LJ Idol Presents:

A few words from clauderainsrm:

I’m not sure how you are going to make this decision between two talented writers. But that’s what is in your hands right now. So read them both - comment, and vote for your favorite(s)!

The poll closes Saturday, September 21st at noon. It’s a little longer than normal to make the call, it was that or tomorrow. :) Spending time with my family on Friday and Saturday night!!

One of these two is going to be leaving us this week. Make sure your voice is heard!

Happy Cynthia's Birthday to all who celebrate it! Which *checks* Is EVERYONE!!! Most important holiday EVER!!!

You also have one more day to get in votes. Which, if the current amount of votes and the amounts from the last few weeks are any indication that means that a ton of people are going to be voting today and tomorrow!!!  therealljidol.dreamwidth.org/1162278.html

Considering that no one has a ton of votes right now, everyone "isn't safe", so the answer could really be anyone... so who are YOUR favorites this week that haven't been getting the attention they deserve? 

***
How has YOUR weekend been going? 

We were supposed to go to our niece's 16th party yesterday, but it was billed as an all-day event with a lot of the stuff happening later in the day. So we planned on getting there later. In the meantime, her friends were bored so they all decided to go out skating instead, which scrapped all of the other plans for the day!  :O  Teenagers, amirite?  ;) 

 TONIGHT is the deadline. But it appears that Haitian migrants have eaten the majority of entries. therealljidol.dreamwidth.org/1161260.html

Please make sure to get them back before 7pm ET tonight!!!

The results from the immunity are in  -  therealljidol.dreamwidth.org/1161159.html

and so is the new prompt -   https://therealljidol.dreamwidth.org/1161260.html

But it occurred to me that I never officially announced the sacrifices, which is going to really confuse future me.  :) 
So, for all of your spreadsheets (and mine) - leaving us this week are: static_abyss  and tonithegreat 

I saw people asking a question that wasn't answered in that thread though about what is the difference between a drop and a sacrifice and I just wanted to clear it up. Because the definitely is pretty consistent, but it can be a bit nuanced. I'll also include a bye out just because. 

So a bye out is "I've ran out of byes and I can't get anything in this week". You don't have to declare, it's just what happens. You are eliminated. I announce it in the poll post.  This action takes place before the poll chronologically. 

A drop is "I may or may not have byes, but I'm letting Gary know in advance that I'm bowing out this week" ahead of the poll.  I announce it in the poll post and it happens before the poll chronologically.

A sacrifice is "I'm leaving the competition BUT I want to take the place of someone else. I don't want anyone else to go!!!"  This is where it can get a bit nuanced in that some people let me know BEFORE the poll goes up, and sometimes they let me know after its already up, This is an active action. You actually have to link something for the poll.   It can literally be the words "I want to sacrifice this week" and as long as your INTENT is to take someone else's place, that will be honored as a sacrifice.  You also need to contact me via email to make sure that I know what is happening. 

This week, 3 people let me know that they were leaving - 2 of them wanted to sacrifice, 1 of them wanted to drop (didn't want to link anything, etc) So I honored their intents as stated. 


Sometimes those intends can be unclear, which leads to confusion.  There have literally been entries that make it sound like the writer is going to sacrifice, but that wasn't; what they were going for.  :D Which is why there is a second part of that verification process. 


***

Oh, and yes, I will tell you where you finished in the rankings this week. But please make sure to tell me your user name, even if I should definitely know it.  Because that's just easier.  :D 

 Another week has come and gone, and this time I actually closed the poll on time! Yay me! 

On the other hand, boo on having to hand out those two strikes, especially given how close the voting was this time. (and has been for most of this mini season) 

The two strikes this week are 

proceedcyclone 
and 
tonithegreat 

The good news is that this isn't the third strike for either of them.  So everyone lives to see another day in the competition.  The bad news is that is they are one step closer to that abyss. 

But for now, there is still hope. 

 Hopefully this week will go better than the last.  :) 

At any rate, you have a new prompt to keep you busy. 

Its 

All hat, no cattle

The deadline to link your entries back to this thread is

Saturday, June 4th at 1pm ET.

