Hey folks, my probability-based card-combat space opera trilogy ‘Planet in Theory’ has just received a light re-edit and to mark the occasion I’ve made one of my signature lousy covers to slap on it. It takes place in probable space, on planets that were only ever theorized in our world, and begins here with the manifestation of Pluto after its demotion. Please check it out if you’re interested.
Hey folks, I’ve lightly re-edited the first of my Justice Backers series, which are novellas and novelettes about a team of crowdfunded superheroes told mostly as digital epistolary. I’ve worked up another crummy cover to go on the series too. As with all my work they’re free to read in full, so please give them a shot if it sounds interesting.
I’ve been going through making some crummy placeholder covers for my writing so they at least have some kind of face. This one’s for my Dark Crystal and American revolution inspired duology ‘Declaration’, the second of which will be posted here soon. You can give the first volume a read if you’re interested.
My series of crummy placeholder covers for my free books here on the blog continues. Say hello to the Porce series: four high fantasy novels infused with lowbrow humor. Join the guileful Captain Kilrobin Ordr and his rowdy crew of sink pirates as they traverse their colossal public bathroom world, battling monsters, ornery gemstone skeletons, and whoever they just stole from. They’re all free to read, so please check them out if you’re interested.
I can’t afford any fancy pants ‘actual artist’ as far as making cover images for my free books, but I can throw together lousy placeholder ones with the best of ’em. Today it’s my post-apocalyptic big magic animal brawlfest epic Invoke the Bloody Mouth. Please check it out if you’re interested.
Hey folks, just a quick post to let you know that my longest novel ever, Invoke the Bloody Mouth, is now available on Kindle for $2.99 or free on Kindle Unlimited. (Psst, it’s also free in its entirety here on the blog). Please give it a look if you’re interested; the blurb is below.
It is the age of the beity. The animals of the world have grown in size and intellect, and in their wake humanity is reduced to meek servitude. They say the humans did it to themselves, shying away from the chaos they created. Loric Shelvtale says that, and much more in the course of his duties as a storyteller in the court of the great bear: Krakodosus the thundercoat, Scion of the Salmon Run.
Until one evening, during a key performance, he violates one of the ultimate rules, meant to keep his kind in check. Fleeing for his life, he seeks the only human power left, a secret reserved only for dentists, who are still allowed to forge metal to keep the giant teeth of their masters clean. That secret is the Bloody Mouth, an oath that turns a dentist into protector and warrior, and the tool of their trade into a weapon.
And so begins their struggle, to flee the beities, and perhaps learn how the world could have reached such a state, though they would be shocked to find it all started long ago, on a place called the internet, where their forebears could not stop obsessively staring at photos of adorable animals…
(Spoiler warning: full spoilers for Little Nightmares 1 and 2)
If you’re unfamiliar, Little Nightmares 2 is a horror puzzle-platformer video game developed by Tarsier Studios. It is a prequel to the first game, and features the first game’s protagonist as a computer-controlled companion. Players are tasked with navigating a hostile 2.5D world as grimy feral children populated by distorted monstrous adults that attack on sight and, more often than not, kill instantly.
In this post I’ll look to form a cohesive narrative theory of the second game, using only my personal play time and a little light Googling as resources. This is inherently difficult, given that the world of Little Nightmares, somewhat implied by the title, operates based on dream logic. Its surreal society draws a distinct line between children and adults, as if the two belong to different species. Continue reading
This is the first in what will hopefully be a series of posts about video games that did not get a fair shake in the marketplace. The Sexy Brutale is the ideal first candidate given its rich atmosphere, immersive music, distinct art style, compelling gameplay, and inexplicable failure to puncture the gaming public’s imagination. Continue reading
Warning: This post will discuss the video game Hollow Knight and its story in great detail; it will be filled with spoilers.
For those of you who don’t know, Hollow Knight is a hand-drawn metroidvania action/adventure video game developed by Team Cherry as their first large-scale game. Its art style is a melancholy mix of insects, Tim Burton, Studio Ghibli, and a few play-sets full of Gothic architecture. Continue reading
Blaine Arcade 