Thank you for the invite, I look forward to getting to know you all and hope to join in the fun!
A bit about me: I joined Gaia in 2003 but had a very long hiatus shortly after 2004. When I returned a few months ago I saw how extensive the item library had become. I joined a Runway for fun, and got 9th place for my first entry. Needless to say I got hooked haha I lost quite a bit of sleep those first few weeks of getting accustomed to what cutters were, and scouring item guides!
Nowadays I save my creative energy for themes I’m really excited about, while creating avis for Cosplay or my OCs in the meantime.
Outside of Gaia I am a watercolor artist, and I am currently writing a YA fantasy trilogy. I also love to crochet.
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Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2026 8:01 pm
Aww hi, what a lovely introduction! I'm so glad you are here heart I've been back for about two years now and I too was so like, excited and almost overwhelmed by HOW MANY items gaia had it's kinda amazing. now my inventory is so crazy I can't even navigate it emotion_rainbow
are you thinking about trying out for the cycle 8 of catwalk since you like runway so much?
you have so many interesting hobbies you should totally share your work sometime emotion_kirakira no pressure emotion_bigheart
I believe you'll find yourself among many fellow oldies here--I first joined Gaia around the same time as you did! Hard to believe...
Whether or not you choose to audition, we hope you'll stick around for some fun emotion_yatta Things are quiet right now as we just recently wrapped on our last contest cycle, but we hold regular mini-contests as well!
Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2026 8:47 pm
It's so nice to meet you! This is an amazing community, and I hope you enjoy your time here. Be sure to share your favorite styles with us! I'll keep an eye out for you in the Runway.
I know what you mean! Getting plat/items is so much easier than it used to be, it's getting hard to organize my inventory, and don't get me started on finding that one item you know you have but have no idea what the parent name is. xd
I think I'll watch cycle 8 so I can get a good idea of how it works before I try out. 3nodding I was looking through a couple past cycles last night and it looked so fun! The only thing I was having trouble figuring out was the timeline. How long each cycle is, how long you have to complete each theme etc... I want to make sure if I apply I will have the time to dedicate to my entries if I got in.
I am also unclear about how eliminations work, as I only saw what I think is the winner for each theme listed for past events. (But perhaps it was somewhere in the feedback section that I missed?)
I would love to share my hobbies if anyone is interested! I am actually thinking of making a thread that showcases some of the worldbuilding blog I have going on Substack for my fantasy book where I share my illustrations. 3nodding
Do you like to paint, write, or crochet?
Picaru
The early days on dial-up heheh! It's so nice to see others who are still here two decades later! heart
Mini-contests sounds so fun! I'm hoping to learn how to expand my avi building techniques as well...for instance I have never really used noses. As an ancient one they looked so off to me at first! xd
xXAcid_FreeXx
Nice to meet you as well! Does everyone share their favorites in personal threads in the general forum?
Thanks! I just got 3rd for the "Ride with Me" theme. I was not expecting to place at all haha I just had fun with the cosplay xd
Do you participate in Runway often?
Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2026 2:00 pm
Elora Lore
heart Thank you for the warm welcome! heart
I know what you mean! Getting plat/items is so much easier than it used to be, it's getting hard to organize my inventory, and don't get me started on finding that one item you know you have but have no idea what the parent name is. xd
I think I'll watch cycle 8 so I can get a good idea of how it works before I try out. 3nodding I was looking through a couple past cycles last night and it looked so fun! The only thing I was having trouble figuring out was the timeline. How long each cycle is, how long you have to complete each theme etc... I want to make sure if I apply I will have the time to dedicate to my entries if I got in.
I am also unclear about how eliminations work, as I only saw what I think is the winner for each theme listed for past events. (But perhaps it was somewhere in the feedback section that I missed?)
