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Group CompetitionTheme: Hela- Associated Symbols
This theme was suggested by *Thorskegga for our first group competition. It sparked my imagination so I thought we could go along with it. Feature the Norse Death Goddess with any of her associated symbols; be they plants, animals, runes, colours or anything else you can think of.
Below are some ideas:
Rune: Ear
Herb: Hemlock
Tree: Yew
Stone: Obsidian
Animals: Wolf/dog
Colour: Brown
Element: Earth
Planet: Moon
Direction: South
Body Point: Feet
Constellations: Ursa Minor
(source: [http://shadowlight.gydja.com/hela.html])
This is just a starting point; you are not at all restricted to using the symbols featured here. Her symbols vary according to the source material you have gathered your information from. So long as you can trace your chosen symbol to a reasonably reliable website or book that has some plausible connection to Hela, I won’t be too picky.
You can choose any medium: layout design, traditional/ digital painting, short stories/ poet

Illustration Contest Mark II (One week to go!)

4.23 The deadline approacheth! For those of you still working on your entries, better get a move on!
This was such a success last year that I'm doing it again for my 25th birthday!
The Challenge:
Pick your favorite story from the list below and draw a scene or characters from it! I try to be diverse in my writing; Action, drama, science fiction, romance, humans, robots... There should be something in there for everybody. This year's pool has some old classics and some new favorites. Some characters have reference pictures already, but some have never been visually depicted before. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Some stories contain characters that belong to other people but feel free to draw them as well. You may enter as many times as you like.
The Rules:
:bulle

Sounds kinda familiar...Hey everyone, NotCras here with another entry from the future!
There’s a gel that will instantly clog up wounds, called Veti-gel. Sounds familiar? Well some of you are probably thinking of Medigel, the all-purpose health pack in the universe of the sci-fi videogame Mass Effect.
Earlier in March a junior undergraduate at NYU, Joe Landolina, was reported to have made this gel. So how does it work? Veti-gel is a synthetic form of the extracellular matrix, a term that refers to the “scaffolding” in the body that holds cells together. If there was a disturbance in this scaffolding, it would also trigger the clotting process to fix it. It will also activate platelet cells to help the body deal with the wound, going so far as to helping the platelet cells change shape and stick together to plug the wound faster and more effectively. It even eliminates the need to apply pressure to the wound. “It looks, feels like, ad acts like skin.” Landolina has been quoted say

Admin Needed!Hey guys.
With our growing galleries and busy admin, SFH needs more help! We are primarily looking for people who can work our galleries and help make our artists own folders look great, but also have varied opportunities for blog writers, interviewers, people to help out on our other networking sites and any other good ideas you may have yourself.
No experience required - bring your own life jacket.
If you are interested leave a message or note me to let me know what you can do, or what you're happy to have a go at. Anyone with a free hour a week or who can regularly pop in and out is welcome to apply.
Hopefully normal service will be resumed soon.
Thanks everyone.

Your OC + 1 Competition.There will be a competition for our visual artists soon, but for now we are focusing on our writers.
Have you spotted an OC in our group that you would like to write about? Maybe get them together with your OC? Well that's the premise of this comp.
Your task is to write a piece of fiction starring your OC and an OC chosen from our gallery.
Feel free to write any theme and include any other characters - just be sure to keep the focus on your OC + 1.
You need to:
1. Choose an OC from our gallery.
2. Ask permission from OC's creator for use in a fanfic for this competition.
3. Bring your OC and your chosen OC together in a story - of no more than 5000 words, max!
This task, should you choose to accept it, is all about character interaction, and the unique story bringing two OCs together like this might tell.
Once you have written your story; in order to enter this comp you must:

Credit the artist of the +1 OC appropriately, with a link to them.

State that your sto

First OC feature!Finally! Here comes the feature!

Of course, Don't forget to contact the creator of the OC and ask them for permission, Then credit them once you finish your piece!
Ok, enough talk... Go ahead and read this NOW! and of course, enjoy!
Aians:
Wait! Is that a Typo? What the heck is Aian?
Well, Aian is a WONDERFUL new race created by ~DeadlyBruin, who also created an awesome OC, Rean.

