by A.J. Focht

The New York Toy Fair 2012 is wrapping up today, but this year’s collection makes me envy the kids who will be getting these toys for Christmas next year. Nerdy toys galore were shown off, including but not limited to: Ghost Busters statues, Portal 2 toys (including portal gun), The Dark Knight Rises action figures, Marvel and DC superhero collectibles, and so much more. The Toy Fair ends on a high note, hosting the largest toy bank of the year.



While we’re talking about toys, Marvel Heroic Roleplaying releases February 28. This new Marvel game means that role-players everywhere can stop converting to D20 Modern or other systems just to play a Marvel themed campaign. The game promises to be better than the previous half-assed Marvel RPGs that have been released. It uses the Cortex Plus rules set made famous in the Leverage and Smallville RPGs. The basic game releases at the end of the month, but several expansions such as Civil War are planned as early as March 2012.



We’ve heard many rumors of a Smallville continuation. Everything from another season of the television show to a novel has been alleged. Last Thursday, DC comics gave us the official scoop, announcing the official Smallville Season 11 comic series. The comics pick up where the show left off, and we can expect to see several of our favorites return including Green Arrow and Chloe Sullivan-Queen.



Marvel has given us a teaser of the first showdown from Avengers VS X-Men. The second comic’s cover features Gambit going head-to-head with Captain America and Spider-Man fighting Colossus. It looks like Marvel is determined to give us showdowns never seen before.



All of the comic news from the big boys is great, but it pales in comparison to the awesomeness announced by IDW comics. In possibly the most epic crossover ever, Dr. Who and Star Trek: The Next Generation will come together in a new comic. The Dr. and his gang will join the crew of the Enterprise for what’s bound to be a great adventure. We should know more when it is officially announced this week at the Gallifrey One convention in the UK.



Do you want to see a comic documentary with a focus on the rise of women in comics? If so, a Kickstarter account has been opened to fund such a film. The documentary, Wonder Woman! The Untold Story of American Superheroines is seeking the funding to debut at South by Southwest this March. If you are sick of all the male-centric comic documentaries focusing on Superman and Captain America, this is your chance to help get this movie off the ground.



Moving out of comics and into the movie world, the first preview for the Tim Burton produced Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter has arrived. The movie drops into theaters on June 22.

There is a new live action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the works, and it looks like they’ve found a director – Jonathan Liebesman, who helmed Battle: Los Angeles and the upcoming Wrath of the Titans.

We’ve known about the inevitable Transformers 4, but I don’t think anyone was expecting Michael Bay would use it to reboot the series. It’s official now since the producers are tossing around the word reboot, but I don’t know if they’re using it correctly. Producer Lorenzo di Bonavantura tried to correlate Transformers 4 to Amazing Spider-Man, but really only ended up saying they weren’t doing a full reboot. I’m not sure what their definition of the term is – it could be anything. A new storyline? A new cast? New Transformers? It’s all up in the air, but the fourth movie is aiming to release June 29, 2014.

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance releases in a few days, and now co-director Brain Taylor is onto his next project. He just happens to be writing and directing a live action movie based on the totally rockin' Playstation demolition derby Twisted Metal game. That’s right Sweet Tooth and other favorites such as Doll Face will be appearing on the silver screen.

by Aaron Colter



Occupy Wall Street has gone from a overzealous cry in a somewhat posh Canadian produced magazine to a genuine movement that has emerged as reaffirmation of civil disobedience in this country as quickly as it has become an international brand embodying the best and worst of American pop-culture.

The last time I wrote about Occupy Wall Street, protestors had only been camped out for five days; since then the camps have be removed after becoming established in cities around the world. And while the original, loose-collective approach to the movement was an advantage, it's time to move to phase two of Project Mayhem.

There's no reason to abandon the basic principals of anarchy that can lead to consensus at the General Assemblies, allow for committees to focus on certain aspects according to individual desire, or the intelligent manner in which a leaderless movement is free from scapegoating tactics. Like Tyler says, "You determine your level of involvement."

Despite my tongue-in-cheek references, it's nearly shocking the way that life seems to be imitating art. Or, at least movies based on that art. Both Fight Club and V for Vendetta have become evolved symbols of the Occupy Wall Street movement, and in the same manner that Libyan rebels adopted the former royal flag of their country, the origin doesn't matter as much as the spirit.

If the Egyptian revolution is indeed the inspiration for what drove a movement here in America, then we should also take note of their continuing struggle - overthrowing one leader in exchange for brutal military rule. Violence responding to violence doesn't seem to work out very well in modern revolutions, not in Greece, not in South East Asia, and not in America. There are many reasons why a violent revolution can fail, just as there are many reasons why a non-violent movement can fail.

In either case, there must be some sense of optimism and humanitarian unity or else there is no revolution at all, only our own self-fulling Apocalypse.

If you are reading this, you are being tuned into the frequency of #EtherSec. If it wasn't clear before, Anonymous is merely a common identifier for people who believe the current structure of our global society should be drastically altered to improve conditions for all. A group of people under this banner have decided to engage in the next evolutionary action, one that doesn't take place in the streets, but rather in minds.

#EtherSec is difficult to describe, much like the larger Anonymous movement, because with no leadership, individuals move in different directions. There have been four initial releases connected to #EtherSec, but how long those links will be active remains to be seen, and no doubt more have popped-up over time as more join the idea.

The basic premise of the movement is that the quantum reality of our universe is partially affected in a very real way by our thoughts. The emergence of social media technology has caused an exponential increase in people to empathize with one another on the global level as we approach December 21st, 2012.

And that's where things start to go off the deep end. You're going to need a bigger bong.

How much of #EtherSec related content is pushed out by a select number of people, or more likely a loose band of several people, is unsure. Still, the basic notion of the movement hinges on a sort of spiritual power within the individual, and that within each of us lies the ability to shape reality in the context of our collective imagination.

Confused? It's okay. The premise of this movement seems to lie within pop-science of movies like What The #%@$ Do We Know?, Love, Reality, and The Time of Transition, The Awakening, and more - a loose knowledge of string-theory, and the optimistic anchor that we are in control of our future and our various realities of the multiverse.

Now, how much of this should by taken seriously is up to the reader, to you. If humanity can manage to keep its collective shit together for long enough, there indeed may come a time when a singularity happens for some of the human race. Whether or not this comes about as a blossoming of empathy on the mental level across every conscious being on the planet Earth this year, or rather at a point in which the capacity of technology begins to exceed the physical structure of our organic bodies to create a new form of humanity for the select, privileged few in the future remains to be seen. We are in The Fourth World War.

Recently, Alan Moore - the creator of V for Vendetta along with David Lloyd - was interviewed backstage in England after a conference on the notion of reality. It's fitting that the mind who helped create a character, loosely based on a violent zealot, that was then transformed into a movie hero, and twisted into a symbol of individual freedom on a global level is on the same wave as the #EtherSec crew.

Good news though, the best way to get on board with all the new changes is drugs! But, before you get ready to lace up your matching Nike hightops and drink the Kool-Aid, there are some things you should consider. To start, the more you watch and listen to the different opinions, instructions, and guidelines, the more #EtherSec starts to sound like a religion. And when I say religion, I mean a cult. All religions are cults in one way or another, in that they force a person to believe in a set of conditions, but some cults are worse in that they inspired people to hurt themselves and others.

How far is the leep from #EtherSec to B'hai to Scientology to whatever the fuck this is?

And it's important to realize that whenever there is money to be made, someone will attempt to profit off beliefs.

Perhaps this spiritual evolution of the Occupy and Anonymous movement was inevitable. As people began to be evicted on a coordinated level across the country from public spaces, and as more low-level hacktivists are picked up by the FBI, the most likely place for the energy to flow was inward.

#EtherSec's most basic flaw, as others have pointed out, is that at least some of the communications suggest perceived dark forces, that those in power are actively working against those of us who are aware of these quantum level connections exponentially woven through shared ideas. The truth, in my opinion (subjective, obviously), is that we're holding ourselves back as a species. There are not dark forces, only ignorance and people turned into oppressive tools by a series of unjust systems we ourselves created and uphold. One of the most horrifying things we can acknowledge within ourselves is the potential for unlimited devastation. The flip side is that we also have the potential for infinite creation.

The central problem with #Ethersec and any "Quantum Protest" is that many outside of true believers probably don't see their actions as affecting this reality. And no matter what people may claim, saying that truly believing in something is the essence of that system's power, and that if you don't then it doesn't work, isn't a viable solution to the problems at hand.

Still, as we come full-circle (after all, life itself can seem an infinite loop), as Adbusters release their 100th issue, that issue is dedicated to the spiritual insurgency of people around the world. Ideas spread like electricity.

For this global revolution to survive, we must remain positive. Ours should be a happy rebellion, one of dancing and art; not naive, but ultimately optimistic. If we can't rejoice in our transformation as a society, then what are we struggling to achieve? And if #EtherSec, or any other movement, can help individuals retain their optimism and keep alive the idea that together the world can be radically transformed for the better, then it is probably a positive movement.

Remember, a spiritual transformation is an individual movement. Don't believe outright – research, test, come to your own conclusions. Be skeptical. All Gods are false gods, even ourselves. Think like a scientist, love like a monk. We all have to find our way, but we're still all in this together. One relatively tiny blue dot in the vastness of space. We must thrive together, or die alone.

#F29 - Disrupt ALEC corporations.

May Day - General Strike.

5.19.12 - Occupy the G8 & NATO summit in Chicago.

Stay safe. Stay strong.




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Things I Like That You Might Like Too: Update on #OccupyWallStreet - Wins and Fails
Things I Like That You Might Like Too: Youth
Things I Like That You Might Like Too: #OCCUPYWALLSTREET
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by Laurelin



I have always felt a little indifferent about Valentine’s Day. It seems cliché to hate it, stupid to love it, and all in all, just another day of the week. I don’t think I have ever had a spectacular Valentine’s Day even when I was in a relationship. In college, my boyfriend at the time told me we were supposed to go to dinner and then he wound up not being able to afford it. I was crushed. But I remember one other day, in the middle of the summer when he left a single red rose under my windshield wipers, and he hid so when I looked around the parking lot I didn’t see him until when I turned around, he was right there kissing me. It was one of the most romantic moments of my life, and it was also just another day.

