#EDA writer tournament

[gen-is-gone]

Round One, Bout One

This is a three-way because there was a tie in the preliminary, and I didn't want to hold up the actual tournament to rerun it.

[mdhwrites]

Sorry if you've already explained this, but what do you mean when you say that toh dislikes being a fantasy?

So there's the obvious route I could go with this in that "It subverts fantasy tropes which means it dislikes fantasy media" but that's not it. Honestly, I think part of WHY it's a bad subversion is that it doesn't seem to like fantasy media because a REALLY good and proper subversion probably needs to like and know the genre better than a celebration of the genre. Otherwise, its subversions are going to be shallow, mean spirited, pointless and often VERY played out which does fit a lot of TOH's subversive elements. No, instead my reason, besides the bad subversive elements, for saying it is kind of that it's a vibe thing. Now yes, fantasy elements are always there to serve other things like themes, characters, plots etc. but they usually don't feel like they're ONLY there for those things. If they're not just getting in the way at all. A perfect example of this to me is Reaching Out. Any other story would make an excuse to do a tournament episode and COMMIT. It would be happy to finally get a reason to really show off its world's magic, to test its protagonists, do a bit more creative and fun choreography than a life or death stakes situation would allow. It'd be the focus of the episode. This is also partially because the tournament structure in someway would allow an exploration of the character or larger narrative ideas going on. But... Instead we get two meh fights with not much going on and then the Warden Wrath monster is barely a fight if you want to even call it that. The entire episode effectively, CONSTANTLY, wants to just ignore that the tournament exists. The fantasy element there seems to be getting in the way of what the writers actually want to be doing. It's kind of the only explanation to me how someone like Luz entirely ignores the danger, or pain for that matter, her girlfriend is in in that entire episode because the writers aren't taking any of it seriously.

And that's just the general vibe I get from the show. Why is it that there are a billion covens? So they can make job fair jokes. Why is abomination magic better than plant magic? The job opportunities. Why is every villain just a blue collar conman? Because we get to make commentary on things like capitalism and crunch then. This is what I mean by just a vibe coming off of TOH. Belos is not a part of the show for the most part. Replace covens with college and wild witch with freelancer (including one having health care and one not, which is pertinent to S1) and you don't really lose a lot, do you? A lot of the jokes could the same, a lot of the characters could be the same, etc. like that. Replace "Emperor's Coven" with "Harvard" and literally nothing changes about Amity. That sort of shift shouldn't be so easy with a fantasy show. Bare minimum, it should feel like you would mourn something. But Luz's love of magic is barely a thing. Her journey with magic doesn't impact her character much. Her power with magic isn't an arc but instead just whatever the episode demands. It's just... Not something the show cares about. And if you focus on what the show does care about, what it spends its free time on... Wing it Like Witches and Them's the Breaks Kid are the two most fanficy episodes of the series and the latter is 99% pointless and the former is still probably 80% pointless. And both those episodes focus mostly on ships. Grudgby is a very boring fantasy sport that is just admitted by the show to be Quidditch and REALLY wouldn't change if it was just Rugby. Frankly, it'd probably be more violent then.

Them's the Breaks has MORE magic and actually one of the few times where it's used in a more casual- Oh, no, never mind. It's either serving Eda's 'troublemaker' claim or it's plot related so I can't really praise the simple but nice touch of a bard making their juice taste better with magic. Not only that... But the episode mostly portrays the world as not liking magic. Like nothing Eda does is that shocking or bizarre as far as a fantasy context goes but everyone is just CONSTANTLY annoyed by her or entirely unimpressed. Why? Because it makes Raine's interest more special. So the main point of the episode doesn't need magic... It just needs Eda to clown around. The magic just intensifies that a LITTLE. But not really by much (minus the genuinely great "IT HAPPENED AGAIN!" joke).

And that's the only real thing I can give TOH as a fantasy show: It does allow more spectacle than would be possible if it were just trying to be Lucky Star 2. But also barely because it so rarely allows the real payoffs that that spectacle allows or it doesn't want to commit to the spectacle because this dude's actually a stoner or the like instead of something to be taken seriously. Just... ask yourself how many episodes the magic is fairly basic in its introduction, escalation and resolution versus how many are like Lost in Language where the show genuinely has fun with the concept of the magic, the escalation plays on the magical concept, not the social concept, and then the payoff is magically satisfying instead of "Smash it."

It never commits and for a genre that I would probably say is the most celebratory of the fun of creativity and the impossible... That lack of commitment, that lack of celebration EVER is just... It's a vibe I don't like and one I just don't think fits the genre.