Have fun!

 Before we get to the results, I want to take a moment to reflect on what it means to be a Gatekeeper. 

They are people that I trust, and that I believe the community does as well. People that I know have high standards. I try my best to have them reflect the various tastes of a given season. (If there is a lot of poetry, I want to have someone who is well versed, pun intended, in poetry. If it's fiction... you get the idea.

With a mini season like this, I wanted to bring out some heavy hitters. Some names that anyone who has been around Idol for any length of time would go "Yeah, OK. That makes sense." 

People always freak out when they hear that the Gatekeepers are coming, and there's a part of me that loves that. But I also want to acknowledge that these people are doing me, they are doing Idol a favor. 

I'm extremely grateful to them for taking the time to do this. To come in, read and weigh the entries and determine their favorites. It's a big responsibility that I put on their shoulders, and they, as always, handle it magnificently. They come out because they love Idol. Which is something that is always a little overwhelming to me to think about. 

I asked them to give me anything that they wanted to promote - so that I could steer you their way. Some had stuff, others did not. :) 

Without any further chatter - I present to you, Your Gatekeepers!  (Note: some parts are accidentally in bold. Other than the names, it's not that they are more important than other parts, it's just how it copy/pasted and it's getting late. So I'll figure it out later!) 

I'll start with the one who was briefly in this season (although ended up byeing out before she really got started) - chasing_silver  Some know her as milk_and_glass. Others by Elizabeth Hawksworth  https://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Hawksworth/e/B00DQUPVD2/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2?qid=1545360878&sr=8-2    (I'm suggesting that link. She didn't. :) ) Whatever you know about her, you know that she's a powerhouse writer and human being.  She's also a Canadian. But that's not her fault. 

From person who was briefly in this season, to someone who is greatly missed from it.  If you've been in Idol - you know her and love her.  Maybe fear her a little bit.  I think she has some other name on DW, but I'm too lazy to research it. Besides, the name everyone knows her by is kathrynrose.   

"I'm pretty boring, but I am the audio editor of the Brevity podcast, which some people may enjoy.  (our latest episode: https://brevity.wordpress.com/2018/09/04/brevity-podcast-episode-10-one-minute-memoir/).  other than that it's pretty much me and the cats."

Which is entirely too modest. Because we're talking someone who has been in the Top Ten in recent seasons more times than I can even remember. I also don't recall ever being bored by her. Far from it!

From legends, let's go to a winner. Our most recent one actually. The winner of Season 10 - marlawentmad -  "As for anything I want you to promote, not so much. I am in a quiet period, but if you're making introductions, you can say I am a belly dancer and writer in the midwest, with my eyes on western horizons" It's the most recent season, so people are probably the most familiar with how awesome she is, but she's definitely insanely talented.

Continuing on with the recent winners - the winner of our last mini season, Friends and Rivals, is also a Gatekeeper. I could go on about his credits and his history with Idol. But the fact that I'm saying "he" and "winner" means you already know who I'm talking about. His name is JoeyMichaels, and he is owned by cats.
Not what you might know him from, but it's also something true. So I'm going with that.

There's yet another winner on hand - the co-winner of the mini-season Exhibit B. The one and only lrig_rrorim! I'm going to cut and paste some of her own words. But before I do that, it's important to note that she's the person that *I* call when I need some editing done for my freelance work. She's that good. "My patreon, where I send out weird stories monthly via snail mail (and email, if that's your thing): https://www.patreon.com/cislyn

And the project I've been spending the most time on lately is a nonprofit I helped to get started this year. The Dream Foundry is a resource for beginners in the speculative arts (writers, artists, podcasters, editors, translators, game writers - you name it, if they contribute to making something strange and awesome in the world then we aim to support it!). We've got big plans for the coming year (and a solid 5-year plan), and the blog on our website is and will continue to be a source of great stuff - interviews with creators, industry news, peeks inside the organization itself, and more to come soon. (https://dreamfoundry.org/blog/)

We have one more winner in the mix, but I'm going to change it up with the "surprise guest". That person no one is expecting to see, but I was able to get. There's always at least one. Honestly, I'm personally thrilled to have him back in these waters!  It's been a long time since he's graced this place with his presence (and never at DW, obviously). but he's a member of the 100 Weeks Club and I'm quite sure that what passes for "old timers" around here these days will either remember him, or have heard stories!  He's our very own java_fiend!! 

