Mata Haggis-Burridge
@matahb.bsky.social
Writer of video games, horror, and more. Professor of video games, bi/pan, they/he, visibility still matters.
Reposted by Mata Haggis-Burridge
Sir George Blount, of Kinlet, #Shropshire, was so angry at his daughter marrying a man he disliked, he vowed to haunt her after his death. And he did so, on one occasion charging into the Hall on his spectral horse and riding across the table when the family were at dinner.
#PhantomsFriday #folklore
#PhantomsFriday #folklore
February 13, 2026 at 10:26 AM
Sir George Blount, of Kinlet, #Shropshire, was so angry at his daughter marrying a man he disliked, he vowed to haunt her after his death. And he did so, on one occasion charging into the Hall on his spectral horse and riding across the table when the family were at dinner.
#PhantomsFriday #folklore
#PhantomsFriday #folklore
Story prompt:
February 11, 2026 at 10:03 AM
Story prompt:
Watched Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead last night. Of the many things I could say, I think I'll just mention that Chekhov's gun is bizarrely and unsatisfyingly left on the mantlepiece.
February 8, 2026 at 8:12 AM
Watched Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead last night. Of the many things I could say, I think I'll just mention that Chekhov's gun is bizarrely and unsatisfyingly left on the mantlepiece.
Reposted by Mata Haggis-Burridge
Kyiv survived through a horrible night today as Russia launched a massive drone&missile attack
Since sleep was already out of the question,several Kyiv residents chose to welcome the frosty dawn with a cup of coffee on Saint Volodymyr Hill.
Kyiv is so beautiful.I love this city
📷elena_semenchenk0
Since sleep was already out of the question,several Kyiv residents chose to welcome the frosty dawn with a cup of coffee on Saint Volodymyr Hill.
Kyiv is so beautiful.I love this city
📷elena_semenchenk0
February 3, 2026 at 3:12 PM
Kyiv survived through a horrible night today as Russia launched a massive drone&missile attack
Since sleep was already out of the question,several Kyiv residents chose to welcome the frosty dawn with a cup of coffee on Saint Volodymyr Hill.
Kyiv is so beautiful.I love this city
📷elena_semenchenk0
Since sleep was already out of the question,several Kyiv residents chose to welcome the frosty dawn with a cup of coffee on Saint Volodymyr Hill.
Kyiv is so beautiful.I love this city
📷elena_semenchenk0
I know I usually post about video games, horror, and/or writing, but...
You should all watch the new The Muppet Show on Disney+.
It's fricking delightful and I want them to make more. Go watch it.
You should all watch the new The Muppet Show on Disney+.
It's fricking delightful and I want them to make more. Go watch it.
February 4, 2026 at 10:10 PM
I know I usually post about video games, horror, and/or writing, but...
You should all watch the new The Muppet Show on Disney+.
It's fricking delightful and I want them to make more. Go watch it.
You should all watch the new The Muppet Show on Disney+.
It's fricking delightful and I want them to make more. Go watch it.
Reposted by Mata Haggis-Burridge
Your monthly reminder:
Keep writing. When no one cares, persist. When things appear to be crumbling, keep at it. When it's difficult, push through. When you feel alone, listen to the stories in your blood. Just write. The world needs your stories.
Keep writing. When no one cares, persist. When things appear to be crumbling, keep at it. When it's difficult, push through. When you feel alone, listen to the stories in your blood. Just write. The world needs your stories.
February 3, 2026 at 2:07 PM
Your monthly reminder:
Keep writing. When no one cares, persist. When things appear to be crumbling, keep at it. When it's difficult, push through. When you feel alone, listen to the stories in your blood. Just write. The world needs your stories.
Keep writing. When no one cares, persist. When things appear to be crumbling, keep at it. When it's difficult, push through. When you feel alone, listen to the stories in your blood. Just write. The world needs your stories.
I know this isn't much, but something occurred to me this week that's really helping me:
Throughout history, fascism always falls. It might take years, but it always fails. It's not how people want to live. There are reckonings and rebuilding.
These times are dark, but light will come.
Throughout history, fascism always falls. It might take years, but it always fails. It's not how people want to live. There are reckonings and rebuilding.
These times are dark, but light will come.
January 30, 2026 at 10:54 PM
I know this isn't much, but something occurred to me this week that's really helping me:
Throughout history, fascism always falls. It might take years, but it always fails. It's not how people want to live. There are reckonings and rebuilding.
These times are dark, but light will come.
Throughout history, fascism always falls. It might take years, but it always fails. It's not how people want to live. There are reckonings and rebuilding.
These times are dark, but light will come.
Reposted by Mata Haggis-Burridge
I think the power of a song like Bruce Springsteen's "The Streets of Minneapolis" is not just that it cuts right through the moral smoke screen the feds are putting down, and not just that it is very direct, but that it claims the wider scope and vindication of history and the future to come.
