Fuuuuuuck

Another day, another blog.
So today my head almost exploded as I was reading the FFXIV boards. I might have to do an entry on those yahoos. They bring my piss to a boil. It's like Livejournal mixed with Livejournal, I'm dead fucking serious.
NOTHING WILL MAKE THESE RETARDS HAPPY.

You won't enjoy the consequences. I may look and act like a cream puff most of the time, but don't you DARE call my friend a fag, okay? Being an ignorant homophobe does not give you the right to go after a boy who's ten times smarter and kinder than you could ever hope to be!

Yeah, yeah shut up.
I love these paladin types on Livejournal.
I FIGHT FOR MY FRIENDS!
Do ya?

What kind of spiritual or meditative practice keeps you feeling zen?

I like to recite the catechism of hate from Warhammer or perhaps Et Templars Mysteria aux Ordo Malleus.

To calm down quickly, I tense and relax my muscles one at a time, slow my breathing, and picture myself in my favorite relaxing spot, usually Hadrian's Wall or Glastonbury Tor. Before I go to sleep, I pray the rosary. It helps me fall asleep faster, and it keeps bad dreams at bay. Thank God, literally.

Imperator Vult.
Oh boy I'm in for it now.
There sure seemed to be a lot of Christfags out and about today on Livejournal. I tried to avoid them but no luck.

I'm feeling very...jumpy. Jittery. Out of whack...and I don't know why. I'm just in a strange mood. I can't find a way to make myself feel better.

I always find destroying the enemies of man most relaxing.

I think I need to talk to someone, but I don't know what I need to talk to them about. I'm feeling jealous of certain people, but it's not the source of my strange mood.

Let me just get my list of sins here--
Oh what do you know? Envy is one.
So speaking of destroying the enemies of man I finished the main quest line in FFXIV yesterday and I ran into this fellow as a result:

Further proof the Empire is right about everything.
They're clearly trying to prevent THE END OF THE WORLD but no they're mean about it so we have to oppose them :(
Fucking Livejournal logic in my video games.

I am such a bitch. I got all defensive when I didn't need to, and I insulted someone who might have otherwise become my friend.

I don't like it when people underestimate my intelligence because it's all I have going for me, but that's no excuse. I just need to sew my mouth shut. It gets me into so much trouble.

AVOID CONTROVERSY AT ALL COSTS.
NEVER BE INTERESTING.
ALWAYS BE PASSIVE AND COMPLIANT.

I need to get some serious writing done this week. I have so many stories that need lose ends wrapped up, especially my fanfictions.

Surprising absolutely no one: she writes fanfiction.

Once again, I must remind you: my faith does not give you license to assume I'm a narrow-minded bigot. On the contrary, my faith prevents me from becoming a narrow-minded bigot.

Okay.
Here's seven reasons she believes in God.
Let's see.

1. In order for the big bang to occur, something had to set it off. Scientifically, a reaction that big needed a trigger. The trigger=God.

... Yes, that's the only possible trigger for the creation of the universe. At least scientists have the honest to admit they don't know what caused the universe but it probably wasn't God.

2. Every society since the beginning of time has had some sort of religion.

... So?
People worship L. Ron Hubbard books. People are clearly gullible idiots who can be told anything. That is not anything close to a reason to believe in anything.

3. Despite the attempts of Hitler and others throughout history, the Jews, Yahweh's "chosen people", are still alive and kicking.

Wouldn't this be a reason to be a Jew, not a Catholic?

4. All of my best friends from public school are now teenage mom drop-outs. Right before they turned bad, my parents out of the blue switched me to Catholic school, when before they had hated Catholic schools. I'm now on the straight and narrow while my ex-friends do drugs. THe hand of God.

And not your parents or your own will or anything like that, no. The hand of God.
Wasn't there a study done that suggests the deeply religious are more likely to have premarital sex or teen pregnancy than normal people?

6. Historical evidence of Jesus backs up his existence. All the prophecies in the Old Testament point to him, and all five major world religions respect him: Christianity (duh), Judaism (prophet), Islam (prophet), Buddism (he reached nirvana), and Hiduism (he's an avatar, from what I've heard).

Excuse me?
I'd like to see your historical proof that isn't the Bible.
Go ahead I can wait.

7. I've had mystical experiences which lead me to believe that something greater than me does exist.

Oh so there you have it. I believe because I want to believe.
TRULY THE HAND OF GOD.

