Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Hazel Bud - he/they

@hazelbud.bsky.social

310 followers 300 following 290 posts

🏳️‍⚧️ Disabled writer + artist ✨ Working on cover art and writing a horror fantasy novel. Full of whimsy, not harbouring an evil god Portfolio: https://hazelbud.carrd.co Comms open 🌱 DMs closed - email [email protected]

hazelbud.carrd.co

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Hazel Bud - he/they @hazelbud.bsky.social · 1d

Hello #PortfolioDay!

I'm Hazel, a trans illustrator and visdev artist from the UK. I love playing with texture, colour and darkly ethereal vibes ☀️

Really interested in making more book covers! Fantasy, horror and sci fi especially 🗡️

hazelbud.carrd.co
💌 [email protected]

An illustration by Hazel Budzinski. At the bottom of the image are dark purple pine trees, with sketchy vibrant red lines around them which look like fire. Behind the trees is pillowing smoke, desatured blue and grey in colour, which blends into a mid-toned purple , then dark purple. At the top of the smoke trails of sketchy red begin, blending into a yellow wolf that leaps forward. On top of the whole piece is the title of the book ‘The Gods Must Burn’ and the authors name ‘T. R. Moore,

An illustration by Hazel Budzinski. The main focus of the piece is a large tree, with branches that twist in and out of each other. Tied around branches are golden braids of varying lengths. The tree has lichen and moss upon it's branches, and surrounding this tree are turquoise ghostly visages of other trees. There is a grain to the illustration, overall giving a feeling of a flash photo taken at night, or something taken with a night camera.

A figure, leaping and reaching towards a ball of light streaking out like a star. His face is in anguish, his skin and hair dissolving into noise, stretching up to the light. Surrounding the star is a circle of millipedes, centipedes and a few silverfish. The figure has iridescent skin, like an Opal stone. Behind him is a murky green background, with hues of red and blue. Closer to the figure and the star, the background turns yellow, blue and green, echoing the hues of the figures skin. On top of the illustration is the title 'ILL-MADE GODS' in a medieval like font, with the O for Gods centred over the bright star. At the bottom of the illustration is my name 'Hazel Budzinski'

A fanart illustration of the character Guinevere from Knights of Guinevere, made by Hazel Budzinski. It shows a blue female figure floating in the air, back facing the floor, unnaturally long arms dangling down with her knees tucked upwards. Wires curve up and around her limbs, with one stabbing into her left wrist and wriggling inside, another into her neck, one into her belly, with others posed at the ready. Her neck is unnaturally turned towards the viewer as though it’s broken, an uncanny smile and wide staring eyes on her face. Behind her is a pink palace, hazy and ethereal. Fireworks explode in front of it, casting a glow against her silhouette

2 5

Reposted by Hazel Bud - he/they

Bona Books 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🤘🏼 @bonabooks.bsky.social · 1d

ANNOUNCEMENT🎺🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Introducing our bona new quarterly literary magazine:

FANTABULOSA!

Pushing the boundaries of bold, authentic, QUEER storytelling. Bringing you stories of the uncanny, the dangerous and the fantastical.

& thanks to our brilliant #WrathMonth backers, we're fully funded for 2026 🤘

Bona Books Presents

A new queer literary magazine

FANTABULOSA!

Tales of the uncanny, the dangerous and the fantastical, from radical and unapologetic queer voices.

Science fiction, fantasy and horror
Short fiction & poetry

Submissions open now

7 120 200

Reposted by Hazel Bud - he/they

Sygnin @sygnin.com · 1d

For anyone who’s actually looking to hire artists off #Portfolioday - remember there are Bookmarks here now!

Go smack that icon to save for later!

36 67

Hazel Bud - he/they @hazelbud.bsky.social · 1d

Wow the detail in these and your choices of colour are beautiful!

Reposted by Hazel Bud - he/they

Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 1d

Popping into #portfolioday on behalf of art directors to say thank you for sharing your work. It makes our job easier. We appreciate you.
💙❤️

Also, FWIW, I made a starter pack of hiring art-, creative-, design-directors who actively use Bluesky.
go.bsky.app/Hxoz9KX

14 81 210

Hazel Bud - he/they @hazelbud.bsky.social · 1d

Love your textures and colour palette so much. Instantly followed! ♥️

1 1

Hazel Bud - he/they @hazelbud.bsky.social · 1d

2 5

Hazel Bud - he/they @hazelbud.bsky.social · 1d

I am struggling so much with finding a writing group in the new town I've moved to. There's one that 30 quid each meetup (Jesus Christ) and then one that is for women only... I am a trans masc person.

