#no seriously if you click one link in this post go read about Christina of Sweden

[teashoptiramisu]

Royalty converting to an outsider religion? Especially more associated with a group that their family/people isn’t exactly friendly with? Yeah, totally implausible, I’m sure that’s never happened before in history.

I dunno maybe the ttrpg plotline is bad but your guys’ criticisms of it are pretty weak. I’m more sympathetic to “there’s too much shit about the fire nation” but it IS what sells; if we want air nomad and water tribe stuff we’re gonna have to shower more love and funding on fan efforts. How are those Kyoshi Vnovel guys doing? Tbh that might be more earth kingdom than air nomads, i’m not sure.

my initial reaction to this new princess zeisan character was just to say her design was weird but honestly the problems with her design don't bode well for her writing. like already the premise of "fire nation royalty joins the air nomads" is kinda weird bc someone from a nation's royal family is probably one of the people LEAST able to break free from the propaganda. like it only happened to iroh and zuko because of major life-changing events (losing lu ten & being banished) and you wouldn't include their transformations in a short description of their characters bc iroh's is slowly revealed and zuko's happens over the course of the story. and her design is just an air nomad necklace and sash on top of a fire nation royal outfit so like...where's the transformation? and how are zuko and iroh notable for breaking free if someone barely two generations earlier was able to?

like are we supposed to believe everything was totally chill between the fire nation and the air nomads before the sozin's comet genocide? bc that's not how genocide works. how could sozin have justified sending all those soldiers to the air temples if there wasn't already a concerted anti-air nomad propaganda effort in the fire nation? not all fire nation citizens bought into it obviously (kuzon) but a member of the royal family? a member of the royal family wearing the whole fucking shoulderpads and hairpiece get-up? where's the treason haircut? the rags from living among the people for years unlearning what she was raised with? the visual reflection of her turning her back on her culture?

creating a new character that's an existing character's previously-unmentioned sibling is already hokey and fanfiction-y, having her be the air nomad convert sister of the Guy Who Committed Genocide Against The Air Nomads strains believability, and the laziness of her design means that i have little faith in her writers' ability to make anything good out of this

[icymirss]

I'm Breaking Up With the Atheist Community

This piece was originally published on Sunday, 11 Sep 2011 00:45:04 +0000 by PaxSkeptica (@PaxSkeptica) and originally hosted at http://pax.skeptica.net/. We are republishing it here as it does not appear to have been archived anywhere else.

Twitter Tagline: "Guys, it's been a good run – I think we gave it our best – but it's over. #atheism"

I've been telling everyone today that I'm breaking up with the atheist community. Two questions came up that required a rather lengthy answer and involved several links, so I turned here. (Besides, it may as well be a matter of record.)

The questions:

What brought you to this conclusion?

What would you suggest as an alternative for the atheist community?

What brought me here? I don't know. A lot of things. I'm tired of reading the same shit every day that's just pissing on Christians and science-worship (yes, I mean that; more on that in a second). I'm tired of listening to people who would as likely as not primarily define themselves as skeptics, when by their behavior you can see that they are not particularly skeptical people. I already wrote about the weird response I got when I questioned a racist joke made by a prominent atheist. I guess the straw that broke the camel's back came today when I asked JT Eberhard why he was bothering to debate this moron.

You can see from said moron's "opening" (I love how this is described like it's going to be some kind of high-stakes chess match) that he's pretty much just shoveling the same shitty, thoroughly-and-repeatedly debunked half a dozen arguments that have been limping along since the 13th century.

Origen – God is the best explanation for the universe. The argument is as follows:

Whatever begins to exist has a cause,

The universe began to exist,

Therefore, the universe has a cause. This cause I call God.

Brilliant. That frankenstein bastardization of Aristotle and an unsubstantiated claim about a deity wouldn't pass for logic in an introductory class at a public high school. This isn't a serious debate any more than me punching an old lady is a heavyweight prizefight. So what's the point? Why waste time skewering an opponent of zero intellectual value when the cost involves diving into a cesspool of stupidity, ignorance, arrogance, and hatred all destined to be slung your way? Why, to convert people.

