Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

👻Scarlet🎃Mitchell☠️ @scarletvmitchell.bsky.social · 51m

a little girl in a blue shirt is standing in front of a display case filled with crowns .

Alt: a little girl in a blue shirt is standing in front of a display case filled with crowns . She gives a smile that is both bashful and proud

media.tenor.com

1

👻Scarlet🎃Mitchell☠️ @scarletvmitchell.bsky.social · 1h

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

I mean, arguably, you’re not that far off!

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

1

👻Scarlet🎃Mitchell☠️ @scarletvmitchell.bsky.social · 3h

Bryantine is DMing, and doing everything she can to torture and kill Bayle’s character. Chef is an agent of chaos. Nora is trying to keep everyone on track and being party Mom. Bayle is just going with it, all laughs, and rolling up new characters as needed.

Ian Haramaki 🏳️‍⚧️✨ @cometkins.bsky.social · 4h

Your characters are playing in a DnD campaign! Who’s DMing, who’s one second from murder hoboing, who’s having to be party mom, and who’s making sure there’s enough snacks? #WritingPrompt

1 7

👻Scarlet🎃Mitchell☠️ @scarletvmitchell.bsky.social · 3h

#LGBTQWriteAThon

In which Bayle panics about his wardrobe prior to a planet-side date. As a space-dweller, he hasn’t had to even think about weather in over three years.

Bayle panicked, looking at the clothes in his closet. What kinds of things did people wear to this festival? Was it casual? Formal? Somewhere in between? He hadn’t quite been able to find out from Nora, who had been somewhat indirect with her wardrobe advice. Not that it mattered much. Except for his uniforms, pajamas, and workout clothes, he only owned one other outfit; a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. It was the jacket that gave him indigestion. It had been a lucky find, something at a second hand shop that actually fit him for once, but he didn’t know if he should wear it, and risk having to carry it around all day, or leave it and wish he had it. Planetary weather could change quickly, and he’d never quite gotten used to it. He hung it on the hook, planning to decide in the morning, before laying down to read

1 3

👻Scarlet🎃Mitchell☠️ @scarletvmitchell.bsky.social · 4h

Funnily enough, Bayle is spooked by a rather traditional g…gh…gha… ghost!! He works in an antique manor-house. You can’t have one of those without a resident ghost.

danricewrites @danricewrites.bsky.social · 4h

It's time for Sunday's #WritingQ!!!!!!!

What spooks your MC? #WritingCommunity #QOTD

1

👻Scarlet🎃Mitchell☠️ @scarletvmitchell.bsky.social · 4h

#SFFChat

A spot of blood presages an uncomfortable conversation.
😬

Chapter 22

“Blood, Mr. Chevaliet.”
“Sir?”
“There’s blood on your glove.”
Bayle pulled his hand back from the dinner tray, noticing the bright scarlet stain between his fingers.
“I’m so sorry, sir. I’ll take care of this immediately.”
“Cut yourself in the kitchen?”
“It must have come through the bandage. Would you like me to bring you something else for dinner?”
“No, no, don’t bother. I’m sure it’s sanitary. Just go ahead and get yourself cleaned up.”
“Thank you, sir. My apologies.”
His employer waved him off. After a thorough clean, a new bandage, and a fresh pair of gloves, the doctor was already nearly done with his dinner.
“It’s a good soup.”
Bayle heard an undertone beneath the compliment that worried him slightly.
“Thank you, sir.”
“I have enjoyed your cooking for the past six months, I really have.”
Uh oh

1 2

👻Scarlet🎃Mitchell☠️ @scarletvmitchell.bsky.social · 4h

#OctoberThrills

In HermitageWIP, the Milton coat of arms (the family that became the Berton family) is centered with a knights helmet.
It was changed to an astronaut’s helmet later, and deep-space hardsuits stand like old suits of armor in the halls, equating explorers with knights.

Octoberthrills day 12 any knights or generals?

1 2

👻Scarlet🎃Mitchell☠️ @scarletvmitchell.bsky.social · 4h

I love a custom dinkus!

I think, initially, the words can be distracting, but after one or two of them, they become familiar shapes and no longer an issue.

1 1

👻Scarlet🎃Mitchell☠️ @scarletvmitchell.bsky.social · 4h

… substantial thefts and heists, various confidence scams, impersonating government officials, human trafficking and sexual misconduct… the list goes on and on.

He’s been aided in his escape by unknown figures who (surprise🙄) he has dirt on.

Thats good for now. Theres a twist Im keeping to myself.

