Dan F. Bispo
LightNews LightNews
banner
danfbispo.bsky.social
Dan F. Bispo
@danfbispo.bsky.social
210 followers 130 following 410 posts
Professional word extruder. Author of horror, sci-fi, and fantasy.

My books: https://barrows.itch.io/

Currently working on: FIRST LIGHT, a sci-fi novella
Posts Replies Media Videos
danfbispo.bsky.social
Today's #WIPSnips is "dominant"

This one's from a very recent session, so it's still rough around the edges. Yana goes to an orbital station to pick up a package, and there's a festival on. Her crew disappears to peruse the local cooking, leaving her to meet her contact alone.

Relatable, tbh.
She followed her compad’s directions further from the music, further from the motion, through pathways and sidewalks more representative of what the station must have looked like on a normal day; a spaceport not unlike the ones she’d been to before, full of laborers in safety gear and vacant-eyed managers. Orbital Station Sousa Mendes may have been a smaller outpost than Bayinnaung, and more affected by homeworlder cultures—hard to escape when the verdant shores of Ivapa II were but a shuttle away—but in the end, when all else was stripped, the steel was Terran, as was the engineering that gave it shape. By the time she reached Hangar 12, the dominant smell was not that of outdoor cooking, but coolant and heated metal. As she approached the resting freighter, a figure rose up to greet her.
December 3, 2025 at 4:33 PM
danfbispo.bsky.social
#WIPSnips

Again, can't relate. Free time? In THIS economy?
Free time. An endless void, begging to be filled by work, or by entertainment, lest it filled itself with ennui. She wondered how the samples were doing. She knew Jardine would treat them with all the care in the world, but that wasn’t the point. It wasn’t about the samples, not really; it was about her, and the joy they brought her, and the fleeting sense of purpose they would imbue into her life. “Ada?” The pod stirred with anticipation. “What’s the status of Blob’s vivarium?” “Biomass dispenser eighty-seven percent full.” The seconds dragged. “What’s oxygen saturation of the water?” “Eighty-five percent and stable.” Yana sighed.
December 2, 2025 at 9:14 AM
danfbispo.bsky.social
#DecemberWorldbuilders

In most cases, evolved, though there are, of course, creation myths everywhere. Some Tellari believe an ancestral entity still travels the cosmos, seeding life in its image. They also tend to convert to religions of other spacefaring peoples, though, and inherit their myths.
kiraofthewind.com Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 2d
Hello, #DecemberWorldbuilders! Tell us about the creation of your people according to the in-world lore. Were they created by gods? Did they evolve from single-celled organisms? Maybe a bit of both? Maybe they don't know, and maybe they have stories about it. What are their creation myths?
MonthlyWorldbuilders prompts daily feed card #DecemberWorldbuilders Hosted by Kira of the Wind Week 1: Science 2: Were your people created by gods or did they evolve? Both? The image shows a cozy town during winter with warm lights. Large mountains are in the background. It is blurred. Snowflakes are around the top words
December 2, 2025 at 9:08 AM
danfbispo.bsky.social
I always wanted to write a character who is cybernetically enhanced in order to become a more effective mercenary or agent of some kind. A cheerful, kind person who wants to be a net positive of joy in the world, and realizes too late he gave up most of himself to a cause he cannot stand behind.
scarletvmitchell.bsky.social Scarlet Mitchell @scarletvmitchell.bsky.social · 2d
Monday #WritingQ!

"Orphan" characters!

Tell me about a character you've dreamed up but haven't put in a story yet!

Who are they? What's the obstacles you've run into finding their story?

(Unless you have literal orphans in your story you want to talk about.)

#WritingCommunity #WritingPrompt
a cartoon of a woman with the words i feel so out of place here
Alt: a cartoon of a woman with the words i feel so out of place here
media.tenor.com
December 1, 2025 at 9:56 PM
Reposted by Dan F. Bispo
pokemongems.bsky.social
Photo of piplup looking at a sign that has a picture of a piplup being crossed out
December 1, 2025 at 9:07 PM
Reposted by Dan F. Bispo
thepinkhydra.com
Anyone up for beta-reading a Lovecraftiana erasure poetry project? The manuscript is fairly short, a little over 5,000 words.

