Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Sylvie Helstaff @sylviehelstaff.bsky.social · 16h

Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it 💖

Reposted by Sylvie Helstaff

🌈 Hailey Piper 🌈 @haileypiperfights.bsky.social · 1d

It's Lesbian Visibility Day, and I see that Bookshop is having FREE SHIPPING until the day's over, so it's clearly time for some lesbian horror 🌈😈

bookshop.org/beta-search?...

Showing the following Hailey Piper book covers: A Game in Yellow, Queen of Teeth, A Light Most Hateful, Teenage Girls Can Be Demons, The Ghostlands of Natalie Glasgow
Around a banner that says free shipping

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Reposted by Sylvie Helstaff

Sylvie Helstaff @sylviehelstaff.bsky.social · 1d

Artist! Quote with your strong woman art!💪

My Dnd GM gave me a beautiful orc NPC girlfriend for my astral elf druid, so I had to draw him absolutely delighted at being carted off to get wrecked by her 😂

Her name is Zorugh Backbreaker, she works for the God of Death and I love her

#OC #ocart

A muscular green orc woman with a long braid and small tusks wearing loose pants, trousers, and an armored crop top carries a caked up elf man over one shoulder. He wears a sheer long sleeve crop top with a sparkly leaf pattern, matching pants with a slit up the sides, and too much jewelry. Hearts and sparkles surround his gleeful, blushing face and he has one foot kicked up with pointed toes.

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Reposted by Sylvie Helstaff

Anya Chalina @anyachalina.bsky.social · Sep 5

The House We Built

The image shows a scene inside an old house with two repeating characters and their story. The house is decorated with wooden patterns and has three floors with stairs leading to each floor. In the foreground the couple is hugging each other; in the middle ground the man is sitting on the sofa reading a newspaper and the woman is walking up the stairs looking at the room below. On the second room the woman is facing the direction of her partner's study. She looks frozen and is standing next to a dresser with a clock on it. On the left side the man is sitting at his desk looking behind his shoulder. On the third floor the same woman is looking in the mirror and sees her reflection as a skeleton. The artwork is decorated with patterns and tiles and is mostly mustard, brown and green.

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Sylvie Helstaff @sylviehelstaff.bsky.social · 21h

This is my #OC Rowan, main character of my monster romance novel Lust and Found.
Fun facts:
-transmasc nb bartender
-can wield hellfire (mostly on purpose)
-accidentally summoned an archdemon
-went through an exorcism (unsuccessful) and then a wedding (successful!)

tinyurl.com/lustandfound
💙📚 💙🌈

Text Reads: "Rowan. A twenty-six year old bartender, Rowan Bell recently moved to Brightworth after inheriting their eccentric great aunt’s home. There they accidentally complete a dormant ritual left by the late witch, which summons a demon and opens their eyes to the magical abilities they never knew they had. With the help of their aunt’s former coven, an amorous archdemon, and a growing crew of queer friends, maybe they’ll finally find the sense of belonging they’ve always craved."
Illustratrion of a transmasc nonbinary person with medium length dark hair and blue highlights, smokey eye makeup, wearing a black button up shirt, silver necklaces, and a gold cuff bracelet

Stained glass style illustration of a non-binary person in the center with a purple tail wrapped over their shoulder, they are standing in a garden of flowers with two demons behind them. Author name Sylvie Helstaff appears at the top of the frame and book title "Lust and Found" in gold text at the bottom

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Sylvie Helstaff @sylviehelstaff.bsky.social · 22h

It's INTERNATIONAL LESBIAN DAY, you say??

Celebrate with a short, sweet horrormance novelette about a lesbian who falls in love with a polycule of man-eating sapphic mermaids who live in the cursed lake of her scenic mountain town!

📚 sylviehelstaff.com/swim-with-me...

💜😱 🌈💜 💙📚 #monsterromance

Sylvie Helstaff @sylviehelstaff.bsky.social · 26d

Need an Eat the Rich, Good for Her, Supporting Women's Wrongs horrormance novelette with man-eating lesbian mermaids to add to your TBR?

Then I have good news!

SWIM WITH ME, DARLING releases 9/14 and you can preorder it now! sylviehelstaff.com/swim-with-me...

💜😱 🌈💜 💙📚 #monsterromance #sapphic

Trope map text: Sapphic Monster Polycule, Yearning, Body Horror, Snackrifice, Cursed Lake, Supporting Women’s Wrongs, Man-Eating Sirens, Horror Romance, ebook and Paperback available now! Visit Sylviehelstaff.com for details
Image: background of underwater cave entrance. Image of an illustrated book cover with a half submerged siren with green hair and large unsettling eyes in midnight purple water with pink reflections. Fireflies hover above and the scene is framed by greenery.

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Reposted by Sylvie Helstaff

Frost Llamzon @frostllamzon.bsky.social · 8d

Weretober: Wolf

Artwork by Illustrator Frost Llamzon depicting a half body portrait of a werewolf

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Sylvie Helstaff @sylviehelstaff.bsky.social · 1d

If you haven't read Mercy yet, I highly recommend it! It's one of my favorite queer love stories with gorgeous worldbuilding, folklore elements, a sarcastic angel, a boob window priest... what more do you want?

