2021 Tournament Rules Archive

Archiving the original rules & information of Summer Leagues' first run in 2021

• 2021 Tournament Organizers
• 2021 Tournament Rules
• 2021 Tournament FAQ
• 2021 Tournament Prizes
• 2021 Tournament - How to Join
• 2021 Tournament - Audition Results

2021 Tournament Organizers

2021 Tournament Rules

If you are confused about any rules, please contact us on Discord and we will attempt to clarify any discrepancies. We have a dedicated channel for asking questions!

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General Rules

• Always respect your fellow peers and contestants! If any issues arise that cannot be solved privately, please get in touch with an Organizer.

• Keep contents in the OCT PG13-- if necessary, use the appropriate dA filters (when submitting on dA) or a spoiler tag in Discord.

• Follow conduct rules posted in the Discord server's #server-rules channel.

• Please direct questions to the #questions-and-answers channel in the Discord after reading through FAQs.

• It is highly recommended you join the Discord group, if not for the community, at least for notifications.

Disregarding conduct rules & content guidelines will result in a warning; repeated violation will end in at least disqualification, if not a ban.

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Content Guidelines

Chief's Crossroads isn't exactly the most appropriate of places; it gets a PG13 rating.

We are allowing for:

• - Strong language

• - Sexual themes*

• - Blood & violence

• - Substance abuse

(*Not acceptable in relation to depictions of minors or characters that "just look young".)

We will not accept:

• - Nudity

• - Pornographic material

• - Excessive amounts of gore

• - Putting opponents’ characters in sexual situations without artist permission (do not push them on it if they say no)

• - Killing opponents' characters without explicit permission to do so

Please put content warnings where necessary.

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Entry Rules

• You do not have to have a dA account to submit entries/references/art, but we would like to gather submissions in our dA gallery! Here's our offsite submission form: Submissions will be uploaded as soon as an organizer sees the response & can get to it.

• You may join as a Competitor OR Judge; please follow the respective role rules. (For Judge, go to the end of this page.)

Competitor Rules

• Accepting written, comic, and animation entries for the OCT. Once you enter with a particular medium, you must continue to use it throughout the competition. Please note that the Tournament will run no longer than 3 rounds (regardless of the number of people that join). Pick what you are comfortable for working in for an audition & potentially 3 rounds.

• You must work alone, but you are free to have others review your work.

• You may have 2 characters; please follow the guidelines below in Competitor Character Guidelines.

• Killing or maiming opponent's characters is allowed, but you must get permission from your opponent to do so. We allow violence and sensitive themes in the OCT, but you must respect your opponent's wishes if they do not want their character depicted a certain way.

• Rounds can be won by either of two methods: rendering the opponent's fighter unconscious/incapacitated, or stealing their tag and keeping it from them for 30 seconds (the MC X will count down and call it). There are no ring outs by leaving the main fighting area, you don't lose unless you're knocked out or give up the tag.

We are judging mostly based on good foundations of storytelling & execution. For more details, you can see the rubric we are using here. There are notes for each medium (where needed) due to differences in execution techniques.

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Audition Guidelines

• It is required for your audition to include your character accepting the invite to compete & show up in Crossroads to "check-in" with an NPC (they just need to see that your character has a tail). Anything else you'd like to show regarding story or characters is up to you!

• Check-in NPCs include: Chifu, Saki, X, and any Crossguard (you can make a custom one if you wish!)

Tags & Tails: After defeating a competitor in the tournament, their collected tails will be added to yours (an evolved accessory appearance is up to you). A round 1 winner will have 2 tails, round 2 will have 4, and round 3 will have all 8. There is no benefit or detriment to the competitor's abilities, regardless of number-- it is meant for NPCs to have a visual cue to your OC's status. Whether or not there is a plot point to the purpose of the tails is up to you! If one exists, Chifu won't easily reveal it~

• Submitting: Send us a link to the first page/cover of your finished audition and reference sheet(s) via this google form. Please only submit once-- you can edit a submission later, up until the deadline. A submission response will be sent to the email you used, and this contains an "Edit" button to modify your response. This will also be used to check in for Grace Period submissions-- just change the last question from "Applying for grace" to "Submitting a completed audition", and you will submit your completed audition on the next page.