Dear Teacher,
I hate you. You're ugly, you're fat, you're a whiner, you're a bitch, and you make my life hell.
Oh, and your dog smells funny. My cats could take your dog down any day of the week.
If you try to make me take one more practice essay for the A.P. Exam that I'm not even going to take, I will shove my pencil up your nostril and cut out your heart with your red pen.
Sincerely,
A Very Pissed Off Student.

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"

Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times."
Oh I'm sorry I'm just reading this BIBLE.

I can't say I'm sad that Bin Laden is dead. Good riddance.

I'm sorry, but Bin Laden was evil on about the same level is Hitler. You know I'm anti-war, but Bin Laden was evil.

Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.
I'm sorry, what were you saying?

Some people deserve the death penalty. Bin Laden was one of them. It's the same as Hitler. Mindless, evil men like those two and Qaddafi deserve whatever sticky end they meet.

Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

I know, I know. Vengeance is God's, but why can't we get rid of tyrants without being told we're fools for it?

Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
HAR HAR HAR BIBLE CONTRADICTS CHRISTFAG: MORE AT 11.
Anyway I'm going to play some FFXIV.
GOTTA FISH LOADS OF FISH SO I CAN DESTROY THE EMPIRE.

Hurray

Oh God please stop running your noise hole
This is one of those blogs.
You know, those blogs.

We are all gonna die. So I am just supposed to what? Ignore that little factoid that one day I will be worm food in the dirt???!!!

Oh man. I'm already rubbing my face in an attempt to distract myself from the fact this exists and I'm reading it.

How the fuck do you people just go on with your lives!!!??? It is truly and utterly insane. And on top of that, you actually believe in some fucking invisible deity in the sky promising you life ever after just as long as you look but don’t touch. Taste but don’t swallow. “AND WHILE YOURE JUMPING FROM ONE FOOT TO THE NEXT, HE’S LAUGHING HIS SICK FUCKING ASS OFF!!!!!” (Al Pacino, Devil‘s Advocate) How can anyone worship such a sick perversity. What the fuck is wrong with you people!!!

So just kill yourself?
This is like the 20th time I've encountered this exact ramble. How have none of you people killed yourself?

So I just go on and live, just forgetting what I know??? While everyone just dies around me. How is that not the denial of a true lunatic? How can I just live when I know this precious gift is going to be stripped away in some horrible miserable way!!?? I am the only suicidalist, that wants to live forever. ***I made up the word suicidalist. You like. Well fuck you!!!***

What do you even say to this besides "shut up you semiliterate idiot"?

If I offended you. GOOD!!! I am an American with my own beliefs. These are just a small portion of those beliefs. Freedom of speech and freedom of religion dictates naturally that we have tolerance for everyone’s

No, actually. You have the right to say it. That doesn't mean I have to put up with it or listen.
I have a right to call you a twat.
So here's today's writer's ('s's's's's's) block:

How do you celebrate Independence Day in your country?

Implying every country has an independence day but hey whatever.

I quietly contemplate on the fact that we murdered and raped the indigenous people of this land. That we actually do not fucking belong here.

I've heard this argued before in one my myriad pussy sensitivity classes and I'd be very interested to hear a rational explanation for why I, a man who was born here, doesn't belong here.

Its funny, i am irish/english and i am Cherokee. And let me tell ya, if someone said i was native american, i would slap them up side the head for that prejudice shit!!! Do you really think the Cherokee and the other tribes called this place America!!!??? No!!! They fucking didnt.

Yeah well maybe they should have. Maybe then they wouldn't be DEAAAAAAAAAAD.

I would rather be called Indian or redskin even!!!

I'm sure you're fucking white bread and you're making this relation up.

I honestly dont see why people get all bent over the word indian, it is what it is. It means indigenous people. That is what half of my ancestors were. I am a product of rape and murder. My ancestors raped and murdered my ancestors!!! Happy Fourth you sick ass fucks!!!

Westerns taught me Indians did their fair share of raping and pillaging too.
Brown guys stealing white women and forcing them to live in squalor.
It's like my plan in reverse.

So Christian Principals are said to be a basis of American Law and Living. Most Christians say that our country is a Christian country. That its laws are all Christian based laws. Well i am here to say, brothers and sisters, that that is a load of shit!!!! Lets examine the Ten Commandments and compare.