Already own it? Re-read it on KU when it comes back next month!

Ian Haramaki 🏳️‍⚧️✨ @cometkins.bsky.social · 1d

Yep, MERCY's going back into KU next month. It's something I've been considering since itch turned its back on nsfw creators, but since KU now has library support, it's helped make the decision. Other platforms didn't perform as I'd like, which kind of became the nail in the coffin of it all.

Returning to Kindle Unlimited November 1st

The main reason for leaving KU was to attempt to accommodate more platforms for readers. This was to be done via library support and through the DRM-free platform, itch.io. Unfortunately, itch has become unusable for me since cracking down on adult material, despite being legal to sell. On top of this, readers simply didn't utilize other platforms. Apple, Kobo, Google, and many others severely underperformed.

KU now has built in library support, so my main qualm with it has been eliminated entirely. I'm not happy to have the ebook return to Amazon, but I would also prefer to actually make money off of my work. With things as hard as they are for a queer author right now, sometimes I must choose what will help keep me afloat.

As ever, though, if you'd like to obtain it directly from me, for payment or not, you need only ask. I would still like to accommodate you.

So what does this mean for the future of MERCY? November 1st (assuming Amazon doesn't lag), the book will be obtainable via Kindle Unlimited again.

The anniversary of its release is coming up, and I will likely have it on sale for the week surrounding that anniversary proper, and free on the day. The book hasn't been on sale for a while, so I hope this will somewhat make up for this change.

Thank you for sticking with me all this time, and thank you for your understanding as we shift back.

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Sylvie Helstaff @sylviehelstaff.bsky.social · 1d

Artist! Quote with your strong woman art!💪

My Dnd GM gave me a beautiful orc NPC girlfriend for my astral elf druid, so I had to draw him absolutely delighted at being carted off to get wrecked by her 😂

Her name is Zorugh Backbreaker, she works for the God of Death and I love her

#OC #ocart

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Reposted by Sylvie Helstaff

🦇 Killy Witches 🎃👻 @tillybridges.bsky.social · 2d

CALIFORNIANS!

you can help make our state better and safer for trans people RIGHT NOW by telling Newsom he needs to sign these bills!

We need you!

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Reposted by Sylvie Helstaff

Greylace @greylace.bsky.social · 2d

The recent ICE raid which emptied an entire apartment building was apparently at the request of Wells Fargo, which is trying to foreclose on the building.

flipinidaho @flipinidaho.bsky.social · 2d

southsideweekly.com/federal-agen...

The building is in a 27 million dollar foreclosure filed by Wells Fargo. The next day, Wells Fargo filed an emergency motion for receivership. The fascist regime kindly emptied the building for donor Wells Fargo.

Federal Agents Storm South Shore Building, Detaining Families and Children

Families were woken by flashbangs and helicopters as hundreds of federal agents raided their homes. Days later, neighbors are still searching for the missing.

southsideweekly.com

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Sylvie Helstaff @sylviehelstaff.bsky.social · 1d

Nonbinary author here! I write monster romance featuring a variety of queer neurodivergent characters with lots of queer joy, magic, worldbuilding, and smut that manages to be both heartwarming and filthy at the same time.

You can find all my books at sylviehelstaff.com
💜😱 🌈💜 💙📚

Sylvie Helstaff @sylviehelstaff.bsky.social · 15d

Artists! Writers! Quote with your queer characters!

I've got mermaids, witches, demons, shadow elementals, humans and they're all queer.

Text: Sylvie Helstaff. Swim with me, Darling. A sapphic Horrormance
Image: illustration of a siren with green hair and huge black eyes mostly submerged in dark blue water and looking at the viewer. Her hair swirls on the surface forming the word Swim. Fireflies float in the air above the water which has hot pink light reflections on it. Framed by ferns in the foreground.

Cover art for Shadow & Flame by Sylvie Helstaff. A brunette man in colonial american clothing holds an open book in one hand and glowing light in the other. A shadow demon stands behind him with a hand on his shoulder. both are surrounded by purple flames.

Cover art for Shadow's Light by Sylvie Helstaff. A blonde woman stands in a dark hallway with a shadow demon floating overhead. Gold Filigree frame with title text.

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Reposted by Sylvie Helstaff

Johannes T. Evans @johannestevans.bsky.social · 4d

Monthly Trans & Nonbinary Creators Boost

- Share your fiction, essays, poetry, fanfic, thinkpieces, and other writing below.
- Go into the replies and look for new works to read and share.
- Follow new trans creators and make your feed brighter!

NSFW and erotica welcome.