Note: Grace Period is 12 hours after the Audition deadline. Use the form to submit completed reference(s) and progress on your audition to qualify.

• Please link the finished audition works to one another if there are multiple pages/parts.

• Please also include a link to the reference sheet(s) in the description of the audition, and vice versa.

If you're uploading to DA, feel free to submit your first page/cover and reference(s) to the group, but note that submission to the group does not count as a submitted entry-- must use google form to be counted (thanks!).

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Competitor Character Guidelines

If submitting 2 characters, you can have them both on the same reference sheet or create 2 references. If using multiple refs, please link them together.

We are accepting teams of 1 FIGHTER character and 1 SUPPORTER character, although you only need to have a fighter in order to compete!

• Fighters will be actively competing in the tournament and the sole fighter in rounds. The fighter has priority in claiming the wish if they win the tournament.

• Supporters can have helpful passive abilities like buffs/debuffs/heals, but these must be used outside of the fight-- you cannot support your fighter once the match begins. (If a supporter helps a fighter during a match, they are disqualified. They can make verbal comments, but full-on coaching from the sidelines will grab the ire of Chifu and disqualify the fighter.) Supporters can also have no utility outside of being used to push character development and plots! Feel free to have more fun in exploring the role of the supporter.

*For 2-in-1 characters, the current active personality is considered the fighter. They may not switch during a fight or risk being disqualified. Supporter rules apply to the current passive personality in using abilities and coaching actions through telepathy. (Chifu will give a telepathic warning to tell the passive personality to take a backseat and shut up if she feels they're crossing the line on comments to full-on coaching.) 2-in-1 characters count as 2 separate characters due to dealing with separate personalities.

Limitations on OCs:

• Age Floor: Fighter character must be at least 16 years old (human years) to participate-- we don't allow kids to fight in potential death tournaments! (Must be old enough to sign a waiver.)

• No fancharacters-- this means characters that are currently made to fit into the universe of a published work you do not own. If they used to be in this state, but were altered, that is permissible.

• No God Mods or Gary/Mary Sues. Characters can be strong, but not overpowered-- there needs to be challenges during the rounds. Gary/Mary Sues with their universe-bending abilities are just poorly-written power fantasies, and we do not wish to see those.

• Tagalongs & Self-made NPCs: Feel free to have these, but please recognize the additional strain having many characters can put on writing. Try to limit yourself to creating only what is necessary to tell your story or elaborate on the world. Tagalongs & Self-made NPCs are not expected to be utilized by an opponent during rounds, they exist for you to help yourself if needed.

• If you are unsure an OC would be acceptable and/or want to check power balance, feel free to DM one of the Organizers on Discord.

Competitor Reference Sheet Guidelines:

Please note that writers are not required to have a visual reference sheet! You must include vivid descriptions of characters and items, however. (Feel free to commission visual references to submit if you so desire.)

Please include the following details:

• Front & back art, colored. (If not flat colors, have a palette handy!)

• Name, Gender/Sex/Pronouns (whatever you wish), Race, Age, Height & Weight.

• Strengths, Weaknesses, Personality, Backstory, Abilities, Items-- please include the Tag accessory that will be used in the audition.

• If using 2 OCs, include a description of their relationship with one another.

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Judge Rules

We're accepting helper judges in running this OCT and its leagues-- if you apply, you won't be expected to judge more than 1 league (8 competitors at the start), starting with round 1. We ask that judges be communicative and allocate some free time around the round ends of their league to judge entries. There will be a google form to apply with, and the deadline will be approximately 3 weeks before the end of the auditioning period.

Judges will pick a preferred medium to preside over. Please choose a medium you are comfortable with analyzing critically.

Conduct:

• Judges shouldn't outwardly show favoritism (ie. "Character Z is my favorite!"), but feel free to compliment people's work! Try to act appropriately in the Discord, we do hold responsibility in acting at a level that shows we have a good sense of judgement. :)

Judge NPCs:

You're permitted to have 1 judge NPC if you are accepted as a candidate for judging. These NPCs are for flavor, and considered to be "minor" in the sense that they must have no mechanical influence over the tournament. Your NPC will be more prominent in your league's reality, but they can show up in other realities.

Examples of admissible NPCs:

• A worker at the Fox Den, a traveler from afar who hangs around to tell tales, a librarian, a shop owner, a landlord in town, etc.