Reposted by Hazel Bud - he/they

Apex Magazine (is funding for 2026!) 🎉 @apexmag.bsky.social · 5d

Here at Apex, we're drawn to good horror like a moth(man) to a flame 🔴🔴🕯️

You have FOUR WEEKS LEFT to submit your flash fiction! The theme for October is FOLKLORE. You have until the 31st to submit!

www.patreon.com/posts/octobe...

a black bird with red eyes stands in the dark

Alt: mothman reaches out to you with one wizened little moth finger

media.tenor.com

9 18

Reposted by Hazel Bud - he/they

Maliveth 🔜 TwitchCon @maliveth.bsky.social · 2d

strange witch, laying in a pond & hiding from her mom

#dragonage #morrigan #art

digital illustration of Morrigan from Dragon Age, laying on some fluffy grasses underwater, with fish and lily pads above. Water reflections on her skin look like raven wings. The illustration is framed by two dragon silhouettes.

11 530 1.6K

Hazel Bud - he/they @hazelbud.bsky.social · 2d

Love the cover art, the colour palette is gorgeous!!

Reposted by Hazel Bud - he/they

rihdara klay 📖 @rushaida222.bsky.social · 5d

all my fellow writers - applications open soon!!!

Round Table Mentor @roundtablementor.bsky.social · 5d

We are SO excited to announce our 2025-2026 Round Table Mentors! The talent, dedication, and energy of this team is simply incredible.

Full bios and wishlists will be up on our website soon!

📢🗓️For interested parties—mentee applications open Nov. 6, so mark your calendars!

Mentors Part 1:
Molly McDonough
Deena Helm
Julie Lew
Megan Bontrager
Seren Kilig
Natalie Kikić
Deandra Davis
Christie Curry
Eunice Kim
Carmeline Melchior
Corvin A. Doupagne
Rachel Kitch
Samantha Chong
Fatiha Rais
Shepard DiStasio
Thea Liu
Damara Allen
Karis Rogerson

Mentors Part 2:
Julie Hafsa Derbal
Tali Shammas
Lilly Lu
Cassy Klisch
Camille Chong
Bayley Mae
Amanda Helander
Libby Kennedy
Taylor Pitts
Shaina Cordas
J.D. Myall
Asia Murphy
Grace Morrow
Meredith Mooring
Ellen Mulholland
Chantel Pearson
Stephanie Kim Johnson
Caitlyn Averett
Sabina Martin

1 4

Hazel Bud - he/they @hazelbud.bsky.social · 6d

Just moved, should be settled soon and back to more activity! Got an exciting cover art commission coming up, along with the ability to finally continue working on my book. Good times all around :]c

Reposted by Hazel Bud - he/they

Wild Hunt Books @wildhuntbooks.bsky.social · 7d

*SUBMISSION WINDOW NOW OPEN 5 DAYS ONLY*

We're open to unagented subs from 6-12 Oct. For this submission period we are looking for novellas only (35K-50K). We're specifically looking for novellas that play w horror, mystery, weird & the unusual.

More info 🐐
www.wildhuntbooks.co.uk/blog/pop-up-...

26 48

Reposted by Hazel Bud - he/they

Kaleidotrope @kaleidotrope.bsky.social · 7d

“Dear editor,
I asked an algorithm designed to mimic patterns it had learned through the plagiarism of billionaires if it could spit out something that looked convincingly like the stories it had stolen, and it burned through an ocean to deliver whatever this is. Thank you for your consideration.”

1 16 76

Reposted by Hazel Bud - he/they

ShortBox Comics Fair @shortboxcomicsfair.bsky.social · 11d

🌷✨ shortboxcomicsfair.com ✨🌷

comic by @weisanboo.bsky.social

1 270 510

Reposted by Hazel Bud - he/they

Jennifer Luce @jenniferluce.bsky.social · 12d

Here's my #AgentsGuide to GUMIHO, my horror romance. #H #R

🖤 Placed 3rd in the horror/paranormal category of the PNWA writing contest
🖤 Big 5 Editor interest

A woman cursed w/ a gumiho must confront the darkest parts of herself to save the man she loves & her humanity—or become something monstrous

An Agent's Guide To:

GUMIHO

78,000 word Horror Romance by Jennifer Luce

Centuries ago, Mina Kim made a promise after her brother’s tragic death—to rid the world of the vile, the greedy, and even the gods who abandoned her and her brother when they needed them most. To receive the power of a god, Mina was possessed by a gumiho, a wicked fox spirit that feasts on one soul each year, and has spent her life collecting a thousand souls. Now she needs just one more.

