Firewind

 - ""When bloody portals began to open in the sky, and the twisted figures began to stumble out, it was a sign to all that things were about to change. A world consumed by fire, by madness. And its sole hope lies with those who answer the call... An original character tournament different from any other; laden with horror, deception, a role for those who lose their rounds, and at the end, a chance for the winner to gain additional glory... at the risk of destroying everything they have worked for.""

- Firewind's Front Page

Firewind is an Original Character Tournament, run on the art website Deviantart. It is currently at its semifinal round. In it, portals start appearing in the entrants' different worlds, leading them into a barren, deserted landscape. Some of the entrants enter of their own will after seeing a maimed and butchered dying person come out of a portal and listening to the message recorded in a green cylinder he or she was carrying through. But of course, it's all a trap.

This page now has a Character Sheet ---

Round 1 Summary
"Shawn and Bikuta get a feeling both for one another and the new landscape, but in the end Legion interrupts what might have been an alliance, capturing Shawn and leaving Bikuta and Dawn in charge of Shawn's ghostly comrade, Hayden."
 * Shawn & Hayden v. Bikuta & Dawn. Winner: Bikuta & Dawn.

"Believing Hunter to be one of the infected, Slick attacks Hunter immediately upon making that accusation. From this Hunter realizes that the whole story of the infection was a lie, leading him to join up with Slick to go in search of answers after he defeats him in battle."
 * Slick v. Troy "Hunter". Winner: Hunter.

"After Mira finishes off a monster that had been dead set on mauling Cyl, Drake appears, impatiently informing the two of the truth behind the tournament before making his exit. Cyl forms an alliance with Mira after hearing of this, and the two set out to seek a way home."
 * Mira v. Cyl. Winner: Cyl.

"After Skyler and Diavolvo encounter the high-spirited Elfi, it doesn't take long for the three to decide to form a group, despite some initial reluctance on Skyler's part."
 * Diavolvo & Skyler v. Elfi. Winner: Both sides.

"No sooner did an unfortunate Seth stumble upon Corruption than a literal firefight broke out between the two, and as neither were affected by the flames, it wasn't until Seth took a violent crack to the head that the fight was finished. Unconcerned for his opponent's fate, Corruption departed, leaving an unconscious Seth behind to be collected by none other than Asmodeus himself."
 * Seth v. Corruption. Winner: Corruption.

"Mere minutes after awaking, Alkarin finds himself being questioned by Ozzy, who is in search of a way home. The interrogation swiftly turns violent, and even Jade's arrival isn't enough to deter the monster. Thankfully, a stampede of massive tortoise like creatures that had been blending in with the landscape drives Ozzy off, and the shield Alkarin uses to protect himself and Jade raises questions about his powers."
 * Ozzy v. Alkarin & Jade. Winner: Alkarin & Jade.

"Mistaking Zane for a reanimated monster, Seläh is quick to attack, but her apparent victory quickly turns for the worse when Zane proves to still be capable of fighting. However, this standoff is shortly disrupted when a giant aquatic beast knocks Seläh into the nearby pond, and despite the fact that they had just been fighting one another, Zane steps in and saves her from either becoming monster food or drowning."
 * Seläh v. Zane. Winner: Zane.

"Lawrence had been cornered by a flock of patchwork monsters only to be saved by Clemency, who grew rapidly suspicious of the other after he addressed him by his real name, Evan."
 * Lawrence v. Clemency. Winner: Lawrence.

"Staked out in an abandoned house to keep guard for infected, Gin and Melvin trust the message's lie all too completely, launching a brutal assault that soon leaves Shun dead. Gin prepares to murder Minako as well, but Melvin intervenes, leaving the girl to grieve her loss and the two to decide their next move."
 * Shun & Minako v. Gin & Melvin. Winner: Gin & Melvin.

"Oharue's journey in Amara starts out with an unpleasant encounter with a massive carnivorous plant, and things don't improve when she wanders into a nearby village Skeiphes is inhabiting. Interrupting his singing and then refusing to surrender leads to her having to fight off an army of Skeiphes's clones. Skeiphes then takes on the form of a giant bogeyman, only to be defeated once more and then promptly eaten by another plant monster, which he manages to possess. Oharue defeats him once again, however, and after doing so departs, leaving her opponent to slowly regenerate in her absence."
 * Skeiphes v. Oharue. Winner: Oharue.

"Upon encountering one another, Lis' initial distrust in Chi leads to an agreement: the two will fight, and whoever is defeated will assist the other in their goals. The battle literally turns steamy due to the two's contrasting elemental types, but Chi has the upper hand in the end. However, the aftermath of the battle is marked by more violence, as Chi is promptly swallowed whole by a Barge, a gigantic water beast. Chi soon makes the monster regret this however, breaking free and causing massive creature damage in the process before rejoining with Lis and Blitz to eat and discuss future plans."
 * Chi & Blitz v. Lis. Winner: Chi & Blitz.

"Tension rises quickly after Kelv encounters the duo, suspicions triggered due to coming from alternate universes leading Farrell to reach for his weapon, and resulting in Kelv shooting his hand. Farrell goes into shock, and while Phena manages to calm Kelv down, things only get worse as he steps on Phena's forcewhip when he moves forward to help her, leaving him unconscious. Phena manages to heal Farrell with advanced technology, and the two remain with Kelv until he awakens, but then the three decide to go separate ways."
 * Fergus Farrell & Phena v. Kelv. Winner: Farrell & Phena.


 * Aeon v. BluRai. Winner: BluRai.


 * Xero v. Caleb. Winner: Caleb.

"Due to a double withdrawal by the OCs' owners, this fight never occured."
 * Pascha & Pyotr v. Zack & Luda. Winner: Neither side.