Examples of inadmissible NPCs:

• A character who changes the rules of how matches are won.

• A traveler who offers powerful magic items that alter/add to competitor abilities during combat-- this creates power imbalances. (Selling minor buffing/debuffing potions is okay, just nothing absolutely game-changing or heavily tilting in favor of 1 competitor. Chifu wants to see the competitors show their abilities, not a fancy staff they picked up along the way.)

• A character that alters the plot of the official prompt (ie. someone who gets into a power struggle with Chifu, either from within the town or as an outside threat).

Judge NPC Reference Guidelines:

Note that judges for writing do not need visual refs. Please include vivid descriptions instead.

Please include the following details:

• Front & back art, colored. (If not flat colors, have a palette handy!)

• Name, Title (optional), Job, Hobby.

• Gender/Sex/Pronouns (whatever you wish), Race, Age, Height & Weight.

• Personality, Location, Backstory, Job description & skills.

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This list contains all the rules & guidelines we believe to be necessary, although it is subject to change. If we need additional rules/guidelines, they will be added in the future.

2021 Tournament FAQ

General FAQ

What is an OCT (Original Character Tournament)?

Here's a classic guide on OCTs

Why is this an OCT, and not an OCL (Original Character League)?

We feel that the format better fits traditional OCTs than OCLs... and the host wasn't aware of OCLs when choosing the name for the OCT! Whoops!

Who is this OCT for?

Ideally we’re looking for competitors that feel like the normal OCT circuit runs too long or like they can’t break into the usual ‘bubble’ of OCT competitors. (Or you're completely new and want to try out a "smaller" tournament!) This set up harkens back to the origins of OCTs, in being art practice for professionals/amateurs. (You will find that many of the format decisions were made with streamlining both the entry creation & judging process.) We're not trying to take up your life (or a year to year-and-a-half) of commitment with this tournament.

Where is the OCT it be hosted?

Mainly through a Discord server, which is currently the best form of communication (although this OCT is considered cross-platform.) Deviantart is mostly being used to organize relevant information and host the gallery.

What is the timeframe of the OCT?

About 4-5 months after auditions end, but could run a little longer depending on extensions. Aiming to have the tournaments end by October ~ November.

We're expecting auditions to take about 2 months, then audition judging to take between 1-2 weeks. Each round (there will be 3) will be 5 weeks long with the potential for at least one 1 week extension (individual leagues may have independent extensions). Grace periods are 12 hours after a deadline, and intended to cover any technical or other last-minute issues that may delay submissions. Judging for each round is expected to take up to 1 week at most.

We're trying to keep the OCT to fall mostly on summer months, as per our name. Spring will be auditions, and finals can run into fall.

Individual leagues can have independent extensions?

Yup! One of the blessings of running concurrent mini-tournaments rather than one large one. Groups that finish on time can speed right to the end, while groups that need a little more breathing room can have it.

Will there be an extension for auditions?

Potentially; it would likely be 1-2 weeks of extra time. We'll put out a poll in May to gauge where people are, before auditions are over.

What forms of media are you accepting, and what do you expect from each?

We're accepting writing, comics, and animation.

• Writing needs to be legible, and formatted to not just be huge text blocks. PDF submissions are preferred. Should be 1.5-2 spacing for lines, 10-12 font size. Try to keep a reasonable length for written entries-- please don't submit a novel for each entry. Writing can utilize some illustrations in between text, up to a maximum of 3 times per entry, to help flesh out imagery-- but this should not substitute for descriptions, rather it should clarify or help depict the atmosphere.

• Comics should have typed text for speech bubbles. Multiple pages, Twitter threads, PDF, or long form submissions are okay-- just link things together if there are separate pages. If you're running out of time and submitting sketches, try to at least make the speaker clear and actions visible! (Tip: quick flat colors under a sketch can help a lot to show figure & specify character)

• Animation will also include animatics & games/visual novels due to the element of audio. (Please note that games are not going to be judged on gameplay quality/interactive elements. If submitting a game, please submit a video recording of the entry for us to judge.) Minimum resolution of 480p, no fps minimum. Concerning the use of copyrighted music, you may submit an entry with copyrighted music used-- just credit the artist and unlist the animation if posting on Youtube (or other hosting site) to avoid DMCA takedowns. You can also host the video in a google drive and share from there!

