The guests are starting to arrive! Dear friend Wallace (aka ~Nisori) and his lovely mom are here (apparently looking to play some D&D ) along with the lovely ~Lonely-Invisible (who is setting the bar for excellent captions, be sure to read them all). Hope to see some more of you soon!




I think it's time for a brand new Holiday Tradition, so welcome to Jade's Holiday Stocktail Party (and Contest)! It's a party. It's a contest. It's probably a couple other things that I haven't figured out yet.

The concept is simple: I'm hosting a (virtual) Holiday Party and you are all invited. You attend the party by submitting stock images of yourself in your favourite party mode. Each image must be accompanied by an interesting description that tells who you are (of course you can be fictional if you like) and/or what you are up to at the party. The description can be as long or short as you like, but it has to be there.

If you like to write, but can't bring yourself to get in front of a camera (or vice versa) then hook up with a partner and collaborate - just like at a real party! (Be sure to credit both yourselves.)

The party is also a contest because after the deadline I am going to give prizes for various things like:

- Coolest Image/Caption
- Goofiest Image/Caption
- Most Creative Image/Caption
- Most Congenial
- Etc.

Bonus points will be given for riffing on each other's images and captions (remember to link to the image you are riffing on).

The prizes will include 550-cord bracelets, small Holiday Stocktail Party prints, mentions in journals (and possibly shows), and maybe more...

(If anyone would like to offer specific prizes for specific categories, and also be the judge for that category, please send me note.)

Just a couple rules:

- All images must be submitted as Stock and must be accompanied by a related caption/description.

- Either through the image or the caption it has to be obvious that you are at the party; e.g. festive or swank attire, lampshade on head, party-going back-story, you get the idea...

- You can submit as many entries as you like, either as the same or different characters, but each entry must have a unique and relevant caption.

- No 'mature' content (as defined by dA) - it's not that kind of party

Deadline: 11 January 2010 (so we can celebrate all the holidays from here to New Year and a little beyond)

Remember, it's a very big house and all sorts of things can happen at a party this size; dancing, mingling, flirting, dueling, games of chance, thievery, eating, caroling... I can only imagine what you crazy folks might do for fun, and that's the point; so have fun.

Can't wait to see you all here.

Happy Holidays,
Jade

PS. Please let me know if you have any questions.

.

======================

Jade's Stock Photo Request Policy:
----------------------------------------
As of March 2008, the only stock photos I will produce will be collaborations. If you need something specific for a project, I'd love to hear your pitch. To clarify, I'm not looking for ideas (I've got plenty of those), I am interested in collaborating with serious artists who need specific images or references. Please see this journal entry for complete details: [link]

======================

Jade's Stock Usage Boilerplate
-----------------------------------
The rule of thumb with my stock is: (Almost) No Rules. Do whatever non-commercial thing you want with them. If you need them to help you make a little dough that's great, just contact me so we can work something out. Thank you.

======================

Curator of:


======================

Host of P O R T F O L I O, Dangerously Cool, & DS2 and Autumn Country's Liaison to the Real World

-

I think it's time for a brand new Holiday Tradition, so welcome to Jade's Holiday Stocktail Party (and Contest)! It's a party. It's a contest. It's probably a couple other things that I haven't figured out yet.

The concept is simple: I'm hosting a (virtual) Holiday Party and you are all invited. You attend the party by submitting stock images of yourself in your favourite party mode. Each image must be accompanied by an interesting description that tells who you are (of course you can be fictional if you like) and/or what you are up to at the party. The description can be as long or short as you like, but it has to be there.

If you like to write, but can't bring yourself to get in front of a camera (or vice versa) then hook up with a partner and collaborate - just like at a real party! (Be sure to credit both yourselves.)

The party is also a contest because after the deadline I am going to give prizes for various things like:

- Coolest Image/Caption
- Goofiest Image/Caption
- Most Creative Image/Caption
- Most Congenial
- Etc.

Bonus points will be given for riffing on each other's images and captions (remember to link to the image you are riffing on).

The prizes will include 550-cord bracelets, small Holiday Stocktail Party prints, mentions in journals (and possibly shows), and maybe more...

(If anyone would like to offer specific prizes for specific categories, and also be the judge for that category, please send me note.)

Just a couple rules:

- All images must be submitted as Stock and must be accompanied by a related caption/description.

- Either through the image or the caption it has to be obvious that you are at the party; e.g. festive or swank attire, lampshade on head, party-going back-story, you get the idea...

- You can submit as many entries as you like, either as the same or different characters, but each entry must have a unique and relevant caption.

- No 'mature' content (as defined by dA) - it's not that kind of party

Deadline: 11 January 2010 (so we can celebrate all the holidays from here to New Year and a little beyond)

Remember, it's a very big house and all sorts of things can happen at a party this size; dancing, mingling, flirting, dueling, games of chance, thievery, eating, caroling... I can only imagine what you crazy folks might do for fun, and that's the point; so have fun.

Can't wait to see you all here. I wonder who will be the first guest to arrive...


Happy Holidays,
Jade

PS. Please let me know if you have any questions.

.

======================

Jade's Stock Photo Request Policy:
----------------------------------------
As of March 2008, the only stock photos I will produce will be requests. If you need something specific for a project, I'd love to hear your pitch. To clarify, I'm not looking for ideas (I've got plenty of those), I am interested in collaborating with serious artists who need specific images or references. Please see this journal entry for complete details: [link]

======================

Jade's Stock Usage Boilerplate
-----------------------------------
The rule of thumb with my stock is: (Almost) No Rules. Do whatever non-commercial thing you want with them. If you need them to help you make a little dough that's great, just contact me so we can work something out. Thank you.

