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clauderainsrm

A few weeks ago I posted a rambling piece about

dadi that was up for maybe two minutes before some thoughtful soul sent me a private message pointing out that the examples I was giving were actually about marlawentmad.

How has the last few months been going for me? About THAT well. :)

In my defense, all of you look alike to me.

It's New Years Eve though and I did want to say something about the winner of the mini season. You know how awesome, and personal, her entries were. There's really an old school "LJ" vibe that's been elevated to the best of what personal journaling should be.

So really what do I have to add to that?

You know that she's a previous winner of a regular season, so really letting her get to the finale was probably not the most strategic move of all time. :)

But I think that just goes to people's ultimate goals of "voting for stuff they like" rather than voting strategically or to further their own progression. Which is a good thing.

So what don't you know about her that you should?

I've got it.... she said a few times in public that she thought bleodswean would win this mini season. What she didn't say though is that when E came down with COVID, she was the first person to send me an email asking if there was any way to keep her in the competition.... she was convinced she would lose to E, and wanted her in anyway. Not the most strategic request, but a heartfelt one. :)

What were YOUR favorite dadi moments/entries of the mini season?

clauderainsrm

There are posts about a second place finisher... and then there are posts about a second place finisher who I completely lost sight of the fact that she had joined the 100 Week Club several weeks ago!!

She ended up only a couple weeks behind banana_galaxy! (Which is funny since they are #44 and #45 in the club respectively) Which is pretty impressive when you consider that K made her debut in Season 9.

Given that there are over a 1,000 contestants who have participated in Idol over there years, being 1 of the 46 people t get to 100 Weeks is a pretty big deal. Congratulations!!

Of course, this isn't the first time she's been in a finale, or come in second - but the other time was Survivor... which was a different creature.

Some people might want to forget that special event. But I definitely don't. I'd go as far as saying that Survivor was what put her work on the map for a lot of people. There weren't many competitors, and she was there until the end. Which gave everyone more of a spotlight than would normally happen.To me, she was always someone who lasted a decent amount of time every time she played, but IMO, there was never a lot of buzz. It was like everyone had just collectively agreed "Yep, we all like her." and didn't really talk about it. :)

I'm glad that people are finally talking about her! (and her work - both are noteworthy!!) It's always nice to see someone that you've been enjoying finally start getting the attention they deserve.

(Note: I'm sorry these posts aren't what I'd hoped they would be. But maybe that's fitting for the season. Just kind of mentally fried right now. :D)

But YOU can make them better by letting everyone know what YOUR favorite flipflop_diva entries were! Or thoughts/favorite memories... whatever...

clauderainsrm

I did promise that I'd come back and say a few words about the final 3.

So here goes -

Words. Final 3.

*bows* Good night...

Wait.... I have to say more than that?

OK. I guess... if people are insisting.

This mini season has been a really strange one for me. I have the most disconnect than I ever have, just because I was going in so many directions for most of it.

But one of those times I got to stop and just enjoy life involved going to San Francisco, where I got to meet D for the first time. (Yes, I'm pulling a bleodswean and only using the first letter of their names)

I did see her mention that she thought meeting me was probably going to be the reason she was eliminated, and I won't lie, that thought did occur to me as well. But for someone who spent the top 20 or so thinking she was about to be eliminated, I think it was a pretty amazing run.

Thinking back on her runs through previous seasons, the one thing that strikes me about this one is that it felt a little bit all over the place in comparison... like she was using this opportunity as a chance to PLAY.

Who else would take the "Soup's On" in THAT direction? That was just fun.

She would do things like that, and immediately pivot into something personal.

I think she may have gotten the most out of the 3 Strikes format, because it gave her the freedom to fail in those crucial early weeks (not that she did, she didn't get that second strike until Week 18), but from an outsider's perspective, it did seem to free her up in ways that were really nice to see.

D's long been someone that I thought had a decent shot at getting the finale in nearly every season she's entered. It was nice that she finally got that chance to shine.

What were YOUR favorite moments/entries?

clauderainsrm

So here we are, at the end of the mini season that didn't seem all that mini. :)

We started on Livejournal - and ended up here at Dreamwidth. Which probably says a lot about just how wild this process getting here has been!

So let's cut to the chase and make this official:

In Third Place -

banana_galaxy !

