Henlo my dudes... apologies on missing this one. My Grandma crossed the rainbow bridge yesterday and I was not on top of anything but my mattress, and under the covers. It was not a great day. But things are gonna be okay! I've got coffee this morning.
Malware: Release is set, guns are loaded, ready to fire this one into the world!...
2021-02-19 17:24:40 +0000 UTC View PostLong River escorted me through the many levels of the school, giving me a proper tour. Lodging was at the very top. We had a room to ourselves, and my bag had already been brought up to the open bed roll—something I was not accustomed to. While I knew the Kokyu slept on the floors and rolled up their beds every morning for a neat and tidy room, it was still strange to see. Convenient for savi...
2021-02-19 16:01:01 +0000 UTC View PostMy jaw hurt as I kept my silence, burning a wordless wound into Ko-nah’s bony head. I imagined grabbing him by those sleek black robes and throwing him from the top of the pagoda. Or maybe I could dangle him over the bay and allow the razorfins to take little nibbles from him at a time.
“Jiyong, calm down,” Mae whispered.
I relaxed my jaw and wiped my face clean of expression,...
2021-02-17 16:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostI leaned forward and looked all the way up to the top of the buildings around us. They were twenty or more stories taller than the tallest skyscraper in Busa-nan, but the walls were made almost entirely of glass, or sprawling gardens. Trains ran at the fifth level and somewhere around the fortieth, too.
My palms grew sweaty at the thought of riding that top-level train. I wasn’t afraid ...
2021-02-15 16:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostThe salty bite of the sea air nipped at my face as we cast off from Heiko. I’d had the best sleep of my life the night before, and wondered why we hadn’t been given the sleep draught sooner. When I asked, Sung-ki said it wasn’t for sustained use, which was unfortunate but made sense. Dreamless sleep every night made the users go mad over a few months, or sometimes weeks. Every mind was di...
2021-02-12 16:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostHenlo my dudes! Today I am draggin' ass (dragon ass? better call Aaron Crash)... which is why I'm drinking COFFEE! Obviously I'm having focus problems too, but that won't stop me!
Malware:No changes, still scheduled to release 3/2! You can find the preorder here: http...
2021-02-12 01:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post“Come on!” Shin-soo yelled with his hands cupped to his face.
Lights danced across the floor of the massive stadium as eighty thousand people roared in excitement.
“Now, welcome to the arena, Xilot, the roper!” the announcer declared and a spotlight fell on a small round bot. The owner, a young woman with cherry hair braided in a crown, climbed to her tower to operate the ro...
2021-02-10 16:00:02 +0000 UTC View PostHenlo my dudes! So I hope you had a chance to see the final render of the illustrated Jiyong and Mae, but if not, go check it out here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/47208630
I'm poling you guys to see who I should do next! I've got Hana on my mind, the fan Dazzle Dance... <3 <3 Let me know!
2021-02-09 16:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostMy vision returned as I slammed down onto a dry deck. I coughed, evacuated a breath of salty water from my lungs. It felt like glass ripping through every fiber of my chest. I broke into a wracking cough, as I scrambled away from the pair of boots blow my face.
“Easy boy, we’re with the convoy!” the man said and reached out for me. My eyes were still blurry from the salt water, and ...
2021-02-08 16:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey my dudes! SOOO happy with how these characters turned out. More characters to come, too, and SWAG process is underway! I'm going to be working day and night to get the shop up and running, and you'll be the first to know!
<3 Have a great weekend my dudes!
~J.D. Astra
2021-02-06 19:18:20 +0000 UTC View PostHey my dudes, the Bastion characters are almost wrapped, and so I've opened my new print-on-demand shop... but now I need to name it! Help me out ^_^
If you don't like any of these options, throw yours in the comments below!
~J.D. Astra
2021-02-05 18:19:35 +0000 UTC View Post[TK_add at least 300 more words to this scene]
The captain spun his arms overhead, launching a powerful burst of en munje at the surfacing submarine. The water around it swelled, then pushed us away—but too slow. I reinforced my feet and legs with zo munje to bolster my muscles.
We lifted sharply to the right and the boat trembled. I kept my footing, then the boat rocked down hard...
2021-02-05 16:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostHenlo dudes, my second Thursday in Iowa (BRR!) and water once again... what a lightweight.
Book 2 - Malware: The release date hasn't changed since the last update, and it's officially up for preorder ^_^
Book 3 - Subterfuge: Still struggling with writing the words. I've squeaked out a few... If you've got any...
2021-02-05 02:08:20 +0000 UTC View PostIt was the morning of our departure for Kokyu, and I couldn’t shake the cold fear that settled in my mind. This was it. The threshold of no return. Once we were on the open seas, there was no turning back.
I packed my backpack, careful to wrap my family portrait in two layers of clothes like that could protect it from the scrupulous search the Kokyu customs agents would perform. I took ...
2021-02-03 16:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey my dudes!!! The colors aren't quite right but I'm so stoked for this update! I chatted with the artist about Mae's expression and got her a little more fiery, and I think he nailed it!
That's it, just wanted to do a quick checkin! EXCLAMATION POINTS!
Hope y'all are awesome.
~J.D. Astra
2021-02-02 15:01:01 +0000 UTC View PostThe first rest day came in a blur. The morning training every day that week had been so rigorous, I was always exhausted by dinner. That was fine by me. Eun-bi was ignoring me, wouldn’t even let me apologize. The six of us—which Yuri would not stop calling TK_Spyname—couldn’t discuss our mission anywhere on the grounds, and there was nothing to do but sleep anyway, so I got a l...