How do I submit my Audition and Reference Sheet(s) as a completed entry?

Please use this google form to submit! (This form is also used for qualifying for the Grace Period, feel free to take a look at the form before the deadline.)

How do I submit my work to the Deviantart group?

If you have a Deviantart account, please join the group (requests are automatically approved) and submit to the proper folder. If you don't have a Deviantart account, please use this google form-- our offsite account @SummerLeaguesOFFSITE will submit it to the group for you!

• All work will be credited and linked to the original hosting location of your entry. If you are uncomfortable with a cover or page being posted by us, then unfortunately the only way to submit to the group would be through making your own Deviantart account.

• Please make sure it is easy to read and navigate through your entry! If the pages are hard to read, or it's hard to get from one page to another, we cannot judge your entry properly. For example, if you choose to post on Twitter, keep the display sizes of the images in mind, and keep your entire entry in one thread rather than making separate tweets for each page.

What do I do if I start having computer problems and upload a few minutes past the deadline?

If you start having technical problems, please DM one of the organizers immediately so that we are aware of it! (The entry form will close soon after the Grace Period, so make sure you try to give yourself enough room to submit on time.) If you upload late and/or miss the deadline with no explanation, you will unfortunately be disqualified.

Will we get critiques?

Yes, you will be able to request a critique for previous work after results come out. (We'll use a google form to take requests.) Critiques will be sent out privately through a DM on Discord within a week of results being posted. This could include a copy of the rubric referenced when judging and personalized notes by the judges.

Judging

How will judging be done?

Judging will differ slightly between Auditions and Rounds, but only if we have additional judges to help manage the leagues. All judging will be based on a rubric for consistency (think of this as the Objective score), with wiggle room for “extra credit” (the Subjective score)-- although this extra credit can help or hurt an entry’s score. Objectivity makes up 90% of an entry’s score, with subjectivity accounting for the last (+/-) 10%. Please note that there are minor differences for each medium in the rubric, but that the base foundations for storytelling and execution remain the same.

If you’d like to see the rubric, please follow this link:

Auditions:

• Auditions will be ranked in a list separated by medium.

• These will be judged only by the organizers of the OCT. The largest multiple of 8 per league is how many competitors will join, and how many leagues of that medium will run (ie. 16 writers => 2 writing leagues, 32 comic artists => 4 comic leagues, 8 animators => 1 animation league).

• The cutoff point for competitors depends on if a multiple of 8 is exceeded, or if the tournament becomes unfeasibly manageable (too large) for the 3 organizers.

Rounds:

• These are competitions between 2 people-- whoever is better (scores higher) continues on in the tournament to the next round.

• If we have additional judges join, they will be assigned to a league of their preferred medium. There will be 3 judges per league, whether it consists of 1 judge/2 organizers or 2 judges/1 organizer (or even just 3 judges with an organizer overseeing the judging rather than judging themselves). Ideally each league (and rounds) will be judged by the medium’s respective organizer + 2 helper judges.

I want to help judge-- Can I judge more than 1 medium (and/or more than 1 league)?

It depends on the number of judge applications we receive. Ideally we want everyone to have 1 league to be responsible for, for their preferred medium. It may be the case that we have to give someone a less-preferred medium depending on the number of judges across mediums. (We'll ask beforehand if you are comfortable with doing so.)

In the off-chance that a written-medium preferred judge is asked to judge comics or animation and has an NPC without a visual reference, an organizer (likely @Vashle) will help make one.

I want to help judge-- How can I apply?

Use this form, which will open at the same time as auditions. You'll be asked for some contact information and minor "interview"-like questions (past experience & critical ability), to complete 1 judging challenge (there are 3, one for each medium), and to submit an NPC idea if you wish to have one.

I want to help judge, but what if I get busy around the time a round ends?

An organizer can step in and help judge rounds if needed! We'll probably figure out more of the details over on Discord together when the time comes though.

I want to help judge-- How am I expected to write critiques?

Since we're using rubrics, feel free to include a score for each category on the rubric. Include more personalized notes that reference parts of the round in comparison to storytelling/execution techniques, and leave any comments you think might be helpful and/or compliment what you thought was well done. We don't have exact formatting requirements for critiques at this time, but will show an example after auditions.

