Prisoner Posted May 10 Posted May 10 (edited) 3 hours ago, Aurora said: That's time! Will begin judging these tomorrow. Of course if you are running a little late and still want to submit an entry, please do so ASAP. Thought the deadline was friday my bad. smh. Will be submitting ASAP Edited May 10 by Prisoner 1
Aurora Posted May 11 Author Posted May 11 🌟 The Songs of Round 6 🌟 hurricane326 - "My Love" OreGuy - "i'm so happy you're here" helpthomas - "Paradise Eternally" Legend E - "Santorini of my Dreams" Rotunda - "The Proposal" Prisoner - "Defeated, But!!!" Thank you to the six wonderful writers above for submitting for the Favorites finale, the deadline for which was yesterday. Which submission will be our favorite? The judges now have your entries and reviews will be posted over the next few days. If you still wish to submit a last minute entry, please try to do so ASAP. Spoiler @Jack!@beatinglikeadrum@punisher@Jackson@AccioMiley@worldwide angel@stupidjock@Nashe@Julia Fox@blastoisebaby@Armani?@fountain@Lana Banana@Lorenzo22@JonginBey@Invisibility@Weld_E@Forestboy@djcalpal@Kylie Jenner@Augmented
Aurora Posted May 12 Author Posted May 12 Hey Hitmakers, here we have my final reviews of the season! I can't believe it's almost all over. In some ways this season feels longer than most, yet also over too soon! Everyone really brought their A-game for the finale, which is exactly what I hoped to see. I haven't finalised my scores yet, but I can't imagine anyone will be disappointed. Once all judges have submitted scores, a date and time will be set for the finale. This is when we'll recap the past rounds, reveal hidden scores, and announce the winner! Thank you all once again for making this another great season, without the demand there's no future for Golden Hit—or any other writing tournament—so we thank you sincerely. Spoiler 1. hurricane326 - "My Love" (Queer Pride, Dreamscape, Samples & Sequels) I was hoping to see at least one writer take the risk and combine more than the minimum amount of challenges, so it's wonderful to have that out of the gate! I did peep your original submission simply because I enjoy your writing and I think you definitely made the right decision. That's not to suggest that I didn't like your initial submission, but it did almost feel a little bit like separate songs that were stitched together between the separators. The final version of the piece you went with, with the additional verses, is marvelous. It shows you really did continue to push yourself throughout the week, which is what we love to see. The source you sampled was very unique and moving, and I consider it a wonderfully clever and impactful source of inspiration for this piece. Unlike your first offering, all elements of this song feel evenly intertwined and cohesive, which is my preferred approach to these types of mix-and-match challenges. This and your last entry have been my favorites from you in this season, and perhaps some of my favorites of yours in general. The entire, "I fantasize my way around your death," stanza was just sublime. You've ended this season on a terrific high note, wishing you the best in the final results and always looking forward to seeing more from you! 2. @OreGuy - "i'm so happy you're here" (Dreamscape, Wanderlust) I love this combination of challenges and can already think of a number of ways you could readily combine these themes to create a wonderful song. This season has been your best outing in any writing tournament I've had the pleasure of participating in. You're three for three with these last few entries for me. I enjoyed the more personal touch, and what really sets these types of storytelling songs apart is adding in those unique details that sets it apart from something just anyone could have written or sung. Eating noodles in the East Asian district, talking politics, highlighting specifics like pine trees and thrift shops… you were in your Swiftian bag on this one. I enjoyed the refrain, but something I think could have elevated it slightly is if you intertwined some more of that dreamscape imagery into this section. The first part of the song feels very wanderlust, while the bridge is very dreamscape, and while they do work together, easing into that transition a bit more gracefully would have made this so special. That would be my only suggestion to elevate this to the next level, but what you have here is brilliant and thoroughly enjoyable, and does a great job at meeting both challenge prompts. Thank you for such an incredible season, looking forward to seeing where you place overall! 