Designer: John Model: Moxie Challenge #6: We’re Cursed (Frogs Everywhere) Title: Moxie Through the Muck and the Mire Status: Completed 11/1
Every night, Moxie woke in a cold sweat, the echo of a voice slipping away into the darkness. It wasn’t just a dream, it felt real, like the whisper came from just beneath her bed, or the walls, or the muddy edge of her thoughts. The voice pleaded softly, “Help me… please, help me rise again.” Each night it grew clearer, more desperate, until she could almost feel the damp breath of the words on her neck. The next night during her sleep, when she finally followed the pull of the dream to the swamp outside town, the air was thick with rot and the low croak of unseen creatures. There, hidden beneath a pool of murky water, she found an ancient altar, and large glowing eyes staring up from the depths.
The creature that emerged was a monstrous frog, its skin webbed with moss and eyes gleaming with ancient cunning. “You have answered my call,” it rasped, its voice the same one from her nightmares. Before Moxie could flee, the water surged around her legs, and a strange warmth spread through her veins. The frog spoke of a forgotten plague, of an age when frogs ruled the wetlands and mankind was but a pest. “Together,” it croaked, “we will restore the balance.” Her reflection shimmered, skin rippling, eyes widening, a faint croak trembling in her throat. As the swamp swallowed her scream, the ancient frog smiled, for its new vessel had been born, and soon the frog plague would rise once more.
In the real world, Moxie’s body began to betray her in ways she couldn’t understand. Her hair started to fall out, scattering across her pillow like faded threads of who she once was. Her skin took on a sickly green hue, darkening and slickening until it gleamed with a damp sheen under the moonlight. Her limbs stretched and warped, the bones shifting and reshaping, arms growing lean and powerful, legs thickening as if made for bounding through marshes instead of walking on dry land. She awoke from her nightmare, but this body was no longer Moxie's. All that remained was her mind and minor glimpses of her once beautiful skin and hair. The call of the mysterious voice dragged her possessed, disfigured body back into the depths of the swamp and into the ancient altar, where a massive glowing yellow orb floated in the murk. Its light pulsed rhythmically, hypnotic and alive, and as she drifted closer she realized it wasn’t a star or a lantern, it was an enormous egg. Inside, the ancient frog coiled and stirred, watching her with ancient, knowing eyes, waiting for the moment she would finally set it free.
Whereeeee do I even start with this challenge! When I saw I got Frogs Everywhere, I was instantly confused as to how I could make it work, as Gaia has very few choices for serious-looking frog items. Add in the fact that it was specified that we needed to make our models scary, I knew this was gonna be the hardest challenge yet! I decided to be creative with it and make Moxie the catalyst for the frog plague beginning. She heard a voice calling to her, which was an ancient frog that's lying dormant under the swamp inside of a glowing egg, which is the item Elfenmar. It felt perfect as it looks like a giant frogspawn! I think the overall concept of the story is similar to Vecna/Will from Stranger Things, except Moxie transforms into a deformed frog creature. I was warned that I'm most likely going to lose points for shaving off some of her hair, but I felt it was necessary to showcase the transformation she was going through. I also added Masquerade (tattered hair) to showcase the falling hair. I used Daring Dollhouse Demon arms to mimic long frog arms, as well as Demure Maleficent Yin's birthmark pose to match in color and show the frog transformation in Moxie's face. I used soooo many skin items to try to make her look as grotesque as possible, and I have to say, this is probably my favorite entry thus far in the competition. I love making dark avatars like this, so I had a blast once I found my footing! I realize you can't see much of her bottom half, but I did add Mercurio's Fashion to add a frog-like texture to her legs, as well as Hanyo's Resolve to make her feet look webbed. The only other option was... this, which looks a bit too dated and clunky for my liking. Overall it felt appropriate to have her sticking out of the water, similarly to a frog! I added Meracle Swimmer for extra green in the back, as well as Princess of Thorns to help emulate the swampy setting. This specific avatar is her coming up out of the water, causing the frogs around her to jump away. She then reaches for the ancient frog's egg, unleashing the curse upon the world!
Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2025 5:04 pm
Designer: John Model: Moxie Challenge #7: All On Red Title: Mad Moxie Status: Completed 11/1
It's that spooky time of year again, and Moxie has no idea what to be for Halloween this year! While she normally doesn't dress up, this year is completely different, as she's received an invitation to Heidi Klum's famous Halloween party! She knew she had to look good, as her costume would be posted all over the blogs and social media. After pacing back and forth for what felt like hours, she overheard an advertisement on TV mentioning the circus coming to town. "That's it!" she yelled. She immediately began Googling sexy ringmaster costume ideas. While on her internet search, she frantically called her assistant. "Hel-" "Where can I get a real whip?" she interrupted. Fast forward three days, and Moxie's at the party! Covered in gold-trimmed red, Moxie has never felt so hot! She even got a wink from Heidi herself! Best. Halloween. Ever.
