I apologize to everyone who has sent me messages, posted up art or journals, or commented on my page. I haven't been on dA much for the past couple weeks because my life has been so hectic.

My grandmother passed away this past Saturday, and I am deeply mournful. I was supposed to go up to see her in South Carolina this upcoming Spring Break (only thirty-something days away), and although I know she is no longer in pain and is in a better place now, it just breaks my heart that I couldn't see her one last time. The funeral will be in Cape Cod, MA, but only my mom and her brothers and sister will go to it, though the entire family will all meet in South Carolina sometime soon afterwards (both dates are yet to be decided).

My social life has been crazy as well. I've been getting involved in a couple organizations, meeting new people and hanging out with a wider variety of people, trying (and failing) to find a boyfriend, and trying to work through some rough edges. Jeez, I took a lighter classload this semester, expecting to get a break from what I went through last semester, and life decides to complicate itself in other aspects to pick up the slack.

Although I did manage to finish one artwork (which I will be submitting soon), I've had extreme difficulty getting any drawing done. Rather, I still have 15+ nearly-done sketches, and I have yet to go back and finish one. Those sketches include the next OIAI page and a Deidara and Tobi humor comic (don't y'all miss those? ), along with various Team 8 and ShinoHina fluff.

Well, I deleted all of my messages and deviations, since there was way too many for me to handle, and I'll try to get back into the habit of responding sooner, with this new clean slate of 0 messages.

Contest Theme: This contest is all about underappreciated characters. Characters like Naruto and Sasuke get plenty of attention; it's time to let other characters shine.

Prizes:
First Place- 3 month subscription, a feature in my journal, and a request art from me
Second Place- 1 month subscription and a feature
Third Place- A feature

Rules:
1. Multiple characters are allowed. However, certain characters are not allowed because: Naruto, any Uchiha, Sakura, Kakashi, any of the Akatsuki, the Sanin, Hinata, Shikamaru, Temari, Neji, Lee, and Gaara
2. No pairing fanart. There's plenty. ^^
3. All mediums are allowed. So, fanfictions, cosplays, 3D art, etc can be entered into the contest.
4. It must be a work submitted AFTER today. You can't submit old deviations. The purpose of the contest is to inspire more art.
5. It must be your own work. A wallpaper featuring someone's else's fanart or screencaps is not elligible.
6. No bashing of any character in your entry.
7. You can submit up to 2 entries.
8. Anyone can enter the contest. You don't even have to be a watcher to join.
9. Rules are subject to change during this week. I may have forgotten something, since I'm typing this at 2 am and I'm tired.

How to Enter
The deadline for entries will be January 30. Send me a note with a link to your entry if you wish to enter.

Voting
Voting will begin right after the deadline. Anyone can vote in the contest, even visitors who aren't watchers. Since I'm not the only voter, making a fanart of one of my favorites (like Shino) won't necessarily win the contest. It could win my vote, of course, but I'm not the only voter. So don't feel pressured to create something to appease just me.

Entries So Far (36)
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NEXT KIRIBAN: 250,000 PAGEVIEWS

My manga coloring: Shino, ch. 394

My fandom essays:
In Defense of DeiSaku
Deidara Character Analysis

*HatakeKelley's essays:
Countering Common Anti-NaruSaku Arguments
Ch. 386 Analysis
Deidara is Superior to Sasuke

Collab essay:
Why Yamato's Comment to Sakura Shouldn't be Dismissed
Debating the Common Arguements for NH/SS