3. @helpthomas - "Paradise Eternally" (Dreamscape, Wanderlust) Interesting, back-to-back songs with the same challenges. I can't deny, they really are a match made in heaven! I'll try not to draw too many comparisons between the two. One thing to me is absolutely clear, you are a s-o-n-g-w-r-i-t-e-r. Your talent goes far beyond your lyrical choices, but also in the way you structure your submissions, the literary devices you use, and the sense of rhythm and melody your compositions naturally have. I loved pretty much everything about your first three sections, I'm a sucker for astral imagery so references to the stars are always going to do well with me. "So I slow dance into a trance / Fall into the sand / I'm ready for departure! / Sunlight in my face / Moonlight in my hands / As the void gets darker," WE STAN A LYRICIST! The second verse was fine, I enjoyed it, but it felt a tad samey and generalized, and would have enjoyed some more specific details here. The bridge was just cruel, you gave us just a taste of what would have surely been excellence. You're not writing for TikTok here, give us a full-fledged emotive masterpiece! I liked the outro, but could have used another chorus repeat (after a longer bridge). I know this is a more basic structure than what you've opted for, but it's a classic for a reason! My preferences aside, this was still a really great submission and you have been one of, if not the, most exciting first-time player in this tournament to me and I've thoroughly enjoyed reading your songs week after week. Wishing you the best in the final results! 4. @Legend E - "Santorini of my Dreams" (Queer Pride, Dreamscape, Wanderlust) Hmm, same choices as the last two entries but fruitier, I'm starting to see a pattern. 👀Love this song title though, there's just something about European locations that immediately gets me excited… getting flashbacks to Jackson's "Reykjavík" from GH1! That was an acclaimed, #1, SOTS contender, so mighty big shoes to fill… and I think you did just that. This was easily up there with "Baby Cherry" for me as one of your best submissions in this entire season, and you've had probably your best season yet as far as I'm concerned so that's a really high standard! I want so badly to be able to highlight everything I loved about this. I literally felt myself getting swept away and lost in the lyrics by the third stanza. The descriptive language used was beautiful and immersive, marrying the dreamscape and wanderlust themes perfectly. However, one lyric that stuck out to me was the one comparing the subject's eyes to sand, which isn't a comparison I'm familiar with or could envision. Alternatively, I think something like, "A <color>-eyed man with hair like the sand," would have been stellar. I loved the imagery you created by juxtaposing the reality of a bustling Santorini with the desired private island only attainable in your dreams. All of the specific details you fit into this song which don't feel contrived at all aid this tenfold and just make a beautiful, immersive experience from start to finish. The added themes of queer love and living out a fantasy also connected strongly back to your other themes here. This may be one of my favorite submissions in this tournament of any season. Just exquisite. Thank you for such a brilliant season, and ending it in just as much of a brilliant way! 5. @Rotunda - "The Proposal" (Queer Pride, Samples & Sequels) It's fantastic to see a different combination of challenges. Dreamscape and wanderlust together are wonderful and all, but variety is exciting too! I know you expressed concern that this wasn't a perfect fit for the challenge to me, but I disagree–it's very clearly on base for the queer pride challenge, and upon revisiting the lyrics in Billie's song, I can definitely see the inspiration and how you incorporated those lyrics from its chorus into your own song. I will say that the lyrics you chose to sample aren't anything out of this world that couldn't be found in any other song with a similar subject matter, but it's enough to satisfy the criteria. The opening verse reminded me of a few of your other submissions in a good way, like a common thread weaving through a concept album's tracklist. Your second verse is definitely a bit of a dip in quality—the opening lyric here is stellar, but rhyming "school/cool" felt a little elementary (pardon the pun), and the coming out was unceremonious. Taking a little more time to let the reader come to this realization through a metaphor or using some other literary device to show rather than tell would have been much better. The "gay/hey" rhyme also felt rather elementary, if not completely forced. The bridge was cute, I didn't have any problems with it, but it didn't wow me either. I know you've been battling with sickness this week so I really appreciate you pushing through and submitting. It's clear to me that even despite feeling under the weather and being unable to utilize the full extent of this round's deadline, you can still create quality material such as this very naturally and easily. I do think this entry would have been elevated with some more time and refinement, but as it is it's still