Hi, I’m Ajax, your feline friend ’til the end. Hidy-meow!
So, I see you’ve stumbled upon the Nightmare Shift. Named on behalf of all the things that go bump in the night (and our webmaster’s near-decade of working the graveyard shift), I am the welcome wagon in your admittance to the Skeleton Crew. You must be so flattered to be in my company!
What is the Nightmare Shift? Have you ever heard of insect politics? Neither have I. Insects don’t have politics. They’ve very brutal. No compassion, no compromise. Like us. Kidding. Don’t let the stitches fool you, we’re nice folk who like to let our freak flag (Brundle)-fly! The Nightmare Shift was created by McConnaughay (the successor to Readers Digested – you’ll still find the Readers Digested moniker in our “Stories” page section). The website is a social media / opinion-based hybrid (a Ghost-Facebook, if you will). Our goal is to offer a unique and in-depth platform for horror and dark subject matter (so, no worries about whether the film Parasite is actually a horror film, or if a favorite novel does not fit into the exact, precise parameters of “horror”).
How should you start? Nightmare Shift is a platform for one of the most devout and loyal fandoms in the world. If you haven’t yet, perhaps consider personalizing your Profile page. Similar to Twitter or other social media platforms, Nightmare Shift allows you to have a custom profile picture and cover photo. I choose to use a selfie, but, if you’re more comfortable, you can feel free to use an avatar from your favorite graphic-novel, videogame, or anything else you want. If you were referred to the Nightmare Shift, consider “friending” that person as well (their screams can be heard from the (Neck)Breakroom). If you have a shared interest with other individuals of the Skeleton Crew, you may consider befriended them as well (so long as you treat them with kindness and respect).
What is the (Neck)Breakroom? Aside from a bad pun, the (N)Br is the Nightmare Shifts’ newsfeed. Like others you might’ve seen on other social websites, users can upload images / gifs, etc., and make everyday comments on the Nightmare Shift.
As alluded, comments made to “All Members” will be seen by everyone. Consider this a safe-for-work, free-for-all where individuals can chat freely amongst the community, be it about the horror genre or, even, gardening or cooking, for instance. It is not pertinent that all discussion in the “All Members” section be on-brand to the Nightmare Shift. It is, however, important that the subject-matter is courteous of the individual and not hateful, offensive in-nature. This is the Nightmare Shift, however, which means you can expect GIFs of Jason Voorhees smacking sleeping-bagged women into trees and other blood-soaked imagery on a regular basis. Just keep your favorite scenes from A Serbian Film reserved for the Extreme Cinema Gorehounds.
For a more personalized experience, however, we direct you to the My Friends / My Groups tab of (N)Br. There, you will find comments and chats, specifically, from the groups you’ve joined and friends you’ve made.
All group posts and comments will appear in the “All Members” newsfeed, except groups marked as “Private”, like Extreme Cinema Gorehounds. That way, squeamish / uninterested members don’t have to worry about being overwhelmed by more sensitive content.
What are Member Groups / Your Departments? The Member Groups are an important part about the Nightmare Shift! Arguably, the most important. The “Your Department” page lists the Official groups of the Nightmare Shift. Each group has its own official Forum, Newsfeed, and unique Page. Think of it as its own mini-website on the Nightmare Shift. Most groups can be joined freely. For instance, if you wanted to join the Slasher Club, that could be achieved by the click of a button. Other groups, like Gorehounds, need approval from upper-management. No worries, it’s only meant as a way to keep more NSFW material out of the Newsfeed, individuals will be approved the second we see them.
Our goal is that the more members that come involved in each group, the more unique and distinct they will become (with special events, challenges, goals, and other discussions in mind for each of them).
The more collaboration and input we receive, the more extensive our reach can become, allowing us to do more cool things and add exciting new features to the Nightmare Shift. Thank you for clocking in, and we hope you will explore, offering us your time and imagination for what we hope will be a great experience!