Thus comes the 13th, and with it the end of my participation in the NLBFT. As I have stated before, my hard and fast deadline of the 20th is approaching, and since tourney rounds run for at least a week there is no point in me continuing further. This does not mean I am not interested in seeing a judging from HotD - far from it, I would love to hear from the one whose opinion on my work I value the most. Still, time and blades wait for no man.
I leave this tournament with mixed feelings. It was a great experience for me to create - to truly write again. It is something I have not done for too long a time. I wrote characters I felt possessed a real reason to be there and fighting, and the chance and circumstance that occurred allowed me to provide 'package deal' battlegrounds that really helped provide a motivation for the conflict. I even managed to put in some self-parody in the second round.
However, my experience was poisoned in the past week as the apparent 'true' nature of this tourney was explicated to me by Wyborn. What I had thought was a contest of technical literary skill and overall narrative talent was revealed to me in a few short sentences to be nothing more than a shouting match with descriptions of blood. Truth be told, I have been seriously thinking about my future in the tournament - even before time threw me out. As I realised that due to the revealed nature of the tournament, for my best chance at winning I'd have to be an ass and follow the optimal strategy I set out on page 25. It wasn't something I was sure I could live with ... there's just no skill or fun in just saying you win ... no difference between here and the Battle Board under that system. You might as well attack with bullet points.
It is mildly ironic to me that what I consider the best battle I participated in was rated as my worst. :/ I do not consider it my best battle because of the gigantic win margin, but because of the way I was able to create a character with true presence, and create a scenario that allowed Inferno and I to create battle posts that truly fit together with *motivation* behind our character's actions. Granted Inferno could have lifted his game both in terms of narrative and (especially) technical skill, but it still managed to work as a whole.
It is a shame for me that many of the ideas I had left I was unable to use ... the nature of Unnamed's limit lines (though he really had no need for them in that battle), the bizarre behaviour that Lucas could exhibit, the planned linkbacks I had in Lucille's story and the revelations to Richter of the implications of his actions. I'm also annoyed slightly that I didn't get to show HotD the certain battler I said I would to her, but that's probably my fault for not bringing her in earlier.
So in closing, whilst this battlefield and tourney remains the same, Lucille's fight is the last one you're going to see from me. I am, however, waiting for that tourney of yours, Wyborn. Then perhaps you, me, Erdawn, Selene, MM et al can have some real battles.
She’d look beautiful in a tea towel
But she’s dressed up to the nines
She’s covered herself in make-up
But she can’t make up her mind
She’s a damsel in distress
She feels a damn fool in this dress
She lives alone
And I know how she feels
She has the mind of Sharon Stone
And the heart of Danielle Steel
Spends hours in front of the bookcase
A beast with two paperbacks in bed
She’s read them all from go to woe
And arranged them from A to Z
And you can judge a book by it’s cover
A kingdom for a horse, a condom for a lover
She lives alone
And I know how she feels
She has the mind of Sharon Stone
And the heart of Danielle Steel
I understand
She’s up in arms and down at heel
But it’s getting out of hand
She has the heart of Danielle Steel
So take off your horn-rimmed rose-coloured glasses
And shake out your shining hair again
Behind every princess, in an ill-fitting pink dress
There’s a lonely librarian
