Welcome to my Internet Lair

Hello there. Pull up some floor--there are cushions over in that corner--and feel free to nudge the cat off your lap if he gets too heavy. Drinks are in the fridge; glasses are in the cupboard, and the munchies are on the kitchen table.

Questions That May Become Frequently Asked, and Some Brief Answers

Q: Who are you?
I'm a thirty-something African-American bisexual geek girl, living in Northern California with my partner and our Feline Overlord, Joxur.

Q: Don't I know you from somewhere else, under a different name?
Quite possibly. I've been on the Intertubes since 1990, posting to Usenet under the name Darkrose. My LiveJournal, which has been my most consistent web presence over the past few years, is under the name darkrosetiger, and I generally sign blog comments as Darkrose.

Q: So what is this, a sockpuppet blog? Are you trying to confuse us?
No, and no. I recently decided to try out Blogger. Unfortunately, all of the permutations of "Darkrose" that I wanted to use were taken.

Q: Why do you need another blog anyway? What's wrong with LJ?
I've become disenchanted with LiveJournal since they were bought by SixApart, and are apparently unable to develop and articulate consistent content policies. I also wanted to separate out my purely fannish content from my political rantings. There will be some fannish stuff posted here, but not as much, and no actual fanfiction. The fic can be found at Chez Rozilla.

Q: What does "luminiferous aether" mean?
It means "meaning light-bearing aether" in Latin, and was a Victorian term used to describe the medium through which light travels. I chose this as the title because it could also describe the Internet, and it fit with my interest in steampunk.

Q: What's an "Illuminancer"? Does that have anything to do with the Illuminati?
"Illuminancer" is a word I made up. Illuminance is a term in optics that describes the measure of the intensity of incident light. The -mancer suffix comes from the Greek word for divination, but is often used to refer to magic, as in "necromancer". Illuminancer, therefore, sort of means "one who manipulates light". Yes, it's inelegant. So is "polyamory", but it works, so I use it.

I liked the word both because my degree in drama was focused on lighting design, and because what I spend most of my time doing these days is shaping electrons into words.

Q: What are the rules around here?
So glad you asked! Actually I was going to tell you regardless, because I believe in being up-front about such things.

I value the following (in no particular order):

- impassioned debate
- civil discourse
- my mental health
- freedom of speech

What this means is that I welcome debate and disagreement, even if it becomes heated, right up to the point when debate becomes personal. Racist, sexist, and homophobic remarks and other personal attacks will result in warnings, followed by banning if necessary. Posting personally identifying information about someone else, as well as any kind of threats or harrassment, will result in banning and notification of law enforcement where appropriate.

I'm a fan of the First Amendment to the US Constitution, and I know that it begins with the words, "Congress shall make no law." I am not Congress, and I do not have the power to make laws (just as well, really). This particular blog, however, is my virtual living room, and just as in my real living room, I can invite people in and kick people out. It's pretty simple:

1. Don't be an asshat.

2. I decide what constitutes being an asshat.

3. If you don't like being banned for being an asshat, see #1. Alternately, you can go to http://www.blogger.com/ and start your own blog. Isn't free speech wonderful?

Q: A/S/L?
Anywhere between 6 and 600 / Yes, Please / Earth, Milky Way Galaxy


Thank you. Try the fish, and don't forget to tip your waitress.