In Second Place -

flipflop_diva !

and your 3 Strikes Champion -

dadi

Which yes, does make her the first person to ever win a mini season AND a regular season!!! (halfshellvenus won a mini season and the special event, for those keeping score. *looks around at all the spreadsheets*)

I plan on coming back and actually saying more about each of you. But for now, just know that you should be really proud of making it this far and being such a great representation of this mini season.

Thank you to all 3 of you - and to everyone who came out and helped make this special, even if I couldn't do my part the way I would have liked.

clauderainsrm

A few words from

clauderainsrm:

Last January, we launched an experiment - a mini season that focused around the idea of people not being immediately eliminated but instead had 3 strikes.

Two members of the final 3 actually got here without a single strike against them. One rode out that final strike for a long time. Both of those are huge accomplishments.

It was less than a month later that my work life went into pure chaos. If I had known it was coming, I would have never started this. But I’m glad that I did.

At the end of this month, my team will be back to being fully staffed since July of 2021! I’m really excited. Hopefully that will mean life will get better.

Their final work showcases why they are here, the finale. 3 distinct writers telling their stories.

It’s up to YOU, the voters, to decide who is going to ultimately become the winner.

Read. Comment. Vote for your favorite.

The poll closes Sunday, December 11th at 9pm ET.

Good luck to everyone!

Poll #27995 ’Finale’

This poll is closed.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: Just the Poll Creator, participants: 100

Vote For Your Favorites!

banana_galaxy's entry
35 (35.0%)

dadi's entry
50 (50.0%)

flipflop_diva's entry
37 (37.0%)

clauderainsrm

The final prompt.

There's really only way to end 3 Strikes...so here it is:

"You're Out"

The deadline to link your final entry is Thursday December 8th at 7pm ET.

Have fun!

clauderainsrm

I know what you were thinking "There was no poll" how can there be results?

It's because the plan has always been for a Final 3 (3 strikes - Final 3... come on, who DIDN'T see that one coming????)

with

bleodswean needing to drop due to COVID, that means we are there.

It's a horrible way for someone to go out this close to the finale. I'll echo the thoughts of people who thought this was her time. I'm pretty sure she's never finished anything over a Top 7 or so... and has been to the finale several times. This really felt like it was her time to cross the finish line.

Instead, that means that there are 3 others who are given their time to shine:

The longest "mini season" ever is coming to an end in a manner extremely fitting for the rest of the event - with an unexpected surprise.
The new prompt will be up before next Monday... however, until then I'm going to link their most recent entries here so people can make sure to read, comment and enjoy!

banana_galaxy - banana-galaxy.dreamwidth.org/17476.html

dadi - dadi.dreamwidth.org/3130921.html

flipflop_diva - flipflop-diva.dreamwidth.org/93869.html

clauderainsrm

There are only 4 writers left standing.

We haven't had one in 24 weeks, so it's about time that we did...

"Open Topic"

(write whatever it is that you feel like writing)

The deadline to link your entry back to this thread is Friday, Dec 2nd at 7pm ET

Have fun!

clauderainsrm

For someone to go this deep into a mini season writing poetry is rare. For it to be someone to get this far doing that AND be a previous winner??? That takes someone special.

marlawentmad is definitely someone special. Losing her is a blow.

There were definitely times during 3 Strikes that I thought she was going to be in the finale - despite how big of an uphill battle it was.

I'm just really glad that we got to enjoy so much of her work over the past 24 weeks. I hope to see more of it in the future!!

clauderainsrm

A few words from

clauderainsrm:

It’s the Top 5.

Strikes are only in play to break a tie.

The contestant with the fewest votes will be leaving the competition.

Who will be in our Final 4? That’s up to you, the voters. While the writers will be having extra helpings of page refreshing for Thanksgiving, you get to read 5 great entries.

Read. Comment. Vote for your favorites to get them a little closer to the finale!

The poll closes November 27th at 9pm ET.

Good luck to everyone!

Poll #27907 ’Week24’

This poll is closed.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: Just the Poll Creator, participants: 55

Vote For Your Favorites!

banana_galaxy's entry
20 (36.4%)

bleodswean's entry
20 (36.4%)

dadi's entry
18 (32.7%)

flipflop_diva's entry
17 (30.9%)

marlawentmad's entry
13 (23.6%)

clauderainsrm

I'm just here to give you the new prompt and deadline,

Don't Shoot the Messenger

The deadline to link your entry back here is Tuesday, November 22nd at 9pm ET.