When I asked JT (and, unexpectedly, several of his followers who chimed in) what the reason was, he started telling me all about this duty to those of us in our 'religious' demographic (his words; I can't quote it here because it was not shared publicly, as much as I'd like to). He basically said that even though I had undoubtedly "read and memorized" all the arguments and counter-arguments, some had not, and that by doing this he was increasing the accessibility of this information. Now I could do a whole post on just what's wrong with that line of reasoning, but let me just say this: That's as religious as anything I've ever heard. To read the quote (again, I wish I could show it) gives the sense that JT is some sort of shepherd guiding newly minted atheists into the fold.

Another commenter gave me his... testimony? Untestimony? "I'm with JT, entirely," he began; and he proceeded to tell me of his difficult and laborious (de)conversion that would have been sped along if only some righteous preachers bloggers like JT Eberhard, PZ Myers, and Greta Christina (his list, not mine) had been there to help him through the transition. (Oh, glory!) Even JT answered at first (and perhaps most tellingly) by saying that his reason was "because a lot of people read this guy". That's the same kind of perverted marketing Christians use to evangelize. That's all it is: evangelism.

I recently rearranged all my lists on Twitter, with one primary purpose in mind. I gutted sec-r, my list of secular humanists, skeptics, and atheists. The reason is, and I experienced the same thing on Google+, most of what these people share is utterly vapid. It's a mix of self-righteous quotes, bitter condemnation of Christians mixed with "OH MY GOD WHAT HAVE THEY DONE NOW" link-sharing, and ejaculations about science, logic, reason, the Archimedean point, or whatever other naturalist trope is floating around the tubes. Seriously, what's the difference between this and this, when you get right down to it? Everything on #atheism is stupid quotes, usually about how atheists are better than believers. Here's a small fraction from my access just now:

@JakeCatrain Jake Catrain Atheist: One who has no belief in god or gods. (Sorry christians, thats it) #atheism Retweeted 4 times

@GodlessAtheist Godless Atheist Christians worry about internal damnation. I just have to worry about what's for dinner. #goodtobeanatheist #atheism

@agaytheist Geoff Robert Warning! Clicking on a Deepak Chopra video link takes you directly to a Deepak Chopra video. - George Hrab #skepticism #atheism

@Monicks Monica Dear Theist: do you fear god? You might suffer Bogyphobia: Fear of fictional characters. Look it up! #atheism #atheist #snark (◕‿~)'

Seriously. Those aren't hand-picked. They're the first four results. What's the difference between that and this kind of crap? I can tell you the difference as I see it: nothing. Nothing at all.

My point is that criticisms of atheism that used to offend me now strike me as basically true. "Atheism is just another religion," Christians sometimes say, or, "What's the point in believing in a negative?" Well, for these people, it basically is. I know there's a hundred one-liners out there already zinging toward me to prove me wrong: "atheism is a religion like bald/not collecting stamps/off is a hair color/hobby/television channel." I would like to start that sentence with the words not believing in god, which – though some of these same practitioners would define 'atheism' as such – is clearly not all that's going on here. It's not just believing in a negative, it's reveling narcissistically in believing in a negative. What else could you call rubbing in people's faces that you don't believe in something which they hold very dear? And not just once, as a mean joke, but basing your entire life and personality around it?

I remember watching the South Park episode about atheism, where Trey and Matt had Cartman go to a future world where religion was no longer, and factions of Atheists fought wars and killed each other while screaming, "Science, damn it!" When I first saw it, I thought it was an infuriating caricature. But then you see these atheists all over Twitter who painstakingly list quasi-synonyms in their Twitter bio ("science, reason, logic, naturalism, antitheism"), and endlessly retweet Randall Munroe's, "It works, bitches!" and all of a sudden you can see the "grain of truth" behind this particular stereotype.

It's certainly not everybody. Consider the context – a Maddox-style rant penned half at two in the morning – before you judge me too harshly. I'm still an enormous fan of CFI, and applaud efforts like FFRF. Obviously I'm still interested in science for the public interest. I love being an atheist because there's no religion in my life, as far as I can help it, and for the reasons outlined above and more, I view a large swath of the atheist subculture (at least online) to be more or less a pseudo-religion: a community built around (the denial of) religious ideas. Even that is too much religion for me, so I'm just going to gracefully back away and let them do their thing. JT also told me something like, "Everybody has their niche and what they're good at." Maybe he's right. Maybe we're like vampires, and we're each individually shaped by the Embrace that was our faith snapping in half and reason inexorably leading us to atheism. Maybe we're all left bitter or wounded in a different fashion, so each has a way of dealing with it. I'm not categorically against what they're doing: it's just not for me.