Slide into my DMs and I'll share the deets. 👀

#WritingCommunity #Poetry #HPLovecraft
December 1, 2025 at 9:33 PM
danfbispo.bsky.social
I'm not usually much of a worldbuilder, but I'm throwing my hat on the ring this #DecemberWorldbuilders and see how well I do!

Science is widely spread throughout First Light's setting, as befits a sci-fi story, but different communities have different views on it and might forbid access to it. 1/6
kiraofthewind.com Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 3d
Welcome to the first week of #DecemberWorldbuilders! This week is about SCIENCE (broadly speaking) (you can play along even if you're writing pre-industrial fantasy!)
Today's Q: Can anyone in your world participate in scientific research? Or is it reserved for elites?
MonthlyWorldbuilders prompts daily feed card #DecemberWorldbuilders Hosted by Kira of the Wind Week 1: Science 1: Science in your fictional world: is it available to everyone? The image shows a cozy town during winter with warm lights. Large mountains are in the background. It is blurred. Snowflakes are around the top words
December 1, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Reposted by Dan F. Bispo
thepinkhydra.com
I'm incredibly excited to be part of this ENORMOUS book bundle on itch! 🤩

itch.io/b/3409/end-o...

Get Forest of the Morning along with 63 other diverse fantasy books! Fill up your TBR for next year. Check out some new and underrated authors!
December 1, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Reposted by Dan F. Bispo
poorlycatdraw.bsky.social
it’s tiiiiime 🎄
December 1, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Reposted by Dan F. Bispo
hookandquillpress.com
Great news, everyone! Hook & Quill Press is launching today as an indie publishing company, supporting and supported by the writing community (and one octopus). We have plenty of exciting announcements for your feed today, but here's a quick teaser...
#writesky #writingcommunity #quillbert4ever
December 1, 2025 at 1:30 PM
danfbispo.bsky.social
Another repeat, but one I like a lot. It's from the later parts of First Light Book 1, when I was just chilling and letting the words land wherever they did. Worked out okay, I think!

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
Rook sat on their newly-claimed bed, in their newly-claimed private quarters—or, as they defiantly called it, their house. Diodorus had promised to help them clear out all the clutter he’d filled it with over the years, and while they appreciated the offer, they had been quick to decline. Truth was, a cramped room suited Rook just fine. Clutter was evidence of life; a physicality of memory, a sense of belonging. They liked having little trinkets to hold, decorations to move around, splotches of color on otherwise unremarkable surfaces.
December 1, 2025 at 10:57 AM
Reposted by Dan F. Bispo
cheerfulmelancholy.bsky.social
I'm pretty terrible at promoting (and I don't have much to promote at the moment anyway) but I do have a Ko-Fi tip jar linked in my bio and I'm more active on Tumblr (more writing snippets plus miscellaneous rambles and stuff I find fun).
November 30, 2025 at 9:53 PM
danfbispo.bsky.social
👀👀👀👀👀
hookandquillpress.com Hook & Quill Press @hookandquillpress.com · 3d
Wait...gasp!!
What has Quillbert found?
Is he finally at the end of his big book-related quest...?
Could it be...????

#writingcommunity #writesky #quillbert4ever #hookandquillpress
A plush octopus looks up at a wooden door. We see the bottom of a sign. The writing is cut off, but it looks like it could be saying "Hook & Quill Press" which honestly, isn't really a twist at all
November 30, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Reposted by Dan F. Bispo
ameliakayne.bsky.social
30. Self-promo:

You can learn more about my WIPs and find my blogs, shorts, mood boards, character bios, and more on my website.

