Just quick (or not so quick) guide to something or some useless/helpful tips/hints for something. PM me if you want to add something/disagree with something.
Hey guys! This is a guide to avatar Arena entries, for all those contestants.
heart UPDATE!!!!! Categories section added, and FAQs slightly updated!! Also, Thank you X-Ayame-Vampire-X for your lovely comment!
heart UPDATE!!!!! Fixed a huge mistake. I listed "Cosplay Avatar: Animals and Objects" under original. Its now fixed, but I understand how much of a huge mistake it was. I also fixed something in the categories section. My apologies, Gaians! Besides all my mistakes, I added a navigation section and an "Awesome/Horrible List", and tweaked the names of some sections, as well as fixing the Original Avatar's organization.
heart UPDATE!!!!! I fixed something in the categories section, the same thing I "fixed" last update. And I fail you guys yet again. xp I also changed the color that the updates section is printed in, the word "UPDATE!!!!!" is still dark blue, but now this fancy text here is black.
heart UPDATE!!!!! I proof read again, fixed more grammar mistakes and a few broken emotes, and I just realized where my idea for the "Baby and Me" example came from. I had seen it in the arenas a while back and had the idea floating around in my head, not realizing that it was not my own idea. Wow, the false "original" ideas the mind creates. Anyway, I have added a disclaimer on the example. I also added a disclaimer at the bottom of the page (sue me I'm paranoid!).
heart UPDATE!!!!! Heh, after seeing the reactions of some to an avatar titled "My Avatar," I now realize the error of my ways and have changed the titles of some of the examples. *facepalm* It is now fixed.
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Navigation:
Introduction
Navigation [What you're reading now]
Awesome/Horrible List
Layout Sample
Original Avatar: Normal Avatars/Roleplay characters
Original Avatar: Original Characters and Other Creations
Cosplay Avatar: Characters (anime, video games, TV shows, movies, books, ect.), people (actors, politicians, ect.)
Cosplay Avatars: Animals and objects **COMING SOON**
Problems and Issues: Glitches, mistakes and how to deal with them [an FAQ] **UNDER CONSTRUCTION**
A Quick recap on the rules
Categories
Reference Pictures
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A list of the Gaia's most awesome people ever:
X-Ayame-Vampire-X for being the first to comment and having such nice things to say!
A list of Gaia's worst of the worst:
None. Lets keep it that way!
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Layout:
BAD:
Title:
Avatar:
Description:
Corrections: (In italics)
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GOOD:
Title:
Avatar:
Description:
Corrections made: (in italics)
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ORIGINAL AVATAR: Normal Avatars/Roleplay characters
BAD:
just me! (OR: please vote for me! OR: My avataar!)
hai im kookychan n this is how i l0ok i thout it wuz nce so plz vote hai cause i ned teh gold so i can pae for stuffz tanx
Corrections: Ok first off, the title. It's ok to say "just me" or "my avatar" or even "My roleplay character" as long as you don't beg for votes or gold.
The image, is an starter avatar. It has not been changed or altered since created. Please have an avatar worth at least 200 gold, UNLESS it is put together in a different way others have not yet thought of, i.e. a cow with some kind of item on it that looks like something else.
The description should avoid heavy chatspeak unless that is part of the character personality. Also use capital letters when needed, and acceptable grammar. Don't beg for a high vote because you need gold. "Please vote fairly" is acceptable.
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GOOD:
The One and Only Kooky-chan
Hi, I'm Kooky-chan, this is my avatar, and I thought it looked nice so I submitted it into the arenas. I love water, so I'm almost always dressed in blues and whites. Please vote fairly, and possibly leave a comment. Constructive criticism appreciated!
OR
Catherine Jean, my role play character
This Catherine Jean, Kooky-Chan to her friends, my roleplay character. Kooky is waitress and attends Ster Academy with her friends, when she falls in love with a customer at the cafe she works in.
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BAD:
Catherine Jean In waiter outfit
This iz Cathy. AKA Kooky in hr w8ter otfit n she fellen in luv witt a cutumer
wahmbulance wahmbulance SET ALERT SET ALERT SET ALERT DANGER CONTESTANTS DANGER wahmbulance wahmbulance
Oh no the avatar triggered the set alarm! I'm going to have to bring you in for questioning. Don't use sets as a cheap fix for a real avatar. You can use them if you make it original looking, but this is just plain and unoriginal.
Also, the grammar and spell checks are a nice touch xd Female waiters are usually called waitresses.
