C.J. Subko
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cjsubko.bsky.social
C.J. Subko
@cjsubko.bsky.social
4.8K followers 2.4K following 25K posts
Writer of SFFH. Snarkwitch. Psych PhD. Approachable goth.
Words in Small Wonders, Flame Tree, The Deadlands, Skull & Laurel
Member of HWA, SFWA, Codex
www.cjsubko.com
https://cjsubko.beehiiv.com
Posts Replies Media Videos
cjsubko.bsky.social
No-context snippets from the writing chat, from me
forget god; subtext is dead
November 10, 2025 at 9:29 PM
cjsubko.bsky.social
Practicing some more digital painting. Still shaky but I'm having fun.
digital painting of a brunette woman with olive skin, neck up
November 10, 2025 at 3:23 AM
cjsubko.bsky.social
Been doing a series of digital drawing tutorials. Really love the new techniques.

I haven't gotten to hair yet (I have a feeling I'll need multiple tries) but look!
an #art sketch of a woman's face done in digital pencil, looking straight at the camera, with big cartoony eyes
November 9, 2025 at 10:53 PM
cjsubko.bsky.social
My first digital painting in like a year
A digital painting of a white man with curly blond hair, just the face in profile
November 9, 2025 at 2:12 AM
cjsubko.bsky.social
For those asking... I have deidentified
Let's talk about a new type of fantasy. #traumantasy Is fantasy that focuses on Trauma survival and emotional transformation. A genre with stories where the pain characters endure isn't for shock value but part of how they find power and identity It's not about glorifying Trauma but reclaiming it
November 7, 2025 at 6:05 PM
cjsubko.bsky.social
Priest of Teeth chapter 2 starts with Agnet's POV. She's fun and angry and bristly.

#writing
the text "agnet felt trapped in mal's arms"
November 2, 2025 at 9:14 PM
cjsubko.bsky.social
And so it begins

#writing
a snapshot of a scrivener screen showing the text "alistair couldn't get a good grip on the tooth"
November 1, 2025 at 7:05 PM
cjsubko.bsky.social
Happy #Halloween!
A woman dressed up as a fairy with wings a colorful dress a white vest and a crown A close up of a fairy woman with a crown and green makeup on white skin with swirls and lots of glitter
November 1, 2025 at 5:30 PM
cjsubko.bsky.social
This is Halloween, this is Halloween, Halloween (Halloween) Halloween HALLOWEEN
a white woman in skull face paint and a bone corset with orange hair and a bone headdress and white horns
October 31, 2025 at 1:27 AM
cjsubko.bsky.social
Happy Halloween een from past C.J. 🎃💀
A woman dressed up as the joker, with a white face, red lips, green hair, black eyes, and purple shirt with green vest
October 30, 2025 at 9:29 PM
cjsubko.bsky.social
Lowkey work Halloween!
White woman with blonde hair with orange lipstick and nightmare before Christmas earrings
October 30, 2025 at 1:55 PM
cjsubko.bsky.social
Check out the novel I'll be #writing starting in November!

I'm having too much fun making these decks.

#sff #fantasy
On top of a forest background is a beige box and the words: Adult fantasy, C.J. Subko, The Priest of Teeth. There is also a box with a creepy religious altar with candles and a skull. In progress, a pitch deck. On a yellow background is a header that looks like a cathedral, with the words "at a glance, trope map." Next to the numbers 1 2 3 4 are the words forbidden love, corrupt religion, bodyguard romance, nine trials, trek through the wilderness, priest doubting faith, murderer afoot, indentured mercenary, hurt/comfort, found family, there's only one bed, and love or power A yellow background labelled "The Pitch." Gideon the 9th x the raven scholar. Next to the foggy image of a priest are these words: Alistair Canter is the Priest of Teeth, a lonely outcast, priest of a lower god. He thirsts for fame. When the priest of a greater god dies, a competition is birthed: nine trials will decide who replaces him and gains the high seat. Agnet ma’Dale is a soldier in a famed mercenary band. Sold into indenture as a child, she has long dreamt of freedom. She has also just returned from three years of war. She wants out. She needs a final, lucrative job to buy out her indenture. While at the capital vying for the position of new Priest of Eyes, Alistair and the others find out that the Priest of Eyes did not die—he was murdered. Terrified for his life, Alistair hires mercenary Agnet to protect him as he battles through the competition, a trek up the highlands to an abandoned castle with nine strange trials across the way. But two things happen that he never expects: he rises to the top of the competition, and he begins to fall in love with Agnet, which is a crime against his vows. His stay in the limelight makes him a target, and his new feelings make him confused and vulnerable. Leaving means forfeiting the competition but staying might mean death. Alistair and Agnet seek to stay one step ahead of the murderer—before Alistair is next. But what future is there for a Priest and a mercenary? A forest background with the words contact, reach me here. Two images, one of skulls and one of candles. Contact info is listed: cjsubko at gmail dot com, bsky cjsubko at bsky dot social, x sarcasmlemons, www dot cjsubko dot com, cj subko dot com slash novels, instagram at sarcasmlemons
October 28, 2025 at 11:51 PM
cjsubko.bsky.social
Happy #Halloween season! How are you celebrating?
A tan and black mug that says mentally I am here. Haunted house picture. A skull sits next to it.
October 28, 2025 at 4:00 PM
cjsubko.bsky.social
Happy Halloweek! #Halloween
A cartoon bird wearing glasses, black skeleton bodysuit, orange bow tie, orange shoes, green wings, and a black witch hat
October 27, 2025 at 4:24 PM
cjsubko.bsky.social
Introducing THE SHATTERED CITY by C.J. Subko,
a novel I'm currently #querying -- a pitch deck