A few Valentine’s days ago my boyfriend at the time and I went to a romantic dinner at a candlelit historic restaurant in Boston’s Beacon Hill district. The tables were so close together and we were both so tall that we looked like bulls in a china shop trying to be classy and quiet amidst normal sized couples. We wound up eating so much food and dessert that we couldn’t even make room for drinks afterwards, and we were both massively uncomfortable for the rest of the evening. Sexy.

I feel like Valentine’s Day is just one of those days that winds up making people feel bad, so I usually just do what I always do on every other day: hit the bars. If anyone is out at a bar in Boston on Valentine’s Day chances are they’re single. The odds of running into a guy lying about having a girlfriend on Valentine’s Day are slim to none, so I look forward every year to some guilt free bar scene action.

One year ago today I was with four single friends. One guy had just been dumped (they got back together), one had just been snubbed my by best friend and was nursing a bruised ego (he is now happily in a relationship), and then there was me and my friend Lindsay, two girls who can’t seem to be tamed. We were drinking twenty three ounce Harpoon UFO drafts and knocking back shots of Jameson when I glanced up and happened to meet eyes with a guy standing across the bar. I leaned into my friend Jay not-so-stealthily, “he’s CUTE!” I whispered, quickly looking away, my cheeks burning.

Not two seconds later I had a shot of Patron placed in front of me, and the bartender gestured towards that guy across the bar. “It’s on him,” the bartender said. I looked up and the guy was holding a shot as well, and I knew that there was no turning back now, I had to rip this shot and act like tequila didn’t make me throw up in my mouth. Turning down salt and lime, I got the shot down the hatch and stood up to go say thanks. I flashed my best smile and held out my hand, and I met Dan.

I remember leaving the bar that night with a smile stuck to my face. Who goes to a bar and meets a guy on Valentine’s Day? It was perfect, so sappy, so lame, and oh my god, why couldn’t I stop smiling? That night was the start of something that wound up being silly, tumultuous, fun and pretty important. Dan has become a staple in my life, someone I call when I need advice, need a drinking partner, need a pep talk on getting over an ex. We just got back from an 11 day cruise with a few other friends, and I couldn’t have asked for a better partner in crime with whom to spend that time in paradise with. Looking back one year later I can’t help but still have a smile stuck on my face.

It’s funny, how life works out. I always thought that Valentine’s Day was just another day, and it is -- but you never know when life is going to hand you someone special -- and as always, extra points when that someone special is holding a shot of tequila with your name on it.




***

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Life Beyond the Bar Scene: Strobe Lights and Glitter
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: Fake It ‘Til You Make It
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: Apologies and Other Useless Utterances
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: Liquid Running
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: Anger and Other Mostly Useless Emotions
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: One of the Guys
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: A Case of the Crazies
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: Unsettled
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: Boys of Summer
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: Play On Playa'
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: How to Lose a Girl in Ten Minutes
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: Naked Laurelin Reading
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: Healthy Relationships are for Boring People and Other Mishaps
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: Letting Go
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: Does it Exist?
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: The Dating Game
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: After a Few Beers Everyone Looks Good and Other Love Stories
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: Getting Naked With Laurelin
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: Seven Days and Seven Nights of Sobriety
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: When it’s Time to Move On
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: Starting Over and Other Stupid Resolutions
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: He Broke Up with Me on a Post-it and Other Travesties
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: The End of Four Loko As We Know It
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: Boston’s Top 5 Dives

by Nahp Suicide


[Albertine in Antique Dress (self portrait)]

Albertine is from in Milan, Italy. She has been a Suicide Girl and a SG Photographer since 2004 and has shot more than 200 sets!

How did you first get involved with SuicideGirls?

An old friend of mine, Aiki, was on the site. I was at the time studying photography and specifically was into a self portrait project, so I did a test shoot of myself for the site and the set was bought!



What's your background photography-wise?

I studied photography in Italy at IED and then took a masters degree at SVA in NY.



What was the first photo you had published?

It was a picture for an Italian fashion magazine ("D") that I shot while I was in NY: it was a big cardboard box sitting on a doorstep and you could see the hand of a girl trying to get out from one corner, as if the girl had been delivered to someone.




[Ultima in More Naked Than You]

How would you describe your style?

This is a hard one, as I am constantly in conflict with myself wondering if I even HAVE a style. Generally, I like my models to feel comfortable. I like them to feel hot/pretty. For editorial work I love using references in the world of comics/ movies/illustration. I like it when an image triggers imagination.



What gear do you use?

I generally shoot with a Nikon D700, my lighting equipment depends on the job and the situation.



How important is Photoshop in your final images?

If I shot digital is very important, as I think that completely unprocessed digital images aren't appealing: I think about Photoshop as if it was a digital darkroom, and the raw digital file a film negative.



What gives you ideas and inspires you to create such amazing sets?

My style as far as SG shoots has changed a lot throughout the years. My sets used to be very themed, as I liked the idea of freeing the imagination of the model and the concept of playing a role/character. Nowadays I try to be as minimalistic as I can, and portray each model's peculiar way of being sexy.




[Manko in Candy Darling]


[Manko in Shunga]


[Manko in Dead End]

What is your favorite image?

There are so many that I love!

Tell us why it's your fave and how you achieved it?

I guess that my favorite shoots of all times are the ones I did with Manko: I think we grew up together as friends and artists, and we always create something that is unique, and also never boring. I like to think of her as my muse.




Is there anybody or anything you would love to photograph that you haven't? (And tell us why)

I want to photograph tons and tons more. I am very intrigued about shooting more artists. I have a craving for faces that can communicate experiences, love and struggles, faces that have sparkles in their eyes!


[Waikiki in All Of Me]

Related Posts:
In Focus: The Photographers of SuicideGirls feat. Holley
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In Focus: The Photographers of SuicideGirls feat. Lavezzarro

by SG’s Contributors & Team Agony



[Karma "Plays Cupid"]

Valentine’s Day isn’t a bed of roses for everyone – especially those who are single. Here, the SG Blog’s brain trust share their strategies for surviving the Hallmark Day devoted to lovers.


1. Two words. Ben & Jerry's. – Sash Suicide

2. Chocolate, booze and drugs. – SnakePlissken

3. Make yourself a fuck-ton of cookies, and eat 'em all. (Or send me some!) – Lyxzen Suicide

4. Make heart shaped pancakes. Tearing them in half and eating them is delicious, barbaric, and therapeutic. Cover them with strawberry syrup so they look bloody. – Laurelin SG

5. Send yourself flowers or treat yourself to something nice. – Rambo Suicide

6. Do something nice for yourself, and remember that Valentine's Day means we're halfway through the last full month of winter. Fuck winter and all of its frosty bullshit! – Perdita Suicide

7. Call in lovesick from work, and indulge in a little erotica. – Atlea Suicide

8. Buy a sex toy and get down with yourself – Rambo Suicide

9. Stock up on whiskey and batteries. – Sassie Suicide

10. Strip clubs and liquor works for me. I hear there’s a strip club in Iowa where you can bring your own beer. I’m very excited about this. – Justin Beckner

11. Put on your favorite lingerie because it makes YOU feel sexy, treat yourself to a heart-shaped box of quality chocolates, and watch something that reminds you that being single/alone on Valentine's Day is better than being married to an axe murderer – The Shining, for example. – Clio Suicide

12. Do not watch rom-coms. I repeat it: don't watch rom-coms. You don't want to do it. All those movies have happy endings, and a happy ending now can lead to never ending tears or immense anger. Don't do it. – Dalila Suicide

13. Grab some popcorn and watch horror movies where the cute couples come to a sticky end (ie. The Devil’s Rejects). – Aadie Suicide

14. Take an overnight trip somewhere and treat yourself well, and pretend Valentine's Day isn't happening. – RIn Suicide

15. Hide under a rock. – Nicole Powers

16. Move back and forth across the international dateline to avoid it. – Zach Roberts

17. Take over the world, and declare an end to Valentine's Day. – Elea Suicide

18. Try to get abducted by aliens. Maybe the dating scene is better on Mars. – Aadie Suicide

19. Move to Ethiopia - they've never heard of it there (source). Of course they've probably never heard of Jersey Shore either, so it's a mixed bag. – Zach Roberts

20. Whatever you do, don't move to Japan because they have two Valentine's Days there! On February 14, girls give boys chocolate, and on March 14, boys who've received chocolate from girls have to give some back. – Brad Warner

21. Go out dancing at a club that plays house music. Holidays don't exist for those maniacs. – Laurelin SG

22. Avoid social networks. Everyone has in their contact list someone who is madly in love and will post some cheesy glittery Valentine pic together with an annoying "I WUV UUUU” message. Ok, Linkedin is a exception. You’re allowed to go there. – Dalila Suicide

23. Troll the happy couples. Go out for a romantic dinner by yourself. Every time you hear a couple near by getting intensely mushy, rudely interrupt them. Start with simple things like: "Can I use your salt?" Then raise the stakes. – A.J. Focht

24. Throw a Valentine’s Day Massacre party. Dress up as your favorite mobster, police officer, or flapper, fill your bathtub (and Tommy water gun) with gin and put on some movies that feature it like The St. Valentine's Day Massacre and Some Like It Hot. – Bob Suicide

25. Make a date with your single friends. Have everyone bring photos of their ex lovers. Have a nice BBQ and burn them! – Dorsal Suicide

26. Invite one (or ten!) of your other single buddies over for an XBox showdown, game night shenanigans (I recommend Catchphrase, Apples to Apples, or the Seinfeld version of Clue), or, if you're artsy-fartsy like me, host a craft night! – Lyxzen Suicide

