Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Alex Blott

@alexblott.com

220 followers 740 following 160 posts

I write comics and dabble in other stuff He/Him Issue #1 of my #comic PuddleJumpers available now on itch and Gumroad 👇 https://linktr.ee/a_exb_ott

linktr.ee

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Alex Blott @alexblott.com · 11h

If you missed the Kickstarter for PuddleJumpers but would still like to get your hands on the story, it's now available on itch for anyone to buy 👇

#indiecomics #indiepublishing

a-exb-ott.itch.io/puddlejumper...

PuddleJumpers #1 by Alex Blott

Two couriers with history and a deadline have no choice but to sort it out.

a-exb-ott.itch.io

Alex Blott @alexblott.com · 11h

Had a proper kill your darlings sesh to make that table fit 👶

#MORKTOBER #MÖRKTOBER

You're still a league away from the tower when it explodes. By the time you get there arcane flames burn white, turning the stones at the top of the tower to lava that streams down the side. Within the crack and fizz of the magical fire, you hear a long, high, helpless wail.

Inside, The Wizard's workstation is in pieces. Crumpled at the bottom of the opposing wall are The Wizard's robes and tools of office. Within those robes a small baby tries, and fails, to complete an arcane gesture.

The grinding tear of wood and stone above you grows deafening. You have only seconds before the rest of the tower collapses. Time only to grab one thing...

The Wizard's Hat - Wearing this, you are unquestionably, absolutely and incontrovertibly The Wizard. You gain all the associated benefits, as well as the enemies, of his station.
Wand of Sanctuary - The last remnant of an ancient willow tree, long lost. So long as you hold it, you will always be granted shelter if you ask for it.
Orb Of Knowing - Incredibly fragile. If you speak a secret to it, there is no way it can be shared until another secret takes its place. If you break it, the secret will be projected into the minds of everyone within a 20 mile radius.
The Ten-Stride Staff - You can cover five times the normal distance in a days travel, or twice that if you want to bring your companions with you.
Midnight Robe - Once every cycle of the moon, you can immediately throw the surrounding area into moonless night for thirty minutes. You become incredibly hard to see.
The Child - They appear to remember their magic. What else do they remember? Keep him alive long enough and you may find out.

Alex Blott @alexblott.com · 11h

PuddleJumpers #1 by Alex Blott

Two couriers with history and a deadline have no choice but to sort it out.

a-exb-ott.itch.io

Alex Blott @alexblott.com · 11h

There's a #Morktober crossover in this somewhere for sure...

Sar Cousins @6knifes.bsky.social · 15h

TOY #objectober

Alex Blott @alexblott.com · 1d

Thanks! I'm having a great time with all the prompts. Enjoying yours as well =)

Alex Blott @alexblott.com · 1d

Am I just writing Vignettes now? Maybe. Does adding some conditions make this ok? Almost certainly.

#MORKTOBER #MÖRKTOBER

You're told the woman you're meeting is a grave robber, but you've never seen a grave robber who wears this much silk and gold. She takes your hand, but does not shake it. Looks into your eyes. Sees potential. She invites you into her rooms, lavishly draped in pillows and weaves. Despite her bare feet she towers over you.

The perks of what she offers are self-evident. The dangers she takes the time to explain:

You can touch neither willow nor amber, nor step into water deeper than your ankle and it is best to be far away from farmland when the harvest season comes.

If you accept these conditions, she will pass on a sliver of the master to you. If you do not... she smiles, revealing teeth belonging to something entirely inhuman. You will have to fight your way out.

Once the sliver is in place, she takes your hand in her again. This time, you feel your piece pull towards hers. She calls you brother.

Leaving the tavern, you become aware of the graveyard to the edge of the town. You know exactly how many bodies lie there. More to the point, you know what they were buried with, and what is worth digging up.

Side effects:
You can sense when you're near crypts and burial sites.
You can feel whenever precious metals have been buried in the earth.
Objects made from amber or willow burn your skin.
You are compelled to examine fresh-turned earth.