1 4

👻Scarlet🎃Mitchell☠️ @scarletvmitchell.bsky.social · 4h

So, let’s brainstorm this piece of work.

Quickie name: Tyrill Coates
Crimes: Grand-theft-spacecraft and the mass murder of its crew, (and thats just after the initial arrest warrant, during the escape from authorities!) Prior to that, multiple murders and suspicious deaths, a string of…

1 4

👻Scarlet🎃Mitchell☠️ @scarletvmitchell.bsky.social · 4h

#PlotTober

The initial conflict will be Aine’s debts, arrest warrant, and the bounty hunters on her tail. The next will be her tricky and hostile negotiations with Bear. Eventually, we’ll focus on their quarry, which I haven’t yet named. He’s a very dangerous man hidden in a very dangerous place.

Ange @gunsmile.bsky.social · 14h

#PlotTober Day 12: Antagonists

Answer the prompt on the card by quoting this post. Remember, answering a prompt is always optional. Even if you don't share it publicly, I hope the prompt encourages you to think about it privately.

#WritingCommunity #WritingPrompt #WriteSky

#PlotTober - a WIP plotting game by @gunsmile.bsky.social

12. What could you use to represent obstacles that try to stop the main character(s) from achieving their goals and from growing into the person they could potentially be? Consider other characters, forces of nature, difficult circumstances, etc.

Remember: Use the #PlotTober hashtag, engage with others, and have fun!

2 11

👻Scarlet🎃Mitchell☠️ @scarletvmitchell.bsky.social · 5h

#WIPSnips

A long snip of our butler reading the diaries of his predecessors at the Hermitage before it was mothballed.

The Lady of the house doesn't much care for me.
There had been variations on this sentiment throughout each of the four diaries he'd read thus far. He'd been working his way from the closing of the Hermitage backwards. Much of the contents were fairly dry and concise, but Bayle found them interesting, nonetheless. He was accumulating a richer picture of life on the Hermitage than, perhaps, the average historian might, if they focused on the names and lives of its owners and their families. Instead, he was seeing the side of it he lived, the side of it he hoped it could become again, the buzzing beehive of activity. Names of chefs and mechanics, cleaners and gardeners scrolled by, sometimes with terse commentary, and sometimes with affection.
These men were real, with hearts and opinions, who solved everyday problems for their employers, heading a staff that could run into the dozens. It was a warm dream in his heart that he could live up to what they had been able to do. Each one in turn, however, had made multiple references to the lady of the house being hostile towards him, and Bayle could find no clear reason for the animosity

3 14

👻Scarlet🎃Mitchell☠️ @scarletvmitchell.bsky.social · 15h

#QueerPrompts

For a story that takes place among the stars, I struggled a little with what to do about zodiacal beliefs. Our Commonwealth citizens don’t hold to signs they can no longer find in the heavens.
Some do recognize birth signs based on new constellations. My MMC has a tattoo of his.

🌈CJ Aralore @cjaralore.bsky.social · 16h

#QueerPrompts October 12: Astrology/horoscopes in story?

Graphics: The background is pumpkins surrounding a stack of books. The border has broken chains saying "BANNED", a rainbow saying LGBTQ History, books wrapped in tape or chains, pride flags, and cute Halloween characters.
Text: "October 2025" on top and "#QueerPrompts" and "Host: @CJAralore" on the bottom, all in a rainbow font.
Center text is:
#QueerPrompts October 12: Astrology/horoscopes in story?

4

Reposted by 👻Scarlet🎃Mitchell☠️

Athanaca @athanaca.bsky.social · 22h

Iridescent black🖤

#bird #raven #birdart #animalart #digitalart #illustration #birdwatching #crow #original #colorful #avian
#feather

A raven with colorful reflections on its feathers

36 1.5K 4.5K

👻Scarlet🎃Mitchell☠️ @scarletvmitchell.bsky.social · 20h

He’s otherwise kinda go-with-the-flow, easy-going, and is much quicker to abandon plans that don’t work.

Thats another reason they make a good team. He’s usually happy to go along with Nora’s ideas. Her organizing helps take a little of the load off him.

1 2

👻Scarlet🎃Mitchell☠️ @scarletvmitchell.bsky.social · 20h

… to give the impression that he’s got it all under control at work. He went to military school and knows how to keep a tidy space. He is skilled at prioritizing, but he can miss things when he gets distracted by the 80 things pulling on his attention.

1 2

👻Scarlet🎃Mitchell☠️ @scarletvmitchell.bsky.social · 20h

Nora is often so married to her plans that even when they start falling apart, she struggles to mentally re-focus on what she aught to do instead. She gets uptight about needing information far in advance. Nothing in her vicinity is ever a hair out of place.