2021-02-01 16:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostDeep navy munje swirled from my core in my mind’s eye and flowed up my chest. The magic tingled as it surged up my neck and engulfed my skull. I breathed through my nose and cycled another round of energy. The raw power surged through the ry block on the second band, down to the zo block on the first, and then into the core crystal.
My third band was started, but due to our intense trai...
2021-01-29 16:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostHenlo my dudes! Welcome back to another Thursday where I douse you in my thoughts. I'm actually drinkless right now, which feels like a crime. Let's go!
Bastion
Malware: I spoke too soon!!! The release date was set for 2/23 but then a train heading south at 65mph hit a train going north at 80mph and all those plans died. The new release date is set ...
2021-01-29 00:01:00 +0000 UTC View PostI stood on the patio of my family’s kingdom apartment, overlooking the city. Orange and pink clouds from the setting sun drifted lazily overhead and the call of distant sea birds soothed my anxious mind. The Silence Pact I made with Min-hwan at the end of last year prevented me from telling my family about the true dangers of the exchange program, but my mother knew.
She had told me all...
2021-01-27 16:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Henlo my dudes! I've been working with an awesome artist from my previous life on some cool new stuff that will be expanding Bastion's content availability. I have a LOT of fun things in mind for these arts, and I want to do some cool giveaways once these things are ready to go.
Let me know in the comments below what you think about these sketches, and your ideas on how they can be used. ...
2021-01-26 16:01:01 +0000 UTC View PostMin-hwan deflected my blow with ease and then twirled away. He landed a palm strike against Hana’s throat with a smack. I gritted my teeth as I watched her stagger back, coughing. Yuri darted in, her hands flowing like water as she pushed and pulled the blood in Min-hwan. She held his arms in a locked mirror pose, giving Cho and I the advantage.
I moved in, my hands electrified...
2021-01-25 16:01:02 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey my dudes! Now that you've finished Malware, here's the awesome cover! Hooray!
Gonna keep this short and sweet, and let everyone know that the release date is SET. We're ready to go on this one... but it's still a month out (2/23) so while you're holding your horses on that, I'm going to start dropping super hot and fresh Bastion 3: Subterfuge.
Please keep in mind: ...
2021-01-24 22:57:30 +0000 UTC View PostHenlo my dudes! I'm having a sparkling Perrier Cherry + Peach with lemon *kisses fingers*.
Bastion Academy
Foundations: The long tail of the release is settling and the book is about to drop under the 5K rank. I'm happy with how long it sustained in the top 5K though! If you haven't yet, pretty please go leave a review on amazon and keep that tail d...
2021-01-22 01:00:10 +0000 UTC View Post“Your father’s parents left the Kokyu when the second war broke out. They feared for his life and possibilities. Your grandmother’s brother wasn’t pleased. He was head of the family line—uh, things work differently there. The whole family clan is presided over by the eldest male of the previous clan leader.
“But it’s more than just a status, it is power. The eldest male can ...
2021-01-21 16:01:00 +0000 UTC View PostHana held my face in her hands. “Smile, please. By Jigu, Jiyong, you look like you’re dead inside.”
I smirked, then pecked her lips. “I’m sorry. I have a lot on my mind.”
“We all do,” Yuri said as she fluffed up the flowers in the vase on the counter. She and Cho had decorated my family’s new kitchen wonderfully. There were pictures and murals saved from the fire t...
2021-01-20 16:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post“Do you think she’ll like it?” I asked as I polished the red plate metal once more.
“For the five-hundredth time, she’s going to be ecstatic,” Mae replied, crossing her arms as she stood beside the prosthetic. Her voice softened and she beamed up at me from the table. “Your work at the Rabbit has really paid off. It’s beautiful.”
I had recovered Woong-ji’s battle...
2021-01-20 16:00:59 +0000 UTC View PostWe wrapped our dead comrades—Gui-ne and Se-nim—in bedsheets, then lay them gently in the cabin of the Golden Wing. My mother and siblings packed what they could in a rush. We didn’t know if hewould return with reinforcements.
“There’s still pieces that survived the blast,” Mae said only to me, and highlighted my vision with little blue lights. I followed her direction...
2021-01-19 16:01:00 +0000 UTC View PostI gritted my teeth and threw my elbow, trying to deflect her strike. The assassin turned her wrist and batted my attempt aside, then jabbed my back with a sharp zap. Feeling in my chest disappeared, but I could sense my arms. My effort had forced her to miss the mark.
She raised her hand again as a silver blade pierced gut, nearly impaling my numb chest. Blood splattered my face, and the ...
2021-01-18 16:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post“Father?” The word came from my mouth in a hush.
The door to the back patio was thrown open. Hiro Kumiho held a blade to my mother’s throat, and another assassin detained Eun-bi. The other children cried from the kitchen. Suyi held them all tightly away from the battle, her eyes red and face streaked with dirty tears.
Fury swelled in my chest and freed me from the ry ...
2021-01-15 16:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostHey my dudes, so sorry to spring this on you but I did a whoopsie and left my published work up here! Amazon gets pretty grumpy about that and you do not want to upset the dragon, so I'll be pulling Zero.Hero 2 as well as Bastion 1 by tomorrow evening. If you have a hankering to read either one, do it now!
Thanks for tuning in ^_^
~J.D. Astra
2021-01-15 01:59:01 +0000 UTC View Post