1 5

Reposted by Alex Blott

Casper Pham @ Shortbox Comics Fair (The Luminary Lark-Mirror) @marcheriest.bsky.social · 1d

hello my new followers. if you like my art you may also like the 52-page full color comic I made for Shortbox this year!
comic here: www.shortboxcomicsfair.com/shop-sq4wj/p...

9 65

Alex Blott @alexblott.com · 1d

Just a thought here. If you're a Glasgow/Central belt-based comics person worrying about how you're going to get your stuff to @thoughtbubbleuk.bsky.social this year. I'm driving down with an empty car on the 10th. Happy to load up with stuff. Msg me if that's helpful!

Alex Blott @alexblott.com · 2d

Heading out to the cinema in a mo so this one was a little rushed 🏠

#MORKTOBER #MÖRKTOBER

Will likely give them a less Pokemon-adjacent attack when I revisit...

At the bottom of the condemned man’s chest you find a small, conker-sized, seed covered in barbs. It cannot be forced open and attempts to pry it will break the tools if you do not give up. But each time someone cries out in pain it cracks open a little wider.

Attempts to pour light into the gap fail. Held to the ear, you hear the most distant whimper, as though making its way up through a great cavern.

“Little house, little house, planted in the deep.
Little house, inside of which fanged horrors deeply sleep.
Little house, little house, opened up by pain.

This little house contains a hall, from which the devil reins.”

When you feel that the seed has been exposed to enough pain, the seed opens up like a palm, and out strides an impossibly large creature, with skin made of bark and sinew made of vines. He challenges the owner of his ‘hall’ to one-to-one combat. If he wins, they are dragged back into the seed with him before it closes tight.

Lord Of The Husk
HP 22
Moral 10
Bark hide - d3
Vine lash d6

Reposted by Alex Blott

𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗣𝗔𝗡 𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗔𝗡 @stipanmorian.bsky.social · 21d

There was no holding back! Check some art from our upcoming book 'Our Soot Stained Heart'

13 160 760

Alex Blott @alexblott.com · 3d

This one started in one place and went somewhere entirely different. Fun item though 🗺️

#MORKTOBER #MÖRKTOBER

A procession of warrior-monks wind their way down from the crooked fortress-church and wades through a pool of alchemical pitch that stains their fresh white linens black. On the other side, each congregant is told to form ranks and march. A battle-hymn fills the air as they begin their journey.

In the distance, a great conflagration burns. You hear stories from those that flee the battle about screaming dedicants sparking flints against their spears and charging as the flames catch. About a wall of iron and fire that the invaders dare not cross. But they also say that the robes do not protect absolutely. That the pitch eventually burns as hot within the robes as it does outside. Blackened statues of
carbonised bone still burn months after they stop fighting.

A small man, burned down one half of his body, offers you half a map in trade.

“Find the pieces and find your way. The map brought me here, through the blaze and the battle. It is a wonder. A wonder you can buy for just a few pieces of coin."

If you complete the map, you can use it to find a way through even the most complex maze. Once you’re through, it divides (into 4/8/16/etc) and scatters itself into the posession of others.

Reposted by Alex Blott

Cat Frith @catsinook.bsky.social · 10d

Remembered I’m an artist with free will who can draw an autumnal Ershin #breathoffire4 #ershin #fanart #autumn #fallequinox #art

A round robot with a cape (Ershin from Breath of Fire 4) stands in an autumnal forest clearing smiling, arms outstretched toward the sun rays. Animals of the forest gather around and on him; birds, squirrels, lizards and a hedgehog and its baby.

8 41 130

Alex Blott @alexblott.com · 4d

Getting this in just under the wire. Cheers🍻

#MORKTOBER #MÖRKTOBER

The Banshee is a a pub that appears whenever death is near. If it’s for you the banshee calls, you can stall your death by
staying inside. But it does not defer the suffering. Wounds still bleed, poisons still burn, and memories still haunt you.