Do we have to?

“You shall have no other gods before me.”

FREEDOM OF RELIGION, sorry Christian god, but we believe in absolute freedom of religion!!! F.O.A.D.

OH SHIIIIIIT.
TAKE THAT, BIBLE!
So skipping a bit:

“Honor your father and your mother”
whether you love your parents or hate your parents, you cannot be placed in jail for such a thing. so there’s another one lost to common sense.

Notice it doesn't actually say anything about loving them.

“You shall not steal.”
Okay you got me on this one. Totally Christian. But also morally right in the balance of nature.

You really have no idea what nature is about, do you?
I mean I don't either because I seldom venture outside but at least I don't pretend to.

I wish I never knew what physical love was. I wish I didn’t know what it is like to sweetly devour beautiful soft flesh with my tongue and hands. Everyone I have ever wanted or loved I will never have, or have had and they left. I must be something horrid. Only good for the guilty little secret sex. I wish I never knew love.

What?
You definitely are something horrible, but somehow I don't think you're thinking what I am.

I truly believe I am not meant for this life. Everyone I have ever loved is either dead or left me and moved on with their life. And me, I will never move on. Everyone I have ever fell for I still love them strong as if it is still the first day I ever fell for them. I love too much. That is what Claire says. I love to where it mentally and physically exhausts me

You also annoy to the point where it physically exhausts me.
That is quite a feat.

I am not meant for this world. And everyone I have ever loved is gone from me. I am obviously easy to put behind. They move on with out a thought of me any longer. I am just a distant memory/mistake. I am nothing. An alienated demon trespassing among angels.

For once in my life I don't even have a joke for this. This is just bad.
No therapy, no words of encouragement, just kill yourself immediately.

The only ones who have given me any physical comfort just use me for sex and leave. When alls I want is to just be fucking held to sleep. Just once. I have only had that a select few times. And drugs and alcohol was involved each time. People have to be intoxicated to hold me. I am not meant for this ugly world full of these beautiful things surrounding me.

I actually knew a girl who had regular breakdowns like this.
Only a few times were they my fault.

I am like a lab rat. Something to be tested and played with, then discarded. I am a joke of the gods, they are watching me now. They probably have bets on whether or not I will kill myself sooner or later.

Oh, oh I'll wager a billion dollars on she will.
Infinity + 1 dollars she will.

And ever since my father’s death, my voices are getting louder and more demanding. My meds arent working. And sometimes the voices are so loud that they talk me outta using my meds. I get maybe three to four hours peace every day when I sleep, then it is nothing but a loveless and lonely hell of reality consuming me every day.

Come on, let's double down, Zeus.

Dear Dad,
life is too short to be wearing so many masks. I know this now. Father, i am bisexual. Meaning i like girls and guys both. Have been that way since i was just a small aliem. I hope you can forgive me wherever you are for keeping such a huge part of myself secret from you.

Yeah, yeah every girl claims to be bisexual.
I'm real fucking impressed.
Let's see, words words words--

Love your first born little fire,
David.

THIS IS A GUY?
OH MY GOD, REALLY?
This is probably the most surprised I've ever been at the "oh look it's really a guy" thing. Really?
A guy is upset about being used for sex and not being held?
Well whatever.
I don't know why I act so surprised but something about everything in this blog gave off a total fem vibe.
David.
Goddamn.

i want to swear off my beliefs in freedom of religion and just start ripping out throats, bathing in their fucking holy blood. fucking sheep. i feel like i am the only sane person in the world.

Riiiiiiiiiiiight.
I mean I know his father died and it's a hard time but this is really fucking melodramatic.

Oh my Goddess Hecate, send me an angel to hold me while I weep. My father has decided to return so he can comfortably die in peace at hospice with us surrounding him. I cant do this. I want to die. I want nothing but death. I cant lose my dad. Not him. Please gods, take me instead.

Pretty sure the gods you are praying to (the Olympiads) wouldn't tolerate this sniveling.
Also I'm pretty sure THE GODDESS OF SORCERY WHO IS FREQUENTLY REFERRED TO AS A HAG DOESN'T HAVE A CHOIR OF ANGELS FOR YOU.

I cant do this. He is only 53 years old. This isn’t fair. I just want to rip open my arm and watch the crimson life leak from me as I fall to sleep, woshiping the god Morpheus.