a lovely addition to your fantastic repertoire of material we've seen this season. I wish you the best in the finale, and I can only hope we see you again next season, whenever that may be! 6. @Prisoner - "Defeated, But!!!" (Demonic Compendium, Samples & Sequels) It's fantastic to finally have a representative for the Demonic Compendium challenge! I enjoy seeing everything at least once. First of all, I love that you wrote a sequel to the very song you wrote for the demonic challenge back in GH3… the metaness of it all. Like, automatic perfect connection right there. I re-read your initial submission to refresh my memory, fantastic choice. This was certainly a bold and courageous submission, and I thank you for that. It's always a risk to submit something with a real-world applicable social message, and you've certainly done so in a powerful and effective manner. I'm so sorry to hear this is something you experienced near to you. I can also see the parallels with other events obviously, which reinforces the theme of history repeating itself and we never learn as a society, which is terrible. Aside from the brilliant message of this song, it's just… really well written and flows so seamlessly. In a song like this, all eyes really are on the bridge, and you absolutely lived up to—if not exceeded—my expectations for it. Just hauntingly brilliant. I am glad you didn't restrict yourself to the narrative you were writing this season. I was curious to see if you may have utilized the samples and sequels prompt to write a prequel or epilogue, since you very clearly put a close to that chapter last round, however I am glad you made the executive decision to diverge and put the quality of the piece you wanted to submit over staying within a self-imposed boundary. I would consider this a protest song, which are typically stand-alone single releases regardless, but perhaps this could be a bonus track to the EP you've been curating this season. Brilliant, moving work, and I wish you all the best in this finale. Always a pleasure to have you! 2
ATRL Moderator Legend E Posted May 12 ATRL Moderator Posted May 12 Thank you so much for the nice review, Aurora 1
Julianna Calm Down Posted May 12 Posted May 12 I need a new season of this legendary game. Papa bear is back, fat and ready to schlay. These fingers are ready to work … and produce a top 10 Grammy nominated LP 2 1
Prisoner Posted May 12 Posted May 12 2 minutes ago, Julianna Calm Down said: I need a new season of this legendary game. Papa bear is back, fat and ready to schlay. These fingers are ready to work … and produce a top 10 Grammy nominated LP Get ready for next season, Bronze Hit 1
OreGuy Posted May 13 Posted May 13 23 hours ago, Aurora said: Hey Hitmakers, here we have my final reviews of the season! I can't believe it's almost all over. In some ways this season feels longer than most, yet also over too soon! Everyone really brought their A-game for the finale, which is exactly what I hoped to see. I haven't finalised my scores yet, but I can't imagine anyone will be disappointed. Once all judges have submitted scores, a date and time will be set for the finale. This is when we'll recap the past rounds, reveal hidden scores, and announce the winner! Thank you all once again for making this another great season, without the demand there's no future for Golden Hit—or any other writing tournament—so we thank you sincerely. Reveal hidden contents 1. hurricane326 - "My Love" (Queer Pride, Dreamscape, Samples & Sequels) I was hoping to see at least one writer take the risk and combine more than the minimum amount of challenges, so it's wonderful to have that out of the gate! I did peep your original submission simply because I enjoy your writing and I think you definitely made the right decision. That's not to suggest that I didn't like your initial submission, but it did almost feel a little bit like separate songs that were stitched together between the separators. The final version of the piece you went with, with the additional verses, is marvelous. It shows you really did continue to push yourself throughout the week, which is what we love to see. The source you sampled was very unique and moving, and I consider it a wonderfully clever and impactful source of inspiration for this piece. Unlike your first offering, all elements of this song feel evenly intertwined and cohesive, which is my preferred approach to these types of mix-and-match challenges. This and your last entry have been my favorites from you in this season, and perhaps some of my favorites of yours in general. The entire, "I fantasize my way around your death," stanza was just sublime. You've ended this season on a terrific high note, wishing you the best in the final results and always looking forward to seeing more from you! 2. @OreGuy - "i'm so happy you're here" (Dreamscape, Wanderlust) I love this combination