I would love to share my hobbies if anyone is interested! I am actually thinking of making a thread that showcases some of the worldbuilding blog I have going on Substack for my fantasy book where I share my illustrations. 3nodding
Do you like to paint, write, or crochet?
ouuu I wanna try and answer some of your questions here at the top: How long does it last: - ok so typically for each challenge, it's one week for the contestants to build and submit their entry, and then the judges get one week to review and submit their scores. so like, if there are 14 challenges, you can double it. Oh and the final challenge at the end usually gets two weeks I think. So it's a bit lengthy but also, as long as the judges are given a heads up about time issues it's almost never a problem if something comes up
eliminations: -judges collaborate and score each entry based on several factors, then combine them to get an overall average. so like, they each have a score sheet and then the final scores are averaged out to determine the winner with the highest score. These scores aren't posted outright, only the judge feedback, but they can be received on request! (EX: 90.5, 96.7, 97.13, 97.13, 93.5 - 94.99 average)
oh my gosh you have a fantasy novel in the works, that's so cool whee and you have the capability to like, visualize it on a page too. not everybody gets to have both skills!! idk what substack is but that seems nifty, is that the one where you subscribe to keep up with stuff?
I dabble in art (I like copic markers) but mostly I like to COLLECT art/hobby supplies and hoard them in my spare room xd oh and art books, I like to hoard those as well
I know what you mean! Getting plat/items is so much easier than it used to be, it's getting hard to organize my inventory, and don't get me started on finding that one item you know you have but have no idea what the parent name is. xd
I think I'll watch cycle 8 so I can get a good idea of how it works before I try out. 3nodding I was looking through a couple past cycles last night and it looked so fun! The only thing I was having trouble figuring out was the timeline. How long each cycle is, how long you have to complete each theme etc... I want to make sure if I apply I will have the time to dedicate to my entries if I got in.
I am also unclear about how eliminations work, as I only saw what I think is the winner for each theme listed for past events. (But perhaps it was somewhere in the feedback section that I missed?)
I would love to share my hobbies if anyone is interested! I am actually thinking of making a thread that showcases some of the worldbuilding blog I have going on Substack for my fantasy book where I share my illustrations. 3nodding
Do you like to paint, write, or crochet?
ouuu I wanna try and answer some of your questions here at the top: How long does it last: - ok so typically for each challenge, it's one week for the contestants to build and submit their entry, and then the judges get one week to review and submit their scores. so like, if there are 14 challenges, you can double it. Oh and the final challenge at the end usually gets two weeks I think. So it's a bit lengthy but also, as long as the judges are given a heads up about time issues it's almost never a problem if something comes up
eliminations: -judges collaborate and score each entry based on several factors, then combine them to get an overall average. so like, they each have a score sheet and then the final scores are averaged out to determine the winner with the highest score. These scores aren't posted outright, only the judge feedback, but they can be received on request! (EX: 90.5, 96.7, 97.13, 97.13, 93.5 - 94.99 average)
oh my gosh you have a fantasy novel in the works, that's so cool whee and you have the capability to like, visualize it on a page too. not everybody gets to have both skills!! idk what substack is but that seems nifty, is that the one where you subscribe to keep up with stuff?
I dabble in art (I like copic markers) but mostly I like to COLLECT art/hobby supplies and hoard them in my spare room xd oh and art books, I like to hoard those as well
The timeline seems very reasonable. Thanks for clarifying and answering my questions!
I really love world-building and sketching out my ideas, and I’m not a person who can visualize in their head so it’s fun to work up and actually see my characters on front of me haha!
I just found out about Substack this past year! Substack is kind of like a blog and newsletter combined. When you subscribe to someone’s blog you then get each blog update in your email so it’s really convenient if you don’t want to be on another app but still want to see the artist/writer’s content. It's a great way to slow-build a community of people who are interested in your work.
Copics are so challenging! I love watching how you can blend them. 4laugh I’m totally that way with yarn, sometimes I just buy it cause it’s pretty. It’ll find it’s way into a project one day…and if it doesn’t it’ll still just look pretty. xd
And 100% on the artbooks, I always feel like I need a better display for them, there are so many good ones! What artbooks in your collection are your current faves?
Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2026 7:18 pm
Elora Lore
FaithEmblem
Elora Lore
heart Thank you for the warm welcome! heart
I know what you mean! Getting plat/items is so much easier than it used to be, it's getting hard to organize my inventory, and don't get me started on finding that one item you know you have but have no idea what the parent name is. xd
I think I'll watch cycle 8 so I can get a good idea of how it works before I try out. 3nodding I was looking through a couple past cycles last night and it looked so fun! The only thing I was having trouble figuring out was the timeline. How long each cycle is, how long you have to complete each theme etc... I want to make sure if I apply I will have the time to dedicate to my entries if I got in.