Okay, so this challenge made me realize how awful I am at math. Haha Overall, I really enjoyed it! It really makes you realize how many amazing items are dirt cheap on the marketplace. For my inspiration, I really had no idea where to take this challenge, as a color theme is super broad. I knew I wanted it to be Halloweenish, as it's that time of year! I was asking a friend for some ideas, when I told him about the concept of this competition. When I told him my model's name was Moxie, he said "Oh, like Mad Moxxi?" Then it hit me! She has a sexy ringmaster / clown vibe, and I thought that the ringmaster aspect would be a perfect fit for a red challenge. I strayed from the clown part of it as makeup on Gaia can get really expensive. Gotta say though, I am obsessed with how the outfit came out. While I knew the look had to be primarily red, I love throwing in other colors for extra detail. Not only that, but I felt it was important to make her look expensive, even if the challenge is on a budget! I added Sangue Regicidio, TameD, Monsieur Loyal's Revenge, Illustrious Arc, and My Seductive Valentine for extra gold trim around the entire top. For the bottom half, I added Petal Professor Hana for a bit of gold around the crotch, and Rosamund's Rage to add some gold to the thighs and feet, as well as Celestial Imbalance to add a bit more design and color balancing to one of her legs! While I considered doing a red background, I really wanted to make sure Moxie's outfit stood out and didn't blend into the background. Lastly, I added Monstruous Cliffhanger to add a warmer tint to the overall avatar!
Surpise, designers!!! It is I, iiiFlames, once again, to bring you your feedback for the double header. A round of applause for everyone for coming through and putting in the work for the double header! You, designers, should be proud of yourselves for pulling off two entries in one week.
We're so proud of everyone for showing up and doing the work! As a reward for everyone's hard work, there will be no eliminations for anyone who submitted their entries this week! So, you can breathe, designers. For now. emotion_yatta
With all that said, here's your double header feedback:
kaekie — Willow • You got the highest overall score for the double header, as you should. You served us lice horror extravaganza with your plague entry and telenovela Gabriela realness with your red entry. Willow's dressed to the nines, deserving of many praises. • The judges literally have no negative notes for you; it's just that your fellow competitors beat you by just a teeniest smidge. Though you didn't take the win on either challenge, this doesn't and shouldn't take away the fact that you devoured and left no crumbs on the double header.
nenone — Bobbi • Your water to blood plague entry perfectly encapsulated the horror and glamour the judges were looking for in the plague challenge. And your concept for your red entry read well through and through, and perfectly executed, as the judges ate up what you served. • Though positively received, the judges unanimously agreed that the veil on your plague entry should've been only one, and that it could've been layered better. Your red entry's dress read more pink for some of the judges' eyes. Overall, all minor stuff, but regardless, you still did amazing.
John — Moxie • Shaving part of Moxie's hair for the plague challenge was risky, but it paid off for you. Moxie looks gross and scary, and we live for it. And your red Halloween costume gave us the Cirque de Soleil ringmaster fantasy that we didn't know we needed. Heidi's coming for that costume, love. • Some judges wished you had a tad more fashion going on with your plague entry, and some judges wished that your hat were red, and a touch more black to balance your red look. All in all, minor nitpicks on our end, but otherwise, fantastic job.
Endless Endeavors — Jae • Every single judge was gagging on your plague entry. Jae looks sexy and nauseating to look at as a fly. Your red entry was also well-received. It even got you a perfect score from one of the judges, given how good your red entry is. On budget, yet Jae looks like a million bucks in her red elven fantasy. • Some of the judges clocked some weird layering going on with the mouth and hip area, and would've wanted to see more fashion elements added in your plague look. But your red entry did not receive any negative feedback; it's that good. So, kudos to you, mama.
immortaljelly — Vanity • The idea and colours for your plague entry were well-received by the judges. But the highlight was your red entry, which was a huge hit with the judges. The streetwear concept made you stand out from your fellow competitors, and you delivered on the execution of your red look. • Vanity as a reaper figure was nice to see, but the judges were having a hard time distinguishing the details of your plague entry, which overall read as messy. Some of the judges saw that Vanity's hair was clipped under the fur of her jacket, but they didn't mind that as much.
lucifer eats pizza — Tamara • Your plague entry is fashionably creepy and creepily fashionable. Having links to share your concept was a good move on your end. And having Tamara, as the bride in red, was such a cute idea as well. She looks pretty in her red wedding dress. • Some judges find your plague entry to be a tad too busy in some places. And some find your red entry too simple compared to the others. Both of your entries were straightforward, but the judges wished you had added extra touches to your entries to elevate them further.
torimani — Mathilde • With how limited the items you had to work with for your plague entry, you managed to give us a serviceable look. Mathilde looks like the bringer of swarms. Your red entry looks gorgeous. The movement looks beautiful, and it overall reads expensive despite the budget limits. • Some accessory choices for your plague look did not resonate well with some of the judges. But the judges mainly weren't vibing with your red look. The mismatched reds, with some shades almost and are reading pink, are what's throwing them off with your red entry.
xXAcid_FreeXx — Emerson • You took a creative angle with your plague entry, with the "final girl" concept you went for Emerson, and it was well-received by the judges, as it made you stand out from the other entries. Your red look for your model looks seductive with the gothic motif. • Your plague entry had a creative concept, but with a so-so execution. You struggled with styling Emerson with your assigned plague, and it unfortunately showed. Your red entry got similar negative critiques as well, but your plague entry got hit harder of the two.