As for a replacement for the atheist community? It hadn't really occurred to me. After all, I'm not really in the market for one. I much more strongly identify with late 19th century leftist politics (libertarian anarchism, secularism) and pacifism rooted in skepticism than I do with atheism per se, let alone the "gnu atheism" that is so preponderant online. So unlike, I suspect, most members of the online mega(un)church, I'm not so much a part of the community that I'm going to feel any withdrawal. There's no void for me to fill.

PS – Since you read all that, here's your reward: http://www.youtube.com/embed/Ti3t7MAwaaM

[albanlakepublishing-blog]

March View from the Lake

Welcome back, Albanlakers!  [If you’re here, you’re an Albanlaker, even if it’s your first time].

As mentioned in February, our new Managing Editor, Karen Otto, has expanded our presence in the e-world and social media.  In addition to Twitter, we now have a presence on CrateJoy, Tumblr, eBay, and YouTube. On Twitter, you’ll find some daily suggestions of reading material and relevant announcements.  If you haven’t already, please follow us at @albanlake and at @albanlakepub.  If you have, pass these on to your friends, Romans, and countryfolk.

Beginning in April, Alban Lake will feature book introductions and writing tips on YouTube.  Each week, we’ll present one or two of our publications and tell you a little more about them than you might find in the write-ups.  At present, we’re tentatively scheduling something called Tips Tuesday.  Each week on Tuesday we’ll have a brief talk about some aspect of writing and storytelling.  The idea is to help you produce publishable work, whether you are at the beginning or well into your careers.  We’ll have further announcements regarding our use of YouTube in the April View.  However, already there are a couple of panels in YouTube.  Just go into YT and search for Alban Lake Publishing; you’ll find them.

As before, the plan is that some of our regularly scheduled publications—Outposts of Beyond, Disturbed, and Bloodbond, among them—will begin to feature articles by the Sage of Norwalk, Kendall Evans.  He’ll have much to say about Escapism—which is what we publish—and other topics of relevance to literature—which is what we publish.  Watch for him.

BOOKMARKS:  We’ll receive our first batch of Alban Lake Publishing bookmarks in mid-March.  As of 1 April, if you order a print book from any of our stores, the book will include one of these bookmarks free.   We also plan to use them as promotional items in our mystery boxes as well as at conventions and book fests.

As noted above, we’ve expanded our presence.  Here are some places you’ll find us.  Take special note of the last one.

Twitter – @albanlake or https://twitter.com/albanlake Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/kbottowriters/ YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz9Fs6i4qMLcf_gozhIKzCQ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/approachinginfinityproductions/ Email – evilbookworm at yahoo dot com Tumbler – https://albanlakepublishing.tumblr.com/ eBay – https://www.ebay.com/usr/albanlake

NEW MAGAZINE!  In April we’ll open to submissions for a new magazine.  At this time, we’re still working on the themes and guidelines.  Right now all we can tell you is that it will deal with, among other themes, alienation, with emphasis on science fiction and fantasy.  We expect some moody piece, but probably are not going to want dark material.   Watch for the full announcement in the April View

NEW ANTHOLOGIES:

The Haunted Life—A Paranormal Anthology

There are numerous television shows about it; ‘Ghost Hunters’, ‘Ghost Adventures’, ‘Most Haunted’, and the like. People go exploring old abandoned buildings, houses, architecture or even places that are still alive and thriving but have terrifying stories attached to them. These are the stories we’re looking for. We want the stories of ghosts and terrifying apparitions that people find – through dedicated purpose or by complete accident – and the experiences that come with.

It can be something as elaborate as someone trying to debunk a haunted house finding demons and releasing them to the world or as simple as someone realizing that the reason things keep happening in their house is because their dead mother is trying to keep an eye on them all these years later. They don’t necessarily have to be frightening or terrifying, and they could even be comical in nature, but they have to have a ghostly, supernatural aspect to them entering the life of someone ordinary.

