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6 million gold total! o_o</center>


grand prize: 1 million

1st x 2: 500k [1000k total]
2nd x 4: 250k [1000k total]
3rd x 8: 125k [1000k total]


best full scene: 75k
natural media: 75k
realism: 75k
most accurate: 75k
art nouveau: 75k
best couple/romantic: 75k


action scene/fight stance: 50k
chibi: 50k
sexiest: 50k
black&white/monocromatic: 50k
dynamic: 50k
dramatic/emotional: 50k
odd-ball/alternative: 50k
head or bust shot: 50k

sketch or unfinished work: 25k

most improved: 25k

honorable mention x 20: 10k [200k total]

===========5,100,000g (900k to be added)========
The addittional 900k will be added as the contest goes on and I feel the need for more categories or durring judging id 2nd places on the cub-categories are needed or additional larger prizes. 3nodding


Category Descriptions

best full scene: images which depict a full scene--as opposed to just a character portrait--are elligable for this prize. Multiple character with a background, or even a single character interacting with what going on around them...an image which portrays and event or action. A nice background pasted behind a posed character doesn't count.

natural media: all images completed without the use of a computer qualify here. Adjusting brightness levels, cropping, and other small, non-artistic edits on the computer are ok. If there are enough entries in specific medias, this category may later be seperated/duplicated into media-specific categories such as watercolor, marker, pencil, etc...

realism: doesn't have to be straight realism, semi-realism is fine too. :3 Photo edits, while I do like them and they are elligable for the contest, don't qualify for this category, as that would be too obvious a win...you can't get more realistic than a photo! xd ;

most accurate: No matter the skill level, the person to make my eyes pop and and shout, "Oh my gawwwwd! That's [insert character name here]!!" will win this category. If no one gets that exact reaction, it'll go to the one that was closest. wink This cetegory may devided/multiplied for each character if the need arises.

art nouveau: my latest style obsession. If you don't know what art nouveau is, please take a look at the sameples HERE (disclaimer: none of these images belong to me, I have just collected them from various sites on the net to show as reference of the style--if one of these images belongs to you and you'd rather I remove it, please pm me. :3), or do a Google search for more specific info.

best couple/romantic: Neila/Adwen only, please. ^_^;

action scene/fight stance: I love to see my characters in action. Any battle-ready scene or attack stance/pose qualifies for this category.

chibi: self explanitory. SD also fits here.

sexiest: also self explanitory. Neila (or Neila/Adwen) is the best subject for sexy images...Raesha is not really ment to be a sexy character...don't let me stop you from trying though. whee ;;

black&white/monocromatic: shades of grey fine too. whee Inked, pencil, even cg'd images all qualify here so long as they are not colored! Monocromatic pics in a single color are fine too....in case you think it looks better in sepia or whatever...since the theory is the same, just tinted. xp

dynamic: although posed pics are nice, something that shows movement is just so much more interesting! According to dictionry.com, dynamic means, " Of or relating to energy or to objects in motion." The entry which best displays a sence of movement will win this category.

dramatic/emotional: oooh, drama! I really love to see emotion portryed in artwork, this can be done with a simple expression, or a more enthusiastic dramatic scene.

odd-ball/alternative: this is where all the crazy little fun styles fall. Super deformed, plushies, characters as inanimate objects, close-up of a character's elbow, Invader Zim or Power Puff style...you know, all those crazy odd-ball things! xd ;

head or bust shot: self explaintory. Only entries depicting a character from the bust up qualify...and please, don't just crop a full-sized entry and try to enter them both... sweatdrop

sketch or unfinished work: self explanitory. WIP's that don't get finished fall here, as do sketches and doodles.

most improved: this category is open only to people who have entered one of my previous 5 contests. I will compare your entries against your older submissions and whoever has shown the most progress and improvement in their art will win this.

honorable mention x 20: this is for all the entries which I feel really deserved something, but couldn't quite beat out the winners in the other categories. There will be 20 of these given out.

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A self-loathing orphaned, b*****d child--with murderous intentions,
Raesha travels the land in search of her kin.