I want to help judge and I have more questions, where can I ask them?

We actually have a judges-only category in our Discord server. Assign yourself the "judges" role in #reaction-roles and head on over to #judge_general to ask the organizers any questions you might have!

I'm having trouble with a helper judge in my league, should I contact an organizer?

Yes! Please let us know if any issues arise and we'll help you as best we can.

So, about these "Leagues"....

How many contestants will the roster have?

Here's where the unique "gimmick" of our OCT comes in-- in the form of scalability. (This is also why we are allowing folks to participate as helper judges.) Rounds are capped at 3 rounds because each league will have 8 competitors. Each league will be separated by medium, and there can be multiple leagues of the same medium.

Each league will be a group of 8 competitors of about similar ability. Judging for auditions will be ranked, so the top 8 will be in league 1, 9-16 in league 2, and so on. (Don't feel bad if you don't place 'high'-- this depends on who else is auditioning. Working with people at a similar level is a much better learning and networking experience as well.)

EXAMPLE of a league set for a run of the OCT:

• Comic League 1

• Comic League 2

• Comic League 3

• Writer League 1

• Writer League 2

• Animation League 1

Running concurrent tournaments means we'll have many more competitors working at the same time, which is very exciting! We can't wait to see what you guys come up with!

Can a League have more than 8 competitors (3 Rounds)?

No, we are intentionally keeping the tournament short and sweet.

What if a medium doesn't have enough competitors to run at least 1 league?

If this happens, we'll ask the competitors if they're comfortable with running a smaller tournament-- the rounds may get strange, but we'll have a conversation and see how people want to continue! (For instance, a mini-tournament of 4 would last 2 rounds, or a mini-tournament of 6 could be 3 rounds, with one competitor fighting an NPC in round 2 to avoid a three-way round.)

How are matchups decided?

After auditions and leagues are determined, we will use a random number generator to decide the placement within a tournament bracket per league. So round 1 will be random, but the next two won't be as secretive.

This is to allow for pre-writing during a round, since you'll be aware of your next two possible opponents. With how short the length of the tournament is, you'll need to be able to plan ahead for your story. Knowing what competitors you can get in the next round makes this much easier.

What is required in a round?

A fight must happen each round, at least starting within the confines of the Cross Colosseum. (The fight can be more of a battle of wills than a physical fight, but please keep it interesting for Chifu!)

So Auditions are character introductions, rounds are building up the story-- should the last round include the wish granted by the God Eater?

Yes! Please tie off your story in the final round (round 3) in some form. If you wish to make an epilogue after winning the final (round 3 judging is completed), feel free to do so!

Can we get extensions?

Yes, each round will allow for at least one 1 week extension-- please let your league judges know if you'll need an extension. Judges will privately contact individual contestants around halfway through the round in order to gauge how much extra time everyone needs, and give extensions accordingly.

What happens if my opponent forfeits?

If your opponent forfeits within the 1 week drop period, we'll "second wind" their past opponent, who will become your new opponent for the round. If your opponent forfeits after this period, please complete an entry with their characters. Your round still needs to get from beginning to end visually and narratively with some amount of effort, even if it's rough. Don't just submit a few panels or concept sketches with an outline and expect to pass because your opponent forfeited - it is not a guaranteed auto-pass!

What if I need to drop out? Are there “second winds”?

If you need to drop out, that’s okay! Just let us know ASAP. If you let us know during the judging period or within 1 week of the round results being posted, we will give a losing competitor a “second wind”. (Second wind-eligible competitors must be within their own league and lost to the dropping competitor in the previous round-- this is to keep the integrity of the tournament-bracket style intact and not negate any forward planning by other competitors.)

What happens if both competitors forfeit?

Due to the shorter time frame and tournament-bracket style, this gets a little strange. If a double forfeit occurs in round 1, we'll pull a losing competitor from the other half of the bracket to be your next opponent in round 2. If a double forfeit occurs in round 2, round 2 becomes "finals" for the other side of the bracket. (If round 2 suddenly becomes the finals, you won't be expected to tie off your story, but we'd love to see some sort of epilogue with your wish!)

Can I enter multiple leagues with different mediums? (For instance, creating a written audition and a different comic audition with two separate sets of characters?)

