Awareness of the Arts: Voting Closed

Update:  The judging phase is taking longer than expected, as all choices are quite divided. I have sent a note to the other judges and we will come out with our final decision as soon as possible. I hope you understand how difficult this decision has been.

Anita

You have until July 23rd to read the entries and get your vote in!

When judging a multi-contestant contest where two are competing as one, there are things that one must consider:

How well executed is the art?
How well written is the literature?
But most important:
How well do these two deviations work together to tell a single story?
Did they stick to the theme: Journey?

When looking through our entries that is what the judges will be looking for, and I hope that is what you will be looking for as well. Try not to look at the deviants that submitted the work and pick your favorite people. Try to look at the wonderful work accomplished by these wonderful people!

More Questions? Look in the section under this journal for common questions.

*Please note: Not all of our contestants speak English as their native language so please judge less on grammar and more on content of their work.

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*IMPORTANT CONTESTANTS PLEASE READ THIS AND COMPLY* Now, this must be said: I would love the contestants to share this journal so that we get more voters, but in the spirit of fairness please do not outright ask your watchers and friends to vote for your work. (Just ask that they vote on their favorites.) I will see when this journal is tagged and well if you do you will be disqualified for well... un-artsmanship like conduct... conduct unbecoming of a deviant... hmmm something like that. (Oh, and feel welcome to vote for your favorites as well, and yes you may vote for your own work. I am not completely unreasonable.)

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I am asking for each voter to select their favorite pairs in the following format:
1st:
2nd:
3rd:
HM:
Please only write the number assigned to the pair beside the places.

If you decide that you rather not read through all of the literature entries, please add "art only" to your voting comment.

Our official Judges:

*Judges* feel free to rank all 33 pairs*
When you are finished send me a note with your choices.

Now on to the entries
these are not listed in any particular order
Art will be shown first and literature second (some of the thumbs look the same)

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1.
So Far...
  So Far...
Dragging my feet over the ground,
Voices ring, I can’t stand the sound.
They echo deep within my mind
As I try in vain to leave them behind…
They say that I’m not good enough
To see this life through.
Their words batter me, so rough
As I start to see Blue…
There is no end in sight,
No shining figure of white,
But if I keep walking I might
Find that gleaming light
My one true reason to fight…
I’d need to fly or walk on water
To finally in person, really see Her
And it doesn’t matter
That I’ll probably never
Actually make it there
I’ll still try to fight forever…

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2.
Reborn
   RebornThe last breath of this world leaves my lungs,
The life leaches from my limbs.
Making way for darkness-
In my empty body…
But my soul is still bright.
I am still here,
Though not.
The shell I once inhabited,
Has been left behind.
Abandoned in the world I knew,
I now move forward.
I do not know this place…
It is dark.
Though it welcomes me with open arms,
Embracing my fragile existence.
Where I am now…
It is dark,
But warm.
I am cloaked, safe,
Hiding in space,
Where there is no more danger,
No hurt,
No pain.
I feel it as it begins:
New flesh,
Forming over me.
I can feel every cell,
Every part of me as it grows,
Encasing me anew.
My freedom is short lived,
Though not unwelcome.
The ecstasy of newness,
Each limb as it forms around me,
Is bliss.
Pure creation…
Happening all around me.
New arms encircle new legs,
A different curve to the spine,
Changed hair brushes new skin.
Altogether familiar,
And at once not.
New eyes,
To see the world,
I am born in.
Transformed,

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3.
A New World
      
If you are unable to read the PDF file I took the liberty to copy and paste the Literature piece in the comments of her work.

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4.
Langely's Journey
    Langley's JourneyLangley held the dragon scale between her thumb and forefinger, her eyes locked on the gentle glow it gave off in the darkness of the night.  If the legends were to be believed, it meant that the dragon to which it belonged to was somewhere nearby.  Finally, the young girl’s journey would come to an end.  For days, she had been making her way through the vast forest, desperately searching for the dragon who had saved her life—and been captured shortly thereafter.
* * *
The day had started out like any other.
“Bye, Mom!  See you later!”
Langley had barely finished scarfing down her breakfast when she bid farewell to her mother, rushing out the door before anyone could stop her.  She knew that if she stayed another second in the house, her mother would start lecturing her on how dangerous it was to go out alone and how she needed to stop being such a “reckless child.”  Langley had heard it a million times, and didn’t

