- Ark
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Hello Weather
Still digging out from the oh so fun storms here this afternoon. I saw softball size hail coming down. I'm pretty sure I heard at least one tornado. We had the longest, loudest hailstorm that I've ever been in - and that's saying something - I'm from Texas. The garden is toast. The trees are shaved. It broke the barbecue grill. My car is no longer what I'd call a 'car' anymore. I guess I should get used to walking. Not very fun, but at least we are all alive.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Vayniris Anthology
Well, the three month extension of the six month deadline for submissions to the Vayniris Anthology Project has come and gone with no additional stories submitted. The universe has spoken. I'm closing the book, so to speak, on the project, and calling it quits.
I'd like to thank those who did submit stories from the bottom of my heart. Some really awesome stuff there, and I'm very thrilled to have read such great work. Alas, the number of stories submitted were just not enough to even begin to fill an anthology. Thank you so much - and please feel free to re-purpose your wonderful stories elsewhere.
- Ark
I'd like to thank those who did submit stories from the bottom of my heart. Some really awesome stuff there, and I'm very thrilled to have read such great work. Alas, the number of stories submitted were just not enough to even begin to fill an anthology. Thank you so much - and please feel free to re-purpose your wonderful stories elsewhere.
- Ark
Friday, March 30, 2012
Refrigerator Art
The boy has been busy illustrating our games, so it's time to hang some of the pictures on the virtual icebox here.
First up is from our Second Edition D&D game that Crazy-Ass Tim runs. The Boy's dwarf, Luke Daggerbeard, is shown here fighting off a vicious ice dragon that was attacking our flying boat. Luke landed the final blow that slew the beast:
Next up is the Star Without Numbers game that I run. Sergeant Kevalt Laranzo, security chief of the Fat Tuesday, is below, pushing back wave after wave of the zombie-like Husks. The Husks were headless corpses controlled by the Amazon Floral Hive Mind, who had it out for the party in a big way. In the background sits a grav tank that the party appropriated from the deceased, zombified soldiers on the lonely jungle planet. AR-50, the party's resident robot PC, mans the fifty cal on top of the tank:
And finally, we have some wish fulfillment. Kevalt recently purchased a gravcycle, which one day he hope to fly out of the Fat Tuesday's loading ramp while descending onto a planet, rushing into combat like . . . like a Mechanized Valkyrie. Hopefully, his wish will come true soon:
Enjoy!
- Ark
First up is from our Second Edition D&D game that Crazy-Ass Tim runs. The Boy's dwarf, Luke Daggerbeard, is shown here fighting off a vicious ice dragon that was attacking our flying boat. Luke landed the final blow that slew the beast:
Next up is the Star Without Numbers game that I run. Sergeant Kevalt Laranzo, security chief of the Fat Tuesday, is below, pushing back wave after wave of the zombie-like Husks. The Husks were headless corpses controlled by the Amazon Floral Hive Mind, who had it out for the party in a big way. In the background sits a grav tank that the party appropriated from the deceased, zombified soldiers on the lonely jungle planet. AR-50, the party's resident robot PC, mans the fifty cal on top of the tank:
And finally, we have some wish fulfillment. Kevalt recently purchased a gravcycle, which one day he hope to fly out of the Fat Tuesday's loading ramp while descending onto a planet, rushing into combat like . . . like a Mechanized Valkyrie. Hopefully, his wish will come true soon:
Enjoy!
- Ark
Exposition Without Number
I just wrote a note to the players of my Stars Without Numbers campaign containing some information so I wouldn't have to blab it all out when we start playing on Saturday. I amused myself quite a bit as I droned on, producing far more exposition that
I had planned. I'm sure it will bore them to tears. But I enjoyed it, dammit, so I figure the rest of the world should suffer.
So enjoy. Or suffer. Or both. :)
* * *
The party returned to the planet Metha aboard the Fat Tuesday at the end of the last game session. The Methans were happy with the resolution of the Hard Light novium issue and paid well (except for Dr. Mann, who was paid well for her research on the Amazon Floral Hive Mind.) The party is not actually on Metha (which looks a lot like Titan, if you remember,) but on one of the thousands of space stations orbiting the planet. Elysium Station is unlike any of the other stations the party has seen, however, as it has clearly been designed with humans in mind.
In fact, humans are all over Elysium Station. There are living quarters, restaurants, shopping malls, and hydroponic parks bustling with people - families with children even. Occasionally, Methan hybrids like Ellen-14 shuffle along the walkways in their giant, bloated tick-like bodies without so much as a second look. It's a lively place, but clearly all of the humans are in the employ of the Blue Methan Hegemony. There is an unusual amount of human psychics on the station, utilizing their skills out in the open - something not normally done inside of human space. Centuries of anti-psi bigotry has convinced most psychics to keep a lower profile.