Mina spends her days as a museum curator in the present-day gray city of Seattle, where she finds her final target in Kaiden Brennan, a grad student with a quiet charm whose hopefulness contrasts with everything she’s come to despise in humanity. With Kaiden in desperate need of help on his dissertation, Mina bides her time, waiting until the curse allows her to seize her chance and kill him. The more time she spends with Kaiden, the more she’s drawn to him, the human emotions she’s long thought buried beginning to resurface. Falling for Kaiden doesn’t just make her question her final kill, but the centuries of sacrifice she’s made to keep her promise.

But the fox refuses to let a single man ruin its destructive plans. Wicked whispers invade Mina’s mind, horrid hallucinations of her loved ones haunt her at every corner, and her own body starts to change. Mina realizes she’s being consumed from the inside out. With the fox hellbent on claiming Kaiden’s soul, Mina must confront the darkest parts of herself to separate from the fox to save him and her humanity—or achieve godhood and lose herself to become something monstrous.

Tropes & comps:

Korean folklore, set in modern-day PNW, anti-hero POV, slow-burn horror & romance, psychological unraveling, monstrous transformation, themes of grief & emotional vulnerability

SUCH SHARP TEETH X OUR WIVES UNDER THE SEA

Bright droplets of red bloomed against the crisp, white snow.

A trail, unbeknownst to my victim, that would lead to his demise.

“G-Gumiho!” the man shrieked in Korean, stumbling through the dense, snow-packed woods of the Bukhansan Mountains. Not far off, Seoul glistened below the edge of the forest, where many were lured into the national park by the quiet beauty my country still had to offer.

Except it was the dead of winter. And even the moon hid from us beneath a thick blanket of black clouds, turning its back on what it was about to witness.

Near-deafening silence answered him, and within it, the crunch of my boots against the snow as I strode closer. The tips of my fingernails, curved into claws, carved against the dry bark of a nearby tree, the low scrape reverberating through the empty forest—a sound I knew would only sweeten the terror in my victim’s heart.

The drunken businessman cried out my name once more. As if anyone was foolish enough to be here out at night, and even if they were, nobody would believe his panicked words.
Gumiho.

8 18

Reposted by Hazel Bud - he/they

Jameela Wahlgren 🏳️‍🌈 🎨 @jameelawahlgren.bsky.social · 12d

Kickstarter workers are on strike! Here's how to support them!

17 36

Hazel Bud - he/they @hazelbud.bsky.social · 14d

The textures and colours on this are so good!!!

Reposted by Hazel Bud - he/they

kurr @kurrymx.bsky.social · 20d

,,,gwen in a suit,,,

#knightsofguinevere #knightsofguineverefanart #kog

4 46 130

Reposted by Hazel Bud - he/they

Kos, that kobold you know @draekos.bsky.social · 15d

"AI art" is a vampire on the labour of the actual artists who's work it is unethically trained on.

1 11 100

Hazel Bud - he/they @hazelbud.bsky.social · 15d

Was really excited to share my #KoG fanart on the subreddit but apparently it's too graphic :((( I thought for a series like KoG, gore and such would be okay in fandom areas

Reposted by Hazel Bud - he/they

Keezy Young🌼 @keezyyoung.bsky.social · 15d

i mean this so sincerely: i would one million zillion times rather get an email from somebody that says

"hi. i rilly liked your book. thank you for righting it. could we read it at our book club plz"

than any gushing, eloquent, AI-generated nonsense. i might actually respond to the former

3 42 430

Hazel Bud - he/they @hazelbud.bsky.social · 15d

The colours on this are stunning!! They feel opalescent ♥️

Reposted by Hazel Bud - he/they

Lace Rabbit @lacerabbit.bsky.social · 15d

Knights of Guinevere fanart 💕
#KnightsofGuinevere #kog #Glitchproductions

1 23 64