most likely never find her. It was her chance to start a new life.

It was all going according to plan until the ship ran into something and all hell broke loose…

One month later: Since arriving in Midian, Tober has had little choice but to try to survive on the streets on her own. She would sleep on rooftops or secluded places when it was cold or wet, steal clothing from clotheslines, "find" money, and snatch food from wherever she could or hunt for crabs and small fish with a sharpened stick. She would spend what money she had on alcohol, catnip, or other drugs in order to dull the pain of the hell she found herself in. Being alone most of the time and barely surviving, she began to feel herself become wild like she imagined her ancestors must have been. That is, until a few kind souls in Midian took pity on her and helped her out with some of her needs.

A couple of months after the above: Tober was (and in some ways still is) mentored by Lindsay the Catwalker. Tober's unassuming and seemingly innocent manner allowed her to gather information for Lindsay and the Catwalkers on several potentially dangerous missions. These missions earned Tober's place in the Catwalkers, where she now feels completely at home. Though she will always miss her deceased father, she considers the Catwalkers her new family, and enjoys being social with everyone. She tries to help maintain morale and smooth out interpersonal conflicts between Kittens and/or other Catwalkers, as well as help mentor Kittens when necessary. She hopes one day to be promoted to Stitcher (medic), but she was recently promoted to Beast (one of the Elite ranks of the Catwalkers). She still hates getting into fights, but she will do so when necessary. She put her life on the line during a battle with The Pack, for instance, sustaining serious injury to defend her family.

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Computer Love

Chloe & October

A landmark event has taken place in my second life recently: I've begun a romantic relationship with another av who most of my readers already know; Chloe Streeter. Chloe and I have been friends for over two months now, originally "meeting" on Flickr through comments, and progressing from there. Shortly after commenting in her blog for the first time, we decided to meet up in-world. Because she was going through the final stages of her Master's degree, she wasn't in-world as much as I was, though I usually found time to spend with her when I wasn't with other friends or roleplaying in Midian. We soon found ourselves sending each other Flickr mail a few times a day, then switching to email for convenience. Then one day while out shopping, something in me told me to flirt with her (I hadn't flirted with her at all previously, because I was 99% sure that she was 100% straight). Well, I did, and didn't quite get the reaction I was hoping for. I think I caught her off guard, and as it turned out, later that evening in an email she told me she didn't mean to react that way, and she did, in fact, like me in a romantic way. Since we've admitted our feelings towards each other, thing have been great. I'm really looking forward to spending a lot more time with her and having little adventures and stuff.

Chloe has a very endearing personality, and is one of the sweetest people I have met in SL so far. Plus her av is quite the hottie, and that doesn't hurt either ;-) Chloe's post on her blog announcing our relationship can be found here.

In case you were wondering, this is the third romantic relationship I've had with another av. The first was Veruka (though it was a mildly romantic relationship), and the second was with Kriss. I am still on very good terms with both of them.

Friday, May 4, 2007

IM IN YR FLICKRZ, STEALIN YR PHOTOZ


If you're an avid Flickrite, you've probably already heard about this...

The above photo, entitled Red Hot, was taken by me, of Kriss Lehmann. I found out from Chloe Streeter that said photo was being used in a report by the tv station NBC4 in LA, twice. I was never asked permission to use the photo, and all of my flickr photos have a copyright on them. Several other people have wrote about this, but I'll direct you to my friend Menno's blog, where he explains the situation very well:

http://www.howsyourworld.com/2007/05/i-call-her-sheletta.html

There was is also a lot of dicussion about this in a thread on the SL Flickr group, in case you're interested:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/secondlife/discuss/72157600098773103/

As of right now, the video has been pulled from NBC4's site, most likely due to complaints from several people (myself included) directed towards both the reporter and the station itself. Personally, I'd like an apology from the reporter for the whole thing, but I'm not going to hold my breath.