Svetnikov's SCVI Showcase

[Kieve]

Flame Atronach. Wowza.

I don't know much about Elder Scrolls, so I don't have anything to say about it as a recreation, but it's a great CaS in and of itself. I'm a big fan of elemental-type characters, whose physical embodiments are made of natural phenomena, but I find them technically challenging to make in CaS as you often have to think out-of-the-box in terms choosing parts that make for a convincing CaS. In this case, fire elementals need to be shiny and radiant, which the shapeshifter's skin texture lends itself well to. All that was left is to slap a fire sticker on to it, color everything appropriately, and you have an elegantly-done fire elemental. Great work!

Heh... well, seeing as you're not the only one to express confusion, a quick reference:

Atronachs are summoned creatures, and come in two other flavors, "Frost" and "Storm," with the Flame version generally being the weakest of them.
I was mostly basing it off the Skyrim iteration, though I'm keenly aware that the chestpiece is all wrong in that regard. If I'm being perfectly honest, it feels a bit low-effort and I initially wasn't going to bother, but the idea wouldn't let me be. The biggest nuisance is, I wanted to use the "water" texture on the last page to simulate more of a magma effect, but the chestpiece does that stupid "restricted color palette" thing and I couldn't use anything between pink and yellow (no red-orange). Ah well, I appreciate the kind remarks anyway.

 

[Kieve]

Delruca (Style: Zasalamel)

His hand trembled as he held the broken mask. White flakes crumbled from the crude jester's smile, powdering his fingertips. A false smile, one he chose to wear to set others at peace, in the hope he could find his own. "The Grinning Goblin," the children called him, cavorting playfully around his knees. A little teasing he could endure, to hear their laughter. Should they see his true face, their laughs would turn to shrieking, and the village would run him off. Just as the last one had. Just as the one before that. Glass cracked, blood leaking from his palms as his grip tightened on the wrecked faceplate he held. Goggles to hide his soulless eyes, a mask to hide his perpetual snarl. Another home, lost.

Delruca looked up at last, black eyes fixing squarely on the foe who'd struck him. The remnants clattered to the ground, and in their place he lifted an old scythe - as rusted and worn and tormented as its owner. "Come then," he growled, deep voice a quiet rumble, "finish what you've started. Let's make an end of it."

 

[Herr-Krieg]

Pretty neat and nice work with Delruca ;)! The face cover is cleaverly done using different ExEq ( using engineer googles and emil face I presume ) and in combination with hood. His other gear options also work well together and really make him look like a lone traveller with most unfortunate luck considering circumnstances. The colours are also lively realistic looking, the proper balance between well shaded colours of green and brown together with other minor colours forms a nice wholeness which is a delight to look at :). The crude, old and rusty looking scythe fits him also well. The small backstory you wrote makes him more credibility and viewer understand his theme and concept in depth through it.

Really nice work with him, keep up the good work ;)!

 

[Kieve]

Pretty neat and nice work with Delruca ;)! The face cover is cleaverly done using different ExEq ( using engineer googles and emil face I presume ) and in combination with hood. His other gear options also work well together and really make him look like a lone traveller with most unfortunate luck considering circumnstances. The colours are also lively realistic looking, the proper balance between well shaded colours of green and brown together with other minor colours forms a nice wholeness which is a delight to look at :). The crude, old and rusty looking scythe fits him also well. The small backstory you wrote makes him more credibility and viewer understand his theme and concept in depth through it.

Really nice work with him, keep up the good work ;)!

No Emil face, just a 'white brim' with a stripe pattern sized and rotated appropriately. I did try Emil but couldn't get him to work right.
As a CAS, I'll admit Delruca is pretty plain, but I wanted to try doing something a little different and ended up picking an Orc for the base. Story popped into my head soon after, about a "good guy" orc who just wanted to fit in with a local village, live his life, and be a decent dude. Layer in a bit of that Gentle Giant trope, and then "what happens when he's found out," and well...
Originally I was going to do a few more screenshots where we see who came after him, picked a fight, broke his mask, etc, but in the end decided it was more fun to leave it a mystery.

On a completely different note, I've seen those fan-arts you commissioned for some of your CAS and it got me thinking I wanted one of Rensa as well. As fate and fortune would have it, I found an artist over the weekend, and voila:

Artist is https://www.deviantart.com/thed4rk1ord
Pretty happy with it overall, though I'm still trying to get Rosa to sketch her as well.