As always:  Please do read and heed the guidelines!  They are posted on our site, in the Guidelines option.

Cosmic Crime [Anthology]

People have left earth and explored the cosmos. However, they didn’t leave their humanity behind. There’s crime – caused by them on their ships or perhaps by aliens or humans on alien worlds. We are interested in those original stories – mysteries set in space. These can be detective tales, police procedurals, private eye stories, or courtroom dramas. You can make up laws on the alien planets. They don’t have to match any laws on earth. The stories should not be shorter than 3000 words or longer than 10,000 words and be fiction. However, we may consider works longer than 10,000 words. Please limit blood, gore, organs, and fluids.  Crime does not mean a slashfest; crime doesn’t even mean it has to be murder.  We want thought-provoking material, not vivisection. As always:  Please do read and heed the guidelines!  They are posted on our site, in the Guidelines option.

OPEN ANTHOLOGIES:

City in the Ice:

A new Lovecraftian anthology has been opened.  It’s called City in the Ice.  It’s inspired by work by Edgar Allan Poe, William Clark Russell, and of course H. P. Lovecraft.  Think “At the Mountains of Madness” and “The White Ship.”  Please do read and heed the guidelines! They are posted on our site, in the Guidelines option.

Trail of Tears:

In “Trail of Tears,” we want to examine the nature of the relationships between native inhabitants and the human settlers who come to live on their world.  The title, obviously, is taken from the story of the forced resettlement of Native Americans by the U. S. Government. History repeats—and the idea here is that it will also repeat on other worlds, if given the chance.

[And yes, we would regard something like the Holocaust as suitable for Trail of Tears—however, this must occur on some other world.  SF/F, right?]

Please do read and heed the guidelines!  They are posted on our site, in the Guidelines option.

The Anatomy of Hate:

As everyone—writers and readers—is aware, hatred on contemporary Earth is practically a pandemic.  Virtually every group and every ideology seems to have found some reason to hate some other group or ideology.  There’s no need for a litany here; all one has to do is read the headlines.

Science Fiction and Fantasy are quite capable of presenting stories that deal with hatred.  What we are looking for are original SF/F stories of:

hatred of humans by aliens, or

hatred of aliens by humans, or

hatred of humans by other humans, in terms of an emotional and/or psychological and/or ideological [includes religion] rationale, carried to some extreme in the future

Please do read and heed the guidelines!  They are posted on our site, in the Guidelines option.

Sounds of the Night

The night is full of sounds—barking dogs, trains passing by, screams and moans. We want to know who, or what, is really making those sounds. Perhaps that dog howling is really a demon that’s spotted its prey. Maybe that cry for help is actually bait for a trap. Open your imagination and let the sounds pour out.

We are looking for original stories and poetry only. We will consider horror stories as long as they fit within the paranormal, science fiction, or fantasy genres.  NB:  NO GORE!  We want spooky scary stuff. Verstehen Sie?

Please do read and heed the guidelines!  They are posted on our site, in the Guidelines option.

The Alban Lake Publishing Catalog:

Yes, you read that right.  We now have a catalog of our publications available.  It’s free; it’s on a pdf format.  It’s updated every three months.  It contains a couple of indexes—by title, by author.  Each title contains a write-up and a specific ordering link, which works when you click on it in the pdf.  We’ve already begun to distribute this via e-mail, as an attachment.  If you would like a copy of this catalog, please e-mail us at albanlake at yahoo dot com.

The 10th Great Lake Drabble Contest:

The Winners of the 10th Great Lake Drabble Contest are:

First Place: Brian Rosenberg for “Kink” Second Place: Melissa Mead for “In the Soup” Honorable Mention: Marcia Borell for “Fired” Honorable Mention: Christina Sng for “Out of This World”

Congratulations to them and to all those who participated in this contest!

Drabble Harvest #10 will be released on 2 April 2018.

The 11th Great Lake Drabble Contest:

The 11th Great Lake Drabble Contest is now open.  Guidelines have been posted in the Guidelines section on our site.

Special Clearance Sale

Instead of browsing through the store for Aoife’s Kiss or Beyond Centauri, we have a special offer:  10 different issues of either magazine, at random, for $9.00 plus $6.00 S&H [which would be pretty much the actual shipping.  To take advantage of this offer, please contact Karen Otto at evilbookworm at yahoo dot com, or myself at albanlake at yahoo dot com.  Supplies are limited.  No, seriously, they are.