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5.
Journey of Reflection

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6.
Train
   19/5/2017 - TrainEveryone said that the train station looked gloomy. After sitting on a cold metal bench for two hours I could start to understand what they were talking about. The ticket office doors had peeling red paint and they didn’t close properly, so the wind would whistle through the open crack.
The people who built it had made an effort to turn it into a nice looking station so that they could show their town at its best. There was a large model train that was as tall as a small child on the platform, the carriages were plant pots that could have once had pretty flowers planted there. However, the pots were overgrown with weeds.
An announcer called out ‘The next train to arrive, calling at platform 1, the 12:45 Welsh train service to nowhere. Calling at nowhere.’ The same was repeated in Welsh.
I stood up from a bench and stared down the tracks to the right. There still wasn’t a train in sight, but I could hear a faint rumbling. All of a sudden the first carriage came i

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7.
Beyond the Void
   Beyond the Void
Where does it lead?
I often asked.
What awaits one on the other side? Joy? Or misery?
I always pondered.
Within my small town, no one dared to step into the Great Nothing. Its darkness drove all away, and those who had ventured into it had never returned. Only blinded fools had let themselves tempted by this forbidden boundary.
Why was that?
My mind would repeat.
But nobody knew. How could they? Those poor souls who had never been away from their homes. They all despised the sombre unknown void that started where their world ended. But they also disliked me, my curiosity and my drive for answers.
So one day, as others were sleeping, I awoke among those drowsy ones and heard the darkness calling me. I stood up and marched, lantern in hand, towards the surrounding void.
I felt my head pulsing, and as my heartbeat increased, I stepped into the Great Nothing.
The ground beneath my feet became cold and my faint light seemed subjugated by such penumbra. The Nothingness was vast and empty, th

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8.
Journey into the Inner Self
   Journey into the Inner SelfI begin a journey into my inner self:
Planets pass me by.
Eternal flight through endless depths;
I wonder where the end is.
From nowhere flash clouds of galaxies,
Where I thought I could only see darkness.
Infinity in which I live!
Journey into the inner, deep inside me!
Infinity, which I see into the face again.
Everywhere it spreads.
Does it form a circle? Does it stop somewhere?
If so, where can infinity find its end?
I flow, quietly, one evening,
Lying exhilarated on a flower carpet.
It is blue and silver, glamorous, dreamy.
I fly as high as I can dream,
Open up my soul.
Wind caresses me gently;
Sunshine kisses me tenderly.
Arrived at the stars,
Peace moves into my heart.
At the end of a rainbow
Resounds the melody of my heart.
It is so beautiful, so pure its sonority
Like a magic symphony.
The journey so long, infinitely great:
I can travel into the unknown known.
The carpet slides down to the ground.
And I find a soft bed in the dense forest moss.
Seal of Solomon, grown very quic

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9.
We will Travel Everywhere Together
   We Will Travel Everywhere TogetherArdais walked all over the world
He has been to China
Been to America
Been to The North Pole
And been to the South Pole too
He has wandered through time
And he wandered other dimensions
All the time he just looked
And he never got involved
He saw terrible wars
And horrible famines
And massive destruction
On a planetary scale
All the time he just looked
And he never got involved
One day he saw a young girl
She was in a bombed out city
He turned to go away
And leave her there
She cried out to him
She could actually see him
He looked at her, amazed
He took her with him
He still travels the multiverse
He goes to unearthly planes
To lost dimensions
He still travels everywhere
But now they travel together

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10.
As it Comes
   As It Comes
As It Comes
5-04-17
There was a time I thought of him in every moment of the day,
The little man he could have been had life not gotten in the way.
My heart was heavy, sore and sad, it weighed me to the ground,
I startled like a frightened deer at every tiny sound.
Grief held my heart hostage in its grip of icy pain and power,
As I lay there barely lucid and counting every hour.
I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, I couldn't stand the light…
But then again I had no energy even in the night.
I would have cried him dams of tears had the opportunity arisen,
But all I had were circling memories in the barren wasteland 'numb' had given;
Though to this day I think my heart had to be numb in order to survive and cope.
A little numb brings with it calm and a tiny ray of hope.
As days clocked by I learned that sleep heals many open sores,
And time will pass, no matter what, and slowly open doors.
Calmness brings with it a rosy tint through which to look and see,
That what I ha  

