Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by J.D. Buffington

Rory Blank @roryblank.bsky.social · 14h

Enthusiasm Cannon

A drawing
large text at the top says "NEW! Skull mounted confetti cannons for people who find enthusiasm embarrassing!"
In the center, a drawing of a stern looking man in a suit with a small hole in his head that confetti is spraying out of, a diagram shows a tube mounted inside his head, connected to his brain with wires. The man is saying "I'm thrilled, truly." Small text in the corner says "do not ask how it works! It doesn't matter and it is not interesting!"
Large text underneath the drawing says "let everyone know how you feel without doing something that makes you want to crawl in a hole and die!"

2 35 160

Reposted by J.D. Buffington

Julianne McShane @juliannemcshane.bsky.social · 10h

NEW @motherjones.com: Nobody in that GOP group chat praising Hitler or making racist comments was a “kid,” as JD Vance claimed today

I tracked down their ages. (Weirdly, it seems nobody else did.)

Eight of the 11 in the group chat range from 24 to 35. Ages of others are unclear.

But… no “kids”!

No one in the GOP Hitler chat was a "kid"

We checked. Sorry, JD Vance.

www.motherjones.com

97 890 2.7K

J.D. Buffington @jdbuffington.com · 10h

Quote this with the first four Horror movies that come to your mind that are 10/10s for you. No cheating. Just the first four that pop into your head.

I'll go first:
-Session 9
-The Blair Witch Project
-Alien
-The VVitch

Chuck Wendig @chuckwendig.bsky.social · 11h

Oooh this is a tough one —

Gonna take Jaws and Silence out because John said them and he’s right. Next four for me —

Doctor Sleep
Get Out
Near Dark
Tigers Are Not Afraid

John Wiswell @wiswell.bsky.social · 12h

Quote this with the first four Horror movies that come to your mind that are 10/10s for you. No cheating. Just the first four that pop into your head.

I'll go first:
-Silence of the Lambs
-I Saw the Devil
-Coherence
-Jaws

4

J.D. Buffington @jdbuffington.com · 13h

There are accounts that follow as many accounts as they can—no rhyme or reason, hoping for kneejerk follow-backs. They then purge their following and look like they have a great ratio, but no real reach. Then there’s those that unfollow/refollow to try and get you. Everyone’s got their kinks.

1 1

J.D. Buffington @jdbuffington.com · 13h

He looks like a cool grandma. Wiry hair, don’t care.
But he’s so not a cool grandma.
I’d rather have my imaginary cool grandma as president. My imaginary cool grandma could do a better job.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 13h

bizarre things are happening with Trump's hair today

J.D. Buffington @jdbuffington.com · 13h

The Legend is Zelda.

Dr Luke Steubenstein 👹 @lukesteuber.com · 17h

No notes

Robin Williams' daughter, Zelda Williams, also recently slammed people who are making Al-generated videos of her late father, calling the clips "gross." She added, "To watch the legacies of real people be condensed down to 'this vaguely looks and sounds like them so that's enough, just so other people can churn out horrible TikTok slop pup-peteering them is maddening. You're not making art, you're making disgusting, over-processed hotdogs out of the lives of human beings, out of the history of art and music, and then shoving them down someone else's throat hoping they'll give you a little thumbs up and like it."

3

J.D. Buffington @jdbuffington.com · 14h

It’s a DOOM level. Shoot those barrels and they explode, bringing down a beheaded god who’s bleeding all over them.
(In all seriousness, I love getting to read a new story out in the wild from you!)

1 2

J.D. Buffington @jdbuffington.com · 14h

Argh, *want…

Reposted by J.D. Buffington

Kimberly Davis Basso @kdbwrites.bsky.social · 14h

People are always scarier than anything else & the anything else is usually just another way of saying people. My characters all seem so utterly…average? Normal? Readers have asked me what’s wrong with me, but I think that’s pretty standard for horror writers. Right? Right?!? Q4
#horrorwriterschat

Eryn McCee @erynmccee.bsky.social · 14h

Q4.
Do hang around for the outro, in around 10 minutes.

Which is the easier route? Or the more satisfying?

#HorrorWritersChat

Q4
In your stories: is desperation scarier than the supernatural?

