Autumn has arrived, and it's time to celebrate!

We've compiled some fun activities to participate in this month, including special bonuses for literature submissions, a design contest to bring in some additional group horses, and a soft return of our old mini show format! This will be a bit of a test run to see if the community is interested in the show series being rebooted. Read on for more info!

Art by zawmbiie

Now that our current Group Horse roster has been spruced up, we think it's time to invite some new ponies to the barn!!
If you haven't seen our group horses since their update, here's a quick preview of a few of them, featuring updated designs and a brand new background:

Art by Amatheos

Please read the guidelines below carefully, and feel free to pop into our help channel if you have any questions:

• You may submit up to 6 designs to the contest.
• Designs must be created on the Import Base with the front-facing headshot visible.
• Phenotype is up to you, but must abide by the following guidelines. Click here to view our Trait Index!
  • Any coat color
  • 0-3 natural markings/modifiers
  • 0-2 anomalies (mutations/oddities)
  • Please keep in mind that we want our Group Horse roster to be varied and balanced for breeding purposes, so we aren't looking for a ton of genebombs or super rare coats! Simpler group horses are just as appreciated as fancy ones. :)
• By submitting a design, you agree that it will officially belong to the group if selected, with credit to you as the designer.
• All submissions must include the design's .psd file so that the group horse background can be added and any necessary corrections can be made. Finalization of the design is ultimately up to admin discretion, and some elements of the design may be edited - please only submit if you're okay with this!
• To officially submit your entries, head to the #group-horse-contest channel on Discord (under Current Events) and follow the steps in the pinned thread.
• Winners will be decided by staff, and will receive x2 Golden Apples, x1 Lucky Horseshoe, and 1000 coins for each chosen entry! 

This mini-show follows a similar format to our old monthly showcase, as a way to gauge interest in its return! The show is held at Whitehorse Farms (click for inspo images!) in New Hampshire, USA, and takes place over a weekend. This location was chosen for its gorgeous fall vibes, and the jumps and decor chosen for the show itself also highlight the season. All classes - Show Jumping, Cross Country, and Dressage -are held outdoors.

Judging:

• The show will be judged via RNG (random number generator), with chances/"tickets" based on the amount of xp your entry earns.
  • Note: Tickets are earned only from the "Artwork" and "Literature" categories in our XP Guide, not the "Other" category or any additional bonuses (ie NaNoWriMo bonus).
• Total tickets earned are capped at 15 per entry, even if the actual xp earned by your submission goes over this limit.
• Grand Champion and Reserve Champion will be picked by the admins - to be eligible, the horse must enter all three individual classes.

Guidelines:

• All entries must be worth a minimum of 6xp from the artwork and/or literature categories in our XP Guide, excluding any other bonuses.
  
  • For example, a headshot (3) + background (3) would be eligible, or a simple fullbody (6) on its own, but not a 400-word story (4) on its own.
• All entries must follow the submission guidelines (gallery-quality, nothing reused, no AI, etc). Entries must be created specifically for the showcase and cannot be pre-existing.
• As the show is fall-themed, please feel free to include accessories, fall-themed obstacles, etc! If a background is included, it should clearly depict the season.
• Entrants may submit up to 3 entries per class. Each entry should contain only one horse, and each horse may only enter each individual class once.
• You may enter someone else's Loshenka with permission, or feel free to use a group horse, as long as no horse is entered more than once in the same class.
• Tack and environment (dressage arena, xc course, etc) should make sense for the class, and riders should be depicted where relevant, even if they are simplified/silhouetted.
• Entries are eligible for the +2 RNG Show Entry bonus (does not count toward ticket chances); entrants are responsible for marking this in their breakdown.
• How to Submit: All submissions should be sent to this folder. In the description, please note the class and number of tickets earned for the entry.

Prizes:

• Grand Champion: x1 Exclusive Item, 2000 coins
• Reserve Champion: x1 Exclusive Item, 1000 coins
• 1st Place: x1 Rare Item, 500 coins
• 2nd Place: x1 Uncommon Item, 500 coins
• 3rd Place: x1 Common Item, 500 coins
  
  

Art by 7Euphoria