27. Host a spin the bottle party. – Rin Suicide

28. Invite the hottest single friends you know…and have an anti-Valentine orgy. Way cheaper than springing for flowers, chocolate, and dinner and everyone gets off (please practice safe sex). And the photos of the night for sure won't bore your friends. – Steve Altman

29. Get a job at Hallmark and fuck with every V-Day card, substituting "love" for "douche" thus causing breakups and general emotional upset world wide. Misery loves Hallmark. – Darrah de jour

30. Carry a sharpie with you at all times and doodle a broken line on hearts everywhere you go. – Atlea Suicide

31. Pop Valentine's Day balloons. – Rambo Suicide

32. Play Call Of Duty: Black Ops all day and shoot virtual people until you feel better. – Elea Suicide

33. Read the work of great philosophers, Arthur Schopenhauer for example. And no, it's not boring. Schopenhauer believed that love and sexual impulse merely serves the will of life in its effort to perpetuate itself. Meaning we're being tricked by nature with love. But we're over that. Falling in love is so 1760. Embrace nihilism instead of a lover. – Dalila Suicide

34. Just think of it this way: every couple out there that is spending a crap load of money on flowers, dinner, and chocolates will end up having the same sex they had the night before for free. At least you're saving $150 by not celebrating Valentine's Day. – Damon Martin

35. Don't mope *too* much! Seriously, you're not the only single lady or gent out there! – Lyxzen Suicide

36. Give your dog a bouquet of roses and a box of doggie-safe chocolates. – Darrah de jour

37. If you don’t have a dog, rescue one ¬ that way you’ll have someone to love and love you (and remember, unlike a lover, a four legged friend should always be for life!). – Nicole Powers

38. Go out somewhere you've never been before. Last year on Valentine's Day I met a guy at a new bar who became of one my best friends. That is, after we finished all the tequila in the bar and made out in the street for a while. – Laurelin SG

39. I’m a huge believer in random acts of kindness. Do something for someone just ‘cause. As an added bonus, giving someone else the unexpected warm and fuzzies will make you feel that way too. – Nicole Powers

40. Remember those corny packs of Valentine cards you passed out in school? Or remember actually MAKING cards? Do that, only for your grown-up friends, parents, neighbors, mailman, etc. Who wouldn’t grin at the sight of a "I choo-choo choose you" card? It doesn’t have to be about mushy-gushy romantic junk, try just making people smile. And you know you like sealing envelopes with stickers anyways. – Lyxzen Suicide

Alternatively, you could always spend some quality time honing your dating, love, sex, and romance skills with a little help from SG’s awesome community so you can snag a partner by Steak & Blow Job Day – which is less pressure and way more fun than V-Day anyway!

XOX


The best way of all to survive Valentine's Day though is to become a member of SuicideGirls. Be our Valentine! Will even give you a break $29 for a whole year of SG - because we love you!

Happy Valentine's Day!

by Steven-Elliot Altman (SG Member: Steven_Altman)

Our Fiction Friday serialized novel, The Killswitch Review, is a futuristic murder mystery with killer sociopolitical commentary (and some of the best sex scenes we’ve ever read!). Written by bestselling sci-fi author Steven-Elliot Altman (with Diane DeKelb-Rittenhouse), it offers a terrifying postmodern vision in the tradition of Blade Runner and Brave New World...

By the year 2156, stem cell therapy has triumphed over aging and disease, extending the human lifespan indefinitely. But only for those who have achieved Conscientious Citizen Status. To combat overpopulation, the U.S. has sealed its borders, instituted compulsory contraception and a strict one child per couple policy for those who are permitted to breed, and made technology-assisted suicide readily available. But in a world where the old can remain vital forever, America’s youth have little hope of prosperity.

Jason Haggerty is an investigator for Black Buttons Inc, the government agency responsible for dispensing personal handheld Kevorkian devices, which afford the only legal form of suicide. An armed “Killswitch” monitors and records a citizen’s final moments — up to the point where they press a button and peacefully die. Post-press review agents — “button collectors” — are dispatched to review and judge these final recordings to rule out foul play.

When three teens stage an illegal public suicide, Haggerty suspects their deaths may have been murders. Now his race is on to uncover proof and prevent a nationwide epidemic of copycat suicides. Trouble is, for the first time in history, an entire generation might just decide they’re better off dead.

(Catch up with the previous installments of Killswitch – see links below – then continue reading after the jump…)



[THE KILLSWITCH REVIEW – CHAPTER EIGHT, PART THREE]

[THE KILLSWITCH REVIEW]

[Previous Chapter / Next Chapter]

The chances were good that the bodies would still be in chemical freeze at the Central Morgue, where Antonio Stelwyn and his wife had gone to identify their son. Haggerty had spent more than his share of time there and knew all the examiners by name, since his presence was required whenever a press under his jurisdiction had been judged unclean and he’d requested an autopsy.

As Elsa pulled the Corvair back onto the beltway, Haggerty popped another celtrex, reached into the storage compartment, and retrieved the com they’d taken from Corbin. “I’ve reconsidered your suggestion to contact agent Keenan,” he responded to Elsa’s questioning look. “We need to at least pretend to trust someone.” He punched in the code for Consuela’s office at BBI.

Keenan picked up at the first tone. “Haggerty?” he asked.

“What did you find at the Last Supper Club?”

“A dolphin in a tank and a dead girl in a dungeon with your DNA on her,” he answered. “You aren’t doing yourself any favors staying out there, Haggerty. Come in, tell me what you have, and I promise we’ll use all our resources to get to the bottom of this.”

“I’d love to, agent Keenan, but I’m as suspicious of my superiors at BBI as you are of me. I don’t know if I can trust anyone, you included.”

“I understand your concern,” Keenan said. “But it’s my job to—”

“My only concern is staying free long enough to prove the triple press was staged with criminal intent and prevent more copycats. So why don’t you help me by doing your job? Find the club’s owners and investigate everyone at BBI, especially Consuela. And run an autopsy on that girl with full toxicology. Because unless you or someone else cracks this case, I’m going to keep trying to.”

“Damn it, Haggerty, if you don’t—”

Haggerty disconnected the com and threw it out the window. “This is getting to be a habit,” he said. He laced his fingers together, extended his arms, and cracked his knuckles. The celtrex did little to dissuade what felt like a squadron of ants climbing all over his skin, but he couldn’t afford to indulge them just yet.

“That went well,” Elsa said.

“We’ll see,” Haggerty replied. “If Keenan comes up with anything I requested, he just might be trustworthy. Until then . . .”

The car’s control panel went dark. The engine seized. The car barreled powerless down the belt. Realizing the steering column was no longer under her control, Elsa reached for the emergency brake. Haggerty gripped the roll bar and braced his knees against the dashboard as the Corvair’s state-of-the-art manual braking mechanism engaged, thrusting the vehicle into a screeching fishtail. It jostled and jumped three slots, narrowly avoiding a collision with another car, then came to a jarring halt in the center lane. Smoke from the radials engulfed the interior and the surrounding beltway.

“Get out,” Haggerty shouted. “Before the emergency lane sweeps us!”

Warm clean air rushed into his lungs as they dashed across the belt to a slim maintenance walkway. He bent low, hands to his knees, taking long, deep breaths as the belt section beneath the Corvair broke free and slammed the car into the emergency lane amid a shower of safety foam.

“So much for trust,” he told Elsa. “They must have found DeAngelo and run the VIN number. Damn!” They had only a few minutes before the com call gave Keenan a fix.

Haggerty looked over the side of the walkway. A smaller pedestrian belt ran some sixty feet below. He’d never survive that steep a drop.

“Jason, there.” Elsa said. He turned and saw that she was scanning the edge of the beltway in the direction they’d come from. Her optical scanning systems must have picked up something his human eyes hadn’t noticed.

“What is it?”

“A crude maintenance ladder connecting the belts. It is less than half a mile back.”

The dim wail of sirens approached from a distance. Haggerty and Elsa ran for it. Haggerty’s lungs were in perfect condition but his determination faltered. Before they were halfway to the ladder he wanted to stop and dose. He reached for the unit clipped to his belt and clutched it tight as they pounded their way down the walkway. The sirens grew louder.

“We’re not gonna make it,” Haggerty spat.

“The hell we’re not,” Elsa said, gripping his shoulder and elbow and urging him forward.

Three police cruisers came into view as they reached the ladder. Elsa went over the rail and began to descend. As Haggerty followed he realized he’d left the stolen black box in the Corvair’s storage unit.

They rushed along the belt toward a switchpoint, encountering a half-dozen citizens, none of them wary. But it wouldn’t take long for platform scanners to find their trail once they were identified.

“The Code Six fugitive has changed his face with plastiche,” a female anchor on graveyard shift at Global Networks NewVada reported on an infocrawl as they jumped the rail at Mandalay Junction. Haggerty’s new face flashed across the screen. He pulled his hood forward. “Jason P. Haggerty is considered very dangerous. If you see him, do not attempt to apprehend him. Instead, please call—”

Two male JCs on airboards sat across from each other, their backs to the rails on the swiftly running belt, oblivious beneath Indranet telecast visors. Haggerty and Elsa moved ahead of them unnoticed.

* * *

“I see the morgue allows my kind,” Elsa said as they stood watching lowtech android attendants in blue overalls move past two armed and armored policemen through the doorless entrance of the lonely gray building.

“Not without an I.D. wristlet,” Haggerty told her. “Let’s look at the docks around back.”

They moved quietly down an alleyway to a loading dock currently in use, hiding behind a waste disposal unit while two male attendants lifted a coffin off a conveyor belt into a waiting limousine. Haggerty hoped it was not Tyler Stelwyn’s body, as the macabre solution to gain entry occurred to him. Again he might have the Indran woman to thank.

We need to get you one of those wristlets and a set of overalls, Elsa, he linked.