Morpheus, god of sleep.
If only the Greek pantheon had some sort of god of death OH THAT'S RIGHT THEY HAD LIKE FIVE.

Oh dear Goddess Hecate! What I would truly give to be asleep in Claire’s arms right now. To feel her skin against mine. To taste every centimeter of her beauty. To fade into the exquisite depth of her eyes.

O Zeus, what I wouldn't give for you to smite this asshole with ball lightning.

To simply smell her hair, oh, Hecate, I would give my life, my body, my mind and my wretched blackened soul to you, dear goddess!

I'd give, uhhh--
I think I have like five bucks in my wallet.
Whatever is in my wallet up to five dollars is what I'd give to see that happen.
It's really not that important to me, honestly.

I offer a life time of service and then some, after death. I would be your slave for her.

Bro, no.
I've read what Hecate does to her lab rats.
HAVE YOU EVER READ A BOOK?
SHE'S BEEN IN A FEW.
IT'S NEVER PRETTY.
Oh my God dude WORDS WORDS WORDS WORDS what kind of woman could possibly love you?
She'd have to have a martyr complex and a hole in her head and the patience of several saints to put up with this.

THIS IS AMERICA!!!!!! WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO FUCK WHO WE WANNA FUCK. MARRY WHO WE WANNA MARRY.

I'd like to marry an 8 year old girl.
EEEH?
EEH?
FREE COUNTRY, AFTER ALL.
Seriously there are good, logical reasons to endorse gay marriage but this isn't one of them.
Even free societies have laws.

Pheww, had to get that outta my system. Hank was thumping around in my head and wouldn’t shut up about it so yeah…. Phew… im better now. Though I totally agree with hank/dave and everything he just said.

Oh, that was a voice in your head.
Good.

Saw Claire today, she was as radiant as always. She just seems to constantly glow. So beautiful.

Glowing.
Sounds dangerous.
Ever played Fallout?
Here's the first entry and it's so long and stupid I can't even be bothered to read it.
Jeeeeeeeeesus Christ.

Christ, What

Many of you might not be aware of this but the fantasy genre is the most creatively bankrupt genre on the planet. There has not been an original, good fantasy story since Berserk in 1988.
That's pretty goddamn impressive.
So imagine my surprise when I stumble upon Richard H. Fay, fantasy author.
I, like all sensible men, have never heard of Richard H. Fay I seldom let that stop my opinion of him from forming.

Which movie sequel do you like better than the first, and why?

Most common answers: Terminator 2 and The Empire Strikes Back.

The Empire Strikes Back may actually have been better than the first Star Wars movie.

Although I did run into one yahoo who said The Godfather part fucking III.

I ran across some news that is personally very bad, at least in terms of my list of forthcoming publications.

From the Abandoned Towers site:

"We’re sorry, but at this time Abandoned Towers Magazine is closed to submissions and will be closing soon unless a different publisher wishes to take it over.

Yeah I tried to get a story published but I realized all the magazines I wanted to publish in haven't been around since the 1950s.
Haven't quite determined what to do yet, no.

If you are interested in doing so, please email us at cwizprod@gmail.com.

If no one steps forward, Abandoned Towers by August 1, 2011, the magazine will be taken offline.

Any previously accepted submissions that have not been published are released back to the authors."


Note especially that last bit about accepted submissions being released back to the authors. The next print issue of Abandoned Towers was to be built around my article "The Darker Side of Fairy Lore".

Fairy love.
I'm taking that a lot of different ways, Dick.
I think Warhammer captured fairies the best. They're kind of these malevolent forest spirits that aren't to be trusted.
Actually that's a fair summary of anything not human in Warhammer.

In addition to my article, the issue was to contain seven of my fairy-themed poems, my illustration of a "Redcap", and my art on the cover. I also have a plethora of art and poetry on Abandoned Towers on-line, which will apparently vanish from cyberspace come August 1st, barring any last-minute miracles.

I'm looking into writing an anthology, in fact.
I consider that the pinnacle of storytelling.

What makes matters worse is that I didn't receive word of this from the soon-to-be-former publisher of Abandoned Towers, a publisher and editor I thought I had a good working relationship with. I didn't hear it from the horse's mouth, as it were. Instead, I happened across it on-line when I began to wonder about the lack of news concerning the Summer 2011 issue of the zine and performed a Google search for Abandoned Towers.

