If you've been on devaintART for long, you've probably heard of Original Character Tournaments. And these tournaments can bring great joy (meeting people you otherwise never would've talked to, a chance to improve your art) and great sorrow (a loss you considered unfair, having to drop out because of insane deadlines).

I myself have entered a few OCTs, and I've noticed a few things about them (being the ones I entered) that I thought could use improvement.
1. Accepting a set number of people. If you have time to host a tournament at all, host a big one. Make it epic!
2. Only taking certain art forms. Yeah, it's easier if everyone is the same, but variety is the spice of life. And I do think that two different art forms can be compared--a literature piece can be compared to a comic (Was the story well presented? Were the characters good?), and a comic can be compared to an interpretive dance (Were the emotions conveyed properly? Did the story told make sense?), etc.
3. Passing up good, well-thought-out characters for pointless, ridiculous ones 'for the lulz'/'to see what happens'. If it has no place in the universe of the tournament, why should it be there?
4. People being allowed to misuse, abuse, maim, and otherwise butcher their opponent(s) character(s) and still move on/up. I mean their personality, look, and general idea, not actually hurting the character. Your opponent probably worked just as hard on their character as you did yours. The least you can do is give it the respect it's due and represent it properly.
5. Only inviting 'friends' or 'big artists'. The more the merrier!

And I had the idea to host an OCT myself, correcting these flaws that I perceived.


The premise is as follows:

It is a world of vampires, werewolves, demons, angels, humans, and everything in between, and technology such creatures would have in 2100 (roughly). If it was ever dreamed, it's probably there, within reason. No, they haven't invented a way to cross-breed pixies and ogres yet, and no, they don't have nuclear bomb-shooting, laser-firing revolvers that attach to your pinkie finger. But cars are hovering now, and many menial tasks are performed by either robots or jailed non-humans.
It is a world dominated by humans, most of which are ignorant of the fact that they are not alone. The few who are aware fall into two extremes--non-human haters and non-human sympathizers. Unfortunately, it is the former who usually attains higher status, and therefore higher power.
The governments of the world's various nations answer to the High Office of International Affairs, the ruling body of nine old men. Of course, the existence of this body is kept secret, for fear of people inciting riots for the loss of rights they never realized were stolen from them.
And one of the members of the High Order is the Overseer.
Compare the Overseer to the Pope--an old man who is chosen to be the head of the main religious group of the world. For the sake of simplicity, we will say that this religion is pretty much a form of Catholicism--similar beliefs, similar rules.
So, this religion is a major factor in the lives for many, many people, because it is all they are allowed to know. One of this religions beliefs is that all non-humans are damned to Hell and must be killed to save their souls. The same goes for anyone who doesn't believe them and follow their doctrines. That is because the government feels the same way, and the two work vigorously to stomp out all things that aren't like them.
While they are powerful, the High Office and the Church are the minority--non-humans outnumber humans by a vast, vast number.
So, naturally, the market was ripe for 'extermination companies', or companies that specialize in killing non-humans. One such company was Sweepers, Inc. However, Sweepers, Inc. is different in that about half of their employees are non-human (or part-human) and they try to only neutralize non-humans that have become a threat to themselves and others (werewolves that have become rabid, vampires eternally stuck in Bloodlust, etc.) Many of the employees are actually sympathetic to non-human causes, and use Sweepers, Inc. as a kind of negotiation tool. They actually negotiated the cease-fire between the Dracul and Van Helsing families, ending a century-long war in Eastern Europe.
In any kind of government as oppressive as this, there are resistance groups. Naturally, they cannot meet in public and usually do not even organize, but exist in thought and belief only. Most people who are 'rebels' become mercenaries, hiring themselves out to non-humans who want equality or justice. One such employer is gathering quite a name for herself in the underbelly of society: Ileina Gray, a vampire with a larger-than-life agenda. She has plans to take down the church, and using the resources obtained from that takeover, the government. What she plans to do after the takeover are unclear, but it is widely believed that she has more motive than one. Both the government and the church have been trying to get rid of her for years, and have called in Sweepers, Inc. on several occasions, but to no avail--when she and her Vampiric Master, Vladimir (a powerful Master vampire) combine, they are nigh unstoppable.
And yet, amid all the violence, there are those who hope fore peace. One such being is Valdesh, the true Creator and Keeper of this Universe (a High Elf, the most ancient of people). He laments the fate of this world he so lovingly crafted, and is saddened by what humans, his ultimate creation, are doing to themselves. Those who know of his existence and still believe in his power gather to him, feeling his call. Those faithful to him bear a mark only the other faithfuls can see, creating a kind of secret brotherhood. Valdesh calls them his disciples, and he takes all under his wings, no matter their origins or pasts. He sends them all over the world (and sometimes beyond) to spread his message of peace and love. While his disciples are pacifists by nature, they are all well-trained by Valdesh himself in the arts of self-defense, for he knows the world is not a kind place.


And this is how the tournament Starts:

After a recent altercation with Ileina, Vladimir, and their forces, the High Order finds itself short on Slayers, or "monster killers". And since the pickings are sparse, they decide to open up a tournament, for they know the allure of a prize will entice even the most cowardly people. They know that sometimes a non-human is the best hunter of non-humans, so they will allow anyone to sign up, no matter what they are or look like.
The government will also force some people to join, perhaps as a form of punishment or to see if they have potential to be a Slayer.
Of course, the Church got wind of this and of the fact that there would be many, many non-humans showing up. So, the Overseer has called in the most faithful believers to go and participate in this tournament, their assignment being to 'urge this Earth of all the abominations you should encounter'.
Sweepers, Inc. has also become interested, and has sent some of its employees to check things out, and to keep the peace between the humans and non-humans.
Ileina sees this as an opportunity to sabotage the government, and has thus sent in some of her forces, undercover.
And Valdesh just wants the fighting to stop. He has sent some of his disciples in to end the bloodshed once and for all.


If this interests you even in the slightest, please take a look at my journal( ), where I have posted this info and the rules for character creation.
If you have any questions, feel free to note me at my main account ( ).

Thank you! ^^

<-Mi-Yu->