AmeliaKayne.com

#Novmemeber
November 30, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Reposted by Dan F. Bispo
hornedlarkpress.com
Okay, the sale is ON! Everywhere. All print books directly from us are discounted, and the ebook for COYOTE RUN by @lilithsaintcrow.com is currently a steal at $1.99! Support a small press that never uses AI and you:
•make a billionaire weep softly
•buy a creative person a taco
•entertain yourself
Graphic advertising the sale at hornedlarkpress.com, where all print books are 25-50% off, and Coyote Run by Lilith Saintcrow is 1.99 through Cyber Monday.
November 30, 2025 at 4:49 PM
danfbispo.bsky.social
#Novmemeber ruled! A lot of these challenges can be very involved, so I enjoyed having one that was fun and chill, but still thinky. @sagetgreene.bsky.social is a hero and a gem!

This is where my stuff is. Feel free to keep your money; a read or a follow are worth much more to me.

barrows.itch.io
sagetgreene.bsky.social Sage T. Greene, Author @sagetgreene.bsky.social · 4d
#Novmemeber 30

Thanks for a great month! Now... PROMOTE YOURSELF!

Share links to your books, ko-fis, writing samples, websites—whatever you'd like to promote today!

Be sure to check everyone out and spread the love!

(Thanks for participating in Novmemeber, everyone! 🫶)
—💚🌿
30. Tell us where to buy/support and don't be subtle! A prompt game for the month of November, titled #Novmemeber (as in meme). Hosted by @sagetgreene.bsky.social . The bottom says "Have fun, interact, and remember alt text!" There is a silly emoji face with wild eyes and tongue sticking out, and some fall-style leaves in the corners.
November 30, 2025 at 3:38 PM
danfbispo.bsky.social
I do have number! A whole character named after a number, in fact. In today's snippet, she meets the crew and introduces herself.

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
“That’s great! I am Andromeda Solutions’ Artificial Locutive/Reactive Intelligence™, S&M Model, serial number 0721B-06. I respond to Six, and I’m here to help. And you are… Adrian Rook of Veter IV, and Yana N/A of Vara IX. I hope this is the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship.” “S and what, now?” Rook asked.
November 30, 2025 at 9:27 AM
Reposted by Dan F. Bispo
hookandquillpress.com
Friends, Quillbert is feeling a little lost after finding himself at this cabin. I asked him again what he was looking for, and he handed me this note (transcribed in next post).
Let's help Quillbert out, and cheer him on so he can fulfill his quest!
#writesky #writingcommunity #quillbert4ever
"There's a place where magical stories are being told by some of the kindest and best writers I know, and I have pledged myself to help them." A yellow plush octopus looking out despondently at a forest pond while sitting on a porch swing
November 29, 2025 at 6:14 PM
danfbispo.bsky.social
Introduce yourself with five animals you have seen in the wild:

- grey seal
- wild boar (with piglets, running alongside the train I was in)
- stork
- a basking shark globster (look, we've gotta fill spots, okay)
- snowy owl
serraleta.bsky.social Serra Leta @serraleta.bsky.social · 5d
Introduce yourself with five animals you have seen in the wild:

(Ohh what to pick, wat to pick...)

-American black bears
-California quail
-Roosevelt elk
-grey foxes
-sharp-tailed snake (huh, didn't know it was endangered 🤔)
charliedeltawrites.bsky.social Charlie Delta 🦊🐐 @charliedeltawrites.bsky.social · 5d
Introduce yourself with five animals you have seen in the wild:

-Osprey
-Red-tailed hawk
-Porcupine
-Crow
-Raccoon
November 28, 2025 at 9:24 PM
danfbispo.bsky.social
It's #CreatorDay on Itch.io, so I made my horror anthology free to claim again. Go get it! Maybe even toss in a coin if you like it--or let me know. I'm as fueled by validation as I am by income, if not more so.

Why yes, I *am* desperate.

barrows.itch.io/the-cryptic-...
November 28, 2025 at 3:53 PM
danfbispo.bsky.social
This is what kicks off the plot in First Light--Yana decides to take an assignment because she thinks she's very clever, and this is going to be a workaround to her boss forcing her to take time off. Workaholics, can't relate.

Turns out, she isn't as clever as she thinks.