Have fun!

clauderainsrm

There will be a post here later. Right now I'm waiting for confirmation.
I have an event to go to tomorrow morning. So the new prompt won't be up until tomorrow evening.

***
You've been watching this space. So here is your update:
The precedent for me missing closing the poll is to negate the results.
HOWEVER, there is also another precedent in play.

Which is that the person at the bottom of the poll who was going to be getting his third strike has a personal precedent of self-sacrifice rather than accepting a lucky break.

So I emailed him to find out his preference, and sure enough, I was correct.

gunwithoutmusic has officially dropped from the competition, giving himself the third and final strike. I'm sorry to see it happen, but I completely understand. It was, once again, a fantastic run. It's been great to have you around again for this mini season (or "mini" season at this point. :D Hope RL can start calming down for you soon.)

I have seen a few different screenshots from people sending them to me for what the polls looked like shortly after 9pm but of course those are unofficial. They did match however that person would be getting her first strike... and with the sacrifice, we are now at our Top 5. Congratulations.

clauderainsrm

A few words from

clauderainsrm:

We only have a short time left with each other. So let’s try to make every moment count.

Not that there are many people left to spend that time with… but you get the point I’m trying to make. :)

The bottom 2 entries will be receiving a strike. Which could do anything from absolutely nothing to taking us to the final 3… and everything in between!

So read, comment and vote for your favorites! They are going to need your support! Do your part and spread the word about what you are experiencing here!

The poll closes Thursday, November 17th at 9pm ET.

Good luck to everyone!

Poll #27846 ’Week23’

This poll is closed.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: Just the Poll Creator, participants: 47

Vote For Your Favorites!

banana_galaxy's entry
15 (31.9%)

bleodswean's entry
18 (38.3%)

dadi's entry
19 (40.4%)

flipflop_diva's entry
12 (25.5%)

gunwithoutmusic's entry
8 (17.0%)

marlawentmad's entry
13 (27.7%)

clauderainsrm

The elimination post is up: https://therealljidol.dreamwidth.org/1133069.html
So is the new prompt therealljidol.dreamwidth.org/1133533.html

***

Tomorrow (Wednesday) is a big day for me.

We've been interviewing people for the open positions. The "No"s have been easy. The "Absolutely Yes!' have also been no brainers.
It's the "Maybe" category that has been the toughest.

Will these people actually be good at the job and fit in with the existing team? Who knows. But I did come up with a plan.

With M gone and my right hand/unofficial team lead S leaving for another position in the company (HUGE promotion) at the end of the month, we are going to be down 3 people. 4 if you count the person from the other department who was helping us.

Granted, it's slower right now - at least for a couple weeks. But we are going to need people once things start getting active again.

So I narrowed our applicants down to the 3 best bets. The ones where there was a split decision between myself and S, or we both were in our heads/"meh" about them.

The plan is to give them another shot. A second interview.

But not the usual second interview - where you bring in a Director or another manager.... nope. This is me. I'm bringing in THE TEAM to interview them.

All 3 of them were up for it when I presented the idea. This could be the worst idea anyone has ever had. OR it could lead to the group getting closer and feeling a sense of ownership over the future of our team - of what we are building together.
Either way it will be interesting to see what happens... all 3 interviews are tomorrow. :O So I'll let you know how it goes... while ignoring all the cries from HR professionals reading this. :)

clauderainsrm

With all of the pressure on the contestants, on the verge of the Top 5, it would definitely be a bad time for the

Yips

Which makes it the ideal time for the prompt to appear!

The deadline to link your entry back to this post is Sunday, November 13th at 7pm ET.

Have fun!

clauderainsrm

There were 2 strikes to be handed out this week, and it certainly came close to being a lot more than that.

But in the end, only 2 were at the bottom.

Which means it's strike 2 for

gunwithoutmusic
and unfortunately, strike 3 for

hwango .

Which means we need to say goodbye to hwango.

It also means it's time for me to reveal that is who ran the table in the contestant-only vote back in Week 19. It wasn't even close. But now he is gone from the competition (but I know he will still be around). :(

***
6 people are left in the competition. If my numbers are correct - There are 3 people with 2 strikes. 1 with 1 strike and 2 who have not yet had a strike against them. The strikes stop having a direct impact on the Top 5. (but will still be used to break a tie)

clauderainsrm

A few words from

clauderainsrm:

There’s a couple things that I need to say before we get started:

d0gs has dropped from the competition. It’s definitely a huge blow and I hope that everything will be in a better place soon.

