Here’s a point for you: There are no WoT characters in the tournament this year, and they seem to be your only interest in this tourney so…

Here’s a conclusion: You shouldn’t really have any reason to be on the forums this year, especially since “you don’t give a crap” what we think.

We got it… you don’t like the fact that there are no WoT characters in the tourney this year… understood… Bye.

No accounting for taste, but to answer your question;

Logic 101 says that if a point is made to support a conclusion, and that point cannot be proved invalid, it cannot be proved to be an irrational argument.

A “troll” is someone who makes clearly baseless comments just to illicit a reaction.

I am making rational points to support a conclusion, and I honestly don’t give a crap what your reaction is. Don’t hate just because you know I’m right.

Also, is it more annoying to read trolling that’s just plain unreasonable ranting (”X is awesome!!!! I hate anything that isn’t X!!!”) or trolling that has been disguised by a veneer of intelectualism?

Thanks for illustrating my point… It’s completely non-relevant if somebody writes a story with epic characters if they don’t write it well enough to appeal to a lot of people. I’ve never even heard of Tidelords, and judging from the fact that they’ve never been represented in these tourneys, I’ll wager that these Suvudu people (who’s lives are all about this stuff) have never heard of it either. In order to dominate here, you have to have powerful characters AND a masterfully written series… take yourself to the store with your bubble-gum Tidelords and get your money back. Plus, Rand is Ta’veren, so the wheel would weave around your ridiculous god’s efforts to destroy him… but thanks for coming out… next.

I’m actually saying that I have read very very good books with believably more powerful characters than WoT, and dare I say I prefered the other author’s writing style to Jordan’s, since the story went someplace in fewer than a dozen books. There is a particular series I’m thinking of where the whole point is that these highly realistic characters are immortal and omnipotent, and there’s just no way to get rid of them whatsoever. I don’t think balefire would work because a) any serious attempt to remove these characters releases so much power the entire area/island/continent/even WORLD is threatened and b) they can feel other sorcerers coming and kill them from a distance by, for instance, throwing a volcano at them.

(Spoilers if anyone wants to read Tidelords). Throughout the series, one of these all-powerful immortals is attempting to commit suicide (and failing miserably). At the end, they open a rift that destroys the entire planet but leaves the poor suicidal immortal unscathed. Rand al’Thor would not survive, I’m afraid. He has limits and needs air to breathe. These guys don’t. (And that’s okay because the entire point of the books was to demonstrate that a truly immortal and omnipotent foe is, in fact, impossible to get rid of–don’t kid yourself).

BTW, most of us don’t really “hate” WoT per se, we’re just bored with it. It’s no better or worse in terms of characters and writing style than many series, but it drags on interminably, and in this cage match, WoT characters are predictable and therefore dull to read about.

That’s why I’m looking forward to these next rounds. They should generate some discussion and I’m looking forward to it. I really don’t know who I’m going to vote for in the Smaug vs Merlin match, so I’m hoping to be convinced one way or the other on that one.
Truth be told, I was incredibly impressed with the write up for Smaug’s last match. While I don’t think a fall like that would be enough to take Smaug out, it gave me a new found respect for the Headless Horseman as a possible contender. If he had pulled an upset there, I wouldn’t have minded.

@Rose: There’s a saying on the internet: Don’t feed the Trolls. This saying also holds for WoT4Ever. There’s no convincing him of anything dealing with WoT and he wouldn’t concede to WoT being anything less than perfection even if Jordan himself came back to life and told him differently. It’s just not worth your time, so don’t let him get to you.