If you are writing for a magazine you should expect 0 job security.
especially one that publishes quarterly.

A discussion that has wandered toward the idea of the Christian ethos making tolerance a practiced virtue got me thinking about what the historical record says regarding Christians and tolerance of other faiths.

Christians are the funniest group of people in terms of tolerance. They cry persecution when they're the largest religion on earth and have probably the worst record for persecuting others.

While I agree that the Christian ethos ideally contains the concept of tolerance (after all, Jesus said that "thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" is the second greatest commandment), I can't help but to question the historical record of Christian tolerance.

Can't help but question?
Gee, what part is confusing for you?
When they burned all the pagan shrines in Rome?
When they started any number of crusades?
When they burned witches in Spain?

In ancient Rome, Christianity moved from a position of tolerant co-existence with the older Greco-Roman paganism to a position of intolerance. Constantine I (reigned 306 to 337) went from proclaiming religious toleration in his Edict of Milan of 313, to ordering the destruction of pagan temples during the final years of his reign.

Not a popular historical opinion but I personally blame Constantine I for the collapse of the Roman Empire.
He knew his empire was overextending itself but did he do anything about it?
Nope, Edict of Milan and Council of Nicaea.
Then they had such award winners as Constantius II, Gratian and Theodosius I.
NO WONDER IT COLLAPSED.

The Christian Emperors Constantius II (reigned 337-361), Gratian (reigned 375 to 383), and Theodosius I (reigned 379 to 395), all took various official steps to repress paganism in the Empire.

Yeah, them.
Gauls and Goths destroying your extensions?
WHO CARES WE HAVE A BOOK TO CANONIZE.

In an edict issued in 356, Constantius II banned public pagan worship. After a period of relative tolerance under the reigns of Jovian, Valentinian I, and Valens, Gratian returned to a policy of repression. In 382, Gratian did away with the privileges enjoyed by the pagan priests, confiscated the revenues of the pagan temples, and had the Altar of victory removed from the Senate House in Rome.

Oh but let's tax-exempt the largest revenue collector at the time: the newly founded Catholicon.
WHY ARE WE TOO BROKE TO START WARS?
HURRRRRRRRRR.

Theodosius I banned paganism in his "Theodosian Decrees" of 389-391. He outlawed private pagan ritual and declared Paganism a "religio illicita". Various Christian emperors that followed continued these policies, and enacted yet more laws repressing paganism.

Except for a brief period of renewed glory in Julian the Apostate.
But he died on campaign in Africa.

The month of June has been quiet for me, publication-wise. Unless some of the outstanding publications without a firm publication date come out between now and the end of the month, which is doubtful, the only thing I will have published this month is a reprint poem in the June issue of Aphelion (if they manage to get THAT out before July 1st). I haven't even had any acceptances so far this month; the last acceptance I received was on May 12th, for my poem "Shroudeater", slated to appear in the Panic Press vampire anthology Bleed - And They Will Come (if that anthology ever gets published, that is).

So it seems to me the best way to become a successful author is to write good shit and get one of the heavy hitters to publish you.
I know that seems obvious but ol' Rich here apparently hadn't considered it.
Or maybe he can't write.

Here we go again: I have run across yet another discussion about the debate over whether or not it is proper and appropriate to call "hard" or "serious" or "literary" science fiction "sci-fi". From what I've gathered, in some genre writing circles it is seen as improper and even downright offensive to call such science fiction "sci-fi". According to this camp, the label "sci-fi" should ONLY be applied to "softer", "less serious", "less literary" stuff like space opera and science fantasy.

This debate bothers me because a lot of the must successful science fiction is space opera.
People who claim there's a real distinction between "literary" sci-fi and "soft" (whatever that means) sci-fi seem to conveniently forget such heavy hitters as Dune and Foundation are technically space operas.
Even I, Robot tends more towards the operatic than the "hard sci-fi" which most people haven't read because it is titanically boring.

Looking at this debate from a broader perspective (an "outsider's perspective", perhaps?), this whole thing sounds an awful lot like a bunch of silly BS.

Stop, shut up.
End of essay you got it right (for once).