Before he could protest, she was walking toward the attendants. She stopped one of them, communicating via infrared transfer. Haggerty was startled to observe him unclasp his wristlet and hand it to Elsa, then sit motionless on a nearby bench. The second attendant continued loading as if nothing unusual had occurred.

Elsa secured the wristlet on her arm and returned to Haggerty. I’ll be able to obtain a uniform in the storage shed a meter to the left of the gate, she informed him.

How did you manage that?


He’s a Descartes model. They’re simple to override with the proper protocol.

Clearly Elsa’s ethics program was now subject to her PLC and she was comfortable operating outside the law. The damage an android with her capabilities might cause were she to act with malicious intent would be formidable. Haggerty had to proceed carefully — and hope that his own motives remained honest.

Nightworkers paid no attention to Elsa as, minutes later, she wheeled a casket toward the room Haggerty called the Freezer, opened the steel portal, and rolled the casket through. The wristlet merely bleeped to register her entry. She scanned the room to make sure it was unoccupied by workers, then locked the door behind her.

Inside the casket, Haggerty had yielded to the demands of his system, telling himself the two doses left should be enough for evidence. Euphoria washed over him as the glowing digital readout clicked to “5.”

We’re in the Freezer, Elsa linked. Are there cameras that I should disengage?

No, they don’t allow them in here, Haggerty linked back. Let me out.</em

Haggerty sat up and raised himself by the hands from the casket, his mind clear again. The ants had ceased their Fandango on his nerves. We don’t have much time, Elsa. This building will lock down as soon as someone finds the body you moved.

In the center of the room a woman was laid out for autopsy. Euphoria overcame Haggerty’s usual squeamishness. He glanced at the splayed, cut-open corpse and determined it wasn’t Teardrop, although she was young enough to be one of the copycats. Teardrop and Sunset must be here someplace, but every moment was precious.

Find Tyler, Elsa.

She moved along the banks of storage compartments where bodies were kept, scanning coded indexes. In seconds she found Tyler Stelwyn’s remains and learned how the control panels worked. With a low hiss the drawer slid seamlessly out of the bank.

Tyler Stelwyn’s once golden bronze skin had a bluish tint from the chemical freeze. Haggerty noted a half-finished blisterbrand across his naked stomach.

It appears that no autopsy has been performed, Elsa linked.

And there won’t ever be one if Consuela is behind this, Haggerty responded. She’ll have Corbin judge the press clean. Record please, Elsa. Check his head for contusions.

Elsa glided a hand carefully around Tyler’s skull and neck. No contusions, Jason.

Take samples, he directed.

Elsa detached a coverlet at the center of her palm, revealing a miniature screen. She lifted the hand Tyler had used to press, placed his thumb against the screen, laid his arm down again, and repositioned the coverlet. A needle sprang from her index finger; she injected it into a vein on the boy’s arm and retrieved samples, and began scanning Tyler’s arms.

Someone attempted to open the door, then knocked loudly. “Is anyone in there?” a disturbed male voice shouted.

Haggerty considered possible exits as Elsa hastily extended her scan to Tyler’s naked legs and inner thighs. She moved closer, localizing a patch of skin on the left thigh with her fingers.

Haggerty heard the soft whiz of her eyes shifting focus. The silence outside told him whoever had knocked had gone to get a keycard for the door.

We’re out of time, Elsa.

She depressed a sequence of buttons on the drawer’s control panel and it began to close. Footsteps were audible beyond the door. Haggerty moved Elsa quickly to the casket and instructed her to lie down inside; he managed to get himself on top of her and close the lid just before the door opened.

“Everything seems fine,” the man’s voice said, “except . . .”

Footsteps approached the casket; someone knocked twice on the wood above his head. Haggerty sweated profusely.

“This coffin was supposed to be brought to the loading dock,” the man’s exasperated voice continued. “Bring that one in and take this one out.”

“Yes, sir,” came the automated voice of an android attendant.

Haggerty rested his forehead against Elsa’s with relief.

<center>* * *</center>

Inside of a hearse, inside of a coffin, Haggerty shivered in the dark, counting the miles they’d been in the vehicle since it pulled away from the morgue, as Elsa cradled him, attempting to keep him calm. She was no match for the claustrophobia assailing him. It was bad enough being in there alone, but two of them left almost no room to breathe. He’d had more than his share of nightmares that ended with him in a coffin following a failed press, alert and aware but unable to free himself.

I can’t take it anymore, Elsa. Pass me the stunner and get us out of here.

Elsa forced open the casket lid and handed him the weapon. Haggerty looked through polarized windows at the beltway speeding by. He crawled on the red velveteen carpeting to the cab and banged on the glass.

The startled driver pulled to the side of the slotway and ran to the back of the hearse. He opened the cargo door and found Haggerty aiming the stunner at him. The young-looking man in a black suit stepped backward, hands in the air, as Haggerty and Elsa emerged from the vehicle.

“I don’t want any trouble,” Haggerty said. “Give me your com.”

The man handed it over.

“The body you were supposed to deliver is behind a waste disposal unit at the loading dock,” Haggerty said. “Make sure you see to it.”

“I will.”

You drive, Elsa, Haggerty linked.

They left the driver confused and shaken on the edge of the belt.

“What did you find in Tyler?” Haggerty asked Elsa.

“The pores on his thumb were heavily laced with Happy Styx. Blood analysis confirms he’d had numerous doses. I also detected a known polythinisine-based toxin injected into his left thigh.”

“Our drug?” Haggerty asked.

“Yes.”

“That’s proof that whoever killed Tyler wanted people to believe he died from the press.”

“Your logic appears sound, Jason. Now what do we do?”

Haggerty thought for a moment. If he turned himself in he could get medical attention, have his system flushed of the toxins from Max’s white box. But there were two doses left, which meant he could keep going for a few more hours and try to find out who was behind this. His gut told him that once he was in custody, whoever was responsible would make sure he took the fall to stop his interference with whatever they were planning.

The question was what clues remained to follow up. He’d exhausted all his resources. But there was someone definitely not involved in the triple press who would be interested in his evidence. Someone with inexhaustible resources. Haggerty merely had to convince him he was innocent before he killed Haggerty himself.

* * *

Excerpt from The Killswitch Review, published by Yard Dog Press. Copyright 2011 Steven-Elliot Altman.

Steven-Elliot Altman is a bestselling author, screenwriter, and videogame developer. He won multiple awards for his online role playing game, 9Dragons. His novels include Captain America is Dead, Zen in the Art of Slaying Vampires, Batman: Fear Itself, Batman: Infinite Mirror, The Killswitch Review, The Irregulars, and Deprivers. His writing has been compared to that of Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Michael Crichton and Philip K. Dick, and he has collaborated with world class writers such as Neil Gaiman, Michael Reaves, Harry Turtledove and Dr. Janet Asimov. He’s also the editor of the critically acclaimed anthology The Touch, and a contributor to Shadows Over Baker Street, a Hugo Award winning anthology of Sherlock Holmes meets H.P. Lovecraft stories.

Steven also bares ink on his body, and is bi, as in bi-coastal, between NYC and LA. He’s currently hard at work writing and directing his latest videogame Cursed Love, an online free to play gothic horror RPG from Dark Hermit Studios, set in Victorian London. Think Sherlock Holmes, Jack The Ripper and Dorian Gray mercilessly exploit the cast of Twilight. Friend Cursed Love (Official Closed Beta) on facebook and you can have fun playing out this tawdry, tragic romance with Steven while the game is being beta tested!

Diane DeKelb-Rittehouse spent several years in Manhattan as an actress before marrying her college sweetheart and returning to the Philadelphia area where she had been born. Diane first worked with Steven-Elliot Altman when they created the acclaimed, Publisher’s Weekly Starred-Review anthology The Touch: Epidemic of the Millennium, in which her story “Gifted” appeared. Diane has published a number of critically acclaimed short stories, most notably in the science fiction, murder, and horror genres. Her young adult fantasy novel, Fareie Rings: The Book of Forests, is now available in stores or online.

Interested in buying a printed copy of The Killswitch Review? Well, Steve’s publisher Yard Dog Press was kind enough to put up a special page where SuicideGirls can get a special discount and watch a sexy trailer. Just follow this link to KillswitchReview.com and click on the SG logo.

* * *

Related Posts:
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter One
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter One, Part Two
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter One, Part Three
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter One, Part Four
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Two, Part One
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Two, Part Two
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Two, Part Three
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Three, Part One
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Three, Part Two
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Three, Part Three
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Four, Part One
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Four, Part Two
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Four, Part Three
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Five, Part One
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Five, Part Two
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Five, Part Three
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Six, Part One
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Six, Part Two
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Six, Part Three
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Seven, Part One
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Seven, Part Two
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Seven, Part Three
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Seven, Part Four
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Seven, Part Five
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Eight, Part One
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Eight, Part Two

by Blogbot



Artist / SG Member Name: Zoetica Ebb / Zoetica

Mission Statement: A cosmonomad on a mission to explore uncharted worlds and harvest the strangest of plants for my documentation and public education.

Medium: Oil, ink, graphite, digital - for now. I'm going to be dabbling in sculpture for next year's Conjoined in 3D exhibit at Copro Nason.





Aesthetic: I'm exploring my fascination with Chapter 8 of À rebours and the concept of alien flora. My paintings are modeled after antiquated botanical illustration.

Notable Achievements: Owner of popular art and style blog, Biorequiem, co-founder of Coilhouse Magazine, designer of the GHST RDR jacket and skirt, creator of custom tattoos, SG staff photographer since 2006. Look for my next piece at the March 17th reception of Gag Me With a Toon at WWA Gallery in Culver City, and check out "Alien Botany" - my brand new limited-edition prints.

Why We Should Care: How many real-life Cosmonomads do you know? Come ON.

I Want Me Some: Visit: Biorequiem.com/shop





















***

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by A.J. Focht



Who needs an army when you have a Hulk on your side? The newest trailer for The Avengers aired this weekend as part of the Super Bowl ad lineup. The Avengers will be released this May and each trailer just makes it looks better and better.