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11.
Journey Throughout the Year
  JOURNEY THROUGHOUT THE YEARJOURNEY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR
In the forest,between the trees,
Step by step comes the Spring;
Every petal of the flower to be -
Opened with drops to make them free.
Start the year,sprout new hope,
Give the strength and power to cope;
Every insect has work to do -
Helping Life become the truth.
In the sky,between the splatter,
Beam by beam comes the Summer;
Every fruit has time to grow -
Bring the seeds on the higher strow.
Lead the year,enjoy the sun,
Swim and dance, have some fun;
Every moment throughout the day -
And lovely evenings so nice to stay.
In the fields,between the awesome,
Seed by seed comes the Autumn;
Every nut has to now fall -
Striking the rhythm in a colorful ball.
In the midyear,ripe and sweet,
Give the taste of healthy treat;
Every bite has power to give -
Take the chance and start to live.
On the ground,between the splinters,
Flake by flake comes the Winter;
Every life will go now to sleep -
Gather the power for next year's trip.
End of the year,end of the journey,
G

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12.
Endless
   Endless [Contest]I had wondered for days on end,
traveling place to place. 
Not ever stopping more than once,
and only to take a break. 
I looked high and low,
far and wide.
I never did find such a place,
to rest my weary soul.
It dawned on me after a while,
of what this journey lacked.
A purpose, a goal,
a final destination.
A journey I had started on,
but one that would not end.

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13.
Nostalgia
  

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14.
The Will of the Wind
The will of the Wind- I am so anxious… what about you?
- What is to be anxious for???
- Whether it will all go smoothly…
- You have been told, haven’t you, that thousands of thousands like us did it before …
- But…this is our first time…
- Yes… First and last.
- Your jokes make it even worse …and if luck is not on our side… and there is no second chance.. what then???!!!????
- Nothing.
- Oh, just when I imagine this “nothing”…
- Don’t imagine then… bad fantasies bring nothing good…
- Shall we read fortune, perhaps??? I saw a daisy growing somewhere near around…
- Why?! Do you really believe in some rubbish like fortune telling???
- No, of course not. And yet…sometimes it does ease the nerves… Fortune, misfortune… Fortune, misfortune…
- Look, can you NOT do it out loud???
- Ah…sorry… Of course…
- So. Why did you suddenly grow gloomy???
- Well, it’s nothing.
- Was i

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15.
A Moment of Clarity
  <da:thumb id="685488232"/>

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16.
The Road Ahead
   The road ahead
Trapped in a car and I can't seem to turn around
Slowly yet surely losing all my ground
High-strung and my instincts void
Dead set while everyone's content and poised
That's what it's like
When travel has lost all its sense
No fuel in the tank, no signpost, no path
No defense, I can clearly see the end
Keeping my eyes on the straight and narrow
A thousand electric eyes I see
A single step out of the line
Will be the end of me
Ever since the fifth gear I knew there'd be a exit
Not a matter of when but rather where it is
Will I give in, because soon I know I'll slip
Like watching a junkie witnessing his last hit
I took a look and said to myself, "This is it"
Right on the trigger but could never begin ignition
It seemed like out of nowhere I was brought to a full stop
By some four car maneuver between gravel and a drop
They told me to wait
Be patient
There will be change
You'll be okay
And they were right
I've gotta get my passion back
Though I'm afraid that past has passed
And I hate, I'

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17.
With the Turn of a Page
   With The Turn Of A Page (Contest)
With the turn of a page, her journey began.
She was in the middle of the desert, braving a ferocious sandstorm. The camels had been lost a long time ago, along with all their supplies. She had to reach a camp, or she would not survive. She would just be one of a thousand travelers buried deep underneath the desert sands. 
She stood on the deck, breathing in the salty sea air. A hat sat on her head, her trusty sword by her side. She was ready to fight. Looking to the first mate, she nodded. The cannons fired, and the battle began. 
She ran through the ruins of an ancient temple, holding an amulet that she knew was cursed in her hands. Unexplainable tragic and horrible accidents followed her along her path to the bottom of the mystery. 
She sat in a putrid cage, about to face certain death. She held hands with him, and they cried together. Tear-stained face tilted up, she experienced a salty kiss with the person she wanted to be with in her last breaths. 
She executed

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18.
Son of the Desert
  

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19.
Journey Through Life
  <da:thumb id="689045195"/>
 

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20.
To the Adventure
  To the Adventure
Little hot-air balloon, painted eyes, eternal smile, what are you doing up there?

