Oculama

With our very first judged tournament on Oculama finally concluded, we speak with the winner of Infinity Chasm, MYETH, about their extraordinary performance with BUMRUSH, digging deep into their artistic talents. Plus, we showcase awards for those who've participated in the Infinity Chasm!

While judges are usually the norm in OCT communities, the nature of the beast on Oculama utilizes community vote by default, which made Infinity Chasm unique in that it was our first. WIth it came a lot of different and new changes on our end as we prepare for more of them in the future - but what didn't change is the quality and creativity on display from our users as they made comics and fought it out. None exemplified that spirit better than MYETH, who's been around Oculama since we opened our gates with the Inaugural. After they won Infinity Chasm, we sat down and asked them some questions regarding their artistic process!

Hi, I’m Myeth and I like to have fun! I’ve been doing comics as a hobby since 2019, starting on Rage On The Page which is a comic hub server made around the time of the Ring of Worms OCT that was run by Abaddon. I was also a participant in the far more extensively known War for Rayuba. I was an Oculama Early Bird because I was told about it before it went live through illicit insider information… Very mysterious.

Bumrush was a character who was made for the sole purpose of being unchanging, more of a thing that happens to you than a character. This allowed me to focus on my opponent characters more, how they interact with an unstoppable object, how it changes them after. He was always meant to die at the end, to chase the bottom of infinity.

It was supposed to be a mostly light-hearted character, the first round against Senki being a good example, but I then had the thought of “hey wouldn't it be both really funny and a bit scary how inhuman this guy is compared to every other character despite being the most human guy there.” and so the progression of the story leans into the horror of not fully knowing what the hell is going on.

These are just my personal opinions on things as someone who has participated in so many octs as both a spectator and a creator, but i consider them very important. First, your opponent's character is just as important as your own, always make sure to center them as much as your own character. A round is in a way, an art trade, where you're making really cool art for someone who's making really cool art for you. Secondly, more pages doesn't equal a better comic. An engaging 5 page comic with a clever hook, fun characterisation, and the know-how to wrap things up in a clean and satisfying way in spite of it is far better than a 20 page comic that is artistically inconsistent, that drags on and is flat throughout, and just seems to meander. Lastly, don't have massive plans for your comic, procrastinate because you don't know how to start such a bomb-ass comic because nothing you write is cool enough, wait until the last few days before the deadline and then rush to put something you won't be proud of out. That is the guy-killer, don't fall for it and always try to get some sort of idea with a beginning, middle and end by the first day, no matter how okayish. Okay is better than nothing!

You're putting me in such a difficult spot here, haha. I really really enjoyed all of my opponents, and have loved and saved the beautiful comics they've made for me and of my silly character. If you have to twist my arm, I think who got me sweating the most was Dan with their character Inga. They'd put out these huge comics with incredible panel compositions and very fun characterisation and dialogue, while also being visually easy to read and super clean. Frankly, after reading their amazing comic against Bumrush, I thought I would have to pack my bags. Imagine my surprise! Thank you again Dan for being my opponent! And everybody else!

For my final round against Wgni's Freya, I was going to have a sort of wonderland-esque storyline where Freya starts hallucinating Bumrush as a white rabbit analogue, and chase him deeper and deeper into the ruins. Bumrush would have actually had lines of dialogue trying to convince her to find the bottom of a bottomless rabbithole. Freya was going to see how utterly mad he is and snap out of it, just as he's about to drag her into oblivion. I also had another bit when my plans had a far bigger page count, where Bumrush was going to die at the very start, and Freya very slowly makes her way to the top, talks with everyone extensively, decides to pass by the Chasm Zoo and meets Senki who is being arrested for kidnapping a gorilla and is profusely denying it.

Skipping joyfully in dark parking lots, running with scissors in long hallways, and occasionally playing in busy traffic. See you there !