8 16

Reposted by J.D. Buffington

A Local Cryptid @michelleheller.bsky.social · 14h

Thanks for another fun week! I would like to use my spotlight this week to draw attention to a friend in need instead. A beloved member of my writing community on discord has been suffering from Crohn's disease in a catastrophic way this year. 🧵

Donate to Making up lost wages after a string of hospitalizations..., organized by Nathan Sprayberry

Hi, I'm Nathan and I'm fundraising because Amanda, the love o… Nathan Sprayberry needs your support for Making up lost wages after a string of hospitalizations...

www.gofundme.com

3 13 12

Reposted by J.D. Buffington

Beverley Lee @beverleylee.bsky.social · 14h

Thanks for hosting, Eryn!
The House of Little Bones, my haunted, isolation/folk horror is on Kindle Countdown for only 99c/99p. It's a perfect read for the darker nights as the veil thins... #HorrorWritersChat
mybook.to/HouseofLittleBones

2 13 21

Reposted by J.D. Buffington

Rami Ungar the Writer @ramiungarwriter.bsky.social · 14h

#HorrorWritersChat, we're 16 days away from Halloween. Have you read the scariest collection of 2025 yet? If not, perhaps it's time you did.

Amazon: tinyurl.com/5awn78h3
B&N: tinyurl.com/5e9vu3hr
Kobo: tinyurl.com/bdhthesj
Apple Books: tinyurl.com/5ev7cr8k

#HorrorSky #BookSky #Halloween

8 12

J.D. Buffington @jdbuffington.com · 14h

Thank you, Erin!
In the House of In Between tracks semi-wealthy to just making ends meet type folk all experiencing the same haunting in one house through generations of worldwide trauma, available wherever you like to buy books (or ask your library!).
#HorrorWritersChat

In the House of In Between

Check out In the House of In Between - <p>The Backlund House is haunted, but no one knows why. No violence has taken place there, no one has died inside its walls. Over the course of a century, what-o...

bookshop.org

9 13

Reposted by J.D. Buffington

Eryn McCee @erynmccee.bsky.social · 14h

Here we go, #HorrorWriterChat, the chance you've all been waiting for. Let's pimp our books.
And if you could share others, get them seen as well, that would be good.
Finally, I would love it if you could repost some of Matt's posts. He's having a rough time and could do with a boost.
Tanks.

there is no algorithm here, so visibility depends on engagement with others.
hit the questions, use the hashtag, share other writer’s stuff.
finally, have you got something to shout about? Now’s your chance.

34 10 47

Reposted by J.D. Buffington

E. D. Jones (he/him), author and weirdmaster of Write Sinister @sinister42.bsky.social · 14h

Sometimes in cosmic horror, desperation drives people to do crazy things to find answers to impossible questions, and when they find those answers, they scream, go insane, and then die, probably in that order. #HorrorWritersChat

Eryn McCee @erynmccee.bsky.social · 14h

Q4.
Do hang around for the outro, in around 10 minutes.

Which is the easier route? Or the more satisfying?

#HorrorWritersChat

1 5 9

Reposted by J.D. Buffington

T.L. Bodine @tlbodine.bsky.social · 14h

My guiding principle is "comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable" and if I'm not doing both, I've missed the mark #HorrorWritersChat

Eryn McCee @erynmccee.bsky.social · 15h

#HorrorWritersChat Q3.

Who do you scare? As a writer, it's our chance to bite back, perhaps.

Q3
Do you write horror that scares the poor, the wealthy or everyone equally?

3 13 18

Reposted by J.D. Buffington

Marley, a Werewolf of Wall Street @marleywrites.bsky.social · 14h

Hopefully the things I write will scare people of any background, but I certainly have a point of view about rich people trying to devour the rest of us.

#HorrorWritersChat

Eryn McCee @erynmccee.bsky.social · 15h

#HorrorWritersChat Q3.

Who do you scare? As a writer, it's our chance to bite back, perhaps.

6 12

Reposted by J.D. Buffington

Villimey Mist @villimeymist.bsky.social · 14h

I'm a Eat The Rich girlie head to toe, so I will always write stories where the rich get their comeuppance.

Although, there's this one story I wrote where riches were used in order to exact vengeance on rapists and abusers in the form of a torture banquet 😇

#HorrorWritersChat

Eryn McCee @erynmccee.bsky.social · 15h

#HorrorWritersChat Q3.