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GOOD:
Catherine Jean, My roleplay character, in her waitress outfit
This Catherine Jean, Kooky-Chan to her friends, my roleplay character. Kooky is waitress and attends Ster Academy with her friends, when she falls in love with a customer at the cafe she works in. [Note: The cafe she works in requires waitresses to wear a frilly uniform, like the ones in Japan]
There is some kind of indication she is a waitress in this avatar. The colors match unless they are meant to collide and she tells us why she needs to wear a uniform to work, and a little bit of her story. You can also try a roleplay-format description, but role-players can fill in the blanks here, because I suck and you REALLY don't wanna see me roleplay! razz
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ORIGINAL AVATAR: Original Characters and Other Creations
BAD:
baby n me
1ce upn a timme i found a baby in teh wo0d and i tok it house and momy said i could eep it so nows i take care of it wit mah boyfriend and me
*WITHOUT STORY*
This is a avatar of girl who found a kid inn da wood and shen raised it wit her bf
Wow. Ok where do I begin? Once again, proper grammar and spelling. There is no indication this girl was ever in the woods. How the heck do you find a baby in the woods and keep it? Where is the boyfriend spoken of? The avatar does not reflect the description except for the baby.
This is indeed based off an old arena entry, I had the idea in my head but didn't know where it came from. I will change the example as soon as I can. My apologies to the actual creator!
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GOOD:
My new baby sister
**I have always wanted a little sister, ever since I moved away from my friends. I know they will never be lonely because they will have their siblings, but I won't. But one day, a miracle occurred! I heard the cries of a baby, and there was a young baby girl! I didn't know how she got there, but I scooped her up and took her home. My mother could not leave her out in the cold, so we took her in and cared for her as my new baby sister, along with my boyfriend.
*WITHOUT STORY*
This avatar is of a girl who finds a baby in the woods, and raises it as her sister with her boyfriend and mother.
**IMPORTANT NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
Please excuse how badly made this avatar is. It's suposed to look like she was in travel clothes, but I didn't like the look of the set and I really have "Creater's block."
Much better. Forest background, a story, and I tried to make it look like she was wearing travel-appropriate clothes. Also, you can try it without a story!
This is indeed based off an old arena entry, I had the idea in my head but didn't know where it came from. I will change the example as soon as I can. My apologies to the actual creator!
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BAD:
cow and fluffie
1 day a cow was walkin in da meadow wehn he flound a peice of fluff and it starting taking to him hi tere cow nice to meat u it said to him now they r bffs and r alllway togeher
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GOOD:
The cow's unlikely friend
One day there was a cow who lived freely in a meadow. While strolling around, he found a strange ball of orange fluff. He poked it with his hoof and to his surprise, the fluff began to talk to him! Ever since then, they have been best friends, and the fluff often rides on the cow's back while talking.***
***NOT-SO IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Yeah, this one was total fail. Sorry for the crappy storyline. And the crappy avatar.
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Do's and Don'ts
Do tell what the avatar is in the title.
Don't beg for votes in the title or in the description.
Do use acceptable grammar and proper spelling.
Don't use heavy chatspeak UNLESS the character personality calls for it.
Do have an avatar over at least 200 gold.
Don't use all or most of the items in a set unless you make it original looking.
If the person does not speak english, this is a grammar and spelling exception.
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COSPLAY AVATARS: Characters (anime, video games, TV shows, movies, books, ect.), people (actors, politicians, ect.)
BAD:
The Lovely Princess
guess who i am i'm zelda i'm always getting kidnapped save me link![No reference picture]
The title does not tell us who she is cosplaying, nor the series the character is from. The description does not tell us what specific game, Zelda's appearance varies from game-to-game. A reference picture is very important, you may lose votes if the voter does not know what the character is supposed to look like.
[NOTE: Zelda does not have red hair, and is missing her cloth-thing in front of her, as well as her shoulder armor I don't have a reference pic though so trust me on this because this is a guide not an actual entry sorry]
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GOOD:
[Princess] Zelda from The Legend of Zelda:Twilight Princess
I'm the beloved princess of Hyrule, Zelda, holder of the triforce of wisdom, and sadly, my kingdom is under control of Zant, the Twilight King. The land is covered in Twilight, leaving all but myself and the hero of time, Link, as mere spirits. Being imprisoned in my castle, it's up to Link to save us now...
[Reference pic that shows frontal view or all views]
It doesn't have to be in character, but its often more fun that way! Out of character would be:
Zelda is the beloved princess of Hyrule and the holder of the triforce of wisdom. Hyrule is, sadly, under control of Zant, the Twilight King. The land is covered in Twilight, leaving all but Zelda and the hero of time, Link, as mere spirits. With Zelda imprisoned in her castle, it's up to Link to save Hyrule.
You can try a story, too!
Zelda sat, looking out the window, a hopeless expression on her face. The sky outside was bleak, and dark, and although it was early morning, it looked like twilight. She gently whispered to herself, trying to figure out how she let this happen to her kingdom... [INSERT CONTENT THAT TELLS STORY BECAUSE YOU SHOULD LET YOUR IMAGINATION FILL IN THE BLANKS AND MAKE IT YOUR OWN STORY DANG IT]
This tells us about the character, what series she's from, and a little bit of information without giving spoilers.
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COSPLAY AVATAR: Animals and objects
**COMING SOON**
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Do's and Don'ts
Do use proper spelling and grammar unless the character's personallity calls for it.
