• What’s the format?

  • The OCT is set up like a race/treasure hunt to the top; beating/outdoing your opponent each round to ensure whatever may be waiting at the top is yours and yours alone.
     

• Can I enter a fan character?

  • Not in this OCT. We’re strictly an original character tournament. Fan characters born from existing media and characters pulled from established IP’s are not permitted. No, you can’t enter Jack Sparrow.

  • However, reworking a fan character to be made more distinct from its original material IS permitted!
    (These restrictions are in place because, while one person may know the deep lore of where your character hails from and the ins-and-outs of their powers and who they’ve interacted with, not everyone enjoys the same media. This can make it unfair on other competitors who don’t have a clue what’s going on without reading up on your fan character’s source material.)

 

• IMPORTANT: HOW MUCH EFFORT SHOULD I PUT INTO THIS COMIC?

  • An emerging zeitgeist in the OCT community is this need to pump out 60+ page comics and 30+ minute animatics. Whilst this is an impressive work amount, we consider this the exception and NOT THE NORM.
    Many artists have sunk time, effort, and resources into this kind of passion project at the risk of their own health. We do not condone or promote this overly strenuous work ethic. OCT’s aren’t work. OCT’s aren’t intended to have portfolio-level quality. OCT’s are fun art project.
    We don’t want people to work themselves to the point of burning out or throwing in the towel due to health concerns. Finished. Readable. Not perfect.
    Whilst we’d love nothing more than to read or watch said epics, we want to push people to not draw or create for the sake of meeting a deadline, but more the sake of having fun with what they’re doing.
    All we ask for is a round, no matter how long or short with us knowing that you made it safely and with passion!

  • 20-ish pages or a 5 minute animatic are absolutely reasonable goals to aim for! We require only a minimum of 8 pages, or 2 minutes for an animatic. 

 

• Will my round get critiqued?

  • The judge team will privately (via dms or a ticket) send you a critique on your round if requested.
     

• Are teams allowed?

  • Teams of 2 are allowed! A team of two artists or a writer-artist duo are acceptable.

  • A duo of 2 characters entering into the tournament is allowed as well!

 

• How long are rounds?

  • About a month [~5 weeks] with opportunity for extensions and grace periods as rounds progress. [Typically a week extension with the chance of 3~ days grace.]

 

• What’s considered canon (Or: how important is my opponent’s round)?​

  • We wholly advocate engaging with your opponent’s lore, doing what's best for the benefit of your narrative. OCT’s are, at their heart, an art-trade with more steps. Please take your opponent and their character into careful consideration when planning out the round- we prioritize the judging of your character’s story and how they interact/conflict with your opponent. Collaboration and integration with artists is more than encouraged in this tournament! Tell it with all the delightful twists and turns to really sell the narrative- and be sure to have fun doing so!

  • While there is one final timeline of events [I.E. After round 5, only ONE person wins and gets the treasure], everything else/up to that point is considered in a loose multiverse/soft canon.
    Since eventually only one person will come out on top, and with one winner per matchup each round, there can exist a soft-canon of certain events/scenarios happening from previous rounds.

  • This isn’t to say that you can’t have your own stories and events to tell during the OCT, of course, in fact we will be supporting a wide variety of spectator prompts and events for non-tourney competitors!

 

• What is canon to the setting?

  • The lore/setting are in a soft-canon/sandbox for you to play around with! Should certain elements add better foundation to your story, you’re at liberty to pick and choose for your narrative.
     

• How is canon handled when I lose?

  • Should you not progress to the next round, there’s a soft-canon where you’re free to explore the ruins to your heart's content- you’re also free to continue spectator entries as though your character DID move on to the next round and still has their eyes on whatever lies at the top of the ruins.
     

• Are spectator entries allowed?

  • Yes, absolutely!

 

• What ARE spectator entries?

  • Spectator Entries can be made by those who didn’t move on to the roster, or otherwise have their own story to tell in the setting that’s not a part of the bracket/official rounds. 

  • There will be side prompts and events throughout to make sure everyone can take part in making the world feel alive.

 

• Making NPCs/Spectators as a competitor:

  • Encouraged! Just be sure not to take away from your main character's narrative within the tournament.
     

• Does our character have to be in line with the setting?

  • We would love to see a hearty crew of ocean-loving naval folk, however you’re not under any obligation to ONLY make seadogs.

  • Feel free to submit characters from any background! Steampunk, sci fi, etc. The world is your oyster!
     

• Do we HAVE to use the prompts?

  • The prompts going on inside the ruins are there as guides and suggestions, how relevant these ongoing events are towards your narrative is up to you! 

  • The main idea is that your OCs are ascending each level of the ruins for each round, and are required as the main setting of your stories. Your character can come from elsewhere in the Eternal Blue or outside of it, but the focus during the tournament’s narrative needs to stay within the ruins.
     

• What if my opponent forfeits?

  • If the forfeit happens with early enough notice [I.e. the first week] then we will pull from our runner up candidates as part of the bracket.

 

• What about a double forfeit?

  • In the event of a double no-show, then there may be a chance for an opponent from the previous round to make a comeback from our top candidates to have a second chance in the tourney.

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