No, we want everyone to pick a medium and stick with it. You won’t have enough time to do 2 separate entries and work with 16 total characters (or more), we promise. Although we can't stop you from joining a different OCT and competing in both at one time, we don't recommend it.

Can I enter as a competitor and be a judge for a different league?

We appreciate the enthusiasm in wanting to get extra involved, but we prefer everyone to focus on one role. Thank you!

What about speculator entries or side stories?

Speculator entries and side stories (SEs) are entirely optional. Both competitors and non-competitors (including judges) are allowed to create SEs. However, for competitors any content in SEs will not be considered during round judgment (basically: keep new information and main developments during round entries, and other reinforcements of ideas like world-building or character situations kept to side stories).

Due to the scalability of the main tournament, we won't be running a spectator tournament alongside it.

How does canon work if I lose in the tournament and do a spectator entry?

If you choose to continue in the tournament after losing, it is considered a split point for reality and anything further is only within your character’s personal canon. You can make up a fighter for the remaining round(s) or work out a way where you become ‘disqualified’ after losing. Spectator entries are just for fun!

Speaking of canon, how does canon work in-universe with everyone's separate entries?

The setting is already split realities so everything and every possibility is technically canon. Try to respect your opponent’s canon, at least the parts that heavily impact your opponent, while melding it into your own.

I would like to donate a prize, can I?

Yes! You can donate a prize to a specific league (after the audition period) or a general one across all leagues (we recommend waiting until after the audition period to see how large of a commitment this is). Please DM one of the organizers over Discord if you wish to contribute.

Summer Leagues OCT

What can my characters be in terms of race, mythology, etc.? (Do they have to be mortal?)

Characters can be anything, but preferably sentient! Feel free to bring a mecha, be a mecha or robot/android, have anthro animals, be a forgotten god, etc. They can be immortal, but they need to be defeat-able. Keep powers balanced for the sake of keeping rounds challenging for both sides.

How would a team with a mecha and a pilot work?

If the mecha lacks sentience (basic AI function for reporting status is fine) and is used by the pilot to fight with (while inside), the mech & pilot are considered 1 character and filling the fighter role. (Yes this means you can have an additional character as a supporter, because here the mecha is simply a tool used in battle.)

If the mecha has sentience and can move on its own, it is considered a separate character. If the pilot is filling the supporter role, be advised that coaching the mecha from the sidelines is looked down upon by Chifu & X. A pilot may modify programming and/or give the mecha a plan before or after a match, not during.

Can I have an ability that creates environmental effects or reshapes the environment of the Colosseum grounds?

Sure! We have no gimmick to shift the Colosseum area, so if you want to rely on a changing or altered environment/weather, feel free to give your characters such an ability. (Supporters could change the environment/weather of the Colosseum grounds before a match, but not during...)

Can my character(s) challenge Chifu and try to takeover Crossroads?

Haha, good luck with that. You may run a plot like this as long as you adhere to the round format.

Are tag-teams and collaborations allowed?

At this time, no. However, if this OCT format turns out to be successful, we may add a Teams-Only league (most likely with comics as the medium) if we rerun this in the future.

Can we bring tagalongs or create our own NPCs?

Sure! Just keep in mind that adding additional characters adds to your workload and may take away from the spotlight on your fighter and your opponent. Opponents are not required to include your extras (tagalongs/NPCs) in their round.

If you want to bring back defeated opponent characters in later rounds, please get permission from your past opponent to do so. (Feel free to use judge NPCs as you wish, though!)

Any limitations on what we can do to our opponent's OCs?

Ask your opponent for permission first if you decide to harm or kill their character(s). Otherwise, keep the content guidelines (from the Rules journal) in mind!

So what's the story?

Please check out our Premise journal; think of the OCT as each league experiencing an alternate universe of the prompt.... NPCs are static, while the competitors change for each. The only official prompt is the premise of the tournament-- each round will be the same style of fighter vs fighter, no gimmicks thrown in the mix (unless your own storyline is tossing things up!).

Obviously this leads to many "canon" endings. It'll be a lot of fun! (Note that you can cameo teams from other leagues with the artist’s permission, however the intention with this tournament is to have smaller groups that make it easier to tell stories in a limited amount of time, so focusing on characters in your league is highly encouraged.)