#WIPSnips #WriteSky
A spark went through Yana’s mind. She too had been on a Trilobite before, in transit, before Habitat welcomed her, all those years ago—and even though she couldn’t attest to the quality of its brig, she had been allowed to visit the lab, and found it adequate. The spark caught. A functional research station. An opportunity. To do the one thing she was good at, away from Habitat, thus fulfilling Warden’s demand for time off while also avoiding his scrutiny. If she could find a way to bring enough of her research to the Trilobite, then she could continue it there unimpeded. Suddenly, she had a lot to think about.
November 26, 2025 at 11:32 AM
danfbispo.bsky.social
Guys, don't look now, but I think Yana may have just accidentally released a trapped cyberdemon.

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingPrompts #WritingCommunity
Something cracked under her boot. On reflex, she looked down where she had stood was a pile of fine dust, and around it, now clearly visible under her compad’s light, black lines across the metal. She stood in the middle of a circle, coarse lines inside of lines inside of lines, all fading and roughly drawn, but vivid with importance and screaming with intent. Her heel covered up a tangled mess of knots and vines, intertwining, bending, dancing serpentine with each other. The tip of her boot smudged an outer layer of straight lines and right angles arranged into closed systems—circuit diagrams in all but presentation. The smell of incense had become overwhelming; it was as if it had been baked into the walls themselves. “Odd,” Six said, crossing the threshold, “these are signs of habitation.”
November 25, 2025 at 10:20 AM
danfbispo.bsky.social
#Novmemeber 25

I find most interpersonal drama exhausting, so I made it a point to have very little of it in First Light.

Also, Six! My take on her was informed by how much I hate how Detroit: Become Human writes robots. I can and will rant about it at any given chance, too.
sagetgreene.bsky.social Sage T. Greene, Author @sagetgreene.bsky.social · 9d
#Novmemeber 25

Anti-tropes: what are some tropes that you've purposefully avoided in your WIP? OR, are there any tropes that you've put a twist on?
25. Anti-tropes (tropes you've purposely avoided or put a twist?) A prompt game for the month of November, titled #Novmemeber (as in meme). Hosted by @sagetgreene.bsky.social . The bottom says "Have fun, interact, and remember alt text!" There is a silly emoji face with wild eyes and tongue sticking out, and some fall-style leaves in the corners.
November 25, 2025 at 8:31 AM
danfbispo.bsky.social
Another day, another substitution. This time it's world!

Personally, I like these few paragraphs a great deal. They're pretty indulgent, but I'm indulgent too, so it all works out.

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
Storage, the voice had said. Yana knew what the word truly meant. Every station, sooner or later, developed such places. They were the bowels of their artificial worlds, the layers between Layers, the unlit hollows where the extraneous and the unclaimed gathered out of sight and mind. Waste could be burned. It could be recycled, repurposed, even ejected. But between the realms of worthless and worth keeping sat the could-bes, the maybes. Utilitarianism demanded these objects be kept, but not preserved; saved, but not organized; cast aside, but never away.
November 23, 2025 at 12:53 PM
danfbispo.bsky.social
Substituting clear, because even though it's one of my favorite words, "crystal" never shows up in First Light.

Also, I get an excuse to share the other half of the scene with Blob, since people seemed to like it.

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
This miniature alien forest, complete with a miniature pond, stepped and dense in all three dimensions, was, Yana knew, purely aesthetic. She always thought Blob would fit in with the Zetan Period forests of Tau Ceti IV; a uniquely CO2-heavy climate comparable to Earth’s Early Carboniferous. In reality, however, Blob felt every bit at home in a nutrient suspension as it did in a lush forest, or calcite desert, or volcanic wasteland. It was, after all, one of the most resilient lifeforms in the known galaxy. The little amoeba, sensing its owner’s presence, crawled out from a pile of discarded shells. It lingered under the claw shape of one of the Zetan arbormorphs, its organs swirling with excitement, then extended a pseudopod upwards, which trembled like a fearful finger until it touched the lid’s glass. Through that thin life rope, Blob lifted itself up and pressed itself against the lid. “Sorry, Blob, no new pathogens for you to absorb today.” she said, reaching into the vivarium and reaching out to the amoeba. The clear, jelly-like shape eagerly climbed onto her hand, and there it rested, basking in the warmth of her touch.
November 22, 2025 at 10:19 AM