Ref pics: (please click for full view)
...and 500+ moreHERE.</center>



race: half Petrian (dark elf), half Ouranian (winged elf)
apparent age: 15-17 years old
skin tone: dark gray
eye color: deep gold
hair: white--eyebrows, ect. too. Short--she cuts it herself with her dagger when it starts getting in her way so its pretty uneven.
body type: petite (5'2"-ish), very skinny--waif like--she only eats what she can catch, and she's a really crappy hunter! Pretty muscular considering frame. Almost no body fat so muscles look harsh and angular. Really flat-chested--tiny boobs...think training-bra size.
face: really long/tall pointy elf ears (that stand up at least to the top of her head). Lots of gold hoop earrings--were talkin like a dozen (give or take) on each ear--ear cuffs are cool too. Somewhat torn and tattered--like a cat's ears after getting in a fight.
wings: very large black feathery angelic-type wings...theres a catch on the wings though--there's not much left of them. Her wings have been shredded so the frame is there, but only about 1/2 of the feathers are left so they look torn and clipped but still have a really large frame. Wings can NOT support her in flight, they are too much destroyed!
clothing: skimpy, tattered, V-shaped, dark red loin cloth. Knee high boots in the same color as the loin cloth, with cords wrapped around crisscrossing all the way up. Chain mail tank-top style shirt--is way too large on her tiny frame and so the neckline hangs really low and arm holes are huge and hang low on sides too. Bottom half of shirt was cut off though so even though the shirt is way too big, the [uneven] bottom only falls at or just above her waistline. Chain mail links aren't very small so shirt is semi transparent, but this doesn't really matter because most of the time her chest is showing through the side arm holes anyway--she has absolutely no modesty.
weapons: Utility belt that is way to loose and hangs skewed down low on one hip. Pair of large daggers--very simple/plain in design. Medieval-style crossbow and quiver of arrows made with her own wing feathers as flights.
other accessories: black fingerless gloves, bandage-like arm wraps, black thigh belt.
personality/attitude: Angsty, moody, vengeful, disdainful, sarcastic. Absolutely no modesty. Dislikes all living creatures, also very self-loathing. Always scowling, never smiles or looks happy. If she is not mad, she's depressed. Revenge driven.


History/story:
Raesha's mother, Nafraeja was Ouranian (winged elf). Nafraeja was out one evening collecting herbs when she was attacked and raped by a Petrian (dark elf) from a scouting party visiting the surface. Being very shamed from the experience--doubly so because her attacker was a despised Petrian--Nafraeja never told anyone of the assault. It wasn't long however, before she discovered she was pregnant from the experience. Nafraeja had no children because her husband had died not long after their marriage and since the Ouranos mate for life, she could not choose a new mate and was thus be unable to have children. Nafraeja was desperate for a child though and decided in order to have the child she was carrying, she would leave the Ouranian city and become a recluse, knowing her half Petrian baby would never be accepted. The baby--Raesha--was born with the lovely wings of the mother's people, but with the coloring of the Petros. She had stark white hair and deep ashy grey skin, her wings were deep black in color. Nafraeja realized that she was right to exile herself from her peoples because she knew now that Raesha would have been killed at birth otherwise.

For many years Raesha and Nafraeja lived in seclusion, Raesha never being allowed to stray from the immediate vicinity of the house. But, as preteens often do, Raesha felt the need to break free from her mother's stifling and explore a little of this world she was never allowed to see for herself. So one day while Nafraeja was napping, Raesha snuck out for a short flight beyond her allowed perimeter. She ventured a bit too far however and was spotted unknowingly by an Ouranian patrol. The patrol followed her home and forced entry into the house. There they beat Raesha and destroyed her wings--ripping, slicing, and shredding them until only about a third of her feathers remained. Believed to be dead, she lay on the floor in her barely-conscious state and witnessed the patrol beat and murder her mother for sullying proud Ouranian blood and bringing such an abomination into the world. Raesha's body was thrown out of her lofty home because they felt a half-breed b*****d child's body had no place in their sacred treetops.

Days later, Raesha woke up having barely survived, no longer able to fly with her destroyed wings. After regaining some wits, Raesha gathered up the feathers torn from her wings from where they fell around her and limped off out of the forest without any belongings, anxious to get some distance from the forest before the patrol came back. She swore to wreck vengeance upon all the Ouranos for killing her mother, and also upon the Petros for being responsible for her existence. The torn bits of her wings seem to be the perfect tool by which to serve her vengeance--she used her own torn feathers to fashion flights for a quiver full of arrows which she plans to use to kill her kin. Raesha fled initially to the other elven and human races of the land, but soon discovered exactly what her dark skin meant and found nothing but hostility and more attacks wherever she went. It was not long at all before Raesha began to hate all beings and even developed a deep self-loathing.