Still to come, two more 'Knight' characters, and perhaps a couple others as well. Been trying to think of something fun and different for a Lizard, but keep drawing a blank.

 

[VILARCANE]

Nice artwork, some issue with perspective in the cleavage tho :)
I can't wait 2 see Rosa's sketch

 

[Herr-Krieg]

I see your points and visioning with Delruca. Sometimes simple can also be very good and we can´t pull off Mona Lisas of CAS everytime now can we :)? Well, Vilarcane could, but see my point XD? As for your art comission, looks very good indeed but like Viralcane pointed it out, a little bit of perspective issues. Nevertheless, shows your passion for this business By going all the way to ask an art comission of your character just like me :). That already speaks for itself ;). And like Vilarcane, can´t wait to see her sketch as well as what you will come up with next on CAS.

 

[Kieve]

Yeah, couple things are a bit "off," but for what he was asking ($) vs the amount of detail in her design (and how fast he worked), I wasn't gonna nitpick too much. Actually felt a little guilty asking anyone to draw a character with that much going on and was happy enough with the results. As a character, she's all but replaced Cass as my favorite butt-kicker.

 

[VILARCANE]

I actually have no clue how much it pays to do a commission, and how you actually get paid (paypal ?).
I mean i could take CASmissions anyday and get rich (or die tryin' :)
Hell, i could even take a drawing commission, but that would be a B&W sketch for lack of time...but a good one :)
Has Rosa an art gallery somewhere, on DA or elsewhere ?
Did you pay him with soul points then ? btw, i don't know if they changed it, but man libra of souls stealing all your hard-earned money for travelling between missions really discouraged me, such a poor design decision, unless patches got rid of it.
I still haven't finished it...

 

[Herr-Krieg]

Well, the prize depends on pretty much on what do you exactly want the artist to draw for you, how detailed you want it, is it going to be a holy body work or just chest drawing etc. Of course, the prizes vary depending on the artists themselves and how skilled they are. The payment usually happens through paypal with cash or if they accept it, with DA points. I know artist who basically do it to earn their money for living and some for profiting for something they are good at. I know an artist in who is known as Flowerxl and his base prize for a comission is about 140 dollars, so.....yeah, even I´m not that enthusiastic to see my creation come to live XD.

Well, paying for travelling in Libra of Souls isn´t that bad depending of course how far you wan´t to travell. In highly Place populated parts of the world map it isn´t that painfull, but I also start seeing red and have my blood pressure rise up a couple of notches when I try to travel in Africa XD. Or when you want to travel through mountain and you see the traveling prize rising to seven digit numbers XD So yeah, in that sense I agree with you VC.

 

[Kieve]

Holy fluff it's been ages since I popped in here! Anybody miss me?
Loads of new CAS to share, but I'll start small with one I teased last year in the Techniques thread (has it been that long? Good grief!). Ladies & gentlemen, please welcome back to the cast...

Aya (Style: Azwel)

While she's still a sparring companion for Cass, she's traded her old hand-to-hand techniques for something a trifle more arcane. Still likes fruit smoothies and beefcake though.

Training Session
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"Are you sure you're ready for this?"

Cass smirked, nodding confidently. "Are you?" she retorted. In truth, she wasn't at all certain how she'd deal with Aya's newfound strength, but she had a few new tricks of her own and wasn't about to let the elder halfbreed get the better of her. Hesitation was weakness, and Cass refused to show any to her opponent.

Unfazed, Aya took up a defensive stance. "Then let's begin."

The arena rang with the sound of metal clashing on metal. Cass unleashed flurry after flurry of strikes, seeking out a weakness in Aya's defense. But again and again, her opponent evaded or deflected the blows with almost supernatural agility. Where Aya had learned this new art, Cass could only guess at, but she had to admit it was damn effective.

Aya, however, was only getting warmed up.

The conjured axe manifested so swiftly, Cass barely had time to react. In less than a heartbeat, she was on her back against the cool stone tiles, an ache blooming in her left shoulder where the axe's haft struck her. And still it seemed Aya was holding back, forcing Cass to push herself to the limit just to keep up.

But Cass wasn't ready to admit defeat just yet. Swiftly, she kicked her heels up, rolling backward into a crouching stance and signaling her companion POD. A yellow-white lance of energy skewered the arena, narrowly missing Aya. Utilizing the small machine had taken some practice to integrate into her fighting style, a radical departure from the dual knives she used to employ. For this sparring match however, Cass was beganing to think she'd have been better off sticking to what she knew best.