#WriteSky #BookSky

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Reposted by Sylvie Helstaff

Sylvie Helstaff @sylviehelstaff.bsky.social · Jul 25

LUST AND FOUND has 10+ sex scenes including one that deconsecrates a church, a M/M/NB threesome, and an enchanted strap-on. The plot is rather wholesome, but the queer demon smut would melt the face off a conservative faster than looking into the ark of the covenant.

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Sylvie Helstaff @sylviehelstaff.bsky.social · 1d

Tenebrae, my shadow elemental OC, because he can turn into a 12ft tall indestructible spiky tower of rage

Some days I feel that way anyway, but he's got the claws (& lack of impulse control) to do something about it

Plus, his husband is a hot witch 🥰

📚 sylviehelstaff.com/shadow-flame/
#ocart

Full body illustration of a male shadow demon with grey transparent skin, visible skeleton, and flowing shadow tendrils emerging from dark foliage and lit by offscreen fire

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Reposted by Sylvie Helstaff

Erica Friedman @okazu.yuricon.com · 2d

Bookshop is having an Anti-Amazon sale, with cheap e-books and free shipping for print today and tomorrow:

bookshop.org/lists/ebook-...

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Sylvie Helstaff @sylviehelstaff.bsky.social · 2d

Yautja obsession intensifies 👀

The Spaceshipper 🚀 @thespaceshipper.com · 3d

Predator: Badlands (November 7): Final trailer

"Set in the future on a deadly remote planet, “Badlands” follows a young Predator outcast (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) who finds an unlikely ally in Thia (Elle Fanning) as he embarks on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary."

Predator: Badlands | Final Trailer

YouTube video by 20th Century Studios

www.youtube.com

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Sylvie Helstaff @sylviehelstaff.bsky.social · 3d

Accurate

silas denver 🛸 @sweatermuppet.bsky.social · 15d

repost 🖍️🖌️✂️

a black and white typography edit that reads "i am gay and i must create". around the text are many arts and crafts supplies such as a glue gun, spools of thread, scissors, a linocut carver, tunes of paint, crayons, buttons, pins, a ball of yarn, paint brushes, pens, and pencils, and other things of that nature. the entire image is textured to look photocopied.

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Sylvie Helstaff @sylviehelstaff.bsky.social · 3d

“In order to Dracula, sometimes first we must Frankenstein,” I say to myself, nodding sagely as I slice the tails off of one tuxedo jacket to graft onto another.

Finally getting around to one of my bucket list costumes for spooky season this year and dusting off my tailoring skills.

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Reposted by Sylvie Helstaff

AK Faulkner @ NYCC @poopraven.bsky.social · 5d

It's a lovely morning on the internet and you are a horrible queer!

Drop your links to queer books! Yours, someone else's, tradpub, indie, share ALL THE QUEER BOOKS to make a fash shit themselves.

Go!!!

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Sylvie Helstaff @sylviehelstaff.bsky.social · 4d

If you like your romance weirdly wholesome for how filthy it is, full of queer, neurodivergent humans and monsters, then I’ve got books for you! Ravenous sapphic mermaids, shapeshifting shadows, accidentally summoned archdemons. Heartfelt stories w/ magic & joyous queer smut
📚: sylviehelstaff.com

Sylvie Helstaff @sylviehelstaff.bsky.social · 15d

Artists! Writers! Quote with your queer characters!

I've got mermaids, witches, demons, shadow elementals, humans and they're all queer.

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Sylvie Helstaff @sylviehelstaff.bsky.social · 5d

One of my all time faves

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Reposted by Sylvie Helstaff

Zachary Berger @zacharyberger.bsky.social · Aug 13

Friends (esp if you live in CA) we REALLY need signatures on this petition supporting Bill AB412 - the AI Copyright Transparency Act.

TLDR = this will require AI corps to be transparent about what is in their datasets!

Signing takes 1 min. Once you sign, PLEASE SHARE!! tinyurl.com/4uxbp963

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Reposted by Sylvie Helstaff

Bilbo Yaga @bilboyaga.bsky.social · Oct 27

Seasonal PSA: the activated charcoal often used to dye Halloween treats black (and taken as a supplement) interferes with many medications.

This includes birth control pills and some blood/heart meds, HIV meds, pain meds, antipsychotics, and antidepressants.

Be spooky AND safe!

🩺 ♿️ #NEISvoid

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Sylvie Helstaff @sylviehelstaff.bsky.social · 6d

Hey readers! I know you love my books about neurodivergent queer monsterfuckers with trauma. That's why I'm partnering with the makers of Bupropion XL for this special edition...

*Ask your doctor if Extended Release Monster Romance is for you

Vivian Moira Vampire @itsviviactually.bsky.social · 6d

Hey, readers! I know you love my books about lonely lesbian monster girls. That's why I'm partnering with Hot Topic and your straight best friend from high school for this special collection ...

Abra, The Everwife 🏳️‍⚧️ 🇲🇽🌼👻 @pairofclaws.bsky.social · 6d

Hi everyone. You love my books where everyone is a lesbian and no one has gone to therapy, which is why I'm partnering with the garden section of Lowes on a Sunday morning.

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