Another odd sight aboard Elysium station is the abundance of Harpathians - perhaps ten percent of the population. The creatures resemble anthropomorphic, roly-poly, three foot tall baby seals. Yes, the ones with the poofy white hair and the 'don't hit me with that club, you bastard' stare. Harpathians are well-known in human space, but mainly as cartoon characters in the holo-vids designed for girls 8-10 years of age. The most well known is JOLO, the fluffy sidekick of CAPTAIN KENDRA AND THE KOSMOTEERS. Few humans have ever actually seen a real Harpathian, as the entire race avoids humanity like a plague. The history of Human-Harpatian relations involves liberal amounts of slavery and being sold as pets, despite the Harpatian's loud, literate, and eloquent protests that they are actually a sentient race with thoughts, feelings, and a desire not to be a cuddle toy for 6 year olds.
The Harpatians appear to have support jobs all over the station, including spacecraft servicing, but they seem to be most prolific in security positions. Three foot tall baby seals walking around in power armor bristling with plasma projectors is a common sight. It's unnerving - and doesn't get any better with repeated viewings.
Ellen-14 is eager for the party to accept the currently offered job. If you remember, this is to track down the source of the Berserker Spider manufacturing box - which would logically (per the Methan's past experiences,) be a box that makes boxes that make Berserker Spiders. The Methans are worried that if the Box is not located soon, it could run across an AI, hack it, and un-brake the AI - causing a heap load of trouble for whatever civilization the newly formed Berserker AI ran across.
The Fat Tuesday's Chief Engineer and back-up pilot, Sophia Lucullo, expresses concerns about the Methans. She's never seen them before, and is clearly frightened. She also reiterates the story from the Kingpin of Blue Saturn (whom Captain Goodnight met with in the Tigris System,) who said that the Methans had exterminated almost all of his race and were not to be trusted. The ship's marine compliment - Alice, Bethany, and Carmen (Kevalt's Angels,) have a completely different attitude toward Ellen-14 and her kind - and have been buying as much military hardware as they can afford from the giant space-ticks.
If the party chooses not to accept the mission, Ellen-14 says that she and her brood understands, and they will gladly program the navicomp aboard the Fat Tuesday to the destination of your choice.
Um, anyway, I've gone overboard with interlude - but there you are. :)
See you on Saturday!
- Ark
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Comic
Sigh.
I'm nowhere near finished with the comic. I've been overloaded with work, and what little time I did have, I spent drawing Red Sonja. Rather than rushing around and breaking my back - the comic won't come out this time, but instead, at the next scheduled time in two weeks. Bummer, but I'd prefer it look halfway decent than have it be just chicken-scratching.
I really need to learn how to draw faster - but it seems like I'm actually learning how to draw more slowly. I don't think that's how it is supposed to work. And somehow I need to combined my desire to draw a D&D comic with my desperate need to draw cheesecake. Two birds, one stone. Hmmm . . .
I'll figure something out - I'm sure.
- Ark
I'm nowhere near finished with the comic. I've been overloaded with work, and what little time I did have, I spent drawing Red Sonja. Rather than rushing around and breaking my back - the comic won't come out this time, but instead, at the next scheduled time in two weeks. Bummer, but I'd prefer it look halfway decent than have it be just chicken-scratching.
I really need to learn how to draw faster - but it seems like I'm actually learning how to draw more slowly. I don't think that's how it is supposed to work. And somehow I need to combined my desire to draw a D&D comic with my desperate need to draw cheesecake. Two birds, one stone. Hmmm . . .
I'll figure something out - I'm sure.
- Ark
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Map Drawing Music
Normally, my mind hearkens to heavy metal music when I think of the halcyon days of D&D. But honestly, when I was sitting around drawing maps or designing campaign material, I was far more likely to be listening to stuff like the music below (like I am right now drawing during lunch instead of eating.)
- Ark
- Ark
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Red Sonja: She-Devil with a Sword
After a week of work, and too many hours to fully pony up to, I've finished my Red Sonja fan art. I'm incredibly proud of it, and think it's the best thing I've ever done. Tomorrow, of course, I'll look at it and feel it is the most horrible thing I've seen - and be embarrassed to even think of it. Alas, that's my curse - I just have to deal with it and move on to the next piece.
Enjoy!
- Ark
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