That right there is the link to my first Q&A video. Thank you all for asking so many questions! I'll be uploading more tomorrow and during the week, since I wasn't able to answer all of the questions this time around.
__________Official Sphinx OC Contest Information__________Contest Dates/Timetable: October 1st to October 31st - Midnight to Midnight (EST)Contest Theme: Create Your Own Sphinx Original CharacterWith the upcoming launch of my original manga,
Sphinx (drawn by the wonderful
WickedJuti), coming up on the horizon, I've decided to hold a full-fledged contest to help bring the community into the setting that I've created for this story. I also wanted to get a chance to support the amazing imagination that thrives here on deviantART, which has pushed me time and time again to continue my projects and pursue art. And by separating this contest into both visual arts and writing, with 175 USD devoted to each section, I'm hoping to get as many people to join in the
Sphinx community as possible.
Each contestant will be creating their own original character based on the world of
Sphinx (information on that world can be found below), either in a picture-form or through a written character sheet. The most creative/well-made characters will win huge prizes and will be featured on my page for an extended period of time.
To make sure that you understand the rules and the idea of the contest, please read through this journal as carefully as possible. If you have any questions, please note me (
NexusYuber).
World InformationThe world of
Sphinx is very much like our own. The manga itself is set in the state of Utah, and the modern world as we know it is as familiar to its inhabitants as it is to us. People go to school in the same places, go to work at the same jobs, visit the same cities, and the vast majority of the planet continues to lead normal lives.
The difference between our own world and the world of
Sphinx, however, is that magic exists, and obscenely powerful races of individuals have been using it since the dawn of time--from the ancient river valleys of Egypt to the populated streets of modern New York City. They have shaped the events of history with their unique, incredible powers, and they continue to walk among us without betraying their presence, leaving the world ignorant of their existence.
These rare, magic races are something more than human. Their members look like people, have the same organs as people, and even live just as long as people, but their inborn abilities to harness unique forms of magic make them something so much more. Some races have powers beyond imagination, and all of them are indistinguishable from normal men and women.
As a rule, your character must be able to go to a professional physician, have a full body scan, and show nothing unusual at all. Each one of these magical beings is human in all ways while their powers are not in use.
Superstitions, myths, and legends gave names to the races. Normal humans who caught glimpses of their magics told stories of what they saw, and over countless re-tellings, each account twisted itself further from the truth, eventually changing into what we know now. Western Dragons, depicted as demonic beasts that breath fire from the skies, are actually powerful men and woman who can produce limitless flame, bending it to their will in ways unique to each member of the race. Some may harness the fire to fly, while others cloak themselves in heat and burn enemies to ash.
Almost all common fairy tales, mythical creatures, and old superstitions are grounded in sightings of these people. Some races were, once upon a time, worshiped as divine entities. Others have fallen into the shadows, unseen for centuries. Because they can only successfully breed with members of their own kind (Western Dragons can only have children with Western Dragons), their numbers have remained miniscule in comparison to the vastly increasing amount of humans; some of the magical races number less than a dozen.
Craig Benson, the main character of
Sphinx, is a member of one of these magical races. In fact, he is a Sphinx. Despite this, he looks like any other High School student:
The characters made for this contest can be based on any mythological race, any (non-Deity) superstitious creature, or any old wive's tale. They must have powers based on your own interpretation of the core elements of that subject, yet they have to appear human. Here is a sample list of some creatures and races that can be used (you are in no way limited to this list):
Dragon
Mermaid
Troll
Wendigo
Kitsune
Kappa
Chupacabra
Etc.What race your character is and what powers they have (and what powers the race as a whole might have) is completely up to you and your creativity. All that matters is that they are unique, fit into the modern setting, and that you keep the story in mind during their creation. Here are some things to consider when creating your character, and it should help you define what you're looking for:
What race are they based on?
Are they a powerful member of that group?
What are their unique abilities based on the magic powers of their race?
What do they look like? Is anything in their appearance somewhat reminiscent of their race's mythological heritage?
What do they do in the modern world? What is their job?
How do they use their powers?
What are their goals? Do they want to gain power?
What do they think of other magical races?
What do they think of normal humans?If you have any questions, please ask, since some things might need to be explained from person to person. Many questions have been answered in the comment section of this journal, as well as this poll: nexusyuber.deviantart.com/jour… which you can check to see if your question has been answered already.__________Official Contest Rules__________Display and OwnershipThe characters, artwork, and writings created in this contest belong
entirely to the people who made them. I am an avid believer in the idea that fan-characters are legitimate personal ideas, whether or not the world is their own property, so I am not going to claim ownership of any image, character sheet, or character concept submitted for the purpose of this contest.