 * Eugene v. Talan & Siene. Winner: Talan & Siene.

Round 2 Summary

 * Zane (Seläh) v. Oharue. Winner: Zane.


 * Cyl (Mira) v. Caleb. Winner: Cyl.


 * Bikuta & Dawn (Hayden) v. Talan & Siene. Winner: Talan & Siene.


 * Lawrence v. Corruption. Winner: Corruption.


 * Farrell & Phena (Kelv) v. Gin & Melvin. Winner: Farrell & Phena.


 * Elfi (Diavolvo & Skyler) v. Hunter (Slick).


 * BluRai v. Chi & Blitz (Lis). Winner: Chi & Blitz.

"The round starts with a sneak peek into Alkarin's Dark and Troubled Past, followed by the sky-flying Diavolvo, Sklyer, and Elfi, who spot the duo. With a little humor and distrust on both Jade and Skyler's parts, the group manages to get together and trudge on. An ominous glimpse of Asmodeus at the end, however, does not bode well for the group."
 * Diavolvo & Skyler (Elfi) v. Alkarin & Jade. Winner: Alkarin & Jade.

Round 3 Summary

 * Zane (Seläh, Oharue) v. Corruption. Winner: Zane.

"A flame storm pushes both groups (Alkarin, Jade, Elfi, Diavolvo, and Skyler) (Cyl, Mira, and Xero) towards the ruins of an old town, where they, seperately, take shelter. Alkarin feels uneasy, and him and his party decide to search the town for any signs of life after the storm. In the morning, the group splits (Skyler, Elfi, and Diavolvo in one direction, Alkarin and Jade in another), and both parts find they're having trouble. Alkarin and Jade run into a possessed Mira, where Alkarin removes the parasite that was controlling her. Skyler, Elfi, and Diavolvo appear to have run into Legion, meanwhile."
 * Alkarin & Jade (Elfi, Diavolvo & Skyler) v. Cyl (Mira). Winner: Alkarin & Jade.


 * Talan & Siene (Bikuta & Dawn, Hayden) v. Chi & Blitz (BluRai, Ozzy). Winner: Talan & Siene.


 * Farrell & Phena (Kelv) v. Hunter (Slick, Elfi, Diavolvo & Skyler, Xero, Zack & Luda). Winner: Farrel & Phena.

Semifinals Summary

 * Alkarin & Jade (Elfi, Diavolvo & Skyler) v. Farrell & Phena (Kelv). Winner: ???.


 * Talan & Siene (Bikuta & Dawn, Hayden) v. Zane (Seth, Shawn). Winner: ???.

Final Summary

 * ??? v. ???. Winner: ???.

This OCT provices examples of:

 * Applied Phlebotinum: This is an unspoken rule in just about all things Firewindland.
 * Bloody Hilarious: Right after the exit to the cave Blitz, Lis and Chi are sleeping in falls on Chi, the trio are stuck in a pitch-black hole. Unfortunately, when Chi lights her hand up to allow her partners to see their surroundings, the first thing poor Lis sees is the fact that Dark's face seems to be gone. He struggles to connect coherent sounds as a result.
 * Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick: See "Love Interests."
 * Cue the Sun: kills Chi. Or does she?
 * Dark and Troubled Past: Al, Chi, Siene, Talan, Skyler, Asmodeus, Zane, Hunter, Slick. Obviously, this is a common trend among Firewindland tourists (and residents, too).
 * Also, Legion.
 * Darkest Hour: BluRai gets hers around the Despair Event Horizon mentioned below.
 * Defeat Means Friendship: Are you really surprised to find this here?
 * Despair Event Horizon:
 * Distress Call: The thing that lured the entrants in in the first place.
 * Empty Promise: Everything.
 * Everybody's Dead, Dave: Talan's assault on the Zheshid outpost ends this way.
 * Exactly What It Says on the Tin: Made true in Round 3, when an actual FIERY WIND was unleashed on the entrants.
 * Famed in Story: The Fall of Synod.
 * Fridge Horror: Related to Lampshade Hanging below, as the audience wouldn't otherwise have thought of the girl's fate.
 * Giant Flyer: Victor's mount.
 * Ho Yay: Chi and Blitz.
 * Horse of a Different Color: Victor's mount.
 * Ironic Echo:

"Oharue: So now you're a giant grey marshmallow. Real scary..."
 * Lampshade Hanging: In Round 2, Jade asks about the dead girl Al had brought along.
 * Love Interests: Elfi/Skyler, Phena/Drake, BluRai/Aeon, Jade/Al, Dawn/Bikuta, Ozzy/Ozzy.
 * Mirror Morality Machine: The Parasites.
 * Morality Dial: If it hasn't happened, it will.
 * Musicalis Interruptus: Oharue does this to Skeiphes when he's singing This is Halloween by hitting him in the face with her pole arm. She does this several more times throughout the fight but Skeiphes isn't aways singing when it happens.
 * Nightmare Fuel: Cemented base for the OCT.
 * Nightmare Retardant: Oharue's reaction to Skeiphes turning into Oogie Boogie...


 * No-Holds-Barred Beatdown:
 * Only a Flesh Wound: Directly connected to Bloody Hilarious above, as Chi calmly dismisses her missing face in favor of trying to calm the hysterical Lis down.
 * Our Monsters Are Different: Local fauna and some of the entrants, too.
 * The Plan: Also everything.
 * Running Gag: The frilly dress.
 * Surprise Vehicle: The dropship sent to recover Kelv.
 * Time Travel: Some of the portals dragged on to the future of some worlds.
 * Unwitting Pawn: The point of the OCT.
 * Why Won't You Die?: Talan shouts this amidst his gruesome tearing of Chi's upper body, after seeing slit throats, impalements, and painful facelifts don't quite work to bring her down for good.