SoggykittenART — Olivia • Your hailstorm plague entry looked ethereal. Olivia looks gorgeous and elegant. And your red entry looks regal and beautiful. With the limited budget, you managed to make Olivia look expensive with the concept you went for. • Your scores for the plague entry got dragged because you failed to add a scary or creepy element to it. Ethereal as Olivia may look, she doesn't seem to scare me with how you styled her. Your red entry looked more pink to some of the judges' eyes as well, and overall, it read a tad lacking comparing it with the other red entries.
𝔻𝕖𝕤𝕔𝕣𝕚𝕡𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 Jae’s outfit this week draws inspiration from New York’s legendary Club Kid scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s, a movement famous for its outrageous self-expression, gender-bending fashion, and unapologetic queerness. Born in the underground nightlife of Manhattan, the Club Kids blurred the lines between art, fashion, and identity. At a time when queer people were often pushed to the margins, they built their own world filled with glitter, chaos, and creativity. Their looks were loud, theatrical, and proudly weird - a sparkling rebellion against the idea that beauty or gender needed to make sense to anyone else.
This week’s challenge definitely pushed me creatively. I spent hours reworking the outfit over and over again. I started with a roller-skating look, but after realizing it felt too similar to another competitor’s entry, I wanted to go in a completely new direction. That’s when I experimented with a birthday clown concept, which was fun but didn’t feel personal enough. I wanted something that reflected my personality and my love for queer fashion history, so I turned to Club Kid culture.
Building Jae with that inspiration in mind was an absolute delight. I loved leaning into the excess... the mix of fabrics, bright colors, exaggerated shapes, and clown-esque makeup that all felt like something you might see under the neon lights of New York nightlife. The addition of a “runway” element also became important to me: a nod to ballroom culture, another vibrant queer movement that coexisted and often intermingled with Club Kid culture in thrilling, creative ways. Both scenes celebrated individuality and performance, transforming dance floors and runways alike into spaces of self-invention and unapologetic joy.
Designing this look gave me permission to let go, to be bold, and to not be tied down by any single idea of good taste. In a way, that freedom mirrors what I love most about the Club Kids. They showed that fashion can be liberation. Their fearless mix of camp and color still inspires drag, fashion, and pop culture today, reminding us that being “too much” is not a flaw but a superpower.
emotion_rainbow The Inspiration for Bobbi's Look: emotion_rainbow
This week, I'll admit, my mind went totally blank when I saw the Skittles Jacket. Quite honestly there are many directions that a person can build a look for this item, and it was hard for me to know where to even start!
So, I pulled together all of Bobbi's base features and I put the Skittles Jacket on her, and sat just looking at her face and how it the jacket looked on her. I thought about the beginning of the competition until this point, and it really feels like this wonderful journey with her.
At the beginning, I was cautious of doing any look that wasn't "cute" because that's what I immediately thought of when I saw Bobbi and I wasn't confident in going beyond that bubble. Bobbi taught me that the more I step outside of my comfort zone, she's right there with me to take that leap of faith. This week felt no different, but this look is the most unorthodox (probably most ambitious) look I've tried.
When I saw Bobbi in the jacket, and keeping in mind the title of the challenge this week, "Taste the Rainbow", I started to think about what tasting a rainbow would look like if it were translated into an outfit. I went back to my childhood where I always thought that tasting a rainbow would look like one of those kaleidoscopes that you look through and see all of these fantastic colors and fractals shifting as you twist the tube.
I put the two things together, to create a look that shows Bobbi through the lens of a kaleidoscope, standing stationary as the world swirls in color around her, in an outfit that could taste like the rainbow itself.
emotion_rainbow Building the Look: emotion_rainbow
All of that being said, when I started building this look, I had to stop several times so I wouldn't start crying out of pure frustration. I realized it would be easy for the background to become too overpowering and dull the rest of Bobbi's outfit and conversely, I had to try to find a way to blend the jacket in with the bottom half of the look.
I went in to try to create a "bubble" for lack of a better term around Bobbi's frame so her outfit would be clearer. I used Crystallized Martial Will (halo) to lighten up the background (Kaleidoscope Vision) behind Bobbi, and used the za warudo pose from K.O. Star which has two shadowy people on either side of the avatar. I used that to create the feeling of the kaleidoscope shifting, and then used the pixels from Radiant Prism.
The best part of the look for me comes from the top down, because I was able to weave in this kind of magical surrealism, having one side of Bobbi's head explode through Her CYMK Delight, where the colors come from Bobbi and swirl up and out into the kaleidoscope, using the Fruity Angelic Gaia-kun halo to imitate what fractals look like when light hits them over Bobbi's hair. I blended into Bobbi's neck with the Elegant Sidereal Sovereign collar into the beginning of the Skittles Jacket.