[queer-dw-tourney]

I have a bunch of submissions for this tournament:

- Oliver Harper (gay, it’s a plot point in his audios)

- Ace mcshane (bi/lesbian depending on the writer)

- Bernice Summerfield (bi, confirmed in the book all consuming fire)

- Liv chenka (bi, has had past boufriends and has a girlfriend in stranded)

- Helen Sinclair (lesbian, only love interest is female, learn this in the audio the love vampires)

- Tania bell (trans and sapphic, livs girlfriend from the stranded audios)

- sam jones (bi, it comes up in a few of the edas)

- adric (bi, not sure which audio but there’s one where he has a wife and husband in a future time line)

- leela (bi, she basically has a wife in unity, like they raise a kid together)

- Luke smith (gay, is confirmed to have a husband in the future and would have had a male love interest if sja hadn’t ended)

- Valarie Lockwood (lesbian(?), gets a girlfriend during her run with the 11th doctor)

- Jamie mcrimmon (gay/bi, might not be canon but I mean look at him and two)

added !!! i am a bit iffy on adding jamie . because i haven't found an actual source on him being queer past a popular hc, but i will add the rest !!!

[isayhourwrong]

VNAs Writers Tournament Masterpost

Inspired by @gen-is-gone​‘s lovely EDA Writer Tournament and @stillthesunkenstars​ post I saw yesterday, I have decided to launch one for the VNAs.

This is what the brackets are for the first round, which will start on the 23/02 at 9am BST! I will add info and links as we go on!

[gen-is-gone]

Round One, Bout Two

[gen-is-gone]

Damn, if there's one thing we can definitively say about the EDA sexywriter tournament, it's that we all fucking love Kate Orman

[gen-is-gone]

Just so you all know, as the originator of the EDA writers in the hunger games simulator, I WILL be doing an EDA sexywriter deathmatch

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EDA Writer Tournament: Final Round

Folks, we have made it to the finals! Are you prepared to see these two badasses go head to head? In one corner, the indomitable Lloyd Rose, in the other, the mighty Kate Orman? Who win, and obtain the ultimate victory? Who will lose, mere inches from the sweet taste of triumph? Only you, faithful voters, can decide.

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EDA Writer Tournament: Semifinals, Bout One

[gen-is-gone]

EDA Writer Tournament: Round Three, Bout Two

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EDA Writer Tournament: Round Two, Bout One

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EDA Writer Tournament: Round Two, Bout Two

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EDA Writer Tournament Masterpost

THE FINAL ROUND IS NOW LIVE.

This post will continue to update as the tournament continues. All polls and related info can be found under the tag, 'EDA writer tournament'. The Final is now live, and will run until about 1PM MT, Thursday, 03/02.

Kate Orman VS Mark Morris VS David A McIntee (there was a tie in the preliminary)

Lawrence Miles VS Dave Stone

Paul Magrs VS Terrance Dicks

Lloyd Rose VS John Peel

Paul Leonard VS Jonathon Morris

Paul Cornell VS Micheal Collier

Jacqueline Raynor VS Simon Messingham

Trevor Baxendale VS Mark Michalowksi

Mags L Halliday VS Colin Brake

Jim Mortimore VS Mark Clapham

Simon Bucher-Jones VS Gary Russel

Paul Ebbs VS Steve Lyons

Peter Anghelides VS David Bishop

Justin Richards VS Steve Emmerson

Nick Walters VS Lance Parkin

Stephen Cole VS Simon A Forward

ROUND TWO:

Kate Orman VS Paul Leonard

Lawrence Miles VS Paul Cornell

Jacqueline Raynor VS Paul Magrs

Trevor Baxendale VS Lloyd Rose

Mags L Halliday VS Peter Anghelides

Jim Mortimore VS Justin Richards

Lance Parkin VS Simon Bucher-Jones

Stephen Cole VS Steve Lyons

ROUND THREE:

Kate Orman VS Mags L Halliday

Lawrence Miles VS Justin Richards

Lance Parkin VS Paul Magrs

Stephen Cole VS Lloyd Rose

SEMIFINAL:

Kate Orman VS Paul Magrs

Justin Richards VS Lloyd Rose

FINAL SHOWDOWN:

Kate Orman VS Lloyd Rose

Happy Voting!

[gen-is-gone]

Round One, Bout Six

[gen-is-gone]

Round One, Bout 3

[gen-is-gone]

Ok I'm currently seeding the brackets for the EDA sexywriter polls. Watch this space for the tournament bracket