I once heard a sweet voice, down on the ground. Fragile and white, a paper princess who told me she was mine. And she wanted to go, she wanted to see, she wanted to get out of her crystal cage. So I told her to come, and we flew up to the sun. And she saw all the mountains, she saw all the seas, she touched the stars and rode on the wind along with me. I got used to hear her laugh, and I knew so well that gleam in her eyes.
Little hot-air balloon, painted eyes, eternal smile, what are you doing up there?
She once asked me to wait, she said she would look for a friend. And we came back to the ground, and she left, and she came back with him. Shiny and silvery, a tin knight who told her he was hers. So I told them to come, and we flew up to the sun. And we saw again the same mountains, the same seas, the same stars and the same winds. The knight f

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21.
Pearl of Life
   Pearl of LifeWhat had begun as a normal day in the waters swiftly changed as excited chatter filled the cavern. A shift in the water current foretold of the coming events and thousands upon thousands of mermen crammed into the small space. As the last few trickled in, a young blonde merman bumped head on with another in his haste.
“Sorry!” He hastily bowed his head but the one he had collided with was long gone.
Rubbing the sore spot, he hurriedly got into position. This was the first event in his short life as Dick 10. The excitement that ran through his veins was shared by all the mermen beside him, young or old. For this was what they lived for.
Looking to his left, he nodded at the merman next to him. The older Dick 55 gave him a wink. Grinning, he readied himself, his eyes taking in the amazing spectacle around him. Rows and rows of mermen stretched out in front of him, all of them looking identical to him… yet all so different.
Dick 30 had a foul temper, Dick 121 was always

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22.
The Wretched Mile
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23.
Finding Paradise
    Finding Paradise
Parched,
under indigo sky
I wander along a riverbed,
its dried and cracked soil
crumbles beneath my weary feet,
driven to dust,
the water long since gone…
I take a breath of arid air,
letting the wind tease through me
for a precious moment of relief
from the blistering heat
beating down upon the sand,
wondering at the fate
of my companion riverbed…
Coming across a small boat,
it half-buried among the silt
lining the dried out basin.
Taking a hand along the wood frame,
I trace my fingers along its ridges,
imagining the stories it would tell
of times when a river flowed…
Taking seat upon the bow,
my eyes draw up across the land,
rolling dunes cast in sun’s light,
nothing else in sight until at last
a glorious oasis comes into view,
sparkling palms circling
its humble pool of water…
Rising to my feet, I gaze on eagerly,
craving the paradise before me,
so stumbling forward, I trek on,
feeling my hunger rise with each step,
thoughts aplenty of drinking deeply
f

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24.
Return of the King
 

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25.
Beneath Full Sails
   

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26.
The Journey: Hilltop View
  The Journey: Hilltop ViewThe hill seemed to be never ending; the walk taking forever it seemed. She was already waiting for him at the top with her back turned to him. He stopped a moment to watch her and catch his breath.
It had been quite the journey to get here. Both worked busy schedules with little to no time off but it was rewarding to be able to see this place with their own eyes. He continued to walk, stopping only when he was standing beside her.
The view was amazing. Sprawling hills and down at the bottom of the valley were houses no bigger than bugs to them. He sighed and looked over at her when she linked her arm with his.
“So, was it worth it? The journey to get here I mean”
“You mean going half way across the world and spending the day hiking to get here? For this view? Yeah it was”
They had decided that it would be a good idea to take a trip to some of the most remote places in the world, meeting the locals and hiking where they could. He looked out over the valley again.

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27.
Journey Through Life
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28.
The Girl and the Mirror
  The Girl and the Mirror 
The Girl and the Mirror
        Ariadne was a special type of girl, the sort that wasn’t content with just living in the norm.  You see, deep within her heart, she was an adventurer.  With every beat, it begged her to go out and explore, to see what was out there beyond the window of her room.  Ever since she could walk, she just loved to wander off out of sight from her parents, to explore the world.  But the world wasn’t big enough for her, it knew that, and so did she.
        I suppose it was fate really, that she stumbled upon the tiny, out of the way antique shop, whilst walking home with her mother, one warm summer's afternoon.  It spoke to her, as she passed the old, dark wooden shop front, with its golden treasures hidden within.  It felt like home, and despite her mother’s protests, she’d leapt right in anyway.  T