I realized I was going to have to try to create a reverse rainbow for the bottom part of the outfit - so if you looked from the shoes going back up, it would kind of blend back into the jacket by incorporating all of the colors in the jacket. I used Prince of the Sea's Transformation pants and paired off with the Lunarian Elite shoes. I've always loved these pants and the colors in them.
I added the hip ribbon from Flamboyant Aerides to pull in the hints of green and yellow, and to also play off of the sparkles around Bobbi's neck. I used a Witch of Mirrors waist cincher, because the jacket seemed too plain without some kind of belt, and the gold accent from the cincher pulled in the gold accents off of the boots and the hip ribbon.
The challenge this week actually is also the same week of my birthday, and ultimately I feel like this look is a celebration- another year for me in the books, and I'm so grateful I get to spend it creating a rainbow with Bobbi. :
𝙏his theme was made for Olivia and her mismatched eyes!
The vibrant colors of this rainbow jacket sent us pining for a high energy day at the local Arcade! My mind instantly leaped to the neon colored carpets and large flashy screens that arcades are know for– The kind of place that shouts FUN!
There was only one problem: the long sleeves were bound to interfere with her killer dance moves and make her overheat. No worries – the sleeves zipped right off, transforming it into a vest! (No costume malfunctions allowed when you’re aiming for a combo streak!) We added some neon-blue trim to the base and a bright, chunky plastic pull to the zipper. After that, Olivia was able to move, groove, and rack up high scores in style!
She paired the vest with a crisp white short-sleeved shirt with rainbow ribbon-trimmed sleeves to match.
A pair of comfy black leggings and hot pink shorts let her move freely, and neon sneakers kept her stylish and comfortable all day.
Her green heart charm chain belt adds both movement and flair.
Naturally, she'd need something to hold all her tickets, quarters, and prizes – so we grabbed her slick transparent bag with neon squares to match.
To keep her hair out of her eyes while the arrows fly, Olivia wears a rainbow visor pushed up as a headband, along with tight neon headphones.
Growing up in the '90s, I was surrounded by vibrant Lisa Frank colors and arcades that were somehow dark and bright all at once. The smell of popcorn, the clatter of tokens, and the glow of CRT screens – it all came rushing back. By the early aughts, the flashy DDR machines were popping up everywhere. Today, we chose nostalgia.
When we got to the arcade, floor-length screens surrounded the dance platform – and we knew this was it: Olivia's time to shine and bust a move under the flashing lights. Oh yeah, we came to the right place – dressed to match.
EquippedItems:
On The CMYK Boardwalk (Shadephones) Skittles Rainbow Jacket Scheming Vixen (vest) The Good Bad Vibes White Contrast Collar Shirt Vibrant Stars Taste Sweet (Arms v1) Green Heart Droop Chain Belt Breezy Hearts (Shorts) High Roller Electric
Light Curled Up (Wheat) Zodiac's Eyes on You (Herse's Heterochromia) Everybody Nose (Skintone B) Briar Rose Petal (true loves kiss) utile colorum (Sorbet) Across Blush Pale Humaniki (Tone B)
BonusLevel: ✨ RetroFlashback ✨
･ﾟ✧･ﾟ Before athleisure, this was peak 90s engineering. Remember these??
I remember jackets with removable sleeves being big in the 90s –
I likely had at least one flashy windbreaker with zip-off sleeves when I was young. ･ﾟ✧･ﾟ
✧･ﾟ🌈･ﾟ✧･ﾟ🌟･ﾟ✧･ﾟ🎶･ﾟ✧ Press Start to Play Olivia’s Mix!
As soon as I saw this item it brought me back in time. I made my Gaia account in 2007. I would have been in grade 8 at the time, my last year of middle school before moving onto highschool. At the time the internet was like it is now, a but of a pool between adults and teens/kids. However, at the time any chatrooms and forums were separated by age. If you registered an account as belonging to someone under 18, you were normally limited to kids forums, just to keep from adults talking to kids and vice versa. It was a sound safety feature, but anyways who didn't break it. I broke the rule on every site I signed up for, neopets, marapets, gaia, etc. But Gaia was the first mainly forum based site I was on. It was exciting, but I do remember getting into some scenarios where people felt very hostile and rude. I had to find the spaces that felt fun and welcoming on my own, and avoid the general muck that was the internet back then. This is mainly unrelated to my entry, but a fun aside.
The Taste the Rainbow and skittles collabs on Gaia mainly happened after I had joined. There was Skittles, The Sims has a couple items on here. The cars for street racing are Scions (which I legit thought were made up for Gaia so I was shocked when I saw one irl for the first time). There are a variety of items that feel like random product placement at this point on Gaia. That's because there wasn't as much funding from users, most of gaia's money was made through advertising. They still have ads, but I assume for the most part their money is made through us, the users. Using the taste the rainbow jacket made me nostalgic, so I decided to go for some old new streetwear looks.