Don't use all or most of the items in a set.
Do tell who the character is and where the character comes from in the title
Don't ignore reference pictures that don't show up, put a URL in the description!
Do have a nice, frontal view of the character in the reference pic, that has not been altered to fit the avatar, nor a picture of a different out fit then what you are cosplaying.
Don't forget to give a little insight to what the character's story is, or what they do.
Do put a description.
Don't beg for votes in the title or description.
Do put a spoiler warning in the description if there are plot spoilers.
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PROBLEMS AND ISSUES: Glitches, mistakes and how to deal with them [an FAQ]
Help! I submitted the wrong avatar!
Ouch, this can sting, it costs 1000 gold! Find your entry, post in capital letters a note explaining your issue on the comments, and check back every so often to post the message again if necessary. Next time, watch your avatar on the right of the submit page and submit again. OR, if you're feeling lucky, also post the link to the avatar you intended to submit in your comment.
I accidentally messed up the description, how can I fix it?
You can't fix it right there, but you can try to get the message across.
Post a comment in capitals that says "CORRECT DESCRIPTION HERE!!!" or something like that, then post the right description. You can hopefully get the attention of voters. Post repeatedly if you like, but only if your post is bumped away from the top, other wise you can face charges for spam.
I'm not sure what category my avatar should go in, what should I do?
Look at other avatars in the arenas,and review the rules(section below) and the Categories section.
[TO BE CONTINUED *DUN DUN DUN*]
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Quick recap on the rules:
1. Submission costs 1000 gold and is non-refundable!
2. When you submit your avatar, a snapshot of it will be saved onto Gaia's servers.
3. You will not be able to change your submitted avatar or your description after the contest has started.
4. If you provide a reference image, it must be under 500,000 bytes in size. Reference Images will be displayed as 160x160 pixels.
5. Choose the right category: -------- VERY IMPORTANT!!!
'Cosplay' if your avatar is dressed up like a well-known character/object/animal/person [I.e. A goldfish, Zelda (from the Legend of Zelda), tree]
'Original' if it is your own made-up character or theme [Roleplay characters, your avatar]
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Categories:
It's a cosplay if it's:
1. An Animal
2. A well known character from an official book, show, series, anime, manga, or other piece of art work or literature
3. An object
4. Its an actual, well known person (I.E. The president)
It's original if:
1. It's a character you created (even from a well known series,I.e. you created Lestat's older sister [Anne Rice, baby!])
Important notes:
If a well known person is changed to fit a theme,
I.E. Princess Sarah Palin, Sarah Palin in a dress and tiara with lots of fancy stuff
It would be in Original
Once again, my apologies, this would most likely be cosplay, as long as it is recognizable as that person.
Its original. You can shoot me now, angry arena contestants.
If its a well known person in casual attire you made up,
I.E. Geoge Bush in an ordinary T-shirt and Jeans,
Then its a cosplay
If its a well known person dressed as they appeared in a public event
I.E. Tom Cruise dressed the way he appeared on the Oprah show
Then's its cosplay
If it's a well known person dressed in a made up outfit that matches his or her occupation,
I.E. A famous lawyer in a suit and tie? (I really don't know)
Then it's cosplay
This is debatable and if you disagree feel free to place your avatar where ever you see fit, these are suggestions and not strict rules.
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Reference Pictures:
A good reference picture shows the frontal view of a character, in decent lighting, that has not been altered to match the avatar. A color picture is good, if possible. Its should show the outfit that is used. (i.e. A cosplay of Konata Izumi from Lucky Star in her Summer Uniform should show her in her Summer Uniform, not in Winter Uniform or casual clothes) Also, if the reference image doesn't show up, put the URL of the image in the description! Not everyone knows who the character is, I once saw an entry of a cosplay avatar who said "everyone knows who dey r neways!!!1111!!111!!!one!!1eleven!!11!" and it was a character I've never heard of, which I found out later was from an anime I've never heard of until then.
From the Do's and Don'ts section of this guide: (Also some added do's and don'ts)
"Do have a nice, frontal view of the character in the reference pic, that has not been altered to fit the avatar, nor a picture of a different out fit then what you are cosplaying.
Don't ignore the reference image altogether if the character is not obvious. [I.e goldfish would not really need a reference image, but Zelda would]
Do put the URL of reference image at the end of your description as well as in the reference image box-thing."
From Gaia's "submit" page:
"If you provide a reference image, it must be under 500,000 bytes in size. Reference Images will be displayed as 160x160 pixels."
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There it is. In plain red and white. I hope it's helpful, and good luck to all those contestants!!
heart ~FireQueen heart
The Legend of Zelda, Zelda, Link, Hyrule, the Triforce, Zant, Lucky Star, Konata Izumi, Ster Academy, ect. all belong to their respective owners. I am not associated with Nintendo, Bandai, or others. arrow
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