of challenges and can already think of a number of ways you could readily combine these themes to create a wonderful song. This season has been your best outing in any writing tournament I've had the pleasure of participating in. You're three for three with these last few entries for me. I enjoyed the more personal touch, and what really sets these types of storytelling songs apart is adding in those unique details that sets it apart from something just anyone could have written or sung. Eating noodles in the East Asian district, talking politics, highlighting specifics like pine trees and thrift shops… you were in your Swiftian bag on this one. I enjoyed the refrain, but something I think could have elevated it slightly is if you intertwined some more of that dreamscape imagery into this section. The first part of the song feels very wanderlust, while the bridge is very dreamscape, and while they do work together, easing into that transition a bit more gracefully would have made this so special. That would be my only suggestion to elevate this to the next level, but what you have here is brilliant and thoroughly enjoyable, and does a great job at meeting both challenge prompts. Thank you for such an incredible season, looking forward to seeing where you place overall! 3. @helpthomas - "Paradise Eternally" (Dreamscape, Wanderlust) Interesting, back-to-back songs with the same challenges. I can't deny, they really are a match made in heaven! I'll try not to draw too many comparisons between the two. One thing to me is absolutely clear, you are a s-o-n-g-w-r-i-t-e-r. Your talent goes far beyond your lyrical choices, but also in the way you structure your submissions, the literary devices you use, and the sense of rhythm and melody your compositions naturally have. I loved pretty much everything about your first three sections, I'm a sucker for astral imagery so references to the stars are always going to do well with me. "So I slow dance into a trance / Fall into the sand / I'm ready for departure! / Sunlight in my face / Moonlight in my hands / As the void gets darker," WE STAN A LYRICIST! The second verse was fine, I enjoyed it, but it felt a tad samey and generalized, and would have enjoyed some more specific details here. The bridge was just cruel, you gave us just a taste of what would have surely been excellence. You're not writing for TikTok here, give us a full-fledged emotive masterpiece! I liked the outro, but could have used another chorus repeat (after a longer bridge). I know this is a more basic structure than what you've opted for, but it's a classic for a reason! My preferences aside, this was still a really great submission and you have been one of, if not the, most exciting first-time player in this tournament to me and I've thoroughly enjoyed reading your songs week after week. Wishing you the best in the final results! 4. @Legend E - "Santorini of my Dreams" (Queer Pride, Dreamscape, Wanderlust) Hmm, same choices as the last two entries but fruitier, I'm starting to see a pattern. 👀Love this song title though, there's just something about European locations that immediately gets me excited… getting flashbacks to Jackson's "Reykjavík" from GH1! That was an acclaimed, #1, SOTS contender, so mighty big shoes to fill… and I think you did just that. This was easily up there with "Baby Cherry" for me as one of your best submissions in this entire season, and you've had probably your best season yet as far as I'm concerned so that's a really high standard! I want so badly to be able to highlight everything I loved about this. I literally felt myself getting swept away and lost in the lyrics by the third stanza. The descriptive language used was beautiful and immersive, marrying the dreamscape and wanderlust themes perfectly. However, one lyric that stuck out to me was the one comparing the subject's eyes to sand, which isn't a comparison I'm familiar with or could envision. Alternatively, I think something like, "A <color>-eyed man with hair like the sand," would have been stellar. I loved the imagery you created by juxtaposing the reality of a bustling Santorini with the desired private island only attainable in your dreams. All of the specific details you fit into this song which don't feel contrived at all aid this tenfold and just make a beautiful, immersive experience from start to finish. The added themes of queer love and living out a fantasy also connected strongly back to your other themes here. This may be one of my favorite submissions in this tournament of any season. Just exquisite. Thank you for such a brilliant season, and ending it in just as much of a brilliant way! 5. @Rotunda - "The Proposal" (Queer Pride, Samples & Sequels) It's fantastic to see a different combination of challenges. Dreamscape and wanderlust together are wonderful and all, but variety is exciting too! I know you expressed concern