I see our characters are getting invited to the tournament with a letter-- is there official text for the content of that letter?

Nope, there isn't. Feel free to personalize the message that Chifu sends your character(s) and tries to drag them into the tournament with.

Will each round have an official prompt to work off of?

No, they won't. The only prompt in this tournament is the premise. We want you to be in full control of your own story, and having prompts can get in the way of that. (Leagues can also become staggered if some have extensions while others don't, and it would be unfair for slower leagues to know the prompt ahead of time. If each league had a different prompt per round to avoid this, it would start getting confusing for competitors and be difficult to judge. So we're just sticking with the one and only!)

What is the timeframe within canon for the tournament?

Chifu's Cross Tournament lasts 3 days in-universe time (1 day = 24 hours), with each round taking a day to complete.

How free is my story? Do my characters have to make a wish at the end?

They don't have to make a wish! Do whatever is best for your story; the prospect of getting a wish granted is just the allure Chifu uses to pull in travelers.

How much freedom do I have with Crossroads?

A few areas will be more defined than the rest (Cross Colosseum & the Fox Den), but feel free to add areas that you want to see in Crossroads! There will be a map provided with the overall layout of the town, as well as some location snapshots to provide a sense of atmosphere, but you may add to it if you wish.

What's outside of Crossroads?

Things get a tad "shifty" outside of Crossroads in terms of dimensional rifts and how the world connects to other planes. Venture outside of charted territory at your own risk.

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If you have any questions not listed here, comment with your question below (or ask it in our Discord server) and we’ll provide an answer as soon as possible.

2021 Tournament Prizes

All Competitors passing Auditions will receive a role unique to their league in the Discord Server, marking their participation in Summer Leagues OCT 2021!

-|| ALL LEAGUES ||-

1st Place (1 per league | 3 total)

• Full Body Render by Vashle#0007 | Examples: [1] [2]

• Animated Icon by Cassadiller#1122

• Painted Bust Portrait by monty#0666 | Example: [1]

• 1 Month of Discord Nitro* by an Organizer

• Full Body Color + “Beautiful” Background, Shading & Effects by FireCracker101#7998

2nd Place (1 per league | 3 total)

• Bust Portrait Render by Vashle#0007 | Example [1]

• Bust Portrait w/ Cel Shading by Cassadiller#1122

• Winning Character(s) Chibi by monty#0666

• 1 Month of Discord Nitro Classic* by an Organizer

• Full Body Color + Simple Background by FireCracker101#7998

3rd Place (2 per league | 6 total)

• Winning Character(s) Chibi by Vashle#0007

• Bust Portrait - Lineart only by Cassadiller#1122

• Lineart Half Body w/ Flat Colors by monty#0666

• Full Half Body Color - No Background by FireCracker101#7998

Anyone who finishes a Round 1 Entry will receive:

• A Mysterious Letter PDF -- Contents TBA, may include a poll gauging further interest on the Discord Server.

*If you have Discord Nitro/Classic already, you can choose someone else to receive it!

-|| COMIC LEAGUES ONLY ||-

1st Place (1 per league | 2 total)

• Fully Animated Gif of Winning Character(s) by Nolan Renshaw#6387

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If you would like to contribute any additional prizes, please DM Vashle #0007 through Discord!

2021 Tournament - How to Join

How to Join

It is highly recommended that everyone join our Discord server! This is how we’re organizing the tournament between platforms and where announcements will be made.

You’re allowed to join the tournament as a competitor OR a judge. See the following for how to submit applications.

Competitors (Writers, Comic Artists, Animators)

Hey there! Glad you’re interested in the competition. We’re trying to get as many people to participate as possible. Whether you’re brand new to OCTs or an old vet, we welcome you to try out!

1. Create an audition and character reference(s)

• Follow the guidelines in Rules and read the FAQs for help in deciding who and what you want to submit. If this is your first time joining an OCT, check this out-- it’s the original OCT guide, it should help explain the basics!

• (This updated OCT guide is also worthwhile to look at.)

• This tournament is divided by multiple medium types. You’ll have to pick which one you want to submit and stick with it. If your entry is accepted into the tournament, you’ll be placed into a league of the same medium-- writers will be paired with writers, comic artists with comic artists, and animators with animators.