A note regarding Spaceports & Spidersilk:

At Alban Lake we assume that those of you who have children would like them to read science fiction and fantasy now and then.  The problem—as you might see it—is that there is scarcely any material for readers of ages, say, 6 through 96.  And you’re right—such material is rare.  But Alban Lake publishes several kid-safe pieces just for younger readers.  FrostFire Worlds comes out quarterly.  In our store you’ll find coloring books, novellas, novels . . . In addition, Nomadic Delirium Press, another excellent small indie, publishes a quarterly eBook magazine called Spaceports & Spidersilk that also has kid-safe sf/f.  Here’s the link:   http://nomadicdeliriumpress.com/spaceports.htm/  Try it out.  Each recent issue is $1.00, as are most of the back issues, so order a few downloads.  That number once again is:   nomadicdeliriumpress.com/spaceports.htm

eBooks & eStories

As I’m sure many of you know, Amazon is no friend of the small independent press or of self-published folks.  Amazon makes sure first that they get what’s coming to them [ooo, one can only hope].  Now, in the Alban Lake store, many of our titles have eBook versions that you can ORDER DIRECTLY FROM US!  The prices are much the same as Amazon charges, and sometimes even less.  But what this means for those authors who are due royalties is that while they still get the same %, it’s % of more dosh.  So come support your favorite authors.

Some of you may already be aware that we’re touting a new product line:  single sf/f/h e-stories for 99 cents each.  Come buy one.  Or more.

NEW RELEASES

DISTURBED DIGEST #20, MARCH 2018 Completing our fifth year, the March 2018 Disturbed Digest features original stories by Sinead McCabe, John H. Dromey, Jason Radak, Alan Murdock, Joseph Cusumano, and others, while the works of K. S. Hardy and Lisa Hawkridge give you a few moments of respite and calm your frissons.  The cover art is by Judson Michael Agla.

http://store.albanlake.com/product/disturbed-20/

AOIFE’S KISS BY TYREE CAMPBELL In the urban legends it is said that when Aoife kisses you, she takes you to a better place, a better world.  Thus the disappearances of children and the elderly are explained.  But now the elderly are turning up dead.  And Aoife is to blame.

The search for Aoife, be she angel or demon, has reached a dead end. The cold case has been assigned to Inspector Marie Brennan, to work on in her spare time.  But when Aoife’s journal turns up, she goes to the one person who might be able to help her find the mysterious woman—an embittered and disabled veteran named Andy, who operates a tavern.

The trail takes them into the world of Kate, an adolescent street girl who rules the alleys like a Romanov . . . and into the world of corporate greed and a sinister and deadly government conspiracy that threatens to murder tens of millions of people.

Only Aoife can stop it.  But first, she has to be found.

http://store.albanlake.com/product/aoifes-kiss/

BRIDGES INTO THE IMAGINATION BY M. R. WILLIAMSON Stories are Bridges, and they take you deep into the realms of the possible and the what-if.  The four novellas herein find you in rural lands dealing with the native spirits, and discovering a unique hiding place and purpose for dragons, and some ordinary folks protecting visiting aliens from the Men in Black.  Bridges into stories, perhaps, about the likes of you and me.

http://store.albanlake.com/product/bridges-into-the-imagination/

REMINDERS

THE GALAXY JUMP BY S. E. SHELLCLIFFE On their home world of Umvalla, a small group of duckbutts were attempting to complete a Great Scientific Experiment—and instead wound up on Earth.  Oops.  In Earth measures, they were tiny—just three inches short. They looked like humans with their big brown eyes and sweet faces—except for their upturned duck butts, which were covered with white feathers.

On Earth, ten-year-old Sylvia lives on a farm in Illinois and dreams of seeing a fairy.  Instead, she gets seven little duckbutts.  She has to feed them and hide them and help them get back to Umvalla.  But how? Find out at the link below:

http://store.albanlake.com/product/the-galaxy-jump/

CANDLE AND PINS BY JACQUELINE WEST

Jacqueline West presents superstitions in a fresh new light.  Her poetry not only clarifies them, but also makes you want to try some of the countermeasures.  Be careful what you wish for.