that this wasn't a perfect fit for the challenge to me, but I disagree–it's very clearly on base for the queer pride challenge, and upon revisiting the lyrics in Billie's song, I can definitely see the inspiration and how you incorporated those lyrics from its chorus into your own song. I will say that the lyrics you chose to sample aren't anything out of this world that couldn't be found in any other song with a similar subject matter, but it's enough to satisfy the criteria. The opening verse reminded me of a few of your other submissions in a good way, like a common thread weaving through a concept album's tracklist. Your second verse is definitely a bit of a dip in quality—the opening lyric here is stellar, but rhyming "school/cool" felt a little elementary (pardon the pun), and the coming out was unceremonious. Taking a little more time to let the reader come to this realization through a metaphor or using some other literary device to show rather than tell would have been much better. The "gay/hey" rhyme also felt rather elementary, if not completely forced. The bridge was cute, I didn't have any problems with it, but it didn't wow me either. I know you've been battling with sickness this week so I really appreciate you pushing through and submitting. It's clear to me that even despite feeling under the weather and being unable to utilize the full extent of this round's deadline, you can still create quality material such as this very naturally and easily. I do think this entry would have been elevated with some more time and refinement, but as it is it's still a lovely addition to your fantastic repertoire of material we've seen this season. I wish you the best in the finale, and I can only hope we see you again next season, whenever that may be! 6. @Prisoner - "Defeated, But!!!" (Demonic Compendium, Samples & Sequels) It's fantastic to finally have a representative for the Demonic Compendium challenge! I enjoy seeing everything at least once. First of all, I love that you wrote a sequel to the very song you wrote for the demonic challenge back in GH3… the metaness of it all. Like, automatic perfect connection right there. I re-read your initial submission to refresh my memory, fantastic choice. This was certainly a bold and courageous submission, and I thank you for that. It's always a risk to submit something with a real-world applicable social message, and you've certainly done so in a powerful and effective manner. I'm so sorry to hear this is something you experienced near to you. I can also see the parallels with other events obviously, which reinforces the theme of history repeating itself and we never learn as a society, which is terrible. Aside from the brilliant message of this song, it's just… really well written and flows so seamlessly. In a song like this, all eyes really are on the bridge, and you absolutely lived up to—if not exceeded—my expectations for it. Just hauntingly brilliant. I am glad you didn't restrict yourself to the narrative you were writing this season. I was curious to see if you may have utilized the samples and sequels prompt to write a prequel or epilogue, since you very clearly put a close to that chapter last round, however I am glad you made the executive decision to diverge and put the quality of the piece you wanted to submit over staying within a self-imposed boundary. I would consider this a protest song, which are typically stand-alone single releases regardless, but perhaps this could be a bonus track to the EP you've been curating this season. Brilliant, moving work, and I wish you all the best in this finale. Always a pleasure to have you! what a wonderful final review from you. your comments have truly been helpful throughout this whole season 1
Hug Posted May 13 Posted May 13 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fLcQpg-SK-OqMkpvyOyYx_22qxVSFSU6IVAv42d7xXo/edit?usp=sharing The final reviews of the season...it's been a ride, y'all! Thanks to everyone who submitted, whether once or all season. Seeing people interested in writing always makes me happy and having the privilege of seeing everyone's hard work and being trusted enough to look at it gives me some sort of pride. :') hurricane326 @OreGuy @helpthomas @Legend E @Rotunda @Prisoner 1 3
OreGuy Posted May 14 Posted May 14 7 hours ago, Hug said: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fLcQpg-SK-OqMkpvyOyYx_22qxVSFSU6IVAv42d7xXo/edit?usp=sharing The final reviews of the season...it's been a ride, y'all! Thanks to everyone who submitted, whether once or all season. Seeing people interested in writing always makes me happy and having the privilege of seeing everyone's hard work and being trusted enough to look at it gives me some sort of pride. :') hurricane326 @OreGuy @helpthomas @Legend E @Rotunda @Prisoner all of those were real moments thank you soo much, it has been a joy reading your reviews.
