Loss of innocence

Marko stalks in, wrapped in a robe of deepest violet. It gets snagged on a tree root. He tugs on it, but to no avail. He sighs melodramatically and discards the robe, letting the rain soak his fur. He clears his throat and reads out his prepared speech:

Rats are creatures of darkness. Let us hide in the mud, where we belong. This post marks the beginning of a period of contraction, of consolidation and rationalisation. This may ultimately result in a quieter, more cynical rat, or maybe no difference at all to the casual observer.

What I have done I did for my own emotional self defence. I am sure in the eyes of some that makes me seem like a very cruel rat, but that is a stereotype rats have lived with for a long time. I have been told I should do what's right for me and it's about time I took good advice when I hear it.

As much as I appreciated aldi's uplifting icon, it was only a mask I wore for your amusement. This new mask doesn't let in any more light than the old one, but at least it affords me the dignity of hiding in the dark.

Now that we've got the faux gothic stuff out of the way, isn't that a great icon by rose_quoll? You can see a full size version and a static version (which I'll probably move to after a while—as a rule I find animated gifs distracting) here. She stayed up all night to get it to me on time. What a trooper!

My speech there does have a serious side, though. I have used my break from LiveJournalling for a period of introspection. I now agree with subrosa_florens' assessment that I've been chasing after the wrong things on LiveJournal, but I don't yet know what I should be using it for. Maybe, for a time, I should go back to the three Rs of LiveJournal: Ristin, 'roos and rodents.