Marc Criley
LightNews LightNews
banner
marcc.bsky.social
Marc Criley
@marcc.bsky.social
1.1K followers 350 following 2.4K posts
I write short stories & drabbles, am a member of Codex and SFWA, carry on about Alabama (especially Huntsville), Fossils, metal detecting, some ill-mannered feline co-residents, and genealogy from my perch on #CedarGapMtn.

https://kickin-the-darkness.com/
Posts Replies Media Videos
marcc.bsky.social
Anyone who sees this, show me your lock screen
The time, 04:55, overlaid on a photo of a dog being reflected in a car side mirror.
November 12, 2025 at 10:59 PM
marcc.bsky.social
Faint auroral glow visible high in the sky over north Alabama!
Photo showing faint reddish and green glows beneath a starry sky.
November 12, 2025 at 4:26 AM
marcc.bsky.social
Convincing you to read my short story with the first sentence. Share yours...

You can go from one end of the solar system to the other, but there's no feeling like being out with the family in "Sun-Dappled Sheets of Methane Rain."

futurefire.net/2024.69/fict...
A few scattered raindrops float down from a hazy orange sky. They’re as big as my child-thumbs, plopping onto my enviro suit and spotting the visor. The liquid methane evaporates fast, leaving sooty splotches. The rain tapers off. Dad and I wait. I get antsy. Dad sighs.
November 11, 2025 at 10:32 PM
marcc.bsky.social
Earliest date I recall seeing snow flurries in north Alabama.
November 10, 2025 at 5:14 PM
marcc.bsky.social
Seems like a good time to post this drabble of mine from a couple years ago.

"Reset Alternative"

themartianmagazine.wordpress.com/2023/08/07/r...
Dozens of drone cams and guns track the wounded man staggering down the street, his left hand duct taped to a stolen tachyon alternator’s Reset Alternative toggle. He stops and grimaces at the camera voyeurs. “It hit me one day,” he wheezes. “*This* is the alternate timeline. *This* world: wrecked climate, dying oceans, pandemics, oligarchs, fascists…” He’s short of breath. “Ordinary people…struggling–and failing–to get by. *This* timeline has gone wrong. It *needs* to be reset.” He collapses to his knees. “With this–” Bullets splatter his intentions across the pavement. His spasming hand toggles the *Reset* switch. *Confirm (Y/N)?*
November 10, 2025 at 1:32 PM
marcc.bsky.social
Yes.
Screenshot of current temperature, 45.1 degrees. Circled in blue is the statistic noting the temp is 25.8 degrees cooler than yesterday at this time.
November 9, 2025 at 10:15 PM
marcc.bsky.social
Gonna be a cold one in Alabama tonight (and tomorrow), so it's paprikash and a homemade loaf of bacon/cheddar bread for dinner! I ❤️ my wife!
A nice brown crusty loaf of bread with visible threads of melted cheddar running through it.
November 9, 2025 at 8:40 PM
marcc.bsky.social
Dabbin' Sammy

#BlackCatSunday
A black cat curled up on a black chair with one crooked paw and one outstretched.
November 9, 2025 at 8:08 PM
marcc.bsky.social
Covering up the marigolds for the next two nights to help maintain some bee food after this cold snap passes.
A cluster of marigolds with a bee feeding on one circled in red and captioned, "BEE!" Photo of a brown deck lined with marigold bushes, with a fence and autumn-yellow leaves in the background.
November 9, 2025 at 6:00 PM
marcc.bsky.social
Spiral-cat.

#BlackCatSunday
A black cat, curled around such that its head is next to its hind legs.
November 9, 2025 at 4:33 PM
marcc.bsky.social
Tonight is pre-cooling, tomorrow night Alabama drops into the deep freeze.
A temperature map of Alabama showing overnight low temperatures ranging from the low 20s in the north to the upper 20s in the south.
November 9, 2025 at 4:16 PM
marcc.bsky.social
"Submitted for your approval: A man collapses in the Oval Office. White house staffers & aides elevate his legs, render aid.

"While this drama unfolds the President, oblivious, stands and stares into the distance.