🖤Adult #dystopian dark #fantasy with #Halloween #autumn #fall vibes

🖤93,000 words of magic, death, and romance

Let's go, #writing community
A gray and black collage of fake polaroid photos of people wearing skull makeup. Six photos, three on the left and three on the right. A hooded skull, frowning skull girl, woman holding skull, skull smiling, sinister skull, and the nose and eye of a skull. With the text in green: The Shattered City by CJ Subko All on a gray background The background image is a black and white man with a shaved head and light skin wearing skeleton makeup. The words "AT A GLANCE" are over his eyes in white. In clockwise order from top right, there are other words in white: Angsty necromancers. Isolated city state. Only one cot. Second chance enemies to lovers romance. Kidnapping of opportunity. Healer MCs versus epidemic. Authoritarian government versus rebellion. Fancy people who wear bones. A black background with the tan and glowing orange words "Pitch / pitch" In tan, the words: For Daquar, the rules are everything; one wrong move and she’ll be executed like her treasonous parents. But the rules can’t save her from being kidnapped by rebels—including Ritraru, the ex-lover she betrayed, who forces her to heal at his clinic for the poor. While plotting her escape, Daquar witnesses the true ravages of the governmental system and begins to despise her role in maintaining it. Because Thylen, plagued by an eternal epidemic, is a machine; its caste system determines how lavishly you live, and how soon the Rot will kill you dead. Ritraru still loathes Daquar—at least, he thinks he does. But the closer they work together, the more he sees that her hidden compassion and unrestrained cleverness might lead her into the rebellion—and back into his heart. The deeper Ritraru and his friends are drawn into rebellion, however, the closer they come to a choice: slow dissidence or violent extremism. To save the city, Daquar and Ritraru will have to rely on each other—and the love resurrecting between them. If they can’t abolish the totalitarian regime, they’ll be executed as traitors just like Daquar’s parents—but when winning means killing, they’ll have to decide whether to protect their consciences or their liberty. In neon green, the words: dystopian fantasy, 99300 words A dark almost black background with giant tan chalk letters: REACH ME HERE and some orange dots in the lower right corner. In the middle left, an orange television set with these words in neon green: CJ subko at gmail dot com, cj subko at bsky dot social, cj subko dot com
October 26, 2025 at 7:56 PM
cjsubko.bsky.social
Me in the hat! ✨️
White blonde woman in a bluish purple crochet beanie hat with a white pompom on top
October 25, 2025 at 7:21 PM
cjsubko.bsky.social
Finished my hat! 🧶
A purple and blue mixed crochet hat with a white puffball on top sitting on a gray blanket
October 25, 2025 at 6:10 PM
cjsubko.bsky.social
Working on a new hat with lots of different stitches!

🧶
A blue and purple crochet half of a hat sitting on a black and brown pillow
October 22, 2025 at 11:13 PM
cjsubko.bsky.social
Rocking some @peculiarityshop.bsky.social earrings in my Renn Faire costume
A white woman wearing a puffy white shirt with a blue beard necklace and a black crown and earrings that look like flowers hanging from stems
October 18, 2025 at 6:04 PM
cjsubko.bsky.social
My dad made this great sign for #NoKings Chicago

Fight back
No kings. We love America. We don't fear you. Our voice our vote is our power.
October 18, 2025 at 5:03 PM
cjsubko.bsky.social
So if you hadn't heard, I'm back in the #querying trenches with a dark dystopian fantasy for adults

Enemy (and ex lover) necromancers/healers team up to take down an authoritarian govt. Sparks fly and heads roll.

Well wishes appreciated. 🕯

#writing
A collage of people in skull makeup on a dark gray background
October 15, 2025 at 6:53 PM
cjsubko.bsky.social
Sights from @voidcon.bsky.social
Smoky mountains beneath a cloudy gray sky A book cover with a woman throwing up black. The text is eradicator by David Simmons Four people two women and two men sitting at a table in a stage A stack of books including feeding the wheel by Michael bouldering and the devil thinks I'm pretty by Charlene elsby
October 12, 2025 at 3:53 PM
cjsubko.bsky.social
While in Gettysburg for VOIDCON I took in the battlefield. Very haunting.
An old cannon next to a tree in a sunset field A statue like a gravestone for the 8th Illinois cavalry, in a field, with two American flags at its base
October 11, 2025 at 4:50 PM
cjsubko.bsky.social
GIDEON 9th x V FOR VENDETTA

Necromancer-healer Daquar is oblivious to the evil of her city's totalitarian cruelty--until her rebel ex-lover exposes it. But joining the rebellion means breaking her healer vows, & destroying the govt for good means becoming a killer

#DVpit #A #LGBT #MH #F #SFF #ocd
A collage of black-outlined polaroid photos of people in skull makeup. From top to bottom: a hooded skull next to a skull looking proud. A dazed looking skull next to an eerie skull. A skull woman holding a skull next to the outline of an eye and nose in skull makeup. All on a gray background. Images license free provided by Unsplash.
October 8, 2025 at 8:00 PM
cjsubko.bsky.social
GIDEON 9th x V FOR VENDETTA

She's a government employee who always follows the rules. He's a rebel and a criminal with a good cause. They're both necromancer-healers. They'll have to work together to destroy the authoritarian govt--or die on the gallows trying.

#DVpit #A #LGBT #MH #F #SFF #ocd
A collage of black-outlined polaroid photos of people in skull makeup. From top to bottom: a hooded skull next to a skull looking proud. A dazed looking skull next to an eerie skull. A skull woman holding a skull next to the outline of an eye and nose in skull makeup. All on a gray background. Images license free provided by Unsplash.
October 8, 2025 at 4:32 PM