“DRINK TO NUMB THE STING OF WOUNDS, AND THE PRESSURE IN YOUR CHEST
TOAST TO UNWELCOME DEATH, DELAYED.
AT THE BANSHEE, YOU CAN REST.”

If players stumble upon The Banshee, many of its inhabitants will offer them treasures in exchange for their help returning to the living world:

1 A warrior with a snapped crossbow bolt punched through their plate offers you her enchanted sword if you can find the other half of the snapped bolt.
2 A poisoner begs that you asks you to bring them a flower grown in a blood-soaked field. If you do, they will share the cure-all they make with it.
3 The proprietor's daughter wants to see the world. If you manage to get her out, The Banshee disappears and she begins to waste. If she doesn't get home within a year, she will die. Save her, and The Banshee is guaranteed to appear the moment before your death.
4 A condemned criminal is convinced that their executioner is still looking for them in the living world. If you find and kill that executioner, they will tell you where they buried a cache of riches.

3 11

Alex Blott @alexblott.com · 5d

Experiencing some thematic whiplash right now, NGL.

A meme of a smiling person with rainbow hair sits next to a straight faced person in full black.

Text over rainbow hair reads:
'Me promoting puddle jumpers in sept'

Text over goth reads:
'Me doing Morktober'

Alex Blott @alexblott.com · 5d

"The 𝔐𝔬𝔬𝔫𝔩𝔦𝔱 𝔍𝔲𝔡𝔤𝔢 approaches."

Welp, guess I know what I'm making for day 11 now.

#MORKTOBER #MÖRKTOBER

The cave you enter is pitch black. Empty but for a beam of

moonlight pouring through a carved circle high above. Within the cave the light thickens and slows. It pools on the floor.

When you step into the pool, dozens of arms spring from the gaps between light and dark. Each holding a blade uniquely wicked and barbed. You feel them prick your flesh. Voices hiss from the shadows in unison

“FOR CRIMES DONE IN DARKNESS,

A JURY OF SHADOWS IS CALLED.

THE MOONLIT JUDGE APPROACHES.”

Any attempt to flee the light will incur d4 damage as the knives dig in to hold you. Alternatively, you can wait out the sunrise, which will free you. Any time in the future you find yourself in darkness, roll a d6. On a 1, the blades spring forth once more to hold you. Advance the JUDGEMENT tracker. From now on...

1 Critters of night and shadow (rats, cockroaches, bats, etc.) flee from the your presence.
2 Your own shadow fights you at every step.
3 The crunch of heavy feet on loose bone grinds out at you from the shadows.
4The MOONLIT JUDGE arrives to pass sentence (see: SCALES).

Alex Blott @alexblott.com · 6d

'Burvetica NC'

I found it and a bunch of other cool options in this super handy primer: docs.google.com/document/d/1...

Mörk Borg Design Primer

Primer This document Colors Black Pink Yellow Typefaces Legible Alegreya Bahnschrift Burvetica NC Calling Code Courier Prime Inconsolata JSL Ancient Old Newspaper Types Nohr Adhesive Nr. Seven Blackle...

docs.google.com

1 1

Alex Blott @alexblott.com · 6d

Very fun! And I love that silhouette👌

1 1

Alex Blott @alexblott.com · 6d

Just a regular ol' lantern. Definitely not cursed. Nope.

1 1

Alex Blott @alexblott.com · 6d

“Leave! ‘fore the nightmare finds you.”

"MAW" #MORKTOBER #MÖRKTOBER

The people here shuffle through the streets, delerious and
muttering. Holding deranged conversations with each other to fend off sleep. One man has trained his dog to bite him if he closes his eyes. Those that do succumb - leant against a wall or splayed in the dirt - either scream themselves back to consciousness or fall down dead. You find a woman, shaking, in a doorway.
Working a fingernail into her hand. She sees you and shouts...

“Leave! ‘fore the nightmare finds you.”