"For this president, one Donald John Trump, now resides in...the Sundowner Zone."
President Trump stands and ignores the individuals rendering aid to a man who collapsed in the Oval Office. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
November 7, 2025 at 9:57 PM
marcc.bsky.social
Fall colors in north Alabama tend to be variations of "drab". But this year happily seems to be a bit of an exception.

#AlabamaAutumn
Yellow, green, and gold-leafed trees behind a near leafless willow. On the left is a house porch, with a dull-red walkway and white vinyl railings running up alongside it.
November 6, 2025 at 10:45 PM
marcc.bsky.social
So @vanessafogg.bsky.social's "House Of Illusionists" dropped into my mailbox yesterday while I was out of town.

It's on the top of my To-Be-Read pile, so the boys are safeguarding it in the interim.

#CritterDays
Two black cats (Derk, left, and Berk, right) lie curled up on a soft, red comforter, guarding the recently acquired House Of Illusionists
November 5, 2025 at 12:51 AM
marcc.bsky.social
Orion, Taurus, and the Pleiades rising.
As stated
November 4, 2025 at 2:51 AM
marcc.bsky.social
Interesting launch window you got there.

"fall back"
Bandwagon 4 (Dedicated Mid-Inclination Rideshare) Falcon 9 Block 5 Launch Status Go For Launch Sun • Nov 2nd, 2025 1:09 AM - 1:03 AM EST
November 1, 2025 at 1:36 PM
marcc.bsky.social
Jesus: For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. -- Matthew 25:35
Snapshot of Huntsville Times article. Headline: Tuberville: Alabama 'probably has way too many ' SNAP recipients
November 1, 2025 at 12:24 PM
marcc.bsky.social
Too Easy.

Every. Damn. Year.
Picard facepalm meme captioned, "The Alabama Legislature is back in session."
October 28, 2025 at 12:33 PM
marcc.bsky.social
Chuffed to see that my rural Minnesota hometown had its own "No Kings" rally, at which over a hundred protesters turned up!
News brief about the No Kings rally in Pine City, MN. Two photos of protesters carrying signs: "Indivisible Blue Brigade" and "Trump fooled you" among others. 'No Kings' event rallies in Pine City From babies to seniors, over 100 turned out for Pine City's No Kings rally. About 7 million nationwide are estimated to have shown up for the protest, according to organizers. The action is to 'stand for Democracy, the Constitution, and future of the country's descent to Autocracy.'
October 24, 2025 at 1:21 PM
marcc.bsky.social
Reading the "50 Years Ago" clippings from my hometown newspaper:

"The Beroun bunch returned from the moose country Monday night with a fine 1,000 pound bull moose. Hats off to the lucky hunters, namely the two Dicks, Ernie and Vern."

Yeah, them.
The Beroun bunch returned from the moose country Monday night with a fine 1,000 pound bull moose. Hats off to the lucky hunters, namely the two Dicks, Ernie and Vern.
October 24, 2025 at 1:14 PM
marcc.bsky.social
Feeding the bees! 🐝
October 20, 2025 at 4:27 PM
marcc.bsky.social
A rare photo of all three boys in the same vicinity. Chilly morning in Alabama (down to 41), so any sunbeam in a chill.

#CatMonday
Three black cats lying on sunlit rugs. One pair is nose-to-tail, while the other looks on askance.
October 20, 2025 at 3:46 PM
marcc.bsky.social
Hey! I'm in yesterday's news report about the No Kings protest in Huntsville!
Image from a news report of the No Kings protest in Huntsville, focused on a sign reading "OVERCOME EVIL WITH GOOD". Circled on the left is an Alabama ball cap with an arrow pointing to it and tagged "ME!"
October 19, 2025 at 1:21 PM
marcc.bsky.social
Huntsville Alabama No Kings:

The Trump Dumpster Fire

via www.reddit.com/r/Huntsville...
A man wearing a "dumpster fire" costume--flames above a dumpster bin, with burnt Trump and Project 2025 stickers.
October 18, 2025 at 5:32 PM
marcc.bsky.social
Huntsville (that's in Alabama, y'all) has Turned! Out! for No Kings!
Protesters lining the streets in downtown Huntsville, Alabama
October 18, 2025 at 3:31 PM