Audition/Round Guidelines and Judging Info

CHARACTER GUIDELINES

-Any character is allowed as long as it is not a fan character. Human, anthro, some weird mix...whatever you want!

-Your character does not have to be specific to the setting Phaeton has- they can use magic, more advanced technology, and so on. Since they are coming from other worlds, then this makes sense that they'd be able to do things that people from the world Phaeton is in can't. Should you have any questions, ask away!

-No god powers. This should be pretty obvious. We want INTERESTING fights, not a snap of the fingers and your opponent is down. No god-modding, fan characters, mary sue/gary stu, etc.

-Characters must be able to be defeated- this falls under the god-mod stuff. Immortality is allowed TO AN EXTENT- again, god-mod, etc. (Even immortals can fall into the sky below, after all.)

-Any other questions, feel free to ask!

AUDITION GUIDELINES

The host (and the NPCs) will be using a device the host repaired/created to teleport to other worlds in search of people to assist them in their goal. A reference of the device and how it works will be posted along with the host's reference.

Your character will need to meet them or in someway get invovled with them so that the host (and whatever NPCs have accompanied her (which is your choice, as long as the host is there since she's the one who knows how to use the device) will bring them back to Phaeton. You can be creative with this- for example, they could end up bringing your character(s) by accident, or something happens which brings them along. If you have any questions about what would work, ask!

To qualify, you must make a comic, flash animation, or flash comic showing us your character and how things begin. This is required, there's no way around it. Be sure to put effort into it- we're looking for people who care about getting in and want to do their best, however that may be!

You must also make a colored reference sheet of your character. Tell us their strengths and weaknesses, personality, motives, abilities, et cetera. A front and back reference at the bare minimum is required, and it must be in color to count! (This is required, even if your audition is not in color.) Make sure to show us WHY your character should be a part of The Switch.

Once we open for auditions and have a set closing date, you will know how long you have. You must have your audition and reference done and submitted for us to judge it and for you/your character to be considered for acceptance!

If you have any questions about any of the judges, do not hesitate to ask their owner!

ROUND INFORMATION

This will be updated with more info once auditions are underway and The Switch actually begins, but I'm going ahead and giving information on what is expected in the rounds.

Those that make it into The Switch will be exploring the city of Phaeton for clues, info, intel, ANYTHING that can bring the group as whole closer to finding the cause for The Switch and perhaps a way to reverse it (if such a thing is possible.)

However, while the group is in dire need of the strangers that they have brought over from other worlds, they are still somewhat cautious/wary- as they well should be. (I mean, would you completely trust the future of your city into a group of strangers that, as far as you know, might make things WORSE?)

As a way to not only give the group a way to examine and watch the strangers, but also to show who is most capable and strongest (not just physically, mind you), they have decided that the strangers must also compete with each other to prove who is the most capable and strongest of the group. This doesn't mean that they should just attack every single person they happen across, though- that would cause chaos.

Therefore each round, each stranger is given a target as well that if they should happen across (and they will, of course) then they must defeat them to move on. Being defeated doesn't mean that the loser is no longer allowed out- they still want the people brought over to search for information (so tag-alongs are perfectly acceptable).

The longer a person lasts, the higher up in the heiarchy of the group they'll earn a place. The winner will essentially be on the same level as the leaders of the group. Its also somewhat hinted at that this ranking will carry over if/when they take back Phaeton and reverse The Switch (if this is even possible.)

They also mention a large, full vault in government HQ that someone at the highest rank would have full access to once the city was taken over again....surely that's extra motivation, no?

If you have any questions or if there is any confusion, don't hesitate to ask! This is still very much in progress, since auditions have not opened yet.

JUDGES NOTES/CRITERIA

This is a basic summary of what each of us will be looking for when we judge your rounds, as per request by a few of you. Will be updated as each judge finishes their summaries!

Hipster-Coyote
-To be added

Venomouswolf
The most important thing I look for is originality. I want to see a unique, interesting and different story. And since you are all auditioning, give me a reason to want to follow your character’s story, so I have something to look forward too. I also like to see nice dialogue, flow, art, and effort. So yes, do your best to proofread your entries (I want to be able to understand the point you are trying to make). And yes, I’ll be honest.  As much as I value story/originality over art, there will always be some bias towards art. And I think this goes for everyone (even if they say otherwise), but look, you are also using visuals to convey your story. The visuals, like the story should be understandable. (and a bunch of scribbles won’t get you in. Hence, why I also said effort.) Not to mention body language/action/etc is just as important to show the audience what the character is feeling as we are not using words as if we would be in a written story writing out their feelings. No you do not need to be a Picasso.
Tl;dr. I want Originality. Make it visually understandable.

irish-hugz
can i tell what’s going on?*
-basically exactly as stated, if i can’t tell what’s happening then i can’t very well judge it

creative use of story and characters
-give us something enjoyable to read.
-make the best use of your and your opponents’ characters, the setting, and prompts given to you. don’t just use the bare basics of your opponents’ characters and flaunt how ~totally awesome~ yours is/are.
-having said that, make sure the story makes sense. creativity is a GREAT thing, but try to avoid forcing an element of the story that doesn’t entirely fit. keep in mind the world and characters you’re writing for. if you want to make the entire place explode into rubble, awesome! just please make sure you take the logical steps to make that happen first.

comic art/layout/technical stuff
-this is basically in case two entries are evenly matched
-a visually appealing style is ALWAYS nice
-although if your art/layout style interferes with being able to understand your comic*, then there’s a bit of a problem
-preferably few elements that impede the flow of reading (can’t tell what order to read panels in, awkwardly placed text bubbles, stuff like that)
-how complete is your entry (running out of time and having to post sketches, for instance)

Edil23
For me, a good entry in this tournament must accomplish the following points:

1) Story. Above everything else, even art. If it's a boring entry with poor development it will not fulfill this point.
2) Clarity. It has to be understandable, otherwise it will take a lot of possitive points out.
3) Impact. I think this also applies to the story part, but there has to be an impact on the reader in order to make even more points.
4) Continuity. The story must flow and follow the storyline, obviously.
5) Art. Nice art always adds a lot of points to an entry.
6) Did it got to the point or not? A good conclusion is essential in order to make an entry memorable. If the outcome is weak, so will be the whole thing.

Of course, I'm not going to make a point system here because that is probably going to be confusing, so let's use rhetorical points haha.

In short: the story has to be entertaining, clear, with a good rythm and that gets to the point in the end.

stephi-JK
Creativity - 80% of my vote will be based on these factors:
• Story (first and foremost)
- Did your story make me want to know more about your character? Is it well paced? Present some plot twists and significant character development for both your character and others. If done well enough, this alone may give you my complete vote.
• Stylization of characters beyond your own
- How well will you incorporate their personality? Do you give them a good enough chance against your character to make it believable? Any closure after your round with them?
• Background use
- Where are they? Does the background or location suit the mood?

Technicality: - 20% of my vote will be based on these factors
( will only really use this if I find the stories to be of equal quality)
• Panel and perspective use
-  Do you play well with the perspectives? So the panels fit the momentum of the story?
• Text and bubble flow
- Is it easy to find the next bubble to read? Do you play well with the fonts for added effect or mood setting?
• Overall Presentation
- How tidy and complete is your entry?

flipfordeader
-I would say story is the biggest thing to me. I probably judge with the importance of individual aspects at about 50% plot, 25% artwork in-panels, and 25% ease-of-read and understandability--like how legible text is and if the panels are well set up.

hydrabones
-To be added