This noble Aian is pretty cool! This whole new race thingy… and the fact that he’s searching for Shepard is all more great!!
You can learn more about Raen and Aians in general here: http://deadlybruin.deviantart.com/gallery/ !!
Batarian

“Batarians are one of the least likable species, Batarians are so grumpy and not cool at all” -- wait a sec! Have you seen Groff yet? He’s a very lovable Batarian! Just read his profile and you’ll see what I mean!
Groff appears in

Happy Easter, Folks! (Also, news)First of all, I'd like to wish a Happy Easter to everybody here on DA! I hope you folks have a ton of fun, eat a little chocolate, and of course, dye hard.
Wait, what?
Here's their official "declaration" of war, though keep in mind they've already technically been at war for over 60 years: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/03/30/heres-north-koreas-official-declaration-of-war/
Here are two things to keep in mind:
1) While North Korea does have at least a few nuclear missiles, they can only go so far.
It's estimated that North Korea's missiles could only go as far as Hawaii (If even that far), and while that would be bad for the tourism industry (not to mention the folks living there), it's a far cry from hitting the White House, or even a particularly significant military target.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/03/29/north-korea-almost-certainly-lacks-basic-technical-capability-to-carry-out-its-big-war-plan/
2) North Korea is vastly

Welcome to the Group!Hello, everybody!!
After :iconezri-krios:'s long, painful nagging, (Seriously guys, Go drop some llamas on her for coming up with such a great idea and being generally awesome

) this group has come to life!
The purpose of this group is to share our lovely OCs, so that other Mass Effect writers and artist can use them in their work --after your permission of course. You can learn more in this journal entry: http://fav.me/d5ynezp
The rules are very simple; only profiles and pictures with information about the OC are accepted here. Sothat you can browse the galleries easily, and when you see someone that would fit your story/work/theme whatever, simply contact the creator and tell them about your plans. and you can ask them questions to get to know the OC more if you wish too. There will be a journal feature for all the OCs every once in a while. We'll also feature the other stories/pictures where the OC appear in

If you want to create a profile, you can use

Writers, where do all the OCs go? I'll tell you.This started with :iconEzri-Krios: Original Character competition. You can find out who won here:
But there were so many great OCs created, it would be a shame for them never to be seen or heard of again. :iconRama-Kay: came up with a great idea.

Why not gather all of the OCs in one place ( with their creator's permission of course) so that they can be used by other writers in their stories. You can read more about it here in =Rama-Kay's journal
I think this is a great idea.

If you are wondering, will another writer will use my character? The answer is YES . I was working on an OC to add to the mix in First Came Duty when I read =Rama-Kay's idea. So if you have an OC go ahead and and add him/her/it to the growing list. I will be selecting someone for a role in First Came Duty.

I can't wait to see the list of Characters submitted.
Use the OC Profile created by :iconEzri-Krios: to introduce everyone to yo

Making Babies!***Warning: Long article Ahead***
So I was surprised in two forms this morning.
First and foremost I learned that the original character I created a while ago called Axios has won first place in :iconezri-Krios: 's competition and will feature in her wonderful work (Absolutely recommend it to any Mass Effect fan-fic fans out there – it is amazing as is her alternative companion piece 'Fighting the Good Fight'

.
I am totally flattered, especially considering when I made Axios I was, and still am really, a fledgling on here totally intimidated by all the amazing stuff around me. I still feel like a very small fish in a very large pond!
But equally as surprising I logged into both DeviantART and FF.net to find I had personal messages from people asking for advice on how to create characters that people will love as much, if not more so in some cases, than the canon originals in fanfiction. Well, I was a bit stumped because it is something I don't really think about – or fe

Mosobot - Being a Deviant Artist.:iconmosobot64: is a wonderful and very varied artist. She's been here for about a decade and decided to share her experience on dA with us

