ASAP - Awesome Stuff for Awesome People [Art/Post Contests]

Feeling awesome?

Yes!	55.6%	[ 10 ]
No. :(	5.6%	[ 1 ]
Obligatory pollwhore option.	38.9%	[ 7 ]
Total Votes:			[ 18 ]

[The Tortoise]

Awesome Stuff for Awesome People

In a nutshell, this is an entirely non-profit charity made for the purpose of fostering the spirit of generosity in Gaians, then redirecting that generosity to the people that make the site a better place to be. This isn't about buying penguin slippers for people just because, but rather finding a way to say 'thank you' to the genuinely kind and open people that help keep our hope for the community alive.

I believe that there are still good people on Gaia, even if the last eight years have made me doubt it from time to time. I want to find those people, and make their stay here just a little bit better. So join me, everyone who shares my vision, and let's remind ourselves that the spirit of the community is still alive.

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You'll never fill out a form in this thread, never be made to feel like a number on a spreadsheet. That isn't what this thread is about. Instead, you should feel free to chat with anyone in the thread, without the pressure of feeling like your posts are being counted like tickets in a raffle. Just be yourself, have fun, and relax. There is no judgment here, nobody basing your worth on what items you have (or don't have), so come on in and stay a while, make this thread one that people want to stay in, rather than just one visited out of the desire for handouts.

[The Tortoise]

The many and varied rules governing your posting behavior within the confines of this finely crafted thread:
- Follow the TOS.
- Don't be a douchenozzle. If you think something would be against the ideals of this thread, it probably is. Don't post it.
Any form of begging will be met with the harshest e-glare I can manage and immediate removal from consideration for any donation.
- Hit 'n' run posters won't win anything. You'll know if you're doing it, I'll know if you're doing it, so don't do it.
- If you're looking for a specific item, feel free to note it in your first post in the thread.
- Repeatedly commenting about your desired items gets a frowny face from me, so don't do it.
- Quoting any of the opening posts is a serious no-no. Don't you dare touch that quote button.


On the subject of donations:
- Everything you donate is given back to the community. Nothing that you donate to this charity will ever be used for my personal gain. Not a single gold piece, not one piece of trash. Nothing.
- Everyone who wants something donates something. If you want to win an item, you make a donation, simple as that. If all you can spare is a single gold, then that qualifies you.
But be honest with yourself when you're doing this; if you're looking for something worth a million gold and you put a hundred in the pot, it's probably going to be a while before there are funds enough to even consider your item for donation.
- Trades and gifts are both open. Donate in whatever fashion you prefer.

[The Tortoise]

Current Funds
926,000

Items
- None, currently -

[The Tortoise]

Hey there, fellow Gaian. I'm The Tortoise though I've gone by two dozen or so other names in the years I've been here.
I originally joined on the very tail end of 2003, though that account has been lost to the ages, which is where this one came from.
This account was created in 2004, and has served to remind me just how old I'm getting ever since (22 years and counting!).
I'm a digital artist by trade, but don't let that confuse you into thinking I can make anything approaching avatar art.
I make pictures of people pretty for a living, but I can't even draw a circle on my own.
I'm a huge music buff, and listen to just about everything that isn't death/thrash metal.

Why are you doing this?
Why not? I think awesome people should be rewarded for it; that's really all there is to it.
I know I wish people would have randomly gifted me things for being me when I originally joined.

What's in it for you?
Not much, by the typical standards. I want people to be happy, and I want to be the source of that happiness.
Knowing that I've accomplished that is reward enough for me.

Why now?
Honestly, I wish I had done this years ago, but I never really had the funds to start it up.
I'm not one for haggling with the Exchangers, and my luck with the marketplace has never been particularly good.
I have enough in the way of assets now that I don't mind starting the pot off with a solid cash infusion of a million gold.
I hope that others will keep this going with their own generosity, but I believe I can make a good number of people happy between my starting
donation and the gold I can come up with before it runs out, even if nobody else contributes.

What if I want to donate to you, not the charity?
Direct donations? Thanks, but no thanks. If you really feel the need to do something for me specifically
(and I stress that charity donations are preferred), I'm always looking for quality art, whether avatar or otherwise.

[The Tortoise]

Current Events


Art Contest
Contest ends: February 28th, or when an entry renders me catatonic from sheer awesome.

Since this thread is just starting and I lack the skill to make them myself, art for banners is currently being rewarded with a solid 50k for the best entry.

Anyone interested in creating original headers for the thread (one for each section) will likewise be rewarded. Submissions for this category must be original art (no copying and changing/adding words to something already made!), made in a 10x3 format. Entries need not fit the existing motif (such as it is), but do need to to follow a cohesive theme and come as a complete package. The best entry for this category will receive 100k and eternal gratitude.

Alchemy: Transmute: 1,000g to 100k
Contest ends: As soon as available funds reach 200k above initial investment.

This one's easy. Simply donate at least 1k gold to the charity, and you're instantly entered into a drawing for 100k. No frills, no strings attached. If you're donating purely out of the goodness of your heart, please make a note that you don't want to be entered into this drawing.

Chatterboxes Unite!

Every five pages, someone in the last 15 posters wins a cash donation*. No matter how many times you post on a given page, you'll only be entered once into the random number generator. If there haven't been at least 15 unique posters in a given 5-page period, this will be extended as many pages as necessary.

*Donation amount depends on available funds, and is subject to change without warning between donations.


Please note: all contests are subject to the rules outlined above, so be sure you understand them
(really, there aren't very many; go read them if you haven't yet).

Donors (AKA: Awesome People Who are Awesome)

Shilosaur - 70k
CindyBishop - 10k

[The Tortoise]

*clips ribbon*

Aaaaand we're open! Let's see if the rest of Gaia mirrors my enthusiasm. biggrin

[The Tortoise]

I was not prepared for how fast the Charity board moves. *watches posts zooming by at 90 mph*

[The Tortoise]

Hello, Gaia. I desire to throw gold at you. Indulge me.

[The Tortoise]

This must be how chihuahuas feel when great danes run through the dog park. *observes massive charities flooding the page*

[CindyBishop]

Hello c:

[The Tortoise]

Hola!

Let's see... for awkward conversation starters, the menu today has: weather, music, and only-halfway-joking comments about Gaia selling out to commercialism. Your pick!

[Cawissa]

heart

[Zomya]

Hello there. ^^

[The Tortoise]

MsKrispE

heart

And a lovely floating heart to you too, my good sir/madam!

[xXcarbonated_pandasXx]

Hello fellow Gaians of the world....and you Tortoise!!!!
I am currently questing monochrome keido (i know...yikes)
I have been running a charity for some time that has recently closed its doors after donating about 14.5 million gold to new gaians.
I will help others as much as a i can...
How are you guys?