Evidentially, I was young when the early aughts came around the first time. I spent a lot of time wanting tube tops and platform flip flops, and having my mum tell me that those were not appropriate for someone my age to wear. So I had to settle for brightly coloured tourism shirts that were often oversized and Aeropostale bremuda shorts (when the first Aeropostale opened in my city it was revolutionary). We didn't have Justice, cause Canada, but we had Lasenza girl, and Zellers. This is really a trip down memory lane for me.
As such, I have decided to take a bit of a risk on Tamara's look this week and go Rallytar chic. And now you may say, "Mads, can Rallytar really be chic??" and the answer is...I don't know. I tried! I had to incorporate all the heavy hitters. The Kiki Slippers, the Angelic Anklets, the HORNS AND ANGEL WINGS.
And Gogh Reed, of course. Some of the parts I remember the most about early Gaia is grinding to buy wishlist items. I regret having sold my gogh reed after the market had collapsed, just to buy a bunch of newer items. Felt like a good decision at the time, some of those older items are insanely hard to find now. I was surprised to see how much the skittles jacket costs. This is likely one of the most expensive fit that I have done in all of my time in this competition. It's wildly expensive. TOTAL MARKET VALUE: 1,.57,126,214,621,23E,+15g according to avatar builder which is insane.
Overall, I really enjoyed this challenge, especially once I got to a state of understanding where I was going with the challenge. I'm nervous, because I feel going Rallytar is a risky step. I had a bit of challenge reigning it in too, haha because often rallytar does better with more layering and a busier look, but I feel I reached an appropriate level of clutter without busy-ness.
Description: So for this challenge I came up with several ideas. I loved the item that was chosen because I myself had several skittles & rainbow items back then becauss my name on here used to be Rainbow-Go-Lucky 🤣🤣🤣 LOL. So I thought about recapturing that old rainbow magic from my old avatar but thought about something different. I knew I wanted to do a streetwear look, but instead of just any streetwear, why don’t I just do both a nostalgic AND colorful look? So I settled with 2000s/y2k bubble jacket fashion from the east coast. I think, even if you didn’t live on the east coast, we all knew those girls in the baby phat bubble jackets who used to pop their gum and gossip about everybody. So I wanted to recapture that kind of experience, the cool girl with an attitude but dresses super fashionably.
I decided on whether to do an armmod that hides the sleeves of the jacket or just not to use an armmod at all, but I settled on an armmod that actually enhances the puffer jacket look with a little hoodie and colors that match the outfit. I thought about if I should do a beanie or not, and went ahead and chose the beanie because of course, if it’s cold outside in the streets, you would absolutely be wearing a beanie! The background of course, I chose to be on a street, because that’s usually where the older popular girls with those jackets would be (usually by the bus stops or outside a grocery store lol). I wanted to emphasize the rainbow look but not make it super distracting, so my choice of colors is more complementary than additional, if that makes sense. The legmod was easy to choose, because in most pics I saw for inspo, they wore black leggings to complement the bright neon jackets, which I believe is a very smart choice because it brings attention to the main course, which obviously is the Skittles jacket here!
Overall I do like this look a lot. I keep landing near the bottom for some reason which keeps throwing me off because I actually love the looks I choose, but eh, different tastes I guess? So I did something that is less of “my” touch and more so something that I think someone else would like or wear (not to say I don’t like Mathilde’s look, I just didn’t choose the liberties I normally would). I’m happy with it though, and I think I did her justice!
Rainbow whimsy meets forest witch energy, as Emerson explores the woods with her trusty frog companion and a basket full of treasures.
Why these items:
This week’s theme item, THE classic Skittles Jacket (circa 2010), immediately reminded me of two things: my tiny toddler nieces, and the fact that adults rarely get to dress as boldly as kids do. My nieces have the most colorful onesies and the funniest shoes with little eyes, and those outfits inspired the entire direction of this look.
The jacket itself is a funny paradox because it matches nothing and everything at the same time. To keep it from being the wildest part of the outfit, I decided to embrace its energy and bring bright color into every part of the design. The yellow wellies with eyes and the bold collar were the first pieces I chose. They echo the warmth of the jacket and balance Emerson’s hair. The button on the neckerchief even reminded me of a small Skittle, which felt like a perfect nod to the jacket’s origins.
I also made a deliberate choice not to use any hand or arm modifications. Many of the fancier hand items felt too elaborate or stylized for this natural, grounded scene. I wanted Emerson’s arms to feel strong, simple, and practical, as if she really were out in the forest foraging. Leaving the arms unmodified helped keep the focus on the colors and the environment while maintaining a sense of realism.
Another inspiration came from my years working in a bookstore, where I met so many older ladies with incredible style. One of them was named Betty, and she was unforgettable. She always wore a huge sunhat, oversized glasses, and overalls, and she would buy stacks of three dollar romance novels to read in her garden. I loved her confidence and her whimsy, and I wanted Emerson to capture that same spirit. It felt important to show that playful fashion has no age limit.