January 29, 2026 at 5:49 AM
I think the power of a song like Bruce Springsteen's "The Streets of Minneapolis" is not just that it cuts right through the moral smoke screen the feds are putting down, and not just that it is very direct, but that it claims the wider scope and vindication of history and the future to come.
Reposted by Mata Haggis-Burridge
Thank my horror fiends and family. They made it to the target. You lovely weirdos and nerdowells are fantastic
"Horror Not Hate" is more than a comic; it's a weapon for good. This Kickstarter anthology fights real-world fascism & hate, with all profits going to LGBTQIA+ & immigrant rights orgs. Stellar creators. Vital cause. Back it!!!!
gnofhorror.com/horror-not-h...
@jmbrandt.bsky.social
gnofhorror.com/horror-not-h...
@jmbrandt.bsky.social
Horror Not Hate: An Anti-fascist, Anti-hate Anthology Of Horror Comics And Art Supporting LGBTQIA+ And Immigrant Rights! - The Ginger Nuts Of Horror Review Website
The 'Horror Not Hate' Kickstarter is live. This horror comic & art book anthology fights fascism & hate, supporting LGBTQIA+ & immigrant rights. Back it now!
gnofhorror.com
January 28, 2026 at 6:32 AM
Thank my horror fiends and family. They made it to the target. You lovely weirdos and nerdowells are fantastic
Reposted by Mata Haggis-Burridge
At the very least, Congress must disarm ICE, prohibit it from using racial or ethnic profiling, end arrest quotas, remove agents’ immunity from criminal prosecution and civil lawsuits, and slash its funding. The Senate has the chance to rein in ICE this week.
Keep calling: (202) 224-3121
Keep calling: (202) 224-3121
January 27, 2026 at 4:45 PM
At the very least, Congress must disarm ICE, prohibit it from using racial or ethnic profiling, end arrest quotas, remove agents’ immunity from criminal prosecution and civil lawsuits, and slash its funding. The Senate has the chance to rein in ICE this week.
Keep calling: (202) 224-3121
Keep calling: (202) 224-3121
Plea to video game researchers: stop writing "video games are more than merely entertainment".
Bringing happiness and culture to billions of players is amazing.
Alternative phrasing: "Video games are a unique form of entertainment and drive cross-sector technical and cultural innovation."
Bringing happiness and culture to billions of players is amazing.
Alternative phrasing: "Video games are a unique form of entertainment and drive cross-sector technical and cultural innovation."
January 26, 2026 at 8:21 AM
Plea to video game researchers: stop writing "video games are more than merely entertainment".
Bringing happiness and culture to billions of players is amazing.
Alternative phrasing: "Video games are a unique form of entertainment and drive cross-sector technical and cultural innovation."
Bringing happiness and culture to billions of players is amazing.
Alternative phrasing: "Video games are a unique form of entertainment and drive cross-sector technical and cultural innovation."
Reposted by Mata Haggis-Burridge
Resharing some threads below. Apologies if it's boring for those who've seen them. When people enjoy the captions and pics I've posted in these and share them, more people read my books and it helps me repair things in the aftermath of a publishing disaster.
1. Sheep.
bsky.app/profile/dj-a...
1. Sheep.
bsky.app/profile/dj-a...
THREAD. A collection of photographs of excellent sheep I have met on walks.
You will find the captions to each photo in the alt text.
You will find the captions to each photo in the alt text.
January 17, 2026 at 9:20 AM
Resharing some threads below. Apologies if it's boring for those who've seen them. When people enjoy the captions and pics I've posted in these and share them, more people read my books and it helps me repair things in the aftermath of a publishing disaster.
1. Sheep.
bsky.app/profile/dj-a...
1. Sheep.
bsky.app/profile/dj-a...
Reposted by Mata Haggis-Burridge
100% We took care of each other at the beginning and we can do it now. We need to do it now more than ever.
January 12, 2026 at 1:40 AM
100% We took care of each other at the beginning and we can do it now. We need to do it now more than ever.
Reposted by Mata Haggis-Burridge
This is high-quality extrapolation, worthy of your attention.
"...a military invasion of Canada would trigger a decades-long violent resistance, which would ultimately destroy the United States."
January 6, 2026 at 6:46 AM
This is high-quality extrapolation, worthy of your attention.
My resolution for 2025 was to polish the heck out of a novel and send it to agents - mission accomplished!
On the agenda for next year:
- get an agent, hopefully!
- write something new (novel probably, maybe a film?)
- keep writing weekly micro-fiction horror stories on my Substack.
Happy 2026!
On the agenda for next year:
- get an agent, hopefully!
- write something new (novel probably, maybe a film?)
- keep writing weekly micro-fiction horror stories on my Substack.
Happy 2026!
December 31, 2025 at 9:22 PM
My resolution for 2025 was to polish the heck out of a novel and send it to agents - mission accomplished!
On the agenda for next year:
- get an agent, hopefully!