It has now been many years since her mothers tragic murder (she is now the equivalent of 15-17 human years), and Raesha travels around surviving on what she can hunt or steal--her top and belt have been stolen, that's why they are too big for her, also her weapons were stolen (probably off of bodies after she dispatched of their owners! *eep*). Raesha has never been trained in fighting and rather fights very much like a feral cat. She fights mostly out of anger and when she attacks it's in a wild-slashing, high-energy fit of rage.

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Ref pics: (please click for full view)
...and 100+ more HERE.</center>


race: half Helion (sun elf), half Human
age: appears to be in his mid-30's, is actually closer to 100 thanks to his elven blood.
Personality/attitude: gentle, relaxed, reserved, strong with a quiet confidence. in mourning.
skin tone: tanned
eye color: light greyish-blue (more gray than blue)
hair: sandy, dirty blond. Loose, unruly natural curls. Shorter in front and around face--side-swept bangs fall about mid-eye length then taper around face till hair on sides and back fall just above shoulder length.
face: long and narrow. square jaw line, high, sharp cheek bones. Long narrow nose, flat on top. Deep-set eyes. Short pointed elf ears peek out through hair. wide silver ear cuff near top of ear.
body type: very tall and slender. Well toned, long, lean muscle's.
clothing: Close fitting long-sleeved shirt with a mandarin collar. Body of shirt is long and almost tunic-like. Silver embroidery/trim around collar and cuffs--a viney/leafy pattern. Brown sword-belt worn over tunic, hanging loosely further down on the side with the long sword. may also hold pouches for money, ect. Close fitting, light brown pants. Knee high medium brown leather boots--same color as belt. Long brown cloak.
All his clothes are kinda rich-looking in style, but are rather worn and faded from many years of wear.
weapons: a matching long sword and short sword. silver with plain black grips--similar to picture, but no ridges. Short sword should be about 1/2 to 2/3rds the length of the long sword.
COLOR CHART!! If you are drawing Adwen, please use this chart for reference when coloring! ^__^


History/story:
(very brief and not very well structured for now ^_^ wink Being half elven, Adwen enjoys a longer life then the humans he was raised among. He married a human female of the same age when they were young, but 70 years later she had died of old age while he remained the Human equivalent to about 35 years old. Adwen left the human settlement he was raised in when his wife died and now travels around. He has been mourning his wife for several years now and with help he may finally be able to move on. He comes to Neila's aid as she is being attacked by an angry mob. He doesn't care about the color of her skin--just that she is in trouble. He himself knows discrimination well as Humans can be mean when those you grew up with grow old and die yet you remain largely unchanged. He helps Neila survive the attack and as they are heading in the same direction, they decide to travel together. Because he is mourning his wife still, Neila trusts him not to try and take advantage of her. As they travel they become very close and eventually fall in love.


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If you are drawing a couple picture of Adwen and Neila, please feel free to pm me and ask for a more detailed account of their relationship. :3 Also, please note--drawn together, Adwen should stand about 8 inches taller than Neila, and appear about 15 years older. :3

<center>Couples gallery</center>

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wee 1st post~ heart

Yikes, I'm bookmarking this!
I entered on of your earlier contests under my old usename, ghoststory, let's see if I can do something better this time. 3nodding

I for one am nowhere near sick of your contests nor you ^o^ I really like your characters, and I like the way you treat your contestants. 3nodding

And oh! *points* Miss Neila has a new outfit? The outfit on the third and fourth ref pic posted in the thread... I like the design ^__^ What kind of outfit is it? Is it for a special occasion or from when she was still living in the Underdark? Or is it stated somewhere and I just missed it? (If so, I humbly offer my dearest apologies)

And I learned something new, too! "Jugendstil" means "art neuveau" translated to English. 3nodding A good friend of mine bought a couple of illustration books on art neuveau, on our class trip to Prague the year before we graduated. ^^ I always liked the style a lot, and maybe even more so the thought behind it... to enchant your everyday life with a little beauty... *trails of caught up in memories and thoughts of beautiful things*