Bayle tries so hard and does manage…

1 2

👻Scarlet🎃Mitchell☠️ @scarletvmitchell.bsky.social · 20h

I bet you can guess Nora!🤣 Organized and meticulously planned. She CAN wing it, but she has to plan the options and gets a little anxious about it.

Bayle is actually rather tidy and a decent planner, but not as tight as Nora, and he is used to adjusting on the fly. He’s got to be quick on his feet.

Charlie Delta (has been a ghost this whole time! 👻) @charliedeltawrites.bsky.social · 20h

Tell me more about your #AwesomeCharacters

Is your character organized and methodical, or more chaotic?

Do they prefer to plan things out carefully, or be spontaneous and improvise?

Do they keep their belongings neat and tidy, or are they a bit messy?

#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

1 6

Reposted by 👻Scarlet🎃Mitchell☠️

Rebecca E. Reyes @rebeccareyeswriting.com · 20h

Fans of science fiction fantasy and straight up sci-fi with twisted societies, reluctant alliances, and flawed characters, may I entice you with my weird writing?

rebeccareyeswriting.com

Now with a shop of signed books with free bookmarks!

#SFF #ScienceFiction #Fantasy #Books #BookSky💙📚

All three of my published books: Sigils of Malice, Sigils of Blight, and The Sarcophagus of Lamia

Sigils of Malice's book cover has a magical, horned blue beetle with red eyes sprinkling glittering dust on magical technology lit by a blue gem.

Sigils of Blight's book cover is of a six-sided lantern lit with a ghostly flame, in the jungle, in front of burning ruins.

The Saprophagous of Lamia's cover is of an ethereal blonde woman's resting face, laying back upon red velvet. She has a silver implant in her hair. In front of her is a round, gothic window with gold filigree. Leaves, faces and fish are in the filigree's design.

The background image is a yellowed photo of a gothic church, courtesy of Aleslanger on Pixabay.

Art by Elora Ladd
Books by Rebecca E Reyes

1 6 9

👻Scarlet🎃Mitchell☠️ @scarletvmitchell.bsky.social · 20h

But I really wanted to get my characters perspectives on the space and also see them interact a bit.

That chapter obviously is in the scrap file, but I did learn some things about my character’s response to the space, and used small sections of it and used some of those interactions elsewhere.

2

👻Scarlet🎃Mitchell☠️ @scarletvmitchell.bsky.social · 20h

One thing I did to quiet my pantser impulses was to write an unhinged 7k word chapter that I knew full well wasn’t going in the book of just one character giving the other character a tour of the extensive main setting.
I already had a mental map and description in my worldbuilding bible…

1 3

👻Scarlet🎃Mitchell☠️ @scarletvmitchell.bsky.social · 20h

That it is a sci-fi world with a duel pov complicated my attempts to speed up the world and character builds, but my outline, and a negative word-count goal, helped me avoid making what should be a short, cute romance novel into an epic whose characters and plot cant support the tedious length.

1 2

👻Scarlet🎃Mitchell☠️ @scarletvmitchell.bsky.social · 20h

Yes!

It was quite a frustrating process though, because my lyrical pantser side wanted to explore and I had to make it stay in the path.
The problem it didnt solve- the beginning is still less thrilling than Id hoped...

1

👻Scarlet🎃Mitchell☠️ @scarletvmitchell.bsky.social · 21h

Ive been a pantser. Ive been a plantser.
Thats what comes naturally to me. I rarely know the plot till Im halfway through.

I have recently experimented with planning, in hopes of avoiding habitual pitfalls. I did NOT avoid those 🤦‍♀️ but I kinda avoided it getting too long and going off the rails.

Mx. D. D. Ward (they/them) @ddwardiswriting.bsky.social · 21h

Okay #WritingCommunity

Planners and Pantsers. Have you ever tried the opposite approach? Planners, have you ever just writtem with no plan? What happened. Pantsers, have you ever tried outlining? What happened?

Was there anything you kept from this experiment.

I switched from pantser to planner.

1 1 10

👻Scarlet🎃Mitchell☠️ @scarletvmitchell.bsky.social · 21h

For HermitageWIP, the cover art I envision:

Front is a butler (from neck to waist) offering the reader a silver tray with a blue apple on it.
Back would be view from outside in to the Orangerie, with Bayle (on the floor) and Nora (on the “ceiling”) looking longing across the middle at each other.

2