The afternoon wore on. The two halfbreeds traded blows, neither quite gaining the upper hand, but to Cass it seemed Aya was in control the entire time. Cool, calculating, precise, her strikes just enough to deter, her movements just enough to counter. Never tiring, never faltering, never showing a moment's indecision.

Cass meanwhile felt her stamina ebbing. In a short, decisive sparring session, she had the upper hand, but protracted battle was tiring her out. Eventually, weariness took its toll.

"Ngh. Dammit," she groaned, rubbing her head as she sat up. "Where'd you learn this stuff Aya?"

"Everywhere," the red-headed feline answered, helping Cass to her feet. "Old tomes in the archives, fragments in the local ruins, even a tip or two from your brother, if you can believe that. The power's been there the whole time, I just wasn't using it correctly. Now that I've figured out how, well..." She trailed off with a shrug.

Cass rolled her eyes. "Lucky me," she grumbled, but her characteristic smirk belied any hard feelings. "Maybe next time you can teach me some of those new moves."

"Maybe next time," Aya replied. "Right now, I'd like to visit the market before Duke closes. I heard he got some fresh melon in yesterday and I've been dying to try it." Cass laughed.

"You're not fooling anyone. You just want to see Duke."

Aya grinned. "I wouldn't mind trying some of him, either. Come on, it's getting late."

 

[Kieve]

Awakenings
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Moonlight filtered through the forest canopy, casting a blue haze over the fallen leaves and undergrowth. It was bright tonight, Vaelyn noted, far brighter than she was used to. She wove her steps skillfully among the tree roots and ferns, her hooves barely a whisper to betray her presence as she patrolled the forest. Still, with the moon so full and heavy overhead, there was little in the way of darkness even among the shadows of the trees. It was less cover than she was accustomed to.

It also made spotting the intruder that much easier. A tall, hulking form, and armored to judge by the brief glints of moonlight that reflected from it. Crouching, the satyr woman darted through the undergrowth, catching the figure just as it entered the clearing ahead.

And stopped short as she recognized the leaf-patterned favor he wore around his neck. "Ortho...?"

The knight whirled in surprise, one hand instinctively rising to the massive sword on his back. Recognizing Vaelyn, he relaxed - if only slightly. "H'lo goat," he greeted her. A lighthearted jibe between them, which fell utterly flat as Vaelyn's sharp ears picked up the strained edge in his voice.

"Don't give me that, Ortho," she snapped. "What are you thinking, sneaking around in our woods at night? You know what would happen if it was Arden who caught you?"

"Aye lass, I do," the knight answered. "Is he about tonight too? Best find him first, before It does."

Vaelyn quirked an eyebrow. "It? What are you on about?"

"Don't rightly know for sure. Been tracking... something, man-sized, maybe bigger. Leaves death in its wake. Grass blackened, earth scorched, animals decayed. Ain't natural, never seen the like before."

"And you were planning to face it alone?" the satyr chided him. "You big idiot. These are our woods. Domor would have a fit if I let something like that just wander in without-"

The crack of branches interrupted her, both warriors going silent as they surveyed the edges of the clearing. Something was indeed out there, and drawing nearer with each step. She could hear it now, heavy footsteps crunching dry leaves and ferns as it approached.

Vaelyn spotted it first, a dark shape separating itself from the deep shadows of the trees. Was it her imagination, or was everything around it turning a deathly gray? Leaves drifted down from the branches above, falling from what should have been a strong healthy oak. Whatever this thing was, it permeated the area with a wrongness that made her feel sick even at this distance.

She fought down the nausea with an angry bark. "Ortho, here!" Whatever it was, it had to be destroyed. For the sake of the woods - for the sake of her home. For the sake of life. She didn't wait for the knight to answer her, hurling herself at the creature.

"What do you hope to accomplish?"

Piercing violet eyes glared down at her as it shrugged off her attack. The deathly aura was so much stronger up close, Vaelyn could hardly stand it. Her knees buckled, stomach churning as it took all her will to face down the monster. Too late, she saw its weapon arc forward.

"Vaelyn...!" Ortho gripped his sword tightly, his gaze fixed on the monster standing over her body. To his relief, her chest was still moving - barely. "Dammit lass," he growled, then louder, "Alright ye soulless bastard! Ye want a taste? C'mon then!"

