Greetings and Lamentations, I AM Lord Malignance and you Will CROUCH! before me!
Villains excepted, of course.
And so we come to this, the End. It's been Fifteen years of Evil online, across Blogger, MySpace, Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Bluesky, Mastodon, Blogtalk Radio, at least two dozen places here and there, by names you could decipher and ones you never could. One has been, Everywhere at one time or another, in person or by proxy. One has been spoken of in books and newspaper, but mostly, as you'll know, whispered in fear by those who Know. It has been a run!
One started out with intention to find other Villains, and this became the Purpose of opposing the accursed "Real Life Super Heroes" - a Disease of dangerous would-be Internet Celebrities that would these days be called "Influencers" with all the scorn and disdain reserved for that title applied to those that worship at the altar of their own aggrandizement and serve no greater Purpose than their egos.
For Eight of these years, One sought their end as any Villain would, enjoying exploring the Role, the Mantle, and the Purpose, wracking the weak and the mighty alike. One defined and defines Oneself as a "MetaVillain" - One Knows how unlikely the character would be in this world, and plays with the reality of expectations. You see, One was Always a Villain, there was No Other, and what you see through the lens of what you believe - That's the amusement One enjoyed. The inexplicable reveal that Yes, there really Are Villains is delightful, despite the understanding that there Can't be. While a Villain online One was Consistent in Purpose and Ruthless to this end. But in time, that became untenable and One left that Purpose to find Another - "MetaCosmos" - the MetaVillainy of Spaceflight.
But MetaCosmos would be a timesink. Truly, different spaceframes would be developed, and then be cast aside as they Too became unfeasible. Malignanceship1 was too heavy to ever consider reentry due to excessive fuel use. Malignanceship2 was a steal from the Billionaires in Space with their rockets - and well, stealing Bad Ideas, produces Bad Product. The last has been Malignosphere, which became and remains a platform for experimental technologies, and scope creep found a home there and spaceflight became hypothetical towards the end.
Amongst all the hijinks and shenanigans One enjoyed a "Professor James Moriarty vs Sherlock Holmes"-esque adversarial relationship with One's ArchNemesis, the once Phantom Zero. One cannot say One has defeated him, but a Villain enjoys the challenge of always Trying to.
One met the SuperVillain Group Section 9 and had a great evening of dinner and Tales of the Underworld.
As the End has come as it always would have, One is changing as Change is inevitable. The Online world has had its treasures to be sure, but there is this concept One has taken a liking to called "Ghost Mode" - an opportunity away from distractions for focus on retooling. And this One thinks is what One will be doing. The future is Interesting. Certainly putin must die. Before this happens, there may be opportunities to ensure certain details come to pass. His end should not be without discomfort.
putin's grisly murder aside, Twitter (One will never call it "X" because that name is just as Stupid as is Musk. But that speaks to some points One has found concerning. Facebook's "Real Name Policy" should never have lasted this long, and yet it Has. Twitter is a data mining resource for a Global Oligarchy which is Dangerous to the work One does. FBI, CIA, NSA, Homeland Security, and half a dozen foreign Intelligence agencies, including the Pontifical Swiss Guard, and the International Criminal Court at the Hague, all have certain boundaries that can be restraining to them (Don't get on their radar and you're life will be easier). But rogue nations run by despots are Thin Skinned and the Global Oligarchy ever runs to be their lackeys. So, Evil needs to be more careful. The difference between "Lord Malignance" and "Bob Stevenson" Online, is no different in Use, but again - One's Name carries a certain earned cachet, a reputation spoken of in Whispers in all the Low Places.
The Religious Right and Conservativism - today's MAGA is - Unnatural. It Isn't home grown Americanism, it's foreign influenced and irrational. It presents a danger as well, especially should that idiot tool Trump find elected office. So again, pragmatism (Evil is Selfish, Ruthless, and Pragmatic) calls upon Villains to be Smart in what may be an uncertain future. Bold in Darkness always, but Online is an unnecessary risk for value taken.
So, One will be slowly, quietly, fading away, and retooling for the next series of adventures. One really Needs to build a better helmet, the flesh-eating disease that runs throughout One's blood, comes and goes and takes what it will before treatment buys One more time. Could stand to do better managing That. The Lair has certain upgrades which must be made, as well as the rewards that may come from the Malignosphere Technologies. The Malignobots as well as the Maligknight platforms need further development (have you See what Boston Dynamics has done to the Industry of Military Robots?!), and SUtech has fallen behind the technological curve - and very badly, and quite unexpectedly. Remember - SUtech is Pre-AI - essentially a useful chatbot with algorithms and remote controls - today you would call it "Home Automation". But Now - AI can be held in the gloved palm of your hand - but not SUtech - so that's a catchup to be after.
Will One return sometime in the Future? Well - One isn't really Going anywhere. But One is going to be a little sneakier. Maybe go dormant for awhile and see how things shake out. This Blog - One has republished almost all the previous posts for one last time before deleting them. Twitter will probably be cleared and made dormant (One really dislikes what Musk has done, and doesn't see giving him the value of One's attention). May see if MySpace is still there, and delete it. Do some house cleaning here and there in online nooks and crannies. One rather likes YouTube - but it has served its purpose and can probably be retired. Maybe post once in awhile - One has the Bug for ranting after all.
In closing, whenever you see something outlandishly absurd, and very Darkly malevolent - it Might be One behind it. It might Not be, but it Might be. Perhaps when the world isn't so drudgingly dull with inept danger (now, Professional Danger - that would be more Interesting!), One will resurface, but One is thinking there may be more rewarding adventures to be found in the shadows from whence One originally stepped forth from.
One recalls - it was White Skull and then Doctor Steel that first influenced One's genesis. From there many Other MetaVillains (Villains "In" on the Absurdity of such a thing) came forth and One enjoyed their work very much. Dr. Holocaust (while he held that name) was a Force! But Doctor Steel had gone dormant by the time One started, but his Work remained. And that will be the case here. Seeds planted for a new generation of Villains to come forth and make of Evil what they will. One might suggest that in the world Post-911, the tolerance for Villains is a very delicate thing. One wrong move and it's "Terrorist!" - so keep the Absurdity front and center. Never brandish guns, never threaten Online, and never take undue liberties while wearing a mask. You can do More with Humor than with a knife. Said no torturer Ever. But online, it is true. Reach the minds and you can change the world.
And with That, One thinks it's time to exit, stage left.
M.