That being said,
Sphinx is my own manga, and it is my property. Although each picture, sheet, and character belongs to the person who made it, every entry MUST give full credit for
Sphinx to me,
NexusYuber. Any entry that does not have this in the artist's description will not be accepted.
SubmissionTo submit your entry, you must upload an original copy to deviantART. Then you must send me,
NexusYuber, a note containing a link to the original work. I will put a full link to it on my page, where it will be visible until the judging is done so that
WickedJuti, myself, and the spectators can see it in an organized fashion.
All contestants must add this journal to their favorites.No Canon Characters/Outside OCsAlthough I would greatly appreciate the idea of Craig Benson or other
Sphinx fanart, that is not the purpose of this contest, and no picture or character sheet mentioning canon characters will be accepted. Only original characters based on
Sphinx will be accepted. This also means that you cannot use other fandom OCs in your picture, nor canon characters of any kind from any other source. It must be strictly
Sphinx-related.
No Multiple Entries/No Multiple CharactersNo artist may submit more than one entry into the contest, and no entry may contain more than one character. This is to make sure that the piece submitted is the highest quality it can be, and that
WickedJuti and I aren't overwhelmed at the end of the contest. If you want to withdraw a previous submission and replace it with another, please contact me through note.
No Pre-Made CharactersUnder no circumstances is any contestant allowed to use an already developed character as a submission into this contest. All entries must be made from scratch to fit this setting, and any re-purposed characters will not be accepted, whether or not they have been changed to fit the
Sphinx setting. Although measures will be taken to ensure that this rule is followed, it is mostly up to the good will of the participants to ensure that all characters used for this contest are entirely original.
__________Official Visual Art Criteria__________Judge:
The visual section of the contest will be judged entirely by the artist of the original manga,
WickedJuti. Each completed entry will be judged equally between the quality of the art (anatomy, structure, cleanliness, etc.) and the quality of the concept (uniqueness, impact, accuracy to the canon setting, etc.). With each of these categories being worth 50 'points', the total for each entry will be out of 100.
Each visual piece MUST have the following character information in the artist's description so that we can understand the character concept, which is an important part of the judging. It does not have to be long, but it should have enough information for us to understand more about the character. You will NOT be judged on the grammar and cleanliness of this portion, but it has to be understandable.
Name: What is your character's name?
Race: What magical race does your character represent?
Racial Abilities: What general magical abilities does your character's race have?
Unique Abilities: What is your character's unique version of his/her race's ability? What sets them apart?
__________Visual Art Prizes__________1st Place Winner-100 USD from
NexusYuber-1 Full-body OC Picture from
WickedJuti -Extended Feature on
NexusYuber's page.
-Extended Feature on
WickedJuti's page.
2nd Place Winner-50 USD from
NexusYuber-1 Half-body OC Picture from
WickedJuti-Extended Feature on
NexusYuber's page.
-Extended Feature on
WickedJuti's page.
3rd Place Winner-25 USD from
NexusYuber-Extended Feature on
NexusYuber's page.
All monetary payments are to be made to the winners through Paypal.__________Official Writing Criteria__________Judge:
The writing section of this contest will take the form of a character sheet, which can be found right here:
Sphinx: Character Sheet TemplateName: (What is your character's name?)
Age: (How old is your character?)
Sex: (What is your character's sex?)
Sexual Preference: (What is your character's sexual preference?)
Race: (What magical race does your character represent?)
Race History: (What is the history of your character's race? How were they mistaken for mythical beings? How did the stories change from humans to what they are now?)
Racial Abilities: (What general magical abilities does your character's race have? If there are multiple, please separate and describe them individually in detail.)
Appearance: (What does your character look like? What do they wear?)
Personality: (What is your character's personality? What are their opinions?)
Equipment: (Does your character carry any special items? If so, describe them. If not, leave this section out.)
Abilities: (What are your c
Each sheet must be filled out entirely. They will be judged equally between the quality of the writing (grammar, spelling, content, flow, etc.) and the quality of the concept (uniqueness, impact, accuracy to the canon setting, etc.). With each of these categories being worth 50 'points', the total for each entry will be out of 100.
__________Writing Prizes__________1st Place Winner-100 USD from
NexusYuber-1 Full-body OC Picture from
WickedJuti -Extended Feature on
NexusYuber's page.
-Extended Feature on
WickedJuti's page.
2nd Place Winner-50 USD from
NexusYuber-1 Half-body OC Picture from
WickedJuti-Extended Feature on
NexusYuber's page.
-Extended Feature on
WickedJuti's page.
3rd Place Winner-25 USD from
NexusYuber-Extended Feature on
NexusYuber's page.
All monetary payments are to be made to the winners through Paypal.This Journal Skin was designed by Night-Beast