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29.
The Puppet's Journey
  The Puppet's JourneyMother's neglect and Father's beatings
Helped teach me whose voice matters most:
Mine, for fate is a puppet, and I learned
How to properly dangle the strings
That my parents nearly cut.
First I had to clean them of scars, bruises,
Labels such as "good-for-nothing" and "air waster",
And the haunting image of readying myself
For another swing of Father's belt while wishing
Mother would stop standing there and call 911.
At first, it seemed the strings would remain polluted;
I ran away from home, but ran right into a world
That had no compassion to spare for a weary soul.
Stares and silence were all I got from those
I asked for help, and I felt like I had climbed out of Hell
Only to fall right into Satan's personal hot tub.
In my nightmares were images I failed to forget:
The burned hot dogs that cost me three days' worth of meals,
Broken dishes that nearly caused broken bones,
A furious swear word that got me swept off my feet and into a wall,
And every other action that my parents, demon

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30.
Paradise Lost
  Paradise Lostyour words were honey to my
aching ears - everything i dreamed my
perfect paradise
your love was                        
just what i wanted and
-i
took hold without              
hesitation now the world is
    decaying all around me
i'm living on fumes my lungs can barely
touch, your words shine like rubies against
all the death i see but
                                i-
(want/remember) the world before your tempting words,
before the flavor of forbidden fruit - before the ache of
never            
good        
enough
(now i-
unwrap your coils
from my neck and
i-
   reach up and i-
   

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31.
Journey
  journeyThere were thousands of them leaving the city. Stupified and dejected they marched disorderly forming a snaking river of fear and humanity. 
That is what this city did. It hit you over the head and concussed you. It altered your brainwaves and stopped you from thinking straight. The high rents that left you skint, the resentful looks from strangers on the street, the everyday rudeness of litter of the streets. That is what the city was. It was nights in the pub with you mates, clothes shops staffed by beautiful people selling the latest gear, coffee bars owned by hipsters and corner shops run by immigrant families. You couldn't escape the bad air, bad gangs, bad neighbours and even bad morning traffic. It was frustration and opportunity. 

Reza hated it now. He hated it so much. He spent a little bit of every day thinking how much he would enjoy seeing in burned to the ground or shelled out of existence. So he walked trying to keep his eyes down on the grimy

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32.
Between a Lizard and a Dragon
  Between a Lizard and a DragonTazz has alway known he wasn’t like his siblings. They loved to creep around the forest at night, jumping out from the trees to scare and snap up innocent little insects, opening their creepy red mouths and widening their freaky eyes. Their special brand of gecko seemed to have been created solely for the purpose of being mean, cruel and cold. Tazz would rather imagine the adventures he’d take if he were anything but a lizard.
 He was often the butt of the joke in his family. But even the biggest dreamers can only take so much.
 After one particularly foul prank of his siblings, Tazz finally gathered his courage and spoke up. ‘I don’t want to be mean anymore.’ No matter how courageous he thought he was, even he could hear his voice quiver. ‘I don’t like being cold.’
 ‘You don’t like being cold?’ Luci mimicked him. Mocked him. ‘What, are we too cool for you?’
 Levi snickered, smackin

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33.
Following in Mosaic Footsteps
   Following in Mosaic Footsteps        Rasheed wouldn't tell anyone his last name.
        He knew it would make him stand out, as much as he didn't know the strange feeling of being a foreigner in the place he was born—until now. He needed to discover what his adoptive English father either didn't know or couldn't tell.
        The dry wind carried up dust from the road. A sparrow perched on the fence cocked its head at him, then jumped to the ground, seeking refuge from the Palestinian sun.
        "Five days," he said aloud. Five days remaining to find answers about his family.
        He stepped over deep-rutted tire tracks in the road and turned west, his eyes seeking out the beautiful minaret that rose above the roofs of the city. Few would take kindly to a boy his age wandering the streets alone, but he prayed no one would stop him.
   

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There we go all 33 pairs in this years Awareness of the Arts: Journey Contest!

Into the mind of a judge, I am adding this here just incase you are wondering what goes into judging so much art. Not everything is face value, sometimes you need to look deeper, you need to know your contestant. How does this work look compared to their other works (did they try)? So many art mediums how to judge? Well it is obvious that you cannot completely judge off of aesthetics, you need to think of the difficulties that each medium poses and how each person overcame them. But, the most important bit is how well each piece helps to tell their partners story! I am not expecting expert art entries just as I do not expect literary genius, but I know it when I see it.

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So, please take your time, I know that I will, and consider the hard work of all of our contestants. (not just your friends) Then give me your choices.


Amarantheans 


Note: I will not be accepting votes from accounts newer than the date this was published. I will not accept votes from secondary accounts (yes, I will check). In the end popular vote will be highly considered, however our judges will have the final say.