Compared to all the serious real-life problems in the world today, the eternal debate over whether or not to call certain brands of science fiction "sci-fi" or "SF" is truly trivial. I think those that make a big deal out of such a trivial topic (especially those that get offended when one shorthand version is used over another) have a serious problem with perspective. Compared to floundering economies and endless wars, a changing climate and environmental disasters, failing educational systems and scandal-ridden governments, continued inequalities of various sorts and the growing gap between the haves and the have nots, calling "hard" or "serious" or "literary" science fiction "sci-fi" is simply not that big a deal.

Did you seriously just tell nerds not to debate trivial shit?
See that's why you should have shut up before.
That's like me telling twats not to twat on about shit on Livejournal.
Three years later and you can see how effective that has been.

In my opinion, some genre writers take this whole labelling thing way too seriously.

Easiest way I've found to troll this debate:
just say sci-fi is a subgenre of fantasy (which it is) and then say any further labeling is redundant.
BUTTMAD. BUTTMAD EVERYWHERE.

In case anyone has been wondering what I've been up to for the past week or so, I've been busy drawing and colouring colossi for the deviantART RIFT Create a Colossus Contest.

Oh RIFT has gotten popular enough they can just get other people to do their job for them.
Here you go, RIFT: I just Googled "World of Warcraft Golem" and found plenty you can rip off.
Don't feel bad. You're just ripping off something they undoubtedly ripped off themselves.

I started off by creating a colossus from the plane of death (imagine that?), but I wasn't sure if the concept for my death colossus was imaginative enough.

You drew a giant skeleton.
I'd say that's about as unimaginative as you can get.
Your water colossus is about as good as it gets but unfortunately there's already an enemy that looks like that.
Not that it matters, RIFT is just H.P. Lovecraft + WoW.
I did like RIFT, though.
Until I realized its playerbase was infantile and stupid but unlike FFXIV where they actually prove an obstacle to my in-game goals I was achieving my goals in RIFT far too quick as I just made a ladder of bodies to the top.
I frequently ended PVP matches number 1 in every single category except deaths.
Apparently people don't expect AN ASSASSIN WHO CAN TURN INVISIBLE AT WILL to attack from the back.
I got 90% of one battleground's achievements in one round.
That's when I decided to hang up my spurs.

I know a writer sometimes puts a lot of themselves into their characters, and I have done that from time to time, but I'm not my characters! Last I knew, I'm not a blood-sucking alien creature ("The Iltrox"), or a member of a legion of lonely ghosts ("Souls Adrift"), or a woman involved in a fatal love affair with an incubus ("The Incubus"), or a malicious jilted wizard ("Vengeance of the Alpe").

I'll be sure not to make that mistake again.

I'm especially not Daniel from my dark poem "The Damnation of Daniel Brewster". I have not lived "decades of debauchery".

Too bad, though.
This might actually be vaguely interesting if you had.

I certainly wouldn't return to my childhood haunt "searching for scraps of solace" or "hoping to find warm comfort"; I know I would find neither in my cursed home town. I certainly don't have "throngs of cast-off lovers" holding "never-born sons and daughters / snuggled against bloodied breasts".

If this is supposed to make me want to read this it's not working.

My dark speculative poem "The Banshee's Cry", originally published in the October 2007

Well that'll be a short poem, won't it?
I heard a banshee's cry
I promptly--
BECAUSE WHEN YOU HEAR A BANSHEE'S SCREAM YOU FUCKING DIE.

issue of the (now apparently defunct) horror print magazine Sinister Tales, has been accepted for publication in issue 6 of the e-mail/on-line horror poetry newsletter Dark Metre, due out June 5th.

Reprints are always nice, but what makes this one even nicer is that I will actually be paid this time around (£2.50). I received no payment for the original publication of the poem in Sinister Tales; they only paid for the lead poem, and "The Banshee's Cry" wasn't chosen as the lead poem in that issue.

Ah so that's how you get published.
You're not actually getting paid and when you are it's a little under 15. US Dollars.
Now here's a story so bad he's apparently having trouble getting accepted in a publication that doesn't pay--
hrm.

I received a payment today for a forthcoming dark poetry publication, one that happens to be one of my best sales yet ($10 for a poem of 24 lines). Nine more like that (as long as this poem does get published in the end), plus $65, and I just may be able to get myself an active membership in the HWA.

10 bucks for 24 lines.
I'm in the wrong business.

What's the point of mentioning this? Not much,

LIKE ALL BLOGGING AM I RIGHT?
HOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
Okay that's the topper.