The withered black figure looked up from its handiwork, staring through Ortho's faceplate, eyes, into his heart it seemed. The knight's blood turned to icy slush in his veins, chills running from his spine straight to his toes.

"A 'taste'? No," it replied, its voice as deep and thunderous as an avalanche. "You will be consumed."

...to be continued...?

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Knight Ortho (Style: Nightmare)

Another entry in the "Generic Libra Knight" lineup. The bulkiness in the Sanctified pieces lends itself to a big dude, so I was willing to go low-effort with Nightmare's greatsword on this one. Heavy use of patterns on the armor to make it look worn and weathered, but it's tough to overcome a bland look when using too many parts from the same set.

For the purposes of my own continuity, the leafy scarf is a mark of favor from the Satyr village, and particularly his friendship with Vaelyn.

Vaelyn (Style: Talim)

Brash and crude, Vaelyn was always more comfortable around the other males in her village, drinking and arm-wrestling, and would rather be butting horns than painting them. She barely tolerates the customs of village life, spending most of her time on patrol in the forest where she feels less stifled. Despite this, she cares deeply for the others in her clan and would fight to the death to protect them.

I'd been wanting to continue the idea of a whole set of Satyrs, but was stumped for inspiration and parts for a long while. Mostly happy with this one, but I can't help feeling there's a little something missing still.

The Withered One (Style: Zasalamel)

The embodiment of entropy and decay. All that lives must eventually die - the Withered One is not content to wait, and leeches life energy wherever he treads. His trail of devastation indicates this unholy apparition is not wandering aimlessly, but in search of something. Unfortunately, no one seems to know what that might be, or how to prevent him from reaching it.

Wither was an effort to push myself and use parts I didn't normally touch. Samsara pauldrons, Azwel's stola, Voldo's mask - eventually the concept of an evil Entropy God started to come together. First entry in a lineup of 'evil gods.'

 

[HappyColour]

Wow! There is some pretty exceptional stuff in here. Really like Knight Ortho and your cat warriors to name a few but there are more exceptional creations. Very nice work!

 

[Kieve]

Estragement
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Salty brine stung Rensa's nose as she waited on the pier. The tide was coming in, foamy waves splashing ever-higher against the pier's stonework, then whipped into a fine mist by gusts of cold air. A storm was moving in from the sea as well, and judging by the thick dark clouds already massing overhead, it was likely to be a bad one. Ill omens, to be sure. But where her sister Rasha was concerned, she'd come to expect such circumstances.

A heavy sigh escaped Rensa's chest. She'd managed to track her sister this far, but she still had no idea how to confront Rasha even if she was able to catch up to her estranged sibling. The trail hadn't been hard to follow - Rasha's penchant for bloodletting had some folks in the taverns calling her the 'Red Queen' now. Her reputation was the reason Rensa had taken up the sword in the first place. The thought of a family member being responsible for those sort of atrocities...

"Rasha, how could you?" she muttered to herself.

"Because I enjoy it," came the unexpected reply.

Rensa turned, silently berating herself for her inattention. There stood Rasha on the pier behind her, weapon already in hand. At least my information was correct... "You'd draw steel on your own blood, Ras?"

If the remark stung, Rasha hid it well. "For a high enough price, maybe. Especially when she comes looking for me in Hunter's gear. A girl's got to protect herself, after all."

"Protect yourself? I didn't come here hunting you, Ras. I just wanted to talk."

"No? I'm almost disappointed," Rasha chided her. "It would've been poetic, don't you think? But alright, talk. Just be quick, I have a ship to catch and a contract to finish, both before that storm reaches us."

Rensa's heart was twisting itself into knots. The trail of bodies, the bloodstained sword in her sister's hand, the callous dismissive tone in her voice - this wasn't the sister she once knew. "Ras, what happened to you?"

"What happened...?" Rasha laughed. "You mean like, 'I was traumatized by an abusive man,' or 'the cruelty of the world corrupted my spirit in a moment of weakness?' Is that what you're looking to hear?" Her laughter turned to a quiet snarl. "Sorry to disappoint you, sister dear, but I chose this path on my own. I enjoy my work - it's fun, and they pay me for it. Many pay extra, in fact, just for my 'special' touch."

Rasha's words cut through the knot as surely as any real blade. "My sister was never that kind of monster."

"Then you never knew your sister." The chainsword unfurled, its links burning with ominous violet flames. "Now get out of here. I've got a job to do."

