Introductions…
January 10th, 2024
Afternoon
Welcome, dear reader, to The Ghoul Times!
You can call me The Wandering Ghoul, or perhaps simply Ghoul. I would say call me The Ghoul, but that seems a bit presumptuous. Ghoul will suffice. Of course, there will be more of us as time goes by, but as of the present, it’s just little ol’ me.
So let’s get some of the standard Q&A out of the way, shall we?
Q: Who am I?
A: I am Ghoul, aka A Wandering Ghoul. That should suffice. Anonymity is a godsend after all.
Q: What’s all this then?
A: “This” is simply an eclectic assortment of the things I am interested in. There will be music, the occult, goth culture, probably some cooking/food reviews and related articles, philosophy, editorials, short fiction, and current affairs. What there WON’T be is religious bigotry or politics. Here at The Ghoul Times, we (I) will strive to remain neutral on those topics.
Q: How often will I (we) post?
A: We will try to maintain a semiweekly schedule at first and ramp up from there. The eventual and inevitable print magazine/zine will be quarterly.
Q: What will we (I) write on?
A: See “What’s all this, then?” More specifically: I am an eclectic person and have a wide range of interests, expect the posts and articles to reflect that. There may even be cake!
Q: What are my (our) core values?
A: SO glad you asked! Simply put we are anti-fascist, anti-racist. We believe in creativity, quality, accuracy, and equity. We believe love is love. We believe in tolerance in all things (except fascism, we are intolerant to fascism and racism, obviously).
Q: Will there be annoying banner ads and promos on the site?
A: I can promise you this, we will not clutter our site with all that commercial garbage. We may have sponsored links in the future, but will always do so tastefully and obviously. No sneaky ads. We will strive to be reader-funded ( as in donations, subscriptions, etc.). But that is a long way off for now. As it stands, there will be no ads or costs to read. This is currently a personal project.
Q: What the deuce?
A: I really can’t answer that.
Having said all of that, let me break down exactly what you can expect on the site and in the eventual quarterly zine:
The posts will vary greatly. One may be an analysis of a tarot deck. Another may be a dive into an occult magical system. I may post short stories or poems. In fact, I definitely will. There will be recipes perhaps, I did say there may be cake, after all. There will be guest contributors eventually. I’m tapping into some people I know who study runes, tarot, and true crime. I will also do album reviews and featured artist interviews/galleries.
The articles will vary in length. Some may be several-page/multi-thousand word, long-form pieces while some may be just a poem with a few stanzas. It will just depend on my mood and what the contributing author decides. I can say they will be edited and put together with quality and reader value in mind. In other words, they won’t just be random diary-style posts. I wouldn’t want my time wasted like that, so I won’t be wasting your time like that either.
You may ask yourself: “Why are they starting this?” I am a very creative soul and I need an outlet. I believe self-expression is under threat currently and there needs to be an increased flow of it. So consider this segment a call to action to start your project! Write a song, paint a picture, write a story, take a photo. Maybe start dressing how you feel on the inside. All of this is sorely needed.
I have long been a consumer of creative content. It is time I contribute. So that is why I’m starting this. And if you don’t mind me saying so, it’s high time you do as well.
One other important thing to mention: I do not believe in censorship. I will not edit comments unless necessary. Having said that, I also don’t believe in platforming far-right rhetoric, homophobia, transphobia, racism, or fascism. If I see any of that, be assured I will remove it. I believe in creating no safe spaces for that type of offal. Good deal? Great!
Also having said all that: I do not believe in sterile content. There may be things written and shared on the site that may not appeal to the sensitivities of the ultra-PC crowd. If you find yourself offended, ask yourself why and then stay or leave. I believe that writing should push boundaries and make people uncomfortable at times. I don’t believe in pure shock value though. So you won’t see me post nazi memes or torture porn just to get a rise out of people. That type of content has no value to me.
In that same vein, expect a good deal of sarcasm (at least from me). I am a very sardonic person. Take it or leave it. That does not mean, however, that I am not prone to mistakes and bad takes. If this happens, please point it out. We grow by acknowledging our flaws. If you love something, you will find its problems and improve, this is true in everything.
Our mission, my mission, is to entertain, inform, examine, and analyze. I wish to provide the best written and visual content I am capable of. There will be some errors, we are all vaguely human. Be kind and constructive. You may leave feedback in the comments or by emailing us. There is also a contact form on the site. Feel free to use (not abuse) it. I’ll do my best to reply ASAP.
I realize this is a shorter post, but that is all I wished to say to start. Having said that, enjoy the further articles and posts! Sign up for the newsletter if you want. Let’s be friends!
Tah-Tah!