Amazing Spider-Man also released its second trailer this last week. After the CGI wreck they released first time around, this second one was a pleasant surprise. A new trailer wasn’t the only thing to come forth from the Amazing Spider-Man camp, more photos and characters bios were released on the official website. Spider-man is looking up, but I still don’t know if it will be able to stand against The Avengers or The Dark Knight Rises.

It’s starting to look like Hollywood is going to be packed with superheroes in the summer of 2013 as well. The Wolverine has a July 26, 2013 release date, joining The Man of Steel, Iron Man 3, and Thor 2 for the 2013 summer superhero season. Now, I love my superhero movies, but if Hollywood keeps putting them out at this frequency they are going to burn us all out. I personally have tired of the old X-Men series since the third movie bombed.

The big event happening over at Marvel Comics this year is Avengers vs. X-Men, but there is one other major happening -- Spider-Men. Not much was known about this till the last week when Marvel released a graphic of two Spider-Man logos meshed together. It is clear the logos are that of Peter Parker and Miles Morales. Most are complaining, assuming they are bringing back Peter Parker in the Ultimates universe that Miles Morales now acts as Spider-Man in. I would like to raise a new theory however, they are introducing Miles Morales into the main Marvel line, or Earth-616. As the Ultimates universe is a variation of their main verse (the one Amazing Spider-Man takes place in), I argue that Miles Morales could exist in that world to. If he became a Spider-Man there, we would then have three Spider-Men, including the new Scarlet Spider. That puts Marvel half way to creating some Spider-Man knockoff of Batman Incorporated.

Marvel’s Spider-Men logo was small news compared to DC officially announcement of Before Watchmen. The series will star the Watchmen heroes in events that happen before the graphic novel Watchmen. There will be seven books total: Rorschach, Minutemen, Comedian, Dr. Manhatten, Nite Owl, Ozymandias, and Silk Spectre. Each issue will also feature a two page back up story of Curse of the Crimson Corsair. There has been a lot of talk about the whether or not DC should publish these comics. Allen Moore, the creator of Watchmen, had a falling out with DC and does not want them to use his properties. However, from a legal standpoint DC have retained the rights.

After losing their first choice for the female lead, the Evil Dead remake has cast Jane Levy (pictured in our header) to fill the role. Levy will be playing Mia, the equivalent of Bruce Campbell’s Ash Williams. Hopefully this casting sticks as they only have about a year left since the film releases on April 12, 2013.

Despite the a low domestic gross total, Robert Rodriguez intends to make good on his promise to make two more Machete films. That dream is coming even closer as he has teamed up with producer Alexander Rodnyansky to begin work on the second film in the trilogy. Despite its low gross totals, the first film was a cult success and it almost doubled its cheap budget.

by Ryker Suicide

Ingredients:


(Serves 8 - I like to form the meat patties and freeze them for quick meals later.)

3 lbs ground turkey

1/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 cup-ish of Sriracha sauce, plus more for drizzling

4 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper

4 slices thick cut bacon

3/4 cup chunky Bleu Cheese dressing

2 large sweet onions, julienned

8 thick slices of your favorite cheese (personally I am a big fan of muenster with this recipe)

8 whole grain hamburger buns

Romaine lettuce or arugula

beefsteak tomato, sliced.

Directions:


1. In a pan, cook bacon. After bacon is cooked, remove and sauté julienned onions in bacon fat letting them caramelize slowly. While onions are cooking, start preparing turkey meat.


2. In a large mixing bowl, mix half of the Sriracha, Worcestershire, and pepper. Add in ground meat. Do not over-mix, and form into 8 patties. Refrigerate while onions finish cooking.


3. When onions are done, remove from pan. Either pan sear turkey burgers, or grill (to preference) until cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Set burgers aside. Add cheese while cooking, or after, to preference.


4. In a small bowl, mix together remaining Sriracha sauce and bleu cheese.


5. Now it's time to assemble! Spoon some of the Sriracha-bleu cheese dressing on bottom bun and add turkey cheeseburger on top. Add two half strips of bacon, and a portion of caramelized onion. Top with another spoonful of Bleu-Sriracha dressing. Feel free to drizzle with more Sriracha. Add top bun, serve with lettuce and tomato on side.

Eat and enjoy!!!

by Nahp Suicide


[Holley in Maybe Baby]

Holley is from United Kingdom. She has been with SuicideGirls since 2008, and is both a model and a photographer.




How did you first get involved with SuicideGirls?

My friends had known about it for a while. I looked into it, LOVED the idea, shot myself a set, and the rest is history!



What's your background photography-wise?

I have a few photography qualifications, including a photography and digital imaging degree. 



What was the first photo you had published?

It was promotional images of a famous drummer for a drum case company a few years ago!




[Galda in Ophelia Fancyr]

How would you describe your style?

Arty and retro 



What gear do you use?

I use a Nikon D3, my favorite lenses (50mm and 35mm), and a reflector.

How important is Photoshop in your final images?

It used to be really important, but now I use it a lot less. Mainly now for the colors in the images and blemishes.



What gives you ideas and inspires you to create such amazing sets?

Alissa and Cherry inspire me. I love how cinematic Cherry's work is and how crisp and amazing Alissa's work is. Also the model can be great for inspiration!




[Leon in Observations]

What is your favorite image?

Image 39 from Leon - "Observations

." [above]

Tell us why it's your fave and how you achieved it?

It's my fave because Leon showcases SG perfectly for me. She's so full of confidence and looks so happy here! I shot this set with natural light and used my reflector to bounce light back onto her face.



Is there anybody or anything you would love to photograph that you haven't? (And tell us why)

There's too many.
I'd love to shoot either Annalee or GoGo. They are fascinating beautiful models.
Non SG wise? One day I'll have a live shot of Dave Grohl published.


[Saiylor in In Ribbons]

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by Damon Martin

It was all Dave Matthews doing.

As Kevin Smith took the stage at the Scotiabank Theater in Toronto while he was streamed out to hundreds of movie theaters across North America, the Clerks director admitted that it was years ago when he was at a movie, he saw a special announcement about a one night only Dave Matthews Band concert that would show all over world simultaneously in cineplex after cineplex.

The inspiration stayed with Smith for years. He dreamed of being able to go to his audience in a similar way, and this week he finally got his Dave Matthews moment. Kevin Smith: Live from Behind debuted on Thursday night, when the writer/director, along with good friend Jason Mewes, performed live in front of an audience in Canada, while reaching an audience of millions around the globe.

The concept was simple; Smith and Mewes would conduct a live taping of their podcast Jay and Silent Bob Get Old, and then they would move to a question and answer session. The questions would come from the live audience in Toronto and also via Twitter.

The 3-hour plus event showcased Smith and Mewes in their element. From a disturbing story about how Smith got obsessed with taking care of his daughter's tortoises, including how he stopped turtle rape (you had to see it to understand it) to Mewes waxing intellectual about the first time he penetrated a vagina, and how girls don't really have bushes anymore.

To look back, there really was no starting point to the show, but Smith and Mewes played brilliantly off of each other, and what was nothing more than a casual conversation between friends, turned into over an hour of entertainment for a live audience.

From there, Smith went into what most believe is his most perfect form of storytelling. His Q&A sessions, which are stuff of legend, including his iconic Hall H performance every year at San Diego Comic Con, and it's undeniably where he really shines.

For two hours straight, Smith, along with Mewes, answered question after question from the live and internet audience. Smith didn't shy away from anything. From funny and self-deprecating to serious and uplifting, Smith held the audience in the palm of his hand for over 180 minutes. When it was over, everyone would have gladly stayed for another three hours.

Smith has openly stated that after he makes his next move Hit Somebody, which begins filming later this year, that he is retiring from filmmaking. While many became sad at the prospect of losing such a funny and unconventional filmmaker, Smith's true talent lies in other areas.

He's built a podcast empire, with shows that typically rank as some of the most downloaded on all of iTunes, his public speaking gigs routinely sell out, and then he comes up with gems like Live from Behind where the audience can literally be anywhere and enjoy Smith's own brand of humor and candor.

The film generation may look at names like Tarantino or Scorcese when speaking about the greats of the last 25 years, but when all is said and done, with ideas like Live from Behind, Kevin Smith may be the most creative mind the entertainment world has seen in the last few decades.

If you missed Live From Behind the only thing I can say is the next time Kevin Smith does a live show, podcast or video stream in your town, run don't walk to see it. Even if you've never seen Clerks, Chasing Amy or Mallrats, just sit back and enjoy because it's really a viewing experience everybody should have at least once.

by SG's Team Agony feat. Rin

Let us answer life's questions - because great advice is even better when it comes from SuicideGirls.


[Rin in Voyeur]

Q: My best friend fucked my ex boyfriend the day we broke up. We weren't really friends before he and I broke up, and a week later she tried to convince me to have a threesome with her and her boyfriend. When I told her I wasn't interested she told me that she fucked my ex. Should I be alright with it since we weren't really friends until the next week after he and I split? Should I be mad? Because I'm fucking furious and I'm not sure if I should be mad at her, but I know I should be at him because he lied to me and told me that he was still in love with me. What should I do? And I'm aware that this doesn't have much to do with SG, I just don't have any girlfriends that I can talk to about this and it’s tearing me up.

A: Your friend sounds like kind of a jerk! First off, she tries to 'convince' you to have a threesome (instead of just asking and then accepting your answer) and when you say no, she tells you about having sex with your ex. It seems like she did it to hurt you after you turned her down, and that is never cool. Although you said you don't have many girlfriends, perhaps you should start looking for a best friend who has more respect for you than this current one seems to! It's worth investing in friends who treat you like gold.

As for the dude, what a total dickbag. It's emotionally manipulative for him to say 'I love you' when he fucked someone else the day you broke up! That kind of behavior is so destructive and because of it he doesn't belong in your life in any capacity.