To bring that feeling into the design, I gave Emerson Betty’s big hat and glasses. I softened her features with fuller cheeks and rounded eye makeup to add a sense of youthfulness. I've hesitated to use glasses in previous challenges because they instantly change her face shape, but this week I embraced it. I wanted her to shine like a small beacon of color, similar to a child who dressed herself for a magical forest adventure.
Placing her in the woods felt natural. She stands out beautifully against the deep greens, and at the same time she looks practically dressed for exploring and foraging. The basket, mushrooms, and earthy tones tie back to the greens in her jacket and her eyes. These elements help ground all the color in a practical, slightly witchy way.
In the end, this design is a blend of two worlds: the bold creativity of a child and the confident eccentricity of a forest witch who dresses purely for joy. The frog perched on her hat is the final touch. It is fun, silly, and magical, and it reminds me that whimsy is always welcome.
Designer: John Model: Moxie Challenge #8: Taste the Rainbow Title: Moxie Misses Home Status: Completed 11/15
Moxie never imagined her life would turn out like this. What started as a dream to design bold, stylish clothing had spiraled into a whirlwind of photoshoots, red carpets, and movie sets. From magazine covers to blockbuster films, her face was everywhere. But lately, the fame felt suffocating. Her once easygoing lifestyle had transformed into a relentless schedule, and the glamour that once thrilled her now felt like a cage of flashing cameras and never-ending demands. She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d taken a breath, let alone spent a quiet moment by herself. The holidays were coming up, and Moxie longed for something simpler, something real.
The thought of returning to her childhood home in the small town nestled in the woods brought her comfort. She remembered the peaceful walks through the vibrant autumn woods near her house, the crunch of the fallen leaves beneath her shoes, the crisp, cool air. She used to collect the red, yellow, and orange leaves, forming them into different headpieces, each one a reminder of the calm she’d once known. With the chaotic season ahead, all Moxie wanted was a moment to breathe, to reconnect with herself and the quiet beauty of the place she had come from. She was desperate for a break, even if only for a few days, to reset before the madness of her life resumed.
Okay so at this point, I think it's safe to say I find every challenge super stressful until I find something that I like and run with it haha Originally I was going to attempt some sort of Decora Style avatar, as it felt like a good match for the abomination that is the skittles jacket. HOWEVER, we're pretty far in the competition and I wanted to try something unexpected! While this avatar isn't incorporating the full color spectrum, it fully utilizes the warmer side of the rainbow! I knew I wanted to make alterations to the skittles jacket while also making it clearly visible. I went through a bunch of different arm mods that would layer over / cut the skittles jacket, and I found that bare-handed flier cuts juuuust the right amount of the jacket that leaves behind the red, orange and yellow sleeves! After that, I decided to add Ornith Academic to crop the top of the skittles jacket, as it's very bulky and unflattering around the neck. It also adds a hood by her shoulders! From there, I realized I wanted to go for a reimagining of Red Riding Hood, but Moxie's Autumn version! I added Bloody Penultimate Angel chest straps to fill in the lining of the neck, as well as Fading Ember's dress pose to add a sort of cape/train to the newly crafted jacket. There's about four different corsets/bodices to add little details to her skirt area, as I didn't want it to be one solid color.
As for the background, I love how it came out! I used Graveyard Fields for the base, then added Autumn Yardwork, Autumn Glory, Plaiddy Issues, and Kogarashi for the Autumn leaves. After that, I added Monstruous Cliffhanger, Danse De Couer and Cruel Lost Unmurin to add an orange/red lighting to the background so it really felt like it was Autumn. Here is a gif to show the before and after of the background! What's most important to me when combining a bunch of items to make a jacket, corset, etc etc., is having it look neat, otherwise it kinda defeats the purpose. I feel like I was able to make it neat while also incorporating the jacket!
Honestly though, I loved making this avatar because Autumn is by far my favorite season, from the colors, to the holidays, to celebrating with friends and family, etc. I know I've mentioned it before, but moving across the country and not being able to experience the full extent of that time of year from the trees changing color to not being surrounded by friends and family, was soul crushing, as extra as it may sound! The theme of Moxie wanting to go home and just... relax, being surrounded by the familiar faces and places she grew up around, was something I personally went through, so I loved being able to incorporate that feeling of wanting to go back to a bit of normalcy and familiarity in this avatar.
Posted: Sat Nov 15, 2025 8:16 am
Designer: immortaljelly Challenge #8: Taste the Rainbow Status: Complete
Model: Vanity Title: Vanity Unplugged
Description: Last week, I imagined Vanity to be the type of cool-girl who was intimidating and aloof. This week, to set her apart, I softened her features, and made her look more approachable. She’s still cool, don’t get me wrong. But this version of Vanity would be someone who doesn't take herself too seriously and is overall just fun to be around.
I didn't go with any cutters because I wanted the full jacket to be visible. I thought the new CMYK x Topic item was fitting as the headpiece/earphones because it's kinda wacky and whimsical, and I chose a makeup palette that went with the headpiece.
Her look/vibes was in part inspired by the laptop sticker theory, and why I chose the headpiece and this guitar item, it ties in with the idea of trying to make her approachable.