Who do you scare? As a writer, it's our chance to bite back, perhaps.

2 13 25

Reposted by J.D. Buffington

👻Michael J. Riser𖤐❌👑 @michaeljriser.com · 14h

I love this question. Horror is often deprivation: scarcity of resources, safety, friendship. Sometimes it's decadent luxury. Been thinking about this since my last newsletter (post-imperial horror fantasy ala Hollow Knight, Dark Souls, etc.), and how these themes intersect. 1/2

#horrowriterschat

Eryn McCee @erynmccee.bsky.social · 15h

Q2. So many of you are diving in courageously. I salute you. Don't worry, now we go more abstract.
#HorrorWritersChat

Q2
How does scarcity or deprivation shape the worlds you build in your stories?

2 4 8

Reposted by J.D. Buffington

Gary Kruse @garykruseauthor.bsky.social · 14h

#HorrorWritersChat

I write supernatural mysteries, ghost stories, tales of witches, vampires and pagan horror and anything else that takes my fancy.

Morality-wise, I think I’m pretty rich, but others may disagree.

Financially, I’m ok but I live without a safety net. If I fall, it’s gonna hurt!

Eryn McCee @erynmccee.bsky.social · 15h

Oh right then here we go, if it glitches I'll wait till it's back up then fire the next.
Can't say fairer than that. Hi #HorrorWritersChat, let's talk riches. Or poverty. Moral or cash, I don't mind which.
Horror is one of the more egalitarian genres I think. More room for poor...

No links please.

Question One
Assemble, horror bods!
Tell me what kind of horror you write, and how poor are you - financially or morally? You choose....

1 4 8

J.D. Buffington @jdbuffington.com · 14h

Q4. #HorrorWritersChat
The human reaction is the horror. A zombie? Just a hungry dead thing. That’s like a mold, it’s okay. Having it be your loved one you can’t shoot and it gets you bit, THAT’S the horror. It’s a concert, but the bows are drawn along your nerves.

Eryn McCee @erynmccee.bsky.social · 14h

Q4.
Do hang around for the outro, in around 10 minutes.

Which is the easier route? Or the more satisfying?

#HorrorWritersChat

3 9

J.D. Buffington @jdbuffington.com · 14h

Q3. #HorrorWritersChat

I like leaving people thinking, if not a little worried or paranoid by the subtle horrors of life, but also, horror can be sad, because it can take, steal, or swindle something from you: a sense of peace or stability. I won’t everyone to wobble like me, just a little…

Eryn McCee @erynmccee.bsky.social · 15h

#HorrorWritersChat Q3.

Who do you scare? As a writer, it's our chance to bite back, perhaps.

1 7 13

J.D. Buffington @jdbuffington.com · 14h

Q2. #HorrorWritersChat
My current WIP has a major element about scarcity, plenty, and gluttonous consumption. Someone tries to make a forever food that’s totally nutritious and grows in harsh conditions—they may have accidentally created a universe destroying god…but they did just want to help.

Eryn McCee @erynmccee.bsky.social · 15h

Q2. So many of you are diving in courageously. I salute you. Don't worry, now we go more abstract.
#HorrorWritersChat

2 4 9

J.D. Buffington @jdbuffington.com · 15h

Q1: #HorrorWritersChat
J.D. Buffington, living paycheck to paycheck under enough debt to feel like I’m caged in one of the cheapest places in the US, Tulsa, OK. I write horror and scifi from other average hand-to-mouth folk’s pov—I may write morally bankrupt people, but they’re not parading wealth.

Eryn McCee @erynmccee.bsky.social · 15h

Oh right then here we go, if it glitches I'll wait till it's back up then fire the next.
Can't say fairer than that. Hi #HorrorWritersChat, let's talk riches. Or poverty. Moral or cash, I don't mind which.
Horror is one of the more egalitarian genres I think. More room for poor...

No links please.

4 14

J.D. Buffington @jdbuffington.com · 15h

When Bluesky hiccups for an extended amount of time, I get paranoid and certain it has imploded. I’m on Discord as jd.buffington, and my handle is my actual website. I have Signal, too, but who would want to text with a lofter who prefers screaming at closed doors and bottomless pits?

3