Your anger at both of them is completely legitimate. They acted in ways that were completely hurtful! My advice to you is to allow yourself to feel anger from the situation, but then to let it go and move on. If this was just a one-time douchey move for your best friend, then it's worth discussing with her why her actions were so hurtful to you. Really examine your relationship with her, though: girlfriends are there to support and care for us when we need it, not to have sex with our exes and throw it at us later. It might indicate a long-term pattern of disrespect and that is absolutely not what friendship is about.

Rin

***

Got Problems? Let SuicideGirls’ team of Agony Aunts provide solutions. Email questions to: gotproblems@suicidegirls.com

by Blogbot



Millionaire Matchmaker, glam-goth reality TV star, mother, all round awesome person, and longtime friend of SG, Rachel Federoff, recently became a spokesperson to raise awareness for the dangers of the choking game. It’s estimated that between 250 and 1,000 children die each year from the practice, however hard statistics are difficult to come by since many coroners record such deaths as suicide. This is one the reasons Federoff got involved and reached out to SG, since she’s currently championing a petition and letter writing campaign to persuade our government to devote resources to the issue so it can be properly investigated. Though numbers a hard to come by, the choking game seems to be especially prevalent in middle school aged children, with the median age of death from it being just thirteen. We checked in with Federoff to find out more.

Question: What inspired you to get involved in raising awareness for the dangers of the choking game?

Rachel Federoff: I met two ladies on Twitter who are uber fans of me, Barb Dibben and Neecy Jarman. Neecy lost her 13-year old son from this awful act and told me about it [see ABC News report]. Being a mom, I was, of course, devastated to hear about it, and knew exactly what he died from as I had a close childhood friend die from it in high school. I felt it was so important to help spread the word on this and, as of Monday, the ladies asked me to be the spokesperson for this. I was so honored and touched to help be a part of making the world aware and hopefully stop more children from dying.

Q: Can you tell us more about the organization you'll be acting as spokesperson for?

RF: I will be working with Neecy and Barb and other non profit organizations such as the DB Foundation (Dangerous Behaviors). Both ladies received grant money from Pepsi Co. and we are looking at having the first national conference.

Q: It's shocking that kids are playing this "game" at such a young age. Why do you think that is?

RF: It's so crazy to me that people are so unaware of this as it's been going on forever. I knew plenty of kids that did it growing up. I think kids are always looking at new ways to get "high." If it's not whip-its, it's pot or whatever. Now it's getting high by strangulation. They think it's harmless but it's not. They really do think it's just a game, and when you're young you have that "I’m going to live forever" mentality.

Q: And I guess kids being kids, there's a lot of peer pressure involved...

RF: Absolutely, especially at middle school age like Neecy's son. He was just thirteen. That's why it's so important that parents are aware of this behavior and have open relationships with their kids. Parents need to teach their kids that it's not a game and will not make them "cool" if they participate. When I saw friends doing it I thought it was stupid and dangerous so I stayed away from playing.

Q: What resources are out there to give parents a better understanding of this issue? Are there any websites you could recommend?

RF: Sadly there just isn't enough and that's why people have no idea this exists and what it is. But there are some: GaspInfo.com and ChokingGame.net.

Q: What can people do to help?

RF: We are currently asking everyone we can to sign a petition and send letters to congress to make them open their eyes that the choking game needs to be addressed seriously. The more signatures and letters we send the better. All you have to do is go here. Also we’re asking people to post the link on their Twitters and Facebooks and anywhere else. We have over 1000 letters already! I also created a cause page people can join for more info and support.

Q: Finally, you know I have to ask; Millionaire Matchmaker is my guilty pleasure for many of us at SG. I'm totally addicted. What can we expect from the new season and when will it air?

RF: LOL Well it looks like we are scheduled to start filming Season 6 in March or April. As for when it airs, I have no idea yet. So many people are having Millionaire Matchmaker withdrawal. We're coming back, so hang in there!


Related Posts:

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by Steven-Elliot Altman (SG Member: Steven_Altman)

Our Fiction Friday serialized novel, The Killswitch Review, is a futuristic murder mystery with killer sociopolitical commentary (and some of the best sex scenes we’ve ever read!). Written by bestselling sci-fi author Steven-Elliot Altman (with Diane DeKelb-Rittenhouse), it offers a terrifying postmodern vision in the tradition of Blade Runner and Brave New World...

By the year 2156, stem cell therapy has triumphed over aging and disease, extending the human lifespan indefinitely. But only for those who have achieved Conscientious Citizen Status. To combat overpopulation, the U.S. has sealed its borders, instituted compulsory contraception and a strict one child per couple policy for those who are permitted to breed, and made technology-assisted suicide readily available. But in a world where the old can remain vital forever, America’s youth have little hope of prosperity.

Jason Haggerty is an investigator for Black Buttons Inc, the government agency responsible for dispensing personal handheld Kevorkian devices, which afford the only legal form of suicide. An armed “Killswitch” monitors and records a citizen’s final moments — up to the point where they press a button and peacefully die. Post-press review agents — “button collectors” — are dispatched to review and judge these final recordings to rule out foul play.

When three teens stage an illegal public suicide, Haggerty suspects their deaths may have been murders. Now his race is on to uncover proof and prevent a nationwide epidemic of copycat suicides. Trouble is, for the first time in history, an entire generation might just decide they’re better off dead.

(Catch up with the previous installments of Killswitch – see links below – then continue reading after the jump…)



[THE KILLSWITCH REVIEW – CHAPTER EIGHT, PART TWO]

[THE KILLSWITCH REVIEW]

[Previous Chapter / Next Chapter]

Onstage, Zephyr strutted before the frenzied audience. The kids ran to his side and dosed. Tyler fell along with the others, his face ecstatic. The crowd screamed. This was the point where Corbin had halted their first review. Haggerty watched now as Tyler spasmed, moving in close and trying to read the boy’s mind through his eyes. The crowd kept screaming. Haggerty silently counted out the predictable physiological shutdown he’d witnessed in thousands of recorded deaths. Something was wrong. Did Tyler’s eyes register shock? The unit continued recording, going on and on for what seemed like eternity. At length the projection showed Elsa’s hand reaching for the unit on the stage. The transmission finally went black as the box entered the minthizine case.

“It appears that Tyler Stelwyn was still alive when I retrieved his unit,” Elsa said.

“There was no one at the press site to certify that vital signs had ceased before the bodies were removed,” Haggerty said, sitting back against his vault. “It troubled me at the time but I attributed it to crowd control and unusual circumstances.”

“Tyler Stelwyn may not be dead,” Elsa suggested.

Haggerty felt a surge of hope, immediately dashed. “His parents identified Tyler’s body at the morgue. Whoever staged this made sure the boy died.” Reluctantly, he retrieved the white box hidden beneath his sweatshirt and handed it to Elsa. “This is from the club. Analyze the contents, compare it to the drug you found at the scene, and return the unit to me.”

Elsa dealt with the closures of a dress not designed for her unique needs and ported the unit. As Haggerty expected, the drugs matched. He clipped the unit to his waistband as Elsa rearranged her dress, then laid his head against the shelf and closed his eyes.

“Now we know why those involved want the recordings erased, Elsa. We’re dealing with murder. Not merely of the son of the wealthiest man in NewVada but of Teardrop and Sunset, and accessory to murder of every copycat. The recordings prove it. But who can we show them to? We don’t know who to trust.”

“Have you considered enlisting the aide of Detective Woyzeck?”

“Woyzeck broke procedure at the triple press and had his gun ready to arrest me before the viewcast aired naming me as the chief suspect. Help me to figure this out, Elsa, if you can. Your logic boards may work better than my reasoning right now. Let’s go through what we know or have cause to believe.”

Elsa nodded consent.

“Max invented the drug, so he’s involved. Corbin’s arrival at the club proves she’s involved with Max. So was the lead singer of Clone Jesus, who came to the club and invited Traci to a party. Traci involved Teardrop and Regina’s brother, which seems to implicate Regina, although it’s clear from Sunset’s recording she had no idea he planned to press. And if I had any doubt about that, her reaction to the viewcast of the concert removes it completely. We’ve deduced that none of the kids knew that pressing at the concert would kill them, although we can’t be sure yet what Zephyr knew.”

“We haven’t accounted for Tyler Stelwyn, Jason. Why was he there? Was someone as wealthy as he likely to be involved with Teardrop and Sunset?”

“We don’t know that he was, Elsa. Neither of them was in his recording before the concert. He may have met them there for the first time. Probably he was involved with Clone Jesus for the high life — the drugs, the celebrity, the hotels, God knows what else. And we know from Regina’s pairplex that the other kids were fans of the group. Their manager, Shintag Lake, is probably involved. He told me he provides whatever the band members request, no questions asked. Woyzeck’s boss did his best to accommodate Lake’s demands when he had him in custody. He may also be involved.

“But who is big enough — or stupid enough — to risk incurring the wrath of Tyler’s father?” Haggerty wondered aloud.

“The Triads? We know that they protect Max’s club.”

“The Triads have worked out their arrangements with law enforcement to everyone’s satisfaction. I can’t believe they’d risk bringing the entire establishment down on them. Who would profit from that? It’s likelier that Antonio Stelwyn is in league with the Triads, and if they were even distantly responsible for his only child’s death, he would stop at nothing to extinguish them. No, everyone in his right mind fears Antonio Stelwyn. The only person I can think of who might not is Consuela. She didn’t bat an eye at the pain the Stelwyns revealed in her presence.”

“It was Consuela who told the media you killed Dr. Zabrowski.”

“Correct. And it was Consuela who hired Corbin and according to Corbin sent her after us, supposedly to save us.”

“Do you think Dr. Zabrowski’s death is connected to the triple press, Jason?”