I added on a simpler looking belt onto her back2k pants because I didn't want to take anything away from the jacket, and there was already enough things going on with her eye makeup, jacket/top half.
Notes: This week’s challenge was a struggle for me like some of my fellow designers. The biggest roadblock for me is not (merely) the item itself, it’s that I just did a modern streetwear-inspired look for Vanity in my In the Red entry, so I needed to make her different but still honor her inherent cool-girl vibes.
I was torn between having a legmod that was more plain - or leaning fully into the loudness of the colours. Ultimately I decided with the former take to make the jacket pop. I knew I wanted to use the back2k pants because I like the contrast of a more tight-fitting jacket with a more flared pants.
If I... somehow had a jacket like thislol, this is what I'd probably wear. (if I can get a cute headpiece, that is)
- My apologies for completing my entry past the deadline/not asking for an extension prior to the deadline, I made a wrong judgment of my circumstances and thought I'd be able to make the deadline, but unfortunately still was a bit later than intended.
immortaljelly
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bad wolf bae Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Nov 22, 2025 7:32 pm
Designers, the judges want to acknowledge that this week was a difficult challenge, and I would like to apologize for the challenge perhaps not being as clear as it should have been that the jacket needed to be embraced and not covered up. The point of this challenge is to take a difficult item and to make it shine. Show what can be done with it. And boy there was definitely creativity shown in these looks! We can't wait to see what you continue to come up with.
Endless Endeavors — Jae • This entry was fantastic and earned multiple perfect scores. You met not only the spirit of the challenge, but gave us a beautiful and creative look. Also want to give special credit for how good Jae's make up looks this week! Just incredible over all. • It would have been nice if the sleeves were more visible, but we do understand the limitations of Gaia.
SoggykittenART — Olivia • This is another look that got a perfect score this week. Removing the sleeves was a bold, risky move, but man oh man did it pay off! Zippered sleeves fit the inspiration so well and the added zipper was a genius move! The accessories you chose were well thought out, and we loved it. • The only thing that was a drawback for most of the judges was the proportion of the legs, they were just a bit off. But this was a small nitpick in a great week!
nenone — Bobbi • Holy creativity Batman! I'm not sure I've ever seen such an ambitious look in 7 cycles of Project Catwalk. You didn't miss a single detail and the judges were so impressed. Really great description this week too. • The one aspect that scored low for several judges was the casual-ness of the outfit. This is a fashion competition and not everyone was convinced the fashion was really there.
kaekie — Willow • This was another creative, unexpected take on the challenge. It was a fun take too. And the grey did help the colors that you included pop. • This was another look that for most of the judges just kind of...existed. We liked it! But there was nothing about it that really wowed us. You've set the bar so high for yourself in the past and the outfit itself ended up a little bit predictable compared to what we've come to expect.
immortaljelly — Vanity • You are great at streetwear. The Back2k pants paired excellently with the jacket, and it was a lot of fun to see the sticker theory used as an influence of things! • This is a fine look, though there needed to be some color at the bottom to balance the top. The judges also - despite your best efforts - didn't really get approachable from Vanity.
John — Moxie • Moxie is gorgeous, this is great make up and a truly stunning color scheme for her! The creativity and knowledge of items you displayed to cover up the jacket the way you did was also very impressive. • There was no way to tell that the Skittles jacket was even used. It was modified way too much, which dragged you down to the bottom. Just wasn't what we wanted from this challenge.
xXAcid_FreeXx — Emerson • We want to meet Betty. The collar addition to turn the jacket into a sweater was a genius detail, and the over all direction is really fun. It is a cute look and the glasses are flattering on Emerson. • This look left the judges feeling pretty conflicted over all. Not modifying the hands was a mistake, and the frog was a miss. There also felt like more mods to the face than necessary. We love the passion you had for the look and the excitement, but it just didn't all quite come together.
torimani — Mathilde • You took things in a different direction this week, and we like that. This was also a great color scheme for Mathilde, very flattering. • This look was fine. We all sympathized with the struggle you described, and wish you had just been true to yourself and your aesthetic rather than trying to make something to please us. You covered up the Skittles jacket too much which also left us feeling disappointed. You are an incredible designer and need to trust yourself more, and go all in on things.
lucifer eats pizza — Tamara • Your look brought all the nostalgia to the table and the judges loved the trip down memory lane. We also loved getting to know a little bit more about you through your description and what you've done on Gaia over the years. • This was a nostalgic look but that was really all it had going for it. It felt like a lazier way to go about this challenge, because you didn't have to really work with the jacket, just threw on all these nostalgic items. It also just wasn't fashionable enough. If you had given us an updated version of Rally, using updated takes on some of these items, it could have launched you to the top.
Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2025 9:18 am
Challenge #9: Under The Influence Status: Complete
Designer: nenone
Model: Bobbi
Point At Infinity
gaia_angelleftThe Inspiration & Influence for the Looks gaia_nitemareright
For this week's challenge, the first thing that came into my head are the characters Aziraphale and Crowley from Neil Gaiman & Terry Prachett's novel, Good Omens.