Enjoy!
~~~~~~
Rama: What can you tell me about yourself and your start as an artist?
Mosobot: Well, let's see, as of now I've been on DA for nearly a decade, and as a non-professional artist I go back at least that far.
One thing that's always been consistent about me is that I've always been dreaming about new worlds, and over time I've gradually been improving my skills at expressing those ideas.
I basically got into art for the sake of my over-active and adventuresome imagination, I suppose.

Rama: Well, that's a such a long time, How did you learn about DA and why did you really join?
Mosobot: I think I learned about it on a fluke a long time ago, I don't even know where.
As for why, well, back in the day I used to draw with plain ol' pencil crayons, but mainly I wrote fanfiction (I was a kid, bear with me), so

Why Sexism Rampant in the Gaming IndustryFound an interesting article about this topic from The Huffington Post, thought of sharing with you guys, here's a snip;
- Crane's question of why there aren't more women game creators? Or, why don't more women play video games?
Here's a revelation that should have happened sooner: an industry that continually considers "50% of world population is a 'niche' market, while 18-25 year old males (~5% population) are 'core' [sic]," according to one male game designer on Twitter, is going to attract fewer women to their product.
Ditto an industry that dismisses game concepts for not being "f**kable" and apparently told their female leaders "we don't need women in order to know what female players want from this industry," according to two other tweets. So when an industry is unrelentingly sexist, women don't flock to it! Who knew? -
You can read the article here> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/29/1reasonwhy-reveals-sexism-gaming-industry_n_2205204.html?ncid

Rules of WritingGood, straightforward advice for all writers out there.
Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling
(Originally tweeted by Emma Coates, Pixar's Story Artist.)
You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.You gotta keep in mind what's interesting to you as an audience, not what's fun to do as a writer. They can be very different.Trying for theme is important, but you won't see what the story is actually about til you're at the end of it. Now rewrite.Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You'll feel like you're losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front.Finish your story, let go even if it'

SFH Featured Artist: Mothbanquet“I believe in a few simple things; quality writing, deep characters and well-constructed plot lines. I do not write fluff or fan-pleasers. Instead, I try to bring something new and fresh to the Mass Effect audience, something they will enjoy and always remember.” ~ *mothbanquet
*mothbanquet, our Featured artist, is an aspiring author who’s been writing Mass Effect Fanfiction for 3 years now. He’s recently took that big step of turning pro, and started his professional account *jjgrimshaw and I encourage everyone to check his work and give him support 
In this interview, he’s talking about his different methods, his life as a writer, and experience! -- Please read and enjoy!
Rama: What can you tell me about your start as a writer?
Mothbanquet: My start as a writer could be likened to a mechanic who spent his childhood tinkering with toy cars, or a cheap back-alley surgeon who...well, you get the idea. I taught myself from

SCI-FAN-HORROR GROUP SPECIAL FEATUREThis time i want to feature some art ( my apologies if the 90% are horror, i´m not a real fan of sci-fi and fantasy, but it don´t means i dont appreciate the other artists) of one of my fav groups here. Real Sci-fi/horror/fantasy lovers, great collection of art and specially, rocking people who support other artists and no licking asses, really cool people. So this one is for you all.

Check some literature here http://sci-fan-horror.deviantart

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Submitted: March 17, 2012

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List of Contests

by =IsoldeColleen, Mar 17, 2012, 7:25:03 AM
Journals / Personal

Each time you see this journal in your messages, it means that the contests have been updated.

__

Hello members and watchers!

I've decided to make a journal that will include the list of contests being held by our members or affiliates. If you want me to include your contest on this list, send me a note or leave a comment here. Kiribans are also welcomed.

Contests (in chronological order):

*FedericoMemola's Book Cover Contest ends on May the 31st, 2013. More info:

CONTEST AND PRIZES!ITALIANO
Salve a tutti. Come alcuni fra voi probabilmente ricorderanno, negli scorsi due anni ho indetto un concorso per la copertina dei volumi "Sexy & Chaotic", dedicati a Myriam, una delle due protagoniste di Agenzia Incantesimi. Quest'anno, per la terza edizione del concorso, ci saranno sostanziali (e spero graditi) cambiamenti.
Il primo, e più importante, riguarda il cambio di soggetto: il volume del 2013, dal titolo "Enchanting", sarà infatti dedicato a Jasmine ed è quindi lei che dovranno ritrarre le illustrazioni in concorso. Il soggetto è libero, l'unica richiesta è che abbia come soggetto Jasmine, possibilmente (ma NON obbligatoriamente) mentre compie un qualche incantesimo a vostra scelta (il cui effetto non è necessario vedere, può anche semplicemente "emettere luce dalle mani", un classico). Magari con qualche bell'abito elegante (esatto, questa volta il tema non è erotico!). Come sempre sono escluse dal concorso immagini pornografiche o violente.
La seconda novità è costi

~Lexi247's Desing an OC Contest ends on May the 31st, 2013. More info:

Design an OC Contest! Win 300 Points!Hi everyone