I’ve written out various versions of the second part a few times. Some were longer and more involved than others. But they all boiled down to the same thing - be decent to each other. We are a community. Yes. It’s a competition. And never forget that part of it. But ultimately everyone is here to share their writing and get something out of the process. Once you forget that, you’ve already lost.

One entry is going to do better than another entry. It happens. In the end, only one person is going to win. It may not be the person you are rooting for right now. If it’s not, maybe you should go back and reread their stuff. Because clearly you are missing something! Or, heck, maybe other people just have different taste than you do. That happens too. It’s OK.

I’ve noticed over the years that the closer we get to the end, the more the tension starts to ramp up and people aren’t at their best when they are under tension. Take a breath. Now take another. Are you proud of the work you’ve been doing? Good. You should be. Write it. Share it. Go to someone else’s work and give them constructive feedback. Or just let them know that they “rock” - that works too.

Share the work you love - as well as your own.

That’s how this community gets to grow, and continue doing what we do here.

This post is sponsored by “Pulp Fiction”, which taught us all that it’s important to be like Fonzie. “Be cool”

Go be Fonzie with each other.

With that drop, that means it’s only the lowest 2 votes that will receive strikes. It also gets us one person closer to the Top 5.

The poll closes Tuesday November 8th at 9pm ET. Good luck to everyone!

Poll #27788 ’Week22’

This poll is closed.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: Just the Poll Creator, participants: 47

Vote For Your Favorites!

banana_galaxy's entry
15 (31.9%)

bleodswean's entry
16 (34.0%)

dadi's entry
18 (38.3%)

flipflop_diva's entry
14 (29.8%)

gunwithoutmusic's entry
8 (17.0%)

hwango's entry
12 (25.5%)

marlawentmad's entry
15 (31.9%)

clauderainsrm

It's the start of a new week here at Idol, and in the outside world as well.

There were results posted - therealljidol.dreamwidth.org/1132263.html (note: I did change the strike count after receiving a couple corrections. I won't eliminate someone because I missed it. But I will correct a statement, for those wondering what the difference is, that's a huge one to me.)

The new prompt was also posted therealljidol.dreamwidth.org/1132302.html

***

What do YOU have planned for this week? (In your life, or for the prompt. I was thinking about Life in general, but hey, interpret it the way you want!)

***

In case you missed it, I did finally announce when the 3 Strikes format would end - at the Top 5. I know that's going to be a relief for everyone wondering "how much longer is this mini season going to last anyway?" :D

The strikes however WILL come into play to determine any ties. That's their lasting legacy, and threat that will continue to loom over the remainder of the competition. Obviously, if two people with the same number of votes AND strikes end up tied, we will then go to the traditional write-off tie-breaker format. (For long time Idol watchers, it's a throwback to the old "stars" system, which were our very first tie-breakers. Except this time they were given due to performance in the polls)

clauderainsrm

What prompt should I post... hmmm... not sure...

maybe I should go with... nah, not that one.

I know. I just got up. Yep. That one is perfect for the day.

"Woke Up and Chose Violence"

The deadline to link your entry back to this post is Friday November 4th at 8pm ET

Have fun!

clauderainsrm

A few words from

clauderainsrm:

What can you expect from this poll? Some really good entries from talented writers?
Results that are probably going to end up being really close (if it’s anything like the past weeks)?

Could you predict that the lowest 3 votes will be receiving a strike? Which, at this point means ⅓ of the contestants in the poll will be on the receiving end?

That means that you need to read, comment and vote for your favorites - and then spread the word. Not just for one entry, but for everything you love. (and there is a LOT to love, even with so few entries)

The poll closes Sunday October 30th at 8pm ET. Good luck to everyone!

Poll #27727 ’Week21’

This poll is closed.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: Just the Poll Creator, participants: 52

Vote For Your Favorites!

banana_galaxy's entry
15 (28.8%)

bleodswean's entry
12 (23.1%)

dadi's entry
17 (32.7%)

d0gs's entry
12 (23.1%)

flipflop_diva's entry
15 (28.8%)

gunwithoutmusic's entry
14 (26.9%)

hwango's entry
12 (23.1%)

marlawentmad's entry
12 (23.1%)

mollywheezy's entry
8 (15.4%)

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