- write something new (novel probably, maybe a film?)
- keep writing weekly micro-fiction horror stories on my Substack.
Happy 2026!
On the agenda for next year:
- get an agent, hopefully!
- write something new (novel probably, maybe a film?)
- keep writing weekly micro-fiction horror stories on my Substack.
Happy 2026!
The top 500 wealthiest people made enough money in 2025 to lift nearly half the world out of poverty.
Immigrants aren't causing the world's economic problems.
Source: www.theguardian.com/news/2025/de...
Immigrants aren't causing the world's economic problems.
Source: www.theguardian.com/news/2025/de...
December 31, 2025 at 9:17 PM
The top 500 wealthiest people made enough money in 2025 to lift nearly half the world out of poverty.
Immigrants aren't causing the world's economic problems.
Source: www.theguardian.com/news/2025/de...
Immigrants aren't causing the world's economic problems.
Source: www.theguardian.com/news/2025/de...
Reposted by Mata Haggis-Burridge
Here's the energy I'm going into 2026 with! What's yours?
December 31, 2025 at 9:11 PM
Here's the energy I'm going into 2026 with! What's yours?
With the Academy's allergy to horror, especially anything as 'simple' as vampires, and history of not giving awards to black creators, I can see this happening...
(The anti-inclusion policies in the US probably add their weight on the scale too.)
(The anti-inclusion policies in the US probably add their weight on the scale too.)
I enjoyed One Battle After Another, but there's a cynical part of me that believes Hollywood is relieved because they can now vote for a "culturally significant" movie come the Oscars and pretend that Sinners never happened.
December 31, 2025 at 9:33 AM
With the Academy's allergy to horror, especially anything as 'simple' as vampires, and history of not giving awards to black creators, I can see this happening...
(The anti-inclusion policies in the US probably add their weight on the scale too.)
(The anti-inclusion policies in the US probably add their weight on the scale too.)
Outer Wilds is one of the most frustrating games in existence, because the incredible power of the story is entirely about the experience of unravelling it and reaching the ending yourself. It's a wonderful ending that you then can't talk about without spoiling it for someone else. Aargh!
December 31, 2025 at 9:26 AM
Outer Wilds is one of the most frustrating games in existence, because the incredible power of the story is entirely about the experience of unravelling it and reaching the ending yourself. It's a wonderful ending that you then can't talk about without spoiling it for someone else. Aargh!
Finally started playing Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, with my spouse.
When we got the camera, things slowed down significantly because it then became possible to take photos of the Vatican's cats - the discovery that these images are not saved somehow did little to help progress.
When we got the camera, things slowed down significantly because it then became possible to take photos of the Vatican's cats - the discovery that these images are not saved somehow did little to help progress.
December 28, 2025 at 11:22 PM
Finally started playing Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, with my spouse.
When we got the camera, things slowed down significantly because it then became possible to take photos of the Vatican's cats - the discovery that these images are not saved somehow did little to help progress.
When we got the camera, things slowed down significantly because it then became possible to take photos of the Vatican's cats - the discovery that these images are not saved somehow did little to help progress.
I'm so excited to see how this turns out! I adored Rogue Trooper as a kid. Hunky, shirtless, kind (to good people), honorable, and with a blonde mohawk - he was my role model when I was a child!
Just completed final watch through of the finished ROGUE TROOPER film…
25 years of pestering @2000ad.bsky.social to let me give it a shot, 3 years of production to make the thing & now… it’s DONE!
Can’t wait for you to see it.
So, so proud of our team.
We’ve made something a bit special.
❤️
25 years of pestering @2000ad.bsky.social to let me give it a shot, 3 years of production to make the thing & now… it’s DONE!
Can’t wait for you to see it.
So, so proud of our team.
We’ve made something a bit special.
❤️
December 21, 2025 at 7:45 AM
I'm so excited to see how this turns out! I adored Rogue Trooper as a kid. Hunky, shirtless, kind (to good people), honorable, and with a blonde mohawk - he was my role model when I was a child!
Least surprising outcome of the year.
December 16, 2025 at 7:47 AM
Least surprising outcome of the year.
App idea: something that turns clickbait headlines into old fashioned informative headlines so I can decide if I actually want to read more before I click.
December 16, 2025 at 7:43 AM
App idea: something that turns clickbait headlines into old fashioned informative headlines so I can decide if I actually want to read more before I click.
Absolutely loved #PlayingGracieDarling on Netflix. Brilliant combination of spookiness, sleuthing, and repressed emotions in an Australian town. Great cast, atmosphere, and balance of scares without being formulaic Hollywood. Great work by everyone involved.
December 16, 2025 at 7:19 AM
Absolutely loved #PlayingGracieDarling on Netflix. Brilliant combination of spookiness, sleuthing, and repressed emotions in an Australian town. Great cast, atmosphere, and balance of scares without being formulaic Hollywood. Great work by everyone involved.