• So, you have your character(s) ready and created an audition-- how do you submit it?

2. Submit your entry by the deadline using this form https://forms.gle/V78nyb448o36QwX39

Deadline: Saturday June 5th, 2021 @ 11:59PM EST(GMT-5) -- Grace Period of 12 hours after

• To be eligible for the additional submission time of the grace period, you must submit that Audition form using the "applying for grace..." option by the regular deadline! Thank you!

• Since this tournament is cross-platform, we’ll be collecting the entries through a nifty form. Deviantart (DA) will mainly function as a gallery for viewing and hub of information, while more of the interactions will happen over at the Discord server. An offsite account ( https://www.deviantart.com/summerleaguesoffsite ) will be used to post entries to the DA gallery for competitors who lack a DA account-- with approval, of course. If you wish to have an offsite work added to the DA gallery, please use this form.

• After auditions are over, you will be informed if you got in, and for what league. Congrats!

Judges

Interested in being a judge? Great! We’re probably going to need the help, and we really appreciate everyone willing to dedicate time to make this OCT work!

This is a 2-step process. We’re looking for people that have critical judgement abilities similar to our own (the organizers) so that judging will be fairly consistent across the various leagues. You don’t need to have judged for a prior OCT to apply! Previous OCT experience (as a competitor) is preferred, but not necessary.

1. Fill out our Judge Application https://forms.gle/a8nLeSSNrA5SNA3n8

Deadline: Saturday May 15th, 2021 @ 11:59PM EST

• This takes contact info, has a judging challenge, and [OPTIONAL] allows you to submit an idea for a judge NPC that will be used in your respective league (see Rules for guidelines on NPCs). Then wait for a response.

• The organizers will get back to you as soon as possible and inform you if you are a candidate to be a judge, and if so, give some feedback on your NPC idea if one is submitted.

2. [OPTIONAL] Make your NPC ref-- after being accepted & getting the greenlight. Deadline: Saturday June 5th, 2021 @ 11:59PM EST

• If you are a candidate and get greenlit for your NPC idea, make a ref! (Drawn refs are preferred, but if you’re judging for writing they are not required in that league.)

• Submit the reference over Discord in the #npc-submission channel by the deadline and it’ll be added to the DA gallery, either with your own account or an offsite submission. If you had an NPC idea but did not finish a reference by the deadline, it won’t count against you as a judge candidate when sorting out roles-- you’ll just be NPC-less for the tournament.

• After auditions are over, you will be informed if you will become a judge, and for what league. Congrats!

2021 Tournament - Audition Results

Round 1 Commences!

Check out the leagues here!

Congrats to everyone that got in! There's no time to breathe-- the leagues are finalized, and the brackets posted! Before you run off, let's cover some information.

Critiques for Auditions

• These can be requested by DMing one of the Organizers (preferably over Discord). Critiques will be sent out within a week to those that request one.

What should my Round 1 cover?

You must fight your opponent in the Cross Colosseum! Refresh yourself using the Rules/FAQs.

Round 1 Extension Requests

• For those competing in the tournament, a 1 week extension can be granted to a league. PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE ARE **INDEPENDENT PER LEAGUE**. If Comic League 1 has a 1 week extension and Comic League 2 did not request an extension, only Comic League 1 has an extra week. Every league can ask for an extension-- they are just not globally given.

• How do you request an extension? In the Discord server, you can find a text chat specific to those in your league. The judges will put out a poll asking that league's members if they need an extension.

Round 1 Submission & Grace Period Form

• This form is similar to the audition form-- it functions as both the final entry and grace application! Keep it handy, and apply for grace as soon as you have a WIP of your round. It'll save you time when editing the form to submit the final version later!

• Round 1 Submission Form

Round 1 Deadline: Saturday August 7th @ 11:59pm EST

Whoah! So fast! There's 5 weeks to complete your round 1-- good luck, and godspeed! (Keep in mind the grace period, which lasts for 12 hours after the deadline!)

• Grace Period Ends: Sunday August 8th @ 11:59am EST (noon)

• Countdown Timer

AND WITHOUT FURTHER ADO.... THE LONG AWAITED MATCH UPS!

For a list of the competitors, with links to their reference(s) and audition, please click here!

(If you would like to see the individual competitor portraits, please click here!)