Aurora Posted May 14 Author Posted May 14 Looking at kicking off the live finale at approximately 8PM EDT - that's about 12 hours from now! We will reveal your scores for rounds 4 and 5, rankings for round 6, distribute the hit tokens for round 6, and then at long last reveal everyone's final rank and average score for the season, culminating in the crowning of a new winner of Golden Hit! There might be a few other announcements and/or surprises amongst that, more details will be posted during the finale. Hope to see you all there! @helpthomas@Legend E@OreGuy@Prisoner@Rotunda@Weld_E (Of course everyone is welcome, just tagging those who submitted for 5+ rounds as I'm on mobile.) 3 1
ATRL Moderator Legend E Posted May 14 ATRL Moderator Posted May 14 Might be a bit late for me so I am not sure I can attend but good luck everyone 1
helpthomas Posted May 14 Posted May 14 49 minutes ago, Aurora said: Looking at kicking off the live finale at approximately 8PM EDT - that's about 12 hours from now! We will reveal your scores for rounds 4 and 5, rankings for round 6, distribute the hit tokens for round 6, and then at long last reveal everyone's final rank and average score for the season, culminating in the crowning of a new winner of Golden Hit! There might be a few other announcements and/or surprises amongst that, more details will be posted during the finale. Hope to see you all there! @helpthomas@Legend E@OreGuy@Prisoner@Rotunda@Weld_E (Of course everyone is welcome, just tagging those who submitted for 5+ rounds as I'm on mobile.) thats 2am for me so i wont attend but i cant wait to see the results! 1
Julianna Calm Down Posted May 14 Posted May 14 Better be an announcement of another season because I am currently wearing my slay outfit and am ready to obLiTerATe. 2
Aurora Posted May 14 Author Posted May 14 Running a tad behind schedule, may have to push this back half an hour sorry. Hopefully that will give some more time for everyone to attend!
ATRL Moderator Legend E Posted May 14 ATRL Moderator Posted May 14 Might be here though at least for the first part
Aurora Posted May 15 Author Posted May 15 Working on final tributes now, please get your red carpet lewks ready!
Aurora Posted May 15 Author Posted May 15 Golden Hit S6 🪷 Finale Schedule Hey, Hitmakers! It's been a pleasure reading your submissions over the past six rounds, and we couldn't be happier to still be hosting this tournament. After six uniquely creative and boundary-pushing challenges, it has all led to this moment: the announcement of the winner of Golden Hit: Season 6. 🪷 Our finale schedule will be as follows: Round 4 Scores Revealed Round 5 Scores Revealed Round 6 LIVE Results Round 6 Hit Tokens Season Average Results Winner's Announcement Season Chart and Season Averages We may make small amendments to this schedule if we see fit, however this is the plan for now, so sit tight, break out the popcorn, and get ready! Spoiler @Legend E@Jack!@beatinglikeadrum@punisher@Jackson@AccioMiley@Rotunda@worldwide angel@helpthomas@stupidjock@Nashe@Julia Fox@blastoisebaby@Armani?@fountain@Lana Banana@Lorenzo22@JonginBey@Invisibility@Weld_E@Forestboy@OreGuy@Prisoner@djcalpal@Kylie Jenner@Augmented
Aurora Posted May 15 Author Posted May 15 Rank Writer Song Title Score 1 @OreGuy !!!Cyberspacecutie^-^pie:3 9.083 2 @Legend E Battery 8.667 2 @Prisoner Village Drums 8.667 4 @Weld_E Holley Hoetal (Cum inside) 8.583 5 @Kylie Jenner Find Some Sun 8.417 6 @Invisibility Whiff of Whiskey 8.317 7 hurricane326 Cityscape 7.9 8 @Armani? Firestarter 7.35 9 @Rotunda Perfect Match 7.333 2
Aurora Posted May 15 Author Posted May 15 Rank Writer Song Title Score 1 @Prisoner The Final Dance 9.125 2 hurricane326 Fade to Black 9 3 @OreGuy Whispers 8.875 3 @helpthomas Far Away 8.875 5 @Legend E Portals 8.1 6 @Weld_E Vows to Veils 7.55 1
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