Whenever your characters sleep, roll a D6. On a 1, progress the MAW TRACK to determine what dreams they have.

MAW TRACK
0 You stand in a meadow. The sun, high in the sky, warms your face, and the wind plays with your hair. People dance barefooted in the grass
1 The edges of the meadow fall away. The sun is past its zenith, the wind is picking up. The party goes on, uncaring.
2 A reveller falls in. The sun drops lower as
someone calls for help. The ground falls away
beneath them. Their shouts are taken by the wind.
3 The sun boils red against the horizon. The wind blows away the topsoil, revealing razor rocks that shred the feet of the fleeing. They run towards you, stumble, and fall.
4 The sun is gone. It is not the wind you feel, but the dank breath of something incalculably large. You teeter alone on a column of dirt and rock. It waits.
5 You dream the crumbling of stone. The column falls. You cease to be.

1 7

Reposted by Alex Blott

Exeunt Press 💀 @exeunt.press · 8d

Need some MÖRK BORG inspiration?

I made a 20 page MÖRKTOBER Creator Kit that has random tables to help you decide what to make and how to make it. Roll 2d6 to get ideas for dark and weird creations.

Free community copies available now: exeuntpress.itch.io/morktober-kit

#ttrpg #morkborg #MÖRKTOBER

MÖRKTOBER Creator Kit by Exeunt Press for MÖRK BORG

1 17 46

Alex Blott @alexblott.com · 6d

Thanks! Gonna try and get caught up with Maw today as well. Looking forward to the rest of the challenge!

Alex Blott @alexblott.com · 6d

Playing catch-up so here's my #MORKTOBER / #MÖRKTOBER 1: FROG

Hopefully will pull together some lil' collages to go with these over time 🐸

You hear their cursing before you see them. A bulbous, expansive person, dressed in robes that were once fine. They are failing to free themselves from a bog. Their struggles have covered them head to toe in black, stinking mud. And drawn them down deeper, past their waist. Yellowed eyes stare out at you as you approach, flicking left and right with desperation.

“Thank goodness you passed when you did! The mud. I am stuck. Save me, please.”

They reach up to you from the bog. Their palm is the only part of them that has avoided being completely caked in mud. The skin is pink and fresh but the mosquitos do not rush towards it like they do your own skin. A single bright curve of scarlet woad can be seen beneath their left eye. Missed by the mud.

The warning marks have been hidden, but the danger remains.

To touch them invites...

D6
1 Boils, rupturing
2 Colours, vibrant
3 Voices, arguins
4 Truths, unfiltered
5 Visions, haunting
6 Agony, unyielding

After touching you, they wait for a moment before rising easily from the bog. The mud sloughs off them, revealing long, reptilian nethers, and the bones of previous victims.

1 7

Reposted by Alex Blott

Tiffany Babb @explodingarrow.bsky.social · 7d

Guess what? The Comics Courier Issue 3 Kickstarter is NOW LIVE!!
www.kickstarter.com/projects/tif...

The Comics Courier, A Comics Criticism Journal [Issue 3]

A newspaper-format journal dedicated to in-depth comics criticism edited by Tiffany Babb

www.kickstarter.com

1 39 43

Alex Blott @alexblott.com · 7d

PuddleJumpers Issue 1 going out to backers today. Check your emails folks!

Reposted by Alex Blott

Myfanwy Tristram @myfanwytristram.bsky.social · 7d

THIS is a dose of pure joy (absolutely love artists, of any type, showing their process) - www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef6t... Hat tip to @whatgoodstories.bsky.social whose newsletter is very worth your time!

www.youtube.com

1 1 3

Reposted by Alex Blott

Mark Bradley @markbradley.bsky.social · 8d

I’m just humbly suggesting that, should the publishing industry want to tackle the crisis in reading for pleasure rates, and we have research suggesting that there’s no crisis in reading for pleasure rates amongst children who read comics, that there’s maybe a relatively simple solution right here.

5 24 120