Our final winner, but not the final Gatekeeper - is another one of those players who earned the title of "legend". Seasons come to be known for various things. But Season 8 was the hardcore writing showdown that came down to single digit votes, and she was the winner. As someone who knows her personally, yeah, you should be more than a little intimidated knowing that she was reading your stuff. ;)  She's  Allison K Williams AKA Whipchick!! 
(who gave me something to post - so here it is!) " 

I recently put out a webinar called Seven Drafts: Self-Edit Like a Pro from Blank Page to Book, with a start-to-finish process of writing a novel.

http://unkindeditor.com/webinars

Her email signature includes a couple links, so I'll add those as well!  

www.idowords.net

www.unkindeditor.com

Get the I Do Words Monthly Adventure Postcard

There are figures with long and storied histories with Idol. But the members of the Final 4 of Season 4 (the one that causes all other seasons to step back and go "Damn!") tend to be regarded as their own kind of superheroes.  Kittenboo was there. She fought her way to the point in one of the most bloody seasons to date, and came extremely close to winning. She went through the very first Hell Week (16 entries in one go) and later went through a different kind of Hell, being my assistant!  


Last, but never least, is someone that I've been thinking about a lot lately. Not just because she's amazing and I was hoping to see her jump into the fray here, but because I was thinking about her status within Idol.  If I'm not mistaken, she's been in more Finales than anyone in the history of Idol.  Probably more Top 5s, Top 10s... (if not, it's close).  Survivor's host Jeff Probst, back in the Amazon season, declared that Rob Cesternino was "the smartest player to never win".  Some say that title was eventually taken by Cirie Fields. gratefuladdict is our Rob Cesternino and Cirie Fields combined. I believe that she is the greatest player to never win the game. Season after season, I don't think there is anyone I would put money on to get further than her each and every time. 

Thank you to all of you for coming out, and helping us make this mini season better.  

Sure, there is going to be some heartache at the results. There always is. 

But I hope there is also appreciation for who you are, and the task you performed so well.   Thank you. I sincerely appreciate you, and I hope you know that. 

Good Morning.

Unless you are reading this at a different time of day.

You've been having some questions. I have answers.

In some cases I just have kicks. Sometimes I have answers hidden inside of kicks. Most of the time I have kicks hidden inside of answers. So pay attention!

- I wasn't sure if I could ask you this. -

Never say this. You can *always* ask me this. If it's something I can't tell you, I will tell you that I can't reveal that information. If it's about someone else's vote, no, I can't tell you that. I can answer almost everything else. (or give you my best guess - as in "When is this mini season ending?" I have a rough guideline for that. But Second Chance could explode and then that timeline goes out the window.)

- Are we getting a break for Christmas? -

Look for that announcement after Week 9's results are announced.

- When is the Second Chance sign-up sheet going up? -

After the Week 9 results are announced.

- What is a sign-up sheet? What do I need to do?-

You write something in your DW/LJ/Open Source blog that says "I want to play Second Chance". It can be more detailed than that. It can be as exactly detailed as that. You then link it back to the Sign Up Sheet. And voila, you are signed up to play in Second Chance.

- Who is eligible to play in Second Chance? -

Anybody.
You could have byed out. You could have been eliminated. You could have missed the chance to sign up for the mini season in the first place. You could still be in the main competition but decide you want to set up a second account to play. (an "alt") If you have a desire to be in Second Chance, you can be in Second Chance.

- When will the Week 9 results be announced? -

Sometime tomorrow after 8pm EST. I'd look for them around 9pm or so on Thursday.

- When will we know who the Gatekeepers were? -

Right after that results announcement I will be making a Thank You post to the Gatekeepers, where I reveal who they were.