This collection is a must-read, even if you loathe poetry…and especially if you’re superstitious.  Get a copy here:

http://store.albanlake.com/product/candle-and-pins-poems-on-superstition/

ONLY THE LONELY, Tyree Campbell, ed.

Loneliness is both an emotion and a condition.  It can last for a few moments, or for a lifetime.  Either way, it leads to a theme that we explore in this anthology.  All the main characters you will meet in here experience loneliness in one form or another.  And do not mistake loneliness for a solitary condition.  A person can be lonely in a crowd if he or she is or feels different from the others. Someone can also choose to be alone, for a variety of reasons.  And sometimes solitude is thrust upon an individual.  How they cope, or fail to cope . . . well, that’s what this anthology is all about. Featuring stories by Teri Santitoro, Christa Carmen, Jay Caselberg, Lisa Timpf, Brianna Fenty, and Tyree Campbell, and delicately seasoned with a few themed poems, this is one anthology you don’t want to miss.

http://store.albanlake.com/product/only-the-lonely/

THE GIRL ON THE DUMP by Tyree Campbell

She’s an amnesiac young woman who looks like a princess, but with a dark side to her.  He’s a mage and a former tutor, defrocked because of a relationship with a student.  He seeks atonement; she seeks herself.   And a murderous black mage is seeking both of them.

Yup, it’s a novella.  It’ll take an evening or two to read it.  It’ll stay with you for a lifetime.

http://store.albanlake.com/product/the-girl-on-the-dump/

PYRA AND THE TEKTITES:  THE UNICORN STONE by Tyree Campbell

Pyra is back!  And in trouble as always.  She continues to elude the pirates, but can she and her new friend, Chlorine Collingsworth, avoid being recaptured by Ichthia and sold to the highest bidder?  Can Flanagan negotiate his way to freedom by delivering a Unicorn Stone to the Tektites?  And what of the morrikaru, the creatures that live in the ocean under the surface of Europa?

Pyra acquires skills she could never learn in school—such as piloting a shuttle in space, and how to identify minerals.  But these skills also get her into more trouble, such as when she accidentally steals the shuttle.  Oops.

This one is for readers ages 8 to 88.

http://store.albanlake.com/product/pyra-and-the-tektites-the-unicorn-stone/

UPCOMING RELEASES:

And we expect to be adding more each month.

Bugs in the System by Karen Otto.  Just what the title says.  This innovative space opera tale takes you hither and yon in search of pesticide.  April 2018

Sisterhood of the Blood Moon by Terrie Leigh Relf.  In this science fiction/fantasy novel, Miri sees a past she doesn’t recognize and a future she might, if she could just make sense of the present.  And “The Offering” isn’t helping…yet.  April 2018

Time Off by John Shoberg.  A science fiction novel with all the good stuff:  conspiracy, crime, bad guys, a plot [always a critical item], and a quality of writing that takes you right into each scene.  Looking at May 2018.

Come Dream with Me by Sandy DeLuca.  A collection of the artist’s work, including side notes about each piece.  Looking at May 2018.

The Brigstowe Dragons 2:  Return of the Black Magician, by Eamonn Murphy.  Hey, it’s dragons.  What’s not to like?  April 2018.

The Comfort of Screams by G. O. Clark.  Poetry from a master of the unusual, the perspective not taken.  April 2018.

The Fantabulous Adventures of Ella and Pemingo by J. Jardine.  It’s a fantasy tale for younger readers, with lots of color illustrations.  No date set yet, but we’re looking at April 2018.

Mulciber by Shelly Bryant.  The latest in her series of poetry collections.  May 2018.

Poison Planet by Jerry Neves.  Settlement on other worlds comes at a price.  In the Dark Ages on Earth, it was called “corvee.”  In space, it’s called unprintable.  As you’ll learn in Neves’ new novel.  May 2018.

