I’m still working on our next VRChat charr, but as a quick weekend project I thought I’d try making a (very short) visual novel with Ren’Py. You can play it in your web browser! Don’t expect anything spectacular - I used only screenshots from Guild Wars 2 for this, and dialogue I originally wrote for a Q&A thing on Tumblr. But it was a fun project, and I might play more with the idea in the future.
Visual Novel, Writing — March 27, 2021
My friend EvilPol drew these cute sketches of my entire charr warband!
By EvilPol — July 13, 2020
plavigmaz asked via Tumblr: “🎵 Pick a song and draw your OC to one of the lyrics - for Ark” Within Temptation - Stand My Ground Stand my ground, I won’t give in No more denying, I’ve gotta face it Won’t close my eyes and hide the truth inside If I don’t make it, someone else will Stand my ground (Lyrics written by Han’some, Daniel Gibson, Sharon J. den Adel, Robert Westerholt)
3D Art — March 2, 2020
Sometimes love comes from unexpected places. Just a quick scene today - a request from EvilPol on Tumblr: “Draw your OC getting kissed” for Ark.
3D Art — February 24, 2020
Now he’s snarly and fluffy. Tried a more realistic style for this one, much closer to the original game texture. Hope you like it! First time I’ve used the new automatic UV unwrapping in Substance Painter: I just dropped my unedited sculpt into the app and it worked flawlessly - very cool. Also used my first Substance Designer material here to make a simple fur brush.
3D Art — February 17, 2020
A snarly face! Practice sculpt of my revenant, Ark Snowblind. I’ve always had difficulty getting his face right with his previous model, but I feel like this is finally getting closer.
3D Art — February 16, 2020
It’s amazing what you can find in the Mists… better eat that cake before it floats away! A wonderful and happy birthday to my revenant friend Fenrar aka EvilPol! I wish you all the best for the new year! 💚
3D Art — January 2, 2020
Memories of ancient battles floating in the void. Who were they fighting? What were they defending? Only the Mists know.
3D Art — October 26, 2019
“You made a poster for us? Thanks boss, that’s very… interesting. You think maybe we should uhh, you know, get a second opinion on that?”
3D Art — October 13, 2019
I mean yes, they’re SNOW Warband, but I’m not sure what Ark is trying to prove here…
3D Art — October 12, 2019
What is a warband: A military unit? Friends? Family? It’s complicated.
3D Art — October 9, 2019
Despite having attended every single Metal Legion concert, the warband still hasn’t agreed on which song is the best. Ark’s crazy about “Bound by Blood” (best legion!), Skarr loves “Fear the Metal Legion” (great lyrics!), but Kianga prefers the “Ballad of Soulkeeper” (because the only thing better than a great song is a great song where you also get to smash things to pieces).
3D Art — October 8, 2019
“Are you sure this is a staff…?” Ark isn’t quite convinced. A staff is more of a support weapon for a revenant, and this thing doesn’t look very supportive to him. (Psst, that’s because it’s not meant for you, Ark.) The model is based on the Reclaimed Staff skin, with a few elements of my own design. The Reclaimed Weapons are another favorite weapon set of mine: Kianga also has a Reclaimed Shield, for the rare occasions when he needs one.
3D Art — August 15, 2019
The warband’s been enjoying their summer holidays, but things are about to get a little heated… This scene went through so many iterations. Originally I planned to have it resemble the Labyrinthine Cliffs, but I wasn’t happy with the color scheme and the mood it set - so in the end I decided to go with a more neutral tropical beach look. Kianga’s awesome Blood Legion beach chair in this scene was generously contributed by my partner Keeya.
3D Art — August 9, 2019
What do you do when the weather is too hot and you’re all covered in fur? You take it like a charr… and find a box to nap on. Side story: Had a talk with a friend a while ago, and they told me that I wasn’t making progress with my art, that I should try some new things. They were right in some way, but this little comment made me feel so bad about my work that I could no longer get anything done.
3D Art — July 25, 2019
Don’t even try sneaking up on him, with or without that blindfold. I’ve always loved the design of the Mistward Headwrap - it just needed more metal parts (and the Snow Warband logo), so this is my own take on it. The logo glows in the dark, of course.