“We can’t rule it out. But if so, what was the link? He hadn’t seen the recordings. He’d had no direct contact with any of the witnesses or victims. But he told me he was going to ask the Surgeon General to control the media’s reporting in order to prevent an explosion of copycats. That was before Consuela sent me off to interview the band members.”

“Who could possibly argue with his request for media restraint, Jason?”

“Someone who wanted the media coverage to be as extensive as possible, Elsa. Someone with something to gain if Doug’s scenario of a contagion of suicides played out. Or something to lose if it didn’t!”

Haggerty went pale. “It’s too absurd,” he said. “It’s grotesque.”

“What, Jason?”

“Think about it, Elsa. Doug would have required authorization from his direct superior to contact the Surgeon General. After Consuela sent me to the precinct, Doug would have told her about Cobain Syndrome and his intention to try to stop a wave of suicides. Was Doug killed to prevent him from going to the Surgeon General?”

“Do you believe that Consuela engineered the triple press?” Elsa asked.

“Can you think of another explanation for Doug’s death?”

Elsa considered what had been said and answered no. “But why would Consuela want children to kill themselves, Jason?”

“Maybe it wasn’t Consuela’s design,” Haggerty said. “What if she was carrying out orders? BBI is a subsidiary of the State Department of Public Health. Could the State itself want a rash of youth suicides as some bizarre means of population control?”

“Then why send agent Keenan to investigate?”

“It wouldn’t be the first time one branch of the government didn’t know what the other was doing.”

“If we present him the information we have retrieved thus far, he could clear you.”

“If Consuela and her superiors at BBI are involved, agent Keenan will be given false information against me. And whatever they come up with will be very convincing. This unit loaded with Happy Styx isn’t enough to prove my innocence. If anything, it could have the opposite effect.”

“But coupled with Tyler Stelwyn’s review —”

“You don’t understand the circumstantial evidence, Elsa. I had access to the units. They know I was with Regina and that she knew Teardrop. I stole a piece of evidence from the triple press site and withheld your copies of the recordings that suggest it was murder. We have to assume that those boxes have been erased. I’ve eluded the police and failed to turn myself in despite a Federal demand to do so. The fact the media was told I was responsible means someone in power wants to guarantee all this gets pinned on me. And the only way for them to ensure that is to have me dead. I’m even in possession of a dispenser of the same illegal drug that killed them.”

“But if you are in the custody of the Federal Bureau —”

“Then whoever is wielding this power can get to me and clean up their tracks after I’m out of the way. I can’t take that chance. There’s still something missing. We don’t know why Clone Jesus was involved or what Max has to gain. Let’s get out of here, Elsa. I’m not giving up until I’ve found out and exposed the monsters who think murdering children is sound social engineering.”

* * *

Excerpt from The Killswitch Review, published by Yard Dog Press. Copyright 2011 Steven-Elliot Altman.

Steven-Elliot Altman is a bestselling author, screenwriter, and videogame developer. He won multiple awards for his online role playing game, 9Dragons. His novels include Captain America is Dead, Zen in the Art of Slaying Vampires, Batman: Fear Itself, Batman: Infinite Mirror, The Killswitch Review, The Irregulars, and Deprivers. His writing has been compared to that of Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Michael Crichton and Philip K. Dick, and he has collaborated with world class writers such as Neil Gaiman, Michael Reaves, Harry Turtledove and Dr. Janet Asimov. He’s also the editor of the critically acclaimed anthology The Touch, and a contributor to Shadows Over Baker Street, a Hugo Award winning anthology of Sherlock Holmes meets H.P. Lovecraft stories.

Steven also bares ink on his body, and is bi, as in bi-coastal, between NYC and LA. He’s currently hard at work writing and directing his latest videogame Cursed Love, an online free to play gothic horror RPG from Dark Hermit Studios, set in Victorian London. Think Sherlock Holmes, Jack The Ripper and Dorian Gray mercilessly exploit the cast of Twilight. Friend Cursed Love (Official Closed Beta) on facebook and you can have fun playing out this tawdry, tragic romance with Steven while the game is being beta tested!

Diane DeKelb-Rittehouse spent several years in Manhattan as an actress before marrying her college sweetheart and returning to the Philadelphia area where she had been born. Diane first worked with Steven-Elliot Altman when they created the acclaimed, Publisher’s Weekly Starred-Review anthology The Touch: Epidemic of the Millennium, in which her story “Gifted” appeared. Diane has published a number of critically acclaimed short stories, most notably in the science fiction, murder, and horror genres. Her young adult fantasy novel, Fareie Rings: The Book of Forests, is now available in stores or online.

Interested in buying a printed copy of The Killswitch Review? Well, Steve’s publisher Yard Dog Press was kind enough to put up a special page where SuicideGirls can get a special discount and watch a sexy trailer. Just follow this link to KillswitchReview.com and click on the SG logo.

* * *

Related Posts:
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Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter One, Part Two
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter One, Part Three
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter One, Part Four
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Two, Part One
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Two, Part Two
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Two, Part Three
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Three, Part One
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Three, Part Two
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Three, Part Three
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Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Four, Part Two
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Four, Part Three
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Five, Part One
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Five, Part Two
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Five, Part Three
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Six, Part One
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Six, Part Two
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Six, Part Three
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Seven, Part One
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Seven, Part Two
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Seven, Part Three
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Seven, Part Four
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Seven, Part Five
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Eight, Part One

by Blogbot



Artist / SG Member Name: Dylan Borgman / Seahorse

Mission Statement: I decided on portraiture a long time ago at an art museum. I realized how every time I'd look at a painting the first thing I'd ask myself is who is this person and why did someone take the time to paint them? People are fascinated by each other. What are they doing? Why are they doing that? The answer to that can often be found in the person's face.

That's how I fell down the rabbit hole. I started painting large oil paintings of people caught in the middle of awkward expressions. My paintings were imposing and bizarre, and while I liked the darkness and the strangeness I could convey with paint, it also dragged me down emotionally. Eventually, I decided that my scope was too narrow and that I wanted to try depicting other emotions you don't see every day like arousal. So my work suddenly took a turn into photographing Suicide Girls.

It's not such a strange transition. I've always also been a professional photographer. I base my paintings on photography, and ever since I began painting, I’ve been working with real people in uncomfortable situations. What I like about working with Suicide Girls in comparison to most of the so-called "erotic" models is that most of them have no formal modeling training and unlike most gigs, SG lets the community voice their opinions before a model is accepted so you end up with a lot of very motivated, courageous, and unique individuals.

A few months ago, an illustrator and friend of mine, Steve Curucu, who does a lot of nudes, even some with SG's, inspired me to try another stab at painting. So that's what I've been experimenting with the past few months with some very interesting results.



Medium: I started in oils working on a large scale. Most of my paintings are six feet wide or larger. Then later I got used to a Wacom tablet. Now I use both. My digital artwork is a blend of photography, illustration, and painting, but I don't limit myself by medium either. I weld, I work with beads, wire, rope, origami, I sculpt in clay, I program, I sew, I develop, I write - the list goes on. And of course I'm a photographer, that's the other side of my creative life.



Aesthetic: My painting aesthetics tend toward Joseph Turner, Vincent Van Gogh, Chuck Close, and Rembrandt. It's worth mentioning that they all share the virtue of being incredible color theorists, which is something I aspire to be. CF Payne was a local artist where I grew up and he was a big inspiration for me. His work is photographically based, and he works with multiple mediums layered one on top of another to create beautiful portraits. Illustrators also play a big part of my aesthetic. People like Bill Watterson, Ralph Steadman, and of course my father who is a cartoonist as well, all played a seminal role in getting me interested in art in the first place.



Notable Achievements: My work has been shown at the Cincinnati Museum of Art and the Montgomery Art Center in Claremont, and I received the Golden Galaxy Award in 2001. Articles about me and my work have appeared in The Cincinnati Enquirer, The Cincinnati Post, Cincinnati Magazine, and Fixie Magazine.



Why We Should Care: I think people intrinsically care about art. You don't have to tell someone to appreciate a beautiful painting; they do it on their own. I've come to the conclusion that for me, art is about communicating to others the emotional energy of a moment that I have experienced. That's why I use strong colors and iconic expressions. If I've done this successfully then others will care because it reminds them of their own feelings or experiences. It's also why I like SuicideGirls. It's a community of extremely creative people communicating with one another visually as I do.



I Want Me Some: If you're interested in prints or originals contact dylan@dylanborgman.com or go to my web site DylanBorgman.com and click "contact."







***

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by Laurelin



There are a lot of things I remember about certain people, and a lot of things I’m sure I forget. A lot of the things I remember I wish I didn’t, some things make me smile, things remind me that I’m human, that things change, people change. I remember tracing outlines, wanting my fingertips to remember every dimple, every muscle line, every tattoo. I remember smells, sounds, songs playing before I drift off to sleep, songs playing in clubs when our eyes meet across the dance floor and I can just breathe in a beat. But always with these memories, I remember that things change.

I feel like I have already lived a lifetime of change when it comes to my friend Ben. I remember the first time I ever saw him, a fleeting moment of eye contact in a filthy frat house and I thought, “who is THAT…” and he was gone, and it didn’t matter because whoever he was, this was my boyfriend’s frat house. Ben and I wouldn’t talk much that summer, but I always remembered him.

Fast-forward to a year later, long after my boyfriend and I had broken up, and I was turning 21. It was a Tuesday night, and as the lights flashed for last call at my first bar my best friend Lisa ran up to me. I was drunker than I’d ever been before, and she was smiling as she gestured towards the door.

“I found him,” she said, “for your birthday. I found him, that guy from the frat house.” And there he was, she had found him somehow, and that was the beginning. It was a fairy tale in a sense, a sorority girl in a pink lettered sweatshirt and a smirking sarcastic guy with tattoos, something that didn’t make such sense but would be all and none of the sense I knew from then on.