Window to the Monster’s Eyes by Tyson E. Lewis.  We find our heroine, Leda, transformed—her body the body of a gorgon’s—and imprisoned in a mysterious, underground chamber where she is forced to turn unsuspecting victims into stone in order to appease her captors and feed her own unspeakable desires.  Will she be able to harness the powers of Medusa to launch an escape?  Will she discover the secrets behind her transformation?  April or May 2018

OUR MAGAZINES:

At the present time we publish six print magazines.  Five are quarterlies, three of which publish short stories, poems, articles, and art.  Outposts of Beyond features science fiction and fantasy.   FrostFire Worlds presents science fiction and fantasy for younger readers.  Disturbed, or Disturbed Digest, caters to the darker side with dark fantasy and horror, as well as paranormal.  Scifaikuest, also quarterly, publishes scifaiku [haiku with a science fiction or fantasy, sometimes horror or humor, twist] and other minimalist poetry forms.   Bloodbond is a semi-annual magazine of stories, poems, art, and articles about vampires, werewolves, and shapeshifters; a science fiction twist to the material is preferred, but not mandatory.  Illumen is a quarterly digest of science fiction and fantasy poetry, including articles and art.

A word here about horror and dark fiction in general.  We’re not into gore, splatter, gouts, gushes, fountains, and so forth.  It’s not really scary, just icky.  Our horror is spooky.  We’d rather rattle your nerves than make you retch.  That’s about enough said on that topic.

So, let’s see some submissions and some subscriptions!

And please be sure to stop back in April, if not sooner.

Tyree Campbell Editor-in-Chief

[backroombuzz]

Don't Want To Be Called Fake News By President Trump, Then Tell The Truth

If Journalist can't report truthfully about Trump feeding some Japanese Koi, how are we supposed to trust them on real issues?