"No."

Rensa forced the word through gritted teeth. Her head was spinning, her heart in turmoil, her spirit an echo of the canvas sails in the harbor around her as it was lashed by mad tempests. She needed an anchor. She needed to fight. This bloodthirsty monster wasn't the Rasha she once knew.

Maybe if she beat the monster, her real sister could return. But the Beast in front of her, the one wearing her sister's face and sullying her name, was not accustomed to taking 'no' for an answer.

The bladed links bit deep into Rensa's side, scarring the bits of metal and skintight leather that were her armor. This is the pain she brings others. The words were a beacon in her mind, a flame to fuel her determination. No more. I won't let her hurt anyone else.

Even before setting foot on the pier, Rensa wondered if she could bring herself to fight her own sibling. She realized now, she'd never had a choice. This is how it had to happen, how it was always bound to be. The real question was whether she had the will to triumph.

The counterattack caught Rasha completely by surprise, sending her tumbling over the slick stonework. Feeling slightly dazed, she pulled herself to her feet, wiping a trickle of blood from her lip.

"Not bad," she growled. "Been a while since anyone made me bleed. Don't expect to get any more from me, though."

"I'm not here to bleed you," Rensa bit back. "I'm here to stop you. The monster you've become - that dies today."

Rasha snorted derisively. "Such drama! Come on then, little sister, come slay this 'monster'!"

One moment, Rasha was hurled into the air, Rensa's blade striking everywhere at once in sudden fury. In the next, she crashed to the ground, cracking tiles as the breath was driven from her lungs.

It did not return with her first strangled gasp, or the one that followed. As panic flooded her empty, starving lungs, a small grin tugged at the corner of her mouth. Absurd as it seemed, she felt... proud of her younger sibling. Rensa was far stronger than she'd realized.

Whatever other thoughts may have followed became lost in a suffocating haze of darkness.

Rensa knelt beside her sister, checking the elder's neck for a pulse. "Good," she whispered, finding the vein still pumping. Behind her, sailors clamored on the ship's deck, final call for casting off. Remembering what Rasha had said, she searched the other's clothing swiftly - and smiled as she found a folded bit of parchment in her sister's left stocking.

'Contract for the assassination of one Frederick Duvall, Esquire, sole heir to the estates of his father, James Duvall IV.' I'm afraid you'll be missing the bounty on that one, dear sister. Without hesitation, she tore the parchment to scraps and dumped it over the edge of the pier.

As the ship departed, Rensa spared a backwards glance at Rasha's prone figure. How the other had come to be possessed by such bloodthirst was a mystery, but if the Beast could not be tamed by battle alone, perhaps it could be starved. If this defeat didn't awaken the sister she remembered, then they would certainly meet again. Rasha took contracts to steal life and shed blood - Rensa would do the opposite, and deny the Beast what it craved. Thus weakened, maybe her sister could return to her senses at last...

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Must say, I'm having a blast with Ansel, now that I've got it working properly.

Rensa (Style: 2B)
Huntress Attire

I typically avoid alternate outfits and 2Ps - if a design isn't good enough, I'd rather just tweak it until it is (or scrap it and try something new). But I really like Rensa as a character, and wanted to do more with her. Eventually, it came to me that as much as I love her original look, it doesn't exactly convey the feeling of a dangerous bounty-hunter / mercenary. So... Huntress outfit, for something a little more battle-ready.

... Really wish we could use stickers on those boots.

Wow! There is some pretty exceptional stuff in here. Really like Knight Ortho and your cat warriors to name a few but there are more exceptional creations. Very nice work!

Thanks! Comments and critique are always appreciated! I'm especially glad you like the kittehs, as they tend to be my favorites (Cass and Rensa in particular).

 

[Kieve]

Oh hey, an old thread! Now where did I leave that defibrillator?

Rensa (Style: 2B)
Ascended

Yep, another alt for Rensa. I'm honestly a lot happier with this one than I am with the 'Huntress' gear. Now I just need to figure out what story events prompted the upgrade. Bigger fish to fry than her sister, certainly. Mostly I just wanted to get some use out of the new parts.

I'm especially proud of the work on the boots. The armored parts and the chainmail cuff at the top all share the same color map, which makes a single color or pattern a bit overwhelming. Luckily, it takes stickers! A few carefully-placed sticker shapes and a gradient pattern really helped to break up the monotony of it.

Spoiler: Action Pose!