- I have questions about byes -

OK. But that's not a question.

- What is a bye and how do I use it? -

A bye is a "free week". If you use a bye, you don't need to write anything that week. It's a sports term.

In this mini season, everyone started with 2 of them.

I prefer that you go to the Topic thread and post that you are going to be using your bye that week. It makes things *much* easier for me when you do that. Because then I know not to waste my time searching to see if maybe you did post something and forgot to link it.
If you don't declare it though, I will check to see if you did post something, and if you didn't, I will automatically use the bye for you.

When you run out of byes and miss submitting your entry - you are eliminated.

I have extended the period to use your byes to the Top 20. (meaning that once we reach the Top 20, your byes go away. No more "free weeks")

Regular byes are good only in the main competition. (You can't use them in Second Chance)


- Can I transfer my bye to someone else and if so, when?

Yes, you can transfer your byes to another contestant. The only restriction is that you can only do that while still in the competition. So you can't wait until after you are eliminated and then say "give my byes to so and so". At that point, it's too late. You're gone. They are gone. But before you are eliminated, it's all good.

- What is a Golden Ticket bye? How do I get them? How are they different than a standard bye?

A Golden Ticket bye is a brand new thing. This is the first time they have been introduced.

It's a special bye that doesn't have some of those restrictions listed above. You CAN transfer it after you are eliminated. In fact, you don't even have to be a contestant to purchase one!

They are also good until the Top 20 - and again, an unique trait is that they are the ONLY BYES that can be used in Second Chance!!

You can purchase them for $10/each (limit 2) just mark your donation as "Golden Ticket Bye" and let me know who you want to receive it: paypal.me/GDreslinski

The cut-off for purchasing them is TONIGHT (Wednesday) at midnight!!! After which, they are gone.

The proceeds will be going toward the Mini Season's "Purse" (the money being split between the Final 4). Which, as of this post, is $363.59!

You can't use them until after Week 9 is completed. Which, see above, is Thursday.


- How many Golden Tickets are currently going to be entering the game?

As of this post, there are 5. I know there are a couple other people who have mentioned getting them.

Of those 5, some people have purchased them for themselves and others have bought them as gifts to give out to other contestants. (For the writer who has everything, except a safety net!)

- I have more questions -

Again, that's not a question.

- Can I ask you more questions? Or will you bite off my head? -

Why not both????

Of course you can ask me questions. You can post them in Green Rooms, or if you don't want it to be public - email me at clauderainsrm@gmail.com and I will do my best to respond quickly.

***

Remember to read and comment on the entries this week! That's how you support your favorites! With feedback! https://therealljidol.dreamwidth.org/1021851.html

Happy Gatekeeper Week to you!

https://therealljidol.dreamwidth.org/1021851.html

***

Since several people have already questioned me on this, I'll come clean and admit, that yes, Second Chance sign ups are starting on Thursday, following the Gatekeeper round. :)

So yes - people are going out and there is no guarantee that they are going to be able to fight their way back in. It's a much more difficult road to the end, and no one from Second Chance has ever won the game. (There was a co-win, in a mini season. But that was a special circumstance.)

Between the Gatekeeper round, and Second Chance, the field has the potential to look really different a couple weeks from now.


***

Which seems like a good time to remind you that Golden Tickets are still available until Wednesday. :) https://therealljidol.dreamwidth.org/1020455.html for details.

***

How was your weekend?

Season ___ was awful!*


(*Not really, I just wanted to stir up some conversation! :D)

***

The new topic is up: https://therealljidol.dreamwidth.org/1020951.html so hopefully everyone is hard at work!

***

I didn't mention this yesterday - but there *is* a cut-off for Golden Ticket Byes to be purchased. It's next Wednesday by End of Day. (EST) So if you are thinking about it, there's now a shot clock on making that decision. https://therealljidol.dreamwidth.org/1020455.html

***

Welcome to Friday. Hopefully yours is doing better than mine. (Just didn't sleep well. I thought I had, but this morning I was exhausted, so apparently I didn't...)


What do you have going on this coming weekend?