I am also unclear about how eliminations work, as I only saw what I think is the winner for each theme listed for past events. (But perhaps it was somewhere in the feedback section that I missed?)
I would love to share my hobbies if anyone is interested! I am actually thinking of making a thread that showcases some of the worldbuilding blog I have going on Substack for my fantasy book where I share my illustrations. 3nodding
Do you like to paint, write, or crochet?
ouuu I wanna try and answer some of your questions here at the top: How long does it last: - ok so typically for each challenge, it's one week for the contestants to build and submit their entry, and then the judges get one week to review and submit their scores. so like, if there are 14 challenges, you can double it. Oh and the final challenge at the end usually gets two weeks I think. So it's a bit lengthy but also, as long as the judges are given a heads up about time issues it's almost never a problem if something comes up
eliminations: -judges collaborate and score each entry based on several factors, then combine them to get an overall average. so like, they each have a score sheet and then the final scores are averaged out to determine the winner with the highest score. These scores aren't posted outright, only the judge feedback, but they can be received on request! (EX: 90.5, 96.7, 97.13, 97.13, 93.5 - 94.99 average)
oh my gosh you have a fantasy novel in the works, that's so cool whee and you have the capability to like, visualize it on a page too. not everybody gets to have both skills!! idk what substack is but that seems nifty, is that the one where you subscribe to keep up with stuff?
I dabble in art (I like copic markers) but mostly I like to COLLECT art/hobby supplies and hoard them in my spare room xd oh and art books, I like to hoard those as well
The timeline seems very reasonable. Thanks for clarifying and answering my questions!
I really love world-building and sketching out my ideas, and I’m not a person who can visualize in their head so it’s fun to work up and actually see my characters on front of me haha!
I just found out about Substack this past year! Substack is kind of like a blog and newsletter combined. When you subscribe to someone’s blog you then get each blog update in your email so it’s really convenient if you don’t want to be on another app but still want to see the artist/writer’s content. It's a great way to slow-build a community of people who are interested in your work.
Copics are so challenging! I love watching how you can blend them. 4laugh I’m totally that way with yarn, sometimes I just buy it cause it’s pretty. It’ll find it’s way into a project one day…and if it doesn’t it’ll still just look pretty. xd
And 100% on the artbooks, I always feel like I need a better display for them, there are so many good ones! What artbooks in your collection are your current faves?
omg I'm like, on a nostalgia kick with Amy Brown faeries. I had some of her books in high school but lost them over time, and I'm going about collecting them again now. do you have a favorite art book right now?
you may recognize some of her work, for a while she was on tshirts and journals
substack sounds really cool, you should absolutely do it like, not just because of a chance to build up a fan base but it also sounds like a really great way to keep up with your progress it also sounds like there is much more possibility for profit at some point, unlike say... tumblr ha ha
oh yeah have you taken a peek at the auditions so far? so many good ones already! man with such a big prize just for auditioning im surprised there aren't more already gaia is so slow right now
omg I'm like, on a nostalgia kick with Amy Brown faeries. I had some of her books in high school but lost them over time, and I'm going about collecting them again now. do you have a favorite art book right now?
you may recognize some of her work, for a while she was on tshirts and journals
substack sounds really cool, you should absolutely do it like, not just because of a chance to build up a fan base but it also sounds like a really great way to keep up with your progress it also sounds like there is much more possibility for profit at some point, unlike say... tumblr ha ha
oh yeah have you taken a peek at the auditions so far? so many good ones already! man with such a big prize just for auditioning im surprised there aren't more already gaia is so slow right now
Oh, the art does look familiar! How lovely heart
Yeah, I’m really digging Substack so far, was working today on my next art post for one of my characters!
I was thinking of just watching this cycle to get the idea of it, but I wonder if I should audition anyway? It seems like there’s enough time to get at least one in. :3 I haven’t seen what the prize is, is it listed in the cycle thread?