It seems so far off now, but all those year ago I did love him, or I thought I did. We dated, we were inseparable, we would hit a rough patch and take a break. We would fight, like really fight; screaming and crying, nights where I would just want to die if he wouldn’t speak to me again. I did things that I haven’t done since and will never do again, things I can’t even say out loud let alone type. I am the most ambitious person I know, but I remember I wrote him a letter, saying that I could lay with him forever and be happy with everything I never did. Time stood still and moved like liquid at the same time. It wasn’t right, perfect to no one else but me. Then one day, he was gone.

When I say gone, I mean gone. Years together and then just gone, disappeared, fallen off the planet. It was one year almost to the day until I heard from him again. I can’t say what happened in that year; but finally, after indescribable hurt, I was eventually healing. Everything that’s happened to me since that moment has seemed like nothing I can’t conquer, every break up since then has been tough, but almost laughable. It was the longest year of my life, and then one day, it was over. 12 months later I looked down at the glow of my flip phone and recognized his number. I should have known better than to answer it I’m sure, but the apology on the other end of the phone was really a long time coming.

Add a few more years, a lot of bad choices (meeting his father for the first time while I was drunk at work at a strip club in a naughty nurse uniform), and a few good choices (endless concerts, dancing all night, swimming at the beach by moonlight, traveling to Ireland together) and we somehow found ourselves over the worst, over the on and off dating and finally, just plain friends. I don’t know when I stopped loving him, but somewhere along the line I finally found ME, and I realized that while I had always thought there was no me without him, that wasn’t the case at all.

Ten years later he would have the perfect description of what happened to us between now and then: “You moved to Boston, you found this life, this strong personality and you stopped being that small town girl from Rhode Island, that girl who just wanted someone to love her.” Our strong personalities clash, and one afternoon a few weeks ago I made a call, and he must have recognized my number. Ten years later, after yet another year of not speaking, I’m finally looking at him from across my bar. We’re both smirking with tattoos now, and I see our life together in a blur of colors, sounds, hurt feelings, songs and traced outlines. We order a round of shots and I rest my head on his shoulder, finally with my best friend again after all this time.

“How do you guys know each other?” my friend asks, pulling up a bar stool. Ben and I look at each other.

“It’s a long story,” I say, smiling.



***

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by A.J. Focht



Many a rumor about the upcoming The Avengers film has been laid to rest. On January 31, the official Avengers Twitter had a chat with fans answering the most pressing questions. For a portion of the chat, Joss Whedon was on hand and the ‘For JW’ tag started trending. One of the rumors squashed was talk of an Amazing Spider-Man cameo. Whedon personally put this rumor down.

More information has come out about Arrow, the Green Arrow pilot in production by the CW. Instead of tying the show back to Smallville and trying to capture that audience, they have really reworked the Green Arrow's story. Oliver Queen’s mother is still alive and he will have a little sister that seems to be a catalyst for most of the trouble he has to stop. Some DC characters will show up, such as Black Canary, but they will not play their superhero roles, at least not as of yet. The part of Oliver Queen aka the Green Arrow has been given to Stephen Amell.

Marvel’s major comic event this year, Avengers VS. X-Men will be starting this March. Marvel has released a sneak preview of the Avengers VS. X-Men #0 where all the problems will start. This first issue sets up the crucial roles of Scarlet Witch and Hope Summers. The two most powerful ladies in the Marvel universe will be going head-to-head, each with a super powered team to back them.

Speaking of new comics, IDW Publishing, will be starting a Dungeons & Dragons: Forgotten Realms comic series. D&D fans have a chance to have their characters featured in the comics. You can find all the rules for the character creation contest here.

One of the biggest names in comics, Stan Lee, is launching his own website. You can sign up for updates from the site and a chance to win autographed merchandise right now, but the full site won’t launch till February 8. On top of contests and games, the sites main function will be behind-the-scenes looks into Stan’s new projects.

Zoe Saldana talked Star Trek 2 in a recent interview. While she couldn’t say much, she all but told us that there is more to come between Spock and Uhura. Star Trek writer Robert Orci also came out with a few comments, these ones directed at fans. In a fan driven industry like Star Trek, the fans are the best and worst part of it, and Orci has had enough of them second guessing him. In short, Orci pointed out that they did well with the first remake and that success has earned them a lot of leeway with the studio. He doesn’t promise the movie will be good, but he does promise it will be exactly what they want it to be.

On a final note, you can stop holding your breath waiting for Blizz Con 2012 to be announced, it’s not happening. Blizzard Entertainment would rather focus on releasing Diablo 3, Heart of the Swarm and Mists of Pandaria than wasting their time organizing another convention. This doesn’t mean they don’t love their fans and the convention will be back in 2013. As someone who has personally attended multiple Blizz Cons, they should take a break. Doing it yearly means they never have enough new news to justify bringing out thousands of fans from around the world. Hopefully, this way they will have something substantial to show us next time.

by Ackley Suicide

A column which highlights Suicide Girls and their fave groups.


[Ackley Suicide in Project Exploration]

This week Ackley dishes on the tasty truth behind SG's Some Like It Raw group.

Members: 370 / Comments: 817

WHY DO YOU LOVE IT?: It's a great place to get recipes and info on raw foods and see how it’s changed the lives of different SG Members.

BEST RANDOM QUOTE: "Let Food Be Thy Medicine."

MOST HEATED DISCUSSION THREAD: We are kind of "Anti Heat" when it comes to cooking, wink wink, but we eat more than twigs and berries - I promise.

WHO’S WELCOME TO JOIN?: I encourage anyone and everyone to join. Find out how you can add a little more life in your diet. See my before and after results here!!!


***
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by Nahp Suicide


[Dwam in Parallelism]

Dwam is from France. She has been with SuicideGirls since 2008, and is both a model and a photographer.




How did you first get involved with SuicideGirls?

I just applied (as a model).
As a photographer, it started when Sweety and Maedusa asked me to shoot them a multi. 




What's your background photography-wise?

I don't really have any proper background. I experimented a bit when I was in art school, then I just tried. However I assisted P_Mod for a while, and gathered as much knowledge as I could. 




What was the first photo you had published?

Hahaha, a band's picture in a local paper, nothing glorious.


[Dwam and Charlie in Self Timer]

How would you describe your style?

I don't know! Do I have a style? 
I think I like to see the girls impersonate a character, to create scenes, and to tell some stories. 



What gear do you use?

A Canon 550D, and a 15-55 and 50mm lens most of the time. 




How important is Photoshop in your final images?

It depends. Sometimes I play around with Lightroom, for color correction mostly, to add a mood or an ambiance. I also drew and added graphic effects on a few sets. Otherwise I edit as little as possible. I want to see real people, not plastic dolls. 




What gives you ideas and inspires you to create such amazing sets?

Literature and movies, mainly. And the girls! Sometimes the girls evoke images and scenes, or sometimes I've got a very precise idea myself. Then I look for the girl that would best fit the idea. But usually I ask them if they have any idea, mood, or theme in mind, so we can work on it together. 






[Nemesis in Dorian]

What is your favorite image?

This one. [above]

Tell us why it's your fave and how you achieved it?

Well, it's a picture of Nemesis, one of my favorite people I met through the site, and it sums up pretty much everything I love: gender queerness, literature, timeless feelings. It's also a great memory. I love it. 




Is there anybody or anything you would love to photograph that you haven't? (And tell us why)

There are tons of people I wish to meet and work with. But right now on the top of my mind I think of Glitch, Chunni, Lumo, Adria, Opaque, Shanti and Malloreigh. Just because!


[Dwam in Sun With A Moustache]

Related Posts:
In Focus: The Photographers of SuicideGirls feat. Writeboy
In Focus: The Photographers of SuicideGirls feat. IvyLlamas
In Focus: The Photographers of SuicideGirls feat. Lavezzarro

by SG's Team Agony feat. Jaeci

Let us answer life's questions - because great advice is even better when it comes from SuicideGirls.


[Jaeci in Be My Lover]

Q: I started dating my best friend about a month after we got back to college. I've known her since last year, and I guess we've always had feelings for each other. After about two and a half months we broke up. It wasn’t supposed to be a permanent break, but she made it a break up. I don't even talk to her anymore and I can't stand seeing her. It just hurts. I tried to keep busy, and between work and school it was working, but not really anymore. I've tried talking to my other guy friends, but that doesn't help much, and I don't have many girl friends to talk to. I'm not over her. I've tried talking to her, but I can't find the words I want to say when I do. I just want to be over her and move on, but still part of me wants to be with her. It's frustrating. What do I do?

A: This kind of problem normally resolves itself with time...but not all of us are so patient. These brilliant words of wisdom are for anyone who just can't get over an ex despite a short romantic relationship.

• 1. Find a wing (wo)man -- be selective -- and make some plans to go out somewhere you might encounter some moderately attractive people.


• 2A. Take a shower before you go out. Don't trim/groom/shave everything perfectly though, it'll a guarantee you will not get laid.


• 2B. Get yourself off before you go out. It will help you relax, I swear.


• 3. Make sure you look spiffy. Wear your second favorite underwear -- wearing your hottest stuff is another guarantee no one will get in your pants.


• 4. Let your wing (wo)man remind you that there is plenty of fine tail out there (and by fine tail, I might be referring to a super stellar (wo)man who could possibly, eventually be into you if (s)he doesn't feel negatively objectified by your sexual advances. Treat all fine tail with respect.)


• 5. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and get yourself some action. Be smart and use protection -- the last thing you need is something iffy going on south of the border. Do not think about your ex while you're having sex with someone new. Do not say your ex's name. Do not cry. Do not tell new bedmate you love him/her. Do not ask for Fruity Pebbles/Tofurkey on rye/whatever your ex's favorite post-coital snack was.


• 6. If you stay at his/her place, remember your manners. Be a gentleman -- if (s)he stays over, offer a coffee in the morning. Ladies, we can behave like gentlemen too.


• 7. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Happy rebounding

Jaeci

***

Got Problems? Let SuicideGirls’ team of Agony Aunts provide solutions. Email questions to: gotproblems@suicidegirls.com