3D Art — July 2, 2019
A cute chibi head drawn by Commander Titania of my charr revenant, Ark Snowblind, who won the #TyriaPrideReady contest on Twitter!
By Commander Titania — June 27, 2019
My charr revenant, Ark Snowblind, won the Tyria Pride Fashion Wars contest 2019 (EU) and received this gorgeous portrait by Malchemist!
By Malchemist — June 27, 2019
After Kianga and Storm, here’s the updated model of my revenant Ark Snowblind. He lost the blue tint (I was never quite happy with that) and got a much more detailed mane (I was definitely not happy with the old one). And if you ask him nicely, he’ll flex too.
3D Art — June 19, 2019
With a sharp hiss, the flame vanished. The room went dark. There was a moment of silence, then the ground began to shake. From outside the chamber, Ark could hear rubble falling. Storm! Ark ran out of the chamber, half stumbling over an old vine that had grown across the doorway. Stones, leaves, and dust were falling all around him. The earth rumbled, like he was stuck in the belly of a great beast.
3D Art — May 1, 2019
Ark stood in the doorway, looking back at Storm. “I’ll be back, I promise…” The chamber beyond was brightly lit. A large golden brazier stood in the center, burning so brightly that Ark had to shield his eyes. Coming closer, he could make out another doorway on the other side of the room, but it was blocked by solid stone. The was no other way out than the one he had come from.
3D Art, Writing — April 30, 2019
A whole icon set of my charr warband, drawn by Ilona!
By Ilona — April 11, 2019
“Storm? Wake up…” The faint glow from the Mists energy that had softened their fall faded away. Ark had tried to protect both of them, but he had been so drained already… He touched Storm’s paw, but there was no reaction. It was utterly quiet here, no sounds from the jungle above them, yet it took Ark a long terrifying moment until he could make out his friend’s breathing, faint and shallow.
3D Art, Writing — April 8, 2019
Ark slowly worked his way along the vine towards the nearby cliff wall, the whole thing swaying dangerously with every movement. The wall was steep but weathered enough for his claws to find some purchase. A crack of thunder echoed through the chasm from above, and Ark knew immediately what that meant: “Storm!”, he shouted. He was answered by a roar, too feral to come from a charr, followed by more thunder, and suddenly a roar of pain.
3D Art, Writing — March 30, 2019
The first rule of the Book Club is: We do not talk about the Book Club. Credits to ProperDave for the New Krytan typeface I’ve used here: https://www.properdave.com/gw2/
3D Art — March 27, 2019
They’re all pretty big charr, but Kianga is the tallest (maximum height in game) and Chui is the shortest (around 30% in game). As for my 3D models, Kianga is about 2.47 m (8 ft 1 in) tall at the shoulder and almost 3 m (9 ft) at the upper tip of his horns, while Chui is about 2.25 m (7 ft 5 in) and 2.6 m (8 ft 5 in).
3D Art — March 20, 2019
Moving quietly, Ark left the path he had come from and hid between two bushes to the side. They were dense enough to cover him, but still allowed him a view of the path. Suddenly he felt silly. Storm had the first watch, and had probably followed him to check if he was alright. That would explain the noises: Storm was great with fire and lightning, but stealth? Ark grinned to himself—he’d teach him a lesson about that.
3D Art, Writing — March 13, 2019
Ark got up and left the camp quietly, telling himself that he just needed to clear his thoughts for a moment. These nightmares were ridiculous—he would never hurt one of his ’bandmates. Walking a few paces, he thought back to the airship crash. He had been talking with a sylvari, a fellow revenant, when it happened. The sylvari had stumbled, and when Ark had tried to help him up, he saw his eyes—
3D Art, Writing — March 2, 2019
To the Guild Wars 2 team: Thank you for the past seven years - for putting your hearts into this game, for bringing new friends together, and for inspiring so many to create and to make this world a more friendly and colorful place.
