About Me
Gary Benjamin Holt Jr. is a Brooklyn writer from Baltimore, MD. His stories involve Baltimore in some fashion…. except when they don’t.
A gamer through and through, he grew up playing JRPGs and of course, fell in love with classics such as Final Fantasy 4 & 6, Earthbound, and Chrono Trigger, not to mention the PS1 classics like Xenogears, Legend of Dragoon, Final Fantasy 7 – 9, Star Ocean 2, Parasite Eve I & II, and Koudelka (it’s a classic in my heart, okay?).
The game that would change his life was Persona 2: Eternal Punishment. He didn’t know RPGs could be written in such a way, so dark and mature (and dare I say scary?). It was his gateway to the Shin Megami Tensei series, which would influence his writing forever.
Writing in some fashion all his life, he started out drawing comic books. Eventually he graduated to writing screenplays and finally, prose. He loves horror, sci fi and fantasy, and all three find themselves incorporated in his work in some way.
As Yeaster, he made a name for himself in the RPG Maker scene with hits like ONYX and its sequel. In 2023, he re-released ONYX with updated visuals, dialogue and story details (which you can download here: ONYX, an indie RPG game for RPG Tsukuru 2000 :: rpgmaker.net).
When not writing, he can be found at the movie theater, a bar with friends or reading at Prospect Park (when weather permits). Some of his favorite games today are Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Sea of Stars, Silent Hill 2 Remake (which is not a JRPG!), Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, and Metaphor Refantazio.
While not as heavily into anime as he was growing up, a few favorites remain: Neon Genesis Evangelion, Akira and Ranma 1/2. He also loved Banana Fish and Tokyo Ghoul.
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