By Dominick Mezzapesa Three journalists  (and I use the term lightly) tried their best to manufacture an "International Incident." involving Trump. These reporters don't represent a small, insignificant site such as mine. They represent The Washington Post, The AP, CBS, NBC, CNET and one is a contributor at MSNBC and NBC. The three reporters most likely hoped that they would go viral and for a moment in time, feel important.  Almost too easily they put aside their ethics, and went to work on twitter criticizing President Trump who, along with Japanese PM Shinzo Abe were feeding the ponds Koi's. The three reporters saw an opportunity to attacked President Trump for pouring an entire box of fish food into a pond. This in turn led to a discussion that asked if this amount of food that the uncaring Trump dumped in, could inexorable do harm to the poor delicate creatures. Of course, these three most likely know as much about Koi as they do about Journalistic integrity. The three lying, ethically challenged journalist was Anna Fifield @annafifield is The Washington Post's bureau chief in Tokyo Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker writer and editor for ZDNet, CNET and CBSNews.com. Jonathan Lemire  @JonLemire White House AP reporter. Contributor at MSNBC and NBCNews. The three all work for major newspaper or are contributor's on Major News networks. So how do we trust them now? They can't claim "I was lying then, but NOW I am telling the truth." These three represent to me the most reprehensible of journalist.  We as readers form our opinion based on what you are reporting. How can we form an objective opinion if the information is a blatant false? President Trump calls you "Fake News" please explain to your readers how he is incorrect in that statement? I am sure you won't. I am sure you'll run and hide, or claim "We were only joking." I have read the responses and have seen some serious responses, so hopefully, you'll clarify "where exactly is the joke?"   Truth Matters.. If you feel different, THEN QUIT! I never graduated tenth grade, never went to a great school to learn journalism. I am a grammar Nazi's worst nightmare, but I consider myself more of a journalist than you three shall ever be. I actually care that what I am writing is the truth, I care that my name will forever be linked to the words I had written below my signature. I can spend ten-hours writing a story and when it's finally completed, if it not up to the ethics, morals, and standards that I set for myself, I'll hit delete, and learn from my mistakes. I may not be the greatest writer, I may not be the most articulate, but I am damn sure over the 1800 articles I have written on BluePillSheep.com and my other website WildlifePlanet.net, Every word is truthful, and that is what I am most proud of. My readers understand who I am because I hide nothing from them, I make fun of my writing abilities far more than they ever could. If someone asked me what a semi-colon is, I'll most likely answer "That's what you get from a doctor when men reach the age of fifty.  While my readers understand that, they also understand that, they can trust every word I write. I am damn sure my work ethic and integrity far outweigh anything you accomplished professionally. I'll also match up my accomplishments to your any day of the week, and I have no doubt that I'll be judged far superior. These three buffoons make me cringe knowing I am just barely making it and these three are getting paid top dollar, to tweet about a few koi. In the end, their 140 or less character article was simply too difficult a challenge to overcome. But as always when USA Today releases a video that recorded the event, the three stooges were exposed for the imbeciles they truly are. As the meme spread through social media, other users joined in teasing Trump for improper conduct during the photo-op on his first state visit to Japan, until the full video of the incident came out showing Trump was just following the example of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Trump scooped out some feed for the coy in the pond below before opting to just dump the whole box. Rex Tillerson, standing nearby, laughed. — Jonathan Lemire (@JonLemire) November 6, 2017 “Trump and Japanese PM Shinzo Abe were scheduled to feed Koi spoonfuls of food. Until Trump poured his entire box of fish food into the pond,” CNBC reporter Christina Wilkie wrote on Twitter. Trump dump: president throws entire box of fish food into precious koi carp pond https://t.co/uyO0QpYGXZ pic.twitter.com/v4P5ufZemq — Anna Fifield (@annafifield) November 6, 2017 Some even suggested that Trump’s behavior at the Koi pond could launch a “diplomatic incident.” Four stages of Trump’s latest diplomatic incident: Tokyo koi pond edition. pic.twitter.com/Bx3FsEoXyq — Zack Whittaker (@zackwhittaker) November 6, 2017 The full video of the fish-feeding photo-op at Akasaka Palace koi pond shows clearly that Trump followed Abe’s lead in dumping the box of fish food into the pond. Trump and Japan PM Shinzo Ave decide to dump entire boxes of fish food into a koi pond at the Japanese palace. pic.twitter.com/aPAP6IdRhP — USA TODAY (@USATODAY) November 6, 2017 Yesterday I wrote an article about the DNC Chair, Tom Perez sending out a press release declaring that the 2020 election will be an honest, transparent election. He included his seven principles, I never went past #3. Number three of Tom Perez's seven-principles stated 'He will faithfully abide by the DNC charter.'  Since Tom Perez, nor the DNC didn't change one iota of the DNC charter and bylaws. Tom Perez just swore an oath to obey the same document that was in place before the  2016 elections. T If the DNC and Tom Perez keep their promise, which I have little doubt that they won't. Then Article five, section four, makes Tom Perez's seven principles and the DNC promise for a legitimate 2020 election is null and void. The reason why Hillary Clinton, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Donna Brazile, and the DNC was able to rig the election against Bernie Sanders was Article five, section four of the DNC Charter. According to the DNC's own lawyers, Article five, section four of the DNC charter Article five, section four in it's most basic term means that since the DNC is a privately run organization. The words  in that bylaw center around the words “impartial” and “Evenhandedness.” According to the DNC lawyers, these two words “impartial” and “Evenhandedness" cannot be defined by the courts. So the DNC’s impartiality clause is akin to a political promise in that it can not be guaranteed. When Federal Judge William Zloch's  viewed the case factually,  no matter how dishonest the DNC presented themselves. Judge Zloch had no other choice than to dismiss the class action lawsuit filed against the DNC for rigging the primaries for Hillary Clinton. In Judge Zloch's written opinion he specifically writes about Article five, section four of the Charter and Bylaws of the Democratic Party,  “For their part, the DNC and Wasserman Schultz have characterized the DNC charter’s promise of ‘impartiality and evenhandedness’ as a mere political promise—political rhetoric that is not enforceable in federal courts.   While it may be true in the abstract that the DNC has the right to have its delegates “go into back rooms like they used to and smoke cigars and pick the candidate that way,” DE 54, at 36:22-24, the DNC, through its charter, hascommitted itself to a higher principle. Nevertheless, it is apparent that these Plaintiffs cannot satisfy Lujan’s test, and therefore lack standing to assert Count V of the First Amended Complaint   So, the choice——and attendant consequences——between “impartiality and evenhandedness” and Tammany Hall politics lies in the province of the DNC, not the judiciary. So please, when you feel ready to take journalism seriously, even in a 140 character or less tweet. Then Click Here if you actually want to read an article that despite being grammatically challenged, is actual journalism that is both factually correct and truthful, two things you three mutton-heads are sorely lacking. Read the full article