3D Art — February 26, 2019
Most of Ark’s ‘bandmates were asleep, and he should have been too. They’d been marching all day through the jungle, felt like getting cooked alive in their armor. But lying here in their makeshift camp, Ark wished he could have marched through the night anyway - so he wouldn’t have to face those dreams again. Maybe it was just the heat messing with him. His thoughts kept wandering back to that moment when everything went wrong: When their friends and allies suddenly turned against them, and their airship crashed into the jungle.
3D Art, Writing — February 20, 2019
“I don’t quite see how you cherish the memory of the dead by killing another million.” Sean Connery as John Mason (The Rock) Ark would probably have the oldest voice of all my charr, even though they’re actually all around the same age. I just imagine him being the calmest one, with a voice that could probably tell wonderful bedtime stories - or casually call a superior officer an idiot without even blinking, like Sean Connery in that scene.
3D Art — February 19, 2019
The bartender walks over to Kianga´s table and serves a cup of hot chocolate." So, one cup of hot chocolate for our brave and fearless warrior. You already told us about the years in Fahrar, but how was it after that? Tell us about the first order the Snow Warband received." — Sidewinder30k, January 30th, 2019 Kianga: “Fresh out of the fahrar, we felt ready to take on anything. We would have charged straight at Zhaitan if they had sent us.
3D Art, Writing — January 30, 2019
A little birthday present for my most awesome (and only) Branded friend, Sam. The spooky glowing present in the background was contributed by Keeya Snowtail, and I cannot vouch for its contents. Open at your own risk.
3D Art — December 23, 2018
This may not quite qualify as silent night, but it’s as close as you can get with a Blood Legion warband. I wish you all pleasant holidays, with lots of fun and food and most importantly the chance to spend time with the ones you love. Happy Wintersday!
3D Art — December 23, 2018
Snow Warband presents the latest advance in Pact technology: The Platform for Armed Wintersday Celebration (short: P.A.W.C.) Developed in cooperation with the best Legion engineers, it’s got guns, bayonets, flamethrowers, mortars, deadly spikes, and plenty of space for festive decorations. Celebrating Wintersday in charr style! Keeya Snowtail was busy doing, er, mesmer things and couldn’t attend the photoshoot, but also sends her greetings (artwork by our guild leader, Minarr Howlfury). A wonderful Wintersday to all of you!
3D Art — December 16, 2018
“Um, boss? Are you sure you’ve ordered a Wintersday tree and not a tank?” Continuing from last week, they’ve started assembling… something. With various degrees of efficiency. Looking at you, Storm. Speaking of fun, all the Wintersday cookies in this scene were lovingly baked, modeled, and textured by my partner, Keeya Snowtail.
3D Art — December 9, 2018
“Guys, get up! Our Wintersday supplies have arrived, it’s time to decorate!” Not everyone in the warband shares Kianga’s excitement for Wintersday. Especially not at five in the morning. First full scene with the whole warband! This one is inspired by the sleeping area in Hero’s Canton. I’ve always found it a little strange that charr have their beds right next to the showers, but I guess it’s efficient…? Happy holidays to you all!
3D Art — December 4, 2018
Based on a drawing prompt Ark can’t beat Kianga in a game of arm wrestling, but it turns out that drinking games work much more in his favor. The only downside is having to get a drunken 500 pound charr back home safely… Also introducing the third member of Snow Warband: my engineer, Chui Snowblast, to the right.
3D Art — November 22, 2018
Based on the drawing prompt: “in the middle of a fight/battle” “There are different kinds of fights…” Ark may have picked the wrong one here.
3D Art — November 17, 2018
Based on the drawing prompt: “for sale” Not for sale, but for hire! They’re not mercenaries, but they’d totally pose like this just for the fun of it. While looking for mercenary slogans, I also found this gem: You Pay, We Slay.
3D Art — November 16, 2018
Based on the drawing prompt: “standing over an unmoving figure” “It’s okay, you’re safe now.” Follow-up to the previous scene. I know, technically he’s kneeling not standing, and technically the figure is moving. Hope it still counts!
3D Art — November 15, 2018
Things you can find at the beach: Sand, sea shells, crabs… washed-up charr?
3D Art — November 14, 2018