======================

Curator of:


======================

Host of P O R T F O L I O, Dangerously Cool, & DS2 and Autumn Country's Liaison to the Real World

-

It's hard to believe that the 5th Annual contest has already come to a close. What a bunch of fantastic entries this year. Thanks so much to everyone who entered.

Please join us in checking out all the entries (link below) while we deliberate for a day or two. We'll announce the winners shortly.

And stay tuned, there is something new just around the corner...







That's right, we've made another complete revolution and it is time once again for the Annual Autumn Country Contest! The specifics are similar to years past; as before, we will host three categories for the contest; visual arts, literature, and audio/video. Here are the details.

The 5th Annual Autumn Country Contest

Contest Overview:

- Create original art works illustrating (or based on, or spoofing, or ripping-off, or lampooning, etc.) the stories and/or characters of Autumn Country; Djinn Productions' fictional frameworld that explores myth, folklore, strangeness, and storytelling (among other things).

- The contest includes several categories. You can submit in multiple categories, and there will be at least 1st and 2nd place prizes in each. The categories are:

Visual Arts; i.e. drawings, paintings, photo-manips, collage, etc.

Writing; i.e. stories, vignettes, screenplays, poetry (no, we're not kidding about the poetry)

Audio/Video; short film, radio play, dramatic reading, etc. based on existing or original works. (Djinn has OK'd the use of any and all official content from the site for this contest. So you could do a dramatic reading of all or part of "Confirmation" or make a film out of "White Sands". Or you could do something completely new.)

[NOTE: the lists of items above are examples, not sub-categories.]

- Although entries do not have to be brand new works of art, they do have to relate closelyto the stories, characters, themes, or ideas behind Autumn Country. So if you have something that you think will work I'd recommend submitting it.

- Judging will be based on creativity, execution, and how well the piece captures the "Autumn Country vibe".

- Deadline: CLOSED

PRIZES

Grand Prize for The Single Work, chosen from among the three 1st Prize winners, that freaks out the judges the most!

A replica of (or possibly an actual ) Autumn Country artifact; i.e. a replica of one of the Faerie's knives, one of Nicolas Martin's journals, a book of occult lore from Vic Hanover's personal library, who knows what else could pop up. (The exact grand prize will depend on who wins and what they submitted...it's spooky that way.)

First Prize in Each Category
- A permanent feature on the Shades of Autumn web site
- A 10x15 Autumn Country print
- One of my patented 550 Cord bracelets (brand new pattern!)
- Feature in my journal

Second Prize in Each Category
- A small Autumn Country print
- One of my patented 550 Cord bracelets (also the brand new pattern!)

Third Prize in Each Category
- One of my patented 550 Cord bracelets (you bet it's the brand new pattern!)


(If you would be interested in donating a prize for the contest, please send me a note and I will gratefully add it to the list.)


REFERENCES
For those of you who have no idea what the heck all of this is about: Autumn Country is here: [link] . The site itself, and how you travel through it, is a big part of the story - so have fun. There will be new content of various types over the coming weeks. (And remember, much of Autumn Country exists outside the bounds of the 'official' site).

If you want more background info you can also check out Autumn Country's site here at dA;


If you have questions or need clarification on any of this, just ask.

More soon.


.

======================

Jade's Stock Photo Request Policy:
----------------------------------------
As of March 2008, the only stock photos I will produce will be requests. If you need something specific for a project, I'd love to hear your pitch. To clarify, I'm not looking for ideas (I've got plenty of those), I am interested in collaborating with serious artists who need specific images or references. Please see this journal entry for complete details: [link]

======================

Jade's Stock Usage Boilerplate
-----------------------------------
The rule of thumb with my stock is: (Almost) No Rules. Do whatever non-commercial thing you want with them. If you need them to help you make a little dough that's great, just contact me so we can work something out. Thank you.

======================

Curator of:


======================

Host of P O R T F O L I O, Dangerously Cool, & DS2 and Autumn Country's Liaison to the Real World

-

from Danii Rosenberg's Journal
Contemplation ( [link] ), on Autumn Country

"...A September day (it is the only one whose exact date I don't know) sitting in the grass, and the grass is soft and yielding as it is in the long shadow of Summer. My mom always called days like that ‘sweater weather’, when the breeze brought the chill down from the Smoky Mountains, and I had one on, bright red with yellow cuffs.

It is no easier to describe that first time than any of the others. There are the tears, of course, which are so much a part of the strangeness and which cannot in any way be controlled. They don't come on fast, but when they do come they are real and hard and there is nothing you can do about them. The tears, though, are just the physical part. The part that you can see.

The thing that is so shocking is how suddenly it hits you. How literally 'out of the blue' it comes. Always a perfect day, a day when everything is just right, and it is the incongruity of it, more than anything else. It's not as if you have spent the whole day sliding into a personal darkness over your boyfriend or your life or even the generally sad and scary state of the world (if you happen to believe that). That would make perfect sense and the tears, when they came, would be an expected and welcome release. No, the first punch is how out of place it seems at the time.

But the bright and shining sadness itself is the second punch, and it just knocks you on your ass. It feels like the loss of every single thing you have ever loved and, at the same time, the crystal memory - sweet and beautiful - of everything that made you love it in the first place. But worse, it is the pure understanding that even the things you haven't lost yet are only going to last for so long..."

For more true strangeness visit Autumn Country. And please enter our contest: [link]


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