One pivotal scene from the show that was adapted from the book, where Aziraphale and Crowley toast to each other, which is the photo above, was the main influence for me when creating these looks and I positioned Bobbi and Bel (I decided that would be the evil twin, short for Belial) as a nod to that moment.
In this scene of Aziraphale (angel) toasting Crowley (demon) - to me, it solidified that they see a bit of both of themselves in each other, which is what I found so compelling about these two as characters and wanted to explore that idea further with Bobbi & her counterpart this week, and put my own spin on it.
I wanted to have Bobbi's angelic look have elements of the devilish and with Bel have elements of the angelic, a kind of call & response to each other, with the premise of them being these two film noir starlets against a black/white backdrop.
Bobbi & Bel
In film noir, there are two main female archetypes: the damsel in distress and the femme fatale. I realized I had done a femme fatale look for Bobbi before with Helga Sinclair, but this week seemed like a wonderful chance to take it even further, to break out of a specific character and create a femme fatale look for Bobbi (Bel) that was entirely her own, especially given the chance to play with a different hair and explore what that would look like with Bobbi's base features.
It was also an opportunity to play with what a damsel in distress with angelic motifs could look like, and I just couldn't pass that up! I toned down the "in distress" part of the damsel, making Bobbi look more inquisitive than upset because it seemed to fit the vibes I was aiming for better.
I really feel that Bobbi has a wonderful skintone/eye color combination that can truly carry so many different hair colors & styles. Given my focus on film noir, I went with the vintage curls from My Obsessive Valentine - it gives that old world glamour, but the ombre from dark brown to a dusty rose really pairs nicely with the tone of Bobbi's skin and the brown of her eyes while lending to both angelic/devilish looks.
The Design:
What was important to me in building the atmosphere of the looks & with the design itself, was to have the angelic/devilish elements be more subtle and come out the more you look at both looks side by side.
Light comes from above and illuminates Bobbi which transitions over to more of a shadowed effect by the end of Bel's design. There is a halo behind Bobbi (Decayed Lightbringer) that seems like it could be a part of the architecture of the set design (Elegant Cathedral Arches) and Bel's tail (Salty Fatale) can be seen through the sheerness of the waist belt from Cursed Blood Huntress and comes out lighter on the other side of her dress.
There are roses on Bobbi's tights while Bel has thorns on her legs. I added Anurla's Monochromatic Summon to give more shadow/rose beneath Bobbi's feet and conversely, the magic circle from Enchanted Unwholesome Child under Bel's feet to give more contrast and break up the darkness a little bit more. I will say that Bobbi's angelic look is probably my favorite design so far.
I could go on forever, but I'll wrap it up as this is already getting quite long! These two looks were very challenging for me, but at the end of the process, I really enjoyed getting to take Bobbi in this direction even though I got hit with a pretty strong wave of Imposter Syndrome throughout. If anyone is curious, I'll link to the meaning of the title Point at Infinity.
Fun fact, I studied English in college, and I took several classes related to Greek mythology. They were among my favorite classes, and some of the lessons I learned from reading Greek authors are lessons that I carry with me to this day! So, for this week, I used Jae as a visual exploration of the celestial and chthonic divide in Greek mythology, using the interpretations of Selene from 'Hades II' and Hades from 'Hades' as inspiration. I wanted their angelic / demonic contrast to emerge through the mythic symbolism, color language, and emotional tone of their designs. For the hair this week, I knew that I wanted to take Jae into wolf cut territory, and this version with a pointed bang felt so so so cool. Very Jae, in my opinion, and the platinum blonde felt right to me, as the color and cut lends itself well to both looks.
For Selene, I focused on a calmer, softer palette that mirrors the serenity of moonlight, using pale silvers, muted blues, and soft, iridescent purples. Her clothing uses sheer and shimmering fabrics meant to evoke the translucent glow of nighttime clouds drifting across the sky. To embody her purity, grace, and gentle celestial presence, I chose an outstretched-hand pose that suggests openness, guidance, and quiet benevolence. Every element of her design aims to reflect the luminous stillness associated with the goddess of the moon: radiant but never overwhelming, gentle but unmistakably divine.
In contrast, Hades is defined by boldness and weight. Her palette pulls from richer, darker tones such as deep reds, ember-like golds, and shadowy blacks that echo the underworld’s oppressive heat and ancient authority. Her brows are stronger and her expression more intense, giving her a presence that commands rather than invites. The design leans heavily into chthonic imagery with darker fabrics, heavier silhouettes, and a pose that suggests readiness for battle or judgment. Behind her, the spirits of the damned serve as a backdrop that symbolizes Hades’ domain and her role as ruler of the dead. Her aesthetic is not monstrous but regal and formidable, capturing the awe and dread that surround her mythic character.
Together, Jae and her twin sister form a deliberate contrast, not simply light versus dark, but celestial versus chthonic, serenity versus power, moonlit purity versus underworld authority. They represent the aspects of Greek mythology I love most: its depth, its dualities, and the way even opposing forces can feel mythically connected.
