The Audacity! Imagine My Surprise When…

Back in 2011 I published what I had believed was the final draft of my novel Aldaria Chronicles: Hope for an Era. I had worked on it for five years. I had edited it to death. It was sufficient.

Sufficient is not perfect, and my novel still was more a novella than a novel. It had gaping holes in the story. It had missing plot points, and characters that were under-developed. The writing was worse than the first twilight novel. Overall, I turned out a subpar, barely good action fantasy novel.

Due to my personal distaste for the novel, I unpublished it and pulled it from the market. I discontinued print in 2013.  I revised and ordered prints and after reading over the prints I kept revising and am still in that process.

Imagine my surprise when

Rock’n’Roll Tattoo and Piercing Glasgow Does Not Listen to Autistic Voices

Greetings blog followers, I recently informed you all in another post that I am autistic. Over a week ago a page in the UK, particularly Glasgow asked autistic people what flash designs we would like to see for a charity. Many of us, including myself asked for the neurodiversity symbol also known as the rainbow infinity. I would have screens of this except I did not expect that not only would they not listen but in an effort to avoid accountability they deleted the thread.

Quick Update

By Damien Knight

Trump memo leak about the planned erasure of trangender people by redefining gender has had me feeling depressed. I admit I am feeling it is better to end my life than exist in a society that can erase and murder me. I will not do this. I will fight back!

I went to my doctor yesterday and am now back on Adderall for my ADHD. I am also taking synthroid for my thyroid. I will be calling my endo and start back on testosterone. I won’t let this administration define me.

I am me! I am Male! #wontbeerased

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Youtube’s Policy

Damien Knight

Guys YouTube once more changed it’s YouTube policy for monetization. As someone who has been on YouTube since the birth of my daughter, I am highly upset. I remember YouTube when it was a brand new place and nothing was monetized. It was completely free. It seems that greed has taken over the platform. This morning Channels received this email.

I was approved for YouTube partnership in 2011, I remember how excited I was. I had vlogged daily back then, I wasn’t doing it to make money. I began vlogs and blogs back then to record my kids growing for my spouse so he could see them. His job keeps him from being home and I wanted that he not miss a moment on his newborn daughter. I never made much money. I think I have to date earned 2 dollars on YouTube.

For me I am not upset because I can’t make money on youtube. I am upset that the opportunity that Logan Paul and Pewdie Pie abused is now being stripped from innocent vloggers and creators. Why should they be punished for other people’s B.S.?

I know a few other YouTubers are now leaving the platform but for me I haven’t given up yet. I want to think that YouTube will realize what a bad decision this is and maybe change the system again. That said if they keep making it harder on new channels and creators I may just move The Shadow’s Lair’s videos.

In the meantime while we still are posting videos would you all go and subscribe? We highly appreciate it.

The Shadows Lair’s Youtube : @ https://www.youtube.com/user/scalelike 

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Social Saturday: Hurricane Irma

Damien

Normally I would have asked you all to leave questions in the comments last night. I got home late though and that didn’t happen. Leave questions for me in the comments of this post and I will answer tonight.

Now that that is out of the way, lets talk about Hurricane Irma. If you are in it’s path I am pleading you evacuate. This is a storm like we haven’t seen in 80 years.

Irma Satellite Images

Source of pic Independent

The satellite images show that this storm is no joke. The size alone swallowed the islands it hit. Don’t think you will survive. GET OUT. After all Irma isn’t alone.

NBC Sat Image of Irma and Jose

Source of picture NBC News. 

The Caribbean is preparing for Jose and at this point they don’t have much left. If it were me I wouldn’t be taking chances when two hurricanes are following one after the other.

After all this is the damage Irma did to St. Martin:

Saint Martin, NBC News

Source for pic: NBC NEWS

Irma is suppose to now be heading toward Tampa. I am begging my family, friends and strangers. Just leave. Please, take your elderly. Yesterday it was the Bahamas, the storm is coming don’t wait.

Irma heading for Tampa

St. Martin, NBC News

Source for pic: NBC NEWS

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Why I Won’t Be Cooking Turkey

By Damien Knight

(Originally written Nov 2016)

Every year someone asks what my family is doing for Thanksgiving. While I do in fact celebrate Thanksgiving I find the origin taught to us as children horrific. When we were kids, we were told Thanksgiving was a time where the Pilgrims and Natives met and held a party celebrating shared success. The truth is, when Pilgrims came to American shores many did not survive the boat ride. Many more starved to death over their first winter.

The Pilgrims were not the first settlers from Europe at this point. Squanto, of the Wampanoag tribe, spoke English. He was the one to contact the Pilgrims. The Wampanoag were not just being kind ‘savages’ they were wary. Still they taught the Pilgrims how to grow food and Thanksgiving came and they met not to celebrate shared success but to sign a treaty, a treaty giving Pilgrims the land they lived on.

What did the Natives get in return? Smallpox, betrayal, whitewashing of American history? All of that. So while yes I celebrate with my parents I have not myself cooked a Thanksgiving turkey. My own children are Abenaki blood as is my spouse and I feel celebrating the genocide of their people is an insult. I’ll be thankful that more and more people are learning the truth. I will be thankful for my family and my kids. I am not proud of our history, but I hope that we learn from it and not repeat it.

Kentucky Bound

By Damien Knight
We will be Kentucky bound! Exciting. Neighbors here were pricks all night. Yelling and screaming. I slept through but poor Aaron woke angrier than a bear stung by hornets.

Aaron decided to make as much noise as possible this morning. Neighbors weren’t happy bout that nor was I. Now we have no water. He suspects the neighbors of course.

That said this was the first night with no nightmares. I just dreamt I was fighting Thalmor. Wooo Skyrim. Anyway going to play Skyrim now.

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Trans people and Military.

Damien Knight

Trump has announced a ban on trans people serving  and this is how I feel:

It’s  time to rise up. I will not, as a trans person who has military family, stay quiet. The army isnt a place to go backwards. We were the first to desegregate and we should be the first place to have full acceptance. Revolt, rebell as the declaration of independence states ” That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute newGovernment, ” it is time!
I am shaking. I am angry. America brags about freedom but we aren’t free. Healthcare is outrageous, racism is rampant and lgbt community is second class. Rise up!

Stressed Dreaming

By Damien Knight 

Dreams are just the brain processing. I just wish mine would stop being weird. I’m kind of stressed out about moving and I know that but my brain is processing it in odd ways. Dreamt about a psychward, theme parks and mint cake. I was glad I woke up.

Doctor WHO

By Damien Knight
I been seeing a lot of noise being made about the new Doctor. I can’t help but think that those against a female doctor are not true fans of the show. Have they not watched the General’s regeneration? Or what about what the Doctor said to Amy about the Cosiar, and his or sometimes her regenerations. We can’t forget The Master either being Missy.   Anyway, I am personally excited to see a female Doctor and hope Jodie fills this role in full success.